Cole blurred to Wyatt and Chris' nursery. It came in handy that Piper had allowed him into the house sometimes, so he knew where the kids were supposed to be. The boys were asleep in their beds. He bent down and woke up Wyatt silently. He whispered to him to stay quiet.
Wyatt looked at him with big blue eyes. He knew this guy. It was the one that created the nice dragons for him. The one he had played at the playground with. He smiled at Cole and didn't raise his shield. Quickly Cole took first Wyatt and then Chris in his arms. Loaded with all three kids he blurred from the Halliwell manor before Chris was fully awake and could give him away with his wailing.
As soon as he had unloaded the children in his apartment Cole blurred back to the attic. He hoped the Charmed Ones had held the ground until he was back.
He had to use the element of surprise. Despite everything, Zankou probably anticipated him coming back. Zankou wasn't a fool. He was a very capable demon who mustn't be underestimated. He was smart, powerful, experienced and reckless. The old Source had put him into stasis because he couldn't defeat him. He was roughly as powerful as the Source. It looked like the Power of Three had found their match.
Cole was wrenching his mind for everything he had ever heard about Zankou. Zankou was a legend in the underworld. Feared and admired at the same time. Just as he had been before he had turned his back on demon hood, or when he had been the Source. Cole could easily imagine that Zankou had been welcomed back with open arms, after the Charmed Ones had disposed two Sources in quick succession.
Of course it had been Zankou's pride and obligation to proof himself worthy as Source by taking the Charmed Ones out. It was always the same with demons. Even when their plans where original, their motives weren't. It was always about more power or powers, rise in hierarchy or improvement of reputation.
Cole blurred into the attic again and immediately had to dodge an energy wave coming towards him.
"I knew you are a traitor," Zankou growled turning towards Cole.
The attic was a mess. Cole scanned the attic for the Charmed Ones. Paige was lying motionless in a mess of cupboards and stuff, a bloody pool forming around her.
Piper was ducked behind the couch using the book of shadows as a shield to fight off the energy waves. It looked like it was working, even when the Book looked a little bit scorched already.
Phoebe. Where was Phoebe? Cold fear squeezed at his heart, as he couldn't see her. Then he exhaled in relief. He had almost overseen her. She was crawling towards Piper on all fours, trying to use the damaged furniture as shields muttering under her breath "Leo, Leo" desperately.
Thank God it looked like he wasn't back too late. Zankou sent another energy wave towards Cole but he sidestepped it again, taunting Zankou.
"That's the best you can do?"
He had to distract Zankou to give the girls some time to arrange a counterattack. Cole doubted that he could take out Zankou all on his own. Since being back from the wasteland he had lain low. He had only fought demons who came after him and that had been only a handful. He never sought a confrontation on his own since he avoided the underworld. So you could say he was slightly out of routine.
Zankou got furious and fired some waves in rapid succession at Cole who had to leap for cover to avoid them. Cole conjured some energy balls and hurled them towards Zankou.
Strangely Zankou didn't try to avoid the energy balls. Furthermore he stepped right in to them. They slammed into Zankou's chest but the impact made no damage at all. Cole raised a concerned eyebrow and tried to make eye contact with the girls.
"He is immune," Piper yelled over to Cole, "My powers don't work on him."
"Will you finally die, witch," Zankou gnarled at Piper and sent another energy wave her way.
She hardly deflected it with the Book, which started smoldering. Phoebe had reached Piper by now and was huddled up next to her.
"You can't use the Book anymore Piper," Phoebe whispered to her sister, "It will be damaged beyond repair. We can't risk that."
"Who needs a Book when we are dead," Piper said dryly not putting the Book down.
It was their only safeguard at the moment. She shot an anxious glance towards Paige who didn't move at all. The blood pool around her was growing at an alarming rate. Piper called again for Leo.
Since his energy balls had no effect, Cole conjured an Athame and threw it at Zankou's back, who was still facing Piper. But Zankou turned around quickly and caught it in the air.
"Not nice to attack from the back," he taunted, turned, and threw the Athame in Phoebe's direction.
Phoebe was distractedly staring at Cole and not paying enough attention to the battle at hand. She had misjudged Cole again. She had really believed that he had left them to certain death. But she had been wrong again. He had come back.
Piper was just in time to freeze the Athame before it hit Phoebe's head by mere millimeters. Phoebe stared at the Athame before her face then reached for it and took it out of the air.
