- Charmed Reloaded
- 5.04 Burning with Desire
[Scene: P3 during a busy night. A popular band is playing and people are enjoying themselves. Paige is sitting in a booth with Evan.]
Paige: I am really glad we’re doing this.
Evan: I know. I’m glad too. Things have been messed up lately, but at least something good came out of it. I got to go on a date with you.
Paige: So how is Ava?
Evan: She is still pondering if she should become keeper. She is considering leaving the hospital and opening a free clinic, so she can do both. (pauses) But do you really want to talk about my sister?
Paige: (smiling) Not really.
(Paige leans in and they kiss, though they are soon interrupted by Phoebe, who sits down at the booth. Paige and Evan stop kissing and Paige glares at Phoebe, who seems oblivious.)
Paige: (under her breath) Speaking of sisters.
Phoebe: Hey. Great band, right? I am so glad I decided to come. How is it going?
Evan: Uh… I am going to go to the bathroom for a minute.
(As Evan walks away, Phoebe checks him out.)
Phoebe: Paige, he is so cute. You are really lucky.
Paige: (annoyed) I was, until you decided to interrupt us.
Phoebe: (shocked) Oh god. I am so sorry. What was I thinking?
Paige: It’s alright.
Phoebe: No, it’s not. I don’t know what I’m even doing here. I forced myself to a night out, but all I did was ruin your date.
Paige: Well, it’s good that you’re getting out again. Perhaps you should start dating again. (points at a cute guy at the bar.) He is cute.
Phoebe: No, it’s way too soon for that. I think I need a break from men for a while. Besides, I still need to settle my divorce.
Paige: I’m not saying you should get involved with anyone. Just a rebound.
Phoebe: (dryly) How do you rebound from a marriage from hell?
(At that moment, Evan comes back and sits back down.)
Phoebe: That is it. I need to leave you guys alone now. Enjoy the rest of your night.
Evan: You don’t need to leave.
Phoebe: Yeah, I do.
(Phoebe says goodbye and leaves the club, while Paige and Evan continue where they left off. The guy Paige pointed at, a handsome man in his early thirties, is sitting at the bar drinking a beer. A redheaded woman sits down next to him and orders a drink.)
Redhead: Hi.
Man: (distracted) Hey.
Redhead: Can I get you a beer?
Man: (flashes his ring) Sorry, I’m married.
(The woman smiles and takes a sip of her drink as she gets it. She starts humming a song and the man turns to her in a trance-like state.)
Man: I’m Alex.
Redhead: Nice to meet you, Alex.
Alex: God, you’re beautiful. Do you want to get out of here?
Redhead: (smiles as she places her hand on his arm.) I thought you’d never ask.
[Time Lapse]
(Alex and the mysterious redhead arrive at his apartment. As they make out, they make their way to the bedroom. The redhead unbuttons his shirt and pushes him down on the bed. She then climbs on top of him.)
Redhead: What would your wife say?
Alex: (confused) Who?
(At that moment, the front door opens and someone comes in. A woman calls out Alex’s name and a moment later, she enters the bedroom. She is shocked to see what is happening.)
Wife: Alex, how could you?
Redhead: He can’t help it, sweetie, he is all mine.
Wife: You bitch, get off him.
(The wife tries to grab the redhead by the arm and drag her away, though the redhead turns around and grabs her by the throat. With one hand, she lifts her up and presses her against the wall. Alex snaps out of his trance. He looks around confused.)
Alex: Melissa, what…?
(The redhead starts humming again and Alex become entranced again. His wife Melissa also grows weak and slips into a trance-like state. The redhead puts her down and moves close to her ear.)
Redhead: (whispering) I want you to watch, feel the pain of his betrayal as he longs for me.
(The redhead moves back to the bed as the wife remains paralyzed. The redhead sits down on Alex and runs her nails over his chest.)
Redhead: Tell me you want me.
Alex: I want you.
Redhead: How much?
Alex: More than anything. I want you so bad.
Redhead: Then kiss me.
(Alex kisses the redhead while his wife cries at the sight. Suddenly smoke begins to ruse from their lips. Alex falls back and the smoke turns into flames as his insides burn until he dies. His wife cries hysterically while the redhead simply gets up and smiles. She then turns to the wife.)
Redhead: You can’t trust men. I learned that the hard way. Now so did you. (pauses) But that is not enough. You need to feel what I felt.
