Chapter four…Starting Over

Chapter four…Starting Over

So they had ended at the beginning. Where were they now? Phoebe watched as Leo orbed out leaving her alone. The place wasn't so bad as far as evil bad demon like hangouts come. At least Cole had some straw and a pillow. Things could be worse right.

A silent tear slipped down her soft cheek. Sure. Things could only get better. Right. She believed that one.

But she had to pull herself together and stop thinking like that. She had to be happy and ok with this. If not for her but for Cole. She didn't have to stay in fact no one was forcing her to do anything. She'd made the choice now she'd have to live with it.

She heard a noise behind her and she knew it was time.

"Turn around witch and meet your destiny." An evil voice snarled. She complied what good was fighting this anyway. His face held a kind of awe when she saw it. Like he couldn't believe that he would be so lucky. Like he'd waited for something like this his whole life and now that it was here he was in shock.

In his hand was a cold athamae. Phoebe could almost feel it rip through her skin. It wouldn't be long now. She shuddered. The demon noticed and woke up from the trance he'd been in.

"He didn't tell me how 'Charming' you are." The demon sneered. "He died well." Phoebe's blood ran cold.

"What?" she choked out fearing the worst. The demon laughed and made a big show out of wiping some blood off of the athamae. Blood she hadn't noticed before. How could she have missed that?

"He died well. Belthazar that is." Here he paused for emphasis. She didn't cry. It hurt too much for tears to express. Again he had been taken from her and this time it was for good. Tears were easier, why wouldn't they come? Why couldn't she cry? "He did ask me to spare you. I think I will too. With Belthazar out of the way as well as your sister I'm sure that you won't be too much of a problem. Though I do still have my orders to kill you. Too bad. I would have kept you alive just for fun. But I can't be disappointing the Source now. Not after Belthazar." Here he smiled sickly at her and she wished he would hurry up with it because this pain she was in right now couldn't be worse then what would happen if he didn't kill her, if he made her stay alive suffering like this. She'd done it twice already. She couldn't do it a third time. It wasn't in her.

The demon grabbed her from behind and put the knife up to her neck.

"If I cut here you'll go to fast." He slid the knife down to her chest pointing it inward. "Here is really quite messy but then again so is almost anywhere else." If he was expecting her to fight back she wouldn't. Not now. Cole had taken any will to survive with him. She could survive for the power of three but it was gone, she was sure of it now. She could live for Piper but Piper had Leo. And Phoebe had no one.

He had his face pressed up against her cheek and it took all she had in her to not push away.

"Enjoy endless torment. Witch." He whispered fiercely in her ear.

Phoebe felt the cold hard blade sink in to her and she gasped. It hurt and there was so much blood. The demon let her body drop to the floor and left her. This was easier than losing Cole this was physical it never hurt like before. Phoebe only wished it didn't have to be this way. Her hands clutched at the knife. It hurt so badly. And the blood was covering her hands and leaving them sticky. She could taste it in her throat. Coppery and sickeningly salty. The warm liquid spilled out and flowed through her slippery yet sticky fingers leaving life in its path. Suddenly she had the desire to live. What was beyond this? Where was she going? Would Piper be all right? Were Cole and Prue really gone?

As the life slowly ebbed past her helpless hands she closed her eyes to block out the sight. There was so much blood too much. People didn't have that much did they? Everything was in black and white except for the red. Everything was turning red. With every heartbeat more pushed its way past the cage of sticky fingers. With every breath the knife stung deeper.

She saw things from her past. Memories in black and white were turning red with blood. The smell filled her nose and made her want to vomit. She had to roll on her side or she'd drown in her own blood. She managed to turn her head and blood trickled out of her mouth in a slow dripping crimson stream.

How come her heart hadn't stopped? How come her life hadn't poured out with the blood? How come everything was red now?

Red was the color of roses and valentines. It was love.

And Phoebe seemed to have an endless supply.

She tried desperately now to keep it from slipping past her fingers. She needed her love and her life she couldn't let it go now. But her hands were helpless, sticky and clumsy.

The tears came then. Drop after endless drop mixed with the scarlet mess. Suddenly she wished she'd fought back. She would have been able to take him.

"Leo!" she cried out with all her might but it only came out as a whisper, barely audible, barely there.

There wasn't any red any more. Slowly it was all fading away. Leo couldn't hear her and she knew it. The sticky, slippery substance that stained her didn't matter anymore. Her heart was finally giving up and breathing wasn't so difficult if you couldn't do it. Phoebe closed her eyes and thought of Cole. He would have been disappointed in her. Then she lost consciousness.

Leo orbed in with Piper. Both crying. Prue was gone. Leo hadn't made it back in time and Cole hadn't warned them. They had a spell to set Phoebe free but they needed to get to her first.

Leo saw her first.

"Piper honey. Wait here." He told her and tried to keep Phoebe out of sight from his wife. He couldn't tell if she was still with them. If she was she wouldn't be for long.

"Oh my God! No!" Piper cried out as she saw her sister on the floor. "No Pheebs! Leo do something!" she cried as she rushed over to her sister. Leo was already at the younger girl's side trying to heal her. There was so much blood. And Phoebe felt so cold. The knife looked so out of place and cruel in her broken body. Piper pulled it out viciously. A fresh spurt of blood flowed from the hole.

"Phoebe come back honey. You're going to be fine Leo's here and he's going to heal you. Come on honey come back to us." Piper called out desperately trying to stay calm. This was too much like Prue. This was all too real. Phoebe could be gone forever. They weren't invincible just because they were witches. They could die. People died. Witches died. Prue died.

Phoebe heard her sister in the darkness. She had almost slipped away to where there wasn't any red or black only a golden amber. Prue told her to fight it. She fought it. The pain was gone.

Phoebe opened her eyes and was instantly engulfed by a tearful Piper.

"Don't ever do that again!" Piper warned choking back tears.

"Prue is gone. Cole is gone. What now?" Phoebe asked.

"Now we go home." Piper said with courage she never knew she had.