Sorry for the delay in updating. I had a pretty busy holiday weekend. The next chapter shouldn't take as long, I promise. Thanks to those of you who reviewed the story so far. I really appreciate it and they helped me force myself to write this weekend despite my busy schedule.
Ch. 10
"Come on Billie," Phoebe muttered as she watched her nephew, sister, and new whitelighter try and heal her friend. "Don't give up," she whispered knowing that if anything happened to the young witch, all three of the sisters would carry her death with them for the rest of their lives. Billie had been hurt while fighting their fight, not hers. And she'd been hurt while they'd left her alone with the demon while they went to check on their sister.
"That's it, Wyatt," Piper said feeling the need to encourage her son. Despite being only four years old, in a matter of one day he'd been asked to heal on three separate occasions and had been present during the vanquish of the most powerful demon the Charmed Ones had ever fought. It wasn't exactly his typical Sunday, but Piper knew that now wasn't the time for her guilt.
Piper and Phoebe continued to watch in fear that Billie wouldn't return to them, but her wounds finally started to shrink. They heard Luke let out a small sigh of relief, but none of them moved their hands. They still had a long way to go to heal her from the effects of all the poison. After a few long moments, Billie's eyes flew open and she gasped loudly.
"Billie!" Paige cried as all three whitelighters removed their hands from over her body. "Oh thank God!" she said throwing her arms around her friend.
"I'm fine," Billie assured them despite the fact that she knew that it had been a close call. "Oriax?"
"Vanquished," Piper replied happily and Billie looked at her in disbelief.
"Seriously?" she asked and the sisters all nodded. "I missed it?" she said disappointedly and Phoebe laughed.
"Yeah," Piper smiled. "Now we have to get back to Magic School. Luke, meet us there. Paige?" she prompted and the four witches and Wyatt all grabbed hands before orbing to the library closely followed by Luke.
"Piper? Is Wyatt okay?" Leo asked, jumping up from his seat before the figures orbing in had even come into focus.
"Yeah, he's okay," she assured her husband, handing the child to his worried father. "He's in big trouble," she said in a tone meant for Wyatt to understand. "But he's okay."
"I can't believe he did that," Leo muttered as he clutched Wyatt to his chest. "Is everyone else okay? Billie?" he asked knowing that she'd been injured when Luke left.
"Everyone's fine now," Phoebe told him and small smiles of disbelief crept across the faces of everyone in the room.
"Oriax?" he asked almost afraid of what their answer would be.
"Dead. Gone. Vanquished," Piper affirmed, and Leo looked at her blankly before a wide grin consumed his face.
"Thanks to Wyatt," Paige said and Leo glanced between his wife and his oldest son unsure of what to do next.
"His force field gave us time to say the spell," Piper explained, and Leo shook his head with a laugh as Wyatt orbed out of his arms. With a sigh, Piper turned to Luke. "Can you just make sure he's in the nursery with Chris?" she asked and Luke nodded before orbing to check. "Your son almost gave me a heart attack," Piper muttered as she turned back to Leo. "He refused to stand behind me," she told him and Leo smiled.
"My son?" he teased and Piper nodded as Leo chuckled. "He wanted to protect his mom," he reasoned and she shook her head.
"If something had happened to him…" she trailed off and Leo rested his hands on her shoulders.
"But nothing did," he assured her and she nodded. "Everything's fine. And you guys managed the impossible," he pointed out with a smile. "Again," he added proudly and Piper smiled slightly. After a brief moment of silence Luke orbed back into the library with Victor, Chris, and Wyatt.
"I thought it was about time you all headed home," Luke said and Piper looked at him gratefully as she took Chris in her arms and hugged him. "I can drop your dad off on the way."
"Thank you," she smiled at him and he nodded in return.
"We couldn't have done it without you, Luke," Phoebe offered and he smiled happily at the compliment.
"Well it was a pleasure working with all of you," he responded glancing at each witch individually. "I only hope I get the chance to do so again," he said wistfully before orbing off with Victor.
"Let's head home," Piper sighed and everyone agreed before separating.
"Billie, do you want me to orb you home too?" Paige asked referring to the apartment Billie had found just a month ago. She'd been paying rent with the money she'd earned from jobs from the temp agency Paige had set her up with, and her newfound independence had helped her recover from the loss of her sister.
"No," Piper answered for her before Billie could respond. "She can sleep in Phoebe's old room tonight. Nobody should be alone," she finished and Billie looked at her gratefully. She hadn't wanted to impose, but she truly didn't want to have to spend the night alone.
"Thanks," Billie said softly and Leo and Piper nodded indicating that it was no trouble before Paige and Henry walked over to them. They prepared to orb out as Phoebe and Coop started to beam home, but Piper called out to her sister.
"Phoebe, wait," Piper said stopping her. As their eyes met, Piper was suddenly unsure of what to say now that everyone was staring at her. With a sigh she settled for something simple that didn't convey anything that she actually wanted to tell her. "Goodnight," she told her softly and Phoebe gave her a small smile knowing that Piper had left a lot unsaid.
