Chapter 6
Phoebe had been thinking about what Piper said for a while and finally made up her mind. In some ways Piper was right, Cole did have every right to know that Ben was his son, but Phoebe just couldn't take the risk of telling him. She couldn't risk Ben's safety and she never would. As long as the Source was around, nobody else could find out the truth. She couldn't tell Cole and she would not tell Ben, not until he was grown up and familiar with his witch powers.
There was only one thing left to do for Phoebe, one thing that would make sure that nobody else would ever doubt that Cupid was Ben's father. Cupid, Phoebe and Ben had to become a family, a real family and Phoebe knew exactly how to arrange that.
After a romantic dinner alone at the manor (Paige, Piper and Leo were at P3 and Ben was at Victor's) Phoebe and Cupid were sitting in the living room, listening to music and looking at pictures of Ben. Cupid had reached the end of the album, when he found a picture of him, Ben and Phoebe. Underneath that picture Phoebe had written in big letter "A happy family forever. Cupid, will you marry me and be not only my husband but Ben's father for as long as we live?"
Cupid looked up and into Phoebe's eyes. He never expected this. He was going to ask Phoebe if she was sure, but she stopped him.
"Cupid, you know that I love you. Maybe not the way I love Cole, but Cole and I were never meant to be. If there is one person I wanna be with for the rest of my life, one person that I want Ben to know as a father, it's you. You have made Ben and me so happy and now it is our turn. I promise to do my best to make you happy. What do you think? Will you marry me?"
"Yes, Phoebe, yes." Cupid answered and kissed Phoebe, who started to giggle. "Uhm, Cupid, you'll have to get the ring… I could hardly get you one." Cupid just smiled and carried Phoebe upstairs were they made love for the first time.
The night that Piper gave a big engagement party for Phoebe and Cupid at P3, was the same night Cole came looking for Leo. He had enough of sitting around his apartment all night, every night and decided it was time to go and start hanging out with his buddy again. Of course Cole went to check at the manor first, but nobody was home, which surprised Cole. It was way past Ben's bedtime, but Cole didn't doubt Phoebe as a mother or Cupid as a father and he was sure that there was a good reason why they weren't home.
Next Cole went to P3 to see if Leo was there. Outside where hardly any cars and Cole was surprised, because usually the parking lot for P3 was crowded at this time of night.
As soon as he entered the Club he realized that this must be a private party, to whom he wasn't invited. It did hurt him deep down inside and he was on his way back out, when he ran into Paige. This one seemed shocked to find Cole there and that hurt Cole even more. There was a time when him and Paige got along really well and were pretty close. Cole didn't understand why she was acting so strange and all he wanted was to leave, when he spotted Leo at the bar, helping out Piper.
"Piper, Leo, I'm sorry for just barging into the party, but I was looking for you guys and thought I might find you here."
"That's okay." Leo answered. "I tried to call you a couple of times, but the line was always busy. I guessed you were on the Internet. Why don't we go somewhere else and talk. This party is kind of boring."
Cole was surprised that Leo tried to get him out of the club so fast, until he spotted a poster of Phoebe and Cupid with the print "To the happy couple."
Cole knew exactly what this was all about and he couldn't describe the pain and the loss he felt at that moment. He was about to ask Leo if they could talk another time, when he saw Phoebe. He looked straight into her eyes and Phoebe, who had been smiling, now almost looked sad. She said something to her friend she had been talking to and then came towards Cole.
"Cole, it's good to see you. I didn't know that Piper invited you."
"Oh, she didn't. I stopped by, looking for Leo. Anyway, congratulations. I hope you guys will be very happy." Cole didn't know what else to say. He was hurting and he knew that Phoebe felt it and somehow he really didn't want her to know.
"I was actually gonna leave." He said, but Phoebe didn't hear him and took his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Cole just fallowed her. He had missed her touch. It always felt magical, but now he almost wished it wouldn't mean so much to him. Cole and Phoebe danced for a little while and all this time Cole didn't know if he felt happy to be in her arms, or just even more hurt. All he ever wanted was to hold Phoebe in his arms forever, but he knew he had lost her, that this was probably their last dance together, the last time he would feel this feeling of love and warmth and happiness. And to think that this was all his fought. Hadn't he left Phoebe, none of this would have happened, or would it? Was he really Phoebe's soul mate, he, the ex demon, or was she always supposed to end up with Cupid. Maybe it was fate that made him leave her, fate that Cupid and Phoebe had become parents. Maybe they were supposed to be together, which made only sense. Phoebe was good and Cupid was good. Cole himself tried to be good, but that had never been enough. Even with his demon half gone, he was still the man who killed all these innocent people.
