A Matter of Relativity

Part 2: Shame and Scandal in the Family

Chapter 11

 

"They do not love that do not show their love"
 William Shakespeare

Three weeks after Cole had left to hide his sorrows in Greece Phoebe lay in bed, alone and feeling very sorry for herself. No-one else was home, Leo was working, Piper was at the club and Paige was out on a non date with Mark.  Well Melinda was home, sound asleep and Phoebe had checked her before she came to bed, but the sleep that came to Melinda so easily, alluded Phoebe. She missed Cole with a desperate ache and wanted nothing more than to feel him, beside her, to see the special smile, smell him, have him touch her.

 

She worried about him, and thought about him and hoped about him.

 

Phoebe lay alone in the bed she had shared with Cole until seven weeks ago, unable to sleep and missing him. She had left the cell phone beside her bed because Piper always called to check on Melinda so Phoebe was not surprised when it rang after midnight. She answered "Piper, Melinda’s okay"

 

"I’m glad to hear it" Cole replied snakily.

 

Phoebe’s heart went thump as she heard his voice. She tried to answer but her voice did not come.

 

"Phoebe" Cole asked irritated "Are you there?"

 

"Yes" she finally breathed, the ache almost overwhelming her. "What do you want?" she asked.

 

"You of course" he answered with a viciousness she knew hid his hurt.

 

"Where are you?" Phoebe asked hurting herself.

 

"San Francisco" he replied "Can I see you?"

 

"No" she bit out tight, sharp.

 

"Why not?" he insisted.

 

"Because I can’t see you, not know not.. not for a while" she answered sadly.

 

He cut the connection and Phoebe lay in bed crying, clutching the phone. She sobbed and was still crying when the phone rang again" Piper" she started to say.

 

"I’m not Piper" Cole bit out. Phoebe sniffed trying to hold back the tears.

 

"Phoebe are you crying?" he asked softening.

 

She sniffed.

 

"I promised myself I would never make you cry again" Cole said sadly.

 

"Well don’t make promises you can’t keep buster" she snapped and cut the line.She lay there for nearly 10 minutes and then picked up the phone and redialled.

 

Cole answered  "What."

 

"Where are you?" Phoebe asked.

 

"At the Belview" he answered "Can I see you?" he asked.

 

"No Cole" she said "You can’t see me."

 

"Why?" he asked, "Phoebe I love you and I don’t even understand why I can’t see you." he pleaded.

 

"I just have to be away from you for a while" she whispered.

 

He sighed and started to say why and stopped "Cole" Phoebe pleaded, "Promise me you won’t try and see me."

 

He sighed and finally said yes. Then he added "That’s it then?"

 

She believed him and trusted his word" Thank you" she said, then hesitatingly asked" Can we talk?" She heard the sigh come down the phone, and could visualise the anger and annoyance on his face.

 

"Why?" he asked again.

 

She gave him a lifeline "I want to hear your voice."

 

This time he laughed, bitterly but he did not hang up and they talked, about where he had been with Arturo, about what he had been doing, about her job, about what had happened with her family and he even got a laugh from her about the elf, and the porn star and the honey.

 

"I wonder if Francesca will ever decide she can't deal with Durand any longer?" Phoebe asked. She finally had to end the call nearly an hour and half later when Melinda started to cry.

 

As she got up Cole asked" What happens now?"

 

"Promise me you won’t try and see me" Phoebe asked hurting.

 

"I said I wouldn’t" Cole snapped.

 

"I’ll call you tomorrow" Phoebe promised.

 

Phoebe went to Melinda and changed her, then surprisingly managed to sleep for a few hours. She awoke at seven feeling ill, and washed out but got up, thinking herbal tea would help, and slipped downstairs to the kitchen. Leo was sitting at the bench reading the morning papers and drinking coffee. He wished her good morning and then said  "Feebs honey you don’t look to good."

 

She made some tea and then sat very still, fighting the illness and discomfort "I did not get much sleep last night" she said.

