Phoebe stepped from between Piper and Cole and led Chris into the center of the circle formed by their family. "Twenty-three years ago tonight," she proclaimed, "evil tried to destroy the Charmed Ones and very nearly won. The Halliwell line was on the verge of extinction and yet here we are, standing here today, because of you, Christopher Leo Halliwell."
Chris shuffled uncomfortably in his spot before he caught his mother's patient smile. "It wasn't me," he insisted to her and to his father, standing at her other side. "It was some alternate future version of me. Do you have to make such a big deal about this?"
"Seems so, little brother," Wyatt grinned from his position between Leo and Paige. "You are the hero of the hour."
"Absolutely," Piper concurred, "because it wasn't just Phoebe who was saved that night, Chris. If history had gone the way you'd lived it, Aunt Paige, your Dad, and I also would've died."
Leo gazed longingly at Piper before he continued, "Your grandfather would've been killed and Wyatt would've turned evil. And all your cousins forming this circle would never have existed."
Paige reached for her husband's hand next to her and smiled when Richard gave it an encouraging squeeze. "We stand before you, Chris," she added, "to thank you for what you have brought to our family."
"Trouble," the teenage girl with long dark curly hair snickered next to Richard before Cole silenced her with a glare from the opposite side of the circle. She looked down at the ground and mumbled, "Sorry, Dad."
Phoebe also glared with annoyance but indicated her daughter to Chris, "Alexandra, who, at sixteen, still seems to be your twin with the penchant for finding humor in any situation."
"Or for causing it," the tall young man next to Alex teased.
Phoebe couldn't help but smile at her eldest child. While she played no favorites among her children, Benjamin would always hold a special place in her heart, though whether it was because he was their first-born or because he was the spitting image of Cole, she couldn't say. "Maybe so, Ben, who seems to be his cousin's twin in other ways," she teasingly admonished, "but Alex reminds us that sometimes laughter really is the best medicine." She smiled warmly at her daughter who had finally looked up and she added, "And let's hope she remembers that later when she receives a lecture about the responsibilities of babysitting."
"I'm not a baby!" Randi adamantly stated while standing at Cole's side.
"No, you're not," Cole assured his current youngest child before hoisting her up and onto his shoulders.
"And you might want to join us later," Phoebe suggested to Chris.
"That's not a request," Piper clarified with a warning glance to her son. "Really, Chris, you know better."
"Hey," he complained, "I thought I was guest of honor at this shindig."
"Right," Phoebe murmured, "so where was I?"
"You were picking on Alex," Alex grumbled as she kicked at the grass at her feet.
"Only because I love you," Phoebe teased before she focused on an amused Ben. "And what about you, my witty son, who gave all your sisters male nicknames when they didn't turn out to be the brothers you'd wanted?"
"Look how long I waited for Matty," he good-naturedly complained, "and even with Dad, we're still outnumbered. Chris thought it was a neat idea."
Phoebe smiled when Chris took umbrage at being blamed for his cousin's habit but she continued in a more serious tone, "But for all your talk of majority among the males, there is no one more respectful to the honor of your sisters than you, Benjamin. You remind us, daily, of the importance of being respectful of each other and to each other."
She turned Chris to her eldest daughter who was standing next to Ben. "Patricia, with her father's way with words, will one day become one of the best lawyers for the innocents of this city…if her father or I don't strangle her first."
"Mom," Pat groaned with embarrassment.
"Ha," Chris muttered without sympathy.
Phoebe merely smiled and indicated to the pretty redhead standing next to Pat. "Olivia, with her new hair color, reminds us that --"
"Fighting evil doesn't preclude looking good," the blond-streaked brown-haired young woman next to her quipped.
"Damn straight," Olivia nodded emphatically. "And we've proven it, haven't we, Mel?" she questioned as she indicated to their matching pairs of brand-new high-heeled boots.
