Chapter 29: Long Live the Queen – Part 3

Halliwell Manor

Buffy had returned to the Manor, explained to Tara and Willow what had happened and then went straight to the attic wishing to be alone.

"Knock, knock." Willow quipped, rapping her knuckles on the wooden doorframe.

"I want to be alone, Will," Buffy said as she flipped through the Book of Shadows.

"Well that isn't happening," Willow said as she led Tara into the attic. "Buffy, we need to talk."

"About?" Buffy asked as she glared at her wives.

"About this obsession," Tara said. "You've dealt with Warren, Jonathon and Andrew. Now you are up here looking through the Book of Shadows."

"Well I have work to do," Buffy argued.

"True," agreed Willow. "With your sisters."

"They're fine," Buffy said as she returned her attention to Book and resumed flipping through it.

"Buffy," Tara said shaking her head. "Open your eyes! Phoebe is evil, and married to the Source of all Evil, carrying his demonic child. Paige is doing far too much for one person, trying to do everything that you should all be doing together and Piper..." she shook her head sadly, "Piper is falling apart, this is killing her!"

"And what do you want me to do about it?" Buffy snapped harshly, gritting her teeth.

"Reach into the part of you that is Prue," Willow suggested. "What did she always do?"

Buffy reached into Prue's memories and sighed. "Fix it? The question is how?"

"Only you know how to answer that," Tara suggested. "But it is there waiting for you to make that discovery."

Buffy looked up at her wives as she thought about what they were saying. It was then that she remembered something that happened a year ago. She had shut down because Glory had taken Dawn and Willow had helped out to come back to them, to her family. Sure, her mom had died and Dawn had been captured, but that had never been the only family she had ever had. She looked up at her redheaded wife, who had been at her side since she had first arrived in Sunnydale.

Buffy closed the Book of Shadows as she walked around the pedestal toward Willow and kissed the redhead. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?" Willow asked confused.

"For being beside me through everything," Buffy said as she smiled. "From the first day I arrived in Sunnydale till now. You have always been there. You were there when my grief locked me away in my own mind. You brought me out. Now it's time I do the same for my sisters."

Buffy closed her eyes and let out a cleansing breath. She then walked out of the attic as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the number in her contact list for Paige.

AA Meeting

Paige watched like a hawk as Greg moved amongst the crowd, talking to member after member, congratulating them on whatever day-mark they'd managed to successfully reach and smiled a little, she just didn't understand demons sometimes. Why would they go after such a caring, dedicated person like Greg? What possible threat could he pose to them? Paige shook her head and sighed, it just didn't make any sense, nothing did right now.

Her cell phone chirped loudly in her bag and she searched for it blindly, keeping her eyes peeled on Greg who was moving slowly towards the back exit.

"Hello?" she greeted distractedly when she finally managed to find the phone.

"Paige? Are you okay? Where are you?"

Paige frowned at the voice down the line, shaking her head in confusion as her sister fired questions her way.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Buffy?" she questioned, surprised by her sister's sudden interest. She sounded like Buffy again.

"Yes, now answer my question. Where are you?"

Paige frowned at Buffy's tone. "What's wrong, Buffy? And where do you think I am? I'm trying to protect our innocent on my own."

"You're what?" Buffy exclaimed and Paige could see her eyes widening and her brows arch. "You're on your own?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah, well, Leo was here," she added. "But he had to go to Piper."

"Piper? Why? What—what's wrong with Piper?" Buffy asked fearfully and Paige went to answer but her sister wasn't done. "Okay, no. You know what, one problem at a time. Is the demon there?"

Paige quickly scanned the room, spying no demon, but catching Greg at the door. "Crap," she cursed swiftly moving after him. "Uh...no, I don't see Malek anywhere," she answered her sister as she pushed the door open and Greg spotted her.

"You again." He stopped her and Paige cringed. "Are you following me?"

