A Charmed Christmas

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"A Charmed Christmas"
by J. B. Tilton
email: [e-mail]
Rating: K

Disclaimer: “Charmed” and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

An innocent receives a very special Christmas present courtesy of Leo and the Charmed Ones.

* * *

ONE

Prue, Piper, and Phoebe hurried out the door on the top floor of the building. The building was thirty-seven stories and it was nearly three o’clock in the morning. But Phoebe’s premonitions didn’t have a time schedule. They could happen any time of the day or night.

“You sure this is the right building?” asked Prue.

“Positive,” said Phoebe. “I think the demon was on the northeast corner. If we hurry, we can stop it before it finishes what it started.”

The girls turned and headed for the northeast corner of the building. As they approached the corner, they saw a man standing at the edge of the building looking over the edge. Behind him several feet stood a demon. The demon was uniformly gray with horns on its head. It stood behind the man talking to him quietly. The girls couldn’t hear what was being said but they knew what it was doing.

“Hey, ugly,” said Prue. “Why don’t you leave that guy alone? Pick on someone more your type.”

“Charmed Ones,” hissed the demon.

It turned to run from the girls but Piper was too fast for it. She raised her hands and the demon exploded into a thousand shards that evaporated instantly. Strangely, the man didn’t seem to notice what was happening. He continued to look over the side of the building. Suddenly, Leo orbed in.

“Okay,” said Phoebe, “what’s with him? Piper blows up a demon five feet from him and he doesn’t even bat an eyelash. Is he deaf or something?”

“No,” said Leo. “That demon has him in a trance. It will take a few minutes for it to wear off. Until it does, he won’t notice anything except for whatever it was that demon had implanted in his mind.”

“So what exactly did that demon implant in his mind?” asked Piper.

“Probably something depressing,” said Leo. “It was a grief demon. They prey on the natural depression of many people during the holidays. They try to get those people to take their own lives.”

“Well, Christmas is only two days off,” said Prue. “People get more depressed around this time of year than any other time of the year.”

“Yeah,” said Leo, “and this man would be an especially important victim for a grief demon. His name is Charles Montgomery. He’s been chosen to be a White Lighter when he dies.”

“That would be a great prize,” said Phoebe. “Luckily we got here in time.”

“Maybe not,” said Leo.

The girls looked over and saw that Montgomery had climbed up on the ledge of the building. He stood looking over the side of the building to the street, thirty-seven floors below. He was mumbling to himself but exactly what he was saying was unintelligible from that distance.

“He’s still in the mind induced trance by the demon,” said Leo. “My guess is the demon was trying to get him to jump off the building. That’s why he came up here.”

“We have to stop him,” said Phoebe. “Leo, orb over and pull him back.”

“I can’t,” said Leo. “I can’t interfere in the free will of a mortal.”

“But it isn’t his free will,” said Piper. “His mind is being controlled by a demon.”

“That may be,” said Leo, “but I still can’t . . .”

Suddenly to the horror of all four, the man stepped over the side of the building and started falling to the street below.

[noazmale]

TWO

Piper raised her hands and the area froze. The man had dropped only a couple of feet and hung suspended in midair.

“Prue,” said Piper, “get him back on the roof.”

Prue used her telekinetic ability to return the man to the roof. Still frozen, he stood on the roof with his eyes closed.

“Phoebe’s premonition meant for us to save that innocent,” said Prue. “You may not be able to interfere but I won’t stand by and let an innocent die if I can help it.”

“You haven’t solved anything,” said Leo. “The grief demon doesn’t put the grief in a person. It’s already there. They just enhance it. What was making Charles depressed is still there. The residual effects of the trance will stay with him for quite a while. He may still end up taking his own life.”

“Then we have to stop it,” said Piper. “Leo, get him back down to the street. We have to figure out what is depressing him and change it. If we can.”

Leo took Charles by the arm and orbed them out. A moment later, he orbed back in.

“I put him in an alley where he spends most of his time,” said Leo. “He’ll be okay there for a while.”

“Okay,” said Prue, “any idea what this guy is depressed about?”

