Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, don't sue me.
Summary: Cole leaves San Francisco after the Season 4 final. Five years later, will fate step in (as it always does . . .) and throw us loyal Cole/Phoebe fanatics a bone? No demon action. Just soppiness to the max - it's what I do best.
Author's Note: Last chapter? Probably. I apologise for making it such a short story, but I find myself lacking time. I will come up with another story, one that will hopefully be worth the wait. Sorry again.
Thanks to those of you who did review any time at all throughout the process of this particular story. No joke, they meant a lot.
Watched the first episode of season 6 last night. . .I'm not sure how long I'll feel obligated to watch. We'll see.
* * * * *
Phoebe took a gulp of water, swallowing hard. She closed her eyes, feeling the capsule make its way down her throat. She brought her hand to the bridge of her nose, urging the pain in her head to disappear. This was her punishment. Alcohol never did treat her nicely. And she never always ended up making a fool of herself. Her eyes flew open as she once again recalled last night. She sighed, turning back to her computer. She tried to take in the few words she had already typed, and groaned as she found her mind once more drifting to 'the kiss'. Why had she done it? Alcohol wasn't an excuse, she realised. Her mind was there. And the thing she was trying to figure out most of all, was whether her heart was too. A firm knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she turned just as it opened. Cole stepped in, somewhat self-consciously.
"Hey." He said softly, and she took in a breath. "Can we talk?" He asked. Phoebe glanced away, before putting on a fake, confident smile.
"Sure." She said, a little too high. She stood up and walked around her desk, leaning against the back of it. Cole closed the door behind him. "When's your flight?" She asked in an attempt to break the silence.
"Soon." He replied simply. Phoebe nodded, her façade diminishing slightly. "About last night. . ." He paused.
"I wasn't myself. . .we should just pretend it--"
"I thought it might have been more than that." Cole interrupted.
Phoebe shook her head, half trying to convince herself. "No. . .no. . ." She murmured.
"Okay." Cole said softly. A moment of silence passed when neither looked at each other. "I still love you." He said suddenly. He held up a hand to stop her speaking. "I know that it may not mean anything to you--"
Phoebe brushed away his hand, intent on speaking. "It does." She interrupted, silencing him. She stepped backwards. "If we're saying everything now. . .then. . ." She paused. "I love you too."
Cole looked at her, confused. "Then. . .why?"
"I don't want to hurt anyone, Cole." She said softly. "That's all I've ever done. And I know both of us can move on from this. There's no point in going back to how it used to be." She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. He nodded slowly.
"If that's what you want. . ." He trailed off.
It wasn't. Phoebe knew that. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and never let him go. "It is." She muttered reluctantly.
"Okay." Cole said, attempting to smile. "Then we have to meet in Jason's office. I guess I have a flight to catch."
They made their way out of Phoebe's office, interweaving through people as they headed towards Jason's office. Neither of them said anything, both not finding anything that could break the silence. Cole reached out with his right hand for the doorknob. As he gripped it, he felt Phoebe take his left hand. She squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry." She said softly. Cole looked down at their hands. He squeezed hers gently in return, giving her a wry smile.
"Don't be." He whispered. They released hands, and he pushed open the door. Jason and Linda were standing on either side of the room, both had slightly red faces, as though they had been in a heated argument. Cole and Phoebe exchanged uncomfortable glances.
"What's going on?" Phoebe asked. Linda and Jason stared at each other, neither speaking. Linda recovered first.
"What do you mean?" She questioned, smiling at Phoebe and Cole.
"The fact that you two have been acting weird since yesterday. . ." Phoebe said slowly. Both she and Cole stared at them expectantly. No one said anything for a moment.
"Phoebe, I'm sorry. . ." Jason blurted out. They all turned to look at him.
"What are you--" Linda started.
"You might be able to lie your way through this. . .but I can't." Jason snapped at her.
"Jason. . .what are you talking about?" Phoebe questioned, more surprised than suspicious. Linda glared at him.
"Yesterday. . .we lies. . ." Jason babbled. "There was no meeting. . ." He paused. Phoebe's eyes grew wide.
"And?" Cole said, his voice deadly. They both knew what was coming next.
"We slept together." Jason said quietly, rightfully glancing away, embarrassed.
"It didn't mean anything, it was a spur of the moment thing. . ." Linda spoke up quickly.
"I don't believe this. . ." Phoebe muttered. She was supposed to be feeling more anger than this, but she wasn't. Instead, she felt an unmistakable sense of relief.
