Well, again, *still* sorry at the delay. This isn't much, but more will be
up in a day or two, very possibly the last part, after all this time. But,
I hope you like this part anyway....
~~~~
With a sigh that she felt right down to her toes, Prue wondered why. Why her life had turned out the way that it had. A few weeks ago, she had been a successful business woman, a great - if slightly frustrating at times - job at a well known auction house, and a fiance, who, while not the most exciting person alive, still loved her. Or so she'd thought.
Because all of a sudden that had changed.
Her Grams had died, leaving her to help manage the household. She had gotten these...strange *powers*, that she still wasn't sure she believed in. Her job had begun to get in the way of her being a witch...and the man she'd thought had loved her, had turned out to be nothing more than a spineless, manipulative bastard, who had only been using her to further his own ambitions.
Her life was a joke, she mused bitterly. Everything turned on its head, completely changed...how was she supposed to accept this?
"Prue?"
With a speed she didn't even know she was capable of, Prue was on her feet, her hand raised as her eyes narrowed. "Phoebe?" she realized, thankfully before she'd tried to defend herself. "What are you doing up?"
Phoebe shrugged, shuffling further into the living room, the bottoms of her baggy PJs rasping along the floor as she moved.
"Couldn't sleep," she answered. "Hey, I see you've gotten the hang of that power."
Prue took a second to look at herself, slowly lowering her arm. "Couldn't sleep either. And yeah, well...something tells me that now...we'll be needing to."
"I hear ya," Phoebe smiled, coming to sit on the couch next to Prue. "So...what's really keeping you awake?"
Prue sighed, realizing that even after all this time away, even after all of the unpleasantness that seemed to explode between them, Phoebe was as perceptive as ever.
"What *isn't* keeping me awake," she tried to kid. "Everything has changed, Phoebe. I'm a *witch.* I have...powers, and the ability to cast spells...plus, if things keep going the way they are, I'm going to lose my job because I'm too busy fighting demons...oh, and I'm probably going to die some crazy old lady with a few dozen cats...that is if I live that long. I mean, God...."
She fell silent, simply sitting there and staring at the few candles she had lit and placed carefully on the coffee table.
"You're not the only one, Prue," Phoebe finally said, her voice low and hesitant. "And I'm sorry that all of this crap has fallen on you, and that it's screwing your life up. But, honestly? I'm not sorry that I'm a witch...I may not have an active power, but...I think I can help."
She leaned forward in her seat, her eyes pinning Prue where she sat as her voice grew in excitement. "My whole life has been the opposite of yours, Prue. I've never been going anywhere...always just floating around, waiting for a new distraction. Now I have a direction...hell, it's practically a *calling.* Yes it's scary, and yes, I'm thinking it's going to be damn inconvenient at times, but... I'm going to fight evil, kick it's butt and save innocents...and I can't be sorry for that. It may not be the answer you were looking for...but it's the only one I have."
Prue shook her head slowly, for the first time since her return looking, really *seeing* her sister. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling in the low light being thrown by the burning candles...and she looked alive. And Prue was forced to admit that she hadn't looked at this whole thing in those terms. So what if she'd finally found out the truth about the lying toad she'd been engaged to...at least she knew his true colors now. Who cared if she did grow old as a spinster. She still had her sisters.
"I never thought of it that way," she told Phoebe, her voice lightening slightly. "I think you're right."
They shared a grin at this moment of connection, only turning away when footsteps on the stairs caught their attention.
"I heard voices...what are you guys doing up?" Piper asked, her long, dark hair resting on her shoulders, but her bangs sticking up in a classic 'woken from sound sleep' position.
"Um...nothing," Prue chuckled, feeling the vibration of Phoebe giggling beside her.
Piper just looked confused, throwing up a hand. "Fine," she groused, coming over to the two. "Wake a girl up in the middle of the night, and *don't* tell her what's going on." Then she jumped down on the couch, aiming for the middle position, and nearly flattening her sisters in the process.
"Piper!" Prue and Phoebe chorused, the three of them dissolving into laughter, each jockeying for a place, all three of them smiling widely.
It was okay, Prue finally thought, while she watched the other two women mock-fight. We're together, Grams, mom. We'll keep the line safe.
And it may have been her imagination, but she swore she could feel a slight breeze, caressing her skin and ruffling her hair, smelling of her Grams' favorite perfume.
~~~~
Prue woke slowly, a nice, gentle process that was calm and comforting, not like the panic fueled alertness of late.
Her eye caught the clock next to her bed, seeing that she had actually slept through until morning, not the nap that she'd originally planned. Wow, she thought. I must have needed that. She stretched, a groan finding its way out of her mouth. Time for a shower, she decided. As she stood, she reflected on her dream.
"Thanks, Pheebs," she whispered.
****
"Hey, Leo," she greeted later, walking into Piper and Leo's room.
"Hi," Leo said quietly, straightening up in the chair he was sitting in. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," Prue answered, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips. "And a *lot* longer than I was supposed to. I thought Piper was going to wake me up?"
Leo gave an embarrassed look. "Yeah, um...she was going to. But she kind of fell asleep herself. I decided not to wake her, and orbed her into Phoebe's room."
"Ah." Prue understood, and she gave Leo a grateful smile. "Well, I happen to know my sister will be very cranky if she's left to sleep too long. Why don't you go wake her."
