AN: I want to make clear that this is an alternate universe, so things happen differently although they might be some similarities to the show. As Cole was freed from the Source nothing happened in the same way from about "Three faces of Phoebe" (or maybe this isn't the proper title but I don't feel like checking it out!). Phoebe didn't get pregnant, Cole and Phoebe didn't marry and the Seer didn't die. Other details you will probably find out as the story goes on.

Enjoy and please tell me what you think about it! Thank you!

Chapter 1: The day the magic died

Piper walked into the living-room where Phoebe and Paige were arguing about some spell. They did everything in the last month to get rid of the Seer – who became their greatest enemy – but with not much luck so far. Piper cleared her throat and when both her sisters looked at her she announced:

"I think I have contractions."

"What! You have to go into the bed immediately!"

"We have to call Leo!"

They talked together and seemed to panic, however they prepared a lot to help their sister when the time was here. They decided together that Piper won't go to a hospital as they couldn't know what would happen. With the baby of a witch and a whitelighter everything was possible.

"I still have a lot of time you know" Piper said more composed than she could have imagined. "The baby won't just pop out!"

"All right!" Phoebe took a deep breathe. "Come, I'll take you to the bedroom. Paige, bring everything we need: water, towels and the other things we packed together. After that we will call Leo."

They made their way to the stairs when Piper gasped in pain and had to grab the bar to stay on feet.

"I don't think I can go up there on my own!" she admitted.

In that moment Cole appeared on the top of the stairs.

"What happened?" he asked alarmed. "I heard your cries…" then he looked at Piper, with one hand gripping the bar of the stairs, and with the other holding her stomach. "Oh…" was the only thing he could say.

"Could you help us?" asked Phoebe impatiently.

"Of course! What shall I do?"

"Take Piper into the bedroom!" Phoebe ordered.

"But please, don't shimmer…" moaned Piper. "I don't feel up to it…"

"As you wish!" He rushed to her side and simply lifted her up and carried her to the bedroom, Phoebe was closely on their heels and a few moments later Paige appeared with a huge heap of things.

"I think I have everything! It's time to call Leo!" she declared and looked at Piper to see whether she agreed.

But to tell the truth she was occupied with something else. There was a new kind of pain and she felt something wet between her legs. Her mind told her that was the forewaters but she didn't have time to tell this her sisters.

The air in the room vibrated and the next moment a dozen demons surrounded them. For Piper everything happened in slow motion. She raised her hands but nothing happened… she saw Paige ask for an athame but nothing happened… Phoebe tried to levitate when one of the demons tried to attack her but nothing happened… Cole obviously tried to conjure an energy-ball but nothing happened, either…

Magic was dead.

The demons didn't seem to be surprised: they attacked physically and soon a hectic fight emerged in the small room. Piper realized many things in that moment: first of all that she had no choice but stay in the bed and watch as another contraction made her whole body tense… secondly, that Leo wouldn't be able to come… and thirdly that her family was largely outnumbered.

Paige wasn't a real fighter and she was squeezed into the corner by a female demon. Phoebe combat techniques but her face was already bruised and seemed to stand on uneasy feet. Cole took out two demons but was attacked by three other at the moment and Piper doubted that he had a chance alone.

Then she saw something else and her heart froze. There was a darklighter amongst the attackers who at the moment raised his crossbow and targeted Paige, who managed to stab the female demon and was now breathing heavily. The demons might have lost their magic, but the poison was still there and it would definitely kill Paige. Piper wanted to cry out a warning but another contraction came and only a whimper came out.

The darklighter shot out the arrow and in the same moment Piper saw Cole jumping in front of her sister. The arrow hit his back and Piper saw frightened that its edgy point came out on the other side. Cole looked down stunned and then stumbled forward. Paige tried to support him but as his whole body weight fell on her they both collapsed to the ground.

Phoebe saw what happened and cried his lover's name. Her attention wavered and the next moment she was hit on the head by one of the demons so hard that she instantly collapsed. The demon kicked her cruelly on the side, but then a female voice ordered.

