Author – Ava Turner.
Copyright issues - No copyright infringement intended. Original characters and plotline copyright to me, though "Charmed" characters and references belong to The WB and Spelling Productions.
Plot - It's an AU, branching off from Cole's latest vanquish. Elements from when Cole was in his last days will be here (like Piper pregnant with Wyatt), as well as future elements that are in the show now (I'm planning to introduce Chris, the guy from the latest season).
PrologueJust as easily he came back from Hell the last time, he came back again. One difference – he didn't go look for the witch who vanquished him. It was just as easy, but so much longer. Evil was being cautious, not as many demons were being vanquished. Not many demons were leaving powers behind.
They say third time is a charm. He'd been killed only two times, should he hang around for a third? Nah. He probably wouldn't come back. How many times could he elude death?
Time to awaken for what he was meant for. His mother had only bee with his father so he could easily slip into the humans' world, with his human form. Much easier to get to targets, to live amongst the enemy. Though damn her for making him have a heart. For giving him the ultimate vulnerability.
A voice was nagging at him that the love for that witch was the only thing that let him survive in the hellpit. What he was about to come wouldn't have that safeguard.
One thing about evil was that evil wasn't so picky about who to accept to be a true force of their cause. Good had so many damn parameters, he could never make it there.
Ah, live and learn. That was a human phrase. One he remembered. To learn from death was something not many people got to do.
--
Paige sat in the quiet house. If she didn't know better, she would think it was empty. She knew both her sisters were in their rooms, most probably crying.
Phoebe would be either rushing to get her work finished before her six o'clock deadline. Thank god for the Internet and Email, otherwise she would have been fired long ago. Phoebe still thought it was a matter of time; her work was slumping every week. She hated that in the Underworld her newly awakened ex-husband still used the name "Cole". It was much easier to hate the red and black demon named Belthazor.
Cole had known Phoebe would be affected by him, and the next vulnerable of the three was Piper. He didn't bother with Paige, one sister at full strength wasn't enough to foil his enter back into he game. Paige shook her head, he was smarter then they ever gave him credit for. He knew he had to get at them through the human emotions.
Just like Phoebe had gotten to him.
He would move around things in Piper's room, use mind control to give her horrifying dreams. The fact he was there while she was sleeping really made Piper edgy. He even went as far to shapeshift Leo, comfort her and then reveal himself. Piper wouldn't sleep, wouldn't get out of her room. Only a month before her baby was due, she had a miscarriage. It devastated Piper.
So now Paige was left without two sisters. They were like shells and she hated Cole. Hated him to the ends of the Earth. She would destroy him.
What got to Paige most was he was the only demon that knew everything about them. It wouldn't be that hard for him to destroy them piece-by-piece. They had to get to Cole first.
Without her sisters, she was like a fly stuck in a web. Helpless.
--
Cole had just killed an innocent in an alley - she was a future Whitelighter. The Charmed Ones had just rushed into the alley from the street and stopped dead in their tracks. He dropped the lifeless body onto the floor. They just stopped.
Paige threw the potion. He let it hit him.
"In for a game, ladies?" he sneered. "I promise it'll be entertaining."
They whispered something and took out a piece of paper. They read the spell.
Using another new power, he projected words into their minds right before he flamed out.
Keep one eye open, when you sleep, my darlings.
