Once again, I do not own "Charmed". If I did, Prue and Cole would have been in the finale – and it would have been two hours.
This story takes place a few years into the future. Just a sweet diddy on the life of the Halliwells. Piper and Leo still find they love each other after 12 years of marriage. They've had a hectic demon-filled week, but now want to kick back and relax. Too bad Leo's hypnotized by the way Piper is eating some Halloween candy. Features major P/L as always. There are also appearances by Chris, Wyatt, Melinda, Phoebe, Paige, Henry, Coop and various children.
By the way, some of the adventures the girls have this week would make great stories. Mmmm…maybe I'll expand on them in the future.
Everyday Demons and a Strawberry Surprise
"Chris is finally down for the count," Leo Wyatt stated. He collapsed next to his wife, Piper Halliwell. He sighed with contentment as he scrunched deeper into the soft, comfortable couch.
"I thought he was going to be up all night," Piper replied, turning another page in her novel. A week after Halloween, the Halliwells were still trying to eat up all the leftover candy. She worked at a strawberry sucker as Leo absently placed a strong hand on her thigh.
"You know how he gets when his cousins come over. Besides, he's at that stage where he thinks he can do everything better than his big brother."
Piper sighed and moved unconsciously closer to her husband. She laughed suddenly and covered her mouth in shame. "I think I liked it better when they didn't talk."
It had been a rather hectic week for the Halliwell family of witches. Wyatt, aged 10, had been almost kidnapped by a rather sneaky Invisible Demon. Chris, aged 9, had sensed Wyatt's distress and had scared the demon away by rambling a sudden spell at him. The demon had vanished, but unfortunately, so had their little sister Melinda, aged 3. Well, she hadn't vanished – she had merely turned invisible.
Fighting down panic, Piper had called an emergency witch session with her sisters, Phoebe and Paige. They drove or orbed straight to the manor, depositing their various offspring with Leo in the conservatory. The women had searched for a way to turn Melinda visible again as the girl in question playfully hid from her father, brothers and cousins. Leo had tried to wrangle the kids and find Melinda, but the Invisible Demon had returned to snatch Melinda. Her screams of terror filled the manor and the Halliwell hearts as the demon shimmered out with his captive.
After Melinda was kidnapped, the Halliwell sisters went on the offensive. While Piper nervously cooked up potions, Phoebe worked on a Power of Three spell and Paige scryed for Melinda. When ready, a heavily pregnant Paige orbed the other two women into the Underworld. After tracking down the demon, a potion easily dispatched him and his goons. Apparently, they had planned to sell little Melinda to the highest demonic bidder. A Power of Three spell soon set Melinda right again and the sisters orbed back to the surface. Instead of calm, they found themselves embroiled in more mayhem.
While the sisters were gone, a crisis had flared up at Leo's Magic School. Apparently a group of misfit witches had decided to take over the school by conjuring and summoning all sorts of demons and warlocks. Unfortunately, once the witches had them in Magic School, the demons wouldn't exactly allow themselves to be controlled. As soon as the three Halliwell sisters had returned with Melinda, they and Leo had had to orb to Magic School to clean up the students' mess. They dropped the kids off at Uncle Henry's before moving to vanquish the demons.
Hours later, the weary sisters and Leo had returned home, bruised but alive. Piper had had a scary moment when a demon singed Leo with a fireball and she had thought she had lost him. Paige had easily healed him, unfortunately the rest of her powers were wonky thanks to her pregnancy. That hadn't helped things when at one point the demons almost outnumbered the witches of the school. After a heavy battle, the demons were soon vanquished back to their skuzzy homes.
Life did not ease up the next day, however. Piper's restaurant, Halliwell's, had called to tell her the top chef, Alejandro, had quit to work of a rival restaurant. As Piper searched for a new chef, and simultaneously put in hours at the restaurant, Phoebe began to get visions that her Cupid husband, Coop, was cheating on her. To complicate life eveb further, Paige's husband, Henry, was injured when a stubborn parolee, decided to tussle with him. As Paige tended to her husband, it had turned out the parolee was a demon with a grudge bent on killing Paige…and her unborn child.
Piper and Leo had had their hands full as they tried to manage the sudden upsurge in demonic activity. Phoebe was frantic with jealousy and it took both sisters to hold Phoebe down so she wouldn't march over and vanquish her husband. It turned out a new Seer was the one projecting bad premonitions into Phoebe's mind as way to break the Power of Three. The sisters then had had to hunt and vanquish the evil Seer before she had Phoebe turn on her sisters. They then had to find the equally annoying demon who was after Paige. All in all, it had been rather worrisome week for the entire family.
By the end of the week though, things had begun to settle down. The restaurant was running smoothly again with a brand new chef. Phoebe and Coop had worked out their issues as passionately as always and had magically snuck off to a vacation in France, leaving their two daughters with Piper. Chris, Wyatt and Melinda were closer than ever after Melinda's adventure in the Underworld. Well, as close as siblings could be before they started bickering about who really was the more powerful witch. Since Chris had turned Melinda invisible, he proclaimed he was the most powerful. Since Wyatt could conjure his own force field, he claimed he was the most powerful. The bickering only lead to an argument, which had caused a screaming Melinda to run into her father's arms for protection.
