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This story is the next life after the story Time Without End, also archived here in fanfiction.net. I hope you enjoy the second story to the Timeless series.
One Timeless Love Affair
"Hold me," she said, snuggling in beside her husband. "We're lonely."
"Oh are you?" His arms opened to allow her to cuddle with him. He was tired. His superiors had been driving him to the ground with workload, but no matter how fatigued he was, he would devote himself to his wife. "Come here to me and we'll see about making you feel better."
"How about you kiss me?" she teased. "That's going a long way in making me feel nice."
"Only nice!" he exclaimed. "Let's see about that." He grabbed her by the waist and let her collapse laughing in the bed. He raised himself over her and laid his lips on hers, teasing her playfully with the deepening movement of his kisses.
"Ummm."
"Feel nice now?"
She grinned at her husband. "I feel so nice I'm wondering if it's possible to have another baby when you already have one in the making. We can try making the baby into a twin tonight." He was silent as he stared at her in disbelief. And then she started giggling. "I so did not say that!"
"You so did!" he gasped.
"Well forget I did!"
He chuckled. "I will not! That was the most unbelievably delightful slip you've ever done."
"Aaaahhh," she groaned. "Forget forget forget. If you tell this to our baby in a few years I'll slap you with an annulment suit."
"As if you can!" He dropped little kisses over her neck. "You'll miss me too much."
"You're right," she capitulated. "So maybe you can try telling your bosses not to make you work so much. I'm beginning to think you work for the CIA or even worse, you're in the MAFIA!"
"We've talked about this, and—"
"And I said it doesn't matter. And it doesn't. I just feel… I don't know." Not wanting to push the conversation further, she decided to change the subject. "Oh, you know my friend and I are going to look over some nice houses tomorrow. Maybe I can choose one for us."
"Are you sure? We have a nice apartment here."
"Leo," she sighed. "We live in the fifth floor of a building with no elevators, one small room which is not even fitting to raise a child in."
He nodded. "All right. Have lots of fun ok? And take care."
"I will." She closed her eyes and breathed deeply of his wonderful scent. IIt's you I will be coming home to for all time/I "Leo, did you say something?"
"No. I'm enjoying the silence."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"I swear I heard something."
"It was probably my heart screaming 'I love my wife,'" he answered.
She laughed softly. "Right." Her eyes fluttered closed when it came again. IYou'll have my soul entwined with yours. /I This time she did not question those soft words in the wind. Who knew? Maybe it really was his heart, speaking to her.
~~
"Wow. This is amazing." Her voice echoed through the empty house as she walked into the spacious living room. The furniture were covered by white cloth to keep off the dust, but the room seemed complete from the sofa set to the side tables and even a vase on the mantel. Paintings hung from the walls, and a few sculptures were in select portions to fill up space. "This is what they meant by complete furnishings? These are priceless antiques!"
"I know! So the price they're asking for is pretty reasonable."
"You're taking it?"
Piper watched as her friend oohed and aahed over a certain wood relief on the wall. "I want to. Goodness! I would be insane not to. But I guess I'm just really deranged."
"You're not?!" she exclaimed.
"I don't feel any attachment to it. This place is too cold, too forbidding."
"What are you talking about?" Piper questioned. "For a house abandoned for decades, this is so warm and welcoming."
"I don't know, Pipe. It doesn't really call out to me. But I'm not closing the door of possibility. Why don't you have a look upstairs and I'll explore the rooms here. You can praise it all you want to me later."
Piper smiled and squeezed her friend's hand. "Well I know Justin would adore this place." She turned and went up the stairway to check on the condition of the second level.
Piper opened the door to a room and stepped into what seemed like a library. It was commanding, that room. There was a lone desk at the far side, and when she pulled a cord, the heavy curtains parted to reveal a spectacular view from the large windows. "This place is too good to be true," she murmured. On she went to explore the other rooms. The corridors were long and elegant, with portraits of different people lining the hallway.
