Author's Note: The story has gone through a little bit of a rewrite and the chapters are longer as a result. On top of that there is two additional chapters that were originally meant to be the Prologue for the spin-off. Now those chapters could be considered a back-door pilot type thing. And instead of the spin-off starting with the BTVS movie (I used Joss Whedon's original script by the way, not the final draft and added in a detail here and there to line it up with the BTVS series) it will start with Welcome to the Hellmouth. But that is all why this chapter now is chapter 15 instead of chapter 13 as it was originally.
Chapter 15: Black as Cole Part 1
December 11, 2001 – Tuesday
Halliwell Manor
Max sighed as she watched Piper pace around the attic. They had been told by Leo and William that there was a demon that liked to kill witches. So, Max had, with Piper looking over her shoulder, scryed for the demon and when Max had a location Phoebe and Cole had gone to check it out.
"A demon who likes to kill witches well…" Paige pursed her lips as she stood at the podium gazing down at the Book of Shadows, "…that narrows it down to about every page in the book."
Piper rolled her eyes. "We have one clue. We know he likes to use an athame," she informed her sister from behind.
Max frowned. "How does that help?" she asked.
"Well..." Piper turned to her niece. "It means he has hands," she quipped with a smirk and Max rolled her eyes trying not to laugh. She grinned as she turned to Paige. "Keep flipping," she instructed walking out from behind the podium.
Paige looked up, following Piper with her eyes. "So…I hear you and Leo are thinking about having a baby," she stated bluntly a smile tugging at her lips.
"Uh if you guys are going to have the sex talk, I'm going downstairs," Max said as she got up and headed for the attic door.
"Uh if you guys are going to talk about sex, I'm going downstairs," Max said as she got up and headed for the attic door.
Piper glanced at her niece in understanding. When she was Max's age she would not have wanted to hear about her parents or any grown-up for that matter having sex. She spun on her sisters. "Where did you hear that from?" she interrogated.
Paige shrugged, "From Phoebe," she replied nonchalantly her eyes following Max as she left the attic. She felt sorry for Max, she remembered when her parents brought up sex and how she had not wanted to hear it. Did any teenager really want to hear their parents or in Max's case aunts and uncle talk about sex?
"Of course, it was Phoebe." Piper muttered to herself darkly.
Paige's eyes widened. "Oh! Did I just break some sort of sister confidentiality clause?" she queried sheepishly.
Piper shook her head. "No, you didn't," she assured her folding her arms across her chest. "And no, we aren't."
"Really?" Paige asked looking surprised. "Don't you want to?" she questioned and Piper smirked. "Not to be nosy, but if I'm going to be an Aunt again and all..." she trailed off with a pointed look.
Piper shook her head in amusement. "You're not going to be an Aunt again, all right," she corrected. "At least not any time soon. It's too risky," she added looking to the book pointedly. "It would be in constant danger around us."
"What does Leo think?" Paige asked with narrowed eyes, one hand on her hip.
"Leo thinks that there's enough magic around here, we'd be able to protect it," Piper answered both looking and sounding extremely unconvinced.
Paige tilted her head. "Maybe he's right." She shrugged.
"Maybe he's not," Piper countered then frowned. "Keep flipping."
Paige rolled her eyes. "I'm flipping," she promised turning a few pages for effect before addressing her older sister again. "You know, it's not like having a baby isn't hard enough even without demons attacking but...for what it's worth? There are ways of seeing what it's like before you actually have one," she informed her.
Piper laughed. "Mm-hm, great!" The sarcastic enthusiasm was apparent. "Well, the next time you pass a baby-rental, pick up one for Leo," she joked.
Paige gazed out thoughtfully. "Maybe I will," she answered and Piper chuckled. "I'm curious," she admitted. "Do you think Chloe and Max will want a baby?"
"I don't know." Piper shrugged. "Personally, I would rather they held off for the same reasons I stated for myself. But at the end of the day, I just don't know. Neither of them have spoken to me about it."
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Max stopped on the second floor and looked toward Paige's room. She quietly moved inside and looked around her mother's former room.
"Having trouble with your aunts talking about sex?"
Max spun at the voice and her eyes widened at whom she saw. "Mom?" she said as she looked at her birth mother, Prue Halliwell.
Prue smiled. "Yes, hello, my darling girl." She took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Max.
