꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

PANDORA RUBBED HER EYES, POURING HERSELF A CUP OF COFFEE AND LOOKING OVER HER TEXTBOOK.

Inspired by Phoebe's initiative to pursue education, Pandora opted in for the same, wanting to at least get an associates, if nothing else. She didn't need it for her dreams, but it wasn't bad to get a part-time job if she wanted one.

"So, while she is up romping around the clouds with Leo, we've got our wiccan butts flapping around in the wind here," Phoebe was ranting to Prue as they came downstairs. Pandora looked up, glancing between the two of them. "I mean, we are very lucky, Prue, that we have not been attacked yet."

"No," Prue scoffed, looking at Phoebe from the bottom of the stairs. "It has absolutely nothing to do with luck. The triad is up to something. We just don't know what it is yet."

"Killing us," Pandora pitched in, taking a sip of her coffee. "Boom, splat, the Charmed Ones die, and they rule the world or some other mumbo jumbo, right?"

"Panda," Phoebe smiled brightly. "I didn't know you were awake."

"Yeah, I've got this test tomorrow," she nodded. "Why're you two up?"

"The triad," they said together, then exchanged a look.

"And Piper," Phoebe added to Pandora. "She knows we need help, that the triad is after us. So where the hell is she?"

"Getting boned in the sky?" Pandora offered with a wry smile. "Ever done it on a cloud, ladies?"

"No," Prue narrowed her eyes. "And neither have you. So, don't start."

"Maybe the dick's really—"

"—Oh, my god, stop," Prue shook her head, pulling a face. "Gross. How can you say stuff like that?"

"For those reactions," Pandora smirked, exchanging a small grin with Pheobe.

"Point is," Prue rolled her eyes, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Phoebe stole Pandora's and smiled cheekily when Pandora shot her a look. "That's why I've been studying the book."

"Prue, studying the book is not going to do it," Phoebe argued with a look. "We're screwed without Piper and you know this. Why aren't you worried?"

"I'm right here," Pandora held up her hand with a sarcastic smile. "Three witches, three sisters."

Phoebe and Prue exchanged a look.

"It's not that you're...not either of those things," Prue started slowly.

"It's just that...we know that the Book thinks one thing and — and the Power of Three doesn't work with you, remember?" Phoebe added with a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah, no, I get that," Pandora smiled tightly, ignoring the churning in her gut. "I just mean that you're not alone here. I have powers too."

"Sometimes they don't work," Prue countered gently. "They're inactive, like Phoebe's. Unreliable."

"I've been working on them," Pandora snapped with a frown, defensive of her powers. Unlike Phoebe, whose power had a reason to be inactive, Pandora's had gotten them into trouble when they refused to work. "I'm getting better."

"We know that," Phoebe said hurriedly before Prue could speak again. She offered a sweet smile. "And we're proud of you. But that doesn't change the truth. We need Piper."

Pandora looked down, focusing on her coffee, pouring more sugar into it. A part of her hated the truth in Phoebe's words. She'd always been Piper's twins, the sister of her sisters. An extension of someone else. Even now, her powers weren't controllable, therefore they weren't her own.

She was this weak, useless human in the Halliwell family, no better than their useless father.

Pandora hated it.

"I am worried," Prue confessed finally, acknowledging what her sisters already knew. "Alright? I am scared that you're right, that we're never going to see her again, and not because she doesn't want to come back, but because they won't let her. Because she broke one too many rules."

The phone rang, startling the three of them. Exchanging a look, the pair were confused by the call.

"Who's calling us at two in the morning?" Phoebe asked, following Prue to the phone. Pandora remained at her spot in the kitchen, drinking more coffee and highlighting another section of her book.

"Probably Darryl," Prue replied easily. "Hello?"

There was a beat and then Prue walked past the kitchen to the conservatory. "Yeah, I was just about to check it. Hold on."

Their voices grew softer as they spoke and Pandora shrugged, focusing on her schoolwork again, but her thoughts drifted.

