Part Six

Moments Later…

May 2, 2002

Phoebe barely felt Cole's fingers as they lightly pressed into her skin. She kept staring at the scorch mark on the floor that had, was it only a minute ago, been the Seer. She slowly dropped her hands to her sides and continued to stare at the spot. Unconsciously, she lightly rubbed her abdomen with her hand. The Seer was dead. But a week early. History had been changed and Phoebe gasped with sudden realization, "Oh my God, what have I done?"

Cole rubbed her upper arms and assured her, "Nothing that can't be turned into an opportunity. With the Seer gone, there's no more danger. I swear I'll protect you, both of you. Together, we'll be unstoppable."

But instead of feeling reassured, Phoebe felt sick. Literally. And she pushed past him and ran from the room.

"Now, Piper," Paige whispered to her older sister as soon as the bathroom door slammed shut.

Cole stared at the closed bathroom door and hoped Phoebe was simply having a bout of morning sickness. Without the Seer, he'd have to seek another for advice on Phoebe's condition. He knew one or two priestesses who might be interested in accepting the job of becoming Phoebe's personal healer but he'd have to run the idea by his wife first. He couldn't afford to make such a move without her knowledge. Her emotions were making her unpredictable and he couldn't do anything that might jeopardize their relationship. He couldn't lose her or their son. "You'll need the Power of Three to vanquish me," he reminded the witches, his back to them. "Do you really think Phoebe will be a part of it?" He didn't wait for an answer and finally faced them when he continued, "No matter how angry she might be with me, she will never vanquish me. She loves me."

"We know," Paige quietly, and reluctantly, acknowledged.

Piper took a step forward and tossed down her two crystals near him. "But it's a chance we're willing to take." Cole seemed to be waiting for her next move so she nodded to Paige.

After a moment's hesitation to see if he would stop her, Paige threw her own crystals on the floor around Cole.

Piper grabbed Paige's hand and immediately called for Leo. He had the remaining crystals that would complete the circle.

Paige, meanwhile, yelled for her other sister, "Phoebe!"

Cole had crossed his arms and watched both nervous sisters. He knew how the trap worked. Hell, he'd helped Phoebe create it in order to destroy his predecessor. "Don't do this to her," he calmly advised them. "Phoebe made her choice once and it was hard enough. Don't put her through more heartache by forcing her to choose again."

"How dare you?" Piper raged. "You're the one who's tearing her apart! You've turned her away from everything good."

"She's got flames coming out of her head," Paige shouted, "and has a thing of evil growing inside her. You've poisoned her mind and her body and now you're going to pay!"

"Your death," Piper hissed, "will set her free."

"I'm afraid I can't let that happen," Cole declared as he threw a fireball at each sister.

As she and Paige each dove to the floor, Piper screamed, "Phoebe! We need you!"

Another two fireballs missed each by mere inches and they scrambled for safety behind the sofa.

Paige winced when the coffee table exploded a moment later. "Phoebe!"

"He's toying with us," Piper realized as she peeked from the side and tried to blow up Cole.

Her sister's attempt was unsuccessful and, when Cole's retaliation narrowly missed them again, Paige realized Piper was right. Cole was deliberately missing them. She slowly stood and ignored Piper's tugging on her to pull her back down. Instead, she defiantly taunted Cole, "What're you waiting for? Do it already. Get rid of us. Break the Charmed Ones."

Piper admired her youngest sister's bravery and joined Paige. She held Paige's hand tightly in hers and gloated, "All that talk about not causing Phoebe any more heartache, you know you'll lose Phoebe the instant you force her to choose."

Paige nodded, "And you talk about us forcing her to choose? What happens when she sees that you've taken away her choice and decided for her?"

"She'll thank me," he automatically replied.

Piper shook her head, "Then you don't know my sister as well as you think." She stared him straight in the eyes and informed him, "She will hate you forever. And she will never let you anywhere near her child."

"Is that a risk you're willing to take?" Paige questioned.

"Enough!" he snapped as he hurled two more fireballs at them.

"No!" Phoebe gasped at that moment when she re-entered the room. Fate seemed to be setting things right all on her own.

"He's going to kill us," Paige told her older sister. "You have to --"

"Are you okay?" Leo interrupted when he suddenly orbed in. "I felt a --"

Paige grabbed the crystals from Leo and managed to toss one in order to complete the circle but Phoebe suddenly threw fire at her and she dove again to the floor to avoid it. She lost her grip on the final crystal and watched it slide across the floor toward Cole and, when she caught sight of the fireball in his hand, she froze, unable to find her voice to call for it.

Pleased by the turn of events, Cole ignored the crystal, extinguished the fireball, and approached Phoebe. "You understand, don't you?" He caressed her cheek and brushed her hair from her eyes, "I only want to help you get through this difficult transition. We can start a new life. You will stand at my side and become a powerful Seer in your own right. Together, Phoebe, we can do it. You, me, and our son."

