Summary: Leo's an Elder… he wasn't destined to be one, but he is, all thanks to Piper. Spoilers for Oh, My Goddess, and before that.
Pairing: PiperLeo
Warning: K+
A/N: First Charmed fic – please be gentle, or at least don't permanently maim me.

--------------------

Because of her, all because of her and how she had loved him regardless of who he was, he had ascended to the rank of Elder. All because of her, and now he had to leave her behind, leave her with their child, with the memories of their time together. He could take it away, if only to give her peace, but she had refused. As she stood before him, almost hysterical in her grief, he wanted so much to give it all up, but he knew that he couldn't.

He was an Elder now for a reason. The Elders, who had prevented her mother and her Whitelighter, Sam from keeping their baby, had realised how wrong their rules had been. So many things had changed because the love that they shared had stood the test of time, come through hell and high water, and lasted against the odds.

And yet, he had to leave her as part of a wider, grander cosmic scheme. His soul mate, the mother of his child… his wife. He had to leave her to cope on her own, missing out on everything. He would be able to see Wyatt grow up into the strong man that he was destined to be under the tutelage of his mother and aunts, but it wouldn't be the same.

Their love had changed everything, and now, he was just supposed to leave her? This beautiful, strong and smart woman who could take on all the Elders if she put her mind to it? He had to be strong for her, because she was breaking up, and as always, he was her rock, supporting her when times got tough.

But what now? All she had left was their son, her sisters… and a mile-wide hole in her heart that would remain unfilled, reserved for him and only him, no matter where their paths may lead or meet, if at all. Gone would be her rock of so many years. She was the strongest woman that he had ever known, followed closely by her sisters, and he knew that she would manage, that she could thrive in a world of magical witches, warlocks and demons, but at what cost?

In all her grief, she holds out her hand, making it so easy just to tell the Elders that he doesn't want to be stuck with them, but the choice isn't his. If he had the choice, of his own free will, he would choose her, every time, just as he always had, and always would, should free will return to him at some point.

He couldn't bear to see her in so much pain. As they embraced one last time, he took her pain away, fading it into the light that surrounded them. Their son would need her as a source of human love, something that he would never be able to give, and if her heart was broken, their son, the embodiment of their faith in the world that the Halliwells had helped so much, wouldn't learn how to love.

Love can bring pain, and yet, it can bring happiness too. This was yet another test.