DISCLAIMER: Prue, Piper, Phoebe and Paige Halliwell, Andy Trudeau, Leo Wyatt, Cole Turner and all other characters who have appeared in the series "Charmed" together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of Aaron Spelling, E. Duke Vincent, and the Warner Brothers Television Network. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.

A/N: This story was written and originally posted back in September of 2001. What can I say, humor is how I cope with things and so after 9/11 this became a form of therapy. The more stressful life was, the more I wrote. I took it down and had it posted just at my website, but I've decided to put it back up here. Please bear in mind that this story is almost seven years old and was the first fanfic I wrote, so be kind because I haven't gone through to correct anything.

What if there is an alternate universe, where everything we imagine here happens to the characters?

Cole climbed up the stairs and slowly opened the door to his and Phoebe's bedroom. Please let her be asleep, he thought. He didn't want to talk; he just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. It had been an exhausting day.

The mattress and the warm sheets seemed to caress his tired body, but before he could slip into blissful sleep he felt the body beside him move.

"Cole, sweeties, you awake?" Phoebe asked.

"I am now," Cole mumbled under his breath before turning over to face her. "What is it?" he asked.

"Cole, what is it that you do while my sisters and I are out vanquishing the demons?"

"Excuse me?" Cole asked, tensing.

"You know, while we're out saving the day you're just…non existent. What is it that you do?"

"Trust me, Phoebe, you don't want to know."

"Okay, now you're scaring me," Phoebe said, now sitting up in the bed. "Cole, I need to know what it is. Maybe my sisters and I can help you."

"You can't Phoebe, so please just let it drop."

"I can't Cole. You know that. I worry about you, especially when you always come back so exhausted."

Cole sighed. Should he tell her the truth and get it off his chest?

"Let's just say that I'm fighting something more evil than demons."

"You're fighting the Source? Cole, why…"

"The Source?" Cole laughed. "The Source is nothing compared to these people. Hell, the folks I'm dealing with could chew the Source up and spit him out again…not that they ever do."

"Cole, who are you talking about? Who is more powerful than the Source, and why haven't you said anything about this until now?"

"It's the fanfic writers, Phoebe," Cole said, closing his eyes again. "While you're off with your sisters, fighting evil, I'm the favorite topic of fanfic writers."

"Excuse me?" Phoebe said. "Fanfic writers? You think fanfic writers are more powerful than the Source?"

"Trust me, they are. You have no idea the evil that goes through their minds, and once those thoughts are formed, I have to go and do what they want. You can't imagine how many times I've died, you've died, your sisters have died, Prue has come back to life, I've turned evil, you've turned evil, I've married you, I've left you, you've left me…it's a nightmare, Phoebe. Apparently we have several children, although some of them I don't know about yet. It's awful," Cole said, and he started crying.

"Well we'll just take care of these fanfic writers," Phoebe said, holding him in her arms. "There has to be some way to take care of them."

"No," Cole said, suddenly horrified. "Don't say that; they'll do something terrible to us again."

"Again? Cole, why don't I remember anything about fanfic writers?"

"Because they like to give you amnesia and make you forget…maybe it's because you're a witch. I don't know. But don't upset them. I'm telling you, the pen really is mightier than the sword in this case."

"Well if they could get rid of the Source at any time, why don't they?" Phoebe asked.

"Because if they get rid of him, then they wouldn't have anybody to torture me."

"Oh. But you said we're married?"

"Only with some of the writers. With others we broke up, and some seem to have us in infinite limbo."

"Are we happy, being married?"

"I guess so. It depends."

"Well I want us to be married and live happily ever after!" Phoebe shouted to the ceiling.

"It doesn't work like that," Cole told her. "It's how they want it, never what you want. Please, just go to sleep before one of them hears you and decides to write another story."

"Too late," a voice said, and a really ugly demon appeared beside the bed. It grabbed Phoebe and shimmered out of the room.

Cole just started crying and saying "Not again," over and over and over...

And thus, another fanfic began…