A/N: Guess what, people? After almost two years of not updating, I'M BACK! Yup! Should I even explain? I guess I should. To those who bother to read these, I just finished my Uni studies and will be graduating soon! I deluded myself thinking I could both keep up with my essays and write this fic. I was clearly wrong. In the end, RL won and this had to take a back seat. BUT, now I'm free of Uni and all its inspiration-draining torture essays!

Before I proceed, I just wanna thank all the people who reviewed this. I would wanna mention all of you one by one, but this Author's Note would be epically long if I did. If it hadn't for you guys, and me re-reading all 53 messages of encouragement a couple of days ago, I honestly wouldn't have found fresh inspiration to keep writing this again. So a HUGE THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU GUYS WHO REVIEWED THIS. I swear, you guys keep me writing. :)

I'll explain a bit of this Chapter though. This is a sort of combination of Sight Unseen and Primrose Empath, tying it together with the episode I inserted on the last two chapters. This chapter will only tackle half of Primrose Empath though, but don't worry, the next part will be coming along soon. I've written half of it already as I type this. Anyway, that should be enough make this make sense. Onwards my dear readers!

DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything. Except my laptop. And the twisted idea of making a love triangle between these three people.

Chapter 7 - Confused Traps

Today's a winding road
that's taking me to places I didn't want to go
Today in the blink of an eye
I'm holding onto something but I do not know why

I try, I try to read between the lines
I try to look in your eyes
I want a simple explanation for what I'm feeling inside
I wanna find a way out, maybe there's a way out

- Thunder (Boys Like Girls)

Prue sat down on the old armchair in the attic. So many things seemed to have happened these past couple of weeks. So many things that were only coming to sense now. Looking through the diagram of evil possibilities she had made a couple of days ago, she felt a sense of both fulfilment and dread when she finally put the Triad at the centre of everything and two names around it: Troxa and Belthazor. She knew she had crossed the line with the demon cage, but it had served its purpose well.

"You'll get nothing from me, witch," the demon said inside the trap.

Prue set the last crystal back into place and the cage zapped him within. Nothing like a little pain to help along their conversation. After a couple of seconds, she pulled it away to let him speak. He would be of no use if she ended up killing him. Sometimes she scared herself at how ruthless she could be.

Gasping from the pain, the demon finally spoke. "I am Troxa. I'm not the only agent the triad has sent after you. There is another. His name is Belthazor."

Belthazor. That name had led them to the rather ugly picture of another more powerful and terrifying demon. His head was completely red, with black tribal markings around his scalp, black empty eyes and terrible teeth. He looked like one of those evil aliens from Star Wars. She wouldn't be surprised if he sounded like Darth Vader too. According to Leo he was one of the most dangerous and cunning demons around. The Book of Shadows didn't do much to try and pacify their fears:

Belthazor

Beware of this Demonic Soldier of Fortune.
Both powerful and dangerous, he has destroyed countless
witches, innocents and demons.

As sinister as he is intelligent, he is not to be trusted
Belthazor's known abilities include
throwing energy balls and shimmering from place to place,
but his powers are probably not limited to these capabilities.

Because there is no known way to defeat him,
Belthazor should be avoided at all costs.

The last few lines haunted her. When even the Book of Shadows, written by the longest line of witches in their history, could not give you an answer, there was much reason to be paranoid and fearful.

Everything linked up together now. Despite the fairy dust, she and Phoebe still remembered the demon they saw trying to steal the Book. Piper and Phoebe's description of the demon who had come into her room was the exact same one. And now, they had finally found a name for it. If anything, she could also safely assume that the Triad's attempt to wipe out their ancestral line in Halloween must've had Belthazor behind it too. But then, why is everything still so confusing? The demon explained everything, but there were still so many loose ends. Who would open all those windows and turn the air conditioning on when Troxa had tried to kill them? The person must've known cold temperatures were his weakness. Leo said it hadn't been him… So did they have another guardian angel somewhere?

