Then And Again
"Phoebe.. Wake up..", someone said while pushing her gently. It stopped for a second, when she got a little bit of a response, but quickly started again. "C'me on, Pheebs.. There's someone here to see you.."
She moaned in response. "You say that like it's a clue to my past.." She slowly sat up, rubbing her head. Her eyes stayed as tight as she could make them while still being able to see. The morning sunlight, and it was morning, came through her window and annoyingly made it cheerful. After a reunion like yesterday, all Phoebe wanted to do was sleep. She yawned as arms wrapped around her. Assuming they were Prue's, who had awakened her, she hugged back, eyes still blurred. She pulled back, looked at the person, and...
"Oh MY God! Cole!", Phoebe yelled, pulling up her sheet to cover her already covered body. "Cole, what the hell are you doing here!?"
"I'm here to see you.."
"No, I meant 'here' as in this time era.."
Cole stopped for a moment, only slightly confused by what she had said. Sure, he knew that she was a witch. And sure, he was a demon. He knew that anything was possible, but why wouldn't she know that he was there? They had been dating for quite a while..
"Um.. Phoebe. You feeling ok?"
"Tell me what the hell you are doing here, Cole!"
She tried to glare at him as she spoke, but it was too hard. Even in her past life, she could tell that she was attracted to this man. She didn't know what exactly went on between them, but her thoughts were enough to embarress her. And she didn't even know if anything had happened.
"Tell me what the hell you mean, Phoebe!"
This pissed her off. No one yelled at her. No one.
"Get out! Out! NOW!", she screamed back. She pushed him off the bed, getting off to open the door for him, only to slam it as soon as he left. She stayed standing where he had last been for a minute. She sure had a way of being rude to this guy.
Just as she went to go back to bed, she overheard one her sisters say to the other, "I told you we should have told her she was dating the guy.."
And then nothing.
"So you're telling me that you know everything in the future and now because you're a whitelighter, but you're a whitelighter from this time.. But you don't know more than the reason I came here, and basics like family relationships.. All personal info is completely.. locked in the future. Right?", Phoebe asked. When Leo decided they needed to talk, she was more than willing to accept his invitation. She was slightly confused by all the differences in the times- and not just the objects. All the people were different. She had known that Piper was her sister in this life, but it still amazed her to actually be her sister..
"Right. And as soon as you leave, I'll go back to knowing nothing.. This is just temperary.. I think. I also think that the rest of us will have no memory of what happened.. Something about personal gain."
Phoebe nodded, pretending she understood. "Yeah, I still don't get any of it.."
He sighed, frustrated. "Do I like you in the future?"
"Ah-hah.. Cute. I make your job difficult, but you love me..", she informed him, dispite his obvious sarcasim. "You're really crazy about Piper.."
He blushed, obviously pleased with what she had said. "Yeah well.. What about you? Are you happy with Cole in your next life?"
She froze. "What? What are you talking about?"
"You don't know Cole in your next life?", Leo asked, knowing that he had said something wrong.
"No, I know Cole.. I'm just not seeing him currently.. What did you say about Cole? What do you know?"
"No Personal Gain.", Leo quickly lied.
"NO! Leo- this entire trip was out of personal gain! You know I'll find out eventually, you might as just well tell me now.. That way I can go home faster.."
He sighed, defeated. It was clear that Phoebe wanted to know, and when Phoebe wants to know something.. Well, it aint pretty.
"Alright.. In your past life, Cole was a demon.. A half demon.. He was sent to kill you, but he couldn't because he fell in love with you.. And you fell in love with him.. He's your soulmate, Phoebe.."
Leo's words make Phoebe think. They made sense.. After all, hadn't this been what Piper said in her real lifetime? Hadn't this been what her cousin.. sister.. cousin was trying to tell her all the time? Damn't, she hated when Piper was right. She hated when she was wrong.
"Thanks, Leo.." Her voice was soft. Leo could tell that this was all hard on her, that this was too much to think about. "I really appreciate this.."
"I know you do, Phoebe.. I'm just worried about what might happen when you go home..", Leo answered.
Phoebe lay in bed, thinking. She thought about lot of things, but they all somehow lead back to a guy named Cole.
I'm such a loser.. Screaming at a cute guy to get out of my room when I all I really wanted to do was kiss him..
Sheesh.. Even thinking that makes me sound like a loser.
"Yeah, that's me.. Phoebe The Loser."
There was a knock on the door, and before she could answer, the person- or people- was coming in.
"Hunny.. What are you doing?", Piper asked as she climbed into the bed with her sister. Prue qucikly fell on the other side, and they wrapped their arms around her.
"I'm just thinkin..", she answered.
"About..", Piper pushed.
Sighing, Phoebe knew that she couldn't when. "Mostly Cole. I mean, if I go back, then I'll know all of this. And if I don't, then I have to face him in this life, and then will be forced to go back. So either way, I lose."
"Hunny, it doesn't have to be like that..", Prue said sweetly.
"Doesn't it? I mean, no matter what happens.. I either don't have Prue or don't have Cole, or worse.. Don't have either. And I don't even like this man."
"You have to like him, he's your soulmate.", Prue told her. "Besides, things will work out.. You know they will.."
Phoebe smiled at her sisters. God, she missed Prue so much. And Piper. Not the Piper right there- not that she wasn't great- but her real Piper. The one in the future. She even missed Paige. Phoebe silently wondered where she was in this life.. She suddenly thought of how she would get back to the future, if it was even possible. Would the Book Of Shadows have the reversal spell? Was it written after the time she was in?
