Charmed: The Faith Chronicles

by Brenna's Urbangirl Projects

Faith Lehane was born in Boston to a drunken mother and absentee father, or so she had believed for 17 years. Then she was called as the Slayer and things took a turn for the worse when she accidentally killed the Deputy Mayor. The Watcher's Council learns of the death and tries to return her to England. She manages to escape and in so doing finds out that she had been adopted

28. Chapter 27: Three Faces at Heart

Chapter 27: Three Faces at Heart

November 27, 2001 – Tuesday

U.C. Sunnydale

Buffy ran through the typical tableau of student body which occupied the campus grounds come nightfall, strangely unnoticed by any of them that her athleticism was not mere display or training for sports, but a battle for survival. Her pursuer went equally unnoticed, scant minutes behind her, his forehead ridges and fangs visible without any concern for disguise or caution. He was sure of his prey's now inevitable end, and felt certain he would feast on the blood of his victory soon.

When she came to an abrupt halt in a more secluded part of the college campus, the vampire was understandably slow to realize that the prey before him was not just another hapless co-ed facing death at his hands, but the Slayer.

"Thanks for the relocate," Buffy remarked, causing the vampire's gleeful expression to slowly evolve into one of shock. "I perform better without an audience."

Before the acceptance that his walking corpse was about to be restored to its natural state was even begun by the vampire, he received the first blow from Buffy. His instincts immediately caused him to respond, but the element of surprise had succeeded in causing the battle to be an uneven one, as well as short.

"You were thinking, what, a little helpless co-ed before bed?" Buffy asked rhetorically as she continued to pound into him. "You know very well, you eat this late…" she paused to thrust her stake into his chest, "…you're going to get heartburn. Get it? Heartburn?"

Unhappily for her wit, the vampire was beyond verbal response at this point, as his body and demon reacted to the death which the wooden stake had rendered upon them. Silently his flesh transformed into dust, followed by his bones, until nothing remained of the walking corpse except ashes in the grass.

"That's it?" Buffy queried incredulously aloud. "That's all I get? One lame-ass vamp with no appreciation for my painstakingly thought-out puns." She glanced upwards towards to the heavens above, the realm of the Elders and the Powers that Be. "I don't think the forces of darkness are even trying. I mean, you could make a little effort here, you know? Give me something to work with."

She walked away from the kill site, venting her frustration in a more silent manner, in an effort to calm herself before meeting with her friends at the Bronze for the victory get together to celebrate Faith's pregnancy.

The Bronze

"The Bronze is more fun this year, isn't it?" Willow remarked to Buffy when she arrived and joined the rest of the group.

Buffy nodded in agreement before replying verbally to Willow's inquiry. "Because of the gloating factor alone, you know? We're all about college now. We've got heady discourse."

"Yeah," Oz agreed. "Curfew-free nights of mom and popless hootenanny."

"Co-ed dating prospects who find townies sexy and dangerous," Xander added, receiving an odd look from Willow. "What? I can dream."

"Right," Buffy uttered, not bothering to hide her amusement caused by Xander's words. "So if college is so great, what are we doing here and why is it more fun?"

"Because the Bronze is nice and familiar," Willow replied. "It's like a big comfy blanky."

Oz turned to her with mild surprise. "I was under the impression that I was your big comfy blanky."

Willow smiled at his query before explaining. "Aw, you're my person blanky. This is my place blanky. You know, with all the shock of the new, it's nice to have one place that you can come back to where everything's predictable.""Hello, all," a distinctly British voice remarked suddenly, the innocuous greeting serving to cause a certain degree of alarm amongst everyone.

"You better be here to celebrate my pregnancy not because there is trouble, Giles," Faith said, sitting upright from her previous position of recline against her wife, who had like wised straightened to prepare herself for lending assistance.

"Yes, I'm here to celebrate your pregnancy," Giles forestalled the Slayers. "Uh, latte anyone? On me?" He seated himself in the spare chair Xander recruited from a nearby table. "Splendid. Well, it's been ages since I've been out to hear a band."

Everyone glanced at him with the same look teenagers usually display whenever an adult tries to appeal to their definition of cool.

"Well, don't look that way," Giles replied uncertainly. "I'm down with the new music. And I have the albums to prove it."

"Yes, but it's your cutting edge 8-tracks that keep you ahead of the scene," Buffy remarked.

"Might want to save the scoffing, gang," Oz defended the watcher as best he could. "I've seen the collection, and Giles was an animal in his day."

"Thank you," Giles returned.

"Hey, why not?" Buffy agreed. "If the Stones can still keep rolling, why can't Giles?"

"Exactly," Giles smiled at her acceptance.

"I think it's brave that you're here," Willow added.

Giles frowned. "Well, thank you, all. You've made me feel right at home."

"Isn't home that empty place you're trying to escape?" Xander reminded him.

"So, Faith how is the morning sickness?" Giles asked the brunette Slayer.

"Still keeping me hitting the bathroom," Faith said with a sigh. "Speaking of…" she shot out of the chair as she clamped her hand over her mouth and hurried toward the bathroom.

Buffy turned from Giles to Willow, who had abruptly stilled, as the music assigned to play at the Bronze tonight emerged from the bowels of the dressing area on to the stage.

"Veruca's playing tonight," Willow murmured, her gaze turning from the stage to observe her boyfriend nervously.

"Yeah," Oz replied, aware of her sudden uncertainty, just as he was aware of the contrasting stare from the woman who headlined the band known as Shy, standing before the microphone on the stage before them. "Every Wednesday. I told you."

Every night Oz saw them perform he was unable to escape the impression that Veruca was singing to him, her deep voice a siren song of seduction, calling on him to understand her prowess and respond.

Buffy was well aware of her friend's insecurities concerning Veruca and tried now to distract Oz as much as she could. "So, Oz, what about Dingoes? When are you guys playing at P3 again?"

Somehow, he managed to answer. "Oh, we're up next Friday."

Willow did not have to look at him to know that his eyes were still fixed on the stage. She took his hand and squeezed it, trying to command his attention as she asked him something full of unconscious undertones. "They're good, aren't they?"

"Nothing special," Oz murmured, his words a complete contradiction to the impression his focus was conveying.

"Yeah," Buffy agreed as Faith returned. "She's quell Fiona. Color me bored." She looked at her wife as Faith sat back down and leaned against her. "Okay?"

"Okay," Faith said.

"Really?" Giles queried, oblivious to the tension which had surfaced within the group. "I think she's rather remarkable. Such presence for someone her age."

Buffy resisted the urge to give Giles a slap upside his head, for his choice of words were anything but sensitive to what Willow was feeling right now. However, she could not deny that they held a ring of truth.

November 28, 2001 – Wednesday

U.C. Sunnydale

Buffy found herself with Willow in Psychology class, under the severe gaze and direction of Professor Walsh, who was in a rare mild-mannered mood that lecture.

"Mrs. Halliwell-Summers," Professor Walsh said as she handed Buffy's assignment back to her. "I want you to prepare to lead a discussion group next class. On the paper topic. That was smart work."

Surprised and touched, Buffy looked her teacher curiously. "What do I have to do?"

"If you have any questions, bring them up with one of the T.A.'s," Walsh instructed. "Now on another issue. I have to ask where is your wife?"

"At home, sick," Buffy informed her. "She's pregnant and has been having a case of morning sickness. The university should have informed you…"

"She's missed several classes," Walsh interjected. "You know my…"

"She's also a paying student," Buffy countered angrily. "I am more than willing to take this up with the Dean if you don't want to follow the university's policy in regards to pregnant students."

Walsh glared at Buffy as she handed her Faith's assignment.

Buffy returned to Willow, who had already received her assignment, and was waiting for her at the threshold of the lecture room doors.

"Are you ok?" Willow asked her. "How'd you and Faith do?"

"As far as Faith, she threatened to kick her out, in violation…" Buffy started as Willow frowned.

"Yeah, she has that no absence policy," Willow said sadly. "But the university does have that policy to make exceptions for pregnant students."

"Yeah," Buffy agreed. "And for me…" She held up her paper, displaying the mark of distinction for her friend to see.

Willow beamed. "This is good. I mean, this is excellent." Suddenly she mocked frowned. "You did better than me. This is so unfair! You made me jealous of you academically. Buffy!" She hugged her.

"I know." Buffy smiled as they separated to wander the halls. "Can you believe it?"

"Wow," Willow mused.

"And she wants me to lead a discussion group next class," Buffy added, before realizing the implications which lay behind that mark of praise. "That means more work, right?" She sighed. "Shouldn't she have a better reward system? You know, like a cookie or a toy surprise like at the dentist?"

Willow's reaction was different. "She wants you to lead a discussion group? Ok. Jealous again. Jealous, jealous…okay. I'm back. Hey, I'm meeting Oz at the cafe. You want to come? I'll buy you that celebratory cookie."

Buffy nodded. "Great. I'm T.A. bound right now, then I am going to call Faith and then I will catch up with you guys."

"Cool," Willow replied. "Oh, unless Riley is still trying to chat you up."

"Yeah, it's getting really annoying," Buffy sighed. "I try to stay polite, but it's not like he hasn't seen Faith."

Outdoor Cafe

Oz wandered through the cafe, navigating students and the odd member of the teaching faculty in his quest for an empty table. Unfortunately, there was none to be had, forcing him to scan the eating student body for known faces who might give him space. Then something called to his senses, an irresistible and distinct silent howl from the depths of the forest. He knew the source before his eyes even fixed upon the location. Stubbornly he quelled the impulse inside him to join her, even though she held the only empty table in the place, with the impression that she had been waiting for him, even though she could have no idea that he would be entering the eatery.

Veruca looked up at him, noting his hesitation, ignoring and misunderstanding it. "What are you going to do, sit on the ground?" she mocked.

"My girlfriend's coming," Oz replied, the implication clear.

She shrugged, unconcerned. "There's room."

Reluctantly he sat down, his eyes unable to escape the sight of her rather large hamburger and basket of fries. "Big lunch?"

"I like to eat," Veruca replied. "I hate chicks who are like, 'does it have dressing on it?'"

Oz nodded. "Agreed. You guys were tight last night."

Again, she shrugged. "I guess. The set's starting to come together, but the amps still sound dirty to me."

"What are you using?" he asked her, glad of a safe topic. "50 or 120?"

"Hey," a voice remarked, one he knew well and loved, enough to realize the insecurity which possessed its tone right now. He stopped talking, as the already old tension grew around the table once more. "Hey."

Once more Veruca was oblivious, either by design or reality. "Hey."

"You want to sit down?" Oz asked Willow, trying desperately to sound causal, and aware that he was probably failing. "So, you should be using a 50. And Blue Voodoo, not your best bet, unless you dig the distort."

Willow found her seat, a part of her wishing she had surrendered to her first impulse to flee the scene, and resorted to her usual method whenever she felt uncomfortable. Babble. "Music talk, huh? Cool. I love to listen to Oz talk about the biz."

Veruca ignored her. "What do you like again? I know you told me."

"There's a couple good ones," Oz replied. "The Johnson Mil..."

The singer shook her head. "My number one is Redbone."

Oz looked at her incredulously. "Number one? No. I got to go with Hound Dog."

Willow heard the name and leapt at the chance to sound like she understood what they were talking about. "Me, too. That's a great song. I mean, Elvis, what a guy."

Bemused, Veruca smiled at Willow. "You a big Elvis fan?"

Failing to see the humor, Willow nodded. "The biggest. Well, I mean, after Dingoes, of course."

"We're actually talking amps," Oz explained, inwardly ashamed at how he had embarrassed her. "But it's easy to get confused, the names they give them."

"Oh," Willow uttered, lost. "Ha ha," she attempted unconvincingly.

Oz knew that Willow was beyond being unable to pick up on the energy and tension between him and Veruca. Anxious to reach some clarity himself on the issue, he did what he usually did when faced with an uncomfortable situation. "You know, I got to bail. Um, I'll call you later."

Veruca and Willow stared at each other, their differences evident and uncomfortable for both of them, causing Veruca to rise from her chair as well. "I should go, too. Good shirt."

Willow's feelings of embarrassment and foolishness increased tenfold. She glanced down at her pink and fuzzy top, wishing she had not picked that particular item of clothing to wear that morning, but before her mind could move on to the other feelings she had experienced just now, her loneliness was abruptly lessened.

"Check out the rapid exits," Buffy remarked brightly, trying to cheer her friend up from an encounter she knew would be difficult. "Was it me?"

