Chapter 12

"She's unconscious," the Winter Queen observed coolly.

"Did you expect her to walk in here of her own accord?" Cole probed the split lip with his tongue. "Trust me when I say this is the better way."

With a smirk, Milady pulled the cord that hung by her throne – its upper end mysteriously lost in the shadows of the vaulted ceiling. Cole strongly suspected there was no upper end. Nevertheless, a Snow wolf appeared almost immediately, silently trotting up to its mistress.

"This is Garm. He will carry the witch to…"

"Forget it!" Cole snapped, glaring at the white beast.

"Don't worry," she said with what was supposed to be a reassuring smile. "He won't bend a hair on her – unless I say so."

"I will take her myself."

Milady's eyes flashed. "You will stay here!" she snapped so sharply icicles broke off in the upper vaults; making a faint tinkling sound in the sudden, ensuing silence, as they struck the icy floor. Rearranging her expression almost immediately, the Winter Queen gave Cole a faintly incredulous look. "Surely you don't expect me to let you come in contact with the other witches? She will be returned to you in due time as promised. I will have to freeze her heart, of course – I can't have her running around undoing my work. Then again…" That lurid little smile of hers was playing in the corner of her mouth again. "Isn't that exactly what you wished for?"

"Not exactly, but close enough." Out of options, he carefully draped Phoebe's limp body across the broad back of the white wolf, making a nod in the direction of Santa as he straightened back up. "So you're not worried I will spoil your little Christmas party if you leave me alone here with him?"

Milady gave him a dismissive wave of her slender hand. "Oh, you're no threat to my plans, Belthazor. Not anymore. You squandered that opportunity when you killed the gnome."

Are you sure about that?

"I had no choice," he muttered.

"Oh, do drop the false modesty, Belthazor. When it comes down to 'you or him', it's always 'him', isn't that so?"

Cole made a dismissive sound. "He was becoming a nuisance."

Coming up to him, the Winter Queen leaned close, her lips almost touching his face. "Make sure you don't, Belthazor," she warned softly. "I don't have your patience."

The blizzard came from nowhere; whipping him high up in the air to slam him into the wall with bone shattering force; narrowly missing a window. With the furious gale threatening to tear the clothes off his body and rip him apart, Cole was helpless to move away. All he could do was to try to shield his face with both arms against the millions of needle-sharp ice crystals, stinging his skin.

Then, as unexpectedly as it started, the blizzard died. The sudden silence created a vacuum around him, and gasping for air, he realized that the howl he had been hearing wasn't just the wind roaring in his ears, but his own voice.

I wish people would stop throwing me into the walls.

Carefully relaxing his battered body where he lay curled up against the wall, Cole turned to face Milady. "You can't kill me," he rasped between breaths.

"I know," the Winter Queen admitted coldly. "I just wanted to show you what I can – and will – do to your witch, if you decide to double-cross me. Are we clear?"

"Perfectly."

"Good. Make yourself at home. I will only be a minute."

Gliding down the hall, she disappeared through one of the many doors with Garm, padding along in her wake; carrying his precious burden.

With a scowl on his face Cole brushed off the snow. Things weren't going exactly the way he had planned them, but end results were all that mattered, and he would take whatever way he could to achieve the ones he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed to his feet and stumbled over to the raised dais. "Come on, old man! Wake up! We only have a few minutes."

The grip on his arm was feebler this time, but just as surprising. "Get out!" Kris Kringle wheezed. "It's too late to save me now."

"You don't know me very well. Listen, I can fix this, but I need your help to do it. The Charmed Ones are…"

"…powerless." Kris made a weak effort to shake his head. "No spell of theirs can interfere with what's happening."

"Wrong. The Queen needs their magic. That means they can come up with a counter spell too."

Groaning a little from the strain, the Spirit of Christmas fought to move. It became easier the further away Milady was. "Then she's fooled you. She doesn't want their magic; just Phoebe's. She wants to take her power."

Cole's face contorted in a confused frown. "Her power of premonition?"

"No…the other one."

"Her emp…?" He broke off as things suddenly fell into place like pieces in a puzzle. "She told me she would freeze her heart," he breathed. "I just didn't…" Swinging away, Cole pulled a hand through his short but unruly hair. "Damn it!"

I've made a real mess out of this one…

They had all played him from the start; all of them. Used his weakness to make him do just what they wanted him to do – and like a well-trained dog, he had jumped when they said jump, thinking he would actually get the bone they tempted him with.

Story of my life, it seems.

Cole stared at the almost smug look on the bearded man's face. "The part about the curse breaking at midnight, is that a lie too?"

"No. That is quite true." St. Nicks pale, blue eyes held his – completely unreadable. "So maybe you should just kill me now and we can get this over with."

"Look, I am not going to kill you. I have enough lives on my conscience as it is. You will just have to trust me on this one."

"Then I hope you know what you're doing, son." The Spirit of Christmas faltered as the spell renewed its grip over him. "She's drawing near again," he whispered, almost overpowered.

"Wait!" Cole hissed, grabbing at the green sleeve, disturbing the intricate pattern of ice-crystals that had formed on the brown fur lining the hems. "What do I…?"

"You must believe…" the frozen spirit breathed between barely moving lips.

"Believe in what?"

"ChristmasIt's the only… way."

Biting back a curse, Cole pushed away from the dais.

Now what do I do?

"What do you think you're doing?" The Winter Queen's fine eyebrows were halfway to her beautifully wrought tiara of ice as she regarded Cole, who had draped himself unceremoniously across her throne.

"Making myself at home?" He studied the frozen grapes in his hand – covered in frost they looked like giant, green pearls. "Do you have a microwave or something? Everything seems to be frozen."

"A what?" Her composure clearly rattled, Milady glided up to him with too much speed to stay elegant.

"Never mind." He shrugged and produced a small energyball. Before she could object, he had picked up a red apple, and aimed the bolt at it. "Mm, grilled apples." Grinning, he took a bite of the steaming fruit and munched on it. "It so smacks of Christmas, don't you agree?"

"Belthazor…"

"Are there any chestnuts?" Holding the apple in one hand, he rummaged through the bowl with the other. "We could roast some and… No?"

Her face was even whiter than before; her green eyes sparkling like emeralds with quiet anger. "Get off my throne or I will roast your chestnuts!"

"Ouch." Swinging his long legs down from the armrest, he got on to his feet and backed away to let her sit.

"I want to…" A sudden frown on her face, she rose again to look at the white fur where she had sat. "What is this?"

"Oh, sorry." With an only half embarrassed grin he quickly swept up the brown, sticky kernels. "I had a couple of dates. I knew I dropped something."

Seething, the Queen sat back down – albeit a bit more careful. "Was my warning not clear enough? Do I have to show you more closely that my threats are not idle?"

"How? You won't dare hurt Phoebe before you have gotten what you want from her; her empathic powers." Milady's eyes veered away for a moment, and Cole smiled grimly at her telltale reaction. "You thought I wouldn't figure that one out? Question is; have you figured out how to accomplish that?"

