Author's Note: Okay, I only got 4 reviews, but since I'm nice I updated
anyways. I had a really hard time with the end of this chapter, because I
couldn't figure out if I was moving too fast with Cole and Phoebe or not; I
guess you guys will have to decide for yourselves. Here's a few specific
responses to some of my reviewers:
Cindy: I totally agree with you on how badly the Halliwells treated Cole after he returned, but I disagree with you saying he would rethink whether he should be with Pheebs or not; his love for her was the one thing that remained constant, the one thing that he never wavered on. He truly believes that they are meant to be together, and he is not going to step away from that conviction. As for the Elder's having sympathy- well, they aren't very sympathetic beings, from what we've seen on the show. It seems to me that they don't really interfere with demonic affairs, not directly. The Charmed Ones are a major concern with them, and that's really the only reason they brought Cole back, though I know it sounds awful harsh. If you want to talk some more about it, drop me an email.
Barb: Once again, I agree with what you said about love; Piper and Paige believe in it all right, but they just weren't sure whether or not it was true love Cole and Phoebe had; their own love for their sister made them cautious, Piper especially so. As for Phoebe- she believes that she loves Cole, but she's not sure if right now he's too good to be true or not; she's afraid of getting hurt again, and that's a perfectly normal reaction.
Jean: True, but I'm going on my gut instinct that Cole's mortal half is indeed good, and that the Charmed Ones are good at their core.
Chapter 8: How Can Love Survive?
After the conversation with her sisters, Phoebe had decided to take a hot shower, hoping that it would help wash away her doubts and fears concerning going through another relationship with Cole. As the steaming water cascaded down her body, Phoebe let her mind drift back to the past, reliving memories that she had tried to forget. She stayed in the shower until the water began to turn cold and finally turned the faucets off. Cole had mentioned that he would drop by later that day, and she wanted to be ready for him, as ready as she could be.
In the kitchen Piper was holding Wyatt, who was enthusiastically guzzling down a bottle of milk, and Paige was making a new batch of standard-vanquishing potions on the counter. The twice-blessed child was apparently very desirable among denizens of the Underworld, and it had already paid off numerous times to have potions ready beforehand.
Moments later, Leo orbed in. "Hey, I just wanted to drop in and make sure everyone is all right, with everything's that has been happening." Wyatt gurgled happily and reached out with chubby little arms to his father. "Sorry Wyatt, Daddy can't hold you right now, he's got to get back to his job."
"You know, sometimes I wonder if your job is more important to you than your family." Piper's words are spoken in an accusing tone, and one glance at her reveals that something has put her in a bad mood.
"Piper, you know that isn't true. My job just isn't something I can take time off of." Leo sounds hurt, but exasperated as well; obviously, the argument is one that has been repeated often.
"Every time I see you, it's only for a few minutes, then you orb away again. It's like you're not even my husband any more, Leo. And I don't want Wyatt to grow up having a father who's barely around." Piper and Leo's relationship had worsened after Wyatt was born, and though the couple generally tried to avoid confrontations, it seemed Piper had decided it was time to quit skirting around the issue.
"I'm doing my best, okay? Do you think it's been easy for me? Every time I'm with a charge I have a hard time concentrating, because in the back of my mind I'm wondering if you and Wyatt are all right. This isn't something I can control, Piper." The argument was getting more heated now, and Paige got up to leave the kitchen, tired of listening to the two yell at one another.
"Well you should control it! The baby needs a father, Leo. And I need a husband. We're drifting apart; maybe you can't feel it, but I can. And I don't want our marriage to end up like my mother's, or my grandmother's. Divorce is one family tradition that I am not interested in continuing." Piper's voice was shaking slightly; perhaps Cole's return had reminded her of how rough her marriage to Leo had become recently. Either way, the look of surprise on the Whitelighter's face was enough to convey the message that he finally realized this wasn't a normal argument.
"Piper, I had no idea that things were this serious." Leo stepped over to his wife, his anger dissipating. "I'll talk to the Elders and see what I can do; if I can convince them that it wouldn't be healthy for Wyatt to grow up with me having such a heavy workload, then they should switch a few of my charges over to other Whitelighters."
"Leo, I know how much you care about your charges; are you sure you want to give them up?" Piper sounded unsure; she hadn't expected Leo to give in easily.
