Chapter Six
"Don't tell me that Paige and I wasted all that time in the kitchen," Penny complained. But everyone sitting at the dining room table continued to stare unenthusiastically at the food before them. "Phoebe's in good hands right now but she's going to need all of you, too. And you won't be any good to her if you all pass out from starvation, so, start eating," she ordered.
Amidst some grumbling, Paige and Piper began to slowly fill their plates.
"Did you learn anything new?" Paige asked Leo. "About that witch?"
"What witch?" Patty questioned with a glance to her mother who shrugged in reply.
"You were both with Phoebe," Piper explained, "when Leo told us why he was called away so suddenly this morning."
Leo put down his fork and relayed his information. "A young witch in New Delhi was killed. She was quiet and unassuming but was known for her premonitions." With a saddened expression, he added, "She was only thirty-two but she had already saved thousands of lives."
"What happened?" Penny asked in a worried tone.
Leo replied, "The Elders believe it was a ritualistic slaying. In the past four months, she's been the third witch with that ability to have been killed."
"Why wasn't news of this spread sooner?" Penny asked outraged.
Leo shrugged, "There was no real proof tying them together, I suppose. The killings were separated by distance and time and no one made the connection until now. The other two witches had strong abilities but she was certainly the most powerful of the three. Maybe that's why her slaying was especially brutal." Leo's voice filled with pain when he told them, "Her Whitelighter felt her pain but reached her too late to save her. He was in deep shock for two days before another Whitelighter tracked him down. That's why we only found out about it this morning. The Elders were waiting until they had finished questioning him."
"How terrible," Penny murmured. "Do they have any idea who's responsible?"
Leo shook his head. "With the Underworld still in upheaval, no one demon has come to the foreground. We have no idea who's behind this or what reason they had for killing her."
"There's more, isn't there," Patty quietly surmised. "Something to do with Phoebe."
Leo nodded. "When the Elders heard about this witch, they issued a special alert to all witches with the power of premonition. I was supposed to talk to Phoebe to warn her but when I came back, well, you know what happened."
Paige looked around the table. "Where's Cole?" she asked.
"You want to tell him to check around down there," Piper guessed. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Things are way too tense now."
"Why not? He's all powerful now," Paige reasoned. "He'd be the perfect one to find out what's going on down there. And it'll keep him out of our way for a bit."
"Why should he do it?" Victor suddenly questioned. "I mean, isn't that part of the problem?"
"What do you mean?" Paige asked him.
"I mean," he explained, "that you seem to have no problem asking Cole to use his background and powers when you need his help but, as soon as he's not useful to you, you throw it all back in his face and accuse him of being evil."
"But he is evil," Paige quietly protested.
"Are you sure?" Victor asked them to consider. "Like it or not, he loves Phoebe. From everything I've heard since last spring, Cole's actions have been out of love. Misguided definitely, but, not inherently evil."
"Since when are you Cole's best friend?" Piper wondered quietly.
"I still have my reservations about Cole," he corrected her. "But, just as I pointed out your side to Phoebe this morning, I want to point out hers to you. Just because Cole loves your sister, doesn't give you, or Phoebe for that matter, the right to use him the way you have. I don't know Cole all that well but I do know that he has been more than accommodating to you."
"We needed his help," Paige insisted.
"But did you ever thank him for his help?" Victor challenged. "Or did you simply tell him he had to do it? Look, I know yourcraft means you're often put in danger and I know you sometimes need to work with whatever means necessary. I'm just saying that you should be more aware of what you sometimes ask for and how you ask for it. Demon or ex-demon or not, no one likes to be used and there may come a day when he will have had enough and you might get hurt."
"We'll think about it," Piper quietly agreed with a glance towards her sister.
Paige nodded too but looked around the room. "Still doesn't answer my original question, though. Where's Cole?"
"He was in the sunroom about an hour ago," Penny volunteered.
"I'll talk to him," Paige suggested. "I'll behave," she assured Victor.
"No," Patty disagreed, "you should finish eating. I'll go."
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Patty found Cole staring out the windows at the sunset. His hands were clasped behind his back and his eyes held a faraway look. "Cole?" He turned around and gave her a slight look of surprise. "Why don't you join us for dinner? There's plenty of food," she softly invited.
