Faithfully Yours Part 8: I'm always true to you darling in my fashion..   Chapter 65 "The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means."   Oscar Wilde

Cole and Therold stood in the cold dark hall of the ancient manor house staring at each other. Cole stood legs apart ready for action. Therold took the shuffling stance of one of the old demon lore masters which Cole, warrior demon of the century that he had been, recognised as the lore master at his most dangerous.

"Phoebe asked me to come" Cole finally said when Therold clearly was not going to say anything.

"Phoebe asked you to apologise" Therold wheezed "Phoebe is so.."

"Apologise for what?" snapped Cole "Trying to get my wife back when you stole her."

"Trying" sniffed Therold "You didn't get her back, Warrior. How powerful are you?"

"Why you looking for a new house?" sniggered Cole.

They glowered at each other for a very long time. Therold finally looked down.

"Belthezor" he wheezed "There is nothing to say." He smiled a venomous demonic smile. "So unless you have come to act the only choice that remains is for us to learn to coexist. By which I mean exist in different spheres." He added.

"Let's see am I guardian enough to resist temptation" Cole mused. He let Therold ponder for some seconds, and clearly draw some dubious conclusions before he continued with a nasty edge to his voice. "Despite what you think I am guardian enough. I guess we will have to learn to …co-exist" Cole said thrusting his hands seep in his pockets and leaning against a cold damp wall. "I would never hurt…harm Phoebe" he said.

"You hurt her in Burvjara" Therold pushed.

"Not they way you thought the visions would happen" Cole snarled. "You thought I was going to harm her, destroy her.'

Cole watched in the semi dark while Therold stood very still, Finally Therold noticeably eased his stance "You do in a way. She will regret what you did to her in Burvjara for the rest of her life" he said.

"I didn't harm her" Cole bit out his voice deadly.

Both of them shivered in the coldness of the old house, neither demons that they were, enjoying the feel of it. Cole finally saw an old log in the large fireplace and fireballed it so it burst into flame throwing an eerie light on the dark rooms.

"I thought you were one of the ghosts that inhabit this place" Therold said his voice peevish as he shone a torch in Cole's direction.

Cole smiled nastily. "No" he said. Cole glanced around and smirked at the cold dank house.

"This place has excellent physiological magic" Therold said tightly.

Cole shifted his weight "I feel it "he said uncomfortably.

They stood in the flickering fire light eyeing each other off.

"What are you doing here?" Therold finally demanded "I doubt you want my blessing for your actions in Burvjara?" he said scornfully.

Cole shook his head. "I …Phoebe wanted me to… come" he muttered.

"Why does your beautiful…" Therold started to say unable to stop the soft caressing note in his voice.

"Beautiful" sneered Cole straightening up, fingers tightening into a claw in an effort to not connect with his magic.

"You beautiful wife" said Therold his voice a high squeak.

"She wants me to ask you to do something she cannot. Should not" Therold guessed his body edgy and tight ready to defend. "I am honoured she should" he whined with a small sneer.

Cole made a snarling noise, balling his fists, legs apart.

"I stand by my defence of her." Therold squeaked. "She needs … a champion" he said his face and bald pate bright crimson. "She deserves a champion."

"I can look after her" snarled Cole" she doesn't need" he stopped. "I know I got distracted before Burvjara. I can guard her. I will… I was told" he said "I listened." He balled and unballed his fingers, tension in every line of his body.

"Good" hissed Therold "Because if you cannot I will." he said "What does she want me to do?" he asked smugly in a high sing song voice.

Cole frowned then rushed out "There's a whitelighter needs protecting from elders, needs your lore explained to the upper echelons to stop them recycling him" Cole said. "For not agreeing with them and acting accordingly … over Burvjara. Because I fixed it, they feel the need to assuage their guilt by finding a scapegoat. He broke the rules, knew what he was doing .Its not justice...its…

"My business "said Therold with satisfaction as Cole looked at him in distaste "The young man who came her to talk to Phoebe. A pleasant young man."

Cole shrugged.

"Understands tea" Therold murmured.

Cole bit his lip to avoid saying anything.

"Making a scapegoat of the lad are they?" Therold asked in a different voice "Just as they refuse Francesca's wisdom, if they had listened to her in the first place, thing may have been different." To his satisfaction, Cole nodded. "And this one does not have the resources. All they could do to Francesca was ignore her but this one they can.."

