Firstly, thanks for sticking with this for so long, and I apologise for how
long this chapter took.
I know that the story has been quite a strange read, with plot holes and
spelling/grammar mistakes aplenty.
Well, hopefully when I clean it up, I'll eliminate them, making it a
smoother read. Though that probably won't be for a while, now.
So, okay, only one more chapter after this...so I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for the FB...:-)
*****
Sitting next to the bed on which Cole lay, Piper received a shock when the half-demon suddenly screamed, a long, tortured sound that raised the hairs on the back of her neck.
"Prue!" she shouted, standing up so fast she nearly knocked the chair she had vacated over. By then Cole had started to tremble, the movements of his body rapidly escalating into shakes, and then what looked like a full blown seizure.
"Wha- Prue! Leo!" Piper called again, knowing that there was probably nothing more she could do.
Noises in the hallway drew her attention, and her head swiveled around to the doorway as Prue burst in, her gaze roaming around the room as she searched out the reason for her sister's distress.
"Piper, what?"
She cut herself off as she looked to the bed, taking in the scene immediately.
"Oh God," she whispered. Then she ran to the bed, watching as Cole's heels, fists and head, drummed the mattress repeatedly as he convulsed.
"Piper, freeze him!" she cried.
Her sister did as she was told, her hands automatically snapping up as she used her power.
The two Halliwells found themselves breathing hard, the sound seeming far too loud in the quiet room as their attention stayed on the still figure on the bed.
"What the *hell* was that?" Piper finally burst out.
"Looked like some kind of seizure," Prue answered, complete shock making her voice faint. She had thought that he was getting better...why had this happened now? She shook her head...okay, what did you do when your patient was having seizures? she asked herself. But her mind was blank, and she found herself unable to move, terrified that somehow the slightest motion would shatter the spell of calm, and cause Cole's body to start jerking again.
"What now?" Piper said, as if reading Prue's mind. "That freeze isn't going to last much longer, you know."
"We're going to have to ride it out," Prue realized, her voice clearly saying that she did *not* want to see that again. But, as always, it wasn't like they had a choice.
"Unfreeze him," she said quietly, taking her eyes away from Cole and focusing on her sister.
Piper nodded, her hands moving to reverse her power. In an instant, Cole was moving once more, his body convulsing.
Piper walked quickly over to her sister, the elder Halliwell wrapping her arms around her. The two clung to each other, watching as the half demon continued to jerk, his motions gradually becoming slower and slower, until they finally stopped.
Prue and Piper let out relieved breaths, slumping slightly.
"I'll check on him," Prue said, walking over to the bed now. She debated what to do for a moment, and then decided to just check his vitals. She could remember how to do that now, her paralysis of earlier seemingly worn off. So she went about doing so as she would any other human - it was her only real basis for comparison.
His pulse was racing, his skin clammy, but he didn't seem to have injured himself. No bites to his tongue, no immediate bruising - thank God he'd been on the bed when he seized.
She turned back to Piper, and caught her sister frowning as her eyes roamed about.
"What?"
Piper shook her head a little. "I just - Leo didn't come. I mean, I'm surprised my staff at P3 didn't hear me, that's how loud I was screaming, but...Leo never came."
Prue considered this. "Hey, maybe he got called to a meeting with the Elders after he went to see John...he wouldn't have just ignored you, Piper."
"I know, " she said. "It's just...I don't know, I feel...like I want to keep him near me, you know? I just...."
"It's okay, Piper," Prue told her. "It's natural. You love him, there's danger...of course you want him near by."
"Yeah," Piper murmured, not sure that was totally it. But that was as far as she was allowed to debate it right now...they had plans to prep.
They were facing up to a demon with an army of who knew how many, and it was just the two of them and Leo now...no Power Of Three, no extra demon help from Cole...and she didn't know if they were going to come through this one alive.
*****
"You wished to see me again?" Leo asked the Elder respectfully, wondering why he had been called out of his meeting with John to see the council member.
The Elder just nodded again. "The witches are prepared?"
Leo nodded now. "Yes. They're gathering their strength and any potions or spells that might be of help."
The Elder gave an almost-smile. "And you, Leo. What are *you* doing to prepare?"
Leo's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"You know of our warning, Leo. Will you be heeding the advice of the council?"
Leo frowned. "I - I don't know. I know that the council of Elders are very powerful...but I don't know if I can stand by and watch my family hurt."
The Elder inclined his head. "And, it is for this reason, why so many were against the union."
Leo sighed as he was reminded again of his and Piper's struggle to become husband and wife. "I love my wife, very much...all that we wanted was to be married. I'm sorry if that is against what you believed, but -"
"It is what I believed," the Elder said calmly. "But not any more. I have watched, Leo. Watched as trial after trial has tested the Charmed Ones. Not only as witches but as...humans." He stepped closer, pulling back the hood of his robe and looking earnestly into Leo's eyes. "Just as this night will be one more trial for the Charmed Ones. But you cannot interfere, Whitelighter. If you do...the consequences could be very dire indeed...for all involved."
Leo's mouth opened, almost flapping as he tried to come up with an answer. Before he could, there was a sound he recognized above all others...Piper, her voice raised in alarm and - and fear.
"Piper," he whispered, his body dissolving into a shower of blue lights. But instead of orbing away as he intended, his body immediately coalesced once more, in the exact same place he had stood seconds before.
"What the - what happened?" he demanded. "What did you do?"
