Temptation Goes Both Ways

Temptation Goes Both Ways
////Chapter Seven: Conundrum////

The demon and the angel laid together on the red rug. Cole's arm was under the Whitelighter and Leo's arm was over the demon's chest. The angel nuzzled his head against Cole's neck. The demon turned his gaze to the angel that rested beside him.

"I can't stop wondering... Why did I hear you?" Leo asked still perplexed to the nature of the whole situation.

Cole only shook his head as he reach for Leo's blond hair, filing fingers through it.

"I'm only supposed to hear charges, witches, and future Whitelighters." The angel explained for the thousandth time.

"Well, can't you sense demons?" Cole reminded.

"But I can't hear them calling my damn name." Leo countered.

"Well.. maybe I'm a future Whitelighter." Cole smiled.

Leo smirked. Cole a Whitelighter. The demon was charismatic, and in these private alone times, Leo was starting to see the goodness in him. Maybe it's what Phoebe saw in him. But Cole was still evil. Nothing he could do would ever surpress that. If there was an explaination, he couldn't find it.

"I was joking, Leo." Cole finally said, unnerved by the silence.

"I know. Look, Piper's all alone with Wyatt. I have to go."

"Why?" Cole said before kissing Leo.

"I told you why." Leo replied after the kiss had been broken.

"Where are her sisters?" Cole asked.

"Trying to branch out on their own." Leo got up and began to locate his clothes. Cole sat up on his elbows and watched the angel dress.

"Are you gonna come back?" the demon inquired.

"I might." Leo replied.

"When?"

Leo didn't answer as he continued buttoning up his shirt.

"Don't make a habit of calling me." Leo orbed out leaving the demon alone.
--

Leo orbed in the hall-way inside the Manor. Creaking the door open slowly to look in on Piper. She was still in bed.

"Leo?" She replied stirring. She raised up to look over at her husband.

"Just me hun." Leo smiled, cast in the shadow of the room.

"What did Cole want?" She asked.

"Oh... he uh.. just to talk." The angel lied.

"Talk?" Piper found that hard to believe.

"Yeah, he's just lonely." Leo braced himself on the door, one arm laying on the door-knob casually.

"Lonely? How does a demon get lonely?" Piper asked blinking.

"He has a human side too, Piper. It's not like he has many friends that can come over and chill." Leo tried to be sarcastic.

"Human side? His human side didn't stop his demon side from trying to kill us." Piper pointed out.

"I don't think it could." Leo folded his arms still leaning on the door.

"So you're siding with Cole now?" Piper raised her eyebrow at the half silhouette, half moonlighted vision of her husband.

"No, Piper. I'm just..."

"Leo, this is hard enough to accept. That the demon we assumed was dead for good and out of our lives, and Phoebe's life, forever.. still exists on some alternate plane somewhere. Tell me that you're not trying to justify what he's done?" Piper may have had a point.

"No, but he's paying for what he's done. Cole can't get out and hurt anyone. He can't hurt me, and I don't think he would." Leo tried to make his point to counter Piper's.

"And why the hell is that, Leo?" Isn't he an Avatar?" Piper put her hand on her hip as she sat up in their bed never peeling her eyes from the Whitelighter that stood in the door. He made no attempt to move toward her. She had no clue why Leo was being so distant.

"Hurting me wouldn't help his cause." Leo dropped his eyes, then lifted his gaze back to Piper.

"What, is he trying to get out?" Piper asked wanting to the bottom of it all.

"No. But he won't harm me, doing so would only result in him being punished more. I don't think he wants that."

"He's not being punished enough now." Piper retorted.

Leo turned his head to the side, he was tired and didn't even want to discuss this. But leaving Piper without some sort of explaination would only make her more curious.

"You're not going back there, Leo. It's too dangerous." Piper calmly said.

"There has to be a reason I can hear him callling me, Piper."

