Paige and Piper watched helplessly as the circle of flame tightened. Slowly, agonizingly, it crept closer and closer to their sister. It felt like a nightmare, but they couldn't wake up.
The door behind them flew open suddenly, and a cold wind blew through the room.
"The power of three," Piper said.
"What?" Paige asked.
"Hurry, cast the spell," Piper said. "The power of three will set us free."
Paige immediately joined in the chant. "The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free."
The ring of fire closed quickly, and there was an explosion at its center. When it cleared, only ashes remained of the Grimoire, and Phoebe collapsed.
"Phoebe!" Paige shouted. She fell to her knees, bending over her sister.
Piper put her hand over her face as if to shield herself. "No. Please, no."
"She's alive," Paige said, looking back at Piper.
"Phoebe!" Piper said, quickly dropping to her knees next to Paige.
Phoebe groaned. "What happened? Why didn't it work?"
"It did work," Paige said. "You destroyed the Grimoire."
"But how did I survive?" Phoebe asked.
"The power of three," Piper said.
"The spell must have been enough to save you," Paige said.
"But the three of us have to cast it together for it to work, and I wasn't," Phoebe said.
"Who cares? You're alive." Piper put her arms around Phoebe as tears of joy obscured her vision. Paige hugged Phoebe as well. They held onto the embrace as long as they could, but they were all physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted by everything that had happened to them. They soon got up and went downstairs, and each of them fell into well-deserved sleep.
**********
Paige sat on the couch next to Phoebe, and gave her a quick smile. Phoebe smiled back at her, but there was sadness behind it. Then, Paige noticed the small photo album that Phoebe had on her lap.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Paige asked.
Phoebe ran her hand over the picture, taken just after they had been engaged, when everything seemed perfect. It felt like an eternity had passed since then. "I didn't think I'd feel anything, after all this time... but I did."
"You did marry the guy," Paige said. "That's not really something you can forget."
"It's not just that," Phoebe said. "He wasn't evil yesterday, at all. It was like having Cole back the way he was before the Source got to him. I liked it. No one ever made me feel the way Cole did."
"He was a great guy, when you could trust him," Paige said.
"Do you think we were too hard him?" Phoebe asked.
"You and Piper didn't do anything wrong," Paige said. "But I could have been a little easier on him. I didn't want to believe it, but he's changed. He really came through for us."
"Don't blame yourself," Phoebe said. "The last time we saw him, he tried to kill you."
"After what happened yesterday, I'm willing to call it temporary insanity," Paige said. "And if you do want to talk to Cole again, I won't get in the way."
"Thanks," Phoebe said. She looked at the picture again for a moment. "But I don't I'm ready for that. I'm still not sure how I feel about him being back."
"Yeah, I understand," Paige said, putting her arm around Phoebe.
"I just hope Cole understands," Phoebe said.
"I hope so too," Paige said. "I'd hate to have him go insane and kill me again."
"Paige!"
"I'm just saying," Paige said, smiling.
**********
Piper ran her hand over the bed covers, smoothing them. Satisfied, she looked around the room and tried to decide what to take care of next. She crossed her arms and frowned at the layer of dust that had accumulated on the furniture in her room, wondering if she would have time to dust. The house was large, and neither of her sisters seemed especially interested in keeping it clean.
Wyatt chose that moment to orb into her arms.
"Wyatt," Piper said. "You know I love to hold you, but mommy is busy. Wouldn't you like to go play with Aunt Paige for a little while?"
Wyatt answered by putting his head against her shoulder, and clinging tightly to the fabric of her shirt.
"Okay, I'll hold you for a little while, but then I have to get to work," Piper said. She patted Wyatt's back, and started thinking about everything that her family had been through. Leo orbed into the room at that moment. He quickly lowered the golden hood that obscured his face.
"Leo, what are you doing here?" Piper asked.
"Do I need an excuse to see my family?" Leo said.
"I don't really remember, since I hardly ever get a chance to talk to you anymore," Piper said.
"Piper, I am very sorry about that, you know I am," Leo said. "But there was nothing I could do about it."
"Yeah," Piper said, looking at the floor. "Leo... I'm not sure if I can take this long distance relationship anymore."
"I know," Leo said. "I've been thinking about that all the time, ever since we decided to get back together. I know this hasn't been easy for you. I always knew something would have to change. Piper, this isn't easy for me to say. Can we sit down?"
"Leo, what are you trying to tell me?" Piper asked.
"The other Elders..." Leo said. "They think I'm responsible for letting the Source get so close to you. They think I should have been able to uncover his plot sooner."
"That's ridiculous, you did everything you could," Piper said.
"Actually, I agreed with them," Leo said. "Even after I became an Elder, you were still my responsibility. A lot of people could have been hurt because I was too busy worrying about the changes that were happening in my own life."
"So what are they gonna do? Send some of that unspeakable wrath we keep hearing about? If they pull something like that after everything you've done for them, they can say goodbye to the Charmed Ones, because that would be the last straw." Piper looked up at the ceiling and shouted. "You hear that!? If you even touch Leo, I quit!"
"Piper, relax," Leo said. "They're not going to punish me. They just want me to do the work that I know best."
"What does that mean?"
"I won't be an Elder anymore," Leo said. "In fact, I only have one more job to do as an Elder, for you and your sisters. When I've done that, it's over."
"What happens then?" Piper asked.
"I'll be your whitelighter again," Leo said. "I'm home."
Piper cried out happily, and threw her arms around him. As they embraced, Leo performed the duty that he had come to perform. The power began to flow out of him, and she began to remember. She remembered the joy of seeing Prue again, and of seeing her son as a young man, and she remembered the sacrifices that had been made to make a better future possible. It was a painful thing to remember, but she would not trade those memories, those precious few days with her older sister, for anything.
