The Replacement
Summary: With Leo on the way to being permanently out of her life, Piper tries to fill the gap in her life with someone wholly unexpected - her new Whitelighter, Chris. Will the emotional ramifications be too much for both of them?
A/N: P/L fans, don't hate me! Also, a warning to Chris lovers (although I don't think there are any real hard-core ones yet) - he's a major slampiece in this fic. Don't get mad at me if I walk all over him, because that's pretty much why he's here.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. You already know this. On with the fic.
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It was a calm morning. Piper was in the conservatory, the sun gleaming through the windows as she gently cradled her year-old son in one of the comfortable wicker rocking chairs. Ordinarily she would feel tranquil, but this morning was different. She couldn't help feeling like something was missing.
It wasn't the first time she'd felt this way. Ever since Leo had left, there had been something nagging at her, from deep in the hole he'd left in her heart. It had been nearly undetectable with the spell in place, but now that he'd come back and removed it, the pain was hitting her full force.
As hard as it was, Piper wanted to move on. She wanted to make herself accept the fact that Leo wasn't coming back to her, and she wanted to go on with her life, but she didn't know if she could. She didn't know how to fill the sucking void in her heart, but she knew she had to, for her baby's sake as well as her own. If she didn't, it would destroy her.
As if in response to his mother's quiet reflection, Wyatt started whimpering. She shifted him onto her shoulder and started rubbing his back. "Shh," she whispered. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. I know, baby, I miss him too. But we'll be okay."
He was still fussy, so she brought him into the kitchen to fix him a bottle. The house was empty, her sisters already having left for work, and the silence was chilling. She started humming one of Wyatt's favorite tunes to distract herself, and didn't notice Chris orb in behind her. She jumped when she spotted him a few minutes later, as she was closing the refrigerator door.
"Whoa," she exclaimed, putting a hand over her heart to make it stop beating so furiously. "Do you orb in unannounced like that on purpose just to scare people to death? Because I have to tell you, it's really unbecoming of a guardian angel."
"Sorry," he apologized, suppressing the urge to laugh. "I was just coming in to check up on things. I thought that was what Whitelighters are for."
Piper sighed, annoyed at herself for being so jumpy. "Yeah, it is, but a little warning would be nice next time, mmkay?"
Chris grinned. "Sure." He reached out and took Wyatt from Piper, freeing her hands to pour juice into his bottle. "So, how are things?" Chris asked, balancing the baby on his hip.
Piper frowned, keeping her back to him so he couldn't see. "Things are fine," she lied. Her voice was stiff, betraying her.
"Now you see, I'm not Phoebe, so I can't pinpoint the problem exactly, but I'm not completely oblivious. Do you want to tell me what's wrong, or do I have to get your sister home? Keep in mind that she gets irritated enough being called home on demonic emergencies, so I don't think she'd be too happy getting dragged out of work just because you're not speaking to me."
She twisted the top onto the bottle, then slammed it down on the counter and whirled around. "You know, just because Phoebe can sense other people's emotions now doesn't mean that my every thought and feeling is my sisters' business. Or yours."
He held his free hand up, calling for a truce. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just meant that if you want to talk, I'm here. I'm your Whitelighter now, I should be able to help you deal with... stuff."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you, really, I just..." Piper let her voice trail off, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. "I just don't know what to do."
"It's okay," he said calmly. "Come on, let's put Wyatt down in his playpen and go into the other room to talk. It might help, and I swear I won't tell your sisters."
She gave him a small smile, taking her son from him. "All right. We'll talk."
She set Wyatt down with his juice in his playpen in the conservatory, assuring him she'd be right across the hall, and went into the parlor with Chris. He sat down on the couch, while she leaned against the closed door.
"I won't bite, you know," he said playfully. "You can sit down." She smiled, and took a seat next to him. "So," he started, "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing," she sighed, "And I think that's the problem. Everything's just been so crazy since Leo left, and now that he's back it's even crazier, but I know that we can't be together. I know he's not going to be part of my life, he hasn't been in a while, and I feel like I should be moving on. I think I've already started, it's just that I don't know how to proceed. It's like now that he's gone there's just this big gap and I have no idea how to fill it, but I know that if I don't then I'm not going to be able to function as a mother, or a witch, or even a complete human being." She looked up at him, her chocolate eyes wide and liquid, and asked, "Did that even make sense?"
He nodded, his eyes searching hers, and unconciously pulled forward. "Yeah, it made sense. But Piper, I don't know how to help you. I think it's something you have to figure out for yourself, or maybe it's just one of those things that only time will help."
"Yeah," she agreed, licking her suddenly dry lips. "Only time."
What happened next surprised them both. At the same time, they leaned in and kissed. It lasted for nearly a minute, but felt like an eternity. They broke away at the sound of Wyatt crying in the next room.
"I- I should go get that," Piper stammered.
"Yeah," Chris nodded, "Go ahead."
Piper got up, awkwardly tense, and quickly walked out of the room. Chris was left to stare after her, contemplating how badly he'd just screwed up. Oddly enough, however, the more he thought about it, the more it started to seem not so bad, after all. He smiled to himself, and orbed out, hoping like hell that she felt the same way.