"Thanks Piper," Phoebe said gratefully.
"You're welcome. But you better pay a little more attention here," Piper hissed, she had noticed Phoebe staring at Cole.
"This is getting tiresome," Zankou said, "but I have to admit you put up quite a fight. Not many demons are so hard to kill," he grinned hideously, "as you witches."
He started towards Piper and Phoebe self-confidently. What could they do against him? Their spells and their powers didn't work on him. He would finish them off now- he had played long enough. If he needed to do it by hand, so be it.
"You don't hurt them," Cole jumped from his cover, "first you have to deal with me." Finally an idea had come to his mind on how to defeat Zankou, at least it was worth a try.
Zankou turned around quickly and shot his energy wave at Cole. This time Cole didn't get out of the way. He didn't even try. He just kept walking towards Zankou and the energy wave hit him directly in the chest. It didn't make an impact on Cole but slowed his motions down.
"Seems I'm hard to kill too," Cole sneered.
The pain of the energy tearing on his body was excruciating but he wouldn't show it. He fought back with his own magic, healing his body at the same rate as Zankou's energy was destroying it. Cole gritted his teeth, clenched his fists and ordered himself to ignore the pain and concentrate on moving on.
"Not as hard as you may think," Zankou threatened and intensified his energy beam.
Zankou was now steadily sending his energy in a bright red-hot beam at Cole who increasingly struggled to walk on. It became harder with every step. Cole didn't fight back with his energy balls nor did he try to get out of the beam. He used all his energy to sustain his life.
"Cole what are you doing? Get out of the way," Piper yelled from behind. But Cole didn't listen to her.
"Is that all you got?" Zankou taunted, "You just stand there and let me kill you? Is that the way you are going to save your precious witches?"
Cole didn't answer he was busy with not falling apart and moving his body forward despite the pain and the fatigue he felt.
"What is he doing?" Phoebe whispered to Piper.
They had no plan how to defeat Zankou and it didn't look like Cole had one that worked. Finally Leo orbed in and hurled right next to Paige.
"We don't need a White lighter here," Zankou shouted and redirected his energy at Leo, who hardly made it to orb out with Paige in time.
When the energy beam gone Cole staggered to his knees, panting heavily.
"At least Paige is safe," Piper noted relieved that her sister was safe.
With a cry of rage because one of his victims had escaped Zankou turned back to Cole and hit him again with the energy wave. Cole writhed in pain but managed to get on his feet again. He looked determined at Zankou who laughed in Cole's face.
"You are hard to kill, I grant you that. Never met a demon who could withstand my blasts as long as you do," Zankou said fueling still more energy in his energy beam.
Phoebe watched Cole. He looked bad. Blood was running from his nose. His face was haggard, his eyes hollow and he moved unsteady, not with the cat-like elegance she was used to seeing on him. Still she didn't know what he was up to. What would happen the moment he reached Zankou? Did he think he could overpower Zankou in a one-to-one fight after he was beaten like that just for reaching Zankou?
"We have to help him," she whispered to Piper, "you distract Zankou, maybe I can get on his back."
Without waiting for an answer Phoebe crawled back to the other side of the attic, the Athame between her teeth.
"Distract, great," Piper muttered shortly looking after her sister, then back at the fighting demons. She flexed her hands and tried to blow up Zankou for the millionth time. It wasn't like she hadn't tried before.
But her aim was bad and she just hit one of his arms. Zankou wasn't hurt but it broke the beam for a moment. Spurred on by this slight success she aimed for his other hand. But of course Zankou foresaw this. One beam still moved in slow motion towards Cole, and he fired with his other hand at Piper.
She had to jump from her shelter since the couch went up in flames. She hurried to hide behind one of the overturned cupboards. Zankou followed her jump with his energy waves and Piper had to dodge the wave again. Zankou was chasing her from shelter to shelter and Piper desperately fled the ever-nearing deadly energy. The splinters from the exploding furniture puncturing her body.
That was the moment Phoebe chose to attack. She jumped up only a few meters from Zankou and threw herself right onto Zankou's back, strangling him with one arm and stabbing him deeply with the Athame with the other. He roared up, both beams quenched and he turned around trying to get Phoebe off his back. But she held on for dear life. Again and again thrusting the Athame in his back.
"Why isn't he dying," she called desperately at Cole, who just stood there staring at them.
