The Underworld, Thursday, or something like that
Drake was adding to an already long list when Cole materialized beside him. He jumped, clutching at his heart over-dramatically. "You could warn a guy when you're going to do that!" he said.
"It's not like I can knock," Cole said, settling in the easy chair Drake had somehow acquired for his lair. "Disembodied spirit, trapped in limbo, remember?"
"You look real trapped to me," Drake said, rolling his eyes.
"I have limited strength," Cole said. "That's why I need you."
"Always the one night stand, never the bride," Drake sighed. "You make me feel so cheap."
"You saw the sorcerer?" Cole asked, pointedly ignoring Drake's theatrics.
Drake nodded, hopping to his feet. "This demon is no more. He has ceased to be. He's expired and gone to meet his maker. He's run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible. This is an ex-demon!"
"Been there, done that," Cole said. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."
"But you had a soul all along, buddy," Drake said. "This is shiny and new for me. I've read about being human but now I really am one. It's enough to make me want to break into song."
Cole held up a hand to stop him. "I get the picture," he said. "But how were you planning on getting out of the Underworld?"
Drake gave him a look. "Shimmering? You know, that thing we do to get from place to place when we're too lazy to use the feet we were hatched with?"
"Human," Cole pointed out. "You can't shimmer anymore."
"Not exactly," Drake said. "I still have my powers."
"...what?"
"The sorcerer miiiiight have let me keep them," Drake admitted. At Cole's questioning look, he said, "OK, so the price he charged me for one year of being human was that if I used my powers in an offensive manner, he gets them and I burn for all eternity."
Cole facepalmed. "Wasn't the one year and then you die enough?"
"Hey, it's me," Drake said, grinning. "I've never harmed an innocent, and I never will. You know that."
"And I remember having to get your ass out of trouble dozens of times for that very reason," Cole grumbled. "And getting Raynor and the Source pissed at me."
"You loved saving my ass," Drake said, smirking. "You'd be bored without my ass."
"Well, I need your ass right now," Cole said. "Or in about a year."
"Tease," Drake sighed. "So what's this thing you need me to do for you?"
Cole settled back in his chair. "I need you to fix the things that went wrong before I died," he said.
"Speaking of that," Drake said, "why didn't you ever open your mouth and say 'Don't you get it, I didn't want to be the Source, the Seer made me do it'? Would've gone over a lot better than being Mr. Stalks-a-lot."
Cole sighed and rubbed his temple. "Bad writing. Let's just say I wasn't in my right mind," he said. "But I've had plenty of time to think while stuck in limbo. And right now my biggest concern is that I don't want Phoebe to give up on love."
"Phoebe, Phoebe," Drake mused. "Oh, right, the witch who made you go soft." He looked down Cole's body. "Or not, as the case may be. You two were all Romeo and Juliet until she killed you."
"Right," Cole said. "And she hasn't been able to find real love since then. That's where you come in."
"So you want me to sleep with her?" Drake said, primarily to just provoke Cole.
Cole flinched and closed his eyes. "If that's what she wants and needs," he said quietly, though his expression made it plain that at least part of him didn't want her to move on. He opened his eyes and continued with more conviction. "I just want you to make sure she knows love is still out there and she shouldn't stop looking. I may be cursed to live in a loveless eternity, but that doesn't mean she has to be, too. She needs love. She deserves it."
"You deserve it too, buddy," Drake said. "Just the fact that you care more about her than yourself proves that you don't deserve this fate, and you know it."
"I've accepted it," Cole said, shrugging. "I'm more worried about Phoebe. I want her to be happy."
"So I recite a few lines of poetry, sweep her off her feet, and get her motor going again?" Drake said.
"More than that," Cole said. "She and her sisters are about to do something monumentally stupid, and Piper and Leo are going to pay the price. The Elders are going to take Leo away from Piper, and that will crush her. And it will make Phoebe completely give up when she sees what love has done to her sister. I've seen the future, and she'll die sad and alone. So we need to make sure the Elders don't succeed."
"This is getting complicated," Drake said. "I've only got a year here, you know. Then I shuffle off the mortal coil."
"Don't worry, I'll set things up," Cole said. "I just need you to be in San Francisco in 50 weeks. What you do before then is all up to you."
"I'll be there, buddy," Drake said. "You got me a soul. I will be your doctor of love and save the day."
"I knew you wouldn't let me down," Cole said, managing a smile. "So what are you going to spend the rest of the year doing?"
Drake picked up his list and brandished it. "I'm writing my bucket list right now," he said. "Climb the Alps. Ride something bigger than a horse. Go heli-skiing. Dance the tango in Argentina. Surf. Write my memoirs. Burning Man. Skydive. Sign up for The Amazing Race. Grope Tim Gunn. Paint a portrait. Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France. Rollerblade. Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich. Win big in Vegas. Kiss the Blarney stone. streak the Superbowl. Ride a gondola in Venice. Host Saturday Night Live. Swim across the English Channel. Release an album. Bungee jumping. Experience the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Ride the ten largest roller coasters in the world. And...." He picked up his pen and wrote a few more words. "Save epic love. And bring a little wisdom to young minds."
"What do you mean by that?" Cole said. "And how are you going to fit all that in?"
"Isn't that I said to you when we first met?" Drake said, waggling his eyebrows. "Seriously, I applied for a teaching job at a school for gifted kids. I'm heading there Friday."
