A/N: So, this is my first story here, however I've written a lot of fan fiction in general. I always appreciate reviews and suggestions, and constructive criticism, so I will be most happy to read what you think about this. I'd like to add that I am a bit of a drama queen, so you can expect a lot of that (:
Hopefully this story will go on for a long time and will catch the attention of the readers, that would be you, guys (:
Summary: This story takes place before Leo and Piper have had a child and while Phoebe and Cole are still together(hes not the Source, but has all his powers). Most likely beginning of season four if I need to clarify. But dont pick on that too much, cause there may be slips from the original story line, but isn't that the whole point of fan fiction?
On to the story..
/Warning - Chapter rated M/
Chapter One.
Piper lazily flicked through the magazine in her lap. She was bored, but this was all she could concentrate on. She was tired of cleaning the house, she was tired of running back and forth to the club and she was tired of making potions and worrying her ass off. Now, she was also tired of flicking through the magazine.
In the next moment the magazine flew through the air and landed at the other end of the room. Piper buried her fingers in her hair and let her head rest on her palms. Why am I so frustrated with him? she asked herself and closed her eyes. This question didn't leave her mind the whole day. Hell, it didn't leave her mind the whole week. And with each passing day it started to pound in her head stronger and stronger.
Leo wasn't home again. Of course Leo wasn't home again. Doing his white lighter things, as he said it. To Piper that didn't matter. What mattered to her was to see her husband maybe every once in a while, but he was never there.
Piper shook her head, feeling tears forming in her eyes and stood. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Paige's number. Normally she would be calling Phoebe at a breakdown moment like this, but she was out of town - she had had to take a break. Of course. Phoebe could always have her break, but not Piper. Not the eldest sister. She had to be at watch 24/7.
The phone beeped once, twice, but there was no answer. "Damn it!" Piper hissed and threw it on the table. She felt like blowing up the whole world. And of course she couldn't do that, because of all the stupid rules. No personal gain, no exposure, and no this and that - it was all so tiring and never ending.
"Hey there beautiful," a voice from behind scared the hell out of Piper. She instantly swung around, her hands held up, ready for action as her gaze met blue eyes.
"Cole!" she grinded through her teeth, completely irritated and took a step back from her sisters half human - half demon boyfriend. "Damn it, you scared me," she hissed. Piper's eyes were enraged, her fingers almost painfully digging in her hips and her eyes didn't leave Cole's form not for one second.
The man flashed a bright grin as he put his hands in his pockets casually. "Why so uptight, Piper?" he asked, eying the witch. "I think you should try to breathe in and breathe out and then count to ten... maybe twice," Cole smirked, sinking in the soft cushions that were lying on the couch. Why was he here? Well, Phoebe had forgotten her hair straightener and even though Cole found it incredibly stupid to shimmer all the way back from Paris for that, he did it anyways, because Phoebe had asked him to.
Piper rolled her eyes. Cole - the cocky - she didn't want to meet today. He was getting on her nerves often anyways, so she really wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now. She wanted to talk to someone, get the heavy things off her chest and she was sure she didn't want to share them with Cole. Even though they were on quite friendly terms at the moment, she still couldn't forget all the wrong he had done and she couldn't trust him.
"Do you really think I am going to take advice from you?" Piper asked, her hands still crossed. "Why are you here anyways? Aren't you supposed to be enjoying the sights together with your girlfriend?"
Cole raised his eyebrows. "My girlfriend - you're referring to her that now? What happened to Phoebe?" he asked questioningly. He had gotten the hint of trouble between the sisters just before leaving the Manor, but he'd just ignored it since sibling quarrels were quite a frequent thing in this family. And it was no wonder with everything they had to go through.
He fixed his eyes on the woman's figure in front of him. Piper looked different today - her hair was loose and a pretty summer dress was covering her tan shoulders. Why would she wear such an outfit on a rainy day like this, Cole wondered, looking out of the window where dark clouds were releasing heavy rain on San Francisco.
Piper didn't answer his questions, she just stood there, in the middle of the living room and the witch seemed to tremble a little bit. Coles smile disappeared as he stood up and walked over to her and gently brushed her shoulder, while still maintaining distance between them as he didn't want to cross any boundaries. "What's wrong, Piper?"
"Nothing," she shook her head. Her protective bubble was about to burst, but she didn't want it to in front of Cole. She had to be strong as she always had been. Sadly, it was too late now. Her shoulders started trembling more as tears broke through and she covered her face with her palms. There was no strength left in the witch, she felt defeated and alone. Piper's knees gave in and she sunk to the ground in front of the surprised man, who was as confused as ever.
