A Kind of Magic
part 8
"Vanquished on the spot," The Dark concluded, her face a hidden mask of fury. "Doesn't take a genius to figure them out, now does it?"
The Grimlock glanced at her nervously, folding his hands neatly into his lap. "I- I'm afraid I wouldn't know," he replied hoarsely.
"Well, surely you've dealt with The Charmed Ones before?" she pressed.
"They are not to be bothered with."
"And why do you say that?"
"Because they vanquished The Source," he snarled. "Why do you think we all refuse to do anything more? We are-"
"You are all cowards then," she accused, a cruel smile spilling across her lips.
"Maybe, but every demon in San Francisco should be if they know what's good for them," he offered.
"Nonsense," she protested. "Vanquishing The Source was mere child's play."
"You seriously believe you can take them?"
"And why not? I did not resurface for nothing, you know. I have priorities. And they just happen to include a magical child now. Is that so bad?"
"You're watching them on cameras," a voice echoed mockingly, as a tall woman came into view. Her hair was long and blonde, her eyes a deep set blue. She carefully inspected a perfectly manicured nail, her long dress trailing behind her on the ground.
"And I thought you were defeated long ago," The Dark stated suspiciously.
"There's always a bit of evil lingering about," she answered calmly.
"So I see."
"Would you like me to take care of this girl for you?"
"Not in the least," she replied eerily.
"Well, you certainly can't trust him to pull through. Just look at him. He's scared of his own shadow."
"You propose a tempting offer, and I'm quite sure you would be somewhat successful."
"I'm sorry....somewhat?"
"See, when you've been in the Underworld as long as I have, you learn something."
"And what's that?" the woman asked, a tad skeptical.
"If you want something done right, you must do it yourself." And with that, she secured her cloak around her slender frame, her heels rapidly clicking upon the floor.
**********
"It's...so....little."
"Well, yeah. I said cottage, didn't I?"
"Mmm. How many beds are there?" Cole then asked.
"Five," Paige said matter of factly. "Plus, you get a tv and a jacuzzi."
"Not really an issue when you're fleeing from demons," Phoebe added hopefully.
"What's a jacuzzi, Mommy?" Alex questioned excitedly, as she followed Paige beyond the open front door. "Are we really gonna live here?"
"For a little bit," Phoebe said softly. "And a jacuzzi....is just like a really relaxing bath, you know? Only, you wear bathing suits or bikini's."
"Can I try it out?" the little girl pleaded.
"I....we'll see, okay?"
"This is really not all that bad," Cole commented, surveying the surroundings once again. "I could get used to this."
"The bed's all bouncy, Mommy!" Alex quickly called out from a distance.
"Um...." Cole frowned, running down the narrow hallway. He approached the chosen room, gently pulling his daughter off the piece of furniture. "When you're a guest in someone else's house, you do not put your shoes on there."
"But you let me at home," she protested, somewhat saddened.
"I know, but that's different," he whispered. "Just don't tell your mom, okay?"
"Tell me what?" Phoebe asked, coming up to them. "Hey, that's a great room. Do you want that one, sweetie?"
"She has kind of taken a special liking to it," Cole offered, secretly throwing his daughter a small smile.
"Which one did you decide on?" she asked quietly.
"Oh, I haven't. I'm just- you can go ahead. I'll take one of the ones that are left."
"Wait. Did I- you two aren't sharing?" Paige questioned, overhearing the conversation.
Cole looked at Phoebe, his expression falling. "No, we're not. But it's probably-"
"We are," Phoebe interrupted.
"Oh. Uh huh," her sister commented, rolling her eyes. "Right. Look. Whatever the case, it appears that I'm your roomie."
"What?" Cole inquired, clearly confused.
"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just- I'm not exactly scoring too many positive points at work lately, and I sort of need a place to chill, you know? Gather my thoughts."
"You forgot the demons," Phoebe offered, nodding.