For the first time, the Queen showed signs of uncertainty. "They won't be given much choice."

"You think you can just rip it from her? Sorry, but it doesn't work that way."

"Are you implying that you know another way?"

"Incidentally," he said, a sly grin slowly growing on his face. "I am the only one who can tell you how to do that."

Dark eyes flashing with weary suspicion, she glared up at him, calculating what to believe. "Why would you tell me?"

Tossing what he still had left of the apple in his hand; Cole took a few steps out on the floor. "I've done some thinking. There's little that would torment Phoebe more than being evil. Without empathy…well, she might even consider being my Queen of Evil again." Cole grinned to himself. "Yeah. That would be a sweet revenge," he murmured and sank his teeth into the juicy apple.

The Winter Queen's fingernails scraped at the armrest. "I imagine the clue to this great secret comes with a price?"

"Nothing much…just the world." He glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye.

There was some more clicking of nails. "I thought you said world domination wasn't worth it?"

"Did I? Well, it depends on what 'it' is, don't you think? If I can't have the one; I want the other."

"I still don't trust you and your motives."

"Suit yourself." Giving it a shrug, Cole sauntered away, munching on the apple, to admire the rich tapestry, and stopped briefly by Santa's side. "I can leave right now; take Phoebe with me," he offered, trying to balance the apple-core on Kriss Kringle's nose. When it failed, he lost interest and simply disposed of the core with a careless gesture. "You won't have any use of her without me anyway. Of course, that way you won't be able to destroy Christmas and I won't get out of limbo, but I will still have time to have some…'fun' with Phoebe. Any way this goes; I win."

There was a long silence, perforated only by the sound of nails clicking and scraping at the armrest. "Very well! You win this round," the Queen finally conceded with irritation building in her voice. "The mortals' world for Phoebe's powers. But I can't just call the warlocks in here and tell them their deal is off. They will be furious."

"They are plotting against you." Having abandoned his careless attitude, Cole returned briskly to the throne. "You will have to deal with them sooner or later anyway."

"Do you think I don't know that?" White teeth glittered momentarily in a feral grin. "I will deal with them in my own time and in my own way. But for now, I still need them."

"Right now, you need me more."

"But can I trust you more?"

"I'm a sneaky bastard, but I stand by my word."

The Winter Queen let go a small scoff. "Do I have your word on that?"

Cole met her eyes squarely. "What will it take for you to trust me, Milady?"

Pursing her lips thoughtfully, the Winter Queen reached for two silver goblets and filled them with steaming red mulled wine from an elegant decanter. "I have told them to bring the witches about thirty minutes before midnight," she said, holding out one of the goblets to Cole. "Meanwhile; drink with me?"

Her long eyelashes were lowered just so over her catlike, green eyes, and the faintest trace of a smile in the corner of her mouth.

Taking the goblet from her, Cole studied its almost bloodlike contents swirling inside the cup, his jaw working a little. "To Christmas," he said, and emptied it in one swig.

In the shadows of the upper galleries, a denser shadow detached itself to slide away soundlessly.

"Phoebe, are you okay?"

Piper's worried voice cut through the haze and slowly she opened her eyes. The world looked very strange at first; then she realized that she was lying on her side with her hands tied behind her back and her feet trussed together. "Piper?"

"Over here."

Phoebe lifted her head and spotted her older sister tied up in a similar way, sitting up against the wall. "Piper! Oh, I'm so happy to see you!"

"I wish I could say the same," Paige muttered. "We hoped they wouldn't get you too."

Phoebe twisted around to see her other sister tied up as well. "Paige!"

"The one and only."

"God, you have no idea what I went through before I learned that you two were alive."

"We have been quite worried too. When they didn't bring you, we hoped you had escaped."

"I did."

"You did?" Confused, Paige blinked. "Then… why are you here?"

"It's all part of the plan. I had to get here because we need the Power of Three to fix this."

"And that would be a great plan, if it wasn't for two things," Piper pointed out tersely. "For one thing we can't risk using our powers. For all we know, that's exactly what they want us to do. Secondly, and more importantly; our powers aren't working very well."

"Well, the second part I hope we can amend now that we are all together," Phoebe said, trying to sound convincing. "All we have to do is break the spell. And we do need to break it, because we need the Power of Three to stop the Winter Queen. She has captured the Spirit of Christmas to destroy him, but we can not vanquish her, because that would be just as bad."

"Whoa! Wait!" Piper snapped impatiently. "What spell? And how do you know all this?"

"I got some help… from an old friend." Phoebe trained her eyes on her sister, but if Piper caught the hint, she made no show of it. "At least I thought he was," she added under her breath as she suddenly recalled the reason for her headache.

"Who are you talking about?" Piper asked guardedly.

Phoebe took a deep breath. "Cole."

"That's funny," Paige cut in. "I thought you just said 'Cole'."

Phoebe felt a blush rise on her cheeks. "Eh, yeah, I did."

Piper's composure threatened to crumble. "Please, tell me it's another Cole."

"Um, no, it's… Cole." Seeing her sisters' shocked reactions, Phoebe hurried to add: "But it's okay; he's on our side."

"Oh, is that like 'he's Belthazor, but he's on our side' or is it 'he's The Source, but he's on our side'?" Piper snapped even more tersely than before.

"You mean there's a difference?" Paige rolled up her eyes.

"That's not fair!" Phoebe objected a bit sharper than intended. "He used to be evil, but he is here to help us save Christmas."

"Didn't you learn anything from the last time?" Piper interrupted. "Cole was never on anyone's side but his own."

"So his side is our side too this time. We can trust him."

"Honey, we can't trust Cole." Piper didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Except to do something crazy. He's about as reliable as rain in the desert. How did you even come up with the idea to…?" Stopping herself, she gave her sister a worried frown. "How did you find him, by the way?"

"I didn't. He found me."

"That makes sense," Paige remarked. "In a twisted, nightmarish way. Déjà vu, anyone?"

"Actually," Phoebe said sharply, annoyed with their glibness, "I think Piper can answer that."

This time her sister reacted more visibly. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said defensively, but her words lacked conviction.

"I'm talking about you – and Prue – being all over me for keeping things from you; things that could jeopardize us as sisters, as the Charmed Ones. And now you have been doing the same thing."

"I haven't kept anything from you."

"No? Then you wouldn't mind telling me who the 'old friend' was who helped you. You know, that day when you almost died, Leo came back, and Drake did die?"

"Piper?" Paige stared at her two sisters. Piper seemed unable to meet Phoebe's stare, which was practically nailing her to the wall.

"Why didn't you tell me, Piper?" Phoebe pressed on quietly when her sister failed to respond with anything but a guilty silence. "Why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what, for God's sake?" Paige burst out, almost knocking herself over as the bonds restrained her from waving her arms.

