Nothing Charmed actually belongs to me, yadda yadda, disclaimercakes.
Definitely an AU story, with Cole torment and fun.
And the saga continues! Um, about the delays in updates...I am deeply shamed. Apparently it takes me five years to actually write a short story. Who knew? Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed anyway! Now that I have some Spring Break time, maybe I'll actually be able to get chapters up in a timely manner - well, I can always hope, can't I?
Cole endured Phoebe's frigid stare through the entire taxi ride until they reached the Manor. The change in atmosphere was dramatic and painful; cold silences where there had once been friendly conversation. Cole knew that the situation would only worsen inside, with Phoebe's sisters to judge as well. He could understand their fear and distance from him. They knew the dangers of exposure to the world. Prue had died because of it.
Phoebe ushered him inside first, clearly unwilling to turn her back on him. A small, bitter part of Cole noted the unfairness. He had just saved her life less than ten minutes ago, and now she was already treating him like an enemy.
"Phoebe?" Piper's worried voice drifted towards them from the kitchen. Cole felt his stomach sink a little at her voice.
"It's me," Phoebe called back tersely, glancing at Cole. He tried to look as innocent as possible as he waited for her to make the next move. She didn't look convinced in the least, and silently pointed him in the direction of the living room.
"What's wrong? You said it was urgent," Piper emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. She stopped short when she saw Cole, and her hands came up slightly, ready to cast a freezing spell.
"Yeah, what's all the fuss about?" Paige descended noisily, her stylish boots clomping on the staircase. She joined her sisters in the living room and looked at Cole curiously. "Hi."
"Hi," Cole tried a weak smile, feeling more than a little unnerved. Paige had always hated him the most, fervently convinced that he was evil. It didn't help that she was right, at the time. She never trusted him, and Cole knew he couldn't really blame her, even for all those times he felt like she turned her sisters against him. He knew now that Paige wasn't to blame for the downfall of his and Phoebe's relationship. Even in the alternate dimension, something had gone wrong between them.
"Why don't we sit down?" Phoebe quickly interjected, moving them all in the direction of the sofa and chairs. Cole reluctantly settled on one of the wicker chairs, while all three sisters clustered on the sofa. Phoebe launched into the story of the demon attack, including Cole's intervention. By the time she had finished, Piper and Paige had become equally guarded. Phoebe took the lead in questioning.
"What are you?"
"Wha -?" Cole stuttered, taken aback. He had been prepared to launch into a story about Tom's dead witch wife when Phoebe had finished, hopefully convincing the sisters that he could be trusted. He hadn't expected to be accused as a demon right from the start.
"That demon was extremely powerful. No sixty year old man could fight him off like that." Piper put her hands up again, and Paige narrowed her eyes. "So, what are you?"
Cole felt trapped. All chance of the sisters believing him was gone, and he was out of plausible stories. A part of him was relieved that he didn't have to pretend anymore. He kept his hands by his side, hoping that Phoebe at least would notice his non-threatening posture. "I'm not here to hurt you, I swear. Please, just hear me out before you do anything rash." He glanced at Piper's hands nervously, and then looked back to Phoebe, trying to make her understand. "It's me, Phoebe. It's Cole."
Phoebe gaped silently, completely stunned. Her sisters recovered much more quickly. Cole jumped out of the chair, clumsily knocking it over as a pillow next to him exploded. Piper fired again, decimating an end table as Cole sprinted for the front door. He skidded around the corner, narrowly avoiding another blast that slammed into the wall. He yanked open the door and sped outside, hoping that the fear of exposure would keep Piper from following him.
He slowed down once the Manor was out of sight, his fears somewhat assuaged. He was safe for now, but he had no doubt that the sisters would be hunting him soon. Paige would probably lead the chase, but Phoebe would want to be the one to vanquish him. He grimaced at the irony. He reviewed those last few moments in his head, when Phoebe stared at him like he was a ghost. Was there anything in her eyes but fear and hatred? He doubted it. He had been an idiot to even think that things would work out.
Stewing with regrets and anger, Cole headed for Frannie's flower shop, where he would be – he checked his watch – at least three hours late. At least he would be relatively safe there – he knew the Charmed Ones would never attack him if he was around other people. A reasonably crowded shop would be the perfect cover.
Frannie was not pleased to see him. She was of the opinion that the only excuses for lateness were death, paralysis, and blindness, in that order. Cole's perfect physical health and lack of a satisfactory explanation worked her into a towering rage. Fortunately, the shop was busy enough that her tirade remained relatively short. She screamed at him for a minute or two, threatened to fire him, shoved a pile of order forms in his arms and stomped off to deal with the impatient customers at the desk.