"You. . ." Cole started at Jason, before he broke off, as though no words could possible explain what he was thinking. Jason ignored him.
"I'm so sorry. . ." Jason said, walking towards Phoebe.
"So am I, sweetie. . .it was a mistake." Linda said to Cole. Cole glared at Jason, and before anyone could stop him he lashed out and punched Jason in the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards, clutching his jaw in pain.
"Cole!" Phoebe called out.
"Who?" Linda questioned, but no one paid attention.
"Did you have any idea what you had!?" Cole yelled. "How could you just-- " He broke off as he felt a hand on his arm. He turned towards Phoebe, who didn't have to say anything for him to know what she meant. He turned away from Jason, clenching his teeth to stop himself from speaking.
"Wait a second. . ." Linda suddenly burst out. "You're angry at him because he cheated on her?!? She asked incredulously, pointing accusingly at Phoebe. "And who the hell is Cole?!" No one spoke, and the silence was deafening.
"I am." Cole finally replied with a sigh.
"No you're not. . ." Linda started, her eyes growing wide.
"Yes, I am." Cole said firmly.
"Why does she know this?" Linda questioned suspiciously. Phoebe and Cole glanced at each other.
"Did you two sleep together?" Jason questioned guardedly, still holding his jaw.
"No." Phoebe replied. Silence. "We kissed."
"You what?" Jason practically yelled. "How could you do this to me?"
"You slept with her!" Phoebe was forced to shout, just to be heard.
"Turns out I'm not the only dishonest one!" Linda said to Cole, trying to be heard over Jason and Phoebe. "You kiss her. . ." She said, glaring at Phoebe, who was paying no attention while Jason was embarking on a self- serving speech. "And then you tell me that your name is 'Cole'?"
"Cole Turner." He said calmly. Jason stopped in mid-rant.
"Cole Turner?" He questioned, turning to face Cole. Phoebe let out a slow breath. "You're her--"
"Ex-husband." Phoebe finished. Silence once again filled the room.
"You told me you had never been married." Linda said bitterly. She took in a breath. "Fine. We've both been lying to each other, but we can get past it. Let's just go home and work though it so we can get on with the wedding."
"No." Cole said, not believing that she was prepared to put everything behind them.
"No?" Linda asked disbelievingly.
"Look at us, Linda. We can't get married, we can barely manage dating." He said, trying to be as gentle as possible. Linda glared at him bitterly.
"Fine." She snapped. "Ben. . .Cole. . ." She paused. "The wedding is off!" She shouted at him, before stomping out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Cole raised a hand to cover his eyes, and took in a long, slow breath.
"That went better than I thought." He said honestly. Jason stared at him angrily. Suddenly, he lunged towards Cole. Cole stepped sideways slightly, and turned his shoulder on Jason, who rammed into him and found himself once again stumbling backwards. Cole, his hand now lowered, stood up straight, suddenly intimidating.
"Don't tempt me." He warned.
"I wouldn't." Phoebe muttered to Jason.
"I can't believe you did this to me!" Jason once again turned on Phoebe, who sighed, growing annoyed. She turned to face Cole.
"Do you think you could give us a second?" She asked gently. He softened.
"Sure. I should get going anyway. . .there's a plane waiting for me." He said, giving her a half smile.
"You're leaving?" Phoebe asked, not sure why she was so surprised.
"There's nothing stopping me." He said softly. A last look passed between them, before he turned and headed out of the office. Phoebe watched his retreating back, her mind screaming instructions at her to sprint after him.
"Phoebe." Jason said, more gently this time. "I'm sorry, I really am. . ." Phoebe turned to face him.
"I know you are, Jason." She replied, giving him a half smile.
"So does this mean. . ." He began.
"No." Phoebe replied confidently. "The truth is, when you told me. . .I didn't feel as betrayed as I should have. It's not working for us, it hasn't been for a long time now."
"So it's over." Jason said softly. Phoebe nodded slowly.
"I know what I want now. . .this isn't it." She said, at first just an empty statement. But thinking about it more, she realised it was true. She did know what she wanted. She gave a wry smile as she thought back to what Cole had said: "You'll know. It'll hit you like a bucket of cold water. You'll feel it, and you'll know when you do. . ."
"I don't see what's funny about this." Jason commented.
"It's not." Phoebe said, glancing at the open door. "It's. . ." She searched for the right word, "Enlightening." She smiled vaguely, before turning her back on him and heading out of the office. She hurried to the elevators, tapping her foot impatiently as it slowly took her down to the ground level, and held her breath as she stepped outside, glancing left and right hopefully. She let out the breath as she saw him leaning casually against a marble pillar. "What are you still doing here?' She asked, as she walked up to him. He turned to face her, surprised by her presence.
