A/N: I'm back! After a not-so-long-hiatus, which was totally involuntary I tell you. Not only did FF's messed up servers get in the way of me posting, I had gotten a rather severe case of writer's block for this particular chapter, but no worries; everything is flowing well again.
Also, I'm a bit curious for some information on Magic School since I watch the newest seasons and episodes erratically at most. It is like a Harry Potter/Hogwarts kind of thing, where kids go for all of their education? Is it a boarding school? Or is just a kind of supplementary school, along with "mortal" school? Just wanted know. Thanks if you answer!
This chapter is rather long, just so you know. Enjoy!
Love's Intervention
Chapter Fourteen: Pain is Pleasure
"My God, Phoebe," whispered Prue as she and Piper stared at their youngest sister. "I didn't know you could do that."
"I know. It's so…mind-boggling. I mean, you see it all the time on TV and such, but it's just incredible." Piper assented.
"You can do it too, you know, just with a bit of training," Phoebe informed her sisters.
Prue grinned. "I'm not even sure if I believe you. You haven't shown us anything really impressive yet, and you know what they say—you have to see it to believe it."
Phoebe rolled her eyes and contemplated on what she could do to show her sisters what she meant. She stood still for a few seconds, and then got ready, both her sisters watching her with wide eyes. Phoebe crouched down, then suddenly launched herself into a spinning high kick from her Tae kwon do training, blending it with a few thrust punches and ended her display with another low kick that cleared the floor around her.
Prue and Piper immediately burst into applause, Piper whistling a bit as well. "That was crazy, Phoebe!" she exclaimed.
"God, doesn't that hurt?" Prue asked. "I mean, it looks like a lotta fun, but isn't it a bitch to train through?"
Phoebe nodded. In all actuality, Phoebe was now practicing her martial arts with a body that was obviously not used to her type of training. She winced inwardly when she remembered the searing pain that reached from her inner thigh to her knee when she attempted to high kick, a pain unthinkable with her Charmed muscles. Apparently, without demon attacks, her interest and training in martial arts had waned, even though she began learning in NY. With some heavy duty stretching, long practice sessions, and some encouragement from her old Jay-Z albums, her body here was now more or less in the same shape as it should be, enough for her to put on a display for her sisters.
The three of them were at the Manor, since Phoebe's two older sisters had insisted to help her get ready for her second date with Cole. They even called up Cole to make him meet Phoebe there. It's been too long since the two of them had sent Phoebe off on a date, they had declared.
"Hey you guys, wanna learn some basic moves now?" Phoebe offered. It appalled her to know that Piper and Prue had no real means of protecting themselves; even if there were no demons, Phoebe would feel much better if there were at least a bit better trained against the regular evils of the world.
Phoebe had her sisters get into position, adjusted them for a few minutes, then demonstrated a few basic punches and kicks. Her sisters both got the hang of the punching almost at once, so Phoebe decided to move on with a kick.
"Prue, let's start with you first," Phoebe said. "Now, crouch down, and extend your leg…good!" Phoebe encouraged as she rushed forward when Prue began to lose her balance. "Maybe we should do that a little quicker, so you don't fall down and all…"
Prue grinned at her youngest sister. "Sure thing, teacher," she teased slightly.
With a small wince, Phoebe thought of Paige, but immediately bit it back, covering it with laughter. "Oh, please." Phoebe adjusted Prue's position a little more. "Try it."
Prue kicked to the side—it was a good kick, Phoebe had to admit, for someone's first time, but a little off to the side, as her foot connected with the telephone, knocking it completely off the table.
"No!" Piper cried, out of reflex. Phoebe ran forward again to help steady Prue, then looked back to her middle sister. What Phoebe saw puzzled her greatly. Piper's hands—they were in the same exact stance she put them in whenever she froze something. Still, the telephone landed with a heavy thud and Piper shook out of her posture, hurrying over to check if her phone was broken.
