Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, don't sue me.
A/N: As per usual, sorry about the delay. Thank you to those of you who reviewed. I'm glad you're enjoying it.
Phoebe slowly descended the stone steps, running a hand over the rough, damp walls of the mausoleum. This place brought back so many memories, and she had to shake her head slightly to bring herself back to reality. She stopped for a moment so her eyes could get used to the darkness.
"What are you doing here?" Cole's voice questioned through the dimness.
Phoebe stared in the direction that his voice had come from. She held up the ice pack, now almost completely melted. "Thought you might need it." She said simply.
"You came all this way to give me an ice pack?" Cole questioned. He stepped out of the shadows so Phoebe could see him, accepting the icepack. He pressed it against his shoulder, flinching in pain.
"I thought you might need to talk." Phoebe added. Cole stared at her.
"I'm fine." Cole said, turning his back on her.
Phoebe took a few steps towards him. She reached out to touch his back, but hesitated. After a moment, she pulled her hand back, thinking better of the gesture. "Talk to me." She said instead. She watched him lower his head.
His hesitation lasted a moment. "He was years older than me. . .and only my half brother. Still, he didn't care that I was half human like many demons did. . ." He paused, still not turning around. "We did everything together. Then, when I was nine. . .he took me out into the Underworld. Our mum had always said it was too dangerous. . .but Ronan didn't take any notice. . ." He broke off. "We got ambushed by some demons. . .they stabbed him. . ." Cole turned around, confusion written on his face. "I thought he died, and I ran. I abandoned him. . ." He ran a hand over his eyes. Phoebe didn't say anything for a moment.
"You were nine years old, Cole. Nine. What were you supposed to do against full fledged demons?" She questioned.
"Anything." Cole replied. "He was my brother." He met her eyes.
"And he still is." Phoebe replied. "And you shouldn't have to go into this fight knowing that you might have to kill him." They stared at each other for a moment. "He's after us, Cole. We have to protect ourselves. . .but I don't expect you to stand by us." Cole gave her a look of confusion. "He's your brother." She reiterated. "You shouldn't have to decide whether or not to kill him. No one should be put in that position." She glanced away, recalling the night years ago when Cole had put her in that exact situation.
"I'm sorry." He said softly, reading the look on her face.
"It wasn't you." She said simply. They both remained silent for a moment, before Phoebe finally spoke. "I'm going back to the Manor. . .and if you decide that you don't want to be in this fight anymore. . ." She paused, smiling slightly. "Thank you for coming back for as long as you did." She met his eye, and after a moment, turned around and headed out of the mausoleum.
"Are you okay?" Paige questioned, throwing in the last ingredient to the potion. It gave off a whiff of smoke and she pulled away, grimacing at the smell.
"I'm fine." Phoebe replied, fanning the air in front of her. She glanced outside. It was dark outside. She was beginning to wonder if Cole had taken her up on her suggestion and left for good.
"The reason she asks," Piper said, seated at the dining table staring at the spell she had constructed, "is because you are so obviously. . .not."
Phoebe glanced from one sister to the other. "I'm fine." She shrugged.
"And yet we still don't believe you." Paige said with a smirk. "It hasn't got anything to do with Cole, does it?" She probed.
Phoebe sighed. It was obvious that they already knew the answer to that question. "It's just brought back some old memories, that's all."
"Memories. . .or feelings?" Piper questioned. Phoebe met her eye, before looking away hastily. "I'm not saying Jason's my favourite person. . .but he's much better than Cole in that he hasn't tried to kill us!"
"Piper, please." Phoebe said, running a hand over her face.
"Okay, okay. But you know where we stand on the issue." Piper said softly. A knock on the door interrupted them.
"I've got it." Phoebe said, heading to the door. She pulled it open.
"Hey." Cole said awkwardly.
Phoebe hesitated. "You're using the front door now?" She questioned jokingly. "I wasn't sure you'd be back."
"Well. . .I am." Cole said after a moment. "The only problem is. . .I don't have anywhere to stay. . ." He trailed off. Neither of them said anything for a moment, before Phoebe smiled slightly.
"Our couch is comfy. . ." She finally said.
"You don't have to discuss this with the household?" Cole asked with a smirk.
Phoebe shrugged. "They'll be fine with it." She said, knowing that it would be the exact opposite. She stepped to the side. "Come in."
Phoebe placed her hands on the attic floor, grimacing as she fought to stand up. The cut on her cheek was bleeding slightly, her vision was blurred. She could only just make out the forms of Piper and Paige heaped on the floor in front of her, both motionless. Deep laughter rang in her ears. She looked sideways. The man formed an energy ball in his hands and raised it in front of him. I grim smile playing on his lips, he sent it soaring through the air with a flick of his wrist.
Instantly, Phoebe was pushed sideways by another force, ramming her from behind, pushing her out of the way. As she hit the floor once more, she swung around. Cole had been thrown backwards, the force of the energy ball too much for him to sustain. He was gasping for breath. She mustered what strength she had and crawled towards him, lifting his head into her lap, whispering words of comfort to him. Blood trickled out of the corner of his mouth and she met his eyes. She ignored the movement behind her. The only thought in her mind was the heartbreaking realisation that Cole was going to die in her arms. . .
