Loose Ends

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"Loose Ends"
by J. B. Tilton
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 1 episode “Déjà vu All Over Again” and the premier of season 2 episode “Witch Trial”.)

* * *

An investigator from the Internal Affairs Division of the San Francisco Police Department shows up at the manor investigating Andy’s death.

* * *

ONE

Prue picked up her briefcase and retrieved her keys from the entryway table. Her heart really wasn’t into going to work just now. Andy’s death was still too fresh in her mind. But life didn’t stop just because someone you cared about died. And Mr. Buckland, although sympathetic, hadn’t known Andy. Not like Prue had known him.

She knew she would eventually come to terms with Andy’s death. At least they had been able to vanquish the warlock that had killed him. It was some comfort, although it did little to ease the ache Prue felt. Especially knowing that it had been because of her and her sisters that Andy had died. Sighing, she walked over and opened the front door to head for her car.

As she opened the door, she came face to face with a man standing on the front porch. He had his hand raised in a fist as if he was just about to knock on the door. He wore a dark gray suit and black shoes. Prue judged he was about forty years of age. His black hair was neatly trimmed over his ears.

“Can I help you?” Prue asked.

“I hope so,” said the man. “I’m looking for a Prudence Halliwell. I understand she lives here.”

“That’s me,” said Prue. “And I go by Prue, not Prudence. Look, if you’re selling something, we aren’t interested. I’m late and I have to get going.”

“I’m not selling anything, Miss Halliwell,” said the man, reaching into his inside coat pocket and removing a wallet. He opened it to show Prue a badge and police identification card. “I’m Inspector Montgomery Todd of the San Francisco Police Department. I’d like to ask you a few question regarding the death of Inspector Andy Trudeau if I may.”

“I already told the investigating officers everything I know,” said Prue, wincing slightly at the mention of Andy’s name.

“I know,” said Todd. “I read the report. I’m just here for a few follow up questions. Just routine. It won’t take long, I promise.”

“Well,” said Prue, “I guess so. I’m not sure what else I can tell you though. Let’s go into the living room.”

Inside the manor the man looked around. Prue remembered that Andy used to do that whenever they had gone somewhere he’d never been before. Probably a normal reaction from a policeman, she thought.

“You have a nice home,” said Todd as they took seats on the sofa.

“Thanks,” Prue replied. “It’s been in our family for years.”

“Now,” Todd said, pulling a notebook out of his pocket, “according to the police report, you said that Inspector Trudeau had given you a ride home on the day he died.”

“Yes,” lied Prue. “When we got here, the front door was ajar. Andy, that is, Inspector Trudeau, told me to wait outside while he checked it out.”

“Andy is fine,” said Todd smiling. “I understand the two of you had been friends for a long time.”

“Yes,” said Prue. “We grew up together.”

“I’m sorry to have to put you through this,” said Todd. “It’s just to take care of some loose ends in the report. I hope you understand.”

“I guess so,” Prue said. “What do you want to know?”

“Well,” said Todd, referring back to his notebook, “you said that Inspector Trudeau had been in the house only a minute or two when you heard a crashing sound. You rushed in to see what was going on and found him in the living room, lying on the floor.”

“Yes,” Prue continued to lie. “All I saw was a figure darting out the back toward the kitchen. By the time I was able to follow him, he was gone. I didn’t get a look at him, as I told the investigating officers.”

“Yes,” said Todd. “You said that nothing had been taken from the house.”

“No, nothing at all,” Prue said. “I guess we interrupted whoever it was before they could get anything. When we surprised him, I guess it scared him off.”

“You seem certain it was a man,” interjected Todd.

“Well,” said Prue, “he must have picked Andy up and thrown him. That’s all I can figure out. It would take someone very strong to do that and I don’t know any women that strong. Besides, the figure I saw looked like a man.”

“I thought you said you didn’t get a look at him?” questioned Todd.

“Only for a second,” Prue lied. “Just as he ran into the kitchen.”

“I see,” Todd said. “Well, I guess that’s about it then. Again, I’m sorry to have bothered you at a time like this.”

“I understand,” Prue said. “You need all the information you can get if you’re going to catch whomever did it.”

“Yes,” Todd said. “I’ll see myself out. Thank you for your time, Miss Halliwell.”

After Inspector Todd had left, Prue again retrieved her briefcase and keys. She hurriedly locked the front door and headed for her car. As she headed to Bucklands, Todd sat down the street watching her drive away. In the seat next to him sat an open file folder.

“Very good story, Miss Halliwell,” he said out loud to himself. “You said all the right things. And you actually kept your story straight. But then I imagine you’ve had a lot of practice at it.”

Smiling to himself he started his car and headed back to the police station.

[noazmale]

TWO

Darryl Morris walked into the police station. It seemed odd coming to work without his partner around. He and Andy had not seen eye to eye on many things. Especially some of the stranger cases they had investigated. But they had been partners for a long time. They were even friends. He was going to miss their arguments.

Several of the other officers spoke to him as he walked to his desk. Some he knew only in passing. But they all had partners. Some had even lost partners in the line of duty. They were all aware what he was going through. And they were all very sympathetic with him.

As Darryl walked toward his desk he saw another man sitting at Andy’s desk. The two desks were butted up against each other so that Darryl and Andy could face each other as they discussed their cases. There was a cardboard box sitting on the floor next to Andy’s desk and the man was placing items into it. When Darryl realized who was sitting at Andy’s desk, he became angry.

“Todd,” he fumed. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Morris,” Todd said, smiling at Darryl, “I haven’t had the chance to offer my condolences on Inspector Trudeau’s death. He was a good cop. I’m sorry he’s gone.”

“Yeah, sure,” said Darryl, keeping his temper in check. “Is that why you guys were investigating him? And what are you doing with his stuff? A lot of that stuff is personal. It needs to go to his next of kin. I should be the one cleaning out his desk, not you.”