"Linda took the car. . .I'm trying to catch a cab. . ." He explained. Phoebe had always cursed the taxi drivers for rarely appearing outside her building. She made a mental note not to in future. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to find you." Phoebe said softly, almost self-consciously.
"You were?" He asked, giving her a half smile.
"I'm not scared anymore." She said, returning his smile. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but I never took into account how I would feel if I just let you leave." She grew serious. "It's not like it was before. It's like I can see it now. . .clearly for the first time in years."
"Like a bucket of cold water. . ." Cole joked lightly.
"Like a bucket of cold water." Phoebe agreed. "I was tipsy last night, but I wasn't making anything up. I trust you. Completely."
"Do you trust yourself?" He asked cautiously.
"I'm beginning to." Phoebe said with a nod. "I'm learning to trust my choices now."
"So soon?" Cole asked, surprised.
Phoebe nodded. "When I kissed you last night. . .when I ended it with Jason now." She paused. "When I asked you to stay. . ."
Cole stared at her. "You didn't--"
"Stay." She interrupted. "I want you to stay."
A taxi pulled up beside them, and the driver stuck his head out of the window. "Need a ride somewhere?" He questioned.
Cole glanced at Phoebe, her eyes silently pleading with him. He paused a moment, before turning back to the driver. "No. I don't." He replied. The driver shrugged and drove away slowly, and Phoebe smiled. "Your sisters aren't going to be too happy about this." He pointed out.
Phoebe nodded slightly. "It's my choice." She said with a slight smile.
"And you trust you choices." Cole repeated with a smirk.
"Yes, I do." Phoebe said firmly. Without another word she leaned in and kissed him. This time, longer. Long enough for him to reciprocate, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled inwardly. It was worth the wait, every second. It was as though she had sacrificed a minute, and received a lifetime in return. That was definitely a choice she could live with.
* * * * *
The End
* * * * *
I know how completely out of character Jason was. Bear with me. . .I don't like him. Review and give me your thoughts - just let me know you were reading. Flames are always welcome.
Summary: Cole leaves San Francisco after the Season 4 final. Five years later, will fate step in (as it always does . . .) and throw us loyal Cole/Phoebe fanatics a bone? No demon action. Just soppiness to the max - it's what I do best.
Author's Note: Last chapter? Probably. I apologise for making it such a short story, but I find myself lacking time. I will come up with another story, one that will hopefully be worth the wait. Sorry again.
Thanks to those of you who did review any time at all throughout the process of this particular story. No joke, they meant a lot.
Watched the first episode of season 6 last night. . .I'm not sure how long I'll feel obligated to watch. We'll see.
* * * * *
Phoebe took a gulp of water, swallowing hard. She closed her eyes, feeling the capsule make its way down her throat. She brought her hand to the bridge of her nose, urging the pain in her head to disappear. This was her punishment. Alcohol never did treat her nicely. And she never always ended up making a fool of herself. Her eyes flew open as she once again recalled last night. She sighed, turning back to her computer. She tried to take in the few words she had already typed, and groaned as she found her mind once more drifting to 'the kiss'. Why had she done it? Alcohol wasn't an excuse, she realised. Her mind was there. And the thing she was trying to figure out most of all, was whether her heart was too. A firm knock on the door interrupted her thoughts, and she turned just as it opened. Cole stepped in, somewhat self-consciously.
"Hey." He said softly, and she took in a breath. "Can we talk?" He asked. Phoebe glanced away, before putting on a fake, confident smile.
"Sure." She said, a little too high. She stood up and walked around her desk, leaning against the back of it. Cole closed the door behind him. "When's your flight?" She asked in an attempt to break the silence.
"Soon." He replied simply. Phoebe nodded, her façade diminishing slightly. "About last night. . ." He paused.
"I wasn't myself. . .we should just pretend it--"
"I thought it might have been more than that." Cole interrupted.
Phoebe shook her head, half trying to convince herself. "No. . .no. . ." She murmured.
"Okay." Cole said softly. A moment of silence passed when neither looked at each other. "I still love you." He said suddenly. He held up a hand to stop her speaking. "I know that it may not mean anything to you--"
Phoebe brushed away his hand, intent on speaking. "It does." She interrupted, silencing him. She stepped backwards. "If we're saying everything now. . .then. . ." She paused. "I love you too."
Cole looked at her, confused. "Then. . .why?"
