Trial of Love

[marienomad]

What happens when a former Mother-in-Law discover that her daughter-in-law was going to marry the embodiment of love. She was mad. However, this demon decided to use a different way of revenge. She is her son’s mother.

Storyline: After Season Eight.
Gunn is from Angel the Television Series.


Trial of Love
By Marie Nomad

She was dressed to kill as she walked down the hallway in her high heels and red dress. The young lawyer strutted with confidence as she smiled to the various workers who paused as always to look at her. Her name was Victoria Devalin.

“Ms. Devalin.” Gladys, her faithful assistant said as she looked up from her desk. “There is a Miss. Ritzen to see you.”

“Ah, thank you, Gladys.” Victoria opened the door to see a middle aged woman dressed in white with a veil over her eyes. She had brown hair tied up under her pill box hat.

“Greetings, Darling. You look well.” Miss. Rizen said as she came up and gently kissed the lawyer on both cheeks.

“So do you.” Victoria kissed back. “How was Chizu?”

“The same old Hell. I was able to get out of the place and I aged so much.” Miss Rizen sighed as she felt her face.

“You look wonderful.” Victoria paused. “Have you heard about Balthazor?”

“Yes.” Miss. Ritzen growled as she transformed into a black and red creature with long black hair and fangs. “Just thinking about it makes my blood boil. That is why I came to you. I need you to help me fight the Charmed ones.”

Victoria stepped back. “Wait. The Charmed Ones? I can’t do that. I’m a lawyer, not a killer. I specialize in making sure criminals stay out of prison not fighting witches. They killed the Triad, the Source, and Zankou.”

“I know. I had been thinking about this for some time. I heard that Phoebe Halliwell, the one who brought Balthazor down was about to marry a cupid. I will not let that happen.” Miss. Ritzen hissed. “Cupids are the ultimate lovers. I will not let that witch be rewarded for her crimes.”

“Okay, but what does this… I see.” Victoria smiled slightly. “You want me to see if we can fight the Charmed Ones legally.”

“Yes, I want you to find a way to get them, especially Phoebe, to suffer.”

“Well, you came to the right demon, then.” Victoria held out her hand and a book appeared. She looked through it at super speed. “I see. There is a way.”

XXX

Phoebe felt beautiful as she looked at herself in the mirror in her full wedding dress. “This is perfect.” The woman sighed as she gazed at herself.

“Coop will love it.” Paige said as she gazed at the dress. “Hopefully, the wedding won’t be anything like the last one.”

The dress maker looked at the two sisters confused. “What happened to your other wedding dress?”

“Oh, I burned it. I had a really bad marriage. My ex-husband is evil and dead.”

“Oh.” The dress maker paled. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not.” Phoebe shrugged. “I just don’t want to think about him.”

“Phoebe Halliwell.” A young man dressed in black asked as he walked up to the two.

“Yeah?” Phoebe asked.

“I’m here to give you this.” The man gave the witch a folded piece of blue paper.

“Oh no.” Paige muttered as she remembered what they look like and opened them. “Is that what I think it is?”

Phoebe read, “Phoebe Halliwell, you are hereby being sued for failure of duties of love?!”

“What?!” Paige yelled.

“We better go.” Phoebe said as she took off her dress. “Wrap this up. We gotta go.”

XXX

“I can’t believe you are being sued!” Piper exclaimed. “And by someone named Miss. Ritzen. And what is this ‘failure of duties of love’ crap?”

“I don’t know. I don’t need this.” Phoebe said as she and the other sisters walked down the hallway of the Magic Court. The summons had them sent to Magic Court, a place they had never been to before. They passed by various magical beings and humans and finally went up to the desk clerk.

“Yes?” He asked. He was the typical old man with spectacles on the edge of his nose.

“I am Phoebe Halliwell and I had been summoned?” Phoebe asked.

“Just down the hallway.” The clerk said.

“We’re going to handle this mess.” Paige comforted her sister.

“I hope so.” The three sisters walked into the courtroom. On one side was a group of demons and they stared at them. The other side was filled with good magic beings.

“What the Hell?”

“Please, this way.” A whitelighter said as he gestured to a bench. The girls sat down.

The Judge entered. He was tall and strong and had a presence around him. “Greetings, I am the Judge. This is a Hearing to see if this trial has any merit.”

“What trial?” Phoebe asked. “I did nothing wrong!”

“I am guessing that the Defense is stating not guilty.”

“That’s right. I don’t understand what I’m being charged with.”

“It’s simple. You failed at the responsibilities of love.” Victoria answered.

“So has millions of other people and they aren’t charged with the crime.” Phoebe argued.

“Phoebe Halliwell is right.” The Judge said, “She is a mortal and mortals are not responsible for love.”

