Soothe
Alternate
Reality – All characters are powerless mortals.
"Mine will be
under the stars," Phoebe sighed. "Maybe he'll hire a boat and we'll do it over
water."
"In public!"
Piper gasped. "That's already pretty wild for a first time fantasy. How about
you, Prue? What will your first time be like?"
Prue grinned
cockily at her sisters. "I've already had a first time, youngsters." She
laughed at the two pairs of bulging eyes turned to her. "Hey, what do you
expect?! I'm almost twenty-four. You can't seriously think I'd be a virgin. You
two are not normal. You should be experienced by now, especially you," she
pointed at Piper.
"I'm waiting
for the right time, Prue. You know that. And the perfect man."
"That's not
gonna happen. You're living in a dream world, sis."
"I can wait,
can't I? So, Prue, tell us what—"
"I'm not gonna
tell you what my first time was like!"
Phoebe
scrunched up her lips. "Spoilsport! How about telling us your fantasy first
time then, be it the real one that happened or something you've dreamed about."
"Okay." Prue
lay back on the picnic blanket they laid out in the university lawn. "Well I've
dreamt about my first time at the back of a blue convertible."
"Eeeewww!!!"
"I was just
kidding!" Prue laughed at her younger sisters. "Actually I dreamt that my first
time would be up in the mountains, where we'd be one with nature, high above
the rest of the world."
"Oh wow, that's
beautiful, Prue," Phoebe said.
"Thank you."
"But it's so
public. What if some mountain ranger just happens on you?"
"Piper, you've
gotta learn to live a little. Don't tell me you want your first time in some
bed?"
Piper blushed
to the roots of her hair. "Not some bed, Prue. Mine or his. My first time will
be… heaven," she pronounced dreamily. "The room would be full of flowers, and
he'd be so careful with me. We'd kiss and touch for hours before he even moves
to take off my blouse." Sparkling brown eyes met her sisters' raised brows.
"He'd tell me over and over that he loves me while we're making love.
Afterwards, we'd cuddle together in the afterglow."
"Ehem." The three
girls snapped to attention at the sound of the clearing of the throat. "I'm
sorry to disturb you ladies. I was going to wait until you finished your girl
talk, but I have a class in eight minutes."
Red-faced, the
Halliwell girls smiled shyly up at him. Phoebe got up on her feet and handed
the guy a brown envelope. "Girls, this is Leo Wyatt. He's a professorial
assistant in my psych class, and he needed these photocopies back. Leo, these
are my sisters. This is Prue, and that one is Piper." Leo nodded politely at
the two women. "How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough,"
Leo grinned at them.
Prue bit her
lip. "So you must like this university very much, Leo, to have decided to work
here."
"I'm only a
professorial assistant until I finish my masters. And then I'm into psychiatry
practice."
"You must think
we're all nuts and you want to treat us, headcases," Piper muttered with a
nervous laugh. "Hey, look at the time! You should get going before you're
late."
"Oh yeah. I'll
see you around some other time. Nice meeting you." He turned and ran to the
building.
Three pairs of
eyes followed. "Now that is a fantasy first time," Prue commented. "Nice butt.
One of you snag the guy."
Piper sighed
and fell on her back. "That looked just like my dream man."
Phoebe and Prue
looked at each other. "Does meeting him first count in this?"
"All's fair in
love and war, Pheebs. If Piper wants him, then she's free to go after him too,"
Prue settled.
"I'm not going
after him," the middle sister denied. "You can have him. You'll be seeing more
of him anyway."
Phoebe giggled.
"You are so transparent, Pipe! Don't worry, I'll help you."
"Don't be
silly, Phoebe." She looked down at her watch. "Okay, Prudence. Lunch break is
over. We better get going."
They fixed
their picnic stuff and loaded it into Piper's jeep. "Bye bye, Phoebe. Don't
fall asleep in class ok?"
"Okay." She
watched as the two cars drove off to opposite ends of the city.
~~
"Hey, Piper,
it's for you!"
Piper wiped her
hands on her apron and took the phone. "Yeah. Hey, Pheebs. No, I don't think
I'll be home for dinner, honey. There's a party of people who suddenly arrived
for celebration, and I'm working my butt off here." She saw the waiter
signaling for something. "Hey, honey, call back later if you wanna check on me.
I'm swamped. Yeah, love you too. Buhbye."
"Piper, we're
shorthanded out there."
She nodded at
the waiter. "I'll bus too, Jake." She made her way out of the kitchen and took
a pad and pen from the counter. "What table hasn't been taken orders from yet?"
"Yours is
twelve til twenty."
"Woah!" Taking
a deep breath and knowing nothing's going to happen if she complained, Piper
went to table twelve. "Good evening. May I take your orders?" The man on the
table looked up and she caught her breath. It was Mr. Dream Guy.
"Piper! Your
sister told me you worked here."
"Oh did she?"
"Yup. Like the
customers I brought in? It's the faculty celebrating."
"Oh this is
great."
"You're just
waiting for my order, aren't you? Well, I need you to answer a question for me
first."
"Oh okay."
"Will you go
out with me tomorrow night? I know it's your day off."
"Oh."
"Will you ever
stop with the oh's?" he grinned.
