Weeks had passed as Piper removed the old flowers from the small tombstone and replaced them with another small bouquet. Clouds hung in the grey sky, an atmosphere parallel to her feelings and pains.

Nearly a month ago she had lost her daughter but the sorrow was still fresh and hurt just as much as it had the first time. She cleared some brush off of the granite that was engraved with small letters.

Baby Halliwell November 2, 2003

She heard footsteps behind her and his warm hand fell onto her shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut. "What are you doing here?"

"It's our daughter's grave, Piper," he replied in a whisper. She slowly rose and faced him, her cold and distant eyes staring sharply into his.

"Are you coming to the appointment today?" she asked.

"Of course," Leo answered his eyes sympathetic. "Unless you rather not go today."

"No," Piper replied. "I'll go . . . I just find it pointless."

Leo lowered his head. "We've both agreed that we're going to try anything we can to work this all out. If therapy is what it takes - - -"

"Therapy that you don't show up to!"

"You know I have my duties Piper, just as you do!" Leo replied. "Don't act like I'm not doing my best to work our problems out. It hurts me too that our daughter died, but I'm trying to move on. I'm not ignoring my responsibilities as you so easily do!"

Piper brushed past him. "Go ahead, walk away," Leo mumbled.

She turned on her heel. "Magic is the reason my baby is dead! Magic and demons are the reason that I don't have a little girl! I'm sick of the power of three running our lives! I'm sick of losing everything that's good because of our great destiny and duties! It's not worth it!"

"You're too blind to see that it is!" Leo argued. "Phoebe and Paige are out there fighting for what's good! Fighting against evil without you and if you don't help them they're going to end up dead too!"

"Don't put that on me!" Piper barked. "Paige and Phoebe can manage fine without me! If they want to be witches they can! They don't need me to - - -"

"There's no power of three without you!" Leo yelled. "Can't you see that?! Our baby died, yes, but there's a bigger picture Piper! There's a time to move on!"

"I'm not ready to move on! You would understand if you had been there! If you were the one who carried our baby for six and a half months and felt her move and grow inside of you! You weren't even there when she died! You weren't there when I needed you most and I won't forgive you for that! I can't!"

Leo's eyes clouded with tears. "If I could take back what happened I would! You know that Piper . . ."

She shook her head. "No . . . no I don't Leo. I don't because this isn't the first time that your whitelighter duties have come between us. This isn't the first time that I've been second priority and I know it's not that last. What would have happened if our baby had lived? Huh? She would barely know you. You're gone all the time. You would miss her first steps, her first words, first everything! And if she had lived you wouldn't even be there to see her first breath!"

He swallowed down hard as she continued, taking in a calming breath. "You're not the same man that I married, Leo," she nearly whimpered. "This isn't how I thought things would be . . ."

"Me neither," he said somberly.

Silence fell between them before a normal interruption cut in. Leo's tear stained eyes drifted upward and his heart dropped once more. He bit on his lower lip.

"Go," Piper whispered.

He stared at her for a long moment, as if it were the last time he would ever again see her. Lightning crashed in the distance and the first drop of rain fell to the earth. His body disappeared in a swirl of shining orbs and once more he was gone.

Piper's eyes gazed down to the baby's tombstone. She swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Sorry baby girl . . ." she murmured.


Piper pushed open the door to the manor, hoping that things would not be in chaos as they usually were. Quietly she closed the barrier behind her and slipped off her jacket. She would need to be at the club in two hours to set up for a new band and make sure her new trainees were prepared for a predicted busy evening.

"Hey, I didn't expect you home," Phoebe said as she descended the stairs, spotting her older sister. Piper slowly walked over to meet her. "I thought you and Leo had counseling."

Piper shook her head. "He had some things to take care of . . . whitelighter things I guess," she replied.

"Well, who wants to see a dumb shrink anyway, right?" Phoebe said with a forced laugh. Piper gave a meek smile and as her eyes met Phoebe's, her younger sister immediately identified that something was wrong. "You're not okay, are you?"

