A/N: Thanks for all your reviews. I really love to read what parts of the story you liked best.
The next chapters will show how Cole deals with being a Dad. Enjoy!

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Daddy's girl

Cole stood undecidedly at the front porch of Mrs. Haughton's flat. It seldom happened to him that he hesitated once he had made up his mind. This time it was different. If he rang the bell and entered the flat his whole life would change. It was a turning point like falling love with Phoebe had been. If he entered, he committed himself to be a father for his daughter. He touched his trousers pocket. The court direction giving him custody of his daughter was in it. He had already made this decision when he had learnt he had a daughter. He hadn't made it with his mind but with his heart. He wouldn't be alone in the world anymore, nor would she. He was going to have someone of his own blood to care for. His own family. Finally. Decidedly he pressed the bell and waited.

An elderly woman opened the door. Cole estimated her in her late sixties. She was small and had short bright white hair with a few curls. She was plump and wore a kitchen apron over a flowery dress and big round glasses. She smiled friendly at him. "Hello, what can I do for you?"

Cole put on his best smile and answered, "My name is Cole Turner. We phoned some days ago. I'm here to pick up my daughter Grace."

He wasn't sure how Linda's mother would react to him. He was here to take away her grand daughter. Cole assumed that she couldn't be happy about it.

"Ahh, Mr. Turner. I remember," Mrs. Haughton acknowledged offering her hand to him, "Welcome to my place. Please come in." After he shook her hand, she stepped back and let him in. She closed the door and then went on in front of him, "please follow me to the living room."

Mrs. Haughton wondered were Linda had met him. He was totally different from the guys she brought home normally. Different meant she liked him on the spot. He was polite, had a nice smile and a firm handshake. She appreciated that in a man.

They entered her living room and Mrs. Haughton asked him to sit down. Then she fetched some brownies from the kitchen and prepared tea for them. Cole was surprised that she was so nice to him. When they were both comfy on her sofa she picked up the conversation again.

"So you are this mystery man". Her eyes were twinkling a little and when Cole looked at her uncomprehendingly she added smiling, "You know, for a long while I thought the father of my grandchild was Jim."

"Jim?" Cole asked, "I'm sorry but I don't know who you are talking about." Cole couldn't remember a thing of what Linda had told him about her private situation.

"He was the partner of my daughter for some years before they broke up. I always thought Grace was kind of his farewell present for Linda."

Cole found it strange to talk about a child as farewell present. "I don't know what Linda told you about me, but I didn't know her very well", Cole said carefully. Mrs. Haughton didn't seem disappointed but interested.

"To be honest, Mr. Turner, Linda didn't tell me a thing about you. When I settled her estate I found a letter addressed to me. I read it and it held your name and said you were probably the father of Grace and I should search for you. She wanted you to take care of her daughter. You can probably imagine my surprise."

What could Cole answer to this? That he was even more surprised since demons and humans normally couldn't conceive? Linda hadn't bothered to tell him about his daughter but wanted him to care about her in case of her death. He didn't show his surprise to Mrs. Haughton. He just nodded and sipped some tea. Mrs. Haughton didn't recognize his brooding as she went on.

"So how did you meet Linda? Why didn't she talk about you? I thought she would have been proud to be together with a man like you." She smiled at him interestedly. Mr. Turner had made a good impression on her.

"Ahm, "Cole wasn't used to be called a good catch, "you are very kind to me Mrs. Haughton. I met Linda at a party of one of her colleagues. I guess you know Inspector Morris?" He put his cup down on the table and looked at her inquiringly.

"Of course! He helped me a lot after Linda…," Mrs. Haughton voice trailed off but she kept her head, "so you are a police officer too?"

"No, I'm a lawyer", Cole answered, "I know Inspector Morris from court."

"A lawyer!" Mrs. Haughton was obviously pleased.

"I was divorced shortly before I met Linda and Linda told me about her break-up. We kind of comforted each other." Cole hinted that there hadn't been any romantic involvement. It was no crime to have a one night stand, but Cole wasn't sure how Mrs. Haughton thought about that.

