Not So Charmed
By: Taynna

Disclaimer: Why do we write these? Everyone and their sister knows that I can't claim any ownership of these characters. If I could, this would be on film and people would be writing fanfic about it. Devona and anyone else you don't recognize, however, DO belong to me.

Setting: Mid-Season three. Phoebe is still in school, they know Cole is Balthazor and he hasn't yet decided to give up his powers, Leo and Piper aren't engaged yet. Paige doesn't exist in this story, just because. I started outlining this fic before that and I'm way too lazy to change it now!




She was running and she was scared.

One of her favorite things about the small house was the peace it had offered her. It was far away from the bright glare of the city's lights, from the crush of too many people in too small a space making it nearly impossible to think or breathe. As her mother had once told her, she was too sensitive to other people to live among so many, especially when such a great majority of them were unhappy with their lives. The move to her isolated haven had given her back the peace that the city had stolen from her; it had helped her to heal her soul.

Now, as she ran through the dense forest, that same solitude threatened her life.

She choked back a scream of pain as she tripped, twisting her ankle and sprawling face first on the path. She pushed herself up angrily, refusing to give up, refusing to die like an animal hunted down for sport. That's what she was to Asura, something to be hunted down and killed for fun; she could hear him laughing in the distance somewhere behind her, enjoying the chase and knowing that he would catch her.

That he would kill her.

She came to a fork in the path that indicated she was a near equal distance from the main highway and her nearest neighbors, the Denglers. She turned toward their home, hoping that they would be there to help her.

A voice whispered, "Devona."

She gasped and turned, expecting to find Asura, but found empty air instead. "Who's there?" She whispered desperately, "Help me, please."

"Devona." Again, a soft whisper in a warm, comforting male voice, seeming to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Help me!" She pleaded, not caring who or what it was, as long as it could help her escape.

"Go to the road, Devona."

She paused in mid-step and glanced once in the direction of the Dengler's house. (They can't help you. You'll only put them in danger's path). This voice was internal and made her pause. She closed her eyes and murmured a soft prayer to anyone willing to listen, then turned in the other direction, toward the highway.

She came out of the trees suddenly, exploding across the small field that separated the line of the forest from the highway. She cried out in despair; he was closing in on her quickly and the road was empty. No one was going to save her. The mysterious voice had been wrong, just her own frightened mind giving form to her own desperate need for help.

She reached the edge of the road and turned to see Asura emerge from the tree line, with a feral grin on his cruel, handsome face.

Devona collapsed to her knees on the white centerline; she couldn't run anymore, even if she could have, she had nowhere left to run to.

Asura halted his approach at the edge of the pavement and laughed cruelly. "I told you I would kill you, witch. You and your daughter."

"Please, Asura!" She begged, "Please! Don't do this!"

He laughed again.

"I told you, I am not a witch! I don't have a daughter. I'm not who you think I am! Please believe me!" She sobbed.

"Oh, but you are." He mocked her, taking a few steps forward, prolonging his moment of triumph. "You are *exactly* who and what I thought you were."

"No, I'm not." She insisted weakly. Even as she denied it vocally, something deep inside her connected with his words. "I'm not." But this time her voice was uncertain.

"You can feel the truth in my words," He smirked. "It's only one of the many gifts you inherited from your mother." He circled her slowly as he continued, moving closer with each turn, "You have her beauty as well." He reached down to fun his fingertips across her cheek, "So beautiful."

"No!" She jerked away from his hand violently, "Don't touch me."

"It doesn't matter, dearest. You're already dead."

He moved to grab her, to end his game of cat and mouse, when a fierce wind suddenly came up and blew across them, carrying with it the faint tang of an ocean breeze and a man's cologne; a down to earth, solid scent that renewed her hope and resolve.

Asura snarled as a sudden, bright light behind Devona blinded him. She realized with a sudden start that he couldn't see her.

"Devona." She spun, looking for the source of the voice, noting peripherally that the light that had had such an effect on Asura barely caused her to squint. "Get in the car, Devona."

Surprised, she looked behind her. There was a car there that hadn't been there even a few seconds before. She could make out the outline of the man behind the wheel, beckoning her into the car. "Devona, please!" It was the familiar voice that had guided her, but this time it had a source, the man in the car.

She stole a last glance at Asura, lying on the ground, cowering and covering his eyes, then got into the mysterious car. She didn't know how it had gotten there and she didn't particularly care. Asura was beginning to recover and between the two options she had, her choice was simple.

As soon as she got into the car, it sped away towards San Francisco. When she couldn't see Asura as more than a speck behind them she turned in her seat to study her rescuer.

He was handsome, with short, rich brown hair and warm, humor filled brown eyes. He wore what looked like a nice, if off the rack, brown suit, the jacket was in the back seat, the tie missing, and sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up. It was difficult to tell sitting down, but she guessed that he was a little taller than average. His shoulders and jaw were strong, giving the impression of a grand protector. "Who *are* you?"

He gave her a brief smile that radiated calm and warmth, "I'm a friend. I'll take you somewhere safe for the night and then tell you how to find some people I know who can help you."

She leaned back in the seat and returned his easy smile, despite her anxiety, "Does my new friend have a name?"

He chuckled, "It's safer for both of us if you don't know, just remember that I'm looking after you, Devona."

His voice remained warm and friendly; still, she could tell that she wouldn't learn anything more about him. "Where are we going?"

"San Francisco. I'll tell you were to go. When you get there, tell them a warlock named Asura is trying to kill you and that one of Leo's colleagues sent you."

She frowned at the cryptic message. "They can help me?"

He answered firmly, without hesitation. "Absolutely. I wouldn't send you there otherwise. Now get some rest." He gripped her hand briefly where it rested on the seat.

She nodded, suddenly too tired to protest. It was almost as if his touch had drained her ability to stay awake. A few minutes ago she'd been wide awake… and now she just couldn't keep her eyes open.

End of Part One