"Stop!" all the demons froze and the Seer stepped out from behind the dark creatures.

"We might need them to help their sister!" she declared.

Meanwhile Paige managed to climb out from under Cole, but she understood that she had no more chance. There was a frighteningly great amount of blood on her clothes and she seemed to be in a minor shock.

"Go and help your sister! Or would you rather like to see how one my demons takes out that brat?"

Paige rushed to the bed and squeezed Piper's hand.

"Are you all right?"

Piper's breathes came in short and quick gasps.

"She wants my baby…" she knew that her voice sounded pathetic but she felt so anyway.

"You see that right, witch. That spawn will be the most powerful magical being on the world!"

"I won't let you…." Piper managed to say before she cried out in pain.

"I don't see how you would be able to stop me!"

Piper would have needed time to think out something… she knew she could have made a plan… but there was no time…

"I think it's time…" she whispered and lifted up her knees.

Paige positioned herself between her sister's legs just like they learned it on the course they visited together. The demons watched them with sick fascination. Then Piper could hear the Seer's voice again:

"Stay there!"

She looked right and saw that Phoebe staggered to the feet. Despite the warning Phoebe stepped closer to the bed.

"Didn't you hear well?" the Seer asked mockingly and stepped to Cole who Piper almost managed to forget. With a rough movement the Seer ripped out the arrow from his body. Cole moaned loudly which in a way was a good sign as it indicated that he was still alive.

Phoebe shivered and stopped immediately.

"See? I know how to make you behave!"

Phoebe just throw at her a despising look. After that though Piper couldn't concentrate on the scene anymore. She heard Paige panicking voice as she said her to push and she did as she was told. She felt the baby, yes she did and there was a lot of pain. Not just physically but also emotionally because she feared what would happen. Then it was over…

"It's a boy, Piper!" Paige said surprised as she cut the naval cord.

Piper cried and smiled at the same time but mostly cried especially as the Seer was there behind Paige in an instant with two of her minions.

"Give me the baby!" she ordered.

"Never!" Paige looked at the woman defiantly and pulled the baby closer to herself.

The Seer waved and one of the demons stabbed an athame into Paige. In the same moment Phoebe jumped at the other one, but she was thrown to the floor unceremoniously.

Suddenly a strange glow filled the room and for a moment everybody froze, excluding Paige, who collapsed on the bed bleeding heavily. But the Seer came to the senses quickly and grabbed the crying infant.

Piper knew that magic was back, she felt it. She raised her hands and blew up one of the demons. She didn't dare to target the Seer, though and the bitch using this disappeared.

When the demons realized that their leader vanished and that the Charmed Ones had they powers again they also shimmered out without hesitation.

"Leo! Leo!" Piper shouted between heavy sobs and the familiar blue lights appeared immediately.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Leo orbed into the Manor immediately as he felt that magic was back. He tried to get there every second as the last thing he felt from Piper was pain.

The sight that welcomed him was worse than anything he ever imagined. Piper was sitting in the bed crying and mumbling incoherently. The bed was soaked in blood: some of it must have come from Piper and some from Paige whose limp body was spread out next to Piper, an athame standing out from her back. Phoebe was just standing there looking from Paige to Piper and then to the floor where Leo spotted another unmoving figure.

He rushed to the bed.

"Are you okay, Piper?" he asked worriedly while he was already pulling out the knife that injured his sister-in-law.

"She took my baby…" Piper said quietly, almost like she were in a trans and then repeated that same sentence over and over again. "She took him… she took my baby…"

Fear gripped Leo's heart as he heard this. There were clear signs that Piper gave birth to a baby… but there was no newborn in the room.

He had to concentrate back on healing though. The golden glow appeared and Paige opened her eyes. Her first words were frantic…

"The baby…!" and she looked around frightened.

Phoebe meanwhile dropped to the knees next to Cole and was also crying heavily.

