Epilogue

The crowd had long since dispersed and Darryl Morris stood in front of the open grave and dropped a yellow rose onto the casket. "Oh, Phoebe…"

"She's at peace, Darryl, she's happy."

Startled, he spun around, "Paige? What're you --"

"In the flesh," she quipped without humor. "Guess I have Phoebe to thank for that."

"Why didn't you go back to the house?"

She shrugged and indicated to Piper who stood a few rows back, "We weren't ready to leave yet. This's so…so final."

"I don't understand." He shook his head with emphasis, "I don't understand any of this. I just saw her, right before this happened. If only I'd gone with her like I'd wanted…"

"Don't," Paige placed her hand on his arm, "don't get caught up in all the what-ifs. It happened and there's nothing we can do to change it."

"She's right," Piper added in a hoarse voice as she finally joined them. "Phoebe's gone but she died saving a little girl. She died helping an innocent and I don't think she'd've wanted it any other way."

"How are you?" he inquired. "Sorry, of course I know how you are. I don't know why I keep asking you that."

"It's okay," Paige acknowledged. "It's been a couple of crazy days."

Knowing it was completely inappropriate, he still couldn't help but ask, "Is it strange to be you again? I mean for almost seven weeks you've been living completely different lives and when I saw Phoebe that day as Lisa……She told me you'd both adjusted pretty well."

"Which she hadn't," Piper shook her head as she stared at the casket. "She tried to hide it bu--"

"For our sakes," Paige interrupted.

"She knew we were happy with our new lives," Piper reluctantly agreed, "but she never quite adjusted to being Lisa. I was hoping all she needed was some time to come around. I thought if we didn't push and gave her some space…"

After a few moments of contemplative silence, Darryl remarked, "The paper said something about witness protection. A bit convoluted, don't you think?"

Piper shrugged, "It was the only way to make sense of why we faked our deaths and why Phoebe's accidental death makes the protection no longer necessary."

"And thanks to Kyle's unauthorized help in dealing with the FBI," Paige gratefully added, "we were able to pull it off for both the public and the Elders."

"But now with Phoebe gone," he glanced at the grave, "what about the Power of Three?"

"It's over. No need to hide anymore," Piper tearfully replied as she reached for Paige's hand. "No more Charmed Ones, no more danger."

"I think there'll always be danger," Paige gently reminded her.

"But it won't be the same."

All three spun in surprise at the sound of Phoebe's voice behind them.

"Pheebs?" Piper gasped as Phoebe materialized into a solid form.

"It was a great turnout, wasn't it? I can't believe all the people who came and all the flowers and," she greeted before she excitedly interrupted herself, "Paige, I love that top! It goes great with your ey--Wait a minute, isn't that my top?"

"You don't seem to need it anymore," Paige retorted before choking back a sob, "I'm sorry, I can't believe I d-- I mean I thought it'd help me get through today if I felt y-- I didn't mea--"

"It's okay, Paige," Phoebe chuckled sympathetically, "I understand. But, what's mine is now yours, yours and Piper's. Hmmm, maybe I should come up with a specific list of things that you should div--"

"Phoebe, shut up," Piper chastised, "and give me a hug."

Phoebe eagerly obeyed, "I love you, Piper. I love all of you but I'm where I need to be, where I want to be."

"And where is that exactly?" Paige scoffed. "Dead with Prue and our mother?"

"Um, not exactly…"

Piper stiffened, "Phoebe…why aren't you with them? What did you do?"

"And I don't understand," Darryl spoke up at the same time. "In all this time, you still haven't been able to see Prue so how come they let you come after only four days?"

"Nobody let Phoebe do anything. She made a decision all on her own and went for it, rules be damned."

"Why thank you, sweetie," Phoebe smiled innocently as she looked past Piper's shoulder at the newcomer materializing nearby, "I knew you'd see it my way sooner or later."

"Just as long as it's my way in the end," Cole winked at her as he approached the group.

She wrinkled her nose but still blew him a kiss before pulling away from Piper's embrace. "I love it when we see eye-to-eye," she quipped as she stepped towards him, oblivious of the stunned others.

"You mean you love it when we argue," he wryly noted, stopping in front of her.

"Because you love it when we make up," she countered with a smile as she reached her arms up and around his neck and stood on tiptoes in order to kiss him.

"No more than you," he accused in amusement as his hands firmly placed themselves on her waist, pressing her closer, and he deepened the kiss.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Piper exclaimed, snapping out of her daze. "Phoebe, what's going on? Cole, what're you doing here? You're supposed to be in limbo."