"Yes" said Cole.

"Then it would be a great injustice" Therold said peevishly.

"Not yet" Cole interrupted to Therold's annoyance. "Better the injustice does not happen… better I'm not called."

"You have some wisdom Brother" Therold snorted sarcastically

"I know my business" said Cole glowering in the dark. He took a deep breath "I told Phoebe for her to ask you would have meant…witches business, and things may go differently."

"The whitelighter is an admirable young man" Therold mused. "But the beautiful Phoebe..."

Cole winced and sucked his breath.

"Must understand such things are not." Therold hissed "her…province. If you do not explain…"

"I did" said Cole through his teeth.

"For her own sake, she must not interfere" said Therold severely, "even for such an admirable young man."

"He's a pain the butt" snapped Cole "Good and knows it."

"An admirable young man" Therold whined defiantly.

Cole glowered and thrust his hands harder in his pockets.

Therold turned on him then both jumped as orbs sounded and Francesca orbed in.

Both of them ignored her as they stood ready for action.

"Phoebe is a precious soul to magic" Therold told Cole defiantly

Cole just stared at Therold "We weren't talking of Phoebe" he bit out as nastily as he could. He took his hands out of his pocket curling his fist into a ball.

"Cole" Francesca started to say.

"He has no idea the responsibility he has toward such a precious wonderful heroine, "Therold told Francesca.

"Therold" Francesca said firmly "He's not supposed to know."

Therold went more crimson "Phoebe is special" he muttered

"My god" Cole said putting his hands back in his pockets as Francesca gave him her best school marm glare "You had her under your roof for two days and you still worship her. Are you blind or besotted?" he said in amazement.

"You need to worship her" Therold pushed.

"I need to love her" Cole said his voice deadly.

"She should not have gone to Burvjara" Therold bit out. "You don't know the consequences."

"Phoebe has returned safely, in one piece" Francesca said exasperated.

Therold raised his hands. And Cole smiled softly.

"You don't know" Therold squeaked "Like I do."

'"Oh get f.." Cole started to say and Francesca positively glared at him. He stuck his hands harder in his pockets and shook his head. "I love Phoebe and would never hurt her and I will take care of her" he said "and Friend Therold here could save a lot of trouble if he understood that and didn't interfere between us. Let Phoebe and me talk it out alone."

Therold started to puff up.

"Phoebe made her choices Cole. Not to talk" Francesca said "and I am suggesting strongly you respect her choices for all our sakes. You fixed one war" she added. "Phoebe knows you and loves you and she has some wisdom" she added. "Leave this thing with Therold alone. Leave why Phoebe stayed alone."

Cole drew a deep breath and Francesca eyed him intently. He finally looked away then met Francesca's eyes. "You want me to tell Phoebe you think she has wisdom."

"No" said Francesca bluntly.

Cole smiled in satisfaction "Every now and again Phoebe has wisdom" he agreed. "You should know I'm nearly guessing what you all don't want me to know" he added.

"Better you don't "Francesca said firmly "for everyone. Better you trust Phoebe." She glared at Therold who went crimson with his effort not to retaliate.

"I've had enough good advice to last me a lifetime in the last few days" Cole snarled.

"Are you listening to it?" Francesca asked calmly.

"Yes" said Cole and started to shimmer "I'm beholden to you for the other thing" he told Therold stiffly. 

"You should know I was already called Brother" Therold squeaked

Cole stopped the shimmer.

"I only hesitated to act because of the consequences for the … beautiful Phoebe" he added defiantly.

Francesca winced at Cole's expression. He saw and shook his head.

"Friend Therold" he said in almost his normal voice "Phoebe made her choices when she asked me to come. Trust me on this, no matter how much she bitches about the consequences she would never forgive you if you chose to protect her over Mark. "

"Phoebe is so beautiful. So good" Therold murmured in soft caress as Francesca raised her eyes

Cole glowered and half raised his hands then stuck it firmly in his pocket "Be well … Brother" he snarked and hands still in his pockets shimmered.

"I detest him" Therold whined at Francesca

"I understand that" she said putting her hands on her hips.