Cole didn't hesitate. He kneeled down next to Piper and cautiongly wrapped his left arm around her shoulders as he pulled her closer. Piper didn't resist, she rested her head against Cole's shoulder and let the tears fall. They sat like that for what felt like an eternity, when the soft sobs finally faded into a rhythmic, steady breathing.
"Piper?" Cole asked pulling back a little and examining the woman's face. It was full of quiet desperation.
"Its Leo..." she whispered almost inaudibly, looking at her palms. And she began telling everything she felt. The words just flew out of her mouth. Nothing was spared or hidden; Piper gave away for the first warm and soothing touch she had felt in months. Of course, it was weird that she had received it from Cole - the one person she would have never expected it from, the one person she didn't really want to receive it from, because she didn't know if it was real or just another illusion. Cole was a master of illusions, at least that was what Piper had always thought of him. She wasn't even close to trusting him, but somehow it was so easy to tell him all of her troubles, that she didn't want to stop until everything was said.
".. and he just orbed out without even saying goodbye while I was standing there like a complete idiot, all dressed up and ready to leave. It was our anniversary, Cole..." Piper whispered, swallowing a knot that had climbed up her neck. "And it's not just that he has to be away all the time. He just expects me to be okay with it and to wait for him with open arms, but you know what? I don't want to anymore. Everyone is relying on me to manage everything - to deal with demons, myself and them - but how can they forget about me? Paige has air in her head; she's so excited about being a witch that she doesn't want to be restricted to the Charmed - duties. Phoebe always finds the way to disappear, because, see, she's too tired to continue..." Piper continued, looking up at Cole. "I'm sorry to speak of her that way, but... it just seems that she takes me for granted. Ever since Prue died she's been trying to get a normal life, to pull away from magic and the saddest thing for me is that she is succeeding. She's in France, for Gods sake. And she has you, and I have no one," she said and brushed away a tear from her cheek.
"Leo said that he didn't have the time to deal with me right now... He actually said that, can you imagine saying that to Phoebe?" Piper asked.
Cole lowered his eyes. He didn't want to admit that sometimes he felt like that. Phoebe and he weren't doing that good either. As Piper said - Phoebe wanted to pull away from magic, but Cole didn't. There was too much magic in him to just suppress it, besides he was suppressing so many other things, that it would be too hard to add another.
"Well..." he hesitated "...not exactly. I guess all the running and obstacles in our way have kind of shaken our relationship." Cole turned to Piper again and shook his head, "but this is not about me right now, this is about you. I completely understand that you feel this way Piper-"
"You don't," Piper said dryly and stood suddenly as if realizing who she was talking to. Mixed emotions were tearing her heart apart while her mind said to keep distance and just let things be the way they were before. Just that... it was too late. Cole stood with her and turned her around.
"Don't run. Don't ignore what's happening in your life, what's happening with you and Leo," he said with a firm gaze locked on hers.
"You really shouldn't be the one pouring advice left and right, Cole, and you know it," Piper replied.
Silence filled the room as the two stood there, looking at each other. Tension was in the air and Piper was the one to speak first again.
"What I don't understand is why you are so sympathetic and understanding all of a sudden," her tone had changed dramatically from the broken faint sound to a dark and firm voice. Her guard was back on. If her husband and her own sisters had turned their backs on her and forgotten about her, why would a demon suddenly care? A demon who knew that she didn't like him, that she didn't approve of him being in her life at the amount he was. A demon that had manipulated her sister and her and tried to kill her family several times. Why the hell should she listen to him? Piper mentally kicked herself for ever speaking to Cole in the first place.
Cole tilted his head, surprised at the sudden outburst. "I just wanted to help, Piper. You know that I only want what's best for this family..."
Piper chuckled, but she wasn't amused. "Do I? Or maybe you just care so much, so there'd be someone to scare off all the demon bounty hunters who want your head? While the Charmed ones are around, no one dares to touch you, but if I'm out of the way because of my messed up life, the Charmed ones are not so strong anymore. That is what I know."
Cole flinched at the witches words. They were all untrue, he would never manipulate like that again. His evil days were gone; he wished the sisters no harm, besides he had always been able to take care of himself. He felt insulted. "You have no idea what you are talking about," he said in a low voice.
"Am I on to you, Cole Turner?" Piper asked aggressively. She had completely lost control of her emotions and actions. She was angry at the whole world and right now she had an object on which to channel this anger, she wasn't going to waist that opportunity. She stepped close to him and pushed her finger into his shoulder. "You should know who you are dealing with..."
