Hello!
Thanks for your reviews and Christmas greetings! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, too!
Here is finally the next chapter, I hope you'll like it!!
8. Chapter
When Cole arrived at home, he thought that nobody was there. It was quiet as a mouse. The only sound was the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall and the mechanically purring of the air conditioner. He went into the kitchen slowly and found some prepared snacks there. So somebody had to be at home, he thought. Cole went into the hall again and decided to search upstairs.
But when he entered the first floor, he could whether find anybody in Danny's room nor in Prue's room. But before he closed the door to Prue's room, he looked around. Compared to her bed, which was tidy made, the chairs and the table were full of clothes, pieces of the camera, journals and photos. Cole closed the door again with a grin.
Finally he found Prue and Danny on the attic. Prue was standing in front of the altar holding the book of shadows in her hand. "You can't get it out of your mind, can you?" Cole asked, he knew that she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it.
Prue shrugged her shoulders composed. "I just wanted to take a close look at it once again." she explained calmly. "The owner seemed to be a rather powerful witch." Prue pointed to the book of shadows. "She has performed magic in a different way, but she has gathered a lot of spells. There is an enormous knowledge in this book."
Cole sat down on a dusty chair. "Can you compare it with your book of shadows?"
Prue laughed. "No what are you thinking of. Of course not. She wasn't so powerful. Although I have to admit, that something in this book is even new to me." She looked thoughtfully at the book. "Or probably I have just forgotten something."
"Yes, with growing older, you're becoming more and more forgetful!" Cole agreed with her and leaned back with relish. "Nevertheless I was surprised to hear, that you didn't even remember your own phone number."
Prue looked at him sneering. "Really? I think it's worse, that you've told Paul, that you are interested in me."
Cole looked back, as if he didn't understand her. "I don't know, what made him think of that."
"Obviously you have told him." Prue said composed.
"You must be dreaming?"
"Definitely not." Prue looked up annoyed. "Anyway I've invited Judy and Robert and Dianne and Scott for diner tonight. And if it can't be helped, you can join us."
"Thank you for this nice invitation." Cole said sneering. "It's an honor for me to come."
"Okay, but then you can help me with the preparations. I've already prepared everything in the kitchen and laid the table. I've still got a few things to do, so you have to set another place for you. And you can serve the diner, when the guests will be at the table." she turned back to the altar and it was obvious that Cole had to go now.
"No problem." Cole said and picked Danny up. "I'll take him with me, because as you've already found out, it's rather hot here."
Prue nodded and turned back to him again. "And you have to select a good wine, the bottles are in the cellar."
When the guests had arrived and Danny and Sarah were lying in their beds in Danny's room, Cole went into the kitchen to take the plates into the dining-room. He had a close look at the meals and started to smile. It was obvious, that Prue hadn't prepared the food, no she had bought it somewhere.
Cole just wanted to take the first tray, when he noticed Amy's box, he had put on the kitchen cupboard in the afternoon. He wanted to place it out of Danny's reach, because when Cole had put it on the table the little boy had been very interested in it. Now Cole took the box again to take a close look at it. He didn't decide, if he should tell Prue about it yet. He looked at it thoughtfully and on an impulse, he opened it again and looked at the white powder. He wondered if it was kind of a drug and wanted to smell at it carefully, when somebody opened the door behind him abruptly. Cole started with fright and spilled some powder over one of the dishes.
"What takes you so long?" Prue asked behind him.
"Don't be so impatient!" Cole closed the box immediately and put it into his trouser pocket. Then he looked at the tray with the powder carefully. Luckily there were little cakes with icing sugar on it. The sugar had the same colour and he couldn't say, how much of it was the magical powder and how much the sugar. But before he could go on thinking about this problem, Prue handed a full tray over to him.
"Get a move on." she said and took another tray. They left the kitchen together and carried the dishes into the dining-room, where their hungry guests were already waiting.
Thinking that he could still go back into the kitchen later, calmed Cole down. Then he could try to remove the powder from the little cakes later.
When the group has finished the dinner, Prue wanted to clear the table for the dessert and Judy and Dianne agreed to help her. Cole stood up, too, but Prue stopped him with an unmistakable look. He said down again and looked after her thoughtfully.
"It seems as if the women would like to be alone for a while." Scott explained laughing and leaned back.
Cole forced a smile and wondered, if this magical powder could be harmful or not. Amy had assured him, that it had no effect. Therefore there was no reason to run after Prue and tell her anything about it, Cole decided.
"I've heard you are working for Wingrove, Silberman and Davies now." Scott turned to Cole again.
Cole nodded and tried to forget the powder. "Yes, Mr. Wingrove has engaged me. Why? Do you know him?"
