Secrets
Part 1
Sequel to "The Picnic". I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it.
As morning came to the manor, it found Piper and Leo downstairs. Piper was cooking breakfast for the family, and Leo was watching her. After a few moments, Piper glanced at Leo and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"The most beautiful woman in the universe," Leo replied softly.
Piper flashed him a tender grin and remarked, "Charmer."
"Of course, I'm just glad to have some time alone. With so many people in our 'house', it's nice to be alone with you." Leo commented.
"Yeah, it can get pretty crowded, especially since Michael moved in with Paige." Piper said.
Suddenly, a cry broke the night. Leo and Piper waited a few moments, and then nodded, "Melinda." They then began to walk up the stairs.
"That brings the people living here up to 8," Leo remarked as they approached Melinda and Gabriel's room, "I'm really glad we did those expansions, or we'd be really crammed."
As they walked in, Melinda stopped crying and looked at them expectantly. Piper picked her up and asked, "What's wrong Melinda?"
"I'm not sure if she can answer us, especially if she's." Leo began, but trailed off and Melinda pointed towards the empty crib next to her. "Oh."
"I'm sorry honey. Gabriel's staying in his parent's room, but he'll be back in here soon." Piper crooned. Melinda smiled, made a few baby noises, and then promptly went back to sleep.
As they left quietly, Leo commented, "That was strange."
"Not really, Mel and Gabriel are really close, so I'm not surprised they would miss each other." Piper replied.
When they got downstairs, they found Phoebe downstairs with her hands on her head. Piper walked over and asked, "Everything alright, honey?"
Phoebe looked up, and both Leo and Piper saw deep circles around her eyes. "No, I haven't gotten much sleep in the last several days."
"Why?" Leo questioned.
"Gabriel. Something's wrong with him. He won't sleep unless either Cole or I holds him, and even then he will only sleep for about an hour before he wakes up crying." Phoebe replied quietly.
"Do you want me to try and heal him?" Leo asked. "if it's an illness, I'm sure I could."
"No, it's not an illness, it's something mental," Phoebe interrupted. "I think he's having nightmares, and I don't know what to do about it. He won't go toddler again, no matter how much we ask him. I just don't know what is going on."
"Hey guys, what's up," Paige asked as she and Michael walked in.
"Gabriel, right?" Michael said when no one spoke.
"How did you know?" Phoebe demanded.
"We have the room near you, so we can hear whenever he wakes up." Michael explained.
"I just don't know what to do, and there's something else," Phoebe commented.
"What else is wrong?" Piper asked.
"Cole is hiding something," Phoebe said after a few moments, "I don't know what, but it is something that greatly worries him. I can see it in his eyes, but I can't get him to tell me about it. I just don't know.I feel like my family is falling apart."
"Well, look at it this way. Things can't get any worse," Paige said hopefully.
***
"Why are we here? This is such a waste of time," Dymar commented.
"Hold your tongue. We have our orders," Klar snapped.
"Hey, relax. I'm just saying this is pointless. I mean, no one is coming to this lake. So, why waste our time?" Dymar replied defensively as he waved in the direction of the Lake of Torment.
"The new Source felt a disturbance here recently, and so he wants to make sure Good doesn't make an offensive against it," Klar said sharply. "As his loyal servants, it is our duty to protect this place to our deaths."
"I suppose it would be a useful weapon against us.hey, what's that?" Dymar replied suddenly. Klar looked over, and couldn't help but gape. There were bubbles in the Lake!
"That's.impossible. Nothing lives in the Lake, nothing can, it erases all life from existence," Klar said in shock.
"Maybe it's some kind of air pocket," Dymar commented reasonably. The bubbles increased, and without warning a vast eruption of water exploded outward. Both Dymar and Klar dove for cover behind some rocks, and heard the water hit there cover. As they stood up slowly, they gasped.
Standing in front of the pool was a vastly disfigured demon. He appeared to be nothing but muscle and bone, and his face was a thing of nightmares. Klar and Dymar looked at each other, and then both threw energy balls. It hit the demon in the chest, but he was unaffected. Both Klar and Dymar backed away in fear. Before they could react, the demon leaped forward and grabbed them by the throat. They squirmed, and then began to scream as they felt something being ripped from them. After a few seconds, Klar and Dymar exploded.
The remaining demon changed into a dark haired man of medium build. He looked around and then whispered, "Belthazor."
