Shadows Of the Night
part 3
"Are you sure this is the right place, Cole?"
Cole Turner offered a slight grimace in his sister in law's direction, as he then turned to roll his eyes at his wife. "Yes, Paige. For the one thousandth five hundred fortieth time, this is the right place. I followed each step carefully, trust me."
She shrugged, sighing. "Well, maybe we missed a street on the way here."
"Alright. Tell me again why we decided to bring her along. Because it's certainly doing nothing for the good of mankind," he quipped quietly.
Phoebe gave him a small pat on the back, as they made their way up the sidewalk, smiling in spite of the situation. "Well, we couldn't just leave her at home-"
"But it's not even her home," he protested. "Therefore, she may as well just have been excluded to begin with."
"Daddy, Melinda and me are bored," Alex complained softly, the two little girls trailing behind them. Both had backpacks strapped on, and Alex nervously tugged at the straps, her small frame clothed in fatigue.
"Melinda and I," he corrected, his voice just above a whisper. "And it should be right up here, Ally. I'm sure there'll be plenty to do once you get there."
"Well, that's funny. Because I thought that this was so you two could have your time alone," Paige quipped. "If you didn't want me, why did you bring-"
"Because it was free, and we're not about to deny them their share of fun," Phoebe pointed out carefully.
"Paige, you're forgetting that they also have cruises for Disney. And Disney? Just about spells children all by itself. There's lots to do."
"Have you ever been to anything Disney? Because my parents took me when I was little, and I swear I could've had nightmares for weeks."
"Oh, so is that why you're this way? Gee, I never would have guessed."
"Shush!" Phoebe hissed. "Their ears are open, and that is not something I want my daughter to hear."
"And once more, I ask...why did we bring her with us? She's only provoking everybody again."
"And getting lost doesn't exactly make you a hero either," Paige snapped.
"Paige, I have a lightening bolt, and I'm not afraid to use it."
"Oh, I'd like to see you try," she urged.
"One or two?" he returned.
"That is enough!" Phoebe told them. "If this keeps up, I'm going to tell them four children, instead of two- get my drift?"
"Paige has to pay twice?"
"Um...duh? It's free," Paige replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I resent that."
"Cole, honestly. That was about as immature as your attitude."
"Mommy, what do you do on a cruise?" Ally spoke up again, a smile eagerly falling across her face.
"Um...lots of things," Phoebe explained. "It's...it's like a fun park, you know? Without all of the rides."
"Wait...speaking of which- this...isn't going to have you turning into a mermaid again with the call of the sea, is it?" Cole asked her, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.
She playfully hit him. "Am I mad at you?"
"Not yet," he considered.
"My sisters and I said a spell for that. There is no spell involved here, so we should be safe."
"Speaking of, are you sure Piper and Leo are okay with us taking-"
"I left a message with her before we left," Phoebe added.
"So now all we have to do is find this S.A. Sterling character then, right?" Cole inquired. "I mean, it looks like he's the guy in charge of this expedition."
"Expedition? Hell, I think I still like the word vacation better," Paige offered, scrunching up her nose. "I mean, this is purely free of anything super-"
"And don't you go and jinx it!" her sister hissed, glaring at her. "We've been free for the most part, and I'd like to keep it that way."
"Well, you can bet those Elders will have some news to dampen our style."
"Paige..."
"Well, they always do, don't they? Mind you, it's always much too late too. Half the time, even Leo doesn't know what's going on."
"Look!" Melinda suddenly shouted, putting a small finger directly in front of her.
"What's the matter, sweetie?" Phoebe asked, bending down to her level.
"Up there. A big boat!" she exclaimed.
"Big- oh my...." The Charmed One held her gaze in her niece's frame of vision, letting her eyes roam over the large craft that now loomed before them. It was a vibrant white in color, big black letters painted across its side in a rather full script. It read Crimson Star, the name Sterling etched on below it, clothed in a bright red. People milled about atop the vessel, hanging their arms lazily over the sides, or simply getting themselves caught up in conversations. A mother pulled her small boy down from the railing, as the child nearly took a plunge into the water below. Another woman struggled to grasp all of her bags in both hands, as the lightest one continued to fall lazily to the floor.
"Wow," Paige uttered, as she closed her lids a moment, then pulled them open again. "Wow."
"Seems....too good to be true," Cole mumbled carefully, taking his daughter's hand.
"Which means it probably is. Want to make some bets that it's cursed?"
"How about possessed?"
"How about neither?" Phoebe responded, crossing her arms over her chest. "Looks just like any normal cruise to me."
"Then maybe we'll all be going down like the Titanic," Paige deadpanned.
Cole sighed. "Suppose we should make our presence known over there. Either that, or they'll probably be leaving without us. Which, you know, wouldn't be at all bad, considering that crowd already."