"I'd rather give them up than give you and Wyatt up, Piper. I love you, you know. Maybe we don't say that to each other enough." Piper smiled, and didn't object when the Whitelighter leaned in to give her a kiss. The baby started giggling, and the couple broke the kiss after a few moments. "I'll spend more time with you and the baby; I promise. After all, I wouldn't want you to start screwing guys in your dreams again."
"And I'll try to be more understanding. I know how important your job is to you, and I know that I'm being selfish. It's just so hard to share my husband." Piper realized that Leo had dealt with 'sharing' here with her sisters, and she wanted to make an effort to make their marriage work. During her pregnancy with Wyatt, Piper had been so afraid that someone would hurt her baby (or that Cole would kill them all) that she had put her married life on hold; now both of them were feeling the aftereffects. Piper's thoughts melted away as Leo embraced her gently and kissed her again.
Meanwhile, Phoebe had finished her shower and was heading downstairs, where Paige was smiling while watching Leo and Piper play with the baby, trading off kisses now and then. "So, Nancy Drew, I see that those two finally made up." Paige jumped at Phoebe's voice, then smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, they managed to work out their problems. And I wasn't spying, you know; I was just. . .ummm. . ." The doorbell rang, and Paige breathed a sigh of relief.
"That must be Cole." Phoebe didn't move, and Paige realized that she was gripping the railing of the staircase rather tightly.
"Phoebe, if Leo and Piper can stay together, then you and Cole can get through this." Paige had taken some time to think about Phoebe and Cole's relationship, and had decided that she was going to support her sister, just as she was sure Phoebe would support her if she came home with one of her boyfriends someday in the future.
"Paige is right; Phoebe, a guy doesn't die three times and come back each time for no reason. Maybe destiny is trying to tell you something." Piper had stepped out from the kitchen; Leo was heard cooing to Wyatt in the background. "Listen, Pheebs, I know that I've never really been supportive of you and Cole - for obvious reasons. But just now, with Leo- relationships are hard enough when your family does support you. If you and Cole are meant to be together, then I sure as hell don't want to be the one who keeps you apart. Now I think there's a certain someone waiting at the door for you. Go get 'em, tiger." Piper smiled, and Phoebe finally moved from her spot towards the door, the look on her face worth more than a spoken 'thank you'.
Phoebe opened the door and was surprised to find that Cole's back was to her. He turned around, and smiled awkwardly. "Were you going somewhere, Cole?"
"I just. . . I wasn't sure if you were coming or not, and I didn't want to harass you." Phoebe was shocked to hear him say that; after all, her more recent memories of him were when he refused to leave her alone. Apparently, the loss of his demonic half, as well as several months to contemplate on their relationship had led him to find out that the way to win her back was not to stalk her. That knowledge made Phoebe feel better; she had been afraid that Cole would be the same as before, minus the whole invincibility thing.
"Yeah, I just had to talk to my sisters about something. Want to go for a walk?" Shyly, the Charmed One offered her hand to Cole. He took it after hesitating a moment, and they both jumped when there was a static electricity shock; nervous laughter hung in the air as they started walking. The first few minutes there was an awkward silence; neither knew quite what to say to the other. "Phoebe, I want to apologize for what I did to you before. . .when my soul was parted from my demonic half after I died, I remembered all the times you had that hurt look on your face, and I realized that I was hurting you. And that's something I never meant to do." Cole avoided Phoebe's eyes as he spoke, afraid that he might have imagined the love that had been there the night before.
"Cole, nothing can change the past; God knows Piper and I have tried to change it often enough. And I want you to know that I hated what you were before; I really did. I hated Balthazar." Cole flinched at the mention of his old identity. Phoebe stopped and turned to look him in the eye. "But the man I fell in love with was named Cole Turner, and that's who you are now." Cole smiled, and leaned forward to kiss Phoebe; she pulled away, her expression changing. "You need to give me time, Cole. I can't go fast with this; we can't just start where we left off when we were happy together. Can you deal with that?"
"If you need time, then I'll give you time, Phoebe. I may not be capable of living forever any more, but I will wait for you." Cole noticed that Phoebe's body was still stiff, and he shook his head. "What are you afraid of?"