“And normally she’s not but she is engaged to a Cupid. According to the Cupid Protocols of 234-999-BLU, all those who are to be engaged to a Cupid must have resolved past loves with the other’s heart remain in tact. Phoebe had not done so with Cole’s heart. In fact, I will prove that Phoebe ruined Cole’s life and humanity for all eternity.”

“That’s a lie!” Phoebe yelled, “Cole is evil! He deserves punishment!”

Victoria unfazed by the outburst turned towards the judge. “Does this look like a woman who had resolved her marriage with Cole properly?”

“I see your point.”

“That’s not fair!” Phoebe screamed.

“I am the epitome of fairness. This is not a trial but a pre trial. You will have a chance to argue this out tomorrow. Phoebe, I recommend hiring your own lawyer.”

“Great.” Phoebe sighed.

XXX


Phoebe sighed as another demon left the room. “Why do so many lawyers have to be evil?” She sighed.

“That is the way, most good lawyers aren’t that good or that they don’t know anything about the magic world.” Coop said as he look over the list. “What about those people who defended you at the Tribunal?”

“No way. The head was Gideon and Leo vanquished him.” Phoebe shook her head.

“Guys!” Billie screamed as she ran in. “I found a great lawyer for you. I was out demon hunting and I met this guy who killed my demon and it turns out that he’s a lawyer and he’s great at magical law.”

“He’s not by any chance, tall, brown hair, blue eyes, and kinda handsome is he?” Phoebe asked.

“No.” Billie led the man in. He’s tall, bald, with dark brown skin and wore messy street clothes.

“Charles Gunn, I heard you need a lawyer?” Gunn said as he put down his gunk stained ax and held out his hand.

Phoebe’s jaw dropped. He’s definitely not Cole. “Phoebe and yes, I need a lawyer. There’s this demon that’s accusing me of not being loving enough to Cole. I don’t understand why, he’s a big mistake in my love life that I don’t want to repeat.”

“Well, I never did a love case before but I’m game.”

“Are you really a lawyer?” Phoebe asked. “Because, you look…”

“Like a street thug. I was but I got a legal upgrade a year ago. It’s still fresh.” Gunn replied.

“Are you good?”

“Oh yeah, I’m good.”

“No, I mean, you’re not evil are you?”

“I’m not evil.” Gunn said slowly.

“Good.”

XXX

The courtroom was a buzz as good and evil creatures sat in the room. Phoebe looked around anxiously. “Are you sure they won’t attack?”

“This place is completely neutral.” Gunn replied, “According to the rules, all magic except to those related to the trial has been nulled and there are spells made so that physical attacks are impossible. You’re safe. Besides, anyone who attacks another they get killed or vanquished.”

“That’s good to know.” Piper muttered as she held Leo’s hand. “So, we can’t kill them and they can’t kill us.”

“Exactly. But, you still have to worry about their legal power. They have a pretty solid case.”

“What is so solid? Cole was evil. He can’t love.”

“Evil can fall in love. Trust me, I know evil.” Gunn said.

Phoebe gritted her teeth. “You are my lawyer. Do as I say.”

“I am your only chance for marrying a cupid, listen to what I say.”

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are ready for your opening statements.” The Judge said.

Victoria stood up and said, “The Charmed Ones, they are the main fighters of evil. It was a known fact in the magical world. They killed a lot of demons and the world is safer for it. However, that is not the only duty of the good forces. The Good forces are supposed to help out in other ways, they reach out to innocents to help them and they help those who are on the fence to aid in the fight against evil. Phoebe Halliwell failed in that respect. She had the opportunity to save a man who could have been a great force for good and shoved him away. I will prove that Phoebe had time and time again been a coward in the ways of love and that she had not learned her lesson and does not deserve to be with this cupid.”

“That’s not true!” Phoebe yelled and then Gunn grabbed her.

“Order! Be quiet or I will toss you out!”

Gunn put his hand over Phoebe’s mouth. “Sorry about that, your honor. Phoebe, you have to control yourself.”

He released his hand. “All right. I’m sorry.”

Gunn nodded and got up. “Phoebe Halliwell is not evil. She is human and like all humans, they have faults. Phoebe has done a great deal of good and made many sacrifices. She did what she had to do to save her life from Cole. I will prove that, if you will let me.”

“Very well, Plaintiff, bring out your first witness.”

“I wish to call upon Paige Mathews-Mitchell.”

Paige took a deep breath and went to the witness stand. “Mrs. Mitchell, this booth is magic, you cannot lie on the stand. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, but why because I’m going to tell the truth no matter how you evil demons are going to spin it.” Paige said and then closed her mouth.

“Don’t worry, I will only use the truth. Now, Mrs. Mitchell, what kind of witch are you?”

“I am a whitelighter and a witch.” Paige replied.

“I see, and what kind of whitelighter powers do you have?”

“Orbing, healing, telekinetic orbing, glamoring, connection to the Elders, and sensing evil.”

