Liljdpegasuschic160: Ok, so I wasn't gone as long as I thought I would be. I was a good girl and worked really hard on my summer reading and I got enough of it done so I could write some more. Yay! This chapter's really long though, it was 11 pages on Word, so I most definately need a little break before I write the next chapter. Again, thanks sooo much to everyone that reviewed. You guys are the reason why I write longer chapters. You inspire me. ) All the reviews really helped motivate me. Keep 'em coming! This chapter is both happy and sad. I guess you'd say it's bittersweet. The fluffy happy chapters will be coming up shortly, don't worry. I do have a plan. You'll all just have to stick around to see what it is...
Read, Review, & Enjoy!
Third Time's A Charm
Chapter 3: A Well Deserved Victory
'Sleep. I need to get some sleep.'
Cole glanced at the clock, squinting. The bright red numbers stung his sore, tired eyes.
1:42
"Perfect." he muttered, shoving his face back onto the familiar surface of his pillow.
Five hours. He had been in bed almost five hours.
He sighed heavily, attempting to relax, to let sleep take over. No such luck.
He sighed again, pulling up the soft, green comforter until nothing but his head and neck were left exposed.
Still, nothing.
Apart from the the occasional rustle of sheets, all that could be heard was the steady sound of Phoebe's breath.
Cole listened.
The sound calmed him.
Still, his mind was too far gone to let any thoughts of sleep prevail.
Propping himself up on an elbow, Cole watched silently as Phoebe lost herself in a dream world.
'Well at least someone's getting a good night's sleep.'
Envious as he was, he couldn't help but smile.
She was beautiful.
The outside light cast harsh shadows onto her face, but Cole could see the softness in her features. He scooted closer, wrapping an arm gently around her waist. He smiled into her hair, taking in its warm, vanilla scent. He let out a hum, kissing the top of her dark brown head.
Despite all the stress of the past month...moving out, the baby, her new job...Phoebe somehow always managed to get at least eight hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Until now.
He could feel her beginning to wake, stirring against his body. She tossed, and flipped over completely to face him. She became still once more, and Cole thought for a moment that she'd fallen back asleep.
He smiled again, brushing the hair away from her face and kissing her on the forehead.
"I love you." He whispered, running a thumb down her jaw.
Her eyes opened, meeting his.
"I love you too." She whispered back, so softly it seemed she'd only mouthed the words.
He nodded, rubbing their noses together.
"Sorry I woke you."
She smiled slightly, her fingers playing with the crew neck of his old, grey shirt.
"You didn't wake me. I've been having a hard time sleeping."
"You fooled me."
"Yeah, well I knew you couldn't sleep and I didn't want to worry you even more, so I hoped that if you saw me sleeping you'd think I was ok."
This unsettled him, anxiety set in his face.
"Aren't you?"
The two had retired to an early rest. Phoebe felt weakened by the baby and he, having no more work, wanted to lie with her, to keep her safe. He didn't know how much protecting her could actually do, but it felt better to be close...just in case.
"I'm not sure," she said, moving one gentle hand up and down his chest. "I feel a little better physically, but..."
"Too much on you mind?"
She nodded, snuggling closer.
He understood completely. Too much was actually an understatement.
A few minutes past in silence before she spoke, "Do you think we could visit the manor again today?"
Cole collapsed onto his back, sighing heavily. Phoebe crawled towards him, collapsing herself, resting her head on his chest, listening to each heartbeat, feeling each rise and fall.
"I know we just spent the night there, and I know you want some time to ourselves, but there will be plenty of time for that in the future. Right now I need my sisters."
This confirmed it as serious. If Phoebe needed to talk to her sisters, she knew the truth.
'A mother's instinct,' he guessed, playing gently with her hair.
Whenever things got tough, she came to him. He was always her shoulder to cry on, but every once in awhile he wasn't enough. Certain situations call for a certain approach. Cole's approach? Tell it like it is. Use comforting words and a reassuring tone, but don't beat around the bush.
Certain situations call for the sisterly approach. Listen, eat, sympathize. Then, after all
has been said and consumed, you come up with the best solution to the problem, even if no such solution exists.
This was a sisterly situation. This was an emergency.
Cole knew.
