Hi- im so sorry for taking ages n ages to update and im afraid my excuse is the same as before - way too much work.
Plz review and I'l promise to update sooner next time.
lotsa luv

-

Chapter 5: For Those Who Want The Truth Revealed

"Cole?" yelled Phoebe, knocking on his apartment door. "Cole, are you in there?"

She looked up at the sound of a door opening and saw one of Cole's neighbour's looking annoyed at the noise. "Oh, sorry." Phoebe apologized. The neighbour went back inside and Phoebe sighed looking back to Cole's door, which had remained closed. Glancing around Phoebe caught sight of a reddish stain that made her heart jump. There were drops of blood on the carpet leading to Cole's apartment.

Hurriedly, Phoebe opened the door. "Cole?" she called out worriedly. "Hello?"

Seeing a trail of blood drops leading into Cole's bathroom she followed the blood.

Inside the bathroom Belthazor stood behind the door grimacing, his hand over his wound.

"Cole?" called Phoebe again. Just before she walked into the bathroom Belthazor transformed back into Cole and grabbed a shirt. He pulled it on just as Phoebe entered. "Cole?" gasped Phoebe seeing his wound.

"You really shouldn't be here." Cole warned her guiltily.

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

I was so worried. Cole was injured, maybe even dying. Why had he been hiding form me? Why hadn't he gone to hospital? Who had done this to him? I had so many unanswered questions but I pushed them to the back of my mind. Right now I needed to focus on saving him. I couldn't let him die. Cole was going to be ok.

-

"Okay, Cole. Come on, lay down." directed Phoebe pushing Cole down on the bed. "Lay down. Easy. Are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

"Do I look okay?" groaned Cole, the pain making him snap out.

"I'm sorry." Phoebe apologized, "Okay, let's see how bad this is." she continued trying to be calm.

"No, no, don't." discouraged Cole.

"Believe me, I've seen worse, Cole." Phoebe assured him going to take off the bandage. Cole grabbed her wrist.

"I said don't. Please." pleaded Cole.

"We've got to get you to the hospital." insisted Phoebe.

"It's not safe there, they'll find me." replied Cole wildly.

"Who will find you? What's going on? Who's after you?" Phoebe wanted to know. "There was somebody looking for you today at your office. An investigator." she continued.

At this Cole suddenly sat up, "You didn't tell him anything did you?" he asked quickly.

Phoebe looked at Cole pointedly, "I don't know anything." she answered.

"What did he look like?" Cole persisted, "You sure he wasn't a de…", he paused; he had almost blown his cover. "…A?" he finished hurriedly.

"He said that he was." replied Phoebe, "And he also said that he needed to…" she broke off as Cole groaned. "Okay, come on, back down, back down." she instructed gently. Cole lay back down and Phoebe assured him "I'm gonna go get some help, okay." Looking upwards Phoebe whispered urgently "Leo?"

"Phoebe, come on." Cole began.

"Cole, I am not just gonna sit back and watch you die, okay." she cut in fiercely. "Leo?" she called quietly again Turning back to Cole she told him "Um, I am gonna go back to the house, okay, and I'm gonna get Leo. He's a doctor, he can heal you."

"Okay." agreed Cole

"Are you sure it's safe for you here?" inquired Phoebe worriedly.

"They've already looked for me here, they won't be back. Not for a while anyway."

Phoebe kissed Cole goodbye. "You'd better be here when I get back." she warned.

Cole watched Phoebe leave and cried out in pain as he changed into Belthazor and then back to his human form again.

-

Cole's P.O.V

This was it. She was going to find out. Soon Phoebe was going to notice that my wound was the same as the wound she and her sisters had inflicted upon Belthazor. She was gonna realise that I wasn't who I said I was. Then she would vanquish me.

-

"Phoebe, we shouldn't even be here." insisted Leo, walking down the corridor to Cole's apartment. "Belthazor…"

"Can wait." Phoebe finished. "Cole can't. Leo, he will die without your help."

"Then he should be in a hospital." Leo countered.

"He won't go." Phoebe replied.

Leo sighed trying to get Phoebe to see his side. "Phoebe, I can't heal mortals, you know that. Not unless they were hurt by evil. It's against the rules."

"So break the rules. You've done it before." snapped Phoebe, then getting her temper under control she continued, "I'm sorry, that wasn't fair. I just… I can't let him die, Leo."

"You shouldn't be asking me to do this." said Leo, torn between following the rules and saving Cole.

"I know, but I am." Phoebe agreed gently.

