The Wings of Love

Chapter VI

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          Phoebe saw the shimmering fading away, and it was as if no intervening time had passed. In front of her, through the window, the blue lightning was dissipating. However, a pink one, just forming, soon followed it. Looking down, she saw that Jason was thankfully fast asleep in her arms. Then, after a few seconds of wondering, an idea popped in her mind and she turned irritably toward Cole:

"What the hell did you do?"

"Me?" He answered hesitantly, not really looking at her. Instead, he was watching the phenomenon with an obvious guilty expression.

"You promised!" Phoebe added.

Biting his lips, he said then:

"Why do you assume it's my fault?"

"Cole!"

Before she could get a straight answer from him however, the old couple's bickering got her attention again.

The woman was obviously very upset, watching the strange lightning through the window:

"It's happening again. Just like during the war."

The man answered impatiently:

"Not that again, this is crazy talk!"

"It does not matter whether you believe it or not. I am telling you, I have been having visions again, and this lightning…"

Even as she was saying this, Phoebe was astounded to see her morphing into a different person, one that looked oddly familiar.

The man added, now a little nervous:

"You know perfectly well that this is impossible. It's only strange weather, that's all," he added, as if trying to convince himself.

The woman seemed to notice his hesitation because she peeled herself from the spectacle and looked back at him. Phoebe followed her look and was astonished to see the man changed as well. However, this one, she could recognize. He looked distinctly like Clay, albeit a much older Clay.

She could not help exclaiming:

"Clay!"

Nevertheless, the old couple was so taken by the discussion that they did not seem to hear…

"You have been having these visions too, haven't you?" The woman was now asking intently.

He hesitated, seemingly unwilling to tell.

"Haven't you?" She insisted.

"It does not mean a thing," he finally admitted reluctantly.

"These are just flashbacks from the war, and only because of this bizarre situation."

"They are not just flashbacks, they are happening in the same manner we all told you they did during the war…"

"Rubbish," Clay tried to deny again.

She looked back at Cole askance, but this one seemed just as dumbfounded, as he also was watching the old couple. She was about to question him about it anyway, but before she could, Phoebe saw the shimmering light again, and the scene slowly vanished in front of her, as everything seemed to be going dark…

          "They have been gone way too long," Leo was saying, mostly to himself. He was looking out at the forest again, for the umpteenth time in the last two days. The sun was coming up and there were no signs of Phoebe and Cole.

He had not noticed that Clay was behind him, and slightly started when this one answered:

"I agree." He was obviously upset and proved it some more with his next words.

"You should have left me go after them."

Leo could not help some irritation at the man. In exasperation, he turned to him and almost screamed:

"Repeating it all the time will not make it a better idea…"

Clay would not budge however, and he pursued:

"What kind of a friend are you, anyway? For all we know they might have gotten into a heap of troubles."

"I trust my friend, Clay…" Leo replied, offended.

Clay still pursued, making Leo positively roll his eyes at him.

"Say what you will, but I have always thought that Cole was a cowboy with no regard for his own life. Still, if it was only him…"

In spite of the fact that Leo agreed with part of this statement, he would not let Clay continue on this vein.

"Cole will not let anything happen to Phoebe," he said firmly.

Finally, Clay realized that he might have gone too far and he toned down his comment.

"You're probably right," he began in a calmer tone of voice, "but what if he cannot do anything about it?"

Leo had also thought of this possibility more than once, but he did not want to pursue this discussion with the copilot. Instead, he gave one last look toward the forest, and went passed Clay to the cottage, leaving the copilot on his own…

          Phoebe woke up, shivering from the cold. She remembered a very vivid dream, almost too real. However, it seemed so farfetched that she believed it to be just that, a dream. She opened her eyes to find the cave entrance flooded by sunlight. Immediately, she looked at her side for Cole, thinking that he might have fallen asleep again. However, of him, she found no trace. A terrible dread gripped her insides, as she imagined the worst. "What if he took a look outside and was caught by a patrol… Was he hurt? Worse?" The thought was almost painful, and so was her other concern. "What will happen to me in this eventuality?"