What about that kissing curse? Belthazor had been behind it obviously and her sisters had made her drink a purifying potion, but the Book of Shadows had said the only cure was to either be kissed by the perpetrator or killing him. Looking at his illustration in the book and seeing his teeth, she concluded any type of contact with him, in lip lock or otherwise would prove to be disgusting. Seriously, if I were that powerful, I would consider some serious plastic surgery.

Ironically, a pang of pain shot from her mouth and into her brain at the thought. Dammit, not now. I need to concentrate. Grimacing from the pain and putting her hand to her cheek, she had decidedly ignored the toothache for days now, determined not to let it interrupt her mulling over the events. There were just too many loose ends for her to just simply ignore and a toothache was just not one of those priorities. The pain shot again and she tightened her jaw. I don't need you right now. Go away.

Her will power seemed to work for the moment as she mentally willed the pain to subside to a mere throbbing at the back of her head. Putting away her notes, she picked up from where she had left off last night with her training.

One of the good uses of bookstores were that they sold any kind of book, even those of really bizarre subjects such as enhancing telepathic skills. Not that ordinary people would be having much use for it, but when it came into the hands of a powerful witch, they could actually serve their purpose well. Prue had managed to come up with the idea of teaching her astral projection how to fight. If she could mentally divide herself and throw her own persona out of her body, then she could probably mentally throw her power out of her body and transfer some of it to her astral projection right? Well that was her theory anyway. So far she hadn't succeeded.

Projecting herself into the kitchen, she stared down at the fork like a maniac, concentrating all of her will power to move it with her eyes, just like how she did it in her normal body. When that didn't work, she tried flicking the fork with her finger. It did not budge. Relaxing and trying a different manner, she tried doing it as fast as she could as if she was trying to surprise the fork into moving.

Nothing. Not even an inch.

"Look at me. I'm a fashion blunder. A mademoiselle don't!" said Phoebe, twirling haphazardly as she came into the kitchen trying to wrestle with the straps of her crème felt top on that looked like she borrowed from Pocahontas. Paired with a blue skirt, the ensemble echoed a sort of cowboy vs. Indian theme. She gasped when she saw her sister fail to flick a fork with her fingers. "Oh my god, you lost your powers?"

"Can't lose what you never had," answered Prue. Her body shimmered and disappeared.

"I hate it when she plays astral games," Phoebe muttered. "MARCO!" she yelled into the house.

"POLO!" came Prue's faded yell from the attic.

When Phoebe reached the top of the stairs, she found Prue already sitting at the divan pouring through a book. "What were you doing down there?"

"Practicing. Trying to use my telekinetic powers in astral mode," Prue answered, never taking her eyes off the pages.

The younger sister came around to look at what she was reading. "Hrmm, witch exercises. Since when?"

"Since I studied up on Belthazor. The Triad couldn't have sent us a worse demon."

"Or one with worse skin," Phoebe commented, looking at the illustration in the Book of Shadows. "I would hate to find myself alone with this guy."

"I know, right?" Prue assented. "But yeah. You wouldn't last long. None of us would, actually. That's why I'm trying to teach my astral self how to fight."

Walking around, Phoebe flopped herself on the vintage armchair beside Prue's. "I have a date with Cole," she sighed.

The older witch looked at her, puzzled. "You say that like it's a bad thing…"

"It's a lunch date," Phoebe quipped.

Prue arched an eyebrow. "So?" That's the problem? Having lunch?

"So it's not a good sign! Lunch is a cheap imitation of dinner. That's why it has it's own special menu, " Phoebe complained. "And, you know, we kissed last week. We should be onto dinner and candlelight by now!"

Oh yeah, that's right. They kissed. Prue then remembered Cole and the slight misfortune of him getting caught on the same trap as Troxa. Piper had seen him first.

"Cole?" said Piper.

"What?" Phoebe pushed her way in. Prue followed, holding her younger sister back. Cole? Prue mused. It couldn't be. Why him? He couldn't be a demon, could he?

"Wait, it could be dangerous."

"For god's sakes, Prue, he looks really hurt," said Phoebe closing into the unconscious Cole.

