Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, don't sue me.
A/N: It's been weird how for the last few chapters, I've been getting only a few reviews. And then suddenly. . .they all hit me at once. Thanks to those of you that did review. And you too Barb - I think you've reviewed every single chapter - I appreciate it.
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"I still don't see why we're looking in the Book of Shadows." Paige said from the couch, as she toyed playfully with Wyatt, who was seated attentively on her lap.
"We have no other leads." Piper said, rifling through the book. "And besides, better safe than sorry. If we find out after everything that all we needed was right in front of us. . ." She trailed off. The three sisters, Wyatt and Cole were all seated casually in the attic, patiently doing their best to come up with a plan. Cole, who was on the couch beside Paige, grinned at Wyatt, who giggled in reply. The sisters all looked up at Cole, who shrugged in his own defence.
"What?" He questioned innocently. His eyes met Phoebe's, and she gave him a half smile.
"Nothing." She spoke for the three of them, as they quickly turned away.
"Can I hold him?" Cole asked. Phoebe and Paige glanced at Piper, who looked up at Cole. Her first instinct was to say no. But remembering the conversation they had had the previous day, she gave him a half smile.
"Sure." She replied. Cole willingly took Wyatt as Paige held him out.
"How old is he now?" Cole asked, taking Wyatt's hand in his own.
"Just under two years." Piper replied.
"And still hasn't learned how to walk." Phoebe added, leaning over the couch and tickling Wyatt, who gave a squeal of delight.
"Stop teasing him." Piper said with a smile. "He'll get there." The doorbell interrupted them.
"I'll get it." Phoebe said, hurrying downstairs. When she reached the foyer, she unlocked the front door and swung it open. Her eyes grew wide. "Jason. Hey." She said, breathing in deeply.
"Hey." He said, noticing her awkwardness. "Elise said you called in sick. . .I just wanted to stop by and see if you're okay." Phoebe gave him a forced smile. She coughed.
"I'm fine. Just not feeling up to scratch." She coughed again.
"Phoebe I--" Cole stopped halfway down the stairs when he spotted Jason. Phoebe grimaced as she turned to look at Cole, and then turned again to face Jason. Jason frowned. It may have looked extremely suspicious, if not for the fact that Piper came jogging down the stairs a moment later, almost colliding with Cole.
"What's the hold up?" She questioned, before her eyes fell on the scene before her. She immediately felt the awkwardness of the situation. Phoebe met her eyes, and silently pleaded with her to say something. "Jason, hey. . ." She began slowly. Her mind was searching for an explanation. "That's right, you haven't met Cole yet." She grabbed Cole's arm and pulled him down the stairs. "My boyfriend." She added with a plastered grin.
"Your--" Cole started incredulously as Piper pushed him to the front door. She squeezed his arm to silence him.
"Isn't it great how I've moved on so fast?" She said quickly. Phoebe's mouth hung open slightly, as she glanced at Jason, who nodded, slightly uncomfortably.
"Sure." He said to Piper. "Jason Dean." He held out his hand to Cole, who with a subtle glare at Piper, accepted it.
"Cole Turner." He said. "Piper's boyfriend." He added, glancing at Phoebe with a horrified look.
"Yeah. . .I got that." Jason said slowly. He turned back to Phoebe. "So you're feeling alright?"
"Yeah." Phoebe managed to recover.
"So you'll be in for work tomorrow?" Jason questioned, trying to ignore Cole and Piper's presence.
"I. . ." Phoebe paused and glanced at Cole. "Maybe. We'll see." She said with a smile.
"Right." Jason said, glancing at Piper uncomfortably. "I have to get back to work. . .I'll call you." He said. He leaned in towards her, but stopped as Cole cleared his throat. Piper elbowed him.
"Sorry." Cole apologised. He rubbed his throat. "I must be catching something."
"I'll talk to you later." Phoebe said, giving Jason an apologetic look and closing the door. "What was that?" She hissed.
"It was the only thing I could think of!" Piper said defensively.
"Not that! The clearing of the throat!" She shouted at Cole. He gave her a wry smile.
"Your sickness must be contagious." He said. Piper smirked. He rounded on her. "Your boyfriend?" He asked disbelievingly.
"Who's your boyfriend?" Paige asked, descending the stairs with Wyatt in her arms.
"Me!" Cole said loudly.
"What?" Paige asked, wide eyed.
"Not for real!" Piper said, rolling her eyes. "That's just what we told Jason."