“I asked him to do it,” said a voice behind Darryl.

Darryl turned to see his captain standing several feet from him.

“Captain,” Darryl began.

“I asked him to clean out Trudeau’s desk,” the captain repeated. “Some of that stuff is official police property. Like the files for the cases you and he were working on. I thought it might be too painful for you to clean out his desk right now. Don’t worry. Todd has orders to return all personal items to you when he’s finished.”

“And the files?” demanded Darryl. “Most of those are ongoing investigations. Andy may not be here any longer but I still have a job to do here.”

“I’m going to return all the files once I’ve had a chance to look them over,” Todd interjected. “Morris, you know this is standard procedure. When an officer dies in the line of duty, especially under suspicious circumstances, Internal Affairs always looks over the case files for any investigations that officer is involved in. That’s all I’m doing here.”

“If there’s anything you want to know about those cases, you can ask me about them,” insisted Darryl.

“Morris, you’re out of line,” the captain said. “Todd is just following standard procedure.”

“But Captain,” Darryl protested.

“No,” the captain said. “Todd is almost finished. When he’s done, he’ll return everything to you. Then you can get back to your investigations.”

“Yes, sir,” Darryl said, glaring at Todd.

“Morris, I know how you feel,” Todd said after the captain had left. “I honestly do. I lost a partner once. So I know what you’re going through. And I’m just following procedure. As far as I can tell, there’s nothing out of the ordinary in any of these cases. I’ll be finished here in a few minutes and you’ll get everything back when I am.”

“But you’re still going to continue the investigation on Andy,” Darryl said matter-of-factly.

“What do you mean continue?” Todd asked.

“Come on,” Darryl said. “I know IA was investigating Andy. He told me all about it.”

“I don’t know what Trudeau told you,” Todd said, “but IA never had an investigation on him. Sure, some of his activities were a little odd, but nothing that would warrant an IA investigation.”

“Don’t give me that,” Darryl said. “Rodriguez even asked me some questions about Andy. He was doing a full court press on him.”

“Rodriguez?” questioned Todd. “Funny you should mention him. He seems to have disappeared. Just about the same time that Trudeau died. No one has seen him since. But trust me. If he was investigating Trudeau, he was doing it on his own. IA had no official investigation on Inspector Trudeau and as far as I can tell there’s no reason for one.”

“Are you sure?” Darryl asked.

“Morris, if there was an official investigation into Inspector Trudeau,” Todd said, “I would have known. We all thought Trudeau was a bit unorthodox about some of his cases but no one ever suggested an investigation. Any idea why Rodriguez might be investigating Trudeau?”

“Nothing legitimate,” Darryl said, some of his anger subsiding. “I told him that. So, you’re not planning an investigation on Andy?”

“Not from what I’ve seen here,” Todd said, standing up and picking up his briefcase. “Like I said, from everything I can see here there’s nothing out of the ordinary in any of these cases. I can’t say I totally agree with some of what Trudeau notes but that’s hardly cause for an investigation. I’m leaving everything here. You can make sure the personal items get to his next of kin. And as your captain said you can get back to work on the cases.”

“Okay,” Darryl said. “I’m glad to see that Andy at least died with a clean slate with you guys.”

“We in IA aren’t all demons,” Todd said smiling. “We investigate bad cops. I’ll agree that we may get a bit overzealous from time to time, but we aren’t your enemy.”

“That doesn’t make you friends either,” Darryl said.

“Point taken,” Todd said. “Well, I need to get back to work. Take it easy, Morris. And I meant what I said about my condolences. I do understand what you’re going through.”

“Thanks,” Darryl said. “I appreciate it.”

Todd left the station and went to his car. Inside the car, he opened his briefcase and removed a file. He opened it and started looking through the scraps of paper he found inside.

“Okay,” he said to himself, “so I didn’t leave everything in Trudeau’s desk. But I don’t think this one file is something that Morris should be concerned with. Now, Miss Prue Halliwell, let’s see exactly why Inspector Trudeau would be keeping a file on you.”

[noazmale]

THREE

“Are you sure he was just tying up loose ends?” Piper asked Prue as the sisters sat around the kitchen table later that evening.

“That’s what it sounded like,” Prue said. “He just verified what I had told the investigating officers. I just told him the same thing I told them.”

“Well, you certainly couldn’t tell him the truth,” Phoebe said. “I can just see the look on his face. Andy was killed actually a warlock and we vanquished the warlock after he murdered Andy. I’m sure he would have believed that.”

“At any rate,” Prue said, “he said it was just routine. It didn’t seem to be any more than that.”

“Do you think he believed you?” Piper asked.

“I think so,” Prue said. “The only thing that he seemed to be confused about was that I called the intruder a man. I told him the short glimpse I got looked like it was a man. And that the way Andy died suggested someone very strong.”

“That’s good,” Piper said. “We can’t afford to have him snooping around.”

“I don’t think he will,” Prue said. “He seemed pretty satisfied with my answers. I think all he was doing was like he said. Just finishing the report on Andy’s death. I hope it’s finally over.”

“I’m sure it is, sweetie,” Piper said, hugging her sister. “Phoebe and I know how hard this has been on you. And we’re here for you. Why don’t you take tomorrow off? We’ll go the mall and do some shopping, just us girls.”

“I can’t,” Prue said, “but I appreciate the thought. There’s this big account we’re about to get and I need to do a pre-inventory on it so we’ll be ready when we actually get it.”

“You always have some big account or other that you need to work on,” Phoebe said. “Piper is right. We’ve all been through a lot especially lately. She and I can certainly use some ‘us’ time and you need it more than we do.”

“But,” Prue started to protest.

