A/N: Another big thank you to Joleca, and another POV hopping warning.

Phoebe sat once again in her bedroom, the annoyance towards her younger sister dissipating as she began to realize what she was doing…yet again.

"Damn it, Cole…you always do this to me…" she muttered aloud to herself.

"It's called love, sis." A voice called out from the doorway.

Phoebe jumped and looked over at her door to see Paige leaning casually against the doorframe. Phoebe sighed and threw herself backwards onto her backside as she answered, "Yeah, but sometimes love sucks."

Paige laughed and joined her sister on the bed.

"Sometimes it does…its part of the deal."

"What are we going to do about Cole? I mean something is wrong, and I shouldn't care anymore but I do…I love that man dearly, Paige, as much as you'd hat to hear it."

"I do, but love is love and there is no messing with it. And about Cole? I think I may have an idea about what's wrong with him…"

"What?" Phoebe asked her curiosity peaked as she pulled herself up onto her elbows and eyed her sister.

"Well, when someone gets a new lung, or heart they can reject the organ because it doesn't belong…maybe Cole's body is attacking itself because he has too many powers that do not belong."

"Wow, that's good thinking…" Phoebe murmured, nodding her head in agreement.

"Girls, we're home!" a voice shouted from downstairs.

Phoebe and Paige looked at each other wide-eyed before darting at the door at the same time. Phoebe grabbed her sister and demanded, "Do not tell them!"

"We have to! She's our sister!" Paige hissed trying to free herself from Phoebe's grasp.

"What are you two doing?" Piper asked, standing at the top of the stairs eyeing the fighting sisters amused.

"Nothing." Quipped Phoebe, quickly.

"Well, actually Phoebe's lyi-Ow!" Paige rubbed her abdomen where Phoebe had just elbowed her.

Piper raised an eyebrow and cocked her head to the side, "What's goin' on?"

"Nothing, Piper. Did you, uh, get that soap? For the carpet?" Phoebe asked, feigning curiosity as she made her way over to Piper.

"Uh, yes I did. We need to clean up the mess Cole made." She responded as they started down the stairs.

"Speaking of Cole-" Paige started, following the sisters downstairs.

"He lives in Washington!" Phoebe interrupted.

"Washington? Why Washington?" Piper asked, then she shook her head and exclaimed, "I don't care why, so long as he doesn't come here again."

Phoebe bit her bottom lip and smacked Paige on the arm when Piper wasn't looking. Paige glared at her and pinched her shoulder. They continued their childish fighting as they continued following Piper towards the puddle.

"I'll get this cleaned up, you girls ought to get some sleep, never know when the next demon may drop in unexpected." Leo chirped as he knelt beside Piper.

Paige smirked and turned on her heel, choosing to stay quiet as Phoebe grabbed her by the elbow and 'aided' Paige upstairs. Paige tore her arm away from Phoebe and hissed, "She'll find out eventually."

"Yeah, well we'll deal with it when she finds out eventually." Phoebe retorted, slamming her door shut.

Paige muttered something under her breath and made her towards her own bedroom, also slamming the door in her fit of annoyed anger. Piper and Leo both looked up at the ceiling and shrugged.


Cole slept fitfully on his couch, tossing and turning as he continued to sweat profusely. Nightmares plagued his very mind until he finally let out a growl and sat up, breathing heavily. He pressed the palms of his hands to each side of his head and tried to assuage the pounding headache that ripped through his brain.

Exhausted, Cole flopped back onto the couch, choosing to lie prone instead. He toyed with a frayed piece of the cheap carpet with his long fingers, the side his face pressed against a pillow tightly. Cole couldn't back asleep, although he was extremely fatigued.

Cole forced his eyes closed and willed himself to sleep, however when it didn't work he ripped the sheet off of his half-naked body and sat up. Wiping his sweaty palms onto the black sweatpants he wore, Cole stood and attempted to make it to the bathroom, only to fail when he stumbled down against the wall.

"Damn it…" he groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, pain shooting from the spot where he must've bumped it against the wall.