"I'll stop by the manor tomorrow," Phoebe promised and Piper nodded gratefully. Even after just two days together, it was going to be difficult for the sisters to part again. Working as the Power of Three bonded them so strongly that it was nearly impossible to break even when they needed to separate themselves.
"So will I," Paige added as the sisters shared an understanding look.
"We'll have dinner," Piper confirmed as she began running through ideas of what to cook. "To celebrate," she added quietly and everyone in the room nodded before orbing or beaming back to their homes. It had been a long weekend, and it was finally time for it to be over.
"I was so proud of you today Babe," Henry whispered softly as he ran his fingers down his wife's arm. He looked up at her face as she lay next to him in their bed and his breath caught in his throat. Her hair fell haphazardly around her on the pillow and a lazy smile spread across her face at his words.
"Really?" she asked and he smiled back at her knowing that she must be exhausted.
"Definitely," he told her as he grabbed her hand in hers and laced their fingers together. "You were so strong and determined no matter what happened," he said as their eyes locked. "And you never gave up even when you faced the impossible," he whispered as he brought their hands up to his mouth to place a kiss on them. "And that's one of the reasons why I love you."
"What's that?" she questioned and he chuckled lightly as her feet tangled with his beneath the sheets.
"You're a fighter," he answered simply and the smile faded off her face and was replaced by a much more serious emotion. "I knew that from the moment I met you. You were fighting me over MY parolee's future," he laughed as he freed his hand from hers to brush some hair out of her eyes. "I didn't know it then, but I had definitely met my match," he said and a few tears fell from the corner of Paige's eyes. "Don't cry, Baby," he laughed softly as he wiped her tears away.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly as she shook her head feeling foolish. "I'm just emotional. And you're being way too sweet," she scolded teasingly and he smiled as she tucked her head against his chest. He rested his atop hers and her eyes fell shut. They were quiet for a while as she listened to the steady beating of his heart while one of her hands rested on his chest. He occasionally ran a few fingers soothingly through her hair, content to just lay there with her.
His mind raced through all the things that had happened that weekend. For those few moments when Phoebe was healing Paige and he wasn't sure she was going to make it, he felt like his heart had been ripped out of his chest. He could barely remember what his life was like before her. It certainly wasn't as exciting as it was now-or as dangerous. But to him any danger was worth it if it meant he could have Paige by his side. After a long silence, he was sure she had fallen asleep, but her soft voice surprised him.
"I was proud of you this weekend too," she said quietly and he smiled at her words.
"Oh yeah?" he asked and he felt, rather than saw, her nod against his chest.
"Mmhmm," she replied sleepily. "You handled it like you'd been around magic your whole life. You helped us and you never tried to discourage me from doing what I had to do," she told him and he could tell that despite her tired state she was grateful for that.
"That's because I love you for who you are and what you have to do," he answered simply, and in response Paige took the hand that had been resting on his chest and wrapped it around his waist. "I'll always help you Paige," he told her softly. "Remember that," he told her pressing a kiss to the top of her head before he heard her breathing slow indicating that she had indeed fallen asleep.
"Popcorn, candy, and wine," Phoebe announced walking into the living room from the kitchen as Coop set up the movie on the TV.
"Are you sure you don't want to go to bed?" he asked for at least the tenth time that night. With a roll of her eyes Phoebe sighed loudly.
"Coop, I'm way too wired to sleep right now. After a weekend like we just had I need to wind down," she explained as she sat next to him on the couch placing the food and wine on the coffee table. "If you need to go to sleep then that's fine. I don't mind, but I'll be up for hours," she told him and he nodded. "I might not even sleep tonight. I'll probably just go into the office early."
"You're going to work tomorrow?" Coop asked astounded that she was even thinking of work considering the weekend she had just had.
"Of course," Phoebe replied with a shrug. "Why not?" she asked and Coop's eyes widened.
"Why not?" he repeated in disbelief. "Because you just had the fight of your lives, that's why not!" he exclaimed and Phoebe took a deep breath before responding.
"Coop, the only way to get back into things after a fight like that is to jump back into our normal lives," she told him and he opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off. "I've been doing this a long time. Trust me," she whispered and Coop lowered his eyes to his lap knowing that she was right. "I'll be tired at work. And I might even fall asleep at my desk. My column might suck," she admitted as his eyes rose to meet hers again. "But those things won't be the end of the world," she reasoned and he nodded knowing that she was right. "And coming from me, someone who's helped actually stop the end of the world a few times, that means something," she joked and Coop laughed before running a hand down the side of her face gently.
"I just worry about you," he told her resigning himself to the fact that he would never fully come to terms with the fact that Phoebe loved being a witch. She would always put it above all else. He didn't mind that he was second in her life behind her magic, but he did worry that one day that magic would exhaust her to the point where she couldn't recover.
"I know," she said sliding over as she climbed into his lap so she was straddling him. "And I love you for it," she assured him while wrapping her arms around his neck. "But you don't need to worry about me," she told him and he smiled at her while a matching smile appeared on her face.
