Chapter 3

Phoebe and Paige found her cooking like mad the next morning. 

            'Ooh that smells nice!' Paige said, sniffing the cookies.

            'Uh-oh! What's wrong Piper?' the more perceptive Phoebe said.

            'Wrong? Why would anything be wrong?' She said, attacking more cookie dough with a spoon, 'Just because I've been on two awful dates and Leo decided to show up last night and spoil everything! Again!'

            'Aw, honey I'm so sorry.' Phoebe hugged her.

            'Leo is such a-' Paige paused, stopping when Phoebe gave her a look. 'I was gonna say man!'

            'So what happened?'

            'He doesn't know what he wants. I'm thinking, I can't wait for him to come back forever. And even though these dates you set me up on have done nothing for me, I know I need to move on, if not for my sake then for Wyatt's.'

            'You said it, sister.' Said Phoebe.

            'You want me to set you up with this other guy?' Paige suggested. 'He's a CTU agent from LA named Jack Bauer, he's a widower, he's pretty cute if you like the older guy, which  I guess you do considering your track record.'

            'Thanks, Paige.' Piper said sarcastically. 'But no. I'm just gonna concentrate on Wyatt and you guys and being a charmed one, see what happens. If love finds me then so be it.'

            It was at that moment that Leo orbed in directly behind Piper. She jumped.

            'Why don't you ever jingle before you orb? You frightened the life out of me!' She exclaimed, throwing her oven gloves at him.

            'Hi, Leo.' Said Paige. 'This should be interesting.'

            At this Piper glared in a way that told her sisters to get out.

            'There's something we have to go …. Do in the other room.' Phoebe said.

            Reluctantly Paige followed her and the room was then left silent.

            All at sudden Piper felt very sad. She was looking at Leo and realising all that she had had and all that she'd lost. She'd once had the perfect family, hopes and dreams that now would never come true. She began to wonder if she could ever move on, if Wyatt and the Charmed Ones would ever be just enough for her. She'd only ever been truly happy when she was with Leo and she couldn't bear it if he left her again.

            'Piper,' He said, 'I've been doing some thinking.'

            'And some consulting?' She asked.

            'Will you let me finish?' He answered, slightly impatiently. 'This is hard for me. It's one of the most difficult decisions I've had to make my whole life. And I've been around a while.'

            'OK…' She said slowly and unsurely.

            'I've never stopped loving you Piper. And  I've tried my hardest to live without you, to let you go. But it's never gonna happen. The other elders thought we could never be together, but we proved them wrong, didn't we? I've stayed away because it's too hard to say goodbye to you and Wyatt, I can't look at your face without wanting to stay with you forever.'

            'Leo…' She said, interrupted by him kissing her. Breaking away from the kiss, Piper turned to see Paige and Phoebe peering round the door smiling. She mouthed 'go away!' to them.

            'Look, Leo,' She said, 'I need to know before you break my heart again, if you stay this time are you going to leave me again? I just can't bear it if you do.'

            'Piper, I'm not going to leave you. No matter what happens.'

            'But what about the elders?'

Leo took her in his arms and span her around. 'To hell with the elders!'

            'About time!' Said Paige, bursting in.

            'Ooh, cookies!' Said Leo.

            'Just the way you like them.' Piper told him.

            'How did you know he was going to turn up?' Asked Phoebe, walking in and sitting down at the table, grabbing a cookie out of Paige's hand and taking a large bite.

            'Oh, must've have been the witches intuition.' Piper smiled, taking a cookie herself and realising she had her family back.