CHAPTER 3: Complications
"Piper, blow it up!" Paige yelled.
"I'm trying!" Piper yelled back. She again gestured, but again to her dismay the Kirgan demon was only thrown back against the wall.
The demon grinned maliciously. "You haven't the power to vanquish me, witch." It formed an energy ball and threw it at the table they were using to shield themselves.
"Damn it, we're pinned down here," Phoebe muttered.
"Excuse me," said a cool voice. The girls whirled around to see Cole standing behind them. "I think this guy's got a death wish. Don't you think so, honey?"
The demon's eyes widened with recognition. "Well, well. If it isn't Belthazor, the Great Betrayer himself. Tell me, how do you get the witch to keep spreading her legs for you night after night? I'd have thought..." The demon never finished the sentence, for it was incinerated by a massive energy ball thrown by one pissed-off ex-demon.
"Nobody talks about my fiancé like that and lives," Cole said with a satisfied smile.
Phoebe got up and ran over to him. "Ooh, my hero," she said, wrapping her arms around him. Suddenly, Cole staggered and almost fell over. "Baby, what's wrong?"
Cole shook his head. "I'm not sure. I think I'm just tired."
"You've been tired a lot lately," Phoebe remarked, concerned. It had been a week since Cole had been resurrected and received his new powers. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I think I'm just going to lie down for a little while," Cole said. He kissed Phoebe on the forehead and walked upstairs to their room.
"This is getting ridiculous!" Paige groaned as she got up. "That's the tenth demon to attack us in the last two days. What the hell is going on down there?"
"Well, from what Leo said, with the Source gone, there's a power vacuum that needs to be filled," Piper suggested. "Most likely, whoever has enough power to kill us first is going to be the next Source. That would explain all the recent attacks."
"I think there's more to it than just that," Phoebe said.
"Premonition?" Piper questioned.
"Intuition," Phoebe corrected, smiling as she briefly flashed back to the lunch date she and Cole had gone on with Piper and Leo. "These aren't just any old demons. Somebody has specifically been selecting demons that we can't vanquish ourselves. Haven't you noticed that Cole has been the one to vanquish all twenty of the demons that have attacked us in the past week?"
"Come to think of it, yeah," Paige realized.
"Something is wrong," Phoebe said. "And I have a bad feeling that Cole isn't just tired. He never really got tired, not even when he was human. I just have a horrible foreboding that whatever is happening with Cole is related to all the demons that have been attacking us...and that it's only going to get worse."
****
Cole closed the bathroom door and locked it. He then waved a hand over his face, releasing the glamour he had cast. He looked at his image in the mirror and shook his head sadly. Things were far worse than Phoebe knew. He was pale and sweating, and his eyes were bloodshot. As he watched, a small trickle of blood oozed out of his nose. Reaching for toilet paper, Cole thought over the events of the past week. The constant attacks had started the day after he'd discovered his powers. At first, he'd felt fine, but during one attack, he'd blurred out with a demon and took it to the mausoleum. After vanquishing it, Cole felt incredibly sick and threw up for a good two minutes.
He didn't want to worry Phoebe after she'd already gone through so much pain, so he'd hidden his strange ailment from her. At first he was able to hide the symptoms, but after the attack today he knew he couldn't conceal it for much longer. Cole's emotions and warred with themselves for a moment before he came to his decision. He had to tell her. He'd only be putting her through more pain by hiding it. Squaring his shoulders, Cole turned and gingerly walked back to the bathroom door.
****
The demon knelt before the Seer. "How can I be of service?" it said.
"I need you to attack the Charmed Ones for me," the Seer ordered. "Do it, and you'll be rewarded upon your return."
"Yes, mistress," the demon said as it shimmered out.
The Seer grinned malevolently. "Not too long now, Belthazor," she said quietly.
****
Cole was walking down the stairs, gripping the banister tightly, when he heard the sound of a fireball whizzing through the air. 'Oh, great,' he thought as he blurred the rest of the way down the stairs. He saw a Juioe demon, a nearly unvanquishable breed of demon, attacking Paige. Piper was trying to blow it up, but she had no effect on it. 'Looks like it's my turn,' he thought. Cole launched an energy ball, and the demon blew up instantly.
"Thanks for the assist Cole...again," Piper said with a tight smile.
"I'm only too happy to..." Cole trailed off as he felt a searing pain in his chest. He felt to his knees, gasping for air.
"Oh my God, COLE!" Phoebe screamed, rushing to his side. Cole tried to speak, but instead coughed violently, and blood shot out his mouth onto the floor. It was then that Phoebe noticed Cole's pallor and the sweat covering his face. He hadn't looked this bad since Piper had ripped a piece of his flesh from his abdomen before he'd been revealed as Belthazor. "Cole, what's happening to you?" she asked, her tone hysterical.
"I...don't know," Cole rasped. His throat was raw from the coughing fit.
"Well, whatever it is, we'll fix it," Phoebe said firmly. "I will not sit back and watch you die again."
Despite the pain in his chest, Cole smiled and touched her face. "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he asked softly.
