InsaneJournal

Primrose ((Charmed - Cole Turner / Phoebe Halliwell))
Fandom: Charmed, canon until "Centennial Charmed"
Title: Primrose (Flowers, Part Three)
Authors: reborninfire/ashesofroses and kajivar/passion_muse
Theme: Flowers #22 - Primrose (I Cannot Live Without You)
Pairing/Characters: Cole Turner/Phoebe Halliwell
Rating: NC-17 (this chapter)
Word Count: 2825
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to us. They belong to Aaron Spelling and the WB, but we treat them better.
Critiques: Yes
Summary: Phoebe realizes her rejection of Cole after he came back from the Wastelands was due to a final curse from the Seer. She travels to the Underworld to try to find him. Part One | Part Two


During his brief tenure as the Source, Belthazor had tried to modernize some aspects of the Underworld, and his second reign was no different. The previous Source had a fetish for a more medieval decor, complete with lack of comforts. Belthazor had added tapestries to cover the rough stone walls of his chambers and brought in modern furnishings, most importantly a large, comfortable bed.

It was beside this bed he shimmered with Phoebe, his mind and heart a storm of emotions. He'd wanted this for so long, and then he had forced himself to to deny it. Was it too late now? Had they both changed too much? He'd had his demon half vanquished, been possessed by the Source, tried to turn Phoebe evil, and was banished to the Wastelands -- twice. Phoebe had been manipulated by both the Source and the Seer, lost their baby, and been the victim of magically-induced -- if he believed her story -- fear that caused her to spurn him and shatter his heart. Could so much damage be undone?

His heart and mind may have been confused, but his body was not, and it was responding to the feel of Phoebe in his arms. He decided he would test her, see if she knew what she was getting into and could accept it, that this wasn't some sort of act.

He pushed her down on the bed, then quickly shed his black robes and pressed his body over hers, claiming her mouth in a bruising kiss.

Phoebe whimpered against his mouth, then moved her arms to curl around his neck as she parted her lips beneath his. Everything was so confused in her heart and her mind, but the one thing that she was not confused about was how he always made her body feel when he kissed her.

She squirmed a little, pressing up against him. She had missed him so much and had needed him; and instead of having all of the time to be with him when he turned out to be alive, she had been forced by the spell to push him away, to try to destroy him. Now that she was here, she wasn't sure what to do . . . or feel. . . .

But she really wanted to be here with him right now.

With a low growl, Belthazor pushed back and seized the neckline of her shirt with both hands and tore it open. Her bra met a similar fate, and then his hands were on her breasts, fingers leaving red marks on her pale skin. He liked to see the mark of his touch on her.

He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, then dipped his head and took one, then the other, between his lips. After a moment, he bit down hard on the left one, enjoying her gasp and the way she squirmed. Though he didn't intend to truly hurt her, he was going to test her limits, see if she would panic and run from him again.

Reaching down, he pulled off her shoes and peeled off her pants so that she was finally naked beneath him. He drank in the sight of the familiar curves he had loved to touch so much. Every little scar, freckle, and tattoo were just like he remembered. Though he had forced her from his dreams, the memories were still clear. The scent of her was driving him mad with desire. He had to have her, had to taste her.

He returned his mouth to her breasts, then moved downward, kissing and licking the valley between her breasts, her stomach, and the line of her hips.

Her body arched up into his touch, and she made soft gasping whimpers every time he touched her with his hands or with his mouth. When he bit down on her nipple, she just about came up off the bed against him. The pain mingled with desire and she couldn't keep her hands from wandering through his hair and along his body as he moved.

He felt just like he did before everything had gone so horribly wrong. He felt real, felt like the man she had loved so desperately.

She tried to sit up and pull him up to her so she could kiss him again. She needed to feel his mouth taking hers again, needed to feel him against her. She wanted to show him just how much she did love him... and try to make him believe in her.

As his mouth went lower, she was finding it hard to keep any thoughts in her head at all.

Belthazor resisted Phoebe's pulling. He was in control here, not her. Every inch of her was familiar territory, soft and white and begging for his touch. He scratched his fingers in the creases where legs met hips, then seized her hips in his hands, jerking them upward and burying his face between her legs, inhaling her scent. She tasted just like he remembered.

