First, I would just like to say thank you to the people who have reviewed.....when I get feedback, it actually sends me skittering back to my computer to write more.....so thanks:)

Oh, and to the reviewer who asked about a Cole/Prue story....I wasn't sure if you meant romance, but if you did, I'm not sure that there is going to be ANY kind of romance in this......but I do want to develop a friendship, or even just a truce between the two. So they will eventually meet.



**********



When Piper got to the club, she found controlled chaos. Her staff was everywhere, completing the preparations for tonight's opening. She got stuck right in, almost grateful for the work. Still, a few hours later she was desperate for a break. Her prayers were answered when she caught sight of Leo entering the club.

"Hey," she grinned, walking over to greet him with a kiss.

"Hi," he smiled, relieved to see her mood much improved.

"So.....what's the news from 'above?'"

Leo looked around furtively. "Shouldn't we....take this someplace else?"

"Oh," she glanced about. "Yeah, of course.....c'mon, we'll go to the office."

After letting her staff know that she was taking a break, she led Leo to the office, making sure to lock it after them this time. She still blushed whenever she thought of.....of Phoebe, when she had accidentally walked in on them. Suprisingly, the thought brought a smile to her face, rather than the pain she associated with memories of Phoebe these days.

"So, what's up?" Piper asked.

"A witch was attacked by a Warlock last night."

"Oh no," Piper said, concerned. "Well, is she okay?"

"Yes, she is......thanks to a mysterious benefactor who saved her."

"Not again," Piper groaned. "I mean, I know we should be glad that someone's saving witches, but this has been going on for at least eight months now......and no one has seen whoever it is that's swooping in like....Batman, and protecting innocents?"

"No......the witch that was attacked last night was knocked out.....she came to for a moment, just in time to see her attacker go up in flames, and then a figure dressed in black run away. She never saw his face and was too shaken up by the attack to remember any details about him."

Piper sighed. "Well, I guess the important thing is that she's okay. I just.....I can't decide whether I want to shake this guy's hand or punch him in the face for being so secretive."

Leo smiled, wrapping his arms around her. "Who knows......maybe you'll get a chance to do both."

As Piper rested her head on Leo's chest, she thought back to their mystery.......the case of the unknown innocent protector.

After Phoebe's death, on top of all of their grief over their loss, they had been forced to deal with the fact that the power of three had been broken. Piper hadn't cared at first. She was just concentrating on getting herself and Prue through the funeral and their life, one day at a time......but when a Demon had attacked, almost killing the two remaining sisters, she had been scared into caring. She couldn't lose Prue, or leave Leo alone.

After that, they had thrown everything they had into training, practising, and trying to come up with ways to kill the evils that needed the power of three. Grams and their mother had been some help on the magical side of things, and for a while, Leo had been all that was holding the club and the house together between his own duties while they were 'busy.'

Then, about a month later, the Elders started to get reports from some of their Whitelighters......it seemed that someone, or even something, was out there protecting witches and other innocents. No one could explain how he knew the right place to be, or how he did what he did, but it had been reported that he had taken out a demon whose name caused Prue's breath to stick in her throat. The demon who had murdered Phoebe. And from what the only witness, a Whitelighter who had hidden during the encounter had said, it was not a slow *or* painless death.

And Prue hadn't known whether to be glad that her sister had been avenged and other innocents would not lose their lives......or furious that someone else had taken the pleasure of making that monster pay.

She had studied for days to find out as much information about the demon responsible for Phoebe's death as she could.....hoping to make him sorry, even though she knew she couldn't.

Vengeance simply was not the code that good witches lived by, and even if it were, the surviving two Halliwell's couldn't find a way to beat him that didn't require the power of three.

And in the end, gladness that the demon was dead had won out.

Leo had even postulated that the reason that the two sisters hadn't had to face any threats that needed the power of three and couldn't be substituted with anything else, like the demon who killed Phoebe, was because this mysterious saviour had gotten to the threats first.

