Svata - Thanks for the comments; Barb5 - sorry to break your heart. I
might have to break it a little more though, but rest assured, It'll be
mended.
*****************************************
"Scheming Sisters"
Phoebe took two tentative steps forward into the lion's den while the wheels of her brained screeched in its frantic search for a plausible lie to explain where she'd been and why.
Before she was even seated at the table, Jason asked her to explain her whereabouts and why she'd told Piper that she was meeting him in the park in the middle of the night? In no time at all, Phoebe had concocted a lie about her vivid dream in which she got a phone call from Jason asking her to come meet him at the park right away. By the time Phoebe arrived, she realized how crazy it all seemed but as it was a beautiful, warm evening, and the stars were all out and she was now wide awake, Phoebe decided to go for a jog and later breakfast. Well, Jason may have believed the crazy tale, but her sisters were another matter entirely.
"Lucy, you've got a lot of splainin' to do!" Paige said as Phoebe closed the front door.
"Phoebe, you have no idea how awkward this was for Paige and me when Jason came by this morning expecting to see you. And don't even try to pass off that cockin' bull story about your dream invitation cause you know I'm not buyin' it. You've been acting strange for weeks and I don't need your empathic power to know you've been hiding something pretty big that's been eating away at you. So spill it, sister...now. And that's not a request."
"I wish I could, Piper, but I can't. So you're gonna just have to trust me for a little while longer and know that if I do need you and Paige's help, I'll ask for it."
"That's not good enough, Phoebe," Piper said. You lied to me earlier when you said this wasn't witchy stuff and now it seems to me you're over your head. What could you possibly be doing that you can't tell us?"
"Oh God!" Paige shouted. "It's Cole, isn't it?"
"Please, please tell me Paige is wrong! But, now that I think about it, the timing is right. You started sneaking around not long after he made his reappearance in our attic."
Phoebe couldn't bring herself to tell another lie, nor did she have the courage to confess the truth either. So instead, she looked at the two of them with guilt written all over her tortured face.
"Oh Phoebe, for cryin' out loud! After all Cole's put you...us through, how could you go back to him?" Piper screamed.
"I'm not back with him Piper. I'm just helping him on this one case that involves an innocent. And as soon as it's over, Cole and I will be over too."
"And how do you know Cole isn't making this so called case up just to try and get you back? He's done it before," Paige said.
"I know he has, but that's when he was crazy. He's not now and he's really trying to do good with this detective agency of his," Phoebe defended.
"So now he's Coleumbo? Phoebe, I can't help it but I'm actually starting to believe there's a part of you that enjoys his abuse. What other explanation is there, for you to even be in the same room as Cole?"
"For Pete's sake, why does everyone think I'm suffering from abused wife syndrome? What else was I supposed to do when there's an innocent's life to protect? Just let Mark die?"
"No, you delegate. That's what you have sisters for. You should have told us about this Mark right away and we would have handled it for you."
"Cole wouldn't allow that."
"Of course he wouldn't," Paige muttered sarcastically.
"He was afraid you two would vanquish him and ask questions later."
"Ah, technically, Phoebe," Paige pointed out, "you're the one who vanquished him twice, not us. So, I'd say he's got a lot more to fear from you."
"True, but that was before I had my empathic power. So now things are different and I can tell when he's lying."
"Fine, for whatever reason, you've let Cole sucker you into another one of his schemes. And if you're determined to see it through, we're determined to make sure no one gets hurt. So fill us in," Piper ordered.
"I contractually promised I wouldn't do that and if I break that promise, it could mean my life." Although Cole had threatened he would rescind his help if she told her sisters, Phoebe knew that was a lie the second it left his lips, but Phoebe wasn't yet ready to call in the troops until she saw proof that Cole was not to be trusted. That kiss in the park played over in her mind and she felt his desire for her all over again. That wasn't a lie, she felt it. And if Cole could still feel passion for her, even fleetingly, than Cole still had to be human and she owed it to him and herself to trust that whatever he was up to, was for the good of them all."
