Hey guys! Just wanted to give a HUGE thank you to all those who reviewed my first chapter. You have no idea what it means to me that you guys enjoyed it. I hope you like the second chapter just as much!

Have fun!

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"Bloodlust" – Chapter 2

For a moment, Phoebe stood frozen with her hands gripping the doorway and her eyes fixed on Cole. He peered back at her with eyes he was fighting to keep open and a breath he was struggling to keep normal. He looked like a hurt little animal. She didn't know what to do; she was supposed to hate him, want him dead. But then why did she feel so guilty looking at her bird with broken wings?

"Phoebe…" he whispered again. "Please…"

Pushing aside everything that tore her back, Phoebe quickly stepped outside and crouched down next to Cole. "Can you stand?" She asked him, putting her arm under his.

Cole simply laid his head against Phoebe's chest and closed his eyes. "Mmm…"

Something inside Phoebe sent her panicking. She shook him lightly, afraid to harm him even further, and cried, "Cole! Get up, Cole! You can't stay here, you have to come inside."

As she tried her best to lift his limp body, Cole clung to Phoebe's shirt like a hurt child. Then, she felt his whole body begin to shiver against hers violently. "Cole…help me out," she told him, her voice quivering. She was on the brink of tears. "I can't see you like this. You have to help me get you inside." With a lot of struggle on both their parts, she was able to get him inside the manor and upstairs. All the while, she was terrified to ask him what had happened for fear of feeling even guiltier.

Kicking the door of the bathroom open, Phoebe flipped on the lights and set Cole down gently on the tile floor. But before she was able to think about what do to first, he had leaned over the toilet bowl and begun vomiting. Every time he stopped to gasp for air and coughed as if his lungs were trying to escape his body, Phoebe shut her eyes tight, fighting to keep from crying and desperately searching for something to make things easier for Cole.

Once all he had left were dry heaves, Cole groped for the handle and flushed. He then fell back against the side of the bathtub. Phoebe watched beads of sweat roll down the side of his paled face. He glanced at her for a moment feebly before his lids fell heavily down over his vibrant blue eyes. It puzzled her how a virtually invincible demon could get sick. But she didn't have time to think. Twisting the faucet knobs for the bathtub and plugging the drain, she turned to Cole and helped him stand. He wavered for a long time until he steadied himself by gripping Phoebe's arms. "You should get in the water," she told him, beginning to unbutton his jacket.

His hands flew to hers and stopped them with surprising strength. "I'll do it, it's okay," he murmured.

"Oh…okay," Phoebe said, taken aback. "I'll be outside if you need me…"

Moments after Phoebe stepped outside the bathroom and swung the door behind her until it was barely ajar, she heard the water shut off and a soft splash indicating Cole getting into the water. She leaned against the wall and slipped down to the hardwood floor. Why had Cole stopped her like that? It wasn't something she hadn't seen before. Or was it? Phoebe let these thoughts cycle through her mind until she fell into a light sleep.

What seemed like minutes later, Phoebe awoke to find she'd been asleep for three quarters of an hour. The light in the bathroom was still on, meaning Cole was still in the bathtub. He'd been in there an awfully long time. Getting to her feet, Phoebe went into Piper's and Leo's room to fetch a pair of Leo's pajamas. Surely he wouldn't notice. Racing back to the bathroom, she gently pushed the door open. The first thing that met her feet was a pile of Cole's clothes. Something red stained his shirt and it looked torn. She hastened to his side and he sensed her, leaning forward and hugging his knees. "I'm okay Phoebe, you can go." His voice came out in a rasp.

This irritated Phoebe. "No, Cole. I want to know what's wrong. Why is your shirt torn and why does it have blood on it? Did someone hurt you?"

Before he could open his mouth to argue, Cole shut his eyes and cringed in pain. His breathing became heavy and his shoulders slouched forward. That's when Phoebe noticed the water was tinged ever so slightly with red.

"Cole! What's wrong? Let me see!" Phoebe cried as she let a few tears slip down her face out of frustration and worry. She pushed at Cole's shoulder with a hand to get him to lean back. Finally, he let go of his knees and complied. When he rested back, Phoebe gasped to see two puncture wounds over his heart. She didn't know what to think, and she could sense Cole hadn't the strength to speak a word. His hand searched for hers and she quickly obliged. "Come on, Cole," she told him, standing up and tugging gently on his hand for him to do the same. "Let's try to get you in bed."

As he stood shakily, Phoebe hugged him in order to keep him steady as he stepped out of the tub. Her clothes were soaked as she pulled away from him for a second to reach for the towel on the sink counter, but she didn't care. She sat Cole down at the edge of the tub when she saw that he was ready to collapse and dried him tenderly herself. He shivered and stared at her the entire time like a helpless child, but she avoided his gaze, for she knew if she dared to glance into his eyes for a second, her heart would shatter to a million little pieces.

When Cole was dry, she helped him to his feet again and managed to aide him in getting the pajamas on before his legs began to give again. Deciding against making him stand any longer, Phoebe left the shirt unbuttoned and walked Cole slowly to her bedroom. Throwing back the already messy covers of her bed, she eased him down as he drew in a sharp breath. His breath then quickened in pace substantially. Phoebe stroked his face as he grit his teeth in pain. She felt so lost; she had no idea what to do to make this better. Suddenly, a sense of déjà vu struck her. She then knew exactly who it was she had to go to for help.

Kneeling at Cole's side, Phoebe put her hand on his and said, "I'm going to leave you for just a minute. I promise I'll be right back."

Cole slipped his fingers over hers and tried to focus his gaze on her. "No!" he whispered in an anxious tone. "Please don't go…"

"I'll be just outside the door. I will know the moment you need me," Phoebe assured him.

