6x20: The Trudeau Is Out There...And It Hurts

[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.

6.20 THE TRUDEAU IS OUT THERE...AND IT HURTS

GUEST-STARRING:
T.W. KING
MARISOL NICHOLS
DAKIN MATTHEWS
SIMON TEMPLEMAN
MICHAEL BOATMAN
SANDRA PROSPER
ALISEN DOWN
BILLY ZANE

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...Noel Nosseck

[The Virtual Series]

The Trudeau Is Out There…And It Hurts

Teaser

[Scene: Manor. Attic. The room is drenched in silence as PRUE HALLIWELL stares straight ahead at the flesh and blood form of her high school sweetheart, ANDREW TRUDEAU. ANDY stares guiltily back at PRUE, while PIPER HALLIWELL stands near him, with her mouth drawn open and her breath hitched. PAIGE MATTHEWS has her lips pulled into an awestruck “O” shape and PHOEBE HALLIWELL has her hand pressed to her mouth in shock. MELINDA HALLIWELL’s usual perky grin is gone and her peachy face has drained to a ghostly white, while BIANCA PERRY’s face is slowly becoming red. CHRIS HALLIWELL raises his hand and, suddenly, ANDY sails across the attic and clashes into the wall. MELINDA squeaks and grabs her brother’s hand.]

MELINDA: (whispering) What is that supposed to accomplish?

CHRIS: (whispering) That wasn’t me.

(They share a look for a heartbeat, then both their gazes shoot towards PRUE, who has her eyes narrowed in a classic pinched scowl; the same one she wore when she first received her power.)

PRUE: (yelling) Liar!

(ANDY’s body lifts off the ground again and once again is thrown into the wall. PRUE takes a threatening step forward.)

PRUE: You’re a liar! Who are you really? A shapeshifter? Or is that a glamour? (She raises her hand and ANDY glides off the floor and slams into the wall, but she holds him there with her mind. Her teeth grit together.) Tell me!

ANDY: (choking) I-i-it’s true, P-rue. It’s m-m-e-e.

PRUE: (furiously) Andy’s (screaming) dead! You can’t be him! There’s no way! I saw him as a ghost! He came to Melinda and Chris’ Wiccaning! I spent months with him! You. Are. Lying!

(PAIGE looks quickly between PRUE and ANDY.)

PAIGE: (whispering) Andy…

[Flashback: PAIGE and PENNY HALLIWELL are standing in the attic. PENNY is motioning her arms and various boxes and the like are opening, their contents floating out, and then back in. PENNY is looking for the Warren Wiccaning gown while PAIGE is talking.]

PAIGE: And just for the record, I don’t believe he’s as powerless as you think, because otherwise, why would there be a prophecy about him and Melinda.

PENNY: (puzzled) A prophecy?

PAIGE: You…don’t know about that, either? (She shakes her head.) How can you not know about that? Or Chris, for that matter?

PENNY: (defensively) Well, I couldn’t watch the birth because the magic on your plane was down! How could I have known?

PAIGE: Don’t you guys like, peek in or something?

PENNY: Well, yes, I did, of course, but I only focused on Melinda. (She snorts.) And it’s not like A- (She coughs and PAIGE furrows a brow.)

PAIGE: And it’s not like what?

PENNY: Anybody, it’s not like anybody told me there was another child.

[Cut back to the present. PAIGE hiccups in surprise.]

PAIGE: (whispering) Oh my god…

ANDY: T-think ab-out it, Prue. T-t-he f-ir-st time you m-met M-Matt!

(PRUE holds her fist tight, refusing to unclench her hold on ANDY.)

[Flashback: PRUE is in the party hall dressed as Cleopatra, sitting alone. She is watching everyone at the party having fun. MATTHEW CAPIELLO walks up dressed as Marc Anthony and pulls out a chair at PRUE’s table.]

MATT: Do you mind if I sit here?

(PRUE shakes her head, not looking at him.)

PRUE: No, go ahead.

(MATT sits down and extends this ironclad hand out in front of PRUE. A red twizzler is hanging out. He smiles.)

MATT: Want a piece?

(PRUE turns her head at the sight of the red candy and smiles for the first time in days.)

PRUE: My favorite.

[Cut back to the present. The whiteness in PRUE’s knuckles begin to disappear as her fist unclenches ever so slightly, allowing ANDY to nod his head.]

ANDY: (weakly) You remember, don’t you? Your fondness for Twizzlers...

[Flashback: PRUE and ANDY are standing in PRUE’s office at Buckland’s Auction House.]

PRUE: Uh, so, Andy... how well do you think you really know me?

ANDY: Well, I know about your fondness for Twizzlers, how you can’t stand it when people talk at the previews, how you like to argue to win, and how you pick your cuticles when you’re nervous. And also know I’d love to start seeing you again. I wish you can trust me enough to tell me whatever it is you’re afraid of.

[Cut back to the present. PRUE’s hand is loose now, but ANDY is still pressed against the wall.]

ANDY: How would Matt know that, Prue? Tell me that. Tell me how Matt know all the things about you that he did! Tell me how you fell so hard and so fast for him if he wasn’t…if he wasn’t me.

(PRUE drops her hand and ANDY slumps down the wall to the floor. She staggers back, shaking her head.)

PRUE: No…no, this is wrong. It’s got to be trick. (She looks frantically around the attic.) You left. Andy would (emphasizing) never leave me!

ANDY: I never did. I told you I’d always be with you, didn’t I? At our swing, right before you went back to break the time loop. (He stands up and takes exactly three steps towards PRUE.) Look into my eyes, Prue. And then look into your heart. You know the truth.

(PRUE locks her blue eyes with ANDY’s. Neither says a word. Then tears ripple and glimmer in her eyes and roll down her cheeks.)

PRUE: (whispering) How?

Clickable Credits.

[The Virtual Series]

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

Act One

[Scene: Manor. Attic. MELINDA raises her hands and ANDY freezes. She acts out a fake laugh and saunters into the center of the room, between PRUE and her frozen lover.]

MELINDA: (to PRUE) That is a very good question, but I’m afraid it’ll have to wait. In fact, (she snaps her fingers to CHRIS) get her out of here!

(CHRIS takes a step near his aunt, who abruptly raises her hand. CHRIS looks helplessly at MELINDA.)

CHRIS: (telepathically) She’s holding me in place.

MELINDA: (telepathically) Well orb! This is already bad enough as it is. (She looks up.) Nobody’s crashed the party yet, so maybe we still have time if we can do a little memory wiping and-

(A golden burst of light with a shimmering tail like a comet bursts through the open window and through the middle of the attic. The sisters’ and MELINDA’s long dark hair flies back from their heads by the force of the movement. The light stops beside ANDY and starbursts into the plump little ANGEL OF DESTINY. At precisely the same moment, a dark haze of black and navy blue swirls of light appear to ANDY's other side, transforming into the ANGEL OF DEATH. PRUE starts to shake her head as soon as she sees the ANGEL OF DEATH.)

PRUE: (to the ANGEL OF DEATH) No!

ANGEL OF DEATH: (to PRUE) He’s dead. His time came and went, just as all lives do.

(The ANGEL OF DESTINY nods solemnly.)

ANGEL OF DESTINY: I’m sorry, Prudence, but I’m afraid Mr. Trudeau has set in motion a series of events that have put the Grand Design in grave jeopardy.

PIPER: (to the ANGEL OF DESTINY) I got to change destiny for the better when the “Grand Design” was also in “jeopardy,” so why can’t Andy?

(The ANGEL OF DEATH remains stoic, staring only at PRUE. PRUE waves her arm at ANDY, but the ANGEL OF DEATH places his hand on ANDY’s shoulder and her power has no effect on him.)

ANGEL OF DESTINY: (to PIPER) I’m afraid this is different, Piper. You did not intentionally break the rules.

PHOEBE: And how did he break the rules?

ANGEL OF DEATH: You don’t consider crossing the realms of life and death a broken rule, Ms. Halliwell?

PHOEBE: We’ve all taken our turns dying and coming back before. So why can’t Andy? (When neither the ANGEL OF DEATH nor the ANGEL OF DESTINY responds, PHOEBE desperately turns to ANDY.) Please tell them you had a valid reason for all this! You do have an explanation, don’t you?

(PIPER begins to nod.)

PIPER: Tell them, Andy. Tell them about Melinda. And Phoebe. And the Twins!

ANDY: Piper- (He raises his hand in an attempt to silence her. The ANGEL OF DESTINY glances at ANDY.)

ANGEL OF DESTINY: I believe we’ll need time to sort this out. (to the ANGEL OF DEATH) A full meeting is required.

PAIGE: A meeting? What’s that supposed to mean? Like a magical staff meeting?

PRUE: (pleadingly) Let Andy stay with us until the meeting’s over!

ANGEL OF DEATH: (at the same time as the ANGEL OF DESTINY) Absolutely not!

ANGEL OF DESTINY: (at the same time as the ANGEL OF DEATH) I’m afraid we cannot do that.

PIPER: (demandingly) Why?!

ANGEL OF DEATH: He needs to be kept in quarantine until we’ve decided.

PHOEBE: Decided what?

ANGEL OF DESTINY: His fate.

(A dark blue and black haze shrouds ANDY and the ANGEL OF DEATH and they disappear from the attic. PRUE starts to shake her head frantically.)

PRUE: No, not again!

(The ANGEL OF DESTINY bows his head respectfully.)

ANGEL OF DESTINY: And I apologize for this as well.

(The ANGEL OF DESTINY holds his arms in a cradling position and in a starburst of golden light, DREA HALLIWELL appears in his arms. PRUE’s breath hitches and then she bolts towards the ANGEL OF DESTINY to grab her daughter, only to discover that when she tries to grab her, her hands go right through them as if DREA and the ANGEL OF DESTINY were ghosts. PRUE grits her teeth. PIPER, PHOEBE, and PAIGE swarm in.)

PAIGE: You let her go right now! (She raises her hands, but the ANGEL OF DESTINY shakes his head.)

ANGEL OF DESTINY: (to PAIGE) Your power won’t work. (to PRUE) I’m sorry, but your daughter was not part of the Grand Design.

