Once again, apologies for the time taken to complete this chapter. It's a little longer than those previous, so I hope that makes it a little
better: )
Also, to those who are begging me not to turn Cole evil.....never fear. Although I'm not finished yet (so everything's a possibility) Cole will stay good.....or at least, not bad for long....EG
One last thing.....as Charmed is an American show and I am English, the spellings have been a mixture of the two. Confusing, I think, so from now on, I will try to stick to American spellings.
I hope you enjoy.....
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Listing slightly to the side, Cole re-materialized in his room, body tensed in preparation for an attack. One that, thankfully, never came. With a deep sigh he finally relaxed, though his body was still swaying visibly as his vision blurred slightly.
He'd had to shimmer directly here from the Manor, fore-going his usual side-trip to a cemetery, and had been worried that anyone attempting to, would have been able to track him.
Staggering a little, he made it to the bed, collapsing gratefully. Shivering now in the cool air of his room, he gave a small jolt as he realized that he'd left his coat still hung in the Halliwell hallway. No matter, really. That just meant one less garment to wrestle with.
He begun trying to remove his shirt one-handed, his other arm now a frighteningly dead weight.
The half-demon had been alarmed to notice the pins-and-needles sensation that had begun to slowly creep down the limb while talking to Prue at the Halliwell home, but now the entire appendage had gone numb, with no feeling left whatsoever from the joint down.
With a final grunt of frustrated exertion, Cole managed to pull the shirt off, throwing it over his shoulder. Clothing gone, he tackled the bandage he'd hastily covered his wound with earlier. Peeling it off carefully -- strangely, he could still feel pain in his shoulder, around the area that had been hurt, despite his dead arm -- he took his first good look at where he had been stabbed.
No stranger to injuries, Cole had been surprised when his wound had not healed as rapidly as he had come to expect. But seeing the dark tinge that the damaged flesh now had, and the thick, angry lines that radiated from it, Cole realized that he wasn't dealing with a normal injury.
Bending over slightly, he reached out with his good arm, opening the drawer of the bed-side cabinet. His vision seemed to have calmed down a little, though he was still slightly dizzy, even sitting down. He took out the first-aid kit he'd borrowed from a 'neighbour'.....a skittish young woman, who -- once over her initial fear and distrust of the strange man at her door -- had actually seemed concerned for him. Cole had no idea as to why someone like her was currently residing in this run-down old rat trap, but he had thanked her and left. He couldn't help but hear on his way however, the high-pitched squalls of a baby that had been cut off when she'd closed her door, nor the sounds of what sounded like numerous locks and chains being rapidly replaced. He'd shrugged it off at the time. He had more important things to think about, and it was none of his business. But perhaps he could find out another time. With his new life on the side of good, he'd begun to try and conduct himself as he knew Phoebe would wish him to. He knew she would no more leave a stranger in peril or pain, than she would her own flesh and blood. And while his demon half was urging the rest of him to just put the poor mortal out of her misery, his still re-emerging human half, was filing the information away to concentrate on later.
He removed the antiseptic from the case, opening the bottle with some difficulty. It would likely be of no use now, and he was pretty sure that his unusual symptoms did not stem from an infection -- of the natural kind, at least -- but he was willing to try. He grimaced as the liquid stung, but still reasoned it was a fairly good sign that he could feel the pain. At least his arm wasn't going to fall off his shoulder -- he hoped.
Cole took another dressing, quickly covering his wound and securing the bandage. He had things to do......and he wasn't going to let this stop him. After the witches were safe and the bad guys defeated, *then* he could figure out a way to stop the poison that was no doubt racing through his system.
As he stood to put his shirt back on, that seemed like a good idea. Until the room began to spin, and darkness started to crash in on him. And as he slid bonelessly to the floor, all thought fled from his mind.
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Kneeling on the floor next to her bed, Prue reached under the piece of furniture, fishing about for the cloth-covered object she knew to be there. Grasping it, she pulled it out, cradling it in her arms as she stood. They'd decided to skip the coffee, and come straight to Prue's room to check the book, and had also decided against Leo going to the elders at this point in time.
Although not the safest place to hide their most treasured family heirloom -- and one of the most powerful tools in the battle between good and evil -- neither Prue nor Piper had been able to go near the attic since Phoebe died. So Leo went instead, taking the book and a few other items, and it had been in Prue's room ever since.
Climbing onto the bed, Prue sat down, arranging her limbs until she sat cross-legged, before carefully removing the soft material that covered the book. She looked up, watching as Piper lit the last candles, which were burning more for atmosphere than any genuine need. Piper caught her eye, blowing out the match she was using and moving to sit next to her sister on the bed, linking hands with Prue for a moment, in a strange sort of ritual they'd begun the first time they'd consulted the book after Phoebe's death. Piper couldn't help her involuntary glance to the spot that should have been occupied by Phoebe, and she saw Prue reach over again, and felt her sister give her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go.
Laying the book out flat on the bed, Prue rested her hands on her knees in a pose matched by Piper. "Okay, people," she said, looking to the ceiling. "Not your usual venue still, but work with me here."
For a moment nothing happened, but soon the pages twitched, turning rapidly as a breeze gently wafted through the room, ruffling the sisters hair and clothing, causing the candles littered about the room to flicker slightly. Then as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped, the book finally settling on one last page. Yes! The spirit squad had come through for them.
I wonder who it was *this* time, Prue thought.
"Thanks Grams.....mom....." After a seconds silence, she risked voicing the feeling she had. "Phoebe."
She caught Piper's gaze, heartened by the understanding in her sisters eyes.
