Disclaimer: I don't own anyone, don't sue me.
A/N: Woohoo! My exams are all over! I just massively failed my chemistry exam, I come home. . .and I update a chapter of this story. Where's the logic? Anyway, thanks to all that reviewed, they made my day.
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"That's it?" Prue exclaimed incredulously. Cole glanced up at her.
"What do you mean, 'that's it'"? Cole replied with a frown. "I've just pointed out five entrances, multiple traps and a lot of demons . . .that's not enough?"
"I figured the Source of all evil would have more protection. . .that's all." Prue said with a shrug.
"He never thought any of the demons that knew all of this would live long enough to tell of it. So it didn't really matter." Cole explained. He turned to Penny. "As long as you avoid this route," he said, pointing to a line on the map he had jotted down, "and stick to this one," he pointed at another one, "you should be fine. Just avoid the demon posts."
Penny nodded. Without a word she headed to the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Prue called after her.
"I need to get some potions ready. I'll be leaving soon." Grams replied from the kitchen.
"What?" Prue exclaimed, following Penny into the kitchen. "You can't go alone, Grams."
"Well, you three aren't coming with me, that's for sure." Penny said, having already gathered some ingredients.
"Why not? We're old enough Grams, we know what we're doing." Prue said, a pleading tone in her voice.
"I don't doubt that, Prue." Grams replied, looking up. "But you three are not going to fight the Source, and I'm not about to let you."
"And we're just going to let you go to the underworld without any help? You've got to be kidding. . ." Prue let out angrily.
"This is not negotiable, Prue. After what happened today, with Phoebe getting injured, I'm not taking any chances." Grams said firmly.
"Let me go." Cole said loudly, from the doorway. Prue and Grams looked up.
"No way." Prue said.
"What? If the only reason you three aren't going is because you might get hurt, let me go. I'm sure no one in this family has anything against me getting killed." He said, half serious.
Penny seemed to contemplate this.
"Grams, you can't be thinking about this!" Prue exclaimed.
"This could either be a trick of his to lure us down there. . ." Grams started.
"Or an attempt to gain back at least an ounce of trust." Cole finished. "And it's not the first one."
"Okay." Grams gave in.
"Gra--" Prue started.
"No arguments." She said firmly, interrupting Prue. Prue glared at Cole.
"You do anything to her--" She threatened, so only Cole could hear her.
"I'm not going to do anything to her!" Cole said, his annoyance evident.
"Fine. . .if you let anything happen to her--"
"I'll pay for it." Cole interrupted. "I know."
* * * * *
"Phoebe. . .you're too weak. . ." Piper started, trying to push Phoebe back onto the bed.
"I'm fine, Piper." Phoebe said loudly. She shrugged off Piper's arms and climbed off the bed. "Is the room supposed to be shaking like this?"
"Phoe--" Piper said cautiously.
"I was kidding." Phoebe interrupted with a smirk. "I need to know what's going on. There's no way anyone's going to vanquish the Source without me there to help." She headed downstairs, followed closely by Piper. They paused when Prue exited the kitchen, a scowl on her face. Cole emerged seconds later.
"Prue, as hard as it may be for you--" Cole cut off in mid-sentence, his eyes resting on Phoebe, who was halfway down the stairs. He forced himself to look back at Prue. "You can trust me." He finished.
"What's going on?" Phoebe asked, walking down the remaining stairs.
"Grams is going to vanquish the Source without us. And Cole's going to help her." Prue said, as if it were the craziest idea in the world.
"What?" Phoebe said with a scowl. "She can't--"
"I'm not going to hurt her!" Cole shouted, interrupting Phoebe.
"I wasn't going to say that." Phoebe replied. "Grams isn't as powerful as she used to be. . .she can't do this with only your help."
"Well, I'm going to do this with only his help." Grams said emerging from the kitchen clutching onto a small bottle filled with a green substance, "And you three are not going to argue with me about it! I've already had as much as I can take from Prue, don't you two start."
"Grams. . ." Piper began, stopping at the firm look Grams threw her.
"Cole, are you ready?" Grams asked Cole, with a sideways glance.
"No." Phoebe said loudly. They all glanced at her. Cole gave her a small frown. "I need to talk to you." She said to Cole.
"Oh, okay." Cole replied, confused. Grams disappeared back into the kitchen, followed by Piper, and, hesitantly, by Prue. "What is it?"
Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, but paused. Instead she resolved to saying something else. "Take care of her, okay?"
Cole was taken off guard. He hadn't expected that. "Of course." He replied gently.
