"So that spark between the girl and that man," began Piper at the manor.
"Was the goodness passing from her to him," said Kris. "The young woman and that man will pass it on to every person they come into contact with. They, in turn, will pass it onto everyone they come into contact with and so on. The entire process will be quite rapid."
"You knew that man was going to be the one to receive it, didn't you?" Prue asked.
"Yes," said Kris. "It's why we went there. To pass it onto that young woman who could then pass it on to him. As you heard, he's going to many countries in a short amount of time. Everywhere he goes he'll pass it onto others. They, in turn, will go to other countries passing it to others they meet."
"Wait a minute," said Phoebe. "You knew that girl was the one you had to pass it onto. And you knew she would pass it on to that man. So why did you need us?"
"A small ploy, I'm afraid," said Kris. "Yes, I knew all along those were the two people I needed. But the magic did have to be passed through a magical human. Prue was that being. I knew that, too. Every year it is the same. The magic is passed through a magical human who passes it onto the one human capable of spreading it throughout the world."
"So why the story?" Prue asked. "Why the fairy tale about not knowing who you really needed and needing our help to find them."
"You would not have accepted that," said Kris. "You're the Charmed Ones. You face evil and demons every day. Rarely is a situation as cut and dried as this one. You would have been so suspicious you would never have believed me.
"But if you had to help someone yourselves, that's something you understand. It's something you do on a daily basis. I simply needed Prue to pass the magic from me to that young woman. But you would have suspected there was more to it than that. And it would have taken too long to convince you otherwise."
"But everything else," said Phoebe, "the rest of what you told us is true?"
"Yes, it is," said Kris. "Call me the Spirit of Christmas for lack of a better term. All the goodness, caring, and compassion that humanity is capable of. Unfortunately the evil in the world will soon overwhelm some of that goodness and I will have to return again next year to reinfuse mankind. It is a task I have performed since the beginning of time."
"All I know is that light passing through you hurt my eyes," said Cole.
"Funny," said Leo, "it didn't bother me."
"Only to you, my friend," Kris said to Cole. "And only to your demonic half. Be glad you're half human. Any full demon that witnesses the infusion would have been destroyed in an instant. Pure goodness is a very potent weapon against evil. Had you been the Belthazor you were only a short time ago, you would never have survived."
"I guess the power of love can have a lot of advantages," said Phoebe, putting her arm around Cole.
"The power of love," said Kris, "is the most powerful force there is. Even my power pales in comparison. Well, I thank you all for your help. Mankind is once again sustained. Thanks very much to you."
"Glad we could help," said Prue. "But next time, just ask."
"Next time," said Kris, smiling, "it will be a different human who will assist me. Now, if you don't mind. Just a little something I've always wanted to try."
Smiling he walked over to the fireplace. He turned and smiled at the group one last time. Then he placed one finger on the side of his nose, nodded, and turned into a swirling mass of energy that suddenly rushed up the chimney and out of the manor.
"Just like in the story," gasped Phoebe.
"That was certainly weird," said Piper. "The Spirit of Christmas? I would never thought in a million years that there was actually a being like that."
"It wasn't so long ago you wouldn't have believed in White Lighters, either," said Leo.
"Or demons," said Cole.
"Well, for some reason I don't think we'll have to worry about demons for a while," said Prue. "With all that goodness spreading around I think the demons will want to stay far away at least for a while."
"I always wondered why demons seemed so powerless at this time of year," said Cole. "Now I guess I know why."
"Well, there's still the Christmas dinner to get ready," said Piper. "And there's a lot of work to do yet. I could use some help in the kitchen."
"On my way, sister dear," said Prue.
"Well I still have presents to wrap," said Phoebe. "I'll join you when I'm done."
"Come on, Cole," said Leo. "We aren't going to be needed around here for a while. Let's go find something to do."
"Hey," said Cole, "I know just the thing. I know this soup kitchen that always needs help. For some reason I suddenly have the urge to go over there and help out."
"Sounds good," said Leo. "At this time of year White Lighters are allowed to be a little more free with our healing abilities. As long as no one sees us. You can help feed them and I'll help heal a few that can't afford proper medical treatment."
"Now I like the sound of that," said Cole.
As the two left the house Phoebe looked around. That feeling she had always felt at Christmas was finally back. This year, she planned to enjoy it as much as possible before it finally faded away into the background.
The End
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