Leo nodded, getting up from the chair and leaving the room, his hand briefly resting on Prue's shoulder as he passed. Prue placed her hand on top of his, squeezing it gently before she went to see Cole.
As soon as she knew that she was alone, Prue let her dismay at Cole's condition show, a small sigh forcing it's way past her lips.
Even yesterday had been a vast improvement on him, his skin so pale now that it was almost translucent. The black vein-like lines that had shown up around his initial wound, had snaked their way up his arms, now spreading across his bare chest and neck, starting up his face. The stubble on his jaw and cheeks looked almost jet black against the sickly pallor of his face, a faint sheen of perspiration laying all over his face and upper body. He didn't even appear to be breathing, and she rushed over suddenly, placing her hand on his chest.
"C'mon," she whispered.
Her efforts were rewarded when she felt the slight lift and fall of his chest, and she let out another sigh, this one of relief. She fell on to the bed, sitting with her shoulders slumped. Almost as if on auto-pilot, she then picked up his hand, absently playing with the limp fingers.
"Cole," she started. "I'm, er...I'm not sure that you can hear me. Or if I should be saying this, even if you can't, but...you have to fight. I know we haven't really seen eye to eye a lot...and I know that with Phoebe gone, you might not feel like there's anything left for you here. But we need you. Not just as a part of the 'good fight,' either," she realized. "We need you, because you're a connection to Phoebe. You saw a Phoebe that we didn't...and I want to know *all* about her."
She leaned closer to him, no longer trying to keep the tremor from her voice. "I want *you* to tell me all about her, Cole. So you *have* to get better...because we have come too far, and fought too long to let it finish this way. So you just get well."
She stopped speaking, knowing that she had said all that she could at this point. There was no reaction, but Prue somehow felt that he had heard her anyway.
**** ~~~~
"Prue!" Piper's voice rang out over the hustle and bustle of the lively market. "Look at this."
Prue swiftly moved over to her sister and her latest find, not noticing as Phoebe reluctantly trailed behind.
"Oh...it's gorgeous," she said, admiring the way that the light caught the gems set in the delicate looking bracelet, causing many beautiful colors to reflect in a dappled pattern on her sister's face.
"Hey," Piper mock-complained, shielding her eyes. "Watch it."
"Sorry," Prue apologized absently. "Look at this...."
"Yeah," Piper agreed when her sister trailed off. "You know," she said next in a thoughtful tone, "you'd think that someone who spent their entire day cataloging relics would pick somethin' a little different to do with their time off."
Once again the two sisters failed to notice Phoebe's expression, as the youngest Halliwell watched their interaction closely, if a little wistfully.
"C'mon, don't you think it's fascinating? I mean...each one of these pieces has a story, a history...it's up to us to remember, to preserve...to appreciate. To -"
"Yeah, okay, I get your point!" Piper smiled, holding up a hand to stop the flow of words. "After all, if I can get all excited by recipes and the like, then you have every right to like enjoy what you will."
After a moment of silence, Phoebe spoke up. "So, " she said brightly. "Are you going to get it?"
Prue jumped jumped slightly, as if just realizing that she was there, and Piper didn't miss the look on Phoebe's face. "Pheebs?"
The younger woman smiled, trying to dismiss the expression of dismay she knew had shown. "It's nothin', just...kind of felt like you guys had forgotten I was here, that's all."
"That isn't true, Phoebe," Piper quickly said. "It's just...well, Prue and I have been making these weekend trips to the market for a couple of months now, whenever we got the chance, and then more often after Grams died...before we got our...gifts. We just have to get used to you coming with, that's all."
"Yeah," Prue put in. "That's all."
Piper could tell that her sister wasn't completely convinced, and her heart ached for a moment. "Look, Pheebs," she said as a distraction, pointing to a small oval shaped pendant, dangling from a slight, thin-looking chain. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Phoebe nodded, fingering the chain. "Yeah, it's...you know, it kind of reminds me of one I've seen mom wearing, in some of the pictures Grams showed us of her, from when Prue was little."
"It does?" Prue asked, looking at the jewelry closely. "Wow, I...I wouldn't have known."
Phoebe shrugged, moving off slightly. "I just remembered, that's all. Listen, I'm going to go look at the things over there...I'll just be a minute, okay?"
"Sure," Piper said quietly, watching as her sister walked away. When she looked back, she found Prue fiddling with her purse. "Prue?"
"Huh?" she asked, not looking up. "Oh, I just...she looked down, so I thought...."
Piper nodded, finishing Prue's sentence off in her mind. "I think it's a great idea," she smiled, reaching for her own purse. "As long as I pay half."
"Deal," Prue smiled, her gaze shifting off to the side, and Piper knew she was looking at Phoebe. She felt glad, she realized. Because it looked like Prue was really making the effort to connect with Phoebe, and she thought that finally...they would all be okay.
~~~
"Piper?"
"Hmmm," Piper breathed, opening her sleep-filled eyes to see her husband kneeling on the floor, next to the bed. Wait, bed?
"Leo?" she asked fuzzily, trying to wake up properly.
"Yeah."
"What am I doing in bed?" Hey, wasn't *Cole* in their bed? Her eyes open fully, Piper took in her surroundings.
"Yeah," she heard Leo reply again. "But you were tired, and fell asleep, so I orbed you here. You slept straight through 'til morning."
