AN: Thanks to piperloveleoalways, WelshCanuck, Jedi Alanna, -0-charmed-freak-0-, rikkukirst and lizardmomma for your reviews of Ch. 28; you're the best!

There will be one more chapter after this one. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Twenty Nine

The look on Leo's face was priceless. Tarquin knew that any whitelighter loathed losing a charge, and Leo was about to lose a charge and a wife. How wonderful. He would kill Piper to avenge Aryn, then leave Leo alive in agony. He would make Leo suffer the unforgiving pain of losing his love– the pain he himself felt and would always feel for Aryn. Tarquin planned to enjoy this moment. He would toy with the whitelighter before he broke his heart.

"I'll tell you what, Leo. I'll let you choose the method of execution. Might I suggest fire? They used to burn witches at the stake, didn't they? Your love can go up in flames like mine did. No? Would you prefer something quicker? Another gunshot to her brain? A knife wound to her heart? Poison perhaps? Or how about I strangle her with my bare hands? It'd be a shame, though, to bruise such lovely skin." He traced the outline of Piper's face with his fingers, knowing that it would torment and infuriate Leo.

Leo tried desperately to speak, but for a couple agonizing minutes he could only watch as Tarquin caressed Piper's face. Finally he managed to move his mouth. "Get your hands off of her!" he cried. Tarquin only laughed at Leo's distress. Leo's brain was ordering all of his muscles to leap into action, to lunge at Tarquin and push him away from Piper. But his muscles couldn't respond. Not yet, anyway. He felt a strange tingling sensation throughout his body; the potion seemed to be wearing off. He wiggled one toe, then another. Soon, he hoped, the rest of his body would be back under his control. He needed more time. If Tarquin kept talking, kept taunting him, then he just might have a chance to save Piper.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Cole moved directly in front of Phoebe, putting his body between her and the Source.

"A romantic and a gentleman? You keep surprising me, Belthazor. Any last words before I kill you and your little witch?" A giant fireball hovered a few centimeters above the Source's outstretched hand.

"How did you--"

"–know where to find you?" The Source interrupted. "The whole underworld has been looking for you. Everyone knows of your betrayal. Just a few moments ago one of my spies reported that he had heard you arguing with your witch. Such a pity. You're going to die because you love her and she doesn't even love you back." The Source laughed as he threw the fireball at Cole. Cole, however, threw a fireball of his own. The two fireballs met in mid-air and destroyed each other.

Undeterred, the Source throw a volley of fireballs. Cole blocked each one in turn. "Don't get your hopes up, Belthazor. This is only the beginning. Surely you don't think that you're a match for me?" The Source's tone overflowed with contempt.

"I don't think it. I know it," Cole said proudly.

The Source was clearly not pleased with Cole's answer. "You'll be punished for your arrogance." Within the blink of an eye he sent an energy ball at Cole which knocked him to the ground. Phoebe instinctively ran to Cole's side.

"Are you okay?"

Cole nodded, but it took him a few moments to stand. "Is that the best you got?" He challenged the Source. Cole created an enormous energy ball which glowed and crackled in his hands. He hurled it at the Source's head. Unfortunately, the Source ducked just in time, so that the ball only grazed him.

"You'll be sorry you did that, Belthazor." While Cole was summoning another energy ball, the Source threw one of his own at Phoebe.

Cole didn't think before throwing himself in front of his love. This time he wouldn't be able to get up.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"You're in no position to give me orders, whitelighter," Tarquin said, laughing at Leo's demand that he stop touching Piper. "I can do anything I want to her, and you can't stop me." He moved his hands from her face to her hair. He stroked it softly, just as he had seen Leo doing minutes earlier. "Such beautiful hair," he said menacingly. "I think I'll take some with me. It'll be a nice trophy." Scissors materialized in his right hand. He cut a lock of her hair and triumphantly waved it in Leo's face.

Leo could feel his blood boiling. He could move his left foot now, but not his right. Both his arms and legs stood as still as statues. COME ON! He yelled at his body. MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! But the only things moving were the tears down his cheeks.

