Witch Trial/Script

Written by: Brad Kern

Season 2, Episode 01

Episode Number: 23

[Scene: Manor. It's night time. Phoebe walks in. All the lights are turned off.]

Phoebe: Hello? Anybody home? Sister witches, guess what?

(Phoebe walks in the living room and turns on the light. Piper is there making out with a guy on the couch. She jumps up.)

Piper: Oh, oh. Are you nuts?

Phoebe: What are you doing?

Guy: Hi.

Phoebe: Hi.

(Piper freezes the guy and walks over to Phoebe.)

Piper: Ooh.

Phoebe: Hi.

Piper: Sister witches? I can’t believe you said that. What’s the matter with you?

Phoebe: How was I supposed to know that you were gonna be here with anybody? Last I heard that you were meeting a banker friend about the loan. (She looks at the guy and then back at Piper.) Is this the credit check?

Piper: It’s not what you think. We were just... we-we... were just kissing, that’s all.

Phoebe: Piper, you don’t have to justify it. You’re single. You’re responsible. You’re way overdue in the sex department. I say go for it.

Piper: I’m not way overdue. All right, maybe a little, but that’s besides the point. I would never just sleep with a guy to get something. You know that.

Phoebe: Piper, give yourself a break. You’re going through a lot right now. No job, straining to buy the club, you haven’t heard from Leo in weeks.

(Prue walks in through the front door. She's on her phone.)

Prue: All right, well, the preview is at five and the auction Sunday at eleven.

Piper: Oh no, Prue. Go back outside. Go on. Hurry!

(Prue looks at them for a second, then goes back outside. Piper stands back next to the guy and he unfreezes.)

Guy: So, you must be Prue.

(He stands up.)

Phoebe: Uh, no. Actually...

(Prue comes back inside, still on the phone.)

Prue: (on phone) All right, great, yeah, I'll see you then.

(Prue hangs up.)

Phoebe: She’s Prue. I’m Phoebe.

Piper: Rob, can we take a rain check on the rest of the evening? It’s getting kind of crowded in here.

Rob: Okay, sure.

(Rob grabs his coat and heads for the door.)

Piper: Yeah. Okay, um, so I’ll meet you tomorrow at the club at noon. Great. Thanks for dinner.

Rob: Okay, all right. (They kiss.) Bye.

Piper: Bye.

(Rob leaves. Piper closes the door and turns to her sisters, who are grinning.)

Prue: So, did you get the loan?

Piper: Hopefully. I’ll find out tomorrow.

Prue: Well, my fingers are crossed.

(Prue and Piper start to leave the room.)

Phoebe: Wait, you guys. Where are you going?

Prue: Well, I have an auction coming up. I have clients to call.

Phoebe: Wait, you guys. Don’t you even know what tomorrow is? It’s our one year anniversary of becoming witches. Hello?

Piper: Tomorrow is? Really?

Prue: So...

Phoebe: So? So? It’s a day to celebrate. And not just because it’s our anniversary but because it falls on one of the most powerful wiccan days of the year. The autumnal equinox. Now, according to this witch that I met today at the bookstore...

Piper: Hold it. A witch?

Prue: You didn’t tell her about us, did you?

Phoebe: Well, yeah, sure I did. Why not? I mean, I didn’t tell her that we’re magical witches, obviously. Look, I’m sorry but I think after everything we’ve been through it’s important to learn as much as we can about who we are. Forewarned is forearmed.

Prue: And I think that we should leave well enough alone. I mean, we’ve been demon-free for over a month now, I’d like to keep it that away.

Piper: Amen to that.

(Prue and Piper walk out of the room.)

[Scene: Manor. Attic. The next morning. The Book Of Shadows opens up by itself and the pages start to flip. Phoebe races in.]

Phoebe: Prue! Piper!

(Prue and Piper come in.)

Prue: What’s going on?

Phoebe: Uh, I don’t know.

Piper: Why does the book do that? How does the book do that?

(They go over to the Book and look at the page it opens up to.)

Phoebe: "Rite of passage. Fight it with the Power of one or else..."

(A vortex opens in the wall and a gust of wind blows through the attic. A demon is sitting in the vortex. Prue hesitates to use her power and the demon steals the Book. The vortex closes.)

Piper: What the hell was that?

Phoebe: The Book Of Shadows. Where’s the Book of Shadows?

Piper: So much for being demon-free.

Opening Credits

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Prue, Piper and Phoebe are there. Prue and Piper are picking up pieces of paper that blew across the room. Phoebe is knocking on the wall where the vortex opened.]

Piper: Did you find anything?

Phoebe: Nothing. But whatever it was literally came out of nowhere and disappeared into nowhere.

Piper: Well, it took the Book of Shadows somewhere. And he’s powerful too. No other demon's been able to steal the book.

Prue: But if he’s so powerful, why didn’t he kill us?