The Elder's face reflected sorrow. "It was not I, but...all that has been done is a simple spell cast...to delay your orbing at an opportune time."
"Why?" Leo spat, Piper's cries still echoing in his mind.
"Because it must be," the Elder returned, his eyes now blazing with a powerful intensity. "Do not fear, Leo. Your wife and her sister are not in danger. But a situation has arisen with the half-demon that they both need to deal with, *alone.* A test of inner strength, if you will." He moved even closer, his voice lowering. "We do not wish harm on Piper or Prue," he said. "We did not wish harm on Phoebe...her death pained you, but you were able to accept, with time, that it *was* meant to be...why can you not do so now? Because one of the witches involved is your wife?"
"No!" Leo denied. "I got there too late last time, it was already done. But if there is *anything* I can do to help them...*anything*... then I will."
The Elder sighed, then straightened his stooped shoulders, glancing around quickly. Leo thought he looked as if he were trying to determine whether or not they were alone.
"You cannot interfere, Leo. Because...the evil one has several Darklighters in his army. If one were to kill you...."
"What does that have to do with the girls?" Leo asked, knowledge that the demon they were after had several of the few demons that could successfully kill him making him shiver slightly.
"Because, Leo...your union with the witch. Do you honestly believe that she could continue on with the loss of you added to her sister? Even if she knew it was her duty to keep on in the good fight?"
Leo shook his head. Piper was just about the strongest person he had ever known...yet he knew that even she could only take so much tragedy. If he were killed....
"I understand," he said quietly.
The Elder nodded again, stepping back. "It is not only the witches that are in danger...remember that. Your death would not only destroy Piper...but it could distract them from their goal. I know that you do not wish this to happen." Leo shook his head silently. "The spell has served its purpose, Whitelighter. You may now return to the witches."
Leo gave no sigh of acknowledgement, simply orbing away.
"You should not have done that," a voice from nowhere spoke, its owner slowly coming in to view. "It is not our place to -"
"Of course it is our place," the Elder who had spoken to Leo said. "If I had not warned him, who is to say that he would have heeded our advice?"
"He is a Whitelighter," another voice said, remaining faceless. "He is bound by his duty -"
"And is he not bound by his duty as a *husband*?" the first Elder asked. "We have observed...we know what the likely outcome of this nights trials will be...they need all of the information they can get. If they are to win...."
*****
Orbing into the Manor, Leo was greeted by two very jumpy women. "Piper!" he almost gasped, opening his arms as his wife nearly jumped into them. "Are you okay? Both of you?"
"We're fine," Piper answered, her voice muffled as she leaned her face into Leo's chest, drawing a deep breath of his comforting scent. "Cole just...he got sicker...I think."
"Prue?"
"Cole had some sort of seizure," Prue told him, her voice low as she looked at the sick man.
Leo took a good look at Cole, noting the heavy sweat that seemed to cover him. "Has his fever broken?" he asked.
"Huh?" Prue asked, her attention clearly wandering. "Oh, I...I don't know. I didn't really know too much about what I was supposed to check for. I - I checked his pulse - it was racing. He hadn't bitten or swallowed his tongue. And he doesn't seem to have any bruises. But, I...I haven't checked him out again since just after his seizure."
Piper let go of Leo, watching as he walked over to Cole. "Leo?"
"I'm just going to have a look," he replied absently. He crouched down next to the prone man, resting a hand on his brow. "Prue? Feel this...he seems much cooler now."
Prue did, frowning as she felt the damp - but cool - skin. "You're right," she said, a smile lighting up her face.
"That's good, right?" Piper asked.
"I'd say so," Leo grinned, giving Prue's hand a squeeze as he stood, moving to Piper to kiss her soundly. Now all they needed was for Cole to wake up.
*****
Xium stood silently, surveying his army...tonight. Everything would come together tonight...Belthazor, the Halliwell witches...it had taken so long, but now...it would be.
*****
"I don't get it," Prue said, pacing back and forth in her sister's bedroom. "Why was it so easy? If Cole is all better now...why is this thing supposed to be the ultimate trial?"
"You call this easy?" Piper asked incredulously.
"You know what I mean...he got sick. Apparently poisoned with the ultimate test...but how long was he ill? Was he ever in any real danger?"
Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Prue...firstly, we don't know what Cole has been going through...not really. I think that if this was anything, it will have been more mental than physical. And we all know how strong Cole is. Perhaps he just beat this thing because of that."
Piper's eyes narrowed as she looked at Leo. "What aren't you telling us?" she asked.
"What?" Leo said, knowing that he couldn't keep anything from his wife.
"Leo...you're my husband," she told him. "I know when you're hedging...what aren't you telling us?"
Leo sighed. "When I talked to the Elders last time...they told me that this wasn't just a test."
"What do you mean?" This came from Prue as the witch moved closer to him.
"The poison...it's designed to plant the seed of evil in its victim," he burst out. "So that if they survive...."
"They go bad," Prue finished. "So, if they're already evil it, what...makes them worse?"
"Looks that way."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Piper asked. "You've known this for a while...it was the Elders, right? The Elders and their petty little power games...God, I thought they were past this crap."
"It wasn't the Elders," Leo said quietly. "It was my choice not to tell you."
Piper and Prue turned eyes full of hurt and confusion towards him.
"I didn't want to worry you even more," he defended himself. "I knew that if you knew that Cole might have been turned, you would treat him differently...be suspicious and wary."
