It was late afternoon when a swirl of lights appeared in front of the Young manor. The bright glow flashed and out of it appeared Daryl, his wife Sheila, and Darcy each holding his arms as they orbed right in front of the main door.
"You know this is the last time I pick you two up from work," Darryl frowned in annoyance. "You two can call an Uber or a taxi!"
Sheila snorted. "Come now, hon. It was just a favor so we don't have to deal with downtown parking."
"Plus, why can't we use those White Lighter abilities?" said Darcy who giggled. "We don't want it to go to waste."
"This is about personal gain!" Darryl replied angrily. "This is not what my powers should be used for."
"All right, fine honey," Sheila responded. "We promise to not take advantage of your gifts for personal gain."
"Except when necessary," added Darcy. "You know we could orb the family to Paris for vacation next year."
Sheila's eyes lit up. "That's not a bad idea. We can save up on the airfare…"
"NO!" Darryl protested. "No Paris! No more work rides. No more orbing! You two are either driving or taking the bus!"
Darcy folded her arms and scowled. "Spoil sport!"
Sheila shrugged. "Let's not talk about that now. I wonder what Maman Sin is making for dinner."
Her words ended in surprise when she saw Dr. Eden Blake walking up the sidewalk and toward their house. She stopped as she saw the trio looking surprised to see her.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Darcy sneered. She began reaching for her earrings to remove them. "I guess we're going to have an old-fashioned beatdown to teach you a lesson…"
"Darcy!" Sheila pulled her young sister back. She glared at Eden. "State your business. What do you want?"
Dr. Blakely raised up her hands to surrender. "I didn't come here to fight. In fact, I was invited. I know I'm the last person you want to see."
Sheila tossed her head to the side in curiosity. "Invited? By who?"
Suddenly, the front door swung open and Maman Sin appeared, dressed in her best church dress as she stood with her hands folded in front of her. She nodded to Eden. "Ah! Dr. Blakely! You've made it! Come in! I'm almost done with the fried breadfruit. The others are waiting inside.'
"Maman!" Sheila's eyes widened. "You invited her? Why?"
"Now child," her grandmother scowled firmly. "We have guests for dinner including Kendra's new boyfriend. Don't be rude and mind your manners!" She nodded to Darcy and Darryl. "You too!"
"Yes, Maman." Darcy and Darryl responded in unison. They followed the old women inside as they allowed the university advisor and Guardian Order leader into their home.
Once inside their living room, Darcy whispered to her older sister. "What is going on? Why are members of the Order here?"
Sheila shrugged. "Not sure, but play along for now."
"I'll keep my ears peeled too," offered Darryl. "Something's up and we shouldn't trust her."
They all agreed. Maman Sin directed Eden and the family toward the dining room table where plates, glasses, and flatware were set up as Darryl politely pulled a chair for Dr. Blakely as Maman excused herself into the kitchen. Once alone, the trio began to interrogate her.
"All right," started Darcy. "Tell us why you're really here!" Her voice displayed annoyance.
Eden twisted her lips confused. "Honestly, I'm not sure either. Zen was the one telling me your grandmother wanted to invite me over to dinner."
"Zen is here?" Sheila's mouth dropped.
"Your grandmother did say Kendra's new boyfriend," corrected Darryl. "That should've been a clue.."
"Listen," Eden added. "This is weird for me too. I'm not sure what is going on."
"Dinner is served!"
Maman came out of the kitchen carrying a large tray of jerk chicken and meat patties, followed by Kendra who held a bowl of Jamaican rice and peas in her arms, and Zen who was juggling some grilled vegetables and a salad.
"A traditional Jamaican dinner!" Maman Sin boasted. "Enjoy!" Kendra and Zen awkwardly took their seats while the plates were passed around and everyone took a sample on to their plate and ate in silence. Upon finishing dinner, it would be Maman who would bring up the topic at hand. "Now that we've eaten, let's discuss the elephant in the room. "Does my daughter Kendra still have a job?"
Zen coughed while swallowing some rice and peas as Dr. Eden Blakely took over the conversation,
"One hundred percent," she replied. "Even if she wasn't a Charmed One, I would still hire her to teach the history program. She definitely earned her spot."
