Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything.
A Witch's Tail, Part 2
[Scene: Under the sea. Piper is swimming around the bottom of the ocean. She spots a pretty pink shell and picks it up. She smiles and swims off.]
[Cut to the manor. Living room. Prue, Phoebe, Paige, and Cole are sitting on the couch. Leo orbs in. He is soaking wet.]
Prue: Leo, the Persian.
Leo: I found Phoebe.
Prue: You did?
Cole: Well, why didn't bring her?
Leo: She's too fast... and slippery.
Paige: It's official. Phoebe's on the run.
Leo: On the swim, technically.
Prue: Well, what the heck is she swimming from? She's got a husband, a baby on the way, her sisters, her club…. She should be loving life.
Leo: I don't know. But what do we do next?
Phoebe: I don't know. Book of Shadows, library of congress, internet. Anywhere we can to get rid of Piper's tail.
[Scene: The Sea Hag's cavern. Necron zaps in. He walks around.]
Necron: Hag?! I want my eternal life! Or your life! It's your choice!
(He sees a pile of dust on the floor where the Sea Hag was vanquished. He waves his hand above the pile and the dust blows away, revealing the auger shell. He picks it up. Piper swims into the cavern and places a shell onto a pile of shells she's collected. Necron notices her and walks over to her.)
Piper: Who are you?
Necron: You have something I want.
Piper: They're all yours!
(She throws the shells at Necron and dives under the water. Necron throws electricity at Piper and hits her tail. She swims away, bleeding.)
Opening Credits
[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Paige is there on the phone.]
Paige: I am so sorry I am missing work, Mr. Cowan. I-I-it's just my sister. She's had a fishing accident. Well, of course I'm grateful for the promotion, of course I am. And I'm gonna prove to you just how grateful I am as soon as I get there and... Mr. Cowan? (Leo orbs in.) Hello?
(She hangs up.)
Leo: I lost Piper.
Paige: You lost Piper?
Leo: Yeah, somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico. I was tracking her and…. She's getting harder to sense. I think the mermaid in her is starting to take over.
Paige: We'll just have to find a way to turn her back. (She sits down.) Look through these books.
(She places a book in front of her.)
Leo: Uh, you've been working on this all night?
Paige: Yeah.
Leo: What have you learned so far?
Paige: I've learned that mermaids are cold blooded, they like shiny baubles, sea chanteys are the only songs they know, and my adoption file is short one document.
Leo: You lost me with that last one.
Paige: Leo, it's my first day as a social worker and I'm already screwing up and failing big time. This kid's adoption is gonna fall apart without me.
Leo: Well, you can't let that happen.
Paige: I'm so glad you agree. I was thinking I can just cast a spell from here and create a file and-
Leo: That's not what I meant. Go to work.
Paige: But what about-?
Leo: But what about what? You're just an orb away.
Paige: You sure you can handle this alone?
Leo: I'm not alone. I have Prue and Phoebe.
Paige: Okay.
[Scene: A dock. Piper is sitting on the edge, breathing heavily. She touches the bleeding gash in her tail. She hears voices and dives into the water.]
[Scene: South Bay Social Services. Paige is walking across the room with Mr. Cowan following.]
Mr. Cowan: So, uh, how's your sister doing after the fishing accident?
Paige: Uh, we're not sure. We haven't found her yet.
Mr. Cowan: What is she, lost at sea?
Paige: Uh, you could say that.
Mr. Cowan: But-but Paige.
(They stop walking.)
Paige: Look, Mr. Cowan, I may be stubborn at times, and late to work often, and I don't always know when to shut up like right now, but trust me, even if I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me, so if you'll excuse me, I have an adoption to save.
Mr. Cowan: You forgot insolent. You're very insolent.
Paige: You're right. Can I go now?
Mr. Cowan: Don't make me regret giving you this promotion, Paige. (Paige nods. Mr. Cowan hands her a file that he's holding.) Copies of the adoption application and the police clearances. Fax them ASAP. It might sway the agency's decision.
(Mr. Cowan walks away.)
Lunch Lady: Yellowtail? (The lady that delivers the lunches stands beside Paige.) Your usual lunch order?
(Paige pulls a face.)
Paige: Ugh, no fish. Not now, not ever.
[Scene: A fishing boat. Three fishermen pull a large net full of fish out of the water. They tip it into a large wooden box. Piper falls out of the net. The fishermen look at her.]
Fisherman #1: What the hell?
(Piper wakes up and hits a fisherman with her tail.)
Fisherman #2: Watch it!
(Fisherman #1 tries to grab her.)
Piper: Get your filthy meat hooks off me!
Fisherman #3: Check out the mouth on her.
(They laugh.)
Fisherman #1: All I care about is the tail.