"No, Daddy, I wanna go," Ally told him excitedly. "It's a nice boat.
He nodded. "That it is. But still. Why us? And why now? It just doesn't-"
"You could just put that all aside and enjoy the time with Phoebe."
"Did I ask for your opinion?"
"No, but I thought I'd-"
"Why, hello there, folks!!!"
The five of them turned their heads, as a rather tall young man approached them, his boots pounding rapidly against the pavement. "How is everyone this morning?!" He had a long mane of light blonde hair, and bright blue eyes. His nose was just a bit too big for his perfectly carved cheekbones on his thinly shaped face, and a single earring hung loosely from his right ear- a small silver loop. Clothed in a flannel shirt and faded jeans, he showed them a mouth full of teeth, as his lips opened to form a bright smile.
"Are you Sterling?" Cole questioned, glancing once again at the crisp white sheet of paper.
"Nope....nope, I'm Crane. Billy Crane. I'm Mr. Sterling's assistant. Here to help with the luggage and show you where you'll all be staying, and-"
"Is Mr. Sterling here?" Cole interrupted, his expression surpassing the young man's curious look upon him.
"Yes, he is. But I'm afraid he's real busy at the moment, or else I'm sure he would've come out to greet you himself," Crane assured him.
"Did....all of these people get this cruise for free?" Paige countered, indicating the ship still full of a great many guests.
Yes. Miss-" Running his finger down the clipboard he held in his right hand, he nodded. "Matthews. You guys are the last bunch to arrive."
"Oh. Well, how convenient of us."
"Do know that all of you were randomly picked from a survey taken of your areas," he pointed out. "We're confident that we found the perfect pack of sailors for the journey. I mean, just so we're clear, none of you become sea sick- at...at least not often?"
"Not that I can recall," Cole added, finally forcing a small smile.
"But I wasn't even supposed to-"
"Miss Halliwell called you in, didn't she?" he returned, fairly confused, as he turned back to Paige. "I mean, your name is here, plain as day. Are you sure-"
"Positive," she finished, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, as she calmly narrowed her eyes at him.
"And that's Turner," Phoebe corrected. "That's my husband, Cole. And this is our daughter, Alexandra."
"Right. And this must be Melinda Wyatt over here, right?"
"That's right," Melinda piped up. "Am I on the list too?"
"It looks like it, little lady."
"It still doesn't explain how mine got there," Paige continued roughly.
"Listen, why don't I help you all aboard, and we can get settled now, hmm?"
"How long have you been running these cruises for Sterling?" Cole brought up, his expression unreadable. He gently scooped up Alex into his arms, bringing Phoebe in closer to his chest. Paige lingered behind Melinda, holding tightly to the petite girl's hand.
"Oh, not long. Word is, Sterling goes through his assistants fairly quick. The way I see it, I'll be out of a job shortly."
"Sorry to hear that."
"Hey, I'm used to it. Was lucky to have come across this one, actually. Kind of happened by chance."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Saw this notice stapled to a telephone pole. You know, the usual story of lost and found. Sterling claimed he'd been searching for someone like me for quite awhile. But hell. That's what he probably told all of them."
"All of-"
"Those other employees," he explained. "From what I heard, they were fired. But the funny thing was, there seemed to be way too many missing person cases filed afterwards. Claimed he hadn't seen them after he'd let them go. But I'd say it was certainly more than a small coincidence on his part."
"And this day just keeps getting better," Cole quipped.
"But I'm sure he's harmless," Crane sided. "I mean, there have been no complaints from any of the guests aboard the ship in the past. Least not that I know of. He gets 'em around, then gets 'em back safely. Figure that's what any captain should have in mind for the trip."
"He also controls the ship?"
"Oh, sure. It's like he's in a million places at once. Great host too. It's just...you know, underneath it all? I suspect it all really is an act. But like I said, you wouldn't think so."
Cole briefly cleared his throat, shooting a small glance Phoebe's way.
"So what do you think?" she whispered to him.
"You mean, what do I really think?" he rephrased, as Crane walked up ahead of them.
"Demons, warlocks, woogies?"
"Woogey? Hardly," he added, offering a small laugh on her part.
"I was only kidding," she said quietly. "Just trying to lighten the mood, you know? As I can see there is definitely someone here who is the need of lightening theirs....hint, hint."
"Oh, and I think you completely surpassed being subtle on that one."
"You think?"
"Well, if I had to say anything right now, my guess would be this guy is in debt or something. I mean, his problems seem purely financial. Maybe he was even into something illegal at one time."
"But you could help him deal with that," she urged. "I mean, you being a lawyer and all..."