“Yeah, I do,” said Leo. “I’ve kind of been watching him for some time. He thinks his life hasn’t amounted to anything. Right now he doesn’t have a job, his wife divorced him a few years ago and left with their son, and he’s been living on the street for the past couple of years.”

“So what did he do to deserve being chosen as a White Lighter?” asked Phoebe. “I thought it was kind of a reward after death.”

“It is,” said Leo. “And Charles has done a lot more than he thinks. He just hasn’t seen the results of most of his actions. Like a lot of people, the results of what he has done can happen weeks or even months later.”

“Okay,” said Piper, “so he’s a good person. Let’s just tell him that. You can tell him what the results of his actions have been and we’ll let him know that he’s done a lot of good.”

“Good plan,” said Leo, “but it won’t work. In order to tell him the results of his actions, I’d have to reveal that I’m a White Lighter. And you know that’s against the rules. Besides, he won’t listen. He’s convinced that he’s wasted his life and nothing anyone says will change that.”

“Leo,” said Phoebe, “you can’t tell him you’re a White Lighter. Is there any rule that says you can’t pretend to be someone else?”

“No, not really,” said Leo. “In fact, I do it all the time. Remember I pretended to be handyman when we first met.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “I kind of have a crazy idea. But it would mean that you’ll have to kind of bend the rules a little bit.”

“Bend the rules?” asked Prue. “Phoebe, what do you have in mind? When you start talking about bending the rules, I get nervous.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “like I said, it’s going to sound a little crazy. And it’s going to take all of us to pull it off. But it just might do the trick. If the three of you are up for it.”

“Let’s hear your idea,” said Piper. “Then we can decide if it’s worth a try or not.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “Leo, you can’t tell him you’re a White Lighter. How do you feel about being a ghost?”

* * *

“That is a crazy idea,” said Leo. “Phoebe, where did you ever get an idea like that?”

“Wherever she got it,” said Piper, “I agree with her. It just might work. You said you’ve been watching him for a while. We need to pick some things he’s done that will show him just how special he is.”

“Well,” said Leo, “I suppose I could pick a few things. He’s lived in San Francisco most of his life. Most of what he’s done has happened here.”

“Okay, great,” said Prue. “Leo, you go watch him. Make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. We’ll come up with a plan and let you know when we’re ready. This shouldn’t take long.”

“How can you make a plan without knowing anything he’s done?” asked Leo.

“We’ll come up with a general plan,” said Piper, “and you can fill in the specifics later. Now get going. This will all be a waste of time if he manages to do himself in before we’re ready.”

“Okay, fine,” said Leo. “Just remember he can’t know about you or who or what I really am.”

“We know,” said Phoebe. “Now shoo. We have some plans to make.”

Leo orbed out of the manor not completely convinced that what the sisters were doing was going to do any good.

[noazmale]

THREE

“You’re sure that’s safe?” asked Leo.

“Perfectly safe,” said Piper as she poured the potion into the half empty whiskey bottle Charles had been drinking from. “All it will do is make him invisible and silent for a few hours. Then you can take him to the locations you’ve selected. No one will be able to see or him or you. Now drink your potion and we’ll go hide.”

“Okay, okay,” said Leo. “I don’t know why we had to wait until Christmas Eve to do this. We could have completed this last night and had it over with.”

“It will have more of an impact on Christmas Eve I think,” said Phoebe. “Now, quit complaining and just drink the potion.”

Leo pulled a vial out of his pocket, looked at Piper once, and then emptied the contents of the vial. He flashed for a second, and then he vanished.

“Well,” he said.

“It worked,” said Prue. “We can’t see or hear you. Of course, I’m assuming you’re talking to us. As soon as we take the counter-potion, that potion won’t affect us. Now, wake Montgomery up and make sure he drinks from that bottle. We’ll see you at the first place.”

The girls left the alley where Montgomery was currently sleeping soundly. They got into Prue’s car and she drove down the street. After they left, Leo took his foot and nudged Montgomery. After a second he came awake a looked around.

“Must be the wind,” he mumbled.

He picked up the whiskey bottle and took a drink. Just as he did, he flashed once. Then he looked up and saw Leo standing over him.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“A friend,” said Leo.