Fisherman #3: How much do you think the tabloids would pay to see this?
Fisherman #1: I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life on that boat. Maybe we should be thinking bigger than tabloids here.
Fisherman #3: Bigger?
Fisherman #1: Yeah. We bring her in like this, sure we'll get a small fee, but mostly we'd just get credit for finding her. On the other hand, if we say we found her dead, we could sell the body for a fortune.
(Necron zaps in.)
Necron: Sorry. Her life belongs to me.
(Fisherman #2 grabs a fishing spear and shoots at Necron. It pierces through Necron's neck and sticks in a wall. Necron moves forward and the spear slides out. His neck magically heals. He throws electricity at Fisherman #1 and #2 and they turn into dust. He does the same to Fisherman #3 and he turns into dust. He glides over to Piper.)
Necron: Mermaids are such poor, defenseless creatures. I almost feel pity.
Piper: Pity this! (She hits him with her tail and pulls on a rope. A large heavy hook hits Necron and knocks him over.) Leo! I'm ready to go home now!
(Leo orbs in.)
Leo: I'm glad you finally came to your senses.
(Necron gets up and Leo orbs out with Piper.)
Necron: No! (He holds out his arm and two ravens appear on a beam.) Go. Find the mermaid.
Commercial Break
[Scene: Manor. Living room. Piper and Leo are there on the couch. Leo is dabbing Piper's wound with a cloth.]
Piper: Ouch.
Leo: Sorry, I was a medic, not a vet. Piper, can you talk to me? Why did you run away?
Piper: Leo... I was scared.
Leo: I know.
Piper: No, you don't. I was scared all of the time.
Leo: Piper, you're pregnant. Your hormones and adrenaline are running very high. It's okay to be afraid.
Piper: No, it's not. I'm supposed to be stronger than ever now that I'm pregnant, for our daughter.
Leo: Look. You need to figure out what's behind your fear and remove it.
Piper: Why do you think I'm a mermaid?
(Prue, Phoebe, and Paige walk in, Paige holding a jug of water and a cup.)
Paige: Here's your water.
Piper: Oh. (She slurps it down.) Ugh. Could use a little salt.
Leo: That's about all I can do for you.
Piper: Okay, well, good enough. Will one of you orb me back to the ocean, please? This isn't my home anymore.
Paige: Wait. Isn't there a demon after you?
Prue: Yeah, so what about this demon? Where is it? (She sits on the couch.) What does it look like?
Piper: Tall, dark, and skeletal. Shoots electricity.
Prue: Paige, we need the Book of Shadows. Can you orb it down here?
Paige: Book of Shadows.
(The book orbs into Paige's hands and she hands it to Prue.)
Piper: Okay, um, I told you everything I know. Can I go home now?
Phoebe: You are home. And you're insane if you think that we are going to take you anywhere.
Prue: Relax, Phoebe, everything will be fine.
Piper: But I need my sea friends, and little shiny objects, and to lay on a rock, and comb out my hair. I need water.
(She reaches for the jug. Prue finds Necron in the Book of Shadows.)
Prue: Got him.
(Piper drinks straight from the jug.)
Piper: Yeah, that's him.
Prue: "Necron. A skeletal being that hovers between life and death. Has the power to incinerate any living thing." No wonder he's after Piper. If mermaids are immortal, and he's stuck between life and death, then immortality would place him squarely in the life column.
Piper: Well, he cannot have my immortality. Will someone please get me back to the ocean before I suffocate? I need the water!
Paige: You want water? I'll get you some water.
[Time lapse. Bathroom. Paige puts Piper in the bath.]
Piper: You are holding me hostage!
Paige: Yep, looks like it.
Piper: Look, I am not a common goldfish. I cannot ignore the call of the sea!
Phoebe: Well, the call of the common bathtub is just gonna have to do.
(Piper flicks water at Phoebe and Paige.)
Commercial Break
[Scene: Manor. Attic. Prue puts an ingredient in a pot and it explodes, blowing everything in the room to pieces. Prue is knocked backwards.]
Prue: Oops.
(Phoebe and Paige run in.)
Paige: What is going on?
Phoebe: Are you okay?
Prue: Minor setback. It's fine.
(Paige grabs a fire extinguisher and puts out some small fires.)
Paige: Minor setback? The room is on fire! You're supposed to be figuring out a way to vanquish Necron, not yourself.
Prue: Oh, come on, we weren't using any of this junk anyway. Where's the fish girl?
Phoebe: She's downstairs cooling off in the tub.
Phoebe: What are you mixing up here anyway?
Prue: Oh, a little burdock root, and uh, some eye of newt.
Phoebe: What? You're never, ever supposed to mix those two things together. That is a volatile combination.
