Eternal Flame
part 5
"Miss Franklin, are you alright? Miss Franklin?" Cole's coughed, as he struggled to pull himself to his feet, his jeans caked with a thin layer of dust. Tiredly adjusting the sleeves of his sweater upon both arms, he hesitantly stood up, his sneakers untied and clothed in a deep mass of sand. Briefly tracing a hand across his stubble, he searched the vacancy with wide eyes, rubbing his hands together in an effort to rid himself of the soft substance from the ground. "Miss Franklin? Chloe?"
The tall blonde lay in a curled up heap to his right a short distance away, her hair a mass of tangles around her pretty face. She blinked a few times, before she finally regained her focus, shakily wiping her face with a pair of dirt stained hands. Her heels lay beside her in a crumpled fashion, her bare feet exposed in front of her. "What....."
"Are you okay?" he asked again, his gorgeous countenance coated with a deep concern, his blue eyes calmly surveying her movements.
"I think so," she uttered, her voice just above a whisper.
"That's good," he commented, quickly breathing a sigh of pure relief, as he halted by her side, casually extending a strong hand down to her level.
"Where are we?"
"Good question," he observed, a faint smile falling over his features. "It looks a lot like Egypt, don't you think?"
"Egypt?" she repeated, a frown creasing her lips. "What, you're joking, right?"
"Not exactly."
"Well, that's obviously impossible," she retorted plainly, as she nervously straightened out the creases in her skirt, easily blowing a piece of hair out of her eyes.
"What you saw in that museum was anything but impossible. You're lucky you're still alive."
"Really? Because if I didn't know any better, I'd say this was something you did to try and make me believe your stupid theories on curses. You knew I didn't buy a word of what you said earlier, didn't you? So...naturally, it could only mean one thing." She paused a moment. "How's that for getting closer to the truth?"
"You failed miserably," he added, quietly shrugging. "Because I don't have that kind of ability."
"Ability?"
"Belthazor," a voice cut through the air, its tone fading with the soft breeze that had strangely begun to drift throughout their surroundings. "Been a long time, hasn't it?"
"What the-" But he didn't have time to finish. The demon tossed an energy ball his way, growling deep in his throat, as a slick smile spread across his thin, blue lips. Cole hit the ground hard, as he dodged the attempt just in time. Throwing out a hand, he heaved a ball of his own at his assailant, watching as the mysterious stranger immediately disappeared from sight, a faint bout of laughter echoing through the air upon his sudden departure. Cole sighed, as he let out a breath, his lean frame relaxing once again, his right hand clenching itself into a tight fist. "Dammit."
"Wai- what....how....what the hell was that now?!" Chloe shouted, her face now masking a deep fear, as she immediately pulled herself up, her feet threatening to fail her as she took a few steps back.
"Chloe...."
"No...what was that?!" she screamed, her voice on the verge of breaking, as she pointed an accusing finger at him, her eyes wide with pure uncertainty.
"If you think I'm the bad guy in this, you're sadly mistaken," he added, his voice softening a bit.
"Yeah, and I know what I just saw," she hissed, as she stumbled even further back.
"And what exactly did you think you just saw?" he returned, crossing his arms neatly over his chest.
"It's a form of dark practice, isn't it? Some kind of voodoo ritual?"
"Hardly."
"Daddy, are we stuck here?" a tiny voice questioned, emerging to his left, as Alexandra Turner made her way towards him, her opponent trailing a few feet behind her.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing here? You're not supposed to-"
"That portal," the little girl insisted quietly. "It made us go in it. Besides, you told me to stay close to you at the museum, and I did. Are you mad, Daddy?"
"You, and....?"
"Catrina."
"Catrina?"
"Hello, Mr. Turner," the other six-year-old responded carefully, throwing a tiny hand up into the air.
"What-"
"I think we were bad," Alex mused, her voice just above a whisper, as she easily cast her eyes downward.
"Bad...how?"
"We're sorry, Miss Franklin. I know you told us not to touch anything-"
"Touch? What did you touch?" the teacher cut in, her anger clearly rising to the brink, as she nervously tucked a strand of blonde hair behind one ear.
"It was in one of the exhibits," Catrina spoke up. "We can't remember the name. But it was a necklace."
"A necklace? Whose necklace?" Cole asked them, as he gestured a single hand towards the young woman. "Let me handle this, okay?"
"Oh...right...and I can see you're doing a brilliant job already."
"Look, what's your problem? They didn't mean it."
She glared at him, her eyes completely void of feeling, as she narrowed them in his direction. "What are you?"
"What am I?"
"And who the hell is Belthazor?"
"That's Daddy's demon half," Alex replied excitedly. "His good demon half."
"Ally-"
"But it's true, isn't it, Daddy? You told me, didn't you?"