She was in Phoebe's room...in Phoebe's bed. Was that why she had dreamt of Phoebe? She could still remember that day...and how pleased Phoebe had been that they had thought of her, and bought her that necklace.
"Well," she told him. "Thank you for letting me sleep, but you know you shouldn't have. We have a lot to do, and -"
"Piper," Leo interrupted, his hand cupping her cheek. "You needed the rest...okay?"
"Okay," she agreed, leaning up as Leo came forward, and sharing a long, comforting kiss with her husband. "But," she said when she pulled back. "I could do with a shower."
Leo gave her a devilish smile. "Well, since you're not busy and I'm not busy...what do you say we conserve water and...I'll scrub your back?"
Piper grinned, licking her upper lip. "Why, Mr Wyatt...I say I like that idea just fine."
****
"Hey," Prue greeted her sister, smiling as Piper walked into her room.
"Good morning," Piper said happily, her face practically glowing.
"Piper?" Prue asked cautiously.
"What?" Piper replied, trying to act as if she didn't know what Prue meant. The pretense was shattered when Leo walked in, his face wearing the same expression as Piper.
"Ohh," Prue breathed, a mischievous smile turning up the corners of her mouth as she guessed exactly what the two of them had been up to. "*Good* morning."
"Very good," Piper agreed, wrapping an arm around Leo's waist and squeezing gently as her husband pulled her in to lean on him.
"Yeah," Prue managed, trying not to laugh. "Erm...okay, so what's on the agenda for today?"
"Well, I've been thinking about that," Piper said, completely serious now. "We still have two innocent witches in danger, right?"
"Uh huh," Prue replied. "Why?"
"Well...if tonight is the time we're going to be meeting up with the new evil that's supposedly the biggest and baddest yet, we have to make sure that we're completely focused. We can't have those witches running around...it not only could get them killed, but us as well."
"Yeah, but I don't think this guy is even interested in them...they were just a ploy to get the attention of Cole, and later access to him, to put him in a situation that he could be poisoned."
"Right," Leo said, in answer to Prue, but nodding as he got what Piper meant. "But that doesn't mean that he won't take advantage of the fact that they're there, and kill them just because."
"Damn," Prue groaned. "I didn't even think of that."
"Cut yourself some slack, Prue. We've been through a lot this last year...more so lately," Piper said softly.
"So what do you propose?" Leo continued gently, trying to get the conversation back on track before it upset the sisters any more.
"I was thinking...you know that guy that Cole saved the other day, the witch?"
"John?"
"Right," Piper pointed at Leo. "He said that he had a safe place to stay, right? Well, I was thinking that you could go to the witches - they have Whitelighters, right? - good. You could go to their Whitelighters then, let them know the danger if they don't already, and then take them to wherever John is. I doubt this guy is going to be interested in looking for these witches, not when he's got us instead."
"Piper, that's a great idea," Leo told her, smiling widely at her.
"Yeah, nice one, Piper," Prue agreed.
"Well, I'll go and find John...make sure it's okay where he is. You ladies will be okay?"
"Sure, honey," Piper answered for them both. "Just hurry back, okay?"
Leo nodded, dropping a kiss onto Piper's lips, and then orbing away, leaving the two woman alone.
***
~~~ Damnit, why did she have to come here, now? Cole thought bitterly, looking at the woman standing in his apartment, her dark eyes brimming with tears.
"I was just so angry and I said such horrible things to them and I-I-I didn't really mean any of it," she told him, stumbling slightly in her effort of relaying to him the awful fight she had just had with her sisters. What she didn't know, was that Cole was already fully aware of what was happening with the Halliwells...because he had engineered it.
His hand reached out to gently touch her shoulder before he could stop it, and she quickly turned at the touch, hugging him almost desperately.
"I'm sorry," she managed.
"Please. Let me get you a tissue. Here," he said, sitting her down on the couch, making sure her back was to the closed alter behind her. He had spotted exactly what he needed, and he walked over to it.
"The things that were said - I don't even know where they were coming from," she sighed next, unaware of him now opening the secret alter door. "I mean, I guess there were issues, you know -" she continued, still oblivious as he reached inside the cupboard, drawing out a dagger. " - That were underlying, that were never really dealt with, and then they all of a sudden just exploded."
"Nothing like that ever happened before?" Cole asked, trying to center himself for the task ahead, closing the alter up gently.
"Oh no, not like that," Phoebe assured him. "I mean, we used to fight all the time when we were little, you know."
Cole didn't...he'd never had siblings, unless one counted the demon brethren he had been raised and trained with - and usually, if two had such a disagreement, one of them didn't survive the ensuing 'discussion'.
He started towards Phoebe, the knife in his hand.
"But since we moved in together, we just, we got really close, you know."
He did...he had reports from the demon community going back to when they had received their powers, unlocked by their grandmother's death. He knew that one of their greatest strengths was their bond as sisters - because it was also one of their greatest weaknesses. He slowly slipped the knife in his belt, then sat down beside her.
"We have been through so much together," she went on, touching his face gently, her gaze on him as she focused on the present. "Thank you for listening to me," she told him suddenly, "and thank you for being there for me."
Oh, Phoebe, his mind cried, his entire being warring with itself. Belthazor fought to regain dominance, to finish the task he'd come here to complete. Cole fought to warn Phoebe, to save her from himself.