 

"I know" Leo said "you don't sleep very well alone" and this time he was not offering her any sympathy. She did not answer. Leo in exasperation said, "Are you ever going to tell us why you broke up with Cole?"

 

Phoebe stared into her cup. Leo tried again "Are you ever going to tell Cole why?"

 

"How do you know I didn’t?" she asked defiantly.

 

"Because he told me of course" Leo answered.

 

"Oh" said Phoebe

 

"I take it you have no objection if I see him" Leo asked.

 

"I’d be glad of It" Phoebe answered "We talked a lot last night, and he sounds so hurt but I can’t see him at the moment."

 

Leo’s exasperation showed and Phoebe finally could not stand it any longer. The illness, the fears of the last few months suddenly overwhelmed her and she started to cry "Leo if I talk to you, it is as my whitelighter not my brother in law, you can’t tell Piper or Paige. Or Cole."

 

Leo seriously considered saying no and then relented and nodded.

 

"I’m pregnant" Phoebe said simply" three months."

 

"Cole?" Leo breathed.

 

"Who else? Phoebe snapped as Leo turned pale as all the implications hit him "I didn’t think it really possible."

 

"Well apparently he is still corporal and still human and he can" Phoebe said ironically.

 

Leo was silent realising that Phoebe was suffering.

 

"I could not tell anyone," she said,  "because you would all be so frightened. I know what you're thinking, the danger. What if it is like the last time?"

 

She started to cry, "Because I know what you would all say," she said "Don’t take the risk, better not" she half choked "to have it."

 

"Don’t you think it would be better if we talked about this as a family?" Leo asked slowly.

 

"No" Phoebe answered" Because I was so frightened this baby could be evil, that at first I could maybe have let you convince me and I had to give it a chance. Leo, it is Cole’s and my baby. I had to give it a chance."

 

"And if it turns out to be evil?" Leo asked trying to sound matter of fact when he felt no such thing.

 

Phoebe smiled a teary smile" I don’t feel it evil Leo, I feel some magic but nothing evil and I knew last time right from the start it was evil."

 

"What magic?" Leo asked worried.

 

"Don't know yet" Phoebe answered" Perhaps the baby is empathic..like Cole’s human magic or a witch." She gulped "A little demonic I think, maybe just a bad temper. "

 

"Why don’t you tell Cole?" Leo asked wondering where this would all end.

 

Phoebe started to cry again "Because he would want to protect me, maybe protect me from my baby, maybe try and do something to destroy the baby and he would never forgive himself afterward. I will tell him after the baby is born or when I'm sure its safe" She smiled "He loves me enough, he’ll forgive me."

 

"And you don't think he has a right to a choice" Leo said.

 

Phoebe's chin came up. "No Leo " she said primly "He's not getting a chance and he's not getting a choice."

 

"And you have the right to decide this for him" Leo said.

 

"Yes Leo " Phoebe answered firmly. "I do. I love him Leo. I wish there was a word I could find that meant more than love, but all I can say is I love him. If he makes a choice he's going to betray some-one. If he protects me, he'll betray his calling, everything he fought so hard, and suffered so much to be." Her voice shuddered "And if he doesn't protect me and Whosit, he'll betray me and all the trust we ever had. So no Leo he isn't getting a choice. I love him to much to give it to him."

 

Leo sighed, "I don't know what to say. I don't even know who to ask for help."

 

Phoebe was vehement "You talk to any-one about this, Cole, the Elders my sisters and I swear I will never forgive you. Leo please I am so frightened about this baby. I think, I believe it is all right. I'm lucky Leo. You know I am. Cole loved me turned to Good for me, against what odds. Leo but I can’t tell any-one because I'm not strong enough to fight them. There is nothing either you, or Piper or Paige or the Elders could tell me that I don’t know but this baby is, its really come from Cole and my ..from our love and I have to protect it. "

 

She smiled through her tears. "Leo each day feels better. As the baby becomes stronger, everything feels so …. Good and it didn’t before. Last time, I knew. Leo I have no evil powers, my body is just normal."

