Part 25 of
Virtual Heartache... Or Is It?
"Oh my god, what happened?!?!?!", Prue shouted at Cole, asuming he was for blame.
"The triad.", he answered calmly. "We need to get your whitelighter to heal her..."
"Do we know everything that they did to her? You think that there is any emotional damage?", Prue asked.
"Don't know... All I know is that I want her to live through the night. So get your god damn whitelighter here and have him heal her!!! Otherwise, she will die. And I'm sure that you don't want that!"
"Leo!", both sisters called in unision. As usual, detective Leo was able to spot what was wrong in a matter of seconds. Piper knelt next to him, waiting for her sister to say something.
When all the cuts, bruises, abrasions, and all of the blood disappeared, Phoebe thanked Leo and stayed still. She didn't make an effort to hug anyone or thank anyone else. Just a quick 'Thanks.' and then she pulled her knees to her chest. She rocked gently back and forth, not sure of what to say or think or feel. She had heard to much false information, and some true information. She had felt too much pain. Everything was just... Too much for her.
"Pheebs... You ok?", Prue asked. "What happened."
"Stuff..."
"Did the triad do this to you?', Prue asked, still unaware that Cole had vanquished them.
"No. Not all of it.", she started. And for a minute, everyone thought that she would go on. But then all of a sudden she stood up and said, "I have to go."
Cole started to go after her, but when he heard the door slam, he knew that he should stay behind. He turned to the crowd hopefull of acceptance until she would talk or at least for a couple hours. "So, ugh... Yeah." He started to head towards the door, but Piper stopped him.
"No, Cole, wait. You belong here with us. Some of us may not like it, but I'm sure Phoebe will want you sometime tonight. Why don't you stay the night?"
"No way! I am not sleeping here with a demon in the house!", Prue argued, quickly joined with Leo.
"Well, two of the people in this house have faith in him. So that is what chooses. And you can leave if you don't like it." Piper sarcastically smiled at her sister. "Besides, ten bucks says that no one even sleeps until Phoebe says something to us. Everyone in this room loves her. And we all worry about her to no end. Face the facts. Cole is going to be around for a while. And short of turning evil again or Phoebe suddenly thinking like you, I think that he is going to be around for a while." This time she smiled seriously at Cole. "Can I fix you anything?"
"No thanks... Too... UGH! to eat."
"Know the feeling. Have it myself. But what else are we going to do until Phoebe comes out?"
The room stayed silent for a few minutes, also unsure of what was going to be next.
~*~*~*~
Cole looked around the room: people draped over chairs and couches. Some of them had a drink in their hand that Piper had been nice enough to get for them. Prue had an ice pack on her forehead because she claimed to have a headache. He smiled despite the situation.
He would never admit it aloud to anyone other then Phoebe, but he admired this family. They were so close and could never really be mad at each other for that long. They really were a perfect family. Sure, it made him want to puke, but still... They were really great people to know; people to learn from.
He stood up, placing Piper's head gently onto the couch. He started walking upstairs, wanting to splash some water on his face as if it could help him face reality. Whatever that was. On his way to the bathroom, he heard Phoebe calling his name. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping, or if he was hallucinating. But there was always the possibility of her actually knowing that he was there. But it was what happened next is what made him enter her room then.
"Cole, I know you're there. Come on in... I think I can tell you what happened to me down there." He entered softly and quietly, careful not to scare her. "It's ok. I'm not a glass doll about to break. I swear..." She laughed slightly, but not the usual laugh. Just a light chuckle showing that she really was alright.
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and smiled as she did. "God, it's great to see that smile."
"Thanks for saving me. They wouldn't have killed me. Just tortured me. Or, at least that is what they said."
"Do you believe that?"
"Not entirely."
"Are you ready to tell me what happened?"
"That's just it... Nothing happened. They told me a few things and played with my mind. They even tried to get me to believe that you didn't love me. But they never touched me."
