CHARMED

"Window of Opportunity"

by shel

©september 2005

disclaimer:the charmed ones, cole, and leo, and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too…

rating:pg-13

summary:sometimes a split second is all the window of opportunity allows you to make a choice but sometimes a split second's all you need…

timeline:six weeks following the end of season 7's, 'something wicca this way goes'…

archive:please don't without expressed permission…

notes:please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why not…and, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames…

Part One

"Hey, sport, stay where I can see you!" Darryl Morris shouted to his son from the family's picnic blanket.

"He's fine, honey," his wife assured him as she strolled over to the blanket, "which's more than I can say for others in the park today."

"What's that mean?" he asked as she sat down to snuggle next to him.

She kissed him before replying, "There was a young woman sitting on the bench over there near the trash bin and she seemed pretty upset so I asked her wha--"

"Baby, you know I don't like you talking to strangers," he interrupted with concern.

"Number one, I am an adult. Number two, it's the middle of the day, and number three, nothing happened." But he didn't seem reassured and she lowered her voice, "I know your relationship with the Halliwells brought you into all sorts of unbelievable danger but they're gone now. You're not a target anymore and not every crying woman is some demon in disguise."

"You're right," he acknowledged unconvincingly. "I know you're right but there are things…there are things in this world that exist and we don't…"

"I know there's evil still out there," she hugged him. "And I know you miss the sisters."

"I still can't believe they're gone. I keep expecting them to call up and…" His voice trailed away as he realized he'd meant that literally. He'd never told Sheila that he thought he'd spotted one of the sisters right after the explosion in the manor. But the more he thought about the girl with long strawberry blond hair, the more he thought he'd imagined her wink to him. In the six weeks since, none of the sisters had contacted him in any manner and he was beginning to lose hope that they'd somehow survived. His wife's voice interrupted his thoughts and he focused on her again as he pulled back.

"I'm so sorry they're gone," she sympathized, brushing his cheek with her hand, "but I've gotta be honest, Darryl, I'm so relieved that I don't have to worry about you anymore."

"I'm still a cop, Sheila," he reminded her.

"You know what I mean," she frowned. "Look," she sighed, "it's still the perfect summer day so can we drop this for now? No more talk about demons and evil lurking in the park, please?"

"I love you and nothing's more important to me than you and our family," he stated in a tone more serious than he needed. He gazed at her a moment longer before he finally asked, "So where's this girl who was so upset?"

"I didn't mean you had to go over to her," she quickly answered. "I kind of got the impression I scared her and that she wanted to be alone."

"Tell you what," he offered as he got to his feet, "you call the soccer ace in for dessert and I'll see what I can do for this girl."

"Don't you want any dessert?" she worried.

"I'll be right back and there'd better be some apple pie left or there'll be some serious tickle torture later," he teased in a warning tone.

Sheila giggled, "Hmmm, I'll see what I can do…"

Darryl bent down to give her a peck on the lips and assured her, "Be right back."

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It didn't take him long to spot her. She was sitting near the trash bins just like Sheila had said. Her long hair was loose and, from the way she was hunched over sitting on the bench, hid her face. From the crumpled tissue he spotted clenched in her fist, he was sure she'd been crying. So if Sheila had also been right about her wanting to be alone, why was she still sitting in the public park? He approached slowly, "Everything okay?"

Startled, she nearly fell off the bench. "I'm okay," she automatically said even though her heart was pounding from the thought that she'd been distracted and someone had so easily sneaked up on her.

Darryl noted the red-rimmed blue eyes and the slightly swollen pink nose against her pale skin and worried more when she gasped in surprise after meeting his gaze. "You don't seem okay. I'm a cop, are you hurt? Is there anything I can do?"

She slid to the side of the bench in an effort to avoid him and get up, "I'm fine, just fine. Go back to your wife, I'll be okay."

Taken aback, it took him a moment to register her face with the one from his memory but that was enough time for her to have already sprinted away from him. "Wait!"

Annoyed with herself for her slip regarding Sheila, she put in some more effort to run from him but he easily caught up to her and grabbed her swinging hand. "Let go, please…"

"Phoebe? Piper?" he demanded. "Which sister are you?"