Piper sighed, closing her book and snuggling closer to Leo. It had definitely been a week for the record books. She was suddenly very glad all kids and cousins were now tucked tightly away under their blankets, their dreams taking them to all new adventures. She idly wondered if their waking lives would always be so adventurous. At least the family got a chance to see each other during a demon attack. That was one bright spot anyway.
Piper looked up at her husband. Leo lounged against the couch cushions with his arm draped over his head. Piper watched as his chest rose again and again in a comfortable rhythm. Now in his early 40's, Leo was still as handsome and sexy as ever to Piper.
She smiled and slipped the lollipop out of her mouth. She reached a hand up to skim her fingers through his graying dark blonde hair. Leo moaned in relaxed contentment at her touch. She grinned, remembering his reaction to his first gray hair a few years earlier. He had yanked a half-dressed Piper into the bathroom to point out the lone hair in the mirror. When she had tried to pull out the stubborn strand, he had slapped her hand away.
"What do you want to do, take a picture of it?" Piper had asked with a wry grin.
"You know what they say," Leo had cried, frowning at his reflection in the mirror. His body was still wet from his morning shower. "Pull one out and three more grow in."
"Oh, please," Piper had laughed, her arms crossed over her chest. "No one believes that. Now come here so I can pull it out and you can stop acting like a girl."
"No, I want to leave it," Leo had replied, taking Piper's hands to stop her from grabbing at him. He still stared at his mirror reflection. "It's a sign that I'm growing old. I never thought I'd ever get a gray hair – let alone see 40. I thought I'd stay forever young as a whitelighter."
Piper had marveled at his sudden awe. She then blinked up at him. Leo, who had been the sisters' whitelighter and protector, had given up his calling – and eternal life – to be with Piper and the boys. He would now grow old with Piper as they raised their children together.
"Are you sorry you won't be able to stay young now?" She had asked softly. "Are you sorry you're not a whitelighter anymore?"
Leo had turned to her, love dancing in his green eyes. He smiled sweetly down at her. "I'd rather lose all my hair, shrink and become a crotchety old grump than be a whitelighter again. I want to spend the rest of my life right here with you, Piper. You and the children are what I've always wanted. One gray hair is not going to change that."
Piper had been taken aback, as always, by his declaration of love. He told her many times how he felt, but each time took her breath away. She had felt then that she was the luckiest woman in the world to have married such a man.
"Well, then," Piper had whispered, when she had breath to speak. She wrapped her around her wet husband's neck and kissed his lips passionately.
"You don't need to worry about his then," she had murmured against his lips as her hand moved to the back of his head. In one stroke, she had yanked out the offending gray hair.
"OW! Piper!" Leo had shouted, rubbing his head. "That hurt."
"Now you'll have all kinds of gray hairs," Piper had giggled as Leo began to stalk towards her into the bedroom. "Just think, it'll make you more distinguished – Professor."
"I'll show you distinguished," Leo had growled playfully. He had grinned and then began to chase Piper crazily around the bedroom.
Piper blinked the memory away as she continued to run her hand through Leo's hair. The gray had only crept into his temples and it had indeed made him rather dapper and distinguished. He had more wrinkles now that he was mortal, but Piper loved every one. She longed to kiss each one to prove it. Leo was the love of her life – she couldn't imagine her life with anyone else. She could picture herself sitting on the same couch with Leo when she was 50, 60, 70 or 80. The thought made her smile as she licked again at her strawberry lollipop.
Leo cracked one eye open and looked at her. "You're still working on that Halloween candy?"
"Well, I sent some to Paige, but she's only craving chocolate and cherries these days. I swear, her kid's going to come out looking like an ice cream sundae."
"It's better than the pickles and eggs you craved with Melinda. I distinctly remember one night when I had to run to the store at 3 am for a fresh jar of pickles." Leo said with a laugh as Piper crinkled her nose in disgust. She kept her head on his shoulder as she opened her book up again.
"Well, it made up for spontaneously orbing all over the place. I thought since you were mortal again, Melinda wouldn't be half-whitelighter."
"Guess she wasn't about to be outdone by her brothers."
"That's for sure," Piper said with a snicker.
Leo wrapped his strong arm around Piper as he enjoyed the peaceful slumber of the manor. He loved the quiet moments at home the most. Everyone he loved was safe and secure while his wife – his soul mate - snuggled in his arms. They could just sit quietly on the couch for an eternity and Leo would want nothing else.
With a small smile on his lips, Leo ran his fingers slowly through Piper's straight, dark hair. Even after 12 years of marriage, it still felt like silk against his skin. Unlike him, she hadn't begun to show any gray. In his eyes, she was just as beautiful as the day he had married her. She, however, usually refused to believe him on that issue.
