Something Wicca This Way Can't Come...Or Can It?
The small box slipped from the young woman's grip, bounced off of the two-foot high wall that separated the street from the boutique Beverly Hills hotel's small parking lot, and fell to the sidewalk, getting Stuart's attention as it landed.
It was a typically pleasant mid-May afternoon in Los Angeles in the spring of 2000. Stuart had decided to enjoy the fifteen minute walk to the tony Rodeo Drive shop rather than drive from the hotel where he was staying. He was, after all, on vacation, having flown in from New York the previous morning. So now he found himself only a few paces behind the young woman. He quickly caught up to her and retrieved the box.
"Thank you," she smiled as she turned to him.
"You're welcome," he smiled back, returning the box to her. As he did, he stared at the young woman.
"You...you're Phoebe - aren't you?" he asked in surprise.
"Yes," she chuckled. "Actually, Alyssa Milano."
"Of course," he said, a bit embarrassed. "I just think of you as Phoebe. I watch Charmed every week. I must tell you that it's the best program on television. Well, that isn't saying much as most of what's on isn't all that good. But Charmed is wonderful in absolute, not relative, terms."
"Thank you," she said. "That's nice of you to say that."
"Oh, uh...my name is Stuart...uh...Stuart Weston," he said, a bit nervously as the realization of who he was speaking to hit him. He paused for a second and took a deep breath.
"Charmed is well acted and well written," he said, more calmly. "It portrays real emotions with realistic affects and consequences. And it brings out real emotions in me as I watch it."
"We try to keep it realistic. As much as a show about witches can be," she replied with a slight smile.
"The first two seasons were terrific," Stuart said. "I'm really happy to see that you've been renewed for a third season."
"So am I," Alyssa said, her smile broadening.
"All three of you are great," he added. "But I do have a special leaning towards Phoebe. I'm not sure I can put into words as to just why."
"Thank you," she said. "I'm glad you like my role."
"Well, I'm sure you have more important things to do than talk to a fan," Stuart said, "so I won't keep you. It was a real privilege to meet you."
"It's always nice to talk to someone who likes the show," Alyssa said. "And thanks again for picking up the box".
"My pleasure," he said. "Have a good day and best of luck with Charmed."
"Thanks. And keep watching it," she added, smiling again.
Alyssa turned and began to walk away but Stuart just stood there watching her. Wow, he thought, I actually met Alyssa Milano. And I can see that she really is as nice in real life as I thought she was. I should have asked her for her autograph.
The screeching tires interrupted Stuart's thoughts. He turned to his left and saw the car tearing up the cross street and heading straight for Alyssa. She was less than a dozen feet in front of him and he started to run towards her.
Now Alyssa turned and saw the black car headed right at her. Before she could react, Stuart threw his arms around her and pushed her forward, falling to the ground and rolling over her. He thought they should have been to the left of the car and clear of it but he sensed the car pull leftwards after them. He pulled her over him and rolled her again further left. As he did, Alyssa instinctively reacted by throwing her arms around him to hold on. The car hit the small wall, shattering part of it, and came to a halt.
"Ahhh," Stuart moaned from the contact of the sidewalk with his forehead. The left corner of it was scraped, a little blood flowing from it.
Alyssa slowly lifted her head and looked at the front wheel of the car which was no more than a foot to their right.
"You...you saved my life," she said. "That was coming right at me...you jumped in front of it and saved my life."
"I wouldn't let you get hurt," he said, grimacing slightly. "But who's in the car? Do you see the driver?"
It caught Alyssa's eye before she could reply. Bright yellow, it was the shape of a medicine caplet only much larger - about one foot long and half as much in its width. It's edges weren't sharp but rather fuzzy. And it was heading straight for them.
"What the-" she started to say as it made contact and engulfed her body in a yellow light. Her arms were still around Stuart and the light spread to cloak him in it, too. For the next ten seconds, all either of them could see was the yellow light all around them. And then it was gone.
"What was that??" Alyssa asked and turned to look around her. "The car! Where's the car?" She pulled herself half off of Stuart allowing him to prop himself up. As he did, he saw that the car was gone.
"The wall," he said. "This is not the wall from the parking lot. That one was smooth. This is...this wall is made of stone!" Alyssa stood up and Stuart quickly did, too.
"Where are we?" she asked, confusion in her voice as they both looked around. There was no hotel, no parking lot. Behind the low stone wall was a stately looking older house, set back from and a bit above the street.
"We're not in Beverly Hills, anymore," Stuart said. "We're not even in Los Angeles." He looked off to the distance and saw landscape he recognized.
"We're in San Francisco."
"San Francisco? That's impossible!" Alyssa said. "We can't suddenly go from LA to... to someplace else."
"Somehow, Alyssa, we did," Stuart said. "You can see the top of Coit Tower over there. We are...in San Francisco."
"Alyssa!" a voice shouted.
Stuart and Alyssa turned around and saw Charmed's other two stars hurrying down the block towards them.
"What is going on here!?" Shannen asked.
"I was at the ranch when suddenly this yellow light surrounded me," said Holly. "And the next thing I knew I was standing here."