PRUE: She’s an innocent baby, for god’s sakes! (Tears filter down her face.) And if she was never meant to be, how was she conceived in the first place? (screaming) Answer me that!

(LEO orbs in with his hand on the rail of the playpen. He looks frantic.)

LEO: Drea’s gone! She- (He spots DREA in the arms of the ANGEL OF DESTINY. His voice goes quiet, unsure of what’s going on.)

ANGEL OF DESTINY: Was an unfortunate oversight. (to PRUE) An accident.

PIPER: (angrily) A child is never an accident!

(DREA begins to wail. The ANGEL OF DESTINY glances down at her and smiles sadly.)

ANGEL OF DESTINY: You have my word that you all shall be informed of where we go from here, once that has been determined.

(The ANGEL OF DESTINY transforms back into a gold burst of light that shoots out the window, causing it to close on the way out. PRUE drops to her knees and cries. PIPER instantly kneels down next to her sister and tries to comfort her.)

PIPER: She’s not gone, Prue. We’ll get her back. (She blinks back tears herself.) We’ll get them both back, no matter what we have to do!

LEO: What the hell is going on? Why did he take her? And where’s Matt?

PAIGE: (to LEO) Don’t you mean “Andy”?

LEO: Andy? (confused) What? I’m talking about Matt.

(PAIGE glances at MELINDA and CHRIS warily.)

PAIGE: Piper, what were you saying about Matt, (she shakes her head) Andy, (she throws up her hands) Mandy - whatever the hell his name is - what were you saying about him and Mel?

(PIPER continues to hug PRUE, but glances back to follow her youngest sister’s stare at MELINDA.)

PIPER: Andy had nothing to do with Mel… (She glowers at CHRIS and MELINDA) Except for the fact that they told me he was dead.

CHRIS: That’s right, you saw him die with your own eyes.

LEO: (confusedly) When did he die?

MELINDA: (to LEO) Years ago. (She flicks her wrists and her father freezes. She heaves a sigh of exasperation and runs her hand through her hair.)

PHOEBE: (to MELINDA) What did you go and do that for!

MELINDA: Too many questions.

PAIGE: And not enough damn answers!

(PIPER suddenly releases PRUE and stands.)

PIPER: Melinda. Melinda (emphasizing) Warren. (She moves to the Wicca chest and begins to pull out the severely used summoning candles.) She must be able to help! (She arranges the candles on the floor and grabs a package of matches out of the chest, strikes one, and uses it to light the first candle, which she then uses to light the others.)

PHOEBE: (to PIPER) How do you know that?

(PIPER’s hands hover above the Book of Shadows as she stalls at PHOEBE's question. PRUE raises her head, suddenly looking at PIPER expectantly.)

PRUE: (nodding) Yeah, Piper, how do you know?

(PIPER swallows uneasily.)

PIPER: It’s a long story-

(PRUE angrily stands up.)

PRUE: I don’t care. Explain!

PIPER: After we summon Melinda. (She opens the Book to the Summoning Spell and clears her throat.)
“Hear theses words,
Hear my cry,
Spirit from the other side;
Come to me,
I summon thee,
Cross now,
The Great Divide!”

(The air is silent as nobody breathes. The candle flames do not flicker, there is no mystical breeze, and no white lights appear to transport the spirit of MELINDA WARREN to the attic. The sisters look at each other, all wondering the same thing.)

PAIGE: Why didn’t it work?

PIPER: I don’t know.

(PIPER moves around the pedestal and checks the orientation of the candles. Frustrated, she opens her mouth to read the spell again.)

PHOEBE: Maybe They’ve taken her too?

(PAIGE throws up her hands.)

PAIGE: Why? I don’t understand this! First your grandmother and now this!

PHOEBE: Excuse me? (She blinks.) Our grandmother?

PAIGE: Grams. (She shrugs.) I’m not entirely sure if I feel comfortable calling her that even now, but that’s who I’m talking about.

PIPER: What do you mean? How does Grams fit into this?

PAIGE: When she came down for the Twins’ Wiccaning. (She frowns.) She was telling me how nobody informed her about Chris being born and she had a slip of the tongue…but she caught herself and said “anybody,” when I think she meant to say, well, “Andy.”

PRUE: But Andy was at the Wiccaning! I don’t understand how he could pull that off as…as Matt.

PHOEBE: Matt did disappear without a trace right after the Twins were born.

(PIPER looks down at the floor.)

PAIGE: (to PIPER) What else do you know?

(PIPER bites her lip.)

PIPER: When Andy was still Matt, he told me that he would have to leave soon, after the Twins were born safely.

(PRUE locks eyes with PIPER.)

PRUE: (angrily) And you neglected to tell me this?

PIPER: I wanted to! Believe me, I wanted to, but after I found out his secret-

PRUE: After you found out? You knew he was Andy?!

PIPER: No! I always knew him as Matt, I swear! But when I (she motions to MELINDA) or technically Melinda, froze him, I demanded to know what he was…because good witches don’t freeze. And that’s when he told me about…about being from the future.

PHOEBE: Wait, so you’re saying he out and lied to you?

PAIGE: Looks that way, doesn’t it?

PIPER: I didn’t believe him either, but he asked me to summon Melinda Warren, who confirmed his story.

PHOEBE: (shocked) They both lied to you?!

(PIPER spins around to face her adult children. She points her fingers at them accusingly.)

PIPER: Okay, you both need to start fessing up right now! You both told me he was dead, meaning you already knew what was going on with him. You need to connect the dots for us right now! You came back here for something specific and my gut is telling me it has to do with Matt - Andy - and not just because of Andrea. (She blinks, something dawning on her. The same look also crosses PHOEBE’s face.)

PHOEBE: (muttering) Now that is ironic.

(PIPER snaps her fingers.)

PIPER: (to CHRIS and MELINDA) Start talking!

(BIANCA steps in front of CHRIS. She shakes her head.)

BIANCA: (to CHRIS and MELINDA) Don’t. (She looks PIPER dead in the eyes.) All you need to know is that we failed.

PRUE: You failed? (The floor begins to rattle.) That’s all you have to say for yourselves? My daughter’s been stolen away from me and you failed?! (She points to BIANCA’s stomach.) Would you accept that if it was your daughter?

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Two

[Scene: Manor. Attic. BIANCA and PRUE are glaring at each other, each radiating fury.]

BIANCA: It’s because of what your daughter and your lover and (spitefully) you did, that my daughter can never have the future she deserves! And that’s if she manages to live long enough to grow up.

PRUE: And what exactly was it that we did? (She points towards the ceiling.) She’s a baby! An innocent!

BIANCA: She’s not an innocent! She’s taken countless lives because she could!

PRUE: (spitefully) And as a assassin, you haven’t?

BIANCA: It’s not the same thing!

PRUE: Then enlighten me! What’s the difference?

BIANCA: The difference is that she was never meant to exist!

PRUE: And yet she does. It’s not her fault. She should not be punished for what her father - or I - did.

BIANCA: I cannot believe you. You’re supposed to be a Charmed One. (She snarls under her breath.) One sibling or five strangers, what a charade.

(PRUE tilts her head to the side.)

PRUE: How do you-

BIANCA: You’d be surprised what’s in the history books.

MELINDA: (telepathically) Oh no, you don’t know what’s going on in Prue’s and Bianca’s heads right now, but I do and I can tell you that this is going to be explosive unless we diffuse it now!

(MELINDA grabs CHRIS' hand and a force field forms around them and BIANCA. CHRIS places his hand on BIANCA’s shoulder and begins to orb out. MELINDA pulls her hand away from her brother’s, so only CHRIS and BIANCA orb out. PHOEBE places a comforting hand on PRUE’s shoulder.)

PHOEBE: Don’t worry, we’ll fix this.

(PRUE swipes PHOEBE’s hand away.)

PRUE: (through gritted teeth) I’ll fix this.

(She storms out of the attic. The youngest three sisters and MELINDA stand in silence.)

PHOEBE: What’s that supposed to mean?

MELINDA: It means you need to go stop her. (The sisters look at her with questioning stares. MELINDA swallows uneasily.) She plans to go kill Lillith, by herself.

PIPER, PHOEBE, & PAIGE: What!

PHOEBE: She can’t do that! Lillith’s too strong, she’ll know she’s coming-

(PAIGE grabs PHOEBE by the arm and pulls her towards the door. In a flurry of footsteps, PIPER hurries along after them. After the sisters leave, MELINDA waves her hand towards her father. LEO unfreezes and notices that all of the adults except for himself and MELINDA are gone. His confusion manifests into a glare.)

LEO: You froze me!

MELINDA: Yeah, I take after Mom, so sue me. (She glances over the playpen at her and her brother’s infant selves.) You need to go help Mom, Phoebe, and Paige. Prue’s about to put them in danger. I’ll watch the kids. (LEO opens his mouth, but MELINDA raises her finger.) I know what you’re about to say, so don’t. Don’t ask questions. Just do as I’ve asked. (She pauses and looks up.) Please? They’ll need your help in stopping Prue before she gets herself killed. (thinking) Earlier than she already does.

LEO: (thinking) Does she really expect me to just run off blind? She may be from the future, but she’s still my daughter. She owes me an explanation!

MELINDA: (sighing) Look, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a witch about things, but this is kind of important, okay? Can’t you trust me? After all, I’m still your daughter.

(LEO looks hesitant, but seems to be coming around. As he starts to speak, a flustered clamor of footsteps can be heard as PHOEBE, PAIGE, and PIPER run in.)

PIPER: Prue’s gone!

(LEO spins around.)

PAIGE: And she’s taken our spare potion arsenal with her.

PHOEBE: Along with the Rowe athame.

(LEO begins to shake his head.)

LEO: I can’t sense her.

PIPER: She’s in the Underworld.

PHOEBE: I can’t believe her, this is suicide!

PIPER: She just lost her daughter and the love of her life - again no less - all at the same time, Phoebe. She’s running on adrenaline and emotion and revenge…and she thinks Lillith is responsible for all of it.

MELINDA: And she would be correct.

PAIGE: It makes sense that she’d want to take her out on her own.

