Here's the next chapter, hope you all enjoy it. Leave me some feedback if you like it, or have a suggestion or question.

Thanks to those that asked me questions or offered suggestions. They were really helpful. I addressed the apparent contradiction in this chapter, so that you'll understand WHY he said the things he said about the Gate. Also, I've seen the youngest Halliwell sister's name spelled "Phebe" and "Phoebe". I was just following the convention and spelling it "Phebe", but I'd happily do whatever my readers want. Which spelling do you prefer?

Anyway, enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. It is merely fan fiction. That's right, I don't even own the kid, though I wish I did, heh.

"Leo," called the sisters, all staring at the ceiling, "Leo!"

Soon, white particles of light descended into the room and materialized into Piper's husband, Leo.

"What's the matter?" said Leo, "The Elders didn't exactly want me to leave just yet."

"Don't worry," said Piper, "We'll be sending you right back there anyway. We need some information."

"What about?" said Leo.

"We have a young guest who appears to be an alchemist," said Prue, "And he mentioned something called 'the Gate'. We need to know what 'the Gate' is, as well as if this kid is our innocent or our enemy. Of course, we're not even sure that he's telling the truth. He seemed to contradict himself back there."

"An alchemist, huh?" said Leo, rubbing the back of his head. "Did you find out his name, but any chance?"

"No," Piper shook her head, "He fell back asleep too quickly. We do know that he wears a red overcoat with an alchemy crest on the back, and that he has a mechanical right arm."

"Red coat, mechanical arm, and a kid?" said Leo, "That's probably enough information to single him out. I'll be back as soon as I can. Take care of yourselves."

Leo leaned over and gave Piper a kiss, then orbed out.

The three women puttered around the house for the next few hours, waiting for the boy to wake up. Now the sun was about to set, and they hadn't been outside at all today, so they decided to step outside for a few minutes.

It was at that moment that the boy finally woke up. He rubbed his eyes, sat up, and then climbed out of the bed. As he made his way down the stairs, he called out, "Hello, is anybody here?"

Hearing no reply, he walked all the way downstairs, and into the sitting room, hoping to find someone.

Just then, a demon smashed through the stained-glass window, grabbed the boy by the neck, and slammed him against the wall.

"Where are the Charmed Ones?" demanded the demon in a gruff, angry voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said the boy.

The demon gripped his throat even tighter, and said, "The three sister witches who live in this house, where are they?"

The boy struggled to speak, in spite of the constriction on this throat, and said, "If…you're talking about…who I think you are…then…" The boy clapped his hands together and then grabbed the demon's arm. Blue sparks arose out of the boy's hands, and the demon hurriedly released his grasp. The boy fell to the floor, but managed to land on his hands and knees.

He looked back up at the demon, and finished what he was about to say, "Then…I don't think they're interested in talking to you!"

He clapped his hands together again, which again caused blue sparks to fly out of his hand. This time, however, a blade grew out of his mechanical arm.

"When someone does me a kindness, I'll do them a kindness in return," said the boy, "If you want to get to them, you'll have to get through me first."

The boy then lunged at the demon, only to have the demon jump out of the way at the last moment. He then struck a blow to the back of the boy's head, sending him toppling to the floor.

Not dissuaded, the boy jumped back up and once again tried to rush the demon. The demon just jumped out of the boy's way again, and then grabbed him by his neck, making sure to hold only his mechanical arm this time.

"Now," said the demon with an evil tone in his voice, "Give me your power."

"I…don't…have…a power," said the boy as best he could amidst the choke hold he was in, "This…is a…learned…skill."

"Then I guess I'll just kill you now, and then go and steal the Charmed Ones' powers," said the demon, who proceeded to tighten his grip around the boy's neck.

Just then, Prue jumped into the room through the broken window, waved her hand, and sent the demon crashing into a wall. The demon shook his head, got up, and started angrily charging for the Charmed Ones.

Piper then stepped in front of Pre, and threw up her hands. The demon froze in place. The boy had a shocked expression on his face.

"Don't just freeze hi, you idiot," said Prue, "Blow him up!"

Piper threw up her hands again, and the demon exploded before their eyes. All that remained was a burn spot on the floor where he'd been.

No one spoke for a moment. The boy had caught them using their powers, so what would happen now?

Finally, the boy spoke up. "What exactly was that thing?"

The sisters exchanged glances again, and Piper decided that she'd be the one to explain it to him. "That was a demon, son, he was evil."

