FOUR
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.
"As I said, I wanted to speak to you," said Cole. "I have some information for you. Information that might help you with your current dilemma."
"What information?" Buffy asked.
"Well, as you know," said Cole, "an old foe has returned. And it has a new agenda of sorts. It's learned that it can't defeat you head on. So it's going to try a different approach."
"Like killing an innocent child and taking his body," said Buffy.
"In a word, yes," said Cole. "I know you don't have the amulet any longer. My colleagues have retrieved it and put it away for safe keeping."
"Then give it back," Buffy insisted. "You know we can't defeat The First without it. If you don't give it back we're going to loose."
"No, you won't," said Cole. "First, I don't know where they've put it. It's much too powerful to leave lying around for just anyone to find. Second, the first has a weakness. It's not recorded anywhere so your former Watcher isn't going to find it. But I know that weakness. Something that will help you defeat it again."
"What weakness?" Buffy asked.
"As you know, The First doesn't have a corporeal form," said Cole. "That's why it couldn't attack you directly. It had to gather minions to itself to do that actual work. But that has not always been the case. Millennia ago it had a form. But a powerful being forced the spirit from that form. Since then, The First has existed in only spirit form unable to personally affect anything physical."
"I know it can't affect anything physical," Buffy said. "What does that have to do with us or that weakness you mentioned."
"The child will afford The First the opportunity to once again take physical form," said Cole. "Even at his young age he can orb. He's half White Lighter. The First will simply bide its time. Sooner or later the child will orb somewhere. When he does, The First will be able to join with the child. When the orb is completed, The First will again have physical form."
"How does that help us?" Buffy asked.
"When The First attempts to join with the orbing child," said Cole, "it is possible to vanquish it. It won't destroy The First but it will scatter its essence. By the time it can coalesce back into its spirit form the child will have grown enough to prevent it from happening again."
"Why Wyatt?" Buffy asked. "Why not just find any White Lighter and wait for them to orb then join with them?
"It wouldn't work," said Cole. "Wyatt is still young enough to be unaware of what's happening. Someone older would be aware of it and be able to prevent the joining. So The First has to take advantage of this, possibly its only opportunity."
"How do we prevent it from joining with Wyatt?" Buffy asked.
"That I don't know," said Cole. "The Charmed Ones will have to figure that out for themselves. I'm confident they will. They are quite resourceful."
"Tell me something," said Buffy. "Are you Cole Turner?"
"Why do you ask?" Cole asked, smiling coyly.
"They said what I've told them reminds them of Cole," said Buffy. "Especially your description. It's supposed to be a dead ringer for Cole."
"Cole Turner was vanquished some time ago by the Charmed Ones," said Cole. "As for my appearance, just coincidence. I can take many forms. And my description can fit literally thousands of men right here in San Francisco."
"You didn't answer my question," said Buffy.
"How could I be Cole Turner if he was vanquished?" Cole asked. "Vanquishing is a term that means kill. If I had been killed how could I be sitting here now?"
"I've died," Buffy said. "Twice. And I'm still here."
"True," said Cole. "But you didn't come back on your own. Both times someone else brought you back. Cole Turner was half demon. There are few demons that would be able to bring him back. More importantly, they would have little reason to. And you would be hard pressed to find anyone on the side of good who would be willing to bring back a half demon, especially one with Cole's reputation."
"So you aren't Cole Turner?" Buffy asked.
"Cole Turner is gone forever," said Cole. "I belong to a select group of individuals. A group I was asked to join long before Cole was vanquished."
"What group?" Buffy asked.
"That's unimportant," said Cole. "What is important is that this current dilemma is the first step toward your new destiny. I've given you this information to help you defeat your enemy and protect your friends. I don't think it will be much longer. You will need to get this information to your friends quickly so they can use it."
"Okay," said Buffy. "But why don't you just come and tell them yourself? In case they have any questions?"
"My business is with you, not them," said Cole.
"I see," said Buffy. "You still don't say much when you talk."
"I say what needs to be said," said Cole. "The longer we are acquainted the more I will be able to tell you. For now, let's just say I don't want to give you any extraneous information. Nothing that might confuse you or divert your attention away from your present problems."
"That's diplomatic," said Buffy. "Still, I guess there's not much I can do about it right now. But don't be fooled. If I find out you're trying to trick me or hurt my friends, you aren't going to be happy. I don't care what powers you might have."
"You have no need to worry about that," said Cole. "I have no intentions of letting your or your friends be harmed. That's why I've given you the information I've given you. So that you can protect yourselves."
"That has yet to be seen," said Buffy. "Just keep what I told you in mind."
Cole didn't say a word. He simply smiled at Buffy, and then vanished from the room. Buffy hurried down stairs to tell the others what Cole had told her.