"He threatened you?" Piper exploded.
"No, not him, the demon of innocence. Look it's too complicated to get into it all right now. All I'm asking is for you to give me another twelve hours to resolve this case, and if you don't hear from me then, you have my permission to scry for me and interfere as much as you like."
"Phoebe, are you sure you're going to be safe?" Piper asked her voice near cracking.
"Yes, just trust that I know what I'm doing. Can you do that?" Phoebe asked "Can you trust me?"
"Of course we trust you. Right Paige?"
"Speak for yourself," came Paige's reply.
"Paige!" Piper admonished.
"All right, we trust you. You have twelve hours."
"That's all I need," Phoebe said and ran upstairs with a smile on her face.
"I can't believe you're letting her work alone with Cole for twelve seconds let alone twelve hours," Paige whispered to Piper when Phoebe was out of range.
"Who says I am?"
"But you just said you trusted her."
"And I do. It's the escapee from hell I don't trust and I'll be damned if I let Cole steal away our sister again. So, Paige, while Phoebe's showering upstairs, you and I are going to whip up a potion that will send Cole back to the Wasteland in tiny little pieces that not even the Lazarus demon could resurrect."
At home, Cole just finished the potion that would destroy Vector's father. As he held it to his eye, his hand shook at the realization that he was holding Phoebe's life in his hands. "No!" he raged. He couldn't allow their history to deter him from his path. These feelings were nothing more than memories of a life he no longer desired. Yes, he would save Phoebe's life, but he would place no more personal value on it than any other client. "Come on Cole, don't go all soft on me now," he said out loud. "It's just my nerves talking. Phoebe means nothing to me now."
As timing would have it, a knock on the door signaled the lady in question and as Cole let her in, his senses were bombarded. Phoebe was dressed in a tight red body suit, red lipstick and long loop earrings that accentuated her porcelain-like face. Cole felt assaulted on every front from her tantalizing display of breasts to the sweet, intoxicating scent of her perfume. Why did she have to come now, just when his nerves were already on edge?
From Phoebe's perspective, once again she was struck by the sheer force of his good looks. He was dressed all in black which should have lent him a demonic air, only it didn't because she could sense his desire raging beneath the facade. He was trying to act cold, only he wasn't succeeding. And then, once more, just like that, the veil came down and Phoebe could feel a chill go through her. He was all business now, the desire gone. What had made him change so quickly? Perhaps she'd only imagined his interest. There was that confusion again. Could she trust Cole or couldn't she?
But, Phoebe hadn't imagined a thing. Cole was in danger of losing himself to Phoebe once more until an insignificant object saved him. Funny how a simple thing like a piece of jewelry could make him remember his purpose. Phoebe's ruby ankle bracelet was the same one she wore when she vanquished him the second time in the alternate universe. Seeing it again now, reminded him of her betrayal and he remembered how easily she could forget all that they'd shared. His only chance for a happy future lay with his work, not with phoebe and so once more Cole was easily able to assume the role of a demon in order to carry out his mission to kill Vector's father.
"The demon should be here any minute. Are you ready?" Cole asked.
"Do you have the potion?"
"Yes, Cole said, showing it to her.
"Wait a minute, that's a different color than the one from last time. You said all we had to do was throw the same potion only this time aim it directly into the demon's gaping hole."
"It is the same potion," Cole lied. It's the beaker that's a slightly different color.
"Oh, Phoebe," said sensing once more there was something he wasn't telling her.
Meanwhile, hiding in Cole's bedroom, were Piper and Paige holding two of their own beakers of death. They had followed Phoebe and Paige had orbed them inside without them knowing.
"I've got a beaker for you too, Cole," Paige whispered. "And I can't wait to use it. Come on, let's do it now."
