Very quiet tonight, Prue noticed as she walked through Candlestick Park. Too quiet. She checked her watch; it was one-fifteen, and the sun would rise in about five hours. Maybe most of the vamps have gone home.
However, she was wrong. Out of the shadows came a trio of vampires, circling her like a vulture circles its prey. Prue held up her cross and stuck it before her, her eyes on the apparent leader of the vamps. With a whimper, the vampire kicked it out of her hand and lunged at her. The hunter studied their faces; she'd never met these vamps before. She hoped that meant they were young, weak bloodsuckers.
She gave him a swift punch to the jaw, knocking him backwards into a tree as she pulled out her stake. Another vamp tried to come at her from behind, but Prue knew the attack well. She turned around and staked him in the heart. He collapsed into a pile of dust.
The other vampire rebounded and came back at her, growling. She waved her hand. A bare tree branch snapped off an old oak and rammed through the vampire's chest, instantly killing him.
Fear evident on his face, the other vampire transformed into a bat and flew away. Prue considered going after him, but decided not too; she was exhausted. Her cell phone rang. She went into her bag and pulled out her cell. "What is it?" she asked, knowing only one person ever called her.
"Had a premonition," Gary answered. "Heavy stuff."
"Like, 'some Regular Joe dies' kind of heavy, or 'the apocalypse is nigh' kind of heavy?" she wanted to know. Prue could hear Gary snicker.
"Did you kill something? You're awfully chipper."
"Two vamps just now," Prue said, getting irritated. "So what's happening?"
"Well, what I saw was very high on 'the apocalypse is nigh' scale," he told her. "I'll wait to get back here to explain. Hurry, we need to figure out what's going on."
"Be there in ten," she replied and ended the conversation. She raced across the park back to her van.
Leo and Piper flew into their chambers, and transformed back into human form. The room was much grander than Leo's old one; the Vampire Queen gave them their own private apartment, as a reward for so many kills.
"So, are you going to be bad tonight?" Piper asked Leo throatily, tracing a crimson fingernail along his chest.
He grinned enticingly. "I'm bad every night, sweetheart," Leo said with a growl, pushing Piper back onto the bed. She laughed a little, her brown eyes filled with wicked delight. Before their lips could meet, someone cleared their throat. Both vampires turned to the woman in their doorway, adorned in the scarlet shade worn by servants of the Queen.
"Excuse me," the vampiress said coldly, "but the Queen wishes your presence in her throne room." Leo glared at the attendant as he got off of Piper. "Now," the vampiress said urgently.
Leo rolled his eyes. "Come on, Piper. Let's see what the Queen wants." He grabbed her hand and shoved the attendant out of their way.
The Vampire Queen smiled as her two favorite children walked into her chambers. "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything," she greeted them.
"No," Piper answered with a hint of a sigh. "Not yet, at least."
"You may get back to your plans as soon as I am finished," the Queen told them. "But first, I wish to share with you my new plan." Leo struggled not to laugh. The Queen was always coming up with elaborate schemes to free herself from the Underworld. Ever since the Source bound her to the Underworld, only several years after Leo was turned, the Queen had tried to escape from the granite confines the vampires lived in. However, every single one of her efforts had failed.
"Have you ever heard of the Armai'ach?" asked the Queen. Both vampires shook their heads. "It's a stone tablet, upon which a spell is written, a Releasing Ritual. With it, I can be freed from this cold granite prison." Her face softened into an innocent, serene look. "Fetch it for me, my sweetlings."
"Of course, my Queen," Leo answered.
"Where do we find it?" inquired Piper.
"I asked my seer to scry for it," the Queen replied. "But he could not find the answer. So I asked him to go out and greet the morning for me." The Queen smiled as Piper nodded uneasily and clung closer to Leo. She was a master at striking fear into her children's hearts.
Leo was silent for a moment, his eyes deep in thought. "Prue would know," Leo told his Queen. "She has a witch friend, a seer. He probably knows where it is."
The Queen nodded. "Find them. Take the information from them, and then retrieve the tablet." Piper and Leo nodded, and walked out of the Queen's chambers.
"So there's an earthquake in your vision-thingy? And San Francisco is covered in vamps?" Paige said nervously. Gary nodded as he poured three cups of chamomile tea. "Your visions don't always come true, do they?"