"Good," said the boy, standing up, "Then I did the right thing by trying to fight him." The boy chuckled, "Though I can't say that I did a very good job at it."

"You tried to fight off that demon?" said Piper.

The boy shrugged. "A kindness for a kindness, equivalent trade. You helped me, so I was trying to help you."

The sisters looked at each other once again. Had this boy really risked his life to save them?

The boy then cleared his throat. "That demon called you witches, and then I even saw you use your powers. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Things like that aren't spread around in this world," said Prue, "And if you're smart, you won't tell people that you're an alchemist either. Don't even show anyone that arm of yours; it would cause too many questions to be asked."

The boy looked down at his mechanical arm. It still had the blade on it. He clapped his hands together, and the blade retracted back into his arm.

"So you have to hide in this world, huh?" said the boy. Prue nodded.

Just then, Leo orbed into the room. The boy jumped back. Sure, he'd seen weirder things than that in life, but it still shocked him.

"The information you gave me was more than enough for the elders to figure out who he was," said Leo. "This is Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist."

"Wait a minute!" said the boy, "How did you…"

Leo continued on as if he hadn't heard him. "Edward is apparently a prodigy back in his own world, which is why they let him join the military and become a State Alchemist at the age of twelve."

"I thought he looked about twelve," said Phebe.

"I'M FIFTEEN!" said Edward.

Leo chuckled. "He's been growing faster mentally than physically. He became a State Alchemist nearly four years ago, just after his twelfth birthday."

"Oh, I'm sorry, buddy, I didn't know," said Phebe. Edward stood with his arms crossed for a moment, and then waved his hand at her as if to say, "Forget it."

"What I found most interesting about him is that he always follows his conscience, even if it goes against his orders. He's known as the State Alchemist who sides with the people."

"So, does that mean that we can trust him?" asked Prue.

"The Elders seem to think he's trustworthy," said Leo, "So I'd say it's safe to trust him."

"But what about the contradiction?" said Prue.

"There was no contradiction," said Leo, "The truth is that he knew about the Gate, but he didn't know that it led to another world. He just now figured that part out, didn't you, Ed?"

A smile spread across Edward's face. "It's creepy that I'm being spied on like this, but I'm glad that they decided to report on me so favorably. Yes, I just found out about the Gate leading to this world."

Leo smiled at Edward, and then continued talking. "The Elders had actually noticed Edward's disappearance from his world recently, and weren't sure where to find him. They were glad to find out that you guys found him, since you are the best qualified to get him back to his world. His world needs him back, badly."

"Did you find anything out about 'the Gate'?" said Prue. Leo looked up at the ceiling.

"The Elders are calling me. I'll come back later, and explain it to you as best as I can." He kissed Piper, and orbed out.

Edward put his hand on his forehead. "This is sure a weird family."

Phebe chuckled. "It might take a little while to get used to. It even took us a while to decide whether you were friend or foe."

Edward took his hand off his forehead and looked up at Phebe. "It was hard to figure out, huh? I guess it would be, considering that bad alchemist you ran into before."

"You're probably starved," said Phebe, changing the subject, "Piper, do you have anything made?"

"I have a casserole in the oven," said Piper, "Knock yourselves out. I'm going to P3 now that we don't need the Power of Three."

"What's P3?" asked Edward.

"It's Piper's nightclub," said Phebe, "She has to go there every so often to make sure that things are running smoothly. We just couldn't take you there because, legally, we can only allow admittance to adults."

"Oh, I see," Edward chuckled, "I understand."

"I could always let you see it during the daytime though, when nobody's there," said Piper.

"I'd like that," said Edward.

"Now, you two go get that kid something to eat before he faints," said Piper.

"Aye, aye, Captain Piper!" said Phebe, "See you later." She grabbed Edward's hand, and walked him into the kitchen.

"See ya!" Piper called back, and shut the door.

How am I going to be able to handle staying with a bunch of witches? Thought Edward.

As if she knew what he was thinking, Phebe said, "You'd better watch your step around here, or we'll turn you into a toad."

Prue slapped Phebe. "Don't confuse the poor kid!" Then, turning to Edward, she said, "Don't listen to a thing Phebe says, she's just being obnoxious. Just try to make yourself at home."

Edward smiled. Even though these women were witches, they acted just like normal human beings. He could handle this.

"Thanks," he said, "I'm starting to feel at home here already."

Thanks for reading, now review and tell me your thoughts! See you in the next chapter.