Piper felt herself being pulled towards one lone door at the end of the corridor. She walked towards it and turned the knob. A wave of exhilaration rushed through her as soon as the door opened. She stepped into the room, and the silent scream that ripped through her consciousness halted her.
What was it in this room that reverberated through her veins? Slowly, she pulled off the cloth over a wooden cabinet, and opened the drawer. "They didn't even take out these little items." Piper pulled out a locket from the drawer and tried to pry it open. It was closed tightly and would not budge. She returned the necklace into the drawer and shut it.
Then she saw covered furniture that seemed like a dresser. Carefully, she pulled out the chair before it and sat down. And then she gripped the edges of the cloth and pulled it off. Piper kicked the cover out of the way and rose to meet the mirror.
Soundlessly, her lips parted as she saw the reflection on the mirror. There she saw a vision of herself, face streaked with tears, in clothes unfamiliar to her except for those she had seen in old movies and books. Piper couldn't breathe. The room spun around her as she grabbed at the edges of the old dresser. The woman in mirror reached out a hand and sobbed, and Piper felt her pulling her heart right out of her breast.
She stumbled away from the mirror, not believing the image there. Dizzy and confused, she tried to keep herself from looking back. She had not enough will power to keep her eyes from wandering back though. Piper saw herself pleading for help, agonizing at some invisible pain in. And then suddenly, the images faded, and her entire consciousness slipped. She felt herself weave through the air until finally she fell over and the last thought in her mind was the pain of hitting the hardwood floor.
~~
She woke up to the feel of a hand tightly closed around hers, and that undeniable sense of security she had cherished ever since she could remember. She took a deep breath, trying to remember what had happened. She had a headache, but other than that she felt fine. In fact, she had never felt more refreshed in her life.
"Honey," came a worried voice. "Are you all right?"
He was beside her, and she smiled. "Very. What happened?"
"You had me worried out of mind," he said softly. "When you went out with Prue you were fine. And then I come home and Prue had left a frantic message on the machine that she found you unconscious in the second floor of the house you went to. She took you here, so I came. Don't you remember anything?"
She frowned in concentration. Piper thought back to that afternoon. She could remember loving the house. It was large and elegant, completely furnished with pieces of artwork that would make collectors weep. She had gone upstairs, and she felt…
"That house was beautiful, Leo. It felt like home to me."
He grinned and brushed her hair off her eyes. "I was kind of hoping for a more… helpful comment. Remember anything about physically feeling ill?"
Piper bit her lower lip and shook her head. "I honestly don't remember. But I'm sure it's just one of semi-negative sides of pregnancy."
"Honey, not all pregnant women walk around feeling great one second and then the next, faint dead away."
"But some do?"
"One or two maybe."
"Then make it two or three. 'Coz I know this is nothing. What did the doctor say?"
Leo shrugged. "I haven't gone after him yet. But I can look through your chart here." He grabbed the folder at the edge of the bed and glanced down. "Hmmm. Ummm," he grunted.
"What is it, Leo?"
"You're in perfect health."
A bright smile lit her face. "I told you!"
"So you did," he allowed. "But this episode worries me. I don't feel secure knowing you're out there somewhere while I'm away, and you could just faint in the middle of the road."
"Prue has a car, Leo."
"Don't play that on me. I love you too much to lose you, okay? Can you understand that?"
"Of course I do. And I promise I'll be careful. I promise sooo much! Just please don't lock me up at home like a good housewife," she pleaded prettily.
Leo laughed. No matter how worried he might be, she always found a way to make him feel like there was no problem at all. She always made him feel light and free. "Oh I'm an ogre huh? A big chauvinist who'll trap you in the apartment with a yarn and needles."
"Let me fly. I know I do you."
He leaned down and kissed the edge of her lips. "You're right. Just, whenever you feel bad, I want you to say my name, no matter how softly, and I'll come for you."
"How will you do that?"
"I just will," he whispered. "I can find a way."
About half an hour later, Prue arrived with their psychiatrist friend in tow. Phoebe's eyes were shining as she stood by Piper's bed. "Piper, you really should explore this. Go back there and don't hold back from yourself what this woman wants to tell you."