Cole opted for remaining where he was, deciding that standing was too tiresome. He yawned repeatedly, feeling his eyes droop until they flung open once more. His head pounded, each pound causing Cole to flinch in pain. He felt sticky yet oddly cold, he shivered and muttered, "A demon catching a cold, perfect."


Phoebe knocked on her younger sister's door, oblivious of the fact that it was three in the morning since she never went to bed.

"Pheebs? It's like three in the morning…" groaned Paige as she stared at her sister through bleary eyes.

"I need help with a power stripping potion. Cole can die if we don't help him and you said you would help me, help him…"

"But at three in the morning?" she asked, yawning.

"What part of 'Cole can die' didn't you get?" Phoebe asked, fingers in the air as if she were saying 'duh'.

"What part of three in the morning didn't you get?" Paige retorted, becoming more awake by the second.

"Fine, I'm going to look for him."

"Wait! Pheebs, he lives in Washington and you have no idea where."

"Oh, I concur, young sister."

"You what? Never mind, how do you know?"

"Where does it rain a lot in Washington?"

"It rains in Washington like everywhere else…I don't get it…"

"You're right, it is three in the morning." Muttered Phoebe before she exclaimed, "Seattle! Cole lives in Seattle."

"What is this, Sleepless in Seattle? Let me tell you something…I'm sleepless, and how do you know he's in Seattle? It can rain anywhere up there…" Paige claimed, yawning again.

"It's a hunch, I know but I'm going to try it," stated Phoebe, unaware that Paige had shut the door in her face and was currently lying back in her bed.

Phoebe turned on her heel, a plan hatching in her mind as she started down the stairs. She grabbed her laptop lying on the kitchen counter and immediately began searching for the nearest airport and cheapest tickets.


"Where's Phoebe?" Piper asked, cracking another two eggs in a large bowl the next morning.

"She went to Seattle…" Paige muttered, propping head up with one arm as she fought to stay awake at the kitchen counter.

"She went where?" Piper asked casually, not hearing the last part of Paige's statement.

"Sea-att-le." Paige said again, pronouncing each syllable mockingly.

"Seattle? Oh why is she- Seattle! What is she doing in Seattle!?" Piper screeched, nearly dropping the bowl to the floor.

"Looking for Cole." Paige answered glibly, sipping from a steaming mug of coffee.

"Cole!? In Seattle!? Why didn't she tell me!? Why didn't you stop her!?" Piper had her hands raised, prepared to blow anything and anyone up if they so much as sneezed.

"It was three in the morning and she told me she was going, but I didn't think she meant leaving that night." Paige responded, stifling another yawn.

"Ooh, Paige, I'm going to hunt my sister down, beat the crap outta her ex and then come after you!" threatened Piper as she stormed out of the kitchen and upstairs the whole while shouting for Leo.

"Three in the morning, Piper!" shouted Paige, trying to defend herself.


"Hi, I'm looking for the nearest police station."

"Is this an emergency?"

"No, I'm looking for someone who recently moved here."

"Well, okay then. The nearest station is a few blocks from here down that way."

"Okay, thank you."

"No problem, miss."

Phoebe darted down the street, freaked out by the homeless man she had asked directions from. Twenty minutes later she found herself entering a police station and asking the nearest officer for some help.

"Follow me, ma'am."

Phoebe followed the young officer into a small office, taking a seat on the other side of a large desk. The officer sat down and booted up his computer, asking Phoebe general questions until he was set for the search.

"Name?"

"His full name?"

"Yes."

"Coleridge Benjamin Turner."

"Okay, and age?"

Phoebe smothered her smile and answered, "He's about thirty four years old."

"Approximate height, weight, eye color, hair color, we need to narrow down our search from all the people in this area." He explained.

"Okay, I think he's six foot two…weighs maybe one hundred eighty some pounds but he's really fit…God he's fit…he has dark brown, almost black hair and his eyes are like a bluish color with a green tinge…" she trailed off as fond memories of gazing into his beautiful eyes manage to swamp her thoughts.

