Chapter Eleven
Two Months Later…
"Throw the potion!" Paige shouted to Phoebe as the black, four-legged, dog-like creature advanced on a wounded Piper.
Phoebe responded by throwing the tiny bottle of green liquid at the demon and she inhaled sharply from the immediate stitch in her side. She gently massaged the stitch as she watched the bottle shatter.
The demon was enveloped in green smoke and flames. Stunned, it still managed to fire an electric bolt from one of its claws back at Phoebe who quickly ducked and rolled out of the way just in time.
"What the hell is going on?" Cole exclaimed as he suddenly appeared in the empty warehouse. With a wave of his hand, he sent the creature crashing into the back wall. He rushed to Phoebe's side and carefully helped her to her feet. "Are you hurt?" he asked as he automatically reached out and rubbed her belly.
"Only my pride," she muttered as she brushed away his hand. "That was my potion."
"So nice of you to show up," Paige muttered as she passed Cole to get to Piper's side.
"I was in court all morning," he commented in annoyance. He glanced at the demon and added in disbelief, "Is that a Tracker?"
"Yeah," Piper weakly said as Paige healed the bleeding cut on her forehead, "Leo gave us the heads-up about it and we figured we'd trap it here and vanquish it. Darryl's given us a list of empty warehouses we can use in case of an emergency like this."
Cole's concern turned to anger and he admonished them, "You can't vanquish a Tracker with a simple potion! Didn't Leo tell you that? Why the hell didn't you call me?"
"We did call you," Paige snapped as she helped Piper stand, "and we decided to take matters into our own hands."
"Phoebe came up with the potion and a spell we can still try," Piper told him. "Shall we?" she asked her sisters.
"No," Cole told them. "We may as well use this opportunity to learn who hired the Tracker to find you. We'll wait," he decided. "Trackers don't normally harm their prey because that would mean a loss of part or all of their fee. This one only fought you because you went on the offensive and it had to protect itself. If you leave it alone now, all it will do is call for the one who hired it."
"How long will that take," Piper inquired as she watched the stirring demon struggle to its clawed feet, "because it looks pretty pissed."
"Not long," he explained as the demon growled and started towards them, "because a contract with a Tracker involves it linking with the one who hired it. The demon will come almost immediately after hearing the Tracker's call." He frowned at the way Phoebe was absentmindedly rubbing her lower abdomen. "You okay?" he asked her in concern.
Phoebe suddenly realized what she'd been doing and dropped her hand. "I'm fine," she replied simply.
"Phoebe…" he warned.
"The baby kicked," she replied in annoyance.
"Look, Phoebe, I don't know how many more times I can apologize for what I --" Cole didn't have a chance to continue because he noticed the creature's large fanged mouth open wide. "Cover your ears!" he warned as he pressed his hands to his ears.
The sisters immediately heeded his words but still cringed while the creature let out a high-decibel shriek that managed to penetrate their bones. It lasted nearly half-a-minute and left the sisters trembling.
Cole quickly supported Phoebe who seemed the most shaken. "It's okay, it's over," he told her while he kept a firm grip on her upper arms as she hunched over.
"What the hell was that?" Paige asked in a shaky voice as Piper grabbed Paige's hand to steady herself.
"That was its call," he replied as he kept eyeing Phoebe. The dark colors of her outfit only further contrasted the paleness of her skin. "Paige, take her home," he ordered as he indicated to Phoebe. "When the demon comes, Piper and I can deal wi--"
"No," Phoebe insisted as she pushed herself away from him, "I'm okay, I --"
A puff of black smoke near the Tracker interrupted her thought. "Well, well, well," the human-appearing, middle-aged, male smirked, "looks like I've hit the jackpot." He turned to the Tracker and stated, "Your fee is in your chamber."
The Tracker growled at the witches and vanished in a shimmer.
"A fee well deserved," the demon commented to the group, "considering he was on your trail for three days. Belthazor," he sneered when he recognized Cole, "still slumming, I see."
"Gamar," Cole greeted in kind, "still struggling up the ladder?"
"Struggle no more," Gamar smiled a toothy grin. "Not after I collect the bounty for my prey."
"What bounty?" Piper demanded. "On us?"
"Of course, but don't worry," he answered as he threw a fireball at her, "I'll make this quick." He was disappointed when Cole's energy ball blocked it from harming Piper. "Belthazor," he warned, "for old times' sake, I will let that pass but do not interfere again."
"The witches are under my protection, Gamar," Cole confidently stated. "I'm sure you've heard about my new abilities."
Gamar nodded, "I have even heard rumors that you made another play at becoming the Source."
Cole ignored Piper's gasp and commented, "You can't believe everything you hear. So, tell me about this bounty." Gamar didn't speak and Cole said, "All I want are answers, Gamar. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
Gamar considered Cole and the energy ball bouncing in his hand and answered, "The bounty is to bring in all three witches alive."
"Who placed it?" Cole asked. "And why?"
"I don't know," Gamar replied. "No one does. Or cares, for that matter. Not if he is promising to break the Charmed Ones for good. It has been announced that the witches are responsible for the recent killings below and --"
"We are not," Paige retorted. "We haven't even been --"
"How do you know it's legitimate?" Cole interrupted with a sharp glance to Paige.
"Why would any demon question the offer when it is already a fact that the cursed Charmed Ones have destroyed so many of our kind?" Gamar answered with a shrug.
"The reward?" Cole inquired.