Cole cleared his throat, "I'll wait here.Thank you, though."
"She'll be all right," Patty told him as she stepped closer. "You know, of all my daughters, Phoebe was the one I never worried about because I knew she could handle anything that would come her way."
"Not everything," he quietly said.
"She'll get through this too," Patty assured him. "She has an inner strength that can't be broken."
Cole shook his head and turned back to the windows. "You didn't see her in the mausoleum. Didn't see the defeat in her eyes. She meant every word."
Patty stood behind him. "She was releasing her pain and anger, Cole, and that's not the same thing as a broken spirit. By her challenging you and your own pain and anger, she also revealed her strength. She took what you gave her and gave it right back to you." Cole didn't answer and she added, "I know you never meant to hurt her. Just as she never meant to hurt you."
"I never stopped loving her," he quietly admitted as he continued to watch the sky darken.
"I know," Patty reluctantly agreed. "I watched you this morning. When all this happened. I saw how you reacted. A demon in need of killing would not have acted as tenderly with his victim as you did with my daughter."
"She has to be okay," he stated as he turned around.
"We'll get her through this," she assured him. "Leo told us about the murders. We'll all protect her."
Uncomfortable by her inclusive implication, Cole said, "I should see what I can find out."
Patty saw his discomfort and, mindful of Victor's earlier comments, tried to put Cole at ease. "We're not asking you to go, Cole. It wouldn't be right to tempt you with the very evil you're trying to avoid. Between all of us, we'll figure out some other way to get the information we need."
"Because of my last plan, I was already making inroads down there," he insisted. "No one would be the wiser." He saw her concerned look and added, "I have to do something. I can't just stand around here waiting anymore. But I don'tI can't leave her. I'm almost afraid that something will happen if I leave."
She nodded, "I know you've been keeping your distance since this morning. Prue's with her now but I don't think the rules apply to you. Why don't you sit with Phoebe? I think you need to be with her. Maybe you and Prue can work together to help her." Cole rolled his eyes and she laughed, "You've done it before, I'm sure you can do it again. Besides, Prue's already dead and you can't be killed. What have you got to lose?"
Cole couldn't help but smile and gratefully accepted her arm and allowed Patty to lead him out of the room. As they approached the stairs, Cole glanced up and noticed Phoebe in the middle of the staircase, clutching the railing.
"Phoebe!" Patty shrieked as she watched Phoebe begin to collapse.
The others in the dining room heard and rushed to the stairs in time to see Cole fade from the floor and reappear next to Phoebe.
Cole caught Phoebe just before she could tumble down the stairs. "Phoebe," he whispered with relief as he carefully sat her down on the steps. He ignored the questions of concern from the others who remained at the bottom of the stairs. She didn't speak but weakly wrapped her arm around his neck as he carefully lifted her into his arms. He faded from the staircase and reappeared in the living room where he gently lay her on the sofa. He quickly grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and covered her with it as he knelt next to her. He held one of her hands tightly between his own and, before the others gathered around, he nervously whispered, "The baby?" Phoebe looked back at him with tears in her eyes and his stomach dropped as his heart skipped some beats. "I'm sorry," he sadly whispered. "I'm so sorry. I told you it would be okay. Damn it, I never meant to --"
"No, Cole," Phoebe interrupted him in a panic as the others gathered around them. She leaned over to hug him tightly and whispered, "We're okay." She felt him tighten his grip around her in relief and she struggled to hold herself together. A part of her just wanted to run but she didn't have the energy even if that had been a true option for her.
"Sweetheart," Patty asked as she knelt next to Cole and brushed Phoebe's hair, "can you tell us what happened?"
Cole felt Phoebe's terror as she stiffened in his embrace. "You're safe here," he assured her as he gently pushed her back down on the sofa. "I won't let anyone hurt you. No one here will."
Phoebe's eyes filled with tears and she caressed his cheek with her free hand. "You can't stop it," she tearfully told him. She glanced at her mother and the others and told them all, "None of you can."
"What happened, sweetheart?" Patty asked as she tenderly stroked her daughter's cheek. "What did you see?"
"The end, Mom," Phoebe replied in a hoarse whisper. "The end of us all."
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