INT. P3 DANCE FLOOR. NIGHT.
The party is in full swing, with various Cowboy and Native American costume wearing revellers standing in a long line, clumsily trying to do a line dance. There's much merriment and laughter as people step on each other's toes while accidentally spilling their drinks on the floor, while the wildly rhythmic Country and Western music being produced by the band onstage blares loudly. The lead singer, a pretty young, red haired cowgirl cheers on with a "Yee Ha!" with alarming joviality at regular intervals. Strewn randomly around the club are the party goers who clearly have had far too much to drink and they display this by giddily trying to dance on the tables. As the party continues, we CUT TO:
INT. P3 PIPER'S OFFICE. NIGHT.
JOHN KRAMER sits here at PIPER's desk while the office door is left slightly ajar. He is trying to read a book but the noise from the dance floor is clearing irritating him. He tolerates it for a beat, before frustratedly getting up and shutting the door. He goes back to the desk, picks up the book, which is titled "At The Heart Of Darkness: Witchcraft, Black Magic And Satanism Today. By N.J. Pratt" and continues to read it in his head.
JOHN: (Voice-over) As you read this, a witch coven or a secret society in your city or town is perhaps engaged in ritual practice. They may be naked or dressed in sinister robes and they may also claim to be either white witches or healers, but they can just as easily be black magicians.
(with more interest) They may even be your friends or colleagues and will be very alert to strangers as they will want to maintain the utmost secrecy. And with very good reason.
He calmly puts the book down again, slowly gets up and opens the office door to look at the sea of people having a good time. Off his suspicion, as we CUT TO:
EXT. MANOR. NIGHT.
A typically quiet evening on Prescott Street. All the houses nearby have their lights turned on, except for a couple. Cars are parked in driveways, recuperating for the night, after a hard day filled with traffic jams, screaming kids and a couple of incidents of road rage. The Hendersons across the road from the Halliwells' have finally removed the army of garden gnomes from their front garden, which usually means one thing for the residents of Prescott Street. Summer is over. The picture of suburbian perfection is interrupted as someone approaches the Halliwells' home and stands behind some shrubbery and watches, and as they do so:
ANGLE on the strange figure, who wears a thick black raincoat, complete with a hood, despite the noticeable lack of rain and the unseasonable warmth of the atmosphere. The stranger simply stands there for a long beat, attention focused in the direction of the Halliwells' home. After a brief moment of hesitation, the figure disappears as mysteriously as it had just appeared.
INT. MANOR. LIVING ROOM NIGHT.
PHOEBE stands by the window, absent mindedly staring out of the window. She does a double take, thinking that she has seen someone in the bushes outside but then ignores it. ALLEN is sitting on the sofa furthest away from the window, out of earshot from any private conversation that may take place. PIPER comes in from the kitchen holding 2 cups of coffee, hands one to ALLEN, who offers her a small smile by way of thanks. She offers the other one to PHOEBE, who is still staring aimlessly out of the window. PIPER watches her for a short beat, before waving her hand in PHOEBE's face in order to get her attention.
PIPER: Earth calling Pheebs. Penny for your thoughts?
PHOEBE: Sorry, I was totally in another world.
(takes the cup of coffee from her) Thanks.
PIPER: (Concerned Big Sister mode) Uh-huh. You've been doing that a lot lately. Something wrong?
PHOEBE: I...uh.it's nothing.
PIPER: Phoebe? It's me, your big sister. I've known you your whole life and I know that you're a lousy liar.
(looks towards PHOEBE's pile of letters from her readers) Besides, it seems like the whole city is about to crumble.
PHOEBE: (sighing) I dunno, Piper. I think I'm going crazy. I keep seeing Cole everywhere, I mean just now, I thought he was out there by the bushes, watching me. And I don't know how to move on if I can't even get past the fear of expecting to see him waiting for me at every corner.
PIPER: Honey, he was the love of your life and you went through unimaginable heartache with him. It's okay to feel what you're feeling.
PHOEBE: Yeah, but not at the expense of my readers. I should be able to handle this better by now.
PIPER: Nobody expects you to have all the answers, even if you are San Francisco's number one agony aunt.
(a beat, then;) Has he tried to contact you since the last time?
PHOEBE: Yesterday morning. He pulled an Amityville on my laptop and the electricity at the office. Power was down for a good 5 hours.
PIPER: Why didn't you tell me about this before?
PHOEBE: Well, I figured you had enough to worry about, what with the baby and- -
PIPER: Pheebs, just because I'm havin' a baby, doesn't mean I don't have time for sister stuff. Especially when said sister stuff involves Cole.