"Leo!" she cried when she saw that the whitelighter was ready with Paige. "I think he isn't breathing…" the end of the sentence was hardly audible.

"I'm coming!" and he was already at the ex-demon's side, who was lying face down in a large pool of blood and really wasn't breathing anymore. However, when Leo checked he could find a very faint pulse. He stretched out his hands above the fatal wound and it slowly disappeared.

Cole gasped for air, then coughed and turned around.

"What happened?" he asked confused looking from one member of the family to the other.

Only the Piper's choking sobs answered.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

They decided to go after the kidnappers immediately. Piper of course couldn't go – however she wanted to – as she was still weak and was not herself. So Leo went and orbed Victor to the Manor to care for his daughter until they came back and hopefully brought back his grandson.

If Cole was right – and he probably was – the Seer could go only to one place. There was a Great Temple in the Underworld where all the earnest rituals were performed. From her words they were sure that the Seer wanted the powers of the baby. To gain them she needed to perform a complex ritual which required a lot of power.

They orbed and shimmered into the Underworld to just outside the Temple. They hid in a dark alley and Cole told them to wait there and he disappeared. Leo trusted the ex-demon but it was still hard to wait patiently when his son was in danger. His son! It was almost unbelievable – they thought that they would have girl, she even had a name already: Melinda. Piper saw her in the future after all!

But he didn't have much time to think about this as Cole was already back. He had cloaks with him and gave one everyone.

"We have to wear these inside" he explained.

"Where did you get them?" Paige asked but Cole only frowned. Leo could imagine it: he probably killed four demons to get them.

They quickly put them on.

"They haven't started yet. It will obviously be a great stir. Everybody is here who counts in the Underworld."

"Nice" Phoebe commented dryly.

"We have to be quick. When they bring in the baby, we attack. Try to grab the baby and run. Whoever gets him don't hesitate and don't wait for the others. Just run because you can't orb from the Temple we have to come back to the street. Understand?"

Leo has already realized that in situations like this Cole talked like a soldier. After they spend quite much time together he learned that in a way he was one. So it was easy to let him navigate them in battle.

They all nodded, pulled their hoods into their faces and went into the Temple. In there was quite a crowd but they managed to force their way to the first raw.

Leo's heart wrenched when he glimpsed the altar made of black stone that stood in the middle. That was the place where they wanted to kill his son… He won't let that happen though. He would rather die than let it happen!

He looked at his companions and saw that every one of them was tensed and ready for action.

Suddenly there was a sound of a gong and everybody stilled. Tension was almost tangible in the huge room. In the left corner a secret door opened and the Seer walked in. She had a small bundle in her arms. The baby was covered in a black blanket and was making no sound. Two demons walked in behind their mistress and closed the door. The black woman put down the baby on the dark altar and stepped forward.

"Now!" Cole whispered and already moved.

He shot out an energy-ball and the Seer who collapsed and then a second and the third at her bodyguards. Leo concentrated only on his son. He heard shouting and screaming but he run to the altar and picked up the small form. The infant was sleeping peacefully despite the cacophony that ruled the Temple. He was probably under the effect of some charm. Leo clutched the small body and did as Cole told him. He tried to run out as soon as possible.

"Out of here!" he shouted at Paige and Phoebe who were fighting in cooperation.

He didn't have the time to check if they were following him as he was almost hit by a fire-ball and had to dodge it.

"Idiots!" it was the Seer's voice. "Don't hurt the boy! I need him alive!"

Somebody pulled him up. It was Cole.

"Let's get out of here!" the ex-demon shouted and pushed him in the general direction of the gate. "Phoebe! This way!"

Meanwhile he shot out energy-balls in every possible direction and waited until the two girls started to run as well.

They were almost at the door when Phoebe staggered as something hit her on the back. Leo could see blood there. They hid behind one of the huge columns. Phoebe was pale as ashes and would have fallen if Cole hadn't supported her.

