Attitudes

[noazmale]

CHARMED
“Attitudes”
By J. B. Tilton
Email: [e-mail]
Rating: R

* * *

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.

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(AUTHORS’ WARNING: This story contains language and situations that may be offensive to some people. Please be advised that they are critical to this story and are not meant to offend anyone nor to imply that such language and situations should be considered appropriate or acceptable.)

* * *

(Authors’ note: This story takes place between season 3 episodes “Bride And Gloom” and “The Good, The Bad, And The Cursed”.)

* * *

The Charmed Ones team up with another witch to vanquish a demon but soon discover that the witch may be more dangerous than the demon.

* * *

ONE

Prue snapped a picture of the old building. Since she had become a professional photographer one thing had always bothered her. Her portfolio showing her work was woefully out of date. Oh, the photos in her portfolio were good enough to get her some good work. But she knew she could do better. To show that she had that unique eye that employers were looking for.

After months of promising herself that she would update her portfolio, she had finally decided not to put it off any longer. For the past several days she had spent nearly every free minute she had photographing people and scenes around San Francisco that she was sure would impress any employer she showed them to.

She had taken hundreds of photographs and was sure that out of all those she would have enough to put together a decent portfolio. And this latest one she was sure would be the crowning piece. This old building had been slated for destruction for nearly a decade but the owners had never gotten around to it. It was over one hundred years old and it had character to it that newer buildings just couldn’t match.

As she looked around for another subject to photograph she saw a woman at the other end of the alley. The woman was cautiously moving through the alley trying very hard not to be seen. Seen by whom, Prue couldn’t tell. As far as she could tell they were the only two in the alley at this time of morning. She had deliberately picked this time to get just the right light on the building.

The woman appeared to be a little older than she was. She was dressed casually in jeans and a blouse. She looked up the alley and Prue involuntarily stepped back into a shadow to keep from being seen. This wasn’t the safest part of town and there was no telling what this woman was up to.

Suddenly Prue noticed a movement behind the woman. It was only a few feet from her and there was no mistaking they type of movement Prue had seen. She had seen it plenty of times in the last couple of years. It was the shimmer of a demon.

The demon was partially obscured by the shadows created by the newly rising sun bouncing off the nearby buildings. It was hard to tell exactly what it looked like and in the dim light of dawn she could only see it in shades of gray. As she watched the demon suddenly formed an energy ball. Just as it did the woman spun to face it. Prue had only a moment to act.

“Get down,” Prue cried out.

Startled, the woman involuntarily turned and looked at her. At the same instant the demon also turned his attention from his intended target toward Prue. She didn’t hesitate. She raised her hand and tapped into her telekinetic power. She wasn’t sure it would work. She had never attempted to move an object – or a creature – from so great a distance.

To her relief the demon was suddenly cast back against the building it was standing in front of. As it struck the building the energy ball it was holding suddenly evaporated. But the demon had not struck the building as hard as Prue had hoped. It wasn’t even dazed as it regained its feet. Its surprise gone the demon immediately shimmered out of the alley.

“Are you okay?” Prue asked rushing up to the woman who just looked at her in stunned disbelief.

“Are you out of your mind?” the woman demanded, turning on Prue. “Do you have any idea how long it took me to track it here? Now I’ve lost my only chance to get it.”

“Your welcome,” said Prue sarcastically. “Look, you were in danger and I was just trying to help, that’s all.”

“Your meddling has cost me weeks of work,” snapped the woman. “And now it knows I’m onto it. I may not get another chance like this again.”

“I’m sorry I messed things up for you. But I really don’t think you have any idea just what you’re dealing with. That thing nearly killed you just now.”

“Actually, I had it right where I wanted it.” The woman’s voice was no longer as angry as it had been only a moment before. “It thought it had the drop on me and it was overconfident. Believe me, it would not have been as easy to kill me as you imagine.”

“You don’t seem surprised when it appeared,” said Prue suspiciously. “Do you have any idea what that was?”

“It was a demon. And from the way you handled yourself I’d say you also know what it was. You must be a witch.”

“Yes, I am,” said Prue. How would you know that?”

“Because I’m a witch, too,” said the woman. “Angie Griffin.”

“Prue Halliwell.”

“Halliwell? You’re one of the Charmed Ones.”

“You know about us?”

“Of course,” said the woman, smiling at Prue. “By now nearly everyone on both sides knows who you are. You’ve been making quite a name for yourself since you first appeared. I suppose I can’t be too angry with you. After all, you had no way to know what was going on. But I’ve lost the demon now. And I have no way to find it again.”

“Maybe you do,” said Prue, walking over to the wall the demon had struck. She removed a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped it on the wall. “With this we might just be able to locate it again.”

“What is it?” Angie asked.

“Blood,” said Prue. “Demon blood. It wasn’t hurt badly when I attacked but apparently it was cut when it struck this wall. With its blood we should be able to scry for it and find out exactly where it is.”

“That’s good thinking. Now all we need is a map and a crystal.”

“Come on,” said Prue, turning and heading back up the alley. “I have one at the house. And you can tell my sisters and me everything you know about that demon. And why you’re hunting it.”

Without a word Angie turned and began to follow Prue to her car. She glanced back down the alley to make sure the demon hadn’t returned.

[noazmale]

TWO

“We haven’t met many other witches before,” Piper said after Prue had made the introductions. “Certainly none that were able to take on a demon by themselves.’

“Only this one,” said Angie. “I’ve been tracking him for about two years. Every time I get close he seems to slip away. Today was the first time I had gotten close enough to vanquish him when your sister happened along.”

“Yeah, again I’m sorry about that,” said Prue. “If I had known you were a witch I wouldn’t have been so quick to interfere.”

“Well, like I said, you really had no way of knowing,” said Angie. “Besides, with his blood we can scry for him and maybe find out where he is.”

“What kind of demon was it?” Leo asked.

“It’s called a Transient demon,” said Angie. “I really don’t know that much about them except they seem to move around a lot and they cause trouble wherever they go.”

