October 2005
A few weeks after baby Chris Halliwell was born, it had practically been a demon-free month for the Halliwell sisters. Paige Matthews and Piper Halliwell were out at P3 for the night, and there was also Leo who was looking after toddler Wyatt and baby Chris in the back room.
Phoebe, the middle sister of the Charmed Ones, however, had just finished her writing her advice column at the Bay Mirror and stepped out to walk back home. Phoebe loved walking out at night, to walk out in the clean fresh air. Phoebe thought as she walked out in the night fresh air. It would clear people's minds of unpleasant thoughts and it certainly worked for Phoebe of course.
Phoebe had on her back a small denim backpack in which she kept her daily essentials and of course her witch essentials such as some every-day potions and a small hand-written spell book, which had some collected spells in it from The Book of Shadows.
Meanwhile little did the Charmed Ones know a mysterious neutral force of strong and pure magical energy of both good and evil was about to enter San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, and Phoebe was unknowingly just about to stumble upon it. A major sprout of magical activity sprouted within a clearing of the park drawing a meteor shower along with a small comet of pure ice and a long tail of white, blue, and purple from millions of light years away from the Milky Way solar system towards the middle of the clearing.
The speed of the comet was fast and it was headed straight for collision with the earth. But as it drew nearer, the beautiful magnificent comet seemed to slow down just as it entered earth's atmosphere and entered the Golden Gate Park where it just hovered there for just a moment in a massive spherical light. All around the light was drawing shadows to cling around the light, with both light and dark together the spherical light exploded into a vortex portal in a massive array of the colours of black, blue, grey, red and dark violet.
As the comet made its way over San Francisco, Phoebe Halliwell was hypnotized by its pure magnificence. As she watched she had wondered where it would land, and so she quickly followed it down the street and into the middle of the park where it had stopped without even making a path of destruction. Phoebe had stopped ten meters away from the vortex portal, half-hidden by a tree, it was very windy all around the vortex portal and she was still entranced by the vortex.
Within moments a small dark silhouette came forth out of the vortex. Surrounded by shadows the small silhouette moved away from the vortex. Unaffected by the rapid winds that swooped through the park and looked back towards the swirling vortex, which swirled faster and faster. Until finally the vortex turned into the ball of light again, exploded and bright tiny specks of light consumed the entire park as if they were glowing little pixie lights and the rapid winds subsided.
Phoebe watched unable to believe her own eyes, even though she was a very powerful witch, she never believed a comet would be a trigger to for a universal portal to open. As soon as the specks of light had subsided, the small dark silhouette could now be seen through human eyes as it moved through the shadows and into the moonlight.
The silhouette was a child, a little girl, no older than seven years of age, with skin as pale as the moon, shoulder-length curly hair of ashen grey and haunting pale iced blue eyes that could say a thousand words, many of sadness.
The little girl was cursed and forsakenly lost, wearing a dirty little blue dress with gold trimmings and a belt which sheathed an athame she also wore small leather sandals that looked very outdated for the current San Francisco, perhaps too outdated considering it was a dress from the medieval era.
Around the little girl's neck she wore a circular gold dragon amulet on a chain which looked identical to the birthmark dragon symbol on the right side on her back under her shoulder blade and on her forearm under her left wrist she wore the birthmark symbol of the Essence, She also had tattoo-like markings of a thorn branch on both of her ankles, and upon her head a small golden tiara.
From just looking at the child, Phoebe was instantly reminded of the old and evil Demon of Fear, Barbas, who plainly being able to frighten witches to death. But, Phoebe was interested about the child even though the child may be evil; she knew this because of her ghostly appearance.
The little girl sighed lightly, knowing now she couldn't go back from once she came, and she desperately wished she could go back home. The problem was that she had no memory of what had happen before she landed on Earth, she even forgot her name, but she somehow still remembered what she was and that her life was good and happy in a far-away land of magic, and yes, she was very saddened.
For only a moment Phoebe thought that this little girl was a creation of the demon Barbas, because of their appearance similarities; the hair, the eyes, and the skin, all the same except the child was a girl, young and ethereally lovely. Phoebe had pushed her thoughts aside, she loved children and longed to marry and have children of her own. She saw the child was alone, lost and saddened, with the look in the little girls eyes she knew it was true and the only thing she could want to do was help her.
The little girl glanced around the park clearing wrapping her small delicate arms around her, sad, alone and confused. As an airplane flew way overhead to land in the San Francisco airport, she took her dagger out of the cover and quickly glanced around as the noise loudened she screamed and covered her ears as the almost soundless noise for a moment was truly unbearable, kneeling on the ground she had her arms over her head blocking out the city sounds and lights. The girl was momentarily afraid of where she had come.
Phoebe watched having sympathy for the girl as she cowered in a bundle. Phoebe made her way over to the child and kneeled down in front of her, placing her denim backpack on the ground beside her.
"Hey. Hey. It's okay, its just a plane, there is no need to be afraid" Phoebe said caringly placing her hands on the girls fabric covered shoulders. Full of tears the child looked up at Phoebe, tears running down her pale cheeks. Phoebe smiled lightly and took a hand to her cheek wiping away her tears. She noticed how icy cold her flesh was, and so was cautious about her, knowing that the child was not at all normal.
The gasped feeling the hand upon her shoulder and she looked up raising her dagger towards the woman. "Where am I?" The little girl asked curiously. Her vampire demonic senses adjusting to the new surroundings, the glistening of her tiny ivory fangs showing through as she spoke. Phoebe didn't freak out and used her hand to lower the girls hand which held the dagger; she barely noticed the glistening and ignored the possible evil aura that beamed off of the child.
