A/N: Once again, I want to say thanks to all my reviewers, I can't tell you how much I appreciate them!

Shadow Cat17: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it! Hope you like the next chapter!

Kalyra-Anne: Thank you so much, I'm honored that you like this story so much! Hope you like this next chapter!

PhoebeColefan: Thanks, I try to describe as much as I can without making it boring. I'm glad you're still liking the story.

lizardmomma: Maybe, but despite his intentions, he loves Phoebe. I'm so glad you like it!

Draco's-Loyal-Longing: Glad you liked it!

qtgirl: Yes, I'm trying to write them as though evil is just a natural part of them. Though there will be parts where their evil side will truly come out. But not right now. Glad you liked it!

Cole + Phoebe = Love Forever: I really like your name, and I couldn't agree more. hehe. Anyway, the answer was a duh, but the actual ceremony won't be until next chapter. Glad you liked!

Mama Darkness: Yes, you'll find that they will get married in a Dark Way. It makes sense, plus I really liked that part in the show. Hopefully you'll like this chapter!

BellaCullen666: Lol, I think we all want to marry Cole. Phoebe is so lucky. I'm so honored that you like this story so much! Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint!

Rahl's beloved Queen Kahlan: Tell me about it. If only Cole actually existed. As you'll find out in this chapter, the sisters are closer to finding out about Phoebe and Cole! Maybe even by next chapter they'll find out. Glad you liked it, hope you like this next chapter!

Angelspot: I'm very honored that you were recommended to this story. And I'm so glad you weren't disappointed! Hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint you.

Chapter Nine

"Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" Phoebe announced excitedly. Then, to her surprise, Cole swept her off her feet, as he had done both figuratively and literally before, and began kissing her neck uncontrollably.

"You've just made me the happiest man alive," he murmured as he did so.

"Please, Cole. Could we keep the cliches to a minimum?" she asked as he set her down back in front of the sofa. He took her left hand in his and carefully slid the massive engagement ring on her ring finger and they both took a minute to take in both its beauty and its significance.

Phoebe couldn't help but notice just how right it felt wearing it. It was almost as if she had waited her entire life for this moment, and now that she had both the ring and Cole, she didn't want to let either go. Reluctantly, she tore her gaze away from her hand and back up to Cole.

He was still glowing, but now he had his business face on. He moved sat down on the sofa and took out a small notepad from his the inside pocket of his jacket as well as a pen. Phoebe sat beside him, her arm and head resting on his own and she looked up at him in adoration.

"What are you doing, baby?" she asked.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want to stay engaged for very long. I want to call you my wife, and I want the rest of the Underworld to acknowledge us as a single, ruling power. We can't do that if we're engaged," Cole explained as he wrote down some illegible words on the notepad.

"What exactly are you planning?" Phoebe wondered, trying to decipher what Cole had written.

Cole stopped writing and looked over at her, looking as though he wasn't sure how she would take what he was about to tell her.

Phoebe waited for him to answer, and he opened his mouth to begin a second later. "Well, when demons and other evil beings get married, they have it done by a dark priest in a dark ceremony."

Phoebe frowned in confusion. "Is that like a traditional ceremony, only done in the Underworld?"

Cole laughed, and Phoebe got the impression that he was laughing at her naivety. "I guess. In fact, the only differences between a dark ceremony and the traditional is that a the dark ceremony needs to be performed at night in a cemetery by a dark priest. And I'd need to drink some of your blood."

Cole looked like he had been expecting her to cringe or insist that they go about it the traditional way. But Phoebe just took in what Cole had told her and began thinking it over.

She wasn't sure how long she was silent, but judging from Cole's hopeful expression, she imagined that it had been a couple of minutes or so. Finally she said, in what she hoped to be an indifferent tone, "That's okay with me."

Cole beamed. "Excellent. Getting married in a dark ceremony is really the only way we can be accepted as leaders of the Underworld. I may not be able to keep the Source's powers which, by default, would mean that you would be in danger and then we would be right back where we started. And not only that, but it's what I was raised around. And I want to share that with you."

