Love Connections
He stood in the dark apartment, deep in thoughts. The plan was going well, although an unexpected hurdle had arisen. However, he knew how to turn this to his advantage. "Soon," the darklighter said aloud, "soon, you'll be mine…"
Paige felt like her life was turning around, and for the best, as things stood. She had found a new job, one that was more rewarding, although still clerical. Then, there was Matthew, which she found to be more wonderful every day. After their first improvised lunch date, they had seen each other every chance they got. As a matter of fact, she was just knocking on his door. It was her first visit to his apartment. However, by now they were very comfortable with each other, and gone was the fear of her first attempt to come here. In a way, she had the distinct impression that they had known each other for much longer than two weeks…
Matthew was taking a little longer than she expected before answering the door, and Paige wondered if she had gotten the time wrong…
She was almost ready to leave when the door opened on a dark apartment. And most importantly, on Matthew, who apologetically motioned her to come inside.
"Sorry it took so long, I was taking a nap."
Paige smiled brightly:
"That's fine. Are you ready?"
Matthew smiled back and her heart jumped. God, he was so handsome… She knew for a fact that she was falling hard for the guy and she hoped that he felt the same.
"As ready as I will be. Want a tour? It won't be a very long one; my apartment is rather small…"
Paige entered hesitantly; the place was very poorly lit.
Matthew seemed to notice her squinting because he apologized again.
"Oh sorry!"
Matthew went to open the curtain and the sunlight bathed the apartment, which was indeed small, but tastefully decorated. Just as Paige would have guessed, it reflected who he was, simple, yet classy.
"This is lovely!"
"You really think so? I still can't afford anything more, but I'm told that I'm in for a promotion soon. Hopefully, I'll be able to move to bigger and better…"
Paige smiled distractedly as her thoughts had taken a very different turn at this point. She was standing in the living room and could see the small kitchen to her left, but the closed door in front of her, she was certain was gave on the bedroom… The other night, when they had kissed for the first time on her front steps, she had been very tempted to invite him in for the night. Their kiss had quickly become passionate and she had known right then what they meant by the earth trembled. For the next few nights, her dreams had been rather lustful, and she had pain to hide what she thought at the moment. Nevertheless, Paige believed that she had, until she noticed his stare. Certain that Matthew had guessed at what she was thinking, she blushed slightly. But whatever he had seen, he didn't tell. Instead, he took her arm.
"So, seen enough?"
Paige smiled awkwardly as the light touch of his hand on her arm gave her a delightful chill.
"Yes… let's go?"
They went out, but Paige looked back once more toward the bedroom door before they went out of the apartment and, when turned to Matthew again, she had no doubts that he knew what was on her mind.
He still did the gentleman thing however, simply kissing her lightly before they went on their way.
The darklighter thought again:
"Soon…"
Piper was in the kitchen, cooking the evening meal. By now cooking was a second nature to her, and her thoughts wandered far from the task at hand. No more did she have to imagine the wonderful life that Leo and she would have, because right now, Piper was living it. It still amazed her how much in love she was with her husband. One would have thought that after four years, she would have become somewhat "blasé" with their relationship. Yet, it wasn't like that at all. Every day, she felt like it was all new and wonderful. Maybe it had to do with the life of danger they led. After all, there was never any guaranty for them… Still, she knew that they would always be very much in love. It was something that she could feel deep down inside of her, and by now, she also knew that he felt the same. She was still saddened by her sister's death and often, her mood darkened because of it, but just being with Leo was enough to lift the worst of it. Moreover, since he had got back his whitelighter's powers, he was in a much better disposition. Sometimes Piper also regretted that he was not a mortal anymore, but she simply wished for him to be happy, as it gave her happiness as well…
Leo came in at this point and her dreamy smile widened to greet him.
"Hum, smells good, as usual!"
"I just love cooking for you…"
He smiled joyously. There had not been a single call from the Elders in the last three days, and Piper was thanking her luck, although she didn't tell Leo that, because she was afraid to jinx it. She had no doubts that he didn't mention it for the very same reason. It was amazing how little was needed for them to understand each other. Although, from a few experiences their magical status allowed her to have, she knew that they had been together long before, in former lives. Probably many of them… And from the way they connected so completely, she knew that all of those must have contributed to their mutual understanding. Leo came to her and gently turned her face upward, leaning for a soft kiss. Then, he caressed her stomach, apparently causing the baby to move slightly and it brought an even bigger smile on her face. Piper was convinced that she carried a girl. Her experience was somewhat different from what Phoebe described. Her sister had told Piper how vigorous her baby's kicks were. But Piper had only experienced small movements, almost delicate as she told Phoebe.