"Oh well…" She
laughed uneasily. "Umm.. sure. I'd love to go out with you, Leo."
His eyes
brightened. "Terrific!" He ordered for their table and Piper went to the
kitchen weak-kneed. She owed Phoebe, she thought, as she peered over the
counter at the magnificent golden head.
Too soon they
had to leave. She waved farewell as they left. As manager, she remained in the
restaurant to close up. She went to the kitchen and checked the equipment to
make sure that everything was turned off, and that the windows were closed.
Piper turned off the lights and went to the dining hall. When she assured
herself that everything was secure, she reached up and flipped off the lights.
And then she made her way to the door.
A large hand
covered her mouth. Terrified, she began struggling from the strong arms that
held her. Roughly she felt herself turned around and found herself facing her
attacker. She pushed at the chest. "Let me go!" Gathering up all her strength,
she pulled away and ran from him. She felt the stinging pain at her scalp as he
caught her hair and pulled at it. Determined to escape, she tore away, ignoring
the burning sensation on her scalp. She pushed at the chairs and tables in an
effort to get away.
Piper glanced
back and was terrified to see that he was almost upon her. She ran harder and
pushed a chair tumbling down the floor when he had almost caught her. He
tripped down but was able to grab her leg. She screamed as she went down hard
on the floor.
"Hold still!"
"Please no!"
She kicked at him as he pulled her under him by her leg. "Let me go!"
"Shut up!" He
went over her and slapped her hard across the face. Piper could see stars
beneath her eyelids at the dizzying blow. Her breasts were flattened between
them, and she could not buck him off because of the enormous weight of his
body. She grabbed at his hair and pulled, but he easily caught her wrists and
tightened his hold upon them to cut off the flow of blood. Soon, he had pinned
her flailing wrists over her head.
"Please don't
do this." Oh God, this was not the way it was supposed to be! She squirmed
under him in a desperate effort to be free.
He held both
her wrists with one hand, while the other groped down her breasts. He squeezed
ao painfully that she screamed. Her protests seemed to please him. "Look, I've
got a surprise for you." He drew out a thin leather strip from his pocket and
tied her wrists with it. "Look." He lifted up his hands. "Free." She struggled
as he placed both hands at the waist of her pants. "Let's get this off, shall
we?" When he ripped at it forcefully, she screamed with all her might. "You've
been screaming since you saw me. There's no one around to hear you." With a
snicker, he deliberately pulled off her panties, looping it off one wildly
kicking leg then another. "Haven't you realized yet that it's useless?"
With one last
effort, she kicked his face with her right foot and then madly scampered up to
her knees and then her feet. She tried to get the ties on her wrists off, but
it wouldn't budge. She ran away, stumbling a little, from her attacker.
With a growl,
the man rushed after her. "Help me!" she screamed. Although she didn't want to
think about it, he was right. No one was around to hear her. "Help!" She
reached the door and tried furiously to turn the knob with her tied hands.
And then his arms
imprisoned her from both sides. She was sobbing heavily, and she slid down the
wall, begging. "Please don't do this."
The pale blue
eyes were cold and unflinching. He grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down on
her back. Naked from the waist down, she clamped her legs together to keep him
from having access. Forceful hands pulled her legs apart, and then he inserted
his knees in between and pushed wider. "No…" she moaned, knowing that there
wasn't anything else she could do. The phone started ringing, she realized
dimly when he thrust into her. With one final scream, she felt herself rip open
and felt blackness descending over her. He kept thrusting and thrusting, and
she knew that he was killing her. As she slipped into oblivion, she neither
cared anymore that Phoebe was finally calling to check on her or that this
stranger was moving between her legs, violating and uninvited. Her mind closed
off the raw burning tenderness that replaced her dream of a first time.
It must have
been hours later when her eyelids fluttered open. At first, in the darkness,
she could not remember where she was. Only when her mind registered the
soreness of her scalp, the pain on her arms and ribs, and that awful throbbing
down there did the memories come back. With a groan she rolled over to her
stomach and raised herself up. When she was standing on her feet, the trembling
overcame her. Her hands, still tied together would barely cooperate. Her knees
felt like they would give at any moment. She wildly glanced back and forth,
hoping in the dim light to find what she wanted to.
Her chest
threatened to burst, and she did not know what to do. She stumbled towards what
seemed like a heap of blue and bent to pick it up. And then she turned around
and saw her panties caught at the leg of a chair. She went over to take them.
And then she
fell to her knees. She took a deep breath and looked down at the bit of cloth
torn at the side and it was as though her mind closed to everything except that
piece in her hands. "Please," she whispered. "Someone tell me this didn't
happen!" What answered her was the silence of the room.
She gripped at
the table and pulled herself up. There was no way that she would crawl, no way
that she would acknowledge how low this had taken her. She ached all over, and
she could still feel him all over her. Holding tightly to the articles of
clothing she proceeded to the kitchen and manipulated a knife into proper
position, intent on cutting off the ties that held her hands together. When
finally, she got her hands free, she went directly to the bathroom and scrubbed
madly at herself, hating and relishing the hurt that came from washing off his
marks on her.
Piper looked at
herself in the mirror and saw the eyes almost closed from the crying and the
numerous bruises that served as the marks of the ordeal. Her breasts hurt and
her ribs were sore. She was pale and exhausted, but her sisters did not deserve
to find out about this.
