"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer." The bored cashier stocks the case on the shelf. Hearing the door ding, he turns around to greet the customer. "Evening ma'am." A very pretty blonde walked in the door. "What can I get you." It wasn't rare to have customers this late at night, but it was unusual to have a very young woman come in alone.
She smiles charmingly at the clerk, making him blush.
"I like a pack of smokes."
"ID please." He didn't have time to react when a puff of pink dust blows on his face.
"Aegrota amore." She smiles when he dreamily smiles at her.
"ID? Silly me."
The woman giggles.
"Also clean out your register, plus fill up my gas." She looks at his shirt. "Dave." She smiles demurely as he fills up a plastic bag.
"Sure. Anything else?"
"Yes. Walk me to my car." She waited in the car while he pumped gas. Once he was done, he walks to her window. She hands him a gun while wearing white gloves. "Kill yourself."
The woman cheerfully drives away leaving the dead clerk by the pumps. The last thing she saw was him shooting himself after he filled up her car.
"Mitchell. You're supposed to be resting up." Lieutenant Ballard scolds. "You know we're on top of things." Former cop Henry Mitchell was reading another true crime article. "A suicide is hardly a case." She read the report from Detective Harris, a gas station clerk who was working alone when a customer came in and asked for gas. Then for some reason, he handed her that night's receipts and committed suicide by the pumps. "If it was a robbery, he did it with a smile." She was perplexed at the unusual case, but according to his friends, he was a lonely man.
"My doctor says I'm fine. My legs don't work, but that doesn't mean my mind is gone." Henry was in the chair for a while but was adjusting just fine nowadays. "I became a cop to help others, plus to keep my mind sharp." He read the article. "Dave French was a long-time employee of that gas station. He never missed a day of work the entire time he was there, and was their best employee."
"Till last week." Diana saw the footage herself. "He didn't look like he recognized the woman, he treated her like everyone else." She didn't know why Henry was so interested. "Whoever she was, he clearly was enamored with her, till his suicide." She was a lieutenant now, petty robberies weren't her thing.
"That's what I thought too." Henry didn't think much of it, not until he read another article online. "There was a similar case in Oregon. But this time in a liquor store. A blonde walked in, flirted with the clerk, then he slices his own neck after she left the store."
"Did she pay?"
"Not according to the security tapes. She filled up her cart, then once she got to the till, she sneezed on the guy, then a minute later walked out of the store." Henry showed her the article.
"Weird." She watched him typing on his laptop. "Here are the papers you requested." After Henry's accident, he was forced to quit his job as a detective since he couldn't walk. "You already got your severance, plus that lawsuit from the bank. You don't need to worry about police work anymore." She figured Henry was bored and humored him with stories about her cases since he had nothing better to do.
"I know. But what else can I do." Henry enjoyed his time off but was ready to go back to work. "I joined the force to do good, then I get shot." Henry stared resentfully at his legs. "I can't sit around doing nothing." He would have laughed at his unintentional joke, but he wasn't in the mood. "All this crime and I can't do jack shit."
"I'm sorry." Diana could see how depressed he was. Seeing the pictures on the wall, one with a younger Henry in a newspaper article, she read the small headline out loud. "Officer Mitchell Speaks To School." The article showed Henry wearing his signature leather jacket speaking at a school auditorium.
"That was the first year I transferred to the parole department." Henry was looking at the picture. "It was in LA, I was assigned to one of the roughest neighbourhoods in the city. That school, I was speaking to the kids about gangs and drugs." Henry went to a school similar to that one, most students didn't make it out, Henry was one of the lucky ones. "I didn't want those kids to be another statistic." When Henry became a cop, he immediately applied to the parole board to help ex-cons turn their lives around. "Those kids, I like to believe they made it." He remembered his old parolee Speed, who just managed to avoid jail time by staying away from his old friends.
Diana looked thoughtfully at the article.
"You know, the schools around here are looking for a male role model, ever think about it?" She smiled at her former partner. "You always looked at the side of good, even with the ones that others gave up on, you kept going." She didn't know much about his time in Los Angeles as a parole officer but knew how much he missed it. "You can volunteer as a big brother or a coach for the local teams."
Henry scoffed.
"You see these legs? Their worthless!" Henry wheeled by Diana to grab a beer from the fridge.
"You're giving up, just like that? Wow." Diana shook her head. "If you change your mind, I'll leave you some info." She took out her cell and sent him some names and numbers. "If you want to do something about your spare time, I suggest you pick something." She walks over to the door. "I gotta go, I have to greet the new Inspector." She knew Davidson on a casual basis but didn't talk to him much. "Take care."
Henry waved halfheartedly as she walked out. He drank his beer, feeling sorry for himself.
"If I could walk, I would." He slapped his legs before getting another beer out of the fridge.
Paige was driving down the streets, or should she say, cycling down the streets with her assigned bicycle.
"I trained for a motorcycle, not a peddle bike." She huffed. Her new partner just laughed.
"It's not so bad, this way we get fresh air, get some much-needed exercise, and see the sights." The cop beside her says cheerfully.
"Easy for you to say, you work out every day." So did Paige, but lately she felt so lazy. She pedaled faster to keep up with him. "Where are we headed?"
"Grandview Park. We have to make sure the place stays safe for the city." Like most cities, the park has its troublemakers. "The southern area is where the most trouble starts, we have to make sure things don't get outta hand."
"Gotcha." Paige been there several times while attending Berkeley, it was a good place to unwind after dark. She followed her partner through the streets till they arrive at the park.
"Looking good so far." Officer Ramirez remarked. They cycle through the park, making sure everything was okay.
Paige was enjoying the ride, unlike the streets, the park was a breath of fresh air.
"Uh oh." He nods towards the basketball courts. "I see trouble." He saw a small bag changing hands. He blew the whistle around his neck. "Hey!"
Two African-American teenagers look up at the two cops. Immediately, they straighten up when they got closer. When Paige saw their faces, she wondered how young they were.
"We didn't nothin'!" The boy on the left says. His partner nodded.
"Really." Officer Ramirez holds up his hand. "I thought I told you to stay out of trouble."
Paige watched silently as they argued. She saw the exchange herself, drugs were prevalent in this town.
"Look, we don't want to arrest anyone today, just hand over the bag, and we'll let you go with a warning." She saw the kids' exchange looks. When both took off, Ramirez points to his left.
