The first thing Piper became aware of was that her right knee was wet. Next she noticed a throbbing pain in both wrists, and finally an unpleasant stiffness in her arms and shoulders. Slowly she opened her eyes and peered into the gloom, trying to make sense of her surroundings. She had no idea where she was, but she definitely wasn't in the Manor any more that much was certain. She was a little dizzy, and when she fully opened her eyes a rush of nausea suddenly hit her. Quickly she squeezed her eyes shut and took several deep breaths, fighting to get her stomach under control. She had no idea what was wrong with her. It must have been something she'd eaten, or maybe she'd come down with the stomach flu. At first she couldn't understand why her self-healing powers weren't kicking in, and then she realised. The destruction of the shield must have started to affect the baby's powers too.

She waited until the nausea subsided to manageable proportions, and then cautiously she opened her eyes and looked around her. She wished that night vision was one of her powers, sure would come in handy right now. All she could see were ominous shapes looming in the darkness, but she had no way of telling what they were. Trying not to panic, she concentrated hard; she had to figure out what had happened, how she had ended up here, wherever here was. She could remember the battle at the Manor, and chasing the Warlocks in to the Kitchen, and then nothing. She must have blacked out that was the only explanation.

Definitely the stomach flu she decided, struggling to fight off another wave of nausea. She hadn't known she was sick because of her healing powers, but they'd obviously fizzled out during the fight and that's when it had hit her. She'd pushed herself too hard trying to prove to everyone that she was indispensable, and now she was paying the price. Instantly she felt a stab of guilt that her reckless behaviour had put her baby at risk.

As her eyes gradually became more accustomed to the dark, Piper realised that she was in a cave of some sort. She could feel the hard ground beneath her knees, and those ominous dark shapes were nothing more sinister than rock formations. Judging by the smell of soil and the dampness in the air she figured she was underground. She was kneeling in a puddle of water, which explained why her right knee was wet. She shivered. It was kinda cold and pretty creepy too. Definitely time to get out of here. Grimacing, she struggled to get to her feet, not exactly easy at eight months pregnant. She tried to move her arms to push herself up off the ground, but found that she couldn't. 'What the?' Piper muttered in disbelief.

Tentatively, almost reluctantly she looked up, and saw to her horror, the reason why she couldn't move her arms. She was chained to the wall. Iron manacles tightly clasped each wrist, which accounted for the pain she'd noticed earlier. The manacles were attached to the wall by a thick chain. She pulled with all her strength, but it was no use, it wouldn't budge. She tried to move her hands. If she could just get a little room maybe she'd have enough power left to blast her way out of here.

She had no idea how long she struggled, but eventually she had to give up. Sobbing with frustration she sank back down on to the floor. All she had to show for her efforts were painful scrapes to her wrists; she was no closer to getting free. The hopelessness of her situation hit her hard. If she couldn't move her hands, then she couldn't use her powers, and if she couldn't use her powers then she couldn't escape, nor could she protect herself. Her self-healing powers were no longer working, which meant that now she could get hurt, and so could the baby. She was in trouble, serious trouble. She did the only thing she could think of, taking a deep breath she yelled as loud as she dared 'Leo!'

Leo shook his head 'that's just it Paige, I didn't find out anything. The Elders aren't sure how Cole's able to touch the Book. They've got their top researchers working on it, but so far they haven't gotten anything concrete.' He sighed heavily. 'I mean for all we know he could be walking us straight in to a trap.'

Paige looked at him closely 'what are you saying Leo?'

Leo looked uneasy 'I'm saying that we need to be careful around Cole.'

'And why would that be Leo?' Phoebe asked from the doorway, the indignation clear in her voice.

Leo hesitated unable to meet her eyes.

'Leo, if there's something about Cole that you're not telling me then I need to know right now.' Phoebe struggled to keep her voice even 'Please Leo, no matter how bad it is, you have to tell me.'

