Black as Cole/Script

Teleplay by: Brad Kern & Nell Scovell

Season 4, Episode 08

Episode No. 74

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Piper and Paige are there. Piper is pacing, while Paige looks through the Book of Shadows.]

Paige: A demon who likes to kill witches. Well, that narrows it down to about every page in the book.

Piper: We have one clue. We know he likes to use an athame.

Paige: How does that help?

Piper: Well, it means he has hands. Keep flipping.

Paige: So I hear you and Leo are thinking about having a baby.

Piper: Where did you hear that from?

(Paige shrugs.)

Paige: From Phoebe. (Piper rolls her eyes.) Oh, did I just break some sort of sister confidentiality clause?

Piper: No, you didn’t, and no we aren’t.

Paige: Really? Don’t you want to? Not to be nosey but I’m going to be an aunt and all.

(Piper sighs.)

Piper: You’re not going to be an aunt, all right? At least not any time soon, it’s too risky. It would be in constant danger around us.

Paige: What does Leo think?

Piper: Leo thinks that there’s enough magic around here we’d be able to protect it.

Paige: Maybe he’s right.

Piper: Maybe he’s not. Keep flipping.

Paige: I’m flipping. (She flips a couple of pages and stops.) You know, it’s not like having a baby isn’t hard enough even without demons attacking. But for what it’s worth, there are ways of seeing what it’s like before you actually have one.

Piper: Mm-hmm, great. Well, the next time you pass a baby rental, pick one up for Leo.

Paige: Maybe I will.

(Leo orbs in. Piper gets a fright.)

Leo: So did you find anything out?

Piper: Uh, yeah, I scryed for the location of the demon using the slime from the last victim, and Phoebe and Cole are checking it out.

Leo: Alright, well, I hope that it pans out because with two dead witches they’re pretty concerned up there.

Piper: Okay, well, we are pretty concerned down here too.

Paige: Hey, I think I found something. “Upper level demon who likes to kill witches using an athame, sometimes with energy balls…” His name, Belthazor.

(Piper and Leo look at each other and back at Paige.)

Leo: I don’t think so.

Paige: Why not?

Leo: Well, because that’s, uh, Cole, in his demonic form.

Piper: You knew he was half demon.

Paige: Yeah, but I didn’t know he could turn into that.

(The phone rings. Piper answers it.)

Piper: Hello?

[Cut to an alley. Phoebe and Cole are walking down it. Phoebe’s talking to Piper on her phone.]

Phoebe: We’re at Battery and Clay but there’s no sign of any demons.

[Cut to the attic.]

Piper: Okay, I’ll scry for him again. Talk to Paige.

(She hands Paige the phone.)

Paige: Hey Phoebe. How’s Cole? Morphed into any demons lately?

Phoebe: What?

Leo: Paige.

(Piper scrys and the crystal points to a place on the map.)

Piper: Battery and Clay. He’s still there.

Paige: Piper says he’s still there.

[Cut to Phoebe and Cole.]

Phoebe: Piper says he’s still here somewhere.

(Suddenly, a black painted demon with a green face drops down behind them. He throws out a string of slime and it wraps around Phoebe’s leg. She drops the phone. Phoebe screams and the demon pulls the slime, lifting her up. Cole grabs a hold of Phoebe’s arms.)

Cole: Hold on.

Phoebe: I can’t. (Cole starts to lose his grip and holds onto her fingers. Phoebe looks at Cole and nods.)

Cole: 3,2,1. (Cole lets go of one hand and throws an energy ball at the demon. It explodes and green goo splats all over Cole and Phoebe. They are sent flying across the alley and land on a pile of clothes. They laugh.)

Phoebe: We have to stop meeting like this.

Cole: Marry me.

(Phoebe stops laughing.)

Phoebe: What?

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Foyer. Phoebe and Cole walk in from the front door, still covered in slime.]

Cole: Don’t you think we should talk about this?

Phoebe: Talk about what?

(Piper comes down the stairs.)

Piper: Wow, looks like you two got a juicy one.

Phoebe: Yeah, but unfortunately not the one that kills witches.

Piper: How do you know?

Cole: Because upper level demons have a human form, and they bleed, red, not green. (Phoebe heads up the stairs.) Where are you going? Phoebe: I’m going up to take a shower first, and then I’m going to check the Book of Shadows. I wanna I.D. this demon that I’m wearing, try to find some answers.

Cole: Speaking of unanswered questions…

Phoebe: There is a demon on the loose, Cole, we don’t have time for this.

