Eternal flame

Note: This fic represents Cole's return (in the way I want him to return) after vanquished in Centennial Chamed.

A/N: I hate Centennial Charmed, because Cole died and I hate everyone who thinks that they weren't meant to be! I also hate Brad Kern, 4 splitting them apart! Phoebe&Cole 4ever 2gether!

Summary: So, Paige is still looking for her true love and Piper is fighting to keep hers and Leo's relationship alive. Meanwhile, Phoebe finally moved on with her life, not thinking about Cole, but yet she always admits that he was her only and true love. All of this is very tippical for Charmed Ones. But, what happenes when Cole gets back? Will Phoebe hate him, or love him? How will he react? What do Piper and Paige think...

Disclaimer: I do not owe any of the Charmed characters (meaning Prue, Piper and Phoebe Halliwell, Leo Wyatt, Cole Turner and almost every demon that attacks them), but I do owe every character that appeares in this fic meanwhile, if you don't recognize it from the Charmed.

Special thanks to: Melinda Turner Halliwell (my very good friend, almost like a sister), sveta89 (for reviewing most of my stories), Alyssa Halliwell (4 reviewing almost every of my fics) and my best friend Damien, who gave me back my inspiration.

Chapter 1 - Back in our lives

"What's up, Piper?" aksed Phoebe as she entered the attic, at which Piper was making a potion. "Demons again?"

"No, I am making a power stripping potion for Wyatt and Chris." Piper answered back.

"A what?" Phoebe asked again. "You can't strip them powers, that's evil. They were borned with them, they are part of who they are."

"Yes, but they'll get them back later." Piper smiled nervously. "I just can't stand looking at Wyatt, who's orbing and creating a shield all the time. And, that's not all: he is orbing Chris, as well, and he is orbing his toys! Don't you think it's a little early for that?"

"Without his shield, Wyatt would be in demonic hands a long time ago. He needs it." Phoebe explained.

"No, he doesn't. We'll protect him from now on. Besides, when the demon find out that I stripped their powers, they wont be trying to kiddnap my sons all the time, and that's a good thing." Piper was inconvincible.

At the living room...

"Leo, don't give up on you, on Piper, on your sons and on everything you guys have been through in all these years. Believe in your good side. You've done nothing but good all your life." Paige was, as usuall, spending weekend trying to convince Leo not to give up hope.

Then, they heard the door bell.

"I'll get it!" Paige yelled and went to open the door. When she opened them, she covered her mouth with her hand. She was looking at the only person that she thought is gone for good - Cole. She slammed the door , not believing in what she saw.

"Paige!" Phoebe ran down the stairs as she saw her sister looking like she saw a ghost. "What's wrong, Paige?" she asked as she came to hug her sisters. "Was it a demon?"

"In a flesh." Paige laughed sacasticly. Phoebe reached out to open the door, but Paige stopped her. "Don't!" she yelled.

"Paige, I think you should sit down." Phoebe led her to the couch and left her there, returning back to the hall to open the door. She slowly opened the door, and when she did - she wished she listened to Paige. She never knew how painfull it would be to face her ex husband standing right in front of her, looking at her directly in the eyes. She froze.

"Phoebe..." Cole said slowly, noticing the distance and the pain in her eyes.

"Cole..." Phoebe replied with a broken voice, trying hard not to faint in front of him.

"Phoebe, who is..." Piper ran down and saw Cole at the front porch, looking at Phoebe. "Oh... my... God!" Piper whispered. She stood next to Phoebe, to make sure it's not her eyes that are playing tricks with her. "Not again." she said rudelly.

"Glad to see you too, Piper." Cole said with a bit of bitter and sarcasm in his voice.

Piper made an "I hate you" face and pulled Phoebe away from there. "You have a lot to explain." she said to Cole as he came in. He sat on the living room couch, right next to Leo, who just rolled his eyes at him.

Piper sat on the another couch, with Paige right next to her. Phoebe, yet, didn't. She sat on the chair in the corner of the room and stuck her head in her hands, still trying not to faint. "Why now?" she thought "Why now, when I finally moved on with my life?"

"Why did you come back... again?" Piper asked simply.

"I don't know. I was brought back, because I'm a demon with a soul, and the spirits of dead agreed that they can't keep me in the astral plane forever. They said that I'll get one last chance to fight for what I want." Cole answered, his eyes concetrated on Phoebe.

"You better not be looking at me, Cole." Phoebe spoke for the first time since she saw him, except the tiny "Cole" she said when she opened the door. Her head was still stuck in her hands, so she couldn't see where's Cole looking at.

"Why not?" asked Cole.

"Because you ruined my life, and you know it!" Phoebe stood up and came closer to where Cole was sitting. She lost her temper and was almost yelling now. "Why did you come back, Cole?" she yelled, tears streaming down her face. "Why now? Why now, when I finally got happy again? Why couldn't you just stayed there, wherever you came back from?"

Cole's eyes were filled with tears, too, realising how much his precence hurts Phoebe. The last thing he wanted was her getting hurt by him, again. "I'm so sorry." he whispered. Everyone in the room suddenly got sad and found the situation reather heartbraking.

"Yeah, right." Phoebe calmed down a little bit. "If you were sorry, you would dissapear from my life for good." she looked at him. "Just go, Cole."

"Bye." Cole said with tears rolling down his cheeks. "I'll dissapear, if that's what you really want." he whispered. As he turned around, Phoebe felt like a miserable bitch with no heart.

"Wait!" she yelled before Cole got a chance to shimmer away. "I didn't mean it."

"Yes, you did." Cole said. "You never lied to me, without me noticing it. You did mean it. I love you... I always will." he said and shimmered away.

