Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.

The Plans

"You want to resurrect him?" Piper asked in disbelief. "You acted like you hated him not twenty minutes ago."

"Hate is a breath away from love. Cole told me that once."

"Uh-huh. So what makes you think we even have the power to do something like that? God knows we tried with Prue," Piper said, referring to the sister they had lost because of a demonic hit man several years earlier. Spells, potions- they'd tried everything to bring the fallen Charmed One back into their lives. Even now, they had yet to see her in ghostly form, as they often did with their deceased Grams, and occasionally their mother. Piper cleared her head from the sad thoughts. One day the fates would be on her side; she'd be able to see her big sister again; her husband Leo, stolen by Destiny and frozen a few months before, would be returned so that they could grow old together and live happily; demon attacks would lessen; and her two boys would be able to have a more peaceful life than she had led in the last eight years, or at the very least they would stay safe and keep their innocence about the world longer than her son Chris' future self had. She was thinking sad things again, Piper realized. That version of her child had been killed while in the past almost two years ago. But, they'd already changed the circumstances that led to his demise. This time around his life wouldn't take that turn. Wyatt and Chris were both good and healthy now.

"Piper, are you listening to me?" Phoebe asked.

"Sorry, my mind must have drifted."

"I said," Phoebe repeated, the flash of pain on her face visible for a brief moment, "that Prue was already up there when we tried to get her back. So, we couldn't revive her. Cole's just in between life and death, though. I think with the Power of Three it would work."

"I think it's personal gain. We can't do that." It was one of what sometimes seemed like a thousand rules placed on their good witch activities.

"I don't think it falls in that category. The Elders sent Coop to help me find my love. We're just taking it a step further and bringing him to me. They can't get mad at my expanding their own idea," Phoebe explained.

"But they will," Piper claimed.

Phoebe grinned and put an arm around her sister's shoulders, "Since when do you have a problem with making the Elders angry?"

"You're right," Piper smiled back. It was no secret that she and the Elders weren't exactly the best of friends. The friction had started years earlier, after Piper had broken their rules by falling in love with her Whitelighter, a guardian angel assigned to witches. The Elders fought against her by proclaiming she couldn't marry Leo. Since then, there had been constant arguments between the two. Piper smiled sadly, thinking of her husband.

"Piper, you OK?"

"Yeah, just thinking of Leo."

"Oh, Sweetie," Phoebe said comfortingly, "we'll get him back. As soon as we find out what evil we're supposed to face, we'll beat it, and the Angel of Destiny will have no choice but to bring him back."

"Yeah, I know. But, about Cole; I think I have a spell that will let us talk to him, see if he can think of any way for us to bring him back."

"I don't remember seeing a spell like that in the Book," Phoebe observed. "It's one to talk to someone in Limbo? I think I would remember something like that. Do you know who wrote it?"

"Yeah, me," Piper said sheepishly, "I was thinking of talking to him about something."

Phoebe stared at her, "And you were just fussing at me about personal gain? What did you want to see Cole about?"

"Hey, I said it was to talk to him, not bring him back to life. And it would've been for the good of the world, not just my family."

"Explain."

"Well, when we were trying to think of how to vanquish the Triad last week, I thought it would be a good idea to talk to Cole, since he's the one who vanquished them the first time. But, then we thought of another plan, which really I was happy about, because I didn't want to think of what you and Paige would've said when I summoned Cole. I wrote the spell that night, though, just in case the Triad decided to come back to life again. Cole worked with them; he was a powerful demon in the Underworld. I thought he might have information about them that we could use. Stuff he never bothered to tell us when he was alive, since he thought they were dead for good. Of course, I wouldn't have made him give me information; I wouldn't even expect it, only ask. After everything that happened, we've got no right to demand his services. We did that before, and, honestly, I can't remember ever saying thank you."

Phoebe nodded in agreement, "I treated him so horribly."

"We all did. I'm glad the spell will be used to help him, now. And hopefully the Triad won't come back. It's really annoying when demons we vanquish decide they don't like the afterlife and bring themselves back."

