Disclaimer: Piper Halliwell/Wyatt, Phoebe Halliwell, and Paige
Matthews/Halliwell don't belong to me as do Leo Wyatt, Wyatt Matthew
Halliwell, Cole Turner, Glenn Belland, Victor Bennett, Darryl Morris,
Shelia Morris, and any other characters that appear on the show don't.
Ashanti, Beyonce Knowles, and Jay-Z don't belong to me. Brian belongs to
me, as does Darlene, Raven, and the second Raven vanquishing spell. The
Source vanquishing spell belongs to Aaron Spelling and the creators of
'Charmed', and Veronica belongs to ColeTurner4Ever. Please e-mail with any
comments you may have at Mattman39151@aol.com.
United Chapter 30!!
A/N: Once, again, I, Matthew am here to present you with another chapter written by Charmed-Leo. I have some great news: I, Matthew, will be back to write chapter 31!! *Yay*! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!
****Halliwell Manor– Upper Hallway**** Piper ran out into the darkened corridor, clutching Wyatt in her arms. She pulled the baby blue blanket embellished with the Triquetera closer around his shoulders. Nervously, she looked over her shoulder and, when it became clear that Glenn wasn't following her, she leaned against the wall and sank to the floor.
She was shocked at Glenn's actions. Her future brother-in-law had held her down on her bed and kissed her forcibly. She realized that her bottom lip was stinging and she put two fingers to her lip and withdrew them, noting that they felt warm. Smeared across her fingertips was a trace of sticky crimson blood. Glenn must have cut her lip with his teeth when he had kissed her. She shuddered as she relived the memory of his tongue exploring her mouth...
"Come on, Wyatt... Hush for Mommy..." She gently whispered, bouncing the baby up and down slightly to try and stop him crying. The door to her room opened and she hurriedly flicked her free hand at Glenn. The mortal froze in place and she dashed past him into her bedroom, shutting the door and then locking it behind her with a shaking hand. At the click of the lock she felt safer and she stood there taking deep breaths before putting Wyatt back down in his crib, turning his mobile baby monitor on and watching him drift off to sleep.
****Halliwell Manor– Piper's Bedroom**** The door handle pulled down and someone pushed the door. The handle sprang up again as the lock held and the person stopped pushing. The door shook as someone – Glenn – pounded on it. Piper looked at the door in fear as the hinges rattled. Why was nobody in the attic hearing this?
"Piper, let me in!" Oh this was pathetic. Piper, a Charmed One, scared of a mortal banging on her bedroom door. Was she a witch not? She raised her hands to blow the door to pieces and send Glenn flying down the hall when she felt something pass over her.
It was not something she could explain and she looked left and right for the source of it. But there was nobody in the room. The only sound except for the pounding on the door was the soft, tinkling notes of Wyatt's mobile baby monitor. Shaking her head, she suddenly felt compelled to cross to the door and turn the key.
"Hey Glenn..." She said, leaning on the doorframe. "What's up?" Glenn grinned at her as she grabbed a fistful of his pyjama top and pulled him inside, locking the door again after him.
"You really have to ask?" Piper shrugged, a sexy smile playing across her lips.
"Rhetorical question. I'm pretty sure I know what's up..." Her tongue darted out, licking her lips and tasting the harsh metallic tang of blood. She ignored it.
"That's good... As long as you know..." He stood behind her and massaged her shoulders. She craned her head backwards and nibbled on his neck. "Mmm..." he murmured, stopping his massage and responding by leaving a small trail of kisses down her neck and across her shoulder, moving down all the time...
Piper fell backwards onto the rumpled comforter, her eyes closed and soft moans of pleasure escaping her mouth. Glenn led down next to her, drawing her closer until their bodies became entwined with each other. They kiss again as Piper runs her hands through Glenn's hair whilst Glenn starts to take off Piper's pyjama top...
****Halliwell Manor– Attic**** "Ok, my guess is that it's potion time..." Paige said, reading a page in the Book of Shadows for the last time and closing the huge tome with a thud.
"Why, have you got a potion for the demon?" Leo asked.
"No, not exactly... But I think I know how to make an all-purpose potion that should blow any demon to bits, no matter who he is..." Paige said, picking up the Book of Shadows and hugging it to her chest. "I'm going to kitchen to make it. I will see you guys later," She gave them a small smile and left the attic.
"Leo, go with her. With demons on the loose I don't want anyone on their own," Prue commanded, looking up from her lap for the first time since the argument. Her dark eyes sparkled with tears. Leo looked nervously at Cole and then nodded.
"Uh, sure, Prue, whatever..." He orbed out of the attic, leaving the ex-witch and the half-demon alone. There was an awkward silence as Cole dug his hands even deeper into his pockets. He made about three slow steps around the attic, pretending to be interested in the boxed up stuff that was stacked around the walls.
"So..." He said, letting out a deep breath and struggling to think of anything to say that didn't sound like 'Do you want to go to sleep with me?' "Uh... You know, Phoebe didn't mean that, Prue..." He said at last, hesitating before entering Prue's 'personal space,' but then stepped over the so-far imaginary and invisible chalk line and moved towards the new whitelighter.
"Yes, she did, Cole. We both know that Phoebe never says anything she doesn't mean," Ok, so Prue had got him there. She sniffed. It hurt him to see her so sad, in so much pain... He fought hard to find something nice to say, something comforting.
"Well... in the heat of the moment we all exaggerate things, we blow stuff out of proportion... It's human nature..."
