San Francisco 1883
"You can't take my son!"
"Daddy!"
Benjamin Turner tries unsuccessfully to rip his toddler son out of his mother's arms. Poor Cole was crying his eyes out, he was terrified.
Elizabeth stares coldly into her husband's eyes.
"He belongs with us."
The last thing Benjamin saw was Cole reaching for his father, tears streaming down his face.
Cole woke up with a start.
"Not again." He hadn't had that nightmare for decades. He got up to make a pot of coffee, he had to work.
"Here are your reports sir."
"Thank you Sara." Bored, he shuffles through his files, he had a lot of case files to go through.
"You need me for anything else?"
"Not at the moment. Thank you." Once his assistant left, he sighs and closes his screen. "One hundred years, and this is the best I can do." He had his own office, was a partner in a major firm, and was highly respected among his peers. But as far as Cole knew, he could have working at Legal Aid, it wouldn't have made a difference, he hated his job. "Is this the best I can do?" He got up to look out the window, the city skyline was sitting below him.
"You know most people would be jealous."
"Easy for you to say, you have something." Cole didn't turn around. "I thought you were in Chicago, working with the Djinns." Cole thought he heard it all, till he discovered there were monster mafias running the place.
"I needed a break, the wolves are causing trouble, didn't want to be caught in the crossfire." Patience walked over to stand beside Cole. "All those people, they are like ants, easy to step on."
"True." Cole's job as a lawyer did a lot of stepping on, especially for the little guys. "So how's things."
"Meh, can't complain." They stand in silence looking over the city. "I didn't have any luck finding Elizabeth." Cole's demonic birth mother, Cole and her went their separate ways years ago when she dropped him off at the Brotherhood of the Thorn on his sixteenth birthday.
"Doesn't matter, she's just a saleswoman." A Crossroad Demon only had one job. Cole sighs. "Today is his birthday." Benjamin Turner, Cole remembered him reading bedtime stories to him every night. "It's been over a century, you think he thinks about me?"
"Probably. A father never forgets about his son." Patience disappears when the door behind them opened.
"Mr Turner, your ten o'clock is here."
"Send him in." Cole sits down on his chair. "Maybe someday." Heaven, Cole wondered if he'd be allowed in. He looks up to meet his latest client. "Mr Pirelli, please come in."
Phoebe models her wedding gown.
"Well? Whatta you think." It wasn't her first choice, but when the saleswoman insisted she try it on, Phoebe immediately fell in love.
"You remind me of a goddess." Phoebe's gown looked similar to the Greek styles of the gods. "It suits you perfectly."
"It does." Piper thought it was very flattering on her. "Shouldn't you be on patrol?" Paige was wearing her cadet uniform.
"As far as anyone knows, I'm on my coffee break." Thankfully she was driving her patrol car today. "I did promise not to miss this."
"Jen?"
"Perfection." Jenna takes a picture. "Huh. You just got hearted." A heart notification came on her phone.
"Probably Coop. Although he swore not to check any socials till after the wedding." Phoebe checked the price. "Yee." The tag was much more expensive than she thought.
"Don't worry about it. Sam and I got this." Piper wanted to give her something new. "Price is no object." She and Sam agreed not to use Sam's inheritance unless it was necessary, Samuel was someone that couldn't be trusted. But this was a special occasion. "This is your wedding."
"My second. Wait third." She remembered when her and Cole were possessed by the ghosts of two outlaws. She didn't get married then, although her and Cole would have been legally married in the name of Good. "Lulu had good taste." Phoebe twirls in her gown.
"Did you get your marriage license yet?" Piper wanted to make sure her wedding to Coop went without a hitch.
"We'll have to drive to Los Angeles to get it." The internet was faster, but Coop insisted they drive down to LA. She sighed.
"What's wrong?"
"This will work, right?" Phoebe's marriage to Cole was a disaster. "I just can't take another failed marriage."
"Oh Pheebs." Piper got up and squeezed her hand. "Coop isn't a demon."
"You married a demon?" Jenna heard of Cole but didn't know much about him. She racked her brain if she met him.
"Long story." Phoebe forgave Cole, but whatever they had was long over. "All in the past." Phoebe thinking of Coop, smiles. "Marrying a cupid, who would've thought." She gave love advice, while Coop created love. "Here comes the bride." She hums. Phoebe was still deciding on where to get married. She wanted to marry with her family present, but couldn't decide where.
"Where to Phoebe?" Jenna asked. "If you can't decide, Vegas can take care of everything." She rubbed her belly, she was glad her morning sickness was subsiding.
"True. But what about the Manor? That way you can be close to home." Piper added. "I promise no motorcycles will crash it." Piper's wedding was bittersweet, she still couldn't forget the image of Prue crashing through the doors.
"Hawaii is more romantic. You can kill two stones at once. A beach wedding with a tropical honeymoon in a resort." Paige always fantasized about marrying on a sunny beach. "Maybe we could have one last hurrah before you walk down that aisle."
"A bachelorette party? I'm in." Jenna hoped she wasn't sick on the plane. "We missed ours last time." Piper and Jenna's joint bachelorette party a few years ago was canceled because of unfortunate circumstances. "I can ask my parents to watch Laura."
"Sounds fun, however, I can't. Sam has to work a few tutoring jobs before school starts." Piper wanted Mel to be with her parents as much as possible. "Besides I want to put Mel's name down for next year's nursery school." That particular school was highly competitive to get into, Piper was determined to give her daughter a head start. "You should decide soon before your residency starts."
"She's right." Phoebe says jumping off the platform, being careful not to rip up the dress. "I was thinking of Magic School."
"Magic School?" Piper looked surprised.
"I don't see why not. It's a good location. It's historic, clean, plus a neutral location. We can invite almost everyone, no plane tickets or hotel rooms needed." Phoebe thanked 'Charmed' for the idea. "Plus, we can have the reception here." The Manor was big enough for a small party.