“Sensing evil, that is an interesting power.” Victoria said, “Please, tell me have you been using that power lately?”

Paige shook her head. “No, I kinda lost faith in my power so I never really developed it.” She paused as she put her hand to her mouth. Did she really believe that? “Uhh… I didn’t think of that before.”

“Amazing what one would admit when telling the truth. Anyway, why did you lose faith in your ability to sense evil?”

“Because my family told me that I am an inexperienced witch who doesn’t have a clue about what is going on and that I was out of my mind suspecting Cole of being evil which is ironic since he became the Source of all evil! Even Leo told me that I was out of my mind, heh, he was more experienced in this sort of thing than me. I decided to ignore my whitelighter powers and focus on my witch powers since that is more helpful than some stupid ability to sense evil that everyone ignores! Guys, I’m sorry!”

Everyone looked at the defense area where Piper, Leo, and Phoebe fidgeted. Piper remembered all the harsh words that she told Paige when she tried to tell them. She went drunk because of that. Leo remembered what Paige had tried to tell him and he should have done more to find out why. She had saved him from those ghosts, why didn’t he believe her. Phoebe held her head as she remembered those times when Paige tried to warn her. Deep down, she felt that something was wrong but she didn’t want to believe it. She just wanted the fighting to end.

“I see. So, because of Phoebe you lost your faith in yourself and you decided to be more aggressive witch rather than be a more passive but healing whitelighter like you were destined to be.”

“Objection! The Plaintiff has no access to alternate timelines. She cannot tell what would be.” Gunn stood up.

“Sustained. Ms. Devilin, please, focus on the trial.”

“Yes, your honor. Mrs. Mitchell, did Phoebe apologize for her actions to you?”

“She did offer to let me say ‘I told you so’.”

“No, I mean, did she say any of the words; sorry, apology, or anything like that?”

“Not really.” Paige looked down.

“I see. And after that, when Cole came back from the Wastelands, how did you treat Cole?”

“I hate him. He made my life a living Hell and Phoebe was a mermaid because she wanted to escape him. He realized that he wasn’t wanted so he offered to leave.”

“Why didn’t he leave?”

Paige looked down. “I did a spell and showed him that Phoebe still love him.”

“How did he react?”

“How else? He was surprised and happy to know that Phoebe loved him.”

Victoria nodded as she paced in front of Paige. “So you were responsible for keeping Cole around.”

“Objection! She’s drawing conclusions!” Gunn yelled.

“Rephrase that statement, Ms. Devalin.” The Judge ordered.

“Do you believe that Cole would have stayed behind to pursue Phoebe’s heart if you have not cast that spell?” Victoria asked.

Paige pondered and finally replied, “Not really.”

“Now, when Cole was tormented by Barbas, how did you feel?”

“I felt sorry for the guy. I heard bad stories about Barbas and I wanted to help him.”

“Did Phoebe support your decision to help Cole?”

“Absolutely not! Everyone was against me helping Cole even though we were supposed to save innocents but that rule doesn’t apply to demons. In fact, Phoebe was more interested in her date with Miles than saving Cole.”

At once there were gasps from both sides of the courtroom. Paige winced as the truth slipped out again. The Prosecutor leapt at the chance. “Phoebe wasn’t interested in saving an innocent man who she used to love?”

“As far as I could tell, yeah.”

“Did Phoebe show any interest at all in saving Cole during that time?”

“When, I turned him good by stripping him of his demon powers, Pheobe and everyone else got closer to Cole.”

“That’s stupid!” One of the demons yelled. “You can’t turn good by getting rid of powers! Is she really the Seer of the Charmed Ones?” The other demons started looking at each other and asking.

“Quiet! Does anyone want to be gagged?” The Judge boomed. The courtroom became quiet again.

Victoria nodded. “When did Phoebe lose interest in Cole again?”

“The second Cole regained his powers so that we could defeat Barbas.”

“So, in other words, Phoebe didn’t trust your insight because you are only half whitelighter and she didn’t trust Cole when he needed her the most because he was half demon. Is that right?”

“Yeah, if you put it that way.” Paige nodded. How come she never saw it like that before?

There were another group of gasps as Phoebe turned red. She stood up but Gunn glared at her and she sat back down.

“No further questions.”

“Your witness.” The Judge said.

Gunn stared at Paige and asked, “What did Cole do to you to make you want to vanquish him so badly?”

“Well, he divided me from my family. He made me feel alone and paranoid. He killed a woman to frame me. He even wished that I never met my sisters and created an alternate world wiping me out of existence. I hate him, he’s evil.”

“And how did Phoebe react to Cole’s fist vanquish?”

“She cried. She was seriously depressed and we had to comfort her for days.”

“So, she did regret killing Cole.”

