A.N Phew three chapters in three days, I'm spoiling you! I do feel like I've unleashed a bit of a monster with this fic though, there are a lot of you who feel the same way as me about Generation Hex, Coop, season 8 in general...which is great! Hope you all enjoy the chapter, little bit more of exploring Phoebe's feelings and a sisterly chat with Piper :)

Disclaimer I do not own Charmed.

Chapter Three

"Woah!"

Henry stumbled backwards as blue orbs suddenly materialised into the form of his new wife right in front of him. He still wasn't quite used to that, wasn't sure he ever would be.

"Paige, where-"

"She is crazy!"

Henry blinked and took her in. Paige's usually pale cheeks were flushed red and there were tears filling her eyes. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and he could see her digging her thumbnail into her palm to stop herself from crying.

"Paige," he murmured resting his hands on her thin shoulders gently, "Talk to me. Where'd you go?"

She looked up at him with a sniff. "Thought you were scuba-diving."

"I was, you've been gone a while," Henry smiled a little.

"You had a full tank."

"Baby you're babbling," Henry laughed gently but a tear dropped down Paige's cheeks and he pulled her close to him, "What happened with your sisters?"

"How did you know?" Paige whimpered, leaning against him and she didn't see the eyeroll and smirk but she felt the chuckle, "Oh, who else would it be right?" Paige sighed and buried her face in his chest. He smelt like the sea and sun lotion, it was nice. It reminded her that she was meant to be on her honeymoon and certainly not having arguments about a dead demon with her clearly psychotic sister. "It's a really long story."

"I've got time, Paige. I've always got time."

"You really think you saw Leo?"

Phoebe was curled up on the couch with a blanket across her shoulders, a mug of tea clutched in her hands which Piper was sure she hadn't touched in the half an hour they had been talking. After Paige had orbed out Phoebe had gone silent, withdrawn into herself, and so Piper had automatically gone into mother-mode. She had made her comfortable, put a cup of tea in her hands, and then filled her in on what she had missed that day.

"It was…" Piper trailed off. She had said earlier than it was nothing, just a presence. But, "It was Leo, I know it was."

"You'll get him back, Piper," Phoebe smiled softly, but Piper couldn't help noticing the smile didn't reach her eyes, "You two are meant to be."

"Right…" Piper nodded slowly, and both sisters sensed the conversation about to change. "Phoebs-"

"I know it doesn't make any sense," Phoebe sighed and she dropped her eyes to stare into the cold tea, "I haven't thought about Cole in a long time. I'm over…I thought I was over him."

"You are over him sweetie," Piper sighed, "You've been in relationships since him. You've loved other guys."

"Yeah and look where it got me," Phoebe murmured.

"That's not fair. Dex…that shock was understandable. And Leslie was always a fling."

"And Drake was always going to die," Phoebe said quietly, and Piper nodded sadly. Of all of them she thought Drake could be 'the One' for her little sister. Fate was cruel.

"Okay, but Jason," Piper said, "You loved Jason you can't deny that, you moved to Japan or Hong Kong or wherever in the world it was for him." She held a hand up when Phoebe started speaking. "And, yeah, he didn't get the magic thing but Phoebs it's always going to be hard with a mortal. That is not a reason to start thinking about Cole."

"Can I speak?" Piper rolled her eyes and gave a nod. "Thank you." Phoebe sucked in a breath, and asked a question that had been buzzing around her head for some time now. "Piper, do you ever think maybe Jason was a rebound?" The elder witch scoffed and Phoebe sighed. "Think about it. I just came out of this insanely intense relationship with Cole, I got a new empathy power, and Jason comes along. He's good looking, he's normal, he's good, he's always away so basically completely unattainable. He was a perfect rebound." Piper was frowning and Phoebe sighed. "I did love Jason, I did. But it's not like I ever got…closure. One second Cole is alive, the next he's dead. I didn't do it or see it or even know it was happening. He's in my life and then he's not. And he was a big part of my life, my whole life for a while. Hell he had been around longer than Paige. And then he was gone and Wyatt was born and then the empathy and Chris was here and Jason…Jason was safe." Piper shook her head quietly, but didn't say anything. She was getting a horrible feeling in her gut, but she needed to just let Phoebe speak. "What I saw today shocked me, and I was so sad and so mad at Paige for not telling me every little detail. And for not understanding that I didn't vanquish Cole, that he hadn't treated me like that." She raised a hand when Piper scoffed. "He hadn't treated me like that, Piper."

