Author: Pirate Turner
Dedicated To: My beloved Jack
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Prue finds her doctor at the hospital's Christmas benefit while Cole and Piper share a dance.
Spoilers: None
Warnings: Het, Holiday fic, Unconventional Pairings, Original Character
Challenge: None
Word Count (excluding heading): 3,204
Feedback: Yes, please!
Archive: WWOMB, -- Anybody else, ask, and I'll probably grant permission.
Timeline: Follows the author's "Howling From A Distance", "The Day After", and "A Blessing or A Curse?", in that order
Disclaimer: Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell; Cole Turner; Leo Wyatt; and Charmed are & TM their respective owners, not the author, and are used without permission. Doctor Brendan Richards is & TM the author and may not be used without permission. Everything else is & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: This is the eleventh in a series of 12 Days of Christmas fics written with my beloved Jack in mind but also shared with you, our readers and, hopefully, our fans. They will be unbetaed the first time they're sent out, as Jack does the betaing, and he'll know nothing of these fics until they hit his box. Happy Holidays, however you celebrate! :-)
"Go on and dance, Piper," Prue told her younger sister. "Phoebe shouldn't have all the fun."
Piper looked at her in concern before telling Prue, "I'm fine. It's not like anybody's asked yet any way, and Leo said he couldn't make it tonight. He's busy with some young Witch and her children." She bravely hid how hurt she was that her husband could not make the one Christmas party her family had agreed to go to as soon as they'd heard about it in hopes of helping Prue catch her doctor and was instead spending the night, or, at least, a large chunk of it, with some other woman and her kids.
A sudden harrumphing noise caused Prue and Piper to glance with surprise up at Cole Turner, who stood behind them at the table laden with punch, chips, and cake. His eyes were zeroed in on another person in the crowd, and the women felt sorry for him before he ever spoke. "She said she was going to powder her nose." The words were almost a growl, and they saw his eyes flash before he regained his composure.
Cole ran a finger around the inside of his collar, cleared his throat, and brought himself up to his full height, as though doing so would help his feelings toughen. By the time he had fully recovered from the unwelcome surprise of finding his woman in another man's arms, Piper and Prue were watching Phoebe being swept across the floor by an old boyfriend. Sadness glimmered in Piper's brown eyes while Prue just shook her head. This was one of the times when she felt sorry for any man who fell for her youngest sister's charms. She loved her sister, but Phoebe used and abused men like she herself did shoes.
Piper blinked with surprise as Cole suddenly bowed before her. Holding one hand palm upwards to her, he asked, "May I have this dance?"
Piper found herself unable to do much more than look at Cole in shock as thoughts that should never be in any married woman's mind about a man other than her husband whirled through her mind. She stood there, with Cole bowing before her, until Prue gave her a gentle nudge. Piper nearly fell into Cole's arms, but Cole took her hands and steadied her with a gentle and graceful swiftness that Piper could only wish Leo possessed.
Prue smiled reassuringly at the pair. "Leo won't mind; he'll understand that you just wanted to have some innocent fun." Her eyes twinkled at her sister, telling her that she knew that was only the tip of the iceberg of what she really wanted. "And Phoebe obviously won't mind as she's already dancing with a friend." She stressed the last word, hoping to alleviate some of Cole's pain.
"How about it?" Cole asked, grinning down into Piper's beautiful face and secretly adoring the lovely way her eyes shimmered with emotions that Phoebe tended to keep carefully under lock and key. "Care to cut a rug with me?"
Piper found Cole's grin infectious, and a bright smile slowly spread over her face. "Sure," she answered softly. She gave herself a mental shake and spoke in a more normal tone, "After all, Prue's right. Leo and Phoebe are doing what they want to do. Why shouldn't we?"
"I can think of absolutely no reason why not," Cole returned with a shake of his head. As he started to lead Piper out onto the dance floor, he queried curiously, "I thought Leo was away on business?"