PHOEBE: I know, it's just I figured I could deal with it. I mean God knows I've put you and Paige through more than enough.
PIPER: Honey, all that's over now. What matters now is you getting your life back on track. Paige and I will be here whenever you need us.
PHOEBE considers this for a beat, before giving her big sister a hug. They let go of each other after a moment.
PHOEBE: Thank you.
PIPER: (a beat, then)
So, Cole's possessing stuff now?
PHOEBE: Uh-huh.
PIPER: That's a new trick.
PHOEBE: Uh-huh.
PIPER: We so have to get him neutered.
PHOEBE: (emphatically) Uh-huh.
PHOEBE cannot resist letting out a small chuckle at this. PAIGE comes downstairs at this moment, lugging the Book of Shadows with her and absent mindedly starts talking about the task at hand,
PAIGE: Okay, so the Book says that the demo- -
She stops cold as she realises that ALLEN's attention is focused on her.
PAIGE: (cont'd) --demonstrations of unnatural activity are .really rare this time of year.
ALLEN: (amused) It's okay, I've seen a Book of Shadows before. And I'm assuming you haven't found the demon yet?
PIPER: Wait a second, how do you- -
ALLEN: -- Know about demons? My friend was a witch. She told me about the legendary Charmed Ones, and once I saw you guys together, I kinda just knew. (more sombre) Katie warned me about the demons before they.murdered her.
PAIGE: Allen, I'm so sorry.
ALLEN: It's okay, she was always a vanquish first, ask questions later kind of girl. I'm pretty sure she'd want us to get those bastards.
PIPER: Wait, so does this mean you're a witch too?
ALLEN: No, Katie kind of had to introduce me to the world of demons and whatnot. It was a lot to take in at first, but not knowing sorta created this wedge between the two of us, like there was always something on her mind, but she would never be willing to talk about it.
PHOEBE: Well, we sure can relate to that.
A beat, then PIPER: (to PAIGE) What does the Book say?
PAIGE: Well, apparently what we saw was a "Harbinger Demon".
She holds out the Book and shows the page with the picture of the Harbinger Demon to ALLEN.
ALLEN: That's the one, alright.
PAIGE: (reads) " Harbingers are demonic servants that seek to align themselves with a team of operators capable of releasing great destruction. Such groups usually consist of black mages and dark priests, but can also be renegade clerics who have turned their backs to the ways of their craft. Harbingers usually appear in groups that can be.as large as an army.and their main duty is to proclaim the imminent arrival of unspeakable chaos". (closes the Book quickly) Well that's uplifting.
PIPER: Wait, that doesn't make sense. If they're just supposed to be demonic lackeys, then why would they go after a witch?
PHOEBE: They're demons, it's what they do.
PAIGE: No, Piper's right. Katie must have had something pretty special for them to go after her like that.
(to ALLEN) Did she say anything to you?
ALLEN: (remembering) Wait a sec.
He reaches into his inside jacket pocket and pulls out a small emerald.
ALLEN: (cont'd) She gave this to me a couple of days before she died. She made a really big deal about about me keeping it safe at all costs. I figured it was some kind of magical family keepsake or something.
He gives the emerald to PAIGE, who inspects it closely.
PAIGE: Must be one hell of a keepsake.
PHOEBE: (to ALLEN) Which means you're in a lot of danger too.
PIPER: Alright, so maybe Leo can fill us in what the deal is with the rock and.
(to ALLEN) he can take you someplace safe.
ALLEN: Uh, who's Leo?
PHOEBE: He's our whitelighter.
PIPER looks towards the ceiling for a moment, before unleashing her customary bellowing.
PIPER: Leo!
A beat, then the room is filled by the familiar sight of a blue light, as the orbs turn into LEO.
PIPER: (cont'd) We got problems. Paige and Allen got attacked by a demon at P3. Any chance the Elders know what's going on?
LEO: I'm not sure. They're all on edge right now and have called an emergency staff meeting later on.
(to PAIGE and ALLEN) Are you guys okay?
PAIGE: Yeah, we're fine. But Allen's still in danger here, so we need you to orb him somewhere safe.
ALLEN: No, wait. Paige, if this is as serious as it's sounding, then you're gonna need me around.
PAIGE: I can't do that. Those things already killed your friend and I'm not about to let them get you too.
He tries to interrupt but she ploughs ahead anyway.
PAIGE: (cont'd) Besides, you still owe me dinner.