“You’re outvoted this time, sis,” Piper said, smiling. “It’s all settled. Tomorrow you call in sick or whatever and the three of us spend the day at the mall. And no buying anything sensible or practical or something we really need. The only things we’re allowed to buy are things that are frivolous or totally unnecessary.”

“Now that sounds like a plan,” Phoebe said.

“You know,” said Prue, “maybe you two are right. Maybe what we need is a day of no responsibilities or duties at all. Just a day of nothing but fun.”

“Now you’re talking,” Piper said. “We’ll start out early and make an entire day of it.”

“I wonder who that is?” questioned Phoebe when they heard a knock at the front door.

“One way to find out,” Prue said, getting up from the table.

Piper and Phoebe followed her into the entryway as she went to answer the door. When she opened the door, Inspector Todd stood on the front porch smiling. He was holding a briefcase in his hand

“Ah, Miss Halliwell,” he said, “I’m glad you’re at home. I wonder if I might have just a moment longer of your time.”

“Inspector,” Prue said, obviously in no mood to be hassled by him right now, “I told you everything I know earlier today. I really don’t know what else I can tell you about Andy’s death. Like I said, I didn’t get a good look at the man who killed him. Just a glimpse of someone moving out through the kitchen.”

“Yes, I know,” said Todd. “I see your sisters are home.”

“Yes,” Prue said. “This is Piper and Phoebe.”

“Good,” Todd said. “This should make things easier.”

“Easier for what?” asked Prue, her patience nearly at an end. “Listen, Inspector, I don’t think there’s any more for us to talk about. I’ve told you everything I know.”

“Well now,” said Todd, “that’s not entirely true, is it? May I come in for a moment? I promise this won’t take long.”

“I don’t think so,” said Prue. “I’m tired of answering questions about Andy’s death. Now, if there is nothing else….”

“As a matter of fact,” said Todd, “there is one other matter you might be able to help clear up. In fact, I have no doubt you can clear it quite nicely.”

“What other matter?” Prue asked.

“I was just wondering,” Todd said. “How long have you and your sisters been witches?”

The sisters just stared at Todd.

[noazmale]

FOUR

“This is crazy,” Phoebe said as the four sat in the living room.

“Is it?” asked Todd, pulling a folder out of his briefcase. “Then why did you invite me inside?”

“To clear up this nonsense once and for all,” Piper said. “Andy’s death has been hard enough on all of us, especially on Prue. Now you come here with this ludicrous accusation. We don’t want you spreading this idea around, that’s all.”

“Then how do you explain this?” Todd asked, opening the folder.

The girls looked at the numerous clippings and other scraps of paper inside the folder. All had some connection to Prue. Many of the scraps were handwritten notes. And they all recognized Andy’s handwriting.

“I was assigned to clear out Inspector Trudeau’s desk,” explained Todd. “Imagine my surprise when I discovered this. It seems that Trudeau had some questions about Prue himself.”

“He always did have an active imagination,” said Prue. “We can’t be held accountable for what he might have suspected. That doesn’t make us witches.”

“No, it doesn’t,” said Todd. “But this file did get me thinking. So I did some checking of my own. Your three names seem to come up quite a bit on a number of unsolved cases. And most of the cases have definite connections to the occult. Too many to be simply coincidence.

“Let’s see, there was the case involving Brendan Rowe. A young man who was entering the priesthood when his two brothers seemed to have attacked Father Austin, the priest who sponsored Rowe. Two brothers who seemed to have simply vanished from the face of the earth.

“Then there was the wedding of Elliot Spenser. One of the most prominent families in San Francisco. Several days before his wedding, he suddenly changed brides. Then, without any apparent reason, he went back to his previous bride. And his ‘new’ bride also seems to have simply vanished.

“Then there was a young boy named Max Franklin. Linked to the break in of a local business and whose father claims to have been shot. Then, as he explained it, an angel simply appeared and healed him. And you, Prue, were in the middle of it.

“There was also the case of several mysterious deaths involving such noted scientists as Dr. Alex Pearson and Dr. Oliver Mitchell. Both found dead with an unidentifiable burn mark on their foreheads and their eyes clouded over. And two security men at Bucklands’ Auction House tell of a young woman named Tanya Parker who seemed to be involved. As were you, Prue.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Prue said. “If you could prove anything, we wouldn’t be sitting here talking. I learned that much from Andy.”

“Oh, I can prove a great deal,” said Todd, pulling another folder out of his briefcase. “In fact, this is actually my favorite piece of information. As I said, I did some checking once I discovered this file in Trudeau’s desk. Part of that checking involved running your names through some of the standard police channels.

“I figured if you were involved in anything, your names might have come up elsewhere. To be honest, I did expect to find something. Mostly I just expected to find more of the same insubstantial ‘coincidences’ that I found in Trudeau’s file. Imagine my surprise when I discovered these.”

He pulled three cards out of the folder and handed one to each of the sisters. They all looked at the cards. They appeared to be similar in most respects. Each contained three pictures of an individual; a front view and both side views. Similar to the mug shots taken by police when a suspect was booked for a crime.

Below the pictures were the unmistakable reproductions of fingerprint cards. All bearing the fingerprints of the person in the picture presumably. And below the fingerprints were a detailed police report. Police reports that were dated 1975. And the pictures of the people on the cards were the three girls themselves.

“Now,” said Todd, smiling, “care to explain how the three of your could have been arrested more than twenty-five years ago and still appear to be no older than you were then? And why you were charged with the kidnapping of two very young girls? Girls named Prue and Piper Halliwell? Who, by ‘coincidence’, just happened to live at this very same address at the time?”

Prue looked over at Piper and Phoebe. None of them spoke.

