42 Blueberry Hill, Phoebe's Room, Tuesday Evening

[sleepswthdemons]

Phoebe had been the world's biggest procrastinator about certain things.

Like, oh, telling Anders that Cole's ghost had paid her a visit and promised her that she would feel every bit of agony he had felt...

...and had grabbed her by the throat, accusing her of lying when she said she loved him.

Now that they had put two and two together and had figured out that her possessive stalker had beaten up Anders because of her, she figured that she really should tell him the truth about the "ghost" and everything he had said.

Cole's ghost hadn't done any physical damage, he had just scared the hell out of --- and devastated her when he believed that she had wanted him to be tortured and in pain. She never would have wanted him hurt and she couldn't believe that he didn't believe her when she told him she had gone to the Wastelands over and over again to find him.

Swallowing past her worry that Anders was going to be mad at her -- like he had every right to be -- Phoebe laid down on the bed next to him. She ran her finger gently over his hand.

"Anders, you awake?"





Sam opened his eyes and blinked at her, then sat up partway -- wincing -- and smiled. "I am now. What's up, baby?"

"Feel like talking? There's something I need to tell you."

"Sure," he replied, reaching out to pull her closer. "What's going on?"

Phoebe moved closer, careful of his injuries. "I told you about going hunting and what happened... but I didn't tell you everything."

Sam laughed, though there was a cautious note in the sound. "This is you. I can't say I'm surprised. So . . . spill. What else is there that you haven't told me yet?"

"Cole's ghost visited me."

His eyes widened, and, gritting his teeth against the twinge, he shifted position to hold her tighter. "You're sure it was him."

It wasn't a question; if anybody would know that for sure, he thought, Phoebe would.

Phoebe nodded, her eyes filling up with tears. "It was definitely him. He thinks... he thinks I betrayed him and left him to suffer... he didn't believe me when I said I went over and over to the Wastelands to find him."

"How could he not believe you?" This concept was completely alien to Sam, who tucked Phoebe's head beneath his chin and began to rock her gently in an effort to calm them both. "Do you think someone's frakking with his memories, somehow?"

The edge in his voice betrayed exactly what he'd like to do to anyone who would do such a thing.

"I don't know... Thelma said maybe the thing that possessed him while he was alive is still affecting him. I didn't think a ghost could still be possessed. But he grabbed me by the throat and kept me from talking when I kept telling him that I loved him and I missed him."

Phoebe closed her eyes. "His ghost hates me, Anders. Wants me to feel everything he suffered."

"Got to be possessed, then," Sam said firmly, closing his own eyes. Maybe it was denial, but he couldn't let himself believe otherwise. "There's no way he'd ever touch you like that if he knew what he was doing . . ."

"His ghost hates me... maybe a demon belonging to him as the Source has picked up on that and that's why you were attacked?"

"He did say I couldn't have you," Sam said thoughtfully. "You think this is one of the Source's old lackeys trying to take over? If that's what's going on . . . I won't let them take you."

"He told me I belonged to him... and the attacker in the park said he can't have you... you belong to me..."





[[Started through e-mail with beenthroughthat and to be finished in the comments. For beenthroughthat and holdingontolove]]

Comments

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"What is it with demons and the property thing, anyway?" Sam grumbled. "Frakking mind games. Thought I was done dealing with that sort of thing . . . 'course, it was less lethal before . . ."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry you've been dragged into all of this."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"I'm not," Sam reassured her, brushing his fingertips against her cheek. "I get to be with you again. Makes it worth it."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"He's haunting me, Anders... that could make you a target and get you hurt again."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"It could get you hurt again," countered Sam. "How long have I known that you lead a dangerous life? It never stopped me from wanting to be with you before, and it's not stopping me now. Or have you forgotten already how I promised I'd take care of you? You know how stubborn I can get."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe smiled faintly at him. "We're both incredibly damn stubborn, aren't we?" She leaned into him. "I hate that someone is using Cole to do this to us. I need to find a way to free his spirit from whatever is holding him -- from whatever is toying with him and hurting him and us like this."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"You know I'll help," Sam told her. He nuzzled the top of her head. "Love you. Want to help you . . . want to help him. He deserves better than to end up being used to frak with the people he cared about."

