A Kind of Magic
part 12
"The ring," Paige Matthews mused carefully.
Phoebe Halliwell sat there in a daze, her sister's words a flowing block of silence. Her eyes were open, but everything else was one big giant blur. All she saw was her daughter, crying out for the kind of help she never gave. Then, everything would subside to a black void of nothingness, as she drifted between realities.
"Are you listening to me?" Paige pressed on. "This could be a key here."
"She's still in shock," Piper surmised, as she approached them. "Cole isn't any better. He's on some kind of self destruct- he wants to wipe out every demon he comes into contact with, good or bad. And that's understandable, you know? As a parent, I can see where he's coming from. But anger isn't the answer."
"I just can't believe she's gone."
"I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost Melinda-"
"Alex isn't lost," Phoebe spoke up suddenly. "That evil bitch has her, and I am going to do whatever it takes to bring her down."
"Okay, now you sound just like Cole," Piper accused sternly.
"My little girl would be here right now, if it-"
"Phoebe, wait. Look, this isn't Cole's fault-" Paige started. But Phoebe was already out of her chair, sprinting toward the bedrooms. Coming to a halt, she paused a moment, her hands clenched into tight fists.
Cole Turner, caught her uneasy gaze, meeting it with a brief glance of sadness. He moved to lift himself from the bed, his striking profile stained with fresh tears.
She ran toward him full force, slamming her hands upon his chest. "You let her go!" she screamed. "You let her go, you bastard! If you hadn't- you let her have our daughter!"
He struggled to gain a hold on her, his first attempt ending in failure. "Phoebe, stop."
"Here I am blaming myself, when it's been you all along!"
"It's no one's fault," he told her, as he felt the impact once again. "Phoebe, please!"
"You said you'd protect her!"
"So would it make you feel better about it, if you just took the whole thing out on me? By all means, go ahead then."
The pounding suddenly stopped, as she let a single hand connect with bone, as it touched upon his jaw line. Cole winced, offering her an equal gaze. "Satisfied?"
She looked around her for the first time, her expression filled with confusion and guilt upon her behavior. Her brown eyes forced themselves to meet Cole's as she calmly reached out a hand. Carefully, she laid it upon his chest, as the tears came again. Cole pulled her close to him, bringing her tighter into the embrace. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
"I know."
"I just want our little girl back. She can't have her, Cole."
"And she won't. If we can make it-"
"We don't even know where she took her."
Another voice briefly cleared her throat. "Like I was saying...the ring," Paige stated simply.
"Forgive her," Piper apologized. "She's seen the Fellowship one too many times."
"I'm serious," her sister declared. "There is something up with this thing."
Cole knitted his brows together in concentration, as he focused his blues upon the object in her hand. "So why didn't she want it back?"
"Nice look," Paige quipped, indicating the bruise that had already begun to take form upon his jaw.
"Paige-"
"I don't know," she protested. "But maybe it makes her weaker...or something."
"She didn't seem too weak out there," he countered. "And as long as I've known her, she's never relied on anything to give more power to her magic."
"So what do you think it is?" Phoebe asked him softly.
"We really should get out of here," Piper reminded them. "Just because she's gone, doesn't mean she's not going to send some demons after us to prevent us from reaching Alex."
"Point taken," Paige agreed, absentmindedly throwing the ring into her jeans pocket.
"Did Leo find out anything?" Cole asked, breaking away from his wife.
"Seing as the Elders aren't exactly working the side of evil, I don't think we'll get much help," Phoebe surmised.
"So then we'll split up," Piper concluded. "Phoebe, you'll go with Cole, Paige you'll come with me."
"I don't get a say in this?" Paige protested. "And with the way those two are when they're-"
"Cole threw her an expression full of anger. "I wouldn't expect you to understand what it's like to lose a daughter."
"Okay," Piper cut in. "This is why you two should be as far away from one another as possible."
"Alright. Where do we start?" Phoebe questioned.
"The Underworld," Cole sided quickly. "We'll go below ground, they can stay above."
"But you can't go back there-"
"And have you ever been okay with me going?" He smiled, giving her hand a tight squeeze. "I won't turn evil again, I promise."
