Piper woke to find the pages of her book stuck to her face, and her eyes felt tired and sore. She jumped quickly up and looked in the crib near her, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw Gracie looking back up at her. Another nightmare, another morning where she woke terrified her daughter would be gone.
"Hiya." Piper cooed, lifting her out. "How did you sleep, hmm? Better than me, right?" Gracie looked at Piper, then around the room, and Piper smiled - it looked exactly as though the baby was bored. "OK, OK, I'll shut up now." Piper continued, walking towards the kitchen area. "Let's get your breakfast, yeah?"
She fed her, changed her, dressed her, then did it all for herself. Sat on the sofa in the living area, she contemplated calling home, because if she didn't do it soon they worry. Before she could decide however, she heard the all too familiar jingling sound. Jumping to her feet, Piper clung tighter to Gracie and turned to the man who had just orbed into her bedsit.
"How many times do I need to tell you people to leave me alone!" Piper cried angrily. They'd sent a new one, she noted. A guy, this time.
"Hi, Piper, I'm Leo, I'm your new-"
"I know what you are." Piper cut in. "And I'm going to tell you what I told all the other whitelighters. Leave. Me. Alone."
"Piper, I know you think you don't want to be a Charmed One, but -"
"You know, I thought they'd have given up by now. For a year they've been sending different 'lighters here to try and convince me to go out and fight demons all day, plus the family's laying the whole guilt trip on me, and you know what, I'm sick of it. I just want to live in peace with my daughter, and forget that magic even exists. Why can't anyone just accept my decision and leave me to it?"
Leo faltered, unsure what to say now. The elders had warned him she would be reluctant, but he hadn't expected her to flip straight away. Maybe he should have done what he usually did and pose as a handy-man, despite what the elders had said.
"I know you're scared, Piper, but -"
"Damn right I'm scared. I'm scared he's going to come back and take her away. I'm scared that he'll kill me, and my sisters, and Grams, and I'm scared that I'll never be able to get away from it. And what have you guys done to stop that, hmm? Why not send one of your other little witches after Al - after Zander? Why not stop him from doing all of this in the first place? They must have known he was a demon, but they didn't try to stop it, and if they had them maybe right now they'd have their precious Charmed Ones." Piper broke off from the rant, to catch her breath and think of more to say. Taking his opportunity, Leo started to speak.
"You don't wish it had never happened, though, do you?" He guessed. "You don't want to think about him, or how he tricked you, but you wont wish it away because without it, you wouldn't have her" He gestured to the baby in her arms, and could tell by the look on her face that he was right. He'd based it simply on the fact that she held Gracie so protectively, so lovingly. And he fought a smile as her face softened.
"Score one for the whitelighter." She muttered. "What do you want?"
"To help you. Look, they want me to convince you to get your powers back, do what you're destined to. But I don't think you can until you've healed, can you?"
She didn't answer, but he could tell she was thinking. She fascinated him, the whole situation fascinated him. He knew how close her family had been before, he knew how much she'd loved this demon, and he knew how scared she was, how vulnerable she was. He admired her, for battling through this, for still loving the child, despite Gracie's origin. Most of all, he wanted to help her.
"Will you let me? Help you?" He asked her, and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know if you can." She said her voice still cold and hard, but her eyes showing how she really felt, the hope that he could take her pain away, the fear, the feeling in them.
"I can. And I will, if you let me." He said quietly.
"You can try." She replied. "But that doesn't mean I'm going to be a witch at the end of it."
"That's your choice and yours alone." He said simply. "I can't force you, and neither can they, no matter how hard they try."
"What do I have to do?" She asked him, and her voice shook with emotion.
"You have to let it go, but I know it's hard." He replied. "It's going to take time, but you have to stop thinking about it, stop dwelling on what happened. You need to see your family again, go back into that house. You need to remember who you are-"
"I can't go back there." She said, and she couldn't disguise it, the fear in her voice.
"I'll help you." He promised. "But it'll only work if you're ready for it, if you'll do it."
"I am. I will." She mumbled. "When can we sta-" The ringing of her phone cut her off, and she reached out for it jerkily. "Hello?"
"Piper, it's Phoebe. Listen, you have to come home-"
"We've been through this. This is my home." Piper snapped.
"Piper, listen, you don't understand-" Piper replaced the receiver before Phoebe could finish.
"You do need to go back there at some point, Piper." Leo said softly, and she nodded.
"Just not right now." She said, looking up at him as though seeking his approval.
"Sure." He murmured. "Not right now."
The phone shrilled again, and Piper frowned at it.
"What?" She asked when she pressed it to her ear.
"Don't hang up again!" Phoebe's voice said. "I wasn't getting at you, it's Grams. She's at the hospital; you need to get here, right now." Phoebe said breathlessly.
"What? What happened?"
"I don't know, she was out with Prue, and Prue just called and said to get here and call you. I'm almost there -"
"I'll meet you there." Piper said quickly, then hung up again.
"What? What's happened?"
"My grandmother is at the hospital." Piper replied, running around and gathering up nappies, bottles ect. and throwing them into a bag. "I need to go there. Now."
"What's happened to her?" He asked, as she put shoes on Gracie's feet and reached for her little coat.
"I don't know. I just need to get there, right now."
"I'll orb you." He said suddenly. "I'll orb you there." Piper looked at him, considering it carefully. as much as she didn't trust his kind - or anyone, really - there was something different about him, and she needed to get there fast.
"OK."
----
"Paige!" Piper cried, running towards the youngest sister.
"Piper, thank god." Paige looked tearful as she hugged Piper and her baby niece.
"What's wrong with her? Where is she, is she OK?" Piper asked quickly.
"I don't know, Prue and Phoebe are with the doctor, I was waiting for you."
"OK, which room, do you know which room?"
"Uh - yeah, this way, I think -" The two of them hurried down the hallway, then stopped when they heard Prue's voice. Piper barely had a chance to realise it had been months since she'd seen any of her sisters, or her nephew, before she realised something. Just a few feet ahead of them, Piper saw the tears on both her sisters face and suddenly she filled with dread.
"No..." She breathed as she and Paige finally reached them.
"She's gone, Piper." Phoebe sobbed. "Grams is dead."