Phoebe: He probably didn’t want to go up against you.

Prue: Me? What do you mean?

Phoebe: That’s what the Book of Shadows says. "Fight it with the Power of One." That’s gotta mean your power. It’s the strongest.

Prue: Says who?

Phoebe: Says every demon or warlock we’ve ever gone up against.

Piper: She’s right, Prue. The power of one’s gotta mean you, otherwise it would’ve said the Power of Three. The only question is how are we gonna find this demon. We don’t know anything about him.

Phoebe: Well, we better think of something fast because without the Book of Shadows, we’re not the Charmed Ones anymore.

(The doorbell rings.)

[Cut to downstairs. Phoebe is coming down the stairs.]

Phoebe: Coming. (She walks into the foyer and opens the door. A 16-year old girls stands there.) Uh, hi...

Jenny: Can I use your phone, please?

Phoebe: Uh, well, actually, we're...

Jenny: Please? It’s an emergency. Please?

Phoebe: Okay. Come on in. It’s right around that corner.

(The girl walks in and picks up the phone. Prue and Piper walk in the foyer.)

Piper: (to Phoebe) Are you out of your mind?

Phoebe: What was I supposed to do? Say no? Look at that poor girl.

(They look at her.)

Dan: (outside) Jenny? Jenny, come on. Talk to me.

(A cute guy in his late 20's let's himself inside.)

Prue, Piper and Phoebe: Whoa!

Jenny: (on phone) International Operator please. Saudi Arabia.

Prue: Saudi Arabia?

Dan: I’m sorry. We’re moving in next door. Or at least we’re trying to. Our phone’s not hooked up yet.

Phoebe: So, you’re our new neighbours?

Dan: Name’s Dan. Uh, Dan Gordon.

Jenny: (on phone) I don’t care if the circuits are busy. I have to talk to my mum.

Dan: And that’s my niece Jenny. Who’s obviously not talking to me. Jenny, sweetie, come on.

(Jenny hangs up and storms outside.)

Dan: I’m sorry. It’s nice meeting you.

Phoebe: You too. (Dan leaves.) I saw him first!

Piper: Demons now, drooling later.

Prue: Look, I have to meet my client before the preview.

(Prue starts to leave.)

Phoebe: Oh, wait a minute. The scariest demon we’ve ever run across opens up some portal in our attic, and steals the Book of Shadows and you want to go into the office? (Prue nods and walks away.) Wh- (She turns to Piper) What’s the matter with her?

Piper: It’s the first demon she’s faced since Andy died. Maybe it’s bringing up some bad memories.

[Scene: On another plane. The demon that stole the Book of Shadows turns to the back of the Book and reads a spell backwards.]

[Scene: Park. Witches have gathered for the Equinox celebration. Piper and Phoebe are also there.]

Piper: What are we doing here?

Phoebe: Celebrating the Equinox. Can’t you just feel it? The energy in this place? It’s a convergence.

Piper: It’s a crock. I thought we were supposed to meet your witch friend.

Phoebe: We are. This is where she told us to meet her. Now, please just relax.

Piper: Relax? My life was a mess before our little wake-up call this morning, remember?

(Stevie arrives.)

Phoebe: Oh, Stevie!

(They go over to her.)

Stevie: Hey, Phoebe. I’m so glad you could make it.

Phoebe: Um, actually, we are not here for this. We needed to talk to you about something. This is my sister, Piper.

Piper: Hi.

Stevie: Hey, Piper, it’s very nice to meet you. Are you witch too?

Piper: Uh, sorta... maybe... I don’t know. Uh, is everybody here one, also?

Stevie: Oh, no. No, no, no... It’s just a group of believers, women who know of this special place and who’ve come to celebrate. By the way, happy anniversary.

Phoebe: That’s what we wanted to talk to you about. Why did you say that today was gonna be a powerful day for us?

Stevie: Because your anniversary falls on the Equinox. Which is a powerful day in and of itself. For you, this convergence of powers is even stronger. The potential greater. All you have to do is connect. You wanna try it?

Phoebe: Try it? How?

Stevie: Let us begin.

(Stevie joins the other women.)

Piper: I don’t wanna connect.

Phoebe: We have to connect.

Piper: I don’t wanna try it.

Phoebe: Okay, but we have to because...

Piper: Why?

Phoebe: What have we got to lose, okay?

(Piper and Phoebe turns around and notice all the women have taken off their clothes.)

Piper: Well, apparently we’ve got our clothes to lose.

Phoebe: I see that.

(Phoebe pulls Piper behind a rock wall and Phoebe starts taking off her clothes.)

Piper: No. Whoa, Whoa. Wait. What are you doing?

Phoebe: When in Rome.

Piper: No-no-no! We’re not in Rome, Phoebe. We’re in California. And it’s illegal here.

