"Force us out?" Prue asked when Phoebe told the others what Mathias had said. "They can't do that. Can they?"
"I don't know," Leo said. "If Cole was here he might be able to help. He is a lawyer. He might be able to let us know what we can do about this."
"Can't you find him?" Piper asked.
"I don't know," Leo said. "Finding demons isn't one of my abilities. Plus he's trying not to be found. That will make it just that much harder."
"Try," Prue said. "I never thought I'd hear myself saying this, but we need him."
"I'll see what I can do," Leo said. "I can't promise anything, but I'll give it my best shot."
"Thanks," Phoebe said. "In the mean time, what are we going to do?"
"I don't think there's much we can do," Piper said. "About all we can do now is wait. And hope there aren't any demon attacks to make our neighbors any more angry than they already are."
Three days passed without any further incidents with their neighbors. Thankfully, there weren't any demon attacks either. From all outward appearances, those days had been quiet, peaceful days. But the girls knew that was all an illusion. At any moment some lawyer would come walking up to their door to give them the papers Mathias had alluded to.
Leo had no luck in finding Cole. He decided against asking the Elders for help. He wasn't sure how they would react to him looking for a demon, even one who had destroyed the Triad. He was, after all, still a demon. One of the bad guys. Without the help of the Elders, Leo found it nearly impossible to locate Cole anywhere.
Justin stopped by a couple of times. He said that he had been able to calm some of the "committee" members down somewhat. But they all remained adamant about the girls leaving the neighborhood. Those with children feared for the safety of their kids from the strange antics at the manor. Those without children just seemed tired of the noise and unusual occurrences. He wasn't sure how much longer he could put them off.
"We have to do something," Prue said. "I checked with one of the lawyers at work. He said they can file a lawsuit and if they can prove their case, we could be forced to move."
"That's just great," Phoebe said. "Our only defense is one we can't use. We can't tell them we're witches protecting the innocent. They'd never believe us. They'd probably haul us out of here in straight jackets."
"We have to think of something," Piper said. "There's no way I'm letting anyone move in here. If they discovered what's in the basement, that would be very bad."
"Worse than bad," Leo said. "If evil should learn you've been forced out you can bet they'd do whatever it takes to get in here. Once they have control of the Nexus, it would be nearly impossible to get them out again."
"Get whom out?" asked someone who was just then shimmering in.
"Cole," squealed Phoebe, going over to give him a hug. "We've been worried sick. Were you followed?"
"I don't think so," Cole said. "But I did learn that a Whitelighter was asking questions about me. It wasn't hard to figure out which Whitelighter that was. So, why would Leo be looking for me?"
"Cole, sit down," Piper said. "We'll fill you in on everything. Maybe you can help us figure a way out of this."
Cole just smiled at the girls. It was rare they asked for his help. Maybe it was a sign they were beginning to trust him a bit more.