Paige's eyes widened and she bit her lip. "Uh...hold on, Buffy," she whispered hurriedly then turned to Greg with a smile. "Yes," she answered honestly running down the few steps to reach him. "Strangely, I am, and I would love to explain it to you but it would be so much better if we could go talk inside by the crowd," she pleaded, glancing around them apprehensively.

Paige narrowed her eyes as she spotted movement up ahead, her eyes widening as a demon emerged from the shadows and fired a bolt of energy towards them. "No!" she yelled pushing both herself and Greg to the ground.

Halliwell Manor

Buffy's heart stopped in her chest as she heard the commotion down the line. "Paige?" she called into the phone, hearing her sister yell at what she assumed was their demon. "Paige!" she tried again praying for her sister to answer.

"Buffy!" Paige yelled down the phone in a panic and Buffy closed her eyes in brief relief.

"Paige, are you okay? What's happening?"

"Demon!" Paige squealed yelling again. "Lightning bolt! It's, it's not our demon, Buffy," her sister informed her breathlessly. "Leo!"

Buffy frowned shaking her head. "What? What do you mean?" she asked over her sister's calls.

"It's not Malek, it's someone—AH!" Paige yelped and Buffy stopped breathing. "Greg! Buffy help!"

"Where are you?" Buffy demanded, her panic rising by the second.

"Ahh! Buffy! " Paige screamed again this time in pain before the line went dead.

Buffy's body went numb at the click and her hold on the phone tightened. "Paige?" she called urgently, "Paige!" But there was nothing.

"What happened?" Willow asked from beside her and Buffy turned to her with frightened eyes.

"Demon, the, the demon—a different demon from before—she, she didn't tell me where she was, Will," Buffy stuttered shaking her head, "I don't know where she is! Leo!" she yelled urgently, but he never appeared. "Leo!"

Tara frowned, "He always answers."

Buffy ran a shaky hand threw her hair and bit down on her lip. "He's with Piper. If he's not answering then she must have frozen him. Damn it!" she yelled and one of the vases in the room shattered. "This is all my fault, if I hadn't been so focused on Warren, Andrew and Jonathon she wouldn't have been doing this alone."

"Buffy, calm down," Willow said as she grabbed Buffy's shoulders. "Breathe, we will figure this out."

Buffy looked at Willow and then her eyes widened and she smiled.

"What?" Willow asked. "What are you thinking, Buffy?"

"Do you remember the spell you used to teleport Glory?" Buffy asked looking into Willow's eyes.

"Yes," Willow said confused on why Buffy was asking. Then her eyes widened. "No, Buffy. When I did that with Glory, I had a nose bleed and headaches for days afterwards."

"That is because you didn't have the necessary power to do it," Buffy said. "Now you will."

Willow looked at Buffy and slowly nodded. She went to the table by the door and wrote the spell down on the paper. She walked back to her wives and took Buffy's hand. "Dea Pro Mihi, Audite Meus Dico... Patepacio Prodigium Pro Nos Totus!" she and Buffy read from the paper and in a flash of white light they were gone.

"Good luck," Tara said.

Alley

"Lightning bolt!" Paige yelled holding up her hand once again, sending the attack right back to her attacker, striking him, for the first time, on the chest. Paige exhaled in relief then scurried over to her innocent, now unconscious and bleeding on the gravel.

"Shit," Paige cursed to herself as she made to press her hands down on his wound only to hiss in pain as her own wound screamed in protest. "Damn it, where are my sisters!"

Paige raised her head slowly as she heard a scuffle and watched as the demon got back to his feet, looking for round two. He sent another bolt her way and Paige ducked, covering Greg's body with her own as the bold went soaring past them. Gritting her teeth against the pain in her arm, Paige raised her head and cried out sharply in surprise when her eyes found Buffy and Willow standing behind the demon.

"Hey jackass!" Buffy growled and the demon spun around only to be sent hurtling down the alley with a mere wave of her arm.

