"Spells, Lies and Remorse" [R]

[oddball7]

Rina Keaton
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 2207
(9/3/04 1:11 pm)
Reply
Re: "Spells, Lies and Remorse" [R]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"SPELLS, LIES AND REMORSE" by RFK



CHAPTER EIGHT


A lime-green Volkswagen was parked across the street from one of San Francisco's many courthouses. Bruce, Harry and the car's owner - Paige - sat inside, waiting for a certain Assistant District Attorney to make his appearance on the courthouse steps.

"What time did Paul say that he was going to lunch?" Paige asked impatiently.

Bruce sighed. "He didn't say exactly when. All he said was . . ." He broke off at the sight of two men descending the wide steps. He recognized one of them as Paul. "There he is." Bruce glanced at his watch. "At twelve-thirty, on the dot."

The three witches watched Paul and the other man turn left and strode along the street, before disappearing around the corner. Harry, who sat the seat next to Paige, turned to grin at the older man in the backseat. "Show time, big brother. Do us proud."

"Oh great!" Bruce moaned. Harry helped him out of the car. Then he added, "I'll see you guys within a few minutes or so." He dashed across the street and entered the building. A security guard informed him that Paul Margolin's office was located on the seventh floor. Just before approaching the office, Bruce dashed into the men's restroom. Finding it empty, he quickly morphed into the New York-born witch's form. Then he strode out of the restroom and into Paul's office, expecting to encounter the latter's secretary. Fortunately, she was no where to be seen.

Once safely inside the office, Bruce took a deep breath and cried out, "Leo! LEO!" Nearly twenty minutes passed, but the whitelighter failed to respond. Once more, Bruce called out the latter's name. "Leo!" At that moment, blue lights appeared, signaling the whitelighter's arrival.

* * * *

"Morris!" Captain McPherson's bark took Darryl by surprise.

The police lieutenant rushed into his supervisor's office. "Captain? You need something?"

"Yeah. I need to know the whereabouts of your partner. Where is McNeill?"

Dreading this moment, Darryl lied to the police captain. "She's at home, sick. Sore throat and stomach bug. She called me, this morning."

"Oh. Okay." McPherson added, "By the way, how is the Kostopulos case coming along?"

Darryl nervously cleared his throat. "Slow. Both Scott Yi and Carlotta Trujillo are still questioning witnesses. It shouldn't be long before we have ourselves a suspect."

McPherson dismissed the lieutenant, allowing the latter to escape from the former's presence. A relieved Darryl returned to his desk. Where in the hell was Olivia? And why has she not called? Even if she were involved in a supernatural emergency, she would have informed him.

Darryl shook his head. Even before he had learned that she was a witch, Darryl never could fathom his partner's mind. And lately, her personality seemed to have undergone a major change since that lunch with Margolin, last . . . Darryl's thoughts broke off, as his mind retrieved a memory that he had been trying to recall for the past few. That afternoon at the restaurant flashed before his eyes - the phone call he had received from Sheila, returning to the table to find Olivia gone . . . and seeing Paul Margolin pour something into Olivia's drink. Paul Margolin? Realizing that he had just remembered something important, Darryl picked up the telephone and dialed the number to the McNeills' home.

* * * *

Inside Paige's Volkswagen, she and Harry sat in silence. This was the first time they had been alone, since their date, Friday night. And considering that it had not ended well, she felt slightly uncomfortable in his presence. Then Harry's voice cut through the silence. "Cat caught your tongue?"

Paige stared at the red-haired man. "Huh?"

"I've noticed that ever since Bruce left the car, you've been silent. Is there a reason?"

Her cheeks burning with embarrassment, Paige shook her head. "No. No reason. Can't we sit in silence? Do we have to . . .?"

"Okay Paige, what the hell is wrong?"

Paige shot back. "Nothing's wrong!"

A large sigh left Harry's mouth. "I realize that our date didn't turn out like we had hoped, but . . ."

"What makes you think that our date has anything to do with me being silent?" Paige rolled her eyes in feign contempt. Then she confronted him. "Are you trying to tell me that you didn't enjoy yourself?"

With a shrug of his shoulders, Harry replied, "Actually, I did. Until we ran into Olivia and Paul at the Golden Horn. After that . . . well, it wasn't exactly paradise."

"No wonder, considering the shock of seeing Olivia and Paul together like that."

A long pause followed, before Harry added, "Actually that wasn't it. You . . ."

"I . . . what?"

Once more, Harry sighed. "Have you ever considered the possibility that you have a . . . well, obsessive nature?"

"What?" Paige stared at her companion in shock. "What do you mean by that?"

Harry continued, "After we saw Olivia and Paul, you seemed . . . obsessive. I mean, c'mon Paige! You spent the rest of the evening obsessing over them. You even tried to talk me into reading Paul's mind, again." He shook his head. "That sort of ruined it for me."

