4x01: Charmed By Four, Part One

[The Virtual Series]

CHARMED: RESET REALITY (A new Alternate Universe series brought to you by Daniel, 4Ever, Drama, Es, Xenith and a host of others!)

STARRING:



SHANNEN DOHERTY....Prue Halliwell
HOLLY MARIE COMBS...Piper Halliwell
ALYSSA MILANO...Phoebe Halliwell
ROSE McGOWAN...Paige Matthews

CO-STARRING:



BRIAN KRAUSE...Leo Wyatt
JULIAN McMAHON...Cole Turner
DORIAN GREGORY...Darryl Morris

CHARMED: RESET REALITY is a concept conceived and copyrighted by Daniel Taylor and cannot be copied without his permission.[/i]

Based on the television show "Charmed" created by Constance Burge and featuring characters created by her and Brad Kern.


DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. If we owned Charmed, the last few seasons would be more like this! All characters and locations are fictitious or are used fictitiously. We only own the characters listed as "Original characters" within the credtis. All others are products of the old WB and the new CW and belong to them and Aaron Spelling Productions. This work was not written for sale and is meant only to be read by visitors to websites for the fans of the television show, Charmed. [/size]

4.01 CHARMED BY FOUR--Part One

GUEST-STARRING:
JESSE WOODROW
YANCEY ARIAS
KRISTA ALLEN

Script written by...CAMILLE (FOUREVER CHARMED)

Script edited by...DRAMA! (ASSASSIN WITCH)

Script proofread by...ESMERALDA (JUST ES)

Executive Producer...DTAYLOR (FOREVER YOURS)

Produced by...Drama!, Esmeralda, Fourever Charmed, Xenith

Directed by... Shannen Doherty

[The Virtual Series]

Previously, on Charmed…

[Scene: Manor. Entrance Hall. PRUE and PIPER HALLIWELL are walking through the door with DR.GRIFFITHS.]

PRUE: Look, I know that this all sounds incredible, but it doesn't make it any less true. Alright, you're a healer; you do good. Now, either you have saved too many lives or you're about to save a life that they don't want you to save.

DR.GRIFFITHS: They?

PRUE: Yeah, demons. Uh, more specifically, Shax. The Source's assassin.

Dr. Griffiths: Hold it; I get it. This is a practical joke, right? Do you have a hidden camera here? My second wife put you up to this? Ah, it's just like her. (He laughs.)

PRUE: O-o-okay, Dr. Griffiths, listen to me, this is anything but... (She stops.)

PIPER: What?

PRUE: I don't know, I just felt a chill. Phoebe? (No answer.) Phoebe, are you there? (A tornado of wind twists through the front door.) Phoebe, where are you?

(The tornado knocks PRUE and PIPER to the floor. A clap of thunder is heard, the tornado calms down and SHAX appears.)

DR.GRIFFITHS: Dear God.

PRUE: No! (PRUE gets up off the floor and pushes DR.GRIFFITHS out of the way. SHAX throws an energy ball at PRUE and she literally crashes straight through a wall. PIPER gets up, and SHAX throws an energy ball at PIPER, sending her crashing through a wall. SHAX turns to DR.GRIFFITHS.)

DR.GRIFFITHS: What are you?

SHAX: The end. (He throws an energy ball at DR.GRIFFITHS and he crashes through a window. SHAX looks around. He looks at PRUE and PIPER unconscious on the floor. Pleased with what he's done, SHAX turns back into the wind and flies out the front door.)

Charmed By Four, Part One

Teaser

[Scene: Manor. PRUE and PIPER are lying amongst wreckage and a caved-in wall. Blood is slowly pooling under PRUE’s head and leaking from her mouth and nose. PIPER is lying in a twisted position next to her sister, also blotched with blood. A funnel of orbs suddenly appears just behind their heads, forming into LEO WYATT.]

LEO: (terrified) Piper! (He runs to her and begins to heal her. She slowly begins to come out of it.)

PIPER: (softly, weakly) Leo! (She pauses and looks to her right.) Is Prue okay?

LEO: Just lie still. I’ll have you completely healed soon.

PIPER: But Prue!

LEO: You were both seriously hurt, almost dead; I may only be able to heal one-

PIPER: (trying to yell, but unable to because she's too weak) Don't you dare heal me just because I'm your damn wife! Heal Prue. Now! (She has a look of determination in her eyes.)

(LEO’s face is full of confusion as he looks between his wife and his sister-in-law. Then he sighs, turns to PRUE, and begins to heal her while PIPER watches as best she can. PRUE slowly begins to come out of it.)

PRUE: (softly) Dr. Griffiths?

