A/N: Again, sorry that this chapter is a little shorter than the rest. But I feel it's good, maybe one of my favorite chapters. I'd appreciate input, I always love to hear what you guys think of the story!
Cole + Phoebe = Love Forever: Yay an update! I'm so glad you like it. I think you'll like what happens next.
thaatgirrl: Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it! Hope you like the next chapter.
Kalyra-Anne: Thanks! This chapter jumps right in, and hopefully you'll like what happens next!
Shadow Cat17: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter.
Rocky: Thank you, I'm glad you're liking it. I know you'll like what happens next! (I always consider ideas reviewers give me) *wink*
Angelspot: Thanks, I wasn't sure how the darklighter power would go over. You'll see more of Phoebe's powers in the next chapters. Glad you like it.
kagonekikyo-arrow: Thank you. Hope you like this one!
Draco's-Loyal-Longing: Thank you. I know you'll like this chapter!
BellaCullen666: Yay an update! Hope you like this chapter!
Rahl's beloved Queen Kahlan: Because I'm evil. Lol. But no worries, I always try to update as often as possible. Hopefully you'll like this chapter, it shows the sisters' reactions quite nicely. At least, that was what I was going for.
Chapter Thirteen
Paige whirled around to face the person who had spoken. She didn't have to ask to know who she was. She had the same chestnut colored hair, high cheekbones, and naturally good looks as that of her older sisters. She couldn't be anyone other than Phoebe.
Phoebe stared at each of them in turn and started moving slowly towards them. Paige and her sisters backed away as Phoebe approached them as though they were afraid Phoebe might do something to them if she got too close.
"Why'd you summon me, girls?" Phoebe asked. Her voice was low and dangerous. With those five words, Paige could see that all the speculation they had made about Phoebe had been true. But whether this was truly Phoebe talking or the brainwash was something Paige could not yet decipher.
Prue was the one who spoke up first. "We had to see for ourselves whether you truly were alive. I can see just from looking at you that we were right."
Phoebe's face contorted into one of mock sympathy. "Oh, is the big bad Prue Halliwell suddenly not feeling so big and bad?"
"I think you have her mistaken for someone else," Piper threw back pointedly, and Phoebe turned her attention to her.
"You think you've got this all figured out, do you? You think that just because I'm with Cole now, I'm one hundred percent evil, is that it?"
"Yeah, I think I've figured that out just by looking at you."
Phoebe scoffed in disbelief, and a flicker of fear passed through Paige. She wondered what Phoebe was going to do next.
"You don't know anything about me." Then she turned to Prue and Paige. "None of you do. If you knew what Cole did, what he risked to save your lives, you might be thanking us one day."
Paige finally spoke up, hoping that Phoebe wouldn't turn on her. "Then why don't you tell us. Why don't you fill us in so that we don't have to guess anymore."
Phoebe smirked and took two menacing steps toward her. Paige gulped, keeping her full attention on her third sister, not daring to glance at Prue and Piper.
"So you're the one they replaced me with. Tell me, what was the pitch that they threw to you? 'You have a chance to save the world, to protect the innocent?' Did it give your life meaning?" Phoebe hissed.
Paige blinked and opened her mouth to reply, but Phoebe wasn't finished yet.
"I'll bet you were feeling lost and confused. Right? Like your life wasn't amounting to anything? That's probably why they chose you. You reminded them of me because you were so pathetic. So willing to do just about anything to give your life purpose. Well, I've got news for you. There's only so much you can do before you realize that saving innocents can only bring you so much satisfaction. And by the time you realize that you need more than that, it'll be too late to turn back, and your life will be just empty and meaningless as it was before you became a witch."
Paige gulped and somehow managed to say, "Actually, I wasn't feeling that way at all, and they didn't find me because of any of that. They found me because I'm their sister." She took a deep breath. "Because I'm your sister."
Phoebe hadn't been expecting that. She took a step back, keeping her wide eyes glued to Paige. "What did you just say?"
Paige seemed to gain a little courage by Phoebe's shock. "I'm your sister. Well, half-sister. Our mother had an affair with her whitelighter and then she-"
Phoebe held up a hand to stop her and turned to Prue and Piper. "How long have you known about this?"