Cole: Shouldn’t we make time for it?

Phoebe: No, not now we shouldn’t.

Piper: What are you guys talking about?

Phoebe: Nothing.

Cole: Nothing.

Phoebe: Please, Cole, let’s just focus on vanquishing the demon.

Cole: Fine. I’ll, uh, go see what I can find out.

(He shimmers out.)

Piper: Honey, did you two have a fight?

Phoebe: No, he just… never mind.

(Phoebe walks up the stairs.)

[Scene: Alley. A witch is there. A demon who looks similar to Belthazor, shimmers in.]

Demon: Witch. (The witch screams. He goes to her and covers her mouth. He looks at the symbol on her necklace.) You’re next.

(He stabs her with an athame and she drops to the ground. He changes into a man and pokes the athame in his belt. He walks over to a pay phone and dials 911.)

Man: Yes, I would like to report a terrible murder. Uh, a beautiful young woman in the alley behind the Canon Theatre. (A guy walks into the alley.)

Guy: Hey, you gonna be long? (The man looks at him.) What are you, deaf? I need to use the phone.

Man: (in phone) Hold on. (He puts the phone down and throws an energy ball at the guy. He picks the phone back up.) Hurry please, before anyone else gets hurt. (He shimmers out.)

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Piper and Phoebe are there. Phoebe has the Book of Shadows open to the black and green demon.]

Phoebe: Okay, so the demon that Cole and I nailed is a Scavenger demon. Apparently he feeds on the remains of other demons victims. Nice, huh?

Piper: Well, that explains why we scryed for him accidentally. (Phoebe continues to flip through the book.) Um, are you gonna tell me what happened out there?

Phoebe: There’s not much to tell. The demon jumped in behind us…

Piper: That’s not what I mean. What happened between you and Cole?

Phoebe: Oh, yeah, that. Um…I’m not exactly sure. He asked me to marry him.

Piper: What? He-he did what? He did?

Phoebe: More or less.

Piper: Well, what did you say?

Phoebe: I didn’t know what to say. I was too surprised. I mean, with all my power of premonition and I never saw that one coming.

Piper: Uh, wow, I-I don’t think a witch is allowed to marry a demon. Honey, we can’t have a demon in the family.

Phoebe: Piper, that is the least of my concerns right now.

Piper: Well, don’t kid yourself. If you decide to go through with this, it’s gonna be a source of huge concerns. Especially for them. (She points up.)

Phoebe: I have to be concerned with my own concerns. (Piper sits down next to Phoebe.) I love Cole, you know I do, but demon stuff aside, I never thought of myself as the marrying type. You know, it’s not something I fantasised about. Ever.

Piper: So then, what are you gonna tell him? Phoebe: I don’t know.

Piper: Well, you’re gonna have to tell him something because a question like that doesn’t go away by itself.

Phoebe: Are you sure?

Piper: Yeah, I’m pretty sure.

(They laugh. Cole shimmer in.)

Cole: Hey.

Phoebe: Hey.

Piper: I’ll be downstairs.

(She gets up and leaves the room.)

Cole: I couldn’t find out who the demon was but at least I ruled out any usual suspects.

Phoebe: Any idea of who it could be?

Cole: No, just another upper level demon trying to build a reputation by killing witches to move up the ladder. Anyway, I guess I’ll keep checking.

(He starts to leave. Phoebe stands up.)

Phoebe: No, Cole, wait. We should talk.

Cole: Alright.

Phoebe: It’s just hard.

Cole: It’s just me.

Phoebe: Okay, let me ask you a question. (She walks over to him.) When you, you know, proposed… did you mean to? Or did it just come out in the heat of the moment?

Cole: Well, does that matter?

Phoebe: Well, yeah, it matters to me.

Cole: It just came out in the heat of the moment.

Phoebe: Oh.

Cole: But that doesn’t mean that once I said it I wasn’t serious because I-I-I was, I still am.

Phoebe: Cole…

Cole: Phoebe, listen to me. I know it was crazy to ask, and I know it doesn’t make any sense because of who we are but that shouldn’t matter. If it did we never would have fallen in love in the first place. I love you, Phoebe, and I don’t know where we go from here but, I do know where ever it is, I want it to be with you.

(They hear a baby cry from downstairs.)

Phoebe: Is that a baby crying?

[Cut to the living room. Piper and Paige are there. Paige is holding onto a plastic baby. A crying noise is coming out of it.]