PHOEBE: Yeah, if she doesn’t get herself killed first.

[Scene: Underworld. PRUE is crouched down behind a boulder, watching a group of six non-human looking demons in black hakamas. They have thick skinned faces that appear as though they were molded from red candle wax and their eyes are nothing more than black slits. Long, slender horns protrude from the sides of their heads and yellowed tusks half the length of their horns jut upwards from their wide, shapeless mouths. The demons sound like they are talking in Japanese.]

LILLITH's VOICE: (coyly) Looking for me, Prudence?

(PRUE jerks her head around to see LILLITH leaning lazily against the rock wall, watching her with sick satisfaction. PRUE grits her teeth.)

PRUE: (demandingly) Where’s my daughter?

LILLITH: How would I know?

(PRUE slowly drops her arm down her side as she talks.)

PRUE: I know you’ve orchestrated this, don’t think I’m stupid. You made it clear you wanted revenge; wanted me and my family to suffer. You know where Andy and my daughter are and why.

(The Rowe athame flies up out of a hidden sheath in PRUE’s boot and into her hand. In a quick reflex, PRUE flings the athame at LILLITH and telekinetically stops it in mid air, centimeters from LILLITH's neck.)

PRUE: Tell me what you’ve done!

LILLITH: I’ll make you a deal. I’ll tell you their fate…if you can find me.

(She takes a step forward and the blade of the athame slices through her neck. Her body fades into a red flare and vanishes. PRUE curses under her breath at the astral projection as the athame flies back into her hand.)

MAN's VOICE: (Japanese accent) Majo!

(PRUE slowly turns to find the group of demons she’d been spying on blocking all her exits.)

PRUE: I’m gonna take a leap here and guess that means witch in… (She twists her head around to examine all the demons.) Japanese?

DEMON #2: (Japanese accent) You’re out numbered, majo.

(DEMON #2 reaches to his boots and yanks out a pair of octagon chrome sais. He flicks his wrists and the next moment both sais are flying towards PRUE. PRUE back flips, dodging the first sai and as she lands, she holds out her arm, halting the second sai just centimeters from her palm. In a swift motion, she curls her fingers into a ball and twists her wrist to the right. The sai jerks to the right and impales one of the demons through his head, causing him to explode. In a shimmer of action, three of the four remaining demons summon katanas to their hands, while the second demon summons the sai PRUE dodged back into his hand. PRUE runs up the side of the cave and uses the momentum to back flip and slam one foot each into the backs of two of the katana wielding demons, effectively forcing them to jerk forward, plunging their katanas into their brethren demons opposite them. PRUE drops to her legs and pulls out a handful of potion vials that she took from the Manor.)

PRUE: And you’re out matched.

DEMON #1: (Japanese accent) Futodoki!

PRUE: (undeterred) I’m willing to make you a deal. I won’t vanquish you as long as you get the hell out of my way.

DEMON #2: (Japanese accent) Three to one, majo. Why should we let you go free?

PRUE: Because you’re not what I’m looking for…and I don’t often give demons the chance to live.

DEMON #2: (Japanese accent) No deal. (to the other demons) Atakku!

(PRUE crosses her arms across her chest and releases the potion vials she’s holding in each hand. They hit DEMON #1 and DEMON #3. As the potion comes in contact with them, green flames engulf the demons’ hakamas and crawl up their bodies. Their shapeless mouths open wide as they howl in high pitched, animalistic screams. As the flames die out, all that remains is a liquid red puddle, which looks like melted wax from their faces. DEMON #3’s katana falls to the ground with a hard metallic clatter, like pots and pans banging together. PRUE holds out her hand, summoning the katana into her grasp. As she turns to lodge the katana into DEMON #2, his sai burrows itself deep into her shoulder.)

PRUE: Agh!

(PRUE grits her teeth, visibly biting back the tremendous pain as she thrusts the katana, aided by her telekinesis and adrenaline, into the Japanese demon’s torso. His arms fly up as his whole frame shatters into oblivion, leaving PRUE still standing their, holding the katana. When she’s sure he’s gone, she drops the katana and staggers back, propping herself against the wall. She twists her head to examine the sai jutting from her bleeding shoulder. In a quick motion, she bunches the front of her shirt and shoves it into her mouth, then wraps her fingers around the handle of the sai. With a squint of her eyes and a sharp yank of her hand, she screams into her makeshift gag as the sai slides out of her flesh. She spits out her rumpled shirt and uses the sai to slice off the sleeve of her opposite arm, which she then uses to make a tight makeshift bandage around deep, bleeding wound. PRUE wipes the blade of the sai on her pants twice, once for each side of the blade, cleaning off her blood, and then curls her hand into a fist around the handle until her knuckles begin to turn white. In a fluid series of steps, she disappears into the bowels of the Underworld.)

[Scene: Golden Gate Park. Chris and Bianca’s bench. BIANCA and CHRISs are seated on the bench and CHRIS has his arms wrapped around his fiancé. He’s rubbing her back and BIANCA, in a rare moment of weakness, has her head buried in his shoulder. BIANCA pulls away from him and wipes her eyes quickly with the back of her hand. She hardens her face.]

BIANCA: (disdainfully) I don’t know how you can defend her.

CHRIS: I never defended her.

BIANCA: You could’ve come back earlier. You could’ve stopped Drea’s conception completely. But you didn’t. (voice cracking) I don’t understand…she killed your mother, Chris. And Phoebe and Paige. Why would you want to save that? She’s not even…she defies nature, defies the laws of life and death. She’s dangerous no matter what side she’s on and you know it! Even if you had succeeded, there would always be that question, that possibility, that she could go back. And then what?

CHRIS: You could be describing yourself you know.

BIANCA: I have a destiny. I don’t know what it is sometimes, but I know I was born with a purpose in the grand scheme of everything. Drea was not. (She raises her hands.) The Angel of Destiny was destroyed because of her, don’t you remember?

CHRIS: (gritting his teeth) Of course I remember. (He wraps his hands around BIANCA’s fists.) But you can’t tell me that there are things you wouldn’t do for family - me, or-or our daughter - that you would’ve never done otherwise. (He looks down at his lap.) I trusted Paige completely. She protected Melinda and me our entire lives, right up until the end…and she was (emphasizing) positive that Drea and Prue and Aunt Phoebe and Mom could all be saved. She never lost faith in that. Not once. And after her sacrifice, I knew I couldn’t either.

BIANCA: And yet she was wrong.

CHRIS: I don’t know about that…

(BIANCA tilts her head back.)

BIANCA: What do you mean?

CHRIS: (quietly) I think I may have an idea…something that could change things in our favor and still save them. Them being not just my family and not just Drea, but everyone. The future as a whole. It would have to be presented at the trial, though, and very carefully at that.

BIANCA: (realizing) You want to deceive them.

CHRIS: In a manner of speaking…yes.

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Three

[Scene: Manor. Entry way. PHOEBE is running down the stairs as a persistent knock comes from the front door. Exasperated, PHOEBE reaches the door and yanks it open with her hand already held up in the air.]

PHOEBE: Whatever it is- (Her mouth stops as she sees Inspector DARRYL MORRIS standing on her front porch. Her face softens slightly and she puts down her hand.) Darryl! Oh, I’m sorry, I thought you were a door-to-door salesman. Or a Jehovah’s Witness. (She shakes her head.) Anyway, now is really not a good time. I have to get back. (She starts to close the door, but DARRYL wedges his foot into the jam.)

DARRYL: (shocked) Phoebe!

(PHOEBE pauses and pulls the door back again.)

PHOEBE: Listen, Darryl-

DARRYL: No, you listen! I help you out and I cover for you all the time and it’s never a good time for me, so the least you could do is take a minute to help me when I come to you for help!

(PHOEBE looks slightly taken aback. She quickly shakes the stunned look off her face.)

PHOEBE: I’m serious. And believe me, I’m sorry, but we’ve got huge issues right now! Prue’s on a suicide mission in the Underworld, the Angel of Destiny stole Drea, Andy’s back from the dead, and the Twins think the future’s fu-

DARRYL: Andy’s what? (His face suddenly appears three shades paler. A yellow envelope slips from his hand and falls onto the porch at his feet. PHOEBE bites her lip.)

PHOEBE: Uh, yeah. Surprise, surprise, right? (She bends down, still talking.) We just found out about twenty minutes ago ourselves. (She grasps the edge of DARRYL’s envelope and picks it up, but it’s the wrong end, and something slides out the other side.) I really don’t have time to explain - hell, I don’t even know all the details - but Destiny came and took him away too and we’re- (As the fingers on her other hand graze the edge of what fell out of DARRYL’s folder, her shoulders stiffen.)

[Premonition: A young BOY of African American descent, about six-years-old, is tied up with rope and duct tape and has a sock gag stuffed into his mouth. One MAn dressed in black with gloves on is holding a gun pressed to the BOY's temple, while ANOTHER MAN dressed in a similar fashion, also with a gun, is standing behind a MIDDLE AGED MAN of African American descent, who is feverishly typing into a computer. A window pops up onto the screen that says “Downloading” with a bar that rapidly fills up and then another window pops up that says, “Download Complete!” The CD drive pops open, revealing a CD. The MAN who was typing reaches for the CD, but GUNMAN #2 snatches up the CD instead. He examines the CD and then looks over his shoulder at the GUNMAN #1. GUNMAN #1 nods and GUNMAN #2 pulls the trigger, aimed at the chest of the MIDDLE AGED MAN, who falls off his chair and onto the floor. GUNMAN #1 pulls the trigger of his gun and the vision promptly fades out with the sound of the shot.]

[Cut back to the present. PHOEBE comes out of her premonition, looking ill. On the porch in front of her, she sees a black and white scanned photograph of the little boy from her vision, all tied up and gagged, just like in her premonition.]

DARRYL: (urgently) You saw him, didn’t you? You saw Eric?

PHOEBE: (confusedly) Eric?

DARRYL: My nephew. (pleadingly) Phoebe, please. (He kneels down to her level and picks up the black and white scan.) You have to help him!

