Chapter 39 - "Not yet."
Phoebe had spent the last few nights with Cole, and now she was back. Bane and Prue had returned from San Francisco too.
"How'd it go?" Paige asked when she hugged Prue. She was exited to see her sisters back, well two of them anyway.
"Good. We scored some pieces that originally came from Tari, so now we can add it to our town history section in the museum." Prue was happy with her work.
"Prue was great, i had a good time." Bane said with a smile and kissed Prue on the cheek.
Paige looked over to Phoebe.
"You know that case that Cole had kinda lost the other week? Well he won the appeal while i was staying with him, so we..he's got a second chance."
"Well that's good."
"So, how was James?" Phoebe asked with a wink.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Paige narrowed her eyes at Phoebe, and saw Prue and Bane sneak away.
"Nothing! Nothing at all. Just curious."
"Sure, sure."
"Okay i was mucking around, but seriously, did you two get to know each other better - and i don't mean that in the way you think i'm thinking."
"Don't confuse yourself." Paige teased.
"Don't change the subject." Phoebe threw back.
"Fine." Paige was about to answer Phoebe when James walked past the front window and around to the backyard. "It was great the first few days, and then he seemed to be a bit distant. Something or someone is on his mind i can tell."
"Someone like you perhaps?"
"Phoebe!"
"What?"
"No it's not me. James strikes me as the kinda guy who flatter the girl he likes senseless if he liked her. He's hardly spoken to me, so i am ruled out."
"Do you want to be ruled out?"
"I don't know." Phoebe looked at Paige and tried to work out which way Paige swayed, she couldn't tell. Paige shrugged. *I really don't know.*
(Backyard) James was lying on his back on a deck chair dreaming, unaware that he was being watched.
"What is he dreaming about?" asked the boss.
"He's dreaming of a woman. A beautiful woman. A woman he knows very well." Answered the second demon.
"Who is she?"
"She is very powerful, and she is out of reach. He can't have her."
"What kind of power? What is her name? Where is she? I need answers Taij."
"I don't know her name. But she is the biggest power of good, she is.."
"Charmed. It's Piper, he's dreaming about Piper." Jasperoshna smiled and was happy that this had happened.
"He can't have her." Taij stared at his boss. "What are you going to do?"
"Give him what he wants." Jasper rubbed his hands together and plotted in his mind.
"But she's taken, and i highly doubt that she will revert to her old life. How will you...?"
"You'll see."
James was having a very good dream but he awoke, with a bad feeling. "Who's there?" James looked around, he knew he was being watched.
"He knows we're here, how does he know? Does he have powers you didn't tell me about?"
"No he doesn't Taij, he's just confused. Human emotion and hormones can be hard to deal with, lucky us Demons don't have to put up with that, well the emotion part anyway."
"We should go, he'll spot us and then the sisters will know and then the Whitelighter will tell his witch and..."
"Shhh, they won't find out anything. Just be quiet."
James stood up for a better view.
"Go find that cat you found quite a while ago and bring her here." Jasper ordered.
"But why give the cat back now?"
"Because i'm sick of having to look after a good cat, now go!"
Taij went off and returned with the cat immediately.
"Good." Jasper looked at the cat. "Glad to be rid of you."
Taij released the hissing cat and it ran towards an approaching James.
"Kit? Kit! Sweetie are you spying on me?" James picked up the Halliwell cat and went to reunite her with her rightful owners.
"What was the point of that?" Taij now stood up behind the shed.
"To distract him. He'll go inside. The owners will be over the moon about seeing their long lost pet and he'll forget he ever thought he sensed something because he will be happy. That's human emotion for you."
"Are you going to do whatever it was to the man now?"
"Not yet." Jasper and his dream reading demon shimmered out.
(James' room) He walked inside with Kit at his heels, but he found Paige and Phoebe in his room. "What are you guys doing in here?"
"Um.."
Phoebe jumped in. "I just wanted to see if you were okay. Paige said you were a bit, i don't know, distant lately."
"You thought i was distant Paige?" *I can't tell her about my dreams* "Yeah i guess i was. It's nothing really. Guess i'm in a bit of a rut."
"Can i do anything?" Asked Phoebe.
"No not really. I'm okay now though." *I think* "I can help you though. Guess who i found outside, you'll never believe it." James stepped outside his room, picked up Kit and walked back in.
"Oh my gosh! You're right! I don't believe this. Kit! Where have you been all this time baby? Aww come here." Phoebe ran over and hugged the cat.
"Kit! Wow James, i never thought we'd see her again. How are you gorgeous?"
Paige and Phoebe were lavishing attention on their long lost feline friend. Prue and Bane heard all the commotion from the other room and came to find out what it was for.
Bane's hair was messed up and his shirt buttons were done up in the wrong holes.
"Hey, who's this pretty cat?" Bane hadn't met Kit before.
"It's Kit! Kit our cat who's been missing for quite some time. Who found her?"
"I did. Just outside. I thought i had forgotten someone when i came back here."
"Glad you have your cat back, it seems she hasn't forgotten any of you." Bane got aquainted with the new/old family member.
(Taij's lair underground) "You were right, James didn't even mention anything about being watched."
"Which is a very good thing because i don't want them to suspect there's demonic intervention. They will later but that won't matter."
"I wish you would tell me what you're going to do."
"I will, in time. Now if you'll excuse me, i have some research to do."
