Over the next few months, Jared spent every spare minute with Piper. He made sure that neither of them faltered in school, and he even got a job to be able to help support her. Over time, her family started to warm up to him. Things weren't perfect, but they seemed to be getting better.
Seven months after their first family dinner, Piper gave birth to a baby girl. Everyone seemed elated as they stood around the hospital room, watching Jared and Piper hold their daughter for the first time.
"So, what are we going to call her?" Jared asked, beaming down at his girlfriend and the baby.
Piper was quiet for a minute. "You know, I never really thought about names. Maybe... What was the name of that ancestor that you always used to tell us about, Grams?"
"Melinda Warren," Penny answered, pleased that her granddaughter had remembered the family matriarch.
Piper considered this, looking down at the baby. "She doesn't really look like a Melinda. How about... Melanie?"
"Melanie," Jared repeated. He smiled, watching his daughter wave her little fist. "I like it. I think she does, too."
Piper grinned. "Okay, then. Melanie. Melanie Patrice, after Mom, if her father doesn't object."
Jared shook his head. "No argument here. I think it suits her."
"Good," Piper said, smiling down at little Melanie. "Now, who wants to hold her?"
"Oooh, me," Prue and Phoebe said at the same time.
"Age before beauty, girls," Penny insisted. She joyfully took the baby from Piper. "Awww, she's such a precious little thing," she exclaimed. Jared and Phoebe joined her in fawning over the child.
Prue, meanwhile, perched on the edge of Piper's bed. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
Piper sighed. "Happy. But at the same time, absolutely terrified. For so long, I looked forward to just holding her, but I never realized just how scary it would be."
Prue hugged her. "Don't worry, honey. You'll be fine."
Piper gave her a brief smile. "Thanks. I'll try not to worry. Right now, I'm just waiting for the whole 'maternal instinct' thing to kick in." Prue smiled at her, then went over to see the baby.
Three days later, Piper was still waiting. The nurse brought Melanie in, and then left Piper and the baby alone while the doctor was seeing to their discharge papers.
While Piper was packing, Melanie started to cry. "Hey, Mel, it's okay," Piper cooed, picking the baby up and rocking her gently. Still, she continued bawling. "What's wrong?" Piper asked her. "You were just fed, and you don't need a diaper change, so what is it?" Melanie, of course, gave no answer save for her frantic sobs.
After five minutes of pacing around the room with the baby in her arms, Piper still had no idea how to appease her. Finally, Jared came in and took over.
"Here, let me try," he said, and Piper gladly handed the baby over. Jared placed her against his chest, and gently patted her back until she produced a small burp. This immediately calmed her, and she snuggled up against her father happily.
"Oh, of course, the one thing I didn't think to try," said Piper, who by now was crying herself.
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself," Jared said, putting the baby back into her arms. "You're new at this, you'll get the hang of it."
Piper shook her head. "I don't think I will."
He rubbed her back. "You will," he promised. "You'll have to." There was a short pause. "Piper, there's something I've got to tell you. You know how you've been telling me that I need to figure out what I want to do with my life? Well, I think I have. I've gotten this great oppurtunity at an architectural design school out in Arizona, and I want you and Melanie to come with me. You can finish out high school down there, and we can use the money I've got saved up for Mel's day care. What do you think?"
She looked up sharply, her eyes wide with desperation. "Jared, you have to take her with you," she cried, thrusting the baby at him. "Please, it's the best thing for all of us. I'm not ready for this, as much as I tried to tell myself I am. I can't do it. I don't know anything about being a mother, and pretending I do would be unfair to Melanie. Please, Jared, just take her."
Unsure of how to react, Jared put Melanie down in the hospital bassinet and wrapped his arms around Piper, calming her down. "Hey, think about this. I know that you're scared, but-"
"It's not just fear talking," she interrupted. "And I have thought about it, Jared, it's all I've thought about. I just know that she'd be better off with you. I don't want to lose her, but I need to do this for her sake."
"I understand that," he said calmly, "But Piper, this is a big thing we're talking about. It involves the rest of your life, not to mention hers and mine. I just want you to be sure."
Piper nodded, choking back tears. She got up, and slowly, timidly, picked up her daughter. "I'm so sorry. I hope you'll forgive me for what I'm about to do, but I don't have a choice. Not if I want you to have a good life, and I do. I want that so much. I love you more than anything, sweetheart. I know you won't always believe that, but I do. I love you."
She placed the baby in Jared's arms, no longer able to keep from crying. "Take care of her," she said in a near-whisper.
He nodded, kissing her hand. "Piper, I-"
"No," she stopped him, not wanting to hear it. "Just go. Please, Jared, leave before I change my mind and end up destroying all of our lives."
Jared nodded slowly, for the first time realizing that he was really going to do this. Looking from his baby daughter to her distraught mother, he knew it was the right thing. He stood up, kissed Piper good-bye, and then, with Melanie in his arms, walked out the door.
Penny, Prue, and Phoebe came to take them home a few minutes later, and were surprised to find Piper alone in the room, crying. "I gave her up," she said simply, and went on to explain what had happened.