Pulling from
the last remaining energy left in her body, she put on a fresh change of clothes
from her locker and pinned her hair up. With fingers still trembling—she
doubted that they would ever stop—Piper applied on the makeup to cover the
night.
The ringing of
the phone startled her from the reverie. She put the lipstick down and picked
up the receiver. "Phoebe? Yes, I'm sorry I worried you," she told her sister
calmly. "I'll be right there. I got held up for a bit. Oh was that you calling
a half an hour ago? Sorry. Ok, I'll see you. Don't wait up though. Well, all
right." Slowly, Piper hung up and returned to the mirror, doubling the amount
on her face. At the back of her head, she heard a voice warn her not to put too
much, that they would not recognize her. "Good." Piper stared back at herself
in the mirror, allowing that there were no physical traces of the past hour
evident.
She grabbed her
bag and the keys and walked to her car, automatically locking up as she went.
Inside, no one saw the way her heart bled, or how her spirit cowered from the
shadows shifting around her.
Phoebe opened
the door for her when she arrived home. "Hey, finally! Want to me to heat
dinner up for you?"
"No, thanks,"
she answered quietly. "I'm not hungry."
"Okay then."
She pushed the lock button on the front door. "Are you going up?"
"Yes. I'm going
to go take a bath."
"Your hair is
still wet," the youngest sister pointed out.
"I want to take
a bath," she insisted.
Phoebe grinned.
"All right. All right. No one's telling you you can't. I'm just saying—"
"Okay go get
some sleep."
"Goodnight,
Pipe." Phoebe leaned forward to kiss her cheek. Piper stepped back. "Is
something wrong?"
"Nothing's
wrong."
"Then why won't
you let me kiss you goodnight?"
"You're too old
for that, Phoebe." Phoebe shrugged and ran up to her room. Piper followed her
sister with her eyes. And then she shut them tightly and took a deep breath,
recalling how her skin crawled and her ears thundered when she realized that
her sister was going to touch her. God! I can't even let her touch me.
Phoebe walked
to her bedroom when the door to Prue's opened. "Pheebs, she home yet?"
"Yeah, she just
went to the bathroom to wash up."
Prue glanced
blearily at her watch. "At this hour?"
Phoebe
shrugged. "Beats me. She's acting a little strange."
"Okay." Prue
went over to the bathroom and knocked, but received no response. She turned the
knob and went in. She found Piper asleep in the tub, up to her chin in bubbles
and Prue sat at the edge. "Hey sweetie, tiring day?"
Brown eyes
snapped open, and Prue was surprised at the stark fear in them. "What the hell
do you think you're doing!? Who gave you the right to just come inside the
bathroom when someone's inside, Prue?"
"Piper, the
door was open," Prue explained calmly. "Besides, we never minded our sisters
going in and out the bathroom."
"When will I
ever learn to lock properly!"
"Piper, is
something wrong? Did something happen in P3?" Piper stayed silent. "Did you get
into a fight with your boss? Is that what's going on here? You know you can
quit there anytime. I don't like seeing you this way." Prue laid a hand on her
sister's knee, which peaked out of the bubbles.
Piper pulled
her knee away. "Why won't you guys stop touching me? Keep your hands to
yourself!" She drew a shuddering breath and looked at her sister. "I'm sorry,
Prue."
"Where did that
come from?" Prue didn't understand it. The three of them had parted at lunch
time teasing and kidding and now, just several hours later, her sister was
afraid and on guard. "Piper, what happened between lunch and now?" she
demanded.
"Nothing!"
"Piper, I know
you. Something has to have happened." Prue cupped her sister's chin, and Piper
flinched away. Prue's brows slammed together in worry. "God, Piper, won't you
tell me?! You're making me so afraid."
"Prue, don't
cry."
"Why won't I
cry when you seem to hate my touch?"
"I don't.
Please, you don't understand."
"It's better if
you didn't know. I swear I'll be back up like before starting tomorrow. I just
need tonight to myself."
Prue stood up,
realizing that she shouldn't push her sister. She walked over to the door and
pulled it open. She saw the heap of clothes at the head of the tub. "You
changed your clothes at the restaurant?" she mentioned offhandedly. "Good.
Maybe I can have those blue pants you were wearing this afternoon by tomorrow.
I'd like to wear it on Friday."
"Prue—"
Realization transformed her features as she looked down at Piper. She turned
around and ran down the stairs.
Piper rose from
the tub and grabbed her towel to wrap around herself. "Prue!" she called.
"Prue!" She ran after her sister and saw from the top of the stairs that she
was opening the plastic back that she had meant to burn. "Prue, don't touch
that!" she screamed, stopping at the middle of the stairs. "Please!"
But Prue had
opened the bag and drawn out the articles of clothing inside, staring down in
horror at their state. And then she looked up at Piper, who just sat numbly at
the steps, with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. "Baby…"
Piper rocked
herself back and forth, not wanting to meet her sister's eyes. Prue climbed up
until she stood two steps below Piper. And then she bent down and took her in
her arms. Tears trickled down her cheeks when Piper froze in her embrace,
neither hugging back nor relaxing in her arms. "I'm so sorry."
