Part Three

Phoebe sat quietly on the sofa, curled up in the corner with a pillow, unable to look at Cole trapped in the cage. In the end, she hadn't had the strength to join the others in the attic. Piper had made her a cup of real tea and had rather reluctantly left her alone with Cole. 'I don't know what to say to him.' She chuckled sadly to herself, 'After all these years, I finally have the chance to talk to him and I don't have a clue what to say.'

Cole had shed his jacket and tie shortly after the others had left but only recently had he rolled up his shirtsleeves while he waited for their return. And in all that time, he had remained standing within the trap while he paced and watched his wife huddled forlornly on the sofa. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth," he sincerely told her.

Phoebe merely nodded. 'Why aren't they back yet? Don't they know this is torture?'

"Do you hate me that much you can't even look at me?"

"I don't hate you, Cole." Her voice cracked. "I never did, not really." She slowly met his gaze, "But you hurt me so badly. I gave you my heart and soul and I was nearly destroyed when it all went to hell."

"I never wanted you to be hurt," he threw his hands up in exasperation. 'What will it take to convince her?'

"But it happened," she shrugged as she hugged the pillow. "We hurt each other. And the more you wanted to make it better, the worse it got. Until there was nothing good left to hold onto."

"I can't believe that," he argued. "We love each other, Phoebe. Aren't you the one who says we can do anything so long as we love each other?"

"I was wrong," she whispered. She set aside the pillow and slowly stood.

He darted forward, heedless of the trap, to help her when she swayed. The electric shock sent him staggering back a few steps.

"I'm okay," she told him as she steadied herself. Slowly approaching him, she confessed, "I was so relieved when it was finally over because neither one of us would be hurt anymore. But then I became so angry with you, with myself, for having let it happen. Things spun out of control, Cole, and all…all I'd ever wanted was to love you."

He raised a hand to her, palm flat to the invisible wall of the trap without touching it.

Phoebe slowly raised her hand to meet his, the barrier sandwiched between their palms.

He managed a smile, "If there's any good that can come from what you saw go wrong, believe it's that I love you."

"I do," she whispered. "And even though I treasure my life with Coop and our girls, I want, I need, you to know that there's a part of my heart that will always belong to you."

He was about to reply when her sisters returned with Leo and a short fellow shabbily dressed in a brown robe. "The wizard, I presume."

The wizard grinned and rubbed his hands together, "We'll need the Grimoire."

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Paige watched with curiosity as the wizard kept checking the Grimoire. "Watch it, pal," she warned when he narrowly missed stepping on her foot.

"You're in my space," he replied unapologetically as he set a ring of lit candles around the Grimoire's stand.

"Come here Paige," Piper requested and indicated that Paige stand next to her. She then glanced at Phoebe who, thankfully, had some color back in her face. "You okay, Pheebs?"

Phoebe hadn't removed her gaze from Cole who had surprisingly volunteered to return to the trap after having retrieved the Grimoire from the Underworld. 'Why is he doing this? Does he really think it will change anything? I'm going back to Coop and my girls as soon as he's free.' It was his eyes glancing towards Piper that made her realize Piper had spoken. "Oh, yeah, Piper, I'm okay."

"Will this work?" Leo asked the wizard.

"It might if you all stop crowding me!"

Piper wished it was over just so she could vanquish the little twerp. Until she realized the twerp was about to become Source. 'I hope Phoebe's up to this because we'll need to move fast in order to trap him.'

"Tell me again what will happen after the transfer," Cole demanded.

The wizard rolled his eyes and parroted his earlier agreement, "I get the Source's powers and you never see me again."

"Just so we're clear," Cole reminded him, "because otherwise you'll wish you had it as easy as the other wizards when they were destroyed."

The wizard turned to Piper with annoyance, "I can't do anything with him stuck in there."

"Fine," Paige muttered, "but you're both history if you try anything." She bent down and removed one of the crystals.

Cole stepped out of the ring and paused by the sisters, lightly brushing his fingertips along Phoebe's pale cheek, before he stood opposite the wizard. The wizard had just cut his arm over the Grimoire so Cole extended his own. He didn't even wince when the wizard sliced it and he watched as their blood dripped onto the ritual's page in the Grimoire.

The wizard began to chant and smoke rose from the Grimoire. Both the wizard and Cole were lifted off the floor and white light shone from their bodies.

Paige grabbed Piper's arm as a spirit form began to split away from Cole's suspended body.

Phoebe whispered a little prayer for Cole as the wizard's chant grew more intense and the spirit was suddenly ripped completely away from Cole and absorbed into the wizard's body.

After another few moments, the bodies of the wizard and Cole settled back on the floor.

The wizard looked down at his arms, patted his chest, and smiled at them with satisfaction, "Excellent, if I do say so myself."

Phoebe stepped away from her sisters towards Cole who seemed slightly dazed, "Are you okay? How do you feel?"

"Free," he smiled gratefully to her before he collapsed at her feet.

"Cole!"

