Author's Note: So, did i tell you guys how amazing you all are? Yes, I'm buttering you up because i haven't updated in a while, but you guys are awesome all the same. I keep getting responses about my stories which then reminds me that i have to go write another chapter. =) forgive me guys and make sure you review! the more you review, the more i will want to take time out of my day to write. LOVE YA!
"Shouldn't we be upstairs helping with the demon?" Sam asked as I continued to ignore him and scribble on a piece of paper. He raised a brow at me. "So, I'm officially talking to myself?" I looked up at my boyfriend and sighed.
"It doesn't take five people to brew a potion Sam, so I would like to focus on something else."
"Your sister's relationships." He deadpanned.
"Yes!" I answered quickly. Sam raised a brow at me and I huffed in annoyance. "Yeah, I know. I probably should just mind my own business but you know what? Phoebe got to be the youngest and the screw up before Paige came along. Dylan, on the other hand was always here! I should get to mettle and be irresponsible every once in a while." I ranted. Sam simply folded his arms and shook his head.
"You do know that you're not making a lick of sense." I sighed.
"I just don't want them to get hurt. That's all." Seeing how serious I became, Sam flipped the idea over in his head for a minute.
"And you're sure it'll only last one day."
"Yes. I promise. It wont get out of control."
"Then cast it. I've done so many things for my brother whether it made sense or not so I guess I can let this one slide." My face beamed with excitement. Not that I really needed his permission, but I could use the moral support. Picking up the piece of paper, I proof read in my mind, but of course the spell wouldn't work unless it was read aloud.
"For those who want the truth revealed, open their hearts and secrets unseal, from now until its now again, from now which the memories end, for those who are now in this house, only truth will be heard from their mouths." Sam and I stared at each other with knowing smiles on our faces.
"So, did it work?"
"I don't see why it wouldn't. It's not like I needed my sisters to say the spell with me, right?"
"Yeah, but then again you are the weakest one." Sam muttered. My smile flew off my face.
"What?" I asked in disbelief.
"What?" he suddenly felt the need to repeat.
"What's that supposed to mean, Sam?" I thought that maybe I should help him out by making my question a little clearer.
"Nothing!" he answered nervously. He began rubbing the back of his neck anxiously and avoiding eye contact. I scoffed.
"You know what? I think I'm going to get back to work." I said heatedly as I brushed past him.
"Oh come on. Don't be like that!" he called out to me as I trudged up the stairs from the basement. I guess I should have expected a backfire, but I would have never expected to get backhanded by my boyfriend.
"Sure, I'm the one that's being unreasonable. I'm the one that's lying. I'm the one with the freaking issues!" Kimberly angrily muttered to herself as she tossed ingredient after ingredient into the pot. She wasn't wasting anytime. With the Balthazar flesh and her newly found angry motivation for blood, she was dead set on taking out the demon that very night.
"Kim?" Dean tried, only to be ignored.
"And apparently, I'm the psycho for saving people when it's my job to do it. He has the nerve to throw a fucking fit over something he was well aware of." She squeaked.
"Kimberly." Dean tried again. Kimberly tossed in the pig's feet and the pot flamed for a brief moment but she didn't even seem to notice.
"What a hypocrite!"
"Kimberly!" Dean shouted as she tossed the demon flesh into the pot.
"What?" she shouted right before the potion exploded in her face and sent her flying back on her ass. She sighed in annoyance. "Oh. You think I would have remembered that." Dean rushed over to her side and helped her up.
"I tried to warn you. Are you okay?"
"No. I'm pissed." Dean rolled his eyes.
"I meant physically."
"Oh. Yeah. I'll live."
"Okay, then how about we take a break?"
"What? Why?"
"Because I want to spend time with you." Kimberly stopped to stare at Dean with questioning in her eyes. He was struck with confusion wondering what would ever possess him to say that. "I mean, you're going through a rough time and I just want to make sure that you are okay." He quickly covered. She then smiled with understanding and gratitude. Unexpectedly, she hugged him.
"What would I do without you?"
"Die of boredom."
"Hey, is Randy home?" I asked Dylan as I marched past her into the kitchen. I grabbed the cabinet door and slammed them shut when I didn't find what I was looking for.
"I don't know. I haven't really gone over there in fear that I would run into Cody and vanquish his sorry ass." I pulled open the kitchen draw and dug through its belongings. Once again I slammed it shut causing Dylan to jump.
"Well, Cody is going to have to face us at some point." Dylan watched me carefully as I rummaged through the kitchen.
"Yeah, well, if he has any sense, he's half way to Mexico by now. Honey, are you okay?" she asked suddenly.
"Not really." I answered vaguely.
"Well, would you like to tell me what's wrong?"
"Definitely not." I answered giving up and deciding to check upstairs. Just before I walked out of the kitchen, Sam appeared in front of me.
"Hey." He whispered with a shy smile. I simply glared at him and walked on without a word. Dylan put a hand on her hip and stared him down.
"Alright spill. What did you do?"
"Something really, really bad." Sam answered. Dylan raised a brow, unsatisfied with his answer. He sighed and plopped into a chair. "I may have said something about Sharnel's powers being the weakest." Sam explained. Dylan's eyes popped open and her mouth dropped.