Whoa..... she shivered suddenly. Was it her imagination, or had someone just touched her face? She looked at Piper again, but her sister was studying the book, a little frown on her face. Prue looked up, strangely confident that she knew the source of the touch.
Thanks, Pheebs, she thought. The phantom touch returned again, ending as another gentle breeze passed by. But Prue's happy smile faded somewhat, as she took in Piper's expression. "What?" she asked.
"Um, I'm not really sure," her sister replied. "But.....I think that someone got a little mixed up."
Taking hold of the book, she angled it so Prue could see the current page. It's title read 'The Blood Of Roupice,' and had a picture of some sort of old-fashioned potion bottle, it's contents seeming to spill across the page.
Wait, that wasn't how to defeat a demon.
"What the hell is the blood of 'rue-piece,'" Piper asked, her frown even more prominent as she sounded out the page title.
Prue shook her head. "Apparently, it's a fast acting poison, used by some of the most powerful evil in determining if their minions were worthy."
"Huh?"
"They gave it to their demon soldiers and if the pain, fever and infection didn't kill them.....well, they were strong enough to serve."
"And *why* do we need to know this?"
"I have no idea," Prue said slowly. "But.....someone up there obviously thinks it important that we know about it."
Turning to look at her sister, the two exchanged confused looks.
"Okay," Prue started, shifting until she faced Piper and deciding to leave the mysterious warning for now. "Leo said he thinks that the rumors he's been hearing around 'up there,' are somehow connected to who, or *what* Cole is after."
"Right."
"Right," Prue echoed. "So.....isn't it logical to try and find Cole now.....I mean, we don't *know* he told us everything he knows.....besides, he might have learned something new."
"In the *hour* that he's been gone," Piper said skeptically.
"Yes," Prue retorted, choosing not to hear the disbelief in her sisters voice.
Piper just shook her head, cursing whatever gene it had been that gave Prue her stubbornness. "Besides, I don't think Cole kept anything back.....he seemed to be telling the truth, to me, anyway."
After a moments thought, Prue sighed. "Yeah, me too. But I still think it might be a good idea to find him."
Piper's frown returned. "Prue.....is there something you're not telling me?"
The elder Halliwell was silent for a moment, before sighing again. "I don't know! I just.....I have a bad feeling. I don't know what it's about, just.....I think it would be a good idea to re-group. Not wait for tomorrow or the next night, but....stick together now."
Studying her sister, Piper just nodded. "Okay."
Prue looked up sharply. "Okay? That's it? No 'can you be more specific Prue?' or, 'Are you sure it's not just your subconscious distrust of Cole, Prue?' Just 'okay?'"
"Just okay," Piper confirmed.
"Okay," Prue repeated after a beat. Feeling her sisters eyes on her, Prue was a little worried that she may have over-reacted, but she knew that Piper wouldn't hold it against her, so she decided to focus on the matter at hand. "Okay.....well, we'll mark this page in the book. Someone thinks we'll need it, but.....I think finding Cole is more important right now."
"Agreed. So, how are we going to find him?" Piper asked, not feeling terrible reassured when she saw the light dawn in Prue's eyes.
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"Prue!" Piper hissed. "What are you doing?"
Her sister didn't look up from her search, but continued to rifle through Cole's coat pockets as she answered. "I noticed this when we went upstairs before.....Cole shimmered away without his coat. And hey, I'm just looking for a clue as to where he is......I can't return his property if I don't know where to return it *to,* can I?"
Piper's mouth opened and closed convulsively for a few moments, trying to come up with an argument, but finally deciding that Prue's explanation was good, if a little shaky. "Fine, but just make it quick."
The elder Halliwell didn't answer, standing straight instead, drawing her hand from the pocket and checking her finds. "Aha! Look, a book of matches."
The other woman just stared. "Yay," she dead-panned. "We can start a fire. How does that help us find Cole?"
"Yeah, funny, Piper," Prue said, her voice clearly indicating that the statement had been anything but. "The name on the match book.....The Holden Hotel. That must be where he's staying."
"Uh huh.....or it could just be where he stopped in to get a book of matches."
"Yes," Prue allowed. "Except, I happen to know that this particular hotel doesn't get very many guests, it's lack of visitors supposedly because of it being situated so closely to a graveyard. Well, that, and the fact it's a pretty run down place. Whether the lack of tourists is responsible for it's current state, no one knows, but.....people usually offer the graveyard story. Adds mystery, apparently."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The magazine did a feature on it, a while ago. About how there have been several reported 'ghost' sightings on the roads leading there, too, so everyone's pretty much convinced that the place must be haunted as well."
"Okay, so your reasoning is, half- demon on the run, seeks shelter in hotel that is supposed to have ghosts," Piper summarized skeptically.
"Okay!" Prue turned to face Piper fully, making sure she had her full attention. "Listen to me before you start making jokes. Where's the one place we know of that demons have trouble tracking other demons to?"
"Cemeteries," Piper said slowly.
"Exactly. Now, if you could pass for human, would prefer to do so, but needed to keep a low profile.....where would you go? He can't stay at the mausoleum, that's the first place anyone who put even the slightest effort into researching him would go.....so where would you stay?"
The younger Halliwell thought it through, looking down at the match book firmly clenched in Prue's fist. "Oh.....probably a hotel that didn't get many visitors.....maybe one near a cemetery," she finished weakly.
"Precisely," Prue grinned.
"Fine, Nancy Drew. Does the book have a phone number on it?"
Prue checked, noting that the cardboard was quite messed up, almost as if someone had been worrying the material. Like someone who fidgeted in their pockets. A habit she'd witnessed Cole engage in on more than one occasion. "Erm.....yeah. Here, see?" she showed Piper the digits. "Should we try it?"