He teased her with little flicks of his tongue, savoring her moans and squirming, and didn't relent until she shook with an orgasm. He lingered at her thighs, kissing and nibbling the inside of them, then moved up her body until he brought his lips down on hers again.

Phoebe was still shuddering from the orgasm when he brought his lips down on hers and she ran her hands through his hair, tangling her fingers in it as she kissed him. The feel of him . . . the way he made her feel, all of that was rushing back to her the more she was with him. She wanted to be with him, she needed to be with him, and she tried sitting up to press herself even closer to him.

She pulled back to run her tongue along the edges of his mouth and then down along his jaw and to his neck. When her mouth reached the side of his neck, she bit down gently, and then started sucking on the bite.

Belthazor hissed as her teeth nipped at his neck. He closed his eyes for a moment, still not believing this was happening. Then he snapped back to reality and snaked his hand around Phoebe's neck, pushing her away. "Do you really want this?" he growled, dark and ominous. "Do you really know what you're doing?" He squeezed lightly.

She knew he wouldn't hurt her . . . she just knew. No matter how angry he was at her, no matter how much he might despise everything she had done to him, he wouldn't hurt her.

"I want you, Cole," she said softly, looking into his eyes. "I love you and I want this." She would have nodded, except for the hand around her neck. "I do know what I am doing . . . for the first time in over a year. . . ."

Her eyes could always see right into his soul. He was as much her captive as she was his now. He released her throat and drew his hand along her shoulder and down her arm. If he didn't have her now, he would die.

He roughly claimed her mouth again, pushing her lips apart with his tongue. Taking one of her hands with his, he guided it to his erection so she could feel just how much he wanted her.

Phoebe's lips parted beneath his as he took possession of her mouth again, and she slid her tongue along his, wanting to explore his mouth. She needed to have all of these things from him again. Having him grabbing her and kissing her like she belonged to him was waking up things within her that she hadn't felt in a very long time.

When he moved her hand down to his erection, she could swear that he was larger than she remembered. She squeezed him gently, not wanting to hurt him, but wanting to show him exactly how sure that she wanted this, wanted him.

He groaned against her lips as her fingers wrapped around his cock. He was fighting the urge to just push her down on the bed and take her violently, like a demon would. Demon hungers warred with human tenderness, and neither could gain the upper hand. In the end it was a little of both -- he would not truly hurt her, but neither was he gentle. He pushed her down beneath him, moving between her legs and lifting her hips. She was already slick and open from his earlier attentions, so there was no resistance as he abruptly entered her with a fast, hard thrust.

She gasped when he entered her, and her hips arched up against him. She was silent for a few moments as her body and her mind adjusted to the two of them being joined like this again. Her hands were trembling from emotion as she ran them down his back and then lifted her face to his. She tried to pull him closer to her, wanting to feel every inch of him touching her. She nipped gently at his lower lip, kissing him deeply. She wanted to taste him every bit as much as she wanted him to be holding her.

"Cole," she breathed against his mouth, her hands running up and down his back.

He ground his lips down hard on hers, almost in a frenzy now, barely keeping himself in check. His thrusts were slow but hard. He wanted this moment to last, he wanted to be like this with her forever.

Phoebe was keeping up with his frenzied movements, but only just barely. She couldn't believe how good it felt to be with him again, and how right it seemed that they were together like this. There was nothing she wanted more than to be his and her movements against Cole's thrusts were her attempt to show him how much she wanted him.

Each snap of his hips was like a desperate attempt to erase the past, all the pain and sadness that had come between them. He could almost pretend it was like their first time together, when he'd begun to realize just how much he loved her. Except now it wasn't a demon pretending to be human, it was the man pretending he was all demon. His emotions were a whirl of confusion, but he couldn't deny the deep, primal need he had for this woman.

"I love you," she whispered, not even sure if he heard her or not. The Seer had done enough to both of them, and even now she wasn't sure if Cole cared that it really hadn't been her feelings or emotions when she had lashed out at him and did everything to destroy him. She arched up against him. "I need you." And she did need him. She needed him more that she had ever needed anything in her life. His body still wanted her -- wanted to be a part of her. However, it wasn't just his body she needed. She needed his heart... she needed his love.

