Written for comment_fic on livejournal

Phoebe looked around at the bunker. She wondered at how she got her.

She tried not to move too much, since she didn't want to jostle the other two women she was lying between. On her right, Cordelia, moaning in her sleep, probably remembering the pain of a psychic vision. Phoebe never understood why gifts could come with one price for her and another for people like Cordelia.

On the left lay Faith. As always, the slayer was only semi-sleeping, her arm always hanging off the bed, hand near the floor. Never more than an inch away from her crossbow. And that's not even mentioning the stake under her pillow.

Not that Phoebe blamed her. This was a difficult thing for all of them. To trust their former enemies. To trust that hate wouldn't lead to violence, that vengeance wouldn't inspire betrayal. Or, more dangerously, that love -- and obsession -- wouldn't destroy them all.

"Having fun in here, Phoebe," she heard Cole's voice say in her head. Communicating with her this way was just one of the many powers that he had picked up on his latest return to the mortal coil.

She smiled and responded in her mind, "Yeah, I just bet you are." She glanced at the door to the outer room, and realized Cole must have cast a spell to cover the sound. When Cordelia had insisted on sleeping in a separate "boys' room" and "girls' room" in order to prevent any "funny business," Phoebe noticed a slight smirk on many of the men's faces. Only Spike was tactless enough to say, "Yeah, four lonely dudes, about to start a battle that might well kill us all, needing both a distraction and a way of reconnecting. Lying together on the floor of a cramped little room. Thinking about the three of you together. Yeah, no funny business at all."

Angel had rolled his eyes of course, and skulked off. Phoebe knew that none of them wanted to trust Cole again -- that they were having enough trouble dealing with their own internal issues, what with Lindsey back in their fold.

"Phoebe," Cole said again in her mind, trying to coax her as he slowly called out to her, "Come join the fun, Phoebe."

"Forget it," Phoebe said mentally, but with an indulgent smile, knowing Cole could sense her, "Have your fun with the boys, and tell me all about it in the morning."

"Are you sure? I saw you looking at Lindsey earlier..."

Phoebe almost giggled but tried again not to wake her bedmates. She and Cole had always been so openminded about sharing their bed, had always felt so secure with their relationship, that it was a huge blow when she realized that the man who could be trusted with such a complicated love life couldn't be trusted to respect basic human life. To respect the line between good and evil.

But again, that was true of many of her found-again allies. And if there was one thing Phoebe believed in, it was second chances.

She mentally told Cole, "It's fine, we humans need our sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay, Phoebe. I'll see you. You know, if we don't survive tomorrow ...."

"We will."

"But if we don't ... I want to tell you something."

Phoebe knew what was coming. And she wanted to hear it. From his lips, not just his mind. "Say it," she asked him mentally.

Out loud, Cole said the words, "I love you," as he released the silencing spell so that Phoebe could hear it in the next room.

Cordy kept sleeping, and Faith opened one eye to check for threats and immediately fell back into slumber. For a minute, Phoebe cherished the quiet peace that Cole's words had given her.

Until she heard Lindsey say, "Did Cole just say that he loves us?"

To which Spike responded, "Don't be a prat, Lindsey. I'm sure he just meant me."