demonbelthazor | Confronting the Source

"You're not evil," Bridge says. "And I can prove it. I can sense evil, remember?" he reaches to take off a glove.

Giving Lana's hand another squeeze he moved closer while carefully keeping out of Bridge's way.

"I don't believe that, Phoebe. Anymore than I believe that," he nodded towards the Source. "Is Cole. You both need to come back where you belong. A lot of people love you and miss you, Siblet."

Lana slipped her hand from Wilson's and moved in front of him quickly, before he could stop her. "I don't care if it's dangerous, Phoebe. I know you won't hurt me - any of us. I told you I'd come down here so you weren't alone and I'm here."

Chris nodded in agreement with what everyone else said. "You're not evil. Wyatt and I need you to help us learn about our magic. Paige and Piper need you to help keep people safe."

"Bridge, no..." Phoebe shook her head wildly, not wanting Bridge to take that glove off and see what she really was. "James, you know that Cole cannot go back up there where people think he will attack them or even kill them. Don't you guys understand? I made a choice. I chose to come down here."

She looked at Chris a little sadly. "I can't help you and Wyatt any more than I can help Piper and Paige, Chris. I cannot be the Queen of the Underworld and a Charmed One. Piper told me that and Cole showed me that she was right. It's too late."

Phoebe started to step back, but when she saw Lana step in front of James, she hesitated. "Lana... you don't know what you're offering to do here. You can't stay here." This was her best friend and she was fighting not to be happy that Lana wanted to stay with her.

"Neither can you," Anders said, stepping forward. "You've gotta know that, Phoebe, c'mon. This isn't you . . . it's not where you belong. Don't you see that?"

His voice cracked a little as he added, "I know what it's like to be fooled like this."

Wilson let Lana move ahead of him but came up beside her quickly.

"Phoebe, I'm one of those people. It was the Source who attacked me, I remembered it, ever minute of it but I'm here...with all the risk it involves for both of you. You're making choices based on false assumptions. Please, listen to us and if not that, look at our actions. We've all come here for you. Don't give up on us."

Lana took another few steps closer to Phoebe. "We understand why you're here and why you think you need to be here. But you're good and that means you don't belong here. And Bel's good, too, so we have to find a way to get him back. You could help us with that."

She smiled up at her a little sadly. "And I'm not kidding," she said. "I'm not going back as long as you're here. Whatever that means. I won't leave you."

Phoebe focused her attention on Anders, sadness creeping into her voice. "Anders, you don't get it. When I found out about you and Cole... I wanted to vanquish you. You... a human and I wanted to hurt you. Those are not the thoughts of a good person." She looked confused for a moment but then shook it off.

She turned her eyes to James. "I'm glad you can see that it was him and not Cole who hurt you. But that doesn't change what I am now. My god, I shoot fire now, James. Good witches do not shoot fire! The Source... Cole is still in there somewhere, James. I cannot just abandon him. I promised him that I would stand beside him no matter what happened."

Phoebe swallowed. "Lana... Sister-Friend... I'm not the person you think I am anymore."

"Phoebe, listen to me," Chris said. "He's over there right now, trying to kill your friends and your sisters. Are you going to stand beside him while he does that?"

Phoebe's determination seemed to falter when she heard Chris. She whipped her head to look at where the others were.

"Piper and Paige..." She whispered softly.

Lana's eyes were filled with tears. "You're good, Phoebe. Even Mr. Phale said that evil isn't about what you can do, it's about what you do. Thinking bad things doesn't make you bad. Save your sisters. Help them get rid of the SOurce so you can save Cole. You know he doesn't want to live this way."

She let the tears fall. "Come back, Phoebe. Come back to us. Come back to me. You promised me that you'd never leave me. That you'd always be there for me. If you stay, then I'm not going, no matter what happens to me." She took another step closer. "I already asked Dr. Wilson and Mr. Phale to take care of Jim for me if I didn't come back, because I'd already made this decision."

Phoebe shook her head. "Lana, you can't. Jim needs you."

Lana shrugged. "Then I guess it's up to you. I don't leave unless you do."

"Phoebe...is this what Cole would want for you?"

Phoebe looked torn. "I drank it willingly," she whispered. "he gave me the choice and I chose him..." Tears were starting to fill her eyes.

Damn the fireballs and full speed ahead, Wilson crossed towards Phoebe.

"He gave you no choice." Wilson said with threads of anger, anger directed at the Source, not Phoebe, in his tone. "A choice implies a clear picture of your options. What he did was manipulate the facade of the soul you love."

Stopping short of Phoebe, Wilson looked her straight in the eye.

"Cole might be many things, Phoebe...young, reckless, arrogant, occasionally denser than a post but he loves you and he would never manipulate you. Phoebe, please...if we can see that the being you are here with is not Bel, is not Cole...if we can see and believe and forgive...why can't you?"

Pointing towards the Source, Wilson said in a firm tone. "That.Is.Not.Cole. If there is anything of Cole left he is dying in that thing."

"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."

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.

"Please, Aunt Phoebe," Chris begged. "Don't make me and Wyatt lose our mother again. Save them, save yourself, save Bel."

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."

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.

Lana went to Phoebe and put her arms around her. "We all love you," she said. "We're all here for you."

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.

Confronting the Source

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