"Well, pardon me for ruining your evening!" Paige retorted, feeling put out by Harry's comment. "Maybe you should stick to women who wouldn't mind worshipping the ground you walk! Like Dana Morton, for instance. I'm sure she's capable of stroking that ego of yours!"

"For crying out loud!" Harry focused his green eyes upon the Charmed One. "Would it really hurt for you to accept a little criticism?"

Paige shot back, "Oh please! Like you would like it if I had criticized you about you about some of your traits!"

"What are you talking about? You do it all the time!"

"The hell I . . ." Paige paused, as she recalled the numerous times she had either insulted Harry or made some comment about his less than personable traits. "Never mind," she murmured.

Another lengthy moment of silence followed, before Paige heard Harry say, "So, uh . . . would you like to go out, again?"

She stared at him, as if he had lost his mind. "What?"

"Would you like to go out on another date? This upcoming Friday, for instance?"

Stunned by his proposal, Paige nearly ended up stammering. "Wha . . . I thought . . . You didn't . . . Why do you want to go out with me, so badly?"

"Because I find you attractive," Harry said. From the corner of her eye, Paige saw his face turn red. "Is that so hard to fathom?"

"Considering your opinion on my 'obssessive' nature," Paige commented, "yeah."

A embarrassed smile curved Harry's lips. Paige could not help but notice that he seemed very attractive at that moment. "Okay, I had that coming. But flaws or no flaws, I find you . . . attractive. And I would like to go out with you, again."

'Say no,' Paige's mind told her. 'No!' She opened her mouth and . . . "Sure. Why not?" God! She could be such a sucker for a cute smile!

[oddball7]

* * * *

At the same time, Olivia stepped out of the elevator and strode toward the double doors that led to Cole's penthouse. She produced a special key from her purse - one used by thieves to open lock - and used it to open the door.

Once inside the penthouse, Olivia surveyed the living room, trying to decide where to create her circle. The middle of the room - in front of the fireplace - seemed to be the perfect spot. She removed from her purse, a small bottle of the potion, now a red paste, and set about drawing a circle. With a heptagram inside.


* * * *

"Paul?" A concerned expression appeared on Leo's face. "Something wrong?"

As rehearsed, Bruce replied in a tense voice, "They know."

Leo frowned. "Know what?"

Bruce began to wonder if Harry and Paige had been mistaken about the whitelighter. He sighed and added, "I'm talking about Olivia, Leo. And Cole. They know. At least, Harry does."

Shaking his head, Leo protested, "That's impossible. I know I had told you about Paige's suspicions. But I managed to nip it in the bud. She hasn't mentioned it, again." Anxiety lit up his blue eyes. "Or has she? At least mentioned it to Harry? Do they know about the spell?"

The spell? Margolin had placed a spell on his sister? It took all of Bruce's self-control not to lose his temper. "I was dining with Olivia's family, last night. Well, you know that Paige and Harry saw us at the Golden Horn, Friday night. But last night . . . Harry was looking at me rather odd. As if he was trying to concentrate on something."

"That something was probably you." Leo heaved an exasperated sigh. "My God! Harry must have read your mind, Paul. He's a telepath."

Naturally inclined to defend his younger brother, Bruce said, "But don't witches with telepathic powers have this code about reading other people's minds without permission?"

"They do," Leo replied shortly. "Only, Harry isn't the type who follows the rules." Son-of-a-@#%$! Bruce mentally suppressed the insult. Leo added, "When did you realize that they . . . I mean, Harry knew?"

Bruce continued to lie. "Like I said, he had this odd look on his face. And there were the hints he was giving. Especially after the phone call he had received from Paige. He started talking about spells that change people's personalities. And that's when I realized that he knew. Paige probably knows, as well."

"She must have told him that I've returned," Leo said. Another sigh left his mouth. "What about Cole? What do they know about Cole?"

At that momentally, Bruce mentally sent out a summons to his brother, in the hopes that the latter would detect it. Sure enough, Harry and Paige orbed behind Leo, seconds later. To keep the charade going, Bruce frowned. "Know about Cole?"

"You said that they knew about the spell you had used on Olivia," Leo continued. "Do they know about her plans to vanquish Cole?"

Paige gasped. Leo whirled around with a stunned expression. "Paige! Harry! What are you . . .?"

"Leo?" As the whitelighter's gaze returned to Bruce, he transformed back to his original form. The shapeshifter regarded Leo with a cold gaze. "I think we need to have a serious talk. Like about that spell Paul had cast upon my sister."

Leo's face paled.

* * * *

At precisely one-thirty in the afternoon, Paul stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the double doors that led inside Belthazor's penthouse. Fearing that his lunch with the District Attorrney would last longer than he hoped, Paul had cut it short with a fake excuse. Upon leaving the restaurant, he nearly broke several traffic laws in trying to reach Olivia's apartment building on time. There were moments like now that he wished he were a teleporter.