"What do you mean?" Piper asked.

"You know what I mean, Piper. Paige and I haven't stopped worrying about you since . . ." she paused.

"It's okay to say it," Piper told her. "You haven't stopped worrying about me since the baby died . . ."

Phoebe nodded her head. She wrapped an arm around her shoulder, slowly leading her toward the living room. They quietly took seats down on the cushions a foreboding silence formed between them. "I wish you would tell me what's going on with you," Phoebe started softly. "You're scaring me Piper. I've never seen you like this . . . this isn't the Piper Halliwell that Paige and I know and it's scary. It's scary without you."

She lowered her head. "I'm still here," she muttered.

"No you're not," Phoebe replied, gently raising her chin to look into her eyes. "You're in a different place now. The things that were important to you once aren't anymore . . . and I worry that we're not going to get you back."

"Don't," Piper whispered.

"I can't help it," Phoebe said. "You're my big sister and I know you're hurting. And I know it's selfish but Paige and I can't keep fighting all this without you . . . we can't be the power of three without three."

"I know," she whispered. "But I'm not ready Phoebe. I don't even remember how to fight . . . I don't have anything to fight for."

Phoebe stared at her for a moment, prepared to speak up, but the pair was suddenly interrupted by a familiar swirl of orbs. Leo appeared, still looking as hurt as he did when he left Piper, but trying to remain serious and distant.

"Leo," Phoebe greeted looking up. Piper diverted her eyes.

"Hey," he said. "We have a problem."

"Of course we do," she sighed. More orbs flashed into the room, this time Paige appearing.

"You're just in time," Phoebe told her.

"Oh goody," Paige replied. She glanced from Leo to Piper. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be at counseling . . ."

"Not now, Paige," Phoebe hissed.

"Right," she said. "So what's going on?"

"Two whitelighters have been killed," Leo answered.

"By darklighters?" Phoebe asked.

"The elders are unsure but they don't believe it to be the work of any darklighters," he replied.

"We should go check the book," Phoebe started. Leo nodded.

"I'm on it," Paige said quickly rising from the couch.

"You should tell the Elders to ground all whitelighters. Whoever is killing them off will be able to sense their orbing power," Phoebe told Leo.

He nodded. "I'll tell you as soon as I know more," he said. His eyes landed on Piper and she looked away, causing him to cast his own glance aside. He quickly orbed out.

Phoebe slowly rose and glanced down at Piper. "What the hell is going on between you and Leo?"

"Take a wild guess, Phoebe," Piper replied, angrily getting up from the couch and striding quickly for the kitchen.

Phoebe gave a heavy sigh before Paige called her from the attic.

"Phoebe come here! I have a genius idea!" she shouted.

"Wonderful," Phoebe groaned.


Phoebe watched as her sister orbed out and nervously gritted her teeth. In an instant Paige was back and Phoebe gripped onto the potion in her hand a little tighter. This is a horrible idea she thought. I need to stop listening to Paige.

Suddenly teleporting into the room was a woman clad in a strange roman outfit. Paige quickly threw a potion at her but it had little effect. Phoebe did the same and got thrown across the room for her trouble.

"Piper!" Paige shouted as the intruder stared her down.

Nearly flying into the room was a new interloper, throwing himself at Paige and sending her to the floor. "Don't look into her eyes!" he advised. Phoebe started hurling potions at the woman and Piper quickly entered conjuring up a quick explosion that also seemed to have little affect on the unknown adversary. She quickly teleported out, leaving the four to catch their breaths.

"Nice to see you using your powers again," Phoebe told her eldest sister as she rose from the floor.

Piper paid her little attention, instead looking to the man who aided Paige up from the floor. "Who the hell are you?"

"Don't be so rude Piper, he saved my life," Paige told her.

"Mmhmm," Piper started suspiciously.

"I'm Chris Perry," he told her as he brushed himself off. "I'm from the future."

"Excuse me, what?" Phoebe nearly choked.