[Cut to the hallway. PAIGE is making her way towards the attic. The door is ajar and a blue glow can be seen. She pushes open the door and finds MELINDA, CHRIS, and LEO there. MELINDA looks over her shoulder and waves her aunt in.]

MELINDA: You’re just in time. Chris is about to sense out Prue.

LEO: Are the backup potions in the works?

PAIGE: Piper’s working on them as we speak.

(LEO nods. CHRIS closes his eyes and begins to inhale deeply, cleansing his mind to prepare it for his wide reaching sensing abilities. All of the sudden a piercing jamming shriek begins to sound and CHRIS screams, cupping his ears and dropping to his knees. His green eyes flash open as MELINDA and PAIGE drop to the floor to his aide.)

MELINDA: What the hell!

PAIGE: Chris?

(PAIGE tilts her head back, looking alert at LEO. The noise is gone and CHRIS slowly takes his hands away from his ears, though his face is still scrunched in pain.)

CHRIS: None of you heard that?

LEO: Heard what?

CHRIS: That shrieking noise? It sounded like a dial-up connection amped up threefold.

(LEO, MELINDA, and PAIGE shake their heads. CHRIS grits his teeth.)

CHRIS: It must be Prue…she must have cast some sort of spell to jam my sensing abilities.

MELINDA: Unless it was Lillith.

CHRIS: When I couldn’t sense Andy there was were electric guitars in my head. This was not the same thing.

MELINDA: She could be screwing with you.

LEO: It doesn’t really matter who it was, the point is that he can’t sense Prue like we thought. We’re going to need a new plan.

[Cut to the living room. DARRYL and PHOEBE are there. The black and white scan, as well as another scan that looks like a typed up note, are lying next to the yellow package on the coffee table. DARRYL is in the middle of talking.]

DARRYL: …we couldn’t visit for Christmas, so we compromised by agreeing to visit this Thanksgiving. Sheila decided to take the kids out of school early so they could fly down to spend the entire week.

PHOEBE: You weren’t going with them?

DARRYL: No, I couldn’t get the time off. But Sheila and Estelle, they’ve been friends since college. That’s how I met Sheila; I was going to college in San Francisco and I went back home to Florida during Spring Break to see my sister and parents. Estelle introduced me to Sheila and… (He shrugs.) Anyway, they’ve been best friends and they always make plans to see each other at least two major holidays of the year. I was supposed to fly out the day before Thanksgiving to meet up with them.

PHOEBE: So how did you get the photo and the ransom note? (She motions to the items on the table.) And where?

DARRYL: Sheila. She faxed them to the house this morning, (he pulls something out of his pocket and hands it to PHOEBE) along with this. (He presses his fingers to his temples as PHOEBE begins to scan over the handwritten note.) They told Estelle and Lyle, my brother-in-law, not to contact the police, that they’d kill him if they did. Sheila pleaded with them to reconsider, but they wouldn’t, so she faxed that to me.

PHOEBE: How much do they want? (She sets down SHEILA’s faxed note and picks up the ransom note.)

DARRYL: It’s not how much they want, but (emphasizing) what they want. (He breaths heavily.) My brother-in-law’s a computer software genius. He even worked for NASA for a while before early retirement with a beachside villa.

PHOEBE: (realizing) That’s why they got the CD.

DARRYL: (confusedly) CD?

PHOEBE: In my vision…I think I saw your brother-in-law with the kidnappers and Eric. (She hesitates.) They want some type of software.

DARRYL: (nodding) A hacking virus, but I don’t know anymore than that. (hoping) In your vision, did you see where he is?

PHOEBE: Not anymore than we see in that picture.

DARRYL: Well can’t you get another premonition? Something more detailed? There has to be something else you can do.

PIPER's VOICE: Phoebe!

PHOEBE: In the living room!

(PIPER walks in and stops abruptly when she sees DARRYL.)

PIPER: (confusedly) Darryl…not that I’m not always happy to see you, but what are you doing here? (She looks questioningly to her little sister.) We don’t have time for social calls-

PHOEBE: He knows that, Piper. But this is different. His nephew-

PIPER: Phoebe, (emphasizing) Prue.

PHOEBE: (angrily) I know, Piper! (She throws up her hands.) But I had a premonition! And you know I’ve never ignored my visions before. I can’t stop now. (She grits her teeth.) There’s a little boy…he’s in real danger. (mouthing) Lethal danger. (She stands up, pressing her hand to her forehead in dismay.) Look, everyone else has the real ammunition anyway and you’re backing them up with a new batch of potions, so you guys should be fine. I’ll go with Darryl to save his nephew and as soon as I’m done, I’ll meet up with you guys. (She shakes her head.) I’m sorry, but I don’t have a choice.

(DARRYL gathers up the papers from the coffee table, folds them, and slides them back into the yellow envelope.)

DARRYL: They’re threatening to kill him if they don’t have the virus by tomorrow at noon. We have to hurry. (He pulls something out of his coat pocket.) I already booked two plane tickets to Jacksonville.

PHOEBE: Orbing would be faster, Darryl. Flying seems to be wasting some precious time.

DARRYL: I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to get your help. I mean, I hoped, but I didn’t know if you’d already be off chasing demons…I just, (pause) if I couldn’t get one of you to go, I’d have to fly myself anyway. Besides, I can’t just show up there. None of them truly know about magic, they won’t understand how I got there so fast. (He holds out one of the plane tickets to PHOEBE. PHOEBE makes a quick glance at PIPER and then takes the ticket from DARRYL.)

PHOEBE: (to PIPER) I’ll be back soon…I hope. (to DARRYL) Let’s go.

(They leave PIPER standing in the living room by herself.)

[Time lapse. LEO, PIPER, PAIGE, CHRIS, and MELINDA are gathered in the kitchen. PIPER is filling potion vials with a baster and PAIGE looks angry.]

PAIGE: She what!

PIPER: Look, I’m no more happy about this than you are, but she does have a point, Paige.

LEO: (to PAIGE) She’s right. After everything Darryl’s done for us for over five years, I think the least we can do is allow Phoebe to help him rescue his nephew.

PAIGE: So then how do we find Prue now? We don’t even have Phoebe here to see if she can get a vision of her.

MELINDA: What about a little demonic help?

CHRIS: (nodding) This is the start of Prue’s Demon Hunts-

LEO: Demon Hunts?

CHRIS: (dismissively) Long story. Point is, she’s going to be leaving a trail in the Underworld.

PAIGE: You’re thinking Drake?

MELINDA: Who better? He knows the Underworld, he’s got a few connections, he might be able to really help us out.

PIPER: (nodding) At this point, we can use all the resources we can get. (to PAIGE) You should go talk to him.

PAIGE: Why me?

PIPER: You have the best relationship with him.

PAIGE: (glaring) There is no relationship-

PIPER: Friendship, acquaintanceship, whatever. It’s still a form of relationship.

PAIGE: (glaring) Because we sang “Blue Moon” on Halloween?

PIPER: And because you’ve been over to his place to help him write songs-

PAIGE: (emphasizing) A song.

PIPER: And lest we not forget you also agreed to help him practice for P3’s Open Mic Night. (She corks a vial.) Paige, please. (She looks her sister right in the eyes.) Prue’s life is at stake here. We can’t afford to argue over something as petty as this.

(PAIGE throws up her hands and orbs out.)

[Scene: A blue, cloud dotted sky. An airplane is flying through and the writing along the side of the plane reads, “Jetway Airlines.”]

[Cut to inside the airplane. PHOEBE and DARRYL are seated next to each other. The cover on PHOEBE’s airplane window is up and she’s staring out of it, watching the clouds rush by.]

PHOEBE: So how long is this flight?

DARRYL: Four and a half hours.

PHOEBE: That’s short.

DARRYL: We stop in Atlanta and switch flights.

PHOEBE: (sourly) That makes more sense. What’s the layover?

DARRYL: Half hour.

PHOEBE: And the second flight?

DARRYL: About seventy minutes.

(PHOEBE places her hand on DARRYL’s shoulder.)

PHOEBE: Don’t worry. I’m not going to let anything happen to your nephew, Darryl. (pause) Do you…do you have a plan for when we get there?

DARRYL: I’ve been running on pure adrenaline since I got that fax, Phoebe. I have no plan. I can barely think. I know it must seem insane, right? (He looks her in the face.) A decorated Police Inspector, floundering under the pressure of a kidnapping-

PHOEBE: That’s normal. I’d be worried if you weren’t freaking out.

DARRYL: I just…you know Estelle told Sheila not to contact me? Not me, not her own brother-

PHOEBE: She’s afraid for her son’s life. That’s why most people are afraid to involve police. That’s why you came to me instead of a fellow police officer. (She squeezes his shoulder.)

DARRYL: Phoebe, (he glances quickly from side to side and lowers his voice) what specifically did you see in your vision? (PHOEBE hesitates. DARRYL’s hand shivers.) Please tell me it wasn’t as bad as your silence makes it sound.

PHOEBE: I always have my visions for a reason.

DARRYL: And what if that reason was to prepare me for what’s to come?

(PHOEBE fervently shakes her head.)

PHOEBE: I don’t believe that for a second.

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Four

[Scene: Drake’s penthouse. Bathroom. The water is running in the shower and the mirror is all steamed up, but the curtain is drawn for privacy. The sound of DRAKE DE'MON’s voice can be heard from the other side of the shower curtain.]

DRAKE: (humming) “You give me fever! When you kiss me, fever when you hold me tight...Fever! In the morning, fever all through the night!” (There’s a loud knock at the door. The singing stops as another knock sounds.) It’s unlocked!

(The door opens and PAIGE walks in, covering her eyes. She spreads her fingers slightly, peeking out between the slits.)

PAIGE: Drake?

DRAKE: (pleasantly surprised) Paige!

(DRAKE's hand slips out of the shower curtain and pulls it back slightly, creating an opening. He pokes his head out, looking wet with a bubble beard. PAIGE attempts to contain herself, but a snort of laughter escapes anyway, which she quickly covers with a cough.)

PAIGE: Drake, uh, (she shifts her eyes, trying to avoid his bubble beard) I need to ask you a huge favor.