Phoebe pondered over this as Prue muttered something about muscle pain. Now that she thought of it, there were many little habits that her non-magical sisters had that completely mirrored the habits of her magical sisters. Prue would swipe her hand around whenever she got annoyed, the same exact way she used to do in the magical world while using her telekinesis. Whenever she concentrated on something, her head would droop down, almost to her chest, reminiscent of the way Prue let go of her body to astral-project. And Piper—whenever Dan did something particular to irk her, her hands would twitch, like she was trying to blow something up.
Phoebe was shook out of her thoughts with an exclamation from Piper. "It's almost 7:15! Cole's supposed to meet you at 8! You're sweaty, we haven't picked out anything for you to wear—go, hurry up, take a shower!"
With that, Phoebe's two sisters bum-rushed her to the bathroom, leaving her little room to think of anything else.
"We're here," Cole announced as he turned off the engine and leaned back a bit into his seat. He turned to Phoebe. "Feel like getting out?"
"Well, I don't see why not," Phoebe responded, taking off her seat belt and stepping out of the car. She was immediately hit by a slight chill, but she shook it off. She was wearing more appropriate clothing for the weather, but hadn't anticipated the cold evening breeze.
Cole, for his part, had already started going forward and motioned for Phoebe to follow him. She did, quite curious about where he was going to bring them. He had driven the car up to a rather remote state park off the edge of San Francisco. The place that he had parked the car did not seem a suitable place for a BMW at all; the cement was old, with faint white parking lines barely visible, and the pavement quickly faded to earth and trees with a few steps away from the car.
Phoebe had to hurry a bit to catch up with Cole, who was moving extremely quickly, almost like he was nervous. Her heart dropped a bit. Why would he be nervous? Her old suspicions and fears slowly started to emerge…from a slight distance, she saw him pause at what seemed like a clearing. She lifted her arm to clear away the brush in her way, and stood in awe at the sight in front of her.
"The scene, it's beautiful," she gasped, slowing walking up toward where Cole was.
At her side, Cole visibly relaxed. "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" he agreed. They were standing on a crag, with all of San Francisco in front of them, a private window of the city they lived in. "Too bad we missed the sunset."
Phoebe pointed. "Not quite," she said, indicating toward the far horizon, where shades of faded reds and purples could still be seen. She walked a stretch until she was a yard or two away from the very edge, which ended in a sharp cliff. She sat down, Cole sitting behind her and wrapping his arms around her, half pulling her into his lap.
"It's so peaceful here," she murmured, leaning her head against Cole's back and basking in his warmth. "How did you ever find a place like this?"
"I've always liked this park, liked to explore it a little bit," he said, putting his head close to hers. "And as soon as I hit upon this place, I just liked it. There's such a sense of security, serenity here."
Phoebe twisted her head to look at Cole, her eyes soft. "You've never shown anyone else this place, have you?" she asked.
Cole shook his head no, and held Phoebe closer to him. Phoebe turned her head back to just simply gaze at the view, and he lightly rested his chin on top of her head. They sat in silence for a while, the birds twittering in the background, the two of them just content to be in each other's company.
Just as Cole was contemplating on where they should go for dinner, since he had only thought about this part of the date, his phone rang noisily, disturbing the peace of the park. Phoebe jerked with a start, and Cole groaned, reaching into his pocket. Why couldn't he have left the damn thing at home?
"What?" he grunted into the speaker.
"Hey Cole! How are you?"
"What the hell are you calling me for, Phillip?" Cole said, clearly irritated.
"Well, see, I have a tiny little favor to ask of you…"
"No way. Not now. You owe me one too many favors already," Cole answered sharply, his voice rising.
"Oh, please Cole, if not for me, then for the Hartford case, huh?"
"What do you mean, the Hartford case?"
"See, my laptop kinda messed up, meaning, well, the papers that I had prepared for the appointment that I'm going to have with the DA tomorrow are gone. Could you get your computer for me and send them to my desktop?"