"No! Piper said, holding Paige back. We might as well wait for this demon guy to show up and then we can kill two birds with one stone."
*****************************************
"Scheming Sisters"
Phoebe took two tentative steps forward into the lion's den while the wheels of her brained screeched in its frantic search for a plausible lie to explain where she'd been and why.
Before she was even seated at the table, Jason asked her to explain her whereabouts and why she'd told Piper that she was meeting him in the park in the middle of the night? In no time at all, Phoebe had concocted a lie about her vivid dream in which she got a phone call from Jason asking her to come meet him at the park right away. By the time Phoebe arrived, she realized how crazy it all seemed but as it was a beautiful, warm evening, and the stars were all out and she was now wide awake, Phoebe decided to go for a jog and later breakfast. Well, Jason may have believed the crazy tale, but her sisters were another matter entirely.
"Lucy, you've got a lot of splainin' to do!" Paige said as Phoebe closed the front door.
"Phoebe, you have no idea how awkward this was for Paige and me when Jason came by this morning expecting to see you. And don't even try to pass off that cockin' bull story about your dream invitation cause you know I'm not buyin' it. You've been acting strange for weeks and I don't need your empathic power to know you've been hiding something pretty big that's been eating away at you. So spill it, sister...now. And that's not a request."
"I wish I could, Piper, but I can't. So you're gonna just have to trust me for a little while longer and know that if I do need you and Paige's help, I'll ask for it."
"That's not good enough, Phoebe," Piper said. You lied to me earlier when you said this wasn't witchy stuff and now it seems to me you're over your head. What could you possibly be doing that you can't tell us?"
"Oh God!" Paige shouted. "It's Cole, isn't it?"
"Please, please tell me Paige is wrong! But, now that I think about it, the timing is right. You started sneaking around not long after he made his reappearance in our attic."
Phoebe couldn't bring herself to tell another lie, nor did she have the courage to confess the truth either. So instead, she looked at the two of them with guilt written all over her tortured face.
"Oh Phoebe, for cryin' out loud! After all Cole's put you...us through, how could you go back to him?" Piper screamed.
"I'm not back with him Piper. I'm just helping him on this one case that involves an innocent. And as soon as it's over, Cole and I will be over too."
"And how do you know Cole isn't making this so called case up just to try and get you back? He's done it before," Paige said.
"I know he has, but that's when he was crazy. He's not now and he's really trying to do good with this detective agency of his," Phoebe defended.
"So now he's Coleumbo? Phoebe, I can't help it but I'm actually starting to believe there's a part of you that enjoys his abuse. What other explanation is there, for you to even be in the same room as Cole?"
"For Pete's sake, why does everyone think I'm suffering from abused wife syndrome? What else was I supposed to do when there's an innocent's life to protect? Just let Mark die?"
"No, you delegate. That's what you have sisters for. You should have told us about this Mark right away and we would have handled it for you."
"Cole wouldn't allow that."
"Of course he wouldn't," Paige muttered sarcastically.
"He was afraid you two would vanquish him and ask questions later."
"Ah, technically, Phoebe," Paige pointed out, "you're the one who vanquished him twice, not us. So, I'd say he's got a lot more to fear from you."
"True, but that was before I had my empathic power. So now things are different and I can tell when he's lying."
"Fine, for whatever reason, you've let Cole sucker you into another one of his schemes. And if you're determined to see it through, we're determined to make sure no one gets hurt. So fill us in," Piper ordered.
"I contractually promised I wouldn't do that and if I break that promise, it could mean my life." Although Cole had threatened he would rescind his help if she told her sisters, Phoebe knew that was a lie the second it left his lips, but Phoebe wasn't yet ready to call in the troops until she saw proof that Cole was not to be trusted. That kiss in the park played over in her mind and she felt his desire for her all over again. That wasn't a lie, she felt it. And if Cole could still feel passion for her, even fleetingly, than Cole still had to be human and she owed it to him and herself to trust that whatever he was up to, was for the good of them all."
