Love's Intervention
Chapter Eight: Perspectives

Cole was at his desk, reading from a thick folder of files when somebody knocked at his door. He stowed the file carefully away into his desk drawer before getting up to go answer it. He pulled open the door to show the tearstained face of Phoebe. "Can I come in?" she asked quietly. He admitted her and tears start falling from her face. "I had no where else to go."

"It's okay." He pulled her into a hug and stroked her hair. "What happened?"

"Me and my sisters, after you left, we got into a huge fight," she replied, her voice quivering. She buried her face into his chest. "We said the most horrible things to each other," she sobbed, as his wife beater became slightly wet.

"Come here," he said, sitting her on the couch. "I'll get you a tissue." But instead, he headed over to a pair of purple double doors, and pulled out a knife, which he hid behind his back. He sat back down, and Phoebe touched his cheek. They kissed, and while she was lost in it, he pulled out the knife and pointed it directly at her exposed neck. He held it there, ready to strike, but then slowly tucked it deeply into the couch cushions.

When he pulled back, he was no longer sitting. In fact, he wasn't even in the apartment. He was standing in a mausoleum, opposite Phoebe, who was the one with a knife this time. "Trust me," she said. He held out his hand, she cut into it and dribbled a few drops of blood onto his shirt, which was on the floor. She looked at him, a small loving smile on her lips, then threw a pink vial onto the shirt. It exploded.

They kissed again, unable to let go of each other. They held on even as they heard a clattering on the stairs leading into the mausoleum. Finally, Phoebe broke off reluctantly. "My sisters," she whispered, her voice both urgent and husky. "You have to go. Please."

He kissed her once more, and then seemed to fade to nothingness. Then he appeared in front of the Halliwell manor, a huge bouquet of flowers in his arms. The door in front of him opened. "Hey Prue, long time. Is Phoebe here?"

Prue waved her arm at him angrily, and suddenly he went flying in the air until he crashed into a small table at the end of the hall. He got up, albeit a little painfully, and handed the flowers to Phoebe. "These are for you." She took them and promptly threw them back in his chest. He then noticed her cut lip and slightly bruised eye. "Phoebe, you're hurt! What happened?"

She glared at him. "You know what, Cole? It's really none of your business." She turned to walk away from him, when she suddenly stood stock still as though hit. She remained in that position for a long second, then shuddered and collapsed onto the floor as her sisters rushed to catch her. "I think," she gasped, as blood seeped through her shirt, "I think I've been shot."

He started toward her, but found himself in an attic, flowers gone. Phoebe and Prue stood before him in front of a bookstand, while Piper was tending to an unconscious man on the floor. "You killed an innocent woman. There's no turning back from that."

Cole's body was trembling. "Phoebe, you've got to believe me. Please, save me."

"Save yourself." She dashed the goblet of red liquid that she was clutching at his feet.

CRASH. Cole woke with a start from his office chair, wide-eyed and sweating all over. A paperweight had fallen to the floor at the same exact second the Phoebe in his dreams threw the glass. He must've dozed off or something...or something...

He shakily stood up from his chair and glanced around his office. The Victorian-with-a-Modern-twist décor, the law books on the bookshelf, the incredibly neat desk with his day's itinerary next to the files he was reading right before he fell asleep. If he had indeed fallen asleep. In fact, if it wasn't for the fact that he was still in his office, and that some of the things that happened in the dream were simply preposterous, he would have a hard time convincing himself that it wasn't real. It was unlike any dream he'd ever had in his life; the content, for one. Sure, he'd had angry dreams before, but nothing as clear and realistic as that one. He had felt the knife shaft in his hand, just like he felt the pain in his palm as Phoebe cut a line in it. Cole looked uncertainly at his left palm. Was it just him, or was there a thin scar right there, in the middle? He brought his hand close to his face to examine it more clearly when the phone rang, making him jump.

He collected himself before picking up the receiver. "Cole Turner," he said.

"Cole? Hey, it's Piper."

"Piper? What a nice surprise." Piper was always good to him, and he liked hearing from her, even if she was part of his dream. But, a very minimal part, which made him feel better, for some reason. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Actually, I'm calling you to invite you over for dinner tonight. Can you come?"

Cole nodded, even though he knew Piper couldn't see it. "Sure, sure," he said, only slightly less-than-eager. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, who's going to be there?"

