Leo knelt in front of Phoebe and gently touched her shoulder to get her attention. She was on the couch, curled up in Piper's arms, her eyes puffy and red from crying, with Ben's cap clasped in her hands.

"I've already talked to Paige," he said. "As soon as she arrives, I'll go get Cole and orb him here. And we're gonna find out where Ben is and bring him back, Phoebe, I promise."

"Can't you sense him, Leo?" Phoebe asked, in a trembling voice.

"He's not a witch, Phoebe," said Leo, sadly. "I'm sorry."

Leo had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He loved his one-year-old nephew with all his heart, and not knowing where he was and what was happening to him was almost driving him insane.

When they heard the chiming sound that announced Paige's arrival, Leo promptly stood up. Paige had volunteered to stop at the office of Cole's dentist on her way from work and orb him home with her, but Leo had declined her offer, wanting to be there for Cole when he received the news. Now, while Paige joined her sisters on the couch, putting her arms around them, Leo almost wished he had accepted her offer. Damn it, how do you tell a father that his baby son has been kidnapped by a demoness?

He took a deep breath and said to Piper:

"I'll be right back."

After Leo orbed out, the three sisters remained silent for a moment, searching for comfort in their closeness.

"It's getting cold," Phoebe whispered.

"What?" Piper asked, confused. "Sweetie, do you want us to get your jacket?"

"It's getting cold," Phoebe repeated, her eyes dulled by the pain. "Ben's wearing only his PJs, do you think he's cold, now?"

Piper looked at Paige over Phoebe's head, feeling her heart break, and Paige cleared her throat, trying to hide the tears in her voice.

"We'll bring him back before he has time to feel cold, Phoebe. And then," she added, bitterly, "we're gonna kick that bitch's ass so hard she's never gonna know what hit her."

Phoebe didn't answer; she just lowered her eyes to the yellow cap in her hands and gently caressed it. Just then, Leo orbed in holding a very shaken Cole by his arm. Phoebe straightened up and looked at her husband, who took a few faltering steps, sat heavily on the couch and took her in his arms. For a moment, they didn't say anything, and Piper and Paige walked towards Leo, giving the grieving parents some space.

"Did you get to see who did it, baby? Did you recognize him?" Cole finally asked, pulling away from her just enough to look her in the eyes.

"Julie," she said in a whisper, and he winced. It's happening. It's finally happening. His past was coming after him, and his son was paying for it.

"What did she say?" he asked, hoarsely. "What does she want?"

"She didn't say. She just took him from his crib, and... and she..." -- Phoebe choked up and buried her face in his chest, starting to sob again.

Cole held her tight, desperately wanting to reassure her, wishing he could say that everything was gonna be okay. But his mind was blank, his brain felt numb, and he just held her until Piper sat beside them on the couch, saying in a gentle yet firm voice:

"Sweetie, you have to get yourself together, for Ben's sake. You can't break down now. None of us can," she added, eyeing Cole.

"Right," said Cole. For a moment, he still looked groggy, but then his eyes focused again and he added, in a fairly steady voice: "We need to find out where she took him. I'll fill you in with everything I know about her, but you should also check the Book of Shadows."

"I'll get it," said Paige, and not wanting to waste any time she orbed to the attic.

Cole then kissed Phoebe's forehead and said:

"We're gonna find him and bring him back, baby. Even if we have to slay our way through the whole damn Underworld to get to him."

Wiping the tears from her face with a trembling hand, and swallowing the ones that threatened to keep coming, Phoebe took a deep breath and said:

"Leo, Ben may not be a witch, but he's of my blood: do you think I can summon him with a spell?"

"I don't know," said Leo, as gently as possible, "I'd expect Julie to take him to a place where white magic can't reach them. But, by all means, give it a try."

Phoebe immediately stood up to get the things necessary to do the summoning: the fact that she was actually doing something to try and bring her baby back was enough to shake away the cold despair that had started to engulf her.

In the meantime, Paige orbed back, carrying the Book of Shadows. As she sat on the couch and put the book on the coffee table, Piper sat beside her, saying:

"Sweetie, we're trying a spell to bring Ben back. I know the spell, so while I find it in the Book why don't you and Leo start to collect the information Cole has about Julie?"

"Sure," said Paige, standing up and joining Cole and Leo. While Cole told Leo and her all that he had learned about Julie during the few months she had worked as his assistant, Piper quickly found the spell, and Phoebe came back from the kitchen with a bowl containing a sprig of cypress, some rosemary and yarrow root. She sat on the couch, put the bowl beside the Book of Shadows and lifted the athame to cut her finger. The moment she touched the tip of her finger with the athame, though, Paige suddenly said:

"Wait." As the others looked inquisitively at her, she said, pointing at Cole: "Don't you think the spell would be stronger if the two of you cast it together?"

"I can't cast a spell," said Cole. Then, looking at Leo: "Can I?"

"As I said," says Leo, "I wouldn't put my hopes on this spell if I were you. But if it has any chance of working, it'll be increased if you add your blood to the mixture."

Cole needed no further persuasion to sit by Phoebe's side and hold out his hand over the bowl. Phoebe made a small cut on his finger before proceeding to hers. Together they said the words of the spell, as their blood dripped from their wounds into the bowl:

"Blood to blood, I summon thee.
Blood to blood, come back to me."

Their words rose and flew across the air as the two blood trails slowly ran down the walls of the bowl and met at the bottom.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"So," said the red-haired demoness, crossing her arms in front of her chest and looking at her interlocutor's back, "you're not coming?"

"I thought I had made it clear the first two times I said it," came the cold answer, "but since you seem to be having some trouble understanding it, I'm gonna say it once again: drop it, I'm not interested."

"The grimlocks..."

"I don't give a damn about the grimlocks," said the other demoness, keeping her eyes on the mirror as she braided her beautiful dark hair. On a face of perfect features, the emotionless black eyes seemed to care only for the french braid she was doing.

"You know, it's been a long time since you last took part in a killing," said the red-haired one, changing her approach, "people are starting to talk."

"People always talk." -- the dark eyes glinted briefly with a steely fire as the nimble fingers continued to snake through the silky dark strands, her back still turned to the redhead.

"They're saying," pursued the redhead, unaware of the growing danger, "that you're not the same anymore. That you've softened since..."

The words died in her mouth as a slim yet awfully strong hand closed around her throat. Her eyes opened wide as she found herself pinned against the stone wall, her interlocutor's face suddenly a few inches from hers.

"Maybe I should shut them up by hanging a demoness' head on my door," she hissed.

The red-haired demoness uttered a few strangled sounds, struggling in vain with the white hand that didn't show any signs of releasing its grip on her throat. Then, just as the world started to fade away, her attacker suddenly shuddered and straightened up, narrowing her dark eyes.

"Leave," she grunted, letting go of her victim, "I don't have time to deal with you now."

As the terrified creature left as fast as her shaking legs allowed her, the demoness muttered, mostly to herself:

"I have some unfinished business to attend to."