Power of Three
Episode 2: The Dating Lives of Witches
Xxx
[Scene: San Francisco, day time.]
(The funeral of Piper Halliwell is taking place in a church while sad music is playing. The Halliwell brothers are sitting in the front row. A little further down, Drea is sitting in a row. There is a time lapse and Patrick is holding a speech. Another time lapse and the scene changes to the cemetery, where the casket is being lowered into the ground while the brothers place flowers. A final time lapse occurs and there is a reception at a local restaurant. Patrick is standing by the bar when Drea walks up to him.)
Drea: Hi, how are you doing?
Patrick: As well as can be expected, I guess. Thanks for coming.
Drea: Of course. (She pauses.) So I hear you've moving back to town.
Patrick: Yeah, after everything that happened, I need to be with my brothers.
Drea: What about your job?
Patrick: They weren't too happy when I turned down their offer to become junior partner and resigned at the same time.
Drea: So what are you going to do now?
Patrick: Look for a job here, something with less hours hopefully.
Drea: Sounds good. Maybe we can get that cup of coffee you suggested. Or is it inappropriate to ask you here?
Patrick: No, it's not inappropriate at all. I'd like that.
(They look at each other flirtingly and Drea puts her hand on Patrick's arm. At that moment, the door opens and a blonde woman in a short black dress walks in. It's Rachel. She spots Patrick and comes over, so Drea quickly withdraws her arm. Rachel throws herself at a stunned Patrick and kisses him, which visibly frustrates Drea.)
Rachel: Patrick, I missed you so much.
Patrick: (shocked) Rachel, what are you doing here?
Rachel: I came to support you. (She steps back.) And to talk some sense into you, of course.
Patrick: What are you talking about?
Rachel: Turning down junior partner. Look, you can't throw away your future. We can convince the partners you only did because you were mad with grief.
Drea: (angered) Excuse me? Who the hell do you think you are?
Rachel: (frowning) I could ask you the same thing.
(The women stare each other down and Patrick steps in between.)
Patrick: Rachel, this is Drea, an old friend. Drea, this is Rachel, we work together.
Rachel: We're a little more than co-workers, Patrick.
Drea: She's your girlfriend?
Patrick: She's… I mean, it's complicated. We never defined anything.
Drea: I think that kiss defined more than enough.
(Drea storms off. Patrick attempts to follow her, but Rachel holds his arm and prevents him from leaving. On the other side of the restaurant, Porter and Percy look at the scene from the bar.)
Percy: Ouch, that was awkward.
Porter: I should go talk to Drea.
Percy: I think she needs to cool off a little first. Let's get another round of drinks.
(Percy turns around and orders two more beers from the bartender, who is a cute girl with short brown hair. When their hands touch as she hands over the beer, Percy gasps and images flash in his mind. He sees himself and the brunette rolling around in bed, having sex. The flashes end and Percy smirks at the girl, who smiles back.)
Porter: What just happened?
Percy: I just saw my future. And hers.
Porter: Oh, you have got to be kidding me. You had a premonition about the two of you? That just sounds wrong.
Percy: (shrugging) I can't control it. Besides, it hasn't happened yet, but I'm going to make sure that it does.
(Percy moves to the end of the bar to talk to the bartender girl. Porter sighs and takes a sip of his beer.)
Porter: Why do weddings and funerals make everyone horny?
Voice: I can help you find out.
(Porter turns and sees Adam standing next to him, wearing a grey suit. He smiles and they hug for a moment.)
Porter: What are you doing here? This wasn't how I wanted you to meet my brothers.
Adam: I know, but I still wanted to be here for you. It's a difficult day. Besides, I don't think your brothers are going to notice me.
Porter: I guess you're right. I'm really glad you're here.
Adam: So do you want to get out of here? Or go find some place private…
Porter: Yeah, I'm not my brother, I'm not going to that at my Grams' funeral. But we can go grab some dinner?
Adam: (smiling) I don't care what we do, just as long as I get you alone.
Porter: That sounds great. I'm starving.
(Porter hugs Adam and the two share a brief kiss. As they hug, Adam's smile changes into an evil grin. Porter grabs his coat and the two of them leave.)
[End Scene]
Xxx
Opening Credits
Xxx
[Scene: Halliwell Manor in the morning. The entire manor is packed with boxes as the brothers are still in the process of moving back in. Patrick comes down the stairs in a shirt and sweatpants. The door opens and Percy comes in, still wearing his suit from the funeral.]
Patrick: Morning. Where have you been?
Percy: It's a little too early for judgement, Patrick.
Patrick: I'm not judging, I swear. I don't really have a right to judge anyone after what happened at the funeral yesterday.
Percy: Right. How did things end with Drea?