"What happened to him?" Piper questioned the wizard as Phoebe gathered Cole in her arms.

He shrugged with mock innocence, "Did I forget to mention the possible side effects?"

"What side effects?" Paige glared at him.

He shrugged again, "Death?" To Cole, he smiled, "I told you you'd never see me again." He turned around and grabbed the Grimoire, "Now, I've got some revenge to take, so, as a reward for your help, I'll let you live…for now."

"Oh no you don't," Paige uttered before pointing to the crystal trap, "Wizard."

Before he could react, the wizard found himself orbed into the center of the crystal ring.

"Did I forget to mention possible side effects?" she smirked as she quickly set in place the last crystal.

Piper hurried to Paige's side and called to Phoebe, "Now."

All three witches chanted together, "Prudence, Patricia, Penelope, Melinda, Astrid, Helena, Laura, and Grace. Halliwell witches stand strong beside us, vanquish this evil from time and space."

Phoebe hunched over Cole while her sisters huddled together and all three repeated the spell as wind blew throughout the room and the wizard began to catch fire.

In the middle of their third repeat, the wizard exploded with a shockwave that shook the penthouse.

"Hurry, Leo," Phoebe requested, "you have to heal Cole!" But when Leo hesitated, she yelled, "He's an innocent! You know that."

"It's not that, Phoebe," he sadly shook his head, "it's just that…" He turned to Piper who was already approaching her sister. "He's gone, Phoebe. There's nothing I can do for him."

"No," Phoebe uttered in a hushed tone as she hugged Cole tighter to her. "He's not gone. Piper, he's not gone. He can't be gone, not after I finally did what I was meant to do."

Piper tried to pry her sister free from Cole's body, "It'll be okay, sweetie, I promise. Let's take you home now."

"No!" Phoebe refused to budge, "He's not dead."

"You were right, Phoebe," Paige conceded. "In the end, Cole did the right thing. He loved you and he did the right thing. But sometimes it's not enough. Some things are just meant to be."

'My love will keep him alive.' Phoebe's head snapped up, "The Wasteland!"

Paige and Piper exchanged confused looks. "Leo?"

"She might mean the demonic wasteland," he shrugged. "It's where demonic powers go after a demon's vanquished. But, Phoebe, Cole died an innocent, his soul wouldn't go there."

"It might," she considered, "if he still had a century of evil to atone for. Paige, light those candles again." Then, mumbling to herself she tried to recall the spell for finding a lost love. "Whither my love…whither my love…dammit! I can't go blank now."

Piper brushed back Phoebe's hair and helped her sister settle Cole's body on the floor. "C'mon, Pheebs, calm down. Take a deep breath or you won't do anyone any good. Now, was this a spell you created especially for Cole?"

"No, it was in the Book," Phoebe automatically replied as she kept her eyes on Cole. "Whither my love, wherever you be…through…through…" She began to cry when the rest of the spell wouldn't come to her.

"It's okay, Phoebe," Piper assured her, "Paige will go home and copy the spell from the Book. Just relax and take some deep breaths."

"No, wait!" Phoebe called out just as Paige began to orb. "I remember it now!"

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'I'd forgotten how hard it was to breathe here.' And how desolate it was with the red sky and rocky landscape. Lightning filled the sky and she jumped at the sound of Cole's voice. "Thank God, I was afraid I was wrong."

'Happy to see me?' As much as he'd have liked otherwise, he kept his distance. "Why are you here? You got what you wanted, I'm out of your life and now you're free to be with that cupid."

"I wanted you to be free," she argued. "I didn't want you dead, Cole, I never wanted that. And I certainly didn't want you to end up here in this limbo. That's why I'm here. To tell you that this time I'll work on a spell to get you safely out of here."

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," he suggested. "Didn't you tell me that it all went to hell after I came back? Why would you want to risk that again by freeing me?"

"Because you don't belong here!"

'Maybe I do.' "Maybe it's the only way to keep me from hurting you."

"Cole --"

"No, Phoebe," he interrupted. "You saved me, more than once, and for that I'll always be grateful, but I won't jeopardize your life or what's left of our love. Go home. Live your life and be happy, no regrets."

"I can't, Cole, not if you're stuck here. Let me help you. Please, I need to do this for you."

'She really means it.' He tipped her chin slightly with his fingertips, "On two conditions. And I want the truth, Phoebe. Not the version you think best for me to hear. I need the whole truth no matter how painful." After she nodded, he asked, "You say you love the cupid and your children but did you ever once, even for a single moment, wish it had been different?" 'Wish it had been me?'

She softly jerked her chin away and her voice cracked as she confessed, "Yes." But she quickly had to clarify, "But only for a moment, here or there, when I'd start to think of the 'what ifs'. I've made my life with Coop and I love him. I want to be with him." Her heart nearly broke from the pained expression on his face and she quickly held his hand and pressed it to her heart, "I swear to you, Cole, there was a time I thought you were my true love, that I was meant to grow old with you. I never thought there was anyone else meant for me, for being the father of my children. My world revolved around you and only you."