Prue walked back and forth in the room as Piper and Leo listened intently to the psychiatrist. "What are you talking about, Phoebe?" she demanded from their high school friend. "Are you telling us that somehow what happened… one your regression theories?"
Phoebe's lips curved mysteriously. "More like the opposite of that. I have a feeling that Piper's past life is resurfacing, trying to connect with her in some level that blows me out of my mind! She must know something really important to bother to rise like this just to contact you."
Piper couldn't speak as she tried to fully digest what Phoebe was telling her. Prue was more outspoken however, as she cleared what she was hearing. "Why hasn't this occurred before? If she's so eager to tell Piper something, then why only now?"
The psychiatrist took a deep breath and grimaced at her friend. "See if you actually read my book," she began, "which I already sent you a complimentary copy of, you would know that somehow the setting," she motioned with her hands, "has something to do with this."
"The old house?"
"Exactly!" Phoebe opened her bag and took out a copy of her new book. She sifted through the pages until she finally stopped somewhere in the middle. "Here you go!" Quietly she read the page carefully and Prue looked over at Leo, who held his wife's hand tightly while deep in thought. Phoebe took off her glasses and faced her friends again. "I'm willing to wager that if you look through the history of that house, you will find someone familiar."
"What the hell does that mean?" Prue demanded. "This is serious stuff and you keep… being unserious!"
"This is what I am, and what I am is excited! This is big. And who knows what we'll find out from Piper's experience." She took a deep breath. "My suggestion is that you keep finding out about this place. Go back there and get in touch with her."
Finally, Leo cleared her throat and spoke up. "You know I don't like butting into your conversations, girls, but where exactly is this place again?"
"You don't even know?" Phoebe started.
"I don't exactly keep tabs on my wife."
"Honey," Piper answered him, "it's in that beautiful section uptown, with all the old aristocratic houses. We already passed by there last week."
Leo's eyes narrowed as he recalled that day when Piper took a long scenic drive and took him back down the block he had tried decades to forget. He had been silent during that trip, and for days after he still would have those moments of depression when he would mourn for everything they had lost. Perfection destroyed. That was what that place reminded him of. And he would be damned if he would allow this perfection ending up the way that that one did. "You are not going back there."
"Very good, honey. Play that game in front of them."
He turned to look at his wife with his whole heart in his eyes. "I'm serious, Piper. I will give you your wings to fly anywhere anytime," he murmured, "but not this. I'm begging you to listen to me without asking me to explain."
Phoebe's eyebrow arched and she widened her eyes at Prue. "Something is up, I tell you," she mouthed. Prue motioned for her to zip her mouth.
"What is it, Leo?" she asked, concerned. "You're scared." She cupped his cheek. "I know you, honey. And you're scared."
"Do I need to tell you?"
Once again, Phoebe's mouth dropped and she rushed over to Prue. "Of course he does!" she whispered.
"Hush!" Prue told her.
Piper took a deep breath. "No. I trust you. And you know I always do as you say. But this time, Leo, I feel something so strongly. And I want to pursue this. I will go back there whether you like it or not."
He closed his eyes, recognizing defeat. In their life together, she had never once disagreed with his wishes, but now the time has come. He could no longer keep fate from reaching in with long cold fingers. He couldn't give her wings and limit her flight. But he would be damned if he would not be there to catch her when she fell.
"I'll go with you," he told her.
~~
"Leo, you really should not be so paranoid," she chuckled. "This is a beautiful, safe home. And I need to go to the bathroom." Piper patted his chest. "Good thing they keep bathrooms well-maintained when they put houses like this up for sale."
"I'll go with you," he offered.
Piper laughed. "Leo, I love you, but I think there are some things married people shouldn't share too much. Why don't you go around a bit?" she suggested. "I'll be right with you."
Leo took a deep breath and looked around the familiar home. He felt tears gather in his eyes as he took in the place. He could almost see Piper playing in that covered organ, or running down the stairs as a five-year-old. He went to the second floor and immediately had one destination in mind. Leo passed the doors leading to Maxwell's library, to his and Phoebe's bedrooms, and to the small nursery he had visited Piper in.