“Got any spare change, friend?” asked Montgomery.

“I’m not here to give you money, Charles,” said Leo.

“How do you know my name?” asked Montgomery.

“I know a great deal about you,” said Leo. “You’re a very important person. Despite your present circumstances, you have a lot to offer. And you’ve done a great deal of good. Regardless of what you might think.”

“Yeah, right,” said Montgomery. “Look at me. I’m a bum. I’ve never amounted to anything. Never will. I even have delusions about being on top of a building and trying to jump off. I can’t even do that right.”

“It was no delusion,” said Leo. “I was there. You did try to jump off the building.”

“So how come I’m not dead?” asked Montgomery.

“Before you make such a drastic decision,” said Leo, “there are some things you need to know. Things that you’ve done over the years that you may not be aware of. The good you’ve done.”

“What good?” asked Montgomery. “I ruined my wife’s life. I can’t hold a job. I can’t even stay sober. I don’t know who you are, but you got the wrong guy.”

“Have I?” asked Leo, extending his hand. “Take my hand. Let me show you something.”

Montgomery looked at the outstretched hand. He put the cap on the bottle of whiskey and shoved it into his pocket. The he reached up and took Leo’s hand. Leo pulled him to his feet.

“Now,” said Leo, “let me show you something you may not be aware of.”

To Montgomery’s total amazement, Leo orbed them out of the alley.

[noazmale]

FOUR

“Where are we?” asked Montgomery. “How did we get here?”

“The how is not really important,” said Leo. “The where is very important.”

They stood outside a modest house. In the living room they saw a woman sitting with two young men and a younger woman. They were sitting at a table talking and laughing.

“That’s Mrs. Gladys Stephens and her three children,” said Leo. “They’re grown now, but they come home every holiday to spend time with their parents. Tom, Junior, the oldest, is a senior at California State University. He’s going to be a lawyer. Maria, the middle child, is studying to be a nurse. William, the youngest, isn’t sure what he wants to be yet.”

“So what does this have to do with me?” asked Montgomery.

“This,” said Leo.

Leo used his levitation ability to levitate to the second floor of the home. Prue, hidden in the bushes nearby with Piper and Phoebe, used her telekinetic ability to levitate Montgomery next to Leo. Startled, Montgomery simply stared at Leo. Leo motioned toward the house. Looking through the window, Montgomery saw a man sleeping on a bed in a bedroom.

“That’s Tom Stephens, Senior,” said Leo, “Gladys’ husband. He’s worked a long day and is taking a nap before dinner. It’s because of you that he is.”

“What do you mean?” asked Montgomery. “I don’t know any Tom Stephens.”

“No, you don’t,” said Leo. “You also didn’t know him when you were twelve years old. You had gone to a public swimming pool that summer. Something you did most summers. But this particular day, it was quite crowded.

“There was a lot of screaming and yelling going on. The normal type that goes on at swimming pools. You had just come out of the showers and looked around. That’s when you saw the young boy. He was splashing and yelling like everyone else. But he wasn’t having fun.

“He had gotten into the deep end of the pool and couldn’t swim well enough to stay afloat. He was drowning. You jumped into the pool and pulled him to safety at the edge of the pool. If not for you, he would have drowned that day. And this family would not now exist.”

“I remember that,” said Montgomery. “I couldn’t swim well either. I let the kid grab onto my neck and literally walked to the edge of the pool. I was a lot taller than he was and I was able to keep him above water until he could grab hold of the edge.”

“Yes, you did,” said Leo. “You saved his life that day. Not a small achievement, especially for a twelve-year-old boy.”

Leo floated back to the ground and Prue lowered Montgomery beside him. When he was on the ground, the sisters moved around the side of the house to Prue’s car. They got in and Prue drove down the street.

“There’s a family in there who wouldn’t be there if not for you,” said Leo. “Tom would have drowned and his children would never have been born. His wife would probably have married someone else and might not be as happy as she is today. All because you took a few minutes of your own time to help a total stranger.”