"And I was walking out of the Polo Lounge...and the same thing happened," added Shannen.
"I was almost run over by a car," Alyssa said, "and-".
"What?" interjected Shannen.
"And Stuart saved me," Alyssa continued. "And then a yellow light surrounded us...and suddenly we're here. Oh," Alyssa said, turning to Stuart. "uh...Stuart, this is Holly Combs and Shannen Doherty."
"Yes, I recognize you," Stuart said. "Piper and Prue. I always watch Charmed."
"Uh - hello," they said.
"What do you mean you were almost run over and what is going on here?" Shannen asked in one breath.
"And where are we?" Holly demanded, looking around.
"We're in San Francisco, despite how impossible that would seem to be," Stuart answered and turned back to the house. "This house. It's familiar...I've seen it somewhere." He stopped for a second and exhaled. "Phew! It's from Charmed. It's...your manor. The Halliwell Manor."
"What?" exclaimed Shannen.
"He's right," Alyssa said. "This is the house."
"We only use it for exterior shots," said Holly. "We've never been inside it. In fact, that house isn't even in San Francisco."
"Well, it is now," said Stuart, "along with us. And along with the rest of the block, from the looks of it."
The SUV pulled out of the next driveway and slowed down as it approached them.
"Hi Piper," the driver said as he waved.
"Greg??" asked Holly.
"Who?" he replied. "It's me, Dan." He brought the SUV to a stop in front of them. "Piper, are you OK?"
"Huh?" is all she could manage to say.
"Look, I'm late for an appointment. I'll stop in later when I get back." He gave it gas and drove off.
"Uh...what just happened?" Holly asked, to no one in particular.
"Hi, Ms. Halliwell," the mailman said as he walked past them. They hadn't noticed him coming and he startled Holly.
"Just left you a package by your door," he said. "You said it was OK to do that when no one's home."
The three women stared at him as he continued down the block.
"I'm dreaming," said Holly, "tell me I'm dreaming."
"Dreams are not this precise with so much detail," Stuart answered. "And time skips around in dreams. Everything here is happening in real time. And if it was a dream, we'd all have to be having the same exact one simultaneously."
"Now what?" Alyssa asked.
"The house," Stuart answered. "We have to go up to the house. We were put here in front of it. And it is The Charmed Ones' Manor."
"We don't even know the people who live there," she said.
"Well, as you said in Astral Monkey, 'let's introduce ourselves'. Come on Alyssa." Stuart started up the steps. Alyssa tilted her head, made an expression with her eyes and went up right behind him. Shannen and Holly looked at each other, shrugged, and for lack of a better idea, followed.
"Let's see the name of the family," said Alyssa as she looked at the doorbell. "No - this can't be. It says 'The Halliwells'." She took a deep breath and pressed the bell. They could hear it faintly ring inside but no one answered. She rang it again.
"No one will answer," Stuart finally said, "because you're all out here."
"No," said Shannen, "this is not our house, we don't live here. The Manor on Charmed is not real."
"The mailman said there was no one home when he left the package," Stuart calmly replied as he picked it up. "And if you stay out here, no one will be."
"What!?" said Holly. "You want us to go in? To break in-"
"No," Stuart said. "With a key." He thought for a second. "Look in your pocketbook," he said.
"For what?" Holly replied.
"For the key," Stuart said
"What are you talking about-" Holly started to say.
"Just look," Stuart said firmly. Holly opened her pocketbook and stuck her hand inside.
"There's not going to be-" She stopped in mid-sentence as her hand brought forth a key ring. "That's not mine. I've never seen it before. Where did this come from?"
"Try it," Stuart said.
Holly looked at the others and slowly approached the door. She put one of the keys in the lock and turned it. The door opened.
"I don't believe this," she said. Slowly they walked into the foyer.
"Hello. Is anyone here? Hello?" Alyssa called out.
"This is too much," Shannen said as she walked into the living room. "This is a duplicate of our set. Only...it's real." She turned to look at the back side of the wall. "The walls are all real...on both sides. And there's a real ceiling."
"On the wall by the staircase," said Alyssa as she
walked past Shannen.
"The picture of 'Grams'," Stuart said. "I...think we'd better check upstairs
in the attic and see what's there."
"Why?” asked Holly. “What’s in someone we don’t know’s
attic that would explain any of this?"
"I have my suspicion,” Stuart said, putting down the
package on a chair. “Would you please?"
Holly walked over to the staircase and looked up.
"The staircase...is real, too," she said uneasily
and gave Shannen a look. She slowly
started up the stairs as the others looked around in amazement.
"I'm going to call my home," said Shannen. "I know someone should be dropping by
now.” Shannen pulled out a cell phone
from her pocketbook. "What's
this? This is not my cell phone. This is..."
"Like the one you use on Charmed," Stuart said.
"Yes...it is,” Shannen said with a confused look and
dialed her number. "What!? Let me dial it again." She did and they could see she got the same
response. "I got a recording that
this is not a working number,” she said.
"Phew!" said Alyssa.
