"All Hallows Eve
You came to take
One of the three
Our bond to break

Demon or mortal?
The Coven of Three
Summons you here
Desiring to see…"

Standing in a circle around the pentacle in the attic, Piper, Phoebe and Paige chanted the spell and stood with bated breath. The moments ticked away in silence, in the whistle of the wind outside and the rhythmic breaths of the three. "Looks like it didn't work," shrugged Phoebe.

"I don't understand it," said Piper, frustrated.

"Look, we don't even know what he is. Honestly, Piper - it's dangerous to try and summon him here. I thought you were over putting our butts on the line for every demon down the pike."

"If we don't find him, we're going to be one butt short," retorted Piper.

"Enough about my butt, O.K.?," said Paige. Anyway, I thought you said this pentacle would hold him if he appeared."

"No, she said she hoped it would hold him long enough for us to find out who he is and vanquish him. She said it should hold him. Just a minor little detail, there," said Phoebe.

"O.K., Pheebs, you know David - or whoever, whatever he may be, God help us - showed up at Charmaine's the day after the party, asking questions about little sister here. You know Charmaine was of absolutely no help to us trying to locate him. Paige can't seem to find anything identifying him in the Book of Shadows. We've talked to Darryl… what do you suggest we do, Phoebe?" said Piper. "Look," she continued, without waiting for an answer, "if this…this David finds Paige alone, I don't know if she can fend him off. She doesn't know if she can fend him off - she said so," said Piper.

"If we get killed because we're unprepared -" Phoebe started to say, but was interrupted by Paige.

"Look, don't talk about me like I'm not here! I'm so sick of you guys treating me like…like… how you're treating me! I know I can't control my powers yet, but I'm not in that boat alone, now am I? Piper can't decide whether to freeze someone or blow them up!" Paige yelled.

Dead silence. Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks. Then Piper turned to look at Paige with lifted brow. "Point taken, but do you really think that was necessary?"

"Well, maybe not in that exact tone," Paige admitted.

"Listen," said Phoebe. "I'm going to go through the Book of Shadows. I've got a hunch we can at least come up with possible suspects."

"I'll help," offered Piper. "Better than just standing here and waiting for him to decide when he'll be back."

"I'm heading out, O.K.? I'll see you later," said Paige.

"Paige, don't you think you should stay and help us?" said Piper pointedly. "He's your demon, after all. If that's what he is."

"I've got some stuff to take care of. I'll be back," she said, and left without looking at her sisters.

Piper and Phoebe exchanged looks once again. "Stuff… what stuff?" muttered Piper.

Paige rushed down the attic stairs and out the front door, slamming it closed behind her, relishing the sound it made. She strode angrily down the sidewalk, fuming over the scene with her sisters. Two months ago, I didn't know those two, she thought, and in a fit of fury, added, and I wish I never had! The thought brought her up short - That's a little extreme, isn't it? she said to herself. Paige sighed.

Where am I going, anyway? She really had nowhere in particular that she needed to be - she just had to get out, get away from those two! She sighed again, and slowed down a bit. Ever since the Halloween party, she'd been on edge, quick to anger. She knew why, too - all the confusing, conflicting feelings she was still having for David, not the least of which was the guilt she felt, hiding the truth about the depth of her complicity with him on that night. Dammit! He was going to kill her, but she had wanted to be with him, no matter how suicidal it seemed - it festered inside her. Why hadn't she fought him? She couldn't understand these feelings, couldn't accept them, and the worse part was this - she still wanted him, to be near him, to touch him.…I'm crazy, that's all, she thought, shaking her head. Just a friggin' lunatic. If her sisters knew everything, they'd say she was nuts, too - maybe they already did.