"Sounds good to me. I can cater." Piper offered.
"Nope. You're my Matron of Honor. I'll hire someone." Phoebe waved the saleswoman down. "I'll take the dress."
"Then we'll party down." Jenna yawns. "Phew. Sorry. Mind if I take off, it's time for Laura's nap." Laura wasn't there, she was at home being watched over at the Manor by her nanny. "Besides I'm sure Dean and Sam will be back soon." She gave Bobby her best wishes.
"I'll drive you. My route is on the way home. You guys want a ride?" Paige was on patrol today.
"I'll walk. I promised Dad to bring home his dry cleaning, plus I need to pick up training pants for Mel."
"I'll come with." Phoebe goes to change. "I want to talk wedding details, plus ask for advice."
"Sure." Once they were out of the shop, Piper asked what was on her mind. "So, how's things?" Piper looks briefly at a pair of shoes in a window. "Wonder if they have my size?" They were practical but stylish, perfect for Mel's possible interview at the nursery school.
"Well, you and Sam. I know you guys went through a lot, but you wonder what would be like if Leo was still around?" Phoebe saw Piper's expression change from the corner of her eye.
"Leo?" Piper stopped dead in her tracks. "Why are you asking me that?"
Phoebe looked down.
"Well, I was thinking about Cole." She didn't love him, but a part of her still thought about him from time to time.
"Why?" Cole and her were long over. "I thought you were over him."
"I am!" She insisted. "I'm marrying Coop, no matter what. It's just that, I feel like I owe him." Phoebe didn't know why.
"You owe him? He tried to kill us! Several times! Plus he hurt you deeply!" Piper never forgot how he broke her sister's heart. "Why are you feeling like this?"
"I don't know." Phoebe had no idea. "My relationship with Cole is over. Way over. It's just that." She sighed. "I feel like he is missing something. And I don't know what." She let out a small chuckle. "I'm a doctor, almost, and I don't know what to do. You think Cole will sit on a session?" Phoebe would have chuckled at the thought of having Cole as her patient but wasn't in the mood.
"Oh Pheebs." Piper wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "Cole is a grown man. Whatever he is looking for, he can handle it."
"Maybe you're right." She sighed. She stared absently ahead. "The past is in the past." Cole, Phoebe hoped he was okay.
Down in an alley, a man was running for his life.
"You can run, but can't hide!" His tormentor taunts.
"You can't stop the evil! The Brotherhood! They want to control all!" The man calls out just when he runs out of the alley.
Cole was absently working in his office when he heard something. Cole stops typing his report. The Call. He hears it loud and clear in his head.
"Brother." He shimmers away.
"The Thorn! You must stop them!" The Prophet yells. "Ack!" He feels the hand yanking him back into the alley. His disappearance wasn't not noticed, the sisters saw everything.
"You see him?" The thoughts of Cole forgotten, seeing an innocent in danger catches Phoebe's eye.
"Yep." Both sisters go running.
The sisters ran in just to see the demon create a fireball to throw at his victim.
"Hey!" Piper warns. She didn't flinch when the demon threw the fireball in their direction.
"Watch out!" Phoebe dives out of the way before the fireball hits her. "Demon!" She points her finger.
"I got it." Piper blows the demon across the alley. "Grab the innocent!" She was willing to blow him straight back to hell, but she couldn't use her magic in front of mortals.
"On it." Before Phoebe could take the innocent away, a large fireball struck the man, killing him instantly. "NO!" Their innocent was fried to a crisp. Seeing the demon getting up, she grabs her athame and stabs the demon in the stomach before he can attack again.
"Argh!" As he flashes from within, his body falling to the ground.
When Phoebe saw someone walking towards the alley, she screamed for help.
"Call 911!" She yells to the passing pedestrian.
Cole watches from the shadows as the sisters check the victim's body. He looks at his bare hand that was still smoking.
"You shouldn't have killed my brother." Now Phoebe had a target on her back. He shimmers away.
Phoebe shakes her head at the officer's questions.
"It happened so fast. My sister and I heard shouts, next thing we knew, we saw two dead bodies." She and Piper already hid the athame. "I didn't see anything. Except the guy shouting about a brotherhood." A prophet? He wouldn't be the first one.
"Can you elaborate?" The cop asks.
Phoebe shrugs.
"I assume he was one of those religious nut jobs. They're everywhere in San Francisco." There were so many like that guy, but this one was clearly targeted.
Piper was talking quietly to Paige who was helping with the investigation.
"Magical attack? Did you see who?" Paige whispered. She knew she was breaking procedure by talking to her sisters about a crime scene, but this was magical in nature.
Piper shook her head.
"Just the demon. But I don't think he was working alone." She's been around magic long enough to see different amounts of power. "That fireball. No lower power demon could create that." It was too big to be a normal fireball.
"Did you see who?"
"He was invisible. Whoever he is, is someone we shouldn't underestimate." Great. So much for a peaceful afternoon. "I gotta take the girls to Magic School." If this demon knew who they were, they'd be coming after them next. "I'm calling Sam. Jenna and Ryan could watch over everyone." She wasn't worried about Nina, her memories can be easily erased.
"Okay. But hopefully, I'm not involved." She nodded in the direction of her boss, Inspector Davidson who just pulled in. "I don't want a Sheridan Part II." As far as she knew, Davidson was just an ordinary cop. "Gotta go." Paige tried to look busy by shooing away any reporters that showed up.
Piper waited till Phoebe walked over.
"Well?" She watches grimly as their innocent get zipped up in a body bag.
"Book of Shadows." A prophet was assassinated, but why? "There may be more prophets that need saving."
"Sounds good to me." The last Prophet they knew, Kevin Tran was killed in an earthquake. They quickly leave the alley.
