Hi everybody!

I am so sorry for ther long gap between updates...I can't really give an excuse, except to say that I just started a new job last month, and am facing a serious reduction in free time. Still, that's no reason to leave Phoebe and Paige hanging...they aren't exactly the patient types. I don't think they'll let me get away with it again :)

--JW

The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Witches in Love

Chapter 3

By JewWitch

"I knew it was too much to hope he'd just go away and leave us alone," Prue muttered grimly, pinching the bridge of her nose with a sigh.

"Are you sure you're okay, Pheebs?" Piper asked gently.

"Of course she's not okay!" Paige fumed, running her fingers through her disheveled hair and looking distractedly around at all of them. "Hello, do you not remember the whole inexplicable fainting thing we just witnessed? Who's to say she'll wake up next time?"

"Honey, there won't be a next time," Phoebe soothed, crawling into Paige's lap and curling up against her chest. "I made it perfectly clear to him that there was absolutely, positively no chance that he was gonna get me back. And I know it must have been scary for you guys to see me black out like that, but it was just Cole's stupid way of trying to contact me without anyone being able to eavesdrop. He didn't hurt me—he wouldn't."

"Well pardon me if I don't share your confidence in the emotional stability of your crazed demon ex-boyfriend," Paige growled, and Phoebe could feel her girlfriend's hands trembling as they wrapped around her. She sat up in Paige's arms, and held her face with both hands, locking their eyes together for a long moment.

"Paigey, baby, listen to me. You don't know Cole; he'd never hurt me, okay?"

"Did you tell him you were getting married?" Paige asked quietly.

"I…" Phoebe sighed. Paige looked down again. "I just…I don't know what he'd do to you if he knew about you—if he knew that you're the one I love. I just couldn't stand to put you in harm's way. Can you understand that?" Paige looked up and met Phoebe's eyes; for a moment, they just stared at each other, both searching for solid ground to stand on. Then Paige leaned in and took Phoebe's face in her hands, stroking her girlfriend's cheeks with her thumbs, her touch saying more than words ever could. They shared a sweet kiss, and Phoebe's arms wound around Paige's neck as Paige grabbed her hips and pulled her more firmly into her lap.

"Ahem," Prue coughed, causing the two of them to break apart while Piper snickered. "I'm happy to see you two working through your issues, so don't get me wrong, but I think we've got some more pressing matters at hand here, Pheebs. What makes you think Cole won't come back?"

"I told him it was over," Phoebe shrugged, her fingers winding absentmindedly around a lock of Paige's hair. "I really think he just needed closure, Prue."

"Okaaay," Piper said slowly from the love seat, "and what if you're wrong?"

"Piper, he's not gonna hurt me," Phoebe said again with a shake of her head. "We've been through this before. He could've killed me about a hundred times already if he'd wanted to…" She gave Paige's leg a reassuring squeeze when she felt her shiver. "Why would he start now?"

"I don't know, maybe because you've spurned his love?" Piper said with a shrug. "He's still a demon, Phoebe. We can't forget that."

"Okay, so we're on demon alert," Phoebe shrugged. "What else is new? C'mon, guys, let's shake this off, alright? I'm telling you, it's not worth all this worrying. If he comes back, then we'll vanquish his sorry ass. But I'd really like to give him this chance to walk away…he can be good, I know he can. He deserves that much." Prue and Piper both looked at Paige, giving her permission to speak for them. Paige looked around at all of them, ending with Phoebe. She shook her head, smiling faintly.

"You always look for the best in everyone, even after all the hurt you've had to live through…you're always ready to believe in other people. It's one of the things that makes you so special, baby…one of the things that makes loving you such an incredible high. How can I tell you to stop?" Phoebe pulled Paige in to her by the back of her neck, and they both closed their eyes, foreheads pressed together.

"Okay then," Prue said loudly, looking at the wall, "Meeting adjourned!" Paige and Phoebe orbed out without acknowledging that they had heard. Piper looked at Prue, who shrugged.

"So we're really not gonna do anything?" Piper asked her big sister somewhat meekly. Prue could tell that Piper was looking to her for reassurance that they'd made the right decision, something she generally didn't do anymore…unless she thought the decision had been the wrong one.

"No, we're not," She said quietly, smiling gently at her sister and tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Are you okay with that, Pipe?" Piper shrugged.

"If you're okay with it…and Paigey's okay with it…and, well, Phoebe is obviously okay with it…then I guess I'm okay with it, too."

"Okay," Prue repeated seriously, and Piper hit her with a pillow, giggling.

"Hey, isn't Pheebs supposed to be orbing you to Sunnydale tonight?"

"Ahh, forget it. You think I'm gonna go knocking on their door now?"

"There's plenty of orbing to go around in this house, Prue…why should we risk pissing off a slayer, huh?" Piper grinned cheekily at her sister, who laughed and stuck out her tongue. "Leo!" A fuzzy field of white lights preceded the arrival of Piper's husband.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, nothing, honey—Prue just needs a lift to Sunnydale. 'Kay?"

"Huh?" Leo blinked incredulously. "Did I miss something? When did I become a cosmic taxi for the whole family?" Piper and Prue both continued to look at him innocently. Leo sighed. "Got any luggage?"