"I don't want to hurt anyone, Cole." She said softly. "That's all I've ever done. And I know both of us can move on from this. There's no point in going back to how it used to be." She looked up at him, their eyes meeting. He nodded slowly.
"If that's what you want. . ." He trailed off.
It wasn't. Phoebe knew that. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and never let him go. "It is." She muttered reluctantly.
"Okay." Cole said, attempting to smile. "Then we have to meet in Jason's office. I guess I have a flight to catch."
They made their way out of Phoebe's office, interweaving through people as they headed towards Jason's office. Neither of them said anything, both not finding anything that could break the silence. Cole reached out with his right hand for the doorknob. As he gripped it, he felt Phoebe take his left hand. She squeezed it gently. "I'm sorry." She said softly. Cole looked down at their hands. He squeezed hers gently in return, giving her a wry smile.
"Don't be." He whispered. They released hands, and he pushed open the door. Jason and Linda were standing on either side of the room, both had slightly red faces, as though they had been in a heated argument. Cole and Phoebe exchanged uncomfortable glances.
"What's going on?" Phoebe asked. Linda and Jason stared at each other, neither speaking. Linda recovered first.
"What do you mean?" She questioned, smiling at Phoebe and Cole.
"The fact that you two have been acting weird since yesterday. . ." Phoebe said slowly. Both she and Cole stared at them expectantly. No one said anything for a moment.
"Phoebe, I'm sorry. . ." Jason blurted out. They all turned to look at him.
"What are you--" Linda started.
"You might be able to lie your way through this. . .but I can't." Jason snapped at her.
"Jason. . .what are you talking about?" Phoebe questioned, more surprised than suspicious. Linda glared at him.
"Yesterday. . .we lies. . ." Jason babbled. "There was no meeting. . ." He paused. Phoebe's eyes grew wide.
"And?" Cole said, his voice deadly. They both knew what was coming next.
"We slept together." Jason said quietly, rightfully glancing away, embarrassed.
"It didn't mean anything, it was a spur of the moment thing. . ." Linda spoke up quickly.
"I don't believe this. . ." Phoebe muttered. She was supposed to be feeling more anger than this, but she wasn't. Instead, she felt an unmistakable sense of relief.
"You. . ." Cole started at Jason, before he broke off, as though no words could possible explain what he was thinking. Jason ignored him.
"I'm so sorry. . ." Jason said, walking towards Phoebe.
"So am I, sweetie. . .it was a mistake." Linda said to Cole. Cole glared at Jason, and before anyone could stop him he lashed out and punched Jason in the jaw, sending him stumbling backwards, clutching his jaw in pain.
"Cole!" Phoebe called out.
"Who?" Linda questioned, but no one paid attention.
"Did you have any idea what you had!?" Cole yelled. "How could you just-- " He broke off as he felt a hand on his arm. He turned towards Phoebe, who didn't have to say anything for him to know what she meant. He turned away from Jason, clenching his teeth to stop himself from speaking.
"Wait a second. . ." Linda suddenly burst out. "You're angry at him because he cheated on her?!? She asked incredulously, pointing accusingly at Phoebe. "And who the hell is Cole?!" No one spoke, and the silence was deafening.
"I am." Cole finally replied with a sigh.
"No you're not. . ." Linda started, her eyes growing wide.
"Yes, I am." Cole said firmly.
"Why does she know this?" Linda questioned suspiciously. Phoebe and Cole glanced at each other.
"Did you two sleep together?" Jason questioned guardedly, still holding his jaw.
"No." Phoebe replied. Silence. "We kissed."
"You what?" Jason practically yelled. "How could you do this to me?"
"You slept with her!" Phoebe was forced to shout, just to be heard.
"Turns out I'm not the only dishonest one!" Linda said to Cole, trying to be heard over Jason and Phoebe. "You kiss her. . ." She said, glaring at Phoebe, who was paying no attention while Jason was embarking on a self- serving speech. "And then you tell me that your name is 'Cole'?"
"Cole Turner." He said calmly. Jason stopped in mid-rant.
"Cole Turner?" He questioned, turning to face Cole. Phoebe let out a slow breath. "You're her--"
"Ex-husband." Phoebe finished. Silence once again filled the room.
"You told me you had never been married." Linda said bitterly. She took in a breath. "Fine. We've both been lying to each other, but we can get past it. Let's just go home and work though it so we can get on with the wedding."
"No." Cole said, not believing that she was prepared to put everything behind them.
"No?" Linda asked disbelievingly.