Cole was confused. Hadn't he saved her while she was completely bleeding and battered and torn? Yes... He could remember Leo healing her very well. Every detail that disappeared as his hands glowed. So, why was she lying to him? "What are you talking about? You were completely..."
"Wrecked?", she supplied. He nodded. "That was my doing. I didn't like what they were saying. I didn't like that they were making it easy for me to just make it stop, yet making it the hardest thing in the world.
"I wasn't in restraints at first. At first I ran all through the cavern; trying to find a way out. And then they started the taunting, the hurtful words... And I couldn't take it anymore. I don't even know what possessed me to do it. I never would have... And they clearly didn't want me to. That's why they tied me up. They didn't want me to kill myself."
Cole blinked but once before he started questioning her. "You tried to kill yourself? How?"
"I just started throwing myself around. All those lessons in fighting helped me figure out just what to do..." She could tell that he was either disappointed or scared. Probably both, seeing as how he was new to the whole human emotions thing. "I swear that I would never do that. I just wanted it to end. God, what stopped me wasn't the restraints. But how much love I felt for you. I couldn't stand not being with you for another day. I would die... And so I stopped."
She suddenly felt alone in a noisy, crowded world. She felt like she had lost the one thing that mattered most to her at that time. So she reached over and hugged Cole to her. "God, all I want right now is you. You are the best thing that could ever happen to me. And I would never put you through the paing of loosing me. Because I would suffer more. I would suffer from the lose of you and knowing that you hated me for taking away something you loved... God. Never, ever leave me alone again."
She started crying and Cole whispered into her ear, "I could never hate you. I will always love you. Through thick and thin. And I will never, ever leave you. As long as you want me here with you."
She smiled, her tears suddenly changing from drops of sadness to drops of pure joy. "You swear?"
"I swear."
She pulled away, only to come crashing down on his lips seconds later. They stayed that way for a very long time, just enjoying each other's warm lips on their own. The stayed that way so long, that they fell asleep that way. Neither had slept so good for a very long time.
Virtual Heartache... Or Is It?
"Oh my god, what happened?!?!?!", Prue shouted at Cole, asuming he was for blame.
"The triad.", he answered calmly. "We need to get your whitelighter to heal her..."
"Do we know everything that they did to her? You think that there is any emotional damage?", Prue asked.
"Don't know... All I know is that I want her to live through the night. So get your god damn whitelighter here and have him heal her!!! Otherwise, she will die. And I'm sure that you don't want that!"
"Leo!", both sisters called in unision. As usual, detective Leo was able to spot what was wrong in a matter of seconds. Piper knelt next to him, waiting for her sister to say something.
When all the cuts, bruises, abrasions, and all of the blood disappeared, Phoebe thanked Leo and stayed still. She didn't make an effort to hug anyone or thank anyone else. Just a quick 'Thanks.' and then she pulled her knees to her chest. She rocked gently back and forth, not sure of what to say or think or feel. She had heard to much false information, and some true information. She had felt too much pain. Everything was just... Too much for her.
"Pheebs... You ok?", Prue asked. "What happened."
"Stuff..."
"Did the triad do this to you?', Prue asked, still unaware that Cole had vanquished them.
"No. Not all of it.", she started. And for a minute, everyone thought that she would go on. But then all of a sudden she stood up and said, "I have to go."
Cole started to go after her, but when he heard the door slam, he knew that he should stay behind. He turned to the crowd hopefull of acceptance until she would talk or at least for a couple hours. "So, ugh... Yeah." He started to head towards the door, but Piper stopped him.
"No, Cole, wait. You belong here with us. Some of us may not like it, but I'm sure Phoebe will want you sometime tonight. Why don't you stay the night?"
"No way! I am not sleeping here with a demon in the house!", Prue argued, quickly joined with Leo.
