Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything, except for Prue's kids.

Author's Note: Phoebe is three months pregnant with her second child by this chapter.

Cast

(Picture all actors/actresses the appropriate age, please.)

Main Characters

Shannen Doherty as Prudence "Prue" Halliwell

Holly Marie Combs as Piper Halliwell

Alyssa Milano as Phoebe Halliwell

Rose McGowan as Paige Montana

Julian McMahon as Cole Turner

Brian Krause as Leonardo "Leo" Wyatt

Victor Webster as Coop Halliwell

Balthazar Getty as Richard Montana

Recurring Characters

Ocean Maturo as Phoenix Langdon Halliwell

Lily Rose Smith as Persephone "Seph" Amethyst Halliwell

Jason and Kristopher Simmons as Wyatt Matthew Halliwell

Chandler Riggs as Pagan Victor Halliwell

Maximillian Kesmodel as Christopher "Chris" Perry Halliwell

Clara Thomas as Melinda Prudence Halliwell

Selena Gomez as Tamora Lisa Montana

Selena Gomez as Katherine "Kat" Phoebe Montana

Sierra Paris as Prudence Johnna "P.J." Halliwell

Jack Fulton as Richard Scott Montana Jr

Maia Mitchell as Parker Patricia Halliwell

Jennifer Rhodes as Penelope "Penny" Halliwell

Finola Hughes as Patricia "Patty" Halliwell

James Read as Victor Bennett

Scott Jaeck as Samuel "Sam" Wilder

Dorian Gregory as Darryl Morris

Chris Wood as Rennek

Nina Dobrev as Neena

Rebecca Balding as Elise Rothman

Alex Black as Tyler Michaels

Emily Bett Rickards as Bailey

Ryan Reynolds as Hogan

Timothy Webber as Montgomery Knox

Lucy Lawless as Glynnis

Peter Woodward (voice) as The Source of All Evil

Special Guest Characters

David Reivers as Bob Cowan

Minor Characters

(Will be added as they appear.)

Ian Somerhalder as Richard Quinn

Tom Selleck as Mr. Mercer

Will Estes as Christopher Mercer

Crossed, Triple-Crossed

Life is hard in the city by the bay, where no good deed goes unpunished. It doesn't matter if you come down on the side of good or evil when you've taken in a ticking time bomb of a baby with a bad pedigree….

[Scene: South Bay Social Services. Mr. Cowan's office. Paige and Richard are there speaking to Mr. Cowan. Paige had been crying.]

Paige: You're sure about this? There's no doubt? Because if there's even a question-

Mr. Cowan: The girl was dating him around the time she would have gotten pregnant. I wish I had better news. But now that we know who Little Richard's father is, we have to tell him about his son.

Paige: I don't care what the rules say. I'm not about to turn my son over to a criminal.

The law was clear and it wasn't on their side. Not that this dame cared about the rules of man. She answered to a higher power. And she rarely listened to them.

[Scene: Montana Estate. Paige and Richard are there, in an office on a laptop.]

Paige: We can take Richard Jr. and run. I'll cover our tracks, our identities. I won't let him grow up in some crime family.

Richard: Paige, you know we can't do that.

Paige: I can't let him live like his father. Look at this! It's bad enough the mother had no family, but almost every one of the father's relatives died violently. All but Junior's father and grandfather.

Richard: But the police don't have any proof of their crimes. We can't keep Junior just because the Mercers have a bad reputation.

(Paige picks up a book called "The Double McGuffin: A Richard Quinn Mystery".)

Paige: Maybe we should get a detective of our own to do some digging.

The doll had powers of her own she wasn't afraid to use. She needed someone that could work on both sides of the law and took a page from her past to help protect her future.

[Scene: Halliwell Manor. Attic. Prue, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige are there. Paige is brewing a potion with the book next to her.]

Phoebe: The baby's kicking. She does not like this plan at all.

Paige: You're barely at three months. That's not kicking, that's indigestion. And you don't know it's a she yet, either.

Piper: Is this the point I should mention the ol' personal gain clause?

Paige: This is to keep Richard Jr from being raised by a crime syndicate. How much more innocent can you get? (She holds her hands over the finished potion.) "Buckthorn, nutmeg, and a few bleeding hearts/Bind some old school skills with internet smarts/Let him know what I know, see what I've seen/Everything else, give him power to glean/To fight modern crime lords and how they think/Send a streetwise detective that bleeds ink."

(Richard Quinn is summoned out of the book in black-and-white.)