"I'm going to call my agent," Shannen said.
"He'll get to the bottom of this."
She dialed the number.
"This is Shannen Doherty.
Let me speak to David Adamson.
"Shannen Doherty!" she repeated firmly, annoyance
in her voice.
"SHANNEN DOHERTY!!!" she shouted.
"No, I am not a new actress. I've been represented by ICM for-" Shannen was visibly shaken when after a
minute she took the cell phone from her ear, gave it a funny look and closed
it.
"She...hung up on me,” Shannen said. “She said she never heard of me and that
they were not interested in un-established aspiring actresses. I don't believe this!"
"Do you want to try believing this?" Holly asked. She had down from the attic and
was standing at the bottom of the staircase, a look of bewilderment on her
face, a big, thick, oversized book in her hands. She held the book up for everyone to see the cover.
"The Book of Shadows!" Alyssa said.
"And it's not empty," Holly said. "I opened
it. It's completely filled in. With...exactly what The Book of Shadows
would have...if it existed."
"This is a joke.
It's an elaborate joke that someone is pulling on us," Shannen
said.
"I don't think so," Stuart replied. "This would have to be some joke with
half the world in on it. Greg, the mailman, your agent, the telephone company,
this whole house set up this way. A
real Book of Shadows. No, I don't think
so. And jokes can't transport people
suddenly from LA to San Francisco."
"Then how do you explain it?" Shannen
asked.
"I can't explain how or why," he said. "But I
can tell you what I think happened.
"Some demon or some other evil sent those yellow lights
to bring you here. Somehow, in doing
that, you became real. That is, the
Charmed Ones became real. But whoever did it is afraid of the Power of Three so
they tried to kill you Alyssa, so that when you'd arrive here you'd be
dead."
"You're saying that car purposely tried to run me
over?" Alyssa asked.
"It swerved towards you even after I pushed you away
from it," Stuart said. "Maybe whatever they did to get you here had
to be done for all three of you. Maybe
they couldn't change that so they had to try to kill you before that yellow
light reached you."
"Demons?" Shannen asked. "This is the real world.
This is not a Charmed episode.
Demons...they don't try to kill us.
We're not witches. That's only on the show."
"Do you have a better explanation for what's
happened?" Stuart asked. "Not the 'why', just the 'what'?"
"Whoever is doing the 'what' forgot that we're
Hollywood actors," Holly said, putting down the Book of Shadows on the
coffee table. "We know all about making illusions seem real. Especially Charmed
illusions.
"There has to be...some normal explanation," she
continued. "We just have to think
calmly and we'll figure it out. And we'll also figure out who's behind
it."
"Normal explanation?" Stuart asked, and
shook his head. "We have to accept the facts whether we like them or
not."
"Facts?" Shannen asked. "What facts?"
"Fact," Stuart said, emphatically.
"We're here, in San Francisco, when just a few minutes ago we were in
LA. Fact - we're in the
Halliwell Manor for which Holly had the key."
"Someone could have slipped it into my purse,"
Holly said.
"Think so?" Stuart asked. "Let's see. Shannen, wave your hand
towards the vase on the table."
"What?" Shannen asked.
"Go ahead," he said, "try to move it."
Shannen looked at the others. "OK. There,"
she said, casually waving her hand.
Nothing happened.
"No," Stuart said. "Concentrate on moving it, and control your hand more. Just as Prue would do on Charmed."
Shannen gave Stuart a look, then turned back to the
vase. "Concentrate, huh?" she
said. Staring at it, she waved her hand, this time more slowly. The vase started to move along the table.
"I don't believe this!" she said, staring at it.
"Don't stop," Stuart said. "Keep moving it." Shannen waved her hand again and the vase
resumed its travel. "Try bringing
it back. Hold your hand the way Prue
would." Shannen pointed her hand
past the vase then moved her hand towards herself. The vase moved back as well.
"This is rigged," she said. "It's hooked up somehow and someone is
moving it."
"Really?" he said. "Then let's try something
else. Holly, come here and check me out
for any wires or anything else attached to me."
Holly glanced at Shannen then walked over to him. She felt around his chest and arms. "Nothing there," she said.
"OK Shannen," he said, "concentrate and wave
your hand at me." Shannen
hesitated. "Go ahead," he
insisted, "try it."
Shannen looked straight at him and briskly waved her
hand. Stuart went flying across the
room, hit the wall hard and fell to the floor.
"Arghhh!!" he moaned, grimacing. Shannen and Holly stood there, staring in
disbelief but Alyssa ran to him.
"Are you OK?" she asked, kneeling beside him.
"Arghhh! I
guess so," he said as she took his hand.
"Ohh!!"
Alyssa suddenly stopped, her eyes staring ahead, her mouth open.
"Alyssa, what is it?" Shannen worriedly asked.
"I...I saw something.
I saw...me," Alyssa said.
"A premonition," Stuart said.
"A what?" said Holly.
"Tell us what you saw," Stuart said
"I saw...I was standing by a wall," Alyssa said,
"and as I turned, someone...came charging at me with a dagger. And then you jumped in front of me..."
she turned to Stuart, "and...he stabbed you with it."