"That Cole helped me," Piper admitted reluctantly in a near whisper. "I was dead – or almost dead. It definitely was an out of body experience if ever there was one. And suddenly he was there; claiming he had come to help me."

"Help you how?" Paige asked, all baffled by these revelations. "To die?"

"In a way, yes." Shaking her hair out of her eyes, Piper lifted her face to look at them again. "It turned out to be very good advice."

"Why?" Shocked, Paige tried to understand.

Piper glanced over at Phoebe, who suddenly was the one looking away. "Why do you think, Paige? Cole always has ulterior motives."

"Phoebe? You mean he wanted to hurt her?"

"No, he wanted her to…"

"…believe in love again," Phoebe filled in softly.

"What?!"

"It's true," Piper said. "He said he thought that if Leo and I found our way back, Phoebe would have a reason to go looking for love again and…" Piper swallowed, "none of us would end up like him; cursed to stay without love in limbo forever."

"Cursed?" Phoebe's brow wrinkled up in a frown.

Uncomfortable, Piper shrugged. "That's what he said, anyway."

Paige shook her head in utter disbelief. "I just can't believe Cole is coming back to help any of us."

"Technically, he was helping Phoebe," Piper pointed out. "Leo and I just happened to be his means to an end. But he was right," she added before either of them could object or concur. "And that is precisely why I didn't tell you, Phoebe. If I had told you Cole was behind everything, it would all have been for nothing. He sacrificed a lot for your sake, and he came through for Leo and me – even though I treated him like pariah. He was right and I was wrong. I owed him not to tell you."

"Did you also know he sent Drake?" Phoebe asked.

Piper's eyes widened. "He did?" Then she couldn't help but let go a short laugh. "Well, he is thorough; you have to give him that. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he sent those Thorn demons too."

"So how did you find all this out?" Paige wanted to know. "I mean, if I'm to believe Piper, it doesn't sound like Cole would tell you about it?"

"He didn't." Phoebe sighed. "Someone else did, but it's a very long story and we don't have the time."

"So how do we know he doesn't have ulterior motives this time?" Paige insisted, still finding it very hard to believe Cole had turned good for real.

"I understand that this comes as a shock, Paige."

"I'll say!"

"Well, trust me, it was quite a shock to me too, but I believe his intentions are good this time. He saved my life and he helped save Leo from the Snow wolves."

"Leo?" both her sisters burst out in unison.

"Oh, my God!" Piper fretted. "Are Wyatt and Chris okay?"

"Yes, they're all okay." Avoiding mentioning where they were, Phoebe tried to get back to the more important part. "Anyway, this emissary turned up to confirm everything Cole has said and that whatever else happens, Cole is going back to limbo by midnight."

"Back? How did he get out?" Paige quipped.

"I told you it is a long story, and I only know half of it. Apparently, he got a wish from an elf that came for his help."

"Well, I don't buy it," Paige declared. "Don't you see, Phoebe? If Cole were on our side, he would have done everything to keep you away from here. Bringing you here was the worst thing he could do."

"But he didn't even want to come here," Phoebe objected, her conviction wearing thin. "It was I who insisted on going. Piper, help me out here! He saved you and Leo."

Her sister shook her head. "I don't know. That was then, Phoebe. Cole has changed so many times on us; I don't know what he is up to this time. Maybe he was planning for this all along."

"Think, Phoebe!" Paige urged her. "That's how Cole operates; he sets you up to do exactly what he wants. Would you have come if he had just turned up and asked you to join him?"

"That's not how it happened. I was…"

"Was what?" Paige pressed, raising a knowing eyebrow. "Phoebe, I hate to break this to you, but Cole is still evil. He must be in on this with the Winter Queen. We've even heard them talking about how they were just waiting for someone to bring you here. He's fooled you – again."

"He did act weird before he knocked me out." Frowning, she tried to recall what he had said just before, but it was like that thing you only see in the corner of your eye, never when you look at it directly.

"He knocked you out? And you tell us to trust him?" Paige rolled up her eyes again, thinking that she didn't know any man who could make her do that as much as Cole could. "Well, there you go then. He wanted to make sure that we wouldn't have time to come up with a way to fix this."

"Or to stop them from using us before we could break the spell!" Phoebe realized, grasping for straws. "Either way, we need to break the spell over you two and get to work."

"There you go again about that spell," Piper said. "Is this something Cole has told you too? Because I am telling you, we are not under any spell."

"Yes, you are. We all were."

"Okay, you have to prove that," Paige declared.

"Well… Y'know how we all lost the Christmas spirit and didn't really care if we went separate ways? And, Piper, you wouldn't know anything about any elf, would you?" Phoebe cocked her head to one side.

"What are you talking about this time?"

"Something else you've neglected to tell us. Remember the elf who came to ask for our help the other day?"

Phoebe held her breath. If Piper denied that, it could just as well prove that Cole and Tes had been lying to her all along.

"I..I…It's like I dreamt that," Piper stammered, trying to recall the event. "Everything came crashing down that day. Chris burnt his hand, and…then there's like a gap in my mind, because suddenly it's later and Leo comes home." Frowning in concentration, she prodded her reluctant memory. "There was soot on the floor…I wondered where that came from." Suddenly, the memory burst clear of the mists, and Piper gasped as she recalled what she had done. "Oh, no…He told me Santa was in danger, and I just sent him packing." With a helpless look, she turned to stare at her sisters. "It's my fault we are here."

"Oh, sweetie, no!" Phoebe tried to wriggle closer. "That was the spell talking. Now do you believe me?" As both her sisters finally nodded, Phoebe let go a sigh of relief. At least that obstacle was passed. "The Winter Queen designed it especially to make us insensitive to the Christmas spirit; that's why we have been acting so weird; that's why they could get to us."

"I guess that makes sense," Paige admitted. "And with our feelings out of whack, our powers would be, too. Is there a way to break it?"

"Well, I managed to break it by tapping into my Empath's powers, but I don't think that will work for you."

"Didn't the Elders take them away from you?"

"As it turns out, they just blocked them. I unblocked them with a potion, but it binds them too, so I keep them in a pouch around my neck."

Paige scrounged up her nose. "Okay, now you're being weird," she remarked. "So what do we do?"

"I was hoping the good old 'Power of Three' spell would do the trick."

"Okay, but don't we need to hold hands for that?" Turning halfway around, Paige gestured with her tied up hands.

Phoebe frowned. "Umm, yeah…but…" Rolling onto her back, she pulled up her legs and pushed herself across the floor, sliding on her back. When she was close enough to Piper to touch her, she fought her way up on her knees, her back turned to them. "So we hold hands," she said, waving her fingers.

Catching on, Piper and Paige began to wriggle themselves around and after some scuffing around, their fingers met and closed around each other. There was some confusion about who held whose hands, but soon they were all set to go.

"The Power of Three will set us free," Phoebe began chanting, her sisters falling into time with her. "The Power of Three will set us free; the Power of Three will set us free…"

"Okay," Phoebe said after several repeats. "Do you think it worked?"

