Summary: Cole Turner has survived for 4 years without Phoebe, raising their son by himself. But what happens when young Warren wants his Mommy?

Disclaimer: When I buy it, I'll let you know it's mine.

Chapter 11

A few hours after breakfast, Phoebe and Cole were busy cleaning his apartment. Paige had begged off earlier, saying that there was something urgent that she had forgotten she had to do for work, and Leo had offered to take Warren to the park with his boys. Unfortunately, there wasn't much progress being made.

"Cole, just let me use a spell!" Phoebe argued stubbornly, as she had been doing for the past half hour.

"Phoebe, hardly anything is broken. Just the coffee table, and that was old anyway. There's no need for magic." Cole pointed out wearily.

"But this is taking forever!"

"And it's not going to get done any faster with you just standing there. Look, I know you want out of here. I know you hate me, and can't bear to spend time in my company. So just go for your date with Jason! I'll be fine cleaning up here."

"I don't hate you!" Phoebe denied, latching on to the underlying root of the problem. "I haven't hated you for a while now, or haven't you noticed that I'm making an effort to be nice?"

"I had noticed." He replied quietly, the note in his voice something Phoebe couldn't quite place. She frowned, trying to figure it out, but Cole cleared his throat and continued bullishly. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to use magic to clean this place up! And besides, aren't you supposed to be retired?" Phoebe threw up her hands in exasperation.

"You're as bad as Piper! Yes, I'm not using magic much anymore. But the kids aren't here, so there's no need to hide my powers! Why do you care, anyway? You use your powers for everything!"

"Not for personal gain, Phoebe. That's why we're cleaning this by hand. You might want to risk the magical repercussions of using a spell to clean up, but I don't! Warren lives here, and I don't want him getting caught in a backfire." Phoebe's face softened.

"Yeah, ok. I guess you're right." Cole acknowledged her agreement with a nod, and they went back to cleaning by hand. A few minutes later Phoebe completely threw Cole off by declaring, seemingly randomly

"You really love him, don't you?"

"Who?" Cole enquired.

"Warren."

"Of course I do. He's my son. Phoebe, just because I've made a few mistakes in the past doesn't mean I'm not capable –"

"No, that's not what I meant." She tried hurriedly to backtrack. "I just mean that, well, I've noticed that everything you do comes back to War. He seems to motivate your every move."

"He does." Cole said. "For a while, he was all that I had. He was the reason I kept going, when sometimes all I wanted to do was curl up and die. I've done a lot of bad things in the past. I won't deny it. But Warren… he's my second chance. And I'll do anything to keep him safe, and happy, and loved."

"I'm beginning to feel that way about him myself." Phoebe admitted, smiling wistfully. "Don't tell Piper, but I think I'm getting closer to Warren than even Wy or Chris. And I love them both so much. It sounds stupid, and corny, but – ugh, I can't believe I'm saying this – when I look at your son, when I hold him or play with him or talk to him, all I want is for him to be ok. Even if it means I can't be." She smiled again, a little embarrassed.

"Sad, right? I mean, I've only known him three weeks and he's not even related to me." Cole winced. He felt horribly as if he was being torn in two. The little voice in his head (which he still wasn't sure didn't mean he wasn't insane), was deciding to voice his opinion again.

'She's his MOTHER. She loves him. She deserves to know.'

'She abandoned us! How much love does that show? And besides, she doesn't need to know.'

'Look, either you tell her or someone else will.'

'And what's that supposed to mean?' But the voice had fallen silent, and now Phoebe was looking at her watch and exclaiming,

"I'm late! I was supposed to meet Jason 15 minutes ago! Oh, he's going to kill me. Damn Paige, I hope she's not in a meeting!" She dashed around the room, gathering her jacket and purse.

"Cole, I'm so sorry, I'll have to help you later!"

"Phoebe, calm down, you're going to trip!" he warned her, but her stiletto heel had already caught on something, possibly a stray piece of glass from the broken coffee table. Cursing, Cole darted forward to catch her before she hit the ground, and she flumped into his arms. Giggling, she looked up.

"Thanks." He stared down at her worriedly, and inexplicably, her voice suddenly hitched.