"Oh, and you'd know all about human nature, wouldn't you, Cole?" Prue snapped. Cole didn't take it as an insult.
"See, even the Almighty Prue does it. You blow things out of proportion too...." He paused before sitting down next to her. She scooted up the loveseat away from him so she was sitting half-off the couch. Cole's body sagged with disappointment. "And FYI, I *am* half human. Remember?" Prue rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, whatever..." She sighed, looking down at the floor. Suddenly, she started babbling, saying anything to try and make the argument less severe in her mind. "I mean, maybe I am a hypocrite. I mean Brian's half-demon too, and I have no problems with *me* giving a half-demon..." She stopped and flushed red, realizing who she was talking to.
"Giving him what?" Cole teased.
"Never you mind... It's probably not something you want to imagine your brother doing anyway..." Cole thought for a moment then pulled a face. He reached out a hand to her and used his thumb to gently brush tears from her cheeks.
"Yeah, you'd be right..." He whispered, his disgusted face making Prue laugh. She sniffed again and laid her head on his chest. Cole blinked in surprise. He thought that Prue hated him... He made awkward robotic motions and stroked her hair.
"Oh, sorry Cole..." She said, looking up at him with those gorgeous dark eyes that were shimmering and sparkling with tears.
"What for? It's ok to cry sometimes... Sometimes everyone needs to cry. Even you, Prue. You're human just like everyone else... Everyone needs a shoulder... - or a chest – to cry on..."
"No, I got your shirt wet..." Cole looked down at the small damp patch and laughed.
"It's ok, I'm sure that I've got plenty more shirts in the closet..."
"That's good then," She said, wiping her face on it. Cole laughed softly.
"Yuck..."
"You did say that you had more shirts..." Prue reminded him.
"Yeah, I guess I did..." There was a comfortable pause between them for a little while.
Slowly, the rising sun forced its way up and over the horizon, it's fiery but still growing rays bruising the sky orange and pink. The sunlight crept in through the stained glass windows, seeping into every dark corner and lighting up anything like a babbling brook of liquid gold.
It worked its way over to Prue, its golden gleam bouncing off her raven hair. Cole admired the way that the sun magnified its black hue. However much light was shone on it the darker it seemed. He became intoxicated with the way that her crystalline tears fractured stray beams of light and the way shadows fell across her features, retreating all the time and the sun approached.
"Prue?" He asked softly.
"Mm-huh?" Cole put a finger under her chin and gently lifted her face up. He bent down, moving his head sideways and then kissed her, just lightly, on the lips. He pulled away but found Prue responding, running her hand along the side of his face and moving her lips with his. He closed his eyes just like Prue was doing, a tingling sensation starting in his stomach and spreading throughout his body. Silently they broke apart and a small gasp issued from his lips.
"Wow..." Prue looked into his eyes and her expression changed from serene and calm to being horrified and revolted in a matter of seconds.
"Oh. My GOD. This can't be happening..." She jumped up from her seat and started pacing around the attic. "I just kissed Cole. I hate Cole and I *kissed* him? What the *hell* was I thinking of? What is Phoebe gonna' say... What was I *doing*..." She rubbed both of her hands over her face and stopped her tirade to herself and turned to Cole, her anger flaring up, and her hands snapping back down to by her hips. She jabbed her finger at him, fresh tears of anger coursing down her face. "What the hell were *you* doing?" She yelled at him.
Cole was totally taken aback. "Me?! I didn't stick your tongue down my throat! I'm pretty sure that was *you* that did that!"
"You took advantage of me! I was sad, I was angry, I wasn't thinking straight and you try to *kiss* me?!" She was shrieking now, her voice several notes higher than normal. She ran her hands distractedly through her hair. "Oh my God..." She said again, finding nothing else to say. Cole jumped up as well.
"Oh, Prue, come off of it and stop finding excuses. I kissed you, so WHAT? How is that all *my* fault? All you had to do was fling me out of the fricking window for Christ's sake! That's your damn power and what did you do? YOU KISSED ME BACK!" He bellowed the last part. "Just because you're beautiful doesn't mean you can just kiss someone – kiss someone like *that*, like you just did there – and say it means nothing. You are not a helpless little girlie girl and I know it. So don't give me this BULLSHIT about me taking advantage of you, ok?" Cole was breathing heavily now, his face red from yelling.
"Cole? You know what?" Prue said, not yelling but her voice was full of a silky, angered tone. "You really wanna know what I think? Well here it is, buddy. You are *the* most..." She was cut off and her eyes unfocused. A wave of nausea gripped her and she felt as if she was going to faint. But then it passed. "...sexy guy that I have ever met," She finished. "And if you want me, that's fine..." She sat back down on the loveseat. "Then, I'm here, Cole. Come and get me..."
"That's more like it..." Cole said, sitting back down. Prue shifted up onto his lap and he kissed her and then led down on his back. Prue layed on top of him and together they rolled off the loveseat, hitting the boarded floor but not noticing as they continued to kiss.
****Halliwell Manor– Kitchen**** "Ok..." Paige ran her finger down a yellowing parchment page and read another ingredient off of it. "Sliced mandrake root..." She turned to another page – she was making one potion out of several different recipes put together. She pushed a knife, chopping board and the mandrake root at Leo.
Leo deliberately made their hands touch as she handed the items over, but Paige didn't notice. Damn. The subtle approach was definitely not working. His mind was screaming at her. 'Notice me, notice me NOTICE ME!' But Paige didn't notice him. She just carried on measuring and weighing and chopping and stirring...
