note:

there's minor reference to an event from 'brain drain'i tend to avoid sequels or continuations but, this time, particularly for my cheerleader, i made an exceptionhope it didn't disappoint.

Eight Weeks Later

In the warehouse, Piper, Paige, and Phoebe turned their heads as the demon before them twisted in a maelstrom of wind and fire. They linked arms and huddled close together as the demon uttered one last scream of agony before it shattered into tiny pieces and disappeared.

"Cool," Paige nodded with satisfaction as she stared at the burned spot on the floor. She then noticed that both her sisters glared at her in disbelief and she shrugged, "What?"

Piper dropped her hand from Phoebe's arm and brought it to the purple bruise on her forehead. "C'mon, baby," she groaned, "do your thing for mommy." As she finished speaking, her bruise disappeared in a glowing whitish-blue light. "Thank you," she said as she lightly patted her tummy and looked up to find Paige grinning at her in amusement.

Phoebe, meanwhile, groaned as she stepped away from her sisters. She rubbed the back of her neck and told them, "I get dibs on the hot water. I'm going to take a long, long, long soak with nothing but bubbles, some candles, some instrumental music, and a good book."

"Not fair," Piper grumbled, "I'm older. And a mommy-to-be. I should get the tub first."

"You've got a built-in Whitelighter," Phoebe countered as she stuck out her tongue to her sister, "not to mention your own personal masseuse to take away your aches, so the tub is mine this time."

Paige gaped at her sisters, "You guys are supposed to be in such great shape, how can you be wimping out on me after that guy? He was nothing compared to some other demons we've seen lately."

Phoebe glanced to Piper and commented, "Amazing how quickly she forgot what it's like to juggle a real job with our Charmed one."

Piper grinned, "She found the hidden secret of taking all those afternoon naps. Now she thinks she's invincible."

"I do not," Paige complained, "and it's not polite to talk about me in the third person when I'm standing right here. Especially considering how I helped this time. Did I orb out by accident? No. Did I get to kick some butt? Yes." Properly chastised, the sisters apologized. Paige nodded her acceptance and asked, "So, you think maybe now I'm at least a little ready for some training?"

"You've been doing a great job on your own," Piper told her as she patted Paige's arm.

"No," Paige said as she shook her head, "I don't mean book stuff. I mean some real training, like that black belt stuff. Like you said, I do have all this time on my hands now."

Phoebe considered her sister's request. "I can give you a list of a couple of different dojos."

Paige looked a little surprised, "I thought you'd teach me."

"Even if I had the time," Phoebe laughed, "I may be good, but I'm not that good. You need to learn from a professional."

"Oh," Paige uttered, "I guess I thoughtWell, you and Cole always seemed to be able to work on your" She saw Phoebe tense and immediately apologized, "Sorry, I didn't mean to mention Cole...I mean, him"

"I don't want to talk about Cole," Phoebe quietly said.

Paige continued to apologize, "I'm sorry, I know you've been trying to get over his being gone and that you don't want to --"

"Paige," Piper gently interrupted with a glance towards Phoebe, "just orb us home."

***** ***** ***** *****

"I'll eat later," Phoebe shouted as she entered her room, "after I'm out of the tub." She closed the door behind her and went to her closet to retrieve her robe. She threw it on her bed and groaned as she peeled off her jacket. She hung it in the closet and groaned as she pulled off her sleeveless top. After she threw it onto the bed, she unzipped her skirt. It fell to the floor and she stumbled as she stepped out of it. She reached for the doorpost to stop herself but, as she stumbled forward, she instead made contact with an arm. She looked up and smiled at the body that had steadied her. "Cole."

"This either a good time," he smiled at her state of undress, "or a bad one." Phoebe didn't answer and simply stood before him and his smile quickly faded. "Sorry, I didn't mean.Look, I'll just go."

He had taken a step back when Phoebe quickly reached out and stopped him. "No. Wait!" He stared at her expectantly and she stammered, "It's just a surprise. I didn't expectI mean, it's been so long and I thought thatWell, I wasn't sureI mean the phone calls and e-mails are great but IYou never saidI mean did we --"

Cole interrupted her rambling with a kiss. In response, she wrapped her arms up and around his neck and pressed herself close to him.

