Love Hurts

Love Hurts is the 21st overall episode of The WB's Charmed.

Summary
Piper finally learns the supernatural truth about her lost love, Leo, when he returns to San Francisco to ask the Halliwell sisters to protect an innocent woman, who is being stalked by a demonic suitor. Piper evokes a spell to switch powers with Leo, when he is gravely injured by a poison arrow of a darklighter, in order to use his gift of healing to save his life, but the spell also switches Prue and Phoebe’s powers. With the mixed up powers, the Charmed Ones are weak against their enemies, but the Power of Three prevails. Piper must say goodbye to Leo, because he is a Whitelighter.

Plot
Daisy is startled entering her car, drops a bag and cuts her hand on broken glass. Leo appears behind her. Daisy is relieved to see him; she thought he was Alec, a Darklighter who has been chasing her for some time. Leo heals her hand, much to Daisy's amazement. Leo tells Daisy that he brought her to San Francisco, because he has "powerful friends" who can help protect her. He also tells her that he's made her invisible to Alec. At that moment, Alec appears. Daisy flees. Alec conjures a crossbow and shoots Leo in the shoulder. Leo orbs to the manor.

Prue and Phoebe are planning a vacation in Cabo San Lucas. Piper calls from the attic; she has found Leo with an arrow in his shoulder. Leo admits that he is really their Whitelighter. Leo warns Phoebe and Piper that the arrow is poison-tipped. Prue returns to the attic with several bandages, and uses her power to remove the arrow. Leo tells the sisters about Alec and Daisy. He was protecting Daisy, because she has been identified as a future Whitelighter. Alec was originally after Daisy to seduce her and produce Darklighter spawn. However, they fell in love, until she found out what he was. Alec, like most Darklighters, has the touch of death.

Andy and Darryl are together at their desk, when Prue calls Andy. Andy can't talk now, as Darryl knows he's hiding something, so Prue offers to meet at Quake. Andy tells Prue to be careful, as Internal Affairs is after him. Prue tells Andy about Daisy; he offers to review security cameras to find her. Leo is bandaged up, but the arrow's poison is slowly killing him, and he can't use his healing power on himself. With his powers fading, he is losing his ability to cloak Daisy.

Alec orbs into Daisy's hotel room and won't leave her alone. The motel manager knocks, and then unlocks the door. Alec kills the manager as Daisy flees through the fire escape. Andy and Prue arrive, and Prue flings Alec across the room. Alec orbs out – but, unlike Leo, his orbs are black.

Piper has found a power-switching spell in the Book of Shadows, and thinks she can use it to switch her powers with Leo, so she can heal him. With Prue and Phoebe all present, Piper casts the spell. Kit walks in and Piper tries to freeze her, but can't. Suddenly, Prue touches Phoebe and has a premonition of Kit apparently knocking over a lamp. Kit walks up to the lamp and Phoebe tries to shoo her away, and in the process, flings the lamp into the wall, shattering it. Piper must have Leo's healing power, but she doesn't know how to use it. Prue tells Piper that she has to figure out how to trigger Leo's power, just like they had to find their triggers when their own powers were unbound.

Andy calls and says that Daisy has bought a bus ticket.

Inspectors Rodriguez and Anderson grill Andy about the scene in the hotel. Rather than answer, Andy turns in his badge and his gun.

Daisy reaches the bus station and finds Alec everywhere she turns. Prue and Phoebe walk in. Prue tries to goad Phoebe into getting angry; she knows that her telekinesis was originally triggered by anger. Finally, Prue remembers that during high school, several guys called Phoebe "Freebie", after they caught her making out under the bleachers; the insult causes Phoebe to knock some magazines off a rack. Prue has a vision of Daisy cowering in the ladies' room. Prue and Phoebe confront Alec in the ladies' room. Alec conjures his crossbow. Phoebe tries to fling it out of his hand, but only causes all of the taps to come on and all of the soap to squirt out of the dispensers. Prue admits that she hit Grams' car several years ago – an accident for which Phoebe took the heat. Phoebe flings Alec into a stall. Alec drops the crossbow. Prue picks it up, takes aim and shoots, but Alec black-orbs away. The two sisters bring Daisy to the manor.

Andy has sent flowers to Prue and the card says he needs to see her. Prue leaves to meet with Andy, while Daisy and Phoebe go to the attic. They find Leo almost dead and Piper crying. Daisy tries to leave, but Piper convinces her to stay.

Andy tells Prue that he has turned in his badge and is suspended. He warns her to be careful, and that it's best that they not be seen together, lest Rodriguez find out that Prue is his source. Andy adds that Prue and her sisters are doing the very thing that made him want to become a cop.

Piper, upset, cries over Leo's body. She has tried to heal him several times, but can't figure out his trigger. She collapses on his body and tells him that she loves him. Suddenly, her hands start to glow, and Leo is healed. He tells her that love triggers his healing power, but she had to find that out for herself. They come downstairs and prepare to call Prue, when Alec black-orbs in. Phoebe tries to blow him out the door, but knocks the chandelier down instead. Alec grabs Piper and offers to spare her life, if the sisters let him have Daisy. Prue comes in behind him. Alec tosses Piper aside, grabs Daisy and black-orbs out.

