Okay, sorry this took so long, but I was chucked offline.....*again.* I'm back, for a few days I think, and I hope you enjoy this. Oh, and just a note.....I know that the show is American, but I'm English, so in case you haven't already noticed, the story is a mixture of the two ( colour, for example.....we use the 'U'.) Hope this isn't too confusing.

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With a brief flare of light, Piper struck the match she held into life. Then carefully, she lit one of the candles that sat on the living room table, watching as the flame flickered, before the wick caught light. Quickly moving on to the next candle, she almost didn't notice the slight displacement of air, a shift in the surrounding atmosphere that she recognised......it was a shimmer.

Piper couldn't swallow her gasp, her hands automatically flying up to freeze the intruder. Instead of having the desired effect, a nearby chair exploded, sending debris shooting everywhere. But it did have the unexpected bonus of knocking the intruder across the room, as a piece of chair struck him. The noises of the explosion, coupled with the sounds that the intruder made upon impact with another piece of furniture, caused Prue to come running, arriving just as their uninvited 'visitor' struggled to his feet.

Prue stopped, taking in the scene with a glance. "You," she realised.

Cole smirked, making a show of dusting himself off. "Me......what, no hug?"

Prue swept her arm forward, intending to throw him through the air again, until Piper jumped in, effectively blocking her view.

"Prue, no," she warned. "He's obviously here to talk.....we owe it to Phoebe to let him speak."

The photographer focused on her sister, slowly reigning in her temper. "Okay," she finally managed. Piper gave her arm a comforting squeeze, which was answered by a weak smile from Prue.

"Thank you, Piper," Cole smiled. "Though I see you still haven't learned to control that power of yours, yet."

It was Piper's turn to be irritated. "I have, actually......I was just caught a little off balance. Would you like a demonstration?"

"That won't be necessary," he hastily reassured her. "I didn't come here to fight, I came here to talk.....so....."

"So.....?" Piper prompted, still not quite past the slur against her power control.

"So, maybe you should call that Whitelighter of yours down here. I'm sure you want him to know all this stuff, and I would like to get through this as swiftly as possible."

Piper looked to Prue, asking her sister's opinion with her eyes. And after a moment of silence, Prue gave a terse nod.

"Leo!" Piper called out, her head cocked to one side as she listened out for the sound that would signify Leo's orb.

"Leo!" Finally she heard the noise that she had been waiting for, and as the bright blue lights faded away, Piper saw the familiar form of her husband.

"Hey," he greeted, quickly striding to her and pecking her on the cheek. "I was just about to see the Elders. What's up?"

Piper didn't answer, merely indicating Prue with a nod of her head. Leo's gaze went to his wife's sister, and then followed the direction of the glare that Prue was aiming at Cole. Wait, Cole?

"Cole?" Leo asked, a little surprised to see the half demon so soon.

"Leo," Cole replied, his voice maddeningly devoid of any inflection that would give a clue as to his current state of mind.

"Cole has said that he wants to explain what's been going on with him this last year," Piper provided, giving Leo a look that clearly said, 'go with it!' "I thought we could exchange stories.....tell Cole what's been going on here. Like the demons we've faced. Like that one that was looking for Cole, what was his name....?"

"Oh, I already know," Cole let slip.

"What?"

"Well, I've been.....sort of keeping an eye on the two of you......"

"What?!" Prue asked, coming to life at news that she had been spied on. All those times that she had felt as if someone were watching her.....she'd dismissed them as an over-active imagination!

"Prue, it's not important right now.....Cole, get on with your story."

"Right," Cole answered the younger Halliwell. "Now, before I start.....I want your word that I won't suddenly fly across the room, or freeze or explode. Especially in light of what I've just revealed."

"Fine, you have it.....for now," Prue allowed tightly. "But talk fast."

"Alright." He moved away from the remains of the unfortunate chair, opting to take a seat on the couch instead. "After I....after I found out about Phoebe......I was lost. For a long time I just.....drifted."

Piper found herself moving forward, drawn to the familiar pain in his voice, a reflection of what she felt, as she took a seat on the couch opposite Cole. "We did try to find you.....to let you know. But....."