Why was Darryl calling this late? That really only happened if something terrible was going on. She knew it was possible something could have happened to Piper—

"We're going out," Prue poked her head into the kitchen door. "Darryl sent us a fax of a demonic symbol a murderer's been etching onto people's heads. You coming?"

"Obviously," Pandora rolled her eyes, downing the rest of her coffee and following her sisters to the door. She grabbed her coat from the banister — where she always left it, despite Piper's insistence otherwise — and slid it over her shoulders.

"You're wearing that?" Phoebe asked with a grin, looking over Pandora's tank top, pajama pants, and leather jacket.

"Yeah, why not?" Pandora shrugged. "It's not like we'll be seeing anyone hot. It's a dead guy, a murderer, and Darryl."

"Fair point," Prue nodded, opening the door.

—

"What do we do once we get there?" Phoebe asked nervously, fiddling with her hands.

"How about save Darryl's life?"

"No. I mean about the guardian," Phoebe countered and Pandora mouthed the word to herself. Guardian? She must have missed something. "We don't even know how to vanquish it."

Pure rolled her eyes as she pulled the car into the street. "Well, the book says you kill it just like you would a vampire, with a stake."

"Maybe we should've brought garlic?" Pandora quipped lightly.

"Not the time, Panda," Prue gave her a look, unbuckling her seatbelt. "Come on."

The three rushed out of the car and down an alleyway, stopping for only a moment when they spotted a man leaning over Darryl, trying to kill him.

"No!" Pandora exclaimed, rushing over.

"Prue!" Phoebe shouted and their older sister acted quickly, flinging the man with her powers off of Darryl.

Pandora was the first one to reach Darryl, looking him over worriedly, checking for wounds. "Are you okay?" She asked softly as Phoebe and Prue handled the murderer.

"Yeah, thanks, Pandora," he smiled softly, sitting up and taking her hand to stand.

Prue tossed a stake into the ghostly, robed looking man's chest, but it flew right threw him. Pandora's eyebrows raised in mild surprise.

"I thought you said they were like vampires?" She asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Prue grimaced. "I might've misread that part."

"Oh, great," Pandora rolled her eyes.

"Well, feel free to help once in a while, Panda," Prue snapped in frustration, searching around as the guardian approached them with a sadistic smile.

"Okay, um," Phoebe's eyes widened. "The rune! Aim for the rune!"

Prue nodded and moved her hand quickly, the stake flying directly into the rune on the guardian's forehead. Electricity frizzled the air, and he screamed in pain, before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"Go team," Pandora spoke up.

"Oh, you were very useful," Prue shot her a look, which was ignored. "If Piper ever comes back, I am going to kill her."

—

"Poor girl," Phoebe remarked as the body bag was carried from the scene.

Pandora stood next to her sisters, Darryl getting checked by medical, and she looked down at her hand, spotting a small cut on her palm. When had that happened?

"Do you feel dizzy at all? Nauseas?" The medic asked Darryl, who waved him off.

"No."

"Trouble focusing? Headache?"

"I'm telling you I'm fine," Darryl protested. "Only thing wounded is my pride."

"That's okay, Darryl, you did great," Pandora smiled at him lazily. He sent her a playful scowl.

"Is he fine?" Prue asked the medic worriedly, and the man nodded.

"Yeah," he confirmed, soothing their worries. "Thanks to you guys."

"What do you mean, thanks to us?" Prue asked in worry, exchanging a look with her sisters.

"Well, you fought off the attacker, didn't you?" The medic asked. They glanced to Emilio, the murderer, as Pandora learned he was called. He was smiling at them, something so sinister and evil in his gaze it made her stomach churn. She stuck her hand up and gave him the finger with a cold smile in return. "Isn't that what happened?"

"Uh, yeah, you know," Prue brushed off his words, clearing her throat. None of them liked the attention — if people knew too much or got too close, only bad things happened. No one could know about them being witches. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Well, you saved his life. I think that's a pretty big deal. You're a lucky man, Inspector. Take care."

"Thank you," Darryl smiled at the man as he walked away.

