11th of March 1998
"Little" Penny, now aged almost 20, was the spitting image of her mother, with long honey blonde hair, sparkling clear blue eyes, and white skin; but she had her grandmother's quick wit, quick temper and quick cynicism.
"Little" Penny sat in Grams' room on the old Georgian bed. Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and her sobs were becoming weaker as her strength faded and exhaustion set in.
Prue had just left to go to Rogers for the night, and Phoebe had abandoned her to move to New York. At the moment "little" Penny was feeling betrayed, lost and heartbroken.
With the sound of gentle tapping on the door "little" Penny wiped her eyes and looked up.
'Com…Come in.' she croaked.
'Hey sweetie what you doing in here?' Piper asked, a mug of hot tea in her hand.
'I…um…I just wanted to feel close to Grams.' "Little" Penny replied.
'Well that's understandable. You want to talk about it?' Piper said as she joined her younger sister on the bed.
'It's just not fair, I can't believe she's gone.' "Little" Penny sobbed.
Piper held her sister close and tried to comfort her whilst holding back her own tears.
'She'd have loved what you said about her you know.' Piper said referring to the funeral they had held that day for their grandmother.
'You think? It was all very true. I'm really going to miss her and I don't know what I'm going to do without her.' "Little" Penny said.
'You're a lot like her, and I was always envious of what you had with her. You were really, really close to her, so I don't think she'll ever be too far away.' Piper added finally, kissing "little" Penny on the forehead. 'Right I'm off to bed, you coming?'
'I think I'm gonna sleep in here tonight. I'll see you in the morning.' "Little" Penny replied.
'Ok, goodnight sweetie. Try to get some rest.'
"Little" Penny changed in to some pyjamas and climbed under the cool, white, silky sheets of her Grams' bed. She had often spent the night in this bed when she was a kid growing up, nights when she'd sought comfort from her Grams. But on this occasion she didn't feel the comfort she had hoped.
She drifted off in to a restless kind of sleep, flitting between being awake and being asleep. She began dreaming of Grams, and then suddenly she saw Patty holding a package of some sort. She was talking to Grams and then suddenly a lightning bolt flew at Patty and hit the package that she was holding. It was at that moment that "little" Penny realised that the package wasn't a package, but a baby. With that "little" Penny sat bolt upright in the bed, with a searing pain in her chest, gasping for breath and drenched in a cold sweat.
"Little" Penny sat in the dark for a few minutes, still feeling slightly shaken by the vision she saw. It wasn't the first time she'd had a vision, but this was the first one she had to deal with on her own without Grams' guidance and advice.
The clock on the bedside cabinet brightly displayed 3.33am, and although "little" Penny would have gladly rolled back over and gone back to sleep, the images in her mind, and feeling of dread would not go away.
Realising that the attic door was locked and that Piper would probably hear her, "little" Penny decided to orb in to the attic instead. Disappearing from the bedroom in bright blue-ish orbs, she reappeared inside the dark attic.
She switched on the light, which dimly lit the large attic space, which was cluttered with old tables, the old metal end for what used to be Patty's bed, several boxes full of old stuff that Penny hadn't had the heart to get rid of, in case it came in handy, and an old wooden chest.
Taking a deep breath "little" Penny walked over to the chest. She hadn't been up to the attic since the night her Grams had died, nor had she dealt with anything supernatural. The chest creaked open and revealed a large, heavy, leather bound book, with a symbol on the front. The Book of Shadows.
Sitting on the old dusty sofa "little" Penny opened the Book of Shadows in search of…well she wasn't sure what she was looking for, she just hoped the answer would be in there.
After a couple of hours "little" Penny's eyes were heavy and felt dry with tiredness. She couldn't find what she was looking for and finally she slammed the book shut and placed it on the lid of the chest in front of her.
'If Grams was here she'd know what to do.' She said to herself.
Suddenly she remembered the spell that Penny had created over a decade earlier when she needed to speak to Patty.
Delving in to the chest once again she picked out six large white candles and placed them in a circle in the middle of the attic. Then she opened the book at the page to summon a ghost and began to chant the words written in her grandmother's fancy handwriting.
