A/N: Back with a new chapter, everyone! I'm sorry, I know I totally suck and I should publish these way more often but believe me, I've got billion things going on right now. However, I took time today and yesterday to write this chapter as well as chapters 11 and 12. So those are done and ready to be published within a week or so. Hope you enjoy and a big thanks for all the feedback and reviews! :)

Chapter 10 - Another Little White Lie

He stirred slowly, without opening his eyes. Still, the stir was enough to break his dream sequence and make him realize that it was early morning. Yes, everything he could hear and feel was indicating that he'd just woken up from a long night. The birds were humming right outside his bedroom window. Though his eyelids were closed, he could feel the sun shining on him, which was probably the reason why he was almost fully uncovered. He should have pulled the curtains on that window, the temperature in the room was unbearable. But things like that are easily forgotten after a long day at work and…

And Phoebe sleeping on your couch!

And so it hit him. Phoebe! In a flash, all the images of last night rushed through his mind as he shocked himself into sitting position. He couldn't have been more surprised to find his bed deserted and made up. Made up?

After a night like that, she couldn't have possibly left him, could she have? No, if she did, she'd have left off in a hurry and the bed was made up. She must be around.

He somehow managed to get out of the bed and conquer his consciousness, which was more than eager to get a couple of hours of sleep more. The first thing he did was go to the bathroom and splash his face with some cold water, hoping that it would help him finally fully wake up. Then his gaze shifted to the closet and he grabbed the first jeans he got his hands on and was dressed within minutes.

"Phoebe?" he called out as he walked into the living room. Almost every door in the penthouse was open; he'd had clear view to each of the rooms…

And she wasn't there.

He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, trying to steady his troubled mind. She loved him. He knew it. It was so obvious, especially after last night. She had surrendered her soul, heart and body to him willingly and enjoyed everything he did with them. Neither of them had felt that kind of passion in a long time. They were hungering for each other's touch, they kept each other up until morning, everything was perfect…

Yet she wasn't there.

He reached out for his cell phone, left forgotten on the kitchen counter. Before even getting the chance to dial her number, something hit him, forcing him to rush to the bedroom. The shirt she had worn last night, the same shirt she had thrown aside last night in such hurry… was now hanging in the closet, visibly untouched, ironed and in perfect condition.

What the hell was going on?

He barely detained himself from dialing the number of Phoebe's cell phone and asking her the very same thing. But he knew how much she loathed being interrupted when working and, judging by the time and her painful absence, she must have been at the paper at the moment.

She had just… left.

And, knowing Phoebe and her serious confrontation issues she had been building up ever since she was a little girl and which he knew how to deal with almost automatically when face to face, she'd blow him off on the phone.

There was no other choice. He had to risk pissing her off by showing up in her office unannounced and cornering her with his questions, for the sake of his own piece of mind. He just felt that something wasn't right…

--

"Miss Halliwell, your husband is here to see you." the secretary rang over the phone. Phoebe took her glasses off and took a deep breath.

"It's ex husband." She corrected her highly nosy secretary.

"I thought you two were still married?" The secretary asked and gave Cole, who was standing right by the phone a confused look.

"Only on the paper we are." Phoebe muttered. "Let him in and don't transfer any calls until he leaves."

Before she even heard her secretary agree, Cole walked inside her office and closed the door behind him. The only thing his eyes met when they found Phoebe's was confusion. "Hey." She greeted him politely. "Sorry about that, she's too nosy for her own good."

Cole dismissed the issue, with more pressing matters on his mind. "You were right actually, but I was actually hoping to talk to you about something else."

"Is it demons? Is everyone okay at the Manor?" Phoebe got up from her chair.

Cole cocked his eyebrow at her. Was she playing some wicked game with him or was she really completely unaware of why he was there. "Everyone was fine last time I checked and demonic activity has been pretty loose lately. Not sure what that's all about…" he took a deep breath. This was going to be everything but easy. She was giving him a hard time as it was.

"Then why are you here?" Phoebe asked softly while eyeing him closely. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not alright, damnit." Cole lost his composure. The table between them reminded him so bad of their situation and of her playing mind games with him. When he got another worried look in return from her, he turned away. "Phoebe, you just walked away and, as if that itself weren't bad enough, now you're pretending like nothing ever happened."

"Wait, what?" Phoebe approached him and made him look at her. "What happened? When did I walk away?"

"Last night, when else?" Cole had to detain himself from hissing through the clenched teeth.

"Cole, I was home last night. You and Paige finished training right when I got home and I haven't left anywhere since. You said you had some work to do in the office, remember?" Phoebe said and recognized confusion and disbelief in his eyes.

"How were you at home when Piper kept talking about having the house to Leo and herself?" Cole asked quietly.

"She agreed for me to sleep in the basement. Paige was at Richard's." Phoebe replied. "What's going on?"

Cole placed his forehead against hers. "I thought… Something's wrong."

Phoebe walked him to the couch and sat with him there. "Cole, are you feeling okay?" she whispered, now slightly alarmed.

"Can you remember everything you did yesterday, Phoebe?" he asked cautiously. "Think before you answer."