"But I need you now," Cole protested softly.

Phoebe glanced into his eyes of endless blue. They were begging her with relentless desperation to stay. Without thinking, she leaned over and placed her lips on his. She felt Cole pull all of his strength to lift his head for better access. Instantly, she felt the dying embers in her heart ignite. It was like feeding a long since rabid hunger.

When she finally withdrew, Phoebe had to leave the room quickly; otherwise she feared she never would have. She shut the door behind her, but not before glimpsing back at him one more time. Cole's eyes followed her the whole time.

Once alone, Phoebe took a deep breath and whispered, "Leo!" Nothing happened. "Leo!" she called again, this time a little louder and sharper. "I really need you!"

Then, tiny blue lights began to dance a few feet in front of her. After a moment, Leo was standing where the blue lights were in an undershirt and pajamas. "Phoebe? What's the matter?" He approached her, his brows knit in concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Phoebe quickly reassured him. "But…I need your help."

"Did a demon attack? Should I get Piper?"

Deliberately ignoring the first question, Phoebe answered, "No, you don't have to get Piper, or anyone. I need you."

"Are you alright, Phoebe? You seem worried. What happened?"

"Well," Phoebe began, backing up against the bedroom door. "It's…"

"Who's in there?" Leo wondered, reaching for the handle, but Phoebe stopped him.

"Cole…" she whispered so quietly, Leo wasn't even sure he heard right.

"Cole?!" he exclaimed. "As in Cole whose death we've been plotting?"

"Look, he showed up at my doorstep looking like death. I didn't know what to do! I felt so sorry for him. And when he was in the bathtub, I saw…he has these puncture marks on his chest—right over his heart. I don't want to jump to any conclusions. That's why I called you. You're a doctor and you know about these things. You've helped me before, please help me again." Phoebe was left slightly breathless after letting this all out.

Leo searched her face and found worry and concern for the man in the next room. Sympathy rose within him. He couldn't believe he was doing this again. When he reached for the handle this time, Phoebe stepped out of his way and let out a breath of relief.

Cole was lying on his back was his eyes closed, gripping the sheets that covered him up to his waist. Leo advanced slowly and sat at the edge of the bed next to him. Gently, he began to slide the right side of Cole's shirt away from his chest. Just as he caught a glimpse of the punctures Phoebe had spoken of, Cole's hand flew to Leo's wrist and held it in a strong grip. "What are you doing, Whitelighter?" he rasped sharply, opening his eyes.

"I'm helping you, Cole. Phoebe asked me to. Would you want me to say no to her?" Leo answered.

Cole was silent. He let go of Leo's wrist and allowed him to examine his wound. After looking at it for what seemed like eons to Phoebe, Leo held Cole's wrist in between his thumb and two fingers. He placed pressure on the inside of Cole's wrist and counted silently. Letting go of it after a minute, Leo turned to Phoebe, who was wringing her hands.

"Has he been shaky, sweating, vomiting? Any of that?" he questioned.

"Yes, yes, and yes. All of it," she answered quickly. "Why?"

Without answering her, Leo turned back to Cole. "I have to ask you something and you have to tell me the truth. Does this," he indicated to the wounds on Cole's chest, "hurt more than a usual wound would?"

"It hurts like hell," replied Cole through labored breaths.

Leo looked at Cole, reproaching him for not telling Phoebe the obvious. He then got up and took Phoebe back outside of the room and closed the door.

"Phoebe…" he began. "Cole's been bitten by a vampire and…he's going to die."

All color drained from Phoebe's face. Leo quickly tried to clarify what he'd said. "He is going to die, but…he's also going to become a vampire."

"But…" Phoebe faltered, trying to find some other explanation. "That's not how it was with Paige."

"These are much higher level vampires we're dealing with."

"You won't tell Piper or Paige, right?" Phoebe asked hopefully.

Leo sighed. He'd gone through this situation before. "Phoebe…we're going to have to tell them sooner or later, especially if Cole is going to be in your life again."

"Then I'll tell them. Just please give me some time."

"Okay," Leo consented. "Look, Cole's heart is going a mile a minute. Any moment now, it's going to stop, and it's going to really hurt. But he'll fall asleep after that. You should be with him."

Unable to say anything, Phoebe simply hugged Leo for a moment before he kissed her on the head and orbed out.

As she entered the bedroom again, Phoebe heard Cole sigh her name. "Here I am," she comforted him, sitting in the spot Leo had been in minutes before. She took Cole's hand and kissed it, squeezing it tight.

"Phoebe…" he whispered again. His eyes met hers and captured them in his gaze. He knew and she knew exactly what was about to come. Cautiously, she placed her free hand on Cole's chest and felt it beating so hard, she was sure each beat rocked her hand. His heartbeats became so violently quick that she thought his heart would jump right out of his chest. Suddenly, Cole's grip on Phoebe's hand tightened and he let out a painfully anguished cry as his heart came to an abrupt stop. Phoebe gasped quietly as she realized she had just felt him die. Letting out a long exhale, Cole looked at her for a moment as his mouth bent into a slight, exhausted smile. Then his eyes fluttered closed in sleep.

With her hand still in his, Phoebe twisted her body to a comfortable position and lay down in the nook between Cole's body and his arm. She laid her head on Cole's chest. It felt strange. His skin was cold and hard. But what really bothered her was that she couldn't find the sound that had never failed to quickly lull her to sleep before. After a long while, she finally drifted into an uneasy slumber. Without realizing it, as her eyes closed, tears rolled down her cheeks.

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Oh my god...don't you just love how emo I am? Angst is so lovely sometimes. Please tell me what you think of this chapter!

COMING SOON in Chapter 3: Phoebe wakes up the next morning and Cole not in bed! GASP!