Part Eighteen

Fifteen Minutes Later…

May 9, 2004

Phoebe stared at herself in the full-length mirror and, as she slowly turned around to check out the back of her new dress, she told her sister, "I'm fine now so stop biting your lip.  I just needed to get out of all that steam and…I love this, Piper, you shouldn't have…"

Sitting on the edge of Phoebe's bed, Piper enjoyed watching her sister model the dress and she chuckled, "I think we were all getting tired of seeing you in that blue terry robe, Pheebs."

Phoebe stuck her tongue out at her sister's reflection and admired herself as she smoothed the dress over her belly.  "With that pair of flip-flops I bought a couple of weeks ago, it'll be perfect for a casual dinner at Quake."

"Phoebe…"

"C'mon, Piper," she whined, "I don't have much left in my wardrobe now that I'm so huge."

Inwardly pleased her sister seemed her old self again, Piper still rolled her eyes, "Right…you're a real Moby Dick."

Phoebe ignored the tease and continued looking at herself from all angles.  In spite of Cole's insistence otherwise, it seemed forever since she'd been attractive.  "I certainly don't have anything that flatters me like this.  It's perfect for me and you know it."

"Of course I know it," Piper reluctantly agreed, "that's why I bought it.  Tell you what, we'll go outside and take plenty of pictures of you in it."

"Not what I had in mind," she warned.  "I need to get out, as in away out."

Piper nodded with sympathy but still suggested, "For dinner, Paige can set the table on the patio.  It's warm enough."

"That's not what I mean and you know it," Phoebe glared.  "Look, no one'll have to worry if Cole just blinks us.  And I'll be sitting for dinner so no pressure there."  She pointed at her sister, "I need a change of envir--"

Wyatt suddenly orbed into the room, "Mama!"

Piper barely had time to react before the toddler flung himself at her legs and struggled to scramble onto her lap.  She quickly pulled Wyatt up and wrapped her arms around him when he buried his face in her chest.  She tried soothing him but he was crying in a way she'd never seen before.

"Did you run away from Aunt Paige?" Phoebe questioned in her baby voice as she sat next to Piper and fingered Wyatt's soft hair.  "Were you and Aunt Paige playing hide-and-seek?"

Wyatt peeked at his aunt, "Phe?"  But then he rubbed his face against Piper's blouse and cried again.

After exchanging a confused look with Piper, Phoebe rubbed Wyatt's back, "I'm here, sweetie.  You're safe.  Mommy and I won't let anyone hurt you."

"Phe…" Wyatt mumbled as he inched up in Piper's embrace until his arms were around her neck and he was teetering on her nearly non-existent lap.  "Mama…"

Piper kept kissing him both to calm him and to reassure herself that, whatever happened, he was safe in her arms.  "I'd better get back to the school and find Paige.  She's probably worried sick."  Phoebe was about to get up but Piper stopped her, "Don't even think about it, missy.  Cole will probably kill me as it is for leaving you home alone."

Wyatt perked up and looked from his mother to his aunt, "Co?"  He reached for and tugged on some of Phoebe's long damp strands of hair, stuck his other arm out to her, and repeated, "Co?"

"That's right, sweetie," Piper smiled as she untangled her sister's tresses from her son's fist.  She tried prying him away from Phoebe before teasing, "Uncle Cole's gonna be in a really bad mood if Auntie Phoebe steps one toe out of this bedroom."

But Wyatt only let out a wail and fell back awkwardly against his mother's belly.

Surprised, Piper turned him in her arms but Wyatt didn't stop screaming and she grew more nervous as she attempted to calm him.

"Something's wrong," Phoebe quietly commented as she watched Wyatt's face turn crimson with his cries.

"No kidding," Piper snapped.   But there was something about Phoebe's expression so Piper reached apologetically for her sister, "This's one of the frustrations of parenting…wanting to help your baby but not knowing what's wrong."  She raised her voice over her son's cries, "But it's perfectly normal even if it does scare you to death when it happens."

"Something's wrong…very wrong."  Phoebe carefully stood and, without leaving any room for debate, she slipped into her slides and told her sister, "Let's go find Paige."

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Piper looked around her room and tried to set Wyatt down on the bed but he only clung tighter to her.  "I don't understand, no note, nothing, and no one's seen her.  I wish Gideon was around."  She was growing weary holding Wyatt, even though he'd quieted considerably, but she still began to sway gently with him.  "She's still not answering?"

Phoebe, cell phone to her ear, shook her head.  "Paige, it's me…again.  We're here at the school with Wyatt.  He's fine but we need you.  ASAP!"  She disconnected the call and immediately tried Cole again.  "He hasn't turned it off once in the past three weeks," she complained, "and now I'm not even getting his voicemail.  Where the hell is he?"  The phone slipped from her hand onto Piper's bed and she panicked, "He didn't…he didn't go to the Underworld again, did he?" She didn't even give Piper time to answer before she pleaded, "Please tell me he didn't go there alone again.  You can't keep this from me, I have a right to kn--"

"He said he had some errands," Piper quietly interrupted, "that's all I know, I swear."  She kissed Wyatt but frowned, "And why aren't Chris and Leo answering our calls?"