 

Leo sighed in exasperation "For so many reasons this is wrong for you to deal with alone. If the baby is evil, wouldn’t this secrecy be what it wanted; If it's not, for you to go through a pregnancy alone without the baby’s father, its not right."

 

"Leo," Phoebe answered gently  "I just told you and nothing happened, the baby is not stopping me telling you. Melinda interfered more with her magic."

 

"Piper is a more powerful witch than you Phoebe" Leo said softly "There was more magic for her to use, this one may need to get stronger before it can use your magic."

 

"Leo" she insisted " I’m its mother" and Phoebe savoured the word. "This baby depends on me, to protect it from any-one who would injure it, including people who love me."

 

'Oh Phoe…be" Leo sighed "You're asking a great deal, that I keep this quiet."

 

"I know," she said, giving him a hug.

 

Leo orbed into the hotel room where Cole was staying. "What do you want?" Cole said waking up disoriented and wondering what the orbs were.

 

"Came to see if you're okay" Leo said. "Nothing else" He looked at Cole's three week beard "You're not back at work" he asked.

 

"Haven't told them I'm back, " Cole said.

 

"Are you going to?" Leo asked.

 

Cole shrugged. "Eventually" he said "Perhaps, probably" he said wryly.

 

He went into the bathroom and showered and returned to the room to dress. Leo was standing on the small balcony watching the view of the harbour. "Nice view" he said turning to Cole.

 

"I like looking at the harbour " Cole answered.

 

Cole dressed in rather crumbled jeans and an expensive dark grey sweater he picked up off the floor. He crawled around under the bed and found a leather loafer. It took him a few minutes to find the other one behind the bathroom door. "Piper and Phoebe are never going to turn you are they" Leo asked with a smile, indicating the mess that was Cole’s room.

 

"In a few things" Cole answered. They walked down to the harbour and found a café. Leo ordered coffee and Cole to his surprise suddenly discovered he was hungry for the first time in a long while and ordered a full breakfast.

 

After a few minutes almost safe silence Cole started to say "Why?" then stopped an asked bitterly "Do you know how many times I have said that word in the last six weeks" He looked at Leo "I suppose if you knew you wouldn’t tell me" Cole sighed bitterly"

 

Leo did not met his eyes "Even if Phoebe told me why, I'm not sure I would understand why."

 

Cole answered regretfully "I take it Phoebe told you we spoke last night". He stopped shovelling food in his mouth "Leo I've had it. This is one time to many. She says she loves me but I’ve been to the well one time to many times. I no longer have the strength to fight her or fight for her."

 

"That's not what you'll believe tomorrow" Leo said as Cole shrugged. He took a deep breath and made his decision "Cole, if you love her enough to understand her and I think you always have. Well if you can just accept that Phoebe does things because she is Phoebe" and Leo caught Cole’s smile "I wouldn’t give up. I am pretty certain time will fix this one."

 

"Until the next one" Cole said.

 

"No" Leo answered giving Cole what he could "I think this time maybe you ought to be patient more than usual because I think, I think this time, it really is just Phoebe being Phoebe. It will be okay in time."

 

Leo heard the ringing. "I have to go" he said slowly "Cole keep in touch." And he slipped off leaving a one time source of all evil staring at an empty waffle plate and remembering, a time not so long ago when Leo had come threatening him and demanding he leave the family alone, and thinking how things had changed.

 

Leo orbed off to a Canadian charge who had a warlock problem and fixed the problem. He returned to the manor to find Phoebe working away on her column looking pale and worn out. Leo shook his head.  And not for the first time contemplated the effect that Phoebe's falling in love with Cole, had had on magic and their lives and the universe in general.

 

Leo made himself coffee and glanced at Phoebe working away, and then his thoughts turned to pondering the story of the witch and the demon.  This girl was the one that could attract to the point of madness the demon of the century, turn him away from evil, and inspire the Guardian he became, to a level of fidelity and passion he never even questioned.

