"Wyatt, you know I'm not a demon," Maggie said, trying to pull away.
"Prove it."
"What?" Maggie looked away, then back at Wyatt. "Wait, you've healed me before. You couldn't do that if I was evil."
"According to the book, you can regenerate," Wyatt said. "You could have been faking it."
"Please, I don't know what's going on, but I'm not a demon."
"We'll see." Wyatt drew the knife from his coat. "This will only hurt for a second."
"No, Wyatt," Maggie backed up, shaking her head. "Don't hurt me. I'm not evil. Please."
Wyatt struck with his dagger, and Maggie cried out. There was now a large, bleeding laceration on her upper arm.
Wyatt studied the dagger's reddened blade. After a moment, he dropped his force field. "The dagger isn't making your blood boil… you can't be evil."
"I told you that," Maggie said angrily as she held her arm.
"Here." Wyatt put his hand over the wound, and healed it. "I'm sorry, but I had to be sure."
Maggie glared at him. "Let's get back to the house. We have to find Phoebe."
**********
As the flames died down, Phoebe looked at the room she was in. It was Cole's apartment, but the windows had been boarded up, and everything was covered with dust.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I know, the place is a mess, but the neighborhood really went to hell after you disappeared."
"My sisters are going to find me."
"You're probably right," Cole said. "I just don't care. I let them go last time, but if they get in my way, I'll kill them."
"If you think you can win me back-"
"I'm not trying to get you back," Cole said. "I brought you here because I want you to suffer as much as I did."
Phoebe turned to look at him directly. She knew his eyes, and at that moment, she could see nothing but a burning hatred in them. "Cole… what happened to you?"
"It was you, Phoebe." Cole stepped towards her, backing her up to the wall. "I wasn't evil when I first came back. I knew how to control my powers this time, I wouldn't let them corrupt me. But when I found out that you were dead, I didn't have any reason to deny my nature anymore."
"So that's it," Phoebe said. "I'm gone, and you turn evil. You weren't good, Cole. A good person wouldn't do that."
"You might be right. I fought it at first, but evil was always there. Even when I killed the shadow demon, I was only doing it for revenge." Cole put his hands on her shoulders, and held her against the wall. "And all along, you're the one I should have wanted revenge against. You're the only one who can hurt me."
"What are you doing?"
Cole slid the strap of her purse off her shoulder. "When I first heard that you were alive, for a second I thought you'd come back to me. That's when I knew I had to kill you, because it's the only way I can be free."
"You don't want to kill me," Phoebe said. "You would've done it by now."
"I would have, until you put that knife in my chest." Cole ran his hand through her hair, his touch perversely gentle. "Killing you isn't enough anymore. After all the pain you've caused me, I won't let you off that easily."
"Cole, stop," Phoebe said as his grip tightened around her arm. His other hand grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. As he made contact, Phoebe felt another premonition overpower her senses.
She saw herself back at the manor, in the attic. Paige and Piper stood next to her, and Cole was facing them. They were standing around the pedestal that held the Book of Shadows, but now there were two books on it.
"Wait," Paige said. "Isn't there a spell in here to bring back the dead?"
Cole looked up at her. "Yes, but the magic in this book is evil. You can't use it."
"Why not?" Paige asked.
"Paige!" Piper said.
"What?" Paige said. "If we use the spell for good, it can't really be evil, can it? We can still destroy the book after we cast the spell."
"You can't be serious," Cole said.
"Think about it," Paige said. "We could bring Prue back. What could be evil about bringing back a force of good?"
"Maybe Paige is right," Phoebe said.
"I want Prue back, but this…" Piper trailed off, looking at the cover of the book. "I don't know."
"You don't know what kind of danger you're dealing with," Cole said. "It's too risky. You could destroy everything that she stood for."
"She's our sister," Phoebe said softly. "We can't be objective about this."
"You have to be," Cole said.
"What if it was Phoebe?" Paige asked. "You'd do this for her."
