The Face Of Evil

[noazmale]

CHARMED
“The Face Of Evil”
By J. B. Tilton
With Teresa Thibeault
Email: [e-mail]
Rating: K

* * *

Disclaimer: “Charmed” and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors’ note: This story takes place between season 3 episodes “Death Takes A Halliwell” and “Pre-Witched”.)

* * *

A spirit and a San Francisco city councilman put the Charmed Ones on the trail of a demon and help them deliver some long delayed justice for thousands of innocents.

* * *

ONE

Phoebe walked into the manor and dropped her books down on the sofa. Then she plopped down next to them. As she sat rubbing her eyes Piper came in from the kitchen.

“You’re home early,” said Piper.

“Yeah. My history professor gave us an assignment and we only have four days to get it done. So he gave us the rest of the afternoon to begin on it.”

“Rough assignment?”

“Kind of. We’re studying pre-World War II Germany right now. He assigned each of us some Nazi figure to research and present a five page synopsis of their biography on. I got some guy named SS-Sturmbannführer Johann Sperrle. He was the nephew of some German Field Marshal and supposedly Adolf Eichmann’s personal assistant or something.”

“SS-Sturmbannführer?” questioned Piper. “What kind of name is that?”

“Actually, it’s not a name,” said Phoebe, opening her history book. “The SS means he belonged to the SS. Sturmbannführer is a rank equivalent to Major or something. They all had titles like that. Most of them had the word ‘fuehrer’ in it somewhere. Eichmann himself was an SS-Obersturmbannführer, the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.”

“So, research the guy and do the paper. What’s the big deal?”

“I never even heard of him before. How am I supposed to get five pages of information on him in four days?”

“Three words,” said Piper. “Research, research, research.”

“That’s one word three times. I don’t know why my professor wants this anyway. What good could information on some guy who died fifty or sixty years ago be?”

“Maybe he didn’t die?” said Piper. “The way I understand it some of those Nazi’s were never captured.”

“Who was never captured?” Leo asked coming down the stairs.

“Nazi’s,” said Phoebe. “I have to do a report on some guy named Sperrle.”

“The Field Marshal?” Leo asked.

“No, his nephew,” said Piper. “Apparently he worked on Hitler’s staff or something.”

“Eichmann’s staff,” said Phoebe. “Hey, Leo, you lived back then. Maybe you could give me some info on this guy.”

“Sorry,” said Leo. “I know a little about Field Marshal Sperrle but I never even knew he had a nephew.”

“Great,” said Phoebe. “I guess I’ll have to do an Internet search and see what I can find out. I guess I’d better get started. I only have four days to get it done.”

She picked up her books and headed for her room. She just knew it was going to be a long night.

* * *

They were all gathered around the dinner table that night and Phoebe was filling them in on what she had found out about Sperrle. She had even brought some pictures she had been able to locate on him. Even though none of the others were all that interested in it they let her talk.

“Apparently he was about twenty-five when his uncle, the Field Marshall, recommended him to Eichmann,” said Phoebe. “He rose in the ranks pretty fast and in no time at all he had proven himself to extremely efficient. Eichmann made him his personal assistant and from what I can find out relied on him pretty heavily for a lot of his decisions.”

“Didn’t Eichmann come up with what they called ‘the final solution’?” Prue asked. “The idea to exterminate the Jews?”

“Among others,” said Phoebe. “He not only wanted to wipe out the Jew he wanted to wipe out everyone who didn’t fit in with his idea of a Master Race.”

“Blonde and blue eyed,” said Leo. “That was Hitler’s idea of the Master Race. Anyone who didn’t fit into his idea of ‘normal’ was murdered.”

“That’s right,” said Prue, “you lived through it, didn’t you?”

“Kind of,” said Leo. “Actually, if you’ll remember I was on Guadalcanal. We were fighting the Japanese, not the Germans. But it was hard not to learn about other areas of the war.”

“Japanese, Germans, what difference does it make?” Piper asked. “They were all bad guys.”

“Actually,” said Leo, “most of the common soldiers were just like we were. Just soldiers trying to do their duty and protect their country. Mostly it was the upper echelon that were the bad guys, as you put it. In fact, less than ten percent of all Germans were member of the Nazi party.”

“Still, what difference does it make?” Phoebe asked. “This all happened, what, sixty years ago? Who cares what happened so long ago?”

“Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it,” said Cole, walking into the kitchen.

“Cole,” squealed Phoebe, getting up to hug him. “When did you get back?”

“Just now,” said Cole. “Long enough to hear you complain about history. And like I said, those who don’t learn from history are bound to repeat it. It’s important to remember what happened in the past so that it won’t happen again. Especially something that happened sixty years ago. I assume you’re talking about World War II.”

“Yeah,” said Piper. “Want to join us for dinner?”

“Sure,” said Cole, taking a seat next to Phoebe. “I finally ditched the bounty hunters. I don’t think they’ll be able to find me for a few days. I can relax for a while.”

“Well at least you didn’t lead them here,” said Prue, just a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

“No, I didn’t,” said Cole. “So, why the discussion about World War II?”

“Oh, just some stupid report I have to do,” said Phoebe. “I have to do a five page biography on some guy named Johann Sperrle.”

“SS-Sturmbannführer Johann Sperrle?” questioned Cole. “Adolf Eichmann’s personal assistant during World War II?”

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “You know about him?”

“Some,” said Cole nonchalantly. “I actually worked for him for a while during the war.”

[noazmale]

TWO

“Wait a minute?” said Leo. “Are you telling us that you worked for the Nazis during World War II?”

“Don’t get all in an uproar,” said Cole, smiling. “It wasn’t like that. Actually, I worked for the Office of Strategic Services. What became the Central Intelligence Agency in 1947.”

“You were with the CIA?” questioned Prue.

“No, I was with the OSS,” said Cole. “It was dissolved in 1945 after the war ended. Two years later the CIA was established with the National Security Act of 1947. Many of the people who worked for the OSS joined the CIA.”

“But you didn’t?” Piper asked.

“No,” said Cole. “My assignment with the Brotherhood of the Thorn ended when World War II ended. There was no reason for me to join the CIA although I’m sure I could have if I had wanted.”

“Okay, hang on a second,” said Phoebe. “Cole, you’re a demon. Why would you be working for the OSS or whatever it was?”

“Well you don’t think World War II started because of a few humans, do you?” Cole asked. “Almost every major confrontation in history was demonically inspired. World War I was the same. But World War II was a little different from the first Great War.”

“What do you mean different?” Prue asked.

“A demon named Kernian approached the Source in the early 1930s,” said Cole. “His idea was to possess some unimportant politician in some European country and start a war. War is always good business for demons. They can cause all kinds of chaos with a minimum of interference.”

“I can imagine,” said Phoebe. “So the Source went along with it?”

“Oh yeah,” said Cole. “He envisioned some localized war between a couple of countries that would help further some plans he had. But Kernian carried it too far. Before anyone knew what he was doing, he had instigated a much bigger conflict than even the Source imagined. When the Source found out what Kernian’s plan really was he ordered him to stop immediately.”

“Apparently he didn’t,” said Leo.

“Oh no,” said Cole. “In fact he continued to escalate the conflict. Before even the Source could stop him he had invaded Poland.”

“Kernian possessed Hitler?” Prue questioned.

“That he did,” said Cole. “And some of his subordinates possessed others of the Nazi party that became Hitler’s inner circle. “Goering, Himmler, Eichmann, a few others. Their intention was to take over the entire world. That’s something not even the Source would have tried. But Kernian thought he could actually do it.”

“So what does that have to do with you working for the OSS?” Leo asked.

“Well, when it was discovered that world war was coming,” said Cole, “the Source decided to do a little spin control so to speak. Since Kernian wouldn’t listen to him – and it would have been much too dangerous to vanquish him without exposing magic to the mortal world – he decided to try to counter what he was doing. The Brotherhood of the Thorn was tasked with infiltrating the intelligence agencies of the Allies and providing them with whatever help they could.”

“Wait a minute,” said Prue. “Are you telling us that the Source of All Evil was actually working for the good guys during World War II? That’s just a little hard to believe.”

“Well, it wasn’t anything as altruistic as that,” said Cole. “Kernian was risking exposing magic to the mortal world. The Source’s only motivation was protecting the existence of demons from being exposed. He couldn’t care less whose side he was on. It just happened that the Allies were the best way to protect demons from being exposed.”

“So as a member of the Brotherhood, you were assigned to the OSS?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes,” said Cole. “As an OSS agent I was assigned to infiltrate the German High Command and learn as much as I could about their plans. There were three of us assigned to the German High Command. I was actually a very minor player in all this.”

“So, that’s how you ended up working for this Sperrle?” Phoebe asked.

“Sort of,” said Cole. “I worked directly for a General Hans Hiedler,” said Cole. “He was responsible for helping to set up the German prison camps for prisoners of war and later for setting up the extermination camps. When Eichmann came up with his ‘final solution’, SS-Sturmbannführer Johann Sperrle was partially responsible for designing some of the camps. For that he asked General Hiedler for some suggestions about the best way to set up the camps and the best locations for them.”

“Did you have anything to do with that?” Phoebe asked apprehensively.

“No,” said Cole. “Mostly I was a clerk for Hiedler. But I did accompany him to several meetings with Sperrle. That’s how I met him.”

“I never knew you spoke German,” Phoebe said.

“I’m over a hundred years old,” said Cole. “I’ve learned a few languages in that time. Of course I haven’t used it since World War II. I’ve probably forgotten most of it by now.”

“So you never had anything to do with the extermination camps?” Prue asked suspiciously. “You were never responsible for the millions that were murdered in those camps?”

“Absolutely nothing,” said Cole. “Like I said, I was a clerk for a German general and my assignment was to get information on German war plans. That’s all I did.”

“So if you didn’t have anything to do with camps,” Piper asked, “how did you work for him?”

“Mostly I delivered communiqués between him and General Hiedler,” said Cole. “I guess ‘working for him’ was a bit strong. You might say I was a courier for him on occasion.”

“You’ve never said much about your past,” said Phoebe. “I never knew you were involved in the war.”

“Everyone was involved in one way or another,” said Cole. “Just before the war ended I was recalled by the OSS. They knew Germany was about to fall and they recalled many operatives they had there. But I can say that because of what I did – and what others of the Brotherhood did – the war ended a lot differently from what it could have.”

“What happened to Kernian and the other demons once the war was over?” Prue asked.

“They openly opposed the Source of All Evil,” said Cole. “There wasn’t much else he could do. As soon as they dispossessed the humans they had possessed he vanquished them.”

“How much do you know about Sperrle?” Phoebe asked. “Anything I can use in my report?”

“Some I guess,” said Cole, picking up one of the pictures. “I see you have some pictures of him.”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “I was able to find them on the Internet. That’s supposed to be him on the right.”

“Actually,” said Cole, “he’s the one next to the guy on the right. I remember when that picture was taken. When it was published they got the order of the men in the picture wrong. A lot of the time it’s still that way. The man on the right was some lieutenant with the SS. I don’t remember his name. But Sperrle is the one next to him.”

“Thanks,” said Phoebe. “I’d hate to make a mistake like that.”

“That guy looks familiar,” said Piper, looking at the picture. “I think I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

“That’s not possible,” said Cole. “As I understand it, Sperrle escaped to Argentina after the war. I heard a rumor that he was captured in 1968 and was taken back to Germany to stand trial. Besides, he’d be about ninety now. I doubt he’d look the same after so many years.”

“Maybe it was just someone who looked like him,” said Leo. “They do say we all have a twin somewhere in the world.”

“Maybe,” said Piper. “He just looks so familiar. I know I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

“Well, if you remember where,” said Prue, “I’m sure you’ll tell us.”

“In the mean time,” said Phoebe, “the dinner was great, as usual, Piper. Now, I think Cole and I should spend some alone time together. Besides, I want to pick his brain about Sperrle. He might know something I can use in my report.”

“Now how come I knew that was coming?” Piper questioned sarcastically. “Go on, you two. The rest of us can take care of the dishes.”

Together Phoebe and Cole left the dinning room and headed for their room upstairs.

[noazmale]

THREE

Phoebe came into the manor and laid her books on the entryway table. She pulled a set of papers out of one of the books and walked into the living room. Cole was sitting on the sofa reading the paper.

“Hey, sweetie,” said Cole. “How did school go?”

“I got a 100 on my history paper,” said Phoebe beaming from ear to ear. “And a lot of it was the information you gave me on Sperrle. My professor said I had one of the most complete papers he’d ever seen.”

“Glad I could be of help,” said Cole as Phoebe sat down next to him. “It’s nice to know some good came out of that time.”