Prue: Well, Necron's a serious threat, we need a serious potion. Did you know in the book there's a witches be warned on skeletal beings? The last two that vanquished him, actually the only two that vanquished him, died in the process.
Paige: Great, so the rate you're going you'll be number three. You know, you oughta be more careful.
Prue: Hey, a good plan violently executed this week is better than a perfect plan executed next week. That's Patton.
Phoebe: Why are you quoting Patton?
Prue: So I figure if I just double the burdock root-
(Prue bends down to pick something up.)
Paige: Ay, no touch. I don't want you or my unborn nephew and niece around that.
(Prue sighs. The doorbell rings.)
Phoebe: You shouldn't be inhaling all this smoke when you're pregnant anyway.
(Prue goes to answer the door.)
Prue: Ah, you're such worry warts!
(Cole and Leo walks in.)
Cole: What happened?
Prue: We were just getting ready to kick some demon ass. That's what we do, right? (She hits Cole on the butt. The doorbell rings again.) I'll get it. It's probably my interview.
(Prue goes downstairs.)
Paige: Well, send them away!
(Cole walks over to Phoebe and Paige.)
Phoebe: Don't look at us. She's your wife.
[Cut to the foyer. Prue, Nancy O'Dell, and a camera crew are there.]
Nancy: Are you sure that you want to do the interview right here?
Prue: Yeah. I want fame. Might as well grab it. Carpe diem. People will think I'm bold and daring. Fire away.
(Phoebe, Paige, Cole, and Leo walk down the hallway.]
Paige: What is going on?
Prue: Shh. I'm doing a TV interview.
Phoebe: In the foyer? Why not do it in the-?
(Prue waves her off.)
Prue: Okay. Ask one more question.
Nancy: Um, well, so back to your advice to lovers. It's so real, so heartfelt, especially lately. Is there a lucky guy in your life that you get your inspiration from?
Prue: Yes, there is. (She motions to Cole.) That's my husband, in fact. Cole Turner.
Paige: Okay. I'm sorry. We're really going to have to wrap this up.
Nancy: But we're not finished yet.
Paige: I think you are.
Nancy: Oh. We'll reschedule. I'll have my people call your people, okay?
Prue: Okay. Thanks.
Nancy: Alright. Bye-bye.
Prue: Bye, Nance!
Nancy: Bye-bye!
(Nancy and her crew leave.)
[Cut to the bathroom. Piper is there. The two ravens fly onto a tree branch outside the window.]
Piper: Prue! Phoebe! Paige!
[Cut to the foyer. Prue, Phoebe, Paige, Cole, and Leo rush upstairs to the bathroom and see the ravens.]
Phoebe: What the heck is their problem?
(They hear a zapping noise in the hallway.)
Prue: Orb Piper to the attic.
Paige: What about you two?
Prue: Just do it. (Paige orbs Piper out of the bathroom. Prue and Phoebe go out into the hallway. Necron zaps in. Prue blasts him back and he zaps Phoebe, Cole, and Leo in retaliation, knocking them unconscious before disappearing. Prue walks further down the hallway.) Okay, static man. Very impressive.
(Necron zaps in behind her, grabs her, and then zaps back out with her.)
Commercial Break
[Scene: Manor. Attic. Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Cole, and Leo are there. Piper is spraying herself with a water sprayer. Phoebe is writing a spell.]
Cole: How long is this spell gonna take?
Phoebe: I don't know. It's tricky. There's a lot of factors involved.
Paige: Okay, why can't we just orb to Necron and try the vanquishing potion that Prue was working on?
Phoebe: Well, because the last two witches that vanquished skeletal beings were vapourised in the process. I think a power of four spell is our best chance of killing Necron and staying alive. Can you sense her?
Leo: Yeah.
Cole: Is she hurt?
Leo: I don't know. But don't worry. He's not going to kill her. He needs her alive if he's gonna get to Piper.
Cole: You know, I'm beginning to wonder if this whole power of four spell is even worth it.
Paige: What's that supposed to mean?
Cole: Well, it's not really a power of four spell. It's more like a power of three and a half spell, considering Piper's... half a witch.
Leo: I don't even know why she is a mermaid, you know. I could've helped her through whatever is wrong.
Paige: Look. We don't have time for this. We have to save Prue. Come on. We have to hurry.
(Piper, Phoebe, Paige, and Leo join hands and Leo orbs out.)
Cole: This better work.
(Cole smoke-fades out.)
[Cut to the beach. Leo orbs in with Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. Cole smoke-fades in.]
[Scene: The cavern. Prue and Necron are there. Prue is tied to a steel rack above the sea water.]
Necron: I think we've given your sisters enough time to worry about you. Now, call for your Whitelighter.