Gazing into his eyes, Phoebe knew what she had to do. She picked up the crystal and felt its weight in her hand before she took a few steps forward.

"It's time," Cole gently told her.

Phoebe nodded and turned back to him. She lightly stroked his cheek and guided his face down to hers for a kiss. For the first time in two years, she allowed herself to feel only the love she had once felt with every fiber of her being for this man. "Cole," she whispered against his lips.

Cole cupped her chin and kissed her again. "I won't let anything happen to you. To us," he promised.

"I love you," she confessed before she dropped the crystal into place. Everyone cried out her name when she'd trapped herself with Cole and she spun to face her sisters. "Start the spell," she requested even as she felt an awful cramp in her stomach. It took every bit of strength within her to fight the evil flow she felt beginning to rise. "No," she whispered to herself as she clenched her hands into fists.

Cole turned Phoebe back to him and, to his surprise, she reached for his hand and placed it on her abdomen. He placed a little more pressure on that spot as if trying to feel the baby within her. "What are you doing?" he patiently inquired. "Move the crystal, Phoebe. Think of our son."

Phoebe gave his hand a squeeze and allowed the tears to run down her cheeks. "He's not our son," she explained in a halting and choked voice. "He was the Seer's. Pure evil. Oh, Cole, the Seer used you so that you would become the Source and she could control you."

"No," he denied even as he gripped her hand tighter. "I am the Source. She had to obey me."

Phoebe shook her head, "She was indulging you. And you nearly ruined things for her because you needed me."

"I love you," he insisted.

"And she used that love to her advantage," she hoarsely commented. "She used me to get pregnant on the pretense of providing you with an heir when her plan all along was to take the baby for herself. Don't you see? She would've gotten rid of both of us the moment that baby was born."

"Get out of there," Piper demanded in a terrified voice, afraid to hear any more. Leo and Paige were holding her, preventing her from going to Phoebe and she pleaded, "Phoebe, get out. I swear we'll leave him alone. We'll leave you both alone if that's what you want."

Phoebe removed Cole's hand from her stomach and slowly turned to her sisters as she quietly stated, "This's the only way. Don't you understand? I've changed history. Without the Seer to transfer the baby, I will lose control to the evil and you'll be forced to destroy me anyway. Now start the spell. Prudence, Patricia, Penelope…"

"No!" Paige exclaimed. "There's got to be another way."

Cole stood behind Phoebe and whispered her name in her ear. She turned and hugged him tightly and he whispered, "I love you."

"Then hold onto that love," she fiercely requested, "because it'll be the only thing that saves you."

"Us," he corrected before he kissed her again. "Our love will save us."

Piper turned to her husband. "Do something."

Leo sadly shook his head, "She's right, Piper. You may never get this opportunity again. Think of all the lives you'll be saving."

"Think of the life we'll be losing," she replied heartbroken.

Paige reached for her sister's hand and raised her other one to Phoebe. "I love you, Phoebe."

"And I love you," Phoebe replied as she raised her hand to her sisters. She leaned back against Cole and repeated, "I love you both and I'll see you again soon, I swear it."

"Phoebe," Piper cried.

It was almost more than Phoebe could bear. "Piper, please," she begged. "If you love me, you'll do this." She took a deep breath and, with Cole's arms wrapped around her, she began in a surprisingly strong voice, "Prudence, Patricia, Penelope…"

Paige squeezed Piper's hand and continued, "Melinda, Astrid, Helen, Laura and Grace…"

The instant Piper saw the flames she buried her face in Leo's shoulder. Her eyes tightly shut, she continued in a quiet voice, "Halliwell witches stand strong beside us."

The three sisters recited the final words together as the flames grew, "Vanquish this evil from time and space."

Cole tightened his hold on Phoebe as the flames and pain intensified. "I love you," he shouted above the wind.

Cole's strong arms were the only reason Phoebe hadn't doubled over in agony. Each word of the spell brought sharp pains that seemed to cut her from the inside. 'So this's what's it's like to be vanquished,' she absurdly thought. But she held tightly to Cole and began the spell again.

This time sisters recited the spell together and, just as they ended it, Phoebe and Cole both screamed as the explosion shook the penthouse.

Paige stared in shock at the empty space before them. The room no longer rattled and, as unsteady as she was, she let go of Piper's hand and covered her mouth. Her sister was gone. She turned to Leo and Piper and waited for Piper to react.

Piper felt Leo's kiss on her forehead and slowly opened her eyes. She turned her head and glanced to Paige before she could look for Phoebe. But, as she feared, Phoebe wasn't there. There was nothing left but a scorch mark to remind her of where her sister had been standing. She walked to the spot and fell to her knees as she began to sob.

Paige quickly knelt next to her sister and hugged her.

"What have we done?" Piper cried.

"What we had to do," Paige replied as she finally began to cry in her sister's arms.

Leo gave them a moment before he crouched next to them and pulled the grieving sisters into his arms.

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