“Hey,” said Piper coming in the front door with Leo, “I see you’re home all ready. How was school?”

“I got a 100,” said Phoebe, holding up the paper. “Thanks to Cole.”

“Great,” said Leo. “That should help your GPA some.”

“More than some,” said Phoebe. “I never cared much for history. Well, outside the family history, anyway. Piper, is that the mail you have there?”

“Yes,” said Piper. “I guess you forgot to get it when you came in.”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “I was so excited about the paper I guess I forgot about it. Anything interesting in it?”

“Mostly bills,” said Piper, looking through the envelopes. “And a couple of flyers for local elections. I don’t know why they keep sending these things out. I think most people all ready know who they’re going to vote for. Do they really think these flyers are actually going to . . . .”

Her voice stopped in mid-sentence as she looked at one of the flyers that had come in the mail.

“Piper, what is it?” Phoebe asked. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“Kind of,” said Piper, showing the others the flyer. “Now I remember where I’ve seen that Sperrle before. He’s running for reelection to the city council.”

They all stared in amazement at the picture of the councilman on the flyer. It was identical to the picture of Sperrle that Phoebe had downloaded off the Internet.

* * *

“Piper, this simply isn’t possible,” said Cole. “I’ll admit he does look like Sperrle. But like I said the other day, Sperrle would be in his eighties or nineties by now even if he was still alive. And I’m pretty sure he was executed in the late 1960s. This guy can’t be more than thirty or so. And his name is Richard Simms.”

“But he looks exactly like Sperrle,” insisted Piper. “Other than identical twins I don’t know of any two people who look that much alike. You did say that demons were involved. Are you sure this Sperrle wasn’t a demon? That would explain why he doesn’t look any older than he did back then.”

“No, he wasn’t,” said Cole. “Sperrle was quite human. He was simply inhabited by a demon who would have dispossessed him once his assignment was finished.”

“Then how do you explain that he looks exactly like Sperrle?” Piper asked.

“Coincidence,” said Cole.

“Cole’s right,” said Leo. “If Sperrle was human it couldn’t be him. And like Cole said, he was caught and executed in the 60s.”

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “It just seems odd that he was involved with demons and this Councilman Simms looks exactly like him.”

“Just coincidence,” said Phoebe, “just like Cole and Leo said. Just forget about it, Piper. It’s not a big deal.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Piper. “It’s just that they look so much alike. It’s hard to believe they’re two different people.”

“I’ve run into lots of people who look like someone else in my life,” said Cole. “Who knows? Maybe Simms is distantly related to Sperrle. Many Nazi’s had relatives that weren’t involved with the Nazi’s at all. I’m sure that some of them have descendents that have no idea who their ancestors were.”

“I need to start dinner anyway,” said Piper. “Prue said she’s going to be late tonight so I guess it’s just the four of us.”

“Great,” said Phoebe. “Cole and I will be upstairs. Just give us a holler when it’s ready.”

“Upstairs again,” said Piper as Cole and Phoebe headed up the stairs. “Some times I think they’d like it if we just delivered their meals up there for them.”

“Well, they don’t get to spend that much time together,” said Leo, putting his arms around Piper. “Besides, it gives us some time alone, too.”

“Oh, I hadn’t thought of that,” said Piper. “And you do have a point.”

* * *

Phoebe woke up and lay staring at the ceiling in her bedroom. It was still dark out. She sat up in bed and looked at the clock next to the bed. It read 4:01 a.m. Why did she wake up? She normally slept all through the night, especially when Cole was there. She didn’t have to worry about him moving around trying to avoid bounty hunters. Short of a demon attack she should have slept through the entire night.

She looked around the room. Even with the light off there was still a fair amount of light in the room. The nearly full moon hung in the sky overhead illuminating much of the Earth below. The light from the moon filtered into the room illuminating much of it but also leaving much of it in shadows.

As she looked around the room she stopped short. In the corner on the opposite side of the room was what appeared to be a figure. It was hard to see the figure clearly in the half-shadows of the room. But it appeared to be a man barely 5’4” in height. He wore what appeared to be stripped pajamas that seemed to be dirty and ripped. He himself appeared to be filthy and unshaven. He stood pointing at the bed where Phoebe and Cole lay.

“Cole,” Phoebe whispered, shaking him.

“Hmm,” Cole responded, obviously still asleep.

:”Cole, wake up.”

“What?” questioned Cole, coming awake.

“Dämon,” said the figure standing in the corner. Then, silently, the figure simply faded from sight.

“What is it?” asked, sitting up in the bed. He looked around the room but saw nothing out of place.

“It was right over there,” said Phoebe, “in the corner. I think it was a ghost.”

“Ghost?” questioned Cole, getting out of the bed and walking over to the corner. He looked around but found nothing. “There’s nothing here. Are you sure you saw it? Maybe it was a dream.”

“It wasn’t a dream. I saw it. It looked like a very short man wearing dirty and ripped pajamas. He said something. Damon.”

“Damon? That’s German for demon.”

“He was pointing at the bed when he said it.”

“Well, whomever or whatever it was is gone now. Do you think it was dangerous?”

“I don’t know,” said Phoebe thoughtfully. “I got the distinct impression it wanted something but I don’t know what it was.”

“Maybe we should wake the others,” suggested Cole.

“No, no, I don’t think that will be necessary. If it wanted to do anything it could have done it while we were asleep. No sense in waking the others unless there’s some sign of danger. I think it can wait until the morning.”

“Okay,” said Cole. “But if you see it again don’t take any chances. It might be a ghost but then again it might be a demon.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t take any chances,” said Phoebe.

As they settled back into bed to go back to sleep Phoebe thought about the figure she had seen. It seemed pathetic. Although the it looked to be a full grown man it seemed more like a child. Phoebe couldn’t help but wonder what it wanted.

* * *
“A ghost?” questioned Prue the next morning in the kitchen. “Why didn’t you wake us up?”

“It didn’t seem to be a threat,” said Phoebe. “It just looked like it was standing in the room watching us.”

“Did it say anything?” Piper asked.

“Phoebe said it said the ‘Dämon’,” said Cole. “It’s German for demon.”

“Maybe it came here for Cole,” suggested Leo.

“I don’t know why,” said Cole. “I don’t know any ghosts.”

“This isn’t funny,” said Prue. “If there’s a ghost in the manor it must be here for a reason. And it appears it’s here for Cole.”

“Then why did it leave?” Phoebe asked. “It’s almost like it recognized Cole was a demon and then left. If it was here for him why wouldn’t it stay around?”

“I don’t know,” said Prue. “But we can’t take any chances. Was there anything familiar about this ghost?”

“Not really,” said Phoebe. “It kind of looked like some kind of prisoner. The pajamas looked like those kind you see in the old prison movies. And it was very gaunt. Like it had been starved or something.”

“Maybe it’s a spirit that died in prison,” suggested Piper. “But why come here? And why now? There aren’t any prisons near the manor.”

“It could be something else that’s drawn it here,” said Cole. “Spirits normally inhabit a specific area. But some spirits wander the Earth. It might be one of those kind.”

“But what does it want?” Piper asked.

“There’s one way to find out,” said Prue. “We could summon it. Ask it flat out what it wants.”

“To do that we’d have to know who it was,” said Phoebe. “Like I said, I have no idea who it was. I didn’t recognize him.”

“I don’t think we have to worry about that too much longer,” said Leo. “If it wants something it will probably be back. All we have to do is wait until it shows up again and ask it.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?” Piper asked. “What if it wants to kill us?”

“Like Phoebe said,” said Cole, “if it wanted to hurt us it could have done that last night. I think Leo is right. Whoever or whatever it is will probably be back. And when it does we can find out what it wants then.”

“I don’t like sitting around doing nothing,” said Prue. “If it‘s a demon it could be dangerous to just sit around and do nothing.”

“A demon wouldn’t have simply stood by and waited,” said Cole. “We were asleep. It could have killed us before we even had a chance to defend ourselves. No, I think Leo’s right. This spirit will be back and when it comes back we’ll probably find out what it wants then.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “But if it shows up again, Phoebe, you’re to come get us, I don’t care what time it is.”

“Understood,” said Phoebe. “Now, I need to be getting to school. I’ll see you when I get home.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Cole. “Just in case this thing shows up again.”

“Take care of her,” said Piper. “She’s our baby sister and we don’t want anything to happen to her.”

“I’ll protect her with my life,” said Cole. “You have nothing to worry about. She’ll be perfectly safe with me.”

Prue and Piper just watched as Phoebe and Cole left the kitchen heading for the upstairs. Neither liked the fact that Phoebe might be out there with a ghost following her.

[noazmale]

FOUR

Piper checked her list one last time. It seemed she had everything on it. They were getting low on potion ingredients and with Phoebe’s news of a spirit in the manor she had decided it was a good time to restock. Although she wasn’t sure what good that would do. Most potions wouldn’t affect a spirit.

But it never hurt to be prepared. Besides spirits and ghosts, there were also demons to contend with. And potions did work against demons. She checked her list again and decided she had everything on it she would need. It shouldn’t take long to get what she needed and then get back home. Then she could head to the club and get it ready to open.

As she turned to head for the entryway she stopped cold. Standing in the doorway to the kitchen was a figure that appeared exactly has Phoebe had described the spirit in her room the night before. It appeared to be a short, older man, dressed in torn and dirty prison clothes. It appeared to be ancient but for some reason Piper felt that the figure was not as old as it appeared.

It was doing nothing; simply standing in the doorway looking at her. She sensed no malevolence from the figure. In fact, just as Phoebe had described, it appeared to be a pathetic wretch. In the light of day Piper could also see scars on the figure’s arms, hands, and face. As if it had been tortured mercilessly in life.

“Who are you?” Piper demanded. “What do you want?”

“Sie müssen ihn aufhören,” replied the figure. “Erlauben Sie ihm nicht, wieder zu ermorden.”

Suddenly the figure simply faded from sight, just as it had in Phoebe’s room the night before. Piper reached for her cell phone to call her sisters.

* * *

“And you say it didn’t try to do anything?” Prue asked.

“Nothing,” Piper. “It just said something and then left.”

“What did it say?” Cole asked.

“I don’t know,” said Piper. “It sounded like German. I didn’t understand a word of it.”

“Can you repeat it?” Cole asked.

“Something like ‘see musen in afhorn’,” said Piper.

“Sie müssen ihn aufhören,” said Cole.

“Yeah, that was it,” said Piper. “Do you know what it means?”

“Roughly translated,” said Cole, “it means ‘you must stop him’. Is that all it said?”

“No,” said Piper. “It also said something like ‘erlawben see im nicht weeder zu ermoden.”

“Erlauben Sie ihm nicht, wieder zu ermorden,” said Cole. “It means ‘do not allow him to murder again’. Is that all it said?”

“Yeah, that was about it,” said Piper.

“Who is he?” Prue asked.

“The spirit didn’t say,” said Piper. “But I agree with Phoebe now. I don’t think it came here to hurt us. It sounded more like it was asking for our help.”

“Well if it is a spirit,” said Cole, “it would probably know that you’re witches. Maybe there’s something it wants you to do. Something it can’t do itself.”

“That makes sense,” said Cole. “Spirits hang around to complete some task left uncompleted while they were alive. Maybe this spirit can’t move on until that task is completed and it sees you as the best way to complete it.”

“So why not just tell us what it wants?” Phoebe asked. “Why all the riddles? The least it could do is tell us who this ‘he’ is. How are we supposed to know who or what it wants?”

“It may not be able to communicate that,” said Leo. “It can take a long time for a spirit to even learn how to communicate with the living. And this one seems to be speaking German. If it doesn’t speak English that would make it harder for it to communicate with the living.”

“So how do we find out?” Prue asked. “We still have no idea who or what this spirit is. Which means we have no way to summon it and ask it.”

“You said it was wearing dirty prison clothes,” said Cole. “Any idea what prison?”

“No,” said Piper. “I did notice it had numbers on the shirt. But they were faded and dirty. It was very hard to read them.”

“They were the stripped clothes,” said Phoebe. “The kind you see in old prison movies from the 40s and 50s.”

“Could they have been from an earlier time?” Cole asked. “Say from the 20s or 30s?”

“I guess,” said Phoebe. “I don’t really know that much about prison clothes. Why?”

“Many prisons used to use clothes like that,” said Cole. “So that prisoners would stick out in public if they escaped. Even today most prisons use some kind of special clothing identifying them as prisoners.”

“They did resemble the clothes worn by chain gang prisoners in some of the old movies,” said Piper. “That much I did recognize.”

“Cole, what are you thinking?” Leo asked.