He stopped before the door to Piper's room. Reluctant but eager, somehow he couldn't explain what he felt exactly. His trembling hand reached to turn the knob. The rush of feelings overwhelmed him the moment the door swung open.
He swallowed the knot in his throat, stepping into the bedroom he had remembered spending his fondest and most soul shaking moments. He stopped in the middle of the room and for a while just stayed there, the white cloth covers vanishing from his eyes and seeing the room as it had been that lifetime. Hope transformed his surroundings to the way his heart remembered it.
Leo walked over to the dresser where his wife had told him she saw her. The caretaker must have placed the covers back on, so he took them off again. For the longest time he stood staring at the mirror, overwhelmed both by the desire to see her and the fear of seeing her. After decades of trying to forget and failing, he was eager to lay eyes on the woman he had loved for an entire lifetime, and even beyond. Yet for this same reason he was scared. What was wrong with her? Would he be able to connect, and if he did would he be able to let go? It seemed she was going to decide for him though, for long moments later he still saw nothing change in the mirror. It was still his reflection, haggard and worried, there. Leo sighed and pulled open the drawer.
And then that heady scent filled his senses.
Strawberries and jasmine.
A night that, if he lived past ten centuries, would be embedded in his consciousness.
"Piper," he pleaded to that long lost girl, "honey, rest."
The room was silent, and he hoped with all his heart that his presence there would give her some peace. Soon he turned around and saw his wife coming towards him with a smile. "Did you miss me?" she smiled.
"Of course I did."
"Good. Because I sure missed you. So much." She walked towards him, and he welcomed her with open arms. She stepped into his embrace and kissed him full on the lips. Her arms rose to hang around his neck, and soon their legs could no longer support them as they sank to their knees, facing each other. "Love me." Her tongue teased his ear.
"On the floor?" he rasped. "No."
"I see a bed," she whispered.
He gasped for breath and got up on his feet. He turned towards the bed, and then caught himself. He bent to press a kiss on her forehead before heading to the bed to pull of the white covering. He beat on the cushion with his hands. "Looks fresh."
Her lips twitched. "Good for us."
Leo returned to his wife and lifted her in his arms to lay her on the bed. She waited as he divested himself of his shirt, pants, boxers, until he stood bare before her. "Does this remind you of something?"
He met her questioning eyes and nodded. "The first time," he said, recalling their wedding night.
She took a deep breath, knowing he allowed his mind only to remember another night, because he still had not fully accepted everything from that other life. Instead, she merely opened her arms and loved him the best way she knew she could, filling the void of decades apart, borrowing this moment from her other self, quenching her thirst, and knowing that at some point she should let go. But now, he was heavy on top of her, sucking in air and pressing his lips against her neck. Not yet, she thought, as she drifted into sleep.
"Leo," he heard her say about half an hour later. "Wha—"
"Hello, sleepyhead."
"Honey, what's going on? Where are we? And are we naked?"
His brows met in confusion. "Piper, we're in the old house remember?"
"I remember coming here to see the place. And then I went up to get you. But why are… have we… what happened?"
Strawberries and jasmine.
He closed his eyes.
~~
"What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly the way I said it," he told her calmly. "I don't want you ever coming back there."
Piper wet her lips. "You still haven't told me why, or even what happened there, Leo."
"Do I need to tell you?"
"This time you do," she answered. "I don't ask for much, not really. But this time I want to know."
"And it's one time too much. I'm not ready to explain, honey. And I'm not prepared to answer your questions."
"Then why don't you let me find the answers myself?"
His thumb brushed softly against her lips. "Because I'm scared." She shook her head, moving away from his hand. "Piper, I'm—"
"It's not fear, Leo. Maybe yesterday it was. But this time, you hesitate. And that's all I can see in your eyes."
He could see the determination in her eyes, and knew that she really aimed to fly. He knew she would not soar this time though. Not without him. "You will fling yourself to catastrophe. I don't want that. I can't let you take a leap when I know the other end will just shy away."
