Title: Incomplete
Author: Wicked R

Disclaimer: WB is the God, not me. I'm writing this for my own pleasure.

Rating/Genre: G/Romance, h/c.
Summary/Set: Remember when Cole asks the dark priest if any of the previous sources that said the oath were half human? Well, Cole is, and I don't think that had been taken into consideration that much before. Starts at the end of "We're Off To See The Wizard", just like quite a lot of other fics, actually. Another piece from everybody's favourite thousands and one ways of getting Phoebe and Cole together.

"These Darkly Consecrated are therefore accepted before the celebrant," the high priest announced, "let each and every one sanctify the Source and the Queen's triumph."

The participators acknowledged in harmony, "we shall serve them devotedly from this day forth," all raising both hands, palms outward.

The room rang echoed while Cole and Phoebe was given their symbols of power, a sword, a crown/tiara and a baton, all sacrosanct. Then the dark priest started to intone an ancient chant with all the assembly joining in, including Cole. When the melody died, everybody kneeled down around them, and it was in that position that the demons started shimmering out, leaving only the high priests and a few guards about.

A short demon with a beer belly and dressed in what looked like a full military uniform with a diaphanously shaped broadsword in his belt approached them, "I am your strategic advisor, my liege," he bowed in front of Cole, "I here to initiate you in your duties..."

"Later," Cole waved him off and clutched Phoebe's hand.

"Forgive me, my liege, but there are some urgent state affairs to deal with. There's the peace treaty to bargain between the Basilidian sect of the Gnostics and Adad's demons. Then you need to decide whether to send an annihilator after the descendants of Johann Weyer for giving over the tradition of demonology and most importantly to establish whether Cornelius is a threat to your throne..."

"What I need is to show my queen her rightful place and privileges. In private," he flamed out with her to the bedroom of their earthly apartment. On arrival, he clutched his head and grimaced with pain, once he could allow himself to give into the strong and blinding throbbing that pounded in his skull. He had felt the likes of it on only a few occasions, and he instantly knew what it meant.

He would've collapsed to the ground if Phoebe didn't hold him up, "Cole? Cole, what is it?" She asked alarmed.

He couldn't answer right away, as it took all his strength to keep up appearances in front of the demons, but Phoebe helped him sit and he couldn't worry her for too long, "I think I know what it is. When I was a child and my mother bought me some white balls that contained some of my powers, I was stricken by weakness and headaches at first. That is where they get me, cause I'm prone to migraines anyway. Rest should sort it. Let me have a rest. They probably wouldn't dare to shimmer in. Don't let them come, you should vanquish everybody who seems a threat. They can't see me like this. The priest said I should feel complete after being given full powers over the underworld, but I guess it doesn't work that well if you're half human," he rubbed his hand over his temples pitiably.

"Let me do it," Phoebe offered, and started rubbing his temples with slow, deliberate, and firm circles. The warmth from her hands helped to alleviate the pain and Phoebe could feel the rigid tension gradually easing off Cole's features.

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Sleep was out of the question because Phoebe was becoming very nervous now and did not know what was wrong with Cole, or what to do about it and who to confide in with the problem. Her first night in the outlandish situation she wasn't used to was worse than she would've ever imagined it and Cole was in no state to comfort her and show her the way. She paced around in the room in frustration, quite perplexed and desperate for a premonition. With the lots of moaning, Phoebe wasn't even sure Cole was asleep and not comatose. She had to know, so she called him, but her efforts were in vain. Even when there was a strident, firm knock on the door, he didn't open his eyes.

Phoebe went to the door and opened it an inch hesitantly, "what?" She called.

"My Queen, I'm sorry, but I have no choice, but to disturb you," it was the Seer, "we were reported that Cornelius was in disguise at the coronation. You don't know what he's capable of, but I've seen it. I must speak with his majesty."

Phoebe looked back at the moaning Cole, "uh, he knows, he will deal with it himself, and he requires no assistance."

"Are you alright ?" The Seer sensed her more than usual unease, "if there's a problem I'm here to help. I assist the Source, that's what I do."

"Yeah, we're fine .." Phoebe nodded, doing her best to hold back her tears of insecurity, "all is well," actually a bit surprised she wasn't flamed away by the seer if she wanted something with her, like before. Of course, she was the queen now, that must've been it.

The oracle paused for a moment, hearing Cole's whimpers in the background, then looked at her again, "please let me in. Confide in me, my queen. Is the Source unwell?"

Cole was not getting better, that was for certain. Lying on his side, he covered his face with his arms, his palms still clutching his temples tightly. Phoebe wished she could do something about it, but she didn't really know what to do. It was becoming more and more obvious to her that she was lost in this world that was so unfamiliar to her and she didn't know who to rely on. She could flame away, so she contemplated taking Cole with herself and fleeing. But where? She was far away from those she loved, in more ways than one. She was terrified and totally and utterly lost. All she had was her bond with Cole and he was unconscious. Even though she knew that Cole trusted no one, there was no point to disappear, because something needed done about Cole's condition. She had a dreadful sensation that something was terribly wrong with Cole and that they would go down. With her ability to foresee things, that was a frightful possibility. She knew it wasn't the pregnancy that made her nauseous, but the apprehension, so she opened the door diffidently and watched with wary eyes as the seer studied both of them conscientiously in silence for a long moment.

Then she forced Cole's hands away taking a quick look at on his brow, then opened his robe. When touching his chest, her eyes went briefly white, "he's too weak to be the source because he's half human."

"And didn't you know that before you pulled us all in?"

"I'll get an infuse that will make him stronger."

"But why? Why did you want him to be the source in the first place?"

"It's imperative he gets the medication at this instant, otherwise the powers will destroy him. Let me get it for you my Queen. You can have your husband and we can have our source. It will take no longer than five minutes," she flamed out.

Once his hands no longer covered his temples, Cole was stirring feebly. Phoebe felt relieved that he wasn't out cold, until she realised he awakened from the very thing that kept him insentient for a while.

His greenish blue eyes opened, their gaze sorrowful and woolly. He pushed his hand through his hair and pressed at his head desperately as the constant pulsating torture threatened his sanity making his world shrink a sole sentence he mouthed, his bloodless lips moving weakly, "make it stop."

Phoebe put her arms around him, as if she would've managed to hold him still, his trashing about would cease for having no cause. Of course, it didn't work, so she lay down next to him, pressing against him and somehow that appeared to calm him down a bit, "the Seer will bring something to help you," she muttered, rubbing her hands up and down his arm to soothe him.

He struggled to clear his throat, and nestled in, pulling strength from the love they had for each other, but his voice was still barely audible, "no. Don't trust her," with the effort, his head spun, he panted and had to shut his eyes again. Phoebe tried in vain to communicate with him even if she was hysterically nudging him to open his eyes. Before he was completely out, he sensed in his haze that she grabbed him and flamed him somewhere.

It was the only place she could think of, "help him!" She shouted at her sisters holding Cole's head in her lap in the middle of the floor of the manor's living room, where the inhabitants of the house still conferred about the days' events in shock, "the powers are killing him!"

"Oh, no," Piper stood, defending her own, "we are killing him," she hissed crossly, the only one at her senses, while Paige shrieked in the background and all of them leaped up from their seats and turned towards Phoebe.

tbc