Phoebe had thought this totally logical as she replied.
"You yourself are so sweet and so is Leo… How could it be otherwise?"
In the past, Phoebe and she were always good friends, as well as sisters; but their closeness had grown considerably in the last few weeks. They now shared motherhood, and a terrible grief, both very opposite feelings but which had contributed to their getting tighter than ever. Paige was still a little out of the loop, although they started to know and trust her better. "Soon," Piper thought, we will be as close a family as we used to be with Prue. Of that she was certain.
Later that night, Cole and Phoebe had finally managed to put the baby to sleep and were trying to relax in bed. However, Phoebe sensed that her husband was tenser than usual if that was possible.
"Something the matter…?"
Cole looked back in surprise. He believed he wasn't that obvious.
"Nothing's the matter, I was just thinking…"
Phoebe leaned closer.
"About what?"
"Oh, just how easily it could all go away…"
Phoebe was puzzled by that answer:
"What do you mean?"
Cole hesitated slightly:
"Well you know, it's been so quiet lately, and it kind of feels like the calm before the storm…"
"You have anything specific in mind?" Phoebe asked with a hint of concern.
"No nothing really… just little stuff. Like for example, your sister's new boyfriend, which we know next to nothing about…"
Phoebe couldn't help a chuckle.
"What?" He asked with an uneasy smile.
"Oh just that I never realized how much of a father figure you'd become… It's quite the change…"
"Hey," Cole reacted with a hint of embarrassment, "for all we know, he could be a warlock…"
Phoebe put her fingers lightly on his face, caressing him with a sweet smile on her lips.
"That was not a reproach, far from…"
The tension seemed to fly from his face. Then it was replaced by the sweetness that he always kept for her and their son alone.
"You know me, always the worrier…"
"Come on, trust her… I got the feeling that she can defend herself very well."
"I'm sure you're right."
Cole then pulled her to him possessively and was kissing her passionately when noises from downstairs interrupted what was sure to come next.
"Well speak of the devil," he said, letting go of Phoebe with a half-amused, half-irritated expression.
Paige was coming home and they could hear the little laughter she reserved for her boyfriend.
"Things seem to be going really well between them."
At this, Cole couldn't help adding:
"How nice for them…"
Phoebe laughed.
"Oh come on, she'll be off to bed soon enough…"
Cole smiled wickedly:
"That's what I meant."
He then proceeded to deposit little kisses down her throat even as he was pulling at the belt of her bathrobe. At this point, she had totally forgotten about her sister, when another round of laughter coming, she thought, from the living room, told her that Paige had invited Matthew in for a nightcap.
She pushed Cole away reluctantly:
"Hum," he then said, "you know that I like your sister and all, but right now, I wished that she was anywhere but here…" He was looking at his wife very purposefully, and she had no doubts on what was on his mind at the moment.
"Come on, it's only for a little while longer…"
Cole pulled away with a sigh and Phoebe thought of something else.
"You know, I might have an explanation about you being a worrisome person…"
Cole gave her a puzzled look.
"What do you mean?"
"I have been having strange dreams lately…"
"What kind of dreams?"
"They felt like premonitions of the past. Our past lives to be exact…"
"Our past lives?"
Cole seemed dubious, but Phoebe pursued.
"Yes ours and all the people close to us as well… Piper, Prue, Leo and Paige even… They were all part of it one way or another."
"Well that's interesting I guess… but what does it have to do with my state of mind?"
Phoebe smiled teasingly:
"The present one…? Or the worrisome part…?"
"Right now I'm not worried about a thing except…" His voice trailed off as he again took her in his arms and trained his lips down her throat. Phoebe fought the urge to let him continue and pushed him away playfully.
"Behave," she said, while laughing softly.
Cole sighed, feigning annoyance:
"Alright, I'll behave but you're going to have to make it interesting…"
"Let's just say our lives were never really easy, at least most of them. But we were together more often than not…"
Cole sat back on the pillow and replied.
