Disclaimer: See first chapter.

Author's Note: Thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews!I don't have time to respond to everyone individually, though, sorry... next time.

OH! The two people who mentioned the sisters' last name - thanks for pointing it out. My computer automatically spells it with an "o", so I had to add the word spelled with an "i" to the dictionary. Hopefully, that'll work.

Hope you like!

P.S. Let's assume the girls have a guest room. I honestly don't think they do, but I kinda need them to have one.

So lets just pretend that there's an unused bedroom in the upstairs of Manor.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm tired." Piper said suddenly, breaking the tension, "We should go to bed. Cole, you and Tessa can take the guest room. You remember where it is, right? One of us will be up sheets in a second."

And just like that, Cole knew he'd been dismissed. He would wander upstairs now, and the sisters would discuss him and his presence and what that meant.

He nodded, lifting Tessa as he stood, and without another word he left the room.

The living room was silent for a few seconds, as they waited until the sound of his steps receded.

"So he's a witch." Paige said evenly.

The group released a collective breath.

"Yep," Piper said, nodding.

"Which also makes him an innocent." Leo added.

"Great, just great." Paige replied, sarcasm dripping from every syllable.

Phoebe kept silent.

"What're you thinking Phoebes?" Piper asked.

Silence.

"Phoebe hun, are you okay?"

Slowly the woman shook her head, "He's right. Me, us… we put her in danger."

Paige shook her head, "You don't know that…"

"Oh please Paige! She gets attacked twice in one day! The same day she meets us! That's not just coincidence!"

"Hey, hey, lower your voice." Piper scolded frowning as Wyatt stirred in her lap.

Phoebe sighed, "Sorry, its just… I hate the idea that just association with us, puts her danger."

Piper laughed a little, "Its not association with us, Phoebe, it's being one of us. Cole just said that, cause he's pissed. They went after her for the same reason they come after the boys, because she's a Halliwell."

"But how did they find her before we even knew about her?" Phoebe asked.

There was no answer to that. Leo stood, "I'll check around, see what rumor's are circulating."

"Good idea, you do that..." Piper said, "Tomorrow." She added firmly, sending him a look. He sat back down.

"It's late andwe're all tired.A nights sleep willhelp us think more clearly."

Everyone sighed, knowing she was right.

"Who's going to take sheets and pillows to Cole?" She asked.

Paige snorted, "Only I get to smother him." She murmured, earning herself a look from Piper.

"Don't say things like that Paige," her oldest sister scolded, "He's mortal now, and the father of our only niece, so there will be no talk of smothering or anything else that would produce similar results – ever."

Paige grunted.

"Paige…."

"Okay, okay, fine. No smothering."

Piper laughed, than looked at Phoebe, "Phoebes?"

Phoebe gave her a pointed look, with an oh-please expression on her face.

Piper sighed, "Good point. I guess that leaves me… unless… Leo?" she said hopefully.

He stood, "I'll put Wyatt to bed." He said quickly, bending to gently lift the boy from her and Phoebe.

"I'll tuck Chris in." Paige said, standing.

Paige and Leo left the room, and Piper studied her sister. She looked sad and tired. It had been a long day.

"Go to bed Phoebe. Get some sleep, in the morning things will seem…" Piper paused, than rolled her eyes, "they'll seem the same but at least you won't be drowsy."

Phoebe smiled a little, "Kay, ummmm, Piper?"

"Yeah?"

"When you're up there… kiss Tessa for me…"

Piper grinned, "Gladly."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Okay, go ahead and put her down." Piper said softly as she finished making the bed.

Cole did so, "Thanks." He said just as softly.

Piper smiled, "I know you're not gonna like this – but she looks exactly like Phoebe at that age."

Cole looked at her – remember the lesson – he told himself. But it was easier said than done especially when faced with Piper's twinkling eyes, teasing voice, and infectious smile.

She'd always been nice to him – well kind of. In the beginning nicer than Prue and in the end nicer than Paige.

Of course he knew rabid Dobermans that were nicer than Paige.

"I figured she did." He responded.

Piper nodded, than bent down and pressed a kiss to the child's cheek, "That's from mommy…" she whispered to the sleeping child.

Cole tensed, and made a hissing sound with his teeth. The last thing he wanted was his baby receiving subconscious messages about her mother.

Piper straightened, the twinkling, teasing, and smile gone.

"Listen Cole," she began, "I know you're not happy about this, and I wish for your sake that I could say I'm sorry. But I can't, because I'm not; I'm not sorry we've found Tessa. We've had a rough year… all of us. Collectively and individually. We've loved and lost and grieved; in a way we're stronger because of it, but in others…" she paused and he saw a sheen of tears appear in her eyes. "… in other ways, we'll never recover."

She said nothing more, just continued to look at his daughter with an infinitely tender gaze, but in that gaze there was something sadder than he'd ever seen. A sorrow that began deep in inside and like she said, would never go away.

Suddenly he had to know, "What happened Piper?" He had to know what had happened to this family while he'd been gone.

What could possibly drive this family to being ambiguous, to distrusting Elders, to never recovering…

She took a shuddering breath, and lifted her gaze to his, "We learned the hard: we can only trust each other and no one else."

His breath caught at the anguish in her voice, the pain in her eyes, but suddenly it vanished, and her expression was blank.

He swallowed hard, and squashed the wave of empathy he felt. He wasn't going to care. He wasn't going to let this family worm their way into his heart – not again.

"Once you taught that lesson to me." He said quietly, "To trust only myself."

She flinched, only a little, but he still saw it.

She was silent a moment, than her chin lifted slightly, "We took the best course of action for the situation we were in." She replied.

"Everyone else be damned, right," he growled, his cold facade cracking at her callous words.

Her eyes flashed, he was choosing to see them as the bad guys… when they'd done what they'd had to do. They'd stopped an evil that would've killed innocents. And that was their job – to save innocents.

"No, Cole, not everyone else be damned. Just you." She hissed in anger.

"And my child." He spit out.

The anger disappeared, and her gaze went to Tessa.

"You damned her as well." He continued, rage evident in his voice.

She stared at her niece a moment, than her gaze lifted, "I won't let you terrorize us with guilt, Cole Turner, we've had more than enough of it lately. We can't change what happened, but we can sure as hell make up for it." She paused, "And we will."

Than without another word she turned around left the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Cole eyed her retreating back. What the hell was that supposed to mean? He thought frowning.

They'd had enough guilt lately? He sighed, sitting down on the bed. They were odd words. Just like the comment about the Elders. Just like the sorrow he'd seen her gaze, like the determination he'd heard in her voice.

There was a fierceness in that tone, as she'd told him she wouldn't let him use guilt on them, a determination to put the past behind her, behind them.

It had been big - whatever it was, and it had changed them. All of them.

They were dealing with grief, they were hurting, and according to Piper's words, they would always be hurting.

Coletook a deep breath and shook his head a little, banishing thethoughts from his mind.

It wasn't his problem. He didn't care.

It wasn't his problem. He didn't care.

And just maybe if he repeated these phrases over and over again – just maybe he'd make them true.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

PLEASE REVIEW!