~~
As promised,
Leo arrived at seven the next night with a shock of red roses bundled together
in what Phoebe would term as a worthy bouquet. From the looks of him, Prue
gathered that he had planned to take Piper to a classy dinner, but neither Prue
nor Phoebe thought that Piper would be ready for anything like that. Piper had
not gone out of her room since Prue allowed her to lock herself in.
Prue took the
flowers and thanked him, and Phoebe led him to the living room. With all three
of them seated, Phoebe began the excuse. "Leo, you know this is so nice of you
but Piper can't go out with you."
"What are you
talking about? I asked her last night at Quake and she agreed." Leo frowned in
confusion.
"Yeah, but you
know there are certain matters that—"
Leo's face
brightened as he stared over their heads. "Hey. You had me worried there a
bit."
Both sisters
turned around to see their sister standing a few feet behind them in her mini
black dress. "Piper—"
"Did I forget
to tell you guys that I had a date with the assistant professor?" Piper
grinned. "Sorry. Don't wait up for us. Come on, Leo."
"I'll go
ahead," Leo said. "I couldn't find any parking space so I had to park a black
away. I'll stop in front of the house." Leo left the three girls in the living
room.
"What are you
doing, Piper? Are you sure you can do this?"
Piper smiled at
her sisters. "I appreciate your concern. I really do. But I'm not letting
something so ugly ruin my life. And of all people, I think the two of you would
understand and be proud."
"Oh honey! Of
course we are. Don't be out too late." Both Prue and Phoebe hugged her, but
like last night, Piper flinched at the contact and slowly disentangled herself.
She caught the flicker of sadness in Prue's eyes. "Okay, so have fun," Prue whispered.
"I will." Piper
walked away from them, careful to not to allow even her dress to brush against
them.
~~
"Thanks for a
lovely night, Leo," she said when the car stopped in front of their house. All
night he had been the perfect gentleman, opening doors for her and holding
interesting conversation. Now she was almost sorry to see the date end.
"You made the
evening spectacular. Thanks for going out with me."
"We should do
it again sometime." He released a long breath he did not realize he'd been
holding. "What, relief?" she teased.
"Yeah," he
laughed. "I'm not used to asking girls out. I didn't know how to ask again."
"Well you don't
need to be shy around me," Piper assured him. "Because I have a feeling I'm
going to be around your life for a while. Do you want to go in for coffee?"
"No, I better
get going. Your sisters seem to be worried about you." Leo indicated the two
figures at the doorway. "I guess I'd better surrender you to them, even though
I don't want to yet."
Piper turned
and saw Prue and Phoebe. "Yes, they look pretty anxious, don't they?"
Leo turned and
stepped out of the car and appeared by her side holding her door open. "So I'll
see you tomorrow afternoon."
"Tomorrow?"
"At lunch. You
always have lunch with Phoebe right? I'm inviting myself."
"Oh well I give
you leave to crash our little picnic!" She caught her breath when he leaned
close. Her gaze fell to his lips, and she felt her own lips… Nothing. Instead
of anticipation, as his face moved closer to hers, an intense dread suddenly
paralyzed her. Leo saw the flicker of alarm in her eyes, but thought nothing of
it. He laid his hands on her shoulders and pressed his lips on hers. And then
he lost himself to the softness against his.
At the back of
his mind, he felt hands slapping at his shoulders, arms pushing away. He
thought he heard the panicked moaning of a trapped animal. "Leo, let her go!"
someone shouted. In surprise, he opened his eyes and, with his senses about
him, felt the trickle of tears on her cheeks wet his. He abruptly took his
hands off her.
"Piper, I'm so
sorry!" He was alarmed at the sight of her. She had her arms wrapped tightly
around herself as she rocked. Neither Prue nor Phoebe touched her. There was
only Prue's murmur of, "Hush honey, you're okay." He looked askance at Phoebe.
"What's wrong?" he demanded. "What did I do?" At the touch of his lips to hers,
he had lost himself to his dream world, but he was certain he did not hurt her.
He would never do that to her. "Phoebe, I swear—"
"Go, Leo,"
Phoebe pleaded. "Please."
"But I should
talk to her." When he stepped forward, she stepped away with a squeal. "Wha—"
"Just leave,
Leo," Prue said more firmly. "We'll call you."
Not
understanding, but realizing that he was merely contributing to the problem,
Leo got into his car and drove away, seeing the reflection of two women talking
to Piper intently, their hands carefully tucked in their pockets.
~~
They had
thought that he would not be back. After that first date, Phoebe had had to
call Leo to tell him about a few things, as they thought was fair. After all,
he had been there and was forced to witness something as jarring as that. He
had to know that he did nothing wrong, that he had been perfect. And that
perfection, however, was not something that her sister was ready for.
They were
caught off guard the next day though when the man they had thought would merely
vanish in the dark recesses of oblivion stood at the porch bearing a brown
stuffed bear and a box of chocolates. When Phoebe opened the door and met his
eyes, she saw a quietness about him that belied the cheer pasted on his lips.
"Why are you here?"
"Isn't it
obvious? I'm not the type of guy who disappears after the first date."
