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"He'd never want to see you this way," Anders added, once he'd gotten control of his voice again. "And if you wanted to hurt or kill me for what I did, what does that make me, for doing what I did even though I knew it would hurt you? Doing a few bad things because -- because you're hurt or upset doesn't make you evil. It makes you human, Phoebe. Just like me. Don't you get it? We've both been getting manipulated here."
Taking a risk, he said, "You want to hurt me? I probably deserve it for what I did. But that doesn't mean you're an evil person. Dammit, Phoebe, he loves you because you're not an evil person. The real Bel wouldn't ever want to see this happen to you. Just like Doctor Wilson said."
Taking a risk, he said, "You want to hurt me? I probably deserve it for what I did. But that doesn't mean you're an evil person. Dammit, Phoebe, he loves you because you're not an evil person. The real Bel wouldn't ever want to see this happen to you. Just like Doctor Wilson said."
Lana couldn't speak. She just stood there crying silently and letting her eyes do all the pleading her voice couldn't manage.
Nodding in complete agreement with everything Anders was saying, Wilson reached his hand out to Phoebe.
"Phoebe, it's time to come home." He said softly.
"Phoebe, it's time to come home." He said softly.
"Phoebe," Piper said hesitantly. She really wasn't sure what to say right now. Nothing she could say would be the right thing at the moment. Instead, she slowly walked over to her sister, wrapping her arms around her.
"Please, Aunt Phoebe," Chris begged. "Don't make me and Wyatt lose our mother again. Save them, save yourself, save Bel."
Paige didn't have any words either, but she walked over and hugged both of her sisters, figuring that knowing they were there was the best support they could offer at the moment.
Isabel crossed her arms and straightened her back. "I'd do it myself it I could. I just want my friend to be at peace," she said steadily.
Phoebe looked at them all and then she nodded, putting her hand in Wilson's as tears slid down her cheeks.
"No," she whispered to Chris. "No one is going to hurt anyone while I'm alive to stop it."
"No," she whispered to Chris. "No one is going to hurt anyone while I'm alive to stop it."
Drawing Phoebe into a gentle, reassuring embrace Wilson gave her hand a squeeze, a silent communication of understanding and the promise to be there for her.
"Your family needs you." He said softly, looking over towards Chris, Lana, Anders and then on to Piper and Paige.
"Your family needs you." He said softly, looking over towards Chris, Lana, Anders and then on to Piper and Paige.
Lana went to Phoebe and put her arms around her. "We all love you," she said. "We're all here for you."
Lana hesitated, wanting desperately to go over to Phoebe, but not wanting to intrude.
Piper spotted Lana and nodded at her, letting her know it was okay to intrude. She knew Phoebe could use the love and support from everyone who cares about her.
Phoebe hugged James and then when Lana hugged her, she hugged her, too. There was a great deal that she wanted to say, but right now the words weren't exactly coming forth. She swallowed and looked over to where The Source -- NOT Cole -- The Source was calling her for help.
She took a shuddering breath. "I... I have work to do," she said faintly.
She took a shuddering breath. "I... I have work to do," she said faintly.
Lana ran to Phoebe and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry, my Sister-Friend."
Wilson stood quietly back, trying not to look at the spot where Bel had been. They had Phoebe and though he thought he'd seen a glimer of...relief on the Source's face, Wilson couldn't help feeling that Bel had been lost.
He made no move to interupt the family moment but slowly he began to look around. They couldn't stay here forever, eventually someone...something was going to come investigating the powerful magics being thrown around.
"Do we have an exit strategy?" Wilson asked softly, to no one in particular.
He made no move to interupt the family moment but slowly he began to look around. They couldn't stay here forever, eventually someone...something was going to come investigating the powerful magics being thrown around.
"Do we have an exit strategy?" Wilson asked softly, to no one in particular.
Anders hung back from the group a bit, looking stunned and a little sick. He wanted to offer his condolences, or say something useful, but he was a little too shellshocked to get the words out of his head and into some kind of coherent form.
Biting her lip as she tried to keep her face neutral, Isabel warily studied the room. The Source might be gone but there were still plenty of other demons to give them trouble. Noticing Anders distress, she walked over to stand silently next to him.
Tannim remained at the back of the group. He'd stayed out of the battle to conserve energy for the portal home, and he didn't know Phoebe well enough to say anything now.
To Wilson he said, "I'll build the Gate home when everyone's ready to go."
To Wilson he said, "I'll build the Gate home when everyone's ready to go."
"Isabel, it's me!" the Source said, reaching out as much as the prison would allow. "It's Bel! Stop them, please!"
"Bel, if it is really you, then I'm sorry. There's no other way. I've looked," Isabel said sadly. "But if this is all some sort of trick? I hope you rot in hell."
The Source glared and tried a different approach, looking over toward the group gathered around Phoebe. "Anders!" he snapped. "Come here!"
Anders's head snapped up at the sound of his name, and he took a cautious step or two forward. "If you think you can keep ordering me around like some little puppy, that's not happening any more," he said -- keeping his voice tight to suppress any shaking that might give away how he really felt.
"C'mon, Anders," the Source said, softening his tone. "This isn't right, you know it. Just come over here and let me out, and we'll figure out some other way to deal with this."
Not Bel. It's not Bel. It hasn't been for a long time.
Anders shoved his hands into his pockets so the Source couldn't see that his knuckles were white, and shook his head. "Yeah, you're right. Sneaking up on someone and trapping them isn't cool -- so why'd you think it was okay to do that to Bel, and now you're pissed that we did it to you?"
This time, he let the anger seep into his tone; that, he hoped, was his best defense right now.
Anders shoved his hands into his pockets so the Source couldn't see that his knuckles were white, and shook his head. "Yeah, you're right. Sneaking up on someone and trapping them isn't cool -- so why'd you think it was okay to do that to Bel, and now you're pissed that we did it to you?"
This time, he let the anger seep into his tone; that, he hoped, was his best defense right now.
The Source laughed shortly. "And now you think that killing Belthazor is fair? He was there, too, Samuel. He enjoyed it. But if you let them kill me, you're letting them kill him, too."
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