A.N Hi guys! I know I should be working on my sequel to 'Saving Cole Turner' but I've recently been rewatching Season 8 and I got a little mad. Firstly, I dislike Coop anyway so that doesn't help matters (in case you can't tell from almost all of my fics I'm a massive Phole shipper). Secondly, what happened in 8.17 Generation Hex just riled me up. I won't rant here, I'll let my fic do the ranting for me. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer I do not own Charmed.
Unbreak My Heart
Chapter One
As Coop held his hand over her heart again Phoebe knew something was wrong. The enthusiastic puppy look he almost constantly had on his face faltered, and on her part she didn't feel any different from when he had done it before.
No, that wasn't true. She felt different. Very different.
We've been through so much together, haven't we?… We're meant to be together.
There was now a memory buzzing through her head that she had never known. An unwelcome one, one that bought to the surface too many painful real memories.
I don't think so.
Phoebe felt a sudden pain in her chest and Coop pulled his hand back as if he had been burnt, holding it to his own chest. "What the…"
"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked quietly, "Is it gone?" A question she already knew the answer to and Coop shook his head quickly.
"No, no it's not gone," he said looking at her in something of a panic, "It's stronger, different but stronger. I don't understand, I thought I'd destroyed it."
Our love's so strong nothing can destroy it.
I don't think so.
"Phoebe?"
"Oh god…"
Coop moved quickly out of her way as Phoebe rushed for the bathroom and his face contorted in concern as he heard her retching. Slowly he moved towards the door, knocking gently on it.
"Are you alright?" The response was a flushing off the toilet and a tap running and the cupid sighed shaking his head. "I'm sorry, memory-travel can be rough. And that vanquish we saw…" Hell it had been pretty gruesome. "But, we can try again." The chipper tone was back. "I thought…well, we didn't make as much progress as I'd hoped." In fact they had gone backwards, which he was still trying to get his head around. He didn't fail, he had never failed. "We'll try again."
Every word Coop spoke felt like he was sticking a knife in her gut, and Phoebe pinched her eyes closed to try to block him out.
We've been through so much together, haven't we?
The bile rose in her throat again and with a groan Phoebe scooped some water into her mouth before raising her head to stare at herself in the mirror.
I don't think so.
She shuddered at the memory, of the look on that other Phoebe's face when she had thrown the potion. From the very little Paige had told her about that alternative reality, that other Phoebe had hated Cole. They had not been the great lovers he had hoped for; she had resented him and was only with him in order to protect Piper. Paige had made it sound like the other Phoebe was strong and powerful, but the woman that Phoebe had saw on Coop's love journey was cold and bitter. And angry, so angry. Is that what I would've been like? If we hadn't found Paige, if I couldn't see Piper anymore? Would it have ended the same way? Would I have vanquished Cole?
Because the unerring truth, the absolutely certainty about this entire situation was that Phoebe, the woman standing in that bathroom at that moment with tears streaming down her cheeks and the taste of bile in her mouth, had not vanquished him. She had never seen it before, not experienced it. Never heard his scream or seen his face start to melt with the force-
Groaning Phoebe darted to the toilet again and this time Coop opened the door a fraction. "Should I get you a cracker or something?"
"Go!" Phoebe groaned as she clung to the bowl, turning her face away from him, "Please go!"
"Phoebe…" The hurt was obvious in his voice but Phoebe didn't even notice it. She couldn't process anything right now, the memory kept running through her mind over and over. It felt like she was experiencing the most powerful premonition of her life and she couldn't pull herself out of it.
I don't think so.
I don't think so.
I don't think so.
"Please just go!" Phoebe groaned, "Oh god get out get out!" She barely registered the shimmer of pink light as he fazed out and flushing the toilet again she pulled herself up. Her legs shook and she had to grip the sink firmly with one hand as she splashed her face with cold water.
Why had Paige never told her what happened? Why had she always said we vanquished Cole, and not you? Why had Coop taken her to that place, to see that, when it wasn't even her memory?
Because Cole's in my heart, and it took me to the last place he was alive.
Phoebe sucked in a ragged breath as the memory threatened to overtake her again and she moved quickly out of the bathroom, grabbed her keys and left the apartment.