"We only found out after you left. Grams and Mom came by and told us so that we could reconstitute the Charmed Ones," Prue replied.
Phoebe raised her eyebrows in dismay. "And you didn't think this was something you should've shared with me?"
Piper looked at her in shock. "When did we ever have the chance to tell you, Phoebe? You've been down there playing Queen of the Damned for so long that you never gave us a chance!"
Phoebe shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Nothing's really changed. I mean, except for the whole being betrayed part."
"Excuse me, being betrayed? If anyone has been betrayed around here, it's us by you! What kind of sister turns her back on her sisters for a guy? An evil, half-demon no less!" Piper exclaimed, and something inside her seemed to snap. "You run down to the Underworld to save this evil half-demon, only to find yourself trapped. Only I don't believe you were really trapped. You had dozens of opportunities to save yourself, to call us or Leo for help, and what do you do? You turn into the Queen of all freakin' Evil!"
Now all three sisters were staring at Piper in surprise. Paige knew Piper had been keeping her emotions bottled up inside her, but she had no idea just how much she was holding in.
Phoebe's tone lightened up, and for a split second Paige could see the sister that Prue and Piper had once known. "If that is really what you think, then you obviously don't know me as well as I thought you did."
"Then give me something to work with. Tell me that I'm wrong, that Cole brainwashed you so that he could become some all-mighty powerful Source. Tell me that you want us to save you," Piper snapped, glaring at her younger sister with as much venom as she could muster.
Phoebe crossed her arms and stared at the floor. "Piper, it's not that simple. Yes, I had about a million chances to come back up, and yes, I married Cole and became Queen of the Underworld. I did all of that with my eyes wide open. I knew the consequences that would come with that. And I guess that in your eyes that makes me evil. But there is so much more to it than that. So much more that you will never understand!"
"Then help us understand, Phoebe!" Prue said, speaking up again. "Explain to us what exactly it is that you're trying to accomplish down there, and we'll leave you alone. Maybe we can even help."
Phoebe shook her head, and Paige could see that evil Phoebe was back. "I don't need your help. The only thing that you can do for me is to stay out of the way. Or else, you're gonna get burned."
And with that, Phoebe was gone with a burst of fire.
Prue watched as her baby sister left them standing alone in the attic, and couldn't help but feel a wave of responsibility for what had just occurred. She went to stand next to Piper and wrap her arm consolingly around her shoulder.
Piper looked as though she were about to cry, and once she felt Prue's comforting arm, she did just that.
"Piper, this isn't your fault. You can't think that," Prue whispered in her ear.
Paige went to stand on Piper's other side, and gave her a hug of her own.
"She's right, Piper. This isn't anyone's fault."
"No," Prue said, correcting Paige. "It is. It's my fault. I was the one who wanted to summon Phoebe here. I was the one who thought that maybe we could save her, and in doing so I just put you guys in even more danger and pain."
No!" Piper exclaimed, rounding on her older sister. "Don't you say that! Don't even think it! We couldn't have known who we would be bringing here by summoning Phoebe! We had no way of knowing that she would become this mega evil bitch who took great pleasure in getting to all of us! If anyone is to blame for this, it's Cole!"
"Cole?" Prue and Paige said in confusion.
Piper nodded impatiently. "Yes, Cole. He's the one who convinced Leo to let Phoebe stay down there in the first place. He's the one who killed the Source and probably forced Phoebe to use her magic for evil in the first place, causing her to become evil. He was probably responsible for everything that Phoebe just said."
"So you do think Phoebe is brainwashed?" Paige wondered, raising one eyebrow.
"I don't know what I think. I don't know if he has her under some kind of mind control or whether Phoebe really has turned against us of her own free will. But I do know that Cole is the one who is to blame for this whole mess. If there is even the slimmest chance of saving Phoebe, we need to get rid of him," Piper explained, her eyes going dark with a vengeance that Prue had never seen in her before.
"But you heard Phoebe. If we go after them, it's gonna cause some problems," Paige pointed out.
"So we cause problems. But I don't believe that Phoebe would actually hurt us. I know her. She doesn't have a mean bone in her body, despite what she may think," Piper said.
Prue stared at her, wanting to see if Piper was serious or not. "And you're willing to bank all of our lives on this theory of yours?"