"A demon attack? Oh god." Jenna was horrified. "Was anyone killed?" She was glad Laura was upstairs with Mel and Riot.
"Yeah. That means you need to take the kids to Magic School." Piper says grimly.
"Where's Sam and Dean?"
"Still on the road. Apparently, they ran into a case." Piper called her friend Ian at the police station. "There were five other murders, all assassinated the same way." How could they miss this? "I can't chance on you, Mel, and Laura getting hurt."
"I understand." Demons are something Jenna wanted to fight, but not when she was pregnant. "Ryan!"
Once Jenna was gone with the others, Piper and Phoebe were looking through the Book.
"I don't see anything about this secret club. You?" She wished she paid attention on what that guy was yelling about.
"Just a section on Prophets."
'A Prophet is a scholar of rare seers. Usually considered crazy by the average man, a prophet who woke up too soon sprouted what was considered nonsense by the average person. What they saw was unknown, the ones that are "activated" shout out loud about their visions, forgetting to take care of themselves. However, if a Prophet wakes up at the right time, he becomes a mouthpiece of Good, quietly writing rare texts about the future. But as only one is allowed to awaken at a time, most live ordinary lives without knowing anything about their destiny.'
"Kevin was the first we know of. The others, this 'Brotherhood' must have slaughtered them all." Piper skims the text again. "Remember how you asked me about Leo? I could really use his advice." She sighed.
"We don't have Leo, but we have the next best thing." Phoebe closes the Book.
"Where are you going?"
"The graveyard. I know of only one person that could help."
"What makes you think Cole would help? Besides for all we know, he could be the leader of this brotherhood. Whatever it is."
"I'll be back before you know it." Before Phoebe left, she begged Piper to keep this meeting a secret.
"Coop will get worried. Besides how would you explain this to him? Honey, I'm meeting with my ex. I'll be back."
"Keeping secrets never works, you know that from experience." Piper remembered how secretive Phoebe was about Cole, and how disastrous things got.
"This is business. If he asks, I'm on witch duty." She and Coop agreed to keep their professional magical lives separate from their personal lives. Tell Paige to be on standby." She goes downstairs.
Cole was sitting in a mausoleum staring at two rats running by.
"Brother, it's been a long time."
"Sure has." Cole replied. He didn't look up.
"After all this time I thought you abandoned us. We mourned your death." The Underworld went into chaos when Cole supposedly 'died.'
"You weren't wrong. I was dead." Cole still didn't get up.
"Hmph. Why now. Why after all these years are you resurfacing." The demon says in a cold tone.
"I'm not at liberty to say, brother." Cole gets up and dusts himself off. "The Brotherhood, how is it."
"Fine. Just fine. Even after your death, we kept going. The Brotherhood of the Thorn is eternal; unlike you."
Cole gives the demon a sardonic smile.
"For now." Cole wasn't dumb, he kept tabs for years. "I heard differently. That your numbers are dwindling." Demons were getting killed left and right these last few months.
"Yet you heard the Call." The Brotherhood needed new members and sent out invites.
"I did." Cole had the option to silence it but didn't.
The two demons stand still staring at one another.
"Raynor won't take you back, he kills traitors." Leaving the Brotherhood was the ultimate sin, those who voluntarily left were executed, the leaders needed to keep their secrets.
"Then I'll prove my loyalty."
"Then I hope to see you soon, brother." The demon shivers away.
Cole hearing familiar footsteps turns around.
"If you wanted to have coffee, you could have made an appointment with my secretary." Cole rubs his hands over the cold marble.
"This is business." Phoebe cautiously walks towards him. "A man died today."
"My condolences. You want me to send flowers?" He still didn't turn around.
"Brotherhood of the Thorn." She stared at Cole's back. "They killed an innocent."
"Okay."
"Okay? Okay?! Cole! A man is dead!" Phoebe should have known Cole would be so indifferent.
"Well, people die. How is that my problem." He turns around. He saw her small ring but didn't say anything.
"There were four others. All dead. I figure you know something."
"Can you ask your whitelighter?" He had to keep his expression stony when she stamped her foot.
"You're unbelievable. Fine. We'll figure this out ourselves." She storms out.
"I'm sorry Phoebe." She had to stay away for her own safety. He debated on going back to work or following through on what he started. He took out his cell and called a cab.
In a luxurious boardroom somewhere, men and women were conversing over their latest plans.
"This merger, won't be easy to obtain. Richard Roman Enterprises are very interested in this." A businessman wearing black says sipping his cup of baby blood.
"That's just a rumor. They're too busy with their SucroCorp company, especially with Mr Roman planning on running for Office." Another says, using her phone to watch a livestream of a man getting boiled alive. "We are almost there."
"Soon we'll have full control." The Second in Command couldn't wait. "Our numbers will swell again." He looked up when the doors opened. "Belthazor." He nodded to the other demons to capture him. "You know we kill traitors."
Cole knew he could kill everyone with just a touch, he saw the fear in the other demons eyes. Luckily he was in a good mood.
"This is just business." He tensed his arms, making the other demons let go. "Is Raynor here." Naming his old mentor.
"Leave us." An older middle-aged man appears in front of Cole.
"But sir." His second in command protested.
"Now. I won't ask again." The demons reluctantly leave. Once they were gone, he looked deeply into Cole's eyes. "I know I cannot kill you, but it doesn't mean I won't kill others." He knew Cole's weakness better than anyone.
"I know." He hands Raynor a box. "I would have brought you a Rolex, but this is more personal." Inside was the head of a prophet. "Will this do?" It was the head of the man killed that afternoon.
"Hmm. Not bad." Those pesky prophets tended to run their mouth. "But you're still a traitor."
"If I was still a demon." Cole knew the rules better than anyone. "But the blood still runs in me." Every member took a blood oath.
