Part 2 of
Then And Again
"Still thinking about the dream?", the voice came from the opposite side of the room. It was enough to disturb the person that they were talking to.
"Yeah. It just... It felt so real. I wish I knew who it was."
"Well, you never know...", he said without a glimmer of hope in his voice. "Anything's possible."
"Yeah... Thanks man.", they responded, even though they could tell that he was being misleadingly supportive.
"No problem, Cole..."
The guy that had come in started to leave, but suddenly turned around as if suddenly remembering why they had come.
"Hey.. Were all going to the club.. Umm.. What's it called? Oh yeah- Jazzums. I thought maybe you could use a pick-me-up. What do you say? The drinks are on me!"
"So if I want to get completely hammered, you're paying for it?"
"Absolutly!", his friend cheerfully said. "So you coming?"
"Oh yeah! I am not missing a chance to get smashed for free."
"Then let's go!"
Cole got up off his bed and quickly left his room. He was going to have a great time tonight. And he needed it after the dreams he had been having lately. What this man needed was a way to make him forget. Even if it was just for a short time.
~*~*~*~
"It is 10:30.. I am going home!!!", Phoebe complained to her cousin. Piper had been there working and wanted Phoebe there for some reason. "It's clear that whatever you wanted to show me isn't here. I am tired, and I have to see about college tomorrow. I am going home."
"No wait!", Piper said in attempt to make Phoebe stay longer. "I.. um... I need you to help me out here!"
The older one looked around. There was barely anybody there. The place had been reserved for a party earlier, and not everyone had come yet. The thing had only started a half an hour ago. She quickly looked at her cousin, thinking she was crazy.
"There's no one here... So I AM going to go, unless you can think of a reeeeeally good reason for me to stay."
"I'll pay you to sing!", Piper tried as a last plea.
"What?!" Phoebe stood, shocked. She couldn't believe that. Her cousin knew how much she hated to sing in public. Piper never understood why, but she knew that. And now she was offering to pay her to do so? "You have *got* to be kidding."
"No.. I'm not. I need you to stay."
A little curious, Phoebe said, "Why?"
"Because..."
"Oh my god... You did something- didn't you?" She could tell by the look on Piper's face that she was right. "Oh my god.. You did do something! What? And how could you?"
Piper stumbled over her words, tripping over the thoughts in her head. She managed a few short words but none that could be put together and be formed into a sentance. She finally found the words, "He just wanted to meet you..."
"He? Wanted to meet me?"
Piper nodded.
"Who's he?"
Piper went silent again.
"A blind date.. That's what you did?! Why? How.. How could you? You know how much I hate those!"
"I know.. and I'm sorry. But.. I just want you happy and he happened to have been looking for someone, too, and I thought..."
"That I'd see him and suddenly just... melt and fall in love?"
"Well.. yeah. That's what happened with me and Leo."
"Piper, hunny.. I don't know if you noticed, but you and Leo went through A LOT of heartache before you finally got to be so happy. I don't do well with heartache. Heck, I don't do well with a lot of stuff."
"Yeah, well.. You've been doing so well lately that I thought maybe you could handle a relationship.. I guess I was wrong."
"Really wrong..", Phoebe said sympatheticly. All her cousin wanted was for her to be happy, and all she could do was yell. "I'm sorry.. I'm gonna go home now." She walked over to her cousin, gave her a hug, and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight."
"Night."
And then she was out of there. At 10:38, she left for home. She left for sleep. She left for any reason that got her away from that blind date. She never liked those things, and she would even sing if it meant escaping one.
~*~*~*~
"What can I do for you?", Piper asked as two guys sat down in front of her. After her cousin had left just minutes ago, she had decided to bury herself into her work. She might as well. Leo wouldn't be stopping by tonight.
"Ugh.. This guy here.. He wants to get completely smashed, and I want to pay for it. So whatever he orders, put it on a tab for Greg Richardson. I'll stop by before I leave to pay for it all."
With that, the guy that had introduced himself as Greg, left.
"I can only serve you six drinks, you know that, right?", Piper asked the abandoned man.
"Yeah.. Greg has this wild idea about me wanting to get drunk. Mostly because I gave him it..", the man admitted.
