Charmed. Cole and Phoebe Guardian Series.How quaint the ways of paradox?

Charmed. How quaint the ways of Paradox Chapter 5

Part 1: Time and Time Again

Chapter 5

"How quaint the ways of paradox; At common sense she gaily mocks" (Gilbert and Sullivan. Pirates of Penzance)

Not being able to think of anything else to do Cole dressed again and shoved his wallet and phone in the pockets of his jacket. He smiled to himself. Phoebe was always griping at him for putting things in his pockets.

"If you pay that much for clothes why do you want to wreck them by stuffing things in the pockets " she kept arguing.

"What do you expect me do " he said "Carry a purse " which reminded him. In the other time line he had left a brief case with the trial papers for the court cases he was defending next week at the Manor. He wondered which time line that was floating around in.

He drove over to Prescott street and watched the house. Just about dark a taxi pulled up in front of the Manor and Phoebe left the Manor and jumped in.

Cole shimmered after her and followed her to a bar on the North side where she went in and met up with a tarty blond women. The two ordered French fries and drinks with variation of something and scotch. Cole sat in a corner ordered a sandwich and beer and using the advantages of hearing manufactured with demonic powers, listened in to the conversation. Phoebe was pressing the blond for information one tall dark and blue eyed from last night. Cole assumed it meant him. The blond did not know. She had apparently found her sleazebag of the night quite early and left Phoebe drunk in one of the nightclubs down by the pier.

"Shit Darla " Phoebe said to the blond "What's the use of being with you if you don't remember important details. "

Cole agreed with Phoebe. He wanted to know important details too.

"Well you weren't so drunk you couldn't remember them yourself when I left " Darla protested.

Cole gathered from the way the two women talked Darla and Phoebe were doing the girlfriend thing together. That was something that caused some very difficult moments between him and Phoebe. Phoebe in her determination not to let them being together interfere with her family responsibilities, made a point of going to clubs with Paige as she had done while she and Cole were separated. As Cole understood the point of doing this was to pick up guys, he was not overly understanding. He did offer to go with them.

Paige was horrified. "How am I going to meet any guys with you hovering around " Paige said. "They would think you were my big brother playing the heavy."

"If you're going to clubs to meet guys why do you need Phoebe around? " Cole demanded.

Paige's expression indicated she thought he was an idiot "If I went by myself they'd think I was a tart or something. "

"If you're picking guys up aren't you one whether Phoebe is there or not?" asked Cole.

As Cole remembered it the rest of that night was one of the least pleasant evenings he spent at the Manor and he had spent some miserable ones there.

The way Phoebe and Darla were dressed, if their aim was to pick up sleazebags, they were going to get them. Phoebe was wearing tight blue satin pants that only just covered her behind, 6 inch stiletto heels, and a piece of sparkling dark blue cloth over her boobs that barely made it worth the effort. Darla had a red satin boob tube that was not worth the effort and a white leather mini skirt that made it very clear she was wearing a black lace g string.

Cole followed the two women through 4 bars where they ordered scotch and somethings and surveyed the available prospects and danced with each other. Finally around about 1.30 at a very bad north side bar called the Red Lantern, Darla paired herself off with a particularly unattractive kid who followed her from the previous bar. Cole wondered if he was old enough to vote let alone drink, and Phoebe was left sitting by herself at a bar table. He had watched her push off three guys that night. She must have been in a fussy mood. But as she consumed another drink he decided that mood might change and he moved over to her.