Hey, everyone! Here's a new story that's been floating around in my head for awhile, so I just thought that I'd write it out and see what happens. Please review, and let me know if you like it, so that I can know whether to continue it or not.

On the Charmed timeline, this story takes place near the end of the third season. Phebe's and Piper's powers have grown, and Prue is still alive.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story. This is fan fiction! Heh.

The sound of an explosion could be heard throughout the Halliwell Manor.

"What the heck was that?" said Phebe.

"I didn't do it, honest!" said Piper, "My new power is a little out of control, but not THAT bad!"

"What was it, then?" asked Phebe. Just then, Prue came down the stairs.

"Did you guys hear that explosion?" asked Prue.

"Yeah, we were just trying to figure out what it was," said Piper, holding up her hands, 'Because it wasn't me, I swear!"

Prue looked at Piper for a moment, then switched her gaze to Phebe, and then to the front door. "If this is about a demon or a warlock," said Prue, "Then they're either in the attic or at the front door. They always are."

"Then what do we do?" said Piper.

"What else?" said Phebe, "Let's see who's at the door."

Reluctantly, the two other Halliwell sisters followed Phebe to the front door. Phebe placed her hand on the handle, and took a deep breath. "Okay, she said, "Here we go. Be ready."

She swung open the door and was about the strike a fight position, when she noticed that no one was standing there. She heard a moan coming from below her, so she cast her eyes down at her feet.

There at her feet, badly hurt and almost unconscious, was a child, possibly in his early teens. Without lifting his head, he reached out a gloved hand in Phebe's direction, and said, "Please…" His voice trailed off, and his arm went limp.

"I need some help here, quick!" said Phebe. She and her sisters gently picked up the boy and carried him into the living room, where they laid him on the couch.

Prue took over. "Now, fetch me some clean water and towels, and some antiseptic cream. He's covered with blood."

The sisters rushed and did as she asked. They were soon back in the living room with the items requested. Prue looked concerned.

"What's the matter?" asked Piper.

"He's been calling for someone named 'Al'," she said. Prue paused. "And I just noticed this." She lifted up the sleeve of the boy's right arm to expose…a mechanical arm!

"What the…?" said Piper.

"We don't have anything that advanced, do we?" said Phebe.

"That's what concerns me," said Prue, "I don't know who, or what, he is, why he's here, or where he comes from."

"Well, at least we know that he's not a warlock," said Piper, "Warlocks don't bleed."

"True," said Prue, "But I still can't help but be concerned."

"Well," said Phebe, "We'd better get these wounds dressed, or who he is won't be our only concern."

So, the three sisters dressed the boy's wounds, and then carefully carried him into the guest room, and laid him on the bed. They would let him get some rest. Answers would come later.

"So, who do you think he is?" asked Phebe.

"Book of Shadows," said Prue, pointing down the hall toward the attic. She motioned for her sisters to follow her, so the two other women just shrugged their shoulders and followed.

As soon as everyone was in the attic and the door had been shut, Prue went over to the stand where the Book of Shadows rested and started flipping through pages, obviously looking for something.

"What are you doing, Prue?" asked Phebe. What could Prue possibly be looking for?

"When we were cleaning him up, I saw a strange symbol on his jacket, and I know I've seen it in here before," said Prue.

"Really? I didn't see anything. Did you, Piper?" asked Phebe. Piper shooke her head. "So what did it look like?"

"It looked like a snake on a cross," said Prue.

"Wait, I think I know the symbol you're talking about," said Piper, "I've seen that in there too. Here, let me help." Piper pushed Prue aside, and started flipping through the pages herself.

After a moment, Piper said, "I've found it! Is this what you were looking for?"

Prue looked over Piper's shoulder, and saw the symbol of the snake on a cross. "Yes, that is. What does it say?"

"It doesn't say much," said Piper. "It say that this is a symbol for a certain order of alchemists, but it doesn't say whether they're good or bad."

"So, in other words, we can't trust this kid until we find out, if we find out," said Prue.

Phebe scoffed. "Come on, he's just a kid! What would a kid know about alchemy? Maybe he's just wearing that symbol because he thinks it looks cool."