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"He deserves so much better," she nodded in agreement. "He may be gone, but I still won't let anyone screw with what he once was."

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

"Neither will I," Sam said. "Don't want people remembering him that way."

He pulled back to look into Phoebe's eyes, one hand resting against her cheek again. "Anything you need me to do, you know I'll do it, right?"

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

He was watching them, of course. He was always watching. And it was clear that Anders had not heeded the warning he'd given him. He was still daring to touch her.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe nodded. "I know you will. He was ours... and a good man, and for someone to be using him like this... we will free him."

She would, no matter what the cost to herself.

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

He knew she would, and he figured it was his job to keep her from sacrificing herself needlessly if it came to that.

"You and me . . . we'll do it somehow," he said as he leaned in to kiss her lightly.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

He growled, stiff with rage. He would put an end to this now.

He shimmered into the room, his first action to sweep his arm out, using telekinesis to knock Anders away from Phoebe.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe scrambled backwards when she saw Cole standing in her room. "Cole!"

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam hit the dresser -- again -- and snarled with annoyance when he felt a rib crack again.

"Bel?"

He'd blame it on the disorientation and the fresh wave of gods damn it why wouldn't it just go away already pain, but the look of recognition on Phoebe's face seemed to match the one he was sure was on his own.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"I warned you!" he snarled, conjuring a fireball. "I told you to stay away from her! I told you she was mine!"

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

"No!"

Phoebe scrambled off the bed and stood between Cole and where Anders was.

"Cole, stop! This isn't you! You'd never hurt him. He was yours! Please, don't let them do this to you."

She was shaking her head as her empathy started feeding her things she didn't want to admit to. Like the fact that this felt so completely like her soul mate. She clung to the mistaken belief that his ghost was being manipulated...

...even as she was fighting the truth.

"Don't let them use you like this!"

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam swore colorfully under his breath as he got hold of the edge of the dresser with his good hand and pulled himself back to his feet.

He'd said he was stubborn, and he wasn't going to make a liar of himself now; he started to make his way back to Phoebe's side, fireball be damned.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

Phoebe was in the path of his fireball, so he extinguished it and roughly shoved her aside. Anders foolishly staggered toward him, but with another flick of his wrist he threw him hard into the wall.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

Phoebe hadn't expected him to shove her, so it took her a few moments to get her bearings again. She saw Cole flick his hand and cried out. Once again she put herself in front of him, not daring to look at Anders as she tried to grab Cole and make him look at her.

"Soulmate, stop!"

[beenthroughthat.livejournal.com]

Sam hit the wall and crumpled soundlessly to the floor; he'd probably cracked yet another rib in the process, but he wouldn't find out about that until he regained consciousness.

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

"Get out of my way!" he snapped, moving his arm again, this time to deal a vicious backhand to Phoebe's face.

[sleepswthdemons.livejournal.com]

In all of her worst nightmares, there was never once that Phoebe had ever seen Cole raise a hand to her in anger. That would be why she hadn't done anything to protect herself when he moved.

Instead, she felt the blow connect and she went down, her head striking the side of the bed as she landed on her wrist. She heard something snap and cried out in pain as she looked up at him, her eyes going out of focus.

"Cole?"

[holdingontolove.livejournal.com]

He stared down at her, confused. She was hurt. She couldn't be hurt, because he would kill anyone who hurt her. But he was the one who had hurt her.

Like she had hurt him.

[iamyourfodder.livejournal.com]

An odd little machine thing (http://community.livejournal.com/milieux_village/247769.html) rolled past Phoebe's door on its way out of the house.