"Well ask the Elders, but stay away from Cole." Piper looked back up at him. Leo unfolded his arms and shrugged.

"I'm in no danger." he argued.

"We're in danger. Phoebe is in danger. God, I've been avoiding her all day because I don't want to talk about why we erased her memory." Piper smiled doubtfully.

"Phoebe, is an adult and so are you, Piper. I don't think Cole would hurt her. He's not capable of hurting Phoebe, and even if he tried, it's not like you couldn't vanquish him again."

"Hello! Demon! Avatar! Indestructible!" Piper waved her arms adding motion to her frustration.

"Actually, he's no longer indestructible..."
Piper rolled her eyes. Leo only sighed in defeat.

"I will talk to the Elders, but first, I'm going to take a shower and get ready for bed." Leo straightened up and took hold of the handle.

"Suit yourself." Piper yawned, pulling the covers over her and getting back comfy.

Leo closed the door and made his way to the bathroom. He only felt more irritated. Irritated at Piper for asking so many questions and for what she said about Cole. Irritated at himself for defending Cole. Irritated at Cole for screwing him up so damn badly that he couldn't focus or think about anything else. What are on Earth was happening to him? Better yet, what in Hell was happening to him?
--

(The Next Day)

"You can't avoid me forever, sister, I know where you live." Phoebe trailed after Piper who was rushing to the kitchen.

"Phoebe, I told you, we thought it'd be best that you didn't know Cole still existed. It was hard enough on us to know he was still alive. We just didn't know how you'd take it being that he's your ex-husband and all." Piper assured.

"Is that the real excuse or are you just afraid we'd get back together." Phoebe folded her arms.

"No. Nooo... you never thought..." Piper stopped herself. She stared at her sister.

"Nope. I felt nothing when he died. I've done burnt that bridge." Phoebe clasped her hands together and smiled.

"What bridge?" Paige said as she walked up. She opened the fridge and got out the juice.

"The bridge that she doesn't still love Cole." Piper replied with her hand on her hip.

"You don't still love him, do you?" Paige asked pouring a glass of the juice.

"No, I don't. I mean according to you yourself, Paige, the alternate time version of me, or whatever, threw the vanquishing potion myself. So obviously..." Phoebe motioned what she was saying with her hand, trailing off at the end.

"If it were under the same circumstances in this reality, would you throw it if you had to?" Piper asked.

"I almost vanquished him in the basement when he was trying to absorb the Nexus. I failed, but that was the moment I realized I was free. I didn't feel anything when I thought he was dead.. You don't think we'll have to vanquish him again, do you? Leo took him home, didn't he? He didn't escape?" Phoebe said with a hint of worry.

"Yes, Leo took him home. But he heard him calling to him last night." Piper informed.

"Leo heard Cole? What happened?" Paige asked sipping her juice. Phoebe took a seat.

"Leo went to see what he wanted." Piper replied.

"What.. what did he want?" Phoebe asked.

"Just to talk. Apparently, Cole is one lonely demon." Piper leaned against the counter with her arms folded.

"Well, what did he say to Leo?" Paige asked intriqued.

"I don't know, Leo won't say." Piper responded looking off into the distance.

"It wasn't about me was it?" Phoebe asked drawing back her older sister's attention.

"I don't know, but I wouldn't doubt it." Piper looked over to see that Phoebe appeard somewhat nervous. "Not that I want you to worry."

"Oh, no, I'm not worried.. but, I would still like to know." Phoebe said resting her head on her fist.

"Leo!" Piper called.

"What are you doing?" Phoebe asked. She grabbed a hold of her arm like she was trying to stop her.

"I'll call Leo, you can ask him yourself." Piper replied.

"He's not gonna tell me." Phoebe released her sisters arm.

"Leo! Just as well, , I need to speak to my husband. Leo!"

Leo orbed in behind them.

"What is it?" He asked politely.

"Phoebe wants to know if Cole said anything about her during your guys' little talk last night." Piper smiled.