In the past year or so, he'd come into a better understanding of the word family. He knew what made them work, what made them close, what made them strong. But he also knew what made them fall apart. They needed each other. They needed to talk.
Earlier in their relationship he would've felt resentment, wondering where he went wrong, why his love wasn't enough.
He quickly learned that there's just no substitute for family.
"I have to tell them," she said, "I can't keep lying. I've tried keeping things from them in the past, especially things about us, and all it ever did was make me feel guilty."She looked up at him, resting her chin on her forearm.
He stared back, contemplating.
"Ok," he sighed, "We'll go over there first thing after breakfast."
Phoebe's face brightened instantly. Smiling, she repositioned herself on his body, making her eyes level with his. She gazed fondly into his deep set eyes, mesmerized by their current clear blue color. Even in the darkness, she saw them twinkle with approval as he studied the contours of her face, moving down her slender nose, across her rosy cheeks, resting on her full lips, then retracing their steps back to her dark brown eyes.
With her right hand, she caressed his thick head of hair as she leaned in to kiss his surprisingly soft lips.
"Mmmm, I love you." She said, pulling apart.
"Really? I couldn't tell," he teased, and she let out a small laugh.
Placing her head back on his chest, she shut her eyes inducing slumber.
Cole turned his head to look at the clock once more.
2:03
He stared blankly into the darkness until at last, he let sleep take him.
--------------------------------------------------
The next morning came quickly and quietly.
With Phoebe & Cole gone, the manor lacked the usual hustle and bustle the family had
become so accustomed to. Phoebe's early morning rants, Cole's constant bickering with Paige, and their public displays of affection were all things the remaining Halliwells had to learn to live without.
The drastic change had been hard at first, but with time they had adjusted. No one realized just how much they had missed them, until the couple had stayed the night, stirring up old memories. Piper had awoke to find to no coffee ready and waiting, and Paige came down to a 'Cole-less' kitchen with no one to nag. Even Leo, who paid little attention to the early morning chit chat, missed the noise he no longer had to block out and ignore.
The three sat at the kitchen table in silence, each absorbed in their own new routine. Piper and Leo sat opposite each other, sharing the newspaper. She kept the Culinary Arts and Lifestyle sections, while he read Sports and Home Improvement. Paige sat with her back to the windows, looking over one of her countless fashion magazines, neglecting her now soggy cereal.
Just then, the doorbell rang, bringing their reading to a halt.
"I'll get it." Piper said.
She rose, curious to see who it was.
"Cole!" Piper said in surprise, when she opened to door to find the large man looking down at her.
"What are you doing here so early, and more importantly why are you here alone?"
Cole looked confused for a moment, but then laughed, shaking his head.
"I'm not here by myself Piper. Phoebe wanted to stop by." He said, stepping aside to reveal his wife, who until now had been completely concealed from view.
Piper smiled, realizing her mistake.
"Oh, well come on in," she said, motioning with her hand.
Phoebe stepped inside. Cole followed, shutting the door behind him.
The two just stood there in silence while Piper's eyes darted back and forth between them.
"Would you like something to eat? We're already finished, but I can whip up something really quick."
Cole shook his head. "That's ok. We just ate."
"Ok, well would you at least like something to drink? Coffee? Water? Juice?"
Cole shook his head again. "No thanks, Piper. We're good."
"Well come with me into the kitchen anyway. Leo and Paige will be happy to see you."
'Well at least Leo anyway.' Piper added as an afterthought.
"Actually, we were planning on just meeting with you. For now anyway. Phoebe needs to talk to you about something. Alone."
Piper looked to her sister for conformation and Phoebe nodded, her hands fidgeting with the handle of her purse.
"Uh huh. Ok, well why don't you go sit down in conservatory? I just have a couple of things to finish up then I'll be right with you."
Piper sighed, walking briskly back into the kitchen.
Leo stood on cue as Piper walked passed his seat and over to the counter. As she cleaned up dishes, he stood behind her, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his well worn jeans.
"Who was that?"
"Phoebe and Cole."
Paige looked up.
"Well we know it can't be social call. They were just here yesterday and were very eager to leave. So, has the Underworld already picked a new leader, or is it just your average power hungry demon trying to create a loyal fan base by killing us?"