(The redhead walks over to Melissa and lifts her up. She walks toward the window and throws her through it. Her screams sound as she falls down several floors until a loud crash is heard, followed by the alarm of a car. The redhead wipes her lips and leaves.)
-Opening Credits-
[Scene: Halliwell Manor, morning. Phoebe comes down the stairs. She sees Leo lying on the couch, having apparently spent the night there. She drops her bag on the table and clears her throat, causing him to wake up.]
Phoebe: (amused) Rough night?
Leo: (yawning) Something like that.
Phoebe: Did you guys have a fight or something?
Leo: I’m not really up for discussing it right now.
Phoebe: (shrugs) Well, it doesn’t take a psychic to figure it out. Piper is pregnant and hormonal, you’re sleeping down here for the second, maybe third night in a row?
Leo: Not talking about it.
Phoebe: Alright, suit yourself. I got other stuff to do anyway.
Leo: What is going on?
Phoebe: (casually) Oh, nothing. Just got the divorce papers and need Cole to sign them.
Leo: (concerned) Are you expecting trouble? Do you want me to come with you?
Phoebe: No, I think this is something I need to do on my own. Besides, I think that after everything that has happened, Cole now understands that it is over.
Leo: Just be careful. We have no idea what he is capable of. All those demonic powers he took in don’t come without consequence.
Phoebe: I know. I’ll be careful. (She notices Piper coming down the stairs. The tension between her and Leo is obvious.) You deal with your own marriage. Got to go.
(Phoebe waves goodbye to Piper and leaves the manor. Leo reluctantly heads to the kitchen. Piper is making tea. Leo attempts to put his hands on her shoulder, but she walks away.)
Leo: Are we going to talk about this?
Piper: I don’t really see what there is to talk about.
Leo: Piper, we’re married. We’re supposed to be able to discuss stuff like this.
Piper: (annoyed) Leo, you have no idea. I am constantly tired and nauseated. My entire body hurts. I am just not in the mood.
Leo: (sighs) I get that. But you won’t let me touch you at all. You kick me out of the bed.
Piper: Well, you take up too much space. You always roll over to my side and you breathe really loudly.
Leo: This is not about my breathing and you know it. Since the pregnancy, we’ve not been intimate once. You don’t even want me to cuddle you.
Piper: (annoyed) Oh, please, you don’t even like cuddling.
Leo: That is not the point. At least it’s better than nothing. I have needs too, you know.
Piper: Look, I already have to deal with my needs and the needs of these babies you put in me. I really don’t have the time or energy to worry about your needs.
Leo: We’re supposed to be in this together.
Piper: I don’t see you carrying our children.
Leo: That is unfair. I just want to be able to spend some normal time together, like husband and wife.
Piper: A husband is supposed to support his wife, especially at times like this. If you have these needs, take care of it yourself, cause it’s not happening with me any time soon!
Leo: Fine. (pauses) Well, maybe I need some space as well.
(Leo storms off and Piper sighs. She pours herself some tea and sits down at the table. Paige enters, still in her pajamas, and yawns as she sits down.)
Paige: What was that all about?
Piper: Nothing. We’re just having some issues. So how was your date with Evan?
Paige: It was fun, really fun.
Piper: (skeptically) How fun is fun exactly?
Paige: Please, I don’t do that on the first date. We just had a good time and we agreed to see each other again.
Piper: Do you think it could be serious?
Paige: It is way too early to tell for that. I like him, and I like the fact that I don’t have to keep secrets from him, but we’ll see how it goes.
Piper: Good to hear.
Paige: And now I need to go to work.
(Paige grabs an apple from the fruit bowl and heads off.)
[End Scene]
[Scene: A busy street closed off by the police. Several officers are tying yellow tape around a crime scene while forensics are working on a body that crashed into a car. Darryl arrives and heads to the cop in charge.]
Darryl: What do we got?
Cop: Two victims, husband and wife. The wife was thrown from the fifth floor and crashed on the car. She was dead on impact. Seems pretty clear, the husband is a different matter though.
Darryl: What do you mean?
Cop: Forensics can’t figure it out. They say he was literally burned to death from the inside.
Darryl: Any sign of a fire or something else?
Cop: Nothing, the apartment is clean.
Darryl: Any witnesses?
Cop: A neighbor saw the husband come home with a redhead right before it happened. The wife came home a few minutes later. So I’m thinking, the husband was cheating, the wife comes home, obviously furious. She kills him and then throws herself out of the window?