That's when I walked in… or magically appeared out of thin air.

Quinn: If you three dames are the ones in need of my services, I might waive my usual fee.

Piper: Oh, great. Just what we need.

Phoebe: I think the black and white may be a problem.

Paige: Yeah, wasn't counting on that.

Quinn: Let me know if you broads want to take a look under the chassis.

Paige: Look, Quinn, here's what I need-

Quinn: It's okay, dollface, you already made me up to speed on your bambino. I'm here to provide whatever assistance your pretty little self requires.

Paige: Great. But let's work on the sexist language, okay? In the meantime, we've got to make you a bit more presentable.

(Paige grabs Quinn's hand and pulls him out of the attic.)

[Scene: Halliwell Manor. Bathroom. Paige is there putting makeup on Quinn to make him look like a normal person. Piper comes in carrying some clothes.]

Paige: I'd try a glamour, but I'm afraid of loading a spell on top of a spell on top of whatever else we need to do.

Piper: He looks about Leo's size, so these should fit.

Paige: Put them on the hamper.

Piper: Don't forget his hands.

(Paige finishes up after Piper leaves.)

Paige: I need the Mercers to go away. Forever. Can we, I don't know, plant some evidence-?

Quinn: You'll need more than some evidence to send them up the river for that long a stretch. We want the whole kit and kaboodle. (Quinn looks at himself in the mirror.) Smooth.

[Scene: Office. Paige and Quinn are there. Paige is searching the office, while Quinn searches the desktop computer.]

Quinn: These little electronic boxes that hold all the evidence of your criminal dealings are so much more fun to crack than a safe.

Paige: Glad you're enjoying yourself while my son's life could be in jeopardy.

(Quinn gets up and pins Paige against a wall.)

Quinn: Easy, dollface, you can still be a hero and have your fun.

Paige: Point number one, heroine. Point number two, if you don't move, we're going to see if you really do bleed ink.

(Quinn leans closer to her and Paige moves her head away.)

Quinn: I like a fiery dame. But we don't have time for threats. Somebody's coming.

(They hear voices outside the room as the office door is unlocked and Paige quickly sits in an armchair, as if they were merely waiting.)

Mr. Mercer: Christopher, you are not ready for a deal this big. I'm handing it off to Jackson.

Christopher: But, Dad-

(Mr. Mercer opens the door.)

Mr. Mercer: What the hell's going on in here?

Paige: Hi, there.

Quinn: How ya' doin'?

Mr. Mercer: Christopher, get the boys.

Quinn: You could do that. But I don't think you want the boys hearing what we have to offer. I'm Quinn, and this little kitten is my associate, Trixie.

Paige: (whispers) Trixie?

Quinn: And we have a business proposition for you.

Mr. Mercer: Breaking into my office is not a good way to pitch me on anything. I don't know you and I have no interest in getting to know you. Out. Now.

[Scene: Outside of the building. Paige and Quinn are walking away.]

Paige: That was a huge waste of time.

Quinn: You always give up this fast? Guys like Mercer don't take drop-ins. This don't end here. (They take a seat at an outdoor cafe outside of the building and order some coffee. When it comes, Quinn takes a sip.) This coffee taste like candy. Much better than the cold swill I drank on my last stakeout. Can you send some of this back with me when I go back into the book?

Paige: I'll see what I can do. Care to tell me what we're waiting for?

Quinn: The weak link, of course. Guy like Mercer you're never gonna get. He's too protected. But that son of his - your baby's papa - he could get us exactly what we need.

Paige: And what we need is?

Quinn: The McGuffin, of course. The one things that blows this case wide open. Mercer's computer files were a wash. No surprise. Crime lords today and in my time always keep the good stuff close. His files have to be on something he can hold, something he can hide. (Christopher Mercer walks out of the building.) Here we go. Follow my lead. (Quinn and Paige go over to Christopher.) Shame your pop didn't want to hear us out. You look like the kind of guy that knows a good deal when he sees one. Don't he, Trix?

Paige: Yeah, Quinnie.

Quinn: (whispers) Quinnie?

Christopher: Look, my "pop" makes the deals. I just…. Well, I don't know what I do yet. But I'm sure he'll tell me when he needs to.

Quinn: Maybe he needs you now. Trixie here said it might be nice to have some alone time while she fills you in on the offer.

Paige: (whispers) I did?

Quinn: You sure there's no quiet place you two can put your heads together tonight and… talk?

[Scene: Halliwell Manor. Paige and Quinn are there, talking on their way to the attic.]

