Swinging his legs out of bed, his feet landing in the slippers he had left on the floor before he went to sleep, he quickly made his way out of the room making sure Piper was all right before he did so.
Even though Leo wasn't a Whitelighter any more and could no longer sense his previous chargers, Leo always had a gut instinct when it came to his three children, especially his daughter Melinda.
Melinda was his youngest child and the only girl, which meant Leo was very protective over her. She was his little princess and it was her room Leo was rushing to now.
Quickly checking in on his son's Wyatt and Chris' rooms which were located opposite to Melinda's to make sure they were both still in the land of dreams, Leo quietly shut both of their doors and then tiptoed to Melinda's room, his slippers making soft padding sounds on the carpet.
Popping his head around the door, Leo's heart turned cold when he saw his little girl tossing and turning in her sleep, emitting little whimpers and sobs every now and then.
"Mommy! Daddy! Help me! Please, please help me!" Melinda cried, her arms trying but failing to telekinetically move her imaginary foe out of her way. With this movement Melinda's teddy bear, Wuvey which her big brother Wyatt had passed down to her when she was born, flew off the bed and in Leo's direction.
Catching Wuvey and placing him on Melinda's bedside cabinet, Leo sat down on the bed near to where Melinda was now kicking her legs out in moves her Auntie Phoebe had taught her. Gently as to not agitate her further, Leo shook his daughter's shoulder to try and rouse her from her current predictament.
"Melinda? Melinda, honey? It's Daddy. You're having a bad dream. Open your eyes for me, Mellie."
At hearing her nickname which her daddy had called her for as long as she could remember, Melinda sat up, shaking and with tears running down her cheeks.
On seeing Leo sat next to her, a concerned look on his face, she threw herself into his arms. She was now safe.
"Daddy?" she whispered between sobs, her brown hair falling into her eyes. "Daddy, is it really you?"
Hugging Melinda tightly with one arm, the other softly stroking the top of her head, Leo nodded, his expression filled with pain. Leo hated seeing any of his kids frightened and upset. He would do any thing in his power to take those feelings away.
"Yes, pumpkin. It's really me." Setting Melinda on his lap, Leo placed his hands on her face, his thumbs wiping the tears that were still cascading down her cheeks away.
After he had done this, Leo rubbed his hand around Melinda's back in small comforting circles, waiting until she had calmed down and was ready to talk. This happened after a couple of minutes.
"Are you ready to tell Daddy what happened, Mellie? Leo asked, looking down at his daughter who was now leaning against his chest, her breathing still uneven from all of the crying. After a few seconds, Melinda began to talk.
"It was horrible, Daddy. It was really scary. Me, you and Mommy were having a picnic at The Golden Gate Park with Wyatt and Chris. We were all having fun. Wyatt and Chris went to have a race to see who could get to the end of the park the fastest, then it was just you, Mommy and me."
Melinda sniffed, hugging Leo closer to her before continuing.
"You and Mommy were talking and I was playing with Wuvey, when this big demon with blue skin and big, red eyes came out of nowhere and picked me up. I tried to use my powers and fight him like Mommy and Auntie Phoebe taught me, but he was too strong."
Melinda's voice started to crack as she relived the most terrifying part of her nightmare, but she wanted to be brave just like her aunties and brothers so she carried on.
"I know you and Mommy told me not to use my powers outside of the manor Daddy, but I was really scared. The demon told me to say goodbye to you and Mommy as I would never see you again. Mommy tried to freeze him but it didn't work and you shouted at him to let me go but he hurt you, Daddy."
Melinda's chin wobbled as she fought back more sobs that were threatening to creep up on her, but she couldn't quite manage it.
Leo made barely audible shushing sounds to try and calm her down once more, rocking her back and forth in his arms.
"Then what happened, pumpkin?" he whispered, so as not to upset the girl even more.
"You were on the ground asleep and Mommy tried to blow the demon up, but that didn't work either. The demon then shimmered away with me and I never saw you, Mommy, Chris or Wyatt again. I'm scared he's going to come and take me away, Daddy!"