He tried to ignore it all as they kissed, but he had no time to savor the feeling of her full, beautiful lips on his, as his demon half wrested control, his hand reaching down to grab the knife from his belt. His arm raised, his hand squeezing the handle of the knife so tightly that his fingers cramped, seemingly ready to deliver the death blow - when he couldn't. His human half seemed to reassert control, dropping his arm and hiding the knife between the cushions of the couch they were seated on. He wouldn't do it. He pulled back from Phoebe quickly. Was it his imagination, or was her gaze slightly suspicious? No matter. He had to end this...now.
"I can't. I can't," he repeated.
"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, her eyes half-lidded at the pleasure they'd just shared, and clearly thinking that Cole was talking about the kiss.
His eyes took in her face, moving down her body, before returning to her lips...they looked impossibly full, stained a dark red, not from the lipstick she wore earlier, but from him, his mouth, their passion. He stood quickly, tearing his eyes away.
"Phoebe, you need to go home. Now."
Phoebe stood now, hurt at his words. "What? Why?"
Cole fished for an excuse, unable to stand the expression on her beautiful features. "Because you're vulnerable right now," he told her, the lie springing easily to his lips. She was vulnerable...but not to their feelings. "I know we shouldn't do this. You need to go home. You need to go and figure out what happened."
Go, Phoebe, he thought. Before Belthazor wins.
Phoebe didn't seem to sense his internal struggle, instead smiling a little at his thoughtfulness. "You're right," she agreed. "I do."
He walked her over to the door, trying to mask how eager he was for her to be gone.
"Thank you."
He couldn't help it...he lowered his head and fitted his mouth to hers, kissing her with everything he, *Cole,* felt.
He sensed when the demon Andras appeared, but gave no sign.
"You're welcome," he said instead, watching as she left.
Then he turned, facing Andras. Well, this was going to take some explaining. ~~~ Lost in a feverish state, Cole still smiled inwardly, the memories of Phoebe a cool, calming balm to his mind and body as he continued to dream. ~~~ He slowly slipped the knife in his belt, then sat down beside her.
"We have been through so much together," she went on, touching his face gently, her gaze on him as she focused on the present. "Thank you for listening to me," she told him suddenly, "and thank you for being there for me."
Oh, Phoebe, his mind cried, his entire being warring with itself. Belthazor fought to regain dominance, to finish the task he'd come here to complete. Cole fought to warn Phoebe, to save her from himself.
He tried to ignore it all as they kissed, but he had no time to savor the feeling of her full, beautiful lips on his, as his demon half wrested control, his hand reaching down to grab the knife from his belt. His arm raised, his hand squeezing the handle of the knife so tightly that his fingers cramped, seemingly ready to deliver the death blow - when he couldn't. His human half seemed to reassert control, dropping his arm and hiding the knife between the cushions of the couch they were seated on. He wouldn't do it. He pulled back from Phoebe quickly. Was it his imagination, or was her gaze slightly suspicious? No matter. He had to end this...now.
"I can't. I can't," he repeated.
"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, her eyes half-lidded at the pleasure they'd just shared, and clearly thinking that Cole was talking about the kiss.
His eyes took in her face, moving down her body, before returning to her lips...they looked impossibly full, stained a dark red, not from the lipstick she wore earlier, but from him, his mouth, their passion. He stood quickly, tearing his eyes away.
"Phoebe, you need to go home. Now."
Phoebe stood now, hurt at his words. "What? Why?"
Cole fished for an excuse, unable to stand the expression on her beautiful features. "Because you're vulnerable right now," he told her, the lie springing easily to his lips. She was vulnerable...but not to their feelings. "I know we shouldn't do this. You need to go home. You need to go and figure out what happened."
Go, Phoebe, he thought. Before Belthazor wins.
Phoebe didn't seem to sense his internal struggle, instead smiling a little at his thoughtfulness. "You're right," she agreed. "I do."
He walked her over to the door, trying to mask how eager he was for her to be gone.
"Thank you."
He couldn't help it...he lowered his head and fitted his mouth to hers, kissing her with everything he, *Cole,* felt.
But he wasn't really Cole, was he?
Suddenly everything changed, and Cole felt himself do so as well, growing, transforming into Belthazor. The rage and absolute fury pulsing through his system were a high, and he towered over his unfortunate victim.
Phoebe screamed, desperately scrambling for the door, trying everything she could to escape Belthazor's clutches. It was no use. The big red demon grabbed her by her delicate throat, squeezing it between his taloned fingers.
"Cole," she gasped, clutching and clawing at his hands. "How - this - ah! - this isn't you!"
A confused expression swept over the face in front of her, the pitch black eyes narrowing, seemingly in thought. Then the features changed, paling and shifting until the face was Cole's once more. The pressure on her throat lessened, but stayed at the edge of painful.
"Cole?" she croaked, her vision darkening.
"You're wrong," he suddenly snarled viciously. "This *is* me."
And with a mighty jerk of his arm, he brought the knife he still held - when had he picked that back up? - and swung it down, impaling her chest with the wicked blade, feeling it sink into her flesh, catching on bone. She choked and gurgled as her life ebbed from her body, blood pouring from her wound and mouth, as Cole raised the knife, letting it fall again, and again, and again....
