Over at the Charmed Sons, we have been talking about why there were never any Charmed Christmas episodes. So, I decided to write one of my own. I hope you enjoy it as much as the readers over at the Charmed Sons.
A cold wind blew through the gray winter sky. The ocean thrashed about from the winter weather in San Francisco. A warm fire was lit in the Halliwell Manor. Leo Wyatt had just brought up from the basement the last box of Christmas items. The holiday was only two weeks away.
Piper reached for the box and opened it. It was full of ornaments, some newer and some older. She pulled out a small wreath made of construction paper that had a picture of her in the center of it. She held it out for Leo to see. "I made this ornament for Mom the year before she died." Piper said. "Grams helped me with it."
"I'm sure your mother loved it." Leo replied with a small smile. He hoped that one day his boys would make her and Piper similar little ornaments for the tree.
Phoebe came down the stairs and found Piper and Leo rummaging through the ornament box. "I thought you were going to call me once you had the ornaments up from the basement?" She asked.
"Sorry, I forgot." Piper answered.
Phoebe reached in and pulled one out. It was a red glass ball with a Christmas tree on each side of it. There were a few words on it that read, "Phoebe's first Christmas."
"I remember when you were four." Piper said, as Phoebe held up the ornament. "You got so mad when I put that ornament on the tree."
"Well, it is MY ornament." Phoebe replied jokingly. "Every Christmas, Grams always told me this story about Mom trying to make this for me. I guess she went through four ornaments before she had it painted just the way she wanted it."
"Your mother made that for you?" Leo asked curiously.
"That's what Grams always said." She answered. She walked to the tree in the parlor and put the ornament right on a branch in the middle. Piper followed her and put her little wreath on the tree as well.
"I think there is a story behind each ornament in that box." Piper said.
Paige walked into the room with a small box in her hand. "Hey, I've got some of my own ornaments if you don't mind me putting them up on the tree."
Leo didn't mind, but he waited for Piper and Phoebe's approval. Piper glanced at Phoebe to make sure she was ok with it and then answered. "No, go ahead." Paige had been family for some time now and it only seemed fitting that she have a few ornaments of her own on the tree. Piper assumed they were probably ones that Paige used to put on the tree when she celebrated the holiday with her own parents.
Paige set her box on the couch in the parlor and pulled out an ivory colored ornament with silver trim. It was a wedding cake and it read, "Our first Christmas."
"What's the story behind that one?" Leo asked Paige.
She put the ornament on the tree. "My Dad bought this for my Mom the first year they were married." Paige explained.
One by one the sisters and Leo put each ornament on the tree. They were each special in some to way to the sisters. Leo stood back, taking a mental picture of the wondrous tree in his mind. He doubted the sisters could put any more ornaments on the tree. Each branch had something on it.
Once the tree was decorated, Phoebe and Piper went in to the kitchen to get a tray of cookies and some egg nog to take into the parlor. Piper had spent the better part of the day baking sugar cookies and decorating them. She had little Christmas tree cookies, star cookies, and candy cane cookies.
Leo and Paige went up stairs to wake the boys from their afternoon nap so they could see the tree and enjoy some cookies. Chris was a little young for cookies though. They went back to the parlor and set the boys in their playpen.
Piper gave little Wyatt a cookie and sat next to Leo on the couch. The fire in the fireplace warmed them as they each sat and admired the Christmas tree.
"I wish Prue could be here for this." Piper said. Christmas just hadn't been the same without her the last few years.
"I do to." Phoebe replied. She took a sip of egg nog.
Leo glanced at his boys in the play pen. He smiled when he saw what a mess Wyatt had made with his cookie. He stood up, walking over to him. "Come here buddy." He said. He had Wyatt in his arms now.
Behind Leo, a demon shimmered into the manor. He stood behind the playpen near the fireplace. The demon was reaching for Chris. "Leo." Piper screamed. She put her arms out and tried to blow up the demon. He was too strong for her power though and was merely forced to lurch back a step or two.
Leo saw the demon out of the corner of his eye and reached for the playpen, orbing out with it and both of his boys.
The demon quickly regained his ground and formed a fireball, aiming it at Piper. Piper froze it and Paige used her telekinetic orbing to send it back at the demon. He shimmered out and back in place, avoiding it. He threw out two more fireballs, one at Piper and one at Paige. Piper was only able to freeze one of them. Luckily, it was the one aimed at her sister.
