Title: Better To Have Loved
By: Bridget McKennitt
Pairing: Phoebe Halliwell/Cole Turner
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 6463
Summary: Cole enters an alternate reality where he and Phoebe are happily married and expecting a baby. However, Paige accidentally orbs into that reality and tries to find a way to turn things back to the way they were.
Contains: No warnings in as far I know that can't be extrapolated from the header itself. Centennial Charmed AU coda.
Disclaimer: Charmed is owned by other companies. They are used here without permission, and for entertainment purposes only. No challenge or infringement upon the copyright is intended, nor should any be inferred.

Cole turned around and looked at the Avatar. He was dead tired. Phoebe's flat out statement that she felt nothing when she thought he had died had cut him to the core. He couldn't live without her and he didn't even want to try to. This was the only way.

"When I become one of you, my powers will become unlimited, right?"

"We do not have infinite powers. Only to elevate powers such as yours beyond good and evil."

"Making them unlimited," Cole finished. "Do it."

The Avatar raised his eyebrow. "These powers were not meant for personal vendettas. They were meant to shape a future of our choosing."

"Listen, I know you need my powers, otherwise you would have not come to me in the first place. All I want to do is to make me happy." Cole knelt on his knees and stared forcefully at the Avatar. "So hurry this up, would you?"

"Congratulations Darryl on making Lieutenant," Phoebe said as she raised her glass in his honor. The rest followed suit. Phoebe, Piper, Leo, Darryl, and his wife were at p3 celebrating Darryl's long overdue promotion. Michelle Branch was in the background singing her song called 'Goodbye To You.'

"Thank you guys. I'm just very fortunate to have good health, a good job, good friends, and a good wife." He drank to that and wrapped his arm around his wife. "By the way, where is Paige?"

Phoebe glanced at Piper and gave a tight smile. "Oh, she's at home with a cold." Her gaze wandered and she saw her sister walking down the stairs. "Oh! Uh, Piper can you help me with something?" She tilted her head towards Paige's direction and Piper spotted her.

"Of course! Excuse us, Darryl." The sisters got up and left quickly.

Piper grabbed Paige and pulled her off to the side. "What are you doing here, missy? Don't you remember your little sneezing orbing problem?"

Paige waved off the concern. "That little thing? Eve's remedy worked like a charm. I haven't sneezed all day." She peeked over Piper's shoulder. "Oooo, is that Darryl's wife? She looks cute."

"Don't stray from the topic, Paige. I am pregnant and I can't handle our cover being blown."

"Relax Piper. I've got everything under control." Paige smiled then bit her lip. "Um, guys? Can we talk?"

"Of course." The sisters sat down in their private booth. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"This is all me, it's my problem. Not yours. It's just that I'm twenty five years old and I've been an only child for most of my life. I'm used to doing things when I want and on my own. I'm just not used to doing things in a committee." She looked up from her hands. "I think it's best if I moved out and find my own place."

Her sisters grew concerned. "Honey," Phoebe began.

"I know, I know. But I think I need this." Paige was about to say more when she began to wrinkle her nose.

"Don't sneeze!" Phoebe cried.

"Nuh uh, not out here. In the back." Piper hustled Paige through the crowd and into the back room.

The moment she was in the back room, Paige sneezed and orbed out. Suddenly a wave of energy swept throughout San Francisco, changing one reality to another. Paige orbed back in as the wave ended.

"Now that was a sneeze." She stretched her arms and turned towards Piper, but Piper was not there. "Geez, she couldn't even wait for me?" she muttered.

Paige made a face and went to open the door to scold her sister, and stopped in her tracks. This was not p3. The bar had changed, the decorations had changed, everything was just off. Her gaze sought out the p3 sign and was shocked to see it replaced with a sign that said 'Underground.'

"What the hell is going on?" No one paid attention to the redhead.

Everyone was on the dance floor. The DJ was playing techno music and the strobe lights were flashing to the beat. "Where is Piper and Phoebe?" She searched the club, calling for her sisters, but there was no sight of them.