"Ok, now I'm intrigued, dish…"
Phoebe smiled and began telling Cole about her dreams…
He stood in the dark apartment, deep in thoughts. The plan was going well, although an unexpected hurdle had arisen. However, he knew how to turn this to his advantage. "Soon," the darklighter said aloud, "soon, you'll be mine…"
Paige felt like her life was turning around, and for the best, as things stood. She had found a new job, one that was more rewarding, although still clerical. Then, there was Matthew, which she found to be more wonderful every day. After their first improvised lunch date, they had seen each other every chance they got. As a matter of fact, she was just knocking on his door. It was her first visit to his apartment. However, by now they were very comfortable with each other, and gone was the fear of her first attempt to come here. In a way, she had the distinct impression that they had known each other for much longer than two weeks…
Matthew was taking a little longer than she expected before answering the door, and Paige wondered if she had gotten the time wrong…
She was almost ready to leave when the door opened on a dark apartment. And most importantly, on Matthew, who apologetically motioned her to come inside.
"Sorry it took so long, I was taking a nap."
Paige smiled brightly:
"That's fine. Are you ready?"
Matthew smiled back and her heart jumped. God, he was so handsome… She knew for a fact that she was falling hard for the guy and she hoped that he felt the same.
"As ready as I will be. Want a tour? It won't be a very long one; my apartment is rather small…"
Paige entered hesitantly; the place was very poorly lit.
Matthew seemed to notice her squinting because he apologized again.
"Oh sorry!"
Matthew went to open the curtain and the sunlight bathed the apartment, which was indeed small, but tastefully decorated. Just as Paige would have guessed, it reflected who he was, simple, yet classy.
"This is lovely!"
"You really think so? I still can't afford anything more, but I'm told that I'm in for a promotion soon. Hopefully, I'll be able to move to bigger and better…"
Paige smiled distractedly as her thoughts had taken a very different turn at this point. She was standing in the living room and could see the small kitchen to her left, but the closed door in front of her, she was certain was gave on the bedroom… The other night, when they had kissed for the first time on her front steps, she had been very tempted to invite him in for the night. Their kiss had quickly become passionate and she had known right then what they meant by the earth trembled. For the next few nights, her dreams had been rather lustful, and she had pain to hide what she thought at the moment. Nevertheless, Paige believed that she had, until she noticed his stare. Certain that Matthew had guessed at what she was thinking, she blushed slightly. But whatever he had seen, he didn't tell. Instead, he took her arm.
"So, seen enough?"
Paige smiled awkwardly as the light touch of his hand on her arm gave her a delightful chill.
"Yes… let's go?"
They went out, but Paige looked back once more toward the bedroom door before they went out of the apartment and, when turned to Matthew again, she had no doubts that he knew what was on her mind.
He still did the gentleman thing however, simply kissing her lightly before they went on their way.
The darklighter thought again:
"Soon…"
Piper was in the kitchen, cooking the evening meal. By now cooking was a second nature to her, and her thoughts wandered far from the task at hand. No more did she have to imagine the wonderful life that Leo and she would have, because right now, Piper was living it. It still amazed her how much in love she was with her husband. One would have thought that after four years, she would have become somewhat "blasé" with their relationship. Yet, it wasn't like that at all. Every day, she felt like it was all new and wonderful. Maybe it had to do with the life of danger they led. After all, there was never any guaranty for them… Still, she knew that they would always be very much in love. It was something that she could feel deep down inside of her, and by now, she also knew that he felt the same. She was still saddened by her sister's death and often, her mood darkened because of it, but just being with Leo was enough to lift the worst of it. Moreover, since he had got back his whitelighter's powers, he was in a much better disposition. Sometimes Piper also regretted that he was not a mortal anymore, but she simply wished for him to be happy, as it gave her happiness as well…
Leo came in at this point and her dreamy smile widened to greet him.
"Hum, smells good, as usual!"
"I just love cooking for you…"
He smiled joyously. There had not been a single call from the Elders in the last three days, and Piper was thanking her luck, although she didn't tell Leo that, because she was afraid to jinx it. She had no doubts that he didn't mention it for the very same reason. It was amazing how little was needed for them to understand each other. Although, from a few experiences their magical status allowed her to have, she knew that they had been together long before, in former lives. Probably many of them… And from the way they connected so completely, she knew that all of those must have contributed to their mutual understanding. Leo came to her and gently turned her face upward, leaning for a soft kiss. Then, he caressed her stomach, apparently causing the baby to move slightly and it brought an even bigger smile on her face. Piper was convinced that she carried a girl. Her experience was somewhat different from what Phoebe described. Her sister had told Piper how vigorous her baby's kicks were. But Piper had only experienced small movements, almost delicate as she told Phoebe.
