Chapter 33: Womb Raider – Part 3
San Francisco Police Department
"Please be good and I promise I'll eat a huge tri-tip tonight," Phoebe pleaded with her unborn daughter when she and Buffy entered the station.
Darryl approached them and Phoebe smiled. "Buffy." He nodded at Buffy.
"I'm here mostly for moral support and partly incase Phoebe's baby decides to act up," Buffy said as Darryl nodded.
Darryl nodded as he turned his attention to Phoebe. "You're going to meet with Inspector Miles. He's trained to spot a liar so just answer his questions as honestly as you can, okay?"
Phoebe looked at him afraid and Darryl sent her a reassuring smile before steering her in the Inspectors direction.
Inspector Miles stared at Phoebe for a long time, tapping his pen against his desk loudly before speaking. "Morris tells me that you think your husband might have left town?"
"I don't know what to think," Phoebe corrected him carefully. "Last Wednesday, we had a huge...battle and he just never came back." She explained slowly, internally cringing under Darryl's warning glare.
"Did he leave anything?"
"Nothing," Darryl answered aloud as Phoebe shook her head. "I checked the penthouse myself. Clothing, personal belongings, gone."
"What was the fight about?" Inspector Miles questioned.
"My sisters," Phoebe answered honestly. "I have three sisters, and they didn't approve of me marrying, Cole."
Inspector Miles turned and looked at Buffy. "And you would be one of the sisters?"
"That's right," Buffy said.
"Any reason in particular why you wouldn't approve of him?"
"In the beginning I was supportive of Cole," Buffy answered. "It wasn't till recently that things began to change."
"And why would that be?" he wondered bringing his attention back to Phoebe.
Phoebe shrugged. "They're just different. Oil and water, you know," she smiled. "Fire and ice. Heaven and—"
"Hell." The Inspector finished.
"Bingo." Phoebe nodded tightly.
"So... you'd say your husband has a dark side then?"
"Yes." Phoebe answered regretfully.
"Has he ever hurt you?" the Inspector asked her gently and instantly several books started to fall from the shelf above him fell. Buffy quickly waved her hand and the books slid back into place before they could fall completely off the shelf.
"Willow, please be like your older counterpart and stop that right now," Phoebe hissed towards her stomach then looked back up. "Um...Inspector?" she said. "I, I know it doesn't seem like my husband's a great guy, but I would advise you not to say anything negative about him right now."
"Listen, ma'am, I got to call them as I see them," Inspector Miles replied. "You turn up pregnant and he takes off. Your husband fits the classic profile of a deadbeat dad."
As soon as the words left the Inspectors mouth a fireball appeared in Phoebe's hand thankfully her hand was beneath the edge of the desk where the inspector couldn't see it.
"Buffy," Phoebe whispered. "I can't make it go out. Willow conjured it. She's trying to make me throw it." She grabbed her wrist as her daughter tried to direct the fireball towards the Inspector and she struggled before finally managing to throw it into the trash can.
"Phoebe?" Darryl growled. "I, I mean fire!"
"Move away, move away, move away, move away," Miles ordered as he reached for his in-office fire extinguisher to put out the flames.
"Why are you doing this to me?" Darryl whispered standing next to Phoebe.
"It's not my fault, I'm sorry," Phoebe replied. "It's just Willow…"
"Willow?"
"We'll tell you about that later," Buffy said. "We need to get out of here before something else happens."
Phoebe's face contorted in pain and she hunched forwards groaning.
"What's wrong?" Buffy asked as she wrapped an arm around Phoebe to keep her up.
"My stomach," Phoebe replied with difficulty, "It's like something's tear—tearing," she gasped as another knot of pain twisted in her stomach and she gripped Buffy's arm. "Buffy," she whimpered and Buffy tightened her hold on her.
"Buffy, who's Buffy?" Miles wondered.