"Leo, I told
you—"
He held up his
hand. "There's no need to go into those details all over again, Phoebe. Now I
came to visit with Piper. I don't know if she'll see me, but I'd like to find
out."
"You saw what
happened last night, Leo. She's not ready to—"
"And she'll
never be if you keep hiding her behind your skirts. Didn't you listen to all
those lectures Mathieson kept droning on and on about? After a fall, the best
way is to go."
"That's easy to
say, but not so easy to do. I'm not forcing into doing anything she doesn't
want to do," Phoebe answered.
"I'm standing
here with a stuffed toy and candies. I hardly think this is a show of force."
Leo sighed. "I understand how you feel, Phoebe. All I want is a chance. I can
help. Believe me."
In response
Phoebe opened the door wider and turned around to go to the living room. And
then she returned, nodding to him. "Prue and Piper are sitting on the couch. I
want you in the armchair."
"Thanks."
And so it began
with the four of them conversing somewhat stiffly about the weather. Prue found
it uncomfortable the way everyone seemed to move around the topic that she was
sure was foremost in his mind. Still she did not see him interjecting it into
the conversation, and soon she started to trust Leo not to commit an error that
would send her sister to the verge of emotional collapse.
For the next
few weeks the arrangement began to change. Phoebe had to go to the university
and Prue would sit on the armchair while Leo and Piper sat facing each other at
opposite edges of the couch. When Piper baked a small angel cake, it seemed
such a bother to slice it up to put on different plates. Leo moved closer to
the dessert, and not long after that, it did not even seem to matter that the
hem of Piper's skirt brushed against his pants.
Weeks turned to
months and Prue's job took most of her time. Piper knew she could never return
to Quake, so she buried herself in planning for the club she had dreamed of
owning. Phoebe was helping Piper sort through the mess of paperwork when the
doorbell rang. "Now who could that be? It's almost ten in the evening."
"Oh that's
Leo," Piper said offhandedly. "I told him I was having a little trouble with
keeping up with these little details, and he said he'd bring something over."
Phoebe looked
at her sister in surprise. She was about to comment on Piper's decision to let
down her guard, but thought better of it. This must not be a conscious
decision, and she doubted that Piper would let any other man get as close to
her as Leo has gotten. Whatever the reality behind this was, Phoebe didn't want
to question it. For her to question aloud, Piper would start doubting herself
too.
"Hey!" Piper
greeted as Phoebe walked into the living room with Leo. "Are you going to be a
savior and help me resolve this mess?" For that one teasing moment, Phoebe's
heart grew lighter.
"This is the
answer to your problems," Leo announced, holding a cd between her fingers.
"Play a music
to calm me down while I'm diving through the papers?" Piper grinned.
"No." Leo
raised his brows. "And you're getting mighty cheeky. Phoebe, where's your
laptop?"
"Upstairs. I'll
go get it." Phoebe turned to go but stopped herself, unsure whether or not to
leave her sister alone with Leo.
Leo knew what
was on Phoebe's mind, but he was going to say nothing. "Phoebe, it's okay! I'm
not liable to jump on your assistant professor!" Both Phoebe and Leo stared at
Piper in shock. "Go. I want to finish this." Phoebe turned around and left.
Leo didn't say
anything, merely helped Piper stack up the papers that were scattered all over
the coffee table. Piper was quiet after that remark, so Leo took up on her
example and sorted through the flowcharts and graphs. "You know, sometimes I
want to kill him." Leo looked up and found her staring at some negligible point
in space. "There are moments when I just want to find him and kill him."
Her eyes were
lifeless, and Leo could see no fury or even regret in them. "I want to kill him
too," he replied. "It's a reasonable emotion to feel."
Those eyes
turned to him, and he was relieved to see a flash of something, though it be
anger. "Don't go all psychiatric with me, Leo! This is real life, not some
curriculum you're working on. This isn't some damned book; it was my body!"
"You're right.
I don't understand. I won't fully understand." He wanted to hold her against
him, but he knew the moment he laid his hands on her, all the progress that he
had made would go down the drain. "And I can't say enough how sorry I am for
what—"
"Why won't he
just go away?" she whispered. "He keeps hounding me, Leo. My dreams… are
nightmares. And every quiet moment alone, I see him… feel his hands…"
"Piper—"
"Why won't he
let me fall in love?"
Leo took a deep
breath. Very carefully, he reached out to touch her cheek, watching her face
for any sign of distress so that he could draw back. His heart leapt when she
turned her face so she could press a kiss on his palm. His fingers brushed at
the tears. "He can't do that. He did what he did to your body, but he would
never have enough power to have affected your heart, and your soul." She looked
up at him, her eyes soft, trusting. "And you know why?" She shook her heart.
"Because those are yours no matter what."
Piper gave him
a tremulous smile. "And yours."
"What?"
Her warm hands
closed over his cheeks as she drew his face close to hers. "I love you. You
made me live again." She leaned to press her lips on his, first uncertain, and
then more firmly. Leo didn't move his lips, didn't press forward, afraid of
suddenly terrifying her. "Kiss me," she whispered. "I want my dreams to be of
you." Gently, his lips captured hers, and for the first time, the touch of
another person made her feel safe.
Phoebe stood at
the doorway, laptop in hand. And then she backtracked and sat at the bottom
step of the stairs. Putting the laptop down, she buried her face in her hands
and her shoulders shook with her relief.