"I don't know." Piper shrugged. "I don't feel different. Paige, can you orb?"

"I'll try. Ouch! No."

"Damn it!" Phoebe muttered. "It wasn't enough."

"Okay, let's try saying it again." Piper grabbed for her sisters' hands again, but they never got the chance to start over.

"Isn't that nice; some sisterly bonding."

Startled, they looked over at the door that had swung open soundlessly to admit Henbane and two more warlocks. "I hope that was a goodbye." Henbane grinned at them. "Because this is the end of the line for you."

Déjà vu, anyone?

Paige's words echoed in Phoebe's head as the warlocks blinked in with them in the throne room and she saw Cole standing by the Winter Queen's throne; a supercilious smirk on his face. In the corner of her eye, she saw Paige falter and almost back up against the Warlock holding her. On her other side, and slightly in front, Piper was standing straight-backed, her knuckles white from her fingers clenching into hard fists.

"Fallen off the wagon again, Cole?"

"Nice to see you again too, Piper. Paige." He grinned at the flabbergasted Paige, staring at him with equal amounts of disbelief and disgust in her eyes. "Missed me much?"

"So all that talk about accepting your fate and wanting Phoebe to find love was just a load of crap?" Piper challenged.

"Oh, I meant every word of it," Cole assured her, putting down the apple he had been carving slices from. "Then I found that there was a way out of that half existence I was leading. Can you blame me for deciding to take it?"

"By reverting back to evil?" Piper sneered nastily. "It must have been so hard for you."

Cole's countenance darkened; his deep-set eyes seeming to sink even deeper below the thick eyebrows. "You have no idea what you are talking about, Piper, so shut up." A finger gestured at her, and suddenly a large sticker was covering her mouth. 'Do not open 'til Christmas', it said in bright red letters on a green background.

"Mmmffhh bffgh mmpbfffgh fff!" Piper raged.

"Sorry, I didn't get that. Must be the reception in here."

"You evil rat," Paige began, earning a sharp look from Cole that shut her up as effectively as any sticker.

"Well, that was amusing," the Winter Queen remarked. "But time is of the essence, so maybe we should pass up on the cordiality and go straight to business."

"What is it that you want from us?" Phoebe asked, directing her words to the Queen rather than Cole, who hadn't so much as looked at her.

"Nothing you can't live without, my dear. Don't worry; it won't hurt a bit." She looked over at Cole, leaning a casual elbow on the backrest of her throne. "That is, if I were to do it my way and reach in to freeze your heart and rip it out, it most certainly would, but Belthazor here claims he knows a better way. He still has to prove it to me, of course."

"Belth…?" Involuntarily, Phoebe's eyes traveled over to the tall, dark figure that was now walking toward her; his fingertips gently pressed together in front of him – and felt herself shrink back a little. "Cole?"

Two feet away, he stopped. "Forgive me," he said in a dispassionate voice, almost matter-of-factly, and reached out a hand toward her neck; still holding the small dagger he had used on the apple. A drop of juice, remaining on the blade, glittered menacingly as it caught and reflected the light.

Not knowing what he had in mind; Phoebe steeled herself before his touch, and felt the hands of the Warlock close more tightly around her arms, but Cole's right hand came to rest just below her chin, not even touching her. Fingers closing on the zipper, he pulled it down with deliberate slowness; her white coat parting like a skin cut open to reveal the red sweater underneath. Just as slowly, he reached inside to pull out the pouch that hung around her neck.

"Cole, no…" she breathed, shaking her head.

He looked up at her then, his intent gaze unwavering as it locked on her eyes. "You don't need this," he told her gravely, cutting the string from around her neck with the dagger.

Holding his gaze, Phoebe searched for something, anything, in his eyes that would tell her he hadn't tricked her again, but his face remained unreadable and closed to her. "Why?" she demanded in a near whisper.

Cole's eyes looked straight into hers. "You know why, Phoebe. I told you to remember who I am; to remember who you are." His hand closed demonstratively around the pouch as he straightened up.

"Give it back!" As Cole backed away to return, Phoebe thrashed in the Warlock's grip, almost breaking free, but not quite. Her captor pulled her back, close, one arm around her throat. "You are staying with me, little witch," he hissed by her ear. "We are going to have so much fun, you and I." Ignoring her repulsion, he let his free hand grope for her breast. "So much funngghhh!"

Pale with pain, the warlock looked down to see a small but razor sharp dagger lodged in the back of his hand; blood oozing out beneath it to trickle down his wrist. With something between rage and fear, he opened his mouth to protest, but his angry objection turned into something gibbered in fear when he saw the forbidding look in Cole's eyes.

Without a word, the former half-demon called the dagger back to his hand and turned around, leaving a breathless Phoebe staring at his back.

"That's it?" The Winter Queen was not particularly impressed by the way he had obtained his prize. "Just like that? No spells, no magic?"

"Just like that." Cole grinned, obviously pleased.

"I could've done that myself!" Milady said, icily. "You said only you…"

"Knew how to do it," Cole filled in pleasantly. "I didn't lie to you, Millie. No magic of yours, or mine, could have given you this." He let the pouch dangle on its cord. "If Phoebe hadn't put them in here to begin with."

"How convenient." The Queen gave him a measured look. "Now, give them to me. I need them to complete the destruction of Christmas."

"Cole, please, don't!" Phoebe pleaded with him. "I will go with you anywhere; just don't do this!"

"Phoebe!" Paige gasped; eyes wide, but Phoebe paid no attention to her. For a moment she thought she had reached through to Cole, as he seemed to hesitate, but then the pouch was dropped into the Queen's outstretched hand.

"I'm sorry, dear," Milady said with address to Phoebe. "He belongs to me now." She lifted the silver goblet he had been drinking from earlier. "My Christmas brew is very potent."

"Are you through?" an impatient Henbane wanted to know. "Can I take what's mine and get out of here?"

"You will get what's coming to you, Henbane. But not yet." Milady rose gracefully from her throne. "I may still have need of the witches – in case Belthazor's contribution fails to work. Put them back in custody and await my orders."

The Warlock made a stiff bow. "Very well, Milady." Swinging around, easily pulling Piper with him, he gestured at the other two to follow as he blinked out.

"Do you know what this is?" Milady toyed with Phoebe's pouch. "This is all the love in the world." Noting Cole's skeptically raised eyebrow, she smiled a little. "Let me rephrase that. All the love that remains in the world. If this had been allowed to remain, I would not be able to succeed."

Cole nodded. "The legend; if one single soul still believes in the Spirit of Christmas."

"Exactly." The Winter Queen smiled her catlike smile. If she had had whiskers, they would've quivered. "Once I have destroyed this, the Spirit of Christmas will be broken – for good."

"Clever. What about him?" He gestured with his head toward Kris Kringle.