"Phoebe, it's a trap for demons. You do the math!" she answered. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, him getting caught made him a suspect. After so many things, she had to think logically and not emotionally. Not that she would ever admit there were any emotions there. Somehow she felt compelled to deny the scene that was laying out before her and to suppress the urge to take Phoebe's place around the cage.

Phoebe paid her no heed and she knelt beside Cole resting his head on her lap. Prue removed one of the peridite crystals to deactivate the cage. "What are you doing here?" asked Prue the second he regained consciousness. Her sisterly responsibility started kicking in.

"I came by to see how you were doing," he answered, sitting up.

"Are you okay?" asked Phoebe concerned.

"So how did you get in and what are you doing up here?" interrupted Prue before he could answer the previous question.

"Front door was unlocked and when I saw the windows were open…" he said, thinking fast.

Phoebe finished the sentence for him. "You thought that someone broke into the house again," she said defending him. Phoebe gave Prue a look. "Third degree over now?"

"What happened? What's that?" asked Cole.

"Uhh…" Piper tried to answer. Looking nervously at Leo, she realized she really couldn't explain what it was.

"It's a trap," said Prue without missing a beat. She was in a challenging mood that night.

Cole looked at her in the most surprised way he could. He genuinely was surprised. They were smarter than he thought. "A what?"

"A trap. I set it up to catch intruders," Prue emphasized the last word, looking at him accusingly. Seriously, if he were human, he wouldn't have gotten caught right? The Book had said it was specifically for demons.

At that, Cole started walking out of the Manor, Phoebe following him closely behind. He did something good, and this was what he got for protecting them from Troxa. A trap.

"Cole, I am so sorry! Please forgive us," Phoebe said as they went down the stairs.

"I'll take that under advisement," said Cole without even turning around.

Phoebe tried to pacify him. He was clearly pissed. "Prue just panicked! She wasn't thinking straight!"

"The hell I wasn't," protested Prue. I'm the only here thinking straight. He's a suspect.

"Do you know that your trap is the equivalent of having a loaded shot gun with a trip wire behind your front door?" he said turning around, not being able to control his raising voice. "That's illegal. I'm an ADA, and officer of the court. I could have you arrested."

Behind them, Piper mused another good point. "Somebody turned on the air conditioning. Why would they do that?"

Cole had left after that. Okay, she would have to admit that the trap may have been a little dangerous, but the Book had said it was a trap for demons. That's why she had included Cole's name into her list of evil possibilities. She hadn't still quite explained how he had managed to set the trap off. It all of course was still very suspicious. It wasn't my fault the perv had been nosing around the house. Phoebe had still been a little irked about her prospective boyfriend getting caught in one of her older sister's obsessive phases and had asked Prue to apologize to him, remembering their discussion the other week.

Phoebe was indignant. "How could you? How far are you gonna let this obsession go, Prue?" she demanded after saying goodbye to Cole.

Prue tried reasoning with her. There really was a high chance for Cole to be someone he was not. It's not like it hadn't happened before. "Phoebe, listen…"

"No, I'm not gonna listen, Prue," she interrupted her. "You didn't nearly catch a demon, you nearly killed a district attorney. My district attorney."

He was hers now. This clearly wasn't just infatuation anymore. This had gotten bad. And it would get worse if he turned out to be evil. "How do you know we didn't catch a demon? I mean, think about it, Phoebe. He is always around when something is going on. I mean, look at tonight. And that time when I got sucked into that alleyway! He was there too!"

"You're right," she said with much disdain in her voice. The kind that told you that despite her words, she really wasn't agreeing with her. "He's a plant, trying to get close to me so he can kill us. Now is everyone a demon Prue? You are crazy right now."

Yes, she may have been a little too paranoid then. After all, it was Abbey, a human being, and not Troxa who had tried to kill her last time.

Everything was just so confusing though. Too many things to think about. On the one hand, she may not have proof yet, but Cole was definitely someone she'd have to look out for. Her instincts told her he was hiding something. Exactly what that was, she didn't know, but she would definitely have to find out. On the other hand, those eyes and that heated argument with him when he came over to question her kinda lingered at the back of her mind. Shots of frisson running up and down the back of her spine. Don't Prue. He's Phoebe's.

