Author's Note: Hi everyone! I'm a new author here - but I've been reading the fan fiction stories for years! I wrote this story a couple of years back and recently mustered up my courage to submit it for your reading pleasure. This story is set in S6, shortly after the episode "Prince Charmed" (the girls know that Wyatt is the evil Chris has come back to stop and as a result do not currently trust him). This story is FINISHED - but I am only publishing chapter one at this time. If you want more, you have to let me know!

Disclaimer: I do not, of course, own any of the characters from Charmed. Only the elder Alexander is my creation.

"FULL CIRCLE"

Piper's eyelids fluttered open to see late afternoon sunlight streaking across her bed. I must have fallen asleep after putting Wyatt down for his nap, Piper mused – even now, she could hear him stirring over the monitor on her nightstand. As she reached over to turn the volume down, her hand unconsciously brushed the pillow opposite her own. Piper sighed as an unwelcome wave of emotion swept through her. She had been dreaming of Leo – of their life together before he had been turned into one of "them". She fingered the charm bracelet on her right wrist and decided to remove it before her date with Greg. After all, she didn't really want to explain how her ex-husband had given her the perfect birthday present – something she thought had been lost forever long ago. Piper rolled over and looked at the clock – 5:30pm. She needed to feed Wyatt and call Leo so she could get ready. She frowned and sighed again as she recalled how strange Leo had been acting lately. He always made time for Wyatt and he said that she deserved the life he could no longer give her. He never said a word when she left for a date with Greg, but she could feel Leo's eyes burning a hole clear through her as she walked out the front door of the manor. Shaking her head to clear it, Piper told herself for the hundredth time to focus on the present, not the past. A normal life – that's what she had always wanted. For the past five years Piper had thought Leo was the one to give her that normalcy she had been craving. She didn't know if Greg was 'the one' but she had to try and make a new life for her and Wyatt.

Blue orbs began to gather at the foot of her bed. Piper sat up as Wyatt appeared, squealing and clapping his hands.

"What are you doing, little man? You know you're not supposed to-" Piper broke off her scolding as a second column of blue orbs appeared near her bed even as she heard Leo's voice calling,

"Where are you, Wyatt? Come out, come out, wherever you are!" By this time Leo had fully materialized to see his son laughing at him from the bed and Piper looking on in disapproval. "Look, Piper, I can explain--"

"What is this, a whitelighter's version of hide-and-seek?" Piper frowned.

Wyatt launched himself off the bed toward his father. Piper gasped in alarm and jumped to her feet even as Leo stepped forward and caught his son easily in his arms. Piper sighed in exasperation and moved past them towards the bathroom. "Since you're already here, I'm going to take a shower and get ready for my date. Would you mind feeding Wyatt? I think there are some leftovers in the refrigerator from dinner if you're hungry too."

Leo tossed Wyatt into the air causing his son to chortle in delight. "I'm always hungry for home cooking – especially if you made the food," Leo said as he crossed the room and set Wyatt inside his playpen. "But I can't stay."

"What do you mean? I thought you said you could watch Wyatt for me tonight-"

"Piper, relax," Leo smiled reassuringly and flicked his eyes toward the ceiling. "I got 'paged' a little while ago, some emergency meeting. I'll be back in time for you to meet Greg."

"Are you sure? Because when you orb out, you tend to lose track of time down here. Maybe I should just ask Phoebe to watch Wyatt since she's in town for a few days."

During her tirade, Leo had moved closer to her and now he placed his hands lightly on her shoulders. A few months ago Piper would have shrugged out of his touch; but they'd made so much progress of late that now she just stood still, secretly reveling in the feeling of his touch.

"Nothing is more important to me than spending time with our son. I promise I'll be back in time for your date. But if it will make you feel better, go ahead, call Phoebe and ask her to come home." Leo leaned forward slightly and for one brief moment Piper thought he was going to kiss her. But he just smiled reassuringly and orbed out, causing Piper to stumble slightly from the release of his pressure on her shoulders. Wyatt began to wail as Piper removed her charm bracelet, setting it on her nightstand. Scooping Wyatt up in her arms, she rocked him back and forth.

"Why don't we see what we can find for your supper and then we'll call Aunt Phoebe? You two will have fun tonight," Piper cooed even as Wyatt's screams grew louder, leaving no doubt in her mind that who Wyatt really wanted to spend the evening with was his father.

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Leo had almost forgotten how bad the pain was. Almost. Piper was going to kill him – if he didn't die first. He had been on the way back to the manor when he had heard an innocent calling for help. No whitelighter was answering and Leo couldn't ignore the call and turn his back on an innocent. But when he orbed into the alley he found no innocent, in fact, the place was deserted. Shrugging in confusion, he was preparing to leave when the darklighter's arrow hit him. Pain shot through his abdomen as he collapsed to the pavement and passed out.

Leo had no idea how long he had lain in the alley before he regained consciousness. Grimacing through the pain he tried to orb but discovered that he was already too weak from blood loss. He tried to climb to his feet but he had already lost the feeling in his legs. Leo had never encountered a darklighter's poison that worked this quickly. Leo gritted his teeth in frustration and closed his eyes. Piper. If only there was some way to contact her. His link to her was still strong - he could tell instantly whenever she was in any kind of physical or emotional distress. But Piper had closed herself off to him and it was unlikely that he could reach out to her consciousness now. Not when she had shut down her end of their very strong, almost telepathic bond. But without the ability to orb, he knew that he needed Charmed Ones help to get out of here, so he had to try to contact Piper. He pictured her in his mind's eye and she came into focus, laughing and beautiful, sitting in a restaurant across the table from Greg. He said her name over and over and saw Piper break off her conversation in mid-sentence. Leo's hopes soared but then he saw Piper shake her head and start talking to Greg again. Leo sighed in frustration as the fragile connection broke. No, there was no way that he could reach Piper for help. This wasn't the way things were supposed to end – he needed to be here for Wyatt. If Chris was right, if he could still be trusted, his son was in great danger. Leo closed his eyes against the pain and began to drag himself along the ground. Leaning against a building on one side of the alley, Leo tried to catch his breath and plot his next move. I'm sorry, Wyatt. I love you.

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