“Leo, you remember what happened just after World War II?” questioned Cole. “The news reports about the prison camps in German. The concentration camps.”

“Of course,” said Leo. “I think everyone remembers those. It was almost inconceivable that something like that could happen then.”

“Do you remember the clothes the prisoners in those camps used to wear?” Cole asked.

“Stripped uniforms,” said Leo, recognition in his voice. “Just like the type Piper and Phoebe described.”

“Exactly,” said Cole. “And Piper and Phoebe both said they spoke German. I think it’s conceivable that this spirit is a prisoner from one of those camps.”

“From World War II?” questioned. “But that was sixty years ago. Why wait until now to appear to someone?”

“I don’t know,” said Cole. “But in light of this I think maybe we should take another look at the city councilman. I don’t think it’s coincidence that this spirit has appeared just after we discover someone who looks remarkably like Sperrle.”

“But you said Sperrle was human,” said Phoebe. “Even if he was alive he’d be much older than Simms is.”

“Yes, I did, “ said Cole. “And I could have been wrong. Or there could be some other explanation for why he hasn’t aged all these years. But like I said, I don’t think it’s coincidence that the two have appeared together. And I think we need to look into it.

“Sperrle was a sadistic murderer. He enjoyed killing people simply for the pleasure of killing. If Simms is Sperrle then it’s possible he could still be up to his old tricks. And if he has demonic help then the authorities won’t be able to stop him.”

“Wouldn’t that be because of the demon?” Phoebe asked. “You did say that Kernian and his subordinates possessed humans. Couldn’t it be that the humans were just innocents and the atrocities were committed by the demons?”

“Unlikely,” said Cole. “The demons would have chosen humans that were predisposed to that kind of behavior anyway. To prevent anyone from becoming suspicious of them. If someone should suddenly change personalities and become cruel and sadistic when they weren’t before it could have aroused suspicions in the people who knew them. So they would have chosen humans who were all ready known for that kind of behavior.”

“Cole’s right,” said Leo. “Possessing humans isn’t easy, even for demons. That’s why they normally try to possess only people who are weak. Alcoholics, drug addicts, that sort. And if humans are all ready evil it would also make them more susceptible to possession. If the demons possessed humans they would be humans who were all ready predisposed to evil.”

“There have always been rumors that Hitler was actually insane,” said Cole. “And there was a history if insanity in his family. In fact, some of his close relatives were insane or at least had mental problems. If he was insane it would have made it that much easier for a demon to possess him. And his henchmen.”

“Okay,” said Prue, “so it looks like this might all be demon related. So, where do we start?”

“First,” said Cole, “we need to learn as much about Councilman Simms as we can. Especially about his childhood and any relatives he might have had that were mentally or emotionally disturbed. Then we can go from there. Our first order of business is to determine if Simms is actually Sperrle.”

“And if he is?” Phoebe asked.

“Then we have to discover which demon is helping him,” said Cole. “So that we can vanquish the demon and stop it from carrying out whatever plan it has.”

[noazmale]

FIVE

The next day Piper, Leo, and Cole sat in the living room. Piper had several papers with her that they were looking over.

“According to his biography,” she said, “Simms was born in San Diego. He’s supposedly 32 years old, unmarried, and has lived in San Francisco for the past seventeen years. No one had even heard of him until the last election for city council. He just kind of appeared on the political scene and won by one of the largest landslides in San Francisco history.”

“Well, that’s not really suspicious,” said Cole. “Things like that have happened before. It could just be that he decided to run for city council and the people liked what he was promising if he got elected.”

“Maybe,” said Piper. “But according to the latest polls, Simms is ahead of his nearest opponent by at least 12 points. It looks like he’s going to have another landslide victory.”

“You sound like you find that suspicious,” said Leo.

“Well, considering that his record shows he hasn’t really done much since he got into office, it does sound kind of suspicious,” said Piper. “How could he be so popular if he doesn’t do anything?”

“Many elections are more like popularity contests,” said Cole. “Maybe the people just like him better than they like his opponent.”

“I guess that’s possible,” said Piper. “But it still seems suspicious to me.”

“Where’s Phoebe?” Cole asked. “I thought you two were going to check on Simms together.”

“We did,” said Piper. “When we got the information on him she went to check him out. If he was born in San Diego there should be some record of it. And she also thought she might be able to find out something about him that wasn’t in his official biography.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Cole. “The more we know about him the more idea we’ll have if he’s who he really claims to be.”

“What about Prue?” Leo asked. “What’s she doing?”

“She’s checking old photographs,” said Piper. “She had the idea that if Simms is Sperrle there might be other pictures of him somewhere. Sperrle was a political figure in Germany and Simms is a political figure here in San Francisco. She thought that maybe he had been a political figure in other places. If she can find other pictures of him that would help do identify him as something other than a normal human.”

“That is a possibility,” said Cole. “Being a city councilman can often be the springboard for higher political ambitions. Many Senators and Representatives actually started out in local politics and worked their way up. If this is Simms’ goal he may have actually started somewhere else. He’d want to learn how the American political system worked so he could use it to his advantage. And if he’s as old as he appears then he might be immortal. Giving him all the time in the world to learn what he needs.”

“Hey everyone,” said Phoebe, coming in the front door. “I think I found something.”

“What?” Piper asked. “Does it have to do with his biography?”

“You might say that,” said Phoebe, lying some papers on the coffee table. “According to his biography, he attended UCLA. He supposedly majored in Political Science and graduated with a strong B GPA.”

“Okay, that’s not so odd,” said Leo.

“Except,” said Phoebe, “that all I can find is his diploma. There doesn’t seem to be any transcripts for his years at UCLA. He also claims to have spent 3 years in the army. Except that the first year he was supposedly in the military he was also attending his last year at UCLA.”

“Maybe he was in ROTC,” Cole suggested. “The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps are for college students. Normally after college the ROTC students are commissioned in the military.”

“Except that after his training in the military,” continued Phoebe, “he was supposedly assigned to a post in Germany. Which means he couldn’t have attended UCLA even in the ROTC program. He spent nearly 3 years in Germany and then was discharged and returned to the United States.”

“No one ever checks someone’s schooling that close,” said Leo. “If he had what appeared to be a legitimate diploma most people would have accepted it on face value. Unless there was some kind of scandal there would never be any reason to check on it.”

“And if Simms is Sperrle, he’d be sure to steer clear of any scandal that might result in someone questioning his credentials,” said Cole. “And if he had the help of a demon he could possibly do it. Especially if any opponents that questioned him should die suddenly.”

“You think he’s capable of that?” Phoebe asked.

“Sperrle was capable of anything,” said Cole. “He relished setting up the concentration camps. He even took on some of the specific requirements himself instead of leaving them to subordinates like a lot of the Nazis did. I think he even tested the first gas chamber himself to be sure that they worked the way he had planned them.”

“I think we’ve pretty much established that Simms isn’t who he claims to be,” said Piper. “And with the spirit appearing here at the manor I think it’s also pretty clear that Simms is actually Sperrle. The question now is what do we do about it?”

“We have to find out what demon he’s working with,” said Leo. “Assuming he’s not a demon himself.”

“Well,” said Cole, “unless he’s a shape shifter, I don’t think he is. Sperrle was definitely human. More cruel and sadistic than most but human nonetheless.”

“What about the demons who possessed the Nazis during World War II?” Phoebe asked. “Could it be one of those?”

“I don’t think so,” said Cole. “Like I said, when it was over the Source vanquished them. The Brotherhood of the Thorn was tasked with capturing them and bringing them in. I wasn’t involved in that but it was my understanding that they caught all of them. The Source made a public example of them to show what happened to demons that defied him.”

“Okay, so if it wasn’t one of them, who was it?” Leo asked.

“That’s hard to say,” said Cole. “It’s hard to imagine any demon doing that after the Source vanquished the others. Still, I guess it’s possible there was some adventurous demon willing to take the chance.”

“I’m home,” said Prue, coming into the manor. “I’ve some interesting information on our Mr. Simms.”

“We’ve learned a few things ourselves,” said Piper. “We’ve found out that Simms is really Sperrle. What did you find out?”

“Apparently Sperrle was never executed,” said Prue. “Oh, he was tried and convicted. And he was ordered to be hanged in November of 1968. But just before he was to be executed there was a fire in the prison where he was being held. From all appearances the authorities determined that he died in that fire, saving them the necessity of an execution.”

“From all appearances?” Piper questioned.

“Yeah,” said Prue, pulling out a photograph. “This was taken just after the fire. It shows some of the guards sifting through the debris looking for the remains of any inmates that were trapped in the fire.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe, looking at the picture. “It looks like just what you said it was. Prison guards searching through debris.”

“Except,” said Prue, pointing at an indistinct figure in the background of the photo, “look at that. I too the photo and enlarged and enhanced that area. And what do you think I found?”

She handed them another photograph. It was obviously the enlargement of the background she had mentioned. Only in this photo the figure was much more clear and distinct.

“It’s Sperrle,” said Phoebe. “You mean he just dressed in a guards uniform and walked out of the prison?”

“Apparently,” said Prue. “Most of the guards also died in the fire. Those guards were brought in from another prison to search through the rubble. My guess is that Sperrle just got a uniform and mingled in with the other guards. Everyone would have thought he was from someone else. No one would have suspected him of impersonating a guard. Especially if they thought he had died in the fire.”

“Oh, that’s ingenious,” said Cole. “The authorities would have been combing the countryside looking for any prisoners who had escaped the fire. By staying in the prison he would have been in the one place no one would have thought to look for him.”

“And when they went home for the day,” said Leo, “he could just simply disappear. Since no one knew who he really was they probably wouldn’t even have missed him.”

“Okay,” said Piper, “now we know that Simms and Sperrle are really the same person. Like Cole said, the next thing we need to figure out is what demon he’s working with. The question is the best way to do that.”

“We have to get in to see him,” said Prue. “But that might be difficult. He’s a councilman and I doubt we can just walk in and see him. But there has to be a way to get close to him.”

“I have an idea,” said Phoebe. “We could go down to city hall and wait for him to come out. Then I could approach him and claim I work for the school paper. I’ll say I’d like to do an interview with him.”

“How does that help?” Cole asked. “He obviously won’t have the time or inclination to do an interview there on the street.”

“No,” said Phoebe, “but I should be able to get him to shake hands. If we do I might get a premonition.”

“That’s a long shot,” said Leo. “You’re premonitions don’t usually work on command like that.”

“It’s the best thing we have,” said Phoebe. “Unless someone has a better idea.”

No one spoke. Obviously no one had any ideas how to get close to Sperrle besides Phoebe. Finally they all decided it was probably their best option so they prepared to go meet the former Nazi.

[noazmale]

SIX

“This is crazy,” said Prue. “What if he suspects what you’re up to?”

“That’s why you’re here,” said Phoebe. “Besides, Leo and the others are right across the street. If there are any problems all we have to do is call for him and he, Piper, and Cole will all be here in two seconds. Besides, this is our best bet of finding out what demon Sperrle is working with.”

“Assuming you have a premonition,” said Prue. “What if you don’t have a premonition?”

“All we can do it play it by ear,” said Phoebe. “Cole certainly can’t go to the underworld and see if he can find out who it is. And Leo’s all ready checked with the Elders. They have no idea what demon Sperrle is working with.”

“Just don’t take any chances,” said Prue. “Just pretend to be a reporter for the school paper like you said and ask some for an interview. If you don’t get a premonition we’ll get out of there as fast as we can.”

“Agreed,” said Phoebe. “Besides, with Piper, Cole, and Leo right across the street we shouldn’t have much to worry about. I doubt Sperrle will try anything in public.”

She looked at the front door to city hall. Presumably Sperrle would be coming out of the front door when he left the building. As a city councilman he would at least need to project the impression he was available to his constituents. All they had to do was wait until he came out and Phoebe could approach him.

They didn’t have to wait long. About thirty minutes after they arrived several people came out the front door. Phoebe recognized one of them as Sperrle. He looked like any other person on the street. About thirty with blonde hair and wearing a suit and tie, like most of the others in city hall. They watched as he spoke to a woman who nodded, then the two shook hands and Sperrle turned and started to head in Phoebe and Prue’s direction.

“Councilman Simms?” Phoebe questioned, stepping up to him.

“Yes?” asked Sperrle, looking at her and Prue.

“Hi, my name is Phoebe Halliwell.” She extended her hand for him to shake. “I’m with the university school paper. We’re doing an series of articles on the candidates for the local elections and I was wondering if you would have some time for an interview.”