"He never apologised for destroying my home" Therold snarled.

"You stole his wife" Francesca pointed out.

"Phoebe was in danger" Therold said his voice squeaking. "You do not understand what she faces."

"Is she in any less danger because you took her?" Francesca asked school marm voice working overtime.

"I have work to do" Therold said avoiding the answer. 

"Good "said Francesca raising her eyes. "What work?" she asked suspiciously.

"Better the powers of Good do not rewrite the history and lore at the expense of the whitelighter" Therold said, in his guardian voice.

"Oh "said Francesca "I was going to stop that" she told him quietly.

"Better you don't" Therold squeaked.

"It is not in my conscience to allow such a one to be the scapegoat" Francesca said "I tried to tell them and they refused to listen. They need to be reminded they were told."

"They do not" stated the guardian of Lore Therold "Need to be reminded by such as you."

Francesca looked at him severely

"You are great Power Francesca and you are right and that is a very dangerous thing to be." Therold told her. "I am a demon master of lore and history and I know as you do that the greatest danger after such a battle is that … of anarchy and civil war." His voice guardian and sure lowered slightly "More souls are lost to demondom in the aftermath than the battle. It is the way of evil. You are good Francesca and that means you can be tempted by the whims of your own conscience. Look at what happened in Burvjara when good gave into such temptation. You will not fight the powers of good for the soul of the whitelighter. I will ..show them the path thy must take."

Francesca took a deep breath as she silently studied him. A small monk like figure in baggy pants and cardigan, his bald pate reflecting the light of the fire Cole had lite. The orange red light from the fire shaped around his whole body and for a second she wondered if it was reflecting his aura. After some hesitation she smiled her crooked smile "I bow to your wisdom Friend Therold" she said "You relieve me" she almost whispered.

"If the reading of lore tells me nothing else it tells me of the dangers of the great ones being tempted" Therold said in a squeak.

Francesca shook her head started to say something then lifted her hands and allowed them to drop "Thank you Friend Therold" she said and  orbed.

Seconds after she did so Therold looked up as there was another shimmer and Proctor's dark figure appeared. He stared at the space where Francesca had stood. "I am in your debt Brother Therold" he told Therold with a slight demonic smile. "I cannot help her. It is beyond my power."

"She could help herself" Therold told him. "Truthfully I believe she is one who would withstand the temptation if she was faced with it."

"And as you and I and Brother Belthezor know, there is pain in resisting temptation" Proctor said. "It is a small thing I can do to spare her this, but a great thing you can do" he bowed to Therold

"For my Brother Proctor it is a small thing, you are welcome" Therold bowed in return. "I have no tea here yet" he said with real regret

"I have brandy" Proctor said producing a bottle from his coat pocket.

Therold shrugged with regret. "Better than nothing" he said.

……………………………………………….

At lunchtime that day Paige was walking toward the nearest mall. She had had a torrid morning and badly needed some time away from the office. On the way to work she had gone to fill her car with gas, and she had found to her horror that she had maxed out her credit card, and it was a week before payday. Therefore she had to orb home and raid the housekeeping jar to pay which meant she had listen to a lecture from a disgusted and irritated Piper who caught her raiding the jar. Then she went onto work to pick up a less than thrilled Alex who was accompanying her to the dreaded meeting with the archbishop.

Alex was with a client when she arrived but her co worker Jean whose spite amped fantasy had been the archbishop's assistant Father Jo, fell on Paige's shoulder and tearfully confessed how much she loved Father Jo; confessed how she had gone to him on the weekend because she was so sure she could tempt him into sex. Jean spent the whole weekend crying when the priest had brutally and with less than Christian kindness shown her he wasn't interested.

"Bastard said some pretty bad things" Jean cried to Paige "I don’t know what got into me" she said.” I never would… it’s not like me to do anything…especially beg for sex. Never in my life." she sobbed all over Paige's I'm in control suit.

"Stress" said Paige uncomfortably patting her shoulder. "Still at least you found out he's not worth it."

"But he is" cried Jean "Don’t you understand he was true to his vows, he’s special. I love him you know "she said "really LOVE him. Can't help where you fall in love" she said bitterly "I never thought I would ever but the first time he came in" she burst into tears even louder tears.

Paige put her arms around Jean and let her cry.