“I don’t know since she didn’t say anything but she was in a lot of pain like losing her baby and then her husband. She dove into her work after that. I guess she was tired of being a witch thanks to Cole.”

“Thank you. No further questions right now.”

“You may leave the bench.” The Judge said.

“Finally.” Paige got off and went to Phoebe who was looking away. “I’m sorry, I swear, I had no idea I felt that.”

“The Booth of Truth is a very powerful magical item. You can’t resist its power. You can’t even hide the truth from yourself.” Gunn commented.

“Can’t we cast a spell?” Piper whined.

“Do you think that people haven’t tried already? If we try casting any spell; we end up being killed or worse!”

“Damn.”

“I can’t believe I hurt you that badly.” Phoebe said as she kept on staring at the table.

“Paige, why didn’t you tell me?” Leo asked.

“What was the point?” Paige shrugged, “Forget it, it’s over. No point in mulling about the past.”

“I call for a recess. We shall start again tomorrow at 10:00 AM San Francisco Time.” The judge announced.

To Be Continued…

[Esmeralda]

LOVE it, Marie! Absolutely ADORE it!!

You have SO much truth in this and I love every bit of it!

PLEEEEEEEASE update soon!

[~Andrew~]

wow amazing story! i really love it. and u brought Gunn in! I love the show angel almost as much as charmed. Gunn was one of my fav. characters. I could see how you put him as Phoebe's lawyer it makes sense. great. continue soon. ;D

[marienomad]

Thanks for the feedback so far. I wanted to use Gunn because he's the only lawyer I know of that is on the side of good. There was Matlock, but I didn't know his character real well.

I'll try to update.

[Esmeralda]

OH! I *thought* Gunn sounded familar but I didn't realize that he was an actual character from the show! GREAT job in using him!

Can't WAIT for the next update!

[marienomad]

Trial of Love
Session Two
By Marie Nomad

“You suck as a lawyer!” Phoebe announced as she and the other girls went back to the manor.

“Hey, I haven’t dealt with that kind of court first hand before. Besides, you ladies kept on telling me that there’s nothing to worry about but I can see that there’s plenty to worry about.” Gunn said as he walked in front of the two. “Tomorrow, one of you will be exposed to the Booth of Truth and more ugly secrets will fly out. I need to know what they are.”

“There’s nothing. Nothing at all.” Phoebe denied.

Piper looked away and not said a word.

“Everything I thought of was out.” Paige commented.

“This is just crap.” Gunn crossed his arms. He had never dealt with three women with a full account of denial. Paige clearly didn’t know what was going on in her heart until she was in the Booth of Truth. Even in this mess, they think that they could win this case.

“All right, smart guy, what do you suggest we do?” Phoebe demanded.

“Well, we have to get everything out in the clear. You have to be honest with me. Did you end things right with Cole?”

“He’s dead! Of course I ended things right!”

Gunn rubbed his head. “Do you write all of your advice or do you use assistants?”

“What was that supposed to mean?”

“Can it you two!” Piper yelled as she marched between the bickering pair. “Phoebe, you have to listen to the guy. You don’t know anything about law and he’s our best bet. Gunn, Phoebe’s sensitive and try to go easy on her. Cole is a difficult subject for her.”

“We can’t afford to get sensitive. Demons are vicious lawyers.”

“I know. Our brother-in-law was a demonic lawyer.”

Gunn stared at the three sisters and said, “Okay, I’m going to go and do my own research. I’ll meet you there at 9:30 tomorrow.” He walked out of the front door and Phoebe slammed the door.

“Good riddance.” Phoebe crossed her arms. “Why did Billie bring such a rude lawyer?”

“Maybe, we should have listened to him.” Paige spoke up for the first time in a while. “None of us really know anything about magic law. That Booth of Truth was really… strong. I couldn’t even lie to myself.”

“We just have to be better prepared.” Phoebe said, “Maybe, you can work on that sensing evil thing now you know why it stopped working. And Paige, I really am sorry about not listening to you.”

“It would be handy and don’t worry about it. It’s done, it’s over.”

“Is it?” Piper looked to the side.

XXX

Henry stared in awe of the magical court. Paige decided to bring him along for moral support since he was the most ‘human’ of the group. Leo followed not sure what today’s testimonies would bring. He could not help but feel strange after hearing Paige’s testimony. Was he really that self centered? Back then, all he could think about was Piper and trying to have a baby with her. Then, he focused on keeping Wyatt safe. Chris died and he nearly went insane. Was this the reason that whitelighters and mortals should not be together?

“What the hell?”

The group paused to see a cluster of magical beings walking around with signs. A bunch of them looked like elves but much taller like humans. The signs were, ‘Half-human, all person’, ‘Halflings are people too’, and ‘Raise the ceiling to six feet’.

“Are those vulcans or elves?” Henry asked Paige.

“I don’t know.”

“Greetings, fellow Halfling.” A elf like man walked up.