“Glad to meet you, Miss Halliwell,” said Sperrle, shaking her hand. Unfortunately, Phoebe got no premonition from their contact. “It’s nice to see our young people involved in the political process. You’re the future of our political process and the sooner you get involved the better off we’ll all be. And who might you be?”

“I’m her sister, Prue. She thought you might allow me to take some pictures for the article.”

“Well, far be it from me to miss a photo-op,” said Sperrle, smiling. “Unfortunately, ladies, I don’t have time at the moment for an interview. I’ll be glad to set up an appointment for one. If you’ll call my secretary she’ll be able to set up something for you next week.”

“Well, that’s a little late,” said Phoebe. “The article is for the next issue and it comes out Friday. It won’t take long, I promise. I just have a few questions and I’m sure they’re questions you’ve probably been asked a hundred times before.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Halliwell,” said Sperrle, “I’m afraid I really am too busy at the moment. Perhaps my secretary can juggle my schedule and arrange something in the next day or two. I’ll call her and see what I can arrange. If you’ll give me your address and phone number I’ll be glad to have her call you as soon as we can arrange a mutually beneficial time.”

“Well, I guess that would be okay,” said Phoebe. She wrote down her address and phone number on a piece of paper and handed it to him. “Any time you could arrange would be fine. If I’m not there you can just give the information to one of my sisters.”

“You have another sister?” Sperrle asked.

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “Actually I have two. One of us is usually home so I’ll be sure and get the message.”

“Fine,” said Sperrle, looking at the piece of paper. “I’ll try to have my secretary call this afternoon. And don’t forget, I’d appreciate all three of your votes on Election Day.”

“We’ll keep that in mind,” said Prue.

“Well that was a waste of time,” said Phoebe as she and Prue headed across the street to where Piper, Leo, and Cole waited. “I didn’t even get a hint of a premonition.”

“It was worth a try,” said Prue. “But it wasn’t’ a total loss. Maybe when you get the interview you’ll have a premonition then.”

“You think I should really go through with it?” Phoebe asked.

“Go through with what?” Piper asked.

“She didn’t get a premonition,” said Prue. “But he did say he’d arrange for an interview in the next couple of days. I think we should continue to check on him and if we can’t find out anything she should go ahead with the interview. That would give her another chance for a premonition.”

“That’s risky,” said Cole. “The more contact you have with him the greater the risk you might expose yourself. If he discovers you’re a witch you could be in trouble.”

“You won’t let that happen,” said Phoebe. “Besides, we have the Power of Three on our side. He can’t stand up that.”

“Assuming you get the chance to use it,” said Leo. “Cole is right. We need to be very careful. We don’t want Sperrle suspicious of you.”

“We’d better get back home,” said Piper. “We have to plan our next strategy.”

They all headed for the car. They had opted to drive to city hall instead of orbing or shimmering. City hall was much too public a place to risk being discovered using magic to get there and leave.

“I’ll do some more research on the Internet,” said Phoebe as they all entered the manor. “I might be able to find out some more things on our councilman that I wasn’t able to find out before.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Prue. “I can check with the hall of records and see what they have on him.”

“If you have any questions about me, why don’t you just ask me yourself? There’s no sense in taking such a round about route to find what you’re looking for.”

Phoebe and Prue were still in the entryway and the others were still coming in the front door when they noticed Sperrle standing in the living room of the manor. He stood smiling at them with his hands folded in front of him.

[noazmale]

SEVEN

“How did you get in here?” Prue demanded. “What are you doing here?”

“I just thought I’d see why a couple of witches were interested in me,” said Sperrle. “I knew you weren’t with the school paper. They interviewed me last week. I seriously doubt they’d send someone else to interview me so soon.

“Besides, as I said, I was curious why a couple of witches were interested in me. Witches are usually interested in political figures. Which means you must have something else in mind.”

“Hello, SS-Sturmbannführer Sperrle,” said Cole, walking into the entryway. “It’s been a long time.”

“Leutnant Grueber, wasn’t it?” Sperrle questioned. “You worked for Generell Hiedler, if I’m not mistaken. I wondered what happened you to. You just suddenly disappeared one day.”

“Berlin was about to be invaded,” said Cole. “The OSS pulled out many of their operatives before it was.”

“Of course, the OSS,” said Sperrle. “That would explain how the Allies were able to know so much about what we were doing. You were very good, Leutnant Grueber. No one ever suspected you were a spy.”

“That’s the way it was supposed to be,” said Cole. “And my real name is Cole Turner.”

“Well, you obviously know who I am,” said Sperrle. “Which, I suppose, explains your interest in me. So, what are you? Nazi hunters? Tracking down members of the Third Reich that escaped punishment.”

“Oh, nothing like that,” said Prue. “Most of you are probably dead by now anyway.”

“Probably,” said Sperrle. “Besides, it wouldn’t do any good for you to turn me in anyway. I’m much too young to be SS-Sturmbannführer Johann Sperrle. He was thirty years old in 1945. That would make him eighty-five years old today. I’m obviously not eighty-five years old.”

“You may not look it,” said Piper. “But we all know that a demon can help with that.”

“Oh, so that’s what this is all about,” said Sperrle. “I guess I should have guessed. Why else would the Charmed Ones be interested in a minor, local political figure.”

“So you know who we are, too,” said Prue.

“It wasn’t hard to figure out,” said Sperrle. “When I recognized you and your sisters as witches, and she mentioned a third sister, I just put two and two together. The famed Charmed Ones. All interested in little ole’ me.”

“You took a big risk coming here,” said Leo. “Most demons wouldn’t think of entering the manor alone. The ones who do don’t usually leave.”

“You must be their White Lighter,” said Sperrle. “And I wasn’t too concerned with entering their home. First of all, you have no idea who I really am. Second, you would need a Power of Three spell to vanquish me. And not knowing who I am you can’t possibly have one ready. Third, you can’t vanquish me without killing the innocent who is my host. So as I figure it, I have a certain advantage over you.”

“Sperrle would be anything but innocent,” said Cole. “Otherwise you wouldn’t have possessed him.”

“Well, you’re certainly right there, Belthazor,” said Sperrle. “Oh, don’t look so surprised that I know who you really are. It was well known that the Source had sent the Brotherhood of the Thorn to stop us. Besides, as Hiedler’s assistant you were completely believable as a human. No demon could have been that convincing. It would require someone like you; someone who was half human.”

“You seem to be able to figure quite a few things out,” said Prue. “Have you figured out how you’re going to get out of the manor alive?”

“As I said,” said Sperrle, “you can’t vanquish me without killing the innocent who is my host. Sperrle may have been a depraved human with no conscience, but he was still a human. Someone, I believe, you’re sworn to protect. Besides, there’s that small matter of needing a Power of Three spell. Or a piece of my flesh for a potion.”

“So what do you want?” Prue asked.

“Just to warn you,” said Sperrle. “Forget about me. I’m no threat to you. And since you have no way of defeating me all that can be accomplished if you continue to harass me is you’ll end up getting yourselves killed. So if you know what’s good for you you’ll walk away from me and forget I even exist.”

Before any of the others could respond Sperrle flamed out of the manor.

“Well, that was clear enough,” said Piper.

“Yeah, but we certainly aren’t going to forget about him,” said Prue. “He’s a demon and that means he’s up to something. We just have to stop him before he can accomplish whatever his plans are. Only we don’t know which demon we’re dealing with and that’s going to make it difficult to vanquish him.”

“It’s Kernian,” said Cole. “That’s the demon that’s possessed Sperrle.”

“How do you know that?” Leo asked.

“He flamed out,” said Cole. “It has to be him. He’s the only demon of the original ones during the Third Reich that could flame. The rest were lower level and shimmered. Plus I doubt any other demons would have risked incurring the Source’s wrath after he vanquished the ones who betrayed him.”

“Didn’t you say that Kernian possessed Hitler?” Piper asked.

“My guess is he dispossessed Hitler when he realized Hitler was about to be capture,” said Cole. “Then he possessed Sperrle to make his escape.”

“But I thought you said the Source vanquished all the ones who betrayed him,” said Prue. “How do you explain that this Kernian escaped being vanquished?”

“I can’t,” said Cole. “Apparently Kernian figured a way to fool the Source into thinking he had been vanquished. And he’s been hiding in Sperrle ever since. It’s probably one of the reasons he hasn’t surfaced before now. He’s been biding his time until it’s been so long that no one will suspect him.”

“Plus, like he said,” said Phoebe, “he’s way too old to be Sperrle. Even if someone did accuse him of being a Nazi war criminal, no one would take them seriously.”

“Okay, so now we know who we’re dealing with,” said Piper. “How do we vanquish him?”

“That’s going to be a bit of a problem,” said Cole. “He can’t be vanquished as long as he’s possessing Sperrle. The first thing we need to do is force Kernian out of Sperrle. And that’s not likely to be very easy. Now that he knows about you he’ll probably take precautions to prevent it.”

“What kinds of precautions?” Leo asked.

“I’m not really sure,” said Cole. “Possession is not one of my powers. And I never had occasion to employ any demon who does have that power. I know a little about possession but not as much as I should. I do know that there are supposed to be some methods a possession demon can use to protect against being exorcised.”

“Maybe there’s something in the Book of Shadows about exorcism,” said Prue. “We need to check the book and see what it has to say. Plus we need to check on Kernian and see if he’s in there. Assuming we can get Kernian out of Sperrle, do you know how to vanquish him, Cole?”

“As I recall,” said Cole, “it requires a Power of Three spell. A potion won’t do it. Kernian is a first level demon. That means it takes the most powerful magic to vanquish him. Anything short of a Power of Three spell won’t do any good.”

“Phoebe, get started on the spell,” said Prue. “I’ll check the Book of Shadows. Piper, see what potions you can come up with. They may not be able to vanquish him but they may be able to hurt him or slow him down.”

Prue turned to head for the stairs and stopped suddenly. Everyone else turned and were startled by the same sight Prue saw. Standing in the entryway at the foot of the stairs was the same spirit Phoebe and Piper had seen. It stood in the entryway watching them.

[noazmale]

EIGHT

“Looks like our friend is back,” said Prue.

The figure didn’t move. It stood in the entryway looking at them.

“What do you want?” Piper asked.

“Er müssen sein strapazieren,” said the figure. “Er müssen spendieren sein Verbrechen..”

“What did he say?” Phoebe asked.

“He said ‘he must be punished’,” said Cole. “’He must pay for his crimes’.”

“We intend to make him pay,” said Prue.

“Sie müssen nicht Bestand ihm ausführen Gerechtigkeit.”

“He said ‘you must not let him escape justice’,” said Cole.

“We don’t plan to,” said Piper. “We intend to vanquish him just as soon as we can.”

“Die Geist über arg schirmt ihm.”

“’The spirit of evil protects him’,” Cole translated.

“This is ridiculous,” said Phoebe. “Let the language that we hear to our ears now be clear. We should be able to understand him now.”

“The spirit of evil protects him,” said the ghost.

“We know that,” said Prue. “We just found out about him. We plan to vanquish him as soon as we can. He’ll pay for what he did to you.”

“Not only me,” said the spirit. “To all those who suffered at his hand. For the evil which he perpetrated in the camp.”

“What’s your name?” Cole asked.

“In life I was Abraham Garrow. I was a simple merchant. But I had the misfortune to be born a Jew. A sin for which the Nazis punished all who crossed their path with death. You are demon. You are like him.”

“No,” said Phoebe, “he’s not like Sperrle. He’s helping us to vanquish Sperrle.”

“Our spirits cannot rest as long as he lives,” said Garrow. “Until he pays for his crimes we are forced to wander the Earth. The blood of the innocent cries out from the land for justice.”

“You’ll have it,” said Leo. “As soon as they figure out how to vanquish him they will.”

“You are our only hope,” said Garrow. “Only you can give us the rest we deserve.”

“We will,” said Phoebe. “We promise you that as soon as we can we’ll vanquish the demon.”

Garrow just stared at them for a moment. Then silently he faded from the manor.

“Well, I guess we now know what the ghost wants,” said Prue. “It wants justice for what Sperrle did to the victims in World War II.”

“I recognized the clothes,” said Cole. “They were the clothes that victims in the concentration camps were forced to wear. I guess the atrocities Sperrle committed won’t let them rest until he pays for them.”

“And they can’t do anything about it,” said Leo. “They’re expecting the girls to stop him for them.”

“Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” said Prue. “Just as soon as we figure out how to do it. So we’d better get busy.”

Prue headed for the attic while Piper and Leo went into the kitchen. Phoebe sat down on the sofa with a pad and pen. Cole headed for Phoebe’s room saying he wanted to check on something and that he’d be back down as soon as he found what he was looking for.