"Just twenty or so years from now," Chris elaborated. "Listen, from where I come from that attack did not end nearly as well as it just did . . . that's part of the reason why I'm here. To change the future."

"Care to elaborate on said future?" Paige asked.

"I can't. Whatever I say may change the future in ways that none of us want," he told them. "Now rather than trying to waste your time prying me for information, you should be trying to figure out how to defeat the Titans."

"Titans?"

"That's who just attacked."

Suddenly orbing into the room was Leo, a look of despair on his face. "It's the Titans."

"We know," Piper replied. He narrowed his eyes, only to spot Chris a short distance behind his wife.

"Who is he?"

"Chris. Chris Perry," he answered for himself.

"He's from the future," Phoebe said. "He's here to change the past . . ."

"And right now all you need to worry about is the present," Chris cut in. "If you don't find a way to stop the Titans then there will be no point of me coming here."

"Right," Paige said quickly. She turned to the book. "Please tell me there's something in here . . ."

"I'm going to go call Elise. Tell her I can't make the charity benefit," Phoebe sighed, giving both Piper and Leo warning looks as made an exit.

Piper sighed. "I have to get to the club pretty soon - - -"

"You're kidding, you can't leave," Chris said quickly.

"Yes. Yes I can," Piper replied.

"The Titans can't be defeated without you Piper," Chris told her. "I would know."

"Well, find another way, okay! In case you didn't notice, but from now until the future that you came from, I am retired!" Piper snapped, turning on her heel and making a fast exit.

Chris looked to Leo and Paige. "One of you needs to stop her," he said.

"There's no stopping Piper once she's made up your mind Chris. She hasn't been fighting demons for the past month," Paige replied.

"Well, that stops now," he said. He looked to Leo. "You're her husband, do something!"

"I'm hardly her husband," Leo murmured bitterly leaving the room.

Chris gave an angry groan. "Jesus, I thought you guys were the charmed ones."

"We are, thank you," Paige said clearing her throat and giving him a warning look. "And I'm getting the feeling we're your only hope, so you better watch it bud."


Piper slowly wandered down the hallway, running her hand along the wall. She imagined a house filled with laughter; the laughter of children. Her children. She bit on her lower lip as she made her way toward the unfinished nursery, pausing when she realized Leo was already inside, staring somberly at the unfinished crib.

"We never got to put this thing together," Leo mumbled, sensing Piper behind him. She swallowed down hard as she leaned against the doorframe. The statement was so true about so many things concerning the two of them and it hurt as she reflected on the words. He turned to face her. "We wouldn't have been ready for her . . . the nursery I mean . . ."

"We would have survived," Piper replied, suddenly reminded of Cole's words at the hospital that day. "Well, babies survived long before Babies R Us, so I think you'll manage."

"I don't want to lecture you, but I think that your sisters are going to need you," he whispered. "The Titans could only be defeated by those with the powers of Gods."

"I'm done fighting, Leo," Piper said.

Phoebe raced down the hall behind her, eyes wide and wild. "Leo!" she shouted rushing past Piper and bursting into the room. "The Titans are after the elders."

"What?"

"Just go tell them, hurry!" Phoebe advised. Leo quickly obeyed orbing out without another word. Phoebe slowly looked to Piper. "I know you don't want to hear this . . . but whatever happens next, we're going to need your help."


Okay so I thought I'd let the readers know that I am probably going to make this a Piper/Cole driven story because there is no denying that they are my favorite non-couple. Of course you'll have to be patient because I'm not going to rush into it. I like to tie up all loose ends and want to make this story very clear and smooth so it's more realistic. For those of you who are Piper/Cole supporters I hope this is to your liking and for those of you who are not my goal is to make this tolerable for you; maybe even sway you ;) Obviously a lot of this chapter comes from Oh My Goddess but the next chapter skips ahead toward the end of the episode as you will see. I think it's both boring to write and to read things that have already happened on the show so I hope that works out for everyone.

Thanks again for the reviews, they certainly motivate me to make more chapters and get them out quickly!