South Attic, Monday Evening

[demonbelthazor]

After his conversation with Veronica in the stairwell, Bel eventually made his way up to the attic. He sank wearily down on the couch, his face in his hands. This day couldn't get worse, could it?

[ooc: locked to Phoebe, specific details of their conversation are nfb.]

Comments

[demonbelthazor]

"Because she wanted to know what I was hiding from you."

...

Fuck.

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe couldn't pass up an opening like that.

"What are you hiding from me, Cole? Is there... is there another girl?"

[demonbelthazor]

"No!" he said. "Okay, I look at other girls. I can tell you who I think is hot. But you're the only girl I love, Phoebe."

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe waved her hand. "All guys look."

She sighed and then looked him in the eyes. "I was almost hoping it was another girl because then I could at least have an excuse to hurt you like I'm hurting."

Damn it. She was going to throttle Piper.

[demonbelthazor]

"Are you cheating on me?" Cole asked, alarmed by her words.

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe stared at him.

"No! How could me telling you that you not trusting me is hurting me make you wonder if I'm cheating on you?"

Facepalm.

She hadn't planned on saying that.

[demonbelthazor]

Cole sighed. "I'm not cheating on you if that's what you want to know," he said. "And I'm not sleeping with Veronica."

[sensethevisions]

"I know," Phoebe said, looking down at the floor. "You wouldn't."

Phoebe shook her head and finally asked the question that she had already discussed with Veronica, with Lana and with Piper.

"What did I do to make you stop trusting me?"

[demonbelthazor]

"I don't not trust you," Cole said. "That's not what it is, sweetheart."

[sensethevisions]

"Then what is it?"

She didn't look at him, just kept her eyes focused on the floor.

"You keep shutting me out... I know that things are going on with you because I can feel it. Yet, you shut me out while talking to others about it."

[demonbelthazor]

He struggled to find the right words. "I don't mean to shut you out," he said. "I just...I just don't want to hurt you. Or disappoint you."

[sensethevisions]

At this, Phoebe raised her eyes to look at him.

"It hurts when you shut me out," she said quietly. "And you don't need to worry about disappointing me. You can't."

[demonbelthazor]

"Yes, I can," Cole said. "Trust me."

[sensethevisions]

"I worry about letting you down and causing you to resent me," she confessed. "But shutting each other out won't help that. What makes you think I'll be disappointed in you?"

[demonbelthazor]

"Because I'm not the man you want me to be," Cole said.

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe blinked.

"What?"

[demonbelthazor]

"I'm still a demon," he said quietly.

[sensethevisions]

"And?"

[demonbelthazor]

"I have certain needs and instincts that won't change," he admitted.

[sensethevisions]

Phoebe just looked at him for a long moment.

"You think I want you to change who you are? I don't!"

[demonbelthazor]

"Yes, you do," he said, shaking his head. "You don't want me to be a killer, do you?"

[sensethevisions]

"You're not a killer, Cole. Demon yes, killer no."

[demonbelthazor]

"Yes, I am!" Cole exclaimed. "You don't know how many people I've killed."