"You are in San Francisco, child" Phoebe answered plainly.
Still curious, the girl didn't know where San Francisco was and asked more questions on the subject. "Where is San Francisco?"
Phoebe tilted her head slightly "Eh. California"
"Where is California?"
"The West Coast of America" Phoebe was curious as to why the child was asking so much questions to know about the location of where she was.
"Where is America?"
Phoebe sighed lightly; "you don't know much do you?" She thought for a moment, "I am sorry. San Francisco is in the state of California of the United States of America of the planet Earth, which is located in the Milky Way solar system of the universe." She explained as if she was a talking encyclopedia.
"Oh. Okay. I am so sorry to make you explain that, I am not from here. Earth, or even this time apparently" the little girl said.
"It's okay sweetie, you don't have to be sorry. Would you like for me to help you go back? What is your name?"
"I would like to know why I am here, who I am. I don't even know my name" the child looked distressed but continued without a knowing who the lady was. "Would you be able to help me?"
"I could try to help you out sweetie, with all my knowledge or find people to help you out if I cannot. By the way my name is Phoebe Halliwell, and I suppose, if you wanted of course, can I give you a name, just until you remember your own?" She smiled kindly.
The girl smiled cheerfully and nodded, putting her dagger back into its sheath. "Thankyou so much Phoebe! I wouldn't mind you calling me a name"
Phoebe smiled happily and thought deeply for a moment "How about Lily Winter?"
The girls smile gleamed as she nodded again "I will, I like that name, thankyou Phoebe" both Lily and Phoebe smiled and hugged each other.
Phoebe smiled and stood up putting her denim backpack on her back, "Lily come with me. I want to show you something"
Lily stood up on two feet after Phoebe and followed her to the other side of the park clearing. Phoebe stopped and raised her hand to the side; she smiled and chanted a spell beneath her breath. Within her hand an old twig and tree branch broomstick materialized.
Once the spell was finished and the broom was made she held it with two hands horizontal with the ground and within a moment the broomstick began to float off of her hands and she moved her hands away from the broom as it hovered in thin air.
Lily was happy and delighted to know she found the right person to help her, now that she thought that Phoebe was a magical being like herself. "You're a witch? I thought witches only existed in the old days"
Phoebe nodded and smiled, "Of course, I am a witch. Here on earth witches have always existed and now in the twenty-first century they still exist, its just very hard to find them." She mounted on to the magical broom in which she used when she and her sisters went into the past. "Would you like to take a ride with me and see the city?"
"Oh yes," Lily replied and came over to the broomstick where Phoebe helped her up onto the broom in front of her.
"Lets fly," Phoebe said as the broom floated up higher and higher and above the park treetops. She began to manuvre her magical broomstick to fly around the edges of the park so Lily could see the city's buildings and streets but also make sure no one else's sees a broom flying with people on it.
Lily thought it felt strange to fly on a broom as she never done so before. The wind seemed to bounce off of Phoebe carrying her scent of blood with her. The little vampire demon Lily began to feel hungry. It was only then that become somewhat scared to fall off the broom when Phoebe took the broom to a faster speed and had a sharp corner when they turned to go back into the middle of the park where the clearing was.
Lily held tight onto the broom and had then looked to the side towards Phoebe "please let me off "
Phoebe nodded lightly as she slowed down she accidentally brushed up against a tree branch with her arm a deep cut was made and blood started to seep out from the wound. On the broom they started to slowly float down into the clearing where she helped Lily down to the ground as she sat so both feet had been on one side as the broom still continued to hover. She looked to Lily and smiled softly "I would not have let you go. You would not have fell I promise you that. If you ever decide you want to go for another spin your welcome to ride with me any time you like"
Lily tried her best to ignore her need for Phoebe's blood. "You're bleeding" she was concerned for her, but with her demonic side stepping into her mind. She wanted to punish Phoebe for scaring her and at that same time feed to stop her vampiric hunger. She closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, as they became slightly a darker shade of blue before turning back into the iced colour.
Lily bared her tiny ivory vampiric fangs as she stepped towards her and pounced at her like a lion preying on an animal with speed, to try and knock her off of her broom to make her fall so she could hold her there pinned. As much as Phoebe would regret she would show anyone one to mess with a witch, better yet, a Charmed One, with that she kicked Lily away from her which would send her back into the tree and fell to the ground badly hurt.
Lying there for a moment, Lily cried as she held her stomach "I'm sorry" she murmured. She couldn't help her hunger before the she could even get up again Phoebe pulled a small bottle and her hand written Spell book out from her backpack and chanted the spell which most suited the moment. She then threw the bottle down which exploded on impact, and the white smoke filled the air around Lily, which caused her to pass out in a matter of seconds.
Phoebe slowly lowered herself to Lily and picked her up into her arms. Phoebe floated back up into the air on her broomstick, above the trees and began to fly though the city. Making sure she is not seen by human eyes, before she knew it she was in the courtyard of the Halliwell Manor, an old big Victorian house, had been where her and her two sisters have lived and she found it was the most safest place.
Phoebe kept Lily in her arms being careful on her stomach knowing she broken her ribs when she kicked her back. She dismounted her boom and walked into the house and into the solarium after she had unlocked the glass doors. Soon she laid her down comfortably on the sofa, stood up and took her backpack off and placed it on the opposite sofa. It was then that she had called out "Leo!" Knowing that Leo will come to her help.