“I couldn’t just let him drown,” said Montgomery. “The lifeguards didn’t see him or didn’t realize he was in trouble. And there was no way they would have heard me over the noise at the pool. There wasn’t anything I could do.”

“You could have turned away,” said Leo. “But you didn’t. Because that’s not the type of person you are. You saved a life that day.”

“That was thirty years ago,” said Montgomery. “Ancient history.”

“Okay,” said Leo. “I have something else to show you.”

He took Montgomery by the shoulder and orbed them out of the yard.

[noazmale]

FIVE

“I know him,” said Montgomery, looking at the man frozen in place in the kitchen of a restaurant. “His name is Mac-something.”

“MacPherson,” said Leo. “You served with him in the army. You went through Basic Training together. He wasn’t much of a soldier, if you’ll remember.”

“Yeah, I remember,” said Montgomery. “He had trouble learning the things he needed to learn. ”

“And you helped change that,” said Leo. “Because of you, he learned what he needed to learn to stay in the army. You spent hours with him after duty hours helping him learn what he needed to know.”

“Yeah,” said Montgomery. “I never saw him after Basic Training.”

“Well, you did more than just help him get through the training,” said Leo. “He was medically retired in 1991 from the military. He had planned to make a career of it. But that career was cut short when he lost a leg during Desert Storm.”

“And that’s good?” asked Montgomery.

“He lost his leg defending a group of injured soldiers,” said Leo. “Because of him, seven men returned home who would otherwise have died over there. And he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery. He’s a genuine hero, Charles. Because of what you did for him all those years ago.”

“He did it not me,” said Montgomery.

“He couldn’t have done it if you hadn’t helped him,” said Leo.

Leo turned and walked out of the kitchen to the alley out back. Montgomery followed. Prue, Piper, and Phoebe quietly slipped out of the walk in cooler where they had been hiding and made their way to Prue’s car. As they left the restaurant, Piper unfroze the room and MacPherson continued his duties.

“It was cold in there,” said Phoebe.

“No other choice,” said Piper. “We had to be close enough so that I could refreeze him if it wore off. Stop complaining. It’s not like it was the freezer.”

“You’ve done a lot of good, Charles,” said Leo. “You may not always know it, but the things you’ve done have been important. To a great many people.”

“Like I said,” said Montgomery, “ancient history. That all happened a long time ago. Things have changed since then. I’m not the same man I was.”

Leo could tell he was beginning to get through to Montgomery. Montgomery was beginning to realize the effect he had had on people. Only one more stop and maybe Phoebe’s crazy plan just might work.

“What we do has long reaching affects,” said Leo. “Maybe it was years ago. But you’ve still had an amazing affect on a great many people. And that’s helped them have an affect on still others. All because of what you’ve done.”

“Maybe,” said Montgomery. “But that doesn’t change what I am now. I’m just a drunk and a bum.”

“You’ve had a bad run of luck, that’s all,” said Leo. “That can change.”

“Says who?” asked Montgomery.

Leo held out his hand for Montgomery. Montgomery took his hand and Leo orbed them out once again.

[noazmale]

SIX

“What is this place?” asked Montgomery. “A soup kitchen?”

“Something like that,” said Leo. “It’s run by a woman who’s devoted her life to helping those less fortunate than others. All because of something that happened to her years ago.”

“Let me guess,” said Montgomery. “I taught her how to cook or something.”

“Not exactly,” said Leo.

They watched as homeless people filed through a line getting something to eat. Behind the serving line was a woman about Montgomery’s age. She was smiling and chatting with the people as they passed by her. She seemed to radiate all over.

“Wait a minute,” said Montgomery. “I know her. Patricia. That’s Patricia Sterling. We went to high school together. In fact, we dated through most of high school.”

“That’s right,” said Leo. “You had even talked about getting married.”

“Yeah, I remember,” said Montgomery. “I haven’t thought about her in years. I once gave her a locket for her birthday. Egotistical me, I even put a picture of myself in it so that she’d always have me near.”

“That’s right,” said Leo. “Then you went off to the army.”