They went inside the apartment and saw Cole sitting on the floor. "Cole!" she exclaimed running over to him. "Cole. Come here." she directed laying him on the floor.

Leo knelt down beside Cole and took off the bandage. He stretched his hands over Cole's wound and started to heal him. Instead of a gentle healing glow, sparks flickered out of Leo's hands.

"Leo, what's the matter?" asked Phoebe concerned.

"Something's not right." replied Leo warily.

Suddenly a bright spark leapt into the air, causing a force which flung Leo across the room and into a chair.

"Leo, are you okay?" gasped Phoebe surprised and alarmed at this.

"Yeah, I think so." he replied guardedly.

Cole stirred, and Phoebe rushed over to his side, "Cole."

"Phoebe." said Cole, looking into Phoebe's eyes.

"It's okay. You're okay now." assured Phoebe.

-

Cole's P.O.V

Physically, I was okay. Well, not dying anymore at least. The whitelighter hadn't been able to heal my demon half but my human half was fully healed so I would recover quickly. Mentally though, I was a mess. Phoebe didn't even have to notice the similarities between the wound Belthazor had and the wound I had anymore. Leo would know that the only reason that he couldn't heal me completely was because I was evil; a demon. And he would tell Phoebe. I would lose her and my heart was breaking; but I knew what I had to do.

-

"What's the matter?" questioned Phoebe. Leo had dragged her out of Cole's apartment to talk to her and she wanted to get back to Cole.

"Phoebe, listen to me, I think we should get of here now." directed Leo.

"I agree. Whoever's after him could come back." replied Phoebe, her mind still on Cole.

"That is not what I'm talking about. You saw what happened in there." repeated Leo insistently.

"Yeah, you healed him." Phoebe didn't want to follow Leo's thoughts.

"No, Phoebe, I only healed part of him." Leo contradicted gently, "That has never happened before."

"Well, maybe it's just because he's weak." reasoned Phoebe desperately looking for an explanation.

"That is not the reason. I can heal mortals completely. There is no other explanation. He is not who you think he is."

"No. I don't understand." said Phoebe confused.

"He is a demon, Phoebe." stated Leo, "For all we know he could be the demon that you are trying to vanquish."

"That's ridiculous." Phoebe was in denial.

"Think about it, okay. They're both hurt; they're both on the run. You saw where Cole's wound is. It is the same place where Piper cut the flesh from Belthazor." persisted Leo trying to get Phoebe to see reason.

"No, I don't believe it." Phoebe shook her head.

"You have to believe it." insisted Leo.

"No, I don't, Leo. I don't. Maybe you should just go." Phoebe ignored Leo's reasoning.

"No way I'm leaving you here alone with him." disagreed Leo.

"I have the potion don't I? Just go."

-

Phoebe's P.O.V

My head was spinning. I didn't want to believe it but deep down inside I knew Leo was right. Cole was a demon and he was trying to kill me and my sisters. Everything was a lie. Cole had shattered my heart into little pieces but I still wanted to cling onto the hope that maybe, just maybe, there was another explanation. I was being stupid though, I knew. But I had to have proof. I needed to hear or see with my own eyes and ears, straight from Cole, the truth. There were so many unanswered questions. Prue had felt that Cole loved me and I had felt it too when we were together. And I knew that I loved Cole. How could he do this?

-

"Is there something wrong, Phoebe? Something you're not telling me?" asked Cole.

Phoebe remarked coldly, "Don't you think you think you have that backwards?"

"Meaning?" questioned Cole, a feeling of dread in his stomach.

"You're the one with all the secrets, right?" Phoebe replied pointedly.

"Am I? You sure about that?" challenged Cole.

Phoebe sighed and shook her head sadly, "I don't really know what I'm sure about anymore."

"Yeah, I know how you feel." emphasized Cole.

Phoebe gave a short bitter laugh, "I doubt that." she contradicted.

"I think I know what's going on here, Phoebe, and I'm sorry it's come to this. But I'm not sorry about us. You need to know that." pleaded Cole, abandoning all pretences.

Phoebe was silent for a moment before apparently changing the subject and saying "You never told me where you were from."

"You never asked." replied Cole unsure of where Phoebe was going with this.

"I'm asking now." said Phoebe acknowledging that she suspected Cole.

"Why don't you ask me what you really want to know, Phoebe. I won't lie to you." Cole spread his arms out and stood in front of Phoebe preparing to reveal his secret.

Phoebe nodded slowly, a feeling of reluctance creeping over her "Who are you?" she whispered finally.