Paige pushed through the crowd and marched towards the bartender. It was a tall woman with her raven hair cut into a sassy bob style and striking blue eyes. She glanced at Paige and spoke in a no nonsense tone. "What do you want?"

"Have you seen my sister, Piper?"

"No, haven't seen her or heard of her before." The bartender began to play with her pentacle necklace.

"Excuse me? Piper owns this club."

"Listen missy, if you're not going to buy a drink, then I suggest you leave so I can help paying customers. Oh, and you're wrong. No one named Piper owns Underground. It's jointly owned by this great couple who, by the way, saved my life awhile back and gave me this job. So back off."

Paige stared in shock as the bartender turned to help someone else. "This does not make any sense," she muttered to herself.

She got an idea. "Leo must know what the hell happened when I orbed." She went to the back room again. "Leo? Leo? Leo! Damn it Leo, answer me! Oh screw this, I'll orb back home." Paige visualized the manor but when she opened her eyes, she was still in the club's back room.

"Oh no, I lost my powers. Leo!"

A few seconds later Paige saw the familiar orbs of her whitelighter. "Leo thank goodness you're here. Something's happened and, Leo!" She took a good look at him and gasped. "Leo what happened to you?"

Leo furrowed his brow in confusion. "Who are you, and what are you talking about?"

"You've lost weight!" It was true. Leo was much more trimmer than he was only five minutes ago. He had also dressed much nicer in fine clothes. "What a minute, how can you not know me? I'm Paige, your sister in law."

"I'm sorry but my wife doesn't have any sisters. She's an only child."

Paige laughed. "No, she isn't. Piper has sisters, two in fact. Me and Phoebe."

Leo's jaw dropped and he took a step closer towards Paige. "How do you know Piper?"

"I'm her sister."

"You can't be. Prue died a year ago and I know Phoebe. Who are you?"

"How can you not recognize me? First my powers don't work and now this? Now I know something is very wrong. Take me to Piper."

"I can't." Leo looked nervous now.

"And why not?" Paige demanded as she put her hands on her hips.

"Piper and I have been divorced for about a year now. Ever since Prue died and she became obsessed with killing Shax."

"No, no, that's wrong. I'm Piper's half sister and we, along with Phoebe, vanquished Shax a long time ago. This is so strange. Wait, you said you have a wife, but you're divorced from Piper. How can that be?"

"After Piper and I divorced, I met a sweet gypsy named Ava through Phoebe. We complete each other and married soon after we met. In fact, Ava just recently gave birth to our daughter Lydia." Leo tilted his head. "I don't believe who you say you are, but I was able to hear your call so you must be one of my charges. Let me take you to my home while I ask the Elders."

"I might as well seeing as I don't know what's happening." Paige took Leo's hand and they orbed out.

Cole leaned against a car outside of the manor, deep in thought. He had remained outside for several minutes now as he contemplated what this reality's Phoebe would be like. How their lives had turned out.

"What are you waiting for?" Cole turned around and saw the Avatar standing there.

"What are you doing here? I thought I was the only one to cross over."

"That won't be your last miscalculation I'm afraid. Avatars exist outside of time and space. That's why I'm immune to your spell, a spell I beg you to reverse before it's too late."

"Too late for what?"

"For you to die. You're not invincible in this reality, Cole. By changing that one critical event you've changed even more than you see before you. You've changed you."

The Avatar's words bothered Cole but he shrugged them off. "What are you talking about? I don't feel any different."

"But you are different. You've assumed the identity of the Cole in this reality. The one who used to be known as Belthazor, the Source's right-hand man. A powerful demon to be sure, but hardly indestructible."

"Belthazor, huh? I told you, it was when Phoebe and I were at our best."

"Cole please. Believe me, you have no future here. But I promise you have a future with us, if you only undo what you've done."