Phoebe began to pace and thought aloud, "Okay, Paige is missing and so is Cole.  We know they've been up to something.  And it's way past time we find out what it is."  She paused next to Piper and grimaced from a sudden stitch in her side.  Wyatt reached for her and tugged her arm and she held his small hand and gave it a sloppy wet kiss that usually elicited giggles from him.  This time, however, his face scrunched up so, over Piper's strong objections, she carefully pulled him into her arms.  "What's the matter, munchkin?" she asked while she accepted Piper's help to sit on the bed.  She kissed Wyatt's cheek and murmured, "Did your Uncle Cole and Aunt Paige plan something and leave you behind?"

"They'd better not have," Piper threatened as she sat next to her sister and placed her arm around Phoebe's shoulder.  She caressed her son's cheek with her other hand, "You're safe, sweetie, and we're gonna find your Aunt and Uncle.  I promise."  Wyatt was definitely calmer but she was still worried about Phoebe who seemed paler than before.  Knowing Phoebe's burst of adrenalin was fading fast, she tried to assure her younger sister, "I'm sure they're fine.  Probably got involved in some scheme and figured what we didn't know wouldn't worry us."

"I'm gonna kill them both," Phoebe teased.  But an ache was settling within her body and soul and she nervously suggested, "Gideon might be able to help if we can find him."

"Gi!" Wyatt shouted before he angrily kicked his feet to free himself from Phoebe's embrace.

She grunted when one of his kicks landed sharply in her belly and she did her best to keep hold of him but he was squirming too much.  Thankfully, she felt Piper pulling him away but, as she concentrated on massaging the ache, she felt herself being orbed from the bed.

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Piper set Wyatt down on the cavern's floor and couldn't help but shiver.  The Underworld.  Kneeling in front of him, she asked, "Why did you bring us here, sweetie?"

"I can't believe he orbed both of us here," Phoebe murmured while she waited for the wave of dizziness to pass.  "We're gonna have our hands full with him."  She felt Wyatt's small hand tickling hers and tried to smile for him, "Aren't we, munchkin?"  But the ache was getting worse the longer she stood there.  "Deadly," she whispered, shocked that the word came to her.   She released Wyatt's hand and slowly moved to investigate the arched opening on the other side of the room and waited there for Piper.

Holding her son's hand tightly in hers, Piper warily followed, pausing a moment to let the toddler steady himself.  She nudged Wyatt behind her and cautiously peered into the adjoining room.  "Gideon!" she gasped in surprised relief.

Startled by their sudden presence, he asked, "What're you doing here? Phoebe, aren't you on bed-rest? You shouldn't be here, it's too dangerous."

"Why, what happened?" she countered.

"Wyatt orbed us here," Piper announced as they approached him.

"He did what?" Gideon paled from the news.  Had he underestimated the powers and intelligence of the child?

Oblivious to Gideon's fears, Piper almost proudly informed him, "Wyatt orbed home by himself and then orbed us both here."  She acknowledged her sister's quiet countenance and grimly told Gideon, "We can't find Cole or Paige and neither Chris nor Leo are answering our calls."  Then she noticed the pile of clothing at his feet and she took a protective step back with Wyatt.  "Demonic hand-me-downs?"

Gideon picked up the pile and began, "There's something you nee--"

"Cole's," Phoebe interrupted, nervously rubbing her belly, and she took an unsteady step forward.

Gideon remained silent while Phoebe gingerly touched the cotton sweater.

Steeling herself for the answer, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "What happened to Cole?" When he didn't respond, she yanked the clothing from his hands, and anxiously repeated her question.

"Co…" Wyatt cried.

Piper lifted Wyatt up and stepped behind her sister.  "Please, Gideon, if something's happened…Did someone take Wyatt? Did Cole and Paige try to stop them? Do you know where they are?"

Phoebe clutched the items tighter and inhaled Cole's scent.  "I have to know…" she croaked, now dreading the answer.

Just then, Leo orbed in.  "What's going on? Piper, what're you doing here?"

Wyatt hiccupped a sob and reached for his father, "Dada!"

"Where have you been?" Piper nervously demanded.

"Elder business," he replied with a wince.  This pregnancy made her even more unreasonable where Elder business was concerned.  But, to his surprise, she barely reacted and, as he took Wyatt from her arms, he glanced from her somber look to Phoebe's stricken expression.  "Gideon, what's happened?"

Realizing he was out of time to finish formulating his plan, Gideon dramatically sighed, "Let's go back to the school where it's safe."

But Phoebe grabbed his arm, "No!  I want to know now!  What happened to Cole and Paige?"

"Please, Phoebe," he gently said, "you should be off your feet.  Let's get you comfortable and then I'll tell you everything I know."

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