'Hear these words, hear my cry
Spirit from the other side
Come to me I summon thee
Cross now the great divide'
As white orbs appeared "little" Penny felt a pang of excitement as she believed her Grams was about to appear, but for once she was disappointed to see the ghost of her mother.
'Mom?' She sighed 'Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but…'
'I know sweetie, I know. But you can't see Grams just now.' Patty said stepping forward passed the candles and becoming corporeal.
"Little" Penny sighed with frustration and once again slammed the book shut, just as Patty positioned herself next to her daughter.
'Well I just needed some help, I mean Grams has always helped me and I don't know how to do this on my own. And I'm feeling really alone right now; Prue's gone to be with Roger, Phoebe's abandoned me to move to New York, and Piper is trying to deal with her own grief, and then to top it all off I'm the only one who knows we're all witches.' "Little" Penny said with a defeatist tone.
'Penny you have to believe in yourself. Your Grams has taught you well and you know everything you need to know.' Patty said comfortingly, stroking "little" Penny's hair.
'Hmmm…but at least when Grams was here I had someone to share my premonitions with, share the Wiccan responsibilities with, and most importantly someone who knew what they were doing. If Prue, Piper and Phoebe could have just cast their pettiness to one side, maybe Grams would still be alive.' "Little" Penny replied angrily.
'Oh sweetheart, you can't blame your sisters for this. This was Grams' destiny, and you know deep in your heart that there's a reason for this. Now you have to think about your own destiny. You've been practicing your magic since you were born; you know more than I think I ever knew, you just need to look.' Patty said still closely holding her daughter.
'But I don't know what it is that I'm looking for.' She replied.
Suddenly the Book of Shadows opened by itself and frantically began flipping through the various spells, warlocks and demons before stopping at a beautifully written page.
'Whoa, it's never done that before.' "Little" Penny said in surprise.
'See, Grams is still helping you.' Patty said.
"Little" Penny smiled at her mother and then looked at the page before her. She then looked at her Mom with a confused expression.
'The time travel spell? How will that help?' She asked.
'Well only you can find that out.' Patty said walking back towards the circle of candles. 'Be safe my baby girl.' She added before disappearing again in a swirl of white orbs.
Briefly staring at the empty spot left by her mother "little" Penny looked back at the book. She walked over to the centre of the candles and began chanting the spell.
'Moving time and swapping places
Send me back to past faces
Move me now through time and space
And take me to another place'
Within seconds the dark, dusty attic disappeared around "little" Penny and she began to see bright light, and the sound of birds in the distance. She felt fresh air on her skin and the fuzzy colours before her eyes cleared to reveal the front porch of Halliwell Manor.
"Little" Penny heard voices coming from inside the manor, and several vehicles in the driveway and on the roadside.
'What's going on?' She whispered out loud.
Seeing a gap in the curtains of the front bay window she decided to carefully peak in and see what was going on. There were lots of people milling around dressed in black, and only a couple of people "little" Penny recognised, but there was no sign of Grams or her sisters.
Looking down at her own clothing "little" Penny realised that she was still wearing her pyjamas; she was going to have to change before she spoke to anyone. Running round the back of the manor she went in search of some clothes.
She entered the house through the back door which opened immediately in to the utility room. Luckily there were several baskets of clothing waiting to be put away. She grabbed a black strapless dress and quickly dressed before entering the kitchen.
As she walked through to the dining room she overheard a conversation between two women she didn't recognise.
'I can't believe she's gone, I mean she was just so young.' The first women said. She was in her late 20's with long red hair and had been obviously crying.
'Yeah I know it's awful, and to have died so mysteriously. But it's her daughters I feel most sorry for, poor things.' The second slightly younger women replied.
"Little" Penny walked further in to the house and into the sunroom where she found Penny sat with 3 year old Phoebe on her knee.
'Whoa this is weird.' She thought.
Penny looked up to see "little" Penny sanding in the doorway.
'Why don't you go find your sisters and play with them for a bit?' She said to Phoebe as she lifted her off her knee and on to the floor.
Little Phoebe ran off out of the sunroom, through the living room and up the stairs. "Little" Penny smiled as she watched her "big" sister run off. Phoebe was 3 years older than "little" Penny so neither had many memories of each other as small children, but they were incredibly close, which is why it hurt so much that she'd left.
