Chapter Sixteen

Phoebe shut the door to the penthouse behind her and leaned against it. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was breathing heavily. She knew she needed to calm herself but, every time she tried, she remembered the scene from a little while before. "We'll be okay," she promised her son as she nervously rubbed her belly. She felt a little dizzy and realized she had to get off her feet. But, as she walked towards the sofa, she thought of at least a half-dozen items she should retrieve from the bedroom before she left so she changed direction.

She froze when she saw the sword lying on the floor. And, when she looked up, through the doorway, she gasped in horror, "Cole!" She rushed towards the bed and called him again but he didn't answer. "Oh, my God," she whispered in shock as she gingerly touched his chest wounds. Cole moaned and she called his name again. "Cole, come on, wake up!"

Phoebe then realized his hands were pulled above his head, chained to the wall, and she began to panic. She shook Cole by his shoulders and desperately cried, "Cole! Wake up! You have to wake up!" But Cole didn't respond and she hung her head and cried, "Don't die on me, ColeDamn it, don't die on me!" She shook him again, more vigorously, as her hysteria grew, "Cole, I need you! We need you! Don't die on us! You have to fight! Damn it, I love you and I can't lose you again!" Phoebe's voice cracked as she sobbed, "I love you, ColeI love you!"

Suddenly, a tiny energy ball shot out from Cole's hand and hit her on her cheek.

Stunned into sudden calmness, she brought her hand to the stinging welt on her cheek and stared at him in shock. "Cole?"

"Won't work, Hasoaf," Cole weakly announced with his eyes shut. "Don't know your game but it won't work."

"Cole, it's me," Phoebe told him as she caressed his cheek. She tried to ignore his flinch and assured him again, "It's me, honey, come on, open your eyes. God, Cole, I thought I'd lost you. I love you, Cole, and we have to get out of here. You have to open your eyes."

Cole listened and slowly opened his eyes. His heart acknowledged her words, the welt on her cheek, and the tears in her eyes but his mind instructed him otherwise. "I won't let you hurt her," he weakly declared as he let loose another tiny energy ball.

This time, Phoebe saw the attack coming and jumped back off the bed. "What the hell are you doing?" she shouted. "I tell you I love you and you try to hurt me?"

"Not good if you're losing your memory," Cole croaked as his eyes closed from the expended energy it took to attack, "I told you before, Phoebe would never say those words to me."

"Oh God," Phoebe realized with shock. She quickly sat down by his side and caressed his face. He didn't flinch this time but she knew he was getting ready to fire at her again. "Cole, listen to me," she spoke softly, "I swear I'm not Hasoaf. I'm Phoebe. I swear. And I'm so sorry it took me so long to tell you how I feel and I know the timing couldn't be worse but you were the one who told me you could wait until it happened." Cole suddenly opened his eyes and she continued in a rush as she began to cry, "I've felt this way a long time but I've been so scared that something terrible would happen when I finally told you. And I didn't want to feel like I did before, all that pain when it all came crashing down but when I thought I'd lost you just now, the words just came out and I'm so sorry I wasted so much time. I'm sorry, Cole, I'm so sorry"

Cole watched her carefully and warily asked, "Phoebe?" She nodded and gave a small hiccup and his demeanor quickly changed. "What did I do to you?"

"It doesn't matter," she asured him. "You're alive and that's all I care about."

"You've got to get out of here, Phoebe," he urged. "Hasoaf knew you'd come here and he'll be back."

"Not without you," she sniffled.

"This isn't up for debate," he told her. "Between these wounds and these chains, I'm too weak to break free. I can't protect you or Junior. You've got to go."

"Stop calling him that," she yelled before she collapsed against him in sobs.

Cole ignored the pain he felt because of her action and instead sighed in relief. "It really is you," he whispered. "Phoebe, listen to me, I love you, but you've got to get out of here. Now!"

"Not without you," Phoebe sniffled as she raised her head. "Leo!" she suddenly called out. "Leo!"

Leo orbed in to the bedroom and stared at them both in shock. "Step back," he told Phoebe as he quickly set about to heal Cole.

Phoebe stepped away from the bed and let out a deep breath as she watched Leo attempt to heal Cole without having been asked first. But she realized the problem of the chains would still remain so she went back into the living room.

"Get her out of here," Cole grunted as Leo's hands glowed over his chest. "Forget the plan, just get her somewhere safe."

"Not without you," Phoebe stated as she returned to the bedroom with the sword in her hands. While Leo still healed Cole, she carefully climbed on the bed and stood near Cole. "Hold still," she cautioned.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Cole nervously asked. "I'm rather fond of my hands and don't have the power to grow a new pair."