LEO: Who?

PRUE: The innocent! Oh, God, Leo, go heal the innocent!

(Again, LEO looks first at PRUE, then at PIPER, then at PRUE, knowing both are still very close to death, unwilling to lose either of them now that both are conscious.)

PRUE: (weakly, but very insistent) Leo! Dr. Griffith! Heal! Now!

(LEO looks at PIPER questioningly. She sighs, and then nods. LEO orbs out. Both SISTERS lie back down, willing to accept their fate. LEO orbs back in.)

PRUE: (softly) Dr. Griffiths?

LEO: (regretfully) I'm sorry, he's already dead. You know I can't heal the dead. Now, please, let me do my job before I lose both of you! (PIPER nods and manages to move closer to PRUE so LEO can put one hand over each. Anxiously, he places one hand over PIPER’s head and one hand over PRUE’s. A golden light envelopes each of the sisters.)

PIPER: (weakly) Leo?

LEO: Piper, you shouldn’t-

PIPER: Where’s Ph-Phoebe? (LEO finishes healing her and PRUE. PIPER sits up, beginning to panic again.) Phoebe!

LEO: She’s in the Underworld.

PRUE: What?

LEO: This has all happened before. But the last time, you were exposed on national television. (to PIPER) You were shot and died. Phoebe had Cole make a deal with The Source to have Tempus reset time, but she had to stay in the Underworld. Cole was supposed to come warn you, and I was going to get Phoebe out of there. But they knocked Phoebe out of my orb.

PRUE: The Book of Shadows. There has to be something in there that can help us find her. (The sisters stand up and PRUE takes PIPER’s hand and runs towards the stairs.)

[Scene: Underworld. COLE TURNER hurries into the cavern in which he left PHOEBE HALLIWELL, only to see her lying on the floor with a jeweled athame sticking out of her chest. Three demons are hovering over her, including the GUARD that THE SOURCE had instructed to kill PHOEBE.]

COLE: Nooo! (His scream resonates through the room as his body begins to shake and jerk, slowly morphing into the huge black-and-red-skinned demon (BALTHAZOR). He conjures two energy balls and angrily flings them across the cavern, simultaneously hitting the lower demonic minions, leaving only THE SOURCE’s GUARD.)

GUARD: (surprised) Balthazor!

(BALTHAZOR's hand arches out and a fizzle of electricity can be heard, before a neon yellow sphere appears above his red palm. He throws it, but it ends up passing through the shimmers as the GUARD vanishes, narrowly missing its mark. Slowly, COLE fights to suppress BALTHAZOR, and ends up dropping to his knees over PHOEBE’s body.)

COLE: Phoebe… (He slides his arms under her and picks up her limp form, before shimmering out.)

[Scene: Manor. Attic. PRUE and PIPER are sitting around a small table. A silver bowl sits in the middle, filled with rosemary, cypress, and yarrow root. An athame sits beside it. The Book of Shadows is in front of the two sisters, and is opened to a spell entitled “To Call A Lost Witch.” PRUE and PIPER take hands.]

PRUE & PIPER (chanting):

“Powers of the witches’ rise,
Course unseen across the skies.
Come to us, we call you near.
Come to us, and settle here.”
(PIPER picks up the athame and slits her index finger over the bowl before handing the tool over to PRUE, who does the same. Then they lace their hands together over the pot. and continue to chant:)
“Blood to blood,
I summon thee.
Blood to blood,
Return to me!”

(A magical wind rustles their hair.)

PIPER: Did it work? (She stands up and looks around.) Phoebe!

(COLE shimmers in with a bloodied PHOEBE in his arms. PIPER gasps.)

PRUE: Leo! (She runs over to COLE.)

Clickable Credits.

[The Virtual Series]

{SCENE: The song "If You're Going Through Hell," written by Sam and Annie Tate and sung by Rodney Atkins, is heard as stock shots of San Francisco are shown while Guest Credits are rolled.}

Act One

[Scene: South Bay Social Services. A young brunette woman (PAIGE MATTHEWS) is sitting at her desk inside a small cubical. She’s staring at a burning candle that’s sitting on her desk.]

MR. COWAN (o/s): Paige, where are those print outs?

PAIGE: Ooh. (She clicks “Print” and then hops out of her chair to collect the papers. As she steps away from her cubical, a magical wind rustles behind her and the candle blows out. Then, a cloud of white lights deposit a blue flyer, which falls to the ground. She turns around as she feels the cool breeze. She groans as she sees that her candle burnt out.) I just lit that! (As she walks over to relight it, she hears a crunch under her feet and kneels down, picking up the blue flyer.) “Faith Hill to perform at P3. Ticket sales begin at ten A.M.” (PAIGE looks down at her watch. It’s 10:30 A.M. She grabs her jacket from the back of her chair, just as a tall man (MR. COWAN) walks up behind her.)