~~~
Still lost in a feverish state, Cole screamed.
****
~~~~
With a sigh that she felt right down to her toes, Prue wondered why. Why her life had turned out the way that it had. A few weeks ago, she had been a successful business woman, a great - if slightly frustrating at times - job at a well known auction house, and a fiance, who, while not the most exciting person alive, still loved her. Or so she'd thought.
Because all of a sudden that had changed.
Her Grams had died, leaving her to help manage the household. She had gotten these...strange *powers*, that she still wasn't sure she believed in. Her job had begun to get in the way of her being a witch...and the man she'd thought had loved her, had turned out to be nothing more than a spineless, manipulative bastard, who had only been using her to further his own ambitions.
Her life was a joke, she mused bitterly. Everything turned on its head, completely changed...how was she supposed to accept this?
"Prue?"
With a speed she didn't even know she was capable of, Prue was on her feet, her hand raised as her eyes narrowed. "Phoebe?" she realized, thankfully before she'd tried to defend herself. "What are you doing up?"
Phoebe shrugged, shuffling further into the living room, the bottoms of her baggy PJs rasping along the floor as she moved.
"Couldn't sleep," she answered. "Hey, I see you've gotten the hang of that power."
Prue took a second to look at herself, slowly lowering her arm. "Couldn't sleep either. And yeah, well...something tells me that now...we'll be needing to."
"I hear ya," Phoebe smiled, coming to sit on the couch next to Prue. "So...what's really keeping you awake?"
Prue sighed, realizing that even after all this time away, even after all of the unpleasantness that seemed to explode between them, Phoebe was as perceptive as ever.
"What *isn't* keeping me awake," she tried to kid. "Everything has changed, Phoebe. I'm a *witch.* I have...powers, and the ability to cast spells...plus, if things keep going the way they are, I'm going to lose my job because I'm too busy fighting demons...oh, and I'm probably going to die some crazy old lady with a few dozen cats...that is if I live that long. I mean, God...."
She fell silent, simply sitting there and staring at the few candles she had lit and placed carefully on the coffee table.
"You're not the only one, Prue," Phoebe finally said, her voice low and hesitant. "And I'm sorry that all of this crap has fallen on you, and that it's screwing your life up. But, honestly? I'm not sorry that I'm a witch...I may not have an active power, but...I think I can help."
She leaned forward in her seat, her eyes pinning Prue where she sat as her voice grew in excitement. "My whole life has been the opposite of yours, Prue. I've never been going anywhere...always just floating around, waiting for a new distraction. Now I have a direction...hell, it's practically a *calling.* Yes it's scary, and yes, I'm thinking it's going to be damn inconvenient at times, but... I'm going to fight evil, kick it's butt and save innocents...and I can't be sorry for that. It may not be the answer you were looking for...but it's the only one I have."
Prue shook her head slowly, for the first time since her return looking, really *seeing* her sister. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sparkling in the low light being thrown by the burning candles...and she looked alive. And Prue was forced to admit that she hadn't looked at this whole thing in those terms. So what if she'd finally found out the truth about the lying toad she'd been engaged to...at least she knew his true colors now. Who cared if she did grow old as a spinster. She still had her sisters.
"I never thought of it that way," she told Phoebe, her voice lightening slightly. "I think you're right."
They shared a grin at this moment of connection, only turning away when footsteps on the stairs caught their attention.
"I heard voices...what are you guys doing up?" Piper asked, her long, dark hair resting on her shoulders, but her bangs sticking up in a classic 'woken from sound sleep' position.
"Um...nothing," Prue chuckled, feeling the vibration of Phoebe giggling beside her.
Piper just looked confused, throwing up a hand. "Fine," she groused, coming over to the two. "Wake a girl up in the middle of the night, and *don't* tell her what's going on." Then she jumped down on the couch, aiming for the middle position, and nearly flattening her sisters in the process.
"Piper!" Prue and Phoebe chorused, the three of them dissolving into laughter, each jockeying for a place, all three of them smiling widely.
It was okay, Prue finally thought, while she watched the other two women mock-fight. We're together, Grams, mom. We'll keep the line safe.
And it may have been her imagination, but she swore she could feel a slight breeze, caressing her skin and ruffling her hair, smelling of her Grams' favorite perfume.
~~~~
Prue woke slowly, a nice, gentle process that was calm and comforting, not like the panic fueled alertness of late.
Her eye caught the clock next to her bed, seeing that she had actually slept through until morning, not the nap that she'd originally planned. Wow, she thought. I must have needed that. She stretched, a groan finding its way out of her mouth. Time for a shower, she decided. As she stood, she reflected on her dream.
"Thanks, Pheebs," she whispered.
****
"Hey, Leo," she greeted later, walking into Piper and Leo's room.
"Hi," Leo said quietly, straightening up in the chair he was sitting in. "How did you sleep?"
"Good," Prue answered, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips. "And a *lot* longer than I was supposed to. I thought Piper was going to wake me up?"
Leo gave an embarrassed look. "Yeah, um...she was going to. But she kind of fell asleep herself. I decided not to wake her, and orbed her into Phoebe's room."
"Ah." Prue understood, and she gave Leo a grateful smile. "Well, I happen to know my sister will be very cranky if she's left to sleep too long. Why don't you go wake her."
