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A/N: I know, I haven't updated this fic in a while. I update based on how much response I get, and since this hasn't gotten much feedback, it went right to the bottom of my to-do list. I'm only writing this now because some awesome person left an extra review asking me to. Remember, people, if you want more of any of my fics, you have to let me know.
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When Piper awoke the next morning and saw Leo asleep next to her, she was filled with a mixture of relief and sadness. Relief because he wasn't with someone else, the Elders or one of his charges, like he usually was. Sadness because she realised, not for the first time, that she really didn't know him anymore.
She got up, and tiptoed down the hall to her children's bedrooms. She went into the boys' room first. Peter and Tyler were both still asleep. She gently placed a kiss on each of their cheeks, then padded next door.
She slipped into Camille's room and sat down at the edge of the bed. The little girl was fast asleep, like her big brothers. Piper smiled. Of all her children, little Cammie was the most precocious. Asleep, Piper's baby girl looked truly cherubic.
As Piper watched her, Camille stirred only once, to put her thumb in her mouth. The toddler fell immediately back into a deep sleep, and barely moved again the whole time her mother was there.
Finally, Piper kissed her only daughter and left the room, only to be startled to find Leo standing just outside the door.
"What are you doing?" she asked, quietly so as not to wake the kids.
"Looking at you." he answered. "Is she always this peaceful when she sleeps?"
Piper nodded. "She's always been such an angel. Must be the Whitelighter in her."
Leo sighed. "I feel like I've missed so much."
"You've been working." Piper replied.
"I should have been here." Leo said regretfully. "With you, with them."
"Then why weren't you?"
"I didn't have a choice!"
"The hell you didn't." Piper countered through gritted teeth. Glancing at Camille, Peter, and Tyler through their open doors, she pushed Leo back into their own bedroom.
"Damn it, Piper." he said. "Don't you think I would have been here if I could?"
"Honestly, Leo, I don't know." she replied, tears burning her eyes. "There have been times, during the past six years, that all I wanted was to have your here. I have felt so alone, because you were never there. So after that, how the hell am I supposed to know what you would or wouldn't do?"
Her words hurt them both. Leo looked away.
He knew he should talk to her, try to work through this. The truth was, he didn't know how. So instead, he resorted to the one thing that had almost become natural. "Just for the record," he said before he left, "I wanted to be here."
A sob escaped Piper's throat as he orbed out. Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs to the kitchen, to cry over a cup of coffee.
Paige found her there, half an hour later.
"Oh, honey, did he leave again?" she asked, putting her arms around her sister.
Piper nodded, burying her face in Paige's robe. "I hate this. We're always fighting when he's here, and when he's not, I never know when or if he's coming back."
Paige shook her head, not knowing what to say. She didn't have to look for the right words for long, however, because just then, a warlock popped in.
"Phoebe!" Paige called.
"Who the hell are you?" Piper demanded at the same time.
The warlock popped out again, and blinked in behind her. "I'm your worst nightmare," he whispered in her ear. He blinked out again.
Peter, Ty, and Cammie appeared in the doorway, yawning. "What's going on, Mommy?" Tyler asked.
"Stay back, baby." Piper warned. She looked around. The warlock appeared to be gone for good this time, but some instinct told her he wasn't. "All of you, get back."
But her warning came too late. Before her children had a chance to run, the warlock came up behind them, grabbed them all, and blinked out.
A/N: I know, I haven't updated this fic in a while. I update based on how much response I get, and since this hasn't gotten much feedback, it went right to the bottom of my to-do list. I'm only writing this now because some awesome person left an extra review asking me to. Remember, people, if you want more of any of my fics, you have to let me know.
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When Piper awoke the next morning and saw Leo asleep next to her, she was filled with a mixture of relief and sadness. Relief because he wasn't with someone else, the Elders or one of his charges, like he usually was. Sadness because she realised, not for the first time, that she really didn't know him anymore.
She got up, and tiptoed down the hall to her children's bedrooms. She went into the boys' room first. Peter and Tyler were both still asleep. She gently placed a kiss on each of their cheeks, then padded next door.
She slipped into Camille's room and sat down at the edge of the bed. The little girl was fast asleep, like her big brothers. Piper smiled. Of all her children, little Cammie was the most precocious. Asleep, Piper's baby girl looked truly cherubic.
As Piper watched her, Camille stirred only once, to put her thumb in her mouth. The toddler fell immediately back into a deep sleep, and barely moved again the whole time her mother was there.
Finally, Piper kissed her only daughter and left the room, only to be startled to find Leo standing just outside the door.
"What are you doing?" she asked, quietly so as not to wake the kids.
"Looking at you." he answered. "Is she always this peaceful when she sleeps?"
Piper nodded. "She's always been such an angel. Must be the Whitelighter in her."
Leo sighed. "I feel like I've missed so much."
"You've been working." Piper replied.
"I should have been here." Leo said regretfully. "With you, with them."
"Then why weren't you?"
"I didn't have a choice!"
"The hell you didn't." Piper countered through gritted teeth. Glancing at Camille, Peter, and Tyler through their open doors, she pushed Leo back into their own bedroom.
"Damn it, Piper." he said. "Don't you think I would have been here if I could?"
"Honestly, Leo, I don't know." she replied, tears burning her eyes. "There have been times, during the past six years, that all I wanted was to have your here. I have felt so alone, because you were never there. So after that, how the hell am I supposed to know what you would or wouldn't do?"
Her words hurt them both. Leo looked away.
He knew he should talk to her, try to work through this. The truth was, he didn't know how. So instead, he resorted to the one thing that had almost become natural. "Just for the record," he said before he left, "I wanted to be here."
A sob escaped Piper's throat as he orbed out. Taking a deep breath, she went downstairs to the kitchen, to cry over a cup of coffee.
Paige found her there, half an hour later.
"Oh, honey, did he leave again?" she asked, putting her arms around her sister.
Piper nodded, burying her face in Paige's robe. "I hate this. We're always fighting when he's here, and when he's not, I never know when or if he's coming back."
Paige shook her head, not knowing what to say. She didn't have to look for the right words for long, however, because just then, a warlock popped in.
"Phoebe!" Paige called.
"Who the hell are you?" Piper demanded at the same time.
The warlock popped out again, and blinked in behind her. "I'm your worst nightmare," he whispered in her ear. He blinked out again.
Peter, Ty, and Cammie appeared in the doorway, yawning. "What's going on, Mommy?" Tyler asked.
"Stay back, baby." Piper warned. She looked around. The warlock appeared to be gone for good this time, but some instinct told her he wasn't. "All of you, get back."
But her warning came too late. Before her children had a chance to run, the warlock came up behind them, grabbed them all, and blinked out.