The fireball aimed at her, whizzed past her. She turned following it's path as it headed straight for the Christmas tree. The tree and all of it's ornaments burst into flames. Not a moment later, it was burnt to a crisp. Not a single ornament was left on it.
Paige tried to send the frozen fireball back at the demon, but he jumped aside and let it strike the wall instead. Phoebe lunged over her chair and tackled him. He fought with her momentarily and was finally able to get out from under her. He then shimmered out, realizing he never should have gone to the Charmed Ones home in the first place.
All three sisters eyed what was left of the tree. Piper was nearly in tears over what had just happened. Each ornament on the tree held a special memory to her and now they were all gone.
Leo orbed back into the room with Wyatt, Chris, and the play pen. He sensed that there was no longer a threat in the manor and wanted to make sure the sisters were alright. They seemed to be far from it. "What happened to the tree?" He asked.
Piper wiped a few tears away. "A fireball." She answered softly. "It's all gone, all the ornaments."
"I can't believe he took out the tree." Phoebe said. She wasn't quite as emotional about it as Piper was, but she was fairly angry at all the memories that were destroyed with each ornament.
"I guess we're just going to have to cancel Christmas this year." Piper replied.
"What?" Leo and Paige both said in unison.
"Piper, we can get a new tree." Leo replied. Even then, there was still the garland on the fireplace mantle and a few other decorations throughout the manor.
"What would be the point?" She asked. "A demon would just destroy that one too."
Piper was adamant about forgetting Christmas. In her eyes, demons tended to ruin everything else, why not holidays as well.
After some time, Leo was able to convince Piper to reconsider celebrating Christmas. If not for her sisters, than for the boys. This was going to be Chris' first Christmas after all. He offered to get a new tree, but she was dead set against replacing the old one. They would just have to do without a tree this year.
The days until Christmas had gone by slowly until finally Christmas Eve had come. It was late afternoon. Paige and Phoebe were out picking up some last minute groceries for Christmas dinner the next day. As they walked down the sidewalk on their way to the car, they heard a scream.
A woman had been walking to her own car with her six year old daughter in tow. She turned from her daughter for only a second while she set a few bags in the car. That was all it took for the demon to react though. He reached out, grabbing the little girl. She screamed as he pulled her away from her mother.
Paige and Phoebe heard the scream and went running. Paige recognized the demon as the same one who had burnt down their Christmas tree. He ran into an alley and shimmered away with the girl. Her mother was frantic, yelling her daughter's name, "Samantha." Paige tried to calm her long enough to call the police.
Her and Phoebe spoke with one of the officers who came to file the kidnapping report and he informed them that the woman's daughter wasn't the only child that had been taken in the last few weeks. When he refused to give them any more information on the matter, Phoebe pulled out her cell phone and called Darryl. Apparently, there were six missing children in total. The year before, the same amount of children went missing around Christmas. They were never found.
When the sisters finally arrived home, they informed Piper and Leo about the kidnapping they had witnessed.
"That's awful." Piper said.
"I wish there were some way we could scry for her, but we don't have anything of hers to scry with." Phoebe replied.
"Oh contraire." Paige said. She held out a long purple and pink scarf. "This was in the alley where the demon was last seen with her."
"That's great." Phoebe replied in relief. "I'll start scrying."
"I think I should go check with the Elders." Leo said.
The sisters each agreed that it was a good idea for him to check with the Elders, so he orbed away. Piper went to check on the boys while Phoebe and Paige started scrying.
A short time later, Leo returned with information. The Elders had heard rumors of demons that kidnapped children near Christmas and gained their strength by feeding off of the children's innocent auras. The fact that for a second year in a row children were once again disappearing, helped to somewhat confirm the rumors. They weren't sure exactly what type of demon they were up against though.
Once Leo had told the sisters what he had learned from the Elders, Piper set out to make one of their stronger vanquishing potions. She handed out multiple vials to Paige and Phoebe, keeping two for herself. If what the Elders said was true, they didn't have a lot of time to save the children. It was already dark now and soon, it would officially be Christmas.
Paige orbed out with her sisters to the location the crystal had fallen on. Hopefully, if Samantha was there, the other kids would be there as well. After they left, Leo went running out to the garage. He had a fresh Christmas tree set up in the garage, complete with lights. The only thing missing were ornaments. Leo didn't have time to buy a whole trees worth of ornaments, but he had a small gift box wrapped for Piper that had two ornaments in it, one from Chris and one from Wyatt. He orbed with the tree into the parlor.
