Chapter Eight

"What d'you want me to do?" Alicia cried in frustration. "I'm sorry this witch's dead," she practically tossed the necklace back to Phoebe, "but it doesn't mean Frank did it! He's not some monster!"

"Oh, honey," Phoebe sympathized, trying to hug Alicia. But Alicia jumped from the sofa, out of Phoebe's reach, and Phoebe quietly told her, "I know what it's like to be fooled by a demon, Licia."

"Don't you dare compare Frank to Cole," Alicia spat. "Nothing you say will convince me that Frank is as bad or even worse than being Belthazor or the Source. Frank loves me. He's good."

"And Cole loves me," Phoebe countered as she set the necklace down on the coffee table, "and he's been good too. But he's still a demon. And always will be, no matter what his powers, no matter if he even has powers. Demons have a side that we can never understand...unless we've been there. And I've been there, Licia. I know what it feels like to be evil. And I know that you can't simply igno--"

"So you want me to pay because you can't be with Cole?" Alicia interrupted, her hands agitated to the point of her keeping them clenched in fists. "Because you can't save Cole, I can't be with Frank?"

"At least you're admitting that Frank's a demon," Phoebe sighed, rubbed the spot the baby kicked, and leaned back.

"I'm not admitting anything of the sort!" Alicia suddenly took a deep breath and calmly said, "Look, Phoebe, I know you're under a lot of stress and I know Cole's return is sending you into mass confusion but you can't honestly expect me to believe this story you've told me..."

Just then, Cole entered the living room with Darryl. "Then maybe you'll believe this..."

Phoebe took a moment to introduce Darryl to Alicia and then asked him, "What brings you back here?"

Darryl indicated to Cole and replied, "He dropped by with the name of a possible suspect and asked me to look into it."

"Made me grovel for at least twenty minutes," Cole complained, glaring at the one he'd once thought of as a friend.

Darryl ignored the comment, handed Alicia a manila folder, and warned her, "It's not pretty." As she flipped through the pages and photos, he told Phoebe, "It's a compilation of similar unsolved murders, fifteen in all, including the three from last year that occurred just before she declared Frank Parks missing."

"How could I have missed it?" Phoebe chided herself.

Recalling the ease of his own deception, Cole shrugged shamefully, "Because you didn't want to see it. Because you're a good person, Phoebe, and when love is involved, you want to, no, you need to, believe in love."

Tears stung her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. "Then why'd I give up?" she whispered.

"You didn't," he quietly told her, "but now isn't the time."

"What's this about Denver, Wichita, and Sioux City?" Alicia suddenly questioned.

"Considering that demons can travel quickly, without relying on normal means of transportation, I widened my search for similar M.O.'s. in other states. Eight of the murders occurred in those cities," Darryl informed them.

Phoebe gazed at Alicia, "Didn't Frank get you that crystal necklace on his last business trip to Denver?"

Alicia touched the necklace that she hadn't removed since Frank's death. "I met him at the airport," she weakly insisted.

"So he simply appeared in the airport before you met him," Cole uncomfortably suggested. "It wouldn't be hard to fool you into thinking he actually flew on an airplane."

Phoebe didn't have to sense Alicia's feelings to know what they were. A part of her own heart ached at the memories of her own discoveries of Cole's betrayal. "You're not alone, Licia. I'll help you through this, I promise."

Alicia returned the folder to Darryl with shaking hands and took a step towards the hallway. "I...I have to go."

Phoebe quickly stood and went after Alicia, "Wait! You can't leave, you can't go back to him!"

But Alicia didn't stop and continued to run out the door and down the drive to her car.

Phoebe spun back to Cole, "We can't let her go back." When Cole shook his head, she moved towards the door. "If Frank finds out she knows his secret, he might kill her."

Cole held her back by clamping his hands on her shoulders. "She needs to go," he spoke in a low voice into her ear. "She needs to see the truth with her own eyes."

"D'you think maybe she's right?" Phoebe asked hopefully as she turned around to face him. "D'you think maybe Frank does love her? And that maybe this's just some uncontrollable demonic urge he has?"

"You're still gonna vanquish him, right?" Darryl pointedly questioned. "I mean, you're not gonna let him get away with murdering any more innocents are you?"

"What's with you?" Cole suddenly snapped as he stepped back from Phoebe. "I know you're loyal to the girls but you're barely showing a hint of sympathy for what Alicia might be feeling."

"I've had a lifetime of grief trying to clean up your messes, your evil," Darryl declared through gritted teeth. "So do us all a favor, Cole, take your demonic self and get out of our lives before anyone else gets hurt." And without another word, he stalked out the front door, slamming it behind him.

This bitter and angry man wasn't the man he knew and Cole glanced at Phoebe in confusion. "What happened to him?"

Phoebe sighed and walked back into the living room where she sat on the sofa and lightly caressed her belly. "Evil happened." When Cole sat next to her, she explained, "Darryl'd always had a hard time doing his job and keeping our secret and he got caught in the middle one too many times. A number of years back, he didn't talk to us for months. Sheila had no idea what'd happened, only that it had to do with the magic." Cole had reached over to touch her belly and she smiled, placing her hand on his for a moment. She leaned back and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his gentle touch.