Phoebe: It’s totally natural, okay? Go for it. Come on.

Piper: God. This is ridiculous. Can I keep my shoes on?

Phoebe: Yeah, but that’s it.

Piper: We’ve got absolutely zero, zero information.

Phoebe: Everybody’s naked, not just you.

Piper: And now we’re naked.

Phoebe: Shh, okay? Shh.

Grams' voice: The Power of Three.

Phoebe: Did you just hear that?

Piper: Hear what?

Grams' voice: The Power of Three.

Phoebe: That. Grams?

Piper: Grams? (Piper looks around and tries to cover herself up.) What? Where? I don’t hear anything.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Bucklands. Mrs. Milton is looking at some items up for auction. Prue walks in the room.]

Prue: Mrs. Milton. Hi. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.

Mrs. Milton: Oh, no problem. I was just looking around.

Prue: Well, I think that we’ll have a great turnout for the preview. We’ve been getting an excellent response to your husband's collection.

Mrs. Milton: I’m not surprised.

Prue: Now, the opening bid prices may look a little low, but don’t worry. It should attract a lot of buyers, which should result in a bidding war. It’s the best way to sell inventory like this at top dollar. Is that all right with you?

Mrs. Milton: I guess I’m having a little more trouble letting go of John’s things than I thought.

Prue: That’s only natural. It’s not easy.

Mrs. Milton: I suppose that you deal with death quite a bit in your line of work, don’t you? I mean, like this, auctioning off some poor widow's inheritance.

Prue: This? Unfortunately, yes.

Mrs. Milton: I just keep going over and over in my mind the last time I saw him before the accident. And I keep thinking if only I’d done something or said something to stop him from getting in the car, maybe he’d still be alive.

[Scene: Outside a large building that's up for sale. Piper pulls up in her car. She gets out and walks inside.]

[Cut to inside. Rob is there looking around. Piper comes down the stairs.]

Piper: Oh, god, Rob. I’m so sorry I’m late. Uh, I got stuck at this thing and then my sister needed a ride, and I’m so totally screwed on the loan now, aren’t I?

Rob: Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just looking around, checking things out.

Piper: It needs a lot of work, uh, I know that. But that’s not a problem and just because the last two owners went bankrupt, doesn’t mean it can’t work. I’ve done three separate marketing studies and found a 68% interest in the target clientele.

Rob: Piper...

Piper: Plus, running a restaurant is very similar to running a club.

Rob: You’ve already shown me all this. I’ve got it. I’ve got everything, except for an understanding of why you wanna put yourself in a position to fail like this.

Piper: Uhh...

Rob: Clubs are an extremely high risk business, Piper. You could lose your shirt.

Piper: Well, it wouldn’t be the first time today. Look, I know what I’m getting myself into. I know the risks and actually it’s a lot less risk and a lot a less expensive than starting my own restaurant, which is what I really wanted to do. The point is, I’m tired of working for somebody else and helping them realizing their dreams. I wanna run my own place. This place. And I can do it, too. But not without your help.

Rob: Well, at the risk of you never wanting to go out with me again... Congratulations.

Piper: I got it?

Rob: You go it

Piper: Yay!

(Piper hugs him and they kiss.)

Rob: Hmm.

Piper: Oh.

(They start making out.)

[Cut to Abraxas. He says another spell backwards. Jeremy appears wielding a knife.]

Abraxas: Were you vanquished by the Charmed Ones?

Jeremy: Yeah. Why?

Abraxas: I'm giving you a second chance.

[Cut back to Piper and Rob. They are still kissing.]

Grams' Voice: The Power of Three.

(Piper pulls away.)

Piper: Did you hear that?

Grams' Voice: The Power of Three.

Rob: Hear what?

(Piper looks around.)

Piper: Grams?

(Jeremy appears and knocks Rob unconscious. Piper screams and backs away.)

Jeremy: You’re dead, witch.

(Piper freezes him.)

Piper: Oh my God. Jeremy?

[Cut to Prue's office. Prue's sitting at her desk. The phone rings.]

Prue: Hello?

Piper: Prue, thank god you’re there. Jeremy...

Prue: Piper, calm down...

Piper: Just attacked me.

Prue: Jeremy? That is impossible. We vanquished him a year ago.

[Cut back to Piper.]

Piper: Well, apparently he got unvanquished somehow. And since we don’t have the Book of Shadows, we’re gonna have to remember the spell together. I’m conferencing Phoebe. (She presses a button on the phone.) Phoebe, are you there?

Phoebe: AT&T, the Power of Three.

[Cut to Prue.]

Prue: Okay, wait. Wasn’t that it? The Power of Three will set us free.

Piper: Grams...

(Jeremy unfreezes.)

Piper: Whoa!

(She freezes him again.)

Prue: What’s the matter?

Piper: He’s...

(Jeremy unfreezes and Piper freezes him again.)