Penny stood up from the wicker chair and walked towards the young woman standing in the doorway looking visibly confused. In fact she looked like she was trying to remember a dream.
"Little" Penny realised she was at a wake and quickly surmised she had arrived back to her mother's funeral. She quickly glanced at the calendar on the Welsh dresser and saw she'd been taken back to March 1978, which didn't make any sense as she had been born on the 28th of February 1978 and Patty hadn't been killed until the 3rd of November 1978.
Penny stood in front of "little" Penny and looked drained emotionally and physically.
'I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but do I know you?' Penny asked.
"Little" Penny cringed inside and thought about what she was going to say. Any other time Grams would have dealt with the information that she was her granddaughter from the future, but "little" Penny knew how much Patty's death had affected her grandmother, and this wasn't the time to spring this sort of surprise.
'Um…I don't think we've ever met properly Mrs Halliwell.' She said courteously. She decided to keep it short and simple, and very polite.
'How did you know Patty?' Penny asked.
'Unfortunately I never got to know her very well either, but I just knew her from around you know.' "Little" Penny replied.
One of the other mourners approached Penny, who then briefly stepped to one side with them. They exchanged sorrowful looks at each other and a few short words before the other woman walked away towards the front door.
Penny turned back to the young woman standing in her home, who seemed vaguely familiar to her but she couldn't quite fathom why.
'So what's your name?' Penny asked.
'Oh I'm P…' But "little" Penny stopped before she could say her name; she didn't want her Grams knowing her real name just yet, just in case she figured it out. She thought quickly and said the first name that came in to her head. 'I'm Victoria Bennet.' She said, naming herself after her sisters' father.
'Bennet? So are you a relation of Victors?' Penny asked.
'Yes…yes I am. I'm his…um…niece.' "Little" Penny replied quickly.
'Well I'm afraid your uncle isn't here.' Penny said sharply.
'Oh well that's ok, I'm actually here to spend time with you and the girls.' "Little" Penny said.
'Right well I'm planning on taking the girls to the beach for a while, see if I can't cheer them up a little, you're more than welcome to join us.' Penny stated before walking off towards the stairs.
"Little" Penny watched as her Grams walked off and a small smile creased her face. It was great to see her Grams again, hear her voice, smell her perfume and feel close to her. It almost made the pain of losing her worse.
"Little" Penny waited for Penny to come back down with the girls and took the opportunity to look round the manor. She quickly realised that the manor hadn't changed, or wouldn't change, within 20 years. The wallpaper was the same, and so was some of the furniture, except for the odd pieces that "little" Penny recognised as having been destroyed whilst fighting evil over the years.
Finally "little" Penny heard the thumping footsteps of Phoebe coming down the stairs, she was always heavier on her feet, closely followed by Piper. Penny walked behind her two younger granddaughters whilst holding the hand of a red-eyed, upset 8 year old Prue.
'So are you going to join us?' Penny asked "little" Penny as she reached the bottom of the grand staircase.
'I'd love to.' She replied.
The two women and three small girls all climbed in to Penny's turquoise car in silence, and drove towards the beach in continued silence.
"Little" Penny couldn't understand why she had been sent back to this time or what it was she was supposed to do. She realised she had to tell Grams who she was in the hope that she could help, but the question was when.
'Right girls, everybody out.' Penny said as she got out of the car and pulled her car seat forward to allow the three young girls out.
On the beach Penny laid out a rug on the soft golden sand, and placed paper plates with leftover food from the wake whilst the 3 sisters played. "Little" Penny sat beside her Grams and contemplated her next move. She wasn't sure what she was going to do, or how she was going to do it; all she knew was that it had to be done soon.
'At least the girls seem a little happier now.' "Little" Penny stated.
'Mmmm…it's just a shame it can't solve their pain on a more permanent basis.' Penny replied. 'So do you live in San Francisco?'
The question caught "little" Penny a little off guard, maybe now was going to be the right time?
'Um…well yes I do, but there's something I need to talk to you about. See I need your help, the kind of help only you can give.' "Little" Penny began cautiously.
'I…I don't know what you mean.' Penny said trying to dodge "little" Penny's statement.