Suddenly, the whitelighter realized that something was bothering him. Something hard to explain, like a nagging feeling in the back of his brain. It seemed like a whitelighter instinct, like his demon radar or something similar. He just couldn't work out what it was...
"Leo, that does have to go into the potion sometime today, you know?" Paige said impatiently. The blade was poised just above the mandrake root; he hadn't yet made the first cut. Leo snapped out of it.
'Quit drooling over her and make you move...' His mind told him.
"Oh, right, sorry Paige..." He began slicing the ingredient, fighting to keep his eyes on the task and off of Paige.
"Sprig of rosemary... Basil leaf..." She muttered as she dropped the ingredients in. "Powdered toadstool, one ground kidney stone of a lamb ..." She paused. "Gross... Leo, if we want this potion to go 'bang' then we need that mandrake root," Paige reminded him. Leo rolled his eyes and then scraped the contents of the chopping board into the pot. The potion did indeed go bang, a plume of thick, black smoke rising to the ceiling.
"Paige?"
"Yeah...?" The redhead replied slowly, concentrating on measuring the potion into equal portions in separate glass vials. "What?" There it was again. That weird whitelighter feeling.
"Do you... Do you think something's slightly off?" She looked up, confused, her concentration breaking. She added too much potion and the thick, orange substance dribbled down the glass side of the vial. She sighed heavily and went to get a cloth.
"How do you mean?"
"Like... Wrong, demon wrong... Something like that? Are you getting that feeling?"
"Like a whitelighter Spider Sense?" Paige joked, cleaning the vial. She looked back at Leo and realised that he was serious. "Oh..." She paused, forcing the stopper into the neck of the vial and dumping the cloth back into the sink. "Shouldn't you be talking to Prue about this? She is our whitelighter in residence too, ya know..." Leo shrugged.
"I dunno, I guess..."
"So why are you talking to me about it? Scoot, mister!" She made a shooing motion with her hands but the whitelighter didn't move.
"Paige..." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Leo! What...?" He was nibbling on her ear so she trailed off. That was something she thought only Glenn knew about... "L-Leo, we can't..." She whispered, closing her eyes.
"Why not, Paige? We're both two adults..."
"Who are attached!" Paige yelled, snapping out of it and breaking free from his grasp and then thrusting her engagement ring in his face. "And you-" She reached for his wedding ring but found it was gone. There was an awkward silence.
"I took it off... Piper took hers off, didn't you notice?" He said softly. Paige shook her head.
"I guess... I guess I didn't look that hard..."
"Well she has..." Leo gently took her hand and she felt a soft glow as blue and white orbs consumed them and they disappeared from the kitchen.
****Mediterranean Island – Picturesque Hilltop**** "Oh, Leo, it's beautiful..." Paige murmured, looking around her. Above her thousands of stars blazed in a clear, cloudless sky, glaring silver against a deep blue sky. Down below her was a small village, lights dotted here and there that twinkled in the dark. Behind her there was a tiny chapel. It was painted white with peeling shutters. The domed roof had a spire in the middle of it and in that an old metal bell swung gently to and fro without ringing in the breeze.
It was still night here, Paige noted. Leo had brought her to another country, to another continent... The warm sea breeze put them somewhere in the Mediterranean, Paige just didn't know where. In the far off distance she could hear a calm ocean lapping gently at the shores of a sandy beach.
She inhaled through her nose and the scents of salt and tarred rope and lemons and grilled fish invaded her nostrils, nearly putting her senses into overdrive. She turned back to the chapel, which was lit up from the outside by spotlights concealed in wiry shrubbery that grew around the walls. The sweet scent of passionflowers was brought to her on a warm gentle wind that ruffled her hair.
"Leo, why did you bring me here?" She turned to him.
"Because it's beautiful. Because you're beautiful. I don't know, Paige, I guess I just did..." He gave a nervous laugh and inhaled the cocktail of smells for himself, closing his eyes as he let the breath out.
"It doesn't make any difference where we are, Leo, you're married and I'm engaged..." She shook her head, feeling a little giddy as another waft of delicious scents hit her again... She turned back to Leo.
"Does it really matter, Paige?" Leo whispered in her ear. Paige shivered with delight. "Are you cold?" He asked suddenly, getting ready to take off his jacket. Paige shook her head. No, she wasn't cold...
"Go on..." She breathed, closing her eyes and letting the sound of his voice wash over her.
"Paige..." He turned her around and before they knew what was happening they were kissing. They fell to their knees on the slightly stony ground and Paige began fiddling with the buttons on Leo's shirt, slipping each on separately out of its buttonhole. Eventually she pulled the shirt open without breaking this kiss. Paige felt him tugging at her top, so she lifted her arms up as best as she could and felt it being pulled over her head...
"Wait," It was Leo's voice. One word that pierced the darkness that pierced the passion. "Does this feel odd to you?" Paige thought about it.
"Yeah... Yes it does..."
"I think we found that demon feeling, Paige..." Paige nodded, clutching her shirt across her chest.
"Oh yeah, I agree with that one..."
"We've got to get h-h-ho..." Leo said, cut off as Paige finished taking his shirt off. And suddenly what he was feeling had no meaning anymore. There was Paige, and there was he. Sitting on a Mediterranean hilltop with a sea wind caressing bare skin... nothing mattered anymore, not his weird whitelighter sense, no demons, nothing. Leo nuzzled into his sister-in- law's neck, feeling totally content.
