Chapter Five

"Okay," Cole demanded when he instantly released Phoebe, "talk. Tell me what you think you know."

"Not what I think," she declared while her eyes grew accustomed to the dark mausoleum, "what I know." It had been a long time since she'd been there. A place she'd first seen during a time of confusion concerning her relationship with him. A time of betrayal. And yet, in spite of all that happened, she'd felt safe there. Cole's tone of concern registered in her mind when she vaguely heard him call her name. Distracted from her bittersweet memories, she cast him a dazed glance. "What?" she softly asked.

He quickly reached out to support her as she swayed. "What happened?" he quietly asked when he noticed, for the first time, the bandage behind her ear. She groaned when he automatically touched it. "Who hurt you?" he asked firmly.

Phoebe inhaled deeply and tried to will away the dizziness before she answered. "I don't know," she admitted.

"What happened?" he repeated while he led her to the bottom steps of the staircase and sat down next to her. "Why were you looking for me instead of being cared for? You should probably still be in the hospital."

"I told you," she insisted as she pushed away his arms, "I was there to stop you from making the worst mistake of your life."

Cole couldn't keep the bitterness from his voice when he retorted, "Worse than coming back from the Wasteland?"

Stunned, she simply stared at him. Right up until the last time she'd seen him, he'd never expressed any true regret over coming back. All he'd talked of was getting her back and not that he was sorry he was there. Were the suicide bids and all that insanity really his subconscious at work? Deep down, was that what he really wanted? Death? Some sort of releasefreedom, maybe? Was the other Phoebe right after all? Was there no way to save him? "I have to try," she whispered to herself.

"Try what?" he snapped and stood up. He stalked away for a few steps, spun to face her, and waited for her answer. But, to his growing frustration, she had looked down at the floor and remained silent. And while he watched her complexion pale, he fought the concern rising within him. "I want answers, Phoebe," he demanded instead. "How did you know about the girl? And about the suspension from the paper?"

"Stop the inspection," Phoebe murmured before she looked up at him. "However you managed P3 to fail the inspection, call it off or I swear I'll vanquish you right here and now."

Cole considered the look on her face and, though he doubted she actually had the power or even the physical strength to try at that moment, he acquiesced to her demand. He took out his cell phone, turned away, and dialed the number of his contact with the rat demons. "Do not proceed," he ordered. He rolled his eyes at the sounds of complaint and added, "You'll be well compensated for your time." He disconnected the call, faced his ex-wife, and curtly said, "Done."

"Now stop the suspension," she demanded. "Don't look at me like that. I know you're behind the lawsuit against me. Put a stop to it."

Cole glared at her but dialed the number of the demon who'd been assisting him on this venture. "There's been a change in plans. Take care of all the lawyers. Make sure her job's secure. I'll contact you later." He disconnected the call, pocketed the phone, and turned back to her, "Happy?" But she didn't answer right away and, instead, looked extremely sad. "Phoebe?"

"Did you really think turning me evil through the Nexus was the answer to our problems?" she quietly wondered with tears stinging her eyes. "That I would magically fly back into your arms? Wasn't our failure as leaders of the Underworld enough to prove we couldn't make it together even being evil?" she asked as she stood on shaky legs.

"We barely had time before it was all shot to hell," he snorted and resisted the temptation to steady her. "We were happy, Phoebe. And you can't deny it. We were together and we were going to have our son and we were happy."

"He wasn't ours from the moment you convinced me to start taking the tonic," she angrily commented through clenched teeth. "He would've been perfectly fine, and innocent, if you hadn't been so afraid of the Seer's prediction for him. But that wasn't you, was it? That was the Source. Blinded by promises of a glorious future if only you controlled your pathetic witch of a wife and your son."

"I never thought you were pathetic," Cole muttered, "but at least you proved my point. It was the Source, Phoebe."

"It was you, too," she emphatically stated. "You were a part of it and you enjoyed it. You enjoyed the power and you enjoyed separating me from my sisters and you certainly enjoyed torturing Paige. And what makes it worse is that later I did too. I enjoyed being evil and having all that power. And you know it or you wouldn't try to use my greatest fear against me by accessing the Nexus." She took a breath and paused a few seconds before she continued, "We were deluding ourselves thinking that we were supposed to be evil. We were better than that, Cole. We are better than that. And we could've broken free if we'd truly wanted. We're much better when we're fighting for good. Together. Being evil's nothing more than a cop-out for us." And in a cool tone, she added, "And if you even think of substituting Kaia for me to make this plan work, I will kill her again before you've even had two seconds to admire my looks on her."

