I don't own Charmed nor will I ever. No copyright infringement intended.
In the aftermath of Leo's return, Piper developed some separation anxiety and panicked every time her husband was out of sight. At least she wasn't alone since the boys cried whenever he wasn't around either. And when her sisters weren't around and Wyatt and Chris were sleeping, the couple made up for lost time by having lots of sex - something that hadn't happened since before their eldest was born.
Which is how Piper found herself staring at a positive pregnancy test five weeks later. She had been feeling off for a few days but convinced herself one of the kids had given her one of their various illnesses (poor Leo had been taken down by the flu just days after becoming mortal because of something the boys brought home from Magic School). "We're having another baby," she murmured to herself, lips curling up into a delighted smile.
Piper hurried to find her husband and found him playing with Wyatt and Chris in the conservatory. "Are my boys having fun?"
Leo and Wyatt both looked up. "I'm winning," her eldest informed her.
"That's fantastic, baby. And what about you two?" She decided to wait until their sons were asleep or at least playing together before telling Leo about the baby. He deserved to hear it first this time and she couldn't wait to surprise her sisters for once.
"I lose." The sad look on Chris' face both amused and both their hearts.
"Aw, that's okay. Why don't we watch a movie?" Leo suggested. They nodded enthusiastically so he led them into the other room and turned on one of their favorites.
Piper took advantage of the opportunity, grabbed Leo's hand and the baby monitor, and then pulled him into the kitchen. "Hi."
He laughed with her. "Hi. Not that I'm complaining but what is this about?"
She leaned up and kissed him before pulling away. "I'm pregnant. You knocked me up again, Leo Wyatt."
His grin lit up the entire room as he picked her up and kissed her again. "We're having another baby?" He had never expected to have a third baby so this news had floored him (in a good way).
Piper nodded. "Yeah. You happy?"
"Ecstatic," Leo answered. He placed a hand on her stomach after asking for permission and then looked up at her. "You're amazing."
"Let's see how I feel once I'm in labor again," Piper teased.
Leo felt a sliver of fear because of her past history but refused to ruin the moment. "Wait a second. Do I know before your sisters for once?"
"Yes. We're going to enjoy this far more than we should, Leo." Piper couldn't wait to surprise them this time around.
Later that night, when the boys went to bed, Piper and Leo celebrated their exciting news multiple times.
When it came time to tell Phoebe and Paige about Piper's pregnancy, Leo practically vibrated with energy and excitement. "What is the matter with you?" Phoebe narrowed her eyes at her brother-in-law as Coop pulled her closer to him.
"Nothing."
"Are you possessed again or something? You're acting weird." Paige was ready to orb up to the Book of Shadows to find a spell to return Leo to normal because this was freaking her out.
"No, I'm not possessed."
Piper leaned her head on Leo's shoulder. "Go ahead and tell them."
Before anybody could get a word out, Leo spilled their news. "Piper and I are having another baby!"
Phoebe and Paige squealed, stood up, and then rushed to their sides, pulling them both in for hugs. "Congratulations!" Henry called, trying to avoid the group hug.
"Get up here!" Paige encouraged.
Henry swore but got up and joined them, Coop following a few seconds later. "I can't believe Wyatt and Chris are going to get a sibling. You two are going to have three kids! Oh, this is so exciting!" Phoebe leaned down and Piper rolled her eyes. "Hi, baby. It's Aunt Phoebe. We all love you so much already. Aunt Paige and I know a lot about being the baby of the family so you come to us if you need anything, okay?"
Phoebe leaned up back up and immediately noticed the smirk on Leo's face. "So how did it feel to find out last?"
Paige snorted. "I think he just got us back for telling him about Piper's first two pregnancies."
"Well played, Leo Wyatt. Well played." Phoebe threw her arms around him again.
Leo and Piper absolutely couldn't wait to meet their third child, and they were glad their family felt the same way.
They decided to wait to tell Wyatt and Chris until she was further along so they didn't have to answer incessant questions and deal with their impatience for months. Fortunately, that came after the ultrasound where they discovered the sex of the baby for the first time. "We're actually having a little girl this time. I thought for sure it was going to be another boy!" Piper told Leo as she stared at the image in her hand.
Leo would have been thrilled if they had had another son but he was absolutely ecstatic about a daughter. "We're still going with Prudence Melinda, right?" he questioned.
She nodded. "Of course we are. God, what are we going to do with a girl, though? We're so used to boys."
He laughed as they pulled into the driveway. "We'll figure out."