Inwardly, this made Kendra proud. Despite being the Slayer, she was intelligent and an excellent student which made her the perfect candidate for the history position. She smiled and nodded at Dr. Blakely.
"That is good to hear," noted Maman. "Now for the more important question. How long have you known my family were the Charmed Ones?"
"Not until recently," noted Eden. "When recruiting a possible Guardian, we stay out of the way of other good wizards and witches that fight for the greater good, especially the Charmed Ones. Let's just say the Order doesn't mix well with other demon fighters."
"Why?" Darryl remarked. "The Powers that Be never talked about you or discuss your role in the battle for good versus evil. We should be working together and not separately."
"Certainly," Zen jumped in. "But it is really complicated."
"Complicated?" Sheila's eyes widened. "How so?"
Eden sighed. "Let me reiterate. I want you to go back and think about and consider which sex and gender has always detailed what happened throughout history."
"Men," said Darcy as she snorted in disgust. "It's always men who write what occurred in history."
"Correct," Eden agreed. "And what society has always held dominance and control over women and their stories?"
"The patriarchal ones," answered Sheila.
Dr. Blakely smiled again. "Correct again. With that said, imagine if the Savior always shared part of his blood with Magdalene, the fallen woman, and not just the Apostles themselves."
"You mentioned you were born during the time of Nazarene," Kendra commented. "Were you related to the famed Magdalene?"
"I was her daughter," smiled the university advisor.
Everyone dropped their fork at the table upon hearing this revelation. Maman Sin even let out a gasp. "You mean, I'm having dinner with the child of the Biblical Magdalene?" She closed her hands together and began praying in tongues.
Eden blushed and attempted to calm her hostess's anxiety. "Please don't. I'm not special or holy and I certainly don't do miracles. Yes, like Zen, we carry Apostle blood and are immortal and have some extra fighting skills but we're not gods or deities to be worshipped. We're simply humans who bleed and die like everyone else."
"But you're not," Darryl pointed out. "You were given some sacred gift and you're using it to save humanity from demons and all sorts of evil. Yet, you hide in the shadows and do things in secret. It makes us question which side you are truly on."
"The side that brings balance." Zen answered bluntly. "In short, we take no sides."
Sheila's brows furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand. I thought you're on the side of good."
"We are," said Eden. "However, not to get too existential, good and evil are not finite with us." She pointed to the ceiling, then to the floor. "It's easy to say that Heaven and Hell are black and white, when you do something good you go to the Good Place. When you do something evil, you go to the Bad Place. But what if the scenarios are gray depending on what you do?"
Zen gave an example. "A serial killer that committed horrible murders and is given the death penalty. Where should he go when he dies?"
Darryl pointed down. "Easy the Bad Place!"
Zen then continued. "What if a battered wife shoots her abusive husband dead to protect herself and her kids?"
"That's a hard one," noted Darryl. "I mean it's self-defense so she would be judged to go upward."
Kendra added two cents. "But even so, she did commit murder and took a life. Hence, she might go in the opposite direction. Who is to judge based upon those actions?"
"Exactly," Eden remarked. "It's simple to state Heaven and Hell are one way but there are always exceptions. That is where the Order comes in."
"In what way?" Darcy asked and then scoffed. "Are you judge, jury and executioner? Do you speak for both sides?" She folded her arms. "You still haven't answered which side you're really on."
Eden sat back and released a breath. "Let's take the idea of Hell or the Underworld for example. If evil wins, then all Hell would break loose upon the world, cause chaos and destruction, and leave nothing behind. No mortals. No living things. Not even demons or devils would exist because all would be gone. Just total blackness. Now let's consider Heaven, the supposed perfect utopia. Imagine if the world was so perfect that no one was allowed to have free thought, no independence, or even free will. Everyone would be unified as the same. No individuality. No separate identity to think, feel, or do. Any question about it would lead to rebellion and eventually, chaos."
"You don't know that for sure," Darryl argued. "Up above, we still have freedom and free will."
"For now," Eden pointed out. "But the expectation for perfection will lead to questions and challenges and as our Biblical stories told us, the one that challenged the Big Guy Upstairs got kicked out and now heads the Bad Place Below."
"Good analogy," Sheila noted. "But you still haven't covered why the Order isn't even acknowledged by the Powers that Be."