He nodded and with his free hand traced the contour of her chin, "Two, tell me about your life. From the moment you had originally interrupted the wizard's ritual to the moment you woke up this morning. I want to hear about everything as you lived it."

"You believe me? That I'm from the future?"

"I believe you lived it through a premonition," he carefully replied. "And…I believe you love us both."

The reminder of Coop caused Phoebe to back away, "I don't want to hurt you. There were some things…I don't want to embarrass you or make you regret things you haven't done. And I certainly don't want to add to it by talking more about Coop and my life with him."

"I need to know," he insisted. "If you really want me out of here, I won't be responsible for hurting you. I love you too much to put you through that pain again."

"You won't," she assured him, "because I've changed the past. You're free, Cole, truly free to be yourself."

"Not quite," he reminded her. "I can't afford to make any mistakes because," he lightly pressed his hand to her abdomen, "I'm still a part of your life, Phoebe, and I won't abandon my child, not even if you're in love with the cupid."

'Oh, God, oh, God, it is different now! The Seer never transferred the baby! I'm, oh, God, I'm still pregnant!'

'Dammit, I shouldn't have reminded her.' "Phoebe, are you okay? Talk to me, babe…"

Still stunned, it was several moments before Phoebe slowly met his gaze and mutely nodded her agreement.

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"You're in no position to make demands," Paige exclaimed, "when you've only been out of the Wasteland for three days!"

"Give it up, Paige," he rolled his eyes as he stood in the center of the attic, "I'm no longer the Source, I've still got powers, I'm still employed, and I'm still a part of your sister's life."

"Not once the divorce is final," she reminded him.

"Your sister does know you're having my baby, right?" he drolly questioned Phoebe who remained sitting quietly on the sofa.

"Enough, both of you," Piper intervened after taking one look at Phoebe. "Everyone, out of the attic. Cole, go home. Phoebe will call you when we've decided what to do about the Angel of Destiny's offer. Phoebe, go to your room and lie down. I'll bring you some soup in a little while. And, Paige, turn off the radio, it's giving me a headache. We'll decide what to do about this Agent Jackman later."

"I'll use my connections to dig into his background." Cole caught Piper's skeptical look and assured her, "My legal connections. Meanwhile," he cautioned, "be careful around this guy. He's just itching for a way to trap you and that makes him very dangerous." To Phoebe, he asked, "What time's your doctor's appointment?"

"You don't have to come with me."

"I want to be there."

"I mean that nothing's going to happen," she sighed. 'Can't we have just five minutes without arguing?' "It's just going to be a short preliminary visit."

"I want to be there." 'Stop acting so damned sad about it.' "This is a miracle, Phoebe. Can't you let go of the premonition and enjoy it even for a minute?"

'Don't you think I want to?' She folded her arms across her belly and tried to keep herself from crying. "I've barely accepted the idea that the past decade and a half hasn't actually happened. And even though some of the details are fading, I can't pretend not to be upset that those little girls don't exist. They're still real to me, Cole. I remember the way they moved inside me, the moment they were born, the days they took their first steps, first used their powers. They're still my babies."

'And you still think our baby's evil.' In frustration, he grabbed the Book of Shadows from the stand, half-catching a glimpse of Paige's expressed indignation that he could do it, and he shoved the tome into Phoebe's hands. "You're not evil, Phoebe. The Book knows it, hell, even the Grimoire knew it when it jumped out of your reach. The baby you're carrying is good, an innocent."

'Don't you think I know that?' Phoebe offered the Book back to Piper and then turned away from everyone. No one said anything as she made her way to the door.

"Phoebe, wait," Paige called out, "you didn't drink your potion."

Cole spun to Piper for explanation. "Is something wrong with the baby? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It didn't concern you," Paige sniped before catching the look on Phoebe's face. "Sorry," she half-heartedly apologized to him.

Piper shook her head as Phoebe wearily returned and accepted the glass. "Grams and I did a little brainstorming to see if we could counteract whatever the Seer may have done in making sure Phoebe got pregnant. You're right that the baby is innocent but the baby's also powerful and it might help Phoebe with --"

"Thank you," was all he said as he watched Phoebe drink the contents of the glass. He managed to restrain himself from smiling when she grimaced from its evidently lousy taste.

Just as he began to shimmer, Phoebe blurted out, "It's at three and the doctor always runs late."

Cole remained in the room and waited for her to continue. But when she didn't, he nodded and started to shimmer.

"All it means is that you're the father of this baby and have a right to be involved in his life," she warned. "It doesn't have anything to do with us."

'That's what you think.' He smiled at her, "I'll see you at three."

Piper hugged her younger sister as soon as Cole left them alone. "It'll be okay, Pheebs. We're here for you."

"I miss Coop," Phoebe sniffled, "I miss my girls."

Piper glanced at Paige who shrugged sadly in return, "I don't know if that'll come true, sweetie. All I can say is that Grams always believed everything happens for a reason. But you will get through this, I promise you that."

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