"Can we trust him?" Piper asked after the demon had left.
"I think so," Cole said. "He knows of Belthazor's reputation. And since I've vanquished the Triad, he knows I don't have much to loose. I don't think you'll have to worry about another contention demon showing up any time soon."
"What about the neighbors?" Prue asked.
"Well, as I said," Cole said, "they simply enflame simple angers. He can remove that whenever he wants. And if he doesn't keep reinforcing the anger, it will simply go back to what it was in the first place. A minor annoyance that will soon be forgotten."
"So this nonsense about a lawsuit," Piper began.
"It will be over in a day or two," Cole said. "I imagine they'll contact the lawyer and tell him or her they don't want to proceed with it."
"Still," Leo said, "this does prove that you've been an annoyance to your neighbors. We're going to have to be more careful in the future."
"He might go to the Source anyway," Phoebe said. "If the Source learns you've been back here, he might send the bounty hunters here in case you're still around."
"He won't be telling anyone," Cole said, smiling. "Contention demons are just as he said. Not important or powerful enough to be listened to. They're used mostly by upper level demons to stir up a situation. I've used a couple myself in the past."
"Still," Leo said, "he might think he can score some points with an upper level demon if he tells them what he knows. You'd better be extra careful for a while."
"I will," Cole said. "But like I said, he knows of my reputation. And I've been known to vanquish demons that double-cross me. I don't think he's interested in seeing me again any time soon."
"I'm glad that's all over," Prue said. "Some of our neighbors can be down right obnoxious."
"Only because of the demon," Piper said. "Mr. Gallow is actually very sweet. I was surprised she was involved in this in the first place."
"We can talk about that later," Phoebe said, putting her arm around Cole. "For now, I think Cole and I need some alone time. He can't stay very long and I want to make the most of every minute."
"Go on, you two," Piper said. "It's about time for me to start dinner anyway."
Cole and Phoebe headed for the stairs as Piper, Prue, and Leo went back into the kitchen. Under the circumstances, Piper decided it was probably best if they helped with dinner.
The End
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