He hoped the baby would kick but he was just as satisfied to simply feel for her movement. His hand slipped under Phoebe's blouse and the elastic waistband of her skirt and he smiled as he watched her relax from his slow, circular, stroking motions. In an instant, he regretted both not having watched Phoebe grow bigger with their child and his inability to be there to see the child born. But not wanting Phoebe to sense his emotions, he shook his head and commented, "Doesn't seem like Darryl to hold a grudge."

"Things got better," Phoebe assured him while she kept her eyes closed, "after he had time to come to terms with what happened. It never got back to the way it was but at least things were okay personally if not professionally."

Cole inched a little closer to Phoebe and gently pushed her down on her side. While one hand continued to stroke her belly, the other lightly kneaded her back muscles. "He didn't help you anymore?"

She was so content she could barely form words. "We'd socialize together but, no, we didn't really have an ally in the police department, not the way we used to."

He bent forward and kissed her temple when she stopped speaking. Wanting her to rest, he silently let his hands move across her body. And, after a few minutes, he was rewarded by the thump of his daughter's foot.

"Ow!" Phoebe squeaked. She immediately opened her eyes and pressed her hand to the spot Cole's hand was already occupying. And, when the baby kicked again, she pressed it into her side a bit harder. She caught Cole's look of concern and assured him, "Sometimes she's a little too aggressive with her kicks."

Cole kissed her temple again, "She's just practicing like her mommy. Either that or she wants some attention." This time, he leaned forward and kissed Phoebe's belly, "It's okay, sweetheart, Daddy's here." He grinned at Phoebe when he felt another thump. "That's my girl..." He continued to gently rub Phoebe's belly for another moment before he leaned forward again and suggested, "Now, settle down in there, young lady. Mommy needs her rest." He couldn't help but smile, watching her body as Phoebe giggled. "Go on, close your eyes," he encouraged her, "the boys aren't the only ones who could use an afternoon nap."

Phoebe tried to enjoy herself again but the moment was lost. She opened her eyes and returned to the subject of Darryl, "It's not like he came after us deliberately but there were times he had no choice in questioning us, bringing us in. We knew he needed to follow orders to keep his job secure but it still...it hurt because it was Darryl, y'know? He still protects our secret but it's not the same."

Cole shook his head and continued his ministrations, "Doesn't explain the dose of bitterness I got."

Phoebe carefully propped herself up on her elbow and then sat up. Slightly dizzy, she grabbed the edge of the sofa and, not realizing it was so close, Cole's thigh. "Sorry," she murmured, "the room spun." He put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him, drawing imaginary circles on his thigh. "Darryl has a little girl now. She's three."

Now, Cole closed his eyes, reveling in the growing sensations from Phoebe's action. "A little girl? That's great!"

Phoebe stopped what she was doing, "A demon nearly killed her last year at her own birthday party." She gazed at Cole who intently watched her. "They had a big party in their backyard, complete with a pony, and while we stayed to help clean up, the older boys were watching TV and Chris and little Sondra were playing outside in the sandbox. The demon attacked and Chris instinctively orbed to safety but Sondra...Chris was barely four, he didn't know to take her with him..." Cole pulled her closer and she continued quietly, "We came running out and got so involved fighting the demon we didn't notice Sondra laying there. When it was over, and we made sure the boys were all right, we turned and found Darryl cradling that little girl in his arms. She was so bloody and...his little girl looked like a bloody rag doll and..."

Cole held her as she cried. "It explains a lot..."

After a few moments, Phoebe calmed herself and sniffled, "Leo was in time to heal her and she was back to being her adorable self with no clue what'd just happened to her."

"But Darryl and Sheila did," Cole realized. "They blamed you?"

"Not really," she told him, "they understand that we can't control when demons will try to kill us. But they didn't want us to come by for a while. So we kept our distance. Evil suddenly made it personal because it wasn't just Darryl's job on the line, it was his family, his children. Because of us." She felt Cole's kiss to the top of her head and she pulled away, wiping her eyes, "After some time, and mostly because of the kids, we started spending time together again. Play dates, an invitation for brunch..."

"He's still a good friend," Cole hoped. "But it's not easy for a human to get used to the magical world."

"It's not easy for anyone to get used to the magical world," Piper corrected when she entered the room. "The boys are still napping and I've got the spell to force a Targalus demon into its human form. But there was no vanquish listed."

Phoebe moved to get up but Cole stopped her and she insisted, "I've gotta get Alicia. I don't want her in danger if we go after Frank."

"You're not going anywhere," he stated as he gently pushed her back down.

Surprisingly enough, Piper agreed with Cole and told her younger sister, "I'll go to Alicia. You keep an ear for the kids and stay off your feet."

"I'll go with you," Cole offered as he covered Phoebe with a blanket and stood. "Just in case you run into Frank."

