Disclaimer : My name’s not Aaron Spelling, so I don’t own them. But I really, really, really like to write about them.


Past, Present, Future
by Freaky Fan

Prologue

Darryl sighed as he shut the file folder before him. “All right. That’s all we can do until our witness decides to come forward and testify. I’m calling it a night.”

Simmons looked up from the report he was working on. “But it’s only ten.”

Darryl gave him a look. “And?”

Simmons rolled his eyes. “And you’re hoping for a late dinner with your girl.” He gave his partner a sly grin. “And what a girl she is.”

“Watch it, Simmons.” Darryl’s voice held just enough annoyance to let the man know he wasn’t joking around. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Simmons swallowed hard, knowing he had almost crossed a line that would have gotten him into big trouble. Darryl had been super sensitive about anything involving Rion ever since she and her sister got back from their holiday getaway. “Tomorrow.”

He jumped as the phone on Darryl’s desk suddenly rang. “Hey, Morris!” He sighed when he didn’t get any response. “Great.” He grumbled as he reached for the receiver. “What did he do, RUN out of here?“ It was probably Rion asking if he was ready to leave yet. Sometimes the two of them were so sweet it made him want to throw up. He fought with the tangled cord as he put the phone to his ear. “Inspector Morris’ desk.”

“This isn’t Inspector Morris.”

Simmons frowned at the raspy voice. “No, this is his partner, Inspector Simmons.”

“Put Inspector Morris on.”

“I would if I could, but he’s not here. Can I help you with something?”

The voice on the other end hesitated. “I have information. Something I think would interest him. I was calling to see if he would be so kind as to meet with me.”

“Well, like I said, he’s not here.” A plan was forming in Simmons head. One that might just make his new partner think he wasn’t such a screw up. “But I could meet with you.”

“I don’t know...”

“I’m familiar with all the cases he’s working on.” Simmons shut his eyes when he heard the desperation in his voice. Why was he so eager to please Morris anyway?

“Are you now?” The voice chuckled. “All right. Meet me in Wimberly Park. Near the duck pond. In fifteen minutes.”

Simmons smiled triumphantly as he hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket. This was his chance to prove himself. Not just to Darryl either. To all the guys at the station who thought he was nothing more than a wet behind the ears rookie inspector. He rushed out, determined to change everyone’s opinion about him.

*************

He watched as the kid climbed out of the unmarked police car. That’s all he was, a kid. Couldn’t have been more than twenty-five or twenty-six. Not that it mattered. The kid was connected to Morris and that was all he needed to know. Anyone who even knew that bastard was fair game in his eyes.

He smiled as the kid looked around before starting toward the pond. This was going to be too easy. He stepped out of his hiding place and walked silently toward him. He waited until he was just a few feet away to clear his throat.

“Oh!” The kid turned toward him, his face red. “You scared me.”

His smile widened into a leer. “I meant to.”

He swung the ax gripped tightly in his hands, the sickening thud it made as it slammed into the kid’s chest sending a rush of adrenaline through his body. He quickly pulled it back out, barely giving the kid a chance to fall to the ground before bringing it down again. And again. And again.

Ah, the joy of the kill. How he had missed it! He continued to hack away until he heard a noise. It was far enough away to get in a few more blows, but he knew he better not risk it. He surveyed his work for a moment before running back into the shadows, his joyful squeal filling the night air.

He couldn’t wait to see Inspector Morris’ reaction to his little present!
“OK. So you guys do your thing, the demon shows up and you read the vanquishing spell.” Rion looked at her sisters to make sure she had everything straight. “So why do you need me again?” She chuckled as Piper smacked her on the arm. “All right, let’s get the show on the road.”

“Geez!” Phoebe commented as she studied a page in the Book of Shadows. “You’d think you had a hot date or something.”

“Be nice, Phoebe.” Prue gave her little sister a playful nudge. “You were ten times worse when you were dating Cole.”

“When she was dating him?” Piper snorted. “She’s still ten times worse and they’re married.”

“Hey!” Phoebe looked back and forth between her older sisters. “Is this pick on Phoebe day or something?”

“Guys.” Rion gave them all a look.

“Right.” Prue gripped her sisters’ hands and started the summoning spell.

“Magic forces, black and white.”

Piper joined in.

“Reaching out through space and light.”

Phoebe spoke up.

“Be he far or be he near.”

The said the last line in unison.

“Bring us the demon Speclarde here.”

What happened next caught them all off guard. An enormous demon popped into view. He stood at least eleven feet in height and was nearly as wide as he was tall. His shear girth threw the sisters in various directions.

“Damn!” Rion mumbled to herself as she climbed to her feet. “Lard certainly fits him.” She eyed her sisters, who were all across the attic from her now. “Is...” The demon snarled when her heard her, forcing her to raise her voice. “Is everyone all right?!”

“Yeah!” Piper nodded as she helped Prue to her feet. “We’re fine!”

“But I lost the page with the vanquishing spell on it!” Phoebe glanced up at her as she flipped through the Book of Shadows, which had fallen on the floor too.