Darryl: Possibly, but what happened to the redhead? And how did she kill him? Things don’t add up. Anything else?
Cop: We found a card in the guy’s coat. Some club downtown. (he hands Darryl a card.) Perhaps he picked up the redhead there.
Darryl: (looks at the card and sees it P3, he sighs.) Of course.
[End Scene]
[Scene: Cole’s penthouse. The elevator doors open and Phoebe steps in. She looks around and sees the place is a mess. She carefully enters.]
Phoebe: Cole?
(There is a rumbling in the bedroom and Cole comes in, unshaven and holding a bottle of whiskey.)
Cole: Phoebe. What a lovely surprise.
Phoebe: Are you drunk?
Cole: (looking at the bottle.) I wish I was. (He throws the bottle on the floor.) Seems I can’t get drunk with all these powers. Guess you can only get drunk on one thing at a time, regret being one of those things.
Phoebe: You look horrible.
Cole: What are you doing here, Phoebe? You were pretty clear last time.
Phoebe: (holds out a file) I have the divorce papers. I need you to sign them, so we can both move on.
Cole: I see, and what if I don’t want to sign?
Phoebe: Please don’t make this any harder, Cole. We both know we have no future.
Cole: Whatever happened is in the past, Phoebe. If we truly love each other, we can move past it.
Phoebe: No, we can’t. I can’t go back, I’m done suffering.
Cole: But I am different now, Phoebe. I am no longer the Source, no longer evil.
Phoebe: (saddened) I saw the look on your face when you attacked Barbas, Cole. You reveled in it. The powers you possess are demonic. It is only a matter of time before you give in again.
Cole: You think that’s what I did? That I gave in? You think I just gave up when the Source possessed me? (He moves closer to her and she backs away) I fought for us, Phoebe, with all my heart.
Phoebe: Then I guess our love just wasn’t strong enough.
Cole: (devastated) So this is it? This is what I came back for?
Phoebe: (tearfully) I wish you had never come back at all. I wish you would have found peace.
Cole: My peace was with you.
Phoebe: Please just sign the papers, Cole. Maybe then we can both find peace somewhere else.
(Phoebe drops the file on the table and walks away. She enters the elevator and shares one last pained look with Cole as the doors close. When she is gone, Cole angrily clenches his fists and a potted plant catches fire.)
[End Scene]
[Scene: P3 in the afternoon. Piper is behind the bar stacking glasses while talking to Darryl. He shows her a picture of Alex.]
Piper: I’m sorry, Darryl. I wasn’t there last night. You can ask my staff.
Darryl: I will, thanks.
Piper: So can you tell me what this is all about? Is it a demonic thing?
Darryl: I certainly hope not. Once in a while, I would actually like to solve a crime without magic being involved.
(At that moment, Phoebe enters the club and heads down the stairs. She sits down at the bar.)
Phoebe: Hi, what is going on?
Darryl: Just following up on a lead in an investigation.
Piper: Phoebe, you were here last night, right?
Phoebe: Yeah, but only for half an hour or so.
Darryl: (holds out the photo) Did you happen to see this guy?
Phoebe: I think I saw him at the bar. Can I see?
(Darryl hands Phoebe the photo and the moment she touches it, she is pulled into premonition. She sees the redhead sitting down next to Alex, then they are in a bedroom and she kisses him. Smoke rising from their lips, followed by a flame. Then the redhead throws a woman out of the window. Phoebe gasps as the premonition ends.)
Piper: What did you see?
Phoebe: A lot of bad stuff.
Darryl: (sighs) So this won’t be a normal case after all.
[End Scene]
[Scene: Halliwell Manor, Piper and Phoebe enter the attic and head straight through the Book of Shadows.]
Piper: So she literally kissed him to death?
Phoebe: Yeah, it was awful. I could sense him literally burning up on the inside.
(Piper starts flipping through the book.)
Phoebe: So what is going on with you and Leo?
Piper: We’re just having a fight. He just doesn’t seem to understand that my body is not feeling very… sensual at the moment. So he gets frustrated, I get annoyed.
Phoebe: Thus he sleeps on the couch. Got it. Look honey, I know this is probably just a phase of the pregnancy, but you can’t ignore your husband.
Piper: I am not ignoring him. We just don’t want the same thing right now. I am not even comfortable in my own skin. I can’t do the whole… you know.
