Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed.

Moving Day

"Are you feeling OK?" Cole asked, entering his former, and once again, room. He set a box on the dresser.

It was moving day for the Halliwell-Turner and the Matthews-Mitchell families. Paige and Phoebe's old rooms had been emptied of their new possessions over the past week. While Piper had been surprised at Phoebe's announcement that she and Paige were moving their families into the manor, she agreed that it was the safest arrangement for everyone. She'd set to work immediately on moving Chris and Wyatt back into the same room, along with the many toys they owned.

Phoebe glanced up at Cole as he spoke. Having been set up not long before, the bed she was on was devoid of any covers. Her sleepy body, four months pregnant, didn't mind. She stayed in her laying position as she answered. "Yeah, just a bit tired."

Cole sat on edge of the bed. He ran his fingers across her face before cupping her cheek. "Do you want me to get you a pillow or blanket?"

She shook her head and reached for his arms. "Can you hold me, though?"

"Sure," Cole smiled. Lying beside her, he held her in his embrace. One hand rested on their child.

Phoebe smiled drowsily and snuggled into his side. "Who knew we had so much stuff to move?"

"You had so much stuff to move. I just have some clothes and law stuff."

"A lot of law stuff. You work too much."

"I don't work enough, Baby. I'm hardly at the office. That's why everything was at our place, in case a got a chance to do some stuff there."

"There you are," Leo said from the doorway. "I was looking all over for you, Cole. I need help moving Paige's antique dresser to her room."

"And Henry can't move his own dresser because?"

"Paige just sent him to the store for diapers," Leo replied. "Oh, and Phoebe, if you don't mind, can you watch the kids. Piper wants to make room for yours and Paige's china sets in the dining room hutch. And Paige's still getting stuff from the moving van."

"Yeah," Phoebe said pulling away from Cole and sitting up.

"You should rest," Cole told her.

"It's OK. This little break has given me back a bunch of energy and someone's got to watch the kids."

Leo took in Cole's annoyed glare, directed at him. "I didn't mean to disturb you, Phoebe. If you're tired, Piper can watch the children a little while longer, while Cole and I finish with the furniture."

"China's not exactly a priority," Cole added. "Unlike yours and Prue's health."

It was Phoebe's turn to glare at Cole, "Of course china's a priority, Cole. It's tradition when you settle down with a home and family, and it's supposed to be displayed."

"But, Piper's is already out."

"This is our home, too. Paige and I have families, also. Or are you saying you're not my family? Is that why I shouldn't have china?"

"Phoebe," Cole sighed. "You know I'm your family. Me and Prue, and Piper, Paige, Leo, Henry, the kids. And you can have china all over the house for all I care. I just don't want you to over do it."

"I know how much I can handle." Phoebe left the room.

"Piper! Get in here!"

Rushing into the living room at Phoebe's call, worried that something had happened to her daughter or sons, Piper stood in the doorway. "What? What happened?"

"Look." Phoebe pointed at Melinda. She was in her playpen in front of her Aunt Phoebe, a plush toy in her tiny hand.

"I'm looking. I don't see what you're yelling about," Piper said. "Phoebe, you know better than to yell like that in this house if there's no demon."

"No, Piper. Look, that toy. I didn't give it to her."

"Maybe Wyatt did." The little blond-haired boy was sitting on the floor a few feet away. His brother was asleep on the sofa, pillows lining the side of it in case he rolled. Paige's twins were in their swings behind Phoebe.

"I was holding it," Phoebe explained. "I was holding it above her, about to give it to her, but I never did."

"Phoebe, spit out whatever it is you're trying to say."

"She waved her hand and it went to her. Melinda's telekinetic!"

"No," Piper picked up her baby in disbelief. She stared at her. Then, she looked at the sleeping Chris. He was the only Halliwell child they knew to have that power, but obviously he couldn't have moved the toy. "But, she's not even two months yet!"

Phoebe looked at her nieces and nephews, three of whom had shown powers not long after birth. Chris was the only one who didn't develop any until he was a little older. "Like that stops a Halliwell."

"I guess I should be happy she didn't get my power to blow things up."

"Not yet, anyway," Phoebe said.

"If she does, hopefully it will be when she's old enough to deal with it.'

"Who has to deal with what?"

Leo and Cole had finished bringing in the last of the furniture.

"Melinda just telekinetically brought a toy to herself." Piper placed the baby into her father's outstretched arms.

"That's great, Mel," Leo said and he kissed her cheek.

"It's exciting, yeah, but raising three small children with magical powers? Our hands are now more than full," Piper said.

"At least she has something to use against any threats." Leo frowned, "I wish she could've had the orbing Wy and Chris have. She'd be so much safer if she was able to instantly get away from a demon."

Orbing was the Whitelighter power Leo's sons had received from him. But, Melinda was conceived after he'd become mortal, powerless. Leo was happy that he could be with his family problem-free. But, when a battle he couldn't help with came up, or when he thought about the protective power Melinda, or any future children he and Piper might possibly have, would never receive.

"Leo, we'll keep her safe. And Wyatt and Chris will orb her away if she's in danger. Charlie and Grace, too, when they're older," Piper tried to ease her spouse's fear and guilt.

"And Prue will help, too, if she can shimmer," Phoebe said.

"I don't want to worry about chasing her around the globe, yet. Phoebe. She's not even born yet; let's not give her powers."

"She might develop some from the womb," Phoebe stated. "Wyatt had his force field and healing there."