 

Leo was creature who saw time spans and perspectives and he knew, although he would never say it in the family that he was watching a legend grow, a romance that in the annals of Good and Evil would be the basis of myth for eons to come. Darryl had once described the love Cole and Phoebe had for each other as epic and it occurred to Leo that it was a great deal easier to talk of a myth than to live it. And he wondered how in the future these two lovers would be judged.

 

Phoebe was a pretty girl, sweet, she could be beautiful in some incarnations. She was not perfect by any means. Loving and lovable, caring and generous, in panic she could turn on any-one near. She had a wisdom of the ages and sometimes could be so headspinningly foolish, that her actions were incomprehensible. A girl who loved to well but not always wisely, felt everything to much, acted to much on her heart and her impulses, thought to much or never thought at all. Contradiction upon contradiction, her mood shifts, her courage, her absorption with herself all fused into the complex little girl who sat typing advice for every-one but herself.

 

The best of her was so special and the worst of her, well to love Phoebe was to have to find a way to deal with the worst of Phoebe and sometimes the best of her.  Outside her family and himself, the demon that Cole had been and who still dictated much of what he was, seemed to be the only being who could deal with Phoebe Halliwell and even he seemed overwhelmed at the cost to himself.

 

Because of the girl sitting typing, hair in a pig tails, glasses no makeup, wearing one of Cole's shirts over loose track pants, a complex creature of myth, caught between good and evil, lightness and darkness, found the courage to cross to the light, found the strength, but why her. If some-one in the future, asked Leo what was she really like, he was not sure he could answer anymore then than now. 

 

To explain why she could inspire the epic story that he was witnessing, all Leo could think to say was she was some-one who was able to love. What Cole loved about her was her frailty, her emotion, her belief in him, the fact that no matter how she faltered and lost her way she never lost her ability to love.

 

If Cole had ever had any illusions about her, he had long since lost them and yet he still loved her, as intensely, indeed far more than he had when he first walked away evil, from all he had known, for her. Was that the answer, in the end the best of her was some-one who could be loved, some-one who could love and Cole seemed to inspire her to find the best of herself. And as for the worst of her. At least there was little risk of life for those around her ever being bored. They could be angry, frustrated, irritated, infuriated but never ever bored.

 

Phoebe tried to be casual when she told her sisters Cole was back, but her voice shook and both exchanged concerned glances. In bed that night Piper tried to talk to Leo, but he knew to well her ability to push him until he gave in and he pretended he desperately needed sleep.

 

Consequently for the second morning in a row Cole found himself awakened by family, demanding he talk to them.

 

Piper bounced into the room carrying Melinda "Why the hell didn't you tell me you were back?" Piper demanded.

 

"From where " Cole asked, sleepy and not quite with it. He rarely slept much lately and was pissed that Piper had woken him from the second good sleep he had had in weeks.

 

"For god's sake stop being obtuse" Piper snapped " we need to talk."

 

"Some people might think my ex- sister in law being here while I'm in bed , not dressed, a little odd," Cole said.

 

"What" Piper answered, " I live with you. Anyway I've got Leo: What have you got that would interest me?"

 

"Shut up Piper" Cole said. "And turn around."

 

"You're embarrassed" Piper started to laugh.

 

"Shut up Piper " Cole said as Piper turned around still laughing.

 

Cole shook his head bemused and looked around at the assorted clothing lying on the floor before he found a pair of jeans and some new underwear in a shopping bag. 

 

Cole went into the bathroom to get dressed. He left the door open while Piper told him she was getting very worried about Phoebe. "You've got to get through to her" Piper told him.

 

"She won’t tell me" Cole sighed.

 

"Well you must be able to do something" Piper muttered.

 

"Well whatever it is I don’t know what I" Cole muttered as he came out of the bathroom. At that point Melinda decided she had been ignored long enough, reached out her arms to him, and Cole unhesitatingly moved to Piper and took the baby. Melinda gurgled happily as he lifted her.

