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Devil Take The Manners
by Pirate Turner
Cole hung up his coat and turned to look at Leo. The sisters had just hurried out the door, leaving them both with strict orders to stay there while they were gone. "So what's Piper making for us tonight?" he asked eagerly. Piper's fabulous cooking had secretly become one of Cole's favorite things about living at the Manor.
"Nothing," Leo answered with a grin.
Cole frowned. "Then what are you smiling about?" he demanded.
"It's leftovers night, and we get first dibs!"
Cole harrumphed. "Only you would be happy about leftovers." There were some things about White Lighters that he would just never understand.
"You will be, too," Leo countered, "when you see what she's left for us."
"I doubt there's anything good."
"You're wrong. Follow me." Leo led the way to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, and peered inside. "These are mine," he announced, pulling out a small, covered bowl and a pie plate that held one last piece of pie. The strawberries that topped the fudgy cheesecake still glistened.
Cole's mouth began to water as Leo put his selections on the table. "What's in the bowl?" he asked curiously.
The White Lighter shot him a triumphant smile. "Terriyaki chicken."
Cole growled. That and the pie were only two of the best weapons in Piper's coking arsenal. "Well," he muttered, trying to calm the anger rising in his inner Demon, "that doesn't leave much."
"Nonsense!" Leo exclaimed. Bending back into the refrigerator, he began opening dishes in search of something to wet Cole's appetite. "There's chicken pot pie; beef stew; squash casserole; brownies; blueberry muffins; oreo cheesecake; lemon meringue pie; enchiladas; baked beans . . . " he rattled off as he took the lid off of each container.
After opening each dish, he handed it to Cole, who glanced at its contents before putting it on the table. Every dish looked delicious, and he knew it would taste every bit as scrumptious as it looked. Yet every time, his eyes were drawn back to the glistening strawberries and the bowl whose meat he knew was succulent beyond anything he'd ever tasted before meeting Piper Halliwell.
" . . . soup; crab cakes; sweet and sour shrimp; banana nut bread, . . . "
Dutifully Cole placed each dish on the table, but still his eyes continued to turn back to Leo's selections. His stomach growled. Oh, for only one taste! Just one tiny bite would be a sweet nibble of Heaven he could never reach.
" . . . coconut pie; those little, homemade hamburgers she makes; steak . . . "
Cole felt like throwing his head back and howling in agony. He could stand it no longer! With one eye on Leo and one eye on the pie, Cole carefully removed a strawberry, popped it in his mouth, and chewed slowly, savoring every dribble of the succulent berry.
At the sound of shimmering, Leo shot up out of the fridge so fast that his head bumped the freezer door. He turned around to find not only his pie and terriyaki gone but also the crab cakes and shrimp. "DEMONS!" he yelled. "They can't be trusted! They have no manners! I never should have turned my back on him!"
The White Lighter then grinned devilishly himself as he reached far back into the fridge and grasped three containers that he'd had no intention of revealing. Cole might have stolen his first choices, but Leo would feast well regardless on his love's bourbon chicken, cornbread, and pecan pie.
He froze, his hands still clutching his dinner. The Demon could return at any time. Whistling innocently, Leo rewrapped the food that was still on the table and put it back into the refrigerator, making certain to leave his targeted dishes where he could easily reach them as he did so. Still whistling, he fixed himself a glass of cold, sweet tea and fetched a napkin and fork before finally picking up his dinner. He opened the dishes and popped them in the microwave for a few minutes. He kept glancing around the entire time they were heating up. Then, with a furtive glance around and his food, drink, and utensils safely in his hands, Leo orbed to the safety of the clouds, the one place where he was certain he'd be able to successfully enjoy his feast in peace.
The End