"My nickname," Buffy said. "If that's all, Inspector. I think I need to get my sister home. The stress is getting to Phoebe and I know how that can be. I was pregnant myself, almost lost my baby due to a blood pressure condition brought on by stress."
"Of course," he said.
Halliwell Manor
"Yeah, I'm okay," Piper said into the phone as she sat still on the couch in the living room, her face a blank stare. "Yeah, I'm sure. Um...I'll call back later to schedule that appointment. Okay, thanks." She hung up the phone wordlessly, staring into space for several long minutes as salty tears burned in her eyes.
"You are just in time," Paige smiled at Piper when she entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table. "One bottle of Seer-vanquishing potion." Paige presented with a flourish. A frown graced her features at the far-away look in her older sister's eyes, "Piper?" she called softly.
"Yeah?" Piper responded curtly.
"You okay?"
"Yup."
Paige frowned, clearly not believing her but didn't want to push, "Okay then. How'd you get on? Find anything in the book about how to control demon spawn?"
"I thought of, binding her baby's powers but uh...that would leave Phoebe without hers," Piper relayed, fingering the vial in her hands.
"Yeah, well, you might want to keep that option open," Paige commented seriously. "There's something seriously wrong with that baby."
"Don't," Piper said as she turned and glared at her sister. "That baby is part of our family."
"Do you know something I haven't been told?" Paige inquired obviously confused on why Piper was so protective of Phoebe's baby.
Piper decided to deflect the truth about Willow with a little bit of truth about herself instead. She rested her chin in the palm of her hand and sent a watery smile Paige's way. "That was Dr. Harris on the phone. I got the uh...results of my fertility tests."
"And?" Paige encouraged, cursing the sinking feeling in her heart.
"There's some problems." Piper revealed, her gaze shifting between Paige and the wooden table. "Um...he said something about...scarring or scar tissue." She frowned as she tried to recall, not really understanding it herself. "Something about blunt-trauma injury."
"Aw, honey," Paige whispered, reaching forwards to take her hand.
Piper chuckled bitterly. "He asked me if I had suffered any serious blows to the abdomen. He seems to think um...it would be difficult...if not impossible for me to conceive," she concluded closing her eyes at the seemingly final word and sighing as her heart broke a little.
"I'm so sorry," Paige told her sincerely, tears welling in her eyes for her sister's loss.
"This is—it's, it's weird," Piper muttered. "Because when I went to the future, I met that little girl. I saw my little girl."
Paige nodded slowly as Piper's eyes filled with unshed tears and she looked down. "And I saw what she...looked like and what she sounded like," she croaked, her voice breaking from the lump in her throat. "The sound of her laugh. I just..." She shrugged helplessly. "I can't imagine not knowing her."
"You still might," Paige pointed out hopefully.
"I might not," Piper countered, swiping at a fallen tear.
Paige smiled and sniffled. "Hey, if both Buffy and Phoebe can get pregnant, and they've been through the same blunt-trauma as you then..."
"You can't use Buffy as example and you know it," Piper said. "After all Dawn was given to her to be her child by the Powers when they both fell from the tower."
"I know," Paige said as she lifted her shoulders effortlessly. "My point was it will happen for you too."
Piper smiled at her genuinely, grateful for the optimistic hope. With a shaky sigh Piper leaned back in her chair, "I just...I don't know what to tell, Leo. He's so excited about having a baby. You should have seen him—"
"Piper!" Buffy's urgent call severed their emotional conversation and both sisters shook themselves. Piper and Paige raced from the kitchen and found Leo on one side of Phoebe and Buffy on the other. "She's getting worse."
"Can't you do something?" Piper asked her husband.
"As soon as they left the police station Buffy called for me. I tried to heal Phoebe on the way back here. I can't," Leo replied.
"Stand back, stand back!" Phoebe cried suddenly pushing both Buffy and Leo away as her head began to smoke before it caught fire and she fell to her knees.