"Oh." Paige said, relieved. She frowned as she reached the foyer. "Why didn't you just tell the truth?"
"What? That he's the ex-boyfriend who beat me up. . .and then disappeared?" Phoebe asked.
"Excuse me?" Cole interrupted.
"Oh boy." Piper muttered.
"I beat you up?" He asked loudly.
"What did you want me to say?" Phoebe shouted. "That you tried to kill me? Turn me evil? Huh? HUH!?"
"I thought we were past this. You said we were past this!" Cole replied.
"No I didn't!" Phoebe retorted. "I said it was a long time ago!"
"Alright!" Piper intervened. She turned to Phoebe. "I couldn't find anything in the Book, so try and figure out how to find these. . .people." She said, changing the subject hastily. "And you." She said, turning to face Cole. "Are going to tell me everything you remember. Everything." She then gave him fake, seductive grin. "Honey bun." Cole glared at her, before his eyes met Phoebe's. They both turned away, and Phoebe headed up the stairs to the attic, whilst Cole turned and followed Piper into the kitchen.
"Fum!" Wyatt gurgled. Paige frowned as she looked down at him.
"Fun?" She asked. Wyatt waved his hands and smiled. "No, not fun." She said softly. "Entertaining, yes. But not fun."
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Phoebe shuffled through the spells she had retrieved from the book. None of them looked helpful in the least, and she sighed. They were running out of ideas, and the tension brought on by the morning's events hadn't helped much, either. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and murmured softly to herself. How could they find them? Would they just have to wait? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the attic door. She looked up to find Cole standing in the doorway.
"Am I interrupting you?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied coldly. He didn't seem to take offence to this, and turned to leave. "Cole." Phoebe called out to him after a moment. "Wait." He turned to face her again, frowning slightly. "I wasn't getting anywhere anyway." Phoebe said, gathering the pieces of paper into a pile. She stood up as Cole entered the room, almost cautiously.
"I thought we should talk about what happened." He said. Phoebe only nodded, picking up the paper and turning her back on him as she reached the book of shadows. "I overreacted. I'm sorry." He said softly. "You needed an explanation about me, and you found one. Better than I deserved. . ."
"No." Phoebe said, placing the paper in the book and shutting it. She turned to face him. "I don't know why I told him that. I think some part of me still resented you. . ." Cole looked down at the floor and nodded.
"Okay." He said after a moment.
"You didn't deserve it. To have people judging you for something that didn't happen. . ."
"Better than people judging me for everything that did happen." Cole said. "I deserve worse." Phoebe started to say something, but he intervened. "Don't." He said. "I knew that I had hurt you. . .I. . ." He paused and swallowed, and Phoebe felt a lump rise to her throat as she could see the pain visible on his features, ". . .I just didn't realise how much." He let out a breath and glanced at the Book of Shadows. "Have you come up with an idea?" He asked, changing the subject. Phoebe looked at him for a moment, wondering which of his comments she should reply to.
"Not yet." She said softly. Cole nodded. The room was filled with silence. Cole turned to leave. He paused.
"Why didn't you tell me about him?" He asked. And Phoebe didn't have to ask to know whom he was talking about. Jason.
"You never asked." Phoebe replied, knowing that it was a lie.
"That doesn't mean I didn't want to know." Cole replied.
"Then you should have asked." Phoebe said, with a half smile. Cole gave her a look, his eyebrows raised, and Phoebe realised that she wasn't capable of hiding it from him. "I didn't know how to tell you." She said finally. Cole shook his head.
"Why not?" He asked. She looked at him, and realised that she didn't know how to answer him.
"Don't ask me that." She said, looking away. Cole chose to acknowledge her request and nodded. He headed to the hallway, and stopped in the doorway, his hand on the frame. Without turning to look at her, he spoke.
"Do you love him?" He asked softly. Phoebe hesitated, contemplating how to answer.
"Yes." She replied. Honest or not, it was the only answer that made sense. Cole looked at the ground in front of him, and Phoebe noticed his head drop slightly, as he walked away, his footsteps reverberating on the floor. Cole laid a hand on the staircase banister and breathed in deeply. There. That was the proof he needed that she had moved on. He had always known it. But he had hoped differently. And now he was trying his best not to read into her hesitation - but it had seemed like a lifetime. And that was definitely a good thing.
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Now I'm hoping I'll get a few more reviews. Please let me know if you are reading - you don't have to write much. I just need that people are there. Flames are welcome.