"Go head him off! I'll take this one!" This park had a lot of shortcuts and hiding places it won't be long before they lose both.
"I got it!" Paige put her petals to the metal, she had a job to do.
The kid zigzags through the park, trying to lose Paige who was cycling hard to catch up.
"You're quick kid." The boy ran extremely fast. "You ever want to go to the Olympics after high school?" She panted. When he jumped over a bridge and down a tunnel, Paige swore. "Dammit." She was debating on what to do when she got an idea. She looked around to see if anyone was looking, then orbed away.
The young man had to catch his breath, he was exhausted from running. He hoped Damon got away, that way neither would be in trouble with the cops. Just when he was about to take off again, he ran straight into a cop.
"Really kid?" Paige shakes her head. "I know this place like the back of my hand." She saw the teenager looking back. "Don't bother, you won't get far. Now why did you run?"
Ade mumbled something under his breath.
"Speak up, I can't speak for you if you don't talk."
"It was nothing. We were just talking."
"Really. Then why run? You have to be twenty-one to use."
Ade looked down.
Paige taps her foot.
"Fine. But I'll be watching you."
"Yes ma'am."
Paige stayed in the tunnel long enough till his footsteps fade away before she orbed out of there. She was young once, she just hoped he didn't go further than this.
Just as Paige was writing in her notebook about her park adventure, her biking partner pulled up.
"How was the chase?" Officer Ramirez already gave Damon his lecture, but not before taking his baggie. It most likely contained cannabis, but until the results from the lab came back, he was keeping this in lockup.
"Fine. He didn't say much, he's most likely protecting his older sibling." She closes her book. "Where do we go next?"
Abe walks into his house, dead tired from running errands all day.
"Dad?" He sighs in relief at the silence. He didn't know or care where his dad was, all he wanted to do was sleep. Ignoring the mess in his tiny apartment, he went into his room to lie down.
"Abe. Abe. Wake up."
"Leave me alone." Abe was exhausted.
"You want to live like this? Being a nobody? Or do you want to be part of something greater?" The voice starts laughing.
Abe woke up in a cold sweat.
"Not again." He got up to wash his face. He purposely ignored his reflection, he didn't want to see the yellow eyes.
Paige was nervous, she found out a new Inspector was assigned to her unit instead of the one downtown. When she heard a commotion, she straightened up and tried to look professional.
"Relax. He's just a cop, just like us."
"Easy for you to say, he's my new boss." When the new Inspector started speaking, the department quieted down.
"Morning, I am Reese Davidson. Inspector Davidson." The new Inspector seemed older than Sheridan, but was just as imposing. Paige hoped he wasn't as nosy as she was. He looked around the nervous officers. "I run a tight ship, so whatever you've been doing before, I expect you to work harder. Dismissed."
"He seems nice." Paige watched as Davidson shook hands with the Chief of Police.
"Nothing like Sheridan huh."
"You heard about that?" Paige and her sisters tried hard to keep out of Sheridan's radar, but Sheridan was very stubborn.
"I heard worse. Gotta go." Ramirez saw a folder being put on his desk.
"Guess I can do some paperwork then." Where was the excitement? The thrills? Paige was getting bored. She thought becoming a cop would fill the hole in her heart, but instead, she felt hollow. "There has to be something better than this." She said out loud.
"If you're bored, you can talk at the local schools instead."
Paige jumped hearing the voice. She immediately turned around and saluted Inspector Davidson.
"Sir! I wasn't complaining, sir!" She felt her face turning pink.
"Relax. I was checking up on my officers." He looked at Paige's badge. "Matthews."
Paige stood still standing straight.
"I'm just about to do my reports for the day sir."
"I'll let you get to work then." Paige waited till he walked away before breathing a sigh of relief.
"Phew." She sat down just as her partner pushed his chair to her side.
"Relax." Ramirez grew up with strict parents and wasn't intimidated by the new boss. "Just do your job, in a few years you'll be a detective." Ramirez was new like Paige and was determined to get out of riding bikes for the rest of his career. "This won't be forever."
"I hope so." She smiled as he wheeled back to his desk. Before Paige typed up her report she saw one of the boys she and Ramirez chased earlier coming in handcuffs. "I told him to stay out of trouble." The boy was sitting grimly in a chair.
Ramirez looked up.
"I'll talk to him later. For now, just do our jobs. The papers won't do themselves."
Paige was tempted to say that wasn't true, she could cast a spell. Instead, she bites her tongue and picks up her folder.
Abe didn't say a word when he was arrested. How was the fire his fault? He didn't start it. He just hoped his court-appointed attorney showed up soon. Bored he stares at the wall.
"Is he here?" A woman asked her partner. They were standing in the foyer.
"He has to be. Remember grab the witch and go. Otherwise, we won't get paid."
The woman nodded.
"This one better not fight then." The rewards for getting new recruits were huge. She and her demonic partner walk up to the desk Sargent. "Hi. We're looking for an Abe Miller."
"Argh!" Paige was typing her report when she got a headache.
"You okay?" Ramirez saw her holding her head.
"Just a headache." An innocent, here? She looked up. 'He can't be my innocent.' She saw the teenager sitting across the room. She was about to get back to her writing when she felt the call. "Okay. Okay." Even with the Elders gone, the Call of the Innocents never stopped. She walked across the room.
Abe groaned when he saw the lady cop.
"I didn't do anything."
"You ever watch TV? You have the right to remain silent. You have an attorney? Talk to him first." Ignoring her headache, she told the arresting officer she'll take over.
"Fine by me." His shift was ending soon anyways. Once he was out of hearing range, Paige starts talking.
"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to stay outta trouble?"
Abe didn't say a word. Paige sighs. She was a troubled kid herself.
"Look, the last thing I want for you is to see a cell. You have anyone to call, your mom and dad?"
Abe stares at the floor.
"My dad." He was so dead. Abe flinched at the beating he'll get once he finds out where he was. "But he's at work." He mumbled.
"Is there anyone else you can call?" Before he could answer, the building starts shaking.
"EARTHQUAKE!" Ramirez shouts.
Paige grabs Abe and instinctively orbs out of the station, luckily everyone was too busy panicking to notice.
Abe blinks when they found themselves out in the parking lot.