"Okay, can we go now?" Phoebe asked quickly after he left. Pandora nodded, glancing around and itching to leave. Perhaps it was all her troubled youth coming back to haunt her, but she'd never enjoyed the scene of a crime after the crime had been committed.

"No," Darryl shook his head. "You have to get witness statements."

Pandora let out a soft groan, hating the idea of cops. Aside from Andy and Darryl — the latter, she'd been closer to even before Andy's death, because he'd always get her out of trouble in his rookie days — there wasn't a reason for her to exactly hang around the police station or help them in any capacity.

The extent of her do-gooding was being a Charmed One adjacent.

"Uh, Darryl," Prue started, but for much less selfish reasons than Pandora's thoughts.

"Prue, you're witnesses to a crime," Darryl argued. "In this case, the only witnesses."

"No, Darryl, we can't be witnesses," Prue countered in annoyance, looking to her sisters for backup. "We used our powers to stop the killer, what are we supposed to say?"

"We're Jedi," Pandora smiled a bit. "I've used that one before."

"I remember that report," Darryl shook his head. "Jesus, kid, you've put people through the ringer."

Pandora shrugged in nonchalance, unbothered by his words. He chuckled and looked to Prue. "I'm serious. She's done it before."

"Yeah, before we were witches," Prue argued hotly.

"Still," Darryl interjected her tangent before it could begin. "Nobody's gonna believe anything that sleaze ball has to say. All you have to do is get your story straight."

"You mean get our lies straight?" Phoebe asked with a grimace, hating the idea.

"Phoebe, listen to me, without your testimony, Emilio walks."

The girls looked to the man again, who grinned at them sadistically and Pandora narrowed her eyes, wishing her powers would work on command for once in her life. She'd do anything to make him suffer, just once. Freeze his mind and make him stop thinking whatver nasty, terrible, vile —

"What is he smiling at anyway?" Phoebe asked, equally as disturbed. "It's not like he has his guardian demon to protect him anymore."

"Yeah, and unfortunately our guardian angel is nowhere to be found," Prue voiced in irritation, looking up. "We sure could use some cosmic help right now. What are we supposed to do? We've never been in this situation before."

"You better decide fast," Darryl told them lowly. "Here comes the ADA."

Two things happened in the span of fifteen seconds.

One) Phoebe developed a crush. This wasn't uncommon and typically happened with anyone who had any ounce of power, appeared older, had confidence, and was attractive in any capacity.

So, it wasn't strange to Pandora when she spoke first.

"Ladies," he greeted them all with a small, charming smile. "My name is Cole Turner and I'm the Assistant District Attorney assigned to this case. I was wondering if either of you saw what happened here."

"I did!" Phoebe raised her hand quickly.

None of that surprised Pandora.

It surprised Pandora — who was notorious for being picky and only going after men that steadily pursued her, giving her the control over them — that she noticed how attractive Cole was.

Dark hair, dark eyes, broad shoulders. Tall enough that Pandora would settle neatly against his chest. A strong jaw, lightly stubbled, just enough to make someone look twice, but not enough to seem concerning. A strong nose, straight teeth; even his suit was expensive and neatly pressed.

Pandora's heart raced.

For the first time in her entire life, her heart raced and that surprised her.

More than that, it terrified her.

Two) Cole looked at Phoebe, the charming smile widening, which only made Phoebe's grin expand. He glanced to Prue, before his eyes settled on Pandora.

That's when the real fear kicked in.

Because meeting his eyes, his smile softened, a strange look taking over his gaze. His smile fell a bit, a confused pull of his brow. He plastered the smile back on, looking to Phoebe, who hadn't noticed the change — or didn't particularly care, as people often looked to Pandora with fallen smiles — but it was the second, third, and fourth glance that kept Pandora's eyes on him.

He looked at her.

At Pandora.

Like she'd been the only thing he'd needed to see all evening. As Phoebe fumbled over a statement, dropping innocent flirtations and quick wits — which he matched with the same charming smile — his gaze continuously flickered to Pandora.