Already emotionally drained, she didn't have the energy to break free from his strong grip. "They're dead, Darryl, leave them to rest in peace."

His grip unintentionally grew even stronger as he repeated his demand, "Which one?"

She finally looked him in the eyes and stated, "My name is Lisa and I'm the middle of three sisters. Now please let me go."

He had been right but he still couldn't believe it. Phoebe was standing right there in front of him, living and breathing. He immediately dropped his hand, "Lisa? But why, Pho--"

"No," she interrupted sharply, "my name is Lisa!" But she softened her tone, "Your friend no longer exists, Darryl, and I'm just a stranger minding my own business hoping no one's watching or listening."

He realized she meant either the Elders or demons so he nodded to her and conveyed his understanding. But, at the same time, he didn't understand. "I thought I saw you that day but you never contacted me. Why? Are you okay? Where have you been?"

"It doesn't matter. The past is dead," she explained, "and there's a whole bright new future waiting for us."

"I can't believe how different you look," he involuntarily chuckled, "talk about an extreme makeover. Can you sit with me for a minute? I've got a million questions."

"I shouldn't," she shook her head. "It wouldn't be good for either of us. I'm sorry for the loss of your friends but we all need to let go of the past."

He indicated to the bench she'd fled from, "Didn't look like you were doing too good a job of it back there. Something's upset you. I'd like to help if I can."

She was quiet for a moment, "Let's just say, I've had a harder time adjusting to my bright new future than the rest of my family." She glanced at her watch, "Look at the time, I'm late…I'm meeting my older sister for lunch and she gets annoyed when I run late for no apparent reason."

"Nice to know some things don't change," he quipped, hoping to see her lighten up a bit. But if anything, she seemed even sadder, so he offered, "Isn't there anything I can do for you?"

She shook her head, "But thank you for asking…I'd better go."

"Why Lisa?" he suddenly asked.

She nearly smiled, "I had this friend, maybe the one you're thinking of, who had a name that people were always misspelling or mispronouncing so I was pretty grateful to have a short ordinary name."

He might have been amused had she not begun walking away. "Wait, I'll walk with you."

She stopped in her tracks and worried, "I really don't think that'd be a good idea."

"What's the harm in "meeting" your sister?"

"Your wife will wonder what happened to you," she suggested. "Sheila's waiting, go back to her." She began to turn away from him but paused, "I know you were caught in the middle often enough so if you…if you need to tell her the truth, I…well I trust you. Goodbye, Darryl."

Saddened by the finality of her tone, he took the opportunity and admitted, "I've missed yo-- my friends, my family. Y'know, in spite of all the insanity, I wouldn't change a thing."

Tears stung her eyes, "If she was alive, I'm sure your friend would say that she misses you too. I'm sure she wishes that she could call you up just to talk, hang out, and not just request an inconvenient favor. I'm sure she wishes she could tell you how grateful she is that you were such a strong source of encouragement, such a true friend, and that she loves you. And I'm sure she wishes she could apologize for always putting you in the awkward spot, for never seeming to trust you when she actually did, for nev--"

"I'm sure he'd understand," he quickly interrupted. "I mean, I do, I understand. I know what my friend was fighting for and I believed in her, in them, still do, in fact. And I know how much she sacrificed to keep doing a thankless job that had to be done in secret. I hope she knows that I was proud to help her whenever I could. And I can only hope she understands why, in the end, I sometimes had to refuse."

Overwhelmed by his forgiveness, her voice cracked as she responded, "I'm sure she does." She wanted so desperately to add more and to hug him but feared any watching eyes. So instead, she requested as she turned away, "Take care of yourself and your family. Be safe…"

"Ph-- Lisa, wait!" He quickly fished out from his wallet one of his contact cards and hastily wrote on the back, "Take this. My new cell number's on it. Just in case you ever, I mean ever, need me…"

Her fingertips brushed against his hand as he gave her the card and she snapped her gaze towards his. "Thank you," she whispered, "for everything…"

"Tell your sister, sisters, I…"

"I will," she smiled sadly before giving into her impulses and kissing him quickly on the cheek. "Goodbye, Darryl…"

With a heavy heart, he let her go but he still stood in that spot and watched long after she rushed out of the park. In barely a whisper, he uttered, "Goodbye, Phoebe…"

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