Hello:) Well, FF.Net is FINALLY back up, so I can continue with the
story......[Provided everyone hasn't forgotten about it.]
This chapter is kinda short, but also kinda pivotal to the story. I hope
you enjoy, and once again, thank you to those that have reviewed....it
let's me know I'm doing something half right.:)
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"Did I mention, that I *hate* cemetaries?"
Prue sighed. "Only about five times....in the last five minutes."
Piper stumbled over a rock, catching herself on Prue before she fell. "Well, I think I have the right to --"
"Shh," Prue said suddenly. They both stood still, listening to the sounds of the night life surrounding them in the cemetary.
"What?" Piper finally whispered.
Relaxing her tense stance, Prue shrugged. "Nothing, but it was worth it just to shut you up for a minute."
"Very funny Prue," Piper said, her tone leaving no doubt as to the fact that she hadn't thought it very amusing at all. Prue rolled her eyes, but her reply was cut off by the appearence of Leo, who orbed in behind them.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Nice to see you too," Piper said sarcastically. He offered her a sheepish smile, knowing that she would forgive him for his urgency.
"Okay, we have to get going," Prue cut in, obviously not wanting to wait around. She moved off without waiting for an answer, leaving the others no choice but to follow.
They moved purposefully towards the crypt, Piper now hanging onto Leo and cursing the fact that she hadn't thought to change her shoes before she'd left. Arriving at their destination, Prue once again charged ahead, throwing the heavy crypt door open. As they entered the stone mausoleum, the first thing that caught their attention was the figure standing in the centre of the building, scrabbling desperately at a hole in the wall.
"Hey!" Prue shouted, catching the figure's attention. He looked up, a furious expression twisting his already unpleasant features. Before Prue could do anything else though, the Warlock had disapeared behind her, blinking into a position in front of Piper. As the witch tried to raise her hands in order to blow the Warlock up, he struck out at her. Piper gave a shriek as she found herself thrown backwards through the doorway, hitting the cold earth with an audible thump.
Seeing that Prue had the situation under control, Leo ran to her, checking her for injuries. He quickly healed the cut on her arm and the bump on the back of her head, which she had struck on impact, before helping her to stand up.
"Ow,"she muttered, leaning on Leo a little. He looked at her questioningly, and she nodded that she was okay.
In the crypt, a grunt echoed as Prue used her powers on the Warlock, sending him flying through the air in much the same was as her sister had. She followed him out, watching in satisfaction as he struggled to his feet on the patch of wet ground he'd fallen on to. What made Prue feel better however, was the fact that he was empty handed. Which meant that he hadn't found the Anarm orb. It must still be in the crypt behind her.....and he was only going to get it if he went through her.
"Well, looks like we got here on time," she taunted him, squinting her eyes as she sent him falling to the ground again. But before he could answer, Prue heard a noise to her left which caused her to turn. The Warlock saw her distraction, and finally managed to get his feet under him, charging Prue. Piper screamed her name, throwing her hands up to finish the attack she had begun earlier, only to find that her power wasn't working.
"What the -- Leo, my power!"
Leo replied as they watched the Warlock tackle Prue, sending them both to the ground. "The Anarm must be interfering with your power."
They started running towards the two struggling figures. "What?! Prue's power worked."
Leo thought this over as he fought to catch his breath, watching as Prue got the upper hand and threw the Warlock off of her. "Well, the only thing I can think of, is that Prue's had her power for three years.....you've only had your exploding power for one, so the orb's magical energy is throwing you off."
They made it to Prue, helping her stand and checking that she was uninjured. "Blow him up, Piper," Prue urged.
"I can't," her sister replied frantically. "My power won't work."
Prue spared a moment to curse the powers that be. "Well, I guess we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way. Freeze him."
Piper raised her hands in preperation, but was stopped, as a blur of colour rushed past and launched itself at the Warlock.
"What the hell?" It was Prue's turn to ask.
"I think it's our faceless 'helper,'" Leo supplied.
They stared in fascination as the two battled, and Prue even found herself wincing in sympathy as she saw the flash of metal, correctly interpreting it as a knife, which struck out at the faceless stranger. The figure gave a hiss of pain as he reared up, an energy ball sizzling in the palm of his hand. As he threw it at the Warlock, the engulphed mans screams were lost on Prue, who was caught in her own struggle of merely trying to breath, stunned as their mysterious helper's hood fell back and revealed his identity at last.
"Cole," she heard Piper whisper, her own vocal cords constricted. The shock that registered in her sister's voice though was a reflection of Prue's own feelings.
The half demon whirled, and Prue found herself face to face with the man that she hadn't seen a trace of in a year.
His hair was shorter, cut closer to his head and more reminiscent of the way it had looked when they had first met. Other than that, he was physically unchanged, for which Prue knew he had his demonic genes to thank. But his eyes.......Prue remembered back to something that Phoebe had mentioned, not long after her sister and the supposed Assistant D.A had first met. That she thought Cole to have old eyes......as if he had lived before. Prue had humoured her, thinking her simply in the first flushes of one of the legendary Phoebe Halliwell infatuations that had become a fixture in the lives of the sisters, (though Prue thought the bright blue orbs tended more towards *shifty* than old.)
But when his true nature had been revealed, she had realised the reason behind their look of age, for he was over one hundred years old, and had engaged in over a century of demonic activity.
As she studied this man now though, she was forced to admit that they did not merely look old.....no, now they were *ancient.* But burning with a passion that Prue recognised......a look seered into her memory every time she had seen Phoebe after they had helped an innocent, an expression that she had even noticed on her own face as she gazed into the mirror. And the recognition and rememberence brought tears to her eyes, as she saw Cole Turner gave them one last long, searching look......and shimmer away.