Phoebe had thought this totally logical as she replied.
"You yourself are so sweet and so is Leo… How could it be otherwise?"
In the past, Phoebe and she were always good friends, as well as sisters; but their closeness had grown considerably in the last few weeks. They now shared motherhood, and a terrible grief, both very opposite feelings but which had contributed to their getting tighter than ever. Paige was still a little out of the loop, although they started to know and trust her better. "Soon," Piper thought, we will be as close a family as we used to be with Prue. Of that she was certain.
Later that night, Cole and Phoebe had finally managed to put the baby to sleep and were trying to relax in bed. However, Phoebe sensed that her husband was tenser than usual if that was possible.
"Something the matter…?"
Cole looked back in surprise. He believed he wasn't that obvious.
"Nothing's the matter, I was just thinking…"
Phoebe leaned closer.
"About what?"
"Oh, just how easily it could all go away…"
Phoebe was puzzled by that answer:
"What do you mean?"
Cole hesitated slightly:
"Well you know, it's been so quiet lately, and it kind of feels like the calm before the storm…"
"You have anything specific in mind?" Phoebe asked with a hint of concern.
"No nothing really… just little stuff. Like for example, your sister's new boyfriend, which we know next to nothing about…"
Phoebe couldn't help a chuckle.
"What?" He asked with an uneasy smile.
"Oh just that I never realized how much of a father figure you'd become… It's quite the change…"
"Hey," Cole reacted with a hint of embarrassment, "for all we know, he could be a warlock…"
Phoebe put her fingers lightly on his face, caressing him with a sweet smile on her lips.
"That was not a reproach, far from…"
The tension seemed to fly from his face. Then it was replaced by the sweetness that he always kept for her and their son alone.
"You know me, always the worrier…"
"Come on, trust her… I got the feeling that she can defend herself very well."
"I'm sure you're right."
Cole then pulled her to him possessively and was kissing her passionately when noises from downstairs interrupted what was sure to come next.
"Well speak of the devil," he said, letting go of Phoebe with a half-amused, half-irritated expression.
Paige was coming home and they could hear the little laughter she reserved for her boyfriend.
"Things seem to be going really well between them."
At this, Cole couldn't help adding:
"How nice for them…"
Phoebe laughed.
"Oh come on, she'll be off to bed soon enough…"
Cole smiled wickedly:
"That's what I meant."
He then proceeded to deposit little kisses down her throat even as he was pulling at the belt of her bathrobe. At this point, she had totally forgotten about her sister, when another round of laughter coming, she thought, from the living room, told her that Paige had invited Matthew in for a nightcap.
She pushed Cole away reluctantly:
"Hum," he then said, "you know that I like your sister and all, but right now, I wished that she was anywhere but here…" He was looking at his wife very purposefully, and she had no doubts on what was on his mind at the moment.
"Come on, it's only for a little while longer…"
Cole pulled away with a sigh and Phoebe thought of something else.
"You know, I might have an explanation about you being a worrisome person…"
Cole gave her a puzzled look.
"What do you mean?"
"I have been having strange dreams lately…"
"What kind of dreams?"
"They felt like premonitions of the past. Our past lives to be exact…"
"Our past lives?"
Cole seemed dubious, but Phoebe pursued.
"Yes ours and all the people close to us as well… Piper, Prue, Leo and Paige even… They were all part of it one way or another."
"Well that's interesting I guess… but what does it have to do with my state of mind?"
Phoebe smiled teasingly:
"The present one…? Or the worrisome part…?"
"Right now I'm not worried about a thing except…" His voice trailed off as he again took her in his arms and trained his lips down her throat. Phoebe fought the urge to let him continue and pushed him away playfully.
"Behave," she said, while laughing softly.
Cole sighed, feigning annoyance:
"Alright, I'll behave but you're going to have to make it interesting…"
"Let's just say our lives were never really easy, at least most of them. But we were together more often than not…"
Cole sat back on the pillow and replied.
"Ok, now I'm intrigued, dish…"
Phoebe smiled and began telling Cole about her dreams…