DRAKE: A favor for a lovely Charmed One? (He holds up his finger.) Excuse me for one moment. (He pulls his head back into the shower.) What do you need?

PAIGE: Your assistance in the Underworld.

DRAKE: My demonic expertise?

PAIGE: And knowledge of the terrain.

DRAKE: Not that I’m not Charmed that you’ve come to invoke my help and all, but why?

PAIGE: It’s Prue. She’s uh…it’s a really long story, actually. One that I’m probably not that qualified to tell. But basically she’s gone Kill Bill on us and now we’re afraid she’s going to get herself killed chasing after Lillith.

DRAKE: And Chris can’t-

PAIGE: No. His radar’s been supernaturally jammed. We think that was Prue’s work too.

(DRAKE’s arm slips out of the shower curtain again, this time on the opposite side of the shower, and grabs the red towel that’s hanging on the rack.)

DRAKE: I’d be glad to help, Paige.

(DRAKE pulls back the shower curtain and a rush of steam swirls into the air as DRAKE steps over the tub and onto the floor mat, with the plush towel wrapped around his waist. His usually brown hair looks black from the water it’s holding it and it’s ruffled and spiky, after having just been ran over with the towel. His bare chest is also streaked with water droplets that escaped his towel. It looks highly toned and formidable. PAIGE is staring and realizes this, so she quickly looks away.)

PAIGE: Hot. (She fans herself with her hand.) It’s hot in here. Oh boy. So, uh, yeah. Great. Awesome. (She reaches for the door handle.) Well I will just leave you to get dressed then… (She quickly steps out of the bathroom.) I uh, I’ll meet you at the Manor, if that’s alright.

DRAKE: Sounds wonderful.

PAIGE: Cool.

(PAIGE shuts the door. DRAKE shakes his head, smiling.)

DRAKE: (whispering) What a lovely way to burn…

[Scene: Underworld. An astral flare appears behind PRUE, depositing ASTRAL LILLITH.]

ASTRAL LILLITH: You know, Prudence, I lost my mother at an early age too.

(PRUE spins around, halting in her tracks.)

PRUE: Is that supposed to make me pity you?

ASTRAL LILLITH: Absolutely not. (She shrugs as she circles PRUE.) It’s just something I thought I’d point out.

PRUE: Why are you doing this?

ASTRAL LILLITH: (sarcastically) I don’t know…why are you hunting me? (She runs the tip of her tongue across the edge of her upper teeth.) Revenge, maybe? (She stops and leans lazily against the rocky wall.) I envy you, Prudence. At least when your mother died, you had a grandmother, two sisters, and your precious Andy to help you through. You know what I had? (She curls her fist and beats it against the wall.) A headstone!

[Flashback: A streak of lightning lights up a gray sky as rain bleeds from the black clouds and thunder roars in the background. In a graveyard, the rain pours down, soaking headstone after headstone, one of which LITTLE LILLITH with long dark red hair is kneeling in front of. Her head is faced towards the headstone and her body is blocking the engraving, but she’s shaking as she cries. Another streak of lightning strikes and this time, it hits a nearby headstone, causing a jagged crack right down the center of the stone. LITTLE LILLITH screams and covers her head, then after a moment, she gazes up at the cracked headstone again. Suddenly her eyes begin to glow and she blinks out. With LITTLE LILLITH out of the way, the name “Dinah Thomas” can be seen carved into the stone above the years “1715-1749.”]

[Cut back to the present. ASTRAL LILLITH shakes off her memories as PRUE begins to speak.]

PRUE: The difference is that I never went out killing innocent people to get revenge.

ASTRAL LILLITH: And when, pre tell, did I ever kill an innocent person? (She laughs.) I only helped to bring to light what your lover, your grandmother, and my dear Great Grams helped to put into motion.

PRUE: You’re helping to destroy the life of a child!

ASTRAL LILLITH: No, (she raises an accusatory finger) that’s what your ancestors did! My father tried to get away from his so-called heritage. He wanted nothing to do with warlocks and witches, so he changed his name and settled down far away and what do your ancestors do? They murdered him. Just because they knew he possessed the powers of a warlock.

PRUE: Then why didn’t you go after them? The ones who actually killed your parents. Why us? Why now?

ASTRAL LILLITH: Apparently the genes that seem to make you believe you should control life and death, good and evil, they’re dominate. Passed down through each generation, (sarcastically) culminating into Melinda Warren’s proudest achievement. What better point to make than with the beloved Charmed Ones? (She gives an offhanded shrug.) The arrogance of the aforementioned also helped me to decide. Ever since I became aware of “Matt” I knew the time was right.

PRUE: (realizing) It’s you. You’re the one from the prophecy.

[Flashback: THE ORACLE, THE SOURCE, and SVENGALI are in THE SOURCE’s lair in the Underworld.]

THE ORACLE: “The skies will darken and the rain shall ravage the land. In her moments of confusion, a Warren witch shall turn to evil, and all hope for the future will be lost.”

SVENGALI: (to THE ORACLE) You had a vision?

(THE ORACLE massages the crystal ball with her fingertips.)

THE ORACLE: The vision was not mine.

SVENGALI: Then whose?

(THE ORACLE looks to THE SOURCE. THE SOURCE raises his hand and in a rage of red-orange flames, an old, leather bound diary appears. He holds it up, catching the eyes of SVENGALI.)

THE SOURCE: The granddaughter of Melinda Warren.

[Cut back to the present.]

ASTRAL LILLITH: Ah, Cassandra’s prophecy. It’s that good old black and white view of the world again. Just because something’s different, it’s evil. Like your daughter. That prophecy could just as easily be her as it could be me.

PRUE: (through gritted teeth) My daughter’s nothing like you.

ASTRAL LILLITH: Oh, but isn’t she? Strong, powerful, angry…and one day she’ll even be an orphan. She’ll also one day rise above good and evil. When betrayed by good and evil alike, she’ll abandon them both in favor of power. You saw that with your own eyes, Prudence. With power comes control and control means you can’t be hurt anymore. You know that all too well, don’t you?

[Scene: Jetway Airlines. Airplane. PHOEBE has a pair of headphones on, watching the airline television screen where the movie “Elf” starring Will Ferrell is playing. DARRYL reaches across his arm rest and taps her wrist. PHOEBE takes off her headphones.]

PHOEBE: Yeah?

DARRYL: I was wondering if I could ask you something.

PHOEBE: Sure. Anything. What’s up?

DARRYL: Earlier, when I first came to your house, you said…you said Andy (pause) was back. (He touches his forehead.) You know, normally I wouldn’t want to know, but Andy… (He closes his eyes.) And I just need to think of something other than-

PHOEBE: It’s a long story. (She bites her lip.) But, since we have a long flight…you remember Matt?

(DARRYL tries to laugh, but doesn’t do a very good job of it.)

DARRYL: How could I forget? He got Prue pregnant and disappeared like a coward.

PHOEBE: Yeah, well, he’s Andy.

(DARRYL stares at her.)

DARRYL: What?

PHOEBE: Matt is Andy. Or Andy is Matt. (She shakes her head.) Whatever way you look at it, Matt doesn’t exist. He’s Andy’s alias-

DARRYL: But Matt was a witch-

PHOEBE: Yeah, no.

DARRYL: I don’t understand. Are you saying Andy was (pause) magical?

PHOEBE: No. That much I can promise you. But as to how he became Matt, I really don’t know. None of us do. As soon as he revealed his identity, the Angel of Destiny burst in and took him away. And Drea, too. Which is what sent Prue off the deep end. And by deep end I mean into the Underworld. (She rakes her hand through her hair.) It’s a huge mess. I’m sorry if it doesn’t make a lot of sense to you, but if I knew more I’d tell you.

DARRYL: So you’re telling me that Drea is really…Andy’s daughter?

PHOEBE: She’s the final twist of fate’s knife.

[Scene: Underworld. PRUE has her hand balled into a fist. Her knuckles are whiter than ice. There’s a demon in front of PRUE, bald with gray tribal markings on his head and neck. He’s being levitated off the ground and his arms and legs are shaking as his head falls back and his face turns a deeper shade of red with each passing moment. Veins are protruding under his skin in his neck and arms and with a resounding bomb-like blast, he explodes. The shards and fire from the explosion blasts PRUE off her feet. She falls onto her butt and slides across the floor until she hits a wall, stopping her. Her face is lightly blackened from the vanquish. She wipes her hand across her mouth, wiping blood from her split lip. ASTRAL LILLITH appears, her arms folded across her chest, looking smug.]

ASTRAL LILLITH: Come on, Prudence. You know where I am.

PRUE: (hissing) Why don’t you just tell me so we can stop playing this game of cat and mouse?

ASTRAL LILLITH: Which one am I?

PRUE: (yelling) Where are you!

ASTRAL LILLITH: You know where I am. (She tilts her head to the side, a dark gleam in her eyes.) You’ve been there before.

PRUE: Shut up!

ASTRAL LILLITH: First you want clues, then you don’t. Make up your mind. Shouldn’t that be easy for your kind? Black and white. Black and white. (She takes a step towards PRUE. PRUE brandishes the Rowe athame.)

PRUE: (vengefully) I can’t wait to purge this world of your disease.

ASTRAL LILLITH: I’ll give you another hint. When you were here before, you liked it. And so did your sisters. In fact, you might want to get Piper’s and Phoebe’s help. (She raises her hands.) They had a real kick, (she flexes her fingers as if she’s going to freeze something) last time. (She vanishes.)

[Cut to PIPER, CHRIS, and MELINDA.]

PIPER: Are you sure you don’t know where she is and aren’t just refusing to tell me because of so-called “future consequences”?

CHRIS: If we knew where she was, believe me, we’d have already brought her back. (telepathically) Have you tried sensing for her thoughts?

MELINDA: Actually, no, but that’s a good idea.

PIPER: (confusedly) What? (She points her fingers.) You know how I feel about that behind-the-back telepathy.

MELINDA: Technically we were in front of you. (PIPER glares.) Sorry, Mom. Now’s not a good time to explain. (She turns away from PIPER. PIPER looks at CHRIS, but he doesn’t say anything.)

CHRIS: (telepathically) Anything?

