Chapter 4: Linger
Phoebe couldn't fall asleep after their lovemaking, not that she wanted to. She had a mission to accomplish. She had to wait till Cole went into a deeper sleep. Unmoving, he seemed so exposed and defenceless, just like the way she saw him lying on that hospital bed a couple of hours back. In addition, he was so handsome that her heart was beating faster every time she looked at him. She felt like she could have continued the same activity of staring at him there for the rest of the night, on the other hand, as tempting as it was, it clearly wasn't sensible. She would never get anywhere like this. She slowly moved away, trying hard not to wake the sleeping form and took the potion out of her bag. She stood with it over him for what seemed like an eternity, lifting the potion up several times, then stealing a few more minutes to just watch his chest go up and down. She imagined, Cole must've tried the same with her, trying to kill her the last time she had slept here, but never being able to finish the job. It took about half an hour of tottering for her to realise that she was never going to be able to throw the potion either. Cole was the Source when she helped her sisters kill him, that was different and the next time they had the chance, she stopped the show running when she realised he wanted to kill himself. It was guidance he needed, and her love. He was no threat, the same way as he was no danger to her back then when he had so many chances and so many reasons to kill them. No, this trip was a mistake, other than making her see her recent behaviour towards Cole was a bloomer too. So she wished herself back in her own time...
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"You're safe and sound!" Piper grinned and hugged her, putting down the plate of pork rolls she held in her hand, "oh, these are to keep the wish demon entertained till you were away," she pointed behind her, when a completely normal looking person sat in the middle of a crystal circle, munching at some of those rolls, "we couldn't vanquish him till you wished yourself back."
"But now we can," Paige tilted her head and threw some vial with an energetic movement, not even giving time for the demon to panic. He was gone in a millisecond, "there are so easy to vanquish though."
"What is going on?" Piper and Phoebe asked each other at the same time.
"Leo told us you landed two years ago," Piper continued.
"I didn't change anything," Phoebe shrugged, "I'll tell you later. Where's Cole?"
"Still in hospital, but his condition has improved, or so I was told. Paige orbed over to his apartment to get an idea about what had happened cause we didn't understand anything. We thought it was something you did in the past, making him loose his powers or something."
"No, no. Look, I'll really explain everything later. Paige, could you orb me over to Cole?"
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Cole lay motionless on the bed, sleeping in a similar position she left him lying only ten minutes ago, at his old flat. The main difference was in his sickly features. She sat down by the bed and took his hand in hers, managing to wake him up this time without wanting to.
"Phoebe?" He asked hoarsely and dazed.
"I'm here. How are you feeling?" She smiled at him.
"Why do you care?"
She felt awkward under his scrutiny and looked away. What could she say? That their recent lovemaking made her craving him that much that she was willing to reconsider her own actions? Or that she was having erotic dreams about him? "I don't like to see you in pain," she replied at last, "I forgive you."
A weak hoot escaped his mouth, "you ham it up. Why would you do that all of a sudden?"
"In the last couple of hours, I had a trip in the past, still don't know how, but my sisters are going to explain it later. Point is I was in a time we were at our best. I went back to kill you, but I couldn't because I still love you. I can't waste our life worrying about the a possible grim future."
"Are you serious?" Cole asked with a much lower voice than he questioned her previously. He sat up abruptly to look closely into her eyes in the dim light, "you are serious," he lay down back down, "I must be sicker than I thought."
Phoebe smiled, "no, I was told you can get out of here tomorrow."
"Tell me it's not a dream."
"I promise."
"Anything else I should know of?"
"No. Oh, yes, Paige had to clean your apartment a bit..."
The End.