"Me," Willow replied with a sigh as Buffy sat down. "I don't speak Musicianese. How come you didn't tell me I look like a crazy birthday cake in this shirt?"

Buffy frowned. "I thought that was the point."

"He thinks she's sexy," Willow continued. "He gets this blushy thing going on behind his ears. That's for me only."

Buffy reached across and took her hand. "It doesn't mean anything. So, Oz checks out another girl. He loves you."

"I know," Willow replied uncertainly. "I know. And I don't want to be the kind of girl who freaks every time my boyfriend notices somebody else. Even if she is throwing herself at him like a twenty-dollar ho…"

"Please. Ten-dollar ho. Fifteen, max," Buffy countered.

"I mean," Willow continued, "I have wrong feelings about other guys sometimes, but I feel guilty, and I flog and punish."

"Exactly," Buffy agreed. "I'm sure Oz is flogging and punishing himself. This is sounding wrong before I even finish. Look, I promise you, in a couple of days, it's going to be like 'Veruca who?'"

"You think?" Willow asked her hopefully."

Buffy nodded. "Absolutely. Oz just isn't the type to stray."

"Not tonight anyways. He'll be locked in a cage," Willow interjected.

November 29, 2001 – Thursday

Halliwell Manor

"Voila!" an apron clad Piper announced cheerily as she placed freshly baked croissants on the table, along with a jug of orange juice.

Leo smiled. "Oh, that looks great," he complemented. "Let's eat."

"Wait, where is everybody?" Piper asked with a frown, looking around the empty breakfast table.

Leo shrugged. "I don't know," he replied hurriedly. "Pass the croissants, please."

Piper handed the croissants to him then began pulling off her apron. "I don't understand. We were all supposed to eat together, you know to celebrate."

"Sisters and nieces," Leo sympathized then pointed to the butter. "Butter?"

Piper handed the butter to him as she turned toward the kitchen. "Faith! Buffy!" she yelled and then turned to the stairs. "Phoebe! Paige!" she yelled up as blue and white orbs formed in the air and Paige appeared crashing into Piper and knocking them both to the ground.

Piper rolled her eyes from her new place on the hardwood floor. "Paige," she whined turning onto her back.

Paige cringed as she pushed off of her sister and pulled Piper to her feet.

"Wait." Piper frowned. "Paige, did you orb in from another room?" she asked a smile forming.

"Yeah," Paige confirmed with a smile. "Obviously, the landing could still use a little work."

"You've been practicing this?" Piper questioned with a frown, one hand on her hip, the other on the back of Leo's chair.

Paige shrugged dismissively. "Yeah, I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure I could do it." She smiled then her eyes fell on the table. "Oh food!" she cried happily. "Thank god, I am starving."

"That's the orbing," Leo informed her as she took a seat. "Burns a lot of calories." Then he smirked up at Piper. "Why do you think I married a chef?"

Piper smiled briefly then turned her attention back to her sister, who was stuffing food into her mouth. "I can't believe your powers are already advancing. This is just another reason to celebrate!"

Paige nodded then snapped her fingers. "Leo, butter."

"Butter." He handed it over. "You should try the frittatas. They're great."

"You're both very welcome."

Paige turned to her sister apologetically. "Oh, thank you honey. I just want to eat fast so I can get to work on time for a change," she explained stuffing some frittata into her mouth.

Piper nodded. "Well, I understand but, still, it's not every day that we vanquish the Source of All Evil. I mean, the least you could do is wait for everyone else."

"Oh, don't bother," Phoebe announced as she jumped down the stairs, still in her pajamas. "Cole isn't here and all I need is a caffeine IV." She chuckled sitting at the table and pouring some coffee.

"Food!" Buffy exclaimed happily as she came around the corner from the kitchen. "Thank you, Piper." She grinned and kissed her cheek, falling into the chair beside Paige and grabbing a croissant, smiling at her when Paige handed her the butter.

Piper grinned. "Finally, the recognition I deserve," she gushed. "Thank you, Buffy."

"I aim to please," Buffy replied through a mouthful of buttery croissant.

"Where's your wife?" Paige asked, also through a mouthful of food.

Buffy grimaced. "Bathroom last I heard."

"Ew!" Paige cringed and Piper screwed up her face in disgust.

"Oh, poor Faith." Phoebe sympathized.

"Yeah, poor Faith," Faith agreed as she appeared next to Piper.

"Morning, honey!" Piper grinned, hoping that Faith would share her enthusiasm for celebrating.

Faith smiled at her then frowned. "Oh, good god!" she cried wrinkling her nose. "What is that smell?"

Piper's smile fell. "That would be breakfast," she answered deadpanned. "The breakfast that I made from scratch."

"Urgh!" Faith shuddered. "I can't eat any of that."

Phoebe glanced across the table at Paige to find her laughing silently too.

Faith turned to Piper. "I'm sorry, Aunt Piper, but I just…" she shook her head, "…I'm going to have some toast," she informed her aunt walking back toward the kitchen.

Piper rolled her eyes and grabbed Faith's hand, pulling her back. "I kind of figured you wouldn't be able to stomach all this so…" she reached forward and pulled a cloth off of the top of a basket in the center of the table to reveal a basket of toast, "…I made you toast."

Faith smiled, "Aww!" She grinned and kissed Piper's cheek. "Thanks, Aunt Piper." She snatched up a piece and took a bite. "Butter." She nodded happily and sat down beside Phoebe.

"What is the matter with you people?" Piper demanded tersely. "Our mortal enemy is gone, dead. Is there nobody else beside me happy about this?"

Faith swallowed quickly. "Oh me, I am," she announced. "I'm free and Prudence can be born into a Source-free world."

"Aww!" Phoebe squealed putting her hand on Faith's still-flat stomach. "Baby," she cooed leaning down.

Faith rolled her eyes. "Oh, Aunt Phoebe, stop it."

Paige jumped up and wrapped her arms around Piper from behind. "I'm thrilled too," she told her sister with a smile. "Thank you for the spread. Have a good day." She waved to the table then ran to the door.

Leo straightened suddenly. "I'm being summoned."

"What? Now? What do they want?" Piper demanded tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I don't know." Leo shrugged. "Maybe they just want to congratulate you guys," he suggested rising to his feet.

"But—"

"For the road." Leo nodded towards the croissant in his hand.

"Oh, Uncle Leo wait," Faith stopped him mid-orb, "Can you ask the Elders about Prudence using her powers from the womb?" she asked with a nervous chuckle.

Leo nodded. "You got it," he answered and then orbed out.

"Does he have to do that so brightly?" Phoebe winced, closing her eyes against the light.

"I got to go too," Buffy stood up and walked around the table to her wife. "I'll call you later," she told Faith with a kiss.

"You don't have to check up on me!" Faith told Buffy.

Buffy looked at Faith with a lopsided grin, "Yeah I do. You've got our little girl in there." She pointed to Faith's stomach and winked.

Faith laughed as she watched Buffy disappear in a swirl of fiery flames.

Piper looked around the almost empty table dejectedly. "Well, that will teach me to try and be in a good mood," she quipped sadly dropping down into Leo's seat.

"Aw, Aunt Piper," Faith sympathized. "Don't say that, I like you in a good mood."

Piper smiled at her niece then turned to Phoebe. "What's the matter with you?"

Phoebe sighed looking depressed. "I don't know. I went to bed and I was…really happy, and then I woke up this morning and I just…" she shrugged shaking her head, "I had this horrible feeling about…Cole," she tried to explain yet not really understanding it herself.

Faith and Piper glanced quickly at one another upon hearing his name. "Cole?" Piper echoed; her voice gentle.

"Yeah." Phoebe nodded sadly. "It's kind of hard to explain. It feels like it's a premonition that's trying to come out but it never quite...does?" she frowned at her explanation and sighed, "But whatever it is, it's not a good thing."

"Well..." Piper said slowly, "That doesn't sound supernatural that sounds super normal. You've got cold feet." She shrugged, "Every bride-to-be does. Trust me, even I did."

Faith nodded. "Yeah, me too."

Phoebe smiled a little but a frown was still firmly in place. "Just like that though? Overnight?"

"Aunt Phoebe." Faith took her hand, "The only reason you haven't gotten married yet is because of the Source and, as Aunt Piper has so brilliantly pointed out, he's dead now." She smirked at her aunt who mock glared then turned back to Phoebe. "Which means you're that much closer to walking down that aisle."

Phoebe chuckled. "Uh!" she sighed resting her head on Faith's shoulder, "I don't know. It just, it feels like there's something else," she admitted seriously.

U.C. Sunnydale

Buffy heard the conversation taking place between Professor Walsh and Riley Finn as she wandered the halls that morning. She was seeking for one or either of them concerning her forthcoming discussion group.

"Two of them," Walsh could be heard saying as Buffy came to a halt before them. "It was unbelievable. The fact that I survived at all is a miracle."

"Excuse me. Professor Walsh?" Buffy began, causing the professor to turn to her.

"I hope you are careful when you walk around campus after dark," Walsh remarked to the couple. "I was attacked by wild dogs last night."

Buffy's instincts became alive and active. "Wild dogs?"

Walsh nodded. "Two of them. Biggest things I've ever seen. The first one was- Well, for a moment, I thought it was a gorilla. My heart practically stopped. I know how it sounds. But crazy is my specialty…and I definitely saw what I saw."

"No, I believe you," Buffy informed the professor.

"Did you have a question, Buffy?" Riley questioned.

Leading a Psychology discussion group was now the furthest thing from Buffy's mind. "No. No, I was just…Saying howdy."

Fortunately, Walsh was oblivious to the retreat her pupil who was now hurriedly making. "Fine. See you in class."

Buffy walked away from the professor and teaching assistant, careful to keep her pace as unconcerned and unhurried as possible until she was out of their sight. When she rounded the corner, she disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames.

Underworld

Cole appeared in the Source's lair amidst burning flames. "How did I get here?" he growled; his eyes fixed on the Seer.

"The Source's magic brought you," she replied calmly walking toward him. "I see you accepting that very soon—"

Cole clamped his hand around her neck tightly. "You never told me I'd become the Source if I helped vanquish him!"

"Don't be naïve," the Seer chastised, unaffected by the squeezing hand around her neck. "I told you of my vision. Of you and I doing great things together. This is just the beginning."

"Argh!" Cole cried, releasing his hold on her and falling to his knees.

"You cannot change your fate," the Seer told him, cupping his face with her hands. "As you can see, the evil within you won't allow it."

"I'll fight it," Cole argued. "I'll kill it. I'll find a way."

"There is no way!" the Seer exclaimed, releasing him. "If you weren't clinging to the love for your witch so vigorously, it would have overtaken you by now." She moved behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "But it's only a matter of time. And after the Source has fully assimilated you, his power will protect you, shield you from her premonitions. That we can wait for." She slowly rose to her feet, eyes troubled. "Unfortunately, with Kurzon, we cannot."

Cole stumbled to his feet also and turned to her. "Kurzon?"

The Seer looked at him. "The underworld's in chaos. The Source is presumed dead, and Kurzon will attempt to fill that void," she explained heatedly. "We must stop him, or you'll never reclaim the throne."

"I don't want the throne." Cole turned and walked away from her.

"You will," the Seer assured him knowingly. "But at the moment, you're not strong enough to vanquish Kurzon. The Charmed Ones, however, are."

Cole scoffed turning back. "And what? You expect them to just go after him?"

"No." The Seer shook her head. "I expect to make Kurzon think they will so he'll retaliate. And I expect you to make sure the witches are prepared to vanquish him before he can vanquish them."

"I won't do your bidding, Seer," Cole seethed, his eyes hard. "You can't force me."

"Perhaps not," the Seer agreed. "But the Source can." She smiled as Cole was engulfed in flames.

Giles' Apartment

Buffy flamed in front of Giles and found him at his desk watching Jeopardy. He looked up at her. "Buffy, what's wrong?" he asked as he turned off the TV.

"Professor Walsh was telling her TA that she got attacked by two wild dogs last night," Buffy replied as she and Faith stepped up to him.

Giles slipped into watcher mode; the implications inescapable to him as well. "Werewolves? Two of them?"

Buffy nodded. "Could be."

"I didn't see anything about attacks in the paper or on the news," he informed her. "Have you spoken to Oz?"

"He's my next stop," Buffy answered.

"Yes. Get right on that. And I'll see what I can find out," Giles said as Buffy started to flame out with Faith. "And you'll report back to me—" he said stopping them mid-flame.

"ASAP. Promise," Buffy answered as she disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames.

