Disclaimer: The Charmed Characters are the property of Aaron Spelling and Constance Burge. I just borrow them for your enjoyment and my writing addiction.

First few paragraphs are from spellbound the Charmed script pages.

Slow dripping could be barely heard above the hushed voices of the two huddled in the darkness.
"Cole, where have you been? We've been worried. What's the matter?" Phoebe fires questions at him as she sees him walk into the cavern. She slowly makes her way towards him but the look on his face told her more then she wanted to know.

"He knows. About you, about us." She spoke quietly but the meaning not escaping her.
"So, what does that mean?" she asked the question in confusion as she looked up at his face. A face that looked away a moment and then back to her.
"He's offering a deal. He'll get Tempus to reset time if you stay... here." The last word came out so quiet she almost didn’t hear him, but she had.

It was then Leo stepped from the near shadows, "What, down here? He's crazy." The anger in his voice not escaping the former demon
"Hardly." Cole assured them both but what he knew he had to tell them tell her was not going to be easy.

Leo looked at Cole not really sure what to believe, but he knew he could not leave Phoebe in the underworld. "Yeah, well, we're desperate but not that desperate."

Phoebe held his eyes to hers. There was something he wasn’t telling them "Why would he think that I would accept an offer like that?
Cole hesitated as he held her eyes to his, "Because it's the only way to bring one of your sisters back to life."
Phoebe felt as is she had just been punched in the stomach. All the air inside her had just left her body, "What?"
"It's a trick, he's lying." Leo shot out refusing to believe what Cole was saying.
"No, it's not." Was all Cole said as he saw the fear in Phoebes eyes the same fear that was in Leo’s

~~ ~~ ~~

Prue couldn’t believe what was going on as her tears continued to fall. Her sister was dead. Her friend her confidant. She had lost track of the number of times she had called for Leo. But it was Piper who made her remember that he was in the underworld and he couldn’t hear them. In the underworld with Cole and Phoebe. Once again her youngest sisters fool heart had gotten them in a load of trouble. Running after a demon

Prue reached across and pulled the tubes and wires off of Piper. Brushing her hand over her sisters head she barely even heard the sound of the door opening.

"Just keep your hands where I can see them and you won't get hurt." He said but as she turned and glared at him he got a little uneasy. "Easy."

Prue didn’t even think about her actions as she used her power and sent him flying out of the room.
Another SWAT member runs in. Prue kicks him and uses her power tossing him as well out of the ER. Grabbing the metal bar and she pokes it through the handles of the door sealing herself and her sister in the room. Reaching for the wall she hit the switch sending the room into darkness. It was then the only light she saw was the familiar blue and white orbs of Leo orbing in.

"They killed her, Leo. They think we're the demons now." Prue cried out as she saw the anguish and pain in her brother-in-laws face.

Leo walked over to Piper as his tears fall freely. He wraps his arms around her as best he can. "Oh, god. How can this be happening? I don't understand. I'm so sorry." His pain was like nothing he had ever felt he leans over and kisses Piper's forehead.

Prue watched briefly but she only had one thing on her mind. Leo had gone to the underworld to set time back to stop all the madness that had happened. "Can you make this right or not?"

She pulls him up by his shirt. Her emotions run by anger and pain. "Go!" She ordered not even seeing that to save Piper there might be a consequence

Prue watches as Leo orbs out. She could still see the look on his face. The pain in his heart. It mirrored her own. But she couldn’t shake the feeling inside. She started back to towards Piper. "Don't worry, he's gonna fix it. I promise, you're gonna be fine."

~~ ~~ ~~

The perspiration ran down her like a fall. Cascading over every part of her. The same nightmare over and over again. When would it ever end? Her sister was lost and she was to blame. Maybe the nightmare was her guilt consuming her. Maybe it was her own way of telling herself she had let her sister down. When it was more important to save the innocent.

She looked up at her clock. It was nearly time to get up anyway. Pushing back the covers she grabbed her robe and started for the shower. She could smell the fresh brew of coffee starting down stairs and knew her sister hadn’t gotten much sleep either. It was almost routine for the two of them. Long sleepless nights of no sleep and days filled with the potential of demons attacking. Demons neither one of them wanted to deal with.