"Cole started that."

"No," Piper disagreed. "Remember, a year after we got our powers that ugly demon stole the Book and brought back everything we'd destroyed."

"Oh, yeah. Abraxas wasn't it? But that was him bringing the demons back; they didn't resurrect themselves. It's the same as with the old Source at the end of last year; that demon lady brought him back."

"That's annoying too. But, I guess you're right. Cole and the Triad are the only demons I can think of off the top of my head that brought themselves back."

"And Barbas; he came back a lot."

Piper grimaced. "Don't remind me of him. I hope he really is gone. If he pops up again, I think I'll go crazy. It's so annoying to keep getting rid of him."

"Definitely. So, where is that spell you were talking about?"

"In my room. I guess we're going to help continue the tradition of demons not staying vanquished."

"Why are we continuing that tradition?" Paige asked as she appeared before Piper and Phoebe via the orbing ability that all Whitelighters had.

"Um, well, see Honey, I want to bring Cole back," Phoebe stated, preparing for the ensuing outburst she knew was coming.

"Are you insane? I'm not bringing that demon back! Are you possessed or something? Why would you want to resurrect Cole?"

"Paige, just calm down and listen," Phoebe begged.

"Not unless you're gonna tell me you're joking. Jeez, I come back because Henry's with the sharks again and I wanted to visit with you guys instead of being bored waiting for him to get back. And, you, you ambush me with that. Wonderful greeting."

"I just wanted to be honest. Coop took me to the past earlier to see my old relationships. I found out, by staying at Magic School longer after I said goodbye to Drake last year, that Cole is Piper's old friend from Limbo and that he set Drake up with that sorcerer."

"He's your what?!" Paige rounded on Piper. "A friend? Of all the things to call him, Piper!"

"Phoebe and I have come to the conclusion that it wasn't just Cole who made mistakes in the past. We were responsible, too."

"Coop helped me to see I can't give up on love, no matter how painful it is," Phoebe picked up. "I want Cole back."

"This is ridiculous. Something must be controlling you," Paige insisted.

"It really is me, Paige. I've just stopped running from my feelings for Cole now."

"And what feelings would those be?" Paige asked, though she was sure she didn't want to here the answer. After everything they'd done to get rid of Cole, and now her sisters wanted to bring him back. I should've stayed on my honeymoon.

"I love Cole," Phoebe said. She smiled, "You have no idea how great it feels to say that again."

Paige looked disgusted.

"Don't you want Phoebe to have what you and Henry have? What Leo and I have," Piper asked, laying on the guilt.

Paige shrugged, annoyed. "Why can't she have that with someone other than Cole?" she whined. "I hate the guy." But, looking at Phoebe's face, Paige realized she was fighting a losing battle. She thought of when she first met Phoebe, right after Prue's death. Cole had been with Phoebe then. Paige remembered how, watching them, she'd wished she could someday find a love like the one they shared. Phoebe hadn't looked that happy and in love in any relationship she'd had since Cole, Page realized. Now, Paige had what she'd envied of Phoebe. And she was going to stand in the way of her beloved sister having that again? Paige sighed. She was going to help resurrect the man who had in the past been both the Charmed Ones greatest enemy and their greatest ally. "I'm in,' she said, defeated.

"Oh, thank you, Paige. Thank you so much!" Phoebe hugged her baby sister.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll give him another chance since it'll make you happy, but I don't like it. Aside from all the demonic trouble we had with him before, the guy's just really annoying," she complained.

"Oh, don't I know it," Piper said.

"Guys," Phoebe admonished them.

"Seriously, I'll help, Phoebe. If I stretch my imagination, I guess I can understand how you guys don't think everything was his fault. And, on some level, I agree. But, at the same time, well, let's just say, it'll take some time before I ever trust Cole again."

"I know, Paige."

"So, do you have a spell or something?"

"Piper was about to go get the one she wrote," Phoebe told Paige.

"Piper wrote it?"

"Phoebe, you explain. I'll get the spell," Piper called as she made her way toward her bedroom to retrieve the spell.