A/N:

Thanks for the reviews. I know everyone is wondering when Paige will come into this. It will be soon but there are some things I need to set up first.

Chapter 14

The breaking of hearts

Phoebe sat in her bedroom while looking through some books she found in the library at school that talked about the different levels and realms in hell. There was a section dedicated to limbo or purgatory and is the first level. This is usually where people who have not forgiven themselves for a deed done to them or others, like suicide or the failure to complete a duty that they believe was essential or part of their religious beliefs. From what she understood Sesu and his guards were not demons but in some kind of limbo, as it can also be where people of magical dissent could enter as mortals cannot unless they are ghost. There was another book next to her that was referencing deals with the devil so to speak and maybe how to break them. She was trying to keep her mind off of what Cole said about how they needed to talk as she highlighted certain areas of text to do more research later. She looked over at the clock and it was almost 10 o'clock at night as Cole shimmered in.

"Phoebe," he said as he stood at the end of her bed.

"Cole," she said and stood up quickly to greet him, but when she tried to hug him, he put his hands on her arms and pushed away from her. "Cole what's wrong?"

"I am sorry Phoebe but I don't love you anymore," he said and she stared at him blankly.

"What?" she asks as she tried to laugh it off as though it was a joke.

"I don't my demon side is too powerful and it has killed my love for you," he said coldly.

"Ok is something going on that you need to tell me because I know that's not true," Phoebe said as her heart was beginning to sink. Cole shook his head slightly and still had almost no expression on his face. "Cole don't do this you can fight it," she said as the notion of a joke was fading quickly.

"Phoebe I don't want too," he said and shimmered away leaving her alone in her room as the words played like a record player over and over in her head. She was jolted out of her wandering mind by a hand on her shoulder.

"Phoebe," Prue said and when her baby sister turned to face her, it was not someone she recognized but someone heart broken. She has seen the same look in Piper's when Leo was taken from her by the elders the first time they tried to get married.

"Something is wrong with Cole," Phoebe whimpered and made a quick step to the attic.

"What do you mean?" Prue asks while following her.

"He just broke up with me Prue, he said he did not love me anymore," she replied as she went to the book.

"Oh honey I am so sorry but he is half demon," Prue said as Phoebe kept looking through the book. Prue was always concerned that he would do this, that he would hurt her like this.

"Its not true Prue he is under a spell or something," Phoebe said and Prue folded her arms as she tried to have sympathy for her baby sister, but her mind was fixated on getting Piper home.

"Phoebe we need to get Piper home," Prue said and her sister looked up at her while tears began to stream.

"I know Prue but Cole can help us, he has been."

"Listen right now Cole is the least of our worries. We can fix him later because Piper fights tomorrow and she may be running out of luck," Prue said and left the room as Phoebe felt her soul being ripped in half. They had a plan to try to safe her before the fight and her mind needed to be on that plan instead of finding out what was wrong with Cole. She closed the book and went to help Prue with the potions that they would need in the underworld. She knew something was off with him and hoped she could save him in time as well as Piper.

Cole awoke chained to a wall as his head pounded. He could tell he was not someplace pleasant and he could not shimmer. A man came in wearing a hood and when he removed it he was looking back at himself.

"Hello Balthazar," the source said.

"You," Cole said as he tried to free himself from the chains.

"Neat little trick," the source said as he walked over to the wall and ran his hand down its cold surface.

"You can't hurt her," Cole said as he knew what he might be up too.

"No not physically but sometimes emotion can be just as bad. Oh I came to inform you that you are no longer seeing each other."

"She will figure it out," Cole said.

"I hope so, I want her to come looking for you and then you too can be together forever locked in this place. My deal with Piper was that I would not physically hurt them, but nothing says I can't keep them," the source said and flamed away.

"NO!" Cole yelled as he pulled and tugged on his restraints but they would not give way.

Piper was sitting at the table trying to stay awake as Sesu went over the magical weapons of the Hindu realm.