Paige: I can't believe you made a date for me with some kid. He's barely legal.

Quinn: We need access to their house. Mercer's calendar says he's out tonight. It's a big place. We can't just go popping in on our own. Besides, this will give you the chance to get to know the kid. Maybe he ain't so bad. Sounds like his pop's the real problem.

Paige: That makes…. (They walk into the attic. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there, looking at the Book of Shadows. Everything but them and the Book is black and white.) What happened here?!

Piper: Oh, is it noticeable?

Paige: What did this?

Phoebe: Gee, it's a mystery.

Prue: We think your visitor brought a little of his black-and-white world with him.

Piper: It's spreading throughout the manor.

Prue: We've got to send him back into his book before it goes too far.

(Quinn looks at himself in a mirror.)

Paige: I can't. I need him. He knows how the criminal mind works.

Prue: Paige, we've been doing this long enough to understand a few things about the bad guys.

Paige: Bad demons. Bad humans are a different breed. I can't risk this. It's too important. I love that little boy. It would kill me if he had to live in that family. It could kill him, too.

Prue: I get that, Paige. But we can't keep Quinn here for good. We can work on holding back the black and white, but nothing we've done so far has stopped it.

Piper: This time tomorrow, we're going to have to start hiding the house from neighbors.

Paige: That's all the time I need. Hope it's okay if I dip into your closet, Piper. I doubt my husband will want me getting ready for my date with a twenty year old thug in front of the kids.

[Scene: Mercer Estate. Paige comes in to see Christopher. There are two glasses of red wine on the coffee table.]

Christopher: You look delicious. I've always found older women attractive.

Paige: Here's a tip. Calling me an 'older woman' is not a good way to start off the evening. But I had you pegged for someone who prefers girls your age.

Christopher: I did once. My only serious relationship. She ran out on me one day and I haven't heard from her since. I don't think she liked my life-style. Her loss.

(Paige motions to a one-dollar bill hanging up on the wall in a picture frame.)

Paige: What's with the art?

Christopher: Nothing. Just the first dollar Dad ever laundered. You want to see something really cool? Check this action. (He rolls up his sleeve to reveal three bullet tattoos.) I've got a tat for every person I've… disappeared so far. First one when I was fourteen.

Paige: How… nice? Why don't we enjoy our drinks over on the couch while I tell you about the deal?

(Paige spills something into Christopher's drink as she passes it. They sit down on the couch and clink glasses.)

Christopher: To new friends.

Paige: And new business ventures. (Christopher takes a drink and goes unconscious. Paige gets up immediately.) Quinn!

(Quinn is orbed in.)

Quinn: I like this you-call-and-I-appear thing. Makes getting around so much easier. Nice work on the kid. Guess this means you figured out the hidden location of the wall safe.

Paige: You told me to look for some kind of trophy or personal treasure because while Mercer might want to keep his stuff hidden, his ego would stash it in an arrogant spot.

Quinn: That I did.

(Paige motions to the picture frame with the dollar in it.)

Paige: Here ya go.

(Quinn moves the picture frame to reveal a safe with a passcode lock.)

Quinn: I should've figured it would need a code. My bad. Don't suppose you can magic the contents out?

Paige: Not if I don't know what's in there. And, 'My bad'? You're using modern colloquialisms?

Quinn: You're right. We have to go old school.

Paige: What are you doing? There aren't any tumblers to listen for.

Quinn: You were the one that made me with internet smarts. Let's just say I have a way with all electronics. (He get the safe open to reveal a folder, a gun, a flash drive, and some cash.) Now this is a skill that can come in handy. (He takes out the flash drive.) I think we've found our mcguffin.

(Paige orbs her laptop to her and inserts the flash drive.)

Paige: I don't know what half of this means, but I think it's what we're looking for.

Quinn: I know exactly what it means. Once it finishes downloading, we'll have more than you need to put the Mercers away for life. Father and son.

(Paige quickly gets up, closes the safe, and puts the picture back.)

Paige: I'll orb you to the manor. When I get back there we can figure out the best way to get that flash drive to the cops. Manor!

(Quinn, the laptop, and the flash drive orb out. Paige quickly goes back and sits beside Christopher, who wakes up.)

Christopher: Wha-What?

Paige: I don't know that I should be making deals with a kid who can't hold his liquor. Don't bother showing me out. I can find my own way.

[Scene: Halliwell Manor. Living Room. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe are there, sitting on the couch and waiting for Paige. Paige orbs in.]

