Phoebe opened her eyes and looked around. Leo was kneeling over her with his hand at her head. She could feel his healing power flooding her body as he apparently healed some type of damage to her head.

"Thank goodness," said Piper. "We thought you had been killed by that demon."

"What?" Phoebe questioned, not knowing exactly what was going on.

They couldn't be here. They were dead. She had watched all of them die. Even Cole. Vanquished by demons. She looked at all of them confused.

"Zelmar attacked you to keep you from using the dagger," said Cole moving up next to her. "Lucky for you one energy ball isn't enough to kill you outright."

"But she had some serious internal injuries," said Leo. "She should be okay now, though. I've healed her."

"But you're all dead," Phoebe insisted. "I watched you die. The demons overwhelmed us."

"She must have hit her head," said Piper. "She sounds delirious. Let's get her home. We can get her some aspirin and she can rest up."

"I don't understand," said Phoebe. "How can you be here?"

"It's over now," said Paige. "We should be okay for..."

Suddenly Phoebe remembered what had happened. Zelmar had been vanquished but Rashon had been hiding, waiting for his chance. He had attacked when they had all come to make sure she was okay. Paige had been killed when she had been distracted.

"Paige," Phoebe screamed, grabbing Paige's wrist, "get down."

Phoebe pulled Paige down. Paige lost her balance and fell on top of Phoebe just as an energy ball passed over her head narrowly missing her. Everyone looked up to see Rashon standing in the alley. In one fluid motion Cole snatched up the dagger that lay on the ground and threw it at the demon. It struck Rashon in the chest and the demon was vanquished where it stood."

"Thanks, sis," said Paige. "I was so worried about you I didn't see that demon. I might have been hurt from that energy ball."

"Are you two okay?" Piper asked.

"We're fine," said Phoebe, hugging Paige and then Piper. "Everything is okay now. You're all alive. I don't know exactly what happened but you're all safe again."

"She does sound delirious," said Piper. "Leo, get us back to the manor. George will be in soon and he can take care of the club for one night. We need to make sure Phoebe is okay."

Leo orbed them all out of the alley back to the manor.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" Paige asked Phoebe for what seemed like the millionth time.

"I told you, I'm fine," said Phoebe. "I didn't hit my head and I wasn't delirious. I'm not sure exactly what happened but you were killed and the rest of us were overwhelmed by demons. I thought I was dead, too, until I woke up in the alley."

"Phoebe, you were only out for a minute or so," said Piper. "None of what you described happened. It sounds like you were having a dream or something."

"It wasn't a dream," said Phoebe. "It all happened. It was so real."

"It wasn't a dream," said Leo, coming into the living room where the others were gathered.

"Then what happened?" Cole asked.

"A premonition," said Leo. "I just checked with the Elders. Apparently when that demon hit Phoebe with the energy ball it knocked her unconscious. But the premonition she was having had all ready started. In her unconscious state the premonition just continued and she saw it as if it were a dream."

"So everything that happened?" questioned Phoebe. "That was what was going to happen?"

"Apparently," said Leo. "The Elders think you had a premonition about Rashon killing Paige when you picked up that dagger. But being unconscious as you were there was nothing to stop the premonition. So it just kept on going until you were attacked. You can't die in your dreams. If you do, you'd die for real. So when Rashon attacked you in your premonition, your mind woke you up to protect you."

"I don't understand," said Piper. "Why should being unconscious make a difference?"

"Normally when Phoebe has a premonition," said Leo, "her first thought is to go out and stop it. Especially if it involves one of you. That's why her premonitions usually only last a few seconds. The desire to prevent it is so strong that it usually cuts the premonition short before she can see the whole thing. Luckily she usually sees enough to help prevent it.

"This time, however, she was unconscious. All she could do was lie there and watch as it played out. Only when she was in real danger did her mind react to protect her. It woke her up to keep her from dying in her dream which would have killed her for real."

"Thank goodness for that," said Paige. "And thanks for the warning. That demon seemed to come out of nowhere."

"I wonder how much of my premonition will come true now?" questioned Phoebe. "The Source began sending all kinds of demons after us. We just couldn't stand up to all of them. That's why you all died."

"Oh, I don't think you need to worry about that," said Cole. "You told us that Rashon informed the Source of Paige's death in your premonition. He can't do that now. One of the reasons the Source doesn't attack you like he did in the premonition was because of the Power of Three. He's usually afraid that you'll vanquish any demons he sends against you.

"The only reason he sent them against you in your vision was because he didn't have to worry about the Power of Three with Paige dead. Without the Power of Three you're vulnerable. Maybe not as much as other witches but vulnerable just the same. Even you can be overcome with sheer numbers."

"So we don't have to worry about demons popping up all over the manor?" Piper asked.

"Not any more than usual," said Cole.

"Well that's some comfort anyway," said Phoebe. "It just all seemed so real. Like I was actually there."

"That's because you lived every second of it," said Leo. "It wasn't like your other premonitions where you have them for a few seconds and then come back to normal. From your perspective it took hours even though you were only out for a minute or two."

"Thank goodness we were able to prevent that premonition from coming true," said Phoebe. "We all died in it. I've never had a premonition like that one before."

"Well," said Cole, sitting down next to Phoebe and putting his arm around her, "you don't have to worry about that for quite a while. You stopped this premonition and I'm sure the Source will think a long time before he even tries anything like you saw."

"At least Cole was there when we needed him," said Phoebe. "He did everything he could to help. There were just too many demons for any of us to deal with."

"That's my job now," said Cole, snuggling closer to her. "Since I vanquished the Triad I've been out of a job. I have to find something to keep me busy."

"I suddenly remembered something I need to do in the kitchen," said Piper, jumping up from the sofa. "Leo, we need to go take care of that thing in the kitchen."

"What thing?" Leo questioned, totally oblivious.

"That thing," said Paige, dragging their Whitelighter off of the chair he was sitting on. "That thing in the kitchen that we need to take care of."

"Oh, the thing," said Leo suddenly realizing that Phoebe and Cole were beginning to get comfortable. "Yeah, that, uh, thing in the kitchen we, uh, need to take care of."

"Come on, Sherlock," said Piper, taking Leo's other hand. "Honestly, for a Whitelighter who can sense people thousands of miles away, some times you can be completely blind."

"I'm glad they're gone," said Cole, snuggling even closer to Phoebe.

"So am I," said Phoebe. "I nearly lost all of you. It's nice to know it was all in my head and that they're right in the next room. And you're here with me where you belong."

Cole didn't say a word. He just kissed her passionately as she hugged him as close as she could.

The End

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