6x12: The Old Bait And Witch

[The Virtual Series]

CHARMED: RESET REALITY (A new Alternate Universe series brought to you by Daniel, 4Ever, Drama, 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
DORIAN GREGORY...Darryl Morris
CHELSEA BRUMMET...Melinda Halliwell
DREW FULLER...Chris Halliwell

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

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 credits. 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.

6.12 THE OLD BAIT AND WITCH

GUEST-STARRING:
BILLY ZANE
KEITH SZARABAJKA
RAY PROSCIA
JULIE KAYE
DAVID CHISUM
JENNIFER BADGER
REBECCA BALDING

Script written by...CAMILLE (FOUREVER CHARMED)

Script edited by...DRAMA (ASSASSIN WITCH)

Script proofread by...CAMILLE (FOUREVER CHARMED), DRAMA (ASSASSIN WITCH), DTAYLOR (ASTRAL ECHO)

Executive Producer...DTAYLOR (ASTRAL ECHO)

Produced by...DRAMA, FOUREVER CHARMED, XENITH

Directed by...Mel Damski

[The Virtual Series]

The Old Bait And Witch

Teaser

[Scene: P3. PRUE HALLIWELL is sitting at the bar, sipping on a mineral water with a wedge of lime. Music is playing in the background, MONICA SINCLAIR is behind the bar serving two apple martinis to a young couple, and all around lights are flashing and people are dancing. PRUE swirls her straw in her glass.]

MAN's VOICE: (questioningly) Prue?

(PRUE swivels around on the barstool and her mouth falls open.)

PRUE: (shocked) Mitch!

(MITCH PERKINS looks stunned as he stares back at PRUE.)

PRUE: Oh my gosh, (she struggles to get off the barstool) how did you…how are you? (She shakes her head.) I thought you were in Kenya!

(The stun begins to wear off and he slowly nods his head.)

MITCH: Uh, yeah. I just got back last week. (He eyes her belly but tries not to stare.) I’m good. (pause) How are you?

(PRUE looks down at her bulging belly. Her cheeks flush slightly.)

PRUE: I’m…alright. (She shrugs sheepishly.)

MITCH: Looks like you’ve had a fair amount going on since we last saw each other.

PRUE: (awkwardly) Yeah, you could say that. (She begins to pick at her cuticles.) It’s kind of a long story. (pause) Uh, no offense or anything, but how did you know I’d be here?

MITCH: I was really just hoping. I remembered you said your sister owns this place, so I just figured I might get lucky. (pause) I guess the third time’s a charm, right?

PRUE: (curiously) The third time?

(MITCH smiles slightly.)

MITCH: It’s the third night I’ve been here, actually. I figured if you weren’t here tonight, you probably wouldn’t be, but then just when I thought I was out of luck, (he motions to the bar) there you were!

(PRUE can’t help but smile. A couple bumps into MITCH as they’re dancing. MITCH steps to the side as the couple giggles and disappears into the crowd.)

MITCH: Hey, do you mind sitting down back there? (He points to the vacant table.) It’s a little crowded over here.

PRUE: Sure. (She grabs her mineral water and they head over to the table and sit down. She begins to stir the drink with her straw again.) So…what have you been up to? How was the Peace Corps?

MITCH: It was hard, I won’t lie, but I know it was worth it. I believe that it’s important to help people when you have things that others don’t, you know what I mean?

(PRUE smiles.)

PRUE: I completely agree.

[Cut to the back room. PAIGE MATTHEWS ducks inside and shuts the door, locking it behind her. She leans against the door, breathing a sigh of relief. PIPER HALLIWELL spies her sister as she’s going through stacks of papers on her desk.]

PIPER: Something wrong?

(PAIGE jumps.)

PAIGE: Piper! (She presses her hand to her chest.) You startled me. I didn’t know you were in here.

PIPER: Sorry. (muttering) Damnit, I swear it was here the last time I checked.

PAIGE: What?

PIPER: A copy of my latest band contract. They’re trying to get out of playing and I don’t intend on letting them. (She pauses and eyes PAIGE suspiciously.) What are you doing back here?

PAIGE: Hiding from Roy.

PIPER: The dorky guy who was downing the cosmos at the bar last week?

PAIGE: That would be the one. (She frowns.) I agreed to go out on two dates with him because I felt kinda bad for him, but now I see him everywhere I go! It’s just plain creepy. (She walks over to the filing cabinet and grabs a paper off the top of it.) Hey, this wouldn’t be what you’re looking for, would it?

(PIPER snatches the paper from PAIGE’s hands.)

PIPER: Yes! (grumbling) How did it get over there? (She rolls her eyes and heads for the door.)

PAIGE: (singsong) You’re welcome!

PIPER: (rolling her eyes) Thank you! (She opens the door.) Good luck with hiding out.

PAIGE: (sarcastically) Thanks. (PIPER leaves. PAIGE wrinkles her nose and flops down at PIPER’s desk and opens her sister’s laptop.) I wonder if this thing has Internet. (She turns it on.)

[Cut into the laptop screen, traveling through multiple electrical links of the World Wide Web and exit through another computer screen, ending in a small apartment. A man is sitting in front of his computer. The URL in his search browser reads “http://www.SoulMateFinder.com/register/terms_of_service” and a page with the title “Terms of Service” is on the screen. It has a scroll bar that the mouse is pulling down and the man is hardly skimming through the words. As he comes to the end of the Terms, he clicks “I Agree” and presses the “Enter” button. A new page appears with the words “Electronic Signature” above an empty white box. The man types in “Dean Wallace” and clicks the “Signed” button with his mouse. The page fades to white as it loads and then the words “Thank You” appear on screen. Suddenly, the computer screen glows and the man screams as he’s sucked from his chair and pulled into the computer screen and disappears. The “Thank You” message remains on the screen, casting an eerie glow in the darkness.]

Clickable Credits.

[The Virtual Series]

{SCENE: The song “Beautiful Girls,” written and sung by Jojo, is heard as stock shots of San Francisco are shown while the Guest Credits are rolled.}

Act One

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. PHOEBE HALLIWELL is sitting at the kitchen table with her glasses on, busily typing away at her laptop. Within arm’s length is her “Best Baby Sister” mug with a continuous swirl of steam rising from it. PRUE walks in with a bright smile on her face and she’s even humming under her breath. PHOEBE stops typing and looks up curiously as she watches her eldest sister begin to rummage through the refrigerator.]

PHOEBE: (suspiciously) What’s gotten into you?

PRUE: What do you mean? (She extracts a carton of orange juice from the fridge.)

PHOEBE: You’ve been Ms. Glum Chum all week and now you’re all smiley and humming. (She folds her arms and leans back in her chair, narrowing her eyes behind her glasses. As PRUE pours herself a glass of orange juice, PHOEBE gasps.) It’s a guy!

(PRUE grins as she caps the orange juice carton.)

PRUE: Maybe it is.

(PHOEBE abandons her laptop and anxiously moves to the island, staring at her sister with wide eyes.)

PHOEBE: Spill!

(PRUE returns the orange juice to the fridge.)

PRUE: You’ve already met him.

(PHOEBE frowns.)

PHOEBE: I have? (Her face darkens.) Oh please, don’t tell me Matt suddenly popped back into your life.

PRUE: (annoyed) God no!

PHOEBE: (stumped) Then who?

PRUE: Remember Mitch?

PHOEBE: Mitch? (She shakes her head.) No…

PRUE: Halloween, sixteen-seventy…

(PHOEBE raises her finger.)

PHOEBE: Wait a minute, Micah’s reincarnation Mitch?

PRUE: That would be the one.

PHOEBE: I thought he was joining the Peace Corps?

PRUE: He did, for twenty months actually, but he’s back in the states now.

PHOEBE: (grinning) Yeah…so… (She wiggles her fingers.) Did you guys relight that old flame?

PRUE: It wasn’t really a flame, Pheebs. We only went on a few dates - and Halloween of course - before he had to fly out.

PHOEBE: Okay, so it was a spark then. Either way, did anything happen?

(PRUE touches her belly.)

PRUE: (deadpanning) Do you really think anything happened?

PHOEBE: Ooh…how did he take that?

PRUE: Surprisingly…well. He congratulated me. He said he was sorry things hadn’t worked out between Matt and I. (PHOEBE scoffs.) He even asked when the baby shower is.

(PHOEBE giggles.)

PHOEBE: You know I always did like that guy.

(PAIGE walks into the kitchen.)

PAIGE: Who are we talking about? (She makes a beeline for the coffee maker.)

PHOEBE: Prue’s new-old beau.

(PAIGE holds the sugar canister upside down over her coffee mug, allowing a long stream of white crystals to pour from the spout.)

PAIGE: Oh yeah? Is he cute?

PRUE: Very. It’s kind of a boyish cuteness.

(PAIGE grabs a spoon from the drawer and begins to stir her coffee.)

PAIGE: That is the best kind.

PHOEBE: (rolling her eyes) No way. Tall, dark and handsome takes the cake.

PRUE: Look who’s talking, Mrs. Appleby.

(PHOEBE sighs dreamily and flutters her eyes as she stares at the ceiling.)

PHOEBE: Yeah, Billy is the perfect man… (Her dreamy expression fades away.) But as far as real men, I retain my position on the tall, dark and handsomes.

(PHOEBE folds her arms stubbornly. DRAKE DE'MON shimmers into the kitchen.)

PAIGE: Talk about timing!

DRAKE: What? (He eyes PAIGE. PAIGE sips her coffee.)

PAIGE: Nothing.

(PHOEBE leans over the edge of the island.)

PHOEBE: (curiously) No offense, Drake, but what are you doing here?

(DRAKE flexes his fingers.)

DRAKE: I’m afraid I’m going to need your help with something.

PRUE: (suspiciously) Help?

DRAKE: Charmed help.

PAIGE: (groaning) I was afraid of that.

PHOEBE: With what?

DRAKE: Well… (He looks around and spots PHOEBE’s laptop.) There. (He walks over and sits down. PHOEBE runs across the kitchen.)

PHOEBE: Hey, wait a minute! (She yanks her laptop away from DRAKE.) My column’s on there! (She glares at him as she saves her document.) What do you need my laptop for?

DRAKE: To show you the problem. You do have Internet access, right?

PHOEBE: Of course I have Internet access. (She closes her Word document and brings up the Internet and slides her laptop back to DRAKE.) Okay, hurry up.

(DRAKE types in “http://www.SoulMateFinder.com” into the search browser and presses “Enter.” PAIGE lifts an eyebrow.)

PAIGE: SoulMateFinder.com? Uh, you do realize that helping people find love, even if they are demons, is a little out of our jurisdiction, don’t you?

(DRAKE ignores PAIGE’s quip and clicks the “Register” link and then clicks the “Terms of Service” link. PRUE looks at her watch.)

PRUE: We all have jobs that we need to get to-

DRAKE: Here! (He highlights a section of the Terms of Service with the mouse.)

PAIGE: “…and by electronically signing your name you agree to the signing over of your body and soul to the aforementioned title-holders of SoulMateFinder.com.”

PHOEBE: And how is this demonic?

DRAKE: Signing away your soul doesn’t sound demonic to you?

PHOEBE: To be honest, it sounds like a joke.

DRAKE: Not in a legally binding Terms of Service agreement! (He shakes his head in irritation.) This is why it’s so perfect.