"Those too. But it's not like we haven't lived together before."
"Yeah, you know, that just completely slipped my mind," Cole quipped, forcing a smile.
"What's there to eat?" Alex suddenly spoke up.
Phoebe laughed. "Why doesn't your daddy take you into the kitchen, and you can find out," she told her.
"Alright then," Cole agreed. "What are we in the mood for, young lady?"
"Fruit snacks," the little girl piped up happily.
"I...really don't think they have any fruit snacks here though."
"Why not?"
"Well, because adults don't...like them as much as kids do."
"Oh."
"But look. They've got cereal over here."
"It's Cheerios," she moped sadly, awarding the big yellow box a short glance.
"And what's wrong with Cheerios?"
"They have no marshmellows," she complained.
He laughed. "That doesn't mean they're not good for you."
"Yes, it does."
He placed her gently on the countertop, as he rummaged further through the cabinet. "Mmm. How about graham crackers?"
"Cinninamon?" she sounded out cheerfully.
"Yep. Cinnamon. How about it?"
"Okay."
"Great. Just hold onto these, while I find you a plate."
"So. What are you guys going to....you know...."
Phoebe watched her daughter from the kitchen, shrugging as she fell into an armchair in the family room. "I wish I knew," she mumbled, propping her hand underneath her chin. "I mean, we'll be okay here, right? The again...Cole also has a point. Maybe we're just trying to find our way out of a tight situation with very few alternatives."
"Whoa. Halt," her sister instructed. "First off, it's like Piper and I have been saying since you finally settled down with him. You don't have to go along with-"
"Yeah, and look where I ended up because of it already," she accused, slightly agitated.
"And speaking of- you gave into him. So that's your own fault."
"Okay. Just what is that supposed to mean, Paige?"
"I know I said to help him, which almost got all of us dead, but I didn't mean with your relationship."
"And I told you I wanted him back in my life."
"Phoebe, you're playing with fire."
"Oh, no pun intended, right?"
"What?"
"You always bring up my past. Each and every time- it never fails. So...what? You convinced I'll make another mistake? Is that it?"
"Maybe I am. But that's only because you're my sister, and we have to-"
"Half sister," she corrected, her face sprouting a tiresome expression.
"Look, Cole has always been something- someone you could never deny. The temptation has always been too great. But now, things go a lot deeper than that. For one, you have a daughter."
"Yes, and I told you that those two are inseparable. So whatever you're trying to do, isn't going to work."
"Phoebe-"
"The fact is, you never stuck around long enough to give him another chance."
"And you were so enthused to let down your guard?"
"Somewhere inside, I knew-"
"That at first, you wanted to hate his guts for what he put you through. Just admit it."
"Express laundry delivery!" a voice called out, as Piper orbed in with her husband.
"About time," Phoebe joked, smiling.
"Well, it's not easy trying to get out of the house when your daughter already suspects something."
"Oh my God, you haven't told her yet?" Paige put in, surprised.
"No," her sister confessed. "We've had Dad trying to keep her occupied."
"Bet that's working well."
"It was. Until she started asking why we couldn't go to the manor. What's more, she left her jacket, the one I specifically told her to wear- at the school."
"I'm sorry," Phoebe said sympathetically, giving her sister a reassuring pat on the back.
"No, you know...I've been coping with all of my slip ups as a parent, but I'm beginning to think there's no way around this anymore. She's getting older, and she's become awfully curious about a lot of things lately."
Leo sighed. "On another note, we brought you a few suitcases. I also made a stop by Cole's apartment, and you guys won't believe what we found over there."
"A letter demanding my quick death?" Cole asked, coming in with Alex. "Never could get enough of those."
"A ring," Leo filled in, fishing briskly through his khaki's pocket. Grasping the object, he slowly placed it down upon the coffee table before them.
"Do you recognize it?" Phoebe questioned, glancing carefully at her husband.
