Part 5
Piper moved immediately to her bedroom after the carriage came to a standstill at the entrance to their home, leaving Leo to sadly follow her back until she disappeared inside. He waited impatiently for three hours, trying to busy himself with work but unable to stop his thoughts from drifting to Piper. He was in the depths of his daydream when Maree stood at his door for a few minutes, finally taking a few steps and softly calling his name. "Leo?" Leo's mind didn't budge and his stare didn't break as the word refused to infiltrate his subconscious. "Leo!" Maree repeated, raising her voice and giving a soft laugh when he finally raised his eyes to meet hers.
"I'm sorry Maree. I was just...thinking...what is it?" Leo tried to cover.
"Go and talk to the girl Leo. Convince her that your feelings are true."
"You've spoken to Brendan?"
Maree nodded, "Yes Leo."
"The people in this town are ignorant and cruel." He muttered angrily, his eyes glazing over in disgust.
Maree shrugged but gave a small smile. "It's the way things have always been and possibly always will." She agreed. "But you're different to them, you've been raised to respect people and all people alike. Your Mama used to tell us to always do what our heart says and I'm sure that's what she would say to you now Leo."
"But Piper is so scared..." Leo trailed off, his voice etched with uncertainty.
"Do you love her?"
"Yes, with all my heart."
"Then show Piper and help ease her fears, just talk to her."
"Now?" Maree nodded and Leo rose, leaning over to kiss the woman's cheek before taking a deep breath. "Thank you Maree!' He exclaimed, walking slowly up the stairs to Piper's room, silently rehearsing what his first words were going to be.
Tapping his fingers nervously against his thighs, Leo faced Piper's closed door, finally reaching up to tap his knuckles softly against it. A few moments of painstaking silence followed, before he heard faint footsteps approaching the door. "Who is it?" Piper's voice was soft and barely audible through the heavy door.
"It's Leo."
More silence followed and Leo was about to plead with her when the door opened. "What do you want?" Piper questioned gently, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
Leo swallowed the lump in his throat and daringly reached up to run the back of his forefinger over her tear stained cheeks. "I wanted to talk with you."
"About?" Piper questioned, her heart beating faster as she delayed him; trying to prepare herself for the intensity of the conversation that would surely follow.
"About everything Piper. About today...about you...about me...about us..." Piper sighed deeply, hesitant to speak as more tears brimmed her eyelids and threatened to fall. "Can I come in?"
Piper nodded and held the door open, closing it behind Leo's back as he entered. They both sat on her perfectly made bed, Leo folding his hands neatly in his lap as he searched for the right words and Piper fidgeting with the edge of her pillow. "Tell me that you know I mean it, when I say that I love you Piper. Tell me you know that I've loved you since I was just a boy." Leo blurted out, asserting his fake confidence and tipping Piper's cheek to force eye contact.
A long pause followed and only their short uneven breathing could be heard. Piper stared into his eyes, evaluating his personality and honesty. "I don't want you to love me Leo." She replied eventually, shrugging her shoulders slightly.
Leo gave a short nervous laugh, before whispering, "you don't have a choice in that".
"Please Leo, I don't...I don't want to love you." Piper murmured softly.
Leo narrowed his eyes, his forehead creasing in confusion. IDidn't want to love him...not just didn't love him./I "Tell me what things were like when you were younger Piper."
"You knew me when I was younger Leo, I was the little girl your friends teased."
"I mean before that, before you came here."
"Why? I don't understand why you want to know?"
"Because I want to know you Piper; I want to know why you are so afraid to love me."
Leo waited patiently, more than pleased when she didn't order him out of her room. His hands were trembling and his heart racing; he would never have thought he would dare say such things to the only woman he had ever loved. "I lived with my mother and father and an older sister." Piper said quickly.
"May I ask what happened?"
"They were crushed under a carriage and Prue and I were Isold/I." She answered bitterly. "We had no other family." Leo nodded slowly, waiting to see if Piper would volunteer any more information. "Prue said she would find me one day, but I haven't seen or heard from her since that day." Piper brushed away a sole tear that ran down her cheek, not making an effort to move Leo's hands away from her other hand, their fingers intertwined.