[noazmale]

FIVE

“As you can see,” said Todd finally, “those pictures are pictures of the three of you. And your fingerprints are a match. At least the one’s for Prue are. They match the prints of a body that was brought into the morgue a few weeks ago. A body that subsequently vanished without a trace. That seems to happen to the three of you quite a bit. People simply vanishing for no apparent reason.”

“It’s some kind of mistake, that’s all,” Piper said.

“Oh, it’s no mistake,” Todd said. “I was very thorough in my investigation. Those cards are photocopies of the originals. I’ve double-checked them. They’re very accurate. It’s taken me a while to piece things together but I think I’ve gotten a pretty good picture of what happened.

“First, for whatever reason, the three of you went back to 1975. Then you kidnapped your younger selves. I can only speculate as to why you would do something like that. I imagine it probably had something to do with protecting yourselves in some way.

“And it’s no wonder your mother and grandmother eventually dropped the charges against you. When they discovered who you really were, I imagine they didn’t have any choice. They couldn’t very well send you to prison, now could they? I mean you were their own flesh and blood after all.”

“What do you want?” Prue asked. “You obviously want something or you wouldn’t have shown us this. And you’re either very stupid or very smart coming here like this if you believe we are witches. So what do you want from us?”

“First,” said Todd, “I want to know the truth. You are witches’, aren’t you?”

None of the sisters spoke. They just looked at Todd.

“You know,” said Todd, “your mother and grandmother may have dropped the charges against you, but technically you are still wanted for jumping bail.”

“What if we are witches?” Piper asked. “What does that have to do with you?”

“It might have everything,” said Todd. “Listen, if I had wanted to hurt you or cause you any trouble, all I’d have to do is turn what I have over to the proper authorities. In fact, I have a friend in the FBI who’s helped me with some of this. All quite unofficial, of course. You might say I have a proposition for you.”

“What kind of proposition?” Phoebe asked.

“First things first,” Todd said. “You are witches, aren’t you? In fact, you aren’t just witches. You’re the Charmed Ones, aren’t you?”

“What if we are?” asked Prue. “What does that have to do with this proposition?”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Todd said. “Trudeau had no idea what he had gotten himself into, did he? I mean he knew that you were hiding some kind of secret, but I doubt he’d have guessed anything like that in a million years.”

“Enough,” snapped Prue. “You got what you came here for. With all this information, you can cause a lot of problems for us. Since you know who and what we are, you also know there are some very powerful bad guys out there. Bad guys I seriously doubt you’re equipped to deal with. Since you seem intent on blackmailing us for something I suggest you get to it. What do you want from us?”

“I have no intention of blackmailing you,” Todd said. “In fact, I plan to give you all the information I’ve collected on you these past few weeks. And my friend in the FBI is waiting for a call from me. One word and your checkered past with the law will become nothing more than some footnote in a forgotten file buried in a filing cabinet somewhere.”

“You did all this just to give it to us?” Piper asked. “Now why don’t I believe you?”

“Well, that does involve the proposition I mentioned,” said Todd. “In exchange for all this, I would only ask one small favor in return.”

“I thought so,” said Prue. “Just what is this small favor you want?”

Todd smiled at the girls. He could imagine what they must be thinking right now. He also knew that they would never come close to guessing what he actually had in mind.

“It’s very simple,” Todd said finally. “I want you to make me mortal.”

[Astral Echo]

Wow, this is fantastic. One of my favourite yet. Can't wait for the ending!

[noazmale]

SIX

“I beg your pardon?” Prue asked totally mystified.

“You three aren’t the only ones with a secret,” Todd said. “I want to show you something. But you have to promise not to overreact. It’s bound to be a bit unnerving especially at first. Please, just let me explain before you do anything.”

“Okay,” said Piper. “Just don’t try anything funny.”

“That would depend on your definition of the word funny,” Todd said.

He stood up and moved to the entryway. He looked at the girls for a moment, and then he suddenly changed. Instead of the human they had been talking to, he now stood nearly seven feet tall. His skin was a deep blue with what looked like bright green markings. His eyes were cat like and he was totally bald.

Instinctively, the three girls stood up and took defensive positions in the living room. It explained a great deal. Inspector Todd was a demon. And from the looks of it, he must be a very powerful demon. Almost as quickly, Todd returned to his human form.

“Yes, I’m a demon,” Todd said. “And if I had wanted to kill you, I’ve had more than ample opportunity to do so. But as I said, that’s not what I’m here for.”

“What kind of trick is this?” demanded Prue.

“It’s no trick, I assure you,” Todd said, returning to the living room. “Let me see if I can explain. You see, in the underworld there is a hierarchy of sorts. The stronger demons rule the weaker ones. Mostly through fear and intimidation. It is the nature of demons. I’m what you might call middle management. I’m hardly near the top of the hierarchy but I’m certainly a long way from the lower levels. I’ve enjoyed a great deal of power and freedom. And I’ve enjoyed it for a very long time.”

“What does that have to do with us?” asked Piper.

“You see,” said Todd, “I made the mistake of failing in an assignment given to me. A failure that some more powerful demons found unacceptable. So, as very often happens with those who fail their masters, I was ordered terminated.”

“They wanted to kill you,” Phoebe said.

“Exactly,” Todd replied. “Now, as I’m sure you can imagine, I wasn’t real thrilled with this idea. So I ran. Well, more accurately, I killed the demons sent to kill me and escaped. For the past nine years I’ve hidden among humans posing as one of them. I don’t dare use my powers for fear they might discover me. But I’ve spent those nine years looking over my shoulder. Wondering which of the humans I meet each day might be bounty hunters sent to finish me.”

“Okay, I’ll ask again,” said Prue. “What does that have to do with us?”

“You can make me mortal,” Todd said. “I must admit I hadn’t thought of it before I discovered the file Trudeau was keeping on you. But it’s the perfect solution. Without my powers I’m nothing more than another human. There won’t be anything for the bounty hunters to latch onto. I’ll blend in with the human population as if I were one of them.”

