Author's Notes: Well, for all you Phoebe/Cole fans, here's the chapter where they have a very big moment together! Hope you like it; give me lots of feedback please! I tried to make it as realistic as possible, considering the circumstances. Now, if I could just get the Charmed writers to listen to me, hehe. Also, I apologize for the late update; I actually had it done several weeks ago, but it wouldn't upload, and then I decided to rewrite the whole darn chapter cause it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. Here we go!

Chapter 6: Blood Debts

When Cole regained consciousness, he found himself in an empty and darkened room. It took a few moments for him to remember what had happened. He wasn't sure if he was in the demonic wastelands, or the place his soul had been sent to after he was vanquished in the alternate reality. A sudden and searing pain between his shoulder blades made him gasp aloud, and it all came back to him. He tried to move his arms, only to discover that he was shackled to the wall. The scent of blood hung heavily in the air, and from his years as a demon, Cole recognized that he was badly injured. The bolt from the crossbow was still in his back, and the ex-demon knew that if it had been removed he would have died from loss of blood. The pressure it was putting on the wound was the only thing that was slowing down the red liquid that had already soaked through his shirt.

The arrow would not have been a problem if Cole were still a demon; demons weren't as vulnerable as mortals were, and the Dark magic that was at their core would often give them more resilience to wounds. But everything had changed now that he was a mortal; what had been meant as a glancing blow to disable Cole had become a fatal wound.

Two figures stepped out of the shadows. One had a hood over his face, hiding his identity. This unknown figure held an athame in his right hand, running his finger over the sharp tip gently, as though he could not wait to embed it in Cole's flesh.

The other figure was the bounty hunter who had injured Cole. He was staring at the ex-demon with a look of disgust and anger. "I don't understand, sir. He shouldn't be in this state; perhaps a little nauseated, but not half- dead. It doesn't make sense!"

The hooded stranger's voice was even and calm, in stark contrast to the bounty hunter's rising anxiety. There was, however, an edge of controlled anger in the tones, and Cole knew instinctively that he had more to fear from the unknown factor than the hunter. "It doesn't make sense, does it Joren? I'm afraid all that I know is that I paid you to bring me in Balthazar alive and semi-healthy. What you brought me is a pathetic weakling who has trouble drawing breath. How am I supposed to have my fun with him if he's already half-dead?"

Now Cole could sense that the fear in the bounty hunter was increasing, just as he realized something about his captors: they didn't know that he was mortal. No doubt some in the Underworld had heard the rumor, but it was unlikely any had believed it. After all, Cole had pretended to be mortal before, only to turn on the Charmed Ones when the time had been right. The other demons would assume he was doing the same thing again. Unfortunately, it didn't look as though there was any way he could turn this information to his advantage; shackled as he was, and injured, it was indeed a struggle for Cole to stay conscious.

The hooded figure was silent for a few moments, as though debating silently. Coming to a decision, he stepped forward towards Cole, pushing back the cloth from his face and revealing his identity. The ex-demon did nothing so melodramatic as to gasp; that would have been beneath him. Cole's demonic powers may have been taken from him, but instincts that had developed from using those powers remained. He had always known that hundreds of demons wanted him dead.

This particular demon was called Raoul; he had been a rival when Cole had made a bid to become the Source, and in the Underworld rivals were not looked upon with fondness. There had been a battle, but the other demon was no match for Balthazar in his prime. Apparently, Cole wasn't the only one who could come back from the dead.

"I see you recognize me, Balthazar. We all heard the tale of how your love for the witch brought you out of the Wastelands. Well, it seems my hatred for you has accomplished the same thing. You see, I too clawed my way out of that forsaken wasteland. Every step I took, I imagined your blood flowing from wounds I would inflict. I don't know what's wrong with you now, but I mean to get some pleasure before you die." With those words, Raoul stepped even closer, his athame aimed at Cole's flesh. There was a glint of madness in his eyes, and it was obvious that escaping the wastelands had stripped him of his sanity.

"Cole!" Phoebe Halliwell's voice rang out loudly. Cole turned his head to see the Charmed Ones standing in the doorway. Piper blew up the bounty hunter, and at the same time Raoul shimmered away. Phoebe rushed over to the injured mortal, not even bothering to hide the concern that was etched in her features. "Paige, help him!"