“I’ll distract him! Her!” Rion frowned as she looked at the massive gray object before her. “It!” She picked up a nearby book and hurled it at the thing. “Hey, tall dark and gruesome!”

The beast flared its mammoth teeth as it glared at her.

“That’s right! I’m talking to you!” Rion used her best bully voice.

The thing snarled as it took a swipe at her with one tentacle like arm. She easily ducked the attack.

“Is that the best you’ve got?!”

“What the HELL is THAT?!!”

Rion turned when she heard the all too familiar voice behind her. Darryl stood in the open doorway, his mouth hanging open in disbelief. She was about to shout a warning when the beast tried again, this time hitting her square in the back. The air rushed from her lungs as she slammed into the wall next to the door.

“Rion!” Darryl started into the room but stopped when he found himself eye to eye with the demon, who had bent down to finish off Rion. “Oh shit!”

“Darryl, get back!” Rion sprang to her feet and shoved him back out of the attic, quickly locking and shutting the door behind her. She was distracted just long enough for the beast to grab her by the leg and lift her high into the air. “Uh, guys....” She looked down at the floor below her. “Did you find that spell yet?!”

“Got it!” Phoebe scooped up the Book of Shadows and went to join her sisters. She pointed out the spell and they began to chant.

“Hear the words we now state
Come and take this heavyweight.
Remove him now, from our sight
Take him with no further fight.”

“Ow!” Rion hissed as the demon shook her violently. “I think....” She tried to avoid smacking her head on the ceiling. “You’re pissing him off!!”

The sisters continued to chant. After three more tries the demon finally bellowed in pain, dropping Rion as its body started to smoke. It succeeded in knocking a huge hole in the wall before blowing up completely.

“Ew!” Piper made a face as black blood splattered everywhere. “Why did it have to do that?!”

Prue shook her head, trying not to pay attention to the stuff, which covered her too as she hurried to Rion’s side. “Squirt?”

“I’m all right.” Rion growled as she pushed herself into a standing position. “But next time someone else gets to distract the baddie and I get to help read the spell.”

“Rion?!” The attic door suddenly flew off its hinges.

“Darryl!” Piper gave him a look as he came charging into the room.

Phoebe raised her eyebrows. “Who needs demons to wreck the house when we have Darryl?”

Rion shot her a look as she walked over to Darryl. “Honey, it’s not that I’m not glad to see you, but what the hell are you doing here? I was supposed to meet you at the station at eleven.”

“I know.” Darryl breathed heavily as he took in the mess around him. “But I got done early so I thought I’d come pick you up.”

“You got done early because I mentioned we were summoning a demon tonight, didn’t you?”

Darryl tried to look innocent. “No.”

Rion rolled her eyes. “Cut it out, Darryl. You’ve been around for every demon we’ve vanquished since Phoebe and I came back from the retreat.”

“Uh.” Piper looked at Phoebe and Prue. “Maybe we should go get cleaned up.”

“Thanks guys.” Rion gave them a grateful look as they left before returning her attention to Darryl. “All right. I think you need to tell me what’s going on.”

“Nothing.” Darryl avoided her eyes. Leo had warned him about telling the girls anything that had happened with Sabian.

“Darryl....”

“I said it’s nothing, Rion. Can’t I just be concerned about you?”

“Yes, you can. But you can’t keep showing up wherever we are. You could get hurt. I can’t be worried about you and keep my sisters safe at the same time.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“So can I.” Rion sighed. “Look, I worry about you when you’re at work too, but I don’t show up at your crime scenes. You have your job and I have mine.” She shrugged when he didn’t respond. “Maybe we should back off a little.”

Darryl looked shocked. “What?”

Rion nodded. “Maybe we’re moving too fast. I can’t stand the thought you something happening to you, Darryl. And eventually you’re gonna get hurt.” She avoided touching him as she sidled by. “I’ll call you in a couple of days.”

Darryl watched her walk away, his heart breaking. All he wanted to do was keep her safe and all he had done was push her away.


Phoebe knew she couldn’t take much more. She was in excellent condition, but no one’s body was built for this kind of abuse. Just like no one’s mind was capable of keeping up with all the changes Prue was making to the wedding plans. Every time someone turned around there was a new color or a new flower or a new style of bridesmaids dress. That was why she had agreed to go for a run with Rion in the first place. She knew her sister wouldn’t be very talkative after what happened with Darryl the night before, but a quiet Rion was better than the chaos that had become the kitchen table. Especially so early in the morning. But here they were at the edge of the park, over three miles from the Manor, and Rion was still going strong while her body begged for a break.

She slowed to a stop, her chest heaving as she bent over, hands on thighs.

It took Rion a moment to realize her sister wasn’t beside her anymore. She couldn’t help but grin when she saw her standing there, panting.

“What’s the matter, Pheebs? Can’t keep up with your big sister?”

“Not....” Phoebe drew in a deep breath, willing her body to let her speak. “Not when you SPRINT like that!” Her voice still held a breathless quality. “Do you even realize where we are?”