Paige sighed in relief at the sight. "How'd you get here?" she inquired puzzled.

"Willow brought us," Buffy said. "She knew this teleportation spell. With a little Charmed power, we made it work to bring us here." She reached down to Paige and pulled her sister up. "Are you ok—oh my god, Paige, you're bleeding!" she gasped when she caught sight of the growing crimson stain on her sister's orange colored coat.

Paige nodded and winced as she looked apprehensively down at her arm. "Yeah, but it's just a graze. I'm fine," she assured Buffy with a grimacing smile, her eyes moving to Greg's still form. "He, on the other hand, is not."

"Buffy," Willow called sharply and Buffy's head shot up in time to see the demon send an athame her way.

"Athame!" Paige seethed, sick and tired of this bastard now, she drew her hand back then threw it forwards, smirking as she saw Buffy flick her fingers in the demon's direction, drawing him towards the blade. The two sisters watched in satisfaction as the demon screamed, engulfed by flames.

Paige turned to Buffy and smiled. "Thanks, better late than, never right?" she quipped in a subtle snarky tone as she crouched down next to Greg.

"I'm sorry, Paige," Buffy said.

"I know," Paige said as she smiled at Buffy remembering her adopted parents. "I know how you felt. Which reminds me I need to call Pike."

Buffy laughed and smiled. "We both do," she said.

Paige smiled at her sister, happy to see that Buffy was laughing and cheerful for the first time in a few days. "Let's get out of here," she said holding out her hand for her sister to take.

Buffy smiled as she took Paige's hand and then held out her own toward Willow. Willow smiled as she moved behind Buffy, her arm slipping around Buffy's waist as Paige orbed the four of them out.

P4

Paige orbed herself and her three passengers into P4, wincing as she shifted her arm to stand, raising her eyes and glancing around the room. Her brow creased into a frown when her gaze landed on her brother-in-law. "Leo?"

"He's frozen," Buffy supplied helpfully, glancing around the empty club. "Oh no," she whispered with a sigh as her eyes fell on their unconscious sister.

Paige followed her line of sight and gasped. "Oh my god, Piper!" she cried racing towards her sister, climbing over the bars to get to her. Buffy followed the long way around, shoving Leo to free him from his freeze when she reached him.

"—and a good sister," Leo continued frowning, confused when he noticed his wife's absence. He raised his eyes to meet a fuming looking Paige and a disappointed Buffy. "What?" he questioned shaking his head and Buffy pointed down, Leo following to find his passed out wife at her feet. "Oh," he sighed gazing at her sadly.

"You were frozen Leo," Willow informed him as she came up beside him. "And I'm guessing demons didn't get her."

"More like inner demons," Leo said in reply. "I can't believe she froze me."

"Oh, poor baby," Buffy mocked patting him on the cheek and Leo switched his frown to her. "We need some healing," she changed the subject, nodding behind him to Greg and then to Paige.

Paige grimaced, holding out her arm. "Yup but uh...do Greg first," she ordered. "He's worse."

Leo nodded and made his way over to their innocent. "What happened?"

Paige sighed in irritation, "It was a different demon this time," she scowled, fingering her wound gingerly. "They really want this guy dead."

"Yeah, makes you wonder why," Buffy commented. "You'll need to orb him somewhere safe, Leo."

Leo nodded as his healing glow began to spread. "Then what?"

Buffy shifted her gaze to Willow who nodded. "Then...Paige and I are going to put this family back together," she said with a smile. "And bring Phoebe home."

Paige's face lit up at Buffy declaration. "We are?"

Buffy nodded stepping closer to Paige. "Yes," she replied certainly, looking her sister in the eyes. She reached up and brushed Paige's hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, Paige," she said quietly.