Over time, as they had gotten back in the game, the rescue's had lessened in occurrence, but hadn't stopped completely. While they were relieved at the help, not knowing this persons agenda made Prue suspicious.

Piper was startled from her thoughts by Leo.

"Hey......are you okay?"

She nodded her head against his chest. "Yeah.....I'm just thinking. About...Phoebe and....whoever this guy is."

Leo rested his chin on the top of her head.

"I think.....that you need a longer break."

"Oh, really? Well, I would love a longer break, but I have so much to do around here for tonight."

"Would an extra pair of hands help? I mean, it's not like I haven't worked here before."

She looked up at him. "It would be a big help. Thank you."

"Anytime," he whispered, leaning down for a kiss.

Piper unlocked the door and they exited, returning to the bar.

When she heard her name called, Piper turned around to find one of her barmen, Chris, weaving his way through a small crowd to get to her.

"Piper, your sister's on the phone.....she sounds pretty wigged."

After sharing a worried look with Leo, Piper thanked Chris and hurried to pick it up.

"Prue?"

"He's been here again......he left more flowers."

She sounded really agitated, and Piper struggled to figure out what she meant. "Prue -- you're not making any sense, *who* left flowers?"

She heard Prue taking a deep breath, trying to compose herself. "I got off work early.....so I decided to......visit.....Phoebe. And when I got here, there were more flowers.....from *him.*"

Piper sighed. "Prue.....we don't even know it *is* Cole who's been leaving the flowers......we just *think* it is."

"Piper, we saw him at the funeral......and yet he hasn't been bothered to show up since......these are.......*were* Phoebe's favourite flowers. Who else would know that except for us or someone else who loved her."

"Okay, first off, you have to calm down. We don't know for sure it was him, and ......did you just say that Cole loved Phoebe?"

Even though she couldn't see it, Piper would bet anything that Prue was frowning on the other end of the line. "Hey.....just because I didn't like the guy and I ......*kind of*......wanted to vanquish him, doesn't mean I was blind. Even I could see what they meant to each other.....I just didn't like it."

Piper smiled gently. "Well......it may not have been him, Prue. Besides, if it *was* him.....where has he been for the last year?"

"Probably running for his life," Prue muttered under her breath. She raised her voice. "I don't know......but I wish we knew whether or not he'd turned evil again."

"We haven't heard any reports," Piper reminded.

"Yeah, but we also haven't had any reports to the contrary. Look, I don't even know why I called you......I just....it really bugs me when he does this, and he doesn't even have the decency to show up."

"I know, honey. And you know you can call me.....whenever or for whatever. Okay?"

When Prue spoke, Piper could hear the smile in her voice. "Yeah. Thanks. I love you."

"Love you too," Piper said back, not suprised that Prue would add the words that had once been too hard for her. As she kept reminding herself, Phoebe's death had changed a lot of things. She replaced the receiver, turning to Leo.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah.....more flowers turned up at Phoebe's........for Phoebe," she substituted. "And Prue was a little freaked out."

"She still thinks it's Cole?"

"Yeah," Piper sighed.

"She might be right, Piper," Leo said quietly.

"I know......but if it *is* him, where has he been for the last year?"

Leo shrugged. "If anything ever happened to you like that, then I'd be inconsolable......plus Cole had bounty hunters to worry about.....Phoebe made the risk worth while. When she died......maybe he just went into hiding."

"Yeah, and maybe he turned," Piper suggested.

When Leo didn't answer she added, "you don't think he did, do you?"

He shrugged again. "It's hard to say.......but.....I got the impression that when he started doing good for Phoebe.....that he began to....I don't know, enjoy it?

He started to *want* to do the right thing, and not just for Phoebe's sake. But because it was right. I don't think he'd want to dishonour her memory in that way."

Piper sighed again. "Either way, we have other things that need our attention. Like this unknown guy with the knight in shining armour complex."

Leo put an arm around her shoulders. "Let's get you through work....and we'll worry about everything else later, okay?"

She nodded, smiling slightly and thanking God that she'd found Leo.

**********