Leo nodded, getting up from the chair and leaving the room, his hand briefly resting on Prue's shoulder as he passed. Prue placed her hand on top of his, squeezing it gently before she went to see Cole.
As soon as she knew that she was alone, Prue let her dismay at Cole's condition show, a small sigh forcing it's way past her lips.
Even yesterday had been a vast improvement on him, his skin so pale now that it was almost translucent. The black vein-like lines that had shown up around his initial wound, had snaked their way up his arms, now spreading across his bare chest and neck, starting up his face. The stubble on his jaw and cheeks looked almost jet black against the sickly pallor of his face, a faint sheen of perspiration laying all over his face and upper body. He didn't even appear to be breathing, and she rushed over suddenly, placing her hand on his chest.
"C'mon," she whispered.
Her efforts were rewarded when she felt the slight lift and fall of his chest, and she let out another sigh, this one of relief. She fell on to the bed, sitting with her shoulders slumped. Almost as if on auto-pilot, she then picked up his hand, absently playing with the limp fingers.
"Cole," she started. "I'm, er...I'm not sure that you can hear me. Or if I should be saying this, even if you can't, but...you have to fight. I know we haven't really seen eye to eye a lot...and I know that with Phoebe gone, you might not feel like there's anything left for you here. But we need you. Not just as a part of the 'good fight,' either," she realized. "We need you, because you're a connection to Phoebe. You saw a Phoebe that we didn't...and I want to know *all* about her."
She leaned closer to him, no longer trying to keep the tremor from her voice. "I want *you* to tell me all about her, Cole. So you *have* to get better...because we have come too far, and fought too long to let it finish this way. So you just get well."
She stopped speaking, knowing that she had said all that she could at this point. There was no reaction, but Prue somehow felt that he had heard her anyway.
**** ~~~~
"Prue!" Piper's voice rang out over the hustle and bustle of the lively market. "Look at this."
Prue swiftly moved over to her sister and her latest find, not noticing as Phoebe reluctantly trailed behind.
"Oh...it's gorgeous," she said, admiring the way that the light caught the gems set in the delicate looking bracelet, causing many beautiful colors to reflect in a dappled pattern on her sister's face.
"Hey," Piper mock-complained, shielding her eyes. "Watch it."
"Sorry," Prue apologized absently. "Look at this...."
"Yeah," Piper agreed when her sister trailed off. "You know," she said next in a thoughtful tone, "you'd think that someone who spent their entire day cataloging relics would pick somethin' a little different to do with their time off."
Once again the two sisters failed to notice Phoebe's expression, as the youngest Halliwell watched their interaction closely, if a little wistfully.
"C'mon, don't you think it's fascinating? I mean...each one of these pieces has a story, a history...it's up to us to remember, to preserve...to appreciate. To -"
"Yeah, okay, I get your point!" Piper smiled, holding up a hand to stop the flow of words. "After all, if I can get all excited by recipes and the like, then you have every right to like enjoy what you will."
After a moment of silence, Phoebe spoke up. "So, " she said brightly. "Are you going to get it?"
Prue jumped jumped slightly, as if just realizing that she was there, and Piper didn't miss the look on Phoebe's face. "Pheebs?"
The younger woman smiled, trying to dismiss the expression of dismay she knew had shown. "It's nothin', just...kind of felt like you guys had forgotten I was here, that's all."
"That isn't true, Phoebe," Piper quickly said. "It's just...well, Prue and I have been making these weekend trips to the market for a couple of months now, whenever we got the chance, and then more often after Grams died...before we got our...gifts. We just have to get used to you coming with, that's all."
"Yeah," Prue put in. "That's all."
Piper could tell that her sister wasn't completely convinced, and her heart ached for a moment. "Look, Pheebs," she said as a distraction, pointing to a small oval shaped pendant, dangling from a slight, thin-looking chain. "Isn't it beautiful?"
Phoebe nodded, fingering the chain. "Yeah, it's...you know, it kind of reminds me of one I've seen mom wearing, in some of the pictures Grams showed us of her, from when Prue was little."
"It does?" Prue asked, looking at the jewelry closely. "Wow, I...I wouldn't have known."
Phoebe shrugged, moving off slightly. "I just remembered, that's all. Listen, I'm going to go look at the things over there...I'll just be a minute, okay?"
"Sure," Piper said quietly, watching as her sister walked away. When she looked back, she found Prue fiddling with her purse. "Prue?"
"Huh?" she asked, not looking up. "Oh, I just...she looked down, so I thought...."
Piper nodded, finishing Prue's sentence off in her mind. "I think it's a great idea," she smiled, reaching for her own purse. "As long as I pay half."
"Deal," Prue smiled, her gaze shifting off to the side, and Piper knew she was looking at Phoebe. She felt glad, she realized. Because it looked like Prue was really making the effort to connect with Phoebe, and she thought that finally...they would all be okay.
~~~
"Piper?"
"Hmmm," Piper breathed, opening her sleep-filled eyes to see her husband kneeling on the floor, next to the bed. Wait, bed?
"Leo?" she asked fuzzily, trying to wake up properly.
"Yeah."
"What am I doing in bed?" Hey, wasn't *Cole* in their bed? Her eyes open fully, Piper took in her surroundings.
"Yeah," she heard Leo reply again. "But you were tired, and fell asleep, so I orbed you here. You slept straight through 'til morning."
