CHAPTER 6: Reign of Darkness
The first couple of days after Ben's death were tense. Upon hearing my news, the girls were afraid Cole would show up at any second and kill them. However, the fact that he didn't scared me more than that.
When things seemed relatively calm again, Phoebe and I decided to spread the news of our engagement with the rest of the family. Phoebe called her father and invited him for dinner. I hadn't met Victor Bennett yet, but I'd hoped he didn't react the same way he did to Leo.
Piper had risen to get dessert when Phoebe stopped her. "Michael and I have something we'd like to share with you...all of you," she said excitedly. Piper sat back down. Phoebe took a deep breath and held up her right hand for inspection.
"Oh, Pheebs..." Piper said, tearing up. She and Paige immediately swept Phoebe up into a sister hug. Meanwhile, Victor motioned for me to join him in the living room. I gulped, preparing for the worst.
We sat down opposite each other. "You know, Phoebe's told me about you, about what you are," he began. "She also told me that she's never been happier than when she is with you." I smiled slightly. "I still don't know everything that happened with Cole, but whatever you saved her from, I'm grateful."
"Um, thanks, Mr. Bennett," I said.
"Please, call me Victor," he insisted. "Leo does." We chuckled. Victor turned serious again as he said, "Treat her right, Michael. She's been through hell because of Cole, and I don't want to see her get hurt again."
"I love her," I said firmly. "I'd kill myself before doing anything to cause her pain."
"I'll hold you to that." Victor smiled and held out his hand. "Congratulations, Michael."
"Thank you," I said, shaking his hand.
We decided to celebrate at P3. Drinks were served and we all spent some time out on the dance floor.
"So, are you enjoying yourself, my fiancé?" Phoebe asked as she danced with me.
"Absolutely," I whispered, "although I know a way we can enjoy ourselves even more."
Phoebe bit my ear and replied, "I like the sound of that."
Suppressing a moan, I started to say, "Why don't we..." Suddenly, I felt dizzy and almost collapsed.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked.
I couldn't answer right away, as I struggled to figure out what was happening. Phoebe had called for Piper and Paige and the three of them managed to drag me away from prying eyes. Suddenly, I knew what was happening, and on instinct, I flamed out with the girls.
When we materialized, Phoebe asked, "Where the hell are we?"
"This is the Neutral Plane," I said, already recovered. "It is a plane that exists outside of time."
"Why did you bring us here?" Piper demanded.
"I realized what I was feeling," I answered. "Someone was changing the timeline, and the only way I could protect you from the changes was to bring you here."
"Oh my God," Paige breathed.
"Is it safe to go back?" Phoebe asked.
"The changes are made, but to insure that you don't take over whatever roles your other selves had in the alternate reality, I'm going to put a shield on each of you," I explained. I gestured, and each of the girls briefly glowed with a blue aura. I extended my hands, and we flamed back a moment later.
We materialized in a very run-down P3. "What the...?" Piper breathed.
"What happened?" Paige wondered.
"I don't know," I answered. "Everyone stay close to me."
We cautiously ventured outside. We saw people walking the streets, cars moving. "Everything looks normal so far, except for P3," Phoebe remarked.
"What's that?" Paige suddenly said. We followed where she was pointing. On the other side of a building across the street, we could see people holding torches.
"Let's go see," I said. We crossed the street and found a large crowd gathered. At the back of the alley, a wooden stake was set with brushwood at the bottom.
"Bring the witch forward," one man at the front said.
The four of us gasped. I saw Phoebe turning pale. "Baby...?" I questioned.
"Please, don't let it be true," she whispered.
As some others down front began to tie a young woman to the stake, the man continued, "This woman knew the law. She could have renounced what she was and followed the edict written by our great President. Now, she must burn, as it is written." The man raised his torch. "Burn, witch," he said as he dropped it.
As the flames leapt up around the woman, Phoebe turned into my arms and began to sob. "Let's get out of here," I said in a low voice. The four of us turned and walked back into P3.
Phoebe continued to sob. "I...I know how that woman felt," she whispered. "I've been there..."
Piper reached out and squeezed Phoebe's shoulder. "We stopped that future from happening," she said. "We can fix the present too."
"Do you think we can get someplace a little bit warmer?" Paige asked as her teeth started to chatter.
"Let's head to the Manor," Phoebe suggested, wiping tears from her cheeks. "We can figure things out there."