"I see", Mrs. Haughton looked at him thoughtfully and stirred her tea. Cole had the impression she understood what he meant.

"Shortly after I had met her, I moved to the east coast. That's probably why she didn't tell me," Cole continued his explanation. He was sure that as a cop, Linda would have found him if she had wanted to.

Mrs. Haughton looked at him for some seconds. "I don't want to disappoint you Mr. Turner, but since you are so open with me, I have to tell you I think that Linda never searched for you. She was content with having a baby without a man to worry about. You know she wanted to have children for years but Jim always prevaricated."

Cole decided it was time to change the topic of the conversation to the reason for his visit. "You cared for Grace all the time since Linda passed away?" he asked carefully.

"Yes, and even before that," Mrs. Haughton confirmed. "Linda moved in with me when she was high pregnant. She didn't want to be alone. She stayed with me after the birth. You know I'm a widow and my flat is big enough. Besides Grace is so much joy to me." She eyed Cole warily. "Will you go back to the east cost with her Mr. Turner?"

"I plan to", Cole admitted and noticed the sad expression on Mrs. Haughton face. Of course she preferred to be close to her grandchild.

"Why did you search for me Mrs. Haughton? You could have thrown that letter away and claim you don't know who the father is. You had to know Grace' father would take her away from you." Cole was curious why Mrs. Haughton had gone through all this trouble to find him.

She looked at him surprised for his questions. "Well, it was Linda's wish," she said simply. "Besides who am I to deprive Grace of her father? That just wouldn't be right."

"I'm glad you think so," Cole said honestly. He thought that Linda's mother was a very likeable person. Mrs. Haughton hadn't thought of what was best for her, but what was best for Grace. Cole appreciated her attitude. He resolved to do the same in his new role as father.

"Does Linda have any other relatives? Sisters, cousins?" Cole asked. He wanted to know if there were any other relatives besides Mrs. Haughton he would have to deal with in the future.

"Unfortunately my husband and I had only one child. Our family is rather small. Now it is only me left… and Grace." Mrs. Haughton suddenly seemed so small and lonely on her sofa in her big flat.

"I'm sorry for you." Cole answered sympathetically.

"Do you have a big family Mr. Turner?" Mrs. Haughton wanted to know.

"No," Cole answered shortly, "my parents are dead and I have no siblings." His voice told her that he didn't want to go into details about it and she accepted it.

"I see", was the only thing Mrs. Haughton answered, but her glance towards Cole was somewhat hopeful.

"Do you mind if I want to meet Grace now?" Cole asked politely, not catching up on her thoughtful look. He had been with Mrs. Haughton for over half an hour and got impatient.

"Where are my manners?" Mrs Haughton exclaimed. "Of course you are here to see your daughter not to do small talk with an old boring woman like me. Please wait a minute, I go and get her. She is having her nap at the moment." She got up with effort and walked slowly out of the room.

Cole waited tensing up a little. Finally he stood up and looked out of the window, his hands crossed at his chest. What if his daughter didn't like him? If she somehow felt that he was different, magical?
After some minutes more he heard Mrs. Haughton come back. He turned around looking at her expectantly. She had a small white bundle in her arms and babbled with her.

"Grace now you get to know your daddy. You have to show yourself from your best side, you don't want to make a bad impression on him. We don't want Mr. Turner to think you are an underbred child."

Slowly she strode over to Cole and stopped just in front of him. Mrs. Haughton was even smaller than Phoebe Cole recognized. He had to bend down to take the baby from her arms.

"Here you have our little precious", Mrs. Haughton said to Cole as she handed Grace over to him. Then she stepped back to her place on the couch to allow Mr. Turner some privacy in meeting his child. But all the time she watched him attentively.

Very carefully Cole took the baby from Mrs. Haughton and holding her somewhat apart from him, he looked at her thoroughly. The most striking thing about Grace were her eyes. They were blue, exactly likes his. She had some unruly brown hair and very tiny fingers, feet, nose and ears. Cole was mesmerized. He let his demonic senses examine her carefully. He noticed a faint energy signature with similarity to his. It meant she was magical too. Not strong yet but she had undoubtedly inherited some powers from him. He was glad he had gotten to her before she was able to exercise them.