Halliwell Manor

Cole flamed into the upstairs bathroom of the Manor, reaching out to steady himself by the shower. He walked toward the mirror, bracing himself against the sink and stared at his reflection: the pasty skin, the dark bags, eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot: he didn't look like himself. The Source was growing stronger, he could feel him taking over and nothing Cole could do would stop him.

Cole drew in a deep breath then turned to the door, wrenching it open.

"Whoa!" Phoebe gasped as she rounded the corner and found him.

"Sorry."

"I didn't hear you come home," Phoebe stated looking him up and down.

"I just…got back," he explained.

"From where?" Phoebe questioned.

"I had to uh…get out of the house for a while, you know?" Cole replied with a shrug.

"No, actually I don't know," Phoebe corrected him shaking her head, arms crossed defensively over her chest. "Do we need to talk?" she asked tersely.

Cole sighed. "Phoebe I—" he paused not knowing what to say then cringed, clutching his head in pain. "Damn it."

"What's the matter?" Phoebe asked, reaching out to him.

"It's nothing." Cole shook her off. "It's just a migraine. I got to go." He walked past her.

"Cole, where are you—Cole!" Phoebe called after him but he kept on walking and she exhaled sharply.

"What's the matter?" Faith asked looking back in the direction of Cole.

"I wish I knew," Phoebe told her frustrated then turned and walked away.

Restfield Cemetery

When Buffy and Faith flamed into the crypt they saw Oz welding a sturdy new hinge onto the cage door.

"Got out, huh?" Buffy asked as Oz turned to look at her and Faith.

"Yeah…Any news about attacks?" Oz asked.

"No," Faith answered. "But we did hear about a person being chased by two wild dogs."

"Two? Really?" Oz said in surprise as he looked at them.

Buffy and Faith saw a glimpse of fear cross his face. "You don't remember anything like that, do you?" Buffy asked. "Another wolf?"

Oz shook his head. "As soon as the change comes. I'm gone. It's like a total blackout."

"Must be spooky," Buffy admitted.

Oz nodded. "It is," he confessed as he turned back to the cage. "Do me a favor?"

"Sure," Buffy and Faith agreed.

"One of you give this thing a go," Oz asked hoping it would hold.

Faith waved at Buffy who gave the cage a few good hits and kicks. "Seems good to me...If I find werewolf number 2 on patrol tonight…you may have a roomie," she said teasingly.

"Thanks," Oz said.

"Oz?" Buffy interjected "Are you alright? If possible, you seem even more monosyllabic than usual."

"I'm okay. Thanks," Oz said.

November 30, 2001 – Friday

South Bay Social Services

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Cowan?" Paige asked sweetly entering the office of her boss.

Mr. Cowan glanced up briefly, not really looking at her and replied, "Yes." He finished scribbling his signature and stood to his feet. "I'm…going to miss you Paige."

The words threw Paige momentarily and she stared at him before quickly coming to her senses and going on the defense. "I know I was late yesterday morning. I won't be anymore," she assured him quickly. "In fact, I found a way to get here in the blink of an eye."

"I'll miss you as an assistant," Mr. Cowan spoke over her, cutting off the rest of her defense. "Because I'm promoting you, to social worker," he told her with a smile.

Paige stared at him with bright eyes, a large grin splitting her face. "Thank you so much! That's so amazing!" she gushed excitedly, the gratefulness shinning in her eyes. "I am sticking to that not-being-late thing, by the way," she added as insurance.

Mr. Cowan chuckled. "You don't have to worry. You'll have a flexible work schedule now."

"Uh…wow that, that just caught me off guard." Paige admitted stunned. "I mean I thought Scott was next in line for the promotion. He has been here longer," she pointed out with a slight crease of her brow.

Mr. Cowan nodded his head. "It was a tough call, but after you helped Carolyn Selden, I couldn't pass you over," he explained with a smile.

Paige's face fell at his words. "Carolyn."

"You worked a miracle with her," Mr. Cowan commented clearly impressed.

"Not that I'm complaining but uh…my promotion isn't based solely on her case, is it?" Paige asked sheepishly.

Mr. Cowan looked at her carefully. "Well, if you're asking me whether Carolyn's case helped tip the scales in your favor, then the answer is yes."

Paige felt the guilt seep through her as she turned to look back at Scott.

Mr. Cowan, seeing this, mistook her guilt for apprehension and tried to ease her mind. "I already told Scott if that's what you're worried about."

"This is personal gain," Paige told herself quietly, fidgeting with her hands.

"Excuse me?"

Paige shook herself and looked back at her boss. "Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Cowan." She forced a smile and then left his office.

"Congratulations, Paige." Scott stopped her with his words and kind smile.

"Thanks Scott." She smiled at him and the guilt intensified.

With a heavy sigh Paige slumped down in her chair and dropped her head into her hands, the guilt giving her a headache.

Streets of Sunnydale

Buffy was walking down the main street when she spotted Willow walking down the other side of the street. She could instantly tell something was wrong with her friend.

Willow oblivious to surroundings stepped off the sidewalk directly into the path of an oncoming car.

Buffy started to run toward Willow, but she was sadly too far away and the sidewalks were crowded for her to flame without exposing she was a witch. "Willow!" she cried.

At the sound of Buffy's voice, Willow turned around. She didn't see the car barreling down on her, seconds before she his hit by the car Riley appeared and jerked back to the safety of the sidewalk. Stunned, she looked up at Riley, who still held her. "Willow? Are you okay?" he asked.

Willow just looked at him before finally shaking her head. Buffy ran up beside them and looked at Riley gratefully. "Thank you. I was too far away—" Buffy informed him.

"It was lucky. She almost got…" Riley said as he smiled at Buffy.

Buffy turned to face her friend. "Willow," she said looking in Willow's eyes. "What's the matter?" she asked, but receiving no answer from the redheaded witch.

"Maybe you should get her home," Riley suggested as Buffy nodded. He glanced at Willow kindly. "Whatever it is, be more careful, okay? I promise it's not worth hurting yourself over."

Willow barely nodded as Buffy herded her away. Buffy mouthed a silent "Thank you" to Riley before they rounded the corner and disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames.

Halliwell Manor

Phoebe stood behind the Book of Shadows, its worn and aging pages opened to the page on Belthazor. She stared down at the picture, tracing the words and the face with her fingers, lost in her whirlwind of thoughts.

"What are you doing up here?" Piper's voice tore Phoebe abruptly from her thoughts.

"Nothing," Phoebe answered looking over at her sister. "Just thinking." She shrugged her shoulders and leaned heavily against the book.

"About…?" Piper coaxed walking toward her sister, pretty certain she knew the answer already.

"Cole," Phoebe responded reluctantly, standing up straight.

Piper nodded her head as she came to a stop directly in front of Phoebe, on the other side of the book. Piper peered down at the open page. "He's a human now, you're not going to find the answers you're looking for in that book," she pointed out gently.

"Well, I better find them somewhere because I'm starting to get scared," Phoebe informed her with blunt honesty.

"Well, of course you're scared," Piper agreed knowingly. "Getting married is a huge step."

Phoebe sighed, her eyes falling closed. "I know that. It just feels like it's more than that," she repeated, opening her eyes again.

Piper looked to the floor then back up to her sister. "Have you tried talking to him?"

Phoebe nodded. "Yes, of course I have. He just keeps avoiding me, like he used to when he was…" She looked down and stabbed at the picture of Belthazor.

Piper shook her head. "Belthazor is dead. Cole's just a man now," she reminded her seemingly lost little sister. "A man that you love more than anything else in the world?" She narrowed her eyes as her statement grew into a question.

Phoebe nodded. "I know. So then why am I so damn confused all of a sudden?" she asked desperately. "It's killing me."

Piper bit her inner cheek as she debated with herself silently. "Maybe, you're right," she said eventually and Phoebe frowned questioningly. "Maybe you do need the book," she suggested as a pale-faced Faith entered the attic.

"So much for my breakfast," Faith rolled her eyes as she stopped next to Piper and gave her a sideways glance. "Pregnancy sucks by the way," she threw in seriously and a smile pulled at Piper's lips.

Phoebe kept her eyes focused on Piper, who was staring at the book suggestively.

Faith glanced between her two aunts and her eyes narrowed suspiciously, "What did I miss?" she asked.

Piper's eyes flickered to Phoebe's, "What good is being a witch if you can't use a little magic when you're hurting," she elaborated with a casual shrug and Faith's eyes narrowed further.

Phoebe's eyes bulged and a smile twisted her lips, "I cannot believe that you're suggesting that."

"Neither can I," Faith agreed, folding her arms across her chest. "What's going on?"

Piper turned her head. "Phoebe's a little lost," she explained calmly. "And I am merely suggesting the path of…magical assistance." She shrugged again, very nonchalant.

Faith scoffed in disbelief. "Wow, Aunt Piper, that's very…unlike you," she pointed out, Piper shrugged again. "Wouldn't that fall under the personal gain column?" she queried. "Something that was one of the first things Buffy and I learned never to do."

"She can just word the spell properly—carefully," Piper answered quickly. "She should know how to avoid it by now."

Phoebe squinted at her sister and niece then waved her hands in the air. "Uh…hey? Hi." She smiled when they turned to her. "Remember me? Phoebe: the topic of your conversation."

Piper sighed, folding her arms. "C'mon, Faith," she encouraged. "What's better than asking her heart for the answer?" she asked and could see the wheels turning in her niece's head. "Hmm?"

"Alright," Faith agreed as she turned to Phoebe, "Just be careful, Aunt Phoebe," she pleaded and Phoebe nodded.

"Be pure," Piper added with raised eyebrows. "Ask your heart and then listen. You'll get your answer."

Phoebe nodded again and smiled at her sister and niece. "Thank you."

Piper and Faith smiled back at her then turned toward the door.

"Just don't tell Paige," Piper threw over her shoulder, slowing her pace. "We don't need her thinking she can do it too."

Phoebe watched Piper and Faith go, chuckling quietly to herself when she saw Faith elbow Piper pointedly.

"So where is Buffy today?" Piper asked knowing that Buffy only had one class early in the morning on Fridays.

"There was a werewolf sighting in Sunnydale," Faith answered. "She's trying to track it down. I'm on call should she need me, of course assuming…"

Piper nodded in understanding. "Assuming you can keep from rushing to the bathroom."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Paige came marching through the front door just as Piper and Faith came down the stairs, glaring at Piper, "I hate it when you're right," she huffed dumping her bag and shrugging off her coat.

"Really?" Piper grinned. "See I usually like it," she quipped and Paige rolled her eyes.

Paige slumped her shoulders. "Remember that spell I cast last week, the one to help Carolyn get her son back?" she asked glancing at her sister and niece. She bit her lip. "Well, it had a little side effect," she admitted reluctantly.

"What kind of side effect?" Faith questioned.

"The kind that gets me promoted," Paige answered cringing.

Piper raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips, while Faith looked down at the floor.

Paige held up her hands. "I know, I know personal gain. I've already beat myself up. You don't have to."

Piper nodded slowly then turned to her niece and stomped her foot, pointing an accusing finger. "This is your fault!" she said accusingly. "You are the one that told her to do it."

"It was helping an innocent," Faith countered as her head snapped up.

Paige looked past her sister and nieces as Kurzon flashed in behind them. "Demon!" she exclaimed loudly pushing them apart.

Faith and Piper spun around as Kurzon formed a high voltage energy ball in the palm of his hand releasing it toward them. Piper dashed forward and knocked Faith to the ground as Paige deflected the attack.

"Energy ball!" Paige called and it appeared in a flurry of lights. She threw it back toward its creator who dodged it effortlessly, a vase taking the hit instead.

Kurzon formed another one and threw it toward Paige who cried out in panic, orbing out of the line of fire. Kurzon growled to himself and released a third at Piper and Faith.

Faith threw up her hand and shot two fireballs, one intersected the energy ball and they exploded in mid-air. The other struck his shoulder yet leaving no wound behind. Her eyes widened in shock just as Paige reappeared in mid-air, falling to the ground in a heap.

Piper glanced quickly at Paige then back to the intruder. "Enough of this. Bye-bye." She threw up both hands, flicking her wrists purposefully.

Kurzon shattered, the pieces circling the black mist before fusing back together again.

Faith gasped, her eyes bulging further, pointing at the demon. "Oh!"

"Uh-oh," Piper muttered, rubbing her neck nervously.