"Why would I even try that? No one could ever take your place," he stated indignantly even though he'd already used Kaia for his own personal pleasure. Not that it had truly been a pleasure. It hadn't been remotely close to the same as being with Phoebe. Kaia meant nothing to him. And she knew it even if she hadn't quite accepted it yet. No, Kaia was nothing more than a sexual release for all his frustrations and disappointments. "Besides," he suddenly growled, "who'd be idiotic enough to fall for an imposter of you?"

"You'd be surprised," she grumbled to herself when she momentarily recalled that her own sisters had initially been fooled by the deception.

Cole didn't ask what she meant. He wanted answers. "Tell me how you know so much. Have you been spying on me?"

To her own surprise, she burst out laughing. Only until the back of her ear had begun to throb did she calm herself. "I tell you over and over that I want nothing more to do with you and you think that means I've been spying on you? Thank you, Cole, I don't think I've had a laugh like that in ages." She sobered nearly immediately when she saw his surprise turn to anger. "No," she somberly answered, "I haven't been spying on you. That's not my style."

"And it's mine?" Cole spat and balled his hands into fists while he attempted to reign in his temper. "If it wasn't a premonition, then, how? And I want a straight answerNow."

"I lived it," she confessed in a defiant tone. "I lived through Paige's accident and arrest for murder. I lived through your botched kidnapping attempt and a confrontation with that bitch, Kaia. I lived through your desecration of our house. I lived through your failure after I vanquished the Woogyman and sent you away when you survived. And I lived through the humiliation again for having once believed in you." She paused to allow her words to sink in. "I didn't guess your fate, Cole. I stated a fact. Killing that driver would have destroyed you. It's the final act that set your downfall in motion. And it's the one thing that killed my love for you. And yet," she gave a bitter laugh, "here I am again." She stepped close to him and softened her tone, "Here I am again trying to save you. So much for moving on." When he didn't speak, she added, "I wasn't there, Cole, in that other world. But maybe now we'll each find closure."

"Other world?" he uttered in confusion. "Phoebe, I don't und--"

"Take me to Misty's store," she interrupted. "There's a mirror I need you to see and a mystery to solve before I leave."

"Leave?" he asked, stunned. "You're leaving town?"

"Not exactly," she replied as she reached for his hand. "Let's go."

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"Okay, Pheebs," Piper breathlessly asked when she entered the attic, "you ready to tell us what happened at Misty's?"

"Didn't Leo tell you?" Phoebe asked in return.

Piper shook her head. "He popped in to say he brought back a mirror for you and went straight to the Elders."

Phoebe took a deep breath and told her sisters, "Long story short, I was in the back room and heard a gunshot but, before I could react, I was hit from behind. Misty was shot in the shoulder and told me that Wexler's Medallion was taken, it was dangerous, and we had to get it back."

"Well, she's right about that," Paige commented.

"Why?" Phoebe wondered. "What'd the Book of Shadows say?"

Paige stepped in front of the Book and scanned the page again. "Long story short, the Medallion dates back to the early nineteenth century and a witch named Eliza Wexler. It was a powerful amulet of protection against demons."

"But it backfired," Leo told them when he suddenly orbed into the attic, "when the demon, Garavan, was able to remove it from her, use it against her, and kill her."

"The Book didn't mention that," Paige scowled. "Just that she was killed and it eventually disappeared."

"How?" Piper asked distractedly while she listened to the cooing sounds coming from the baby monitor she held in her hand. She smiled warmly but quickly tried to refocus on the others.

"No one knows how he managed to get it," Leo admitted. "But with it, he was able to deflect any power used against him and, if he killed the attacking witch, it would absorb the witch's power allowing him to use that power at will for as long as he wore it."

"He must've been unstoppable," Piper mused.

"He was," he sadly commented, "for a long time."

"The Book does have a note that if the one wearing the Medallion was somehow killed," Paige suddenly added, "all powers were then released until the new wearer absorbed more."

