Chapter 5
The next day Piper and Paige went together with Phoebe to her doctor's appointment. They needed to hear it from a doctor, needed to hear that there was nothing that could be done, only then would they be willing to accept the fact.
That same day Cole stopped by the manor to apologize to Phoebe, but only Leo was home.
"Leo, did Phoebe tell you what happened between her and me?" Cole asked him once they had settled down in the kitchen.
"No, not really." He replied. "She only mentioned that you two got into a fight."
"Oh." Was all Cole could say. The two men had been talking for a while until Piper and Paige got home. Both had been crying and they both had red, puffy eyes. Paige could only say a lifeless "hello" before she went upstairs to her room. Leo and Cole could hear her crying as she walked up the stairs.
"Leo, will you go and talk to her, please?" Piper asked her husband, trying hard to keep it together.
"Are you sure?" Leo gave his wife a concerned look, but she only nodded and so he went upstairs to talk to Paige.
"Piper, what's wrong?" Cole asked. He had been quiet the entire time, feeling out of place. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I'd like to, but this is Phoebe's thing to say and not mine. She went to the park, by the way."
Cole got up and hugged Piper and then went to find Phoebe in the park.
*
"Phoebs?" Cole said once he saw her sitting by herself on the swing set. "You okay?"
She looked up and Cole could tell that she had been crying as well.
"I'm sorry about last night," She simply said and Cole shook his head.
"No, I'm sorry. I was being stupid. It's my fault. I should never have doubted you or your love for me."
Phoebe slowly got up and went to give Cole a hug.
"We need to talk." She said and took his hand. Together they walked towards Cole's apartment.
"I feel like I can trust you, Cole, but still, you must promise me that everything I'm about to tell you will be our secret."
"Of course, Phoebe." Cole answered, wondering what could be so important.
"Well, first of all I'm sure you would like to know what my family emergencies are all about, right?"
"Phoebe, if you don't wanna tell me it's okay." Somehow Cole had a feeling that he didn't want to know that secret anymore.
"No, I need to tell. If you then want nothing to do with me anymore, I'll understand."
"Whatever it is, I won't leave you. I promise." Cole whispered, starting to get worried.
By then Phoebe and Cole had reached Cole's apartment and went inside. In the living room Cole tried to pull Phoebe on the couch next to him, but she sat down on a chair, facing Cole.
"What I'm about to ask you might sound a little weird, but just tell me the truth, okay?
Cole slowly nodded, now really wondering what was going on.
"Do you believe in… Let's say… the supernatural?"
"Oh my god, she knows." Cole thought, still all he could do was nod.
"Well then, do you believe in witches and demons and .."
Cole couldn't listen to Phoebe any longer. He got up and started talking, without giving her a chance to finish what she was about to say.
"God, Phoebe, I had no idea that you would find out, or I would have told you. But you have to believe me, Phoebe, I'm good. I'm only half demon."
Now Phoebe got up.
"You are what?" She asked, obviously scared.
"Oh no, you didn't know?" Cole asked, trying to walk towards Phoebe, but she kept him at distance.
"Please don't. Don't come close to me or I'll call my sisters." Phoebe was about to run, when Cole just sat down.
"Are you trying to tell me that you didn't know I was a demon?" Cole couldn't believe he had just spilled his secret. Maybe he really was a better demon than human.
"So if you didn't know that I was a demon, what where you trying to tell me?" He asked, not waiting for an answer to his first question.
Phoebe really couldn't believe it! She was standing in the same room with a demon, and she wasn't in half her capacity to fight. She could now understand all the little things about Cole that she had blamed on shyness: his discomfort in the presence of others, the way he always looked behind him when they walked at night… In the end she knew that if things came to it, he could kill her in an instant. That's why she didn't make a run for it and simply sat down again.
She hesitated for a second, but felt that she could trust him, still she wasn't about to drop her guard as she tried to relax.
"I'm a witch."
"Oh oh." Cole thought, now getting nervous.
"My sisters and I, we are the Charmed Ones." Phoebe could tell that Cole knew what that meant, she also noticed his muscles tightening, a sign that she was not the only one nervous.
"Okay." Cole said slowly, trying to figure out what this meant for both of them.
"So you are a Charmed One. I should have known that all your disappearances were supernatural. So, what does that make Leo?"
"Leo is our white lighter." Phoebe answered and noticed the surprised look on Cole's face, but now it was her turn for a question.