Piper's eyes widened, "Okay, you stay out of her sight, for your own safety," she instructed, pushing Paige behind her. "Go." And Paige took solace behind a wall close by.
"Ohhh, make it stop! Make it stop!" Phoebe pleaded, pressing down on her stomach in hopes of easing the pain.
"Leo, go get some ice water or something," Piper ordered flailing her arms in the direction of the kitchen behind her.
Buffy and Piper walked to Phoebe who grabbed their hands and yanked them down so Piper and Buffy were squatting behind her with their arms wrapped around Phoebe. "It's okay, it's okay. Just try to breathe through it. Breathe," Piper instructed, trying her best to stay calm.
At that moment the giant demon the Seer sent appeared behind Piper and Buffy.
"Piper! Buffy! Look out!" Paige warned, eyeing the demon. Buffy rose and threw out her arm but nothing happened. Then Piper rose flicking her wrists to no avail.
"Uh-oh," Piper and Buffy said glancing at each other.
"Hey!" Leo yelled and the demon turned in time to have a chair thrown his way but it was absorbed into him.
"Get up. Get up. Come on," Piper ordered.
Buffy yanked Phoebe to her feet in one swift motion, supporting almost all of her weight.
"Whatever you do, don't touch him," Leo ordered sternly.
"You can't run from me," he told Phoebe. "I'll always find you." He extended his hand to Phoebe who stiffened.
Paige came out from behind the wall. "Phoebe, I'll orb you out of here."
Phoebe raised her leg and struck Paige back sending her forwards into the demon.
Buffy and Piper gasped as they watched Paige disappear along with the demon before their eyes, leaving no trace behind.
"It wasn't me," Phoebe told them shakily, leaning heavily against Buffy, "It was Willow."
"Their must be too much tonic in her blood," Buffy said with a sigh.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Phoebe looked up from her place on the, blanket draped over her lower half with the Book of Shadows by her side. Buffy sat next to her, one arm wrapped around her shoulders, Phoebe leaning into her slightly, as she attempted to comfort her.
"Do you sense either of them?" Phoebe asked Leo pleadingly.
"No," Leo replied grimly, "If Paige or Willow are in the underworld, I can't get a read on either of them."
Piper entered the attic in that moment, looking haggard. She glanced between her husband and her sisters. "Anything on that demon?" she directed to her sisters.
"I think so, come look," Phoebe responded and Piper obliged, sitting down on her left side.
"Oral tradition tells of a giant whose body served as a portal to other dimensions," Piper read aloud from the page. "Because he was imprisoned centuries ago nobody knows what this demon's name is or if he even exists." Piper chuckled. "Well, this is not convincing me at all."
"Wait a minute," Buffy said. "Portal to other dimensions…"
"The Key is the oldest of them, but it is not the only one," Leo explained.
"There' no known vanquish for him," Phoebe said bringing their attention back to the demon. "The Source was so threatened, he condemned the giant to spend eternity in a cage."
"The Seer must have set him free to capture you," Buffy said. "She couldn't get to you directly to steal the baby to complete the loop. So, she is using this demon now."
"But he got Paige instead, thanks to me," Phoebe berated, hating herself like never before in that moment.
"No, that had nothing to do with you," Piper disagreed gently.
"In a way it did, Piper," Phoebe said. "If I hadn't drank the Seer's tonics. Willow wouldn't be using her demonic half now."
"Maybe, maybe not," Piper sighed. "We will never know for sure."
"How are you feeling?" Buffy asked, rubbing Phoebe's arm trying to get her sister off the topic of Willow, whether it's the baby or the adult version, for a moment.
"Uh...better." Phoebe frowned. "I think Willow's resting. It's when she's active and using magic that it hurts the most."
Piper reached behind her for the glass she had brought up. "Here, have some ice tea. It will cool you off."
Phoebe took the glass and brought it to her lips only to throw it away a second later, before she could take a sip.
"Oh!" Piper gasped as the glass shattered across the room.