“It’s some kind of trick,” Piper said.

“It’s no trick,” Todd said. “As a demon, I’m immortal. I don’t suffer the passage of time as you do. But I’m also living in constant fear that anyone I meet might be a demonic bounty hunter come to finish me. I find I don’t like living that way. I can’t go back. Demons are notorious at never forgiving.

“So I have a choice to make. Go on living as I have for the last nine years, knowing that some day the bounty hunters will eventually catch up with me. Or become a mortal. Give up my existence as a demon and live whatever life I have left in peace. And you’re the only witches powerful enough to do that for me.”

Prue looked at Todd. He seemed sincere. And he was right. He knew enough about them to cause them a great deal of trouble. He could expose their secret to the entire world. It would only be a matter of time before every demon in the underworld would converge on their doorstep to destroy them.

“And if we say no?” Prue asked Todd.

“Then I won’t do a thing,” Todd said. “But you can be sure if I figured it out, someone else is bound to sooner or later. Everything I have on you is in that briefcase. It’s yours. No strings attached. I didn’t make any copies. Call it a good faith offering.

“But if you agree to help me, I’ll call my friend at the FBI and have him clear up a few loose ends. Loose ends that the local police couldn’t take care of. When he’s done, all that anyone might be left with are suspicions. Suspicions without any proof.”

“I find it just a little hard to believe that a demon would choose to help people,” said Prue. “Your kind isn’t really known for their altruistic attitudes.”

“There’s nothing altruistic about it,” Todd said. “I chose to masquerade as a policeman for the simple fact that it’s completely opposite of what demons do. The ones hunting me would be expecting me to go the other way. You might say I’m hiding in plain sight. No one would expect a demon under a death sentence to be hiding among the enemy.”

“That kind of makes sense,” Phoebe said.

“Maybe,” said Prue. “But we need to talk this over. You can’t expect us to just say yes on the spot.”

“Take as much time as you want,” Todd said, pulling a card out of his coat. He handed the card to Prue. “When you’ve made your decision, give me a call.”

Prue took the card and Todd turned and left the manor. He left his briefcase and all the information he had collected on the sisters sitting in the living room.

[noazmale]

SEVEN

“Well, that was certainly different,” Piper said after Todd had left. “A demon coming to us for help. Can’t say I saw that one coming.”

“Neither did I,” Prue said. “You think he’s on the level? This could be some sort of trick to trap up. We could find ourselves in a whole lot more trouble.”

“Maybe we should check the Book of Shadows,” Phoebe said. “At least find out what kind of demon he is. That might give us some information.”

“That’s a good idea,” Prue said. “I wonder if Leo can help. These White Lighters seem to know a great deal about demons and things.”

“Maybe,” Piper said. “The only thing is we don’t know how to get hold of him. He just sort of shows up from time to time.”

Suddenly, a blue and white light began sparkling in the living room. The sisters watched as Leo just as suddenly materialized inside the light.

“I can show up whenever you need me,” Leo said smiling. “I can hear you when you call for me. I assume you need something.”

“Whoa,” Phoebe said. “You listen in on us?”

“Not like you think,” Leo said. “I can hear you when you call. Then I can orb in to help. That’s why I’m here. To help you when you need it.”

“Great,” Prue said. “Phoebe, you check the book. We’ll fill Leo in on what’s going on.”

“Right,” Phoebe said, heading for the attic.

“So what is going on?” Leo asked.

Prue and Piper quickly filled Leo in on what Todd had learned about them. And of the proposition he had made to them. As he listened, Leo’s brow was furrowed as if he was thinking very hard about something. They also showed him the information Todd had collected on the girls.

“That’s odd,” Leo said. “Demons don’t usually ask for help, especially from witches. You think this might be a trap?”

“We don’t know,” Piper said. “He sounded sincere enough. And I guess what he said kind of makes sense. We thought you might have some ideas on the matter.”

“Well,” Leo said, “demons vanquishing their underlings who fail at an assignment is something that’s pretty standard. Most demons aren’t real accepting of failure. I suppose what he said could be true. I just find it strange that he would ask you for help.”

“That’s what we thought,” Prue said. “He was right about one thing. He’s had plenty of time to hurt us if he wanted to. And no one else has come asking questions so I guess he hasn’t told anyone what he’s learned.”

“He’s a bounty hunter,” Phoebe said, coming down the stairs. “According to the book, they hire out to high level demons to perform various tasks. Nothing specific about Todd but it does say that most of them specialize in particular tasks.”

“I’ll check with the Elders and see if they know anything,” Leo said. “Don’t do anything until I get back. If this is a trap, you’ll need to be prepared. And that means we need to know as much about what’s going on as possible.”

Leo orbed out of the manor.

“That orbing is a handy ability,” Piper said. “It would be nice to be able to do that whenever we wanted.”

“Focus,” Prue said. “Now, if Todd is telling the truth, what do we do about it?”

“I say we do what he wants,” Phoebe said. “Make him mortal. That’s about as good as vanquishing him, isn’t it? I mean, there would be one less demon in the world.”

“But he still knows everything about us,” Piper said. “There’s still a risk he might tell someone.”

“He said he wouldn’t,” Phoebe said.

“And you believe a demon?” Prue asked. “Let’s face it, demons aren’t trustworthy. For all we know this is some elaborate scheme to get to us.”

“Then why tell us what he knows?” Piper asked. “And why leave all that information with us? If he was going to hurt us it doesn’t make sense that he would warn us first. He wouldn’t have to do anything. Just release the information he has to the world. If this is a trick, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“I agree with Piper,” Phoebe said. “We know that demons and warlocks want to kill us simply because we’re the Charmed Ones. It doesn’t make sense to warn us if he’s coming after us.”