PRUE: (sarcastically) How do you figure?

DRAKE: Nobody ever reads the Terms of Service. The mentality is, “If I want to sign up, I have to agree, so why read it if I’m going to agree anyway?”

PAIGE: So, how did you find this then?

DRAKE: I’m a demon looking for romance, Paige…and I also pride myself in reading the fine print.

(PRUE rubs her temples.)

PRUE: Oh boy, I really don’t have time for this right now.

PHOEBE: Well, if this is a viable threat to innocents, we can’t just do nothing.

(PAIGE groans from behind her coffee mug.)

PAIGE: (to PRUE) Okay, you know what? You go to work. (to PHOEBE) And you, you just started your job and it wouldn’t be a good idea to start calling in sick on your first official week. (She pushes on PRUE’s shoulder, shoving her towards the exit.)

PHOEBE: (to PAIGE) What about you? Don’t you have to work today?

PAIGE: I was going to schedule my routine foster check-ups for this afternoon, but if I switch them to this morning, it’ll give me an excuse for not being at South Bay, so I think I can swing it. You two on the other hand, (she wiggles her fingers impatiently) goooo!

(PHOEBE gives PAIGE a quick hug.)

PHOEBE: That’s why you’re my favorite sister!

PRUE: Hey! (She swats PHOEBE. PHOEBE sticks her tongue out at PRUE and then grabs her laptop.)

PHOEBE: I’ll call you later to see how things are going. (She leaves. PRUE grabs her orange juice.)

PRUE: Call me if you find anything, but (to DRAKE) I hope you’re wrong.

DRAKE: That makes two of us. (PRUE leaves. He turns to PAIGE.)

PAIGE: So, where do you suggest we start?

(DRAKE wraps his arm around PAIGE’s waist.)

DRAKE: I’ve got the perfect idea! (He shimmers her out of the Manor.)

[Scene: P3. PIPER and MONICA are sitting at a table across from a couple that appears slightly younger than PIPER. The man, TERRANCE SIGGSON, is wearing a mustache reminiscent of Hitler’s and the woman, DARLA DREESE, has bouncing blonde curls and a thick curl of bangs parted in the middle, giving her the appearance of a real life Sailor Moon. She has her arms wrapped around TERRANCE and she keeps kissing him and giggling in a high pitch. PIPER looks particularly annoyed, but she’s gritting her teeth and attempting to bear it. MONICA lightly pats PIPER’s arm and leans forward.]

MONICA: So…Victorian themed engagement party-

DARLA: (squealing in a valley girl accent) Yes! (She kisses TERRANCE on the cheek.) We want everything to be Victorian! A Victorian engagement party, a Victorian wedding, a Victorian honeymoon, a Victorian house…we just (emphasizing) love the Victorian Era! (She runs her hand through TERRANCE’s short hair.) Don’t we baby?!

TERRANCE: Yes we do! (He grabs the sides of her face and heatedly kisses her. PIPER forces a smile.)

PIPER: (to MONICA through gritted teeth) Kill me now.

(MONICA squeezes PIPER’s arm.)

MONICA: Uh, you do realize that P3 gets quite good business and to shut it down for a day, let alone a night, is a big price dip for us…so when we rent the club out for parties, our prices are pretty steep.

TERRANCE: Oh, that ain’t no problem for us. (He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a checkbook. PIPER gives MONICA a pleading look.)

MONICA: Well, surely there are better places for a Victorian themed party than a club. (pause) How about a Victorian home, for example? San Francisco has an abundance!

(DARLA waves her arm.)

DARLA: (valley girl accent) Oh, we thought a’ that, but this place, P3, it’s where we met! We couldn’t possibly have it anywhere else!

(TERRANCE slides the check across the table to PIPER.)

TERRANCE: Will that cover ya?

(PIPER picks up the check and looks at it. Her eyes bug out of her head. MONICA leans over to look and both their mouths drop open.)

PIPER: (gasping) The Twins could go to Harvard on that! (She looks over the check and smiles.) What date did you have in mind?

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Two

[Scene: Drake’s penthouse. DRAKE is seated on the couch with his laptop in his lap, while PAIGE is anxiously flailing her arms beside him.]

PAIGE: Are you crazy?! You can’t just tell me that you think this website is stealing souls and then go give yours away! (She grabs at the laptop, but DRAKE pulls it away from her hands.)

DRAKE: I’m honored that you’re worried about me. (He winks. PAIGE glares.)

PAIGE: I’m not worried. (She folds her arms stubbornly.) I’m annoyed. Annoyed that you brought me into this and now you’re trying to leave me high and dry.

DRAKE: Nonsense. (He motions his hand. She narrows her eyes.) Oh come on, don’t you trust me?

(PAIGE wrinkles her nose.)

PAIGE: That has yet to be determined. (She sits down next to him on the couch.) What am I supposed to be looking at?

DRAKE: If I’m right, then by submitting your electronic signature it should immediately seal a contract which should then activate a portal to claim your soul.

PAIGE: And?

DRAKE: And… (He types “Romeo Montague” into the electronic signature box. PAIGE raises her eyebrows.)

PAIGE: What’s the purpose of that?

DRAKE: You’ll see.

(DRAKE presses “Print” and from the other room, they can hear sounds of a printer working. Drake hunches over and places the laptop on the table and briefly leaves the room. PAIGE stares at the screen as he returns, waving a printout of the page in his hand. He sits back down next to PAIGE and moves his finger to the “Enter” key, but PAIGE grabs his hand. DRAKE shifts his eyes to PAIGE and smiles a little.)

PAIGE: I have a bad feeling about this.

DRAKE: So do I. (He presses “Enter.” The page fades to white and the words “Thank You” appear on the screen. The laptop screen glows. DRAKE laughs.) Here we go! (He grabs PAIGE’s hand as he’s sucked into the laptop and PAIGE screams as she’s pulled in with him. The words “Thank You” remain on the screen.)

[Cut to a barred cell. A portal opens, spitting out DRAKE and PAIGE before promptly closing. PAIGE groans as she rolls over on the cement floor, releasing her hold on DRAKE’s hand. DRAKE sits up and dusts his shirt off.]

DRAKE: Whew! That was a bit of a landing there, wasn’t it?

(PAIGE sits up, glaring. She rubs her head, which has a cut above her eyebrow.)

PAIGE: Ugh…I should have never agreed to this… (She notices her surroundings.) What the hell?

DRAKE: Looks like we’re jailbirds.

(PAIGE jumps up and moves to the cell door. She places her hands on the bars, an electric blue shock springs from the metal and blasts PAIGE to the other side of the cell. DRAKE scurries over to her and reaches to help her, but she slaps his hand away.)

PAIGE: What in the Underworld have you gotten us into?

(DRAKE looks back at the bars.)

DRAKE: Can you orb?

PAIGE: Why? Can’t you shimmer? (DRAKE shakes his head.) Then what makes you think I can orb?

(DRAKE holds up his printout.)

DRAKE: Because you weren’t the one who pressed enter.

(PAIGE dissolves into a spray of orbs which head for the ceiling, but once they get there, they bounce off. They redirect to the wall, but once again bounce off. PAIGE reforms.)

PAIGE: Apparently not. (She points to the cell door.) And I’m definitely not going to get fried again. (She folds her arms and releases a pent up growl of frustration.) So what’s your brilliant idea now, Drake?

[Scene: The Bay Mirror. PHOEBE is walking around the bullpen, seemingly unnoticed by the other office personnel around her. She has her laptop bag tucked under her right arm and a hot coffee in her left hand, but she’s distracted as she watches everyone busily move around and talk as if she were invisible. She accidentally walks into a MAN and her coffee flies from her hand and falls to the floor. The lid pops off and the coffee begins to pump out of the cup. The MAN yelps as he slips in the brown puddle and falls into the hot liquid. PHOEBE covers her mouth in shock.]

PHOEBE: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! (She bends down, desperately digging into her pockets for something to clean away the coffee with, but she only pulls out a used tissue. She throws it on the ground in vain.) I’m so sorry! Let me help-

MAN: (angrily) Leave me alone! (He gets up, but the back seat of his pants is soaked with coffee. A few people stop and stare. The MAN’s face turns red.) What are you looking at?!

(The MAN stomps off. PHOEBE grits her teeth. She rubs the soaked tissue in the puddle and attempts to slide it into the empty coffee cup.)

PHOEBE: (muttering sarcastically) Good job, Phoebe. Great introduction!

WOMAN’s VOICE: Miss Halliwell?

(PHOEBE tilts her head back to find a blonde woman, ELISE ROTHMAN’s assistant, RACHEL WITMAN, staring down at her. RACHEL kindly holds up a handful of napkins. She bends down and applies them to the puddle.)

PHOEBE: (embarrassed) Thanks.

RACHEL: Don’t feel too bad, we all have first day horror stories. (She smiles as she pats the pile of napkins.) Some even think it’s cursed.

PHOEBE: (warily) Cursed?

(RACHEL laughs.)

RACHEL: Only if you believe that sort of thing. (She glances over her shoulder at the door marked with ELISE’s name.) Just between you and me, though, I think it’s just negative energy…I believe it’s contagious.

PHOEBE: (nodding) Right. (She pushes the soggy napkins into the coffee cup and caps it with the plastic lid. RACHEL motions to a white waste basket next to her desk and PHOEBE tosses the cup in.) So um…which desk is mine?

(RACHEL motions to the door in front of her desk.)

RACHEL: That’s your office. We haven’t made a name plaque, though.

PHOEBE: (surprised) I have my own office?

RACHEL: I wouldn’t boast… (She nods towards the bullpen.) Some aren’t too happy about that, but it used to be the old advice columnist’s and since you’re now the advice columnist…

PHOEBE: Oh, okay. (She nods.) Thanks. (She steps inside and sees a black trash bag on top of the desk.) Uhhh… (She looks back at RACHEL.)

RACHEL: Those would be your letters.

(PHOEBE blinks.)

PHOEBE: Oh. (pause) Of course. (She smiles awkwardly.)

RACHEL: Do you need anything else? (PHOEBE shakes her head.) Well don’t hesitate to ask, I’m always right outside.

(PHOEBE nods and shuts the door. She moves behind the desk, sets her laptop bag to the side of the desk, and drops into the chair. She unties the bag and pulls out a handful of letters.)

PHOEBE: Well, here goes nothin’. (She tears one open and begins reading it.)

[Scene: P3. PIPER and MONICA are following behind DARLA and TERRANCE. MONICA has a clipboard in hand and is taking notes.]

DARLA: (valley girl accent) Oooh! (She points dramatically to the stage.) And we want someone playing a piana on the stage!

MONICA: (muttering to PIPER) A “pinana,” (she makes a quick mark on her notes) check.

PIPER: (whispering) Her voice is going to make my ears bleed.

(MONICA places her hand on PIPER’s shoulder.)

MONICA: (whispering) Remember the kids. You’re doing it for the kids.

PIPER: (whispering) The kids…oh they better appreciate this. (DARLA and TERRANCEe stop walking. PIPER clasps her hands and smiles sweetly.) Anything else you need?

(DARLA and TERRANCE look at each other. DARLA nods.)

TERRANCE: You don’t happen to know any good caterers around here d’ya?

(MONICA and PIPER exchange looks. PIPER starts to shake her head, but MONICA shoves PIPER forward.)