"I can't. I have to play this out first." He walked towards the manor and opened the door. After exchanging words with the Avatar, he needed to find out if he did have a future in this reality.

The first sight he saw was Phoebe. Her shoulder length brown hair rippled in small waves and framed her lovely face. She was wearing a blue top with black pants. She saw him and went to him, smiling all the while. "Honey, you just left. Did you forget something?"

"Yeah, this." Cole held her around her waist and leaned down to kiss her. Phoebe was pleasantly surprised but didn't hesitate as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back enthusiastically. It was heaven. It seemed like forever since he and Phoebe last kissed, and it probably was. He didn't want it to end but Phoebe pulled away.

"My, you're in a good mood," she teased him. "I thought you had your fill when you kissed my stomach like crazy before you left."

Cole looked at her oddly before looking at her tummy. Her big tummy. Phoebe was pregnant with his child. The joy hit him so fast that tears filled his eyes. "You're pregnant."

Phoebe laughed. "Well, of course I am. You were there when we conceived our son six months ago. Cole, why are you acting so strange?"

"I'm just realizing what a lucky man I am." He swept Phoebe into his arms, laughing at her shrieks.

"Cole! What are you doing? What about work?"

"Forget work. I want to spend this time with you and our son." Life was good. "Tell me everything about yourself."

"Cole," she giggled. "You already know everything about me."

"Maybe, but I want to hear it again. I love you, Phoebe."

Phoebe said a phrase that he thought he would never hear again. "I love you too, Cole." She kissed him again and sighed happily.

He carried her to the couch and sat down, with her on his lap. "So tell me about your sisters," he said carefully, rubbing her stomach while watching for her reaction.

Phoebe stiffened and shifted in his lap. "Cole, I thought we agreed not to talk about that."

"Really? I must have forgotten."

His wife sighed and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Ever since Prue died, it felt like I lost another sister as well. Piper stopped talking to me, stopped talking to Leo. All she wanted to do was hunt for Shax. I tried to reason with her, that Shax could only be stopped with the Power of Three, but she wouldn't listen. I'm just thankful that you were with me, Cole. I don't know how I could have survived without you, knowing that I meant nothing to my sister."

Cole hugged his wife. "She didn't know what a precious gem you were, and still are."

"That may be so, but I wish she didn't retreat into her own world of vengeance. I mean, I loved Prue just as much as she did, but I knew I couldn't completely fall apart. Someone had to keep things running smoothly and without Piper, it fell to me. I had to pay the bills for the manor. I had to run the club. I had to protect the innocents without the power of being Charmed. I--I, Cole, I hate to admit this at times, but I resent Piper's selfish ways."

"Then forget her. Let's just concentrate on us." Cole smiled a mischievous grin and kissed Phoebe once more.

Leo orbed Paige into a modest two-story house. He stepped back to give Paige some room. "This is where I live."

Paige walked over to the table full of picture frames. Each picture only furthered how wrong everything was. Leo holding Ava around her waist, smiling at the camera. Ava rubbing her pregnant stomach. Ava on her bed, holding their baby girl. "She looks nice." She glanced at Leo. "I don't know what happened but this world is wrong. Leo, you love Piper. You guys are happily married and have a magical baby on the way. Oh my gosh, that's it! Something must have happened when I orbed. It must have been Cole. He changed the real world into this reality. We have to fix it."

"Let me talk with the Elders to see what they have to say. Paige, if what you say is true, I don't know if I want to help you restore your reality. I like my life. It's good and peaceful and I love Ava. I love our daughter Lydia. Ava completes me in a way that Piper never did. She appreciates me and treats me like her equal." Leo broke off, knowing that he said too much. "I better orb now. Um, Ava's upstairs with the baby. You can go and meet her if you wish." He orbed out.

Paige flipped her hair. "I think I should do that." In the real world, Ava was the gypsy they had saved from Orin and his son. They had helped her rediscover her gypsy heritage which in turn gave Ava the motivation needed to help her clan by providing free health care. Ava was willing to help Phoebe and Paige train to become midwives for Piper. When she couldn't help, she would send her clan member Eve who was much more skilled in that field.