Piper: He’s fighting through my freezes. He’s adjusting or something.

Phoebe: Uh, okay, put us on the speakerphone. We have to say it together.

(Jeremy unfreezes.)

Jeremy: (laughs) You’re not getting away from me this time.

(Jeremy attacks her with his dagger. She ducks and tries to get out of the way.)

Piper: Whoa! Whoa!

Phoebe: Piper!

Piper: Hurry! Now! Hurry, now, now, now!

Prue, Piper and Phoebe: "The Power of Three will set us free." (They repeat it another three times.)

Prue: Piper?

Phoebe: Piper?

Piper: Ow. Ow.

Prue: Piper?

Piper: It’s okay. He’s gone. Again.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Building. Rob is on a stretcher. Piper is crouching down beside him.]

Rob: How can you not have seen who attacked me? How is that possible?

Piper: I don’t know. I guess I was blocked or something and then he just sort of disappeared, you know?

Rob: I’m starting to understand why this place keeps going under.

Piper: Oh, no. It’s not a bad crime area. Not at all.

Rob: Well, it’s something I’m going to be checking into. I can assure you of that.

Paramedic: Excuse me, ma’am.

(The paramedics carry Rob up the stairs. Prue walks past and looks at him.)

Rob: Yeah, hi, how ya doin'?

(Prue goes over to Piper.)

Prue: Are you okay?

Piper: Physically, yeah. I think my loan’s on shaky ground. I couldn’t exactly tell Rob, "It was just a warlock. Don’t worry about it".

Prue: Oh, it would be a shame if the loan didn’t work out, I mean, this place is great. I used to come here. It has a lot of potential.

Piper: Yeah? You think so?

Prue: Mmm hmm.

Piper: Care to loan me sixty grand?

Prue: Hmm. Any ideas on where Jeremy came from?

Piper: No, but I don’t want to run into any of the other demons we’ve already vanquished.

Prue: Well, hopefully Phoebe can find some answers in those new books of hers.

Piper: I sure wish she had our book to look it at. Feels kind of lost without it. Although...

Prue: Although what?

Piper: It was weird but right before Jeremy appeared, I swore I heard Grams.

Prue: Grams?

Piper: I was positive it was her. She said "The Power of Three". And Phoebe said she heard her say it this morning. Maybe Grams was trying to warn me, warn us.

[Scene: Manor. Living room. Phoebe is typing something on the laptop computer. She hears Kit meow and looks out the window. She sees Jenny sitting on the stairs holding Kit. Phoebe continues to type on her computer but changes her mind and goes outside.]

[Cut to Jenny. Phoebe walks over to her and sits down.]

Phoebe: Hey there. It’s Jenny, right?

Jenny: Yeah.

Phoebe: We didn’t really get to say hello before. My name is Phoebe. Phoebe Halliwell. And this is Kit the cat. Get it? Kit Kat. Little play on words. So, shouldn’t you be in school?

Jenny: I’m taking a week off.

Phoebe: Really?

Jenny: For the move, you know.

Phoebe: So you’re moving in with your uncle?

Jenny: Well, just for the school year. Until my mom and dad come back.

Phoebe: From Saudi Arabia?

Jenny: My dad’s with the state department. So, he gets transferred a lot.

Phoebe: That sucks. So, did you ever get in touch with your mum?

Jenny: It doesn’t matter.

Phoebe: If it matters to you, it matters. Your secret is safe with me.

Jenny: Well, it’s almost that time of the month, you know? And, well, I need some...

Phoebe: Tampons?

Jenny: Right, yeah.

Phoebe: And you don’t want talk to your uncle about it?

Jenny: But I did. But he went out and bought sanitary napkins...

Phoebe: Ugh.

Jenny: Like that’s gonna work. This is so embarrassing.

(Phoebe looks at Kit's collar, which has the triquetra symbol hanging from it.)

Jenny: So, do you think maybe you could get some for me instead?

Phoebe: Uh... sure... but... a connection.

Jenny: But what?

(Piper pulls up in the driveway next door.)

Phoebe: Uh, I’m really sorry, Jenny, but I have to go.

(Phoebe picks up Kit.)

Jenny: Fine.

Phoebe: Look. I would love to help you out but I gotta believe that your parents wouldn’t have left you with your uncle if they didn’t think you could trust him with stuff like this. Ask him again. And if he still screws it up, remember, we’re open 24 hours, 7 days a week, right next door, okay?

(Jenny smiles. Phoebe goes back over to the manor.)

Phoebe: Piper, wait up. I think I figured out how to find who the demon is. All we have to do is ask the Book of Shadows.

Piper: What?

Phoebe: It’s been right in front of us the whole time.

(She shows Kit's collar.)

Piper: Kit’s collar?

Phoebe: No, the triquetra. The symbol of the Power of Three. Our symbol. Maybe that’s what Grams has been trying to tell us.