Upstairs, Phoebe and Paige had peeled each other's clothes off in record time. Sometimes they took things very, very slowly, taking delight in torturing each other and in being tortured. But other times, times like now, they were pulled into each other with the force of gravity. Nothing mattered but getting closer, getting deeper, getting more. Their kisses were urgent, rough, even primal; they were devouring each other.

"Don't ever take your hands off me," Phoebe gasped, arching against her girlfriend's sweat-slicked skin as nails raked down her back, and fingers gripped her hair just behind her ear.

"Never," Paige swore, panting. Her heart thudded wildly, an explosion of warmth flooding through her when Phoebe grazed a single fingertip down her arm. "Fuck, Phoebe…you make me feel like I'm on ecstasy," she whispered. Phoebe leaned in, her breath warming Paige's ear.

"You are," she whispered back. Paige turned her head and claimed Phoebe's lips, a deep growl emanating from her throat. Then she pulled back, smiling at the incredible image before her: her beautiful fiancée, cheeks flushed, hair wild, and breathing hard; her lips shining with their shared spit. She decided that tonight, she was going to make every inch of Phoebe's body shine like that. Neither of them saw the shadowy figure that shimmered into the darkness, half hidden by their closet door.

Phoebe still appeared to be shining the next day, as she crossed the campus amid a group of friends between classes. She said something that had them all laughing and shaking their heads at her, grinning innocently all the while. A few yards away, someone watched from behind the cover of a large redwood tree. With no one so much as glancing his way, it was no problem to wave his hand, and cause Phoebe's backpack to burst open, the zipper splitting from the fabric. Her books flew everywhere.

"Go on, you guys, don't be late," Phoebe shooed her friends ahead, gathering her books from the grass. "Save me a seat." A moment later, Cole once again had what he wanted—Phoebe alone. He straightened his suit as he emerged, and had his usual charming smile in place by the time Phoebe looked up and saw him standing in front of her.

"Cole, get out of here," She sighed, hoisting her books into her arms and determinedly marching toward her next class.

"Hey, you didn't want to talk on my turf, so I came to yours. Isn't this what you wanted?"

"What I want is for you to leave me alone," Phoebe said tersely, whirling to glare at him. "Do you have any idea what my sisters will do to you, Cole?"

"Your sisters," Cole repeated innocently. "Are you sure they're the ones I should be concerned about?" He raised his eyebrow at her, cocksure.

"You bastard," Phoebe whispered. "How dare you spy on me!"

"Well I wouldn't have to if you'd just been honest with me," Cole said with a shrug, her anger rolling off him like water off a duck, showing not the slightest remorse. Phoebe closed her eyes and clenched her jaw to keep from screaming. Cole telling her to be more honest? That was just painfully ironic.

"I am honestly telling you," She seethed quietly, "To go away, Cole-- or I guarantee you will be sorry."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Cole asked, looking amused and mildly surprised. Before he'd wiped the smirk off his face, Paige appeared beside Phoebe in a swirl of orbs, and Cole was startled out of his smug expression.

"Get lost, scumbag, before I orb your manhood somewhere very far away," Paige growled, her face set in a confident, predatory expression. Her hand slipped down Phoebe's arm and took her hand, their fingers threading together automatically. Cole's eyes followed their hands for a moment, then came back up, recovering himself quickly.

"Now, now…we haven't even been properly introduced," he said calmly, knowing full well they'd never attack first in full view of any passing students. "Cole Turner, Assistant District Attorney. And you are?"

"I'm the one who will make you beg me to vanquish your sorry ass if you ever come near Phoebe again…understand?" Cole's eyes narrowed and he took a step toward Paige; Phoebe darted between them, putting herself protectively in front of her girlfriend."Cole, go away," she said again, her voice steely and emotionless. "I'm not asking you." With a sigh, Cole glanced around the quad, and vanished. Phoebe turned and threw herself into Paige's arms, groaning loudly. She knew from experience that magical interruptions such as this one could easily disrupt her entire day, and forced herself to gather her wits quickly. She was determined that neither of them should miss any more classes this close to graduation. Phoebe had a one-track mind when it came to school, and it was only out of respect for this that Paige allowed her to brush off what had happened for later. She understood how much it meant to Phoebe to be graduating, after the time she had spent thinking she may never finish college at all. With a brief kiss, they both scurried to their respective classes, quickly falling back into the world of school around them.

Paige ended up at the art library with her study group through dinner, and then lost track of the time completely while working in the photo lab. By the time she crept home, it was past one. She tiptoed into the kitchen, hoping for something leftover from whatever amazing dinner Piper had made that she'd missed, and instead found Phoebe fast asleep at the kitchen table, her glasses askew with her face resting against her open psychology textbook.

"Oh, baby," Paige sighed, feeling an intense surge of protectiveness welling up inside her at the sight of her sweet girl looking so perfectly innocent, and so terribly vulnerable. Reaching out a hand, Paige stroked Phoebe's forehead, orbing them both upstairs.

"Hmm," Phoebe sighed sleepily as Paige gently laid her down against her pillow, easing her reading glasses off and stroking her warm cheek. Phoebe smiled faintly, twitching her nose like a sleeping kitten. Paige felt the need to protect her lover crashing over again, even more strongly that before, at the thought of Cole coming after her yet again.

"I'm not gonna let him hurt you, baby girl…I promise," Paige whispered reverently. She took Phoebe's hand in both of hers, her diamond ring catching the moonlight that sliced through the curtains, and kissed it. Then she orbed out.