Phoebe sighed contentedly as she brought her fingers to Cole's lips, lightly wiping them, before she turned back to her older sister, "Yeah, Piper, about Cole being in limbo…Was there something you forgot to tell us, something about an 'old friend'?"

But Piper was too frustrated with her baby sister to feel guilty, "Yeah, well, I made a split second decision and it was the right one at the time. You explain this. Now."

"This oughtta be good," Darryl finally reacted. "Cole…" He shook his head, "Man, maybe I was right this morning, this's been nothing but a bad dream."

"Missed you too, buddy," Cole smirked before extending his hand to Darryl who, after a few seconds of staring in surprise at it, clasped it and firmly shook it.

"Are you sure you're really gone?" Paige glared. "It seems you're always popping up when we least expect it."

Cole became more serious when he nodded, "I'm…we're really gone. This isn't a dream."

"I thought I was dreaming that day," Piper murmured as she stared at her ghost of a sister, "but I wasn't. You were there, with him when you, y'know…" She continued as Phoebe nodded, "I thought I heard you, Pheebs, right after you…I thought I heard you tell him you loved him."

"I did…and I do," Phoebe smiled at Cole before she leaned back against him, tugging his arms tighter around her. "I didn't know it at first but I was in limbo and he found me."

"Then you had a choice just like Piper did," Paige realized with annoyance. "Why didn't you choose to live? Didn't you think we needed you?"

"Didn't you know we loved you?" Piper whispered.

Phoebe immediately hugged her older sister again, "Of course I did. And I love you both so much. But, Piper," she pulled back slightly, "I was miserable. It was as if Phoebe Halliwell really had died in that explosion with Zankou."

"But --"

"Piper, I was living a strange life which had no meaning for me," Phoebe interrupted. "How could I figure out how to live as Lisa if I didn't know how to let go of Phoebe?"

"We would've given it up," Paige insisted. "You didn't have to die to make a point."

"That's not what I did and I didn't want you to," Phoebe declared. "You were both so happy and I wanted you to have the peace you deserved."

"But what about you?" Darryl asked. "Was it worth dying for? Have you found the peace you deserved?"

Phoebe glanced at Cole and nodded happily, "I did." She took a step back but held onto Piper's hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I'm happy here. Honest."

"We've had nothing but time to talk about quite a lot," Cole told the others. "There's been a lot to confess, a lot to forgive, and a lot to learn, and there's still so much more ahead for us."

Phoebe nodded with understanding and shared a special smile with him. "And I'm helping people," she added for her sisters, "people who end up in limbo confused about which way to turn. Piper, you had Cole help you realize your truth and now I'm helping others realize theirs."

"Guess I should thank you then," Paige quietly told Cole. "It seems you've saved both my sisters."

He waved away her thanks, "Your sisters saved themselves. All they needed was a little push."

"I'm not so sure about that," Paige quietly considered. "You're really okay now? I mean you're not, y'know…"

"Obsessed? Insane? Suicidal?" Cole shook his head, "No, I'm thinking very clearly, have been since I ended up here, where everything seems to be placed in the proper perspective."

"Good," she nodded before hugging Phoebe and instructing, "you make sure he stays that way."

"Yes, ma'am," Phoebe teased despite spotting Cole roll his eyes. "I love you, Paige."

"I love you, Phoebe," she cried, "and I don't want you to go…"

Piper nearly broke down from Paige's comment and threw her arms around both her younger sisters.

It was Phoebe who pulled away first and gently wiped the tears from her sisters' eyes. "I love you both so much. Tell Dad and Leo…the boys…"

"I'm gonna miss you!" Piper hugged Phoebe again, unable to let her go, not when she still felt so alive.

"This's why we couldn't see Prue," Phoebe realized in a whisper. "I love you, Piper. And I'll miss all of you. But I'll be watching over you. And if you ever need me, I'll be there, I promise." She slowly disentangled herself from Piper, her position immediately taken over by Paige, and she paused by Darryl and hugged him, "Thank you for what you said at the funeral. It was beautiful and I love you for it."

"I meant every word. I love you, Phoebe." His voice kept catching in his throat. This time, it was goodbye. "Thanks for making me part of your family."

She squeezed her arms around him before kissing his cheek and promising, "I'll be watching over you, too." She stepped back into Cole's waiting arms and glanced up at him, "I'm ready now. One more for the road?"

"As if I need an excuse," he responded as her lips were already seeking out his. He lifted her off the ground, barely feeling her arms encircling his neck, and faded from the cemetery.

Piper locked hands with Darryl as Paige hugged her, "Be good, Pheebs."

And, as if a whisper on the wind, they heard Phoebe's faint voice, "Love and be happy…"

The End