The boys greeted them with screams as soon as they came through the door. After sitting them down, Piper and Leo struggled for a few seconds on how to broach the subject. "You know how your friend Tommy has a new little baby brother?" Piper finally asked Wyatt.
The three year old nodded eagerly. "Yes."
Leo pulled Chris into his lap. "Mommy's having a baby. You and Chris are going to have a baby sister in a few months."
"Baby?" asked a curious Chris as he climbed over his lap into Piper's.
"Yes, a baby. Mommy's growing her inside of me and she needs to grow a bit until she can meet you both." She grasped Chris' hand and put it on her swelling stomach.
"My baby," Chris declared before jumping down and going back to playing with his toys.
Wyatt hugged his parents. "Share a room?" he asked, clearly not liking the idea.
"No, you don't have to share a room with her. Your little sister - Prudence Melinda - will get her own room," Piper told him.
He didn't look too enthused by that idea either but Wyatt briefly patted her stomach and went to join his brother. "They'll get used to it by the time she gets here," Leo told Piper as they settled into the couch and watched them play.
An exhausted Piper yawned and handed her newborn over to Leo for him to hold for the first time. "Hello, Prudence Melinda. We've been waiting a very long time to meet you, sweetheart." And in that moment, Leo knew their family was complete.
Melinda opened her eyes and cooed, melting their hearts. "You should let the peanut gallery in," Piper told him.
Leo looked at his wife in concern. "Are you sure? You just had a c-section." It had been planned this time after the fiasco of her last two deliveries but fortunately, nothing had gone wrong this time around.
"I'm sure. Go get them but give me my baby girl back." Leo reluctantly complied and went to go bring in their expanding family. "Melinda, I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to the chaos. But that's okay. You have a family that will go to the ends of this earth to protect you."
The door gently flew open and the rest of the family stepped in. "You have to be gentle with Mommy," Leo told Wyatt and Chris.
"Oh, she's beautiful." Paige teared up and cursed her hormones.
"You want to hold her, buddy? You have to be gentle," Leo told Wyatt.
The four year old looked a little worried but after sitting down in the chair and being handed the newborn, he took to it like water. "Wow."
Two year old Chris peered up at them. "Mel."
"Seems somebody has a nickname already," Phoebe watched her nephews and niece interact for the first time and nearly burst into tears at the emotion of it all.
"You did good, honey. I'm proud of you." Victor itched to hold his new granddaughter but he let Wyatt and Chris have their moment first.
"Thanks, Dad. Another little one for you to watch."
He waved off her comment. "I'll gladly watch all three of them if need be." He was determined to be the best grandfather he could be after screwing up so badly when the girls were little.
"I should probably practice with her, right?" Both Paige and Henry looked a little worried.
"You two are still freaking out about having twins, aren't you?" Everyone had been thrown for a loop by that little bit of news but they couldn't wait to meet them.
"Just a little," Henry admitted.
Phoebe looked at them a little wistfully but she and Coop knew they'd have their daughter soon enough. She could wait a while longer if need be. But she got her camera and snapped a quick picture of Wyatt, Chris, and Melinda. "They all look adorable together. Piper and Leo, you two hit the jackpot all three times."
"Yeah, we did." Leo rescued Wyatt when Melinda started fussing and handed her back to Piper. "I love you so much."
"I love you too but you're never knocking me up again." Piper knew their family was complete too and she couldn't wait to see all three of them grow up.
"Duly noted." Leo kissed Melinda's forehead then made sure to do the same with Wyatt and Chris. All the people in the room - his wife and children especially - meant everything to him.
"Congratulations again. Phoebe and I will baby-sit if you need us too," Coop said.w
"Hey, wait your turn. We need to practice first," Henry shot back, trying not to panic.
"We'll do this slowly. Calm down," Paige told her husband. She was freaked out too but determined to stay calm during this pregnancy.
"You look like you're about to fall apart over there." Coop looked over at him in amused concern, wondering if he'd be the same way when Phoebe got pregnant.
At Phoebe's urging, they crowded around Piper's bed for the first picture of all five of them (it earned a spot on the wall leading up the stairs). Neither of them could wait to see where life led them next because they had a feeling it'd be a wild ride (they were right). Piper and Leo didn't even care about the bickering or the fact that Wyatt and Chris were getting restless and wanted to go home. They had made it through every worst case scenario and came out the other side stronger. Nothing could tear them apart again. All that mattered to them right now was that they were happy and had three beautiful, healthy children.