Piper nodded. "Wait. Do you think that if he went to the trouble of staying at this place -- if he's even there -- that he'll be there under his own name?"
Prue squinted her eyes in thought. "You're right. He's probably under an assumed name. Looks like I'm not the only Nancy Drew," she smiled.
"I saw a movie once," Piper explained, breaking off when she saw Prue's smile. "Anyway, what name might he use?"
Prue thought back to all of the things she'd heard about the half-demon from Phoebe. Born over a hundred years ago, father was human, mother was a demon -- wait, his father. "What was his dad's name?"
Piper thought carefully. "Er...."
"Benjamin Coleridge Turner," a voice from behind said.
The two sisters spun guiltily, to find Leo standing by the stairs.
"Leo.....honey," Piper said weakly. "What are you -- I mean, how long have you --"
"Long enough," he said. He met Prue's defiant stare, her blue eyes seeming to challenge him to remind them it wasn't nice to go through peoples pockets. "You might want to try a combination of the names, though. It wouldn't be very smart to be so obvious. And I think we all know that Cole's not dumb."
A part of Piper was waiting for Prue to snidely refute that, as she would have in the past. But the elder Halliwell just stood, still watching Leo, and she was reminded that her sister had changed.
The other part of her, however, was mimicking Prue's gaze.
The White lighter seemed to grasp that the conversation promised by Prue could wait, and that they should use the information that they had just gained. "You should try now, Prue. If he is staying there, then he'll probably be back by now."
Prue held his stare for a beat longer, seeming as though she were looking for something in his eyes.
Though Piper couldn't guess what, Prue apparently found it, and gave Leo a small smile as she nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Leo returned the gesture. "Well, I'll leave you two to your business. I seem to remember a leaky faucet someone said needed looking at."
Piper frowned slightly. "I thought you took care of -- ow!" She was cut off sharply by an elbow from Prue. She turned to her sister, angry at the interruption, until she saw the look on Prue's face. It seemed to say 'shut up and think!' So she did. "Oh. Oh!" It finally clicked. Her husband had been trying to give them the least awkward 'out' he could, knowing that issues about the Elders and what should and shouldn't be reported
still weren't resolved, and that he probably shouldn't be a part of this conversation, and she's gone and ruined it. "Sorry."
He gave her a sweet smile, nodded to Prue and then took to the stairs. There was a moment of heavy silence between the two sisters, before Prue spoke.
"I, er....I'll phone," she offered. Piper just inclined her head, still uncertain what to do about the whole Leo/Elders/Trust affair.
Picking up the phone, Prue dialed the number listed.
After listening in silence for a moment, she hung up in disgust. "It's been cut off," she reported.
"Damn."
"Yeah," Prue agreed.
"Well," Piper sighed. "Guess we'll have to go check instead."
"Ah," Prue broke in. "Not we. Me. As in alone."
"What?"
Checking to make sure that Leo was still upstairs, Prue elaborated. "Piper, I'm not saying I don't trust him, but I want you to keep an eye on Leo."
As Piper geared up to defend her husband, Prue put a hand on her arm. "No, that's not what I mean. What I mean is....it's a pretty safe bet that the Elders are the ones who suggested Leo didn't tell us what he found out. I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but....."
"But?" Piper prompted sharply.
"But, sometimes.....I get the feeling that 'you- know- who' upstairs, trys to play us off each other down here."
As Piper got a thoughtful look on her face, Prue hurried to finish. "Now, I'm not saying that's what happened.....but --"
"But you'd rather be safe than sorry,"Piper guessed.
"Yeah. Leo shouldn't be put in such an awkward position, not when he's only trying to do the right thing."
Piper sighed. "Okay. You go, but just....be careful?"
Sensing how worried her sister was, Prue hugged her close. "Always," she whispered.
They pulled apart a minute later, Prue giving Piper one last smile before grabbing her jacket along with Cole's, snagging her car keys from the hall table and exiting the Manor.
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After Prue had left for the hotel, Piper went upstairs to find her husband. She looked in all rooms but one, leaving Phoebe's room for last, as it hadn't really occurred to her to consider it.
"Leo?" she asked, opening the door a crack and peeking around. Sure enough, there was her husband, standing by the window. "Leo, honey....what are you doing?"
He was quiet for a moment, then roused himself from his contemplations. "Just thinking," he answered softly.
Piper closed the distance between the two, reaching for him. "Leo.....if this is about what Prue said about needing to talk --"
"No," he assured her. "No, I think she's right about that. I would like to discuss some stuff with you both."
"About?"
He took a deep breath. "About the Elders.....about what some of them still think about the two of us being together."
That wasn't what Piper had been expecting. Could *that* be why it seemed they were playing with them?
"What? You mean....some of them *still* think we shouldn't have gotten married?"
Seeing how agitated she was getting, Leo quickly put his arms around her, running a soothing hand over her back. "Hey....don't worry about it. Although I will admit, there are.....a *few*....who think witches shouldn't even know of their White lighters *existence,* let alone know *them.*
But.....that will probably have to wait until after this entire thing is over. I just....I think Prue is right. The less I know of your dealings with Cole, the better. As your White lighter, anyway. He is still a demon, and that *technically* makes him the enemy, despite what he's done since coming over to the side of good."
Although she was clearly itching to know about what the people 'upstairs' were saying about their relationship, Piper let it go, simply resting her head on Leo's shoulder. "Then what were you thinking about, then?"
It took him a moment to answer. "Phoebe," he finally admitted.
Piper looked up, seeing the sadness in his expression. "You miss her." It wasn't a question.
