Disclaimer:

None of these characters are mine. All characters from Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Charmed are the property of Joss Whedon and Aaron Spelling, respectively.

Summary:

Crossover between the Charmed and Buffy universes. Willow's letter to "Ask Phoebe." Phoebe's response. Cole has lunch with Darryl and Paige.

Chapter Seven – Dear "Ask Phoebe"

Bay City Mirror

Phoebe sighed as she sat down at her desk, which was piled high with letters. She leaned over and turned her computer on, and then got up to get herself a cup of coffee. Hopefully, the coffee in the bullpen wasn't too old (or too strong). Some of these journalists drank coffee so strong that'd kill a new brood of Grimloks.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, madam."

Phoebe flinched when she heard the abrasive tones of Elise's voice. Her editor's voice was like rough sandpaper or fingernails on a chalkboard. She didn't know anybody at the paper, including the publisher, that wasn't terrified of Elise. Turning she pasted a bright smile on her face. "Morning, Elise, it's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"Don't change the subject, missy." She strode over to Phoebe, poking her chest with one of her pudgy nail-bitten fingers. "I want a full day's work out of you. I want you to make more of an effort to get her on time. You understand me?"

Phoebe opened her mouth to reply when Elise continued. "No, I don't want to hear any of your fancy excuses, missy. Just nod yes or no." Phoebe nodded her head slowly up and down. Elise pointed her arm towards Phoebe's office. "Then get back to work!"

Phoebe slunk back to her office, bemoaning for the umpteenth time that she couldn't cast a spell for personal gain. Although, it surely wouldn't be personal gain if she got rid of Elise. That would be more like public gain. Especially the public that worked at the Mirror. She sighed and reached for one of the envelopes addressed to "Ask Phoebe." At least my work is interesting, every letter is different. Always someone new to help. It's always refreshing to help someone without having to vanquish a demon.

She opened the first letter and saw a neat, type-written letter. It was, however, on a piece of very expensive computer stationery. She passed the sheet of thick bond paper under her nose. A delicate scent of lavender wafted up to her. The letter was written with an italic font. Interesting. This was a person who took great care in all they, well she, did.

Phoebe took a sip of coffee as she concentrated on the content of the letter.

Dear Phoebe,

I am a young wife and mother. I have been happily married to my husband for five years, and we have two small children: a son, 4, and a daughter, 2. My husband was married before and the marriage ended in a contentious and combative divorce. After this divorce, my husband would not accept that his wife had moved on. He acted in a, well, overbearing and belligerent manner and kept on pursuing her no matter how many times she rebuffed him. This went on for a few months and then he left San Francisco. We met about a year later and fell in love.

Phoebe, my husband is not the same man he once was. He's a loving and affectionate husband, and a very patient and adoring father. He regrets deeply his actions after his divorce and looks forward to an opportunity to apologize to his former wife and her family. We have now moved back to my husband's home town of San Francisco because of my his career and I am wondering how to handle my husband's former in-laws. (I'm from the Los Angeles area, originally.) Their family has lived here for generations and I don't want to cause any problems, as I know that my husband was the cause of great pain and trouble to this family.

However, I would like to offer my best wishes and friendship to this family. Should I avoid them? Should I confront them? What are your suggestions?

Thank you in advance for any advice you may give.

Sincerely yours,

The New Wife

Phoebe furrowed her brow at this letter. Hmmm. How should I respond? I'm really not the best person to be advising on contentious divorces, having had one myself. And, I certainly haven't forgotten that black-hearted soul. However, this lady's husband isn't a demon, like Cole was. Is. Phoebe groaned, why does he always have to crop up and ruin my life? Even when he isn't physically near, he's ruling my life. We'll have to do something eventually. She looked up at the clock – 10:15 am. I wonder what Leo's found out from the Elders.

She sighed once again and looked at the letter again. Should I answer this? Well, I'll put it into my potential pile. She placed it in a basket and moved onto the next letter. This one looked as if it was written with a crayon. Aargh! This is going to be a long day.

Halliwell Manor

Paige Matthews picked up the phone and was surprised to hear Inspector Darryl Morris' voice on the other end. "Darryl! Hi! It's great to hear from you. You're not still mad with us, are you?"

Darryl chuckled at the other end of the line. He'd always liked the Halliwells. It's just that they weren't too good for him to hang around if he wanted to get promoted. "Of course not, Paige. I wasn't mad at you girls – it was the situation and the circumstances. Everything was out of control and I needed to focus on my career. Do you understand? You know, you ever need help with a stalker or something, you just need to call. Right?"

"Thanks, Darryl. Well, why are you calling?" Paige was very curious. Darryl wouldn't be calling unless it was important.