When the beam died out suddenly, Cole had problems to stay on his feet. He swayed slightly but his eyes were transfixed on Zankou. Some few steps more. But he was so exhausted. Withstanding the energy attacks had taken a high toll on him.
Blood was not only running from his nose but also his eyes and ears and he was sure it didn't look much better inside of his body. He was sucking in his breath with effort and felt nauseous. His muscles didn't want to bend to his will. Moving his feet forward for another centimeter was a supreme effort.
Finally Zankou got a hold on Phoebe and dragged her from his back with demonic strength. The Athame slipped from her hand. Zankou held her at the throat and lifted her from the ground. She kicked and wriggled in his grip but couldn't break free.
"You impudent witch! Now you die," he said crushing her larynx slowly with his demonic strength, relishing at her pain stricken face and fading breath.
Phoebe was twitching in Zankou's deadly grasp, fighting for breath, fighting for life.
Piper was for the fore and tried to blow up Zankou's hand again. But he didn't even turn towards her, he just shot a very quick beam her way which hit her unprepared and knocked her into the wall hard. She cried out and held her upper leg, which lay in a twisted angle below her. Phoebe's breathing turned into a desperate stertorous sound and she stopped squirming. She hung lifeless in Zankou's grip.
That finally gave Cole the jolt he needed. Summoning all the strength he had left he leapt at Zankou, closing the distance between them. In the middle of the jump he conjured a small sword to his hand. Zankou turned around, but this time he wasn't quick enough. Enjoying the process of killing Phoebe had distracted him too much.
He saw the blade coming towards his head but couldn't get out of the way in time. The sword decapitated Zankou and Cole crashed into the headless body. All three went down in a bloody heap. Zankou's acidic blood cauterized them all. His head flew through the attic making a strange hollow noise on the wooden floor. Phoebe winced on the floor, her breath almost not audible.
Cole threw one glance at Phoebe but then scrambled to get on top of Zankou's body. He took the sword with both hands thrust it deeply into Zankou's heart, nailing the body to the attic floor. Cole was resting on the handle of the sword, his breath coming in fits and starts.
The head came to a stop next to Piper and she looked at it disgusted. Piper stared at the bloodshot eyes of Zankou and wondered how they had survived this. Then she discovered that something was wrong. The head was still there. So was the body. Normally the demons that were killed went up in flames. Zankou clearly was decapitated, but he didn't vanish.
Piper looked away from the head and towards Cole. He was still on top of the body, holding the sword determinedly and putting his whole weight onto it.
"Cole," Piper called him faintly, "why doesn't he erupt in flames?"
Cole looked at her, exhaustion clearly written on his face, and just shook his head.
"I thought that should have been enough."
Suddenly Zankou's arms twitched, started moving and then grabbed the sword and pulled at it. Cole looked at the headless body in bewilderment. He had seen much in his 100 years as a demon, but nothing like that. Cole had to wrestle with the body for the sword. It was clear that the body didn't like to be pinned to the floor. It started kicking and squirming, trying to get Cole off. It looked like Cole was riding a very unruly horse.
Piper's eyes almost popped out of her head. The headless body was attacking Cole!
Piper didn't dare to look at the head. If the body was alive, wouldn't that mean that the head was alive too?
Fearsome, she managed to look at it and would have jumped back, if her leg hadn't hurt that badly. The mouth of the head was open but the eyes looked directly at her. Mocking her. And then the eyes moved and looked in the direction of the body.
"Now that's really creepy," Piper muttered watching the head.
Cole was having heavy troubles with the body. The hands shapeshifted into claws and were tearing at his body and face violently, leaving deep scratches. He couldn't protect himself because every time he let go of the sword to fight off the hands, the hands immediately grabbed the sword and tried to pull it out. So all he could do was protect his face with bending as far away as possible and let the claws slash him.
Piper still looked petrified at the head in front of her. Cole spat out some blood from his mouth and yelled towards her with an edge of panic in it. "Piper, do something."
She broke out of the paralysis and looked at him shocked. Then she turned to the head and blew it up. This time her power worked. The head blew into pieces and the body started to be caught in flames.
"Cole, get away from him, he will blow!" she yelled towards Cole.
But Cole wasn't quick enough or he didn't try. He held the sword down with his last strength and steel determination. Zankou's body was engulfed in flames, and then exploded. Cole was thrown away from the blast and crashed down next to the window.
tbc