"Oh my God," Piper breathed, taking a step back, absently wrapping her arms around her stomach. "I know I didn't do that," she said. Then, looking down at her stomach, she wondered, "Did you do that?"
She looked around, acertaining that she was alone. She was. There was no other explanation. It had to have been the baby.
"Your Daddy's not going to like this," Piper said nervously, reaching out for the plate. She had no idea how long the freeze would last, but she couldn't stop it herself. "Okay, baby, unfreeze it," she prodded. Nothing happened. "Come on, honey, unfreeze the plate for Mommy, please?"
She felt a twinge, and then the plate fell into her hands. Surprised, she nearly dropped it. Steadying it with both arms, she placed it gently into the sink, then hurried back around the kitchen table, leaning on it for support. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She needed to get away, go somewhere. She needed some time to think.
Piper went upstairs and started packing, but paused when her suitcase was half full, and sat down on the bed. "This isn't right," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She'd suddenly realized why this all seemed so familiar. She'd been preparing to do the exact same thing she'd done seven years ago, after Leo left. She'd been about to run away.
"But he's here now," she said, talking to both herself and her baby. "He's not going to leave again. He can't. He's mortal now. But then, I was supposed to be mortal now, too..." She sighed, and leaned back so she was lying down, her legs hanging over the edge of the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort things out, but she couldn't think clearly. Eventually, she fell asleep.
Piper woke up to the sound of Leo's pick-up truck pulling into the driveway. She quickly pulled a comb through her hair, then ran downstairs to tell him the news. She met him at the door, and ushered him inside, sitting him down on the couch.
"Honey, what is it?" he asked, laughing a little at her nervousness.
She sat down next to him, and started playing with his hands absently. Inhaling slowly, she began. "Um, well, there's something I have to tell you, and I hope you'll be happy about it... I'm pregnant."
It took a second for him to register what she'd just said, but when it did, his face broke into a big smile, and he pulled her onto his lap, hugging her tightly. "Of course I'm happy about it. This is wonderful."
She forced a smile, but she couldn't fully relax. There was something she still hadn't told him yet. "So you're really excited about having another baby?" she pressed.
He nodded, and kissed her. "I love you so much. I'm thrilled, really. This is just... wow. I can't wait to hold the baby. I wonder if it's a boy or girl."
"Girl," Piper replied, sounding so sure that Leo couldn't help looking at her questioningly. "The baby's a girl. She has to be. Because you're not a Whitelighter anymore, and magic only runs through the females in my line."
She paused, waiting anxiously for his reaction. She was almost afraid of what he'd say next. He noticed, and did his best to be reassuring. "Honey, are you telling me that our baby is...?"
Piper nodded. "Yeah. This morning, right after I found out I was pregnant, I was in the kitchen, cleaning up, doing normal things to try and clear my head, you know? I was kindof... I don't know, freaked, I guess, and my hands were shaking, and I dropped a plate, and it froze right before it hit the ground. She froze it."
He leaned back, his arms still around her. "How is that possible? You're not a witch anymore."
Piper nodded. "I was wondering that, myself. I've been thinking about it, though, and it kinda makes sense. When I left San Fransisco, I bound my powers, and Wyatt's. Since I was pregnant with Lin at the time, it bound her powers, too. It also bound Paige and Phoebe's powers automatically, because you can't take away one Charmed One's powers without taking away them all. But we never actually said the relinquishing spell, so technically our powers are still part of us, we just can't use them."
"...And you can still pass them on to the next generation," Leo finished, pulling her closer.
"Are you mad?" she asked, leaning against him.
He shook his head. "Of course not. You couldn't have known this would happen. Hey, we'll deal with this. I'm not sure how yet, but we'll figure it out."
Piper nodded, but suddenly started crying. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to calm herself. "It's just that I tried so hard to keep our kids away from magic, but it just isn't enough, and now it seems like we can't ever get away."
"So maybe we should stop trying," he mused, wiping a tear from her eye. "Maybe it's time we go back."
"Go back... to San Fransisco?" Piper questioned.
He nodded. "Why not? We've tried everything else. Maybe we can't protect our kids from this. Maybe it's time they learn who they are, what they'll become. I'm not saying we should go back permanently. Just for a litle while, to try and tie up loose ends."
"Maybe there's something in the Book of Shadows that'll help us end this, once and for all," Piper said hopefully. They'd left the Book behind when they'd moved to New York, and the elderly couple who was renting the manor from them didn't have a key to the attic. Piper knew that the only way to find out for sure was to go back.
"So are we going?" Leo asked.
