ELEVEN
"You're joking," said Tiffany. "Demons can't love. It's not in their
nature."
"He can," said Chris. "He's only half demon. His father was human. So
he has a human half."
"You seem to know a lot about me," said Cole, eyeing Chris suspiciously.
"More than you should know. How do you know about my human half? There are
very few who know about that and they're all demons."
"It's old news to me," said Chris. He glanced at Leo and Tiffany. They
both just nodded to him. "I know a great about you because for me, it's ancient
history. Leo's not the only White Lighter in the house. I am, too. And I'm
from the future. That's how I know about you."
"The future?" questioned Cole. "That's not possible. Time travel is very
difficult and I know that White Lighters don't have that ability. The only one
I know of, outside of demonic circles, is in the...."
He stopped himself short. He wasn't sure how much they knew and he didn't
want to give them information they didn't need.
"In the what?" Chris asked. "The Book of Shadows? The one that belonged
to Penny Halliwell? So you know about that. Why was Phoebe your target
anyway?"
"You know about them," said Cole. It wasn't a question. Just a simple
statement. "I didn't think anyone knew about them. The Source only discovered
it a couple of years ago. That's why I was sent in."
"To stop them?" asked Tiffany.
"No, to watch them," said Cole. "A warlock was dating Piper when her
grandmother died. He had planned to kill her and steal her power when she
inherited them. Only she never did. After a while he figured it was a waste of
time and stopped seeing her. He eventually told a demon what he knew and that
demon told the Source."
"That's not what happened originally," said Chris. "The sisters
vanquished him after he tried to kill Piper. It was their first vanquishing."
"What do you mean 'originally'?" Cole asked. "Just what's going on here?'
"Well," said Leo, "according to Chris, the past has been altered. He
claims the girls found the Book of Shadows in the attic of the manor and became
the Charmed Ones. For the past six years they've been fighting demons. Now,
suddenly, everything has changed. That's why we came to the manor. To see if
we can find out what's going on."
"You can't change the past," said Cole, "everyone knows that. Sounds to
me like your friend here is delusional?"
"Then explain how I know so much about you," said Chris. "You were born
about a hundred years ago. You're a demonic mercenary. And you specialize in
killing witches. At least you did until recently."
"Common knowledge," said Cole. "I spent a great deal of time grooming my
reputation."
"Then how did I know you were half human?" asked Chris.
"Someone must have told you," said Cole.
"Who?" Chris asked. "You said yourself the only ones who know are demons.
Are any of them in the habit of divulging sensitive information to White
Lighters?"
"No, they aren't," said Cole thoughtfully. "At the manor you said I was
dead. If you're from the future, does that mean I died?"
"Oh, well," stumbled Chris, "in a manner of speaking, yes. Your demonic
side was vanquished. That's all I meant."
"You're a poor liar kid," said Cole. "Who vanquished me? Was it the
Charmed Ones?"
"In my reality," said Chris, "you were married to Phoebe as well. The
Source sent you to kill them and you fell in love with her and she with you.
You died to protect her and her sisters."
Chris was hoping Cole wouldn't see through that lie. In a way, he had
died to protect Phoebe and her sisters. He only hoped that Cole wouldn't press
the issue. Protect them from being killed by him. It was a fine line he was
treading but he had tread it before.
"That's good to know," said Cole. "At least my death had some purpose."
"What was that you were saying about your plans?" asked Leo. "Just what
are you planning to do?"
"It's very simple," said Cole. "For the last two years I've been
convincing the Source that the girls don't have the Book of Shadows, which they
don't. But I've done more than that. I've convinced him that the book was
destroyed. That their grandmother destroyed it before she died because she
didn't think they would be able to handle the power. Not that far from the
truth, actually."
"That much is true," said Chris. "Before she died, Penny was planning to
strip the girls powers. There were still a lot of ill feelings between them,
especially Prue and Phoebe. Penny didn't think they'd ever be able to work
together enough to be the Charmed Ones. But she died before she could use the
stripping potion. Piper found it a couple of years later."
"There's more, isn't there?" asked Tiffany. "Why go through all the
trouble of convincing the Source that the girls will never be the Charmed Ones?
Did you take their book?"
'You know I can't even touch it," said Cole. "I don't know where it is.
But if it hasn't surfaced in six years, it probably isn't going to. At least,
not for quite a while. What I've been doing for the past two years is
convincing the Source that he has nothing to fear from them. That way he'll
stop watching them."
"Then what?" Leo asked. "Surely he'd send you on an other assignment.
You'd have to leave Phoebe behind. How does that work into your plans?"
'Very simple," said Cole. "When the time is right, I'm going to die.
Vanquished by a witch out for revenge. And the girls will be safe from the
Source forever."