Max's eyes widened realizing that Prue was actually there. She melted into her mother's embrace, enjoying finally being held by Prue. "It's so good to finally meet you," she admitted. "But I have to…"
"Why am I here? Why am I corporeal?" Prue questioned and Max nodded. "As far as your aunts are concerned, they still can't see me yet. And as far as you are concerned, this is one a time deal. Once I leave, you won't be allowed to see me again, till they can."
"Why?" Max cried as a tear escaped her eye. "Why just this one time?"
"Because unlike Piper, Phoebe or Paige, you have not met me or know me. And yes, Paige has actually met me, though it was brief," Prue informed her daughter as she sat on Paige's bed. "I know she doesn't remember, but she did meet me. Five years ago, Paige was nineteen, doing an internship for college. I found myself in the office where she worked. I wanted to find you; I wanted to bring you home. Of course, I couldn't, the laws just don't work that way. Sure, you had an open adoption, but at the same time unless your adoptive parents wanted you to see me, then I couldn't see you. And from what I gathered at the time they had not even told you of me, plus, you were going through some stuff."
"William's death," Max said in understanding as she sat next to Prue. "And probably preparation for the move to Seattle. Probably figured I couldn't handle another bombshell at the time."
"And they were probably right," Prue said in agreement. "I wish now, Max. That Andy and I had kept you. Fought Grams, I was afraid Max that if she found out I was pregnant that she would either not let Andy see you or give you up for adoption all together herself. As my legal guardian, she had that right of course. But if I had fought her, then maybe, just maybe I could have raised you. And then when you came into your powers you would have someone to teach you about them."
"While it would have been nice to have been raised by you," Max admitted. "It would have also meant that I wouldn't have been Chloe's friend, and in turn I wouldn't have saved her, Buffy, Dawn, Joyce and David from the tornado. I feel that what happened had to happen and couldn't have happened any other way."
Prue smiled and nodded. "I agree," she said as she brushed a strand of hair from Max's face. "You were destined to go the Caulfields and you were destined to fall in love with Chloe. I know that now. But know this, my daughter, your destiny is still unfolding. You are only at the beginning of it and I wish you all the luck in the world. Blessed be, Patricia Andrea Halliwell—my daughter, I will be watching over you," she said as she disappeared in swirling white lights.
It was then that Max's cell phone blared loudly. She quickly brought it to her ear as she answered. "Hello?"
"Max?" came Chloe's voice from the other end.
"Chloe," Max said. She walked out of Paige's room and headed back upstairs. Chloe had offered to chauffer Cole and Phoebe, since Phoebe's car was in the shop. "Did Phoebe and Cole find anything?"
"No," Chloe answered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"AH!" Piper shrieked startled by her husband's sudden appearance.
"So, did you find anything out?" Leo asked eagerly.
"Uh…yeah," Piper answered as Paige began flipping again. "Max scryed for the location of the demon, using the slime from the last victim and Phoebe and Cole are checking it out," she spouted off professionally.
"Alright," Leo nodded. "Well, I hope that it pans out because with two dead witches, they're pretty concerned up there," he told them glancing towards the heavens.
"Yeah, well we're pretty concerned down here," Piper informed him.
"Hey? I think I got something," Paige called. "Upper-level demon who likes to kill witches using an athame, sometimes energy balls," she read. "His name…is Belthazor," she concluded.
"Yeah, it's not him," Piper informed her baby sister matter-of-factly.
Paige frowned. "Why not?" she questioned feeling out of the loop.
Piper and Leo exchanged uneasy looks. "Uh...well, because that's Cole in his demonic form," Leo answered carefully when Piper smiled at him. He gave the youngest sister a kind smile.
"You knew he was half demon," Piper added with a shrug.
"Yeah," Paige nodded staring at the picture of Belthazor. "But I didn't know he could turn into that," she replied as Max entered the attic.
"Got Chloe on the phone," Max said before noticing Leo had joined Piper and Phoebe. "Hey, Uncle Leo."
"Hey, Max," Leo greeted as he moved to his niece and hugged her.
Max returned the embrace before turning to her aunts. "Chloe, Aunt Phoebe and Cole are at Battery and Clay," she informed them as she hit the speakerphone button.
"There is no sign of the demon," Chloe said from the other end of the line.
"Chloe says there is no sign of him," Max informed them.
"Tell her I'll scry for him," Piper informed her niece.
"Aunt Piper is going to scry for him, Chloe. Make sure I got the right demon and the right location," Max informed her wife.
"Alright."
Piper knelt down at the table, picking up the crystal and dangling it over the map of San Francisco.
"Max," Paige said waving her hand at the phone.