 

 "Why can't you do that with Phoebe?" Piper muttered.

 

"I thought I could" Cole answered lifting the little girl high above his head.

 

Cole took Piper back to the café and bought her coffee while he had breakfast.  As they came out of the hotel, Piper stopped.

 

"What?" he asked still tucking his shirt in.

 

"I think I just saw one of my cousin's wife, Aunt Eleanor's daughter in law," Piper said.

 

"Who cares?" Cole answered disinterested as they walked over to a nearby café, where he ordered waffles and Piper stayed with the coffee. Melinda was supposed to have milk but mostly she had waffles.

 

"What's wrong with Phoebe?" Cole asked quietly.

 

Piper shook her head "Cole she won’t talk to me.  But" she said, " I think whatever it is you'll know as soon as you see her. Which is the only reason I can think of that she had to get rid of you."

 

"I promised her I wouldn't " Cole said over a second plate of waffles.

 

"Break it," said Piper.

 

"Don't tempt me " he smiled "I mean it" he said "But if I break my word to her, then I destroy everything I did to get her to trust me. Wasn't a get out clause that said I could break it when it wasn't convenient."

 

"Convenient, even if its something like a possession, that you'll be the only one who would know" Piper said "Like when the Source took you over and we couldn't tell."

 

"You'd have been able to tell if you looked properly" Cole answered sharply "Paige could."

 

Piper just looked at him "You arsehole " she said deliberately. "I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen this time." she said  "Cole I know you love Phoebe but she's my sister. You haven't got sole rights."

 

"I.. I know this isn't about me" he gave in '"In fact I'm damned sure its one of her stunts but I'm not risking turning one of her stunts into something worse.  Have you got any reason to suspect that Phoebe is acting like she isn't Phoebe?" Cole asked.

 

"I've got every reason to believe that Phoebe is acting exactly like she's Phoebe" Piper said almost laughing.

 

"Then I suppose when it suits her, she'll want, me back" he sighed. "and I'm not risking that breaking my word to her."

 

"Then if you just say thank you and agree to it you deserve all the stuff she's putting you through," Piper said but she was smiling. She gathered purse, Melinda and other assorted things she had brought with her.

 

"I'll be in touch," she promised.

 

"I wasn't planning on thanking her for it" Cole said, "I was just planning on agreeing to it."

 

Having seen Leo and Piper, Cole half expected that Paige would come knocking on his door soon. That night he had coffee in the café, somehow did not feel like eating, wandered the streets, interfered with a robbery which caused a ripple in the spirit winds but he did not care, worked a little on some vague plan for the future and could no longer stand it, so in the early hours of the morning he dialled Phoebe’s number. She answered sleepy and hesitant.

 

"Just me" he said.

 

"Have you any idea what time it is" Phoebe asked.

 

"A long time without you" Cole answered.

 

"Cole" she said warning him.

 

"Okay, okay" he answered," Talk to me."

 

"What about?" she asked.

 

"You" he replied and sighed with pleasure at the sound of her voice. He told her Leo and Piper had visited, she told him about her job and her boss being a bitch and somewhere around 5.30 am she reluctantly said she had to get some sleep and wished him goodnight, feeling happier and less frightened than for sometime.

 

Before she finished the call Phoebe sighed a little weepy "Cole, I know what I have with you. And I couldn't bear to think of a life without you. Just in case I need to say so you know. Everything I'm goi.. I went through because of you, it's.. it was worth it because of you."

 

"What am I going to know if I see you Phoebe " Cole asked and his voice was not gentle.

 

"Mostly that I love you " she answered truthfully. "But you promised."

 

"I know," he said and relented "Cheer up Baby " he said, "I also promised you, you couldn't make me stop loving you by being a difficult little madam."

 

"I'm counting on it " she whispered and cut the call.

 

Cole lay awake for an hour, just hearing her voice in his head and then finally fell asleep.