"Of course we would," Piper nearly shouted.
"Exactly," Leo latched onto her words. "Cole couldn't afford that. He is a vital part of this whole thing...he had to pull through. If you had pulled back, you would have taken away your support...support Cole needed if he was going to survive."
"You're right on that count, Leo," Prue agreed. "But you should have told us. We could have taken precautions...."
Before Leo could answer, a groan from the bed distracted their attention.
"Cole?" Prue whispered, feeling drawn towards the man.
Cole shifted on the bed, aching all over. His eyes were sticky, as if someone had glued them closed. Finally, he managed to open them, the lids hovering at half mast.
He could see the three people in the room. Prue, Piper and Leo. He tried to speak, but his mouth felt like the fire pits of the Underworld, and he couldn't even produce a croak.
"Piper, go and get Cole a glass of water from the bathroom," Leo nearly ordered, moving over to the bed warily. He reached for the half demon, pausing as the other man flinched back. "Cole?" he tried. "It's Leo...do you recognize me?"
Cole couldn't speak, but he nodded slightly, his eyes snapping shut as his head swam. They opened again as a cool cloth wiped over his forehead, wielded by Prue.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
He didn't know if she expected an answer, so he just turned the corners of his mouth down, pulling a face and leaving no doubt to that fact that he felt like crap.
Prue smiled slightly. "Okay, silly question. Just...take it easy. You've been sick for quite a while. You're bound to be very weak."
Cole didn't like the description, but was forced to admit that it was an accurate picture of how he felt.
Piper returned, a glass of water in her hands. She passed it to Prue, watching as her husband gently elevated Cole's head slightly, and Prue gave him a sip of the liquid.
Cole's eyes fell shut as the soothing water entered his mouth, sliding down his parched throat. He tried to maneuver his head to get more, but Leo instructed Prue to pull the glass back.
"That'll do," he said. "We don't want it to make a return visit, do we?"
Cole wondered briefly just who Leo thought he was coming out with this stuff, but a vague memory of his minion's bios on each of the Halliwells and their associates back when he was evil, gave him his answer. Leo had been a medic back in one of the World Wars - he forgot which. Maybe he did know what he was talking about, after all.
"Thanks," he managed, leaning gratefully back as Leo lowered his head.
"So," he whispered next. "Who wants to fill me in?"
He got his answer when the other three all exchanged looks, clearly saying that *none* of them did.
*****
"Okay," Cole said some time later, his voice still at half-power. "I was set up to come into contact with one of this guy's demons...just so that he could poison me. Only it wasn't your average, run of the mill demon poison...it was a potion designed to test a demon's worthiness. If they survive, they're worthy of a place in his army. It also enhances their inherent evilness, which means that this guy *also* wants to turn me back into Belthazor, and since I recovered, he might have already succeeded. We also still have two witches to relocate, so that we can go out tonight and kick some all powerful demon ass."
There was dead silence for a moment, before Prue spoke up. "Yep...that's about it. Except for one thing."
"What?" Cole asked.
"You're not coming tonight."
"What?!" he demanded.
Leo and Piper seemed interested too. "Cole," Prue explained patiently, "very much apart from the fact that you look too weak to stand up, let alone kick anyone's ass...you could have been compromised."
Cole's mouth opened to deny it.
"It's not your fault, I know that," she assured him. "But it was clearly this guy's plan that you were going to serve on his side...if you go out there tonight, we'd be hand delivering you to him."
Cole couldn't argue with that.
"Besides," she finished quietly. "If we...if we don't come back...we'll need somebody left behind to fight the good fight."
A sense of Deja Vu hit Cole as Prue said those words, and he wondered where he'd heard them before.
"I understand," was all he said.
Silence reigned again, until Leo broke it. "We still have some time before we need to be at the park we thing that this demon was going to attack the witches at...I'm going to go and get them. Convince them to stay with John."
"We should get going anyway," Prue said. "Get the lay of the land if we can. We'll meet you there."
Leo nodded as he gave them all a weak smile, then Piper a hug, with a promise that he'd hurry to get to the park. Then he was gone.
"Piper," Prue said next, "why don't you go and get the potions and spells we put together as back up..I'll meet you downstairs."
Piper touched Prue's arm, leaving to do as she asked.
"So," Cole said, as the silence stretched on.
"So," Prue parroted. Then she seemed to decide on something. "I'm glad you're better, you know."
Cole looked mildly surprised. "I'm glad I'm better too," he replied automatically, then forced himself to be as sincere as Prue seemed to be willing to act. "Thank you."
Prue smiled, gentle and genuine, receiving one back from Cole. Then she turned, about to follow Piper, when Cole's voice stopped her.
"Be careful out there," he told her quietly. "Phoebe wouldn't want you to get hurt." He was quiet for a moment. "And...and I don't want you to get hurt. Any of you. I - we seem to be finally getting back on track, becoming - friends. I'd like you to be alive to continue working on it."
Prue didn't turn, but she did answer. "I'd like me to be alive, too," she said, mirroring Cole's earlier attempt at levity. And just like Cole, she immediately followed it up by being serious. "Thank you."
Then she left, walking down the stairs slowly, leaving Cole to wait...and hope. Before long, he began to feel drowsy, his body still nowhere near recovered from his illness. And even though he fought it, wanting to be here in case they needed him, he drifted off to sleep.
