Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. I'm really just playing for my own amusement, and hopefully yours.

A/n: Hopefully some of you will recognize this as a companion piece to "Through the Years." "Smoke" is a series of missing moments in Cole and Phoebe's relationship written in a style similar to that of "Through the Years." That said, it is absolutely unnecessary to read "Through the Years" unless you really feel inclined to check it out (it is the Piper/Leo version of this).

I really hope everyone enjoys this series. There will be eighteen chapters total. Please let me know what you think. Thanks.

Katie

Disclaimer 2: I do not own Charmed nor do I own anything related to New Found Glory's song, "The Minute I Met You." This takes place over the course of the episodes, "The Honeymoon's Over" and "Magic Hour."

Smoke

A story by Ryeloza

One: The Minute I Met You

And if I stop ever thinking of you
I'd probably choke on the words I never said
If I stop ever thinking of you
I'd bury my heart and fall back in my bed
And what a sight that'll be

All my friends surrounding me
Just cause you made it this far
Doesn't mean you've made it

-New Found Glory, "The Minute I Met You"

"Your best ally is a good plan."

Cole looked at the plaque on his desk that bore these words; he'd had the carving made decades ago, after his mother's death. For years he had listened to her recite the platitude, drilling the idea into his mind, allowing no exception to this rule. "If you're going to stay alive, Cole," she'd always said, "then you need to have a good plan. Don't lead with your emotions. Don't ever become angry enough to do something stupid."

For ninety-eight years now, Cole had followed this rule faithfully and constantly; it had never led him astray. That rule was why he was going to be the one to destroy the Charmed Ones.

Oh, Cole knew that the Triad expected him to fail. He was no fool. For quite some time the Triad had been wary of him because they thought he was trying to go behind their backs to get directly to the Source. This, of course, was true, although no one had any proof, least of all the Triad. The fact that he was on the Charmed problem now was only because Raynor had gone to the Source and the Source had ordered the Triad to assign him to the case. When he succeeded the Triad would no doubted try to take credit for his triumph; little did they know that Cole and Raynor would truly reap all of the benefits.

But that was the future. At the present, Cole sat in his office ruminating over his initial contact with the Charmed Ones.

All summer, he'd been simultaneously reviewing the paperwork on past attempts on their lives while observing their actions from a distance. Initially he hadn't been convinced that he'd been given correct information, as he'd only observed two witches for weeks. He dug deeper though, and found out that the third sister was simply gone on "vacation." She'd been at the trial tonight though, and Cole wondered now where she had been for so many weeks and why she had been there. That, though, was tomorrow's problem.

His shadow—a convenient nuisance some upper level demon had designed for the Triad centuries ago—lurked across the room, waiting for Cole to give him a report. The damn thing was always overeager; it clearly didn't share Cole's mother's motto. Cole leaned back in his chair, regarding the shadow carefully.

"The closest anyone has come to ridding the world of these witches," said Cole slowly, "has been the result of creating a personal relationship with them. That is exactly what I plan to do. The closer I can get, the easier it will be to destroy them. That said, what is the closest relationship I could have with a witch?"

The shadow didn't respond beyond an impatient foot tapping, but Cole ignored him. He loved drawing out these report sessions, merely to irritate the creature.

"Don't you see?" he asked. "I'm going to make one of them fall in love with me. Once I have her heart, she'll lead me exactly where I want to go."

Cole wasn't sure how it was possible, but the shadow managed to convey skepticism to him with one shrug of the shoulder. Clearly it couldn't see the brilliance of this plan. Considering it was a tool of the Triad, who were notoriously edgy, Cole wasn't entirely surprised by this revelation. The Triad had been nagging him to make contact for weeks, and now that Cole had, he was certain they would want the witches dead within days. These things, however, took finesse.

"You may not believe me, but this will be my greatest success," Cole snarled. "If that isn't enough for the Triad then tell them I also have a plan for action set for All Hallows Eve." The shadow waved a hand for further explanation, but Cole shook his head. "There are still a few things to work out. That's all the Triad needs to know for now. You're dismissed."

There was a moment of hesitation, but then the shadow disappeared leaving Cole mercifully alone. He was not about to divulge any of his plans to the Triad until the last possible moment for fear they'd send someone else to act before he could. This was going to be his moment of glory, one way or another, of that he was certain. Still, he needed to show some sort of good faith for them to think he was playing ball; starting tomorrow he'd be on the lookout for some small bone to throw them.

Cole was on a sailboat that rocked furiously on the ocean water. A storm had set in and although it was day, the sky was black. Lightning flickered around him and the waves churned ferociously; Cole clung to the boat, desperate not to be thrown overboard. He had no idea how he was going to escape, and the fear her felt nearly choked him. Any minute now he'd be tossed into the ocean, left to drown and sink to his watery grave.

"Cole!" someone called to him. Cole looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Cole!" it called again.

"I'm here! I'm right here!" yelled Cole. "Help me, please!"

"Cole!"

Cole sat up in bed gasping for air and looked around his bedroom for a moment as though he would be able to see who called for him. Slowly he realized that he'd simply had a nightmare. Anger coiled through his veins at the recognition; demons did not have nightmares! Demons did not wake up in a cold sweat believing that the end was near! Enraged at his own betrayal—how could he succumb to something so human!—Cole threw his alarm clock across the room. The clock smashed against the wall and fell to the ground in pieces. Still unsatisfied, Cole stood and began to pace around the room.

"Don't start showing weakness now," he growled. "You're so close. You're so close to everything you've ever wanted. Don't. Give. In."

With another howl of anger, Cole turned and punched his hand into the wall.

Cole's trinket for the Triad did not fall into his lap until about ten days after his initial meeting with the Halliwells. He'd been busy with plans for All Hallow's Eve, which was approaching much too quickly for Cole's liking, and it was only at the Triad's persistence that he finally sought out the Halliwells again. He couldn't have picked a more fortuitous moment.

The encounter at the bookstore had left Cole with two outstanding bits of information: first, the youngest witch was clearly enamored with him. This couldn't have been more perfect if Cole had planned it. Ideally he had wanted to get close with the youngest. His research showed that she was the most vulnerable, the most trusting and the most susceptible to falling in lust, if not love. That had been a lucky break.

Second, he'd realized that the elusive witch was planning some sort of elopement, but seemed bitter about it. What other reason could their be than wanting to keep it a secret from someone; in a thousand years he would never have guessed that she was trying to hide from the Elders! The foolish, incompetent…Cole laughed again just thinking of it. What was she thinking? Cole would never understand the insistence humans had about falling in love; the path of love led nowhere good, but they'd never learn. Cole was glad that was one trap he'd never fall into.

All-in-all, his plans were going perfectly. Mother, he knew, would have been immensely proud.