"Hello? Anybody home?" Jason walked cautiously into the manor.
They had a habit of not locking the door. The first time he had been there he had wondered why a household mainly consisting of women and children wouldn't do that. Phoebe had told him they weren't afraid, they could protect themselves. He had argued with her and her sisters, but it was senseless. The Halliwells were just plain stubborn.
Jason had been at the manor on some occasions but he felt like Phoebe's sisters didn't really like him. So he had stayed away. And there were always these "family emergencies" which had torn Phoebe and him out of some romantic situations already and had caused some dispute.
He had been informed that Phoebe had gone home because she felt sick in the afternoon and he came over to cheer her up. He held a bunch of wild flowers in his hand. Since there was nobody at home, he ascended the staircase to Phoebe's room. He walked good-humored to her door and knocked. Maybe she slept, he didn't want to startle her. Without waiting for her to answer the door he opened it.
The scene before his eyes wasn't what he had expected. There was no poor looking Phoebe, hungering for some care and attention. There was his girlfriend comfortable in bed with another man. Jason froze in the doorway the hand on the doorknob. He couldn't help but notice the intimate impression the two made together.
Phoebe had her head on the man's bare chest, her arms wrapped around him, her eyes closed sleepily. Apparently they hadn't heard him knock at all. The guy had his arms possessively around her naked back, his face snuggled into her hair, eyes closed himself. Jason took a better look at the man. He looked a little bit filthy but well built nonetheless. He was unshaven, hair ruffled, his face somewhat haggard. Jason estimated the stranger a little older than himself. He wondered where Phoebe had met him. She was so stressed out between her family obligations, her job and her meetings with him, he had no idea where Phoebe had found the time to squeeze in another lover. For a moment he was unsettled. Hadn't he been able to satisfy her needs that she had looked for another? But then, they had such passionate nights together, he couldn't quite believe that was the reason.
Jason was torn out of his thoughts when the guy opened his eyes and spotted him at the door. Maybe he had felt Jason's presence. A threatening and calculating look came to the guy's face as Jason was scrutinized closely by hard blue eyes. Jason felt absolutely ridiculous standing at the door with his nice little flowers. He didn't want to loose control over the situation so he determinedly stepped fully into the room.
"What's going on here?" Jason's voice was loud and firm. Now that he had fully recognized that Phoebe betrayed him, hot rage was shooting through his body.
His pride was badly wounded. He wasn't a nobody. He was a man controlling a multi-million-dollar company. He had a golden reputation, wealth and a smooth way with woman. The girls were after him everywhere. He was named one of the top 50 eligible bachelors in the US the year before. And Phoebe betrayed him with someone that shabby.
Phoebe's eyes flew open. "Jason," she said flustered and disentangled herself from the guy, clutching the sheets to her breast. Her glance flickered uneasily from Jason to Cole and back.
Jason took some determined steps towards the bed. He was on the verge of pulling Phoebe right out of the other man's arms.
"You better stay right where you are," Cole growled with a low voice and sat up himself.
It was only that he assumed that this stranger was a plain human, and most probably an innocent, that Cole hadn't attacked him the second he had sneaked into the room. Attacking an innocent in front of Phoebe wouldn't help him with her.
Jason stopped in his tracks. The guy had threatened him. It was unmistakably in his voice. He wasn't keen on a fistfight in Phoebe's bedroom and the other looked ready to jump up at any justification. Jason decided to concentrate on Phoebe and ignore the guy's hateful look.
"You called in sick. I wanted to cheer you up", he said waving the flowers and then throwing them violently in Phoebe's direction, "Looks like you already had that".
Phoebe looked like a deer caught in the spotlight of a car. "It is not what it looks like Jason", she pleaded looking at Jason.
She couldn't explain to Jason that a potion brought her here. Right now she couldn't think of a reasonable excuse.
"Phoebe", Cole couldn't believe his ears, she was denying what they had shared just some minutes ago. But Phoebe didn't pay any attention to him, she was concentrated on the other guy.
"Jason, please will you wait downstairs for me? I'll explain everything to you." Phoebe asked tentatively, slipping to the edge of her bed, grabbing for her blouse.
Jason didn't answer her, nor move. "Who is he?" he demanded pointing at Cole.
"I'm her husband," Cole informed Jason with a smirk "and you are?"
"Ex-husband", Phoebe corrected, throwing a warning glance at Cole and buttoning up her blouse.
"Her boyfriend without ex", Jason informed Cole smugly, "But you said he left you?"
Phoebe hadn't really told him much about her broken marriage only that it had ended badly and the divorce had been messy.
"Looks like I'm back", Cole stated the obvious, while he reached for his trousers.
"But not in my life", Phoebe turned to Cole. She couldn't deal with both of them at the same time. Let alone them fighting about who had more right to her.
Jason smirked, "Looks like you are not welcome home". He felt a slight satisfaction that Phoebe was nice to him but put her ex-husband down.
"Jason, would you mind, I want to dress", Phoebe tried to send Jason out.
"I'm not your toy boy to play with as you please," Jason shouted angrily at Phoebe, "Call me if you have a really good explanation of what happened here– if you don't -spare me the effort".
Jason turned on his heels, slamming the door behind him. He wasn't sure himself if he wanted to make up with Phoebe again. But from how she behaved towards this guy, it seemed she didn't like him that much. Maybe it had just been a flinch in remembrance of old times.
"Jason," Phoebe called out after him, finally jumping out of the bed, struggling to put on her slip in a hurry and jumping on one leg towards the door as she slipped into her trousers.
"Phoebe? You are not seriously running after him?" Cole tried to hold himself together. How could she do that after the spell had revealed him to be her True Desire?
"Cole, I don't know why I landed in bed with you. I'm sure it has something to do with magic and if I find out you tricked me into it, you will regret it. But now I have to salvage what's left of my - until now – good running relationship," Phoebe hissed.
The open door in her hand she turned once more to Cole, "Don't bother waiting for me."
She closed the door from outside, scrambling down the stairs. Cole heard her call the other's name till she was out of earshot.
Cole starred motionless at the door hoping she would come to her senses and back to him. After some time he blurred, devastated, from the room.
tbc