"The man mummified you!"

"Piper…"

"Alright alright."

Phoebe took a sip of her tea. She didn't even notice it had gone stone cold. Just as she hadn't noticed the tears slipping down her cheeks again.

"You should've seen it," she said quietly, "And the things he said, I know at the time I'd heard them before but to hear them again now…" She looked up at her sister. "You know I did that to him. I turned him into that crazy person. Barbas was right at the Tribunal, he was right Piper."

"Phoebs-"

"I'm not saying I still love him."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth Phoebe knew they were a lie. Even at his worst she had loved him, deep down. He was the love of her life, he was her apple peel. And she had never been allowed to say goodbye.

Piper was aware that Phoebe had no idea she had just spoken out loud. After their trip back to save baby Melinda Warren Phoebe had told Piper and Prue about the apple peel forming the shape of a C. 'Cole is the love of my life!' she had proudly announced, and Piper had smiled and Prue had scoffed and then the next demon had attacked so it had all been forgotten. Phoebe had never brought it up again, so neither had Piper. It seemed too cruel after everything that happened afterwards. She needs closure, she needs to put an end to that part of her life. God forgive me.

"Phoebe, honey? Look at me." Piper sat forward in her chair and with a sob Phoebe forced herself to look at Piper. "I need to tell you something and you need to stay calm, okay?" Confusion crossed Phoebe's face but she gave a little nod. "Do you remember last year when I almost died? When Leo fell from grace? Well I was in a kind of…Limbo I guess it was, a cosmic void."

"I remember," Phoebe sniffled, "You said you had help, an 'old friend', right? I don't understand what-"

"It was Cole."

Those three little words lifted a weight from Piper's shoulders. She had vowed never to tell a soul about Cole; Phoebe didn't need that in her life and Paige would make it her mission to get into Limbo and vanquish him all over again. But it had been a burden, knowing he was there. Her only solace had been that he didn't seem to want Phoebe to know, and that he seemed…well, happy.

"Cole?" Phoebe's face was crumpled in confusion, her hands clutched tightly around the tea cup. "Cole was…Cole is…"

"Not alive," Piper said quickly, "He's not alive, he's trapped there helping lost souls." She winced a little, if possible Phoebe was even paler than before. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry sweetie I thought about telling you before but I didn't think it mattered."

"How could it not matter?" Phoebe voice came out in a squeak and she felt the bile rise in her throat again, "Oh god…"

"I didn't think it mattered because I thought you didn't care about Cole, that he was in your past," Piper said, gripping Phoebe's arm as the tea cup shook, "It would've dragged up old memories and with Drake dying and you worried about that little girl you saw, it just…" She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."

Phoebe wasn't listening.

Our love's so strong nothing can destroy it.

He had been right. And she had never known.

I don't care.

She did care. If Coop's journey through her past loves had taught her anything it was that the barrier was up because she had convinced herself that she didn't care. But she did. Cole was in her heart, he always had been.

"Phoebe…" Piper brushed some tears from Phoebe's cheeks and she blinked, focussing on her big sister finally.

"I need to see him."

"I was afraid you'd say that," Piper murmured, "Sweetie I don't think it's possible. I was dying, and that is not an option for you."

"There's another way," Phoebe said, "I know another way." She shifted forward slightly, her hands no longer trembling and a little colour back in her cheeks and inwardly Piper groaned.

I should've kept my mouth shut.