In the living
room, Piper's head rested on his chest as they sat silently together on the
couch. It was though he was about to burst in exhilaration. After months of
gently coaxing her out of the hard wall she had built around herself, she was
now beginning to step out of those barriers. It would take time to heal, he
knew, even longer than those months he had spent coming to her as her friend
when all he wanted to do was to love her.
"Leo," he heard
her say. Immediately, he looked down at her, to show that he was listening.
"Will you make love to me?"
Leo carefully
disentangled himself from the embrace. "Yes," he said.
With a smile,
Piper stood up and offered her hand. "Let's go up to my room." When he didn't
place his hand on hers, she took his hand and pulled. "Come on, Leo."
"Not today,
Piper."
"What is this,
some sort of a joke?" She grinned. "Don't tell me you haven't been wanting to
since you asked me out, Leo."
"I won't deny
that I have those feelings for you, but I'm not an animal who can't control
himself or wait for the right time."
"Do you or do
you not want to make love? Leo, I just want to feel your hands where he touched
me! Forget him and replace those memories with you!"
Leo shook his
head. "Do you hear yourself right now?"
"What are you
talking about?"
He stood up and
cupped her face with both hands. "Piper, when I make love to you it won't be
because you want to erase some other man from your memory. There's not going to
be a third party in our bed. It'll be you and me. Just us."
"Leo, I want
to—"
"Me too. But
not now. When the time comes, you'll know it. Okay?"
Piper nodded,
returning back to his arms. "It's been months. If I were another girl, and you
were another guy, we'd have crossed that line long ago," she said.
"But we're not.
We're you and I. Piper and Leo."
"And so sad.
I'm sorry, Leo."
"You don't have
to be sorry for anything. You've given me the best gift a woman can give to a
man."
"No," she shook
her head vigorously. "He took that away!"
"Your love?
It's your love, Piper. It's what's important."
"Is it? I don't
feel complete enough for you, Leo. And I want to."
He dropped a
kiss on her lips. "You're as perfect as you can be. That's why I love you."
They both started when his phone rang. Leo turned and walked a few steps to
answer it. And Piper could hear only bits and pieces of his side of the
conversation. "Where? Every night? Good. Good. Okay, I'll be there. Thank you
for your help."
When he flipped
his phone closed, Piper asked, "Do you need to go?"
"Yeah. But I'll
pick you up tomorrow for dinner." Leo brushed a strand of hair away from her
face. "I love you."
"I love you,
Leo."
"Soon," he
said. "I promise."
~~
"Leo, this
place is amazing." Leo pulled up a chair for her. "Thanks."
"Mr. Wyatt?"
"Yes?"
The waiter
nodded courteously at Piper before turning back to Leo. "You have a phone call,
sir."
"Will you
excuse me?"
"Sure." Piper
smiled at him and pored through the menu as she waited. A few minutes later, he
came striding back looking worried. "Is something wrong, Leo?"
"What? Uhhh..
no. Everything's okay. It was just a call I had to take."
"You know, if
there's anything you need to get back to, we can take a rain check."
Leo grinned,
shaking his head. "Of course not. Tonight would be perfect. I promised, didn't
I?"
A smile curled
the corners of her lips as she tried to guess at his meaning. "I can't wait for
dinner to be over."
He laughed.
"That doesn't say much for the food, now does it?"
"You know what
I mean, Leo."
"Do I?" he
teased, glad that she seemed so comfortable around him.
Piper met him
smile per smile, grin per grin, as they finished the dinner served before them.
She noticed however, at certain moments when he thought she wasn't looking, the
touch of frown on his lips, and the little worry that creased his brow.
About an hour
later they were sitting quietly sipping their wines. Piper waited for him to
speak, but it turned out that he was going to play the drawing out game. She
licked her lips and was pleased with the sweet taste of his choice. "Umm, so
the professor gave the class a very hard project huh?"
"What?"
"Phoebe. She's
gone overnight at her groupmate's place. For Psych class."
"Oh yeah. Yes.
Mathieson goes insane whenever the end of each semester approaches. I was
surprised Phoebe still took him for Advanced when she found out how heavy his
load was even in the Basic."
Piper nodded
and took another swallow of her wine. "So Prue's gone for the week," she said.
"She has that shoot in Florida."
"So I heard,"
he answered.
The silence
dragged on and Piper studied the crocheted pattern on the tablecloth. She
abruptly looked up at Leo and asked, "Will you take me to your place tonight?"
"No, Piper."
Disappointed,
she sighed and continued studying the delicate patterns. "All right."
"I'm taking you
home."
"Good. I want
you to take me home. Yes, home is good, even though I'm all alone there without
either of my sisters." Piper pushed her chair back. Leo immediately stood up to
assist her and Piper suspiciously squinted when he bit his lip to stifle a
laugh.
In the car, Leo
slipped in a CD and started his engine. I'm not talking of a hurried night,
a frantic tumble and a shy goodbye, creeping home before it gets too light.
That's not the reason that I caught your eye, which has to imply I'd be good
for you. I'd be surprisingly good for you.
Piper giggled,
and Leo raised his brows to look at her questioningly. "Leo, Evita?! Since when
have you listened to musicals?"
