Phoebe paced in the attic while Piper flipped through the Book of Shadows.
"Pheebs, you need to relax or you won't be any help to Michael," Piper suggested as she indicated to the unconscious body on the sofa. "He needs all of us in top form if we're gonna defeat the Trixel that stole his soul."
Phoebe glanced down at the handsome male witch and couldn't help but smile. She'd only known him a little more than three weeks but it somehow felt so right. "Paige and Billie'll find the book we need, right?" She sat on the edge of the sofa and brushed some of Michael's dark hair from his closed eyes.
"Of course they will." Piper looked up from the Book in time to see her younger sister's smile disappear as Phoebe abruptly stood. She stepped away from the Book to hug her sister from behind. "Cole wouldn't want you to feel guilty for liking Michael."
"I know," Phoebe quietly replied as she leaned her head back against Piper's shoulder. "And I'm not sure I am feeling guilty. I know Cole can't be here and I know there's nothing wrong with me enjoying my time with Michael. And you know I'm doing my best not to even think of that little girl…"
"But…"
"But it's happening again." Phoebe fought the tears and grit her teeth.
"Phoebe?" Piper gently turned her sister around. "Sweetie, what is it?"
"It's happening again," Phoebe uttered in despair. "I relax about love and fate steps in to remind me I don't deserve it."
"That's ridiculous!" Piper exclaimed just as Leo entered the attic. "Leo, tell her she's being ridiculous!"
"You're being ridiculous," he automatically replied without knowing why.
"You're no help," Piper sighed with frustration she shouldn't feel against Leo who'd simply walked into the middle of this unaware. "Phoebe thinks she doesn't deserve love and that's why Michael's soul was taken."
"Phoebe, you had nothing to do with what happened to Michael," Leo stated, hoping his sister-in-law would let go of the guilt. "He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"And he just happens to be involved with me at the time?" Phoebe muttered.
"Do you want to end up in limbo?" Piper snapped. "Get over the guilt, Phoebe, and start believing in love!"
Phoebe was about to answer when Paige orbed in with Billie.
"Did you find the book in Magic School?" Leo asked.
Paige nodded but Piper was more concerned by the tears streaming down Billie's face. "What happened?"
Paige kept her gaze on Phoebe, "We snuck in all right and managed to find the right book with the spell to track the Trixel. But…"
Phoebe cast a nervous glance to Michael's prone body, "But…"
"But we were spotted by a demon," Paige continued, "and pretty soon we were surrounded."
"Billie?" Piper gently prodded.
"I didn't know it was there," the young woman cried.
"The Trixel was part of the group attacking you," Leo guessed.
"I swear, I didn't know!"
Paige patted Billie's shoulder and assured her, "It's okay, honey, there's no way we could've recognized them all."
"It's not okay," Billie shook her head. "We should've realized!"
Phoebe took a step back, closer to Michael, and nervously asked her younger sister, "What happened to the Trixel?"
"We fought our way free by vanquishing anyone in our way," Paige slowly informed her.
"Including the Trixel," Leo realized.
Piper gasped with horror, "Michael's soul…"
"I'm so sorry, Phoebe, I didn't know it was there. You have to believe me," Billie pleaded.
Phoebe didn't hear. All she saw was Michael lying there. She knelt next to him and caressed his cheek, "He's still warm." She spun back to the others, "Maybe that wasn't the right Trixel. Maybe Michael's soul is still --"
Paige interrupted her sister by holding out in her hand a shattered glass orb, "I'm sorry, Pheebs."
"Leo…Leo isn't there anything…"
He sadly shook his head, "I'm sorry, Phoebe, but if his soul was in there, Michael's gone. I'm sorry…" He watched Paige hug Billie and his wife reach for Phoebe. He gave them a moment before he cleared his throat, "There's something you need to do now." Piper turned to him and he announced, "You have to destroy Michael's body." When Phoebe gasped in outrage, he immediately continued, "It's an empty shell now. His soul is gone but his body can still be possessed. And if another Trixel follows the scent…You owe it to Michael not to let evil get his body too."
Billie only cried harder and Paige gently stroked the young woman's back while she looked to her older sister.
Piper nodded and gently pulled Phoebe away from Michael's body. "Why don't you all go downstairs? I can do this myself."
"Come on," Leo suggested to the others, "maybe some time with Wyatt and Chris will help. They're still up."
"Sure," Paige's smile wavered as she began to lead Billie to the door, "nothing like those two little rays of sunshine to cheer anyone up."
"No," Phoebe suddenly said. With everyone's attention focused on her, she repeated, "No. I have a better idea."
Piper immediately figured out her sister's plan and her eyes widened, "You can't do that!"
"Why not?" Phoebe questioned. "Michael's gone. Leo said so. And his body's empty so what's wrong if we --"
"You can't be serious," Paige interrupted as she dropped her hands from Billie's side and strode towards her sister.
"I don't understand," Billie sniffled.
"It would work, wouldn't it?" Phoebe asked Leo with growing excitement.
"In theory," he warily answered. "But you don't know that you can call for his spirit from limbo or that he'll even agree."
"Who?" Billie wondered.
"Phoebe thinks Cole's soul should take over Michael's body," Paige unhappily replied.
"Is he evil?" Billie questioned.
Phoebe glared at Paige who reluctantly admitted, "I guess not."
Billie shrugged, "Then what's wrong? It'll save Michael, well a part of him anyway." She saw the others staring at her in surprise and she explained, "Look, if there's anything I know from hanging out with Michael, it's that he hated the idea of evil winning. And if this Cole is a good guy, then Michael didn't die for nothing and evil didn't win."
"But it won't be Michael," Paige maintained, "it'll be Cole. And we'll be caught up again in his fight against evil."
"Not any more so than your own fight," Leo said. "Technically, Cole will be taking over Michael's body which means he'll --"
"Be a witch," Paige suddenly smirked. Somehow the thought of the demon being reincarnated as a witch amused her.
"There won't be a void," Phoebe whispered as she looked to the others. "He won't be susceptible to evil and he won't --"
"Are you sure about this?" Piper interrupted. "There's no turning back or changing your mind if we do this. He'll be alive and we can't interfere. Are you sure this's what you want?"
"No," Phoebe admitted, "but I owe it to both Michael and Cole to give him this chance."
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