"Everyone, plus Phoebe." Piper continued talking quickly before Cole could say anything. "Oh, I know, the whole Prue and Phoebe ordeal—but I think they'll get through that. Actually, I'm counting on them to get through that. But, if you don't want to come, I'll understand. It's just that I've always counted you as family, so it would be really nice for you to be there."

"Don't worry a thing, Piper," he assured her. "I'll be there."

He could practically hear her relief over the phone. Cole cracked a grin despite himself. It was obvious Piper was in desperate need of buffers in case Phoebe and Prue got out of hand. "Good. Great! The dinner starts at 7:30. I'll see you there!"

"I'll see you." He hung up. He would be there, alright.

If only to see Phoebe again. Everything tied back to her. He touched his lips for what seemed the upteenth time since she ran away from him, remembering how it felt to kiss her—and then he shuddered, as he remembered how in his dream he had almost plunged a knife into her neck. That, if anything, was going to make the situation between them even more awkward, but somehow he knew that those dreams would be a key to understanding exactly why Phoebe treated him the way she did. And he will understand her—he was attached, and he wasn't going to let go until he figured her out.

But, asked a little voice in the back of his head, will you let go after that?

Phoebe sat cross-legged on her bed in the apartment that she and Ames shared, just back from her job. She was reading her diary for the first time.

And what a useful diary it was! It could not have come in a better time. She had come home from Anne's Nails and Spa, and while searching her desk for a pen, she came across this heavily written-in journal. It was filling Phoebe in on everything she needed to know about her life here, something she needed to know and couldn't exactly ask. Ames was already suspicious enough.

According to this diary, she had left New York in 1999, while in her own world, she had left a year earlier. Apparently, she had not been fired from her job at Chelsea Piers, like she was in the magical world, which was one of her major factors for returning to San Francisco. Instead, she had kept it, and lived with Ames for an extra year before they both moved to the West Coast, mainly because Ames got a job transfer. She did, however, start college soon after she arrived in San Francisco, which explained why she was still in school after her graduation date.

Phoebe didn't keep in touch with her sisters, not even Piper, except for the occasional awkward holiday phone call. In fact, there was no mention of Piper and Dan's wedding, which led Phoebe to believe that she didn't know anything about it. Not that it exactly surprised her—she seemed to try to avoid her older sisters as much as possible, in this world. The reason why Phoebe endured those Christmas calls and didn't simply send a card was because she preferred not to let Piper that she was back in California. She even called from Ames' cell phone, for good measure. It was really kind of sad.

Also, from what Phoebe got out of her own words, she behaved in San Francisco the same way she did in the big Apple. Evidently, the lack of a Charmed duty freed up a lot of her time, which she spent almost entirely by picking up guys and going to parties. Very fun to read about, though she was sure that it was even more fun when she was living it out. In fact, she had even gone out with the cute cop that she made out with while infested with the sin of lust. Literally. His name was Adam, and they had met because she was the witness of a hit-and-run, and he was one of the cops on the scene. Just like what happened in my world, Phoebe thought with a lopsided grin, except that the man who was ran over in this world wasn't hit by a little ball of magnified greed, and that I wasn't single.

And just like that, Phoebe started to think about Cole again. She let a stray hand reach up to her lips as she remembered their passionate kiss, then smacked it down with her other hand in disgust. She was losing her wits faster than 77-year-old Leo was. At least he had a good excuse; his body had just aged by half a century, he had lost all of his Elder powers (which, sadly to say, were much more impressive than hers), and not only was he dealing with the loss of Piper and his child, he was put in a world where Piper thought of him only as a nice but doddering old man! What she was doing now, however, was completely unforgivable. How many times had he hurt her, hurt her family? And here she was, practically inviting him back with open arms...or at least an open mouth.

Technically, it's not the same Cole, a little voice reminded her. This Cole is human and non-magical, which means he's not a demon. Phoebe groaned exasperatedly and fell backwards onto her bed. Here's another piece of the puzzle. How could Leo be so sure that Cole wasn't behind all this? Cole was so misplaced in this situation that he sticks out like a sore thumb. It was almost as if someone planted him there just for the hell of it.

She checked the clock on her nightstand. Time to head over to the Manor, if she wanted to get there early. Phoebe trudged up to get ready.

A/N: A rather quick update of the story, though the next chapter may take some time. I hope you guys have read the chapter before this one as well—very pivotal to the story. And as always, please review, they are very much appreciated!