"Guys, Demon!" Paige called from the foyer. She'd barely gotten her last box of belongings inside when the demon had appeared.

"Paige, stop bringing demons home!" Piper called back. She motioned for Leo to watch the children and headed in Paige's direction, Cole and Phoebe following.

"I'm not trying to," the group heard Paige say. "I know that's Phoebe's job. Coat rack!"

"We're in the middle of an attack and she's trying to be funny," Cole rolled his eyes as he heard the aforementioned piece crash into something, presumably the demon.

Upon reaching the manor's entranceway Piper made to throw up her hands, ready to blast the green creature before her to smithereens. Cole grabbed her arm before it could make the fatal gesture.

"Freeze it," he commanded.

Doing as he advised, Piper caused the demon to stop moving with the flick of her wrist. "Why'd I do that?" she asked.

"We can question it. Maybe this one will know something about who's after you."

Phoebe looked up at Cole, "I thought you said the demons you cornered kept being blown up before they could say anything. Why would this one be any different?"

"It probably won't, but maybe we can get a name out of him before he bursts. Whatever's tracking the demons I talk to may not be able to realize he's giving the big secret identity away as quickly because of the distance between here and the Underworld. It's worth a shot. Piper, unfreeze his head."

The demon screamed in anger when his vocal cords began working again. "Let me go!"

Cole stepped forward, an energy ball forming in his palm. "You tell me what I want to know and I won't throw this at you."

"Belthazor the Traitor, I don't believe you."

"Nice nickname," Paige commented.

"It's a long way from Legendary Soldier of Fortune," Piper said.

"Guys, be quiet," Phoebe shushed them.

"I don't care if you believe me or not," Cole continued. "Tell me who is after the Charmed Ones and their offspring. Who is ordering demons destroyed if they so much as speak his name to me?"

"I'll never tell. I don't want to join those demons."

"You're going to join them anyway if you don't answer me."

With Cole shoving a deadly attack barely an inch from his low-level face, the demon reconsidered his stance. "It's," he paused, realizing he was about to die no matter what, and yet still trying to delay it, "it's Keilphorte."

The demon had barely finished the last syllable when he was consumed by flames.

"No! That insolent fool!" Keilphorte, pacing his chambers, yelled.

His minion looked on worriedly. "Sir, what do we do now? Surely, Belthazor knows of you. He'll help the witches come here. And you aren't ready to care out your plan yet."

Keilphorte forced himself to calm down. "We'll just have to move up the dates of my plan. We'll prepare faster and be ready to take Belthazor's witch within a short while. We'll hide her away until the child is born and I can take its powers. Then, everything will proceed as I envision it."

"Who's Keilphorte?" Piper asked when she saw Cole's eyes widen at the now vanquished demon's words.

"And why can't his name be something simple, like Bob?" Paige inquired. "Demons and their show-offish names."

"Keilphorte is an ancient demon. I told you there was always that possibility for this threat, but I don't know why any demons would want to risk themselves by freeing him. Even these new guys should know better."

"So is he really dangerous?"

Cole nodded to Phoebe. "He was locked up. He tried to overthrow an old Source almost a thousand years ago. His power was just under that Source's power, probably just under the Source you vanquished, but still stronger than most demons of his time or even of current times."

"But, if he was weaker than him, why did the Source bother locking him up? He wouldn't have been able to hurt him, right?" Piper wanted to know. The group had slowly made their way into the room where Leo. Piper lifted Chris into her lap as she sat on the couch.

"He's called the Strategist. While his raw power was weaker than the Source, he came very close to accomplishing his goal of killing him and assuming power. Because his plans were so thought out, the Source wasn't aware that Keilphorte was after him until just minutes before. And only then because of a vision the Source's Seer had. When Keilphorte arrived, he realized the Source knew. So, as fireballs were being thrown at him, he quickly came up with a new plan. He was able to dodge them. He's not the fastest, but the Source was old for a demon so his aim was off and the fireballs were slower than he'd intended. And his guards didn't arrive soon enough. The Source was also impatient. When he became too frustrated that Keilphorte wasn't dying in a short amount of time, against his Seer's warning, the Source began a spell to imprison him instead. That's what Keilphorte wanted; better to be imprisoned than vanquished. Then, Keilphorte summoned a demon, low level, and it distracted the Source for just a second before a guard who'd finally turned up killed him. Because of the distraction, the Source made one mistake in his spell. His Seer told him after the cage came up around Keilphorte and he vanished what the difference that one word made. Other demons that have been caged can only be released by an upper level demon or a group of lesser ones breaking it, or the one who put them in the cage getting rid of the barrier. They can't get out any other way, and the cage won't weaken over time. No one wanted to release Keilphorte; his elaborate plans and air for secrecy were too much of a threat. And he made loyalties to no one. I'm sure he anticipated that no one would help him. So, the Source's slip up was needed. It made it so that Keilphorte's cage would only stay up if each Source to come re-recited that spell." Cole's eyes widened. "And you defeated the last Source to say it, the one before me. Since then, his cage must have been weakening and now he's been able to break out."

"But, you said the Source we vanquished was stronger than him. So, we should be able to take this guy out if we did the Source."

"And I'm sure he knows that, Paige. He's got a plan to get around the lack of strength he has over you. With that demon revealing him, he'll probably enact it sooner, so that we won't have a chance. We have to figure out his plan, not to mention where he is and if he's acquired any more strength since he's been free."