She felt the hot water sooth into her skin. She knew it wouldn’t sooth away her guilt but it was all she had then. Her hands placed against the wall she held her head under the showerhead. As once again the tears threatened to consume her.

She puttered in the kitchen. She never puttered in the kitchen but lately that was all she did all she could do. Her world had been turned upside down by a demon and there was nothing she could do to fix it. How long had it been? Months, weeks? They both walked around the Manor like the world stopped. Ever since the attack, an attack they had no way of winning. So how was it in the end the two of them were still there? One sister was dead the other two were barely keeping it together. Why hadn’t the Source come now and finished what he started with Shax? In some ways she wished he would. .At least then I won’t feel anymore pain. She said to herself.

Leo orbed in to the living room in time to se the daily routine. One in the kitchen, puttering as she always did now. The other walking down the stairs, her usual walk missing the spark that was in her soul. He had to somehow get them back on the right track. Back to their destiny.

Even from there he knew she was still beating herself over what had happened. He had tried on so many occasions and levels to explain to her it wasn’t her fault but she wouldn’t hear him. Her guilt was louder then any words he or anyone could speak.

He looked back and recalled what had happened and blamed himself as much or more then she was blaming herself. He knew it was his burden to carry. He had reacted on his love for Piper and that was it. She was lost now because of his love. A love that should have never been in the first place. A love that was forbidden because of the results they all now carried with them. The loss of a good witch: A Charmed One.

The sound of the doorbell was all the brought him back to the here and now as he wiped away the stray tear that was falling down his face. Making his way to the door he looked at the saddened face of Victor Halliwell.

"Victor." Leo reached his hand out and shook it. As their father entered the Manor.
"Leo." He placed his coat on the coat rack, "How they doing?"
"As can be expected. Not very well." Leo answered with near no motions. He didn’t have any left. "I’ll leave you three alone. I’ll be aback later." He placed a comforting hand on his father in laws shoulder before orbing out.

He walked into the familiar kitchen as he had a few times already since the attack. He wasn’t still sure yet what had happened. Only that it was bad and he had lost a daughter.

No words were spoken as he placed his arms around the first girl he saw. He could tell even then she was blaming herself for what had happened. He had tried as much as Leo had to get her to realize it wasn’t her fault. But like Leo Victor had no luck. This was a cross his daughter was going to bare no matter what anyone told her.

But he also had a resentment to his son-in-law. He was their whitelighter for crying out loud. How could he let this happen?

It was as if she could hear his thoughts.

"It isn’t Leo’s fault Dad. It’s mine. I never thought of the consequences."

She heard her sister speaking. It was like everything inside her all of a sudden exploded.

"It’s everyone’s fault! Its Mum and Grams for not telling us our true heritage when they had the chance! It’s Leo’s for not tell us what was going on. It’s the Sources for attacking us every second of the day. It’s your fault it’s my fault it’s her fault!! We all bare the blame." Her tears ran down her face weeks days worth of emotions coming to the surface as she faced the reality of her sister not around. She felt herself crumb as she also then felt the arms around her. Arms she melted into. One sister she still had left.

As she held her sister she once again felt her guilt. Guilt she took on herself for what had happened that day. She can't even remember the first time she felt it but even now the question burned inside her, What have I done? she had broken the family in more pieces then it could ever be repaired and it was all her fault.

Cole peered around yet another boulder fighting off the evils of the underworld as he fought to return to the surface. But he wasn’t sure if he couldn’t go back. All he would do was bring the girls more danger. The Source wanted him dead and he would stop at anything to accomplish that. And Cole knew that danger was the last thing the girls needed just then. And so he stayed away still. As he shimmered out to another plan, taking with him a band of demons bent on his death.

He rounded another rock face and faced down an enemy. "Don’t you guys ever get sick of dying. I mean I’ve killed you alone what, five times?"
"Until you are dead Belthazor I will take each one with honour." He replied as the fire stream shot out from his hand.

Cole formed the energy ball in his palm and sailed it and three more right after it. The third one hitting its mark sending the demon once again back to the underworld, but he knew the death would be short lived. For only his death or the Source calling off his dogs would end the fighting between them.