Paige: You told me to rent one, so I did.

Piper: Well, I didn’t think that you could. Where did you get it?

Paige: The clinic.

Piper: Great. Take it back.

(Phoebe and Cole walk in.)

Phoebe: What’s going on?

Paige: Piper and Leo wanted to try out having a baby before actually having one, so I got them a mechanical baby. They use them in parenting classes all the time.

Phoebe: Wow, it sounds so real.

Piper: And so annoying. Look, Paige, I appreciate the thought, but we are on a demon hunt and the last thing I want to do is protect a fake baby.

Paige: Oh, really? (She throws it up in the air. Piper freezes it.) See? Your instincts were to save it.

Piper: My instincts were to shut it up.

Paige: The doll has a sensor. It'll stop crying if you just hold it.

Piper: But I don't want to.

Paige: Come on, just try it. If it doesn't work I will take it back, I promise.

(Piper sighs. She unfreezes the baby and catches it. Phoebe puts her arms around Piper.)

Phoebe: Okay, now you just rock it gently.

(She helps her rock it.)

Piper: Phoebe? I know how to hold a baby, that is not the issue, thank you.

(Phoebe lets go.)

Paige: Just give it a shot. What have you got to lost?

(Leo orbs in.)

Leo: Another witch has been killed.

Phoebe: Oh, no.

Leo: Yeah, the police found her body at the Canon Theatre.

Piper: Well, we should go there and see what we can find out.

Phoebe: We've gotta call Morris on the way. Make sure he can get us in. (to Cole) And no you can not come. Someone might recognise you from when you posed as a DA.

Cole: I don't get to go anywhere anymore.

Paige: You were a demon and a lawyer? Insert joke here.

Leo: (to Piper) Where'd you get it? (He laughs.)

Piper: It's Paige's.

Paige: No, it's yours. You need to figure it out.

(She leaves.)

Piper: Yeah, daddy. (She gives him the baby.) Figure it out. Excuse me.

(She leaves. Leo looks at it. It continues to cry. He goes over to Cole and gives him a look.)

Cole: Don't look at me.

(He walks away.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Alley. Police are now at the crime scene. Darryl, Piper, Phoebe and Paige walk in the alley.]

Darryl: Look, I can't guarantee much this time. Just promise me you'll stay on the French.

Phoebe: We promise.

Paige: So what do we know?

Darryl: Man called 911 from that pay phone, reported he found a body.

(Piper sees black scorch marks on the wall.)

Piper: Looks like she wasn't the only victim. Scorch mark. Definitely demonic. Looks like one of Cole's, actually.

Paige: Don't you mean Belthazor?

Phoebe: Oh, it's too bad Cole can't check it out. He'd probably be able to tell us who did it. Is anyone from the DA office here?

(Darryl points to the man who murdered the witch.)

Darryl: Yeah, that guy over there's an ADA. He's interviewing one of the victim's friends. They also found this on the victim.

(He pulls out the necklace the witch was wearing.)

Paige: Triple crescent.

Darryl: Yeah, does this mean something to you?

Paige: I studied it in one of Piper's quizzes. It's an ancient wiccan symbol, a cousin to the triquetra.

Piper: Could be the mark of a coven.

Phoebe: A coven someone's trying to wipe out. We have to figure out who else is in it.

Piper: Maybe the victim's friend.

Phoebe: Only one way to find out.

Darryl: Phoebe, French, okay?

Phoebe: French.

[Cut to the man and the victim's friend.]

Man: And she hadn't complained about any disgruntled friends, co-workers, ex-boyfriends?

Woman: No. Carrie was a beautiful person, everyone loved her.

(He takes a business card out and hands it to her.)

Man: If you think of anything else at all, please, don't hesitate to call.

(She nods. He walks away. She starts to walk away. Phoebe comes up to her.)

Phoebe: I like your necklace.

Woman: Do I know you?

Phoebe: No, but you might know of me. (whispers in her ear) The Charmed Ones. You and Carrie were in the same coven?

Woman: Yes.

Phoebe: And your mark is the triple crescent.

(She touches the necklace and has a premonition of the Belthazor look-a-like, stabbing this woman.)

Woman: What is it? Are you alright?

(Piper and Paige race over to Phoebe.)

Piper: What happened? hat did you see?

Phoebe: The demon. He's after her.

Piper: Where?

Phoebe: Uh... By the steps in some park. I think it was like an old amphitheatre or something.