"Tall, dark, and handsome…is that what I'm gleaming at?" joked the officer as he included all the information.

"Oh yeah…" she murmured.

"Okay, well we have to wait a bit as this ol' things narrows down the search and hopefully we can find who you're looking for. Meanwhile you can stay in the precinct, assuming you don't have a place to stay."

"Yeah, thanks. I'll stay out of the way." Phoebe nodded, thankful for the officer's generosity.

"No problem, I'll be back with some coffee and food if you'd like."

"Oh yes, that would be great. Thanks so much." Phoebe sighed with relief.

The man nodded and left her alone in the office, Phoebe listened to the various conversations going on outside of the small office, the door wide open. She suddenly froze when a name being tossed around caught her attention. She strained her ear towards the conversation to hear what they were saying.

"Yeah, Ben ditched again, says he's sick with the flu or something." One officer mocked to another.

"Ben? Ben Halliwell, right? New cop from out of town? He always ditches, I think he's depressed or something."

"You think he's depressed? What are you a doctor?"

"No, it's just that he told me once that he just got divorced and is having a tough time right now, cut the guy some slack man." Defended the second officer.

"Yeah well divorce, depression, flu or not, the man needs to show up for work more often or he won't have a job anymore."

Phoebe's mouth hung open in shock, closing it quickly when the officer that helped her returned carrying two coffees and a bag of donuts. He handed her one of each and nodded when she thanked him, before perching himself on top of the desk.

"So where are you from, Miss…"

"Halliwell, Phoebe Halliwell." She said, shaking the officer's hand.

"I'm Officer Troy, nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Oh, and I'm from San Francisco."

"Really, that's neat."

"I have a question Officer Troy."

"Shoot."

"Have you ever met an Officer Ben Halliwell?" she asked, head cocked to the side as she awaited his response.

"I don't think so, today's actually first day here." He admitted shyly.

"Hmmm…"

"Are you related to this Ben Halliwell? Same surname and all…"

"I'm not sure," she murmured.

The computer beeped, indicating it was done searching.
"Sorry Miss Halliwell, we have a few people matching your description but none by the name Coleridge Benjamin Turner." He stated, taking a seat on the chair behind the desk.

"That's okay, Officer Troy. I'll keep searching." Phoebe said.

"Well, good luck with that." He said, standing to shake her hand.

Phoebe left the office and ran into the officer that was defending 'Ben Halliwell' not moments before. He ducked his head and said, "Sorry ma'am."

"Wait, can I ask you a question officer?"

"Anything."

"Do you know where Ben Halliwell lives?"
"Uh, yeah but I'm not at liberty to say."

"He's my ex-husband." Phoebe offered.

"Oh, really? What does he look like?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Tall, dark and handsome?" she tried.

The officer laughed and nodded, "Guess you got him pegged, honey. I'll write the address down for you. Cheer him up or something, the man is really down in the dumps. You must be something special to cause a man like that to become so sad."

Phoebe swallowed the lump in her throat and thanked him quietly, grabbing the address and nearly fleeing the precinct.


Cole, able to catch at least two hours of sleep on the floor, used the wall to pick himself up and stumbled towards the bathroom. He splashed some cold water on his face, becoming all hot again. He looked into the mirror and watched as the cool water ran down his pale face, dark circles pronouncing the color of his eyes.

There was a soft knock at his front door where a muffled voice called out, "Ben? There's someone here to see you! Send that the precinct sent her."

"I'm coming Ms. Pruitt." He called out hoarsely as he trudged his way towards the door, opening it to reveal the elderly landlady.

"Where is she?" he asked, fatigue clear in his voice and overall appearance.

"Down the hall," Ms. Pruitt cast a worried glance at Cole before calling out, "Ma'am? You can come here now Mr. Halliwell won't bite. He's one hell of a guy…"

Cole chuckled and thanked Ms. Pruitt, who patted him in a grandmotherly fashion and moved out of the way as the young woman made her way down the hall.

"Benjamin Halliwell?" Phoebe asked.

"Phoebe?" Cole looked at her shocked.


TBC...

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