"You're joking," said Tiffany. "Demons can't love. It's not in their
nature."
"He can," said Chris. "He's only half demon. His father was human. So
he has a human half."
"You seem to know a lot about me," said Cole, eyeing Chris suspiciously.
"More than you should know. How do you know about my human half? There are
very few who know about that and they're all demons."
"It's old news to me," said Chris. He glanced at Leo and Tiffany. They
both just nodded to him. "I know a great about you because for me, it's ancient
history. Leo's not the only White Lighter in the house. I am, too. And I'm
from the future. That's how I know about you."
"The future?" questioned Cole. "That's not possible. Time travel is very
difficult and I know that White Lighters don't have that ability. The only one
I know of, outside of demonic circles, is in the...."
He stopped himself short. He wasn't sure how much they knew and he didn't
want to give them information they didn't need.
"In the what?" Chris asked. "The Book of Shadows? The one that belonged
to Penny Halliwell? So you know about that. Why was Phoebe your target
anyway?"
"You know about them," said Cole. It wasn't a question. Just a simple
statement. "I didn't think anyone knew about them. The Source only discovered
it a couple of years ago. That's why I was sent in."
"To stop them?" asked Tiffany.
"No, to watch them," said Cole. "A warlock was dating Piper when her
grandmother died. He had planned to kill her and steal her power when she
inherited them. Only she never did. After a while he figured it was a waste of
time and stopped seeing her. He eventually told a demon what he knew and that
demon told the Source."
"That's not what happened originally," said Chris. "The sisters
vanquished him after he tried to kill Piper. It was their first vanquishing."
"What do you mean 'originally'?" Cole asked. "Just what's going on here?'
"Well," said Leo, "according to Chris, the past has been altered. He
claims the girls found the Book of Shadows in the attic of the manor and became
the Charmed Ones. For the past six years they've been fighting demons. Now,
suddenly, everything has changed. That's why we came to the manor. To see if
we can find out what's going on."
"You can't change the past," said Cole, "everyone knows that. Sounds to
me like your friend here is delusional?"
"Then explain how I know so much about you," said Chris. "You were born
about a hundred years ago. You're a demonic mercenary. And you specialize in
killing witches. At least you did until recently."
"Common knowledge," said Cole. "I spent a great deal of time grooming my
reputation."
"Then how did I know you were half human?" asked Chris.
"Someone must have told you," said Cole.
"Who?" Chris asked. "You said yourself the only ones who know are demons.
Are any of them in the habit of divulging sensitive information to White
Lighters?"
"No, they aren't," said Cole thoughtfully. "At the manor you said I was
dead. If you're from the future, does that mean I died?"
"Oh, well," stumbled Chris, "in a manner of speaking, yes. Your demonic
side was vanquished. That's all I meant."
"You're a poor liar kid," said Cole. "Who vanquished me? Was it the
Charmed Ones?"
"In my reality," said Chris, "you were married to Phoebe as well. The
Source sent you to kill them and you fell in love with her and she with you.
You died to protect her and her sisters."
Chris was hoping Cole wouldn't see through that lie. In a way, he had
died to protect Phoebe and her sisters. He only hoped that Cole wouldn't press
the issue. Protect them from being killed by him. It was a fine line he was
treading but he had tread it before.
"That's good to know," said Cole. "At least my death had some purpose."
"What was that you were saying about your plans?" asked Leo. "Just what
are you planning to do?"
"It's very simple," said Cole. "For the last two years I've been
convincing the Source that the girls don't have the Book of Shadows, which they
don't. But I've done more than that. I've convinced him that the book was
destroyed. That their grandmother destroyed it before she died because she
didn't think they would be able to handle the power. Not that far from the
truth, actually."
"That much is true," said Chris. "Before she died, Penny was planning to
strip the girls powers. There were still a lot of ill feelings between them,
especially Prue and Phoebe. Penny didn't think they'd ever be able to work
together enough to be the Charmed Ones. But she died before she could use the
stripping potion. Piper found it a couple of years later."
"There's more, isn't there?" asked Tiffany. "Why go through all the
trouble of convincing the Source that the girls will never be the Charmed Ones?
Did you take their book?"
'You know I can't even touch it," said Cole. "I don't know where it is.
But if it hasn't surfaced in six years, it probably isn't going to. At least,
not for quite a while. What I've been doing for the past two years is
convincing the Source that he has nothing to fear from them. That way he'll
stop watching them."
"Then what?" Leo asked. "Surely he'd send you on an other assignment.
You'd have to leave Phoebe behind. How does that work into your plans?"
'Very simple," said Cole. "When the time is right, I'm going to die.
Vanquished by a witch out for revenge. And the girls will be safe from the
Source forever."