"Its called the trishula, it represents past, present and future which means the user can move at a blink of an eye to anywhere in the arena, Piper do you understand?" Sesu asks as he could see her eyes closing. She snapped her head up and nodded. "There is a throwing star for our realm that can extend to five times its size making a shield and keeping its shape. It will not harm the user but can be a deadly weapon if used correctly," he said and the tiredness was playing havoc with her body. She remember when she was in high school and how in some classes she wanted to just put her head down on the table, but she knew here it would be a mistake. "Go to bed, tomorrow you fight," he said and one of his guards took her back to her cell. She laid down on her side and pulled the blanket over her as she put the pillow under her head. Two of her rewards for winning the other fights and she hoped a bed was next if she won this one. She closed her eyes and imagined Leo lying behind her as she wrapped her arms around herself. He would put his arm around her and place his leg on top of hers like he was trying to cocoon her somehow. She knew he was protecting her at night when she slept because of demons that might show up to get them by surprise. She took the ring out of its hiding spot and held it tight to her chest as she drifted into a deep sleep. Seeing Cole gave her some strength she needed to keep this up as the days were going from one to another. They will try to safe you at the next fight he said and she was determined to win and be free of this place.

Meanwhile in the source's chamber the seer was rubbing his shoulders.

"The sisters will try again tomorrow my lord," she said.

"Yes but unfortunately they will not make it and Piper's spirit will slowly break," he said.

"How?"

"They will not wake up in time to get to the underworld for the fight," he said as he lifted up a large red Crystal.

THe next day, drums sounded like distant thunder as they built up. The Group TAO was performing again as Piper made her way to the arena for the 4th time. Her eyes dotted around as she looked for anyone she might recognize. She could hear the drums and feel the intensity in the stadium as again she faced either death or life. Her opponent was a woman and felt a small amount of relief that it was not the normal giants she has been facing. She was dressed in a traditional Hindi outfit and the red and white silk was shiny and new from what she could tell. Piper was in her black tank top, black leather pants and of course combat boots and looked more like a demon then her opponent. The guards escorted her to the force field and the moment she stepped into the arena it activated. She closed her eyes tight as the drums finished up and the crowd let out a rare to signify their approve of the band. When she opened them she realized she would not be free unless they come after the fight or not at all. The commentator did his job of announcing them and Piper got in her ready position as her opponent did the same.

"Where are you guys," she said as her opponent came towards her. The woman through the first punch and Piper was able to move it out and away from her as the woman's rib cage became all to enticing. She tried to get a hit in but felt her leg being taken out from under her as her opponent took advantage of Piper's focus on her side to take out her leg. Piper landed on her back and then had the breath knocked out of her by a foot that came down hard on her abdomen. This was not going as well as the last fight as her mind was on being rescued and not at combat at the moment. The woman tried to stump on her again but she moved just as her foot hit the sand. Piper got to her feet quickly and tossed her own punch that connected to the woman's chin but she barely budged as Piper through another one. Her opponent blocked it and hit Piper in the chest, pushing her back slightly as the horn blew. Out of the sand rose the trishula and both made a run for it but it was closer to Piper's opponent and she was able to get her hands on it first.

"Shit," Piper said as she recalled what it can do. Her opponent smiled and then was gone. Piper knew where she would probably end up, and turned just as the woman appeared behind her. She thrusted the trishula right at Piper's neck but she was able to use her palm to move it to the side, unfortunately not enough and one of the three points went into her shoulder. She grabbed her injured part just as the woman pulled it out and was gone again. The hole was the size of a broom stick handle as she staggered a bit while trying to keep the blood inside her body. She knew her opponent would appear very close to her and started swinging at thin air in hopes to make a connection. The woman did show up to her side but was too close to use the tip of the trishula, so she swung it diagonally hitting Piper a crossed the head with it. Piper went to the ground as her eyes site was blurry from the impact and the pain. She tried to get some distance and began to crawl away from her opponent but the woman would have none of that and she brought the trishula down on the back of Piper's left leg. The middle point went right through and pinned Piper to the sand. The woman smiled and so did the demons in the crowd and all believed Piper was about to die. The horn blew and out of the sand rose a small throwing star only a few inches away from her. The woman saw it and pulled out the trishula as Piper reached for the star. Her opponent rose the trishula and was about to bring it down on Piper's chest when the star became 5 times its normal size and became a shield with triangle shaped spikes on its outside. Piper felt the trishula hit the shield as she put it in front of her. She was now free of the sand but not the anger that was rising in her. Piper stood with the shield in front of her and her dark eyes pierced over the sharp spikes that went all the way around. The woman could see her reflection in the polished steel as she backed up and the grin faded. Piper walked towards her ready to use those spikes to make up for the two injuries she gave her, but the woman disappeared as she used the trishula to vanish. Piper kept the shield close to her, so close she could see the reflection of the crowd on its back and then saw the woman appear on it. Piper turned and was able to block the incoming trishula and then used the shield to slice the woman's chest. She backed up holding her bleeding wound and that was enough for Piper to finish this. Just as her opponent was getting her balanced Piper rushed her and used the shield to push her down to the sand. The woman hit the ground so hard that dust made an outline of her body as it rose from the ground. Piper then raised the shield high and with a loud scream she brought it down. The woman's eyes went blank as the life was gone and her head was now devoid of a body. Piper stood and the shield faded away as the woman's head rolled off the arena. She looked around the Stadium for anyone's eyes that looked concerned or loving but only found hate and resentment as they audience booed her victory except for the Buddhist realm that was very pleased with the outcome. She felt hands on her shoulders and could not support her own weight because of her injured leg. Two guards put one hand under her legs and supported her back as they took her out of the arena. She wanted to fight them and run once she was clear but the blood loss and pain made staying conscious a difficult task.