"Three witches!" Kurzon fumed incredulous, eyes bouncing between the three of them. "Damn her!" he cursed then shimmered out of sight.

"What the hell was that!" Faith cried angry as she got to her feet.

"Paige, you alright?" Piper asked turning to her youngest sister, deflated by her embarrassing botched landing.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Paige assured them as they pulled her from the floor. "Just my ego's a little bruised, that's all."

Faith looked Paige over carefully while Piper shook her head. "That was odd," Piper observed with a frown.

"Yeah," Paige nodded her agreement.

"I think odd is an understatement," Faith drawled as she brushed herself off, satisfied that Paige really was fine.

"Leo!" Piper called sharply and her husband instantly appeared.

"What happened?" he asked with a frown.

Paige lifted her shoulders casually. "Eh, same old. Demon tried to kill us."

"Yeah, a very powerful demon," Piper added, crossing her arms tightly. "Strangely Source-like. Can't we get a freaking' day off around here?"

"What the hell's going on, Uncle Leo?" Faith demanded, hands on her hips and ignoring her aunts rambling.

"This is why the Elders summoned me," Leo explained pointing to the ceiling. "The Source's death has created a power struggle in the underworld and killing the Charmed Ones and his chosen heir means direct ascension to the throne."

Piper scoffed loudly and shook her head.

"Great," Paige mumbled even more deflated than before.

"Huh, so vanquishing the Source meant nothing," Faith grumbled.

"Well, it meant a lot, actually," Leo corrected his niece. "It set back evil, decades but that doesn't mean it made the Charmed Ones any less of a target."

"Okay fine," Faith agreed dismissively. "But this demon didn't even seem to know who we all were…"

"Which I find incredibly insulting," Piper said seriously and Paige smirked in amusement.

"Well, he knows now, which means you better figure out who he is before he tries again," Leo advised them sternly.

"Attic?" Paige asked with a knowing smile.

U.C. Sunnydale

Willow had informed her friend about finding Veruca and Oz together in Oz's cage and that Veruca was a werewolf. She now sat on her bed in her dorm room, dry-eyed and shell-shocked.

"I have to go. I have to find Veruca before the sun sets," Buffy informed her as Willow nodded. "I will, though. And when I do this thing stops. She's bad news." She looked at her friend sympathetically. "Can I get you something before I take off? Kleenex? Chocolate-y chocolate anything?"

Willow shook her head. "No."

"I'll come back as soon as things are taken care of," Buffy informed her. "You just take it easy, okay?" she pleaded. "Riley was right. The main thing is to put the blame where it belongs. Don't hurt yourself." Willow took that in as she stood up. "Okay." She looked at Willow nervously. "You're okay?"

"I'm fine. Promise," Willow informed her friend as Buffy disappeared in fiery flames.

Halliwell Manor

Phoebe sat at the small table in the attic, the Book of Shadows directly in front of her, behind it their brass potion bowl, a lit candle to the right of that and a piece of paper with the question 'Should I marry Cole?' written on it in Phoebe's hand.

Phoebe drew in a deep breath and lifted the paper, scrunching it up as she rose to her feet. "My love is strong, my spirit weak," she began to chant holding the paper to the candles flame, burning it slowly. "It is an answer that I seek. A question burns within this fire, so I may hear my heart's desire." She dropped the paper into the bowl as her sisters, nieces and Leo entered the attic.

"Phoebe? We have a—" Piper's voice was silenced by a small explosion from inside the bowl.

Phoebe jumped in fright, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the hue of smoke clouding it then turned to her sisters and nieces.

"Phoebe?" Paige questioned with a frown. Her attention, however, was drawn from her sister toward the two tornado type winds appearing in the center of the room, behind said sister.

Phoebe frowned at the expressions of her sisters and nieces faces then turned back around, her eyes widening at the sight of two new arrivals.

"What? What's going on?" the old woman demanded fiercely, her eyes scanning her new surroundings while the young girl at her side merely stared at the adults around her. "How did I get here?" the woman demanded further; her voice hard.

"That is an excellent question," Faith stated.

"Oh my god, what have you done?" the woman addressed Phoebe clearly disappointed.

Phoebe flinched at the accusation. "Me? What—" she shuffled backwards toward her sisters and nieces slowly. "Who, who are you?" she demanded pointing to the old woman.

"What's the matter?" the old woman asked condescendingly as she approached Phoebe. "Don't you recognize me?" she asked her and Phoebe stared blankly. "I'm you," she revealed, "Phoebe."

"Phoebe?" the young girl echoed shakily. "That's my name too."

"Oh-oh my god," Faith said in a low chuckle glancing at Paige whose shoulders were shaking in silent laughter.

Piper stared at the three Phoebe's with wide eyes, chewing on her lip nervously, knowing that this was partly her fault.

Phoebe rigidly turned to face her sisters and nieces. "Oh boy," she muttered glancing back at herself…times two.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Who-who are you people?" the terrified young-Phoebe asked, her voice quivering as she backed away from the looming strangers. "And, how did I get up here?"

"You don't have to be scared of us honey," Phoebe assured her gently. "Everything is going to be okay."

Young-Phoebe stared at her with wide eyes which occasionally shifted to the women standing behind her, still wary.

Phoebe bit her lip turning to Faith and Piper on her left. "Any ideas?" she asked through clenched teeth.

Faith held up her hands. "Oh no, it's your spell, Aunt Phoebe. Don't look at me."

Phoebe cut her eyes to Piper's. "You know, Piper, this was your idea."

"Excuse me?" Paige gawked incredulous.

Piper waved dismissively in Paige's direction. "Sorry?" she tried shrugging her shoulders and Phoebe sighed heavily.

"You, you might want to stop her before she climbs out the window," Old-Phoebe's shrill voice interrupted their moment of panic and they all turned to see young-Phoebe, indeed, attempting to climb out the attic window.

Phoebe raced toward her, grabbing the girl's waist. "Sweetie, hi. Come here." She gently tugged on the girl's jeans, guiding her back inside, closing the window and locking it. "Look, hi." She smiled at her younger self. "I can explain," she assured her, holding the frightened girl's hands in her own. "You…are dreaming."

"Dreaming?" Faith repeated sounding extremely unimpressed.

"Yes." Phoebe turned to her niece glaring. "Dreaming," she reiterated through clenched teeth. "And…you are going to wake up in your room, and everything is going to be fine," she fed the girl her half-assed attempt at a terrible cover story and young-Phoebe was clearly not buying any of it.

Young-Phoebe shot her a forced smile and turned to her. "I'm 10, I'm not stupid," she snapped not amused and Phoebe's eyebrows rose. She dropped her hands and turned. "Grams!" she screamed as she ran from the attic, stomping loudly and passing Cole as she went.

Phoebe jumped at the sound, Piper covered her ears, Paige closed her eyes cringing and Buffy and Faith turned away from the sound attempting to block it out while Leo shook his head to clear it.

"Wow!" Piper drawled. "I do not miss that." She removed her hands from her ears and shook her head slightly.

"Yeah?" Faith asked turning to her. "How do you feel about a screaming infant?" she pointed out and Piper groaned.

"What's going on?" Cole asked as he entered the room further, glancing behind him every now and again, as if not quite sure he had actually seen a little girl race past him.

Old-Phoebe's eyebrows rose, her mouth falling open momentarily before she questioned, "Cole?"

Cole turned to her and frowned. "Who are you?" he snapped defensively.

Old-Phoebe hobbled right up to him, hatred shinning in her eyes. "Maybe this will refresh your memory." The sharp slap that followed her words resonated around the room, bouncing off the walls and back to the place from which it occurred. "You bastard!" she spat, her eyes boring holes into him.

Phoebe, who had cried out at the sound and turned away shielding her face with her hands, looked at her older self in pure horror, the shock hovering around her.

Piper glanced quickly at Paige and was unamused but not at all surprised to find Paige wearing a very large, very amused smile on her face.

"What—?" Phoebe blanched walking toward herself. "What was that all about?" she demanded glancing pointedly at Cole.

"Ask him!" Old-Phoebe snapped, sending another crippling glare his way.

"Maybe we should go look for little Phoebe," Leo suggested looking at his wife. "Before, she escapes into 2002."

"Yes, we will do that." Piper nodded then looked over at Phoebe. "You talk to your future self and fix this, fast."

"Future self?" Cole echoed, turning to his fiancé with confused eyes.

"What about the demon?" Leo reminded them.

"What demon?" Phoebe cried with wide eyes.

"Oh, we were attacked downstairs," Piper told her off-handedly.

"Paige and I will get on that," Faith assured them with a smile which slowly turned into a grimace.

"What?" Piper frowned.

"Damn it," Faith cursed turning to Paige pleadingly.

Paige's face contorted with disgust, "You're asking me to hold your hair, aren't you?"

Faith nodded quickly before dashing from the attic, hand covering her mouth, Paige following reluctantly behind her.

Piper shuddered. "Urgh! This is getting ridiculous."

"Imagine how Faith feels," Old-Phoebe snapped at them harshly and Phoebe's eyes widened.

"Uh…bye," Piper shot old-Phoebe a forced smile before she pushed her husband from the attic, eager to escape the woman's icy glares.

"You want to tell me how she got here?" Cole asked his fiancé but kept his eyes on old-Phoebe the entire time.

"I…cast a spell, to hear my heart's desire," Phoebe explained slowly. "And…I guess my past self and my future self showed up to help me listen."

Cole glanced at her quickly then returned his gaze to old-Phoebe. "And what desire did you want to hear?"

"Well, that's between me and…" Phoebe turned to herself slightly afraid and disturbed by what she saw looking back, "…me. Come on," she instructed to herself making for the door.

Old-Phoebe smirked at Cole as she passed. "Worried?"

Faith and Paige re-entered the attic as the two Phoebe's left, Paige glanced at Cole carefully as they walked by.

Paige glanced at her niece who shrugged as she turned some pages. "Dude maybe you can help," she addressed her future brother-in-law. "We're looking for a demon who can reconstitute himself like the Source," she explained glancing behind her once then looking over her Faith's shoulder. "Anyone come to mind?" she asked as Cole flamed out behind them.

Faith rolled her eyes at the silence. "Cole?" she called whipping around to find him gone.

Paige frowned. "Huh. That's…weird."

Faith's hands moved to her hips and her face hardened. "Yeah…weird."

U.C. Sunnydale

"You haven't seen her around?" Oz said into the phone just as Buffy appeared in a swirl of fiery flames. "Okay. Thanks man," he said as he hung up the phone.

"Where is she?" Buffy asked, getting right to the point of her visit.

Oz shrugged. "I don't know. I already tried her usual haunts," he informed her. "But I know the areas we're drawn to, and I'm pretty sure I can follow her scent."

"We'll try that, then," Buffy agreed.

"Look," Oz interjected. "You should just know that—"

"Oz," Buffy cut in. "This might be a good time for your trademark stoicism."

Oz took that in as he nodded.

Underworld

"Welcome back," the Seer smirked as Cole flamed back into the lair.

"I didn't want to come back," Cole informed her honestly.

"And yet you have," the Seer turned to him with a sly smile. "The Source is getting stronger in you."

"I've got him under control," Cole lied as he approached her slowly.

"Or is it the other way around?" the Seer suggested knowingly. "There must be something he wants you to tell me."

"Maybe it's that your plan is going to fail," Cole spat darkly. "Because he knows Phoebe's conjured up her own way of seeing into the future."

The Seer tilted her head questioningly.

"Her future self," Cole elaborated. "Somebody who'll be all too willing to tell her what I can't."

The Seer stared at him unblinkingly.

"What's the matter?" Cole sneered. "You didn't see that coming?"

The Seer turned away sharply. "I don't need to see the future to know about good witches," she informed him calmly as she lit the last of several candles. "They're overly cautious by nature. Her future self will be too afraid to say anything that might make things worse for her and her sisters. She'll preserve the future," she said certainly.

"How do you know?" Cole challenged her and the Seer turned to him sharply.

"I've been a Seer longer than you've been the Source," she answered simply. "You'll learn to trust my instincts."

"I'm not the Source," Cole corrected her.

"But you will be very soon," the Seer countered. "It's your destiny!"

Cole lurched forwards, grabbing her roughly. "My destiny is to be with Phoebe! I won't change that and neither will this thing inside of me!"

"Your love won't be enough to save you in the end," the Seer revealed to him, her gaze in his, unwavering and with no hint of fear.

Cole stared at her in disbelief, dropping his arms to his sides heavily.

"You'll see," she added quietly then her eyes flared. "Kurzon will be attacking them again very soon, this time more prepared! You better hurry back if you want them to survive."