***
As Leo approached, he heard Cole singing softly. He walked in, and Cole looked up and smiled. He had Gabriel in the crook of his right arm, and was singing to him softly. Cole looks worse than Phoebe Leo thought. His eyes had huge bags under them, and he had a haggard look that spoke of little or no sleep. In addition, he had a haunted look, as if he were worried about something big.
"Want me to hold him?" Leo asked softly. "Let you get some sleep?"
"That's alright. I find him comforting," Cole replied, and some of the pain left his eyes.
"Any idea what's wrong with him?" Leo questioned.
"No, but I plan to ask him as soon as I can," Cole said firmly.
"Cole, I can feel your pain. I'm your whitelighter. Something has you very worried, and it's my job to help you. Please, tell me what's wrong?"
Cole looked at him, and for a second, Leo could feel raw panic and fear coming from him. Then it was shut down, blocked effectively. "I.I can't."
Leo looked down, and saw a white glow leave Gabriel and flow into Cole. Cole seemed to be struggling with something, and then he said, "Alright."
As they sat down, Leo flashed a grin at his now awake nephew in law. Cole paced for a few moments, and then handed Gabriel over to Leo. "I want you to promise me this goes no farther than the two of us."
"I promise," Leo commented.
"I mean it, no one. Not Phoebe, not Piper, no one." Cole repeated gravely.
"If my promise wasn't good enough the first time, what's a second time going to do?" Leo asked in annoyance.
"Just checking to make sure you understand the significance." Cole remarked with a grin. Cole took a deep breath, and then shimmered in and out of the room.
Leo's mouth fell open, and he stammered, "Wha.what.how."
"Kain gave me some demonic powers during my 'service', and they didn't fade," Cole said as he sat down heavily.
"Cole, you should have told me sooner." Leo admonished.
"Tell you what, that I may be going evil again?" Cole said in a slightly hysterical voice. "I can't do it again, Leo. I can't be evil, I can't see the look in Phoebe's eyes. Not again."
"Cole, we'll deal with this," Leo said as he walked over and put a comforting hand on Cole's shoulder. He felt Cole calm down, and then Leo asked, "What other powers do you have?"
"I can shimmer, and shoot an energy ball," Cole explained, "but I have no demon form.at least not yet. But I couldn't shoot an energy ball until recently, which means."
"The powers may be growing," Leo finished. "Cole, we will deal with this, I promise you. Let me go check with the Elders."
"NO, I can't risk them coming after me," Cole interrupted.
"Alright.why don't you check the Book of Shadows, and I'll discreetly ask some of my other charges. Worst come to shove, we can just strip your powers again," Leo said reasonably.
Cole smiled, and said, "Thanks Leo. I'm glad to have help in this. Listen, I have to get to work, I have some work to do." He got up, and Leo saw that the pain in his eyes was gone. Everyone felt better with someone to talk to. As Cole walked out, Leo looked down and saw Gabriel also had a haunted look in his eyes. He smiled and said, "How about you talk to?" When Gabriel didn't change, he sighed and commented, "Fine. But you really need to talk about it; otherwise it'll just eat you up."
***
"What do you mean the guards are gone?" the Source demanded.
"I don't know, Master," a demon groveled. "They were just.gone."
"Those bastards will pay for abandoning their posts," the Source growled.
"Master, we found remains there. It is possible they were vanquished," another demon interjected.
"Who would dare, or have that much power. Klar and Dymar were both some the strongest demons made by Kain," the Source mused.
Suddenly, the door to the chamber exploded. The demons ducked and then whirled with energy balls in hand. The Source stood up and shouted, "WHO DARES!"
"I do," a voice said softly, and a man walked into the room. He was dark haired, and had a medium build and brown eyes. The demons all threw their fireballs and energy balls. They slammed into the demons, and were dissipated.
The Source walked down and asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is not important," the man replied, "If you want to live, answer this question honestly and quickly. Where is Belthazor?"
"Belthazor has been vanquished for years," the Source scoffed.
One of man's eyebrows raised slightly, and he asked, "Who did it?"
"The Charmed Ones of course. They've killed more demons in the last several years than have been killed in the last century."
"Interesting. Where can I find these Charmed Ones," the man asked.
The Source told him, and then added, "I was going to destroy you, but I think I'll let them do it for you. Enjoy your demise."
The man smiled, and then said, "You too." He threw an energy ball, and the Source exploded. He looked at the other demons, who cowered in fear, and then said, "Leave the Charmed Ones to me." He then shimmered out.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Part 1
Sequel to "The Picnic". I do not own any part of Charmed. I just write about it.