Phoebe. It wouldn't do good to any of them if she dwelt on those thoughts. With everything that had happened, she had almost become a full-time witch. She hadn't thought about anything remotely romantic for the past month or so. She couldn't even remember the last time she had been thoroughly kissed without demonic intervention. This 'attraction' was obviously just her being deprived. Yes. Deprived. Besides, Phoebe and her had done so well in getting along with each other for these past two years. She wasn't about to ruin it all again by getting attracted to her boyfriend, or be unreasonable to him if he ended up turning out to be a good guy. And that is why she would have to apologize.

"Prue?" asked Phoebe, interrupting her reverie. She had gotten lost in her mash of thoughts again.

"Huh? Oh right, sorry. Got distracted. Lunch date, yes? Well mayb- OW!" she yelped in pain. Her teeth were at it again.

"I can't believe you haven't taken care of that tooth!" Phoebe exclaimed, chastising her.

"Yeah, well I have a dentist appointment in an hour," she answered as she rubbed her cheek.

"Good. I hate to see you so miserable."

"I know. Me too," Prue answered. "I might as well go see Cole on the way then. I still haven't apologized to him for that unfortunate incident," she admitted, giving Phoebe a sheepish smile.

"Oh right. Thank you. I know you don't like him, but that means a lot to me," Phoebe looked at her gratefully.

"Hey, so long as he doesn't sprout red skin and tribal markings all over his face, he'll be given the benefit of doubt."

The day was only beginning and he had already started mentally telling himself off for his sets of failures. Taking the shaver, he paused at his reflection in the mirror and started gliding the blades across his jaw.

I cannot risk getting physically close to her again, Cole mused.

That had been his downfall last time. The fact that he had chosen a curse that affected himself as well, in his arrogance at the thought that he'd be able to control his human self by overpowering it with his demonic side… He would not make such a stupid mistake again. The Triad had not been kind at his failure, but had decided to give him another chance. They knew the potency of that curse and had warned him about it. He had succeeded for the most part and they had watched expectantly. His failure with the kiss had been observed, and had reaped its consequences.

Instead of a physical pain, he had gotten 'assistance' as a punishment, which to him might as well have been torture. Such a critical blow only meant that the Triad did not trust him to be able to do the job alone anymore. Maybe he couldn't, but he had not been ready to admit that to himself yet. At least that's what he argued to himself when he helped the witches expose him by opening all of those windows and creating the coldest environment in the house as possible. His human side, the part of him that he seemed to be less in control of, argued that Troxa was dangerous. Too dangerous. But of course, that weaker side of him could hardly matter.

That little witch. His eyes narrowed with anger at his reflection in the mirror. Prue had set that trap and, though clever, he had been this close to getting caught. Thank goodness Phoebe was there to defend him. His feelings mixed with the anger at the fact that she had caught him. She really was a formidable witch; at least much more powerful than her sisters, that was for sure. And that was why he had to eliminate her first. He could not afford to keep her alive.

Turning on the tap, he cupped his hands under the flowing water and rinsed his face off, grabbing a towel beside the sink to dry it. That was when he heard a knock on his door.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he proceeded to answer.. He wasn't expecting anyone. He was supposed to be meeting Phoebe at their house not his, and that wasn't until lunch. It was only ten-thirty after all... She couldn't have been that excited, could she? Opening the door, he was clearly thinking of the wrong sister.

"Uh, hi…" said the woman standing in front of him. She seemed to be surprised to see him. And then he remembered he was only wearing a towel. He grinned. "May I come in?"

It was Prue Halliwell. Well so much for trying not to be physically close to her.

"Um, sure," he said standing aside to let her pass, keeping a hand on his towel. "So long as you don't have any taser guns hidden inside your purse."

She looked at him, pointedly, letting the comment go. He was still clearly resentful for the piridite cage. Prue passed as quickly as possible, trying not to breathe in the all-too-familiar aftershave, fresh from the bathroom. Nevermind his partially naked, well-built, glistening body. No matter how much she stared down at the floor, she would not be able to erase the image burned into her retina anyway. She just hoped that he hadn't noticed her eyes going wide at the shock.