"Why don't you hold my hand then?"
"Give me this night. And I swear when I come back I will have an answer. But please, trust me."
He ached at the look in her eyes. Once her faith in him was so tangible he could almost taste it. Now all she seemed was sad. "One night. I won't let this rest, Leo. I need to know this too much."
"Why? Why can't you just let it go?"
"Because for the first time, Leo, it's all about me."
He lay down beside her on the bed. Moonlight peeked into the windows and rested on her skin, making his wife look ethereal to him. His hand rested on her curving belly, filling with the same ecstasy that washed over him whenever he pictured the future awaiting him. Should he really destroy all her hopes and dreams, everything she believed of him, and tell her what she wanted to know? Yet for all his concern for his wife, he was also captivated by the enigma of the woman in the mirror. Would he even see her there if he went, when it had only been Piper who had mentioned her?
It was a risk he was willing to take. Carefully, he disentangled himself from her arms and rose to put on his pants and shirt. With one last look at his sleeping wife, he did what he had never before done in their home before. Leo took a deep breath and allowed the dazzling blue lights to take him away.
Not a second later, he stood in the old room and was met by the sight of the rumpled bed. The caretakers must not have had a chance to get back yet. He walked towards the dresser and stared at the mirror. "Piper," he said. "Piper, I'm here. If you have anything to say, then say it to me. Because I want to know. Tell me so you don't have to bother my wife. We have a wonderful life now. Please let us be," he pleaded.
He must have sat there for an entire hour, and the stillness of the room slowly crept to him. Nothing stirred. Relief and disappointment filled his heart.
"If this is the way you want it, then I'm glad. Silence, Piper. This is what I need from you." He closed his eyes and thought of his wife, anchoring his consciousness to her and when he opened them, he was standing in their room.
She was brushing her hair as she sat on the bed, and upon seeing him, her eyes lit with pleasure. "You're back." She seemed so calm, and Leo had always loved that about her. She was the peace in his busy days. She was his home. He walked towards his wife and knelt on the floor beside her, laying his head on her lap. "Piper, I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she breathed into his ear, and he shivered at the sensation. "That's why I can't leave."
Leo sucked in his breath. "What did you say, honey?" he asked lightly, praying he had heard wrong.
"You heard me," she told him. "I can't leave. I can't do as you asked."
Slowly, he lifted his head off her lap and stared at her. "Why did you wait?"
"I can't very well just appear to you without her, Leo. She is who I am." She paused, and then smiled, holding his cheek. "And if you meant why do I only came now, it's because it's only now that I need to be here."
"Explain to me why, Piper. I need to know."
"Tell her," she stated simply.
"What?"
"Tell her everything so I don't struggle to get out."
"I can't," came his tortured reply. "This is our time now. Please let us be."
"I told you. I am she."
"And she is you. So you shouldn't even mind. We have a new life now. Let us live it."
She frowned. "What of ours?"
"Ours was over long ago."
"But never completed," she interjected.
"Completion, Piper, is a matter of the heart. We've loved enough for a thousand people." He took her hand, and raised the palm to his lips. "You know that. I'm begging you. Please."
She looked into his eyes, and he could see the flicker in hers. She wet her lips. "All right. I'll try to stay away. But the past will be a dark cloud hanging over your until you gather enough strength to open your heart to her. Don't be afraid."
"What do you want, Piper? Now I can't let go. I have to know."
"I want you to tell her."
He looked at her, and felt his heart constrict. Finally, he capitulated. "Why does she need to know?"
"As long as you're stubborn you would never understand. If you don't accept it, history will repeat itself. I love you too much to let that happen." Leo raised himself to sit beside her on the bed. She laid her head against his chest. He took several deep breaths and felt her fall limp against him.
Slowly, Leo set her back on the bed and waited. His face was inches away from hers when her eyes fluttered open. "Hey," she greeted softly. "Why did you get up?"
"I just wanted to look at you," he answered.
Her lips curved as she looped her arms around his neck. She pulled him close to press her lips on his. "Come get some sleep."