Paige's aimless meandering led her into an area gradually becoming more commercialized. She decided to turn back to the manor. As if things weren't bad enough, she thought, I've got another problem, a serious one, one that felt as though it were skittering out of control. She'd been having miserable, constant cravings for alcohol. She'd thought that was finally over, yet here she was, craving booze like a junkie. Again. On the night of the party, she remembered feeling as though she were drunk, and she'd been longing for a drink ever since. She was, admit it! obsessed. The taste of it as it first hit your tongue, and the radiating warmth going down. She remembered the good, loose feeling…. Paige stopped and swallowed, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The first thing she noticed as she opened her eyes was the bar situated just around the corner on her right. Agitated, screaming a silent Thanks! to the Powers That Be, she stuffed her trembling hands hastily into her pockets. She stood still, considering. She could not move away. Very deliberately, she thought, You are in control, you are strong. Don't do this! A heartbeat later, battle lost, she walked around the corner and through the door of the bar.

In the attic at the manor, Phoebe sat on the couch perusing the Book of Shadows. Piper had fallen asleep some time ago against her shoulder, and Phoebe, while reluctant to disturb her, was starting to find this uncomfortable. She studied one page intently until, with growing excitement, she sat up, throwing a slumped Piper carelessly back against the cushions.

"And did you think that was necessary?" grumbled Piper, half-awake.

"I may have found something, Piper. I just may have found something!" said Phoebe gleefully, showing the page to Piper.

Asenoth

Descendant of the demon Asmodeus, the destroyer, demon of lust, described in the Book of Tolbit as the slayer of the seven husbands of Sarah. Asmodeus gives the power of invisibility to mortals.

Son of the lamia, Asenath, a vampiritic succubus: "They are the Lamiae, wenches vile, with brazen brows and lips that smile." - Goethe

Asenoth is a seducer who feeds from the life-force, sexual energy and occasionally the blood of his victims. He delights in corrupting the innocent, using emotions such as self-doubt, guilt and isolation to achieve his goal of domination and possession. He is capable of discerning mortal emotions and in a limited manner, thoughts. Like Asmodeus before him, Asenoth hates water.

"Well, it could be…actually, this sounds like a definite possibility. Paige told us she felt powerless - drunk -" said Piper.

"…and this would explain why!" finished Phoebe excitedly. "He sounds like a nasty character…" she said in a more somber tone.

"They're all bad-asses," grinned Piper, "until we get through with them." Phoebe looked startled at Piper's bravado, then laughed aloud. "Which leads me back to why he didn't appear when we tried to summon him?"

Phoebe shook her head, then said, "Maybe because we didn't use his name? If he is a powerful demon, he might have been able to resist a spell that doesn't name him."

"Hmmm…Leo!" Piper called, tapping her foot. "Oh Lee-O…" and before she could say more, Leo orbed into the attic.

"Hi, Sweetie," said Piper, and moved in for a kiss which Leo returned, then smiled a greeting at Phoebe.

"What do you know about a demon named Asenoth?" queried Phoebe.

"Off hand, not much. He comes from a powerful line, and I understand he's got a particularly nasty way of operating. He enjoys the hunt," said Leo.

"We think he could be responsible for the attack on Paige at the Halloween party, " said Piper.

"I'm worried about her, Leo," said Phoebe. "She's been really preoccupied and touchy lately. And your wife hasn't made things any easier on her."

"Am I being too hard on her? I don't think I know how to deal with her yet, Phoebe," sighed Piper. "I'm afraid we don't have much time…. but anyway, something is definitely on her mind," she agreed. "Not the least of which, she doesn't seem too thrilled to be a part of this family at the moment…"

"Been there, done that," yawned Phoebe. In unison, Piper and Leo threw her a look. She made a face at them. "Leo, since there's no vanquishing spell in here, why don't you check with the Elders and see what they can tell us. Shoo, now. Go on."

David shut the door of his car, barely noticing the fresh air and cool, brisk breeze ruffling his hair. He hadn't been out of his flat much lately, hadn't been writing, either. He was trying to figure out what the hell was going on, had been going on since that damned Halloween party. He didn't even know why he'd went to the party - he'd had no intention of doing so. An acquaintance had told him about it and urged him to go, seeing how he himself didn't know many of the people attending. At the last minute and on impulse, David had agreed. And then he'd met Paige. She was special, he knew it the minute he laid eyes on her…. There was an instant attraction between them. He remembered being in the gazebo and kissing her…and that's when everything screwed up in his head. He remembered…crazy stuff. A patchy, lunatic nightmare. Had it really happened? It's as though he'd began to get sick that night, and now the sickness was spreading and deepening, leaving him with no memories whatsoever for hours at a time. Just a big blank.

