First up, THANK YOU so much for all the wonderful feedback....it serves to
not only let me know people are actually reading my stories, but encourage
me to continue writing. And the suggestions people have made in their
reviews have helped shape the story, so thank you.
And to the person who offered to kick my computer in....I think you're threat worked, because this is one of those time I've managed to get two chapters in before it broke.G This may be a bit short, but I wanted to be sure it would be posted sometime this month.
*****
With a sleepy, contented sigh, Piper Halliwell rolled over in bed, one arm reaching out in an instinctive search for the warmth it remembered being there. But when the questing hand encountered a cold, empty space, the owners eyes popped open. Piper struggled into a sitting position, pulling the covers up as she did so to ward off the morning chill she could feel.
Okay, she thought. Where is he. "Leo?"
There was no answer.
Well, what did you expect, she chided herself. That he was hiding?
So, he wasn't here. She couldn't hear water running, so that usually meant that she could rule out the bathroom. That meant either downstairs or....'up there.'
Damn, Piper groaned. Couldn't they have left us alone for just a few more days?
Letting out another sigh that was anything but content, Piper wrestled herself free of the sheets, and stumbled out of her room, heading for the bathroom. Maybe a shower would work off some of the frustration at waking up without her husband.....*again.*
There was still no noise coming from inside the room, so Piper guessed that Prue either wasn't up yet, or had already visited the bathroom. She stormed in, but didn't give in to the temptation to slam the door. Twisting the shower controls and adjusting the water temperature, Piper mused to herself that perhaps it was time that she and Leo had a *long* talk about mid-night disappearances. A *very* long talk.
*****
When Piper finally made it downstairs, she found Prue already sitting at the kitchen table. "Morning."
"Good morning," Prue replied cheerfully. Wait, cheerfully?
"You're in a good mood this morning," Piper observed, grabbing the coffee pot and debating whether or not to just pour it down her throat.
Prue had both hands wrapped around her mug of coffee, and she looked up thoughtfully. "Yes......I guess I am."
Piper nodded. Okay......cryptic. She could do cryptic.
"Any particular reason why?"
Prue regarded the drink in her hands, not certain of her sisters response. "Cole visited last night."
Alright, Piper thought as she narrowly stopped herself from choking. Not that cryptic. "Cole was here.....when? And again, what's with the good mood? Oh God, you didn't vanquish him, did you?" She half rose from her seat, probably about to start freaking in true Piper Halliwell fashion, until Prue grabbed her arm, grounding her.
"Piper, calm down. I didn't vanquish him....okay? Now, sit."
Piper sat obediently, her expression still confused. "Prue.....start from the beginning. Cole was here?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Last night....I woke up, couldn't get back to sleep. I went to Phoebe's room, and after I was there a minute or two, Cole turned up."
The younger Halliwell frowned. "I hope you told him what we think of him just shimmering into our home whenever he feels like it."
"Sort of. Anyway.....I remembered what you said, and I gave him a chance."
"And?" Piper prompted.
"And.....we talked. No shouting, no bloodshed. Just....some sort of understanding being reached. I -- well, when I stopped being so suspicious and clinging onto my past resentments, I found out we weren't so different after all. I mean..... we both loved Phoebe. That's as good a basis for a -- friendship, of sorts -- as any reason, so...."
"So...." Piper looked slightly bemused. "You're friends, now?"
Prue smirked and shrugged. "I don't know about that, but......we definitely bonded over something. You were right. He could be a big help to us......evil ass kicking wise. I think, however, if I have to be around Cole and his version of a sense of humour for long, I'll go crazy."
Piper laughed, a pure sound that had been missing from the Halliwell household for a while now. "Hey, you want some breakfast?"
Prue's brow knitted in consideration. "You know, I think I do."
"Great. Anything in particular, or --"
"I don't know. Surprise me."
Piper inclined her head, jumping to her feet and hurrying to her task. Seeing Prue so happy for once had revitalised her own mood, and she started breakfast with a vengeance, pleased that things seemed to be going *their* way now.
*****
~
Giggling helplessly, Phoebe rolled away from Cole, taking most of the sheet with her.
"Hey," he complained playfully.
