Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, don't sue me.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Wherever this story is going, I hope you guys find it fitting.
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As soon as everything had turned black, everything seemed to come into view again. Phoebe blinked twice before the blur turned into the attic.
"Phoebe, honey. . .are you okay?" Phoebe saw Piper looking down at her, a worried look on her face.
"What happened?" Phoebe asked, sitting up. She ran a hand over her face in an attempt to make sure this was real.
"You fainted." Paige said from Phoebe's other side.
"For how long?" Phoebe asked, trying to recall everything in the 'alternate reality'.
"Only a couple of minutes. Guess that guy was a fraud." Paige said shrugging.
"Paige!" Leo warned.
"What?" Paige asked innocently. "She's supposed to get what her heart desire's most and he makes her faint? You call that a desire?"
"What happened? Did you see anything?" Piper asked. Phoebe contemplated this. If she told them the truth, they would think she was merely dreaming of the life she couldn't have. It was possible she did. But she didn't want them brushing it aside as though it meant nothing.
"No, nothing." She said, feigning an innocent look. Piper frowned slightly, before looking away.
"Hmm. I guess everything's back to normal then." Piper said, offering Phoebe a hand up. Phoebe gladly took it.
"Not everything. . ." Phoebe said slowly. She brushed herself off, as they looked at her, confused. She paused before she continued. "I. . .uh. . .I'm going to say something. You guys aren't going to like it. At all. But you have to know that I choose to do this, with or without your approval. Okay?" Paige hesitated before giving a slight nod. Phoebe glanced at Piper, who looked at her with consideration.
"It's about Cole, isn't it?" Piper asked suddenly. Phoebe looked up, surprised. Paige noticed this.
"What!? Why?" Paige asked, completely shocked by the idea that her sister would return to the man that had caused them such pain.
"Don't ask me why, either." Phoebe said with a grimace.
"What can we ask you?" Piper asked softly.
"Don't ask me anything. Not now." Phoebe said, giving a short look to Piper. Silence filled the room. "How did you know what I was going to say?" Phoebe asked suddenly.
"I could see it. Right there in your eyes. You always get this look when you talk about him." Piper said. She smiled. "I can't say I agree with this, Phoebe. But I guess I have no choice. I might not be able to accept it for a long time."
"That's okay. I don't want you to, not yet. I have a feeling we'll get there. . .eventually."
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"Cole!" Phoebe called out hesitantly as she stepped off the elevator. Silence. She called out his name again. No answer. She walked slowly into the lounge room, where Cole was seated ingrossed in some papers. He looked up.
"Phoebe. . ." He said cautiously. "What are you doing here?" He looked past her, towards the elevator.
"I need to talk to you." Phoebe said simply, walking forward and sitting down on the couch. Cole smiled awkwardly.
"Talk. That's a change." He mumbled, as he started to rifle through his papers once more. Phoebe sighed. It was going to be harder than she thought.
"Cole. . ." She began. She stopped, not knowing how to continue. Cole looked up. He frowned.
"Phoebe, what's going on? I'm guessing you're not here to vanquish me, seeing as Piper and Paige aren't anywhere. . .I don't think. . ." He paused and stood up, his eyes searching the lounge room.
"I'm not here to vanquish you, Cole." Phoebe said with a sigh. "I need you to listen to me." She said firmly, standing up and facing him.
"Why? Give me one good reason why--" Cole was cut off as Phoebe swiftly put her hand to his face and kissed him. After a few seconds, she pulled back. He looked at her, utter confusion showing on his face. "This is way beyond mixed signals." He said when he realised what had happened. Phoebe gave him a small smile.
"I guess I've had a change of heart. . ." She said. He frowned as she sat down on the couch again, her elbows resting on her knees. "I've had a premonition of sorts. . ."
"A premonition? Of what?" Cole asked, concerned.
"It doesn't matter." Phoebe said with a shake of her head. "I don't even know if it was real. It might have been my imagination for all I know."
"What was it?" Cole persisted.