*****
"I don't like this," Prue whispered sometime later.
Piper snorted. "Yeah well, sneaking around in the middle of the night looking for something that's probably going to do its best to kill us, isn't exactly on my list of favorite things to do, either."
"Piper, that's not what I meant. This definitely feels like a set up."
"That just confirms what we suspected," Leo said quietly. The warning that the Elders had imparted weighed heavily on his mind, his duty as a husband to Piper and a friend to Prue, warring with his need to stay safe - for Piper's sake.
"Quiet astute of you, Whitelighter."
All three spun in the direction of the voice that had spoken, both sisters having to fight their initial reaction to use their powers, knowing that it would likely do no good.
"Ah, the Halliwells...or what remains, at least. I have wished to meet you for some time now, my dears. I feel we have much to discuss."
Prue reached for Piper's hand, not noticing as Leo melted into the background, a look of painful indecision on his face.
"Oh, please," Prue scoffed, relieved that her voice was so steady. "I really hate it when demons waste my time, posturing like idiots, wallowing in their own ego. I'd much prefer to just skip ahead to the part were we vanquish you."
Although the demon's face was mostly obscured by the darkness provided by the late hour, both witches could see that he appeared amused.
"How delightful...the newest generation of Halliwell witches still have that spark I've become so fond of...I can see why you've been such a thorn to the Source and his Underworld."
Prue struggled to digest his words. "'That you've become so fond of'..." she parroted. "What?"
Xium laughed, the sound harsh and grating, and not reflecting any real amusement. "Come now, Ms. Halliwell. Surely you've guessed by now that I'm much older than your average demon. Although I have always tried to stay clear of the Halliwell line before I had need of it, I have had the occasional run in - though obviously, none lived to write about it in their little Book Of Shadows."
"Well," Prue said, striving to adopt a sarcastic tone. "Are we supposed to be impressed? Trembling in our boots?"
"No," Xium answered. "If all accounts of your exploits are true, you're supposed to be brave, witty and largely victorious...though I'm sure you can see that I'm going to have to do my considerable best to prove the latter false."
"Yeah...too bad you're going to fail." Piper winced as her shaky voice belied her words, but she straightened her spine to at least give the *illusion* that she had meant it.
"Hmm...I was informed that it was the *youngest* Halliwell who suffered from the most bravado - when she lived, I mean. Perhaps I was informed wrongly."
"Perhaps," Prue snapped. "Can we get on with this? You see, I heard that you were this big bad...wiping out whole Coverns one by one...plotting your little schemes for centuries on end...but I haven't seen much evidence that you're anything to be afraid of."
Xium's face didn't change. Instead, he merely inclined his head. "Very well."
Gesturing next with a covered hand, Xium took a step back, and the Halliwells tensed, watching as several shadows suddenly moved, detaching from the rest of the darkness and advancing on the women.
"Hey, what's the deal? You can't take us on yourself?"
Xium chuckled. "No, Prudence - may I call you Prudence?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I have no intention of 'taking you on.' As I think you may have guessed, I want Belthazor back where he belongs...provided, of course, that he is worthy of the cause. But I've also decided that *you* would both serve as well. Although you are nowhere near as powerful as you were with the other witch...can you imagine the effect that the defection of the almighty Charmed witches - minus one, of course - would have on the side of good?"
He laughed again, a truly chilling sound. "I won't even need to test you in the manner I did Belthzor...I think I'll just turn you now."
And as if those words were a signal, the shadows attacked.
*****
Still exhausted after his illness, Cole shifted about restlessly, his eyes opening and closing fitfully, as if his body couldn't decide which state it preferred. If he thought about it closely, he believed he might have a new appreciation for humans who became sick, now.
"Cole?"
Eyelids twitching, the half demon tried to focus, cursing inwardly as his thoughts shifted and melted away, his mind unable to grasp them in his tired condition.
"Cole? Can you hear me?"
"Pho -" He licked his lips, trying to create enough moisture to make his dry again throat work. He knew that voice...but it - it couldn't be. It couldn't be - "Phoebe?"
He struggled to open his sticky-feeling eyes, wishing slightly for Prue and her damp cloth. He was desperate to see what could only be a phantom of his fuzzy mind, but a phantom he would gladly welcome.
"Cole, listen to me. Prue and Piper need your help, Cole. Please -"
The voice was fading.
"Phoebe!" he cried, the sound barely coming out of his parched throat, as he succeeded in raising his heavy lids, only to see - nothing.
There was only the empty surroundings of the room he was in. No ghosts, no apparitions, and most importantly - no Phoebe.
As a sigh of frustration was wrenched from his dry and cracked lips, Cole felt his eyes and nose - *sting.* It was a strange sensation, one he had felt on occasion, however. He had a vague recollection from his childhood - though crying was not really condoned or encouraged in the demon community, for obvious reasons. Another, more recent experience when Phoebe had discovered his true nature, and he'd thought what they had lost. Seeing the tears falling from her beautiful eyes as she stood there shakily, threatening to vanquish him, had made his own blue orbs water uncomfortable, a lump rising in his throat that would not dissolve, no matter how many times he swallowed.
The was another time - several of them in fact - but they were all to do with the loss of the woman that he loved, and he shied away from them.
He blinked rapidly before the moisture could form, concentrating instead on pulling his weary body into a sitting position. Whether or not the whole thing had been a figment of his mind, one thing was true; Prue and Piper were out there right now, facing evil. Regardless of whatever seed had been planted by the poison, he had to go to them - even though he wasn't sure that any of them would survive.