"How...?"
"We were evacuated fast and had to leave. The excitement must have seemed like we just left." Paige lied. Luckily Abe bought it.
"Thanks." He was about to walk away when Paige grabs his arm. "Hey!"
"Sorry kid. But you can't leave my sight." Paige was getting a migraine from the noise. Was he a witch? "It's too dangerous to stay here, let's go to my house." She was tempted to orb, but there were too many witnesses. "You ever rode a cycle?"
Abe was shaking from the ride, he never thought he'll have so much fun.
"That was so cool!" Paige and him rode on a police motorcycle, Paige didn't want to take her car, just in case someone missed her. "Can we go again?"
"Another time." Now what? She was grateful her migraine was gone but mystified how it went away as she and Abe left the police station. "You hungry? I can make a quick lunch." She prayed hard no one saw her leave.
Northern District Police Station
"Abe..."
"Miller." The woman sniffed. "He's my nephew." Even though the earthquake ended, the couple wanted nothing more than to collect their bounty. "We got the call he was arrested and want to bail him out."
"Have a seat." The receptionist tells them. Everyone was shaken from the quake, cops and visitors were puttering about double-checking if everyone was okay. She jumped when the woman slammed her fists on the glass.
"I need to see him now!'' She shouted. Before the receptionist could call for backup, the man standing beside her grabs her arms.
"Forgive her, she's on edge from him getting into trouble again." He smiled charmingly at the woman as well as the cops mulling about. "Honey, let's call the attorney, he'll fix this." Once they sit on a bench, his eyes go black in fury. "You're acting like a demon." He growled in a low voice. His partner didn't flinch at the demonic tone.
"We don't have much time. Azazel gave his orders. If we fail, Ludlow won't pay us." The rewards were huge for bounties, the more rare the prize, the bigger the bounty. "Let's just deliver the brat before other demons beat us to it." The demonic academy was looking for new students and was offering prizes for rare witches. They sit patiently down watching the people walking in and out. The woman nods toward a little girl. "She looks so delicious."
"Too scrawny." He points to an older teenager walking by the station. "Want a snack while we wait for the attorney?"
"A innocent? You sure?" Piper's voice says over the phone. Paige heard the voice of Mel babbling in the background.
"Yep. I can't explain why. But I read the news online, and no earthquakes were reported in the city." Paige hoped no one saw her leave with Abe. "The ringing was loud when Abe was brought into the station. I think he's in trouble." She peeked out and saw Abe playing with the newest gaming system. "What should I do?" For once she missed the Elders, they would have given her explicit instructions.
Piper didn't say anything, Paige was tapping her foot.
"Piper? You still there?"
"Huh? Sorry. It's hard to concentrate at the moment, I'm making spaghetti sauce." Paige heard Piper calling Sam's name. "Keep an eye on him, but call Phoebe."
"If she's home." Even though Phoebe graduated, she was as busy as ever. Other than trying to get her residency at the local hospital, she and Coop were busy planning their wedding. Phoebe was determined to get married before the end of the year. Hearing nothing from the living room, Paige says her goodbyes.
"You have anything else than this?'' Abe was holding onto his phone, the controller beside him.
"We don't game that much. Our nieces are still pretty young." Paige bought the system for the girls just in case they visit. "Abe. The earthquake. Was that you?"
Abe looks down at the floor.
"It's okay. I won't judge. Your gift. How long have you had them?"
"Since I was very small. My cousin Damon, he's been giving me something to suppress them." Abe wasn't sure what he kept giving him, but he used it to help the nightmares go away.
"The baggie." Abe nodded. "Is he, like you?" Two witches?
"I don't know. But our grandma, she always said when the time comes, to come to her for training." Abe wasn't sure what his grandma did, but she attended church every Sunday. "She died last year. Damon, he's been trying to keep me safe."
"Okay. And your parents?"
"Mom's gone. And Dad." Abe sniffles. "Please. Don't tell him I was arrested. He'll beat me again." He didn't mean to shoplift from that store, but he needed the medicine Damon got him. Then he accidentally started a fire when security came. Naturally, they blamed him for it, even though it was an accident.
"I promise." She looked at the clock. "Crap." She was gone for a while. She had to get back before anyone realized she was gone, but couldn't leave Abe behind. Luckily the door opened with Phoebe and Coop walking in with shopping bags.
"Paige? You here?" Phoebe and Coop were exhausted from their day.
"In here!" She smiled at Abe. "My sister and her fiance. Don't worry, they won't be fazed." She stands up. "Before you ask. I have an innocent. Long story. Mind keeping an eye on him I have to get back to work." Paige heard her scanner start to beep. "I'll explain later!" She had to return the bike before someone misses it. Once she was gone, Phoebe looks at the kid.
"Hi. I'm Phoebe. This is Coop, he's a cupid."
"Hi." Abe says shyly.
"Pleased to meet you." Coop takes the bags out of Phoebe's hands. "I'll just take these upstairs." Coop and her lived together at the condo, but they didn't have room for the wedding planning. He twisted his ring to go upstairs, the bags were too heavy to carry upstairs.
Abe jumped seeing Coop disappear in a pink light.
"How did he do that? That's so cool!"
"A cupid needs his transportation." This was going to be a long afternoon. "You have special gifts? Me too." She levitated off the floor making Abe smile. "Don't worry. I'll keep your secret if you keep mine."
Paige hoped no one noticed her leaving, she was gone for a while. When she saw her fellow officers taking pictures in the garage, she asked what was going on.
"A college student was found dead. Eaten alive by wild animals." The cop grimaced at the body. "I don't know why he was in here, he should have come in the station. Poor kid."
Paige wondered if it had to do with Abe. Hellhounds were sometimes used to track prey.
"Yeah. Poor thing." She hoped this wasn't a Power of Three situation. "Gotta go." She hoped the evidence room didn't catalogue the bag Ramirez took from Abe's cousin yet. She was sure valerian wasn't illegal.
"Where were you?" Ramirez asked once Paige hopped back to her desk. "You missed the excitement." He felt sick seeing the dead kid. Especially with the claw marks on his chest.
"Went on patrol."
Ramirez nodded.
"Should have took me with you."
"What did I miss. Other than the chew toy downstairs. I mean the accident." Whoops.