"Well, it's Cole." Darryl flinched as he heard Paige curse under his breath. "Now, Paige, let me finish first, okay. I really think you should consider this."

"Okay, Darryl. For you."

"Anyway, Cole called, apparently he's back in town and working at the US Attorney's office. He apparently met young Chris the other day."

"Yeah, he did. Then he accused Piper and Leo of abusing their own son! He..." Paige didn't finish because Darryl was once again interrupting her, pleading to be able to finish his story.

"Yeah, he told me that. He also told me that he felt that something was wrong with Chris. He said there were several times it looked like Chris would cry, but something stopped him. Then there was the fact that Chris wouldn't look his mother in the eye. And, to top it off, he got the impression that Chris didn't have any toys." Darryl paused as Paige gasped in outrage at this. "Well, he said he wanted to meet with the two of us and discuss this. He said he knew that you had the experience after working as a social worker and he didn't think you'd ignore anything. And, he thought I could help as an outsider and as someone Chris would look up to. He said that little Chris wants to be a policeman. Is that right?"

Paige laughed quietly. "That's right, Darryl. I think he likes policemen more than ice cream."

"Well, what do you say, Paige? Will you meet us for some coffee this afternoon? Cole and I both thought that two o'clock at the Federal Espresso across from the Courthouse seemed good."

"Okay," Paige reluctantly agreed. "I guess I can make it. But I'm not taking his word for anything."

"I don't think he wants that, I think he just wants to be heard. He seemed genuinely worried about Chris. And, if he's right, so am I." And with that Darryl hung up, leaving a very nervous Paige wondering what she was getting herself in for. Should I tell Piper or Phoebe? She shuddered at the thought. Piper was still furious at the implications (or threats) Cole had made the other night. And, Phoebe? Well, Phoebe is never in her right mind when dealing with Cole.

Federal Espresso, across from the U.S. Ninth Circuit District Courthouse

Cole strode into the Federal Espresso coffee house and scanned the room for Darryl or Paige, shaking his head of the excess moisture from the sudden rainstorm. One of the true disadvantages (and advantages) of the surface world is the weather. At least in the Underworld, you didn't have to worry about a sudden rainshower. He chuckled, you also don't get to watch your children grow up and play, either. And the music down there was dreadful. Cole found a secluded corner table with a good view of the street and divested himself of his very damp overcoat. He got up and ordered an espresso and a very gooey caramel bun while he waited. Mmmmm, he smiled. I am a bad boy today, Willow is going to be so mad at me. But, really, I never signed up for a new diet when I married her. He took a bite, closed his eyes, and savored the experience.

"If you want to be alone with that caramel bun, we can leave."

Cole opened his eyes to see Paige and Darryl looking at him with amusement. He chuckled and put his hands out to Darryl, as if to be handcuffed. "Ya got me copper, I'll go along quietly." Looking at Paige, he stood up. "Can I get you guys anything? My treat. It's the least I can do for you guys taking the time out of your schedule."

Paige started to shake her head, but Darryl interrupted her. "Now, Paige, don't smite your stomach to save your face. Well, I don't know about her, but I'll have a regular cup of regular coffee, and one of those maple bars. How about you Paige?"

Paige sat down in defeat. "I'll double mocha with extra chocolate and one of those brownies."

Cole returned in a few minutes with the coffees and pastries. Darryl looked at him with interest. "Well before we get started, Cole, you want to tell me about the whole deal with caramel bun. You didn't used to be so interested in sweets."

"Oh, I guess I always liked them. But, you see, my wife..."

"Wife!" Paige blurted out, causing other patrons to look up in consternation.

"Paige, calm down. I wouldn't want anyone to think you're my mistress." He shuddered at the thought. I'd rather bed Leo, he mused. Hell, Leo'd probably be a pretty good lay. That healing factor that White Lighters have should probably give him pretty good stamina. Cole shook his head as if to shake out the dangerous thoughts. What an image! "As I was saying about my wife, she has this thing about processed sugar being unhealthy. So, I don't get this kind of delight very often."

Darryl laughed at that. "With Sheila, it's processed bread. No white bread for me, no way, no how. I get the crunchy stuff that's good for your colon. I'd rather die young."

Cole and Darryl laughed together in commiseration. Cole took another bite of his bun and took a deep breath before continuing. It had been a mark of genius to ask Darryl to bring Paige. The two of them are trusted by the parents, and they are trained observers. He just needed to convince them that there was a problem. "Well, like I explained to Darryl, Paige, I'm very concerned about what I saw the other day in Chris. And, I'm very sorry if I've upset Leo and Piper. At the time, I thought they had to have been involved. But, now... Well, I'm fairly sure that they have no idea. And, that makes me wonder. Paige, do you think Piper and Leo favor one of their kids more than the other? That is known to happen."