Phoebe touched his cheek. "I understand. I want to get to know this side of you much better."

Cole touched the hand touching his cheek and held it tightly in his firm grip. "That means so much to me, Phoebe."

Then they began to plan the ceremony. Both were in agreement on one thing, though. It would be the darkest, most powerful wedding both good or evil would ever know.

As Paige sat in her pathetically small cubicle at South Bay Social Services, she felt her mind drifting back to the events of the last couple of days. Just a few days ago, being at work was the highlight of her day, and if she fought with a couple of abusive parents in order to protect an innocent child, then that would be like the icing on the cake.

Prue and Piper had changed all that. They had given her a family again, as well as something to live for.

Though, she wouldn't have called her old life dull and without purpose. And it wasn't like she hated her job. She loved it because she loved helping people. And she had plenty of friends who she liked to hang out with and party all night with. But, until she met her sisters and discovered her destiny as a Charmed One, she hadn't realized how mundane she'd felt beforehand.

Now, while being a social worker came with its own rewards, both officially and unofficially, she found that it didn't fill her with such importance as being a witch did. Even though she hated the circumstances, she loved being a witch, and fighting demons with her older half-sisters made her feel complete somehow.

If Paige was granted one wish, it would be to have been able to meet her other sister Phoebe. It was obvious that she had been quite important to Prue and Paige because Prue was on some sort of demon-killing vendetta, and Paige could sometimes hear Piper crying at night over her.

Yeah, sometimes Paige felt like she was nothing more than Phoebe's replacement. Sometimes that was how Prue and Piper treated her. And she knew it was true; they implied it all the time, it seemed like.

She didn't mind it because she knew that if Phoebe hadn't disappeared, they never would've sought her out. Well, they probably wouldn't have even known she existed. Their mother never told them that she'd given birth to Paige.

"Matthews. You still here?" her boss, Bob Cowan was waving a large file in front of her face.

Paige snapped out of her reverie and looked up at her boss, who was staring at her with a mixture of concern and impatience.

"Sorry, Mr. Cowan," she said, offering no apology for him finding her daydreaming.

Mr. Cowan rolled his eyes then dropped the file on her already piled up desk. "I need you to get familiar with this case. There's a placement hearing tomorrow at two. Can I trust you to be there?" he asked.

Paige nodded earnestly. "Yes, sir."

Mr. Cowan gave her one final look before walking away toward his office.

Paige then turned her attention on the file Mr. Cowan had left her and opened it. She had barely even glanced at the first page when the phone rang.

Sighing impatiently, she picked it up. "Paige Matthews, Social Services," she said automatically, barely paying attention to the caller. She began skimming the file when a familiar voice entered her ear.

"Paige, it's Piper. We need you at home."

Paige's face fell. "Again? I've already left work early twice this week," she complained, turning her full attention on Piper.

"I know, and I'm sorry about that, but we've got big problems. Source problems," she continued, lowering her voice. Paige got the impression that her older sister was afraid that some nosy person was eavesdropping at work. Paige knew this wasn't true since she had no secretary or assistant. Besides them, everyone else was too busy with their own phone calls to care about hers.

Paige groaned. "Great. Why can't dead demons stay dead?"

"Well, that's why we need your help. We need to vanquish him again and find a way to make it stick," Piper said.

Paige didn't say anything, knowing that Piper was right. Her Charmed duties must come first, even at the expense of her job.

"Okay, I'll be there soon," she said then hung up without saying goodbye. She stood up and grabbed her cotton jacket from the back of her office chair, then gave it a second thought and took Mr. Cowan's file, deciding that she could at least appear like she was trying to keep her job.

She popped into her boss's office and told him that something came up and that she had to leave. Of course he wasn't happy about it, but he didn't bother trying to make her stay since he knew it would be useless.

Paige left the social services building and walked the short distance to her green Volkswagen Bug. She placed the file and her purse on the passenger seat and started her car. Then she left the parking lot and drove the now familiar route to the manor.

