SEVEN
Suddenly, Chris orbed in behind the man. At nearly the same instant, Leo orbed in next to the playpen. Chris grabbed the man by the back of his shirt collar and threw him away from the playpen. The man fell to the floor and slid toward the solarium.
"What's the matter, Keltrack?" Chris asked. "The outer fringes of the underworld no longer good enough for you?"
"You stay away from my son," Leo said.
The man looked at Leo for a moment without attempting to rise.
"An Elder?" questioned the man. "Your son? That bastard set me up. I should have known no one would pay that much for an ordinary human baby."
The commotion brought Phoebe and Willow down from the attic. Piper rushed over and scooped Wyatt out of the playpen as the Phoebe and Paige moved up between the man and the playpen. Giles, having no powers of his own, moved over and stood next to Piper, ready to offer whatever assistance he could. Willow moved over and stood between Leo and Giles. Buffy recovered from he failed assault and moved up next to Leo, ready to defend Wyatt against any attack.
"Look, I don't want no trouble with you," said the man, standing up and putting his hands up as if to ward of another attack. "I didn't know it was you I was coming after. If I had known I would never had taken the job. We all know what happens to demons that go up against you."
"Well, you've got trouble in spades," said Phoebe.
"Who sent you?" demanded Paige.
"I don't know," said the demon. "Some human just appeared out of nowhere. He had power that would have rivaled the Source. He paid me an outrageous fee to snatch the kid. He didn't want the kid hurt. Just that I was to snatch him and deliver him over. He didn't say nothing about it being the Charmed Ones' baby. Believe me, if I had known if was you kid I was being hired to get I would have told the guy to take a flying leap."
"I say we just vanquish his butt," said Paige.
"Hey, wait a second," the demon protested.
"I have a better idea," said Piper, handing Wyatt over to Giles. She walked up to the demon and stood toe-to-toe with him. "I want you to deliver a message for me. Your kind isn't welcome here. Ever. Any demon that comes here, I don't care what it's for, gets vanquished. If they show up we're just going to vanquish them and not worry about asking any questions. So you'd better tell all your friends that if this guy tries to hire anyone else to come here, they'd better think long and hard. Whatever he pays them won't do them any good if they're dead."
"I'll tell them," said the demon.
Piper walked back over and stood next to her sisters.
"Oh, and just one more thing," she said.
Suddenly Piper raised her hand and the demons' right hand exploded. He screamed in agony and grabbed his right wrist with his left hand. He looked up at Piper, fear and agony in his eyes.
"Just in case they think I'm bluffing," said Piper. "Tell them that's just a little demonstration of what they can expect the second they shimmer in here."
The demon didn't say a word. He just shimmered and was gone.
"That was Keltrack," said Chris. "He was banished by the Source several decades ago. He's been living in the outer reaches of the underworld since where all banished demons go. It's just like the first time. Wyatt hired those demons to harass you constantly until he felt the time was right. Then he attacked."
"So, why's he doing it now?" Buffy asked. "You said he didn't kill them earlier because he needed them to vanquish some Collector demon from taking baby Wyatt. Well, we all know it was no Collector demon that attacked Wyatt. It was The First. Which means he didn't need to let you live. In fact, by killing them he could have prevented them from giving baby Wyatt the potion Piper gave him. So why go through the whole thing over again?"
"That's a good question," said Leo.
"Chris," said Piper, "how did you know that demon was going to attack? You orbed out just before it did."
"He didn't," said Leo. "I called him. After he had orbed to me we sensed the demons' attack so we got back here as quickly as we could."
"Have you found out something?" asked Phoebe.
"A little," said Leo. "As I'm sure everyone has already learned, grown up Wyatt is back in town."
"It would appear so," said Phoebe. "And apparently he told that demon that baby Wyatt was just another human child. What I don't understand is why the demon didn't know this was our house. I thought all the demons knew where we lived now."
"Not all of them," said Chris. "Ones like Keltrack wouldn't have any way of knowing that. They're forbidden from interacting with other demons. It's part of their banishment. So there's a lot that most demons know that they won't. But apparently they've heard of you. I guess word about who you are has spread to even them."
"It's the other reason I summoned Chris," said Leo. "Let's all have a seat. I guess I should just tell everyone since we're all here together. What we've learned isn't good."
Everyone took a seat in the living room wondering what terrible news Leo had to bring them.