"Oh, so he's going to help some idiot we barely know?" Paige asked behind them, her tone revealing anger. "But yet he couldn't even stand to give my little dilemma one tiny little peek."
"Are you going to be a broken record for the remainder of the evening?"
"Well, when you have a brother in law who is so incredibly selfish, I don't see what other alternatives I have."
"I'm selfish?"
"Self-involved," she elaborated. "Conceited, absorbed..."
"That's funny, because I still believe someone forced their way into our house, regardless of anything I had said."
"My sister has a mind of her own too, thank you. You're not the only one who lives there."
"And as long as we don't get in the way of each others schedules, we should be fine," Phoebe assured her.
"Okay, is this like a sister thing now?"
"Daddy, will I ever have a sister?" Alex asked curiously, looking up at her father, as she proceeded to stare at him with big eyes.
"Well, that depends on what your mom says."
"Why?"
"You're awfully presistent lately, aren't you?"
Ally offered a low giggle, as she continued to cling to him.
"Well, see. It's like this. When two people are in love, it kind of all depends on one person to take a step further in that-"
"And okay!" Paige cut in. "You know what? Let's just leave it at the stork, and move on, alright?"
"Stork?" Cole responded, raising an eyebrow. "You still believe that story?"
"Of course not. But I'm certainly not going to tell her the truth. She's way too young to hear it."
"I'm getting a baby brother soon," Melinda eagerly spoke up.
"You know, if you folks would like separate rooms-"
"Yes please," Paige offered hurriedly, breathing a sigh of relief.
"I was going to say for the children," Crane said, laughing. "There are parents who would rather they have their privacy, and-"
"Oh, our daughter stays with us," Phoebe filled in, shooting her husband a glance. "And our niece will be staying with her aunt."
"Just...thought I'd offer, ma'am. You seem like quite the unique group here. I...I mean I sense a lot of tension."
"Tension?" Cole asked.
"Between you and the brunette? I'm guessing you guys rarely have family get togethers."
"Oh, no, we just lock her in the closet while we dine and gossip," he quipped, turning back to give his sister in law a smile.
Paige lightly shoved him from behind, making a face. "You are such an idiot."
"Okay! So here we are. Third one down, on the right. And for Miss...Matthews, and Melinda....fourth one down, on the left. Now, there is a key that each of you will be assigned, and I urge you to put it in a safe place so you don't lose it. Should it come to that, chances are we'll have a spare located in the main office on the ground level. Just...come and get us there, and we'll see what we can do." Crane gently let go of their luggage, positioning the bags directly in front of each of the rooms.
"So that's it, huh?"
"You take it from here, Miss Matthews. I do hope you guys all enjoy your stay. And as for Sterling, he should be around in the dance hall tonight. There's...supposed to be some kind of a big party going on down there or something. So if you wanna catch a chat, I suggest you might wanna swing by."
"I'll do that," Cole assured him. "And you know...are...are you sure we don't owe you anything? I mean, this is kind of last minute for all of us, because it's not everyday something like this comes your way, you know? So I was just wondering if there's some kind of deposit we may have to put down. Some kind of payment in advance-"
"Nope. Nothing. Like I said before, this is purely out of the goodness that still remains in Sterling's heart. I guess you could call it a favor, hmm?"
"I like it," Alex mused happily, as her feet touched the ground again. "Daddy, can I open up the door?"
Cole held the key loosely in his grasp, bending down to the little girl's height. He gently reached for her left hand, carefully putting the object into her palm, placing a small pat atop her head. "Go ahead."
"Really?"
"Here, I'll help you, sweetie," Phoebe offered, leading her daughter over to their cabin door.
"So it should be smooth sailing then, right?"
Crane nodded. "Far as I know. There don't seem to be any storms in sight, so I don't see why not."
"Well, that's a relief."
"Look, Mr. Turner, I know this all just sounds like something-"
"Is it?" Cole narrowed his eyes at the young man, his gorgeous profile unreadable, as he placed both hands upon his hips. "I mean, I've had my share of trouble in the past, and I'm not exactly looking forward to any more of it."
"And we wouldn't want to cause you any."
"I hope not," he whispered. "For your sake."
Crane's thin lips twitched into a half smile, as he slowly took a step forward. "Is...that a threat, Mr. Turner?"
"No. It's just a warning. And if you see this Sterling on your way out, be sure to pass it on."
"You don't trust us, and we've only just begun-"
"The only thing I'd like to begin, is a vacation. And I think that message should be perfectly clear to your supervisor."
"Look, you really should take that up with him, alright? I have no control over any of it."
"Any of what?"
"Enjoy the ride, Mr. Turner. You...and your family."
Cole watched as Crane sauntered off, his head etched to the ground, back slouched in step. The ex demon watched him until he turned the corner, offering a short sigh, as he gently shut his eyes.