"I believe you.. But ugh.. How do I get back?", Phoebe asked.
Prue and Piper looked at each other, instantly thinking the same thing. "Back-In-Time-Return Spell?", Prue asked.
"Yeah, but we're gonna have to remember it.. It erased itself after that one time use.."
Phoebe's eyebrows furrowed together. "Then how come it's in the Book Of Shadows where I come from?"
"I'm not really sure how it works myself, but all I know is that the Book is magical. It has certain spells that each owner can only use once, so they magically erase themselves and then magically write themselves again.", Prue answered.
"Oh, of course.."
"Yeah, but if I remember this spell correctly, when we used it we went back in our bodies.. So if you're here in yours, then our Phoebe is floating around somewhere.. And she went away this weekend.. Y'know, camping trip with someone.. or.. other..", Prue quickly said. "But she's coming back today, so if you want to meet yourself, that's fine, but you can always take off if you want, too. We can try and remember the spell here and you can go talk to Cole, smooth things over for when our Phoebe gets back or just for a walk or whatever you.. want to do." She nodded when she was done.
"Um, yeah. That works great. What time should I come back?"
"I'll give you a call, and Prue will get Now-Phoebe out of the house so that things don't get crazy. I think that since you're the only person who cast the spell, you should be the only person who needs to say this one.", Piper instructed.
Phoebe smiled at her now older sisters. "This is so nice of you guys. It really is. I mean, you don't have to do any of this, and yet you are anyway.." She smiled again. "I love you guys so, so much."
Her sisters smiled, and they all reached in for a final hug before Phoebe would have to leave. Prue handed over directions to Cole's apartment and her car keys to Phoebe. Whether she would use them was completely up to her.
She lifted her hand to knock, hesitating only for a second. The response was almost immediate. Cole swung open his apartment door fast, leaning in between the small door and the frame. He was smiling like a fool, like seeing her was such a treat. Probably an unexpected one, too.
"Phoebe, hi. What are you doing here? You feeling better?"
Phoebe slowly smiled. "I ugh.. I can't really explain it out here. You think I can come in?"
"Oh sure, of course." He opened the door and stepped aside. She stepped in and looked around, hearing the door shut quietly. He walked in front of her and over to the couch. "Would you like to sit down, or..?"
She nodded. "Yeah, couch is fine.." They both quite obviously sat down on the couch. "Cole, um.. I'm not who you think I am."
"What do you mean? Are you part whitelighter or something?"
"No, I mean, I'm from the future.."
"What?"
"I cast a spell for personal gain because Prue's dead in my life, and I ended up here.."
"So what.. You trying to tell me that you acted the way you did this morning is because you don't know who I am or something?"
"No, I know who you are.. You're there in the future.. It's just.. I dunno.. You yelled at me, and I've never had anyone yell at me before.. It's not who I am where I belong."
"It's not who you are here.", he said. They smiled together. "So when will my Phoebe get back?"
"Well, thecnically I am your Phoebe, it's just that I am in a different life time. But she should be back today.. Later, today."
He nodded. They sat there staring at each other for a moment. Phoebe swore that she saw Cole change into the younger person he was in the future, and that a fire had lit itself in front of them. A blanket magically appeared over them, and she could see Chinease boxes were all over the floor she was now sitting on. She leaned forward, like the first time it happened. He reached out for her, taking her neck in his hand and gently caressing her hair. They met with their lips in a small kiss, which quickly ended. But they soon found each other again, and began kissing so intensly that Phoebe had to pull away, because it was so scary. When she opened her eyes, she saw the same Cole that she had been with just moments ago. Her blanket and fire was gone, and she was back on the couch. She looked at him with tears almost in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this..", she said, standing up.
"But Phoebe.."
"No, this is wrong."
"I love you very much, Phoebe. I swear I do."
"But I don't love you..", she whispered. She turned around and left.
She stalked into the house, throwing Prue's car keys to the side.
"I'm back. Anything?", she called out.
Piper immediatly came downstairs, recognizing the voice. "Yeah, I was just about to call you.. Prue and you just left."
Phoebe nodded. "Where's the spell?"
Piper handed over a peice of paper. "Here.. Just say it, and you'll leave."
Phoebe nodded again. "Piper.. I know I'll see you in a few minutes, but.. I'm gonna miss you. I hate goodbyes."
"Me, too."
The girls hugged, holding each other tight. They both knew it could only be for a minute or two, because Phoebe had to leave.
"Ok..", she said, sighing. "A time for everything,
And to everything it's place.
Return what has been moved,
Through time and space."
Phoebe felt the cloud of white and the hazy feelings, but she also started to feel like her normal self. As she looked around, she noticed that she was in her closet, clutching the Book Of Shadows. The ink started to disappear, the spell having been used.
"Well, I guess that's my one-time use.", she said to herself. Closing the book, she hoped Piper hadn't noticed that she was gone.
Spoilers
[Scene: Cole and Piper are at Jazzums]
"I'm sure she just needs some time, Cole."
"She hasn't returned my calls in a week, Piper. I think that's saying something."
[Scene: Piper and Phoebe are in their kitchen, talking]
"So.. Where's Leo tonight?"
"Oh, I don't know. Where's Cole tonight?", Piper asked.
"Piper..", Phoebe warned.
"No, come on, Phoebe. Cole's into you. And you can't just string him along like this. You need to do something."
[Scene: Phoebe's at Cole's apartment]
"Phoebe, what are you doing here?"
"I figured this what better then a phone call. Look, I'm really sorry, Cole.."
Until next time..