Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed or it's characters. I only own this plot and little Annie.
A/N: This is an Alternate Universe from the show. Wyatt does exist, and Leo is out of the picture. He became a full time elder, ultimately ending his marriage to Piper. Yes Chris is in the story and you will find out why in chapters to come. Enjoy!
"How do you know my name?" Annie asked, spitting a cheerio out in the process.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Annie." Piper said, picking up the soggy cheerio and tossing it in the trashcan.
"Sorry, mommy." She said, after swallowing the cereal. She then looked up at Chris. "You is a stranger. I not supposed to talk to strangers." She said, frowning at the whitelighter.
"How do you know her Chris? She can't be from your future. She's not much younger than Wyatt." Piper asked, as she walked to the sink and grabbed a dish towel. Chris had to lie out of this one, but how was he supposed to? He wasn't ready for them to know the truth about him. In his future, Annie was a 20 year old woman.
"She's a friend. I recognized her from her pictures, that's all." He lied, shrugging his shoulders. "But that doesn't explain why she's here." He said, looking back at the three year old.
"I did something bad. I useded my magic by accident. I was pretending to help daddy from the bad guys and poof I was here." Annie chimed in throwing her hands up. Piper grabbed her hands, and placed them on the table.
"Leave your hands down, Annie. We don't want to freeze anything else." She said, and tapped the end of Annie's nose, making her giggle.
"Okay, mommy." Annie said and looked back up at Chris.
"You from da future too?" she asked, tilting her head to the side once more. Chris nodded.
"Look, we need to get to work. That's why I came in. I think the grimlocks are back. There have been kidnappings and I think they are responsible. 3 kids have disappeared in the last week, all from the same area. Just outside Golden Gate Park. There have been no leads with the police." He explained.
"How many times do we have to vanquish their sorry asses?" Phoebe asked, irritated, and then laid her head on the table.
"Grimlocks?" Paige asked.
"Nasty demon, steals the sight of children to see the aura around good people. We've vanquished them, twice." Phoebe said, muffled by the table.
"Ah, gotcha. So they won't stay vanquished."
"Apparently not."
"Guys, the grimlocks are more than just two. There are several of them. You have to go after the entire clan or they will keep coming back." Chris explained.
"And just how do we do that. They only surface when they need to feed." Piper said and got up to clean up after the kids. She then let Wyatt down and the two little ones went off to play.
"Capture one and torture him till he talks." Paige suggested. "I can super charge the crystals."
"No, they don't need to make contact to steal your aura. They just need to see you. They are low level but are dangerous." Phoebe told her, and Paige scrunched her face.
"Well that's just great. How do we take out a whole clan if we can't even get close to them?" she said, throwing herself back in the chair and crossed her arms.
"I'll work on the vanquishing potion." Piper said and went to the cabinet, pulling out the ingredients she needed to make it.
"Make enough to take out the clan. I have an idea on how we can find them." He said and orbed out before anyone could say a word.
"I hate when he does that." Piper said. "Paige can you orb down the book and work on this. I need to go to china town to pick up some beetletoe. I will probably go grocery shopping after." She said, and walked into the living room to get her coat and keys. "The kids are in the conservatory, keep an eye on them!" she called out before leaving.
"Book of Shadows!" Paige called and the book orbed into her hands. "I love my power." She said and sat the book on the table.
Knock, Knock
"I don't care who you are or what you want, go away!" Called a voice from inside the apartment. Chris ignored the rejection and knocked once more.
"I'm not going away, so just let me in or I'll orb." He threatened and grinned when he heard the lock on the other side click. The door opened to reveal Cole Turner.
"Orb? You're a whitelighter?" he said, standing to one side, to allow Chris to enter his apartment.
"Yeah, the Halliwell's new whitelighter." Chris replied and stepped into the small apartment.
"What happened to Leo?" He asked, closing the door.
"He's an elder."
"An elder? Huh, I guess it was bound to happen." Cole said, running a hand through his unruly black hair. He looked awful. His hair was greasy, and untamed. His face looked as if he'd aged ten years and he looked like he'd not shaved in weeks.
"Man, you look rough." Chris said and sat down on the couch.
"Look, I don't know who you are, but would you mind telling me what the hell you want?" Cole said, slightly annoyed.
"Look, I just need your help. Well the girls do."
"You must be pretty new at this."
"What makes you say that?"
"They won't even speak to me let alone ask for help."
"Exactly. They don't know I'm here."
"Piper is going to kill you."
"I'm pretty sure she'll forgive me."
"What makes you say that?"
"Trust me. Look they need to find the grimlocks. All of them, so they can get rid of them once and for all."
"You know I know this how?"
"I know you used to be a demon, not just any demon but the Source. I also know about your bout with the Avatars and that you're in hiding not only from other demons, but from the girls as well. You don't want them knowing you're still alive. Your human half survived the vanquish during the shift between worlds. So you've been hiding here ever since."
"That doesn't answer my question. So you know stuff about me, but how?"
"I'm from the future, okay?"
"Ah, I see. That explains it." Cole said and took a seat on the arm of the couch.
"Yeah so can you help, please?"
"Sure, whatever. The grimlocks have a cave hidden just below the sewage plant. IT's close to Golden Gate park, so it makes it easier to grab the kids."
"Thanks. And don't worry so much. The girls will trust you again." He said and orbed out, leaving Cole confused. He shook his head then went to the bathroom. He looked himself over in the mirror.
"What have you done to yourself, Cole?" he said and turned on the cold water. He splashed some onto his face.
"Time to get out of this funk." He said and turned on his shower. He quickly showered and then shaved. Looking in the mirror, he ran his hand over his fresh skin and smirked at himself.
"Much better." He said and walked to his bedroom. He pulled on a black turtle neck and jeans then put on his shoes. He needed to get out of this apartment. He was human again and needed to act like one. He knew that eventually the demons would find him and they would be getting their revenge on him betraying them once or twice but he needed to face them. He even thought about going to the girls for help, but the thought left his mind as quickly as it entered. He threw on his jacket and grabbed his wallet and keys. He needed to do a human thing, grocery shopping.
He walked out into the cool San Francisco air, taking in the breeze. It felt amazing on his skin. He closed his eyes and took in the sweet smell of the city. It was a mixture of saltwater and burgers. He had loved the smell when he was a child. He used to open his window and let the fragrance fill his room. He smiled to himself and walked the few blocks to a small shop on the corner. He walked in, the bell above the door signaling a customer. A voice from the back called, welcoming him. He walked to the coolers and stood, looking at the selection of soda. He opened a door and took down a bottle of coke. He turned, and ran into a cart.
"Oh excuse me." He said and heard a gasp.
"You're supposed to be dead!"