Ramirez gave her a weird look
"Long day. Sorry." Paige's headache was coming back.
"You saw the body? Yeah. Anyways." He desperately needed to change the subject. "Remember the kid Holland bought in here earlier?"
"Don't remember." Paige lied. How would she explain this?
"His relatives came in all hysterical. Once they found out he wasn't here, they threatened lots of lawsuits before storming out."
"Really." Abe said he only had his dad and cousin. "Was it his dad? With I assume was the same kid with Abe at the park." She wondered if Damon was a witch.
He shakes his head.
"Aunt and uncle. They were pretty insistent they see Abe. They left before their lawyer arrived."
"Aunt and uncle huh. Did they give any names?" She was disappointed when Ramirez shook his head.
"They came and went. Then the accident happened."
"Really." Oh shit. "I'm going on patrol." She put on her holster, making sure it was loaded with her special ammo.
"Again?"
"I'll do the paperwork tomorrow." She left before Ramirez asked to join her. Once she was far away from prying eyes and ears, she orbs away.
Paige was shocked to see the carnage in the Manor's living room.
"Demons." Phoebe was about to throw the bottle to vanquish the next demon, but when she saw Paige, she put her arm down.
"Is Abe okay?" Paige saw burn marks everywhere.
"He's upstairs with Coop. That kid, he killed two demons with his mind." Phoebe never saw powers like that from someone so young. "Before you ask, the bodies were empty husks." Phoebe and Coop didn't feel any emotions coming from within the couple.
"Thanks Phoebe." The Manor wasn't safe for a child. "I'm taking Abe to Magic School."
"Whoa." Abe was looking around. "Where are we?"
"The safest place in the world for witches." Paige would have taken him to Knox, but Magic School was closer. "You need to be kept safe. Plus get your education."
"I have to go to school?" Abe groaned.
"I promise you, this place is way more exciting." She led him to the register's office. "Hi. I have a new student to enroll." Once the nymph starts printing out forms for Abe to fill, Paige assures him his relatives would be kept safe. "I'll talk to your dad."
"And Damon?"
"Hi. There's actually two students." She smiled at Abe. "Your dad will be okay." She wondered if the Cleaners would erase memories of Abe from today's events.
"Thanks." He knew Damon wanted to be a doctor. "A witch doctor, they exist. Right?"
Once Paige returned from Magic School, she filled Phoebe and Coop on today's events.
"A guy was eaten?" Coop shuddered in disgust. He was still getting used to the magic scene. He wasn't Cupid for very long.
"We're used to it." Phoebe felt bad for the kid, but there were more pressing issues. "Who is hunting child witches?"
"Wish I knew. That couple, did they say anything when they..." The living room was still in shambles.
"Sorry. I didn't know." Phoebe let them in, thinking they were Abe's parents. "Abe jumped when they saw him, me and Coop did everything we could to protect Abe." The two demons didn't take long to destroy the living room, they were determined to get to Abe. "Once they saw Abe, they didn't bother to hide who they were. That kid. I could see why they want him. He makes Piper's own powers look like parlor tricks." The way those demons were burned alive. Phoebe wondered how Mel's own powers would be at Abe's age.
"Don't let Piper hear you say that." She looks at a burn mark. "Did they say anything else?"
"Something about collecting our bounty, plus I overheard them saying something about a demonic academy." Coop pipes in. He flinched when Phoebe hit him on the arm. "Sorry. I forgot you don't like being interrupted."
"A demon school? Great." Paige always hoped it was an urban legend. "I have to call Piper."
"A WHAT?! And you're telling me this now?" Piper's yells were loud, even from a phone.
"We handled things just fine. Abe is safe at Magic School, and Phoebe and Coop didn't lift a finger vanquishing those demons." Paige wished she was here to witness it.
"Remember Tyler? That kid we saved years ago? It's the same thing all over again. Dammit. Whoever that Ludlow guy was, security will be even more beefed up now." Tyler Micheals was recruited to be Ludlow's bodyguard and taken to his estate to start his training. "No way will we trick them again." Poor Tyler was dead, he died a few years ago as an adult.
"Yeah." The name 'Ludlow' must be a title for a headmaster.
"Sam and I will do some research. Don't do anything without me." Poor Piper sounded so stressed. Hearing Sam's voice in the background, Piper reluctantly lets her go. "It's time for Mel's nap time. I gotta go."
"Same here. I'm still on the clock." Paige had no idea how much time passed. "I don't want the new Inspector getting suspicious of me. I'll talk to you soon. Bye." Once Paige hung up, she says bye to Phoebe and Coop. "See you tonight."
"Bye." Once the door closed, Phoebe sighs. "You sure you still want to get married? It will get even worse from here." She smiled when Coop starts giving her a massage.
"For better or worse." Coop wanted to say something else but changed his mind. "Did you decide on the menu yet?"
"Let's just hope nothing disturbs our wedding." She remembered Piper's as well as her own. Prue crashed hers, and Cole made her unknowingly marry in a demonic graveyard cemetery. "Maybe we should get supernatural insurance."
Once Paige returned to the police station, she walks quickly to her desk, thankfully no one noticed her sneaking in.
"How was your patrol?" Ramirez was bored doing his paperwork. The baggie he confiscated didn't contain anything illegal, just herbs. "That Damon kid, he's incredibly lucky." Ramirez was glad for that, he hated arresting young kids.
"Fine. So that baggie..." She was relieved when he shook his head.
"Just herbs. It's used for holistic remedies. I grew up on the streets myself, what goes on out there is the stuff of nightmares. Wonder why they were so jumpy?"
"Maybe they don't trust cops." Or demons. Paige says silently. She groaned seeing the stack of folders. "I swore this doubled since I left." She takes one from the stack.
"Beats doing what's going on downstairs." Ramirez became a cop to help people, but he hated cases like that. "In a few hours, we'll be done."
"Maybe." Thinking of Abe as well as young witches getting kidnapped and forced to be demonic students, maybe she could open an academy for police witch protection instead.
Paige was exhausted. It's been a few days since Abe was taken to Magic School. She already talked to Damon, who admitted wasn't a witch, but a wannabe alchemist. Luckily Magic School admitted him anyways. Abe's father, Paige found out the Cleaners already made the necessary arrangements. As far as anyone knew, both boys were shipped to boarding school out east, supposedly to keep them out of trouble. Unfortunately, they didn't erase what happened to the college student downstairs in the police station garage, saying it wasn't magical in nature.
