Heaven's Hesitant Touch
Okay, so the idea of the
Angel of Death intrigued me. I wasn't
particularly thrilled by how he was presented in Death Takes A Halliwell, so
this my little interpretation, with the usual LP focus *g*
Part ½
Leo and Piper sat quietly by
the window, curled into each other's arms; content to listen to each other's
heartbeats. Soft music played in the
background, perfectly complimenting the calmness of their breathing. For hours they sat with each other,
occasionally engaging in small bursts of conversation, although it was more
often that their silence was broken by tender kisses and the consequent smiles.
Are you sure?"
"Yes. The time has come."
"Which one do I have
to take?"
"Not 'take'…think of
it as 'accompanying a soul to heaven'."
"They're so happy,
so much in love. Which one?"
"When the time
comes, you'll know."
Piper was just drifting
between the conscious and subconscious, basking in the comfort of love when Leo
gently waved a flower under her nose. "What else are you hiding behind there?" Piper opened her eyes and grinned, taking
the single red rose in her fingers.
"Nothing." Leo whispered; pressing slow kisses to her
shoulder and neck.
Closing her eyes briefly,
Piper opened them and ran her fingers over the petals. "One." She said quietly and seductively, removing the single petal and
allowing it to fall to the ground. Leo
watched it fall and pressed a solo kiss to her forehead. "Two." Another petal, another kiss, this time to her temple. "Three." Piper threw the next petal into the air and they watched it float
slowly and freely to the floor. Leo
pressed his lips to the corner of her closed eye, lingering momentarily while
his fingers danced along her exposed stomach. "Four." Leo tilted his
head down to kiss her shoulder, rubbing his thumb over her abdomen.
He watched silently from
above, an invisible representation of what was awaiting them. They were so intent on each other,
completely oblivious to the world around them and so much in love. He hated taking young people, drawing them
away from their family and future. It
wasn't right. It wasn't in the correct
order. He once believed, not so long
ago, that only the elderly died. People
who had had a chance to live their lives, to chase dreams and to experience a
lifetime of love; they were the only ones that left this earth. But he was young and invincible, until death
came to him. He remembered the pain of
leaving behind the people he loved, a future and innocence.
Now, he had to take people
like him away from earth every day. And
this was no exception. This beautiful
couple was going to be separated, it didn't matter which one he was going to
have to escort to heaven. It was just
going to be one. He turned away then,
disappearing into the night and leaving them to one more night of pure
exhilaration.
Twenty petals had fallen to
the floor and surrounded their recliner in a ceremonial symbol of their
union. Breathlessly holding a single
green stem with a small red bud, Piper held her palm out and let it fall. Wrapping her arms around Leo's neck, she
relaxed in his embrace as he lifted her and carefully placed her on their
bed. Reaching up, she drew him to her;
their cries of ecstasy prevailing over the gentle music that played until dawn.
They couldn't tell who woke
first or what it was that actually woke them. The crash of furniture, glass smashing and petrified screams all mixed
into one soul trembling wake up call. "Piper?" Leo's hands
searched for his wife before his eyes could form images, holding his breath as
he desperately reaching under the covers.
"Oh god." It was barely a whisper, a prayerful wish
for the best and the devastating realisation that it could be the worst. They fumbled in the darkness for clothes,
the simple thought of flicking the light switch far from their minds. "Leo? What's happening?" The
walls reverberated with high-pitched calls for mercy, agonising cries for the
power of three.
"Piper stop!" Leo reached out instinctively, catching her
around the waist as she ran for the door. "Don't rush out there, just think about it first." He released her slowly, one hand gripping
her arm and the other grasping a handful of the back of her shirt.
They opened their door,
hearts beating too quickly and breaths coming shallow and fast. Small explosions occurred every few seconds
and pieces of debris ricocheted off the stairs and stung their bare feet. Taking controlled steps, hand in hand, they
began to descend the stairs. As if in
slow motion, a petrified plea formed into a warning just reaching Piper and
Leo's ears when the stairs trembled. The stairwell was enveloped in a thick smoke and Leo barely made out
Piper's terrified expression before he felt her fall into his arms, clinging to
his bare chest. Moments later they were
falling, Prue and Phoebe's screams became distant and muffled, as if they were
calling through an invisible barrier. Leo tightened his grip, Piper's hair becoming caught in his fingers as
he tried to twist below her. The ground
took light years to approach; the minimal drop proving more than anyone could
ever comprehend. But it eventually
came, the smooth floor replaced by a pile of wooden railings that arched their
backs and tore at skin and bones. A
strange silence prevailed, broken only by the random falling object and
inconsolable sobs.
"I can't do this! It isn't right!" He lingered over their bodies, reaching down and touching their faces, his eyes drawn to where their hands found each other and joined.
"You know what you have to do."
Prue and Phoebe stumbled
to their sides, watching blood trickle from Piper's temple and onto Leo's
chest. Her breathing was laboured,
small gasps for air every few seconds and exhaling in a choke. Her shirt was torn and exposed grazed and
bloody skin, two splinters of wood impaled in her abdomen. Leo's eyes opened momentarily, a groan
escaping his lips and his eyes searching for his wife. "Piper?" He gripped the lifeless hand in his and reached for her with his
other. "Piper!" He struggled to slip out from underneath
her, his forehead etched with pain.
"Leo! No, don't move her." Prue cried out, but Leo was too focussed to
even comprehend what she was telling him to do.
"I'm not taking her!" He insisted, turning his face away from the tormented family before him. "The world is not ready to let her go."
"It's time." With a disgusted glance he looked back to Piper, her spirit lingering just an inch over where her body lay.
"Piper
please!" Leo agonised, pulling
Piper over his lap and holding his palms over her chest. "Heal!" Prue sat back and turned her face away, tears falling steadily
down her cheeks. Phoebe crawled away
from the debris, sitting back and watching, her eyes darting around the room
searching for any sign of the evil forces.
"Now?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. The time has come. Bring her to heaven." He walked towards Piper, their eyes meeting in a mixture of fear and reluctance. Holding out his hand, he nodded and Piper rose to meet him. Sobs filled their ears and they both looked back before they ascended to heaven.
It wasn't fair, they weren't ready, but it was her time.