Patrick: I tried calling her, but she's not picking up.
Percy: And what about your girlfriend?
Patrick: (frowning) We're not a couple and her name is Rachel. I dropped her off at a hotel last night, told her that the manor is a mess.
(The two brothers walk into the kitchen and Patrick does to make some coffee.)
Percy: So if you're not a couple, why does she think you are?
Patrick: I don't know. We just went on a couple of dates. I never asked her to be my girlfriend or anything.
Percy: Does she stay over at your apartment? Has she met your friends? Did you ever take her anywhere?
Patrick: Well, yeah, we work together, my co-workers are my friends. And we went to Vermont once for the weekend.
Percy: Yeah, she's your girlfriend, dude. If you don't want to be with her, you have to dump her.
Patrick: Oh god. (He sits down as he hands Percy a cup of coffee.) I'm an idiot.
Percy: Yeah, you are.
Patrick: Enough about my mess, where did you come from?
Percy: (smiling.) I ended up staying over at the bartender's.
Patrick: Please tell me you were safe.
Percy: (As he rolls his eyes.) Of course I was safe, dad. Man, why did you have to ruin this nice brotherly moment?
Patrick: I wasn't…
Percy: Yes, you were. You went right back to treating me like an irresponsible kid, waiting for me to screw up.
Patrick: Alright, I'm sorry. I guess it was a reflex.
Percy: Look, I get it. We haven't been around each other in years. We both changed, so we have to get to know each other again.
Patrick: Exactly. So how did it go with the bartender?
Percy: Funny story, actually. I had a premonition about it before it happened.
Patrick: What? How did that happen?
Percy: I don't know, it just came at random when I touched her.
Patrick: Okay, at the risk of sounding like my old self, I think we should be careful about using our powers until we know more about them.
Percy: That does sound like the old you, but I get it. I'll read some more in the Book of Shadows to learn about out magic.
Patrick: Good, we don't want to draw the attention of more warlocks. Who knows where they could be lurking?
[End Scene]
Xxx
[Scene: An apartment building. Porter is sleeping in a bed, half covered by the sheets. He slowly wakes up and turns around, but find the bed is empty next to him. He sit up and yawns.]
Porter: Adam?
(When there is no response, Porter rolls out of bed and puts on his boxer briefs. He is about to leave the bedroom when something catches his attention. The closet door is slightly open. He walks over and looks inside. He finds a black box the size of a shoebox and opens it. Inside is an athame. Porter is shocked and drops the box.]
Porter: (whispering) Oh my god.
Adam: I really wish you hadn't found that.
(Porter spins around and sees a fully dressed Adam standing in the door opening, holding a tray of breakfast. Porter slowly gets up and backs away with fear in his eyes.)
Porter: You're a warlock?
Adam: You weren't supposed to find out yet.
Porter: Why not? You could have killed me last night, or any night for that matter.
Adam: I needed you to bring me closer to your brothers first.
Porter: You targeted me because of my powers. Was any of it real?
Adam: (casually) Not really. It was fun, though. You're good in bed.
Porter: You son of a bitch. You used me.
Adam: Oh please, it wasn't that difficult. We both know how the gay dating world is.
Porter: Well, you're definitely the worst date ever.
Adam: (smirking) At least I'll be the last.
(Adam drops the breakfast tray and runs forward. Porter defensively throws up his hand and time around him comes to a complete stop. Adam is frozen mid-run. His face is distorted into that of a monster, with pointed ears, scarred skin and red burning eyes. Porter quickly gets dressed while keeping an eye on Adam. He tries to leave, but Adam is blocking the door. Porter turns and sees a fire escape outside of the window. He climbs out the window and begins to climb down while holding his shoes in his hand.)
Porter: This is the worst walk of shame ever.
(In the bedroom, Adam unfreezes and sees Porter is gone. He grabs the athame from the box and climbs out onto the fire escape after him.)
Adam: You cannot escape me!
(Adam raises his hand shoots a beam of red energy at Porter, who barely avoids it. Porter reaches the bottom of the fire escape. Adam growls angrily and leaps down, landing next to Porter and causing the street to crack. Porter grabs a metal pipe from a container and tried to hit Adam, but he easily catches and bends it. Porter lets go and runs into the street. He crosses it and stops to look at Adam. They stare at each other from across the street.)
Adam: There is no point in running. I'll get you and your brothers.
(Porter looks to the side for a brief moment before turning back to Adam.)
Porter: Then come and get me!
(Adam starts charging at Porter. When he is halfway across the street, Porter throws his hands up and ducks out of the way. Time is stopped and Adam is frozen in the middle of the street. A moment later, he is struck by a truck, who hits with breaks with a screeching noise. The crowd in the street panics and the police is called. During the confusion, Porter runs away.)