"Look at us, Linda. We can't get married, we can barely manage dating." He said, trying to be as gentle as possible. Linda glared at him bitterly.
"Fine." She snapped. "Ben. . .Cole. . ." She paused. "The wedding is off!" She shouted at him, before stomping out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Cole raised a hand to cover his eyes, and took in a long, slow breath.
"That went better than I thought." He said honestly. Jason stared at him angrily. Suddenly, he lunged towards Cole. Cole stepped sideways slightly, and turned his shoulder on Jason, who rammed into him and found himself once again stumbling backwards. Cole, his hand now lowered, stood up straight, suddenly intimidating.
"Don't tempt me." He warned.
"I wouldn't." Phoebe muttered to Jason.
"I can't believe you did this to me!" Jason once again turned on Phoebe, who sighed, growing annoyed. She turned to face Cole.
"Do you think you could give us a second?" She asked gently. He softened.
"Sure. I should get going anyway. . .there's a plane waiting for me." He said, giving her a half smile.
"You're leaving?" Phoebe asked, not sure why she was so surprised.
"There's nothing stopping me." He said softly. A last look passed between them, before he turned and headed out of the office. Phoebe watched his retreating back, her mind screaming instructions at her to sprint after him.
"Phoebe." Jason said, more gently this time. "I'm sorry, I really am. . ." Phoebe turned to face him.
"I know you are, Jason." She replied, giving him a half smile.
"So does this mean. . ." He began.
"No." Phoebe replied confidently. "The truth is, when you told me. . .I didn't feel as betrayed as I should have. It's not working for us, it hasn't been for a long time now."
"So it's over." Jason said softly. Phoebe nodded slowly.
"I know what I want now. . .this isn't it." She said, at first just an empty statement. But thinking about it more, she realised it was true. She did know what she wanted. She gave a wry smile as she thought back to what Cole had said: "You'll know. It'll hit you like a bucket of cold water. You'll feel it, and you'll know when you do. . ."
"I don't see what's funny about this." Jason commented.
"It's not." Phoebe said, glancing at the open door. "It's. . ." She searched for the right word, "Enlightening." She smiled vaguely, before turning her back on him and heading out of the office. She hurried to the elevators, tapping her foot impatiently as it slowly took her down to the ground level, and held her breath as she stepped outside, glancing left and right hopefully. She let out the breath as she saw him leaning casually against a marble pillar. "What are you still doing here?' She asked, as she walked up to him. He turned to face her, surprised by her presence.
"Linda took the car. . .I'm trying to catch a cab. . ." He explained. Phoebe had always cursed the taxi drivers for rarely appearing outside her building. She made a mental note not to in future. "What are you doing here?"
"Trying to find you." Phoebe said softly, almost self-consciously.
"You were?" He asked, giving her a half smile.
"I'm not scared anymore." She said, returning his smile. "I didn't want anyone to get hurt, but I never took into account how I would feel if I just let you leave." She grew serious. "It's not like it was before. It's like I can see it now. . .clearly for the first time in years."
"Like a bucket of cold water. . ." Cole joked lightly.
"Like a bucket of cold water." Phoebe agreed. "I was tipsy last night, but I wasn't making anything up. I trust you. Completely."
"Do you trust yourself?" He asked cautiously.
"I'm beginning to." Phoebe said with a nod. "I'm learning to trust my choices now."
"So soon?" Cole asked, surprised.
Phoebe nodded. "When I kissed you last night. . .when I ended it with Jason now." She paused. "When I asked you to stay. . ."
Cole stared at her. "You didn't--"
"Stay." She interrupted. "I want you to stay."
A taxi pulled up beside them, and the driver stuck his head out of the window. "Need a ride somewhere?" He questioned.
Cole glanced at Phoebe, her eyes silently pleading with him. He paused a moment, before turning back to the driver. "No. I don't." He replied. The driver shrugged and drove away slowly, and Phoebe smiled. "Your sisters aren't going to be too happy about this." He pointed out.
Phoebe nodded slightly. "It's my choice." She said with a slight smile.
"And you trust you choices." Cole repeated with a smirk.
"Yes, I do." Phoebe said firmly. Without another word she leaned in and kissed him. This time, longer. Long enough for him to reciprocate, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled inwardly. It was worth the wait, every second. It was as though she had sacrificed a minute, and received a lifetime in return. That was definitely a choice she could live with.
* * * * *
The End
* * * * *
I know how completely out of character Jason was. Bear with me. . .I don't like him. Review and give me your thoughts - just let me know you were reading. Flames are always welcome.
