Part Four

Piper took Chris from Leo's arms and walked around the bar to pour Leo a glass of water. Chris giggled in her arms from the motions and she kissed him, casting Leo a warm smile.

"Stop worrying," Leo told her. "Turning into Julie was a clever idea and can only help keep your identities safe especially now that Agent Murphy's mad at you."

"He'll get over it," she commented unconcerned. "As soon as he has another unsolvable case or decides to dig into the cold case files again, he'll be back for our help."

"It didn't help that you got so pissy with him," he chastised. "With Darryl on the East Coast now, it couldn't hurt to have someone in law enforcement on your side."

"Henry could come in handy," she grinned. "He likes Paige, you know."

"And she likes him," he agreed, "but Henry's a parole officer and it's not like having Darryl around. And Henry's certainly not as high up on the chain as Agent Murphy."

"All right," Piper rolled her eyes as she set Chris down on the bar, "I'll bring our friendly Homeland Security agent some fresh-baked muffins to 'apologize'…That still isn't what worries me about Phoebe, though."

Leo nodded knowingly, "Cole…you're worried about her subconscious bringing him up." He watched her smile at their son who'd crawled to a bowl of popcorn but he worried that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "What's been holding Phoebe back all this time has been her inability to find closure with Cole. Sure, she can talk about him now without the anger or the pain but it's still only masking the wound. She simply needs to confront all her feelings for him. All Phoebe needs to do is admit that she still cares about him and the spell will end."

"All she needs to do?" she echoed with a snort. "This is Phoebe, Leo. Nothing is simple when it comes to Phoebe, especially if it concerns Cole. And if she, her subconscious I mean, gets her to admit that she still cares about him, what'll stop her from trying to find a way to bring him back?"

"She won't try since she doesn't know he still exists," he reasoned as he tried to stop Chris from taking the popcorn out of the bowl and making a mess of it on the bar. "You never told her about him being in limbo and she has no reason to suspect it."

"She knows," Piper quietly informed him. "Deep down, she knows. And now that her subconscious is free…"

"So she figured it out. It still doesn't mean she'll try to find him. Besides," he considered, "if Cole didn't approach her on his own when he had the chance while you were in limbo, he won't now. And if she tries to free him, he'll stop her. He's obviously accepted that he doesn't belong here anymore."

"I'm not so sure," she disagreed. "He loves her, Leo. I told you, he wanted to help us but what he really wanted more than anything was to save her. He really truly does love her and I'm afraid that if he thinks there's even the slightest chance that she still loves him…"

Leo grinned as Chris began returning the loose popcorn into the bowl, "He's a neat freak like you."

She glared at him, "I am not a --"

He reached across the bar and interrupted her with a kiss and, satisfied he hadn't lost his touch to silence her, returned to the conversation, "Admit it, Piper, you've always known that, deep down, Phoebe still loves him."

She nodded, "But Phoebe hasn't always known it. And it didn't matter when she believed him to be gone forever but now that her subconscious is a separate entity and knows the truth…"

"You're afraid that's what she's going to learn and that she'll try to find him in limbo," Leo surmised. "But, honey, number one, she'd have to be dying for that and Phoebe isn't the type to commit suicide. And, numbe--"

"It's not suicide if she believes someone will save her at the last minute. Remember how Wyatt saved me?" Piper couldn't stop shivers of fear from running through her. "Phoebe would find a way…"

Leo shook his head, "It still won't change the fact that Cole's in limbo for good. He's gone from her life."

Piper brushed her hand along the top of Chris's head and quietly asked her husband, "And you think that would stop Phoebe from trying? She'd throw the rest of her life away trying."

"If she wanted him back. Knowing she loves him and accepting it is completely different from wanting to be with him," he decided. "All she needs is closure and the opportunity to move on with her life."

"What if moving on means moving on with Cole?"

"Maybe you need to trust Phoebe to figure out that loving someone doesn't mean she's destined to be with him," Leo warily suggested. "Maybe Phoebe just needs to hear that it's okay for her to still love him in order to move on with her life and love someone new."