"How's work?" Both Phoebe and Coop put their wedding plans on hold at the moment, there were more pressing matters on hand.
"Okay. I was given a new assignment. I have to give a presentation at a school." It was located in a rough neighbourhood, Paige did her research, it was gang-level bad. "It beats hunting demons."
"That's good." Phoebe pointed to The Book. "Found the section about demonic bounty hunters."
"Yeah. But I doubt we can fool them this time. Our good magic will send off every detector out there." They managed to vanquish the last headmaster thanks to Piper and Leo, but Paige had a feeling they upped their security since then. "Plus I don't even know where this evil school is."
"How about Cole? He was the Source of All Evil once." Coop suggested. He never met Cole but heard stories.
"Forget it." Phoebe already forgave Cole but never forgot what he did to her and her sisters. "Besides I doubt he'll help." She already talked to Castiel, he mentioned that Cole and Gabriel already parted ways. "Once Piper and Sam call back with news, we'll start strategizing."
"Sounds good to me." Paige hoped her witchy duties won't interfere with her career. "I'm going to have a bath, then head to Magic School to check out the boys."
"Okay." Phoebe and Coop turn back to the Book of Shadows. "There has to be a spell to disguise ourselves from demons. Is there one to vanquish a whole school?"
Paige was nervous walking in the hallways of a school. It was clean, but Paige already saw the distrustful looks the other students gave her.
'Wish I left my uniform in the car.' She thought to herself. She was glad Abe and Damon were okay at Magic School, both loved being with their fellow peers. Abe didn't feel like a freak anymore, and Damon was so happy to find subjects he was so passionate about. She headed towards the secretary's front office, she was meeting her partner there.
Ramirez gave Paige a friendly wave.
"About time. The other speakers are already at the gym."
"Good." Paige wasn't afraid of public speaking, she liked working with the public. But teenagers were hard to talk to. She would know, she didn't trust any authority figures when she was a teen herself. She and Ramirez follow the resource officer to the gym.
"Don't be too nervous. We have speakers every year. There's a guy who's speaking before you, poor guy was injured while on a job. Hopefully, the kids listen to his story, he was a cop like you before he was shot." He opens the gym doors, the audience members were listening to his lecture.
"I don't regret anything, even on a chair. It was just bad luck." Henry Michell tells the rapt audience. "Even if I didn't become a cop, I saw what gang life does to the average person. The lucky ones leave, most end up in jail, or worse." The gymnasium was quiet, usually almost everyone was playing on their phones, or sneaking out for a smoke; but every person was focused on Henry. "Just think about who is affected. Yours won't be the only life lost. Thank you."
Paige applauds with everyone else.
"He's right." Ramirez lost a lot of friends back in high school and was determined not to ruin his own life. "I only had two choices. My friends, they're all in jail." He was so glad he wimped out that day. "I didn't want my brothers growing up without a role model."
"I'm sure they're proud." Where did Paige see him before? The former ex-cop was getting wheeled out of the platform. "Looks like we're next."
The two cops were asked to talk about the dangers of drugs, but it seemed pointless after Mitchell's speech.
"Maybe we should talk about something else." Paige worked in social services, she had a whole cabinet with files of kids whose parents were addicts.
"Any ideas?" The school principal was introducing them at the moment.
"I'll think of something."
"And now, the last speakers of the day, Officer Paige Matthews and Officer Jesus Ramirez!"
Paige smiles at the polite applause. Her mind went blank, she had nothing to say. But when she saw Officer Mitchell give her a smile, she knew what to talk about.
"My eyes are burning." Phoebe read the Book several times. "There's no mention of an academy for demons." She remembered the time her sisters showed them a wrestling match fighting two demonic graduates. Her sisters told them that they already checked out that 'Academy,' but it was gone when they snuck into the buildings in San Francisco and Chicago once their powers came back. "What about your end."
"Nothing online." Piper already called back, she and Sam had no luck. "Did you ask Kyra?" Coop met her a few times, she seemed nice.
"She doesn't know. Even as an ex-demon, she never heard anything like that in Hell." Phoebe was running out of ideas. "What about Heaven? Surely the angels talk."
"Maybe." Coop was deep in thought.
"Spill." Phoebe was sick of reading.
"I remember Kama, my old mentor getting frustrated. She said love was amock down in Earth."
"What does that have to do with that academy?" Cupids only had one job.
"Love and hate are the same thing, things can go either way. Most arrows work, but some couples split up and never speak again without screaming at one another in hate."
"Like Cole and me." The things she turned a blind eye to. She felt Coop's hand and smiled.
"We had nothing to do with you two. Anyways, you heard of love spells."
"Yeah. Plus heard of all of them going wrong." Love potions, spells, Demonic Deals, that rogue cupid who used his own arrows for selfish gain. "I doubt it will work on demons."
"No, but the spells used can disguise all magic. We can use my arrow as an ingredient."
"I don't know. It sounds risky. Plus Piper will kill us." Even though Piper was far away, she can be here in a flash. "Plus what are we supposed to tell Paige?"
"Better than more witches being taken."
"I just bought some new herbs. Let's just hope your theory is correct." They head to the kitchen.
"Your speech, especially about your parents." Officer Mitchell was so moved by Paige's story about her parents being killed by a careless driver. "I'm sure a lot of kids will take your words to heart." He always felt like a loser in a chair, he used to arrest a lot of bad drivers, some that ended up paralyzed like him, killing themselves, or others.
"I hope so." Paige missed them every day. Where did he see him before? "If you don't mind. Were you in an accident yourself?" Her partner was telling a story about losing his friends as a teenager. She and Michell were whispering to one another.
"Kinda. I was hurt on a job. Bank robbery."
"Oh. Now I remember." Her old charge Billie was caught in the crossfire. "I'm sorry."
"Better me than anyone else." Henry hated being in the chair, but hearing all those stories this afternoon, made him realize how lucky he was. "At least I'm alive." He and Paige clap enthusiastically at the end of Ramirez's speech. "Henry."
"Paige." They shake hands.
"I know you're probably on duty, but I was wondering if you want to join me in the cafeteria for some coffee?"
