ELEVEN

"Dorian Gray?" Phoebe's eyes widened with surprise. "That's a coincidence. We just read a book in my English Lit class called 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'."

"Not so much a coincidence," said Cole. "My mother told me that book is – loosely – based on our friend here."

"A fever, huh?" Prue asked turning to Gray. "Well, Mr. Gray, it seems you've been less than honest with us. Obviously someone is after you. But I'm willing to bet it's not for the reasons you gave us. Care to tell us the truth now?"

"Just what did he tell you?" Cole asked.

"He said a demon was after him to learn the secret to his immortality," said Piper.

"Oh, I find that hard to believe," Cole said archly. "Most demons are all ready immortal. It would be like one of you wanting to learn the secret to how someone breathes."

"Well, it appears that you've lied to us from the beginning about everything Mr. Gray," said Prue. "Now, while we're still feeling in a generous mood, I think you'd better start explaining yourself. Otherwise we're likely to just turn you over to whoever or whatever that was that attacked you in your suite."

"I don't think so," said Gray smiling. "You see, I didn't lie to you. He really is after the secret to my immortality. Only it's not like most demonic immortality. I not only am not affected by the passage of time, I also cannot be killed. And since it appears my little charade has been exposed, I suppose I'll just have to find someone else to dispose of my problem for me."

Suddenly Gray just vanished from the manor.

"He blinked," said Piper. "Wait a minute. That means he's a warlock. Only a warlock can blink."

"He's no warlock," said Cole.

"Then how can he blink?" Phoebe asked.

"Probably his rings," said Leo. "That must be one of the powers he has in his rings."

"An alchemists' ring?" Cole questioned."

"That's what the Elders say," said Prue. "Leo explained to us how they work."

"I guess his immortality wasn't the only thing Dorian got from that alchemist," said Cole.

"How do you know him?" Prue asked.

"Like I said earlier," said Cole, "it was a very long time ago. I was about three at the time. I guess it was about 1887 or 88. My mother had made a deal with an alchemist. Because I had inherited my demonic power from her she wanted to enhance that power. To make me more powerful than most demon-human hybrids."

"Wasn't that about the time your mother murdered your father?" Phoebe asked.

"Yes," said Cole. "In fact, it was why she murdered my father."

"Okay, now I'm confused," said Piper.

"Well, initially my father didn't know my mother was a demon," said Cole. "When I was born, she decided that I should be raised as a demon. But most demon-human offspring are virtually powerless, compared to other demons. My mother didn't want that for me.

"So she found an alchemist. He promised her that he could increase my power. She had taken me to meet the alchemist when my father suddenly showed up. He discovered what she was and tried to take me away. But he was just a human. He was no match for her demonic powers. She murdered him as I watched."

"And you remember that?" Phoebe asked. "You were only three? How could you remember something from when you were so young?"

"Demonic children aren't like human children," said Cole. "They remember things from a younger age. It's actually one of my very first memories. It's part of the reason that I gave no value to human life for so long. My mother taught me that human life wasn't worth valuing."

"How does Gray fit into all this?" Leo asked.

"Well, in exchange for increasing my power, the alchemist wanted a human for an experiment. My mother promised to provide him with a test subject in exchange for increasing my power. Gray was that test subject."

"And he agreed to being a test subject for a demonic experiment?" Piper asked.

"He really didn't have much of a choice," said Cole. "He had been diagnosed with consumption. Tuberculosis. In those days there was virtually nothing they could do for someone with that. He knew that diagnosis was a literal death sentence. Obviously he didn't want to die, especially the type of horrible death someone with tuberculosis had. So he consented to the experiment. I guess he figured the worst that could happen was that he would die, which he was going to do anyway."

"He told us he suffered from a fever," said Prue.

"Not surprising," said Cole. "He'd want to keep the specifics of his immortality a secret from everyone. He'd be afraid that someone might be able to undo it."

"He called you Belthazor," said Phoebe turning to Cole.

"Yes," said Cole. "That's how my mother usually referred to me when other humans weren't around. She wanted me totally immersed in the underworld and always thought that calling me by my human name detracted from that. I don't think Gray ever knew my human name."