MR. COWAN: Paige! This is the last time I’m asking for those print-outs.

(PAIGE snatches the papers from the printing tray and shoves them into her boss’ hands.)

PAIGE: All done. (She stuffs the flyer into her pocket and begins to walk away.)

MR. COWAN: Where do you think you’re going? (PAIGE keeps walking.) Paige, don’t act like you can’t hear me!

PAIGE: Sorry, Mr. Cowan, but I’ll be back soon. There’s something I just realized I forgot to do. (She flashes him a smile and leaves.)

MR. COWAN: Paige? Paige! (He hears the door shut, groans, and angrily walks back to his office.)

[Cut to the Manor. Attic. PHOEBE is lying on the sofa while LEO holds his hands over the bloody hole in her stomach. It’s slowly closing up.]

PIPER: What’s taking so long?

LEO: She almost died, Piper, that’s what’s taking so long. (The golden glow from his hands fade, and PHOEBE wakes up with a gasp. She rubs her head, looking around slightly confused.)

PHOEBE: Where am I?

PRUE: You’re home, sweetie. (She places her hand over her little sister’s forehead.) But you look a little pale. (to LEO) Are you sure you healed her all the way?

LEO: (irritated) It wouldn’t have just stopped if I hadn’t.

(PHOEBE looks around, noticing that both her sisters are okay and LEO is there, but COLE is not.)

PHOEBE: Where’s Cole? (She looks to PRUE and PIPER.) You’re both okay, which means he must’ve warned you, right?

(PRUE shakes her head and PHOEBE looks to LEO for help.)

LEO: What’s the last thing you remember?

PHOEBE: (to LEO) Orbing out with you.

LEO: Demons shimmered in and threw energy balls at my orbs, hoping to knock me out of it. Instead, it just knocked you out of the orb. (He cranes his head to the side.)

PHOEBE: So how did I get here? (She watches PRUE and PIPER exchange looks.) Is there something you’re not telling me?

PIPER: Leo told us you made a deal with The Source to stay in the Underworld, so that Tempus could reset time.

(PHOEBE nods.)

PHOEBE: I do remember that. And Cole was supposed to come warn you, so that you would know about Shax attacking.

LEO: The Source double-crossed you. After time was reset, he sent his minions to kill you. But Cole came in after they’d stabbed you, vanquished two out of three of the demons, and brought you back here.

PHOEBE: So where is he now?

PIPER: Bounty hunters. He had to flee right after he got you here.

PHOEBE: How long have I been out?

PRUE: About fifteen minutes.

(PHOEBE sits up.)

PHOEBE: So now what?

PRUE: We have to find Shax, before he finds us.

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Two

[Scene: Underworld. THE SOURCE flames in and walks up behind THE ORACLE, who’s staring into her crystal ball.]

THE SOURCE: I trust you have good news for me.

THE ORACLE: I’m sorry, Sire. (She bows her head.) Balthazor hasn’t--

THE SOURCE: Leave Balthazor to the bounty hunters! I want to know about the Charmed Ones!

THE ORACLE: They were not destroyed as we hoped.

THE SOURCE: You said you saw the end of the Power of Three!

THE ORACLE: The future is ever changing, and when magical forces are at play, one can only hypothesize the outcome!

(THE SOURCE curls his bony, yellowed hand.)

THE SOURCE: What about the youngest?

(THE ORACLE stares into her crystal ball, seeing an image of PHOEBE.)

THE ORACLE: She doesn’t know yet. None of them know yet.

THE SOURCE: Good. I want her to be our first target. She’ll be defenseless. (He starts to flame out but stops.) And Oracle, when I return, you had better have good news for me! We both know that there is someone else I can get more, shall we say, reliable information from. (He flames out.)

[Cut to the Manor. Kitchen. PHOEBE is sitting at the table, hunched over the Book of Shadows. PRUE walks in.]

PRUE: Still looking for a summoning spell?

PHOEBE: Yes. (She turns the page.) I figure that if we can find one, or even write one ourselves, that we might be able to summon Shax to the crystal cage and then say the vanquishing spell.

(PRUE grabs an apple from the fruit bowl.)

PRUE: Phoebe--

PHOEBE: What? It’s a good idea, and you know it!

PRUE: It sounds like it might be more trouble than it’s worth.