Piper: Phoebe, you’re rambling.

Phoebe: No, Stevie said all we would have to do is find our connection, right? That if we did, we’d be able to tap into the Power of the Equinox. Well, this has got to be it, the Triquetra. It’s us. It’s on the cover of the Book of Shadows.

Piper: I still don’t understand how we can ask the Book for help when we don't have the book.

(Phoebe pulls Piper inside.)

Piper: Ugh!

[Cut to inside the manor. Conservatory. Piper and Phoebe are standing in front of the spirit board.]

Piper: The spirit board?

Phoebe: It told us how to find the Book of Shadows, didn’t it? It can do it again. All you have to do is believe. Now come on. We’re stronger together.

Piper: (sighs) Okay.

Phoebe: Come on. Okay. Close your eyes and feel it.

(They touch the pointer.)

Gram's Voice: The Power of Three.

Phoebe: Did you hear that?

Piper: Grams?

(Piper looks around. The pointer moves.)

Phoebe: A.

Piper: B-R-A-X-A-S.

Phoebe: Abraxas?

(They look at each other.)

[Cut to Abraxas. He turns to another spell in the Book of Shadows and starts to read it backwards.]

[Cut back to the manor. Piper is sitting on the couch in the living room. Phoebe walks in, reading from a book.]

Phoebe: Okay, I found it. "Abraxas - A demon of the astral plane who destroy witches by demonising their powers." Okay, but what does that have to do with the Book of Shadows?

Piper: Well, that’s where our powers come from, isn’t it? Maybe Abraxas it turning it evil somehow.

Phoebe: That would definitely undo our spells. And explain why Jeremy all of a sudden became unvanquished.

Piper: And the Woogyman.

Phoebe: When did the Woogyman become unvanquished?

Piper: A couple of seconds ago.

(Phoebe looks behind her and sees the Woogyman. They jump up.)

Phoebe: Freeze it.

Piper: It doesn’t freeze, remember? The spell. What’s the spell? Spell, spell...

Phoebe: "I am light. I am one too strong to fight." I can’t remember the rest.

Piper: Yes you can. Okay, we can. Uh, "Return to dark, where the shadows dwell. You cannot have this Halliwell".

Piper and Phoebe: "Go away and leave my sight. And take with you this endless night".

(The Woogyman is vanquished.)

Piper: That wasn’t so hard.

Phoebe: It’s a good thing we were together.

Piper: Abraxas must be reading the book backwards. That’s how he’s turning it evil.

Phoebe: How do you figure?

Piper: The spell to vanquish Jeremy was at the back of the book. And the spell to vanquish the Woogyman was right before that.

Phoebe: Which means more are on their way.

Piper: Uh-huh.

Phoebe: We gotta warn Prue.

Piper: Uh-huh. (They walk into the foyer and Phoebe touches a photo frame. She gets a premonition. In the premonition, Nicholas the warlock, is attacking Prue at Bucklands.) What? What happened?

Phoebe: I saw the warlock Nicholas, killing Prue.

[Scene: Bucklands. Prue is walking down the corridor. She stops when she sees Mrs. Milton. Prue's assistant approaches her.]

Guy: Prue, your sister Phoebe’s on the phone.

Prue: Oh, uh, tell her that I’ll call her back.

Guy: She said it’s important.

Prue: She always says that it’s important. Just tell her I’ll call her back. It’s okay. Thanks. (Prue goes over to Mrs. Milton.) Mrs. Milton.

Mrs. Milton: Oh, hi.

Prue: I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.

Mrs. Milton: I had no idea there’d be this many people interested. You’re obviously very good at your job.

Prue: Actually, I think it says more about your husband’s collection than it does about me. How long has it been since the accident?

Mrs. Milton: Eight and a half months. How long has it been for you?

Prue: Not very long. (Nicholas appears out of nowhere. He spots Prue.) Nicholas.

(Prue walks off. Nicholas follows her.)

Mrs. Milton: Prue?

[Cut to Prue's office. Prue races in. Nicholas stands at the doorway and points his ring at her.]

Nicholas: You remember the feeling, don’t you?

(Prue falls to the floor.)

Prue: "Lavender, mimosa, holy thistle, cleanse this evil from our midst scatter..."

Nicholas: You’re overheating. Your brain cells are frying. It’s over.

Prue: "Scatter its cells throughout time. Let this Nick no more exist."

(Nicholas is vanquished. Prue collapses on the floor.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Hospital. Prue is lying on a bed. Piper and Phoebe are standing beside her. The doctor finishes taking her blood pressure.]

Doctor: Well, your blood pressure’s back to normal. So is your temperature, your electrolytes. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were perfectly healthy young woman.

Prue: Does that mean I can go home now?

Doctor: Well, I’d like to run a few more tests. Find out what caused your body temperature to rise spontaneously like that. Has that ever happened to you before?