Cole glared at her stoically then flamed out once again.

Halliwell Manor

Phoebe and her much older self were situated in her bedroom but old-Phoebe was doing everything in her power to avoid the reason she was there. She watched her as she approached the bed, chuckling lowly to herself as she caught sight of the garment on the bed.

"The good old days," Old-Phoebe smirked holding the barely there item of clothing up against her and Phoebe smiled. She looked at her younger self with disapproving eyes. "Of course, nobody's going to take you seriously until you stop dressing like a tramp!" She threw the garment back on the bed distastefully.

"A tramp?" Phoebe's eyes bulged incredulous. "That is so in right now."

"Oh, you'll learn," Old-Phoebe told her knowingly as she walked to the side of the bed and picked up Phoebe's photo album.

"Learn what?" Phoebe question, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at her older self's silence.

"Aww." Old-Phoebe smiled from her place on the bed. "Look at us. We had such promise."

"Okay. What do you mean?" Phoebe demanded fearfully her older self's words no longer angering her only scaring her. "Does something bad happen to me? I, I mean us?"

Old-Phoebe remained silent as she flipped through the album's pages slowly.

"Okay, you know what?" Phoebe snapped walking towards her. "I don't have time for games." She snatched the album away. "There is a demon—"

"Don't talk to me about demons!" Old-Phoebe cut her off. "I know plenty about demons."

"Okay," Phoebe relented, her anger gone. "Then please tell me what you know about Cole. Look, I'm about to marry him and I have this…really bad feeling. Do you remember feeling like that?"

Old-Phoebe sighed. "I remember," she actually answered for once and Phoebe felt hope stir. She shook her head. "But I won't change the past."

"No but this isn't the past, this is the present," Phoebe corrected desperately, feeling her hope start to dwindle.

"But it's my past," Old-Phoebe pointed out. "And I intend to keep it that way."

"You know, I already saw you slap him across the face," Phoebe reminded her with raised eyebrows. "So that's a pretty big coming attraction for my life, don't you think?"

"That was between him and me."

"I know but you are me!" Phoebe exclaimed incredulous. "I, I, you…" she stuttered and old-Phoebe's eyebrows rose expectantly. She sighed. "Oh, okay…can you give me a little hint, you know?" she tried innocently. "Do, do you guys get divorced? Does he um…does he cheat on you? Did you ever…get married?"

"What makes you think we aren't married in the future?" Old-Phoebe questioned with a smirk.

"Because there's no wedding ring on your finger," Phoebe pointed out sadly.

Old-Phoebe's face visibly fell as she stroked the naked finger longingly.

"Please tell me what happened," Phoebe begged, looking the older woman in the eyes. "Look the spell wouldn't have worked if you weren't allowed to tell me," she tried to reason with a smile.

"I didn't need a spell to decide what to do," Old-Phoebe answered instead and Phoebe sighed dejectedly all hope officially shattered. "You must make this decision without using magic, just like I did."

"Yeah, and that worked really well for us, I see," Phoebe jibed and Old-Phoebe turned away.

"Just ask Leo to send me back as soon as possible," Old-Phoebe demanded, not looking at her younger self.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Phoebe suggested, deciding to be as difficult as herself.

"Because I'm staying here, out of the path of history," she explained leaving no room for arguments. "And don't argue with me. We both know that when our minds made up, there's no changing it."

Phoebe scoffed quietly at that statement. "Yeah," she said as she walked out of the room passing Faith.

Faith watched as Phoebe headed down the stairs and then entered Phoebe's bedroom. "I don't want to know details," she said looking at Old-Phoebe who turned to look at her. "I would just like to know that she's okay."

"I shouldn't, Faith," Old-Phoebe answered as she looked at her niece. She was torn between preserving her timeline or protecting Faith, especially after everything Faith had gone through up to that point. "But Prudence is fine. In my time you and Buffy are grandmothers."

"Thanks," Faith said as she smiled at the older woman. She turned and walked out of the room.

Old-Phoebe sighed. "As fine as she can be as the heir of the Source."

Woods of Sunnydale

Oz and Buffy, armed with a tranquilizer gun, walked through the woods. The light was growing gold and soft as the end of the day neared. Oz stopped and sniffed. "This way," he said leading her in a set direction.

Halliwell Manor

"Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily life is but a dream." Young-Phoebe was hiding behind one of the large plants in the living room, fingers in her ears defiantly ignoring the two adults attempting to talk to her as she sang the same rhyme over and over and over again, drowning out their voices.

"Honey, you've got to listen to me," Piper tried to speak over the incessant singing but young-Phoebe was just as stubborn as her older self. "We're just trying to help," she tried one more tim., "Oh-oh, oh!" she snapped up straight and turned her back to her infuriating younger sister.

"She's your sister," Leo pointed out, arms crossed, smirk in place.

"Yeah, don't remind me," Piper grated out as the singing continued on.

Phoebe entered the room, album in hand and cringed. "Having a little trouble with young-Phoebe?"

"Yeah, enough to make me reconsider having children!" Piper snapped seriously and Phoebe narrowed her eyes while Leo looked momentarily panicked. "Maybe we should just lie to her again."

"No." Phoebe shook her head. "I think I have an idea." She turned to her younger self who removed her fingers from her ears and pointed a dangerous finger.

"Stay away from me or I'll sick Prue on you," the little girl threatened darkly and Phoebe's eyebrows rose as she straightened back up.

"Oh-oh, yeah, don't go there," Piper advised shaking her head slowly.

Phoebe bit her lip then tried again but younger Phoebe kept moving about hiding herself from view, until the little girl came out at the other side of the plant. "Phoebe, listen to me," she said in the kindest voice she possessed. "I know that this is scary, but I promise you, you are safe in this house. In your house," she corrected herself then frowned. "Our house." She chuckled smiling at her younger self who still looked afraid.

Phoebe got down on one knee next to the little girl and took her hand/ "You know how Grams talks about magic all the time?" she asked her. "And she likes to say that anything is possible just as long as you believe in it?"

"Yes," Young-Phoebe replied in a quiet, shaky voice.

"Well, that's what happened," Phoebe explained simply and honestly. "Magic brought you here, to your future. See that girl right there?" Phoebe asked pointing at Piper who gave her a small wave. "That is Piper, all grown up."

Young-Phoebe looked at her with wide eyes just as Buffy entered the room.

"Yeah." Phoebe nodded. "And that is her husband, Leo," she added pointing to her brother-in-law.

Young-Phoebe's eyes widened further and her mouth fell open slightly.

"Mm-hm." Phoebe nodded again. "And I am..."

"Me?"

"Yeah." Phoebe nodded as Faith rounded the corner.

"There you are," Faith said looking at Piper and Leo, then caught sight of little Phoebe next to her. "Oh hi." She smiled down at the young girl then looked to Piper. "Guess she came around huh?"

"Yeah, to herself," Piper growled still irked by the incessant rhyming.

Young-Phoebe stared up at the new face scrutinizing her. She leaned away, closer to herself and asked quietly. "Who's that lady?"

Faith's eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"

Phoebe smiled. "Her name is Faith. Guess whose little girl she is?"

"Prue's?" Young-Phoebe answered.

"That's right," Phoebe agreed. "She's Prue's daughter. And do you know who her daddy is."

Young-Phoebe frowned not understanding how she could possibly know that until older-Phoebe wiggled her eyebrows and young-Phoebe gawked. "Andy!" she gasped mouth falling open at Phoebe's nod of confirmation.

Young-Phoebe turned to Faith, who nodded too, then proceeded to squeal loudly and threw her arms around her future niece. "I knew it!" Young-Phoebe exclaimed happily. "I knew they would get married. I told Prue! I told Prue!" she chanted excitedly.

Faith glanced up at Piper and Phoebe and then quickly hid the sad look that crossed her face for Young Phoebe's benefit.

"You want to know something else?" Phoebe asked her younger self, happy and relieved to see the girl so open and unafraid.

Young-Phoebe turned slightly to look at herself questioningly.

Phoebe leaned closer, whispering like it was a secret, "She's having a baby."

Young-Phoebe's eyes widened and her arms tightened around Faith's waist as she turned back to her, "Really?"

"Mm-hm." Faith replied with a smile.

Young-Phoebe's mouth fell open, "Whoa, you're going to be a mommy," she said more to herself than Faith.

"Do you want to know something else?" Faith asked as Young-Phoebe nodded. "My baby's name is going to be Prudence."

"For Prue?" Young-Phoebe questioned as Faith nodded.

Phoebe tapped the girl's shoulder and held out the photo album, "Do you remember this?" she asked her. "Daddy sent it to you and me for Christmas."

Young-Phoebe's eyes lit up and she released her hold on Faith. "My album!" she gasped happily.

"Yeah. Except it starts with pictures of you…" Phoebe showed her some pages then flipped nearer the end, "…and ends with pictures of me. Why don't you go take that over there and look at it?" she suggested and little Phoebe scampered off. She sighed tiredly as Faith pulled her up.

"Nicely done," Leo praised and Phoebe smiled proudly.

"At least I could get through to one of my selves," Phoebe said slowly, frowning in frustration.

"Having problems with geriatric you?" Piper quipped with a smile and Phoebe folded her arms.

"Yes?" Faith questioned suddenly, eyebrows arched delicately and they all looked to Piper's right side where young-Phoebe was standing.

Young-Phoebe held out one hand to Faith. "Come look with me," she requested but it was more of an order with big, brown puppy-dog eyes thrown in too.

Piper laughed loudly while Phoebe looked at herself like she had been waiting for it to happen.

"Phoebe used to cling to Prue and since your Prue's daughter…" Piper stage whispered as Faith passed by, being pulled by the girl to the couch.

"Okay, I know that woman up there is me when I'm old…" Phoebe stated jumping back on topic. "But there is nothing familiar about her. I don't know how I got so…"

"Bitter," Piper jibed with a smirk.

Phoebe sighed. "Mean."

"She doesn't have any idea how to reverse the spell?" Leo asked casually.

"No, she doesn't even remember casting it," Phoebe informed them aggravated. "How does that happen?"

"Well, the future changes with every choice we make," Leo explained. "Some choices change it more than others. All that matters is that she…" he pointed to young-Phoebe sitting on the couch next to Faith enthusiastically going through the album, "…is here for a reason. They both are."

Phoebe shook her head searchingly. "Yeah, but why? What's the reason?"

"To…help you listen to your heart," Piper suggested with a pointed stare.

"And until you do, they won't return to their times," Leo finished.

Phoebe lifted her shoulders helplessly. "Well, then I don't think they're ever going to, because old-Phoebe is not letting go of this grudge about Cole."

"Talking about me?" Cole smirked as he joined the small group.

Young-Phoebe turned at the sound of his voice, leaning across Faith to see by Piper and gasped. "Oh, my, gosh!" She stared at him with wide eyes then smiled. "Who are you?"

Faith gawked at the 10-year-old going gooey eyed at the sight of a much older man.

Phoebe approached herself, nudging Piper down a bit. "That guy is Cole. He's our fiancé." She wiggled her ring finger with a smile.

"Wait!" Young-Phoebe gasped. "You mean, he's our prince?"

Phoebe turned to Cole who shrugged lightly and nodded, pretty pleased with that flattering description.

"The one who sweeps us off our feet?" Young-Phoebe continued dreamily.

"Prince?" Piper laughed loudly, tucking her hair behind one ear.

"Hardly," Faith added, also laughing loudly.

Phoebe slapped Piper's thigh then swatted Faith's arm, "She's talking about 'Cinderella'. That was my favorite story when I was growing up." She smiled at herself. "I can't believe that I forgot about that."

"Well, maybe that's why she's here, to help you remember." Leo smiled at her and Phoebe grinned.

"Don't you think you should help Paige find out who the um…" Cole cleared his throat, "…visitor who dropped in was, before he drops in again?"

Faith gasped loudly, her eyes widening, "Crap, Aunt Paige!" she cursed. "I forgot about her, I said I'd be right back." She cringed then smacked Young-Phoebe lightly. "Can you move, Aunt Phoebe," she asked Young-Phoebe who was snapped back to reality as she tore her gaze from Cole and turned to pout at Faith.

"But we never got to finish looking," Young-Phoebe declared snatching up the photo album. "Can't you stay?" she pleaded with big doe eyes.

Faith smiled and kissed Young-Phoebe's head as the young girl slid off her lap. "I'm sure Prince Charming, will finish with it you." She rolled her eyes, sarcasm dripping from her words. She grabbed Piper's hand as she passed, pulling her along.