"Blood sucker. You are worse then Vamps." He said to the smoke and dust, that settle to the ground.
He cast a glance around him quickly and shimmered out. He had been gone to long and had one place he needed to visit before the demon came back from the dead and started again.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

The nightmare consumed her once again. See the blood covering her sister. It was more then she could take as she sat upright. But something was different. It wasn’t the same as before. It wasn’t the same sister. It was the one that was gone. She got out of bed and pulled on her robe to fight away the cool fall chill. Making her way quietly down stairs she was more then a little surprised to hear hushed voices coming from the kitchen.

"Anything new?"
"Nothing. Same thing I hear all the time when I’m not hiding. He hasn’t even tried to make a move."

Leo stood up, "It doesn’t make sense. Now would be the prefect time for him to strike." He paced back and forth across the kitchen not seeing the figure now leaning against the doorframe.
"I know Leo but if he is planning something he isn’t letting it out there." he replied hoping he had a better answer. "How they doing?"
"We’re dealing." The voice behind him spoke soft and saddened.

Leo and Cole met her gaze as neither one of them know what to do. Cole took the step as he got up and placed his arms around her. Holding in an embrace that she soon pulled away from. She didn’t need his love and support then she needed her sister back, something she wasn’t gonna get anytime soon.
She made her way to the fridge and pulled out the juice container. Reaching for glass she dropped it sending it smashing to the ground.

"...!" she cursed as she cut her hand picking up the pieces.

Leo stepped up and crouched beside her "Let me take care of that." but before the glow could start she pulled her hand away.
"No. I don’t want or need you help." She shot back.

Leo held her gaze as she got up and placed her hand under cold water easing the blood flow to a minimum.

"Can I at least get you the first aid kit if you won’t let me heal you?" he offer but got no answer in return.

He knew she was still angry with him but he had to still at least try and help her. Not waiting any longer for an answer he went and retrieved the kit from the kitchen cupboard placing it next to her. "You can't keep blaming yourself. Or anyone else. You know everything is for a reason. And maybe this was too." he said in a hushed tone but only received a glare back in return.

Leo and Cole quietly left the kitchen leaving her to tend her own wound though neither of them liking the idea.

"If she keep this up the Source will strike. He will see that they are still at turmoil and take it now when they are weakest." Cole said as he looked towards the kitchen and then to the stairs where he notice the figure standing on the landing.
"I heard a scream."
"Kitchen. She won’t let me heal her. She’s ok but she cut her hand on broken glass." Was all Leo said as she watched the other sister start towards the back of the Manor.

Leo turned back towards Cole. "Any ideas? Because I know you are right and so do they. But what can we do?"

Cole looked at the two sisters sitting on the floor in the kitchen. He heart reached out to them Even Leo couldn’t reach them and he had known them so much longer then he.

"I have a feeling that the Source is up to something I just don’t know what. I can try and find out but I don’t wanna make any promises that I can't keep or get anyone’s hopes up."
Cole turned back to Leo, "I’ll be back. I promise." He shimmered out before he could let Leo in on anything else that was on his mind.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

Darkness was all around. Pain and darkness was all anyone knew down there. The deepest of places where the Source kept his play things. Innocents he had reached out and taken. Demons, who betrayed him, witches who defied him. Anything for evil to gain the upper hand in the fight against good and evil.
He made his way with confidence down the half-lit tunnels. Minions moving to the side to let him pass. To refuse was instant death.

"Where is he?!" his voice bellowed through the small cavern.
"We lost him sire." Were the last words he spoke as he burst into flames.

He cast a glance around the cavern. Bodies hanging. Beaten beyond near recognition. Tortured to the point hey could no longer stand on their own. The smell of blood was all he took in as he walked around the cavern. Casting his hand on each victim. Taking each face in his hand. Looking into their scared eyes.

"He will come back. And when he does. Kill him." He let the face in his hand go as she spun around casting his cap around him as he exited the chamber. "You have betrayed me for the last time Belthazor. And you will pay the ultimate price for that: Your death." His words could be heard as she made his way back along the tunnels that wound and twisted beneath the earth’s surface.