"Hi," she breathlessly whispered as she pulled away.

"Hi," he replied with a smile. He noticed, though, her sudden frown and asked, "What is it?"

"What happened?" she asked as she gently indicated to the scratches on his neck. "Does it hurt? Why didn't it heal itself?"

"Nothing worth talking about," he answered with a smile due to her concern, "no, and I don't know."

"Phoebe?" Paige shouted from the hallway. "You decent?"

Phoebe quickly shoved Cole into the closet and shut the door just as Paige opened the bedroom door. "What's the point in asking if you're going to barge in anyway?" Phoebe asked, annoyed.

"Sorry," Paige shrugged, "I just wanted to catch you before you got into the tub. Think I could borrow your teardrop necklace tonight? It'll go great with that black top I've got and I --"

"Sure," Phoebe quickly interrupted. She hurried over to her jewelry box, pulled out a necklace, and shoved it into her sister's hand as she pushed Paige out the door. "Go, have a great time!"

"Thanks," Paige grinned as she headed down the hallway to her room, "you're the best!"

Phoebe closed her door, leaned back against it, and breathed a sigh of relief. Cole suddenly appeared in front of her and she gasped in surprise. "Sorry," she said with a slight smile at his unamused reaction.

Before Cole could respond, though, Piper shouted from the hallway, "Phoebe, you in the tub yet?"

Phoebe groaned and grabbed at Cole. "Quick," she hissed, "the bathroom!"

Cole smiled, pulled her into another kiss, and faded them out of her room and into the bathroom. He pulled away and looked around the room. Candles of various shapes and sizes were lit everywhere and the tub was filled with bubbles.

Phoebe suddenly turned towards the door, and shouted, "I'm in the tub, Piper! Don't bug me!"

Piper shouted back, "I just wanted to let you know, I'm going to the club for a little while and there are some leftovers in the fridge."

"Thanks," Phoebe answered. She turned around and asked Cole in a low voice, "Think you could go back and get my robe?" Cole nodded and faded out. Phoebe quickly wiped the steamed mirror and looked at her reflection. She tried to give her eye make-up a quick fix but Cole suddenly reappeared and she gasped again in surprise. "Sorry," she sheepishly apologized as she stepped back from the sink. "Thanks," she added as she reached for her robe. She turned around and hung it on one of the hooks and proceeded to remove her underwear. She turned around and found Cole standing silently before her. "What?" she nervously asked.

"What," he responded as he took a deep breath, gently turned her back around, and touched the large bruise on her back, "happened?"

"Nothing worth talking about," she echoed with a sly smile as she turned around and began to unbutton his shirt. "With all this water around, don't you think you should remove this dry-clean-only shirt before it gets wet?"

"Phoebe" Cole warned her even as he didn't put in much effort to stop her.

Phoebe pushed the shirt off his shoulders and stepped back. "C'mon, I think you need this as much as I do." She didn't wait for an answer and carefully climbed into the tub. With a groan, she carefully sat down and closed her eyes as she enjoyed her first few moments in the refreshingly warm water.

***** ***** ***** *****

Phoebe leaned back against Cole, took the sponge, and gently brushed it along his arm that was wrapped around her. She felt his warm breath against her temple as he placed a tender kiss in that spot. As she continued her gentle ministrations, she quietly asked, "Are you ready to talk about it?"

Cole smiled and lightly squeezed her within his arms. He kissed her cheek and closed his eyes as he leaned forward slightly and rested his cheek against hers. "The case is over," he murmured.

Phoebe twisted her head slightly to look at him. "And?"

"I won," he quietly said.

"So what's wrong?" she asked as she lightly rubbed his arm.

"Margaret's husband is still dead," he answered with a sigh, "and her four-year old daughter will be paralyzed for life. Where's the justice?"

Phoebe brought his hand to her lips and kissed it. "The justice is that she won't have to worry about medical bills or losing her home. The justice is that her unborn child will have the chance to be born." She kissed his hand again, "And it's because of you and all your hard work."

Cole gave her hand a squeeze. "It still doesn't feel right. I should've been able to do more."

"Welcome to the club," Phoebe gently teased as she twisted again to place a light kiss on his lips. "Now tell me what else is bothering you."

Cole chuckled as he kissed her back, "I love you."