"What?" Max asked looking at her youngest aunt.
"Ask her if Cole has morphed into any demons lately," Paige suggested.
"I will not, Aunt Paige," Max said with a roll of her eyes.
"Phoebe, is there a page on Cole in your book?" Chloe said addressing Phoebe.
"Yes, why?" Phoebe's voice came in the background.
"I think Paige found it," Chloe answered still addressing Phoebe. "She was asking Max to have her ask me to ask you if Cole morphed into any demons lately."
Max turned her attention back to Piper. "Aunt Piper almost has him, Chloe."
"Battery and Clay," Piper muttered as the crystal dropped and she turned to Max. "He's still there."
Max frowned. "Aunt Piper said he's still there, Chloe," she informed her wife.
Battery and Clay Warehouse
Phoebe giggled loudly as Cole tickled her sides gently. "Cole stop!" she cried wriggling free. "We're working." she reminded her with a smirk.
Cole grinned. "So?" he asked yanking Phoebe toward him and planting his lips firmly onto hers.
Phoebe sighed happily breaking the kiss before it got heavy. "No," she pointed one finger at him. "Stop."
Chloe glanced around the warehouse. "I can't see him. Can either of you see him?" she asked coming up beside Phoebe and Cole. While the intent was to be chauffer for the couple, but because she was a Potential Slayer, she had found herself thrust into everything more than she had before. Not that she minded, anything to ensure her wife's family remained among the living.
"No," Phoebe answered. Cole shook his head, though his eyes remained on her. She rolled her eyes. "Cole, you have to actually look." She giggled.
"I'm calling Max," Chloe announced pulling out her cell phone dialing.
"Hello?" Max's voice answered from down the line.
"Max?" Chloe said keeping her eyes peeled for the demon.
"Chloe," Max said. "Did Phoebe and Cole find anything?"
"No," Chloe answered as she heard footsteps. She looked at Phoebe and Cole. "It sounds like Max wasn't with Piper and Paige. It'll be a second."
"Got Chloe on the phone," Max said, Chloe assume she was addressing Piper and Paige. "Hey, Uncle Leo."
"Hey, Max," Leo greeted from the background.
"Chloe, Aunt Phoebe and Cole are at Battery and Clay," Max informed Piper, Paige and Leo.
"There is no sign of the demon," Chloe informed her wife.
"Chloe says there is no sign of him," Max echoed.
"Tell her I'll scry for him," Piper said from the background.
"Aunt Piper is going to scry for him, Chloe. Make sure I got the right demon and the right location," Max informed Chloe from the other end of the phone.
"Alright," Chloe answered.
"Max," came Paige's voice in the background from the other end of the phone.
"What?" Max said addressing Paige.
"Ask her if Cole has morphed into any demons lately," Paige's voice suggested.
"I will not, Aunt Paige," Max answered.
Chloe looked at Phoebe and Cole with a frown on her face. "Phoebe, is there a page on Cole in your book?"
"Yes, why?" Phoebe wondered.
"I think Paige found it," Chloe answered. "She was asking Max to have her ask me to ask you if Cole morphed into any demons lately."
"Aunt Piper almost has him, Chloe," Max said from the other end.
"Battery and Clay," Piper's voice said in the background. "He's still there."
"Aunt Piper said he's still there, Chloe," Max informed her.
"Thanks, Max," Chloe said ending the call. She turned to Phoebe and Cole. "Piper said he's still here," she informed them. "I will circle around again."
"Okay," Phoebe said as Chloe walked off. Chloe was almost to the other side of the warehouse when the demon dropped unnoticed to the floor behind her and Cole. They didn't see him release his extremely strong slime at her, wrapping it around her leg and pulling.
Phoebe screamed, causing Chloe to spin around, as she was lifted into the air and grabbing onto Cole.
"Hold on!" Cole ordered through clenched teeth as he fought to keep a hold on Phoebe as Chloe made her way back toward them.
"No! I can't!" Phoebe replied panicked as her hands slipped from his arms to grip his hands. She and Cole locked eyes and she nodded once.
Cole readjusted himself and counted down. "Three...two...one!" he cried and Phoebe let go of his right hand gripping his left with both instead and he threw an energy ball at the demon who exploded, covering them in green goo and sending them soaring forward, landing on a pile of old clothes next to Chloe.
"We have to stop meeting like this," Phoebe rasped out through her laughter.
Cole nodded. "Marry me." He smiled.