“They’re mid-level demons,” said Cole. “High level demons use them to disrupt organizations, business, anything they have designs on. Basically they cause problems within the organization or business so that the higher level demons can move in and take over with little or no trouble.”

“That’s why I’m after it,” said Angie. “This one showed up where I worked one day and started causing trouble. Within a few weeks the owners of the business were forced to sell the company. Then the demon just moved on. When I found out what it was I began to track it.”

“Just for causing some trouble in your company?” Phoebe asked. “That sounds like a lot of trouble to go to for causing some trouble. Lots of humans do the same thing.”

“Yeah,” said Angie. “But this demon caused the company to suffer some massive financial losses. A lot of my friends lost everything they had. Their savings, their pensions, everything. A couple of them even died when they committed suicide over it. I vowed I wouldn’t let the demon get away with it. I’ve been tracking it every since.”

“Well, we can start by scrying for it,” said Prue. “Now that we know what kind of demon it is we can check the Book of Shadows for a vanquishing potion or spell. If it’s here I’m betting it’s not on vacation. We need to find it and get rid of it before it does the same thing here that it did where you’re from. By the way, where are you from? I’ve noticed a slight accent you have that kind of sounds English.”

“Oh, actually, it’s kind of a combination of British and Australian,” said Angie. “It’s been Americanized, of course. I’ve been in the States for quite a while. My father was a diplomat from England and my mother was from Australia. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. So I guess my accent isn’t quite normal for any particular region.”

“Oh,” said Prue. “Well, we’ll see if we can find this thing. When we do we’ll vanquish it and you can go back to wherever you want.”

“Thanks,” said Angie. “I appreciate the help. It can get kind of tiring tracking a demon by yourself. How long do you think it will take before you find it?”

“That’s hard to say,” said Piper. “If it’s not in San Francisco we won’t be able to find it until it returns. But I’m with Prue. It’s probably here for a reason other than just running from you. We’ll let you know as soon as we find out where it is.”

“Okay,” said Angie. “In the meantime I think I’ll go back to my hotel and get some rest. You have the name of the hotel and the phone number. Call me the moment you find something.”

“We will,” promised Phoebe.

“That’s odd,” said Cole after Angie had left.

“What is?” Phoebe asked.

“She gets this close to finding a demon she’s been tracking for two years and she just goes to her hotel to get some sleep?” questioned Cole. “You’d think she’d want to stick around.”

“Well, she must be tired,” said Prue. “Besides, she has us to help her now. And she must know that together we’re stronger than she is. I think she’s just grateful for the assistance.”

“I’ll check the Book of Shadows for a Transient demon,” said Piper. “The more we know about it the better.”

“What about you, Turner?” Prue asked. “What can you tell us about these Transient demons?”

“Well, like I said,” said Cole, “they’re mid-level demons. They’re far from stupid but they aren’t the most intelligent demons in the Underworld. Nor are they the most powerful. They’re usually sent into to medium to large corporations to create dissent among the workers. Things like spreading rumors or causing delays in productions, things like that. When the company is in enough of a financial hardship the demon that hired them usually steps in to ‘save’ the company, usually taking control of it at the same time. It’s one way that demons have of insinuating themselves into human society.”

“You mean besides becoming lawyers and things like that,” replied Prue, more than a hint of disapproval in her voice.

“Prue, that’s not fair,” said Phoebe. “Cole has proven he’s not evil any more. He did vanquish the Triad. And he saved me from Krell. That should prove he’s good now.”

“It takes more than one or two acts to prove you’re good,” said Prue. “And he is still a demon. He was sent to kill us.”

“Half demon,” Cole corrected. “And I can understand your suspicion. But since I vanquished the Triad the Source wants me dead. I’m considered a traitor in the Underworld. Leo should be able to confirm that.”

“Which he’s going to the first chance he gets,” said Prue. “But that doesn’t mean we trust you or that we’re not best friends. Phoebe seems to trust you and I’m willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for now because of that. But don’t think we aren’t going to be watching you. One wrong move and I won’t hesitate to vanquish you, Phoebe or no Phoebe.”

“Well, I can’t say I blame you,” said Cole. “All I can do is tell you that I’ve changed and try to prove it. At least you’re willing to give me a chance. That’s something. And I’ll help as much as I can especially with demons. I do happen to know a fair amount about a good many demons.”

“Let’s just make sure the information you give us is correct,” said Prue. “And remember. We can check on what you tell us and find out if you’ve lied to us.”

“Prue, that’s not fair,” protested Phoebe.

“No, it’s okay, honey,” said Cole. “I can’t say I blame her for that attitude. I’ll just have to prove she’s wrong, that’s all.”

“We’ll see,” said Prue.

“Well, I’d better get to the Book of Shadows,” said Piper. “The sooner we find out about these Transient demons the sooner we’ll be prepared to vanquish it when we find it.”

“Speaking of which,” said Phoebe, “I’ll use the blood Prue got to see if I can scry for it. With a little luck we might be able to find it right away.”

Seeing that the girls had things well in hand Leo orbed out of the manor. He planned to check with the Elders and see what he could find out about the vanquishing of the Triad. Like Prue he was not completely convinced of Cole’s change of heart. And since part of his job was to help protect the girls he decided the best way to do that at the moment was to see if he could either confirm or deny Cole’s ascertain that he had vanquished the Triad.

[noazmale]

THREE

“You’re sure it’s there?” Angie asked. “It hasn’t moved?”

“Not the last time we checked,” said Piper. “We called you as soon as we located it and I checked just before you got here. The crystal indicates that it’s still there.”

“We have to get there,” Angie insisted. “With the four of us it won’t stand a chance. We can get there and vanquish it before it knows we’re even there.”

“Hold on a second,” said Prue. “The place the crystal indicates is a business. And this time of day it’s bound to be busy. We can’t just go barging in and vanquishing a demon. There’s too much risk that we’ll expose ourselves. We have to figure out a way to get it alone. And that’s going to take some planning.”