Leo held his daughter even more tighter than he thought possible, his arms almost creating an unbreakable barrier around her so no demon, blue skinned or not could take her away from him, ever.
"Prudence Melinda Halliwell, you listen to me. Me, your mommy and aunties would never let any nasty demon or warlock take you away from us. They'd have to get through us before they even tried!"
Smiling, Leo tapped the end of Melinda's nose which made her laugh despite the tears still clinging to her eyelashes.
"You are a very special little girl, Mellie and not just because of your powers. You are brave, beautiful and you have a good heart just like your mommy."
Leo's face softened at the thought of Piper and he looked again at his daughter who resembled her so much.
"Just remember, you will always be loved, you will always have your family around you and you will always protected. Forever."
Pushing Melinda's fringe away, Leo placed a kiss on her forehead, smiling when Melinda managed a soft grin in return.
"Do you promise, Daddy?" Melinda said, sitting up a little straighter in her daddy's lap.
Leo pretended to think about it for a moment before suddenly leaping off the bed and spinning Melinda around who was still held in the comfort of his arms, making her squeal with delight.
"I promise, pumpkin." he nodded. Melinda looked into his eyes and she knew he was telling the truth. He was her daddy, her hero. She knew he would always be there to look after her.
"Pinkie swear?" she asked, holding her little finger out. The spark that was so familiar within her had started to return and Leo knew she was starting to feel a little better.
Holding his own finger out, he wrapped it carefully around hers before placing another gentle kiss upon it.
"Pinkie swear."
Walking back towards the bed, Leo was just about to tuck Melinda back under the covers when he saw her hesitate. He knew she was still afraid of going back to sleep incase the world of nightmares crept up on her again.
Melinda looked up at Leo and he guessed what she wanted to do.
"Do you want to sleep in Mommy and Daddy's room tonight, honey?"
Melinda thought for a moment before nodding, snuggling back into her daddy's embrace.
"Mommy won't mind, will she?" Melinda asked, as Leo carried her out of the room and in the direction of his and Piper's room. Even though Melinda loved her mommy and daddy equally, she had a stronger bond with Leo whilst her brother Chris had a stronger bond with Piper.
"Of course she won't mind. But she might still be asleep so try not to wake her OK, pumpkin?"
Leo put a finger against his lips and Melinda repeated the action before he pushed the door to the room open with his foot.
As Leo walked over to the end of the bed, Piper stirred before turning over and opening her eyes. At seeing her daughter in her husband's arms, she sat up in alarm.
"Leo? Melinda, baby? Are you OK?" she asked, noticing the faint tear tracks on Melinda's cheeks.
"What happened? Was it a demon?"
Gently lowering Melinda into the middle of the bed so she could be safely cocooned between himself and Piper, Leo pulled the covers over all of them before answering his wife's question.
"No honey. Melinda just had a bad dream, didn't you pumpkin?"
Melinda nodded, sucking her thumb as she laid her head on her mommy's shoulder.
"Oh baby. It's OK, I'm here. Are you all right now?" Piper asked, pulling her daughter against her in a one armed hug whilst the other hand gently caressed her hair.
"Yes Mommy, I'm fine. I'm trying to be brave like you, Auntie Phoebe and Auntie Paige."
Piper smiled as Melinda said this.
"Good girl."
Dropping a kiss on her daughter's cheek, Piper looked over at Leo, who was looking at them both with such tenderness that she had seen many times before.
"I said Melinda could sleep in here tonight incase she has another nightmare." Leo said as he took Melinda's hand, his thumb swiping across it in a comforting motion.
"That's OK isn't it, Mommy?" Melinda questioned, a yawn threatening to escape out of her mouth.
Piper put a hand under her chin, pretending to think about it before proceeding to tickle Melinda, making the little girl shriek with laughter. Leo laughed along with her, revelling in his daughter's happiness.
"Of course you can, sweetie. I wouldn't have it any other way."
Piper pulled the covers more tightly around her daughter, her body still shaking with slight giggles before smoothing down the hair on the front of her head.
