CHARMED
"Sins Of The Past"
By J. B. Tilton (a.k.a. NoAzMale) and Teri Thibeault (a.k.a. Tessalynne)
Emails:
evilgidget_
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.
(Authors note: This story takes place between season 4 episodes "Hell Hath No Fury" and "Enter The Demon".)
When another witch is arrested for murder after vanquishing a demon, the sisters decide they have to help her. While they investigate, Cole discovers he has a very special connection to the witch.
ONE
"You should take it easy, that's all I'm saying," said Phoebe as she and Piper came down the stairs. "You nearly became a Fury and killed us all."
"And it's over now and I'm fine," said Piper. "There's no chance of me becoming a Fury anymore. So just let it drop."
"Phoebe still bugging you about almost becoming a Fury?" Leo asked as the two sisters walked into the living room. Cole was standing by the fireplace and Paige sat on the sofa reading the newspaper.
"Yes," said Piper, annoyance in her voice. "And like I told her, I'm fine now. The Furies are gone and I'm myself again."
"But you should still rest," said Phoebe. "Something like that can take a lot out of you."
"I'm fine," Piper insisted. "Cole, you do something. She's your girlfriend."
"Oh, I've learned by now not to get in the middle of you two," said Cole, smiling at Piper.
"Hey, look at this," said Paige, holding up the newspaper. "Buchanan's is having a BOGO free sale. I could really use a new pair of shoes."
"BOGO?" questioned Piper. "What kind of shoe is that?"
"It's not a shoe," said Paige. "BOGO. Buy One Get One. In this case, you buy a pair of shoes, and you get another pair of equal or lesser value free."
"Ooo, that's my kind of sale," said Phoebe. "You can never have too many shoes."
"Now that's something else we would disagree on," said Piper. "Phoebe, you all ready have enough pairs of shoes to last you an entire year. What do you need another pair for?"
"Can I see that?" Cole asked, reaching for the paper.
"Sure," said Paige, handing it to him. "You see something interesting?"
"This article," said Cole. "It says that this woman has been arrested for murder. Let me see." He skimmed the article. "Just as I thought. See these two pictures?" He indicated a picture of a man and a woman side by side next to the article. "This woman is accused of murdering the man."
"Yeah, I heard about that on the news this afternoon," said Phoebe. "It seems she supposedly lured him into an abandoned building and then set fire to the place. The police still can't get into the building until the fire marshal decides it's safe to enter. Why? What's so important about this article?"
"Maybe nothing," said Cole. "But the picture of the man is. I recognize him. We worked together a few years ago. Well, more than a few years, actually. Let me think. It was about 1987, I think."
"You worked with him?" questioned Leo. "But that was when you were still a demonic mercenary. You were still working for the Source back then."
"That's right," said Cole. "So was he. His name is – or was – Kortack. He's another demonic mercenary. And he was very good. Nearly as good as I was. There's no way a mortal woman could have taken him out. He was too good."
"But if she wasn't mortal," said Paige, "that must mean she's a witch."
"And it wasn't murder," said Cole. "My guess is she vanquished him but someone must have seen what was going on. Some innocent who didn't know she's a witch and he's a demon."
"Which means she can't tell them what happened," interjected Piper. "In the first place, I doubt anyone would believe her. In the second place, she can't risk exposing magic to the mortal world."
"Assuming she is a witch and it was a vanquishing," said Leo. "It's possible she just got lucky. I know it sounds farfetched but it is possible."
"And there's one way to find out," said Piper. "Leo, you need to go 'up there' and check with the Elders. See if she is a witch. If she is then she didn't murder anyone. She vanquished a demon."
"This shouldn't take long," said Leo. "I'll be back shortly." He immediately orbed out of the living room.
"So if she's a witch, why didn't her White Lighter just orb her out of the building after she vanquished the demon?" Paige asked.
"Not all witches have their own personal White Lighter," said Cole.
"Well, if she is a witch, what are we going to do?" Phoebe asked. "We can't let her go on trial. She didn't do anything wrong. Besides, if there's a public trial, magic might get exposed to the mortal world. We need to help her."
"I agree with you," said Piper. "But I'm not sure what we can do."