"But you couldn't," he finished for her, something like understanding and -- thanks? -- in his eyes. "I made sure of it. I didn't *want* to be found. So, I carried on......barely even existing. I started visiting some of my old haunts, hoping to feel something familiar.....anything to block the pain. One day, I was hanging around underground -- disguised, of course -- and I overheard some things. It seemed that the Source was brewing a new plot. I heard enough to put together a rough idea of what was going on. From what I gathered, a local coven had recently become a significant threat. He was looking for someone capable of eliminating them."

"And you volunteered," Prue put in harshly.

"At first, yes," Cole said mildly. Not exactly the reaction Prue had been expecting. No anger, no defensiveness. Just plain fact. "I went to the Source directly. Threw myself at his mercy." He gave a bitter laugh. "Not exactly fun. But I pleaded my case.....asked for one more chance to prove my loyalty. He stalled for a while, enjoying the show.....and after some time, I believed that he'd never accept my change of heart. But he did......my rumoured defection had been a major embarrassment to him, but I was still good at what I did. So, I set out to complete my mission. I found one of the witches......and I cornered her. I *was* going to kill her."

"Why didn't you?" This came from Leo, who had perched himself on the arm of the couch that Piper occupied.

"I don't know.....but one moment I had hold of the Athame, the next......" he trailed off, shaking his head. "She was so young. It hadn't ever mattered before.....young or old, man or woman. But this one....was barely older than Phoebe. And I just thought....this isn't what she'd want. I realised that I had been looking for something....*anything*.....to make me forget."

"And you thought that by returning to your old ways......that you'd be able to block out the pain." It wasn't a question, and Cole looked at Piper sharply. "Prue and I almost did something similar. Instead of simply protecting the innocent, we began to seek out and judge the guilty. The evil. But to continue down that path would have ultimately destroyed us."

"What made you turn back?"

Piper raised an eyebrow, playfully swatting Leo on the thigh. "Oh, just something a really smart Whitelighter did. He helped us to see that what we were doing was wrong."

Cole nodded, watching as Leo and Piper smiled at each other lovingly. The sight stirred feelings in Cole that he had thought long since buried. Longing for the special bond that he had once shared with Phoebe. That sense of *rightness* that came from being together with the one you loved. Damn these human emotions! "Anyway," he continued, trying to keep his voice steady. "I couldn't go through with it, obviously. Word got back to the Source, and with yet another failure, the bounty on my head was confirmed and increased.......so, I spent more time drifting. But, even with the bounty on me, I still managed to hear things.....including a plan to wipe out what was left of the Charmed ones. So, I stepped in to stop it. I was still owed a few favours by some of the more *honourable* underground dwellers out there......ones who are not tempted by material things such as bounties. A few potions, some incantations......and I managed to get around that whole power of three thing. I did it because I knew that you two would be in no state to defeat him. And I owed it to Phoebe. She believed in me, she made me realise that there was more to my existence than death and misery......allowing others to suffer. And....I knew that she would want me to do good with my life. So I did."

"And you're the mysterious person that's been reported as helping innocents," Leo concluded.

Cole nodded.

"How did you find out?" Prue asked abruptly. "How did you find out that Phoebe was dead?"

Cole's face shuttered, his blue eyes turning to matching chips of ice. "I heard her murderer bragging about it. I didn't believe him......after all, it wouldn't be the first time that a charmed one has been reported dead. But then I got a bad feeling, so I shimmered to the Manor, just in time to see an ambulance leave. It didn't seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere.....as if it didn't need to get anywhere fast. There were a lot of police on the scene, and I saw that detective you're fond of. I overheard them talking....I heard the story, and the victim's name. From what I actually managed to ingest, a masked attacker burst into the house.....he cornered Phoebe in the attic. One of the uniforms said something about Phoebe breaking a window to attract attention.....get help. Strange," he said almost to himself. "It's been a year and the details are still as fresh as the day that --" He stopped, pulling himself back from that place, and focusing on the others. "I figured it for a cover story."

The others were silent, until Prue spoke. "Were you the one that killed him?"

Cole looked at her seriously. "Yes. I was."

"Good," Prue said, a look of remembered fury mixing with the grief on her pale features.