She picked up the glasses, which were still resting in her lap. Then, gathering her courage, she set out to find out.

She did not have time to get to the entrance before a shadow blocked the sun and she heard his voice:

"So, you are finally awake?"

At first, she acknowledged this with infinite relief. Nevertheless, as she went out to rejoin with him, the brusque tone of his voice registered.

By then, he had already turned his back to her and was walking away.

"Hey," Phoebe called, "what is the big hurry?"

For a few seconds, he continued on his way, as if he had not heard. Then, he half turned toward her:

"I want to be away from here as soon as possible. There is no reason to delay our return to the cottage, anyway…"

Phoebe could accept the logic of this reasoning, but his intonation still left her perplexed.

"Is there something wrong?"

He cast a furtive look in her direction that revealed nothing. Then, he simply answered:

"Nothing more than you already know."

Phoebe moved quickly toward him, unwilling to lose sight of him now, as he was starting back.

When she was almost by his side, he seemed to remember something:

"If you are hungry, here…" He said without looking at her, but handing a pack of rations to her.

She eyed the offering with a frown. When he realized that she was not taking it, he looked back again, this time in annoyance.

"If you do not want it, just say so."

He was already pulling it back, so Phoebe said hurriedly:

"That's ok, I'll take it, thank you…"

She practically had to catch it in midair, as he dropped it more than gave it to her. As if he could not bear to touch her.

Phoebe watched him moving away again with a sick feeling to her stomach.

She still opened the pack, as she walked behind him, but she almost gave up after the first bite, since her throat was tight from the malaise.

The night before, she had felt a connection with him, one that she had not felt with anyone for a long time. She was certain that he had felt it as well. Granted, they were far from having a relationship of sort, but she had been convinced that he had affection for her. Why then, was he acting even worse than before?

She wished that she could asked those questions directly to him, but throughout the trip back, every time that she tried, he simply ignored her, making the malaise deeper for every moment.

         

          In the first two hours of the walk, they had to take many detours, as they heard patrols all over the woods. It was obvious that the soldiers were anxious to find them, or at least that was the impression it gave to Cole and Phoebe. Luckily, they managed to get through it, and the rest of the trip was relatively uneventful. That is until they closed in on the cottage.

Phoebe was just beginning to relax. She had time to worry enough on the way, and now, she had just figured that once they were at their destination, she would try to get an answer from the pilot. It was obvious that something went wrong, even though he would not tell her what.

Just as she was telling herself this, a faint cracking sound startled her. She stopped short, listening intently. It had seemed to come from behind her, and she tried to see what caused it, but to no avail.  The second noise sent her to the ground, and she only looked up to see if Cole had heard as well. It was quickly obvious that he had, since he was looking behind her at that point.  He lowered himself slowly, his eyes fixed on the path they had just come from. Cole signaled to Phoebe to move slowly out of the path and toward the thicker underbrush. The tension on his face did nothing to reassure her. She did her best not to make any noise as she half crawled toward the nearest tree.  The gunshot froze her before she could get there. Panicked, she waited, hoping that they had shot blindly. The sounds of heavy steps trampling the path and coming toward them quashed this hope.

"Get up!" An imperative voice called.

It was Clay, Phoebe knew right away. After she got up, she tried to turn in his direction, just as Cole did. However, she heard him getting ready to shoot again.

"Don't move!" He exclaimed then.

This time, Cole talked.

"Hey boy, maybe you should keep all this hostility for the real enemy…"

"Cole?"

"Yeah…" this one said, as he lowered his arms slowly and turned toward Clay.

"You know, it would not hurt to check who you are shooting at."

"Hey, I'm not the one who is running around in a German uniform…"

Phoebe had almost completely forgotten about the uniforms, and only then understood the sight that Cole and her must have been for Clay.

Clay walked toward Phoebe with the beginning of a warm smile, to which she responded. No matter what, Clay had been nothing if not a gentleman and sweet to her.  Still, he glanced at Cole with some irritation then, as if he had just had an unpleasant revelation. Indeed:

"What kind of scheme did you get Miss Halliwell into? You know better than to do a thing like that, let alone bring another into it…"

Phoebe tried to take the blame:

"In reality, it was…"

Cole interrupted rudely:

"It does not matter anymore. She is fine." He almost turned back then, but he added:

"And she's all yours."