Cole groaned and rubbed his face with his free hand. He and Phillip had a support system where most of their documents would be stored in each others' computers, mainly because Phillip could remember to send an email with attachments to it but could never for his life remember to save anything on a floppy. "Phillip, I'm in the middle of something here, and my computer's at home."
"Oh, come ooon," Phillip whined over the phone. "Just a quick pop over, it can't kill you. For the Hartford case?"
Cole sighed. He had been helping Phillip with the Hartford case for nearly a month now, and didn't want it to go to waste. But his date would be practically ruined, if he were to go and do work right smack dab in the middle of it. Cole was about to just go ahead and tell Phillip no when Phoebe put a hand on his arm. Cole muttered into his cell to ask for a second and pressed the mute button. "Yeah?" Cole asked Phoebe.
"Look, if you have some work to do, go right ahead and do it, I really don't mind," Phoebe said. "I can definitely relate."
"You sure?" Cole said a little doubtfully. When she nodded in confirmation, Cole gave her a grateful smile and un-muted his phone, telling Phillip very explicitly that he could afford a new laptop and that he should go and buy one very soon. Phillip, of course, took that as a yes, and so they hung up and Cole and Phoebe reluctantly pulled themselves away from the crag.
"Did I ever tell you how amazing and understanding you are, by the way?" Cole said to Phoebe after he had explained the situation and while they were heading toward his home.
"It's really no big deal," Phoebe said quietly. "I know what it feels like, when your…line of duty becomes more important than anything else." This she said without quite meeting Cole's eyes.
But if Cole thought Phoebe's choice of words were puzzling, he didn't show it, as the red light turned green and he stepped on the gas. After a few more minutes, he spoke. "Here we are."
Phoebe looked up, shaking herself from her thoughts—when she recognized where they were. She paled slightly as she slowly got out of the car. Cole offered her his arm. "Don't worry about the car, the valet's got it," he said.
Phoebe nodded, swallowing. Arm in arm, they walked into the apartment building, the one that Phoebe had come to consider as a symbol of everything she wanted to forget.
They took the elevator up to the top floor, and while Cole calmly strode into the penthouse, Phoebe lingered in the elevator, staring from her vantage point at the apartment she had very briefly called home. Cole turned back to see that Phoebe wasn't following, and smiled a bit. "You can come out, the place won't hurt you," he said.
"That's what you think," Phoebe muttered, though so quietly she didn't even hear herself say it. She stepped out and the elevator door closed behind her with a light ping as she observed the penthouse. It certainly seemed lived in, more like a home than the identical one she had shared with Cole back in her magical world, which was surgically clean to the point of being painful. It didn't seem to be littered with booze either, as the place had been when it was just Cole living there.
Cole saw her staring uncomfortably at her surroundings. "It's a big space for a bachelor pad," he acknowledged, thinking that she might be feeling awkward at the wealth he was displaying. "Make yourself at home," he continued, "while I send the files over to Phil."
Phoebe nodded again, though she didn't sit down. Instead, she wandered slowly around the apartment, taking in both the familiar and the foreign. She gazed at the glass coffee table, where a stale mug and a few crumbs were residing. She took a step toward the bedroom, and looked briefly through the partially open door before turning and heading toward the fireplace. She put her hand on the mantle, where a picture of the two of them had once been, and let her gaze settle on that empty spot.
"Phoebe?" Cole's voice made her turn around. "I sent Phillip the file. I'm really sorry about all that. What do you want to do about dinner?"
Phoebe shrugged, not really looking at him. Cole cursed inwardly. He really shouldn't have agreed to give Phillip the files; she was acting distant again, and he definitely did not want that to happen. "Do you want to go to a restaurant, or—"
"How about we just stay here," Phoebe said suddenly. She had a sudden urge to stay in the penthouse that had caused her so much grief—she couldn't describe it. After years of avoiding every scrap of evidence of her life with Cole, now she simply didn't want to leave. She gave a small smile. "How does ordering in sound to you?"