Tarquin silently rejoiced in Leo's tears. "So, Leo, have you made your decision? How am I going to kill your wife? If you don't choose, I'll choose for you, and I promise to pick something painful." Of course, no matter what Leo said, Tarquin was going to do what he wanted. He was in control here, and he loved every second of it.

Leo could move both feet now. He had to keep Tarquin talking; Yelling at himself hadn't done any good. He needed more time. "You won't kill Piper. The timeline will be restored, and you'll be remembered as nothing more than a low-level timejumper...if you're remembered at all."

Tarquin was furious. He briefly re-considered his plan to let Leo live. Yet he wouldn't give Leo the pleasure of knowing that his insult had affected him. He wouldn't show him how angry he was. I'll stay calm, he thought, throw out an insult of my own, kill his wife, and leave him here crying like a baby. "So the other sisters went to restore the timeline, did they? It'll be a short trip. My past self has considerable powers, and we both know that when the sisters travel back in time they're powerless. My past self will kill them, just as I'm about to kill your wife, and YOU'LL be remembered as the whitelighter who let the Charmed Ones die." Tarquin smiled and put his hands around Piper's throat. He had decided that demonic methods would be too quick, and he wanted to prolong his moment of glory. He also liked working with his hands.

Yet Tarquin's little speech had given Leo the time he needed. He orbed behind Tarquin and pulled him away from Piper with such force that both men fell to the floor.

Leo and Tarquin fought furiously on the floor of Piper's hospital room. Tarquin punched Leo in the face; Leo punched Tarquin in his rib cage. Leo briefly considered orbing Tarquin out of the hospital, but he didn't want to leave Piper alone, not even for a second. Ignoring his own pain and the blood dripping down his face, Leo punched and kicked Tarquin wherever he could. He wasn't an experienced fighter, in fact he considered himself a pacifist, but his anger at Tarquin for threatening Piper and his fervent desire to protect her had endowed him with extraordinary strength. Tarquin hadn't expected this kind of onslaught from a whitelighter. He was surprised to find that he was no match for Leo in physical strength. In a fair fight, Leo would win.

Luckily for Tarquin, however, he was a demon and didn't have to fight fairly. The paralysis potion was only one of many he had prepared for his encounter with the Charmed Ones. He had even made a potion particularly for Leo. Despite his earlier plan to leave Leo alive and miserable, he decided he would use this potion now. He summoned it to his hand and threw it at Leo.

Immediately Leo felt weak. He knew the potion Tarquin had used must have contained darklighter poison. He had been shot by a darklighter arrow before; on those occasions the poison had taken hours to work its way through his system. This potion, however, felt like it contained much more poison than a normal darklighter arrow. He was sure that he would be dead in minutes. Tarquin left him lying on the floor and moved towards Piper, determined to finish what he had started.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Phoebe couldn't believe that Cole was dead. He had died for her. The Source had murdered him, and now she would be next. No, no! Her mind screamed. I have to stay alive, I can't save Piper if I'm dead!

The Source looked at Phoebe as if she were a lower life form. "This is going to be too easy. Your sisters at least had respectable powers. What are you going to do—kill me with the power of premonition?" The Source laughed again, that horrible bone-chilling laugh.

The mention of her power gave Phoebe an idea. An incredibly desperate idea. She had to try it. Her sisters were counting on her. "I can't kill you, but you're going to die soon enough; I saw it!"

"You're lying."

"My premonitions never lie," Phoebe declared boldly.

"If my life were really in danger, the Seer would have told me."

"Unless the Seer was involved." Phoebe paused to try to judge the Source's reaction. He didn't trust her, but he also hadn't killed her yet. Phoebe knew that every tyrant, human or demonic, feared that he would be overthrown or killed. All she needed was to tap into that fear. "I'm the only one who can help you now."

"Am I supposed to believe that, if you did have a premonition about my death, you would want to help me?"

"Well, these are rather extraordinary circumstances. I'm willing to tell you the who, how, when, and where– in exchange for sparing my life." Phoebe put on her best poker face. If she could only convince him to take her back to the hotel, she could grab the potion and then–and then what? How would she go back in time? One problem at a time, she decided.

"And what assurances do I have that you indeed had a premonition, and that this isn't just an elaborate scheme to save yourself?"

