Upon reaching the attic, Paige pocketed the piece of paper with the spell written on it. She looked at the page in the book that the spell came from.
"I'm still confused as to how this is going to work," said Paige. "I know we say the spell, and then supposedly we get a map of the underworld. But how is knowledge from Cole's head going to get on a piece of paper?"
"It's not that simple," said Leo. "Otherwise we would already have maps of the underworld."
"Ok, well then how does it work?" asked Phoebe.
"Well, my best guess is that whoever says the spell will get some sort of visual, possibly a visual in their mind."
"So like a map inside our heads?" asked Paige.
"Something like that," said Leo. "But I have a feeling it won't be your typical map. Not something you would be able to draw out on paper, anyway."
"Let's go see for ourselves," said Phoebe. "I think it's safest for us to go to Cole instead of him coming here."
"But we don't know where he is," Paige reminded Phoebe.
"I have a pretty good idea," said Phoebe. "Whenever he didn't want to be tracked, he would go to the cemetery. The mausoleum to be exact."
"Ok, let's go," said Paige. She took Phoebe's hand and prepared to orb out.
"Wait!" said Andy. "One of us should go with you."
"No, you should stay here," said Phoebe. "Once we say the spell, who knows what's gonna come after us. You'll be safer here." Leo and Andy looked at each other, obviously in disagreement with Phoebe.
"Fine," said Leo reluctantly. "But come back here when you're done. You can't go down to the underworld alone."
"Fair enough," said Phoebe. And with that, she and Paige disappeared in a swirl of white lights.
"Man, being a whitelighter is tough," said Andy after a moment. "All the sitting around and waiting, wondering. I'm used to being the one in the middle of all the action."
"I know what you mean," said Leo. "You miss being a cop. I miss being a soldier, and feeling that rush of adrenaline in the midst of battle. Well, now we have to leave that stuff up to the girls and trust that they can handle it."
"Yeah," said Andy.
"You know," said Leo. "Being a whitelighter has its rewards. We get to help and guide so many. And when one of our charges gets hurt, we get to heal them. Save their life."
"Yeah, I guess that's a pretty cool thing," said Andy, his mood lifting. "When I healed Prue, I felt like I was on top of the world." He paused, his smile fading. "But now, she's trapped in the underworld, and I'm powerless to save her."
"I feel the same way about Piper," said Leo. "Sometimes I wish I could just orb down there and search for her."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea," said Andy, standing up.
"Yeah it is," said Leo. "First of all we have no idea where to look, and second of all we'd be no match for any demons."
"I guess you're right," said Andy as he sat back down. "It's just that I'd give anything to see Prue right now."
"I know what you mean," said Leo. "But Phoebe and Paige are strong witches, and they're smart. If anyone can save Prue and Piper, they can."
"I have faith in them," said Andy. "I just hope this Cole guy holds out."
Paige and Phoebe orbed into the mausoleum of the local cemetery. After a quick look around, they discovered that Cole was not there. But just as Phoebe was about to call out his name, he shimmered in.
"Phoebe, Paige, what are you doing here?" Cole asked urgently. Before they could answer, a short bald demon shimmered in behind them. "Duck!" Cole yelled to the girls. They did as they were told, as Cole hurled an energy ball at the demon. The demon burst into flames and then vanished, leaving nothing but one of Cole's trademark scorch marks behind.
"Damn bounty hunters," said Cole. He turned his attention to Phoebe and Paige. "I take it you haven't rescued Prue yet, but where's Piper?"
"Sovandras got her," said Paige solemnly.
"Oh," said Cole. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay 'cause we have a plan," said Phoebe. "We already have a vanquishing potion for Sovandras, and now we just need to find out where's he's got Prue and Piper."
"How are you going to do that?" asked Cole. "I would go down there myself and find them, but I would have hoards of demons on me in no time. So I wouldn't get very far."
"It's okay," said Phoebe. "You don't have to go down. We're going to go, but we need something from you first."
"What?" asked Cole.
"Just a piece of your mind," Paige said nonchalantly. Cole raised an eyebrow.
"What Paige means is, if we say a spell on you, we can acquire your knowledge of the layout of the underworld and how to navigate it. Then we should be able to find our sisters."
"Okay, well let's do it then," said Cole.
"Wait," said Phoebe. "There is a consequence. Use of this spell alerts evil, so more than likely demons are going to come after you."
"That's okay, they're after me anyway," said Cole with a shrug. Paige gave Phoebe an "I told you so" look.