Woman: I know that. That's in Stanley Arboreta. I walk past it everyday on the way to work.

Paige: What did the demon look like?

Phoebe: Like Belthazor. Not exactly like him, just similar.

(The man walks over to them.)

Man: What the hell is going on here? This is a murder investigation. Who are these people?

Darryl: I'll get rid of them. Come on, ladies, move along. First time I ask nicely.

Piper: We're going, mister.

(They all leave.)

[Scene: Next morning. Park. Piper, Phoebe, Paige and the woman (Susan) are walking along.]

Susan: I don't understand. If you know the demon is meant to attack here, shouldn't we go someplace else?

Piper: Not if we want to get rid of him for good.

Paige: Power of three spell?

Piper: No, the only way to vanquish an upper level demon is with the potion of his own flesh.

Paige: Sounds like you've done this before.

Phoebe: Once. On my fiancé.

Paige: Your fiancé?

Phoebe: Yeah, I just wanted to hear how it sounded.

Piper: And?

Phoebe: Kinda weird.

Piper: Yeah.

Paige: Wait, wait, wait, back up. Did you say you once tried to vanquish Cole?

Phoebe: No, Belthazor, there's a difference.

Paige: Is there?

(They stop walking.)

Phoebe: Okay, let's review. I play decoy, demon attacks. Piper freezes, you slice and dice until we get the demon sushi. And then we get out of there. Everybody ready?

Paige: As ready as I'll ever be.

(Paige takes a knife out of her purse.)

Phoebe: (to Susan) Okay, I'm gonna need your coat and your hat. (She takes off her hat and coat and hands them to Phoebe.) Oh, and your necklace.

(She takes off her necklace and gives it to Phoebe.)

Piper: Okay, we've gotta get Susan some place safe. (Phoebe puts on Susan's coat.) Leo! (Leo orbs in.) Hi, honey, could you orb Susan out of here.

Leo: Sure. Any place in mind?

Phoebe: Hmm, I don't think home is a good idea.

(She puts on Susan's hat.)

Paige: Actually, you should take her to my old loft, I don't think it's rented yet.

Leo: Alright, take my hand. (Susan does so.)

Paige: Where's the baby?

(Leo turns around to show the baby strapped to his back in a carrier.)

Leo: See? We can make this work.

Piper: Go away and you drop Robo-kid off at the manor. Please, thank you. (He orbs out with Susan.) Okay, we gotta do this fast because this demon won't stay frozen for long. Ready? (Paige nods.) Let's go.

[Time lapse. Phoebe is walking through the path by herself. Piper and Paige are looking through some bushes. The demon shimmers in behind Phoebe.]

Demon: Hello, witch.

Phoebe: Goodbye... (She spins around.) Demon.

(The demon runs for her with his athame. Phoebe flips him over and Piper and Paige come out of the bushes. A woman runs out and throws a dagger at the demon. The demon shimmers out and the dagger hits a tree.)

Woman: I had him.

Piper: Who the hell are you?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Piper, Phoebe, Paige, Cole and the woman are there. The woman is holding the dagger.]

Woman: He used this to kill my fiancé. It's a ceremonial knife. The demon left it behind after the struggle. I've been hunting for the last year and a half. It's all I care about.

Cole: May I?

(The woman look at him and then at Piper and Phoebe. They nod and she hands the dagger to Cole.)

Phoebe: Look familiar?

Paige: He looked familiar to me.

Phoebe: I meant the athame.

Cole: It's one used by the brotherhood.

Piper: Emma, do you know why the demon wanted to kill your fiancé?

Emma: Because Andrew was a witch.

Piper: Are you a witch too?

Emma: No. But after Andrew died, I studied his books and devoted myself to the craft.

Phoebe: To continue his work?

Emma: To track down his killer.

Paige: And you just happened to be in the park at the same time the demon was going to attack Susan?

Emma: I know his MO. I know when he kills a witch, he goes after the entire coven.

Piper: You've taught yourself well. But still, if we hadn't come along we would have lost you both.

Emma: Vengeance empowers me.

Cole: But it won't save you. Your desire for revenge is keeping you from the truth. You want the demon vanquished, my advice is to stand back and let the Charmed Ones handle it.

Emma: This is my fight.

Cole: Then you shall lose it.

Phoebe: Cole’s right. You should trust us. Trust that we want the same thing you do.

Emma: It’s just, his face has haunted me ever since Andrew died. It’s the face of pure evil. I can’t let him get away.