Piper thought for a second. "Maybe, or he could be an apprentice to an alchemist."

"Well," said Prue, "I don't trust him either way. That last alchemist we met was a really shade character. We should find that vanquishing spell and keep it handy, just in case we need it."

"But that's a Power of Three spell. It wouldn't work if he got us separated," said Phebe.

"Then we'll just stick together at all times," said Piper, who then suddenly realized that that would be impossible, since she had to go to P3 sometime, and he wasn't old enough to go with them.

The three sisters sighed. Then Phebe threw her hands up into the air in frustration. "Why don't we just wait for him to wake up and give him a chance to explain himself before we pass judgment?"

There was no better idea available, so the other sisters agreed.

After some time had passed, the sisters all gathered outside of the guest room. Phebe knocked on the door. No response. So she decided to walk in without permission, and opened the door. The boy was still asleep.

"Do you think we should be waking him up?" asked Piper, concerned for the boy's privacy.

"Yes, I think we should," said Prue. The other two sisters decided not to argue. Prue and the others walked into the room and stood around the bed.

The boy, apparently sensing them in the room, opened his eyes. "Where…Where am I?" he said.

"You're with friends," said Phebe, sitting down on the bed next to him and patting one of his hands.

"Where's Al, my brother?" he asked. The girls exchanged looks.

"We haven't seen him," said Prue, "Only you appeared on our doorstep."

"I appeared on your doorstep?" said the boy, "How did I get there?"

"We were hoping that you'd be able to tell us that," said Piper. The boy shrugged and shook his head. He obviously hadn't a clue.

Prue pulled out the red jacket that the boy had been wearing. "Can you tell me about this?" she asked.

"That's my jacket," said the boy, obviously unsure of what she was getting at.

Prue turned the jacket around and pointed to the symbol on the back. "What about this?" she asked.

"That's an alchemy crest," said the boy. The sisters exchanged glances. So, this boy knew what it was after all. Stranger still what that he wasn't trying to hide it. Did he just think the symbol looked cool?

"So, if you don't mind my asking," said Prue, "Why do you have an alchemy crest on your jacket?"

"Because I just so happen to be an alchemist," said the boy. The sisters looked at each other again. This boy was honest, no doubt about that, but was he a threat?

The boy half chuckled, half choked. He had obviously noticed the nervousness. "I see that alchemy scares you. I'm not in my own world anymore, am I? Everyone know about alchemy in my world."

"Your…WORLD?" said Piper, "Where the heck are you from?"

"How should I know?" said the boy, placing a hand on his face in frustration, "Up until now, I didn't even know that other worlds existed. It's just that everything is so different here, this can't be my world."

Phebe leaned closer to the boy, and said, "This may sound like a silly question, but you're not going to hurt us, are you? We've had a bad experience with an alchemist in the past."

The boy removed his hand from his face and looked straight at Phebe. For the first time, she noticed his gold-colored eyes, which matched his long, blond hair. No, he was definitely not from around here.

"Why would I hurt you? An alchemist is supposed to do goof for the people. That's a shame that you were treated so badly by another alchemist. If you point him out, I'll teah him a lesson," said the boy.

"He's…uh…already been…taught," said Piper. She didn't think that telling this young alchemist how they'd vanquished another alchemist with a spell would go over too well.

The boy relaxed back into his pillow. "Very well," said he, "Now, do you know anyone who knows anything about the Gate?"

"What's 'the Gate'?" said Piper.

"It's the portal between our worlds. I must've gotten here that way, and that's the only way I can think of to get back, but I need to find someone that knows how to summon the Gate," said the boy.

"I've never heard of the Gate," said Prue, "What kind of people know about it in your world?"

"A very select few alchemists," answered the boy, "All of which I could count on one hand. Since alchemy's not prevalent here, it would probably be some other type of person, perhaps a psychic or a witch."

The sisters exchanged glances again. If he was to get any help in this world, the Charmed Ones were his best bet. However, was he a shady character like that last alchemist, or was he their innocent? They could do nothing but wait and see, for the boy had just gone back to sleep.

Thanks for reading my story, now review and tell me how you liked it!