Phoebe shared an amused chuckle with Paige. Their eighteen-year old daughters were younger versions of themselves and the best of friends who acted more like sisters than cousins. And in spite of Paige's and Cole's strained relationship, the girls were practically joined at the hip, deep into fashion and the latest boy of the week. But they took their Charmed duties seriously and never once shirked their responsibility for a shopping trip to the mall. "You have shown us," Phoebe proudly declared, "how one can gracefully accept a life continuously fraught with evil and make it as normal as possible."
The girls glanced at each other with embarrassment and Olivia pulled Mel close and whispered in her ear, "What's with your Mom and all the melodrama tonight?"
Mel shrugged and whispered back, "She's been acting weird for weeks. More than just in anticipation of this anniversary. Her mood swings – one minute she's furious, the next crying. It's almost like…" She stared at her mother, "No..."
"What?" Olivia hissed, annoyed she'd missed something potentially obvious.
Phoebe sighed when she felt her daughter's stunned realization. "Not now, Melinda," she warned when Mel nearly exploded with the news. Then she felt Pat's silent confirmation to Mel and was about to warn both again but Mel merely glared back at her in silence. From the corner of her eye, Phoebe caught Cole's melancholy gaze to her and she sighed again with her own realization that their private time for enjoying her pregnancy was over.
"Dad," a brown-haired boy whispered from his spot next to Randi and his father, "what's Livvy's hair color gotta do with anything? Aunt Paige's always changing her hair to red and back and no one cares."
"Well, Matty, maybe Aunt Paige should try blue for a change," Cole conspiratorially suggested and enjoyed his son's laughter in response.
Paige smiled sweetly at her brother-in-law and suggested, "Maybe it's time for the one hundred and forty-year old demon to lose his hair. Permanently."
"Back to your corners," Phoebe cautioned. And, just make sure they each got the message, she let them feel some possible repercussions if they continued. They immediately offered curt apologies to one another and she nodded in satisfaction.
"But we're in a circle," Randi wondered aloud. She frowned when everyone, including Aunt Paige and her father, laughed and, in frustration, she kicked her feet against Cole's upper chest. He immediately pulled her off his shoulders and, in confusion, she exclaimed, "But, Daddy, we are and I know there's no corners in a circle!"
"And you're right, Miranda," Phoebe solemnly nodded while she quickly contained her own amusement and blocked out the soreness her husband was currently feeling. "And one day, when you're old enough, you'll understand."
"That's what you always say," the little girl unhappily complained.
"Aunt Phoebe," Wyatt quietly interrupted after a quick glance to his watch, "it's getting late."
Phoebe nodded, indicated to her fifteen-year old daughter standing next to Mel, and told Chris, "A preemie who fought back and beat the odds, Sam is already a black belt in three different styles and has just begun to help her father train her younger siblings." Sam blushed a deep shade of pink and Phoebe smiled at her most modest daughter, "Samantha, if I ever needed assurance as to what strength and determination can accomplish, all I have to do is look at you."
Sam felt her cheeks burning and nodded to her cousin standing next to her. "Moving on…" she hinted to her mother.
"Ah, Seth," Phoebe nodded, "another of the few blessed quiet ones." The comment enlisted protests from just about every cousin but she ignored them with a grin and focused on her fifteen-year old nephew. "Seth, who inherited his father's cautiousness and his mother's studiousness and reminds us of maintaining the necessary balance between having patience and taking action."
"That's my boy," Paige and Richard simultaneously teased.
Seth groaned and muttered, "If this's Chris's night, why're we the ones getting embarrassed?"
"'Cuz that's our job," Piper answered in amusement, "and our right as your parents."
"It's my turn, Mom," Matt impatiently declared while he stood next to Seth.
"Seems so, buddy," Chris commented with a grin at the boy's enthusiasm. "Let me guess, Aunt Pheebs, Matthew brings a new sense of adventure to this family. Not that we ever needed it before but it's certainly been a fresh experience trying to conjure up flushed turtles."
"That was a long time ago when I was little," Matt practically shouted, displaying a flash of his inherited streak of temper, "and I thought it was okay since we flushed Mr. Fishy before that."