“Leo might have some more information when he gets back,” Prue said. “I just wonder how long it takes to talk to these Elders.”

As if by design, Leo suddenly orbed back into the manor.

“At least part of what Todd told you is true,” he said. “About nine years ago a demonic bounty hunter failed in an assignment he had received. Apparently, the demon that sent him wasn’t pleased with the failure and ordered him vanquished. But the bounty hunter proved to be stronger than the demon thought. He killed the two demons sent to vanquish him and escaped. They’ve been looking for him ever since. Over the past seven years he’s vanquished about half a dozen bounty hunters sent to kill him.”

“I would guess Todd is that demon,” Prue said. “So, that much of his story is true. Maybe the rest of it is on the level. Is there anything the Elders can do to figure out if this is a trap or not?”

“Afraid not,” Leo said. “That’s about all they can do. They do suggest you be very careful dealing with Todd. If this is a trap, he could be very dangerous.”

“Tell us something we don’t know,” Piper said. “The question is what do we do about it?”

“That’s a good question,” Prue said. “That’s a very good question.”

[noazmale]

EIGHT

“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” Leo said as he, Prue, and Piper waited in the kitchen. “This may be exactly what he wants. To get you distracted so he can attack.”

"We’re ready for him,” Prue said. “Phoebe has written a spell that should permanently strip his powers from him making him mortal. Once his powers are gone, he shouldn’t be a threat to us any longer.”

“Except he knows almost everything about you,” Leo said. “He can still cause you a great deal of trouble even if he doesn’t have his demonic powers.”

“I would still like to have a vanquishing potion handy,” said Piper. “Just in case he does try something.”

“That’s not possible,” Leo said. “Remember what I told you? Vanquishing potions only work on lower level demons. To make one for a demon of Todd’s level you’d need a portion of him. Without that a vanquishing potion would be less than an annoyance.”

“He’s here,” Phoebe said coming into the kitchen.

“Okay,” Prue said. “Let’s go in and do this. And if Inspector Todd tries anything funny we vanquish him.”

“I still don’t like it,” Leo said.

“You just wait here,” Piper said. “We might need your help.”

Leo watched as the sisters went into the living room. He had a bad feeling about this. They were still new to their powers and were, in many ways, very naïve about the forces of evil. He hoped his healing powers wouldn’t be needed.

“Well, Inspector Todd,” Prue said entering the living room, “we’ve talked it over. As I told you over the phone, we’ve decided to help you. But there are a couple of conditions.”

“I figured there would be,” Todd said.

“First,” Piper said, “the information you collected on us. We want your word that none of it will ever come to light.”

Todd picked a briefcase up off the floor. He handed it to Phoebe. She opened the briefcase and began to look through the papers inside.

“All of the originals are in there,” he said. “At least the ones I have access to. It wasn’t easy to get them, but you should find everything is in order.”

“Fine,” Prue said. “You said you had a friend in the FBI who could make some of the other things disappear. Things you couldn’t get to. That has to be done before we do anything.”

“Already done,” Todd said. “I spoke to Agent Jackman before I came over here. He said it’s all been taken care of. If anyone runs a check on you they might get some suspicions but they won’t have anything concrete to go on. You can have Inspector Morris run a check if you’d like. Anything you want.”

“What about those mug shots?” Piper asked. “And the police reports about us from 1975?”

“Funny thing about those,” Todd said. “It seems the entire file has mysteriously disappeared. Probably misplaced when the police department computerized their systems.”

“It’s in here,” Phoebe said, holding up a file folder. “In fact, it looks like everything he mentioned about us is in here. And they all appear to be originals not photocopies.”

“Won’t someone find it suspicious if they check and find so many holes in the police records?” Prue asked.

“You’d be surprised how easy it is to cover things,” Todd said, “especially in a computer system. If anyone runs a check they won’t find any holes. Oh, maybe one or two here or there. But nothing that would appear suspicious. They’ll just think some files were misplaced, like that one. It happens more than you think.”

“I guess everything is covered,” Piper said. “We’ve written a spell to make you mortal. It will strip your powers from you forever. Unfortunately I don’t think it will do anything about you personally. You’ll still be a demon.”

“That’s okay,” Todd said. “Demonic bounty hunters home in on magic, not DNA. Without any powers they won’t have anything to home in on with me. Then I can go on with the rest of my life safe and secure. Will I feel anything? When you use the spell, I mean?”

“Can’t say,” Phoebe said. “We’ve never really done anything like this before. We’re sort of in uncharted territory here.”

“Okay, fair enough,” Todd said. He stood up and walked over to the fireplace. “Well, whenever you’re ready.”

“Just one more thing,” Prue said. “If any of this information gets out we’re going to come looking for you. And having no powers won’t stop us from vanquishing you. You’re still a demon, powers or not. And we vanquish demons. You got it?”

“Perfectly,” Todd said smiling. “I can assure you once you’ve done this for me I’ll forget all about you. I just want to live the rest of my life as a normal human without fear of anyone coming looking for me.”

“Let’s do this,” Prue said.

She pulled out the spell Phoebe had written and her two sisters stood next to her. None of them knew what to expect. After a moment of looking the spell over they began to recite it.

“A demon born to serve evils’ plan, now he wishes to be a man.

“Grant his desire a mortal to be, remove the demon and set him free.”

The magic of the spell enveloped Todd. Flames erupted around him and he began to cry out in pain. Suddenly the flames flashed and were extinguished. Todd, however, dropped to his knees, crying out in agony. He was holding his head. Suddenly he collapsed on the floor. Fearing the worse, Leo came running into the living room.

“Oh my God,” Prue said. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure,” Leo said. “But it looks like you just killed him.”