MONICA: Actually, you’re looking at one! Piper here is a trained chef. She used to cater parties a few years back before she bought P3, didn’t you Piper?

(PIPER shoots MONICA a look of death.)

PIPER: Yes, but I really don’t do parties-

(DARLA hugs TERRANCE and bats her eyelashes.)

DARLA: (valley girl accent) We’d pay separately for the catering, wouldn’t we Terry Baby?

(TERRANCE whips out his check book and writes up another check to show PIPER.)

TERRANCE: Anything for my little Darling Dolly! (They kiss. PIPER grips the check and makes a little noise.)

PIPER: Sounds… (MONICA jabs PIPER with her elbow.) Great!

[Scene: Piper and Leo’s house. Kitchen. A silver pot is alone on the stove, with the heat turned up to “High.” On the floor, little pieces of cheese and crackers with peanut butter are scattered about. MELINDA HALLIWELL is poised at the entrance to the kitchen, with her hands raised and her eyes narrowed. CHRIS HALLIWELL comes up behind her.]

CHRIS: What are you doing?

(MELINDA shoves her finger to her lips.)

MELINDA: Shhh!

(CHRIS glances over at the stove. He folds his arms.)

CHRIS: Is it your intent to just let our potion boil over?

MELINDA: (annoyed) Quiet I said! (She points under the refrigerator.) I’m trying to catch mice.

CHRIS: Mice? We have mice?

MELINDA: And he’s a fast little bugger too.

CHRIS: You’re trying to freeze it?

(MELINDA waves her hand.)

MELINDA: You would know.

CHRIS: Isn’t that personal gain?

MELINDA: No, it is not (mockingly) personal gain, it’s (emphasizing) hu-mane. (She squeezes by CHRIS and picks up a large metal box with air holes that’s sitting in the hallway.) I’m going to put them in here and let them go outside. It’s what people who don’t prefer mice murder do.

(CHRIS points his index finger at the refrigerator, twists his hand so that it faces palm up, and then raises his arm. The refrigerator glides into the air and hovers. Three furry little brown mice run out from under the fridge and MELINDA tosses out her hand, freezing them. She smiles pleasantly and walks into the kitchen as CHRIS lowers the fridge back to the ground.)

CHRIS: You’re welcome.

MELINDA: Muchly obliged. (One by one, she lowers the mouse trap in front of the mice and unfreezes them so they run into the trap.)

[Scene: 415 Magazine. Hallway. PRUE is knocking on a door that reads “Mary Grant.”]

PRUE: Mary? (She twists the door handle and lightly pushes the door open.) Hey, do you still have those negatives you- (She sees MARY GRANT shaking on a small ladder and she’s beginning to fall backwards.) Oh-oh! (She raises her hand and telekinetically guides MARY to the floor and runs over to her.) Are you okay?

MARY: Yeah. (She angles her head back to look at the ladder as she sits up.) Damn, that was lucky. I could’ve broke my arm.

PRUE: Or your neck. (She glances at the ladder.) What were you doing up there anyway?

MARY: Trying to put a picture up. (She stands up and dusts her pant suit off. She points to a hole in the wall.) See that? (PRUE nods.) I think we have a mice infestation. Dirty little vermin. (She picks up a framed photograph of herself and her daughter and shows it to PRUE.) This fell down yesterday and shattered, I had to get a whole new frame for it.

PRUE: Well maybe you should leave that to the professionals. Let them patch the wall and hang that up so you don’t go committing suicide by ladder again.

MARY: Maybe you have point. (She grabs her photography bag and sets the photograph on her desk. She shakes her head.) Uh…what did you originally come in here for?

PRUE: The negatives from the Harley shoot yesterday.

MARY: Oh, right! (She slides her bag onto her shoulder as they walk to the door.) They’re in my car if you feel like going for a walk.

PRUE: Don’t mind if I do.

(PRUE and MARY leave. After a moment, an albino rat scurries out from under MARY’s desk. It glows red and transforms into a crumpled man with red eyes and a twitching nose. He turns his attention to the hole in the wall, where another rat pokes its head out.)

ALBINO RAT DEMON: Tell the others she has a witch protecting her.

(The rat pulls his head back into the wall and disappears. The albino spots the framed picture on MARY’s desk and picks it up, studying MARY’s teenage daughter. His nose twitches and then he drops the picture on the floor, causing the glass to spider web. He transforms back into a rat and scurries off.)

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Three

[Scene: The Bay Mirror. Phoebe’s office. Opened envelopes and unfolded letters are scattered all over PHOEBE’s new desk, making it almost impossible to see the top of the desk at all. PHOEBE is leaning back in her chair, unfolding another letter. She adjusts the edge of her glasses and tilts her head back as she holds up the paper.]

PHOEBE: “Dear Karen, I recently switched jobs and now I’m having second thoughts. I’ve had a lot of changes in my life over the past few months and this is just another atop the pile. I know I should leave the past in the past and look forward to the future, but I seem to be stuck in pause. Please tell me what I should do! Sincerely, Baffled in Brisbane.”

(PHOEBE rubs her chin with her thumb as she reads over the letter again, then she leans over and pulls her laptop out of her bag, pushes aside clumps of letters to make just enough room for her computer, and then presses the power button.)

[Scene: Barred cell. PAIGE looks at her watch.]

PAIGE: We’ve been stuck in here for two hou-

(DRAKE clasps his hand over her mouth, muffling the rest of her sentence. She grabs for his wrist to push his hand away.)

DRAKE: (whispering) Do you hear that? (He pulls his hand back.)

PAIGE: (whispering) Hear what?

(DRAKE narrows his eyes. The thump of shoes can be heard in the distance.)

DRAKE: (whispering) That! (He hops to his feet, pulling PAIGE up with him.)

PAIGE: What should we do?

(DRAKE grins.)

[Cut to two demonic guards. They’re walking down an aisle lined with cells and prisoners are each side. They’ve waving batons that are giving off an eerie glow. They come to DRAKE’s cell, stop, and look inside. Only DRAKE appears to be in the cell, smiling and waving to them.]

DRAKE: I’m afraid there appears to be a misunderstanding here. (One of the guards waves his hand and the cell door opens.) You see, (he steps forward) I caught onto your plot and-

(GUARD #2 steps forward and smacks DRAKE across the chest with his baton. An electric shock ripples through DRAKE and he drops to his knees. GUARD #1 steps inside and hits DRAKE on the back of the neck with his baton. DRAKE drops to the ground. GUARD #2 makes a quick flick of his arm and DRAKE flies out of the cell and pummels into the metal railing that lines the aisle. The guards walk out of the cell and GUARD #1 bends down in front of DRAKE, grabbing DRAKE’s face. He raises his baton again. At the same time, a discreet trail of orbs streams out of DRAKE’s coat pocket and wrap around the legs of GUARD #1, yanking him to the ground like a rope. PAIGE orbs in. As GUARD #2 attempts to react, DRAKE curls his fist and flings it around, smashing it into GUARD #2’s face. PAIGE holds out her hand and helps DRAKE up.)

PAIGE: Are you okay?

DRAKE: Darling, I put the “k” in okay. (As GUARD #1 starts to move, DRAKE bends down and grabs him by the neck, choking him as he lifts him into the air.) As for you, (he throws him into the cell) I’d say something starting with an “s” might come after your “oh.” (GUARD #2 shimmers behind PAIGE and raises his baton.) Paige!

(DRAKE grabs PAIGE by the arm and throws her out of the way, causing GUARD #2’s baton to hit him instead. GUARD #2 holds his baton to DRAKE’s skin, bringing DRAKE to the ground again as the electricity courses through him. PAIGE runs at GUARD #2 and kicks him to the ground. She grabs him by the leg and orbs. Her orbs travel into the cell and then GUARD #2 is dropped from her orb cloud. Her orbs move back out of the cell and reform. DRAKE clambers to his feet and reaches for the cell door. It begins to electrocute him, but he grits his teeth and forces it to close before dropping to his knees. PAIGE gasps as she kneels down next to him.)

PAIGE: Oh my god, Drake!

(PAIGE touches his arm and feels stray electrical energy prick her fingers. She pulls her hand back. DRAKE holds up his hands, revealing electrical burns on his palms in the shape of lines from the bars. DRAKE nods, though his hair is sticking up and he looks a mess.)

DRAKE: Talk about (he waves his hands as wisps of smoke sift off of the burns) sparks a’ flyin’. (He grins genuinely at PAIGE.)

[Scene: 415 Magazine. Prue’s office. Photographs are scattered all over PRUE’s desk. PRUE is sitting in her chair while MARY is standing behind her and both are examining the photographs. PRUE picks up one of a biker couple sitting on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. MARY points to it.]

MARY: That one looks kind of nice. It’s classy enough for the magazine with just the right amount of sex appeal, without being overboard.

(PRUE nods.)

PRUE: And best of all, this guy doesn’t have a scraggly beard. (They laugh.) This one for the article title page then. (She sets it aside and begins to scoop the remaining photos into a pile. MARY’s cell phone rings and she raises her index finger.)

MARY: Excuse me. (PRUE nods as MARY walks to the other side of the office.) June? (A terrified look falls across her face as she gasps. PRUE looks up.) W-what? (Her hands start quivering and she begins to shake her head.) No! No! Don’t hang up! Don’t hang- June!

(PRUE jumps out of her seat.)

PRUE: (urgently) Mary what’s wrong?

(MARY’s hand it shaking as she turns to PRUE, clenching her cell phone in her fist. She’s breathing erratically.)

MARY: June’s been kidnapped!

PRUE: (shocked) What? (She shakes her head.) Oh my god! We have to call the police. (She starts to walk away, but MARY forcibly grabs her wrist.)

MARY: No!

PRUE: Mary-

MARY: No! No police. They said they’d kill her if I contacted the police.

PRUE: Mary, they always say that. You can’t trust them. We need to call the police.

MARY: (angrily) We’re not involving the police.

(PRUE clenches her fist.)

PRUE: Do they want money?

MARY: (shaking her head) No…they want pictures.

[Cut to Mary’s office. PRUE and MARY walk in.]

PRUE: Which pictures?

(MARY stops cold in her tracks as sees the picture of her and JUNE GRANT on the floor. She kneels down.)

MARY: (gasping) They’ve been in here!

PRUE: Mary, what pictures!

(MARY shakes her head.)

MARY: The-the ones I took down at Pier Eighty-Six.

(PRUE squints her eyes in thought.)

PRUE: Pier Eighty-Six… (realizing) You mean the ones you took for Dennis’s article on the best fresh catch companies?

(MARY begins to rifle through her desk.)

PRUE: But why would they want those? (She shakes her head.) It doesn’t make sense…unless… (She looks up.) Unless you photographed something they didn’t want you to photograph. (MARY is ignoring PRUE.) Mary, what did you shoot while you were down there?

MARY: I don’t know! I haven’t developed the roll yet. (She pulls out a key and unlocks one of her bottom drawers and begins rifling through rolls of film. Finally she holds one up.) This is it! (She makes a beeline for the door and PRUE struggles to keep up with her.)

[Scene: P3. PIPER is leaning against the front doors with her eyes closed and MONICA is standing next to her.]

PIPER: Tell me why I shouldn’t fire you?

MONICA: Because then you’d have to do the Victorian engagement party all by your lonesome. (She laughs.) Oh admit it, you adore me. I just secured you a nice little nest egg.