"Rarely. That's why I get them. So we can prevent the event from happening." He handed Paige a teacup, and the girl took a sip. "Prue said she'd be here soon."
"So she hunts vampires? How lonely." Paige seemed to reconsider her words. "Actually, it sounds perfect for her. Even the vampire who tried to kill me had better social skills than her. He told me I had a nice skin."
Gary smiled a little, hiding it behind his cup of tea. "You can show me your smile," Paige told him reassuringly. "Prue isn't here to beat it off your face."
"I know. It's just that- I shouldn't be laughing. Neither of us should. Prue's gone through a hell of a lot. Four years ago, her sister was changed into a vampire, and she used her mental powers to drive sister insane. Her sister, she, uh, is the lover with the vampire who attacked you. He killed their grandmother."
Paige was silent for a moment, trying to say something interesting. What do you ask a witch? she wondered. "So, how did you get into the vampire… business?"
Gary looked down into his teacup, speaking rapidly. "I was born into it. My family's hunted vampires for hundreds of years. But… a few years ago, my sister was turned. Killed my parents and my fiancé. Not long after that I saw Prue in a vision, and met her after her sister was turned. We began working together." Gary glanced up and smiled timidly at Paige. "Not very exciting."
Great, Paige thought. Let's ask all the questions that bring up painful memories! "Well, at least you have a personality, unlike Prue, the Pink Ranger wannabe." Prue came through the back door then.
"What did you see?" Prue said immediately.
"Hello to you, too," Paige remarked dryly.
"Tea?" Gary said, holding up a cup.
Prue shook her head as she sat down at the table. "Well," Gary began, "there was an earthquake, essentially ripping the city to shreds. Piper and Leo just… being evil. Quite the shocker, it was." His mouth twitched upwards.
"Anything else?" Prue asked, ignoring his joke.
Gary drummed his fingers on the table. "Well, actually," he began, "I was there, with Paige. And…we were vampires."
"What! Why didn't you tell me that before?" Paige exclaimed.
"What's she still doing here?" Prue wanted to know, barely looking at Paige.
Paige glared at Prue. "Hey, I was in his vision. Obviously I matter." Prue rolled her eyes and turned back to Gary. "Continue?"
"That's it." Gary sighed, then quickly added, "Wait, there was one more thing- a stone tablet. It had writing on it, perhaps Phoenician, or Arabic?"
Paige was silent for a moment, trying to recall something she'd read that morning in The Bay Mirror. "Gary," she began. The man looked at her. "The tablet- is it from Israel?"
Gary shrugged. "It might be. Why?"
Paige grabbed the newspaper that sat on the edge of the table and flipped to the Arts section. "Here," she said, pointing to a photo of a broken tablet that sat among other Middle Eastern objects. "This tablet is from Israel. It's being delivered to the Museum of Art tomorrow. Maybe this is what you saw?"
From his pocket, Gary pulled out a glasses case. He put his spectacles on and studied the photo. "The Armai'ach," Gary said thoughtful.
"The armay what?" Paige asked, confused.
"It's a stone slab that has several very old spells written on it, one of them a Releasing Ritual." Gary looked at Prue tensely, and then turned back to Paige. "You see, the Vampire Queen is bound under the earth, trapped. But this ritual would release her, leaving her free to… do very unpleasant things."
Prue's face was rigid and emotionless as usual. "We need to get the Armai'ach before any vamps get their hands on it. When does the exhibit open?"
Paige glanced down at the newspaper. "Monday, so Sunday night-"
""We break in, steal the stone," Prue cut her off sharply. "Then we have to figure out a way to destroy it."
Paige rolled her eyes. Oversimplify much? she wondered. Nevertheless, she and Gary agreed to the plan.
"What do you hear?" Piper asked Leo as they stood outside the manor, listening intently to the conversation within.
"The Armai'ach is at the Museum of Art," he said with a smile. "And they're going tomorrow night."
"Excellent," Piper said with a satisfied smile. "Then we can kill them." Piper looked up at the lightening sky. "C'mon, Leo, let's get out of here." They shifted into bats, and flew away.
Leo and Piper returned back to their home. "Soon we'll be able to kill your sisters," Leo told Piper as they undressed and slipped into bed. "Then there will be no more Halliwells left."
Piper looked at Leo strangely as she slipped under silk sheets. "What's that glare you're giving me about?" he asked fiercely. Piper sighed.
