Chapter 6

The next morning Paige kept quiet as Piper prepared breakfast. Phoebe noticed and chose her words carefully.

"So Paige, did you get a good night's sleep?"

"It was fine," she said. Phoebe knew Paige wasn't telling the truth.

"I was wondering because you look tired."

"I'm fine Phoebe," she said giving Phoebe a weak smile.

"I'm just worried about you Paige," Phoebe replied running her fingers through Paige's hair.

"You have nothing to worry about, at least not for my sake. There's the new Source, we should be focused on that," Paige said. She stood up and Piper walked in hearing the bit about the Source.

"Breakfast is ready," she said.

"We were just talking about a new Source," Phoebe said. She didn't notice Piper look at Paige or that her younger sister looked down at her eggs and toast.

"What about him?" Leo asked joining the sisters.

"I don't know, Paige brought it up," she said. She looked over at Paige who was struggling to find words.

"I have to go," she said getting up. She walked out of the kitchen. Piper mouthed to Leo to go and she and Phoebe got up and followed her.

"Paige, what's wrong?" Phoebe asked putting her hand on her shoulder. She apologized in a whisper and Phoebe asked what she had to be sorry for.

"I know who made me sick," she said.

"Was it the Source? Do you know who he is?" Tears spilled down Paige's cheeks as she nodded.

"Is it someone we know?" she asked, Paige nodded again and opened her mouth.

"The Source, it's- it's Cole," she said. Phoebe pulled her hand off of Paige's shoulder.

"You're wrong," she said.

"No, I'm not. I saw him last night," she said.

"What's your deal with Cole Paige?"

"My deal is that he tried to kill me Phoebe! You want to know the real reason I was up last night? I wasn't cleaning up. Cole flamed in, I told him I knew and he said if I said anything-," but Phoebe had interjected.

"You know what Paige I don't care. I don't care what Cole said because it was all a dream. If you refuse to believe me then well goodbye."

"He said I could say goodbye to any love-," but Paige didn't get to finish and she heard the door slam as Phoebe exited.

"You were wrong Piper, it looks like Phoebe doesn't love me."

"Paige, Phoebe loves you so much, stay here." She exited the Manor.

"Phoebe!" Phoebe turned around to look at a very pissed Piper.

"Piper she's wrong! Cole isn't the Source. How she could ever think he was the Source…"

"Phoebe! Don't you see what you've done?"

"What Piper? What have I done? You can't compare anything I've done to Paige to what she's done to me. She accused my husband of being evil."

"You're too blind to notice that Paige was hoping that you'd at least listen. That your baby sister is falling apart, she doesn't think you love her. After the whole thing with the power broker and her getting sick that was changing. But now," Piper didn't have to finish.

"I'm going back inside, if you'd like to join us you can." Piper didn't look back as she entered the Manor.

"Paige," she called and then let out a gasp as a black arrow break a vase with yellow roses.

"Damn you witch!" she heard a darklighter call.

"Paige!" Piper called out. When she walked into the living room the darklighter vanished. Paige stood up from the other side of the couch.

"Thank God," Piper said and walked over. She pulled Paige into her arms.

"I don't know what happened. One minute the Darklighter is here and I just froze. I don't know why I panicked like that. What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing's wrong with you Missy Paige," Piper said, "Nothing is wrong."

"Phoebe obviously doesn't think that." Piper sat down with her on the couch.

"Phoebe isn't thinking right. She shouldn't have stormed out like that."

"I should have known. It's what Cole said last night. He said that I could say goodbye to any sisterly love Phoebe gives me. I almost told her last night but I couldn't. I had to tell her. I had to try to warn her." She was sobbing and Piper's heart broke. She wrapped her arms around Paige's shaking body.

"I'll get Phoebe to listen. Don't worry," Piper said.

"No! Then she'll hate you too."

"Phoebe doesn't hate you."

"You didn't see the look of disgust on her face Piper when I told her about Cole."

"She's going to come back."

"To what? To fight demons and barley look at me? What if next time when Cole tries to kill me it's too late? Cole was there when the power broker arrived. I met Rowan at Cole's, why would a vampire be working above ground unless it was with another demon? Plus Cole was in my dream the night before I started getting sick. He was here last night. By the time Phoebe realizes the truth, the Charmed Ones will be through and I won't be here to help fight him."

"Paige, don't talk like that," Piper said.

"I can't fight him forever Piper. I will try the best I can though. But Piper I froze up during a Darklighter attack, what if that happens with a different demon? Death isn't as slow with their attacks."

"Stop, Paige! Stop it," she said, "You aren't going to die. We'll ask Leo about you freezing up, okay?"

"Cole, I'm home!" Phoebe said.

"Hey beautiful, why are you so home early?"

"Just some sister stuff," she said.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong honey. How was your evening?"

"Good. I got some problems out of the way."

"Problems?"

"Just someone I had to deal with at work. She's become somewhat of a nuisance."

"Oh, was it your secretary?"

"Yeah," he said, "How was the sister bonding?"

"Good… great. We watched a movie, ate some junk food, girl stuff."

"So why'd you leave early?"

"Because I wanted to see you," Phoebe said.

"You didn't have a fight with your sisters?"

"No, why would you think that?"

"You left early; I thought you wouldn't be home till lunch."

"Everything is fine between us. Paige still feels a bit ill, but once we find the new Source and vanquish him everything will be back to normal."

"So, what do you know about this new Source?"

"Not a lot."

"But you think he's gone after Paige?"

"Possibly, she has this crazy theory about the Source though."

"And what's that?"

"That you're the new Source of All Evil."