Paul raised his hand to knock on the door - and hesitated. What if Olivia was not inside? Even worse, what if Belthazor had returned home earlier than usual? And why start the plan now? Why not wait until after the half-demon's arrival? "Forget the questions Margolin, and just knock," he muttered to himself. Which he did.

Seconds later, the door opened, revealing Olivia. She smiled. "You made it. And you're early." She opened the door further, allowing Paul to step inside.

"I didn't know how long that lunch would last," Paul said. "The D.A. can be a bit . . ." He paused, as the penthouse's décor took his breath away. And nearly made him green with envy. Paul wished that he could only be so lucky as to live in such a beautifully furnished and expensive penthouse like this. He noted the fireplace against the left wall. And the balcony on the far side of the apartment that overlooked San Francisco Bay. Hell, it looked even more beautiful than Olivia's apartment. "Not bad," he murmured. Paul seemed ready to dismiss the place as too perfect, and yet lacking in any warmth. But his eyes spotted various plants stationed throughout the living room. And the burgundy macramé shawl spread across the sofa's back. Resentment flared within his breast. Olivia's touch, of course. Then his eyes fell upon a red circle on the floor. "What's that?" he asked.

Olivia's smile widened. "A magic circle, of course. Where the vanquish will take place. The circle is made from a potion I had prepared. Which, hopefully, will kill Cole." She said in a very cheerful voice.

"But that's . . ." Paul peered closer at the circle. "That's not a pentagram, is it?"

"No, it's a heptagram. Star with seven points."

Seven points? Paul shook his head. "But why? I mean . . . why seven . . .?"

Olivia interrupted. "Each point represents an element. This is, uh . . . based on a new theory of mine." Paul continued to stare at the symbol with growing doubt. An impatient huff escaped from Olivia's mouth. "Don't worry. It'll work. Trust me. Now," she picked up the cordless telephone, "time to put the plan into action."

Before she could contact Belthazor, Paul said, "Wait a minute! Why don't you just wait until he comes home?"

"And when will that be?" Olivia's green eyes bored into Paul's, making him feel slightly intimidated. "Cole doesn't have a regular schedule. I don't know any attorney who does. Do you?" He had to admit that Olivia had a point. "Okay, here we go." She dialed a number. Seconds later, "Hi, this is Ms. Beatrice More, the general manager of Mr. Turner's building. May I speak to him?"

A curious Paul asked Olivia what she was up to. Instead of answering his question, Olivia gave him a cryptic smile. Then, "Good afternoon, Mr. Turner. This is Beatrice More. There's a problem at the building. We're experiencing gas leaks from our pipes. Mr. Farnelli believes that it might be coming from your place. Could you give us permission to enter?" She paused. "Oh, you'll be here yourself?" Olivia's smile widened. "Well, if you insist. I'll see you soon. Thank you." She disconnected the telephone. "Get ready," she added. "Cole should be here at any time."

[oddball7]

* * * *

Paige stared at her brother-in-law in disbelief. "I can't . . . Oh my God! I can't believe it! Leo! What have you done?"

"I haven't done . . ." Leo paused under the stares of the three witches. "Look, I had to do it! It was the only way to prevent a disaster from happening!"

Bruce took a threatening step forward. "What disaster? What was so damn important that you and Paul had decided to put my sister under a spell?"

"It had to be done!" Leo protested, taking a step back. "To prevent a new Source from emerging."

"What?"

The whitelighter explained, "One of our whitelighters is a seer. She was also one, as a mortal. Anyway, she had a vision of Cole playing a part in the emergence of a new Source. Both he and Olivia. When I found out that Cole's mother now headed the Brotherhood of the Thorn . . ."

"You've got to be joking!" Harry exclaimed. "You and the Boy Scout had cast a spell on Olivia to stop a new Source from emerging? What the hell does Olivia has to do with all of this? Why have her kill Cole? If that's possible!"

An uneasy expression appeared on Leo's face. "Because . . . because, she's the only one who can kill him."

"Meaning?"

An epiphany struck Paige. She finally understood what Leo was trying to say. "Oh my God," she murmured. The others stared at her. "Oh God! The vision!"

Harry frowned. "What?"

"Cecile's vision! Remember what happened at the wedding?" Paige continued in an excited voice. "When she had first met Paul, Cecile had a vision of Olivia killing Cole. In Paul's presence!"

Shaking his head, Harry protested, "But that's impossible! Olivia isn't strong enough to kill Cole. None of us are - including the Power of Three."

Bruce threw his head back and groaned. "Oh! Of course! Olivia and I had this theory on how to kill the Source without the use of brute strength. Only . . ." He frowned. "Barbara told me about Olivia making a big purchase at Ostera's, last Saturday. Is that true?"