"Alright, if you're sure," Phoebe said to Cole. Cole nodded.
"Go ahead, read my mind."
Phoebe and Paige stood next to Cole, and Phoebe took Cole's hand. Paige pulled the spell out of her pocket and held that so both she and Phoebe could see it. The two girls read the spell aloud.
"As we gaze into this mind,
Knowledge of the underworld we wish to find.
Let us use it to find our way,
And lead us to what we seek this day."
"So what now?" asked Paige after a moment. Phoebe closed her eyes.
"I see them!" said Phoebe. "It's like I'm having a premonition, but I think it's the present." Paige closed her eyes too.
"I see them too," said Paige. Both girls saw in their minds, Prue, Piper, and the other witches, locked in a large cage. They opened their eyes.
"Okay, now we know where they are, but we still don't know how to get there," said Phoebe.
"Close your eyes again," said Cole. Phoebe and Paige closed their eyes. The vision of Prue and Piper faded, and the mausoleum that they were currently standing in appeared. A large blue arrow pointed downward.
"It's trying to lead us," said Paige. "Let's go."
"Wait," said Phoebe. "We promised Leo and Andy we'd go back to the house first." Phoebe turned to Cole. "Thank you so much. We couldn't have done this without you."
"Any time," said Cole. Phoebe wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss on the lips. As they pulled apart, Cole said, "Now go find your sisters." We he saw Phoebe's hesitation, he said, "I'll be fine. I'll fight off the demons until you guys get back." Phoebe nodded. She took Paige's hand and they orbed out.
Phoebe and Paige reappeared moments later in the attic where Leo and Andy awaited them.
"We're all set," said Paige. "Let me just grab the…potion!" she said as she held out her hand. A moment later, a vial of potion from the kitchen orbed into her hand.
"Are you guys coming with us?" asked Phoebe.
"One of us should go," said Leo. "And one of us should stay here in case anyone gets hurt and needs to be healed."
"I'll stay," said Andy. Leo could tell Andy wanted to go down to the underworld, but was just being nice by letting him go.
"No, I think you should go," said Leo. Andy looked at Leo.
"Really?"
"Yeah," said Leo brightly. "You've earned it. I can hold down the fort here until you guys get back."
Andy stood up, inwardly elated that he got to go down into the action. He joined Phoebe and Paige, and the three of them clasped hands.
"Good luck," said Leo as Phoebe, Paige, and Andy orbed out of the attic and down to the underworld.
Phoebe, Paige, and Andy appeared in the underworld in a swirl of white light. Quickly they ducked behind a large boulder so they wouldn't be spotted.
"Ok, lead the way," said Andy. Paige closed her eyes. She opened them and pointed to a tunnel not far from them.
"That way," she said. The group quickly and quietly darted into the tunnel. After a few moments of travelling, the path split into two paths. They stopped and Phoebe closed her eyes.
"To the left," said Phoebe as she opened her eyes. She led Paige and Andy down the path to the left.
After a little while of walking, Andy asked, "Are we almost there?"
"I don't know," said Phoebe. They kept walking, and whenever they came to a fork in the road, either Phoebe or Paige would close their eyes for the direction. Andy asked again,
"Are we almost there?"
"Dude, what are you like five?" said Paige. "We don't know if we're almost there, it's not like these directions come with an ETA."
"Sorry," said Andy. "It's just…"
"You can't wait to see Prue," finished Phoebe.
"Yeah…" said Andy shyly. "I mean, I want to rescue Piper too, I love her like a sister."
"So do we," said Paige. "Let me guess, you can't wait to see Prue so you guys can make out?" Paige joked. Andy blushed. He didn't like speaking about his love life, except with the one he loved.
"Eew," said Phoebe. Andy gave Paige a playful punch on the arm. He couldn't help liking Paige, even though sometimes she made it her mission in life to harass him. She reminds me of Prue. She has that same strong will and determined spirit.
"Don't worry," said Phoebe. "Once we get out of here, you can spend all the time you want with her."
"You'll have to wait your turn of course," said Paige with a sly smile.
Just then, a demon shimmered in behind Paige.
"You're not supposed to be here," growled the demon. Paige spun around, but before she could defend herself, the demon plunged an athame into her stomach.
"Paige!" Phoebe yelled as Paige collapsed to the ground. But before Phoebe could rush to her side, the demon came after her. Phoebe punched the demon in the face, and then kicked him hard in the gut, knocking him over. She didn't know what to do. Piper wasn't there to blow the demon up, so she didn't know how to vanquish him. She looked over at Paige.