Piper: Why don’t you scry for him again while we prepare the vanquishing potion. Once we get a piece of his flesh, he’s dust.

Phoebe: We’ll get him. I swear we’ll get him.

(The baby cries from the other room.)

Piper: Ignore that.

(Paige hits her lightly.)

Paige: Piper!

Piper: Alright. Excuse me.

(She leaves the room.)

Emma: She has a baby?

Paige: Actually, she’s not sure yet.

Emma: Hm.

[Scene: Office. The man is walking down the hallway talking to a woman.]

Man: Inspector Morris, he’s based down town. Now, I want you to get in touch with his captain and tell him his office wants to see all of his recent case files.

Woman: Got it.

Man: Look, in fact, go make the request in person, this way they can’t duck you on the phone.

Woman: I’ll be back as soon as I can.

Man: That’s okay, take your time. (The woman walks away and the man walks into his office. He turns to his shadow on the wall.) I’m gonna lure the witch here. So I’m gonna need you to stand guard in case the ones who ambushed me show up. You understand? (The shadow nods.) Fortunately they won’t recognise me in my human form. Your old boss Belthazor, he was right about one thing, posing as a DA’s a perfect cover. Leave me.

(The shadow disappears.)

[Scene: Paige’s old loft. Leo and Susan are there.]

Susan: How much longer do you think I’ll have to stay here?

Leo: Well, I talked to your Whitelighter but my instincts tell me that everyone in your coven should break the routine until the threat is over.

(Susan’s phone rings.)

Susan: Excuse me. (She answers it.) Hello?

Man: Ms. Coleman, this is the assistant district attorney Sikes.

Leo: Who is it?

Susan: ADA. Uh, I’m sorry, yes, hi.

Sikes: I’m calling because I’ve received new evidence and I’d like to talk to you about it if that’s alright. Susan: Uh, okay, when?

Sikes: Can you come over to the office now?

Susan: (to Leo) He wants me to come in.

Leo: Okay.

Susan: Alright, I'll be there.

Sikes: I'll be waiting.

[Scene: Manor. Conservatory. Emma is scrying. Phoebe and Cole are sitting on a chair looking through the Book of Shadows.]

Emma: I-I feel the crystal pulling, he's still in the area.

Phoebe: Well, I can't find him in the book anywhere.

Cole: Did you notice how he vanished? Did he smoke out, flame out?

Phoebe: Actually, he shimmered, like Belthazor.

Emma: Wait, I think I found him.

Phoebe: Where?

Emma: He's at, uh, Prescott and...

Phoebe: Pine.

Emma: How'd you know?

Phoebe: That's where we are.

Emma: Wait, he's here in the house?

Cole: I'll go check upstairs. You find your sisters, get ready.

[Scene: Office. Leo and Susan arrive.]

Susan: Hello?

(Sikes comes out of his office.)

Sikes: Ah, Ms. Coleman. Who's this?

Leo: I'm a friend. Is it a problem?

Sikes: No, no, no problem at all. Um, why don't you just wait over there and uh, I'll let you know when it's over. (Leo sits down.) Right this way.

(He takes her in his office and shuts the door. Leo sees the shadow demon go under the door.)

[Cut inside the office. Sikes pushes Susan against the door and holds up his athame. Leo orbs in and knocks him out. Leo orbs out with Susan.]

[Cut to the manor. Cole runs down the stairs.]

Cole: Phoebe? (Phoebe races in.) He's not upstairs.

Phoebe: He's not downstairs either.

(Leo orbs in with Susan.)

Leo: It's the ADA.

Phoebe: Sikes?

Leo: He tried to kill her, I don't know if he followed us here or not.

(Sikes shimmers in.)

Phoebe: Watch out! (Sikes throws an energy ball at them. They duck. Cole throws an energy ball at Sikes.) Take her upstairs.

(Leo and Susan run up the stairs.)

Sikes: You're gonna have to do better than that.

(Sikes changes into his demon form. Piper, Paige and Emma run in. Piper freezes him.)

Piper: Hurry, slice him.

(Paige runs over with a knife. She pulls a face.)

Piper; Oh, Paige, just do it. This is no time to be squeamish.

(Paige slices a piece of flesh off his arm. It drops on the floor and she picks it up.)

Paige: Got it.

(Sikes unfreezes and hits Paige. Phoebe goes over to her. Sikes throws an energy ball and Cole pushes Piper and Emma out of the way. The energy ball hits the fake baby on the table. Cole turns into Belthazor.)