"Phoebe, you know I love you more than anything," Cole said. He looked at Paige. "But no, I wouldn't."
Phoebe's premonition ended there. She looked at Cole in confusion as she attempted to give meaning to what she had seen.
"You had a premonition," Cole said. "Tell me what you saw."
Suddenly, Phoebe's nerves calmed, and there was no fear in her eyes when she looked at Cole. "No."
"Tell me, and I might let you go."
"You won't hurt me," Phoebe said. "You think if you can frighten me, and make me hate you, you'll be able to stop loving me. It won't work. I'm not giving up on you that easily. …Not this time."
"There's no such thing as evil love."
"I know. And I know that there is still a shred of goodness in you. My sisters wouldn't be alive now if there wasn't."
"You really believe that?"
"I know you, Cole. Deep down, you are a good man."
Cole's grip tightened on her arms. "I was a demon for over a hundred years. That's what I know."
"You stopped being evil when you fell in love." Phoebe gently pushed against his arms, and he let go. "Whatever happened to you, we can fight it."
"Just get out," Cole said, turning away.
"Cole…"
An energy ball formed in his hand. He looked at it, then threw it against the door to the apartment. "Get out!"
Phoebe paused, then walked to the massive hole that had been torn in the wall where the door had been. She looked back at Cole again, then left quietly.
Cole walked over to one of the windows and looked out over the city. He stood there for only a few moments before a demon appeared behind him. The demon was slightly taller than Cole, and its head resembled that of a jackal.
"That didn't go exactly as planned," The demon said.
"Maybe not, but that won't change anything."
"Really? The powers that be are worried about you." The demon moved closer to Cole, until it was breathing down his neck. "Will you be able to do what you've been sent to do?"
"I admit it: I still love Phoebe." Cole turned away from the window and looked at the demon. "But I'm not about to do something stupid because of that. Now, leave me alone."
"Fine, I've said what I came here to say. Just make sure you don't forget the consequences for disobeying." With that, the demon vanished. Cole turned back to face the window.
"Prove it."
"What?" Maggie looked away, then back at Wyatt. "Wait, you've healed me before. You couldn't do that if I was evil."
"According to the book, you can regenerate," Wyatt said. "You could have been faking it."
"Please, I don't know what's going on, but I'm not a demon."
"We'll see." Wyatt drew the knife from his coat. "This will only hurt for a second."
"No, Wyatt," Maggie backed up, shaking her head. "Don't hurt me. I'm not evil. Please."
Wyatt struck with his dagger, and Maggie cried out. There was now a large, bleeding laceration on her upper arm.
Wyatt studied the dagger's reddened blade. After a moment, he dropped his force field. "The dagger isn't making your blood boil… you can't be evil."
"I told you that," Maggie said angrily as she held her arm.
"Here." Wyatt put his hand over the wound, and healed it. "I'm sorry, but I had to be sure."
Maggie glared at him. "Let's get back to the house. We have to find Phoebe."
**********
As the flames died down, Phoebe looked at the room she was in. It was Cole's apartment, but the windows had been boarded up, and everything was covered with dust.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"I know, the place is a mess, but the neighborhood really went to hell after you disappeared."
"My sisters are going to find me."
"You're probably right," Cole said. "I just don't care. I let them go last time, but if they get in my way, I'll kill them."
"If you think you can win me back-"
"I'm not trying to get you back," Cole said. "I brought you here because I want you to suffer as much as I did."
Phoebe turned to look at him directly. She knew his eyes, and at that moment, she could see nothing but a burning hatred in them. "Cole… what happened to you?"
"It was you, Phoebe." Cole stepped towards her, backing her up to the wall. "I wasn't evil when I first came back. I knew how to control my powers this time, I wouldn't let them corrupt me. But when I found out that you were dead, I didn't have any reason to deny my nature anymore."
"So that's it," Phoebe said. "I'm gone, and you turn evil. You weren't good, Cole. A good person wouldn't do that."
