A/N: I'd like to thank PhoebeColefan, qtgirl, lizardmomma, Draco's-Loyal-Longing, and thaatgirrl for reviewing. I appreciate them all so much. For those of you who hate the Seer, believe me when I tell you that you aren't alone. But she plays an important role in the beginning of the story. She won't be around for much longer. Hope you like the next chapter. Don't forget to review, and happy reading.

Chapter Five

Piper called for Leo since neither she or Prue had any idea how to get Paige down. Leo usually had to help Phoebe down while she was getting the hang of levitating, but since Paige was half-whitelighter, Piper had the feeling that she would catch on more quickly.

"Guys? Are you going to get me down?" Paige asked, with only a hint of worry. Piper could tell the woman was inwardly freaking out, and she admired her for compartmentalizing it.

"I'm here, just hold onto my arms," Leo said as he orbed in. Piper watched as Paige's face contorted into confusion as Leo hovered up to get her down.

He slowly helped her down, and a few seconds later they were back on the floor. "Whoa...what was that?" Paige asked as she glanced up at the ceiling, as if it might have the answer to her question.

"You just levitated. It was one of Phoebe's powers," Prue explained, drawing their half-sister's attention back to them.

"Was?" Paige quipped.

Piper nodded. "Yeah...if everything went like they were supposed to, then you should have the power of levitation and premonition."

Paige frowned. "Premonition? You mean...I can see the future?" She looked skeptical.

"In theory. When Phoebe got a premonition she was either touching someone or something. It doesn't usually happen on command either, so don't expect to get control of it. But you'll get used to it," Piper answered.

"So if I got Phoebe's powers, then what happened to Phoebe? She's just out there somewhere powerless?" Paige asked.

Prue and Piper looked at each other, and Piper could see that Prue looked as guilty as Piper felt.

"Well...yeah. I guess there's no other way to put it," Prue said.

"So what happens next?" Paige asked, looking from Leo to Prue then Piper.

Good question, Piper thought to herself. Honestly she didn't have a clue. What she wanted was to capture as many demons as possible and get them to confess the whereabouts of Phoebe, but she didn't for two reasons. She didn't want Paige to feel like The Replacement, and it wouldn't do any good.

"We don't know. And since there is nothing more we can do right now, I think you should go to work. If you give us your cell phone and work phone numbers we can call you if anything comes up," Prue answered for her, smiling weakly.

Paige looked like she was about to object, but once she thought about it once more, she gave in and nodded.

"Okay." Paige took out a post-it note and a pen from her purse and wrote down the numbers and handed it to Prue.

"Please call me the minute something happens. I know this is new and it's going to take some getting used to, but I am your sister, so you don't have to hide anything. You can trust me," she explained gently, in that way that Piper remembered their mother having.

Prue nodded. "Of course. The minute something comes up."

Paige hugged both Prue and Piper in turn, then slowly walked out of the attic. Piper didn't ask how she was going to get to work without her car. Leo followed her out without another word, probably to orb her and save her the trouble of walking.

"So do you feel as guilty as I do?" Piper asked once both Paige and Leo were gone. She went to sit down on the white sofa by the window and Prue followed her but didn't sit down.

"Yeah. But more than that, something just doesn't seem right," Prue said with her arms crossed and her face contorted in one of confusion.

Piper could tell she was getting ready to go on a mission.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Doesn't it seem weird to you that Paige got Phoebe's powers so easily? I mean, don't you think if the Charmed Ones were meant to be reconstituted it would take one of us to die?"

"Well, you heard what Grams and Mom said. This was supposed to happen. If we didn't, Phoebe could've died and we would've never seen her again," Piper argued, not really sure what Prue was reading into.

"But what if she already died?" Prue countered, beginning to pace.

"Don't talk like that. If she was dead, we would've found out about it."

"Would we? Phoebe's in the Underworld. Leo can't sense her so I'm sure the Elders can't either. Cole wouldn't come up and tell us. He'd never risk his own life for something like that."

Piper sighed and turned away, refusing to give Prue's argument a second thought.

"I'm serious, Piper. Think about it. How else would Paige be able to get her powers?" Prue demanded, her voice rising steadily.

"Because she was supposed to. I don't know about you, but I like to think that if one of died, the others would be able to sense it. If Phoebe was dead we would know. I know you're scared. So am I. With Paige in the mix, I don't know where we go from here. But we can't sit around here wasting time with pointless 'what-ifs.' Phoebe's not dead until there's a body."

Prue didn't give off any signs that she believed Piper, but she wasn't arguing anymore. Piper continued on.

"And besides. You know the Source would be flaunting it in our faces if he had killed one of the Charmed Ones. And since he isn't, I know for a fact Phoebe is still alive. And if I know her, she isn't one to sit around waiting for disaster to strike."