"I was just thinking," Piper said in a thoughtful tone. She traced a dark scar that sat along Leo's left cheekbone. "You killed me and my grandmother; tortured my sister; and you love to torment Prue whenever she's near. Why? I know the Queen put you up to it, but it's more than that. What did the Halliwells do to you?"
Leo was silent, slipping into bed beside Piper. He waved his hand; the room became dark. "Nothing at all." He kissed her silently. "Now let's sleep." She did as he requested. Leo turned over, and slowly drifted into sleep. Vampires usually didn't dream; upper-level demons had no dreams at all. The rare dreams they had were memories of the past. As Piper slept peacefully, Leo dreamed of a life he left behind long ago.
Douglas Atkins was born September 27th, 1424, to a farmer and his new bride. His father taught him everything he would need to know; how to raise crops; how to care for animals; how to live in God's way.
The young boy never really understood that last lesson until he was six years old, and his mother died of smallpox. Douglas was heavyhearted, until he saw that God was sending him a sign; if you live in the way of God, you shall see your mother again when you go to heaven. Douglas vowed to remember this lesson and become a follower of Christ.
He became a priest in his small hometown, living with his father until his passing. Douglas was a commendable priest, and everyday he promised to love God until his heart stopped beating. And he did.
England, 1452:
"Ten hail Mary's, and an act of contrition," Douglas told the confessor. The man nodded and hurried out of the cathedral, calling back, "Thank you, Father!"
Douglas smiled, always happy to help, and went to his study. He lit a candle, as the sun had just about gone down. He wished to write his sister a letter, then go home and prepare his dinner. Just as he picked up parchment and a quill, however, he heard footsteps in the church's hallways. The hour was late; who could possibly be there?
Father Atkins walked through the halls back to the confessional, where a hooded figure sat. "Can I help you, mistress?" Douglas asked gently.
"Father, I wish to confess my sins," she said in a heavily accented voice sweeter than an angel's.
"The hour is late," he told her. "Perhaps you could return tomorrow?"
"But I must confess, or God will damn me!" she hissed fearfully. "The things I have done…" She lowered her head sadly. Douglas took pity upon the woman; he could tell her sins truly pained her.
"Tell me of your sins, my child," Douglas agreed as he sat down in his chair. The woman removed her cloak.
She was a woman more beautiful than any Douglas had even seen. Ebony hair hung loose on her shoulders, cradling Spainard skin. Her face was of ageless beauty. Despite her angelic face, her eyes were so dark- almost the perfect shade of black- Douglas thought she was a demon masquerading as a seraph. He took in a quick breath, trying to ignore her obvious beauty.
Her pious face grew grave. "I have killed a man," she said, looking distressed.
Douglas didn't know what to say; he'd never met a murderer before. Luckily, the female went on. "Not just one man. Dozens. Maybe hundreds. Perhaps even thousands."
The father was stunned. "Why?" he asked. He'd been angry and frustrated at times, naturally, but he'd never been able to figure out what could drive a person to murder, especially in such great numbers.
She was silent for a moment. "Hunger," she admitted, sounding disinterested and not all like the God-fearing woman she'd appeared to be just moments ago. "Passion. Rage. The desire to inflict pain."
The pastor shook his head in wonder. "Why would you desire to hurt others?" he asked.
"It's hard to explain," she told him, her dark eyes bright with an emotion Douglas was unfamiliar with. She smiled at him. "I'll have to show you." In an instant, her front teeth lengthened. In an instant the demoness broke through the barrier between her and Douglas, drawing his body close to her and swiftly covering his mouth.
"In my thousands of years, I've never tasted a man of God before," she told him devilishly as she pulled his neck towards her and bit it. Douglas tried to scream out, but could not. Our Father, Our Father, Hail Mary, Hail Mary, he repeated over and over in his mind. Yet God seemed not to hear his pleas. His vision grew darker and darker. He felt her incisors lift out of him and there was the thick blackness of death.
An instant later, Douglas awoke again, in a world of pure black silence. He felt nothing but pain. A sweet liquid passed his lips and into his throat. Whatever he was drinking, it was chilled, sweet, and tasted of things he'd never known: hunger; power; passion; desire; fury; death.