"Good idea," I commented. We orbed and flamed out respectively. However, as we were about to get there, we slammed into a barrier, and materialized across the street from the Manor. "Damn it!" I cursed. "I should have been able to get through that..."
"Oh, that did not feel so good," Paige groaned.
"You're telling me," Phoebe complained as she scrambled to her feet.
"Oh my God...guys, look," Piper said. We looked at the Manor and gasped. A huge iron gate barricaded the property from the street, and gruff-looking guards stood at the entrance.
"Something tells me you guys don't live here in this reality," I said.
"And I doubt it would be a good idea to try and get past all those guards," Paige said.
"So what the hell do we do now?" Piper asked.
"We've got to figure out who changed the timeline," Phoebe said firmly. "Once we do that, Michael should be able to fix it."
"I'll need to know the exact moment and circumstance, but yes," I confirmed.
"Hey, what's going on at the park?" Piper asked suddenly. We turned to see a crowd gathered there.
"I swear, if this is another witch being burned, I'm going to lose it," Phoebe muttered angrily.
"We're going to fix this, baby," I said, taking her hand as we started walking. "I promise."
We reached the park a minute later. We could see a very large TV screen set up at the bottom. People where sitting all along the hillside.
"Excuse me," I said to one man. "What's going on?"
The man grinned. "The President's just running a few minutes late tonight," he said before walking away.
"The President...?" Phoebe mused. Suddenly, the screen lit up, and the crowd cheered.
The screen showed the Great Seal for a moment before a voice said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States." The picture then changed, and my mouth dropped open in shock.
"Oh my God..." I breathed.
"Cole..." Phoebe hissed angrily.
"My people, thanks to your hard work and effort, the bright future I promised you is taking shape," Cole began. "The evil witches are being exterminated, and soon my noble warriors will have the only magic. I'm proud of you, and honored to help guide you into the glorious future that awaits us." The screen went blank.
The crowd then began to chant, "Hail to our glorious leader; may his light shine over us forever."
"I can't believe it," Paige said as we walked away. "That son of a bitch is the leader of the free world?"
"Or the un-free world," Piper snarled.
"How the hell could this have happened?" Phoebe mused angrily.
"I think we're getting closer to figuring out what changed in the timeline," I said. "We only have one option now. We have to go to Cole, and make him tell us."
About a minute later, the four of us materialized in front of the White House. Like the Manor, a multitude of demonic guards were present, along with normal Secret Service agents.
"How are we supposed to get past this?" Piper wondered.
"I have an idea," I said with a smirk. "Follow me." I started walking toward the gate. The girls hesitantly followed behind me. When I reached the gate, I said calmly, "We'd like to see the President."
"And just why the hell should we let you through?" the demon said with a sneer.
I smirked again. "Tell the President that the Guardian of Life is here to see him," I commanded.
The demon suddenly looked down at his checklist, and swallowed hoarsely. "I see...no need for that. The President has been expecting you."
"How convenient," I said, looking back at the girls.
"I will escort you to the President," the demon said. The gate opened, and we followed the demon inside.
"Do we have some kind of plan here?" Phoebe whispered as we walked into the White House itself.
"All we need to do is find out what was changed, and then I can fix it," I answered.
A few minutes later, we reached the Oval Office. The demon knocked on the door. "Enter," the familiar voice said.
We walked inside to see Cole calmly sitting at his desk. Three skulls rested on the corners and central point on the back of the chair. "Thank you," Cole said to the demon. "Leave us." After the demon closed the door behind him, Cole continued, "You're a tad later than I'd expected, but I suppose you had to have a look around before you came here," he said with a smirk.
"What have you done, Cole?" I growled.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied calmly. He noticed Phoebe staring at the skulls on the chair. Cole smiled evilly as he stood up and picked up the center one. "These are my trophies of the victory that set me on this path. I must say, Phoebe, the years have been far kinder to you than I'd have thought. Would you like your skull back?"
Phoebe blanched and leaned into me for support. "You killed me?" she said in a tremulous voice.
"I obviously didn't kill you enough," Cole uttered coldly. Then, smirking, he added, "That reminds me, I've been negligent. You're my guests, and I haven't even introduced you to my wife."
"Wife...?" Phoebe stated dumbly.
Cole ignored her. Pressing an intercom button, he said, "Honey, will you please come in here?"