PHOEBE: Oh come on, that’s not why you don’t want to do this and you know it! (She sets the Book on the kitchen table and stands up, placing her hands on her hips.) Besides, you said yourself that we can’t afford to wait for Shax to come after us again.

PRUE: But what if something goes wrong? We’ve never done a summoning spell on a demon before.

PHOEBE: Cole.

PRUE: He’s different. That spell was already in the Book. You’re talking about writing your own.

PHOEBE: Only if we can’t find a generic one in the Book. (She turns to the Book of Shadows and turns the page again.)

PRUE: Phoebe, I…Look out!

(PHOEBE spins around just as an energy ball comes pummeling towards her. Her eyes widen, and she ducks, allowing the energy ball to fly just over her head. The apple drops from PRUE’s hand, and she throws out her arm, sending the demon flying into the wall. As PHOEBE stands up and gets into a fighting stance, she gets a good look at the demon’s face.)

[Flashback: Underworld. Orbs are ascending towards the ceiling of the cave when THE SOURCE’s DEMONIC GUARD runs in. He conjures an energy ball, flings it at the cloud of orbs, and PHOEBE falls out as the rest of the orbs vanish through the rocky ceiling. She rolls across the ground, landing at the feet of the GUARD. She looks up and catches his gaze just as he conjures an athame and thrusts it into her chest. The athame glows as two more demons shimmer in.]

[Cut to the present. The sound of PRUE flying into the refrigerator yanks PHOEBE out of her daze. PRUE slips to the floor, unconscious.]

PHOEBE: Prue! (She runs at the demon and jumps into the air, expecting to send a levitating kick into his gut. Instead, she falls to the ground with a thud. The DEMONIC GUARD walks over to PRUE and conjures another athame, almost exactly like the one he used to stab PHOEBE, and moves to stab PRUE. However, as he leans in, footsteps pound into the kitchen, and an explosion sends him flying forward into the cabinets below the sink. PHOEBE turns to see PIPER in the entryway. The DEMON shimmers out as PIPER raises her hands again.)

PIPER: What the hell happened in here? (She runs over to PRUE, who moans as she slowly wakes up.)

PHOEBE: That demon threw Prue into the fridge, and when I tried to attack him, I couldn’t levitate. (She stands up and offers her hand, helping PRUE up too.) You guys don’t still happen to have that athame he stabbed me with, do you?

PIPER: Yeah, why?

PHOEBE: I have a bad feeling I know what happened to me in the Underworld.

[Scene: P3. PAIGE walks up to the front doors, finding that a long line has already formed. She sighs and gets at the end of the line. A young man (GLENN BELLAND) walks up behind her.]

GLENN: Paige? Paige Matthews? Are my eyes deceiving me or is it really you?

(PAIGE spins around.)

PAIGE: Glenn Belland? Well I’ll be damned! (She grins.) What are you doing here? I mean, when did you get back in town? The last time I saw you, you were getting on a plane to go to Australia.

GLENN: I got back a few weeks ago. I’ve been back at home with the ‘rents, while I’m looking for a new place. (He winks.) I’m thinking about staying in San Francisco for a while.

(PAIGE’s grin grows wider.)

PAIGE: Really? Wow. How things change. Last I knew, you didn’t want to stay here.

GLENN: Yeah, well, turns out there are some things here that I really missed.

(PAIGE turns her head away, blushing a little.)

PAIGE: So...uh…what are you doing here? I mean, at P3?

(GLENN waves at the line.)

GLENN: I’m guessing the same thing as you. Faith Hill tickets?

(PAIGE nods.)

PAIGE: I didn’t know you liked country.

GLENN: (laughing) I don’t. I’m picking up the tickets for my Mom. (He folds his arms.) Funny, I don’t remember you being a country girl either.

PAIGE: Because I’m not. Aunt Julie’s the huge country fan, remember? When I saw the flyer, (she pulls the flyer from her pocket) I decided to come down here and see if I could pick some up. Faith Hill is Aunt Julie’s favorite singer, and I know she’d love to see her live.

GLENN: Hey, maybe after we get through this line, we could sit down for a drink? (He smirks.) Margarita for me, mineral water for you, just like old times?

PAIGE: You remembered.

(GLENN pats her back.)

GLENN: I promised you I’d never forget, and I intend to keep that promise. (He and PAIGE both smile.)

[Scene: Manor. Attic. PHOEBE is holding the jeweled athame up, as she stares at a page in the Book of Shadows.]

PHOEBE: I was afraid of this.

PRUE: Now are you going to clue us in?

PHOEBE: I can’t believe you guys didn’t recognize this sooner. (She waves it at PRUE and PIPER, who both step back.)

