Chapter Thirteen
By the time Phoebe burst into her bedroom, Cole's confusion had simmered into anger and he barked at her, "What the hell was that about?"
She'd practically slammed into him when she'd run through the door and, recovering from her shock at finding him waiting for her, she pointed to the hall, "Get out, Cole."
"Like hell," he retorted before slamming the door. "What is wrong with you?"
In the hopes of grabbing her robe from her closet, she darted around him, "Just leave me alone."
But he grabbed her arm and yanked her back. "Not until you explain that little scene of yours."
"Of mine? You're the one! You've made yourself perfectly clear," she defiantly stated while traitorous tears stung the corners of her eyes. "Now let go of me."
Realizing he'd been squeezing her much too hard, Cole released her but still demanded, "Maybe you'd like to clarify it for me first, just so I am clear."
"I'm talking about the way you feel," she spat. "The way you really feel about me. And you were brilliant, by the way, making sure I finally dropped my guard before you sucker-punched me."
"I was joking about the poodle," he told her. "Hell, even Paige knew that!"
"Please," she turned from him, "I feel stupid enough as it is. God, why do I even let you get to me?" She spun back to him, "I am so over you so do me a favor and just leave. We'll handle Zankou on our own."
"Not until we talk," he shouted, "and I've got more than a few things to say."
"Keep your voice down," she snapped. "And I'm not listening to any more lies."
"What have I lied about?" he angrily questioned. "You know, this's just typical of you. Always jumping to the wrong conclusions and making an ass of yourself before you go groveling for forgiveness. Oh wait, there I am, in the wrong again. The almighty Charmed Ones don't bother with groveling because they're never sorry for wrongs they've committed. Your motto should be accuse and vanquish, no questions asked and no regrets."
Stunned by his remarks, Phoebe couldn't think clearly enough to form a comeback. Instead, she shoved him back and tried to run from her room.
Surprised by his own bitterness, Cole managed to grab her arm, just as she'd flung open the door, and contritely said, "I'm sorry."
She didn't pull her arm free but didn't look back at him as she quietly requested, "Let me go."
He complied and acknowledged, "This got out of hand and I'm not sure how."
But Phoebe kept her back to him, "I'm taking a shower. You can stay on the couch tonight if you don't have another place but leave me alone."
No sooner had she closed the door behind her than Cole let out his frustration by firing at one of her window seat cushions. He hung his head in regret at the resulting scorch mark on the bench. 'Not like this,' he decided as he pulled the door open only to find Leo standing there.
"You weren't paying attention before," Leo quietly rebuked.
"I don't have time for this," Cole muttered. "Get out of my way."
"Make time," Leo ordered as he walked forward, causing Cole to step back into the bedroom.
"What is it?" Cole practically growled.
"You need to cool down before you go charging into that bathroom," Leo advised. "Don't look so surprised, I know you better than you think."
"She's completely irrational," Cole declared, "and she's blaming me!"
"Did you ask her about it?"
"Of course I did!" Cole decided Leo was a moment away from an energy ball.
"Did you ask her?" Leo waited for the meaning of his words to sink in before he continued, "Think about the day she's had, nothing but one shock after another, none the least of which was her near-death experience. And, instead of calmly asking why your comment set her off, you went on the offensive."
"What the hell are you talking about? She blew everything way out of proportion. She started!" Cole's hands were clenched and aching for an energy ball.
Leo shook his head with disappointment, "You're letting anger cloud your thinking." Cole looked back at him in expectation and he sighed, "What did you ask me about earlier? And what did I tell you about Phoebe keeping things inside?"
His anger immediately drained from him and Cole's hands fell limply to his sides, "The baby?" Leo didn't respond. "But it's only November, right? The baby wouldn't have been due yet. That can't be it."
"I told you about her recent premonitions about becoming a mother," Leo explained, "but you don't have a clue what they've meant to her, how they've affected her. And now those visions are jeopardized by this business with Zankou and Kyle. Becoming a mother is weighing on her mind and then suddenly you're back in her life. And one of the first things she does is put you in charge of watching Wyatt and Chris which goes better than she expects with you even changing a diaper. And then…"
Cole brought his hand to his face and closed his eyes, "And then I made that crack calling her a poodle…"
"There was a time when you were both in tune with each other, when you could tease and joke even in the worst circumstances," Leo commented. "I suggest you find that link again before you cause each other irreparable damage."
"You mean we haven't already?" Cole uttered in defeat.
"Where there's love, Cole," Leo assured him, turning to the door, "there's hope."
"Who says she still loves me?" Cole called out as Leo left the room.
Leo didn't let Cole see his smile, "Who says she doesn't?"
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Paige carefully opened the door to the boys' room just as Piper got Wyatt settled in bed. "You hear them?"
"It's between them," Piper reminded her youngest sister. "Cole's here and Phoebe has to deal with it."
"We all have to deal with it," Paige countered before admitting, "I don't get her though. How many times have I called her a French Poodle after Wyatt sees her?"