MELINDA: (telepathically) I’m trying, but nothing’s coming to me…except some garbled thoughts down that way. (She points. CHRIS and PIPER look.)

PIPER: Down there?

MELINDA: No, not down there. In fact, going down that way might be a bad idea. We should go this way. (She points the opposite direction.)

PIPER: (muttering) You’re as bad as the Scarecrow.

[Cut to Paige and Drake. The sound of laughing and giggling can be heard in the distance. PAIGE and DRAKE turn the corner and find two demonesses, MARLA and KIMORA, chattering. They stop as soon as they see the intruders. KIMORA raises a fireball, but DRAKE holds up his hand.]

DRAKE: Ladies, ladies. (He laughs and moves to them.) We come in peace.

(KIMORA extinguishes her fireball.)

KIMORA: With a Charmed One? I can smell the stench of whitelighter and witch on her from here. That only comes from one magical family.

DRAKE: We seek your assistance.

MARLA: (curiously) With what?

DRAKE: Locating a…witch. Long red hair, goes by the name Lillith. (MARLA gulps and KIMORA looks uneasy.) You ladies have always been so good about knowing the ins and outs of the Underworld. (He takes MARLA’s hand and kisses the top of it.) I thought you could help me. A favor for an old friend?

(KIMORA throws up her hands.)

KIMORA: I’m not going there. That Lillith…she’s not one to mess with. (to MARLA) You do what you want, I’m getting out of here.

(She disappears. DRAKE and PAIGE look anxiously to MARLA.)

MARLA: Well I… (She wriggles her hand away from DRAKE.) I don’t know how reliable the information is, but I heard there might be a new resident putting up camp in a part of the Underworld that’s been abandon for a while. A part reserved for the hierarchy, if you know what I mean. (She laughs uneasily.) But that’s all I know. (She shrugs.) And anyway, I have an appointment for my nails on the mortal plane, so tootles, De’mon! (She, too, disappears.)

DRAKE: Well that narrows it down a bit. (He takes PAIGE’s hand and they shimmer out.)

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Five

[Scene: Florida. Jacksonville. Beach. PHOEBE and DARRYL are hiking down the beach. DARRYL is moving considerably faster than PHOEBE, who is wearing thick heels that keep sinking into the sand. They’re coming up on a little beachside house with a mailbox out in the front. The name “Teeter” is outlined in miniature seashells. DARRYL points.]

DARRYL: That’s it.

(DARRYL picks up his pace, jogging three times faster. PHOEBE groans and stops walking. She bends down and pulls off her shoes, wraps the straps around her hand, and bolts into a run after him.)

PHOEBE: Darryl, wait up!

(Within a few moments, she catches up to him as her shoes swing around her hand. Together they reach the house and walk up the steps to the front door. DARRYL moves his hand to knock, but PHOEBE grabs his wrist.)

DARRYL: Phoebe-

PHOEBE: Let me. Just to be safe. (She presses her hand cautiously to the door, moves it along the door, and then brushes it across the doorbell without actually ringing the bell.) That’s a good sign, I’m not getting any distressing visions. (She knocks. Minutes pass and as PHOEBE raises her hand to knock again, the door lightly squeaks open. SHEILA MORRIS’ face is peering out of the door.)

SHEILA: Darryl! (She grabs him by the shirt and pulls him inside. With a shocked expression on her face, she also ushers PHOEBE inside. SHEILA begins whispering.) What are you doing here? And with Phoebe?

DARRYL: (whispering) What was I supposed to do? After I got your fax, I had to come.

SHEILA: (to PHOEBE) Why are you here?

PHOEBE: (whispering) I was… (She looks at DARRYL.) I was with Darryl when he got the fax. I-I had to come.

SHEILA: (worried) Have you told anyone else?

DARRYL & PHOEBE: (whispering) No.

(ESTELLE TEETER walks in and freezes up as she sees DARRYL and PHOEBE.)

ESTELLE: Oh my God! (panicking) Sheila! No! No, no, no! You told him! They specifically said-

SHEILA: Stell, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry! (She embraces ESTELLE, who is beginning to hyperventilate.) But I had to. You know I had to! He hasn’t told anyone else, it’s just him and Phoebe-

ESTELLE: Phoebe. I don’t even know her! Why would you both do this to me?!

DARRYL: We can help. I know you don’t understand, but I promise we’re going to get him back, Stell. Where’s Lyle?

(ESTELLE is beginning to cry. She’s sputtering and unable to speak. SHEILA shakes her head.)

SHEILA: There was another call about twenty minutes ago, demanding that Lyle leave and meet the kidnappers somewhere.

DARRYL: (demandingly) Where?!

SHEILA: I don’t know! He was talking in whispers on the phone and it only last a minute, if that.

PHOEBE: Where’s the phone he used?

SHEILA: (confusedly) What?

PHOEBE: Just, please. Where’s the phone he used?

(SHEILA points.)

SHEILA: The kitchen, the cordless phone.

(PHOEBE darts into the kitchen. DARRYL looks at SHEILA and his emotionally paralyzed sister.)

DARRYL: We’re gonna get them back.

[Cut to the kitchen. The phone is seated on the kitchen table, next to a notepad which has a torn off piece of paper on it. As DARRYL walks in, PHOEBE picks up the handle of the phone.]

[Premonition: LYLE TEETER’s hand is quivering as it writes “10106” onto a piece of notepad paper.]

GUNMAN's VOICE: (electronically garbled) Take the disc to Easttown Plaza in thirty minutes. Come alone and don’t be late, or the kid dies!

[Cut back to the present. When PHOEBE opens her eyes, she discovers that the phone is pressed to her ear. She quickly shoves the phone back into its cradle and looks at DARRYL.]

PHOEBE: Pen!

(DARRYL scrambles for a pen, which he pulls from his breast pocket and hands to PHOEBE. She rips off another piece of notebook paper and scribbles down both the numbers she saw LYLE writing down in her vision and the address she heard from the kidnapper. DARRYL looks over her shoulder as she’s writing.)

DARRYL: Is that-that’s where they are!

(PHOEBE pockets the paper.)

PHOEBE: Let’s go!

[Scene: Underworld. PIPER, CHRIS, MELINDA, DRAKE, and PAIGE are all together. PAIGE looks unimpressed.]

PAIGE: So…this is the upper echelon of the Underworld. (She looks around and wrinkles her nose in dissatisfaction.) I thought it might not be as dark, dingy, rocky, and downright creepy but I guess not. I’ve got to admit, I’m a little disappointed.

DRAKE: There are more wards down here, higher protections and far more risks to lower level demons - scavengers and the like - and of course forces of good magic like witches or whitelighters.

PAIGE: (thinking) Yay, double the danger.

MELINDA: (rolling her eyes) Yeah, I know, right?

DRAKE: ‘Scuse me? (He eyes MELINDA.)

PIPER: (grumbling) Ignore them. They’re into (she forms her fingers into air quotes) “telecommunications.”

MELINDA: (sarcastically) Cute. (She stops suddenly and tilts her head.) Wait a minute, I think I’m picking up on something.

PIPER & PAIGE: What? (They stop to listen, but they don’t hear anything.)

MELINDA: (nodding) Yeah! Yeah, I definitely hear something.

DRAKE: I don’t hear anything.

MELINDA: It’s getting fainter though. I can’t… (She starts to run ahead of everyone else.)

PIPER: (quickly) “Arms and legs,
Stuck in regular motion,
This predicament,
Need not require a potion,
With my words I make a creed,
I grant to Melinda the power of speed!”

(A glow washes over MELINDA and suddenly she disappears down the corridor. PIPER looks anxiously to CHRIS.)

CHRIS: What did you just do?

PIPER: No time to explain. Just figure out where’s she’s gone - telepathically - and take us to her!

CHRIS: That (everyone takes hands) just might work! (The group orbs out.)

[Scene: Easttown Plaza. PHOEBE and DARRYL walk up to a fenced gate with a security code.]

DARRYL: It’s a gated community.

PHOEBE: Not for long. (She digs into her pocket and pulls out the piece of paper she wrote the address on. She points to the number at the top.) This must be what this is for.

(PHOEBE enters “1-0-1-0-6” into the keypad on the gate and presses enter. The keypad lights up green and the word “Accepted!” displays on the screen. The gate slowly begins to groan its way open. PHOEBE and DARRYL squeeze in before the gate even gets a fourth of the way open. They run up the sidewalk and up to the front door, which is a regular pull-push door, leading into the apartment complex. DARRYL grabs the handle on the door and swings it open, allowing PHOEBE to bolt inside with DARRYL right at her heels. PHOEBE and DARRYL stop abruptly.)

DARRYL: Where now?

PHOEBE: I don’t know. (Her fists form into balls and her eyelids slam shut.)

[Premonition: As LYLE walks through the door, the nose of a gun is jammed into his side. He looks to his left, seeing the face of GUNMAN #2. GUNMAN #2 leans close to LYLE's ear.]

GUNMAN #2: (menacingly whispering) Go where I direct you and move quickly! (He jams the gun into LYLE’s side again.) Down the hall. (They hurry down the hall, until they come to the end where a door with the word “Basement” is painted.) Open the door. (LYLE opens the door and GUNMAN #2 jabs LYLE again with the gun, pushing him into the dark room. Once inside, GUNMAN #2 kicks the door closed and locks it. He runs his hand over the wall, flicking on the light witch which illuminates everything, revealing a stairway. LYLE looks over the banister, realizing the stairway rounds around several times, like staircases for different levels in a hospital.) Get moving! (Trembling, LYLE begins to move down the long staircase as fast as he can.)

[Cut back to the present. PHOEBE opens her eyes.]

PHOEBE: Down the hallway!

(PHOEBE bolts down the hallway, with DARRYL running after her. Quickly, they arrive at the basement door. PHOEBE gets into an offensive stance and spin kicks the door, causing the wood to splinter as the door flies open. The light is already on as she and DARRYL walk in. PHOEBE looks over the banister, seeing the stairs below. DARRYL looks over with her.)

DARRYL: Damnit! (He starts to move down the stairs, but PHOEBE grabs him by the shoulder.)

