Author: Pirate Turner
Especially Dedicated To: My beloved Jack
For: My beloved Jack and our babies as part of their presents for Solstice/Christmas/Kitsmas
Rating: PG
Summary: Cole and Piper steal some treasured moments amongst their family to celebrate Christmas with the true loves of their lives.
Warnings: Het, Unconventional Pairings
Word Count: 1,749
Date Written: 23 December 2010
Disclaimer: Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell; Cole Turner; Leo Wyatt; White Lighters; the Council; the Charmed Ones; the Power of Three; and Charmed are & TM Aaron Spelling and any other respective, legal owners, none of which are the author; are used without permission; and may not be used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
He had seen package after package be opened, and though he was surrounded by more presents than he'd ever even seen before in his long life, let alone received, Cole Turner's heart was breaking. He gazed at his love every time her family was busy looking elsewhere, and he wondered if she couldn't hear his heart breaking. She had adored the cookbook he had bought her, and her words echoed again through his mind. She'd told him that he shouldn't have bought her the book even while she'd been hugging him and had accidentally managed to brush her lips against his lapel of his jacket.
Though at the time Cole had thought she was just saying the typical words that humans spouted when surprised by some one whom they had not suspected to buy them a present, he had since began to understand. Piper had meant what she'd said when she had told him that they should not buy anything for each other, but why, really? Even Prue had bought him a gift. Granted, it was nothing more than a dull, simplistic tie, but still she'd thought of him. What was so wrong with thinking about a friend enough to buy her a present? Leo, Phoebe, and even Prue had not seemed to mind, and he'd made sure to buy Prue a cheap pair of earrings to make it look as though he'd simply wanted to buy Phoebe's sisters a gift for, as he'd jestingly said, putting up with him.
Yet Piper had not given him a thing. Why? he wondered for the thousandth time as she looked his way. Then she made his heart start pounding wildly in his chest all over again as she called his name and deigned to speak to him.
"Cole, would you mind helping me with the refreshments while the others start picking up this mess?"
He could barely hear or think for the roaring of his blood in his ears. Piper had talked to him again! She wasn't mad at him, or upset! His sweet, beautiful, and wonderful Piper had looked into his eyes and spoken to him again! "Y- Sure," he managed to stutter out and followed her to the kitchen, trailing behind her like a lost, little puppy dog and hoping, in the far recesses of his mind, that no one noticed.
He knew every moment that they allowed themselves to show their true love for each other was a moment of danger not only for them but for the Charmed Ones especially and for the whole world at large. Without the Charmed Ones, the world would easily be overrun by evil, and if their love was to ever be discovered by the others, it would destroy Piper's cherished family.
Yet he could not help loving the woman who was the true reason why his soul had been saved. Phoebe had never cared for him like Piper had, and it was in hopes of somehow, some way, some day managing to attain to brush his fingers across her silky hand and not have his lady love, whose purity and wonderfulness made her golden in Cole's mind, snatch away from him in disgust that truly caused him to strive in every second of every day to be a better man and a good Demon. No matter what Hell or the world threw at them, he would always love Piper with all of his being and beyond, and that was what gave Cole the power to keep trying and keep surviving.
"Cole," Piper whispered, turning to him after the door swung shut behind them, barring them from the others' scrutiny, "you shouldn't have."
"I couldn't help it!" he whispered back in his defense. "I love you, Piper! I had to give you something! I couldn't just let the holiday go by without acknowledging you, especially with having to give Phoebe that gold necklace she wanted!"
Piper struggled not to roll her eyes as she thought about her sister's constant pestering continued to keep Cole from managing to hold on to a single cent. Then she saw his handsome but scared face and melted instantly. "I know, sweetheart," she said, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him, "but we can't let them know. I love you, Cole, and I don't want to lose you!" She shook her head. "But I don't want to lose my family either, and we both know they'd force me to have to pick between the two of you."
"I know," he said with soft regret not of the time they had together nor ever of their love but of the danger of their union and the fact that it forced his beloved, sweet Piper to have to face losing every one else she'd ever held dear. "I suppose I should be sorry, Piper, and take myself away from here, away from you - "
"Don't you dare!" Piper hissed, her brown eyes flashing with fury at the mere thought. "I love you, Cole Turner, and you'd better not go anywhere!"