Sikes: Belthazor, we meet at last.

Belthazor: But not for long.

(They throw an energy ball and it hits together. The house shakes.)

Sikes: We'll finish this later.

(Sikes shimmers out.)

Piper: Is everybody okay?

(Piper and Emma stand up.)

Phoebe: I'm okay. Emma?

Emma: He's not the demon who killed my fiancé. (She points to Belthazor.) He is.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Continued from before. Belthazor has turned back into Cole.]

Emma: He's a killer. What's the matter with you people?

Piper: Emma, I know you're upset but you have to understand.

Emma: Let go of me.

Phoebe: You're making a huge mistake. He's not who you think he is.

Emma: He's the demon who killed my fiancé and that is all I need to know.

(She pushes her way to the table.)

Piper: Whoa, whoa, hey!

(Emma grabs the dagger and throws it at Cole. He catches it before it stabs him.)

Emma: How can you protect a murderer? How can you live with yourself?

(She storms out of the house.)

Paige: Is she right? Are you the one who killed him?

Phoebe: Honey, now's not the time, we need to worry about Sikes. We got what we need, you guys work on the vanquishing potion.

(Paige grabs the flesh and she and Piper head for the kitchen.)

Phoebe: We need to talk.

[Cut to Phoebe's bedroom. Phoebe and Cole walk in.]

Cole: Don't tell me you're scared of me.

Phoebe: No, don't be ridiculous.

Cole: That's good. Because I think Emma's right. I am the one who killed her fiancé, this is mine. (He holds up the athame..) I don't even remember doing it. I don't even remember what he looked like. It didn't matter what they looked like, it only mattered that I did what I was told. He was a witch, the Source viewed him as a threat.

Phoebe: Shh... you don't have to explain yourself to me.

Cole: Yes I do.

Phoebe: No, you don't. I know who you were, who you used to be. And that's not the person you are anymore.

Cole: I know. Belthazor still exists inside of me, that hasn't changed, nor does it change what I've done.

Phoebe: But just think of all the good you've done since then.

Cole: Hm. Doesn't balance out, doesn't even come close. And now the very thing I've tried so hard not to be is the very thing that I might have to become.

Phoebe: What do you mean?

Cole: Sikes has done a good job of emulating me, emulating Belthazor, which means if the potion doesn't work. the only way to destroy him is for me to turn into Belthazor.

Phoebe: Yeah, but afterwards you'll turn back into Cole.

Cole: I may not be able to. To stop him I'll have to embrace my demonic self completely. There may be no coming back from that.

Phoebe: Well, then we'll just have to make sure that potion works very well. Won't we? I'll be back.

(She grabs her purse.)

Cole: Where are you going?

Phoebe: To find Emma. Try to explain.

Cole: It won't make any difference.

Phoebe: Well, it will if I can keep her out of the craziness, keep her from getting hurt.

Cole: I'm more concerned of keeping you out of the craziness, keep you from getting hurt. You still have some of that Belthazor vanquishing potion left, don't you?

Phoebe: Yes, but...

Cole: Get it, just in case. It might be the only way to stop me.

(Cole leaves the room. Phoebe opens her drawer and pulls out a potion. She puts it in her purse.)

[Cut to the kitchen. Piper and Paige are making the potion. The table is covered in herbs and ingredients.]

Piper: Okay, we just need the pigs feet, over there by the mandrake root.

Paige: Poor piggy, piggy. They're sensitive creatures, you know. Smart too.

Piper: Yeah, not that one. (Paige puts the pig feet in the potion and flames shoot up.) Okay, so all we need to do is drop in the Sikes flesh. (She gradually steps away from the potion.) Right, just drop it in.

(Paige adds the flesh and the potion explodes. Paige falls to the ground. Piper giggles.)

Paige: You did that on purpose didn't you?

Piper: Yeah! (Piper helps her up.) Yeah, it happened to me last year. No substitute for experience.

(Cole races in.)

Cole: You girls alright?

Piper: Yeah, just doing a little sisterly bonding, that's all. Where's Phoebe? The potion will be ready in a couple of minutes.

Cole: Yeah, she wanted to talk to Emma, explain things

Paige: Good luck.

Cole: Look, I don't need the guilt from you, okay, I've got enough of my own to deal with.

Paige: What, and you think that covers it? What you did?

Piper: Paige, don't.

Paige: Don't what, Piper? He killed a man, are you condoning that?