"What, I've got more to cover up than you," she grinned.
"That's true," he dutifully agreed. "But, unless I've been dreaming for the last few months, I've already seen it.....so you don't have to cover up."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "Well, if that's true, then I've already seen everything *you* have, so *you* don't need this cover, which means....*I* can have it." To top off her declaration, she gave a good, strong tug on the sheet, pulling it off Cole and exposing him fully.
"Hey!" he protested again, pouncing on his lover as she shrieked in delight. Once they were finished wrestling over the sheet, Cole managed to win, taking the covering from Phoebe.
"Ha! I think you'll find this is *my* cover." What was it about this woman that made him feel so.....free?
Phoebe merely lay there, her breath coming in pants. "Cole," she whined as pitifully as she could. "Now I'm cold."
She was pulling out the big guns now, Cole thought. The pouty lower lip, the batting eyelashes. All combining to make the half demon putty in her small hands.
"Fine," he grumbled, spreading the sheet over both of them. "Happy now?"
"Yes," she announced happily, snuggling herself into his body. Deciding that giving up his victory this once was well worth the reward he was receiving from Phoebe, Cole wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him tightly.
"I wish we could stay this way forever, you know?" Phoebe murmured. "Just you, me --"
"A bed," Cole put in.
"Hey," Phoebe laughed, swatting his chest. "The bed is good, but what I meant was.....just us. Alone. Away from the world."
"You mean away from the demons, and the constant fighting."
"Yes." He didn't have to be able to see her face to know she was probably smiling that wistful little smile that made him hurt for her. "Don't get me wrong, I like being a witch.....doing good. But the constant struggles....the fact that we aren't even supposed to *like* each other, let alone have a relationship.....it wears you down a little, you know?"
"Yeah," Cole agreed quietly.
Feeling her shifting against him slightly, he loosened his grip a little, guessing she was up to something. His guess was confirmed when she grasped a handful of the sheet, pulling again.
"Oh no you don't."
He had been prepared for her, and Phoebe soon found that no matter how hard she tugged, it wasn't moving an inch.
This didn't stop her though. She just employed a different method of execution.....
"Cole...I'm really cold. As amazing as it feels with your arms wrapped around me, I really want some more cover....please?"
Ah, the half demon groaned inwardly. The big guns were out in force.
"Fine," he allowed, secretly pleased, as giving her more of the sheet enabled him to cosy up to her more. But he couldn't let her know that, could he?
"I don't get it," Cole growled. "I was one of the most feared demons in all the underworld. If the Source had an impossible, horrible deed he needed performing, then he came to me.....so how is it that you have me wrapped around your little finger, huh?"
He had meant it as a joke, but when there was no answer, Cole knew he had inadvertently struck a nerve.
"I'm sorry, Phoebe....I was just kidding."
Cole felt her let out a breath. "I know, baby.....I know. I just...."
"You just sometimes remember what I am....what I've done in my past?" he answered for her.
"Yes," she said quietly.
Cole tried to fight down the strange pain he was feeling in his chest. "You know....it's not too late to finish this.....you could still walk away, find yourself someone who didn't use to be one of the Source's best assassins."
After a moment of silence, Phoebe spoke again. "Yes......I could --"
Oh God, Cole thought.
"-- But, that would be no good.....see, I'm already madly in love." She pulled back far enough that she was leaning over him, their eyes locked, blue to brown. "And I could no more walk away from him than stop breathing."
Cole felt that strange pain change, warmth spreading through his body. "I love you," he told her.
Her full lips curved into a gentle smile. "And I love you too, baby," she whispered.
Her responded to her smile, the expression turning into a grin as she lowered her face to his, kissing him.
Their kiss grew more and more passionate, their energy feeding off each other, as if a fire consuming them.
"Cole," Phoebe groaned, breaking their kiss.
"Phoebe."
"Cole, help me."
What? Cole looked up, confused. They were still in the bedroom, still together. But Phoebe no longer looked full of passion.....she looked as if she were in pain. "Phoebe?" he whispered.
"Cole, help me!" she moaned, clutching at her stomach. He looked down, gasping at what he saw. It was an Athame handle, it's blade embedded deeply into Phoebe's flesh.