When she got home, it was apparent that Prue and Piper knew something that she didn't. Each wore an expression that could only be described as grave, and when Paige walked in, it seemed that they only got graver.

"What's with the cheerful atmosphere, girl?" Paige asked sarcastically.

"Leo found out some more about the Source," Prue said, and that was all it took for Paige to drop the sarcasm.

"What did he find out?" Paige asked, worry filling her being despite not knowing what the news was.

"He's Up There, trying to find out more, but what we do know is that The Source is planning on getting married," Prue continued, and Paige suddenly understood why they looked so disturbed.

"Wait a minute. Didn't Leo say that the Source was Cole?" she asked.

Piper nodded. "That's what the Elders think, and it would make sense."

"And wasn't he Phoebe's boyfriend before she disappeared?" Paige continued, a bad feeling sinking deeply into her gut.

"Yes. She went down in the Underworld in an effort to protect us," Prue said. "Which is why this whole thing doesn't make any sense. I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I didn't like Cole and I didn't trust him. But I know that Cole loved Phoebe. He tried to be good for her. The fact that the Underworld is talking about the Source getting married doesn't make any sense because Phoebe is dead."

Suddenly a horrifying thought occurred to Paige. She glanced at her sisters to see if they were thinking the same thing. Prue and Piper stared at her in confusion.

"What?" Piper demanded.

"Well, I was just thinking. What if Phoebe didn't die like we thought?" Paige asked.

Prue winced and Piper looked at her feet. It was obvious that it was still a sore subject, but Paige continued anyway.

"No, think about it. If Phoebe was the love of Cole's life, then why is he so eager to get married? And in such a hurry? What if Phoebe's 'death' was just a way to get to the old Source and kill him so that Cole could become the next Source?" she asked, her words coming out faster and faster as she voiced her thoughts.

"It's possible, but highly unlikely. For one thing, Phoebe would never let us believe she was dead if she wasn't. And for another thing, she would never let Cole become the Source. She would never forgive him and she'd never tolerate it," Piper told her.

Prue nodded in agreement, but Paige sighed. "Not necessarily. Maybe Cole vanquishing the Source in order to become the Source was the only way to survive. Maybe it was the only way they could think of to get out of the Underworld," she said.

This time Prue shook her head. "Paige, if that were true, then why hasn't she come up yet? She'd never let us believe she was dead just to stay in the Underworld. She wouldn't do that to us."

"Unless being in the Underworld all this time has somehow corrupted her. Or maybe Cole is holding her hostage and forcing a marriage on her so that she can't come back up!" Paige exclaimed impatiently, not understanding why Prue and Piper weren't seeing eye to eye with her on this. After all, Phoebe was their younger full sister. Why wouldn't they do everything in their power to save her if they had the chance?

Piper seemed to be considering this, but quickly shook her head. "No, I don't think so. I might not have agreed with Cole's motives, but I know that he loved her. He would never do anything like that."

"He wouldn't, but maybe the Source would. It might be his way of breaking the Charmed Ones up for good so that he can't ever be vanquished by us," Prue argued, and Paige was glad that she was getting through to at least one of her sisters.

"But we've been reconstituted! Marrying Phoebe would do no good," Piper replied, looking angrier and angrier with every word.

"But Piper, think about it. It makes sense," Prue began, but Piper cut her off. 

"No! I will not think about it! Phoebe is dead, okay? She's gone. And making all this speculation, thinking so little of her is doing a disservice to her memory! Why can't you just let her lie in peace? I think she deserves at least that much, Prue, even if you don't!" Piper exclaimed, then stormed up the stairs.

Paige stared at the stairway with guilt. She was about to go upstairs and apologize to Piper for throwing her arguments in her face, but Prue lay a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"No. She needs to be alone right now and think it through," she said and led her younger sister into the living room.

"So, do you agree with Piper?" Paige asked after a while, not wanting to upset another sister.

Prue sighed then met Paige's self-conscious expression. Then she gave her a small half-smile. "I think Piper has a point, but I don't believe that Cole would move on that quickly either. Something is going on, and until Leo returns with more information, I think we should wait."

