Finally, Brody got the chance he'd been waiting for. A powerful, upper-level demon had attacked in the manor; one that would require a Power of Three vanquishing. Paige had rung him in the daytime to tell him she'd have to cancel their date that evening, as, according to the Book of Shadows, the demon would be a hard one to track down and kill. They would likely be camping it for most of the night, she said. The boys had been sent to stay with Miss Donovan at Magic School for their protection.
Brody's heart leapt. It was perfect. Now if only he could be sure that Leo would actually be home.
As the evening approached, Brody tried to concentrate on finalising his plan. He had taken the Avatar vanquishing potion out of its case, and was pacing round his apartment with it tightly gripped in his hand for at least an hour, before he realised how stupid this was; should he trip and fall and the potion vial smash, his very last hope of weakening the Avatars would be smashed too. So he carefully laid it back in its case and continued pacing without it.
Could he do this? he asked himself. Could he really kill Leo? And, niggled the question at the back of his mind, did he really want to?
He was not any closer to making a decision when he pulled up outside the manor. He cursed himself and his indecision. Was it only a week ago when he had been so sure of his vengeful intent that he'd flung that potion at Leo with the full intent of killing him? What had changed since then?
But he couldn't just sit there and beat up on himself all night. Time was running out, and this might be the only change he would get before the Avatars unleashed whatever evil they had in mind on the world. He had to move, now.
He went into FBI mode as he scoped out the scene. All quiet around the house. Phoebe's Mini Cooper was still parked outside, but Piper's car was gone. He could only assume that the three sisters had gone with it.
He got out of his car, quietly, taking care not to slam the door. He checked his jacket pocket for the potion. There, and ready for him to throw if he needed to. He'd left his gun behind; it'd be no use against Leo. Glancing from side to side, he walked up to the house. He entered as softly as he could through the unlocked door. Did a brief but thorough sweep of the ground floor. Clear.
He tiptoed halfway up the stairs, hugging the wall, then stopped, hand in pocket, lightly grasping the potion vial. He strained his ears for footsteps or any other noise that would give away Leo's whereabouts. All of a sudden, he heard the shower start up. The noise startled him; he jumped, heart pounding in his chest. So, Leo was in the shower. Brody leaned against the wall, helpless against the vivid image of the angel naked, soaping his body, hands roaming over his biceps, his toned chest, his stomach, lower, lower…
For Christ's sake, snap out of it! he cursed angrily at himself. Forcibly he pulled his thoughts together; crept up the remaining stairs and down the hallway to the bathroom. He could see steam escaping from the crack under the door; hear the drumming of water on tile. He paused outside the door, took a deep breath. Eased the potion out of his pocket and held it at chest height, like a gun. Before he could lose his nerve, or get lost once more in his imagination, he steeled himself and then burst through the bathroom door. He lunged towards the shower curtain and ripped it back. Just as his brain started to register that the shower stall was empty, he felt two hands firmly grip his shoulders, and then the whole scene disappeared in a blinding burst of light.