A Charmed Story - Part Eleven:
Enemy In My Mind
Chapter 7

"If we find him here, or any evidence that he has been here, you're gonna want that the earth swallow you," Agent Anderson had said to Cole before his colleague went to search through the house.
"You won't, and you'll regret what you're doing when you have to give back your badge and gun," Cole said, self-assured. Agent Anderson smirked.
"Can... Can I go to...to take a glass of water?" Paige asked, looking at the intruder pleadingly. Cole, Kyle and he turned to the Charmed One, surprised, but she seemed to be so scared...
"I'll go with you," Anderson said. "And you three, don't dare to move. I'll be watching."
Paige stood up trembling, but cast glance at Piper and Cole, and a warning look at Kyle - who was about to follow them - very frustrated, as she left the lounge, followed by the agent, who kept looking back at them. Once they were alone, but aware that he was watching the others from the kitchen, Piper looked at Cole, and he just nodded.
Kyle asked confused: "What is going on? What do you plan to do?? This has no sense, this..."
But Cole stopped him with a gesture of his hand seeing how Piper closed her eyes; the ex-demon walked casually, until he was hiding Piper from the sight of the agent.

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Meanwhile in the kitchen the agent frowned, when Cole blocked his view. But he could still see the woman's legs.
"We are very bad hosts, Agent... Would you like to take something??" Paige asked in the kitchen, but he just shook his head as he uttered a dry "No". He could not see Piper's face, but he could see Cole and Kyle, and the rest of her body, somehow. She was not doing anything... Was she??

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Actually Piper was doing something, and only Cole and Kyle could hear her.
"Halliwell powers, come to me
Hide the evidence, hear my plea:
What does not belong here, just conceal
From the unwanted eyes; set Chris free."
"Good job for just a minute," Cole joked in a whisper.
Piper raised her eyebrows: "Good job for an old-fashioned lawyer, too."
Cole smirked slightly, with sarcasm, but at that moment, Paige and the agent came back.
"Something you wanna share with us, Mr. Turner?" he asked, having heard him muttering, but without catching any word.
"Yes, of course," Cole said with a grin that annoyed the agent even more. "I was saying that this was an awesome day for all those people standing outside. I am just sad that we cannot bring Elvis for them... I am afraid he is dead, he never went back home, as they believe."
Agent Anderson was going to reply as Kyle held back his laughter, but at that moment Agent Smith came down with a strange look in his face.
"So, well??"
"Nothing. There's nothing..." he said, very pale. Anderson frowned and looked at the others, furious, but he tried to keep calm.
Cole smiled triumphantly: "So I guess we'll see you in the Courts..."
"We'll see each other much sooner than that, Mr. Turner. As well as you." he added, referring to Kyle. After those words, he turned around and headed to the broken door, angry as he had never been before. The other agent followed him a bit ashamed. They closed the door behind them, and went through the mob outside.
Piper rushed to lock the door with the second lock, which they had left open before and was therefore not broken. Then she turned to Cole, Paige and Kyle, who was holding her trembling hand now. "I am afraid that was personal gain. I wonder which the consequences will be..." she said.
Paige shrugged: "We did not have another chance, Piper."
"And we can say this was not personal gain. We are saving magic, so the Cleaners should be happy with this."
"Yeah..." Piper answered, not very convinced of it. Then she sighed and looked around at the mess again, which those agents had left. She still heard the noise from out there, the crowed was still there observing them, all the reporters, their neighbours... and surly still some agents... Then she turned back to the others: "Alright, let's check the book for that Veenosh..."
She took a deep breath and climbed up the stairs followed by the others.
Paige was still shivering a little, but Kyle supported her lovingly. "You shouldn't have stayed here..." she muttered to him, knowing how bad the things would be for him now.
But he just smiled: "I don't care what they say... I love you, so this is my place."
Meanwhile Piper turned to Cole: "I thought you named yourself Halliwell... Mr. Turner."
Cole sighed: "I introduced myself as Turner, so that they don't know about our personal connection... but please, don't tell Phoebe..." Piper nodded with a sad smile and went on.
But when they entered the attic they all stopped frozen in shock.
"Where are the potions?" Cole asked.
And Paige added: "Where are the pendulum and the maps?"
But the most shocking question came from Piper: "Where is the book??"