He felt a slender hand calmly enclose itself around his own, as the warmth seeped into the chill that had just hit him. "Are you okay?" the voice inquired worriedly.
He shrugged, reeling her into his frame of vision, as he tightened his grip then, his hand securely latching onto hers. "I don't know. I mean, it's just happening so fast. At first we couldn't even find the damn place, and then....here it is. Right before us, and we nearly missed it. I...I mean, how is that possible? How is it possible that we were...but...but you know- it's probably just me, right? I'm probably just so damn paranoid...and I want to try and make it into something it's not. I mean, either that, or I shudder to think I'm going a little crazy."
"Well, look at what we got past a year ago," she reminded him. "Our daughter was kidnapped, and we nearly died trying to save her. You nearly died."
"And how do we know that by bringing her here, the same thing isn't going to happen again?"
"This is hardly the place for some demon to just come and try to kill us," she pointed out. "For one, he'd have to get past all of those people up there-"
"Not if he had the ability to shimmer," he added tiredly.
"Stop....worrying," she urged him, smiling. "Everything is going to be fine."
"And that's funny, because who exactly was the skeptic among us before?"
She playfully hit him. "Look, I'm open to new possibilites if you are."
"And I'm trying to be."
"So stop whining, and come have a look at our room."
"Daddy, Daddy! I get the top bed!" Alex called out, giggling, as she beckoned to him from beyond the door. "I get the top!"
Cole smiled, in spite of himself. "Well, she's certainly excited, isn't she?"
"That she is," Phoebe agreed softly. "Think we should flip a coin?"
"Well, you know how you always liked to be on top," he joked, as she gently dragged him into their cabin.
**********
"Are they all here, safe and sound?"
"Far as I can tell. Last of them just got here."
"Good," the voice responded, clasping its thin fingers together, as the tips evenly touched one another. "That's good news." His white hair hung in a long shag about his slender face, the cheekbones sunken in to reveal a rather ghastly sight. The eyes were a misty shade of gray- small, but clearly attentive. Bringing up a long leg clothed in a thick black boot, he crossed it over the other.
"Was all of it really necessary though? I mean, there are other ways."
"Of course there are. But do you really think I'm that stupid?"
"No. Never, Boss. Never even crossed my mind," the other figure insisted, a hint of nervousness shedding itself.
"Besides, I'm not the one that needs them," he pointed out. "Well, they do. But you know as well as I do, that's nearly impossible after what I've done."
"Fixed 'em good."
"Yes. I did."
"Well, it's a deal for a deal, right?"
"Exactly. See, you're catching on quickly, aren't you? I like that."
"But...but what's in it for me? I mean, I'm lying through my teeth here, and I don't even know if there'll be a single benefit involved."
"Oh, you'll get something in return. Just make sure we've wiped them all clean."
"And then what?"
"Well, we'll discuss that point when we come to it. But, you know....until then, I suggest it would prove best to simply lay low. You don't want to be too obvious."
"Never."
"And I? I'll be making my cameo appearance tonight."
"I've already informed them you'd be there at some point."
"Well, I can't very well go looking like this now, can I?"
"What's the difference? They've already seen my face."
"But not your true face."
"You know, relax, okay? They've been buying into all of that crap I've been telling them like nothing. We have them eating right out of the palm of our hands."
"And that gentleman?"
"What gentleman? I met quite a few of them up there."
"The one with the child and the-"
"Little wife? Oh, he's harmless, trust me."
"See, that's the problem, isn't it? So many of my confidants lacked so very much of it." He repeatedly began to tap his fingernails along the table in front of him, considering a moment. "No. He looks suspicious. Keep an eye out on him, would you? Afterall, we....can't very well have him disturbing what we owe everything to now, can we? It would jeopardize the whole shot."
"No. Not the best plan."
"So get back up there and keep up the impressions. It's the least we can do."
"When do you-"
"I'll call you," came the dry reply, as the fingers gently waved their opponent away.
As the tall figure exited the room, a dimly lit shape lingered around the doorway, it's wispy fingers clutching the frame quite desperately, curiously watching the scene in front of it. A troubled expression rose upon its face, its transparent legs treading softly to the carpet below. Heaving a vacant sigh into the air, it crept silently into the large cabin, unnnoticed by the man who still sat in his high-backed chair, retrieving a few documents from the cabinet to his right. It breathed a saddened sigh, as its eyes roamed the material that had been placed below. Spells. More spells to banish...to trap. No freedom. Never. Because maybe it just wasn't meant to be. So many years, and still so very trapped. Jumping back, the figure quickly lifted himself from his seat, as he angrily slammed a fist into the solid piece of wood. "Soon," he muttered impatiently. "It all ends soon."