"I like to, but I won't be off duty till midnight. Besides, I'm seeing someone." She and Mason rarely saw each other these days. Their careers were very demanding. "Perhaps another time."
"No worries." He waved to his old parolee 'Speed' who was working as a guidance counselor at this school. "I'll see you around. Hopefully."
"Maybe." He was pretty cute. Maybe someday he'll find someone. "Enjoy your day." She walked up to her partner who was shaking hands with some teachers. "Ready to head back to work?"
"Yep." Ramirez nodded to a group of teenagers, hopefully, they listened to their stories. "Starbucks?"
"Sure. It'll keep me awake when we do our paperwork." Paige hated writing reports.
"Soon we'll have our own beat. We won't be rookies forever."
"Detective Matthews. I like the sound of that."
"Or Chief Ramirez." There weren't that many Latino Police Chiefs in America at the moment. "Let's head back."
Henry watches the two cops walk out.
"I'm sure she likes you." Speed liked his job here, he was so glad his former parole officer never gave up on him.
"She's dating someone." Henry was disappointed she wasn't available, she was cute.
"I don't see a ring."
"Don't get any ideas." Henry and Speed weren't close, but Henry was glad to see him changing his life around. "Your kids, how are they?" Henry looked up his former charge, after his mother's death from diabetes complications, Speed went to community college for his degree in social work.
"Good." Speed didn't have biological kids of his own, but considered the school's kids as his. "I hope this afternoon makes them think. Especially the ones in the life." Speed was glad he never made it to the liquor mart, otherwise, he'll be rotting in a prison cell like his former gang members. "I have to return to work, I have an appointment with a student."
"I won't keep you then." Henry thought about what Diana told him a few days ago. Seeing Speed talking to his students, Henry wondered if there was a place for him, even with a chair. "A coach? A counselor? A big brother?" There were so many possibilities. He wheeled himself out of the gym, he hoped his custom van was still in the parking lot.
It was a few hours later when Paige returned home. Seeing the kitchen light on, she was surprised to see Phoebe and Coop still awake.
"Kinda late for dinner. But can I have a bowl?" Paige was starving.
"It's not soup, we're making a potion." Phoebe and Coop were making a love potion, but not a typical kind.
"Does it have to do with this academy?" Paige was disappointed it wasn't food. She was too tired to cook and was making a sandwich to eat instead. "Does Piper know?"
"Yeah. And we didn't tell her yet." Phoebe was modifying the recipe she found, instead of the user falling deeply in love with her, she and Coop were using his arrows to charm the person instead. "We're going demon hunting. Wanna come?"
"Too tired." She was glad to have a day off the next day, she missed her boyfriend. Poor Mason was overwhelmed with work. "But make sure to be careful."
"We will." Phoebe had her nap earlier, while Coop didn't need to sleep. "If we find answers. We'll let you know."
"Okay. Night." Paige hoped that things go back to normal. Before she fell asleep, she hoped that Abe and his brother were doing okay in Magic School.
'Are you sure this place is right for you? You're basically a prisoner.'
'Leave me alone.'
'Good job with those demons. I never had one so young vanquish with his mind.'
'Go Away!'
'When you turn eighteen, the school will throw you out, graduate or not. But we won't throw you out in the streets.'
'Really?'
'Really.'
Abe woke up in a cold sweat.
"Not again." Even here the nightmares never ended. He got up to use the bathroom. He jumped hearing a voice in the hallway.
"You should be in bed."
"Sorry Ms C. Just need to pee."
"Make it quick."
Abe nods, he needed to wash his face as well.
The demon stayed in the hallway, drinking from the negative emotions of the young man. She was so glad Zankou knew a back door to this school.
"Okay. Now what." Phoebe and Coop were standing outside a nightclub. They saw a succubus demon hunting her prey and followed her here.
"We find the demon and demand answers." Phoebe wasn't sure what to ask.
"Or see if our potion works." A succubus was very hard to trick, they fed on emotions, especially lust.
"But if that doesn't work, we'll vanquish her ass." Phoebe hated those things, as an empath, she hated it when emotions were twisted with the unnatural.
They already drank the potions, they already tested it on a plant to see if it was safe to drink. When they found themselves enamored with the plant, they knew it worked.
"I'll go first." Phoebe usually had no trouble getting into clubs, but they wanted to see if Coop could get past the bouncer. "Hi. My friend and I wanted to see the inside."
The bouncer was usually stern, but he was immediately charmed by Coop. He takes off the velvet rope.
"No entrance fee for you and your friend. Drinks are on me." He melted when Phoebe smiled.
"Thank you." Once they walk inside, Phoebe asked if he'll remember anything.
"Cupid Bows are meant for love. But the tails, the spell will last at least a day. I don't know if they'll work on a succubus though." Succubus demons were impossible to charm. Coop used the feathers from the end of the arrows to make Phoebe's potion. "I see her." The demon was in her element, flirting with random men. "Want me to go first?"
"Maybe I should instead." For some reason, a succubus couldn't seduce a member of the same gender, but Phoebe wanted to see if their potion worked. "Excuse me." She takes out her lipstick and straightens her dress.
The demon was giggling at the joke someone close by made, unlike sirens, its kind was very picky with her prey. When she heard a throat clearing, she immediately turns her head and sees a beautiful woman standing beside her.
"If you gentlemen excuse me. My date is here." Her eyes widened at the guy beside her. "A couple? Must be my lucky night." She smiled charmingly at the attractive twosome.
An hour later, both Phoebe and Coop were smiling at the demon who was laughing at their jokes and banter.
"Out of everyone here, why me? You could have anyone here." So could she, but at the moment didn't want to hunt for prey. Her kind could wait.
"You look like someone with lots of knowledge. I love smart women. Ow!" Coop flinched when Phoebe pinched his arm.
"I graduated college with honors, but he fell in love with me before that." Phoebe wasn't the jealous type, but didn't like how Coop kept looking at the demon. "We came here looking for answers."
"Really, how so?" The woman was attractive, maybe she could take them back to her apartment for a nightcap. The woman had attractive lips. while her beau had great muscle tone.
This was going to be tricky. Demons were usually dumb, but some could read minds. A succubus wasn't easy to fool. Phoebe nodded at Coop to take off his sports coat. Once Coop flexed his arms, the demon gave him a lustful look.