"Were you hurt?"
Stuart asked after a few seconds of silence.
"No...I don't think so," Alyssa said. "But
you..."
"As long as you weren't hurt," he said. "I
won't let anyone hurt you, no matter what."
"This is all too much," Holly said as Alyssa
helped Stuart to his feet. "We're
mature people. We know this just...can't really be happening."
"But it is," Stuart replied.
"You know, you don't seem to have any problem accepting
any of this," Shannen said to him.
"Moving objects, premonitions, this house. You seem to know just what to expect next.
"Just who are you? What's your connection to all of this? Maybe you're a demon or a warlock yourself," she added
mockingly.
"You can always prick my finger and see if I
bleed," he replied.
"That's the best suggestion I've heard since we came
here," Shannen said. Her glaring
look told Stuart that Shannen would have liked to do a lot more to him than
just prick his finger.
"Look - I'm just a plain person," Stuart said.
"Nothing more. I don't know how or
why this is all happening. I'm here by
accident. Alyssa was holding on to me
when the yellow light hit her so I got brought along, too. I didn't make it happen.”
Stuart saw from the look on Shannen’s face that she didn’t
believe a word he was saying.
"Yes, I can accept it, more easily than
you," he admitted. "Because I've seen you - I’ve seen Charmed
- from a different perspective. You've
seen it as snippets of dialogue and action in one or two minute scenes, acted
on a set and shot out of sequence.
“But I've seen it as a single, connected entity,” he
continued. “You, your powers, the house
and the demons in realistic, complete storylines. So, except for my being a part of all of this, I'm not surprised
by your powers, nor what's in the house.
Because what I'm seeing here isn't any different from what I've seen
before - each week, for two years, on Charmed. Within this context, its all
perfectly logical and plausible.
Even...if it should be quite impossible.
"And I've been in a situation before that I couldn't
explain. Not on this scale, but
something that was also quite impossible, could not happen - but did. I couldn't understand at the time how or why
- I still don't. But I nonetheless
accepted it. Because it did
happen - and denying it wouldn't change that."
"Well, I don't accept it," Holly said
defiantly. "I suppose you'll tell
me that now I can freeze people."
"Why don't you try it?" he said to her. "Go
ahead, raise your hand, the way Piper does." Stuart saw the angry expression on Holly's face. Suddenly, it changed to one of shock. And now she was standing by the chair
instead of by the sofa.
"You tried it, didn't you," he said. "And it worked. You froze me."
Alyssa nodded.
Holly closed her eyes.
"This can't be," she said. "This just...can't be."
"You think I made believe?" Stuart asked. "I couldn't -"
Meowww.
Holly looked down.
"Kit?" she asked with disbelief as the small, light beige
colored cat came into the room. Alyssa
bent down and picked her up. She
fingered the medallion on her collar, then turned it over for everyone to see.
"The Triquetra," Shannen said.
"She's real, right Alyssa?" Stuart asked.
"Real Kit?" Alyssa asked. “I don’t -“
"Real cat," he said, smiling. "Go ahead Holly. Freeze the cat."
Alyssa put her down on the table and the cat started walking
towards the edge. Holly looked at
Shannen and raised her hand.
"I...I have to sit down," Holly said, looking ill.
"Uh...uh...do...something," Shannen said, looking
at Stuart and the cat, both frozen.
Holly looked at them and with a pained expression, raised
her hand again.
Stuart saw that suddenly Holly was sitting.
"Convinced?" he asked her, realizing that it had worked.
"So what are you saying...that we've been transformed
into...witches?" Shannen
asked. "That I'm not myself
anymore? That I'm a role that's come to
life?"
"Everything that is here, everything that we've seen,
is exactly as it would be if Charmed was real," Stuart answered. “Which...is
what it now obviously is.”
"You can't tell me that I'm...I'm...Piper
Halliwell. That I'm locked into
some...some...make-believe world," Holly said.
"This doesn't look make-believe," Alyssa said.
"No, I don't think it is. It's the real world, just...somehow changed," Stuart said.
"No," Shannen said. "This...can't really be happening. It's impossible and I won't accept it.
"The longer you refuse to accept it," Stuart said,
"the longer it will take to figure out what to do. Don't waste your efforts, your ideas, your
time on fighting what are facts. You
are here, you have powers. You are
The Halliwell sisters."
Holly closed her eyes and shook her head.
"Didn't you ever see one of those TV shows,"
Stuart continued, "where someone is left in the middle of nowhere and has
to figure out how to survive? But he
doesn't know anything about the surroundings, doesn't even know where he
is. And he has no one to help him. He has to start from scratch on his own.
"You have to survive here but you don't have to start
from scratch. You know where you
are. You have lives that exist here,
you have friends and people that know you here. And you have each other.
You have to accept the fact that you are here, even if it seems
impossible, even if we don't understand how.
"You can't afford to keep fighting the reality. You - we - have to use everything
that's here to survive - and to help us find a way back."
For a moment everyone was quiet.