Scott nodded. "Our families know each other." he explained. "But after my parents moved away some years ago, we haven't seen each other very often."
"And what's with Donald Carey?"
Scott looked at Cole surprised. "I've heard of him, he is a building contractor, but I hardly know him. Why do you ask?"
Robert grinned. "Because Cole got hold of the hottest case in town."
"Well I wouldn't say I got hold of it." Cole said annoyed and looked at Scott. "I'll represent his daughter Amy in court."
Scott looked back uncomprehending. "What has she done?"
"You don't know?" Robert looked at him confused. "She is accused of murdering this priest."
"And that's Donald Carey's Tochter?" Scott asked surprised. "I thought her name is something with Lavreux."
Cole nodded. "That's right, but Donald Carey is married to her mother and has adopted her."
"Well meanwhile he'll regret it bitterly." Robert stated cooly.
"Everybody is as long innocent as his guilt is proven." Scott explained and gave Cole an encouraging nod. "But I am surprised, that I've missed yet, that the defendant is Carey's daughter.
"Carey has a lot of influence in this town." Robert said with a shrug.
"Okay!" Scott admitted. "Nevertheless I've heard everywhere reports that the murder was committed on Wingrove's plantation. And I'd say, that Mr. Wingrove's influence it much bigger than Carey's."
Cole looked at Scott in surprise. He has totally missed yet, that the plantation, where the clergyman has died belonged to Edward Wingrove. He had to prepare better in future. "Have you ever been there?" he asked Scott.
Scott nodded. "Of course, when we were children, we often spent the summers on the plantation. The Maison was already more a ruin and the plantation wasn't run anymore. So we could use the whole property as our adventure playground. The nature is wonderful there, they even have a little lake, where we could swim. My parents had a house nearby and we went to the plantation by bike." Scott said with melancholy in his eyes. "Those were the days" He sighed. "We climbed over the low wall and had our own little world. Just a few workers making sure that everything was alright and we had to watch out, that they didn't see us. But the Wingroves gave up the plantation totally. They sold a part of it and fenced in the other part with a high wall, that no unauthorized person can enter the property. Only the Wingroves have the keys for the two gates, to look around if everything is alright sometimes."
"And how did you get onto the plantation?" Cole asked Robert, because he knew that he was one of the policemen stepping on the scene of the crime first.
"The gate was open. Obviously Charlotte Wingrove didn't close it, so that Amy could leave the plantation later." Robert explained.
"That means other vehicles could get onto the property at the same time without problems." Cole thought.
"That's possible, but we haven't seen anybody." Robert told him.
"But the terrain is rather big," Scott remind him. "When I was a child, it seemed huge to me."
"How could anybody hear Adam Boucher's scream at all?" Cole asked and decided that he had to pay a visit to the scene of the crime.
Robert shrugged his shoulders. "Seeming the wind blew from the right direction. And a couple has parked nearby by chance." He looked at Cole. "We have checked them, they are unsuspected." he explained and grinned. "I think we all can imagine very well, what they wanted there."
When the women came back into the dining-room, Cole had almost forgotten the powder. He looked at them and started to grin, perhaps it would be quite funny, if the others lost their self-control. He watched Dianne attentively. She took the first cake and bit into it with great relish. It seemed as if she didn't notice anything. The others emulated Dianne, just Cole held back, he didn't want to try if this powder would have an effect on him.
But after none of the guests felt the desire to take off the clothes or to do anything crazy, Cole leaned back relieved. As Amy has said, the powder didn't work. Anyhow he noticed, that Judy and Robert decamped to the garden shortly after. And even Dianne remembered suddenly that it was time to go home. Cole and Prue walked along with them in the garden, where they found Judy and Robert in close embrace. They jumped up hasty and told the others that it has been a nice evening, but that they had to go now.
Cole saw them to the door, while Prue took the McCormacks to their garden. When they were gone, Prue stopped at the door and looked into the sky. It was stifling hot and you could feel that there was a storm in the air. But in spite of the tense atmosphere, Prue felt happy and relaxed. She sat down on the old bench under the chestnut tree and inhaled the sweet May air. Since she has been here, she has never felt so free, the sky was endless and she felt the same. All limits and barriers she has set for her self-control, seemed to be gone.
When Cole saw her sitting on the bench soon after, he went to her as if it was the most natural thing in the world. He sat down beside her and listened into the night.
Prue looked at him and and finally she asked a question, she preferred not to ask before. "Do you miss her?"
"Mm?" Cole looked at her asking.
"I'm talking about Phoebe, you never mention her name." Prue explained.