He knew that it was wrong, but it wasn't as if he could stop himself if he tried.
****Halliwell Manor – Phoebe and Cole's bedroom**** Phoebe couldn't sleep. She felt so warm... And very odd thoughts and feeling kept being intercepted by her empathy power. Passion. Lots of it. Maybe Leo had chosen to stay the night again... She gave a wicked grin to the ceiling. But how could one couple do all of what was going on inside of her head? Well she guessed that there *was* more than one couple in the house...
"This is *stupid*," She said to no one. She swung her legs out of bed and padded across the room. Parker was still sleeping soundly. She briefly wondered why Cole wasn't with her. But then she didn't think she could face him so soon after kissing Brian, so she let it be... But Brian? Where could he be? Suddenly she craved Brian, not Cole...
She rubbed her head. All of this heated passion was giving her a migraine. She paused and then left the room, taking the baby monitor with her. A sleeping potion. Just a mild draught. Just so she could get some *sleep* instead of feeling several people's moans and groans inside her head. It was not personal gain; she needed to be wide-awake tomorrow for Parker, and for the demon attacks that were bound to come.
****Halliwell Manor– Attic**** She came up to the door to the attic and heard a thump coming from within. She paused, her breathing sounding loud to her. That was Prue moaning... And there was another thump... She jumped and kicked the door with her bare foot, busting it open. The handle bounced off of the wall. There was a startled shriek and a great scrambling.
"Phoebe!" Prue said, totally shocked.
"Prue? What were you...?" She paused, looking extremely embarrassed as sunlight shone on naked flesh. Prue glared at her younger sister whilst covering herself up with the throw from the couch. " Oh... OH! I... I think I'll go... Uh... Bye, Prue..." She noticed two male legs sticking out from behind the couch. "Uh, bye, Brian... G-good night..." She turned and left the attic, her face aflame with embarrassment.
"Who is it, babe?" Phoebe froze in her tracks. That wasn't Brian that was...
"Cole?" Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't believe it. No, *refused* to believe it. "Cole?" He sat up so his head was in view above the couch. "What are you doing?"
"What did it look like, Phoebe?" Prue said harshly, pawing at Cole's chest with the hand that wasn't holding the throw.
"No..." Phoebe stormed over to him, span, and kicked him in his face. "BASTARD! And as for you..." She turned to Prue.
"And as for me you will not even try to kick me because I will throw you out of the window and make sure that you don't survive the landing. Got that?" Phoebe balled her hands into fists and then punched Prue across the face. There was a sickening crunch as Phoebe felt cartilage collapse under her fist and blood spattered in the direction that Phoebe's fist was flying. Tears came to Prue's eyes and both of her hands went to her nose.
"Oh, what's the matter Prue? Did I ruin your NOSEJOB? Well maybe when you get the bone reset the doctor will give you a decent nose!" A little white light shone from under Prue's hands and when she lowered them her nose was healed. Phoebe growled in frustration, grabbed a vase and tossed it at her sister. Prue deflected it and sent it spiralling into a wall. It shattered.
"Phoebe, look, I'm sorry. I was upset, it just happened... I deserve all of this, but-" She broke off to deflect a table that Phoebe had thrown at her. It hit the window and smashed the pane, and the hit the paving below with a clatter.
"DON'T APOLOGIZE!" Phoebe yelled, choking back tears. "I busted in her because I thought you were being attacked by a demon, Prue. I was actually gonna come and save you ass! So I bust the door open and you're only having sex with my HUSBAND!" She kicked the couch and it toppled backwards and fell on top of Cole. She ran from the room, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Aw, Prue, look what you did..." Cole said, feeling something inside his mouth and spitting two teeth into his palm. Prue healed him and the teeth disappeared and became fixed back into his mouth.
"Well at least she won't come in again..." Cole grinned.
"Good point,"
****Halliwell Manor– Phoebe And Cole's bedroom**** Phoebe flung herself face down onto the bed and cried into her pillow. It muffled her cries but not her grief. Cole and her *sister*?! Why was he having sex with Prue? Didn't he love her any more? Did he find her unattractive because she had put on weight during pregnancy? Did he hate her? Did he think that he had ruined his life by marrying her and having a kid with her? Suddenly she heard something behind her. She rolled over and standing at the end of her bed was Brian.
"Hey," He said softly. "What are you crying for?" He sat down next to her and used the corner of the comforter to dry her tears. "Come on, Phoebe. It's ok..." She hugged him and fell into his shoulder sobbing. Whilst her eyes were buried in him he used his powers to lock the door.
"C-Cole and Prue were in the attic together. They were... Cole and Prue, they were..." She broke off and dissolved in a fresh wave on sobbing.
"Were they having sex?" She nodded, unable to muster up the words. He stood up, an energy ball slowly revolving in his hand. "I'll kill him," He growled.
"No..." Phoebe said. "Stay here a little while..." He sat back down on the mattress.
"Your foot's bleeding..." He said, putting out the energy ball. Phoebe realized that the sole of her foot did hurt. Maybe she had cut it on one of Cole's teeth, or on some of that vase that she threw... She looked down as her foot tickled and saw Brian's tongue dart out and lick up the blood. "All better now..." He said with a grin.
"You made it all better..." She said.
"I love you Phoebe Halliwell,"
"Come and prove it,"
Brian approached her, kissed her, and she attacked him like an animal. She threw him onto the bed and they made love.