**********
**********
"Did I mention, that I *hate* cemetaries?"
Prue sighed. "Only about five times....in the last five minutes."
Piper stumbled over a rock, catching herself on Prue before she fell. "Well, I think I have the right to --"
"Shh," Prue said suddenly. They both stood still, listening to the sounds of the night life surrounding them in the cemetary.
"What?" Piper finally whispered.
Relaxing her tense stance, Prue shrugged. "Nothing, but it was worth it just to shut you up for a minute."
"Very funny Prue," Piper said, her tone leaving no doubt as to the fact that she hadn't thought it very amusing at all. Prue rolled her eyes, but her reply was cut off by the appearence of Leo, who orbed in behind them.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Nice to see you too," Piper said sarcastically. He offered her a sheepish smile, knowing that she would forgive him for his urgency.
"Okay, we have to get going," Prue cut in, obviously not wanting to wait around. She moved off without waiting for an answer, leaving the others no choice but to follow.
They moved purposefully towards the crypt, Piper now hanging onto Leo and cursing the fact that she hadn't thought to change her shoes before she'd left. Arriving at their destination, Prue once again charged ahead, throwing the heavy crypt door open. As they entered the stone mausoleum, the first thing that caught their attention was the figure standing in the centre of the building, scrabbling desperately at a hole in the wall.
"Hey!" Prue shouted, catching the figure's attention. He looked up, a furious expression twisting his already unpleasant features. Before Prue could do anything else though, the Warlock had disapeared behind her, blinking into a position in front of Piper. As the witch tried to raise her hands in order to blow the Warlock up, he struck out at her. Piper gave a shriek as she found herself thrown backwards through the doorway, hitting the cold earth with an audible thump.
Seeing that Prue had the situation under control, Leo ran to her, checking her for injuries. He quickly healed the cut on her arm and the bump on the back of her head, which she had struck on impact, before helping her to stand up.
"Ow,"she muttered, leaning on Leo a little. He looked at her questioningly, and she nodded that she was okay.
In the crypt, a grunt echoed as Prue used her powers on the Warlock, sending him flying through the air in much the same was as her sister had. She followed him out, watching in satisfaction as he struggled to his feet on the patch of wet ground he'd fallen on to. What made Prue feel better however, was the fact that he was empty handed. Which meant that he hadn't found the Anarm orb. It must still be in the crypt behind her.....and he was only going to get it if he went through her.
"Well, looks like we got here on time," she taunted him, squinting her eyes as she sent him falling to the ground again. But before he could answer, Prue heard a noise to her left which caused her to turn. The Warlock saw her distraction, and finally managed to get his feet under him, charging Prue. Piper screamed her name, throwing her hands up to finish the attack she had begun earlier, only to find that her power wasn't working.
"What the -- Leo, my power!"
Leo replied as they watched the Warlock tackle Prue, sending them both to the ground. "The Anarm must be interfering with your power."
They started running towards the two struggling figures. "What?! Prue's power worked."
Leo thought this over as he fought to catch his breath, watching as Prue got the upper hand and threw the Warlock off of her. "Well, the only thing I can think of, is that Prue's had her power for three years.....you've only had your exploding power for one, so the orb's magical energy is throwing you off."
They made it to Prue, helping her stand and checking that she was uninjured. "Blow him up, Piper," Prue urged.
"I can't," her sister replied frantically. "My power won't work."
Prue spared a moment to curse the powers that be. "Well, I guess we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way. Freeze him."
Piper raised her hands in preperation, but was stopped, as a blur of colour rushed past and launched itself at the Warlock.
"What the hell?" It was Prue's turn to ask.
"I think it's our faceless 'helper,'" Leo supplied.
They stared in fascination as the two battled, and Prue even found herself wincing in sympathy as she saw the flash of metal, correctly interpreting it as a knife, which struck out at the faceless stranger. The figure gave a hiss of pain as he reared up, an energy ball sizzling in the palm of his hand. As he threw it at the Warlock, the engulphed mans screams were lost on Prue, who was caught in her own struggle of merely trying to breath, stunned as their mysterious helper's hood fell back and revealed his identity at last.
"Cole," she heard Piper whisper, her own vocal cords constricted. The shock that registered in her sister's voice though was a reflection of Prue's own feelings.
The half demon whirled, and Prue found herself face to face with the man that she hadn't seen a trace of in a year.
His hair was shorter, cut closer to his head and more reminiscent of the way it had looked when they had first met. Other than that, he was physically unchanged, for which Prue knew he had his demonic genes to thank. But his eyes.......Prue remembered back to something that Phoebe had mentioned, not long after her sister and the supposed Assistant D.A had first met. That she thought Cole to have old eyes......as if he had lived before. Prue had humoured her, thinking her simply in the first flushes of one of the legendary Phoebe Halliwell infatuations that had become a fixture in the lives of the sisters, (though Prue thought the bright blue orbs tended more towards *shifty* than old.)
But when his true nature had been revealed, she had realised the reason behind their look of age, for he was over one hundred years old, and had engaged in over a century of demonic activity.
As she studied this man now though, she was forced to admit that they did not merely look old.....no, now they were *ancient.* But burning with a passion that Prue recognised......a look seered into her memory every time she had seen Phoebe after they had helped an innocent, an expression that she had even noticed on her own face as she gazed into the mirror. And the recognition and rememberence brought tears to her eyes, as she saw Cole Turner gave them one last long, searching look......and shimmer away.
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