"Cole?" She said his name one more time, her voice nothing but a faint breath. Grasping her shoulders gently, Cole rolled her onto her back, his hands fluttering uselessly over her wound.
"Phoebe -- oh, God, baby....it's okay, it'll be okay."
But as he looked into Phoebe's eyes, noting her glassy stare and the way her chest no longer moved with oxygen, Cole knew it would never be okay again.
~~
With a huge gulp of air, Cole Turner flew into a sitting position, his heart beating so rapidly he vaguely thought that the whole neighbourhood would be able to hear it. What had started out as a pleasant remembering of a night spent resting in Phoebe's arms, had quickly turned into a frightening nightmare about her death.
His breathing somewhat under control, Cole stood from the bed he was in, shuffling over to the only window in the small room he was currently renting. Moving the curtain slightly, he saw that it was already morning. In fact, judging by the hustle and bustle of the masses below, he had actually slept through a large portion of that.
He shook his head in frustration. The image of a bleeding Phoebe was still fresh in his mind.
Focus on the *real* part of the dream, he told himself. The part where Phoebe let you know how much she loved you.....the way she could make you feel like the most important man in the world one moment, and then a child laughing happily in the next.
There had been so many sides to Phoebe, and Cole had loved them all.
The thought made him smile, and the less pleasant aspects of the dream faded, melting in the heat of remembered passion between the two.
Deliberately ignoring the way his hands still shook slightly, Cole moved over to the dresser, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on. He desperately wanted a shower, but knew he would miss his 'appointment' with an old 'colleague' if he did. The man -- or rather, demon -- had seemed welcoming enough when they'd run into each other underground, but Cole knew there was no trust between demons. Thankfully, Cole didn't need this demon to trust him, or vice versa. He just needed him to think that Belthazor was trying to make a comeback.....by eliminating a common rival. If all went to plan, Cole would have one more location at which to try and stop the demon responsible for a recent spate of attempts on witches lives.....and with the enlisted help of the two remaining Halliwell's, as well as their Whitelighter, Cole had a good feeling about his chances of finally stopping him.
*****
And to the person who offered to kick my computer in....I think you're threat worked, because this is one of those time I've managed to get two chapters in before it broke.G This may be a bit short, but I wanted to be sure it would be posted sometime this month.
*****
With a sleepy, contented sigh, Piper Halliwell rolled over in bed, one arm reaching out in an instinctive search for the warmth it remembered being there. But when the questing hand encountered a cold, empty space, the owners eyes popped open. Piper struggled into a sitting position, pulling the covers up as she did so to ward off the morning chill she could feel.
Okay, she thought. Where is he. "Leo?"
There was no answer.
Well, what did you expect, she chided herself. That he was hiding?
So, he wasn't here. She couldn't hear water running, so that usually meant that she could rule out the bathroom. That meant either downstairs or....'up there.'
Damn, Piper groaned. Couldn't they have left us alone for just a few more days?
Letting out another sigh that was anything but content, Piper wrestled herself free of the sheets, and stumbled out of her room, heading for the bathroom. Maybe a shower would work off some of the frustration at waking up without her husband.....*again.*
There was still no noise coming from inside the room, so Piper guessed that Prue either wasn't up yet, or had already visited the bathroom. She stormed in, but didn't give in to the temptation to slam the door. Twisting the shower controls and adjusting the water temperature, Piper mused to herself that perhaps it was time that she and Leo had a *long* talk about mid-night disappearances. A *very* long talk.
*****
When Piper finally made it downstairs, she found Prue already sitting at the kitchen table. "Morning."
"Good morning," Prue replied cheerfully. Wait, cheerfully?
"You're in a good mood this morning," Piper observed, grabbing the coffee pot and debating whether or not to just pour it down her throat.
Prue had both hands wrapped around her mug of coffee, and she looked up thoughtfully. "Yes......I guess I am."
Piper nodded. Okay......cryptic. She could do cryptic.
"Any particular reason why?"
Prue regarded the drink in her hands, not certain of her sisters response. "Cole visited last night."
