Angelically Charmed: Two and a Half Demons
"It is so good to be back" Paige Matthews sat on the couch squished in between her two older sisters. The three had decided that after Paige's return that a sisterly moment was in order so they had taken in a childfree evening of video watching and junk food.
"Hmm…yes is it" Piper replied brushing a stray hair away from Paige's face. "I still can't believe we're watching this old black and white relic though"
"Kill it before it Dies? But That's Phoebe's favorite movie"
"Yes it is" Piper sat up a little and leaned over towards the arm of the couch, "She liked even more after the character came alive and serial killers were roaming about San Francisco"
"Well, that Billy character is kind of cute" Paige cocked her head looking at the tv screen with a dreamy school girl stare.
"Don't get any ideas" Piper warned reaching for the remote so that she could place the movie on pause as Paige did her famous eye roll.
"I don't have any ideas about Billy or any other man at the moment trust me. She still couldn't believe she'd missed out on seeing Glenn. The fact that he had appeared just as the Faux Elder's whiskered her away still had the Witch-Guardian puzzled.
Hearing the sound of voices, Piper glanced towards the solarium where Cole, Leo, Drake, and Bane were having a conversation about Declan. "You know not that it's any of my business but don't you think it's time you got back in the saddle again"
It had been nearly two years since Glenn's death.
"I don't know sometimes it just doesn't feel like I'm ready" Paige said slowly picking at a loose thread on the couch. Not that she say it out loud but part of her would like she was cheating on Glenn if she moved on. Paige's glance then shifted to Prue, of all of her sisters Prue was the one she could relate too the most when it came to love and magic.
"How long did you wait after Andy died?"
Speaking for her silent sister, Piper picked up a pillow and slapped it across Prue's body. "Not even a year! Prue was practically in Bane's pants the minute she laid eyes on him"
"Really?" a tell all smile crossed to Paige's lips as she watched the oldest sit up and brush a fallen hair from her across. "That yummy huh? So that's why Andy turned him into dust"
Paige's eyes followed Prue's as they landed on Bane who just happen to be looking up at her and smiling.
Unable to handle the weight of his stare, Prue adverted her eyes and quietly excused herself from the room. Things with Andy were still too fresh in her mind join in on any banter about Bane.
"Prue? I didn't mean anything-" Paige started to pull from the couch, but a shot of Piper's hand stopped her.
"Let her go. You know how she gets when she's hurting"
"Yeah" Paige replied shifting her eyes to Drake, "Speaking of hurting…"
"Oh yes, you need to apologize for turning somebody into a plant"
"That I do" Paige quipped just as gold Orbs appeared dissolving into the angelic Austin signaling that Death had moved back to his normal routine. Paige's clothing transformed into death's traditional robes before she could finish speaking, "But not before Aussie and I collect some souls. We'll be back"
So Death was back in business. Piper sat silent watching as Paige and Austin disappeared into the Angel's Golden light. Leaning over Piper spotted a photo of the four sisters sitting on the end table. Phoebe's death was still fresh in her own mind, "Well I guess that means it's time to move on"
"Pheebs" Salty tears filled her eyes. Now that things were back to the usual Halliwell standard of normal, there would be nothing left to do but grieve.
In the other room, Cole Turner ran a hand through his thin dark hair. Moving on without Phoebe wasn't something he was certain he was ready to do. "Look, I appreciate that the Elder's want to give me a kid but I'm not sure I'm cut out for this father stuff"
The Elder's and the Witch laws hadn't allowed he and Phoebe to have a child of their own and now suddenly the powers that be just wanted to drop one in his lap? Who were they kidding.
"Cole, the Elder's chose you because they felt you were" Leo argued as his brother in-law's nose crinkled.
"They chose me because I'm a converted demon and they want me to guide Declan in suppressing his dark side."
Leo's head started to nod in agreement, "That too but they also wanted to reward you for all the good you've done"
By having Death take Phoebe and then dropping Amanda's spawned betrothed in my lap? No thank you"….silence lapsed between them. "Now to mention they given the kid a real winner of a whitelighter" Cole shot a disgusted look at Bane. "What was game? Embezzlement, drugs, and murder?
Bane started to open his mouth to retort but then thought better of it as the demon continued to rant.
"Good role model choice there, Leo, real good! God your people just like to torture me don't they?" As if taking Phoebe away wasn't bad enough.
I'm sorry, I don't have the wisdom to tell you why both you and Bane were chosen to guide Declan; the only thing I know is that it's your destiny"
Flicking his gaze to the patio, Cole fixed his gaze on Declan. The little boy was wearing a red cowboy hat and riding a stick pony while the Trudeau, girls and cousins gathered around a Little Tyke's plastic kitchen set.
Was playing the part of the adoptive father to a demonic child really in his blood? "I can't do it" he said stubbornly, "not without Phoebe."
"Well what if you and boy stayed here and you and Bane just oversaw his training? " Drake piped without forethought, "You could let, Piper and her sisters essentially raise the boy and all you'd have to do is show him how to control his demonic side"
"No…no…" Cole chuckled. In his mind he could already see, Prue and Paige trying to turn the boy against him.
Drake paused again watching Cole's eyes shift to the boy. "Well then you and I could take a shot at it. I could teach him all of the finer things that life has to offer like art, music literature, at least until my time here is up."
Cole's eyes adverted back to Drake, "Two demons raising a little boy? Now that could have possibilities" he laughed. Slowly, he made his way out onto the patio where Declan was standing alone watching the girls pretend to make potions.
