Underworldy Experience

"What the hell is up with that demon?" Piper said grumpily as she plugged in the coffee brewer.

The whole Halliwell household had awaken on five o'clock in the morning and all were very grumpy. The demon had attacked during four o'clock in the evening and they had spent one hour avoiding all his athames and trying to get rid of him. It seemed that his face was healed and he was very angry for the potions Benji threw. Anyway, after lots of dodging, Benji threw some potions that sent him away again.

"This sucks," Paige mumbled.

"I know! Chris and Wyatt are screaming, my back is aching and I seriously need some sleep," Piper said as Leo orbed in.

"No. I meant that it sucks that I am so useless," Paige said.

"I've put the boys to sleep," Leo said as he seated himself on a chair.

"Where's Phoebe, anyway?" Benji asked.

"Asleep. She is so not a morning person," Paige said.

"I'll say. She nearly got stabbed by an athame," Benji said.

"That demon is getting on my nerves. We better start to work on that cure," Piper said as she poured hot coffee over two mugs.

Suddenly Paige fell unconscious and her body fell sidewards to the floor. Piper nearly dropped the mugs in her panic.

"Paige!" Piper yelled.

"She's going to be okay. But you better make the potion I told you," Benji said as he grabbed a slice of bread and took a bite out of it.

"I'll go to the Underworld to get some leads," Benji said as he shimmered out of the kitchen.

…

Phoebe entered the living room to find Paige sitting on the couch with an annoyed expression while Piper busily changed Chris's diapers and Leo played with Wyatt. Noticing that one person was missing Phoebe said, "Where's Benji?"

"Good morning to you to sunshine!" Piper smirked.

"He went to the Underworld to find the cure," Paige said her voice laced with acid.

"Alone?" Phoebe said anxiously. For some reason she found that discontenting.

"Yes, alone," Piper said.

"What? You let him go alone? Piper he could be killed!" Phoebe said.

"Phoebe, if he can manage to scare off Mr. Scary Face then don't you think that he's more than capable of handling himself down there?" Paige said waspishly.

"What's wrong with you anyway?" Phoebe demanded at Paige's irritated expression.

Before Paige could retort something Piper interrupted her.

"She's mad that she is of no use while demon activity is going on in the house," Piper said rolling her eyes.

Paige sighed exasperated.

"If I were you I'd be basking in happiness. That is like a mini vacation from demon ass kicking," Phoebe said.

"Not so if your side hurt like hell," Paige shot back.

They were interrupted by the sound of the door bell.

"Phoebe, get that!" Piper ordered anxious to break up their banter.

Phoebe let out an irritated sigh and trudged to the door. With a great amount of force she opened the door and her jaw slack jawed. Cole stood there with that all too familiar smirk of his.

"Cole!?"

"Hi Phoebe," Cole said.

And just as he expected Phoebe shut the door on his face.

…

Phoebe rushed to the living room her head spinning. Cole was alive? That was certainly alarming. Does he ever die? Phoebe felt as if he might be part of the jigsaw puzzle somehow but she still felt as if she needed on more piece.

"Phoebe? Who's at the door?' Piper asked.

"Cole!" Phoebe sputtered.

And with that Paige sat up ignoring the pain in her side.

"Cole?!" Paige said.

Phoebe nodded nervously.

"I thought you vanquished him," Piper said.

"I did!" Paige snapped.

"Then how is he still out there?!" Phoebe demanded.

"Well there might be a possibility that you didn't really vanquish him," Leo interjected. The three sisters stared at Leo incredulously.

"You might have vanquished him in that reality but not in this," Leo said.

"I don't think so Leo. I'm pretty sure that if I vanquished him in that reality he'll be vanquished in this. I wasn't headmistress of Magic School for nothing,'' Paige said.

"Maybe a really powerful being kept him from being vanquished," Leo suggested.

"What are we gonna do?" Phoebe demanded.

"We talk to him and ask him what he wants," Piper said trying to sound calm.

"No need to ask him. We all know that he wants Phoebe," Paige said rolling her eyes.

"Well, let's give him a chance to talk before vanquishing him. Again," Piper said frustrated. She stood up and expected Phoebe to stand up too but Phoebe just sat firmly down.