"I'm sorry." He whispered; causing more tears to fall and she bowed her head, closing her eyes momentarily. "My mother died when I was just a child." Leo began and Piper brought her tear-filled eyes to meet his. "I was only three and I can't remember her at all, but Maree assures me what a beautiful and remarkable woman she was." Leo forced a half-smile and Piper unsuccessfully tried to reciprocate it. "I'm an only child as Mother wasn't able to conceive after she gave birth to me and as you know, my father just joined her in heaven."
"You believe in heaven?" Piper asked, her face clearly showing her surprise.
"Of course. The world is too beautiful and life too short for there not to be." Leo smiled and used his thumb to wipe more tears from her cheeks. "We're very similar Piper, you think I don't understand what loss is, but I do."
"I never meant to imply that." Piper rushed to say, shaking her head. "It's just...what happened to today. We're viewed far too differently."
"Do you think I care what those people say? They're not my friends, Piper; they mean nothing to me. Business acquaintances at the very best."
"What about your father? That man, he said that he would disapprove."
"I knew my father better than anyone else in the world. And I can guarantee he would more than approve. I love you and if he were here, he would love you too." Leo insisted.
"You would hate being exposed to that sort of criticism Leo. Every time we went into town? It would be too hard." Piper argued, fighting against her own instincts.
"It would all be worth it Piper."
Piper sighed deeply; struggling against what she thought was right and what her heart wanted her to do. "Leo...I just..."
"I won't hurt you."
"I know you wouldn't intentionally...but I don't want to take the chance." Piper replied hesitantly, her voice far from convincing.
"I love you." Leo repeated, gently cupping her face and trailing his thumbs along her jaw line.
"Leo. This isn't..." Piper was stopped mid-sentence when Leo leaned over and tenderly laid his lips on hers, his touch gentle and breathtaking; the movement slow and sensual. Seconds later, Leo withdrew, his eyes closed as he rested his forehead against Piper's, savouring the lingering taste of his true love. For only Leo and the heavens to hear, Piper exhaled deeply and whispered, "I love you too".
Piper moved immediately to her bedroom after the carriage came to a standstill at the entrance to their home, leaving Leo to sadly follow her back until she disappeared inside. He waited impatiently for three hours, trying to busy himself with work but unable to stop his thoughts from drifting to Piper. He was in the depths of his daydream when Maree stood at his door for a few minutes, finally taking a few steps and softly calling his name. "Leo?" Leo's mind didn't budge and his stare didn't break as the word refused to infiltrate his subconscious. "Leo!" Maree repeated, raising her voice and giving a soft laugh when he finally raised his eyes to meet hers.
"I'm sorry Maree. I was just...thinking...what is it?" Leo tried to cover.
"Go and talk to the girl Leo. Convince her that your feelings are true."
"You've spoken to Brendan?"
Maree nodded, "Yes Leo."
"The people in this town are ignorant and cruel." He muttered angrily, his eyes glazing over in disgust.
Maree shrugged but gave a small smile. "It's the way things have always been and possibly always will." She agreed. "But you're different to them, you've been raised to respect people and all people alike. Your Mama used to tell us to always do what our heart says and I'm sure that's what she would say to you now Leo."
"But Piper is so scared..." Leo trailed off, his voice etched with uncertainty.
"Do you love her?"
"Yes, with all my heart."
"Then show Piper and help ease her fears, just talk to her."
"Now?" Maree nodded and Leo rose, leaning over to kiss the woman's cheek before taking a deep breath. "Thank you Maree!' He exclaimed, walking slowly up the stairs to Piper's room, silently rehearsing what his first words were going to be.
Tapping his fingers nervously against his thighs, Leo faced Piper's closed door, finally reaching up to tap his knuckles softly against it. A few moments of painstaking silence followed, before he heard faint footsteps approaching the door. "Who is it?" Piper's voice was soft and barely audible through the heavy door.
"It's Leo."
More silence followed and Leo was about to plead with her when the door opened. "What do you want?" Piper questioned gently, her eyes red and puffy from crying.
Leo swallowed the lump in his throat and daringly reached up to run the back of his forefinger over her tear stained cheeks. "I wanted to talk with you."
