TWO

"We haven't met many other witches before," Piper said after Prue had made the introductions. "Certainly none that were able to take on a demon by themselves.'

"Only this one," said Angie. "I've been tracking him for about two years. Every time I get close he seems to slip away. Today was the first time I had gotten close enough to vanquish him when your sister happened along."

"Yeah, again I'm sorry about that," said Prue. "If I had known you were a witch I wouldn't have been so quick to interfere."

"Well, like I said, you really had no way of knowing," said Angie. "Besides, with his blood we can scry for him and maybe find out where he is."

"What kind of demon was it?" Leo asked.

"It's called a Transient demon," said Angie. "I really don't know that much about them except they seem to move around a lot and they cause trouble wherever they go."

"They're mid-level demons," said Cole. "High level demons use them to disrupt organizations, business, anything they have designs on. Basically they cause problems within the organization or business so that the higher level demons can move in and take over with little or no trouble."

"That's why I'm after it," said Angie. "This one showed up where I worked one day and started causing trouble. Within a few weeks the owners of the business were forced to sell the company. Then the demon just moved on. When I found out what it was I began to track it."

"Just for causing some trouble in your company?" Phoebe asked. "That sounds like a lot of trouble to go to for causing some trouble. Lots of humans do the same thing."

"Yeah," said Angie. "But this demon caused the company to suffer some massive financial losses. A lot of my friends lost everything they had. Their savings, their pensions, everything. A couple of them even died when they committed suicide over it. I vowed I wouldn't let the demon get away with it. I've been tracking it every since."

"Well, we can start by scrying for it," said Prue. "Now that we know what kind of demon it is we can check the Book of Shadows for a vanquishing potion or spell. If it's here I'm betting it's not on vacation. We need to find it and get rid of it before it does the same thing here that it did where you're from. By the way, where are you from? I've noticed a slight accent you have that kind of sounds English."

"Oh, actually, it's kind of a combination of British and Australian," said Angie. "It's been Americanized, of course. I've been in the States for quite a while. My father was a diplomat from England and my mother was from Australia. We moved around a lot when I was a kid. So I guess my accent isn't quite normal for any particular region."

"Oh," said Prue. "Well, we'll see if we can find this thing. When we do we'll vanquish it and you can go back to wherever you want."

"Thanks," said Angie. "I appreciate the help. It can get kind of tiring tracking a demon by yourself. How long do you think it will take before you find it?"

"That's hard to say," said Piper. "If it's not in San Francisco we won't be able to find it until it returns. But I'm with Prue. It's probably here for a reason other than just running from you. We'll let you know as soon as we find out where it is."

"Okay," said Angie. "In the meantime I think I'll go back to my hotel and get some rest. You have the name of the hotel and the phone number. Call me the moment you find something."

"We will," promised Phoebe.

"That's odd," said Cole after Angie had left.

"What is?" Phoebe asked.

"She gets this close to finding a demon she's been tracking for two years and she just goes to her hotel to get some sleep?" questioned Cole. "You'd think she'd want to stick around."

"Well, she must be tired," said Prue. "Besides, she has us to help her now. And she must know that together we're stronger than she is. I think she's just grateful for the assistance."

"I'll check the Book of Shadows for a Transient demon," said Piper. "The more we know about it the better."

"What about you, Turner?" Prue asked. "What can you tell us about these Transient demons?"

"Well, like I said," said Cole, "they're mid-level demons. They're far from stupid but they aren't the most intelligent demons in the Underworld. Nor are they the most powerful. They're usually sent into to medium to large corporations to create dissent among the workers. Things like spreading rumors or causing delays in productions, things like that. When the company is in enough of a financial hardship the demon that hired them usually steps in to 'save' the company, usually taking control of it at the same time. It's one way that demons have of insinuating themselves into human society."

"You mean besides becoming lawyers and things like that," replied Prue, more than a hint of disapproval in her voice.

"Prue, that's not fair," said Phoebe. "Cole has proven he's not evil any more. He did vanquish the Triad. And he saved me from Krell. That should prove he's good now."

"It takes more than one or two acts to prove you're good," said Prue. "And he is still a demon. He was sent to kill us."

"Half demon," Cole corrected. "And I can understand your suspicion. But since I vanquished the Triad the Source wants me dead. I'm considered a traitor in the Underworld. Leo should be able to confirm that."

"Which he's going to the first chance he gets," said Prue. "But that doesn't mean we trust you or that we're not best friends. Phoebe seems to trust you and I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt for now because of that. But don't think we aren't going to be watching you. One wrong move and I won't hesitate to vanquish you, Phoebe or no Phoebe."

"Well, I can't say I blame you," said Cole. "All I can do is tell you that I've changed and try to prove it. At least you're willing to give me a chance. That's something. And I'll help as much as I can especially with demons. I do happen to know a fair amount about a good many demons."

"Let's just make sure the information you give us is correct," said Prue. "And remember. We can check on what you tell us and find out if you've lied to us."

"Prue, that's not fair," protested Phoebe.

"No, it's okay, honey," said Cole. "I can't say I blame her for that attitude. I'll just have to prove she's wrong, that's all."

"We'll see," said Prue.

"Well, I'd better get to the Book of Shadows," said Piper. "The sooner we find out about these Transient demons the sooner we'll be prepared to vanquish it when we find it."

"Speaking of which," said Phoebe, "I'll use the blood Prue got to see if I can scry for it. With a little luck we might be able to find it right away."

Seeing that the girls had things well in hand Leo orbed out of the manor. He planned to check with the Elders and see what he could find out about the vanquishing of the Triad. Like Prue he was not completely convinced of Cole's change of heart. And since part of his job was to help protect the girls he decided the best way to do that at the moment was to see if he could either confirm or deny Cole's ascertain that he had vanquished the Triad.