"Phoebe, why are you looking at me like that?" Chris asked.

"Paige, Piper, I want you to do exactly what I do," Phoebe said.

"Do what? What's going on?" Piper asked.

"I can't tell you," Phoebe said. "You have to trust me."

"Don't you think this is a little weird?" Paige asked.

"You trust her, don't you?" Leo asked.

"Please," Phoebe said.

"Fine," Piper said. "Whatever this is, we'll follow your lead."

Phoebe nodded, and began to chant. "Prudence, Penelope, Patricia."

"Phoebe, stop," Chris said.

Piper nearly faltered in her surprise, but she managed to continue the spell. "Astrid, Melinda, Helena, Alora, and Grace."

"Stop!" Chris shouted. A fireball formed in his hand, and he hurled it at them. An instant before it struck, Wyatt's shield appeared, blocking the attack.

Paige took up the chant. "Halliwell witches stand strong beside us."

Chris roared with feral rage, and began to pound the shield with fireballs.

But the witches stood firm. Together, the spoke the last words that the Source would ever hear. "Vanquish this evil from time and space."

Fire rose from the ground, consuming the Source as he shouted in pain. It seemed to pull him back towards the underworld, and then the flames exploded, sending a shockwave through the room.

Wyatt's shield dropped as the wave of energy passed. Paige and Piper stood in shock, and Phoebe was shaking. Wyatt clung tightly to his mother's shirt. Leo merely stood nearby, looking concerned.

"Wh... how..." Paige stammered. "Chris?"

"Phoebe," Piper said, still staring at the charred spot that the Source's destruction had created. "How did you know?"

Phoebe collapsed onto the couch. "I don't know how. It's like something I saw in a dream."

"Was it a premonition?" Paige asked.

"No, it was real, I think." Phoebe looked at Piper. "Piper, do you remember when we fought Tempus? I was the only one who knew what was happening when he reset time."

Piper put Wyatt down, and told him to go play. He didn't want to let go at first, but Leo and Piper reassured him that he was safe, and that the adults just needed some time talk about what happened. Reluctantly, Wyatt went up to his room.

"Do you think Tempus is back somehow?" Piper asked once she was sure her son was out of earshot.

"I don't know," Phoebe said.

"Who's Tempus?" Paige asked.

"A demon that could reset time," Piper said. "If we don't stop him, he'll keep resetting time until we're all dead."

"Don't worry," Leo said. "Tempus didn't have anything to do with this."

"Leo, what do you know?" Piper asked.

"The three of you just came back from an alternate future," Leo said. "In that future, the Source won, but you were sent back to stop him."

"Then shouldn't I remember a little more clearly?" Phoebe asked,

"I don't think you were meant to remember anything. You should've been able to beat the Source without having this as an advantage," Leo said. "I'll have to talk to the other Elders about this. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Can't you just jingle them?" Piper asked.

"Not this time," Leo said. He looked at each of them, then orbed away.

"There's something else," Phoebe said. "I saw Prue."

"What?" Paige asked.

"What do you mean you saw Prue?" Piper asked.

"She was there, in the future," Phoebe said. "She was alive."

"How is that possible?" Piper said quietly.

"I'm not sure. It's all so hazy," Phoebe said.

"Maybe this means we can talk to Prue now," Piper said. "We should try having a séance."

Piper turned to go to the attic, but she didn't get far.

"Wait," Paige said. "If Chris was the Source, doesn't that mean they've got the Grimoire back?"

Phoebe looked up at her. "You're right. They must have found it somehow."

"Then we have to get it back. If we don't, they'll just make a new Source," Paige said.

"How can we stop them?" Piper asked. "We have no idea where the Grimoire is now."

"I know someone who can find it," Phoebe said. "Cole."

"Phoebe," Piper said. "Cole is dead."

"Yeah, not to mention evil," Paige said.

"He's alive," Phoebe said. "And I don't want to ask him for help, but he's the only chance we have now."

"If he is alive, we should leave him alone," Paige said. "You finally got him out of your life. Do you want to give him a reason to come back?"

"No, I don't," Phoebe said. "But if it's the only way to get to the Grimoire, then I'll have to take that chance."