*****
So, okay, only one more chapter after this...so I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for the FB...:-)
*****
Sitting next to the bed on which Cole lay, Piper received a shock when the half-demon suddenly screamed, a long, tortured sound that raised the hairs on the back of her neck.
"Prue!" she shouted, standing up so fast she nearly knocked the chair she had vacated over. By then Cole had started to tremble, the movements of his body rapidly escalating into shakes, and then what looked like a full blown seizure.
"Wha- Prue! Leo!" Piper called again, knowing that there was probably nothing more she could do.
Noises in the hallway drew her attention, and her head swiveled around to the doorway as Prue burst in, her gaze roaming around the room as she searched out the reason for her sister's distress.
"Piper, what?"
She cut herself off as she looked to the bed, taking in the scene immediately.
"Oh God," she whispered. Then she ran to the bed, watching as Cole's heels, fists and head, drummed the mattress repeatedly as he convulsed.
"Piper, freeze him!" she cried.
Her sister did as she was told, her hands automatically snapping up as she used her power.
The two Halliwells found themselves breathing hard, the sound seeming far too loud in the quiet room as their attention stayed on the still figure on the bed.
"What the *hell* was that?" Piper finally burst out.
"Looked like some kind of seizure," Prue answered, complete shock making her voice faint. She had thought that he was getting better...why had this happened now? She shook her head...okay, what did you do when your patient was having seizures? she asked herself. But her mind was blank, and she found herself unable to move, terrified that somehow the slightest motion would shatter the spell of calm, and cause Cole's body to start jerking again.
"What now?" Piper said, as if reading Prue's mind. "That freeze isn't going to last much longer, you know."
"We're going to have to ride it out," Prue realized, her voice clearly saying that she did *not* want to see that again. But, as always, it wasn't like they had a choice.
"Unfreeze him," she said quietly, taking her eyes away from Cole and focusing on her sister.
Piper nodded, her hands moving to reverse her power. In an instant, Cole was moving once more, his body convulsing.
Piper walked quickly over to her sister, the elder Halliwell wrapping her arms around her. The two clung to each other, watching as the half demon continued to jerk, his motions gradually becoming slower and slower, until they finally stopped.
Prue and Piper let out relieved breaths, slumping slightly.
"I'll check on him," Prue said, walking over to the bed now. She debated what to do for a moment, and then decided to just check his vitals. She could remember how to do that now, her paralysis of earlier seemingly worn off. So she went about doing so as she would any other human - it was her only real basis for comparison.
His pulse was racing, his skin clammy, but he didn't seem to have injured himself. No bites to his tongue, no immediate bruising - thank God he'd been on the bed when he seized.
She turned back to Piper, and caught her sister frowning as her eyes roamed about.
"What?"
Piper shook her head a little. "I just - Leo didn't come. I mean, I'm surprised my staff at P3 didn't hear me, that's how loud I was screaming, but...Leo never came."
Prue considered this. "Hey, maybe he got called to a meeting with the Elders after he went to see John...he wouldn't have just ignored you, Piper."
"I know, " she said. "It's just...I don't know, I feel...like I want to keep him near me, you know? I just...."
"It's okay, Piper," Prue told her. "It's natural. You love him, there's danger...of course you want him near by."
"Yeah," Piper murmured, not sure that was totally it. But that was as far as she was allowed to debate it right now...they had plans to prep.
They were facing up to a demon with an army of who knew how many, and it was just the two of them and Leo now...no Power Of Three, no extra demon help from Cole...and she didn't know if they were going to come through this one alive.
*****
"You wished to see me again?" Leo asked the Elder respectfully, wondering why he had been called out of his meeting with John to see the council member.
The Elder just nodded again. "The witches are prepared?"
Leo nodded now. "Yes. They're gathering their strength and any potions or spells that might be of help."
The Elder gave an almost-smile. "And you, Leo. What are *you* doing to prepare?"
Leo's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"You know of our warning, Leo. Will you be heeding the advice of the council?"
Leo frowned. "I - I don't know. I know that the council of Elders are very powerful...but I don't know if I can stand by and watch my family hurt."
The Elder inclined his head. "And, it is for this reason, why so many were against the union."
Leo sighed as he was reminded again of his and Piper's struggle to become husband and wife. "I love my wife, very much...all that we wanted was to be married. I'm sorry if that is against what you believed, but -"
"It is what I believed," the Elder said calmly. "But not any more. I have watched, Leo. Watched as trial after trial has tested the Charmed Ones. Not only as witches but as...humans." He stepped closer, pulling back the hood of his robe and looking earnestly into Leo's eyes. "Just as this night will be one more trial for the Charmed Ones. But you cannot interfere, Whitelighter. If you do...the consequences could be very dire indeed...for all involved."
Leo's mouth opened, almost flapping as he tried to come up with an answer. Before he could, there was a sound he recognized above all others...Piper, her voice raised in alarm and - and fear.
"Piper," he whispered, his body dissolving into a shower of blue lights. But instead of orbing away as he intended, his body immediately coalesced once more, in the exact same place he had stood seconds before.
"What the - what happened?" he demanded. "What did you do?"
The Elder's face reflected sorrow. "It was not I, but...all that has been done is a simple spell cast...to delay your orbing at an opportune time."