Now in this reality, Ava was the wife of Leo and he was happy. Well, Paige knew better. This Leo only thought he was happy, but she knew that he truly loved Piper and belonged with her. "I just need to fix it." She looked for the stairs and went upstairs in search of Ava.

She found her in the nursery cradling little Lydia on the rocking chair. The scene made Paige hesitate. She had never seen Ava so at peace and radiant then at that moment. "Ava?"

She looked up and smiled. "Hello. Are you one of my husband's charges?"

Paige smiled weirdly. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. He went to the Elders for advice."

Ava nodded. "The Elders have been so kind to us. Leo told me before that whitelighters and witches were forbidden to marry, but They allowed him to marry one once. So when Leo went to them to ask for permission for us to marry, They had no objections because of their past ruling and gave us their full blessings. I'm so thankful. I love Leo and I could never imagine life without him."

It was hard to tell this gypsy that this was nothing more than a fake reality and that Paige meant to set things straight. She shrugged her shoulders in a clueless way and grinned. "That's Leo, alright. He's a great guy. So, um, do you know where Phoebe is?"

"Why yes! She's the one, in fact, who got Leo and I together. I consider her like one of my sisters." Ava blushed. "Well, if I had any sisters."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Sure, she hasn't moved or anything. She's still living in the manor with her husband Cole."

Paige nodded her head slowly. "Cole, I see. Right. How is the guy?"

"Sweet as ever. He loves Phoebe so much and it's so cute to see them still so giddy. Even with Phoebe six months pregnant."

"Pregnant?" This was so strange. "How has Phoebe been handling it? I mean, she's carrying a demon and all."

Ava tightened her smile. "Cole may be half demon, but you can't hold that against him. Not after he helped Phoebe through a nervous breakdown after her sister died and the other one went suicidal. Phoebe loves Cole, and she definitely loves their son."

Leo orbed in at that moment and the first thing he did was kiss Ava and his sleeping daughter. "Paige, can you come outside with me?"

"Sure. It was nice meeting you, Ava."

"Same here."

Leo herded Paige into the hall and closed the door behind them. "Well, the Elders backed up your story. It seemed there was another sister out there, a half sister. But Paige, if what you believe is true, that you orbed into another reality--"

"Cole changed the real world with this reality," Paige cut in.

"Okay, if that's true, then the reason why your powers don't work is because our Paige died before she ever met her sisters, before she ever became a witch. And since you're here, you've become that Paige, a powerless witch."

Paige stumbled back and held onto the wall to steady her. "So I'm dead in this reality. Peachy. Well, we need to do something to make things right again. Where is Piper? Take me to her."

"Are you sure you want to do this? Piper's been very unstable for quite some time."

"Yes, Leo, I do. Otherwise I'm dead, my sisters are lost to me, and everything is just wrong. You know, I bet the only way to fix it is if Cole died. And since I became your Paige, then he must have assumed this reality's Cole. There's still a chance." Paige held out her hand. "Take me to Piper."

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warned you." He took her hand and orbed out.

Leo orbed Paige to a junkyard. Paige made a face and looked around. "Leo, why are we here?"

"You said to take you to Piper, and I did."

"She lives in a dump?"

"No, just watch." He pointed to a pile of tires in the distance. A demon popped in next to it and started feasting on a human corpse. A figure emerged on top of a heap and Paige could see that it was Piper, but not her Piper.

Her long brown hair was braided with a leather wrap. She had black eyeshadow around her eyes and wore black leather pants with a black shirt. On her wrists were black bracelets. More importantly, her stomach was flat.

Piper froze the demon and jumped down. The look on her face was cruel and cold. She waved her hand and only the demon's head became animated. "What the, what did you do to me?" cried the demon.

"I froze you. Now tell me where I can find Shax." She clasped her hands together as she waited for his response.