Paige shook her head. "Buffy don't it's...it's okay and we don't have time—"

"I'm sorry," Buffy repeated cutting her sister off. "I was so grief stricken that Phoebe had chosen Cole that I delved into distracting myself from it. Warren is on the lose but Andrew and Jonathon are in jail. Anyways when I got back to the manor I went straight to the attic. I wanted to keep distracting myself. My beautiful wife here reminded me of something."

"Of what?" Paige wondered.

"My family," Buffy answered. "Remember Willow has been part of my extended family through everything. She and Xander helped me through so much. Willow even entered my mind to bring me out of my catatonia from when Dawn was taken by Glory. When Willow reminded me of that, I knew what I had to do. The same thing Willow, Xander, Tara, Giles, even Anya and Spike all at one time or another did for me."

"Help your family," Paige said as she nodded in understanding. She smiled as she reached out and took her sister's hand. She then pulled back, swiping at her eyes and smiling quickly at Buffy. "Okay um..." she turned to their Whitelighter. "Can you heal Piper?" she requested with hopeful eyes.

Leo looked up as Greg began to awaken with a groan. "No, I can't heal self-inflicted wounds," he informed her walking to Paige's side.

Paige sighed. "Crap," she cursed bending down at Piper's side and slapping her lightly while Leo healed her arm from above.

"AHH!" Piper yelped, swatting Paige's hand away in her alcohol induced haze.

Buffy frowned as she bent down too. "Okay," she sighed tiredly grabbing hold of Piper's arm. "Let's get her home."

Paige nodded dutifully now fully healed, taking Piper's other arm and together the sisters pulled her back up.

Phoebe and Cole's Apartment

Phoebe paced the floor in her bedroom, up and down, back and forth, over and over. Her mind reeling, her heart torn as she tried—desperately— to come up with some sort of compromise that would enable her to see her sisters' and please the underworld, all at the same time.

"My Queen?" the Seer greeted as she entered the room, tonic in hand. "It is time for your tonic."

Phoebe watched as she extended her arm, tonic in hand but couldn't hear a word she said. Phoebe looked the Seer in the eyes, her need shining through as she approached. "What if I promise never to save any innocent with them ever again. Then can I see my sisters?" she begged her with pleading eyes.

"You'll feel better after this," the Seer replied, holding out the tonic.

Phoebe sighed, shaking her head and caught sight of the plant she had dumped the very same tonic in that morning: a now very dead plant. Phoebe's gaze fell back to the tall-stemmed glass in the Seer's hand and realization dawned.

"Oh my god," Phoebe muttered walking around the Seer to reach the evidence. "It's poison."

"No," the Seer countered.

"You told me it was good for me."

"It is."

"You're lying! Phoebe exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Think about it," the Seer instructed. "Last night you were strong—angry perhaps—but now look at you, whining."

Phoebe shook her head, as she tried to steady her breathing.

"It's a weakness unbefitting of a queen."

Phoebe trained her eyes on the glass once more and demanded, "What's in it?"

"Pure evil. The baby feeds on it," the Seer explained and Phoebe felt her heart skip a beat. "And as she grows stronger..."

"I get weaker," Phoebe concluded, her whole body beginning to tremble as she tried to absorb the information.

"Only the good in you," the Seer placated as if that made everything okay.

"You're trying to destroy me," Phoebe accused hatefully.

"I'm trying to help you," the Seer insisted. "I gave you clarity where now you have confusion. I gave you conviction where now you have pain."

Phoebe shook her head weakly. "You took away my will," she whispered.

"No. You made the choice to stand by your husband all on your own," the Seer reminded her smugly. "For you, for Cole, and for your baby," she added, her eyes dropping to Phoebe's stomach.

Phoebe swallowed thickly, her hand moving to cover her stomach, protecting her daughter from the demon before her.

"Don't risk all of your lives by questioning that now," the Seer held up the glass as she repeated. "Drink the tonic, Phoebe." She then placed it next to Phoebe and flashed out.

