Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, don't sue me.
A/N: Thank you to all of you who reviewed. The writer's block is coming in waves, but I'm trying to fight through it. Hopefully you won't be disappointed.
Phoebe sat up panting, her forehead lined with sweat, as images from her recurring dream haunted her.
Cole. Dead. Blood. Regret. Fear.
She ran a hand over her face, purposely slowing down her breathing to calm herself as she sat up. It was morning already, the room filled with bright sunlight. She felt like she had only slept for a few hours. As if in slow motion she slipped out of bed and began her morning routine. She headed to the bathroom, showered and changed.
Cole didn't leave her thoughts all the while. Though, admittedly, he hadn't escaped her thoughts since he had left. It had been two weeks. And he had sent no word whatsoever. Phoebe wished he would come back, at least for a second, just so they would know what was going on. So she would know he was okay. But Cole wouldn't do that. It was too risky to shimmer in and out of the Manor, not when it was possible someone was tracking him. But Phoebe was almost willing to risk it.
Her constant concern had caused her to call Elise a week ago and inform her that she was going to be working from home for the next few weeks. She left no room for argument, and though Elise was obviously annoyed, she made no attempt to stop her.
But Phoebe wasn't up to working today. Even if it was from home. She made her way downstairs, and silently left the Manor. She climbed into her car, put it in gear and drove to the place she had been only days ago. She let her fingers gently caress the wall as she descended the stairs into the mausoleum. If there was one place Cole would come, it would be here. She needed to see him. To warn him about her nightmare. Her premonition. Nightmares didn't attack a person like hers did, and eventually she had to face the realisation that it was, in fact, a premonition.
She leaned against the cold wall, waiting. Not sure what she was waiting for. How would Cole know she was waiting for him? She let herself slide to the floor, her knees bent before her. She waiting for what seemed like hours, before climbing to her feet. What had she thought? That Cole would miraculously sense her presence and appear before her? No, she realised, that bond between them had been broken a long time ago. But she so desperately wanted to see him. To hold him. And the thought scared her more than anything. Her inability to describe how she felt. How could she speak to anyone else about it if she didn't know herself? She sighed as she began to climb the stairs leading out of the mausoleum.
"Phoebe. . ."
She spun around, relief flooding her as she made out Cole's form before her. Her relief turned to concern as he stumbled towards her. His shirt was in tatters, what was left of it soaked in blood from a wound on his abdomen. He had a large bruise on his chest, and a gash across his eyebrow. His eyes were hazy, as though he couldn't see her.
"Cole!" She breathed out, hurrying towards him as she held out her arms to steady him. He fell forward, and it took all her strength not to fall over with him. As gently as she could she lowered him to the ground, allowing herself to sit beneath him. His eyes fluttered.
"It. . .trap." He said, gasping for air. She coaxed him to stop talking, one hand resting lightly on his neck, the other caressing his head.
"Leo!" She called out, praying the Whitelighter would answer. Within seconds, the blue orbs appeared before her.
"What--" Leo began disbelievingly. "What happened?"
"Not now." Phoebe said hurriedly. "We need to get him back to the Manor." She took the hand Leo offered, tightly holding onto Cole as they were shimmered into the Manor lounge room. "You have to heal him, Leo."
"Phoebe. . ." Leo began.
"Oh my God. . .what happened?" Piper breathed, having walked into the room from the kitchen.
"I don't know yet." Phoebe said. "Leo, please."
"You know I can't heal him, Phoebe. He may not be evil, but he still has demonic powers" Leo said.
"Do what you can." She said. "You've healed his human half before. Do it again."
Leo gazed at her, before glancing at Piper. She nodded slightly, before he knelt down beside Cole. Phoebe shuffled out of the way as his hands began to glow. They trembled slightly at first, then more violently as the wound began to close up. Leo pulled back. "That's all I can do." He said.
Phoebe gazed at Cole's wound, not as severe as before, but still serious. She watched in silent relief as Cole began to stir. "What happened?" She muttered quietly to herself.
A short while before . . .
Cole stepped into the cavern cautiously, his eyes adjusting quickly to the dim lighting. It was much like the cavern he and Piper had visited when he had first arrived back in San Francisco, and the uneasy feeling in his stomach was eerily familiar. For two weeks he had been wandering the Underworld, trying to find something – anything. Finally, he had managed to come up with one lead. This cavern. The ease at which he had found the lead made him suspicious though, and he wasn't about to let his guard down. A shadow moved at the end of the cavern, and Cole formed an energy ball above his hand. Ronan stepped forward, eyeing Cole closely.