~~
And she did stay away. For months, Leo was thankful that she had left them alone finally. Perhaps it was the pleading. Or perhaps it was that she finally recognized that there was no need to be disturbed. This new life that they had was perfection. She could let things go.
Yet even as everything settled around him, he realized that there were still questions left unanswered. From their short conversation, he could tell that she was more concerned with his perception. What was to accept? It was she who needed to accept that the last life was over, and there was a need to move on. He had moved on. If he had not, then he would not have this blessing with him.
"A penny for your thoughts."
He turned to see his wife grinning at him from the doorway. Immediately, a smile spread across his face at the sight. In her ninth month of pregnancy, they were only waiting for the hour when the baby decides that he or she wanted to be born. Piper was huge with the child. As a petite woman, she looked dangerously about to burst, but every examination told them that everything was normal. She felt wonderful, and they relished the strong kicks. They were not uncomfortable, she insisted. In fact, those kicks soothed her because it assured her that the baby was awake and full of energy. "A penny?"
"How about a dollar?" she bargained.
She walked towards him and their arms automatically enveloped each other. "More like nothing. You know I tell you everything I think you should know."
"But you keep everything you think I shouldn't, no matter if I think I should know about it."
"I know what's best for us. Trust me."
"I always do. You would never do anything that could hurt me."
He bent to nuzzle the crook of her neck. He felt her take a deep breath. "You're getting impatient, aren't you?"
She nodded. "I want to feel our baby in my arms," she told him. "This wait is driving me insane."
"Well seeing as the baby was due a week ago, you don't have to wait too long. You don't have visitors today?" Her friends have been over everyday for the past half month. Having his wife to himself has become a novelty to him since then, because Prue and Phoebe have become such fixtures in the house.
"They were supposed to come over, but I told them to just come next time. I wasn't feeling very well."
He looked at her with concern. "What is it?"
"Just an aching back and numb legs. I swear I'm getting so heavy I can't carry this anymore."
He brushed his lips across her forehead. "What did you expect? I'm a very big guy."
She nodded. "Naturally a very big baby." She gasped. "Ooooooh!"
"What is it?" he demanded.
"Little big one is knocking I think."
"You mean—"
Piper nodded happily. "Mark this on your calendar, Leo. Because you're going to be celebrating today for the rest of your life!"
He gave a whoop of joy before rushing to grab the overnight bag they had prepared for just this occasion. "Do you need me to carry you?"
"Oh don't be silly! Just take my arm and I'll drive us to the hospital."
"Are you insane?!"
"I'm feeling great!" And then she winced. "Except for some minor twitches."
He shook his head empathically. "You are not driving. I'll get us a taxi." The two went down the stairs when the doorbell rang. "Stay here," he told her. Leo answered the door and from the bottom of the stairs, she heard him exclaim, "Hey! Prue! Phoebe! I'm very glad to see you!"
The two pushed their way in. Piper heard the psychiatrist cockily say, "Well that's a first coming from you, Wyatt. What's the catch?"
"My wife is in labor and she insists on driving to the hospital," he finished in one breath.
Piper grimaced. She knew exactly what was going to follow. Prue and Phoebe were frowning at her in disappointment. "What lame decision was that, missy?" Prue demanded.
"I'm feeling fine! A pregnant woman is not an invalid." Her eyes widened as a minor contraction gripped her belly. "Aaaahhhhhhhh—m fine," she finished.
"Not an invalid unless she's about to deliver," Phoebe retorted. "Now listen to your husband."
"My husband doesn't drive!" she protested.
"What kind of husband doesn't drive? Don't make up stories, Piper. That's not nice." They turned to Leo, who shrugged. Prue looked disgusted. "I'll drive."
Leo helped Piper get into her friend's car and sat with her in the backseat. "Could you hurry it up?" he requested.
"As fast as I can get without getting a speeding ticket," she assured him. "But I don't want you complaining, Mr. Pedestrian."
Leo chuckled. His amusement faded when his wife gripped his hand tightly. "Easy, honey."
"You try delivering!"