"That's the best part." Sending a wanton look over at Santa, the Winter Queen licked her lips. "I need to stab through his heart at the strike of the midnight hour, to break the seal of the Christmas Magic, but since he is immortal, he will be resurrected – as Bad Santa."

"I see." One finger rubbing thoughtfully over his chin, Cole let his gaze travel across the hall when a movement in the shadows behind the throne caught his attention. Tes? "Mind if I look around?" Gesturing at the room in general, Cole begun to move away from the vicinity of the throne.

The Queen gave him a brief glance. "Already tired of my company?"

Cole shrugged. "I'm not good at waiting."

"Of course you aren't." She smiled a little and toyed with the pouch. "Go ahead. I need a moment to prepare myself."

Dismissed, Cole wandered behind the throne, slowly circling the circumference below the rose window. When he reached the far wall, he moved up to the tapestries hanging by the last vault. "Fantastic work," he said, deliberately keeping his voice down.

"I'm sorry, dear, did you say something?"

"Just talking to myself," he called back a little louder, and crouched down, pretending to study the lower part of the drape more closely. "Tes, what are you doing here?" he whispered, banking on the thick fabric to stop his words from traveling back to the Queen. "Where's Phoebe?"

"I don't know. I couldn't follow when they blinked. Let's get out of here, Cole. I don't like this."

Neither do I, but I have no choice in this anymore.

"I can't," he softly told her. "When I drank that potion, I fell under the Queen's power. I can't leave – unless she lets me. We have to see this to the end."

Tes gave him a long, hard stare. "You will let yourself be killed," she stated angrily and his guilty look told her what he wouldn't say in so many words. "I don't understand, Cole. Why are you doing this? Because of Phoebe? You're better off without her. We are better off without her."

"Tes…" reaching out a hand, he stroked the furry head. "She's the only woman who has ever loved me for who I am. My love nearly destroyed her." His voice nearly disappeared in a breathless whisper. "I have to make it right."

"Even if you have to die for her?"

"I've done that before; and I will do it again if I know it will save her. It's not like I had expected to survive past midnight anyway." He couldn't help but smile a little. History had an uncanny way of repeating itself. "Being in Limbo is hell, yes, but if Phoebe dies when I could've stopped it…that would be infinitely worse than any hell."

Tes seemed to shrink a little. "She means that much to you?"

"Yes."

"But you took away her powers."

"No, I didn't. Her empathy was never in that pouch, it's in her heart. But I needed the Queen to think I did – that I was the only one who could."

"But how will that save Christmas?" Tes objected in a final attempt to talk him out of this.

Something flitted across Cole's face. "Let's just say I still have a card up my sleeve," he said. "Listen, I will send you to where Phoebe is. Make sure they return here before midnight to get Santa out of here."

"Out of here how?"

Cole winked at the wolf. "I've made arrangements." Putting both hands on her head, he looked straight into her amber eyes. "My powers are fading. Phoebe's life is in your hands now, Tes. I'm putting all my trust in you."

The werewolf took a deep breath. "Okay," she consented. A brief but heartfelt smile graced her and then he closed his eyes; there was a spinning sensation and next thing she knew, she was alone in a much darker environment. Finding her balance, Tes concentrated with all senses rapt on finding out where she was, and – more importantly – if someone else was nearby. From a distance, voices could be heard, and she headed out in that direction.

Phoebe blinked in the sudden darkness. It wasn't pitch dark – just so much darker than the whiteness that had surrounded them in the throne room. 'It's not the Underworld,' she decided. For one thing, the air was not stale at all, but cold and dry. In the distance something was dripping; hitting a water surface, by the sound of it. . "Where are we?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"You're in a pinch," Henbane's voice answered, too close to her ear for comfort. A larger hand than the previous one holding her, grabbed her shoulder to push her down on the floor. "Go see to that!" he then barked with address to the wounded warlock, who blinked out, gratefully, the other one following.

As her eyes adjusted, Phoebe could make out both her sisters sitting next to her – Piper with the sticker still across her mouth. "Does the Winter Queen know where you have taken us?" she asked, following a hunch.

"No," came the unexpectedly candid answer. "And if you play your cards right, she will never know, and you will be out of here unharmed."

"Mfmmff mhmff dss nffp!" Piper stomped her tied up feet on the floor.

"If that meant 'take away the sticker', I will do so in a little while," Henbane promised. "First I need you to hear me out."

"Why would we listen to anything you have to say?" Paige challenged.

"Because I have a proposition to make; one that will benefit us all. The Queen won't let any of us leave here alive, no matter what she says. If you help me, you might live."

"Okay, we're listening," Phoebe said, squaring her shoulders. "Not saying we will agree to do anything, though."

"Fair enough. Just hear me out! None of us are interested in the Queen taking over the world."

"Then you shouldn't have made a deal with her," Paige cut in.

"We made the deal hoping to stop her," Henbane explained, deciding to ignore that remark. "We even had the upper hand, when Belthazor threw himself into the mix."

"Cole," Phoebe interrupted in a low mutter. "Not Belthazor; Cole."

"You say potato, I say potáto," her younger sister said, shrugging as much as her ties allowed.

"Ladies!" Henbane cut in sharply, shutting them up. "The important part is that the scales have been tipped. We need to work together to fix this."

"As opposed to killing us, I presume?" Phoebe snapped nastily – in no mood for being polite.

Henbane made a consenting bow. "I won't deny that was the original idea. Things appear to have changed, however, so I am offering you a deal to get out of this alive."

"You seriously want us to believe that?" Paige gave him an incredulous look.

"Believe what you like; fact remains we need each other now."

"Okay," Phoebe said. "What do you need us to do?"

"You need to vanquish the Winter Queen. We hoped it wouldn't be necessary, but now it is. This has gone too far."

"How?"

"If I knew that, I wouldn't need the Charmed Ones, would I?" Henbane sneered. "It takes the Power of Three to do it."

"Well, in that case, you should know that our poww…" Paige broke off as Phoebe kicked her in the shins.

"…that we need to discuss this among ourselves," she finished for her sister.

"Go ahead!"

"In private."

Pursing his lips in irritation, Henbane still decided to humor them. "Very well. You have five minutes." He turned to leave, but Phoebe called him back.

"Hey! Did you forget…?" She indicated Piper with a nod and, grumbling, the warlock came over to rip the sticker off.

"Five minutes," he repeated and blinked out.

"Now do you believe me?" Paige burst out the moment they were alone. "Cole is not on our side. He set you up – again."

"I don't know…it doesn't make sense. I felt him. When he helped me break the block, I felt him and I would have known if he…" She faltered, remembering the hint of a secret hidden in there. "Except…there was something…"

"Phoebe…" Piper sighed. This was not something she relished telling her sister. "He took your powers and gave them to the Winter Queen. Whatever his original intentions were, he must have planned that. Maybe she got to him somewhere in between."

Seen from that point of view, Phoebe felt how her world began to crumble. Of course he had fooled her. Why would he waste a chance to get back to her, her sisters and the Elders at the same time? "Bastard," she whispered, her sweet face distorted by a grimace of pain. "You bastard!" She had almost begun to give in to him again, almost begun to trust him and believe that he was fighting for Good this time.