"Phoebe!" Piper said.

"I am not going out there! Forget it Piper," Phoebe sighed.

"Well I guess I'll just have to bring him in here," Piper said.

…

"I don't believe you!" Paige spat.

Cole was sitting on a chair opposite of the three sisters. Phoebe fiddled with her fingers, while Piper stared at Cole with a measured glance and Paige just looked at him with pure loathing.

"You can believe me or not but I just came to tell you that I would like to make amends," Cole said calmly.

"How do we know that this isn't another ploy to get Phoebe back?" Piper demanded.

"Because I've moved on as Phoebe requested," Cole replied.

"That's it. Let's vanquish him!" Paige said trying to stand up.

"You can't because I am not a demon anymore," Cole said abruptly.

"Cole, have you really moved on?" Phoebe interrupted.

"Yes," Cole said solemnly gazing into Phoebe's eyes. He prayed that she didn't see the love and passion that radiated from his eyes.

"And you won't bother us anymore?" Phoebe demanded.

"Not unless you want my help," Cole assured. Suddenly he saw that for a moment Phoebe's eyes gazed at him with adoring affection. That was interrupted however by Paige coughing.

"So you're not a demon?' Paige demanded.

"No, I'm actually….well, I can't tell you," Cole admitted.

"Something demonic! I knew it!" Paige said.

"No, not demonic. But I can't tell you all unless you figure it out or at least until the time is right," Cole said.

Suddenly someone shimmered in. Cole raised a brow. He was the boy from the future who he met at the club. When Cole caught his eye he shook his head. Cole frowned but he decided to play along with the boy.

"Hi! Did you find anything?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah. A demon named Hekate has it but from what I hear she doesn't want to share," Benji said sitting down.

"Who's he?" he asked staring at Cole with a knowing gaze.

"Cole Turner. Ex-husband," Cole said holding his hand out.

"Which one?" Benji asked.

"Mine," Phoebe said sheepishly.

"I still don't trust you," Paige said venomously.

"None of you have to. I'm just here to offer friendship and whether you accept it or not either way is fine with me," Cole shrugged.

There was silence. Finally Phoebe spoke.

"I accept your friendship Cole," she said simply. She was looking at Cole with mild interest and affection. Paige looked at her in surprise. Benji who was listening to the conversation smiled to himself.

"Me too," Piper said although she was still looking at Cole as if she was still mulling it over. Leo looked at Piper incredulously but didn't argue. Paige by now looked alarmed and incredibly annoyed while Cole looked shocked. Neither had expected for his offer to be accepted so soon.

"Piper, Phoebe, would you mind carrying me to the kitchen?" Paige said.

"What?" Piper said.

"Kitchen! I can't stand without fainting, remember?" Paige said smugly.

The two sisters stared at her grudgingly before slowly carrying her to the kitchen where they didn't make an effort to drop her down the chair gently.

"What is wrong with you two?" Paige demanded.

"Nothing," Piper said.

"I think there is because you're now friends with Cole!" Paige spat.

"I know that this is weird Paige but I could feel his sincerity," Phoebe said.

"And I could see it. I still don't trust him but if that's him offering not to bother us anymore then I don't see the problem," Piper shrugged.

'Well, I do!" Paige snapped.

Suddenly Benji shimmered in.

"Would you mind wrapping this up quickly? We have a cure to find," he said.

"We're busy!" Paige snapped peevishly. This was not her day. First she found out she can't fight let alone sit up, then her sister's demon ex husband shows up and then Phoebe and Piper are now friends with him.

"And so am I! And unlike you three, a life is actually involved!" Benji snapped back.

"He's right. We'll discuss this later. But for now…," Piper said looking expectantly at Benji.

"What?' Benji said.

"You don't expect us to carry her again, do you?" Phoebe said.

Benji sighed and shimmered all of them back to the living room.

"We've already made our decision, Cole. You can go now," Piper said.

Cole nodded and stood up.

"I'll walk you out," Phoebe said. Cole looked at Phoebe with surprise. They walked across the halls in silence and just as he was about to leave Phoebe stopped him.