Phoebe picked up her martini and gave the demon a seductive glance, already she could see her sweating.
"I heard stories, that you know people." Phoebe picked out the olive with her tongue, making the succubus take shallow breaths.
"I know lots of people." That tongue. The woman could use that for better use. "What was your name again?"
"Uh." Crap. Luckily Coop saved her.
"Mr and Mrs Danger." He takes his beer and takes a long sip, his eyes never leaving hers.
"Danger huh. I love the names. I'm Cindy. Or are we going by last names."
"Cindy's fine. Makes you seem more, innocent." Phoebe says seductively. She wondered if they needed the potion, the demon was totally in their spell.
"I'm not a virgin. But for tonight I can be." She had thousands of lovers, but none held a candle to the couple sitting with her.
"But first, info." Phoebe already had her vanquishing potion, shame, she and Coop liked her charms. But this creature was a killer.
"What do you want to know?"
"I heard of a school. A special school. For demons." Phoebe held her breath, the demon looked taken aback.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Coop gave a demon a seductive smile.
"My uncle was the late Ronald Kellman." Phoebe and Coop never met him but heard stories. "He skipped the Pit and became a full-fledged demon while he was still alive. We want to enroll."
Phoebe held her breath at the silent demon who was deep in thought. She had her potion and spell in her clutch, hopefully, the demon didn't notice.
"I don't know. You're pretty old. Plus we never heard of you."
This succubus was a recruiter? Makes sense she was patrolling the club. The men she was with were either rich and powerful or strong and healthy.
The succubus looked closely at them.
"You seem familiar."
"Look at the time. Honey, it's time to go." Damn. They were so close. Plan B then. Once Coop helped Phoebe up, they wave goodbye to the demon. "Perhaps we'll meet again."
"Maybe." That spell she was under was now wearing off. She dismissively waves them away. "Another time." The demon saw her prey, a well-known Hollywood actor was walking in with his entourage.
"Enjoy your night." Coop was disappointed, none of his arrows worked.
Once they were out of earshot, Phoebe sighs.
"Damn."
"Evil cannot love."
"Unless you're a siren or succubus." Phoebe needed to kill the demon before it left with the innocent. "Any ideas?"
"We wait." If she was a recruiter, that meant she was scouting. Coop had his ring, he can follow the demon anywhere it went. "Hate and love are the same coin, but indifference is a powerful tool. We could hide till the demon leads us to the school."
"Good idea." Her heels were killing her. "Let's have a drink." Luckily she and Coop were given a private booth.
Paige was trying to sleep, but the Call of the Innocents was too strong.
"I saved the innocents, what do you want? Argh!" Her head was pounding from the noise. "Fine." Guess she was heading to Magic School. Paige throws the blankets off her and gets dressed. She sent Phoebe a message letting her know where she was heading. "I hope it's nothing."
Phoebe saw her phone flash at the club.
"Magic School?" She tapped Coop's arm seeing the succubus leading her prey away. "She's on the move." Luckily she had her spell and potion. Paige was safe for now. Magic School was secure against all evil.
Paige was walking down the silent hallways, she was wondering where her charge was. Since the school was magical in nature, he could be anywhere.
'Abe, where are you?' Why would she be called here? Magic School was the safest place for witches.
Ring!
"Argh!" She immediately slaps her mouth, luckily no one came to scold her. "Dammit." She whispered. Forcing herself to ignore the noise, she walks towards the hum.
"What the." A demon? Here? "Hey!" Luckily they were in a classroom. The demon was covered in white smoke and light, taking in the emotions of the students of the school.
The demon looked startled to see Paige.
"A Charmed One. Where's your sisters?"
"On their way here." Paige bluffed. God she hoped Phoebe brought Piper, this demon seemed way too strong. "What are you doing here? And how did you get in?"
"You ever heard of a back door? It was easy to slip in thanks to the emotions of everyone here."
"A succubus."
"Close. A step above. The Academy brought me a new student, a former witch. I'll let you go, and maybe I can squeeze you in for next semester." Abe Miller was a perfect recruit.
"Fat chance." Paige orbs away. No way can she take her on herself.
"A demon here?" Piper was running with Phoebe and Coop at Magic School. "How?"
"The one at the club was eager to talk, especially after Coop and I trapped her." Luckily her prey was under a spell and wouldn't remember a thing. Coop took him back to his hotel room once Phoebe vanquished her. "Remember the Demon Academy? It was under our noses the whole time."
"What? Magic School?" Piper was wearing whatever she could find on the floor when Coop picked her up, she was wearing Sam's flannel shirt which reached her knees.
"No. It's everywhere." Where was Paige? Phoebe couldn't sense her due to all the magic surrounding this place.
"Wonderful." Guess nowhere was safe. "Where's Paige."
"I'll find her." Coop disappears in a pink light.
"After. I sense evil." Like whitelighters, an empath could sense another empath. "There! The east wing." They run towards the area.
Paige was hiding behind a desk, the succubus was laughing at her fear.
"I trapped you inside. Now no one can save you. That's it. Feed me your emotions."
"Blank out your mind Paige." She swallowed her fear.
"Trying to blank out your mind? Go ahead. But I'll show you your future instead." She laughs as Paige screams.
"Phoebe!" Magic School's alarms were going off, Coop told the Headmaster about the demonic mole. "Paige won't last long in there." The door was shut with evil magic.
"I'm trying!" They declined help from the faculty and students, they couldn't chance the succubus using everyone's emotions against them. Coop couldn't get in the classroom, not even the angel in charge could fly in.
"Paige! Hang on!" Piper had her magic, but couldn't blow open the door. "Stupid magic. C'mon!" Piper's magic harmlessly bounced off.
"Um, maybe we can help." Phoebe, Piper, and Coop saw Abe and Damon standing behind them. Both boys were wearing pajamas.
"It's dangerous to be here, go back to your dorms." Piper scolded.
"Piper wait." Both Phoebe and Coop saw Abe's magic firsthand. "Can you make a doorway?"
"Not without a potion." Damon was glad he aced his pop quiz. "May I?" He took out his bottle from his pocket.
"Abe, remember your assignment about parallel openings?"
Abe shyly shakes his head.
"Just concentrate on the spell, nothing else."
"I'll try." Abe closed his eyes.