Paige nodded. "Yeah. Some weird stuff. Why?"

With a sigh, Bruce added, "Then she must have made the potion, and plan to use some time in the near future."

"We have to stop here!"

A grim Leo shot back, "You won't! Remember? In Cecile's vision, none of you make it in time to save Cole. Why don't you accept the fact that he's as good as dead? In the end, it'll be best for all . . ."

Harry punched the whitelighter in the jaw, stopping the latter in mid-sentence. Leo reeled back and landed on the floor. "That's for using my sister as a pawn in your little scheme," he growled. "And when she finds out, may the God and Goddess help you." He turned to the others. "We have to warn Cole."

Bruce retrieved his cell phone and dialed. Seconds later, he returned it to his jacket. "That was his assistant. Cole left his office about a few minutes ago. Something about an emergency at his building."

The older witch's words brought back memories of Cecile's vision to Paige. "Of course! The penthouse! Cecile had used her telepathy to show us her vision. That's were Olivia is going to kill Cole!"

Another sigh left Bruce's mouth. "Okay. I'll try to reach Cole's . . ." His cell phone rang. "Hello?" A pause followed, while Paige noticed the grim expression on his face. "Oh @#%$! Thanks Gran. I think we know where to go." He disconnected his phone and returned it to jacket pocket. "That was Gran. She just got a phone call from Darryl. Apparently, Olivia didn't bother to show up for work, today. I think she's planning to do the job, as soon as possible."

"Well then, let's go," Harry said. "Paige?"

The Charmed One grabbed hold of each McNeill brother. Leo stared at the trio. "Where are you going?" he demanded.

"To Cole's place," Bruce coldly replied. To clean up your mess, before it gets any worse." And the three witches orbed out of Paul's office.

[oddball7]

* * * *

Cole materialized in the middle of his penthouse. He glanced around the semi-dark living room and turned on the lights. There did not seemed to be any sign of gas in the air. Only cinnamon apple. Which happened to be . . .

Two figures emerged from one of the bedroom, taking Cole by surprise. Olivia and . . . Paul Margolin. "What the hell are you two doing inside my place?" he demanded.

Olivia stepped forward, her beautiful face marred by a cold smile. "Doing the universe a favor, Belthazor."

"What?" Confused, Cole stared at the redhead. "Olivia, have you lost your mind? What the hell are you talking about?"

Her smile grew chillier, making Cole feel increasingly uneasy. "This." She waved her in the air. "Initiate."

To Cole's surprise, a bright red circle formed around him. Something akin to a force field. For some unexplained reason, he felt a shot of fear go through him. "Olivia? What's going on?" He made an attempt to push himself past the force field. To his surprise, he failed. His fear threatened to overwhelm him. "Olivia . . ."

The red-haired witch began to chant. "In Hecate's name, I summon the powers of air, of water, of earth, of wood, of metal, of fire and of spirit to infect this demon's powers and destroy him from within!"

Another surprise awaited Cole, as the red light from the circle began to seep into his body. The pain rose to an unbearable level, causing Cole to fall to his knees with a cry.

* * * *

Bruce, Harry and Paige orbed into Cole's penthouse and came upon a scene of horror. They found the half-demon surrounded by a circle of red light, on his knees and screaming in pain. Outside the circle stood Paul Margolin wearing a smug expression and Olivia chanting a spell.

Horrified, Bruce called out his sister's name. "Olivia! Olivia, stop!" His cries failed to reach her ears. Paul was another matter.

The New York-born witch turned around and regarded the newcomers with anxiety. As Paige stepped forward to stop Olivia, he raised his hand and sent a gust of ice toward the Charmed One. Bruce immediately counteracted Paul's attack with his aerokinesis, forcing the ice to envelop the cyrokinetic and turn him into an ice statue.

Meanwhile, Olivia continued her chant. "In Hecate's name, I summon the powers of air, of water, of earth, of wood, of metal, of fire and of spirit to infect this demon's powers and destroy him from within!" The red circle soon began to envelop Cole.

Again, Bruce ordered his sister to stop. For once, she heard him. Then she waved one hand and sent Bruce reeling back against the door. At the same time, Paul's frozen figure toppled backward and shattered into pieces upon impact of the floor. Bruce glanced helplessly at the others. "Oh my God," he murmured. "How can we stop her?"

"Let me try," Harry said. He directed his stare at the back of Olivia's head. Experienced in living with telepaths, Bruce nearly detected the younger man's psychic message to their sister. However, she continued her chant. Then Harry's stare became more intense. "Olivia, stop! Now!" Cole's tormentor grabbed her head and cried out in pain. Seconds later, she fell to the floor, unconscious. Cole did the same, once the red circle finally disappeared.

Paige stared at Harry. "What did you do?"

"Touched a nerve in her brain, a little bit," he replied. "She was resisting me. I guess . . . I had to be a little more intense." Harry pointed at the circle on the carpet. "Anyone know how to get rid of that?"