Paige nodded, seeing the logic in Prue's reasoning, then raised her head and asked cautiously, not quite sure how Prue would react, "So you think Phoebe is still alive?"

"I don't really know what to believe. But I do think you have a point. My instincts have never let me down yet," she explained, and Paige had to admit that she felt a little better. It was nice to know that she wasn't completely insane with her beliefs.

"So, what happens if we're right and Phoebe is still alive? What happens if she marries the Source? Does she become the second Source or something?" Paige wondered, crossing her legs and relaxing her posture on the sofa.

Prue shrugged, obviously not looking as though she had really thought about it. "I don't know. But whatever it is, it can't be good. And if Phoebe is alive, even though she isn't technically a Charmed One anymore, she's still a powerful witch. Getting her on their side would give the demons a huge advantage."

Then she sighed, looking as though she realized how insensitive she just sounded. "And besides that, she's still our sister, and no matter how wrong or evil her choices have been, we need to protect her."

Paige smiled. Despite the potentially horrible reality that the youngest Halliwell had turned evil, she was honestly looking forward to meeting the sister she hadn't met yet.

"A d-dark wedding? My liege, that's excellent news," Danill stammered as he kneeled in front of Cole and Phoebe in their apartment.

Phoebe was standing beside Cole, her hand in his, showing off her wedding ring. When Danill had seen it, he had paled and instantly dropped to his knees as though the ring were a symbol of the Source's power.

It was obvious that he thought that the marriage of the Source and a former Charmed One yielded ultimate power, and the fact that it made demons cower before her just confirmed to her that she and Cole were on the right track to leading the Underworld.

"Yes, it is. And we need one arranged as quickly as possible. We can't afford to wait for very long. Do you know of a dark priest we can get on short notice?" Cole asked.

Danill nodded and stood up straighter. "I do, sir. I can get him for tonight, if you wish."

Phoebe smiled and Cole said, "Good. For once you're actually proving your worth. Get him to the Crest Hills Cemetery at midnight. There is a mausoleum at the end of it with a small chapel inside. Get him there and I'll take care of the rest."

"Yes, sir." Danill bowed his head once to Cole, then to Phoebe, then shimmered out.

Once she was sure that the demon was gone, Phoebe turned to Cole. "I can't believe that this is actually happening."

"Well, believe it, because in just four hours time, we will be husband and wife," Cole replied smoothly, touching her head with his own.

Phoebe took comfort in this loving gesture, wishing that she could somehow speed up time as she willed it. There had been a time not too long ago when the idea of marriage repulsed her. She'd never fantasized it as a kid, believing that two people could never be truly happy with each other for their whole lives. After all, her mother and father's marriage had failed, as well as her Gram's many marriages. She had come to believe that people weren't meant to be married.

Now though, as she gazed at the man she loved with all her might, and she realized that she was wrong. She and Cole were meant to be together, and she was ready to marry him.

Just looking into Cole's eyes told her that he was ready to marry her as well.

The time seemed to pass by so slowly that Phoebe became convinced that the universe were intentionally trying to make them suffer.

"Cole, can't you do anything about the time? Maybe speed it up a little," she whined from the dining table after a while. She and Cole had just finished dinner, and Cole had made the plates disappear with a wave of his hand once they were done.

"No, I'm afraid I can't. Although I could get that power for you if you like," he offered as a response.

Phoebe lit up at this. "Could you? Ever since my sisters took my powers from me, I've been feeling a little...incomplete somehow."

Cole mulled it over, then nodded. "Yes. I don't see why not. You need some firepower. I'll get you some powers first thing in the morning."

And just like that Phoebe was reminded for about the millionth time that day just how much she loved him.

Once the clock chimed midnight, Cole walked over to where Phoebe was sitting and held out his arm for her to take. She looked up at him and put her hand in his. Her heart was beating madly with anticipation, and it took all her self-control not to shimmer them to the cemetery herself.

"Are you ready?" he asked, his voice low but full of love.

Phoebe nodded. "Let's do this."