Phoebe stood up and kissed Cole's cheek. "Keep her company."

Cole nodded. "Sure," he agreed sounding anything but. He looked over at the girl to find her staring at him with that same dreamy expression from before. "Hi," he said stiffly looking at her uncomfortably.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Paige smiled proudly at her sisters and niece from across the small table in the attic as she swiveled the book around to face them.

"That's him!" Faith and Piper exclaimed together as Phoebe quickly scanned the page herself before reading it aloud.

"Kurzon is an enemy of the Source who was banished from the underworld for inciting a failed coup," Phoebe read then stood straight with a frown. "I don't understand. Why didn't they just kill him?"

"Probably because it's not that easy to do," Leo answered her. "You guys are going to need the Power of Three."

"So, if he's an enemy of the Source, doesn't that make him our ally?" Paige questioned with a shrug.

"No." Faith shook her head. "He's still evil."

"He's just a different kind of evil," Piper added from her side.

"Yes, but evil enough for the Source to banish him," Faith continued. "Which means he must have posed some sort of a threat to his power which…is unsettling,"

The room fell silent as terrified screams could be heard floating up from downstairs and everyone froze.

"Phoebe," Phoebe whispered and the group took off towards the stairs.

Woods of Sunnydale

"She's right near here. I can smell her," Oz said as he and Buffy were continuing their hunt.

"Or the dirty pile of clothes she left lying on the ground," Buffy said as she spotted a pile of clothes on the ground.

Oz walked over beside her. "They could be from the other night when she—" he started as Buffy shot him a warning look, "—turned into a werewolf."

"Unless she wanted to throw you off the scent," Buffy said suggested.

It was then that they both realized as they looked at each other what Veruca was after. "Willow," Oz said as he took off running back toward campus.

Buffy was about to flame out when several guys in camo slammed into her sending her sprawling.

Halliwell Manor

Young-Phoebe stood frozen in front of the couch; her eyes fixed on the strange man across the room.

Kurzon formed an energy back, sneering at the young girl whose eyes rolled to the back of her head promptly fainting, her body falling to the couch.

"No!" Cole yelled as Kurzon released the energy ball in her direction. He moved in front of its path, the attack striking his chest. He stumbled back onto a chair, the energy ball having no effect on him at all. "Leave the girl alone," he growled, glaring at Kurzon.

"Belthazor?" Kurzon questioned, thrown by the demon's presence. "I thought you were dead."

Cole stood straight, moving one hand behind his back. "He is," he answered referring to Belthazor as he conjured an athame in the hand behind his back. He smirked then sharply threw the athame toward Kurzon, plunging the blade into his abdomen.

Kurzon flinched as he drew the blade out of his flesh and smirked. "It'll take more than that to stop me," he informed him, throwing the athame to the floor.

"Very well," Cole replied sending a large fireball at him.

Kurzon was thrown backwards, crashing into the coffee table shattering it. He clambered to his feet, eyes wide in fear. "The Source."

Cole looked to the stairs as Piper, Phoebe, Paige and Faith came running down them. Kurzon turned in their direction also then shimmered out.

"Cole?" Phoebe cried out, panic slicing through her as she ran towards the living room. Her eyes ran over Cole quickly, relieved by the lack of injuries then turned her attention to little Phoebe with a gasp.

"She's all right," Cole assured them. "She just fainted."

Young-Phoebe began to stir and Phoebe pulled her up. "Are you okay?"

Young-Phoebe nodded. "Yeah. I think so." Then she looked over at Cole. "You saved me."

Phoebe smiled at him, Leo patting him on the back. Piper turned to him with a curious eye.

Faith frowned. "How the hell'd you manage that?" she asked, walking over the young-Phoebe and hugging her.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"It was so scary." Young-Phoebe told them as she sat on the couch in between Faith and Phoebe , with Cole in front of her perched on the coffee table. Piper was seated in the chair across from them, Leo perched on the arm. "He just came out of nowhere," she said, her eyes wide as she relived it. "And then, everything went black."

"Here you go sweetheart." Paige smiled at the girl as she handed her a glass of water.

"Thanks." Young-Phoebe took a sip then looked at Paige questioningly. "Who are you?"

"Me?" Paige chuckled, "I'm Paige, I'm your—"

"Cousin!" Faith interrupted throwing Paige a pointed look then turning back to Young-Phoebe. "She's our cousin from Grandma Patty's side."

"But we think of her as a sister," Piper added with a smirk.

Phoebe nodded laughing silently. "We'll explain it to you when you're older," she threw in casually.

"What about that scary man?" Young-Phoebe asked fearfully. "Where'd he go?"

"You don't have to worry about him anymore sweetie," Phoebe assured her, gently tucking some hair behind her ear.

"Doesn't she?" Leo countered with raised eyebrows.

"Leo," Piper warned from where she sat.

"I'm sorry, but we can't risk her running into Kurzon again," Leo insisted. "She's Phoebe's past."

"And Cole saving her…" Phoebe looked over at her fiancé, "…means that he saved me too." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

Young-Phoebe pulled the best 'duh face' that she could muster and turned to herself with raised eyebrows. "Well, duh! He loves us remember?"

Faith turned to Phoebe pointedly/ "Uncle Leo is right, Aunt Phoebe," she agreed. "Phoebe can't stay here. It's far too dangerous for her and for you. If anything were to happen, the Power of Three would be severed," she reasoned glancing at Piper and Paige for back up.

Phoebe nodded. "You're right. We can't risk it."

"Maybe I should take little Phoebe someplace," Leo offered ominously. "Someplace safe." He glanced upward.

"You really think Kurzon will come back?" Paige questioned with a frown.

"I do," Cole answered, despite the fact the question was directed at Leo. "I mean, you know, why wouldn't he?" he explained further as he received suspicious eyes from Faith and Paige. "He didn't fulfil his objectives."

"He's right," Phoebe agreed, drawing her sister back to her and away from Cole. She turned to her younger self with a smile, "Okay, you're going to have to go with Leo for a while, but don't worry, he'll keep you safe."

"I don't want to leave." Young-Phoebe pouted.

"I know." Phoebe sympathized. "But it's only for a little while, okay? It's for our own good," she explained.

Young-Phoebe huffed and turned to Faith. "Do I really have to go?" she asked sadly.

Faith nodded. "Yes, you do," she replied firmly.

Young-Phoebe sighed innocently. "Can you come with me?" she asked hopefully with big doe eyes.

"I have to help," Faith informed her young aunt pointing at Piper, Phoebe and Paige.

Young-Phoebe sighed. "Okay," she agreed. "Will you tell me about Prue when I get back?"

"Sure," Faith said as she smiled at the girl.

Leo smiled warmly at Young-Phoebe. "Come on, take my hand," he instructed and she did. "Now, hold on tight."

"Are we going on a plane?" Young-Phoebe asked sweetly.

"No." Leo chuckled. "But you might see some clouds," he informed her as they were engulfed in lights and disappeared.

Paige lifted the glass of water and headed toward the kitchen halting mid-step when she caught sight of the forgotten athame. "Where'd this come from?" she asked turning back to her sisters and niece.

Cole's eyes widened ever-so-slightly and he stood to his feet answering quickly. "That's Kurzon's. He tried to stab me with it, but I got it away from him," he explained thinking on the spot.

"Really?" Paige looked at him closely. "You got it away from a demon. That's impressive."

"A little too impressive," Faith commented, eyes narrowing in suspicion as she stood to her feet.

Piper, picking up on her niece's hesitance, tilted her head at Cole. "Why didn't he use his powers on you?" she fired another question at him, not fully believing him herself.

Cole shrugged. "Who knows? The point is that uh…I stabbed him, which means we have enough of his blood to scry for him."

Faith looked at Piper and saw her own mistrust mirrored back at her then they looked over at Phoebe who was watching Cole unblinkingly.

Paige glanced at her sisters and nieces then nodded. "Yeah," she agreed slowly. "I'll go get a map and a crystal."

Faith glanced at Piper again who nodded imperceptibly. "I'll help you with that," she told Paige who stood still, waiting on her. She locked her eyes with Cole's as she walked past him slowly, arms folded and was sure she could see a slight nervousness within them.

Piper watched them both go then she addressed Phoebe, "You think Kurzon is targeting little Phoebe?"

"Why would he?" Phoebe shrugged.

"Well, the same reason Leo and Faith said," Piper answered. "Because she's you. And if he kills her then he effectively kills you too ultimately ending the Power of Three and then poof, no more Charmed Ones."

"But how could he know that I conjured her?" Phoebe countered.

Piper paused. "He's…psychic?" she offered, not really having an answer.

"Or maybe the Seer tipped him off," Cole suggested from his place on the other end of the couch.

Piper and Phoebe turned to him. "The Seer? You think she's involved?" Phoebe queried.

"Wouldn't surprise me," Cole replied, choosing his words carefully.

"Well, that's just great," Phoebe drawled then moved to stand. "Okay, well, we're going to need a vanquishing spell. Cole, go with Piper, help her. Tell her everything you know about Kurzon," she instructed taking control as she felt responsible for their current situation, since he was after her.

"Where are you going?" Piper stopped her sister.

Phoebe gestured toward the stairs. "Well, I'm going to try to go…knock some sense into myself," she replied referring to old-Phoebe and not sounding to enthused by the prospect.

Woods of Sunnydale

Buffy was recovering from her fall as she watched the camo guy disappear into the woods. She then looked around for Oz, but saw that he too was gone. Frustrated, she disappeared in a swirl of fiery flames.

Halliwell Manor

Old-Phoebe was seated at the vanity in her room, staring wistfully at a picture of her present self and Cole, taken by Faith in a moment of pure happiness feeling her heart ache when Phoebe came storming in.

"I need to send you back, fast," Phoebe informed her angrily.

"Fine with me," Old-Phoebe replied turning in the chair to look at herself, the picture and the feelings pushed from her mind and heart.

"Not for your sake, for all of ours, especially little Phoebe's," Phoebe snapped sick and tired of the old woman's attitude. Phoebe bent over, resting her hands on her knees so she was eye-level with herself. "And the only way for me to do that is for you to answer the question that I asked when I cast the spell. Should I or should I not marry Cole?" she demanded looking her older self dead in the eye, the woman remaining silent. "Listen to me. A demon just attacked downstairs and nearly killed little Phoebe which means he nearly killed us too."

"Oh, I know what that means," Old-Phoebe informed her.

"Then why won't you answer the question!" Phoebe exclaimed, her patience for the woman running extremely thin.

"Because if I were to say something that could change the future, other lives could be at stake too, not just ours," Old-Phoebe replied wisely.

Phoebe gritted her teeth and tried a different angle. "Yeah, well maybe you're supposed to change the future. Maybe that's why you were sent here," she reasoned but old-Phoebe remained hesitant. She sighed and stood straight. "If there is one belief that you and I still have in common, it's that magic happens for a reason. Isn't it possible that you're being given a second chance?" she suggested and old-Phoebe bit back a laugh.

"To do what?"

"To keep me from turning into a bitter old lady like you," Phoebe snapped and old-Phoebe stiffened wrapping her arms around herself. She paused, swallowing her anger and bent over again. "Please," she begged locking eyes with her older self. "I have lost so much already. Don't make me lose myself too."

Old-Phoebe leaned forward, gripping the back of the chair and opened her mouth, changing her mind at the last second and shaking her head. "Sorry," she apologized sincerely. "I can't."

Phoebe tightened her jaw and stated, "Then I guess you've doomed us both." And then she left the room.

Old-Phoebe watched her go then turned back to the picture on the vanity and sighed.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Are you done with that spell yet?" Cole demanded as he paced back and forth in the conservatory.

"Almost," Piper replied tersely not looking up from her seat. "Would you please stop pacing? It's very distracting."

Cole paused for a second then shook his head. "No." Then he started pacing again.

Paige glanced at him from her seat at the table, athame in hand, crystal dangling from it above the map.

Faith glared icily at him. "Then how about this?" she began, voice tense and hard. "I am extremely nauseous and trying very hard not to throw up right now so I can be of some help to my aunts and you pacing back and forth in front of me is not helping, Cole!" she spat spitefully. "Stand the fu—freaking still or I will throw up on you," she ended her rant with a well-placed threat and Cole froze.

Piper glanced at her Faith warily, while Paige stared at her with wide eyes, a satisfied smirk gracing her lips.

Phoebe stormed into the room, breaking the tense silence, anger written on her face.