Phoebe glanced down at her stomach. And that was when she realized something. Her daughter, Willow, was good, not evil. The Seer was trying to control her baby not her. The Seer didn't care about her at all, only that she produced an heir for Cole that would have Charmed powers and could be influenced toward evil.

Underworld

Cole flamed into the chamber used as a meeting place between leaders of the underworld and started at the number of demons he found there.

Looking around until his eyes found Dane's, Cole strolled forward. "What gives you the authority to call a meeting and summon me?" he demanded tersely.

"I summoned you, my liege." Dane nodded. "But I did not call this meeting. We all did."

Cole glanced around him as mumbled agreements sounded. "Hmm. Then someone had better speak," he commanded, glancing around him again.

"The concern—"

"Someone else," Cole cut Dane off, looking from demon to demon challenging them.

Stefan, the demon from before pushed through the crowd, "Malek is missing," he stated certainly. "And the Charmed Ones are guarding his mark. Word on the street is that the queen, worked alongside her sisters', to interfere with the kill."

Cole turned to Dane—the one he could supposedly trust. "I wonder how that news spread."

"Forgive our confusion but..." Dane approached him slowly, "...we were under the impression that the power of four no longer existed."

Cole looked around him. "The queen is pregnant," he announced loudly so those he did not know would now. "She's prone to hormonal fits. But I can assure you all that the power of four is indeed extinct."

The chamber fell silent and Cole nodded once before walking away.

"Then who killed Malek?" Dane questioned, stopping Cole in his tracks.

The Source turned back to him and answered with, "I did. I was convinced he was about to betray me."

"Nevertheless, his mark still lives," Dane pointed out tightly, disappointed by Cole's honesty.

"Then assign someone to finish the task, Dane," Cole ordered impatiently, bored with this little revolt.

"I believe you already tried that," Dane answered. "My liege."

"Are you questioning me?" Cole demanded, his voice hard and eyes daring.

Dane remained silent and approached Cole slowly, stopping when they were mere inches apart. "The innocent...is still in the hands of the witches," he pointed out slowly. "Until we've seen evidence that the queen's... hormones, are indeed under control, it might be best if you took out the mark personally. For morale."

Cole's jaw tightened; he knew what Dane was doing. He was testing him, forcing him to the prove to demondom exactly where his loyalties lie: with his wife or with the underworld. He glanced around at the faces, knowing every demon present wanted to see it too. They needed him to prove that his loyalties and allegiance lay with them and Cole wouldn't disappoint.

Halliwell Manor

"How many hangover cures do you have?" Piper's muffled voice asked from her place at the kitchen table, head resting on one arm, as she fought to keep the world still.

"A lot," Paige replied as she placed the lid on the blender. "There was a time in my life when I needed these often."

"Remind me to tell you of my time with beer," Buffy said as Paige looked at her. "Two words, Cave Slayer."

"I take it there is a lengthy story behind that," Piper questioned, lifting her head only to wince as the harsh light burned her retinas and dropped her head back onto her arm.

"Yes," Buffy answered as Paige slammed the button on the blender and the machine whirred to life.

"AH!" Piper cried jerking up, as the noise hammered into her head and she attempted to cover her ears with her arms. As soon as the noise ceased, she dropped her head into her hands then pushed them through her hair. "I'm sorry, guys. I don't know what got into me," she apologized with a sigh, propping her head on one hand, "I mean, it's one thing when your sister has a husband that you can't stand. It's another when he is the Source of All Evil!"

"Drink up," Paige instructed coming over to the table and placing hangover cure number four down on her sister's right. "We've got work to do."

Piper shook her head as she stared into space. "I can't lose her."

Buffy shook her head too. "We won't," she told her sternly, taking the hand Piper was resting her head on, in her own, forcing her sister to look at her. "I need to apologize to you too," she said quietly and Piper frowned.

"Huh?" Piper grunted, it being the only adequate response she could conjure in her current, half-intoxicated, state.

