San Francisco back to LA, Friday
Yesterday, Piper was helping Paige and Leo (which was very strange, considering what he and this world's Piper had been through) with a potion to help vanquish Cole. She really didn't want to do that, though, not when she knew that he was capable of so much more. She had seen proof of that herself in her own world.
That was why she headed to the former Halliwell Manor alone today. She didn't tell the others about her plan because she knew they would talk her out of it. She just had to try this her way. She knew it likely wouldn't work out the way she wanted it to, so she brought a vial of the vanquishing potion with her just in case.
The Manor had been pretty well fortified. There were demonic guards everywhere. But she had something they didn't. The power to freeze. She waited until one of them opened the back door to use that power so she could get inside. Once there she noticed all of the changes. All of Gram's decorative touches were missing. There was even a pool table present. Eventually, she made it to the stairs and then quietly made her way to the attic. She figured she could maybe hide out there, wait for the right time to find Cole or maybe even Phoebe.
This world was all wrong. Phoebe was supposed to love him, not hate him. This was not what he wanted.
Shaking off the Seer and the rest of his demon entourage, Cole headed upstairs to the attic. He needed some privacy to think and decide what to do next. His hand still hurt from where Paige had cut it. He had to stop her and Piper, who seemed to have started a new life as a dominatrix. But most importantly, he needed Phoebe to love him.
He reached the top of the stairs and stepped into the attic. "You!" he said, spotting Piper. He conjured an energy ball.
Piper eyed the energy ball warily. "I'm not here to cause any problems for you."
At least not if she had to. "I just want to talk. Really."
"You and your sister just attacked me," Cole snarled. "Nice move, getting a chunk of my flesh. Making a vanquish potion?"
Piper winced slightly. "This might sound crazy, but that was not me. I'm from another universe, one that is very different from this one. One where you and Phoebe are happy."
"Right," Cole said with a harsh laugh. "Phoebe hates me, even in this world. And you're not exactly my strongest defender. You're right there beside her, condemning me and blaming me for everything that goes wrong, even if I had nothing to do with it."
"And I don't have anything to do with that. Like I said, that isn't me," Piper assured him. "But honestly, did you actually think creating another world like this was going to fix things? Seems to me things are far worse in this reality. It doesn't even look like the San Francisco I grew up in."
"Tell me about it, " Cole said, eying Piper warily. He extinguished the energy ball, for now at least. "This wasn't what it was supposed to be. I wanted to go back to when Phoebe and I were at our best. I didn't want this." He gestured around them.
"So go back to the world this should be and remind Phoebe of when you were at your best," Piper gently suggested. "Because I just can't believe she doesn't love you anymore, no matter what she say. The Phoebe I know would never stop loving you."
"I've tried!" Cole insisted. "She keeps screaming at me that I'm evil and always will be. I didn't become the Source willingly! He possessed me. Why won't you believe that? How could you think that after all I went through that I would return to that life? When Barbas came after me, I came to you and begged for help, but you turned your back on me. Why do you think I went a little mad after that?"
Piper was a bit surprised at everything he was saying, and she could certainly tell he was frustrated. She wasn't quite sure what to say.
"I'm sorry," she finally said, her voice filled with sadness.
"You're sorry," Cole said bitterly. "You're right there beside her, leading the charge against me. So give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now. You're probably just here to distract me while Paige does something."
"She's my sister," Piper said. "I guess no matter what universe I'm in, I'll always have to take their side. I don't know what else to say. If you're gonna kill me, I guess I can't do anything about it. I just wanted you to know that it works out for you in some universes. Thought it might give you some hope."
She still did have the vanquishing potion, though.
"I ran out of hope," Cole said. "That's why I did this."
Piper frowned, realizing there really wasn't much more she could say. "You should do the right thing and fix this. If not for Phoebe, you should do it for yourself. I know you are capable of doing good."
"And then what?" Cole said brokenly. "I tried to prove I was good. I tried to kill myself. I tried to get you to vanquish me. Nothing works. I can't live with the way she hates me, and I can't die."
"I can't help you with that." She wasn't about to hand over the vanquish potion and help him kill himself, remembering what Paige had told her about him not being invincible in this world. "But you can't leave the world this way and make everyone else suffer, too."
Cole rubbed his temple. "I guess you're right," he said wearily. "This world is worse than the real world." He didn't have the powers he absorbed from the Wastelands here, but he did still have the abilities he gained as an Avatar. "I'll change it back."
"Thank you," Piper said. "I really truly hope things are better for you."
Hesitantly, she leaned over and hugged him.
Cole gaped at her in surprise for a moment, then hugged her back. "I'm sorry," he said. "For everything. All I ever wanted was Phoebe . . . and a family."
"You could still have that," Piper said quietly. "Just don't give up."
Cole shook his head. "She hates me," he said. "I don't know how I can change that now."
"She may have said that, but she doesn't mean it," Piper said. Even in another universe, she knew her sister.
He shrugged. "I don't have any hope anymore," he said. "That's why I did this. But I can set things back, at least."
"Good," Piper nodded. "And I will have enough hope for you."
"Why are you being so nice?" Cole said, still bewildered by Piper's behavior.
"You're my friend," Piper said simply. "In my world, you are like family."
"I wish I was your Cole then," he said. He took a few steps back and stretched out his arms, beginning to chant.
It was at that moment that Piper noticed a portal in the distance, moving closer to her. She wasn't sure if it was a coincidence, or if the chanting was causing it, but she hoped it would get her home.
"Good luck," she said as the portal enveloped her.
She looked around, hoping she was where she was supposed to be. It sure looked like the Hyperion kitchen. She was going to spend the next few moments making sure she was, in fact, back where she belonged.