He nodded. "Yes. I mean....I know my grief could never compare to yours, or Prue's. But.....I don't know.....I loved Phoebe. I still do. Phoebe and Prue were, and are, like sisters to me. Her loss still hurts me, even though I know where she is, that she's with your mom and your grandmother. I still miss her."
Piper rested her forehead against his chin, taking a deep breath. "Me too,"she whispered. "That whole 'everything happens for a reson' line was much easier to swallow when it didn't apply to my sister getting killed."
She couldn't stop the tremor in her voice, and Leo picked up on it, tightening his arms around her.
Sensing that now would be a good time to lighten the mood, Leo smiled, even if the gesture still held a touch of sadness. "So....did Prue leave you any instructions on what to do with me?"
He felt her cringe a little. "Leo.....she didn't mean --"
"Piper," he stopped her. "What did she say?"
Piper gave a little sigh. "She said.....she told me to keep an eye on you."
"Hmm.....you know, you probably should. Both eyes. And, both hands if you want. In fact.....this may be a job that requires all of you."
His wife's head shot up, and she was frowning a little in confusion. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
Leo gave his best mock-leer. "That depends. What do you *think* I was suggesting?"
Piper dropped her arms, choosing to link hands with him instead, drawing him slowly towards the door. "I think," she drawled. "That what you're suggesting, is a good idea."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." And as they made it to their bedroom, Piper proceeded to show him just *how* good.
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As she drove down the road leading to the Holden hotel, Prue found herself on the look-out for ghosts.
Although she was more than aware that not every reported brush with the supernatural was real, the more she had witnessed in the last few years, the less she was likely to dismiss the claims entirely. Things often couldn't be explained, and there was one thing she completely believed in. That *anything* was possible.
Like the loss of her Grandmother, an event that led her to a reunion with her sisters and to one of the most unexpected occurrences of her life......the discovery of her birthright as a Halliwell woman.....her powers.
Other things proved her theory, that sometimes it was time to consider the more *unlikely* answers.
Like a creature who stole the youth from the vibrant and beautiful, and used it in order to restore his own life force.
Another, once human, but so torn and twisted from love gone wrong, that it changed, seeking out others and ripping their hearts out, even infecting her own sister along the way.
Time travel......and the discovery that it *was* possible to go against everything in your heart.....to *not* change a loved ones fate, to know that they will die, but many others will live. And facing facts and acknowledging that even that truth, that the sacrifice was necessary, still does not ease the pain of loss.
It occurred to her suddenly, that while these instances should have led her to believe.....they shouldn't really lead her to believe in *good.*
Except.....she had watched her own sister overcome all of the odds, as helping others had helped herself. Helped her to grow, to understand not only others, but herself as well.
Her other sister, never one to be exactly lucky in love, not only finding someone, but *fighting* tooth and nail for them. Who, even at her lowest ebb, separated and trying in vain to start her life with someone new, had in the end, not given up. And was now living in wedded bliss with him -- or what *passed* for wedded bliss in a magical household, anyway.
It wasn't only Phoebe and Piper she was proud of, who gave her cause to want to battle for good. It was people like the young couple she had encountered who fought to break a curse cast by a jealous suitor. A young man who had had no contact with the supernatural at all, but called to a duty he had completed successfully. Everything that pointed to a reason to continue the work.
So, perhaps there were ghosts along this road, perhaps not. It never hurt to keep an open mind.....after all, there was still a lot of good to be done in this world. And it just so happened, that doing good was her job.
Breaking from her musings at the sound of an animal's cry -- at this time of day? -- Prue realized that she'd almost missed her turn. Quickly making it, she got her first real sight of the hotel.
It was quite a small building, and Prue could see the signs of it's failing health even from this distance, but she thought that the place had a certain....rustic charm. Even still, she couldn't help but flash back on to a book she'd seen Phoebe reading when they were teenagers.
The two sisters had been fighting like cat and dog over an accident Phoebe'd had with a possession of Prue's, and though they usually made up quite quickly, Prue hadn't felt in a forgiving mood, and had used the book as ammunition the little war of words she'd been waging on her sister.
The initial surprise of seeing Phoebe with a book -- her sister had *not* been one of the most literally inclined children -- was quickly added to by the fact that it was a 'spooky' book as well.....something she had thought -- at the time only, and quite unfairly -- had suited Phoebe down to the ground. An observation that she'd clued her sister into, loudly and at length.
Shaking her head at her own childish behavior, Prue focused on the book itself. She had listened to Phoebe give Piper a run down of the books contents, and remembered it being about a man who'd taken a position as caretaker at a spooky old hotel, and had moved his family there with him. He had gone slowly mad, Phoebe reported, and that had been the point that Prue tuned out. But she did recall one thing....the man's son, if she remembered correctly, had some sort of gift. Visions, or something. Possibly even seeing things before they happened. How strange, that Phoebe should have enjoyed a book with a character that had premonitions.....a gift Phoebe herself would go on to receive.
The focal point of all the weird, scary things happening, though, had been the hotel the family were at. And although it had been years since the incident itself, Prue clearly recalled the picture on the front, of the spooky old building in question. And unbidden,a small shiver went through her, at the images conjured up.
She finally pulled into the 'car park' -- really just a piece of rough, empty ground near the entrance -- and parked her car. She climbed out, studying the place. Only a few lights were on -- whether because it was daylight, or because it was fairly empty, she didn't know -- and one flickered wildly, clearly about to blow soon. Over all, she thought, not somewhere to spend your holidays. More of a place to hide out in. Perfect, she mused, for a half-demon on the run.
Heaving a sigh and pulling her coat a little tighter around herself, Prue went to the door, pulling it open with a little effort. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a wild goose chase.