PIPER: Hey, Missy, be careful where you’re waving those things! You don’t want to poke somebody’s eye out, do you?

(PHOEBE glares.)

PHOEBE: Look! Doesn’t it look familiar to you?

(PRUE takes the athame from her sister and examines it.)

PRUE: No. (She hands it to PIPER.) Piper?

(PIPER looks at it, and then shakes her head. Glaring, PHOEBE takes it back as she turns the pedestal around so that her sisters can see the page she found in the Book.)

PHOEBE: It’s the same athame that demons and warlocks use to steal a witch’s powers. When that demon attacked down in the kitchen, I knew I’d seen him somewhere before. It brought back a vague flashback of what Leo described to us as he and I were orbing out of the Underworld. (She holds up the athame again.) I think our demon friend used this to steal my powers, which would explain why I couldn’t levitate back there.

PRUE: So does that mean you can’t cast spells anymore either? I mean, are you even a witch?

PHOEBE: He just stole my physical powers. The power to cast spells are innate.

PRUE: So you think you’re still good to help us vanquish Shax?

PHOEBE: Yes.

PIPER: So...you’re telling me that some high-level demon is shimmering around town with your premonitions and levitation? (PHOEBE nods.) This day just keeps getting better and better!

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Three

[Scene: P3. PAIGE and GLENN take a seat at a small table in the back of the club. A WAITRESS walks up.]

WAITRESS: Can I take your--

GLENN: One margarita me for and one mineral water for the lady.

(The WAITRESS scribbles the order down on her pad.)

WAITRESS: Anything else?

PAIGE: No, thank you.

WAITRESS: Okay. Coming right up.

GLENN: Thanks.

(The WAITRESS walks away. GLENN waits until she does, and then turns to PAIGE.)

GLENN: So, Paige, how’s everything been? I mean…I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you? What’s going on in your life?

PAIGE: (laughs.) Not much, actually. Same old, same old. I’m still trying to get promoted to social worker: I’m still living in that dumpy little apartment… (She pulls a pen out of her purse and begins to absently toy with it.) Oh! I did get a bird! He’s a cute little blue and white parakeet.

GLENN: Oh yeah? What’s his name?

PAIGE: Oscar.

GLENN: Oscar?

PAIGE: It was the first name I saw when I opened up some cheesy romance novel I picked up for two-ninety-nine in Chinatown. (She grabs a napkin and begins to doodle with the pen. She looks up as the WAITRESS brings them their drinks and walks away. She grabs her mineral water and takes a sip.) How about you? What did you see while you were in Australia?

GLENN: Meh. (He sips his margarita.) It’s not as great as it’s hyped up to be. (His eyes light up.) Oh! But I do have a picture I can show you. (He grabs his wallet from his back pocket and flips it open to show PAIGE.)

PAIGE: Is that a kangaroo?

GLENN: Pretty snazzy, huh? Her name was Perry. (He chuckles.) Made me think of you. You know, with the whole “P” thing. (He winks.) Anyway, she was in some wildlife rescue. Apparently she was found abandon as a baby, and they were supposed to release her back into the wild in a few days.

PAIGE: Sounds like you had quite the time.

GLENN: It would’ve been better had you been there.

PAIGE: Oh come on, we aren’t going to start that again, are we? You know I couldn’t come! Not that I didn’t want to, because I did. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t afford to just up and leave like that.

(GLENN stuffs the wallet back into his pocket.)

GLENN: Yeah, I know. (His face changes from happy to a little disappointed, and he sets a ten-dollar bill on the table.) Hey, well, I should be getting these tickets to my Mom. (He smiles.) I’ll see you around?

PAIGE: Yeah.

GLENN: Do you still have the same number? (PAIGE nods.) Well then, maybe I’ll call you, okay?

PAIGE: Sure. (GLENN waves and she waves back until she sees him walk out the door. Her head drops to her chest.) Nice going, Paige. (She gets up from the table, looks around, and spots a bathroom sign above the hallway across the room and heads towards it. The pen and napkin she’d been drawing on are left on the table. It’s a drawing of something that looks strikingly like the triquetra, but with a fourth arch.)

[Cut to P3's Parking Lot. PIPER’s jeep pulls up. PIPER hops out of the driver’s side, PRUE, the passenger’s side, and PHOEBE, the back seat.]

PRUE: I can’t believe you left the scrying crystal at the club!

PHOEBE: Well, I’m so sorry that I’m not perfect, Prue! I had a premonition; I grabbed the map and crystal, and went to pick Piper up at the club so that we could go save the doctor. It could’ve happened to anybody!