But Phoebe ignored him and swung the sword at the chains above his head. Unfortunately, the links held and Phoebe immediately hunched over and tried to breathe deeply.

"Phoebe!" Cole called out in concern.

"I'm okay," she insisted. "Let me try again."

Leo's hands stopped glowing and he reached out for the sword. "I'll do it."

Phoebe gratefully handed him the sword and carefully stepped off the bed. She watched from the other side of the bed as Leo swung the sword. But he proved to be as unsuccessful as she had been and she looked to Cole helplessly.

"He's used magic somehow," Cole realized. "It's part of the process, I guess, for him to drain the powers and energy of his victims. You won't be able to break them. Leo, get her out of here."

"What if we fight magic with magic?" she suddenly asked. "Leo, give me the sword." With the sword in hand, she stared at it for a moment and tried to focus on creating a spell.

"Blade of steel, bring forth no pain,

instead, I ask, break these links of chain."

The sword briefly glowed and Phoebe returned it to Leo. This time, when he swung the blade, the chains easily broke and Cole's hands dropped quickly to his sides. Leo quickly knelt and unshackled Cole's wrists. He held his hands above Cole's and healed the deep bruising. When he was done, he turned back to Phoebe. "Let me heal your cheek." But she stepped back and began crying.

Cole quickly sat up and hurried to her side, "What's wrong?"

"I didn't know," she whispered in defeat. "I didn't believe and now I've killed them. I've killed my sisters!"

Cole immediately pulled her into a hug and glanced at Leo for confirmation.

Leo shook his head and told her, "They're not dead, Phoebe. I can still feel them." His face darkened and he admitted, "But they're very weak and I don't think they have much time left."

"I have to go back for them," she cried.

"No!" Cole shouted before he calmed enough to say, "Leo and I will go. You've got to go to our other safe place. Hasoaf couldn't possibly know about it."

"You don't understand," she insisted as she pushed herself out of his embrace, "I have to go back. It's my fault they were hurt. They told me you were him but I didn't believe."

"What do you mean?" Leo asked.

"I'd been napping when I heard a crash," she explained, "and I found all of you in the living room. I thought it was you, Cole. Paige was hurt and Piper wanted me to throw my potion at you. She said you'd attacked them but that you were really Hasoaf. And you said, I mean he said, that they'd attacked first. And I saw the blue and green splotches from the potions to prove it. And you each wanted me to help against the other and I couldn't do it. I couldn't. Not again. I told you I couldn't be caught in the middle of your war and I had to get out. For me, for the baby, I just grabbed my keys and ran and --" She suddenly stiffened and held her lower abdomen in pain.

Cole quickly moved to support her and asked, "The baby?"

After the pain passed, she nodded and admitted, "A contraction. I had one in the car before and almost crashed. That's how I ended up here. I knew I needed to lie down and this place was closest. I thought I'd be safe here."

"That settles it," Cole decided as he gently rubbed her abdomen, "Leo, get her out of here."

"No," she insisted, "I'm going back to the house. I've got to --"

"Phoebe!" Cole called out when she suddenly shimmered out of the room. "Leo, find her!"

But, before Leo could orb out of the room, Phoebe shimmered back in and nearly collapsed in shock. Leo grabbed her and helped her to the bed where Cole sat down next to her.

"I was in the living room," she whispered. "How?"

"It must've been the baby," Cole theorized.

"I don't understand," she said. "You don't shimmer anymore."

"Latent genes?" he suggested with a glance towards Leo who shrugged in return. "It doesn't matter, you're definitely in no shape to go back there."

"I just need some water," she told him, "and I'll be fine." Suddenly, a glass of water appeared in her hand and Cole had to quickly grab it from her to keep it from spilling. "The baby?" she asked as she began to tremble.

"I guess so," he replied as he held it to her lips so she could drink. After a moment, she seemed steady enough and he handed her the glass to drink. As she drank, he rubbed her belly and smiled, "He's probably trying to help Mommy."

"Thank you, baby," she murmured. With a shy glance towards Cole, she added, "He must get his timing from me."

Cole's smile quickly faded and he cautioned her, "Don't use these powers again. Hasoaf may not know about them and it brings the power of surprise on our side."

"But I didn't use them in the first place," she countered. "If it was the baby, I might not have any control."

"That's a risk we'll have to take," Leo commented before he suddenly grabbed at his heart.

"Leo, what is it?" Phoebe questioned in concern.

"Piper, in pain," he whispered as he recovered.

"We're out of time," she announced as she stood. "No more arguing, we've got to get back. Now."

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