"No, I have a feeling it's more serious than that."
"More serious than a lower level demon, or more serious than The Source?"
"Phoebe wants to talk."
Leo and Paige looked to each other, feeling they were missing something.
"But when I answered the door, Cole was the only one doing the talking."
Paige looked as if she'd had an epiphany.
"That bad huh?"
"I think so," Piper said, rinsing off the last plate and setting it on the drying rack. "Whatever she was hiding from us yesterday must have really shook her up."
Paige stood abruptly, smacking her hands on the table.
"Well then, let's go out there and find out."
She was almost to the door when Piper stopped her, her voice stern.
"No Paige. You stay here."
At first Paige looked confused, but her expression quickly turned to anger.
"Why? Phoebe's in trouble. What if it's as serious as we think? She's going to need both of us."
Piper understood her sister's frustration, but if Phoebe was really upset, she needed to respect her wishes.
"Phoebe wants to talk to me alone. At least for now."
."Oh, ok." Paige said, trying to sound positive, but Piper saw the hurt forming in her eyes
"Paige," she sighed, "It's not that she doesn't love you, or that she doesn't want your support. It's just, I have a hunch that this is about her and Cole, and you haven't exactly been supportive of them in the past. I think she's just worried that your past prejudices will keep you from accepting...whatever it is that's going on."
Paige stood in silence for a moment, trying to accept what she'd just heard.
"Fine," Paige sighed, looking to Leo who nodded in approval. "Just tell me what she says ok? I don't want to be out of the loop forever."
Piper agreed, walking over to her sister and giving her an 'I'm here for you too' kind of hug. Then, releasing her, she took a deep breath and headed out into the dining room.
As she approached the open entranceway to the conservatory, Piper saw Phoebe and Cole sitting on the white, whicker love seat. Both had a serious look of their faces and Cole held Phoebe close, speaking quietly into her ear. The sound of her high heeled boots on the tiled floor, caused the pair to look in her direction, and although it was just the two of them, it felt to Piper as if a whole room of people had all their eyes on her.
She quickened her pace, and made her way over to the chair next to them, sitting down.
At the same time, Cole moved to stand, but Phoebe stopped him, grabbing his arm.
"No, stay." She said, needing him there.
He nodded, and sat back down reluctantly.
Piper looked at her sister expectantly, hoping she wouldn't have to be the one to start the conversation.
"Piper," Phoebe began, "I came her because I need to tell you something. Something really important that I think you deserve to know."
Phoebe's mind raced as she thought of the best way to go about saying this.
"Remember yesterday in the kitchen when we were all taking about demons and babies, and for some reason all of a sudden I wanted to leave? "
Piper responded with a nod.
"Well, that's because right before we had that conversation, Cole and I were discussing our baby, and his possible demonic attributes," She glanced at Cole, "And he considered the possibility that this baby might not be ours at all."
Phoebe waited for Piper's reaction with a look of uneasiness.
"What do you mean not yours?" Phoebe and Cole exchanged glances once more, making Piper more nervous by the second. "Who else's could it be?"she asked, not sure if she wanted an answer.
"We think, and this is just a theory, a strong theory, but a theory nonetheless," her speech was gaining momentum and she tried to slow it down, "We think, that this baby might be...The Source, his heir."
Piper's eyes grew wide and her heart began to race. She steadied herself, holding on to the arms of the chair. Of all the things she had prepared herself to hear, this had definitely not been one of them.
"The Source?" She repeated, with surprising composure.
Phoebe nodded, and Cole followed suit.
"And why would you think that?"
"Because Cole fed me chocolates that were laced with a demonic potion the day the baby was conceived." She answered, as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
Piper rose, glaring at Cole.
"You did what?!" She almost screamed, this time unable to keep her cool.
Cole raised his hands in surrender, "Hey, I was under The Source's influence. You can't blame this entirely on me."
He was right. She knew what it felt like to be possessed, to not have complete control over your actions. Still, she was freaking out, and paranoid Piper was not a happy Piper.
"No, but I can still blame part of you," She said, pointing a finger at him, "And I do!"
Phoebe reached for her sister, pleading, "Piper,"
"What?" she snapped.
"This is serious."
"Really Phoebe? I had no idea."