Chloe and Phoebe both stilled, both of them looking at Cole in complete surprise. "What?" they asked in unison.
Halliwell Manor
Chloe looked at Cole and Phoebe as she held the Manor door open for them. Phoebe and Cole were still covered in slime and Chloe had insisted that they ride in the bed of her truck till they got back and had a chance to shower.
"Don't you think we should talk about this?" Cole asked as he stormed after Phoebe.
Chloe sighed. She had the little sliding glass window opened in the back of her truck all the way back to the Manor and heard Phoebe and Cole talking. Part of it was about the marriage proposal.
"Talk about what?" Phoebe asked innocently from in front of him as she maneuvered herself carefully making sure not to get demon blood everywhere.
"Wow!" Piper cried as she reached the bottom step, Max behind her. "Looks like you two got a juicy one," she commented and Max sniggered.
"So juicy that if they hadn't been drenched, I would have drove my truck through a car wash," Chloe said as Piper and Max looked at her questioningly. "You really think I was going to let them ride in the cab all the way back here?"
Piper chuckled. "Probably not," she agreed. She looked at her sister. "Well?"
"It was unfortunately not the one who kills witches," Phoebe answered.
"How do you know?" Max asked with a frown.
Phoebe gestured to Cole who took a step forward, addressing Piper and Max. "Because upper-level demons have a human form and they bleed red not green," he explained. "Where are you going?" he asked Phoebe as she headed for the stairs.
"I'm going up…" Phoebe replied stopping next to Piper who took a step back, "…to take a shower first, and then I'm going to check out the Book of Shadows. I want to ID this demon that I'm…" she glanced down at her clothes as did Piper, Max and Chloe, "…wearing, try to find some answers," she concluded turning and continuing her climb.
"Speaking of unanswered questions—" Cole called after her but Phoebe spun round cutting him off.
"There is a demon on the loose, Cole," Phoebe reminded him angrily. "We don't have time for this."
"Shouldn't we make time for it?" Cole retorted.
"No!" Phoebe snapped. "Not now we shouldn't."
Max and Piper exchanged suspicious looks. "What are you guys talking about?" Max asked, her eyes narrowing at the couple along with Piper's.
"Nothing," Phoebe answered quickly.
Cole shrugged. "Nothing," he repeated.
Piper looked to Chloe who shook her head. "I'm staying out of this," Chloe told Piper. "This is between your sister and Cole."
"Let's go get your truck washed off," Max said as she and Chloe walked back out the front door.
"Please Cole," Phoebe begged. "Let's just focus on vanquishing the demon," she suggested giving him a stern look when he failed to agree instantly.
"Fine," he relented unhappily. "I'll uh…go see what I can, find out." He forced a smile then shimmered out.
Piper turned to Phoebe as she sighed. "Honey, did you two have a fight?" she asked sweetly.
"No, he just…never mind." Phoebe muttered turning away and disappearing upstairs in much need of a hot shower.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"What was that all about?" Max asked as she dragged the water hose toward Chloe's truck.
"In the heat of the moment, Cole asked Phoebe to marry her," Chloe answered.
"Are you cereal?" Max asked in surprise. "I never would have expected that. And I don't know if Leo's bosses are going to like that either. I remember the story Aunt Piper told me of hers and Uncle Leo's relationship before they got married and how the Elders had been dead set against it before Aunt Piper had proven to them it would not be a bad thing. I don't think they are probably very happy that Aunt Phoebe is even dating a demon."
"They are not."
Chloe and Max turned at the sound of the voice and found William standing behind them.
"Dad!" Chloe said excitedly as she hugged William.
"Hello, Chloe," William said as he returned the embrace. "How is my brave girl doing?"
"I'm good, dad," Chloe replied, happy to see her father.
"What do you mean they're not, William?" Max asked as she too embraced William.
"Just that that they are not happy that Phoebe is dating Cole, but Leo has gone to bat for them and explained that while Cole is a demon, he is also half-human and his human half is good and keeps his demon half in check," William explained. "But when they find out that Cole proposed, they could very well try to do everything in their power to break them up. Phoebe has to show them that being married to Cole is not a bad thing, that he will not turn her evil."
"Would they listen?" Chloe wondered.
"Maybe," William replied. "Right now, they don't know though. But it is only a matter of time."
"I thought they don't watch everything we do down here?" Max asked.
"They don't, that is why they don't know yet," William answered. "Which gives Phoebe and Cole time to decide how to proceed, if they proceed."