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better: )
Also, to those who are begging me not to turn Cole evil.....never fear. Although I'm not finished yet (so everything's a possibility) Cole will stay good.....or at least, not bad for long....EG
One last thing.....as Charmed is an American show and I am English, the spellings have been a mixture of the two. Confusing, I think, so from now on, I will try to stick to American spellings.
I hope you enjoy.....
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Listing slightly to the side, Cole re-materialized in his room, body tensed in preparation for an attack. One that, thankfully, never came. With a deep sigh he finally relaxed, though his body was still swaying visibly as his vision blurred slightly.
He'd had to shimmer directly here from the Manor, fore-going his usual side-trip to a cemetery, and had been worried that anyone attempting to, would have been able to track him.
Staggering a little, he made it to the bed, collapsing gratefully. Shivering now in the cool air of his room, he gave a small jolt as he realized that he'd left his coat still hung in the Halliwell hallway. No matter, really. That just meant one less garment to wrestle with.
He begun trying to remove his shirt one-handed, his other arm now a frighteningly dead weight.
The half-demon had been alarmed to notice the pins-and-needles sensation that had begun to slowly creep down the limb while talking to Prue at the Halliwell home, but now the entire appendage had gone numb, with no feeling left whatsoever from the joint down.
With a final grunt of frustrated exertion, Cole managed to pull the shirt off, throwing it over his shoulder. Clothing gone, he tackled the bandage he'd hastily covered his wound with earlier. Peeling it off carefully -- strangely, he could still feel pain in his shoulder, around the area that had been hurt, despite his dead arm -- he took his first good look at where he had been stabbed.
No stranger to injuries, Cole had been surprised when his wound had not healed as rapidly as he had come to expect. But seeing the dark tinge that the damaged flesh now had, and the thick, angry lines that radiated from it, Cole realized that he wasn't dealing with a normal injury.
Bending over slightly, he reached out with his good arm, opening the drawer of the bed-side cabinet. His vision seemed to have calmed down a little, though he was still slightly dizzy, even sitting down. He took out the first-aid kit he'd borrowed from a 'neighbour'.....a skittish young woman, who -- once over her initial fear and distrust of the strange man at her door -- had actually seemed concerned for him. Cole had no idea as to why someone like her was currently residing in this run-down old rat trap, but he had thanked her and left. He couldn't help but hear on his way however, the high-pitched squalls of a baby that had been cut off when she'd closed her door, nor the sounds of what sounded like numerous locks and chains being rapidly replaced. He'd shrugged it off at the time. He had more important things to think about, and it was none of his business. But perhaps he could find out another time. With his new life on the side of good, he'd begun to try and conduct himself as he knew Phoebe would wish him to. He knew she would no more leave a stranger in peril or pain, than she would her own flesh and blood. And while his demon half was urging the rest of him to just put the poor mortal out of her misery, his still re-emerging human half, was filing the information away to concentrate on later.
He removed the antiseptic from the case, opening the bottle with some difficulty. It would likely be of no use now, and he was pretty sure that his unusual symptoms did not stem from an infection -- of the natural kind, at least -- but he was willing to try. He grimaced as the liquid stung, but still reasoned it was a fairly good sign that he could feel the pain. At least his arm wasn't going to fall off his shoulder -- he hoped.
Cole took another dressing, quickly covering his wound and securing the bandage. He had things to do......and he wasn't going to let this stop him. After the witches were safe and the bad guys defeated, *then* he could figure out a way to stop the poison that was no doubt racing through his system.
As he stood to put his shirt back on, that seemed like a good idea. Until the room began to spin, and darkness started to crash in on him. And as he slid bonelessly to the floor, all thought fled from his mind.
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Kneeling on the floor next to her bed, Prue reached under the piece of furniture, fishing about for the cloth-covered object she knew to be there. Grasping it, she pulled it out, cradling it in her arms as she stood. They'd decided to skip the coffee, and come straight to Prue's room to check the book, and had also decided against Leo going to the elders at this point in time.
Although not the safest place to hide their most treasured family heirloom -- and one of the most powerful tools in the battle between good and evil -- neither Prue nor Piper had been able to go near the attic since Phoebe died. So Leo went instead, taking the book and a few other items, and it had been in Prue's room ever since.
Climbing onto the bed, Prue sat down, arranging her limbs until she sat cross-legged, before carefully removing the soft material that covered the book. She looked up, watching as Piper lit the last candles, which were burning more for atmosphere than any genuine need. Piper caught her eye, blowing out the match she was using and moving to sit next to her sister on the bed, linking hands with Prue for a moment, in a strange sort of ritual they'd begun the first time they'd consulted the book after Phoebe's death. Piper couldn't help her involuntary glance to the spot that should have been occupied by Phoebe, and she saw Prue reach over again, and felt her sister give her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go.
Laying the book out flat on the bed, Prue rested her hands on her knees in a pose matched by Piper. "Okay, people," she said, looking to the ceiling. "Not your usual venue still, but work with me here."
For a moment nothing happened, but soon the pages twitched, turning rapidly as a breeze gently wafted through the room, ruffling the sisters hair and clothing, causing the candles littered about the room to flicker slightly. Then as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped, the book finally settling on one last page. Yes! The spirit squad had come through for them.
I wonder who it was *this* time, Prue thought.
"Thanks Grams.....mom....." After a seconds silence, she risked voicing the feeling she had. "Phoebe."
She caught Piper's gaze, heartened by the understanding in her sisters eyes.
Whoa..... she shivered suddenly. Was it her imagination, or had someone just touched her face? She looked at Piper again, but her sister was studying the book, a little frown on her face. Prue looked up, strangely confident that she knew the source of the touch.