She was in Phoebe's room...in Phoebe's bed. Was that why she had dreamt of Phoebe? She could still remember that day...and how pleased Phoebe had been that they had thought of her, and bought her that necklace.
"Well," she told him. "Thank you for letting me sleep, but you know you shouldn't have. We have a lot to do, and -"
"Piper," Leo interrupted, his hand cupping her cheek. "You needed the rest...okay?"
"Okay," she agreed, leaning up as Leo came forward, and sharing a long, comforting kiss with her husband. "But," she said when she pulled back. "I could do with a shower."
Leo gave her a devilish smile. "Well, since you're not busy and I'm not busy...what do you say we conserve water and...I'll scrub your back?"
Piper grinned, licking her upper lip. "Why, Mr Wyatt...I say I like that idea just fine."
****
"Hey," Prue greeted her sister, smiling as Piper walked into her room.
"Good morning," Piper said happily, her face practically glowing.
"Piper?" Prue asked cautiously.
"What?" Piper replied, trying to act as if she didn't know what Prue meant. The pretense was shattered when Leo walked in, his face wearing the same expression as Piper.
"Ohh," Prue breathed, a mischievous smile turning up the corners of her mouth as she guessed exactly what the two of them had been up to. "*Good* morning."
"Very good," Piper agreed, wrapping an arm around Leo's waist and squeezing gently as her husband pulled her in to lean on him.
"Yeah," Prue managed, trying not to laugh. "Erm...okay, so what's on the agenda for today?"
"Well, I've been thinking about that," Piper said, completely serious now. "We still have two innocent witches in danger, right?"
"Uh huh," Prue replied. "Why?"
"Well...if tonight is the time we're going to be meeting up with the new evil that's supposedly the biggest and baddest yet, we have to make sure that we're completely focused. We can't have those witches running around...it not only could get them killed, but us as well."
"Yeah, but I don't think this guy is even interested in them...they were just a ploy to get the attention of Cole, and later access to him, to put him in a situation that he could be poisoned."
"Right," Leo said, in answer to Prue, but nodding as he got what Piper meant. "But that doesn't mean that he won't take advantage of the fact that they're there, and kill them just because."
"Damn," Prue groaned. "I didn't even think of that."
"Cut yourself some slack, Prue. We've been through a lot this last year...more so lately," Piper said softly.
"So what do you propose?" Leo continued gently, trying to get the conversation back on track before it upset the sisters any more.
"I was thinking...you know that guy that Cole saved the other day, the witch?"
"John?"
"Right," Piper pointed at Leo. "He said that he had a safe place to stay, right? Well, I was thinking that you could go to the witches - they have Whitelighters, right? - good. You could go to their Whitelighters then, let them know the danger if they don't already, and then take them to wherever John is. I doubt this guy is going to be interested in looking for these witches, not when he's got us instead."
"Piper, that's a great idea," Leo told her, smiling widely at her.
"Yeah, nice one, Piper," Prue agreed.
"Well, I'll go and find John...make sure it's okay where he is. You ladies will be okay?"
"Sure, honey," Piper answered for them both. "Just hurry back, okay?"
Leo nodded, dropping a kiss onto Piper's lips, and then orbing away, leaving the two woman alone.
***
~~~ Damnit, why did she have to come here, now? Cole thought bitterly, looking at the woman standing in his apartment, her dark eyes brimming with tears.
"I was just so angry and I said such horrible things to them and I-I-I didn't really mean any of it," she told him, stumbling slightly in her effort of relaying to him the awful fight she had just had with her sisters. What she didn't know, was that Cole was already fully aware of what was happening with the Halliwells...because he had engineered it.
His hand reached out to gently touch her shoulder before he could stop it, and she quickly turned at the touch, hugging him almost desperately.
"I'm sorry," she managed.
"Please. Let me get you a tissue. Here," he said, sitting her down on the couch, making sure her back was to the closed alter behind her. He had spotted exactly what he needed, and he walked over to it.
"The things that were said - I don't even know where they were coming from," she sighed next, unaware of him now opening the secret alter door. "I mean, I guess there were issues, you know -" she continued, still oblivious as he reached inside the cupboard, drawing out a dagger. " - That were underlying, that were never really dealt with, and then they all of a sudden just exploded."
"Nothing like that ever happened before?" Cole asked, trying to center himself for the task ahead, closing the alter up gently.
"Oh no, not like that," Phoebe assured him. "I mean, we used to fight all the time when we were little, you know."
Cole didn't...he'd never had siblings, unless one counted the demon brethren he had been raised and trained with - and usually, if two had such a disagreement, one of them didn't survive the ensuing 'discussion'.
He started towards Phoebe, the knife in his hand.
"But since we moved in together, we just, we got really close, you know."
He did...he had reports from the demon community going back to when they had received their powers, unlocked by their grandmother's death. He knew that one of their greatest strengths was their bond as sisters - because it was also one of their greatest weaknesses. He slowly slipped the knife in his belt, then sat down beside her.
"We have been through so much together," she went on, touching his face gently, her gaze on him as she focused on the present. "Thank you for listening to me," she told him suddenly, "and thank you for being there for me."
Oh, Phoebe, his mind cried, his entire being warring with itself. Belthazor fought to regain dominance, to finish the task he'd come here to complete. Cole fought to warn Phoebe, to save her from himself.