[noazmale]

NINE

“Killed him?” questioned Phoebe as Leo knelt down to check Todd. “How could that have happened? The spell wasn’t designed to kill him. I should have only stripped his powers. What do you think happened?”

“He’s not dead,” Leo said, standing up. “He’s unconscious right now but his pulse is strong. I’m not sure what happened but you didn’t kill him.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Piper said. “What do you suppose caused that reaction?”

“I’m not sure,” Leo said. “It would seem your spell had some unintentional side affect.”

“Side affect?” questioned Phoebe. “What side affect? Nothing like this ever happened before.”

“Magic can be unpredictable,” Leo said. “You guys are relatively new to it. That’s one of the reasons there’s the whole no magic for personal gain thing. If something unexpected happened there’s no telling what the repercussions could be.”

“What do we do?” asked Piper. “We can’t just leave him there.”

“Let’s move him to the sofa,” Leo said. “I’m not sure how long he’ll be out but there doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage.”

Phoebe helped Leo move Todd to the sofa. Leo checked the Inspectors’ pulse again just to be sure. It still seemed to be strong and steady. Piper said she was going to get Todd some water for when he came to. Before she could move, Todd began to groan.

“What happened?” Todd said, looking up at the four. “The last thing I remember was asking Prue some questions.”

“Oh, uh,” Prue said, not sure exactly what to say, “you, uh, seemed to have fainted. How do you feel?”

“I guess I’m okay,” Todd said. “Guess I shouldn’t have skipped lunch today. My blood sugar must have dropped suddenly.”

“I guess so,” Piper said. “What do you remember?”

“Well,” Todd said, “I came here to finish up the report on Inspector Trudeau’s death. I remember asking a few questions and the next thing I know I’m waking up on your sofa.”

“Huh,” said Prue. “Anything else?”

“No,” Todd said. “Why? Was there something else?”

“What about,” began Piper.

“You mentioned you had no leads in Andy’s death,” Prue said, cutting her sister off.

“No, I’m afraid not,” Todd said. “It would have helped if you had gotten a better look at his assailant. I will stay on this case but I’m afraid with what we have it doesn’t look good.”

“I understand,” Prue said. “I know you’ll do your best.”

“Well,” Todd said, “I guess that’s all I need then. Again, I’m terribly sorry to have to put you through this. I know how hard this must be on you.”

“That’s okay,” Prue said. “Having dated a policeman I understand some things a little better than a lot of people do.”

“I appreciate that,” Todd said, standing up. He then noticed the open briefcase on the coffee table. “I have one just like that. I see you use yours as much as I do.”

“Yes,” Prue said. “It seems I’m always taking my work home with me.”

“I know the feeling,” Todd said. “Well, Miss Halliwell, thank you for your time. I can see myself out.”

“My pleasure,” Prue said.

“What happened?” Phoebe asked after Todd had left. “He acted like he didn’t know we had just stripped his powers from him.”

“I don’t think he did,” Prue said. “I think the spell did more than strip his powers from him. I think it also stripped any memory that he was a demon. Which means he wouldn’t remember anything about us aside from our connection to Andy.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him for a day or two,” Leo said. “Just to make sure this isn’t some kind of trick.”

“Good idea,” Piper said. “In the mean time, I think I’m going to get rid of all this stuff.”

She picked up the files Todd had brought with him and headed to the fireplace to start a fire.

[noazmale]

TEN

“Well, it’s been three days,” Leo said. “So far Todd hasn’t done anything even remotely related to the supernatural. I think Prue is right. I think that spell you used removed his memories as well as his powers. One thing I don’t understand. Why did you use a spell? Why didn’t you use a power-stripping potion? I know there’s one listed in the Book of Shadows.”

“We weren’t sure it would work,” Piper said. “You said a vanquishing potion wouldn’t work unless we had a piece of him. We didn’t want to take that chance with a potion. We figured a spell would work better.”

“I don’t think you would have had that problem,” Leo said. “A power-stripping potion doesn’t work the same was as a vanquishing potion.”

“How do you know so much about it?” Phoebe asked. “You’re a White Lighter, not a witch.”

“I’m supposed to help you,” Leo said. “I can’t do that unless I know some things about magic. Besides, I’ve been doing this for a while. You pick up things along the way.”

“Well,” Prue said, “I guess we don’t have to worry about Todd any more. If he doesn’t remember anything he certainly can’t say anything about it.”

“Yeah,” Piper said, “but what about his friend in the FBI? Agent Jackman? I wonder how much he knows about all this.”

“Probably not a whole lot,” Prue said. “Remember, Todd was trying to cover his demonic tracks. It wouldn’t be wise for him to give out too much information to anyone. I’ll bet he only told this Jackman what he needed to know.”

“That make sense,” Leo said. “If Todd was wanting to disappear he wouldn’t want to leave a trail for anyone to follow. Without his powers he’s still a demon under a sentence of death. If someone could find him he wouldn’t be able to defend himself.”

“So I guess we don’t have to worry about this Jackman,” Piper said.

“Good,” Phoebe said. “At least it’s over. It kind of gives me the creeps having a demon asking us for favors. We’re supposed to be the good guys. But in the future I’m going to be more careful with the spells I write. No telling what else could happen.”

“Always be careful with your spells,” Leo said. “Anyway, I need to get going. I do have other things to do. I’ll see you later.”

Leo orbed out of the manor.

“I wonder what else he has to do?” questioned Piper. “You don’t suppose he’s married or something, do you?”

“Piper, he’s dead,” Prue said. “I’m not sure any marriage vows extend beyond that. Besides he’s there when we need him.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said Piper. “Well, it’s getting late. I guess I’d better get to the club and get it ready to open. You guys coming by later?”