[End Scene]
Xxx
[Scene: The same street, a little while later. Drea and Michelle get out of their car and enter the part of the street that is taped off by a police officer. Drea gets a call and sees that it's Porter, so she declines the call, which Michelle notices.]
Michelle: Still ignoring him?
Drea: I don't want to talk about it.
Michelle: Alright, fine by me.
(Drea looks at the phone and cannot contain her frustration, so she starts rambling anyway, causing Michelle to roll her eyes.)
Drea: He has a freaking girlfriend in New York and he didn't tell me. He asked me out for coffee.
Michelle: I thought you asked him out.
Drea: No, I mean, he asked me out first and I just reiterated the question.
Michelle: (frowning) At his grandmother's funeral.
Drea: It wasn't like that, we were having a moment and then his freaking girlfriend showed up.
Michelle: You say freaking a lot.
Drea: Because it's the nicest word I can think of right now.
Michelle: Well, we've got other stuff to worry about, like our jobs. Let's interview the truck driver.
(Drea and Michelle walk over to the truck driver. An officer hands Drea a list of witness reports.)
Drea: Can you tell us what happened?
Truck driver: He just ran into the middle of the street and just stopped moving. I couldn't stop in time.
Michelle: What was he doing?
Truck driver: He was running after someone, as far as I could tell.
Drea: Where did this other someone go?
Truck driver: I don't know. He disappeared and I had other things on my mind, like the guy that jumped in front of my truck!
Michelle: I think we heard enough.
Truck driver: Am I in trouble?
Drea: (As she goes over the witness reports.) No, other witnesses confirm your story. He ran into the street and there wasn't anything you could do. This officer here will take you to the station for a police sketch of the other person on the street.
(The truck driver nods and is taken away by the police officer.)
Michelle: The impact sent the body flying into an alley. Let's go take a look.
(Drea nods and the two enter the alley. When they see another police officer unconscious on the ground, they get their guns and carefully move in closer. While Michelle checks on the officer, Drea notices a white sheet that was used to conceal the body. However, there was no body in sight.)
Michelle: The officer will be fine.
Drea: Thank god. We need him awake to find out where our truck victim went.
[End Scene]
Xxx
[Scene: The Brim at morning. Patrick is sitting at one of the tables with a cup of coffee, impatiently checking his phone. The door opens and Rachel walks in. She spots him and sits down across from him at the table.]
Rachel: Good morning, sweetie.
Patrick: You're late. We were supposed to meet at ten.
Rachel: I'm sorry, I was enjoying a massage at the hotel. I put it on your creditcard, by the way.
Patrick: Rachel, we need to talk. Why did you show up at the funeral like that?
Rachel: Like I said, I came to support you in such a difficult time. (Her tone changes from caring into strict.) And to remind you of your priorities.
Patrick: My priorities changed.
Rachel: You cannot be serious. You are on the track to becoming partner.
Patrick: Maybe that's not what I want anymore. Maybe I never truly wanted it in the first place.
Rachel: You don't mean that. This is just the grief talking.
Patrick: You don't know what you're talking about. I'm starting to think you don't even really know me.
Rachel: (She scoffs.) Is this about that girl in the ugly pantsuit at the funeral?
Patrick: Drea is a friend.
Rachel: I doubt that's all she is. I saw the way you looked at her. (She folds her hands on the table.) Listen, we can be the next true power couple of the Upper East Side. We can have it all.
Patrick: (frowning.) You mean you can have it all. That's all I've ever been to you, isn't it? Just a ticket to the life you want.
Rachel: Oh please, don't act insulted. We were both using each other. Isn't that what a good partnership is?
Patrick: That's the difference between us, Rachel. I want a relationship, not a partnership.
Rachel: I'm going to stop you before you ruin this. (She stands up.) Get that pantsuit out of your system. Sleep with her if that's what it takes. Just know that my flight leaves tomorrow morning and I hope you're coming back with me.
(Patrick remains silent as she stares at him.)
Rachel: Think about your future, Patrick. You've worked too hard to throw it away. And just so you know, I do care about you.
(Rachel kisses him on the cheek and leaves the Brim, leaving Patrick to wonder.)
[End Scene]
Xxx
[Scene: A local park in San Francisco. Percy is riding his bike through the park and stops at small stand to buy something to drink. He spots an elderly couple discussing which lottery numbers to buy, but they can't seem to make up their mind. The woman spots Percy.]
Woman: Excuse me, young man. Can I ask you something?
Percy: Of course.
Woman: We are buying lottery tickets, but we cannot decide on which numbers to use.
Percy: What are you playing for?