"What did you think, that it was a stupid crush "Jean demanded "I fell in love. I heard you had an affair with the guy who died, Mark. You were lucky "she said as Paige caught her breath. "At least you had something for it. And some memories. So you aren't going to spend a lifetime regretting nothing just nothing. You had something for it" Jean finally pulled herself free, rubbed her hands over tear reddened eyes and pushed her hair behind her ears.

"You'll find somebody else" Paige told her sympathetically.

"I'm forty four" said Jean "and I fell in love for the first time, at least did something about it for the first time. Alex told me you keep saying you don't want to get over that Mark guy, don't want anyone else. I still love Father Jo" she said angrily.

Paige had sighed because maxed out credit cards or not, she had Mark and the consequences for her were maybe not a life time of being completely alone, just broke for a while.

Paige had then spent an extremely unpleasant hour with the archbishop and with Alex, explaining in great depth that she was researching and had her article outlined and what its relevance was to the employment centre. She summoned some of the anger she felt at spites for what they had done to women like Jean so she could even find some passion to support her case. However all the time Alex who had known her before Mark had passed over, had known her when she nervously was finding her feet as the manager, was sitting there with a grim smile on his face. Paige knew that no matter how much the archbishop expressed his approval, and even applauded her, Alex was aware she was lying or at least what she was doing was based on a lie. She caught Alex watching her from the corner during her performance for the archbishop, and uncomfortably struggled with a sentence about the way people were used and abused. She flushed and went on with her speech as Alex sucked his breath. And Paige knew that it would be a long time before Alex trusted her or completely respected her again.

To make it even worse Father Jo had been there and Paige had to fight herself not to really let him have it about how he had hurt her friend who had really done nothing worse than fall in love with him. 

Then to finish the morning off, Anne, who had so outraged Marly and Phoebe by falling all over Cole, and who worked in the archbishop's office, pulled Paige away to have a long weepy discussion about how mortified she was at her behaviour over Cole.

Anne conceded that Cole was the most attractive man she had ever seen but she assured Paige she never behaved like that on impulse. She explained that she was a happily married woman and even if her Jeff was not the best looking guy around, sort of fat actually and not really sexy, sort of dull, Anne conceded he was a good man. She explained that she had her fantasies over good looking guys, and she was totally addicted to a certain television show, taping it to watch 3 times over when her Jeff was not around, just because the lead guy stripped his shirt of at least 3 times every episode, but sniffing back tears she told Paige she knew the television guy was just a fantasy. To behave like that over a real guy, Anne was mortified. Then she also burst into tears on Paige's shoulder.

When Anne had finished crying, Paige could truthfully say that Anne was not the only one who got carried away over her fantasies. She agreed that mortification over your behaviour was hell to live with, and even agreed that reality of living with a less than perfect man makes a girl occasionally dream of well…someone a little more fanciful.

"It wasn't occasionally "Anne cried "I was ... she sobbed "do you know what I was dreaming I would do to him with him…all the time, like I couldn't think of anything else, anyone else., it was so real I thought… I thought I could have him. I thought I did have him and your sister stole him...from me" she confessed while Paige made soothing noises.

When Anne finally stopped crying again, she thanked Paige for being understanding, then she frowned. "How can you live in the same house with… him? And not be just crazy looking at him … seeing… him, every day, all the time. I mean he's just…"

"Lookable. I know. Its easy" said Paige just a little too quickly "Living with him. Cole isn't perfect. You know he's untidy. As soon as you tell him not to do something he does it just to be an arsehole. Bickers just to be a pain, starts family fights over breakfast."

Anne sniffed not completely disillusioned. "He just seems so gorgeous" she sighed "Can you apologise to yours sister? I'm too embarrassed."

"Come over, Phoebe would understand" Paige said.

"I could see Cole" mused Anne a small smile plying on her lips, then she sucked her lip. "I better not" she said regretfully.

Paige had not been able to do anything but mumble platitudes when Alex who was forced to wait while Anne cried all over Paige, ranted all the way back to the employment centre that lately women were crazy.