Thanks, Pheebs, she thought. The phantom touch returned again, ending as another gentle breeze passed by. But Prue's happy smile faded somewhat, as she took in Piper's expression. "What?" she asked.
"Um, I'm not really sure," her sister replied. "But.....I think that someone got a little mixed up."
Taking hold of the book, she angled it so Prue could see the current page. It's title read 'The Blood Of Roupice,' and had a picture of some sort of old-fashioned potion bottle, it's contents seeming to spill across the page.
Wait, that wasn't how to defeat a demon.
"What the hell is the blood of 'rue-piece,'" Piper asked, her frown even more prominent as she sounded out the page title.
Prue shook her head. "Apparently, it's a fast acting poison, used by some of the most powerful evil in determining if their minions were worthy."
"Huh?"
"They gave it to their demon soldiers and if the pain, fever and infection didn't kill them.....well, they were strong enough to serve."
"And *why* do we need to know this?"
"I have no idea," Prue said slowly. "But.....someone up there obviously thinks it important that we know about it."
Turning to look at her sister, the two exchanged confused looks.
"Okay," Prue started, shifting until she faced Piper and deciding to leave the mysterious warning for now. "Leo said he thinks that the rumors he's been hearing around 'up there,' are somehow connected to who, or *what* Cole is after."
"Right."
"Right," Prue echoed. "So.....isn't it logical to try and find Cole now.....I mean, we don't *know* he told us everything he knows.....besides, he might have learned something new."
"In the *hour* that he's been gone," Piper said skeptically.
"Yes," Prue retorted, choosing not to hear the disbelief in her sisters voice.
Piper just shook her head, cursing whatever gene it had been that gave Prue her stubbornness. "Besides, I don't think Cole kept anything back.....he seemed to be telling the truth, to me, anyway."
After a moments thought, Prue sighed. "Yeah, me too. But I still think it might be a good idea to find him."
Piper's frown returned. "Prue.....is there something you're not telling me?"
The elder Halliwell was silent for a moment, before sighing again. "I don't know! I just.....I have a bad feeling. I don't know what it's about, just.....I think it would be a good idea to re-group. Not wait for tomorrow or the next night, but....stick together now."
Studying her sister, Piper just nodded. "Okay."
Prue looked up sharply. "Okay? That's it? No 'can you be more specific Prue?' or, 'Are you sure it's not just your subconscious distrust of Cole, Prue?' Just 'okay?'"
"Just okay," Piper confirmed.
"Okay," Prue repeated after a beat. Feeling her sisters eyes on her, Prue was a little worried that she may have over-reacted, but she knew that Piper wouldn't hold it against her, so she decided to focus on the matter at hand. "Okay.....well, we'll mark this page in the book. Someone thinks we'll need it, but.....I think finding Cole is more important right now."
"Agreed. So, how are we going to find him?" Piper asked, not feeling terrible reassured when she saw the light dawn in Prue's eyes.
*****
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*******
"Prue!" Piper hissed. "What are you doing?"
Her sister didn't look up from her search, but continued to rifle through Cole's coat pockets as she answered. "I noticed this when we went upstairs before.....Cole shimmered away without his coat. And hey, I'm just looking for a clue as to where he is......I can't return his property if I don't know where to return it *to,* can I?"
Piper's mouth opened and closed convulsively for a few moments, trying to come up with an argument, but finally deciding that Prue's explanation was good, if a little shaky. "Fine, but just make it quick."
The elder Halliwell didn't answer, standing straight instead, drawing her hand from the pocket and checking her finds. "Aha! Look, a book of matches."
The other woman just stared. "Yay," she dead-panned. "We can start a fire. How does that help us find Cole?"
"Yeah, funny, Piper," Prue said, her voice clearly indicating that the statement had been anything but. "The name on the match book.....The Holden Hotel. That must be where he's staying."
"Uh huh.....or it could just be where he stopped in to get a book of matches."
"Yes," Prue allowed. "Except, I happen to know that this particular hotel doesn't get very many guests, it's lack of visitors supposedly because of it being situated so closely to a graveyard. Well, that, and the fact it's a pretty run down place. Whether the lack of tourists is responsible for it's current state, no one knows, but.....people usually offer the graveyard story. Adds mystery, apparently."
"Really?"
"Yeah. The magazine did a feature on it, a while ago. About how there have been several reported 'ghost' sightings on the roads leading there, too, so everyone's pretty much convinced that the place must be haunted as well."
"Okay, so your reasoning is, half- demon on the run, seeks shelter in hotel that is supposed to have ghosts," Piper summarized skeptically.
"Okay!" Prue turned to face Piper fully, making sure she had her full attention. "Listen to me before you start making jokes. Where's the one place we know of that demons have trouble tracking other demons to?"
"Cemeteries," Piper said slowly.
"Exactly. Now, if you could pass for human, would prefer to do so, but needed to keep a low profile.....where would you go? He can't stay at the mausoleum, that's the first place anyone who put even the slightest effort into researching him would go.....so where would you stay?"
The younger Halliwell thought it through, looking down at the match book firmly clenched in Prue's fist. "Oh.....probably a hotel that didn't get many visitors.....maybe one near a cemetery," she finished weakly.
"Precisely," Prue grinned.
"Fine, Nancy Drew. Does the book have a phone number on it?"
Prue checked, noting that the cardboard was quite messed up, almost as if someone had been worrying the material. Like someone who fidgeted in their pockets. A habit she'd witnessed Cole engage in on more than one occasion. "Erm.....yeah. Here, see?" she showed Piper the digits. "Should we try it?"