"What the hell? I can't even enjoy some iced tea?" Phoebe snapped and Piper slid from her seat to hide behind her husband's form.
"Don't tell me, binding potion?" Buffy said as she turned to Piper.
Piper sighed and nodded. "Paige suggested it to help control Willow," she explained nervously. "And I couldn't tell you because if I did, Willow would've stopped you—"
"Willow stopped me anyway," Phoebe cut her off, surprisingly calm and not angry at her sister's actions, by now she was only frustrated and angry with herself and her baby. "Willow knows things that I don't know. She's trying to take control of me."
"Leo," Buffy said having a flash of insight. "When we vanquished the first Source. We know that the Source transferred to Cole as a new host. What if…"
"The Source transferred to Willow," Leo said. "It would make sense. He would want a viable host."
"So, the Source is in my baby," Phoebe said. "But wouldn't that mean that the Source is within her older self as well?"
"Yes," Leo answered looking at his sister-in-law.
"Then why did we never see it?" Piper asked.
"I've seen it," Buffy said as they turned and looked at her. "Back when I was in my other body. I've seen Willow's eyes go dark. I always assumed it was dark magic in use. But now I have to wonder…"
"If it was the Source trying to reassert control," Leo finished. "The only way to end this is to close the loop. Once the Seer has the baby and has left for the past, then we can break the Source's hold on Willow and save her."
"Which means the next time that demon comes back," Phoebe said with a sigh. "I have to go with it."
Seer's Chamber, Underworld
Paige frowned as she came too slowly, looking around her and gasping at the sight of the bars. Pushing herself up so she was sitting, Paige met the gaze of the Seer. "So, what, are you into some kind of dominatrix thing now?" she spat. It was then that she saw Tara. "Tara?"
"Yeah," Tara said.
"Where's Willow?" Paige asked looking around the cage.
"Here," said the Seer as she chuckled from outside the cage. Paige turned and saw Willow standing next to the Seer and dressed completely in black. "You are not the sister I expected," the Seer mused slowly. "But you'll do."
"Sorry we can't stick around," Paige quipped, taking Tara's hand, "But you're creeping me out anyway."
"Don't," Tara said pulling her hand from Paige's. Paige turned and looked at her shocked. "We're in a cage magic can't escape. I know because I haven't been able to see Willow's aura while in this cage. All you would do by trying to orb us out is…"
"Hurt us as we bounced off the bars," Paige finished with a sigh.
"You're not going anywhere," the Seer added coolly.
Paige turned to look at the Seer. "So, what was your plan?" she asked observing their prison. "Trap Phoebe in this cage and fatten her up until she gives birth?"
"No, I intend to close the loop while Willow takes her rightful place as the new Source," the Seer answered.
"What?" Paige said clearly confused.
"So, they didn't tell you," the Seer laughed. "Willow is your sister's unborn child."
Paige's eyes went wide in realization. Now she understood why Phoebe and Buffy had been so protective of Phoebe's baby. They knew that Willow was Phoebe's daughter.
"Now it is time for Phoebe to come and complete her portion so I can complete mine," the Seer said as her eyes went white.
"Did you know?" Paige asked looking at Tara.
"Did I know?" Tara said looking at her sister-in-law. "No, I didn't know at first. I didn't begin to put the pieces together till after I found myself down here."
Paige sighed. "I've been so blind. Buffy and Piper knew and didn't tell me."
"They probably didn't want to worry you, Paige," Tara said.
Halliwell Manor
Phoebe sat on the couch waiting when she was hit with a vision.
Tara and Paige were in a cage. The Seer turned to them; arms outstretched. A stream of fire entered the cage and began to burn them. Tara and Paige scream in agony until they explode and there was nothing left.
Phoebe's eyes snapped open when her eyes rolled to the front of her head again and she met Buffy's questioning gaze.
"I saw the Seer," Phoebe told her slowly. "She was killing Tara and Paige," she gasped, hands moving to her face.