“Yeah,” said Montgomery. “I had been out of high school for a year and still hadn’t found anything I wanted to do. My dad said if I didn’t get a job, I had to get out of his house. So I figured I’d go into the army. Patricia and I lost touch after that. I wondered what had happened to her.”

“She went to college,” said Leo. “After college, she went to law school and became a criminal defense lawyer. About six years ago she was representing a defendant who was accused of kidnapping and murdering a homeless child. She got the guy acquitted.”

“She must have been a good attorney,” said Montgomery.

“She was,” said Leo. “Except that this guy was guilty. After he was acquitted, he kidnapped and murdered another child. Patricia couldn’t forgive herself for what she had done. She gave up law and opened this soup kitchen. A lot of homeless people can find a hot meal and a warm place to sleep at night because of her.”

“What does that have to do with me?” asked Montgomery.

Leo turned and walked outside. Montgomery followed. As they passed through the doors of the soup kitchen, they both flashed slightly. Leo knew that meant the potion Piper had made had worn off.

Outside the kitchen, Leo turned and looked up at the building. Montgomery turned to see what he was looking at. Over the door to the kitchen was a sign that read “Montgomery Soup Kitchen”.

“Is this a joke?” asked Montgomery.

“No, it’s not,” said Leo. “Patricia named it after you. She always thought you had the most compassion of anyone she had ever met. You inspired her to open this soup kitchen. To help those who needed it when they needed it most.”

Just then, Patricia came out of the building. She looked around, and then turned to Leo and Montgomery.

“Did you just see a flash out here?” she asked. “Someone told me they thought they saw something flash. I was afraid another transformer might have blown.”

“Uh, no,” stammered Montgomery. “I, uh, didn’t see a flash.”

“Don’t I know you?” asked Patricia. “You look so familiar. Have you been here before?”

“No, we haven’t,” said Leo. “But you do know him. Doesn’t she, Charles?”

“Charles?” questioned Patricia. “Charlie? Charlie Montgomery? It is you. Oh, Charlie, it’s been so long. How have you been?”

“I’ve been better, Patty,” said Montgomery. “But things aren’t as bad as they were a while ago.”

“Come inside,” she said. “Everyone is welcome here. No one gets turned away. I’m sure everyone would like to meet the man who inspired this place. And I have so much to tell you. Will you join us, too, Mister . . .”

“I’m afraid I can’t,” said Leo. “I have to be going. Charlie, take care of yourself.”

Patricia linked her arm in Montgomery’s and they walked inside. Leo watched as Patricia pulled a locket out of her blouse and opened it for Montgomery to look at. Montgomery looked at it, and then looked back at Leo. Leo just smiled, then orbed away. As Leo orbed away, he saw an old friend put on a ring and step up to Patricia and Charles.

[noazmale]

SEVEN

“Well?” asked Piper after Leo had orbed into the manor, “what happened? Did Phoebe’s plan work?”

“Like a charm,” said Leo. “Things worked out even better than you had planned.”

“How do you mean?” asked Phoebe.

“I saw Cupid there,” said Leo. “The last I saw, he was putting on his ring and moving up to Patricia and Charles. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a wedding some time in the near future.”

“Well,” said Prue, “it was one of our most elaborate plans, but we seemed to have changed Phoebe’s premonition. Chalk up another innocent to the Power of Three.”

“And as I told Charles,” said Leo, “everything you do has affects. A lot of people go through that soup kitchen. And many of those will one day be White Lighters. I’ll still have to keep an eye on him but I think the worst is over. Any other grief demons will find Charles Montgomery a hard target for their power.”

“Good,” said Piper. “It’s nice to know that we don’t have to kill demons or vanquish warlocks to make a difference.”

“Well, it’s Christmas Eve,” said Phoebe. “What say we open one gift tonight and save the rest for the morning?”

“Why not?” said Prue. “I think we all deserve a reward for saving an innocent.”

The four moved into the living room to choose the one present they would open.

The End

If you’ve enjoyed this story, you can find more “Charmed” stories at my website, www.geocities.com/killeenmale/ . You can also post your own “Charmed” stories if you like to write fan fiction.

[Esmeralda]

Since we're getting near Christmastime, I decided to bump this ahead...