A few months after Melinda was born, the two had had a quiet night to themselves. The kids had been conveyed to Aunt Phoebe's and Uncle Coop's so Leo and Piper could have a nice romantic dinner at home. Piper had made his favorite dinner classic – Salisbury steak, garlic mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and baked squash. Nothing fancy – Leo knew Piper could cook a five star entrée – but she also knew he didn't need a fancy meal to be pleased. The two had dined and talked and the talk had lead to a very passionate interlude on the couch, stairs and bedroom.
In the early hours of the next morning, Leo had awakened to a vision of heaven. Piper lay draped over his chest like a blanket of light. He had quickly moved to switch on the nearby lamp. He wanted to see Piper in all her beautiful, radiant glory.
Leo's movements had awakened Piper. She had stared up at him sleepily with a sweet smile over her face. Leo's eye, meanwhile, took in every curve and line of her naked body. Piper had noted his visual exploration and had quickly turned away.
"Leo, please," she had muttered, reaching to shut off the light.
"What, Piper? You're beautiful. Can't I look at you?"
"Not until I look like Cameron Diaz."
"Piper," Leo had sighed. "You're beautiful to me no matter what you look like. Though I have to admit, I do love this view of you."
Piper had then flipped onto her back to glare up at him. "Leo, please. I'm a fat heifer. I'm old and ugly. I have stretch marks all over my body thanks to giving birth to three children. I haven't slept properly in months and…I'm getting wrinkles!"
Leo had laughed at Piper's outburst. She had then raised her hands to freeze him, but he gathered her into his arms and pinned her underneath of his body.
"Leo-"
"Piper, listen to me. You should know by now that I think you are the most beautiful, sexy woman I've ever known. I love every inch of your skin."
He had followed his proclamation by softly nuzzling her neck. He had then tenderly trailed his fingers across the skin of her stomach, knowing she was still self conscious about the baby weight.
"Even your stretch marks," Leo had murmured, planting soft kisses onto her stomach until he could feel Piper begin to relax again.
"So if I gained a 100 pounds," Piper had said, as Leo moved his hands down to lovingly caress her hips and thighs. "Grew gray hair and suddenly had elephant skin, you'd-"
"Still love every inch of you," he had whispered, kissing her sweet mouth and silencing all of her doubts and insecurities.
Leo smiled at the memory as he sat on the couch with Piper in his arms. He knew he'd be happy with her at 70 or 80. He knew she'd look just as beautiful at stunning with white hair and wrinkles. He was just glad that now he'd be able to grow old with her.
He continued to watch her as Piper still sucked on her lollipop. He couldn't tear his eyes from her soft lips. He watched, suddenly hypnotized, as her tongue slowly encircled the candy as she again brought it to her mouth. As Piper sucked on it, Leo had a sudden strong desire to be that lollipop.
Piper grinned internally as she felt Leo's lips unexpectedly at her throat. His hand moved to her stomach as he snuck his fingers under the hem of her white tank top. She loved that at almost 40, she could still turn her husband on. She tried to control herself as his tongue danced across her skin. She may still be able to seduce her husband, but it didn't mean he didn't have to work for it.
"You don't know what you do to me everyday," he whispered, nibbling her earlobe. Internally, she knew what he was doing to her. She tried to control her heavy breathing, but already she felt a warm blush spread over her cheeks.
"Really? What's that?" she asked nonchalantly and flipped a page in her book. As his hands continued to caress her skin, he fixed his eyes onto her mouth. She raised the candy again to her lips and –
"You really shouldn't do that," he murmured huskily. Piper finally turned to him, her eyes wide with innocence. The look of utter desire on his face took her breath away. She grinned.
"Do what?" she asked, teasingly as she sucked again on the lollipop. She heard Leo's breath stop in his throat and she knew she had him.
"Do you want some?" she whispered, pulling the candy out of her mouth. He reached his hand up to caress her cheek. His thumb traced her strawberry-stained lips. Those soft, sweet lips enchanted him daily.
Piper brought the sucker again to her lips to lick it, but Leo was too quick for her. His mouth hungrily found hers, his tongue slipping inside to taste her strawberry sweetness. He moaned in desire as he kissed her deeper and deeper. Slowly, Piper slipped the book off of her lap and lay it on the coffee table. The unfinished lollipop soon followed.
"I want you so much," Leo whispered, his hand now massaging her bare breast under her shirt. "Do you want me?"
She moaned in response as his tongue ravaged her neck again. It was one of her many weak spots. Her hands roamed lovingly over his strong back. "I've never wanted anyone as much as I want you. I love you too much."
"Oh, Piper," Leo whispered in reply. His mouth found hers again as their bodies pressed closer together, their breath hot with passion.
"Let's go upstairs," Piper suggested. Leo nodded vigorously. He stood up and gripped Piper's hand in his. Piper hit the lights, causing shadows to descend into the living room. The couple then slipped quickly up the stairs and into the bedroom.
It was the only way to live life – this was their own slice of heaven. They were together and happy with their children safely tucked away in their dreams. Demons would interrupt life occasionally, but Piper and Leo would conquer them together as always. It was the way life was meant to be today, tomorrow and in the years to come.