“Oh, right,” said Angie. “I was just so excited that you had actually found it so soon I guess I just sort of lost my head. So, what is our plan?”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “the business is a private charity organization. They help underprivileged people with the paperwork to get the assistance they need. Considering the number of people needing assistance nowadays I’m betting that office is going to be pretty busy.”

“That would be exactly the type of place the demon would go to,” said Angie. “I told you that Transient demons like to disrupt businesses and get them into financial trouble so higher level demons can take over.”

“She’s right,” said Cole. “If a high level demon can get its hands on a business like that it could corrupt a lot of good people. Poor people can be easy to manipulate since they don’t have much. A high level demon can promise them all kinds of riches and a lot of people are just too weak to resist the offers.”

“You seem to know a lot about demons for an assistant district attorney,” said Angie.

“Yeah, well, I’ve sort of studied demonology most of my life,” said Cole self-consciously. “It’s kind of a hobby of mine. Since I met the girls it’s come in handy quite often.”

“It still doesn’t seem right,” said Angie. “Letting an innocent know who and what you are. Doesn’t that put him in danger?”

“Cole can take care of himself,” said Phoebe. “Right now we have a demon to deal with. Leo, under the circumstances maybe you should take us there. There’s not telling how long the demon will stick around and I’d hate to lose it when we’re so close.”

“That’s a good idea,” said Leo. “Do you have the vanquishing spell?”

“Right here,” said Piper, holding up a piece of paper. “The Book of Shadows gave us a lot of information on this demon besides what Angie and Cole told us. And the vanquishing spell it provided should work nicely.”

“I’ve never orbed before,” said Angie. “Is it frightening?”

“Not at all,” said Leo. “In fact it can be kind of relaxing. The first time can be a little unsettling, though, but you have nothing to be afraid of.”

“You don’t have your own White Lighter?” Piper asked.

“Not all witches do,” said Leo. “Only certain ones have their personal White Lighter although any witch has access to White Lighters if they need one.”

“I guess I’m just not important to warrant a White Lighter,” said Angie. “Not like the Charmed Ones. But then I don’t usually face the types of demons you’ve been facing.”

“Enough chit chat,” said Prue. “We can discuss this once we’ve vanquished the demon. Leo, let’s get going. If we’re lucky we can finish this and be home in time for lunch.”

“Okay, everyone link arms,” said Leo. “I’ve never orbed this many people before but it shouldn’t be a problem. Just make sure you keep your arms linked until the orb is finished.”

They all linked arms and Leo orbed them out of the manor.

* * *

“What do you think is going on?” Phoebe asked as they stood across the street from the business.

There were several police cars out front of the building with their lights flashing. Several policemen were talking to people who were gathered outside the building and they noticed at least three men with their hands cuffed behind their backs.

“I don’t know,” said Prue. “Whatever it is it looks like they had some major trouble.”

“It’s probably the Transient,” said Angie. “One of the ways it causes trouble is to infuriate workers enough so that they actually get into a fight. It would seem that more than a couple of the people here got into a fight from the looks of the men that are handcuffed.”

“Hey, look, there’s Darryl,” Piper said. Maybe he can tell us what’s going on.”

She walked across the street and started talking to Darryl.

“He’s your friend?” Angie questioned.

“Yes,” said Prue. “He’s an inspector with the San Francisco Police Department. And he’s been help to us in the past too. We’ve even been able to help him out a couple of times with demons he was after that he didn’t know were demons.”

“He knows your secret, too?” Angie asked. “That’s very dangerous. Those kind can’t be trusted.”

“Well, I can tell you that I’ve worked with the police on many occasions,” said Cole. “And most of them are quite trustworthy. There are a few bad apples on the force but those are the exceptions and not the rule. And the police department is very quick to get rid of the ones they can’t trust.”

Angie was about to reply when Piper and Darryl suddenly walked up to them.

“What’s going on?” Leo asked.

“Well, according to Darryl,” said Piper, “several of them got into an argument over Sunday’s football game. Before anyone knew what happened they had gotten into a fist fight and it escalated from there.”

“Who’s this?” Darryl asked, looking at Angie.

“Oh, this is Angie Griffin,” said Phoebe. “It’s okay, Darryl. She’s a witch, too.”

“Oh, okay,” said Darryl. “Piper tells me that you suspect a demon is responsible for this?”

“Yeah, we think so,” said Prue. “Angie tracked it here. It’s called a Transient demon and it . . . .”

“I don’t want to know,” said Darryl, putting up his hand to stop them. “You know I don’t want to know about any of that demonic stuff. Until Piper told me I thought it was just some guys who got over excited about a stupid football game.”

“There’s a lot more demonic activity than you would suspect,” said Angie, her voice taking on a strange antagonistic tone. “If you would just open your eyes and look around you might see that.”

“Hey, lady, I’m just a cop,” Darryl shot back. “I deal with junkies and drug dealers and armed robbers. I’m not exactly trained to fight demons.”

“That’s enough,” said Cole. “We don’t have time for a pissing contest. Angie, any idea which person in there is the Transient demon?”

“I haven’t seen it,” said Angie, glancing at Darryl and then looking across the street. “My guess is that it started the fight and then slipped away when the fight broke out so it wouldn’t have to talk to the police. But I’m sure it will be back. They rarely give up once they start an assignment.”

“She’s right,” said Cole. “If this is a Transient demon it will be back to finish what it started. A couple of more incidents like this one and people won’t want to come here any more. Whatever demon sent it will be able to pick the business up for a song.”

“We should get back to the manor,” said Prue. “If the demon isn’t here any longer we need to find out where it is. And the only way we can do that is to scry for it again.”

“I have to be getting back,” said Darryl. “As far as anyone else is concerned this is just going to be an argument that got out of hand. But do me a favor, will you? Find this thing and get rid of it before it causes any more trouble like this.”

“Don’t worry,” said Angie. “We plan to. Just stay out of our way. The last thing we need is one of you getting in the way.”

“Lady, what’s your problem?” Darryl asked.

“Nothing,” Angie spat out. “Nothing at all.”