Phoebe: It’s happened to us all before. (She laughs.)

Prue: Doctor, it’s okay. Really. I think I know how to keep it from happening again.

Doctor: All right. I’ll see to your discharge papers.

Prue: Thanks.

(The doctor leaves and Prue gets up.)

Piper: That was close.

Prue: Too close.

Piper: No, I don’t mean her. I mean you. The paramedics said you almost died.

Prue: Yeah, well, what else is new?

Phoebe: We better figure out a way to get the book back from Abraxas because if we don’t, we’re all dead.

Piper: But how? We don’t know where the astral plane is.

Phoebe: Yes, we do. It coexists within our own plane. Remember, that’s what Stevie said.

Prue: Still doesn’t help to find the demon.

Phoebe: Maybe, maybe not. I was thinking... You know how we always thought that nobody could take the Book of Shadows out of the house but us? Maybe nobody did. Maybe it’s still in the house. Just on different plane. The astral plane.

Piper: That would mean Abraxas is still in the house too.

Phoebe: Right. So, we would need to find a doorway or a window to get to his plane like he used to get to ours and we need to do this before the end of the Equinox, by sunrise tomorrow. And then Prue can kick some astral ass with the Power of One.

(Prue grabs her stuff and leaves the room. Piper and Phoebe follow.)

Piper: Prue, what’s the matter?

Prue: Nothing. I just think that it’s a long shot, that’s all.

Phoebe: Well, at least it’s a shot.

Piper: I agree, I mean, who knows how many other demons and warlocks he’s let loose that we just don’t know about yet.

Phoebe: Or even worse. If Abraxas gets to the first page of the book before we get to him, we’re toast.

Prue: Why?

Phoebe: Because it’s the incantation that gave us our powers, remember? If Abraxas says that backwards too, then we’ll lose them and the book forever.

Prue: So we go back to leading normal lives again. That doesn’t sound so bad.

Phoebe: What? Are you joking?

Prue: No, Phoebe, I’m not joking. Look, we always said that things happen to us for a reason, right? So, maybe the reason this time is to give to us an out.

Piper: Prue, there’s no out. Abraxas will kill us.

Prue: Not if all he wants is the book. After all, that’s the real power, not us.

Piper: If all he wanted was the book, he wouldn’t keep sending demons and warlocks after us.

Prue: Yeah, well, we won’t have to worry about anymore if he gets to the first page.

Phoebe: What are you saying, Prue? Look, if we don’t get to him, we stop being witches.

Prue: Exactly. Which means we stop risking our lives all the time. Which means we stop watching the people we love lose theirs.

(Prue walks away.)

Phoebe: Prue...

(Piper stops her from following.)

Piper: Let her be.

[Scene: Manor. Kitchen. Piper and Phoebe are there. Phoebe's sitting at the table and Piper is looking in the fridge.]

Phoebe: We’re screwed, you know.

Piper: No, we’re not. If there’s a window, we’ll find it.

Phoebe: That’s not what I meant.

Piper: She’ll come around.

Phoebe: By sunrise? You know how Prue is when she makes up her mind about something. That’s it. We’re screwed.

Piper: And we’re out of wine.

(The doorbell rings.)

Phoebe: I’ll get it. You keep dreaming. (Phoebe gets up and walks out to the foyer. She opens he door and Dan is there, holding a bottle of wine.) Oh, hi...

Dan: Dan.

Phoebe: Dan, right.

Dan: You’re Phoebe. Jenny told me. I hope it’s okay to stop by.

Phoebe: Of course, uh, we were just doing some reading.

Dan: Well, I just wanted to give you this. (He hands her the wine.) To say thanks. You know, for talking to Jenny. Or better yet, for getting her to talk to me.

Phoebe: That’s really sweet. And timely too. But it’s not necessary.

Dan: Well, to be honest, I was sort of hoping to get something out of it. I mean, you know, for Jenny. Just in case she needs a woman to talk to again.

Phoebe: Ah, of course. Any time. She seems like a great kid. So, did she tell you what the problem was?

(They laugh.)

Dan: Any idea what size I’m supposed to get. There’s like... five.

Phoebe: Uh, junior is probably a safe bet.

Dan: Right. Thanks.

Phoebe: Hm.

(The phone rings.)

Dan: Well, uh, see ya around.

Phoebe: Hopefully. 'Night.

Dan: 'Night.

(Dan leaves. Phoebe checks out his butt as he walks away.)

[Cut to the kitchen. Piper’s on the phone.]

Piper: No, I understand. Okay, bye.

(She hangs up. Phoebe walks in.)

Phoebe: Who was that?

Piper: Rob, the banker. Or rather, his assistant. Telling me that my loan has been denied.

Phoebe: Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.

Piper: That’s okay. Just wasn’t meant to be, I guess. Really glad I never slept with him, though. What was I thinking?