"Well, he seems like a good friend. Paying for you to get 'smashed' and then leaving you by yourself to be with what could clearly be identified as a depressed mood." She smiled at the man. "I have a feeling we'll be good friends tonight. I'm Piper Halliwell.. I'm the manager here."
"I'm Cole Turner... Scotch. Neat, please."
She took a minute or so to find a glass and then pour the drink. "Sorry.. I don't usually work out here. I sort of supervise and book bands and do other stuff like that."
"It's ok.. I don't usually do the club hopping thing. It's usually the only way that Greg can meet girls. But I.. I work in a law office, and I am slowly working my way up. I just graduated from college about three.. four months ago. I love where I work." He took a sip of his drink. "What about you? How did you get your job?"
"Umm.. Actually.. I'm really lucky. I'm only twenty-two. My cousin- Phoebe- her sister died and I was forced to find a job. I looked in the paper, and there it was. I don't know how, must have been fate, but I got the job."
"Sorry for your loss.. Happen long ago?"
"About a year... My boyfriend, Leo, really helped Phoebe get through it. She was a little closer to Prue because she's known her longer."
"Prue? Another 'P'?"
"Yeah.. And there's another one. It turns out that Phoebe has a half- sister Paige. Only we didn't know about her, because Phoebe's mother gave her up for adoption... Her whi-.. I mean.. The guy that she had her with, thought it was best not to introduce the family to these kinds of problems. So, we were all reunited and... You don't want to hear about this, do you?"
"Anything to make it better.", Cole answered.
"Make what better?"
Cole shrugged it off, letting her know that didn't really want to talk about it. "Just stuff..."
"Oh, yeah.. Stuff.. That always hurt like hell...", Piper only semi- sarcasitcaly said. "I suppose you don't want to talk about it? That's ok.. I've got some actual work to do, so you may be on your own at the moment. I need a band..", Piper trailed off, starting to speak to herself.
"A band?"
"Yes. A band. I need a band, a band..."
She walked off midsentance, looking around as if she could find a band just lying around like some change.
"She needs a band..", Cole repeated to himself. He chuckled slightly. He found this rather amusing.
"This is not funny!", said the woman.
But apparently he was the only one.
~*~*~*~
Phoebe lay awake in her bed. She didn't always sleep. She usually just layed there, staring at the ceiling and listening to music while thinking. Currently a song that she hadn't heard before was on. A new song.. by someone named Jessica. The lyrics were sang so softly, in a slow melody, that they were hard to understand. She understood the first four lines, but that was it.
*I can't remember
The last time I felt this way
I can remember
How I felt that very day.*
It was a love song.
She groaned. She didn't want to hear about love. She didn't want to hear about everyone else's perfect love life, while she didn't even have a *Crummy* love life. She rolled over onto her side and shut the small radio off. She stayed that way a few minutes, thinking of the dream from the night before. The mystery guy was great. She wouldn't mind meeting someone like that. Just for a fling. Because she didn't do long term. It just wasn't her style.
Too bad, too., a voice whispered in her head. That guy was gorgeous.
It was true. He was obviously taller then her- he had covered all of her and more. He had dark, short hair. His chest was covered in muscles, same with the rest of his body. His eyes were a blue that almost looked green. A peircing color. And of course, he was tanned. He looked like a person with a lot of... expierence in dating. He looked like a person who was like herself. A person who doesn't get too close to people in a relationship. He was definitly the type of person she went for. Too bad he wasn't real.
We would have looked cute together..., Phoebe decides. And she's right. Her hair is a dark, dark blonde color. She had died it just before... Prue died, and it was finally fading. It reminded her of a golden beach color. Her eyes were a chocolate brown. When they had tears, which wasn't often, they made you think of a puppy dog, because that's just they type they were. She was small in size, but her athletic body definitly attracted many men. Anything physical was something fun. And of course, do go along with her old youngest-in-the-family, free-spirit, fun-loving, eternal-child ways, she was a vegitarian. She was a truly beautiful person on the outside as well as the inside.
Oh.. What am I thinking? I don't WANT to be a cute couple with ANYONE..., she silenced the voice. No matter how cute... strong... and... sexy he is. Besides.. Maybe that's all there is to him. Maybe he's a complete jerk. Completely about himself.
Yeah, Phoebe.. That'll stop you from thinking about him...