Phoebe sighed, standing up to try and calm the frantic witch.
"What I meant was, you need to calm down. This is serious, so we need to figure out how to fix it, and we can't do that if you're freaking out."
"Freaking out? Phoebe, when I vanquished The Source the other day I was under the impression that he would not be coming back. Now, all of a sudden, here he is!" Piper said, indicating Phoebe's stomach. "And it's not like we can vanquish him, because in order to do that we'd have to vanquish you! And it's not like we can just magically remove him from your womb and vanquish him then!" she said, her hands flailing all over the place.
"That's it!" Cole exclaimed.
The sisters turned to look at him, a confused look on both of their faces.
"What's what?" Piper asked, her eyes narrowing.
Cole stood and walked slowly across the room, seeming to have ignored her question.
He stopped just short of the entrance, turning to face them, and Phoebe could see an idea forming in his head.
"What, baby? What is it?" Phoebe asked, and for the first time today, she saw a ray of hope.
"Piper may be on to something."
Piper turned to Phoebe, still confused. She was about to say something when Cole cut her off.
"What if we can remove the baby from inside of Phoebe? Magically I mean."
Phoebe's face went pale as she considered what he was saying.
She sat back down to avoid fainting and placed a hand on her abdomen.
"Can we do that?" Piper asked.
"Actually, I think we can, but only by using dark magic."
"No, absolutely not." Piper said, her fear of misusing magic kicking in. "We cannot use dark magic."
Cole looked to Phoebe for an answer. She realized it was all up to her, and she bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to do.
She decided she needed more information before a decision could be made.
"What kind of dark magic are we talking about here? Potion? Spell?"
"It's a spell." Cole replied, "I remember seeing it in the Grimoire, but I don't remember the words exactly. I never thought I'd need it for anything."
"And you still don't," Piper informed him, then turned her attention to her Phoebe, "How can you can't even consider using dark magic? There has to be something on this in the book." Piper pleaded with her, but it seemed no use.
Despite what Piper thought, Phoebe was listening. She knew the consequences of using dark magic. She knew the risks. She also knew there was no spell in The Book of Shadows to transfer a fetus. She would have remembered. Still...
A spell. It seemed to simple. There had to be a catch.
"So, we say the spell and that's it? The baby's removed? What, does it just vanish?"
Piper threw her hands up in frustration, amazed her sister was still thinking about this.
Cole thought for a moment, trying to remember how it worked.
"No, I don't think it's as simple as that."
"Of course it's not." Piper said, sarcastically.
Cole ignored her comment and continued, "If I remember correctly, the baby isn't just removed. It's transferred. That means we have to find someone else to carry the baby."
"But what good will that do?" Phoebe asked, "The Source will still be alive. He'll just be living in someone else. That only solves half our problems."
"Not if we transfer the baby to a demoness." Cole said, sparking the sisters' interests. "A demoness we could vanquish."
For the first time since Cole pitched the idea, Piper seemed interested. She was still wary about the repercussions, but this was starting to look like a way out.
However, this was not her decision, nor was it Cole's. It was Phoebe's.
Phoebe sat in silence as they watched her intently. Her future depended on this. Her future with Cole. Surely, he wouldn't have suggested it if he thought it would bring her harm's way. If there was one thing Cole knew how to do, it was how to protect her. With this in mind, she made her decision.
"I say we give it a shot. It may be our only chance."
Piper knew she was right, but hesitated to say so. They were still treading on rocky terrain, and she the last she needed was to jinx the plan.
She folded her arms over her chest, directing her attention back to Cole, "Ok, so how do find this demoness?"
"It should be fairly easy actually. We need a weaker lower lever demon who will be easier to vanquish, so finding her will also be easier." He motioned to the stairs, "We could probably just look in the book for a basic summoning spell."
Phoebe got up and stood at Cole's side.
"Ok, but once she's here, how do we transfer the baby? We don't have the spell, and I can't write my own version. It doesn't work like that."
Phoebe's spell writing skills were far above par, but her good nature and lack of experience in black magic made it impossible for her to write a basic dark arts spell, let alone something this complex.
"You won't have to write a spell. You have The Grimoire don't you? You can read the spell from that."
