Life for Jordan had become gray after finding out about Drake. Why hadn't he told her? Was he just using her to kill her or Lyn? Questions ran through her mind continuously as she avoided his eyes, fully aware that Tammy was taking advantage of their unofficial break-up and was currently hanging all over him.

The bell finally rang and she got up as quickly as she could, rushing out of the class to find her locker, all the while trying not to cry.

"... I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Drake's voice said softly from right beside her locker. How had he gotten there so quickly? Probably didn't matter anyway...

Jordan clenched her teeth and tried not to simply throw herself into his arms. Where did that insane urge keep coming from? He was a demon!

"That's not really the problem now, is it?" she asked, looking over at him as she closed her locker and began to walk away toward the entrance.

Drake's eyes showed his conflict as he seemed to argue with himself over what to do. Finally, he darted forward and grabbed her elbow. "Jordan, I had a reason and it had nothing to do with trying to hurt you or anyone else. I'll tell you if you'll listen."

"Fine. Go ahead and tell me why."

Drake looked around the hallway and bit his lip. "Will you at least come in the janitor's office with me so nobody overhears us and thinks we're insane?"

Jordan thought about that for a second. "Fine," she finally agreed, and so when they got there, she put her books down and turned to him.

"Go ahead."

Drake sighed. "Well, the first thing you need to know is I'm not a demon."

Jordan huffed a laugh. "So I was hallucinating?"

"No, let me finish," Drake said, holding up a hand placatingly. "I'm not a demon. My father is."

Jordan nodded, indicating that he should go on.

"So obviously, I'm only half," Drake continued. "That's how your aunt knows my mother - she's perfectly human. She doesn't know you and Lizzie are witches but my father does. He..." Drake flinched. "Well, he doesn't approve, to say the least. That's why my parents had to be out of town for me to go out with you."

Jordan shook her head. "Why go to the trouble? This is causing everyone grief. Especially you."

Drake shrugged and looked away. "Maybe I thought it was worth it." He closed his eyes tightly. "But it's not."

Jordan sucked in a breath and tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip and shook her head slightly, going to grab her book. "Then that's it? It was never worth it, huh?" Two tears fell from her eyes as she turned and opened the door.

Drake watched her and his hands shook; finally he put one on her shoulder to stop her from leaving. "No," he said quietly, swallowing hard. "That's not... Well, it is how I meant it to sound, but only because... Look, Jordan..."

His eyes burned as he turned her chin toward him. "I knew the demon who attacked you that night. He worked for my father. He was trying to have you killed."

"Then maybe we just aren't meant to be." Jordan wiped the tears from her face and tried to smile but ended up making more tears fall.

"Don't cry," Drake whispered, brushing them away with his thumb. "I was going to act like I just changed my mind so you would hate me but I can't stand seeing you cry."

"I know that if we're together, both of us are in danger, but I can't stand to be away from you." Jordan dropped her books and buried her face in his chest.

Drake swallowed hard but wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair soothingly. "But it's not both of us," he said quietly. "Not really. My father will be angry with me but he won't kill me. But he will do his damnedest to kill you."

Jordan pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "You heard what Lyn and James said. They're overprotective and will definitely have the go ahead from my aunt."

Drake rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry but I highly doubt your sister can kill me with invisibility or premonitions. And what can the whitelighter do? Heal me to death?"

Jordan sighed. "My aunt is close with the Halliwells. If she asked them, they would go after you." She looked up at him sadly, pulling back and turning to face away from him. "They won't stop to listen to reason."

"If I get you killed, I hope they don't," Drake said matter-of-factly.

Jordan shook her head, leaning against the wall. "What are we gonna do?"

"... It would be safest... if you just forgot you met me."

"It would be safest. But screw being safe."

Drake frowned, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. "... If you get hurt..."

"I know the risk. But I want you."

"... Why? Shouldn't you hate me on principle?"

"I should. But I don't." Jordan walked up to him and stood up on her toes to kiss him. Drake wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer for a moment before breaking the kiss.