Phoebe screamed painfully, realizing what she has done, and then she fell on the floor, unconcience.

"Phoebe, Phoebe, wake up." she heard a voices in her head calling her, but she was too weak to open her eyes. But then, suddenly, she felt someone slapping her, so she opened her eyes. Instead of the living room floor, she was lying on the bed, in her room.

"Finally." said Piper. "You were sleeping for sixteen hours."

"What happened?" Phoebe asked.

"Well, you fainted after your discussion with Cole." Paige said.

"Oh, no!" Phoebe jumped out of the bed. "Cole! I have to see him. Leo, orb me to the underworld. No, orb me to the mausoleum." she demanded.

"Phoebe, you have to rest." Leo shook his head. "Who cares about Cole, now? You are weak."

"I care about Cole." Phoebe whispered sadly. "I always was and I always will. I can't let him do something stupid. I was a real bitch and I won't be able to look at my mirror reflection if I don't go and tell him..."

"Tell him what?" Paige looked at her sister. "That you still love him? What a great idea!" She said sarcasticly.

"No, I don't... I mean..." Phoebe was confused. Yes, she loved him and she knew that she'll always love him, although she was trying to supress it. She was in a denial. "I don't love him, I just... I don't know."

"You don't know, but I do." Piper said. "Phoebe, you loved him with all your heart, and he left, so you sort of moved on. But, when you love someone that much, you never completly stop loving him. That's the flame that never burns out. Trust me, after everything Leo and I have been through..."

"I can't love him, Piper. I can't!" Phoebe scaredly looked at her sister. "I have a life now. One life that doesn't include Cole. This is stupid - I love him and I hate myself because I do! He doesn't deserve my love!"

"That's the spirit, sis!" Paige said happily. "Cole is just one son of a bitch!"

"Yes, but I can't change the fact that I love him." Phoebe's eyes filled fith tears again. "And I have to find him. I'm afraid he'll vanquish himself... I would die if he does that."

"Okay, fine, I'll orb you to the mausoleum." Leo said. "But, I'm staying there with you. I don't trust Cole and you know it."

"He won't hurt me. Cole would never, ever hurt me. I trust him, Leo. Just leave me alone with him. We need to resolve our problems and discuss our issues alone." Phoebe gave him a little smile.

"Oh, fine." Leo said, grabbing Phoebe's hand and they orbed to the mausoleum. Phoebe turned around and saw Cole standing behind them, looking confused. "I'll just... go." Leo said and orbed away.

"Thank God!" Phoebe whispered, looking at Cole.

"Phoebe, what are you doing here?" Cole asked as he stepped closer to her. Then he looked around and smiled. "Looks like you always know where to find me."

"Yeah, sort of." Phoebe was struggeling between desire to kiss him and to run away. She really didn't know what to say. After all, she came just to see if Cole's alive and okay.

"Phoebe... I know you don't even know why you're here. Do you want me to shimmer you back to the Manor?"

"Yes... No... I don't even know what I want anymore!" Phoebe said sarcasticly.

"Well, I can't help you with that." Cole looked deep in her eyes. He hugged her. She just placed her head on his chest. He felt so good, holding her in his arms, though he knew she wouldn't accept his hug, if she didn't remember the old days in that moment. "Do you believe in love, Phoebe?" he asked.

Phoebe found the question very complicated. "Well, sort of. I believe that one can be in love, but I don't believe in eternal love. It's complicated."

"Why?" Cole asked and she looked up at him. He slowly pressed his lips against hers, kissing her gently. Phoebe wanted to stop, to resist that kiss, but she couldn't. When he stopped kissing her, she realized what are they doing.

"That was a bad move, Cole!" Phoebe warningly raised her tone of voice. "Bye." she said, looking at him with eyes full of anger and ran out of the mausoleum. "Leo!" she yelled "LEO!".

Leo orbed in and saw Phoebe in a very weird mood - somwhere between fury, sadness and confusion. "Phoebe... What happened?" he asked.

"He kissed me... and I kissed him back." Phoebe said quietly. "God, how could I be so stupid?" she sat down on a grass and stuck her head in her hands. "I should have just tell him not to kiss me or to stop kissing him, but..."

"I know you should have, but could you?" Leo asked and Phoebe looked at him, confused. "You wanted him to kiss you, that's why you didn't resist it."

"No, she didn't." Phoebe turned around to see Cole. "It was my fault. She didn't resist it, because I did everything possible to make her remember the old days, and it's obvious that she'd never refuse my kiss like that." he saw Phoebe stand up and look at him strangely.

"Have you turned evil again, Cole?" she asked and Leo and Cole looked at eack other, because neither understood the question. "Do you remember when that warlock kidnapped Prue, and Piper and I got evil?" she asked.

"Yes, but I don't see the point."

"Well, than I wanted us to be together and to be evil, and I told you that. I told you that we can love each other and be evil meanwhile. Do you know what you said to me?"

"That evil can't love. I said that there's only lust and seduction, but no love."

"Exactly. And wasn't that what you just did pure seduction?" Phoebe asked.

"Maybe, but it was out of love. I kissed you because I love you and I needed that. Otherwise, I wouldn't need your kisses, because kisses represent love. I would be taken over by lust and want... other things." Cole said.

"I'm speachless." Phoebe whispered. "Let's go, Leo." she said.

Leo took her hand in his (when saw that, Cole furiously glared at Leo) and they orbed away...

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So, what do you think? Phoebe will hate (yeah, right!) Cole for a pretty long time. But, I just had to put a kiss there, because I couldn't resist it:)

Oh, P.S. For all Harry Potter lovers, I possibly can't believe that Joanne Rowling killed Dumbledore at the end of the book 6! (I always knew Snape was no good!).