Once again, Phoebe could see the Source's coronation chamber. In a magic cage, as she had seen before, were Piper and Paige, their lips moving inaudibly. And on the throne, Phoebe herself reclined. "The Power of Three won't set you free this time. Haven't you figured it out yet? It all comes down to the Power of One. This one." The Phoebe on the throne drew her hand back, and Phoebe wrenched herself out of the premonition, gasping.
"I couldn't watch -- she -- I -- was going to kill them with a fireball," she blurted out.
Leo trembled slightly, then forced himself to put on a calm face for the sake of his sister-in-law. "Phoebe, was this a premonition of the future, or has it already happened?"
"It's the future. But I'm afraid it's the very near future. Let me -- I need..." She trailed off, grabbing the Book of Shadows, her notebook, and a pen. She scribbled a few lines, crossed things out, wrote a bit more. "Leo, I don't know if this is going to work...but it's the best I've got."
"What are you planning to do?" he asked.
"I'm going to inhabit my future self, like I did when I was burned at the stake."
Leo gaped. "But Phoebe, that could let your future self -- the Queen of the Underworld -- inhabit your body here!"
"Then I'll put myself in a crystal cage before I say the spell. I don't think there's any other way to do this, Leo. We don't have much time," she reminded him unnecessarily.
"Alright," Leo agreed, against his better judgment. "Just --"
She looked at him questioningly.
"Just be careful, okay?" Leo said in an emotional voice.
"I will be," she answered, already beginning to imbue the crystals. When the cage was nearly ready, she sat down inside it and directed Leo to put the last crystal in place. She read aloud from her spell:
Hear these words, let time unwind
So my present self will find
Through time and space to what I see
To inhabit a self that's yet to be.
Phoebe's body slumped forward in the cage, and when she opened her eyes, she was once again back in the Source's coronation chamber. But this time, the picture was in full color, not black and white, and she realized that she was now seated on the throne. She could hear her own voice, filling the cavernous room, "Didn't you expect this? I have betrayed you in past lifetimes. This one is only different because this is the supreme betrayal -- I will kill you myself, and tip the scales forever toward evil." As Phoebe felt herself settle into her body, her future consciousness -- present consciousness? she resolved not to think about tenses -- felt her arrival and fought her desperately. But Phoebe was prepared for this, though it hadn't happened the last time she'd traveled to the future. "Last time, I wasn't completely evil, even if I did premonition someone to death," she reminded herself. Then, in her mind, she recited the spell she'd memorized:
I am light
I am one too strong to fight
Return to dark, where evils dwell
You cannot be this Halliwell.
Phoebe's evil consciousness fought her, but Phoebe drew on the strength from the Font fireball, and with a repetition of the spell, she felt the other consciousness forced out of her body. Alone in her body, Phoebe became aware of the incredible power she wielded in this future. With a shock, she realized she was holding a fireball -- bigger and more powerful than any she'd created the last time she was the Queen of the Underworld. The thrill of power momentarily overwhelmed her, until she heard Leo's voice echoing in her mind, "You are a good witch. You're a good person." With an almost imperceptible shudder, she snuffed out the fireball.
A demon, clearly one of her more obsequious minions, noticed what she'd done. "My Queen, perhaps you would like me to destroy them, while you enjoy the spectacle?"
In a bored, languid voice, she answered, "Perhaps you would like to be silent until you're spoken to...?" The demon hastily retreated, dropping to his knees.
"There's no sport in killing them with all of you here to defend me, should I need defending. I want to do this myself," Phoebe declared. "Leave us." A surprised murmur went through the room. "Leave us!" Phoebe bellowed. The demons blinked, shimmered, and flamed out.
Phoebe got off the throne and gestured to the cage, lowering it to the floor. "Let me just figure out how to open this thing," she said to herself.
"You do and I'll explode you!" Piper cried out.
"Piper! It's me," Phoebe said in shock.
"Like hell it is," Piper said bitterly.
"Piper, I traveled to the future -- this future -- to save you guys," insisted Phoebe.
"Don't give me that," Piper snarled. "You've had demons tossing energy balls in here for sport."
"I just got here -- about 10 seconds ago. When I extinguished the fireball."
"Then why didn't ya let us out then so we coulda killed all those demons?" Paige demanded.
"Because if I'd freed you, they would have killed all of us before we had a chance to do anything," Phoebe answered. Paige looked thoughtful, but Piper remained unconvinced. "Look, I have the spell you two will need to get home. I'm writing it down, see," with a flick of her wrist, Phoebe made a pen and paper appear, and began writing, "and I'm putting it in the cage now." She did, and Piper eyed it suspiciously.
Paige grabbed it and read it, and showed it to Piper, who shrugged. "You've always been good at writing spells. That's no guarantee you'll let us use it."
"Fine, trust me or don't, I've still gotta get you out of the freakin' cage," Phoebe muttered. She waved her hand toward the cage, and the bars obligingly dissolved.
Piper flicked her hand toward Phoebe, who had covered her face with her hands.