"Okay, let's do this." Piper smiled at her sisters. "I need you to leave."
Paige and phoebe just looked at each other and then at Piper "What? No way"
"Listen to me." Piper explained. "This is not open for debate. I need him and in order for me to even have a chance of reaching him. I need to be alone with him."
"I don't think this is such a good idea." Phoebe replied.
"Listen to your sister, witch. You don't want to be left alone with me. I'm your worst nightmare. I am everything you ever feared coming true." Leo yelled from within the protective shield.
"You got that right." Piper sighed. "Living my life without you is my worst nightmare. You're part of my soul, Leo, and I can't let go of that." For just a second Piper swore she saw something flash within his eyes. Something akin to light. But it was gone as soon as it happened so she couldn't be sure she had actually seen anything at it. It could have just been wishful thinking.
"Piper?" Paige asked not really wanting to leave her sister alone. She felt that she was too vulnerable.
"It's okay, guys. He's not going to hurt me."
Phoebe and Paige looked once again at their sister feeling not for the first time just a little bit helpless. "Yell if you need us." Paige said.
"I will." They both turned and left, leaving a very frightened Piper alone.
"You are very foolish." Leo declared.
"Yes, I am. I am also very determined." Piper walked closer to the shield; almost close enough to touch him. She almost ached for that regardless of the consequences. She sat and talked to him like she used to, he laughed and hurled insults and threats at her. For hours this went on. She was running out of time and she knew it.
"You think it is just me you have to concern yourself with. Dariel will come for me or should I say for you." Leo practically snarled.
"Let him come, Leo. It doesn't really matter. I can get through just about anything.except losing you. My whole world fell apart when Prue died. But you picked me up, brushed me off and made me want to continue breathing again. And you brought me back from despair. And now we're having a baby." Piper kicked a crystal out of place knowing the potion that Grams had given her was still in affect. "I know somewhere in there you're still fighting, struggling to come back to me."
"You are wrong, witch!" Leo yelled as he rose to his full height. "And you are stupid as well, While you had me in your cage you had a chance, but no more. Now I am afraid I will have to kill you." He lunged towards Piper; she froze him before he got too far.
"What is there left for me to do?" Piper asked herself. "Is this how you want it to end?" She yelled at him. She was angry now. The fear was gone, just a blinding rage took over. "How dare you do this? How dare you leave me like this?" In her mind at that moment he had turned his back on everything that they had fought so hard for. All the pain that they went through was for naught. It was all in vain if this was how it was going to end.
A burst of dark smoke and Dariel appeared, darklighter bow in hand.
"Phoebe! Paige! I need you!" She froze Dariel but not before he had a chance to fire one of his arrows, she managed to avoid it by diving out of the way. This was the end; she could feel it in her bones, in her soul. Question was, the end for whom?
"Piper!!" Phoebe exclaimed when she and Paige entered the attic.
"Ooh!" Piper groaned getting to her feet. Dariel and Leo unfroze at once.
"I am so going to enjoy this." Dariel stated.
"Dariel, I have no powers. They stole them." Leo explained.
"I know all about it. There isn't much under heaven I don't know. They should be wearing off about now. You are stronger than any potion."
The words echoed in Piper's brain. 'Stronger than any potion' Grams told her she would have to kill Leo,
"Oh, my God." Piper whispered. "Phoebe, how much time do we have left?"
"Not much, about twenty minutes. Grams potion has probably worn off."
"I know. That's what I'm praying for. I need you and Paige to deal with Dariel. I don't care what you do to him." Piper said staring at Leo and never losing eye contact.
"What are you going to do?" Paige asked.
"I'm going to vanquish my husband!"
"What?" Paige and Phoebe said in unison.
"Just trust me okay?" She unfroze Leo and Dariel.
"You can't keep freezing me all night." Leo said.
"Actually, I can"
From behind Phoebe did a roundhouse kick and knocked Dariel to the floor with in the confines of the crystal containment. Paige slammed the crystal back in place imprisoning Dariel.
Leo looked around confused at what was happening. "What are you doing?
"Taking a leap of faith. Something you taught me how to do. And though that might not mean that much to you right now, it means the world to me. I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" A touch of fear entered his voice.
Piper took a deep breath, closed her eyes and drew on her power. "I love you, Leo."
"Piper!" Phoebe screamed.
"I love you." Piper repeated before releasing her will and exploding Leo into a thousand little pieces. Then there was silence.
Piper fell to her knees sobbing. "I'm sorry."
"Piper, why?" Paige asked in shock.
"There was no other way. It's just like Dariel said. He IS stronger that the potion."
A swirl of white lights orbed into the room. In the center stood Leo looking weary, but himself,
"Leo!" Piper yelled as she ran into his arms. "Is it you?"
"Yeah, it's me. I don't know how you did it."
"I figured as long as you weren't a complete Darlighter, if I used my exploding power it should separate the two halves. The Darklighter from the Whitelighter. Which would allow your whitelighter soul to reconstitute."
"It worked, Hell of a risk though." Leo said smiling at his wife.
"You were lost either way. At least this way I had a chance. We had a chance. I love you Leo."
"I love you too, Piper."
"What about him?" Leo asked with contempt looking at Dariel.
"Phoebe and I will take care of him." Paige declared near tears. This nightmare was over.
Leo stared at his beautiful wife, the pulled her closer and kissed her.
"Welcome home." Piper took his hand and together they walked out of the attic and back into their lives as a family.