"That's not the point, Cole. Even if you did find The Dark, we'd be outnumbered. There'd be no way for you to fight back. And after what she did to you and Piper in the woods..."
"Melinda," Paige suggested suddenly.
"What?" Piper returned. "Why are we- why are we bringing her into this?"
"You said she has powers, right?"
"Paige, don't even think about-"
"She could just prove to be a great distraction," Paige insisted.
"Where exactly are you coming from?"
"If you unbind them and let her use her gifts, then she can keep The Dark busy, while Phoebe and Cole get to Alex."
"Aren't you thinking a little ahead of yourself?" Cole threw back. "As much as I dislike the little nem-"
"Excuse me?" Piper challenged, giving him a stern expression.
"Well, it's no surprise that the kid can be outspoken now, is it?" he returned.
"Melinda is staying in the safety of her own home from this point on," Piper countered. "She has no idea what's happening just yet, and I still intend to keep it that way."
"Still," Phoebe added. "We'll need all the help we can get."
"And that includes an innocent five-year-old girl?"
"Piper, think about it. It may just be what we need to beat this." She sighed, turning away. Her eyes grew faded, as she put her arms across her chest. "And get my baby back."
Piper moved closer to her sister, pulling her into a hug. "You will," she whispered. "You will."
"Leo says we have forty-eight hours," Paige spoke up. "We're probably almost nearing forty-seven now. We should get going."
"Are you coming?" Cole asked his wife, holding out a hand.
"I want Alex back," she repeated softly, not hesitating for a minute. The two shimmered away in a brief flash, and were instantly gone.
"Think you can orb us to the manor?" Piper asked her sister.
Paige nodded. "Is Leo-"
"He's doing his best," she sided. "But it's going to be difficult."
Paige nodded. "She's obviously got the sensing thing blocked."
"It's because she knows that demon or no, Cole still has the ability to find her in a heartbeat. And she's been anticipating the way we think for quite some time."
**********
"Are we here?"
"Yes, we're here. So you can open your eyes now." Cole glanced at her, raising his eyebrows in response. "Um...Phoebe?"
"Is there fire?"
"There's no fire," he assured her. "Oh, and not a dragon in sight yet either."
She hit him. "The last time I was here-"
"It's been pretty quiet since The Source's absence," he reminded her.
"And...what about those that know you?" she asked softly.
"Let's just say you and your sisters did a pretty good job of vanquishing the majority who would've actually cared."
"Do you ever miss it?"
"Being The Source?" he asked, incredibly confused.
"No- living out your demonic existence as Belthazor."
He stopped for a moment, his hand perched upon the tall rock in front of him. "Sometimes," he added. "But it's not like I ever really did one bit of good in that life...you know? Everything was done without any emotion. To be honest, I don't-"
"But you've made it through your past in a sense."
"Not really. You remind me of it every day. Not in the bad-"
"Did you hear something?" a growl echoed along the walls. "I think it was voices."
"Don't be an idiot. There's no one over here but us."
"But I know that I heard something," it returned. "Maybe we should check."
Without warning, Cole clamped a hand over Phoebe's mouth, pulling her down beneath the back of the rock with him. "Quiet. They sound awfully close."
"We're not checking anything."
"But-"
"We have to get to the ritual."
"Do you think it will matter if we're late?"
"Look, there's nothing. Zip, zilch, nada. Your ears are playing tricks on you."
A sigh escaped his lips, as he slowly backtracked. "Whoever you are-"
"Okay. Maybe I'll just kill you myself," came the annoyed response. "I mean, I know that you're new- but your act is getting old real fast. It's just rats, man. They're probably all at the ritual already. That girl may just be the new Source of all evil, and personally I'm dying to see it. We could use a higher power among the chaos now."
"Oh, get serious."
"You can stay here if you want," the other voice sided. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
The sound of footsteps grew fainter, as the first exited, leaving his partner to linger about. "Hello?!" he called out again.
"Hi," Cole answered, getting a tight hold around the demon's neck. The being struggled against him, his strength continually failing him. He threw out a low growl, kicking his feet helplessly beneath him.