"Are you stupid?"
"Yes." Sam answered honestly.
"Why would you say that?"
"Well, because the truth spell made me." Sam blurted out.
"WHAT?"
"Crap! Now she's never going to talk to me."
"Shar said the truth spell? And you let her?"
"Who said the truth spell?" Dean asked as he made his way around the corner.
"Sharnel." Both Sam and Dylan answered reluctantly.
"Why?"
"So that she can find out the truth about Cody and Randy." It was as if the boy had no filter. He slapped his hand over his mouth knowing that it's already too late to stop the word vomit.
"I'm sorry. What?" Dylan was becoming more and more heated by the minute.
"She's doing it because she cares about you guys." Sam tried. Dylan smiled, and then chuckled.
"Well, that's just… Shar!" she howled throughout the house.
"Uh, Dylan. Shar's not here. She just walked through the door." Dean informed her.
"Randy? Come on Randy! Don't act like you can't hear me one way or another! Open up!" I banged on the door, too heated to be subtle. Finally, the oversized man opened the door with an irritated look on his face.
"Sharnel, do you mind?"
"Yes. Yes I do. Now, I'm here for the truth and dammit, you are going to give it to me whether you want to or not."
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about angel wings and his beastly sidekick. The jig is up fella. So, what are you exactly?"
"Annoyed." He answered. I glared at him. "Look, Cody already came clean so drop the act. There's no possible way you could be living with an angel and not know it, so just tell me."
"An angel? Cody may be nice , but don't you think an angel is a bit of a stretch."
"So, you are just going to sit there and pretend like you don't know that Dylan, Kimberly and me are witches and that Cody is our guardian angel?" Randy stood there in silence and horror. He truly believed that I lost my mind.
"I'm not pretending. I have no idea what you are talking about. Now, come inside and sit down. I'm going to call Dylan because I think you need to see a shrink." I was in disbelief. He was telling the truth. "Holy shit. Did I really just out us to Dylan's boyfriend? Oh, I am so dead." I thought to myself. "Actually Randy, I'm not feeling that well. I think I should go home and sleep it off. Okay. Bye." Before he could object, I turned on my heel and took off across the street. I never stopped running until I was safely in my room. Slamming the door shut, I leaned against it and heaved.
"Cody!" I shouted and whispered at the same time. "Cody, you ass! Get down here now!" My polite request was answered with bright white lights.
"Yes." He said dryly.
"Were you watching as I humiliated myself in front of Randy?"
"Yes."
"So, you know that I blew both of our secrets."
"The spell is temporary. He wont remember any of it."
"Why are you living with a mortal anyway?"
"We get along." He answered simply.
"Doesn't he ever notice the… orbs?" Cody smirked.
"That's what memory dust is for." I rolled my eyes. "You know you could have just asked me instead of risking everything with this spell."
"Oh yeah right, because you've been so upfront with us up until now." I responded sarcastically.
"You have to realize that this was not my plan. I was just supposed to befriend you guys, but… I don't know, maybe it's the whole Piper/Leo, destiny thing. I can't help the way I feel."
"So, why not come clean?"
"I wanted to wait until the perfect moment to break it to Kimberly. Obviously, I did not factor in the Balthazar attack." I leaned against my computer desk and tried to make sense of everything.
"Speaking of Balthazar, you should know that your girlfriend is bent on killing him tonight."
"Do you guys really think you're ready for something like this? Balthazar is as powerful, if not more so, than Cole from the TV show."
"He's not really giving us much choice and we have his flesh. We might as well take him out now."
"True, but I still think I should consult with the Elder's before you make your move. All this just seems too easy and he is known for having tricks up his sleeves."
"Come on. I guarantee you'll feel better." Dean spoke as he finished spraying targets on the surrounding trees.
"Dean, we've done this before."
"Yeah, well practice makes perfect. Trust me. It's the best way to distract yourself from all this." Kimberly contemplated the idea.
"Don't you think it's a little irresponsible for us to be here at a time like this?"
"You're no good to anyone if you're distracted Kim. Besides, you have to take the lead position from now on. Why not have some irresponsible fun while you still can?" Kimberly narrowed her eyes at Dean.
"Are you up to something?"
"Always." he answered with a wink. Now that Dean knew about the truth spell, he knew to tread carefully with his answers and he was more than prepared to use it to his advantage. Dean walked over to her and handed her the shotgun. "Now, hold it like you mean it."
"You really trust me with a gun?" she said with a devilish smile. Dean smirked.
"You don't move swiftly enough with a gun to use it against me. That's what we're going to work on." Kimberly pursed her lips and took aim. Dean got behind her planting his body against hers. "Now, the recoil on this is much stronger than the one you used before. I'll help you the first couple times so that you could get used to the feel of it." He placed his hands on her hips and pushed her slightly down. "Put a little bend in your knees." Kimberly was well aware of just how close he was to her. She could feel his warm breath against the back of her neck which caused her nerves to flare. Dean knew what he was doing, sliding his right hand up her side to slightly push her trigger arm upward. "Do you trust me?" he whispered. She nodded first, unable to find her voice.