PIPER: That is if I don’t kill myself before this is all over. (She pushes off the front door and they begin walking.) I can’t believe I only have a week to pull this whole thing together. (She throws up her arms as they begin to descend the stairs.) And how am I supposed to cater this?

(MONICA places her hand on PIPER’s shoulder.)

MONICA: Leave the club to me and you just worry about the food.

PIPER: Are you sure?

MONICA: I did get you into this…

(PIPER raises her fingers.)

PIPER: Good point! (MONICA hands her a list.) Is this all the food they said they wanted?

(MONICA wiggles her finger.)

MONICA: There’s some on the back too.

(PIPER flips it over and groans as she sees a half a page of notes.)

MONICA: Hey, why don’t you just take off right now? You’ve got a lot on your plate-

PIPER: No pun intended?

(MONICA rolls her eyes.)

MONICA: Go! I’ll give you a call tomorrow.

PIPER: Thanks. (PIPER ducks into the back room as MONICA drops her clipboard onto the bar. PIPER returns with her purse and jacket.) I’ll see you later. (She hurries up the stairs.)

[Scene: The Bay Mirror. Phoebe’s office. PHOEBE is sitting at her desk, typing away on her laptop. The screen has a Word document with PHOEBE’s first column on it. PHOEBE stops typing and pauses to read over what she’s typed, which says, “Dear Baffled, I’m not Karen but I hope I can help anyway. Your situation is one that I’ve had recent personal experience with. So many changes were occurring in my life that I developed a fear of change. But whether we like it or not, it’s an integral part of life. Change links our past and future, and I fear you’re looking at this the wrong way. You don’t need to leave the past in the past; that’s impossible. The past makes us who we are. You have to keep the past close to you.” PHOEBE looks down at the engagement ring on her finger. She presses her fingers to the keyboard again and types, “It may sound strange, but by embracing the past, you’re allowing yourself to move on in the present. Take your job, for example. Everyone has second thoughts, but you left your old job and started this one for a reason. Embrace it. Persevere! You’ll find that the moment you stop trying to get back to yesterday, the pause on your life will fade away. Sincerely, Phoebe.”]

[Scene: 415 Magazine. Hallway. PRUE is standing outside a door with the words “Dark Room” painted onto a plaque, attached to the front of the door. She’s picking her nails as she paces back and forth in front of the door. A couple of people walk by and give her odd looks, which she returns with a terse smile. The door handle begins to turn and PRUE abruptly halts as it opens to reveal MARY, holding a handful of pictures.]

PRUE: What’s on them?

MARY: I don’t know.

PRUE: You didn’t look?

MARY: Nothing looks out of the ordinary. (She begins to briskly walk down the hallway. PRUE scuttles to keep in step.) It looks like any old pier.

PRUE: There has to be something-

MARY: Well I don’t care what it is. All I care about is June!

(PRUE tightens her lips in frustration.)

PRUE: Is that where you’re meeting them? Pier Eighty-Six?

MARY: I’m sorry Prue, but I have to go alone.

PRUE: Mary, I want to help you!

(MARY stops and turns to PRUE, almost causing PRUE to walk into her.)

MARY: Then please stop following me. They want me and these pictures, nobody else…or she dies! (She shakes her head.) I can’t risk you or anyone else coming too.

(PRUE hesitates to respond. MARY turns and begins walking again. PRUE locks her eyes onto the clump of photographs in MARY’s hand and they fly out, scattering all over the ground. MARY yelps and drops to her knees, scrambling to pick them up. PRUE struggles to bend down too, scooping up some of the pictures. She hovers her hand a half an inch above the floor and three pictures slide under it. She looks up and hands out a larger clump to MARY as she discretely slides three of them into her pocket.)

PRUE: Here. (MARY snatches the pictures and stands up. PRUE places her hand on MARY’s arm.) Please call me as soon as you get her back.

(MARY nods and then she flees down the hallway and disappears into her office. PRUE pauses in the hallway for a moment, then ducks into her own office and shuts the door. She rifles through her drawers and pulls out a magnifying glass which she stuffs in her purse. PRUE tucks her purse under her arm, grabs her jacket from the back of her chair, and speeds out of her office.)

[Time lapse. PRUE is sitting in her black BMW X5, stuck in a stalled line of traffic. A few car horns can be heard going off and several drivers are stretching their necks out their windows to see if they can see what the hold up is. Meanwhile, PRUE has MARY’s stolen pictures balancing on her pregnant stomach and she’s using her magnifying glass to look at them. She briefly looks up from the pictures to the clock on her dashboard, which reads “10:43.” She looks up at the ceiling of her car.]

PRUE: Leo! Leo, I need your assistance!

(LEO WYATT orbs into the passenger seat, right on top of PRUE's purse. He winces and pitches forward, pulling the offending object out from behind him.)

LEO: I believe this is yours?

PRUE: Back seat.

(LEO leans back and drops PRUE’s purse in the back of her car.)

LEO: What’s going on?

PRUE: A co-worker of mine, Mary, she’s in trouble…actually, her and her daughter.

LEO: Demonic trouble?

PRUE: No, mortal trouble. But that doesn’t make them any less innocent. I know I found out about this for a reason. (She scoops up the pictures and hands them to LEO.) Her daughter was kidnapped and is being held at ransom until she gives them all the pictures she took of Pier Eighty-Six. She begged me not to tell anyone, but I have a bad feeling about this, Leo. (She shakes her head.) I don’t think they plan to June back to her.

LEO: So what do you need me to do? (He looks down at the pictures.)

PRUE: Take those to Phoebe. See if she can get a premonition off of them. We might be able to put these guys away and still save Mary and June if we know what they’re up to.

LEO: (suspiciously) And what are you going to do?

PRUE: I’m going to go save a couple of innocents. (LEO looks out the front window at the cars. PRUE impatiently pushes on her brother-in-law’s arm.) Now orb! (LEO orbs out. PRUE eyes the endless line of stalled cars in front of her and then leans back in her seat. Her head promptly falls to forward.)

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Four

[Scene: The Bay Mirror. Phoebe’s office. PHOEBE is standing eagerly over her printer as it grumbles and groans before finally spitting out her first finished column. She giddily claps her hands together and snatches it off the tray and rubs the back of her hand against the paper.]

PHOEBE: Hot off the press! (She spins around and smacks right into a man’s chest and screeches as she swipes her foot out, kicking the man’s legs out from under him. He hits the ground with a thump and groans as three pictures flutter down around him.) Leo!

LEO: Thanks for the warm welcome, Phoebe.

PHOEBE: Oooh! (She sets her column on her desk and holds out her hand, helping her brother-in-law up.) Sorry! (She wags her finger in his face.) But you should know by now that it isn’t wise to sneak up on us Halliwells. (She notices the pictures on the ground.) Hey, what’re those?

LEO: Those are what I came here about. (They both bend down. LEO grabs two of the photos as PHOEBE reaches for the third.) Prue wanted to see if you could get a-

(As PHOEBE’s fingers connect with the third photo, she breaths in sharply and her shoulders stiffen.)

[Premonition: JUNE is standing on Pier 86, surrounded by three Rat Demons. A glowing red and black ring is pulsating around her neck, becoming smaller and smaller as she screams.]

[Cut back to the present. PHOEBE jolts out of the vision.]

PHOEBE: Oh no!

LEO: (worriedly) Did you see Prue?

PHOEBE: No, a girl. (She holds the picture up to her face.) She was standing there, on that pier. (She taps the picture with her finger.) And there were demons, or at least one of them was. He had this sallow skin and- (she flexes her hand) and glowing red eyes. (She stands up.) I think they were killing her. There was this… (She presses her hand to her throat.) Light, a red light, and it looked like it was choking her.

LEO: What time of day was it?

PHOEBE: Uh…it’s was getting kind of dark…dusk, maybe?

LEO: We have to warn Prue! (He grabs her hand and orbs. As the last of the orbs wink out of the office, the door bursts open and ELISE walks in.)

ELISE: Phoebe, I- (She notices that PHOEBE is nowhere to be seen. She frowns and walks over to her desk, where she notices PHOEBE’s printed column. Curiously, she picks it up and begins reading it.)

[Cut to the backseat of Prue’s BMW X5. LEO and PHOEBE orb in.]

LEO: Prue!

(When PRUE doesn’t answer, PHOEBE leans between the front seats and shakes PRUE’s shoulder, only to realize that her sister seems to be completely lifeless.)

PHOEBE: I think she’s gone astraling.

LEO: The pier. She was talking about saving innocents. That’s got to be where she went!

[Cut to Pier 86. ASTRAL PRUE is sneaking around the dock, but it seems to be deserted. The only sounds are the wind, creaking of old wooden boards, and lapping water. ASTRAL PRUE looks discouraged. She rubs her forehead and closes her eyes, about to astral out, when she hears the sound of faint voices. She spins around, cupping her hand around her ear to pinpoint the noise. She begins to follow it, tiptoeing down the dock, until she sees a faint group of people in the distance. PRUE squints, but can’t get a better look. She shifts her head from side to side and then spots a pile of rickety wooden crates and barrels.]

[Cut behind the stack of barrels and crates. They’re wet and mossy and various bugs are buzzing around them. ASTRAL PRUE appears in a red flare. She swats away a few of the bugs and peers up over the decaying wood. She sees three men grouped together, their faces turned in as if they were a football team discussing their next play. She leans forward, attempting to hear what they’re saying, but all she can make out are faint voices and not words. She cups her ear again, but in doing so, her elbow brushes the corner of one of the crates. It wavers and falls, creating a loud thump. The men turn around, two of them revealing beady black eyes, while the third has a pallid face and cherry colored eyes. ASTRAL PRUE gasps.]

ASTRAL PRUE: Demons! (Before she can react, the three men transform into rats and scurry off in different directions. ASTRAL PRUE vanishes.)

[Cut to Prue. She wakes up to the sound of an irate car horn and PHOEBE’s pleading voice.]

PHOEBE: …just go around!

PRUE: (surprised) Phoebe?

PHOEBE: Prue! Oh, thank goodness, you’re awake. (She motions her hand.) Drive! Drive!

(PRUE shifts the car into drive and steps on the gas, taking off into the now clear street.)

PRUE: How did you get here? (She notices LEO, also sitting in the backseat.) Never mind. We have bigger fish to fry. (She turns the corner.) Or should I say rats.

LEO & PHOEBE: Rats?

PRUE: When I was at the pier, I saw them. Three of them, demons or shapeshifters, I’m not sure. But whatever they were, they turned into rats and ran away.

PHOEBE: Did one have red eyes?

PRUE: How did you know?

(PHOEBE holds up the photograph that invoked her premonition.)

PHOEBE: Your little present. (pause) I also saw a girl-

PRUE: June.

PHOEBE: I don’t know her name, but the demons were with her and I think they were killing her. (She glances out the window.) We have until around dusk, I think.

PRUE: (urgently) Leo, go check with The Elders. Phoebe, you and I are heading straight home to consult the Book of Shadows.

LEO: I’ll be back as soon as I can. (He orbs out. The light ahead of them turns yellow and PRUE begins to slow down. She glances in the rearview mirror.)

PRUE: (chastising) Phoebe.

PHOEBE: (annoyed) What?

PRUE: Put on your seatbelt.