"Absolutely, yeah." She nodded. "Cole, whatever you thought happened was a dream. No one messed with time. I'd know if they did, my premonitions always warn me eventually. Besides, we're experts for that by now, no one can just mess with the time and get away with it with us around, right?"

"But something is messed up!" Cole argued. "It wasn't a dream."

Phoebe took a deep breath and finally made herself take his hands into hers. "What wasn't a dream?" she whispered, already knowing the answer.

Cole closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. "It doesn't matter I guess."

She let go of him and took a step back. "Look, I think you should go and get some sleep. You're clearly worn out, you've had a long day yesterday, with all the training and the late night work and you need a little rest."

"I can't, this is a tough case, I..." Cole started explaining but Phoebe cut him off.

"You know, my secretary did have a point when she said that legally, you're still my husband. Since I know you won't do it yourself, I'll call you in sick. And you stay home and rest." she said slowly. "Okay?"

He looked at her tiredly and took a deep breath. "Deal."

Phoebe opened the door and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Promise me you'll actually have some rest." she said quietly, in order to keep the conversation private.

"I can only promise I will try." he replied and pulled her closer to give her a kiss on the forehead. "If you notice anything unusual, anything at all..."

"I know." Phoebe replied. "Go."

Cole nodded and was just about to blur out when Phoebe pulled him by his coat in panic. She raised her eyebrows. "Cole, you are in the middle of The Bay Mirror!" she whispered.

He looked around, realizing that standing in the doorframe of Phoebe's office made him exposed to the entire newspaper employees in front of it. His eyes rested on the man in a grey suit staring at him from the other side of the room. Jason. He smiled bitterly. "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking straight." he whispered back and leaned towards her. "I do think you should let go of me, though. Your boyfriend doesn't seem to like it."

Phoebe quickly loosened her grip on him and spun around in Jason's direction. He had his arms crossed over his chest, observing her and Cole in the doorframe.

"If you go right now, I won't kill you for just getting me into this..." Phoebe said in low voice.

"Hey, you're the one who grabbed me..." Cole bit back a smile. He couldn't explain how Jason's obvious jealousy could have made him so happy but it did.

"Wh... You wish! I didn't grab you!" Phoebe argued although she was on the verge of laughter herself. "Get out already!"

"Long gone." Cole replied and finally walked out of the Bay Mirror, without even casting a single look at Jason, whose eyes were burning the back of his head as he was walking out.

Phoebe took a deep breath as Jason approached her, trying to look as dignified as possible in spite of knowing that his entire paper just witnessed Phoebe, his girlfriend, having a seemingly private chat with her ex husband. "Phoebe, can I talk to you for a second in your office?" he asked.

"Sure." Phoebe replied, trying not to sound nervous. "Don't transfer any calls." she said to her secretary again and took a deep breath.

As she closed the door to her office, she slowly cast her eyes on her boyfriend. "Okay, I'm sorry, that was so not what it seemed..."

"What do you think that looked like?" Jason questioned.

"That looked... totally wrong, I know, but..."

"What's wrong with ex husband and wife enchanging a few words in her office?" Jason raised his eyebrows. "And what, you kissed him on the cheek, he kissed you on the forehead, shows nothing but respect, no big deal..."

Phoebe took a deep breath "Ah well, why did you come to talk then?"

"I came to ask you why you've been avoiding me for the past couple of weeks." Jason replied.

"Avoiding you?"

"Yes, Phoebe, avoiding me. You haven't answered or responded to any of my calls, you've been working from home, had your sisters take messages for you, eventually turned your cell phone off..." Jason was frustrated.

Before Phoebe could even start coming up with a right answer to all those questions, she heard her secretary on the interphone.

"Phoebe, it's your sister, Piper. She says it's important. Should I put her through?"

Phoebe case a look at Jason, who raised his eyebrows at her. "I'm sorry." she said apologetically and picked up the phone. "Yeah, put her through please."

"Phoebe?"

"Piper, what's up?" Phoebe asked worriedly.

"We've had another two demons attack. We're fine but we need you here. They left some blood behind and Paige is gonna use it to try and scry for them. If we find them, we need to figure out what they want because these random attacks can't keep on going."

"Couldn't agree more. I'm on my way." Phoebe replied and saw Jason give her a look.

"Would you get Cole while you're on the way? The penthouse is near the Bay Mirror anyway and you could just drive there and then shimmer here with him."

"Damnit, he was here a moment ago, he just left." Phoebe said. "I'll try his cell and we'll be on our way."

"Okay, just hurry please."

"I will, don't worry. You just focus on... what Paige needs to do and keep an eye out in case... it happens again. Bye."

"Bye".

"Let me guess - another family emergency which sounds like a CIA operation which requires your ex and which I can't know about?" Jason asked while eyeing her.

"It's for your own good, Jason, believe me. I'm sorry, I've gotta go." Phoebe grabbed her jacket and her purse from the table. "The column is done, by the way. I'll talk to you later." she said quicky and rushed out of her office.

Well, at least that was over with... For now.