"I don't know. Let me out of this, you witch!"

"No," and she gestured with her hand, exploding his left arm. The demon howled with pain but she didn't care. In fact, she took pleasure from his screams. "I'm giving you another chance. Where is Shax?"

"I said I don't know. Are you deaf?"

"Not a good answer." She gestured again and blew up his other arm. "I can do this all night, you know. I have a lot of time on my hands. Unfortunately, you don't."

Paige turned to Leo. "What the hell is she doing?" she hissed out.

"After Prue died, Piper couldn't handle the pain of losing her. She distanced herself from both Phoebe and I. She stopped living, only going through the motions. Finally, she divorced me and dedicated her life to finding Shax and killing him for taking Prue away."

"Well, maybe I can talk some sense into her." Paige moved from their hiding spot and waved her arms. "Piper!"

Piper blew up the demon fully and turned around, ready to destroy whoever it was. Leo ran out and placed his hand on Paige's shoulder. "She's good."

"Oh, well I don't care. If she's here from the Elders, then tell them that I'm not coming back." Piper turned to walk away when Paige spoke up.

"No, I'm not from the Elders. I'm your half sister, Paige. I know you won't believe me, but it's true. Cole changed the real world into this reality and this version of me is dead, you're Le Femme Nikita, and Phoebe's carrying baby Lucifer."

Piper stared at Paige suspiciously. "Is what she's saying true, Leo?"

"It is."

"Piper, you have to help me take down Cole so the world is back to the way it was."

"Why should I?" She was not budging.

"Well, everyone was much happier in the real world. We--you, Phoebe, and I--took down Shax a long time ago, and you're married to Leo with a baby on the way."

Hope rose in her eyes. "We killed Shax?"

"Uh huh. We kicked his arse, and the Source's."

"I have to think about it." Piper walked away and disappeared over a ridge.

Paige turned to Leo. "That wasn't so bad."

"Don't do this. In your world, Ava and I are not together and my daughter does not exist. It's too much to bear."

She patted his shoulder. "It'll work out in the end. You'll see. Come on, orb me to Phoebe. This will be much easier if we had the Power of Three."

He sighed and nodded. "If you wish. But Paige, I'm not your taxi cab." He grabbed her arm and orbed in a sprinkle of white lights.

Piper watched them leave with tears in her eyes. She had spent months chasing after Shax and encountering dead end after dead end. She was tired but she vowed to take down Prue's killer if it was the last thing she did. It probably would be. If this Paige was right, then killing Cole would kill Shax and her mission would be complete. "For Prue."

Cole watched Phoebe sleep as she took her daily nap, Ava's orders. She was so beautiful and they were finally together in the way that was meant to be. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kissed her softly on the lips.

He slowly got out of bed, trying not to wake Phoebe, and left the room. If Cole was to function, he needed to know as much as he could about himself in this reality. He was about to go to his study when Leo orbed in front of him.

"Hey, Cole." Leo grinned and hugged him. "Ava's with the baby so I decided to stop by. Where's Phoebe?"

"Oh. She's in the room asleep."

"That's too bad. Let's go get something to eat in the kitchen while we talk, you know, man to man." Leo led Cole away as Paige peeked her head out from behind the bathroom door and headed towards the bedroom.

She saw Phoebe sound asleep on her bed. She looked exhausted but very stunning. This Phoebe had an inner peace that the real world Phoebe did not possess. Paige shook her head. No, she was distracting herself. She needed Phoebe, she needed the Power of Three.

"Phoebe. Phoebe, wake up."

Phoebe yawned and blinked her eyes open. "Huh?" When she saw that it wasn't her husband, she sat up quickly. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Relax Phoebe. I don't have a lot of time to explain this to you but my name is Paige and I'm your half sister. Our mom had an affair with her whitelighter Sam and had to give me up because of the Elder's ruling that witches and whitelighters can't be together. Except I'm not this reality's Paige because in this reality I'm dead. You see, Cole from the real world created this reality and became one with this reality's self so he can be with you. I somehow got here too and I know it's my mission to kill Cole so the real world is righted again."

