Chapter VIII


Somewhere in the middle of the city, Clay sat at a lonely deserted café sipping his now somewhat cold espresso and thinking about the previous events of the day. Thoughts of Phoebe filled his head. Things had really gotten out of hand; what happened between Phoebe and him shouldn't have happened. How could I be so stupid? He slapped himself. For all he knew, he could've already broken up a marriage. What if they get a divorce? What'll happen to Phoebe's baby? How could he live with himself knowing that he was the cause of his best friend's broken marriage? Things like this never really had bothered him years ago before he met Phoebe, but Phoebe had changed him for the better.

As Clay sat looking blankly into the horizon, Phoebe finally arrived at her sisters', and after walking halfway, she finally hailed a cab.

"Piper!" Phoebe hollered as she unlocked the ancient wooden door with her extra house key. She still kept it with her when she moved out. "Paige!" Phoebe let herself in; she lurked around the vacant living room. The house was dead silent. She then let herself into the kitchen. No Paige mixing potions. *Could they be at the club? *

"Where are they when you need them?" Phoebe asked herself, and then walked back out into the living room. Just as she was about to walk up to the attic, Piper and Paige stormed in arguing.

"No, I'm telling you it's, 'She did ballet' not, 'She gets laid.'" Paige argued, referring to Avril Lavigne's song, 'Sk8er Boi'.

"Uh, guys, hello?" Phoebe greeted somewhat sarcastically.

"Phoebe is it, 'She gets laid' or, 'She did ballet?'" Piper asked a confused Phoebe, while holding a plentiful amount of shopping bags.

"Excuse me?" Phoebe asked, hitting her high-pitched note.

"Avril Lavigne's song 'Sk8er Boi'. Is it 'She gets laid' or 'She did ballet?'" Piper repeated.

"Urg, you guys got way too much time on your hands." Phoebe said. "Well, you're just in time. There's a siren on the run."

"What are you talking about?" Paige said putting her purse down.

"Well, I caught Cole making out with a seductress…" Phoebe announced.

"Cole cheated on you?" Piper interrupted.

"I knew it! That two-timing bastard." Paige added shaking her head in disappointment.

"Well, anyways, he told me that she's a demon. She's a shape-shifter; she can turn invisible, throw energy balls. She's set out to destroy relationships." Phoebe continued.

"Well, let's get busy." Paige said, signaling to head up to the attic.

"What's her name?" Piper asked following Paige and Phoebe.

"Sisselii."

"Sisselli? The least she could do is have a scarier name!" Piper said, almost jokingly, as she flipped through the dusty book.

"Uh, hello, demon on the run and that's what you're focusing on?" Phoebe barked, then walked to her side.

"Bingo!" Piper slammed her hand in the center of the page. "She's a seductress. An upper level demon, has a power of invisibility, she blinks…"

"Wait, she blinks?" Paige interrupted, "How's that possible? I thought only warlocks could blink?"

"I don't know, she must have gotten that through one of her rivals." Piper guessed. "But, uh, it also said, the only way she way could break a relationship is if there's already something there for her to break in. Like a gap."

"Okay, well, the night before I had a premonition of Clay and I getting a little intimate, I told Cole about it, and he had gotten really jealous. Then unexpectedly this morning Clay paid a little visit."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry I didn't tell ya." Piper apologized, with an innocent grin on her face.

"Yeah." Phoebe made a face. "Well, Cole accused me of cheating on him, and I denied it.

"Well, did you?" Piper asked with uncertainty in her voice.

"No!" Phoebe answered without hesitation.

"I mean the last time Clay was here you two shacked up right away. Remember?" Piper teased.

"Ha ha ha! Very funny." Phoebe sarcastically replied. "Now can we get back to work? There's a relationship eating monster on the run here."

"And it was the demon who pretended to be me." She added quickly.

Dim lights shimmered throughout the lavishly decorated living room as the brilliant red flames swayed to the glistening rays of the moonlight. The rich aroma of rose petals danced in the air, while the sound of slow saucy rhythms crashed through the stereo. Swaying hips, gliding together, as one danced lightly upon the fluffy petals floor.

"See baby, I told you it'd be worth the while." A voice stated huskily.

No reply. They just kept dancing along mindlessly. Suddenly the dance stopped. "This is wrong."

"What?" Came a feminine voice, soft spoken. "Baby, what do you mean?"

"This. Us."

"If it's so wrong, then why are you and I here. Right here, right now?"

"Because, I don't know." He grabbed his head in confusion. "You shouldn't be here. You should leave."

"Are you sure?" She asked in an assertive tone, "I know you don't want me to."

"Yes I do." He confirmed. "Before things get out of hand."

"What do you mean before things get out of hand, Clay?" She shrieked. "Things are already out of hand!"

"That's why we have to stop, Phoebe." Clay yelled, which startled Phoebe. "And how the hell did you get in here?"

"Well, that's your next surprise, baby." An evil smirk emerged upon her luscious, plumy, crimson lips corresponding with her beaming red eyes.

Pacing back and forth, unable to think of a plan, Cole stopped midway to recollect the history between Sisselii and him. A century ago they were lovers, now she was his worst enemy.

She had enticed him into her world of lust and power. She had awakened the wildness of his sexuality and masculinity deep within. His yearning for someone to cradle and nurture him. He was alone and abandoned. He was never really a mama's boy, as all the other demons had made him out to be. His mother never bestowed him with powers, he had to go out on his own and earn it. All those years of evil deed, killing, stabbing, and flaming. Yet still he never received any respect from any demons of any kind, neither upper nor lower level demons. Not even from warlocks. WARLOCKS. Those obnoxious, malevolent, good for nothing creatures.

Then she came along. She made him feel like a man for once; in more than one way or another. She always had faith in him. She always put a higher standard for him. She didn't get much out of what she did, but she got him, the all mighty Belthazor.

Of course he had never fallen in love with her, suppose that's why she's such a bitter old hag now. But, it was all worth it. He got what he wanted, and she got what she wanted…for a while anyway.

And now, she's back---back for revenge.