Relieved to have finally escaped the employment centre for a while, Paige wandered along the mall, thinking how angry she was at the spites and the damage such weak stupid little demons could do. Then when anger no longer let her avoid it, she worried about Mark. His determination to face the tribunal was admirable but his refusal to protect himself she thought was not, in fact she thought it indicated that Mark had lost his confidence. Mark in his human life had always been characterised by a wicked humour knowing even when he was pretending to prostrate himself on the mercy of the Powers that Be that he was laughing confident, that he could make it work. Only this time he was not. And it frightened her.

It made her feel…uncertain… to think that Mark was uncertain but then she thought Mark had been through a lot in the last eighteen months, not the least dying and finding a destiny and facing up to an eternity. Paige pushed down a small anger, born out of worry with Mark for not being more sure of himself, for not fighting this the way he always had fought as a mortal.

Paige wandered through the mall, mad at spites, mad at Powers that Be and mad at Mark for not quite living up to everything she thought he should be. She could not even ease her anger with a shopping spree. She wandered along trying to distract some quite bad thoughts by window shopping. She stopped vaguely in front of one of the cheap novelty shops and started fingering her way through some of the things on the tables when she saw on the front table a bunch of novelty ties, with cartoon characters in them, for sale at only $15.

She thought of Mark when she first met him, receding sandy hair, gentle grey eyes, ill fitting clothes and stupid Daffy Duck tie.

"That damned tie” she thought. "A grown man wearing a Daffy Duck tie. Didn't he know how stupid it looked? What people thought of him when he wore it." Then she bit her lip. She had thought Mark was pretty special when he wore the Daffy Duck tie, when he showed to the world he did not give a damn what they thought.

Paige stopped and froze. "That was it" she thought. That was what was missing. Since Cole's bitch of a mother had killed Mark and destroyed his Daffy Duck tie, Mark had not been quite himself when dealing with the higher powers.

Paige almost flung herself at the table, pushing out of the way a very indignant woman who was carefully sorting through them. With some digging right at the bottom Paige found a Daffy Duck tie. She had to snatch the tie from another customer who was clearly about to claim it, to the other customer's obvious disgust. All the time she was watched by some very indignant staff who did not like the way she had muscled in.

Paige did not care. She smiled to herself because that tie she decided was the exact answer to Mark's problems, only she then remembered that she had maxed out her credit card.

Paige frantically sort through the purse but could only find a five dollar note, crumpled in the bottom. She glared at her empty wallet but she was not going to give up on the tie. Glancing around at the suspicious staff, she moved over to a wrack of sweaters, that was in the corner of the shop then judging her moment she carefully looked around and orbed. She came out of the orb in the kitchen, surprising Piper who was busy mixing things in a bowl.

Paige without asking grabbed the last ten dollars from the emergency shopping jar.

"Sure thing" said Piper sarcastically watching her "Take it, take as much as you need. Just because you maxed out your cards on porn the kids can starve."

"Thanks "said Paige ignoring the sarcasm and then orbed back to the shop, She materialised in a corner behind the staff member who jumped with fright when Paige asked to purchase the tie standing right behind her.

She paid for the tie with the staff person still very suspicious and left with her prize, smiling happily to herself. Hiding in a corner of the mall she called Mark's name.

He arrived looking concerned in a few seconds. "What’s wrong?" he glanced around to make sure no-one noticed him orbing "You hurt pet? Demons?" he asked worried.

“I needed to catch you before you went to the Powers that Be tribunal" she explained.

"Ten seconds later and you would have missed me" he said. "You don't have to say goodbye." He told her softly. "I don't want…."

Paige raised her hand to interrupt, taking in the shabby corduroy pants and yellowish shirt he wore. "You wearing your whitelighter robe to the tribunal?" she asked.

Mark looked surprised "No" he said "I figured that was making a statement about submission I'm not quite prepared to do."

"You need to be properly attired to face them” Paige told him.

"You know me pet" Mark said softly. "Not a good time to try to be someone I'm not."

"I do" she said. "Which is why I want you to be properly attired." and she held out the Daffy Duck tie.

He burst out laughing.

"You need to be properly attired" she said again.

"You think Daffy will make all the difference?" he asked as she put the tie around his neck.

"Yes" she said firmly as she tied it. "Now you look properly dressed" she said with satisfaction. "Go give them hell”

“I will" he said kissing her with a small sigh before he orbed away adjusting the tie as he went.

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