Piper nodded. "Wait. Do you think that if he went to the trouble of staying at this place -- if he's even there -- that he'll be there under his own name?"
Prue squinted her eyes in thought. "You're right. He's probably under an assumed name. Looks like I'm not the only Nancy Drew," she smiled.
"I saw a movie once," Piper explained, breaking off when she saw Prue's smile. "Anyway, what name might he use?"
Prue thought back to all of the things she'd heard about the half-demon from Phoebe. Born over a hundred years ago, father was human, mother was a demon -- wait, his father. "What was his dad's name?"
Piper thought carefully. "Er...."
"Benjamin Coleridge Turner," a voice from behind said.
The two sisters spun guiltily, to find Leo standing by the stairs.
"Leo.....honey," Piper said weakly. "What are you -- I mean, how long have you --"
"Long enough," he said. He met Prue's defiant stare, her blue eyes seeming to challenge him to remind them it wasn't nice to go through peoples pockets. "You might want to try a combination of the names, though. It wouldn't be very smart to be so obvious. And I think we all know that Cole's not dumb."
A part of Piper was waiting for Prue to snidely refute that, as she would have in the past. But the elder Halliwell just stood, still watching Leo, and she was reminded that her sister had changed.
The other part of her, however, was mimicking Prue's gaze.
The White lighter seemed to grasp that the conversation promised by Prue could wait, and that they should use the information that they had just gained. "You should try now, Prue. If he is staying there, then he'll probably be back by now."
Prue held his stare for a beat longer, seeming as though she were looking for something in his eyes.
Though Piper couldn't guess what, Prue apparently found it, and gave Leo a small smile as she nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
Leo returned the gesture. "Well, I'll leave you two to your business. I seem to remember a leaky faucet someone said needed looking at."
Piper frowned slightly. "I thought you took care of -- ow!" She was cut off sharply by an elbow from Prue. She turned to her sister, angry at the interruption, until she saw the look on Prue's face. It seemed to say 'shut up and think!' So she did. "Oh. Oh!" It finally clicked. Her husband had been trying to give them the least awkward 'out' he could, knowing that issues about the Elders and what should and shouldn't be reported
still weren't resolved, and that he probably shouldn't be a part of this conversation, and she's gone and ruined it. "Sorry."
He gave her a sweet smile, nodded to Prue and then took to the stairs. There was a moment of heavy silence between the two sisters, before Prue spoke.
"I, er....I'll phone," she offered. Piper just inclined her head, still uncertain what to do about the whole Leo/Elders/Trust affair.
Picking up the phone, Prue dialed the number listed.
After listening in silence for a moment, she hung up in disgust. "It's been cut off," she reported.
"Damn."
"Yeah," Prue agreed.
"Well," Piper sighed. "Guess we'll have to go check instead."
"Ah," Prue broke in. "Not we. Me. As in alone."
"What?"
Checking to make sure that Leo was still upstairs, Prue elaborated. "Piper, I'm not saying I don't trust him, but I want you to keep an eye on Leo."
As Piper geared up to defend her husband, Prue put a hand on her arm. "No, that's not what I mean. What I mean is....it's a pretty safe bet that the Elders are the ones who suggested Leo didn't tell us what he found out. I'm sure he thought he was doing the right thing, but....."
"But?" Piper prompted sharply.
"But, sometimes.....I get the feeling that 'you- know- who' upstairs, trys to play us off each other down here."
As Piper got a thoughtful look on her face, Prue hurried to finish. "Now, I'm not saying that's what happened.....but --"
"But you'd rather be safe than sorry,"Piper guessed.
"Yeah. Leo shouldn't be put in such an awkward position, not when he's only trying to do the right thing."
Piper sighed. "Okay. You go, but just....be careful?"
Sensing how worried her sister was, Prue hugged her close. "Always," she whispered.
They pulled apart a minute later, Prue giving Piper one last smile before grabbing her jacket along with Cole's, snagging her car keys from the hall table and exiting the Manor.
****
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After Prue had left for the hotel, Piper went upstairs to find her husband. She looked in all rooms but one, leaving Phoebe's room for last, as it hadn't really occurred to her to consider it.
"Leo?" she asked, opening the door a crack and peeking around. Sure enough, there was her husband, standing by the window. "Leo, honey....what are you doing?"
He was quiet for a moment, then roused himself from his contemplations. "Just thinking," he answered softly.
Piper closed the distance between the two, reaching for him. "Leo.....if this is about what Prue said about needing to talk --"
"No," he assured her. "No, I think she's right about that. I would like to discuss some stuff with you both."
"About?"
He took a deep breath. "About the Elders.....about what some of them still think about the two of us being together."
That wasn't what Piper had been expecting. Could *that* be why it seemed they were playing with them?
"What? You mean....some of them *still* think we shouldn't have gotten married?"
Seeing how agitated she was getting, Leo quickly put his arms around her, running a soothing hand over her back. "Hey....don't worry about it. Although I will admit, there are.....a *few*....who think witches shouldn't even know of their White lighters *existence,* let alone know *them.*
But.....that will probably have to wait until after this entire thing is over. I just....I think Prue is right. The less I know of your dealings with Cole, the better. As your White lighter, anyway. He is still a demon, and that *technically* makes him the enemy, despite what he's done since coming over to the side of good."
Although she was clearly itching to know about what the people 'upstairs' were saying about their relationship, Piper let it go, simply resting her head on Leo's shoulder. "Then what were you thinking about, then?"
It took him a moment to answer. "Phoebe," he finally admitted.
Piper looked up, seeing the sadness in his expression. "You miss her." It wasn't a question.