"Do you always like to greet your guests half-naked?" she asked him as she walked into the apartment.

"Only when they're female," he shot back. Where the hell did that line come from? He berated himself. He wasn't supposed to be flirting with her. She just narrowed her eyes at him, which he took upon as a sign to put more layers of clothing on. "I'll be right back."

Prue stayed in the sala. Looking around, it seemed like one of those typical guy apartments. The wallpaper was a shade of blue-grey and everything had a masculine air to it, from the lighting down to the black leather couches.

Cole came back into the living room, dressed in a robe. "In my defence, I wasn't expecting anyone. So… What are you doing here? Not satisfied with frying me unconscious?" he asked her, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed.

"I came here to…" she paused. It was actually harder to say it. "… apologize."

Now it was his turn to be surprised. Prue Halliwell. Apologizing. This should be good. "Really now?" he taunted with sarcasm. "What in the world for?"

You're doing this for Phoebe. You're doing this for Phoebe. You're doing this for Phoebe. She chanted in her head, trying to keep her temper in check. The prat knew exactly what for. He was just obviously trying to make this much more difficult than it was supposed to.

Swallowing, she calmed herself. "For… For putting you inside that electrical cage," she muttered in a low voice.

"Huh. Well, given that you're in an apologetic mood, I might as well ask you to apologize for throwing me against the wall in P3," he said, looking expectantly at her to mouth her apology.

"Urgh. Fine. I'm sorry for pushing you that time at the night club…" she conceded half-heartedly. "If you weren't such a prissy though, there'd be no problem…" she added, in an almost unintelligible whisper.

"What was that…?" he asked, hearing her muttering.

She whipped her head in his direction, to look at him. "Nothing. Just saying what a prissy you are for a tiny push," she answered mockingly.

"Do you always apologize like this? Because I have got to tell you, you suck at it," he replied amused. "I don't accept your apology. You obviously don't mean it." He knew It was childish, and that he was pushing her boundaries but it was just too much fun not to.

Prue gaped at him. He could not possibly be playing this game with her. Here she was lowering her pride at him and apologizing for things that, in fact, had complete moral justification and needed no apology whatsoever in her head, and he had the guts to not accept?

"Well, given that the things I did were completely justified, I really don't see the point in me apologizing. I'm only doing this for Phoebe's sake," she countered.

"Justified? I don't think any type of justification would work in court for harbouring illegal and mortally dangerous devices within your household without a permit," he argued. "Actually, you should even be thanking me."

The witch stared at him incredulous. "Thanking you? What the hell for?"

"Well, for not reporting you to the police for one. For fending off that perv who really was trying to take your top off. For finding you in that alley way unconscious, doing who-knows-what. For caring enough to check on you guys and discovering all of those windows and doors open… The list just keeps on going."

"Yeah, well then sure whatever. Thank you," she said in the most sarcastic voice she could muster, "But I think my sisters and I can take care of ourselves well enough without your help."

"Well, if setting lethal traps into your home is called 'taking care' of them…"

"Can't you just get over that? Seriously, it's not like you died!"

No, I almost did. "You would think you'd give me a little credit for caring," he said.

She looked pointedly at him. "Why would you care so much?"

Because I care about you. He got taken aback, though he wasn't too sure whether it was because of the question or his subconscious answer. "Because I care about Phoebe," he answered, trying not to miss a beat.

Prue's older sister protectiveness kicked in and she stood up from the couch, despite the light sinking feeling she got in the pit of her stomach. What were you expecting? A declaration? "Don't hurt her," she warned him in her most threatening voice, the height difference emphasizing her words. If he did, she would kill him. Powers or no powers.

"I won't," he stood as well, gaining a couple of inches taller than her, meeting her eyes and countering her intimidation attempts.

She stepped outside from the living room area and headed for the door. Before opening the door, she paused and looked behind her. "I'm sorry for putting you in that cage.. But I won't be as sorry if you do anything to hurt her."