(PHOEBEe glowers as the car comes to a complete stop. She slides back into her seat and clicks her seatbelt into place.)

PRUE: Thank you.

PHOEBE: (muttering) That’s the least of our worries right now.

PRUE: I heard that.

[Scene: Soul Mate Finder Holding Facility. Aisle. DRAKE and PAIGE are in the middle of a conversation as they’re walking.]

DRAKE: …so I’m guessing it must be a holding cell within a holding cell.

PAIGE: Come again?

DRAKE: The cells won’t allow you to get out of them, but apparently you can use your magic outside of the cell, but you can’t use it to get out of the…penitentiary. It’s a cell within a cell.

PAIGE: A regular demonic Alcatraz.

DRAKE: But even Alcatraz had its Achilles heel. John Paul Scott?

PAIGE: Who nearly died making it to shore and was taken back immediately after his recovery.

DRALE: Yes, that was too bad for him, but I’d like to think we’re a little craftier than that.

MAN's VOICE: (echoing) No! No, please! Aaaagh!

(PAIGE’s eyes flash.)

PAIGE: An innocent!

(DRAKE grabs PAIGE’s hand and shimmers.)

[Cut to a cell on another floor. Two other demonic guards are beating a man with their electric batons. He’s on his knees, screaming and pleading with them until one knocks him in the back of the head, electrocuting him and knocking him out cold. One of the guards snaps his fingers and the man levitates off the ground, floats out of the cell, and begins to drift down the aisle. The two guards step out of the cell and begin to follow the man. DRAKE and PAIGE shimmer two cells down from the man’s cell. PAIGE spots the guards and is about to call out to them when DRAKE slaps his hand over PAIGE’s mouth.]

DRAKE: (whispering) No, don’t!

PAIGE: (whispering) He’s an innocent!

DRAKE: (whispering) We need to follow them, figure out where their bosses are.

PAIGE: (whispering through gritted teeth) Not at the expense of an innocent!

DRAKE: (whispering) By following them, we’ll be saving him and all the other innocents. You don’t want to save one at the expense of a hundred others, do you?

(PAIGE looks back down the aisle; confliction is evident on her pale features.)

PAIGE: (whispering begrudgingly) Okay.

DRAKE: (whispering) Good choice. (He snaps his fingers and their clothing suddenly become identical to the suits the guards are wearing. PAIGE stares down at her new attire.) Precautionary, in case they notice us. (They begin to quietly follow behind the guards.)

[Scene: Piper and Leo’s house. Kitchen. A white baby monitor is sitting next to a clipboard on the table, which has been pushed to the edge of the room. A blue tarp has been laid out, with a single strand of blonde hair lying in the center. CHRIS is at the stove, filling a glass vial of red liquid as MELINDA walks in.]

MELINDA: Okay, the Minis are down for their naps. (She brushes her hands together.) Ready?

(CHRIS walks over to MELINDA and takes her hand.)

CHRIS: One.

MELINDA: Two.

CHRIS: Three!

(CHRIS throws the vial at the tarp. CHRIS and MELINDA hold up their conjoined hands and a blue force field appears in the middle of the kitchen, encompassing almost the entire tarp. The explosion’s so loud that it makes the cabinets rattle. Smoke fills the force field and it looks eerily like a giant blue crystal ball. As the smoke begins to disappear, CHRIS releases MELINDA’s hand and the force field vanishes. MELINDA walks over to the tarp and kneels down. The blonde hair is still there.)

MELINDA: It’s still here. (She pinches it between her fingers and holds it up for her brother to see.)

CHRIS: Damnit! (He curls a fist and angrily hits the countertop.)

MELINDA: It wasn’t a total loss.

CHRIS: And how’s that?

(MELINDA walks over to him and holds the hair right in front of his face.)

MELINDA: Look at the end.

(CHRIS takes the hair from his sister and studies it.)

CHRIS: It’s singed!

MELINDA: We’re making progress.

(MELINDA moves to the table and grabs the clipboard. It’s a handwritten list of numbered potions, complete with their ingredients. The first ten have lines through them, but at the eleventh, MELINDA circles it. As she looks up from her clipboard, a muted rumble sounds in the kitchen. MELINDA and CHRIS simultaneously look at the door leading into the garage.)

CHRIS: Sounds like Mom’s home early.

(MELINDA folds her arms across her chest as they hear their mother’s car turn off.)

MELINDA: “Let the object of objection become but a dream as I cause the seen to be unseen!”

(A swirl of lights sweeps across the kitchen and when they vanish, the table is back in place, the tarp is gone, and the kitchen looks perfect. The door to the garage opens and PIPER waddles in, balancing three heavy bags on each arm and two bloated brown paper bags to her chest.)

CHRIS: Mom! (He races to her side.) Let me help you with those. (He grabs the two brown bags.)

PIPER: (relieved) Thank you. (She drops the six plastic bags onto the table and sinks into a chair, looking exhausted. MELINDA begins to inspect the contents of the bags.)

MELINDA: What is all this stuff for? I’ve seen you shop before, but I’ve never seen this!

PIPER: (groaning) It’s for P3. (She rubs her temples.) I have a week to cook up a masterpiece for a hundred and fifty people.

MELINDA: Are we even allowed to have that many in the club?

PIPER: Who knows. (She reaches into her pocket and pulls out two checks and holds them out to her daughter. MELINDA looks at them.)

MELINDA: Who cares!

PIPER: Exactly!

[Scene: Manor. Attic. PHOEBE and PRUE enter together and immediately begin looking in the Book of Shadows.]

PHOEBE: (mumbling) Red eyes, red eyes… (LEO orbs in. PHOEBE looks up, but PRUE keeps flipping.)

LEO: Rat Demons.

PHOEBE: (blinking) Excuse me, but did I just hear you say “Rat Demons”?

(PRUE finally looks up.)

LEO: They can take on both human and rat forms, (he motions to PHOEBE) just as you described in your vision.

PRUE: Here.

(PHOEBE looks at the page PRUE just found. It shows a picture of an albino rat demon and a few other black eyed rat demons. PHOEBE begins to nod.)

PRUE: Those are the ones I saw at the pier.

PHOEBE: And in my vision.

LEO: They’re low level demons who can usually be found doing dirty work for higher level demons and on rare occasions, even mortals.

PRUE: The Book says the rat minions - the ones with black eyes - are fairly easy to vanquish. (She looks up.) Basically generic vanquishing potions, instant kill shots, etc…

PHOEBE: But?

PRUE: But the leader - the albino - is more powerful. He wields the ability to transmogrify humans into rats, create decapitating rings of power, and darting.

PHOEBE: Darting?

LEO: Basically excessive speed.

PHOEBE: Then why doesn’t they just say that?

LEO: It’s like orbing, shimmering, flaring, smoking, and every other name for teleportive powers. Darting is just specific to rat demons.

PHOEBE: Right. (to PRUE) So how do we vanquish the albino?

PRUE: We have to have at least two witches to say the albino vanquishing spell.

PHOEBE: Well, you and I make two, so what’s the spell?

PRUE: I’ll copy it down. Why don’t you go collect some of our stock potions?

PHOEBE: Already on it.

(PHOEBE leaves. PRUE digs into her purse and pulls out a pen and envelope, which she flips over and begins to copy the spell on to. What neither her nor LEO notice is an albino rat hiding next to the Wicca chest. His pink nose twitches and then he glows red and black and darts out of the attic, leaving a faint red trail in his wake, which promptly disappears.)

[Scene: Piper and Leo’s house. Kitchen. PIPER is standing at the stove, sprinkling salt into a silver pot of boiling sliced potatoes. The lights begin to flash in the kitchen and a deafening alarm begins to blare through the house. PIPER immediately abandons the potatoes and runs out of the kitchen, rushing down the hall to CHRIS’s and MELINDA’s rooms. She sees that MELINDA’s door is open and runs in, only to find that MELINDA is already inside, cradling BABY MELINDA HALLIWELL to her chest. BABY MELINDA is screaming as MELINDA attempts to sooth her younger self by rubbing circles on her back. PIPER and MELINDA share concerned looks as the alarm continues to blare. PIPER turns to run out of the room, only to find CHRIS in the doorway, also holding BABY CHRIS HALLIWELL.]

CHRIS: The demon’s not in my room.

MELINDA: And it’s not in here.

(PIPER motions her hands.)

PIPER: Chris, get the babies out of here! Take them anywhere except here. They’re safer together. (MELINDA hands BABY MELINDA to CHRIS and CHRIS orbs out. MELINDA and PIPER exit the bedroom. She winces at the painful sound of the alarm. They both set their eyes on the closed door of the master bedroom. PIPER nods. MELINDA kicks the door open and raises her hands, but they don’t see anyone. MELINDA flicks her wrists to freeze the room. She digs into her parents closet and pulls out a baseball bat. PIPER looks skeptical.) You’re not seriously thinking about knocking him out are you?

MELINDA: No, of course not, that’s ridiculous. (She walks around the room, holding out the baseball bat. PIPER stares at her.) I’m trying to see if we have an invisible demon. (She swipes the air, but hits nothing. She goes around the room and doesn’t find anything, so she walks into the bathroom, swipes at the air, and then pulls back the shower curtain and hits the empty air in the shower. She turns to her mother and shakes her head.) Nada. (PIPER and MELINDA walk out of the bathroom.) Do you notice anything out of place?

PIPER: You’re thinking shapeshifter?

MELINDA: Possibly.

(PIPER shakes her head.)

PIPER: Nothing off the top of my head.

(They head down the hallway. MELINDA pokes her head into the other bathroom and blinks, freezing the room as a precaution. She swings her father’s baseball bat around, but finds nothing solid. She groans as they exit the bathroom and make their way into the kitchen. MELINDA repeats her freeze and swat procedure without results.)

[Cut to the living room. It’s empty, but the lights and siren are still going off. PIPER and MELINDA enter. MELINDA swings her bat around and accidentally hits a lamp off the table, shattering it. She winces as PIPER growls.]

MELINDA: Sorry!

(PIPER groans as she stares down at the ceramic shards.)

PIPER: That was a bargain lamp too.

(MELINDA sighs and brings LEO’s bat down to her side.)

MELINDA: Well, at least we know that’s not the demon. (She taps her foot.) Are you sure the crystals aren’t defective?

PIPER: Why would they be?

MELINDA: I don’t know…I’m just trying to think of all possibilities and that’s not out of the realm.

PIPER: Well, I guess we’d have to find Paige and ask her, wouldn’t we?

MELINDA: I’ll grab the keys.

PIPER: There is such a thing as a phone.

(MELINDA motions her hand.)

MELINDA: With this noise? No way! Besides, I’d rather she take a look it at anyway. (She abandons the bat on the couch.)

PIPER: Let me go turn off the stove and I’ll meet you in the car. (They head back into the hallway.)

[Cut to the kitchen. PIPER and MELINDA walk in. MELINDA walks out the door into the garage and unbeknownst to her, a red streak of light darts in as she steps out. PIPER, who is at the stove, turns off the burner. She sets a lid on the pot and opens the refrigerator to put it away. As she bends over to slide the pot in, a red-black glow forms behind her, transforming into the albino rat demon. He grabs her by her hair. PIPER screams and drops the pot of potatoes, creating a metallic thud as it hits the floor. The door to the garage flies open, revealing MELINDA. She raises her hands, but before she can react, the albino and PIPER are already across the room. MELINDA notices the glowing red and black ring around PIPER’s neck. PIPER gags as if she’s choking.]