Paige knelt down next to Cole and Phoebe, pulling the crossbow from Cole's back with a grimace. Familiar blue light went from her hands to his wound, and in a few moments it disappeared. Piper noticed a key on the floor where the bounty hunter had been standing, and picked it up. Wordlessly, she unlocked the shackles holding Cole. The ex-demon reached out a hand to touch Phoebe's cheek gently, and she didn't pull away.

The moment lasted for just seconds before Raoul shimmered back in, howling with rage as he sent an energy ball at Phoebe, who was knocked into the far wall, her head, dropping limply to her shoulder. The demon let off several fireballs as well, effectively turning the old wooden building into a raging inferno. His work done, he shimmered away once more before either sister could get over the shock of the sudden attack.

"Grab Phoebe, we've got to get out of here before the building collapses!" Piper's voice was firm as orange flames spread in the room. Cole grabbed Phoebe's body and lifted her up. The trio ran out the door and started down the stairs; Piper was in front, Cole behind her, and Paige bringing up the rear. The rest of the building was on fire as well; apparently Raoul had taken the time to release several more fireballs in order to make it difficult for them to escape.

Piper and Cole were out the door when a sudden billow of smoke temporarily blinded Paige; unable to get enough oxygen, she coughed spasmodically. Cole and Piper were doubled over as well, but since they were outside the building it wasn't as bad for them. Cole set down Phoebe carefully and Piper screamed for Leo while they waited for Paige to come out. The boards supporting the doorway suddenly collapsed on top of the third Charmed One, pinning her under the burning rubble.

Without even hesitating, Cole ran into the building once more, and shoved the debris out of the way, feeling it burn his flesh as he did. Meanwhile, Leo had appeared and gone to work on Phoebe; she opened her eyes and the three of them watched silently. In a few moments Cole emerged, supporting Paige. Both of them had second and third-degree burns, and both were having trouble breathing. Leo healed first Paige, then Cole.

It was silent for a few moments as Phoebe and Piper hugged Paige; it had been a close call, much closer than any of them would have liked. Cole stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure of where his place was in all of this. Finally, Phoebe broke away from the hug to approach the ex-demon. Her voice was quiet as the fire raged in the warehouse. "I saw what you did, Cole. I saw it all." She paused and looked at Paige, who was watching silently with Piper and Leo. "You thought I was unconscious, so I know that you didn't do it just to impress me, or to gain my trust. You did it because it was the right thing to do. . . because you're a good person." Here the Charmed One's voice broke, and she halted.

"What are you trying to say, Phoebe?" Cole spoke quietly as well, aware that the moment was an important one. He had surprised himself, going in to save Paige like that; he didn't even like her, really. Before, he had blamed her for destroying the relationship between himself and Phoebe. He had never really known her, because he had been so wrapped up in his schemes to become the Source and gain Phoebe's love. Yet, he hadn't even thought about it when he saw her collapse. It had been reflexive, to want to save her. Without his demonic half, Cole was indeed a good human being.

"I- I was wrong, Cole. I was wrong about you. People can change; without Balthazar in you, you aren't evil any more." Those few words were hard for Phoebe to say; all along, the reason she had pushed Cole away had been because his demonic half made him evil. She had hated his demonic half; with it gone, the Cole that she loved was the only one left. Surprising both herself and Cole, Phoebe took his hand in hers and brought it to her cheek, where tears were now trickling down. "I don't know what to do now, Cole. . . I need to think about it. But I do know that I was wrong about you."

Ta-da! There you go, a nice Cole/Phoebe moment for all you fans! Now, granted, it may not have been what you were expecting, but I had a hard time figuring out what it would take for Phoebe to realize that Cole isn't evil any more. After all, that's the only part that kept them apart, in my opinion. Anyways, please review; it's spring break week, meaning I have lots of free time to write more chapters!! In the next edition, the Elders discuss some important issues, and we get a change of pace with a look at Leo and Piper's relationship. Of course, Phoebe and Cole will probably talk in a more quiet setting as well as to how their relationship will progress. Cheers!