"How'd it go?" Piper asked as Phoebe plopped down beside her, crossing her legs and dropping her chin into her palm.

"I still can't get through to her." A frustrated Phoebe sighed.

"She didn't say anything about the future?" Cole asked nervously, walking closer.

"Nope." Phoebe replied sharply, "She's worried about the consequences of changing it."

"But she is your future," Paige pointed out. "You can't change that."

"Yes, we can." Piper corrected her youngest sister. "Our last trip to the future proved that. Phoebe's not burning at the stake any time soon."

Paige smiled slyly. "Maybe you'll let me cast Phoebe's spell and get my own sneak preview. Find out what happens if I take that promotion or not."

Phoebe perked up. "You got promoted?" she chirped with a smile.

"Yeah," Paige confirmed with a nod.

"By way of a spell and her friend Scott got stuck with the consequence," Piper added with raised eyebrows.

"Uh-oh, personal gain," Phoebe chimed and Paige sighed.

"If you don't vanquish Kurzon soon, he'll become the next Source," Cole spoke up irritably. "Then, all of a sudden, personal gain won't seem so important because you'll all be dead!" he exclaimed and Phoebe raised her eyebrows at him unhappily.

"That's it!" Faith cried standing abruptly to her feet. "You…" she pointed at Cole stalking toward him, "…are really starting to piss me off," she growled as the crystal hit the map.

"Got him," Paige called distracting Faith and saving Cole. "He's across town."

"Okay, bring the crystal," Piper instructed as she and Phoebe rose to their feet. "We'll track him on the way."

Paige nodded and scooped up the scrying equipment as Piper took Faith's hand and guided her toward the front door.

"I would stay out of my bedroom if I were you," Phoebe advised Cole as she placed her hands on his chest. "Unless you want to get slapped again." She smirked and kissed his lips quickly.

"Be careful," Cole called to her as she ran after her older sisters.

Paige turned to Cole. "Aren't you coming?"

Cole shrugged. "What can I do? I'm not a demon anymore," he reminded her and she shrugged running after her sisters and niece. He watched her go until she was out of sight before he flamed out.

U.C. Sunnydale

"Can't say I'm surprised you didn't go through with your little hex," Veruca said as she and Willow faced off in the middle of the science lab. "You don't have the teeth."

"You don't know what I have," Willow countered. "You don't know anything about me."

Veruca smiled. "I know what you love. I have his scent on me right now."

Willow had heard enough. She tried to dart past Veruca to the door but Veruca caught her with a vicious back hand sending her sprawling. She fell hard to the floor, dazed.

"Go ahead and cry," Veruca informed her, "but you should have seen this coming. You can't tame a wild thing. He's not yours any more. He's in you, he'd be thinking about me…no. Not thinking. It's deeper than that." She smiled. "Why don't you just try to relax now? In a minute or two it'll all be over—"

Suddenly the door behind Veruca was kicked open as Oz, breathless and enraged, entered the room.

"Don't touch her again," Oz growled as he squared off with Veruca.

"Come stop me. I like it rough, remember?" Veruca reminded him with a smirk as they sun completely faded from the room.

"You want to hurt me, hurt me," Oz said feeling the change start. "But leave her out of this."

"How can I?" Veruca countered. "She's the reason you're living in cages. She's blinding you! When she's gone, you'll be able to admit what you are—"

"You don't want to find out what I am," Oz told her.

"You're an animal. Animals kill," Veruca told him.

Oz looked at Willow and for a moment there was a gleam of hungry pleasure at her fear. "You're right," he said as he turned to Veruca. "We kill." He leapt at Veruca.

Veruca and Oz fought viciously in their mostly human forms. But it wasn't long before the full transformation overcame them both. Willow turned away and shut her ears against the sounds of Oz and Veruca's bodies as they twist and crack.

Willow huddled in a corner, the werewolves blocking her exit. To her this is nothing but a bad dream.

As the battle continued and Oz gained the advantage. He got a jaw lock on Veruca's neck and violently bit her. She shrieked in pain. When he finished, Veruca lay dead at his feet. Oz then turned toward Willow, his maw bloodied and his eyes the cold eyes of a killer.

Willow turned to face the wolf crouching low in front of her, baring its razor-like teeth. "Oz?" she said, nearly out of her mind with grief and terror. She reached a trembling hand out, as if to stroke him.

Oz Lunged toward her, going for the kill. But he was SNATCHED away from Willow only milliseconds before her certain death by Buffy who had flamed in at the last second, the gun slung on her back. She had Oz by the hind legs and dragged him away from Willow.

Buffy and Oz briefly fought, but Buffy managed to kick him upside the head, dazing him long enough to use the tranquilizer gun and sedate him.

Oz stumbled, then passed out as Buffy rushed to Willow and gathered her into her arms.

Underworld

Cole flamed into the lair and approached the Seer. "Look at me," he commanded sternly. "Look at me!"

The Seer jumped at the change of volume and spun around.

"You sent Kurzon to kill Phoebe," he stated, voice dangerously low. "You betrayed me."

"For your own good," came the Seer's defense. "Your love for her was the only thing holding you back. The only thing keeping you from accepting the full power of the Source."

Cole walked toward her, fireball in hand, an addition which caused the Seer to back away from him.

"Don't you understand? With her gone we wouldn't need the Charmed Ones to kill Kurzon," the Seer explained and Cole crossed his arms, the fireball floating in mid-air beside him. "You'd be able to kill him yourself," she informed him, eyes on the floating weapon at his head.

"Phoebe can't die," Cole growled at her. "Otherwise his soul dies too. His love for her is too strong and I'll need that strength if I'm to recapture what I lost."

"His love?" the Seer reiterated with a triumphant smile. "The Source is finally showing through, I see." She smirked. "You'll have to kill her eventually," she told him matter-of-factly. "Our plan depends on it."

"That was your plan," Cole nodded to her. "Not mine. I want both Phoebe and Faith alive, and the next time you betray me…" he threw the fireball to her right, a narrow miss, "…I won't miss," he promised and then he flamed out.

Halliwell Manor

Cole flamed back into the conservatory, the Source's power coursing through his veins.

"Hello, Cole," a voice greeted him from behind and Cole turned to come face to face with old-Phoebe. "I've been expecting you." She smirked and Cole felt panic rise. "What's the matter Cole?" old-Phoebe asked as she walked toward him, a smirk firmly in place. "Afraid I'll tell the girls, Faith and Buffy your secret?" she suggested stopping directly in front of him.

"What do you want from me?" Cole asked instead.

"My life back, for starters," Old-Phoebe snapped.

"You look alive to me," Cole shot back glaring down at her.

"On the outside maybe," Old-Phoebe replied, pain evident in her voice.

Cole took an intimidating step forwards, towering over her he stated, "I can fix that."

Old-Phoebe scoffed, entirely unaffected. "You can't kill me, Cole," she told him confidently. "You never could," she added and Cole's face softened slightly knowing it was true so far, he never could bring himself to do it. "Even after the Source took you over, a piece of you always loved me," she shared sounding bitter.

"That's not always enough," Cole countered and her face fell.

"Yes." She nodded. "It can be." Old-Phoebe folded her arms across her chest protectively. "I never married you, Cole," she informed him bluntly. "I called it off, and once I found out that you were the Source, my sisters and I had to vanquish you. But not before you made Faith your chosen heir, fulfilling Faith's destiny to sit on the throne as the new Source, with Prudence as her heir."

Cole visibly flinched at her words, pain stabbing at his heart. "Why are you telling me this?"

Old-Phoebe sighed. "Because I've spent most of my life…wondering what would have happened is we had married," she explained regretfully. "It could have been different for both of us."

"Well, it's too late for that now," Cole told her, looking away, his own regret filling his eyes.

"Maybe not," Old-Phoebe countered shaking her head. "That's why I've come to you first. Before I risk everything…" she rung her hands together nervously as she looked up into his eyes, "…I have to know if there is a chance to save you."

Cole turned away from her in despair. "I'm not sure there is," he admitted weakly.

"So, you won't even try?" she cried incredulous.

"I want to," Cole assured her, turning back. "But he won't let me. He's too strong."

"Then I'll tell Phoebe the truth," the old woman decided walking over to him. "I'll convince her to save you. To save us. And in the process of saving us finally ending Faith's destiny as the Source."

Cole shook his head slightly. "But if you change the future, Phoebe might die sooner," he pointed out. "So might her sisters."

"Magic happens for a reason Cole," she told him, repeating what her younger self had reminded her. "I don't have faith in much anymore, but I do believe that. I have to trust that I'm meant to change this," she reasoned with him, admitting it to herself finally.

"You think you're meant to save me?" Cole asked her quietly, the picture of a broken, desperate man.

Old-Phoebe smiled, a real and genuine smile. "Phoebe reminded me that I once had hope," she explained to him reaching up to cup his cheek. "That we had love. That's why I'm doing this." She removed her hand from his face, dropping it to her side. "To keep her from living a life of regret like I lived."

"Aww!" Kurzon drawled as he shimmered in behind them and they turned sharply. "I'm not intruding, am I?"

Giles' Apartment

"I'm not sure I understand," Giles said as he and Buffy sat at his table having tea.

"There was so much going on with Oz and Will—there still is—but I thought you should know about this," Buffy informed him.

"So, this fellow in the woods…he was in military garb?" Giles questioned.

Buffy nodded. "And he was toting some serious weaponry…" she said. "Thing is, I saw some other guys dressed exactly like him on Halloween night. I assumed they were in costume…"

"But maybe they were working," Giles said in understanding.

"I want to know what's up. Guy got in my way; I almost didn't catch up to Oz in time," Buffy said with a sigh. "As it is, I was too late to…"

"You saved Willow," Giles reminded her.

"I think right now she wishes I hadn't…" Buffy said with a sigh. "I've never seen her like this before, Giles. It's like it hurts too much to even form words."

"But you've felt that way yourself, and you got through it," Giles reminded her.

"Well, I ran away and went to hell—and then I got through it," Buffy countered. "I'm kind of hoping Willow won't use me as a model."

"Fair enough."

Buffy sighed. "I just don't know how they're going to deal with this."

Streets of San Francisco

"I can't believe we lost him!" Piper cried shrilly as her sisters and niece rounded the car to the hood.

"Well believe it," Faith drawled. "It's not like it hasn't happened before," she pointed out and Piper sighed.

"Oh god, just give me a second," Paige stammered, spreading the map onto the hood of the car and dangling the crystal and athame above it.

"Hurry, he might still be in the area," Phoebe urged, eyes on the map.

The crystal dropped and Paige leaned down. "He's at the house," she announced surprised.

"We'll never make it back on time," Phoebe pointed out darkly from Paige's left.

Piper's face lit up and she pointed at Paige.

Paige turned to her right and frowned at Piper. "Don't look at me!"

"Why?" Piper asked. "You did it yesterday morning."

"You did!" Faith cried with a smile from beside Phoebe.

"Barely," Paige stressed. "I went downstairs alone. Not across town with three passengers."

"Okay, well, Paige, he'll kill Cole," Phoebe informed her. "We have to try."

Faith narrowed her eyes in thought and tilted her head.

Piper narrowed her own at Faith recognizing the face. "What?" she asked slowly. "What are you thinking?"

Faith bit her lip and looked at Paige. "What if it was only two passengers?" she asked curiously and Paige shrugged. "Could you do it then?"

"I don't know, maybe." Paige said reluctantly, "I mean, one? Sure. Two? Possibly but three?, Right now? No way." She shook her head defiantly.

"Okay then," Faith nodded.

"No, wait you can't stay here," Phoebe insisted. "We might need you."

"I know that," Faith said rolling her eyes then stuck out one finger. "I would call for Buffy, but we don't have time to flame here and then flame me home. So, don't laugh at me," she warned them as she placed both hands on her stomach and hesitantly ordered. "Take mommy home."

Piper, Phoebe and Paige burst out laughing despite the life or death situation they had stumbled upon.

"Did you just ask your unborn child to take you home?" Piper gasped out through her laughter.

Faith glared at them but remained silent, keeping her hands on her stomach as she closed her eyes and concentrated, drawing on her baby's powers.

Phoebe shook her head and nudged Paige. "This is a waste of time; you'll just have to do it," she snapped.

"Phoebe I really don't think I—" Paige's sentence was cut off by a gasp of surprise as Faith disappeared in flaming red orbs.

Piper's eyes widened and she raised a finger, pointing to where Faith previously stood.