'We both know that that's not true. In fact that's not the only thing that's not strictly true. I haven't been honest about who I am.' "Little" Penny explained to a rather terrified, upset and emotionally drained Penny. 'Please don't freak when I tell you this, but I swear it is the truth. My name is Penny, Penny Halliwell and I'm your granddaughter from the future.'
Penny looked terrified at the young woman in front of her, not believing what it was she was hearing.
'But that's not possible. For a start I don't have a granddaughter named Penny.' Penny said, jumping up from where she'd been sat.
'Listen Grams I know this doesn't make any sense, it doesn't make sense to me either. I was supposed to have been born last week, so something clearly went very wrong, but I can prove who I am. Ask me anything you want that only your granddaughter would know.' "Little" Penny said desperately.
'Ok, where was I born?' Penny asked.
'You were born in Boston on the 23rd of June 1930 in a hotel room. You were breach and your Mom often used to joke that you'd been difficult ever since, apparently.' "Little" Penny said proudly.
Penny was taken aback by the young woman's knowledge, but she wanted to make sure she was who she said.
'What was my husband's name?'
"Little" Penny gave a small dry laugh before answering.
'Your first husband, and my grandfather, was named Allen Halliwell. Your maiden name by the way was Johnson. He was killed in 1967 by your friend. After that you married Jonathan who was your shortest marriage just lasting 2 weeks because he freaked when a demon attacked. Your third hus…' But Penny stopped her granddaughter before she could continue.
'Alright, alright I believe you.' Penny smiled whilst holding her hands up in defeat. 'Well my dear sweet child, this is simply amazing. And I love your mother's choice of name for you.' She said as she sat back down.
'I know I've always loved it. I'm named after my most favourite person in the world so why wouldn't I? But I'm so confused. I mean why haven't I been born like I was supposed to?' "Little" Penny asked sounding a little concerned and distressed.
'Well what was it that brought you from the future in the first place?' Penny asked as she relaxed a little.
'Well I had a vision of Mom holding a baby, who I think must have been me, and then a lightning bolt or something hit me. That's when I woke up and started looking in the Book of Shadows for an answer, and then the book turned to a time reversal spell and Mom said that it would help me find the answers I needed to know.' "Little" Penny explained.
'Your Mom helped? So does that mean she's alive in your time?' Penny asked hopefully. She hoped that somehow an event had occurred which had altered the future, and that if they fixed it and she might get her daughter back.
'Sorry Grams but Mom died supposedly when I was 8 months old. She was drowned at Camp Skylark by a water demon.' "Little" Penny explained as she placed a caring hand on her Grandmother's shoulder.
As she touched her Grams she felt a sudden jolt and an image formed before her eyes. She saw bright lights and wisps of mist swirl round her, and in the distance she heard her Moms voice calling her. As "Little" Penny followed the sound of her Mother's voice she began to hear other voices.
'Patricia Halliwell is carrying a very special child, a child of ultimate good and power. The baby within her shall be born to become the chosen one prophesised centuries ago.' A male voice said somewhere beyond "Little" Penny's line of vision.
'But what about her paternity? After all Samuel Wilder did break the regulation provided for Whitelighters.' Another voice said, this time a female voice.
'Yes but the prophecy predicted that the baby would be born after death from two angels, and although Patricia was alive when the baby was conceived she is now deceased making her an angel, albeit not a Whitelighter. And I think they have both suffered enough now that Patricia is dead.' The first male voice explained.
The vision cleared and moved on to reveal three elders cloaked in golden coloured robes, and standing in front of them was Patty wearing a pale blue opaque, floaty top over a white vest top, and white loose fitting trousers.
"Little" Penny couldn't hear what was being said this time, but she saw her mother quickly raise her hand over mouth in shock, and then slowly down over her stomach.
The vision ended as quickly as it had come and "Little" Penny was greeted by the sound of crashing waves, the smell of brine and a startled and concerned looking Grams.
'My dear are you all right?' Penny asked as she held tightly on to "Little" Penny's wrists.
'Yes I'm fine.' "Little" Penny replied shakily. 'I had another vision and I think I finally understand what is going on. I wasn't born before Mom died, I was born after. Question now, is who is trying to kill me and why?'