A/N: Before we start, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers, as always. You guys rock! 

Second; consider this a kind of super-early holiday gift to you all. I originally hadn't planned to make this chapter an actual chapter, but I thought that it would be fine and I extended it to make Chapter 15 lol did any of you guys get that?. Anyways, it's a fun chapter, still significant of course but I've decided that we all need it. So, hope you enjoy, and of course reviews are always highly appreciated!

Oh and by the way, the horizontal line from quickedit isn't working today for some reason...so you guys'll just have to make do

Love's Intervention
Chapter Fifteen: Life, Laughter, and The Banner-Herald

Cole smiled tenderly as he gazed at the sleeping form next to him. Phoebe was facing him, her eyes closed, her arms clutching the sheets to her. Cole encircled his arms around her, causing Phoebe to sigh sleepily and snuggle closer.

Cole smiled again. This felt right—this was right. Just take last night…last night, Cole thought as a slightly ecstatic look crossed his face. That was perfect, if anything could be considered perfect. It was like Phoebe knew every intimate inch of his body. And he knew that he gave her the same amount of pleasure that she gave him, if the way she called his name was any indication. It was just right. He brushed a wisp of hair that fell across her face.

Suddenly, her brow furrowed, and she turned over slightly. She turned again, her body listless. Cole tried holding her tighter, which only caused her to fight harder, surprising him with her strength. "No," she murmured in her sleep, her voice raspy and desperate. "No," she said louder. "Help…Leo, help…"

Cole froze. Leo?

She continued thrashing about, as her cries rose in volume. "No…help her…Leo, help…help…no…PRUE!" She shot straight up from the bed, her eyes wide with fear and her breath coming out in short bursts. As she continued, her eyes became even larger as she buried her hands in the sheets and looked wildly around her.

"Phoebe?" Cole inquired softly, sitting up himself and putting a calming hand on her shoulder. She turned toward him, frightened, before she finally realized all her circumstances and relaxed.

"Oh, shit…" she whispered, then buried her head in his chest. "Oh, God," she said, as she began to cry.

Cole stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "Bad dream?" he asked softly.

"It was bad, alright," she answered grimly, gaining control of her tears. She sighed and leaned against Cole. "I was dreaming about something trivial and stupid, when suddenly I was back in the Manor. Piper and…Prue were lying on the ground. But he couldn't…Leo couldn't…couldn't heal her. And then I closed my eyes and when I opened them Prue was lying in the street in front of a stopped car, in the same exact position, the blood still coming out of her head…" she drew in a sharp breath. "Oh, Prue," she whispered.

"Its fine," Cole soothed. "Prue's fine, I'm sure. Just a bad dream. It was just a dream." Phoebe said nothing. "Who's Leo?" Cole suddenly asked, unable to help himself.

"What do you mean, who's Leo? You know who—" Phoebe stopped suddenly and bit her lip. She had forgotten for a second that he really didn't know. "Leo's like a brother to me, he's a doctor. Ex-husband of one of my closest friends."

"Ex-husband, huh?" Cole murmured, holding Phoebe closer to his body without realizing he was doing so.

"Not because they wanted to," Phoebe sighed. "They still love each other so much. They were always the model of everything I ever wanted in a relationship. But it wasn't something they had any control over."

"If two people truly love each other, then nothing can get in between that," Cole announced firmly, softly kissing the top of Phoebe's head. She chuckled sadly in response.

"You'd be surprised."

He looked at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked sharply, more than he intended.

"It's true," Phoebe said softly.

Cole twisted Phoebe's body slightly so that she was facing him. "Give me one instance," he challenged her, "One example where love doesn't win out."

Phoebe said nothing and stared at a point on the wall beyond him. Oh, she had plenty of real life examples, but what the hell could she say? "Romeo and Juliet," Phoebe taunted.

"Technically they were together in the end," Cole countered.

"Yeah," Phoebe bit back, "With their families in mourning and innocent friends from both sides dead. Is it worth it for them to be together in death while causing the rest of the world pain?"

"You know, I thought the whole point of the story was that after they died, the two families saw the error of their ways and decided to be friends instead of enemies," Cole pointed out.

Phoebe scoffed. "Like that'll ever happen," she muttered to herself. Good and evil reconciling because the two of them died together? Not a chance in heaven or hell.

"What was that?" Cole asked, his voice light and teasing. He didn't want to start this morning off on the wrong foot, especially when it had been so promising just a few minutes before. He began to trace circles on Phoebe's back.

"Nothing," she replied. "Besides, its way too early in the morning to be analyzing Shakespeare, don't you think?"

"Probably. I hope it's not too early for this." He planted a soft kiss right behind her earlobe. "Or this." He traced kisses down her neck as his hands passed across her body, eliciting a small shudder from her. Cole paused, looking up at Phoebe's face. Her eyes were closed; her lips parted just the slightest. She opened them and stared directly into his, as her mouth curled up into a small mischievous smile.

"Never," she whispered right before she pushed him back on the bed and dived in herself.

:------------------------------------------:

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" called Piper as she rushed to the Manor door. She opened it to reveal Prue holding a newspaper up next to her face.

"Have you seen today's Banner-Herald?" Prue greeted Piper as she stepped into the house.