"Except Mr. Fishy was dead," Ben chuckled, "and the turtles weren't."
Chris knelt before Matt and ruffled the boy's hair, "I was just teasing. We came up with some new turtles, didn't we? And you have all sorts of real adventures where you've been learning all about your powers, right?" Matt nodded and Chris turned to Randi, "And I don't even have to ask about your adventures, do I?" He winked at the little girl before he returned to the center of the circle and stood next to Phoebe. "Kids," he shrugged with feigned innocence.
Phoebe cast a smile in her youngest children's direction and nodded, "They bring out the best in all of us, especially, it seems, in you, Chris. They bring with them the wonder of being a child and remind us every day why we don't give up the fight against the evil in this world." She gazed at Cole, "And evil won't win because we're stronger, because we have love on our side."
"Just remember you said that," Chris quietly told her in a way that was sure to remind her of their earlier conversation.
Phoebe understood but continued to gaze at Cole and, as she did, let her emotions flow into him while she received his. This 'joining,' as she once termed it more than two decades ago, could be so intimate and so overwhelming that she'd, oftentimes, nearly burst into tears in the middle of a crowded room. "We're standing here today because of your sacrifice, too," she said in a choked voice. "You pushed aside your pain and anger at me and my sisters to save me, save us all, and, for the second time, you lost a part of yourself in the process. And then without warning, or your approval, you were once again imbued with new powers and suddenly forced into embracing a new life."
"One I do not, and have never, regretted," he publicly affirmed.
"Perhaps not you," she quietly acknowledged while she bit back her own bitterness for her part in his fate. After all this time, she still couldn't help but blame herself for his loss. 'We'll never know if we would've made it if you'd still been a demon,' she had told him that morning while they had lain in each other's arms, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking celebration. 'I am still a demon,' he had assured her. But even his loving touch and another tender affirmation and feeling complete with him couldn't completely dispel her fears.
Cole didn't need any power to know what his wife was thinking. It was written all over her face. The guilt. 'You didn't deserve this. Not the loss of Belthazor and certainly not this,' he recalled from that bleak evening thirteen years earlier when she'd woken from his healing to be told by him that he'd been unable to save the child she'd carried. She'd softly cried those words and blamed herself for his pain, for the loss of Belthazor and of their child. All her tears had been for him and, while he'd clung to her, he'd tried to comfort her with the knowledge that Belthazor would not have been an asset in that situation. He'd sworn to her over and over that if he hadn't had his Whitelighter capabilities he'd have lost not only her in the battle but four of their other children. He gazed at her now, standing next to his nephew, the one who'd made it all possible and felt her guilt. He shook his head and, as he'd done so many times over the past two decades, allowed her to feel his forgiveness. 'It's time to let go, love. Let Belthazor rest in the past where he belongs.'
"No," she whispered as she tried to block his feelings. She took a half-step back and jumped apologetically when she stepped on Chris's foot.
"Everything happens for a reason," Cole gently reminded her. It still amazed him that, after all these years, she was the one who'd regretted the loss of Belthazor the most. Not only had he made peace with it, he had come to enjoy the fact that he was free to be himself. Yes, he was still a demon in spite of his good powers and yes, he still had a temper and never backed away from a fight and, yes, he was definitely the most unorthodox Whitelighter/Witch around but he was free. And that was because of Chris's unexpected spell in the attic that night, twenty-three years earlier, and because of the petite woman who shyly gazed back at him from the center of the circle with the same deep brown loving eyes as when they'd first fallen in love. But for some reason, he had yet to convince Phoebe that he was a better man, a better husband, and a better father, because of the change in his powers. "And I'd let it happen again, a thousand times over, if I had to," he sincerely promised her.