Phoebe nodded, before heading back to the kitchen. She stopped, and then turned around. "I wasn't going to say anything. . .mostly because I didn't know what to say." Phoebe began. "But now there's a chance that I might never see you again. . .and I want you to know that I have thought about it. In the little time that I've had. And I've talked to Piper about it, and she seems to think that I should go with how I feel. And truthfully, I want to forget everything and have our relationship go back to how it used to be." She paused. "But it can't. Unless I find it in me to forgive you."
"What are you saying?" Cole asked softly.
"Honestly? I'm not sure." Phoebe said. "But I know it's not impossible for me to forgive you. I just want you to know it too."
Cole let out a sigh of intense relief. "Thank you, Phoebe. That meant more to me than you will ever know." He reached out and caressed her cheek gently, smiling slightly when she didn't pull back. He drew back his hand seconds later. "And I will come back."
"I think it's time we left." Grams said as she entered the lounge. She had a slight smile on her face, Phoebe thought. It made her wonder if her family was prone to eavesdrop.
"I'm ready." Cole said, with one last look at Phoebe. He took Penny's hand.
"Good luck." Prue said, emerging from the kitchen, followed by Piper.
"We'll need it." Grams said. And then they were gone.
Piper sighed. "What now?" She asked. "Do we just wait?"
"Are you kidding me?" Prue asked incredulously. "There's no way. Grams may think that we're not ready for this, but I don't. We're going down there."
"How can we possi--" Phoebe started.
"Book of Shadows." Prue said simply.
"Okay, okay." Piper said, throwing her hands in the air. "Even if we do get down there, how will we know where to go if it's all maze?" She raised her eyebrows, daring Prue to answer her.
Prue smiled. She leant over and picked over the piece of paper sitting on the coffee table. "They left this behind." She said simply. Cole's handwriting was sprawled over the page, a clear map of the underworld. Phoebe sighed.
"Okay." She said finally. "I'm in." They turned to Piper, who after a minutes pause caved in.
"Fine." She muttered.
"Alright. We find the spell to get us down there," Prue started, "And we help them vanquish the Source. It's that simple." She started to head upstairs.
"Yeah. . ." Piper said sarcastically. "That simple. . ."
* * * * *
Well? Review!
A/N: Woohoo! My exams are all over! I just massively failed my chemistry exam, I come home. . .and I update a chapter of this story. Where's the logic? Anyway, thanks to all that reviewed, they made my day.
* * * * *
"That's it?" Prue exclaimed incredulously. Cole glanced up at her.
"What do you mean, 'that's it'"? Cole replied with a frown. "I've just pointed out five entrances, multiple traps and a lot of demons . . .that's not enough?"
"I figured the Source of all evil would have more protection. . .that's all." Prue said with a shrug.
"He never thought any of the demons that knew all of this would live long enough to tell of it. So it didn't really matter." Cole explained. He turned to Penny. "As long as you avoid this route," he said, pointing to a line on the map he had jotted down, "and stick to this one," he pointed at another one, "you should be fine. Just avoid the demon posts."
Penny nodded. Without a word she headed to the kitchen.
"Where are you going?" Prue called after her.
"I need to get some potions ready. I'll be leaving soon." Grams replied from the kitchen.
"What?" Prue exclaimed, following Penny into the kitchen. "You can't go alone, Grams."
"Well, you three aren't coming with me, that's for sure." Penny said, having already gathered some ingredients.
"Why not? We're old enough Grams, we know what we're doing." Prue said, a pleading tone in her voice.
"I don't doubt that, Prue." Grams replied, looking up. "But you three are not going to fight the Source, and I'm not about to let you."
"And we're just going to let you go to the underworld without any help? You've got to be kidding. . ." Prue let out angrily.
"This is not negotiable, Prue. After what happened today, with Phoebe getting injured, I'm not taking any chances." Grams said firmly.
"Let me go." Cole said loudly, from the doorway. Prue and Grams looked up.
"No way." Prue said.
"What? If the only reason you three aren't going is because you might get hurt, let me go. I'm sure no one in this family has anything against me getting killed." He said, half serious.
Penny seemed to contemplate this.
"Grams, you can't be thinking about this!" Prue exclaimed.
"This could either be a trick of his to lure us down there. . ." Grams started.
"Or an attempt to gain back at least an ounce of trust." Cole finished. "And it's not the first one."
"Okay." Grams gave in.
"Gra--" Prue started.
"No arguments." She said firmly, interrupting Prue. Prue glared at Cole.
