Part Four

Cole bent over his sleeping wife and carefully moved the book from her lap to her nightstand. But she stirred and he quickly spoke in a hushed tone, "Shhh, it's just me. Go back to sleep."

"Whutimezit?" she mumbled into her pillow.

"Almost one-thirty," he replied as he peeled off his turtleneck. "I'm gonna grab a quick shower," he bent and kissed her forehead, "go back to sleep."

She'd closed her eyes and murmured something unintelligible so Cole turned and headed for the bathroom. As he waited for the shower water to reach a comfortable enough temperature, he removed the rest of his clothing. After several minutes standing under the hot spray, he felt the tensions of the long day slip down the drain with the soap suds.

He braced his palms against the tile and let the water rain over his head as he, once again, thought of Phoebe. She'd taken the tonic with only minor argument but she hadn't seemed any different. Of course, the Seer had warned that the changes would be gradual and that he shouldn't expect Phoebe to suddenly embrace her dark side overnight. But he was bothered by the fact that she was still vulnerable to her sisters. If his future with her and their son was to be, he had to keep Phoebe distracted enough from seeking out Piper and Paige.

He slapped the tile. That Kathi's husband told him outright that Phoebe would be feeling more emotional these days; that she might even feel more insecure. So how the hell was he supposed to assure her of his love and their future if he was tied up in meetings all day and all night to secure that very future?

Cole shook his head and, a moment later, turned off the water. He'd just wrapped the towel around his waist when he heard the crash from the other room simultaneous with Phoebe's shout. He was by her side in an instant. "Phoebe, no!"

Phoebe was in the midst of scrambling to her knees when she shot the flame at the young stranger dressed in a black overcoat. "Where the hell were you?" Phoebe snapped at Cole when the demon exploded in a puff of ash.

"What happened?" Cole darted to her side and helped her up, taking an extra moment to caress her flat stomach.

"Thought you might be hungry so I was gonna fix you a snack."

He steadied her when she swayed. "Why'd you kill him?"

She jerked away from him, "Wha'd'you mean why? The demon was in our living room!"

Cole pinched the bridge of his nose, "I know that, Phoebe. I was the one who ordered him there."

"You ordered, you ordered a demon into our home? What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that you need security!" he retorted. "I won't always be around, Phoebe, and I need you to be protected. There are those who think you're more Charmed than Queen."

She folded her arms across her chest in annoyance, "That's their problem."

"No," he disagreed, "that's my problem. Honey," he sat her down on the sofa, "this is a very dangerous time. Any time there's a new Source, there are major consequences."

"Factions," she rolled her eyes, "I know."

"You don't know," he insisted. "Yes, you still have your powers and even a new one but you're not Charmed anymore and you don't have their strength. And now you're pregnant which will physically take its toll on you, not to mention what you'll be going through emotionally." He swept some hair from her tired eyes, "I'm worried about you and if I'm worried about you, I can't do what I need to do."

Phoebe sighed and stroked his scruffy beard, "Why didn't you just tell me you put up a guard?"

"You were asleep. I figured I'd tell you in the morning." He gazed at her intently, "Are we okay?"

"Yeah," she sighed before stifling a yawn. "Felt pretty good, though, having an active power like that. Talk about power rushes. Oh, sorry if he was a friend of yours."

"He wasn't and you're not," he accused with the slightest of grins forming. One look at her face and he knew he was right. "Phoebe…"

"It's late, Cole, save the lectures for tomorrow." She stood and held her hand out to him, "Come to bed?"

Kissing her fingertips, he smiled, "You don't have to ask me twice."

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"Piper, no!"

Cole immediately woke and found his wife caught in the throes of a nightmare. "Phoebe, honey, wake up." It took a moment or two before her eyes seemed to focus. "That's it, you're safe. I'm here and you're safe."

"Cole?"

Pulling her into his arms, he held her tightly as her panicky breathing slowly returned to a steadier pace. "It's okay, it was only a dream, a very bad dream."

"Piper tried to vanquish me," Phoebe told him in a hoarse voice. "She tried to vanquish me."

He gently rocked her as she began to cry, "Shhh, it was only a dream, Piper loves you. She'd never hurt you."

Phoebe clung to his arms, wrapped securely around her. "You don't understand. She thinks I love you more and that I betrayed her. That's why she hung up on me today. She doesn't want anything to do with me."