"Well, two of the people in this house have faith in him. So that is what chooses. And you can leave if you don't like it." Piper sarcastically smiled at her sister. "Besides, ten bucks says that no one even sleeps until Phoebe says something to us. Everyone in this room loves her. And we all worry about her to no end. Face the facts. Cole is going to be around for a while. And short of turning evil again or Phoebe suddenly thinking like you, I think that he is going to be around for a while." This time she smiled seriously at Cole. "Can I fix you anything?"
"No thanks... Too... UGH! to eat."
"Know the feeling. Have it myself. But what else are we going to do until Phoebe comes out?"
The room stayed silent for a few minutes, also unsure of what was going to be next.
~*~*~*~
Cole looked around the room: people draped over chairs and couches. Some of them had a drink in their hand that Piper had been nice enough to get for them. Prue had an ice pack on her forehead because she claimed to have a headache. He smiled despite the situation.
He would never admit it aloud to anyone other then Phoebe, but he admired this family. They were so close and could never really be mad at each other for that long. They really were a perfect family. Sure, it made him want to puke, but still... They were really great people to know; people to learn from.
He stood up, placing Piper's head gently onto the couch. He started walking upstairs, wanting to splash some water on his face as if it could help him face reality. Whatever that was. On his way to the bathroom, he heard Phoebe calling his name. He wasn't sure if she was sleeping, or if he was hallucinating. But there was always the possibility of her actually knowing that he was there. But it was what happened next is what made him enter her room then.
"Cole, I know you're there. Come on in... I think I can tell you what happened to me down there." He entered softly and quietly, careful not to scare her. "It's ok. I'm not a glass doll about to break. I swear..." She laughed slightly, but not the usual laugh. Just a light chuckle showing that she really was alright.
He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, and smiled as she did. "God, it's great to see that smile."
"Thanks for saving me. They wouldn't have killed me. Just tortured me. Or, at least that is what they said."
"Do you believe that?"
"Not entirely."
"Are you ready to tell me what happened?"
"That's just it... Nothing happened. They told me a few things and played with my mind. They even tried to get me to believe that you didn't love me. But they never touched me."
Cole was confused. Hadn't he saved her while she was completely bleeding and battered and torn? Yes... He could remember Leo healing her very well. Every detail that disappeared as his hands glowed. So, why was she lying to him? "What are you talking about? You were completely..."
"Wrecked?", she supplied. He nodded. "That was my doing. I didn't like what they were saying. I didn't like that they were making it easy for me to just make it stop, yet making it the hardest thing in the world.
"I wasn't in restraints at first. At first I ran all through the cavern; trying to find a way out. And then they started the taunting, the hurtful words... And I couldn't take it anymore. I don't even know what possessed me to do it. I never would have... And they clearly didn't want me to. That's why they tied me up. They didn't want me to kill myself."
Cole blinked but once before he started questioning her. "You tried to kill yourself? How?"
"I just started throwing myself around. All those lessons in fighting helped me figure out just what to do..." She could tell that he was either disappointed or scared. Probably both, seeing as how he was new to the whole human emotions thing. "I swear that I would never do that. I just wanted it to end. God, what stopped me wasn't the restraints. But how much love I felt for you. I couldn't stand not being with you for another day. I would die... And so I stopped."
She suddenly felt alone in a noisy, crowded world. She felt like she had lost the one thing that mattered most to her at that time. So she reached over and hugged Cole to her. "God, all I want right now is you. You are the best thing that could ever happen to me. And I would never put you through the paing of loosing me. Because I would suffer more. I would suffer from the lose of you and knowing that you hated me for taking away something you loved... God. Never, ever leave me alone again."
She started crying and Cole whispered into her ear, "I could never hate you. I will always love you. Through thick and thin. And I will never, ever leave you. As long as you want me here with you."
She smiled, her tears suddenly changing from drops of sadness to drops of pure joy. "You swear?"
"I swear."
She pulled away, only to come crashing down on his lips seconds later. They stayed that way for a very long time, just enjoying each other's warm lips on their own. The stayed that way so long, that they fell asleep that way. Neither had slept so good for a very long time.