"Andy heal Paige!" Andy rushed to Paige and pulled the athame out of her. As he layed it on the ground and began healing Paige, Phoebe got an idea. She ran over to Paige and Andy and grabbed the athame. The demon was just starting to get up when she raced to him and plunged the knife into his heart. He began to scream as he caught on fire. Then he disappeared.
Phoebe raced over to Paige, whom Andy was still healing. Finally, Paige came to.
"Oh God Paige," said Phoebe. She helped Paige sit up and then pulled her into a hug. "I thought I lost you."
"I thought you did too," said Paige
"Ok Andy, you know what to do," said Phoebe after they had discussed the plan thoroughly.
"Right," said Andy. "I lure the demons out so you guys can go in and kill Sovandras."
"Exactly," said Paige. "But remember to stay in their sight or they'll give up."
"Yeah," said Phoebe. "And once we have rescued Prue, Piper and the other witches, we'll call you back."
"I'm gonna need your help orbing," said Paige. "Six people is too many for me to orb by myself."
"Got it," said Andy. "Let's do this." And with that, he orbed out. Phoebe and Paige watched as he orbed in right in front of the demons. The demons just looked at Andy for a second, awaiting orders.
Andy looked around and pretended to be confused. "Damn orbing! It never takes me where I want to go. I was aiming for Tokyo if you can believe that. I'm sort of new at this whole whitelighter thing, you see." He paused and glanced over at the cage. Prue and Piper were wide eyed, but they dared not say anything. Andy continued, "Well as long as I'm here, I might as well save the witches." He started toward the cage, when Sovandras said,
"Fools what are you waiting for?! Kill him!" About ten rather large demons advanced on Andy.
"I think I've worn out my welcome," said Andy. "I'm just gonna go now." He orbed out of the room and into the doorway. He looked around again, in fake confusion. "Damn, why can't I get out of here?" Immediately, the demons darted after him. Andy continued to orb in and out in order to keep the demons on his trail.
Prue and Piper chuckled to themselves, clearly aware that a plan was being executed. They turned to the three other witches.
"Get ready girls, we're about to be rescued," Prue said with a grin on her face.
Paige and Phoebe peeked out from behind the rock to survey the premises.
"Five demons left," said Phoebe. "Not including Sovandras."
"What's the plan?" asked Paige.
"I'll go in first and try to take out the guards," said Phoebe. "Follow closely behind me and try to hit Sovandras with the potion."
"Got it," Paige nodded. Phoebe stepped out from behind the rock and into the chamber.
"Hey boys," said Phoebe. "Sorry to interrupt your little pow wow, but you stole something from me, actually two somethings, and I just came to take them back." The five remaining demons started towards Phoebe when Sovandras stopped them.
"Wait! Don't kill her yet, we need her." He paused. "Knocking her out cold would work." He smiled wryly as the demons closed in on Phoebe.
"Phoebe be careful!" Prue yelled.
One demon lunged toward Phoebe and threw a punch, but she ducked it. She high kicked the demon straight in the face and sent him stumbling backwards. Two demons lunged at her from opposite sides with athames, but Phoebe levitated just in time. The demons inadvertently stabbed each other and then burst into flames.
Seeing that Phoebe was handling the fighting, Paige crept out from behind the boulder. She ran quickly toward Sovandras, potion in hand. But one of the demons fighting Phoebe noticed her and darted towards her from behind.
"Paige watch out!" Piper yelled. As Paige turned around, the demon punched her in the stomach.
"Paige!" Phoebe, Piper, and Prue all yelled at the same time. Paige flew off her feet, and landed hard on her back, the potion falling from her hand and breaking on the floor.
"Paige are you okay?" Phoebe asked from across the room. Seeing her sister get hit, Phoebe left the demon she was fighting and knocked out the demon that had just attacked Paige. She was about to help Paige up when the demon she had left came up behind her and stabbed her in the back.
"Phoebe!" Prue and Piper yelled in unison. Phoebe collapsed to the ground. Piper began to sob.
"You fool!" yelled Sovandras, getting up off his throne.
"You weren't supposed to kill her!" Paige started to get up slowly. She looked to Prue, unsure of what to do.
"Paige you have to get Phoebe out of here," said Prue.
"But I can't leave you," said Paige her eyes beginning to tear.
"Paige you have to," said Prue. "She'll die."