Buffy let out a small sigh of relief. At least she knew Tara was still alive.
"How can you get a premonition without touching anything?" Leo asked Phoebe.
"I don't know, maybe the Seer sent it to me?"
"That is not all she sent," Piper exclaimed as the giant demon returned.
"Come with me now or your sister and sister-in-law dies," the demon commanded, holding out his hand.
Phoebe stood up looking at her sisters and brother-in-law. "The loop must be closed, right?"
"We can find another way of closing the loop," Piper said.
"There is no other way," Phoebe sighed. "To save my daughter I have to give her up to the Seer." She walked toward the demon.
"Be careful," Buffy begged.
"Promise," Phoebe agreed as she and the demon disappeared.
Seer's Chamber, Underworld
"Come child," the Seer greeted when the demon brought Phoebe.
"Phoebe, snap out of it." Paige exclaimed as she gripped the bars of her cage tightly. "Please!"
"I'm not under any magic, Paige," Phoebe answered as she looked past the Seer to Willow. "This is the only way to save my daughter. Willow, I love you. I will always love you."
"Let the little children come to me," the Seer uttered as she took Phoebe's hand and led her away. "For the kingdom belongs to such as these." She placed Phoebe inside a circle of candles and petals, with a large stone in the center. "The rose circle represents nature..." the Seer spouted off, "...desire, fertility." She continued scooping up a handful of rose petals and letting them fall onto the stones top. "Kneel." The Seer ordered and Phoebe did so.
"Give me strength and give me might," the Seer began to chant, tilting her back. "To steal a child in still of night. Darkest forces let it be. Here my plea, bring life to me," she concluded and Phoebe's stomach glowed, the glow transferring from her to the Seer. "Willow was never yours, or Cole's," she informed Phoebe calmly. "From the moment of conception, this baby was mine."
"That is where you are wrong," Phoebe answered. "My daughter is ultimately Charmed."
Coronation Chamber, Underworld
"The deadline's past," Dane informed the council as they all waited at the sight of the coronation. "She's not here. The throne belongs to me."
"We can wait one more—"
"Give me the oath! I want my power!" Dane exclaimed loudly, interrupting the Dark Priest.
The Seer and Willow flamed in at that moment and all eyes fell on them.
"You promised to bring the Source's heir," Dane goaded. "Instead you bring us a witch!"
"I am his heir," Willow replied, her eyes turning black and the surrounding demon gasped, bowing their heads. She turned to the Dark Priest who bowed his head in respect then approached her, turning to Dane.
"The council has chosen. The Source's heir will be our new Source."
"No. It's a trick," Dane refused shaking his head.
"The Heir and I have brought the council a gift," the Seer announced turning to the left, the council following with their eyes.
The Seer held out one hand and the cage appeared in the room with Tara, Phoebe and Paige inside.
Dane approached the cage.
"Charmed Ones," Dane announced affronted. "And the so-called heir's wife! How dare you bring them into our sanctuary."
"The witches are locked in a cage from which no magic can escape," the Seer informed him calmly.
"You can't be sure of that!" Dane growled.
Willow tilted her head. "So much negative energy," she observed as a fireball formed in her hand. She threw it at Dane, setting him alight and vanquishing him on the spot.
The Dark Priest approached the cage, "Am I to presume these witches are the human sacrifice required to seal your coronation?" he asked the three sisters eyes widening at that revelation.
"Human sacrifice?" Paige echoed as she glanced at Tara and Phoebe. "I didn't know that was part of the plan, did either of you?"
Phoebe shook her head, turning to Tara who looked severely pale. "It's going to be okay," she whispered to Tara. "This is part of the plan. The Seer had to steal Willow from my womb to close the loop. Once the Seer is gone then we can see about freeing your wife and my daughter from the Source's grasp."
