CHAPTER THREE

AU MANOR

Phoebe started off running forward but before she knew what was happening she was outside in mid air she clung at Cole's jacket keeping him only metres from the floor, "Uh how do I get down?" She looked towards the ground and both landed heavily on the grass.

"Sweetie not that I don't appreciate you coming to my rescue but I think we need the power of three for this one"

Cole helped her to her feet "They can't come I'll explain later" He handed her a piece of scrunched up paper. "It's the chant to get us back"

A car screeched to a halt behind them as the front door to the manor swung open Prue walked slowly towards them as Piper got out of her car.

"Phoebe I thought you vanquished Balthezar"

Phoebe walked calmly towards Piper "This is Cole".

She heard Prue sigh behind her "Not this again!"

She looked at each 'sister' a pleading look on her face "I wouldn't betray my sisters but you have to believe me I'm not Phoebe and this is not Balthezar".

"I thought you were supposed to have slept this idea off"

Prue nodded to Piper who held up both hands getting ready to freeze Cole

"Piper no!" Phoebe turned around to see Cole already motionless she grabbed hold of his hand and began reading the chant once then twice but nothing happened. "Prue any suggestions are welcome right about now he won't stay frozen forever" Prue grabbed hold of Phoebe and pulled her away from Cole.

"Prue please you have to believe me!"

Prue looked to Piper "Get the vanquishing spell…This time we'll do the job ourselves"

"It won't work, he's human"

"Then you have nothing to worry about" Prue said in a dangerous tone.

Phoebe flipped Prue as Cole unfroze she ran towards him and pulled him away towards the road Piper came out of the house she got ready to freeze him again when Prue stopped her.

"Bind them…Both of them we can't let her leave with him".

Before they had a chance to utter the first few words they saw a man appear in front of Cole and Phoebe

"Phoebe run!" They watched as the stranger disappeared again a glowing white all around him, they watched as Phoebe and Cole went with him".

* * *

Piper paced the attic glancing up every so often to look inside the pentacle to see if Cole or Phoebe had returned "How long has it been?"

Paige looked at her watch and sighed "ten minutes…two minutes since you last asked".

"They should be back by now".

Leo sat behind her looked as worried as his wife "We don't know whereabouts in San Francisco the spell took him he could be at the manor, at P3, or --".

"Or the spell might not have worked" Piper interrupted him.

The sound of the doorbell interrupted them Piper looked hopefully as she ran towards the front door she flung open the door and stood back disappointed "Darrell hi…What can we do for you?"

"Is something wrong?"

Piper turned around and walked back towards the stairs "It'd be better if you didn't know…Come in"

As Piper walked back into the attic Leo and Paige noted her disappointed look and any hopeful thoughts they had disappeared.

Darrell walked in after her and saw them all waiting he looked at the pentacle and burning candles and stepped back out "I really don't want to know do I?"

AU

Phoebe and Cole looked around at their new surroundings then looked at their saviour.

"It's about time you showed up".

Leo looked at Cole then at Phoebe "I don't know why you asked me to help him he's a demon in case you hadn't noticed".

"Actually in case you hadn't noticed I'm human now".

Phoebe stepped in between them "Okay time out you guys…Leo I'm not the Phoebe from this reality I'm…Another Phoebe, Cole is from the same time as me. "So Phoebe really is dead I'd hoped it was a mistake I was with another charge when it happened --".

Phoebe put a comforting hand on his shoulder "It okay in my world Prue was the one who died Our Leo couldn't help her either. We found Paige our sister and she reunited the power of three".

Leo nodded taking this in "I've been watching Paige and helping her develop her power she was going to go to you…Phoebe's funeral and meet Piper and Prue but then you turned up".

"They tried to bring back their sister with a spell to bring back the dead"

Leo sighed uncomfortably. "I know without me to guide them they began using spells they shouldn't have been able to get they thought they were doing what they needed to do…When they do their job they do it without thought to themselves but sometimes they go over the edge. It's because of that reason that Pratt found out about them".

"I tried to get back to my time but the spell I used didn't work".

Cole stepped forward "You don't belong to this world but your still a charmed one, until you can get Piper and Prue to find and accept Paige maybe your job is to be a charmed one in this world".

Phoebe began walking to the door "Then lets get going my sisters need me".

* * *

The last candle burned out and the attic was covered in darkness Paige flipped the switch on and opened the door "Piper please get some rest".

She silently shook her head in answer, no.

Leo came up behind her and pulled her gently to her feet "Your not helping anyone like this innocents still need your help"

Piper walked out of the attic without saying a word.

* * *

Belanos stood silently in the middle of a ring of stones, his eyes closed in deep concentration his heavy breathing the only sound in the cold cave. He saw in his mind Piper wandering around through endless tunnels looking for something, a figure appeared at the end of one tunnel and Piper ran towards it. A light shone on the face of the figure and Piper went to hug Phoebe she disappeared leaving Piper alone in the tunnels again.

Belanos opened his icy blue eyes.

* * *

Piper woke up out of her dream she looked around her room "Phoebe?" She yawned and lay back on her bed when she heard no reply she closed her eyes to try and sleep some more.

* * *

Belanos smiled wickedly "The Charmed One's have lost a sister".

He spoke in the dark seemingly to no one "She's gone but not dead why should I destroy the charmed one's when the oldest sister can do it herself…The Charmed One's will die all of them by the hand of their own".

His laugh echoed throughout the cave and the walls shook.