A/N: It's been weird how for the last few chapters, I've been getting only a few reviews. And then suddenly. . .they all hit me at once. Thanks to those of you that did review. And you too Barb - I think you've reviewed every single chapter - I appreciate it.
* * * * *
"I still don't see why we're looking in the Book of Shadows." Paige said from the couch, as she toyed playfully with Wyatt, who was seated attentively on her lap.
"We have no other leads." Piper said, rifling through the book. "And besides, better safe than sorry. If we find out after everything that all we needed was right in front of us. . ." She trailed off. The three sisters, Wyatt and Cole were all seated casually in the attic, patiently doing their best to come up with a plan. Cole, who was on the couch beside Paige, grinned at Wyatt, who giggled in reply. The sisters all looked up at Cole, who shrugged in his own defence.
"What?" He questioned innocently. His eyes met Phoebe's, and she gave him a half smile.
"Nothing." She spoke for the three of them, as they quickly turned away.
"Can I hold him?" Cole asked. Phoebe and Paige glanced at Piper, who looked up at Cole. Her first instinct was to say no. But remembering the conversation they had had the previous day, she gave him a half smile.
"Sure." She replied. Cole willingly took Wyatt as Paige held him out.
"How old is he now?" Cole asked, taking Wyatt's hand in his own.
"Just under two years." Piper replied.
"And still hasn't learned how to walk." Phoebe added, leaning over the couch and tickling Wyatt, who gave a squeal of delight.
"Stop teasing him." Piper said with a smile. "He'll get there." The doorbell interrupted them.
"I'll get it." Phoebe said, hurrying downstairs. When she reached the foyer, she unlocked the front door and swung it open. Her eyes grew wide. "Jason. Hey." She said, breathing in deeply.
"Hey." He said, noticing her awkwardness. "Elise said you called in sick. . .I just wanted to stop by and see if you're okay." Phoebe gave him a forced smile. She coughed.
"I'm fine. Just not feeling up to scratch." She coughed again.
"Phoebe I--" Cole stopped halfway down the stairs when he spotted Jason. Phoebe grimaced as she turned to look at Cole, and then turned again to face Jason. Jason frowned. It may have looked extremely suspicious, if not for the fact that Piper came jogging down the stairs a moment later, almost colliding with Cole.
"What's the hold up?" She questioned, before her eyes fell on the scene before her. She immediately felt the awkwardness of the situation. Phoebe met her eyes, and silently pleaded with her to say something. "Jason, hey. . ." She began slowly. Her mind was searching for an explanation. "That's right, you haven't met Cole yet." She grabbed Cole's arm and pulled him down the stairs. "My boyfriend." She added with a plastered grin.
"Your--" Cole started incredulously as Piper pushed him to the front door. She squeezed his arm to silence him.
"Isn't it great how I've moved on so fast?" She said quickly. Phoebe's mouth hung open slightly, as she glanced at Jason, who nodded, slightly uncomfortably.
"Sure." He said to Piper. "Jason Dean." He held out his hand to Cole, who with a subtle glare at Piper, accepted it.
"Cole Turner." He said. "Piper's boyfriend." He added, glancing at Phoebe with a horrified look.
"Yeah. . .I got that." Jason said slowly. He turned back to Phoebe. "So you're feeling alright?"
"Yeah." Phoebe managed to recover.
"So you'll be in for work tomorrow?" Jason questioned, trying to ignore Cole and Piper's presence.
"I. . ." Phoebe paused and glanced at Cole. "Maybe. We'll see." She said with a smile.
"Right." Jason said, glancing at Piper uncomfortably. "I have to get back to work. . .I'll call you." He said. He leaned in towards her, but stopped as Cole cleared his throat. Piper elbowed him.
"Sorry." Cole apologised. He rubbed his throat. "I must be catching something."
"I'll talk to you later." Phoebe said, giving Jason an apologetic look and closing the door. "What was that?" She hissed.
"It was the only thing I could think of!" Piper said defensively.
"Not that! The clearing of the throat!" She shouted at Cole. He gave her a wry smile.
"Your sickness must be contagious." He said. Piper smirked. He rounded on her. "Your boyfriend?" He asked disbelievingly.
"Who's your boyfriend?" Paige asked, descending the stairs with Wyatt in her arms.
"Me!" Cole said loudly.
"What?" Paige asked, wide eyed.
"Not for real!" Piper said, rolling her eyes. "That's just what we told Jason."
