Leaning my back against the long stainless steel table in Frankie's Eateries kitchen, as she jabs a sharp knife towards my chest threateningly, though she never lets the blade get close enough to be an actual threat…unlike my father who had once planned and almost successfully in cutting out my heart to use it in a sacrificial resurrection ritual.
I grab Frankie's wrist, of the hand holding the knife, my grip firm but not tight enough to hurt or bruise her fair skin, a light flush coming to the ginger haired sprite of a woman's…almost angelic face, "You need to get those women out of your life, they're bad influences, and they always drag you into their bullshit one way or another…you're too good of a man not to be…dragged i-" Frankie murmurs her angry yelling at me for acting like a thug enforcer earlier tonight gone, now blaming my behavior on the Charmed ones.
"I can't…they're all the family…I have left…and I promised Grams…" I murmur, making Frankie huff and roll her eyes at me, while shaking her head from side to side.
"You're such, an idiot, you have me Jackson…" Frankie murmurs as she starts to stand on her toes, her lips approaching mine and I pull her into a hug.
"Don't, not tonight…not after I've slept with Carla…I just need Frankie my ballbusting best friend who loves taking care of me whether that means kicking my ass, being my wingman, my shrink or making sure I eat something that isn't chips ahoy cookies or spoons of peanut butter from the jar." I mutter and a part of me hates how vulnerable I sound right now but after seeing Phoebe…and acting like I did earlier tonight, combined with sleeping with my employee…I just can't deal with Frankie growing a set of lady balls and going after what she wants.
"You know it's not fair, I finally work up the courage to make a move on you, and you turn me down, before I can even, lay one on ya!" Frankie mutters with her face pressed against my chest over my heart.
"Sorry not sorry, if this was any other night in the past three weeks, I would have kissed you back ripped your clothes off and fucked you on this table…Frankie…but you're so much more than a hot piece of ass I can chill and have a good time with…you're arguably my best friend."
"I am most definitely your best friend, and the only one to tell you things the way they are!" Frankie replies back to me and I can hear the vindication in her voice.
"But…?" I open the door for Frankie, though I probably shouldn't.
"Sometimes I want to be more than your lady bro…" Frankie murmurs and looks up at me with her big green eyes, trying their best to express to me that…friendship was quickly becoming not enough for Frankie.
I rest the underside of my jaw on Frankie's head and hug her a little bit tighter.
"I know it's not fair to you Frankie…and I've probably led you on for a long time now…but please just let me pretend to maintain the status quo at least for a little while longer…I promise I'll give you an answer but not tonight…"
"Okay…but I'm not going to wait forever...Jax" after what felt like forever Frankie finally replies to me while nuzzling her cheek against my shirt clad chest, and it feels like I'm about to lose someone close to me forever.
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At the Halliwell Manor
Phoebe is currently using a wedgie board, "Will Pru have sex with anyone other than herself this year?!" Phoebe asks the board, making Piper snicker, and Pru glare at both of her younger sisters.
Phoebe's damp hair is wrapped in a towel while she sits at the table in one of Jax's old flannel shirts and a pair of panties.
"For your information I have had sex recently, great-amazing sex with a hot successful guy!" Pru snaps at her sister's both teasing giggles.
Suddenly Phoebe looks like she feels something off, before she shrugs, "Good, I'm happy for you Pru." Which makes Piper snort in amusement and walk away.
Not long after that the girls entered the attic and events followed that would irrevocably change their lives forever.
~~ — — — — — — — — — — — — ~~
"Jax…your eyes are glowing…" Frankie mutters in shock and I look at my reflection through the clean and shiny chrome of one of the pizza ovens, my eyes glow a eerie red color and small little devil horns appear on my head and a spade shaped headed tail unfurls down my back, looking at my hand I see my fingertips covered in a dark steel colored claws.
"What…the fuck…" I murmur and feel something awakening within me, an energy, a warmth…that I've been missing for a very long time.
"Uhh, I got a go…" I mutter and grab my food stumbling out of Frankie's restaurant to my truck, with her calling after me telling me I don't have to leave.
Getting home I find the power is out at the Halliwell Manor, getting the food inside the house, I notice Carla's shoes are gone…
'Did she leave?' I wonder and go through my house finding yes she did in fact leave. 'I wonder why she left…I thought we were…you know what, it's probably better this way. I am her boss after all…'
Grabbing out a slice of Pizza I scarf it down, noticing the lights are still off at the girl's house I put my hood back up, walk out of my house and spot someone standing in front of the girl's house wearing a hooded jacket as well, as I walk across the street, raising my hand with the intention of restraining the creep, he or she orbs away, at the same time I hear the sound of shattering glass and someone nearly falls on top of me but shimmers away, the urge to chase down and kill the invader of my second home, is strong but I stop as a flash of lightning illuminates three equally terrified faces.
Walking up to the porch I was going to know but the door is kicked in and the wooden frame is cracked, I start up the stairs heading to the attic when the girls meet me at the midway point there's no hesitation at all the three wrap their arms around me even though I'm soaking wet.
"Come, you're all staying at my house tonight." I don't give any of them a chance to refuse though I doubted that they would try to anyways.
After struggling to get a tarp in place over the broken attic window for what felt like hours, the four of us head over to my house, the girls immediately set upon my supply of pizza, wings and beer…not that it bothers me in the least. As I'm glad that they feel safe enough with me to relax especially after what they just went through with their first of many demonic break-ins, and now with food the food gone and my supply of beer thoroughly drunk, the girls each take a turn to wash up and do there business in the two bathrooms that my house has and with those rituals out out of the way, all three of the Halliwell girls stand in my bedroom.
Each one wearing nothing but one of my shirts and their panties, I do my best not to check them out as I change the sheets and comforter of my bed.
With my task done I offer my bed to the three of them knowing that after something scares them they all tend to act like little kids and sleep in the same bed for security...I totally wasn't roped into that one hundred percent of the time as a kid.
Just as I'm about to reach the door and leave the three of them to sleep, I'm grabbed by six pairs of hands and thrown onto my bed, and am almost instantly being snuggled by three very beautiful women, and my body reacts as it should, no one says anything though Piper who ends up laying on top of me, lets out a self-conscious sounding giggle.
"Night girls." I murmur and close my eyes…Phoebe, and Pru claiming my left and right arms while Piper rests her ear over my heart and slides her arms underneath my head.
"Night Jax, thank you..." All three murmur and try to snuggle even closer to me though that's an act of futility as they're all as close to as they can possibly get.
"I'll always be here for all of you." I murmur and feel myself fall asleep before I can hear any replies.
"Thank you Jackson..." I hear Grams and Party Halliwell say, opening my eyes I see their blue spectral images, both women hug me and kiss my cheek and forehead.
"I'll always look after my girls." I murmur to them and Patty laughs softly while grams lets out a deep belly laugh.
"Of that we have no doubt." Both chuckle and disentigrate into orbs of light and fly off through my ceiling.