TEN
"Phoebe, you don't have to do this," said Piper. "We'll find another way to get the information we need."
"No," said Piper. "This is the best way. You heard Michael. The Elders' decision has only been postponed. The longer it takes to prove my premonitions are false, the more likely they are to go ahead with their decision. Don't worry about me, honey. I'll be okay."
"She's a strong woman," said Kiethran to Paige as they watched Piper and Phoebe talk in the other room. "This has to be incredibly difficult for her."
"You don't know the half of it," said Paige. "She's done her best to move on with her life. Now, she has to ask the one person for help that she doesn't even want to talk to."
"Well, we'll make it as quick as we can," said Michael. "At least we can try to minimize her anguish."
Leo had orbed out ten minutes before. Locating the one person who could help shouldn't be much of a problem. And they were all sure that he would agree to help them. Or rather, to help Phoebe. Phoebe was preparing herself for Leo's return.
When Leo did orb back in, he wasn't alone. Phoebe steeled herself for the meeting. Cole Turner stood next to Leo. He looked around at the people gathered in the living room.
"Michael, Kiethran," said Cole in surprise. "Leo didn't mention you were here."
"We thought you might not come if you knew," said Phoebe.
"Hello, Phoebe," said Cole. "Leo said you wanted to see me. He said you needed my help."
"Actually," said Phoebe, "Piper needs your help. Someone's trying to destroy her baby. We need your help to find out who."
"I'll do anything I can," said Cole.
"I want it understood, though," said Phoebe, "this won't change anything. The only reason I'm asking for your help is to keep the Elders from terminating Pipers' pregnancy. Otherwise, I wouldn't be asking."
"I understand," said Cole. "But it's one more step that I can use to prove to you I'm not evil. What do you need?"
"Someone is giving Phoebe false premonitions," said Michael. "They're practically as real as the genuine ones. We need to know what demons are capable of doing that."
"There are a number of demons who can do that," said Cole.
"These are almost indistinguishable from the real thing," said Kiethran. "I saw one of her false premonitions. Even I thought it was a real one."
"I don't know any demon who can duplicate one that closely," said Cole. "Almost all of them make some tiny error. Something that might be overlooked if you aren't paying attention, but a mistake all the same."
"They did," said Piper, holding up the necklace. "In Phoebes' premonition this was made of gold. But as you can see, the real one is made of silver."
"That's a place to start," said Cole. "It might help if I knew what the premonitions were. It might give me an idea who's doing it if I knew exactly what they were sending you."
Phoebe told Cole about all of her visions. Cole sat patiently as she described each one in as much detail as she could. When she finished, Cole's brow furrowed.
"Did you actually see the birth in the first vision?" asked Cole.
"No, not really," said Phoebe. "The baby had already been born. I just saw the necklace being put on her after the birth."
"I see," said Cole. "I think I know what's going on. That necklace is the key to your visions, Phoebe."
"We know that, damn it," said Paige. "Why do you think we sent for you?"
"No, you don't understand," said Cole. "The girl and the woman are only secondary in the visions. Phoebe's not having visions about them. She's having visions about the necklace."
"He might be right," said Michael. "We've been so centered on the person we've neglected other explanations for the visions."
"But why the necklace?" asked Leo. "What's so important about it?"
"Someone knows Phoebe has premonitions," said Cole. "It's common knowledge in the underworld. I think someone's trying to distract you. Give you false visions so you won't see what's really going on.
"I'm guessing, mind you, but I think that necklace in your visions is enchanted somehow. Whoever is giving you the false visions is only able to alter part of what the necklace really looks like in the visions. That's why it's gold instead of silver."
"So all we have to do," said Piper, "if figure out what necklace it really is."
"Exactly," said Cole. "My guess is that your first and third premonitions were genuine premonitions. But the second and fourth ones were false visions sent to you by whoever is sending them. To strengthen the illusion that they were about the baby."
"The photographs," said Phoebe. "I was touching some photographs when I had the third vision. If that was a real one, maybe the photographs will tell us about the necklace."
She went to the attic to get the photos she had been looking through when the third premonition had hit her.
"Thanks," said Piper. "You've helped a lot."
"Like I said," said Cole, "I'll do whatever I can."
When Phoebe returned from the attic, she had a stack of photographs with her. She spread them out on the coffee table and everyone began to look through them to see if they could discover what had prompted her premonition.