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When Odin, Leo and Michael reached the school, the latter one quickly left the others searching for his wife. So the two Elders where left alone.
"Can you now tell me what this is all about?" Leo hissed kind of annoyed.
Odin sighed: "We're not sure... Why was Julian there?"
"What?? What has he to do with this?"
"Look Leo, that demon Veenosh, he tried once to manipulate the source, he tried to force him to kill himself..."
"And?" Leo asked still not understanding.
"What if that's what he tries this time, too... What if it isn't Chris he's attacking..."
"But you... oh..." Suddenly Leo understood. The discussion they once had, Odin, Silas, Chris and him. The discussion about Belthazor and how he was able to come back. The discussion about the balance of the forces, which still no one knew if it was a myth or real. "You mean..." he said then, "but that's not possible..."
"Why not?" Odin asked.
"Because that would mean that there is a strong connection between them, and that is simply not possible... Especially if Belthazor came back because someone wanted a counter balance to Chris... How could he be that, when they are connected with their minds?"
Odin nodded. His friend had a point in that. "But still it's weird, because I think that Belthazor knows about all that, or in the worst case experienced the same... otherwise Julian wouldn't be there..."
Now it was Leo who nodded... But still he couldn't believe it. "That demon could still attack both of them, don't you think?" his friend sighed but nodded.
"Ok, what are we gonna do now?"
Odin rose his eyebrows: "I don't know... But that's only secondary... First we have to find a way to stop the Cleaners..."
"You're wrong," Leo replied. "When we want to stop the Cleaners we need to find that demon... So, we have to do something about that... now..."
Odin nodded: "Let's check the books in the library. Elenia should be already there informing the others."

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Michael was on his way to the library, when he heard some voices from somewhere in front. As he went closer to one of the common rooms he saw a group of about thirty people. And Angela was also there.
When he called her name, she turned around. She ran over to him and hugged him tightly and he kissed her in response.
"I'm so relived that you're alive," she said, "but where have you been?"
"You wouldn't believe it," he replied and kissed her again. Actually kissing her felt damn good that moment, it made him feel alive, it made him return to his easiness.
But when he heard some amused mumblings he turned back to the group of students of mostly younger ages. Smiling embarrassed he turned to his wife again: "What are you doing here?"
Angela shrugged: "We're organising a protest."
"A protest..." repeated her husband rising his eyebrows. At that moment some of the students rose their banners. Michael smiled when he read the words on them.
"we only accept Chris Halliwell as headmaster of magic school"
"Cleaners go and erase yourself"
"take Chris and we will show you what exposing magic means"
"free Mr. Halliwell"
It was really unbelievable. Michael had been lots of times at the school, and he knew how much the students loved Chris as their headmaster and teacher. They all adored him... But this... He turned to his wife again. "That's amazing," he said.
Angela nodded: "And it was all their idea... Now we only need a way to make them see that..."
Michael nodded: "Well maybe Leo could do something..."
"What shall I do?" the Elder said, entering the room together with Odin after he had heard his name.