"Fair enough." Raynor takes the box and dumps the head on the table. "You know I'll take you back in an instant. But the others won't approve." Even as the head of the brotherhood, his hands were tied.
"What do you need me to do."
Raynor shows Cole his whiteboard. Numbers and names were written on it.
"You ever read the stock market? There are rumors that an up-and-coming company is trying to buy Lockserom."
"The internet provider? I thought they went private?" Cole's law firm worked with that company for years.
"So they say. In reality, they are trying to sell."
"Meta Satellite." Cole didn't follow the stock market much, however, he had a large stake in the company. "You want to merge. I'm impressed." The Brotherhood went a long way from bank robberies and mafia assassinations. "So what's the problem." Cole went to pour a cup of black coffee.
"Humans are more resilient than we thought."
"Can't you do your usual thing and kill him?" Cole takes out his cell to see how his stock is doing.
"If it was that easy would we be arguing here?!" Raynor throws a newspaper in front of Cole. "One of the CEOs is getting cold feet! Without his vote, this merger is canceled!"
"So send in a clone. Any seer can read his mind. You can have one of your demons possess him, or use a glamouring spell." Cole's stomach growled. "You have something to eat, I'm starving." He smelled the baby's blood but wasn't interested.
"That's not the point!" Raynor knew Trigg was dead. "Witches talk. We already lost one of our own."
"Plus many others." Cole heard the stories himself.
"I know." The Brotherhood was one of the most powerful demonic hierarchies in the world. It became what it was by keeping itself hidden from the surface world. "We know a witch killed one, but the others, we have no idea what happened to them." Killing a brother wasn't easy, the members were screened and selected carefully.
"That's why you insisted on meeting me alone." Cole was invisible to all demons, he was considered a legend on how he stayed alive.
"We needed your human side."
"I kinda figured." Cole and Belthazor were one, but he knew how to suppress it. "So you want me to do what."
Raynor hands Cole a list.
"One man isn't enough. Even if we get Frank Pirelli to sign, there are others that could be in our way."
"A witch? A shopkeeper and my landlady? I could see why you want the witches dead, but the one I pay rent to is merely a mortal. Hardly worth the kill." Cole knew of demonic sacrifices, but they had to be very picky about the candidates.
"I know. But if you do this, I will vote that you are reinstated immediately." Although it was a death sentence to quit, getting thrown out was another story. The demons that were expelled were sent to the Wastelands of Hell instead.
"Very well. Who are the witches."
"Phoebe calm down." Piper was sick of watching her pacing back and forth.
"He brushed me off. Like nothing!" Phoebe was furious. "All I asked was information. He pretty much laughed me out of there." She clenched her fists.
"Sounds like he moved on." Piper saw her annoyed look.
"And whose side are you on?" All that time they were together, it was like it didn't matter. Phoebe couldn't help but feel slighted.
"Never mind about Cole. We have to figure out why prophets are getting killed." Piper had the Book of Shadows downstairs, she figured she'd find something.
"You're right." Phoebe pushed the memories of Cole away. "So we know Prophets are mouthpieces of God, so to speak." Kevin, that prophet from another world. "Why are they shouting about the Brotherhood? Kevin never mentioned them once."
"Maybe because they woke up too early." Most prophets followed a path. "When Kevin died, a prophet awoke."
"Then why didn't we hear of it?" Phoebe would have put him under a protection spell.
"Because prophets are not like witches. Seers and psychics live their own lives, a prophet is the same way."
"Then why are there so many killings?" Phoebe asked Paige to take a look.
"Wish I knew." Piper asked their friend Ian, all he said most were suicides or accidents. When the door opened, both sisters greeted Paige.
"Hey. I looked into those killings. None were suspicious." Paige handed them a folder. "Plus I got a call from the coroner's office. Our last prophet, his head was missing." Paige was on her way to the coroner's to check out the body when she got that APB.
"His head?" Piper was getting a headache. "Not suspicious at all."
"Pass me the Book."
"I'll make coffee." Paige wasn't on duty tomorrow, but it didn't mean she had a day off. "Guess we are postponing the wedding?"
"Hell no." Demons weren't ruining hers this time around. "Call Sam, let him know what's up. I'll call Coop, ask him if he can look in the Whitelighters Temple." The Elders were gone, but it didn't mean they didn't leave their stuff behind. "If Coop finds something, he'll let me know." She figured she'd omit her meeting with Cole.
"Sounds good to me." Piper picks up the phone. "Sam? We have a case. Yeah. Mel's fine, everyone is at Magic School. Ryan is there, he won't leave Laura or Jen's side."
Phoebe looked at her small ring. It was tiny, but she knew it was all that Coop could afford.
'I love you Coop.' Once this was over, she was getting married. No matter what.
Cole was looking at the dead body of his landlady.
"Her neck was ripped right out." The demon laughs. "I never expected that."
"Hmph." Cole was glad he didn't get his suit dirty. "You know this will make me look suspicious." He rented, not owned his apartment. "Every cop in town will be after me."
"All the reason you can do your next assignments." Vornac knew why this woman was targeted. "The witches, they have something."
"The magical amulets?" Cole heard of them, they were used exclusively to protect good witches. "They are worthless against evil."
"It's not the amulets that we're after, it's to see how powerful you are." Those amulets protected the wearer against all evil.
"Fine. But I work alone." Cole never trusted Vornac.
"Have fun." The demon shimmers away.
Cole looks at the dead woman.
"I'm so sorry." She screamed, luckily Cole prevented Vornac not to kill the witness who heard her screams. He goes out his front door, knowing fully well he left his fingerprints behind.
"Phoebe, you need to get some sleep." Piper woke up to get some water, till she saw a light coming from Phoebe's old room. "We looked through the whole Book, we have no idea who the next prophet is."
"I know." Phoebe yawned. "They were killed for a reason, and once I find out why, we can strategize."