Piper looked discouraged. "We got rid of The Grimoire."
"What? Why?" Cole asked, his voice tinged with anger.
"Because it's evil that's why," Piper said, matching his tone. "We tried to destroy it, but that didn't work, so Leo just orbed it someplace far away."
Cole let out a sigh of relief. At least they hadn't destroyed it. There was still hope.
"Well, than get Leo in here and tell him to get it back."
Piper didn't like dragging her husband into this, but she realized that it was necessary.
"Leo!" She called, "Could you come here for a second?"
Footsteps approached, and Leo soon came into view. He walked right past Cole and over to Piper, stopping in front of her with his hands on his hips.
"What's the problem?"
Wanting to tell him everything, but not having the time or the patience, Piper just stated matter-of-factly, "I need you to go and retrieve The Grimoire."
"What? Why?"
Piper shook her head. "I don't have time to explain. I know it sounds crazy, but trust me. I know what I'm doing."
A mixture of confusion and concern was etched into Leo's face as he disappeared in a swirl of blue.
"This better work." Piper added to Cole after Leo had vanished.
-------------------------------------------------
"I can't believe you guys are asking for my help." Paige said, pacing the attic floor.
"I mean, vanquishing demons to protect the family is one thing, but having to summon one just so we can kill it because someone," She stopped pacing and glared at Cole, "had to use 'instant source spawn' potion on his wife!"
Cole looked affronted. "How many times do I have to tell you people that it wasn't me? It was The Source!"
"Same difference," Paige shrugged.
Piper stepped in on Cole's defense. "See, this is why Phoebe didn't want to tell you what was going on. She knew you'd react like this."
Paige looked to Phoebe who just shrugged it off, getting up from the couch to check The Book of Shadows.
Paige rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. She sighed, knowing an apology was in order.
"Fine, whatever." She turned to Cole, dropping her arms at her side. "I'm sorry that you were possessed by The Source and that you killed so many innocent people, but all that aside, I'm willing to help you fix this mess you've made."
Cole nodded and verbalized his thanks, assuming that that was Paige's form of an apology.
He walked over to the podium to see what Phoebe was up too, and he watched as she flipped through the thick pages, stopping suddenly on a short entry entitled ZORA.
"Perfect," Phoebe said, pointing at the page.
As she left to grab a pen and pad, Cole moved closer to read the small paragraph.
"What? What did you find?" Piper moved to stand at Cole's side.
"Zora, a lower level demoness with the power to morph into any human, animal, or object she chooses. More advanced than an average Chameleon demon, but not a major threat. She lives above ground, and works as a spy. Factions pay for her services with souls which she feeds on for survival. She can be summoned using a basic summoning spell."
Paige made her way to the door. "Ok, well I'll go get the crystals. Even if she is lower level, we can't risk her attacking us while we say the spell."
As she left, Phoebe, who had finished writing the summoning spell, ripped off a copy and handed it to Piper.
"We shouldn't need the Power of Three, but just in case."
Piper nodded, folding the paper and tucking it into her pants' pocket.
"Speaking of spells," she said, "Have we found the transfer spell in The Grimoire yet?"
"Not yet," Leo said, still carrying the burlap sack. "It's kind of hard to look through a book I can't even touch."
"Good point." Piper said, taking the sack from Leo and dumping its contents on the floor. Unfortunately, the big, black book remained shut as it landed with a loud thump.
Piper stared intently at The Grimoire, willing it to open. "Now what are we going to do? None of us can touch that thing."
Realizing that staring would get her nowhere, she looked up at Cole who stood silently at the podium.
"Why didn't you think of that before I had Leo orb halfway around the world to get this stupid thing?"
Cole was tired of constantly being accused.
"Hey, you didn't think of it either. Besides," he said, moving toward Piper, "I can."
He stopped just short of The Grimoire, reaching to pick it up.
"No!" Phoebe stopped him. "You're not a demon anymore. You're human now, remember?"
Of course he remembered. How could he forget? He hated being human, powerless, defenseless, and weak, but it was worth it if it meant he could have Phoebe. Phoebe made everything worth it.
"True, I'm not Balthazor anymore, and I don't have any powers," he said with slight frustration, "But I'm still a demon. It's in my genes. You can't change that."