No! he thought. Our Father has written, 'Lead us not into temptation'. Yet even as he thought this, he could not stop taking in the liquid which he now realized was blood. Soon, he was pulled away from the fluid; darkness filled him.
He awoke slowly, letting his weak body and blank mind become adjusted to the surroundings. His eyes told him he was underground; the ceiling and walls were made of stone. The man had no idea how he'd come there, or any recollection of what had happened before he had awoken.
"Arise, my servant," a voice ordered him. He sat up slowly, looking for the source of the voice. Before him a bat landed on the floor, and shuddered with energy. It took the shape of a woman, a beautiful woman. Her face seemed familiar to the man, but he could not recall from where.
"Who are you?" the man asked. The woman before him smiled.
"You do not remember?" He shook his head, and her smile grew. "What a pleasant occurrence; the man of God cannot recall his mortal life."
She still hadn't answered his question. "Who are you?" he again asked.
"Your Queen," the woman replied, walking towards him. "I am the Vampire Queen."
He gazed at her, entranced by her face, her body, her spirit. "And who am I?"
"You are Leonus, my servant." She touched his cheek tenderly. "You will be a fine addition to my family."
"I don't understand."
"Of course not, my sweetling." The woman pulled her hand away from his face. "But then you will feed, and you shall understand what you are meant to be." Leonus watched as she became a bat once more and flew from the room. He lay back on the bed of granite and closed his eyes.
Leonus felt a soft hand grasp his, and he was instantly awake. The Queen had returned.
"I have brought you a meal," she said with a smile. Leonus sat up. His eyes widened when he saw a girl bound and gagged at the Queen's feet. The vampiresss raised up the easy prey. Blood flowed through her veins; Leonus could hear it in his mind just as easily he heard her heart pound away. Soft murmuring filled his mind; hushed voices told him stories of fear and confusion.
"You hear her thoughts," the Vampire Queen explained, noticing his odd expression. "At first it is all you can hear, but soon you will be able to control it." She thrust the girl into his arms. "Feed."
The girl looked at Leonus fearfully. "What do you mean?" he asked. He could smell fear roll off her in waves.
"Your teeth," the vampiress said, motioning to her mouth. He ran his tongue along his incisors, feeling them slide out of his gums. Leonus understood as his hunger grew. Without another thought he plunged his teeth into the neck of the young female.
Sweet, hot blood ran over his tongue down his throat. Pain was replaced by pure pleasure. His strength returned to him tenfold. The soft murmuring faded as he could no longer draw blood into his mouth. There was no more. He looked down at the girl, and saw her eyes were wide and staring in Death's kingdom.
Leonus dropped her body in horror. "I killed her," he said, not believing it.
"Excellent," the Vampire Queen said with a smile.
"But- it's wrong! This killing, it's sinful!" Thoughts of piety filled his mind. "It's against God!"
"There is no God," the Queen snapped. Leonus gaped at her. "You were a pious man, a good man. If there was a God, would he not have saved your life? You spent your mortal life serving a book of fairy tales and ideas of righteousness. Your God never did anything for you, but I did. I gave you eternal life, and the chance to bend only to your own will, and your own desires."
"I won't!" Leonus cried. The Vampire Queen's face became cruel as she surveyed her young child.
"If you wish to survive, you will kill," the Vampire Queen said firmly. Leonus had lost the sense to speak, still shaking his head and backing away from the vampiress. The Queen looked at Leonus, her eyes smoldering with rage. "In exchange for this eternal life, all I ask for is your loyalty."
"But I cannot give it," Leonus replied weakly.
In a burst of smoke, a whip appeared in the Queen's hand. The whip lashed out at him, striking him in the cheek. "In my name, you will kill!" Leonus dropped to his feet, his face bleeding. The Queen moved behind him, whipping at his back. Leonus felt his shirt seams split and his back open with bloody wounds that burnt painfully. "You will kill! Repeat it!"
"I will kill…" He couldn't speak; pain ripped through every part of his body.
Her eyes lit up with vicious intensity. "Again!"
"I will kill... will kill... will kill..."
San Francisco, 1924:
Leonus sauntered into the speakeasy. It was already filled with people drinking their illegal liquor. Some- most, actually- were drunk, dancing around to piano music and gossiping. Simple pleasures for the simple-minded, Leonus thought exasperatedly.