The next thing she decided, was that she need to stop having a conversation with herself inside of her head. Thinking was one thing. But having a conversation...
She shutup all the voices in one very easy movement. She allowed herself to fall asleep.
~*~*~*~
"Piper!", someone called from the bar. She turned around to see her boyfriend.
"Leo!", she cried. She immediatly started walking towards him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek when she reached him. "I've missed you.. Where have you been?"
"Oh you know.. Doing my job...", he answered discreetly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms encircled her waist. "Well, I missed you.."
"You said that already...", he threw back.
"Well then it's doubly true."
He smiled at her before pressing his lips to hers. She moaned into his mouth, relishing the taste of him, the feel of him next to her. She had been working hard all day. This was just what she needed.
"Ugh.. I hate to interupt, but I'm leaving, Piper."
She tore herself away from her guy to look at who had spoke.
"Oh.. Feeling any better?"
"Nope..", he said sadly. "I thought I'd give you our number, just in case Gary forgets to stop by when he leaves. If he's drunk or got a girl, he will. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you, too, Cole. I hope you feel better soon..."
He nodded slightly to her, appreciating the comment. He silently hoped the same thing. Of course, he also hoped that by some miricale, he would find the girl that was in his dreams. Even though she probably didn't exist.
He had called for a bad earlier, and now he was waiting outside. Gary would be too drunk to drive home, but he would never forfit his keys, and he had driven Cole to the club. He didn't want to deal with his friend, and he really didn't want to wait around all night just to do *that*. A cab was the only safe option.
Safe. Being safe was boring. He thanked God, someone he didn't believe in, that he wasn't safe, and that he wasn't boring. He lived for danger, for excitment. Not much of it ever came his way, because he was an officer of the law. But what little action he could get, he took.
Little. That was an understatement. (And Understatement of the year is the overstatement of the year.) He had a new girlfriend every week. He had a girl in his room all the time. He certainly had a reputation for being.. good in bed. Just ask around. (Although, that may be hard because he's not real)
The cab finally showed up to pick him up and drop him off at his apartment. In New York City, everything is apartments. But at least he has a good one.
His mind wandered back to his dream for only a second, and then he was home.
Then And Again
"Still thinking about the dream?", the voice came from the opposite side of the room. It was enough to disturb the person that they were talking to.
"Yeah. It just... It felt so real. I wish I knew who it was."
"Well, you never know...", he said without a glimmer of hope in his voice. "Anything's possible."
"Yeah... Thanks man.", they responded, even though they could tell that he was being misleadingly supportive.
"No problem, Cole..."
The guy that had come in started to leave, but suddenly turned around as if suddenly remembering why they had come.
"Hey.. Were all going to the club.. Umm.. What's it called? Oh yeah- Jazzums. I thought maybe you could use a pick-me-up. What do you say? The drinks are on me!"
"So if I want to get completely hammered, you're paying for it?"
"Absolutly!", his friend cheerfully said. "So you coming?"
"Oh yeah! I am not missing a chance to get smashed for free."
"Then let's go!"
Cole got up off his bed and quickly left his room. He was going to have a great time tonight. And he needed it after the dreams he had been having lately. What this man needed was a way to make him forget. Even if it was just for a short time.
~*~*~*~
"It is 10:30.. I am going home!!!", Phoebe complained to her cousin. Piper had been there working and wanted Phoebe there for some reason. "It's clear that whatever you wanted to show me isn't here. I am tired, and I have to see about college tomorrow. I am going home."
"No wait!", Piper said in attempt to make Phoebe stay longer. "I.. um... I need you to help me out here!"
The older one looked around. There was barely anybody there. The place had been reserved for a party earlier, and not everyone had come yet. The thing had only started a half an hour ago. She quickly looked at her cousin, thinking she was crazy.
"There's no one here... So I AM going to go, unless you can think of a reeeeeally good reason for me to stay."
"I'll pay you to sing!", Piper tried as a last plea.
"What?!" Phoebe stood, shocked. She couldn't believe that. Her cousin knew how much she hated to sing in public. Piper never understood why, but she knew that. And now she was offering to pay her to do so? "You have *got* to be kidding."
"No.. I'm not. I need you to stay."
A little curious, Phoebe said, "Why?"
"Because..."