"Of you, Cole. I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid that I'm going to get hurt again." Phoebe spoke quietly, getting the sinking feeling that Cole was going to tell her to trust him, just as he had so many times before, only to betray her heart.
"What can I do, Phoebe, so that you won't be afraid of me?" Cole asked, wishing that he could show her his heart, show her that all intentions of hurting and manipulating her were gone with his demonic half.
"I don't know; God, Cole, how are we going to do this? How can love survive between us, after all that has happened?" Phoebe was close to tears again, but Cole wisely refrained from getting any closer than he was to her.
"I believe - and I've always believed- that our love was meant to be, Phoebe. Through everything that has happened, I know that even in my darkest times, the mortal part of me still loved you. And Paige showed me that you love me too. We'll make it work, because this time part of me won't screw us up. That's the only guarantee that I can give you: if something does go wrong, it won't be demonic, not on my part." Cole wasn't sure how to handle the situation, but he spoke from his heart.
And as Phoebe Halliwell looked into Cole Turner's eyes, she saw something there; she saw his love for her, without the shadows of demons veiling it, without a plot to kill her sisters; just pure, untainted love. "I believe you, Cole." She took his hand again, and they started back to the Manor. As they got to the porch, they heard a nasal-pitched voice call out.
"Well, well, well. Still chasing after the witch, Balthazar? Some things never change." Phoebe and Cole turned to see a demon standing in the front yard; two energy balls appeared at his fingertips, and he smiled evilly. "Piper! Paige!" Phoebe shouted, and the door opened immediately (as if her sisters had been waiting behind it). As Cole and Phoebe ducked, Piper blew up the demon before he could release the energy balls.
"You know, Cole, you need to find some demon-repellent or something." Piper commented, as she watched the ex-demon help Phoebe to her feet. Cole just shook his head, and Phoebe was blushing. Paige was smiling knowingly, standing next to Piper. The sound of Wyatt's cries sent both of the sisters away from Phoebe and Cole, leaving them alone again.
"Welcome back to our world, Cole." Phoebe said, then surprised both herself and Cole by kissing him; it was a short kiss, though both of their lips lingered near each other for a few moments after it broke. Cole wished that it would have lasted longer, but he was willing to honor Phoebe's need to go slowly. She went into the house, and he remained standing on the doorstep for a few minutes, smiling faintly, before heading back to his apartment.
Cindy: I totally agree with you on how badly the Halliwells treated Cole after he returned, but I disagree with you saying he would rethink whether he should be with Pheebs or not; his love for her was the one thing that remained constant, the one thing that he never wavered on. He truly believes that they are meant to be together, and he is not going to step away from that conviction. As for the Elder's having sympathy- well, they aren't very sympathetic beings, from what we've seen on the show. It seems to me that they don't really interfere with demonic affairs, not directly. The Charmed Ones are a major concern with them, and that's really the only reason they brought Cole back, though I know it sounds awful harsh. If you want to talk some more about it, drop me an email.
Barb: Once again, I agree with what you said about love; Piper and Paige believe in it all right, but they just weren't sure whether or not it was true love Cole and Phoebe had; their own love for their sister made them cautious, Piper especially so. As for Phoebe- she believes that she loves Cole, but she's not sure if right now he's too good to be true or not; she's afraid of getting hurt again, and that's a perfectly normal reaction.
Jean: True, but I'm going on my gut instinct that Cole's mortal half is indeed good, and that the Charmed Ones are good at their core.
Chapter 8: How Can Love Survive?
After the conversation with her sisters, Phoebe had decided to take a hot shower, hoping that it would help wash away her doubts and fears concerning going through another relationship with Cole. As the steaming water cascaded down her body, Phoebe let her mind drift back to the past, reliving memories that she had tried to forget. She stayed in the shower until the water began to turn cold and finally turned the faucets off. Cole had mentioned that he would drop by later that day, and she wanted to be ready for him, as ready as she could be.
In the kitchen Piper was holding Wyatt, who was enthusiastically guzzling down a bottle of milk, and Paige was making a new batch of standard-vanquishing potions on the counter. The twice-blessed child was apparently very desirable among denizens of the Underworld, and it had already paid off numerous times to have potions ready beforehand.