PHOEBE: I’ve got a faster way, if you trust me.

DARRYL: What is it?

PHOEBE: Take my hands. (She holds them out. DARRYL hesitates, then takes her hands.) Have you ever been on the Drop-Zone at the carnival?

DARRYL: Once, several years ago…

PHOEBE: Good. Just imagine you’re on that. (Suddenly PHOEBE and DARRYL begin to rise up over the banister. DARRYL stares down at his dangling feet in shock. His face looks paler.) Bombs away! (They begin to fall down the hole between the stairs, dropping flight after flight until they slow to a stop, just two inches above solid ground. PHOEBE looks eagerly at DARRYL.) Are you okay?

DARRYL: (weakly) I don’t know yet. (Their feet drop to the ground and DARRYL wobbles, but PHOEBE steadies him.)

PHOEBE: You better get rid of those sea legs, we’ve got two innocents to rescue.

(DARRYL steadiest himself and releases PHOEBE’s hands. He takes a step, then another, and doesn’t fall. PHOEBE raises her brows questioningly.)

DARRYL: I’m fine. Where to now? (They both look around and realize there’s only one door, which is by the furnace. DARRYL pulls back his jacket, revealing his gun in its holster. He pulls it out and positions it. They approach the door silently, with DARRYL in front. He suddenly kicks the door in.) Police!

(As the door bursts open, a gunshot rings out and LYLE falls from his chair to the floor, just like in PHOEBE’s premonition. GUNMAN #1 is taken by surprise at DARRYL’s and PHOEBE’s presence. DARRYL instantly aims his gun, shooting GUNMAN #2 in the chest. GUNMAN #2’s gun falls from his hands as he’s hit and he topples to the ground. At the same time, GUNMAN #1 aims his gun away from ERIC TEETER, at DARRYL and PHOEBE. He shoots and DARRYL shoves PHOEBE to the ground. DARRYL cries out and PHOEBE notices his shirt covering his left arm turning red. She grabs his gun and levitates into the air. GUNMAN #1 is startled by her supernatural hovering and hesitates, giving PHOEBE just enough time to pull the trigger, hitting GUNMAN #1 in the chest. She drops to her feet and runs to ERIC, who is crying, but can’t say anything with the gag in his mouth. PHOEBE gently pulls out the gag, allowing ERIC to scream.)

ERIC: (screaming) Daddy! (sobbing) Daddy!

(PHOEBE begins to untie ERIC and hold him, comforting him as DARRYL crawls over to LYLE to check for a pulse. A pool of blood, however, is already forming beneath LYLE’s body. DARRYL pulls out his cell phone and punches in “9-1-1.”)

DARRYL: I need an ambulance, Easttown Plaza! There’s been a shooting!

[Scene: Underworld. LILLITH is seated on a stone slab, in a meditative position when PRUE storms in. LILLITH opens her eyes, looking mildly amused.]

LILLITH: It took you long enough.

(PRUE raises her hand and LILLITH flies off the slab and across the room in a flash, pinned against the wall. With one hand still raised, PRUE telekinetically brandishes the Rowe athame from her boot. ASTRAL LILLITH appears behind PRUE and snatches up the athame from PRUE’s hand. ASTRAL LILLITH swipes PRUE’s legs out from under her, knocking her to the ground, and then straddles her, pressing the Rowe athame to PRUE’s throat.)

ASTRAL LILLITH: I’m a psychic. You really didn’t anticipate me seeing that one coming?

(A blur of motion bursts into the cavern and knocks into ASTRAL LILLITH, causing her to disappear. LILLITH awakens slumped on the floor, where her body had slipped with her astral form had attacked PRUE and debilitated her. CHRIS, DRAKE, MELINDA, PAIGE, and PIPER orb in. PRUE snatches up the Rowe athame and jumps to her feet. PIPER gasps at the sight her usually strong, in control big sister now a vengeful mess. With a lightning quick throw, PRUE hurls the Rowe athame at LILLITH. LILLITH dodges and the athame slices across her arm, causing her to bleed. She cups her arm as the athame lands on the ground with a clink. Another blur of motion appears near LILITH and then everything stops, frozen in time, including MELINDA, who is poised next to LILLITH, with the Rowe athame literally touching her skin though not penetrating. The ANGEL OF DESTINY appears, calmly examining the scene. Slowly, he extracts the athame from MELINDA’s grasp. Everyone except LILLITH and MELINDA unfreeze. PIPER looks startled.)

PIPER: What’s going on?

(PRUE sees the athame in the ANGEL’s hand and then notices that LILITH is unharmed.)

PRUE: (angrily) What are you doing!

ANGEL OF DESTINY: We’ve made our decision. We will be holding a trial for Mr. Trudeau. He’ll appear before the Court of Founders. (to PRUE) You and your family, of course, will be able to view the trial. However, until such a time when a ruling has been made, (he eyes LILLITH) I am unable to allow this…vanquish. (He sees the rage in PRUE’s eyes.) I’m sorry. (He touches LILLITH’s shoulder and in a burst of light, he and LILLITH vanish. MELINDA unfreezes and has been returned to her normal state of motion. She notices that LILLITH is no longer there. She turns to the rest of the people in the cave.)

MELINDA: Where in hell did she go?

BREAK

[The Virtual Series]

Act Six

[Scene: Florida. Jacksonville. The Teeter house. PHOEBE is standing on the front porch. She lightly raps her knuckles against the door and waits. As she hugs herself from the chill, the door opens to reveal DARRYL. He looks exhausted, but he waves her inside.]

PHOEBE: Hey. (She looks around as she enters the house, but she doesn’t hear anything.)

DARRYL: It’s just me. There were a couple of things Estelle had to do down at the morgue, so Sheila took her down. All of the kids are staying at my parents’ place right now. (He sighs.) We thought it might be too soon to bring Eric home.

(PHOEBE places her hand on DARRYL’s back and pats it.)

PHOEBE: I’m sorry.

DARRYL: I know. (pause) I never got a chance to thank you, though. I know…that we didn’t save Lyle, but you saved Eric. (pause) Is that what you wouldn’t tell me before? Did you see Lyle get killed?

PHOEBE: (hesitatingly) We stopped my vision. I can promise you that what I saw this morning did not come true.

(DARRYL nods.)

DARRYL: Fine. I get that you don’t want to share what you saw with me. (He presses his hands to the sides of his face.) I’m just thankful that we didn’t lose them both. I know Lyle would’ve wanted Eric safe over himself. That’s what I would want for Alicia or DJ or Sheila.

PHOEBE: So I take it you’ll be staying for a while?

DARRYL: Yeah. I took some time off work. We’ll stay for the funeral and maybe for a little while after, just to help Estelle and Eric out.

PHOEBE: (nodding) Okay. (They hug.) Please give your family my deepest sympathies. I’m sorry I can’t stay to do it myself, but I really have to get back home-

DARRYL: I know; you have a lot going on.

PHOEBE: Call me.

DARRYL: I will. (They share one last hug before PHOEBE walks out the front door.)

[Scene: California. San Francisco. South Bay Social Services. Parking lot. PAIGE’s heels are clicking against the blacktop as she strides across the parking lot. Making a few quick turns between parked cars, she finally comes out behind a black suburban and spots her green V.W. Beetle in view. To her surprise, as she nears the car she also sees DRAKE lazily leaning up against the hood of her car. She narrows her eyes.]

PAIGE: Just what do you think you’re doing?

DRAKE: (grinning) Why, waiting for you to get off, my dear. But I guess the wait’s over.

PAIGE: (suspiciously) Why?

DRAKE: Well because I didn’t want to kidnap you from your job. I know what you do for those kids and their parents, it doesn’t merit interruption.

PAIGE: Cut it out, you know what I meant.

DRAKE: (cheekily) Oh, you mean why was I waiting for you? (PAIGE glares, prompting DRAKE to chuckle.) I wanted to take you somewhere.

PAIGE: Thanks, but no thanks. I think our little romp through the Underworld was enough for me for one day.

DRAKE: And that’s why you need to relax.

(DRAKE snaps his fingers and PAIGE’s crisp white blouse and slim fitting black slacks instantly become replaced in a long, slinky black satin dress with diamond shoulder and arm straps, matching diamond earrings, and a complimentary diamond bracelet. PAIGE’s eyes bulge as she looks down at herself and then covers her arms around herself as she spins around.)

PAIGE: (hissing) Drake!

DRAKE: You don’t like it?

PAIGE: Someone could’ve been watching.

DRAKE: Oh no, I’ve been here for over an hour. This place makes the cemetery look alive. (Without further ado, he grabs PAIGE’s hand.)

[Scene: P3. Backstage. DRAKE and PAIGE shimmer in. PAIGE’s jaw drops. She hits his chest with her fist.]

PAIGE: Oh no, I am not going out there tonight!

DRAKE: Don’t be silly.

PAIGE: Don’t tell me what I should be. I did not ask for this.

DRAKE: On the contraire, my dear. When you requested my help this morning, you specifically requested a “favor.” This, (he motions to the stage which is currently dark) is what I’d like in return.

(The sound of footsteps can be heard as the announcer walks up to PAIGE and DRAKE.)

ANNOUNCER: Ah, good, Ms. Matthews, you’re right on time. (PAIGE opens her mouth to protest, but the lights on stage turn on as he walks out and up to the microphone.)

PAIGE: (pleadingly) Drake, no, I can’t do this-

DRAKE: You sung with me on Halloween.

PAIGE: Not by myself! And you did most of the song anyway, I just did the guitar!

DRAKE: You’ll be fine. You have an amazing voice, trust me. I know talent when I hear it.

PAIGE: But I haven’t practiced, I don’t even know what to-

DRAKE: “Fever.” I distinctly remember you saying it was your favorite song. (He winks. PAIGE glowers.)

PAIGE: That was in confidence!

ANNOUNCER: …now introducing Ms. Paige Matthews!

(Positive noise from the crowd can be heard. PAIGE gulps. DRAKE gives her a little push, causing her to stumble on stage. At first she’s blinded by the spotlight, then she steadies herself and lifts her hand to her forehead, shielding herself from the light. The ANNOUNCER leaves and the crowd gets quiet as PAIGE approaches the microphone. Behind her, the band begins to play the background music for “Fever.”)

