Chapter 1: Jessa
A slender blonde girl lounged on the low wall reading a novel and keeping an eye on her two friends and working partners who were currently having an argument.
"What did you think you were doing?" Wyatt Halliwell's ice-blue eyes flashed in annoyance as he glared at his friend. Most people would have been intimidated by his stare; Seth Jacobs was not. He met the witch's eyes steadily.
"I was looking for information on the Stalker demons. You remember the ones who have killed seven people in the past two weeks?"
"And the reason you didn't clear it with me is?"
"I didn't realize I needed to clear every action with you."
Jessa sighed as she raked her fingers through her hair. Wyatt was her best friend, but sometimes he drove her crazy. She didn't have to see Seth's face to know it was dark with tightly controlled anger. Jessa felt her annoyance approaching frustration. Jumping easily off the low brick wall, she stalked over to the two boys. "Will both of you shut up?" They stared at her in shock. Jessa took a deep breath, composing herself. When she spoke again, her voice took on its customary even keel. "Look, Seth and I need to work on that project-I would actually like to pass this class." The two of them were working on a chemistry project. Unfortunately, the teacher would not accept demon hunting as an explanation of lateness.
"Sure, whatever." Wyatt had lost interest. Seth was practically shaking with anger as the walked away. "I swear, if he doesn't stop giving orders…"
"I'm not sure he even realizes he does it."
"That's even more annoying."
"Calm down."
Jessa shook her head. She turned her face up, enjoying the sunshine and light breeze. Seth watched her with amusement. She gave him a mock-glare and hurried across the street.
It was almost 9:00 when they finished the project. "Finally," Seth muttered. "I still don't understand why we have to put together this computer generated stuff. Making a potion would make a great demonstration."
"I don't think that Dr. Tanner would like that very much."
The mortal world had learned about the magical world when Jessa was about ten years old. An ambitious demon had attempted to create an army that could take over the world. The Charmed Ones had vanquished him, but magic had irrevocably been exposed. The Cleaners had attempted to fix the problem but were unable to change the past. Many mortals were afraid of witches and other magical creatures. The brief but furious Witch Wars had devastated much of the world. The magic and mortal worlds had existed in an uneasy truce since Jessa was fourteen. Seth's and Jessa's chemistry professor was one of the people who had strong reservations about the magical world.
Wyatt and Chris had organized patrols to hunt the demons that frequently preyed upon humans and magical creatures. Jessa grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom to change. Her clothing was an assortment of dark gray and black that helped her blend in. She tied her hair back to keep it from getting in the way. Seth was waiting for her when she came out. "Ready to go?" His eyes gleamed with a fierce light that unnerved her. She reminded herself that he only hunted demons, but his love of hunting disconcerted her. Seth raised an eyebrow and she answered quickly. "Yeah, sure."
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine.
Jessa was silent, thinking about her two working partners. Seth was half-human, half-Manticore demon. He enjoyed hunting, although he rarely showed that side of his personality-only his partners ever saw it. He had a tightly controlled temper that he rarely unleashed-completely losing control had consequences. He loved to laugh, and generally found something to laugh at in almost every situation. He was fiercely loyal to Wyatt and would do almost anything for him. He was also occasionally too perceptive for Jessa's liking. Her thoughts switched to Wyatt, the leader of the group. He was extremely protective of his family and friends. He did well at school, sports, and demon hunting, periodically causing intense envy and frustration in his friends. He was intelligent, confident, and charismatic. "And way too much aware of his own talents," Jessa thought. He was almost always certain that he was right, and even when he was wrong he seldom admitted it. He had a tendency to assume that he didn't really need anyone's help, and spent too much time telling his younger siblings and friends what to do.
Jessa was jolted out of her thoughts by Seth poking her side. His eyes seemed to glitter. "Wake up," he hissed. Jessa blinked her eyes and focused. They had received intelligence that Stalker demons had hunted here every other night for the past week. Wyatt only glanced at her, but the expression on his face told her she would catch it later. Without warning the demons appeared. Seth threw an athame at one of the demons as Wyatt sent another flying. Jessa lost all thought of anything except the fight. She kicked one demon in the throat, knocking him backwards. A quick follow-up throw of a potion bottle vanquished him. She vanquished another two demons with a spell written by Wyatt. The three fighters efficiently rid the world of eight Stalker demons. "Since when do Stalker demons travel in packs," Seth grumbled. He hated it when the enemy got smarter. "Let's go home," Wyatt commanded. The three went first to the Halliwell Manor. Jessa sat still as Wyatt healed the scratch on her arm. She didn't even remember getting it. Her mind drifted as he took a step back.
"Jessa!" She turned her head at Wyatt's forceful tone. "Look, Wyatt, I'm really tired…"
"You're lucky that's all you are!"
Jessa's head snapped up in anger. "Patrol is no time to be daydreaming. If you can't do your job, I'll find someone else." She was shaking with anger and embarrassment. Concentrating on calming herself, she said, "I understand. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't."
"Can I go now, Your Majesty," Jessa asked caustically. She knew that Wyatt had a reason to be worried, but she was so tired of being treated like a child. "You two go and get some sleep," Piper ordered as she came downstairs. She turned her stern gaze on her eldest child. "And you, you need to call it a night as well." Her tone brooked no argument. "Leo will take both of you home," she added to Jessa and Seth. Neither of them argued. No one argued with Piper Halliwell, except for maybe her husband and sisters.
A/N: So, I decided to rewrite this story. It has several flaws, including the fact that Wyatt is more of a jerk than I intended him to be and Chris doesn't play enough of a role. However, I'm not going to delete the original all at once like I did with the other story I'm rewriting. Please review!