"If you were smart, you'd leave," he'd snarled.
"Oh, but see, I can't do that."
Phoebe glanced around, raising her eyebrows in their captive's direction. "Must be one hell of a ritual, huh?"
"What do you know about it?" he returned, still fighting Cole.
"Look, we really have no intention of hurting you, unless we have to," Cole chimed in. "But I'm not so sure how much more of this I can take."
"Where's the ritual taking place?" Phoebe asked, cocking her head to one side.
"You'll never make it in time."
"We still have forty-" she started.
"Not after the ritual," he finished smuggly. "She'll have to use her powers for evil."
"You're still avoiding my question," Cole concluded, shaking his head. "Whatever are we going to do with you?"
"Vanquish?" Phoebe suggested calmly, her expression immediately brightening.
"I was thinking more along the lines of torture myself." Cole unexpectedly yanked the demon back further, as his victim cried out in pain. "All joking aside, you can either tell me where my daughter is, or...I'll be forced to let her turn you into a toad."
The demon's eyes widened, as he stared back at Phoebe in horror. "She...she has the power to do that?"
"She's a Charmed One. What do you think?"
"Okay, well...well no need to resort to those measures, buddy. Can't we all just play nice?"
"But I'm not exactly in a nice mood right now," Cole shot back. "So I may just let her have her way with you."
Phoebe tried to hide a laugh. "Sounds good to me."
"I'll talk!" he suddenly shouted, fear clinging to his voice.
"Where is the girl?" Cole repeated.
"It's a dungeon of some sort, man. Down in the lower part of town. Look, that's all I know, I swear."
"Dungeon?" Phoebe asked, confused.
"It's all I know," he said again. "That other guy I was with? He was gonna take me straight to her. He's the one you want. Not me."
"If you're lying..." Cole began, gritting his teeth in ager, as he glared at his prisoner.
"Please don't hurt me or turn me into anything, man. I don't know anymore."
"Oh, what the hell?" Loosening his grip, Cole let the demon stagger a few steps to safety.
"Thanks you....thank you. I won't tell a soul, I-"
"Guess we'll never know," he finished, tossing a bolt of lightening in his enemy's direction. As the demon evaporated into pieces, Cole couldn't help bit wear a tiny half smile.
"You didn't have to-"
"No, but I was feeling cranky," he added.
Phoebe grabbed his hand, as she followed him out, secretly revealing a smile of her own.
**********
"He's not talking."
"So blow him up," came the brief reply.
"Yes, but he may in fact know something that could help us," Piper added, sighing. "You know how they-"
"I don't deal with witches," the young man snapped. "Let alone The Charmed Ones. I've heard stories about you three. You're nothing special."
"Alright." Piper froze him, turning back to her sister. With another small wave of her hand, she unfroze his head, offering a smile in response. "How about now?"
"That...is really cool," Paige echoed, circling their captive. "Think Phoebe and Cole are having better luck?"
"I doubt it. It seems to be all hush hush," her sister noted.
"Well, if Alex succeeds in bringing the world to an end, I am seriously considering moving to the Underworld."
"That won't be happening if this idiot smartens up and starts discussing."
The demon growled, his eyes glowing a bright blue. "The girl is out of your hands now. Walk away."
"What is it about demons and attitudes?" Piper asked, hands on her hips.
"Her lair is too far buried for human eyes to see," he sneered, smiling.
"Oh, well, see, now we're getting a little something," Paige put in. "A lair, hmm?"
"Go to hell."
"I think that's all we've got," Piper sided, nodding to Paige. She turned to him, her expression clouded with anger. "Sorry, but you can go first."
Holding out her arms, she reached out and blew him to pieces. "Okay. Maybe I should have taken your advice and done that when we met him- anyway, we'll go find Phoebe and Cole, and-"
"But we haven't really-"
"It's a demon ghost town," she interrupted. "There don't seem to be any for miles."
"Oh. Good...good point. Strange, isn't it? When we actually need them, they're nowhere to be found."
"C'mon. Let's head back."