* * *

“Well,” said Prue coming into the kitchen, “there’s nothing in the book about exorcism. That’s kind of odd considering that traditionally possession has been a major attribute of demons.”

“That was ended a long time ago,” said Cole.

“Why?” Piper asked.

“It’s a long story,” said Cole. “Let’s just say that the demon hierarchy decided it wasn’t as valuable a tool to them as it once had been. What did you find out about Kernian?”

“Well, like you said, he’s one of the senior demons,” said Prue. “Or at least he was until he was vanquished by the Source. Looks like everyone thought this thing had been vanquished. Unfortunately there wasn’t a vanquishing potion or spell for him in the book.”

“Well, I found out some things,” said Cole. “Abraham Garrow ran a clock shop in Germany before World War II. When the Nazis began to take over he was arrested. He eventually ended up in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. He was gassed to death in 1944.”

“How horrible,” said Piper. “I can’t even imagine what it must have been like in one of those camps.”

“And most of the prisoners were there simply for being born a Jew, or being Catholic, or something like that,” said Leo. “It’s been estimated that as many as six million people died in those camps.”

“Well, apparently Sperrle enjoyed throwing the switch personally,” said Cole. “It’s estimated that he was personally responsible for over a thousand deaths that way. And that’s not counting the ones who were murdered by someone else on his orders.”

“If anyone deserves to be vanquished it’s Sperrle,” said Prue.

“And you can’t do it,” said Leo.

“What do you mean we can’t do it?” Piper asked. “That’s what we do. Vanquish evil.”

“No, you vanquish demons,” said Leo. “But you can’t vanquish a human, you know that. That’s what the authorities are for.”

“Leo, brother-in-law,” said Prue, “by now no one will believe who he really is. If we don’t do something about him he’ll never pay for what he did.”

“You can vanquish the demon,” said Cole. “That’s what you’re supposed to do. But you can’t pass judgment on a human. If you kill Sperrle it will be nothing short of murder, no matter what he might have done in the past.”

“Leo, you can’t be serious,” said Piper. “Sperrle is pure evil. If we just let hi get away with what he’s done Garrow and those like him will b forced to wander the Earth forever.”

“You can’t be worried about that,” said Leo. “You’re only concern is Kernian. Once you’ve vanquished him your work is done. If you kill Sperrle there’s no telling what the repercussions might be.”

“Leo’s right,” said Cole. “I don’t like it any more than you do but Sperrle is just a human. Most of what happened during World War II was done by people possessed by demons. If you kill Sperrle for what he did back then you’ll be punishing him for what Kernian actually did. Like Leo says, it will be nothing but murder.”

“So we can vanquish Kernian but we can’t do anything to punish Sperrle?” Phoebe asked.

“I’m afraid not,” said Leo. “You’ll just have to trust that he will be punished one day.”

“That’s not much comfort,” said Prue.

“At least we can take care of Kernian,” said Prue. “Without him, Sperrle would probably be nothing. I guess we’ll just have to settle for the demon.”

“We still have to figure out a way to vanquish Kernian,” said Piper. “And before we can do that we have to exorcise him from Sperrle.”

“Got that covered,” said Phoebe, holding up a piece of paper. “I figured the only way to get him out of Sperrle was with a Power of Three spell. So I wrote a dispossession spell.”

“Good thinking, baby sister,” said Prue. “Now let’s se if we can figure out a way to vanquish Kernian for good.”

[noazmale]

NINE

“Well,” said Prue, “as I see it our first problem is figuring out where to vanquish Kernian. We can’t just walk into this office in city hall and do it. There are too many innocents around and it would be a little hard to explain.”

“We need to draw him out,” said Piper. “Get him some place where there won’t be any witnesses.”

“That won’t be easy,” said Cole. “Kernian Isn’t an upper level demon simply because of his power. Power is only on aspect that determines which are and which aren’t upper level demons. It also involves how smart they are. Having all the power in the underworld doesn’t do any good if you don’t know how to use it.”

“And being a first level demon means he’s one of the smartest,” said Leo.

“Being smart doesn’t mean he can’t be tricked,” said Prue. “Even the smartest people have problem in some areas. I once read that Albert Einstein failed his college entry exams.”

“Prue’s right,” said Phoebe. “Smart doesn’t mean invincible. There has to be something we can use to our advantage.”

“We could summon him,” suggested Piper.

“That may not be the best idea,” said Cole. “Kernian Is a very powerful demon besides being very smart. If you summon him he’s going to know it. If he attacks before you can vanquish him it’s very possible one or more of you could end up getting hurt. Or worse.”

“Which means we’ll just have to vanquish him before he has a chance to do anything,” said Prue.

“Easier said than done,” said Leo. “First you have to exorcise him from Sperrle’s body. Then you have to use a Power of Three spell to vanquish him.”

“Well, we’ve got the spell,” said Phoebe. “I wrote the vanquishing spell when I wrote the dispossession spell.”

“You still have to be able to use it,” said Cole. “And as Leo explained, Kernian will have plenty of time to react. It’s just too much of a risk.”

“I’ll freeze him,” said Piper. “That will keep him from doing anything while we vanquish him.”

“You’re freezing power won’t work on him,” said Cole. “Remember, he’s a first level demon. He has protection that lower level demons don’t have. I won’t even be of much help against him because he’s more powerful that even Belthazor.”

“Well we can’t just sit around doing nothing,” said Piper. “If he’s a demon he must be planning something and we can’t just wait for him to complete his plans.”

“I wonder what his plans are,” Phoebe said.

“That’s hard to say,” said Cole.

“You did say that local elected positions are often the springboard for some higher political position,” said Phoebe. “Say like a Senator or Representative.”

“Yes,” said Cole. “It’s very common.”

“He also wasn’t surprised to see Cole with us,” said Prue. “Wouldn’t he find that odd? A demon working with witches?”

“Not if he knew about my betrayal,” said Cole. “Even if he was in hiding it is possible he could have heard about that.”

“Where?” Leo asked. “Any demon who discovered he was still alive might have told the Source trying to get in good with him.”

“That’s true,” said Cole. “Still, there are places he could have heard something like that. At his level there would always be some low level demons who would keep his secret.”

“Any way to find out what demon may be keeping his secret?” Piper asked.

“That would be difficult,” said Cole. “Kernian would be extremely careful who he associated with. His life would literally be riding on it.”

“Well he must be associating with someone,” said Prue. “He has to be getting his information somewhere.”

“His assistant,” said Cole.

“What about his assistant?” Leo asked.

“Most politicians have a personal assistant,” said Cole. “Someone who keeps their schedules straight, run errands for them, all sorts of things. And many times their personal assistant is also a personal confidante. If he is working someone his personal assistant would be the most logical place to start.”

“And his personal assistant wouldn’t be a public a figure as he is,” said Phoebe. “Which means we need to find out who his personal assistant is.”

“That should be easy enough to find out,” said Prue. “I can go down to his reelection campaign office. That kind of information is usually easy to find out.”

“You can go tomorrow,” said Piper. “I’ll go with you. You shouldn’t be going alone.”

“Actually I should go with her,” said Cole. “I still have my ADA credentials. If she has any trouble getting the information I might be able to get it that way.”

“But you aren’t an ADA any longer,” said Phoebe. “It could be dangerous if you do that.”

“Not very,” said Cole. “They aren’t likely to check on my credentials. It’s like when you get pulled over by the police. Do you ever ask to see their identification before they write you a ticket?”

“No, not usually,” said Phoebe. “It isn’t a good idea to tick off a cop.”

“My point exactly,” said Cole. “It may not be necessary. But if it is I can probably flash my identification and get what we need. I doubt there will be many questions.”

“Just be careful,” said Leo. “This isn’t just a Nazi we’re dealing with. It’s a senior level demon. There’s no telling what he’s liable to do.”

“You don’t have to warn me about Kernian,” said Cole. “I know him personally, remember? I know full well what he’s capable of. Besides, if he does try anything I can shimmer Prue out of there. Piper can’t.”

“We’ll go in the first thing in the morning,” said Prue. “Once we find out who his personal assistant is we can decide what to do next.”

* * *

“Hi, my name is Prue Halliwell. This is Cole Turner. We’re here to take some pictures for some of the Bay Area News.”

“Well,” said the young woman behind the desk, “I guess that would be okay. As long as you don’t get in anyone’s way.”

“Oh, we won’t do that,” said Prue, smiling at the woman. “Just a few background shots and maybe some information about Councilman Simms and the people who work for him. They’re planning to do a series of articles on all the candidates and they just want to have some background information.”

“I can give you some literature on Councilman Simms if you’d like,” said the woman.

“That would be great,” said Cole.

“Are you a reporter, too?” the woman asked.

“No,” said Cole. “I’m just a friend. I, uh, gave Prue a ride down here today, that’s all.”

“Oh, okay,” said the woman, handing some pamphlets to Cole. “If there’s anything you need don’t hesitate to ask. Councilman Simms is a great man and he deserves to be reelected.”

“What’s your name?” Prue asked.

“Jennifer,” said the girl. “Jennifer Walker.”

“Okay,” said Prue writing the name down in a notebook she had. “And I understand Councilman Simms has never married.”

“That’s right,” said Jennifer. “He says he’s waiting for the right woman.”

“I see,” said Prue. “What about his personal assistant?”

“Mr. Myers?” questioned the girl. “What about him?”

“Well, I was wondering who he was?” Prue said. “You said his name was Myers?”

“Yes,” said the girl. “Connor Myers. He’s been with the Councilman since the beginning.”

“Okay,” said Prue, glancing at Cole. “So he and the Councilman are good friends I guess.”

“Yes, they are,” said Jennifer. “Would you like to speak to him?”

“Speak to him?” questioned Prue.

“Yes,” said Jennifer. “He’s here right now. He’s been running the Councilman’s reelection campaign. He’s in his office at the back of the building right now.”

“Yes, we would like to speak with him,” said Cole. “I’m sure he could give you some great background for your story, Prue.”

“Yes,” said Prue. “That’s a good idea. Do you think he’d be available right now?”

“I could ask,” said Jennifer. “Right now he’s going over the figures from the last poll. If you’ll wait here I’ll see if he’s available.”

“This is great,” said Cole as they waited for Jennifer to return. “We might actually be able to get some information out of this Myers.”

“You don’t think he’s just going to come out and tell you anything, do you?” Prue asked.

“Well, now,” said Cole smiling, “that depends on how we ask him. Sometimes what a person doesn’t say or how they say what they do say can tell you a great deal. Not to mention that people speak volumes with their body language. I’m no expert but I do have some experience deciphering body language. We might just get some information from Mr. Connor Myers.”

“Mr. Myers says he’ll be glad to speak to you for a few minutes,” said Jennifer, “He does have a meeting downtown soon so he can’t be long but he’s willing to give you a few minutes.”

“Thanks,” said Prue. “We appreciate it.”

“His office is the door in the back of the room,” said Jennifer, pointing to the door.

“Thank you very much,” said Cole.

“You really think we’re going to learn anything from this guy?” Prue asked as they walked to the door.

“It’s worth a try,” said Cole. “At the very least we might be able to rule him out as Kernian’s accomplice.”

Prue knocked on the door. From inside the room they heard a man say “come in”. Prue looked at Cole and then opened the door and walked into the room.

“Mr. Myers?” she asked, entering the room. “My name is Prue Halliwell and this is Cole Turner. It’s very nice of you to take time out of your busy schedule to speak with us.”

“My pleasure,” said Myers, standing up to shake Prue’s hand. “It’s always nice to get some publicity for the Councilman. Especially if it doesn’t cost anything. As I’m sure you’re aware running a campaign can be very….”

His voice stopped cold. He stood staring at Cole with his mouth open and a look of astonishment on his face.

“Lieutenant Grueber?” Myers questioned. “That’s not possible. That was sixty years ago.”

“Apparently it is possible,” said Cole. “Isn’t it Sturmbannführer Adler.”

[noazmale]

TEN

“Okay, let me see if I have this straight,” said Piper. “You met another Nazi you knew in World War II who hasn’t aged a day in sixty years. And you just walked out and left him there?”

“It’s not like there was a lot we could do about it,” said Prue. “There were too many innocents around and we were seen going into his office. If we had done anything there would have been a lot of questions we don’t want asked.”

“What makes you think he’ll come here tonight?” Piper asked.

“He said he would,” said Cole. “He’s not like I remember him. He was almost timid. And he kept telling us how much he regretted what he did back then. It may sound strange but I believed him.”

“People like that don’t change,” said Leo. “You remember what the Nazis were like. They were ruthless. You honestly believe he’s actually sorry for anything he did?”