As morning came to the manor, it found Piper and Leo downstairs. Piper was cooking breakfast for the family, and Leo was watching her. After a few moments, Piper glanced at Leo and asked, "What are you looking at?"
"The most beautiful woman in the universe," Leo replied softly.
Piper flashed him a tender grin and remarked, "Charmer."
"Of course, I'm just glad to have some time alone. With so many people in our 'house', it's nice to be alone with you." Leo commented.
"Yeah, it can get pretty crowded, especially since Michael moved in with Paige." Piper said.
Suddenly, a cry broke the night. Leo and Piper waited a few moments, and then nodded, "Melinda." They then began to walk up the stairs.
"That brings the people living here up to 8," Leo remarked as they approached Melinda and Gabriel's room, "I'm really glad we did those expansions, or we'd be really crammed."
As they walked in, Melinda stopped crying and looked at them expectantly. Piper picked her up and asked, "What's wrong Melinda?"
"I'm not sure if she can answer us, especially if she's." Leo began, but trailed off and Melinda pointed towards the empty crib next to her. "Oh."
"I'm sorry honey. Gabriel's staying in his parent's room, but he'll be back in here soon." Piper crooned. Melinda smiled, made a few baby noises, and then promptly went back to sleep.
As they left quietly, Leo commented, "That was strange."
"Not really, Mel and Gabriel are really close, so I'm not surprised they would miss each other." Piper replied.
When they got downstairs, they found Phoebe downstairs with her hands on her head. Piper walked over and asked, "Everything alright, honey?"
Phoebe looked up, and both Leo and Piper saw deep circles around her eyes. "No, I haven't gotten much sleep in the last several days."
"Why?" Leo questioned.
"Gabriel. Something's wrong with him. He won't sleep unless either Cole or I holds him, and even then he will only sleep for about an hour before he wakes up crying." Phoebe replied quietly.
"Do you want me to try and heal him?" Leo asked. "if it's an illness, I'm sure I could."
"No, it's not an illness, it's something mental," Phoebe interrupted. "I think he's having nightmares, and I don't know what to do about it. He won't go toddler again, no matter how much we ask him. I just don't know what is going on."
"Hey guys, what's up," Paige asked as she and Michael walked in.
"Gabriel, right?" Michael said when no one spoke.
"How did you know?" Phoebe demanded.
"We have the room near you, so we can hear whenever he wakes up." Michael explained.
"I just don't know what to do, and there's something else," Phoebe commented.
"What else is wrong?" Piper asked.
"Cole is hiding something," Phoebe said after a few moments, "I don't know what, but it is something that greatly worries him. I can see it in his eyes, but I can't get him to tell me about it. I just don't know.I feel like my family is falling apart."
"Well, look at it this way. Things can't get any worse," Paige said hopefully.
***
"Why are we here? This is such a waste of time," Dymar commented.
"Hold your tongue. We have our orders," Klar snapped.
"Hey, relax. I'm just saying this is pointless. I mean, no one is coming to this lake. So, why waste our time?" Dymar replied defensively as he waved in the direction of the Lake of Torment.
"The new Source felt a disturbance here recently, and so he wants to make sure Good doesn't make an offensive against it," Klar said sharply. "As his loyal servants, it is our duty to protect this place to our deaths."
"I suppose it would be a useful weapon against us.hey, what's that?" Dymar replied suddenly. Klar looked over, and couldn't help but gape. There were bubbles in the Lake!
"That's.impossible. Nothing lives in the Lake, nothing can, it erases all life from existence," Klar said in shock.
"Maybe it's some kind of air pocket," Dymar commented reasonably. The bubbles increased, and without warning a vast eruption of water exploded outward. Both Dymar and Klar dove for cover behind some rocks, and heard the water hit there cover. As they stood up slowly, they gasped.
Standing in front of the pool was a vastly disfigured demon. He appeared to be nothing but muscle and bone, and his face was a thing of nightmares. Klar and Dymar looked at each other, and then both threw energy balls. It hit the demon in the chest, but he was unaffected. Both Klar and Dymar backed away in fear. Before they could react, the demon leaped forward and grabbed them by the throat. They squirmed, and then began to scream as they felt something being ripped from them. After a few seconds, Klar and Dymar exploded.
The remaining demon changed into a dark haired man of medium build. He looked around and then whispered, "Belthazor."