Paige opened the nearest window. I'll do it." She pointed at the red circle on the floor and said, "Potion . . . window." The mixture on the carpet disappeared and reappeared outside the open window before it dispersed into the air. She nodded at the couple on the floor. "What about them?"

Kneeling beside the unconscious Olivia, Paige grabbed the other woman's hand and orbed them both out of the penthouse. Bruce sighed and knelt beside Cole. "C'mon Harry. Help me get him inside his bedroom." The two brothers picked up the unconscious half-demon and carried him out of the living room.


END OF CHAPTER 8

[oddball7]

Rina Keaton
Charmed Cafe Member
Posts: 2211
(9/9/04 5:24 pm)
Reply
Re: "Spells, Lies and Remorse" [R]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"SPELLS, LIES AND REMORSE" by RFK



CHAPTER NINE


Two hours after Paige had delivered an unconscious Olivia to her bedroom, she drove her green VW into the Halliwell manor's driveway. She found Piper, Leo and Phoebe inside the family kitchen. "You're home early," Piper commented. "In fact, everyone seemed to home early, today."

"I managed to finish work early," Phoebe said. "So, Elise allowed me to go home." She turned to Paige. "Where have you been? I had dropped by Ostera's on the way home. You weren't there. Barbara told me that you were on some kind of errand."

Paige stared at an uncomfortable-looking Leo. "You haven't told them, yet?" she coldly asked.

"Told us what?" Piper demanded. "Why are you staring at Leo, like that?"

"Why don't you tell them, Leo?"

The whitelighter opened his mouth. He hesitated. "I . . ." Then he asked Paige, "What happened after you guys left?"

"He's alive." As she continued to stare at Leo, Paige said to her sisters, "Olivia tried to kill Cole, today. She would have succeeded, if we hadn't stopped her. Sorry Leo. I guess your little scheme didn't work, after all." The whitelighter's jaw stiffened.

Both Piper and Phoebe regarded the other two with stunned expressions. "What the hell?" the former cried out. "Paige, what the hell are you talking about?"

Phoebe gasped. "Oh my God! Olivia tried to kill Cole? Why? How was that possible?"

Paige returned her gaze to the whitelighter. "Leo?" But her brother-in-law remained silent. He turned his back on the others. So, Paige told her sisters about Leo and Paul's scheme, the spell cast on Olivia, and the latter's attempt to kill Cole. "Like I said, she almost did it. Olivia came pretty damn close to killing him. I don't know how, but she did."

"Oh my God!" Phoebe cried.

The youngest Charmed One continued, "But we managed to stop her. At least Harry did. He and Bruce are trying to find a potion to counteract Paul's spell."

"I have to see Cole!" Phoebe sprung from her chair and left the kitchen.

Piper stared at Leo, shaking her head in disbelief. "My God, Leo!" she exclaimed softly. "What have you done?"

"Why did you do it, Leo?" Paige demanded. "Why would you stoop so low to that level?"

Leo cried, "You don't understand! It's possible that Cole might re-organize the Underworld! Or have you forgotten?"

Paige retorted, "And that's your excuse for using Olivia to commit murder? For allowing Paul to put her under that spell? So, you could use her to kill her own boyfriend?"

"She was the only one who could do it! At least according to . . ." Leo paused at the sound of the front door slamming shut. Phoebe.

"Don't tell me," Paige said with a sigh. "According to Cecile Dubois." She shook her head in disgust. "You and Paul tried your best to make sure her vision would come true. Didn't you?"

His eyes cast downward, Leo mumbled, "At least everyone came out of this alive."

"Don't be too sure about that," Paige replied coldly. "Paul didn't. He's dead."

Leo gasped aloud. "What?"

Paige explained what happened. "It's simple. I tried to stop Olivia. Paul tried to stop me by using his cyrokinesis on me. Bruce managed to deflect his attack with his aerokinesis and Paul ended up as a frozen statue. And when Olivia had used her telekinesis on Bruce, after he tried to stop her, Paul fell back upon the floor." She paused. "Into a million little pieces."

"Oh my God! Paul!" Leo's face expressed shock and grief.

"As far as I'm concerned, that bastard got what he deserved!"

Piper admonished her younger sister. "Paige!"

Looking defiant, Paige continued, "What? After what he had done to Olivia, do you really expect me to feel sympathetic? By the way Leo, I suggest that you stay away from her and the McNeills for a while. Or Mr. McNeill might dig up that darklighter's arrow he has always been threatening you with." She shot her brother-in-law one last glare and marched out of the kitchen.

[oddball7]

* * * *

Olivia's eyes blinked open. An anxious face belonging to her mother hovered above her. She felt a dull ache in the center of her forehead. "Oh God," she murmured. "How long have I been out?"

