A/N: I really enjoy your reviews ! So please don't stop doing it now ;-)

As to one question - there are many chapters more to come, we are just at the begining -

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Rescue

"Paige stop", Leo's voiced rumbled through the attic. Leo couldn't believe the scene before his eyes. He had come in the last second. If Paige killed Cole there was no turning back of the sisters to good. Paige jumped up, letting Cole's head fall back on the couch hard.

"Leo, what a bad time to come by," she hissed. She held the Athame tight in her hand, almost threatening towards Leo

"Leo," Cole managed to press out, "tell Phoebe that Paige wanted to kill me."

He banked on that Phoebe would keep Paige from killing him.

"You are so a spoilsport," Paige spat at Cole, "sneaking to my sister"

Leo walked over to Cole but kept a safe distance from Paige. His eyes grew wide when he saw the state Cole was in.

"How could you do that?" he asked almost at a loss for words, "you are a White lighter. We heal people not hurt them". He pointed at Cole's lacerated body.

"You know what Leo?" Paige snorted, "Your goodness makes me sick."

She put the Athame in the back of her trouser and picked up the bottles, turning in the direction of the door.

"I'm done for now", she threatened Cole, "but we haven't seen the last of each other. Just wait till my sister gets tired of you". Cole wasn't sure which sister she was talking about.

"And you," Paige addressed Leo, "better stay out of my way the next time. Besides your wife is looking for you, and she is not happy about you orbing out on her earlier."

Paige slammed the attic door shut behind her. Leo immediately squatted down next to Cole holding his hands over Cole's bleeding body.

"You have a lot work with me these days", Cole sighed faintly. He was deeply indebted to Leo. He had saved his life twice in less than 24 hours.

"Don't talk Cole, spare your strength", Leo tried to calm him down.

Leo was badly upset. Paige had really tried to kill someone. Call it luck this someone happened to be Cole who could withstand a lot more than any normal human would have. Cole closed his eyes and was enjoying the warmth of the healing energy caressing his oppressed body.

"You should be ok now", Leo informed Cole when he had finished healing.

He looked at Cole worriedly. How would Cole react to the treatment the girls had given him, once he was released and back to full power? But this wasn't the most pressing concern at the moment. It was high time to break the evil spell on the girls.

Cole sat up and let his legs dangle over the edge of the couch. Besides all the hurting he had to endure his muscles had started to tense from staying in the same posture all the time. He rolled his shoulders several times and glanced at his chest and moving his right arm, he nodded contentedly.

"Well done," he said appreciatively, "Since the girls know by now that you are here, you could as well give me my trousers. And would you mind to lend me your shirt?"

Leo hurried to get Cole his trousers and pulled of his shirt to give it to Cole. He himself felt much more at ease when Cole wasn't all naked and only covered in a bloody blanket. Leo turned around to give Cole some privacy while he dressed.

"I may have found something out about the spell", Cole informed Leo.

"Really," Leo almost jerked around out of surprise, "Sorry," he apologized.

"Never mind Leo, I'm done", Cole said cordially. He had only put on the trousers, because of the handcuffs he couldn't get into the sleeves of the shirt.

"The demon who tried to steal the book..," Cole started.

"A demon was here?" Leo exclaimed nervously. With the girls themselves charmed by an evil spell, they were easy prey. And he wasn't sure he could heal them if they needed him, they were evil after all at the moment.

"Yes, but your lovely wife took care of him. He won't ever try again", Cole smirked.

Leo exhaled relieved, at least the girls still cared for the Book.

"Before he went to hell, I had a little chat with him. The bird brain demon tried to impress me," Cole laughed bitterly, "Looks like I still hold some reputation in the underworld. He said that they put the girls under some spell regarding the girl's desires."

"Desires?" Leo wasn't sure he had understood correctly.

Desires were very dangerous stuff to play with. Nobody really knew his own darkest desires. The consciousness was normally shielded from them for a good reason.

"Yes, he also mentioned that they collected some objects of the sisters", Cole went on, "does this make any sense to you?"

"It might", Leo confirmed. "But you are always saying they. Were there more than one demon?"

"No, I just saw one. But he was a low level one. Not capable of developing such a wily plan. I figured the demon that was here to take the Book isn't the brains behind the operation, there has to be a more powerful one. One who is higher in the hierarchy", Cole explained.

"For a man confided to a couch you discovered a lot", Leo had to smile despite the grave situation.

Whatever the circumstances Cole was never to be underestimated. That could be good for them or bad. It just depended what Cole decided to do with his abilities – good or evil. Unfortunately he was very erratic in these decisions.

"Looks like the Halliwell's attic is the place to be", Cole joked, "just have to wait here and everything comes around."

He was in high spirits. He thought that he had been through the worst. With Paige and Piper done with him, there was only Phoebe to go. And Phoebe hitting on him wasn't a bad thing to happen. Furthermore he had seen through the attacker's game. Now he was ready to strike back.

"We have to act fast," Leo decided, "the master of the vanquished demon might come looking for him, if he doesn't come back with the Book. Wouldn't be good for you if he found you here powerless. Or the girls. They are too distracted to withstand a more forceful attack."

"How do you break such a spell?" Cole asked. He wasn't the expert on white magic.

"We have to do some counter spell, maybe with a potion", Leo mused. In his mind he went over the witches he knew capable of brewing such a powerful potion.

"You said they are caught by their worst desires?" Leo asked Cole again.

"I think so", Cole agreed watching Leo pacing up and down at the attic agitatedly.