"I know," she teased as she leaned back against him. "I'll tell you about my demon if you tell me about yours."

Cole's eyebrow arched in surprised. "What makes you think a demon was involved?"

"I know you, my love, and I know you're forging this new life for yourself as an attorney," Phoebe chuckled before she grew serious, "but Margaret's case has been going on for a few weeks and the verdict alone isn't enough to give you the blues." Phoebe turned around in his arms and ignored the water that splashed around them. She gently touched the scratches on his neck and quietly added, "I'm willing to bet those scratches were caused by someone you knewand someone you had to destroy."

Cole pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Just someone I spent some time with while working for the Brotherhood."

Phoebe caressed his cheek, "Tell me about him." Cole gazed into her eyes and hesitated. "Tell me," she repeated.

Cole nodded and gently twisted her back around so that she leaned against him once more. He wrapped his arms around her and she lightly sponged his arms as he spoke. "I suppose I was something of a favorite of Raynor and the others, for the most part, let me be."

"Of course," Phoebe commented, "it didn't hurt that you were the best and they knew it."

"Well," he chuckled and kissed her temple, "I wasn't the bestyet." He felt her silent laugh and gave her a slight squeeze before he continued, "Jarden was closest in age to me so we were often paired together on missions. We shared a lot of the same tastes and spent a lot of time together in the human world."

"What happened to him?" she asked.

Cole shrugged, "We each found our own path. I rose higher in the ranks while he remained at the same level. He was good but"

"But not as good as you," Phoebe suggested. She felt Cole's nod and asked, "How long had it been since you'd seen him?"

"About fifty years," he quietly answered. "Last I'd heard, he'd been working in South America. Imagine my surprise when I found him in the alley."

"What happened?" she whispered in encouragement as she pulled his arms tightly around herself.

Cole closed his eyes as he recalled, "I'd gone to take a deposition from a storeowner. Pretty open and shut case, the old guy's having trouble with one of his suppliers. I left through the back of the store and heard some muffled screams coming from the nearby alley. A woman was being attacked. The guy's back was to me and I made my presence known." Cole stopped and waited for some sort of comment from Phoebe. When there wasn't any, he continued, "The girl was hurt and couldn't run. Jarden wasn't going to let her go. Idid what I had to do."

Phoebe turned around and hugged Cole. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't be," he said as he pushed her back. He saw the look of surprise on her face and he apologized. "I've started down this road and can't afford to turn back now. Not even for someone like Jarden."

Phoebe gazed back at him and caressed his cheek again. "I wasn't there but I can see how difficult it was for you. You've made the choice to fight demons but it's been a year since it was so personal. Thiswasn't just a reminder that you've changed sides but that you've again betrayed those who were close to you. You've again turned your back on yourheritage, I guess, and everything and everyone you grew up to believe in. And now you feel as if you're alone on your path and doubt and wonder if you've made the right choice." Cole stared back at her in amazement and she smiled, "And I'm here to tell you, you have made the right choice. You're on the right path, Cole, and if you ever doubt it, then all you have to do is feel here." Phoebe brought his hand to her heart and pressed it so that he felt her heartbeat. "Right here. Whenever you feel alone or in doubt, think of my love for you. And believe."

Cole squeezed her hand and pulled her close. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too," she whispered in reply before turned around, she stretched out her arm and turned on the hot water faucet. As a light flow of water filled the tub, she explained, "I think we still need to relax. Unless you have to get back?"

"I took the rest of the day," he somberly replied. He handed her some bath beads that she held underneath the flow of water. He sponged her back as she swirled the fresh bubbles around the tub. She turned off the faucet and he pulled her back against him.

"Stay for dinner?" she hesitantly questioned. He didn't reply and she tensed. As his arms wrapped themselves around her, she closed her eyes and sighed peacefully as she leaned back against him.

After a moment, Cole asked, "For dessert too?"

Phoebe twisted slightly and asked in return, "What's dinner without dessert?" Cole grinned but before he could answer, Phoebe had already claimed his lips with hers.

"I can hardly wait," he murmured after she pulled back.

Phoebe laughed softly, turned around again and leaned back against him. "Me, too."

And they remained in each other's arms, in companionable silence, until the bubbles disappeared

the endreally