"You're right," Alyssa said breaking the
silence. "Denying what has
happened won't help us figure out what to do.
We have to accept the reality even though we can't understand it."
"And just what are we supposed to do?" Holly asked.
"Get as much information as you can from people you see
in your normal routine," Stuart answered, "so maybe we can figure out
the 'why'."
"What routine?" Holly asked. "We don't have a
routine here."
"Yes, you do," he said. "You have a club,
P3. Go over to it and see what's going
on. You probably should be there now,
anyway."
"Club?" Holy asked. "Ah...club...where is
this club supposed to be? The one on
Charmed is a set on a sound stage.”
"It'll be real here," Stuart said. "Look in
your pocketbook. You probably have
something with the club's address on it."
Holly gave him a disdainful look but opened her pocketbook
and looked through its contents. "I've never seen this before," she
said, as she pulled out a card.
"P3," Alyssa read as she took it from
her. "Fillmore at Greenwich. Classy card."
"Fillmore...that's in Pacific Heights, near the Marina
District," Stuart said. "Nice
neighborhood. Good location."
"And how do I get there?" Holly asked.
"Your car," Stuart answered. "You have a car, remember?"
"I have a car but it's back at my ranch," Holly
said, annoyed.
"You have a car here, too," he said. "Your
key ring? The one with The Manor's key
on it?"
Holly pulled out the key ring and selected a car key from
it.
"I'll show you on a map how to get there," Stuart
told her.
"And who will I talk to there?" she asked.
"Everyone you know on Charmed will eventually show
up," he replied. "Just as Dan did."
Ding-dong
"Right on cue," Stuart noted curiously.
“Hmm...even Charmed’s scene cues have become real.”
The girls looked at each other. Shannen nodded her head at
Holly and she went slowly to the door.
“Dorian!!?"
Holly said in surprise, as she cautiously opened it.
"It’s Darryl," he said, giving her a funny
look. "Piper, are you OK?"
"Everyone seems to be asking me that today," she
said. "Uh, come in Dor...Darryl."
"Stuart, this is Inspector Darryl Morris of the San
Francisco Police," Alyssa said, accepting, for the moment, what was
happening.
"Pleased to meet you," Stuart said, extending his
hand.
"Likewise," Morris said. "I have to talk to the three of you."
"It's OK, Darryl," Alyssa said. "You can talk in front of Stuart. He's a close friend."
Morris gave him a once over look then turned to the
women.
"There's been a murder,” Morris said. “A young girl near the Ferry Building. There were strange symbols on her body and
on the ground around her." He
pulled a photograph from his pocket.
"A pentagram," Shannen said, recognizing it from
Charmed.
"One of the people we interviewed at the scene thought
it was some supernatural sign," Morris said. "And I know that if
there's something strange going on I'd better see you about it."
"And what do you want us to do?" Shannen asked.
"Come down with me to the scene. Look at these symbols and their position
relative to the body. See if there's anything you can tell me that would
help."
"I think that's a good idea," Stuart said. "Maybe you can help Inspector Morris
and we can discuss it afterwards, when Piper gets back from the Club."
Shannen gave Stuart a look and was about to say something
but Alyssa cut her off.
"Go ahead...Prue," Alyssa said, "and
see what's there. Stuart and I will
check on some things here."
Shannen looked at Alyssa and Holly. "OK," she said reluctantly,
thinking that it might be best to see how it would play out. "We'll meet back here in three
hours."
"Even though I think I accept it, it’s still a
lot to accept," Alyssa said, after they left. "If I've really become Phoebe, and really have powers, and
there really is a demon trying to kill me..." She shivered.
"That must have been a demon that you saw in your
premonition," Stuart said.
"I think I'd better have a look at The Book of
Shadows," she said opening it. "It's...blurry."
"You need your reading glasses," he said to her.
"I don't wear glasses," Alyssa protested.
"But Phoebe does," he replied.
"Those aren't real," Alyssa said. "They're
just plain glass props."
"If you’ve really become Phoebe, then you have her
eyesight, too," he said. "And the glasses will be real. See if they're in your pocketbook."
Alyssa picked it up from the table and looked through
it. She pulled out a pair of glasses
and put them on, then looked at the open page.
"You're right.
I can read it now." She
walked over and looked at herself in the mirror.
"Phoebe Halliwell.
This is what people see every week.
And now, I'm really her."
She stood there silently for a moment.
"It's frightening," she said, "to suddenly become someone
else."
"At least you know who that someone else is," he
said. "And you have an existence here that you're familiar with. I
don't. I called my number at work. Or where I did work, because no one
by that name works there. And my home
telephone number belongs to an aerobics center. And my bank has no record of my account nor of my credit card.
"I may have been confident about you being The Charmed
Ones. I could place you, see you fit in
as real here. But I...I'm here by
accident. I don't seem to exist. I have no money, no home. I don't even have any other clothes to
wear. I don't know what's going to
happen to me here."
"You saved my life," Alyssa said. "You're
staying with us. Whatever happens will
happen to all of us."
She took his hand and flashed a smile. "The four of us are in this
together."