Man: We want to take our grandkids on a vacation. It could be the last chance we get. We're not getting any younger, you know.
Woman: Should we use an anniversary or the birthdates of our grandkids?
Percy: I don't know, can I see the ticket?
(The woman nods and hands over the empty ticket. When he touches it, Percy immediately sees flashes in his mind of the winning lottery numbers, after which the flashes end.)
Percy: 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Those are the winning numbers.
Woman: Are you sure? I still think we should use the birthdates.
Percy: No, trust me. These are the winning numbers. You can go on your family vacation. In fact, I'm going to buy a ticket myself.
Man: Thank you, son.
(The elderly man and woman smile and fill out the numbers as they walk away. Percy picks up a lottery ticket and buys it with his bottle of soda. As he gets back on his bike, his phone rings, so he answers it.)
Percy: Porter?
Porter: You need to come home now, it's an emergency.
Percy: What are you talking about?
Porter: I mean a warlock emergency. Hurry up!
Percy: On my way.
(Percy hangs up and quickly bikes home.)
[End Scene]
Xxx
[Scene: The Halliwell Manor. Patrick arrives back home in a taxi just as Percy arrives on his bike. The two brothers meet and walk up the stairs. Loki is waiting for them and starts circling their legs.]
Patrick: Did he call you too?
Percy: Yeah, he seemed pretty scared. I wonder what's going on.
(The brothers head inside and Loki rushes past them. Porter is pacing in the hallway with a nervous look in his eyes. He relaxes somewhat when he sees his brothers.)
Porter: You're back. Quick, look the door.
Patrick: Porter, what's going? You said something about a warlock.
Porter: Yeah, it's Adam.
Percy: What do you mean?
Porter: I mean Adam is a warlock.
Patrick: Wait, are you sure?
Porter: (annoyed) Pretty sure, considering he tried to kill me. I barely got away.
Percy: What happened?
Porter: I spent the night at his place. When I woke up I found an athame and he came after me, but I was able to escape by freezing him.
Patrick: Where is he now?
Porter: I'm not sure, he was hit by a truck.
Patrick: (confused) What?
Porter: He started chasing me down the street, so when I saw the truck coming, I froze him in the middle of the street.
Percy: Holy crap. That's insane.
Patrick: Are you sure he survived?
Porter: I didn't stick around to find out, but considering he leaped off a building without a scratch, I don't think we've seen the last of him.
Percy: But wait, if he's been a warlock the entire time, why didn't he kill you before? Why wait?
Porter: He said he needed all of us together, so he could take all of our powers. That's the only reason he even started dating me.
Percy: (frowning) Dude, I'm sorry.
Porter: I can't think about that right now. He's coming after us, I'm sure of it.
Percy: Then what are we supposed to do?
Patrick: (determined) We take him down, we just have to figure out how.
(On the stairs, Loki begins meowing and circling the steps. He then runs upstairs.)
Percy: I think he's trying to tell us something.
Patrick: The book. He's telling us to check the Book of Shadows.
(The brothers head up the stairs and enter the attic, where the Book of Shadows is standing on the pedestal in the middle of the room. They gather around the book as Patrick begins to flip through it.)
Patrick: There are dozens of pages in here about warlocks. How do we know which is the right one?
Percy: Wait, what's this?
(Patrick stops flipping the pages and stops on a page called "To Lose a Love Forever". He starts reading.)
Patrick: This is a ritual to get rid of someone that broke your heart. Must have been one scorn witch who wrote it.
Percy: Maybe you can both cast it.
Patrick: You mean Rachel? She's frustrating for sure, but I don't need magic to end it.
Percy: So you dumped her?
Patrick: Well, not in so many words. She'll be waiting at the airport for me. She's just got in my head about throwing away everything I worked for.
Percy: Don't let her pull you back in.
Porter: (frustrated) Can we please get back to my problems first? Rachel might be annoying, but Adam is trying to kill us.
Patrick: Right. We're going to need a couple of things for the ritual. We've got candles, but I don't even know half the ingredients we need.
Porter: Let me see. (He turns to book toward him.) I know a place where we can get these things. There is an herb shop close to the Brim.
Patrick: Alright, you and Percy get the ingredients. I'll stay here and get ready.
Porter: No, we should stay together. What if he attacks?
Patrick: I have the best shot at defending myself with my power. We need to divide and conquer.
Percy: He's right, we shouldn't waste time.
Porter: Fine, just be careful.
(Porter takes a picture of the book with his phone, but when he looks at it, the page is clear.)
Porter: Huh, I can't copy it.
Percy: Maybe it's protected by magic.
Porter: Probably.
(Porter gets a pen and paper from the nearby table and writes down the ingredients, after which the brothers leave the attic.)
[End Scene]
xxx