PIPER: Would you two please just stop arguing? (She bursts through the front doors and stomps down the stairs.) I’d just like to get this over and done with, okay? What’s in the past is in the past, and we can’t change that now.

PHOEBE: Actually--

PIPER: Phoebe! (She pinches her thumb and index finger together, and makes a zipping noise across her lips.) And that goes for you too! (She wags her finger at PRUE.) Now where, exactly, did you leave it? (PHOEBE mimics PIPER’s zipping motion.) Don’t play games with me, Phoebe! You know exactly what I mean.

PHOEBE: (rolls her eyes.) It’s in the back room. I think I might’ve left it on your desk while you were doing inventory.

PIPER: Great. (She heads for the back room with PHOEBE at her heels, only to realize that PRUE isn’t following.) Uh, Prue? Something wrong?

PRUE: Did you just feel that?

PHOEBE: Feel what?

PRUE: That cold chill.

PIPER: Well the front doors are open. (She points to the long line of people waiting for Faith Hill tickets, which leads right out the front door.)

PRUE: No. It wasn’t that. It was… (Her eyes widen.) You don’t think Shax would attack us in public, do you? (She looks around at all the people in the club. PHOEBE gasps.)

PHOEBE: He did before! That’s how you got exposed and why… (She looks at PIPER, not wanting to tell her sister that she had died once already.)

PRUE: Freeze the club!

PIPER: What if I blow them up?

PRUE: Take the risk!

(PIPER raises her hands and the entire club freezes. Just as that happens, a crack of thunder is heard and a tornado of wind appears on the stage. SHAX appears, followed by a thunderous moan, and conjures a massive whitish energy ball, which he sends hurdling towards the sisters.)

PRUE: Oh, oh! (She throws up her hand, redirecting the energy ball back at SHAX, barely affecting him.) Pheebs, the spell! (As PHOEBE begins looking for the vanquishing spell in her purse, PAIGE wanders out of the hallway which leads to and from the bathrooms. When she sees SHAX and the SISTERS, she stops dead in her tracks and her brown eyes widen in fear. PRUE elbows PIPER.)

PRUE: Piper, look!

(Both PIPER and PHOEBE look up. Though PHOEBE is still searching for the spell, her eyes watch PAIGE.)

PIPER: Oh! (She raises her hands, trying to freeze PAIGE.) Prue, it’s not working!

(SHAX spins around, seeing PAIGE at the edge of the hallway. He lets out a moan and summons another white energy ball, which he hurls at PAIGE. She screams, her hands fly up to her face, and then she orbs out. The energy ball hits the wall, leaving a large black scorch mark just as PAIGE orbs back in. PHOEBE holds up the spell.)

PHOEBE: Got it!

(PAIGE screams and runs for the stairs, only then realizing that everyone else in P3 are stationary. PRUE moves to run after her.)

PIPER: Prue, no! The spell! (She gathers PRUE and PHOEBE’s hands, and they all look down at the spell.)

PRUE, PIPER, & PHOEBE (chanting):
“Evil wind that blows
That which forms below,
No longer may you dwell:
Death takes you with this spell!”

(SHAX moans and then explodes in a real vanquish. PHOEBE breaks away from PIPER and folds her arms.)

PHOEBE: One problem down, two more to go.

(The freeze wears off and EVERYONE at P3 resumes their actions.)

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Four

[Time Lapse. Manor, Living Room. PRUE and PIPER are sitting on the couch, while PHOEBE paces the room and rants at LEO.]

PHOEBE: I know what I saw, Leo. This girl orbed! As in, disappearing and reappearing in sparkly, white and blue lights.

PIPER: And she didn’t freeze. I couldn’t freeze her. I tried, Prue and Phoebe saw me. (As LEO opens his mouth, PIPER quickly cuts him off.) And I know nothing’s wrong with my freezing power, because I just froze the club a few minutes before she walked out.

PRUE: And besides that, Piper’s powers always work on whitelighters. She’s always freezing you. And that one prude…Natalie, was it? Piper froze her too. So why would her powers just suddenly not work on a whitelighter?

PIPER: Speaking of Natalie, maybe this girl is a demon who stole the power to orb from a whitelighter? If that Eames could do it, then who’s to say someone else couldn’t?

(PRUE nodded slowly.)

PRUE: It would explain why she didn’t freeze. Not all demons freeze.

PHOEBE: But not why she ran.

PIPER: (sarcastically) Uh, because we’re the Charmed Ones? We don’t exactly mix with demons, Pheebs.