"If you have another bad dream, me and daddy will be right here with you, OK?"
"OK, Mommy." Melinda said quietly, stretching before closing her eyes.
"I love you, Melinda Halliwell." Piper whispered, squeezing her hand.
"I love you too, Mommy." Melinda said, almost on the brink of falling asleep.
Just as she was about to, she felt Leo poke her in the side, making her laugh again.
"Hey, what about me?!" he said, pretending to look upset. But Piper could tell he was about to burst out in a grin at any moment.
Melinda opened her eyes and pulled her dad down to her level, her arms wrapping around his shoulders in a big hug.
"You know I love you, Daddy." she said, kissing him on the cheek.
Leo hugged her back, his hand running through her long mane of hair.
"And I love you, Mellie pumpkin. This much."
Leo held out his arms in estimate of how much he loved her. But no matter how hard he tried to make his arms stretch further, it could never be compared to how much he really loved her. How much he loved his boys and his faithful wife.
Melinda giggled again. Hugging both of her parents, she closed her eyes before sticking her thumb in her mouth. That normally helped her drift back to sleep.
After a few minutes of both Leo and Piper watching over her, Melinda started to gently snore, making little sucking sounds every once in a while.
"OK, mister. What did she dream about?" Piper asked her husband, whispering as to not wake Melinda.
"And don't even think of lying to me or I will vanquish you."
Leo laughed quietly at Piper's fiesty attitude before turning serious.
"She dreamed about a blue skinned demon with red eyes and it threatened to take her away from us. You tried to freeze it and blow it up but it didn't work."
Piper rolled her eyes in "the usual story" way but then continued to listen.
"I also tried to help her but I got hurt. The demon took her away and she never saw us again. She was so scared, Piper. I hated seeing her like that."
Leo felt his voice break and tears started to brim in his eyes. Piper leaned over and gently kissed him, her hand stroking one of his ears.
"Honey, Melinda knows we will always be there for her, for Wyatt and for Chris. That's why you became mortal, so we could be a proper family and have forever together."
Piper also felt like crying as she continued to speak to her husband.
"They have us, Leo. And Phoebe and Paige and Dad. And Mom and Grams are just a spell away whenever they need them."
Piper placed a kiss on his cheek, her hand reaching out to find his under the covers.
"We will always protect them, Leo. And no sorry ass demon is going to get in the way of that. Or they'll have me to answer too."
Leo laughed before kissing Piper on the lips and pulling her into a hug. This was one of the many reasons why he loved her so much. Because she always looked after her family.
Checking Melinda to see that she was still asleep, Piper leaned over to her bedside cabinet and pulled out a pad and paper she kept there for emergencies.
Leo looked on curiously as Piper proceeded to write, before ripping the piece of paper out of the pad and putting it back in the drawer along with the pen.
"Piper, what are you doing?" he asked, as Piper turned to face him and Melinda.
"I'm writing a spell so Melinda doesn't have any more trouble sleeping." she replied, about to say the spell.
Leo held out a hand to stop her.
"Are you sure that isn't personal gain?"
Piper looked down at her little girl who continued to snore quietly. A soft smile broke out on her face.
"Not when it comes to our daughter."
Leo couldn't agree more. Squeezing Piper's hand, she began to say the spell:
"To the nightmares that are filled with fear please run away and disappear.
Let little Melinda have a now peaceful night and let her dreams be filled with light."
After saying the spell, a shower of golden stars seemed to fall on Melinda's head. As Piper and Leo watched, the distressed expression that was on her face just half an hour ago seemed to disapper completely. Her face was now covered in a happy and content smile, as if she had never had a nightmare at all.
Leo and Piper both laid down, their heads resting on the pillows, continuing to watch their little girl.
"I wonder what she's dreaming about?" Leo wondered, though he had a fairly good idea what it was.
Piper smiled and raised an eyebrow at her husband.
"She's dreaming about what makes her happy."
Leo and Piper both glanced at each other fondly before saying what the other was thinking.
"Us."