"We will. Now get some sleep." Piper needed to see Mel, she missed her daughter.
"Night."
"I'm truly pathetic." Phoebe didn't know why she was driving to Cole's apartment. "He'll laugh me out of his building." Phoebe was sitting in traffic. "Coop, forgive me." Phoebe swore to tell Coop the truth once this was over. "What the..." There were police cars everywhere. Seeing Paige talking to another cop, she pulls into a parking spot across the street and waves to her.
"I don't believe it. Why would he kill his landlady? It doesn't make any sense." Paige didn't care about Cole, but this was too sloppy, even for him. "Excuse me." She saw Phoebe waving and crosses the street. "A woman's dead. She was found in Cole's apartment." She tells her once they were out of earshot.
"That doesn't sound like Cole at all." Phoebe knew Cole better than anyone. "He wouldn't draw attention to himself like this."
"Unless someone is using this as a distraction." Paige saw the body herself. She knew she wasn't allowed to work in homicide, but when she heard where the body was found she drove over, pretending she was on patrol. "Neck was ripped right out."
"Vampire?" Vampires weren't exactly clean.
"Maybe. But why would they feed in Cole's apartment? Cole hated vampires." The Underworld considered them pests.
"I don't know." First a prophet, now a landlady? "Was she a prophet?"
Paige shrugged.
"I couldn't tell one from another." A witch or whitelighter was easy to spot. "I gotta get back, I don't want to get in trouble."
"I'll return to the Manor, maybe I can scry." For what? "Have a good shift."
Once Phoebe was home she took out her crystal and map. She had no idea what to look for, but she had no other choice.
"Okay Cole. What is going on with you?" It seemed too obvious Cole was either getting set up, or he was trying to distract everyone from something else. She couldn't track a demon, but she could track an innocent. "Once I figure it out, I can move on with my life." She could let Cole go once and for all.
Cole was holding the amulet, the body of Lezza Moonchild dead on the floor.
"I didn't think you could do it." Raynor was impressed. "Here I thought you went soft."
"It won't be easy killing the next witch." Janna London was even more powerful. "I know these women mean nothing to you."
"You'll see." Find the next witch. You have twenty-four hours."
Cole shimmered away.
"What a mess." Raynor was tempted to burn her body to ashes, but he needed the Charmed Ones to discover her body.
"I hope we're not too late." It took Phoebe hours to find her next innocent.
"Same here. Jenna's getting restless, she wants to go home. Same with me." Piper came here for her sister, not to fight evil. "But why would Cole kill a witch?" They were driving towards Moonchild's, the New Age store where Lezza worked.
"Maybe she knows something. Witches are sometimes guardians." It was rare, but some witches were chosen for specific roles. "There!" She used the internet to look up the address, it was a new age shop. "Hope she's okay." Once they park, they check the door. "It's locked."
"Hope it's not alarmed." Piper uses her powers to open the door. Once the door slammed open, they run in. "Dammit!" Piper goes to check her pulse. "She's gone." Unlike the last two bodies, she had no visible injuries.
"Why was she targeted?" Good witches weren't popular with the Underworld, like hunters, witches fought evil. She looks through her pockets, hoping she had ID. Finding none, she looks at the store's receipts. "Lezza Moonchild. Name ring a bell?"
"Nope." Piper called 911. "She was targeted, there has to be a reason." She wished Leo was around. "Call Coop, I may have to head to the Whitelighter Temple myself." It was forbidden for anyone to be in there, but Piper didn't care anymore. "Phoebe..."
"I know." If Cole was back on the dark side, Phoebe had to make a decision. "It would be next to impossible to vanquish him." They lost count of how many times he 'died.'
"Then we'll seal him away. Create a spell that not even Cole can escape from."
"Sounds good to me." Maybe it was for the best. Whatever was going on with Cole, he needed to be stopped. They leave the store before the cops arrive.
"With all due respect, this merger will make you millions, if not billions of dollars." Cole knew he wouldn't be able to work as a lawyer anymore, he was on the most wanted list for murder. But he needed Pirelli out of the way.
"I understand, but..." Cole had to swallow his frustration. "It's not just the money, there's a lot at stake." Everyone was pushing Pirelli to sign, it was the deal of a lifetime. But something about it seemed off. "Let me see that contract."
Cole silently handed him the contract. Cole helped with the negotiations, it was pretty standard. Both sides were willing to sign, it would make every stakeholder incredibly wealthy. But Cole didn't blame him for hesitating. If Pirelli signs, he and every one of the CEOs will lose power. If both companies merge, the Brotherhood of the Thorn would take over. Cole had no idea what they were planning to do, but he suspected it had to do with brainwashing.
"I need a few more days."
"Don't take too long." Cole knew how impatient his bosses were. Sure enough, Vonrac appeared.
"You are on thin ice brother."
"Uh huh." Vonrac was high up in the Brotherhood but never been able to go above Cole's position. "What's the rush." Cole started to pack up.
"The merger needs to be done, soon." His eyes blackened.
"I'm on top of things. Don't worry about it." Once Cole zipped up his bag, he shimmered away.
"I don't trust him."
"I know." Cole did everything Raynor asked. "He still has to kill the witch. Once she's dead, there's no stopping us." He had to keep an eye on Cole, he had a feeling Cole wasn't as loyal as he claimed to be.
"So what now?" Piper was looking online for any news about Cole. They were waiting for Paige, she was there when the woman was found murdered in Cole's apartment.
"I don't know." The signs were too obvious. "If Cole wanted to kill, why his landlady? Plus a shopkeeper?" It wasn't like Cole to be so sloppy. "As far as the Avatars go they don't like to draw attention to themselves. Something's fishy about this."
"I agree." Piper never cared about Cole, but knew he wouldn't want to cross the sisters. "I feel like someone is trying to distract us away from something bigger."