“Don’t worry, Darryl,” said Prue. “We’ll take care of this demon as quickly as we can. Once we find it we’ll vanquish it and you won’t have to worry about it again.”

“Okay,” said Darryl uneasily. He glanced at Angie. “Just let me know when you get rid of it.”

“We will,” Leo promised. “Come on. Let’s get back to the manor so you can find it.”

As Darryl turned and headed back across the street the others walked back into the vacant building they were standing in front of so Leo could orb them back to the manor.

[noazmale]

FOUR

“What’s your problem with Darryl?” Prue asked when they had returned to the manor. “He’s been a good friend of ours. You had no call to treat him the way you did.”

“I don’t like his kind,” said Angie. “They can’t be trusted. You’d know that if you knew them the way I do.”

“Look, maybe you’ve had some bad experiences with police in the past,” said Cole. “But Prue is right. Darryl’s been a good friend of theirs. And I can understand why he doesn’t want to be involved with demons. He’s just an innocent with no powers to protect himself with.”

“If you want to be friends with him, that’s your business,” said Angie. “Just don’t expect me to be friends with him. That will never happen. Not with someone like him.”

“Look,” said Prue.

“Got it,” said Piper, holding a crystal over a map. “It’s not too far from the place where he started the fight. What do you think it’s doing?”

“Probably waiting for things to calm down,” said Cole. “Transient demons can be very patient. They have to be with the type of work they do. It’ll probably hold up somewhere for a while before it goes back to the business.”

“That’s why I’ve had trouble tracking it,” said Angie. “It would cause trouble someone and then just disappear for sometimes days on end. When it did reappear it would cause more trouble and then disappear again.”

“Well, we know where it is now,” said Prue. “We have the vanquishing spell and as far as it knows we have no idea where it is. We should be able to surprise it and vanquish it without too much trouble. Angie is right about one thing. One demon shouldn’t stand much chance against four witches.”

“What about the demon that sent it?” Angie asked. “If we vanquish this one won’t the demon that sent it just send another one to finish the job?”

“Possibly,” said Cole. “But as a rule Transient demons aren’t usually sent to a specific business. Usually a high level demon will simply hire one to come to the mortal realm and it will pick which businesses it will infiltrate. The Transient actually serves two purposes. It can gather advanced intelligence on which businesses are most likely to be susceptible to infiltration without having to send in another demon to make that determination.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about demonic activity,” said Angie suspiciously. “More than you should be able to find out with just a hobby.”

“I’ve done a lot of research,” said Cole. “It’s easy to find what you’re looking for when you know where to look.”

“But you seem to know more about demons than even the sisters,” said Angie. She looked at Prue. “Are you sure you can trust him?”

“We’re still considering that,” said Prue. “But he has been some help. And he does know about demons which has helped us to vanquish more than one.”

“He just seems to know more than he should be able to, that’s all,” said Angie.

“Look, Cole is not the problem here,” said Phoebe. “This Transient demon is. I suggest you concentrate more on it and less on Cole.”

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” said Angie apologetically. “I was just commenting on his apparent extensive knowledge of demons, that’s all. I didn’t mean to upset anyone.”

“We’d better get going if we’re going to get the Transient demon,” suggested Leo. “We know where it is right now but there’s no guarantee it will remain there.”

“Leo’s right,” said Piper. “We can’t be sure that it won’t move around to keep from being detected. Since we know where it is right now I think it’s our best chance of surprising it and vanquishing it.”

“Let’s get going,” said Angie. “I’ve spent two years tracking this thing. I’d like to get this over with so I can get back home to my people.”

They all linked arms and Leo orbed them out of the manor again.

* * *

“This looks like an old apartment building,” said Phoebe as they looked around the building. “But it doesn’t look like it’s been occupied for a long time.”

“I recognize the building,” said Cole, looking out a window. “It’s a few blocks from my office with the District Attorney’s office. Some of the buildings downtown have fallen into bad disrepair in the past few years. The city council is trying to get rid of these buildings and have them replaced with more modern ones.”

“Well,” said Prue, “It’s a big building. We’d better split up to maximize our chances of finding this demon. We each have a copy of the vanquishing spell so whichever one of us finds it will be able to vanquish it. Angie, you never did tell us what your power was.’

“I an interrupt the voluntary impulses from the brain,” said Angie. “I guess it’s something like Piper’s freezing ability except I can only affect one creature at a time. And then only the voluntary muscles of that creature. Which means I can’t cause it to suffocate or anything like that since breathing is an involuntary reaction. But I can keep it from moving, talking, things like that.”

“Now that would be a handy ability to have,” said Phoebe.

“Okay,” said Prue. “Leo, you and Piper check the top floor. Cole and Phoebe and check out the basement. Angie, you and I can check out this floor. Whoever finds it don’t waste any time. We can’t risk it getting away. Just vanquish it and let the rest of us know.”

The groups fanned out to search the building. With three groups searching they knew it wouldn’t be long before one of them found it. And with any luck they’d be able to vanquish it before it even knew they were there.

Leo and Piper began searching the top floor of the building. Just like the ground floor this one was run down and obviously hadn’t been used in several years. Most of the furniture had long since been removed and the furniture that was left was broken and rotting. Many of the windows had been broken out and doors were missing from many of the rooms. But there was no indication that anyone had been in the building in a very long time.

The basement showed the same signs of disrepair as the rest of the building. It consisted of only three rooms, one of which was a large storage area. The storage area contained spare furniture pile around the room but this furniture, like the rest of the furniture in the building, was broken and rotting.

Another room contained the boiler that heated the water for the building. Several of the pipes to the boiler were either missing or broken. It was covered in rust testifying that it had not been tended to in a long time.

The last room was completely empty. Dust covered the entire floor and there were faint impressions of what appeared to be footprints in the dust. It was impossible to tell how old the footprints were but Phoebe and Cole both agreed that since the building had been abandoned for years, the footprints probably belonged to the Transient demon now hiding somewhere in the building.