"I abandoned this family in my own grief," Buffy said with a sigh as she glanced at the kitchen door where Willow and Tara stood. "It took my beautiful wives to get through to me. To tell me I had been distracting myself form the problems here at home." She looked back at her sister. "If I hadn't distracted myself, maybe we could have gotten Phoebe back before now. But I refused to look beyond my own grief."

"No, Buffy," Piper shook her head and looked down, avoiding her sister's gaze. "It was my fault."

Buffy closed her eyes, shaking her head. "No, Piper!" she exclaimed moving her hands to Piper face, brushing away her hair then resting her hands on her neck. "No."

"Yes!" Piper insisted, "You tried to tell me, you did, and I dismissed it, dismissed you!"

"Dismissed what?" Buffy asked.

"You said you believed Cole was the Source, but I refused to believe," Piper admitted. "If I had, maybe Phoebe wouldn't have chosen Cole to begin with. I'm a failure."

"No!" Buffy disagreed sternly. "No, you are not a failure, Piper. If anyone is a failure it is me. It is easy to forget, especially when I have Prue's memories, that I am in reality not Prue. I had to be told by Willow and Tara what to do."

"What do you mean?" Paige asked.

"We told Buffy to look into Prue's memories and see what Prue would do," Willow said. "You have to remember the only family Buffy ever had before coming to you was her mom and Dawn. Sure me, Xander, Tara and Giles could be considered a family but we're in reality not. We were a surrogate family thrown together by circumstance. So, Buffy didn't know what to do to bring this family back together, but Prue did."

"Prue would have fixed it, somehow, we don't know how," Buffy said as she looked at her sisters. "But she would have done everything to fix it. I didn't know that. It's easy to forget I am not her and you two and Phoebe at times expect me to be her. I think going forward a new person needs to be born."

"What are you suggesting?" Piper wondered.

"I am thinking I need to integrate her memories and make myself one whole person instead of two people inhabiting one body," Buffy said as she looked at her sisters. "With the fact that the Powers de-aged me. I think it's time I truly become the baby of the family just like mom called me when first we met. With a name that is truly my own."

Piper and Paige looked at each other and then nodded in agreement.

"So, do you have a name picked out?" Paige wondered.

"I think once we bring Phoebe home, I will let the three of you name me," Buffy offered. "Now let's talk about our sister."

Paige nodded as she fell into the chair on Piper's right. "I think Buffy is right, now is the time to try and get Phoebe back. She was different today," she announced and her two sisters' turned to her. "She cared about us and about Greg. Something has changed, and I think now is our chance to get her back."

Piper frowned in confusion. "How?"

"Well, I think we storm the penthouse, bring the crystals," Paige listed off on her fingers. "We still know the spell. We vanquish the Source the same way we did last time."

"Yes, but now, this time the Source is Cole," Buffy countered shaking her head. "Do you really see Phoebe saying a little spell with us to vanquish her husband? The father of her child?"

Paige shrugged. "If she doesn't...we die. The good in Phoebe is fighting to the surface, we saw that today," she explained. "I don't think she's just going to stand by and watch Cole kill us."

"Are you willing to bet your life on that?" Piper asked uncertainly.

"Piper," Tara said. "Wouldn't you? Seriously think about it. I heard the story from Buffy how you wished you could bring Prue back. What's different between now and then? Think?"

Piper looked at her sister-in-law as she thought about what Tara said and realized nothing was different. She would never change the fact that Buffy was her sister. But if she could have both Buffy and Prue, she would. "Nothing is different," she answered.

"That's right," said Tara as she smiled at her sister-in-law. "You would do anything for Phoebe just as you would for Buffy, Paige and if she was here now, even Prue."

"You are pretty amazing, Tara." Piper said pushing to her feet with the aid of Buffy and Paige.

"Let's go," Buffy ordered them, handing Piper her hangover cure and her coat. "Drink."