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"You'd better take care of your brother, Chris. He could get hurt," Belthazor grumbled as soon as he saw Chris and Julian looking at him, almost drooling. Then, he stood up and started to move around with no specific direction or aim.
Wyatt smiled widely and orbed straight to Chris's arms, who was looking at the red demon, thoughtfully. "Chris, I was talking with him. You are right, I think he's good," the little child explained, trying to appear as an adult. Chris smiled at him again, but didn't take his eyes from Belthazor, who had turned to talk to Julian.
"I don't know what you two are doing here, and how Wyatt escaped from you. This is dangerous and you know that. If he wants to stay, he has to be stuck to his brother. Period," he said, angrily, or at least, feigning anger.
Chris chuckled slightly, so that Wyatt didn't notice, and tried to speak gravely to him: "You've heard very well, buddy. You and I are only one down here. He's our friend, yes, and that's why we have to do as he says." Wyatt nodded, sucking his thumb.
Julian smiled and shook his head: "Come on, he's just a child. And you liked that, you cannot deny it."
Belthazor grumbled again, turning his back at them: "Whatever, it's the Underworld we are talking about. This is not a place for a child. Damn, this is not a place for a Halliwell! Let alone a Halliwell child."
Wyatt trembled slightly in Chris's arms. "I am sorry..." he muttered, at the verge of tears.
Chris caressed his head and smiled, trying to appear calm and confident: "It's ok..."
"But he's angry at me..." the blonde child sobbed.
Julian lowered his head, somehow regretting his friend's outburst, but no more than he himself did. Belthazor sighed: "No I am not angry... Come on, Wyatt. I am not angry. I am just..." He stopped, but everyone was looking at him now, and he could not go back. He sighed again: "I am just worried, ok?"
Julian smiled slightly, and Chris nodded grateful: "Don't worry, you're right. We won't give you more problems, I promise. And you, Wyatt, you will stay with me all the time, ok?" The child nodded, with tears on his cheeks.
"Ok..." Belthazor grumbled again, feeling bad.
"Well, let's go to my room then. I guess what Wyatt really needs is a good sleep." Chris nodded and followed Julian after showing the red demon a grateful look.
When he turned to leave, and was about to cross the door entrance that led to the room, the Belthazor smiled widely at Wyatt and winked, which made the child smile, but the demon hushed him immediately with a gesture. He did not want to appear weaker than he seemed to be already, worrying about a little brat like him and a person like Chris.

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A few moments later, Julian went into another room of his lair. He had brought Chris and Wyatt back to his room, and when both Halliwells had lied down on his bed, the little boy had immediately fallen asleep.
Julian had excused himself, he had to work. He had do fix their little technical problem.
Belthazor had followed his friend when he saw him going to their "workroom". When Julian switched on the lights the source of all evil sighed deeply. The room was a complete mess. Most monitors were broken, keybords where lying on the floor, some computer towers were open and the cables torn out... it was a mess.
"I'm sorry," Belthazor said. What if he had hit Julian while his outburst...? He didn't want to think about that...
Julian just nodded. Then he turned around to his friend: "Go back and look up your books. We need more information." Belthazor nodded and left his friend alone.
The demonic witch sighed. Then he went to a computer who seemed less destroyed, compared to the others, and started fixing it.

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"Ok," Kyle said hesitating, "I guess that's not good."
"Actually, that's really, really bad," Cole replied dryly, while the sisters looked around shocked.
"LEO!" Piper yelled suddenly, making the others startle. But first nothing happened. "L-E-O!!" the oldest charmed one yelled even louder.
Moments later the attic was filled with bluish orbing lights, and Kyle couldn't help asking himself if the people out there on the street could have noticed that light.
"Where have you been?" Piper asked.
Leo smiled. "Actually I was at the school... The students and Angela are organising a kind of protest, a strike. It's amazing how much they all care about Chris. And... who knows, maybe..."
"Leo!" Piper interrupted him. Even if that sounded kind of cute to her, too, she had other things to worry about.
"What?" Leo asked noticing that something was wrong.
"The book is gone," Cole replied.
"WHAT!" He stared at them in shock and then looked around the attic for the first time. "What happened?"
Piper sighed, but Cole was the one who explained. "The FBI wanted to search through the house... for Chris... I couldn't stop them, I could only distract them for a moment. So Piper cast a spell to hide everything that could prove that he lives here..."
"And I guess that kind of backfired," Paige added sadly.
Leo frowned. Then he said: "Alright. First: I think it was your luck that the things disappeared, because I really don't want to think about how the agents would have reacted on the book and the potions and stuff..."
"Yeah, but how do we get the things back? We need to help Chris for God's sake," Kyle said with much more passion in his voice than anyone would have expected. Paige turned to him and took his hand, squeezing it slightly.
"Well," Leo started, "if that's really an effect of personal gain, then we can't do much."
"But we have to do something!" Piper was close to crying hysterically. She felt so helpless, she was so afraid of losing her son.
"And what if it's not a backfiring effect?" Cole asked having suddenly a weird idea.
"What do you mean?" Paige asked.
"Well... I can't remember the spell to every word, but what if the things are just kind of invisible, so that the agents wouldn't see them... Because in a way those things would let the suspicion grow like any other object from Chris."
Piper rose an eyebrow while Paige shrugged: "Could be possible..."
"So what are we going to do now?" Kyle asked confused.
Leo sighed: "We need a reverse spell."