Prue and Angie were cautiously making their way from one room to the next. Just as with the second floor, many of the rooms had missing doors. And the furniture was either missing or broken and rotting. But there was no indication that anyone had been in the building in a very long time.

“Are you sure it’s here?” Angie asked. “Are you sure Piper got the right place? This place hasn’t been occupied in a very, very long time.”

“If Piper said it’s here then it’s here,” said Prue. “I suppose it’s possible that the Transient shimmered out before we got here. Maybe the others will have better luck finding it than. . . .”

Her statement went unfinished as an energy ball struck her from behind from the room they had just left. She was knocked across the hallway and struck the wall beyond, slumping to the floor, dazed from the impact. Angie spun around and saw the Transient demon standing in the room behind them. She reached out and used her power on the demon intending on freezing it in place. The demon just smiled at her.

“You’re not powerful enough to affect me, witch,” said the demon. “Why are you hassling me? I don’t ever remember meeting you before. Why have you been hounding me for the past two years?”

“You murdered some of my friends,” said Angie. “I swore I’d make you pay for that.”

“Is that all?” laughed the demon. “Because I killed some people you knew? How pathetically human. Too bad you won’t live long enough fulfill that promise. You would have done better to mind your own business. Now you’re just one more loose end I need to tie up.”

Angie just stood staring at the demon as it formed another energy ball and smiled at her. She had nowhere to go and her only power had proven less than affective against this demon. In a moment it was going to kill her and there was nothing she could do about it.

[noazmale]

FIVE

The Transient demon raised its arm and was about to cast the energy ball when suddenly another energy ball struck it full force in the chest. The energy ball it was holding was extinguished as the demon was knocked back across the room. Angie turned to see Phoebe and Cole standing down the hallway from her. Cole immediately moved up to the doorway of the room as the Transient regained its feet.

As the Transient stood up it form another energy ball and was about to cast it at Cole. But Cole was quicker. He formed an energy ball of his own, striking the demon once more, knocking the demon back again.

“Belthazor,” hissed the Transient regaining its feet again. “The Source has ordered your death for your betrayal of him. You side with witches against your own kind?”

“You know me,” said Cole. “Good. That will make things a lot easier. If you know who I am than you know I’m not to be trifled with. If you’re smart you’ll get out of here now and never come back. She may not be powerful enough to stand up against you but the other witches aren’t ordinary witches. They’re the Charmed Ones. And trust me. You have no way of winning against them. Or against me.”

“That has yet to be seen,” said the Transient. “You know as well as I do that the Source rarely involves himself in the betrayal of an underling. But he’s made an exception in your case. Which means that you are very important to him. And the bounty he’s placed on you is substantial. Any demon that can vanquish you is guaranteed more power and a higher place in the hierarchy.”

“That would be a mistake,” said Cole. “You’re not strong enough to stand up to me. You have a chance to get away with your life. I would suggest you take it while you still can.”

“When I have a chance like this?” questioned the demon. “You know I can’t do that. I’ve never been known for playing it safe.”

“That’s your first mistake,” said Cole.

The two demons faced each other like two gunfighters of old. Prue, Phoebe, and Angie watched as the two studied each other. They weren’t sure if the Transient would suddenly change its mind and shimmer away or if it would risk being faster than Cole.

Suddenly the Transient demon’s arm came up and an energy ball instantly formed in its hand. But Cole was quicker than the demon. His own arm came up and he launched an energy ball at his opponent as he twisted to the side. The Transient’s energy ball missed Cole by mere inches exploding on the wall behind him.

But Cole’s energy ball found its mark. It struck the demon full in the chest forcing the demon back. As the three girls watched the Transient demon erupted in flames and was vanquished where it stood.

“Well, that’s finally over,” said Prue, rubbing her head. “I was dazed when I struck that wall. I thought it was all over.”

“Well, Cole saved us,” said Phoebe moving up to Cole. “And he vanquished a demon in the process. Cole, are you okay? Cole?”

Phoebe looked around and saw Angie holding her hand out. It was obvious she was using her power to hold Cole immobilized.

“What are you doing?” Phoebe insisted. “Let him go.”

“He’s a demon,” protested Angie. “And I recognized the name the Transient called him. That’s Belthazor. He’s a powerful demon that specializes in killing witches. More than likely he’s been working his way into your good graces until he gets the chance to kill you.”

“He’s not like that any more,” said Phoebe as Piper and Leo came rushing up to them. “He loves me. And he vanquished the Triad because they wanted to kill us. He’s changed.”

“Who said he vanquished the Triad?” questioned Angie. “Him? And you’re taking the word of a demon?”

“Then take my word,” said Leo. “I checked with the Elders. The Triad has been vanquished. And word is that a high level demonic mercenary vanquished them. Now that mercenary is marked for death by the Source. That describes Cole to a T.”

“Unless it’s some elaborate plan to get to them,” said Angie. “He’s still a demon. He can’t be trusted. Any more than your policeman friend can be trusted.”

“Let him go,” Prue ordered. “In the first place, Cole is only half demon. He’s also half human. And I’m not completely sure I trust him but he did just save our lives. If he was out to kill us he’s had more than ample opportunity to do so.”

“But he’s a demon,” protested Angie.

“And if he turns out to be a problem we’ll deal with him,” said Prue. “You came here to get the Transient demon. It’s been vanquished. Cole isn’t your problem. He’s ours. Assuming he turns out to be a problem. Now, let him go.”

Angie just looked at the four. They really couldn’t blame her. They didn’t know Cole like they did. To her he was just another demon. One that, to her mind, needed to be vanquished. Suddenly Angie dropped her arm and Cole turned around.

“Thanks,” he said. “That’s a strange experience. Not being able to move or talk. Can’t say it’s something I’d care to repeat.”

“I still say he’s dangerous,” said Angie, glaring at Cole. “Half human or not he’s still a demon. And he has a reputation for killing witches. It’s a mistake to trust him.”

“That may be,” said Piper, “but Prue’s right. He just saved your lives. You at least owe him for that. I’m with Prue. I’m not sure we can completely trust him either. But until he does something to show otherwise we’re willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.”