"What?!" Phoebe shrieked, not believing what the redhead was saying. "Listen, Paige, I don't know what kind of drugs you're taking but you're lying. Cole is a good man and he loves me. Now you have thirty seconds to leave or else."

"Phoebe! Wake up and smell the coffee. Don't you understand how wrong this reality is?"

Phoebe glared at her with tears in her eyes. "And what is so wrong about it? I'm in love, happily married to my soulmate, pregnant, Leo is finally happy with his wife, he has a child of his own..."

"Yeah, and I'm dead, Piper's unhappy, and the Power of Three is gone."

"You are not my sister, Piper put it upon herself to remain unhappy, and the Power of Three died with Prue. Now get out of my house!" With that, Phoebe raised her arm at Paige. The redhead could feel tingling throughout her body and then felt a sudden push as she was shimmered out of the room and onto the street.

Phoebe pushed the blankets away and got out of bed. She had to tell Cole about the little visit. When Prue died, demons became bolder in trying to kill off the remaining Charmed Ones. Piper enjoyed the attempts but Phoebe took them seriously. She activated the nexus under the manor to protect the residents of the house from most demons, except the most powerful. So whoever this Paige was, she must be powerful enough to pass through the wards.

She found her husband and Leo making sandwiches in the kitchen. "Cole, we have a problem. This woman was in our room, saying her name was Paige and that she was my half sister."

Cole choked and turned towards his wife. "Where is she?"

"I used the baby's telekinetic shimmering to get her out of the house. She's outside right now. Honey, what's wrong?"

"Leo, guard Phoebe. I need to go." Cole leaves the kitchen to find Paige. He knew that somehow Paige must have landed up in this reality with him. Well, he would fix that.

Meanwhile, Paige was dusting herself off. This was just a minor setback. She would get Phoebe to her side. Suddenly she heard Cole's roar and hid in the bushes. As soon as she did, she saw Cole through the leaves looking for her.

"I don't know how you did it, Paige, but it won't work. Phoebe loves me in this reality. We have a good life. The only thing wrong now is your presence, and that's easily fixed."

Paige cursed her bad luck. She couldn't orb out without her powers and that made her a sitting duck. A hand grabbed her shoulder and covered her mouth. She tried to shriek but saw that it was Leo. Paige nodded and Leo orbed her away.

Cole searched the outside of the manor for Paige but could not find her. "No matter," he muttered. "She's powerless here."

Leo took Paige to the cemetery and promptly began to argue with her. "Do you see now the folly in your plan? Phoebe doesn't know you and now she trusts you even less. She loves Cole."

"Well, the Cole with her now isn't her reality's Cole. In the real world, Cole is pure evil and he must be stopped."

"I agree." Leo and Paige turned to see Piper walking towards them. "You said in the real world Shax is killed. I'm happy there, right?"

"We all are. You and Leo are living the dream life with the perfect marriage and my niece about to be born any day now. Phoebe finally got over Cole and is moving on. She's an advice columnist at the Bay Mirror. Me, I have sisters who love me, witchcraft that I consider as my full time job, and a purpose. My purpose is to kill Cole. Will you help me?"

"I will." Piper gave a bitter laugh. "I'm ready to move on."

Paige glanced at Leo. "And you? Will you help me?"

"You know my answer, Paige. You're on your own." He didn't bother to acknowledge Piper and orbed away.

"He loves you, you know," she reassured Piper. "He'll be yours again soon."

"It's not that. I'm just a little surprised that he's finally showing his backbone. Maybe his marriage with Ava did some good." Piper hardened herself. "So what's your plan?"

"Well, in this reality, Cole is Belthazor. That means we can make a vanquishing potion using part of his flesh. We need to go back to the manor for that."

Piper slid out her knife from her leg pocket and grinned wickedly. "Let's go hunting."

