Part Four

January 12, 2003 – late evening

"I'm kind of in the middle of something, Piper," Phoebe said as she rolled her shoulders to alleviate the growing ache.

"You've been gone for hours, Phoebe. You said you wanted to rest but you snuck out. What's going on?"

"I can't get into it now," Phoebe replied with a worried look to her daughter who groaned in sleep.

"We need you home. We still have this mess with Paige and the club and --"

"I know," Phoebe interrupted, "but this's important too. It's…" But she stopped herself from revealing the news about her daughter. The last thing she needed now was an interrogation. "Look, Piper, I'll be home as soon as I can."

"You're with Cole. Aren't you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." And she tried not to flinch when Cole's hands coincidentally began massaging her shoulders.

When Phoebe didn't jerk away, Cole took it as a sign of progress and silently began to knead the knots he felt.

"Pheebs, look, I'm sorry if you were upset when I lied that it was fine for you to get back together with him but --"

"What?"

"But he's too dangerous now. You're too susceptible to his pull, to evil. Thank God you knew he'd put a spell on you this morning when he was kissing you. At least the spell will --"

"Kissing? Spell?" Phoebe turned around and faced Cole. "What spell?" she demanded of him.

"The spell we cast to take your powers. I'm gonna kill Cole for messing with your memory!"

"You took my powers?" Phoebe rubbed her temple with her free fingers. Kaia's doing no doubt. "Look, Piper, I promise, Cole doesn't have me under any spell and I'm not in any danger of turning evil. But I need my powers back."

"So come home and we'll reverse it."

"I can't," Phoebe sighed. "Trust me, okay?"

"I don't know if the spell will work over the phone."

"Try, Piper, please." Phoebe stared at Cole and didn't pay attention to Piper's words. But she suddenly felt light-headed and allowed Cole to support her until she felt steady enough on her feet and she shooed him away.

"Well?"

Without fuss, Cole moved back to his daughter's side, frowning. While her facial burns had mostly faded to a pale red, her neck still bore the blackened scorch marks and her chest was still welted with large blisters. She wasn't anywhere near being out of the woods.

Phoebe levitated a few inches off the ground. "It worked." But she was more taken by the expression on Cole's face. "She's still dying?" she asked him in a quiet voice.

"I hope not," he honestly replied.

"Who's dying?"

Tears welled in Phoebe's eyes and she sat next to her daughter, lightly caressing her cheek.

"Phoebe, what's going on?"

"We need Leo," Phoebe requested of Cole. "Please."

"I knew it. Cole's done something, hasn't he?"

Letting Leo come would mean losing Phoebe. She would return to the manor with their daughter and plot with her sisters to stop him. Hell, maybe she'd even vanquish him again. He needed time, time for them to be alone without interruption. Time for her to remember what they were like together, what love was like. Their daughter was strong. He could sense that about her. She just needed time to heal. He shook his head. All she needed was time.

"Shape-shifter," Phoebe distractedly told her older sister. "She's dead now. Cole took care of her."

"He probably sent her!"

"Cole, please." Phoebe couldn't figure him out. He was obviously responsible for her problems at work, for everything happening to them. He hadn't denied it, not really. He insanely believed he could win her back by being evil and turning her along the way. And yet he seemed afraid for her daughter's well-being. So why wouldn't he allow the one thing that would heal the girl and possibly convince her to return to him?

"Phoebe, are you there?"

But Phoebe was lost in thought about her daughter. No, their daughter. How in the world could that have happened? She knew she wasn't pregnant and she had no intention of sleeping with him again. "It's not true."

She'd spoken so softly but Cole heard. "What isn't true?" he asked without taking his eyes off his daughter.

"She isn't ours," Phoebe told him. "She can't be."

"Phoebe, what are you talking about?"

"We're at the penthouse," was all Phoebe said before shutting her cell phone.

"She is ours," Cole argued. "You said yourself that she wouldn't have been able to penetrate the block unless she was a part of you."

"It doesn't mean you're her father," Phoebe stepped back and let her words sink in before adding, "Her vision was blurry, she may not have recognized you. You may have only reminded her of her father and in her pain she wanted you to be him. Not even the Seer confirmed your identity, just told you that the future's always in motion. She may not be your daughter." She met his gaze, "I'm begging you, Cole. Let Leo in."

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