A/N: Okay, firstly I want to apologise to anyone who is waiting for the next chap for Life After Death...
See I'm kinda in a funk with that at the moment. Well not a funk, just a slight case of writing malfuction. I know what I want to write and I promise I'll get over it soon.
Anyway, to help myself, I started writing this...let me know what you think...
The Return.
1. Trading Places.
The house was a mess. Glass had been shattered; wood, broken and splintered; walls, demolished and people, scattered, bruised and battered. They did not move and barely managed to get vital oxygen into their systems.
However, they were unaware of their predicament as unconsciousness had placed it's dark and heavy curtain within their mind. Their only hope of survival would be the arrival of another.
Blue and white orbs filtered into the room, materialising into Leo, who observed the scene in utter dismay. This was not meant to happen! They were meant to be safe!
He moved quickly through the debris, ignoring the few tears that ran down his faces.
Time had been reversed to prevent this. Phoebe had agreed to the Source's demands to prevent this.
The whitelighter knelt between his wife and her sister, noticing how their breathing was shallow and their wounds had slowed in the continual out pour of blood. He had very little time to make a difference, to make Phoebe's sacrifice worthy.
Leo placed one shaking hand over each sister, trying to pay no attention to his heart that had rose into his throat. The familiar and settling glow appeared over both woman, however he knew it would take time. They were too close to death for him to breath a sigh of relieve yet.
He noticed how Piper's wounds seemed to heal a lot quicker than Prue's. He concentrated hard, knowing that losing both sister's would destroy his wife, without the need of any physical harm.
An intake of breath could be heard in an otherwise dead house. Colour had returned to Piper's face and her eyes fluttered open, as Leo smiled at her.
"Easy, honey." he smoothed, as he instinctively tried to help her sit up, while keeping one hand over the other Halliwell.
Piper looked disorientated, feeling slightly dizzy and bewildered by the whole thing. The last thing she remembered was…..
Her head darted to the side, seeing her sister laying in a pool of blood and her husband now having placed both hands over the fallen Charmed One.
"Prue." Piper cried out, ignoring the pain of the embedded rubble as she moved to her sister's side.
She looked to her husband, who was concentrating hard. "Leo, is she…."
The second eldest never completed her sentence, unable to form the words. Although it did not matter as he was too focussed on his task.
"Come on, Prue." Piper whispered, noticing how a slight shade of colour had returned to her sister's face. She held her breath, waiting for Prue to take her own.
It was not long when Prue breathed deeply as if trying to make up for the time she couldn't.
Piper pulled Prue close, while Leo leant back with a exhausted smile gracing his features.
"I almost lost you." Piper whispered, not willing to let Prue go.
"We almost lost both of you." Leo smiled to the two, who turned to face him, each with a smile on their face.
Prue's, however, slipped as she remembered the lead up to their fatal blow to the wall. "Where's Dr. Griffiths?" she asked, standing quickly.
Leo and Piper followed her into the other room, where the doctor laid.
"Oh my God." Piper sighed as she moved up next to Prue, who was checking for a pulse. "Leo." she added, looking to her husband.
The whitelighter once again placed his hands where he intended to heal but no light came. He tried again and still the comforting light refused to help.
"No. Come on, Leo." Prue pleaded.
Leo tried once more but nothing happened. He turned to the two and swallowed hard to suppress his dread. "I can't heal the dead."
"No, th...there's gotta be something we can do." Prue replied, wiping the stray tear away. "Where's Phoebe? We can think of something together." she moved out of the room, "Phoebe! Phoebe!"
Leo was hit with realisation as he heard Prue call for her youngest sister. "There's something I need to tell you both."
Piper stopped following her sister and turned to her husband. "Leo?"
"Phoebe!" Prue called again, not paying attention to the two. "Phoebe!"
"Prue, she's not here." Leo announced, this catching the eldest attention.
"What are you talking about? Has Shax taken her?" she questioned.
"No Shax didn't take her…" he answered solemnly.
"Well then where is she?" Piper asked, trying to ignore the look of unease on Leo's face.
Leo glanced away from the two and focused on his hands. "She is in the Underworld….with Cole."
"What?" they both replied. With time being reversed, neither had a recollection of Phoebe's plan to save Cole or of being exposed to the world as witches.
Leo sighed knowing this would behard to explain. "This day has already happened, time has been reversed to save you. In the alternate day, you both went after Shax, while Phoebe went to the Underworld to save Cole…"
"Why would she leave us here with the demon and to save Cole, of all people?" Prue asked.
"The demon was believed to be vanquished. You two agreed to let her but as time was reversed and Phoebe was down there, she was not affected and neither was I." Leo answered.
"Well then we have to get her." Piper replied.
"You can't."
Both sisters turned to face Leo with annoyance on their faces.
"And why not?" Prue asked, folding her arms in front of herself.
"She has made a pact with the Source that she would stay." the whitelighter answered, knowing they would not accept what had happened.
Piper glanced at Leo as if he had lost his mind. "Don't be stupid, Leo. Phoebe wouldn't make a pact with the Source."
"She did, to save you. In the alternate day Piper, you died. Tempus reversed time at the Source's request, at the knowledge that Phoebe would not leave."
"I died.." the second eldest mumbled.
"Tempus? We vanquished Tempus." Prue replied.
Leo sighed having already had this conversation. "No, Tempus was never vanquished just defeated in his plans."
"Well Phoebe's not staying down there." Prue replied.
"Exactly, so Leo can you orb us…" Piper agreed with her sister.
"You guys we have more pressing matters, like the doctor, who just so happens to be dead."
"Phoebe will be too, if we do not get to her Leo…so are you taking us or not?" the eldest Halliwell shot back.