The more Cole thought about it, the more he wanted for the song to end. He had to get away from Phoebe's touch. They should have never felt this magic. Something must have gone wrong, something that was now right. Phoebe was to marry Cupid and fate had won once again. Nothing could have hurt Cole as much as this… Believing, thinking, that Phoebe was not supposed to have loved him. That Phoebe was born to love Cupid just like Piper was born to love Leo.
Phoebe could feel how tense Cole had gotten during their dance. She tried to show him with the way she held him that she still cared for him, but she felt Cole rejecting towards it. Of course he would… She asked another men to marry her; of course Cole would want nothing to do with her anymore. She had lost him for good and she knew that this was the last time she would ever feel his arms around her, the last time she would smell his smell so close to her, the last time she would feel his breath on her neck. Phoebe tried to soak in everything, she wanted to make sure that she would never forget this feeling. And just as she wished that this song would never end, the music stopped and Cole let her go of her as fast as he could.
A new song started and Phoebe was looking at Cole, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but Cupid interrupted her thoughts. He had watched Phoebe and Cole and decided that he had to do something, before he would really loose Phoebe. So he went up to them, putting his arms around Phoebe and smiling and Cole. He didn't mean to be mean or rude, but Phoebe has asked him to marry her, not Cole, and he wanted to make sure that this would not be forgotten. Phoebe and him belonged together now and the sooner Cole would realize that, the better it was for all of them.
Cole congratulated Cupid and left the "happy" couple on the dance floor. This was all still a bit too much for him and he went over to talk to Leo. Maybe he knew something… Maybe he knew if Phoebe was supposed to be with Cupid, but then again he could hardly ask that question, for he didn't really wanna know the answer. He was too afraid to find out if he was right, if Phoebe and Cupid were really soul mates… He decided to not ask Leo directly, but seeing how much this one actually knew.
"I should have known that Cupid would ask Phoebe to marry him, but somehow I'm surprised she said yes. Remember when I asked her? I thought then that she would say yes. Shows how little I know her."
Leo looked at Cole, surprised that he really seemed to be wanting to know the details, but Leo knew better then to tell him the truth, for the truth would just hurt his friend too much. He tried to think of something to say, when a friend of Phoebe's, who had heard Cole, corrected him.
"Oh, no. That's not how it happened. Phoebe asked Cupid to marry him. It was really romantic, or so I heard."
Cole thought for a second that he misunderstood, but saw on Leo's face that he didn't. Phoebe had asked Cupid to marry her. Cole didn't know why that made such a big difference to him, after all he and Phoebe were in the past, but it did. "Would she have asked me?" He wondered, but quickly pushed the thought away.
"Hey, Leo, where is Ben? I stopped at the manor but nobody was there. Is he okay?" Cole asked, to get his mind of the whole marriage proposal.
"He is fine." Leo answered a little to quick. He was wondering when and if Phoebe would tell him the truth. "He is over at Victor's." Cole nodded and tried not to think of Ben either. There was something about that little guy that made Cole's heart feel warm and full of love, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
Phoebe and Cupid married only a couple of weeks later. It was a small wedding, held at the manor. Cole, of course, was not on the guest list. There was no reason for him to be there, or anywhere else that was close to Phoebe. She had a new life now, a family of her own and there was no room for an old boyfriend. That was at least how Cupid felt.
Phoebe meanwhile had never suffered this much. Her wedding was beautiful, yes, but she didn't marry the men she truly loved. Instead she married a good friend. Phoebe knew that she would never love again, but at least her son would be safe and that was the most important thing in her life.
Cupid on the other hand couldn't be happier. He was so in love with his beautiful bride and "their" son and there was nothing that could come in his way. Of course it bothered him that Phoebe didn't love him as much as he loved her, but he was convinced that this would change, once she gave him a chance.