Phoebe sniffled, sent him waves of love and promises of a tender and loving evening, composed herself, and turned to Wyatt. In a somewhat hoarse voice, she told him, "You've set aside your prophesized future and have started down a path in order to create a future all your own. And in following in your father's footsteps, using your talents to heal, you will bring comfort to those whose lives have been touched by evil whether due to demon or disease." Wyatt shrugged as uncomfortably as his cousins had when they were praised and she focused once more on Chris. "Which brings us back to you, Christopher. You who, in any future, refused to live in your brother's shadow and carved your own niche within this family. You have been protector, confidant, advocate, or clown to any one of us at any time when we, ourselves, may not have even realized we needed it."
"I'd be lost without you," he commented in a tone uncharacteristically more serious than sarcastic.
"We'd have been lost without you," Piper softly corrected while Phoebe left Chris in the center of the circle and returned to her original place.
Phoebe reached for her husband's hand and then announced, "Sixteen souls create this circle to pay honor and tribute to a hero." She nodded to her sisters, all three closed their eyes, and a shower of multi-colored rose petals rained upon Chris in the center.
Pat watched and chuckled at Chris's discomfort and then realized that Mel, Olivia, and Seth were magically hiding the event from any stranger who might happen upon the scene. She chuckled again when her youngest siblings tried to catch the petals but she froze when she suddenly realized that Matt and Randi were no longer her youngest siblings. She poked Ben with her elbow and mentally relayed her news.
With no one paying him any attention, Ben immediately closed his eyes and tried calling for a premonition. And what he saw sent him to his knees where he threw his hands up in the air and shouted, "Thank you, Lord! Finally!"
Stunned, Phoebe opened her eyes and, when the petals immediately stopped falling, caught her eldest daughter's guilty expression. She turned to Cole for support but he had the nerve to shrug in amusement.
"It's a tie!" Ben gleefully exclaimed, deliberately ignoring his mother's annoyance. "One more," he encouraged to his father as he got to his feet, "and we'll finally rule the house!"
"Pity you're not in the house anymore," Cole teased. "And before your mother has heart failure at the thought of another pregnancy," he continued after a glance to a suddenly pale Phoebe, "let's get her through the next seven months."
"I don't under--" Piper began in confusion before she suddenly stared at her younger sister in shock, "Phoebe! Triplets?!"
"All boys," Paige gasped when realization hit her at the same moment. "Hell, we're in for it now…"
"Paige…" Richard warned when he caught a flicker of pain cross Phoebe's face. "Congratulations," he sincerely wished the couple.
"Daddy," Randi tugged on Cole's pant leg, "I don't understand."
Cole broke his gaze from Phoebe and turned to his daughter. "Ben is excited because in seven months there will be the same number of boys in our family as girls." She nodded but he realized that she didn't fully grasp the implications so he knelt next to her and explained, "It means that you're going to be a big sister to three baby brothers."
"Big sister?" she questioned. And, when he nodded, she looked over his shoulder to her mother, "And that means they'll have to listen to me, right? 'Cuz I'm their big sister?" Phoebe nodded her confirmation and, to the delight of everyone in the family, Randi mimicked her big brother and fell to her knees as she shouted, "Thank you, Lord! Finally!"
Laughing, Cole scooped up his daughter and kissed her soundly between her neck and shoulders causing her to giggle, wriggle free, and levitate to the ground.
As the excitement died down, Phoebe amended her earlier statement. "Nineteen souls stand before you, Chris, and thank you for your gift of a future, of a life blessed with goodness and light."
One by one, every member in the circle reached for the hand of his or her neighbor. And, as they did, the circle seemed to glow in a pure radiant white light.
"And forever shall we blessed be," Phoebe prayed.
"Blessed be," everyone murmured as they stood together and watched the light fade away with the day's sun.
*********** ********** ************
When they stepped onto the patio, Piper reached for Paige's hand as they silently watched Phoebe gaze at the stars. Phoebe's hand was pressed to her chest and Piper grew concerned. "Pheebs? You okay?"
Phoebe didn't turn around, glanced down at her open collar, and softly admitted, "Sometimes I still see it changing colors. The star, I mean."
