Part Three

Paige leaned back into Henry's embrace as they stood watch over Phoebe. She was still on the floor, cradling Cole's body, and hadn't spoken once in the two hours since Paige had found them and orbed them to the safety of the manor.

"Where'd Piper go?" he quietly asked as he kissed her temple.

"To find some answers," Paige replied. "I don't know what to do, Henry. I have no idea how Cole got here or what happened to Christy and I'm afraid Phoebe's…"

"She's in shock," he told her. "You said she loved him, right?" Paige nodded and he kissed her again, "Then I can only imagine what she's going through if she's lost him again, especially if it happened right in front of her. I love you, Paige, and I don't want that to be me one day."

Paige turned around in his arms and hugged him tightly, "I don't want that to be me either. I love you so much."

"I should've told him…"

Startled, Paige dropped her arms from around her husband and spun back to her sister. "Told him what, Pheebs?"

"Told him I loved him," Phoebe sniffled as she stroked Cole's cold cheek. "But all I did was tell him that he no longer existed. He died thinking I no longer --"

"I'm sure he didn't," Paige quickly interrupted. "He knew how you felt about him. Why do you think he was so desperate to get you back?"

"I don't understand how he came back," Phoebe glanced up at her younger sister. "He said his future-self sent him here, that I was in trouble and needed him."

"Cole saved you?"

Phoebe looked at Cole again and nodded, "Christy sent for reinforcements even while I had her trapped. Cole pushed me out of the way just in time. And then," she tried to pull his stiffening body closer to herself, "he bandaged me up when I was burned in another attack. He even tried to send me away when the demon possessed him."

Paige stiffened in fear as old memories flashed through her mind, "Possessed him?"

The tears fell again as she told Paige, "Only for a minute or so and then it left but it…it took…" She pressed her hand to his chest that bore no mark of the attack, "It took his heart out when it left and it…it crushed it…"

"Oh, Phoebe," Paige held out her arms to Phoebe and was distressed when Phoebe shook her head. So she went to Phoebe's side and knelt next to her sister, "Honey, please, you're in shock, let me take you upstairs so you can rest."

"I can't leave him," Phoebe tearfully insisted, "abandon him like I did before."

"You didn't abandon him," Paige stated. "He hurt you and you tried to make him see that it couldn't work. And maybe you both still loved each other but you couldn't stop him from going insane and you couldn't stop how he died."

But Phoebe only hugged Cole tighter and rocked him to and fro.

Paige glanced back at him for help so Henry volunteered, "Why don't I stay here?" When he saw Phoebe look up at him, he assured, "I'll stay with him. Go on upstairs with Paige."

Paige sighed gratefully and tugged on her sister's shoulders, "C'mon, sweetie, get some rest. Henry won't let anything happen to him."

Phoebe stared from one face to the other before gazing back at Cole's. She bent forward and kissed his forehead before allowing Paige to help her up.

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"Is she sleeping?" Piper whispered when she entered Phoebe's bedroom and found Paige sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Where've you been?" Paige whispered back.

Piper indicated for Paige to follow and she carefully closed the door behind her. "I was trying to find some answers."

Paige also kept her voice low as they stood in the hallway, "You said that three hours ago."

"I needed to know how Cole managed to end up here," Piper said.

"Phoebe said something about his future-self sending him," Paige shrugged, "but we know that's impossible because there's no future-Cole around to go back in time." But she caught Piper's expression and frowned, "What? You know something, don't you."

Piper nodded, "There's something I didn't tell you or Phoebe. Leo wanted me to but I didn't want to reopen any old wounds and I thought it was for the best that you didn't know, especially Phoebe."

Paige steeled herself for Piper's confession, "Know what?"

"The old friend that I said helped me in limbo…"

"Don't tell me…"

"It was Cole," Piper confirmed.

"How is that possible?"

"Does it matter?" Piper countered. "He helped save my life and my marriage. And I thought he helped Phoebe when she seemed to believe in love again. But he's in limbo and that means he's not alive."

It was a lot to absorb but Paige managed to ask, "He has the power to go back in time?"