Pandora never removed her eyes from his form.

Not when Prue spoke to her, not when Prue delivered her statement, and not when Cole forgot to ask for Pandora's, until Darryl pointed it out.

"Uh, right," Cole chuckled. "Long night, I apologize," he recovered smoothly. Pandora's legs wouldn't work properly, she couldn't move. Something inside of her was frozen, stuck to the spot, tethered to the ground where he stood.

He closed the distance, looming over her in a matter that would have been intimidating had it not been for that damned smile.

"Miss Halliwell?"

"Pandora," she replied softly, looking up at his.

Their eyes met again, and at such a proximity, she could swear the atmosphere flickered with something electric. Could he hear her heart pounding? Her palms were sweating, too. Her jacket was too hot, she'd never been one to get hot, she'd always been cold, always bundling up.

And yet, standing before him, his impenetrable stare seeking every cavern of her mind, she found herself wanting to take every layer off. Bare herself to him in a way she'd never felt with anyone.

"My name's Pandora," her mouth moved again. She was grateful for it, considering her brain seemed to be clouded with too many emotions and feelings to properly placate.

"Pandora," he repeated, the smile softening again.

She spotted it, then. The plastered, practiced, easy smile he offered her sisters and Darryl. The one that softened when he looked to her. She hoped that wasn't her imagination; her mind playing tricks on an already sleep-deprived body.

"Like the tale."

"What?" Pandora asked breathlessly, eyebrows pulling together.

"Pandora's Box," Cole replied softly, looking over her face, his notepad and pen in his hands, but they weren't moving. Nothing was. Time was still in this moment. The pair of them were alone in the universe, two souls incapable of feeling anything but the other. "The Greek myth that a woman named Pandora opened a box and released all of the evils into the world. What a strange name to give a child," he pondered curiously.

"My mother was anything but normal," she replied faintly, not even caring that she'd almost spilled her family's secrets.

Something inside of her yearned for him, ached for him like nothing she'd ever felt. She'd never felt more grounded in her life, steadier. And yet, never more unsure of herself. Never more uneasy on her feet. In a moment, the breeze could take her away, whisk her off and settle her somewhere else and she may never see him again.

Pandora had just met Cole Turner and already she was terrified to lose him.

"What kind of evil can you unleash, Pandora?" He asked softly, so softly she wondered if she'd misheard him.

And perhaps he hadn't meant to say it at all. His eyes met hers, curious and flickering with something she couldn't name completely. Determination? Anger? Ferocity? Something was brewing behind the plastered smile and charming persona, something dark and angry.

Something like Pandora.

"Did you finish your statement?" Phoebe's voice brought them back to the present.

Cole and Pandora looked away at the same time, her cheeks flushing at the disturbance. She hadn't realized how close they'd been standing, either. She felt pulled to him, like a rope had hitched her body to his and wherever he went, she'd stumble there too.

But she didn't look at him again.

Not even when she felt his eyes on her and he spoke.

"Yeah, I got everything I needed." She caught the glimpse of his smile in the corner of her eyes. "Thank you, ladies, have a good night."

"You too, Cole," Phoebe flirted effortlessly, offering a cute smile and taking Pandora's hand. Only once the man had walked off did Pandora allow herself to watch. "He's so hot," Phoebe gushed softly, watching him leave as well. "Dibs."

"Right," Pandora replied faintly, blinking away the confusion of the past few minutes. Phoebe turned her away and the pair caught up with Prue, who began venting about Piper again.

Pandora glanced back to where he'd wandered to, spotting him talking to a medic, writing something down.

Her breath hitched when Cole looked over, meeting her eyes again.

Once again, they both looked away.

꘎♡━━━━━♡꘎

this episode is very long but my computer is dying and i need to charge it hahaha anyways ummmm this came out in 2 minutes and i had to publish because a prologue isn't enough for me to be happy posting for cole ahhahaa anyways hope you guys liiiiekkekekeddd live laugh love cole turner he's my current obsession and nothing will be better okey byeee