Faded Fragments

part 4

"It's too dangerous, Cole. Not to mention the fact that we could both get caught."

"And while I'm entirely aware that whitelighters don't like to take chances, Leo, I'm honestly drawing a big blank as to why. I can shimmer, you can orb. We'd have an easy exit."

"Not if they strip us of our powers without our knowledge," he reminded him. "Look, Cole, these guys are higher up on our priority list than the Source was, so who knows what they could come up with? At any one minute, you could be transported back to Egypt again, and if they go so far as to resurrect Celia, we're all done for."

"Wait. They can do that? Because the way I understood it? Being turned into a great big pile of dust kind of takes you out of the running to score the best demon of the year award."

Leo smiled, as he gently placed a bottle into little Elizabeth's crib, moving in to cover her a bit more with the soft, pink blanket that lay at her feet, briefly adjusting the edges. "They can do anything they want. They do evil's bidding."

"Yeah, and think about it. We've never encountered the devil himself. He's always kept himself in the shadows, but we know he's out there. Has it ever stopped us before?"

"You think Seth Kellerman is the devil?"

"Wolf in sheep's clothing?"

"It's a shot in the dark," he mused thoughtfully. "More importantly, if I ever talked that way around Piper and the kids, she'd have me thrown out of here before I could even blink an eye."

Cole Turner crossed his arms over his chest, steadily glaring at his friend with a pair of unperturbed blue eyes. "Leo, he threatened my wife. In case you're just stepping back into the supernatural wavelength here, I take that personally."

"Look, I know how you feel-"

"I doubt that."

"Cole, by doing this, we put both Phoebe and Piper at risk. They could expose us, and-"

"Oh, don't give me that. They already know who The Charmed Ones are, as well as my connection to them. Don't you get it? It's not about protecting them anymore, it's about protecting me."

"And if that wasn't an attempt to draw attention to yourself, I don't know what was," Leo commented somewhat coldly, as he placed his right hand on the bars of the crib, finally meeting the other man eye to eye, his vision narrowing slightly, as his lips parted in concentration.

"Kellerman wants to get to me. It's always been about me. If I would have agreed to work for their firm before, prior to the information we've got on them, I probably would've already been finished by now. They want to currupt me, and they're merely using Phoebe to do it."

"Phoebe said you didn't seem that worried about it. She said you felt confident you could-"

"Yeah, and that was probably before he also took the liberty of threatening both her and my little girl. If it's one thing I'm putting my foot down on, it's that Ally doesn't have to bear the brunt of my past mistakes anymore. I can't let her do it, Leo. I almost lost her when I pretended to resort back to the personality of a deceased self-crazed maniac, and I'm not about to let her see me like that again."

"But you did it for Phoebe....and for her. She can't expect you to owe her an apology for that. You did what you felt was right."

"And coming from you, I'd say that's a stretch."

"Cole, resorting to violence isn't always the answer. Kellerman and Rickman may think it is, but that's not what we're about, and we're not going to accomplish anything this way."

"So we wait," he shrugged, his lips almost curving themselves into a slow smile, his blues remaining fragile. "Before we know it, two of us turn up dead, ruined...maybe more. I'm evil, I've got no wife, and my daughters and son are left to fed for themselves because they've no longer got a loving mother and father who will shield them from the worst of it. Are you willing to live with that?"

"You're turning this around," Leo sided. "You're trying to make me feel guilty for something I have no control over."

"But you can become me. You can beat them at their own game, while I move in for the kill. It's simple, and it's effective."

He shook his head. "It's also wrong. If we find out they're not really-"

"Dammit, the proof is right in front of you. How much more do you need?"

"We need to let them-"

"As far as I'm concerned, they made the first move in the cemetery today. I wasn't there, and they knew it. You can't just think everything will be okay again. We took out one of their prized colleagues, and they don't want us walking off with that ribbon, Leo. If anything, they want to take one of ours."

"You," he surmised carefully.

"I'm making them work to earn my trust, and they hate that more than anything. They know they're not going to gain it, unless they use force."

"The guy who came to you before....you're sure he was with them?"