"I have a
unique selection in here. And I have an appreciation for musicals, you know."
"Well that one
certainly is a selection! But you don't follow through," she told him. "You're
the only guy who can be called a tease." Leo didn't answer. Piper took a deep
breath and released it heavily. "Sorry. I'll just keep silent."
Please go on.
You enthrall me. I can understand you perfectly and I like what I see, what I
hear and knowing me, I will be good for you too.
Piper burst out
into a chuckle. "Why, thank you, Mr. Pryce!"
Leo grinned at
Piper as he continued driving on to the manor. He parked in the driveway and
opened Piper's door. "You don't have to walk me in," she said. "I know you have
a lot to do, so you can go."
"Of course I
should walk you in." His warm hand closed over her arm as he led her up the
steps. "Give me your key."
Piper handed
him the keys. He turned the knob and pushed the door open. Piper stepped in
through the door and gasped. She looked around the room and saw that petals
were strewn through the floor on a path leading to the stairs. Behind her, Leo
whispered, "Didn't I tell you this will be a memorable night."
She turned
around and flung her arms around his neck. "This is beautiful!"
"You forgive me
for not taking you to my place now?"
"Forgive you? I
adore you!"
"Wow!" Leo
chuckled. "Adoration just for petals on the floor. Let's see what happens when
I show you the rest." He turned her and entwined his fingers with hers. "Let's
follow the rose path, shall we?"
"We'll crush
the petals!" she protested. "I don't want to crush the petals."
"Okay," he agreed.
"I don't have any problem with crushing the petals." She squealed as he caught
her up in his arms and followed the path with her lifted high. "Good enough?"
"Leo, you're
crazy!" she laughed.
"And don't you
love it!" He followed the path of the rose petals up to her room, where it
stopped at the closed door. "I should let you go in." He put her down on her
feet and nodded for her to enter.
Piper pushed
the door open and stepped in while Leo waited outside. And then she strode
outside and walked away. "Hey, where are you going?" He caught her to him.
"That was my
fantasy first time, Leo!"
"Yes it is. I
tried to recreate the dream the way you told your sisters," he said slowly,
pulling her back into the room. Piper kept her eyes down, not wanting to see
the sheer brilliance nor smell the wonderful scent of dozens of different
flowers that filled every possible space. "I remembered everything, and did it
the way you always wanted."
She tried to
squirm out of the embrace. "But don't you understand that you can't!? This
isn't going to be my first time!"
"This is!" he
insisted. "Piper, look at me." His fingers tipped her chin up. "I love you, and
you love me. This is the first time that a man will be making love to you. From
now on, this is the night you'll remember." He pressed his lips down on hers.
"And you won't talk about that other time, because that was nothing where it
really counts."
It was just
like all the dreams she'd had since she was old enough to think about it. His
hands were gentle as he caressed every nook and fold and curve of her body.
Gently, he led her to the bed, which he also filled with blood red petals. In
her fixation with his eyes, and with each pleasant sensation he was evoking
within her, she didn't even notice, much less mind, the way she crushed the
petals beneath her.
Piper moved to
unbutton her blouse, but his hands stopped her. "We'd kiss and touch for hours
before he even moves to take off my blouse remember?" he said to her.
"Yes, I do. And
so do you."
He nodded.
"Ever word. Now will you let me stick the rules you set?"
Her smile was
tearful as she agreed. Piper laid back down on the bed, and he followed shortly
after, snuggling with her. She closed her eyes as he nibbled on her earlobe.
"Maybe we should make some amendments, Leo, because I wouldn't be able to stand
hours of only this," she whispered.
"Request
approved." Grinning, they took off the impeding clothing. As each button
slipped from the eyehole, Leo's lips greeted the skin bared, searing each
pleased sigh and sensation in her memory.
He laid on his
back, and Piper raised herself on her elbows in question. Leo smiled at her. He
helped her move over him. "I won't do anything to force you," he said. "And I
won't make you feel trapped."
She met his
eyes, not knowing what to do. And then instinctively, she met her lips, and
only hands and sighs and holding gazes told her how to carry on. Both their
eyes closed in fulfillment when she found the way. They moved together in
a fluid dance that made her weep. She laid her head on his chest afterwards,
glorying in the aftermath. "You're right. This is my first time. And this is my
first afterglow. It's beautiful."
Wrapped in his
arms, she drifted off to sleep. Never had she felt safer in her entire life.
How odd that her only security would be with a man, when it was with another
that she was first betrayed. She burrowed deeper in his embrace.
Leo pressed a
kiss at the top of her head, knowing that what happened tonight had bound him
to her forever. Nothing was going to hurt her ever again. And nothing was going
to destroy what she had worked so hard to regain. That was a promise to himself
that he would keep.
Piper stiffened
in his arms, and then started struggling. "Ohhhh God," she moaned, trying to
get away. He held her fast so she would not fall off. "Please no. Don't do
this!" she murmured in her sleep. "Help me!" she screamed.
"Piper!" he
shook her. "Piper, wake up. It's okay. You're safe. It's Leo."
Brown eyes
snapped open, full of fear and panic that they almost choked him. "Leo," she
whispered pitifully. "Leo, it's not going to be the same again. Even now he's
haunting me! I thought it would only be you and I."