"I agree. But what?" No way can she talk to Cole, it was way too dangerous. Hearing the door slam, they look up. "Well?"
Paige looked exhausted.
"Sorry I'm late." Since she was first on the scene in Cole's apartment, she had to file a lot of reports. "There's a warrant for Cole's arrest. His fingerprints were all over the apartment."
"That doesn't prove anything. Cole lives there." Piper didn't go to law school but knew it was circumstantial at best.
"I know. But my boss is out for blood. The shop, witnesses say they saw Cole going inside. Alone."
"Yeah. Not suspicious at all." Phoebe said absently. She was looking at her laptop. "You guys ever heard of Meta-Satellite?"
"Sure. Sam and I bought some shares. What?" She saw her sisters looking at her. "Why have all this money and not do anything with it? Why?"
"They are merging with Lockserom."
"The internet company?" They were the largest internet company in the country. "You want to buy some shares? Now is a good time." Piper was pleased. Her and Sam were finally going to have honest funds to enjoy.
"I never told you guys but I've been keeping an eye on Cole." Phoebe saw her sisters giving her curious looks. "He was dead. Or we thought he was. I've been keeping tabs, just in case."
"Well spill." Piper was so glad her sister was smart.
"His death was never reported, or missing. It was believed Cole left the country." Phoebe wasn't surprised, Cole didn't want to draw attention to himself even in death. "Once he came back to life, he started working at a law firm like nothing happened."
"So?" Paige yawned. She was neutral about Cole, she didn't have the history the sisters did.
"Cole, his client is Frank Pirelli; CEO of Lockserom."
"Okay. Is this Frank Pirelli a prophet?" Piper asked.
"I have no idea. But." Phoebe held up her finger. "Coop!" On cue, her fiancè appeared in a pink light over his heart. "Hi sweetie." She kisses him.
"Get a room." Paige yawned.
"I need a favor."
"Is it about my suit? I'm having it tailored." Coop was debating on wearing the traditional cupid robe, it was red. But he knew Phoebe wanted a traditional wedding so he bought a cream-coloured suit instead. However, he was wearing the official flower of love on his lapel, a cupid's dart. Seeing the sisters' faces, he asked what was wrong. "What did I miss?"
Once Phoebe filled him in, including seeing Cole at the mausoleum, including the murders.
"You went to see your ex?" Coop wasn't the jealous type, but he didn't look too happy.
"Paige, let's go to Magic School for a while." Piper knew it was after midnight, but she didn't care. She needed to make sure Mel was okay.
Once they were gone, Phoebe held Coop in her arms. She felt Coop squeezing her closer.
"Sorry I didn't tell you." She hoped Coop forgave her.
"Still. You should have told me." Coop knew Cole's and Phoebe's history, and how tumultuous their relationship was.
"I know." She kisses Coop. "That favor. We need to get into the Whitelighter's Temple."
"That's forbidden. Even for cupids." The cupids were new, they weren't cherubs. "Only the Head Cupid is allowed inside."
"Why would they care? The Elders are gone."
"Not since the breach." The First Witch, she almost ended the world. "It's sealed tight. No one is allowed inside."
"What about Paige? She's part whitelighter."
"No one. Sorry." Coop heard stories about how Paige let the undesirables inside. Since then Michael tightened the rules.
"Damn."
"What do you need from there?" Coop been outside, but never stepped inside its halls.
"I need names." She told him about how prophets were getting murdered.
"I can ask around. Things up there get boring, we are tired of watching reality TV."
"Reality TV? Never mind." She knew the cupid agents were new, she figured they needed to have fun to pass the time. She picked up a pen. "Here. Look up a Frank Pirelli, we think he may be the next target. Plus see if anyone heard of the Brotherhood of the Thorn."
"I'll see what I can do." Before he could disappear, Phoebe gives him a passionate kiss.
"What's the hurry? We have the house to ourselves." They had their own condo, but they never had the manor to themselves before.
"Mmm. Sounds good to me." He takes Phoebe's hand and leads her upstairs.
Cole was looking at the last picture he and Phoebe took before their split. Phoebe was looking up at him lovingly, they were on vacation in Lake Tahoe.
"You complained about the cold, but you spent most of your time skiing." Cole smiled at the memories. If it wasn't the snow, they spent their time in the resort's hot tub. Cole rubbed his finger on her face. He then threw the picture in the fireplace.
"You don't want to keep that?"
"I need to move on. I can't if I live in the past." He watches as the picture burns and melts. He pours a shot of liquor from the mantle. "So, any news?" He knew Michael locked Heaven up, it was next to impossible to get in now. Especially after Cole got rid of most of the Avatars. Only he and a few others were left.
"Yeah. I'm sorry. Benjamin isn't there." Patience had a lot of contacts. She saw Cole's face.
"Then where is he?" No way he was in Hell, he was an innocent man.
"I don't know." Patience saw Cole's furious face. "I'll find him I swear."
"You better." Cole downs his whiskey. "No way I can go back, I'm a wanted man." He didn't care about the police, it was the Charmed Ones that he was worried about. "Leave me."
Patience held his shoulder and squeezed.
Cole sighs. He knew who was his next target, he wondered how he was going to pull this off.
"We have to do this so early?" Phoebe yawned. She was up most of the night with Coop.
"It's eight am. I thought you'd be used to this." Paige was exhausted herself. "You stayed up for exams." She was so glad today was her day off.
"Couldn't you put him in police protection?" Phoebe yawned as she drank her coffee. They were on a stakeout across from Frank Pirelli's building. She and Paige went to the local coffee place as soon as they left the Manor this morning.
"I would need a good reason. Davidson would ask why." Paige was trying to stay on his good side. "Where's Piper?" She didn't stay at Magic School long, she went home as soon as she said goodnight to Mel.