Most of the demons were running out the gates. They didn't want to fight and die for the Seer. They only came to watch the attraction. The Seer had however a good army and about twenty bodyguards were in the Temple and coming nearer to their hiding place from every direction.

"Take them!" Cole said turning to Leo. "I'll try to hold them up for a while!"

"No…" Phoebe protested weakly.

"It will be okay. As soon as you're out I'll vanish myself" he spattered and touched to woman's face gently for a second. "Go!"

Leo nodded, gave the baby over to Paige and practically lifted up Phoebe. And then they ran.

He heard the angry shouting and the sizzling sounds, felt the electricity in the air but didn't look back. They were through the gate without any more harm, ran some more and he orbed in mid-step. He felt that Paige followed him immediately.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"We shouldn't have left him there!" Phoebe told about for the tenth time. She was pacing back and forth in the living-room. Anger, worry and something akin to desperation on her face.

"He can take care of himself! Calm down!" Paige answered also for the tenth time, but with much less confidence now.

Almost two hours went by and there was no sign of Cole. Leo had to admit that he was also worried. There were definitely too many bodyguards… On the other hand he was floating in happiness: he was sitting next to his beautiful wife who was cradling their even more beautiful son in her arms. Wyatt – when they came back Piper quickly decided on this name and Leo was very happy about it – woke up soon after they settled him down in his mother's arms. Since then Piper didn't let go off him but this was just natural.

"I know that something happened to him!" Phoebe said and Leo could see that she was on the verge on tears.

"I could orb down there and check out what happened" suggested Paige.

"No, I'll go!" Leo intervened.

Piper grabbed his hand but didn't say a word against it. She knew all too well how Phoebe felt at the moment.

Leo didn't wait, he orbed to the same place where they were two hours ago. The small alley was quiet, almost sinister. But this was the Underworld so there was nothing new about it. The area of the Temple was also abandoned, there was sign of the huge crowd that was gathering there only hours ago. The gates were open, and Leo could see that the inside was empty like the street. He slowly walked over there being prepared to orb out if any danger occurred. But there was nobody, no guards, no visitors, no sounds.

He walked in and stopped next to the column they were hiding behind. In the lights of the many torches that illuminated the room he could recognize the sings of the battle: burnt pots on the walls and on the statues, heaps of ash on the ground. And blood, quite a lot of blood. Red blood that indicated that it was human. Or partly human.

What will he tell to Phoebe after this?

There was nothing left to do so he left, and with a sigh he orbed from the street.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

For a few days they still waited for Cole to come back. Maybe he was just injured, they told. Maybe, he just had to hide somewhere for a while, they thought. But he never came back and slowly they had to accept that he was dead.

It was the hardest for Phoebe of course. She lived in quite a denial. Piper or Paige often saw her pacing in the attic, or in the living-room, waiting and praying. Sometimes she disappeared for days and then they found her in the Mausoleum where she had met Cole so many times before.

One month later they held a small ceremony for Cole and things slowly went back to normal.

The Seer wanted to kidnap Wyatt a few more times but they always managed to stop her in time. Every week there was a new attack, a new demon to vanquish and they fell back into this routine. Phoebe buried herself in her job at the Bay Mirror.

Then one day a stranger appeared on their door-step (not literally of course) who claimed that he was a whitelighter from the future. He was quite annoying and neurotic but he saved them from the Titans so they accepted him. The Titans had their use as well, namely they killed the Seer which was something Phoebe really cheered about.

Leo became an Elder and then disappeared for a while, but the girls could find him in the Valhalla and he and Piper were closer than ever before. However he accepted his tasks as an Elder Leo still was at home quite often because he didn't want to see his wife suffer as much as Phoebe did. They also were happy to be parents as Wyatt was a wonderful and magical little boy.

They didn't know that a lot of danger and a lot of surprise awaited them…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

AN2: Sorry if there are too many mistakes but I really wanted to update today and didn't let it betad nor checked it through a second time.