“I don’t understand something,” said Prue to Angie. “Your power didn’t work on the Transient demon. It said you weren’t powerful enough to affect it. But you apparently froze Cole with no problem. Cole implied that the Transient was a lower level demon than Cole. How come you could affect him when you couldn’t affect the Transient?”

“It happens sometimes,” said Angie. “Sometimes the level of the demon doesn’t dictate if my power works on it or not. It seems that some demons just have a natural resistance or immunity to it.”

“It’s like that with all witches,” said Leo. “Just like in humans who have a natural resistance to some diseases, some demons have a natural resistances to certain abilities.”

“Oh, that’s a nice thought,” said Piper. “You mean there are demons out there that might be immune to our powers?”

“It’s a possibility,” said Leo. “But I wouldn’t worry about it too much. There are three of you. It’s unlikely that a demon would be immune to all of your abilities.”

“Except I don’t have an active power,” said Phoebe.

“And your martial arts seems to fill in quite effectively despite that,” said Cole, putting his arm around her. “Look, Angie. I know we didn’t tell you about me before. We just felt it was best if we didn’t muddy the situation since we were tracking another demon. But I’ve changed. I’m not a threat to witches any more. I’m trying very hard to be good.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” said Angie. “People don’t change. Neither do demons.”

“They do if they have enough incentive,” said Leo. “And Cole apparently has the best incentive there is. Love.”

“I don’t believe it,” said Angie. “People are who they are no matter what. Like I said, they don’t change. You’ll never convince me that this half demon is no longer a threat to witches.”

“Well, that’s not your call,” said Prue. “Prue is our problem. Like it or not it’s not your responsibility. We’ve dealt with the Transient demon. Your responsibility here is finished.”

Angie just looked at the sisters. She knew Prue was right. Her only responsibility had been to kill the Transient demon. Now that it was gone she could return home to her other responsibilities.

“Freeze!”

They all turned to see two uniformed police office at the top of the stairs pointing their weapons at them.

[noazmale]

SIX

“Don’t move,” said one of the policemen. “What are you people doing here? We got a report that there was some kind of fight going on in here.”

“Uh, fight?” questioned Prue. “No fight. We, uh, were looking for our lost cat. We thought we saw it come in here. That’s all.”

“Lost cat?” questioned one of the policemen as they put their pistols away. “It takes six of you to retrieve one lost cat?”

“Oh, we were just passing by,” said Piper, glancing at Prue. “We thought it would be easier if we all searched for it. It’s a pretty big building, after all.”

“You know you’re trespassing?” questioned the other officer. “This building has been condemned by the city and is slated for demolition in the near future. You’re not supposed to be in here.”

“We’re sorry about that,” said Cole, pulling out his wallet. “Look, I’m ADA Cole Turner. I know technically we’re not supposed to be here. But the cat really means a lot to them. It’s like a member of the family.”

“Mr. Turner,” said the first officer, looking at Cole’s identification. “You of all people should know better than to be in here. I doubt if the District Attorney would appreciate one of his assistants being arrested for criminal trespass.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be necessary,” said Darryl, walking up to the group. He had his police badge hanging from his breast pocket. “Inspector Morris. It doesn’t seem they’ve done any harm here. What do you say we cut them a break and just forget about this one, Officer Howard?”

“I don’t know, Inspector,” said the first officer. “If my lieutenant finds out about this I could be in real trouble. They want us to start cracking down on the criminal element in this part of town.”

“My responsibility,” said Morris. “If your lieutenant gives you any grieve just tell him to talk to me. I’ll smooth it over for you. What do you say? It’s not like they’re dangerous criminals or anything. Besides, do you think an assistant district attorney would be involved in something illegal in broad daylight? Do you really want to be hassled with all that paperwork over a lost cat?”

“Well,” said Howard, looking at his partner. “I suppose a warning wouldn’t be out of place in this case. But Mr. Turner you really should be more careful in the future. And no more criminal trespass, okay? It really isn’t worth the hassle over a cat.”

“We’ll remember that in the future,” said Cole. “And thanks. I won’t forget this.”

“What are you doing here?” Darryl demanded after the two offices had left. “I heard the call over the radio and when they gave the descriptions of the people in here I figured it was you guys. What are you doing in a rundown building at this time of day?”

“Taking care of our demon problem,” said Prue. “And how did someone see us? Leo orbed us in here. No one could have seen us enter here?”

“One of the neighbors saw you through a window,” said Cole. “They also reported you were fighting with someone. Something about seeing what looked like flamethrowers or something. He really wasn’t making a whole lot of sense.”

“That would probably be the energy balls the Transient demon and I were using,” said Cole. “The girls tracked the demon here and we came to take care of it.”

“So, this demon is not a problem any more?” Darryl asked.

“Not any longer,” said Piper. “Cole took care of it for us. You don’t have to worry about it causing any trouble in the future.”

“Well, that’s a load off my mind,” said Darryl. “I really don’t like the idea of tangling with demons.”

“No worry about that any more,” said Phoebe. “He’s dust.” She glanced at the spot where the Transient had been vanquished. “Literally.”

“Well, you guys need to get out of here,” said Darryl. “And don’t come back. I may not be around to clear up the mess next time.”

“We don’t need your help,” said Angie, venom in her voice. “We’re perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves.”

“Lady, what is your problem?” Darryl asked. “You’ve been nothing but mean and nasty to me every time we’ve met. Have I done something to offend you or something?”

“I just don’t need help from your kind,” said Angie. She looked at the sisters. “I’ll meet you outside. The air is getting rank in here with this copper.”

“That was weird,” said Phoebe as Angie stormed out of the room. “I wonder what she has against you? I can’t believe it’s just because you’re a cop.”

“And who uses the word copper any more?” questioned Piper. “That sounds like a line out of a bad 40s movie.”

“She didn’t say copper,” said Darryl, a look of total disbelieve on his face. Leo and Cole both also had strange looks on their faces. “She called me a kaffer. I haven’t heard that term in a long time.”