Face it, he thought. Your mental state is precarious, at best, and you are obsessed with the idea that you harmed her, and you did it deliberately. No matter if you recoil from that thought, or refuse to accept it, you can't get it out of your head.

But he knew she was O.K. - he'd checked. The next day he'd went to Charmaine's house and found out enough about her and her sisters to track down Paige. Charmaine had been quite concerned about Phoebe, implying that there was some sort of scene involving Phoebe and her boyfriend, but she didn't say or do anything that would indicate she was upset with him - a fact that left him feeling relieved. Soon after, David had found Paige at her sister's home (she apparently spent a lot of time there) and spied her out- like a stalker, for God's sake, he said to himself. No matter. The important thing was, he'd seen her. She was perfectly fine.

He had to talk to her. If nothing happened, what was there to worry about? That's where he was going right now, to talk to her and get this nonsense out of his head once and for all, before he went insane….

David stopped short, shading his eyes to better view the distant figure walking briskly in the opposite direction. It was her - he was sure of it. Sprinting down the walk, he rapidly shortened the distance between them before thinking better of his actions. Good God, now he was following her! He settled into a more comfortable pace while he thought what to do next. When Paige suddenly stopped and turned around, he thought he was caught, but she never looked up. He hastily stepped off the sidewalk and away from the road as she disappeared into the door of a neighborhood bar. He stood, undecided, then followed her inside.

It was dark in the small bar and he squinted, eyes searching and finding her seated on a stool, back to him. A neon sign lit the small window and miscellaneous plaques, posters and mirrors hung everywhere on the walls. He sat down at a table and watched Paige silently as she got the attention of the bartender, hesitated, then ordered a bottled water. She sipped it, trying to ignore the insistent voice inside her head and the gnawing urge for a drink. Water isn't what you need, the voice said to her. You know what you need. You're tired of fighting this, aren't you? Just tired. Nothing makes sense anymore and you don't know where to turn…she thought of her sisters, but it was no use. She'd shut them out already and she didn't know how to go back, start over again. The hand holding the water shook - then, with a quick gesture she summoned the bartender and ordered her first drink.

David stepped up to her, grabbing her arm as she raised the drink to her mouth. "No," he said. Without a glimmer of surprise, she raised her gaze to meet his pale eyes. They stayed as if frozen for a long, silent moment until she slowly and deliberately set the glass down on the bar. "Will you come with me?" he said and she nodded, following as he moved to a table at the back of the bar. Paige waited for him to speak, strangely detached. She'd known all along that she would see him again, and now the moment was here. He began to speak. "I don't know if you'll believe what I'm about to say to you. I don't know that you should, Paige. But it's the truth… as I know it. Something happened to me when we were outside in the gazebo. No, something had already happened to me - it simply culminated at that moment. What I remember - or what I think I might be remembering - are not my memories. At least, they're not memories of anything that I would ever do - unless I've gone insane and don't realize it - something I am, actually, seriously considering. Look, I know how crazy I sound," and he rumpled his already tousled hair, "but the thing you have to know is that in that one night I… felt things for you that I've not felt in a long time. I know something horrible happened between us. I don't want it to be true, but I know it did." He sighed. " I wouldn't ever want to see you hurt, Paige, not ever...please, say you believe me?" he implored. She looked into those shadowed, weary gray-blue eyes and felt her own grow moist.

"I don't know what to say…" she whispered. "You threatened to kill me… now, you want my forgiveness?" He looked shaken, and she thought, he really doesn't know what happened.