"I don't want to," he said, holding her close and fighting to keep the tears that were swelling in his heart from showing in his dark eyes and on his handsome face, "but I also don't want you to have to lose your family."
"I'd rather lose them," Piper vowed, "than ever risk losing you. I love you, and I don't want to face this world without you!" In truth, she wasn't sure she was strong enough to do so any longer, and she knew she certainly didn't want to be without him. She'd made the decision long ago to follow him wherever he went if he tried to leave her, but until that day came, she'd not endanger her family by separating the Power of Three.
"Then why were you upset when I gave you your present?"
"Oh, sweetheart!" Piper cried, cupping his handsome face in her loving arms and stroking his flesh gently. She could feel his tears threatening to come to the surface, even as her own bubbled up inside her soft, brown eyes. "I wasn't! Baby, I was thrilled with that book! You knew I wanted it! I just couldn't show how happy you make me in front of the others!"
Cole was quiet for a brief moment, and then slowly, and almost shyly, he asked, "So I do make you happy?"
"Of course!" Piper pressed her lips to his in a mind-whirling kiss that ended all too soon as she heard footsteps approaching the door.
They tore themselves away from each other, he going to the cupboard while she danced to the refrigerator. "Cole, didn't you say you used to have a favorite cake when you were a little boy?"
Cole looked over at her with surprise clearly registering upon his face. "Yes . . . " he spoke softly in his deep voice that gave her delightful shivers every time she heard it. "Coconut."
"That's what I thought," Piper said, turning away from the fridge she'd opened and shutting it with her booted foot. When she turned around, Cole's mouth dropped wide, and his eyes bulged and sparkled in delight. "Merry Christmas, Cole," Piper said, beaming so brilliantly that her face was as brilliant and bursting as a full Christmas tree. "I hope you like it."
"For me?" Cole asked in shock. "It's all . . . for me?"
Prue laughed from just inside the doorway of the kitchen and then covered her mouth with her hand.
Piper chose to ignore her sister, and Cole did not even notice Prue's presence in the least. All he saw was the woman he loved looking at him with complete adoration and offering him the grandest cake he'd ever seen before in his entire existence. "I love it!" he crowed and rushed over to grasp it with both hands.
"I'm glad," Piper acknowledged, still smiling brightly, as she carefully put her love's present into his hands. "It's all yours."
Cole's eyes darted to the kitchen door, and he barely noted Prue as he vowed silently that that damn White Lighter wasn't going to get a single bite of the treasure the woman who should have been his own wife had made for him! Leo might have Piper in ways he would never be able to, but he wasn't going to have this wondrous cake that his even more wonderful love had made for him! "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" he bubbled and then shimmered out before Leo could enter the kitchen.
Piper joined in Prue's laughter after Cole had vanished. Prue, smiling from ear to ear, walked over to the refrigerator and stepped around Piper, who was now hugging herself in delight. She took the eggnog, walked over to the counter, and poured them two glasses of eggnog. Leaving the carton on the counter, she walked back over to her baby sister and handed her one full glass. Piper took it with a smile, and her heart gave a little jump of hope as Prue clicked her glass against hers. "Merry Christmas, little sister."
The sisters drank their eggnog together, a tradition they'd shared since they were children playing together and hiding the good stuff from Phoebe, and then Prue wrapped an arm around Piper. She squeezed her in an one-armed hug as she spoke wryly, "And tell Cole 'Merry Christmas' for me, too, when you get the chance," before leaving a bedazzled Piper behind and going back to their family's main celebration.
Piper stared at the door as it swung shut behind Prue, her mind awhirl. Prue knew, and she didn't care! She knew she and Cole were in love, despite their promises to Leo and Phoebe, and she was okay with it! Prue no longer hated the man Piper loved, and she'd not lose her older sister because of her love for him! She hugged herself again. "Merry Christmas, Cole," she whispered, knowing he could hear her, wherever he was. "I love you!" A tingle passed through her, and Piper knew that Cole and Prue loved her, the world was a bright place indeed, and everything would turn out all right in the future. Singing from the joy bursting in her heart, Piper gathered together a tray of Christmas goodies and then went to rejoin her family.
"Where's Cole?" Phoebe asked.
"He's around," Piper answered, grinning and passing out the plates of cookies and cakes. He'd always be around, she knew, and she'd always love him and him alone forever, always, and beyond, no matter what!
The End