 

He was awakened mid morning by Paige banging on his door and calling his name. He jumped out of bed and found the underwear and pants that he had left close to the bed and pulled them on, not bothering to do up the fly. He opened the door Paige barged in "I..we ..need your help" she said.

 

"Good morning" he said reaching down to zip up his pants, which made Paige, put her hands on her hips and pout. "I can't help you with magic and you know it '

 

"I need a lawyer not a Guardian," she said.

 

"Who did you kill?" he asked.

 

"That bloody Elisheeva" Paige muttered.

 

Cole froze "Vanquish it did you" he said in an odd voice.

 

"No" Paige said "Maggie, one of the witches you saw at that meeting, got a lock on a list of ceremonial athames it was looking for in a private collection, in some movie star's place down in LA.'"

 

Cole raised his eyebrows.

 

"Didn't surprise me either" Paige said.

 

"I orbed her and Phoebe and Piper up there" Paige said "only I think it was a set-up because the demons came but a couple of the vanquish fodder were in mortal form and when Maggie threw an athame there was a body left, I got Piper and Phoebe out but security guards caught Maggie, with body."

 

"That's a smart demon," Cole said.

 

"How the hell do they get vanquish fodder minions to let themselves get vanquished" Paige asked.

 

"Promise of resurrection to upper level" Cole said.

 

"That's one scary demon," Paige said. Cole sighed and then smiled a little to himself. 

 

"Come on" she demanded grabbing his arm.

 

"Shoes " he said glancing around the clothes on the floor.

 

 "You live like a pig" Paige told Cole accusingly.

 

"None of your business" he said defensively.

 

"Don’t be stupid," she told him. "Shoes" she said and a pair of black loafers flew into her hand then as an after thought she said "socks" and located a pair of blue socks, not clean.

 

"Not those ones" Cole said.

 

"What does it matter" Paige asked as he crawled around the floor and found a clean pair in a laundry bag "The sad thing is, you know Cole, you just don't function in a mortal world without Phoebe do you?"

 

"What's the point?" he said.

 

"Can you find a way to talk them out of arresting Maggie." Paige asked.

 

"You don't need a lawyer " he said, "Elisheeva just crossed the line. You need a guardian. Would not help the balance for the police to start asking questions about magic."

 

"Are you sure?" Paige asked.

 

"I can feel it, rippling" he said" Nothing disastrous. Unless you want me to stay here so you can meet Durand."

 

"Next time" Paige said and orbed.

 

"Damn Elisheeva " he muttered almost to himself and shimmered.

 

"Why?" asked Paige curiously as they came out of the shimmer and orb outside some high security gates in a Beverly Hills.

 

"Why what?" he said.

 

"Why damn Elisheeva?" Paige asked.

 

"For being to clever," he said. "Where's Phoebe " he asked hopefully.

 

"Not here" Piper said slipping out from behind a palm tree where she was trying to pretend she was a tourist checking out movie star homes. "Took you long enough" she told Paige.

 

"Cole had to put his pants on " Paige said smirking.

 

"Phoebe called Leo and made him take her home." Piper said watching Cole's face fall.

 

"Where's the lawyer outfit?" she told Cole.

 

"You need a guardian not a lawyer," he said looking at the lights on in the house. "Just have to get what's her name Maggie out of there."

 

"We could have done that, " Piper said.

 

"And I'll screw up the evidence " he added, as Piper started to open her mouth "that's something I do know how to fix." he said dryly.

 

"Just get in there and freeze the place," he said and Paige orbed Piper in to the house. Maggie was being held in a corner while a well known actor who looked considerably, older, shorter and balder than he did on screen was complaining about being stalked by fans and insisting he had been threatened by the crazy female murderer.

 

Maggie looked nervous and uncomfortable, but as a good witch she did not freeze "I'll get you out of here" Paige said going to her. "They got anything of yours."

 

"My wallet" Maggie said. "They've written all the details down."