"Oh my god... You did something- didn't you?" She could tell by the look on Piper's face that she was right. "Oh my god.. You did do something! What? And how could you?"
Piper stumbled over her words, tripping over the thoughts in her head. She managed a few short words but none that could be put together and be formed into a sentance. She finally found the words, "He just wanted to meet you..."
"He? Wanted to meet me?"
Piper nodded.
"Who's he?"
Piper went silent again.
"A blind date.. That's what you did?! Why? How.. How could you? You know how much I hate those!"
"I know.. and I'm sorry. But.. I just want you happy and he happened to have been looking for someone, too, and I thought..."
"That I'd see him and suddenly just... melt and fall in love?"
"Well.. yeah. That's what happened with me and Leo."
"Piper, hunny.. I don't know if you noticed, but you and Leo went through A LOT of heartache before you finally got to be so happy. I don't do well with heartache. Heck, I don't do well with a lot of stuff."
"Yeah, well.. You've been doing so well lately that I thought maybe you could handle a relationship.. I guess I was wrong."
"Really wrong..", Phoebe said sympatheticly. All her cousin wanted was for her to be happy, and all she could do was yell. "I'm sorry.. I'm gonna go home now." She walked over to her cousin, gave her a hug, and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight."
"Night."
And then she was out of there. At 10:38, she left for home. She left for sleep. She left for any reason that got her away from that blind date. She never liked those things, and she would even sing if it meant escaping one.
~*~*~*~
"What can I do for you?", Piper asked as two guys sat down in front of her. After her cousin had left just minutes ago, she had decided to bury herself into her work. She might as well. Leo wouldn't be stopping by tonight.
"Ugh.. This guy here.. He wants to get completely smashed, and I want to pay for it. So whatever he orders, put it on a tab for Greg Richardson. I'll stop by before I leave to pay for it all."
With that, the guy that had introduced himself as Greg, left.
"I can only serve you six drinks, you know that, right?", Piper asked the abandoned man.
"Yeah.. Greg has this wild idea about me wanting to get drunk. Mostly because I gave him it..", the man admitted.
"Well, he seems like a good friend. Paying for you to get 'smashed' and then leaving you by yourself to be with what could clearly be identified as a depressed mood." She smiled at the man. "I have a feeling we'll be good friends tonight. I'm Piper Halliwell.. I'm the manager here."
"I'm Cole Turner... Scotch. Neat, please."
She took a minute or so to find a glass and then pour the drink. "Sorry.. I don't usually work out here. I sort of supervise and book bands and do other stuff like that."
"It's ok.. I don't usually do the club hopping thing. It's usually the only way that Greg can meet girls. But I.. I work in a law office, and I am slowly working my way up. I just graduated from college about three.. four months ago. I love where I work." He took a sip of his drink. "What about you? How did you get your job?"
"Umm.. Actually.. I'm really lucky. I'm only twenty-two. My cousin- Phoebe- her sister died and I was forced to find a job. I looked in the paper, and there it was. I don't know how, must have been fate, but I got the job."
"Sorry for your loss.. Happen long ago?"
"About a year... My boyfriend, Leo, really helped Phoebe get through it. She was a little closer to Prue because she's known her longer."
"Prue? Another 'P'?"
"Yeah.. And there's another one. It turns out that Phoebe has a half- sister Paige. Only we didn't know about her, because Phoebe's mother gave her up for adoption... Her whi-.. I mean.. The guy that she had her with, thought it was best not to introduce the family to these kinds of problems. So, we were all reunited and... You don't want to hear about this, do you?"
"Anything to make it better.", Cole answered.
"Make what better?"
Cole shrugged it off, letting her know that didn't really want to talk about it. "Just stuff..."
"Oh, yeah.. Stuff.. That always hurt like hell...", Piper only semi- sarcasitcaly said. "I suppose you don't want to talk about it? That's ok.. I've got some actual work to do, so you may be on your own at the moment. I need a band..", Piper trailed off, starting to speak to herself.
"A band?"
"Yes. A band. I need a band, a band..."
She walked off midsentance, looking around as if she could find a band just lying around like some change.
"She needs a band..", Cole repeated to himself. He chuckled slightly. He found this rather amusing.
"This is not funny!", said the woman.
But apparently he was the only one.