“Kaffer?” questioned Prue. “What the hell is a kaffer?”

“It’s not an American term,” said Leo. “It was used primarily in South Africa. It probably still is in some circles. But I can’t believe it’s something anyone would use in public.”

“South Africa?” questioned Piper. “She’s from South Africa? She claimed she moved around as a kid. And just what is a kaffer, anyway?”

“It’s a very derogatory term,” said Cole. “Forgive me, Darryl. The American equivalent of kaffer would be the term Niger. And as Leo said, it’s not a term most people would use. It would appear that Angie doesn’t have a problem with Darryl because he’s a police officer. She doesn’t like him because he’s black.”

[noazmale]

SEVEN

Leo orbed everyone back to the manor. He immediately said he needed to go see the Elders. He claimed it was to inform them of the vanquishing of the Transient demon but the girls knew differently. He was going to inform them that Angie was a bigot. She was currently sitting in the living room resting up from their ordeal at the abandoned apartment complex. The others were in the solarium talking. Piper had gone into the kitchen saying she had a small matter to take care of.

“Well, it certainly explains her antagonism toward Darryl,” said Cole. “If she’s a bigot she wouldn’t even want to be in the same room as Darryl.”

“I don’t see what we can do about it,” said Phoebe. “She’s a witch, after all. It’s not like we can vanquish her. Besides, we’re supposed to fight demons. I don’t think a bigot exactly fits that description.”

“But we can’t just let her walk out of here,” said Prue. “If she is a bigot she could put an innocent in danger. She could even cause them to get killed.”

“How?” Phoebe questioned. “If she doesn’t even want to be in the same room with them how could she be a danger to them?”

“What happens if a demon attacks a black person?” Prue asked. “Considering her attitude toward black people she might just decide they aren’t worth saving. She could just let the demon kill that person based on nothing more than the person is black.”

“And it’s not just black people who could be in danger,” said Cole. “If she is a bigot she probably hates anyone who isn’t white, like her. Most bigots see themselves as superior to anyone who isn’t the same skin color.”

“That’s just stupid,” said Phoebe. “Skin color is no indication of anything. It just doesn’t make sense that she’d hate someone based solely on the color of their skin.”

“Bigotry is never intelligent,” said Cole. “I remember growing up. Anyone who wasn’t white was considered to be inferior. It’s changed a great deal over time but there are still people out there who look down on others based purely on what color they are.”

“And it’s not just race, either,” said Prue. “There was a time when women were considered inferior to men. In fact, I still run into men who feel that way. That women should be protected despite what they are capable of. That we’re somehow weaker just because we’re women. It’s always infuriated me when I run into attitudes like that.”

“Physically, women are weaker than men,” said Phoebe.

“That may be true,” said Cole. “But it’s been my experience that most women can accomplish anything men can do. Oh, there are some things that men are better at just as there are some things that women are better at. But that’s usually because of some physical characteristic that we really have no control over.

”It’s the same with people of different colored skin. Just because one is darker than another doesn’t make them any more or less inferior. It’s just a color. It really has no bearing on what kind of person they are. It seems that some people still haven’t learned that yet.”

“Well, the Elders have been informed of Angie’s attitude,” said Leo, orbing into the kitchen. “They’re still debating what they should do about it. None of them agree with her thinking but they can’t seem to agree on what to do about it.”

“Well, right now I saw we all go into the living room so we can celebrate our victory over the Transient demon,” said Piper, walking into the solarium holding a tray with full wine glasses on it. “Despite her attitude we did vanquish a demon. I think that deserves a celebration.”

“We’ve never celebrated a vanquishing before,” said Prue, confused. “What’s the special occasion this time?”

“Oh, just something I thought we should do,” said Piper. “Considering we did have the help of another witch. It’s kind of a special occasion.”

“What’s she up to?” Cole whispered to Leo.

“You got me,” Leo whispered back. “She hasn’t said a word to me.”

“Here we go,” said Piper, sitting the tray on the coffee table in front of Angie. She picked up a glass and handed it to Angie. “We thought we’d just celebrate our victory over the Transient demon.”

“I’ve never celebrated vanquishing a demon before,” said Angie, taking the glass. “Do you do this every time you vanquish a demon?”

“No, not every time,” said Piper, glancing at the others. “Just on special occasions. Like we told you. We don’t get the chance to meet other witches very often. It just seems like a special occasion to me.”

Everyone picked up a glass. Piper held her glass up.

“To victory over evil,” she said. “May we always be so victorious.”

“Hear, hear,” said Prue.

They all took a drink from their glasses, celebrating the toast.

“Oh, this is bitter,” said Angie. “Are you sure this wine is okay? It tastes like it’s turned or something.”

“No, not turned,” said Piper, putting her glass down. “I had to make the potion more potent so that it would be affective even if you didn’t drink the entire glass. I guess that’s why your glass is bitter. I guess it’s the affects of the potion on the wine. But I couldn’t risk that you would only get part of the potion and that it wouldn’t work. That’s why I had to make it stronger than normal.”

“Potion?” Prue asked. “What potion?”

“The power-stripping potion,” Piper said, looking directly at Angie.

“You gave me a power stripping potion?” Angie demanded, her temper flaring. “Why by all that’s holy would you do that? I can’t go after demons now.”

“Exactly what I had in mind,” said Piper. “You’re too dangerous to be allowed powers. We’re supposed to protect the innocent and fight evil. We’re not supposed to be evil ourselves.”

“I’m not evil,” insisted Angie. “I hunt demons just like you do.”

“With the exception that you consider yourself superior to everyone else,” said Prue. “Your comment about Darryl being a kaffer is proof of that. You think that just because he’s black he’s somehow inferior to you.”

“He is,” defended Angie. “Just look at him. I don’t see how you can call him your friend. He’s obviously not as good as we are.”

“You’re wrong,” said Phoebe. “Darryl is a good friend. And he’s just as smart and as good as anyone we know. Better than most. You hate him because of the color of his skin. That’s just stupid.”