“Who or what are you?” Piper asked.

“They’re Halfelves.” Leo recognized. “They are beings who are part human and part elf.”

“That’s right and we heard about Paige’s sad testimony. We wish to prove that we Halflings have rights and should not be underestimated. I am Sporak!”

“Sporak?” Paige repeated trying not to giggle.

“It’s an elvish name.” Sporak shrugged. “Anyway, we always accept people born in between two worlds and so here’s our brochure.” He gave Paige a brochure. “Fight for your rights!”

“Thanks.” Paige’s eyes widened as Sporak rejoined his group and they waved at her.

“Looks like you have some fans.” Henry whispered amused.

“At least we have some friends left in the magical community.”

Finally, they reached the courtroom where it was more packed than ever. “How did they fit all those people?” Piper wondered.

“Magic.” Gunn replied as he came up with a huge folder.

“Ha ha. What’s in the folder?”

“I did some research over at that Magic School of yours. Man, Wesley would have fun over there. Oh well. Let’s see if we can win this trial.”

The trial start and Ms. Devin called, “The Prosecution called for Darryl Morris.”

Darryl appeared with a doughnut in his hand and in a bathrobe. “What the hell is going on?!” He looked at the girls who just waved. “Not again.”

“Do not worry, mortal. You will give your testimony and leave in the exact place and time as you had left.” The Judge boomed.

“It’s okay! There’s no killing in the courtroom.” Paige called out.

“Let’s get this over with. I have to go to work in an hour.” Darryl sat down in the booth.

“This is the Booth of Truth, you cannot lie here. Do you understand?” Ms. Devin asked.

“I know, more magic to muck things up. I just want to be a nice safe distance from those three.” Darryl ate his doughnut. “All this stress is making me fat.”

“You don’t seem very happy to see the Charmed Ones, why?” Ms. Devin asked.

“Because, I am a doormat to them. I had lied to my fellow officers, wrecked crime scenes, let people think that I’m crazy, just to help those girls and they just caused pain for me. Paige and Phoebe stole my soul so that they can get to Vahalla to save Leo and left my body in the alley where anyone could just snatch it away. They called it borrowing it but they still took it without my permission.”

“Oooh…” The demons said awestruck. The good magical beings glared at the Charmed Ones.

“You did what?!” Leo exclaimed.

“It was to save you.” Phoebe excused. “Besides, he’s fine now.”

Leo paused and found himself asking, “What happened to us?”

“Excuse us, we have a trial to do.” Gunn interrupted.

“Thank you.” Ms. Devin said as Darryl tried to figure out why he was thinking about it now. “Now, Mr. Morris, what do you think about Cole Turner? Be honest.”

“Like I have a choice? He was messed up. When, I saw him as that red demon, I nearly freaked out, even more that when I found out Leo was a World War II vet. I got used to him, even though he was annoying while he was fully human. The poor guy was lost in the world without his demon half. He became the source and turned evil. I don’t know what happened but then Cole came back and the girls warned me that he’s evil so that I can’t trust him. But, he saved my life when I was in that shootout. I would have been dead if it weren’t for him. Later, when I confronted him about a couple mysterious deaths with nothing but ash, he broke down. He cried out that he wasn’t the Source of all Evil. I felt sorry for him.”

“Doesn’t sound like someone evil to me.”

“No, in fact, he reminded me of past criminals who tried to get straight but society never gave them a chance. They had no one to lean on or guide them through the darkness. Where did that come from?”

“That is just you finding the truth in your heart. Anyway, did you try to help him?”

“How can I? I can’t send him to a counselor. Any human counselor would have him locked up in an asylum. I tried to tell Phoebe about my concerns, I thought maybe she can help.”

“What happened?”

“She told me that Cole is pure evil and that the only way to save all of us is to vanquish him.”

“Oooohhhh…”

“Is he pure evil?” Henry asked Paige.

“Thinking about it, I’m not so sure.”

“Your witness.” Ms. Devin told Gunn.

Gunn stood up. “After Cole returned with all these powers, did he do anything to you?”

“He did something to me while I was ranting to me. Phoebe told me Cole turned me into a water cooler.”

“How did you feel knowing that Cole is out there with immense powers?”

“He scared me. He looked a little unhinged, like he wanted to do everything in his power to get Phoebe back. Power corrupts even the most innocent soul. I’m glad that he’s gone.”

“Thank you.”

“Redirect, your Honor.” Ms. Devin stood up. “Mr. Morris, are you afraid of the Charmed Ones?”

“They can do anything they want to me. I used to not be but now, I don’t know.”

“We shall return you to your place. Would you like to remember what happened here?” The Judge asked.

Darryl paused and then nodded. “Yeah, something like this, I’d like to know.”

“I’m sorry!” Paige yelled out and Darryl just turned his head away. He vanished.