"He threatened you?" Piper exploded.
"No, not him, the demon of innocence. Look it's too complicated to get into it all right now. All I'm asking is for you to give me another twelve hours to resolve this case, and if you don't hear from me then, you have my permission to scry for me and interfere as much as you like."
"Phoebe, are you sure you're going to be safe?" Piper asked her voice near cracking.
"Yes, just trust that I know what I'm doing. Can you do that?" Phoebe asked "Can you trust me?"
"Of course we trust you. Right Paige?"
"Speak for yourself," came Paige's reply.
"Paige!" Piper admonished.
"All right, we trust you. You have twelve hours."
"That's all I need," Phoebe said and ran upstairs with a smile on her face.
"I can't believe you're letting her work alone with Cole for twelve seconds let alone twelve hours," Paige whispered to Piper when Phoebe was out of range.
"Who says I am?"
"But you just said you trusted her."
"And I do. It's the escapee from hell I don't trust and I'll be damned if I let Cole steal away our sister again. So, Paige, while Phoebe's showering upstairs, you and I are going to whip up a potion that will send Cole back to the Wasteland in tiny little pieces that not even the Lazarus demon could resurrect."
At home, Cole just finished the potion that would destroy Vector's father. As he held it to his eye, his hand shook at the realization that he was holding Phoebe's life in his hands. "No!" he raged. He couldn't allow their history to deter him from his path. These feelings were nothing more than memories of a life he no longer desired. Yes, he would save Phoebe's life, but he would place no more personal value on it than any other client. "Come on Cole, don't go all soft on me now," he said out loud. "It's just my nerves talking. Phoebe means nothing to me now."
As timing would have it, a knock on the door signaled the lady in question and as Cole let her in, his senses were bombarded. Phoebe was dressed in a tight red body suit, red lipstick and long loop earrings that accentuated her porcelain-like face. Cole felt assaulted on every front from her tantalizing display of breasts to the sweet, intoxicating scent of her perfume. Why did she have to come now, just when his nerves were already on edge?
From Phoebe's perspective, once again she was struck by the sheer force of his good looks. He was dressed all in black which should have lent him a demonic air, only it didn't because she could sense his desire raging beneath the facade. He was trying to act cold, only he wasn't succeeding. And then, once more, just like that, the veil came down and Phoebe could feel a chill go through her. He was all business now, the desire gone. What had made him change so quickly? Perhaps she'd only imagined his interest. There was that confusion again. Could she trust Cole or couldn't she?
But, Phoebe hadn't imagined a thing. Cole was in danger of losing himself to Phoebe once more until an insignificant object saved him. Funny how a simple thing like a piece of jewelry could make him remember his purpose. Phoebe's ruby ankle bracelet was the same one she wore when she vanquished him the second time in the alternate universe. Seeing it again now, reminded him of her betrayal and he remembered how easily she could forget all that they'd shared. His only chance for a happy future lay with his work, not with phoebe and so once more Cole was easily able to assume the role of a demon in order to carry out his mission to kill Vector's father.
"The demon should be here any minute. Are you ready?" Cole asked.
"Do you have the potion?"
"Yes, Cole said, showing it to her.
"Wait a minute, that's a different color than the one from last time. You said all we had to do was throw the same potion only this time aim it directly into the demon's gaping hole."
"It is the same potion," Cole lied. It's the beaker that's a slightly different color.
"Oh, Phoebe," said sensing once more there was something he wasn't telling her.
Meanwhile, hiding in Cole's bedroom, were Piper and Paige holding two of their own beakers of death. They had followed Phoebe and Paige had orbed them inside without them knowing.
"I've got a beaker for you too, Cole," Paige whispered. "And I can't wait to use it. Come on, let's do it now."
"No! Piper said, holding Paige back. We might as well wait for this demon guy to show up and then we can kill two birds with one stone."