AN: Thanks to piperloveleoalways, Jedi Alanna, Charmed225, WelshCanuck, and rikkukirst for your reviews of Chapter 25. You make me happy when skies are gray... :)

Chapter Twenty Six

"Phoebe, relax. I'm sure that Piper's fine." Prue wasn't sure at all, but she felt that she needed to remain calm for Phoebe's sake. Now that they had bought the necessary ingredients and made the potion again, there was nothing to distract Phoebe from her worrying.

"Then why won't she answer her phone?" With every passing second Phoebe became more convinced that something had happened to Piper. She wondered how Prue could be so calm at a time like this.

"Maybe she's just busy," Prue suggested, but she knew that was unlikely. Piper had known how worried Phoebe had been that morning and, no matter how busy she was, she would have taken the time to let her younger sister know that she was okay.

"Or maybe she's hurt. Or dead." Phoebe felt sick at the thought. It was as if someone had just kicked her in the stomach.

"We don't know that," Prue said softly. "Let's not jump to any–" She stopped herself mid-sentence when she heard a knock on the door. "Maybe that's Piper now."

"I'll get it," Phoebe volunteered, sprinting to the door. She opened it to find a familiar face staring back at her. "Cole! How are you? I haven't seen you all day!" She gave her boyfriend a big hug.

"I know. I've been in the Underworld, investigating some rumors."

"Rumors?" Prue repeated as she moved towards the door. "About what?"

Phoebe felt a wave of panic rising in her chest. "Is it about Piper? Is she hurt?" She noticed that Cole wouldn't meet her gaze.

"I don't have time to explain here." Cole wrapped his arms around Phoebe and started to shimmer.

Phoebe thought that she heard Prue calling after her, but it was too late. She and Cole materialized in what appeared to be a large underground chamber. It was dark, cold, and uninviting. Wherever they were, Phoebe didn't want to stay a second longer than she had to. "Where are we?" She asked as she looked around at their dismal surroundings.

"The Underworld," Cole answered calmly, as if it were a perfectly normal place to be.

"Why?" Whatever the reason is, she thought, it can't be good.

"Because he won't think to look here," Cole responded cryptically.

Now Phoebe was really starting to panic. "Who's 'he'?"

"The Source of all Evil. If the rumors are true, and I don't have any reason to believe they're not, he went after Piper to destroy the power of three."

"Oh my god." Phoebe felt herself falling to the ground, but Cole caught her. All this time she had been wondering how she could deal with losing Prue if they restored the timeline; she had never thought she would lose Piper! "Piper's dead?"

"Most likely. They say he shot her in the head."

Phoebe began sobbing uncontrollably. "It's my fault!" She screamed between sobs. "I knew something was going to happen; I could have tried harder to stop her! Or, if I had helped my sisters instead of fighting them, maybe we would have restored the timeline already and this wouldn't have happened!"

Cole put his hands on Phoebe's shoulders. "Phoebe, I'm sorry about your sister, but you need to put aside your grief for a while. You're in danger. Now that the power of three is broken, you're vulnerable."

Phoebe was only half-listening. "Why Piper, Cole? Why her? He should have gone after me. I have the weakest power." Cole put his arms around her to comfort her. "What use is this stupid power of prem–." Phoebe broke off mid-word; she was having a vision.

She saw herself and her sisters in the hotel room. Piper was saying goodbye to Leo and she was saying goodbye to Cole. This was yesterday, she realized, when I asked Leo and Cole to leave so I could talk to Prue and Piper about the Seer's vision. She saw Cole shimmering away– but he hadn't really left! The vision showed that Cole had remained in the room, hidden from view. He had listened to the sisters' conversation and smiled as Phoebe declared her refusal to restore the timeline. Then, when the sisters had been distracted by the demon, he had snatched the potion off of the table and left. The vision ended, abruptly forcing Phoebe back into reality.

"What happened?" Cole looked at Phoebe anxiously.

"Nothing." Phoebe involuntarily backed away from Cole. You're not the man I thought you were, she thought miserably. Of course he's not! Her mind rebuked her. He's a demon! And you let yourself fall in love with him. You listened to your heart instead of your brain, and look where it's gotten you.

Cole could see instantly that she was lying. He knew her too well to believe otherwise. "You had a premonition, didn't you? What did you see?" He moved towards her as he spoke.

"Nothing important," Phoebe lied, again backing away from him as he stepped closer. Except that you've been working against me and my sisters, she added mentally. This premonition would have been really helpful earlier! Her mind shouted, silently cursing the powers above.

Cole knew there could be only one reason why Phoebe kept distancing herself from him. "You saw me, didn't you?" From the look on her face, whatever she had seen had turned her against him.

Phoebe felt her previous melancholy over Cole's true nature give way to anger. She had believed in him. She had refused to listen to any of Prue's accusations, accusations which, she realized now, were likely all true. "YOU took the potion! And I defended you to my sisters!"

Cole didn't deny it. "I knew that it would delay your sisters in case they went ahead without your support."

"And the vision? It wasn't real, was it? It was a trick to stop me from changing the timeline- just so you could save your life." Phoebe couldn't believe how easily she had let herself be deceived. How could she have been so stupid?

"Not just my life; I did it to save us. I love you, Phoebe. That's why I brought you down here, so I can protect you. We can have the future you saw. We can be happy together." Cole meant every word. He had betrayed the entire Underworld for her; she was the only one that mattered to him.

Phoebe had always thought that "heartbreak" was only an expression. Yet now she was experiencing it herself. It was truly a painful feeling, worse than any physical injuries she had ever suffered. Only yesterday she had argued with Prue that she and Cole deserved a life together. She had wanted that life desperately, but today she knew that it wasn't meant to be. Prue was right; they had to restore the timeline. It was the only way to save all the innocents they were destined to save–and Piper.

"I'm sorry, Cole," she could feel fresh tears watering her cheeks as she spoke, "but I can't stay with you. Please, please take me back to the hotel."

"Phoebe, don't you understand? With the power of three gone, the Source will go after you and Prue. Prue's probably dead already, and you don't stand a chance on your own. I'm sorry, Phoebe, but I can't let you leave." Whether willingly or as a prisoner, Phoebe would be his forever.

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