***
As Leo approached, he heard Cole singing softly. He walked in, and Cole looked up and smiled. He had Gabriel in the crook of his right arm, and was singing to him softly. Cole looks worse than Phoebe Leo thought. His eyes had huge bags under them, and he had a haggard look that spoke of little or no sleep. In addition, he had a haunted look, as if he were worried about something big.
"Want me to hold him?" Leo asked softly. "Let you get some sleep?"
"That's alright. I find him comforting," Cole replied, and some of the pain left his eyes.
"Any idea what's wrong with him?" Leo questioned.
"No, but I plan to ask him as soon as I can," Cole said firmly.
"Cole, I can feel your pain. I'm your whitelighter. Something has you very worried, and it's my job to help you. Please, tell me what's wrong?"
Cole looked at him, and for a second, Leo could feel raw panic and fear coming from him. Then it was shut down, blocked effectively. "I.I can't."
Leo looked down, and saw a white glow leave Gabriel and flow into Cole. Cole seemed to be struggling with something, and then he said, "Alright."
As they sat down, Leo flashed a grin at his now awake nephew in law. Cole paced for a few moments, and then handed Gabriel over to Leo. "I want you to promise me this goes no farther than the two of us."
"I promise," Leo commented.
"I mean it, no one. Not Phoebe, not Piper, no one." Cole repeated gravely.
"If my promise wasn't good enough the first time, what's a second time going to do?" Leo asked in annoyance.
"Just checking to make sure you understand the significance." Cole remarked with a grin. Cole took a deep breath, and then shimmered in and out of the room.
Leo's mouth fell open, and he stammered, "Wha.what.how."
"Kain gave me some demonic powers during my 'service', and they didn't fade," Cole said as he sat down heavily.
"Cole, you should have told me sooner." Leo admonished.
"Tell you what, that I may be going evil again?" Cole said in a slightly hysterical voice. "I can't do it again, Leo. I can't be evil, I can't see the look in Phoebe's eyes. Not again."
"Cole, we'll deal with this," Leo said as he walked over and put a comforting hand on Cole's shoulder. He felt Cole calm down, and then Leo asked, "What other powers do you have?"
"I can shimmer, and shoot an energy ball," Cole explained, "but I have no demon form.at least not yet. But I couldn't shoot an energy ball until recently, which means."
"The powers may be growing," Leo finished. "Cole, we will deal with this, I promise you. Let me go check with the Elders."
"NO, I can't risk them coming after me," Cole interrupted.
"Alright.why don't you check the Book of Shadows, and I'll discreetly ask some of my other charges. Worst come to shove, we can just strip your powers again," Leo said reasonably.
Cole smiled, and said, "Thanks Leo. I'm glad to have help in this. Listen, I have to get to work, I have some work to do." He got up, and Leo saw that the pain in his eyes was gone. Everyone felt better with someone to talk to. As Cole walked out, Leo looked down and saw Gabriel also had a haunted look in his eyes. He smiled and said, "How about you talk to?" When Gabriel didn't change, he sighed and commented, "Fine. But you really need to talk about it; otherwise it'll just eat you up."
***
"What do you mean the guards are gone?" the Source demanded.
"I don't know, Master," a demon groveled. "They were just.gone."
"Those bastards will pay for abandoning their posts," the Source growled.
"Master, we found remains there. It is possible they were vanquished," another demon interjected.
"Who would dare, or have that much power. Klar and Dymar were both some the strongest demons made by Kain," the Source mused.
Suddenly, the door to the chamber exploded. The demons ducked and then whirled with energy balls in hand. The Source stood up and shouted, "WHO DARES!"
"I do," a voice said softly, and a man walked into the room. He was dark haired, and had a medium build and brown eyes. The demons all threw their fireballs and energy balls. They slammed into the demons, and were dissipated.
The Source walked down and asked, "Who are you?"
"My name is not important," the man replied, "If you want to live, answer this question honestly and quickly. Where is Belthazor?"
"Belthazor has been vanquished for years," the Source scoffed.
One of man's eyebrows raised slightly, and he asked, "Who did it?"
"The Charmed Ones of course. They've killed more demons in the last several years than have been killed in the last century."
"Interesting. Where can I find these Charmed Ones," the man asked.
The Source told him, and then added, "I was going to destroy you, but I think I'll let them do it for you. Enjoy your demise."
The man smiled, and then said, "You too." He threw an energy ball, and the Source exploded. He looked at the other demons, who cowered in fear, and then said, "Leave the Charmed Ones to me." He then shimmered out.
TO BE CONTINUED.