"At least we have some leftovers in the fridge,"
Alyssa said as they sat down at the table in the kitchen that evening.
"Good. I'm
starved," Shannen said.
"I called my mother," Alyssa said.
"And?" Piper asked, anxiously.
"I called her cell phone, I called her other
numbers," Alyssa said and shook
her head. "Other people answered. They never heard of my mother. Then I
called my father, my brother...
"They're...all gone."
"They're not gone," Stuart said, trying to
re-assure her. "They're OK. They're just not in LA. They're wherever they
would have been had they not had a daughter who was an actress.
“Just like, uh, what’s his name...Siegel, right? Your agent at Endeavor," Stuart continued.
"He didn’t know who you were when you called and spoke to him. But nothing
had happened to him. He was fine.
“The same is true with your family. Nothing’s happened to
them. Whatever has happened...has happened to you.”
Alyssa was silent for a moment, lost in thought. Then she
took a deep breath and sighed.
"What happened at the Club?" she asked Holly.
“The bartender and some of the waitresses were there but not
many customers," Holly replied. "They told me that’s usually how it
is that early on a Wednesday evening.
“And they all knew that I was...that is, they all thought
that I was Piper.
"I didn't find out much other than that the Club is
doing well,” Holly continued. “I found the Club’s books on my...uh, the owner's
desk.
"Oh, and that The Cranberries are playing there
tomorrow night.”
"That makes sense," Alyssa said. "They did a Charmed episode."
"And I made five phone calls to LA,” Holly
continued. "No one, not even the
telephone company, ever heard of me. Not Holly Combs...and...not..." Holly hesitated.
"Not...as Piper Halliwell.” She exhaled. "I
asked," she reluctantly admitted.
"Then I called anyone I could think of at
Spelling," she continued, "at Paramount, at the network....I even
called Shawn Papazian at the studio."
"Who’s that?" Stuart asked.
"He’s the General Manager of Ray-Art Studios where
Charmed is shot," Holly said.
"I tried reminding him about what happened that time his dog
started licking me. But it was the same story.
Holly Combs just...doesn't exist." She sighed. "I don't exist."
"Yes, you do exist," Alyssa said, taking Holly's
hand. "You're right here with
me."
"That's not much comfort," Holly said,
glumly. "You don't exist,
either."
"How about you Shannen?" Alyssa asked.
"She was twenty-three years old," Shannen said.
"I didn't see her...her body, but I saw the scene marked up. This is a lot harder in real life than it is
on Charmed, I can tell you that.
"There were four pentagrams on the sidewalk all around
where her body had been. But they were
inverted."
"Didn't you once say on an episode that the inverted
pentagram was taken by evil demons as their own?" Stuart asked Alyssa.
She thought for a moment.
"Yes, that's right,” she said. “At least that's what the script
said. They try to be accurate about
things like that so it must be right."
"Which means that this is the work of some demon,"
Stuart said.
"Or just some deranged person who maybe saw that
episode and wants everyone to think he's a demon," Shannen said.
"You still won't accept what's happened, that Prue's
become real - and that you're her?" Stuart asked.
"No," Shannen said, "I don't believe any of
this. Do you hear that, whoever's
behind all of this? You will not convince me that I've - that the three of
us have been...pulled into a Charmed episode."
"No," Stuart said, shaking his head, "you
haven't been." He paused for a
second.
"The Charmed episode has
been pulled into you." he said. "More precisely, the Charmed
episode has become part of the real world...it is the real world."
"Charmed has directors and cameramen," Shannen
said. "They make it look as if we have powers but we don't. What we do have are special effects
people. And no matter how it looks when
you see it on television, its all made up. It's just scenes, shot separately,
and edited to look realistic. But there is no Manor, no Halliwells, no Charmed
witches with a Power of Three. None of it is real. And neither is any of this."
"Hmm...that makes a lot of sense," Stuart
said. "But...there's just one
problem." He paused for dramatic
effect.
"The writers aren't here,” he said, “the directors
aren't here and the cameramen aren't here. But you are here. And so are
your powers.
"Oh, and the special effects people aren't here either.
"Unless...that's it!" Stuart exclaimed, snapping
his fingers. "They're invisible. The special effects people are invisible.
It's inconceivable that reality can be changed and that you can be transformed
into a witch. But it's perfectly logical that the special effects people can be
made invisible.
"Hmm...invisible special effects for the special
effects people. How fitting," he added.
"Perhaps it's the writers who are invisible,"
Shannen said sarcastically, "and they're feeding you what you think is
cute dialogue."
She shook her head slowly.
"This is all preposterous," Shannen said.
"And impossible."
"You're right," Alyssa said. "It's preposterous
that you can move things by waving your hand. And it's preposterous that
Holly can freeze people, and that I can have premonitions.
"But what's impossible is denying that this has
happened to us” she added. “And that we're really here."
"Why are you so eager to accept all of this?"
Shannen asked, a fierce resistance showing in her eyes. "Why are you so
willing to believe this absurdity that you really are your Phoebe Halliwell
character? That you're no longer yourself."