She meant it. She would have to put aside her feelings as well as Phoebe's to vanquish him. It was their safety that she would have to place above all things. With that, she left.

Trying not to get distracted on the way to the dentist had not been hard. That was until all those signs dropped all over the place and she finally found herself inside a building about to be demolished. Clearly, there was an innocent in need of help.

Knocking on the door, she heard no answer. Twisting the doorknob, she managed to open it as far as the chain would let her.

"Hello?" she called into the room.

"Close the door! Go away!" a voice inside exclaimed.

"I just wanna talk…" she answered.

"Please…" he pleaded. He sounded like he was in pain. "Go away!" he cried.

His cry only made Prue more determined. Closing the door again, she flicked her fingers and unhooked the chain through the wood. Entering, she found the guy struggling to get away from her as far as possible.

"No! No! Don't! Don't come any closer!" he said hiding curled up in a corner.

It was all very strange. "Are you hurt?"

"My h-head!" he said in a pained voice, slapping his forehead with his palms. "I-It's exploding! The pain… you just- you're letting it in!" he said in between gasps.

"What pain?"

"Everyone's pain! From the city… The streets… I f-feel- I feel all of it!" he exclaimed.

Prue stepped nearer to him, slowly. "I won't hurt you…" she tried to calm him.

"But you are hurting me!" he said, finally facing her. His face was all contorted, as if he were being burnt alive. "Your pity! It's like… razors inside!"

"Please… I can-" she said, stepping closer.

"Ohhh! Your tooth!" he gasped, doubling over and grasping his jaw. It was like he felt everything twice as much as she did. "Oh your pain! I can't stand it!" he cried out. "Why didn't you just go when I asked?"

"I just can't believe you introduced me as a friend."

Clearly, Leo wasn't gonna let this one go. He and Piper had just come back from some errands for P3 when they ran into Sarah, a former college friend. Piper had panicked halfway into the conversation, after Sarah, as she liked to say inside her head, had talked endlessly about her husband and how happily married they were. She ended up introducing Leo as a good friend of hers.

"Okay, social malfunction! I hadn't seen the woman in years! I-I'm sorry!" she answered.

"I lost my wings for you! I hurled my body onto incoming demons for you! You wanted heaven, I took you there. Literally." Leo argued. "I'm more than a friend."

"I know, but if I had introduced you as my fiancé, she would've asked how we met, when were we getting married, where the hell my ring is… Questions that I can't answer now, can I?"

"I suppose that's how I became a doctor too," he said.

"Leo, that's what you were," Piper answered referring to his past life. "Look, what am I supposed to tell people? That I'm engaged to a Whitelighter? Sometimes being magical kinda takes the magic right out of things."

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way," he said.

"Oh come on! Don't you sometimes?" she asked. "Every now and then I just wanna know what it's like to live in the real world."

Prue parked in front of the house, just as another car came in behind her. It was Cole. She was about to accuse him of following her, when she realized he was there for his lunch date with Phoebe. Rolling her eyes when he smiled at her, she opened the door into the Manor and went in. She found Leo and Piper in the living room.

"Hey," she greeted them unenthusiastically.

Piper turned around to see Cole behind her. "What are you two doing together?" asked Piper. She knew about Prue's dislike for the guy. It was bizarre seeing them both in one place willingly.

"Ah. Cole pulled up behind me," Prue explained. By the sound of her voice, she hadn't forgotten about their conversation earlier that morning.

Cole smiled sheepishly, trying to ease the tension. "Good timing…" he said awkwardly smiling. He was met by Prue's un-amused stare.

"Look! It's my lunch date!" Phoebe said, coming in from the corridor.

"Sorry I'm late, got held up in a case." Cole apologized. Taking a look at Phoebe and holding her hands, he presented the due compliment. "You look… amazing!"

"It's all part of my master plan," joked Phoebe.

Prue interrupted their gooey flirting. "Uh, Phoebe, I wanted to talk to you about the signs…" she stopped herself, noticing Cole in front of her. "… uh, the assignment that we were talking about in the phone."

"Where did it lead?" she asked.