"Why?" Leo spat, Piper's cries still echoing in his mind.
"Because it must be," the Elder returned, his eyes now blazing with a powerful intensity. "Do not fear, Leo. Your wife and her sister are not in danger. But a situation has arisen with the half-demon that they both need to deal with, *alone.* A test of inner strength, if you will." He moved even closer, his voice lowering. "We do not wish harm on Piper or Prue," he said. "We did not wish harm on Phoebe...her death pained you, but you were able to accept, with time, that it *was* meant to be...why can you not do so now? Because one of the witches involved is your wife?"
"No!" Leo denied. "I got there too late last time, it was already done. But if there is *anything* I can do to help them...*anything*... then I will."
The Elder sighed, then straightened his stooped shoulders, glancing around quickly. Leo thought he looked as if he were trying to determine whether or not they were alone.
"You cannot interfere, Leo. Because...the evil one has several Darklighters in his army. If one were to kill you...."
"What does that have to do with the girls?" Leo asked, knowledge that the demon they were after had several of the few demons that could successfully kill him making him shiver slightly.
"Because, Leo...your union with the witch. Do you honestly believe that she could continue on with the loss of you added to her sister? Even if she knew it was her duty to keep on in the good fight?"
Leo shook his head. Piper was just about the strongest person he had ever known...yet he knew that even she could only take so much tragedy. If he were killed....
"I understand," he said quietly.
The Elder nodded again, stepping back. "It is not only the witches that are in danger...remember that. Your death would not only destroy Piper...but it could distract them from their goal. I know that you do not wish this to happen." Leo shook his head silently. "The spell has served its purpose, Whitelighter. You may now return to the witches."
Leo gave no sigh of acknowledgement, simply orbing away.
"You should not have done that," a voice from nowhere spoke, its owner slowly coming in to view. "It is not our place to -"
"Of course it is our place," the Elder who had spoken to Leo said. "If I had not warned him, who is to say that he would have heeded our advice?"
"He is a Whitelighter," another voice said, remaining faceless. "He is bound by his duty -"
"And is he not bound by his duty as a *husband*?" the first Elder asked. "We have observed...we know what the likely outcome of this nights trials will be...they need all of the information they can get. If they are to win...."
*****
Orbing into the Manor, Leo was greeted by two very jumpy women. "Piper!" he almost gasped, opening his arms as his wife nearly jumped into them. "Are you okay? Both of you?"
"We're fine," Piper answered, her voice muffled as she leaned her face into Leo's chest, drawing a deep breath of his comforting scent. "Cole just...he got sicker...I think."
"Prue?"
"Cole had some sort of seizure," Prue told him, her voice low as she looked at the sick man.
Leo took a good look at Cole, noting the heavy sweat that seemed to cover him. "Has his fever broken?" he asked.
"Huh?" Prue asked, her attention clearly wandering. "Oh, I...I don't know. I didn't really know too much about what I was supposed to check for. I - I checked his pulse - it was racing. He hadn't bitten or swallowed his tongue. And he doesn't seem to have any bruises. But, I...I haven't checked him out again since just after his seizure."
Piper let go of Leo, watching as he walked over to Cole. "Leo?"
"I'm just going to have a look," he replied absently. He crouched down next to the prone man, resting a hand on his brow. "Prue? Feel this...he seems much cooler now."
Prue did, frowning as she felt the damp - but cool - skin. "You're right," she said, a smile lighting up her face.
"That's good, right?" Piper asked.
"I'd say so," Leo grinned, giving Prue's hand a squeeze as he stood, moving to Piper to kiss her soundly. Now all they needed was for Cole to wake up.
*****
Xium stood silently, surveying his army...tonight. Everything would come together tonight...Belthazor, the Halliwell witches...it had taken so long, but now...it would be.
*****
"I don't get it," Prue said, pacing back and forth in her sister's bedroom. "Why was it so easy? If Cole is all better now...why is this thing supposed to be the ultimate trial?"
"You call this easy?" Piper asked incredulously.
"You know what I mean...he got sick. Apparently poisoned with the ultimate test...but how long was he ill? Was he ever in any real danger?"
Leo shifted uncomfortably. "Prue...firstly, we don't know what Cole has been going through...not really. I think that if this was anything, it will have been more mental than physical. And we all know how strong Cole is. Perhaps he just beat this thing because of that."
Piper's eyes narrowed as she looked at Leo. "What aren't you telling us?" she asked.
"What?" Leo said, knowing that he couldn't keep anything from his wife.
"Leo...you're my husband," she told him. "I know when you're hedging...what aren't you telling us?"
Leo sighed. "When I talked to the Elders last time...they told me that this wasn't just a test."
"What do you mean?" This came from Prue as the witch moved closer to him.
"The poison...it's designed to plant the seed of evil in its victim," he burst out. "So that if they survive...."
"They go bad," Prue finished. "So, if they're already evil it, what...makes them worse?"
"Looks that way."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Piper asked. "You've known this for a while...it was the Elders, right? The Elders and their petty little power games...God, I thought they were past this crap."
"It wasn't the Elders," Leo said quietly. "It was my choice not to tell you."
Piper and Prue turned eyes full of hurt and confusion towards him.
"I didn't want to worry you even more," he defended himself. "I knew that if you knew that Cole might have been turned, you would treat him differently...be suspicious and wary."
"Of course we would," Piper nearly shouted.