“It’s the natural order,” said Angie. “I suppose I can’t blame you for being a kaffer lover. After all, you’re friends with a demon. You’re the ones who don’t deserve to have powers. You don’t have the right to call yourself witches. You obviously think that just anyone deserves to be saved.”

“Spoken like a true demon,” said Cole.

“How dare you,” snapped Angie. “I’m no demon. I’m a witch.”

“Not any more you’re not,” said Piper. “When you drank that glass of wine you stripped your powers. You’re as mortal as anyone else.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean a traditional demon,” said Cole. “There are different kinds of demons. Some of us are born this way. We have no choice in the matter. It’s part of who we are. But people like you choose their beliefs. You choose to think of yourselves as better than other people. When in reality the differences are nothing more than superficial.

“I’m over a hundred years old and I’ve run into people like you all my life. The Underworld is permeated with this kind of attitude. The ‘better’ ruling the ‘inferior’. When the truth is that the only real differences are in how people think. But the way you think only shows that you’re the inferior ones. People afraid of what they don’t understand. Afraid of anything different from themselves.”

“You’re wrong,” said Angie. “And I’ll show you. We are better than they are. I’ll find a way to get my powers back and when I do I’m going to . . . oh, I suddenly feel dizzy.”

“Oh, that would probably be the other potion I put in your drink,” said Piper. “I wasn’t sure how long it would take before it affected you.”

“What . . .what other potion?” questioned Angie, sitting on the sofa.

“Just a little something to show you what it’s like to be on the other side for a change,” said Piper. “To show you how your attitude affects people every day.”

They all watched as Angie’s skin began to darken. Within moments she was as dark as Darryl. She stood up and looked at herself in a mirror.

“What have you done?” she shrieked. “You’ve turned me into one of them.”

“You mean into a kaffer?” Piper asked, a note of sarcasm in her voice. “Yes, that’s exactly what I’ve done. Maybe if you have to live as one of them you might just change your attitude. Maybe you’ll come to see just how stupid and idiotic your racism really is.”

“You can’t do this,” Angie shouted. “Change me back. Change me back immediately.”

“Sorry, can’t do that,” said Piper. “As far as I know there is no way to counter the potion I gave you. You’ll just have to live with it, I guess.”

“I’ll get you for this,” Angie shrieked as she headed for the front door. “You’ll see. One day I’ll get my powers back and when I do I’ll make you all pay for what you’ve done here. I swear it.”

Without another word she flung the front door open and ran out into the street. Within a few moments she had disappeared down the street. Leo started to head for the front door.

“Let her go, Leo,” said Prue. “It’s better than she deserves.”

“Piper, you can’t do this,” said Leo, coming back into the living room. “It’s not your place to punish her for what she believes. Right or wrong she has the right to her beliefs.”

“Relax,” said Piper. “The affects of that second potion will wear off in a few days. In the meantime maybe she’ll learn how wrong it is to treat people the way she does based simply on the color of their skin. Maybe it will help her change her attitude.”

“Piper,” Leo began to protest.

“No, Leo, she’s right,” said Prue. “Angie isn’t just anyone. She’s a witch. Or at least she was until Piper fed that power-stripping potion to her. Remember what I said about her possibly letting an innocent die because of the color of their skin? Who’s to say it hasn’t happened all ready? That she ignored an innocent in danger because they measure up to her standards of who deserves help and who doesn’t? Besides, now the Elders don’t have to decide what to do about her. Without her powers we don’t have to worry about her putting an innocent in danger again.”

“Besides,” said Piper, “it’s done. Her powers are gone. And as far as I know there’s no way to reverse it. So the Elders will just have to live with it.”

“They aren’t going to be happy about this,” said Leo.

“So what else is new?” questioned Phoebe. “It’s not the first time they won’t be happy with something we’ve done. Just something else for them to complain about.”

“They’re right, Leo,” said Cole. “What’s done is done. There’s not a whole lot we can do about it. And Piper is right. Maybe it will help to change Angie’s attitude. It doesn’t happen often but it does happen. Like you said, people can change if they have enough incentive. Maybe this will be the incentive she needs to change.”

“Well, maybe,” said Leo reluctantly. “And like you said, there’s nothing we can do about it. I guess there really isn’t much the Elders are going to be able to do about it. And somehow it does seem fitting, I guess.”

“That’s the attitude,” said Prue.

“Well,” said Cole, putting his arm around Phoebe, “what say we all go out and get something to eat? With all this demon hunting Piper hasn’t had a chance to prepare anything. I know this great little restaurant in the east part of town that serves the best Thai food.”

“Oh, I haven’t had Thai food in a long time,” said Phoebe. “Count me in.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Prue. “I’m up for it.”

“Thai food?” questioned Piper. “That’s kind of spicy.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure?” Cole asked, smiling at her.

“Okay, Leo and I are in,” said Piper. “But you’re paying, Turner.”

“For everyone?” questioned Cole as they all headed for the front door.

“Hey, you’re the one who invited us,” said Prue. “First rule of dating, he who asks has to pay.”

“I’ve never heard that rule,” said Phoebe.

“What happened to women’s lib and all that?” Cole asked as they headed to the cars.

“For tonight I think I prefer to be a bit old-fashioned,” said Prue. “Which means you’re paying, Turner. End of discussion.”

“I hope I remembered to bring my credit card,” Cole laughed.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more “Charmed” stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own “Charmed” stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.

[Patrick]

Wow, I liked it. It wasn't the best magical-based fiction but it was all made up for in the moral department.

When Angie called Darryl a kaffer, my mouth fell open. Me being multi-racial (1/4 black) and everything felt the need to continue on reading.

I loved how Piper played the lesson giver. It was a bit 'Who the hell is she to decide that" but it was still good. You also touched on gender roles and feminism and even magical racism, how she couldn't trust Cole because he was a demon. I wondered what inspired you to write this.

I would vote this to be a very thematic story. And found it funny how they all decided to go eat Thai food, instead of American. Good writing.