A door to our left opened, and a woman walked into the room. Though I'd never met her in person, there were so many pictures of her around the Manor that it was not hard to recognize her. I could hear Phoebe and Piper collectively gasp as they laid eyes on their older sister, who happened to be very pregnant.
"Yes, baby?" Prue said sweetly as she approached Cole. Cole pulled her to him and kissed her passionately.
"Prue...what...how...?" Phoebe stammered.
Prue pulled back from Cole and turned to face us. "After you died, being a witch just didn't seem as important anymore," she answered. "I just chose the winning side. Cole is reshaping the world, and I'm a part of it. You are my past. He is my future."
While the girls were trying to absorb their sister's place in everything, Cole turned to me and said, "So, you'd be Michael, correct?"
Some of the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. "You're not our Cole," I stated.
"Very perceptive," Cole said approvingly.
"What happened to you, Cole?" I demanded.
Cole smiled and said, "When he came to me, I almost didn't believe him. After all, who has a visit from his future self? But he gave me instructions, and gave me 'advice'. All of which has proven true. There's just one small little thing left to take care of." Cole suddenly threw an energy ball at me and I slammed painfully into the wall.
"Michael!" Phoebe screamed.
I struggled to rise. That energy ball packed a hell of a lot more power than I was expecting. "My turn," I growled. I threw a fireball at him, but Cole simply absorbed the blast.
"Do you really think you can stop me?" Cole said evilly. "I've got more demonic powers than you can imagine. The Wasteland has been very good to me."
"You absorbed all the demonic powers from the Beast?" I stated incredulously. "Well, in that case..." I started, but my eyes widened in shock. "Oh, shit..."
"Michael, what's wrong?" Phoebe said as she, Piper and Paige came to stand with me.
"I can't access my full Guardian powers," I said sadly.
"He hadn't been entirely sure about that one," Cole said with a smirk. "But it appears that your powers are still tied to the amount of life present in the universe. So," he said, forming an energy ball and shifting into his Belthazor form, "who wants to die first?"
I thought furiously. There was no way the girls would have enough power to hurt Cole, and as I looked at Prue, she started to take a step forward, but then stopped and hung her head. Cole must have had power over her. It can't end like this, I thought. Suddenly, I heard another voice in my mind.
'Teleport to me, now!' the voice yelled.
Without hesitation, I grabbed the girls and flamed out. We materialized in some kind of strategic command room.
"Michael, why did you bring us here? Where are we?" Phoebe asked.
Suddenly, a door opened, and an unshaven Leo walked into the room. Upon seeing us, he smiled tightly, and said, "Welcome to the Resistance."
"Leo...?" Piper stated.
Tears welled up in Leo's eyes as he walked forward and embraced her. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you, Piper," he said tearfully.
"Does that mean I'm...?" Piper started as she pulled back.
"Yeah," Leo said. Stepping back, he continued, "We should talk." He led us into a smaller conference room and shut the door.
"Wait a minute...we're at my mansion!" I exclaimed suddenly. "I recognize the ceiling design. I'm surprised the place is still intact."
"We cast some magical protection wards early on after we moved in here," Leo explained.
"So, Leo, how did Cole end up becoming so powerful...and so evil?" Phoebe asked.
"Just a moment," Leo said. A minute later, the door opened again, and we gasped at the figure that entered.
"The Seer...?" Phoebe stated in disbelief.
"I see that you must have met me in your reality," the Seer said as she took a seat next to Leo.
Piper whirled to Leo. "What the hell is she doing here?" she demanded.
"These are desperate times, Piper," Leo said gravely. "We need all the help we can get."
"But why are you helping us?" Paige asked. "After all, evil is very powerful right now."
"At one point, I was Belthazor's advisor," the Seer said. "However, I've seen the future, and I had none if I'd stayed with him."
"So, what did happen?" Phoebe asked again.
"Do you remember when you, Piper, and Prue used your powers on each other and severed the Power of Three?" Leo asked. When Phoebe nodded, Leo continued, "You ran off before I came back to figure out what had happened. Sometime while I was with Prue and Piper...I felt you die. We found you at Cole's apartment. He'd stabbed you in the back with an athame." Leo sighed. "Everything went downhill after that."
"Oh, God," Phoebe said, her voice shaking. "He'd been planning to kill me...but in my reality, he couldn't bring himself to do it."
"That's it," I said. "That's what he changed."
"All of this came about because Cole didn't choose to love Phoebe?" Piper stated incredulously.