Moments later, Leo orbed in. "Hey, I just wanted to drop in and make sure everyone is all right, with everything's that has been happening." Wyatt gurgled happily and reached out with chubby little arms to his father. "Sorry Wyatt, Daddy can't hold you right now, he's got to get back to his job."
"You know, sometimes I wonder if your job is more important to you than your family." Piper's words are spoken in an accusing tone, and one glance at her reveals that something has put her in a bad mood.
"Piper, you know that isn't true. My job just isn't something I can take time off of." Leo sounds hurt, but exasperated as well; obviously, the argument is one that has been repeated often.
"Every time I see you, it's only for a few minutes, then you orb away again. It's like you're not even my husband any more, Leo. And I don't want Wyatt to grow up having a father who's barely around." Piper and Leo's relationship had worsened after Wyatt was born, and though the couple generally tried to avoid confrontations, it seemed Piper had decided it was time to quit skirting around the issue.
"I'm doing my best, okay? Do you think it's been easy for me? Every time I'm with a charge I have a hard time concentrating, because in the back of my mind I'm wondering if you and Wyatt are all right. This isn't something I can control, Piper." The argument was getting more heated now, and Paige got up to leave the kitchen, tired of listening to the two yell at one another.
"Well you should control it! The baby needs a father, Leo. And I need a husband. We're drifting apart; maybe you can't feel it, but I can. And I don't want our marriage to end up like my mother's, or my grandmother's. Divorce is one family tradition that I am not interested in continuing." Piper's voice was shaking slightly; perhaps Cole's return had reminded her of how rough her marriage to Leo had become recently. Either way, the look of surprise on the Whitelighter's face was enough to convey the message that he finally realized this wasn't a normal argument.
"Piper, I had no idea that things were this serious." Leo stepped over to his wife, his anger dissipating. "I'll talk to the Elders and see what I can do; if I can convince them that it wouldn't be healthy for Wyatt to grow up with me having such a heavy workload, then they should switch a few of my charges over to other Whitelighters."
"Leo, I know how much you care about your charges; are you sure you want to give them up?" Piper sounded unsure; she hadn't expected Leo to give in easily.
"I'd rather give them up than give you and Wyatt up, Piper. I love you, you know. Maybe we don't say that to each other enough." Piper smiled, and didn't object when the Whitelighter leaned in to give her a kiss. The baby started giggling, and the couple broke the kiss after a few moments. "I'll spend more time with you and the baby; I promise. After all, I wouldn't want you to start screwing guys in your dreams again."
"And I'll try to be more understanding. I know how important your job is to you, and I know that I'm being selfish. It's just so hard to share my husband." Piper realized that Leo had dealt with 'sharing' here with her sisters, and she wanted to make an effort to make their marriage work. During her pregnancy with Wyatt, Piper had been so afraid that someone would hurt her baby (or that Cole would kill them all) that she had put her married life on hold; now both of them were feeling the aftereffects. Piper's thoughts melted away as Leo embraced her gently and kissed her again.
Meanwhile, Phoebe had finished her shower and was heading downstairs, where Paige was smiling while watching Leo and Piper play with the baby, trading off kisses now and then. "So, Nancy Drew, I see that those two finally made up." Paige jumped at Phoebe's voice, then smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah, they managed to work out their problems. And I wasn't spying, you know; I was just. . .ummm. . ." The doorbell rang, and Paige breathed a sigh of relief.
"That must be Cole." Phoebe didn't move, and Paige realized that she was gripping the railing of the staircase rather tightly.
"Phoebe, if Leo and Piper can stay together, then you and Cole can get through this." Paige had taken some time to think about Phoebe and Cole's relationship, and had decided that she was going to support her sister, just as she was sure Phoebe would support her if she came home with one of her boyfriends someday in the future.
"Paige is right; Phoebe, a guy doesn't die three times and come back each time for no reason. Maybe destiny is trying to tell you something." Piper had stepped out from the kitchen; Leo was heard cooing to Wyatt in the background. "Listen, Pheebs, I know that I've never really been supportive of you and Cole - for obvious reasons. But just now, with Leo- relationships are hard enough when your family does support you. If you and Cole are meant to be together, then I sure as hell don't want to be the one who keeps you apart. Now I think there's a certain someone waiting at the door for you. Go get 'em, tiger." Piper smiled, and Phoebe finally moved from her spot towards the door, the look on her face worth more than a spoken 'thank you'.