In an instant motion Cole grabbed Pipers wrist tightly, he wasn't going to let her humiliate him like that. He'd done nothing wrong, just tried to help and this was what he got back in return. Anger was spreading; right now it was crawling also in Cole's veins. "Don't you dare speak to me like that," he warned, feeling Piper wince. Cole was causing her pain. That was as a warning signal to him and he let go of her.
Piper stepped back, surprised. The sudden rush of adrenalin almost blurred her vision. She should have been scared, instead she felt the blood rushing through her body faster and a craving for more crept up her back. Was that the feeling that she was basically powerless in the hands of such a demon as Balthazar, or the fact that this feeling made her completely let go of all the responsibilities and never ending tasks, and rules, she couldn't say. Piper only knew that this feeling had felt like a drug that she needed more. As if that had been the thing she had needed for so long, to be able to let go, to take a risk.
"I'm sorry," Cole expired, stepping back. He'd felt it too. The blood pressure building, it almost felt like turning into Balthazar again, except this time it wasn't evil that overcame all his senses, it was something else. A feeling of unlimited power without having to turn into a demon, did that even exist?
"It's ok..." Piper replied. Her mind was racing. Cole's masculine form was just two steps away and he had the power to give her what she so desperately wanted. Piper couldn't believe what she was thinking, her eyes wandering over the body in front of her, gaze stopping at the strong arms and perfectly shaped cheek bones. Was she suddenly attracted to him? Piper shook her head. Dear God, that was insane. There was no way she could ever let herself think such things, but the head rush continued. The moment when Cole held her hand so tight that it almost caused her pain replayed in her head over and over again and it felt good to finally feel that someone could really take over your entire being.
Cole noticed Pipers gaze. He could almost read in her eyes what she was thinking, but he refused to admit it. Something had happened in that moment, just a minute ago, that moment full of anger and tension. Phoebe was waiting for him, Cole suddenly remembered. He wasn't sure how to deal with the situation, he hesitated.
"I think you should talk to Leo..." Cole finally said, looking Piper straight in the eyes.
"I think that it would be a good idea..." she replied almost in a trance."I think you need to go now."
Cole nodded. She was right. He wasn't supposed to be here, cause why the hell would he? He wasn't really Pipers friend and he had to get back to Phoebe anyway.
Piper watched him shimmer out and fell back into the couch. "What was that?" she asked to no one as she brushed her palms over her face. Her chest felt heavy, too much was cooped up in there and she had to find a way how to get clear with herself before something bad happens.
Just one deep breath and she stood up. Probably the best idea was to just take a cold shower, Piper as if nodded to herself and climbed up the stairs to the bathroom. Slowly she took off her clothes and neatly piled them up on the chair behind the door. Next she stepped into the shower and let the cold water surround her form. It felt nice. Water as if washed away the worries, the problems, if only for a second, but the moment Piper closed her eyes, she felt two hands grip her shoulders. The witch jumped, but her scream was muffled by a kiss. It sent an electric jolt through her whole body, her toes went numb and she completely gave in. Numbing darkness and indescribable emotions surrounded her and Piper couldn't resist the strong power that was pulling her closer, the arms tracing her naked back softly, yet dominantly and the hot lips crushing along hers.
There it was again, the feeling of adrenalin, of submission. She was consumed by it. Piper forced herself to open her eyes and broke the connection. "What are you doing..?" she asked. "Cole... you can not do this..." she expired locking her eyes on the man in front of her.
"Shh, don't say anything," Cole whispered in her ear and planted a kiss on her neck.
"No, don't," Piper resisted, pulling away. "We can't do this," she breathed out tilting her head, and tried to push the man away, but his grip on her shoulders only tightened.
"Don't play with me, Piper," Cole warned in a low voice "I'm not here out of thin air, I felt the signals you sent me."
Piper looked in Coles eyes searching and found softness mixed with something else. Was it anger? "Cole, really..."
The man let out a bittersweet chuckle, but his eyes still seemed angry. "Oh God, don't play stupid. You really think I didn't see the way you looked at me downstairs?"
"And what if you did really see it, that doesn't justify you being here!" Piper spat back, getting irritated. It was Cole who had stepped in her shower, crossing a line he should have never crossed no matter what moment they had had before. She was married and he was together with her sister. She was emotionally vulnerable and he was taking advantage, Piper couldn't understand why.