He offers her a small smile before reluctantly going over to LEO's side. LEO gives PIPER a brief affectionate look before dutifully orbing out with ALLEN.
PIPER: Alright, we're gonna need a vanquish.
PAIGE: (looks in the Book) There's a potion here. Looks pretty straightforward. I'll go get started on it.
She puts down the emerald on the table and heads into the kitchen.
PIPER: Okay, so I'll scry for a location.
As she begins to head upstairs, PHOEBE picks up the emerald off the table and is instantaneously overwhelmed by the rush of an oncoming sequence of premonitions. First, she sees;
INT. A TEMPLE, IN THE YEAR 1667. NIGHT.
Where the young knight unbinds the ropes from his hands and gives a war cry. The temple doors burst open and a small group of knights battle with the HARBINGER DEMONS. As the young knight launches the ceremonial sword into the vortex of energy that's forming in the background, the premonition allows PHOEBE to follow the sword's course and in the process, get a good look at the design of the jewelled weapon;
ANGLE on the sword, flying in slow motion towards the vortex. It is majestic and has several rune-like inscriptions on it. The premonition then CUTS TO;
INT. SAN FRANCISCO INSTITUTE OF ART, MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ARTEFACTS SECTION. NIGHT.
MELISSA CLARKE runs for her life, as a group of HARBINGER DEMONS chase after her. They all run to a secluded section of the museum, where the ceremonial sword from earlier on sits in a protective glass case. As MELISSA stands in front of it, a HARBINGER throws a dagger at her. Her face is a picture of pure terror as she screams at the oncoming projectile. The dagger hits her square in the heart and she drops to the floor, dead. A HARBINGER then reaches over to her neck and yanks off a necklace with a small ruby at the end of it. Another one punches through the glass case containing the sword and takes it. The group callously step over MELISSA's dead body, take one final triumphant look at the scene before they shimmer out.
INT. MANOR, LIVING ROOM. NIGHT.
PHOEBE gasps for breath as she comes out of the premonition. Recognising that her sister's discomfort is coming from the draining task of having a premonition, PIPER backtracks and comes closer to PHOEBE.
PIPER: What did you see?
PHOEBE: Uh, I think it was the past and the future. Some medieval knight tossing a sword into some kind of vortex.
(then) I saw where the next attack's gonna take place.
Off PIPER's focused expression as we CUT TO;
The party is in full swing, with various Cowboy and Native American costume wearing revellers standing in a long line, clumsily trying to do a line dance. There's much merriment and laughter as people step on each other's toes while accidentally spilling their drinks on the floor, while the wildly rhythmic Country and Western music being produced by the band onstage blares loudly. The lead singer, a pretty young, red haired cowgirl cheers on with a "Yee Ha!" with alarming joviality at regular intervals. Strewn randomly around the club are the party goers who clearly have had far too much to drink and they display this by giddily trying to dance on the tables. As the party continues, we CUT TO:
INT. P3 PIPER'S OFFICE. NIGHT.
JOHN KRAMER sits here at PIPER's desk while the office door is left slightly ajar. He is trying to read a book but the noise from the dance floor is clearing irritating him. He tolerates it for a beat, before frustratedly getting up and shutting the door. He goes back to the desk, picks up the book, which is titled "At The Heart Of Darkness: Witchcraft, Black Magic And Satanism Today. By N.J. Pratt" and continues to read it in his head.
JOHN: (Voice-over) As you read this, a witch coven or a secret society in your city or town is perhaps engaged in ritual practice. They may be naked or dressed in sinister robes and they may also claim to be either white witches or healers, but they can just as easily be black magicians.
(with more interest) They may even be your friends or colleagues and will be very alert to strangers as they will want to maintain the utmost secrecy. And with very good reason.
He calmly puts the book down again, slowly gets up and opens the office door to look at the sea of people having a good time. Off his suspicion, as we CUT TO:
EXT. MANOR. NIGHT.
A typically quiet evening on Prescott Street. All the houses nearby have their lights turned on, except for a couple. Cars are parked in driveways, recuperating for the night, after a hard day filled with traffic jams, screaming kids and a couple of incidents of road rage. The Hendersons across the road from the Halliwells' have finally removed the army of garden gnomes from their front garden, which usually means one thing for the residents of Prescott Street. Summer is over. The picture of suburbian perfection is interrupted as someone approaches the Halliwells' home and stands behind some shrubbery and watches, and as they do so:
ANGLE on the strange figure, who wears a thick black raincoat, complete with a hood, despite the noticeable lack of rain and the unseasonable warmth of the atmosphere. The stranger simply stands there for a long beat, attention focused in the direction of the Halliwells' home. After a brief moment of hesitation, the figure disappears as mysteriously as it had just appeared.