Author's Note: Wow! That was intense! Great job, Charmed-Leo!! Everything is heating up and pretty soon everyone will turn on each other. Get ready because I'm writing chapter 31 and boy, will it be great! So, chapter 31 coming soon! In the meantime, please REVIEW!!
United Chapter 30!!
A/N: Once, again, I, Matthew am here to present you with another chapter written by Charmed-Leo. I have some great news: I, Matthew, will be back to write chapter 31!! *Yay*! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter!
****Halliwell Manor– Upper Hallway**** Piper ran out into the darkened corridor, clutching Wyatt in her arms. She pulled the baby blue blanket embellished with the Triquetera closer around his shoulders. Nervously, she looked over her shoulder and, when it became clear that Glenn wasn't following her, she leaned against the wall and sank to the floor.
She was shocked at Glenn's actions. Her future brother-in-law had held her down on her bed and kissed her forcibly. She realized that her bottom lip was stinging and she put two fingers to her lip and withdrew them, noting that they felt warm. Smeared across her fingertips was a trace of sticky crimson blood. Glenn must have cut her lip with his teeth when he had kissed her. She shuddered as she relived the memory of his tongue exploring her mouth...
"Come on, Wyatt... Hush for Mommy..." She gently whispered, bouncing the baby up and down slightly to try and stop him crying. The door to her room opened and she hurriedly flicked her free hand at Glenn. The mortal froze in place and she dashed past him into her bedroom, shutting the door and then locking it behind her with a shaking hand. At the click of the lock she felt safer and she stood there taking deep breaths before putting Wyatt back down in his crib, turning his mobile baby monitor on and watching him drift off to sleep.
****Halliwell Manor– Piper's Bedroom**** The door handle pulled down and someone pushed the door. The handle sprang up again as the lock held and the person stopped pushing. The door shook as someone – Glenn – pounded on it. Piper looked at the door in fear as the hinges rattled. Why was nobody in the attic hearing this?
"Piper, let me in!" Oh this was pathetic. Piper, a Charmed One, scared of a mortal banging on her bedroom door. Was she a witch not? She raised her hands to blow the door to pieces and send Glenn flying down the hall when she felt something pass over her.
It was not something she could explain and she looked left and right for the source of it. But there was nobody in the room. The only sound except for the pounding on the door was the soft, tinkling notes of Wyatt's mobile baby monitor. Shaking her head, she suddenly felt compelled to cross to the door and turn the key.
"Hey Glenn..." She said, leaning on the doorframe. "What's up?" Glenn grinned at her as she grabbed a fistful of his pyjama top and pulled him inside, locking the door again after him.
"You really have to ask?" Piper shrugged, a sexy smile playing across her lips.
"Rhetorical question. I'm pretty sure I know what's up..." Her tongue darted out, licking her lips and tasting the harsh metallic tang of blood. She ignored it.
"That's good... As long as you know..." He stood behind her and massaged her shoulders. She craned her head backwards and nibbled on his neck. "Mmm..." he murmured, stopping his massage and responding by leaving a small trail of kisses down her neck and across her shoulder, moving down all the time...
Piper fell backwards onto the rumpled comforter, her eyes closed and soft moans of pleasure escaping her mouth. Glenn led down next to her, drawing her closer until their bodies became entwined with each other. They kiss again as Piper runs her hands through Glenn's hair whilst Glenn starts to take off Piper's pyjama top...
****Halliwell Manor– Attic**** "Ok, my guess is that it's potion time..." Paige said, reading a page in the Book of Shadows for the last time and closing the huge tome with a thud.
"Why, have you got a potion for the demon?" Leo asked.
"No, not exactly... But I think I know how to make an all-purpose potion that should blow any demon to bits, no matter who he is..." Paige said, picking up the Book of Shadows and hugging it to her chest. "I'm going to kitchen to make it. I will see you guys later," She gave them a small smile and left the attic.
"Leo, go with her. With demons on the loose I don't want anyone on their own," Prue commanded, looking up from her lap for the first time since the argument. Her dark eyes sparkled with tears. Leo looked nervously at Cole and then nodded.
"Uh, sure, Prue, whatever..." He orbed out of the attic, leaving the ex-witch and the half-demon alone. There was an awkward silence as Cole dug his hands even deeper into his pockets. He made about three slow steps around the attic, pretending to be interested in the boxed up stuff that was stacked around the walls.
"So..." He said, letting out a deep breath and struggling to think of anything to say that didn't sound like 'Do you want to go to sleep with me?' "Uh... You know, Phoebe didn't mean that, Prue..." He said at last, hesitating before entering Prue's 'personal space,' but then stepped over the so-far imaginary and invisible chalk line and moved towards the new whitelighter.
"Yes, she did, Cole. We both know that Phoebe never says anything she doesn't mean," Ok, so Prue had got him there. She sniffed. It hurt him to see her so sad, in so much pain... He fought hard to find something nice to say, something comforting.
"Well... in the heat of the moment we all exaggerate things, we blow stuff out of proportion... It's human nature..."
"Oh, and you'd know all about human nature, wouldn't you, Cole?" Prue snapped. Cole didn't take it as an insult.
