Disclaimer: I do not own the Characters of Charmed. They are the sole property of the Powers That Be in TV Land.
Summary: Leo is mortal and when he thinks Piper plans to marry Dan he makes a drastic decision. Can Piper stop him before it's too late? P/L (obviously)
A/N: If you have the time drop me a line to let me know what you think, it would really be appreciated!
You, Always
Piper Halliwell, owner of P3 a popular nightclub, tried valiantly to concentrate on the mound of paper strewn across her desk. She really hated this part of her job. Between her witchy duties and a basic reluctance to keep up with the paperwork, had led her to her current state. Maybe it was time to invest in an assistant manager or at the very least a secretary. The loud noises emanating from the storage room was not helping either with her concentration. The sound of boxes being moved and crates being stacked on top of each other proved the storeroom was indeed getting put in order. Leo had volunteered to take on the unenviable task. It had been one more thing that had been neglected while she and her sisters were busy fighting to protect the greater good.
Piper tried to block out the disturbance as well as her disturbing feelings for the man creating it. Leo had only been working at the club a couple of months and truth be told, she didn't realize how difficult it would be working so closely with him. When she had discovered he had lost his wings for using his powers to save her life, she felt the least she could do was offer him a job and a place to stay. After all, what was an ex-angel to do? When she had made the offer, she had no idea how difficult it would be seeing him everyday. Thinking she could just ignore the lingering feelings she still held for him. Dan and she had carved out a nice, comfortable, normal relationship. She was happy, or at least content with her life. Then Leo comes back into the picture and…..well she just wouldn't think about it that's all. If she ignored it long enough the feelings would go away she reasoned. However, it didn't help that Leo had vowed to win her back. Not that she wasn't flattered, but she had made her choice and her choice was Dan. Giving her head a mental shake, she focused on the work in front of her.
She jumped in her chair when she heard a resounding crash followed by a low curse coming from Leo. The latter alerting Piper she needed to investigate. Angels weren't usually known for using foul language. As she entered the small room, her eyes immediately found it's sole occupant. He stood with his eyes closed tight, while he cradled his right hand as he moved aimlessly in a circle. A large wooden crate lay on its side, the contents spilling forth onto the floor.
"Are you okay?"
He opened one eye, then the other. "Yeah." He gritted out between clenched teeth.
"Here, let me see." She offered as she drew closer.
"It's fine, just hurts."
"Stop being a baby and let me see it." Gingerly she took his hand in hers and examined his injured fingers. They were bright red and Piper could already see them starting to swell. "Come on, you need to get some ice on these."
Letting go of his hand, they went over to the bar where she fashioned a makeshift ice pack. Once again she gently took his hand and placed the soothing coolness on the injured area. They stood only inches apart and Piper could feel the warm body heat radiating from him. Concentrating on his fingers, she attempted to block out his closeness along with the scent of him. It didn't work and she could feel herself reacting to both.
"This should help." She stated as she moved away, trying to put some distance between them.
"Thanks." His response coming out in a low whisper as he to felt a rush of emotion caused by her nearness.
Placing herself behind the bar where she felt safe, she asked, "Do you think they're broken?"
Leo took in the physical barrier she put between them and his heart gave a small lurch of disappointment. "No, I don't think so, just bruised. Sorry about the crate. Hopefully not much was damaged."
Piper waved off his concerns. "Don't worry about it. You need to take a break and keep an eye on those fingers."
"I'll be fine. Besides, I'm almost finished. Thanks for the ice."
He gazed at her with those incredible green eyes as he said it and Piper could feel herself slowly becoming lost in their depths. Forcefully she had to pull herself out. Turning away, she cleaned up some of the water left from the ice. "Well, if you're sure. I need to get back to work."
Leo watched helplessly as she went back to her office. His fingers may not be broken, but he was pretty sure his heart was.
Detective Darryl Morris stood on the front step of the Halliwell Manor. It was a situation he was becoming very familiar with lately. The crime scene he had just come from had left little doubt he would require the assistance from the three sisters who resided here. It was starting to become a disturbing pattern. He knocked loudly three times hoping someone would be home. He was soon rewarded when the door opened to reveal the youngest sister.
Phoebe smiled when she saw him on the other side. "Hey Darryl, come in. What's up?"
He followed her into the foyer before he spoke. "Hi Phoebe. Wish I could say this was a social call, but it's not."
Phoebe's grin vanished. "Whoa, that doesn't sound good."
"I just left a crime scene. The victim was found in an alley. A large burn mark covered most of his body. Forensics has no idea what kind of weapon could do something like that, but I'm betting you can."