Piper: No, of course not. But it's just not that simple. He can't change the past and you've seen how much good he's helped us to do. That's who he is now and we've accepted that.

Paige: If you say so.

Cole: (to Piper) Thank you. Do you want me to help you find Sikes?

Piper: Can you?

Cole: If he's still emulating me, all I have to do is figure out what I'd do next.

Piper: Which would be...?

Cole: Go after the Charmed Ones.

Paige: Oh, that's nice.

Cole: First I'd have to regroup somewhere. Tend to my cut.

Piper: The mausoleum?

Cole: Except Sikes will anticipate that. He'll be expecting you to come after him which means he'll be probably be lying and wait. Maybe set up some kind of trap.

Piper: One that you can identify. (Cole nods.) So let's go.

Paige: Wait, don't we need Phoebe?

Piper: No, all we need is this. (She holds up the viles of potion.) Besides, it's better to keep Emma away from the action. (Leo walks in with the baby. It has scorch marks on it and is crying strangely.) Oh, honey, what happened?

Leo: Sikes. I guess you were right.

Piper: Oh, sweetie, I didn't wanna be right. I'm sorry.

Paige: You're sorry? Who's gonna pay for this? Well?

Piper: We're gonna go after Sikes so we should probably orb Susan out of here just to be safe.

(She kisses him on the cheek and leaves the kitchen. Paige and Cole follow. Leo holds the baby out in front of him and its leg falls off.)

[Scene: Street. Phoebe pulls up on the side of the road. Emma is walking down the sidewalk. Phoebe gets out of the car.]

Phoebe: Emma, Emma. Emma, please, I need to talk to you. (Emma stops.) Look, I know that there is nothing I can say that can change what happened. But I think there is something that may help. I want you to know that Cole has dedicated his life to good now. (She walks off. Phoebe follows.) And I'm not saying that it excuses what he did.

Emma: Damn right it doesn't.

Phoebe: All I'm saying is the demon you're searching for no longer exists.

Emma: Oh my god. Who are you trying to kid? Are you blind? Did you not see what he turned into? That monster still exists whether you wanna believe it or not.

Phoebe: Technically yes, but...

Emma: Not technically, actually. He's alive and I'm not gonna rest until he's dead no matter what you say.

Phoebe: All that would do is keep him from doing future good and put your life at risk in the process. Emma, please, please, just let it go.

Emma: Let it go? Have you ever lost someone? To evil, I mean.

Phoebe: Yes.

Emma: And did you just let it go?

(Emma walks away.)

[Cut to the mausoleum. Cole, Piper and Paige walk down the stairs.]

Paige: Any sign of him?

Cole: No.

(They reach the bottom of the stairs and Cole pulls Paige back.)

Piper: What?

Cole: Trap. Back up.

(Cole picks up a candle and throws it on the ground. It explodes and the whole floor is covered in flames. It disappears. Cole runs across the room and looks around.)

Piper: Where is he?

Cole: I don't know.

Paige: Well, why would he set a trap for us and not be here?

Cole: Unless this is just a distraction.

Piper: What do you mean distraction? You said he was after us.

Cole: I was wrong. He's after me. And the best way to get to me is through...

Piper: Phoebe.

[Scene: Manor. Phoebe walks in through the front door.]

Phoebe: Cole?

(Sikes shimmers in behind her and grabs her around the neck. She gasps and drops her purse. He points an athame at her.)

Sikes: Close.

Phoebe: What do you want?

Sikes: Same thing you do. Only I call him Belthazor. (He looks at the potion that has fallen out of her purse.) Accept I don't need a potion to vanquish him. I just need you.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Piper, Paige and Cole walk in. They see Phoebe's purse on the floor.]

Paige: Phoebe.

Cole: I'll check upstairs, you check downstairs.

[Cut to the attic. Sikes has Phoebe tied to a chair.]

Sikes: You must be something very special, turn a demon. Something very special indeed. (He touches her neck with the athame.) Unfortunately though, when you made him less evil, you made him less powerful. Hmm, I wonder, are you gonna have the same affect on me after I kill him? (Cole walks in.) Well, well, well. The mighty Belthazor. You don't disappoint. I knew you'd figure out what I was up to... sooner or later.

(He points the athame at her neck.)

Phoebe: Cole, get outta here. He won't hurt me. He's bluffing.

Cole, Sikes: I can't take that chance.

Sikes: Ooh, it's kinda eerie, isn't it? How I know you better than you know yourself. The student has surpassed his mentor.