"It's not your fault, Pheebs," Piper tried to sooth her. "Cole can be very deceptive when he wants to. And you wanted to help us."

"You just picked a lousy way to do it in," Paige couldn't refrain from pointing out.

"That's enough, Paige. Now we really need to figure out how to get out of this and stop them."

"You mean we team up with the Warlocks?" Paige looked dubious.

"Yes, at least until we get a handle on the situation. He is right about the Queen – she's got to be eliminated. Especially if Cole has teamed up with her."

"How? Our powers still don't work."

"We'll have to find a way. Personally, I don't think the Queen is our biggest problem."

"Cole? So what do we do about him?" Paige threw a nervous glance in Phoebe's direction.

"Leave him to me," Phoebe muttered morosely. "If I get out of this alive, I will teach him not to try anything with me ever again. No, better still; I will make sure he can't try anything with anyone, ever again."

"So do we agree to team up with the Warlocks?" Piper said. "I don't trust Henbane any more than I trust Cole."

"Neither do I," Paige assured her. "But I don't see that we have much of a choice."

Something rustled in the deeper shadows of the cave-like place they were trapped in, and they all jumped a little.

"What was that?" Piper peered into the dark.

"Maybe it was a troll," Paige whispered. "I mean this is Faërie, isn't it? God knows what creatures dwell in places like this."

"Whatever it was, it went the other way." With a last look over her shoulder, Phoebe turned back to her sisters. "Look, I'm not sure about this 'vanquish the Queen'-bit. Cole was adamant about avoiding that. He said it would be as bad as her killing Santa."

Paige gave her a look. "Cole said?"

"Paige's right, Phoebe. We can't trust a thing he says."

"But we can trust a bunch of warlocks who plotted with her to take over the world, and kill us? I'm just saying we need to consider the consequences of our actions."

"Well, at least if we go with them we will be free to act," Paige pointed out.

"Phoebe?"

"I don't know." Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Time's up!" Henbane blinked back in with his two goons in tow. "Have you made your decision?"

"You didn't say what happens if we refuse."

The warlock gave Phoebe an incredulous look. "You can't be that foolish."

"Just for argument's sake, let's say we are. I don't believe for a second that you are offering us a deal without making sure you can gain as much as possible. What is it that you haven't told us?"

"You know all you need to know."

"No, you haven't said what will happen to Santa if we vanquish the Winter Queen."

"Don't worry about him! It's the Queen who wants you dead. Worse; she will freeze your hearts. Take her out if you want to live."

"Or else?"

"Let me put it his way; if you're not with us, you're against us. I can't let the Queen gain power over you." Muttering a few words they didn't understand, Henbane gestured and suddenly three wooden poles surrounded with firewood appeared in the gloom. "Your choice."

"Umm, Phoebe…" Paige began nervously. "Maybe we should go along with them? We still need to fight Cole and the Queen. We can fight this battle after we have saved Christmas, okay?"

"Listen to the voice of reason," Henbane suggested. "Your sister is very smart."

"She's got a point, Phoebe," Piper put forth. "We're no good dead to anyone."

"Two against one," the Warlock said. "You're outnumbered little witch. Your sisters are a lot wiser than you. Or do you still think the half-demon cares about you? Then let me enlighten you about a couple of things I happened to overhear before. The Queen has promised Belthazor our part of the bargain, and he has plans of his own for you. Does 'Queen of Evil' ring any bells? I can see it does," he added smugly as Phoebe sucked in air between her teeth with a hiss.

"No," she whispered. "It's a ruse. Cole will be returned to limbo at midnight."

"He probably would, if it wasn't for the fact that when the Spirit of Christmas is destroyed, so is the curse on him."

Phoebe felt her breath catch a little in her throat. "That's what he meant with a way out," she realized in a near whisper.

"You need to remember who he is, little witch. Some things can't be changed. We are who we are."

Phoebe's head sank down until her chin was buried in the thick collar of her sweater.

'Remember who I am – remember who you are.'

Cole's words repeated in her head. She remembered now; that was what he had said just before he knocked her out. It just didn't make sense anymore. Nothing did. And yet…

"Phoebe!" Piper urged. "We can't let Cole become The Source again. Untie us!" she went on, turning to Henbane. "We're coming with you – but if you try anything, you will be the first one to die. Understood?"

"I even like the sound of it." Henbane smiled. "Release them!" he ordered the other two, but as he bent down over Phoebe, she pushed away.

"No! I am not going. I won't do this."

"Phoebe!" Paige burst out in near desperation. "Don't tell me you suddenly have gone bananas over Cole again. Don't let him seduce you into evil one more time."

Refusing to look up, Phoebe shook her head. "It's not about me and him. This is about the cosmic balance between Good and Evil. Killing the Winter Queen, or Cole, won't solve anything, except the Warlocks' problems. It will shift the balance too much. I know enough about Christmas and Magic to know Cole wasn't lying about that – I'm not doing this."

In the thunderclap silence that followed her words, everyone was staring at her, and she shut her eyes tightly to avoid seeing her sisters' accusing looks.

Five ominous seconds passed, and then Piper said firmly: "We're not doing this."

"What?" The Warlock rose in angry disbelief, staring at the three witches on the floor. "Are you all insane?"

"Probably." Piper grimaced. "But we stick together."

"I guess I'm with them." Paige ducked a little under Henbane's sudden glare. "Phoebe, I hope you know what you're doing."

"So do I." She gulped. What the hell was she doing? Banking on Cole again? What options did she have?

"Then have it your way!" Henbane roared, his voice echoing in the underground halls. Grabbing Phoebe by the ropes, he started to half drag, half carry her over to the closest pyre. "Get the others! We can't risk that the Queen uses them."

"Henbane, no!" the unharmed warlock snapped.

"What?" He swung around angrily, sweeping Phoebe around with such force, she cried out. "They will change their minds when the flames begin to lick their feet."

"Killing the Winter Queen wasn't part of any deal. We're not going along with this."

"I won't have any part in killing the Charmed Ones either," the Warlock now wearing a bandage around his hand, said. "You saw the look in Belthazor's eyes." Shivering with the memory, he almost cowered where he stood. "I don't know whose side he's on, but I don't want him coming after me."

"Idiots!" Henbane roared, commencing to drag Phoebe up on the pyre to tie her to the pole. "If the Queen dies, he will disappear at midnight."

"If the Queen dies, all hell might break out at midnight," Phoebe yelled, and received a sharp slap over her face from Henbane.

"Shut up, witch! And you; get the other two over here!"

The two warlocks looked at each other. "No," one of them said. "You do this; you're on your own."

"Then go to hell!" Henbane raged, sending a ball of fire in their direction, but the two warlocks blinked out before it hit them. "Cowards!" he spat. "It's so hard to find good help these days, don't you think?" Tightening the rope as hard as he could, he grinned as she winced, and grabbed her chin to force her to look at him. "Foolish witch! You could've had the world."