"I don't want to be anyone except Alyssa Milano,"
she answered. "I want to go home, I want to be with my family...I want to
be myself. But I won't put on blinders and deny that what's happened to
me - what's happened to all of us - hasn't happened,” Alyssa continued. “No
matter how much I don't want this, nothing about me is the same as it
was this morning. What I accept...is that I can't undo it."
"How can the San Francisco Police Department suddenly
think that it has an inspector named Daryl Morris?" Holly asked.
"How can Brad Kern suddenly forget that he has a
star named Holly Combs?" Stuart asked rhetorically. "It's the same
thing, just like the people on the block think that The Manor, and you, belong
here. I don't understand the power that brought us here. But I do
understand that it is very strong. Strong enough to change the world and alter
how people think.
"Make no mistake about it. This is not some fantasy Charmed
World you've been put into. This is the real world. The same
real world that we've always been in. Only Charmed has just been made a real
part of it.
"Look around you," Stuart continued. "This
isn't something make-believe re-created on a set. The city, the country...the whole world. This is all real, it’s the same
world that existed before. Nothing has changed. Except for what affects Shannen
Doherty. Except for what's related to
all of you being the Halliwell sisters. To that extent, the real world has
changed. And you are at the heart of that change."
"No,” Shannen said, shaking her head, “I won't accept
that. I can't. Actresses’ roles don’t suddenly come to
life. And fictional characters in a TV series can’t become real.
“And tomorrow, I'm going to take a plane back to LA. And I'll find a way somehow to straighten
this out back there."
"Maybe not," Alyssa said. "You had a call while you were out with
Morris. Or rather, Prue had a
call."
"A call?" Shannen asked. "From whom??"
"Four One Five Magazine," Alyssa replied.
"What?" Shannen said. "That..that
isn't a real magazine."
"It is now," Alyssa continued. "I checked their number and called them
back. They really exist. And...last
month's issue was in the parlor."
She picked it up from the table and handed it to Shannen. "There are a couple of pictures in
there credited to Prue Halliwell.
"The girl who called,” Alyssa continued, “said that the
time and place of tomorrow's shoot have changed. It's at one-thirty at The Stanford Court."
"Who am I...who is Prue supposed to be
shooting?" Shannen asked.
"Tori Spelling," Alyssa answered. "And I checked with the hotel. I said I was from the magazine and had to
verify something about the shoot. She is
staying there."
"Good," Shannen said. "Tori will help me
straighten this out."
"Check over your cameras tonight," Stuart
said. "Make sure they're in order."
"Cameras? I'm
not going to take any pictures," Shannen said. "I'm just going to see
Tori and then together we'll get to the bottom of this."
"I don't think they'll let you in without your
equipment," Stuart said. "And if you turn out to be Prue, you'll look
a bit foolish coming to a shoot without a camera."
"Stuart's right," Alyssa said. "With everything that's happened, you
should be prepared...in case you have to be Prue."
"I don't have to be Prue," she replied, unfazed.
"I'm me, Shannen Doherty, and Tori will make that clear to everyone."
"OK," Stuart said. "Just be careful while you're there that you don't wave your
hand at anything - or at Tori."
That made Shannen pause. After a moment she looked at
Alyssa.
"Your equipment...Prue's equipment, is up in her
bedroom," Alyssa said, gently. "I found it before while Stuart and I
were going through the house." She
nodded slightly to Shannen, indicating she should take it.
Shannen hesitated. "I'll...take a look at it," she
finally said, reluctantly.
Alyssa got up and went over to the sink and Stuart joined
her.
"I'll be sleeping right outside your room
tonight," he told her. "Just
in case."
"In case of what?"
"Demons tried to kill you today," he said.
"And you had a premonition that they would try again. I'm not letting you out of my sight."
"And...if a demon comes, what are you going to
do?" she asked.
"Stop him," he said. "Or at least make enough
noise trying to that you'll have a warning.
I'm a light sleeper so if anyone even approaches your room I'll wake
up."
"You don't have to do that," she said.
"We don't really know yet if...I really do have premonitions. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"I
won't worry, or at least I'll worry less - because I'll be blocking your
door," he said.
Alyssa saw that he was serious. "I'll try not to step on you if I have to, uh, go to the
bathroom during the night," she said, smiling.
Shannen strode through the lobby of the hotel to the Front
Desk, her camera bag slung over her shoulder. Despite her determination to be
herself, she listened to Alyssa and brought along the equipment.
"I'm here to see Tori Spelling. She's expecting me," she said to the
young girl behind the desk.
"Just a moment," the girl said as she picked up
the telephone to dial the room.
"Your name please?"
"Shannen Doherty."
"Hello, this is Michelle at the Front Desk. Shannen Doherty is here to see Ms.
Spelling...she said she's expected...” Michelle listened silently for a few
seconds.
"I'm sorry," she said to Shannen, "they don't
seem to know who you are."
Shannen took a deep breath.
"Tell them...Prue Halliwell."
"Prue Halliwell?" the young girl said into the
phone. "OK, thank you."