Summary: With Leo on the way to being permanently out of her life, Piper tries to fill the gap in her life with someone wholly unexpected - her new Whitelighter, Chris. Will the emotional ramifications be too much for both of them?
A/N: P/L fans, don't hate me! Also, a warning to Chris lovers (although I don't think there are any real hard-core ones yet) - he's a major slampiece in this fic. Don't get mad at me if I walk all over him, because that's pretty much why he's here.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. You already know this. On with the fic.
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It was a calm morning. Piper was in the conservatory, the sun gleaming through the windows as she gently cradled her year-old son in one of the comfortable wicker rocking chairs. Ordinarily she would feel tranquil, but this morning was different. She couldn't help feeling like something was missing.
It wasn't the first time she'd felt this way. Ever since Leo had left, there had been something nagging at her, from deep in the hole he'd left in her heart. It had been nearly undetectable with the spell in place, but now that he'd come back and removed it, the pain was hitting her full force.
As hard as it was, Piper wanted to move on. She wanted to make herself accept the fact that Leo wasn't coming back to her, and she wanted to go on with her life, but she didn't know if she could. She didn't know how to fill the sucking void in her heart, but she knew she had to, for her baby's sake as well as her own. If she didn't, it would destroy her.
As if in response to his mother's quiet reflection, Wyatt started whimpering. She shifted him onto her shoulder and started rubbing his back. "Shh," she whispered. "It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. I know, baby, I miss him too. But we'll be okay."
He was still fussy, so she brought him into the kitchen to fix him a bottle. The house was empty, her sisters already having left for work, and the silence was chilling. She started humming one of Wyatt's favorite tunes to distract herself, and didn't notice Chris orb in behind her. She jumped when she spotted him a few minutes later, as she was closing the refrigerator door.
"Whoa," she exclaimed, putting a hand over her heart to make it stop beating so furiously. "Do you orb in unannounced like that on purpose just to scare people to death? Because I have to tell you, it's really unbecoming of a guardian angel."
"Sorry," he apologized, suppressing the urge to laugh. "I was just coming in to check up on things. I thought that was what Whitelighters are for."
Piper sighed, annoyed at herself for being so jumpy. "Yeah, it is, but a little warning would be nice next time, mmkay?"
Chris grinned. "Sure." He reached out and took Wyatt from Piper, freeing her hands to pour juice into his bottle. "So, how are things?" Chris asked, balancing the baby on his hip.
Piper frowned, keeping her back to him so he couldn't see. "Things are fine," she lied. Her voice was stiff, betraying her.
"Now you see, I'm not Phoebe, so I can't pinpoint the problem exactly, but I'm not completely oblivious. Do you want to tell me what's wrong, or do I have to get your sister home? Keep in mind that she gets irritated enough being called home on demonic emergencies, so I don't think she'd be too happy getting dragged out of work just because you're not speaking to me."
She twisted the top onto the bottle, then slammed it down on the counter and whirled around. "You know, just because Phoebe can sense other people's emotions now doesn't mean that my every thought and feeling is my sisters' business. Or yours."
He held his free hand up, calling for a truce. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I just meant that if you want to talk, I'm here. I'm your Whitelighter now, I should be able to help you deal with... stuff."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you, really, I just..." Piper let her voice trail off, running her fingers through her hair in frustration. "I just don't know what to do."
"It's okay," he said calmly. "Come on, let's put Wyatt down in his playpen and go into the other room to talk. It might help, and I swear I won't tell your sisters."
She gave him a small smile, taking her son from him. "All right. We'll talk."
She set Wyatt down with his juice in his playpen in the conservatory, assuring him she'd be right across the hall, and went into the parlor with Chris. He sat down on the couch, while she leaned against the closed door.
"I won't bite, you know," he said playfully. "You can sit down." She smiled, and took a seat next to him. "So," he started, "What's going on with you?"
"Nothing," she sighed, "And I think that's the problem. Everything's just been so crazy since Leo left, and now that he's back it's even crazier, but I know that we can't be together. I know he's not going to be part of my life, he hasn't been in a while, and I feel like I should be moving on. I think I've already started, it's just that I don't know how to proceed. It's like now that he's gone there's just this big gap and I have no idea how to fill it, but I know that if I don't then I'm not going to be able to function as a mother, or a witch, or even a complete human being." She looked up at him, her chocolate eyes wide and liquid, and asked, "Did that even make sense?"
He nodded, his eyes searching hers, and unconciously pulled forward. "Yeah, it made sense. But Piper, I don't know how to help you. I think it's something you have to figure out for yourself, or maybe it's just one of those things that only time will help."
"Yeah," she agreed, licking her suddenly dry lips. "Only time."
What happened next surprised them both. At the same time, they leaned in and kissed. It lasted for nearly a minute, but felt like an eternity. They broke away at the sound of Wyatt crying in the next room.
"I- I should go get that," Piper stammered.
"Yeah," Chris nodded, "Go ahead."
Piper got up, awkwardly tense, and quickly walked out of the room. Chris was left to stare after her, contemplating how badly he'd just screwed up. Oddly enough, however, the more he thought about it, the more it started to seem not so bad, after all. He smiled to himself, and orbed out, hoping like hell that she felt the same way.