Piper stirred as she felt warmth on her cheek. Opening her eyes slowly, a speed that seemed to dominate all her actions these days, she found the source of the warmth – late afternoon sun filtering through the brightly colored stained glass of the sunroom windows. Piper smiled, enjoying both the feeling of the sun's warmth through the windows and the ambiance of the room itself. With all the changes that had taken place over the years most of the Manor, and more specifically this room, had remained basically the same and stood the test of time. And the test of demons…
Piper sat up on the wicker love seat, wincing as many of her muscles and bones complained at the movement. She pulled the afghan closer to her and glanced around what had become her favorite room. Much of the furniture had been changed, either from normal wear or as the casualty of a vanquish, but the warmth and brightness of the room always managed to cheer her. She gazed through the French doors to the garden and was suddenly reminded of the eve of her son's birth. She and her sisters, Phoebe and Paige, had sat admiring the spectacle of the Aurora Borealis. Little did they realize that it was literally the calm before the storm, heralding Wyatt's birth – the most magical child to be born. How long ago that was! Wyatt was now a grown man with a family of his own, all powerful in their own right. But that was how it should be with Halliwells, a family of good witches that dated back to the time of Salem and the notorious witch trials. And if that weren't enough, he was the child of a "Charmed One", the trio of sisters prophesized by Melinda Warren (the first of the line) to be the most powerful witches the world would ever see. Piper smiled, a sparkle still evident in her eyes. How naïve they had been! They had no idea what they were in for when Phoebe found the incantation for their powers – the Power of Three.
Piper turned slightly as she heard hurried footsteps approaching from the kitchen. She found it interesting that as she aged and most of her other senses lessened her hearing had seemed to improve as if to leave her some form of protection. She recognized Leo's walk and smiled again as she heard him slow down as he approached the sunroom. There was even a slight hesitation as she heard him change his stride to accommodate his glamouring. Being a Whitelighter, a guardian angel and therefore immortal, Leo had not aged with his wife. Over the years, he had used his powers to adjust his appearance to keep pace with Piper's aging process. Each wrinkle and line, however, came with a price. Piper knew it must be tiring for Leo to use his powers for such long periods of time and her heart swelled with the knowledge of just how much he still and always had loved her.
Leo walked up behind the love seat and gently placed his hand on Piper's shoulder. She looked up at him, her affection evident in both her expression and her voice.
"Hi, Honey…" Leo leaned over and kissed her gently and then sat beside her. Piper snuggled up next to him, fitting snuggly into the crook of his arm as she always had right from the start. Leo tightened his arms around her, bringing comfort with his touch. After almost 50 years he could still make her weak in the knees.
"Wyatt called." As Leo spoke, Piper felt the rumble of his words resonate from his chest as well as from his lips. She nodded in acknowledgement. "He really wants to do the anniversary dinner, Piper."
"I know…" Piper sighed. "I just don't want a big fuss." Leo laughed and Piper leaned back, slapping him playfully in the arm. "What?"
"You haven't changed a bit." He chuckled.
"Oh, really?" She challenged as Leo nodded in affirmation. "What about this grey hair? And these wrinkles? They weren't there 50 years ago when you were a hot handyman and I was…I was…"
"A hot chef?" Leo finished for her. As Piper laughed he continued. "You certainly kept me hungry for your charms…" She pushed him away, giggling like a teenager.
"Yeah, and you were pretty handy, as I remember."
"Oh, yeah? You did seem to appreciate that I worked with my hands…" Leo leaned in and nuzzled Piper's neck and she hooted in surprise. They gently tussled together, ending in a warm kiss.
"Uh, Mom…? Dad…?"
Piper and Leo broke apart quickly as they heard Wyatt speak.
"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell! You know better than to sneakily orb in on your parents!" Piper tried to cover her embarrassment by scolding her grown son. Wyatt held out his hands to stem his mother's tirade.
"Mom, wait…"
"Wyatt, you know—"
"Dad! Mom!" Leo and Piper stopped in mid-rant as their son raised his voice, effectively getting their attention. "He's back."