TEN

"So you're telling us that the book is stuck in that warehouse for the next sixteen years because Underworld law prevents anyone from taking it out?" questioned Piper. "But the book doesn't even belong in the Underworld. It belongs to us."

"Who are believed to be dead," said Peter. "In order for you to contest their possession of the book you'd have to appear in an Other World court and prove your identities. And that would let everyone know you're still alive."

"Well, that's not an option," said Phoebe. "Are you saying there's nothing we can do about it?"

"No, I'm not," said Peter. "The nature of the law – even Underworld or Other World law – almost always offers some form of alternate recourse. It's just a matter of locating that recourse and exploit it to our advantage."

"You sound just like a lawyer," said Paige.

"Well, I am a lawyer," said Peter. "Now, even though I've never practiced law in the Other World judicial system doesn't mean I'm totally incompetent in that area. A lot of practicing law involves research. And while I was there Elbert and I did some research into Other World law. And it's very possible we may have found a way around our current dilemma. But I'm going to need Victor's help with it."

"My help?" questioned Victor. "How can I help? I'm not a witch or a demon. I don't even have any powers. What can I do to help?"

"As I understand it," said Peter, "Piper gave you custody of Wyatt and Chris just before they supposedly 'died'."

"That's right," said Piper. "We weren't sure if we were going to survive and I wanted to make sure they were taken care of if we didn't come back from fighting Zankou. And I wanted to make sure that dad got the boys. That's where they belong."

"Well," said Peter, "I also understand that you transferred the title of the manor and your club to your father as well."

"Of course," said Piper. "It was my understanding that under California law he'd probably get it anyway being our next of kin. I just thought it would make things easier and be more likely that he would get them."

"Well," said Peter, "I'm going to argue that Elbert wasn't legally entitled to the Book of Shadows. That he illegally removed it from the manor and placed it in the warehouse when he didn't have any authority to do so. Therefore, since he was not the legal owner of the book, the instructions he gave to Zeebok about the book are invalid and not binding."

"How do I fit into this?" Victor asked.

"I can't make the claim myself," said Peter. "Since I'm not related to the girls in any way I don't have any legal standing to dispute. As the legal guardian for Wyatt, Victor can dispute it. Legally, ownership of the book passed to Wyatt the moment you died. So as Wyatt's legal guardian Victor can claim legal ownership of the book and remove it from the warehouse regardless of any instructions Elbert gave about the book."

"Okay that sounds easy enough," said Victor. "Just tell me what forms I have to sign to do it."

"I'm afraid it's not going to be that simple," said Peter. "You see, I'm not taking this to the Other World court. In the first place the documents Piper gave you haven't been adjudicated in the human courts yet. Which means that technically they aren't legal documents. Oh, I have no doubt they'll be accepted on face value. But it's like her will. Until it's probated in court it's not legally binding on anyone."

"So if you aren't taking it into court," said Leo, "what are you planning to do?"

"Elbert and I are planning to go to this warehouse and see Zeebok," said Peter. "I'll have a lot of official looking documents to back up our claims. We're going to explain this all to Zeebok and with a little luck he'll give us the Book of Shadows without having to resort to any kind of legal proceedings."

"You think it will work?" Paige asked.

"It's worth a shot," said Peter. "But in order to do that, Victor has to come with us. If this does work Zeebok won't release the book to anyone except Victor. Which means he'll have to be there to get it. I'm not sure I could take the book anyway. I may be only one-quarter demon but that might be enough for the book to consider me evil and protect itself from me."

"Cole felt the same way," said Phoebe. "Even after he turned good he wasn't sure if he could even touch the book because of his demonic heritage."

"That's why I need Victor's help," said Peter. "I think this will work but only if Victor comes with me to bureaucratic central."

"Bureaucratic central?" questioned Leo.

"Well, it doesn't really have an official name," said Peter. "It's what I call it since it seems to be the headquarters for bureaucracy demons."

"Well," said Victor hesitantly, "I can't say I'm real thrilled about going into the Underworld. But if it's the only way to get the Book of Shadows back . . . ."

"I didn't say it was the only way," said Peter, "just our best chance. But you have nothing to worry about, Victor. The only ones who will be there will be bureaucracy demons. And as we've explained, they aren't like other demons. No one is interested in killing you or any other human. They're just interested in their paperwork and their regulations. To be honest the only demon you're likely to encounter will be Zeebok and from what I understand he's considered very minor even by other bureaucracy demons. Not much in the way of powers."

"Well," said Victor, "if we're going to do this let's get it over with before I change my mind."

"Thanks dad," said Piper, kissing him on the cheek. "We really appreciate everything you're doing."

"You owe me," said Victor. "Big time."

"Yeah, I figured you'd feel that way about it," said Piper.

"This shouldn't take long," said Peter. "Just sit tight and we'll be back as soon as we're finished."

Peter took Victor's arm and shimmered them out of the manor.