"Okay, just grip tightly when you're in pain," he relented.
They arrived in the labor room, and Leo was allowed inside to help Piper during the delivery. They gave him a suit to wear, with an accompanying mask. "You look yum," she murmured to him when a contraction stopped.
"In this?" he asked, showing the baggy blue plastic robe.
"I'm actually imagining you without it on," she whispered.
Leo chuckled, shaking his head. "This I get from a wife in labor. Wonder if I'd ever get a rest when you've delivered."
"Better bet you won't," she answered. Another contraction swept over her. He could tell because she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"How is it?" he asked the doctor.
"Everything's going smoothly, Mr. Wyatt. For a first child, this looks like it's going to be an easy one." Leo sighed in relief. "I'm guessing you'll be holding your baby in no more than two hours."
"That's fast." In his experiences decades ago, an eight hour labor was quick enough. Piper must have been in labor already for a few hours before she felt the pain enough to realize that she had to go to the hospital.
"Yes, it is. Would you stay for the entire thing, sir?"
"Definitely." He looked back at Piper, but her eyes were still closed. He tightened his hand over hers. Finally, she met his gaze.
"Tell her." It was the simple statement.
He groaned inside. "Not again," he whispered, hoping the doctor was occupied enough that he would not notice the strange conversation he was having.
"Please," she begged. "Tell her before it's too late."
Everything was going so perfectly. He would not ruin it by bowing to her demands. "I can't! Can't you see that? Understand it and leave us alone!"
He watched as a tear slowly trickled out of the corner of her eye and rolled down, vanishing at the line of her hair. "Then it will happen," she said, defeated.
"What—" Leo's head snapped up to look at the doctor. He was giving some commands, throwing the so quickly he could not understand it. Finally, the doctor met his eyes. "I don't understand it. Just a few minutes ago…" his voice trailed off.
"What's happening?" he asked, but the doctor had turned to his nurses.
"Leo—" he heard the voice from the bed. Immediately he approached his wife. "What's going on? I was feeling just fine. Now… now I feel like I'm in some sort of dream," she said softly.
He brushed his thumb over her lips. "It's going to be okay. We had all the necessary exams taken remember? Everything says you're fine. They must just need something for the birth," he assured her.
"Oh good. I was worried a bit. I just feel so hazy. Like I'm not really here."
"Don't be ridiculous," he murmured. "You're here. I can touch you."
"Mr. Wyatt, I'm afraid you'll have to step out."
"I thought I can stay through it."
"There's been a few changes and we need to speak with you outside."
He nodded. "All right." He turned to Piper, raising her hand to kiss her fingers. "I'll be right back. Don't worry yourself too much. You are here. See? I'm kissing your hand."
Piper wet her lips. "Yes you are. But… I can't feel you."
"Mr. Wyatt."
He walked towards the doctor, not breaking eye contact with her until the door closed between them.
Outside, the doctor spoke quickly. Somehow, there was hemorrhaging, and they were going to lose blood. They had to surgically remove the baby.
"Everything was going fine."
"We thought so too."
"No no. Don't give me that!" Leo exclaimed. "She was fine! She wasn't feeling anything other pregnant women shouldn't feel. She felt fine enough to want to drive herself here. I have all her previous check up records in a purple envelope at home! She is fine! This can't happen."
"Mr. Wyatt, it has happened. But she is in no immediate danger. We do this everyday. I assure you she will get the best medical care possible."
Leo massaged his forehead with his fingers. What if it wasn't medical care she needed? Was this part of her demand that he tell? "All right. Let me talk to her first." The doctor allowed him to step into the room while they were preparing her for the surgery. "Hey."
"What's going on, Leo? Where are they taking me?"
"They need to do a C-section. It's okay."
"But I thought we're having a normal birth."
"Well the baby is big. Because I'm big," he teased lightly. "They need to take it out by caesarian because you're so little."
She smiled. "Oh. See what you did?" she exclaimed jokingly. "I love you."