"She is beautiful", Cole breathed. He marvelled that he had taken part in creating something that innocent.

Paige had told him that they had vanquished his evil offspring, how they used to call his child. Phoebe probably didn't even hurt about it. He was evil, so his child had to be and therefore could not count on any mercy from the Charmed Ones, not even from his own mother. This was a resentment Cole still held against them especially against Phoebe.

He cradled Grace tight but carefully to his chest and kissed her on the head. Her skin and hair was very soft. He could feel her fast heartbeat with his hand but she didn't wail. She just looked back at him with her big blue eyes. It looked like she wasn't afraid of him rather curious about him. Cole felt his protective instincts flare up heavily. Nobody was going to touch a hair on his daughter's head. He sucked in her faint smell. She even smelled innocently. He wondered why fate had chosen him to be in charge for a being like her.

"She seems to like you, " Mrs. Haughton realized contently, "You have to know, she is very picky whom she allows to hold her. I already tried numerous babysitters and I was a little bit afraid of how she would react to you."

She watched Mr. Turner holding his daughter tight. He looked very moved his eyes showing a traitorous wet gleam. He obviously hadn't heard her statement since he kept gazing at Grace lovingly. She was a little bit sad that Linda couldn't see that. She had feared that she wouldn't like the father of Grace. That he was a guy like Jim. She had never liked Jim and his uncommitted manner. In her opinion Linda had always chosen the wrong guys. Mr. Turner on the other hand seemed like a kind, decent man with an honourable job. Mrs. Haughton was convinced that she could arrange herself with him to see her grandchild from time to time.

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Speed Date

Some weeks later.

Phoebe hadn't been thrilled when Darryl called her and told her about Cole's reappearance. She didn't want Cole to find out she hadn't been able to hold on to a single relationship in the past 2 years. On this account her speed dating had taken a further step towards obsession in the following weeks.

She was fervently searching for a man she could show off. She was meeting men almost 24x7 now. Colleagues, friends of colleagues, friends of friends, she even went so far as to date some of her male readers. Piper and Paige told her to ignore the fact that Cole was back in town and take the dating a big step slower, but she desperately needed to meet the father of her foreseen daughter.

Phoebe was walking hurriedly down the street to meet her lunch date. With her high heels and short tight skirt she tripped over the curb stone with small but fast steps. The restaurant wasn't far from her office, just some blocks away. Near the restaurant was a playground where Phoebe sometimes stood and watched longingly the happy mum's and their children play innocently. Furthermore you could still hear the noise from the playground in the garden of the restaurant. It was a good test if the guy she was meeting liked children. They often gave themselves away by commenting on the surrounding noise level.

As she came by the picket fence of the playground she shot a short glance towards it. As it was Friday, there were more people than during the week. Children in all ages roamed the playground. She stole a minute from her tight enough schedule to stop and watch them for a moment, imagining herself playing with her little girl amongst them. As she turned to walk on, she spotted something that didn't fit the peaceful afternoon scene at all. She took off her sunglasses with a shaky hand to get a better view.

Cole! He was sitting nonchalantly at a bench next to some woman who talked to him agitatedly. Phoebe stopped in her tracks and hid behind a bush. She didn't want him to recognize her. From her hidden place she watched the pair attentively and with a heavily beating heart. Unfortunately they were too far away so she couldn't understand a single word.

Cole hadn't changed at all. No that was only partly right. He seemed calmer and more relaxed as she had last seen him. He was in a dark grey suit without a tie, the uppermost buttons of his red dress shirt loosened. He looked very respectable. And hot. Between him and the woman stood a baby bag, which obviously held a child, since the woman and Cole were looking at it and the woman was reaching into it from time to time. They seemed to have fun. Cole laughed and flashed the woman a very charming smile. She could tell just from their movements that they were flirting.