"It doesn't matter." Phoebe said, more firmly this time. "I just. . .I saw something. With us. . ." She paused. "Cole, I don't doubt that I could move on from us. I know I could. I could meet someone else, have a family with someone else." She looked up to see Cole look away, uncomfortable. She stood up again, trying to catch his eye again. "But I would regret it if it wasn't with you. I know that now." She expected Cole's reaction to be one of relief, but instead he turned around and walked a few steps away from her. She watched intently as he turned around again, obviously in deep thought.
"I don't know. . ." He said with a shake of his head. Phoebe started to get slightly worried. She'd thought it would be hard to convince her sisters, convincing Cole was supposed to be the easy part.
"You don't know?" She repeated. Cole looked straight at her.
"You believed you could move on. I didn't. I believed you were the only reason I was here. . .on this Earth. And I'm just beginning to understand that there's more than that." Cole let out honestly. "Should I take a step back to be with you?"
"I thought it was what you wanted." Phoebe said softly, unable to conceal her disappointment.
"It was. It is." Cole said, stepping forward. "I just. . .unless we know for sure that it would work. . ." He paused in mid-sentence. "I wouldn't be able to recover from losing you again." He looked away.
"We can make it work." Phoebe said, determined. "We just have to believe that it can work." She continued, standing up. Silence filled the room. Cole seemed to be deep in thought, before a smile broke out on his face. He gave Phoebe a sidelong glance.
"It's weird. I tried so hard to persuade you, and now you're here trying to convince me of something I believed a long time ago." Cole said, his smile suddenly vanished.
"So believe it now." Phoebe pleaded. "I do." She walked up to him, so they were inches apart. She leaned into him and kissed him gently on the lips. As she pulled back, he looked down at her, before nodding slowly. Phoebe let out a breath of relief before embracing him tightly, which he gladly returned.
Irrelevant was everything that stood to be faced. It was what was with them now that meant anything. Phoebe refused to let her 'premonition' be the reason she was here, instead she realised it was something she hadn't wanted, but needed. More than anything else in the world. The realisation that their past could be forgotten as long as they focussed on the future, knowing that it wouldn't let them down.
The End
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I didn't like the ending all that much, I think it's because I've done it a lot. The reunion. Must be a lot of stories by now. Anyway, hope you guys found it all right. Review?
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Wherever this story is going, I hope you guys find it fitting.
* * * * *
As soon as everything had turned black, everything seemed to come into view again. Phoebe blinked twice before the blur turned into the attic.
"Phoebe, honey. . .are you okay?" Phoebe saw Piper looking down at her, a worried look on her face.
"What happened?" Phoebe asked, sitting up. She ran a hand over her face in an attempt to make sure this was real.
"You fainted." Paige said from Phoebe's other side.
"For how long?" Phoebe asked, trying to recall everything in the 'alternate reality'.
"Only a couple of minutes. Guess that guy was a fraud." Paige said shrugging.
"Paige!" Leo warned.
"What?" Paige asked innocently. "She's supposed to get what her heart desire's most and he makes her faint? You call that a desire?"
"What happened? Did you see anything?" Piper asked. Phoebe contemplated this. If she told them the truth, they would think she was merely dreaming of the life she couldn't have. It was possible she did. But she didn't want them brushing it aside as though it meant nothing.
"No, nothing." She said, feigning an innocent look. Piper frowned slightly, before looking away.
"Hmm. I guess everything's back to normal then." Piper said, offering Phoebe a hand up. Phoebe gladly took it.
"Not everything. . ." Phoebe said slowly. She brushed herself off, as they looked at her, confused. She paused before she continued. "I. . .uh. . .I'm going to say something. You guys aren't going to like it. At all. But you have to know that I choose to do this, with or without your approval. Okay?" Paige hesitated before giving a slight nod. Phoebe glanced at Piper, who looked at her with consideration.
"It's about Cole, isn't it?" Piper asked suddenly. Phoebe looked up, surprised. Paige noticed this.
"What!? Why?" Paige asked, completely shocked by the idea that her sister would return to the man that had caused them such pain.
"Don't ask me why, either." Phoebe said with a grimace.
"What can we ask you?" Piper asked softly.
"Don't ask me anything. Not now." Phoebe said, giving a short look to Piper. Silence filled the room. "How did you know what I was going to say?" Phoebe asked suddenly.