Paige smiled. "I missed you, Piper."

The sisters headed back towards the manor, careful to make sure no one saw them breaking and entering. They slipped through the back door with ease. "I'll freeze Cole and you can slice him up."

"Gotcha." Piper handed Paige the knife. "I think Cole is upstairs."

They went through the kitchen, through the hall, and up the stairs without getting caught. "Over here," Piper whispered.

Cole was in his study, Paige's own room she thought with a pang, reading some documents. Piper threw out her hands and froze him. Paige gripped the knife and walked into the room. "Be brave, clenched fists," she whispered to herself. She slashed the knife and that broke Cole out of the freeze, screaming from the pain.

"You!" Paige grabbed the flesh she had cut off and ran towards Piper. Cole rose quickly and formed an energy ball. "You'll pay for this!"

Piper glared at him. "You first." She waved her hands at Cole.

"No!" Phoebe was coming out of the bathroom when she saw what Piper was about to do. She dove and knocked Piper down, watching in satisfaction as the power missed Cole and hit the wall.

"Get off me, Phoebe." Piper kicked Phoebe away and grabbed Paige's hand. "We got what we came for. Let's go!" They ran as Cole dissipated his energy ball and stumbled to reach Phoebe.

"Phoebe? Did she hurt you?" He cradled his wife in his arms.

"No, ow, a little." She winced as she rubbed her arm. "Fortunately she missed my stomach with that kick. Oh, honey, that girl hurt you. Let me call Leo."

"Not now. I need to prepare myself. Your sisters are planning on vanquishing me, assuming that's why they needed a piece of my flesh." Cole kissed Phoebe. "No matter what happens, know that I love you."

The cemetery was Piper's base of operations and that's where they headed to make the potion. Piper got a small cauldron out of a chest she kept most of her witchcraft items, began a small fire, and placed the cauldron with its stand over it.

Paige began creating the Belthazor potion by memory. It only made sense that she had it memorized because it was the basis for all the potions she had made to rid their lives of Cole. As she was putting in the ingredients, Piper commented that she was a natural.

"Well, I learned from the best. You taught me, after all." Paige winked and added in the piece of flesh. "Hey, whatever happened to the Book of Shadows?"

"Oh, Phoebe has it," Piper said offhandedly. "Along with the deed to the manor and the club. She takes care of all that now. I hear she's making good money from the club. Changed the name and everything."

Paige turned away from the cauldron and hugged her sister. "Life will be good for all of us when the real world is back. You'll see."

"But Prue is still dead in your world." She distanced herself from Paige. "Though from all that you've said, it does sound good."

"It is good, wonderful in fact. Then Cole had to ruin it all by thinking of only himself." Paige stood back as she threw in the pig's foot, watching the potion explode with sparks and gas. "There, it's done. We just need to bottle it and throw it at Cole."

"Paige? I don't know about this. In your world, Leo and Ava as a couple won't exist and neither will their daughter. Phoebe's baby boy won't exist. Is it right of us to play God?"

"We're not playing anything, Piper. Cole was. We're only making things right, and as Charmed Ones, that's what we do. Come on, we need to go. It's time."

Evening had settled in San Francisco, but it did not calm Cole down. He knew Paige would be coming back for him, ready to kill him for wanting happiness with Phoebe. He stared at the drink in his hand and drank it down in one gulp. Like the Avatar said, he wasn't invincible in this reality. He could very well die tonight.

"Cole?" Phoebe entered the living room, folding her robe over her nightgown. "I know something's up but you haven't told me what it is. Please, I need to know." She sat down across from him in her favorite chair. "This afternoon, you said my sisters were planning on vanquishing you. Not sister, but sisters. Ar--are you telling me that Paige is really my sister?"

He nodded and turned away. "Whatever she told you is probably true. I cast a spell to change the real world into this reality. But I only did it so I could be with you." He leaned forward. "Phoebe, tell me what you're thinking."