Phoebe snapped awake, panting. She glanced at the clock beside her bed – two thirty six. She closed her eyes, the images from her dream so vivid in her mind. Perspiration lined her forehead, and her heart was still beating wildly. There was no way she was going to be able to fall back asleep, she realised, and swung her legs off the side of the bed.
Her bare feet making almost no noise on the wooden floorboards, she made her way downstairs. She paused momentarily at the living room entrance, unable to make out Cole's form on the couch through the darkness. She shook her head and turned away, making her way towards the kitchen. Once there, she pulled open the fridge, grimacing as the light pierced the darkness. She ignored it, reaching for the orange juice.
"Couldn't sleep?"
The voice made her jump, her heart racing for the second time in a matter of minutes. She spun around. "You scared the hell out of me!" She hissed. Cole gave her a wry smile from where he was seated casually at the dining table. That smile, she remembered, had never ceased to make her knees go weak. Things hadn't changed, she noted in annoyance, as she grabbed the fridge door for support. She turned her back on him and pulled out the orange juice, letting the door close and engulfing them both in darkness.
"I didn't mean to scare you." He said. He almost sounded sincere, Phoebe thought. She glanced at him as she poured the juice into a glass.
"Why aren't you asleep?" She queried curiously.
He hesitated. "Too much to think about." He said simply. Their eyes met through the darkness. "You?"
She hesitated. "Bad dreams." She said slowly. She placed the empty bottle in the bin beside the counter.
"Going back upstairs?" Cole asked. Phoebe paused. The thought of going back up to her room to sleep wasn't feasible. She wasn't about to get any more sleep tonight. She didn't even want to think about what was waiting for her beyond consciousness. But the thought of staying. . . "Stay here." Cole said suddenly, as though reading her mind. "Keep me company."
"You're not going back to sleep?" Phoebe questioned.
Cole gave her a half smile. "Not tonight." He said. She didn't want to push the matter, instead taking the time to seat herself in the chair opposite him. "So tell me," He said, in an attempt to change the subject, "what's this Jason guy like?"Phoebe was taken by surprise at the random question. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Cole continued, "is he a good guy?"
Phoebe frowned slightly, giving him a small smile. "Where is this coming from?"
"Not where you think it's coming from." Cole replied quickly, returning her smile. "This isn't jealousy. I just. . ." He paused. "I just want to know that you're getting everything that you deserve."
Phoebe glanced down at her hands. "Sometimes I think Jason is more than I deserve." She looked up to find him staring at her intently, and she found herself feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"I don't think that's possible." He said quietly.
If she hadn't been uncomfortable before, she was now. "He's a good guy, Cole." She said, meeting his eyes once more.
"That's good." Cole replied genuinely. "That's all I wanted to know."
They remained silent for a moment, Phoebe taking a sip from her glass. She placed it back on the table. "What about you?" She asked suddenly. "Is there anyone in your life?"
Cole seemed mildly amused by this. "Not a chance." He replied.
"You make it sound like it's impossible." Phoebe said softly.
Cole shook his head slowly. "To find someone who accepts that I'm not normal--"
"We both have that problem, that's not an excuse." Phoebe said with a smile.
"It's different for you, Phoebe." He paused for a moment, not looking at her. "You do magic to help people. To save people. You have this. . .predetermined destiny that people may not be comfortable with, but could live with. . .because of the person that you are, and the people that you help." He stopped, gazing at her. "Me, on the other hand. . .I'm not exactly the kind of magical being that someone would be proud to call their boyfriend. The things I've done. . ."
"In the past." Phoebe interrupted. "You've changed since then, Cole. I saw it. . .I can't believe you still haven't."
"Some things change, Phoebe. But some things don't." His gaze was boring into her. "What I was then. . .it's always there to haunt me. If not in myself then in demons I used to know. . .family." He hesitated. "Maybe my predetermined destiny is to pay for all the mistakes that I made back then."
Phoebe gazed at him. "You're talking about Ronan." She spoke her thoughts.
Cole glanced at her. "When we were talking earlier. . .you likened this situation to us back then. . .when I was possessed by the Source. You said no one should have to decide whether to kill someone that they're close to. . .and in truth, this is nothing like what happened between us." He looked away, running a hand over his face.
"Maybe not exactly. . ." Phoebe said softly, "But the similarity--"
"No." Cole interrupted coldly. Phoebe looked into his eyes, and the warmth that she had seen there moments ago had disappeared. "Back then, you knew what you were dealing with. You knew that it was the only way – that vanquishing me was the only option." He looked away. "I refuse to believe that Ronan is beyond my help."
"And that might turn out to be a mistake." Phoebe said gently, trying to catch his eye. "Cole, I know you don't want to hear it. . .but if he is beyond your--"
"He's not." Cole said abruptly, standing up and throwing back his chair. Phoebe was taken aback by his sudden burst of anger. But Cole's frustration was quickly replaced by some inner conflict. He covered his face with both hands, before letting out a breath of aggravation – more at himself than at Phoebe.
"Cole. . ." Phoebe started hesitantly.
"You know, Phoebe. . ." He said quietly, lowering his hands. He gazed at her, and she was unable to read what was going on in his mind. "I think my exhaustion's caught up with me. . .I'm going to head back to the lounge." He didn't wait for her to reply. "I'll see you in the morning."
Phoebe stared at his retreating back. Cole was right, she realised. Many things had changed. And what bothered her most was her inability to read the man that she had once known so well.
That's it for now. Any reviews would be very much appreciated.