"To this incredibly tragic guy who's scared to leave his own home, which might be okay, if it weren't about to be torn down," Prue answered.

"Was there a social worker there?" Cole asked.

"No, but I was told that a deputy was going there this afternoon to aid the victim and he has no place to go," she explained.

"Let me, um…" said Cole, feeling his pockets for a phone. "Let me make a call, see what I can…"

"Kitchen," intercepted Piper.

"Thank you," he nodded, heading for the corridor.

Finding the phone in the kitchen, he started to form the number he was going to dial in his head. Prue had obediently followed the signs, and like a good witch, she had assumed he was an innocent. If Vinceres could feel, he would've been ecstatic. Dialling the number, he saw his shadow move.

"Whoah, whoah, whoah… Where are you going?" he asked his shadow. His shadow stood there separate from his body, placing his hands on his waist, silently complaining. "There will be no more Triad reports. Not until my plan succeeds. I cannot be associated with any more failed attempts… Phoebe!"

"Hey!" Phoebe walked in straight into the kitchen and in between Cole and his shadow in the wall. "I just need some aspirin. Prue has a toothache.

Cole stood tense, hoping that she would not notice anything wrong, as she went to the fridge. "…water" she said, mindlessly continuing her errands and smiled at him. "You okay?" giving him a kiss.

"Uh, yeah. Just got disconnected," he said as she left the room. Making sure she was out of earshot, he continued talking to his shadow. "Prue followed my signs. The plan will work. If it doesn't, then you can rat me out to the Triad."

The shadow dejectedly went back to its place.

"Based on everything you said Prue, it sounds like your shut-in is a future empath," said Leo.

"An empath… And me without my dictionary," said Piper.

Phoebe came in with Prue's aspirin as Leo explained. "They're mortals who can actually feel what other people feel. It's a rare gift. When they die, they often return to earth as empaths, where they blend into society as counsellors, elders, teachers… They use their sensitivity to guide mortals, ease their pain… Even heal them."

"I don't think this guy would look at it as a gift," Prue said as she remembered the guy's tortured expression. "He's one big, raw nerve-ending. You should've seen how he reacted to my toothache."

"Well it could be that he's rejecting his gift," Leo answered. "Fighting the emotions instead of embracing them."

"Well… It sure sounds like an innocent to me…" added Piper.

Leo agreed. "It'd be a shame to lose a future empath, with all the good he'll do."

"I care less about his afterlife than his current one," interjected Prue. "I know what it's like to receive a power that you do not understand."

"What I don't understand is who sent the signs that you followed," asked Phoebe. That was a good question.

"It's hard to say… Could be them, could be…"

"Cole," whispered Piper, signalling the momentary end of their discussion. They heard his footsteps on the hallway.

He entered, writing on a piece of paper. "I've got a guy in Housing Authority who will relocate your shut-in if he leaves voluntarily. Here's my card, you can page me."

"Thanks," said Prue, though not exactly grateful at taking in his help, useful as it was. She took her jacket, ready to leave. "Alright."

"Uh, Prue, do you want us to go with you?" asked Piper.

"Uh no. This guy can barely deal with one person, let alone three… But thank you."

Cole and Phoebe got ready to leave as well. "Okay then! Ready for lunch?" he asked Phoebe. She answered with a good nod, took her coat and got stood up to go, Cole's arm instinctively guiding her.

Leo stood up and answered Cole's rhetorical question. "Lunch would be great! Do you mind if we join ya?" he said, to Cole and Phoebe's surprise. "I mean, it'd be great! Two couples… In the town, in the real world," he added for Piper's benefit.

Piper gave him a look. Leo, what the hell are you doing? In reply, he looked expectantly at her and in the end she just smiled, commending his efforts to make up for their faux pas earlier on.

The other couple paused. "It's up to you…" Cole said.

"Why not?" Phoebe gave her sister a happy slash 'Why are you doing this?' smile. Piper just looked at Leo's goofy smile. She would have to tell him later about not crashing into other sisters' dates. She just hoped it wouldn't be too awkward or that Phoebe would eventually forgive her.