An hour later, the couple was sitting on the floor, half-eaten Chinese food cartons scattered around them. They sat in amicable silence while Phoebe absentmindedly swirled some duck sauce into her rice. Suddenly, she turned to Cole. He looked up and smiled at her, the smile that she knew so well. "So, tell me something about yourself," she said, briefly thinking back to the first dates she had with magical-Cole. "No," she continued, cutting off Cole when he opened his mouth to speak. "Not a story about Phillip, or you and Phillip, or your work. Something about you. Anything." For some reason, her words came out more like a plea and less like casual date conversation.
Cole thought this out for a second, knowing that she was serious. It was true—he had spent most of the night either listening or relaying stories of the antics of his friends. He couldn't help it—he was a secretive man by nature. This time, however, he didn't need that little voice in the back of his head to know that she wanted a real answer, so he gave one.
"You're probably going to think I'm crazy," he began, watching Phoebe sardonically raise her eyebrows at his remark, "but sometimes…" he stopped. "You're probably going to think I'm crazy."
Phoebe smiled a small smile. "Go on," she coaxed him, knowing exactly how hard it was to have him open up, even when he was willing to.
Cole nodded, encouraged. "Sometimes I feel so empty. Like part of me is missing. Like there's this huge gaping hole inside of me that I can't fill up no matter what. I can't really describe it, I don't know what word I can use, but—"
"Void." Phoebe's voice was flat and dull, and her eyes were unreadable.
"Yes, that's exactly it. That's the exact word I would use." He looked at her and immediately regretted telling his stupid story. It sounded so—idiotic, even to him, that he had never told anybody else before. He was sure that Phoebe now thought of him as a madman. But he had been so sure that she would understand… He tried to downplay what he had just said. "So, do you think I'm insane?"
Phoebe shook her head, her eyes averted from his, but Cole still saw that they were brimmed with tears.
Every other thought flew out the window as he went forward and scooped Phoebe into his arms. All that mattered was that she was OK, that she wouldn't cry, that she would feel safe and secure in his arms. Phoebe hardly resisted when he reached out to hold her, and a stray tear fell before she pushed them all back. She had gotten used to swallowing her tears a long time ago.
Cole spoke softly as Phoebe calmed. "I'm sorry if I upset you…"
"No," she said back, looking into his eyes. "It's fine. I don't think you're crazy either," she added with a half-smile, "but you've made me curious. Tell me more. Like," she pressed on as he didn't say anything, "When do you feel the void most? When do you feel it the least?"
Cole shrugged. "I feel it everywhere, really. But there are some places where I don't feel it as much. One's the mausoleum—my family's mausoleum. The other…well, it's more of a connection. The Manor, Piper and Dan's house? I kept going over to the Manor because I was always searching for something there—I didn't know what, but something. I think Prue got pretty pissed off at me because of that because she thought I was stalking her or something after we stopped dating, but I wasn't."
"Well, did you find what you wanted?" Phoebe asked, her eyes fixed intensely on his face.
"You know what, I think I have," he said quietly. "And I found it at the Manor, believe it or not. Looks like I was searching the right place."
"What?" asked Phoebe a bit apprehensively.
Cole cupped his hand against Phoebe's cheek. "You." He smiled as Phoebe blinked, then gently lifted her chin and kissed her.
It began as a soft, slow kiss; an almost timid one as they tenderly probed each other's mouths, then slowly it began to escalate as they kissed each other harder, Phoebe's hands in Cole's hair as he roamed his own hands along her back. Phoebe leaned back as Cole went down with her, his body already partially on top of hers. Phoebe's hands had already traveled to Cole's collar when they momentarily stopped, gasping for breath. Phoebe's eyes flittered open.
"I can't believe I'm letting myself do this," she said, both to him and herself.
"Then let me make it worth your while," Cole promised. As he leaned in again, Phoebe pushed him back slightly. "What?" he said, the hurt evident in his voice.
Phoebe looked to her right and left. "Not on the floor."
Cole grinned widely. "If you insist." He stood up, swept Phoebe up in his arms, and carried her to his bedroom, already kissing her while on his way.