"I'm still going to," he told her and she giggled before pressing her lips to his for a short kiss.
"I know," Phoebe replied resting her forehead against his, their noses almost touching. She reveled in the way Coop made her feel. He was the sweetest man she had ever known, let alone fallen in love with. He always had her best interests at heart. Without him she would still be alone and cynical without a chance at finding love or happiness in the world. His love didn't make her feel desperate like her loves in the past had. Her love for Coop felt comforting and safe. "And I love you for that. More than you know," she whispered as she leaned in for another kiss.
Piper crawled under the sheets of the large bed and Leo's arm reached out to pull her body against his. She smiled slightly as she moved closer to him under the blankets and he propped his head up on his elbow to look at her. He smiled to himself at the realization that they were still together. They had been married for six years now, but the sight of her next to him still overwhelmed him from time to time.
"I can't imagine losing you, Piper," Leo said quietly and she nodded understandingly. One of her hands came up to rest on the side of his neck while her eyes trailed from his face to his chest. "Three times in two days…" he trailed off and she nodded again.
"I know," she told him. "We've been through too much," she agreed as Leo moved his hand from her waist to her lower back. "I won't let anything come between us, Leo," she promised.
"Neither will I," he assured her as he leaned down to place a soft kiss on the top of her head. "I'd do anything for you, Piper," he breathed out and she sighed before burying her face against his chest. He shifted and wrapped both arms around her waist as she fell silent. The events of the weekend began to take their toll on her as she felt exhaustion overtaking her body.
"Do you think Wyatt's okay?" she finally asked as Leo's fingers gently combed through her hair. "He's been through a lot today."
"I think he'll be fine. He's a fighter, just like his mom," he said and Piper tilted her chin to smile at her husband. "I'm serious," he insisted. "He went with you and your sisters today because on some level he knew that this fight was important and different than the rest he's seen you guys involved in."
"I just worry about him," Piper admitted and Leo grinned down at her.
"It's what you do best," he reminded her and she shook her head with a soft laugh before returning it to Leo's chest. "He's just growing up," Leo whispered after they had both fallen silent. "And he's only going to want to help more and more," he reasoned and Piper let out a tired sigh.
"You're right," she said and she squeezed her eyes shut. "But it might be fun to teach him to control his powers and about the Book and everything," she mumbled and Leo smiled in relief that Piper was looking forward to this.
"Absolutely," he agreed. "And we'll always worry," he told her as he tightened his arms around Piper's waist. "But we have to keep in mind that he is literally the strongest magical being ever."
"I guess you're right," she mused and Leo noticed that her tone was much lighter than it had been a few minutes ago. "I still don't want him healing anyone unless it's absolutely necessary," she insisted and Leo brought a hand up to her neck and guided her face up to meet his eyes.
"I don't either," he told her, his tone now completely serious. "And I tried to get him to stay away from you when you were lying there on the floor," he said and Piper was taken aback by the pain she could see in her husband's eyes. "But if there was even a chance that-" he stopped abruptly as his voice broke and Piper brought a hand up to the side of his face. His breathing was heavy as he tried to hold back the tears and he took a deep breath before speaking again. "Piper, you were dying in my arms and there was nothing I could do," he whispered as a few tears finally leaked from his eyes.
"Leo," she interrupted but he shook his head.
"No, I thought I was losing you," he said yet again that night. "And I couldn't take it," he admitted tearfully. "When Wyatt hugged you and you started to heal, I, I just couldn't ignore it. I'm sorry, but I-"
"Leo, it's okay," she assured him. "I would have done the same thing," she rationalized and he nodded, his chest still heaving from the emotions he'd just run through. "If it had been you in my arms, I…I don't know what I would have done," she admitted quietly and Leo pulled her into a tight hug against his chest. "I don't want to find out."
"You won't," he promised and a few tears stung at the corners of Piper's eyes. "I'm never leaving you, Piper. I don't care what it takes, but this family is staying together," he insisted and she nodded into his shoulder in agreement.
"I love you," she choked out as she pulled back to look into his eyes.
"I love you," he repeated before pulling her face to his for a lingering kiss. As their mouths met, they were both taken aback by the passion that was unleashed the second their lips touched. Leo's hand disappeared in Piper's hair and his lips parted as their tongues met. A soft moan escaped Piper as Leo rolled them over so she was beneath him and he pulled his lips from hers. He began trailing kisses from her jaw line and down her collarbone leaving no inch of skin untouched.
"I need you, Leo," she breathed out and their eyes locked as his hands inched underneath her t-shirt. Piper sat up slightly so Leo could pull it off of her and he flung it to the floor without a second thought.
"You have me," he told her before claiming her mouth with his yet again. "Always," he muttered against her lips.
Please leave a quick review and let me know what you think. This was a different type of chapter than the rest so I'd love to hear your thoughts on the different relationships and character interactions. And of course, quicker reviews mean quicker updates! ;)