Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed.

Setting: November 2025

Guide You Home

sequel to Waits for You

a story by Ryeloza

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

-Coldplay, "Fix You"

She would never be sure about which of them had started the kiss, but she knew with certainty that she was the one who kicked up the intensity. Kissing Cole—even after so many years—was more passionate, sexier, and more life-affirming than kissing any other man had ever been. She couldn't help running her hand up into his hair and using the leverage to deepen the kiss. She couldn't help slipping her tongue into his mouth and pressing her body right up against Cole's.

To her delight, Cole didn't seem able to resist her any more than she could him. His hands seemed to be everywhere on her body at once, gripping and rubbing and—

Without conscious thought, Phoebe moaned, and that, finally caused Cole to stop. He broke away from her, but stayed close enough to rest his forehead against hers. "We can't…you can't kiss me like that, make noises like that, Phoebe. I won't be able to stop."

"Do you really want to?" asked Phoebe, a laugh in her words.

"No," said Cole. "God, no. But we have to."

"Hope."

"She's in a getting out of bed at night phase."

"I am unfortunately familiar with that," said Phoebe. "Nora went through a phase like that once."

"How long did it last?"

"Too long. You probably don't want to know."

"I guess I should get used to it then."

"Guess so."

Slowly, Phoebe dropped her hands from Cole's neck to his shoulders, steadying herself before she took a step backwards. When she looked up into Cole's eyes her legs nearly buckled from the expression on his face. She hadn't seen such love and tenderness directed at her in much too long. Fighting against every instinct she had, Phoebe sank onto the ottoman behind her and said, "What are we going to do?"

Cole, realizing the sudden turn the evening had taken, sat down across from her, jiggling his leg. "I don't know."

"That was a really good kiss."

"It was. A really good kiss."

"And I'd like to do it again."

"So would I."

There was a pause, and then Phoebe said, "We have to be realistic, don't we?"

Cole stopped moving his leg and leaned back in his seat, his fingers forming a steeple. "Realistic in what way, Phoebe? I want to be with you. I've always wanted to be with you. That hasn't changed. Unless you don't…"

"No, I do!" Phoebe felt her cheek flush at the eagerness of her words. "I mean, I'd like to see where we can go. But so much has changed, Cole. We aren't the same people we were twenty years ago. We don't even know each other anymore."

"So we'll get to know one another again. I don't see the problem here, Phoebe."

Phoebe laughed a little incredulously. "You don't see the problem? You have a life here, Cole. You have a job, a house. Your daughter is settled here. She has friends, her own life. But my whole life, my daughter, my family are in San Francisco."

"So I'll move."

"What?"

"I'll move back to San Francisco."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking me. I'm volunteering."

"So what? You're just going to uproot yourself and your daughter? That's crazy, Cole. People don't just decide to up and move hundreds of miles away!"

"There are jobs in San Francisco too, Phoebe. And schools and houses and everything else that I have right here in Phoenix. I can have everything I have here in San Francisco, but I can't have you here. That's not much of a choice, if you ask me."

Phoebe smiled, wanting nothing more than to tell him to do it, to tell him to drop everything and come. But someone had to be practical here. Someone had to think with her head instead of her heart.

"I'd like nothing more than to have you back home. I'd like nothing more than to give us the second chance we always should have had. But it's not just up to me, or to you, Cole. Don't you think you need to talk to Hope?"

Cole sighed, leaned forward, and ran a hand through his hair.

"Cole?"

"No. I know. You're right. I really don't want you to be, but you are."

"If it makes you feel any better," said Phoebe, "I need to talk to my daughters too." If, of course, Nora ever called or came home or communicated in any way ever again. Immediately, Phoebe pushed the thought from her mind; thinking about Nora hurt so much that Phoebe could barely breathe.

"But they told you where I was. They found out I was still alive. Doesn't that mean…I mean, I thought…" Cole looked at her with an expression fraught with anxiety and Phoebe bit her lip. She hadn't really considered how much Cole might want her daughters' acceptance, and the truth was that they weren't exactly thrilled by his existence.

"Things have been really complicated since Coop died," said Phoebe tentatively. "Nora has had a really hard time dealing with things. When she found out about you, she was furious."

"Because I almost came between you and Coop?"

"Because she thought that I never loved her father. Because she had so much anger inside of her that she had to find some place to direct it, and I was the best target. Or the most deserving. I don't know. I wanted her to get counseling, but she refused to go. And now…"

Cole raised an eyebrow, looking at her expectantly. Phoebe took a deep breath, releasing it as a sigh and tried very hard to suppress her feelings. "Nora ran away from home the day after her birthday. I haven't heard from her since."

"She ran away? Can't you find her? Magic or…I don't know, call the police or something!"

Nearly overwhelmed by the concern in Cole's voice, Phoebe bit back a sob. "Nora is really smart. She cast a spell to keep us from finding her. And the police couldn't do anything. She's eighteen now. I have no legal right to drag her home."

"There has to be some way," said Cole. "You're not just giving up."

"I'll never give up on my daughter. I just have to keep believing that someday she's going to come back. That she's okay, wherever she is."