"Business not enforced by the Council," Piper explained. "One of his charges is a single mother, and she and her children are sick."
"So he's playing nursemaid," Cole remarked as he spun her, "rather than being here with his beautiful wife."
Piper blushed deeply and fell silent as she let Cole lead them in the dance. His moves were surprisingly graceful, and she wondered if he'd always been that way or if Phoebe had taught him. Soon she lost all thoughts of Leo and Phoebe as every touch from Cole sent delicious shivers whispering down her back and throughout her body.
She had noticed, in passing, before how handsome he was, but tonight, in the sparkling reflections of the candles and ornaments beset upon the towering Christmas tree that the dance floor was set up around, he seemed even more handsome. Either there was something truly magical about Christmas, or the Winter Solstice as she was still learning to call the holiday, or there was simply something magical about the man who held her in his arms. She tried not to allow herself to think that, deep down, she knew the answer was the latter.
Despite their difference in height, Piper's body seemed to be a perfect fit to Cole's and she felt better in his arms than Phoebe ever had, but such were thoughts that Cole tried to keep himself from thinking. After all, she was married, and he had given his heart to another Charmed One, even if the girl continued to stomp upon it at every opportunity she got. Piper did not hesitate to let him lead, and Cole thrilled in that almost as much as he thrilled at her every feather-light touch. He gazed down into her beautiful face as they danced, and his heart soared when she slowly wrapped her arms around him.
Phoebe often laid her head upon his chest when they danced, but Piper continued to hold her head up, gazing into Cole's handsome face and relishing in their moments together. She found she wanted to always remember him just as he was at the very moment: gazing down at her, and not her sister, with love.
Meanwhile, Prue had at last located her doctor. Brendan Richards stood in the shadows, obviously hoping no one noticed him. She shook her head, longing for the days when they'd first began to date. For weeks now, she'd only heard from him over the phone, and every time he'd told her that he was too busy with work to be able to go out. Yet here he was tonight.
She should have been mad. Actually, she should have been furious, but as she watched him, she saw that he was indeed alone and, every now and again, she witnessed what she could only describe as fear pass over his handsome face and through his deep, brown eyes. She looked around every time she witnessed his fright, but never did she see anything that might cause his fear.
Worry creased her forehead, and concern pulled at her heart. What was he so afraid of, and why wouldn't he come to her? Why wouldn't he tell her what was bothering him? Who, or what, was after him, a man more handsome and sweeter than any she'd ever known before? If any one had a heart of gold, it was Brendan, and yet, she knew before she ever approached him, that he was mightily afraid of something.
Once his eyes met hers, and even as her heart skipped a beat and she cautiously waved hello, she saw more fear drain into his face. Again she looked around, but this time, when she failed to see anything and looked back to where he was standing, he was gone. She sighed and waited again, her eyes always searching for him before finally relocating him. This time she moved with stealth, keeping to the shadows and freezing every time his eyes started to trail her way.
When she was within hearing distance and knew that he could not simply pull another disappearing act, Prue spoke, "Hi."
Brendan nearly jumped. His frantic eyes swung to face the woman whose delicious scent had filled his nostrils since the very moment she'd walked into the hospital. "Prue!" The "ue" stretched out farther than intended, and he quickly shut his mouth. He gulped, hoping she had no clue and dreading that she did. But if she did, the more reasoning side of his mind asked, why would she have come to him? Why would she have come to him regardless, after the way he'd been treating her over the last several weeks? He certainly didn't deserve her attention; he deserved good attention from no one, least of all from such a fair and gentle lady.
Prue smiled reassuringly at Brendan. "You haven't been answering my calls again."
"I've been busy with work." He hated lieing to her, but he knew he had no choice.
"But yet you're here," Prue commented, waving a hand around at the crowded benefit hall.
He shrugged, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. "Work requirement. All doctors must attend."