"Phoebe," said Prue, "you said you read a book about Gray."

"Yes, 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'," said Phoebe. "It's a classic. It's about this man who has a portrait of himself painted and then wishes he would never grow old. Well, his wish was granted. I don't really remember why. I remember thinking I didn't care much for the book. But what I do remember is that after that, the Dorian Gray in the book didn't age. And he never showed any affects of any injuries he received.

"But his portrait did. It aged instead of him and any injuries he suffered appeared in the painting instead of him. By the end of the book his portrait was almost unrecognizable. It looked nothing like it had when it was painted."

"And you think this is the same Dorian Gray that's in this book?" Piper asked Cole.

"Actually, it is," said Cole. "I don't know the specifics but I do know that the alchemist accomplished making Gray immortal using a painting somehow. And as a coincidence, one of Gray's close drinking buddies at this time was one Oscar Wilde."

"The writer?" Leo questioned.

"Not just a writer," said Phoebe. "He was the author of 'The Picture Of Dorian Gray'. You think Gray told Wilde what happened?"

"Probably not," said Cole. "More than likely Gray probably said something one night when he had too much to drink. That's probably where Wilde got the idea for his book from."

"So, what happens in the end?" Prue asked. "What happened to the Dorian Gray in the story?"

"He became completely immoral," said Phoebe. "He led a completely hedonistic and selfish lifestyle. He even killed some people completely without remorse. One day he became disillusioned with his life. In a fit of anger he stabbed the painting with a knife. When people found him, the painting was completely restored to what it was before. And all the affects it had suffered were transferred back to Gray, including the knife they found sticking in his heart. He was dead."

"So you're saying Gray was evil," said Piper.

"As evil as they come," said Phoebe. "He had money so he could pretty much do whatever he wanted to do without having to worry about an income."

"And from what I've heard over the years," said Cole, "the book seems to emulate Gray's real life. He may not be a demon but I know some demons who envy how evil he is. I lost track of him in the late forties. Last I heard he was living in some European country."

"Okay," said Prue. "So apparently just about everything Gray told us from the beginning was a lie. The question is, what does he want with us?"

"I think he might have been telling the truth about that," said Leo. "That demon was definitely after him. And that athame the demon had didn't look like a gift to me. I think he wanted you to rid him of the demon."

"He did say he'd have to find someone else to dispose of his problem for him," said Phoebe. "I think he meant that in reference to this demon."

"If he can't be killed," said Cole, "as he intimated, then that kind of an ability would be of great use to a demon. They wouldn't have to worry about being vanquished by any witches they went up against."

"If Gray is as evil as Phoebe and Cole say he is," said Piper, "I don't think we can only worry about the demon. He may be human but it's obvious the police won't be able to handle him. There's no telling how many people he might all ready have killed. I think we have to stop Gray so he doesn't kill anyone in the future."

"I agree with Piper," said Phoebe. "From what I remember in the book, Dorian Gray didn't care who he hurt or how. If we don't stop him he'll just go on hurting and even killing people."

"That sounds good and all," said Cole, "except we have no way of knowing where he is. I don't think he's likely to go back to wherever you found him. And with his money, he's able to very easily disappear and create a whole new identity for himself."

"That's true," said Prue. "But I think I know how we can find Mr. Gray no matter where he goes or what identity he assumes."

"And just how do you propose to do that?" Leo asked.

"The demon that's been tracking him," said Prue. "It appears that demon can track him no matter where he goes. All we do is get the demon to lead us to him."

"What demon?" Cole questioned. "What kind of demon?"

"We really don't know," said Piper. "All we know is that he's blonde. We've only seen him once and that was in his human form. But we know even less about it than we do about Gray. We don't even know where to find it."

"There's no way for me to know which demon it is based on that," said Cole. "How do you propose we find this demon?"

"With this," said Prue, holding up the athame she had taken from the demon. "This belongs to the demon. We can use it to scry for the demon and then we convince it to lead us to Gray."

"And just how do you think you're going to do that?" Leo asked.

"By agreeing not to vanquish it if it does," said Prue. "Self-preservation is one of the greatest motivators I know."