Prue smiled and sat down beside Piper, putting her arm around her. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just so scared, you know? I'm the big sister, and it's my job to protect you guys. I feel like I failed somehow."

"Hey, you did not fail. Definitely not. You didn't do anything wrong. In fact, if it wasn't for you I don't think we would've even made it this far," Piper said comfortingly, stroking her older sister's hair.

Prue shrugged. "I guess. But that doesn't stop me from worrying. I don't like thinking about my baby sister in Hell."

"I know. And we'll get her back. Just keep focusing on that."

Prue nodded. "We'll get her back. We'll get her back."

"How do we get your powers back? You can't expect to survive without them!" Cole exclaimed, wringing his hands together.

Phoebe scoffed at him. "Thanks for your support, Cole. I'm glad you have so much faith in me!"

Cole sighed exasperatedly. "You know what I mean. There is a reason mortals don't know about magic."

"So I'm a mortal now?" Phoebe said sarcastically.

"Phoebe, that's not what I meant and you know it. What the hell's gotten into you?" he asked, backing away from his girlfriend in irritation.

Phoebe frowned. "I don't know. It's been happening for the last couple of days."

"What?"

"These...feelings. I feel like I'm angry all the time, and most of it is directed at Prue and Piper."

"And you forget to mention it before because..."

Phoebe sighed. "I didn't think it was anything worth worrying about. It's probably because I've been down here fighting for my life while they've been up there, probably living it up now that I'm gone."

Cole frowned and took a couple of steps closer to her. "Is that really what you think?"

Phoebe shrugged. "I don't know what to think. I'm so damn confused right now. But can we talk about this later? Right now we have to find out why my powers are gone."

"Well, it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. Your sisters called for your powers," Cole said, sitting down on a rock.

"What? Why would they do that?" Phoebe asked incredulously.

"My guess would be that they thought it would pull you out of the Underworld, though I don't know why they would. If Leo did what he said he would and warn them of the dangers of bringing you up there..." Cole trailed off.

Phoebe shook her head slowly. "No, they wouldn't have used that spell if they wanted to pull me out. There are about a dozen summoning spells they could've used like the To Call A Lost Witch spell. They wouldn't have taken my powers. They know how vulnerable I'd be down here without them," she explained, even though she knew deep down that if they thought it was for the greater good they would.

Cole seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Are you sure about that? Who else would take your powers like that? Certainly not a demon. Your powers left by a spell, and the only people who use spells are witches. Demons and warlocks kill for powers. Which means that only your sisters would be able to call for your powers like that."

"But why would they..." Phoebe traied off as realization struck.

"They must think you're dead. Either that or they've replaced you somehow," Cole answered for her.

"No. They would know it if I died. But the other explanation doesn't make any sense either. They couldn't replace me. We're the Charmed Ones," Phoebe said, in denial.

"Then why else would they need your powers?"

Phoebe didn't bother to reply since she knew Cole was right. The betrayal hit her hard in the stomach, almost as if she had ran right into a brick wall.

"Why would they replace me?" she asked, the hurt evident in her voice. She looked up at Cole desperately.

"My guess would be to find you sooner. But you can't let it get to you, Phoebe. They wouldn't have taken your powers if they didn't think you could survive down here without them," Cole said soothingly.

Phoebe tried to believe him, but she couldn't let go of the anger she felt at the realization over what they did.

"But they did. And they shouldn't have. They were my powers. Not theirs to do with what they pleased. Who are they to just replace me like that?" she snapped.

Now Cole looked worried. "Uh, Phoebe? Are you okay?"

Phoebe blinked as she realized what she had just said. "Yeah, baby. Sorry. I can't help it."

"Don't worry. It's probably just a side effect of being down here for so long. It's emotionally draining on someone who isn't supposed to be here," Cole replied. He stood up and walked over to Phoebe and embracing her in a comforting hug. "But I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Phoebe. I promise."

Phoebe smiled into his stomach. "I know."

They stayed silent for a couple of minutes, Cole rubbing his hand up and down against Phoebe's back. Phoebe appreciated it. Every time she needed him he always came through for her, regardless of whether his intentions were good or bad. She believed him when he told her that he would protect her. It was the only reason she still felt safe in the Underworld despite being trapped down there with no powers.

"Well, isn't this a touching scene," an unexpected Jamaican-accented voice said sarcastically.

Phoebe and Cole jumped as the Seer came into the cave. Phoebe inwardly groaned.

"Do you need to be here?" she scowled as she reluctantly released her grip from Cole. He did the same thing.

"What have you come to report?" Cole asked, directing the demon's attention to him.