He tried to ignore it all as they kissed, but he had no time to savor the feeling of her full, beautiful lips on his, as his demon half wrested control, his hand reaching down to grab the knife from his belt. His arm raised, his hand squeezing the handle of the knife so tightly that his fingers cramped, seemingly ready to deliver the death blow - when he couldn't. His human half seemed to reassert control, dropping his arm and hiding the knife between the cushions of the couch they were seated on. He wouldn't do it. He pulled back from Phoebe quickly. Was it his imagination, or was her gaze slightly suspicious? No matter. He had to end this...now.
"I can't. I can't," he repeated.
"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, her eyes half-lidded at the pleasure they'd just shared, and clearly thinking that Cole was talking about the kiss.
His eyes took in her face, moving down her body, before returning to her lips...they looked impossibly full, stained a dark red, not from the lipstick she wore earlier, but from him, his mouth, their passion. He stood quickly, tearing his eyes away.
"Phoebe, you need to go home. Now."
Phoebe stood now, hurt at his words. "What? Why?"
Cole fished for an excuse, unable to stand the expression on her beautiful features. "Because you're vulnerable right now," he told her, the lie springing easily to his lips. She was vulnerable...but not to their feelings. "I know we shouldn't do this. You need to go home. You need to go and figure out what happened."
Go, Phoebe, he thought. Before Belthazor wins.
Phoebe didn't seem to sense his internal struggle, instead smiling a little at his thoughtfulness. "You're right," she agreed. "I do."
He walked her over to the door, trying to mask how eager he was for her to be gone.
"Thank you."
He couldn't help it...he lowered his head and fitted his mouth to hers, kissing her with everything he, *Cole,* felt.
He sensed when the demon Andras appeared, but gave no sign.
"You're welcome," he said instead, watching as she left.
Then he turned, facing Andras. Well, this was going to take some explaining. ~~~ Lost in a feverish state, Cole still smiled inwardly, the memories of Phoebe a cool, calming balm to his mind and body as he continued to dream. ~~~ He slowly slipped the knife in his belt, then sat down beside her.
"We have been through so much together," she went on, touching his face gently, her gaze on him as she focused on the present. "Thank you for listening to me," she told him suddenly, "and thank you for being there for me."
Oh, Phoebe, his mind cried, his entire being warring with itself. Belthazor fought to regain dominance, to finish the task he'd come here to complete. Cole fought to warn Phoebe, to save her from himself.
He tried to ignore it all as they kissed, but he had no time to savor the feeling of her full, beautiful lips on his, as his demon half wrested control, his hand reaching down to grab the knife from his belt. His arm raised, his hand squeezing the handle of the knife so tightly that his fingers cramped, seemingly ready to deliver the death blow - when he couldn't. His human half seemed to reassert control, dropping his arm and hiding the knife between the cushions of the couch they were seated on. He wouldn't do it. He pulled back from Phoebe quickly. Was it his imagination, or was her gaze slightly suspicious? No matter. He had to end this...now.
"I can't. I can't," he repeated.
"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked, her eyes half-lidded at the pleasure they'd just shared, and clearly thinking that Cole was talking about the kiss.
His eyes took in her face, moving down her body, before returning to her lips...they looked impossibly full, stained a dark red, not from the lipstick she wore earlier, but from him, his mouth, their passion. He stood quickly, tearing his eyes away.
"Phoebe, you need to go home. Now."
Phoebe stood now, hurt at his words. "What? Why?"
Cole fished for an excuse, unable to stand the expression on her beautiful features. "Because you're vulnerable right now," he told her, the lie springing easily to his lips. She was vulnerable...but not to their feelings. "I know we shouldn't do this. You need to go home. You need to go and figure out what happened."
Go, Phoebe, he thought. Before Belthazor wins.
Phoebe didn't seem to sense his internal struggle, instead smiling a little at his thoughtfulness. "You're right," she agreed. "I do."
He walked her over to the door, trying to mask how eager he was for her to be gone.
"Thank you."
He couldn't help it...he lowered his head and fitted his mouth to hers, kissing her with everything he, *Cole,* felt.
But he wasn't really Cole, was he?
Suddenly everything changed, and Cole felt himself do so as well, growing, transforming into Belthazor. The rage and absolute fury pulsing through his system were a high, and he towered over his unfortunate victim.
Phoebe screamed, desperately scrambling for the door, trying everything she could to escape Belthazor's clutches. It was no use. The big red demon grabbed her by her delicate throat, squeezing it between his taloned fingers.
"Cole," she gasped, clutching and clawing at his hands. "How - this - ah! - this isn't you!"
A confused expression swept over the face in front of her, the pitch black eyes narrowing, seemingly in thought. Then the features changed, paling and shifting until the face was Cole's once more. The pressure on her throat lessened, but stayed at the edge of painful.
"Cole?" she croaked, her vision darkening.
"You're wrong," he suddenly snarled viciously. "This *is* me."
And with a mighty jerk of his arm, he brought the knife he still held - when had he picked that back up? - and swung it down, impaling her chest with the wicked blade, feeling it sink into her flesh, catching on bone. She choked and gurgled as her life ebbed from her body, blood pouring from her wound and mouth, as Cole raised the knife, letting it fall again, and again, and again....
~~~
Still lost in a feverish state, Cole screamed.
****