He looked across the room with a smile. There was Patience. She was beautiful- for a human. Long silky brown hair, deep brown eyes, and perfect skin covering a delicious body. He'd stopped into this illegal gin joint only months before, looking for a witch/vampire hunter the Queen wanted him to kill- instead, he'd met a witch. A beautiful witch…with a husband, Gordon, and two cousins, Pearl and Paulette.
Gordon glanced up from the sheet music sitting on the piano before him. Leonus scowled at Gordon, who looked at the vampire like he wasn't there. Gordon had forbid Patience to ever speak to him again. Humans, Leo thought with loathing. Across the room Patience caught Leo's eye. Leo waited for a smile, a sign of recognition from her- then she quickly brought her attention back to her cousin Pearl. Witches, Leo thought with disgust, a slimy scowl on his face. Their power filled the room, cool and greasy on his heightened senses.
"If you'll excuse me for one second," Leo heard Patience say to Pearl. She headed straight for Leo, not meeting his eyes as she walked past him. "In the foyer. Now."
The vampire followed her. She leaned against the wall, her beaded fringed skirt swinging back and forth. Patience eyed him angrily. "Thought you'd stop by and see me between kills?" she said furiously.
Leo tried to hide his amusement. He knew very well slayer blood was spilled all over a speakeasy on the other side of town; the Queen's orders, of course. "Now, Patience, that's not fair."
"I told you not to come here again," the witch reminded Leo bitingly.
"But I miss you, Patience," he told her, stroking her face. She pulled away quickly. "You know you're not meant to live here the rest of your life, making money serving gin and doing cheap magic tricks." He glanced over at the cousin, Paulette, who was busy pretending she could read a crystal ball in the sunroom.
"Leo, I would love to leave with you and see the world," Patience said, her eyes filled with self-pity. "But I have responsibilities to my husband, my cousins, the entire witch line."
"You know, they can brew potions without you," Leo said as he moved closer to Patience. She stiffened slightly as Leo placed his hands on her shoulders. "You deserve better."
"If I don't stay here, there will be no Charmed Ones. The line continues with my family," Patience insisted. "My children, my children's children…"
"The Charmed Ones," Leo muttered, his anger beginning to get the best of him. "That's all I hear about, about how they'll save the world."
"Don't raise your voice," she snapped, looking nervous. "Gordon might hear you."
"I hope he does," he said, becoming more relaxed. He began to play with the straps of Patience's flapper dress. Leo pressed his mouth to her shoulder, then began to work up her neck.
"You can't do this…" she began, but the witch gave in. Their mouths met softly, then passionately. Leo could almost feel his heart beat as he started to pull down Patience's dress straps. His teeth lengthened. Patience breathed heavily as Leo started to kiss her neck. Her pulse throbbed under his lips. He-
"Patience," snapped a female voice. Leo and Patience pulled away. Pearl stood there, looking disapproving. "What if Gordon saw you here?" The vampire backed away as Patience smoothed down her skirts. Pearl's voice dropped. "We have to take care of Paulette. She and Anton are planning something- something dangerous."
The witch looked at Pearl. "I'll be right there," Patience promised. She and Leo watched the cousin walk back to her customers in the drawing room. Patience looked at Leo.
"Your witch duties will always come first," Leo said bitterly, the sound of his harsh words strange. "Your children, your grandchildren, your great-grandchildren come before us."
"What about your Queen?" Patience snapped.
"That's different," Leo replied sharply, feeling fury begin to boil in his veins.
Patience looked at Leo with pity. "This can never work. You're a vampire. I'm a witch."
"I can take you away from all of this," Leo promised her. "I can give you new life."
"Don't come back," Patience said softly, turning away. She left the foyer, going over to an angry Pearl. Leo watched her walk away, then walked out of the manor house. Let Patience rot, surrounded my her little witch children, studying their magics, Leo thought furiously as he transformed into his bat shape. I'll make sure they get their magic education in vampires.
A soft moan from Piper awoke him. Leo opened his eyes. He rolled over, watching Piper sleep. His eyes widened as he realized who she was. "Patience?" he whispered to himself softly. It was her, in the form of her great-granddaughter. I knew I fell in love you for a reason, Leo thought as he caressed her face.
There was the chime of a bell, signaling sundown. Piper awoke slowly, stretching tired limbs. "Come on, sweetheart," Leo said tenderly as she sat up. "It's time to go to work."