Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed nor do I own anything related to Elvis' song, "Can't Help Falling in Love." This takes place between "Primrose Empath" and "Power Outage."
Smoke
A story by Ryeloza
Two: Can't Help Falling In Love
Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay? Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you?
-Elvis Presley, "Can't Help Falling In Love"
Cole was on a sailboat that rocked furiously on the ocean water. A storm had set in and although it was day, the sky was black. Lightning flickered around him and the waves churned ferociously; Cole clung to the boat, desperate not to be thrown overboard. He had no idea how he was going to escape, and the fear her felt nearly choked him. Any minute now he'd be tossed into the ocean, left to drown and sink to his watery grave.
"Cole!" someone called to him. Cole looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Cole!" it called again.
"I'm here! I'm right here!" yelled Cole. "Help me, please!"
"Cole!"
"Who are you?" Cole called out into the darkness. "Who are you?"
The voice didn't answer; instead a blindingly white light exploded in the distance, lighting the water and illuminating a figure on the shore. "Come here, Cole!" the figure called to him. "Please come here!"
Desperate for answers and safety, Cole began to steer the boat in the direction of the mysterious person. He had to reach shore. He had to…
An alarm began to blare and Cole rolled over and slapped a hand down on the snooze button, aggravated. He wanted, no needed to know who was standing on the shore in his dream. What had created that light? Cole groaned, rubbing his eyes furiously. What had started out as a nauseatingly horrid nightmare was quickly becoming a mystery Cole had to solve. If he could just find out what was on the shore he'd have all the answers; he just knew it.
Answers were exactly what he needed too. He had been on the Charmed case now longer than any other demon. He had come closer to killing them more times than any other demon. Yet somehow, they still alluded the kill. The Triad, Cole knew, was losing patience, and frankly he was too. In nearly a century it had never taken him this long to kill a witch.
In nearly a century he had never bedded a witch.
There, Cole knew, lay the heart of the problem.
To his surprise, the bathroom door swung open and Phoebe came out. Frankly, he had thought that she had left during the night, but here she was, wearing his bathrobe no less. The robe was at least three times too big for her; she swam in it. Unwillingly, Cole felt the obnoxious urge to giggle. Quickly, he suppressed it.
"I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed your toothbrush," said Phoebe as she came over to the bed. Cole swung his legs over the side, sitting up, and Phoebe stepped in between his legs and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"It's okay," said Cole. Phoebe grinned.
"I had a great time last night," she said.
Cole's stomach dropped. Last night. How—how??—had he allowed himself to sleep with her. Twice! When the Triad found out, which they certainly would thanks to that shadow bastard, they were going to have all the ammunition they ever needed against him. But he wouldn't go down without a fight; he couldn't.
"Cole?" said Phoebe with a nervous laugh. Cole looked up at her, startled; he had forgotten her with his rambling thoughts. "Where'd you go just then?" she asked.
"No where," said Cole evasively.
"Oh," said Phoebe. She dropped her hands and took a step back. Instinctively, Cole reached for her hands, clasping them in his. Then, lost, he sat staring at their entwined fingers thinking that that action should have been anything but instinctive. What was going on with him?
"I have to get to work," said Cole. Phoebe nodded, her mouth set in a firm line, and she didn't argue when Cole stood up and stepped around her towards the bathroom. Somehow it didn't occur to him to simply throw an energy ball now and finish the job while her defenses were down. If he had realized his mistake, he would have been horrified.
When he got out of the shower, she was gone. Alarmingly, he found himself disappointed.
A/n: I would just like to thank everyone who reviewed so far! I really appreciate the feedback and I hope you continue to enjoy this story.
In this piece the first three chapters are really more companion pieces than one shots. I always wanted to try to get into Cole's head during the beginning of season three and so these first three chapters are mainly to explore that. I hope that my attempt is worthwhile.
Thanks again for reading!
Katie