"I didn't think so."

Paige's eyes suddenly widened in shock, "You didn't try to find him, did you? You didn't try to kill yourself?"

"Of course not," Piper quickly told her, "but I did try calling for him. I must've tried a dozen spells and nothing worked."

Paige glanced at Phoebe's closed door, "So maybe it wasn't a past-self that saved Phoebe tonight."

"It had to be," Piper argued. "I was in limbo with him. He might've been able to influence things a bit but he didn't have the power to escape. And, truth is, I'm not sure he wanted to."

"What do you mean?"

"I think he felt limbo was a safe place for him," Piper considered, and not for the first time, "and that it was easier to watch over Phoebe than it was to risk getting hurt again. Besides, I got the feeling that I wasn't the only soul he'd helped and maybe a part of him was grateful for the opportunity to, I don't know, atone for past sins."

"He still can't let go," Paige worried.

"He won't interfere," Piper assured her, "not directly anyway. He didn't give me any messages for her. He wants her to move on, Paige. He wants her to find love and be happy. He's trying to save her from becoming lost and ending up in limbo too. And I believe him."

"He loves her…"

"Don't you think she still loves him?" Piper countered. "She'll be the first to tell you that he was her longest relationship. Haven't you noticed the way she's brought him up more in conversation?"

"Coincidence."

Piper shook her head, "After all these years she's finally dealing with losing him. She's past all the anger and bitterness."

"She needs to know," Paige insisted. "You have to tell her about him. What she needs is closure. Maybe that's what's been holding her back from finding love. All her other relationships ended with closure except the one with him."

"I agree," Piper nodded, "but I just told you I can't call for him. And he's obviously not watching over her now or he'd sense her pain and confusion."

"So maybe the past was changed if Cole died here instead of in an alternate reality," Paige suggested. "Maybe he's not in limbo but back in the Wasteland."

Piper cautiously opened Phoebe's door and took a peek. Phoebe was still curled up on the bed. "She's the one with experience in the Wasteland but she's hurt and I don't think she's ready for this."

"I healed her burns," Paige told her, "but you're right about her not being up for this. So what do we do now?"

"We'll resort to Plan C and set up that trap in Magic School."

"I meant about Phoebe."

"I guess we try to keep her together long enough to deal with Billie and Christy and hope that Cole can hold his own in the Wasteland until we can deal with him," Piper sighed.

"He escaped the last time on his own," Paige reminded her.

Piper tried to control a shiver, "I just have a bad feeling about this." She heard Phoebe's soft moan and sighed again, "I wish she hadn't sent Coop away because she could use a bit of healing on her heart right now."

"Maybe Michael can help," Paige suggested. "Where's Phoebe's phone? His number's probably on her speed dial."

Piper grabbed Paige's arm to stop her sister from moving away, "Phoebe's not in love with Michael. She only said that so Coop would think he succeeded and would leave her alone."

"I don't understand."

"Coop was falling in love with Phoebe," Piper explained, "and she didn't want him getting hurt."

"Are you sure about that? Cupids are all about love." But even as she spoke, Paige shook her head, "Yeah, I saw it in his eyes. But why would she lie to him. We all know she liked him."

"But like isn't love," Piper pointed out, "and no matter how we feel about it, or try to convince her otherwise, Phoebe just isn't ready to fall in love right now. Coop was relentless, though, and she probably thought it would be less painful for him this way if he thought he'd succeeded in helping her find love."

Paige eyed her suspiciously, "Phoebe tell you all that?"

"No," Piper admitted, "but I know Phoebe and I know I'm right."

"We could call for him," Paige suggested. But Piper shook her head so she sighed, "I'll orb Henry and the boys to your dad's house. It'd be safer for them to be together."

"And I'll work on a new batch of vanquishing potions," Piper agreed as Paige headed for the stairs, "Phoebe was down to two and we don't have enough between us to cover a major attack."

At the top of the stairs, Paige paused, "This's it, isn't it? The big battle the Angel of Destiny warned us about."

Closing Phoebe's door completely, Piper nodded, "And if we fail, I won't have to worry about saving Leo."

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