Piper stiffened with anger, "You're telling me this is my fault? That I didn't support Phoebe enough, that I've been the one holding her back in all her relationships?"

He quickly shook his head, "That's not what I'm saying at all, Piper. All I meant was --"

"Do you have any idea how great it was when I walked into work side-by-side with my cousin Julie?" Phoebe interrupted as she excitedly rushed down the stairs.

Phoebe II took one look at her older sister and Leo and apologized, "Did we interrupt something?"

Piper shot one last glare at Leo before smiling to her sister, "So…pretty cool fooling everyone at work, huh."

Phoebe II grinned, "I must've had four invitations for lunch to catch up on things but I turned 'em all down just so I could spend time with my cousins."

"I think they like you better," Phoebe pouted. "Even Elise was thrilled to see you again."

"Don't be ridiculous," Piper waved her hand, "you're the same person."

"Still," Phoebe suggested as she transformed herself, "I think I'll be Julie when we go back to work."

Leo chuckled and lifted Chris back into his arms, "I think I'll take this little guy to the park while you girls have lunch and talk."

"Incoming demons!" Paige called out when she suddenly orbed into the club with Billie.

Piper barely had time to push Leo towards the back when a demon dressed in black suddenly fired electric bolts at her husband and son. Instinctively, she raised her hands and blew him up as she ducked from a crossfire attack by another identical demon. "Go, Leo!"

Billie launched herself at the attacking demon and managed to stab it with the athame she always carried these days. "That was for this," she sniffed in anger as she glanced down at the red welt in her side.

"Ouch," Phoebe II murmured, "you okay?"

"How about giving us the short version," Julie/Phoebe suggested to her younger sister.

Billie did a double-take and turned back to Paige for an explanation. "How can both Phoebe and Julie be here when they're the same person?"

"I've always wanted a twin," Julie/Phoebe giggled, "and now I've got one."

"Not funny," Piper said as she tried to focus on the problem at hand. "Now, Paige, why'd you bring these demons to my club?"

But Paige was still looking around, "There should be a third one. Billie?"

"Didn't we get him before we came here?" the young collegiate wondered.

Paige shook her head, "I saw him smoke out as I grabbed you." The others began quickly looking around them and just as she was about to explain, she caught sight of smoke smoldering behind Phoebe II. "Phoebe, look out!"

But Phoebe II didn't have time to react before she felt the pain in her back. She locked eyes with her other self but couldn't speak as her knees gave way and she succumbed to the darkness as she fell to the floor.

"I did it," the smoke announced as it took shape before the stunned witches and raised a bloody athame in the air. "I killed a Charmed One! The throne of the Underworld will now be mine!" the demon announced before it smoked out of the room.

Piper snapped out of her daze and tried to blow him up but the smoke had already disappeared. "Oh God…Leo?"

Leo shoved Chris into his wife's arms and knelt by Phoebe II whose back was quickly staining with blood. He shook his head as he looked back at Julie/Phoebe, "She's barely got a pulse."

Piper immediately froze Phoebe II, "I'm not losing another sister. Paige get up there and get an Elder before the Underworld realizes the Charmed Ones aren't broken and come after us."

"No," Julie/Phoebe whispered before she transformed her looks again, "no. We don't have time for Paige to convince an Elder to save me. I have to save myself."

"What're you talking about, Phoebe?" Piper couldn't stop the tears from stinging her eyes. "You're dying!"

"I'm right here," Phoebe argued, even though she felt extremely weak and light-headed, "and I need to bring my subconscious back by merging with her again."

"It could work," Leo agreed, "but to merge with yourself means the spell will have to play out. You'll have to find your answers quickly and be willing to accept them."

"I know," Phoebe nodded.

"I'm so confused," Billie mumbled.

"Pheebs, sit down before you fall down," Piper ordered as she grabbed the closest chair. "Paige, let's get to work and help her write a spell."

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