INT. MANOR. LIVING ROOM NIGHT.
PHOEBE stands by the window, absent mindedly staring out of the window. She does a double take, thinking that she has seen someone in the bushes outside but then ignores it. ALLEN is sitting on the sofa furthest away from the window, out of earshot from any private conversation that may take place. PIPER comes in from the kitchen holding 2 cups of coffee, hands one to ALLEN, who offers her a small smile by way of thanks. She offers the other one to PHOEBE, who is still staring aimlessly out of the window. PIPER watches her for a short beat, before waving her hand in PHOEBE's face in order to get her attention.
PIPER: Earth calling Pheebs. Penny for your thoughts?
PHOEBE: Sorry, I was totally in another world.
(takes the cup of coffee from her) Thanks.
PIPER: (Concerned Big Sister mode) Uh-huh. You've been doing that a lot lately. Something wrong?
PHOEBE: I...uh.it's nothing.
PIPER: Phoebe? It's me, your big sister. I've known you your whole life and I know that you're a lousy liar.
(looks towards PHOEBE's pile of letters from her readers) Besides, it seems like the whole city is about to crumble.
PHOEBE: (sighing) I dunno, Piper. I think I'm going crazy. I keep seeing Cole everywhere, I mean just now, I thought he was out there by the bushes, watching me. And I don't know how to move on if I can't even get past the fear of expecting to see him waiting for me at every corner.
PIPER: Honey, he was the love of your life and you went through unimaginable heartache with him. It's okay to feel what you're feeling.
PHOEBE: Yeah, but not at the expense of my readers. I should be able to handle this better by now.
PIPER: Nobody expects you to have all the answers, even if you are San Francisco's number one agony aunt.
(a beat, then;) Has he tried to contact you since the last time?
PHOEBE: Yesterday morning. He pulled an Amityville on my laptop and the electricity at the office. Power was down for a good 5 hours.
PIPER: Why didn't you tell me about this before?
PHOEBE: Well, I figured you had enough to worry about, what with the baby and- -
PIPER: Pheebs, just because I'm havin' a baby, doesn't mean I don't have time for sister stuff. Especially when said sister stuff involves Cole.
PHOEBE: I know, it's just I figured I could deal with it. I mean God knows I've put you and Paige through more than enough.
PIPER: Honey, all that's over now. What matters now is you getting your life back on track. Paige and I will be here whenever you need us.
PHOEBE considers this for a beat, before giving her big sister a hug. They let go of each other after a moment.
PHOEBE: Thank you.
PIPER: (a beat, then)
So, Cole's possessing stuff now?
PHOEBE: Uh-huh.
PIPER: That's a new trick.
PHOEBE: Uh-huh.
PIPER: We so have to get him neutered.
PHOEBE: (emphatically) Uh-huh.
PHOEBE cannot resist letting out a small chuckle at this. PAIGE comes downstairs at this moment, lugging the Book of Shadows with her and absent mindedly starts talking about the task at hand,
PAIGE: Okay, so the Book says that the demo- -
She stops cold as she realises that ALLEN's attention is focused on her.
PAIGE: (cont'd) --demonstrations of unnatural activity are .really rare this time of year.
ALLEN: (amused) It's okay, I've seen a Book of Shadows before. And I'm assuming you haven't found the demon yet?
PIPER: Wait a second, how do you- -
ALLEN: -- Know about demons? My friend was a witch. She told me about the legendary Charmed Ones, and once I saw you guys together, I kinda just knew. (more sombre) Katie warned me about the demons before they.murdered her.
PAIGE: Allen, I'm so sorry.
ALLEN: It's okay, she was always a vanquish first, ask questions later kind of girl. I'm pretty sure she'd want us to get those bastards.
PIPER: Wait, so does this mean you're a witch too?
ALLEN: No, Katie kind of had to introduce me to the world of demons and whatnot. It was a lot to take in at first, but not knowing sorta created this wedge between the two of us, like there was always something on her mind, but she would never be willing to talk about it.
PHOEBE: Well, we sure can relate to that.
A beat, then PIPER: (to PAIGE) What does the Book say?
PAIGE: Well, apparently what we saw was a "Harbinger Demon".
She holds out the Book and shows the page with the picture of the Harbinger Demon to ALLEN.
ALLEN: That's the one, alright.