"I--I don't know, Cole." She rose from her seat. "I'm still digesting everything so forgive me if I can't answer you right now. Good night, Cole." Good bye, Cole.

She walked out of the room and Cole rested his face in his hands. Why did Paige have to come and mess up this life too?

"Oh good, Cole. Are you ready to die?" He looked up to see Piper and Paige.

"What are you doing here? Get out!"

"No," Piper said softly.

"Then I'll throw you out!" Cole threw some low level energy balls at them, knocking them against the wall. Paige groaned and struggled to stand.

Paige was about to throw the potion when Phoebe came out of nowhere and tried to grab the potion. "No, Paige, don't do it!"

"Stop it, Phoebe! Cole needs to die and you know it. Ugh, Piper wake up and hold Phoebe."

Piper opened her eyes and rose to her feet, freezing Cole on the way. She grabbed Phoebe by the arms and pulled her away. "Come on, Phoebe, this needs to be done. When Cole dies, then Shax dies."

"No! Don't do this to me, please." Tears began rolling down her face as she watched Paige roll the potion in her hand.

"Real world, here we come." Paige threw the potion at Cole as hard as she could and it crashed on his chest. Phoebe struggled hard against Piper as her beloved was thrown out of the freeze and screamed, his body catching on fire and his flesh melting away.

"Phoebe!" he cried as his body exploded into a million pieces. The spell he had cast was reversed on his death and the energy wave swept through San Francisco once more, returning things back to their proper place.

Paige looked around and saw a pregnant Piper walking in, eating a cup of ice cream. "Oh, there you are. We were wondering where you went off to."

"Yes, I'm back!" Paige closed the distance between her and her sister to hug her. "I'm so glad you're pregnant."

"Huh?"

The door slammed and Phoebe entered the hall. "Hey, Paige. Finally decided to come back to us?"

"Guys, I have something really important to say. I killed Cole."

As Paige began to explain the reality switch and the sisters decide to go to Cole's apartment to seek the truth, back in the alternate reality, time was still running. Killing Cole had only brought Paige back to her world, not destroyed a reality already made.

Phoebe pushed away Piper and sank to the floor, sobbing over her husband's death. "Piper, how could you do this to me? No, I don't want to hear your stupid excuse. I don't even want to see you again. Get out of my house and never come back."

Piper's lower lip trembled. She had thought that with the death of Cole, she would have become the real world Piper and have lived a happy life. But fate was cruel and here she was, lonely and without her family. She left the house to return to her life's mission, the death of Shax. Yet even that didn't cheer her up.

"Leo! Leo!" Her whitelighter orbed in and Phoebe explained everything that happened through her tears. "Leo, is there anything we can do to bring Cole back? I can't live without him."

"I don't know, Phoebe. If there was, we would have brought back Prue months ago."

"But you said that it was Prue's time and I refuse to believe that this was Cole's time to die. I refuse." Then she got an idea. "What if I used the power of the nexus to bring him back?"

"Phoebe, don't risk it. You're pregnant and you're two sisters short of the Power of Three."

"Then I'll just need more power to back me up. Can you bring Ava here? Perhaps with the nexus, a whitelighter, a witch, a gypsy, and a demon baby we can do the job?"

Leo sighed but did as Phoebe asked. He brought Ava over and she began telling them about her plan. The three held hands around the spot that Cole had died and Phoebe began chanting as she tapped into the power of the nexus. Time had no meaning as Phoebe waited for her spell to work.

Suddenly, the house began to shake and blue light washed over the room. Everyone shielded their eyes until the light faded, and when it did, Phoebe saw a wonderful sight.

"Cole!" She ran to him and embraced him tightly. "Oh my goodness, it worked. It worked."

Cole hugged his wife in return and glanced around. "How?"

"I brought you back to life. Well, everyone did. Cole, never leave me. I love you."

He chuckled and kissed her on the lips. "I was just about to say the same thing. I love you too, Phoebe."

The Voice of Serenity

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