"Are you ok?" Cole asked, straightening her so that she was standing, but still supporting her in case she decided to fall again.

"Umm…" was all Phoebe could think of to say. Suddenly, her mind flashed back to when she had first met him, all those years ago. She remembered the then ADA of San Francisco walking out of the shadows of the alleyway, and into her life. Her reaction then had been something like it was now, she realised with a jolt. She had been startlingly overwhelmed, and ready to do anything he asked of her. Phoebe blinked.

'No, Phoebe. Don't go there. You can't go down that road.' She shook her head to dislodge the traitorous thoughts. 'Not again. It hurt too much the last time.' There was another reason too, she reminded herself. It had slipped to the back of her mind.

'Now if I could just remember it…' Cole cleared his throat.

"Come on, I'll take you to your date." He offered. He stepped back, only catching onto her hand.

'Jason.' Phoebe thought guiltily. 'Jason is the other reason. I'm in love with him now, not Cole. Cole and I are just friends. Even less than friends. We're on a truce, until one or the other of us messes up.' She reminded herself.

"Right, let's go." She urged her ex-husband. He looked at her oddly for a second before diving a barely discernable shrug and teleporting them both to San Francisco. They reappeared in an alley near the café Phoebe was meeting Jason at. She let go of Cole slowly, embarrassed at her thoughts.

"Thank you." She said gratefully as they left the shelter of the alley for the crowded street. "Umm, are you alright for lunch? You're more than welcome to join us, if you want."

"Phoebe!" Jason called from the small restaurant a few doors down. Leaving his jacket on his chair to save their table, he hurried over to his girlfriend.

"You made it!" he said, kissing her cheek. He caught sight of Cole, and his expression wavered confusedly between a frown and a polite smile.

"Hello, umm… I don't believe we've met?"

"Oh, yeah." Phoebe exhaled. "I forgot. This is gonna be awkward. Uh, Jason, this is my ex-husband."

"Cole Turner." The man in question filled in, offering his hand for Jason to shake. Jason, in a stunning lack of tact, asked confusedly

"Isn't he dead?"


Paige hadn't been lying when she had said she had something to do. Well, not really. She had some paperwork. It could have waited for a while, but hey, getting ahead was never a crime, right?

'I wonder how Phoebe and Cole are getting along.' she thought again, her mind not having wandered far from the two since she had started working. 'I hope they're not fighting too much.'

She sighed and pulled another document towards her, tapping her pen against the side of it.

'It's funny, how Cole is turning out not to be as bad a guy as we always thought he was.' She mused to herself. 'I mean, what he did was awful. But I suppose we'll never really know why he did what he did. Were we too quick to judge, to quick to look at him as evil? I mean, we of all people should know that there's no absolute black and white.' She shuffled through her papers, her thoughts not allowing her to get a grip on her work.

'Maybe I should have gone to the park with Piper, Leo and the boys.' The high pitched ring of her cellphone sounded, providing a welcome distraction from her thoughts. She scrambled in her pocket for it, wanting to cut off the sound.

'I have to remember to change that ringtone.' She thought, wincing at the shrill ring.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Matthews?" the voice on the other end was young, familiar.

"Yes?" Paige asked cautiously. If this was some sort of prank…

"It's me, Joel. From the Social Services? You gave me your number for emergencies?"

"Oh, hey Joel. What's up? Are you alright?"

"Um…"

"Joel? Is there a reason you called?" Paige asked, worried. The kid sounded tired, like he hadn't slept in days. And…scared? "Are you ok? Where are you?"

"Uh, I don't know." He laughed, but it sounded far from happy. "It's funny. I've lived in this city my whole life. I thought I knew it pretty well, but…" he trailed off.

"Joel, have you told your foster family where you are? Aren't they supposed to pick you up?"

"No, I –" A click sounded in Paige's ear, followed by the dial tone. She hit the call end button and stared at the phone in her hand.

'What was that all about?' She was anxious, concerned about the other young witch. 'Maybe I should try and find him, scry for him.' she wondered. He had sounded so odd on the phone… maybe he was in trouble. She stood abruptly, her mind made up.