Phoebe had been thinking about what Piper said for a while and finally made up her mind. In some ways Piper was right, Cole did have every right to know that Ben was his son, but Phoebe just couldn't take the risk of telling him. She couldn't risk Ben's safety and she never would. As long as the Source was around, nobody else could find out the truth. She couldn't tell Cole and she would not tell Ben, not until he was grown up and familiar with his witch powers.
There was only one thing left to do for Phoebe, one thing that would make sure that nobody else would ever doubt that Cupid was Ben's father. Cupid, Phoebe and Ben had to become a family, a real family and Phoebe knew exactly how to arrange that.
After a romantic dinner alone at the manor (Paige, Piper and Leo were at P3 and Ben was at Victor's) Phoebe and Cupid were sitting in the living room, listening to music and looking at pictures of Ben. Cupid had reached the end of the album, when he found a picture of him, Ben and Phoebe. Underneath that picture Phoebe had written in big letter "A happy family forever. Cupid, will you marry me and be not only my husband but Ben's father for as long as we live?"
Cupid looked up and into Phoebe's eyes. He never expected this. He was going to ask Phoebe if she was sure, but she stopped him.
"Cupid, you know that I love you. Maybe not the way I love Cole, but Cole and I were never meant to be. If there is one person I wanna be with for the rest of my life, one person that I want Ben to know as a father, it's you. You have made Ben and me so happy and now it is our turn. I promise to do my best to make you happy. What do you think? Will you marry me?"
"Yes, Phoebe, yes." Cupid answered and kissed Phoebe, who started to giggle. "Uhm, Cupid, you'll have to get the ring… I could hardly get you one." Cupid just smiled and carried Phoebe upstairs were they made love for the first time.
The night that Piper gave a big engagement party for Phoebe and Cupid at P3, was the same night Cole came looking for Leo. He had enough of sitting around his apartment all night, every night and decided it was time to go and start hanging out with his buddy again. Of course Cole went to check at the manor first, but nobody was home, which surprised Cole. It was way past Ben's bedtime, but Cole didn't doubt Phoebe as a mother or Cupid as a father and he was sure that there was a good reason why they weren't home.
Next Cole went to P3 to see if Leo was there. Outside where hardly any cars and Cole was surprised, because usually the parking lot for P3 was crowded at this time of night.
As soon as he entered the Club he realized that this must be a private party, to whom he wasn't invited. It did hurt him deep down inside and he was on his way back out, when he ran into Paige. This one seemed shocked to find Cole there and that hurt Cole even more. There was a time when him and Paige got along really well and were pretty close. Cole didn't understand why she was acting so strange and all he wanted was to leave, when he spotted Leo at the bar, helping out Piper.
"Piper, Leo, I'm sorry for just barging into the party, but I was looking for you guys and thought I might find you here."
"That's okay." Leo answered. "I tried to call you a couple of times, but the line was always busy. I guessed you were on the Internet. Why don't we go somewhere else and talk. This party is kind of boring."
Cole was surprised that Leo tried to get him out of the club so fast, until he spotted a poster of Phoebe and Cupid with the print "To the happy couple."
Cole knew exactly what this was all about and he couldn't describe the pain and the loss he felt at that moment. He was about to ask Leo if they could talk another time, when he saw Phoebe. He looked straight into her eyes and Phoebe, who had been smiling, now almost looked sad. She said something to her friend she had been talking to and then came towards Cole.
"Cole, it's good to see you. I didn't know that Piper invited you."
"Oh, she didn't. I stopped by, looking for Leo. Anyway, congratulations. I hope you guys will be very happy." Cole didn't know what else to say. He was hurting and he knew that Phoebe felt it and somehow he really didn't want her to know.
"I was actually gonna leave." He said, but Phoebe didn't hear him and took his hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. Cole just fallowed her. He had missed her touch. It always felt magical, but now he almost wished it wouldn't mean so much to him. Cole and Phoebe danced for a little while and all this time Cole didn't know if he felt happy to be in her arms, or just even more hurt. All he ever wanted was to hold Phoebe in his arms forever, but he knew he had lost her, that this was probably their last dance together, the last time he would feel this feeling of love and warmth and happiness. And to think that this was all his fought. Hadn't he left Phoebe, none of this would have happened, or would it? Was he really Phoebe's soul mate, he, the ex demon, or was she always supposed to end up with Cupid. Maybe it was fate that made him leave her, fate that Cupid and Phoebe had become parents. Maybe they were supposed to be together, which made only sense. Phoebe was good and Cupid was good. Cole himself tried to be good, but that had never been enough. Even with his demon half gone, he was still the man who killed all these innocent people.