"You'll die if I leave you," said Paige. "Andy!" she called out. Andy orbed in. "Phoebe!" said Paige urgently. Andy rushed to Phoebe's side and began healing her.
Sovandras threw an energy ball at Paige.
"Energy ball!" Paige called out. Paige orbed the energy ball into her hand and then threw it at Sovandras. It bounced off him, not leaving a mark. Sovandras laughed.
"Stupid witch." He lunged at Paige. Paige threw the hardest punch she could and hit Sovandras in the face. Sovandras stumbled backward.
"Paige the potion!" Prue yelled.
"It's in a puddle," said Paige helplessly. "I can't orb that."
"Yes you can," said Prue. "I did. And we have the same power." Paige shook her head. "Paige, you can do it."
As Sovandras lunged at Paige again, Paige called out,
"Potion!" The potion orbed off the ground and onto Sovandras. Sovandras cried out as the potion burned him. He twisted and convulsed until finally he burst into flames and then disappeared. Paige let out of sigh of relief. "I did it. I actually did it!" said Paige excitedly.
"Hi," said Piper. "We're still in the cage."
"Right," said Paige.
"No problem," said Prue. With Sovandras's magic worn off, Prue could easily break the lock. With a wave of her hand, the lock flew off the cage. She pushed open the door and let everyone out. Paige embraced first Prue and then Piper. All three were crying.
"Paige, you guys were so brave," said Prue. She smiled and gave Paige another hug. "We never doubted you."
"Thanks," said Paige with a smile.
"Phoebe," said Piper excitedly. Andy was helping Phoebe to her feet. After getting hugs from all three of her sisters, Phoebe said,
"Paige whatever you did, you were amazing."
"Thanks," said Paige. "But I wouldn't have been able to vanquish Sovandras if you hadn't kept those demons off my back." Paige and Phoebe hugged.
Andy turned to Prue and smiled. Prue ran to Andy and jumped into his arms.
"Andy I'm so glad to see you," said Prue. Happy tears trickled down her face.
"I'm so glad you're alright," said Andy.
"Because of you, I am," said Prue with a smile.
"Hey, we helped," said Phoebe, pretending to be upset.
Andy and Prue held each other, not wanting to let go.
"This is really touching," said Piper. "But I'd really like to see my husband." Prue and Andy laughed, and then pulled apart.
Paige took the hands of her sisters, while Andy took the hands of the other witches, and they all orbed out.
The group arrived in the attic of the manor in a rather large swirl of white light. When Leo saw that everyone was safe, his face lit up. He ran to Piper and picked her up into his arms, squeezing her tight.
"Gees Leo, I can't breathe," said Piper sarcastically.
"Oh, sorry," said Leo. He put Piper down on the floor. The two smiled at each other and then kissed.
"Oh-kay," said Phoebe. "Leo, have you met the company?" Leo turned to the three witches that were standing to the side of the room.
"Oh," said Leo, slightly embarrassed. He let go of Piper. "Hi." Prue introduced the witches to Leo by name. Andy offered to heal them and then orb them home.
Once they had left, Leo noticed that Paige was hurt. There was a huge gash on her shoulder.
"Paige what happened?" asked Leo.
"Oh this?" said Paige, glancing at her shoulder. "It's nothing. Must have busted it open when I got thrown down."
"Let me heal it," said Leo. He held his hand over Paige's shoulder and healed the wound.
"Thanks," said Paige.
"Paige, you were amazing," said Piper.
"Definitely," said Prue, putting an arm around Paige. Paige just blushed and smiled.
"As much as I appreciate the flattery," said Paige. "I didn't do it by myself."
"I helped a little," said Phoebe with a wink.
"A lot," corrected Paige. "And thank God for Andy. If he hadn't gotten most of the demons to chase him, we wouldn't have stood a chance." Just then, Andy orbed back into the attic.
"Speak of the angel," said Prue in a dreamy voice. Andy wrapped an arm around Prue, and she rested her head on his chest.
"I remember a time when I was the only one who could say that," said Piper, pretending to be annoyed.
"You know," said Leo. "Sitting up here and waiting was tough. You have no idea how happy I was to see all of you orb in here." He flashed a smile.
"Well, thank God for the power of four," said Piper as she leaned back into Leo's arms.
"Hey," said Andy, pretending to be offended.
"Oh, and their trusty whitelighters," added Phoebe with a wink. The group laughed, but then suddenly Phoebe's face donned a concerned expression.
"Phoebs what's wrong?" asked Prue.