Phoebe had spent the last few nights with Cole, and now she was back. Bane and Prue had returned from San Francisco too.
"How'd it go?" Paige asked when she hugged Prue. She was exited to see her sisters back, well two of them anyway.
"Good. We scored some pieces that originally came from Tari, so now we can add it to our town history section in the museum." Prue was happy with her work.
"Prue was great, i had a good time." Bane said with a smile and kissed Prue on the cheek.
Paige looked over to Phoebe.
"You know that case that Cole had kinda lost the other week? Well he won the appeal while i was staying with him, so we..he's got a second chance."
"Well that's good."
"So, how was James?" Phoebe asked with a wink.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Paige narrowed her eyes at Phoebe, and saw Prue and Bane sneak away.
"Nothing! Nothing at all. Just curious."
"Sure, sure."
"Okay i was mucking around, but seriously, did you two get to know each other better - and i don't mean that in the way you think i'm thinking."
"Don't confuse yourself." Paige teased.
"Don't change the subject." Phoebe threw back.
"Fine." Paige was about to answer Phoebe when James walked past the front window and around to the backyard. "It was great the first few days, and then he seemed to be a bit distant. Something or someone is on his mind i can tell."
"Someone like you perhaps?"
"Phoebe!"
"What?"
"No it's not me. James strikes me as the kinda guy who flatter the girl he likes senseless if he liked her. He's hardly spoken to me, so i am ruled out."
"Do you want to be ruled out?"
"I don't know." Phoebe looked at Paige and tried to work out which way Paige swayed, she couldn't tell. Paige shrugged. *I really don't know.*
(Backyard) James was lying on his back on a deck chair dreaming, unaware that he was being watched.
"What is he dreaming about?" asked the boss.
"He's dreaming of a woman. A beautiful woman. A woman he knows very well." Answered the second demon.
"Who is she?"
"She is very powerful, and she is out of reach. He can't have her."
"What kind of power? What is her name? Where is she? I need answers Taij."
"I don't know her name. But she is the biggest power of good, she is.."
"Charmed. It's Piper, he's dreaming about Piper." Jasperoshna smiled and was happy that this had happened.
"He can't have her." Taij stared at his boss. "What are you going to do?"
"Give him what he wants." Jasper rubbed his hands together and plotted in his mind.
"But she's taken, and i highly doubt that she will revert to her old life. How will you...?"
"You'll see."
James was having a very good dream but he awoke, with a bad feeling. "Who's there?" James looked around, he knew he was being watched.
"He knows we're here, how does he know? Does he have powers you didn't tell me about?"
"No he doesn't Taij, he's just confused. Human emotion and hormones can be hard to deal with, lucky us Demons don't have to put up with that, well the emotion part anyway."
"We should go, he'll spot us and then the sisters will know and then the Whitelighter will tell his witch and..."
"Shhh, they won't find out anything. Just be quiet."
James stood up for a better view.
"Go find that cat you found quite a while ago and bring her here." Jasper ordered.
"But why give the cat back now?"
"Because i'm sick of having to look after a good cat, now go!"
Taij went off and returned with the cat immediately.
"Good." Jasper looked at the cat. "Glad to be rid of you."
Taij released the hissing cat and it ran towards an approaching James.
"Kit? Kit! Sweetie are you spying on me?" James picked up the Halliwell cat and went to reunite her with her rightful owners.
"What was the point of that?" Taij now stood up behind the shed.
"To distract him. He'll go inside. The owners will be over the moon about seeing their long lost pet and he'll forget he ever thought he sensed something because he will be happy. That's human emotion for you."
"Are you going to do whatever it was to the man now?"
"Not yet." Jasper and his dream reading demon shimmered out.
(James' room) He walked inside with Kit at his heels, but he found Paige and Phoebe in his room. "What are you guys doing in here?"
"Um.."
Phoebe jumped in. "I just wanted to see if you were okay. Paige said you were a bit, i don't know, distant lately."
"You thought i was distant Paige?" *I can't tell her about my dreams* "Yeah i guess i was. It's nothing really. Guess i'm in a bit of a rut."
"Can i do anything?" Asked Phoebe.
"No not really. I'm okay now though." *I think* "I can help you though. Guess who i found outside, you'll never believe it." James stepped outside his room, picked up Kit and walked back in.
"Oh my gosh! You're right! I don't believe this. Kit! Where have you been all this time baby? Aww come here." Phoebe ran over and hugged the cat.
"Kit! Wow James, i never thought we'd see her again. How are you gorgeous?"
Paige and Phoebe were lavishing attention on their long lost feline friend. Prue and Bane heard all the commotion from the other room and came to find out what it was for.
Bane's hair was messed up and his shirt buttons were done up in the wrong holes.
"Hey, who's this pretty cat?" Bane hadn't met Kit before.
"It's Kit! Kit our cat who's been missing for quite some time. Who found her?"
"I did. Just outside. I thought i had forgotten someone when i came back here."
"Glad you have your cat back, it seems she hasn't forgotten any of you." Bane got aquainted with the new/old family member.
(Taij's lair underground) "You were right, James didn't even mention anything about being watched."
"Which is a very good thing because i don't want them to suspect there's demonic intervention. They will later but that won't matter."
"I wish you would tell me what you're going to do."
"I will, in time. Now if you'll excuse me, i have some research to do."