He heard her words, but couldn't bring himself to return them, not yet. But even if he couldn't say it out loud, he could feel it. He'd never stopped loving her, no matter how much he had tried. He needed her, he craved her, like a choking man needed air. He was incomplete without her by his side, his witch, his wife, his queen. "Phoebe," he said raggedly.

Slow tears were sliding from Phoebe's eyes down into her hair and she held onto him. Being away from him again wasn't something she wanted to think about and when she heard him say her name, she did everything she could to bring their bodies closer. "Cole," she said softly, her voice breaking. "Cole..." She buried her face in his neck and dropped soft kisses on his skin.

His breath caught; he wanted this to last longer, but it had been so long and his body was so eager for release. A low growl rose from his throat as he tensed, thrusting into her one final, hard time, then shuddered as pleasure shot through him.

She held him tightly to her as she trembled against him, his own pleasure intensifying hers. When the final tremor had subsided, Phoebe let herself relax her head against him, her face returning to the gentle nuzzling of his neck.

"Love you," he said, the words slipping out before he could stop them.

Phoebe heard them and she tightened her arms around him, keeping her face buried in his neck. "Cole," she said softly. "I love you."

He stiffened. He wanted this so much, but. . . . "Things have changed," he said. "They can't be the same again."

That caused Phoebe to stiffen a little, and pull back so she could look into his face. "Why not, Cole? We still love each other... still need each other." She could feel her heart breaking all over again.

"You're still a Charmed One," Cole said. "And I'm still a demon. It can't work. Didn't we already prove that?"

"It worked until we were betrayed," she said softly, trying not to let her voice break. "Before the Seer started her machinations... we were happy."

"What about your sisters?" he said bitterly. "I doubt they will be as forgiving as you."

The bitterness hurt. "They know," she said quietly, looking at him. "When I was hurt and Leo healed me... I told them everything that I remembered about what the Seer had done. They know none of it was your fault."

"They never trusted me to begin with," Cole pointed out.

"They knew I loved you and you loved me... they knew you wouldn't harm us."

"Things are different now," Cole said, forcing the words out. "I'm the ruler of the Underworld."

Phoebe ducked her head, not wanting to show him that she was on the verge of tears again. She had known when she came here that there was the biggest chance that he would reject her and she thought she had accepted that.

"So, that's it then...?" She asked quietly as she reached around for her shirt, only to bite her lip when she saw it was torn. "Love isn't enough. Forgiveness isn't possible. You rule the Underworld... that's your reason." She nodded, swallowing hard as she moved to sit up to get out of the bed. "She won."

She had promised herself that she would abide by whatever decision Cole made, but she couldn't deny how much all of this was hurting.

"Could you stay here with me?" Cole asked quietly. "Abandon your life above?"

She was silent for a long moment as she struggled with how to answer that question. "I love you," she finally whispered. "I love you so much... but I couldn't do that... no matter how much I want to be with you. I have a duty --" She almost choked on that. "--and I can't abandon my sisters. We lost Prue. It would destroy Piper to lose me, too."

"And I cannot leave the Underworld," Cole said, lowering his gaze. It would plunge into chaos again if he abandoned the throne. The Charmed Ones would become targets again, a way for warring factions to prove their right to rule. Phoebe and her sisters could be killed.

Phoebe's eyes filled with tears, but she nodded, trying not to let him see that she was breaking. That she would save until she was back home. She pulled her pants on and then pulled a sheet from the bed to wrap around her. "A-alright," she whispered, swallowing hard. "I promised myself that I would respect whatever decision you made." She still wasn't looking at him. "I love you, Cole, and I hope... I wish you well." She turned, looking for the way out of his chamber so she could recite the spell to let Leo know she was ready to go home.

Cole conjured up a shirt for Phoebe, not wanting to send her back half-naked. "I can take you home," he said. He didn't want her wandering out into the tunnels of the Underworld unprotected.

She nodded, dropping the sheet and pulling the shirt on. "Alright," she said softly. She tried to school her features before looking up at him, but her eyes were still sad. "I'd appreciate that." Her voice was quiet.

He got dressed as well, then held out his hand to her. "I'm sorry," he said, swallowing his own emotions so she wouldn't sense how much this hurt him.

She took his hand and swallowed, fighting not to cry. "Me, too," she said. She was sorry for a lot of things, but never sorry that she loved him.

He wrapped his arms around her for one last time and shimmered her up to the surface world where she belonged.