"Sorry, Leo, asking you was Piper's idea." Phoebe shot Piper a look.

"Look, I don't want to betray his trust." Leo said calmly.

"Oh, now your worried about upholding a demon's trust. What next?" Piper smarted.

"Piper, it's his human side's trust I'm not betraying." Leo replied.

"Well I guess that makes it okay then." Piper said sarcastic.

"Phoebe, if it makes you feel any better.. Cole didn't say anything bad about you or the Charmed Ones. He's sorry that all of this happened this way." Leo assured.

"He's only sorry his plan backfired." Paige snorted.

"The Avatars warned him it would. He didn't listen." Leo put in.

"So he knew he was gonna die?" Phoebe asked softly. "But he did it anyway?"

"Yes, for you." Leo informed.

Phoebe looked down. "He still tried to kill my sisters." She concluded.

"Only after they tried to stop him." He wasn't trying to condone it, just explain it.

"There he goes again. What is your problem, Leo. Stop defending Cole." Piper demanded.

"I'm not defending him. I just want you to know what the Elders told me before I ever went to get him. They filled me in with the whole story."

"Uh, huh? Speaking of the Elders.. did you go and talk to them like I ask? Find out why you can hear Cole calling you like a demonic charge?" Piper asked, staring at Leo.

"Not yet." Leo answered.

"Don't ya think ya ought to?" She mocked.

Leo thought for a moment. He'd been avoiding the Elders incase they knew about his sinful tryst with the demon. They hadn't called. If they did know, they'd probably call to punish him. There wasn't much the Elder's didn't know, but it was possible they didn't know about him and Cole.

"Leo?" Piper's voice brought Leo back to attention.

"Huh?" Leo snapped back to reality.

Paige and Phoebe giggled.

"See, I had no clue a Whitelighter could space-out. I learned something today." Phoebe smiled.

"Oh, shush. Paige spaces-out all the time." Piper teased.

"Oh, I do not. I gotta go. Job interview. Tell me how this turns out." Paige motioned to the current thing or 'this' that was going on and turned to walk off.

"Okay, see ya later." Piper replied.

"Bye, Paige." Phoebe said softly, she waved good-bye to her sister.

"Buy guys." Paige walked off.

"Leo, why didn't you say good-bye to Paige?" Piper asked.

"The Elders are calling." Leo realized, looking up.

"Wow, right on the money." Phoebe pointed out.

"Well, don't ya think you better go see what they want?" Piper asked seeing Leo hesitate.

"I wonder.. can Whitelighters get high, cause Leo seems a little..." Phoebe twisted her finger at her head to clarify that she thought the angel was crazy.

"Don't you have to get to work?" Piper asked.

"Not til one." Phoebe answered.

"The why don't you make yourself useful and go check on Wyatt."

"Fine. I'll go see how my nephew's doing. Leave you two alone." Phoebe got up and exited the kitchen.

"Thank you." Piper looked back at Leo.

"Okay, I'm going." Leo replied.

"Ask them about Cole while you're there." Piper reminded.

"You got it." Leo smiled before he orbed out.

////////
Okay, done with that. Poor Leo, he's in such a twisted conundrum. Sorry, it's short, there are two parts.
On the Avatars. Okay, I have finally got to the part in season seven where Leo becomes an Avatar. Becoming an Avatar to turn back time for love resulted in the death of Cole. But Leo didn't know about the Avatars in the series until they began posing a threat. (I'm a little past 'There's something about Leo' and I've been watching since 'Sam I am'. With a few episodes I've found on You Tube from seasons three, four and five in between. I still haven't got box sets) Anyway I assumed they knew about them, b/c The Elders claim they know everything, and Leo seems like he knows everything. Oh, well. Like I said this story is AU and I don't know about tying in everything and such. So in this story, Leo and the Elders knew about the Avatars, sorry for confusion. I think I confused myself...