ALBINO RAT DEMON: Use your power on me and she dies!

(MELINDA keeps her hands elevated, but doesn’t use her power.)

MELINDA: What do you want?

ALBINO RAT DEMON: Tell the Charmed Ones that if they want their sister back, they’ll have to play by our rules. (His red eyes wink eerily.) Tell them to meet us at Pier Eighty-Six at six o’ clock sharp…and bring the pictures!

(Before MELINDA can react, a red-black glow envelops the ALBINO RAT DEMON and PIPER and they dart across the kitchen. The door to the garage explodes and a red trail of light runs through the doorway before quickly vanishing.)

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Five

[Scene: Manor. Entry way. PRUE, PHOEBE and LEO are heading for the front doors when CHRIS orbs in front of them. PHOEBE holds up her hand as she scoots around him and grabs her jacket from the coat rack.]

PHOEBE: Sorry Chris, but whatever it is will have to wait. We’ve got innocent lives on the line right now.

(CHRIS grabs his aunt by the elbow and wheels her around so she’s facing PRUE and LEO.)

PHOEBE: Chris!

CHRIS: Rat Demons. They’ve kidnapped Mom.

LEO: (worriedly) What? When?

CHRIS: Just a few minutes ago. He told Melinda to send you a message. You have pictures that he wants.

LEO: (to PRUE) The ones you took from your co-worker.

PRUE: Which means he’s been watching us.

CHRIS: He said to meet him at Pier Eighty-Six at six sharp.

PHOEBE: Where’s Mel?

(CHRIS looks around the room.)

CHRIS: (cautiously) With the babies, somewhere safe.

(The sound of the Grandfather clock chimes from the living room. Phoebe looks at her watch.)

PHOEBE: One o’ clock. We’ve got five hours to find a way to fix this.

PRUE: We should call Paige. (She turns on her heel and heads for the kitchen. As she walks through the dining room, the phone begins to ring.)

[Cut to the kitchen. PRUE walks in and snatches up the phone from the charger.]

PRUE: Hello?

[Cut to South Bay Social Services. LILA WRIGHT is ducked down in her cubicle, holding her cell phone to her ear.]

LILA: Is Paige home?

[Cut to Prue.]

PRUE: Uh, no. I thought she was at work, I was just about to call there actually. (pause) Who is this?

[Cut to Lila.]

LILA: Lila, Paige’s co-worker. Is this one of her sisters? (pause) Uhm, well, if you see her, can you please tell her to come in? Mr. Cowan’s pretty upset about her being gone and there’s only so much I can do to distract him.

[Cut to Prue.]

PRUE: I will. Thank you. Bye. (She hangs up as PHOEBE, LEO and CHRIS enter the kitchen.) She’s not at work. Leo, can you sense her?

(LEO closes his eyes and activates his sensing powers. When he opens his eyes again, he shakes his head.)

PHOEBE: Oh no, Drake must have been right this morning! (to CHRIS) What about you? Your sensing is better than your average whitelighter, can you sense her? (She anxiously watches her nephew as he tries to locate PAIGE, but he also shakes his head in defeat.)

CHRIS: It’s like I can almost get a lock on her and then…nothing. The connection just goes ice cold.

(PRUE snaps her fingers.)

PRUE: The website! What was the website Drake was talking about?

PHOEBE: Soul…something. (She points to LEO.) I haven’t cleared the cookies, so the URL should still be listed in my laptop’s web browser. (She grabs LEO’s hand.) Orb me back to work.

[Scene: Soul Mate Finder Headquarters. GUARD #3 and GUARD #4 are standing in front of what appears to be a blank wall. GUARD #3 presses his hand against the wall. The wall ripples and he walks through. The unconscious man floats through the wall after him and GUARD #4 begins to walk through last.]

[Cut to Drake and Paige. They're poking their heads around the corner, watching as the last guard disappears into the wall. They pull their heads back and look at each other.]

PAIGE: Do you think we can get in?

DRAKE: I don’t see why we couldn’t.

PAIGE: (sarcastically) Oh I don’t know, spells, force fields-

DRAKE: It’s a simple glamoured door, Paige.

(PAIGE throws up her hands. They walk around the corner and stop at the wall. DRAKE reaches forward and touches it. The wall ripples. DRAKE steps inside. A moment later, DRAKE’s head pops out. He raises his eyebrows.)

DRAKE: Coming? (His hand pops out of the wall. PAIGE takes his hand and walks through.)

[Cut to the other side of the wall. PAIGE and DRAKE look around the room, but it appears to be empty.]

PAIGE: Another glamoured door? (She reaches to touch the wall, but DRAKE grabs her arm.)

DRAKE: I don’t think- (GUARD #3, GUARD #4 and a third demon shimmer in surrounding DRAKE and PAIGE and each one is wielding an energy ball above their palms.)

GUARD #3: Did you really think we were that incompetent?

DRAKE: Well, actually-

(The third demon clicks his fingers and shackles appear on DRAKE’s and PAIGE’s wrists and ankles.)

DRALE: Oh now come on! Can’t we talk about this?

DEMON #3: Certainly. (He extinguishes his energy ball and motions for his guards to do the same. He snaps his fingers again and they appear in a new room, this time in what appears to be a torture chamber.) You tell me everything as you relinquish your souls.

PAIGE: Whoa, whoa, whoa! There will no relinquishing of souls here. I did not sign anything, which I believe is your little trick here?

DRAKE: (nodding) She’s right you know.

(DEMON #3 holds out his hand and a paper appears in his hand. He cocks his head to the side.)

DEMON #3: Hmm. You appear to be correct. Though you, (he points the paper at DRAKE) did.

DRAKE: Well, actually (he grins cheekily) check out the electronic signature… (DEMON #3 looks at the paper.) I suspect you’ll find it says “Romeo Montague,” doth it not? (DEMON #3 looks up with a scowl.) I’d be lying if I said I were giving you the soul of Romeo Montague…so I guess the contract is void now, isn’t it? (DEMON #3 angrily wads up the paper and it burns away in his palm, leaving a wispy puff of black smoke in the air.) So, are we free to go?

DEMON #3: (sneering) You seem like a smart man Mr. (mockingly) Montague. Tell me, what do you think?

DRAKE: (smiling sheepishly) Yes?

DEMON #3: (to GUARD #4 and GUARD #3) Find out everything you know about our two…guests. Now! (GUARD #3 and GUARD #4 shimmer out. DRAKE snickers.) What’s so humorous?

DRAKE: If you don’t know who we are, you must really be out of the loop.

[Scene: The Bay Mirror. Phoebe’s office. PHOEBE is sitting at her desk, typing on her laptop as LEO hovers behind her chair.]

PHOEBE: Found it! (She gasps as she presses down the “Enter” button.)

[Premonition: DEMON #3 is standing on a stage in front of a red velvet curtain. In front of him is an audience, some of which look normal and some of which are obviously demonic. DEMON #3 clasps his hands together.]

DEMON #3: I have a wonderful present for you tonight! (He motions his hand and the curtain rises to reveal the transparent soul of PAIGE with her lifeless body on stone slab mere feet away.) The body and soul of Paige Matthews, one of only three Charmed Ones in existence!

[Cut back to the present. PHOEBE opens her eyes to see the SoulMateFinder.com homepage pulled up on her screen.]

LEO: Phoebe? (He places his hand on her shoulder. PHOEBE twists her head around to look at her brother-in-law.)

PHOEBE: They got Paige to sign.

LEO: Sign what?

PHOEBE: Sign her soul away.

(The door opens and ELISE walks in.)

ELISE: Phoebe! Where have you been? Rachel just spent twenty minutes looking for you. (She narrows her eyes at LEO.) And just who are you?

[Scene: Soul Mate Finder Headquarters. Torture chamber. GUARD #4 shimmers in with a smug smile plastered across his leathery face.]

GUARD #4: You’re going to love this, Zahn!

(DEMON #3, ZAHN, spins around.)

ZAHN: Do tell.

GUARD #4: She’s a Charmed One. (ZAHN eyes PAIGE curiously.) And he’s a Mercury Demon; goes by Drake De’mon above ground.

ZAHN: (to PAIGE) A Charmed One? (He wags his finger.) I thought there was something familiar about you, (he winks) I thought you might be worth something.

PAIGE: Worth something?

ZAHN: Oh yes. I trade human souls for power. (He grins.) I’m sure many a demon would love to have your soul…and destroy the Power of Three in the process. (A white scroll appears in one hand and a feather pen appears in the other.) I’d like to make a deal with you, Ms. Matthews. (He flashes a pearly set of teeth.) I can call you Ms. Matthews, can’t I?

(PAIGE folds her arms.)

PAIGE: I’m not making any deal with demon.

(ZAHN cocks his head to the side.)

ZAHN: Even if it means saving countless innocents?

DRAKE: (warningly) Paige-

PAIGE: (ignoring DRAKE) What kind of deal?

(ZAHN snaps his fingers and once again he, PAIGE, DRAKE and GUARD #4 appear in a different room. This time it’s filled with transparent souls in transparent chains. Across the room are the souls’ bodies, each with shackles like the ones PAIGE and DRAKE are wearing. PAIGE gasps.)

ZAHN: What do you think?

PAIGE: Are they all-

ZAHN: Dead? (PAIGE nods.) No…not yet. But as soon as I sell them-

PAIGE: I’m listening.

[Time lapse. ZAHN, PAIGE and DRAKE are standing in ZAHN’s office. ZAHN hands PAIGE a white scroll of paper and his feather pen.]

ZAHN: There you go. All of the souls and bodies I have collected will be released upon your signature.

PAIGE: Mind if I read this?

ZAHN: Of course not.

(PAIGE’s shackles jingle as she moves to DRAKE and stands next to him, holding up the agreement for him to see. DRAKE suddenly lifts his eyes from the paper.)

DRAKE: “…and upon the event of Zahn’s untimely vanquish, Paige Matthews’ soul will burn for eternity.”

ZAHN: (smirking) You do read the fine print. (He nods.) It’s to protect me from your sister Charmed Ones, naturally.

DRAKE: (pleading) Paige, don’t do this! You can’t trust this demon. He tricks people, that’s how the other souls got here.

PAIGE: And I’d like to think we’re craftier than that. (She stares at DRAKE, who cocks his head curiously. PAIGE places the agreement down on ZAHN’s desk.) I want one more thing.

ZAHN: And that would be?

PAIGE: You’ll have to release Drake as well.

ZAHN: Mmm, no. I’m afraid I can’t do that.

PAIGE: Then no deal.

ZAHN: I could always kill you.

PAIGE: But then my soul would move on to the afterlife. You need my signature to make this agreement valid. Kill me, my soul moves on, and my sisters come and kill you. (She folds her arms.) Now, do we have a deal?

ZAHN: You drive a hard bargain. (He looks at the agreement and waves his hand. Another line of text reading, “Additionally, the Mercury Demon, Drake De’mon, will be released with the bodies and souls of the aforementioned.” PAIGE leans over and inspects the line. She re-reads the document.) Happy now?

PAIGE: Delighted. (She picks up the feather and brings it to the paper.)

ZAHN: Oh no, please touch the pen to your finger.