"Exactly," Leo latched onto her words. "Cole couldn't afford that. He is a vital part of this whole thing...he had to pull through. If you had pulled back, you would have taken away your support...support Cole needed if he was going to survive."
"You're right on that count, Leo," Prue agreed. "But you should have told us. We could have taken precautions...."
Before Leo could answer, a groan from the bed distracted their attention.
"Cole?" Prue whispered, feeling drawn towards the man.
Cole shifted on the bed, aching all over. His eyes were sticky, as if someone had glued them closed. Finally, he managed to open them, the lids hovering at half mast.
He could see the three people in the room. Prue, Piper and Leo. He tried to speak, but his mouth felt like the fire pits of the Underworld, and he couldn't even produce a croak.
"Piper, go and get Cole a glass of water from the bathroom," Leo nearly ordered, moving over to the bed warily. He reached for the half demon, pausing as the other man flinched back. "Cole?" he tried. "It's Leo...do you recognize me?"
Cole couldn't speak, but he nodded slightly, his eyes snapping shut as his head swam. They opened again as a cool cloth wiped over his forehead, wielded by Prue.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
He didn't know if she expected an answer, so he just turned the corners of his mouth down, pulling a face and leaving no doubt to that fact that he felt like crap.
Prue smiled slightly. "Okay, silly question. Just...take it easy. You've been sick for quite a while. You're bound to be very weak."
Cole didn't like the description, but was forced to admit that it was an accurate picture of how he felt.
Piper returned, a glass of water in her hands. She passed it to Prue, watching as her husband gently elevated Cole's head slightly, and Prue gave him a sip of the liquid.
Cole's eyes fell shut as the soothing water entered his mouth, sliding down his parched throat. He tried to maneuver his head to get more, but Leo instructed Prue to pull the glass back.
"That'll do," he said. "We don't want it to make a return visit, do we?"
Cole wondered briefly just who Leo thought he was coming out with this stuff, but a vague memory of his minion's bios on each of the Halliwells and their associates back when he was evil, gave him his answer. Leo had been a medic back in one of the World Wars - he forgot which. Maybe he did know what he was talking about, after all.
"Thanks," he managed, leaning gratefully back as Leo lowered his head.
"So," he whispered next. "Who wants to fill me in?"
He got his answer when the other three all exchanged looks, clearly saying that *none* of them did.
*****
"Okay," Cole said some time later, his voice still at half-power. "I was set up to come into contact with one of this guy's demons...just so that he could poison me. Only it wasn't your average, run of the mill demon poison...it was a potion designed to test a demon's worthiness. If they survive, they're worthy of a place in his army. It also enhances their inherent evilness, which means that this guy *also* wants to turn me back into Belthazor, and since I recovered, he might have already succeeded. We also still have two witches to relocate, so that we can go out tonight and kick some all powerful demon ass."
There was dead silence for a moment, before Prue spoke up. "Yep...that's about it. Except for one thing."
"What?" Cole asked.
"You're not coming tonight."
"What?!" he demanded.
Leo and Piper seemed interested too. "Cole," Prue explained patiently, "very much apart from the fact that you look too weak to stand up, let alone kick anyone's ass...you could have been compromised."
Cole's mouth opened to deny it.
"It's not your fault, I know that," she assured him. "But it was clearly this guy's plan that you were going to serve on his side...if you go out there tonight, we'd be hand delivering you to him."
Cole couldn't argue with that.
"Besides," she finished quietly. "If we...if we don't come back...we'll need somebody left behind to fight the good fight."
A sense of Deja Vu hit Cole as Prue said those words, and he wondered where he'd heard them before.
"I understand," was all he said.
Silence reigned again, until Leo broke it. "We still have some time before we need to be at the park we thing that this demon was going to attack the witches at...I'm going to go and get them. Convince them to stay with John."
"We should get going anyway," Prue said. "Get the lay of the land if we can. We'll meet you there."
Leo nodded as he gave them all a weak smile, then Piper a hug, with a promise that he'd hurry to get to the park. Then he was gone.
"Piper," Prue said next, "why don't you go and get the potions and spells we put together as back up..I'll meet you downstairs."
Piper touched Prue's arm, leaving to do as she asked.
"So," Cole said, as the silence stretched on.
"So," Prue parroted. Then she seemed to decide on something. "I'm glad you're better, you know."
Cole looked mildly surprised. "I'm glad I'm better too," he replied automatically, then forced himself to be as sincere as Prue seemed to be willing to act. "Thank you."
Prue smiled, gentle and genuine, receiving one back from Cole. Then she turned, about to follow Piper, when Cole's voice stopped her.
"Be careful out there," he told her quietly. "Phoebe wouldn't want you to get hurt." He was quiet for a moment. "And...and I don't want you to get hurt. Any of you. I - we seem to be finally getting back on track, becoming - friends. I'd like you to be alive to continue working on it."
Prue didn't turn, but she did answer. "I'd like me to be alive, too," she said, mirroring Cole's earlier attempt at levity. And just like Cole, she immediately followed it up by being serious. "Thank you."
Then she left, walking down the stairs slowly, leaving Cole to wait...and hope. Before long, he began to feel drowsy, his body still nowhere near recovered from his illness. And even though he fought it, wanting to be here in case they needed him, he drifted off to sleep.
*****
"I don't like this," Prue whispered sometime later.
Piper snorted. "Yeah well, sneaking around in the middle of the night looking for something that's probably going to do its best to kill us, isn't exactly on my list of favorite things to do, either."