"In This Place
In This Hour
I call Upon the Ancient Power
Open The Door
That Won't Open
So The Spell Could Be Broken."
"That's great. But we need more power." Phoebe takes Abe's hand, with Coop and Piper joining hers and Abe's. "Throw your potion. Now!" Once Damon threw it against the frozen door, all four chant the spell.
Paige jumped hearing the door shatter.
"Paige!" Piper calls out.
"Over here!"
The demon laughs seeing the sisters.
"Three Charmed Ones? Must be my lucky day. Luckily class is in session." She punches Phoebe in the face.
Piper tried using her powers against the demon, unfortunately, she was immune.
"Nice try! I wasn't chosen to be an instructor for nothing!" She kicks Piper in the stomach, sending her flying against a table, breaking it.
"Chair!" Paige orbs a chair against the demon. Luckily the demon wasn't immune to physical objects.
"You little witch!" She growled. She leaps across the room and throws herself on top of Paige, tackling her.
"Don't. They got this." Coop was worried about the fight, but knew Phoebe and her sisters well. There was a large crowd watching the fight.
"This is my fault." Ms C was Abe's teacher back in his old school.
"Don't blame yourself. Demons are very sneaky. She must have followed you here." The succubus must have read his mind and snuck in a few days ago. He flinched when he saw Piper throwing her body against the evil teacher.
"Go Ms Halliwell!" A student called out.
"Mrs Winchester you mean." The Charmed Ones were very famous in the Wiccan scene. Her husband and his brother were talked about a lot as well.
Coop knew they'll win, but gave a prayer anyways.
"I don't have time for this!" Mel and Sam were most likely worried about her. She chanted a spell she made up on the spot, but not before yelling at Paige to throw her potion.
"Gods and Powers and Spirits That Be
I Call To Thee
To Hear Me Vanquish This Fake Employee
And Let This School Be Free."
"That's your spell?" No wonder Phoebe was the writer.
"I had to think on the spot!" Dammit! The demon was getting up.
"Piper!" Phoebe saw the demon holding up a dagger. She saw a huge crowd watching. "Hey! Repeat after us! Piper! Say that spell again!"
Abe, Damon, and Coop plus the school join in the chanting.
"Gods and Powers and Spirits That Be
We Call to Thee
To Hear Me Vanquish This Fake Employee
And Let This School Be Free."
The demon screams as she gets blown up, her last word screaming No!
The sisters blush at the loud applause.
"Thanks." Paige was humbled. She almost missed being Head Mistress, but teaching wasn't for her.
Tweet!
The sisters flinch at the loud whistle.
"Get back to your rooms! It's after curfew!" Jophiel calls out. The students groan as they shuffle back to their dorms.
"Speaking of curfew. Coop, mind giving me a lift?" Piper forgot her phone, Sam was most likely worried.
"Sure."
"I'll catch a ride with Paige." Phoebe wanted nothing more than a long relaxing bath. She hoped Coop joined her.
The next day Paige was watching a movie with Mason, both were sharing a bowl of buttered popcorn.
"You sure you don't want to go out? It's an exciting world out there."
"I had too much excitement for one day." She snuggled closer in Mason's arms.
"Same here." Most people would've been happy to get a promotion, but Mason wasn't too pleased. Social work was a very hard career. "What do you want to watch next?"
"Nothing with horror. Or cop shows." Paige had enough of both.
"Jackass 10?" Those actors were old but still made funny comedies.
"Sure." Paige pushed the thought away of telling Mason the truth about her 'day' job, but not now. Once the movie started, she and Mason laugh at the movie.
"Paige! You home?"
"Whoa. Where did you come from?" Mason swore the doors were locked. Paige's sister and boyfriend were standing behind them.
"Uh." Luckily Phoebe knew what to say. "This is a family home. Sorry."
"Phoebe was known to sneak out when she was a kid." Paige heard so many stories. Luckily Mason bought it.
"Cool."
"What is it Phoebe?" Her eyes went to the wedding planner in her arms.
"I need help."
"Sure. Raincheck?'' She smiled apologetically at Mason.
"Sure."
Coop flinched at the arrow falling out of Mason's back. Oh oh.
"Maybe we could do this another time." The one day Coop forgets his bow.
"That's okay. I'll see you later Paige."
"Sure honey." Paige and Phoebe look at the various dresses and colour schemes. "That's cute."
"You think? What about this one."
"Ooo." Paige didn't look up as the front door shut.
"I'll be back." Coop had to put the arrow back, otherwise, he'll get blamed if Mason and Paige broke up.
"A private detective? You sure?" Diana knew that Henry was bored. But this? "You know it's not the same as being a cop."
"I know. But ever since that gas station girl was found dead, what else is out there? Murders aren't the only crimes out there. There's also cheating spouses, as well as the unknown." Even though Henry was in a chair, his mind still worked. Luckily he had enough to live as his own boss.
"Okay." Diana was after this case, this woman was a wanted serial killer. Her autopsy revealed she died of massive internal hemorrhaging. Guess karma was real after all. "Don't take on too much at once."
"I promise." Henry wondered about that Matthews woman. She said she was seeing someone, but Henry wondered who. He shook his head, he wasn't a stalker. "So that gas station, was she a gold digger of some kind?"
"More like a succubus." She saw the supernatural firsthand and wondered if Sam and Dean took care of things. "I gotta get back to work, being a lieutenant isn't easy."
"Take care." What should Henry call his new business?
"Is the factory almost complete?"
"Yes sir. Soon the results of our research will be on your desk."
"Good. You know we're on a deadline." The CEO hangs up the phone. He smiles at the gruff middle-aged man. "Bobby Singer, it's an honor to meet you."
"Go to hell." Bobby was kicking himself for being stupid. He and Rufus walked right into a trap.
"Charming. Hungry? Have a sandwich." He hands a bag over to Bobby, the word 'Biggerson's' emblazoned on the side. When Bobby ignored it, the CEO laughs. "I like you." He pushes the button on his desk. "Wanda, cancel my meetings. My client and I have a lot to talk about."
"Yes sir."
Bobby prayed hard his boys stayed away. He was old and wasn't afraid to die. He hoped Rufus was okay, he was taken away the same time Bobby was.
"Now. Where were we."
Bobby forced himself to look ahead, wouldn't be the first time he was tortured.