Cole held out a hand towards her. "Come here," he said quietly. Without hesitation, without a word, Phoebe stood and came forward, falling into Cole's arms like it was exactly where she belonged. While she didn't feel any better, for the first time since Nora had gone, she felt like she wasn't alone.

Phoebe woke up with a crick in her neck and an agonizingly sore back. She was too old to spend the whole night in a chair, regardless of how comfortable and warm her human pillow was. As she sat up straight, she groaned and Cole stirred at the sound.

"Morning," she said quietly. With the sunlight pouring through the blinds the world seemed much more tentative. Had the events of last night really happened, or had she imagined it? Had Cole really offered to consider moving to San Francisco? Were they really going to try to get to know one another again, after all of this time?

"Good morning," said Cole. He pushed a bit of her hair behind her ear and she smiled at the gesture. Maybe last night had been more real than she even remembered.

Phoebe gave a little sigh and stretched her legs. "What time is it?" she asked.

Cole glanced at his watch. "Six," he said. "We still have a whole hour before I have to wake up Hope. Do you want some breakfast? I can cook now…kind of."

"I don't want breakfast. Maybe just some coffee?"

Cole nodded. "Okay."

They stood up with some difficulty and Cole led Phoebe out of the room and down a hall to a spacious kitchen that Piper would have killed to have at the manor. Sitting down on a stool, she said as much while Cole began to get the coffee.

"Huh," said Cole in response. Phoebe leaned forward and rested her elbows on the island in the kitchen.

"What do you mean, 'huh'?"

"Well never mind your daughters, your sisters are going to be a whole other can of worms for us, aren't they?"

"Cole…"

"What did they say when you told them about me?"

"Piper was concerned. But in her general, worries about everyone and everything way. Not specifically because it was you."

"Right. And Paige?"

"Paige will get used to the idea."

"That's what I thought."

"Look," said Phoebe, "we have to talk about this, right now. I'm not going through round one hundred of you versus my sisters. I'll talk to them and do the best that I can, but you have got to put in some effort too. I know there's a bad history there, but you've just got to make a fresh start if you can."

Cole nodded. "I know."

"You do?"

"Phoebe, a lot has probably changed in the past twenty years, but I never for a second thought that one of those things would be your relationship with your sisters."

"Oh. Well. Good."

"But I'll believe Paige can accept this when pigs fly."

"Cole!"

"What? Paige and I have never gotten along. Even when I wasn't a demon she still thought I was scum."

"I'll talk to her."

"Okay," said Cole. "But I'm not going to get my hopes up."

Phoebe didn't argue. She honestly wasn't convinced that he was wrong. After Lena had told her about Cole the first person she had gone to was Piper, who had reluctantly confessed that she'd known Cole's spirit had been hanging around the manor. Phoebe had felt so betrayed at the time that she'd turned right around and left. Despite knowing that Paige had never been neutral about Cole, Phoebe had had no one else to talk to.

Paige, though, had chalked it up to magic gone awry. "There is no way Cole is alive, Phoebe. It's just not possible. I was there when he was vanquished."

Once Phoebe had calmed down enough to talk to Piper again, the three of them had sat down and talked things out. Piper thought Phoebe should take things slow and think things through. "Once you let Cole back in, he won't go away. I just want you to make sure that you really want this, Phoebe."

Paige had obstinately refused to believe anything would come of going to Phoenix. "And why would you want him back, anyway?"

But Phoebe had finally made up her mind on her own and one way or another her sisters were going to have to accept this. At least Prue apparently had. That was some start.

"Cole," said Phoebe, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them.

"Hmm?" said Cole. He set down a mug of coffee in front of her and Phoebe sipped it gratefully.

"I need you to know something. I have to tell you. I just…you need to…"

"You can tell me anything, Phoebe."

"I'm going to fight this time. I'm not going to just give up on us again. I just needed to tell you that. I needed you to know."

Cole nodded. "Thank you. I…I think I needed to hear that too."

Phoebe smiled and then leaned across the island to kiss him.

"My first class isn't until ten. Can you come back after I take Hope to school?"

"I can't. My flight is at eleven," said Phoebe.

"You can't reschedule?"

Phoebe bit her lip. "Lena expects me home tonight. I can't…"

"I know."

Phoebe glanced down at their entwined hands and then back up at Cole, blinking back tears. "I'll call you tonight."

"I'll be here."

"And I'll see you."

"Soon."

"Mm-hmm."

Cole leaned down and kissed her so fully she felt it down to her toes. As soon as they parted, Phoebe stepped out of the door, unable to linger. If she did, she'd never leave.

"Phoebe!" called Cole, just as she turned her back to him. "I love you!"

She turned around, still cautiously backing away. "I love you too!"

And for the first time in ages, she walked away from Cole with faith in her heart.

-Fin-

A/n: And another installment comes to an end. I greatly enjoyed writing this one. It was kind of fun to write something that wasn't saturated in angst for once. Heh. You all know me, though...I won't be able to go forever without pouring some on.

I'd like to thank every single one of you who reviewed this story. Knowing that there are people who enjoy this series makes all the work I put into it worthwhile. I truly hope that you'll continue to stick with it. The next segment (title to be announced) will deal with Cole's reunion with the other Halliwells.

Again, thanks so much for the reviews. You guys are fantastic.

Katie