Lost hope

"Does the Elders know that you're planning to go down to the Underworld with us?', Paige asked to Prue.

"No...", she replied simply, and, as her response didn't satisfy her sister, she added: "They probably would disagree with our idea... But, I don't care. I want to save my sister. I didn't rise from the dead just to sit here and do nothing to help her".

Piper smiled. That was her sister talking. It was good to see that she still was brave, that she want to fight with them in order to bring Phoebe back home.

"So you orb Cole, I take care of Piper", Paige said, a smile in her face.

"No, I'll orb Piper... Cole is up to you", Prue crossed her arms.

Cole rolled his eyes: "Ladies, I'm right here".

"Just shut up! You know I don't like you...", Prue grinned.

Piper rubbed her forehead: "Ok, this isn't funny! Let's do it my way. Paige, you'll orb Cole now", she said, making Prue smile victoriously; but only a few seconds later, Piper completed: "And Prue will orb him back home. You see? There's Cole for you both".

Prue made a face: "I didn't like it".

"But I did", Piper glanced at her.

Cole gasped and gave his hand to Paige, who smiled cynically at him, as Piper took Prue's hands.

They orbed out.

It was too risky entering the Underworld like that, they knew. But it was for Phoebe. They needed to search there one last time. They needed to know that they did everything they could in order to save her.

"It's too quiet here", Prue raised an eyebrow. They got there too easily. And life and death taught her that things didn't work this way.

Piper and Paige casted numerous spells to summon her lost sister. But nothing happened. "She is not here...", Paige whispered. She knew this would happen, nothing worked, exactly like the last time she was there.

"Paige...", Prue said quietly. "We agreed that we would try".

Paige nodded and Cole guided them to an old fellow, the same sorcerer who transmuted his blood some time ago. "I think I should talk to him alone...".

"No way... He would sense that you're just a mortal now... It's dangerous", Piper remarked.

"He wouldn't hurt me", Cole assured her.

"Maybe, but I'm not willing to risk that", Piper said firmly.

Cole shocked his head and called the sorcerer: "Belthazor, you're alive... So.. Do you brought the witches here to vanquish me?", the old man raised his head.

"Our sister disappeared. We just need some information...", Paige said humbly.

"I know nothing about it...", he assured them. "I think you better go".

Cole clenched his fists in anger: "Please, do you know something about Phoebe?".

"I know nothing about her, my friend...", he said truthfully. "The Underworld is in chaos since the Source's death. It's too dangerous stay here... especially for you...".

"I need to find her...", Cole said quietly.

"But I don't know where...", the sorcerer's eyes widened in shock as a demon stormed into his room. "Get out of here, my friend!", the old man yelled, as he was attacked.

"Traitor! I smell something different here... And now I see you with this half-breed and these repulsive witches... You need to die! All of you will die!", the demon cried and hurled a lightning bolt at the sorcerer. "No!", Cole screamed, when he saw the old sorcerer burnt in flames in front of him.

Unconsciously, Prue waved her hand, trying to use her witch's power, but it didn't work. She stopped and looked at her hand, remembering that she was just a Whitelighter now.

Suddenly, the demon launched a dagger towards Piper, but she managed to freeze the weapon. But he didn't seem disturbed about it and started to laugh vigorously: "Poor witch...".

"Piper!", Cole yelled, as the demon snapped his fingers. Another weapon appeared behind Piper, blurred at first, then becoming solid.

When she turned back, Cole had already put himself between her and the demon's dagger. He screamed in pain, as he felt the weapon sliced into his flesh.

Piper's eyes widened in shock, as she felt Cole's blood in her hands. "Cole...", she whispered, trying to hold him in her arms.

"We need to get out of here!", Paige yelled to Prue.

The Whitelighter nodded and quickly they orbed back to the manor with Cole and Piper.

"Oh God, he's dying...", Piper's entire body was shaken. Cole just put himself between her and the dagger, he saved her life and now she couldn't help him. "Do something, Prue! Heal him!".

Her sister seemed froze: "I never healed before...", she said truthfully.

"I don't care. Just do it!", Piper yelled fiercely.

Prue nodded and knell beside him. She put her hands of his injure and they began to glow with a warming yellow light. And she smiled in satisfaction when Cole's wound disappeared.

"Piper...", he said in a whispered.

"I'm here... Thanks to you", she stroke his hair and hugged him fondly.

"You're welcome", he said weakly.

"I hate to ruin this moment, but you need to rest. I never healed someone before...", Prue said to Cole.

Cole nodded and went to his room. The hours passed slowly for him. He was tired, but couldn't sleep... It was four o'clock in the morning and he was lay on his bed, thinking that he never would to see Phoebe again.

He decided to stood up and went to the living room: "Piper..", he said quietly. She was looking around the room, with tears in her eyes.

"You need to rest, Cole", she said wiping her face.

"I'm fine... You don't need to worry about me", he assured her. "Look I know it's hard... It's hard for me too... But we need to have hope".

Piper just looked at him and shocked her back against the wall: "There's no hope... We've lost her, Cole. We've lost Phoebe".

He looked sadly at her and almost unconsciously hugged her tightly. Piper felt so comfortable in his arms that she allowed herself to rest her head on his chest and close her eyes.

In the Underworld, the Seer smiled, watching this scene. Phoebe was there, chained by her ankles: "What's so funny?", the Charmed One asked full of rage.

"You'll see...". Quickly, the Seer waved her hand and a big mirror appeared on the wall. It showed Cole and Piper in the living room of the manor.

"What the hell is that?", Phoebe stepped back, seeing the scene. Her sister and the man she loved wrapped in each other arms.

The Seer approached her. She poisoned the witch all this time with spells and tonics, but she still needed a turning point to wake her evil side. "Betrayal...", she whispered in her ear.

Phoebe felt her heart turned into ice. She was right. The damn seer was right! Her own sister was in Cole's arms right now, while she was there, trapped in the Underworld.

Phoebe's eyes were full of pain, hate and anger, but she said nothing. Suddenly, the chains magically disappeared from her ankles and a fireball appeared in her hand. She didn't hesitate and throw it against the mirror, breaking it. "My own blood... And half of my soul...", she whispered, falling on her knees.

"They're two traitors... They don't deserve your trust. I do! I showed the truth to you! Embrace your destiny, my queen. And forget these traitors", the Seer told her.

Phoebe rubbed her forehead. The Seer was right. Piper wasn't her sister anymore... She betrayed her... with Cole. How could they do this to her? She loved them with all her heart and soul. But they never deserved it, they stabbed her in the back.

Phoebe let out a scream so loud that the Seer needed to put her hands on her ears. Her eyes were almost insane when she formed another fireball and pointed it at Seer's direction.

"Don't do that...", the Seer stepped back.

Phoebe let out a smile and the fireball disappeared from her hands: "Knell before your queen. Now!", she ordered.

The Seer gasped: "As your wish", she said, knelling before her.

Phoebe approached her and said: "I want to learn how to use my powers properly".

"I'll teach you, my queen", the Seer smiled satisfied.