Phoebe could barely hold back her tears. "I've always known, Cole. You love me as much as I love you." Phoebe broke on a sob, and Cole pulled her close and stroked her hair. After a moment, Phoebe pulled back and smiled. No matter how bad things were, the feeling of Cole's arms holding her tight always made her feel better.
"Ok, let's get to this," Piper said, bringing Phoebe back into witch mode. "Pheebs, can you come help me in the kitchen? Maybe we can try a few potions or something."
Phoebe got up and asked, "Why can't we just ask Leo? He could probably..." Phoebe's words were cut off as the Seer flashed into the room and held a knife to Phoebe's throat.
The Seer looked at Cole and smiled. "Looks like things are turning about just as I foresaw," she said as she flashed out with Phoebe.
"Phoebe!" Cole screamed.
****
As they materialized, the Seer roughly threw Phoebe to the floor. "You won't get away with this," Phoebe hissed in anger. "Cole will come for me, and he'll vanquish you."
"Oh, I have no doubt that Belthazor will show up," the Seer said smugly. "In fact...I'm counting on it."
****
"I'm not getting anything," Paige said with disgust as she threw the scrying crystal onto the table.
"She's in the Underworld," Cole said quietly.
"How do you know that?" Piper demanded.
"Because I can sense her," Cole replied, shakily getting to his feet. "Phoebe and I share a bond that transcends life and death, Good and Evil, because of our love. I can sense her anywhere, and I know where she is. I'm going after her."
"Cole, you're too weak..." Piper began.
"This isn't about Phoebe, or the Charmed Ones for that matter," Cole said. "It's about me. The Seer tried to pull me below the night the Source attacked, but...I think my alternate future self made sure she didn't succeed. Obviously, she still needs me for something. Well, she's about to find out she messed with the wrong half-demon." Before Piper could protest, Cole blurred out.
"Well, now what?" Paige groaned.
"There's only one thing to do at a time like this," Piper said. "LEO!"
****
Cole materialized in the Underworld to see a smug Seer standing in front of him. "Welcome home, Belthazor."
Cole struggled to stand up straight, the dizziness in his head almost overwhelming him. "Where's Phoebe?" he demanded coldly.
"See for yourself," the Seer said, looking to the side. Cole followed her gaze, and gasped. Phoebe was tied to a post, unable to move, and behind her was a Gorlok, and twenty-five foot all demon that only had one purpose...to consume magic from good beings by eating them alive.
"COLE, HELP ME!" Phoebe screamed.
Cole wasted no time and ran over to it. Without hesitation, Cole fired a succession of energy balls. After the tenth one, the Gorlok finally exploded. Intense pain flooded through his body, and this time it was too much. Cole managed to look at Phoebe and gasp, "I love you." Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the floor.
"NO!" Phoebe wailed. 'This can't be happening, not again,' she thought.
"At last," the Seer said triumphantly, moving to stand over Cole's body. "So much power, and it's all mine." She raised the athame to stab Cole. "Goodbye, Belthazor."
"Not so fast," said a new voice. Before the Seer could turn to face the newcomer, she screamed and exploded. Phoebe turned her head to see Piper lowering her hands with Paige and Leo standing behind her. "You ok, Pheebs?" she asked.
"Don't worry about me," Phoebe snapped, anxiety making her irritable. "Leo, heal Cole." The Whitelighter obeyed without another word. However, even though the glow came from his hands, it was all too apparent that nothing was happening. "What's wrong Leo? Why isn't it working?"
Leo looked up, tears in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Phoebe."
"What?" she gasped as Paige finished untying her. She ran over to Cole's body and angrily beat upon his chest. "You cannot do this to me again, Cole!" she wailed. "You can't leave me like this..." She trailed off as wracking sobs over took her.
Piper's heart broke as she watched her younger sister's grief. Why did she have to suffer so much? Piper was suddenly cut off from her musings as a figure in a dark cloak appeared. The man appeared old, and there was something in his eyes that spoke of great power. Piper didn't even think of stopping him. Nor did any of the others, not even Phoebe, when the man bent over Cole's prone form.
The man stretched out a hand and began to chant in a language long forgotten to the world. A glow emanated from his hand and spread to Cole. Phoebe watched, utterly transfixed, as color flooded back into Cole's cheeks. After a moment, the man's hand stopped glowing, and he stepped back. "All is well now," the man said quietly, addressing no one. "Rest well, brother. Soon, we shall call upon you." The man vanished without another word.
Cole gasped and shot up into a sitting position. "What...?" he started, but was cut off by Phoebe's lips on his. Cole gratefully breathed in her scent as he responded. After a minute, Cole pulled back and rested his forehead against hers. "You ok?" he asked.
"Am I ok?" Phoebe asked incredulously. "You almost died, Cole!"
"I know, and I'm sorry," Cole said as he got to his feet. "But I don't think we have to worry about that anymore."
"What are you talking about?" Piper asked. "Who was that?"
Cole sighed heavily before replying quietly, "An Avatar."
TO BE CONTINUED...