A/N: Just a quick explanation. As you may have guessed from the last chapter, Leo is back to being the Sister's whitelighter. Basically in my world Leo decides, with the blessing of other elders, to demote himself to being a whitelighter so that he could spend more time with his family instead of becoming a vengeful elder like in season 7.
Chapter 2Leo orbed into the attic. He had sensed that the girls were in trouble and was returning to try and help them. The scene that he saw both shocked and chilled by the scene that confronted him. It was plain to see that they were all badly injured. His instincts had him run to Piper. He held his hands over her and concentrated on healing him. As his hands glowed, he felt her getting better.
Piper regained consciousness with a moan. "Mmm. What happened?" She asked slightly confused. And then she remembered. "Oh, my God! Paige! Phoebe!" She said, sitting up frantically.
"Shh. Calm down," Leo said, barely staying calm himself. "You go to Phoebe, I'll heal Paige."
Piper nodded. She ran over to her sister while Leo healed Paige. She saw the wound in Phoebe's back from the glass and the athame sticking out of her neck and began to panic. "Oh my God! Phoebe!" Piper screamed. She put her hand on her and became hysterical when she felt how cold her sister was. "Leo, you have to hurry!" she yelled, as she began to cry.
As she said it, Paige came around. "Ow!" Paige said. She looked over to Piper and became still.
Leo ran over to her and removed the athame from Phoebe's neck, and tried to heal her. But nothing happened.
"Leo, why isn't she getting better?" Piper said through her tears. Paige, who had moved next to her was also in tears.
"Leo?" Paige prompted when he didn't respond.
Leo said nothing, trying harder, desperate not to have to give the news that he felt he already knew. He tried one last time to bring Phoebe back. But still nothing happened.
"I'm sorry, I can't," Leo said dropping his head, exhausted from his effort.
Paige closed her eyes and began to cry harder as Piper looked at him in shock.
"You can't. What do you mean you can't? Do something will you, heal her!" Piper said firmly, as she became more upset, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.
Leo turned around with tears running down his face. He walked over to his wife and put his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes.
"I'm sorry honey. Her injuries are too severe. She was already dead. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't bring her back," Leo said, his heart breaking as he saw the pain in her eyes.
"No!" Piper said in hysterical anger. "This can't be happening again. You have to do something!"
"Piper if there was anything I could do, I would. You know that. But she's gone. I'm so sorry," Leo said, pulling her into his arms.
"No," Piper said, in defeat. She began to cry more as she put her face on Leo's shoulder. He just held her.
Paige who had been silent, just kept looking at her sister through her tears. She knelt down and put hand on Phoebe's hair. She then rolled Phoebe onto her back and put her in her lap. She then just held her and began to sob.
Piper looked over to her and pulled away from Leo. She walked over and knelt down next to Paige and put her arm around her. She also looked down at Phoebe.
Paige looked over to Piper. "She can't be gone, Piper," she said in a small voice, like a lost child. "She can't be dead."
There was nothing that Piper could say. She was slightly calmer though she couldn't stop crying. She knew she had to be strong for her youngest sister. She looked behind her to Leo who was just watching them.
"Leo, will you please check on the boys, and then call Daryl?" she asked.
Leo looked at her. "Are you sure that I should leave you right now?"
"No," she said. "But I need you to make sure that Wyatt and Chris are okay. And we do need to call someone. I can't face that right now."
Leo walked over and kissed the top of Pipers head gently. "Okay," he whispered. He also touched Paige's shoulder and walked out of the attic.
Paige leaned down and put her face on Phoebe's shoulder and sobbed, while Piper rubbed her back and watched helplessly, she too crying.
Cole walked into the dark chamber where Crito and the rest of the underworld waited impatiently. He looked around at the faces, some he knew, some he didn't.
"The power of three, is gone," he said dispassionately.
The demons at the meeting were stunned, and perhaps a little sceptical at Cole's opening statement.
"Are you sure?" a demon from the crowd asked.
"Of course I'm sure," Cole shouted firmly.
"How is that possible?" someone else questioned.
"My former wife is dead. Her sisters will be too if their whitelighter isn't quick enough," he started looking at everyone. He saw a mixture of awe and pleasure on their faces, and a little shock. "And as we all know there are know more long lost sisters to come out of hiding to reconstitute the power of three. Which means the Charmed Ones are extinct."
"You've said that before, Belthazor. How can we be sure that it is real this time?" asked one of the few surviving Brotherhood members.
"Because the last time all three were still alive, now one of them is dead," he replied heartlessly. "Now are we going to keep on questioning and fighting with each other? Or are you ready to unite and become stronger than anyone has foreseen?"
"Under you?" A leader of one of the factions asked.
"Yes under me," Cole replied. "I am the most powerful here, and I have the vision to do it."
"Oh you think you're the most powerful demon do you? You expect us to believe that when we haven't seen any of these so called powers?" the leader pressed.
With just a look from Cole, the faction leader exploded. Everyone looked to where he had been and saw that there was nothing but a black spot. Then they all fell onto their knees in reverence to Cole. This was their way of showing him that he had their backing. He was the knew Source.