"Well, that was certainly different," Piper said after Todd had left. "A demon coming to us for help. Can't say I saw that one coming."
"Neither did I," Prue said. "You think he's on the level? This could be some sort of trick to trap up. We could find ourselves in a whole lot more trouble."
"Maybe we should check the Book of Shadows," Phoebe said. "At least find out what kind of demon he is. That might give us some information."
"That's a good idea," Prue said. "I wonder if Leo can help. These White Lighters seem to know a great deal about demons and things."
"Maybe," Piper said. "The only thing is we don't know how to get hold of him. He just sort of shows up from time to time."
Suddenly, a blue and white light began sparkling in the living room. The sisters watched as Leo just as suddenly materialized inside the light.
"I can show up whenever you need me," Leo said smiling. "I can hear you when you call for me. I assume you need something."
"Whoa," Phoebe said. "You listen in on us?"
"Not like you think," Leo said. "I can hear you when you call. Then I can orb in to help. That's why I'm here. To help you when you need it."
"Great," Prue said. "Phoebe, you check the book. We'll fill Leo in on what's going on."
"Right," Phoebe said, heading for the attic.
"So what is going on?" Leo asked.
Prue and Piper quickly filled Leo in on what Todd had learned about them. And of the proposition he had made to them. As he listened, Leo's brow was furrowed as if he was thinking very hard about something. They also showed him the information Todd had collected on the girls.
"That's odd," Leo said. "Demons don't usually ask for help, especially from witches. You think this might be a trap?"
"We don't know," Piper said. "He sounded sincere enough. And I guess what he said kind of makes sense. We thought you might have some ideas on the matter."
"Well," Leo said, "demons vanquishing their underlings who fail at an assignment is something that's pretty standard. Most demons aren't real accepting of failure. I suppose what he said could be true. I just find it strange that he would ask you for help."
"That's what we thought," Prue said. "He was right about one thing. He's had plenty of time to hurt us if he wanted to. And no one else has come asking questions so I guess he hasn't told anyone what he's learned."
"He's a bounty hunter," Phoebe said, coming down the stairs. "According to the book, they hire out to high level demons to perform various tasks. Nothing specific about Todd but it does say that most of them specialize in particular tasks."
"I'll check with the Elders and see if they know anything," Leo said. "Don't do anything until I get back. If this is a trap, you'll need to be prepared. And that means we need to know as much about what's going on as possible."
Leo orbed out of the manor.
"That orbing is a handy ability," Piper said. "It would be nice to be able to do that whenever we wanted."
"Focus," Prue said. "Now, if Todd is telling the truth, what do we do about it?"
"I say we do what he wants," Phoebe said. "Make him mortal. That's about as good as vanquishing him, isn't it? I mean, there would be one less demon in the world."
"But he still knows everything about us," Piper said. "There's still a risk he might tell someone."
"He said he wouldn't," Phoebe said.
"And you believe a demon?" Prue asked. "Let's face it, demons aren't trustworthy. For all we know this is some elaborate scheme to get to us."
"Then why tell us what he knows?" Piper asked. "And why leave all that information with us? If he was going to hurt us it doesn't make sense that he would warn us first. He wouldn't have to do anything. Just release the information he has to the world. If this is a trick, it doesn't make a lot of sense."
"I agree with Piper," Phoebe said. "We know that demons and warlocks want to kill us simply because we're the Charmed Ones. It doesn't make sense to warn us if he's coming after us."
"Leo might have some more information when he gets back," Prue said. "I just wonder how long it takes to talk to these Elders."
As if by design, Leo suddenly orbed back into the manor.
"At least part of what Todd told you is true," he said. "About nine years ago a demonic bounty hunter failed in an assignment he had received. Apparently, the demon that sent him wasn't pleased with the failure and ordered him vanquished. But the bounty hunter proved to be stronger than the demon thought. He killed the two demons sent to vanquish him and escaped. They've been looking for him ever since. Over the past seven years he's vanquished about half a dozen bounty hunters sent to kill him."
"I would guess Todd is that demon," Prue said. "So, that much of his story is true. Maybe the rest of it is on the level. Is there anything the Elders can do to figure out if this is a trap or not?"
"Afraid not," Leo said. "That's about all they can do. They do suggest you be very careful dealing with Todd. If this is a trap, he could be very dangerous."
"Tell us something we don't know," Piper said. "The question is what do we do about it?"
"That's a good question," Prue said. "That's a very good question."