Cole had to sit rather uncomfortably, his left hand twisted behind his back because of the handcuffs, but at least he hadn't to lie on his back.

"We have to fight the evil of the spell with their true desire," Leo decided. This had to be it.

"You want to fight one desire with another?" Cole wasn't convinced.

"Yes. Only the one thing you really want with all your heart can conquer evil. I'll go to find a witch to brew the potion. But I will need your help to feed the potion to the girls," he turned to Cole.

"I'll do what I can, but sorry to remind you, I'm still handcuffed", Cole pulled at the chains unnerved, sighing heavily.

"Piper and Paige already visited you," Leo pulled a face. He saw a flash of Piper on top of Cole and Paige with the Athame. He winced at the thought. Cole just nodded shortly.

"That means Phoebe will come to you next," Leo said questioningly.

"I guess," Cole smiled sadly, "hope she doesn't want to kill me too."

"I don't think so…," Leo started, but then what would he know about the deepest darkest desires of Phoebe?

"You have to convince her to drink the potion", Leo said matter of factly.

"And how do you suggest I do it?" Cole asked flaring up.

As a prisoner he had just a limited amount of possibilities, and this annoyed him to no end.

"You told me Piper used a potion on you. You have to wheedle Phoebe to use the potion too", Leo started to lay out his plan.

Cole shook his head vigorously. "Not this potion again!"

"Let me finish, Cole," Leo ordered, "We exchange the potions. Instead of the evil potion, it will be the good one."

"She has to drink it. With Piper it was only me who took the potion." Cole threw in.

"Then you have to tell her you both, Piper and you took it last time. I'm sure you can charm Phoebe, Cole," Leo said, a trace of teasing in his voice.

Cole snorted, "For once, it is a good thing I can do that."

"Let's not go there now", Leo cut him short, "we don't have time to talk about old disputes. Beside if you want to be freed of the handcuffs, you have to help me turn them back to good."

"It was yellow," Cole said unemotional, "the desire potion. Take the bottle with you." He showed Leo where Piper had discarded it.

Leo snatched it from the ground and orbed out. Cole heard his already distant voice when he dropped back on the couch, "I'll be back as soon as possible."

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Manor. Before noon.

Phoebe opened the attic door silently and slipped through. She didn't want her sisters to know that she was back from work this early. She couldn't stand waiting any longer to get to Cole. It had been a bad idea to shareCole with her sisters.

He was on the couch sleeping, the handcuffs still fastened tightly around his wrists. Unlike in the night he wore his jeans again. He looked so defenseless, it made her hot in a kinky way. She tiptoed over to his side but she didn't want to wake him up yet. She sat down on the stool and just watched him exhale and inhale slowly, his bare chest moving up- and down. Her hand automatically reached for him.

He twitched and then opened his eyes, searching for the person who had awoken him. It was Phoebe. He cursed voicelessly. Leo hadn't been fast enough. He hadn't yet come back with the potion. Cole didn't say a word because Phoebe herself just looked at him. It wasn't a nice look.

"Finally I get what I had in mind all the time," she purred touching his chest.

"Still working out I see," she commented delightedly.

"You want it to be that way between us?" Cole couldn't believe it. She treated him like an object.

"You didn't complain about being with Piper, Cole. So what's the big deal?" Phoebe asked looking blank.

"I did. You just didn't want to hear it Phoebe", Cole spat angrily.

"Besides you used to love me, remember?" Cole tried more softly.

Phoebe treating him in this cold calculating way hurt far more than Paige slicing him. He had assumed he could come through to her, when they were alone. It looked like he had miscalculated hugely.

"Come on, Cole, I thought you finally got it," Phoebe taunted.

She touched his tummy hungrily tracing the outline of his muscles. "I don't love you but I admit I lust after you. That part of our relationship I remember quite vividly. And I miss it."

He flinched back as far as the handcuffs allowed. He didn't want to be together with Phoebe like this. It was much worse than he had expected it to be.

Phoebe was stung that he fled her touch. "You don't want me?" she hissed.

She hadn't expected this. Cole had been begging her the last few months to come back to him and now he recoiled from her. She snatched at her bag angrily and took out a bottle with a yellowish liquid. Paige had given it to her the night before. She had been so proud of her potion. Of course Phoebe never thought that she would need it with Cole. She had secretly laughed at Piper for using it. She had always been able to turn Cole on.

Cole recognized it instantly. "Don't use this on me Phoebe, please," he begged rather desperately.

Phoebe smiled viciously. "You shouldn't have rejected me, Cole. I don't take to that easily."

She opened the bottle and held it to him. "Drink it or I force you, I swear." Her glance was hard, cold and lewdly.

"Phoebe. You are not like this. You are a kind loving person. You care about people. You used to care about me. You can fight this I know it. Do it for me, please," Cole tried to convince her with a slightly panicked voice, bending away from the potion.

"Shut up and stop whining", she ordered firmly, "drink".

She started to unbutton her blouse in front of him, allowing Cole free sight on her voluptuous breasts. He cast his eyes down to her dismay and surprise.

Tired of waiting for his convenience she pressed the bottle to his lips. He opened his mouth reluctantly and allowed her to pour the liquid in his mouth. He swallowed it with a distressed face. He knew what would happen now, and he wasn't welcoming it. He averted his eyes. He didn't want to see the glee on Phoebe's face while she was humiliating him.

Phoebe moved her face closer to his, watching him attentively. "Now I'm really curious". She pushed Cole back on the couch impatiently.

tbc