Michelle discreetly wrote something on a slip of paper.
"This is her room number," she said, eyeing
Shannen suspiciously as she handed the paper to her. "Elevators are over
there," she added, pointing to them.
Shannen took the paper and went to the elevators. She got off on the eighth floor and walked
down the hallway to the room, and knocked on the door.
"Yes?" a woman said opening the door?
"Uh...Halliwell," Shannen said.
"Come in. Have
a seat," she said ushering her into the next room. After a moment, the door opened.
"Tori, hi!"
Shannen said, jumping up and hugging her. "It's so good to see you."
"Hi," Tori said, caught off guard by the
enthusiastic greeting.
"Tori, don't you know who I am?" Shannen asked.
"Yes...you're Prue Halliwell from Four One Five
Magazine," Tori replied.
"Tori...it's me, Shannen Doherty...We used to hang out
together!"
"Shannen who?" Tori asked. " I'm
sorry, I don't understand. Have you
shot pictures of me before?"
Shannen stood there bewildered, not knowing what to
say. "Pictures...uh, yes... when
you were on 90210. You...and Brenda."
"That was a long time ago," Tori said. " If
you took pictures of Neve Campbell and me back then, I don't remember it. It's been about six years since Neve stopped
playing Brenda and left the show."
"Neve..."
Shannen shook her head in disbelief.
In a daze, she turned and slowly started walking to the door.
"Uh, the pictures," Tori said. "Aren't you
going to take my picture?"
Shannen turned back, looked at her camera bag sitting on the
floor, and slowly picked it up.
"Where do you want me to sit?" Tori asked.
"Who's
there?" Holly asked answering the
bell.
"Exterminator," the voice answered.
She opened the door and saw a big man. "I'm back."
"Back?" Holly asked.
"Yes," he said, "I was here yesterday but no
one was home. You called about the
mice."
"Mice?"
Holly made a face.
"Mice," he said. "You said you saw a few mice
and you wanted me to come right away."
"Oooo. Uh, come
in," she said opening the door.
"I'll start in the basement," he said. "Which
way is it?"
Holly showed him and went back into the kitchen.
A confused and dejected Shannen thrust open the front door,
dropping her camera bag on the floor.
"Holly?" she called.
"In the kitchen," came the reply.
As Shannen passed the basement door the big man was coming
through it and heading for the living room.
"Who was that coming from the basement?" she asked
Holly.
"The exterminator," Holly said. "The
Halliwells called him about mice in the house. He's weird looking for an exterminator. Not that I've really known any personally.
"How was your meeting with Tori? Were you able to make some sense out of all
of this with her?"
"Uh, no...she didn't even know me...and...I was never
Brenda on 90210," Shannen said. "My whole past...is gone.
"Uh...but wait, something here doesn't make
sense," Shannen continued.
"If this is supposed to be The Manor from Charmed...do you recall
any episodes that had mice in The Manor?"
"No. I
don't," Holly said.
"So if everything here is supposed to be just like
what's on Charmed," Shannen continued, "and we never had mice in the
scripts, how could this house have any?
"And if it did, wouldn't...Kit have gotten rid of
them?"
Shannen looked at Holly with a sudden sense of fear.
"He was going into the living room." Shannen said.
"Alyssa's in there," Holly said. Shannen turned and started running to the
living room with Holly right behind her.
"I never really paid attention on the show to what was
on the mantel," Alyssa said as she and Stuart stood by the wall looking at
it.
"Don't mind me - just the exterminator," he said
as he came into the living room. He
went to the side of the coffee table, put down his box and removed his white
coat. Opening the box, he removed
something large from it, accidently banging it loudly against the coffee table.
Alyssa turned her head at the sudden sound and looked over
her shoulder. The exterminator, now
wearing a dark cape and with a dagger in his hand, was running straight at her
and was but a few feet away. She
started to turn to defend herself but there wasn't enough time to do anything.
"No!!!"
Stuart shouted as he rushed to jump in front of her. The man could not stop and plunged the
dagger straight into Stuart's chest.
Shannen ran into the room with Holly right behind her. She saw the man withdraw the dagger from
Stuart. Instinctively, she flicked her
hand and the man went flying across the room.
He smashed into the far wall, knocked off a picture frame and fell to
the floor, the dagger falling from his grip and landing in between pieces of
the broken frame.
Shannen stared at her hand, realizing what she had done
without even thinking. But the man's
move to recover the dagger re-focused her attention and she waved her hand
again, the dagger sliding across the floor out of his reach. Frightened, the man scrambled to his feet
and crashed through the window to escape.
Alyssa had thrown her arms under Stuart as he collapsed
against her. She had eased him down and
now she sat on the floor holding him, his head cradled in her arm.
"Arrgghh...are...you...arrgghh...hurt?" he weakly
asked.
"No...I’m not hurt,” she answered. This is eactly what
I saw in my premonition, she thought.
"Good," he said.
But Alyssa saw the fear on his face.
The fear that came from the realization that he was dying.
"I...told...ugghh...I...wouldn't...let... ugghh...hurt
you,” he whispered with difficulty.