A/N: Thanks Lunatigre for the suggestions. I couldn't remember whether Cole's mother had murdered his father or not but oh well. I still hope you enjoy the story!
Piper had a confused look on her face so Cole became quiet. She finally caught her breath back and began talking. "I thought you said your father was murdered by your mom."
Cole shifted his position realizing that he had lied to them when they had asked before, where was his parent. "Well you see, at the time, I wasn't sure if you were really ready to know if my father was alive." Cole hushed hoping that what he said was enough to get him out of the lie he had told before.
But apparently he was wrong because that only brought more questions to Piper. "You know that since you lied, it'll lower my trust meter." Piper heard something from around where the refrigerator was but she dismissed the sound like Cole did. Piper stepped closer to Cole, bringing her voice to a whisper. "I don't know what else you have hiding, but we will vanquish your dad. He is a danger to us and there is nothing more to understand since you want to tell me lies. There isn't any sense in me to ask more questions."
Cole didn't want his trust to be lost between the girls. He certainly didn't know how he'd tell Phoebe that the guy was his father, but he'd have to or Piper would. "Piper, ask me more questions. Anything that comes into your mind." Cole brought his voice to the same volume as Piper's.
Piper wondered if she should ask more and she did. "You said that your father tried to 'impress you'. What exactly do you mean?"
"Well…he just wanted to make me happy. I guess I could say that he wanted to meet my standards and my levels of powers. But soon I figured by myself, how could he even get an ounce of power with him being a weakling…or a human."
"When did you leave? Or did you?" Piper started to play with the necklace that she wore around her neck but she kept her eyes steadied on Cole.
"I left him after a demon attacked my mother. Which was when I was about 13. You know, my mother was the one who helped me to gather my power behind my father's back. My father was happy with what power I showed him…but he somehow knew that I was getting stronger. See, the stronger I got, then it became more of a struggle for my father to gain power." Cole's voice got lower as he was remembering the days of when he was younger.
"Why did you leave when your mother was attacked?" Piper's eyes seemed to calm down. They seemed to understand Cole now but it was obvious that she still hadn't let her guard down.
Cole's eyes wondered for words to say. "The demon was looking for me. He was after me. My mother tried to protect me but the demon still reached me. He attacked her but she still lived and saw what I had done to it. To my and my parents surprise, I had vanquished the demon on my own and that was when we all realized the I had surpassed my mother's teaching and her own abilities. More demons came looking for me. They all wanted my power just like they want yours. When I realized that, I decided that it was better for my parents that I leave and lead the demons away from them. I vanquished them one by one and that is how I earned my good name."
"Evil name." Piper whispered. "But why would your dad try to impress you? Why not just leave you the hell alone?"
"In his nature. He just wanted to be a fatherly figure to me and that was practically impossible since he wasn't what I was. He knew exactly how I thought of him."
"How exactly did you think of him?"
Cole tried to search his mind for good words. "Weak, useless, nothing but wasted flesh that could've been killed by me."
Piper was taken aback by the few things that Cole had said. Piper noticed that Cole was no longer looking at her but his eyes seemed distant. Remembering what brought him to say what he just said.
Cole began talking this time but he didn't seem to be focusing on Piper. "So he's been trying to turn demon. He still thinks I'm evil, but so does everyone else. It seems he has found some way and now he wants to help me." Cole's voice seemed distant as well.
"Cole, do you know what and who made the ring?" Piper asked hoping to bring Cole back to reality.
Cole still seemed to be replaying events of him when he was a child but at the same time, responding to Piper's questions. "I can't remember much about it. But I remember that with the last conversation I had with my father which was when I was about 16, that he said he found a way to get power through a ring but he had to steal it first."
Piper straightened hoping that Cole would be able to answer the next question that had been in everyone's mind. "Who did he steal it from?"
"I don't know. He told me but I wasn't really listening at the time. I just thought that he wouldn't be able to do it."
"Cole you have to remember." Piper said, her voice slightly rising.
Flashback from Cole:
*Screaming of his mother after being badly hurt by the demon that had arrived to get Cole's powers. Cole was cowered in a corner, but seeing his mother get hurt as bad as he did, he stood up and faced the demon. His eyes burning with fire, hoping for this demon to die. The demon chuckled as he saw the small body (Cole, 13 years old) rise up against his tall masculine build.
"Child, no need to face me." The demon didn't know what strengths Cole held but he knew that he had great power.
Cole stood his ground, staring the demon, focusing his power just as his mother taught him to. Behind his back, Cole had been charging an energy ball, then he push it deep into the demon's stomach. The demon gasped in surprise at the attack caused by the child. Cole smiled in success, his eyes burning with the desire of death. "I need not face you?" Cole said. The demon didn't say, but Cole made the energy ball bigger, it growing inside of the demon. With his other hand, Cole created a fire ball and charged it right in front of the demon's face. The demon's face looked alarmed but before he could struggle, Cole released the fire ball, decapitating the demon's head and then the body flew up in flames.
Cole's eyes returned to normal, he saw his mother badly hurt but there was fear in her eyes as she realized what Cole could really have been capable of. His father on the other hand was afraid before then, but he didn't know what his son had become. Cole saw this from the both of them and left the house hoping to seek help from someone that held more power than he.
With no contact from his parents, 3 years later, Cole's father showed up behind him in a alley after killing an innocent man from the street.
"Cole, we can be together soon!" His father obviously showed excitement but this meant nothing to Cole.
"Is this why you are here? To bug the hell out of me?" Cole asked his father.
Not expecting the comment from his son, his father slapped Cole square across the face. Cole quickly drew a blade from his pants and put it to his father's neck. "Don't you dare do that again." Cole pressed the blade against his father's neck drawing a little blood to show his father that he would harm him if he was to touch him again.
"Don't you want to hear how I have found a power?" The father asked after being released from Cole's grip.
"Whatever. I have nothing better to do." Cole began to search the crowd for someone he was expecting to meet, his father giving details on his new idea.
"I found out about a ring a few months ago, but it is in possession of The Source." Cole laughed knowing that his father wouldn't even come close to getting inside The Source's lair.
"You'll see that I get the ring. I'll return to you and soon we both can deface this earth together." Cole didn't even see why his father even bothered. Cole pushed his father into the crowd after seeing the demon he was expecting to arrive, knowing that the demon would kill his father if he saw him. Cole waved to his father hoping he would get the message to leave. Cole didn't understand why he saved his father from the demon, but there was still feeling in his heart that he didn't want.
Back to Reality:
"I remember who the ring belonged to before my father got hold of it." Cole whispered.
Piper stopped fiddling with the necklace. "Who Cole?"
"The Source." Piper's mouth gaped open, as Paige fell over from behind the plant that was beside the refrigerator. Piper turned her attention to helping Paige up. "Are you alright?!" Piper asked Paige. Cole stayed where he was, wondering how much of the conversation had she heard. Paige wiped the dirt of her skirt and hands.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Paige answered not knowing what else to say.
"What were you doing there Paige?" Cole asked. He walked over to where Piper and Paige stood.
Paige frowned, then she answered, "Watering the plant?" She hoped they would buy it but nope they didn't.
"Paige?" Phoebe came running into the kitchen.
"I suspect you had something to do with this Phoebe?" Piper asked.
"No." Phoebe answered
"Yes." Paige answered. They both answered at the same time. "Well it was her idea to listen in but my idea to orb behind the plant." Paige bit her lip just as she always did when she was nervous.