"Not very long," Gweneth murmured. "Perhaps a little over an hour. Here," she handed Olivia a steaming mug of tea. "Drink it."

Olivia stared at the drink. "What is it?"

"Tea made from cedar wood and cloves," the older woman replied. "Harry made it. Just drink it, Livy. Now."

The firm, yet urgent tone in Gweneth's voice convinced Olivia to follow her mother's orders. She took a sip. Cedar wood and cloves, all right. Were those the ingredients her family used for counteracting a potion? Too tired to ask her question, Olivia drained the rest of her tea. Seconds later, she experienced a bout of dizziness. And then . . . "Oh my God! Cole!" Memories of the past days struck her with the force of a thunderbolt. Olivia stared at her mother in horror. "Is he . . .?"

"He's still alive," Gweneth dryly reassured her.

Olivia wracked her brain, trying to figure out what had happened. "I don't understand. What happened? I only remembered thinking . . . I remember thinking that Cole was a threat or something? And that he had to die. I don't under. . ."

With a sigh, Gweneth sat on the edge of Olivia's bed. "Oh my poor Livy! I believe you are not going to like what I have to tell you."

* * * *

The soft voice penetrated his mind. "Cole? Cole, are you okay?"

Cole opened his mouth to speak, but not a sound came out. It seemed that his mouth had become dry.

"Baby, are you awake?" The voice, he finally realized, belonged to Phoebe. What was she doing here? Wherever "here" happened to be. He took a deep breath and finally mustered the energy to speak. "Wha . . . what happened to me?" he whispered.

Another voice replied, "Uh, Olivia almost killed you."

Huh? The fog in Cole's mind immediately dissipated, as he shot up to a sitting position. He saw Phoebe sitting on the edge of his bed, wearing an anxious expression. Behind her stood Bruce. "Say that again?" he demanded.

Bruce repeated, "Olivia tried to kill you. And came pretty damn close to doing it. Harry managed to stop her, in time."

Disbelief rang in Cole's voice. "Olivia had nearly killed me? How?"

All eyes focused upon Bruce, who squirmed with discomfort. "She used an old theory of ours for killing the Source. But I guess that she had decided to use it against you, instead."

"Cole, do you want a drink?" a concerned Phoebe asked. "Maybe tea or something else?"

"Tea sounds nice." Cole barely noticed the light kiss Phoebe had planted on his forehead. Once he and Bruce were alone, he added, "Look, I realize that Olivia was . . . is pissed at me. For some reason or another. But why would she attack . . .?"

Bruce sighed. "That's right. You don't know. Olivia . . . was under a spell. One that Paul had cast."

A stunned Cole stared at the witch in disbelief. "Did you say that Paul had cast . . .?"

"It's a long story." Bruce sat down on the spot previously occupied by Phoebe. Then began to reveal what seemed to Cole, a fantastic story.

* * * *

Two days later, the Halliwell manor's doorbell rang. Piper placed Wyatt's bottle on a nearby sideboard and answered the front door. She glanced through the peephole and winced. A grim-faced Olivia McNeill stood outside.

"Oh God," she murmured. Then she took a deep breath, fixed a too bright smile on her face and opened the door. "Olivia! Hi!" Oh God! She sounded like Mary Poppins! "Come on in." Stepping aside, she allowed the visitor to enter.

Her mouth still formed in a tight line, Olivia said, "Hey Piper. Is Leo home?"

Piper's smile disappeared. She shot a quick glance at Olivia's hands. No darklighter bow-and-arrow seemed to be present - thankfully. "Oh, uh . . . Leo? He's uh . . ."

"Piper?" a familiar voice cried. "Who is it?"

The oldest Charmed One's heart sank at the sight of her husband and Paige entering the living room. Leo stared at the visitor and froze. Olivia's green eyes became hard as polished emeralds. "Hello Leo," she greeted in a chilly voice.

Leo's face turned red. "Olivia, I . . ." Before he could finish, the redhead took a few steps forward and punched him in the jaw. The whitelighter reeled back and landed on the floor with a thump.

Piper rushed to her husband's side. "Leo!"

"I'm going to make this brief," Olivia continued coldly. "When Richard had died over a year ago, I guess you can say that I was in great funk. I couldn't even face my family, because Aunt Rhiannon was responsible for his death. And he was responsible for hers. So, I turned to you . . . my good friend, Leo. All I had to do was open my mouth and tell you that Richard and Rhiannon had killed each other, and without me saying anything further, you had assumed that Richard was to blame. You had really pissed me off that day, Leo. So much so that I had seriously considered hiring a darklighter to kill you. Fortunately for you, I have a brother who happens to be a telepath. And once Harry had discovered my intentions, both he and Bruce talked me out of it. In fact, I even felt ashamed for even considering having you killed. But you know what?" Olivia paused, as her eyes blazed angrily. "After what you and Paul had done to me, I'm beginning to wish that I had hired that darklighter in the first place."