"Phoebe, you don't have to do this," said Piper. "We'll find another way to get the information we need."
"No," said Piper. "This is the best way. You heard Michael. The Elders' decision has only been postponed. The longer it takes to prove my premonitions are false, the more likely they are to go ahead with their decision. Don't worry about me, honey. I'll be okay."
"She's a strong woman," said Kiethran to Paige as they watched Piper and Phoebe talk in the other room. "This has to be incredibly difficult for her."
"You don't know the half of it," said Paige. "She's done her best to move on with her life. Now, she has to ask the one person for help that she doesn't even want to talk to."
"Well, we'll make it as quick as we can," said Michael. "At least we can try to minimize her anguish."
Leo had orbed out ten minutes before. Locating the one person who could help shouldn't be much of a problem. And they were all sure that he would agree to help them. Or rather, to help Phoebe. Phoebe was preparing herself for Leo's return.
When Leo did orb back in, he wasn't alone. Phoebe steeled herself for the meeting. Cole Turner stood next to Leo. He looked around at the people gathered in the living room.
"Michael, Kiethran," said Cole in surprise. "Leo didn't mention you were here."
"We thought you might not come if you knew," said Phoebe.
"Hello, Phoebe," said Cole. "Leo said you wanted to see me. He said you needed my help."
"Actually," said Phoebe, "Piper needs your help. Someone's trying to destroy her baby. We need your help to find out who."
"I'll do anything I can," said Cole.
"I want it understood, though," said Phoebe, "this won't change anything. The only reason I'm asking for your help is to keep the Elders from terminating Pipers' pregnancy. Otherwise, I wouldn't be asking."
"I understand," said Cole. "But it's one more step that I can use to prove to you I'm not evil. What do you need?"
"Someone is giving Phoebe false premonitions," said Michael. "They're practically as real as the genuine ones. We need to know what demons are capable of doing that."
"There are a number of demons who can do that," said Cole.
"These are almost indistinguishable from the real thing," said Kiethran. "I saw one of her false premonitions. Even I thought it was a real one."
"I don't know any demon who can duplicate one that closely," said Cole. "Almost all of them make some tiny error. Something that might be overlooked if you aren't paying attention, but a mistake all the same."
"They did," said Piper, holding up the necklace. "In Phoebes' premonition this was made of gold. But as you can see, the real one is made of silver."
"That's a place to start," said Cole. "It might help if I knew what the premonitions were. It might give me an idea who's doing it if I knew exactly what they were sending you."
Phoebe told Cole about all of her visions. Cole sat patiently as she described each one in as much detail as she could. When she finished, Cole's brow furrowed.
"Did you actually see the birth in the first vision?" asked Cole.
"No, not really," said Phoebe. "The baby had already been born. I just saw the necklace being put on her after the birth."
"I see," said Cole. "I think I know what's going on. That necklace is the key to your visions, Phoebe."
"We know that, damn it," said Paige. "Why do you think we sent for you?"
"No, you don't understand," said Cole. "The girl and the woman are only secondary in the visions. Phoebe's not having visions about them. She's having visions about the necklace."
"He might be right," said Michael. "We've been so centered on the person we've neglected other explanations for the visions."
"But why the necklace?" asked Leo. "What's so important about it?"
"Someone knows Phoebe has premonitions," said Cole. "It's common knowledge in the underworld. I think someone's trying to distract you. Give you false visions so you won't see what's really going on.
"I'm guessing, mind you, but I think that necklace in your visions is enchanted somehow. Whoever is giving you the false visions is only able to alter part of what the necklace really looks like in the visions. That's why it's gold instead of silver."
"So all we have to do," said Piper, "if figure out what necklace it really is."
"Exactly," said Cole. "My guess is that your first and third premonitions were genuine premonitions. But the second and fourth ones were false visions sent to you by whoever is sending them. To strengthen the illusion that they were about the baby."
"The photographs," said Phoebe. "I was touching some photographs when I had the third vision. If that was a real one, maybe the photographs will tell us about the necklace."
She went to the attic to get the photos she had been looking through when the third premonition had hit her.
"Thanks," said Piper. "You've helped a lot."
"Like I said," said Cole, "I'll do whatever I can."
When Phoebe returned from the attic, she had a stack of photographs with her. She spread them out on the coffee table and everyone began to look through them to see if they could discover what had prompted her premonition.