Cole nodded. "I guess I put it off a little more than I liked, and things just went from bad to worse. I know I can't justify myself entirely for Chloe's death, but you would think we'd be at even odds right about now." He paused a moment, considering it. "But suddenly, they want more, and it's a whole new ball game."

"With you stepping up to bat."

"In a manner of speaking. Which is why we have to go through with this. I'm not just doing it for me. Far be it for a former half demon who's mended his ways to become conceited now, when he's so much in love with the woman he's chosen to spend his life with."

"Phoebe's grateful she has you," he agreed. "I know she doesn't always come right out and say it, but I can see it. She knows you always find a means to solve these things...she knows how much you're willing to put at stake for her safety."

"She was frightened by him, Leo. Something in her just stood on edge, and if I could have eased that pain right then and there- when he had the nerve to show his ass and think nothing of it, I would have made sure he'd never see that light of day again."

"Still, they're not making too much sense right now. It's one thing to come out of hiding and throw out a few insults here and there, but it's another to actually show her his temper in public."

"He's got a way about him," he agreed. "Doesn't exactly promote subtlety, but can't keep his hand out of the cookie jar."

Leo almost smiled. "That's one angle to take."

"They were aiming for a goal, and they fell miserably short," he reasoned. "But if Celia's chanting never did any wonders for my system, I doubt his will either. It's a simple deduction, really."

"Yeah, and this is all we need with Christmas right around the corner. I promised Melinda it was going to be demon free. She's been asking me a lot about what happened," he added. "I always have a hard time convincing her-"

"They need to be set," he interrupted. "I've been working with Ally- not...in the same way I've been training Phoebe, but I think she's getting a better grasp on who she is, as well as her powers."

"Cole, what's meant to be, is meant to be. You can't change that."

"Yeah, and I realize this is asking a lot. Believe me, I know. But I never would've come here, if I didn't think you were capable."

"I haven't even brushed up on it."

"But you can maintain the appearance for a good amount of time, right?"

His visage shifted into a confused pattern, as his mouth formed a rather tight line. "I can't promise you anything."

"Unless...." He pondered it for a time, a hand lending itself to his stubble, as he widened his eyes, arching a single eyebrow. "We do it the old fashioned way, and have Andy obtain a warrant."

"You're planning on using Prue's boyfriend, without giving him any other knowledge-"

"Oh, he'll have the knowledge. Hell...he already knows about Kellerman and Rickman's standing in the community. It should be worth the effort."

"Yeah, but by having him go in there, he's also putting his life at risk. And we're not doing things for personal-"

"See, there's that word again that I really happen to dislike. Just seems to keep popping up at random intervals, doesn't it? So...in the interest of saving time, why don't we get a few things straight. One, I'm entitled to personal gain, Leo. I've done penance, I've saved lives. End of story. It's going work toward my advantage, and far be it for me to want it any differently. Two, I'm tired of dodging these guys like the plague. I want some kind of peace to exist in this world before I die, and I want that peace to be with Phoebe. You may or may not agree to each and every method I'm proposing to you, but as of right now, I currently don't give a damn."

Leo studied him for awhile, his expression completely unreadable, as he exited the room, pausing at the manor stairwell with great intensity, as his fingers tapped themselves lightly across the banister, his legs crossed at the ankles. Below them, Piper was engaged in a deep conversation with her eldest daughter, and occasionally he felt the presence of her eyes drift up to them, fear and worry trimming clear across her brow, as she tried so hard to hide it. Leo heaved a prolonged sigh, shutting his eyes, as he removed his gaze from her. "Fine. Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Just like that?"

"What else do you want from me, Cole? I can't say I'm with you one hundred percent, but I can at least acknowledge you're still a part of this family. And if we're lucky, we might all see Christmas dinner."

"Leo, I'm not-"

"I get it, okay? You don't have to explain anymore. The Elders would probably be dead set against every part of it, but I've since learned I've had to reform my way of thinking since I met you."

"Kellerman's office is on the top floor. Shouldn't be too hard to shimmer and orb up there, give him a piece of our minds, and go on our merry way."

"Do you really think they've ever helped anybody?" he questioned then. "I mean, from all I've gathered, they pride themselves on a love for people, yet how they've managed to stay in business-"

He shrugged. "How many souls do you think Celia offered them, before it was considered acceptable?"