“Yes. We’re on the way to the pa....” Rion cut herself off as she took in her surroundings. “When did we get to the park?”

Phoebe shook her head as she straightened into a standing position. “Come on. Let’s walk before we cool off too much.” She shot her sister a look. “And I mean walk. Not power walk or mini-jog or....”

Rion chuckled. “I get the picture.”

They fell into step, side by side, their shoulders almost touching. The silence between them lasted all of about ten seconds before Rion spoke up.

“I’m sorry, Pheebs. I guess my mind was on something else.”

Phoebe gave her a sideways glance. “Something you want to talk about?”

“There’s not really anything to talk about. I told Darryl I thought we should back off a little.” Rion shrugged.

“And you’re all right with that?”

“I’m the one that suggested it, Phoebe. I kinda have to be all right with it.”

“No you don’t.” Phoebe sighed in disbelief. “Sometimes I don’t get you, Rion. You’re on cloud nine whenever Darryl’s around and suddenly you tell him you don’t think you should see so much of each other? What kind of logic is that?”

“Phoebe....”

“I’m not done yet. If you have a problem you work it out.”

“Pheebs....”

“That’s what it means to be in a relationship. Working at it. Not calling it quits because you’re scared.”

“First of all, I’m not scared of anything. Except maybe Prue before she has her first cup of coffee in the morning. Or Piper if you mess up her kitchen. Second of all, shut up and look over there.”

Phoebe raised her hand to shield her eyes as she looked in the direction Rion was pointing. “Well speak of the devil....” She grinned as she watched Darryl talking to a couple of uniformed officers.

Rion swallowed hard as she watched him too. “We should get back to the house.”

“No, we should go see if there’s anything going on we should know about.”

“But Prue....”

“Has Piper and Seth and Leo and Cole to help her.” Phoebe grabbed her sister’s hand and dragged her toward the scene at the duck pond. “Hey, Darryl.”

He turned to face them, a surprised expression on his face. “Phoebe.” His eyes lingered on Rion. “Rion.”

Rion barely looked at him. “Hi.”

Phoebe waited to see if anything more would be said before speaking again. “So, what brings you to the park so early?”

“Simmons.” Darryl looked toward the stretcher bearing a body bag that was being loaded into the back of a coroner’s van. “He was killed last night.”

“What?!” Rion’s head snapped up. “What happened?!”

“Looks like he came out here to meet someone.” Darryl held her gaze. “Whoever it was took an axe to him.”

“An axe?” Phoebe shuddered. “Now there’s something you don’t hear every day.”

“Yeah.” Darryl nodded. “Did quite a number on him.”

Phoebe watched the van pull away. “Any idea who it might have been?”

“None. We’ve been working several cases but not anything remotely close to this.”

“Do you think you’ll need our help?”

“I....” Darryl looked at Rion again. “I don’t know. Look, I’ve gotta go. I’ll let you know if anything comes up.”

Rion gripped his arm as he started to walk away. “Darryl, I’m sorry. About Simmons.”

“Me too.” He clinched his jaw. “I’ve really got to go.”

“Right.” Rion let go of him and watched him walk to his car. “Come on, Pheebs. We should be going too. We’ve still got an attic to clean.” She frowned when she saw her sister staring off it space. “Pheebs?” She put her hand on her sister’s shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Huh?” Phoebe blinked as if she were coming out of a trance.. “I could swear someone’s watching us.”

“There are lots of people watching us. Things like this always draw a crowd. Let’s go.”

“Right.” Phoebe looked over her shoulder again as they walked away.

*************

He could almost feel the long haired one staring at him, but it was the other one that peeked his interest. The raven haired beauty. The one Inspector Morris couldn’t take his eyes off of. The one that obviously meant something to him.

He wanted his revenge against Morris, but killing the other cop had felt good. Really good. And the prospect of killing someone even closer to Morris made him tighten his grip on the axe in his hand. He decided to follow them.

*************

“Shit!” Rion rolled her eyes as they rounded the corner onto Prescott Street.

Phoebe jumped. “What?!”

“I just remembered I promised Margaret I would help her rearrange the furniture in her living room.”

Phoebe gave her a look.

“Hey.” Rion shrugged. “She’s still our grandmother. How was I supposed to say no?”

“Like this.” Phoebe reached for her sister’s face.

“Cut it out!” Rion swatted at her hand. “Tell Piper and Prue I’ll be home in a few. I mean, how long can it take?”

“With her, it’s hard to tell.” Phoebe grinned. “Don’t worry. We won’t start on the attic without you.”

*************

He smiled as they went their separate ways, all of his attention directed at the raven haired one as she walked up to the huge old house and pulled a key out of a potted plant on the front porch. This was too perfect. Now all he had to do was wait for the cover of darkness. Then he could use his axe again to claim his next victim. To kill the raven haired one.

He awoke with a jerk as the first crash of thunder split the air. He looked around, disoriented. Had it all been a dream? Was he actually back