"I have no right to ask anything of you, Paige, I know that. It's just…I don't understand what's happened to me. One week I'm starting a new novel, doing some research, same as usual, and the next thing you know I'm doing some Jekyl and Hyde thing - I swear to God, it's as if there's something…something other in me," he said, raking his hand through his hair. "Like I said, crazy." He stared intently at her and said, softly, "I think I'm just beginning to realize how much I've lost in you, if I'd ever had a chance. If you'd ever have let me have a chance." He shrugged and gave her a brief, sad smile. "I hope you know how sorry I am." He nodded once, slightly, then again, and moved as if to leave. He glanced at the bar, halted, and turned to stare directly into her eyes. "One more thing. If you take a drink now, you may never get that monkey off your back again. Fight it. You've got the strength. Beat this damn thing into the ground, once and for all," he said as his eyes searched hers.

Paige unbelievingly found herself reaching out to touch his arm. "How? How do you know this about me…the drinking?"

"I just know things now," he smiled. "I've told you there's something changing… evolving, almost, in me."

"David…what's going to happen to you?" she said.

"It's not your problem, Paige… it never was," he said gently. "I think you've had more than enough of me already," and again started to leave.

"Just tell me something, O.K.? What kind of research were you doing?" Paige asked.

He looked baffled. "The supernatural…. ghosts, demons, paranormal events…the bogeyman," he smiled. Her eyes widened for a moment and then she nodded to herself, having made a decision. It was one based purely on instincts and emotion and one she dared not think about closely.

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot handle," she stated firmly. "I want to know you. I can help. It's all about…possibilities," and she smiled warmly up at him. He flashed a smile in return and moved as if to touch her hand, but suddenly stilled.

In an abrupt turn-around she remembered all too well, the warmth gradually drained from his face. She stood her ground, staring at the cold, malevolent mask that took place of his formerly open demeanor. He moved closer, towering over her. "Had you forgotten this?" he whispered, leaning over, and swiftly grabbed her throat before she could move. He smiled coldly as she jerked back. "I didn't think so. I'm starting to remember more myself." His fingers moved to touch her face. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. She saw a glimpse of his old self as he said, "You're so beautiful…I want you, Paige, so much…don't make HIM want you, too."

Paige's heart pounded. Getting up to leave, she faced David and said, flatly, "I know what you are. I know it's not him. You will lose, do you understand me? I will see to it." She thrust her face close, eyes staring levelly into his empty, murderously cold eyes. "You…WILL…lose."

His laugh followed her as she left the bar.

Over an hour had passed when David came back to himself, staring at the clock behind the bar. This damn memory thing is really starting to piss me off, he thought. He eyed the small whiskey-filled glass in front of him and turned to orient himself to his surroundings. His head spun. Apparently he'd been drinking heavily during this last little blackout. He remembered Paige's face and felt a pang of sorrow. Impulsively, he picked up the glass and swallowed the drink in one gulp, then rose to go to the bathroom. He and a tall, well-built woman with dark hair collided, heading in the same direction. Her eyes traveled over his body and up to the wayward blond hair and light eyes. She smiled slowly, appreciatively. What the hell, he thought, and smiled back….

David woke suddenly. His head pounded, and his mouth felt like a desert. He sat up on the bed and stifled a moan. Slowly, carefully he opened his eyes. He was sitting on a strange bed. Oh crap, he thought and looked beside him. He was alone on the bed, at least. What the Hell had he done this time? he thought, and then his eyes widened, unbelieving. The dark-haired woman from the bar lay at the foot of the bed close to the wall, clad only in her underwear.

The wall was smeared with blood. It oozed out of the woman's neck. It smeared her dark hair. It trailed from her face to sink into the carpet.

His shocked mind went blank. He stared at the woman, then focused on his shaking hands. Oh my God, oh my God, over and over in his mind. Get up! He urged his trembling legs. Have to call the police. What have I done?

He knelt by her body and felt for a pulse - there was none. She was warm. Her jaw was slack, and saliva pooled underneath. Her eyes were empty, blind. He wanted to cry, but shock began to blanket him. His spine tingled as he stood, morbidly afraid of having his back to her. He made it into the living room, located the phone and called 911. He didn't even know the address when asked. He almost threw up on the phone.

Then everything went blank again. This time he welcomed it.