“We really screwed up.” Piper muttered as Phoebe sighed.

To Be Continued…

[Esmeralda]

I love it, Marie! Totally love it! There is SOOO much truth in it! I felt so bad for the way they used Darryl throughout the last few seasons that I didn't blame him for moving away at all. Of course, but that point, the only thing the Halliwells knew how to do was use people, even each other.

Oh, Marie! THIS is what the finale of Charmed should've truly been like, because the true Big Bad of the last season was the sisters, no one else.

PLEEEEEEEEASE update soon!

[marienomad]

Trial of Love
Part Three
By Marie Nomad

The Judge had called for a fifteen minute recess and Leo took Paige and Phoebe to the side. “What were you two thinking?”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time.” Paige said feeling very small.

“Yeah, we weren’t stealing, we were borrowing.”

Leo let out a deep sigh. “Stealing or even ‘borrowing’ a soul is one of the greatest crimes known. Why didn’t you find a different soul like with Chris?”

“Darryl was… convenient.” Phoebe excused.

“No wonder he hated us after that. What happened to us?” Leo wondered.

“What do you mean?” Piper asked.

“We are doing stuff that we should not do. I killed Gideon. I tried to kill Chris before I knew he was my son. Phoebe and Paige used Darryl’s soul as a way to rescue me. You turned reporters into rats and started freezing people when they start-.”

Piper froze him. “I don’t know what he’s talking about.”

“You just did that!” Gunn yelled as he walked up to the sisters. “I may just be a powerless kick ass lawyer but I know when people start abusing their power and think that they are above the law is when they start going down the path to Hell.”

“We’re not turning evil!”

“You just froze your husband for telling you what you need to know.”

“Oh.” Piper unfroze Leo.

“You froze me, didn’t you?”

“That’s personal gain.” Phoebe announced.

“More like personal harm.” Gunn mentioned. “I dealt with a few witches and they believed that you can’t go around hurting innocents with magic.”

“We don’t.” Phoebe laughed.

“Maybe you don’t notice it. All right, was there any times where that you thought you did something right even thought it was wrong?”

“Do tell.”

The group looked to see Ms. Devlin with a notebook in her hands.

“Forget it, just because we can’t vanquish you doesn’t mean that we will let you push us around.” Piper said as she stepped forward.

“You know, I had no idea how easy it was for me to get all this juicy stuff. You’re next.” Ms. Devlin hummed as she walked away.

“That’s not a good sign.” Gunn muttered and then looked at Piper. “Tell me, do you have anything that she can use as cannon fodder?”

“I blew up my husband when he was a whitelighter and an elder?”

Gunn blinked at the two looking baffled. “I got better.” Leo explained.

“Anything about Cole?”

“No.” Piper said as she looked away.

The lawyer let out a deep breath. He turned around and walked away. “Fine. Don’t talk to me; I’m just your lawyer. Damn it, I dealt with demons that are easier than you three.”

“You deal with demons?”

He looked over his shoulder and nodded. “Hell, yeah. The Underworld is a very complicated place. What? You think that all demons just huddle in caves and plot what they will do to you next?”

“Well...” Piper answered as she looked at Phoebe and Paige.

“Never mind. Forget I ask. Let’s go back and I’ll see what I can do.” Gunn walked away.

XXX

“And now, I call to the stand Piper Halliwell.” Ms. Devlin said and Piper went up to the Booth of Truth. She took a deep breath and sat in. She didn’t want to be in it but she had no choice. Phoebe’s happiness was at stake here and perhaps it was time that she confronted the demons of her past.

“Let’s get this over with.” Piper said as she sat down.

“This is the Booth of Truth, you cannot lie. Do you understand?”

“I understand plenty.”

“Good. Now, what are the good things Cole had done over the years?”

“He turned his back on the Triad and made himself a target when he refused to kill us. He saved Phoebe when she somehow got linked to that Native American half guy. He helped catch the guy who killed someone and proved it wasn’t Prue and saved what was left of my wedding. He went off to infiltrate the underworld and nearly got cut away from Phoebe.

“He stayed around to protect me and Phoebe when I was in my kill-any-demon-as-long-as-it-wasn’t Cole phase despite the fact that he was the target of any demon. He made himself bait so he could save me. He trained Phoebe to help us fight the Source. He helped inspire Paige to write her very first spell while Phoebe was affected by Grams’ cursed ring. Even without his powers, he saved us from a bunch of muse-stealing warlocks. He saved Phoebe when the Source used the Hollow. He saved Phoebe’s younger self from a demon. He saved us from that witch hunter when he came back from the dead. He saved that woman from a fire on TV. He took back his powers from Barbas for us. He… he helped me and Leo get back together.” Piper finished and took a deep breath. She found herself wondering, Did Cole really do that much?

“Wow! That’s quite a list. Did you ever thank him?”

