Chapter 16- There And Back Again

"Hey you guys!" Phoebe called as she came out of the rip back to her own reality.

"Phoebe!" She heard Piper, Paige, and Leo call out.

"So…how's everything been while we've been gone?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, you got a couple calls from Elise, demanding you to go back to work," Paige answered her.

"Oh, and Cole got some calls too, something about a case he was working on. We just said that we didn't know anything about that, and he couldn't be reached at the moment," Piper interjected.

"Oh, that case. Well, whatever, I'll deal with that later. Where's Kara?" Cole asked, coming out of the rip behind Phoebe, hearing the last comment about his work.

"Um…I think she went into the kitchen. Kara?! Cole's back!" Leo called into the kitchen.

"Cole! Phoebe!" Kara called out, emerging from the kitchen. Cole knelt down, and opened his arms to receive the running Kara. They hugged each other tightly, and then let go.

"So, how was your latest reality trip?" Kara asked, knowing that they had to work quickly before Scier could contaminate any other realities.

"Well, it was interesting. Phoebe, do you want to tell them about it, or should I?" Cole asked, looking up at Phoebe.

"Do you mind if I do it? I kind of want to tell Piper about this one," Phoebe replied. Cole nodded his agreement, and led Kara to the couch, so that they could sit down and rest.

Phoebe proceeded in telling them about what had happened in the reality. When she informed Piper about Dan, she went rigid slightly, and you could visibly see Leo become a little stiff as well.

"Wait, you mean to tell me I was with Dan?" Piper asked, not believing her. Phoebe nodded. She looked to Cole and Kara, and noticed them smiling at each other, glad to be with each other again.

"Who's Dan?" Paige asked, not knowing him due to the fact that the family knew him before she became a witch.

"Oh, he was just a neighbor, and an ex-boyfriend of mine," Piper answered her.

"Yes, one with a perfect jaw, perfect hair, and the one who tried to steal you away from me," Leo added, partially grumbling his response. Kara and Cole grinned broader, as they listened to the conversation.

Piper slapped him playfully on the arm, trying to show him that he was the only one who she truly belonged with. Leo smiled in return, showing that she was forgiven.

As Phoebe continued her story, she reached the point about Brad, and everyone gasped, except for Kara, who just looked at the floor sadly.

"Y-you mean that he could have r-raped you. You mean that he did in another reality?" Piper stuttered. The thought of her baby sister violated like that made her sick.

"Yea, I know. I just don't know what would've happened if we didn't show up to stop the insanity," Phoebe said.

"Yea, and too bad you didn't let me kill him," they heard Cole grumble.

"Yea Phoebe, what did you do to him? From what we hear from Cole over here, we see that you didn't kill him," Paige said, looking at Cole then to Phoebe.

"Well, Cole kind of erased Brad's memory, you know, the other reality thing, and Scier, and then we dumped him back into his own reality," Phoebe answered.

They heard a small cry from the Cole's room. Cole and Phoebe looked up startled. Leo and Piper noticed this, and quickly reassured them.

"Oh, we just put Melinda in your room, I hope you don't mind," Piper said, getting up and walking to his bedroom.

"Of course not," Cole replied as he saw Piper coming back with Melinda in her arms. She was playing with Piper's hair as she was carried to the group. She was then handed over to Leo, where he bounced her up and down a little bit. She giggled and laughed as she went up and down in his arms.

Cole and Phoebe looked at the two, and smiled at the sight. Leo smiling at Melinda, and Melinda smiling back. Cole wished that he could have that too, but knew it wouldn't be happening, at least in his reality.

Phoebe could feel Cole's sadness, and turned to him. He was still staring at Leo and Melinda. Phoebe looked closer, and saw longing in his eyes. She realized it was probably because he wanted a kid, and even though he loved Kara, he wished he had been there when she was growing up to do what Leo was doing with Melinda now.

Cole could feel Phoebe's eyes on him, and he looked into her eyes. He held her gaze for a while, and then broke it off quickly. He didn't want to feel her pity at that moment, he had enough of his own to deal with all ready.

