Note: Y'all are probably thinking that I'm crazy for writing that a demon who's probably older than Cole (and looks older, too) is attracted to a young woman like Aurora. Don't worry, it works out in future chapters, though I doubt that the attraction is mutual for Aurora.

Chapter 4: Attack At Claire's

All through dinner that night at Claire's house, Aurora was completely quiet. Adam began to get worried about her; she should have been bragging about her first victory against GS agents. Finally, when all the dishes had been dumped in the sink, Adam decided to question Aurora and find out what was wrong.

"Aurora, are you all right?" he asked, walking over to her.

Aurora smiled faintly.

"I'm fine, Adam." Then her smile faded. "I have to tell you, Jesse, Emma, and Claire something very important."

A short while later, Adam, Jesse Kilmartin, Emma deLauro, and Claire were all assembled in the living room.

"Aurora, what's going on?" asked Jesse. "And why aren't Brennan or Shalimar here?"

"Brennan and Shalimar aren't here because they already know what I'm about to tell you guys." Aurora took a deep breath. "I'm a witch."

"Yeah, right," scoffed Jesse.

"I am!"

"Prove it, then."

Aurora scowled at him and began thinking of a spell that would prove she was a witch, but before she could come up with one, white sparkles appeared in the air next to her, and an instant later, Piper and Leo stood there.

"Hey, Aurora," said Piper cheerfully. "We unanimously decided that you needed some emotional support. Phoebe and Paige will be here any minute now."

As if to prove her point, more white sparkles appeared in the center of the room, producing Paige and Phoebe.

"Hey, shortstuff," Paige said. Aurora scowled at her.

"Don't call me that," she growled.

Suddenly, Cole shimmered into existance. He was looking rather beat up, and he had a cut on one cheek that was bleeding.

Phoebe immediately rushed over to him, a worried look on her face.

"Oh, baby, you're bleeding," she said, concerned.

Aurora, Piper, and Paige glanced over at each other while Phoebe fussed over Cole.

"Cole, were you---" Piper began, when the demon from earlier shimmered into existance.

"Yes, I was!" Cole snapped, pulling away from Phoebe and forming an energy ball in one hand, flinging it at the demon. "His name is Arestan, and he's a chameleon. But he's not just any demon, he's the twin brother of the chameleon Alaster."

"The one who had been spying on us for the Source?" Phoebe asked.

"Yep!" replied Cole, dodging an energy ball that Arestan threw at him. "You know, you could vanquish him; you have the spell!"

"But I can't remember the stupid spell!" Phoebe wailed.

Aurora decided to pitch in and help Cole fight Arestan. She formed a fireball in one hand and let out a shrill, attention-getting whistle. Arestan spun around to face her, and froze. Aurora flung the fireball at him, but he dodged it before it could hit him.

"I don't want to fight you!" he yelled.

"What you want isn't always what you get!" Aurora snapped, preparing to toss off another fireball. But before she could, Arestan tossed a thin rope at her, and it wound itself around her ankles and hands. "Hey! Get this damn rope off of me!"

She began struggling, trying to loosen the ropes, but before she could, Arestan waved his hand and she disappeared into thin air.

"Aurora!" shouted Adam. His face full of fury, he ran at Arestan, fully intending to beat the crap out of him. But Arestan formed an energy ball and flung it at him. It hit Adam square in the chest, and sent him flying backwards. He crashed into the wall and slid to the floor, unconscious.

Cole formed an energy ball, but before he could throw it at Arestan, he shimmered away.

"Damn it," he muttered, scowling. He tossed the energy ball into the air, where it disappeared.

Leo ran over to where Adam was lying on the floor, and place his hands over his chest. A golden light came out of his hands, healing Adam's injuries. A moment later, his eyes opened, and he sat up, groaning.

"What hit me?" Adam muttered, getting to his feet.

"An energy ball," Leo replied.

Adam stared at him. Then he remembered the guy that had taken Aurora.

"Where the hell is Aurora?" he demanded, turning to the Halliwells. "And who the hell was that guy?"

"For the first question, you just answered it yourself," replied Piper, and Adam turned pale. "As for the second question, that guy was the demon Arestan."

"What I don't understand is why he told her that he didn't want to fight her," Phoebe mused. "I mean, that's not the sort of thing a demon usually says when fighting a witch."

Suddenly, she noticed that Aurora's watch was lying on the floor. Curiously, she picked it up, and gasped as the vision hit her.

**flash**

"I can't let you go," Arestan pleaded.

"Why the hell not?" Aurora demanded.

"Because I love you. I've never been in love before, but I know what it is. Please, be my bride."

"No!"

"But I love you, Aurora." His eyes were filled with sadness at her refusal. "Besides, I can't let you be with a warlock."

"What are you talking about, you dingbat? I'm not with a warlock!"

"Yes, you are. He's gotten close to you. Have you had any strange dreams lately, perhaps about someone you love, who plans to take your powers?" Aurora stared at him in horror, turning pale.

"Liar!" Aurora ran at him, and began pummeling him with her fists. Arestan grabbed her wrists, preventing Aurora from hitting him any more.

"Calm down," he said softly. "I am not a liar."

"Yes, you are!" Aurora sobbed. "I hate you! You're trying to turn me against Jason so that I'll accept your offer of marriage!"

Arestan let go of her, and Aurora flung herself to the floor, sobbing hysterically.

"I would never do anything like that," he whispered sadly.

**flash**

Phoebe opened her eyes, and found that everyone was staring at her.

"Phoebe, what did you see?" Piper asked worriedly.

"Well, I don't think that Arestan's the bad guy anymore," she replied.

"What?"

"I think he's trying to protect her."

"From what?" asked Paige.

"From a warlock that's somehow managed to get close to her. His name's Jason."

Piper blinked.

"Didn't Aurora say that she'd had a nightmare the other night that was about her boyfriend Jason?" she asked. Phoebe nodded.

"Yeah, she said that in the nightmare, she was face-to-face with a guy in a hooded robe, and he revealed himself to be Jason." A moment later, something dawned on Phoebe. "Adam, how long has Aurora been going out with Jason?"

"I don't know," Adam replied, shrugging.

"They'd been going out for more than a month before her parents' trial," Emma said, speaking up for the first time.

Piper glanced over at Phoebe sharply.

"Pheebs, are you saying that Aurora's been going out with a warlock?" she demanded.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Phoebe replied. "He might've sensed her potential for power, both magical and genetic."

"Well, what would he have done to her?" Emma demanded. "Would he have found a way to take her powers?"

Paige, Phoebe, and Piper all glanced at each other, and then they looked over at Emma.

"Warlocks can take a witch's powers by killing them," Phoebe said quietly, and Emma blanched.

"We've got to find where Arestan took Aurora, and rescue her," said Paige firmly. "I'm not too worried about the boyfriend from hell, but I *am* worried about what Arestan's definition of 'helping her' is."

Everyone else nodded in agreement.

to be continued...

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A/N: As always, please R&R, but no flames. Flamers will be pelted with dungbombs, and then they'll get their sorry arses kicked from here to the Bog of Eternal Stench.