PAIGE: Excuse me?

ZAHN: Just touch the tip to your finger. (PAIGE presses the tip of the pen to her finger and it bleeds, soaking the tip of the feather in blood.) Now sign.

PAIGE: (stubbornly) The souls.

(ZAHN snaps his fingers and the office becomes cramped with the victims PAIGE saw earlier. PAIGE bends down and signs her name in her own scarlet blood. When she finishes, the name catches on fire and burns into the paper. The shackles immediately fall of DRAKE’s wrists and hands at the same time as the other innocents’ shackles come off. The souls of the innocents are sucked back into their bodies and all at once, everyone but PAIGE and ZAHN vanish from the room. PAIGE suddenly gasps and falls to the ground. Her spirit rises from her body, complete with transparent chains. ZAHN snaps his fingers and the contract disappears.)

ZAHN: Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an auction to assemble. (He shimmers out.)

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Six

[Scene: Manor. Attic. CHRIS and PRUE are there. DRAKE bursts through the door, startling CHRIS and promptly him to throw up his hand defensively. PRUE grabs CHRIS’s arm and pushes it down.]

PRUE: Drake. Where’s Paige?

DRAKE: Zahn. (The Book of Shadows flies open. PRUE, DRAKE and CHRIS move to the Book and discover a hand drawing of ZAHN and a description about him on the opposite page.) That’s him. (He shakes his head.) But he’s not low level. He’s been trading human souls for demonic powers, he’s the one in charge of the website I found.

CHRIS: How did you escape?

DRAKE: Paige signed over her soul in exchange for mine and the rest of his victims to be freed.

PRUE: What!

DRAKE: Don’t worry, she’s not dead. (He smirks.) She’s a crafty little thing, I give her that. But I don’t think she was counting on his untimely vanquish clause. (CHRIS opens his mouth to question DRAKE, but DRAKE continues speaking.) Which means we have to figure out a way to save her before we can vanquish him; the easiest way would be to destroy the contract, but I don’t know where it is.

PRUE: Do you at least know where my sister is?

DRAKE: I think I can get back there…but I don’t know if we’ll be able to get inside. It’s magically protected.

PHOEBE's VOICE: That hasn’t stopped us before.

(CHRIS, PRUE and DRAKE turn to find LEO and PHOEBE there.)

PRUE: Where have you two been?

PHOEBE: Long story. Not relevant at the moment. (She notices the Book of Shadows.) Leo, that’s the demon from my vision! (She collects the Book.) We need to start on this vanquishing potion. We’ve got two sisters to save and not enough time to do it.

[Time lapse. DRAKE, PHOEBE and PRUE shimmer in. Beside them, a cloud of orbs deposits LEO and CHRIS. The five of them find themselves standing in front of a giant building that looks similar to a prison from the outside. CHRIS nods.]

CHRIS: This is where my sensing gets blocked.

(PHOEBE pulls a hairpin out of her hair and tosses it at the door. An electrical shock hits the pin and makes it explode.)

PHOEBE: Thought so. (She looks at PRUE and DRAKE.) Plan B?

(DRAKE curls his fists and holds his arms towards the doors. Flames blossom on his fists and rapidly spread up his arms. A funnel of flames surges into the doors; the clash of energies spark and hiss. PRUE’s long black hair whips and pulls back against her head as hot wind bursts from DRAKE’s assault. PRUE raises her left hand and yellow sparks crackle along her fingertips. She holds out her arm and an arm of electricity slaps against the doors. She raises her other arm and channel’s her unborn daughter’s power through it as well. Thundering cracks echo in the air as the magic protecting the demonic prison struggles to hold up. PHOEBE digs into her pocket and pulls out potions. She starts throwing them at the doors. Each one creates a popping noise like an exploding firecracker. CHRIS begins to rear back his arms, alternating them as if he’s throwing invisible baseball pitches. The crackles and pops become louder with each telekinetic strike. Finally, PRUE narrows her eyes and send a final telekinetic blast via her hard blue eyes. A deafening shatter ripples through the air, knocking the five people off balance and back about ten feet. They land roughly and PRUE winces, grabbing her stomach. LEO scrambles over to PRUE, placing his hands over her belly. A healing light washes from his hands, remedying the pain.)

LEO: Are you okay?

PRUE: Yeah, (LEO helps her stand) thanks. (She looks at the demonic prison. Smoke is rising into the air and the doors have exploded, leaving only a smoldering entrance.) Can’t say the same for that building though.

(LEO closes his eyes.)

LEO: I can sense her again…but it’s very faint. (They run inside.)

[Cut to Paige. PAIGE is standing on stage, behind a red curtain. She keeps looking over at her body, which is lying on a stone slab. She looks as if she’s sleeping.]

PAIGE: (mumbling) Drake, you had better not let me down…

ZAHN’s VOICE: I have a wonderful present for you tonight! (The curtain rises and PAIGE sees a sea of faces, many of which are obviously demonic. She gulps.) The body and soul of Paige Matthews, one of only three Charmed Ones in existence! (The crowd oohs and cheers.) So, what do we say we start the bidding at fifteen powers?

DEMON #1: Twenty powers!

ZAHN: Ah, twenty powers! Anyone for twenty-five powers?

DEMON #2: Thirty powers and my minions for body and soul!

PRUE’s VOICE: How about a vanquish?

(ZAHN flies off the stage and lands in the audience, knocking down a couple of demons in the process. ZAHN quickly scrabbles to his feet.)

ZAHN: Oh, I knew you’d come! (He spots DRAKE.) But didn’t he tell you, kill me and you kill your sister as well!

(PRUE flings out her arm, pinning ZAHN to the wall.)

PRUE: (furiously) Where’s the contract?

ZAHN: Why would I tell you? I have the upper hand here. (He motions his hand to the crowd.) And a room full of demons who would love to see the Charmed circle disbanded.

(PRUE keeps one hand facing ZAHN, holding him to the wall, but turns her other to the crowd. She waves her arm and a handful of demons fall down. A bolt of electricity then shoots from her hand and vanquishes a nearby demon. Pyrokinetic flames erupt along DRAKE’s arms and he punches another demon in the face. The fire spreads to him and he screams as he blows up in flames. ZAHN smirks.)

ZAHN: You’ll never win, you’re outnumbered!

(As if on cue, an onslaught of energy balls race towards PRUE, CHRIS, LEO, DRAKE and PHOEBE. CHRIS throws up his hand, holding back the attacks with his powers. He winces.)

CHRIS: There’re too many!

(PRUE abandons her hold on ZAHN and throws up her hands as well, empowering CHRIS’s telekinetic shield against the attacks.)

PRUE: One, two, three!

(PRUE and CHRIS thrust their arms out, reversing the energy balls. Several demons burst into flames as the swarm of electrical spheres pummel them. The ground looks polka dotted in scorch marks when the smoke clears. PHOEBE tackles ZAHN to the ground as PRUE, CHRIS and DRAKE deal with the demonic attacks. PHOEBE straddles ZAHN, pinning his body to the floor, and then she curls her fist and smashes it into his jaw. PHOEBE’s body becomes rigid and LEO runs to her aid as ZAHN reels from the pain of her punch. When PHOEBE opens her eyes, she climbs off ZAHN.)

PHOEBE: I know where the contract is!

ZAHN: No! (He starts to shimmer out, but LEO grabs him by the ankle and orbs him before he can get away.)

DRAKE: (to PHOEBE) Where?

PHOEBE: An office-

(DRAKE grabs her hand.)

[Cut to Zahn’s office. DRAKE and PHOEBE shimmer in. PHOEBE breaks free of the demon’s hand and runs to the wall. DRAKE watches her curiously as she touches the wall. It ripples and she walks inside. DRAKE follows her and finds himself in a room lined with empty boxes which used to contain the contracts of ZAHN’s victims. PHOEBE snatches the only paper in the room and unrolls it, revealing her sister’s contract. DRAKE snatches it from PHOEBE. His fist catches on fire and it spreads to the contract, burning it until not even dust remains.]

[Cut to Paige. The shackles disappear from both her transparent and physical body and her soul is sucked back into her body. She awakes with a gasp and immediately feels herself, glad to alive again. She orbs to PRUE’s side just as DRAKE and PHOEBE shimmer back in. PHOEBE grabs her sisters’ hands.]

PHOEBE: Three’s company.

PRUE, PHOEBE, & PAIGE: “The Power of Three will set us free!
The Power of Three will set us free!
The Power of Three will set us free!”

(A harsh, humid wind like a hurricane blows in a circle around the Charmed Ones. The fireballs and energy balls get swept up in the wind and swirl like a tornado before sling shooting back at the demons. Those that are hit combust and the others scream as flames erupt on their skin and burn them from the outside in. One by one, piles of ashes fall to the ground and when the offending demons are gone, the humid wind sweeps the ashes into a funnel and disappears. Silence fills the air as the three sisters look at one another.)

PRUE: I’d say a job well done.

PHOEBE: Mhmm.

PAIGE: Thanks.

PHOEBE: Anytime. (She hugs PAIGE.) I’m just glad you’re okay. (As she pulls back, she smacks the side of PAIGE’s head.)

PAIGE: Ow! What was that for?

PRUE: Getting yourself killed.

PHOEBE: What were you thinking?

PAIGE: I wasn’t thinking-

PRUE & PHOEBE: We know!

PAIGE: No! I already (emphasizing) knew, that Drake would go to you guys and you’d save the day.

(LEO orbs in, rolling on the floor with ZAHN. PAIGE jumps back.)

PAIGE: Oh, guys, do we have a vanquish for him?

PHOEBE: Coming right up! (She takes a vial out of her purse and throws it into ZAHN’s head. The yellow liquid begins to burn into him like acid as LEO jumps away. ZAHN screams and holds his head as the flesh melts away.)

PRUE: “Freedom’s loss…”

PHOEBE: “Must be unwitting…”

(PRUE holds up a small piece of paper for PAIGE.)

PAIGE: “To the fires of hell…”

PRUE, PHOEBE & PAIGE: “To end your bidding!”

(Flames combust on ZAHN’s feet, working their way up around his ankles and incinerating his pants. They surge up his torso, licking him up and down like a giant dog tongue, and then reach his head and he explodes in a burst of red-orange sparks.)

CHRIS: (anxiously) We need to get to the pier.

(PHOEBEhoebe looks at her watch and her contentment from ZAHN’s vanquish instantly fades away.)

PHOEBE: And we need to hurry!

[Scene: Pier 86. PIPER and JUNE are standing a mere five feet apart on a creaky dock, each gasping as the red and black rings glow around their necks. JUNE is crying between gasps and PIPER is watching her from her peripheral vision, unable to turn her head to get a direct look.]

PIPER: (choking) I-it’s go-gonna b-e o-k-ay, h-h-honey. Th-there w-will be so-me-one c-c-com-ing to h-help s-s-soon.

(A black and white rat transforms into a rat demon right in front of them. JUNE lets out a jarbled scream.)

RAT DEMON #1: No talking! (The sound of high heels running along rickety wood can be hard in the distance. The rat demon focuses his black eyes in the direction of the sound.)

MARY’s VOICE: June! Hello? Anyone! I have the pictures you asked for! Please, I just want my daughter back!

