Chapter 3: Intermixture

Leo wasn't sure how to break the news to the two oldest sisters, so he just pottered about with his back to them, concentrating on toasting his waffles.

Phoebe, more like staring, than looking at the potions book she's been studying for the last few weeks trying to find a way to vanquish Cole, slowly looked up, "Paige was right." She said thoughtfully.

"She was?" Leo turned, finding some hope in her voice, maybe she didn't have to defend his youngest charge as fiercely as he thought he had to before.

"Yes," Phoebe determined, sounding very convinced. "We were focused on vanquishing Cole and as we all know, there are no identified ways of doing so. Paige on the other hand, centered her efforts on trying to harm Cole, instead of a vanquish, hoping that would make him vulnerable enough for it. I think that's what we have to do."

"I thought we agreed on the fact he is very dangerous and that we don't go near him unless we can be sure that the vanquish will be successful," Piper leaned on the table with both hands.

"But that's impossible, isn't it?" Phoebe stressed herself, "yet we can't be sure he doesn't kill anybody, doesn't take over the underworld, target any family member we have. We need him out of the action, but we can't vanquish him. So what does that mean?"

"That we're stuffed?" Piper tried.

"No."

"That you try and talk some sense into him?"

"No way! How? It means that we do a potion similar to Paige's ones to get him out of circulation! You know, keep him unconscious, like in a coma, till we figure something out."

"What an idea!" Piper slapped the table, "that's what we're going to do!" She dumped the remains of some potion in the sink and set off to clean the pot that had contained that.

Leo raised his eyebrows, looking from one to another, "I dunno how much you looked at Cole while he was unconscious, really looked at him, but I know for sure he didn't look comfortable."

"Comfortable?" Piper echoed, "did he consider you being comfortable when he shot you with poisoned arrows? Don't think so. Did he think about Paige being comfortable?"

"Paige thinks differently about that incident I think," he winced. He usually tried to evade situations where he had to argue with his pregnant wife, but Paige had put him into a position where he didn't have a choice.

"What do you mean Paige thinks differently?" Phoebe retorted in a manner that let on she didn't think her half sister had any right to so so.

"She believes staying with Cole'd be a way of monitoring and stopping him do anything evil."

"I guess you can't change her mind about it? She can be stubborn," Piper shook her head.

"All the more reasons to get ready with the potion as soon as possible," Phoebe established, almost panicky. How much did she want to finish with the Cole episode in her life and start again! The sole thought she had remained that she would've wanted just delete the whole thing out of her mind, no matter what, as if it had never happened. Vanquishes were never pleasant for the demon anyway, the fact that she was making a potion to make somebody suffer never occurred to her.

Leo was chewing his lip. There seemed to be something wrong with the morale of this thing, although maybe the Elders wouldn't object either. Perhaps he could talk to Piper about it in private later, but what were they gonna do about Phoebe?

Tbc