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Half an hour later, Belthazor heard Julian calling for him. Within a moment he walked into the workroom, to find out that one of the computers was already working again. "Julian, you are a genius," he said smiling, patting his friends shoulder.
But the demonic witch ignored that comment. "We have a problem," he announced.
"What is it?" Belthazor asked suddenly tensed.
Julian hit a few buttons and a record from one of their spy cameras started to play.
"What are we going to do about that Halliwell?" a Cleaner asked. Actually there was a group of three of them on the screen.
"I don't think we should... I mean, he's..." the second one remarked.
"We have to do our job. He was the one who exposed magic, now he has to live with the consequences."
"After those 24 hours he will come, he has to!" the last one said.
"How did you manage to get a camera in the Cleaner's plane?" the source asked amazed. But Julian gestured him to listen.
"But what do we do, when he will not come... after all he IS a Halliwell," the first one said.
Then the third Cleaner spoke again: "Well... then we'll take his wife and daughter, to make him come... we should take them, too, anyway, since the wife was with him and we can't leave the daughter without parents... she's too powerful to give her in somebody else's care."
Belthazor's mouth fell open. They couldn't do that, could they. "She's just a baby!" he exclaimed all of a sudden. He had hated the Cleaners all his life and now he did it even more. Furious he started pacing around. "Where are they?" he asked then.
Julian looked at the screen again switching around between some windows. "At the school," he said then.
Belthazor stopped and sighed: "That's not safe enough."

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When Chris woke up and noticed the unfamiliar surroundings, he was confused at first. But then he remembered and swallowed, leaning his head back into the pillow. "God, what have I done?" he whispered to himself. How could he have been so stupid. How could he expose magic... He still couldn't believe that all this really happened. "I'm so screwed," he said with a sigh.
Then he felt the connection to his brother, stronger than ever before. He turned around to him. The boy was still sleeping, dreaming about his teddy. Chris was wondering why he could nearly read the boys mind, when usually he only got his feelings. But then he thought it was maybe because he was so near to him, and the boy couldn't control this things while he was sleeping. Chris smiled at Wyatt and put a hair-curl out of his face. Then he remembered that no one should be able to use his powers in this place. So why did their connection work? Was something wrong with this again? He slowly got up and left the room, he had to ask Julian about this.
Chris went straight back to the entrance hall, but Julian wasn't there. The door to the room of the source was still open. When he spotted Belthazor sitting on his bed he went closer.
"Hey," he said, still a little sleepy, "anything new?"
"No."
Chris sighed: "Where is Julian?"
"Busy."
The Elder-witch nodded. So his questions would have to wait for a while. He didn't want to worry the source... and the next second he smiled inwardly about that thought. Then he sighed before asking: "Can I also have a book? I would like to help..." Belthazor just grumbled, which let Chris get a little annoyed. "Look, I just can't sit around and wait for being erased, so please LET ME HELP!"
Belthazor looked up, but said nothing. Then he took a book and threw it over at the Elder-witch.
"Thanks" Chris muttered and went back to the main room to find a place to sit down.
But suddenly the door was opened again. Belthazor had heard that, too, and appeared in the room the same second the door closed again. But there had been no one entering. The door was just opened and closed again.
Chris tensed. Something was wrong about that. Who had opened that door which should be magical protected. 'Even if Cole had entered too,' Chris had to admit in his thoughts. Worried he turned to the source, who just smiled.
Then the red demon said: "Welcome back Julian."
Chris turned back to the door again and then the truth hit him. And he felt embarrassed that he had forgotten... that he had forgotten, that Julian could turn invisible. How could he have forgotten this.
In the same second the source had said those words, the newcomers turned visible. Julian stood there in front of them smiling sadly. He hold Hope in one arm and Bianca, who looked completely worn out, in the other.
As soon as he saw them, Chris run over and pulled his wife in a close hug. She immediately began to cry again. He didn't understand why they were down there, he just hold her close and whispered comforting words to her ear, trying to calm her down. But it seemed useless. It tore him apart to see her like that. This wasn't the Bianca who always fought for what she wanted. This Bianca was desperate and tired. And Chris wondered what had being going on up there on the surface...
When Julian saw the questioning looks on his friend's faces he shrugged: "I found her that way... she was crying in your bedroom."
"But why...?" Chris asked not understanding why he brought them away from the school.
Meanwhile Belthazor went over to Julian and the little girl. Turning around he smiled sadly at Chris: "Later... first calm her down." Then he smiled down at Hope. 'Thanks to the greater evil, she is sleeping,' he thought. He couldn't bear a crying baby, a crying woman was more than enough... Then he looked at his Julian: "Better take her to his uncle, that boy will be able to protect her if it's necessary... Then we have to talk. I guess, I've found something."