"No, because that newspaper is total and utter crap," Piper replied, raising her eyebrows as they walked into the living room. "Don't tell me you read that thing."

Prue rolled her eyes. "Of course I don't. I work for the media too, remember? I know that the Banner-Herald is just a few not-quite-nude pictures away from being a supermarket tabloid." They sat down on one of the couches and Prue set the paper on the coffee table. "One of my colleagues told me about it." She flipped to page 5.

Piper stared at the page, then lifted the paper off the table and onto her lap so that she could read it better. 'TRUE LOVE? MISTRIAL!' screamed the title of the article. Underneath was the smaller, less flashier subtitle; 'Our Verdict on Cole Turner and His Appeal-ing Love Interest'.

Piper looked up. "Exactly how many lawyer jokes are in this thing?"

"Too many to count?" Offered Prue. "Look at who wrote it."

She looked. "Veronica Adams?" she uttered, a bit disbelievingly. "The paper's second-most notorious gossip columnist?"

Prue grinned. "Read on," she encouraged as she sat back and waited for her sister's reaction.

Piper raked her eyes over the picture of Cole and Phoebe at the Silvertop premiere, then proceeded to read the article aloud. "Ladies, hold on to your seats. Cole Turner, the Banner-Herald's favorite lawyer, has found a new love, and we hear that she's here to stay. Most known as the dashing poster boy of law firm Jack McCarter & Kline, Mr. Turner is also notorious for breaking hearts all over San Francisco with his careless dating ways and his charming smile. Recently, however, the young lawyer has been spotted with a woman identified as Phoebe Halliwell, most notably at the opening of Max Bernard's upscale restaurant, The Silvertop. Will the new girl tame the tiger?

"Not much is known about Turner's sweet-faced mystery girl. Our witnesses say she's a frequent on the party circuit and that she's currently attending San Francisco University, but as to where the couple met and how far into their relationship the facts differ. They are not married; the Banner-Herald, however, has exclusive info that the couple did indeed recently spend a week of luxurious pampering at a secluded spot in St. Tropez.

"At the end of the trial, though, we must come to our senses and face the facts. We give the couple very little time before Cole decides to drop this juvenile school girl. Ms. Phoebe Halliwell, we're sorry to say, is acquitted: because no one can steal away Cole Turner's heart."

Piper looked up and turned toward her sister. They stared at each other for a whole ten silent seconds, then collapsed onto each other in hysterical laughter.

"Oh…my God!" Prue managed out between bursts. "I've been holding all that in since I read that damn thing."

"When they find out that Cole went out with you before Phoebe," Piper gasped, "They're gonna have a heart attack."

The sisters simply looked at each other and started laughing again.

:------------------------------------------:

Phillip sat at his desk, nosily click-clacking away at his office desktop when Cole barged into his office.

"Saylor," Cole growled, a menacing look in his eye. Phillip looked up and practically squeaked. Cole was undeniably his good friend as well as his colleague, but Cole—he could be so intimidating at times.

"Cole!" Phillip said brightly, his voice coming out a little higher than he intended. "Did I ever tell you how grateful I am for the file you sent me?"

Cole put his hands on Phillip's desk and leaned in, towering over his friend's frame. "You called me in the middle of my date and broke up all the plans that we had. Thank God for you that Phoebe is a wonderful, understanding woman. If it wasn't for her, you—not to mention the Hartford case—would be dead." Phillip looked at him and swallowed.

"Well, uh—"

"Where's your laptop?" Cole asked abruptly, though still keeping that deadly voice.

Phillip didn't dare to lie to him. "It's there. In the laptop bag. In the corner."

Cole straightened up and walked over to the corner of Phillip's desk. Phillip realized, a little too late, that a copy of the day's Banner-Herald was sitting right on top of his bag. He sputtered slightly as Cole slowly picked up the newspaper. Cole's face became even darker as he deliberately put it to one side and picked up the bag. He went back to Phillip's desk, took the laptop out, and put it on the desk, Phillip watching Cole's moves all the while.

Cole drew out a hammer from his briefcase, and Phillip, even in his terror, could recognize it as one of the most top-of-the-class hammers out on the market. Cole gave Phillip a menacing look, and gave the laptop another menacing look. They were both silent, Phillip just waiting for Cole to start bashing the motherboard out of the computer.

Suddenly, Cole gave Phillip a broad smile and reached again into his briefcase, this time pulling out a gift bow. "I know you love your tools, and I remember you saying something about a worn-out hammer," he said. He tacked the bow onto the hammer and put it on the desk next to Phillip's unharmed laptop. "Happy Early Birthday."

Phillip stared at him, gape-mouthed as Cole cheerfully turned to leave. Suddenly, he stopped, and Phillip involuntary pushed himself further into his chair. "Two things," Cole said. "One, can I have your Banner-Herald? Haven't read the article yet." Phillip nodded mutely. "Second…Phillip? Don't ever change your laptop, OK?" Cole gave him another smile, picked up the newspaper, and left.

Phillip sat still, letting the events of the past five minutes sink in. Gradually, he smiled as well, looking appreciatively at his new hammer. There could only be one reason for Cole's behavior.

"She's that good, huh?" Phillip said aloud.