~~ ~~ ~~ ~~

She watched as the sun filtered through the curtain. She wasn’t even sure how she made it into her sister’s room. She woke up and there she was. She looked over at the picture on her nightstand. One of the three of them. She knew when it was taking. Andy had taken it for them just before Grams had past away. And before he moved to Portland. They had all been down at the beach, much to Prues displeasure. But she had gone anyway. Both families having that one last picnic together. Some how Phoebe had managed to get Prue into a tickle war. With Phoebe losing, and Prue sitting on top of her laughing for her to say Uncle. But Phoebe wasn’t about to give in so easily and her task was made easier by Piper tackling Prue off of her and they two of them pinning her in the sand tickling her. She had finally caved and said Uncle and as they lay in the sand beside one another Andy had snapped a photo of them. "One for me to take with me. To remember you three." He said.

She brushed away the tear that started down her cheeks again. She was still trying to deal with everything. Losing her sister and dealing with her sisters guilt. But she felt something inside her when she heard yelling downstairs once again. Leo and her were at it again. But she had had it. As she got up and ran down stairs.

She hadn’t even reached the landing. "Stop it stop it stop it!!" she yelled out to both of them. It was then Cole shimmered, in looking like he was ready for another fight. His clothes ragged and the energy ball in his hand.

“All of you just. Enough. I am sick and tired of everyone yelling and blaming. You are all to blame each and every one of you. My sister is dead because of all of you!"

Leo stepped towards but all he got in return was her hand stopping him. "No. You are as much to blame as the two of them." she turned her anger towards Cole. "You! You just couldn’t leave well enough alone could you? We told you to leave us all alone but you had to keep stepping into our lives. You took her as much as anyone." She spun around and faced back to Leo. "You should have said something. You should have told her what was going on. But you didn’t. For what ever reason you let your heart lead your emotions and because of it I lost my sister."

She turned on her sister. The hushed silenced fell over the room as each one took in what she was saying to them. Cole blamed himself. He should have left them alone. Phoebe came looking for him to save him. Leaving her sisters vulnerable to everything. He broke the power of three by having her come after him.
Leo felt the stares of everyone. He should have said something. He should have told Prue the consequences of what would happen when Tempus reset time. But he hadn’t. He had been more concerned for Piper then anything that he should have told them. And in the end she still died.

"And you! What were you thinking? I just want to know that? You forgot about the one thing we all agreed on. We all said we were in this till the end. The greater good. Did you every think that maybe what happened was meant to be?"

She could say anything. She had asked her the same question. She had to face the facts it was her fault.

"You put me before anything. You only thought of me and not her. You stood in that ER room and ordered Leo to fix it didn’t you? You didn’t wait for his answer of what the consequences would be. You didn’t think that our baby sister sacrificed her soul to stay in the underworld to turn back time to save me.
That was what she was like. She put all of us before anything. She was willing to sacrifice her life to save me and no one cared." Piper let everything out that was building up over the past few weeks.

Prue felt everything crash around her. Everything Piper was saying was true. She had not even asked Leo what he could do to fix the situation with Piper. And it was those nightmare that woke here every night. Nightmare of her ordering Leo to go and fix it, she wanted Piper back and she didn’t even think of her baby sister stuck in the underworld. She blamed her herself on more days then she could count.

"Piper." Prue started to reach out her. But Piper pulled away.
"Prue no. You have been blaming yourself since Leo came back and saved us. And it has to stop. You are all to blame and it something we all have to deal with. Phoebe is dead and that is all there is to it."

Prue held her hands beside her she wasn’t sure how to reach her sister. Everything she said was true. And it was something she wasn’t sure how to fix as she watched her sister turned ands walk away. Once again the words rang through her mind, "What have I done?"


"Can you make this right or not?" "GO!"
"Can you make this right or not?" "GO!"
"Can you make this right or not?" "GO!"
"Can you make this right or not?" "GO!"
"GO!" "GO!" "GO!" "GO!"

The words pounding her mind as she fought the never-ending nightmare, only she wasn’t sleeping. She had ordered her sisters death with much as a single thought towards her. It was like an old record with a scratch repeating the same words over and over till some one moved the needle or stopped it all together. But she couldn’t move the needle. And she couldn’t stop it. It was something she would have to live with the rest of her life.

She looked out as the rain continued to fall. Another dismal day made more so by the fact Piper wasn’t speaking to her. She looked back when she woke up with Leo standing over her. Piper throwing her arms around her as she cried thankful she was alive.

He had tried to explain everything to them but even he knew parts were missing. He placed his hands on their shoulders and everything that had happened ran through their minds like movie. Every word spoken, every action taken.

The difference now was. Phoebe had saved them and she was killed