"If they don't know, then how do you know, dad," Chloe wondered.
"Because I watch out for you, Chloe, and Max," William replied. "I am Max's, yours, Buffy and Dawn's Whitelighter, remember? I watch out for you four, I even watch out for your mother as well."
Cannon Theater
A very large black demon with red design shimmered in after a terrified woman, trapping her in a dead end. "Witch."
The woman turned to him and screamed loudly.
The demon sprang forward, covering her mouth with his hand to silence her and pushed her back against a dumpster.
The demon pulled out an athame and used it to lift her necklace: three crescent-shaped moons. "You're next," he growled in her ear before plunging the athame into her stomach, muffling her whimpers with his hand. He yanked it out and let her limp, dead body slip to the ground before sheathing his weapon and morphing into his human form.
The demon them proceeded to call 911. "Yes, I'd like to report a terrible murder," he spoke into the receiver faking fear and disgust. "A beautiful young woman in the alley behind the Cannon Theatre."
"Hey? You gonna be long?" and innocent bystander asked from his left. "What are you deaf? I need to use the phone," he stressed when the demon failed to answer.
The demon turned to him. "Um…hold on," he said into the phone placing it down then sending an energy ball at the innocent. It sent the innocent flipping back before exploding against the far wall, leaving a scorch mark.
The demon picked up the phone again. "Hurry, please," he continued like nothing happened, "Before anyone else gets hurt." He ended the call there and shimmered out.
Halliwell Manor
"Okay," Phoebe said loudly, fresh and demon blood free, as she stood by the Book of Shadows. "So, the demon that Chloe, Cole and I nailed is a Scavenger demon," she informed Piper.
"Chloe?" Piper said with a raised eyebrow.
"She may not be a witch, Piper," Phoebe informed her sister. "But she is magical like her sisters, since she has the potential to be the next called as a Slayer should her middle sister die. It doesn't hurt if she gets in some training in preparation. I'm not saying send her against a demon alone, I'm just saying let her help us."
"If anything happens to her, Max will kill us," Piper countered with a sigh. "But I guess your right. That said I am reluctant, because unless she is called, she is still a mortal."
"I know," Phoebe answered as she turned back to the book. "Anyways, the demon we nailed feeds on the remains of other demons' victims," she read aloud and shuddered. "Nice huh?"
"Lovely," Piper agreed sarcastically. "But that explains why Max and I scryed for him accidentally." She then took a step toward her sister intending to ask Phoebe about the argument.
Phoebe looked up from the book with wide eyes. "Uh-oh," she whispered.
"Um are you going to tell me what happened out there?" Piper questioned.
Phoebe shrugged looking back at the book. "Well, there's not much to tell. I mean, Chloe was on the other side of the warehouse when the demon jumped in behind Cole and I and we—"
Piper placed her hands on the book. "That's not what I meant," she said pointedly and Phoebe sighed. "What happened between you and Cole that Chloe doesn't want to get involved with?" she rephrased.
"Oh." Phoebe nodded. "Yeah, that. Um…I'm not exactly sure," she admitted then shrugged. "He asked me to marry him," she revealed nonchalantly turning away.
Piper froze and blinked once. "What?" She blinked again. "Wh—He, he did what?—He did?"
"More or less." Phoebe answered.
"What, what did you say?" Piper continued to question.
"I didn't know what to say," Phoebe replied turning back to her older sister looking lost and confused. "I was too surprised. I mean, all my power of premonition and I never saw that one coming."
Piper shook her head. "I don't think a witch is allowed to marry a demon," she stated as Max and Chloe entered the attic. She turned to her nieces. "Are witches allowed to marry demons?" she asked.
"Chloe and I don't know," Max replied,
Piper laughed nervously. "Phoebe, honey? We can't have a demon in the family."
Phoebe rolled her eyes. "That is the least of my concerns right now," she sighed moving to perch on the higher-level floor that was almost like a step.
Piper followed her sister with her eyes. "Phoebe, don't kid yourself. If you decide to go through with this, it, it's going to be a source of huge concerns, especially for them," she pointed to the ceiling.
"I think their feelings about this don't really matter, Aunt Piper," Max stressed with a glare as she moved to sit next to Phoebe. Piper and Chloe standing on either side of them. "That said though, the good news is they don't know yet." Piper and Phoebe looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Chloe and I had a visit from William. The reason he knows about your proposal, Aunt Phoebe, is because he watches me, Chloe, Buffy and Dawn more than they do. Which gives you time to figure things out, Aunt Phoebe. And time to prove to them like, Aunt Piper proved to them she should be allowed to marry Uncle Leo, that you and Cole can be married and you not turn evil."