Alright, Piper thought as she narrowly stopped herself from choking. Not that cryptic. "Cole was here.....when? And again, what's with the good mood? Oh God, you didn't vanquish him, did you?" She half rose from her seat, probably about to start freaking in true Piper Halliwell fashion, until Prue grabbed her arm, grounding her.
"Piper, calm down. I didn't vanquish him....okay? Now, sit."
Piper sat obediently, her expression still confused. "Prue.....start from the beginning. Cole was here?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Last night....I woke up, couldn't get back to sleep. I went to Phoebe's room, and after I was there a minute or two, Cole turned up."
The younger Halliwell frowned. "I hope you told him what we think of him just shimmering into our home whenever he feels like it."
"Sort of. Anyway.....I remembered what you said, and I gave him a chance."
"And?" Piper prompted.
"And.....we talked. No shouting, no bloodshed. Just....some sort of understanding being reached. I -- well, when I stopped being so suspicious and clinging onto my past resentments, I found out we weren't so different after all. I mean..... we both loved Phoebe. That's as good a basis for a -- friendship, of sorts -- as any reason, so...."
"So...." Piper looked slightly bemused. "You're friends, now?"
Prue smirked and shrugged. "I don't know about that, but......we definitely bonded over something. You were right. He could be a big help to us......evil ass kicking wise. I think, however, if I have to be around Cole and his version of a sense of humour for long, I'll go crazy."
Piper laughed, a pure sound that had been missing from the Halliwell household for a while now. "Hey, you want some breakfast?"
Prue's brow knitted in consideration. "You know, I think I do."
"Great. Anything in particular, or --"
"I don't know. Surprise me."
Piper inclined her head, jumping to her feet and hurrying to her task. Seeing Prue so happy for once had revitalised her own mood, and she started breakfast with a vengeance, pleased that things seemed to be going *their* way now.
*****
~
Giggling helplessly, Phoebe rolled away from Cole, taking most of the sheet with her.
"Hey," he complained playfully.
"What, I've got more to cover up than you," she grinned.
"That's true," he dutifully agreed. "But, unless I've been dreaming for the last few months, I've already seen it.....so you don't have to cover up."
Phoebe narrowed her eyes. "Well, if that's true, then I've already seen everything *you* have, so *you* don't need this cover, which means....*I* can have it." To top off her declaration, she gave a good, strong tug on the sheet, pulling it off Cole and exposing him fully.
"Hey!" he protested again, pouncing on his lover as she shrieked in delight. Once they were finished wrestling over the sheet, Cole managed to win, taking the covering from Phoebe.
"Ha! I think you'll find this is *my* cover." What was it about this woman that made him feel so.....free?
Phoebe merely lay there, her breath coming in pants. "Cole," she whined as pitifully as she could. "Now I'm cold."
She was pulling out the big guns now, Cole thought. The pouty lower lip, the batting eyelashes. All combining to make the half demon putty in her small hands.
"Fine," he grumbled, spreading the sheet over both of them. "Happy now?"
"Yes," she announced happily, snuggling herself into his body. Deciding that giving up his victory this once was well worth the reward he was receiving from Phoebe, Cole wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him tightly.
"I wish we could stay this way forever, you know?" Phoebe murmured. "Just you, me --"
"A bed," Cole put in.
"Hey," Phoebe laughed, swatting his chest. "The bed is good, but what I meant was.....just us. Alone. Away from the world."
"You mean away from the demons, and the constant fighting."
"Yes." He didn't have to be able to see her face to know she was probably smiling that wistful little smile that made him hurt for her. "Don't get me wrong, I like being a witch.....doing good. But the constant struggles....the fact that we aren't even supposed to *like* each other, let alone have a relationship.....it wears you down a little, you know?"
"Yeah," Cole agreed quietly.
Feeling her shifting against him slightly, he loosened his grip a little, guessing she was up to something. His guess was confirmed when she grasped a handful of the sheet, pulling again.
"Oh no you don't."
He had been prepared for her, and Phoebe soon found that no matter how hard she tugged, it wasn't moving an inch.
This didn't stop her though. She just employed a different method of execution.....