"I have to, Prue. Otherwise the alternative is losing our sister to the dark side, and I don't think I can handle that," Piper muttered, and went to go look in the Book of Shadows.
"Uh, Piper? We've already checked in the book, and there isn't anything in there that can help."
"No, but there may be something in here to help Phoebe see reason. You know, something to remind her of who she really is," Piper replied, not looking up as she flipped quickly through the pages of the book.
Prue and Paige glanced at each other, each of their worried expressions mirroring the other's. But Prue decided not to let her worries known. She was just glad that Piper was finally deciding to fight back.
"What did you have in mind?" Prue asked, moving to stand beside Piper by the book. Paige soon followed.
"To be honest with you, I'm not really sure. But there has to be something in here to remind Phoebe of her old self and get her to see that she belongs here with us. She was the first one to embrace being a Charmed One, and for her to give it all up so easily...it's not right," Piper said.
"I know, sweetie. And we'll get her back. I promise," Prue said, hugging Piper tightly. But she didn't have the heart to tell her that she didn't quite believe her own statement.
As Phoebe emerged back in the Underworld, Cole looked up, his face livid in outrage. "Where the hell have you been?" he snapped, leaning down so that their faces were just inches from each other's.
"My sisters cast the To Call A Lost Witch spell. I was summoned back to the manor," Phoebe replied gravely, not wanting to talk about what had just happened between her and her sisters.
"You didn't tell them anything, did you?" Cole demanded, not quite ready to let the conversation go.
"Of course not. But you know as well as I that they aren't just going to let it go at that," Phoebe replied, turning away so that there was some space between them.
Cole let her go, but watched her, and Phoebe could see worry cross his features. "Let it go at what? What did you guys talk about?"
Something in Cole's voice made Phoebe stare at him, and she felt this strong urge to defend herself."Nothing, Cole. At least not anything worth talking about."
But Cole didn't look convinced. "So they just brought you back because they missed you?"
Phoebe glared at him, not appreciating the sarcasm. "C'mon, Cole. You know I would never betray you, so why push this?"
"Because I'm worried that they might have gotten to you somehow. Your sisters aren't going to just let you go because you told them to. If anything, it'll just make them push harder. You know that as well as I do," Cole retorted.
Phoebe shook her head helplessly, knowing that if their roles had been reversed she would've been saying the exact same thing to him. "So what do you want me to do, Cole? Prove my loyalty? I meant what I said in my vows to you. We were meant to be together. If that isn't enough then maybe we should..." she trailed off.
"What? Get a divorce? Phoebe, when you married me you walked through a one-way door. I know you love me, and you know that I love you. If we expect to survive then we have to stick together."
"Don't you think I know that? God, Cole. It's not like I let them summon me! And the fact that I'm down here with you after talking to my sisters should tell you something. I'm not ready to let you go." Phoebe stared at him, trying to portray her words through her eyes.
Cole sighed and nodded. "I know. I'm sorry. I guess I'm just worried after the mess with Danill and everything..."
Phoebe nodded. "Well, as long as we stick together we'll be fine. We just have to remember that."
Cole and Phoebe leaned into each other lovingly, and Phoebe silently hoped that he would take them back to the apartment so they could take their minds off everything that had happened since their attempt at a honeymoon.
It was like Cole read her mind, and a second later they were back at the apartment, more specifically the bedroom.
Phoebe smirked when she read Cole's thoughts. And they all involved the bed, dimmed lighting, and romantic music.
He lifted her up and carried her to their kind sized bed. He dropped her gently and crawled on top of her, kissing every place on her body that he could.
"Let me make it up to you," he whispered seductively in her ear.
She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. Phoebe told him with her body language to keep going.
All the time that he was kissing her and groping her body, he kept thinking about kids and starting a family. Her heart started beating rapidly as the thoughts passed from his mind to hers. She could feel how badly he wanted one, particularly a son. It was a feeling shared by both of them, only Phoebe hadn't known how much she wanted one until that particular moment.
"I love you, Phoebe. And I want to show them that we're here to stay," he moaned, trying to get his jeans off without getting up.
Phoebe would've helped him, but the angle in which he was on top of her restricted her movement, and she could only reach his torso.
But it didn't matter because a moment later he succeeded in his task. And Phoebe didn't need a premonition to know what would happen next.