"You might be right. I fought it at first, but evil was always there. Even when I killed the shadow demon, I was only doing it for revenge." Cole put his hands on her shoulders, and held her against the wall. "And all along, you're the one I should have wanted revenge against. You're the only one who can hurt me."
"What are you doing?"
Cole slid the strap of her purse off her shoulder. "When I first heard that you were alive, for a second I thought you'd come back to me. That's when I knew I had to kill you, because it's the only way I can be free."
"You don't want to kill me," Phoebe said. "You would've done it by now."
"I would have, until you put that knife in my chest." Cole ran his hand through her hair, his touch perversely gentle. "Killing you isn't enough anymore. After all the pain you've caused me, I won't let you off that easily."
"Cole, stop," Phoebe said as his grip tightened around her arm. His other hand grasped her chin, forcing her to look at him. As he made contact, Phoebe felt another premonition overpower her senses.
She saw herself back at the manor, in the attic. Paige and Piper stood next to her, and Cole was facing them. They were standing around the pedestal that held the Book of Shadows, but now there were two books on it.
"Wait," Paige said. "Isn't there a spell in here to bring back the dead?"
Cole looked up at her. "Yes, but the magic in this book is evil. You can't use it."
"Why not?" Paige asked.
"Paige!" Piper said.
"What?" Paige said. "If we use the spell for good, it can't really be evil, can it? We can still destroy the book after we cast the spell."
"You can't be serious," Cole said.
"Think about it," Paige said. "We could bring Prue back. What could be evil about bringing back a force of good?"
"Maybe Paige is right," Phoebe said.
"I want Prue back, but this…" Piper trailed off, looking at the cover of the book. "I don't know."
"You don't know what kind of danger you're dealing with," Cole said. "It's too risky. You could destroy everything that she stood for."
"She's our sister," Phoebe said softly. "We can't be objective about this."
"You have to be," Cole said.
"What if it was Phoebe?" Paige asked. "You'd do this for her."
"Phoebe, you know I love you more than anything," Cole said. He looked at Paige. "But no, I wouldn't."
Phoebe's premonition ended there. She looked at Cole in confusion as she attempted to give meaning to what she had seen.
"You had a premonition," Cole said. "Tell me what you saw."
Suddenly, Phoebe's nerves calmed, and there was no fear in her eyes when she looked at Cole. "No."
"Tell me, and I might let you go."
"You won't hurt me," Phoebe said. "You think if you can frighten me, and make me hate you, you'll be able to stop loving me. It won't work. I'm not giving up on you that easily. …Not this time."
"There's no such thing as evil love."
"I know. And I know that there is still a shred of goodness in you. My sisters wouldn't be alive now if there wasn't."
"You really believe that?"
"I know you, Cole. Deep down, you are a good man."
Cole's grip tightened on her arms. "I was a demon for over a hundred years. That's what I know."
"You stopped being evil when you fell in love." Phoebe gently pushed against his arms, and he let go. "Whatever happened to you, we can fight it."
"Just get out," Cole said, turning away.
"Cole…"
An energy ball formed in his hand. He looked at it, then threw it against the door to the apartment. "Get out!"
Phoebe paused, then walked to the massive hole that had been torn in the wall where the door had been. She looked back at Cole again, then left quietly.
Cole walked over to one of the windows and looked out over the city. He stood there for only a few moments before a demon appeared behind him. The demon was slightly taller than Cole, and its head resembled that of a jackal.
"That didn't go exactly as planned," The demon said.
"Maybe not, but that won't change anything."
"Really? The powers that be are worried about you." The demon moved closer to Cole, until it was breathing down his neck. "Will you be able to do what you've been sent to do?"
"I admit it: I still love Phoebe." Cole turned away from the window and looked at the demon. "But I'm not about to do something stupid because of that. Now, leave me alone."
"Fine, I've said what I came here to say. Just make sure you don't forget the consequences for disobeying." With that, the demon vanished. Cole turned back to face the window.