"The Source is closing in. He thinks he knows where you are, and he's preparing to attack."

"What?!" Cole burst out, striding over to the Seer and raised his hand, obviously about to strike her in his anger.

"You didn't let me finish. I said he thinks he knows where you are. I led him away in the other direction, but he won't be fooled for long. Either we put the plan into action now, or he'll catch on and we'll all be dead," the Seer replied, looking from Cole to Phoebe and back again with obvious impatience.

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Phoebe cut in suddenly.

"I beg your pardon?" The Seer asked, not accustomed to being interrupted, and certainly not by a witch.

"How do we know you aren't reporting everything we say back to the Source? How do we know he isn't outside right now listening to this conversation?" Phoebe clarified, deciding that she couldn't stay silent any longer.

The Seer smirked in amusement, and Phoebe regretted not allowing Cole to hit her. "If that were true then you would already be dead."

Phoebe stared at her, trying to decide if she were telling the truth. She looked for all the signs of lying as she had learned in her psychology classes, but the Seer was hard to read. She looked up at Cole for help.

"She's right, Phoebe. The Source isn't known for his patience, and if he knew where we were he would've attacked. She's telling the truth," he explained.

For a minute Phoebe felt relieved although it didn't last very long. "I still don't trust her. Why do we need her? We can do this alone."

"Not if we want the plan to work," Cole snapped.

Fed up with everything, Phoebe crossed her arms and shifted her feet, glaring daggers at Cole. "Okay, then Cole. What exactly is the plan?"

Cole and the Seer exchanged glances. They looked as though they were trying to decide whether or not they should tell her. Phoebe was annoyed. She was sick of being treated like the untrustworthy child.

"Cole, whatever you guys have thought up, it involves me too. If you want this to work, you have to tell me," Phoebe said.

Cole mulled it over, but finally nodded. "Okay. You're right. But you aren't going to like it."

"If it helps get rid of the Source, I'll like it," she retorted, though she was weary anyway.

"We have to make the Source believe we're dead to catch him off guard," Cole explained bluntly. He was looking into Phoebe's eyes as though we were searching for something, but Phoebe had no idea what.

"Why wouldn't I like that?" Phoebe asked. She couldn't see what the big deal was, and if Cole thought she would have a problem with something as trivial as that then he obviously...

Cole cut off her thoughts. "Because in order to make the Source believe we're dead, we also have to make the outside world think we are, too."

Phoebe frowned, looking from Cole to the Seer. When she saw that they were both quite serious, she grew angrier by the second. "Which by default means that my sisters need to believe it too."

"Yes."

"Forget it." Phoebe turned around and walked away from them.

"Phoebe, wait," Cole said desperately, following after her. Phoebe didn't listen to him. "I know that this will be hard, but we have to do it. Otherwise all of this will have been for nothing."

"I can't put them through that! Especially Prue. Even if she doesn't remember it or not, she already experienced the pain of Piper dying. So did I. I can't let them go through that again, it would kill them!" she exclaimed, then said in a lower voice, "It would kill me."

Cole brought her closer to him for a second time. "I know it's going to be hard, but it's only temporary. Just long enough for us to be able to vanquish the Source. After that everything will go back to normal."

"I don't know, Cole. I don't know if I can."

The Seer stepped forward. "Enough of this. It is the only way to defeat the Source. If you can't bring yourself to do what it takes, then you don't have the power to vanquish him anyway. You might as well stab yourself with your sword right now."

Phoebe's face contorted with rage, appalled that this demon thought she could speak to her that way. "Don't you dare talk to me like that! I could say a spell right now and vanquish you!"

The Seer smirked with pride. "You don't have the power."

"I have enough power to make you suffer for eternity," Phoebe said venomously.

Cole cut between them. "I hate to interrupt this little power trip, but we don't have time for it. Phoebe, like it or not, faking our deaths is the only way to catch him off guard. He's going to be cocky, and when he's cocky, his guard his down. We have to do this or else we're going to be stuck down here for a very long time. You don't deserve that."

Phoebe eyed the Seer, not willing to be the first to surrender, but nodded in defeat since she had no choice. She nodded reluctantly.

"Okay. Let's do this."

The Seer nodded, and the fight between them was forgotten. "We have to make this believable."

Cole nodded in understanding. "This might hurt a little."

Phoebe knew instantly what he was going to do. She could see from his eyes that he was going to feel guilty forever, but it needed to be done. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact.

"I'm sorry, Phoebe," Cole said. Then he formed an energy ball in his hands, as low voltage as he could muster, then threw it at his girlfriend, causing her to scream and fall unconscious to the floor.

Once Phoebe was out, Cole turned to the Seer. "Turn me in."