"I could see it. Right there in your eyes. You always get this look when you talk about him." Piper said. She smiled. "I can't say I agree with this, Phoebe. But I guess I have no choice. I might not be able to accept it for a long time."
"That's okay. I don't want you to, not yet. I have a feeling we'll get there. . .eventually."
* * * * *
"Cole!" Phoebe called out hesitantly as she stepped off the elevator. Silence. She called out his name again. No answer. She walked slowly into the lounge room, where Cole was seated ingrossed in some papers. He looked up.
"Phoebe. . ." He said cautiously. "What are you doing here?" He looked past her, towards the elevator.
"I need to talk to you." Phoebe said simply, walking forward and sitting down on the couch. Cole smiled awkwardly.
"Talk. That's a change." He mumbled, as he started to rifle through his papers once more. Phoebe sighed. It was going to be harder than she thought.
"Cole. . ." She began. She stopped, not knowing how to continue. Cole looked up. He frowned.
"Phoebe, what's going on? I'm guessing you're not here to vanquish me, seeing as Piper and Paige aren't anywhere. . .I don't think. . ." He paused and stood up, his eyes searching the lounge room.
"I'm not here to vanquish you, Cole." Phoebe said with a sigh. "I need you to listen to me." She said firmly, standing up and facing him.
"Why? Give me one good reason why--" Cole was cut off as Phoebe swiftly put her hand to his face and kissed him. After a few seconds, she pulled back. He looked at her, utter confusion showing on his face. "This is way beyond mixed signals." He said when he realised what had happened. Phoebe gave him a small smile.
"I guess I've had a change of heart. . ." She said. He frowned as she sat down on the couch again, her elbows resting on her knees. "I've had a premonition of sorts. . ."
"A premonition? Of what?" Cole asked, concerned.
"It doesn't matter." Phoebe said with a shake of her head. "I don't even know if it was real. It might have been my imagination for all I know."
"What was it?" Cole persisted.
"It doesn't matter." Phoebe said, more firmly this time. "I just. . .I saw something. With us. . ." She paused. "Cole, I don't doubt that I could move on from us. I know I could. I could meet someone else, have a family with someone else." She looked up to see Cole look away, uncomfortable. She stood up again, trying to catch his eye again. "But I would regret it if it wasn't with you. I know that now." She expected Cole's reaction to be one of relief, but instead he turned around and walked a few steps away from her. She watched intently as he turned around again, obviously in deep thought.
"I don't know. . ." He said with a shake of his head. Phoebe started to get slightly worried. She'd thought it would be hard to convince her sisters, convincing Cole was supposed to be the easy part.
"You don't know?" She repeated. Cole looked straight at her.
"You believed you could move on. I didn't. I believed you were the only reason I was here. . .on this Earth. And I'm just beginning to understand that there's more than that." Cole let out honestly. "Should I take a step back to be with you?"
"I thought it was what you wanted." Phoebe said softly, unable to conceal her disappointment.
"It was. It is." Cole said, stepping forward. "I just. . .unless we know for sure that it would work. . ." He paused in mid-sentence. "I wouldn't be able to recover from losing you again." He looked away.
"We can make it work." Phoebe said, determined. "We just have to believe that it can work." She continued, standing up. Silence filled the room. Cole seemed to be deep in thought, before a smile broke out on his face. He gave Phoebe a sidelong glance.
"It's weird. I tried so hard to persuade you, and now you're here trying to convince me of something I believed a long time ago." Cole said, his smile suddenly vanished.
"So believe it now." Phoebe pleaded. "I do." She walked up to him, so they were inches apart. She leaned into him and kissed him gently on the lips. As she pulled back, he looked down at her, before nodding slowly. Phoebe let out a breath of relief before embracing him tightly, which he gladly returned.
Irrelevant was everything that stood to be faced. It was what was with them now that meant anything. Phoebe refused to let her 'premonition' be the reason she was here, instead she realised it was something she hadn't wanted, but needed. More than anything else in the world. The realisation that their past could be forgotten as long as they focussed on the future, knowing that it wouldn't let them down.
The End
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I didn't like the ending all that much, I think it's because I've done it a lot. The reunion. Must be a lot of stories by now. Anyway, hope you guys found it all right. Review?