Leo shifted his weight uneasily, really not loving this conversation. They'd been here before he and Phoebe, two years ago outside Cole's apartment. After he'd tried to heal Cole. After he'd realised what Cole really was, who Cole really was. It had broken his heart when he'd told Phoebe that the man she loved was the demon that had been trying to kill her. She hadn't wanted to believe him, had refused to accept it, but in the end there had been no denying the terrible truth.

It had come down to a question of trust, and ultimately Phoebe had put her trust in Cole even when she knew who he was and what he'd done. She had pretended to vanquish him, and had even lied to her sisters to protect him. Cole had been a pivotal force in their lives ever since that day, a force of both good and evil and that was the problem, Cole had switched allegiances so many times that it was impossible to tell the truth from the lies.

Leo took a deep breath and released it slowly. 'I don't have anything to tell you because the Elders don't know why Cole can touch the book.' He shook his head sadly 'And that's what bothers me the most.'

'What just because the Elders don't have all the answers?' Phoebe scoffed. 'You of all people should know that doesn't mean anything.'

'Think about it Phoebe, if someone up there had decided to turn Cole good then the Elders would know about it.' Leo insisted. 'You're taking an awful lot on faith here. Don't you think that it's just a little convenient that he happened to show up when he did? This could all be part of his master plan. Did you think about that?'

Phoebe frowned. 'Now you sound like Paige.'

'Hey.' Paige said indignantly 'I am still in the room you know.'

'Yeah well I'm starting to think that maybe Paige has a point' Leo continued as if Paige hadn't spoken. 'Phoebe how much do you really know about Cole? Where he's been, what he's been doing?'

'I know that he saved Paige's life at the park' Phoebe protested. 'And I know that if he hadn't helped us tonight that we might not have made it past all those Demons and Warlocks.'

'Is that enough?' Leo asked simply 'because there's a lot at stake here Phoebe. We're talking about Piper's life, and the life of the baby.'

'Don't you think I know that Leo?' she asked, her voice tight with emotion.

Paige cleared her throat awkwardly 'Look guys I know this is difficult, but we have to decide what to do. Piper's in trouble and she's counting on us to help her.'

Phoebe looked across at Leo 'so I guess I'm in the minority huh. Seems like the two of you have already made up your minds about Cole.'

Leo sighed heavily. 'I don't know Phoebe. I just think that we need to be careful around him that's all. Maybe he is good now, the book sure thinks so, it's just that the elders don't have any explanation for what's happened to him.'

'Look sweetie, are you sure that you're not just seeing things the way you want them to be?' Paige asked gently. 'I mean I think it would be great for you if Cole really was good; it's what you've always wanted. I'm just a little afraid that you're not seeing what's really there.' She shrugged 'I mean we have been here before.'

Phoebe ran a hand through her hair, thinking hard 'How do you know that it's not you being blinded by your distrust of Cole that's making you see things that aren't there?' she asked reasonably. 'I mean so far all he's done is help us.'

Paige frowned. 'But that could all be part of his plan. He tricks us in to trusting him again and then just when you least expect it he betrays us.'

'She's right Phoebe' Leo said firmly. 'The question you have to ask yourself is do you trust Cole?'

Phoebe's anxious eyes met Leo's steady gaze. 'I don't know Leo, I just don't know.' Her heart was pounding and she was shaking uncontrollably. Piper's life could depend upon whether or not she made the right decision now. She couldn't afford to get it wrong, she couldn't lose another sister, she just couldn't.

She had always put her trust in Cole, always believed in his love for her. Even when he'd been possessed by the source, he had been consumed by his love for her. She had vanquished him and it still hadn't been enough. He had come back from the wasteland more powerful than ever, and his obsession with her hadn't wavered. She still loved him, a part of her would always love him, but did she trust him? She looked at Leo helplessly 'How do I make that kind of decision?'

'You have to listen to your heart Phoebe' Leo instructed gently. 'What is it telling you?

'That's just what I want to know Phoebe' Cole interrupted from the doorway. 'What exactly is your heart telling you?'