PHOEBE: But why run when she could’ve just orbed out of there? I mean, I don’t even think she knew she could orb! Did you see the distraught look on her face when she orbed back in? It makes me wonder if she even knows about magic. She seemed scared out of her mind when she saw Shax, and then it only got worse when she realized that everyone at P3 was frozen.

LEO: (yelling) Could I please get a word in?! (The SISTERS stop talking and look at LEO.) Thank you. (He closes his eyes in thought.) Look, Phoebe, I don’t know what to tell you about this so-called orbing--

PHOEBE: I know what I saw, Leo.

LEO: Okay, fine, I believe you. But you need to believe me. Whitelighters go through a lot of training to become what they are. They wouldn’t just endow someone with angelic powers and not let them know that they’re a whitelighter.

PRUE: So what’re you telling us, Leo? That we’re just S.O.L.?

LEO: No, I’m not saying that at all. I just… (He sighs.) I could go check with The Elders? Would that make you happy?

PIPER (rolls her eyes): Like They’d know anything.

LEO: Piper--

PIPER:(waves her hand): No, it’s fine. Go check with Them. I’m just saying that I doubt They’ll be any help. (She folds her arms.) But you have to get back here soon. Darryl called us on the way home, and he told me that some guy named Officer Cortez is coming over to investigate Dr. Griffiths’ death. And since you were the one who told the police you found the body, he’s going to want to talk to you first.

LEO: I’ll be back as soon as I can. (He kisses her cheek and orbs out.)

PIPER: (to the ceiling) That has nothing to do with what I just said!

[Scene: Underworld, Oracle's Chambers. THE SOURCE flames in behind THE ORACLE, who once again is staring into her crystal ball.]

THE SOURCE: Shax failed.

THE ORACLE: I know; I saw his vanquish. The Power of Three is strong. You shouldn’t underestimate them.

THE SOURCE: You’ve given me disappointing information twice now. (He forms a fireball and bounces it in his palm.) I have no further use for you.

THE ORACLE: I wouldn’t be so sure of that.

THE SOURCE: What’re you talking about? (The fireball stops bouncing.)

THE ORACLE: The Power of Three is about to become that much stronger.

THE SOURCE: What?

(THE ORACLE runs her hands over her crystal ball.)

THE ORACLE: I see a love. A forbidden love. (She smiles.) And a long-hidden secret revealed.

(THE SOURCE raises the fireball again.)

THE SOURCE: I don’t care for your tongues, Oracle.

THE ORACLE: I see another. (She stares deep into her crystal ball.) The fourth sister. (She looks to THE SOURCE.) The Power of Four.

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Five

[Time lapse. The Manor. Foyer. The doorbell rings. PHOEBE runs down the stairs.]

PHOEBE: I’ll get it! (She runs to the door and opens it to find a police officer (CORTEZ)) You must be Inspector Cortez. (She holds out her hand.) Darryl told us you were coming. Hi, I’m Phoebe Halliwell.

(CORTEZ gives her a strange look as he shakes her hand. He walks inside and PHOEBE shuts the door behind him.)

CORTEZ: Is Mr. Leo Wyatt home?

(PIPER walks in from the other room.)

PIPER: Inspector Cortez?

CORTEZ: It seems as though everyone knows who I am, but I’m afraid I haven’t been briefed on you.

(PIPER laughs nervously.)

PIPER: Piper Halliwell, Leo Wyatt’s wife. I assume you’re looking for my husband? (He nods. She glances over at the taped off area of their living room, where SHAX’s attack occurred.) He should be home any time now.

(CORTEZ pulls a notepad and pen from his coat pocket.)

CORTEZ: And where is your husband now?

PIPER: At work.

CORTEZ: And that would be…

PIPER: He’s a-a-a handyman! He takes freelance jobs.

CORTEZ: Right. (He scribbles something onto his notepad.) And neither of you know anything about the murder that took place here, in your home? (PHOEBE and PIPER shake their heads.) What about your older sister? Prue, is it?

PIPER: I thought you weren’t briefed on us.

CORTEZ: I never said I didn’t know your names. (He flashes a fake smile.) I used reasonable deduction. Three sisters, two names down…there was only one possibility left. (PHOEBE nods.) So, about Prue?

PHOEBE: She was with us when Leo found the body.

CORTEZ: Really? (He makes another note.) And where were you?

PIPER: At my club.

CORTEZ: Can anyone confirm your story? (He turns, seeing PRUE come down the stairs.) So glad you could join us. Prue, right?

(CORTEZ holds out his hand, stopping PRUE at the last step. She looks at her sisters as she shakes his hand.)

PRUE: What’s going on down here?

PIPER: This is Inspector Cortez. He was just talking with us while we’re waiting for Leo to get home from his latest handyman job.