"You, a teacher?" Cole looked skyward and shook his head. "God help those kids."
"It's not like I can knock," Cole said, settling in the easy chair Drake had somehow acquired for his lair. "Disembodied spirit, trapped in limbo, remember?"
"You look real trapped to me," Drake said, rolling his eyes.
"I have limited strength," Cole said. "That's why I need you."
"Always the one night stand, never the bride," Drake sighed. "You make me feel so cheap."
"You saw the sorcerer?" Cole asked, pointedly ignoring Drake's theatrics.
Drake nodded, hopping to his feet. "This demon is no more. He has ceased to be. He's expired and gone to meet his maker. He's run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisible. This is an ex-demon!"
"Been there, done that," Cole said. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."
"But you had a soul all along, buddy," Drake said. "This is shiny and new for me. I've read about being human but now I really am one. It's enough to make me want to break into song."
Cole held up a hand to stop him. "I get the picture," he said. "But how were you planning on getting out of the Underworld?"
Drake gave him a look. "Shimmering? You know, that thing we do to get from place to place when we're too lazy to use the feet we were hatched with?"
"Human," Cole pointed out. "You can't shimmer anymore."
"Not exactly," Drake said. "I still have my powers."
"...what?"
"The sorcerer miiiiight have let me keep them," Drake admitted. At Cole's questioning look, he said, "OK, so the price he charged me for one year of being human was that if I used my powers in an offensive manner, he gets them and I burn for all eternity."
Cole facepalmed. "Wasn't the one year and then you die enough?"
"Hey, it's me," Drake said, grinning. "I've never harmed an innocent, and I never will. You know that."
"And I remember having to get your ass out of trouble dozens of times for that very reason," Cole grumbled. "And getting Raynor and the Source pissed at me."
"You loved saving my ass," Drake said, smirking. "You'd be bored without my ass."
"Well, I need your ass right now," Cole said. "Or in about a year."
"Tease," Drake sighed. "So what's this thing you need me to do for you?"
Cole settled back in his chair. "I need you to fix the things that went wrong before I died," he said.
"Speaking of that," Drake said, "why didn't you ever open your mouth and say 'Don't you get it, I didn't want to be the Source, the Seer made me do it'? Would've gone over a lot better than being Mr. Stalks-a-lot."
Cole sighed and rubbed his temple. "Bad writing. Let's just say I wasn't in my right mind," he said. "But I've had plenty of time to think while stuck in limbo. And right now my biggest concern is that I don't want Phoebe to give up on love."
"Phoebe, Phoebe," Drake mused. "Oh, right, the witch who made you go soft." He looked down Cole's body. "Or not, as the case may be. You two were all Romeo and Juliet until she killed you."
"Right," Cole said. "And she hasn't been able to find real love since then. That's where you come in."
"So you want me to sleep with her?" Drake said, primarily to just provoke Cole.
Cole flinched and closed his eyes. "If that's what she wants and needs," he said quietly, though his expression made it plain that at least part of him didn't want her to move on. He opened his eyes and continued with more conviction. "I just want you to make sure she knows love is still out there and she shouldn't stop looking. I may be cursed to live in a loveless eternity, but that doesn't mean she has to be, too. She needs love. She deserves it."
"You deserve it too, buddy," Drake said. "Just the fact that you care more about her than yourself proves that you don't deserve this fate, and you know it."
"I've accepted it," Cole said, shrugging. "I'm more worried about Phoebe. I want her to be happy."
"So I recite a few lines of poetry, sweep her off her feet, and get her motor going again?" Drake said.
"More than that," Cole said. "She and her sisters are about to do something monumentally stupid, and Piper and Leo are going to pay the price. The Elders are going to take Leo away from Piper, and that will crush her. And it will make Phoebe completely give up when she sees what love has done to her sister. I've seen the future, and she'll die sad and alone. So we need to make sure the Elders don't succeed."
"This is getting complicated," Drake said. "I've only got a year here, you know. Then I shuffle off the mortal coil."
"Don't worry, I'll set things up," Cole said. "I just need you to be in San Francisco in 50 weeks. What you do before then is all up to you."
"I'll be there, buddy," Drake said. "You got me a soul. I will be your doctor of love and save the day."
"I knew you wouldn't let me down," Cole said, managing a smile. "So what are you going to spend the rest of the year doing?"
Drake picked up his list and brandished it. "I'm writing my bucket list right now," he said. "Climb the Alps. Ride something bigger than a horse. Go heli-skiing. Dance the tango in Argentina. Surf. Write my memoirs. Burning Man. Skydive. Sign up for The Amazing Race. Grope Tim Gunn. Paint a portrait. Go skinny-dipping at midnight in the South of France. Rollerblade. Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich. Win big in Vegas. Kiss the Blarney stone. streak the Superbowl. Ride a gondola in Venice. Host Saturday Night Live. Swim across the English Channel. Release an album. Bungee jumping. Experience the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro. Ride the ten largest roller coasters in the world. And...." He picked up his pen and wrote a few more words. "Save epic love. And bring a little wisdom to young minds."
"What do you mean by that?" Cole said. "And how are you going to fit all that in?"
"Isn't that I said to you when we first met?" Drake said, waggling his eyebrows. "Seriously, I applied for a teaching job at a school for gifted kids. I'm heading there Friday."
"You, a teacher?" Cole looked skyward and shook his head. "God help those kids."