Phoebe: Well, can’t you think of something else instead? So he doesn’t feel completely left out?
Piper: (frowning) Like what?
Phoebe: I don’t know. Some romance, a nice massage, a bubble bath. Something.
Piper: Let’s focus on the important stuff, okay?
Phoebe: Leo is important, sweetie.
Piper: (annoyed) You know what I mean. (looks at the book.) I think I found something. The Siren, a former mortal who was burned to death for committing the ultimate crime, adultery with a married man. She returned as a demon to exact revenge on those happily married. No man can resist her song and her lips will inflict the same fate bestowed upon her.
Phoebe: Hell hath no fury.
Piper: Tell me about it.
Phoebe: What does it say on vanquishing her?
Piper: There is a potion we can brew.
Phoebe: I’ll call Paige and let her know what is going on. (She starts to walk away.)
Piper: Wait, what happened with you and Cole?
Phoebe: I left him the papers. Now all I can do is wait.
(As Phoebe leaves, Piper looks at the page. She grabs her phone and attempts to call Leo, but he is not picking up.)
[Scene: P3 in the evening. Leo is sitting at the bar with a beer. A redheaded woman, the Siren, enters the club and spots him. She smiles and heads down. She sits down next to him and smiles.]
Siren: Drowning your sorrows?
Leo: Something like that.
Siren: Trouble with the wife I assume. Care to talk about it?
Leo: I don’t think that’s a good idea.
(Leo attempts to get up, though the Siren places a hand on his arm and starts humming a song. Leo soon falls under her spell and sits back down.)
Siren: (bitterly) I think marriage is a sham. Humans were not made to be monogamous. Still, an opinion like that is not really appreciated, especially in my time. Have one little affair and you get burned alive. And all the village women thinking I deserved it. How they cheered, those bitches.
Leo: (confused) Who are you?
Siren: (smiling) That is nothing to concern yourself with, handsome. (She placed her hand on his knee and slowly moves it up his leg.) Just relax and tell me all about your problems.
[End Scene]
[Scene: Halliwell Manor. Paige enters through the front door as Piper and Phoebe head down the stairs.]
Paige: Hey, I got the message. A Siren, really?
Phoebe: Is that any stranger of the things we’ve faced so far?
Paige: (shrugs) It just makes you wonder what other mythological beings are out there, I mean what is next, mermaids and leprechauns? (laughs)
Piper: (rolls her eyes) Please, if that happens, I am officially retiring.
Paige: So anyway, got the potion?
Piper: (holds up a small bottle) Right here. Now all we need to do is find her.
Phoebe: Didn’t she pick up the last guy at P3? What if that is her hunting ground?
Piper: It’s worth checking out. Let’s go.
(The sisters grab their coats and leave the manor.)
[End Scene]
[Scene: A hotel room. The Siren opens the door and is followed inside by Leo. She turns on the light while humming her song.]
Siren: Sit down on the bed.
Leo: (as he sits down) Why are you doing this?
Siren: First I was just drawn to you, but finding out you’re the husband of a Charmed One makes you all the more interesting. (She sits down next to him and caresses his face) Now I don’t just get to inflict suffering on your wife, but take down the Power of Three as well.
(She leans in and kisses him. Leo is reluctant, but can’t resist her. As she stops, the Siren smiles.)
Leo: I don’t want this.
Siren: Yes, you do. I can give you what your wife cannot. Just stop resisting and let’s have some fun. Your wife will be here soon.
(The Siren helps Leo out of his jacket and pushes him down on the bed as she starts humming again.)
[End Scene]
[Scene: Outside of P3. The sisters get out of the car and head inside. Piper is last, though before she can enter, she is suddenly distracted by a strange melody. In a trance-like state, she turns around and walks away in the opposite direction.]
[Inside P3, Phoebe and Paige head down the stairs and head to the bar, where a bartender is just serving drinks to a couple of women.]
Phoebe: Hey, Denny.
Denny: Phoebe, hey.
Phoebe: This may sound a bit weird, but did you happen to see a redhead around, hot, but kind-of trashy?
Denny: (thinking) Yeah, that sounds familiar. I don’t know if I should tell you this, but I think she left with your brother-in-law. Is Leo cheating on Piper?
Phoebe: Oh my god. (pauses) I mean, no Leo is not cheating. She is a family friend.