“He did seem sincere,” said Prue. “As soon as he saw Cole he seemed to change. He went white as a sheet. It’s almost like he was afraid of Cole.”

“He might have been,” said Cole. “Other than Kernian none of the demons with him were as powerful as Belthazor. If he thinks I’ve come for revenge or something he’d have good cause to be afraid.”

“Aren’t you afraid he might warn Kernian?” Piper asked.

“Maybe,” said Cole. “But I’m willing to bet he’s more interested why we came to see him after all these years.”

“How much do you know about him?” Leo asked.

“Well,” said Cole, “his real name was Karl Adler. He was a Sturmbannführer when I knew him. That’s equivalent to a Major. He worked for Sperrle at the time. He was only about twenty-one years old.”

“Twenty-one and a Major?” Leo questioned.

“Rank was handed out as much for friendship as for accomplishment in those days,” said Cole. “He and Sperrle had grown up in the same town. When Sperrle became Eichmann’s personal aide he brought Adler with him. But he was never as sadistic as Sperrle.”

“So you think another demon is possessing this Adler?” Phoebe asked.

“Probably,” said Cole. “It would explain why he hasn’t aged. Just like Sperrle.”

“So that’s two demons that were supposedly vanquished by the Source who escaped,” said Prue. “Not a very good track record for the leader of the underworld.”

“I’m sure there’s an explanation for it,” said Cole. “The Source isn’t likely to make a mistake like that. There must be some explanation for why he thinks they were vanquished when they weren’t.”

“What time is Adler supposed to be here?” Phoebe asked.

“He wasn’t sure,” said Prue. “He said he had a couple of meetings he couldn’t miss. But he said he’d be here as soon as he could make it. He goes by the name Brandon Glass now.”

“And you believed him?” Piper asked. “Prue, that’s not like you. You’re suspicious of everyone, especially if there are demons involved.”

“Like we said,” said Prue, “there wasn’t a whole lot we could do about it. Besides, we know where to find him if we need to. I looked up his address in the phonebook before we came home.”

“He’s listed in the phonebook?” Phoebe questioned.

“Why not?” Cole asked. “He’s the personal assistant of a city councilman. As far as anyone else is concerned, that’s all he is. There’s no reason for him to be hiding under a rock somewhere.”

“That’s exactly where he should be,” said Piper. “Under a rock.”

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Cole stepped over and looked out the front room window.

“It’s him,” said Cole. “I guess he got free earlier than he figured.”

“Might as well let him in,” said Prue. “I have a few questions for him.”

She went to the front door and let Adler in. They came back into the living room and Adler looked at the rest nervously. Prue offered him a seat and he sat down, still nervous.

“So,” said Piper, “Cole tells us he knew you a long time ago.”

“It’s not a time I like to think about,” said Adler. “I was young and stupid. If I could change it I would.”

“Yeah, right,” said Leo sarcastically.

“Leo,” said Piper, “that’s no way to treat a guest.”

“I had friends who were murdered by the Nazis,” said Leo. “Forgive me if I don’t want to be his best friend.”

“He’s still a guest,” said Piper.

“No, he’s right,” said Adler. “What the Nazis did was unforgivable. The ones that were executed after the war got what they deserved. I should have been among them.”

“So why weren’t you?” Phoebe asked. “After the war you apparently escaped Germany. If you felt that way why didn’t you just give yourself up to the Allies?”

“I couldn’t,” said Adler. “Sperrle wouldn’t let me. He said we had to escape. He told me that there was still things for us to do and I had to go with him to make sure they got done.”

“Why didn’t you go back to the underworld?” Cole asked. “I’m sure the Source would have understood. You were just following the orders of your superior. He would probably have let you off easy.”

“Underworld?” questioned Adler. “How was I supposed to get there? I didn’t have the power he has. Besides, from the way he tells it, humans aren’t very welcome down there.”

“Wait a minute,” said Prue. “Are you trying to tell us you aren’t a demon?”

“Of course I’m not a demon,” said Adler. “Is that what you thought? That I was a demon like him?”

“Then how do you explain you haven’t aged in sixty years?” Phoebe asked.

“Sperrle does that,” said Adler. “It’s one of his powers. He has a number of them. I’ve never seen anyone who can do the things he can do. He said as long as I helped him I’d be safe. If I didn’t help him, well, let’s just say I probably wouldn’t live to regret it.”

“So you’re helping him because you’re afraid of him?” Prue asked.

“You don’t believe that, do you?” Leo questioned. “He was a Nazi. Do you know the atrocities they committed? I may have served on Guadalcanal but I was there during that time. I saw what they did. They’re as close to evil incarnate as you can get.”

“He’s right,” said Adler. “We deserve whatever happens to us. Nothing can make up for what we did.”

“What did you do in the Third Reich?” Cole asked. “I know you worked for Sperrle but I never knew exactly what it was you did.”

“I was his assistant,” said Adler. “Oh, I was very honored to get such a prestigious position. Personal assistant to the personal assistant of Adolf Eichmann. In the beginning it was very exciting. I was helping to shape the future of Germany. I thought we were going to form a great new nation.

“Then I began to read the communiqués I had been delivering for Sperrle. I learned about the horrible things they had planned. The things they were all ready doing. I learned about the concentration camps. About the gas chambers. About the mass graves. It made me sick.

“But by then it was too late. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I knew what happened to the opponents of the Nazi party. The ‘accidents’ or they simply disappeared in the night never to be seen again.”

“So you went along with it,” said Cole.

“I had no choice,” said Adler. “If I had tried to walk away they would have killed me. When we learned that Germany was going to loose the war I decided I would surrender as soon as the Allies reached Berlin. But Sperrle said that I was a conspirator with them. I was just as guilty as any of them. He said if the Allies caught me I’d be executed along with the rest of them. I didn’t want to die. I was scared. So when he left Germany for Argentina I went with him. We’ve been running ever since.”

“We’re you afraid that Nazi hunters would find you?” Prue asked. “Many Nazis have been caught over the years, especially in Argentina.”

“It was always a concern of mine,” said Adler. “But Sperrle said that would never happen. There were a couple of times I thought they were getting close to us but then they just disappeared. Sperrle said they would never bother us again and they didn’t.”

“He probably killed them,” said Piper. “With his power it would be easy for him.”

“I’ve tried to make up for the things I did,” said Adler. “I know I never can. Not for all the lives I helped take. But there’s nothing else I can do. Most of what I make goes to charities. Usually they’re Jewish charities. And I help out in whatever way I can when I can. Like I said, I know I can never make up for what I did but there’s nothing else I can do.”

“Sounds to me like you didn’t do all that much,” said Cole. “You had nothing to do with what the hierarchy of the Nazi party did. Just like me you were nothing more than a clerk.”

”I should have done something,” said Adler. “I was in a position of authority. I could have done something. Tried to save some of them.”

“And ended up dead yourself,” said Phoebe. “Look, you seem to know that Sperrle is actually a demon. If you had betrayed him he wouldn’t have hesitated to kill you. He was responsible for starting the war in the first place. Do you really think you could have done anything and he wouldn’t have stopped you?”

“I don’t know,” said Adler. “But I do know that ‘I was only following orders’ was an excuse heard over and over again at the Nuremberg Trials. And no one accepted it. They said that every soldier was responsible for his own actions and simply ‘following orders’ did not relieve them of the responsibility for the atrocities they committed.

“I knew what was in those communiqués. I knew that hundreds, even thousands, of people were being sent to their deaths for no reason. And I did nothing to stop it. I was a card carrying member of the Nazi party. That makes me as guilty as they were.”

“You were just a kid,” said Leo. “And you were scared. I don’t think anyone can fault you for that.”

“You’ve certainly changed your tune,” said Piper.

“I was wrong about him,” said Leo. “He wasn’t one of them. He was just caught up in circumstances that were beyond his control. And he did what he had to do to survive. He may not be proud of what he did but it doesn’t sound like he had much of a choice.”

“I could have left Germany,” said Adler. “I could have defected to England or Russia or some other Allied country. I could have done anything but protect myself.”

“How would you like to do something else to make up for it?” Cole asked. “Something that could conceivably help make up for everything you did during the war?”

“Nothing can do that,” said Adler. “Nothing I do can every make up for what I did.”

“What if it could?” Prue asked. “Would you be interested?”

“Of course I’d be interested,” said Adler. “But what could I possibly do that can make up for the deaths of hundreds of innocent people?”

“Getting rid of Sperrle,” said Cole.

“That’s not possible,” said Adler. “He’s a demon. Oh, not the type with horns and a tail and a red suit. He’s a real demon. He has powers you can’t even imagine. There’s no one that can stand up against him.”

“We can,” said Piper. “We fight demons all the time. And if you’re willing to help us, we might just be able to stop him forever.”

“What can you do?” Adler asked.

“We can destroy Sperrle,” said Phoebe. “With him gone you’d be free of him. You could live you life without ever having to worry about him again. But in order to do that we’re going to need your help.”

“You know how many times I’ve dreamed of that,” said Adler. “But I don’t see how anyone can stop him.”

“We’re the Charmed Ones,” said Prue. “And we have the power to stop him. With your help we can put an end to him very soon.”

Adler just sat in the chair staring at them. It was evident from his expression that he wasn’t completely convinced of what they were telling him.

[noazmale]

ELEVEN

Adler walked into his office in city hall. He stepped over to his desk and looked at the notes his secretary had left for him. Somehow none of them seemed very important at the moment.

“You’re late. You were supposed to be with me when I spoke to the Women’s League. I had to handle it all by myself.”

Adler spun around. Sperrle was standing in the doorway to his office smiling.

“Oh, uh, something came up,” said Adler nervously. “I, uh, had to take care of some personal business.”

“Personal business?” questioned Sperrle closing the door behind him. “What kind of personal business?”

“Oh, nothing important. Just some personal business.”

“You never could lie to me. Why are you so nervous?”

“Nervous?” questioned Adler. “I. . .I’m not nervous.”

“You’re as nervous as the proverbial long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. What is it? What’s going on?”

“There’s nothing going on. “Nothing at all.”

Sperrle flashed his eyes at Adler. “Don’t lie to me. I could always tell when you were lying. What could possibly make you so nervous.”

Adler just stared at Sperrle. His eyes narrowed slightly. Suddenly his eyes opened in recognition.

“You spoke to them, didn’t you?”

“Them? Them who?”

“The Charmed Ones,” said Sperrle. “They came to me, too. It seems they think they can stop me.”

“They’re the Charmed Ones, Sperrle. If half of what I’ve heard about them is true their power is incredible. They said they’re going to stop you and then they’re going to come after me.”

“Simms,” Sperrle said anxiously, and then calmed down almost immediately. “The name is Simms. You must really be shaken. It’s been a long time since you made a mistake like that.”

“Why couldn’t we just stay in Argentina? I told you it was a mistake to come here. Americans will extradite Nazi war criminals, you know? Argentina doesn’t. I warned you that if we came here someone would recognize us. And witches of all people.”

“We’ve been here more than twenty years,” said Sperrle. “And it was probably just coincidence that they recognized us. Plus Belthazor is with them.”

“I know. He was with them.”

“Well, witches don’t concern me. Not even the so-called Charmed Ones. They may be witches but they’re still human. And Belthazor was always lower in the hierarchy than I was. I was always more powerful. I can handle him.”

“What about the witches?” Adler asked. “What are we going to do about them? If they expose us we could be in real trouble.”

“After sixty years? Not very likely. We’re much too young to have been in the Third Reich. No one would ever believe them.”

“And what if they do? What if someone does listen to them? After the war the Allies collected a great many records from the Reich. It’s very possible they have something that can identify us.”

“I told you, I took care of all that before we left Berlin. There are no photographs or fingerprints or any other incriminating documents that can identify us with our past lives. All they could possibly have are some records with our names on them. Hardly enough to prove anything.”

“What if they decide not to go to the authorities? What if they decide to come after us themselves?”

“I can handle some witches. Remember, only the Source was more powerful than I was. And only because he had the power of the underworld behind him. If not for that I could have vanquished him as well. A couple of witches are not a problem for me.”

“What about me?” Adler asked. “I don’t have your powers. I don’t age because you make that possible. If they come after me I’ll have no way to protect myself.”

“My power will protect you as well. Don’t worry. We have nothing to worry about from them. Or from Belthazor.”

“You’re not always around. Just like this morning. They showed up at your campaign headquarters while I was there alone. You can’t be around all the time. What happens when they show up the next time? What am I supposed to do then?”

“This really has you shaken, doesn’t it?” Sperrle asked. “Even after sixty years I still don’t understand what motivates humans sometimes. I’ve all ready assured you that you’ll be safe from the witches and still you insist on worry about it.”