Cole knelt to the boy's eye level. "Hey Buddy do you know who I am?"
Holding onto this stick pony, Declan shook his head no.
"I'm Cole and over there is my buddy Drake. He and I are going to be taking care you for a while. You think you might like hanging out with two old guys who have some really cool powers just like yours?"
Declan thought for a moment before dropping his stick pony and winding his arms around Cole's neck.
"Well this starting off better than I thought" Drake quipped watching as Cole gave him thumbs up.
Prue stood in the bathroom gazing into the mirror. Opening her mouth she tried to speak desperately wanting to make any sound that resemble normal human speech but nothing but a jumble of jargon came out. Part of her had desperately wanted to play along with Paige's banter over Bane but she'd been too embarrassed to even to try to speak.
"o-o-ugh-o-o" Damn it! Why couldn't she do this? It wasn't as if she were deaf like Austin. Her voice was just refusing to cooperate. Prue thrusts her hands onto the edge basin admittedly frustrated. When was this going to end?
"Your voice will always be beautiful to me"
Prue's head jerked upward to the mirror, to see invisible orbs forming behind her. Andy was with her, watching in his invisible form. In his hands he held a single yellow rose. Yellow roses were the sign of an apology Prue thought as she slowly turned around.
"Here" Andy extended his hand, offering the rose but Prue simply pushed it back with her own hand and stormed out of the bathroom.
"Damn" Andy tossed the hapless flower aside, chasing after her. "C'mon Prue, I'm trying to apologize here!"
Prue guessed that sitting in the rubble of their swing had broken Andy's jealous' hold bringing the Tracer back to his normal placid disposition. Not that she cared at the moment. Stubbornly she continued down the hall, ignoring his pleas.
"Is it really that hard to forgive me? I admit I got too angry with Bane" Andy's hand splayed across her bedroom door, Prue telekinetically slammed it in his face. "Prue, I love you, you know that!"
Prue stood on the opposite side with her and pressed against the door. "I love you too" she swallowed silently, "but I can't do this anymore" She wasn't used to her life with Andy spinning out of control. Too many things were dividing them in half; Aleayia's birth, Austin becoming death, the fiasco with Francis and now Bane.
Obs appeared behind her prompting her whirl. There was Andy was with his hands on his hips, ready for a battle of witts.
"You know holding the door shut with your powers only works when the person on the other side can't orb".
"Leave" she mouthed unaware that Piper had heard the commotion and was now standing outside, planting a set of crystals in the doorjam. Within seconds a magic proof crystal field was surrounding the inside and outside parameters of Prue's bedroom.
"No" the left side of Andy's face jerked upward as he spoke. "No Prue, I'm not going to leave things like this…I can't"
"Fine, I will," Prue sneered thrusting the door open only to walk into the crystal field that her sister had planted. Before Prue knew what she was doing, she was sent flying backwards straight into Andy. Together the two ironically, tumbled backwards upon their queen-sized bed. Once again Prue was pinned beneath him.
"I'm so sorry about everything Prue," Andy's hand caressed the side of brusied her cheek, making Prue sighed in the defeat. His kiss was always something that had made her melt. Slowly she closed her eyes and give in, letting his tongue enter her mouth. But wait a minute…something seemed different…it wasn't his kiss…
Breaking the kiss, Prue opened her eyes, just time to see the figure kissing her glamour back into Bane. "Pretty cool whitelighter trick, Eh Prue?
"Oh God" Out in the hallway Piper had watched the entire thing, she had started to walk away when the real Andy had orbed into the corridor, carrying a huge bouquet of roses. No…No…Andy you have to stay away" she hissed about a minute late. He'd stepped in the doorway, just in time to see Prue in Banes' arms.
"This is what you wanted me to see?" Andy snapped incredulously at the charmed one.
"Andy…wait…wait…it's not what you-" Too late again, in a swirl of angry orbs he was gone.
"Ah, Crap!" Piper cursed kicking one of the crystals free from the door. Crap! Crap! Crap! All right, Whitelighter or not this time I really am going to blow you straight to hell! Now get off my sister! "
Sheepishly, Bane rolled away Prue while Piper stood ready with fingers flexed. "Prue, you gotta believe me, I never meant to hurt you like this"
"Then why did you?" Piper snapped saying the words her sister couldn't.
"It's just that when I found out I had this incredible power to change the way I look, I thought it was the only way I could be with you. I just wanted to know what it was like to touch you again"
"So you were going to seduce her?" Piper shoved a hand through her hair, "Bane your whitelighter, for Godskaes you can't use your powers for sex! LEO! LEO GET UP HERE NOW!"
Instantaneously, Piper's obedient husband appeared along with Gideon. "What's going on?"
"Get him out of here now!" Piper pointed directly at Bane. "And don't you dare let him back into my house! Do you understand me?"
Gideon shifted uncomfortably, rubbing his chin. "With all due respect Piper, Bane was just following my orders. I asked him to use his new power to see how Prue would react to Andy"
"How she would react to Andy? Why?" Piper did a double take and clenched her fists waiting for further explanation, as did Prue.
All eyes were upon Gideon, "It has come to our attention that Andy may have been possibly working with the Avatars, in an attempt to free, his daughter, Ayleia, from the See'r"
Gideon, waiting for a moment, gauging Prue's expression, "I am sorry, Prue but it appears that Andy can no longer be trusted"