Chapter 6
“Dad, do you think Meg and Brooke are up to something?”
Leo looked thoughtfully at his son. “Yes, now that you mention it, I do.”
“Do what?” Piper walked into the conservatory where Leo and Wyatt were sitting with drinks. She put the empty jug down and walked over to them. “What are you doing in here? It’s gorgeous outside.”
“Thinking” Wyatt said. “About my little sister. Something weird is going on.”
Piper turned to look out the window at the two children sitting on the lawn. “I know what you mean. They’re definitely hiding something.”
Outside, Brooke sat on the blanket. When Phoebe got up to go inside, she turned to her little cousin. “When are we going to tell the adults about your power?” the seven year old asked.
“No” Meg told her, “don’t tell.”
Brooke rolled her eyes. “Can we at least tell Wyatt?”
“No” she said again, not giving a reason this time, just stuffing potato chips into her mouth.
Brooke sighed. It had been fun keeping this a secret at first but now it was just getting tiring. “Please?”
“Just heading out” Phoebe announced as she walked through the house towards the door. “Keep an eye on Brooke for me.”
“Out?” inquired Paige, who had joined the trio. “Where?”
“Shopping.” She said simply.
“Hey, Phoebe?” She turned around at the sound of Leo’s voice. “Have you noticed anything strange going on with your daughter?”
“Brooke? No, why?”
Piper gave Leo a questioning look and turned back to her sister. “No reason. Have fun.”
* * *
Phoebe shut the front door behind her and stood on the doorstep sighing. She took a deep breath and walked down the steps to her car. She didn’t like doing this, lying to her family, but she didn’t have a choice. All this secrecy was killing her but she just couldn’t tell. All this secrecy was affecting her in a big way. She was distracted most of the time. She was sure she was not paying enough attention to the people she lived with, she couldn’t help thinking that Piper had a point about Brooke and she had just been too preoccupied to notice.
Phoebe arrived at the cemetery 10 minutes later and locked her car. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching and slowly made her way towards the mausoleum. The door opened with a familiar creak. She stepped inside and a comforting musty smell hit her.
Phoebe stepped into the darkness and squinted, waiting for her eyes to become accustomed to the lack of light. Only two small grates near the ceiling on opposite walls let sunlight into the small, dusty room.
“Are you there?”
A figure emerged from the shadows at the sound of her call. She smiled. “Cole….” They looked into each others eyes for a beat before coming together in a passionate embrace.
After a moment, she pulled away. It pained Phoebe to let her lips be parted from his, even for a second. It only served to remind her of all those months they had spent apart.
Cole mirrored her grin. “I’m so glad you came.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
He pulled her into a hug again. “How’s my daughter?”
“Perfect” replied Phoebe, “and don’t worry. No one knows you’re here.”
* * *
“What are you talking about Cole? Lewis was Brooke’s father!”
“No.”
He stood calmly in the middle of the bedroom looking longingly at Phoebe. Tears of anger were streaming down her face and she was still reeling fro the shock of seeing him again.
“What do you mean no?” she yelled, taking a step towards him, “You think I don’t know who the father of my child is? You were dead!”
Those last words she spoke with such venom that it made him flinch. He finally spoke in the same calm tone that he had maintained throughout. “After all you’ve seen in the last 11 years, you can’t believe what I’m telling you now?”
“I don’t want to believe it.” Her voice was beginning to crack, the tough exterior that she had put up to try and fool him into thinking she was ok was crashing down around her. “You have something to do with Lewis’s death as well?”
“No!” Cole said, and for a moment Phoebe heard genuine shock in his voice. Then she remembered all that he had done to her and her family and refused to let herself feel any sympathy for him.
“Get out of my house!” she ordered though gritted teeth.
“Phoebe, just listen to me, you loved me once.”
Phoebe stopped, letting her resolve slip for only a millisecond. She did not want to let him know he was getting to her. She took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye.
“Not. Any. More.”
* * *
“Cole, what are you afraid of?”
“They’re trying to kill me Phoebe, I can’t….”
“Can’t what? Be honest?”
“No. I mean… I love you, but I can’t tell you what you want to hear. If I go home with you, they’ll follow me.”
“Who will? Cole, I want to help you but I can’t if you won’t talk to me.”
“I’m sorry, give my love to Brooke.”
And just like that, he was gone. Phoebe dropped her head and sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. 6 months it had been now, sneaking around. She just wanted to tell Piper and Paige what was really going on. But the desire to get this burden off her shoulders was no where near as important to her than keeping the man she loved safe. She couldn’t bear the thought of loosing him again.