[ooc: establishy, though can be open if anyone's around to notice Piper has returned home; thanks to demonbelthazor for helping me out with this part!]
That was why she headed to the former Halliwell Manor alone today. She didn't tell the others about her plan because she knew they would talk her out of it. She just had to try this her way. She knew it likely wouldn't work out the way she wanted it to, so she brought a vial of the vanquishing potion with her just in case.
The Manor had been pretty well fortified. There were demonic guards everywhere. But she had something they didn't. The power to freeze. She waited until one of them opened the back door to use that power so she could get inside. Once there she noticed all of the changes. All of Gram's decorative touches were missing. There was even a pool table present. Eventually, she made it to the stairs and then quietly made her way to the attic. She figured she could maybe hide out there, wait for the right time to find Cole or maybe even Phoebe.
This world was all wrong. Phoebe was supposed to love him, not hate him. This was not what he wanted.
Shaking off the Seer and the rest of his demon entourage, Cole headed upstairs to the attic. He needed some privacy to think and decide what to do next. His hand still hurt from where Paige had cut it. He had to stop her and Piper, who seemed to have started a new life as a dominatrix. But most importantly, he needed Phoebe to love him.
He reached the top of the stairs and stepped into the attic. "You!" he said, spotting Piper. He conjured an energy ball.
Piper eyed the energy ball warily. "I'm not here to cause any problems for you."
At least not if she had to. "I just want to talk. Really."
"You and your sister just attacked me," Cole snarled. "Nice move, getting a chunk of my flesh. Making a vanquish potion?"
Piper winced slightly. "This might sound crazy, but that was not me. I'm from another universe, one that is very different from this one. One where you and Phoebe are happy."
"Right," Cole said with a harsh laugh. "Phoebe hates me, even in this world. And you're not exactly my strongest defender. You're right there beside her, condemning me and blaming me for everything that goes wrong, even if I had nothing to do with it."
"And I don't have anything to do with that. Like I said, that isn't me," Piper assured him. "But honestly, did you actually think creating another world like this was going to fix things? Seems to me things are far worse in this reality. It doesn't even look like the San Francisco I grew up in."
"Tell me about it, " Cole said, eying Piper warily. He extinguished the energy ball, for now at least. "This wasn't what it was supposed to be. I wanted to go back to when Phoebe and I were at our best. I didn't want this." He gestured around them.
"So go back to the world this should be and remind Phoebe of when you were at your best," Piper gently suggested. "Because I just can't believe she doesn't love you anymore, no matter what she say. The Phoebe I know would never stop loving you."
"I've tried!" Cole insisted. "She keeps screaming at me that I'm evil and always will be. I didn't become the Source willingly! He possessed me. Why won't you believe that? How could you think that after all I went through that I would return to that life? When Barbas came after me, I came to you and begged for help, but you turned your back on me. Why do you think I went a little mad after that?"
Piper was a bit surprised at everything he was saying, and she could certainly tell he was frustrated. She wasn't quite sure what to say.
"I'm sorry," she finally said, her voice filled with sadness.
"You're sorry," Cole said bitterly. "You're right there beside her, leading the charge against me. So give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you right now. You're probably just here to distract me while Paige does something."
"She's my sister," Piper said. "I guess no matter what universe I'm in, I'll always have to take their side. I don't know what else to say. If you're gonna kill me, I guess I can't do anything about it. I just wanted you to know that it works out for you in some universes. Thought it might give you some hope."
She still did have the vanquishing potion, though.
"I ran out of hope," Cole said. "That's why I did this."
Piper frowned, realizing there really wasn't much more she could say. "You should do the right thing and fix this. If not for Phoebe, you should do it for yourself. I know you are capable of doing good."
"And then what?" Cole said brokenly. "I tried to prove I was good. I tried to kill myself. I tried to get you to vanquish me. Nothing works. I can't live with the way she hates me, and I can't die."
"I can't help you with that." She wasn't about to hand over the vanquish potion and help him kill himself, remembering what Paige had told her about him not being invincible in this world. "But you can't leave the world this way and make everyone else suffer, too."
Cole rubbed his temple. "I guess you're right," he said wearily. "This world is worse than the real world." He didn't have the powers he absorbed from the Wastelands here, but he did still have the abilities he gained as an Avatar. "I'll change it back."
"Thank you," Piper said. "I really truly hope things are better for you."
Hesitantly, she leaned over and hugged him.
Cole gaped at her in surprise for a moment, then hugged her back. "I'm sorry," he said. "For everything. All I ever wanted was Phoebe . . . and a family."
"You could still have that," Piper said quietly. "Just don't give up."
Cole shook his head. "She hates me," he said. "I don't know how I can change that now."
"She may have said that, but she doesn't mean it," Piper said. Even in another universe, she knew her sister.
He shrugged. "I don't have any hope anymore," he said. "That's why I did this. But I can set things back, at least."
"Good," Piper nodded. "And I will have enough hope for you."
"Why are you being so nice?" Cole said, still bewildered by Piper's behavior.
"You're my friend," Piper said simply. "In my world, you are like family."
"I wish I was your Cole then," he said. He took a few steps back and stretched out his arms, beginning to chant.
It was at that moment that Piper noticed a portal in the distance, moving closer to her. She wasn't sure if it was a coincidence, or if the chanting was causing it, but she hoped it would get her home.
"Good luck," she said as the portal enveloped her.
She looked around, hoping she was where she was supposed to be. It sure looked like the Hyperion kitchen. She was going to spend the next few moments making sure she was, in fact, back where she belonged.
[ooc: establishy, though can be open if anyone's around to notice Piper has returned home; thanks to demonbelthazor for helping me out with this part!]