"Demon?" Chloe echoed. "You're a-"
"I'm not a demon," he told her, his voice rising. "Look, just-"
"Oh, I think I've heard more than enough," she told him, sarcastically rolling her eyes, and putting both hands in front of her. "You're in need of some serious therapy, and you're deluding your daughter into accepting your beliefs. That might be fine where you're from, but-"
"I'm sorry?"
"You really expect me to just take on the fact that you're some bad ass warrior who's come to make things right?"
"Warrior?" he mused. "Oh, well, that's a good one."
"What are you?" she asked him, once more.
"Are you going to call the police, Miss Franklin?" Catrina added. "Because he's a lawyer, you know. I'll bet he's got connections."
"Sweetie, can you please stay out of this? I think it's strictly between me and her. Which, by the way, Chloe- you're only overreacting, because you don't understand-"
"What's to understand? A ball of light came from your hand! That's science fiction corrupting evil in its purest form."
"And I'm not evil."
"Then what are you?!"
"A man."
"Oh, really? Well, as far as I know, Mr. Turner, real men aren't even remotely capable of what you just pulled."
"Look, we're not exactly in a situation where we have the time to sort these things out. If we can find shelter, and-"
"Yeah, and if you come near me, I'll scream."
His blues travelled to her face, washing over her delicate features. He winced briefly, as he reached to his back pocket, calmly recovering a small object from it, his fingers gently freeing the blade that accompanied it. Sharp against his touch, he held it out within viewing range, redefining the grip in his hand. "Then I guess I'll have to prove it to you."
"So you're going to kill me, is that it?" She paused a moment. "I can almost guarantee you they'll find the body- and when they do..."
"If we're going to make it through this, you're going to have to trust me," he told her softly.
"Trust you?"
He held out his left hand, easily slicing open a spot upon his arm, the blood trickling slowly down it, as he gritted his teeth in pain, the knife falling to the ground below. He brought his eyes up to meet hers, as the wound began to flow all the more quickly, his gaze completely forlorn.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "I...dammit you're-" Without hesitating, she tore off a piece of material upon the bottom of her skirt, carefully placing it atop the deep cut, her hands frantically struggling to tie it tightly around him. After securing the knot, she regarded it with a hopeful expression, though her face continued to remain skeptical to the scene before her.
"A mortal," he said softly. "Just like you."
"Mr. Turner, I- look I'm not going to jump to any conclusions, and I would never want to ever say...why did you do it?"
"It was the only way I knew how," Cole offered, his handsome remaining entirely indifferent.
"That could turn into an infection, you know," Catrina retorted. "And it's too bad, because we seem to be thousands of miles away from the ER. Did I ever tell you about the time my dad fell off a ladder and nearly broke his leg? We almost didn't think he'd make it in time. My mom just assumed he was playing the big macho man, and was seriously dying to cry like a baby."
"Thank you, Catrina. That definitely...brightens up my spirits," Cole added sarcastically, as he shot the little girl a painful smile.
"So what are you? I mean, really?" she asked him, her eyes wandering up to him.
"He has powers," Alex told her. "I do too."
"Ally, sweetie, I thought we agreed not to talk about-"
"Daddy, they already know a lot. Why can't we just say it?"
"She's got a point," Chloe mused.
"Miss Franklin, do you tru-"
She averted his gaze, as she slowly began tucking her shirt back into the confines of her wrinkled skirt, her long blonde hair falling into her eyes. "I'm not sure what or who I can trust anymore, to be honest. And maybe I'm only going to follow you now, because I know you probably won't kill me."
"Look, they're going to come for us, okay? We're going to get out of here."
"But why was I brought here in the first place?" she asked impatiently. "What I do to get here?"
"I'm not sure."
"Oh, good answer. Heh...wonderful..."
"So what kind of powers do you have?" Catrina asked Alex, her focus falling upon her dark-haired friend.
"I can throw fire from my hands," she beamed proudly. "But my cousin Melinda can orb."
"Orb? What's that?"
"It's like going from place to place."
"Oh."
"Daddy can shimmer though. He's really good at it. My mom can see things before they happen, and my Aunt Paige can orb just like Melinda."
"Your whole family is strange?"
"We're not strange," she objected. "My mom and my aunts are the three most powerful witches."
Cole nodded. "Make no mistake."
"Your wife is a witch, Mr. Turner?"
"Yes, Catrina."
"Well, how did you manage that? You were a demon. Aren't demons supposed to hate witches?"
"Not all of them."
"You let your weaker side fight the evil," she guessed. "The tragic story of the hero...only not so tragic."
"What is your fascination with tragedy?" he asked her, his expression unreadable.
"Oh, I'm thinking of using it for my college thesis," she announced excitedly. "What do you think?"
"I think you're not too far off on that," he quipped, as he began to lead the three of them into the distance. "Dammit, Phoebe, where are you?"
**********
"Has Mr. Turner been by his office this afternoon?"