"Why should I?" Cole asked grimly and starred straight on. "I'm sure she is overjoyed, that she is finally rid of me."
"You must be joking." Prue said, she couldn't imagine, that Phoebe would say anything like that.
"No, definitely not. Now she can go on living her life and no evil demon will pester her ever again. I can assure you, she is lucky to live without me." Cole explained in a calm intonation, but nevertheless Prue could hear his grief and sorrow in it.
"I can't believe you Cole. She loved you." she reminded him.
Cole shook his head. "No, she fell in love with Cole Turner the district attorney. Usual, nice and without any demonic problems." He cast a quick glance at her. "But that wasn't me. I was the evil demon, just caused her great suffering as she saw it. And then he even dared to pester her with his own problems." He was silent for a moment, before he continued. "And now she probably has already found the nice perfect boyfriend, who doesn't cause her any troubles."
Prue noticed that he meant it deadly serious, nevertheless she couldn't imagine Phoebe together with the nice boy from next door. She would be fed up soon. "I think you are wrong." she stated. "You know, Phoebe is a person, who is able to act quite normally, but inside of her she is wore down. And in the end there is just left a fine powder of sorrow and remorse."
Cole shook his head and said. "You haven't seen her. Believe me, she has changed. Probably she would be happy, if she never met me. Because I was just a big mistake for her. A fault she finally had to correct unconditionally." Cole laughed, nevertheless Prue noticed his deep-seated bitterness. "Well and in the end she was successful."
Prue wanted to contradict, but then she remembered, how Phoebe had acted, after Cole has vanquished the witch on their attic. All of them first and foremost Prue herself had distrusted what had made Cole to want to get rid of his demonical powers. But nevertheless she had been surprised, how hard-hearted Phoebe had acted. She had thrown the power stripping potion on the ground without batting an eyelid and she had snapped at him, that he should help himself, if he didn't mind. And when Piper and even Prue herself had still thought, that they had lost an innocent, Phoebe had disagreed. When the banshee had attacked an innocent next time, Phoebe had known immediately, who was responsible for that, Cole and nobody else. She had wanted to vanquish him, without knowing more about it. Yes, Phoebe could be unfair, even Prue had to admit that. But that was her way to cope with sorrow and pain. Prue didn't want to damn her for that, finally Cole had hurt her, too. Anyhow Prue conceded after a while. "Sometimes Phoebe acts a little unfair."
Cole looked at her completely surprised. He couldn't believe what she had said. He actually could kiss her for this statement, he thought. And suddenly he noticed that he was really drawn to her. "Yes" he said quietly. "But it's okay, I've got over that. And hopefully she is happy with her new noble boy-friend now. I give her my blessing." He looked Prue deep into her eyes, why should he waste his time thinking about a woman, who had broken his heart. "And finally I'm here now."
Prue looked at him and she had the impression that she was under a spell. In this moment she felt totally free, as if she could do everything she wanted, without thinking about the consequences. She didn't know, what the reason was, if it was the heat and the exciting atmosphere of the slowly approaching thunderstorm, or if it was the enchanted garden or perhaps just Danny's blue eyes looking at her so forceful. She didn't know it, but suddenly she felt drawn to him beyond words. When his lips got closer to her lips, there wasn't any rational barriers, which could prevent it. She didn't hold him back, because when she felt his lips on hers, she finally had the feeling to be alive again.
When Cole kissed her, he wondered, why it felt so good, that he forgot everything around. Their kiss was getting more intensive, and both of them lost themselves in it completely. They just felt the heat of their bodies. Cole loosed his hold on her carefully and looked at Prue. He saw in her eyes the same, he was feeling. He stood up slowly and took her hand. Prue got up as well without hesitation. She knew exactly what would happen, if she followed him into the house. But she couldn't imagine not to do it.
They entered the hall in silence and in spite of the air-conditioning the heat seemed to burn them. Cole started to kiss her again and Prue let it happen, she wanted it like mad. Since she was back in life again, she didn't allow a man to get into her life. She has had dates, but she wasn't ready to let it happen. But Cole has forced his way into her home and her life without asking. And even if she wanted to deny it, she didn't feel attracted to any man she had met yet, as she felt to Cole in this moment. She couldn't understand, what she was doing and wondered, if she was crazy. Because if she started to think about it reasonable, she wouldn't believe it. Nevertheless there was no moment, she wanted to tell him to stop it. His fingers burnt her skin and she pulled at his shirt. After a while all of their clothes were lying on the ground of the hall. They showed the way into Cole's bedroom.
When they were lying on his bed, they felt, as if they were in the middle of a dream. A dream carrying them far away, so that they didn't care, if the door or the blinds were closed.