Chapter 3: Poles Apart

…and his expression of total disillusionment and despondency as she does this. Stricken by the weight of one of the most information filled premonitions she ever had, she untangled herself, levitated up and away from him and underlined it with surprise kick to his side that made him land on the floor next to the bed, "murderer. You killed my sister!"

"You didn't even know you had a sister and she's somehow not dead anyway," he pulled his trousers back up.

"Well, no thanks to you. However it is, we are going to kill you and believe me I will do nothing to stop the future unfold the way I saw it," he turned to leave the room.

He collapsed at her feet, desperate, blocking her way, "what if I told you I've done none of those things you saw, or know of? I didn't kill your sister. I didn't become the contract killer of the Source, I didn't even throw Piper out god damn it!"

"My premonitions are never wrong. And what do you mean you have nothing to do with the Source?"

"I swear, this is an alternate reality. I just arrived to this reality about an hour ago."

Phoebe considered this for a second, "you claim you don't know anything about anything?"

"Not since your sister Prue died. I have no idea how we got ourselves into this situation. Last thing I know I took you back to the manor and we swore we would fight the underworld together, no matter what. If you don't believe me, find your new sister Paige and ask her. You know what? Shout for Leo. She'll be with him. Nothing will happen to Leo if he comes here, I promise. No dark lighters here and I won't leave the room to alert anyone. Call him. This is no trap. If I'd hurt him, I would have no chance with you, you know that."

"No. I don't trust you. Shimmer us to the mausoleum and I'll call him there."

"As you wish," he complied, whispering in a desolate voice.

Leo materialised right away as she called for him, although looking around suspiciously, "Phoebe. Have you lost your mind? This could be dangerous for you…" He stopped short as he spotted Cole leaning onto the tomb in the middle, "what's going on?"

"Cole holds we live in alternate reality."

"We came to the same conclusion with Piper. Nevertheless, it's an alternate reality Cole himself created. What is the point to telling her this?" He turned to his ex brother in law, "you can't deceive her. Paige tells us you are a similar kind of a son of a bitch over there as you are here."

"All that matters Phoebe," Cole interrupted, "is that in that reality we spent a happy year together. You loved me. Don't deny the passion you wanted to give yourself to me just a few minutes ago. Over there, it was stronger for a long while. It wasn't just sex."

"What else does Paige say?" Phoebe ignored him.

"Dunno. We didn't talk all that much. They are making the potion to kill Cole."

"I could take you back to that reality and see that everything is better there," Cole offered, badly in search of a different way, an alternative course of action he could take and he had no other ideas.

"If it's so much better, why did you create this one?"

"Because we didn't have a chance there. Things got complicated. But if you'd come with me now, we could try again. I'm not working for the source over there. I could live with you and your sisters at the manor. San Francisco is as it was a couple of years ago, no demon mobs running most of it. Doesn't it sound better? Would I ever hurt you? You believe that, don't you?"

"Maybe she does," Leo answered for her as she was busy with pondering, "I find it hard to believe anything given our last few encounters, but if you are so benevolent, why don't you let Phoebe do what she wants to do? Let her come with me."

Cole nodded mutely. He could not speak that this attempt of his to win Phoebe back was failing too. When they orbed away, he himself shimmered to Venus to get the book that was the second in importance after the Grimoire and the seer off his back. He was in a hurry, wanting no help or distractions from other demons when the witches came back to vanquish him with their potion. It was the big moment he was waiting for, the plan he once tried to put into action back in the other reality, but it didn't work because he was invincible there. Well, life without Phoebe was no life at all. As it didn't matter anyway, he planet hopped without the protective astronaut gear he was meant to steal from Dallas first…

Tbc