"What reason could you possible have to stand here right now, cause my signals are not a good enough reason for this BECAUSE YOU ARE WITH MY SISTER?" Piper didn't control the loudness of her voice any more. She turned the water closed and pushed past Cole, grabbing a towel from the counter and immediately wrapping it around herself. She felt violated.
Cole couldn't help but laugh. His laughter filled the steamy room as he stepped out of the shower himself. He catched the towel Piper angrily threw at him and smirked as he was putting it around his waist. "You've always been spunky and stubborn," he said walking towards the witch until there was no space left between them and she was pushed against the floor with no chance to escape. "Why don't you just admit that you enjoyed that kiss that you actually wanted me to be here?"
"That is ridiculous!"
"Is it?" Cole asked with a smile on his lips. He traced his finger across Pipers jaw line, but she pulled away.
"Don't touch me," Piper warned trying to get pass the man, but her efforts were destined to fail as she was almost half as tall and big as he was. Her mind was racing. Who did he think he was? The feeling of wanting to let Cole show her the life she so much craved was pushed back, she could think only about how arrogant he was right now and how she wanted him to leave. The mixed emotions in Cole's eyes scared her a little bit. It seemed that he had clearly set his goal and by not granting him his wish, Piper was risking to get into serious trouble.
"Too late for that..." Cole whispered pushing against her. She felt his erection against her stomach and Pipers blood rushed to her head. There was no way of escaping, he was holding her hands tightly and she could barely move.
"You know, I've been thinking about how your skin would taste since the moment I saw you downstairs today," Cole continued speaking quietly, planting kisses along her neck in between. "I have no idea why, but I know that I'm sacrificing a whole lot right now to be here with you..."
"I didn't ask for you," Piper said cautiously. He had intrigued her. Cole offered the freedom she sleeked and everything else slowly started to seem insignificant.
Cole raised his eyebrows. This cat and mouse chase was making him very agitated.
"I told you - DONT play with me," Cole grinded through his teeth. With every word Piper said, he got angrier and he wanted her even more. Angrier because he was actually risking his relationship with Phoebe to be here for Piper who continued resisting even though he knew that she wanted him as well.
"I said let go of me!" Piper exclaimed and taking advantage of Coles loosened grip slapped him harshly.
For a second Cole froze, his head turned to the right side, his cheek pulsating, but the next moment he grabbed Pipers hands again, pulled them above her head and crushed his lips against hers. He kissed her passionately and somewhat roughly, but Piper didn't resist this time. She gave in, knowing she risked her life just for this moment of freedom. There was nothing that could stop this from happening. Cole took over her, he slowly pushed the towel off her petite form and his skin connected with hers. Piper thought she felt sparks.
"What if..." Piper forced over her lips faintly. What if Leo orbed in, what if Paige came home, what if, what if, and what if.
Cole suffocated the sound coming from Pipers lips with yet another kiss. "Don't speak..."
"But Leo..."
Cole lifted Pipers legs and she wrapped them around his waist. She let her hands entwine around his masculine shoulders and leaned in to kiss Cole again. Kiss lips were so full and sweet and he replied to her kisses so eagerly and intensely. Piper couldn't remember the last time she had felt such intense emotions. "Take me right here..." she whispered in Cole's ear.
Hearing Piper talk like that aroused Cole even more. He sat Piper on the edge of the counter and spread her legs. His fingers traced the inside of her thighs causing Piper to moan softly. She was hot and silky as Cole buried his fingers deep inside her and Piper tilted her head back. Pleasure rushed up her body and made goose bumps appear on her skin. There was just one spot Cole knew he had to hit to make the witch his and by the sound of her breathing so heavy and fast he knew he had already done that.
"How does that feel?" he asked seductively, pulling out his fingers and planting a kiss on her stomach.
Piper couldn't answer as the next moment she felt Cole's whole length inside of her making her cry out his name. This whole thing felt like an eternal head rush, her senses were so strong and emotions racing as they've never had before. She needed more of this, she needed to forget the world, everything. She wished to be somewhere, where no one could take this intense feeling of breaking her whole being away from her. Because it meant that she was no longer responsible for anything, she was in the hands of someone else. And this someone was Cole - a person who radiates such power and confidence and freedom. Everything that Piper wanted. And she came, her lips forming Cole's name, as did Cole right after Piper. And the air was so steamy they almost couldn't see each other. And the world stopped turning.
Cole shimmered them to Pipers bedroom and laid the witch on the bed. He slided in next to her and wrapped his arm around her form. Just a sheet covering their naked bodies, they laid there motionless and in silence.
Piper turned his head to meet Coles gaze and took a deep breath. "What now?"