Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.

The Baby Stealer

Nightmare

She gazed into her love's eyes and suddenly became fearful it was all too good to be true. Maybe it was the mood swings of pregnancy, but Phoebe had the sudden need to make sure she wasn't just dreaming up the past seven months. "This is real, right? Us, our baby?"

"Yeah, it is," Cole said as he kissed her forehead, reassuringly.

"Prove it," Phoebe dared, using the same two words she'd said the night of their first kiss in Piper's club, P3, so may years before. "Prove that this isn't some beautiful dream I'm going to wake up from. Prove that you're real. That we really are going to have this forever."

And, as he'd done before, Cole rose to the challenge. He reached down to her, and both felt the utter flawlessness that was their endless love as the lips of a demon and a witch met.

Phoebe awoke the next morning with a smile on her face. Stretching, she turned over in bed, ready to gaze at her sleeping husband, and froze. She quickly sat up and scanned the empty spot beside her. "Cole!"

Where is he? Jumping up, she frantically looked around. No, no! He said it was real. He promised.

Phoebe threw open her closet door; there was no men's clothing. Her room showed no evidence of a man living there. Panic seized her heart as her eyes slowly traveled down to her stomach. There was no small bump. Tears sprang to her eyes and Phoebe collapsed to the floor. "No. Cole..."

"Phoebe!"

Her head snapped up.

"Phoebe, it's me. Baby, wake up."

Her eyes slowly fluttered open to meet concerned blue ones. Her hand found its way to the baby resting inside her. She lunged forward and held onto Cole tightly.

He clasped his hands around her. "Phoebe."

"Oh, Cole! I thought it wasn't real. You, the baby. I thought I dreamed you up. I thought I was awake and you weren't here and I freaked..."

He released her and drew back a little. Wiping the tears that were now streaming down her heart-shaped face, Cole spoke gently, "I told you last night, I'm really here. I'm not going any where ever again, Phoebe. You and our little Prue are my world." He rested a strong hand against her stomach before continuing. "It was just a nightmare, Honey. I'm real."

Phoebe rested her palm on his cheek. "Forever?"

He nodded while slowly closing the distance between them. "Forever."

"And she was crying in her sleep, calling my name."

"Cole, its hormones. And you'd better get used to them; you've still got six more months to go." Piper was resting on the couch in the manor's living room, her hair in a long ponytail. "Go get Chris would you, before he hurts himself. My ankles are killing me."

Cole grabbed the toddler before he could pull a vase off a small table near the doorway. "But, Phoebe was so scared that me and Prue weren't real and-"

"Prue? She went back 'up there' with Mom and Andy after you two left yesterday."

"Not that Prue."

"Then, who..? Oh, the baby. Right."

"Yeah, and, I don't know, I think it's more than the hormones; she's been like this for the last couple months."

"She's been pregnant the last couple months."

"I know how long she's been pregnant, thank you." Cole rolled his eyes at the sarcastic witch. "But, I look real, right? I can't figure out why she keeps asking me if I am. She's just so scared that she's gonna wake up and I'll be gone."

"Well, yeah, you guys were apart for years and you had a lot of healing to do when we resurrected you. And you guys have worked through it. But, it wasn't even a year ago. It's natural she's scared that it'll all fall apart again. Add that to the pregnancy."

"But, she was the one so sure we could make it work this time. And after what happened before, I was definitely surprised. She convinced me to have the same faith in us that I'd had after returning from the Wasteland. Only now she's made a complete turn-around. I don't know how to deal with this."

"You don't know how to deal with pregnancy."

"Obviously," Cole ran a hand through his dark hair and sat down on the couch opposite his sister-in-law.

"You know, maybe you should talk to Leo about this. I'm sure he remembers what he went through when I was pregnant with Wyatt."

"Uh, no offence, cause I like Leo and we get along alright, but we're not exactly friends, you know the whole former angel and a demon thing."

"What the heck does that have to do with first-time fathers?" Piper sighed as she rubbed her large stomach.

"Well, Wyatt's a twice-blessed angel, and Prue's going to be one-fourth demon."

Piper chuckled.

"What exactly is so funny?"

"Sorry, it's just I pictured big Prue, my sister, again. As a demon."

"With her attitude, is it really that hard to imagine? Prue can be almost as mean as Paige."

"Hey, I thought you made up with both of them."

He shrugged. "That doesn't mean they aren't vicious sometimes."

"To you."

"Prue argues with Phoebe sometimes, too."

"Not as much as she used to, thankfully."

"Cole? What are you doing here?"

"Phoebe. I just came for a visit."

The petite brunette stared hard at her husband. "You came to ask Piper what to do with crazy old me, didn't you?"

"No, of course not!"

"You're lying," Phoebe accused. "You think I'm being ridiculous just because I want to make sure we really are getting another chance."

"Uh, Pheebs," Piper interrupted. "I didn't know you were coming over today."

Phoebe spun to face her sister. "You're pregnant, too. Why doesn't he think you're nuts like me?"

"I don't think you're nuts, Phoebe. I was just concerned."

Phoebe ignored him. "Well, Piper?"

"You know," Piper said thoughtfully, "Leo's noticed that, too. I feel a lot more peaceful with this pregnancy than I did with either Wyatt or Chris. And Melinda's not even a whitelighter."

"So, that's why Cole doesn't think you're crazy, because you're not? That's just great. Yay you!" She paused for a second. "You just wait until that baby's born, then your crazy worrying snapping self will come back!"

"Maybe you could talk to Henry instead, about what we were discussing," Piper addressed Cole.

"He's married to a whitelighter and his kids are angels, too! Besides, he's a mortal; he doesn't have my same circumstances either."

"What are you talking about?" Phoebe demanded.

"Demon!" Paige appeared before them in a flurry of bright lights, a twin in each arm. "Somebody take them. I don't want to fight with them in my arms"

Phoebe grabbed little Grace, while Cole took Charlotte.

Piper sat up as a pair of scraggly demons shimmered in. She stood up, with a bit of difficulty, shielded Chris with her body, and threw her hands out in front of her. The first demon was blown apart.

"Chair!" Paige orbed the piece of hardwood and slammed the thing into the antique grandfather clock.

Before the demon could disappear, Cole sent an energy ball through him with his free hand.

Paige took her babies back and sat down in an easy chair. "Jeez! They're only a few months old and already demons are coming after my babies."

"Well, at least they're gone," Phoebe said. "Do you know who they were?" she asked Cole.

"Just a couple lower level demons trying to kill a Charmed One's offspring to make themselves a name."

"And here I thought demonic activity was decreasing."

Cole looked at Paige, "With the birth of your kids, it's only logical that demons will want to kill them, to stop the Halliwell line from getting even further. And with Melinda and Prue coming alone, it's only gonna keep increasing."

"You'd think they'd learn they can't win. After all, they tried for years with Wyatt and then Chris. Why are demons so stupid?"

"Excuse me?"

"What?" Paige smirked at Cole.

He turned from her, choosing instead to focus on his wife. "How many times has that clock been fixed?" He gestured to the wreckage.

"Guys?"

The group turned to face a wincing Piper, who was holding her round belly.

"My water just broke."