Paige was so ready to take offense on her sister and Leo's behalf. But she couldn't. As she thought of how Chris acted, she realized that they did treat Wyatt differently, the Twice-Blessed Child. Oh, no, she moaned under her breath. What had they done to Chris? And, future Chris had given them enough hints they shouldn't have let this happen. She looked up into their expectant eyes. "Well, I hate to say it, but we do treat Wyatt as special. It's not that Chris isn't, it's just that Wyatt is the Twice-Blessed Child."

"Oooooh!" Cole pronounced sarcastically. "Big flaming deal! If there's one thing I've learned with my wife, it's that we're all equal. We all have different gifts but that doesn't make one better than the other. Sheesh! I treat my kids better that you celestials seem to be doing."

"That's it!" Paige slapped her hand against the table. "We've made a mistake but we're not de... We're not like you."

Cole opened his mouth to reply when Darryl spoke up. "Okay, you two, go to your separate corners. That's not what we're here for. Okay, Cole anything else?"

"Thanks, Darryl. I'm sorry, Paige." Cole took a deep breath and continued. "When he was in my office, I took out a box of toys that I had there. They were some toys I'd gotten over the years from my law enforcement friends for my son. I keep them at the office in case he comes by, but really he prefers army men or soldiers. Anyway, Chris' eyes lit up when he saw them. It was as if you showed soup to a starving man. So, I told him he could keep some of them. Can you guess what he said?"

Paige and Darryl shook their heads.

"He said that they were too nice." Cole threw out. "But they weren't. They were used, some were hand-made. They were just toys. And he acted like I was offering him a Ferrari. I just don't get it."

"Neither do I." Paige admitted. "He loves anything to do with police work. In fact, I've heard him talk about some of those toys – a bomb squad officer and his dog – he really liked those. I'm sure he would love to have them."

"Well he refused and I repeated the offer two more times that day. In fact, I have them here if you'd like to take them home." Cole reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out the two toys. Paige looked at them carefully. She picked up the bomb squad officer first. He was about the size of a GI Joe action figure. In fact, she mused, it probably was one. The uniform was hand made. Probably by an officer or his wife. The dog was a German Shepherd and his collar and badge also looked hand made. No, not too nice, but definitely special. Chris would love these. She looked up at Cole and, for the first time in a long time, saw the soul within. Maybe he should be given another chance – as long as it's not with a Halliwell.

"I still don't understand, Cole. There's no reason for him to refuse." Paige agreed, confused at Chris' behavior, as she placed the two toys in her purse. "Thanks for the toys, he'll love them."

"We need to find out what Chris does when he's out of parental sight. To see what happens to him." Darryl ventured. "I have an idea, but Piper and Leo may not approve."

Paige and Cole looked up for the solution. Darryl continued, "We need to put him under surveillance. We should plant cameras in the house."

Paige gasped in shock and shuddered in horror.

Bay City Mirror

Phoebe looked up at her computer. She only needed one more letter and the column would be finished. It was actually a pretty light day. She'd received a great deal of letters today, but very few were suitable to a family paper. Maybe Penthouse, she giggled at the thought. Can you imagine those letters? Phoebe started leafing through her pile and made her way back to the new wife and the ex-in-laws. Is that even a word? Or should they be called out-laws? She giggled again. Now she'd been here too long. She looked up at the clock and groaned, only forty-five minutes to deadline. She had to get to work – and now.

She entered the text of the original letter and started to draft her reply:

Dear New Wife,

Relationships between former and present families are always difficult, especially when strained by a bitter divorce. But, I believe the best the thing for all is to have open communication lines. Far better for you to introduce yourself to the ex-family, then for them to find out by accident.

Therefore, I suggest that you and your husband invite the ex-wife and family to dinner or coffee at a neutral and unthreatening location. As long as you do not present yourself as a winner of some sort of contest and keep the conversation on a friendly level, I'm sure you can get through this in a civil manner.

Just remember that some bad feeling will still probably be there, on both sides no doubt. Remember that none of this is your fault and try not to get on the defensive, as well as always being honest and forthright, and I am sure that San Francisco will be big enough for both your families.

Good Luck,

Phoebe

Well, that's that, Phoebe thought. She printed out her copy and closed down her computer. She turned off the lights to her office and gave her copy to Elise's assistant and made her way to the elevator. Well, that last letter went well. I do hope that I gave her the right advice. At least her husband can't be anything like Cole.