Phoebe sighed, "I love Cole," she said looking between her sister and nieces. "You all know I do but…demon stuff aside, I just, never thought of myself as the marrying type," she began to explain, trying to make sense of her feelings, by talking to the three of the most important people in her life. "You know, it's not something I fantasized about, ever."
"I didn't either," Chloe admitted. "At least not since my dad died. But look at me now, Phoebe. I'm married to your niece."
"Anyways, what are you going to tell him?" Piper asked gently.
"I don't know," Phoebe huffed. "But if William is right and they don't know. I have time to figure it out."
"Well…" Piper grinned. "You have to tell him something," she pointed out the obvious. "Because a question like that just doesn't go away by itself."
Phoebe pouted. "Are you sure?" she asked grabbing Piper's hands.
Piper nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure," she replied with a giggle.
Phoebe bit her lip, turning her head to Max and Chloe, both of whom nodded too.
Cole shimmered in at that moment. "Hey," he greeted Phoebe nervously.
Phoebe looked over at him. "Hey," she replied.
Piper looked between Cole and Phoebe before grabbing Max and Chloe's arm and yanking them toward the door. "We'll…be downstairs," she informed them with a nod. They scurried out of the attic shooting Cole knowing looks as they passed.
Silence engulfed the couple as they stood staring at one another. Cole cleared his throat loudly, sticking his hands in his pockets. "I couldn't find out who the demon is," he admitted looking to the floor. "But at least I ruled out the usual suspects."
"Any idea of...who it could be?" Phoebe asked nervously playing with her hands.
Cole shook his head. "No. Just another upper-level demon trying to build a reputation by killing witches, to move up the ladder."
Phoebe remained silent, looking anywhere but at him.
Cole sighed. "Anyway…I guess I'll keep checking," he concluded turning to shimmer out.
"No, Cole, wait!" Phoebe called out, rising to her feet. "We should talk."
Cole turned back to her expectantly. "Alright."
Phoebe exhaled slowly. "It's…just…hard."
Cole's eyes flashed in what Phoebe recognized as hurt as he replied, "It's just me."
Phoebe locked hers with him, sadness shining through as she hesitantly stepped toward him. "Okay. Let me ask you a question," she began slowly, stopping at arms' length. "When you…you know, proposed…did you mean too?" she asked fearing the answer. "Or did it just come out? In, in the heat of the moment?"
Cole opened his mouth looking away. "Well, does that matter?" he questioned turning back to her.
Phoebe's eyes widened. "Well, yeah," she answered nodding. "It matters to me."
Cole hesitated for a moment before revealing, "It just came out in the heat of the moment."
Phoebe's face fell. "Oh," she whispered in disappointment.
Cole quickly defended himself. "But that, that doesn't mean that once I said it I wasn't serious," he corrected himself. "Because I was. I still am," he insisted.
"Cole," Phoebe sighed turning away from him and wrapping her arms around herself tightly.
"Phoebe, listen to me," Cole pleaded following her closely. "I know it was crazy to ask and I know it doesn't make any sense because of who we are but…that shouldn't matter." He came up right behind her. "If it did, we never would have fallen in love in the first place," he added in a last desperate attempt to reach her.
Phoebe turned to him and slowly ran her hands up his chest, gripping the lapels of his jacket and closing her eyes.
"I love you, Phoebe," Cole told her, looking directly into her eyes, the conviction and sincerity in his voice impossible to ignore. "And…I don't know where we go from here but…I do know that wherever it is…I want it to be with you."
Phoebe smiled taking his face in her hands and gazing into his eyes.
The moment of understanding was shattered by the shrill cry of a baby from downstairs.
Phoebe looked past Cole to the attic door, Cole twisting his head in the same direction. "Is that a baby crying?" she questioned incredulously before the two hastily exited the attic.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"You told me to rent one," Paige reminded Piper innocently, clutching a mechanical baby to her chest. "So, I did." She shrugged.
Piper looked to Max and Chloe in disbelief.
Paige thrust the doll into Piper's arms.
Piper's eyes bulged. "Well, I didn't think you could!" she exclaimed giving the doll a fearful look. "Where did you get it?"
Paige shrugged. "The clinic."
"Great!" Piper chirped. "Take it back," she snapped thrusting it back into Paige's arms.