"Cole...I'm really cold. As amazing as it feels with your arms wrapped around me, I really want some more cover....please?"
Ah, the half demon groaned inwardly. The big guns were out in force.
"Fine," he allowed, secretly pleased, as giving her more of the sheet enabled him to cosy up to her more. But he couldn't let her know that, could he?
"I don't get it," Cole growled. "I was one of the most feared demons in all the underworld. If the Source had an impossible, horrible deed he needed performing, then he came to me.....so how is it that you have me wrapped around your little finger, huh?"
He had meant it as a joke, but when there was no answer, Cole knew he had inadvertently struck a nerve.
"I'm sorry, Phoebe....I was just kidding."
Cole felt her let out a breath. "I know, baby.....I know. I just...."
"You just sometimes remember what I am....what I've done in my past?" he answered for her.
"Yes," she said quietly.
Cole tried to fight down the strange pain he was feeling in his chest. "You know....it's not too late to finish this.....you could still walk away, find yourself someone who didn't use to be one of the Source's best assassins."
After a moment of silence, Phoebe spoke again. "Yes......I could --"
Oh God, Cole thought.
"-- But, that would be no good.....see, I'm already madly in love." She pulled back far enough that she was leaning over him, their eyes locked, blue to brown. "And I could no more walk away from him than stop breathing."
Cole felt that strange pain change, warmth spreading through his body. "I love you," he told her.
Her full lips curved into a gentle smile. "And I love you too, baby," she whispered.
Her responded to her smile, the expression turning into a grin as she lowered her face to his, kissing him.
Their kiss grew more and more passionate, their energy feeding off each other, as if a fire consuming them.
"Cole," Phoebe groaned, breaking their kiss.
"Phoebe."
"Cole, help me."
What? Cole looked up, confused. They were still in the bedroom, still together. But Phoebe no longer looked full of passion.....she looked as if she were in pain. "Phoebe?" he whispered.
"Cole, help me!" she moaned, clutching at her stomach. He looked down, gasping at what he saw. It was an Athame handle, it's blade embedded deeply into Phoebe's flesh.
"Cole?" She said his name one more time, her voice nothing but a faint breath. Grasping her shoulders gently, Cole rolled her onto her back, his hands fluttering uselessly over her wound.
"Phoebe -- oh, God, baby....it's okay, it'll be okay."
But as he looked into Phoebe's eyes, noting her glassy stare and the way her chest no longer moved with oxygen, Cole knew it would never be okay again.
~~
With a huge gulp of air, Cole Turner flew into a sitting position, his heart beating so rapidly he vaguely thought that the whole neighbourhood would be able to hear it. What had started out as a pleasant remembering of a night spent resting in Phoebe's arms, had quickly turned into a frightening nightmare about her death.
His breathing somewhat under control, Cole stood from the bed he was in, shuffling over to the only window in the small room he was currently renting. Moving the curtain slightly, he saw that it was already morning. In fact, judging by the hustle and bustle of the masses below, he had actually slept through a large portion of that.
He shook his head in frustration. The image of a bleeding Phoebe was still fresh in his mind.
Focus on the *real* part of the dream, he told himself. The part where Phoebe let you know how much she loved you.....the way she could make you feel like the most important man in the world one moment, and then a child laughing happily in the next.
There had been so many sides to Phoebe, and Cole had loved them all.
The thought made him smile, and the less pleasant aspects of the dream faded, melting in the heat of remembered passion between the two.
Deliberately ignoring the way his hands still shook slightly, Cole moved over to the dresser, grabbing a shirt and pulling it on. He desperately wanted a shower, but knew he would miss his 'appointment' with an old 'colleague' if he did. The man -- or rather, demon -- had seemed welcoming enough when they'd run into each other underground, but Cole knew there was no trust between demons. Thankfully, Cole didn't need this demon to trust him, or vice versa. He just needed him to think that Belthazor was trying to make a comeback.....by eliminating a common rival. If all went to plan, Cole would have one more location at which to try and stop the demon responsible for a recent spate of attempts on witches lives.....and with the enlisted help of the two remaining Halliwell's, as well as their Whitelighter, Cole had a good feeling about his chances of finally stopping him.
*****