Paige: Success. Quinn and I got the files.

Piper: And then your detective tore out of here with them as soon as he orbed back.

Prue: More importantly, what happened to you?

Paige: What do you mean? (Prue holds up a small mirror to Paige, who has become black and white.) The first person that tells me they saw this coming is getting orbed to China.

(Prue lowers the mirror.)

Prue: We need to get him back before we're all black and white.

Paige: I'm not as worried about the color thing as I am about getting that evidence on the Mercers. I doubt scrying will work since he's not real. And I can't send him back without getting the flash drive first or we'll lose the information we worked so hard to get. Just have to figure out why Quinn left.

(The phone rings and Piper answers it.)

Piper: (into the phone) Hello? (to her sisters) I've got our first clue. He's on the phone.

(Paige takes the phone.)

Paige: How did you get this number?

Quinn: You're the one that made me. How do you think I got it? You want to waste time with pointless questions or do you want to get down to business? I don't have long. I'm on a payphone.

Paige: Where did you find a payphone these days?

Quinn: You want the flash drive or not?

Paige: Sorry.

Quinn: I'm offering a trade. The flash drive for me getting to stay here permanently. I like this time and I really like my new skills.

Paige: There's just one problem with that plan.

Quinn: Problems are your deal. Just make it happen.

Paige: It's going to take a while to create the right spell. Meet me at the manor in an hour. (Paige hangs up the phone.) Bought us some time because I have a plan.

[Time lapse. Halliwell Manor. Parlor. Piper answers the door to let in Quinn.]

Piper: Good. You brought the flash drive.

Quinn: I plan to keep my end of the bargain so long as you gals keep yours. (Piper leads Quinn upstairs. The black and white is gone.) Looks like you've solved the black and white problem.

Piper: We've had some success. Still working on other parts of the house.

(Piper leads Quinn to the attic, which is still black and white, to where Prue, Phoebe, and Paige are. Paige, who is no longer black and white, is making a potion.]

Quinn: I hope you didn't start without me.

Paige: Don't worry. We knew you would want to keep an eye on things.

Quinn: Got that right. And I'm watching very careful like. I know what it took to create me. I'll know what you need to keep me here for the long haul.

Paige: "Bleeding hearts, buckthorn, nutmeg, and more/Bind past with present, now with before/Turn page to flesh with a touch of ink/I release him now with blood from ink."

Quinn: I don't feel any different.

(Piper hands Quinn a towel.)

Piper: Here. Wipe off the makeup and see for yourself.

(Quinn goes over to a mirror and wipes off the makeup to reveal normal skin underneath.)

Quinn: Perfect. (He goes over to Paige and hands her the flash drive, which she takes.) Here's what you've been waiting for, Paige. It's all there. Everything you need to put those criminals away for a long time.

Paige: Thanks. But I'm actually over here. (The attic returns to being black and white, and black and white Paige steps out of hiding.) You fell for the old bait and switch, thanks to a glamour combined with a spell to mimic my voice. (The glamour on the color Paige disappears to reveal Richard.) But since my husband's magic is bound, any spell he performs is gonna be a bust.

Quinn: But my skin?

Paige: Glamours are all kinds of useful. (She pours a potion on Quinn while he's distracted looking at his now black and white skin.) Just like potions. Back into the book, dollface.

(The potion returns Quinn to the book.)

That's thanks for ya. Travel through time and space to clear up somebody else's headache and all you get is a return trip home to a black and white life.

[Scene: Montana Estate. Paige and Richard are there, Paige holding Junior.]

Richard: I know I should kind of feel like we just stole Richard Jr, but I don't regret what we did at all.

Paige: Especially after what his father said when Bob told him the news after his arrest.

(Paige puts Junior into his crib.)

Richard: What was that?

Paige: Let's just say I don't expect him to sue for custody if he gets off. But you don't think that's possible, do you?

Richard: With all we turned over, the federal prosecutor assured me that both of them are going away for life.

Paige: You couldn't spell out "federal prosecutor"?

Richard: He doesn't even understand the word "sue". (Paige and Richard walk out of the room.) It was fun being in your shoes for a bit, even if I didn't get the cool powers.

Paige: At least our son will have a mortal role model in the family. Things are going to be weird enough growing up with us as it is.

(Junior suddenly shoots ice all around his crib while laughing.)

No biggie. It's all good, as they say. A world that mixes magic and mortality has its own brand of heartache where even innocence can bring a fair share of danger.

The End