Unsure of how to take that, Cole decided it was time for him to go. "That's it, then," he piped up. "I've filled you in on everything that's happened, so if you'll excuse me --"

"You're just leaving?" Prue asked.

"Yes......what's the problem with that?"

"Oh, I don't know.....how about the fact that you're just going to go and carry on where you left off....for the last year, you haven't just been endangering the innocents and yourself....but us, too."

"I didn't know you cared," Cole said snidely.

"I don't....at least, not about you. The innocents and my sister, on the other hand......"

Cole smiled grimly. It had been a year, and Prue still managed to rub him up the wrong way. "Endangering? Hell, you're lucky I did what I did. And anyway, what would you have me do? I couldn't exactly come to you two for help. As I remember it, you were both grieving. I'm beginning to think that you would have preferred it if I'd returned to my old ways."

"How do we know you haven't?" Prue countered. "And besides, it's not like you've ever taken our feelings into consideration before."

Cole opened his mouth to make another remark, but Piper cut them both off.

"Right, that's it! Now, we can either rip each others heads off.....or sit and talk calmly, like *adults,* she added diplomatically.

"Adults?" Prue repeated. "Adults don't run off at the first sign of trouble.....they don't think solely of themselves."

"Well, what would you know about that, Prue?" Cole spat out harshly. "When Phoebe needed you -- needed you to understand, to be there for her -- what did you do? You turned her away with your anger. Is it any wonder that she didn't tell you that she hadn't really vanquished me? You would have just let her know that it was one more failure in a long list, that I'm sure you wouldn't have hesitated to detail for her!"

"How dare you?" Prue whispered, emotion stealing her voice.

"How dare I what? Speak the truth? You may hate my guts, Prue, but Phoebe didn't. Now, I don't know how I got as lucky as I did in those few, short months we had together, but......Phoebe loved me.....as much as I loved her. Right up until the day she died."

Although he was once more struggling to keep the emotion out of his voice, the others, even Prue, could see how much the statement had cost him.

And while Cole fought to reign in his feelings, Prue found herself in a battle as well, trying to keep the tears that threatened at bay. What right did he have to -- he had every right, she realised. Because even though she didn't like him, he and Phoebe had loved each other. She was just so confused.....one moment she could feel for him, understand him even....the next, she remembered his past deeds, remembered what he had been before he met Phoebe.....before.....

As if sensing her sisters thoughts, Piper tried to redirect the conversation.

"Look, it doesn't matter what's been going on this last year, not in the grand scope of things. A lot has changed, and we've all needed our chance to grieve.....but what's really important, is now.....the future."

"What do you mean?" Prue asked Piper, trying to martial her thoughts. Even Cole looked a little perplexed as the younger Halliwell addressed him.

"Do you intend to go on like this? Placing you and everyone else in danger?"

Cole slowly arched an eyebrow, his blue eyes now glittering with interest. "What do you suggest?"

Piper took a breath, before forging on. "I think....I think we should join forces."

"What?" Prue spat out, a sentiment that was echoed by Leo and Cole.

"You heard me," Piper continued, her voice a lot more confident than she felt. "I think we should pool our resources. I mean -- Leo said, one of the reasons we haven't faced any power of three threats is because Cole has either taken them out, or weakened them considerably. It would be just like when Phoebe was here and he sometimes offered us his help, only now we could work together. We could get even more done. I know it would be hard....Phoebe was the glue that kept our little --*alliance,* for lack of a better term -- sticking, but I know if we work at it, we can do the same."

She stopped, reluctantly closing her mouth and finally raising her eyes to see how her suggestion had been received. Cole looked cautious, and Leo thoughtful. While Prue looked as if she couldn't decide *what* to think.

"Listen," Cole suddenly cut in. "I have a ....prior engagement. I can't miss it, so...."

"Why don't we think it over," Piper put forward.

Cole opened his mouth before snapping it shut, only to open it again. "Sure.....I'll think about it."

He stood from the couch stiffly, his body beginning to strobe slightly as he began to shimmer away, only to be interrupted by Prue. "Wait!"

He materialised fully, turning his attention to the eldest Halliwell.

"This....prior engagement.....is it of the demonic kind?"

Cole set his jaw stubbornly. "What if it is?"