"You do anything to her--" She threatened, so only Cole could hear her.
"I'm not going to do anything to her!" Cole said, his annoyance evident.
"Fine. . .if you let anything happen to her--"
"I'll pay for it." Cole interrupted. "I know."
* * * * *
"Phoebe. . .you're too weak. . ." Piper started, trying to push Phoebe back onto the bed.
"I'm fine, Piper." Phoebe said loudly. She shrugged off Piper's arms and climbed off the bed. "Is the room supposed to be shaking like this?"
"Phoe--" Piper said cautiously.
"I was kidding." Phoebe interrupted with a smirk. "I need to know what's going on. There's no way anyone's going to vanquish the Source without me there to help." She headed downstairs, followed closely by Piper. They paused when Prue exited the kitchen, a scowl on her face. Cole emerged seconds later.
"Prue, as hard as it may be for you--" Cole cut off in mid-sentence, his eyes resting on Phoebe, who was halfway down the stairs. He forced himself to look back at Prue. "You can trust me." He finished.
"What's going on?" Phoebe asked, walking down the remaining stairs.
"Grams is going to vanquish the Source without us. And Cole's going to help her." Prue said, as if it were the craziest idea in the world.
"What?" Phoebe said with a scowl. "She can't--"
"I'm not going to hurt her!" Cole shouted, interrupting Phoebe.
"I wasn't going to say that." Phoebe replied. "Grams isn't as powerful as she used to be. . .she can't do this with only your help."
"Well, I'm going to do this with only his help." Grams said emerging from the kitchen clutching onto a small bottle filled with a green substance, "And you three are not going to argue with me about it! I've already had as much as I can take from Prue, don't you two start."
"Grams. . ." Piper began, stopping at the firm look Grams threw her.
"Cole, are you ready?" Grams asked Cole, with a sideways glance.
"No." Phoebe said loudly. They all glanced at her. Cole gave her a small frown. "I need to talk to you." She said to Cole.
"Oh, okay." Cole replied, confused. Grams disappeared back into the kitchen, followed by Piper, and, hesitantly, by Prue. "What is it?"
Phoebe opened her mouth to say something, but paused. Instead she resolved to saying something else. "Take care of her, okay?"
Cole was taken off guard. He hadn't expected that. "Of course." He replied gently.
Phoebe nodded, before heading back to the kitchen. She stopped, and then turned around. "I wasn't going to say anything. . .mostly because I didn't know what to say." Phoebe began. "But now there's a chance that I might never see you again. . .and I want you to know that I have thought about it. In the little time that I've had. And I've talked to Piper about it, and she seems to think that I should go with how I feel. And truthfully, I want to forget everything and have our relationship go back to how it used to be." She paused. "But it can't. Unless I find it in me to forgive you."
"What are you saying?" Cole asked softly.
"Honestly? I'm not sure." Phoebe said. "But I know it's not impossible for me to forgive you. I just want you to know it too."
Cole let out a sigh of intense relief. "Thank you, Phoebe. That meant more to me than you will ever know." He reached out and caressed her cheek gently, smiling slightly when she didn't pull back. He drew back his hand seconds later. "And I will come back."
"I think it's time we left." Grams said as she entered the lounge. She had a slight smile on her face, Phoebe thought. It made her wonder if her family was prone to eavesdrop.
"I'm ready." Cole said, with one last look at Phoebe. He took Penny's hand.
"Good luck." Prue said, emerging from the kitchen, followed by Piper.
"We'll need it." Grams said. And then they were gone.
Piper sighed. "What now?" She asked. "Do we just wait?"
"Are you kidding me?" Prue asked incredulously. "There's no way. Grams may think that we're not ready for this, but I don't. We're going down there."
"How can we possi--" Phoebe started.
"Book of Shadows." Prue said simply.
"Okay, okay." Piper said, throwing her hands in the air. "Even if we do get down there, how will we know where to go if it's all maze?" She raised her eyebrows, daring Prue to answer her.
Prue smiled. She leant over and picked over the piece of paper sitting on the coffee table. "They left this behind." She said simply. Cole's handwriting was sprawled over the page, a clear map of the underworld. Phoebe sighed.
"Okay." She said finally. "I'm in." They turned to Piper, who after a minutes pause caved in.
"Fine." She muttered.
"Alright. We find the spell to get us down there," Prue started, "And we help them vanquish the Source. It's that simple." She started to head upstairs.
"Yeah. . ." Piper said sarcastically. "That simple. . ."
* * * * *
Well? Review!