Phoebe opened the door and was surprised to find that Cole's back was to her. He turned around, and smiled awkwardly. "Were you going somewhere, Cole?"
"I just. . . I wasn't sure if you were coming or not, and I didn't want to harass you." Phoebe was shocked to hear him say that; after all, her more recent memories of him were when he refused to leave her alone. Apparently, the loss of his demonic half, as well as several months to contemplate on their relationship had led him to find out that the way to win her back was not to stalk her. That knowledge made Phoebe feel better; she had been afraid that Cole would be the same as before, minus the whole invincibility thing.
"Yeah, I just had to talk to my sisters about something. Want to go for a walk?" Shyly, the Charmed One offered her hand to Cole. He took it after hesitating a moment, and they both jumped when there was a static electricity shock; nervous laughter hung in the air as they started walking. The first few minutes there was an awkward silence; neither knew quite what to say to the other. "Phoebe, I want to apologize for what I did to you before. . .when my soul was parted from my demonic half after I died, I remembered all the times you had that hurt look on your face, and I realized that I was hurting you. And that's something I never meant to do." Cole avoided Phoebe's eyes as he spoke, afraid that he might have imagined the love that had been there the night before.
"Cole, nothing can change the past; God knows Piper and I have tried to change it often enough. And I want you to know that I hated what you were before; I really did. I hated Balthazar." Cole flinched at the mention of his old identity. Phoebe stopped and turned to look him in the eye. "But the man I fell in love with was named Cole Turner, and that's who you are now." Cole smiled, and leaned forward to kiss Phoebe; she pulled away, her expression changing. "You need to give me time, Cole. I can't go fast with this; we can't just start where we left off when we were happy together. Can you deal with that?"
"If you need time, then I'll give you time, Phoebe. I may not be capable of living forever any more, but I will wait for you." Cole noticed that Phoebe's body was still stiff, and he shook his head. "What are you afraid of?"
"Of you, Cole. I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid that I'm going to get hurt again." Phoebe spoke quietly, getting the sinking feeling that Cole was going to tell her to trust him, just as he had so many times before, only to betray her heart.
"What can I do, Phoebe, so that you won't be afraid of me?" Cole asked, wishing that he could show her his heart, show her that all intentions of hurting and manipulating her were gone with his demonic half.
"I don't know; God, Cole, how are we going to do this? How can love survive between us, after all that has happened?" Phoebe was close to tears again, but Cole wisely refrained from getting any closer than he was to her.
"I believe - and I've always believed- that our love was meant to be, Phoebe. Through everything that has happened, I know that even in my darkest times, the mortal part of me still loved you. And Paige showed me that you love me too. We'll make it work, because this time part of me won't screw us up. That's the only guarantee that I can give you: if something does go wrong, it won't be demonic, not on my part." Cole wasn't sure how to handle the situation, but he spoke from his heart.
And as Phoebe Halliwell looked into Cole Turner's eyes, she saw something there; she saw his love for her, without the shadows of demons veiling it, without a plot to kill her sisters; just pure, untainted love. "I believe you, Cole." She took his hand again, and they started back to the Manor. As they got to the porch, they heard a nasal-pitched voice call out.
"Well, well, well. Still chasing after the witch, Balthazar? Some things never change." Phoebe and Cole turned to see a demon standing in the front yard; two energy balls appeared at his fingertips, and he smiled evilly. "Piper! Paige!" Phoebe shouted, and the door opened immediately (as if her sisters had been waiting behind it). As Cole and Phoebe ducked, Piper blew up the demon before he could release the energy balls.
"You know, Cole, you need to find some demon-repellent or something." Piper commented, as she watched the ex-demon help Phoebe to her feet. Cole just shook his head, and Phoebe was blushing. Paige was smiling knowingly, standing next to Piper. The sound of Wyatt's cries sent both of the sisters away from Phoebe and Cole, leaving them alone again.
"Welcome back to our world, Cole." Phoebe said, then surprised both herself and Cole by kissing him; it was a short kiss, though both of their lips lingered near each other for a few moments after it broke. Cole wished that it would have lasted longer, but he was willing to honor Phoebe's need to go slowly. She went into the house, and he remained standing on the doorstep for a few minutes, smiling faintly, before heading back to his apartment.
