Leo lay flat on his bed.
He could hear the drama unfolding down stairs.
Between his parents and Piper's Grams.
They'd been fighting for over two hours now.
It was late.
Well for a school night.
Leo was exhausted.
Mentally.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Piper's body was wrapped tightly in his arms.
She was close to him.
She was safe.
Nothing was going to hurt her.
He wasn't going to let it.
Dan couldn't get to them here.
Her Grams couldn't.
Her sisters couldn't.
His parents couldn't.
No one could.
The baby…..
The baby was some thing he didn't have to worry about.
It was his.
Or it wasn't there.
It didn't exist.
It never had.
Earthier way Leo didn't care.
He had Piper.
That's all that mattered to him.
He couldn't see her face.
Not quite being able to make out her fetchers in the dark.
She wasn't asleep.
How could she be at a time like this?
They were finally back together.
Her and Leo.
Piper and Leo were lying together on Leo's bed.
Every thing was right with the world.
She smelt sweet and her skin was soft against his.
This was heaven.
"I love you." Leo said as Piper's amazing eyes met his.
"I love you too." She replied instantly.
She snuggled up against him.
Her face edged towards his.
He closed his eye in anticipation of the kiss.
Soft.
Sweet.
Genital.
Loving.
Her face was millimeters from his.
Edging ever closer ………………..
"Leo!" Anna's voice instantly snapped Leo out of his dream.
Anna was Leo's older sister.
She went to university in New York.
NYU.
She'd come home form school for Easter.
She'd been the one who'd started the fight down stairs.
"Sorry." She sat down on the end of his bed. "I did mean to wake you."
Leo ran his hand over his face and sat up.
Anna cringed at the noise of the fight.
It didn't sound good down there.
Not at all.
She remembered how she'd come in.
As bold as brass.
Opened the front door.
Used her key.
Told no one she was coming.
She'd walked in and dropped her bags to the floor.
Put her hand on her hips.
A reasonably large teddy bare still under one arm.
The she'd demanded why no one had told her she was going to be an aunty.
That's when it had all kicked off.
Her father had started to yell.
Her mother had started to cry.
Mrs Halliwell began to scream.
Piper's sisters had all sank to the ground.
The two younger ones hiding their face in Prue.
Presumably crying.
Mrs Halliwell was screaming about Leo not taking responsibility for his child.
Her father was shouting that Leo didn't have responsibilities to another man's child and Piper.
Then they were all saying how their respective teenager wouldn't lie about something like this.
Piper had told Grams that Leo was the father of her child.
Grams was convinced he was.
Leo's parents were convinced he wasn't.
Leo wasn't stupid.
He wouldn't get Piper pregnant.
Dan had.
It was his mistake.
Her mistake.
Not Leo's.
"I hate hearing them fight like this." Anna said. "I've caused so much trouble."
"Yhea." Leo agreed.
"I mean I just assumed the kid was yours when I spoke to Jessica. She said it was. She never mentioned his Dan character and when I spoke to her a minute ago she said she'd never heard of this Dan. She said that Piper told her that it was your baby and that you weren't meant to find out because Piper knew you'd take care of them and she wanted to let you become a doctor. Not struggle in some job you hated to support her and your child. She wanted you to live her dreams."
"Jessica?"
"Yep. She's a friend. About 22. Pretty. Straight blond hair. Pale skin. Tall. She's a good friend with Piper. Knows more about you than I do."
"Does she work at the nursery or have kids there?"
"Yep. She's a nanny. A two year old and a nine year old. The nine year old goes to the nursery."
"I've met her."
"Oh."
"She told you Piper was pregnant."
"Uh-huh, it all over the chat room."
"What chat room?"
"The chat room all her friends use. Kids life line. It's for nannies and parents. She and Piper are on there all the time. Piper's pregnancy is over it. When I asked her she told me every thing. She said you found out today but every one else had known for month. Including mom and dad. She said that they were the ones who said Piper should keep the baby from you. So, you know, you could get the grades you need for med school. But she was obviously wrong about that."
"Well the brat in Piper isn't mine. She chose to screw around behind my back and got her self pregnant. The bitch deserves every thing that she gets. That bastard Dan too."
"You don't mean that."
"I damn well do. I love, loved Piper. But she didn't love me. Why should I care about her now? I actually thought we might have a future together. Today I thought we were having a baby and she let me hold her and promise her I was going to look after them. Both of them. Then she took pleasure in shattering every thing I just said and my heart with it. Why shouldn't I speak about how I fell? How I really fell. She's a bitch and whore. Every one should be told. She a slut and she uses people and she's vindictive and, and, and, and, and," He trail off his tear that he had fought for so long taking over.
"And what?"
"And I love her. I still love her. After every thing she has done I still love her."
Anna hadn't seen her brother cry so openly since he was about five and broke his leg.
"I know you do." She said softly welcoming him into her arms. "I know you do."
"I thought she was having my baby." Leo told her. "I thought I was going to be a dad. I thought me and Piper were going to be together forever."
"I did too."
They were quite for a very long time.
The shouting and screaming and crying from down stairs echoed through the entire house.
"Every one thinks it's your baby." Anna said. "They think Piper's having a baby, your baby and you've just disowned them."
"It doesn't matter. I don't have Piper any more. They can think what they like. I don't care."