"I don't want it!" she snarled back and gagged as he suddenly placed his mouth over hers in a rough, hard kiss.

"Belthazor's right," he said, letting her go. "You would make a great Queen of Evil."

"Bastard!" She spat him in the face and braced for the slap, but it didn't come.

Instead the Warlock grinned evilly. "I will light your pyre last," he informed her. "Let's see how brave you are, watching your sisters burn." With that he returned down to fetch the other two.

Hiding in the deep shadows, Tes sank down on her stomach to watch the warlock tie the struggling Phoebe to the stake. It served her right, she thought. Served them all right for backstabbing Cole. They had him to thank for their lives, and how did they repay him? Cole was indeed better off without Phoebe and her ungrateful sisters. She didn't deserve him anyway.

Over in the cave, Henbane dragged a kicking and screaming Piper to the other stake, and then Paige. Reminded of her own near-death experience, Tes shifted where she lay; suddenly uncomfortable. They were going to kill Cole, she told herself. She just couldn't let that happen; she had watched too many of her loved ones die. There wasn't anything she could do to help them anyway. Even if she could gnaw off the ropes it would take too much time. Besides, the warlock would see her and kill her before she even got halfway to any of the woodpiles.

Restless, Tes rose back up. Her best option was to go back to Cole and tell him the witches were dead, that she had been too late to help them. She and Cole could just go back to be together. Except…

Whining a little, Tes circled around and stretched down on her front paws in indecision. Recalling Cole's reaction when he sensed Phoebe being in danger before, she licked her nose and looked over at the witch tied up on what was to be her funeral pyre.

Pale but proud, Phoebe stood with head held high, not showing much of the fear she oozed so strongly of, Tes could smell it clearly all the way to where she was.

"You do realize Cole will kill you?" Phoebe said to Henbane as he left Paige's side.

"What makes you think I will let him live long enough to find out?" he sneered nastily.

"As if you could kill him."

Henbane scoffed haughtily. "The Winter Queen's potion weakens him. Trust me, little witch! He can be killed – and he will be killed before midnight. It's what you wanted, isn't it? Consider it my gift to you this Christmas." Laughing, he pulled out a larger piece of wood from the bottom of Piper's pile and set it on fire. "Now, which one of your sisters shall I start with? This one?" He swung the torch toward Piper, who pressed back against the pole. "Or this one?" The torch swung toward Paige, who shied back as well.

"You know, this would be a great opportunity for Cole to show he's on our side," Piper snapped between clenched teeth.

In the shadows, Tes hesitated. She had to go and warn Cole about Henbane. Taking a couple of steps away, she stopped and hesitated again before making her decision.

Giddy with triumph, Henbane raised the torch to set the woodpile beneath Phoebe's feet, on fire.

Seeing it first, Piper screamed as the beast came hurtling out of the shadows; its fur grazing Phoebe's side as it easily jumped the pile to crash into the Warlock; it's jaws closing around his arm. Long claws ripped into Henbanes clothes, sending the torch flying wide to land, rolling on the floor as werebeast and warlock went down in frenzy of snarling and screaming.

"What the hell is that?" Paige yelled in fright, barely making herself heard over the din from the fight.

The nightmarish apparition was huge and charcoal black, with a body more animal than human. The head was wedge-shaped with enormous jaws and sinewy muscles, bulging under the coarse fur that barely covered it.

Shocked by the transformation that had taken place, Phoebe snatched at her ropes. "It's Tes!"

"A what?"

"Tes! She's half were-wolf."

"You know her?"

"She came with Cole."

"That isn't very reassuring!" Piper yelled vehemently.

On the floor, the furious fight raged on; the snarling werewolf trying to rip the shapeshifting warlock to pieces, while Henbane did his best to turn into something worse than a werewolf.

"She attacked him and not us, didn't she," Phoebe pointed out and then her eyes bulged in fear. "Ah-ah! Paige, you're on fire!"

The torch, having come to an unfortunate stop by Paige's pyre, had ignited it, and flames were already bursting forth, climbing toward the top. Soon they were surrounding her on all sides.

"Orb out! Orb out!"

"I'm trying!" In sheer desperation she tried blowing at the flames when the whole pyre shook as the warlock managed to throw the werewolf into it, scattering cinders and wood all over the place; leaving Paige to balance on a small top that threatened to crumble into the rising flames. "Oh, God!" she whimpered from her precarious place. "I'd give anything to get out of here!"

"That's it!" Phoebe burst out. "Give! The Spirit of Christmas! That's how we break the spell."

"Would making sense be too much to ask for?"

"You can't use your powers for yourself!"

"Then what am I supposed to do? Orb the fire over to you?"

"No, but to me," Piper said, suddenly getting what Phoebe was going for. "Burn off the rope around my hands, and then I can freeze the fire."

"No! You'll burn your hands," Paige objected.

"You can heal me later. Now, Paige!"

"Fire! Piper's hands!" Swallowing hot smoke, she was caught in a coughing fit.

"Yes! It worked! It worked!" Phoebe was almost jumping up and down in anxiety and excitement. "Hold on, Tes! We're coming!"

Blood and saliva dripping from her jaws, Tes was back on her feet, but limping heavily. Snarling deep in her throat, she circled the unsteady and heavily bleeding Henbane, who had problems maintaining the shape he had shifted into. Cursing, he gave up trying and reverted to his own shape. "Come on, you mongrel!" he goaded, inching his way around, one arm hanging useless, dripping with blood. Grabbing one of the burning sticks on the floor, he feebly threw it at his attacker. "Go fetch!" Faltering, the warlock stumbled down on one knee, and seeing her chance, Tes sprang.

Phoebe saw the evil grin on his face; saw the faint glimmer of something sharp in the hand he hid behind his knee. "Tes, look out!" she shouted, but it was too late.

The werewolf twisted in the air, but couldn't avoid the large dagger that Henbane shoved up into her ribcage, more or less impaling herself on it.

"NO!" Phoebe was screaming as the werewolf, howling in rage, crashed into the warlock; the force of her leap sending them both sliding along the floor and out of her immediate sight. Terrible, gargled noises and gurgled screams came from behind her, but she couldn't turn around to see what was happening. "Piper!"

"Piper!" Paige was yelling too, but for different reasons. The flames were now licking her feet and she was desperately trying to stomp them out without kicking herself into the fire that was blazing below; the sound of its feeding on the dry wood, adding to the general melee.

Biting down hard not to scream at the burning heat, the oldest Halliwell strained at the ropes, trying to break them as fast as possible. Then the rope did snap, and her hands were free. Praying silently this would work, she directed a burst of magic at the flames.

The silence fell so suddenly they all snatched a little.