He set his little wrapped box under the tree and went to grab the other presents. At least those had not been destroyed by the demon. He put those under the tree as well.
Piper, Paige, and Phoebe had fought off three demons in an old warehouse near the ocean. The six missing children were in one corner of the warehouse. Their hands were each tied behind them and a gag was in their mouths.
Paige ran over and removed the gag of a little boy with dark brown hair. "What's your name?" She asked him.
He looked up at her and she could see how frightened he was. "David." He said softly.
"It's ok David." Paige said to him as she untied him. "We're gonna get you home."
Phoebe recognized Samantha. "It's ok Samantha. Those bad guys are gone now." She said, taking the gag off of her. She untied her and enveloped her in a big hug.
They each untied the other children as well. One by one, they got each child home and it was just in time for Christmas. Samantha was the last to arrive home. Phoebe rang the doorbell and a very exhausted woman answered the door. It was nearly two in the morning. She recognized Phoebe from earlier in the day.
"What's going on?" She asked. "Do you know what time it is?"
"We have someone for you." Phoebe answered. She stepped aside and Piper walked forward with Samantha in her arms.
"Mommy." Samantha screamed in excitement.
The woman reached out for my daughter. "Oh baby." She cried. She looked at the sisters. "Where did you find her?"
"That doesn't matter." Piper replied. She felt so much joy from getting each child home in time for Christmas. "Just get her to bed and make sure she has a nice Christmas."
"Did Santa come yet?" Samantha asked after she let out a long yawn.
"Not yet Samantha. He only comes when you're asleep." She said to her daughter with a huge smile. She spoke to the sisters. "You have no idea what you've done for me. I don't know how to thank you."
"Just have a nice holiday." Paige replied. "We have our own to get home too."
The sisters left Samantha with her mother where she belonged. Hopefully, they would be able to salvage their Christmas after all that happened with her kidnapping. Piper walked in to the manor after her sisters. "You know, I think I was a bit harsh when I told Leo he couldn't get another tree for Christmas." She said, regretting her decision. Her boys deserved to have a tree on Christmas morning.
"Um, Piper." Phoebe said, trying to get her attention.
Piper had walked right past the parlor, heading for the stairs. She stopped and turned to Phoebe. "Merry Christmas." Leo said to the sisters. They each laid eyes on the big Christmas tree that sat to the side of the fireplace. Colored lights on the tree lit up the room with the help of the fire in the fireplace. Piper put her hands over her mouth in shock. She had no idea what to even say.
"You did all of this?" Paige asked Leo.
"Yeah. I didn't have time to get any ornaments though." He answered. Piper walked over and hugged Leo tightly.
"Thank you." She said. A single tear ran down her cheek as she turned to look at the tree once more.
A golden glow formed in the center of the tree, catching everyone's attention. It slowly dimmed, leaving something in it's place on one of the branches. Paige walked forward, reaching for it. It was an ornament of a silver triquetra. In the circle, green letters were engraved around the top that read "To my girls." On the bottom of the circle in red letters was Phoebe's name. On each point of the triquetra were Paige, Piper and Prue's names engraved in red as well.
The sisters each smiled at one another, assuming that somehow the heaven's had allowed their mother to send them the perfect Christmas present. Phoebe turned to face her sisters and Leo. " I know it's late, but maybe we can put in some of the old Christmas tapes." She suggested.
"I'm up for it." Paige said, plopping down on the couch. She didn't care what tapes Phoebe put in, as long as she would get to see her real mother.
"Sure." Piper said. Her and Leo got comfy next to Paige on the couch.
Phoebe went and found one of the Christmas tapes and put it in the VCR. She sat on one of the chairs and hit play on the VCR remote.
Piper, Prue, and Phoebe each held a gift up for the camera to see. Their father was manning the camera, but his voice could be heard. "I hope you girls are happy with your gifts." He said.
"We love them Daddy." Piper replied with a huge grin on her face.
Victor whirled the camera at Patty. "Get that silly thing out of my face." She said.
"What do you have to say to your girls?" He asked.
She smiled and said. "I love you all so very much, my perfect little angels."
Hope you all liked it. Happy Holidays!