The door behind them flew open suddenly, and a cold wind blew through the room.
"The power of three," Piper said.
"What?" Paige asked.
"Hurry, cast the spell," Piper said. "The power of three will set us free."
Paige immediately joined in the chant. "The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free. The power of three will set us free."
The ring of fire closed quickly, and there was an explosion at its center. When it cleared, only ashes remained of the Grimoire, and Phoebe collapsed.
"Phoebe!" Paige shouted. She fell to her knees, bending over her sister.
Piper put her hand over her face as if to shield herself. "No. Please, no."
"She's alive," Paige said, looking back at Piper.
"Phoebe!" Piper said, quickly dropping to her knees next to Paige.
Phoebe groaned. "What happened? Why didn't it work?"
"It did work," Paige said. "You destroyed the Grimoire."
"But how did I survive?" Phoebe asked.
"The power of three," Piper said.
"The spell must have been enough to save you," Paige said.
"But the three of us have to cast it together for it to work, and I wasn't," Phoebe said.
"Who cares? You're alive." Piper put her arms around Phoebe as tears of joy obscured her vision. Paige hugged Phoebe as well. They held onto the embrace as long as they could, but they were all physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted by everything that had happened to them. They soon got up and went downstairs, and each of them fell into well-deserved sleep.
**********
Paige sat on the couch next to Phoebe, and gave her a quick smile. Phoebe smiled back at her, but there was sadness behind it. Then, Paige noticed the small photo album that Phoebe had on her lap.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Paige asked.
Phoebe ran her hand over the picture, taken just after they had been engaged, when everything seemed perfect. It felt like an eternity had passed since then. "I didn't think I'd feel anything, after all this time... but I did."
"You did marry the guy," Paige said. "That's not really something you can forget."
"It's not just that," Phoebe said. "He wasn't evil yesterday, at all. It was like having Cole back the way he was before the Source got to him. I liked it. No one ever made me feel the way Cole did."
"He was a great guy, when you could trust him," Paige said.
"Do you think we were too hard him?" Phoebe asked.
"You and Piper didn't do anything wrong," Paige said. "But I could have been a little easier on him. I didn't want to believe it, but he's changed. He really came through for us."
"Don't blame yourself," Phoebe said. "The last time we saw him, he tried to kill you."
"After what happened yesterday, I'm willing to call it temporary insanity," Paige said. "And if you do want to talk to Cole again, I won't get in the way."
"Thanks," Phoebe said. She looked at the picture again for a moment. "But I don't I'm ready for that. I'm still not sure how I feel about him being back."
"Yeah, I understand," Paige said, putting her arm around Phoebe.
"I just hope Cole understands," Phoebe said.
"I hope so too," Paige said. "I'd hate to have him go insane and kill me again."
"Paige!"
"I'm just saying," Paige said, smiling.
**********
Piper ran her hand over the bed covers, smoothing them. Satisfied, she looked around the room and tried to decide what to take care of next. She crossed her arms and frowned at the layer of dust that had accumulated on the furniture in her room, wondering if she would have time to dust. The house was large, and neither of her sisters seemed especially interested in keeping it clean.
Wyatt chose that moment to orb into her arms.
"Wyatt," Piper said. "You know I love to hold you, but mommy is busy. Wouldn't you like to go play with Aunt Paige for a little while?"
Wyatt answered by putting his head against her shoulder, and clinging tightly to the fabric of her shirt.
"Okay, I'll hold you for a little while, but then I have to get to work," Piper said. She patted Wyatt's back, and started thinking about everything that her family had been through. Leo orbed into the room at that moment. He quickly lowered the golden hood that obscured his face.
"Leo, what are you doing here?" Piper asked.
"Do I need an excuse to see my family?" Leo said.
"I don't really remember, since I hardly ever get a chance to talk to you anymore," Piper said.
"Piper, I am very sorry about that, you know I am," Leo said. "But there was nothing I could do about it."
"Yeah," Piper said, looking at the floor. "Leo... I'm not sure if I can take this long distance relationship anymore."
"I know," Leo said. "I've been thinking about that all the time, ever since we decided to get back together. I know this hasn't been easy for you. I always knew something would have to change. Piper, this isn't easy for me to say. Can we sit down?"
"Leo, what are you trying to tell me?" Piper asked.
"The other Elders..." Leo said. "They think I'm responsible for letting the Source get so close to you. They think I should have been able to uncover his plot sooner."
"That's ridiculous, you did everything you could," Piper said.
"Actually, I agreed with them," Leo said. "Even after I became an Elder, you were still my responsibility. A lot of people could have been hurt because I was too busy worrying about the changes that were happening in my own life."
"So what are they gonna do? Send some of that unspeakable wrath we keep hearing about? If they pull something like that after everything you've done for them, they can say goodbye to the Charmed Ones, because that would be the last straw." Piper looked up at the ceiling and shouted. "You hear that!? If you even touch Leo, I quit!"
"Piper, relax," Leo said. "They're not going to punish me. They just want me to do the work that I know best."
"What does that mean?"
"I won't be an Elder anymore," Leo said. "In fact, I only have one more job to do as an Elder, for you and your sisters. When I've done that, it's over."
"What happens then?" Piper asked.
"I'll be your whitelighter again," Leo said. "I'm home."
Piper cried out happily, and threw her arms around him. As they embraced, Leo performed the duty that he had come to perform. The power began to flow out of him, and she began to remember. She remembered the joy of seeing Prue again, and of seeing her son as a young man, and she remembered the sacrifices that had been made to make a better future possible. It was a painful thing to remember, but she would not trade those memories, those precious few days with her older sister, for anything.