Cole reached down with his free hand, inspecting the small band. It was made of pure gold, with a fairly small stone cut to fit directly in the center. The stone was a ruby, a surprisingly vibrant red in color. He frowned. "No. I've never seen this before in my life. Where was it?"
"Whoever it was, I'd say they wanted it to be discovered," Piper suggested. "It was right on your desk, near your shredder."
"Oh, well, that sends a good message," Paige added.
"Daddy, what does it say?" Alex whispered, struggling to pry it from her father's fingers. "It's very pretty."
"Say....Ally?"
"Yes. There are words inside," she told him matter of factly, nodding.
He brought it closer to his frame of vision, adjusting his grip. "She's right," he said quietly, honestly shocked. He cleared his throat, making out the tiny scripted message. "Darkness consumes power."
"Darkness consumes power," Paige repeated slowly. "Well...that really does absolutely nothing for me."
"Was anything else out of place?"
"Cole, no offense, but you're not exactly known for keeping the place clean to begin with," Piper deadpanned, trying to hide a smile. "Or so Pheebs has let me in on once or twice."
"Ha, ha," he responded, rolling his eyes. "But I meant-"
"I know, and there wasn't. It was almost like they were looking for something, but left it undisturbed in the process."
"Well, that's new," Paige commented. "Guess we can rule out an angry demon." She paused a moment. "Which....sounds way too weird, doesn't it?"
"The Dark?" Phoebe guessed, taking the ring from Cole. "But what significance does the phrase represent, anyway? It only singles out the meaning."
"Meaning?" Cole inquired, half joking.
"That darkness can't exactly destroy power, when it's the one thing it feeds on."
"Maybe it's saying that it merely corrupts it," he tried, absentmindedly shrugging.
"That would be bad," Paige sided, sinking back onto the nearby sofa.
"It's obvious they want to use her powers against us," Cole agreed, his expression full of concern. "But this?"
"Are you sure no one caught onto your orb?" Phoebe pressed, quickly offering Leo a glance.
"Positive. We were very careful," he assured her.
"Then they're...she is probably going to all of the usual locations that we visit from day to day. Which could only-"
"She's probably had her eye on Alex for quite some time," Piper finished. "Checking up on her, making sure it was what she'd been searching for."
"Well, chances are, she's going to want it back," Cole brought forth, eyeing up the ring again. "Which will most likely bring her right to us."
"Mmm hmm. And now that Leo's confiscated it, she'll know something's up for sure. Good going," Paige scoffed.
"Wait. We don't even know if it belongs to her yet," Piper cut in, defending her husband. "So let's not be too quick to jump on the bandwagon unless we're absolutely sure."
"Fine," Paige stated, looking away, as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"And we better get back," Leo concluded.
His wife nodded. "Take care of yourselves. It'd be best if we didn't make anymore contact for a few days. So if you don't hear from us...."
Phoebe smiled, getting up to bring her sister close for a hug. "Thank you. For all you've done."
"Oh, it was nothing," Piper insisted, returning the smile. "And Alex? You keep an eye on your parents," she instructed the little girl. "Don't let them get out of line."
"Okay, Aunt Piper."
"Good."
"Best of luck," Leo added, pulling Piper close. They were gone in a bright flash, the suitcases abandoned in their wake.
"It is getting late," Phoebe surmised. "Maybe we should try and fix something for dinner, then....call it a night."
"You can call it whatever you want," Paige spoke up. "But I'm heading out to that jacuzzi shortly."
Cole rolled his eyes. "Figures," he mumbled.
"Actually, I don't blame her," Phoebe confessed. "Everything was pretty stressful today. Lot of running around...."
"And it's all part of being a Charmed One," he reminded her, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered.
"So what'll it be for dinner?" he asked aloud.
"Fruit snacks!" Alex proposed once again.
Phoebe laughed, while Cole simply let out a prolonged sigh.