"Oh." Paige said, relieved. She frowned as she reached the foyer. "Why didn't you just tell the truth?"
"What? That he's the ex-boyfriend who beat me up. . .and then disappeared?" Phoebe asked.
"Excuse me?" Cole interrupted.
"Oh boy." Piper muttered.
"I beat you up?" He asked loudly.
"What did you want me to say?" Phoebe shouted. "That you tried to kill me? Turn me evil? Huh? HUH!?"
"I thought we were past this. You said we were past this!" Cole replied.
"No I didn't!" Phoebe retorted. "I said it was a long time ago!"
"Alright!" Piper intervened. She turned to Phoebe. "I couldn't find anything in the Book, so try and figure out how to find these. . .people." She said, changing the subject hastily. "And you." She said, turning to face Cole. "Are going to tell me everything you remember. Everything." She then gave him fake, seductive grin. "Honey bun." Cole glared at her, before his eyes met Phoebe's. They both turned away, and Phoebe headed up the stairs to the attic, whilst Cole turned and followed Piper into the kitchen.
"Fum!" Wyatt gurgled. Paige frowned as she looked down at him.
"Fun?" She asked. Wyatt waved his hands and smiled. "No, not fun." She said softly. "Entertaining, yes. But not fun."
* * * * *
Phoebe shuffled through the spells she had retrieved from the book. None of them looked helpful in the least, and she sighed. They were running out of ideas, and the tension brought on by the morning's events hadn't helped much, either. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and murmured softly to herself. How could they find them? Would they just have to wait? Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the attic door. She looked up to find Cole standing in the doorway.
"Am I interrupting you?" He asked.
"Yes." She replied coldly. He didn't seem to take offence to this, and turned to leave. "Cole." Phoebe called out to him after a moment. "Wait." He turned to face her again, frowning slightly. "I wasn't getting anywhere anyway." Phoebe said, gathering the pieces of paper into a pile. She stood up as Cole entered the room, almost cautiously.
"I thought we should talk about what happened." He said. Phoebe only nodded, picking up the paper and turning her back on him as she reached the book of shadows. "I overreacted. I'm sorry." He said softly. "You needed an explanation about me, and you found one. Better than I deserved. . ."
"No." Phoebe said, placing the paper in the book and shutting it. She turned to face him. "I don't know why I told him that. I think some part of me still resented you. . ." Cole looked down at the floor and nodded.
"Okay." He said after a moment.
"You didn't deserve it. To have people judging you for something that didn't happen. . ."
"Better than people judging me for everything that did happen." Cole said. "I deserve worse." Phoebe started to say something, but he intervened. "Don't." He said. "I knew that I had hurt you. . .I. . ." He paused and swallowed, and Phoebe felt a lump rise to her throat as she could see the pain visible on his features, ". . .I just didn't realise how much." He let out a breath and glanced at the Book of Shadows. "Have you come up with an idea?" He asked, changing the subject. Phoebe looked at him for a moment, wondering which of his comments she should reply to.
"Not yet." She said softly. Cole nodded. The room was filled with silence. Cole turned to leave. He paused.
"Why didn't you tell me about him?" He asked. And Phoebe didn't have to ask to know whom he was talking about. Jason.
"You never asked." Phoebe replied, knowing that it was a lie.
"That doesn't mean I didn't want to know." Cole replied.
"Then you should have asked." Phoebe said, with a half smile. Cole gave her a look, his eyebrows raised, and Phoebe realised that she wasn't capable of hiding it from him. "I didn't know how to tell you." She said finally. Cole shook his head.
"Why not?" He asked. She looked at him, and realised that she didn't know how to answer him.
"Don't ask me that." She said, looking away. Cole chose to acknowledge her request and nodded. He headed to the hallway, and stopped in the doorway, his hand on the frame. Without turning to look at her, he spoke.
"Do you love him?" He asked softly. Phoebe hesitated, contemplating how to answer.
"Yes." She replied. Honest or not, it was the only answer that made sense. Cole looked at the ground in front of him, and Phoebe noticed his head drop slightly, as he walked away, his footsteps reverberating on the floor. Cole laid a hand on the staircase banister and breathed in deeply. There. That was the proof he needed that she had moved on. He had always known it. But he had hoped differently. And now he was trying his best not to read into her hesitation - but it had seemed like a lifetime. And that was definitely a good thing.
* * * * *
Now I'm hoping I'll get a few more reviews. Please let me know if you are reading - you don't have to write much. I just need that people are there. Flames are welcome.