"Good job!" Phoebe shouted in relief. "Hurry! Hurry!" she urged as Piper struggled to free herself of the ropes; her wrists tender and sore from burns. Soon she was skidding down and jumping through the frozen flames to free a violently coughing Paige as well.

Phoebe was frantic by the time they got to her. As soon as she was free, she almost tripped over her own feet in her hurry to get down. "Come on! We have to help Tes! Did you freeze them too?" Made brave by the absence of sound, she rushed over only to find Henbane dead in a growing pool of blood – his throat ripped out – but no wolf.

Confused and queasy, she stood back up and looked around. "Tes?"

"Phoebe, what's…? Oh…yuck!" Paige backed off a step as she saw what was left of Henbane.

"I'm glad that's a mess I don't have to clean up," the ever practical Piper noted, rubbing her newly healed wrists. "I'm not sure my powers will work on that thing that did this, so maybe we should get out of here before it comes back."

"No!" Phoebe said, casting about wildly in the ruddy light. "We have to find Tes first. I think she's wounded."

"Wouldn't that make her more aggressive?" Paige wondered, not in any mood to meet an enraged werewolf. Phoebe's look had her shrugging in deference. "Whatever! You're the one who knows her."

"There's blood over here," Phoebe noted, starting to follow the trace, her sisters in reluctant tow; Piper picking up a torch for both light and as a means of defense.

The trace lead to a dark niche in the cave wall, and as Piper lifted the torch, amber eyes reflected the light.

Crouching down, Phoebe was greeted by a row of blood stained fangs; glimmering momentarily in a snarl.

"Go away!" Tes growled; now returned to her usual wolf-shape.

"Tes…You saved us. How can we ever repay you?"

"I didn't do it for you," Tes snapped hoarsely, pressing further into her corner with eyes half closed from pain, concentrating on breathing. "I had a debt to repay."

"I don't understand." Phoebe shook her head. "Cole has already betrayed us – I thought you would side with him."

"Foolish witch," Tes muttered. With considerable effort, she raised her head almost level to Phoebe's. "Maybe you shouldn't be so quick to condemn him as evil at the smallest doubt."

"After all he's done? What am I supposed to believe?"

"Believe that he loves you! Haven't you heard of the leap of faith?"

"Yes, and I took it once – and fell, so I'm not likely to try that again; not with Cole anyway."

"Then you will fall, little witch." Tes gave her a look full of despise. "You should have some faith in him – he certainly has a lot in you. I wish I understood why," she added. "You don't deserve him, or his love. Cole never betrayed you…" She paused to take a deep breath that obviously pained her. "But I almost did."

Phoebe blinked. "Why?"

"You've hurt him so much. I thought he would be relieved if you were dead, but I realized it would only hurt him worse. Cole will never love me like he loves you, but I love him enough to want what makes him happy."

Shocked and taken aback, Phoebe glanced up at her sisters. Tes' words were a sharper slap in her face than Henbane had dealt her before. "Well, obviously I don't know what he thinks or feels."

"Then start listening to your heart! You're an Empath, aren't you?"

That stung. "Cole made sure I couldn't be," she snapped grimly.

The werewolf slowly lifted her head again, and made a snorting sound. "You never listened to what he tried to say. That will be your undoing." Closing her eyes, she let her head sink back to the floor. "You better hurry – if you still want to save Christmas."

Forced to admit that Tes had a point, Phoebe began to get back up. When the wolf made no show to follow, she frowned. "Aren't you coming?"

Tes barely moved. "I think I have to sit this one out."

"What?" Instantly concerned, Phoebe kneeled back down. "Oh, Tes…no." Not daring to touch, she could still see the amount of blood pooling on the floor. "I thought you said only silver could hurt you."

"Phoebe…" Paige cleared her throat. "I found this before."

Phoebe turned to see the big dagger in her hands.

"I think it's…"

"Silver." Phoebe gasped. "Paige! You have to heal her" She pulled her reluctant sister down beside the grievously wounded werewolf. "Quick!"

"Phoebe…" Paige gestured helplessly. "I can barely heal ordinary humans. She's a werewolf."

"Half werewolf. Heal her human half!" Forcibly placing Paige's hands on the coarse fur, she urged her to try, but nothing happened.

"Phoebe…I can't!"

"You healed Cole."

"Leo healed Cole. I was just there to hold hands. Even if my half offsets Tes' half, we would still need a full Whitelighter." Seeing Phoebe's desperation, Paige felt close to tears, but all she could do was shake her head. "I can't heal her. I'm sorry."

"No! It isn't fair!" Phoebe burst out, turning her words heavenward. "She's innocent!"

"Hardly that," Tes rasped in something close to a laugh that turned into a weak cough. "But thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You saved us even though you had all the reasons not to." Tears were stinging her eyes. Somehow, saving Tes had suddenly become very important to her.

"I told you; I didn't give it for you. I owed Cole – tell him I have repaid my debt."

"Tes…no…" Phoebe swallowed back the lump in her throat. "I wish I could do something."

"Take care of him for me. He needs a good woman to keep him straight."

She winked weakly and Phoebe had to laugh a little through the tears that was streaming freely down her cheeks now. "Yes, he certainly does." She sniveled and smiled again. "Imagine what we could've accomplished between the two of us. We could've…"

"Phoebe." Piper put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think she can hear you."

Drawing a shaking breath, Phoebe saw that Tes's head had fallen to the side; her tongue lolling out between the slack jaws, and the light had gone out of her half shut eyes. "Oh, Tes…" Ignoring the blood she was sitting in, she gently stroked the dark, charcoal gray fur. "I'm so sorry. I hope you will find peace."

"Phoebe, we have to go."

Piper's hand squeezed her shoulder and reluctantly, Phoebe tore herself away; her eyes lingering on Tes' body. "We shouldn't leave her here," she whispered.

"We have no choice. Come on." Discarding the torch, Piper pulled Phoebe to her feet to comfort her against her shoulder. "Paige, can you orb us out of here?"

"I think so. I…oh!"

Turning back, Phoebe saw how the wolf slowly crumbled into dust that swirled and blew away. Soon there was just the clotting blood left on the ground. "What do I tell Cole?" she murmured, failing to note the look her sisters exchanged.

"Look," Paige began carefully. "I don't mean any disrespect, but can we trust her? I mean, she admitted that she was jealous of you."

Phoebe shook her head. "She was in love," she whispered. Then she rubbed the tears out of her eyes, and straightened up. "And unless her sacrifice is to be for nothing, we have work to do. Paige, take us to the Queen."

"Okay. But don't you think we need a plan for what to do when we get there?"

"We don't have time to make any more plans. We just have to go with the original one."

"Which is?"

"What Cole said; in the spirit of the season."

"So we are trusting in Cole too now?" Paige looked to Piper for confirmation. "I'm just asking."

"I don't see that we have much choice, so..." Piper took a deep breath "…in the spirit of the season, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Phoebe?"

There was a set look in her sister's face, that hadn't been there before, telling her Phoebe's mind was made up.

"I have a debt to repay," she said.