"Shhh…
everything will be all right." Exhausted, she wrapped her arms tightly around
him and fell back into sleep to his soothing voice. "I'll make everything okay.
And you won't ever have to feel scared again." Leo reached for his phone in the
pocket of his discarded pants and sent his message.
~~
Piper woke up
to the feel of eyes staring down at her. She met the tender hazel gaze with a
soft, satisfied smile. "Hi."
"Hi."
"How long have
you been up?"
"A half an
hour, maybe," he answered.
She grinned.
"And have you been looking down at me that whole time?" He nodded, and she
laughed at loud at the prospect. "You must have been very bored!"
"It's the
smartest thing I've ever thought of doing besides asking you out. It's the best
thing I've ever done since I fell in love with you," he said.
"You, Assistant
Professor, have a silver tongue. I better watch myself around you!" She slapped
him playfully on his shoulder and he fell down teasingly over her. And then he
raised himself quickly and lay on his back. "You know, Leo, you don't have to
walk on eggshells all the while. I wish we could just be normal."
Leo drew her in
his arms and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "But then we'd not be the
same. And I love you the way you are. You love me because of who I am to you now,
don't you? Any other way is too unsure."
Piper took a
deep breath and curled closer to him. "You're right. With you, I know all my
tomorrow would be beautiful."
Leo smiled
against her hair. "Beautiful and safe. I'll do anything to give you the kind of
life you deserve."
Piper was quiet
as she drew invisible shapes on his chest. Leo grinned as she concentrated on a
very intricate pattern above his heart. He sucked in his breath the moment he
heard the loveliest words she had ever uttered aside from her profession of
love. "I trust you."
"Thank you."
And she will never regret it.
~~
Leo stepped out
of his car and shrugged into his jacket. He looked around the isolated parking
lot. Leo glanced down at his watch. Just a few more minutes.
At the exact time
that Buddy Walker had told him, the object of his search walked out of the
building. Leo picked up the shiny metal on the driver's seat and proceeded. His
strides took him at the back of the man in no time. "Hey, hold up," he called.
The man turned.
Pale blue eyes considered the blazing hazel ones. "What's up, man?" he easily
asked.
"I need you to
come with me downtown."
Eyes turned to
slits. "You a police officer? 'Coz we've been over this too many times. You
don't have anything against me."
Leo shook his
head. "I'm not a police officer. But I have enough evidence. I've had you
followed for months, you bastard," he related coldly.
The man threw
Leo's hand off his shoulder. "Get away from me."
"How many times
did she say that?" The whisper was menacing because of the sheer detachedness.
"You don't know
shit!" the man bit out, then swiftly turned around and walked away.
"Not so fast."
Leo grabbed the man's arm and forced him around. And then he threw the first
punch. "You heartless bastard, you have no idea what you put that girl
through." The background fell black as Leo's sights focused only on the man.
"Don't I?" the
man gasped out. He fell down at the force of a punch. Leo immediately went down
to his level and continued the bruising vengeance. Caught off guard, the man
barely got his smashes in. As he was being pummeled on to the ground, he
decided to take another path to getting to his attacker. "Are you sure I didn't
know? Of course I knew!" he hissed. "She was crying and pleading all the while.
Uumph." His head snapped back at the blow to the side of his face. "She was
twisting beneath me like I was killing her! Do you still think I don't know
what I put her through?"
"Damn you to
hell!" Leo drew out the silver blade from his pocket and held it to the man's
throat. "I'm going to kill you."
At the sight of
the deadly weapon, adrenaline pumped through the man's veins and allowed him to
buck Leo off. He crawled desperately to his backpack and took his own dagger.
"You don't know who you're dealing with here, mister. If you think you're
walking away from here alive, you're kidding yourself."
Leo gripped the
blade tightly in his hand. "As long as I take you with me…" Leo lunged for the
man, swinging his weapon.
~~
Piper brushed
her lips on the cold metal ring he had left on her nightstand. For perhaps the
thousandth time since she had found it, her fingers traced the tiny engraving
inside.
"Honey, we have
to leave now," her sister said softly from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, I'll be
there." Piper took her coat from the hanger and put it on. Her eyes fell on the
bed. It's been a week since she had experienced heaven there, but it seemed
both like it were only tomorrow and centuries ago.
"Are you okay?"
"Of course I
am."
The drive to
their destination was silent. Piper stepped on the grass, crushing them under
her feet the way he had crushed the petals under his. She closed her eyes
against the memory, and allowed the teardrops to fall like rain. She looked
down at that perfect repose, and at the back of her mind her subconscious
created the look in his eyes as he was watching her sleep after their night
together. Piper shook her head free of that vision. When the time came, she
brushed her lips against the coldness that only served to remind her of how hot
his kisses were all over her shivering skin.
She stepped
away when she was quietly asked to. As they lowered him down to his body's
final bed, all she did was look down at the words in his ring. Was it about his
promise of the tomorrow she deserved? It doesn't have to be with me.
Piper raised
her face to the sky and opened her heart to the bright, warming sun. She
slipped the ring on her finger and rested her hands on her belly. "Please God,"
she slowly prayed, eyes closed, "let him have left me this simple remembrance."
The End