He nodded. "Yes. I mean....I know my grief could never compare to yours, or Prue's. But.....I don't know.....I loved Phoebe. I still do. Phoebe and Prue were, and are, like sisters to me. Her loss still hurts me, even though I know where she is, that she's with your mom and your grandmother. I still miss her."
Piper rested her forehead against his chin, taking a deep breath. "Me too,"she whispered. "That whole 'everything happens for a reson' line was much easier to swallow when it didn't apply to my sister getting killed."
She couldn't stop the tremor in her voice, and Leo picked up on it, tightening his arms around her.
Sensing that now would be a good time to lighten the mood, Leo smiled, even if the gesture still held a touch of sadness. "So....did Prue leave you any instructions on what to do with me?"
He felt her cringe a little. "Leo.....she didn't mean --"
"Piper," he stopped her. "What did she say?"
Piper gave a little sigh. "She said.....she told me to keep an eye on you."
"Hmm.....you know, you probably should. Both eyes. And, both hands if you want. In fact.....this may be a job that requires all of you."
His wife's head shot up, and she was frowning a little in confusion. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"
Leo gave his best mock-leer. "That depends. What do you *think* I was suggesting?"
Piper dropped her arms, choosing to link hands with him instead, drawing him slowly towards the door. "I think," she drawled. "That what you're suggesting, is a good idea."
"Really?"
"Yes, really." And as they made it to their bedroom, Piper proceeded to show him just *how* good.
****
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As she drove down the road leading to the Holden hotel, Prue found herself on the look-out for ghosts.
Although she was more than aware that not every reported brush with the supernatural was real, the more she had witnessed in the last few years, the less she was likely to dismiss the claims entirely. Things often couldn't be explained, and there was one thing she completely believed in. That *anything* was possible.
Like the loss of her Grandmother, an event that led her to a reunion with her sisters and to one of the most unexpected occurrences of her life......the discovery of her birthright as a Halliwell woman.....her powers.
Other things proved her theory, that sometimes it was time to consider the more *unlikely* answers.
Like a creature who stole the youth from the vibrant and beautiful, and used it in order to restore his own life force.
Another, once human, but so torn and twisted from love gone wrong, that it changed, seeking out others and ripping their hearts out, even infecting her own sister along the way.
Time travel......and the discovery that it *was* possible to go against everything in your heart.....to *not* change a loved ones fate, to know that they will die, but many others will live. And facing facts and acknowledging that even that truth, that the sacrifice was necessary, still does not ease the pain of loss.
It occurred to her suddenly, that while these instances should have led her to believe.....they shouldn't really lead her to believe in *good.*
Except.....she had watched her own sister overcome all of the odds, as helping others had helped herself. Helped her to grow, to understand not only others, but herself as well.
Her other sister, never one to be exactly lucky in love, not only finding someone, but *fighting* tooth and nail for them. Who, even at her lowest ebb, separated and trying in vain to start her life with someone new, had in the end, not given up. And was now living in wedded bliss with him -- or what *passed* for wedded bliss in a magical household, anyway.
It wasn't only Phoebe and Piper she was proud of, who gave her cause to want to battle for good. It was people like the young couple she had encountered who fought to break a curse cast by a jealous suitor. A young man who had had no contact with the supernatural at all, but called to a duty he had completed successfully. Everything that pointed to a reason to continue the work.
So, perhaps there were ghosts along this road, perhaps not. It never hurt to keep an open mind.....after all, there was still a lot of good to be done in this world. And it just so happened, that doing good was her job.
Breaking from her musings at the sound of an animal's cry -- at this time of day? -- Prue realized that she'd almost missed her turn. Quickly making it, she got her first real sight of the hotel.
It was quite a small building, and Prue could see the signs of it's failing health even from this distance, but she thought that the place had a certain....rustic charm. Even still, she couldn't help but flash back on to a book she'd seen Phoebe reading when they were teenagers.
The two sisters had been fighting like cat and dog over an accident Phoebe'd had with a possession of Prue's, and though they usually made up quite quickly, Prue hadn't felt in a forgiving mood, and had used the book as ammunition the little war of words she'd been waging on her sister.
The initial surprise of seeing Phoebe with a book -- her sister had *not* been one of the most literally inclined children -- was quickly added to by the fact that it was a 'spooky' book as well.....something she had thought -- at the time only, and quite unfairly -- had suited Phoebe down to the ground. An observation that she'd clued her sister into, loudly and at length.
Shaking her head at her own childish behavior, Prue focused on the book itself. She had listened to Phoebe give Piper a run down of the books contents, and remembered it being about a man who'd taken a position as caretaker at a spooky old hotel, and had moved his family there with him. He had gone slowly mad, Phoebe reported, and that had been the point that Prue tuned out. But she did recall one thing....the man's son, if she remembered correctly, had some sort of gift. Visions, or something. Possibly even seeing things before they happened. How strange, that Phoebe should have enjoyed a book with a character that had premonitions.....a gift Phoebe herself would go on to receive.
The focal point of all the weird, scary things happening, though, had been the hotel the family were at. And although it had been years since the incident itself, Prue clearly recalled the picture on the front, of the spooky old building in question. And unbidden,a small shiver went through her, at the images conjured up.
She finally pulled into the 'car park' -- really just a piece of rough, empty ground near the entrance -- and parked her car. She climbed out, studying the place. Only a few lights were on -- whether because it was daylight, or because it was fairly empty, she didn't know -- and one flickered wildly, clearly about to blow soon. Over all, she thought, not somewhere to spend your holidays. More of a place to hide out in. Perfect, she mused, for a half-demon on the run.
Heaving a sigh and pulling her coat a little tighter around herself, Prue went to the door, pulling it open with a little effort. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a wild goose chase.
****
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