"Acceptable?"

"Energy is a driving force. They carry it well."

"Yeah, but would this Wosret guy have agreed to the same terms, had he been given a chance?"

Cole smiled. "That was their problem, and it continues to be. At least, as long as I'm still around. They need another person to make their legion of power complete. I just happen to fit it."

"Convenient," Leo offered.

"You could say that."

"And the thing of it is, Nick's as far as he can be from ever getting my trust on this, because he still surrounds himself with the damn shadows. If I could just get a little more out of him, we'd have something even more solid than we do now."

"Piper was telling me he was out a little too quick when he met up with you guys in Egypt."

He nodded. "That's what gets me. He claimed to know my history, yet if he'd known it at all, I'm not entirely sure he'd still want me dead."

"So why doesn't he try to get back in? It could be a lot easier for him to win them over, in order to supply us with what we need."

"Leo, when you've been fired, given countless warnings of being fried to a golden crisp, would you really risk your ass going back there when you know they wouldn't hesitate?"

"You just don't like that he's set his sights on Paige," Leo concluded.

"No, see, it's not only that. It's the way he acts like I don't even exist when he's around her, when he should be giving me valuable information-"

"And you still have to face the fact that you don't think he'll ever be good enough for her."

"It doesn't matter what I think. Phoebe's given me so many lectures on it, that I'm seriously ready to just give up."

"He hasn't tried to physically hurt any of us. You said yourself that he has the ability to do it."

"I can't change what he is, anymore than I can change what I am. He's found love, and somehow he thinks that makes it okay."

"Maybe you just have to try and think back to when you weren't much different from him," Leo suggested. "You walk a fine line, Cole."

"Of love and hate?" he quipped. "Sure."

"No." He shook his head. "Because of who you are....what you've done....your own instinct refuses to be prone to letting in people from the outside. Letting them be part of the group."

"Is this like when you're put in a circle and willed into speaking on your behalf? Because that's another thing I really don't like."

He laughed. "I don't....think so. But in your case, it's that lack of allowing Nick into our world that bothers you."

"But you just said it was because he's with Paige."

"That too. It's not easy."

"And what if it turns out that he's using Paige to lure me to the dark side? Do I just get up, shake his hand for a job well done, and fight another battle to save the world?"

"We'll always have to do it. Nothing will ever-"

"I know," he spoke up. "But this time, I want to do it right. I want Ally to be able to sleep at night, be able to rest comfortably knowing her dad finally took care of something worthwhile- something that could even alter her destiny. I don't want her to live her life like Phoebe and I do. I want her to be able to find herself without these kinds of problems...without....demons knocking on her doorstep. I want her to have a better life, Leo."

"You know what it was like when any of you tried to forfeit who you were," he tried.

"I want to destroy him. I want to destroy everything he's worked to obtain, everything that he's done to get him where he is. If they won't spare me my blood, then I'm taking his. Game over."

**********

"It's beginning to look a lot like-"

"Cole!"

Paige Matthews frowned, suddenly confused, as she scrunched up her nose, her eyes expanding in depth, her lips tainting themselves into a scowl. She put down the paintbrush she held in her right hand, giving those same eyes a long roll, as she stared at her niece. "God, I hope not, I spent like....hours on this thing."

Alexandra Turner giggled, as she carefully inspected the snowman her aunt had depicted onto a piece of drawing paper, her watercolors running slightly off the page. She grabbed for a red M&M in the bowl before her, as she picked up a brush of her own. "Your picture does have eyes that are coal," she remarked thoughtfully. "Even though Daddy's are very blue...."

"Have either of you seen Cole?" Prue Halliwell asked, as she breezed into the kitchen, shoulder bag her purse onto the table, as it nearly succeeded in colliding with Paige's masterpiece.

"No, but now that you so randomly associated this picture with him, I think I feel a hyperventilation attack coming on," Paige sided, immediately tossing the smudged paper halfway across the wooden surface.

"Look, this is serious, okay?"

"Yeah, and so is being able to celebrate the Christmas spirit without my brother in law's face springing to mind."

"Kellerman stopped by the station today," Andy filled them in behind her, as he threw his coat across a chair, much to Prue's dismay. "He's trying to claim he was threatened against his will today in a random stroll to the gaveyard, and fears for his life."