“Of course not! He’s evil!”

“And yet he did all that stuff for you. I don’t know, as a demon, I found it hard to do one good deed per century.”

At once, all the demons in the courtroom started laughing. After all the laughing stopped, Ms. Devlin continued, “So, why do you say that Cole Turner is evil?”

“He made himself the Source of All Evil because he hated being powerless so much! And he was born half-demon; that spells evil for me! He also caused Phoebe so much pain after he came back from being vanquished, whining and begging for her to talk.”

“How did he become the Source of All Evil?”

Piper opened her mouth but nothing came out. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You don’t know how a man made himself the Source of All Evil!” Ms. Devlin gasped in mock horror. “You weren’t curious about how he became the Source of All Evil? To find out so that you can prevent others from becoming the Source of all Evil.”

“No, because I know that he wanted to become the Source; he still does. When Leo cut his wings, he had a hard time being mortal so he decided to become a whitelighter again when we were in danger. Cole did the same thing.”

“Hey, fellow demons! Guess what! We can will ourselves new powers!” Ms. Devlin exclaimed and demons started laughing even harder. Paige started to duck under the table along with Phoebe. Henry scratched his head while Leo started looking for an exit.

“Objection! The Plaintiff is mocking the witness!” Gunn yelled over the laughter.

“Sustained! Ms. Devlin, please do not make fun of the witness.”

“Very well, your honor, since she’s doing such a good job herself,” and the demons laughed again even as Ms. Devlin took a deep breath. “Now, at the time that Cole became the Source, were you aware that the Source of All Evil could possess humans?”

“Of course I did. The Source possessed Paige’s now ex-boyfriend, and me and Phoebe cast a spell on a pair of sunglasses to see if a person was evil or not.”

Paige sat straight up and glared at Phoebe.

“I see.” Ms. Devlin turned her back for a second. “When Paige told you her suspicions that Cole had become the Source or at least became demonic, did you use your magic glasses to verify?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because… because I was tired of fighting. I still am! I’m tired of all the demons and threats on my life. I don’t care who gets hurt. I want to have a normal life! Who cares about some demon? He’s not family! The only thing that I cared about is my family and no one else! I want to raise my sons with Leo, and all the innocents and whining magical creatures who want me to save them can just screw themselves!!!” Piper screamed. She gasped as the words came out of her mouth. Did she mean that? She always complained but she ended up saving people. Was she really getting so self-centered that she was turning evil?

Paige stood up and ran out of the courtroom. “Paige!” Henry ran after her.

Gunn looked at Phoebe who smiled nervously. “We really need to talk to your sister. Your honor, permission for another recess while I take care of the sisters.”

“Permission granted. Court will resume tomorrow at the same time. And Piper, may I say that you are making the good side look very bad.”

Piper slowly came out of the booth.

XXX

Paige slumped down onto a bench and took her breath. “What’s wrong with me?” She sobbed. She should be there for Phoebe but how can she when Piper announced that she believe that innocents should ‘screw themselves’. She didn’t believe that. Piper always complained about the demons they faced but they always kept on saving others. Phoebe had pretty much lost interest in the craft. When they had faked their deaths, Paige felt anxious, like she was struggling to breathe. Billie came into her life and she was eager to help the young witch.

That Cole incident had also left a wound in her heart. She had took all that anger she had for her sisters and aimed it at Cole. It was easier that way. Now, she is angry at her sisters for never really admitting their faults. She hated them for making her hate Cole.

“Paige?”

Paige gazed up at her husband. “Henry? I… I need to go! I couldn’t stay in there!” She hugged Henry. “I need to leave this place.”

“Of course, orb wherever you want to. I’ll stay with you.”

Henry felt his body tingle like it always does and he found himself on top of The Golden Gate Bridge. “Whoa!”

“Sorry, it was a quiet place and it’s okay for us to be here.” Paige sat down and leaned against the girder. “I liked it here.”

“It’s nice.” Henry sat next to his wife. “Are you okay? I know that this Cole business was hard on you.”

“It shouldn’t be. It was years ago. We, my sisters, we had bonded after that. I hated Cole for what he did. I guess, I guess that my wanting to vanquish Cole was my way of trying to join in with my sisters. You know, all for one and one for all. I should have been… nicer to him.”

“You made a mistake. Even with all your powers, you are still human. Besides, you believe in second chances now. Remember that parolee you helped me with when we first met?”

“Yeah. But that parolee was my charge and he was human.”

“And what if things were different?”

“I don’t know. Ever since ‘The Ultimate Battle’, I was feeling a little…” Paige struggled to find the words. “Billie and Christy may have put us under a spell and made us do those things but the magical community must have mistrusted us for some time to take the word of two strangers.”

“And you think that is because of what was going on in the past few years?”