"She's right," Piper said. "We have to get the Grimoire, no matter what. Phoebe, if you think Cole's alive, you should try to talk to him."

"All right," Paige said. "I guess we have to."

**********

Phoebe appeared on a rocky plateau in the heart of the wasteland. She saw Cole sitting on a large rock not far from her. He was looking at the desolate ground, and didn't move.

"Cole."

"Phoebe?" he turned to look at her. He seemed euphoric. But his face quickly fell, and he turned away. "What are you doing here?"

"We need your help," Phoebe said. "Demons have the Grimoire, and we have to get it b ack before they name a new Source."

"After everything that's happened, what makes you think I'd want to help you?" Cole asked.

"You're the only one who can do this."

"And?"

"Don't you care at all anymore? What about all the people who could be hurt?" Phoebe asked.

Cole shook his head. "People get hurt all the time, Source or no Source."

"So you're just going to sit here and wallow in self pity while innocent people die? What happened to you, Cole?"

"What happened to me? What didn't happen to me," Cole stood up. "I was possessed by the Source, and it forced me to do whatever it wanted. Then you destroyed the Source, but you still wouldn't accept me. And then, I risked everything to be with you, so you killed me. I still care about you, Phoebe, but I'm not letting you heart me again."

"I know you care about me. I think I'm all you ever did care about,' Phoebe said. "That's why I can never trust you again."

"What? Are you saying I love you too much? That's insane."

"No, I'm saying that if you want to be good, you'll have to care about something other than me," Phoebe said. "Loving one person just isn't enough."

Cole looked off into the lifeless plains and dust clouds in the distance. "As a demon, I was always told that love doesn't really conquer all, but I didn't really believe that until now. Love was the most powerful thing I ever felt and I thought that nothing could break it. But every time I tried to make it work between us, I failed."

"It wasn't meant to be," Phoebe said. "But that doesn't mean you have to give up on everything else."

"I don't want to be evil, Phoebe," Cole said. "But I don't know how to be good without you."

"If you want to be good, you'll have to learn," Phoebe said. "Because we can never be together."

"I've accepted that." Cole looked at her. "Fine, I'll get the Grimoire. If I'm gonna try to be good, I'll have to start somewhere."

"Thank you, Cole," Phoebe said. "Even though we aren't in a relationship anymore, this does mean something to me."

"Let's go," Cole said.

He extended his hand to Phoebe, and she took it. His grip was gentle, but impossibly strong. His hand felt almost the way she remembered it, but she could tell that the power behind it was much greater. His grip felt comforting, and Phoebe couldn't help remembering all the reasons that she fell in love with him. A part of her wanted to simply forget everything that happened and take him back, and that disturbed her.

She had expected to feel something when they teleported. She wasn't sure if it would be the thrilling, dizzying sensation of shimmering, or the heat and raw hatred of flaming, or something else entirely, but she did expect to feel something. But this time, there was nothing. Her vision simply blurred for a moment, and they were standing in the manor.

"What was that?" Phoebe asked.

"You mean how we got here?" Cole asked. "Blurring. It's how avatars usually get around. If it bothers you, I could shimmer instead. Hell, I'm an avatar now. I could orb if it would make you feel better."

"It doesn't matter," Phoebe said, sounding subdued. "Let's just get this over with."

"All right," Cole said. "I'll be right back."

Cole blurred out, and instantly found himself in a massive cave in the underworld. Giant, wrought-iron racks filled the cavern. Arcane symbols were inscribed on the edges of each of these racks, and the shelves were filled with books. The books described pieces of history, spells, tactics, and almost anything else that demons might find useful. There were only two entrances to the room, and each was guarded by a pair of high level demons. Teleportation into the infernal library was normally impossible, but there was very little magic in the universe capable of impeding an avatar.

Cole looked to his left, and saw a section of raised ground along one wall. A wave of Cole's hand dismissed the illusion, and the Grimoire with its ornate stand became visible on the platform. Two gold braziers full of red fire stood on either side of the book. A figure in a dark suit stood on the edge of the platform, as though he had been waiting for this moment.

The Anubite grinned, bearing the sharp teeth that lined its jaws. "Planning to do some light reading, Cole?"