Even Angels Die
The landscape was gray, depressing and dreary. It was if the color had been sucked out of the world. Piper wrapped her arms around herself as she walked along Main Street with Leo. Their pace was slow, they had no where to go. They were trapped in the Astral Plane and Leo was slowly dying. Piper's heart had stopped as the arrow had gone straight through his shoulder.
"Piper, can we stop for a minute?" Leo asked, sounding out of breath.
"Of course," she murmured gently. She took his hand in hers and led him to a bench.
She leaned over to examine the wound but he swatted her away. The bleeding was still fairly heavy. Biting her lip, Piper tore a strip of fabric from her shirt, wrapping it tightly around the wound.
"We're going to get through this Piper," Leo breathed, stroking his wife's hair.
"How do you know that? Phoebe and Paige have no clue where we are!" she replied, anxiety evident in her eyes.
"Piper calm down. Have faith in your sisters," her husband insisted taking a deep breath.
They grew silent as the quiet wind blew, stinging their eyes with its dryness. How long had they been there? Piper couldn't remember. More importantly, she could very well lose Leo. She needed to stop avoiding him. With that in mind, she leaned over and kissed his gently on the lips.
"I love you, Leo," she said as the tears began to trickle like rivulets down her cheeks.
"I love you too Piper," he answered against her lips.
She was suddenly overcome with passion for the man she'd married and who had fathered her first-born son. She wrapped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. He did not object. Gingerly, he slid his arm up the back of her shirt, running his fingers up and down her spine. She gasped in pleasure. It had been so long since they'd done this. She was hesitant to touch his shirt, for fear of agitating his shoulder so she merely unbuttoned the front of it and ran her nails along the fine hairs of his chest. Leo took this as his queue to unhook the clasp of her bra, letting his hands work their way around to the front. She let out a girlish giggle as he lightly tickled her stomach.
"God it's been so long," she whispered against her smooth cheek.
"Too long," he agreed.
"I never want to lose you again," Piper rasped, feeling his hardness against her inner thigh.
"I'm never going to let you," he promised as he awkwardly managed to undo the zipper and button on her pants. She aided him with his and smiled seductively at him.
He slowly slid into her. It felt so natural to them both. One could even say it was a fit like a glove. He began to gyrate, setting an even pace. It was slower than usual but his energy was slowly draining. Piper braced herself against the back of the bench, moving in perfect rhythm with her husband. Her body began to signal that she was close to climax. She found Leo's lips and pressed hers down firmly, snaking her tongue into his mouth.
"Hmm," Leo breathed as a jolt of pleasure shot through to every nerve ending
Shortly thereafter, Piper was hit was the most satisfying orgasm she'd experienced in months. Leo saw the look of pure ecstasy in her eyes and smiled. He had succeeded in winning his wife over. He was sure of it just as he exploded inside her. He continued to move in and out, slowing down until he had gone soft. He pulled out completely and kissed Piper's flushed cheeks. He was pale in comparison.
"Are you ok? You're looking worse," Piper commented, worry etched on her face.
"I'm fine…just tired," Leo answered, running a hand over his forehead.
"Get some rest," she ordered in a motherly tone. He happily obliged.
They cuddled together on the bench, keeping each other warm. The wind had suddenly picked up in intensity and chill. Piper should have felt it coming, the slowing down of heartbeats. The shallowness of breath but she didn't. So when she awoke the next morning, she was faced with an even paler Leo who was barely breathing. Frantically she grabbed his wrist, feeling for a pulse. It was faint, almost undetectable. Tears began to flow down Piper's face.
"Piper!" came the unmistakable and welcome sound of Paige's voice.
"God what happened?" Phoebe exclaimed, taking in Leo's frailty.
"He got hit with a darkligher arrow. Paige you've got to heal him. He's dying," Piper begged frantically.
Paige rushed to her brother-in-law's side and placed her hands over the wound. They glowed a combination of blue and gold and the wound shrunk but did not heal entirely. Her brow wrinkled in confusion and frustration. She tried again but nothing happened. Suddenly, she had an idea. She moved her hands to over his heart and worked her magic. His body gave a slight jump and his pulse picked up but disappeared again shortly. After trying two more times and failing, Paige stepped away, shaking and tears falling from her own eyes.
"I…I'm sorry Piper. But I can't do it," Paige gasped, burying her face in her hands.
"What do you mean you can't do it?" Piper screamed.
"We're too late. He's dead, Piper. Sweetie we're so sorry," Phoebe answered, encircling her sisters in a hug.
Piper couldn't speak. She couldn't breathe either. She fell to the ground, Phoebe and Paige with her as she looked at her dead husband. What was she going to tell Wyatt? How was she going to explain this to him? Once Piper had cried until she couldn't cry anymore, she allowed Paige to orb them back to the Manor. She had Paige lay Leo in their bedroom.
"How could I lose you?" she sobbed, flinging herself across his lifeless chest.
"You told me I'd never lose you again," she wailed.
"What am I supposed to do now?"
"Angels aren't supposed to die. Please Leo. I need you."
But no answer came to her pleaded. No Elders come to turn back the hands of time. No one answered her pleas. In the coming days she would learn that the young Whitelighter from the future was in face hers and Leo's second son. And she would find she had conceived said son the night she had lost her husband.