Piper kissed Wyatt a bunch of times before convincing the sleepy toddler to keep his eyes closed. Glancing at Paige she shrugged, "This was Cole and you know she's got unresolved feelings where he's concerned."
"I know nothing of the sort," Paige declared quietly so as not to disturb Wyatt. "She loved him once but she got over it once he destroyed it by going crazy."
"She'll always love him," Piper informed her sister as she made sure the guards on Wyatt's bed were secure and she carefully backed away. Next to Paige in the doorway, she kept an eye on Wyatt and added, "But she's never had to deal with it because he's been gone. Now he's back and she's confused."
"Nothing to be confused about," Paige insisted. "He killed innocents and that was after he came back from the Wasteland and promised to be good. Helping us with Zankou and the Avatars won't make up for it."
"It could be a start," Piper considered. "Sweetie, you're gonna have to look at Phoebe's relationship with Cole a bit differently now that you're involved with Kyle."
"What?" Paige gasped. "Kyle's nothing like Cole."
"He's a demon," Piper commented in a hushed tone, "and even if we do pull him through this business with Zankou, the temptations for Kyle will be more intense than before. Maybe he did spend his life as a human and maybe those instincts are still there but he's a full-demon and that pull might be more powerful now."
"I won't lose him," Paige promised. "I'll help him. We'll learn about Gloryhounds and figure out how he can control the evil inclinations."
In spite of Paige's emphatic reply, Piper wasn't sure Paige fully understood the implications behind it. "So you're ready to fight for Kyle and support him like Phoebe did for Cole? Will you stand by him no matter how many times he falls? Are you willing to wear yourself thin balancing a life with him and a life with us as a Charmed One? Or will you realize that you're from two different worlds and you have to let him go? And what happens if he does terrible evil things? Are you prepared to vanquish him if it comes to that?"
"It's so unfair," Paige croaked. "Why'd this have to happen? It was going so well…"
Piper hugged her sister, "Welcome to Phoebe's world." Piper nudged her into the hall, "Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."
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He shimmered into the bathroom, took a deep breath, and opened the shower door. She was crouched under the spray, muffling her cries with a washcloth and he quickly knelt in the doorway, unconcerned that he was getting soaked. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he gently pulled her into his arms.
Phoebe let him wrap his arms around her and she dropped her washcloth. Clinging to him, she sobbed into his chest.
"Let it out," he encouraged, slowly rocking back and forth on his heels. "It'll be okay," he soothed as he kissed the top of her head. "Let it out."
"I'm sorry," she mumbled over and over.
"We both knew which buttons to push," he reasoned as he continued to stroke her back. "It's okay."
After a few moments, she realized with a sniffle, "You're all wet."
"I needed a shower anyway," he said in a light tone.
"It was just a diaper," she remarked in a hoarse voice, not able to pull away from him.
"A reeking diaper," he retorted. He felt her chuckles more than he actually heard them and, with relief, he tightened his embrace. When she finally pulled back, he quickly framed her face and told her, "I wasn't thinking and I'm sorry."
She nudged him so he would help her stand and, as he did, she apologized, "I over-reacted big time. Paige teases me all the time, even made me a sign that said, 'Fifi's Room.' I know you didn't mean anything by it."
He stepped back and turned from her, "I'd better get changed before Piper has a fit over me dripping all over the floors and furniture."
Phoebe reached out and grabbed the back of his shirt before he could leave.
Cole's heart pounded as he slowly turned around to face her. It had been easier to ignore her nudity when she'd been crying but now, seeing her looking back at him with desire in her eyes…He shook his head and stepped back again, "I have to go."
But she reached for him, "You're already wet, no sense in wasting water later."
He didn't move, "You're still not thinking clearly."
Phoebe stepped out from the shower and placed her hands on his chest, "Crystal clear."
His feet moved against his will as she drew him back to the shower and tugged his T-shirt out of his jeans. He placed his hands on hers to stop her, "I don't want you doing anything you'll regret."
"Aren't you the one who said I regret nothing?" she murmured before standing on tiptoes so her lips could meet his.
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"So now I smell from strawberries instead of --"
She quickly interrupted his complaint with a kiss before resting her head on his chest. She fingered his chest hair as he drew the blanket over them. "Hell of a day, huh…"
"Hell is nothing compared to day with the Halliwells," he muttered. When she lightly slapped his chest, he lazily began to stroke her back. "Got up this morning, changed the world, was vanquished, and ended up almost two years in the future…hell of a day…"
Suddenly Phoebe realized what day it was and whispered, "Happy Birthday, Cole." She felt him tense beneath her and she kissed his chest in apology, "Sorry it wasn't what you'd hoped."
'Maybe it was.' But he was afraid of speaking and ruining the moment and, when she nuzzled him with her cheek, he kissed the top of her head and settled back against the pillows.
They were silent for a short while, lost in their own thoughts, while each instinctively remembered just the right little touches to please the other, quiet contemplation slowly giving way once more to passion.
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