"That is correct," the Seer said. "After he killed your sister, Belthazor disappeared back into the Underworld, not wanting you and your other sister to come after him. No one saw him for weeks. When he finally returned, he was far stronger than he was before...so strong that he took over the Underworld within a day."
"That must have been when Cole went to the Wasteland," I surmised.
"Belthazor found out from demonic intelligence that there was another potential Charmed One in existence, and managed to kill her before anyone from the other side contacted her," the Seer continued. Paige blanched. "Belthazor then killed you," she said, indicating Piper, "and made your older sister his wife, removing any resistance she had to him. He planned to use her to sire an heir."
"So how do we stop him? He's so powerful," Phoebe pointed out.
"The only other way I could come up with was to reverse whatever Cole did to change the past, or stop him from making the change in the first place," Leo interjected.
"From some of my visions, I was able to find the exact moment when Belthazor's future self made the change," the Seer added. "However, I lack the power to move through time...which is where you come in," the Seer finished, indicating me.
Suddenly we felt the mansion shudder. "What the hell was that?" Paige asked nervously.
"Cole must have figured out where you went," Leo reasoned. "He's sent his forces to stop you."
"What can we do?" Piper asked helpfully.
"My forces can hold them back for a few moments, just long enough for you to go back in time," Leo said.
"Leo..." Piper breathed tearfully.
Leo walked forward and tenderly kissed Piper for a moment. Then he turned to me. "Fix this," he said commandingly before running out of the room.
"Ok, let's do this," I said, standing up. "What was the moment in time?" In answer, the Seer gestured, and an image appeared in my mind. I couldn't believe it. It was the day after the Charmed Ones first received their powers, almost three years before Cole even met Phoebe. "Got it," I said. I extended my hands and the girls and the Seer took hold. "Hang on to me," I said, just before I flamed them out.
A moment later, we materialized in the Underworld. A little ahead and to our right, we could see past Cole/Belthazor in a chamber. A moment later, our Cole blurred in. He froze as he saw us. "What the hell...how did you find me?" he growled.
"I think the more appropriate question is how the hell you thought you could get away with this," I countered evenly, shifting into my Guardian form. "By the way, how did you get the power to manipulate time?"
"Some new 'friends' decided to make me one of them," Cole said with a sneer.
"Do these friends of yours have a name?" I asked.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Cole said with a smirk. He suddenly threw an energy ball at me. Although it was not quite as powerful as Belthazor's had been, it was still stronger than Cole's had been before. I immediately followed up with a fireball which knocked Cole back a few feet. Cole blurred out and then came back right behind me, slamming a punch into my back. As I fell forward, I twisted around and threw a fireball at Cole, which knocked him back into the wall.
"Seer, get them out of here," I commanded.
"Michael..." Phoebe said nervously.
"Don't worry," I said softly. "You won't lose me." I then rushed forward and grabbed Cole, flaming us out.
We materialized in the Manor's basement, and I wasted no time, forming another fireball. Cole stumbled back a few steps, and then retaliated with an energy ball.
As I fell back, Cole asked, "Do you honestly think I can't find them, no matter where the Seer sent them?"
"Not if you're dead," I snapped back.
"What, do you think you can stop me?" Cole demanded in a mock incredulous tone of voice.
"You sure as hell can't defeat me," I countered.
"Thank you, by the way," Cole admitted. "I didn't consider the possibility that the Seer would betray me. I'll make sure and tell my past self to kill her before she gets the chance."
Cole gestured, and lightning erupted around me. It seemed to be draining my strength, but I countered with a shield of light. I held up my hand, and five white darts shot out at Cole.
As Cole dove out of the way, I demanded, "Cole, how could you do this? Do you know what's going to happen to the world?"
Cole sneered, "I don't care, as long as that bitch dies."
"That is my fiancé you're talking about," I said softly.
Cole's eyes widened, and then he laughed. It was not the reaction I was expected. "She caught you too. I don't believe it. What was it, her smile, her eyes? Or was it her...other skills."
"Shut up," I snapped as I fired at him. Cole gestured and the fireball dissipated.
"Oh ho, I was right," Cole stated. "She really is good in bed. I remember this one time, when she wanted it rough. And let me tell you..."
"SHUT UP!" I screamed, and a wave of energy fired out from me. Cole was thrown against the wall, and I hit him with a succession of fireballs. Finally, I stopped, and as the smoke cleared, I saw that he was gone. I whirled in time to take a blow to the face. I felt my nose crack. Cole's fist hurt...a lot.