“That’s why you keep me around. You told me when we left Berlin that you needed me to blend in with humanity. Otherwise you would have left me there.”

“So it’s a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. I get to live as a human, free from fear of the Source’s bounty hunters and you get to live forever.”

“It’s anything but symbiotic.”

“You seem to have done pretty well for yourself. I happen to know you have more money than you’ll ever know what to do with. Your constant contributions to those charitable organizations notwithstanding. So it seems to me that it is quite the symbiotic relationship.”

“And that’s all about to come to an end. It’s only a matter of time before the witches come after us. You power notwithstanding, you can’t protect me if you’re protecting yourself. And that leaves me vulnerable.”

“I see. Well, it appears you aren’t about to let this rest. What would you suggest?”

“Let’s get out of here,” said Adler. “Let’s just chuck everything and go somewhere. Somewhere the witches won’t find us.”

“And where do you think that could be?” Sperrle asked. “Witches have the ability to scry. Plus they have a White Lighter who can go anywhere in the world without any trouble at all.”

“What about this Overworld you’ve mentioned before? You said demons could go there without fear of reprisals. Kind of like a neutral zone for demons.”

“The Overworld is not an option. It may be a safe haven for demons but if one of them learns who I really am they are very likely to tell the Source. Besides, it’s a safe haven for demons. I can’t speak for how they might treat a human.”

“We have to do something,” said Adler. “If we don’t do anything they’re going to come after us. And even with your powers you can’t stop all of them.”

“Then I suppose we’ll just have to do something about them.”

“Like what? You’ve told me about the prophecies on them. What can we possibly do about them?”

“We get them before they get us,” said Sperrle smiling. “Remember, they are still human. They can be killed like any other human. And I can make sure the bodies are never found. All we have to do is wait until they’re asleep. Individually they aren’t much of a threat to me. It’s the Power of Three that would be a danger. All I have to do is kill one of them and they won’t have the Power of Three any longer. Then it will be a simple matter to finish the others.”

“What about the demon? What about him? I doubt he’s just going to stand around while you kill the witches. For some reason he seems to be working with them.”

“As I said, Belthazor was never a match for me. I can handle Belthazor, too.”

“What am I supposed to do?”

“You can provide backup. You’ll bring the gun you keep in your desk. If anyone tries to play hero while I’m dealing with them you can take care of them. Being human they aren’t likely to see you as much of a threat.”

“You want me to kill someone? I’ve never done that before.”

“You’ve never had to,” said Sperrle. “But you’re the one who’s so worried about the witches. If you want to make sure they aren’t a threat you’ll have to get your hands dirty. Now, get the gun and meet me in my office. We’ll go in later tonight after they’ve gone to sleep. I should be able to finish one or possibly even two of them before they even know what’s going on.”

Sperrle turned and left Adler’s office. Adler just watched him go without any expression on his face.

[noazmale]

TWELVE

“My guess is their bedrooms are on the second floor,” said Sperrle as they stood across the street from the manor. “All of the lights are off so my guess is they’ve been in bed for a while.”

“It is two o’clock in the morning,” said Adler. “How can you know what room to go to?”

“I’ve been in the house before, remember? It shouldn’t be a problem to figure out the layout of the upstairs from what I know about the first floor.”

“How are we going to get in there? If we break in someone is sure to hear us.”

“You forget, I can flame in and out wherever I want. I know I haven’t used it for a while. Too much risk someone might notice it. But in the home of the Charmed Ones it just might go undetected. I understand the house sits over the Nexus. A very powerful magic. That should camouflage my flame, so to speak.”

“The Nexus? You never mentioned that before.”

“There was no need to,” said Sperrle. “But once I take out the Charmed Ones I can harness the power of the Nexus. With that power I can vanquish the Source and return to the underworld as the new Source. I have to admit, Brandon, your fear of the Charmed Ones has worked out nicely. When we’re finished here I won’t have to worry about the underworld ever again.”

“Let’s get this over with,” said Adler, pulling the pistol out of his belt. “I’m not sure I have the stomach for this kind of work.”

“You get used to it,” said Sperrle. “Even the most squeamish human can be an effective killing machine given the right circumstances. Self-preservation is one of the more common circumstances.”

Sperrle put his hand on Adler’s shoulder and the two flamed out of the yard and into the manor.

* * *

“It’s dark in here,” whispered Adler. “Why did you choose the kitchen?”

“It’s the least likely place anyone would suspect,” Sperrle whispered back. “Now be quiet. It is possible that someone is up reading or something.”

Cautiously Sperrle pushed the door to the entryway open. The rooms beyond were completely dark. Apparently everyone was in bed upstairs. He smiled to himself. This was going to be easier than he originally thought. With them asleep they’d be dead before they ever knew what happened.

Sperrle moved into the entryway and glanced into the living room. It was empty and dark. He looked up the stairs to the second floor. He turned to Adler and motioned for him to follow him up the stairs. Then Sperrle moved to the stairs and started up them. Suddenly the light in the entryway came on. He turned to see Adler with his hand still on the light switch.

“Are you a fool?” Sperrle chided. “You want to give us away?”

“That ship has all ready sailed,” said Cole in the living room. He stood smiling at Sperrle.

“Belthazor,” said Sperrle. “So, it seems I’ve been betrayed,” He glanced at Adler. “It seems our relationship has come to an end. I’ll deal with you shortly.”

“I don’t think so,” said Adler. Suddenly he glamoured and into Leo. “For someone so smart it sure was easy to get you here. I would have thought it would have been harder.”

“What? What’s going on here?”

“I think it’s called ‘setting you up’,” said Piper from the top of the stairs. Prue and Phoebe stood next to here. “And you fell right into our trap.”

“You’ll regret it witch,” said Sperrle. “I’m not ordinary demon. Belthazor should have warned you about me. You’re powers are no match for mine.”

“We’ll just see about that,” said Prue.

She tapped into her telekinetic power and used it against Sperrle. Sperrle just raised his hand and the power passed harmlessly around him.

“Fool,” he said, smiling. “Did you really think I wouldn’t be ready for you? You’re so predictable.”

“So are you,” said Cole.

He pulled a vial potion out of his pocket and threw it at the floor near Sperrle’s feet. The magic from the vial encompassed Sperrle and then evaporated.

“What do you think that will accomplish?” Sperrle asked. “You must be aware that none of your potions can affect me for long.”

“No, but that power binding potion should work long enough for us to do this,” said Prue.

“Evil spirit now dwelling herein, leave this man you now claim,” the sisters intoned together.

Everyone watched as a spirit-like being began to rise above Sperrle. It hovered for several seconds and then Sperrle collapsed on the unconscious. The spirit being suddenly solidified and the demon Kernian stood next to the unconscious Sperrle.

“This isn’t possible,” said Kernian. “No one has the power to force me out of a human body.”

“We’re the Charmed Ones, glad to meet you,” said Phoebe. “And apparently no one doesn’t apply to us. And we have another surprise for you.”

“You’ll never get the chance to use your spell again, witch,” said Kernian forming a fireball. “I may not be in possession of a human body any longer but I’m still one of the most powerful demons in the underworld.”

Before he could cast the fireball he was struck from behind by an energy ball. It did little to hurt him but it broke his concentration enough to extinguish the fireball. He spun to face Cole.

“You would side against one of your own kind?” Kernian snarled.

“I’m half human, remember?” said Cole, holding another energy ball. “So I guess you could say that no matter who I side with I’m siding against my own kind. But at least I have the choice to make.”

“Spirit that does not belong hear our words and now be gone,” the sister began to intone.

“No!” screamed as the magic of the Power of Three spell began to envelope him. He struggled valiantly against the magic but in the end it proved too much for even him. Suddenly he exploded into flames and was vanquished in an instant. As the flame died out, Adler stepped out of the hallway upstairs.

“Is it over?” he questioned. “Is he really gone?”

“Gone for good,” said Phoebe as they all walked down to the entryway. “We told you, nothing can stand against the Power of Three. Not even Kernian. You’re free of him forever.”

“I’m surprised you were able to fool him into thinking you were me,” Adler said to Cole. “He is – was – very suspicious of everyone.”

“Well, what you told me helped a lot,” said Leo. “Plus I was counting on the fact that the two of you had been together for so long. After sixty years he would have become comfortable with you. As long as he didn’t have any reason to suspect otherwise he’d just assume you were you.”

“I’m just glad we were able to keep him off balance long enough to use the spells,” said Prue. “From what Cole told us if he had been able to use those fireballs it might have been a different story.”

“He always was much to arrogant,” said Cole. “Overconfidence was one of his failings. It’s what got him in trouble in the first place. I just wonder how he was able to escape being vanquished by the Source in 1945.”

“He said something about a changeling demon,” said Adler. “He convinced the changeling to impersonate him. When the demons came for them they vanquished the changeling before it could tell them it was really Kernian. After that it was a simple matter to go into hiding so that the mercenaries wouldn’t know he was still alive. That’s why he kept me around. So that he would appear to be just another human.”

Suddenly Sperrle opened his eyes and looked around. He stood up with a confused look on his face.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Kernian is gone forever,” said Cole. “You won’t be able to rely on his power any more. You’re all alone.”

“What have you done?” Sperrle cried out in anger. “You’ve ruined everything.”

“That was kind of the idea,” said Prue. “Just be glad you’re human or we’d have vanquished you, too. Too bad we can’t do anything about you. The atrocities you committed should be paid for. But unfortunately we aren’t allowed to do anything about that.”

“You think this is over?” Sperrle said, a smirk on his face. “This is only a setback. And a minor one at that. How hard do you think it will be for me to find another demon and make a deal with him? All you’ve done is postponed the inevitable. I’ll find another demon soon. And when I do I can finish what I started here.”

“Not if you’re not around you can’t,” said Cole, forming an energy ball. “They may not be able to do anything about you but I’m not under that restriction. I’m half demon, remember?”

“No, Cole, you can’t,” said Phoebe, putting her hand on his wrist. “You’re good now. You can’t just take the law into your own hands. He’s an innocent. No matter how much you may dislike it you have to follow the same rules we do.”

Cole extinguished the energy ball.

“You’re right,” said Cole. “But he’s still a war criminal. There are people who can deal with him for that.”

“And who’s going to believe you?” Sperrle asked. “I’m Richard Simms, city councilman for San Francisco. You think anyone is going to believe I was alive during the Third Reich sixty years ago? It’s absolutely absurd. Face it. There’s nothing any of you can do about it. Like she said, I’m an innocent. And your hands are tied.”

“You are anything but innocent,” said a voice from the front door. “And while their hands are tied, ours are not.”

Everyone turned to see Garrow standing just inside the front door. Beside him stood another man and a young woman. All three where somewhat transparent and glowed just slightly, showing that they were all spirits.

“Gut morgen, SS-Sturmbannführer Sperrle,” said Garrow. “We’ve waited a long time for this day. The day you will pay for your crimes.”

[noazmale]

THIRTEEN

“I know you,” said Sperrle. “Garrow. Abraham Garrow. Yes, I remember you. You were always so outspoken.”

“Outspoken against the evil you perpetuated,” said Garrow. “The crimes you committed against those unable to defend themselves.”

“Please,” said Sperrle. “You were just a Jew. Hardly worth my time. I did humanity a favor when I killed you.”

“Did you do humanity a favor when you murdered my father?” asked the woman.

“Who are you?” Sperrle asked. “I don’t recognize you.”

“You should,” said the woman. “You murdered my father. He wasn’t a Jew. Just someone who had the misfortune of being married to my mother.”

“That could be a number of men,” said Sperrle.

“You said she was too beautiful to be married to a simple clock maker,” said the woman. “When she protested your advances – telling you she was married – you removed that protestation. By removing my father. And you did it without a second thought.”

“As I said,” said Sperrle, “that could be any number of men.”

“Your evil has been permitted to go on for far too long,” said the other man with Garrow. “For too long have we been forced to simply stand by while you escaped the justice do us. That time has come to an end.”

“And I would assume you’re another of my so-called victims,” said Sperrle.

“More than so-called,” said the man. “My name is Dugan. My only crime was trying to escape the atrocities you perpetuated against the innocent.”

“Dugan, yes, I do remember you,” said Sperrle. “You tried to escape the camp. Had no choice. I had make an example of you otherwise there would have been mass escape attempts.”

“There is always a choice,” said Garrow. “You chose the evil you did to others. You’re joining with Kernian only enhanced your evil. It did not create it.”

“Wait a minute,” said Prue. “Are you saying he did all this before Kernian possessed him?”

“Yes,” said Adler. “Kernian had possessed the Fuhrer initially. It was only after Berlin was about to fall that Kernian and Sperrle joined forces.”

