CHARMED

"The Road Back Begins Here & Now"

by shel

© july 2002

disclaimer: the charmed ones, cole, and leo and the rest of the cast of characters we've come to know and love, belong to spelling television, inc. and possible other copyright holders. i intended no true infringement on their copyrights; i only wanted to borrow these marvelous characters for a short time in my own scenarios and hopefully return them no worse for wear; the only things i've gained from this story are the satisfaction and pleasure of having written it and in knowing that others may have enjoyed it too

rating: pg-13

summary: one stormy summer day reveals much in a series of heart-to-heart talks

timeline: first week in august, 2002

archive: please don't without express permission

up-to-you: based on previous experience of readers preferring an explicit ending (rather than having their imaginations work a bit with an ambiguous one), i've added the last paragraph to this storyif you'd prefer to leave it to your imagination to decide what happened, don't read past the triple starred lines

notes: this tale's practically demon-free and contains specific references to people or events from witch way now,' the fifth halliwheel,' saving private leo,' lost & bound,' morality bites', the three faces of phoebe,' womb raider,' marry-go-round,' long live the queen,' and charmed and dangerous'please let me know if you enjoyed my tale and why and, if not, why notand, please, don't bother wasting your time or mine by sending any flames

Prologue

He discreetly pulled the sword from the folds of his black robe. The instant he heard the demon's approach from behind, he spun and instinctively blocked the attack.

Caught by surprise, the demon staggered back a few steps before it recovered. With both claws wrapped around its sword, the black creature bared its sharp white fangs and screamed as it lunged at him in an angry fit.

He smiled. He was ready to work out.

***** ***** ***** *****

She lifted the sword from its casing on the wall and was momentarily caught off-guard by its weight. She gripped its handle with both hands and swung it lightly to become familiar with it once again. After a few minutes, she removed her left hand from the handle and swung it with only her right.

She smiled. She was ready to work out.

***** ***** ***** *****

Green goo dripped from his sword and he smiled with great satisfaction. He stepped over the black and green puddle that was once a demon and swung the sword confidently with his left hand. Currently bare-chested, he practiced a few lunges with it before he finally walked back to the spot where he had earlier shed his robe. He sat down, leaned back against the cool warehouse wall, and stared at the sword he still held. He set it down next to himself but still kept a hand on it.

He closed his eyes. The workout helped but it still wasn't enough to make him forget.

***** ***** ***** *****

Her tank top was drenched with sweat as she attacked the body-bag in one final stab with the sword. Breathing heavily, she dragged herself, and the sword, to the steps where she dropped in exhaustion. She propped the sword in front of her and rested both hands on its handle while she leaned forward and rested her chin on the backs of her hands.

She closed her eyes. The workout helped but it still wasn't enough to make her forget.

***** ***** ***** *****