I stumbled back, and Cole grinned, "So much for that pretty face of yours. Now, are you sure you want Phoebe? After all, she killed her own offspring. Not exactly a good sign."
Seizing a chance to get to him as he got to me, I said coldly, "He wasn't her child, he was an evil son of a bitch."
Cole's face reddened, and he said in a soft, dangerous voice, "He was an innocent human being that my ex-wife condemned to hell. She deserves to pay for what she's done, she and her entire family." Cole clapped, and every object in the basement flew at me.
I concentrated, and the objects stopped. I grinned and said, "What exactly has she done? Killed a demon, made him weak, and then killed his demon spawn. Don't worry; she won't harm our child. After all, it's better genetic material, and not a half-demon piece of shit."
"FUCK YOU!" Cole screamed, and jumped at me. I quickly grabbed his hand and threw him. As he was flying through the air, I fired a powerful beam of energy. I heard Cole scream, and when the light cleared, I saw a deep wound in the back of his left shoulder.
Cole looked at me, and said, "You're stronger than I thought."
I grinned again. "You're not."
Suddenly, the image of Cole faded, and I realized I'd been tricked. I turned, and caught a blow to my abdomen. I heard ribs crack, and as I bent over, Cole followed through with a crushing knee to my face. I flew back and slammed into one of the walls, leaving an indention.
Cole approached, and said, "Still think I'm poor genetic material?"
It took everything I had, but I stood up and forced a grin, past the raspy breathing and the lancing pain in my abdomen. "Absolutely," I said softly, and gestured.
Cole stepped back, but it was too late. Two giant magical hands slammed into him, crushing him between them. The hands held him for a few seconds before they exploded as he burst free. But those few seconds were enough. Cole looked at me in time to receive a kick to the arm. I heard a bone break, and followed through with a blast of everything I had left.
Cole went flying and landed heavily against the wall. He lay there for several seconds, as I fought not to black out. Every breath I took was hard. For some reason, my healing abilities weren't kicking in, and having cracked ribs and a crushed nose didn't make it any easier. To my horror, Cole slowly began to rise. I struggled to find something, a scrap of power, an ounce on energy, but I was too tired to focus.
Cole struggled to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall as he did so. When he finally stood, he stumbled forward and then forced himself to stand erect. I saw his right arm was bent at a weird angle, and knew it was broken. Cole was breathing heavily, and I knew (hoped actually) he was as tired as I was.
Cole smirked at me, and said in a raspy voice, "Is that all you've got?" Cole held out his left hand, and an energy ball slowly formed. I could tell it Cole was barely able to summon it, but the point was he summoned it. I tried to find some power, through my link to life, through something, but there was nothing. I knew that energy ball would kill me, and I couldn't let that happen. As the energy ball left his hand, I suddenly remembered where I was. I was in Phoebe's basement, where there was a NEXUS!!!
I quickly reached out and pulled. As I thought, it was a bastion of good energy, energy I could tap into. I formed a shield at the last instant, and the energy ball dissolved.
Cole stared at me in disbelief, as his knees wobbled. "Impossible..."
I pulled every ounce of power I could, and used it to hide the weariness I truly felt. "As I told you Cole, you can't defeat me."
Cole glared tiredly at me. "You may be beating me now," he said in a menacing voice, "but I won't lose. I'll kill you...even if I have to take all of existence with me." Cole whirled, and gestured. One of the walls dissolved, revealing a portal. Fear rose inside me, as I realized where that portal led. Entropy...
"Cole, what are you doing? You can't tap into that power," I stated in fear.
Cole laughed. "Of course I can. I just have to accept that all of existence will be erased as a price. It's only a matter of time before portal gets too big for me to keep Entropy back, and then...well, you know what happens then." As he spoke, the portal continued to increase, and I knew it would eventually do exactly what Cole said, and destroy existence.
I tried to use the Nexus power to close the portal, but I couldn't. There simply wasn't enough power. As I reached desperately for more, I said, "Cole, do you honestly want to erase existence, everything that ever was or will be? Is that a price you think needs to be paid?"