(RAT DEMON #1 transforms back into a rat and scurries into the dark as MARY’s footsteps become louder. From the corner of her eye, PIPER sees a blue glow in the dark. Her breath hitches in her throat. MARY emerges from the darkness with a brown paper bag in hand and stops cold as she sees JUNE and PIPER. At that moment, a rumbling of footsteps can be heard as the Charmed Ones, LEO, DRAKE and CHRIS run up. The albino transforms behind MARY.)

PRUE: No!

(PRUE waves her arm, but the albino ducks behind MARY and PRUE’s power hits MARY instead, blasting her into the pile of crates and barrels PRUE had used to hide her astral form behind earlier. PRUE gasps, horrified, as MARY rolls to the ground unconscious and the paper bag she’d been holding flies from the dock and into the water.)

ALBINO RAT DEMON: Look what you did, witch! (He waves his arm at JUNE and PIPER. Their rings begin to coil around their necks like a boa constrictor.)

CHRIS: Mom! (He flicks his arm and the albino becomes pinned to the ground. CHRIS stalks over to him, tightening his telekinetic grip on the demon’s throat.) Release her!

ALBINO RAT DEMON: (choking) K-kill me and their p-p-pretty little h-heads fly off any-way!

PHOEBE: (begging) Chris, let him go!

(CHRIS hesitates and then looks at his mother and releases his hold. PHOEBE turns her attention to the rat demon.)

PHOEBE: Please, those were the only copies! (The rat demon motions his hand and the ring stops shrinking.) And the three Prue has. If we hand them over, will you let them go?

PAIGE: (gritting her teeth) Phoebe!

PHOEBE: (begging) Please! They’re no use to you. All you want are these pictures and they’re yours if you let them go.

(The albino holds out his hand. PRUE sneers.)

PRUE: First June and our sister.

(The albino twitches his pink nose. He motions his hand and the ring vanishes from JUNE’s neck. She falls to the ground with a gasp.)

ALBINO RAT DEMON: The pictures, now! Or your sister dies.

PRUE: Leo, get June! (She steps forward as LEO moves to JUNE’s side. He scoops her up from the ground and orbs out. PRUE holds out the remaining three pictures. The rat demon snatches them up and examines them, then looks up and smirks.)

ALBINO RAT DEMON: Thank you! (The ring once again begins to strangle PIPER.)

PRUE: (shrieking) Piper!

(A swaddle of orbs deposits MELINDA and the infant twins. The albino freezes and the ring stops shrinking, but PIPER’s face is red from the lack of oxygen.)

MELINDA: (sneering) Called your bluff! (Several other rat demons appear, surrounding everyone. PRUE waves her arm, knocking several of them down.) Hold your fire! (She winks. The rat demons around the pier freeze. She looks at her mother.) I’m so sorry, Mom. This was not supposed to happen. (She turns to her aunts.) Use the Power of Three to free her.

(The Charmed Ones join hands. PRUE and PAIGE look at PHOEBE.)

PHOEBE: “The Power of Three will…set our sister free.”

PRUE & PAIGE: “The Power of Three will set our sister free!”

PAIGE, PHOEBE & PRUE: “The Power of Three will set our sister free!
The Power of Three will set our sister free!
The Power of Three will set our sister free!”

(The red-black ring explodes and PIPER drops to the dock, coughing and grabbing her throat. CHRIS kneels down next to his mother and soothes her.)

CHRIS: Are you okay?

PIPER: Yeah. (She looks up at her sisters and MELINDA.) Now I am.

DRAKE: (to the Charmed Ones) What do you say to sending these rats back to the sewers of hell?

(Fire blossoms on his arms. PHOEBE digs into her pockets and pulls out handfuls of vanquishing potions. She hands some to PAIGE and they each begin throwing them at the frozen rat demons. One by one, they explode at the potion sinks into their skin. Meanwhile, DRAKE vanquishes several demons with pyrokinetic blasts and PRUE channels her unborn daughter’s electrokinesis to get the job done until only the albino remains. PRUE moves to PIPER’s side and links hands with her.)

PRUE: I’ve got a spell that takes the Power of Two, are you up for it?

PIPER: Gladly.

PRUE & PIPER: “Two against one,
Our job is nearly done,
We’ve seen your crime,
And we grant you a sentence equally sublime!”

(The albino unfreezes and shivers as his body breaks apart, turning instantly from a solid form into a gaseous form and then breaks apart and dissolves into the night. PRUE releases PIPER’s hand and walks over to MARY, who is still knocked out on the ground. She bends down and checks her pulse, then pulls out her cell phone.)

[Time lapse. MITCH is sitting at a table at an outdoor restaurant. A single candle is lit in the center of the table and two menus are there, one in front of MITCHh and one in front of an empty seat. MITCH has “The San Francisco Chronicle” in his hands and he’s reading an article titled, “Pier Pressure.” PRUE comes scuttling up to the table, looking apologetic.]

PRUE: I’m so sorry I’m late! I was just checking up on a co-worker of mine…she was in the hospital last week.

MITCH: (laughing) No problem. (He shows her the article he’s reading.) I was just catching up on the news. Did you hear about the money laundering going on down at piers?

PRUE: (nodding) Actually, yeah. (She picks up her menu.) Crazy, huh?

MITCH: Not as crazy as the internet dating scam. (He shakes his head.) I just don’t know how people could be into that anyway, do you?

PRUE: Not a clue.

MITCH: I’m glad we don’t have that problem.

(The waiter walks up.)

WAITER: What can I get both this evening?

MITCH: Ladies first.

PRUE: (grinning) I’ll have whatever he’s having. (The candlelight reflects in her blue eyes as she looks at MITCH.) Surprise me.

[Scene: P3. Parking lot. Cars are packed everywhere. PAIGE is holding up the edge of her hunter green velvet Victorian ball gown-style dress as she zigzags between cars and other party guests. As she reaches the front door, a hand touches her shoulder and she spins around to find ROY standing behind her in jeans and a t-shirt. She glowers as ROY looks her up and down.]

ROY: Wow! Paige, you look stunning tonight! (He adjusts his glasses.)

PAIGE: Look Roy, I’m sorry to disappoint, but you need to leave me alone.

ROY: (ignoring her) Why is everyone dressed up? (He tries to look inside as people walk in, but PAIGE blocks him.) Is there something special going on?

PAIGE: It’s a party, (ROY opens his mouth) invitation only. (She shakes her head.) Look, I have to go. (She turns to walk inside, but ROY grabs her arm.)

ROY: Oh Paige, come on! I think we’ve really got chemistry. Why do you keep brushing me off?

(A rough hand lands on ROY’s shoulder. ROY turns to see DRAKE towering over him.)

DRAKE: I believe the lady said she wants you to leave her be.

(ROY pulls his hand back from PAIGE’s arm. He shrugs.)

DRAKE: Now if you have a problem with that, I’ll gladly discuss it with you. (He squeezes ROY’s shoulder. ROY quickly shakes his head.)

ROY: No. No. I just… (He smiles weakly at PAIGE.) I have some place to be anyway. (DRAKE lifts his hand off ROY's shoulder.)

DRAKE: Good.

(ROY hurries off. DRAKE turns his attention back to PAIGE, only to find her shaking her head at him.)

PAIGE: I could’ve handled that on my own, thank you very much. (She turns for the door.)

DRAKE: I know. (He grabs the door and opens it for her.) You can also open a door by yourself, but that doesn’t mean someone shouldn’t help when they can, does it? (He smiles handsomely and waves his hand for her to step inside.) M’lady…

(PAIGE purses her lips.)

PAIGE: Just because you can help doesn’t mean someone wants it. (She picks up her skirt and walks inside. DRAKE smirks and follows after her.)

[Cut to inside P3. A man in a gray frock coat, paisley vest, off-white ascot, white gloves, and a gray top hat is playing a baby grand piano on stage at P3. On the dance floor guests in elaborate Victorian garb are mingling and some are even slow dancing. Near the back of the room a long table has been set up draped with an ivory lace table cover and coated with silver trays containing sautéed mushrooms stuffed with garlic, dilled cucumber sandwiches, sweet rice oranges, Victorian tea cookies, coconut macaroons, brownie tortes, graham pudding, cream custards, and penny licks containing scoops of homemade chocolate ice cream with sprigs of mint on top. LEO walks up to the table and picks up one of the stemmed glasses of ice cream with his white gloved hand. PIPER walks up behind him, wearing a gorgeous carnation pink Edwardian-style tea gown with an Empire waist and pink satin sash. She adjusts her ribbon and flower adorned hat and bats her thick lashes at her husband as he takes a bite of her chocolate ice cream.]

PIPER: What do you think? (She runs her lace gloved hand down the silver buttons on the front of his black wool cutaway-style tuxedo. LEO leans down and kisses her on the lips.)

LEO: I think my lovely wife outdid herself this week. (He takes another bite of his ice cream.) And this is delectable.

(They kiss again and then walk to the bar, where PHOEBE is seated in the same black Victorian dress that COLE had received from DRAKE’s mother when they time traveled back to London in 1895. Behind the bar, MELINDA and MONICA are dressed in matching black dresses with white lace collars and puffed sleeves. PHOEBE raises her hand to MONICA.)

PHOEBE: Can I get a mulled wine when you get a chance?

MONICA: Coming right up!

(MELINDA sneaks over two hot rum toddies to a couple at the corner of the bar and then slips over to PHOEBE and her parents.)

MELINDA: Ugh, I cannot understand how people wore these things all the time. (She pinches the puffed fabric on her dress.) They’re itchy and miserable!

PIPER: It’s just a few more hours.

MELINDA: (pouting) I know…I think I can survive. (She glances across the room where three women are surrounding CHRIS.) But I don’t know about him. The future bridesmaids keep hitting on him. You may want to go save him.

PHOEBE: (laughing) I’ll go see what I can do. (She walks over to CHRIS. MELINDA eyes another couple walking up to the bar.)

MELINDA: Egh. (She waves her hand and walks over to them.) What can I get for you?

(The piano song changes to a slower tune. LEO sets his ice cream on the bar and bends his elbow out to PIPER.)

LEO: May I have this dance, Miss?

(PIPER loops her arm into LEO’s.)

PIPER: Why certainly, Sir. (They walk out onto the dance floor and begin slow dancing.)

[The Virtual Series]

End Credits

Co-Starring
Brody Jo Hamilton --- Baby Melinda Halliwell
Jackson Phillip Deveraux Kaufman --- Baby Chris Halliwell
Becky Wahlstrom --- Lila Wright
Leslie Grossman --- Rachel Witman
Arlo Hemphill --- Terrance Siggson
Maeve Quinlan --- Darla Dreese
Ashley Rickards --- June Grant
David Ury --- Roy

Featuring
Patrick Stinson --- Dean Wallace
John Bisom --- Man at the Bay Mirror
Michael R. Robinson --- Man at Zahn's Prison
Bart McCarthy --- Rat Demon #1
Patrick Fischler --- Rat Demon #2
André Mayers --- Guard #1
Spencer Knowles --- Guard #2
Louis Giovannetti --- Guard #3
Geoffrey Pierson --- Guard #4
Titus Welliver --- Demon #1
Guy Wilson --- Demon #2

Production & Design
Daniel (Astral Echo) - Co-Casting Director
Camille (Fourever Charmed) - Co-Casting Director
Alex (Criminally Vulgar) - Video Editor (Credits)
Alex (Criminally Vulgar) - Set Designer