PHOEBE: We were just telling him how we were at the club when we found out about the murder.

PIPER: I was just about to say we were in the back room. Prue and Phoebe were helping me take inventory. It’s a big job for one person, you know?

CORTEZ: I’m sorry, when did you say your husband would be home again?

PIPER: I didn’t, (she smiles sweetly) because I don’t know.

(CORTEZ begins to respond when a small beeping erupts from his pants pocket. He curses under his breath.)

CORTEZ: Excuse me.

PIPER: Of course.

(CORTEZ pulls out his pager and walks to the other side of the room. Moments later, he pulls out his cell phone and dials a number before pressing it to his ear.)

CORTEZ: (whispering) What’s going on? (pause) No, no I can’t. (pause) I’m right in the middle of an interview! (pause) Fine! (He hangs up and turns to the sisters.) Unfortunately I have a double homicide I have to get to, so I have to leave right away. But I will be back sometime between today and tomorrow.

PIPER: (nods.) I’m sorry we couldn’t get this squared away right now.

CORTEZ: No need to worry, we will. (He begins to walk out the door before he turns back quickly.) I’ll be seeing all of you ladies very soon. (to Piper) And your husband. (He leaves.)

PRUE: (sarcastic) He was cheery.

(A cloud of orbs begin to descend from the ceiling, forming into LEO.)

PIPER: Oh! Great, you’re just in time. The wonderful Inspector Cortez just left. (She rolls her eyes.) What did you find out?

PRUE: Do The Elders know who she is?

PHOEBE: Is she a whitelighter?

LEO: The Elders don’t know anything about her, so she’s definitely not a whitelighter.

PHOEBE: (confused) Then why can she orb?

LEO: They don’t know.

(COLE shimmers in. PHOEBE runs to him and kisses him, but he seems distracted and doesn’t respond to the kiss.)

COLE: (breathless) Is it true?

PRUE: (glaring) Is what true?

COLE: You haven’t heard? (PHOEBE and PIPER shake their heads. COLE looks to LEO, who looks equally confused. Then he looks back at PRUE.) It’s all over the Underworld…

(PIPER crosses her arms.)

PIPER: What is?

COLE: The news about the fourth Charmed One. (The room goes silent and COLE glances at each of the sisters.) Your sister.

To Be Continued…

[The Virtual Series]

End Credits

Co-Starring
Michael Bailey Smith --- Shax
David Reivers --- Bob Cowan
Keren Bensoussan --- Waitress
Michael Bailey Smith --- The Source

Featuring
Michael Bailey Smith --- Belthazor
Mylo Ironbear --- The Source's Guard
Tim Sitarz --- Demon #1
Damian Foster --- Demon #2

Production & Design
Daniel (Forever Yours) - Casting Director
Britt (The Original P3) - Video Editor (Credits)
White Orleander - Set Designer

[Chris]

I loved it!! I loved the plot, rising action, ect! Keep up the good work everyone!!

[Piper Halliwell]

Woah! Amazing! I love this! Cant wait for next part!

[xxP3Halliwellxx]

This was an aswome first epi, good job, I can't wait to read the next one. Fantastice, way better then the tv series one.

[Brent]

"Charmed" was the best TV show (in my book) up until season 5. Writing of "Charmed" ever since then just went downhill but you've managed to recapture that very same writing that I loved about the show when it was still vibrant, young, fresh, and brilliant! Nearly 5 years later and you still manage to pull it off, that really says something. First of all, that you're extremely talented and secondly that you too yourself are, obviously, a huge fan of the show. The little tidbits that you put here and there with the continuity and re-inventing of the introduction of Paige, Glen, Mr. Cowan just like they actually were in the series (to some extent). It was refreshing to read a "Charmed" fanfic that didn't suck and that was to extreme high quailty. I have devastated when the series ended because I felt it was ending on such a horrible note, creative wise, and I just felt everything began to suck about the series so it really is amazing that after 5 years you "reset" everything to the way it might have been....

Wow, after 1 episode you got yourself a fan

[Astral Echo]

Thankyou very much Brent, your kind words have really made my day. After reading the kind of episodes you, Triple J and Charles wrote on the Virtual Series I hoped that our series would be just as successful. I'm glad your fan already as I'm sure you will like the other episodes that have already aired. Again thank you and I can't wait to hear the comments you make on our other four episodes and the other episodes yet to come.

[Brent]

I'm in aw that you were a reader of Charmed: The Virtual Seasons...it's a shame the way the series ended (not properly). Anyways as you said I myself cannot wait to complete your already aired episodes and am excited about the word on your merging to OVN....