"About?" Piper questioned, her heart beating faster as she delayed him; trying to prepare herself for the intensity of the conversation that would surely follow.
"About everything Piper. About today...about you...about me...about us..." Piper sighed deeply, hesitant to speak as more tears brimmed her eyelids and threatened to fall. "Can I come in?"
Piper nodded and held the door open, closing it behind Leo's back as he entered. They both sat on her perfectly made bed, Leo folding his hands neatly in his lap as he searched for the right words and Piper fidgeting with the edge of her pillow. "Tell me that you know I mean it, when I say that I love you Piper. Tell me you know that I've loved you since I was just a boy." Leo blurted out, asserting his fake confidence and tipping Piper's cheek to force eye contact.
A long pause followed and only their short uneven breathing could be heard. Piper stared into his eyes, evaluating his personality and honesty. "I don't want you to love me Leo." She replied eventually, shrugging her shoulders slightly.
Leo gave a short nervous laugh, before whispering, "you don't have a choice in that".
"Please Leo, I don't...I don't want to love you." Piper murmured softly.
Leo narrowed his eyes, his forehead creasing in confusion. IDidn't want to love him...not just didn't love him./I "Tell me what things were like when you were younger Piper."
"You knew me when I was younger Leo, I was the little girl your friends teased."
"I mean before that, before you came here."
"Why? I don't understand why you want to know?"
"Because I want to know you Piper; I want to know why you are so afraid to love me."
Leo waited patiently, more than pleased when she didn't order him out of her room. His hands were trembling and his heart racing; he would never have thought he would dare say such things to the only woman he had ever loved. "I lived with my mother and father and an older sister." Piper said quickly.
"May I ask what happened?"
"They were crushed under a carriage and Prue and I were Isold/I." She answered bitterly. "We had no other family." Leo nodded slowly, waiting to see if Piper would volunteer any more information. "Prue said she would find me one day, but I haven't seen or heard from her since that day." Piper brushed away a sole tear that ran down her cheek, not making an effort to move Leo's hands away from her other hand, their fingers intertwined.
"I'm sorry." He whispered; causing more tears to fall and she bowed her head, closing her eyes momentarily. "My mother died when I was just a child." Leo began and Piper brought her tear-filled eyes to meet his. "I was only three and I can't remember her at all, but Maree assures me what a beautiful and remarkable woman she was." Leo forced a half-smile and Piper unsuccessfully tried to reciprocate it. "I'm an only child as Mother wasn't able to conceive after she gave birth to me and as you know, my father just joined her in heaven."
"You believe in heaven?" Piper asked, her face clearly showing her surprise.
"Of course. The world is too beautiful and life too short for there not to be." Leo smiled and used his thumb to wipe more tears from her cheeks. "We're very similar Piper, you think I don't understand what loss is, but I do."
"I never meant to imply that." Piper rushed to say, shaking her head. "It's just...what happened to today. We're viewed far too differently."
"Do you think I care what those people say? They're not my friends, Piper; they mean nothing to me. Business acquaintances at the very best."
"What about your father? That man, he said that he would disapprove."
"I knew my father better than anyone else in the world. And I can guarantee he would more than approve. I love you and if he were here, he would love you too." Leo insisted.
"You would hate being exposed to that sort of criticism Leo. Every time we went into town? It would be too hard." Piper argued, fighting against her own instincts.
"It would all be worth it Piper."
Piper sighed deeply; struggling against what she thought was right and what her heart wanted her to do. "Leo...I just..."
"I won't hurt you."
"I know you wouldn't intentionally...but I don't want to take the chance." Piper replied hesitantly, her voice far from convincing.
"I love you." Leo repeated, gently cupping her face and trailing his thumbs along her jaw line.
"Leo. This isn't..." Piper was stopped mid-sentence when Leo leaned over and tenderly laid his lips on hers, his touch gentle and breathtaking; the movement slow and sensual. Seconds later, Leo withdrew, his eyes closed as he rested his forehead against Piper's, savouring the lingering taste of his true love. For only Leo and the heavens to hear, Piper exhaled deeply and whispered, "I love you too".