“Sure,” Phoebe said. “We get to sit around all night and have free drinks. And no demons in sight. Sounds like a night to me.”

“Okay, okay,” said Piper, smiling. “Just remember to go easy on the drinks. Someone has to drive home when you’re done.”

“Not to worry,” Prue said. “I have to work in the morning so I can’t overdo it too much.”

Piper just laughed and headed for her car.

The End

[Esmeralda]

Since this fic is up for Fanfic of the Month, I had to find it and read it and I'm SO glad I did! Thank you so much for nominating it, Vengeance!

This one has to be one of my favorites of your fics, Jerry, and since so MANY are favorites, well, that's saying something! You do *SUCH* a fantastic job of writing "tweeners", fics that fit between two episodes and this one most definitely does! Much as I loved having the first season of Charmed end with Andy's funeral, something like this was most definitely needed, maybe as part of the first episode of the second season. I loved the way you gave us such a wonderful recap of everything that was probably in Andy's special file and I loved the "inspector" finding the mug shots of the sisters from when they were arrested for kidnapping their younger selves! Oh, what continuity!! What a concept!!

Even future continuity! Jackman sounds VERY familar--did he end up showing up later in the series? And the bit about P3, although I think you blew it a bit there--Piper didn't get P3 until Witch Trial, the S2 premiere. But otherwise, absolutely perfect job of wrapping up Loose Ends yourself--I'd love to see a similar one for Prue's death and for Cole's death, even for Chris' death; all of which were left with plenty of loose ends!

Man, choosing which fanfic to vote for is going to be VERY tough! Naturally, I like my own, but I also love this and Firefox's, too!

[Esmeralda]

Oops! Almost forgot!! For this fantastic fic, you definitely get blessed!

[noazmale]

esmeralda said:

Since this fic is up for Fanfic of the Month, I had to find it and read it and I'm SO glad I did! Thank you so much for nominating it, Vengeance!

This one has to be one of my favorites of your fics, Jerry, and since so MANY are favorites, well, that's saying something! You do *SUCH* a fantastic job of writing "tweeners", fics that fit between two episodes and this one most definitely does! Much as I loved having the first season of Charmed end with Andy's funeral, something like this was most definitely needed, maybe as part of the first episode of the second season. I loved the way you gave us such a wonderful recap of everything that was probably in Andy's special file and I loved the "inspector" finding the mug shots of the sisters from when they were arrested for kidnapping their younger selves! Oh, what continuity!! What a concept!!

Even future continuity! Jackman sounds VERY familar--did he end up showing up later in the series? And the bit about P3, although I think you blew it a bit there--Piper didn't get P3 until Witch Trial, the S2 premiere. But otherwise, absolutely perfect job of wrapping up Loose Ends yourself--I'd love to see a similar one for Prue's death and for Cole's death, even for Chris' death; all of which were left with plenty of loose ends!

Man, choosing which fanfic to vote for is going to be VERY tough! Naturally, I like my own, but I also love this and Firefox's, too!

Thanks, Esmeralda. I'm glad you liked it. And thanks for the heads up about P3. Sometimes I do make a slight error in continuity and I guess this was one of them. But with 8 seasons to choose from I occasionally get some facts mixed up.

As for stories about Prue and Andy's deaths, I do have something along those lines for those. I'll have to check to see if I've posted them here yet or not. Not really sure. If not I'll be sure to let you know when I do post them. Anyway, thanks for review and the praise.

Jerry

[Astral Echo]

I nominated this, I was sure I had replied to it already. Turns out I have but it was like half way through the story. Funny that, I must be losing my marbles.

Anyway moving on with the important stuff, can I just congratulate on a fantastic story and like Es I'm gonna bless you too. Down to the nitty gritty stuff. I found everything so exciting, I checked back every couple of hours to see if you had updated, most of the time you did and it was one than one update normally. It is such a gripping story and even though it was a little far retched demon, he seemed like something out of Star Trek; it still worked rather well.

I never noticed the P3 mistake so it didn't bother me at all, I was just lost for words while reading it and before I posted this I had to have a quick re-read. Anyway well done and please like Es suggested bring us some more Loose Ends stories.

Thank you for the read and keep it up.

[Esmeralda]

And for nominating it, Vengeance, I've blessed YOU! Thanks for nominating it, so I ended up reading this fantastic tale!

[noazmale]

Thanks, Vengeance. Actually, there's another little "mistake" that no one else seems to have caught with this story. Just before Andy dies, he gave the file he had to Prue for her to destroy. Oops. Somehow I had missed that episode and hadn't realized that until AFTER I had written this story and posted it in several places. But I am so loathe to delete anything I've all ready completed. And since people seem to enjoy the story, I decided to just keep it. Thanks for the nomination and the bless. I do appreciate it. And I'm glad you like the story, even with the mistakes.

Jerry

[Esmeralda]

OOOPS! I think you did it again, Jerry! I think this is the next part of Munchkin Frisco rather than Loose Ends!

[Esmeralda]

noazmale said:

Thanks, Vengeance. Actually, there's another little "mistake" that no one else seems to have caught with this story. Just before Andy dies, he gave the file he had to Prue for her to destroy. Oops. Somehow I had missed that episode and hadn't realized that until AFTER I had written this story and posted it in several places. But I am so loathe to delete anything I've all ready completed. And since people seem to enjoy the story, I decided to just keep it. Thanks for the nomination and the bless. I do appreciate it. And I'm glad you like the story, even with the mistakes.

Jerry

OOPS! I missed that little mistake, too. But like the others, I'm glad you did, coz it's such a great tale!

[noazmale]

esmeralda said:

OOOPS! I think you did it again, Jerry! I think this is the next part of Munchkin Frisco rather than Loose Ends!

Yeah, it does seem like I did it again. Correcting it now. Thanks for letting me know.

Jerry