Prue: Or what? (The rack sinks down knee deep into the water.) Oh, please, please, somebody help me, the mean demon is dipping me into the water and it's really cold.
Necron: Attack!
(Electric eels swim past the rack and electrocute Prue.)
Prue: Is that the best you got?
Necron: Again.
(The eels wrap themselves around the rack and electrocute Prue. She screams. The rack rises out of the water.]
Prue: Okay. I've had enough. Your treatment of me is shocking. Get it? Shocking?
Necron: Do you have a death wish?
Prue: You're not demon enough to kill me. You would've done it already if you were.
Necron: On the contrary. I wasn't hungry until now. But it's just about my feeding time.
(He holds out his hand. Piper comes up from under the water.)
Piper: Let her go! It's me that you want.
(The auger shell appears in his hand.)
Necron: You know what this is.
Piper: Yeah. Auger shell. Sucks eternal life. Look, I will give you my immortality if you let my sister go. (The rack flies across the water and hits the rock wall. Prue's chains come undone and she falls to the ground.) No!
(Piper swims over to Prue.)
Necron: I promise I'll kill her unless you give me what I want first.
Piper: Piper, are you okay?
(Prue touches her bleeding stomach.)
Prue: My babies. What did you do?!
(The auger shell disappears and reappears on Piper's heart.)
Necron: Keep your promise, witch.
(Phoebe, Paige, and Leo orb in. Cole smoke-fades in. Cole rushes over to Prue and Leo rushes over to Piper. Necron zaps Cole and Leo and they fly across the room. Phoebe and Paige hide behind a statue.)
Phoebe/Paige: Prue! Piper!
(Necron zaps the statue Phoebe is behind.)
Paige: Shell! (The shell orbs onto Necron's heart. Phoebe and Paige grasp hands and run over to Prue. Phoebe holds Prue's hand.) Prue, take Piper's hand.
(She does so.)
Phoebe: Prepare for a big blast.
Phoebe/Paige: "Tide of evil washed ashore/Bring its darkness evermore/With all our strength we fight this fate/Make this evil obliterate."
(Necron makes a huge explosion and knocks the girls across the room. Piper falls into the water. The rack slides into the water and drags Prue in by her foot. She frantically tries to free her foot, but can't.)
Commercial Break
[Scene: Cavern. Prue is still under the water. Piper pokes her head out of the water and sees Phoebe and Paige unconscious nearby.]
Piper: Phoebe, Paige, wake up! (She flicks water at them with her tail.) Wake up!
(Phoebe and Paige gain consciousness and sit up.)
Paige: No wonder those demons carry warning labels.
Phoebe: Tell me about it. Leo, are you okay?
Leo: Yeah, I think so.
(Leo and Cole get up.)
Cole: Where's Prue?
(Piper looks around before going underwater to find her.)
[Cut to Prue and Piper under the water. Piper finds Prue and frantically tries to free her foot, but can't. Patty appears under the water in a bright light.]
Patty: Piper, I know why you've been so afraid. You don't want to leave your baby the way I left you. But spells won't make that fear go away, only faith will. Have faith that your destiny is different than mine. Take my hand, sweetie. Save your sister and her children.
(She holds out her hand. Piper grabs it. Prue's foot is freed from the rack and they are pulled to the top as Patty disappears. Prue coughs.)
Piper: Mom.
Prue: Yeah, she saved us.
(Cole runs over to Prue.)
Cole: Leo, heal her stomach.
(He reaches for her wound but it heals itself.)
Paige: How'd you do that?
Leo: I didn't.
Prue: The twins did.
Piper: What?
(Prue and Cole smile.)
Phoebe: So mom saved you?
Piper: Yeah. She came to us in the water. She helped us understand why I've been so afraid. I don't wanna leave my baby without a mother.
Leo: You have something that she didn't.
Piper: Oh, yeah, what's that?
Leo: Me.
Prue: And you have us too.
(Phoebe and Paige nod. Piper turns back into a human. Leo helps her up and takes off his coat. He wraps his coat around her.)
Commercial Break
[Scene: South Bay Social Services. Paige is packing up her desk and putting stuff in a box. Mr. Cowan walks over to her.]
Mr. Cowan: Paige, I know I've been tough on you, but I don't want you to quit. You've got a real gift for helping people.
Paige: Don't worry. I'm gonna keep helping people. I just don't wanna split my focus anymore. Thanks for everything.
(She hugs him.)
[The song "Blame It On the Weatherman" by B*Witched plays during the last scene.]
[Cut to Piper's room. Piper and Leo are sitting on the bed looking at a photo. Leo gets up and walks away. Piper closes a photo album and opens another. She sticks the photo of her and Patty on a page. "Grandma and Mommy" magically appear on the page. Piper smiles and closes the book.]