 

Piper carefully went over to where a policeman had the wallet and removed it. "Everything there?" she asked.

 

Maggie checked. "They have my name and fingerprints and.."

 

"We'll fix it" said Piper "Get her out of here" she ordered Paige and Paige sighing orbed a very frightened Maggie. Cole appeared half a second after they had gone.

 

"I just realised" Piper said, " You're going to have to get me back. Eeek."

 

"If you want to look around, you better do it before I fix this up" Cole told Piper.

 

"Isn't that helping witches business?" Piper asked.

 

"Professional courtesy" Cole said smiling.

 

Piper went over to where the actor was frozen and walked around him "'There goes another fantasy" she said.

 

"What" said Cole.

 

"They did use a butt double in that last movie," she said. '"And" she said looking around the room where a number of swords and twisted daggers and dildo shaped items were on the floor "he has some interesting collecting habits. These are very demonic."

 

"I do know that " Cole smirked.

 

"I had a thought" she said and carefully pushed up the actor's shirt sleeve. There were five half moon marks on his arm "He's a god damn demon Cole" she said.

 

"He's not a demon," Cole said glancing at them. "He's a god damned, and I mean god-damned mortal seduced into evil through a Faustian deal. Sold his soul."

.

"That explains all the acting awards when he can't act." Piper said. "Which demons did he make the deal with?"

 

"That explains a lot of inexplicable things that happen, " Cole said grinning. When Piper put her head on the side, he explained "Faustian deals and gross stupidity. What do you want to do with all that demonic ceremonial stuff lying around?" He glanced at the marks "Old Source" he said. "Nothing sinister."

 

"Leave it "Piper said "He payed a high price for it. I've seen what I have to see."

 

"Ah " said Cole still looking "I see what they were after. That athame, the gold one."

 

"What is it?" Piper asked

 

"Kill with that and demons and creatures not good rot for ever," Cole said, "that thing doesn't belong in this realm."

 

"What does it do to good beings?" Piper asked.

 

"Stop them pretty damn quick " said Cole "Even me, but won't kill, as long as they're not evil."

 

Piper went to pick up the athame when the demon Elisheeva materialised near the it. Hooded in a long robe, Belthezor face just visible, it bent to pick up the knife. It stood up athame in its long nailed red hands. It looked up to see Piper and Cole there and its face broke into wide eyed, opened mouth leer showing pointed demonic teeth. It moved to the frozen body of the actor and stuck the athame into it.

 

Piper raised her hand to blow it up and Cole behind her grabbed her arms almost on instinct and pulled them to her side. The leer broke into something that was almost a smile, and Elisheeva shimmered.

 

As Piper started to protest in anger, Cole flicked a finger and a level of paper and the body of the vanquish fodder all disappeared. "Unfreeze it'" he ordered Piper, letting her hands go enough so she could and then he shimmered with her.

 

They came out in the Manor kitchen with Piper furious. "Why did you stop me?" Piper said.

 

"That's not a demon you could get, blowing up," Cole answered but Piper got the distinct feeling that was not the reason, even if it was true. "Maybe Power of Three" he added.

 

"It killed that actor," Piper said. "With that athame that makes sure the soul rots."

 

"As you said," Cole answered "He paid a high price for those awards." He looked around.

 

"Phoebe's upstairs" Paige said coming into the kitchen.

 

"I know" Cole said, "I can feel her this close."

 

"What happened?" Paige asked.

 

"He stopped me getting Elisheeva" Piper answered pointing and still annoyed.

 

"You wouldn't have got ..it" Cole answered.

 

"Why didn't you get it?" Piper demanded.

 

"For killing a mortal that sold its soul," Cole answered "Demon business. Not mine. I better go," he said "before Phoebe thinks I'm breaking my promise." But knowing Phoebe was upstairs he could not resist the temptation to try and connect. And for a second he felt the overwhelming fear and then something else. Phoebe must have felt the familiar pull of him joining with her because she started to scream and he let go and shimmered.

 

 

 

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