The Seer smiled. "For Willow to be your Source," she began. "To start a new evil order. To kill the Charmed Ones, this was my vision from the beginning. Every council leader here will reap the rewards with—" the Seer stopped abruptly and doubled over in pain.
"What is it?" The Dark Priest questioned coming to her aid.
"Start the ceremony," the Seer ordered, brushing off his concern and pushing him away. "I have to go complete my part in Willow's history."
"Name her and you shall break the spell," came a voice only Phoebe seemed to hear.
"What?" Phoebe said. She looked at Paige and Tara. "Did either of you say anything?"
Tara and Paige shook their heads.
"Heir," the Dark Priest addressed Willow. "Are you prepared to accept the power and position of the Source before all these leaders of the underworld?"
"I am."
"Repeat the oath after me," he said.
As Willow repeated the oath she was suddenly lifted into the air, a bright white light exploding out of every inch as she hovered in the air, arms outstretched.
"Name her and you shall break the spell the Seer placed upon her," the voice said again, and Phoebe was sure she recognized the voice as Cole's.
"Willow Prudence Halliwell," Phoebe said as she smiled at her daughter. "That's right, Willow. I'm your mother."
"So how exactly is that possible?" Tara asked. "We know Willow is your daughter. But how…"
"We thought Tempus was dead," answered Phoebe. "He must not have been, he must still have been alive to take the Seer and Willow into the past. Once they were there something must have happened to the Seer and that's how Willow wound up with the Rosenberg's." She turned her attention back to her daughter and smiled. "Willow, you don't want to do this. You are my daughter; you are Willow Prudence Halliwell."
The glow began to fade and Willow returned to the ground as her hair returned to its normal shade of red and her eyes cleared. Fireballs began to form in her hands as she looked at each of the council members. She began throwing the fireballs vanquishing them one after another in a burst of flame.
Phoebe's foot struck the cage door knocking it to the floor loudly. "You took everyone out, honey." she stated as she looked at her daughter in awe.
"You have to vanquish me," Willow said.
"What?" Tara said shocked.
"I'm sorry, baby," Willow said as she kissed Tara on the forehead. Now that the Seer's spell was broken, she was glad that she could see Tara. "I can feel him inside, Tara. He's trying to reassert control."
Tara looked at Paige and Phoebe. "You said you were going to save her," she said as tears fell from her eyes.
"And we are," Phoebe said as she looked at Paige. "I think a modified version of the Source vanquishing spell."
"Instead of vanquishing Willow we call upon the Halliwell matriarchs to protect her from the Source?" Paige suggested as Phoebe nodded
Phoebe and Paige clasped hands together as they began to chant. "Prudence, Penelope, Patricia, Melinda, Astrid, Helena, Laura and Grace. Halliwell witches, stand strong beside her, protect her from the Source through time and space."
Willow began to once again float upwards as she began to glow brighter and brighter till she was obscured from their vision.
"Please let it work," Tara begged.
The glow began to diminish and eventually disappear entirely as Willow floated back to the ground.
Willow could feel it deep down inside her where the Source had been buried for so long that it was gone, forever. She smiled at Tara and moved to her wife and kissed Tara on the forehead. She then turned toward Phoebe and Paige. "Mom," she said as she acknowledged the bond between her and Phoebe. "The Source is gone, forever."
Phoebe smiled as she embraced Willow. "I am glad, Willow."
"Wait a moment," Paige said. "You know you're Phoebe's daughter?"
"Yes, Paige," Willow said as he turned and looked at her aunt. "The Seer told me that I was hers and Cole's baby sent back in time. I just didn't know how till the Seer stole me out of mom's womb and took me into the past." She turned and looked at Phoebe. "It's going to take some getting used to the fact I am your daughter though. Especially when I'm not much younger than Paige."
"I bet," Phoebe said as she laughed. "Our family is a complicated one. Not only are you my daughter, but you are also my sister-in-law." She looked at Paige. "Can we get out of here?"