Cole: I was never your mentor, Sikes.

Sikes: By reputation you were. By your legend. It'll be an honour to kill you. (He tucks his athame in his belt.) And assume your rightful place in the hierarchy.

(Cole looks at Phoebe. She shakes her head.)

Cole: Remember what I told you? What I asked you to do?

Phoebe: Cole, please, don't.

(Cole screams and turns into Belthazor. Sikes turns into his demon form. Belthazor throws an energy ball at Sikes.)

[Cut to downstairs.]

Paige: Did you hear that?

[Cut to the attic. Belthazor and Sikes start fighting.]

[Cut to downstairs. Piper and Paige run up the stairs.]

[Cut to the attic. Sikes tries to strangle Belthazor.]

Sikes: Die!

Phoebe: Cole?

(Cole embraces his demonic self completely. He pushes Sikes up and he hits the roof. Belthazor grabs him and pulls his athame out of his belt. They suddenly freeze. Piper and Paige have entered the room. They race over to Phoebe.)

[Cut to downstairs. Emma walks in through the front door and picks up the potion.]

[Cut to the attic. Belthazor and Sikes start to unfreeze. Piper and Paige quickly untie Phoebe. Belthazor pulls Sikes up and stabs him with the athame. Sikes screams and bursts into flames. He disappears. Belthazor turns to the girls.]

Phoebe: Cole? (He walks towards them with the athame.) It's over. You can turn back now. Cole, you can do it. For me, for us.

Paige: Hurry, throw the potion. maybe it'll work on him.

(Piper holds up the potion.)

Phoebe: No, don't. Cole, please, you can do this, you're good.

(Emma runs in and throws the potion at Belthazor. Flames surround him and he screams. The flames disappear and Cole drops to his knees.)

Paige: What happened?

Phoebe: That was the power stripping potion I made to free Cole. (She goes over to him.) Are you okay? (She hugs him. Emma picks up the athame. Phoebe sees her.) No! (She goes over to her.) You got your revenge. You killed the demon you were after. Belthazor's dead, gone forever. Cole's a human being, an innocent.

(Emma hands Phoebe the knife.)

[Scene: P3. Piper and Paige are at the bar. Piper is writing out a cheque. Leo comes up to them.]

Piper: You know, this baby was your idea.

Paige: I know, I know, that's why I'm paying for half of it. I still haven't quite figured out how to explain what happened to it though. (Piper hands her the cheque.) Thank you.

Piper: Well, at least it served its purpose.

Leo: In spades unfortunately.

Piper: Well, honey, it doesn't mean that we can't ever have children. Just, you know, we have to wait until it's safe.

Leo: Promise?

Piper: Promise.

(She leans over the bar and kisses him.)

Paige: Aww, that's sweet. You two oughta get married. Unlike Phoebe and Cole.

Leo: You don't think they should?

Paige: I don't know, I guess it's not my business. Probably just really the fact that Cole killed people.

Piper: Yeah, but that wasn't Cole, it was Belthazor.

Paige: Splitting hairs if you ask me.

Leo: It's not though. He's human half had absolutely nothing to do with any of that, it was totally substicated. Phoebe's right, he's an innocent.

Piper: The question is, what does he do now?

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Phoebe's room. Phoebe is waiting around for Cole. After a while, Cole finally walks in.]

Phoebe: Cole. Oh my god, I was so worried.

(She runs over and hugs him.)

Cole: Oh, I'm sorry, but I had to take a walk, and then I lost track of time and I tried to shimmer back here and I realised I, I didn't have my powers anymore.

Phoebe: But that's a good thing. Isn't that what we always wanted?

Cole: I don't know, do we? I mean, I get it that I'm finally off the Source's radar and that I don't have to worry about demons tracking me down all the time but, I-I-I'm grateful for that, don't get me wrong. It's just... (he laughs)

Phoebe: What? Come here.

(They sit on the bed.)

Cole: For all intense purposes I've been a demon for over a hundred years, it's all I've ever know. Or been. What am I supposed to do now? Who am I?

Phoebe: Well, you're still the good man I fell in love with.

Cole: But not the one you wanna marry.

Phoebe: I love you, Cole. And nothing will ever change that. But I'm not ready, not yet. And that's got more to do with me and my issues, than it does you.

Cole: I still don't know where that leaves us, especially now.

Phoebe: Well, just because you're not a demon anymore doesn't mean we can't live in sin.

(They kiss and lay down on the bed.)

End