“Yeah, we were all getting tired of fighting and dying. Phoebe used to love magic and now she just hated it. Piper just announced that any innocent that wants her to save them can screw themselves. I’m scared. I don’t want to be evil. I don’t want my sisters to turn evil because they stopped caring.”

“You will save them. You saved me.”

The two kissed and Paige heard her sisters calling her. They stopped kissing. “Piper’s calling me.” Paige took a deep breath.

“Let’s go.” Henry held her hand and she orbed them back.

XXX

Piper stared at the Book of Shadows. Ever since, she, Phoebe, and Leo came back home, she went to the attic to think about herself. What happened to her? Was she really turning evil?

“Do you ever wish that I had never read that spell?” Phoebe wondered from behind.

“Some times but if you haven’t, we would never meet Leo… I don’t know. Oh no.” Piper paled.

“What?”

“What if we were responsible for what happened to Wyatt?”

“I don’t get it.” Phoebe was confused. Nothing happened to Wyatt as far as she knew.

“I mean, Future Chris came back because Wyatt became an evil dictator, what if we had somehow made them evil? Think about it. Chris was neurotic and seemed to attack every single demon in the book and I don’t know about Wyatt…”

“He won’t end up that way. His future version is nice.”

“He might if we’re not careful. Think about it, we are responsible for the next generation of witches out there. They will be looking up to us and if we do stuff that are wrong, they may think that it’s okay and copy us!” Piper stood up and ran her hand through her hair. “We are the Charmed Ones, we are supposed to guide others and we are just focusing on our own lives and hurting others in the process.”

“We deserve it. We had been through so much.”

“That doesn’t mean that we can.” Piper held her head. “I don’t want to make Wyatt and Chris and whoever else evil or apathetic.”

“We won’t let that happen. We’re good!”

“How do we know that we’re good?! Don’t you remember that alternate timeline?! Your alternate self went off and murdered a man to avenge someone. Prue distanced herself from us. I divorced Leo. Some of the same stuff is happening now only different! At least you haven’t killed anyone.”

Phoebe winced as she fidgeted. Piper narrowed her eyes at her. “You didn’t did you?”

“Well, do you remember my high school reunion when I reverted back to my teenage self and got caught up in a bank robbery while Chris was being hunted by demons?”

“Yes?”

“Well, Rick was holding me hostage with a gun and ordered us to give him a new face to evade the police so… Paige and I made him look like Chris. Rick got killed by the demons and so Chris is safe.”

Piper stared at her sister for a long second. “HAVE YOU FREAKING LOST YOUR MIND?!” Stuff all over the attic exploded from Piper’s anger.

Phoebe tried to calm her sister down. “We had no choice.”

“There’s always a choice! Didn’t that trip to the future teach you anything?!”

“Look, if I haven’t had Paige change Rick, Chris would have been hunted down and Rick would have exposed us.”

“I don’t care! Paige could have orbed the gun away and maybe use that magic dust to wipe his memory. You could have waited for me and I could have froze him and maybe cast a spell on him. We could have found a way to fix that but you took the easy and wrong way!”

“But…”

“But nothing! You and Paige killed a mortal.”

“And nothing happened to us as a consequence so it’s okay.”

“Chris died! Chris died! The Magical Community didn’t trust us! And when I get back to the Booth of Truth, I will let out this nasty secret!” Piper started to cry. She didn’t want the bad futures to happen. She didn’t want Wyatt to become evil. She didn’t want her family to fall apart.

“Nothing will happen to us. The Judge will realize that what I did was fine and everything will turn out my way!”

“Even if he did think that you deserve Coop, what about us? I don’t want us to be so full of ourselves that we are telling everyone ‘it’s okay to hurt anyone else as long as they are not on our side’. I was ready to kill Billie for killing you and Paige.”

“You didn’t.”

“Only because Leo was there.” The oldest sister stared at the book. “We can’t win this trial. We have done too much.”

“No. We will win this. Why don’t we try to patch things up with Paige, and make sure that we get my happy ending?”

“Fine. PAIGE!!!”

In a shower of orbs, Paige and Henry appeared. “Hi.” Paige said evenly. She crossed her arms looking very pissed. How much of the past issues really divide the sisters?

“Paige, I swear, I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Piper pleaded.

“Fine, no problem. Let’s just try to win this case.” Paige waved her hand and walked out.

Henry glared at the two sisters. “Paige was really torn up about this. I don’t know anything about magic. I don’t have powers. But, I know that power corrupts. May it be magic or legal power, it can make the best person turn bad and not know it. Watch yourselves.”

“Or what?” Phoebe dared and then closed her mouth.

“Or you might become the very thing you fight.” Henry walked after Paige.

"Oooh..." Phoebe winced as she watched Henry walk after Paige. Even without her empathic powers, she could tell that Henry was pissed.

Piper held her head as she felt the bonds of her sisters straining.

To Be Continued