Prue awoke and after rubbing her eyes she glanced over at the clock and at first rolled her eyes as she thought she only slept for a few hours, but once she looked out the window she panicked. "Dammit Phoebe!" she yelled as her baby sister came running out of her room with Leo running out of his.

"What?" Phoebe asks thinking there was a demon.

"We overslept," Prue replied and took off to the attic.

"That is not possible, I set the alarm and a second one for good measure," Phoebe said while following her. Leo was running his hand through his hair that was skewed a bit.

"I don't understand how can this have happened?" Prue asks while turning the pages of the book in frustration.

"The source," Leo said through his teeth.

"What, he came in and changed all of the alarm clocks?" Phoebe asks and could not believe he would be that simple.

"No because we went to bed at noon, so we could be up at midnight, there is no way we could have slept solid for 12 hours. He must have used something," Leo replied and orbed away.

Phoebe put her hands on her hips," Where did he go?"

"We need Cole," Prue said and could see Phoebe's eyes begin to water. "Phoebe please he can tell us if she won or not." The last part came out low and horse as she walked over to her.

"Prue he doesn't want to see me remember," Phoebe said and looked away from her.

"Please," Prue asks again.

"Fine, Cole!" she yelled but nothing," Cole," she tried again but he did not come.

"We will send Leo down in a disguise and he can asks some demons," Prue said as she already has given up on Cole coming.

Leo orbed back in holding a large red Crystal in his hands. "This is what kept us asleep," he said and dropped it to the ground causing it to break into a 1000 pieces.

"That son of a bitch," Prue fumed and used her telekinesis to send the pieces flying to the wall.

"Leo can you go down?" Phoebe asks.

"Yeah just do the spell that changes my appearance," he replied and Phoebe read it off. "I will be back soon but you guys need to find another way to get her out. I can't wait another two weeks and neither can you," he said and orbed away.

"Oh god," Phoebe said as she sat on the couch and could not believe she overslept, even with a spell on the house to make it happen.

"I still feel her," Prue said as she rubbed her hand over the symbol on the book.

"Me too but it doesn't feel the same as when she is with us," Phoebe said.

Piper was taken to her cell and the healer was waiting for her. She was in and out of consciousness on the way there as the healing started preparing his tar and vile.

"Will she make it through the night?" Sesu asks.

"The injuries are bad but not serious enough to kill her. On the other hand she has lost a lot of blood and that could affect her recovery," the healer replied.

"Leo," Piper whispered while her eyes remained closed and tears flowed down and to the dirt floor. Her face had splotches of dark dust that the tears cut through while her head rested on the pillow. The healer started his process and put the tar on her leg and shoulder from the front and then the back as the wound went straight through. She put her hands to her face as the pain of him pushing the substance in was like someone putting a finger into a bullet hole. She could feel herself going out again as the healer finished and helped her drink the fluid in the vile. Everyone left the cell as Piper drifted into a dark sleep and her hand landed just outside the bars.

"Keep an eye on her Hansuke, I need to speak to my master," Sesu said and left the room. Hansuke nodded and grabbed a chair so he could sit in front of her cell. He looked down and saw her hand just outside of the bars. It twitched occasionally as her body was relaxing and fighting to stay alive. He leaned over and put his hand into hers and held it next to his leg.

"Fight little one," Hansuke whispered and gave a slight squeeze as his eyes went back to surveying the room.

To be continued…

Next chapters:

Meeting the Guardian

The attempt

The severing