"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.
"As I said, I wanted to speak to you," said Cole. "I have some information for you. Information that might help you with your current dilemma."
"What information?" Buffy asked.
"Well, as you know," said Cole, "an old foe has returned. And it has a new agenda of sorts. It's learned that it can't defeat you head on. So it's going to try a different approach."
"Like killing an innocent child and taking his body," said Buffy.
"In a word, yes," said Cole. "I know you don't have the amulet any longer. My colleagues have retrieved it and put it away for safe keeping."
"Then give it back," Buffy insisted. "You know we can't defeat The First without it. If you don't give it back we're going to loose."
"No, you won't," said Cole. "First, I don't know where they've put it. It's much too powerful to leave lying around for just anyone to find. Second, the first has a weakness. It's not recorded anywhere so your former Watcher isn't going to find it. But I know that weakness. Something that will help you defeat it again."
"What weakness?" Buffy asked.
"As you know, The First doesn't have a corporeal form," said Cole. "That's why it couldn't attack you directly. It had to gather minions to itself to do that actual work. But that has not always been the case. Millennia ago it had a form. But a powerful being forced the spirit from that form. Since then, The First has existed in only spirit form unable to personally affect anything physical."
"I know it can't affect anything physical," Buffy said. "What does that have to do with us or that weakness you mentioned."
"The child will afford The First the opportunity to once again take physical form," said Cole. "Even at his young age he can orb. He's half White Lighter. The First will simply bide its time. Sooner or later the child will orb somewhere. When he does, The First will be able to join with the child. When the orb is completed, The First will again have physical form."
"How does that help us?" Buffy asked.
"When The First attempts to join with the orbing child," said Cole, "it is possible to vanquish it. It won't destroy The First but it will scatter its essence. By the time it can coalesce back into its spirit form the child will have grown enough to prevent it from happening again."
"Why Wyatt?" Buffy asked. "Why not just find any White Lighter and wait for them to orb then join with them?
"It wouldn't work," said Cole. "Wyatt is still young enough to be unaware of what's happening. Someone older would be aware of it and be able to prevent the joining. So The First has to take advantage of this, possibly its only opportunity."
"How do we prevent it from joining with Wyatt?" Buffy asked.
"That I don't know," said Cole. "The Charmed Ones will have to figure that out for themselves. I'm confident they will. They are quite resourceful."
"Tell me something," said Buffy. "Are you Cole Turner?"
"Why do you ask?" Cole asked, smiling coyly.
"They said what I've told them reminds them of Cole," said Buffy. "Especially your description. It's supposed to be a dead ringer for Cole."
"Cole Turner was vanquished some time ago by the Charmed Ones," said Cole. "As for my appearance, just coincidence. I can take many forms. And my description can fit literally thousands of men right here in San Francisco."
"You didn't answer my question," said Buffy.
"How could I be Cole Turner if he was vanquished?" Cole asked. "Vanquishing is a term that means kill. If I had been killed how could I be sitting here now?"
"I've died," Buffy said. "Twice. And I'm still here."
"True," said Cole. "But you didn't come back on your own. Both times someone else brought you back. Cole Turner was half demon. There are few demons that would be able to bring him back. More importantly, they would have little reason to. And you would be hard pressed to find anyone on the side of good who would be willing to bring back a half demon, especially one with Cole's reputation."
"So you aren't Cole Turner?" Buffy asked.
"Cole Turner is gone forever," said Cole. "I belong to a select group of individuals. A group I was asked to join long before Cole was vanquished."
"What group?" Buffy asked.
"That's unimportant," said Cole. "What is important is that this current dilemma is the first step toward your new destiny. I've given you this information to help you defeat your enemy and protect your friends. I don't think it will be much longer. You will need to get this information to your friends quickly so they can use it."
"Okay," said Buffy. "But why don't you just come and tell them yourself? In case they have any questions?"
"My business is with you, not them," said Cole.
"I see," said Buffy. "You still don't say much when you talk."
"I say what needs to be said," said Cole. "The longer we are acquainted the more I will be able to tell you. For now, let's just say I don't want to give you any extraneous information. Nothing that might confuse you or divert your attention away from your present problems."
"That's diplomatic," said Buffy. "Still, I guess there's not much I can do about it right now. But don't be fooled. If I find out you're trying to trick me or hurt my friends, you aren't going to be happy. I don't care what powers you might have."
"You have no need to worry about that," said Cole. "I have no intentions of letting your or your friends be harmed. That's why I've given you the information I've given you. So that you can protect yourselves."
"That has yet to be seen," said Buffy. "Just keep what I told you in mind."
Cole didn't say a word. He simply smiled at Buffy, and then vanished from the room. Buffy hurried down stairs to tell the others what Cole had told her.