At this point, Zen jumped in. "Good and evil. Heaven and Hell. Both need to coexist to bring balance to the world. It's the principle of Yin and Yang. Balance. One can never dominate the other and that is where we come in. Yes, we battle and hunt demons but we also fought against humans that would change the course of history."
"Like Hitler or Bin Laden?" Darcy questioned with a raised eyebrow. "If you're immortal, why didn't you stop these guys when you had the chance?"
Eden interrupted. "It would mean changing the outcome of history. If we had stopped the Archduke from being assassinated in World War One which gave rise to Adolf, then we would not have ended a demonic plague that would have wiped out eighty percent of the population on the planet. Stopping 9/11 and Bin Laden would have led us to ignore the Taliban opening up a demon portal and allowing kaijus to obliterate the earth. We do have to pick and choose our battles and make the tough choices and sacrifices by not interfering in global conflicts and politics."
Darch curled her mouth. "Seems like a waste. I mean you have this covert, secret superhero team at your fingertips and are doing very little with it."
"We do what we can," Dr. Blakely emphasized. "We may not be on anybody's favorite list but we go where we're needed. We can't save everybody but if we have to sacrifice a few, then it was worth it. The Order has fought in many wars, killed enemies in conflict but we maintained to never kill in cold blood. We're too pious for Hell and Heaven doesn't agree with our methods. Hence, we're pariahs in both worlds so, instead, we ensure that the balance of both sides always remains neutral."
"Yet, you've lived for centuries," Darryl remarked. "But never turned the tide of war. It seems your code of honor and conduct needs improvement."
Zen added to the conversation. "It's a flawed system, we agree. However, we have to look at the bigger picture. We've stopped the end of humanity countless times , prevented deadly illnesses, demonic invasions, and even the alteration of our timeline in our reality. If this is what is needed to save our world, then it was well worth it."
"And that includes searching for more Guardians to be born," Eden included in her explanation. "We began with one hundred in our army but due to many battles over the centuries, we've lost many soldiers in our fight against the demons. With our numbers diminishing, it's becoming more difficult to search for potential Guardians who carry the holy gift. That is why we honestly thought Kendra was one of us."
"And that is why you attempted to recruit my granddaughter into your Order?" Maman Sin questioned firmly. She looked to both Kendra and Zen who sank down in their seats.
"Again, I do apologize for the misunderstanding," said Eden. "But we thought she might be a potential so we had to investigate. I can see how wrong we were."
Sheila spoke up. "You still should've approached us without deception. We're the Charmed Ones. We would've understood and helped."
"And that fault lies with me," Eden agreed. "However, Zen truly does like your sister and vice versa. Don't blame him for my own arrogance and poor judgment. If anyone is to blame, it should've been me."
Maman Sin raised her hand. "I think I've heard quite enough." She addressed Zen. "Mr. Minasi, do you like my granddaughter?"
Zen gulped. "Yes, Mrs. Young…"
Maman raised her hand again. "It's Ms. now! I'm a widow, remember that!"
"Yes mam," Zen nodded sheepishly.
Maman then turned her attention to the Slayer. "Kendra, do you like this boy?"
Kendra hesitated, stayed quiet for what seemed like forever, and then finally began to speak up. "I…I…." She stuttered.
"Speak up, child!"
"I do!" The Chosen One blushed. "I…um…do like him!" Did I just admit that? I'm certainly breaking all my Watcher's rules he taught me! Sorry, Mr. Zabuto!
"Then it's settled," Maman informed everyone. "Mr. Zen Minasi has permission to like and date my granddaughter!" Zen and Kendra awkwardly looked at each other shyly and looked away. However, the Young grandmother was not finished. "Now that we got that out of the way, it's time we share what we know to the Order."
Darcy clucked her tongue. Darryl covered his mouth in surprise while Sheila leaned into her grandmother. "Maman, is that wise?"
"Hush, child!" Maman dismissed her. "Trust needs to be built and allegiances need to be formed. No more bad blood will exist between us. We're doing this for the greater good." She gestured to Dr. Blakely.
"I agree," Eden nodded. "With that I already know that the Big Bad we're dealing with has a name. The Hell General Asmodeus!"