PAIGE: (reads) " Harbingers are demonic servants that seek to align themselves with a team of operators capable of releasing great destruction. Such groups usually consist of black mages and dark priests, but can also be renegade clerics who have turned their backs to the ways of their craft. Harbingers usually appear in groups that can be.as large as an army.and their main duty is to proclaim the imminent arrival of unspeakable chaos". (closes the Book quickly) Well that's uplifting.
PIPER: Wait, that doesn't make sense. If they're just supposed to be demonic lackeys, then why would they go after a witch?
PHOEBE: They're demons, it's what they do.
PAIGE: No, Piper's right. Katie must have had something pretty special for them to go after her like that.
(to ALLEN) Did she say anything to you?
ALLEN: (remembering) Wait a sec.
He reaches into his inside jacket pocket and pulls out a small emerald.
ALLEN: (cont'd) She gave this to me a couple of days before she died. She made a really big deal about about me keeping it safe at all costs. I figured it was some kind of magical family keepsake or something.
He gives the emerald to PAIGE, who inspects it closely.
PAIGE: Must be one hell of a keepsake.
PHOEBE: (to ALLEN) Which means you're in a lot of danger too.
PIPER: Alright, so maybe Leo can fill us in what the deal is with the rock and.
(to ALLEN) he can take you someplace safe.
ALLEN: Uh, who's Leo?
PHOEBE: He's our whitelighter.
PIPER looks towards the ceiling for a moment, before unleashing her customary bellowing.
PIPER: Leo!
A beat, then the room is filled by the familiar sight of a blue light, as the orbs turn into LEO.
PIPER: (cont'd) We got problems. Paige and Allen got attacked by a demon at P3. Any chance the Elders know what's going on?
LEO: I'm not sure. They're all on edge right now and have called an emergency staff meeting later on.
(to PAIGE and ALLEN) Are you guys okay?
PAIGE: Yeah, we're fine. But Allen's still in danger here, so we need you to orb him somewhere safe.
ALLEN: No, wait. Paige, if this is as serious as it's sounding, then you're gonna need me around.
PAIGE: I can't do that. Those things already killed your friend and I'm not about to let them get you too.
He tries to interrupt but she ploughs ahead anyway.
PAIGE: (cont'd) Besides, you still owe me dinner.
He offers her a small smile before reluctantly going over to LEO's side. LEO gives PIPER a brief affectionate look before dutifully orbing out with ALLEN.
PIPER: Alright, we're gonna need a vanquish.
PAIGE: (looks in the Book) There's a potion here. Looks pretty straightforward. I'll go get started on it.
She puts down the emerald on the table and heads into the kitchen.
PIPER: Okay, so I'll scry for a location.
As she begins to head upstairs, PHOEBE picks up the emerald off the table and is instantaneously overwhelmed by the rush of an oncoming sequence of premonitions. First, she sees;
INT. A TEMPLE, IN THE YEAR 1667. NIGHT.
Where the young knight unbinds the ropes from his hands and gives a war cry. The temple doors burst open and a small group of knights battle with the HARBINGER DEMONS. As the young knight launches the ceremonial sword into the vortex of energy that's forming in the background, the premonition allows PHOEBE to follow the sword's course and in the process, get a good look at the design of the jewelled weapon;
ANGLE on the sword, flying in slow motion towards the vortex. It is majestic and has several rune-like inscriptions on it. The premonition then CUTS TO;
INT. SAN FRANCISCO INSTITUTE OF ART, MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ARTEFACTS SECTION. NIGHT.
MELISSA CLARKE runs for her life, as a group of HARBINGER DEMONS chase after her. They all run to a secluded section of the museum, where the ceremonial sword from earlier on sits in a protective glass case. As MELISSA stands in front of it, a HARBINGER throws a dagger at her. Her face is a picture of pure terror as she screams at the oncoming projectile. The dagger hits her square in the heart and she drops to the floor, dead. A HARBINGER then reaches over to her neck and yanks off a necklace with a small ruby at the end of it. Another one punches through the glass case containing the sword and takes it. The group callously step over MELISSA's dead body, take one final triumphant look at the scene before they shimmer out.
INT. MANOR, LIVING ROOM. NIGHT.
PHOEBE gasps for breath as she comes out of the premonition. Recognising that her sister's discomfort is coming from the draining task of having a premonition, PIPER backtracks and comes closer to PHOEBE.
PIPER: What did you see?
PHOEBE: Uh, I think it was the past and the future. Some medieval knight tossing a sword into some kind of vortex.
(then) I saw where the next attack's gonna take place.
Off PIPER's focused expression as we CUT TO;
