When Perfection Is Dared
charminghay@aol.com
The sun had barely risen
and cast only fleeting rays of light through the curtains to Piper and Leo's
room where they slept soundly. It was
difficult to tell where one body ended and the other began, the line between
them having been blurred years ago.
Soft, timid footsteps padded down the hall and a tiny hand gripped the
door handle and pushed the door open.
Every morning she repeated the same ritual, a path that was known not
just in the first moments of waking, but also in the midst of a terrifying
nightmare. She climbed up on her
parent's bed, lying in the invisible divide until they woke and let her fall to
the matrass, her body comforted by their warmth.
"Good morning sweet
girl." Piper whispered, tickling
her the nape of Melinda's neck with her nose until soft laughter escaped her
throat.
"Good morning
Mommy." She whispered back, her
eyes filled with sleep and hair filled with knots.
"And good morning
Daddy." Piper said pointedly,
pressing a kiss to his lips and running her fingers through his hair.
Melinda exploded into a
mass of giggles when Leo pretended to still be sleeping with a loud snore. "You're not sleeping Dad! I can see your smile!"
Leo opened his eyes and
laughed. "I can't get anything by
my little girl." Sharing a glance
with Piper, he sat up and pulled Melinda onto his lap, tucking her messy hair
behind her ears. "Do you know what
today is Mel?"
"Yeah." Melinda nodded, her eyes a mixture of
excitement and apprehension. "I'm
staying with Aunt Prue for three days!"
"That's right. And you're going to be a very good girl
aren't you?" Piper asked, relaxing
back into her pillow.
"Of course
Mom." Melinda grinned but her
smile quickly faded. "Can I take
Bailey?"
"Nope." Piper shook her head, faking a serious
face. "You're far too old for
stuffed bears!"
"Mommy!" Melinda shrieked with laughter when Piper
reached up and tickled her ribs, unable to keep her straight face.
Piper threw her hands up
in defeat, "Alright then. I
suppose you're still young enough to have a teddy."
"Yay!" Melinda exclaimed, slipping off Leo's lap
and curling under Piper's arm, her head nestled under Piper's chin. "Will you bring me back a gift?"
"I think that could
be arranged." Leo nodded, watching
his wife and daughter with nothing short of absolute adoration.
"Thank you!"
"What about
me? Do I get a present?" Piper teased Leo, whilst Melinda suppressed
giggles.
"You get
me." Leo insisted, "I'm all
the gift you need."
"Really?" Piper laughed, her eyes bright and
sparkling.
Their laughter died and
they fell into a short comfortable silence, each content with their own
thoughts. It had taken years, but life
was nothing short of perfect. Piper and
Leo were happy, healthy and most importantly, more in love than ever. Melinda, although initially unexpected and
untimely, wouldn't be traded for the world.
With her short brown hair and big eyes, she wasn't just their
daughter. She was a piece of each of
them, combined into the most beautiful and caring child. She was the most important part of their
lives; she was their world.
Two hours later, they
were dressed and standing in the hall at the manor; Melinda suddenly silent, an
arm wrapped around Piper's waist and her other gripping Bailey. Prue crouched down and wiped away a single
tear that fell down Melinda's cheek.
"You've got me all to yourself for three days Mel. We can do anything you want to
do."
Melinda shook her head,
burying her face into Piper.
"No."
Piper gave both Leo and
Prue a pleading glance, tears filling her own eyes. "We won't go."
"Piper." Leo stated sternly, "We need a
break." He turned his attention to
Melinda, detaching her from Piper.
"Melinda. We talked about this. We'll be back in three days sweetheart; Aunt
Prue can give you all the hugs you need.
I've heard she gives good ones."
Melinda gave the smallest of smiles through her tearstained face and
hesitantly glanced at Prue. "We'll
be back before you know it, I promise."
Melinda nodded slightly
and turned to Piper. "Do you
promise?" She asked quietly.
"Yes, I promise
Mel." Piper nodded, lifting
Melinda to her arms and hugging her tightly.
"I love you." She
added, setting her back on the ground.
"Love you
too." Melinda whispered back,
wrapping her arms around Leo's waist for a hug. "And I suppose I love you as well." She grinned with an innocent giggle.
"Ohhhh." Leo faked his hurt. "Then I suppose I love you." He gave her an extra squeeze and turned her
around to Prue. "Go on, you can
wave goodbye to our famous blue lights."
Melinda laughed and
nodded, slipping under Prue's arms and hugging Bailey tightly to her
chest. "Bye!" As quickly as she had said the word, Piper
and Leo were gone, disappeared in the mass of lights she was more than
accustomed to. Slipping her hand into
Prue's she followed her up to Piper's old room, where she would sleep until
they returned.
Three hours passed
quickly amid card games and unhealthy snacks for both Prue and Melinda. They were making cookies and a mess in the
kitchen, when the sight of someone orbing in jerked them both to attention. "Leo?
Piper?" Prue questioned
before a form materialised, her eyebrows rising at the stranger. "Sam?
Aren't you…ah…dead?"
Sam nodded, approaching
the bench cautiously. "They called
in a favour." He said quietly,
tilting his head to the ceiling.
"Why?" Prue asked, suddenly panicking.
"Something's
happened Prue." He began
slowly. "There was an invasion, by
a darklighter."
"Up
there?" Prue questioned, glancing
skywards as Sam had done.
"Yeah." Sam nodded.
"Leo and Piper…they…"
"No." Prue immediately whispered, shaking her head
and closing her eyes.
"What?" Melinda suddenly questioned, her eyes wide
in fear as she tugged at Prue's sleeve.
"What happened Aunt Prue?
Who is he?"
"I'm sorry
Prue. They're gone."
"Gone? Who?
Where? Why?" Melinda asked, her voice becoming louder
with each question. "I want
Mom!"
"Shhhh
Melinda. It's okay, I'll
explain." Prue said quietly, her
voice breaking and tears gathering in her eyes. She lifted Melinda off the bench hugged her tightly, one hand
reaching out to catch Sam's shirt as he moved to let her lean against him.
"I'm so
sorry." He repeated helplessly,
staring at the ceiling and shaking his head.
"I'm so sorry."
It's when you
think you have found perfection…that all is suddenly lost.