"So, what is your demon form?" She asked, almost scared. And Cole really didn't want to tell her the truth, didn't want to tell her what kind of horrible demon he was, but he knew that he had no choice.
"I'm Belthazor." He answered, looking carefully at Phoebe, but this one just nodded.
"You don't know my demon form, right?" He asked her and she shook her head.
"Well, I used to be a pretty powerful demon, but I think I'm more like my dad. He was mortal. I have been a demon for over one hundred years and I hated it. I prefer being human."
"Wow, that's a long time." Phoebe thought. "What are your powers?" She asked him, making sure not too ask him to many questions that she didn't really want to know the answer for.
"Well, I can shimmer, throw energy balls, set stuff on fire, you know, that kind of thing. I'm what they call an "upper level" demon, if you know what that means." And Phoebe nodded. By now she knew more then she actually wanted to know.
"So, now that I told you my powers, what are yours?" Cole asked Phoebe, who seemed to be getting a bit pale. He was wondering if she could imagine how many innocent people he had killed, or if that thought had crossed her mind.
"Well, I get premonitions and I can levitate. I got the boring powers. Piper can freeze time and blow up things and Paige can move things with her mind. She is also a half white lighter."
Now it was Cole's turn to think that he knew more then he wanted to know.
"Okay." He said slowly. "Where do we go from here?" And Phoebe just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, Phoebe, I don't know what to tell you, but I guess that there is only one thing left for us to do. Let's face it, I'm a demon and you are a witch, not just any witch, a charmed one. This tells you right there that we can't be together." Cole had said these words slowly, wondering if he was wrong, if maybe there was a way for them, but as much as he wanted to find one, he knew that he couldn't love Phoebe. There love wasn't meant to be.
"I guess you are right." Phoebe answered and it broke his heart. Saying something like what he had said and then hearing his love say that he was right, that they weren't supposed to be together, hurt even more.
And Phoebe, all Phoebe wanted to do was to cry. She had hoped against all hope that maybe Cole would be willing to find a way, but he was a demon and even if he wanted to be with her, despite their differences, he would always be a demon. And if Phoebe had learned one thing in the past 4 years, it was to not trust demons, not ever.
So Phoebe did the only thing that could be done, she got up and left, without turning back and Cole was glad, because she would never know that he cried as he watched her walk away.
The next day Piper and Paige went together with Phoebe to her doctor's appointment. They needed to hear it from a doctor, needed to hear that there was nothing that could be done, only then would they be willing to accept the fact.
That same day Cole stopped by the manor to apologize to Phoebe, but only Leo was home.
"Leo, did Phoebe tell you what happened between her and me?" Cole asked him once they had settled down in the kitchen.
"No, not really." He replied. "She only mentioned that you two got into a fight."
"Oh." Was all Cole could say. The two men had been talking for a while until Piper and Paige got home. Both had been crying and they both had red, puffy eyes. Paige could only say a lifeless "hello" before she went upstairs to her room. Leo and Cole could hear her crying as she walked up the stairs.
"Leo, will you go and talk to her, please?" Piper asked her husband, trying hard to keep it together.
"Are you sure?" Leo gave his wife a concerned look, but she only nodded and so he went upstairs to talk to Paige.
"Piper, what's wrong?" Cole asked. He had been quiet the entire time, feeling out of place. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"I'd like to, but this is Phoebe's thing to say and not mine. She went to the park, by the way."
Cole got up and hugged Piper and then went to find Phoebe in the park.
*
"Phoebs?" Cole said once he saw her sitting by herself on the swing set. "You okay?"
She looked up and Cole could tell that she had been crying as well.
"I'm sorry about last night," She simply said and Cole shook his head.
"No, I'm sorry. I was being stupid. It's my fault. I should never have doubted you or your love for me."
Phoebe slowly got up and went to give Cole a hug.
"We need to talk." She said and took his hand. Together they walked towards Cole's apartment.
"I feel like I can trust you, Cole, but still, you must promise me that everything I'm about to tell you will be our secret."
"Of course, Phoebe." Cole answered, wondering what could be so important.
"Well, first of all I'm sure you would like to know what my family emergencies are all about, right?"
"Phoebe, if you don't wanna tell me it's okay." Somehow Cole had a feeling that he didn't want to know that secret anymore.
"No, I need to tell. If you then want nothing to do with me anymore, I'll understand."
"Whatever it is, I won't leave you. I promise." Cole whispered, starting to get worried.
