Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, don't sue me.
A/N: Sorry for the gigantic delay. Thanks again for the reviews. They were, as always, much appreciated.
Cole slipped into the manor silently. Darkness had fallen hours ago, and he waited a moment for his eyes to adjust. He had been wandering around aimlessly, trying to make some sense of what had happened. Trying to contemplate what his next move should be. He sighed inwardly, making his way quietly towards the staircase. He ascended it soundlessly, and headed towards Phoebe's bedroom. He turned the doorknob slowly, and pushed it open as much as was necessary to slip through. Then he closed it lightly behind him. As he turned to look at her, he was shocked to find her already awake, staring back at him. He gave her a half smile.
"Hey." He said softly.
She smiled back gently. "Hey. I wasn't sure if you'd be back tonight."
He gazed at her for a moment. "Why are you still awake? You're supposed to be resting."
"I couldn't." She said simply, before pausing for a moment. "Too much to think about." They stared at each other silently.
"Me too." He replied. He walked forward and sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her.
"Cole. . .I---" Phoebe started.
"Phoebe, don't." Cole interrupted.
"I have to." She replied. "Let me say this." She added firmly.
He didn't turn to face her, but nodded diffidently. Phoebe moved closer to him, so close that she was almost touching him. She leaned forwards, so she could rest her cheek against his arm. He pulled back with a start, and Phoebe immediately thought that he had recoiled from her touch. But then she realised, and all thoughts of what she were about to say disappeared. "You're hurt."
"I'm fine." Cole said, bringing his other hand around to cover his shoulder.
Phoebe waited a moment, before moving around him and climbing off the bed. She didn't say anything before she left the room, returning minutes later. She placed the items from the bathroom on the bedside table, before facing him defiantly. "Show me."
Cole stared at her for a moment before, losing their mental battle, pulling off his shirt with one hand. Phoebe's eyes narrowed slightly. "You should have got Leo to try and heal this." She said, placing her fingers on either side of his wound.
He grimaced. "It's fine." He met her disbelieving gaze, and sighed. "This isn't a wound I want to disappear. I don't want to forget what happened today."
His sentence trailed into silence, and neither spoke while Phoebe cleaned the wound. She applied some antiseptic to a cotton pad and, hesitating slightly, dabbed it against his wound gently. He clenched his teeth, but didn't grimace, as he waited patiently for her to finish. After placing the cotton pad back on the table, she peeled back the gauze adhesive and carefully pasted it to his shoulder.
"You really should get stitches." She said, finally breaking the silence. He reached up and took her hand in his.
"I'm fine." He said. "Really."
"Okay." Phoebe let out with a sign. She turned away from him, busying herself with the items on her bedside table. She paused. "I meant what I said this afternoon. I'm sorry about Ronan." She turned to look at him.
"Don't be." Cole said. "I'm not."
"You're not?" Phoebe questioned, frowning.
He shook his head. "No. Time passes, Phoebe. That man wasn't my brother. . .not in the way that counts."
"I don't understand. . ." She broke off. "I thought that's why you were pushing me away. Why you needed time to think. . ." She looked at him questioningly.
He hesitated for a moment, before glancing away from her. "I almost lost you today." He stated, avoiding her eye. "A part of me died inside when I saw you go limp in his arms. That's why I needed time." He looked up at her. "I couldn't lose you."
Phoebe was taken aback slightly, but recovered as she approached him. "Cole, this isn't the first time I've almost died. It's not even the closest I've come. . .you know that. Why is this time so different?"
He gazed at her, defiant. "It was different, Phoebe. It was different because we're different." He shook his head slightly. "I just found you again. And I had forgotten what it's like to almost lose someone you care so much about." He shrugged off her attempt to console him. "And it's my fault. . ."
Phoebe shook her head. "What are you talking about?" She questioned.
"I could have stopped this. . .I could have changed it. . ." He muttered, more to himself than to her.
"Stop it." She said firmly, the finality in her own voice surprising her. He turned to look at her. "There was nothing you could do. It was my fault, not yours. In my premonition, I saw you save my life. I watched you die. And I wasn't about to let that happen." She hesitated. "Not again." She gazed at him, her expression softening slightly. "You see Cole, I'm a selfish person. I'd rather you go on without me, than have to go on without you."
He let out a small breath, smiling vaguely. "I guess that's something we have in common then." He replied softly, moving towards the bed and sitting down.
Phoebe hesitated, before moving towards him. He looked away, unsure of what to say. She was close to him now, her legs between his, as she leaned forwards. Ignoring his involuntary shudder as her lips brushed his ear, she whispered the thought that had not left her mind for so long now. "I still love you."
Cole looked back enough to look into her eyes. "Phoebe. . ." He started, before pausing, taken aback.
"I do." She said with a half smile.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked gently, bringing a hand up to caress her neck.
She nodded, "Absolutely." She said, "You're 'it' for me, Cole. That's something I can't ignore anymore. And I don't want to."
He looked away for a moment, before making eye contact again, "It probably doesn't mean much to you anymore," He started, smiling slightly as he lowered his voice to a whisper, "but I love you too."
She shook her head, her smile growing wider. "You're wrong. . ." She said simply, "It means everything to me."
"It does?" He questioned, jokingly suspicious.
She gave him a mock frown. "Yeah, it does." She relaxed after a moment. "You have no idea how much it took for me to pretend that it didn't." She said, as she started to pull back.
"Probably as much as it took for me to leave you." He retorted, taking her hand gently, before she could move. "I don't want to have to do that again." He said softly, trying to catch her eye.
She met his gaze. "I don't want you to."
Cole let out a sigh of relief as he stood and pulled her into his arms. He leaned back slightly to look into her eyes once more, bringing a hand up to stroke her cheek. He smiled slightly as he leaned in to kiss her. She pulled back suddenly.
"There's something else. . ." He said, confused.
She grew serious and caught his eye, nodding solemnly. Then, she broke into a smile. "You're going to have to tell Piper and Paige, because I'm not brave enough to."
"I doubt that very much." He muttered playfully, sweeping her into his arms. He brought his lips to hers and held her close. Phoebe wrapped one hand around his waist, the other lay flat on his chest, noting the pummelling beat of his heart against his chest. But then it all disappeared – all thoughts of anything else. Everything except him and her. And the unmistakeable feeling of joy that erupted somewhere inside her chest.
One of my shorter chapters. Epilogue to come. Review and let me know what you thought.