"Cole," said Phoebe in a worried tone
"Paige can you orb me to Cole?" Phoebe asked urgently.
"Sure," said Paige. She took Phoebe's hand.
"Wait a sec," said Prue. "Phoebe what's wrong with Cole?"
"He's in danger," said Phoebe. "We have to hurry."
"Well in that case, we're going with you," said Piper. She and Prue took Phoebe and Paige's hands and the four of them orbed out before Leo or Andy could protest.
"Should we follow them?" Andy asked Leo.
"No," said Leo. "They should be fine. And if they need us, they'll call."
"Right," said Andy with a sigh. "It's just so hard watching them put themselves in danger."
"Tell me about it," said Leo. "But it's part of the job. We're here to guide, not fight."
"Doesn't make it any easier," said Andy.
"No, it doesn't," said Leo. "But they're strong. They'll be just fine."
Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige orbed into the mausoleum. Cole sat in the corner, hunched over with his forehead resting on his knees.
"Cole!" Phoebe yelled when she saw him, afraid he was hurt. She rushed over to him. Slowly, Cole lifted his head. "Baby are you okay? Are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt," said Cole. "But I can't say I'm okay."
"Cole, what do you mean?" asked Phoebe. "Did you have to fight off any demons?"
"No," said Cole.
"Well that's great!" said Phoebe.
"No it's not," said Cole. "No demons showed up because they couldn't track me. Phoebe, my powers are gone."
"What?" said Phoebe. "You lost your powers? When did this happen."
"Shortly after you cast the spell on me," Cole said quietly.
"What spell?" asked Prue.
"The spell to use my knowledge of the underworld to find you and Piper," explained Cole. "Glad to see it worked." He forced a smile. He was happy that Phoebe had her sisters back, but now he was left powerless.
"Cole, I'm so sorry," said Phoebe. "I had no idea this would happen…" Phoebe's eyes started to tear. "I had to find my sisters…" She began to cry.
"Shh," said Cole, taking Phoebe into his arms. "It's not your fault. You know I wouldn't have wanted it any other way."
"Cole, I'm sorry," said Paige who had been watching from the side.
"It's okay Paige," said Cole. "I'm just happy you have your sisters back." Phoebe looked up at Paige. She wiped the tears from her face.
"Paige, thanks for bringing me here. But would you guys mind giving Cole and I a few minutes?"
"Sure," said Paige. Prue and Piper nodded in agreement. "But…how will you get back?" Paige asked hesitantly. Cole looked down.
"I'll call Leo," said Phoebe. Paige nodded. She took the hands of Prue and Piper and the three orbed out.
Phoebe sat down next to Cole. The two of them sat quietly for a while, not really knowing how to say what they were feeling. Finally, Phoebe spoke.
"Cole I'm so sor—"
"Phoebe please, it's not your fault," Cole said gently.
"Yes it is my fault," said Phoebe. "I was the one who suggested to Paige that we use you for the map spell."
"Well, what other choices did you have?" said Cole. "It's not like you know any other demons."
"I know," said Phoebe. "But we could have found another way to find Prue and Piper."
"No you couldn't have," said Cole. "You did what you had to do. Who could understand that better than me?" He paused. "Besides, isn't this what you always wanted? Having no powers puts me off evil's radar."
"Well of course I wanted that," said Phoebe. "But I wanted it to be your choice, not something I did to you."
"Unintentionally," Cole reminded her.
"Still…" said Phoebe. "Is there any way to get your powers back?"
"I don't know," said Cole. "But I don't want them back." Phoebe's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Really. I want to try to live life without them. I know it'll take a lot of getting used to, but now at least I don't have to worry about turning evil and losing you." Phoebe smiled, and then the two kissed. "You have to make me a promise," Cole said after a few moments.
"Anything."
"Let me help with the demon fighting."
"Are you serious?" asked Phoebe, surprised.
"Does it look like I'm joking?"
"Cole, I don't need to remind you that you no longer have powers. How would you defend yourself?"
"I'm not completely useless without my powers," Cole said defensively.
"You're right," said Phoebe. "Your knowledge of the underworld is very useful. You'll be our walking demonic dictionary." Phoebe winked and smiled.
"Now that sounds fun," said Cole sarcastically. He thought for a moment. "But I guess you're right. I'm no match for demons anymore." He paused. "Being out of the action is going to be hard at first, but I have something to help me cope."
"What?" asked Phoebe. Cole smiled.
"You."