'After all, didn't I become a social worker to help people?' She headed quickly for the attic, leaving the hardly started paperwork scattered on the table.

'It must be just destined not to get done.'


Piper sat in the hospital waiting room, Chris in her arms and Warren by her side.

"Aunty Piper, is Wyatt gonna be ok?" the four year old asked innocently. She smiled down at him, her gaze returning quickly to the door her husband and eldest son had disappeared through.

"I hope so, War. We'll have to wait and see what the doctor says." Her mind flashed back to that terrifying moment in the playground.

"Wyatt, why don't you go play with your cousin and brother?" Piper asked the small blonde boy on her lap. "Look, aren't Chris and Warren having fun with Daddy on the swings?"

"Don't wanna." Wyatt mumbled, his voice muffled by the thumb stuck in his mouth. He snuggled closer to his mother, who frowned. He had been fine that morning, but as soon as they had left the house, Wyatt had been cross and cranky, refusing to comply with any of the suggestions anyone had made, and clinging to Piper like a limpet.

'I hope he's not coming down with anything.' She thought, feeling his forehead. 'A little warm, but not too bad.' The small child whimpered in her arms.

"Mommy, my head hurts!" he cried.

"Hush, Wy, it's ok." She soothed, hushing him. "Leo!" she shouted over to the blonde man. He turned his head questioningly.

"I'm going to take Wyatt home, o –" The small body slumped alarmingly in her arms. She stared down at him in surprise. He couldn't have gone to sleep that quickly.

"Wyatt, sweety, wake up. Wyatt! Come on, Wy, you need to wake up now…Wyatt!"

They had rushed straight to the hospital, and Leo and Wyatt were at that moment in with a doctor.

'I haven't been this worried since Chris swallowed that marble.' She thought wryly. 'He has to be alright, he just has to.' She had called Cole a few minutes ago, and he had promised to bring Chris and Warren home while she waited with Leo and Wyatt. She thought she had heard Phoebe in the background, but dismissed the idea. Phoebe's date was at two o'clock, and it was 2:45 now. A tall figure came striding in the waiting room doors, a much slighter one at its side. Phoebe hurried up to her sister.

"Oh, Piper, are you ok? Have the doctors said anything?"

"No, they're still examining him. What are you doing here, Phoebe? Aren't you supposed to be on a date?"

"Yeah, long story. Jason just met Cole." She indicated the taller man, who had swung his son up into his arms as soon as he had caught sight of him. Piper stood, and Phoebe took Chris from her.

"Oh. That can't have gone too well." Piper said sympathetically. Introducing your current boyfriend to your ex-demon ex-husband wasn't something you had to do every day.

"It went better than I thought, actually. They got on really well. I was beginning to feel a bit left out." She grinned, and Piper could see the relief on her younger sister's face. She knew Jason was important to Phoebe, and obviously if Cole was going to be part of their lives, it made Phoebe's life much easier if the two got along.

"I'm glad. Not about the feeling left out part, obviously. Just the rest." Curiously, Phoebe coloured.

"Phoebe…"

"Hey, Piper. How are you doing?" Cole interrupted. She smiled at him, resolving to find out Phoebe's secret later.

"Uhh, I'm ok, I think."

"Did you want me to stay here with you, honey?" Phoebe offered, juggling a fussy Chris from one hip to the other.

"No, it's ok. If you could take care of Chris for me for a while I'd really appreciate it." She replied, smiling at her younger son and taking him for a quick hug and kiss before handing him back to his aunt.

"Ok. Just give us a call if you need us, alright?"

"I promise." Piper smiled. "Thank you too, Cole."

"It's no problem, Piper. Don't worry about it. Worry about your other son."

"Yeah. I'm – going to go find them. I'll see you guys later. Be good, all right Peanut? Bye Warren!" she headed off in the direction Leo and Wyatt had gone, leaving Cole and Phoebe to head for somewhere quiet nearby where they could leave without being seen.

AnimeAlexis: My God, am I actually updating this? And in the middle of Christmas tests, too! Shocking. :-) Oh, well. Leave me a review, please, and tell me what you thought!