"Urgh," Piper shuddered as she stared down at the vile concoction. "Gross."

"I'll get the crystals," Paige chuckled as they left the kitchen.

The three sisters, Willow and Tara exited the kitchen and made their way towards the stairs just as Phoebe entered the house.

Piper handed Willow her glass as she pulled on her coat and she sat it on the foyer table, considering it officially forgotten.

"Cole is going to kill Greg Conroy," Phoebe announced to the small group. "And I can't let that happen."

Piper glanced at Buffy whose eyes were on Phoebe, eyeing her critically.

"So, what do you want to do?" Piper asked carefully.

Phoebe licked her lips nervously and flickered her gaze from sister to sister before answering slowly. "I think that we...have to vanquish Cole."

"I knew it," Paige smiled. "I knew she was ready."

Buffy and Piper, however, were not fully convinced.

"We have to use Greg as bait," Phoebe told them calmly and Paige's smile dropped, replaced with a confused frown.

"Bait?" Paige echoed uncertainly. "He's an innocent."

"I know but Cole's looking for him," Phoebe explained. "He'll find him wherever he is, so he's safest here."

Piper nodded. "So, we have Leo bring Greg here, but then when Cole arrives uh...Leo's got to orb Greg out of here."

Phoebe nodded in agreement with her sister's plan. "And then...we vanquish Cole."

Piper turned to Buffy. "What do you think?"

Buffy glanced quickly at Piper then back to Phoebe and replied, "I don't like it."

"Neither do I but it's our only option, Buffy," Phoebe insisted meeting Buffy's eyes with her own. "Cole is never going to stop hunting this guy. What, what kind of life is that?"

Piper turned to Buffy. "She's right, Buffy. We can't let that poor man live on the run for the rest of his life."

Paige nodded, "I'll go get the crystals."

Phoebe kept her eyes locked onto Buffy's distrustful ones until Piper called her name.

"Phoebe...I know how much you love Cole," Piper said slowly, and Phoebe looked to the floor. "And I'm really sorr—"

"I can't get emotional about this now, Piper," Phoebe interrupted bringing her eyes back up from the floor. "If I do, I won't be able to go through with it."

Piper frowned, her heart aching for what her sister had to do and overwhelmed with the urge to comfort her but nodded nonetheless, giving Phoebe her space as Paige arrived with the crystals.

"Ready."

"Leo—"

"No!" Buffy cut in sharply, silencing Piper. "Something doesn't feel right."

Piper sighed closing her eyes, "Buffy, come on."

"No, Piper," Buffy turned to her sister and stared into her eyes pointedly. "Trust me on this," she begged and Piper nodded. She rounded on Phoebe with narrowed eyes. Trying to see why something felt wrong. And that was when she realized she had gotten another of her Slayer powers back. She had gotten the ability to sense evil back. Buffy hadn't used her spidey senses in so long she wasn't sure how to understand what she was feeling. She looked at Phoebe and then she smiled. "This isn't Phoebe," she accused and her sisters' frowned as bright white lights began to form.

"Buffy, what are you talking about?" Paige questioned.

"I got one of my Slayer powers back. If the good in Phoebe is trying to fight her way back, I should be able to sense it," Buffy explained.

"Just like that first time we were at the Bronze," Willow said in understanding. "You were able to detect the vampire that took me."

"Right, Willow," Buffy said as she smiled at her wife. "But what I sense from Phoebe, there is no good it's pure evil. You're not Phoebe...are you Cole?" she tilted her head as Leo and Greg materialized.

Phoebe smirked, crossing her arms over her chest as she slowly morphed back into Cole. "Clever," he taunted turning to Greg and hitting him with a fireball.

"No," Buffy growled as their innocent burst into flames. She turned her crippling stare on Cole and spat, "You bastard."

He smirked before flaming out triumphant, leaving the three sisters reeling and severely pissed off.