"What's going on?" Phoebe asked as she and Cole joined her nieces and sisters in the living room, Cole perching on the arm of one over-stuffed chair while Phoebe came to a stop at Max and Chloe's side.
"Paige brought home this realistic sounding mechanical baby," Chloe informed Phoebe. "It's for Piper and Leo so they could see what it was like to have a baby of their own, before actually having one. Personally, I think it's a cray idea."
"We use them in parenting classes all the time," Paige added.
Phoebe grinned. "Wow! It sounds so real," she commented as it continued to cry.
"And so annoying," Piper added, cringing at the noise and glaring at the doll.
"Look, Paige, I appreciate the thought but we are on a demon hunt. The last thing I want to do is protect a fake baby," Piper insisted.
"Oh, really?" Paige questioned smartly before throwing the baby into the air.
Max and Phoebe followed it with their eyes calmly. Instinctively Max brought time to a screeching halt, freezing the baby in mid-air.
"See?" Paige smirked. "Your instincts were to save it."
"I didn't do that, Paige," Piper informed her youngest sister as she turned and looked at Max. "Max did."
"Real or not," Max informed Piper. "It doesn't deserve to be thrown in the air in the hopes you will save it with your powers. If you failed to act Aunt Paige would have had to explain to the clinic why it was broken."
"The doll has a sensor," Paige explained. "It'll stop crying if you just hold it."
"But I don't want to," Piper huffed.
Paige narrowed her eyes. "Come on. Just try it," she begged. "If it doesn't work, I'll take it back I promise."
Piper sighed in frustration, she nodded at Max. Max flicked her hands and time resumed its march forward and the baby fell into her waiting arms, the screaming continuing.
Phoebe grinned moving around Max and Chloe to wrap her arms around Piper and the baby. "Okay, now you just rock it gently," she instructed rocking them both up and down and side to side.
"I know how to hold a baby," Piper informed Phoebe through clenched teeth. "That is not the issue, thank you!" she snapped and Phoebe released her jumping away.
"Just give it a shot," Paige encouraged with a smile. "What have you got to lose?" she added with a shrug.
Piper glared at Paige as Leo orbed in beside Cole. "Another witch has been killed," he informed them grimly.
"Oh no," Max whispered sadly.
"Yeah," Leo said. "Police found her body at the Cannon Theater."
"We should go there and see what we can find out," Piper suggested looking to her sisters and nieces, who all nodded their agreement.
"We've got to call Morris on the way," Phoebe informed them. "Make sure he can get us in. And no…" she pointed to Cole as he stood, "…you cannot come. Someone might recognize you from when you posed as a DA."
Cole sighed, slumping into the seat. "I don't get to go anywhere anymore," he called after Phoebe's retreating form.
Chloe gawked at Cole. "You were a demon and a lawyer?" Cole scowled and Chloe crossed her arms. "Hella insert joke here," she muttered.
Leo walked over to Piper and tapped the hand of the baby in his wife's arms. "Where'd you get it?"
Piper smiled. "It's Paige's," she answered looking pointedly at her younger sister.
Paige shook her head. "No, it's yours. You need to figure it out." She smiled before dashing after Phoebe.
Piper smirked. "Yeah, Daddy, figure it out," she instructed pushing the doll into Leo's arms. "Excuse me." She hurried after her sisters.
Leo approached Cole, Max and Chloe with the screaming doll seemingly lost. Cole stood when Leo turned to him.
Cole looked pointedly at the doll then up at Leo. "Don't look at me."
Leo sighed and turned to Max and Chloe, both of whom chuckled. Chloe took the baby from Leo's arms and rocking it gently, the crying quickly lessening until silence replaced it.
Chloe smirked and passed it back to Leo. "You're on your own now," she told him amusement shining in her eyes.
Leo groaned and Max smirked turning to her wife. "You're a natural," she stated.
"Comes from taking care of Buffy and Dawn," Chloe admitted.
"That reminds me," Leo said looking at the couple. "Piper had an idea. And I talked to the Elders about it and they agreed. In the near future, one of you become pregnant. It is a rare reward, but I convinced them that you to have gone above and beyond and deserve it."
Chloe looked down. "I haven't pictured myself as a mother in a long time," she admitted. "Not since my dad died. I was so angry for so long at dad for dying."
"Do you want Uncle Leo to ask his bosses to reverse their decision before either of us become pregnant?" Max questioned her wife. "I'm okay with anything you want, Chloe."