She sent him a wan smile. "Yeah, I do unfortunately. Is there anything else you can tell me?"
"Not really. The guy was a drifter. Lived on the streets. Robbery is out of the question. Downtown is pretty much stumped."
"All right. Let me talk to Prue and Piper and see what we can come up with."
"I'd appreciate it."
As soon as the detective left, Phoebe called Prue, then Piper. It was agreed Phoebe would consult the Book of Shadows then meet her sisters at P3 since Piper really could not come home at the moment.
An hour later found the three plus Leo congregated at the bar of the club. "So the book couldn't give specifics?" Questioned Prue.
"Nada." Her sister offered, with not a little frustration. "The victim had a big scorch mark, which could have been made by any number of demons. They all leave scorch marks, it's kinda of their calling card."
"It would help if we could have seen the body." Piper commented thoughtfully.
"What's more disturbing is the demon left evidence for the real world to find." Interrupted Leo with a frown. The three girls eyed him, letting him know he needed to elaborate. "Demons never leave their victims where mortals can discover them. Evil doesn't want to risk exposure any more than you guys. So the question is, why did this demon?"
"Ego trip?" Prue threw out.
"Or to get our attention." Resignation threading Piper's statement.
"Perhaps." Agreed Leo. "Whatever the reason, you need to take care of it and fast. You can't have any more bodies turning up. The human world cannot be exposed to your world." He took all of them in with a serious look. Once again the fate of the world was placed upon the shoulders of the Charmed Ones and he felt for them.
Sitting up straight, Prue took control. "Okay, we need to get to work. Phoebe, I want you to take another look at the book and maybe use some of what you've learned in phyc class to get a lead. I'll go to Darryl, see if he can get me more on the victim."
"What about me?" Piper asked as she thought about her piles of paperwork, which would once again have to wait. Before Prue could give her instructions, another visitor entered the club.
"Wow, you guys having a party and forget to invite me?" Dan asked as he walked down the stairs. His eyes met Piper's then shifted to Leo, who was standing across from her behind the bar. Reaching Piper, he leaned over for a kiss. Normally it would have been a quick kiss in greeting, but with Leo standing right there, Dan made it into more. He constantly felt like he needed to prove to Leo that Piper was his. He knew about their past, and was threatened by it. Piper kept reassuring him Leo and she were only friends, but Dan was not an idiot. He saw how the other man looked at Piper. Even Piper herself acted differently when Leo was around.
Now Leo was working at the club, and Dan was not at all thrilled about it, but knew he was powerless to change it. Piper had made it very clear; Leo would be welcome for however long he wanted. Which had Dan constantly keeping his jealousy in check. Sometimes, like now, he wasn't always successful.
Piper finally managed to disengage herself from his kiss. It was a totally inappropriate kiss with her sisters and Leo present. But then Dan tended to act like a jerk when Leo was around.
"Dan, what are you doing here?" The question came out a little harsher than she intended and immediately felt bad. She could see his eyes darken at her tone.
"We have a lunch date remember?" He returned in frustration.
"Oh! Right! Lunch. Hmmmm, can we….."
He didn't let her finish. "Piper come on, you promised."
Prue took in her sister's dilemma and offered a solution. "We're done here Piper. Go to lunch, then later you can help out in the kitchen. I really need you to help me with that special sauce."
Understanding the code her sister was conveying, Piper shot her a grateful smile. "Great, thanks Prue." She turned to Dan. "Just let me get my purse."
Leo, his heart in his eyes, witnessed the two leave the club. Swallowing the large lump of emotion in his throat he turned to the remaining sisters. "I better get back to work. Let me know if I can help."
Watching his retreating back, the two looked at each other, both expressing similar thoughts. Their hearts went out to Leo. Both felt Leo was the perfect match for their sister, however it was not their call. Piper had made it clear what she wanted and her sisters had no choice but to support it.
Leo spent the rest of the afternoon working in the stockroom with a heavy heart. He didn't know how much more he could endure. Every time he saw Piper and Dan together, a little piece of him died. He had vowed to win her back and for the first few weeks it was enough to keep him going. But Piper was showing no signs of leaning his way. In fact she seemed to take great pains to avoid him, along with taking every opportunity to let him know she was with Dan now and that was not going to change.
Leo was unsure where to go from here. Did he continue to fight, or should he bow out gracefully and seek comfort in the fact Piper was happy. After all, her happiness was all he ever wanted for her. Just because it wasn't with him, shouldn't matter. Rubbing a hand over tired eyes, he flinched forgetting his two injured fingers. Inspecting them again he noted they were now various shades of black and blue. Looks like he had broken them after all.