Darcy's mouth dropped. "How did you already know?" She turned to her baby sister. "Kendra, do you tell Zen?"
Kendra shook her head. "No. This is the first I'm hearing of it."
Zen interrupted. "We've suspected for quite some time but we weren't sure. We had some demon spies provide some information of a coup being organized by the Hell General."
Darryl cocked his head. "You have demon spies in the Underworld?"
Zen nodded. "We're not exactly embraced by your Powers that Be because of our questionable methods and the Underworld is distrusting of us so we utilize whatever resources we can."
"Wait," Sheila remarked. "Why would Hell's demons give up information to the other side so easily?"
Eden answered her question. "A majority of the demons are loyal to Lucifer but there are few that want to usurp their king off his throne. Ever since he fell and took over Hell, he has respected the balance of Good and Evil with the Big Guy Upstairs. This has created dissension among many of his critics including Asmodeus who wants to covet the kingdom of the Underworld by using his influence in our world. However, we're going to be there to stop him!"
Darryl spoke up his concerns. "But we're dealing with a Big Bad. Even our side has never dealt with a demon who is at Lucifer's level. Can Asmodeus just pop into our world?"
Eden shook her head. "Luckily, no. True demons, not like the hybrids that appear in our world, can't just show up in our world without causing complete and utter chaos. They have to be summoned and even then it takes tons of evil energy to do so. Instead, they need a minion to host their evil souls so they can walk in our world but it will take a heavy duty ritual at the right time to allow the possession to be completed."
"Asmodeus has plenty of servants," Zen jumped in. "However, only the right one can be chosen to host such an evil presence without destroying the vessel and trapping the Demon General back into the Underworld. Our spies have informed us that so far none have been found but the search continues."
Kendra submitted her ideas. "Then that should buy us some time to search for the possible host and to stop the ritual from happening."
"Exactly." Maman nodded. She addressed Dr. Blakely. "Consider us allies. The Charmed Ones will assist you in vanquishing Asmodeus and his cult. We'll provide you with any other information of what we know."
"Excellent," Eden smiled. She extended her hand to Maman Sin. "Thank you." Maman politely accepted and shook it. "I can't wait to work with you all. It'll be an honor."
Kendra escorted Dr. Blakely and Zen to the door as the pair bid the Young family goodbye. Once outside, Eden walked back to her car leaving Zen and the Slayer alone to talk outside privately.
"I think your family is warming up to me," Zen smiled. "Dinner wasn't so awkward."
"Trust me," Kendra giggled. "They'll be ripping into me about seeing you once you leave."
Tossing his head back, the Guardian soldier laughed. "They'll come around eventually. From my experience, most families are overprotective of the youngest sister."
Kendra snickered in return. "In your experience, the youngest sister is married off to an old man for the price of some chickens and cattle."
"Touche," Zen grinned. Their eyes locked for a moment. His head turned toward the front door to see the silhouette of a few heads around the pane glass of the house entrance. "I think we have an audience."
Kendra shifted her gaze away to see her sisters trying to spy on her through the windows. "They're not exactly subtle."
"No," Zen smirked again. "That means they care." His hand caressed her cheek. "Like I do." He leaned over as the Slayer closed her eyes and felt the touch of his lips upon hers. It was magic. The kiss was perfect. She slipped her arms around his shoulders; his slid around her back and they connected for a few minutes but for the pair, it felt like hours.
They both did not want it to end.
Inside, the nosy sisters began gossiping, much to the disapproval of Darryl and Maman Sin.
"Come on now," the White Lighter frowned. "Can't you give them a little privacy?"
"I think they're using tongue!" Darcy guffawed. "Our baby sister is growing up!"
Maman Sin scowled and put her hands to hips. "Stop that right now! You leave Kendra and her boyfriend alone this instant!"
Sheila looked at her grandmother. "Do you think we can trust the Order? They lied to us before."
"I can sense they have no ill-intentions," Maman Sin replied. "Their methods are a bit extreme but they mean well. Besides, they have information we need about Asmodeus which can prove helpful. We need them."
"Besides," Darryl noted. "They did give us a little more insight on Asmodeus and what he has planning. They can't be all bad."
Sheila shook her head disapprovingly. "We'll have to see."