That's a good question, Phoebe thought. I need a good answer. Or...I could answer with another question. "How am I supposed to prove that I had a premonition? Do you want to be able to prevent your murder or not?"

The Source considered this for several moments. "All right. Tell me what you saw...then I'll decide if the information is worth your life."

"The demon I saw killing you- I don't know his name, I've never seen him before. You need to take me to the hotel where my sisters and I were staying. The Book is there. I can use it to identify him." And while I flip through the pages, Phoebe thought, I can be looking for a spell to go back in time.

The Source stared at Phoebe for a long time, studying her face for any sign of deception. "If you are lying to me, I will make sure your death is long and excruciating."

XXXXXXXXX

The Source was watching Phoebe intently as she flipped through the Book of Shadows, so she had to hide her excitement when she saw a spell in her grandmother's writing titled "How to Restore the Timeline". She had already secretly pocketed some of the potion. Now all she needed was to excuse herself to the bathroom, say the spell, and vanquish Tarquin. Then Piper and the innocents would be alive while the Source and other demons would be dead.

"I have to go to the bathroom." Phoebe got off of the bed, where she had been sitting with the Book, and moved toward the bathroom door.

"No," The Source ordered. "You're not going anywhere until you identify the demon."

Phoebe reluctantly sat back down on the bed and began flipping through the Book again. She stopped when she found a upper level demon who had serious powers and looked rather menacing. "This one," she said. She left the page open, got up, and started walking towards the bathroom again.

"STOP!" The Source threw a fireball across her path for added emphasis. "You're sure that this is the one?"

"Yes." She could almost reach the door knob.

The Source grinned. "Now I know that you're lying. This demon's been dead for over a month now."

XXXXXXXXXX

When Prue saw Tarquin standing in the attic of her home, saying a spell to hide her family heirloom, she was filled with a rage greater than any she had ever known. He had resurrected every demon they had ever faced–including Cole, who was now possibly holding Phoebe hostage somewhere, and whoever had possessed Duane to shoot Piper. He had been responsible for the deaths of the innocents they were supposed to save. But now she was going to stop him. He would never hurt anyone ever again. She hurled the potion at him, but something unexpected happened. Tarquin, who hadn't acknowledged Prue's presence or shown any sign that he knew she was there, reached out his hand and caught it.

"I thought that you might try to stop me." Tarquin faced her for the first time. "Lucky for us both that I caught that. Knowing you, though, you probably brought extras, didn't you?"

Prue indeed had other vials in her pocket, but she wouldn't tell him he was right.

"That's okay. You're not going to throw another potion at me."

His arrogance infuriated her. "Is that what you think?"

"Come on, Prue. You throw that potion and we're both dead. It's easy for you to say you're willing to sacrifice your life for your sisters and the innocents, but now that's the moment's here, you won't be able to do it. The human instinct for self-preservation is too strong. You want to live, Prue. You're going to walk away now."

Prue tossed another vial at his arrogant face. That's for my sisters, she thought as the potion hit its target. And for my nephew.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Leo was alive, which told him that Prue had succeeded. Piper was safe now, and Phoebe, and all the innocents they had originally protected. He hadn't been this happy since...since the day he had married Piper. Everything was now as it was before, and the sisters wouldn't even remember any of this. Leo frowned at the thought. They deserved to know what had happened. They deserved to know what Prue had done for them. Leo orbed to the Elders even as he finished the thought.

"Congratulations, Leo," Solon said upon his arrival. "The timeline is now as it should be, and no one will remember Tarquin's interference."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Tarquin's 'interference', as sinister as it was, allowed Piper and Phoebe to spend some extra time with their sister. I would like to ask you to give them those memories."

"You don't think it will distress them to remember that they lost their sister again?"

"It will distress them, but it will also comfort them to know that this time Prue had a choice. She chose to sacrifice herself to save their future. And while they'll remember her death, they'll remember her life, too."

Solon thought about this for a few moments, then nodded. "It will be done."

Leo thanked Solon and prepared to orb to Piper. Thank you for giving me my wife back, Prue, Leo said silently. I promise that I'll take good care of her for you.

Thanks for reading! All comments are greatly appreciated. One more chapter to go!