"Piper, I have to tell you something." She gazed at him with such love that he swallowed what he was going to say. He never wanted to see that love fade into disappointment. Whatever it was that she wanted said, it was only going to hurt her. It was truth she wanted, then he would give her one uncontestable truth. "I love you."
~~
He was so cold. There was no way to warm him. For the last four hours, Prue and Phoebe had been with him, sitting on the hard pew as he tried to digest the sudden turn his life had taken in that one day. Both of them were stunned. She was just fine, they repeated over and over. What happened? Should they file a suit? It was a simple birth. The baby was in the right position. The mother was healthy. How did this happen?
But they found Leo unresponsive. All he did was stare at the floor of the hospital chapel. He was not even crying. And so they left him alone to handle his grief on his own.
Leo drew out the small calendar from his pocket and marked the date. She told him to remember the day, because he will be celebrating it every year for the rest of his life. What kind of curse was that for an immortal soul?
The chapel was deserted except for him, and his mind could not help but drift to that conversation. History would repeat itself if he did not accept. Well it did. This time though, there was no Daniel in the chapel holding their baby. This time, even the baby, whose heartbeat still resounded in Leo's memory, was not saved. What did he do wrong to deserve this? He could not tell her.
He closed his eyes and wrapped himself in the shimmering light in an effort to understand what had happened. He found himself standing outside the very same gates he had left her back then. Already, she was walking far into heaven.
"Piper!" he screamed. She did not turn around. Desperately he grabbed at the pearl railings of the gate separating them. "Piper!" He reached out his arm, wanting to touch her. "Talk to me!"
She whirled about. Piper looked at him with that intense sadness in her eyes. "Why couldn't you do it?"
His grip on the railing tightened. "Come here. I need to touch you. I'm begging you."
"I remember pleading but no being heeded," she said. Still, she walked towards him and cupped his cheek with her hand.
"I didn't want to lose you again."
"By what?" she asked in disbelief. "Telling me that out life ended in tragedy because of a misunderstanding."
"Because I left you."
"Leo, I needed you to say the words."
"So you can forgive me?" he bit out harshly.
Piper shook her head. "The reason you are tortured, and will be for eternity, is because you can't even accept that what happened was a cruel twist of fate. You can't accept it. And I won't be able to rest without that. I won't be able to live with you like that."
"We had such a perfect life, Leo. But all the turmoil is from you."
"I killed our life together! I preferred to run off to some pointless war of imagined liberation than to stay with you!"
"No! Don't you get what it is that I want? A want you to be at peace with yourself," she said.
"I will be at peace when you forgive me."
"I want a man who has forgiven himself," she whispered. "That's what I needed to hear from you. That's the only time we will be happy. But you couldn't even open your mind to see that." She slowly turned around to walk away.
"Wait! I can do that! I forgive myself."
"A little too late, don't you think?"
"When are you going back down? I will fix this. I promise. We'll be happy finally. Please Piper. Tell me."
"Do you think they'll give us another chance?"
"They have to. They can't be so cruel as to give me this kind of life and not send you back to me once in a while. And when they do send you, I will find you. Nothing will stop us from being together. And I will work on forgiving myself. Wherever you are next time, I will be there. Whatever you are, I will love you."
She faded from his sight as she returned made her way to the heaven that was barred from him. Next time. Next time no more mistakes. Nothing will keep them apart.
He shimmered back into the chapel, determined to remember everything. He was not prepared when another whitelighter orbed beside him and covered his hand with hers. "I'm sorry for your loss, Leo. It was going to happen sooner or later. But I'm deeply sorry."
He nodded. "Thank you, Natalie."
"Perhaps now you can concentrate on your work. She was a wonderful girl. I know you were happy with her. The elders even liked her effect on you. Right now they understand how much you're grieving. But they want you to throw yourself into higher training for the couple of decades or so. They think this will take your mind off what happened. They need you sharp enough. They have big plans for you, Leo. You must be ready for special charges when the time comes."
The End
For the conclusion of this trilogy, watch out for I'll Wait In Heaven, a story that will pick up from Season 3 finale. Read the story in progress at the LPF Board.