Prue arched an eyebrow at his challenging tone, crossing her arms in an unconscious defensive gesture. "Well, if we're thinking of working together, that's the kind of thing we should be aware of.....don't you think? I mean, for all we know, you could be going back to the crypt for the Anarm orb."

Cole's eyes flashed. "And just why would I do that?"

"Because it's reported to grant you your hearts desire......and I know what the first thought to pop into *my* head was."

Both pairs of blue eyes regarded the other, each trying to test it's opposite as Piper and Leo looked on.

"Okay," Piper whispered. "Are they *communicating?*"

Leo just nodded. "I think so."

"Well," Prue carried on. "Is it or not?"

The half demon eyed her thoughtfully, knowing that the two witches and their Whitelighter were doing the same to him. "Alright. Yes, it's of the demonic variety. An upper level demon has been stalking the members of a local coven. He managed to kill the first witch before I caught wind of it, but I've since prevented two more --"

"Wait," Piper suddenly cut in, turning to Leo. "Isn't this something that we should have been apprised of? I mean, evil hurting good, needs to be stopped.....it's kind of our *job.*"

All Leo could do was shrug. "I -- I don't know......obviously the Elders didn't think you should be involved yet."

As Piper opened her mouth to say exactly what she thought of the Elders policy towards involvement, she was interrupted by a piercing whistle. As every eye snapped towards Cole in time to see him lower his fingers from his mouth, the half demon look exasperated. "Thank you! As I was saying, he's gone without a kill twice now. I should be able to take care of him, though. I'll make sure nothing happens tonight, then hit up one the people I told you about, call in a favour or two."

"Should?"This came from Leo, who seemed to feel the need to direct the conversation away from the Elders.

"Will," Cole replied, putting emphasis on the word. "I *will* be able to take care of him. He may be an upper level demon, but his eagerness to advance within the heirachy will be his downfall. That type of ambition rarely lends itself to brains."

"Well, you would know," Prue muttered before she could stop herself, earning an elbow in the side from Piper, who had moved to stand next to her, and a sharp look from Cole. "Because you're a demon. And you know *other* demons. That's what I meant," she amended.

"Right," Cole drawled. He had one more thing to say before he left. "And about the orb......I don't intend to use it...for the same reason I knew you wouldn't. Because to do so would be crossing the line. And I don't think that's something our 'hearts desire' would want us to do." He paused to let them digest his words, before speaking once more. " Good bye." And with that, he abruptly shimmered away, though no one tried to stop him this time.

"Prue!" Piper groaned as soon as he was gone, turning to her sister.

"What?!" Prue defended herself. "What did you expect, Piper, that I would just welcome him back here with open arms? He hates me, too. And hey, how does him just disappearing mid-conversation bode for this alliance we're supposed to be building?"

"Hey, don't try to deflect attention off you by highlighting Cole," Piper warned, her finger up and pointing at Prue to emphasize her point. "Now, I'm not a huge fan of the guy myself. But......we could really do with his help. Think of our innocents," she appealed. "With his help, our chances of completing our -- *missions,* for lack of a better term -- increases. We need him, Prue." And besides, she thought to herself. It's not exactly a good idea to piss powerful demons off.....even if you think they're on your side.

Prue was silent, her blue eyes lowered to the floor. "I know," she acknowledged quietly. " Just....like I said, I need some time to adjust, you know? I mean.... we spent two years of our lives practicing that bad guys were bad.....demons were all evil, and they needed to be treated as such. But then Phoebe met Cole, and she fell in love with him. Changed him completely. I guess....I was afraid that without her influence, he would revert. And yet again, I seem to be proven wrong. I'm the screw up, not Phoebe."

"Prue -- "

"Piper, it's.... sorry. I don't mean to sound so -- I guess it's just that with so much change, thrust on me -- mom dying when we were little, then Grams dying. That whole incident with Roger and calling the engagement off....not to mention finding out that we had this whole Wiccan heritage and our magic. Phoebe's death was just the last straw, and I guess a part of me is just trying to stay as resistant to any more change as I can. It's kinda stupid when you think about it, though."

"What?" Piper asked quietly, knowing that Prue was someone who usually needed to work through things verbally if her feelings were going to order themselves in her overflowing head.