Leo feels too weak to use his powers, so the four leave their powers switched. Leo coaches Piper on how to sense a charge. Piper finds Daisy and Phoebe and Prue go after her while Piper stays with Leo. They find Daisy and Alec in a cemetery, where Alec is about to sacrifice Daisy. Phoebe flings Alec aside. Prue casts the power-switching spell, just as Alec is about to use his touch of death on Daisy. Suddenly, Prue's hand starts glowing red-hot; she has Alec's touch of death and realizes hate is the trigger for it. Phoebe draws Alec towards Prue. Prue incinerates Alec with his own power and switches their powers back just before he dies. Prue says that she never had to feel so much hate before – and doesn't want to ever feel it again.

The sisters and Leo switch their powers back. Leo, himself, had been an Army medic in World War II. He died in the war and was offered the chance to become a Whitelighter. He accepted, but would give it all up for life with Piper. However, Piper thinks that would be too much of a loss for him.

Andy and Darryl meet at a noisy construction site. Rodriguez and Anderson are watching and using a long-range microphone, but the noise makes the microphone useless. Rodriguez, however, hears Andy mention Prue. Anderson wonders how that's possible. Suddenly, Rodriguez' eyes turn fiery red and he sonic screams. The sound penetrates Anderson's earphones, and he falls dead on the steering column.

Piper puts on Leo's dogtags, while Prue and Phoebe mix tropical drinks to make up for not making it to Cabo.

To Exchange Powers

 * What's mine is yours,
 * What's yours is mine,
 * Let our powers cross the line.
 * I offer up this gift to share,
 * Switch our powers through the air.

Glitches

 * In all the other episodes concerning a Darklighter, his arrows are only lethal to Whitelighters but in this episode Leo clearly states that the sisters can't touch the arrow because it is poisoned.
 * When Prue uses the Darklighter's (Alec) crossbow against him, he starts to black orb out, and the arrow gets stuck in the wall behind him, but seconds later, it shows the wall and the arrow is gone.

Quotes

 * Leo: (to Daisy) Don't worry, Daisy. He can't see you. Don't say a word, just leave quickly.
 * Alec: Don't listen to him sweetie, don't do it. (She runs off.)
 * Leo: She's already gone.
 * Alec: I love her, Leo. Much like you love your little witch. What's her name? Piper?
 * Leo: Darklighters aren't capable of love, Alec.
 * Alec: This one is. I love Daisy and you are keeping me from her. It's only a couple of days ago all I had to do was think about her and bang! I'd be there with her. Then suddenly she vanishes from my radar. Cloaked by a Whitelighter. By you.
 * Leo: Then if you know I cloaked her, then you also know that you won't find her as long as I live.
 * Alec: Yes, well, I have a solution for that. (He gets out his crossbow and shoots Leo.)

:Phoebe: We have to get the arrow out.
 * Leo: No, don't touch it, it's tipped with poison.
 * Phoebe: How are we suppose to get it out if we can't touch it? (Prue enters the attic.)
 * Prue: You came to the right girl. You ready? (Prue uses her powers to push the arrow out.) Okay, I brought everything that I could find, I just didn't know what to use on a ... what is he again?
 * Piper: A Whitelighter.
 * Phoebe: Yeah, they're sorta like, you know how Peter Pan has Tinkerbell? They're sorta like that minus the tutu and the wings. He guides witches.

:Phoebe: Leo, I brought you some food in case you're ... you do eat right?
 * Leo: Yes, Phoebe, I eat. How's Piper?
 * Phoebe: Oh, you know, she's dealing. I mean, it's not everyday that you find out that the guy you're seeing isn't human. Although, in Piper's case.

:Prue: This is a good sign. The spell must have worked. That means Phoebe and... (She touches Phoebe and has a premonition.) Oh, I think I just had one of Phoebe's premonition thingies.
 * Phoebe: Really? What did you see?
 * Prue: (She points to a lamp.) That shattering. (Kit jumps on the table where the lamp is.)
 * Phoebe: Kit, no! (Phoebe puts her hand up and she makes the lamp fly against the wall and smash.) Did I just do that?
 * Prue: Uh huh, and I saw it. So, okay, you're moving things, I'm having premonitions and Piper can't freeze which means...
 * Piper: Am I gonna get yelled at?
 * Prue: It switched all of our powers?
 * Phoebe: It's a supernatural freaky Friday.

: Prue: Remember when I said that you had no vision?
 * Phoebe: Which time?
 * Prue: Oh, you will never hear it again. Takes a lot of strength to see what you see.

International Titles

 * French: L'Ultime Combat (The Ultimate Fight)
 * Czech: Láska je zlá (Love is Bad)
 * Slovak: Útrapy z lásky (Suffering from Love)
 * Italian: Tra bene e male (Between Good and Evil)
 * Polish: Miłość rani (Love Hurts)
 * Spanish: El Amor duele (Love Hurts)
 * Spanish (Latin America): Amar es doloroso (Love is Painful)
 * Hungarian: A szerelem fáj (Love Hurts)
 * Portuguese: O Amor Dói (Love Hurts)
 * Russian: Lyubovʹ zla (Evil Love)
 * Finnish: Rakkauden tuskaa (Love Hurts)
 * German: Wächter der Dunkelheit (Guardian of Darkness)