"Piper, that's not what I meant. This definitely feels like a set up."
"That just confirms what we suspected," Leo said quietly. The warning that the Elders had imparted weighed heavily on his mind, his duty as a husband to Piper and a friend to Prue, warring with his need to stay safe - for Piper's sake.
"Quiet astute of you, Whitelighter."
All three spun in the direction of the voice that had spoken, both sisters having to fight their initial reaction to use their powers, knowing that it would likely do no good.
"Ah, the Halliwells...or what remains, at least. I have wished to meet you for some time now, my dears. I feel we have much to discuss."
Prue reached for Piper's hand, not noticing as Leo melted into the background, a look of painful indecision on his face.
"Oh, please," Prue scoffed, relieved that her voice was so steady. "I really hate it when demons waste my time, posturing like idiots, wallowing in their own ego. I'd much prefer to just skip ahead to the part were we vanquish you."
Although the demon's face was mostly obscured by the darkness provided by the late hour, both witches could see that he appeared amused.
"How delightful...the newest generation of Halliwell witches still have that spark I've become so fond of...I can see why you've been such a thorn to the Source and his Underworld."
Prue struggled to digest his words. "'That you've become so fond of'..." she parroted. "What?"
Xium laughed, the sound harsh and grating, and not reflecting any real amusement. "Come now, Ms. Halliwell. Surely you've guessed by now that I'm much older than your average demon. Although I have always tried to stay clear of the Halliwell line before I had need of it, I have had the occasional run in - though obviously, none lived to write about it in their little Book Of Shadows."
"Well," Prue said, striving to adopt a sarcastic tone. "Are we supposed to be impressed? Trembling in our boots?"
"No," Xium answered. "If all accounts of your exploits are true, you're supposed to be brave, witty and largely victorious...though I'm sure you can see that I'm going to have to do my considerable best to prove the latter false."
"Yeah...too bad you're going to fail." Piper winced as her shaky voice belied her words, but she straightened her spine to at least give the *illusion* that she had meant it.
"Hmm...I was informed that it was the *youngest* Halliwell who suffered from the most bravado - when she lived, I mean. Perhaps I was informed wrongly."
"Perhaps," Prue snapped. "Can we get on with this? You see, I heard that you were this big bad...wiping out whole Coverns one by one...plotting your little schemes for centuries on end...but I haven't seen much evidence that you're anything to be afraid of."
Xium's face didn't change. Instead, he merely inclined his head. "Very well."
Gesturing next with a covered hand, Xium took a step back, and the Halliwells tensed, watching as several shadows suddenly moved, detaching from the rest of the darkness and advancing on the women.
"Hey, what's the deal? You can't take us on yourself?"
Xium chuckled. "No, Prudence - may I call you Prudence?" Without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I have no intention of 'taking you on.' As I think you may have guessed, I want Belthazor back where he belongs...provided, of course, that he is worthy of the cause. But I've also decided that *you* would both serve as well. Although you are nowhere near as powerful as you were with the other witch...can you imagine the effect that the defection of the almighty Charmed witches - minus one, of course - would have on the side of good?"
He laughed again, a truly chilling sound. "I won't even need to test you in the manner I did Belthzor...I think I'll just turn you now."
And as if those words were a signal, the shadows attacked.
*****
Still exhausted after his illness, Cole shifted about restlessly, his eyes opening and closing fitfully, as if his body couldn't decide which state it preferred. If he thought about it closely, he believed he might have a new appreciation for humans who became sick, now.
"Cole?"
Eyelids twitching, the half demon tried to focus, cursing inwardly as his thoughts shifted and melted away, his mind unable to grasp them in his tired condition.
"Cole? Can you hear me?"
"Pho -" He licked his lips, trying to create enough moisture to make his dry again throat work. He knew that voice...but it - it couldn't be. It couldn't be - "Phoebe?"
He struggled to open his sticky-feeling eyes, wishing slightly for Prue and her damp cloth. He was desperate to see what could only be a phantom of his fuzzy mind, but a phantom he would gladly welcome.
"Cole, listen to me. Prue and Piper need your help, Cole. Please -"
The voice was fading.
"Phoebe!" he cried, the sound barely coming out of his parched throat, as he succeeded in raising his heavy lids, only to see - nothing.
There was only the empty surroundings of the room he was in. No ghosts, no apparitions, and most importantly - no Phoebe.
As a sigh of frustration was wrenched from his dry and cracked lips, Cole felt his eyes and nose - *sting.* It was a strange sensation, one he had felt on occasion, however. He had a vague recollection from his childhood - though crying was not really condoned or encouraged in the demon community, for obvious reasons. Another, more recent experience when Phoebe had discovered his true nature, and he'd thought what they had lost. Seeing the tears falling from her beautiful eyes as she stood there shakily, threatening to vanquish him, had made his own blue orbs water uncomfortable, a lump rising in his throat that would not dissolve, no matter how many times he swallowed.
The was another time - several of them in fact - but they were all to do with the loss of the woman that he loved, and he shied away from them.
He blinked rapidly before the moisture could form, concentrating instead on pulling his weary body into a sitting position. Whether or not the whole thing had been a figment of his mind, one thing was true; Prue and Piper were out there right now, facing evil. Regardless of whatever seed had been planted by the poison, he had to go to them - even though he wasn't sure that any of them would survive.
*****