News to Cole but not entirely unwelcome and he warily suggested, "She's still in shock. You have to admit, two days ago, not even you would've pictured yourself as Queen."

"But it doesn't have to change with Piper. She and Paige are still my sisters. I still love them."

"I know, sweetheart," he murmured as he kissed her temple. "But they have their own path and you have yours."

"It doesn't mean I have to lose them," she forcefully said as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I mean, Kathi has her life in New York, it doesn't mean I love her any less."

"This is completely different." He pulled the blankets over them, "Your sisters are on the path of good, Phoebe, and you're no longer there. It hurts them and I know it hurts you. Be patient, you'll see that it's all for the best."

"Where are you going?" she questioned when Cole suddenly slid out of bed.

"Come with me." Making sure the blanket was wrapped around her, he gathered her into his arms.

"Where?"

"Is it tight enough? It's gonna be cold," was all he said.

She gazed up at him with growing curiosity, "Did I sleep through the memo that hell's frozen over?"

"Cute," he growled as he flamed them from their bedroom.

"Cole?" she asked in a shaky voice as she nervously tightened her grip around him.

"I've got you," he promised. "Look," he suggested at the lights of the city below them. "That's what I can give you."

"The Brooklyn Bridge?" her teeth chattered.

He tightened his hold on her, kissed her temple, and clarified, "I can give you the city, Phoebe. New York City and if not New York, then Boston, Sydney, London, Miami… or anywhere in the world you want to be. Name it and it's yours."

"I d-don't want a city, Cole," she informed him, "I want you." She felt his warm lips warm brush against her skin and she whispered, "I just want you and our baby."

"That's all I want too," he promised with another light kiss.

"C-Cole, what about the cameras? Security tapes're gonna show us here."

"Shhh, I've taken care of them," he assured her.

Phoebe glanced a little more bravely out at the city. He hadn't taken her to the Empire State Building's 86th Floor Observation Deck but to the 102nd and she had to admit, the view was spectacular. She cuddled closer. "It's not easy," she admitted. "So much has happened so quickly and now I don't have my sisters in my corner? I'm a little scared."

"Me too," he whispered in return as he nuzzled her cheek.

She lightly tugged on the blanket, "I don't feel nauseous this time."

"It was probably stress before," he suggested.

"Or maybe it's that tonic," Phoebe grimaced. "It was gross, Cole. She couldn't've added some peppermint at least?"

Cole kissed her forehead, "But isn't it worth it if it got rid of the nausea?"

"Maybe," she conceded. "But I swear I thought the Seer was grinning when I drank the God-awful stuff." She tugged again on the blanket, "You think we could get her to bottle this stuff?"

Puzzled, he asked, "Why?"

She shrugged, "We could make a mint selling it to pregnant women as a cure for morning sickness."

Cole laughed. But then again, the possibility of making a fortune while at the same time causing millions of women to give into their dark nature and impulses, was worth some consideration. "You're brilliant," he declared with another kiss.

"I'm also freezing," she shivered. "It may be spring but it's still freezing this high up."

"Sorry," he apologized. But just as he was about to flame them home, she suddenly leaned up and kissed him.

"Thanks for bringing me here, Cole, and for what you offered but I don't need to move here, or to any other city. San Francisco's home…with you."

After he'd flamed them to their bedroom and he placed her on the bed, Phoebe gazed up at him, "I'm happy about this baby. You know that, right?"

"I'm glad," he smiled as he slid under the covers behind her and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Give it some time, babe, give it some time and you'll see how perfect this really is." She shivered and he kissed the nape of her neck, "Still cold? C'mere, I'll warm you up."

She snuggled closer and giggled, "You always do."

"Hey," he protested, "watch the toes."

"Thought you said you'd warm me up," she pouted.

"That was before I knew your toes were like icicles."

She turned her head slightly to look aback at him and watched him as she deliberately placed the soles of her feet on his calves. "What's the big bad Source gonna do about it?"

"I'll show you," he began as he flipped her onto her back and pressed himself on top, "exactly what I'm gonna do about it."

And to her great delight, he did.

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"I love you, Cole," she whispered sleepily as she closed her eyes, brushed her lips against his bicep, and wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"Love you too," he replied as he pressed a kiss to the back of her head and watched over her as she gave in to sleep. "I love you too," he repeated.

The End