Denny: It definitely looked like they had something going on. They left about an hour ago.
Phoebe: Great, thanks.
(Phoebe and Paige start to walk away)
Phoebe: The Siren has Leo.
Paige: I know, what should we tell Piper? (pauses and looks around) Wait, where is Piper?
[End Scene]
[Scene: The hotel room. Piper opens the door and enters. Leo and the Siren are under the sheets in bed while kissing, he is at least partially naked. Piper is shocked.]
[End Scene]
[Scene: P3. Paige is sitting at a booth while Phoebe is pacing, both are on the phone.]
Phoebe: She is not picking up.
Paige: Neither is he. How are we supposed to find them?
Phoebe: (pauses as she thinks.) You can do it. Try to sense him, you’ve done it before.
Paige: I’m not very good at that.
Phoebe: Just try, Paige, it’s the only way.
[End Scene]
[Scene: The hotel room. Piper silently closes the door. The Siren smiles at her while Leo remains lying with a blank expression.]
Siren: We were waiting for you.
Piper: (angrily) Get the hell off him.
(The Siren gets up and walks over to Piper.)
Siren: Oh honey, he was desperate for it. Of course he would never admit it, being the angel that he is, but deep down all men are the same.
Piper: (upset) Why are you doing this?
Siren: (smiling) Because I can. Now sit down and enjoy the show. Feel the pain of betrayal as he desires only me.
(Piper is forced to sit down in a chair as the Siren heads back to the bed and climbs in. She places a hand on Leo’s chest and hums her song.)
Siren: Tell me you want me.
Leo: (in trance) I want you.
Siren: Tell me how much you want me.
Leo: More than I can say.
Siren: (smiling as she glares at Piper, who is crying.) Tell me I am the only one you desire.
Leo: You’re the o… (he looks at his wife and becomes conflicted.) I… No.
Siren: (shocked) What? That is impossible. (She grabs Leo by the jaw and forces him to look at her.) No man can resist me.
(The Siren starts to kiss Leo and smoke begins to rise between their lips. At that moment, Paige and Phoebe arrive in the hotel room in a swirl of orbs.)
Paige: (holding out her hand to a lamp) Lamp!
(She points her hand at the Siren and the lamp flies at her surrounded by orbs. The lamp hits the Siren in the head and she falls off the bed. Both Piper and Leo snap out of their trance completely and Piper stands up.)
Siren: (as she gets up) You think that hurt?
Piper: No, but this will, you skank!
(Piper throws the potion and hits the Siren in the chest. She screams as she turns to stone and then crumbles into dust. Leo jumps out of bed and runs over to his wife, dressed in just his boxers. He embraces her.)
Leo: (worried) Are you okay?
Piper: I’m fine. Are you?
Leo: Yeah, she was stopped just in time. A second later and it would have been too late.
Paige: (clears her throat) Uh great. So how about getting dressed?
(Leo frowns and looks down. An embarrassed smile appears on his lips as the sisters laugh.)
[End Scene]
[Scene: Halliwell Manor, the next morning. Piper wakes up and turns around to find Leo staring at her. They sit up.]
Piper: How are you feeling?
Leo: I’m fine. Ashamed mostly.
Piper: It was not your fault. No man could resist her song.
Leo: I know, but with everything going on between us, I can’t help but wonder if there is some part of me that did not resist as much as it should.
Piper: You did when it mattered. You were strong enough to say no to her.
Leo: (smiling) Well, despite her spell, she could not get me to lie about my desires. You are the only woman I want.
Piper: Even after everything? I wasn’t exactly fair, kicking you out like I did.
Leo: I shouldn’t have pushed.
Piper: (shakes her head) No, you deserve attention as well. Just because I am not feeling very sexy, doesn’t mean we should forsake all romance. I don’t want to be like that.
Leo: You mean that?
Piper: Of course. Why don’t I go make us some breakfast on bed. We can stay in, maybe fill up a bubble bath later.
Leo: That sounds amazing.
(Piper smiles and kisses him before getting out of bed and heading downstairs.)
[End Scene]
[Scene: Cole’s Penthouse. The elevator doors open and Phoebe steps out. She calls out for Cole but there is no response. She looks around and finds the divorce papers on the table, signed. As she looks at them, she is emotional for a moment, but then smiles.]
Phoebe: (whispering) Thank you, Cole.
[End Scene]
End Episode.