Chloe looked up at Max and shook her head. "No," she said. "It will take time to wrap my head around, but given my possible future. I want to do this while I have a chance."
"Okay," Max agreed as she kissed her wife passionately.
Cannon Theater
"I can't guarantee you much time on this." Darryl informed the five of them as escorted them under the crime scene tape. "Promise me you'll stay on the fringe," he asked looking between the five of them.
"We promise," Phoebe assured with a sparkling smile.
"So, what do we know, Uncle Darryl?" Max asked.
"A man called 911 from that pay phone," Darryl began pointing to the object in question. "Reported he found a body."
Piper turned to her right, eyes falling on the scorch mark. "Looks like she wasn't the only victim." Her sisters and nieces turned to her and she pointed. "Scorch mark. Definitely demonic. Looks like one of Cole's. actually."
"Don't you mean Belthazor?" Paige corrected.
Phoebe walked toward the mark inspecting it closely. "It's too bad Cole can't check it out. Probably be able to tell us who did it." She glanced around quickly. "Is anyone from the DA's office here?" she asked Darryl.
Darryl nodded and pointed behind Max and Chloe. "Yeah, that guy over there is an ADA. He's interviewing a friend of the victim." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a clear plastic bag. "I also found this on the victim."
"A triple crescent," Chloe said upon seeing it. "Wicked cool."
"Does it mean something to you?" Darryl questioned.
Chloe shook her head. "Nope," she answered. "Might to someone else."
"Max and I studied it in one of Piper's quizzes," Paige informed him. "It's an ancient Wiccan symbol. A cousin to the Triquetra," she explained.
"Could be the mark of a coven," Piper said.
"A coven someone's trying to wipe out," Phoebe added. "We have to figure out who else is in it."
Max turned and looked past Chloe to the other woman, "The victim's friend would be a safe place to start," she offered.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"And she hasn't complained about any disgruntled friends, co-workers, ex-boyfriends?" the ADA asked.
The friend shook her head. "No," she replied. "Kari was a beautiful person. Everyone loved her."
The ADA reached into his pocket. "If you can think of anything else at all, please, don't hesitate to call." He told her handing over the card.
The friend took the card and nodded. The ADA smiled before turning and walking away.
0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
"Only one way to find out," Phoebe said as she began to move toward the victim's friend.
Darryl grabbed Phoebe's arm, "Fringe remember?" he muttered and she nodded.
"Aunt Phoebe, wait," Max said. "If she is a witch, she should remain unfrozen right? So, if I stop time?"
"I should be able to talk to her without anyone interrupting," Phoebe said in understanding.
Max nodded as she brought time to a halt. She looked at Darryl and Chloe and nodded as they appeared frozen. "Okay."
Phoebe hurried over to the woman. "Nice necklace," she admired as the victim's friend walked past her. "Very unique."
The woman looked up and for the first time she realized that no one else was moving. "What?" she asked in surprise.
"My niece," Phoebe said waving her hand toward Max. "She can halt time. Felt it was better to talk this way so we aren't interrupted and I'm not seen inside an active crime scene."
The woman looked to her. "Do I know you?" she asked suspiciously.
Phoebe smiled. "No, but you might know of me," she replied. "Me and my sisters' have quite the reputation," she added as Paige and Piper made their way over. "The Charmed Ones."
The woman's eyes bulged in surprise and her mouth fell open.
"You and Kari were in the same coven?" Phoebe continued.
The woman glanced down at her necklace. "Yes."
Phoebe nodded, "And your mark is the triple crescent." She stated reaching out to touch the necklace. Once she did a premonition struck her.
The woman was in a park. It was daylight. A large, strong demon grabbed her from behind and plunged his athame into her back.
The woman looked at her in concern. "What is it? Are you alright?"
"What happened?" Piper asked as she and Paige reached them. "What'd you see?"
"The demon," Phoebe replied glancing toward her nieces. She understood why Max hadn't come over, she was concentrating on keeping time halted. "He's after her."
"Where?" Piper questioned rubbing Phoebe's arms comfortingly.
Phoebe shook her head. "Uh…by the steps…in some park," she answered unsure. "I think it was like an old amphitheater or something."
"I know that," the woman spoke up and all three heads turned to her. "That's in Stanley Arboretum. I walk past it every day going to work."
"What did the demon look like?" Paige asked.
Phoebe fiddled with her hands avoiding eye contact. "Like Belthazor," she admitted reluctantly. "I mean, not exactly like him, just similar," she corrected herself quickly.