"Oh, please," Paige interjected. "Phoebe told me what happened today, and neither of them laid a hand where it didn't belong. He's only attempting to push her buttons because of Cole."

He nodded, a casual, yet annoyed smile falling over his handsome features. "Yeah, I figured as much. Which is why I wouldn't let him get so much as a word in."

"You played up to the big man on campus? Lucky guy, you."

"No, it gets better," Prue added. "Turns out Kellerman has also tried resuming the investigation on Cole's prior disappearances, and he's taken it upon himself to recover the file on Davidson."

"What? That guy who died with the seekers?" Paige asked, her mouth hanging slightly ajar.

"I know you weren't around when-"

"I know the drill," she added. "I guess the-"

"Question is why?" Prue finished. "It's not accounting for anything. Cole's already established himself as a law abiding citizen-"

"For the most part...."

"And whatever evidence he plans to let spread like wildfire, wouldn't hold anyway."

"It would be pointless," Andy agreed. "He doesn't have the attention it deserves. It would be a closed case before-"

"Yeah, but what about his land lady?" Prue asked him. "That's what Davidson was onto, and if Kellerman learns the truth, it'll only push him to go at Cole even further than he already has. They know he's good, or they would've never sent him the invitation in the first place."

"I know I'm still new to all of this, and so be it. But if you want it done the easy way, I'll be more than happy to arrange it so you can have a little chat with our potential enemy."

She laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. "Thanks. But I really don't think this is where we're headed next."

"No, it's not," another voice countered, her eyes nearly exhausted and filled with a lack of sleep, as she entered into the conversation, throwing a brief smile in Alex's direction as she let her eyes roam over the materials clothed upon the table.

"Feeling any better?" her older sister inquired.

She shrugged. "If we were normal people, this wouldn't even be given a second thought."

"You're having doubts again?" Paige tried.

"It's not doubts, but more like...." she quietly pursed her lips. "It's more like I'm afraid we'll never be able to kill off all the demons in this world to make it even remotely livable. He reminded me of the time The Source took him over, and somehow I got to thinking this really might be a hell of a lot worse."

"So he's trying to tell you that he'll always be there for you. What's so dangerous about that?"

"It was the way he brought it up. I just can't say-"

"And to be truthfully honest, I'm not sure Leo is taking it so well, either," Prue commented, placing two closed fists down upon the table.

"And why should he? He was practically recommended as an alternative right out of the blue."

"Phoebe."

"Prue, you weren't there. You don't know what I went through."

"You were brave though, Mommy," Alex lightly whispered, as she calmly folded her hands in front of her. "You let the man know who you were, and you're proud of it."

"Am I?" she whispered back. "Because I don't know anymore, Alex. I mean, it's one thing to have someone come up and tell you they can't stand the sight of you, but it's another to say you ruined a man. And even though that isn't true, it was just how he let me have it, that let it go straight for my heart."

"And you can't ruin a man if you never tried," Andy pointed out, absentmindedly giving Prue an all too familiar smile. "He's just using what he knows to get to you. It's actually a common practice of criminals dodging the law, too. They take what they can, if it means getting a rise out of you. In fact, I'd say some pride themselves on it with their egos in check."

"There must be a reason they've dragged it out so long though. They had years to snag him. Years. It would have all been so easy."

"He was more vulnerable," Prue admitted. "But he wasn't stupid."

"No," she shook her head, a half smile creeping up. "I could never pin that on him in a million lifetimes."

"But there are also men like Kellerman who feel that confidence, too," she confirmed.

"Sterling certainly did....the bastard," Paige said aloud, quickly regretting it the moment her niece's gaze landed upon hers. "Sorry."

Phoebe's expression suddenly brightened, as she strangely felt her heart skip a beat. "Yeah, but none of them were Cole Turner."

"He's one of a kind," her half sister agreed. "Even when he is being annoying and utterly resentful of the fact that I met him."

"He doesn't resent you."

"No, he only hides it really well. He lets the jabs slip out, and he enjoys himself for it. Typical, you know?"

"And maybe you'll end up saving him this time," Andy suggested, slowly slipping into a chair to her left.

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