This fic is dedicated to Barb, who has been patiently beta reading it for the last two months, and thanks to whom the story has become so much better than it originally was. Thanks, Barb!

Note #1: This story is part of a series, and will be better understood by those who've read the previous installments. The sequence of the stories is: (1) Redemption; (2) The Demon's Advocate; (3) So Mote It Be; (4) Fruit of My Womb. For those who haven't read the previous stories, here's the scenery: the Source is gone, Cole and Phoebe have left the Underworld for good, and their son is a one year old human baby. Piper is seven months pregnant, but it's Leo who's having all the side effects, like morning sickness, cravings and mood swings. For more details, read the previous stories.

Note #2: As I promised, in this story you'll find out who's the person from Cole's past Sarsour has been talking about. Also, there's a character in this story that has already died on the show, but I brought them to the story anyway, because when my series started they were still alive on the show.

Credits: I don't own the Charmed characters, which is totally unfair, considering I clearly care for them much more than the WB writers do. {Sigh}

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"I am so not skipping work!" said Phoebe, putting the bottle inside the baby bag and zipping it closed. "It's just that Ben was really excited today, and I only managed to tuck him in at two o'clock. I couldn't possibly wake him up only half an hour later, could I?"

She spun around, looking for her coat, and added:

"You know how cranky your nephew gets when he doesn't take his afternoon nap." -- she spotted the coat hanging on a chair's back, picked it and started to put it on -- "He's awake, I've been hearing him babbling through the baby monitor for the last five minutes, I'm just gonna go upstairs, pick him up and we'll be at the club before you can say 'you promised me you'd help me here' again."

Phoebe put the baby bag on one shoulder, her own purse on the other and said, reaching out for the baby monitor:

"Well, I'm sure he wouldn't have been so excited if somebody's hubby hadn't been orbing..."

She stopped short as she heard a female voice coming from the baby monitor:

"Hey, you. Oh, what a cute little thing you are..."

"Phoebe?" Piper sounded worried with her sister's sudden silence.

"There's someone in my bedroom," said Phoebe, dropping the bags on the kitchen's table and rushing upstairs, still holding the cordless phone.

"Phoebe, wait!" said Piper, alarmed. "Let me get Paige and we'll..."

"Ben is there, Piper," said Phoebe, cutting her short.

"Oh God," Piper whispered, shocked. "I'm on my way home, sweetie."

She hung up and called out:

"Leo!!!"

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Phoebe ran down the corridor, as silently as possible, feeling her heart pouding furiously inside her chest. She stopped at the bedroom's door, looking in shock and horror at the tall, blond woman standing next to Ben's crib, with her back turned to the door, talking softly to the baby in her arms.

"Aren't you adorable? I could eat you up with a spoon! And maybe I will..."

Phoebe gasped as the woman turned around to face her, grinning:

"Long time no see, Phoebe," she said, fondling Ben's hair.

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When Piper and Leo orbed in, they found Phoebe standing in the middle of her bedroom, staring at the empty crib, the cordless phone still clasped in her hand.

Piper ran to her sister and put her arm around her shoulders, but Phoebe didn't acknowledge her presence.

"Phoebe, what..."

"She took my baby," said Phoebe, in a weak voice. Then she passed out, collapsing into her sister's arms.