"Y-yeah." She stammered. Dean smiled.
"Then close your eyes and take a deep breath. Let go of the nerves. Don't think about what happens after you get your target, or what it means… just do it." Kimberly did as she was told. "Open your eyes, exhale and pull the trigger." Dean ordered. Kimberly was now so calm, she hadn't realized that Dean was slowly but surely, moving back. She pulled the trigger and stumbled back only a step. She turned to see a proud grin greeting her.
"Did I do it?" Dean took her by the hand and led the way to the tree.
"Let's go find out." Dean looked at the pieces of tree bark on the ground and looked at the target. She definitely hit her mark. "You did it." She squealed in excitement and jumped into his arms. Dean hugged her tightly and spun her around.
"You're right. I do feel better."
"You want to go again?" She shook her head as he placed her back on her feet.
"Nah. I'll quit while I'm ahead." Dean shrugged.
"No problem. So, do you want to go home? Vanquish Balthazar?"
"Nope."
"So what do you want to do?"
"Spend more time with you." Dean smiled and stared deeply into her brown eyes. Kimberly felt as if she was being sucked into a portal, gazing into Dean's piercing green eyes, but she forced herself to look away. As they headed back to the car, she wondered to herself what was happening. "Why am I opening up to him so easily?" Dean was no fool. He knew he couldn't just blurt everything out. This was going to take some time, but for now, he could bask in my miscalculation and enjoy the fact that Kimberly willingly wants to spend time with him.
When I opened my room door, I was nearly trampled by Dylan.
"You said the truth spell?" she barged into my room. I sighed.
"Yes. Yes I did."
"To bombard my boyfriend with questions?" I nodded my head in agreement. "How could you? At a time like this?"
"It was extremely irresponsible." I admitted.
"You're damn right it was!" She watched me carefully. I wasn't arguing, or defending myself. I was just taking what she was dishing out. "Why are you so quiet?"
"Because I know I was wrong and it's not like I can lie about it." Dylan grimaced.
"Well, stop it. It's not fun to yell at you if you won't fight back and you just sit there looking like an abandoned puppy." I looked up at her and gave a small smile.
"So, does that mean I'm off the hook?"
"Not by a long shot. Do you know I got a frantic phone call from Randy about you? He thinks you've finally lost it. You told him we were Charmed."
"Yeah, but he didn't believe me." I threw out in a lame defense. Dylan saw through that attempt and glared at me. I sighed in defeat. "By tomorrow, he wont remember a thing."
"Well, yeah, which is why I wont kill you, but I can't protect you from Kimberly when she finds out."
"Where is she anyway? I was sure she'd by giving me a loud blur by now. Did she finish the Balthazar potion?"
"Yup. But she didn't bother to bottle them up. She went out with Dean to cool off instead." I thought for a moment.
"Then, what do you say we take care of this icky demon situation ourselves. She has enough to deal with."
"I'm all for saving her stress but this isn't just any demon."
"I know, but we don't need the power of three to vanquish Balthazar. All we need is the potion." Dylan nodded in agreement and went to get ready. As I gathered my hair into a ponytail, I saw through my vanity mirror that Sam had walked into my room.
"Am I still allowed?" I smiled and turned around.
"Always." I got up to meet him half way and was taken off guard by the urgent kiss he placed on my lips.
"I'm sorry." He breathed. I smiled and became slightly dizzy, but I shook my head anyway.
"Don't be. You were only speaking the truth."
"No. I wasn't. Your power may not be able to make an offensive strike, but you are just as essential to the team as anyone else." I smiled and stood on my toes to meet his lips again.
"And don't forget. I'm just all in all awesome." I said with a cocky grin. Sam responded with a role of his eyes and a playful tug on my ponytail.
"Yeah right, so, are you going for a run or something?" he asked taking in my workout clothes.
"No. Dylan and I are going to vanquish Balthazar with Kimberly's potion." Sam's eyes popped wide open.
"I couldn't have heard that right."
"What?"
"Sharnel, the first time you guys went up against him, you almost died. We all almost died, and you had the power of three on your side." I placed a soothing hand on his cheek.
"I know. But he caught us off guard. This time, he'll be the deer in headlights and we'll have something he wont. Home field advantage."
"How do you figure?"
"Well, there's a spell in the book of shadows that can summon Balthazar here. We have the crystals, we have the potion, we have the element of surprise." I counted our advantages on our fingers. Sam held my hand.
"I just think you should still wait on Dean and Kimberly to get back."
"By the time they get back, Balthazar may attack again or hurt an innocent."
"You ready?" Dylan asked as she popped up in the doorway. Sam never broke eye contact. He just let out a sigh.
"Yeah. We'll need the book." I answered, keeping eye contact with Sam.
"I'll go bottle up the potions."
"Don't forget the crystals." She walked away, wondering what was going on. "It'll be alright in the end. It always is." I said as I kissed him gently and left to go help Dylan in the attic.
"I hope you're right." Sam whispered to himself while leaning against my dresser. For all of our sakes, we have to be right. There is no other option.