By then Phoebe and Cole had reached Cole's apartment and went inside. In the living room Cole tried to pull Phoebe on the couch next to him, but she sat down on a chair, facing Cole.
"What I'm about to ask you might sound a little weird, but just tell me the truth, okay?
Cole slowly nodded, now really wondering what was going on.
"Do you believe in… Let's say… the supernatural?"
"Oh my god, she knows." Cole thought, still all he could do was nod.
"Well then, do you believe in witches and demons and .."
Cole couldn't listen to Phoebe any longer. He got up and started talking, without giving her a chance to finish what she was about to say.
"God, Phoebe, I had no idea that you would find out, or I would have told you. But you have to believe me, Phoebe, I'm good. I'm only half demon."
Now Phoebe got up.
"You are what?" She asked, obviously scared.
"Oh no, you didn't know?" Cole asked, trying to walk towards Phoebe, but she kept him at distance.
"Please don't. Don't come close to me or I'll call my sisters." Phoebe was about to run, when Cole just sat down.
"Are you trying to tell me that you didn't know I was a demon?" Cole couldn't believe he had just spilled his secret. Maybe he really was a better demon than human.
"So if you didn't know that I was a demon, what where you trying to tell me?" He asked, not waiting for an answer to his first question.
Phoebe really couldn't believe it! She was standing in the same room with a demon, and she wasn't in half her capacity to fight. She could now understand all the little things about Cole that she had blamed on shyness: his discomfort in the presence of others, the way he always looked behind him when they walked at night… In the end she knew that if things came to it, he could kill her in an instant. That's why she didn't make a run for it and simply sat down again.
She hesitated for a second, but felt that she could trust him, still she wasn't about to drop her guard as she tried to relax.
"I'm a witch."
"Oh oh." Cole thought, now getting nervous.
"My sisters and I, we are the Charmed Ones." Phoebe could tell that Cole knew what that meant, she also noticed his muscles tightening, a sign that she was not the only one nervous.
"Okay." Cole said slowly, trying to figure out what this meant for both of them.
"So you are a Charmed One. I should have known that all your disappearances were supernatural. So, what does that make Leo?"
"Leo is our white lighter." Phoebe answered and noticed the surprised look on Cole's face, but now it was her turn for a question.
"So, what is your demon form?" She asked, almost scared. And Cole really didn't want to tell her the truth, didn't want to tell her what kind of horrible demon he was, but he knew that he had no choice.
"I'm Belthazor." He answered, looking carefully at Phoebe, but this one just nodded.
"You don't know my demon form, right?" He asked her and she shook her head.
"Well, I used to be a pretty powerful demon, but I think I'm more like my dad. He was mortal. I have been a demon for over one hundred years and I hated it. I prefer being human."
"Wow, that's a long time." Phoebe thought. "What are your powers?" She asked him, making sure not too ask him to many questions that she didn't really want to know the answer for.
"Well, I can shimmer, throw energy balls, set stuff on fire, you know, that kind of thing. I'm what they call an "upper level" demon, if you know what that means." And Phoebe nodded. By now she knew more then she actually wanted to know.
"So, now that I told you my powers, what are yours?" Cole asked Phoebe, who seemed to be getting a bit pale. He was wondering if she could imagine how many innocent people he had killed, or if that thought had crossed her mind.
"Well, I get premonitions and I can levitate. I got the boring powers. Piper can freeze time and blow up things and Paige can move things with her mind. She is also a half white lighter."
Now it was Cole's turn to think that he knew more then he wanted to know.
"Okay." He said slowly. "Where do we go from here?" And Phoebe just shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, Phoebe, I don't know what to tell you, but I guess that there is only one thing left for us to do. Let's face it, I'm a demon and you are a witch, not just any witch, a charmed one. This tells you right there that we can't be together." Cole had said these words slowly, wondering if he was wrong, if maybe there was a way for them, but as much as he wanted to find one, he knew that he couldn't love Phoebe. There love wasn't meant to be.
"I guess you are right." Phoebe answered and it broke his heart. Saying something like what he had said and then hearing his love say that he was right, that they weren't supposed to be together, hurt even more.
And Phoebe, all Phoebe wanted to do was to cry. She had hoped against all hope that maybe Cole would be willing to find a way, but he was a demon and even if he wanted to be with her, despite their differences, he would always be a demon. And if Phoebe had learned one thing in the past 4 years, it was to not trust demons, not ever.
So Phoebe did the only thing that could be done, she got up and left, without turning back and Cole was glad, because she would never know that he cried as he watched her walk away.