"Cole!"

Cole spun around.

"What game are you playing?" Phoebe said narrowing her eyes.

"I'm playing no game Phoebe," Cole said smirking.

"You may not be but I feel like a game is being played….and you're part of it. This whole thing, the apology, Benji—''

"Benji?"

"The demon you just meant. I just feel like this whole thing is a jigsaw puzzle and Piper, Paige, Leo, Chris Wyatt, Benji, you are all parts of the pieces but somehow I'm missing one more piece….."

"And I think I just found it," Cole said as a look of realization dawned on his face.

"What?" Phoebe said.

"Nothing," Cole said quickly.

"I'm glad Cole that you've moved on Cole," Phoebe whispered.

"No, I haven't Phoebe but I have to, for your sake," Cole said sadly.

"Cole, I'll always love you. Heck, I love you even until now. But love….isn't just enough," Phoebe said sadly. Cole looked at her carefully. It was the first time since they had vanquished him as the Source that Phoebe admitted out loud that she loved him.

"Love is enough Phoebe. And you know what the funny thing is? It isn't the fact that I have demonic powers or the fact that I became the Source which kept our relationship from working…," Cole said sadly.

"It's because you gave up on us, Phoebe."

…

Phoebe felt slightly shaken at Cole's last comment. It was because she gave up on them? If Cole only experience what she's been through then he would understand. She loved him with all her heart but love just wasn't enough as she tried to convince herself.

"Phoebe!" Piper called snapping her back to attention.

"Huh?"

"Did you hear what I said?" Piper frowned.

"No she didn't," Paige said still obviously irked.

"What's wrong with you? You're so absentminded lately?' Piper frowned.

"No, nothing's wrong with me," Phoebe said chuckling nervously.

"Okay….well, we're going to this demon to get the cure," Piper said.

"No…we're going to the demon to scope out her defenses," Benji corrected.

"Excuse me?" Piper said.

"If I got the cure then I would automatically be brought back to the future without Axiom and you would be stuck with him until you reach my timeline so…."

"Okay we get it! Scope out demon chick, make plans, then get the cure!" Piper said holding her hands up.

Benji nodded smiling and she grabbed both their hands.

"And me? I'll just be here being useless," Paige said.

Piper rolled her eyes before Benji shimmered them away.

…

Hekate was a tall copper-skinned woman who lived in a dingy cave with the walls encased with potions. She lived apart from most demons and from the time they spent spying on her they gathered that she enjoyed herself by pacing back and forth and muttering to herself. Piper, Benji and Phoebe have been hiding there for a good thirty minutes now looking for any line of defense but to their frustration her cave seemed to be unguarded.

"She doesn't seem to have any line of defense," Piper frowned.

"Can we go now? I have a column to right and my calves hurt," Phoebe complained.

Benji shushed her and said, "Looks can be deceiving and besides I just realized that we have another problem. Look at all those potions and she didn't even bother to label them! How will find the cure?"

"We'll figure that out later. For now we have to figure out her defenses," Piper said.

"Well, nothing seems to be happening so…."

Benji shimmered at the mouth of the cave and boldly entered. Phoebe suddenly felt a spasm of worry in her heart as he passed through it and she was right. The moment Benji stepped inside he was flung thirty feet away. Phoebe rushed after him and went to his side. Hekate alerted of an intruder's presence summoned her guards.

"Um…Phoebe…." Piper said as three fiery hounds suddenly charged at them. Benji suddenly sat up and his eyes turned as wide as saucers.

"Hell hounds!" he yelled.

"What?" Piper said.

Benji didn't waste time. He quickly held out his hand and out came a stream of flame that propelled to one of the hounds. It didn't work. In fact it seemed to only make the hounds stronger.

"Shimmer us out of here!" Phoebe yelled.

"I can't!" Benji said dejectedly.

Piper said, "That must be the defense that we were scoping out for…."

Benji sighed and after giving a look of concentration a force field surrounded them.

"A force field?' Piper said.

"What about it?" Benji said.

"Well, it's just that—''

"No time for that Piper. Look!" Phoebe yelled. The hell hounds rammed against the force field.