When she didn't speak further, Piper squeezed Paige's hand, released it, and shivered in the cool air before she informed her sister, "Cole and the kids are back. They got the Drander and they're all okay."
"I know," Phoebe quietly answered without facing them, "Cole let me know."
Paige shook her head, "Freaks me out the way you two do that."
Phoebe couldn't help but grin and turned to her younger sister, "I know."
Piper then smiled and told Phoebe, "The kids're arguing over what movie to watch. Y'know, it's not every day they're all in the house like this. Wanna come and watch? It should be fun."
Phoebe shook her head, turned back to look up at the sky, and pressed her hand back to her chest. "I'll be in soon. Cole understands."
"It's over, Phoebe," Paige quietly told her as she and Piper finally approached. "The Dark Starling's long gone. You're safe and so is our family. Even What's-His-Name," she teased. But while Phoebe nodded, tears fell from her eyes, and Paige quickly hugged her from behind. "I love you, and nothing, not even the demon, can ever change that."
Piper joined in the hug and apologized to her younger sister, "And we should've shown you a bit more enthusiasm and support when Ben announced your news. I guess we were taken by surprise."
"How could you be surprised," Phoebe snorted, "after all the snide remarks about my recent weight-gain and when I've barely gotten through an entire meal with all of you without excusing myself for a run to the bathroom."
Knowing most of the comments came from her, Paige felt ashamed and quietly wondered, "Did you really think we wouldn't be happy for you?"
Phoebe gently pried herself out of their embrace and stepped away from them. She returned her gaze to the dark sky. "Maybe," she admitted, "after you'd gotten the lectures out of your system."
"Oh, Pheebs," Piper whispered with shame of her own, "of course we're happy for you. We know how much you and Cole love each other and we know how much you love your children."
"But this time," Paige added, "there're physical reasons for our concern. You're fifty-three, Phoebe, an age when so many women are becoming grandmothers, not mothers. And you already have seven children to look out for when you're not stressed out over two jobs or the evil we're forced to confront every week."
Piper reached for Phoebe's shoulder and squeezed it, "Are you really up for the stresses of another pregnancy?"
"And one with triplets is high-risk," Paige cautiously commented, "even without those stresses we've mentioned. We don't want anything to happen to you."
"I love you both," Phoebe stated as she finally turned and faced them both. "You know that, don't you?"
"We've never doubted it," Paige assured her. "Not even when you married What's-His-Name," she admitted in an attempt to tease her sister. Granted, she and Cole still didn't get along but she stopped begrudging his marriage to her sister over two decades ago. She and Cole would probably never get along but their mutual love for Phoebe and the children kept them well within the boundaries of respect. They never let their one-upmanship for each other go over the edge and they never caused any danger for either or for their loved ones. And, when necessary, they were certainly a formidable combination against evil. A poke from Piper's elbow interrupted her thoughts and she realized she'd missed an exchange.
"Then believe me," Phoebe earnestly continued, "that the doctor said I've got the body of a thirty-year old and that right now, anyway, she doesn't foresee any unusual complications."
"Personal gain?" Piper worried. She'd seen and experienced too many backfires from personal gain and had done her best to make sure that Leo and Wyatt never tested the limits when it came to healing for non-magical reasons.
"Truthfully," Phoebe shrugged, "I don't think about it. It makes Cole feel better to take care of me, of our kids, and I let him. Look, I know that, even with Cole's powers monitoring my health, this pregnancy won't be easy and it's not just because I'm carrying triplets. We've been talking for four years about having another baby. Rather I've been talking."
"Cole doesn't want this baby?" Paige questioned a bit too defensively. If he had hurt her sister…
"Of course he does," Phoebe softly replied. "But it's never been the same for us since we lost…" she clenched her fists and tried to keep herself from breaking down. It was so hard to think of that night without recalling all the pain, without feeling it all anew. Her sisters, bless them, waited patiently for her and she finally wiped her eyes and cleared her throat before she asked, "Haven't you ever wondered about the age gap between Sam and Matt?"