Phoebe: About Leo, maybe?

Piper: Ugh.

Phoebe: Wine?

(She holds up the bottle of wine.)

[Scene: Police station. Prue walks up to Darryl.]

Darryl: Hey.

Prue: Hi.

Darryl: You wanna sit down?

Prue: Sure.

(Prue sees Andy's empty desk.)

Darryl: They haven’t assigned me a new partner yet since Andy died. Here.

(He takes her into a room.)

Prue: I’m sorry I haven’t come by to see you.

Darryl: Yeah, me too. I’m just glad you’re here now, Prue. I’ve been worried about you.

Prue: I’m all right.

Darryl: Really? Then how come you’ve been avoiding me? And don’t give me that crap about being too busy ‘cause I know better. I know what you’re going through, Prue. I lost him too, you know?

Prue: I know. It’s just been so hard, to, uh...

Darryl: What?

Prue: To face you after what happened.

Darryl: Now, see, that’s exactly what I want to talk to you about...

Prue: Darryl, um, I need to know what Andy told you about me and my sisters... about who we really are.

Darryl: Just that you were involved in some of our unsolved cases, and that you somehow helped stop the killers.

Prue: That’s it? Nothing else?

Darryl: He was my partner, Prue. I didn’t need to know anything else.

Prue: So, then, um... why did you cover for us when Andy died at the house?

Darryl: ‘Cause he asked me to. That’s why I’ve been trying to get ahold of you. To give you a message from him. That morning, after he saw you, Andy told me to tell you that if anything were to happen to him, that it wouldn’t be your fault. He didn’t want you to blame yourself.

Prue: Too late.

(They hug.)

[Cut to the manor. Attic. Piper and Phoebe are there. Piper has drawn the triquetra symbol on the wall with chalk.]

Phoebe: You really think that’s the window?

Piper: You said yourself the triquetra’s the key, our connection. And besides, we keep hearing grams say "The Power of Three". This is what that stands for. Either that or I just screwed up this wall for no reason.

Phoebe: Well, even if it is the window, if Prue doesn’t show up...

(Prue walks in.)

Prue: She’ll show. Better late then never, right? Look, I know that I haven’t exactly been myself lately and I know that I’m going through... something. And that I have some things to work through. But I don’t wanna let you down because of it. Right now, it’s not about me. It’s about us.

Phoebe: Attagirl, Prue. I knew you’d come around.

Piper: Excuse me?

Phoebe: Well, I did deep down.

Piper: Are you sure you’re up for this?

(Prue uses her power to move a chair across the room.)

Prue: I’m sure.

Phoebe: Okay, so when the window opens, Prue, you’ll knock Abraxas away from the Book, so Piper and I can reach in and grab it. And then, while you’re holding him back...

Prue: You’ll find some spell to vanquish him I got it.

Phoebe: Okay.

(They walk towards the wall.)

Piper: Okay. We have to create a circle. (They join hands.) Three, two, one.

(Piper and Phoebe touch the wall and it opens up. Abraxas appears.)

Phoebe: Hold on. Now, Prue, now!

Abraxas: First the book, then you.

Phoebe: What’s the matter with you?

Piper: Prue, use your power.

Phoebe: Prue!

(Abraxas pushes them away and they slide across the floor. The portal closes. Phoebe and Piper look angrily at Prue.)

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Prue, Piper and Phoebe are walking down the stairs.]

Piper: Prue, what happened up there?

Prue: Nothing.

Phoebe: Yeah, nothing is exactly the problem.

Prue: I never said that I had the power to go against him. You did, remember?

Phoebe: No, the Book of Shadows did.

Prue: Well, maybe it was wrong. Maybe Abraxas is just too strong.

Piper: Maybe, but that doesn’t explain why you hesitated.

Prue: I didn’t hesitate.

Phoebe: The hell you didn’t Prue. I saw you.

Piper: We both saw you.

Prue: So, what are you saying? This is my fault, is that it? Because I can’t defeat Abraxas?

Phoebe: No, Prue, you can. You just won’t. Okay, something is holding you back. Something big time and instead of facing it, you’re running from it.

Piper: Phoebe....

Phoebe: But you can’t keep running, Prue. Because you have got to figure out what your problem is, otherwise we're all dead.

(Prue starts to cry.)

Prue: That’s right, Phoebe. It’s my responsibility, isn’t it? The oldest sister, always supposed to be able to figure things out. Well, if that’s the case, then how come I couldn’t save Andy? If I’m supposed to be so powerful, how come I couldn’t save him? I mean, my god, don’t you understand? Andy died because of me, it doesn’t matter what he said, it was my fault. How could it be good to be witches if all it does is get the people we love killed?

(She cries.)

Phoebe: Oh, sweetie.