She did not know if it was the way he said it, or what he said, but it made her really angry:

"I do not belong to anyone but myself, thank you."

By then, he had already moved away, and if he heard, he did not give any sign of it.

Fuming, she barely registered Clay apologizing for him:

"Don't worry about that Miss Halliwell. Sometimes Cole…"

"Yeah," she interrupted curtly. Then she added, "Let's go."

He knew from her annoyed expression that something was amiss between them. Nevertheless, instead of questioning her about it, he just counted his blessings. For the last two and a half days, he had imagined that her and Cole were getting cozy on their way to wherever he had wanted to go. The thought had made him very cranky. One of the nurses, Paige it was, had tried to get his attention more than once, but in spite of finding her attractive, he could not help thinking about Phoebe.

          As Cole came out in the open, there was another awkward moment when he heard a warning:

"Stay where you are!"

This had been Leo's voice calling, but when this one looked closely, he quickly dropped the gun barrel toward the ground with a relieved smile spreading his lips:

"Cole, what the hell…"

"Don't ask…so how are things here," he pursued, not feeling very talkative at the moment.

"We were worried sick! Was it worth the trouble?"

"Yes, we found something…"

Cole noticed that Leo was looking behind him and could not help turning to look himself. He knew what he would see, and yet watching Clay holding Phoebe's arm as they came out of the forest gave him a jolt.

Ever since she had uttered his name in her sleep, Cole had been upset and defeated. He had no idea how he had become so attached to the girl, but the simple idea of her liking Clay better than him was almost unbearable. Yet, he had managed to convince himself that maybe it was all for the better.  In his opinion, serious relationships only brought trouble. He wanted to stay away from those as much as possible. Nevertheless, this had not silenced the ugly feeling of jealousy that he had. Shaking himself, he turned back toward Leo, but by then, this one had noticed his attitude.

"Is there something the matter?" He asked, fishing.

Leo knew that his friend was hurting somehow.  However, this one only gave him a dismissive gesture. Instead of answering this, he evaded:

"I am exhausted. I think that I will get some rest. Then, if you think that the others are ready, we might set out tomorrow morning toward Switzerland."

Leo had a little movement of surprise:

"From what you told me of where we are, that would make a long trip…"

"I am afraid that this might be the only spot where we will be able to cross the border and get out of this country. You know what is happening. The Germans must be on their guard by now."

"Some of the wounded are still very weak…"

"I have had an idea about this, but we will have to walk a few days still before we can try this…"

"I guess that it will have to do…"

Cole gave his friend a pat on the shoulder before moving toward the cottage. He was almost there when he heard her laughter. He hesitated shortly before continuing on his way with a grimace, not looking back.

Clay had been telling her what had transpired in their absence, including the way that Paige had tried to seduce him. She found his take on it rather amusing, and until she saw Cole entering the cottage without having said anything to her still, she had been in a rather good mood. It was far from a safe haven here. Yet, she was relieved to be among many friends, as opposed to feeling so exposed out there.

As a matter of fact, right then, Piper came out of the cottage, running toward her.

"Well," she exclaimed happily, "it was about time." The tone of voice not matching the reproachful words…

Phoebe smiled at her cousin's enthusiasm, even if she flinched slightly when this one practically bear hugged her.

"I was so worried…"

Phoebe calmly replied:

"I missed you too, cousin."

"I have so much to tell you, and even more to ask you. You have to come with me now," she added, giving a side-glance toward Clay. "You do not mind me taking her away, do you?"

He actually did, but he gracefully answered:

"Of course not." Then, turning to Phoebe, he smiled softly.

"I will see you later?"

"Yes, of course, later…"

Piper took her arm at this, and almost dragged her back toward the cottage.

Piper began long before they were sitting on one of the cots:

"Well, Leo told me about the uniform, but that was still a shock. How does it feel to look like them?"