"Probably still at Magic School." Phoebe didn't blame her, Piper was very overprotective of her daughter. "She better get here soon." On cue, Piper appeared in a pink light with Coop. "Finally!" She knew Piper could use her magic, but she knew Piper only used it as necessary. She and Sam wanted Mel to have a normal life as possible.
"Sorry I'm late." Piper hated to leave Mel behind, she was crying when Piper left. "Did Pirelli leave yet?"
"Not yet. How's everyone?" Phoebe loved her nieces so much.
"Jenna and Laura are fine. Both are awed by seeing so much magic at once." Piper wasn't as impressed, seeing magic was as exciting as watching paint dry. "Ryan is overseeing the familiars."
"Sounds fun." Paige swallows the rest of her coffee. "Mind if I sneak away for more?" She could orb and be back in less than five minutes. "I can head to Italy for their organic beans."
"Later. Coop, you ready?" Phoebe knew Paige could easily orb in and grab Pirelli, but if the Brotherhood appeared, they needed the Power of Three.
"Yep." Coop was going to grab Pirelli from the limo and hide him at the Manor. "You need me to dust him with memory dust?" Since magic was used on a mortal, they were going to erase his memories.
"There!" Piper saw a SUV pull out of the garage. "Coop!"
"Got it." Coop orbs away in his pink light.
Cole was standing with the Brotherhood, they were waiting for Pirelli to appear.
"We could have grabbed him from his bed. Is this really necessary?" Cole was standing across the garage in some bushes. "Anyone could see me." Raynor ordered him to kill him while he was pulling out of the garage in his vehicle.
"Today is the vote. Him not showing up will delay the merger." Raynor was no fool, he knew Cole would double-cross them. "However, if he died in an accident, his vote won't count. He'll be dead."
"What's wrong Belthazor?" Klea taunted. She always thought the former demon was soft. "You chickening out?"
"Never." Once he saw the garage door open, he stepped out in front of the SUV. Immediately he saw the red face of the driver.
"Get off the road!" The driver yelled.
"What's wrong?" Pirelli asked. He was reading his phone, he already made his decision.
"Some drunk guy. Excuse me." He honked his horn a few times. When Cole didn't move, he angrily got out of the SUV. "Get off the road asshole!"
"Phoebe."
"I know." She sighed. "Coop, grab Pirelli. I'll see you at home." She should have known Cole wouldn't change.
"I won't ask again!" The driver warned. Just as he was about to grab Cole, Cole threw a large fireball at the SUV, narrowly missing the driver.
"What the...Who are you?" Pirelli was startled seeing Coop appear out of nowhere.
"Your ride." Coop and him disappear just before the SUV explodes.
The driver was blown away from the explosion, he was unconscious on the ground. Cole was staring blankly at the fire.
"Check for the body." Raynor ordered.
"I doubt there will be anything left." Cole heard sirens from a distance. He made sure the fire was hot.
"Just in case." Raynor glamours into Pirelli.
Klea smokes out of her vessel and goes into the fire. Once she came back, she shook her meatsuit's head.
"There's nothing."
"I made the fire as hot as Hell's. Nothing would be left behind." He disappears just as the firemen and police arrive.
"How much time do we have?" Piper hoped Coop and Pirelli got out on time.
"The vote is at noon." Phoebe read the business page. "I'm not sure why they waited for Pirelli to come by, they could have killed him in his bed."
"Or." Paige nodded towards Cole and his demonic friends. "They needed Cole to be a target." They watch as one of the demons glamour as Pirelli.
"But why?" Piper was just as confused as everyone else. "Cole knows he'll be on every most wanted list out there now." Pirelli was one of the most powerful men in the country. "Even if Pirelli is back home, he and his driver will say Cole tried to kill him." They watch as 'Pirelli' is taken away in a squad car.
"Nothing more we can do." Paige orbs her sisters home.
"How's Pirelli?" Phoebe asked Coop once they arrived home.
"Fast asleep." Coop used some sleeping dust on the man as soon as they arrived. "He won't remember a thing."
"Good." Pheobe goes to kiss Coop.
"I'm going to make coffee." Piper goes into the kitchen.
"And I'm going to take a quick nap." Paige orbs upstairs.
"Welcome back brother." Cole was shaking hands with the brotherhood. "Drink?" Vornac was drinking his favorite beverage, blood of an unbaptized infant.
"No thanks." Cole smiled politely at another demon once he shook his hand.
"Soon we'll have all the power we need." Vornac couldn't wait. They watch as Raynor/Pirelli announces to the world he is voting yes.
"Uh huh." Cole watches blankly as his picture appears with San Francisco's finest phone number flashing on the screen.
The demons laugh.
"Welcome to the dark side!" The police were asking for information for Cole's arrest.
"This doesn't seem right." Paige saw the screen flashing.
"We saw Cole trying to kill Pirelli." Piper was watching the screen.
"I know. But."
"You too?" Phoebe saw the fireball herself. But how would Cole know Pirelli was being watched? "Something seems off."
"I agree." Paige was tempted to go to work and see what they had on Cole, but she had things to do first.
"But first, we have to vanquish, whoever that is." That fake Pirelli, they only had a few hours. Phoebe had to brew a very strong potion. "If he's the leader, we could easily go after everyone else." She asked Coop if he heard anything, all Coop said they were one of the earliest demonic factions out there that wanted to take over the world. He asked the Head Cupid, he said every coup they tried over the centuries failed thanks to the various witches they encountered. "We cut off the head, everyone else will be easy pickings."
"And Cole?"
"I'm not sure. But if it happens, then..." Phoebe didn't want to say anymore. "Honey? Mind picking me up some ginger? Preferably organic." She needed flesh from a demon, luckily she had the next best thing.
"We don't have much time. Coop, be quick." Piper ordered.
"Yes ma'am."
"Really Piper?" Phoebe scolded.