"See, even the Almighty Prue does it. You blow things out of proportion too...." He paused before sitting down next to her. She scooted up the loveseat away from him so she was sitting half-off the couch. Cole's body sagged with disappointment. "And FYI, I *am* half human. Remember?" Prue rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, whatever..." She sighed, looking down at the floor. Suddenly, she started babbling, saying anything to try and make the argument less severe in her mind. "I mean, maybe I am a hypocrite. I mean Brian's half-demon too, and I have no problems with *me* giving a half-demon..." She stopped and flushed red, realizing who she was talking to.
"Giving him what?" Cole teased.
"Never you mind... It's probably not something you want to imagine your brother doing anyway..." Cole thought for a moment then pulled a face. He reached out a hand to her and used his thumb to gently brush tears from her cheeks.
"Yeah, you'd be right..." He whispered, his disgusted face making Prue laugh. She sniffed again and laid her head on his chest. Cole blinked in surprise. He thought that Prue hated him... He made awkward robotic motions and stroked her hair.
"Oh, sorry Cole..." She said, looking up at him with those gorgeous dark eyes that were shimmering and sparkling with tears.
"What for? It's ok to cry sometimes... Sometimes everyone needs to cry. Even you, Prue. You're human just like everyone else... Everyone needs a shoulder... - or a chest – to cry on..."
"No, I got your shirt wet..." Cole looked down at the small damp patch and laughed.
"It's ok, I'm sure that I've got plenty more shirts in the closet..."
"That's good then," She said, wiping her face on it. Cole laughed softly.
"Yuck..."
"You did say that you had more shirts..." Prue reminded him.
"Yeah, I guess I did..." There was a comfortable pause between them for a little while.
Slowly, the rising sun forced its way up and over the horizon, it's fiery but still growing rays bruising the sky orange and pink. The sunlight crept in through the stained glass windows, seeping into every dark corner and lighting up anything like a babbling brook of liquid gold.
It worked its way over to Prue, its golden gleam bouncing off her raven hair. Cole admired the way that the sun magnified its black hue. However much light was shone on it the darker it seemed. He became intoxicated with the way that her crystalline tears fractured stray beams of light and the way shadows fell across her features, retreating all the time and the sun approached.
"Prue?" He asked softly.
"Mm-huh?" Cole put a finger under her chin and gently lifted her face up. He bent down, moving his head sideways and then kissed her, just lightly, on the lips. He pulled away but found Prue responding, running her hand along the side of his face and moving her lips with his. He closed his eyes just like Prue was doing, a tingling sensation starting in his stomach and spreading throughout his body. Silently they broke apart and a small gasp issued from his lips.
"Wow..." Prue looked into his eyes and her expression changed from serene and calm to being horrified and revolted in a matter of seconds.
"Oh. My GOD. This can't be happening..." She jumped up from her seat and started pacing around the attic. "I just kissed Cole. I hate Cole and I *kissed* him? What the *hell* was I thinking of? What is Phoebe gonna' say... What was I *doing*..." She rubbed both of her hands over her face and stopped her tirade to herself and turned to Cole, her anger flaring up, and her hands snapping back down to by her hips. She jabbed her finger at him, fresh tears of anger coursing down her face. "What the hell were *you* doing?" She yelled at him.
Cole was totally taken aback. "Me?! I didn't stick your tongue down my throat! I'm pretty sure that was *you* that did that!"
"You took advantage of me! I was sad, I was angry, I wasn't thinking straight and you try to *kiss* me?!" She was shrieking now, her voice several notes higher than normal. She ran her hands distractedly through her hair. "Oh my God..." She said again, finding nothing else to say. Cole jumped up as well.
"Oh, Prue, come off of it and stop finding excuses. I kissed you, so WHAT? How is that all *my* fault? All you had to do was fling me out of the fricking window for Christ's sake! That's your damn power and what did you do? YOU KISSED ME BACK!" He bellowed the last part. "Just because you're beautiful doesn't mean you can just kiss someone – kiss someone like *that*, like you just did there – and say it means nothing. You are not a helpless little girlie girl and I know it. So don't give me this BULLSHIT about me taking advantage of you, ok?" Cole was breathing heavily now, his face red from yelling.
"Cole? You know what?" Prue said, not yelling but her voice was full of a silky, angered tone. "You really wanna know what I think? Well here it is, buddy. You are *the* most..." She was cut off and her eyes unfocused. A wave of nausea gripped her and she felt as if she was going to faint. But then it passed. "...sexy guy that I have ever met," She finished. "And if you want me, that's fine..." She sat back down on the loveseat. "Then, I'm here, Cole. Come and get me..."
"That's more like it..." Cole said, sitting back down. Prue shifted up onto his lap and he kissed her and then led down on his back. Prue layed on top of him and together they rolled off the loveseat, hitting the boarded floor but not noticing as they continued to kiss.
****Halliwell Manor– Kitchen**** "Ok..." Paige ran her finger down a yellowing parchment page and read another ingredient off of it. "Sliced mandrake root..." She turned to another page – she was making one potion out of several different recipes put together. She pushed a knife, chopping board and the mandrake root at Leo.
Leo deliberately made their hands touch as she handed the items over, but Paige didn't notice. Damn. The subtle approach was definitely not working. His mind was screaming at her. 'Notice me, notice me NOTICE ME!' But Paige didn't notice him. She just carried on measuring and weighing and chopping and stirring...
Suddenly, the whitelighter realized that something was bothering him. Something hard to explain, like a nagging feeling in the back of his brain. It seemed like a whitelighter instinct, like his demon radar or something similar. He just couldn't work out what it was...