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Alicia sat on the floor in front of her sofa and dried her eyes with the edges of her sleeves. "I don't believe it," she insisted to herself. But the disturbing images from the file Darryl had shown her flashed through her mind. She tried squeezing her eyes shut but that didn't stop the flow of images.

She opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of the crystal pendant hanging from her necklace. With a sudden rage, she ripped the necklace off and hurled it at the front door before bursting into tears.

Suddenly, she felt Frank's arms around her and she leaned into him, crying. After a few moments, she realized, "I didn't hear you come in."

"You were pretty upset," he simply commented. He kissed her and requested, "Tell me what's wrong. Tell me what I can do to make it right, to make you smile that smile I love so much."

Alicia threw her arms around him and buried her face in his sweater. "Tell me you love me. Tell me it isn't true."

"Of course I love you, you silly witch," he teased. "You're the most important person in my life," he promised when she hugged him tightly.

"I knew it," she whispered, "I knew they were wrong."

Frank pulled back, "Who was wrong? About what?" She shook her head and told him not to mind but he had a feeling it was something major. "Alicia...What's going on? Did someone hurt you?"

She shrugged and sniffled with a slight smile, "It's nothing, honest. Phoebe's just under a lot of stress right now."

"Tell me," he demanded, fearing that the Charmed Ones were suddenly aware of his secret. "You know what, you're right, it doesn't matter. Which makes my surprise even more appropriate." As he pulled airplane tickets from his back pocket, he cheerfully told her, "You and I will be spending our honeymoon in Hawaii."

"Honeymoon? You mean you want to --"

He grinned from her anticipated reaction, "As soon as possible, if that's all right with you. What d'you say to a wedding in paradise?"

She enthusiastically hugged him, "I love you, you wonderful, wonderful man!"

"We leave tonight," he murmured into her ear, "and don't worry 'bout packing, I don't expect to spend much time out of our suite."

"Frank..." Just then, there was a knock at the door and she pulled back with a frustrated sigh. "Go away!" she shouted even as she smiled brightly for Frank. She ran her fingers through his hair and tugged his head close to hers.

"Alicia, we need to talk!" Piper called out.

Alicia broke the kiss and shouted at the door, "Go away, Piper! Leave me alone!"

"Darryl called us before we came looking for you," Cole announced. "Another body was found."

"I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do. Now go away, Cole," Alicia demanded. "Go back to Phoebe and stay out of my love life."

"Please, Alicia, let us in," Piper requested with a pounding on the door. "We're trying to protect you."

"You're wrong about Frank," Alicia argued, growing angry. "Now leave me alone!"

"But they won't," Frank shook his head. "When the Charmed Ones are onto a demon they're relentless. And if Belthazor's involved, it's definitely over."

Alicia stared at him in confusion, "What're you talking about? What's over?"

"I've got to move on." Frank fingered some strands of Alicia's hair and caressed her cheek, "If I could feel anything for anyone other than myself, it would probably be for you. Such as it is, at least I was left very, very, very satisfied."

Alicia pushed herself from his arms in growing horror and scrambled back, "Frank...it can't...you're not..."

"My sweet, tiger lily," he smiled, "I am."

In the blink of an eye, her handsome Frank, the love of her life, transformed into something that resembled a live gargoyle and Alicia was caught trying to get to her feet. And she didn't have time to call out his name much less call out to Piper who stood outside the door. There was a sudden burst of pain in her chest and all that came out of her mouth was a gurgle. As she sank to the floor, and her vision faded, she saw her blood dripping from its clawed hand.

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"It's time to go in," Cole stated.

"I hate the idea of taking her against her will," Piper resisted.

"Let her be angry then," he declared as he grabbed her hand and blurred from the hallway, "at least she'll be safe."

When they appeared inside the apartment, Cole spotted the body first and yanked Piper back. "Don't," he warned her as he turned her from the sight that was partially hidden by the coffee table.

But Piper had to look for herself. She tugged herself free from Cole's grip and took a tentative step around the coffee table. Her hand flew to her mouth and she uttered in despair, "Oh, God, Oh, God...Alicia..."

Cole steadied Piper and managed to pull her back a few steps. He stared at the body and tried to assure Piper, "She didn't suffer or we'd've heard her screaming. We should be grateful he was quick."

"There're other ways to suffer," Piper whispered in a hoarse voice. "She saw the truth, Cole. She saw what we'd wanted her to see. Should we be grateful for that?"

"It's not your fault...But now we have to find him before he kills again," he simply said.

"Can you track him?" Piper asked, unable to look away from Alicia's torn body.

"I said he had a distinctive odor," he reminded her, "not that I could track him. Let's get back to the house and call Paige. Maybe the three of you can figure out a way to --"

"What?" Piper gasped when the seemingly invincible demon staggered back, a hand pressed to his heart.

"I'm not sure," he wheezed. "It's..." His eyes widened in fear, "It's the baby...Phoebe's in danger!" And without waiting for her response, he grabbed her hand and blurred from the apartment.

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