"I'll pay for your catering myself." Piper had a hunch and cashed out her stocks this morning, good thing too, she heard rumors this deal can make or break the stock market.
Cole was in the mausoleum when Vorac appeared.
"I just came back from the police station. No body was ever in that car."
"What can I say? I'm good." Cole made sure there was nothing left.
No bone fragments, hair, or even a charred phone. Are you sure you killed that man?"
"Why does it matter, the deal is being pushed through." Cole didn't care anymore.
"Your orders were to kill Pirelli. Not make him disappear." Vonrac should have known than to trust an Avatar.
"So? What are you going to do about it?" Cole knew he could easily kill Vonrac and everyone else with ease.
Vonrac narrows his eyes.
"Don't test us." He shimmers away.
Cole sighed and leaned his back towards the marbled coffin.
"You know I can't die." Cole recognized those footsteps.
Patience shook her head.
"I would have thought you'd be with your friends." She got bored at home and came here to see if Cole needed help with his buddies.
"I outgrew them." Truthfully Cole hated the Brotherhood. He only stayed till he got strong enough not to need them anymore.
Unknown to them, Klea was watching them from the shadows. She had her orders, see if Cole was double-crossing them.
"We have less than an hour." The three of them were outside Pirelli's office, they knew the demon was inside, waiting for the other executives to arrive. Paige knew of the professional risks, if any of the employees saw her trespassing, she knew she'd be fired from the force. "How can we stop this demon without him calling his friends?" The secretary wasn't at her desk, Paige called pretending to be Pirelli and demanded she fetch him a coffee, two blocks away.
"I can freeze, but we'll only have some time." Piper couldn't wait for this day to be over. She told Sam she was ready to come home. "You sure this potion would work? Our powers combined would be enough."
"Yeah, but I don't exactly want to draw attention to ourselves." Their powers were powerful, but Phoebe knew they needed to be subtle. "Open the door."
"Gladly." Piper wasn't sure if the door was locked, but she blew apart the double doors. They walk into the huge office expecting trouble. Seeing an executive chair, they stand in front of the desk. "We know you're not Pirelli, so don't bother calling security."
Phoebe was startled to see Cole when the chair turned around.
"Piper wait." Why was Cole here?
"I came here to warn you." Cole looked worriedly at Phoebe. "The Brotherhood, they know you killed one of their members. I came here to make sure you're okay." He uses his left hand to show off the picture he always carried, Phoebe's grad picture of her first college graduation.
"Right." Piper froze him. "Okay. How do you know this is Cole?"
"Just one way to find out. Unfreeze him." Paige watched as Phoebe threw her potion.
The Cole impersonator screamed as he blew up.
"How did you know that wasn't Cole?" Paige wasn't sure if Cole's old wedding ring had any DNA left on it.
"Cole wasn't left-handed." The potion wasn't enough to weaken Cole but was enough to vanquish his friends. She looked at the burned mark. "The Brotherhood is like the Avatars, take away one, or should I say two, and their barrier is weakened." That grad picture, she wondered what happened to it.
"Now what?" Piper was getting impatient.
"We get Pirelli here ASAP. My potion will be wearing out soon." All three leave, but Phoebe wondered what Cole's endgame was.
"You traitor." Vorac glared at Cole before he died. "Like I said, don't underestimate us." He flashed gold before he died.
"Uh huh." Cole looked at the sleeping form of Pirelli before he woke up. Before he took Vorac's body away, he made sure there was no trace of him being there. He leaves before anyone notices anything unusual.
A few hours later, all three sisters, including Coop were watching the news.
"In today's business news, the talks of the Merger have been canceled thanks to a last-minute vote."
"Good has done it again." Phoebe was glad. "No way is the Brotherhood getting their mitts on anything." She smiled as Coop wrapped his arm around her.
"I'm glad." Paige yawned. "I'm getting sleepy, but I'm not ready to take a nap. I'm going to see a movie. Anyone want to see Prankster?" Naming the newest thriller that was just released.
"No thanks. I'm sick of living in one." Piper gets up and stretches. "I'm going to pick up everyone and go home." She knew Jenna was getting homesick.
"See you." Phoebe and Coop wave goodbye as everyone leaves. Phoebe snuggles closer in Coop's arms. "We have the manor to ourselves again."
"True. But we have our own place to return to." Coop had no cupid duties today. "But."
"Do we have to go to LA?" Phoebe always wondered why Coop was insisting on going there. "We have almost everything we need for the wedding."
"You'll see when we get there." Coop knew Phoebe wouldn't be happy. "No secrets."
"Fine. I'll call for a cab." They could have used magic, but Phoebe was determined to not be so dependent on magic for everything. "How long will this take us?" They needed to pack.
"Not long. An overnight bag would be enough."
"Sounds good to me." Their wedding was coming closer and closer, and they still were finalizing last-minute details. "Let's go."
"You sure this will bring him back?" The demon was staring at Cole's unconscious body. "It will be difficult to bring him back from the Avatars." He was the newest member of the Brotherhood, he and his fellow demon were on the waiting list for centuries.
"It doesn't matter. He'll do anything to save his loved ones." The witch, his dead father. He holds up the form of his father's soul. Raynor was no fool, he knew Belthazor better than anyone. "Start by eliminating the witches."
"Finally." The demon never met the Charmed Ones but was looking forward to the battle. Won't be easy, last time he was on Earth he was sent back to Hell by another witch. He needed power, at his level, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"Dad." Cole heard his cries. Benjamin was in trouble.
"Shh. Sleep." Raynor knew how Belthazor was more attached to Cole, his human side. The Brotherhood was strong, but without Belthazor, they couldn't take over Hell. The Queen won't stand a chance.
"Phoebe, run." Cole whispered. "Patience, save her."
Donatello jumped seeing the witch.
"Who. Who, are you?" She appeared out of nowhere.
"It's time for you to embrace your destiny."