Piper, shaken by Olivia's words, helped Leo to his feet. Then he spoke. "Look Olivia, I realize that what I had done was wrong, but something had to be done about Cole. The Council feared he would reorganize the Under . . ."

Olivia's fist shot out again, and struck Leo in the nose. Again, he reeled back on to the floor. "You really disgust me, Leo! Do you know that? I can't believe it! You had conspired with Paul to violate my mind, in order to have Cole murdered, and all you can do is make excuses?"

Blood pouring out of his battered nose, Leo struggled to sit up. "Olivia . . ."

"Don't talk to me! Don't ever talk to me, again! Unless certain circumstances demand it." Olivia glared at the fallen whitelighter. "As far as I'm concerned, it's over between us! We are no longer friends!" She turned on her heels and marched toward the front door. Her hand on the doorknob, Olivia paused. "And you can tell your precious Whitelighter Council to keep their damn noses out of my business!" And on that note, she left.

Once the door slammed shut, Piper and Paige helped the battered whitelighter to his feet. Leo wiped the blood from his nose and mouth. "Leo?" Piper began in a concerned tone. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Leo mumbled. He stared sadly at the closed door and sighed. "I'm just . . ." He paused and cocked his head. Piper knew what that meant. The Council was summoning him. "I, uh . . . I think I've been summoned."

"What do they want?" Piper asked. When Leo failed to answer, she added, “Leo?”<br>
The whitelighter replied unhappily, “It’s probably about Olivia. And Cole.”<br>
Confused by her husband’s answer, Piper shook her head. “Wha . . . I don’t understand. Don’t they know what happened?”<br>
A pause followed before Leo said, “They do now. I guess they must have found out about Matilda’s plan.”<br>
“Matilda?”<br>
Again, Leo hesitated. “The Elder who had planned this whole thing from the beginning. She was the one who recruited me . . .”<br>
Now, Piper understood. One of the Elders, acting against the Council’s knowledge, had drawn Leo into the scheme to use Olivia to kill Cole. The oldest Charmed One felt mortified. Not only by the fact that an Elder would resort to using a witch against her will and a fellow whitelighter for such a scheme, but that Leo had allowed himself to be used. “Oh my God!”<br>
“How long do you think it would take for you to explain everything?” Paige asked.

Leo gave the two women a wan smile. "I don't know. And I don’t know how they’ll react." He kissed Piper’s cheek. "I'll see you later." With his face still maintaining its sad expression, he heaved a large sigh and orbed out of the room.

[oddball7]

* * * *

Nearly thirty minutes later, Olivia stepped out of her apartment building's elevator and strode toward the double doors leading to Cole's penthouse. She stared at the doors, struggling to keep her emotions in check. Especially her fears.

What if Cole did not want to see her? What if . . . What if he had not forgiven her for rejecting him? For trying to kill him?

Olivia wanted to return to her apartment. Wanted to hide in the privacy of her bedroom, until she could find the courage to face him. But she realized that the longer she procrastinated, the harder it would be fore her to deal with the past week's events.

She took a deep breath and rang the doorbell. The seconds that Olivia had waited for the door to open, seemed like hours. Finally, the door opened and she found herself facing the last person she had expected to see. Wide-eyed, Olivia stared at the figure before her. "Phoebe?"

"Olivia," the middle Charmed One declared nervously. "Um, what . . .?"

Keeping her shock in check, Olivia replied, "Oh, uh . . . I'm here to see Cole."

"Oh." Phoebe continued to block the doorway.

"Is he here? Cole?"

A wary expression appeared on Phoebe's face. "Yeah. Are you . . .?"

Olivia allowed a mirthless smile to touch her lips. "Don't worry. I'm not here to hurt him."

Phoebe's face turned red with embarrassment. "I didn't think . . ."

"Phoebe?" The voice came from inside the penthouse. Olivia glanced past the Charmed One's shoulder and spotted Cole wearing blue terrycloth robe. And nothing else. Judging from his damp appearance, he must have stepped out of the shower. His eyes focused upon Olivia and he immediately stiffened. "Oh. Olivia. What . . . uh, what are you doing here?"

Olivia's first instinct was to flee . . . run away from Cole and the implications of Phoebe's presence. Instead, she remained in the doorway, mindful of the task she had to perform. "I came to see you," she said. "Talk to you. About . . . what happened."

Cole blinked. "Oh. Uh, . . ."

Phoebe opened the door further and allowed Olivia to enter. She closed the door and smiled politely at the older woman. "I'll let you guys have a little privacy." Then she disappeared into the kitchen.

Olivia stared at Phoebe's retreating back. "She's become quite the little hostess, hasn't she?" Then she winced at the slight hint of jealousy in her voice.