"Just look at Phoebe and I....Cole was right -- and I did *not* enjoy saying that," she smiled weakly, her gesture being echoed by Piper. "I did think Phoebe was -- I don't know, inferior to me -- for a long time. I thought she was too much like dad, or the dad I remembered, for her own good. But my opinion changed. I saw her for what she really was -- strong, confident, kind and compassionate. And so unsure when it come to me or her own worth. And once I got past my own stupidity, I began to love her even more.....and I really miss the relationship the three of us managed to forge between demon slayings." She paused, running her tongue over her lower lip before speaking again. "What I'm trying to get out, is.....if Cole proves himself, I may have to change my opinion again.....to redress the way I see the world, good and evil, black and white......even the little shades of gray that we sometimes run in to."

Piper nodded, and decided to focus on the less serious areas of her sister's 'confession.' Allowing a small grin to grace her face, she spoke. "I don't know, Prue.....d'ya think the great and infallible Prue Halliwell can deal with something like that?"

Prue let out a breath that could have been a sob or a laugh. "Thanks, Piper," she said, swatting her sister on the arm.

"Yeah, well, " Piper added. "I knew you'd get there eventually, Prue. You just needed to work it out for yourself. That's all."

"Ugh! I hate this! I hate being so indecisive. I mean..... I keep see- sawing between hating Cole, what he is, what he's done. And -- well, *like* is probably too strong a word, but -- *admiring* him for the way he changed himself, when half of him must have been fighting to break out. After all of our brushes with evil, I know how seductive it can be. And I wasn't even born to it, like he was."

"What else?" Piper prompted again, patience shining in her soft voice. She knew Prue wasn't completely done.

"Kind of....grateful. Because despite all of the crap she and Cole went through, Cole made Phoebe happy. Happier than I'd seen her in a long time. So, what it all boils down to is......I'll give him a chance."

She finally fell silent, her mind much lighter for talking things through.

Leo used the lull in conversation to redirect the subject slightly, clearing his throat to get the sister's attention.

"Ah.....since I never actually got to see the Elders, do you guys want me to go back 'up there?' See if they have anything on Cole?"

"I don't think they will," Prue offered. "I mean, if they did, they would have known that Cole was the guy they've been scratching their heads over for the last eight months."

"I agree," Piper said. "But they may have some info' on the guy Cole is chasing."

"Good thinking," Prue praised her sister with a smile.

"Alright. I'll go try that -- "

"Not tonight," Piper put in.

"What?"

"It's bedtime," she patiently explained.

"The forces of darkness don't always take things like that into consideration, though, honey," Leo said just as patiently.

"Yes, but we are not the forces of darkness. Now, I've had a really weird day......I want my husband with me tonight."

As she let the toll the days events had taken on her wash over her, Leo immediately moved over to his wife, wrapping his arms about her tightly.

Watching Piper sink gratefully into the embrace of her husband, Prue gave a small smile and then pointed to the stairs. "I'm gonna.... get some sleep. You know, long day, much action......" She trailed off, knowing she had lost the couples attention. "Okay," she whispered to herself, taking off for her room.

A minute or so after her departure, Piper noticed her absence. "Bye -- Oh."

Focusing on Leo once more, Piper gave him her most seductive smile. "Well, Mr Wyatt. I think that we should take a leaf out of Prue's book."

"Bed?" Leo guessed.

"Bed," Piper confirmed with an emphatic nod.

Leo grinned at her, more than happy to help distract Piper from more serious thoughts. Tightening his hold on her, he began to orb the two upstairs. As the lights had almost faded, Piper's voice was heard echoing in the living room. "Wait!"

The blue lights shone brightly as the couple appeared back in the room.

"Forgot the candles," Piper explained. Rushing to the table, she blew out the candles that she had lit earlier. As she extinguished the flame, a thought crossed her mind. Sneaking a look at Leo and considering where they were about to go, Piper quickly gathered up as many candles as she could manage, before returning to Leo. "Mood lighting," she offered, her grin firmly in place, as Leo grabbed her again. And as they orbed again upstairs, the last thing heard in the abandoned room was a loudly echoing, 'Ooh!"

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