Bonnie Clarkson turned her head in the direction of the voice, placing a strand of auburn hair behind one ear. Her green eyes narrowed themselves a bit, as she thought deep and hard. "No, ma'am. Mr. Turner hasn't been by since yesterday. Did you have an appointment with him?"
"I'm his wife," Phoebe Halliwell remarked, as she threw a quick glance towards her half sister. Paige simply shrugged, rolling her eyes, as she gently placed her hands upon her hips.
"Was he supposed to leave a message for you?"
"He said he would be coming back this way with our daughter, Alex. Said he had some last minute business to take care of."
"Hmm. Well...I'm honestly not sure what he could've meant by that," Bonnie mused thoughtfully, raising her eyebrows.
"Why-"
"Mr. Turner did have a meeting with the partners scheduled for today, but...he called us this morning to say he was taking Alex on a field trip to the museum."
"Did he lock his office?"
Bonnie shook her head. "It's just as he left it."
"He never called you to confirm anything?" Paige spoke up.
"No, ma'am. Should he have?"
"Okay, this is weird," Phoebe added, brushing a piece of long hair away from her face. "Usually he at least calls me on his cell."
"Do you think he's in trouble?"
"Paige, in our line of work, we'd never know if he was in trouble," she reminded her. "Not if he was captured, tortured, and-"
"Alright! I get it," she sided, throwing up her hands. "So what do we do?"
"Can you have a look inside?"
"Inside?" Bonnie returned.
"His office?"
"Mrs. Turner, I'm afraid I can't permit that. If you'd perhaps like to drop by again when he's back..."
Phoebe laughed, as she placed a slender hand down upon the woman's desk. "And just how am I going to see him again, if I think something's happened?"
But only silence greeted her, as the woman was suddenly frozen solid in place, her hand only just beginning to reach for the pen beside her, her eyes cast wide with surprise.
"Hi," a small voice said, as the short blonde greeted them with a small wave.
"Lindy?" Paige called out, clearly shocked.
"Mom's been teaching me a few things," her seven-year-old niece proclaimed. "I can't keep them frozen as long as her, but I had it all along. Cool huh?"
"You have the power to- oh, nevermind. We have to get in there, and- c'mon."
"What's wrong, Aunt Phoebe?"
"Weren't you supposed to wait in the car? We were going to try this without using magic, remember?"
"But I wanted to see how it worked," Melinda protested quietly. "It's still not fair that I have all of these powers, but nothing to do with-"
"Have you tried freezing an entire courtroom yet?" Paige challenged her.
"And all of them demons," Phoebe echoed, smiling.
"Who did that?"
"Your mom," she told her, nodding matter of factly. "Well, until they completely faked me and Aunt Prue out, and started coming after us using violence."
"Wow. Really?"
"Yep. Really."
"Do you think it's the museum?" Paige questioned.
"What, that's insane."
"Is it?"
"Paige, it's been there for more years than I can count. Nothing is going to hurt them there."
"And what about Grams with the twins? If we don't get back soon, who knows what she'll be telling them."
"If I can't get any answers out of her, the twins sure aren't."
"Did you even think about what you just said?"
"Hmm?"
"They aren't even old enough to form a sentence, much less try for a phrase."
"Look, I'm worried okay. Where Cole is concerned, I'm worried."
"I'm sure he's fine. Maybe they took a detour, and he stopped to get her some ice cream or something."
"He would have told me."
"So you keep saying-"
"Paige, we have rules in my house. To prevent past events from reoccuring, we're supposed to know where all of us are at all times."
Her half sister just stared at her, her face a completely blank slate. "Can you repeat what you just said?"
"Did you catch anything on the news this afternoon?"
"You mean something that was a bit more odd than usual?"
"Paige, I'm serious."
"Nope. Can't say that I did."
"Egypt," she then mumbled, as a series of printouts fell into her hands, quickly pushing the desk drawer shut with her foot, her finger thumbing through the articles.
"Oh...yeah. Cole was trying to help out a client with-"
"What is this?"
"Just some background info, I think. Why?"
"Well, what would he need it for?"
"I told you. He was helping out a client. It's actually from awhile ago," she insisted. "I think that's why he was so intent on volunteering for Alex when you didn't have the time. He'd already done his research."
"But why wouldn't he say anything to me?"
"Maybe he didn't feel he should have. It was probably a rather minor dispute or something, and he was looking into ethnicity."
"Ethnicity?"
"Still, though, it doesn't mean anything."
"Not yet..."
"Phoebe, you don't really think that this client would actually-"
"Sometimes things don't have to be supernatural," she confirmed lightly.
"And I think you're overreacting about this."
"But it's my middle name, remember?" She paused then, as she folded the papers to her chest, gazing at her sister with a tired smile. "I'm going to find him, Paige. He'd never give up on me, and I'm not going to give up on him. Wherever he is out there, he needs me. And so does Alex."
"But you still have nothing to go on."
"Not now. But later?"
"What?"
"Grams is going to have to share, whether she likes it or not. Let's go."