"... You know we can't let anyone else find out, then..."

Jordan wrapped her arms round his neck and nodded. "We'll have to be careful..."

Drake winced and attempted to crack a smile. "You know, not being able to admit we're together in public is going to make it really hard to get rid of Tammy."

Jordan huffed and bit her lip. "As long as I know that, at the end of the day, I'm with you, I'll be fine." She smiled slightly.

Drake raised an eyebrow. "At the end of the day? All day, whether anyone else knows it or not. I'll figure out a way to get rid of her, don't worry."

Jordan's smile widened and she kissed him again. Upon pulling back, she said, "You know, I really do hate her..."

Drake chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I know. I'll take care of it."

James woke up the next morning to find Lyn still in his arms and smiled. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table, which read 10:45, and gently shook her awake.

"Mm?" Lyn murmured, blinking at the light. "James? S'm'thin' wrong...?"

"Nope, but it's 10:45."

"... Oh," she said slowly, her expression darkening as she remembered the night before. "Right..."

"You want to go over to Lizzie's or just stay here for a little bit?" James asked, kissing her forehead and brushing her hair away from her face.

Lyn sighed. "I guess we should go... Jordan'll be at school and I want to tell Lizzie about this first."

"Alright," James said, helping her into a standing position and orbing to Lizzie's house.

Lizzie blinked upon seeing them. "Should I be concerned that you're both wearing the same clothes as last night?"

"Last night we had a... situation. Lyn's roommate was a warlock," James informed her.

Lizzie's blue eyes widened. "What?!"

"Yeah," Lyn said quietly. "And I knew her. From home. I went to school with her."

"She attacked her in the middle of the night last night after we got back to the dorm. Lyn defended herself and..." James broke off and looked for Lyn to continue.

Lyn's head span for a second, trying to figure out which crucial piece of information to divulge first. Finally she decided Lizzie needed to know the truth first. "... Aunt Lizzie, Stephanie was the one who killed Mom and Dad. Because she got tired of waiting for them to unbind my powers."

James sighed. "And when she found out that Lyn's powers manifested, she came here."

Lizzie gripped the back of one of the kitchen chairs hard until her knuckles turned white, just like her face. "Wh-what? That... That can't be possible; there were no athame wounds. If it was a warlock, there would have been athame wounds."

"Only if the warlock wanted their powers," James said quietly. "If that wasn't what she was after..."

"She just wanted the spell broken," Lyn said, trying not to sound as miserable as she felt. "They... wouldn't lift it themselves, so..."

James wrapped an arm around Lyn and kissed her temple, hating to see her so sad.

"... No... No, it's not your fault," Lizzie said, attempting a smile but unable to completely subdue the shock on her face. "But tell me, do you have anything of hers we could use to track her down? If she's left to wander, she could try something again..."

"Uh... About that," James said, side-glancing at Lyn. "She's dead."

The confusion, at least, successfully cleared all other emotion from Lizzie's face. "What? How?"

"That's the other thing I needed to talk to you about," Lyn said slowly, not meeting Lizzie's gaze. "I... I don't really know what happened. She was taunting me about Mom and Dad and - and I was so angry and it just happened..."

Lizzie tried to speak soothingly. "What happened, dear?"

Lyn actually trembled as she blurted out, "I lit her on fire!"

"I've never heard anything like it before," James said, brow wrinkled.

Lizzie looked alarmed. "The only witches who can do that are firestarters. You can't be a firestarter. Firestarters only ever have that one power and they're first-generation witches. Always."

James looked worried. "Are you sure? Is there anything else you can think of?"

"Why are you asking me?" Lizzie asked, frowning but visibly shifting into take-charge mode. "Go see your Elders and ask what they know; they're far older and wiser. And it can't hurt to cover all our bases... While you're gone, Lyn and I will pay a visit to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige."

James nodded and, with a kiss to Lyn's temple, orbed away.