"Leo, that does have to go into the potion sometime today, you know?" Paige said impatiently. The blade was poised just above the mandrake root; he hadn't yet made the first cut. Leo snapped out of it.
'Quit drooling over her and make you move...' His mind told him.
"Oh, right, sorry Paige..." He began slicing the ingredient, fighting to keep his eyes on the task and off of Paige.
"Sprig of rosemary... Basil leaf..." She muttered as she dropped the ingredients in. "Powdered toadstool, one ground kidney stone of a lamb ..." She paused. "Gross... Leo, if we want this potion to go 'bang' then we need that mandrake root," Paige reminded him. Leo rolled his eyes and then scraped the contents of the chopping board into the pot. The potion did indeed go bang, a plume of thick, black smoke rising to the ceiling.
"Paige?"
"Yeah...?" The redhead replied slowly, concentrating on measuring the potion into equal portions in separate glass vials. "What?" There it was again. That weird whitelighter feeling.
"Do you... Do you think something's slightly off?" She looked up, confused, her concentration breaking. She added too much potion and the thick, orange substance dribbled down the glass side of the vial. She sighed heavily and went to get a cloth.
"How do you mean?"
"Like... Wrong, demon wrong... Something like that? Are you getting that feeling?"
"Like a whitelighter Spider Sense?" Paige joked, cleaning the vial. She looked back at Leo and realised that he was serious. "Oh..." She paused, forcing the stopper into the neck of the vial and dumping the cloth back into the sink. "Shouldn't you be talking to Prue about this? She is our whitelighter in residence too, ya know..." Leo shrugged.
"I dunno, I guess..."
"So why are you talking to me about it? Scoot, mister!" She made a shooing motion with her hands but the whitelighter didn't move.
"Paige..." He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Leo! What...?" He was nibbling on her ear so she trailed off. That was something she thought only Glenn knew about... "L-Leo, we can't..." She whispered, closing her eyes.
"Why not, Paige? We're both two adults..."
"Who are attached!" Paige yelled, snapping out of it and breaking free from his grasp and then thrusting her engagement ring in his face. "And you-" She reached for his wedding ring but found it was gone. There was an awkward silence.
"I took it off... Piper took hers off, didn't you notice?" He said softly. Paige shook her head.
"I guess... I guess I didn't look that hard..."
"Well she has..." Leo gently took her hand and she felt a soft glow as blue and white orbs consumed them and they disappeared from the kitchen.
****Mediterranean Island – Picturesque Hilltop**** "Oh, Leo, it's beautiful..." Paige murmured, looking around her. Above her thousands of stars blazed in a clear, cloudless sky, glaring silver against a deep blue sky. Down below her was a small village, lights dotted here and there that twinkled in the dark. Behind her there was a tiny chapel. It was painted white with peeling shutters. The domed roof had a spire in the middle of it and in that an old metal bell swung gently to and fro without ringing in the breeze.
It was still night here, Paige noted. Leo had brought her to another country, to another continent... The warm sea breeze put them somewhere in the Mediterranean, Paige just didn't know where. In the far off distance she could hear a calm ocean lapping gently at the shores of a sandy beach.
She inhaled through her nose and the scents of salt and tarred rope and lemons and grilled fish invaded her nostrils, nearly putting her senses into overdrive. She turned back to the chapel, which was lit up from the outside by spotlights concealed in wiry shrubbery that grew around the walls. The sweet scent of passionflowers was brought to her on a warm gentle wind that ruffled her hair.
"Leo, why did you bring me here?" She turned to him.
"Because it's beautiful. Because you're beautiful. I don't know, Paige, I guess I just did..." He gave a nervous laugh and inhaled the cocktail of smells for himself, closing his eyes as he let the breath out.
"It doesn't make any difference where we are, Leo, you're married and I'm engaged..." She shook her head, feeling a little giddy as another waft of delicious scents hit her again... She turned back to Leo.
"Does it really matter, Paige?" Leo whispered in her ear. Paige shivered with delight. "Are you cold?" He asked suddenly, getting ready to take off his jacket. Paige shook her head. No, she wasn't cold...
"Go on..." She breathed, closing her eyes and letting the sound of his voice wash over her.
"Paige..." He turned her around and before they knew what was happening they were kissing. They fell to their knees on the slightly stony ground and Paige began fiddling with the buttons on Leo's shirt, slipping each on separately out of its buttonhole. Eventually she pulled the shirt open without breaking this kiss. Paige felt him tugging at her top, so she lifted her arms up as best as she could and felt it being pulled over her head...
"Wait," It was Leo's voice. One word that pierced the darkness that pierced the passion. "Does this feel odd to you?" Paige thought about it.
"Yeah... Yes it does..."
"I think we found that demon feeling, Paige..." Paige nodded, clutching her shirt across her chest.
"Oh yeah, I agree with that one..."
"We've got to get h-h-ho..." Leo said, cut off as Paige finished taking his shirt off. And suddenly what he was feeling had no meaning anymore. There was Paige, and there was he. Sitting on a Mediterranean hilltop with a sea wind caressing bare skin... nothing mattered anymore, not his weird whitelighter sense, no demons, nothing. Leo nuzzled into his sister-in- law's neck, feeling totally content.
He knew that it was wrong, but it wasn't as if he could stop himself if he tried.