Cole flashed a brief smile. "She's been helping me around the place, ever since . . ." He broke off, as his smile disappeared. "Well, you know."

"Since I tried to kill you?" Olivia finished gently. "Look, I can explain about all that. In fact, I can explain my attitude for the past . . ."

"I know what happened." Cole paused, as he took a deep breath. "Bruce told me about Margolin's spell. And Leo's part in the whole thing. I'm sorry that they had used you like that."

Olivia cast her eyes downward. "So am I. I've . . . uh, I've ended it with Leo. Our friendship." She snickered briefly. "I think he had stopped being my official whitelighter, years ago. Anyway, perhaps one day I can forgive him. But not now."

"He thought he was doing the right thing," Cole gently added. He gave a nervous cough. "Well, at least he had picked the right person to 'vanquish' me."

"Huh?"

Cole continued, “Well, after Phoebe and her sisters had failed to kill Barbas, when he had my powers, I figured that no one would be able to kill me. Until I met you. After I got to know you . . . I figured . . . well, I figured that you, of all people, would find a way.”<br>
Olivia stared at the half-demon in disbelief. “Was that supposed to be a compliment?”<br>
“I’m only complimenting your talents as a witch.” Cole paused. “How did you do, by the way?”<br>
Leery of even discussing the matter, Olivia hesitated. Then, “Bruce and I had this theory about killing the Source.” She sighed. “Instead of using brute strength, we would use a more subtle manner. We got the idea from that movie called . . . you know, the one with Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum.”<br>
Cole shook his head. “Sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”<br>
Reluctantly, Olivia continued, “In the movie, the alien invaders proved to be too powerful for the heroes to destroy. So one of the guys . . . Jeff Goldblum, I think, came up with the idea of creating a computer virus to weaken the aliens’ defense system. And Bruce and I thought if we could come up with a potion, combined with a spell to infect the Source’s powers with a virus and destroy him from within . . .”<br>
Realization dawned in Cole’s blue eyes. “Oh, I get it. Clever.”<br>
“Yeah, so I created a potion and a spell that would infect your powers, via the elements. But instead of a spell utilizing the five elements, I used one utilizing seven.”<br>
“Your seven element theory?”<br>
Olivia nodded unhappily. “Yeah.” She fell silent. So did Cole. They could hear Phoebe moving about in the kitchen. Speaking of the Charmed One . . . “How did you and Phoebe . . .” Olivia paused. “How did you two end up as . . . friends?”<br>
Cole frowned. “Didn’t the others tell you?” Olivia shook her head. “Last week, Phoebe had visions of what really happened between me and the Source. We, uh . . . made our peace.”<br>
“Oh. I’m happy for you both.” Olivia fell silent, unable to meet Cole’s eyes. After another minute, she added, “How long has she been here?”<br>
“For two days. Since the attack. She’s been a great help.”<br>
‘I bet.’ Olivia kept the sarcastic response to herself. Then she spotted an unfamiliar travel bag near the sofa. Her heart lurched sideways. “How nice,” she finally murmured.

“Olivia . . . look . . .”<br>
Phoebe returned to the living room, carrying a steaming mug. “Here you go,” she said, handing the mug to Cole. “I thought you might want some tea.”<br>
“Thanks,” Cole murmured. He took a sip.

A perfect picture of domesticity, Olivia thought bitterly. Before she could hold her tongue, she said, “Cole was telling me about your reconciliation.”<br>
A bright smile illuminated Phoebe’s face. “Oh! Yeah. I’m . . . really glad that we’ve decided to try again. I mean, whoever said there was no such thing as a second chance?”<br>
Olivia frowned. “Second chance?”<br>
“Oh yeah. Didn’t Cole tell you? We’ve decided to give our relationship a second chance.”<br>
Stunned, Olivia stared at an uncomfortable-looking Cole. “I . . .” She shook her head. “I mean . . . no, Cole didn’t tell me.” She added quickly, “But I already knew.” With a dim smile, she added, “Congratulations.”<br>
Cole began, “Olivia . . .”<br>
“I’m sure that it’ll work out between you two, this time,” Olivia continued, barely able to get her words out. “I mean, now that you’ve come . . . to some kind of closure. Over the Source, I mean.” She took a deep breath, mindful of the tears that threatened to fall. “Well.” Olivia glanced at her watch. “Time for me to go. There’s a movie I want to check out and it comes on in less than an hour.”<br>
Cole opened his mouth. Phoebe touched his arm, and he nodded. “Yeah. Well, I guess . . . I guess we’ll see you around?”<br>
Olivia responded with a too bright smile. “Sure. I’ll see you guys.” She turned away and headed for the door. A quick glance back at the couple revealed Phoebe possessively clutching Cole’s arm. “Bye.”<br>
The moment she closed the door behind her, Olivia took a shuddering breath. And allowed the tears to finally stream from her eyes, as she made her way back to the elevator.


THE END