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After what seemed to be an eternity, Paige put down the pen again and sighed, taking the paper from the table over which she had been inclined and waving it in the air, claiming thus the attention of the others. "I think this will work..." she said, and then added in a murmur, "at least I hope so..."
Piper rushed to her and took the paper harshly from her hands: "Ok, let's see..."
"Shouldn't she read it...? I mean, she wrote it, so..." Kyle intervened, looking at the girls, and then at Leo and Cole, worried. He did not understand much about magic and that stuff, but he had never liked when people rushed to do things. He thought they all should read it first...
"Nonsense... I am..."
Leo took the paper from his wife's hands, softly, gaining a crossed look from her. "Kyle is right... Piper, it's better if Paige reads it..."
Cole nodded, supporting his brother-in-law, and Paige shrugged innocently before recovering the paper. "Ok..." she sighed, glancing at Kyle before starting. "Cross your fingers!"
"Wait," Cole gripped her arm, stopping her again, and making her raise her eyes to him.
"Now what?" Piper asked, impatiently. They really needed their things back when they wanted to help Chris, so there was no time to lose.
Cole shook his head: "I am not sure if we need the book now... I trust that this will work, but for now, I have the feeling that we should keep the house as it is now."
Although Leo, Piper and Paige stared at him shocked, Kyle nodded peremptorily: "I completely agree. The FBI is gonna be back, and also the journalists, and the police. They will end up finding out who you are..."
"What you are," Cole finished his stream of thoughts. "... we are," he corrected himself then in a whisper.
After this, Leo folded his arms in front of his chest, pensive, and Paige bit her lips. They were right... "But we may need it to save Chris..." Piper insisted, feeling more and more helpless.
Leo hugged her tightly and comfortingly: "Trust me, Piper... we're gonna save him one way or another... But I am afraid they are right..."
She felt a thrill at his words, but tried to hide it, pressing her body against his. "I trust you... I just don't know how we are supposed to stop all this craziness."
Leo hold her close but softly and made comfortable circles at her back, in silence, especially because he had no good answer. Cole lowered his eyes, as Paige exchanged looks with Kyle. It was one of the worst and hardest moments in their lives.

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When Leo was gone, Odin turned back to Michael and Angela: "I know all you want to do is help, but I don't think there is any use of doing something like that..."
"Well... still it's better then doing nothing... and THIS is all those kids can do... The older ones are helping with the research and stuff already, but those kids here can do nothing else than protest and..." Angela explained with boiling emotions. Michael just looked at her amazed. He had never knew that she was such a verbal fighter. But her way of talking now was really impressing.
But nevertheless Odin interrupted her: "I don't say that it was a bad idea, but I say that the Cleaners will not listen..."
"But..." Angela was about to reply again, when Odin stopped her with a move of his hand.
"I'm sorry, the Elders are calling," he said.
Angela looked at him for a moment with wide opened eyes, Michael knew that look very well... his wife was having an idea, and he wasn't sure if he would like that.
The next moment, the woman turned to the kids and screamed: "Take each other's hands!"
Just in that moment as hands grasped each other, and Angela felt the hand of one of the kids in hers, Odin began to orb, completely oblivious of her plan.
Michael sighed and grasped a student by his shoulders just in the moment Angela took hold of the robe of the Elder. The next second they all orbed up there to the land of the Elders.

(Chapter 7 written by Belén and Chrissy.W.x)