"Leo could orb her out of the jail," suggested Paige. "Or Cole could shimmer her out."
"Which is not an option," said Cole. "That would make her a fugitive. She'd be looking over her shoulder not only for demon attacks but for every cop she came into contact with for the rest of her life. There's no statute of limitations on murder. She'd have to go into hiding and could never come out. It wouldn't make her very useful for fighting evil and protecting the innocent."
"I guess you're right," said Paige. "So what are we going to do about it?"
"Let's wait and see what Leo finds out," said Piper. "We need to make sure she's actually a witch and the guy she's accused of killing was really a demon. Maybe it was just someone who looked like him. Cole, are you sure that picture is of this Kortack?"
"Well," said Cole, looking at the picture again, "it looks like him. I haven't really seen him since we worked together and we only worked together for a couple of days. We weren't exactly close or anything but I needed someone to create a distraction and it was right up his alley. I'm pretty sure it's him."
Just then Leo orbed back into the manor.
"You were right," he said. "She's a witch. Her name is Kate Palmer."
"Palmer?" Cole asked inquisitively.
"Yeah," replied Leo. "And it was Kortack that she vanquished. They're discussing what to do about it right now. They agree with you. Something has to be done to get her out of this mess. So that magic won't be exposed to the world."
"And so she doesn't go to prison for a crime she didn't commit," said Piper, a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
"Well, that, too," said Leo. "They aren't sure what to do. They did say that as a last resort I was to orb her out of the jail so there won't be a trial. But they'd rather I didn't have to do that."
"We were just discussing that," said Phoebe. "I think we should go talk to her. Find out what happened. Then we can decide what to do about it."
"Which might be more difficult than you think," said Leo. "If she's being held on a charge of murder they aren't likely to let her have any visitors."
"They'll have to let her attorney see her," said Cole.
"Her attorney?" questioned Leo.
"Sure. I may be an ADA here in San Francisco but in Bakersfield, where's she being held, I'd be just another attorney. If I say I'm representing her they have to let me see her. And they have to leave us alone so we could talk privately. Attorney-client privilege."
"You can do that?" questioned Paige. "Just walk in and claim to be her attorney and they'll let you see her?"
"Of course," said Cole. "They won't have any choice. One of the Miranda rights you see on all those police shows on television. 'You have the right to an attorney and have the attorney present during questioning.' It's what we in the profession call 'black letter law'. And like I said, they have to give us some privacy so I can consult with her."
"Except she's not likely to say anything to you, either," said Piper. "As far as she knows you're just another mortal attorney and despite attorney-client privilege, she can't very well tell you the truth."
"Unless he has a paralegal with him," said Phoebe. "I can go with Cole and pretend to be his paralegal. I can let her know I'm a witch and that Cole can help. Without letting her know he's half demon, of course."
"That's assuming she doesn't all ready have an attorney," said Paige. "According to the paper this all happened last night. She might have her own attorney and if not she might have had one appointed for her."
"I don't think so," said Cole. "The public defenders' office is terribly overworked. It will take some time for an attorney to be appointed for her and for him to get with her. Besides, the paper says she's going to be arraigned in the next couple of days. If she all ready had an attorney she would have all ready been arraigned or at least she would be arraigned very soon. I'm guessing they're waiting for an attorney to show up so that they can arraign her."
"Well, we need to get there," said Piper. "I think our best bet is for Leo to orb us there. We can't waste any time driving there."
"Hang on a second," said Cole. "I'll be right back."
He shimmered out of the living room and a moment later he shimmered back in. When he finished shimmering everyone saw him holding a briefcase.
"I'll need this if I'm pretending to visit my client for the first time," said Cole. "Now, the sooner we get there the sooner we can get this over with. Our first stop should be the District Clerk's office."
"What for?" Piper asked.
"To see if there's an attorney of record for her," replied Cole. "If she's been appointed one, or even has her own, it will be on record with the District Clerk."
"Assuming they'll tell you who he or she is," said Paige.
"They will," said Cole. "An attorney of record is public information. Anyone can walk in and get the information. Come on. I'll take Phoebe with me. Leo, you can take Piper and Paige. We'll meet you at the police station."
The small group linked arms and disappeared from the living room