A pause skipped between them, she looking at him in concern and he trying desperately to hide his fear. "Brendan?" she finally asked, his name but a soft breath from her ruby red lips.
He gazed at her mouth as she spoke his name. Her lips looked so soft and inviting, and he knew instinctively that they would be every bit as soft and supple to the touch. He gulped again and ripped his eyes away. "Pr-Prue," he stammered in response, turning his gaze instead to the crowd.
"Brendan," Prue repeated, "look at me."
She had to tell him again before he finally drug his gaze back to face her. She closed the physical distance still standing between them in a single stride forward. He fell instinctively back but found himself against the wall with nowhere to run. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"N-Nothing!"
"Brendan . . . " He jumped again when she placed a hand gently upon his cheek. "You can't lie to me," she told him. "I know something's wrong, and whatever it is I can help."
Brendan closed his eyes, stilling himself for what he knew he had to do. Taking a deep breath, he reopened his eyes. Tingles shot through both of them as he covered her hand cupping his face with his own. "No," he spoke softly while lifting her hand, "you can't." Gods, was she beautiful! He'd never had the honor of knowing any one as sweet, beautiful, or bold as Prue Halliwell before he'd bumbled into her life.
Prue remembered a time when she had been injured during a battle and Leo had been blocked from coming to her family's aid. Not knowing what else to do, her sisters had rushed her to the Emergency Room, and Brendan had been on staff. He had sewn her head while singing to her. He had taken the words to one of Savage Garden's best love songs and changed the crooning "ooo" to her name. She remembered the thrills that had gone through her when she'd first heard him tell her he didn't know if he needed her but he'd die to find out.
She shook herself, the pleading expression in his brown eyes calling her back to reality. "Whatever it is, Brendan, I promise you I can." Brendan had never questioned her about the gaping hole in her head that night, but now she had to question him. She had to know what was wrong. Only by knowing could she help him.
"No," he told her, "you can't. It's something I have to live with." He held her hand with extreme care.
"I can," she swore. "Whatever it is I can. Brendan," she asked, remembering back to that night when she had slipped in and out of consciousness while he'd been singing, "what happened to you didn't know if you needed me but you'd die to find out?"
He gazed into her eyes and knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he loved her. But because he loved her, it was of the utmost importance that he protect her, and there was only one way to do that. "I would, dear lady," he spoke solemnly, gazing into her lovely eyes, "but whereas I might gladly forfeit my life just to get to know you better, I will never allow yours to be taken."
She wasn't sure if his words should make her heart soar or sink; it was the strangest feeling to have it to do both simultaneously. Thoughts whirled through her head. There was so much she wanted to do with this man, but the most important things were to find a way to protect him and keep him in her life. Without that, nothing else mattered. She looked up into his deep, rich brown eyes and felt her heart soar. "Nobody's going to take my life," she told him bravely, feeling more confident in that in the moment than she had in years, "but I wonder if it will be worth surviving without your light shining in it."
Her words humbled him, and his breath took in sharply. Never before had any one spoke good of him in such a way, let alone to him. He trembled inwardly as he found himself unable to tear his eyes away from hers, and Prue acted swiftly. From across the room, mistletoe flew to hang above Brendan's head.
Prue leaned in and stood on her tip toes. Her eyes did not leave his even as she angled in toward his mouth. Their lips were but a breath apart when she whispered, "Brendan, you're standing under mistletoe."
He barely had time to react, his mouth flying open and his eyes growing wild with franticness again. For just a split second, Prue thought she saw them shift to yellow, but then her mouth was on his, her tongue slipping through his sweet lips, and all other thoughts were gone. She let her hands rest upon his muscular chest as she kissed him deeply.
Brendan knew he should back away and flee, but he found himself caught in a force that made him tingle, transformed his emotions into a whirlwind of delighted ecstasy, and brought his instinctual howl swelling up within his throat. His mind fought for control, but his heart won out. He grasped her gently, his hands rubbing her arms as he brought her even closer against his body. His eager mouth kissed her back in full, but his tongue was slower to move. It touched hers cautiously, and when she answered, he began to rub against her.