With that, he reached back down to grab the book, opening its cover as soon as it was safely in his arms.
"See?"
Phoebe let out a sigh of relief and walked over to her husband's side.
"See anything?'
"Not yet."
He continued to flip through the pages, which Phoebe noticed were black. It really was the anti-Book of Shadows.
Paige reentered, holding the box filled with the crystals. She set them down on a side table and made her way over to the center of the room where everyone was gathered around The Grimoire. Piper, Leo, and Paige were trying to sneak a peak without getting shocked, while Phoebe on the other hand, had turned away. She was suddenly beginning to doubt the plan, and she wasn't sure if she could go through with it.
After a minute of two of searching, Cole announced triumphantly, "Found it!"
Everyone moved in response, adjusting themselves to get a better view.
"This spell's written for the one who the baby's being transferred to to say," Paige said, looking concerned. "Something tells me Zora's not going to say this spell willingly, especially if we lock her in a crystal cage."
"Maybe we can trick her into saying it, use a little persuasion."
Paige looked at Piper with raised brows.
"What? It could work, and if it doesn't, we'll just reword the spell, so we can say it."
"I don't know," Phoebe said, expressing her doubts.
"Well I do," Piper assured her, "This will work. We will have a nice, Source free existence."
"But what if we already have that?"
"What do you mean?" Piper asked, confused by her sister's sudden change of heart.
"I mean, what if this baby isn't The Source at all and we're just jumping to conclusions. For all we know, this could truly be our baby," Phoebe said, indicating Cole. "How do we know it's evil?"
Paige tried to ease the tension with a joke, "Well, of course it's evil. It's Cole's son isn't it?" Her comment wasn't received quite as she'd hoped.
"That's it!" Phoebe screamed, grabbing The Grimoire from Cole. She advanced on Paige, rasing the book, about to strike. Paige cowered back and orbed out just as Phoebe brought the book down on where her head had been moments before.
When she reappeared, she slowly stood, watching Phoebe warily. The room became still. Every stood in silence, stunned looks on all their faces.
"Ooookaaay," Piper said, never taking her eyes off Phoebe or the book. "Well I guess that answers your question."
Phoebe's face dropped in horror as she realized what she'd just done.
"Oh, my God, Paige, I'm so sorry," she said, moving forward to hug her bewildered sister.
Phoebe, so shook up herself, failed notice The Grimoire still tucked under her arm. She was inches away from Paige when the book gave off a bright light, sending the whitelighter flying across the room.
Phoebe gasped.
"Oh, Paige, I'm sooo sorry. I really am!"
Paige groaned, rubbing her lower back.
"It's ok." She said with a wince.
Phoebe tried to help her up, but Paige stopped her with a hand.
"No! That's ok. I can manage."
She pushed herself up off the floor, glaring at Cole as if the book's attack was somehow his fault.
"Ok, let's get this thing over with." she said, rejoining the group.
Piper reached into her pocket to retrieve the summoning spell Phoebe had given her.
Cole and Leo moved aside, making room for the sisters. After handing the book back to Cole, Phoebe stood next to Piper in fear that the baby might lash out at Paige again. They needed everything to run smoothly for this to work. Piper held out her copy of the spell for Paige to read, and the three of them chanted.
"Magic forces black and white
reaching out through space and light
be she far, or be she near,
bring us the demoness Zora here."
A white funnel cloud formed on the carpet, swirling for only a moment or two before a young blond clad in black leather emerged from the smoke.
Her expression was that of shock and confusion. She recognized the three women standing in front of her. They were the Charmed Ones. The protectors of innocents. What did they want with her?
She opened her mouth to ask, but the one in the middle spoke first, "Ok, here's the deal."
The witch began to move towards her, so she took a step back. Looking around, she could see she was clearly outnumbered. Attacking would be foolish, so she went on the defensive instead.
"We want to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime."
She listened carefully, keeping her eyes on Piper the whole time.
"How would you like to be The Source's mommy?"
Now she knew this was a joke. She could tell by the tone of her voice.
"The Source is dead," she spat, correcting their error.
"Uh huh," the witch continued, "See, that's what we thought too." She turned to one of her sisters standing behind her. The one who looked more similar, with the same brown hair and tan complexion. "That is, until we discovered that my sister here is in fact carrying The Source's heir inside of her."