The police officer would just not let her in. "I'm sorry, ma'm. I know he's scared, but I personally handed him a final eviction notice two weeks ago."

"Officer, please," she tried to reason. For as much as she disliked Cole, she needed to help the innocent first. Taking the card that he'd given her, she showed it to the officer. "Cole Turner, Assistant District Attorney. He knows the case and he wants to help, but only if I can keep this guy out of jail."

The Deputy Officer looked at the card. "You've got three minutes."

Prue ran to the room as fast as she could, finding Vince sitting on top of a mattress, knees drawn to his body rocking himself.

"Hey, it's me again, Prue. Took a pain reliever for my tooth…" she greeted him. There was no answer. "The Deputy downstairs told me your name was Vince. What's your last name?"

"Misery," he answered.

"In that case, would you like some company?" she joked, trying to lighten up the mood.

Vince looked at her, not sharing the amusement. "That's not funny."

"Yeah… And neither is your situation." Prue nodded, realizing this was not the time to make jokes. "Vince, you know that Deputy is here to arrest you for civil disobedience?"

"I'll die if they put me in jail," he answered.

She knelt down beside him. "I believe you," she answered. Vince looked at her, recognizing her sincerity. "That's why I came back, to find you a new home. But you have to leave here with me now."

"I can't… I can't go outside," he said, proceeding to rock himself in place.

"Vince, I know what it's like. I know what it's like to have a gift that you can't control, that you never asked for," she tried sympathizing with him. "And living with that is hard, really hard."

"Don't tell me what's hard," he countered her. "You avoided your pain and I feel it."

She got taken aback by his comment. How does he know about…? And then she remembered he could read every single emotion inside of her. It was sort of unnerving. She'd have to try a different tactic.

"Right… Then let's talk about the blessings. Three words that come with having that gift. I mean, you can't even begin to…"

Vince stood up and walked away from her. "Words… Just empty words! You don't feel them in your heart, I know," he said. "You feel fear, panic… 'Cause something's coming for you, something you're afraid you can't stop. Are these the blessings you want me to be thankful for?"

Prue didn't know what to do. He had basically laid out all of her fears and emotions wide open and she couldn't even argue with him because they were all true. She really was afraid. There was no point denying it. She was deathly afraid that she wouldn't be able to protect her sisters from harm. It was what kept her up at night and so determined at day. She wouldn't be able to bear it if anything happened to her sisters. The thoughts brought tears to her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Vince looked at her helplessness. "Yes, you are. You are sorry. And confused and afraid… and it's drowning me alive," he said, with each word emulating her emotions inside of him.

The Deputy banged at the door. "Time's up! Open the door!"

"Can't you see this is not a gift? This is a curse, I am cursed. To feel everything all the time from everyone. I can't go outside that door. Not now, not ever."

"I'm coming in!" the Deputy said, forcing the door open. Vince ducked bracing himself for the bout of pain of feeling two people inside a room.

Prue raised up her hand coming closer to him and held the door closed with her power. The Deputy wrestled against it when it shut up on him again half way through.

Vince looked at what she was doing, surprised. "How'd you do that?"

"I was sent here to help you and that's what I'm going to do," she said ignoring his question. Closing her eyes, she began to recite the spell she had found earlier.

Free the empath, release his gift
Let his pain be cast adrift.

While she recited, Vince took her hand and made contact. As she finished casting, he felt the empathy cancer flow out of him and into her, sighing in relief. With that, Prue released her hold on the door and the Deputy stumbled inside.

"What the hell's the matter with you people?" he asked the pair in front of him.

"Sorry Deputy… That door stuck on me too," answered Prue. "He's ready now."

Vince still looked incredulous. He could not believe his pain was gone. "But how..?"

"We'll talk later," she smiled. "Um, this is the D.A." she handed him the card. "Page him. He'll find a place for you to go."

"Thank you," said Vince. "You don't know what you just did for me."

And he was right. Prue had no idea what exactly she had done for him.

A/N: SO! Am I rusty? Is this crap? Should I go hang myself? Please tell me! You know how much I love getting reviews for this! I hope I haven't lost your guys' interest after all these years! :)