Phoebe didn't consider for a second that the child could be his. She rather thought that Cole was up to something with the poor unaware mother. When Darryl had called her he had blabbed about Cole wanting the phone number of a woman. Maybe Cole had joined the dating game too? But Phoebe discarded the thought immediately. On the one hand because he just wasn't the type for it and on the other hand she didn't want him to be able to go on when she hadn't managed to do so herself. Phoebe had already wondered why he hadn't showed up at her door. Maybe he really had moved on? The thought frightened her to an extent she hadn't expected and she hastily suppressed it.

That was when the reminder of her mobile phone went off. She took it out of her bag and looked at the time. She was really late for her date now, almost half an hour, because she had been standing here much too long. With one last glance at Cole she tore herself loose and hastened towards the entry of the restaurant.

She rushed in the garden and looked for Greg, her date. She knew only a picture of him, which a female colleague at the office had sent her. Without effort she located him at the back of the garden, beneath a nice blooming lilac.

"Greg, hiii," she called in high pitched Phoebe voice and waved her hand, racing towards him.

Greg got up, "Phoebe! I already thought you stood me up." He was relieved that she had finally shown up. He had felt like a fool waiting for her and the other guests shooting him pitiful glances.

They shook hands and Phoebe brushed a short welcome kiss on his cheek and then settled herself in a chair opposite him. He smelt like a mixture of chocolate and tobacco. Phoebe wrinkled her nose, she didn't like men who smoked. And it wasn't good for children.

"Cole always smelled tangy, distinct and clear, like a strong sea breeze," Phoebe remembered.

Phoebe started babbling, "I'm soo sorry Greg, but work is killing me at the moment. Elise always changes her deadlines at the last moment. Hope you are not too angry with me?" She batted her eyes at him.

"I guess it's ok, since your have so much work," Greg excused her.

"Cole would have given me a piece of his mind for letting him wait," Phoebe thought but smiled at Greg charmingly.

"I'm so hungry. Hadn't anything to eat till the morning. Have you decided what you want to eat?" Phoebe asked browsing through the menu.

"I've been through the menu three times already," Greg tried to joke. It still bothered him that she had let him wait for so long at their first date.

"Cole never makes jokes on his own expense," Phoebe thought.

Phoebe finally decided on a Caesar's salad while Greg ordered a club sandwich. Now Phoebe had time to take a better look at him. The photo she got had been flattering. He showed first signs of a double chin.

"Cole looks better in reality than in pictures," Phoebe went into raptures.

But looks weren't all that counted, she shouldn't be so shallow, so Phoebe asked him, "What is your profession Greg?"

He smiled for a moment- he had had the impression that she wasn't interested in him. "I'm a photographer for National Geographic," he said proudly. He had been working very hard to be recognized as one of the best nature photographers.

"I'm travelling the world for my work. I visited many great places. You surely have seen some of my pictures in the television or magazines."

"That's great," Phoebe lied, "but it is not really family friendly, is it?" She wasn't looking for a man who sailed the seven seas as to speak.

"Yeah, but I'm still much too young to think about setting up a family," Greg said.

"Cole was overjoyed when I told him I was pregnant," Phoebe recalled with a sting in her heart.

"You are not looking for a husband Phoebe, are you?" Greg asked warily.

"No, not at all," Phoebe lied again. At the beginning she had been truthful about her wish, but it had scared the guys away.

Phoebe made a slightly distracted impression on Greg during their conversation, so he tried to talk about something that could arrest her attention. "I heard you are working on becoming a much bigger star than you already are," he flattered her.

"Thanks Greg," Phoebe smiled. "Yeah, my career is very important for me. I've worked hard to get where I am now and I'm very proud of it."

"So we have something in common," Greg said and started talking about his work and the foreign countries he visited.

"But I want something different now. Work isn't the most important thing in life, family is," Phoebe mused.

When they had finished their meals Phoebe had decided that Greg wasn't going to be the father of her child. Furthermore it annoyed her that she was comparing him with Cole all the time. And it was even more disturbing that Cole performed better in each comparison her mind made up.

She saved the day by chatting lightly about work stuff before she excused herself with going back to the office. They paid separately.

"Cole never let me pay in a restaurant," Phoebe noticed disappointed.

Phoebe promised to call Greg but was sure she never would.

tbc