“Not that it makes any difference,” said Sperrle. “I’m still considered an innocent, remember? There’s nothing you can do about it.”

“You are mistaken,” said Garrow. “The witches are forbidden from judging you. We are not. It is why we have remained here. The blood of the innocent cries out for justice. We are here to pronounce that justice.”

“Because of Kernian,” said the woman, “we were unable to bring justice before. The power of the demon prevented us from exacting that justice against you. Now, thanks to the Charmed Ones, that barrier has been removed. Now you will face the punishment you have so long avoided.”

“And do what?” Sperrle asked. “Kill me? That won’t bring anyone back.”

“This is true,” said the woman with Garrow. “But we will not kill you. To do so would make us no better than you. To kill you would be an act of vengeance, not justice.”

“So there’s nothing you can do to me,” said Sperrle smiling. “Despite all your posturing about justice there’s nothing you can do to punish me. In truth I should be rewarded for what I did. I helped rid the Earth of scum like you. Our only failure was that we couldn’t complete the task.”

“You are wrong,” said Dugan.

“SS-Sturmbannführer Johann Sperrle,” said Garrow. “You have been judged by those who fell victim to your evil. And you have been found guilty of crimes against humanity and crimes against the innocent. We have also found that there is no remorse for your actions and that you have reveled in your destruction of the lives of the innocent.”

“For your crimes,” said the woman, “it is judged that justice shall be best served by a device of your own creation. Your victims number 2,845 whom you either killed with your own hand or personally ordered to be killed. Punishment for your crimes will be one month in das kasten for each of these lives. Punishment is to commence immediately and you shall have no possibility of appeal.”

Suddenly two figures appeared beside Sperrle. They took him by the arms. He struggled against their grip but it was clear they were much too strong for him. Even being spirits they somehow had the ability to subdue Sperrle with little trouble.

“You can’t do this,” said Sperrle. “You’re dead. You have power over the living.”

“In this case,” said Garrow, “we have power over you. Because of your wickedness we are the only ones who may pronounce judgment on you.”

Suddenly the two figures and Sperrle simply faded from the room.

“Okay, what just happened?” Prue asked.

“Sperrle has been judged and found guilty,” said Garrow. “His judgment is one of his own devising. In the camps he designed a box. It was a simple device. A mere six feet on all sides. Victims were placed in it and allowed no form of diversion whatsoever. They were allowed to simply sit in the box and contemplate their fate. Usually that involved their deaths when they were removed from the box. It was called simply das kasten; German for the box.”

“Is that all?” Phoebe asked. “You’re going to make him sit in an empty box for a month? That doesn’t seem like much of a punishment for everything he did.”

“They didn’t say that,” said Cole. “They said one month for each of the lives he personally destroyed. Considering he did that to 2,845 people, one month per person is more than 237 years.”

“And in all that time he will be allowed nothing except the faces and screams of those who died by his hand,” said Garrow. “While he remains in the box he will not age. But when he is released he will be over three hundred years old. As a mortal he will not have lived for such a long time. Then he will move on to his final punishment which is not in our hands.”

“Two hundred thirty seven years?” Prue questioned. “With nothing to do but sit in an empty room and think? That would be enough to drive anyone insane.”

“No,” said the woman. “We will not allow him to escape his punishment that easily. He shall experience every minute of it. It is his penance for his atrocities.”

“It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” said Piper.

“So I guess that settles everything,” said Prue. “We vanquished a demon, Sperrle will be made to pay for what he did, and everything is the way it’s supposed to be.”

“Not quite,” said Garrow, turning to face Adler. “There is still the matter of the judgment about this one. He, too, served those who committed crimes against humanity.”

“Hold on,” said Phoebe. “He helped us. And he’s sorry for what he did. He doesn’t deserve to be punished. It wasn’t his fault.”

“No, Phoebe, he’s right,” said Adler. “I can’t escape the responsibility for my actions. No matter how long ago it was I was responsible for what I did. I’m tired of running and hiding. I just want it to be over.”

“You willing submit to our judgment?” asked the woman.

“Yes,” said Adler. “What happened to you was unconscionable. It shouldn’t have happened and I’m ashamed to have had a part in it.”

“Sturmbannführer Karl Adler,” said Garrow. “You have been judged and found guilty of crimes against the innocent. However, it has become clear to your victims that you were, at worst, and unwilling victim of the circumstances in which you found yourself. In addition, we understand that because of your age you were coerced and intimidated into the actions you performed.

“During the time since the atrocities were committed we have observed you. You have attempted to make up for your part in the crimes committed against the innocent. While the loss of life was severe and cannot be excused entirely, it is our judgment that you have punished yourself more severely than we ever could. And that we believe you have truly changed from the person you were sixty years ago.”

“Our judgment,” said Dugan, “is that no further action will be taken against you. Your repentance has granted you a reprieve, Sturmbannführer Adler. It is our hope that you will continue on the path you have chosen. So that judgment will not be necessary in the future.”

“You can rest assured I will,” said Adler.

“We thank the Charmed Ones for their help,” said Garrow. “Because of you a great wrong has been righted. Now, the victims of Sperrle may rest in piece knowing that their deaths have been avenged.”

“Our pleasure,” said Prue. “Besides, you helped up vanquish a demon. I’d say it worked out well for all of us.”

Without another word the three spirits faded from the entryway.

“Thank you,” said Adler. “For the first time in my life I’m not afraid. Maybe now I can get on with my life. Although I don’t think I’ll ever be totally free of the guilt for what I did.”

“Nothing can change that,” said Cole. “Believe me, you will always regret some of the things you did. The important thing is to learn from your mistakes.”

“What will you do now?” Leo asked.

“I don’t know,” said Adler. “With Sperrle gone I guess I won’t have to worry about running his reelection campaign. Which brings up another problem. How am I going to explain his disappearance? A lot of people are going to want to know what happened to him and I certainly can’t tell them the truth.”

“Why not just say he had personal problems,” suggested Prue. “You can say he had to go help out a sick family member or something. As his personal assistant I’m sure you’ve had to make announcements for him before. When he was unable to make them himself.”

“Well, that’s certainly true,” said Adler. “It would be a lot more believable if he could make the announcement himself but I guess that’s not possible now.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” said Piper, putting her arm in Leo’s arm. “There might be something we could do to help in that respect. Don’t you think, Leo.”

“I’m not sure that’s a real good idea,” Leo protested, knowing all ready that it was too late. Piper had obviously all ready made up her mind.

[noazmale]

FOURTEEN

“Prue, Phoebe, he’s on,” said Piper as she turned the volume on the television set up. Adler stood next to her.

On the screen of the TV was a podium. Gathered around the podium were reporters holding notepads. Attached to the front of the podium were half a dozen microphones. As Prue and Phoebe walked into the living room, Sperrle walked up to the podium.

“I have a brief statement to make,” said Sperrle. “And I’m afraid I won’t have any time for questions. I have given this much thought. Due to a family emergency, which is too lengthy to go into, I find I will be unable to continue with my plans for reelection to the city council. In addition, I have found it necessary to submit my resignation to the Mayor for the balance of my term as city councilman. I have spoken to the Mayor and he has accepted my resignation. It becomes effective immediately.

“I regret having to take this action. But my family obligations force me into this position. It has been a privilege to serve the people of San Francisco and it is my hope to one day return to public service in this great city. I have asked the Mayor to appoint my personal assistant, Brandon Glass, to fill my position on the city council until the upcoming election. Mr. Glass has been a good friend and I am confident he will continue to represent the people of this city as I would myself.

“I would like to thank the people of San Francisco for the opportunity to represent them and to have a part in continuing the rich tradition which is our heritage. And I would ask that my constituents show their new council member the same support and confidence they have shown me during my term of office. Thank you.”

As Sperrle left the stage most of the reporters began to shout questions at him. He all but ignored them as he exited the stage through a door in the back.

“He nominated me to replace him?” Adler asked in astonishment.

“Why not?” Piper asked. “You obviously know the political scene in San Francisco. And you can do a lot of good as a city councilman. Besides, said you want to continue helping people. You can do that as a councilman.”

“Plus, you all ready have a reelection campaign running,” said Prue. “I doubt very many people would object to you substituting yourself in Sperrle’s place.”

Just then Leo orbed into the living room.

“How did I do?” he asked.

“You were great,” said Piper, putting her arm around him. “If I didn’t know better I would have thought you were the real Sperrle.”

“I don’t think I got his hair quite right,” Leo joked.

“You were fine,” said Phoebe. “Even the reporters thought you were really Sperrle.”

“You were very convincing,” said Adler.

“Your coaching helped,” said Leo. “Even the Mayor was convinced I was him. He was sorry I had to leave but he understood.”

“Thank you for nominating me to replace you,” said Adler. “I mean, Sperrle. I don’t think I deserve it. If he does appoint me I’ll do everything I can to justify your confidence in me.”

“You heard what Garrow and the others said,” said Cole. “You’ve made up for your part in what happened in Berlin in the early 1940s. You have nothing to apologize for.”

“I guess,” said Adler. “Still, I will try to do a good job. I owe that to the people who suffered under Sperrle and men like him.”

“You just remember that and you’ll do fine,” said Prue. “Politicians serve the people. Too many of them seem to have forgotten that.”

“I won’t,” said Adler. “I have sixty years of reminders to help me.”

“So, what will you do now?” Piper asked. “You don’t have to worry about Kernian any more. And you won’t be ageless either. Without his power you’re going to age just like the rest of us.”

“I’m kind of looking forward to that,” said Adler. “I can actually start to live a normal life. Maybe even consider getting married. It was something I couldn’t even think of before.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Phoebe. “And Kernian was right about one thing. You don’t have to worry about any Nazi hunters coming after you. You’re much too young to have been in Germany in the 1940s.”

“I don’t know how to thank you for all you’ve done,” said Adler. “I never could have escaped Kernian without your help. I don’t know how to repay you for that.”

“Well,” said Prue, “you helped us vanquish a demon and set some tortured souls free to rest in peace. I’d say that pretty much pays us back for helping you.”

“I’ll second that,” said Phoebe. “You risked a lot to help us. There aren’t many people who would have risked it.”

“I didn’t have much choice,” said Adler. “I was just so tired of it all. Even death seemed preferable to living like that.”

“Oh,” said Leo, “the Mayor asked me to ask you to stop by when you get the chance. I think you better clear your schedule for the next few weeks. My guess is you’ll be attending a lot of city council meetings in the future.”

“I guess I should get going,” said Adler. “Looks like I’m going to be kind of busy. Thank you again for everything. If there’s anything I can ever do to help you in the future don’t hesitate to contact me. I owe you a debt I can never repay.”

“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing,” said Prue. “That will be thanks enough.”

“You did a good thing today,” said Cole to Leo. “I’m sure he had no idea what he was going to do now that Kernian was no longer around. You helped give his life new meaning.”

“Thank Piper,” said Leo. “It was her idea.”

“Hey, it never hurts to have a councilman who owes you a favor,” said Piper.

“I’m sure that wasn’t the reason you did it,” said Prue. “You were always dragging in stray animals when you were a kid.”

“Yeah, to Grams’ dismay,” said Phoebe.

“Okay, so I have a soft spot for him,” said Piper. “So sue me. I just thought it might be nice to help someone without having to resort to magic for a change. And it looked to me like he could use the help.”

“No one is hassling you,” said Prue. “I think it was a good idea.”

“Well, I’m just glad it’s all over,” said Phoebe. “We’ve been so busy with Kernian we haven’t had much of a chance to concentrate on anything else. I for one am looking forward to doing something a little bit more fun.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t stick around,” said Cole. “I’ve actually been here longer than I should have been. I need to leave again for a while to make sure no bounty hunters are on my trail.”

“What?” Phoebe asked. “But we haven’t had a chance to spend much time together the last couple of days. I was hoping we’d be able to relax and enjoy ourselves at least for a day or two.”

“We will,” promised Cole. “After I get back. If bounty hunters show up here we’ll be too busy dodging fireballs to enjoy anything. I promise I’ll b back in a couple of days. Until then we’ll just have to wait.”

Cole shimmered out of the manor leaving Phoebe alone with her family.

“Come on,” said Piper. “It may not be an adequate substitute but I happen to know there’s some chocolate cake in the kitchen. And if I’m not mistaken, we still have some chocolate ice cream in the freezer.”

“Okay,” Phoebe pouted. “But I’m not going to enjoy it.”

The End

If you enjoyed this story you can find more “Charmed” fan fiction at my website located at www.geocities.com/killeenmale . You can also upload your “Charmed” stories if you like to write fan fiction.