Paige and phoebe just looked at each other and then at Piper "What? No way"
"Listen to me." Piper explained. "This is not open for debate. I need him and in order for me to even have a chance of reaching him. I need to be alone with him."
"I don't think this is such a good idea." Phoebe replied.
"Listen to your sister, witch. You don't want to be left alone with me. I'm your worst nightmare. I am everything you ever feared coming true." Leo yelled from within the protective shield.
"You got that right." Piper sighed. "Living my life without you is my worst nightmare. You're part of my soul, Leo, and I can't let go of that." For just a second Piper swore she saw something flash within his eyes. Something akin to light. But it was gone as soon as it happened so she couldn't be sure she had actually seen anything at it. It could have just been wishful thinking.
"Piper?" Paige asked not really wanting to leave her sister alone. She felt that she was too vulnerable.
"It's okay, guys. He's not going to hurt me."
Phoebe and Paige looked once again at their sister feeling not for the first time just a little bit helpless. "Yell if you need us." Paige said.
"I will." They both turned and left, leaving a very frightened Piper alone.
"You are very foolish." Leo declared.
"Yes, I am. I am also very determined." Piper walked closer to the shield; almost close enough to touch him. She almost ached for that regardless of the consequences. She sat and talked to him like she used to, he laughed and hurled insults and threats at her. For hours this went on. She was running out of time and she knew it.
"You think it is just me you have to concern yourself with. Dariel will come for me or should I say for you." Leo practically snarled.
"Let him come, Leo. It doesn't really matter. I can get through just about anything.except losing you. My whole world fell apart when Prue died. But you picked me up, brushed me off and made me want to continue breathing again. And you brought me back from despair. And now we're having a baby." Piper kicked a crystal out of place knowing the potion that Grams had given her was still in affect. "I know somewhere in there you're still fighting, struggling to come back to me."
"You are wrong, witch!" Leo yelled as he rose to his full height. "And you are stupid as well, While you had me in your cage you had a chance, but no more. Now I am afraid I will have to kill you." He lunged towards Piper; she froze him before he got too far.
"What is there left for me to do?" Piper asked herself. "Is this how you want it to end?" She yelled at him. She was angry now. The fear was gone, just a blinding rage took over. "How dare you do this? How dare you leave me like this?" In her mind at that moment he had turned his back on everything that they had fought so hard for. All the pain that they went through was for naught. It was all in vain if this was how it was going to end.
A burst of dark smoke and Dariel appeared, darklighter bow in hand.
"Phoebe! Paige! I need you!" She froze Dariel but not before he had a chance to fire one of his arrows, she managed to avoid it by diving out of the way. This was the end; she could feel it in her bones, in her soul. Question was, the end for whom?
"Piper!!" Phoebe exclaimed when she and Paige entered the attic.
"Ooh!" Piper groaned getting to her feet. Dariel and Leo unfroze at once.
"I am so going to enjoy this." Dariel stated.
"Dariel, I have no powers. They stole them." Leo explained.
"I know all about it. There isn't much under heaven I don't know. They should be wearing off about now. You are stronger than any potion."
The words echoed in Piper's brain. 'Stronger than any potion' Grams told her she would have to kill Leo,
"Oh, my God." Piper whispered. "Phoebe, how much time do we have left?"
"Not much, about twenty minutes. Grams potion has probably worn off."
"I know. That's what I'm praying for. I need you and Paige to deal with Dariel. I don't care what you do to him." Piper said staring at Leo and never losing eye contact.
"What are you going to do?" Paige asked.
"I'm going to vanquish my husband!"
"What?" Paige and Phoebe said in unison.
"Just trust me okay?" She unfroze Leo and Dariel.
"You can't keep freezing me all night." Leo said.
"Actually, I can"
From behind Phoebe did a roundhouse kick and knocked Dariel to the floor with in the confines of the crystal containment. Paige slammed the crystal back in place imprisoning Dariel.
Leo looked around confused at what was happening. "What are you doing?
"Taking a leap of faith. Something you taught me how to do. And though that might not mean that much to you right now, it means the world to me. I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" A touch of fear entered his voice.
Piper took a deep breath, closed her eyes and drew on her power. "I love you, Leo."
"Piper!" Phoebe screamed.
"I love you." Piper repeated before releasing her will and exploding Leo into a thousand little pieces. Then there was silence.
Piper fell to her knees sobbing. "I'm sorry."
"Piper, why?" Paige asked in shock.
"There was no other way. It's just like Dariel said. He IS stronger that the potion."
A swirl of white lights orbed into the room. In the center stood Leo looking weary, but himself,
"Leo!" Piper yelled as she ran into his arms. "Is it you?"
"Yeah, it's me. I don't know how you did it."
"I figured as long as you weren't a complete Darlighter, if I used my exploding power it should separate the two halves. The Darklighter from the Whitelighter. Which would allow your whitelighter soul to reconstitute."
"It worked, Hell of a risk though." Leo said smiling at his wife.
"You were lost either way. At least this way I had a chance. We had a chance. I love you Leo."
"I love you too, Piper."
"What about him?" Leo asked with contempt looking at Dariel.
"Phoebe and I will take care of him." Paige declared near tears. This nightmare was over.
Leo stared at his beautiful wife, the pulled her closer and kissed her.
"Welcome home." Piper took his hand and together they walked out of the attic and back into their lives as a family.