Zora looked at Phoebe once more, studying her . She was small, barely over five feet. Her short legs were accentuated by the long blue skirt she wore. Her orange tank top was exposing ample cleavage.
'At least she's got it where it counts' Zora thought, but she was still unable to believe that this petite witch could be holding something so powerful inside of her.
"As you can imagine, we aren't too happy about the situation," Piper moved closer still, trying to prove a point. "We don't want The Source, but we know there are those out there that do, so we've decided to give them what they want. That's where you come in."
Zora remained wary, but she was slightly intrigued.
"All you have to do is read this spell from The Grimoire here."
Piper indicated the page that Cole held open for her.
"And just like that, the baby's yours."
The room became silent as Zora contemplated her choices.
"How do I know this isn't a trick? How do I know you won't just kill me as soon as I say the spell."
"You don't." Piper stated simply, "You just have to trust us."
This was just too much for the demonesss to handle. She had been halfway across the country one minute, spying on the CEO of a major corporation, the next, she was in the Charmed One's attic listening to them pitch some crazy story about the dead Source.
"Right," she said, as she formulated an escape.
"I'm just supposed to believe that the Charmed Ones want to help me. Well, guess what? I don't."
She started to shimmer, but luckily Piper was close enough to grab her arm, stopping her from leaving.
As soon as she came back into full view, Piper froze her with a quick flick of her wrist.
"I knew it wouldn't work."
Piper turned to Paige.
"You, set up the crystals."
Then, to Cole, "You, read the spell."
"Who, me?"
"Yes, you."
"Piper, I can't read the spell. I don't even have basic powers anymore." He said, frustrated with the fact that he had to constantly remind them of his humble human state.
"Then what are we going to do? None of us can read the spell. We can't risk turning evil."
Cole looked to Phoebe and Piper followed suit. Soon, all eyes were on her.
"Me? Why me?"
"Because you already have evil growing inside of you,f" Leo explained, "That's why you can touch the book in the first place. Unlike your sisters, you have nothing to lose."
She nodded, taking her place in front of The Grimoire. Cole smiled down at her, assuring her that it was alright.
Once the crystals were in place, Paige stepped back while Piper unfroze Zora.
Using her momentary confusion to their advantage, Phoebe began to recite the spell.
"Give her strength
and give her might
to steal this child
in still of night.
Darkest forces
let it be.
Hear my plea,
bring life to she!"
The moment the last words left her lips, the baby emerged from her stomach in a stream of white light, settling in Zora's.
"What the?"
Zora looked down at her stomach in horror. They all watched as the baby made it's way to settle in her womb. You could see it's movements through the skin of her exposed midriff.
Without hesitation, Piper grabbed both her sisters' hands and began the spell to vanquish The Source.
"Prudence, Patricia, Penelope, Melinda."
Phoebe continued with the next line.
"Astrid, Helen, Laura, and Grace."
Flames appeared around Zora's feet, engulfing her. The flames grew higher as Paige continued,
"Halliwell witches stand strong beside us."
Now the flames came up to her shoulders, and they finished in unison.
"Vanquish this evil from time and space."
With that, the demoness exploded in a giant ball of flame that sent a sonic wave throughout the attic, breaking the stain glass windows.
All that remained was a small, dark scorch mark on the circle carpet.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as silence settled in.
They had done it again. They had vanquished The Source.
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Liljdpegasuschic160: This ending's a little more resolute, but I'm sure you all still have burning questions that need answering. Like I said, the happiness will come with time. Phoebe & Cole will have a future. Speaking of the future...the future of this story is up in arms. I'm still going to write it, don't get me wrong. It's just that I'm not sure when I'm ending it. Ideally, I'd like to take this all the way to season 8, but as you can imagine, that's a big task. I'm not sure if I'll have the time, but that's what I'd really like to do. If I seem to have a steady flow of readers and if you guys are enjoying it, then I will definately consider going ahead with that plan. If it seems like people are getting bored with it, or if I just loose readers all together, then I'll cut it short and wrap it up some other way. So, I guess ultimately it's up to you guys...make me or break me...Until next time...