Piper shared a concerned glance with Paige before she shrugged, "I guess we figured he was just an accident."
"But a happy one," Paige quickly clarified. "You know we adore him. And we were all so excited to have another baby around."
Phoebe smiled wryly, "The only happy accident we had was Patricia. Believe me, eleven months between children was not our idea of perfect timing." Her sisters chuckled and her smile faded, "Not even Sam's birth was enough to sway us from our plans." She shrugged helplessly to her sisters, "We love each other and to create a child…"
"We know, Pheebs," Piper empathized, "we know because we've been there."
Paige nodded, "Don't you remember what a weepy basket-case I was before Seth was born?"
Phoebe smiled but it faded from her face fairly quickly. "Cole and I…we love our children, each and every one of them, and it was never a matter of having a certain number of kids but more a matter of feeling that completeness when we had a new life on the way. But when we…when we lost…" Phoebe couldn't continue and, again, her sisters waited patiently for her to compose herself. Piper rubbed her back as she leaned into Paige's embrace. After a moment, she pulled away from both and hugged herself. "Everything changed. We…Cole…got scared. For so long he was afraid to touch me and I couldn't blame him. Not after what I'd done."
Paige suddenly grew angry when she realized what her sister meant. "Dammit, Phoebe, I hate it when you do this!" She spun Phoebe to face her and grabbed her sister as she tried to get through Phoebe's stubborn head, "Belthazor was vanquished because I threw the potion. You were dying and, in my anger, I threw it. Hell, if I'd thrown the potion I'd wanted there wouldn't be any of Cole left in your life."
"What Paige is trying to say in a not so delicate way," Piper said with a warning glance to her youngest sister, "is that it's time to stop blaming yourself, Phoebe. No one, not even Cole, wishes things were any different than they are."
"I love him," Phoebe tearfully stated, lost in her own thoughts, "but I couldn't convince him to try again. After the…after that night, Cole was so scared of having another baby because of all the chaos we live in. He felt five miracles were more than enough and that we shouldn't tempt fate by being greedy for more." Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Deliberately going against his wishes and getting pregnant with Matt, and later Randi, may not've been one of my smartest moves but I knew how deeply he loved being a father and that once he got over that initial anger and fear after hearing the news…" She suddenly raised her voice and insisted, "Cole has never regretted their addition to our family."
"But he still felt that you should count your blessings and not tempt fate," Piper guessed. Phoebe nodded and, though disappointed to realize that Phoebe had never shared any of this with her before, Piper knew it was more important for her to be there for Phoebe now rather than dwell on the past. She encouraged her sister to continue. "But you still wanted another baby after Randi was born. Was this pregnancy another of your deliberate plans?"
Phoebe vigorously shook her head. "I'd never have gone ahead with this without Cole's knowledge for every reason you already said." She sighed sadly, "I know, even with Cole's help, time's running out for having a baby and that this may well be my last pregnancy no matter how much we, or even Ben, would want otherwise." She wiped away a tear and confided, "The whole point was to have Cole enjoy every aspect of the pregnancy, from trying to get pregnant through the days of being unsure through the confirmation and…Can't you understand? I just wanted Cole to be able to enjoy another pregnancy with me and not have it clouded under fear and pain. It's not like I wished for triplets but…" She suddenly glanced up at the stars and, through her tears, asked, "You stopped laughing yet, Grams?"
Piper suddenly giggled, "I'm sure she'll make her presence known when she's picked herself up off the clouds."
Phoebe winced and remembered the lecture Grams gave her when she'd announced her pregnancy with Randi. "Remind me not to be there," she requested.
Piper laughed and said, "Mom's probably over the moon at the prospect of becoming a grandmother again. And Prue, Miss-Know-It-All, is probably announcing to everyone that she knew you'd have all these kids because she knew her baby sister was gonna make a great mom."
"It's your father who's gonna have the heart attack," Paige teased. "Victor's gonna have a field day with this one, or should I say three?"