"You didn't think you were searching around the Underworld unnoticed, did you?" He said, smirking slightly. Cole clenched his teeth. "What did you think you would find? An indication of when my attack will come? What I intend to do?" Ronan questioned. Cole remained silent, deciding not to dissipate the energy ball. Ronan smiled at Cole's caution. "You go home and tell your witch that I'll be visiting her soon. That I've done what I need to do - her and her sisters are next. And anyone that stands in between us. Can you do that for me, brother?" He spat out the last word.
"You're not going to touch her." Cole said bitterly. "Not while I'm still alive."
Ronan's smile disappeared. "That's what I thought."
A split second of silence took hold, before chaos took hold. As Ronan flung a fireball at Cole, who barely managed to dive out of the way, throwing the energy ball at Ronan with as much power at he could muster. Cole used his arms to break his fall and flipped himself onto his feet simultaneously. His eyes fell on Ronan just in time to watch him hold up a hand, dissipating the energy ball in mid air. He turned on Cole, lifting up his other hand. Cole felt himself rise off the ground slightly, unable to move. He tried to shimmer, but he couldn't break free of Ronan's hold. He stopped struggling, glaring at Ronan.
Ronan threw three fireballs in quick succession at Cole, who doubled over in pain and stumbled to the floor, Ronan's hold now broken. Cole stood shakily, ignoring the throbbing pain in his torso. He formed two more energy balls and flung them at Ronan, who dodged one. The other nicked his arm as he stepped out of the way, drawing little blood. Ronan smiled as he held out his hand, and flicked his wrist. Cole went flying into the wall, before landing in a heap on the ground. He glanced up at Ronan, waiting for the final attack, but none came. His vision was blurred by the blood falling from a piercing gash on his forehead.
Ronan approached him slowly, grabbing him by the neck and pulling him to his feet. Cole held onto his brothers arms for support, and Ronan barely flinched at Cole's grip on his wound. "We'll finish this soon, brother." Ronan said simply, and with one last piercing glare, shimmered from the cavern.
Cole fought to remain conscious, pushing himself off the floor and using the wall to hold himself up. Phoebe. The thought came to him immediately. He had to get back to her. Mustering all his strength, he shimmered to the one place he knew she would be.
"Cole." Phoebe said, shaking him gently. His eyes opened and rested on her. He sat up and leaned against the couch, grimacing at the pain.
"I did what I could." Leo said from the other end of the room.
"Thanks." Cole said, letting out a breath.
"What happened, Cole?" Phoebe asked, standing up and staring down at him.
"Ronan. He was waiting for me." Cole said softly.
"I knew something wasn't right. It was a bad idea from the start." Phoebe muttered.
"Maybe." Cole said, meeting her eye. He sighed. "Ronan's done everything he needs to do. The first opportunity he gets to kill you, he will."
"That's all?" Phoebe questioned. "You risked you life to tell us something we already know?"
"I thought you understood why I had to do this." Cole said, frowning slightly.
"I didn't." Phoebe said, shaking her head. "All I knew was that you wouldn't back down. And look where it got you. . ."
"Okay." Piper interrupted. "There's no point in doing this now, we have more important things to deal with." She glanced at Cole. "You didn't find anything else that could help us?"
Cole's gaze lingered on Phoebe a moment, before he glanced at Piper. He held up his hand, almost completely blood stained. "It's not my blood, it's Ronan's. And it's still damp, if you're interested in concocting some ungodly potion."
Piper thought about it for a moment, before disappearing into the kitchen and returning moments later with a knife and a small, metal bowl. Using the back of the knife, she scraped what she could off Cole's hand, grimacing openly. "Was this planned?" She questioned.
Cole smiled slightly. "It was the best I could come up with at the time."
"It won't make much . . ." Paige commented, glancing over Piper's shoulder.
"It'll make enough." Piper said, standing up. "Nice work, Cole." She said, before heading towards the kitchen, Paige following suit.
Phoebe glanced at him. "Go get cleaned up. I'll be up in a little while to dress that wound."
"You don't have to do that." Cole stated simply.
"I do." Phoebe replied nonchalantly. "You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me."
"Phoebe. . ."
"I'll be up in ten minutes." Phoebe said sharply, before disappearing into the kitchen.
Cole glanced at Leo and raised his eyebrows. "Can't do anything right." He stated wryly.
Leo smirked as he helped Cole to his feet, "Welcome to my world."
That's all for now. Don't forget to drop off a quick review. Tell me what you thought.