demonbelthazor | East Attic, Sunday Afternoon -- NFB

Belthazor shimmered into Piper's room in the East Attic, having determined she'd be out for awhile. He knew for his next attempt to rid Angelus of his soul, he'd need something more powerful than the spell he'd created. Something from a powerful tomb of magic -- like the Charmed Ones' Book of Shadows.

Phoebe didn't have it, Paige certainly didn't, so it must've been entrusted to Piper, the older, responsible sister. He searched through her room, going through closets, drawers, under the bed, in the mattress. A book like that wasn't easy to hide, but unless it was in the common area, which he doubted, he couldn't find it. Frustrated, he stood in the middle of the room and looked around.

His gaze fell on the heating vent high up on one wall. Standing on Piper's bed, he pried the cover loose. The Book rested in the vent. Grinning, he reached for it.

The Book jumped away from his grasp, ricocheting off the side of the vent and flying out into the room, narrowly missing his head. "What the hell...?" he muttered. He jumped off the bed and reached for the Book again. It skittered from his hands, sliding across the floor.

"All right then," Bel muttered under his breath. He approached the Book again, herding it into a corner. This time, when he reached for it, it flared with white light and threw him across the room. He hit the wall hard, stunned for a moment.

Bel growled in annoyance and shifted into his demonic form. He wasn't about to let some book get the better of him. In this form he was more powerful, and was able to reach through the shield the book had placed around itself. But as his fingertips brushed the leather cover, it flew into the air, smacking him under the chin before coming to rest beside Piper's bed.

Rubbing his jaw, Bel glared at the Book. The magical protections on it were too strong for him to overcome. Possibly too strong for any demon to overcome. "Fine," he said through gritted teeth, turning away from the Book. He abruptly spun around and dived on it, as if he might have fooled it into thinking he'd given up. It slid under Piper's bed, and he ended up hitting his head on her bureau.

With a sigh of frustration and anger, he sat up, glared under the bed, then stood and shimmered out of the room. His only solace was that no one had seen his embarrassing attempts to get the Book.