~*~*~*~
Phoebe lay awake in her bed. She didn't always sleep. She usually just layed there, staring at the ceiling and listening to music while thinking. Currently a song that she hadn't heard before was on. A new song.. by someone named Jessica. The lyrics were sang so softly, in a slow melody, that they were hard to understand. She understood the first four lines, but that was it.
*I can't remember
The last time I felt this way
I can remember
How I felt that very day.*
It was a love song.
She groaned. She didn't want to hear about love. She didn't want to hear about everyone else's perfect love life, while she didn't even have a *Crummy* love life. She rolled over onto her side and shut the small radio off. She stayed that way a few minutes, thinking of the dream from the night before. The mystery guy was great. She wouldn't mind meeting someone like that. Just for a fling. Because she didn't do long term. It just wasn't her style.
Too bad, too., a voice whispered in her head. That guy was gorgeous.
It was true. He was obviously taller then her- he had covered all of her and more. He had dark, short hair. His chest was covered in muscles, same with the rest of his body. His eyes were a blue that almost looked green. A peircing color. And of course, he was tanned. He looked like a person with a lot of... expierence in dating. He looked like a person who was like herself. A person who doesn't get too close to people in a relationship. He was definitly the type of person she went for. Too bad he wasn't real.
We would have looked cute together..., Phoebe decides. And she's right. Her hair is a dark, dark blonde color. She had died it just before... Prue died, and it was finally fading. It reminded her of a golden beach color. Her eyes were a chocolate brown. When they had tears, which wasn't often, they made you think of a puppy dog, because that's just they type they were. She was small in size, but her athletic body definitly attracted many men. Anything physical was something fun. And of course, do go along with her old youngest-in-the-family, free-spirit, fun-loving, eternal-child ways, she was a vegitarian. She was a truly beautiful person on the outside as well as the inside.
Oh.. What am I thinking? I don't WANT to be a cute couple with ANYONE..., she silenced the voice. No matter how cute... strong... and... sexy he is. Besides.. Maybe that's all there is to him. Maybe he's a complete jerk. Completely about himself.
Yeah, Phoebe.. That'll stop you from thinking about him...
The next thing she decided, was that she need to stop having a conversation with herself inside of her head. Thinking was one thing. But having a conversation...
She shutup all the voices in one very easy movement. She allowed herself to fall asleep.
~*~*~*~
"Piper!", someone called from the bar. She turned around to see her boyfriend.
"Leo!", she cried. She immediatly started walking towards him, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek when she reached him. "I've missed you.. Where have you been?"
"Oh you know.. Doing my job...", he answered discreetly.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his arms encircled her waist. "Well, I missed you.."
"You said that already...", he threw back.
"Well then it's doubly true."
He smiled at her before pressing his lips to hers. She moaned into his mouth, relishing the taste of him, the feel of him next to her. She had been working hard all day. This was just what she needed.
"Ugh.. I hate to interupt, but I'm leaving, Piper."
She tore herself away from her guy to look at who had spoke.
"Oh.. Feeling any better?"
"Nope..", he said sadly. "I thought I'd give you our number, just in case Gary forgets to stop by when he leaves. If he's drunk or got a girl, he will. It was nice meeting you."
"It was nice meeting you, too, Cole. I hope you feel better soon..."
He nodded slightly to her, appreciating the comment. He silently hoped the same thing. Of course, he also hoped that by some miricale, he would find the girl that was in his dreams. Even though she probably didn't exist.
He had called for a bad earlier, and now he was waiting outside. Gary would be too drunk to drive home, but he would never forfit his keys, and he had driven Cole to the club. He didn't want to deal with his friend, and he really didn't want to wait around all night just to do *that*. A cab was the only safe option.
Safe. Being safe was boring. He thanked God, someone he didn't believe in, that he wasn't safe, and that he wasn't boring. He lived for danger, for excitment. Not much of it ever came his way, because he was an officer of the law. But what little action he could get, he took.
Little. That was an understatement. (And Understatement of the year is the overstatement of the year.) He had a new girlfriend every week. He had a girl in his room all the time. He certainly had a reputation for being.. good in bed. Just ask around. (Although, that may be hard because he's not real)
The cab finally showed up to pick him up and drop him off at his apartment. In New York City, everything is apartments. But at least he has a good one.
His mind wandered back to his dream for only a second, and then he was home.