Disclaimer: I DO NOT own charmed, nor do I own Phoebe, Piper, Paige, Cole, Leo, or any of the original characters that may be mentioned in my fanfic.
A/N Sorry if the relationship between Phoebe and Cole isn't as strong as some would like it to be but the tension between the two, the unresolved issues between them, even the mistrust will come into play later in the story.
And on with the show...
*Roughly Ten Years Later*
"Phoebe, will you check on Melinda for me?" Piper called up the stairs to Phoebe who was in the attic studying the Book of Shadows.
"Yeah sure Piper." Phoebe closed the book and rubbed her eyes wearily. She had been looking in the book for days in a row, trying to find the whereabouts of a demon that had been haunting the manor for the past week. Phoebe made her way down the stairs to the nursery where Melinda, the nearly one-year-old daughter of Piper and Leo, slept. Phoebe was surprised to find the baby awake. Melinda was standing attentively in her crib. She was pretty and had many of Leo's features. She had light brown hair and sparkling blue eyes; she was a very lovely baby. Phoebe tried not to let the sight of a child disturb her, but still every time she looked at Melinda she saw her un-named son. She had looked for him for years to no avail; he was gone. She and Cole had become distant and eventually divorced. They saw each other from time to time. Leo often called Cole in when dealing with powerful demons. Cole seemed to be the only person that could dent them. Phoebe picked Melinda up and took her downstairs.
(Meanwhile, far from the manor...)
"Corinne, what the hell are you doing?" A tall man with choppy brown hair and a confident saunter approached a girl of about fifteen. The girl had been blindfolded. She dropped the sword she had been holding and removed the blindfold from her head. Her dark brown hair hung loosely around her face. She brushed her hair behind her ears with her hand.
"What the hell are you talking about Raff?" The girl stood confidently even as Rafferty approached her.
"You call that a workout? You didn't even come close to hitting your targets."
"I'm tired, we've been working all day. I need a break."
"You'll get a break when you actually work. Go again." The girl reluctantly placed the blindfold back over her eyes and reached for the sword. "No sword this time. And where the hell is Gabriel?"
In another room, a boy, a little older than ten-years of age brushed the dirt from his clothes. He was dressed in baggy jeans that were now covered in dirt, and a red sweater with a white t-shirt underneath. He had just finished his outdoor exercises and the dirt had clung to his once clean outfit. His dark brown hair was partially matted down with sweat. He removed his sweater in attempts to cool down. He heard footsteps and his brilliant blue eyes focused on the figure that was entering the room.
"Where the hell have you been?" Rafferty walked over to the boy and pulled him up off the ground. "We've got a lot to cove and not a lot of time. I can't have you messing around."
"I just finished training outside, I was taking a break. Cool down Rafferty." Gabriel released himself from Rafferty's strong grip and headed towards the door.
"You will not talk to me like that. I took you in off the streets when you were nothing. I trained you; I molded you into who you are today. All I ask for are a few favors every once in awhile, a little help." He grabbed the boy by the arm so they were facing one another. "The next time you want a break, ask me." He poked the boy hardly in the chest. "Got it?"
"Yeah I got it." Gabriel, or Gabe as he was often referred to, glared at Rafferty before heading to the training room to join Cori. They trained on into the evening. Eventually the kids, weary from over-exertion, headed off to bed. They had trained all day for Rafferty's "big surprise". He had been taunting them with it for weeks. They had lied for him before, stole for him before, even killed for him before, Rafferty promised this next job would be bigger than all of the others. Gabriel hated it all. He hated lying, stealing, but most of all, he hated the killing. He had killed six witches in his short life. Cori had killed a whopping seventeen. Neither of them was happy with the direction of their lives, but they were powerless to change them. Rafferty was an extremely powerful demon that controlled every aspect of their lives. Once in their small, shared room the two bedded down for the night.
"Cori, what do you think he's going to have us do?" Gabriel rolled over in his bed so he was facing Cori.
"I don't know Gabe." She rubber her eyes weakly. Her arms were sore from their extensive workouts.
"Do you think it'll be bad?"
"Probably."
"Will we have to kill someone?" Gabriel was a powerful child, with the powers of a witch along with those of a demon; he was, however, still a child. And like most children, Gabriel was fearful and vulnerable.
"Maybe. Probably. I'll take care of it, okay? Don't worry about it."
"We should leave."
"We've talked about this before Gabriel."
"I know, but it could work. Really, it could. All we would have to--" Gabriel was cut of by a discontented Cori.
"No. Listen, it won't work. It sounds all fine and dandy now but it won't work. Whatever you're thinking won't work. He'll find us and punish us, probably worse than he ever has before. One day, when we're strong enough, we'll try to leave. But not today. Okay kid?" Cori was now sitting erect and looking over at Gabriel seriously.
"Fine. I guess." They said goodnight to one another and went to sleep.
For the next few weeks Gabriel and Corinne trained harder than ever. They were constantly over worked and exhausted. Rafferty kept them motivated with the promise of a better life. He said once this next job was done, they would have whatever they wanted. They didn't quite understand him, nor did they believe him. What they wanted, and they wanted it desperately, was to get away from Rafferty, their evil gatekeeper. They realized, however, that Rafferty would never give them up without a fight, especially Gabriel. There was something about the dark haired, bright-eyed boy that Rafferty valued above all else, though neither Cori nor Gabriel could pinpoint exactly what it was.