Phoebe jerked around and gasped. "Oh! Oh my—Did our grandniece just?—Did she?—"

Piper nodded silently and Paige smiled. "Awesome! Prudence rocks." She smirked then held out her hands. "Come on, we have to hurry. She's going to get there before we do."

Piper and Phoebe wordlessly took her hands and held their breath as Paige closed her eyes. A second later and she was engulfed by orbs which quickly spread to Phoebe and they floated into the air.

Piper looked up at the lights and cried, "Hey!" She threw up one hand which was quickly surrounded by lights and she too disappeared.

Halliwell Manor

Kurzon threw an energy ball toward Cole, striking him on the shoulder and spinning him into the potted plants behind them.

Cole pushed himself up and hurled a fireball toward their attacker who easily shimmered out, avoiding the attack.

Old-Phoebe rushed to him and helped him to his feet.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," he assured her as he caught his balance, eyes searching for Kurzon shimmering back in.

Kurzon shimmered back in behind Cole, old-Phoebe seeing him first and spinning Cole around as Kurzon ran at him with his sword. "No!" Old-Phoebe cried and the sword plunged into her instead.

Cole looked at her with wide eyes then up at Kurzon who looked just as surprised as he was. Kurzon sneered at Cole and withdrew his sword, the old woman's body slipping to the floor.

Cole ran at him, grabbing the sword before he could strike just as Faith appeared in flaming red orbs. His eyes widening at her presence. "Faith, get out of here!" he yelled to her, distracting Kurzon who glanced behind him at the new arrival.

Faith's eyes widened at the sight of the men wrestling over the sword and she quickly threw a fireball at Kurzon sending him flying across the room.

"How'd you get here?" Cole asked her as he tried to catch his breath.

Faith pointed to her stomach. "Prudence brought me," she informed him. He glanced at old-Phoebe and nodded in understanding before looking back at her. She glanced quickly at Kurzon who was trying to push himself to his feet then back to Cole. "You okay?" she asked genuinely concerned.

Cole nodded. "Yeah but…" he looked back toward old-Phoebe and Faith gasped.

"Oh my god, Aunt Phoebe," Faith whispered inching toward the dying old woman.

Cole's eyes shifted to Kurzon just in time to see him fire an energy ball toward Faith. "Faith!" he yelled reaching out and grabbing her arms, spinning her toward him and shielding her body with his.

"Thanks," Faith whispered breathlessly.

"Stay behind me," Cole ordered pushing her further behind him.

Faith gawked. "What? Cole you're human and powerless, he will kill you."

"And you're pregnant. If anything, ever happened to you it would kill Phoebe," Cole fired back.

Faith rolled her eyes and fired off another fireball which struck Kurzon's shoulder and knocked him to the ground again. "I came here to protect you, so let me!" she snapped moving in front of him as Kurzon threw his sword toward her. The sword hit her stomach and Faith cried out but instead of slicing through her flesh it bounced off of her and clattered to the floor.

Faith looked down at the sword, hands in the air, mouth agape. She then picked up his sword and with her full strength as a Slayer she threw it at Kurzon, imbedding it in his stomach. She glanced at Cole who was staring at her with raised eyebrows and shrugged.

Piper, Paige and Phoebe orbed in at the exact same moment that Buffy flamed in, an energy ball zooming past them toward Faith. Piper threw up her hands, freezing it but Cole had already pulled Faith out of its path, shielding her again.

Faith looked over at her wide-eyed aunts and wife. "Took you long enough," she snapped.

Piper rolled her eyes and pulled out a piece of paper. "Spell, spell, spell. Quick, quick, quick," she panicked showing the paper to Paige and Phoebe and they chanted together.

"Hell threw you from its inner core. But earth won't hold you anymore. Since heaven cannot be your place. Your flesh and blood we now erase."

Piper, Phoebe and Paige finished in perfect unison and looked over at Kurzon as he caught fire and exploded without a trace.

Buffy rushed to her wife and pulled Faith into her arms. She patted Cole's shoulder, a silent thank you.

Phoebe smiled at them, a smile which fell when she saw her older self bleeding on the floor. "Oh no!" she cried running towards old-Phoebe and lifting her head onto her lap. "Leo!" she screamed, looking to the heavens. "Just hold on, hold on," she encouraged as her older self took her hand.

"She saved me," Cole informed them, his eyes on the old woman's broken body and Phoebe looked up at him.

"There's your answer," Old-Phoebe whispered squeezing Phoebe's hands, her eyes on Cole's.

Phoebe looked over at Leo as he and young-Phoebe orbed into the room. "Leo, please," she begged. "Please, please, please."

Leo's eyes widened and he ran to them, holding his hands over the wound.

Faith glanced at Buffy, Piper and Paige and shook her head, knowing the old woman was gone, as she moved to young-Phoebe and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, kissing her head. Young-Phoebe held onto Faith tightly and rested her head against her chest.

Leo withdrew his hands and looked at Phoebe solemnly. "She's gone."

Phoebe shook her head, looking down at her older self as her body disappeared. Piper and Paige looked over at young-Phoebe in Faith's arms and she too disappeared.

"What happened?" Paige asked quietly looking at her sisters and niece.

"The spell played out," Piper answered looking at Phoebe. "You heard what you needed to hear."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"Speaking of orbing up there…" Paige smiled at Leo from across the kitchen table. "When do I get to do that?"

"Well, you shouldn't be in such a rush," Leo told her instead. "You should be proud of what you accomplished. You saved the day." He smiled proudly.

Paige looked down. "I didn't save everyone."

"No, but that's the great thing about the future," Leo pointed out. "There's always time to change it."

"So, Phoebe won't die that way," Paige asked hopefully.

"No," Piper answered placing a carton of ice-cream on the table along with some spoons. "If I know Phoebe, and I do." She smirked sitting in the chair next to Leo. "She's not going to let her future turn out that way."

"Good." Paige smiled opening the carton of ice-cream. "What about little-Phoebe? She went back to her time with all this knowledge of the future. Won't that cause complications?" she asked handing Piper a spoon.

"I doubt it," Piper answered taking the spoon. "The minute she starts talking about magic, Grams will do some hocus-pocus to erase all that knowledge."

"That's nice," Paige said sarcastically.

"That's Grams," Piper replied with a smirk. "Hey." She smiled as her nieces, pajama clad, shuffled into the kitchen.

Buffy and Faith smiled as they sank down across from Paige. "So? What the Elders say about Prudence?" Faith asked her uncle.

Leo smiled apologetically and shrugged a little. "As far as her using her powers while still in your womb, they don't really have an answer, Faith. But there is apparently a prophecy about a girl born of two Slayers."

"The Charmed Slayer," Buffy and Faith said as they looked at each other remembering their shared premonition about Prudence.

"What are you two talking about?" Piper questioned.

"Our shared premonition," Buffy said. "Prudence called herself, the Charmed Slayer."

"Which means she will be powerful as is evidence by the fact she used another power," Faith informed them.

"What kind of power?" Leo questioned seriously.

Faith shrugged and looked up. "I don't know, the sword just bounced off my stomach like, like…"

"Deflection?" Leo supplied and Faith nodded slowly scooping ice-cream into her mouth.

"Urgh…" Faith shuddered dropping the spoon into the tub and pushing it away. "Now I feel sick."

"It's going to be okay," Buffy assured her wife, rest her head on Faith's shoulder. "You'll see."

Faith sighed. "Yeah, I hope so."

"Well, I'm off to bed," Paige informed them, lifting her head. "I have a future of my own to change on Monday."

"Have you decided what to do about your promotion?" Piper's voice stopped her at the door.

"Yeah, I'm going to turn it down," Paige said sadly.

"Hmmm, what changed your mind?"

"The three Phoebes." Paige chuckled. "She used magic to change her future, but I used magic to change Scott's and that's…" she shook her head, "…not so fair. I did the rhyme; I will do the time. Goodnight."

Buffy, Faith and Piper laughed at her antics as she disappeared.

"So, what do you think Phoebe's going to do about Cole?" Leo asked, glancing between the three of them.

"I don't know." Piper shrugged. "But I don't think we'll have to wait 40 years to find out."

"I hope she calls it off," Faith stated bluntly scooping more ice-cream into her mouth then gagging and pushing it away again.

"Faith!" Piper chastised and her niece shrugged.

"I was kidding," Faith threw in with a roll of her eyes. "He risked his life for me today," she informed them casually. "Twice. If that doesn't earn him a clean slate then…I don't know what would."

Piper's eyebrows rose as her nieces pushed up out of their chairs.

"Goodnight," Buffy and Faith said tiredly then shuffled through the door to the basement.

Piper turned to her husband slowly. "I think Cole and Phoebe just got Faith's blessing," she said with a wide smile leaning in to kiss him slowly.

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

"So, your forgetting Prue's last request?" Buffy questioned as they lay in their bed a few minutes later.

"No," Faith said. "I will keep an eye on him. But I do think he has earned at least a pass for saving my life. Don't you?"

"Yeah," Buffy said as she cuddled into Faith. "I guess you're right."

0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0

Phoebe sat at her vanity staring at the same picture her future self had been looking at mere hours before, wrestling with the weight weighing down on her heart. She looked up as Cole hesitantly entered the room.

"Hi," she said quietly as he threw his keys onto the table.

"I just uh…"

"Had to get out of the house?" Phoebe supplied turning in her chair to face him.

"Yeah," Cole agreed. "Something like that." He walked further into the room and she looked away.

"Well, at least you came back," she muttered, loud enough for him to hear.

"You didn't think I would?" he asked, stopping in front of her.

"I don't know," she said honestly moving from the chair to her bed. "Uh…I've been…having a lot of crazy thoughts lately, about us and…I guess I just thought that maybe you were feeling the same way too."

Cole looked at her silently, holding her gaze, telling her to continue.

"I never told you why I cast that spell, did I?" Phoebe asked knowingly.

"I thought it was to hear your heart's desire?"

"It was to find out if I should marry you or not," Phoebe corrected him bluntly.

"Oh." Cole looked down, his heart racing. "And?"

"Do you still want to?" she asked him shakily.

Cole looked up at her again. "Well, it's still a part of my plans that's for sure."

"Mine too." Phoebe smiled. "It's, it's not that I don't still have cold feet. It's just, hearing my past self remind me of 'Cinderella'…" she smiled and Cole did too, "…and seeing my future self willing to—willing to die for you..."

"And me willing to die for you," Cole reminded her sincerely.

Phoebe's jaw tightened at she stared at him unwaveringly. "I'm going to ask you a question, and all I want is a straight answer okay? Can you do that?" she asked him.

"Okay," Cole agreed clearing his throat nervously.

"Is there something that you're not telling me…about you?" Phoebe asked him, fearing the answer yet desperate for the truth. "Something that I don't know?"

Cole took a deep breath and walked to the bed, sitting down next to her, looking her in the eyes and lying, "No."

Phoebe smiled, sighing in relief before wrapping her arms around him tightly. He wrapped his own arms around her and the scene misted over as the Seer's eyes cleared and she smirked triumphantly, knowing for sure that the Source was once again, well and truly alive.

December 1, 2001 – Saturday

U.C. Sunnydale

Willow walked into Oz's room to find him in the midst of packing a bundle of clothes into a suitcase. He looked up at her entrance, his face sad, but resolved.

"Hi," he greeted softly.

"What are you doing?" She asked him.

"I'm going," he replied simply.

"Now?" Willow asked him. "That's your solution?"

"That's my decision," he corrected.

"Don't I get any say in this?" Willow asked him.

Oz shook his head. "No. Veruca was right about something. The wolf is inside me all the time, and I don't know where that line is anymore between me and it. And until I figure out what that means, I shouldn't be around you... Or anybody."

"That could be a problem. 'Cause, people? Pretty much a planetary epidemic," Willow reminded him.

Oz stuffed the rest of his things into the suitcase. "I'll find someplace."

"Well how long—" Willow started.

"I don't know," Oz said as he closed the suitcase and turned to her.

It took them both a moment for it to sink in that this was goodbye.

"Oz... Don't you love me...?" Willow questioned desperately.

"My whole life, I've never loved anything else," he informed her.

As Willow started to cry, he reached out to her tentatively. He then kissed her forehead. "Oh God... Oz..." Willow sobbed.

Oz knew that if he stayed any longer, he wouldn't leave. So, he kissed her one last time, then grabbed his suitcase and walked out the door.

Willow watched as Oz pulled his van out of the parking lot and down the street, her heart breaking at the thought of never seeing him again.