Piper nodded, inhaling sharply. "Yeah," she said, "We're going."
She looked around, acertaining that she was alone. She was. There was no other explanation. It had to have been the baby.
"Your Daddy's not going to like this," Piper said nervously, reaching out for the plate. She had no idea how long the freeze would last, but she couldn't stop it herself. "Okay, baby, unfreeze it," she prodded. Nothing happened. "Come on, honey, unfreeze the plate for Mommy, please?"
She felt a twinge, and then the plate fell into her hands. Surprised, she nearly dropped it. Steadying it with both arms, she placed it gently into the sink, then hurried back around the kitchen table, leaning on it for support. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She needed to get away, go somewhere. She needed some time to think.
Piper went upstairs and started packing, but paused when her suitcase was half full, and sat down on the bed. "This isn't right," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. She'd suddenly realized why this all seemed so familiar. She'd been preparing to do the exact same thing she'd done seven years ago, after Leo left. She'd been about to run away.
"But he's here now," she said, talking to both herself and her baby. "He's not going to leave again. He can't. He's mortal now. But then, I was supposed to be mortal now, too..." She sighed, and leaned back so she was lying down, her legs hanging over the edge of the bed. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to sort things out, but she couldn't think clearly. Eventually, she fell asleep.
Piper woke up to the sound of Leo's pick-up truck pulling into the driveway. She quickly pulled a comb through her hair, then ran downstairs to tell him the news. She met him at the door, and ushered him inside, sitting him down on the couch.
"Honey, what is it?" he asked, laughing a little at her nervousness.
She sat down next to him, and started playing with his hands absently. Inhaling slowly, she began. "Um, well, there's something I have to tell you, and I hope you'll be happy about it... I'm pregnant."
It took a second for him to register what she'd just said, but when it did, his face broke into a big smile, and he pulled her onto his lap, hugging her tightly. "Of course I'm happy about it. This is wonderful."
She forced a smile, but she couldn't fully relax. There was something she still hadn't told him yet. "So you're really excited about having another baby?" she pressed.
He nodded, and kissed her. "I love you so much. I'm thrilled, really. This is just... wow. I can't wait to hold the baby. I wonder if it's a boy or girl."
"Girl," Piper replied, sounding so sure that Leo couldn't help looking at her questioningly. "The baby's a girl. She has to be. Because you're not a Whitelighter anymore, and magic only runs through the females in my line."
She paused, waiting anxiously for his reaction. She was almost afraid of what he'd say next. He noticed, and did his best to be reassuring. "Honey, are you telling me that our baby is...?"
Piper nodded. "Yeah. This morning, right after I found out I was pregnant, I was in the kitchen, cleaning up, doing normal things to try and clear my head, you know? I was kindof... I don't know, freaked, I guess, and my hands were shaking, and I dropped a plate, and it froze right before it hit the ground. She froze it."
He leaned back, his arms still around her. "How is that possible? You're not a witch anymore."
Piper nodded. "I was wondering that, myself. I've been thinking about it, though, and it kinda makes sense. When I left San Fransisco, I bound my powers, and Wyatt's. Since I was pregnant with Lin at the time, it bound her powers, too. It also bound Paige and Phoebe's powers automatically, because you can't take away one Charmed One's powers without taking away them all. But we never actually said the relinquishing spell, so technically our powers are still part of us, we just can't use them."
"...And you can still pass them on to the next generation," Leo finished, pulling her closer.
"Are you mad?" she asked, leaning against him.
He shook his head. "Of course not. You couldn't have known this would happen. Hey, we'll deal with this. I'm not sure how yet, but we'll figure it out."
Piper nodded, but suddenly started crying. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to calm herself. "It's just that I tried so hard to keep our kids away from magic, but it just isn't enough, and now it seems like we can't ever get away."
"So maybe we should stop trying," he mused, wiping a tear from her eye. "Maybe it's time we go back."
"Go back... to San Fransisco?" Piper questioned.
He nodded. "Why not? We've tried everything else. Maybe we can't protect our kids from this. Maybe it's time they learn who they are, what they'll become. I'm not saying we should go back permanently. Just for a litle while, to try and tie up loose ends."
"Maybe there's something in the Book of Shadows that'll help us end this, once and for all," Piper said hopefully. They'd left the Book behind when they'd moved to New York, and the elderly couple who was renting the manor from them didn't have a key to the attic. Piper knew that the only way to find out for sure was to go back.
"So are we going?" Leo asked.
Piper nodded, inhaling sharply. "Yeah," she said, "We're going."