****Halliwell Manor – Phoebe and Cole's bedroom**** Phoebe couldn't sleep. She felt so warm... And very odd thoughts and feeling kept being intercepted by her empathy power. Passion. Lots of it. Maybe Leo had chosen to stay the night again... She gave a wicked grin to the ceiling. But how could one couple do all of what was going on inside of her head? Well she guessed that there *was* more than one couple in the house...
"This is *stupid*," She said to no one. She swung her legs out of bed and padded across the room. Parker was still sleeping soundly. She briefly wondered why Cole wasn't with her. But then she didn't think she could face him so soon after kissing Brian, so she let it be... But Brian? Where could he be? Suddenly she craved Brian, not Cole...
She rubbed her head. All of this heated passion was giving her a migraine. She paused and then left the room, taking the baby monitor with her. A sleeping potion. Just a mild draught. Just so she could get some *sleep* instead of feeling several people's moans and groans inside her head. It was not personal gain; she needed to be wide-awake tomorrow for Parker, and for the demon attacks that were bound to come.
****Halliwell Manor– Attic**** She came up to the door to the attic and heard a thump coming from within. She paused, her breathing sounding loud to her. That was Prue moaning... And there was another thump... She jumped and kicked the door with her bare foot, busting it open. The handle bounced off of the wall. There was a startled shriek and a great scrambling.
"Phoebe!" Prue said, totally shocked.
"Prue? What were you...?" She paused, looking extremely embarrassed as sunlight shone on naked flesh. Prue glared at her younger sister whilst covering herself up with the throw from the couch. " Oh... OH! I... I think I'll go... Uh... Bye, Prue..." She noticed two male legs sticking out from behind the couch. "Uh, bye, Brian... G-good night..." She turned and left the attic, her face aflame with embarrassment.
"Who is it, babe?" Phoebe froze in her tracks. That wasn't Brian that was...
"Cole?" Tears welled up in her eyes. She couldn't believe it. No, *refused* to believe it. "Cole?" He sat up so his head was in view above the couch. "What are you doing?"
"What did it look like, Phoebe?" Prue said harshly, pawing at Cole's chest with the hand that wasn't holding the throw.
"No..." Phoebe stormed over to him, span, and kicked him in his face. "BASTARD! And as for you..." She turned to Prue.
"And as for me you will not even try to kick me because I will throw you out of the window and make sure that you don't survive the landing. Got that?" Phoebe balled her hands into fists and then punched Prue across the face. There was a sickening crunch as Phoebe felt cartilage collapse under her fist and blood spattered in the direction that Phoebe's fist was flying. Tears came to Prue's eyes and both of her hands went to her nose.
"Oh, what's the matter Prue? Did I ruin your NOSEJOB? Well maybe when you get the bone reset the doctor will give you a decent nose!" A little white light shone from under Prue's hands and when she lowered them her nose was healed. Phoebe growled in frustration, grabbed a vase and tossed it at her sister. Prue deflected it and sent it spiralling into a wall. It shattered.
"Phoebe, look, I'm sorry. I was upset, it just happened... I deserve all of this, but-" She broke off to deflect a table that Phoebe had thrown at her. It hit the window and smashed the pane, and the hit the paving below with a clatter.
"DON'T APOLOGIZE!" Phoebe yelled, choking back tears. "I busted in her because I thought you were being attacked by a demon, Prue. I was actually gonna come and save you ass! So I bust the door open and you're only having sex with my HUSBAND!" She kicked the couch and it toppled backwards and fell on top of Cole. She ran from the room, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Aw, Prue, look what you did..." Cole said, feeling something inside his mouth and spitting two teeth into his palm. Prue healed him and the teeth disappeared and became fixed back into his mouth.
"Well at least she won't come in again..." Cole grinned.
"Good point,"
****Halliwell Manor– Phoebe And Cole's bedroom**** Phoebe flung herself face down onto the bed and cried into her pillow. It muffled her cries but not her grief. Cole and her *sister*?! Why was he having sex with Prue? Didn't he love her any more? Did he find her unattractive because she had put on weight during pregnancy? Did he hate her? Did he think that he had ruined his life by marrying her and having a kid with her? Suddenly she heard something behind her. She rolled over and standing at the end of her bed was Brian.
"Hey," He said softly. "What are you crying for?" He sat down next to her and used the corner of the comforter to dry her tears. "Come on, Phoebe. It's ok..." She hugged him and fell into his shoulder sobbing. Whilst her eyes were buried in him he used his powers to lock the door.
"C-Cole and Prue were in the attic together. They were... Cole and Prue, they were..." She broke off and dissolved in a fresh wave on sobbing.
"Were they having sex?" She nodded, unable to muster up the words. He stood up, an energy ball slowly revolving in his hand. "I'll kill him," He growled.
"No..." Phoebe said. "Stay here a little while..." He sat back down on the mattress.
"Your foot's bleeding..." He said, putting out the energy ball. Phoebe realized that the sole of her foot did hurt. Maybe she had cut it on one of Cole's teeth, or on some of that vase that she threw... She looked down as her foot tickled and saw Brian's tongue dart out and lick up the blood. "All better now..." He said with a grin.
"You made it all better..." She said.
"I love you Phoebe Halliwell,"
"Come and prove it,"
Brian approached her, kissed her, and she attacked him like an animal. She threw him onto the bed and they made love.
Author's Note: Wow! That was intense! Great job, Charmed-Leo!! Everything is heating up and pretty soon everyone will turn on each other. Get ready because I'm writing chapter 31 and boy, will it be great! So, chapter 31 coming soon! In the meantime, please REVIEW!!