"Let me," Willow said as she smiled at her family. "I may not have the Source within me. But I still apparently have access to some of the powers." She took Phoebe and Tara's hands as Paige took Phoebe's free one and she flamed out with them.
Halliwell Manor
The six pajama clad women sat together in the living room, fire burning, as they waited for Leo to return. Paige and Phoebe on an over-stuffed chair each; Buffy, Tara and Willow huddled together on a couch; Piper on the other couch.
Bright orbs filled the air and Leo appeared wearing a smile, "Well, the Grimoire has a new home in a mountain of rock in the west Andes," Leo announced as he slipped into the space next to Piper.
"Thanks, honey," Piper grinned at him.
"Sure," Leo replied, returning the smile and kissing her lips.
"How many times have we vanquished the Source now?" Paige sought wryly.
"Twice," Phoebe replied, "officially. Unofficially three times."
Paige looked at Leo. "Did we get him or her or it or whatever?"
"Despite the fact that Willow is his heir. I think that it would be safe to say "yes" based on how the Elders are reacting." Leo answered, eyes locked with his smiling wife, "It's like a holiday up there." He turned to Phoebe who smiled, "They still can't believe you did it."
"What does that mean for me though?" Willow asked looking at Leo.
"With the spell broken, Willow," Leo said as he smiled at the redhead. "As you know you still have access to the powers. But the Elders agreed I'm to continue to be your Whitelighter. Which means that they still consider you a good witch."
"For how long?" Willow wondered.
"Forever," Buffy said. "Do you remember Tyler?"
"Buffy's right," Piper said as she realized what Buffy was reminding Willow of. "As we told Tyler, the powers are not good or bad by themselves; it's how we use them."
"Also," Phoebe said. "Remember there is a lot of good in you. Cole was part good and I'm all good. Which means you have a lot of good in you."
"Mom," Willow said, "how did you know naming me would break the spell."
"Willow, why do you keep calling Phoebe mom?" Piper wondered before Phoebe could answer. "I mean we know she's your birth mother. But between the fact you're close to our age and our sister-in-law since you're married to Buffy…"
"I decided at least with Phoebe," Willow said as she looked at her family, "that I want to acknowledge that connection. Just don't expect me to call you aunt, Piper."
"While it would be nice to hear it just once…" Piper trailed off as she smiled at her niece slash sister-in-law.
Willow nodded in understanding that Piper didn't expect her to refer to her as aunt. But she could give Piper the thrill of hearing it just once. "Of course, Aunt Piper."
Piper's grin widened at the sound of hearing Willow calling her Aunt Piper even if it was just going to be this one time. "Thank you," she mouthed.
Willow smiled at Piper as she nodded. She was sure Piper would treasure hearing her saying it for the rest of her life.
"Now to answer your question, Willow," Phoebe said as she looked at the woman who was both her sister-in-law and her daughter. "I heard your father's voice." She pulled out the envelope that Piper had found in Cole's safe and handed it to Willow.
Willow opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside. As she read the letter, she was sure she could hear Cole's voice.
"If I'm dead right now, I know it was at your hand. No one else in heaven or hell had power over me. Please don't cry, I was dead before I met you, I was born the day you loved me, and my love for you will keep me alive, forever.
Cole
P.S. To my baby girl, Willow. While I know you will be thrown backwards in time at some point, likely when you were still an infant. And that you are reading this a woman of twenty-one years. I still see you as my sweet, sweet baby girl that I wish I could have held in my arms at least once. Don't hate your mother for what she did, what she had to do. Love her, Willow, my darling girl, it is just you and her now. Take good care of Phoebe for me, just as I am sure she will take good care of you. Know this that I love you and I always will.
Your Father
Buffy watched the tears fall from Willow's eyes and nodded as she leaned over and whispered in her wife's ear. Willow glanced at Buffy and nodded as she stood up. She moved over to Phoebe and pulled her mother into her arms, hugging her tight. "I love you, mom," she said.