After a restless night at the Arms Hotel in town, Phoebe was sitting in one of the chairs by the window in her suite. Her legs were pulled up where she could rest her chin on them. She was pretty much curled into a ball, watching the sun rise as tears slipped down her cheeks.
Cole...
She had broken up with the only man she had ever loved...her soulmate.
Even now she could feel his anguish mixing with hers and she wanted to go to him and comfort him so much.
But she didn't dare...she couldn't.
He had hurt her, and it was a deep soulpain that she was feeling.
Finding out that he had slept with Piper had been bad enough, in fact it had rocked her in a way she had never been affected before. She had told Piper that she wasn't mad at her, and she wasn't. However, she felt deeply betrayed by her older sister for keeping such a thing from her. She should have been told...no matter what the risk of hurt.
The fact that he had threatened to kill Veronica --- one of her best friends --- after promising her that he would leave her alone, well that had been the straw that broke the witch's back.
He had promised her that he would leave her alone. He knew how much that promise meant to her, and he broke it. He broke the one promise she had made him give her, and for what?!
Because Veronica threatened to tell her that he had slept with Piper months ago.
As she watched the sun rise, Phoebe re-played all of the events of yesterday. She had been in such a good mood and planning a surprise for Piper. She and Cole had...she choked on a sob...she and Cole and cuddled close together as they worked on their Sociology notes together.
Then, Logan Echolls came into the lounge and in split seconds, her world had changed.
Phoebe was shaking again as she tried to maintain control. She was grateful to Crowley for letting her stay here, but she didn't know if he had let her stay for the night or if she could stay for longer. She would need to talk to him. She would like to stay a few more days if he would let her. She needed to put herself back together before she could stay in the dorms.
Cole...Cole couldn't protect her right now...and he may never want to again --- although she knows he probably would never hurt her or allow it to happen. He promised that he would always protect her...but did that change now that they were parted?
She stared at the ring on her finger and her chest burned like she was being cut open.
She buried her face in her knees.
This week had become something so horrible that all she wanted to do was hide in this hotel for the rest of her life. She had never been one to hide...and the last time her heart had been destroyed broken, she had gotten her boss to send her on a recon assignment that could have gotten her killed.
But she wasn't that girl any longer. She was stronger and she didn't run from her own pain. She forced herself to function through it and help others with their pain. She knew she couldn't hide it, but she could pretend to function.
Phoebe got up from the chair and started getting ready for school.
Three classes. She could get through three classes.
Maybe.