PAIGE: (uneasily) “N-never know how much I love you…Never know how much I care.” (She shifts the microphone in her hand.) “When you put your arms around me…”

(Suddenly a pair of hands reach out from behind PAIGE, gently wrapping around her bare arms. Startled, she turns to look and sees DRAKE behind her, now dressed in a handsome white dress shirt, black slacks, and a black bow tie. In one of his hands, he’s holding a second microphone which he lifts to his lips.)

DRAKE: “I get a fever that’s so hard to bear…You give me fever…”

(The crowd cheers, but PAIGE pays no attention. She swallows as she swivels her attention away from DRAKE and back to the audience.)

PAIGE: “When you kiss me.”

(DRAKE suddenly moves around her, leaning in very close, with his lips nearly touching hers. The crowd gets louder, but instead of kissing her, DRAKE begins to sing again.)

DRAKE: “Fever when you hold me tight.”

PAIGE: “Fever, in the morning…”

DRAKE: “Fever all through the night!” (He fans himself and tugs at his bow tie, undoing it so the flaps hang down around his neck.)

PAIGE: “Now you’ve listened to my story, here’s the point that I have made…”

(DRAKE moves his body to the sound of PAIGE’s singing and moves his microphone towards her, amplifying her voice on both microphones.)

DRAKE: “Fever! ‘Til you sizzle!” (He unbuttons the first few buttons on his shirt and fans himself again.)

PAIGE: (sexily) “What a lovely way to burn.”

(PAIGE begins to move her body to the beat of the song. DRAKE inches closer to PAIGE until he’s right up behind her. He rubs his hand against the back of his head as he sings his next line.)

DRAKE: (deeply) “What a lovely way to burn.”

(PAIGE narrows her eyes and glances over her shoulder at DRAKE as he’s singing. She steps back and shimmies her shoulders up and down against his chest.)

PAIGE & DRAKE: “What a lovely way to burn.” (They look at each other as the piano plays in the background.) “What a lovely way to burn…”

[Scene: Golden Gate Park. Chris and Bianca’s bench. CHRIS and BIANCA are seated on their bench, centered between the stone angel statues. The glamour on BIANCA’s stomach is gone, revealing her heavily pregnant belly. CHRIS has his hand positioned atop her stomach and he’s smiling. Watching him, BIANCA slowly begins to smile too.]

CHRIS: I think I can feel her. Just a little. Soft swooshes.

BIANCA: (nodding) When I first began to feel her move, they were just odd little flutters in the pit of my stomach. I didn’t even know what they were at first and I feared something might be wrong, so I did a little research and found out she was just making herself comfortable.

CHRIS: (in awe) I’ve been around magic my entire life and I’ve seen and experienced some pretty amazing things, but this (he rubs his fingers across BIANCA’s belly) is by far the most amazing of all.

BIANCA: You sound like a Hallmark card.

CHRIS: (sighing) I wish. If our world was even slightly more Hallmark, I’d take it in a split second.

BIANCA: Do you really think your plan will work?

CHRIS: I do. (pause) I have to.

BIANCA: I’ve been thinking about something.

CHRIS: What?

BIANCA: In this changed future, do you think that you and I will ever meet?

CHRIS: Why would you even ask that?

BIANCA: It’s a valid question, Chris. (She looks down at her stomach. CHRIS shakes his head.)

CHRIS: Don’t you dare think that!

BIANCA: I’m just trying to be honest with myself. If we never meet, or even if we do, who is to say that we’ll even ever be together? Who is to say that our this child-

CHRIS: She’s not just a child, Bianca. She’s our daughter. (thinking) Alejandra.

BIANCA: (confusedly) She told you?

CHRIS: Who?

BIANCA: Piper.

CHRIS: Told me what?

BIANCA: About the name. (CHRIS looks honestly confused.) Where did you come up with Alejandra?

CHRIS: (confusedly) How did you- (thinking) The spell, never mind. (He shakes his head.) I thought of it because of your father. (pause) If you don’t like it-

BIANCA: It’s not that.

CHRIS: It’s just…I know you have mixed feelings about your mother and there’s really not anyone else you’re very close to except Mel and I. (He chuckles.) And just between you and me, I think naming her after either one of us would be a little overkill since we’re already namesakes. (He shrugs.) Unless you wanted to come up with something original, no family ties-

BIANCA: Alejandra’s perfect.

(CHRIS' hand is still positioned on her stomach, so she places her own hand over it. Her hand quivers and CHRIS notices immediately.)

CHRIS: What’s wrong? (He uses his free hand to touch her face. A tight breath escapes his lips.) Never mind, I don’t need to be able to read your mind to know that. (sighing) I know that we’re meant to be together, Bianca. We always have been. And Alejandra, she’s meant to exist-

BIANCA: Like Drea? Or Melinda - the first one, the one your mother saw in that future that will never happen?

CHRIS: We’re not my parents. And our daughter is not that little girl. You have to have faith in that, Bianca. (He reaches into his breast pocket and pulls something out. Opening his hand, he reveals it to be the diamond engagement ring that BIANCA had given back to him before he went to the future. BIANCA’s eyes sparkle and she wipes them with the back of her hand.) I think it’s time I give this back to you. (He slides the engagement ring onto her finger.) It’s served me well, but now I think you’re the one who needs a little incentive. (He sweeps in and kisses her.)

[Scene: Piper and Leo’s house. Melinda’s bedroom. The room is dark, except for a soft pink nightlight. BABY MELINDA HALLIWELL is tucked safely under the pink, white, and yellow baby blanket that PIPER hand knit for her. Her eyes are closed and her chest is rising and falling in a steady rhythm. MELINDA is standing over the side of the crib, watching her infant self sleep.]

MELINDA: (whispering) I wish I could sleep as peacefully as you could. (She touches her stomach.) No worries to knot you up inside. Innocence is the true bliss, isn’t it? (She touches the side of her temple.) No thoughts, no memories, no nightmares…how I envy you. (BABY MELINDA stirs in her sleep. MELINDA reaches into the crib and brushes her fingers lightly along the side of BABY MELINDA’s face.) Shh…enjoy while you can, for the both of us.

[Cut to the backyard. PIPER is seated on at the red picnic table on the back patio. The sun has almost completely disappeared behind the mountains and a slight breeze is rustling. There are goose bumps on PIPER’s arms as she stares into the sky with a lost expression on her face, as if her mind is somewhere else entirely. Robotically, she clasps her hand around the stem of a wine glass and lifts the white wine to her lips, where she sips it noiselessly. The sliding glass door opens and LEO walks out, but PIPER doesn’t move, acting as if she doesn’t notice him at all. He skirts around the picnic table and takes a seat next to his wife. At first there’s just silence, then he places his hand on her leg.]

LEO: Piper? (PIPER closes her eyes.) Piper, please.

PIPER: (defeated) I don’t want to talk, Leo.

LEO: I think you need to. You’re hurting.

PIPER: It’s karma.

LEO: You couldn’t have known.

PIPER: I still shouldn’t have lied to my sisters. To you. And especially to Prue. (She shakes her head.) I should’ve seen this coming a hundred miles away! Keeping secrets in this family is like a time bomb and Prue, she’s the worst at accepting them. Just look at what happened with Phoebe and Roger, or when she found out she was a witch, or when Andy told her he had an ex-wife, or when she found out about Mom and Sam, or when we discovered Paige, and when Prue found out (she forms her fingers into air quotes) “Matt” had “powers.”

(LEO takes her hands and cups them between his own.)

LEO: We’ll get through this.

PIPER: I’m not so sure.

LEO: Prue’s gotten over every one of the things you’ve just mentioned. It just takes time.

PIPER: But I don’t know about this one. Something in my gut says it’s different. (pause) And Leo, what if (emphasizing) she doesn’t have time. Drea was so angry at her because she died in the future, remember? What if-

(LEO places his hand across PIPER’s lips.)

LEO: No. (demandingly) You are not going to think like that. This is what the Twins came back here for, isn’t it? To save the future? They’re not going to let her die. Or Drea turn out to be the woman we saw here today. (He shakes his head.) That’s not going to happen, alright? (When she doesn’t answer, he grasps her shoulders and gives her a gentle shake.) Repeat it back to me.

PIPER: I-it’s not going to happen. (Her eyes tear up and she quickly presses her hands to her face. Her chest heaves.) I don’t think I believe that though.

(PIPER starts to cry. LEO wraps his arms around his wife’s quaking form and pulls her close, allowing her to let everything out that she’s been holding in for so long, while safely tucked into his arms.)

[Scene: Manor. Prue’s bedroom. Drea’s nursery. The door opens, allowing a shaft of light filters into the darkened room, illuminating a silhouette like a black ghost. The dark arm of the silhouette reaches into the room and flicks the light switch on the wall. Light floods in, revealing PRUE standing in the doorway. PRUE is still in the dirty, tattered clothing she was wearing earlier that day. She closes the door and just stands inside the room for a minute, before moving to a small dresser and picking up a framed photograph of DREA. PRUE traces the outline of DREA’s face and then sets the photo back down. She moves a few steps, stopping at the white crib positioned against the far wall. She places her hands on the edge of the crib and looks over the side into the empty bed. She sees a rumpled knit blanket with the name “Andrea” stitched across the center of the blanket, just above an intricately knitted quadquetra. PRUE presses the blanket to her cheek and closes her eyes, relishing the feeling of the fabric on her bare skin. A tear leaks out between her eyelashes and slides down her cheek until it soaks into the fabrics of the blanket. Her lips part ever so gently, emitting a faintly audible sob, and then PRUE begins to freely cry.]

[The Virtual Series]

End Credits

Co-Starring
Brody Jo Hamilton --- Baby Melinda Halliwell
Megan Hope Sanov --- Drea Halliwell
Tammy Townsend --- Estelle Teeter
Jaden Harmon --- Eric Teeter
Brad Everett Young --- Gunman #1
Jason Suhrke --- Gunman #2

Featuring
Andrew M. Chuckerman --- Announcer

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