"At least he's not out to vanquish my husband every time I turn my back," Phoebe playfully snapped before more tears fell. "Damned hormones."
"Better you than me," Paige chuckled. "My baby making days ended immediately after those twenty hours of labor with Seth did. And, truth is, Richard and I are happy enough with just the two of them. Besides, Mel practically has her own room in my house and, if I ever wanted another kid, I only have to borrow another one of yours, Pheebs."
Piper smiled in relief when Phoebe laughed in response and she gently wiped away her younger sister's tears. "I know how strong you are," she told her sister, "and that you can do this but we're gonna be there for you every step of the way."
Phoebe unconsciously rubbed her chest where the black star once branded her. "You're the strong one, Piper," she disagreed. "You're the one who holds this family together."
"Not exactly true," Leo interrupted when he stepped onto the patio with Cole and Richard following behind him. While the two men went to their spouses, he stood next to Piper and explained, "The triquetra, the symbol of your line, is composed of three interlocking branches. Each of you represents the strength of one of those branches. If Piper exhibits the strength of the body through her powers of protecting this family, then Paige provides the strength of mind with her quest for knowledge and building on it for yourselves and future generations. Which leaves you, Phoebe, to protect us with your strength of soul by bonding us with love and hope. The three of you, the Charmed Ones, have fulfilled your destinies and ensured a firm foundation for the next generation, our children. They are the circle formed by the interlocking branches in the triquetra. One cannot be without the other. You have done them proud. Done us all proud and we are all in your debt."
Unable to fully accept, or believe, in the compliment of their beloved Elder, the three witches looked uncomfortably at each other and were saved from responding by Ben who interrupted.
"Hey, we've finally agreed on one of the classics, 'Star Wars,'" he announced, oblivious to the solemn moment. "You guys comin'?" he added even though he'd already gone back indoors. "Popcorn's ready!" he shouted.
"We'd better go in," Phoebe suggested in a slightly choked voice, "before he and Chris eat all that popcorn." The others all laughed in agreement, coupled off, and, arm-in-arm, headed indoors. But Cole tugged on her hand, stopping her from following, and she turned to him in confusion.
Cole cupped her chin in his hand and bent his head to tenderly kiss her lips. While he lightly pressed his hands to her cheeks, his thumbs brushed away her remaining tears. "I love you," was all he could say.
She then brought his right hand to the top of her chest, pressed it to the star visible only in her mind, before she guided it down and pressed it to her slightly rounded belly. Her knees weakened when his suddenly overwhelming love rushed through her and she sagged against him. "No more than I love you," she tearfully insisted as she clung to him and pulled him even closer for another kiss.
When they finally parted lips, Cole rested his forehead against hers for a moment before he glanced up at the stars. "Did you make a wish?" he asked even as he made a silent wish of his own.
Phoebe glanced up too before she gazed into his eyes. "Of course," she admitted, "because wishes upon stars always come true."
"Even dark stars?" he murmured as he kissed her forehead and then gathered her again in his arms.
Pressing her ear to his chest and finding comfort in the rhythm of his beating heart, she softly added, "Especially the dark stars. My dreams came true."
"And I'll make sure they always come true," he promised while he found comfort in the simple warmth of her body being close to his. But he pulled away and suggested, "How about we go in there and test our kids' willpower?"
Phoebe's eyes glimmered, "You mean see which ones'll try to sneak and read us and we make them as uncomfortable as possible and really make them squirm to see who gives up first?"
"Exactly," his eyes gleamed with excitement.
"That's evil," she teased, the word slipping out before she knew it.
Thankful she hadn't censored herself or gotten upset, Cole hugged her tightly and informed her, "And you love it."
"I do," she admitted as she gazed at him full of love, "and I love you."
"Then, Mrs. Turner," he announced as he swept her up into his arms, "let's have some fun."
"Always, Mr. Turner," she promised as she wrapped her hands tighter around his neck and forced his head down for a kiss. "Always," she repeated with a smile.
the end...