Their tongues dueled sweetly, rubbing and twisting in ways Brendan had never even considered before. Their kiss grew steadily in passion, each pouring all their love for the other into the heated embrace of sweet mouths. Brendan's howl and Prue's gasp of delight were swallowed by each other's mouths. Then, far too soon for both, Prue's lungs began to burn.
She broke from Brendan, planning for it to be just a second, just long enough for her to recapture oxygen into her lungs and then kiss him again, but it was all the time Brendan's mind needed to scream to the front. {YOU FOOL!} it roared at him. {DO YOU WANT TO KILL HER?!}
Already his hands itched, and he could feel the primal urges bellowing within him. Brendan literally shook as he fought for control, and Prue's eyes widened as she watched him tremble. Never before had her kiss had such an effect upon any man! "Brendan?" she asked worriedly. "Are they here?"
He had to force each word out, and she thought she saw a glimpse of fangs. She should have been afraid, but she loved this man far too much to fear him. "Is . . . who . . . here?"
"Whoever you're running from."
"Dear lady," he gasped, "you have . . . no idea . . . the danger you're in."
"Then tell me already!"
"I . . . can not . . . except to say . . . that every second . . . you spend in my company . . . is a step you take . . . closer to death. I am sorrier . . . sweet Prue . . . than any words can ever . . . hope to say. I never . . . should have placed you . . . in such danger. I am . . . lowlier than the lowliest . . . of dogs for . . . doing soooooooo . . . " The howl he struggled against almost broke free.
He grabbed her hand, his fingers entwining with them, and she was surprised at the sudden hairiness of his hand. Her eyes still did not move from his, though, as he kissed her hand. "Please," she told him, "whatever's going on, Brendan, whatever's happening to you, I can help!"
"No," he told her again, "you . . . can not. You are a wonderful . . . lady in all ways, Prue, . . . and most brave, but . . . for yourself . . . for your sisters . . . for what little is left of . . . my sanity even . . . I beg you . . . please . . . stay away . . . or I will . . . kill you . . . and I could never bare to . . . live with that . . . "
His words ended in a howl that was stopped only by him clamping both hands over his mouth. He left Prue with her mouth hanging open in shock as he ran through the crowded hallway that had been transformed into a ballroom for this one magical night. His coat tails flapped around his legs as he shoved through the double doors, and Prue's jaw slackened even more for she knew she could only be looking at a tail peeking out from underneath his jacket!
Finally recovering from her shock enough that she was able to move, Prue chased after Brendan, but when she reached the parking lot of the hospital, there was no sign of her beloved doctor. A howl echoed on the night wind, and she trembled with a sudden coldness. She wrapped her arms around her body and hugged herself tightly but called out nonetheless as the wind whipped at her long, ebony hair, "Brendan?" The only answer was another haunting howl that sent shivers running down her spine.
"Prue?" Prue turned to find Piper running to her and saw Cole standing in the doorway to the hospital, his eyes alertly scanning the darkness of the night. Piper bounded down the steps and took her sister in her arms. "Prue, what happened?"
Finding herself too emotional to speak, Prue just shook her head and let Piper hold her. The tears started slowly, splashing one by one onto her sister's shoulder, and Piper held her lovingly as she cried.
Cole came down the steps slowly, his every sense at full alert. He knew what lurked in the shadows, and he knew that the Halliwells were not ready for their next threat. He also knew that he would protect them to the death, and after tonight, he knew the real reason why. That reason was not coming down the steps of the hospital, slowly trailing behind the rest of her family as she'd been loathe to relinquish her hold on her ex-boyfriend, but was instead in the midst of caring for her loved ones and as completely untouchable as he himself, and Prue's doctor, were unsaveable.
The End