"You know, I haven't thought of that much …"

"How did you get them?"

Phoebe hesitated, the memories of the attack still a little painful.

"Maybe, we could talk about this later?"

Piper understood that it was a painful subject and moved on to something else:

"What about the pilot? Was he upset that you followed him?"

Phoebe sighed, amused. She still dodged the question however:

"You know, you have a lot of questions.

"You know me!"

"Yes I do," Phoebe replied with a soft smile. Piper's good mood was refreshing for a change. She usually found her to be a little overbearing, if still lovable. However now, she felt reassured and pleased at her attitude. This was normal, this felt good and simple.

"Did I tell you how nice this doctor is," Piper continued with a twinkle in her eyes.

Phoebe guessed that this was really what Piper wanted to talk about.

"So, you are finding him to your taste?"

"Oh yeah, he is so sweet and cute. He is always so attentive, I'm not used to it."

"I have this feeling that you might want to get used to this, hey?"

"Yeah," she trailed dreamily.

"I'm so glad for you," Phoebe said, but she was unable to hide the hint of sadness that came at this.

Piper noticed right away:

"Hey, I thought that you said you were glad for me? You look bummed to me…"

Phoebe bit her lips, unwilling to talk about it.

"Oh that's not it. I am just very tired. These last two days were very stressful."

"I understand," Piper uttered. "However, you should get out of this uniform. It's really unsettling… Come on, we made a little corner to change in private with a few blankets. I'll bring you a clean change."

"Perfect," Phoebe replied as she warily got up to follow her cousin.

The moment this one left her, Phoebe hurried in taking off the dreadful garment, only now realizing what it must have looked like. She felt dirty as well, remembering that this was taken off a dead man.

Piper was on her way back with the clothes for Phoebe, when Paige called to her:

"Hey Piper, I need help. This wound doesn't look too good to me…"

Piper hesitated, but Cole was coming toward her, back in his pilot's uniform, and she called to him.

"Could you give this to Phoebe? She is in that corner there," she said, as she indicated an impromptu alcove made of blankets.

Cole seemed uncomfortable at the idea.

"Huh, I don't know…"

"Oh come on, It will only take a minute, I have to help Paige…"

Reluctantly, he nodded and picked up the clothes.

As he came toward the entrance to the alcove, Phoebe pushed the blanket aside, obviously expecting her cousin. She gasped as she saw him, utterly self-conscious in her flimsy undergarment. If that was not enough, he was staring at her in such a way that she felt her face turn red in embarrassment. Not quickly enough for her taste, she reacted by pulling the blanket in front of her.

"Paige wanted me to give you this," he finally said hoarsely, still staring.

"Well, give it to me and leave, please," her tone of voice made a little too curt by the embarrassment. Yet, she could not help being flattered by the obvious interest he showed in her.

He handed her the clothes, only then looking away, as he just realized that he had been staring.

"Here you go," he said, as he was turning back.

Phoebe almost let him, but his attitude confused her, and she felt the need to understand what was the matter:

"Captain?"

He stopped but did not look back:

"Yes?"

"Did something happen?"

"I don't know what you mean…"

Taking a deep breath, she pursued hesitantly:

"You have been so distant since this morning…"

He half turned toward her and answered:

"I was not under the impression that we were so close…"

"I thought…"

She stopped herself, unsure of what she could say then.

"Yes?"

He could not help feeling a little hope that he had been mistaken then. What if it was not what he had thought?

"I…" Phoebe began.

"Hey Cole," Clay interrupted, as he was coming toward them. "Won't you tell me what you found out?"

Cole sighed heavily, the disappointment written all over his face again.

He forgot all about what Phoebe might have been about to say and instead turned irritably toward the newcomer.

"Why don't I tell you all about it later tonight? I was just on my way to get some sleep."

Without waiting for an answer, he moved away, as Phoebe closed the makeshift doorway with a sigh.

Clay stood there for a while, looking back and forth from the alcove to Cole going with an uneasy feeling. He promised himself that he would keep Phoebe from Cole as much as possible from now on…

By Justright/Christine Lemieux