Kara looked between the two, and she saddened a little. 'Maybe I won't be reborn here after all' Kara thought to herself sadly.

"Kara, could you give me the time for the next reality we'll be going to?" Cole asked suddenly, standing up.

"Uh-uh. You two," Kara said pointing at Cole and Phoebe, "are going to rest first, and call your works so that you could put at ease any suspicions. You got that?" Kara asked, looking at both Phoebe and Cole, but mostly Cole. Cole looked like he was about to object, but then decided against it. He simply nodded and so did Phoebe. Kara smiled a little at this, and relaxed onto the couch again. Cole didn't sit back down though, and walked to his bedroom.

"Hey, where are you going?" Paige asked suspiciously.

"Kara said I had to rest, so I'm going," Cole snapped before shutting the door, a little harder than was necessary to shut a door.

"What's his problem?" Piper asked. She then turned back to Melinda and played with her while she was sitting on Leo's lap.

"Beats me. Anyone want to go home?" Paige offered.

"Uh, you four can go home, I need to talk to Kara," Phoebe said.

"Okay, just be sure your home soon so you can call Elise. Oh, and we kind of have this demon, that isn't really that much of a problem, but we kind of need the power of three. We'll see you later, and remember, be sure to get home soon," Piper called back before being orbed back to the manor by Leo. Paige gave Phoebe a suspicious look, and then followed Leo's lead and orbed back to the manor.

"So, what'd you want to talk about?" Kara asked, sitting down next to her mother.

"Well, mainly Cole. What's going on here?" Phoebe asked straightforwardly. Kara looked at her shocked, then relaxed a little bit. She had been caught.

"Well, mainly I want to be reborn here if it's possible," Kara admitted. Phoebe looked stunned.

"What do you mean, 'reborn'?" Phoebe asked nervously.

"Exactly what it sounds like, I want to be reborn between you and Cole, here in this reality," Kara said indignantly looking up at Phoebe.

"So, basically, what you mean is that you want to set me up with Cole?" Phoebe asked.

"In a nutshell," Kara answered. She sighed knowing now that Phoebe knew about her plans, she wouldn't be tricked, or to use a lighter phrase, her feelings revealed so easily now.

"Well, as much as I want to…" Phoebe trailed off, seriously considering the offer.

Kara was shocked. Phoebe had just indiscreetly admitted that she still loved Cole.

Upon seeing Kara's shocked face, Phoebe grinned, knowing that she had said that she loved Cole. But she still knew that no matter what her feelings toward him were, she couldn't go back to him, not now.

"Then…why aren't you with him now?" Kara asked quietly, getting over her shock.

Phoebe looked down into her lap, her eyes gleaming with a resigned sadness and love that made Kara feel depressed for her mother.

"Because…I know that no matter what, I will always love him. Even though we're soul mates, and we will never find anyone else, we are left with only each other that we can never move on, I know we can't be together. I just can't fall into that pit again, and I know that a lot of people would be endangered because of what might happen. I love him, with all my heart and soul, but I can never have him." Phoebe let out a sigh laced with her grief. She had finally admitted to it. To the gnawing pain inside her heart that tempted and begged her to go back to him, to be with him again. It was hard to admit to it, hiding it for so long, even from herself. It was hard to have to live with it, day in and day out, never finding peace.

Cole had walked in, his mouth dry and his throat constricted.

Phoebe heard a soft noise, and broke out of her reverie, to find Cole standing in shock, staring at her with such pain and sadness shining through his eyes. The window to the soul they say. Well, judging by his eyes, his soul was being tormented and beaten at the moment.

"Cole…"

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Again, I apologize for the really really late update. I've got a lot of other stories besides this one going on, and I'm sort of starting to get confused. Now, I'm not giving up on this story, merely holding off on it a bit, so I can get rid of all the other stuff that's interfering with this one. So, don't give up hope, and tell me what you think of this latest chapter, hopefully, not too off course.

-ja ne