"I want to but I can't. It's too dangerous, Cole will protect Phoebe. We need to have an explanation for the police." Leo replied.
"Leo take us to Phoebe…now." Piper responded, glaring at her husband.
"Cole will protect her." he argued, although not believing what he was telling them.
"The same Cole who happened to kill a witch in our attic not so long ago and has tried on many occasions to kill us all." Prue also glared.
"He loves her." Leo continued to argue.
Piper walked closer to the whitelighter, finding it very hard to not want to blow him up. "Take us to Phoebe….or we will find our own way to her."
Prue moved to the two, standing slightly behind her sister. "Leo, no matter what, we're going."
"What about Shax?" he responded.
"We are going, Leo. One way or another, we are not leaving our little sister with the Source." Piper deflected his question.
Sighing heavily, Leo pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine…but I warned you."
With his final words they disappeared in a flurry of orbs.
----------
"Phoebe, you need to get out of here." Cole was stood with Phoebe wrapped in his arms, wanting to protect her.
"We need to get out of here." she corrected, looking up at his face.
Suddenly the chamber door opened loudly, causing the pair to jump. Four demons marched in, heavily armed.
"Come." one barked to Cole, while two more grabbed hold of Phoebe roughly.
"Hey, let go off her." Cole shouted, as the other two grabbed him, dragging them both out the chamber.
The door slammed shut and sounds of the couple struggling could be heard faintly through to the small room.
----------
Orbs fluttered into the now silent chamber, then formed into Prue, Piper and Leo. All three of them glanced round the room, looking for any sign of Phoebe and Cole.
"Where is she?" Piper questioned, growing frantic.
"Leo?" Prue asked her brother-in-law.
Leo glanced around again. "She was here, so was Cole…unless they got out.."
"…or the Source has them." Piper added, knowing they were all thinking it.
"Leo can you sense her?" Prue asked, worry etching itself inside of her.
The whitelighter closed his eyes and concentrated. "I've got her faintly, quick take my hands." he instructed before disappearing in orbs again.
----------
Phoebe fell to the floor as she was roughly pushed forward. She felt a chill run throughout her body, as if a warning of what was to come. The Charmed One knew where she was just by the atmosphere the room held.
She never wanted to be here. The place held a nightmarish quality, one children cried about and adultsdreaded.
"Belthazar." the voice boomed, although had a silky, black aspect that wrapped around every word. "I thought you would have better taste." the cloaked figure sneered, extending a long blade to lift Phoebe's chin.
Had she not been petrified by the blackness the hood created, Phoebe would have shot back a remark, showing her typical Halliwell wit.
"Let her go, you have me and she's agreed to stay." Cole pleaded, never having the courage to stand up to the Source until now.
"She has…but she is charmed, she is a liability." the Source replied showing his amusement with the rhythm of his voice.
Leo, Piper and Prue appeared in the room but were hiding in a small alcove. However Prue swore, she saw the Source incline his head slightly in their direction.
"She is also of great power." Cole argued.
"..of good, Belthazar. Of good." the Source responded, raising the blade readying to swipe it across the younger Halliwell's throat.
"Nooo." three voices cried, one being Cole's and the others being Piper's and Prue's, the oldest now coming into view.
The Source stopped in his motion and turned to the eldest Halliwell, watching as Piper and Leo now emerged but were tackled to the ground by two guards. Another ran for Prue.
"Stop!" the powerful leader of evil ordered, causing the demon to halt in his tracks.
"Take me." Prue instructed, glancing at Phoebe's tear stained face.
"Prue, no!" Piper shouted, to only be hit by the demon holding her.
Phoebe looked at her sister with begging eyes for her not to continue. "No." she mouthed.
"Take me." the eldest repeated, avoiding looking at Phoebe any longer.
"Prue! Don't!" Piper yelled again. "Prue!"
"Prue, please don't." the youngest continued to beg.
Prue ignored them both. "Take me and let the rest go...Cole included."
"Why would I do that?" the cloaked figure sneered. "Especially as you're all here."
"'Cause without me the Charmed Ones don't exist and you can have the safe knowledge that I will not personally vanquish you for touching my sister." Prue threatened, watching as he drew the blade gently across Phoebe's neck, leaving the smallest of scratches.
"You have quite a spirit.." the Source mocked "..for someone who's walking on the edge of death."
Prue shrugged and thought to herself, Wouldn't have been the first time today. "Let them go and I will stay." she replied.
"Prue." both, Phoebe and Piper pleaded in a mix of sobs and panic. While Leo and Cole watched in shock as she offered herself in all of their places.
The Source moved his head very slightly and suddenly Phoebe was pulled from the floor and pushed towards Piper and Leo, as was Cole. Prue was grabbed by two guards and dragged to the opposite side of the room.
"Prue!" Piper cried watching as her sister was thrown to the floor.
"I accept your trade Charmed One, as having the eldest and most powerful will deter any attempts to safe you." the Source laughed menacingly towards the younger two sisters.
Tears streamed down Phoebe's face, knowing she was responsible. Piper, however, tried to fight against her captive as she met with Prue's eyes. Her sister was trying to tell her to stop but the more Piper saw this, the more she wanted to fight.
"Before anything happens, I want them to leave. You have me, I'm not going anywhere." Prue bargained.
"Prue! Don't you dare!" Piper screamed.
"Prue! No!" Phoebe also yelled, trying hard to keep from falling apart.
"It shall be done." the Source replied.
Prue glanced at her sisters, mouthing "I love you." before they vanished along with both their agonised protests.
A/N: So what ya think? Worth continuing or focus on something else?
Let me know...and again sorry if your waiting for Life After Death.