Suddenly, Chris orbed in behind the man. At nearly the same instant, Leo orbed in next to the playpen. Chris grabbed the man by the back of his shirt collar and threw him away from the playpen. The man fell to the floor and slid toward the solarium.
"What's the matter, Keltrack?" Chris asked. "The outer fringes of the underworld no longer good enough for you?"
"You stay away from my son," Leo said.
The man looked at Leo for a moment without attempting to rise.
"An Elder?" questioned the man. "Your son? That bastard set me up. I should have known no one would pay that much for an ordinary human baby."
The commotion brought Phoebe and Willow down from the attic. Piper rushed over and scooped Wyatt out of the playpen as the Phoebe and Paige moved up between the man and the playpen. Giles, having no powers of his own, moved over and stood next to Piper, ready to offer whatever assistance he could. Willow moved over and stood between Leo and Giles. Buffy recovered from he failed assault and moved up next to Leo, ready to defend Wyatt against any attack.
"Look, I don't want no trouble with you," said the man, standing up and putting his hands up as if to ward of another attack. "I didn't know it was you I was coming after. If I had known I would never had taken the job. We all know what happens to demons that go up against you."
"Well, you've got trouble in spades," said Phoebe.
"Who sent you?" demanded Paige.
"I don't know," said the demon. "Some human just appeared out of nowhere. He had power that would have rivaled the Source. He paid me an outrageous fee to snatch the kid. He didn't want the kid hurt. Just that I was to snatch him and deliver him over. He didn't say nothing about it being the Charmed Ones' baby. Believe me, if I had known if was you kid I was being hired to get I would have told the guy to take a flying leap."
"I say we just vanquish his butt," said Paige.
"Hey, wait a second," the demon protested.
"I have a better idea," said Piper, handing Wyatt over to Giles. She walked up to the demon and stood toe-to-toe with him. "I want you to deliver a message for me. Your kind isn't welcome here. Ever. Any demon that comes here, I don't care what it's for, gets vanquished. If they show up we're just going to vanquish them and not worry about asking any questions. So you'd better tell all your friends that if this guy tries to hire anyone else to come here, they'd better think long and hard. Whatever he pays them won't do them any good if they're dead."
"I'll tell them," said the demon.
Piper walked back over and stood next to her sisters.
"Oh, and just one more thing," she said.
Suddenly Piper raised her hand and the demons' right hand exploded. He screamed in agony and grabbed his right wrist with his left hand. He looked up at Piper, fear and agony in his eyes.
"Just in case they think I'm bluffing," said Piper. "Tell them that's just a little demonstration of what they can expect the second they shimmer in here."
The demon didn't say a word. He just shimmered and was gone.
"That was Keltrack," said Chris. "He was banished by the Source several decades ago. He's been living in the outer reaches of the underworld since where all banished demons go. It's just like the first time. Wyatt hired those demons to harass you constantly until he felt the time was right. Then he attacked."
"So, why's he doing it now?" Buffy asked. "You said he didn't kill them earlier because he needed them to vanquish some Collector demon from taking baby Wyatt. Well, we all know it was no Collector demon that attacked Wyatt. It was The First. Which means he didn't need to let you live. In fact, by killing them he could have prevented them from giving baby Wyatt the potion Piper gave him. So why go through the whole thing over again?"
"That's a good question," said Leo.
"Chris," said Piper, "how did you know that demon was going to attack? You orbed out just before it did."
"He didn't," said Leo. "I called him. After he had orbed to me we sensed the demons' attack so we got back here as quickly as we could."
"Have you found out something?" asked Phoebe.
"A little," said Leo. "As I'm sure everyone has already learned, grown up Wyatt is back in town."
"It would appear so," said Phoebe. "And apparently he told that demon that baby Wyatt was just another human child. What I don't understand is why the demon didn't know this was our house. I thought all the demons knew where we lived now."
"Not all of them," said Chris. "Ones like Keltrack wouldn't have any way of knowing that. They're forbidden from interacting with other demons. It's part of their banishment. So there's a lot that most demons know that they won't. But apparently they've heard of you. I guess word about who you are has spread to even them."
"It's the other reason I summoned Chris," said Leo. "Let's all have a seat. I guess I should just tell everyone since we're all here together. What we've learned isn't good."
Everyone took a seat in the living room wondering what terrible news Leo had to bring them.