The more Cole thought about it, the more he wanted for the song to end. He had to get away from Phoebe's touch. They should have never felt this magic. Something must have gone wrong, something that was now right. Phoebe was to marry Cupid and fate had won once again. Nothing could have hurt Cole as much as this… Believing, thinking, that Phoebe was not supposed to have loved him. That Phoebe was born to love Cupid just like Piper was born to love Leo.
Phoebe could feel how tense Cole had gotten during their dance. She tried to show him with the way she held him that she still cared for him, but she felt Cole rejecting towards it. Of course he would… She asked another men to marry her; of course Cole would want nothing to do with her anymore. She had lost him for good and she knew that this was the last time she would ever feel his arms around her, the last time she would smell his smell so close to her, the last time she would feel his breath on her neck. Phoebe tried to soak in everything, she wanted to make sure that she would never forget this feeling. And just as she wished that this song would never end, the music stopped and Cole let her go of her as fast as he could.
A new song started and Phoebe was looking at Cole, trying to figure out what he was thinking, but Cupid interrupted her thoughts. He had watched Phoebe and Cole and decided that he had to do something, before he would really loose Phoebe. So he went up to them, putting his arms around Phoebe and smiling and Cole. He didn't mean to be mean or rude, but Phoebe has asked him to marry her, not Cole, and he wanted to make sure that this would not be forgotten. Phoebe and him belonged together now and the sooner Cole would realize that, the better it was for all of them.
Cole congratulated Cupid and left the "happy" couple on the dance floor. This was all still a bit too much for him and he went over to talk to Leo. Maybe he knew something… Maybe he knew if Phoebe was supposed to be with Cupid, but then again he could hardly ask that question, for he didn't really wanna know the answer. He was too afraid to find out if he was right, if Phoebe and Cupid were really soul mates… He decided to not ask Leo directly, but seeing how much this one actually knew.
"I should have known that Cupid would ask Phoebe to marry him, but somehow I'm surprised she said yes. Remember when I asked her? I thought then that she would say yes. Shows how little I know her."
Leo looked at Cole, surprised that he really seemed to be wanting to know the details, but Leo knew better then to tell him the truth, for the truth would just hurt his friend too much. He tried to think of something to say, when a friend of Phoebe's, who had heard Cole, corrected him.
"Oh, no. That's not how it happened. Phoebe asked Cupid to marry him. It was really romantic, or so I heard."
Cole thought for a second that he misunderstood, but saw on Leo's face that he didn't. Phoebe had asked Cupid to marry her. Cole didn't know why that made such a big difference to him, after all he and Phoebe were in the past, but it did. "Would she have asked me?" He wondered, but quickly pushed the thought away.
"Hey, Leo, where is Ben? I stopped at the manor but nobody was there. Is he okay?" Cole asked, to get his mind of the whole marriage proposal.
"He is fine." Leo answered a little to quick. He was wondering when and if Phoebe would tell him the truth. "He is over at Victor's." Cole nodded and tried not to think of Ben either. There was something about that little guy that made Cole's heart feel warm and full of love, but he couldn't figure out what it was.
Phoebe and Cupid married only a couple of weeks later. It was a small wedding, held at the manor. Cole, of course, was not on the guest list. There was no reason for him to be there, or anywhere else that was close to Phoebe. She had a new life now, a family of her own and there was no room for an old boyfriend. That was at least how Cupid felt.
Phoebe meanwhile had never suffered this much. Her wedding was beautiful, yes, but she didn't marry the men she truly loved. Instead she married a good friend. Phoebe knew that she would never love again, but at least her son would be safe and that was the most important thing in her life.
Cupid on the other hand couldn't be happier. He was so in love with his beautiful bride and "their" son and there was nothing that could come in his way. Of course it bothered him that Phoebe didn't love him as much as he loved her, but he was convinced that this would change, once she gave him a chance.