"I DON'T CARE!" Cole screamed hoarsely. "What Phoebe did to me is unforgivable. She destroyed me, made me weak. I was once a rising power. I was on track to become the greatest being in existence. But then she stepped in, with her goodness, morals, and love. And I changed. My clarity vanished, and in its place chaos reigned. I tried to be good, to follow her rules. But the first time I faltered, she cast me aside, and I lost everything."
I was about to speak, when I noticed something that filled me with horror. Cole was standing straighter, and the weariness in his movements was disappearing. His strength was returning, faster than mine. I couldn't believe it...he was stronger than I was.
Cole smiled slightly, "You can tell, can't you?"
"Cole, how..." I tried to articulate. "How'd you get this power?"
Cole's smile faded, and a look of pain and suffering came over it. "You have no idea what I paid for this power. I went through more than you can possibly imagine, and all to make her pay for what she's done."
"And do you really think your pain was worth this?" I asked to buy time, as the hole to the realm of Entropy continued to widen.
Cole was about to respond, when the basement door was flung open. We both turned to see the Prue, Piper and Phoebe of 1998 running down the stairs and surveying the scene before them.
"What the hell is going on?" Prue demanded.
I knew Cole wasn't really listening to her. Hell, I wasn't. The two of us were looking at Phoebe. This was Phoebe before all the pain and suffering, when Phoebe was still the innocent girl that Cole and I had both fallen in love with. Of course, this Phoebe didn't know Cole yet, but I knew that she recognized me, even in my Guardian form and with all my injuries. As she stared at me in shock and looked at Cole in fear, I saw Piper vainly tried to freeze us while Prue was undoubtedly trying to fling us to the moon. I turned back to Cole, and saw something I'd never hoped in a million years to see...tears.
"How could I have fallen so far?" Cole said in a shaky voice. "How could I have let myself become this...something she fears...how could I have fallen so far. What have I done...?" Cole turned to the portal, which was now the complete size of the wall. I knew very soon it would be too big to contain.
Cole turned back to me, and I saw clarity in his eyes. "Take care of her," Cole said to me.
"What are you going to do?" I demanded.
"What I have to," Cole responded. "There's only one way left to close this portal." Cole whirled and before I could stop him, jumped through the portal. There was a cacophony of sound and light, and, when it faded, the portal was gone.
"Michael...?" Phoebe said, having finally found her voice. "What's going on?"
I shifted back into my regular form, causing them to gasp. Moving slowly to stand in front of Phoebe, I said, "I don't have time to explain, and I can't stay."
"I miss you..." she said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I know you do," I said, reaching out to caress her cheek for a moment (and fighting off a wince as the movement sent waves of pain through my ribs). "I just want you to know that I love you, and you'll see me again when the time comes." Phoebe was about to speak again, but I waved my hand and said, "Forget." The sisters' eyes glazed over, and I gestured. The basement returned to normal, and I flamed out. As I did, I felt something very strange in Phoebe's aura. I smirked as I recognized it, and gestured again in mid-flame.
I materialized in the park across from the Manor to find the girls and the Seer waiting there. Phoebe ran forward and caught me as I fell forward. "Oh my God, are you all right?" she asked.
"I'm fine," I reassured her as I fought down the urge to scream from the pain.
"What happened to Cole?" Piper asked.
"Cole's gone," I said gravely. "He killed himself."
"What?" Phoebe exclaimed in shock. "Why...?"
"He realized how much he had messed things up or rather how messed up things had become," I explained. "He had opened a portal to ultimate destruction, and he realized at the last minute he couldn't let that happen. So he jumped through to close it."
"Did it kill him?" Piper asked softly.
I fought to keep the dread from my face as I replied, "With anyone else, absolutely. With Cole...I honestly don't know."
"Congratulations," the Seer said gravely. I could see a malicious glint in her eyes. "Everything is as it should be."
"Not quite," I said. "There's still one more thing to attend to." Before the Seer could flash out, I incinerated her with a fireball.
"Not that I'm a fan or anything, but why did you kill her?" Paige asked.
"She betrayed us," I said. "She cast a spell on past Phoebe to make her kill Cole that night in the mausoleum. I guess she figured that since Cole saved you guys so many times later on, she could destroy him and the Power of Three in one shot. Don't worry; I reversed it already."
Phoebe let out a breath. "It's over. It's finally over." As I leaned on her, she said, "Let's go home, and get you healed up."
"You've got it," I said, motioning for Piper and Paige to join us. When they were close enough, I focused and flamed out, to healing, but more importantly back to our lives.
TO BE CONTINUED...