"I can't hold it much longer….," Benji cried.

Suddenly Leo orbed in from behind the hell hounds.

"Leo?" Piper said.

"No time to explain! When I give the signal Benji, get rid of the force field so I can orb in!" Leo called. Benji nodded and as Leo counted 1,2,3…then Benji got rid of the force field and a hell hound jumped on him but Phoebe blocked its way.

"Phoebe!" Piper yelled. Leo orbed beside her and threw a potion. The hell hound scuttled away from Phoebe wounded and Leo orbed them all away.

…

Phoebe had just gotten a scratch in her left arm and Benji had told them that it was nothing serious. As soon as everybody settled down Phoebe said, "How did you know Leo?"

"It was Paige actually….," Leo said. They all looked at Paige curiously.

"It was like I was having a premonition. I just saw you guys being eaten alive by a bunch of hounds that were on fire so I told Leo to check it out and that's how he found you," Paige said a little more cheerfully.

"Nice to know that you aren't Ms. Cranky Pants anymore," Piper commented.

"Yeah, I guess that I just feel useful again," she said cheerfully.

"Premonition? But that's my power," Phoebe frowned.

"Nope that's mine," Benji said suddenly.

They all looked at him. He was shuffling on his feet nervously.

"You're a demon. That's a witch's power," Piper said narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"I know. I'm part witch," Benji said becoming more and more nervous.

Phoebe's heart lit up. There were other cases of witch-demon relationships? In the future? But suddenly she felt an ache at the same time. There standing in front of her was the living proof that a demon-witch relationship could thrive. That she and Cole might have a chance.

"You broke a rule buddy! You didn't tell us that!" Piper said.

"Well, it was for your own good! Revealing that I'm part witch would only make you suspicious," Benji said.

"Okay…but that doesn't explain why I got it," Paige said.

"That's because I'm a telepath. I can send thoughts and images to other people from afar," Benji said.

"Wait. Telepath? You can read our minds too?" Paige said returning to her previous cranky state. She was annoyed to find that she was still useless and that little save she thought she had cause wasn't really her doing at all.

"Nope. My powers not that developed yet," Benji said.

"Who's your mother? Father?" Piper asked suddenly.

"I can't tell you! Future consequences!" Benji said.

"What other powers do you have?" Phoebe asked.

"Well….as for demonic, shimmering, mimicry, and the whole fire thing. As for being a witch, telepathy, premonitions, force field, and oh…I can sense and reveal evil," Benji said.

"Come again?" Paige said.

"I can sense if there's something or someone evil and I can reveal it," Benji said.

"Oh and I can also fly and I'm a psychic projector," he shrugged.

"A what?"

"I can make your dreams a reality. Well nightmares included. Not sure if that's a demonic or witch power…," Benji murmured.

"About your evil revealer power did you sense evil in Cole?" Paige asked.

"Not really," Benji admitted.

"Paige!" Phoebe scolded.

"I just wanted to be sure," Paige said rolling her eyes.

"Well, he's not evil. Now if you excuse me, I want to take a bath," Benji said shimmering out of the living room.

Phoebe didn't know what to think but she felt a sudden urge of affection to Benji. She also felt as if she was this close to solving the puzzle. Piper on the other hand was left staring with measured gaze while Paige was entirely indifferent about the whole matter. Leo just didn't what to think.

…

Benji had just changed and he was playing with Chris, bouncing him up with his knee. He was about to zoom Chris around when Piper entered the room and leaned against the doorway with the same measured glance she had first given him.

"Um…hi Piper," he said.

"I know who you are Benji," Piper said seriously.

"Really?" Benji said nervously.

"No more tricks Benji because if you are who I think you are I don't want to lose you," Piper said walking forward.

"Chris didn't tell us who he is and we lost him," Piper said sitting down.

Benji exhaled deeply.

"Answer me straight. Are you or are you not Phoebe's son?" Piper said.

"Yes, I am," Benji sighed. Piper exhaled and looked at him thoughtfully.

"But you're part demon which means—''

"Cole's my dad," he nodded in affirmation.

...

Pholefan: I've read it and it's good, Joleca and lizardmomma: thanks.