Piper: Prue, it’s not your fault. You tried to keep Andy from coming here that night, remember? You tried to warn him but he came anyway. He came because he wanted to.

Phoebe: And there was nothing that you could have done to stop him, Prue. He chose to walk through that door, not because of who you are, honey, but because of who he was.

Piper: Protector of the innocent, just like us.

Prue: I just don’t know if I believe in it anymore.

Phoebe: Honey, we’ve done a lot of good as witches too. You know that. But that doesn’t mean that bad things still aren’t gonna happen. But just because we can’t help that, doesn’t mean that is our fault.

Piper: Or yours.

Phoebe: Come here.

(They all hug.)

Grams' Voice: The Power of Three.

(They look around.)

Phoebe: Okay, did you guys hear that?

Piper: Mm-hmm.

Prue: Grams?

Grams' Voice: The Power of Three.

Prue: How is that possible?

Phoebe: I don’t know but it’s gotta to be a good thing if we’re all hearing it.

Piper: Maybe it means we’re connected.

Phoebe: To be as one. Maybe that’s what the Book meant by the Power of One.

Piper: The three of us working as one.

Prue: Which is what the triquetra represents.

(Phoebe looks at her watch.)

Phoebe: Almost sunrise. Do you think you’re ready to try the window again?

Prue: Yeah, yeah, but Abraxas will be ready for us here. We have to take him by surprise, go where we’re most powerful, where we’re most connected.

[Cut to the park. Prue, Piper and Phoebe have joined hands around a stone.]

Prue, Piper and Phoebe: "Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night, the oldest of Gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought."

[Cut to Abraxas undoing the spell that gave them their powers.]

[Cut back to the girls.]

Prue, Piper, Phoebe: "In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power."

[Cut back to Abraxas. The pages of the Book of Shadows turn over. He turns back to the spell and continues to read it backwards.]

[Cut back to the girls.]

Prue, Piper, Phoebe: "Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night, the oldest of Gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought."

[Cut back to Abraxas. The Book disappears.]

[Cut back to the girls. The Book drops out from the sky and lands on the rock.]

Phoebe: Prue, Piper...

Prue: Keep chanting.

Prue, Piper, Phoebe: "Hear now the words of the witches, the secrets we hid in the night..." (Abraxas appears above them)

Abraxas: What are you doing? How’d you bring me here?

Prue, Piper, Phoebe: "The oldest of Gods are invoked here, the great work of magic is sought. In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power. In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power. In this night, and in this hour we call upon the ancient power."

(Abraxas is vanquished. Phoebe grabs the Book.)

Phoebe: And we didn’t even have to get naked.

Commercial Break

[Scene: Manor. Attic. Prue, Piper and Phoebe are there. Prue places the Book of Shadows back on its stand.]

Prue: That’s more like it.

(She flips through the Book.)

Piper: I’ll feel better when we erase that window. I don’t want any more demons coming through it.

Phoebe: They can’t. It’s our window, not theirs.

Piper: Still, better safe than sorry. Especially if we can expect any more demons like Abraxas coming.

(She goes over to the wall.)

Prue: Well, apparently we can. "Rite of Passage. Fight it with the Power of one, or else... a more powerful evil that awaits will destroy you".

Phoebe: Wow. I’m glad I didn’t finish reading that yesterday. I might have changed my mind about not wanting to give up our powers.

Prue: No, you wouldn’t have. You like being a witch too much, Phoebe. And you help remind me that I like being one too.

Phoebe: Hmm.

Piper: Hey, me three. Too bad it doesn’t pay the bills, though.

Phoebe: (to Prue) Did you get it?

Prue: Mm-hmm.

(They happily go over to Piper.)

Piper: Get what? (They hand Piper an envelope.) What’s this? (She looks at it.) $60,000? Where did you get this?

Prue: Home equity loan. Phoebe and I took a second out on the house. To help you buy your club.

Phoebe: Actually, our club technically.

Prue: Right, as long as you don’t mind being partners with your sisters.

Piper: Thank you!

(They all hug.)

Grams' Voice: The Power of Three.

(They pages turn on the Book of Shadows and Grams' spirit appears.)

Prue: Grams?

Grams: Hello, my darlings. Oh, it’s nice to see you, or rather, it’s nice being seen by you.

Piper: But-but-but how is this...

Grams: Possible? All things are possible, my dear. It’s just simply a matter of your being able to do them.

Phoebe: Wait, so you’re the one that keeps turning the pages in the book?

Grams: Just my way of looking after you. As best I can, anyway. Don’t try to understand this. You’re not ready yet. But the fact that you could hear me before, can see me now, means that someday you might be. Be good to each other. I love you.

(Grams disappears. The book turns to a page.)

Piper: Is it just me, or is this attic getting awfully crowded lately?

(They go over and look at the page.)

Prue: Look.

(Grams has written "Happy Anniversary, My Darlings" on the page.)

End