Gamar leered at the sisters, "Extremely generous considering he wants them alive. Of course, if the two should be killed in the process, the reward will be lowered. And after all the witches have done to us, it is a sacrifice well worth the opportunity to take vengeance for the past."
"Which does he want alive?" Cole warily asked.
"Her," Gamar stated as he pointed to Phoebe. "The price for her alone is enough to allow me live like a king."
Phoebe automatically covered her stomach and locked eyes momentarily with Cole. Somehow, she found her voice and informed Gamar, "Sorry, pal, your castle will have to wait for some other king. You won't be taking me anywhere." She turned to Piper, "Blow him up."
"No!" Cole shouted as Piper raised her hands. He turned to Gamar, "For old times' sake, I suggest you leave now and forget you ever saw the witches."
"And be out the Tracker's fee too?" Gamar snorted. "I think not."
"It would be healthier for you to reconsider," Cole intimated with an energy ball in his hand.
"What about the bounty?" Gamar inquired. "You can't possibly expect to stop every demon from trying to collect. At least you know I'll make it painless for them. Other demons won't be so generous."
"Don't concern yourself with that," Cole told him. "The Charmed Ones and their offspring are under my protection, Gamar. You knew what I could do as Belthazor," he added in a menacing tone, "you can't even imagine what I can accomplish now. Go. I won't ask again."
Gamar stared at Cole a moment before he finally nodded. "But, Belthazor," he warned, "we are even now. All debts have been paid." Cole nodded in agreement. "Until next we meet," Gamar said before he disappeared in a black cloud of smoke.
"All right," Piper said in annoyance, "would you mind telling me why we just let him go?"
"Because," Cole explained, "Gamar and I did have debts with one another and we do need him to spread the word that, in spite of the reward, demons would be foolish to consider going after you for the bounty." He watched Phoebe's worried expression and said, "Hasoaf's not ready to come after you himself but he wants you alive. You and the baby are safe."
"For now," she murmured. "But Gamar is right. Others will still want that bounty and won't take your threat seriously. You've turned on us before, I'm sure they'll plan to sway you again."
"That won't happen," he spat, "and I resent the implic--"
Just then, Leo orbed in and interrupted, "I got here as soon as I could." He glanced from one face to the next and asked, "Is everyone okay?"
"Leo," Piper exclaimed, "who's watching the baby?"
"Your father," he told her. "He wanted to spend an hour or so with her and you know how he gets when he's alone with me."
"Yeah," Piper answered as she hugged him, "but it's just his way of letting you know he cares."
Phoebe gave the pair a tired smile and turned to Paige, "Can you take me back to work?"
"I can --" Cole began but Phoebe ignored him and went to Paige who immediately orbed her out of sight. "Damn," he muttered as he sent an energy ball loose to the back wall.
Piper looked from the black scorch mark on the wall to Leo to Cole and demanded, "What's going on? Phoebe's been in a foul mood for two days. If you've done something to --"
"I didn't do anything!" he growled. "She's just being unreasonable."
Leo noticed the growing anger on his wife's face and stepped between the two. "Cole, you have to understand. Phoebe's been under a lot of stress lately. She's buried under stacks of mail at work. She's trying to organize everything for this new move. She's always worried about Hasoaf, not to mention the average demon attack. And, if that wasn't enough, she's pregnant and her hormones are raging."
"You have no idea," Cole muttered.
"Don't I?" Leo grinned. "You have no idea what I went through with Piper in her pregnancy."
"What?" Piper exclaimed.
"The cravings," Leo continued, "the mood swings. She nearly blew me up one night simply because I'd left the lid up." Cole stared at him in surprise and Leo gleefully realized, "That's it, isn't it! That's why Phoebe's mad at you!" Cole reluctantly nodded and frowned while Leo burst out laughing.
"It's not funny," Piper complained. "You have no idea what it's like to have to go to the bathroom all the time and then to find the lid up…Men ought to be shot for doing that on a regular basis but to do that to a pregnant woman, that's un--"
Leo interrupted her rant with a kiss, "I love you, honey."
Piper pushed him away, "Don't think that gets you off the hook, Mr. --"
"So what do I do?" Cole interrupted.
"Apologize," Leo suggested. "Compliments, flowers, presents," he carefully added as he kept an eye on his wife.
"I've tried all that," Cole sighed.
"Then you," Leo chuckled as he slapped Cole lightly on the shoulder, "are looking at the Halliwell doghouse for at least a week." Cole grimaced which only caused Leo to laugh harder.
Paige then orbed in and, with a frown, asked Piper, "Are they bonding?"
"No," both Leo and Cole quickly responded as they stepped away from each other.
"I'd better go talk to her," Cole said.
"If you mean Phoebe," Paige commented, "that's probably not a good idea. I don't know what you did but I'd say that even knowing you're invincible won't stop her right now from trying to kill you."
Cole looked helplessly at Leo who merely shrugged. "I'll be at the office," Cole commented, "if anything else comes up."
Piper nudged Paige who called out, "Cole, wait." He faced her and waited. Paige glanced from her sister to Leo and haltingly asked, "Would you…if you're not busy, that is…Maybe this isn't a good idea if Phoebe's mad at you…"
"Paige…" Leo encouraged.
While Paige hesitated, Piper took matters into her own hands and blurted out, "Do you want to come for dinner?"
Surprised, Cole asked, "At the house? With all of you?" After both sisters nodded, Cole still took a minute before he quietly answered, "Yes…Thank you."
"Don't thank us yet," Piper warned. "Phoebe doesn't know about this and she still may kill you before we do."
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