"Released where?" Piper nervously wondered.

"To the heavens," Leo replied, "where they would await the birth of the next witch who would receive them."

"What about demonic powers?" Phoebe quietly asked. "Those didn't go to witches, did they?"

Paige followed her sister's train of thought. "Did Eliza use it to absorb demonic powers?"

Leo hesitated a moment before he slowly nodded. "That's how Garavan found out about her. And, no, any demonic powers released went wherever demonic powers were stored for the next demon created."

"A dangerous weapon," Phoebe whispered. "Why'd Eliza risk her safety, everyone's safety, to create it?"

"She probably needed strong protection at the time," Piper considered, "and didn't think of the lasting consequences of owning such a powerful amulet. She didn't realize how attractive it would be for demons to possess."

"Or for another witch," Leo added.

"Why?" Paige wondered. "Sounds to me like a great deal. Give the demons a taste of their own medicine."

"Theoretically," Leo agreed, "yes, the Medallion could protect and serve a witch well. But there was more danger than simply being bait for a demon's attention." He saw their worried frowns and he sighed, "A witch shouldn't use her, or his, powers offensively unless under attack. And the temptation to use this medallion, for something more than just protection, is too great."

Piper nodded, "You haven't been evil enough times, Paige. The pull of that kind of power is hard to resist once you've started using it." She glanced to Phoebe who simply looked down at the floor. "Pheebs," she apologized, "you okay?"

Startled from her brief memories as Queen, Phoebe stammered, "Headache, that's all. Anything else, Leo?"

"The last the Elders heard of it," he informed them, "was in 1895 when a witch named Alexandra Stoddard was attacked by the demon, Garatan, and --"

"Any relation to Garavan?" Paige interrupted.

Leo nodded, "He claimed to be a brother and was after revenge. And Wexler's Medallion. But Alexandra had cast a spell of enchantment upon it and disguised its outward appearance. Garatan couldn't find it and killed her in a rage. He finally gave up on it and, instead, went on a witch-hunting spree. Thirteen witches were killed and the Medallion never found."

"Until now," Piper realized. "So how'd Misty get it? And how'd she know what it was if it couldn't be recognized?"

Phoebe shrugged, "She was barely conscious enough to warn me and I didn't have a chance to see her in the hospital with Jason hovering over me." She suddenly turned to Leo, "Misty's a Wexler, isn't she?"

Leo nodded and confirmed her intuition, "Only a true Wexler could see through Alexandra's spell."

"Is Misty still in danger?" she worried.

He shook his head, "No more so than any other witch at the moment." He indicated to each sister but concentrated his concern upon his wife. "You've got to be on your guard. If there was ever a time you were a target, it would be now."

"But from who?" Paige complained as the baby's cries came through the monitor. "We have no idea who stole the Medallion. Or what it even looks like now. And Misty's not out of recovery yet to tell us."

"What about the crystal Phoebe found?" Piper asked. "Maybe we can use that somehow." Wyatt's cries grew more insistent and she conceded with a sigh, "I'd better see what he needs. Call me if you need help."

"I can't believe she had a boy," Phoebe murmured when Piper left the attic.

"Still can't remember anything?" Paige asked sympathetically.

"Not from the past three months," Phoebe lied with discomfort. To switch the subject, she quickly asked, "Would you mind working with the crystal by yourself for a bit? I think I should probably lie down."

"Are you sure you don't want me to heal you?" Leo questioned. "I might be able to cure the amnesia."

Phoebe nodded, "Thanks but, according to Darryl, some human kid named Kenny did this. And even if he was working for a demon, Jason's already seen me injured and I don't want to raise his suspicions with a miraculous recovery."

"Did you drink that potion Piper made for you?" Paige pointedly asked while Leo nodded his understanding.

Phoebe rolled her eyes, "Yes, Mom." She smiled when Paige harrumphed in reply. "I'll be okay," she assured her younger sister.

"Why don't I go down with you," Leo suggested, "and you can fill me in on the mirror."

She glanced at him warily but decided, "Why not? Maybe you'll end up confirming how crazy I just might be."

"Nah, crazy was Cole's department," Paige teased as she dangled the crystal over the map, "not yours."

"Not funny, Paige," Phoebe called out as she left the attic.

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