Cole absent-mindedly shuffled through the orders as he retreated to the back room, still mulling over the problem of the Charmed Ones. He couldn't stay here forever, and they were bound to locate him soon, through witchcraft or just common sense. At least they couldn't scry for him; he hadn't left any blood behind this time. Just the same, he couldn't stay for long. I'll be gone in a week, anyway, Cole noted with bitter irony. If the sisters would just wait, their problem would vanish on its own.
He picked out the orders laconically and hauled them up to the front of the shop.
"There he is!" Frannie crooned sweetly, her face a twisted grimace of pleasantry. "We were just wondering what was taking you so long, Tom!" The irritated customer merely sniffed and glared daggers at Cole, no doubt upset over the waste of her precious time. Frannie ripped a package from his hands and rang it up, trying valiantly to salvage the situation through apologies and jokes to the discontented woman. Cole dumped the rest of the packages on a counter and turned to go, uninterested in the crisis.
The jingle of the bell at the front door caught his attention and he watched as Piper, Phoebe, and Paige marched in the shop, looking grim. Cole quickly ducked behind a card rack just in time. He inched around the rack to stay out of sight as the sisters approached the desk.
He couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but he didn't dare get closer. Phoebe spoke to Frannie while Paige idly fiddled with the key rings and Piper carefully scrutinized anyone who moved. Frannie's expression progressed from confused and shocked to righteously outraged at what Phoebe was saying. She spoke a few words in return and pointed decisively to the back room. All three sisters made their way to the back of the shop, and Cole hunched down further.
Piper and Phoebe went into the back room, while Paige stood guard at the door, scanning the shop suspiciously. Cole cursed and inched backwards slowly, out of sight. The front door was at least fifteen feet away, and the card stands wouldn't hide him for the entire distance. He studied the crowd desperately, and seized upon a lonely looking old lady. He hurried into the crowd and sidled up next to the woman, touching her arm in a friendly matter.
"Excuse me, do you know the way to Chester Street?" Cole barely listened to her detailed directions, concentrating on keeping his back to Paige. He glanced frantically at the door, still much too far away, and cut off the old lady mid-sentence.
"Actually, I'm pretty hopeless with spoken directions, miss," He explained smoothly. "Would you mind terribly pointing the way outside?"
The older woman looked at him slightly suspiciously, and then shrugged. "I suppose not, I'm on my way out anyway. It isn't far."
Cole smiled his thanks and tried not to rush her to the exit, aware of how suspicious that would look. Even so, each step seemed to drag on forever, and Cole's back was rigid with tension. He barely withheld a shudder of relief when the shop door dinged shut behind them.
The older lady turned and started pointing out streets. "Now dear, it isn't that difficult, just go down Theodore Avenue right there…" Cole nodded along and pretended to listen, forcing himself to stand still. It wouldn't do to cut and run now, Paige might spot him. He waited until the kind lady had finished, thanked her profusely, and set out in the direction she had pointed. He walked for about two blocks, then ducked into the nearest alley, listening carefully for any signs of pursuit.
"What are you doing?" The indignant screech made Cole twitch and drop into a combat crouch. Thursday was fairly hopping with rage beside a dumpster. "You're not supposed to be here! Why are you "
Cole smirked humorlessly at Thursday as her face reddened. "What's wrong? Everything not going according to plan?"
Thursday spluttered and then clenched her fists, taking deep breaths. Cole took a moment to savor her obvious irritation. With everything that she had put him through, he figured a little aggravation in kind was more than fair. Unfortunately, she calmed down remarkably fast.
"You told Phoebe," she stated flatly, more of an accusation than a question. Cole noticed that her hands were still fisted and white-knuckled at her sides. He nodded reluctantly, tempted to just ignore her and walk away. Something in her level gaze made him stop, however. "And it blew up in your face," she finished, nearly sneering outright.
Angrily, Cole started to retort, but she cut him off urgently. "There's no time for that now," she glanced at her watch and looked at him, suddenly frantic. "You have to get to Marie!"
"What?" Cole was blindsided by the sudden change in subject. "What does she -?"
"It's part of why you're here!" Thursday futilely tried to usher him towards the street, looking increasingly desperate. "She lives on Larkin Street, apartment 627. You'll have to take a cab, otherwise you won't make it in time." Cole stubbornly refused to move, looking down at her.
"Please, Cole," she pleaded, suddenly almost in tears.
He was taken aback by her drastic shift in tactics, but he still refused to be moved. He was tired of being ordered around like an errand boy by a girl and her gopher. "What is going on?" he calmly and carefully enunciated, staring Thursday down.
Thursday bit her lip and looked away, then forged ahead. "On Monday, May 3rd, Marie Landvik decides that she can't go on anymore. She skips work for the first time in her life and stands out on the balcony of her apartment." Thursday checked her watch before looking straight at Cole.
"If you don't stop her, in ten minutes she's going to jump."