Penny put her arms around her, assuring her that she'd done the right thing. Prue and Phoebe were less convinced, but still tried to be supportive of their sister. They brought her home, and did everything they could to make her happy again. Piper never stopped missing or loving her daughter, but as time went on, she only became more convinced that she'd made the right decision. She never regretted it, even when the pain seemed unbreable, because she knew Melanie was better off. This, at least, brought her comfort.
****************
The End.
A/N: Don't forget to check out the next fic in this series, tentatively titled "Coming of Age", which will be centered around Melanie.
Seven months after their first family dinner, Piper gave birth to a baby girl. Everyone seemed elated as they stood around the hospital room, watching Jared and Piper hold their daughter for the first time.
"So, what are we going to call her?" Jared asked, beaming down at his girlfriend and the baby.
Piper was quiet for a minute. "You know, I never really thought about names. Maybe... What was the name of that ancestor that you always used to tell us about, Grams?"
"Melinda Warren," Penny answered, pleased that her granddaughter had remembered the family matriarch.
Piper considered this, looking down at the baby. "She doesn't really look like a Melinda. How about... Melanie?"
"Melanie," Jared repeated. He smiled, watching his daughter wave her little fist. "I like it. I think she does, too."
Piper grinned. "Okay, then. Melanie. Melanie Patrice, after Mom, if her father doesn't object."
Jared shook his head. "No argument here. I think it suits her."
"Good," Piper said, smiling down at little Melanie. "Now, who wants to hold her?"
"Oooh, me," Prue and Phoebe said at the same time.
"Age before beauty, girls," Penny insisted. She joyfully took the baby from Piper. "Awww, she's such a precious little thing," she exclaimed. Jared and Phoebe joined her in fawning over the child.
Prue, meanwhile, perched on the edge of Piper's bed. "How are you feeling, sweetheart?"
Piper sighed. "Happy. But at the same time, absolutely terrified. For so long, I looked forward to just holding her, but I never realized just how scary it would be."
Prue hugged her. "Don't worry, honey. You'll be fine."
Piper gave her a brief smile. "Thanks. I'll try not to worry. Right now, I'm just waiting for the whole 'maternal instinct' thing to kick in." Prue smiled at her, then went over to see the baby.
Three days later, Piper was still waiting. The nurse brought Melanie in, and then left Piper and the baby alone while the doctor was seeing to their discharge papers.
While Piper was packing, Melanie started to cry. "Hey, Mel, it's okay," Piper cooed, picking the baby up and rocking her gently. Still, she continued bawling. "What's wrong?" Piper asked her. "You were just fed, and you don't need a diaper change, so what is it?" Melanie, of course, gave no answer save for her frantic sobs.
After five minutes of pacing around the room with the baby in her arms, Piper still had no idea how to appease her. Finally, Jared came in and took over.
"Here, let me try," he said, and Piper gladly handed the baby over. Jared placed her against his chest, and gently patted her back until she produced a small burp. This immediately calmed her, and she snuggled up against her father happily.
"Oh, of course, the one thing I didn't think to try," said Piper, who by now was crying herself.
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself," Jared said, putting the baby back into her arms. "You're new at this, you'll get the hang of it."
Piper shook her head. "I don't think I will."
He rubbed her back. "You will," he promised. "You'll have to." There was a short pause. "Piper, there's something I've got to tell you. You know how you've been telling me that I need to figure out what I want to do with my life? Well, I think I have. I've gotten this great oppurtunity at an architectural design school out in Arizona, and I want you and Melanie to come with me. You can finish out high school down there, and we can use the money I've got saved up for Mel's day care. What do you think?"
She looked up sharply, her eyes wide with desperation. "Jared, you have to take her with you," she cried, thrusting the baby at him. "Please, it's the best thing for all of us. I'm not ready for this, as much as I tried to tell myself I am. I can't do it. I don't know anything about being a mother, and pretending I do would be unfair to Melanie. Please, Jared, just take her."
Unsure of how to react, Jared put Melanie down in the hospital bassinet and wrapped his arms around Piper, calming her down. "Hey, think about this. I know that you're scared, but-"
"It's not just fear talking," she interrupted. "And I have thought about it, Jared, it's all I've thought about. I just know that she'd be better off with you. I don't want to lose her, but I need to do this for her sake."
"I understand that," he said calmly, "But Piper, this is a big thing we're talking about. It involves the rest of your life, not to mention hers and mine. I just want you to be sure."
Piper nodded, choking back tears. She got up, and slowly, timidly, picked up her daughter. "I'm so sorry. I hope you'll forgive me for what I'm about to do, but I don't have a choice. Not if I want you to have a good life, and I do. I want that so much. I love you more than anything, sweetheart. I know you won't always believe that, but I do. I love you."
She placed the baby in Jared's arms, no longer able to keep from crying. "Take care of her," she said in a near-whisper.
He nodded, kissing her hand. "Piper, I-"
"No," she stopped him, not wanting to hear it. "Just go. Please, Jared, leave before I change my mind and end up destroying all of our lives."
Jared nodded slowly, for the first time realizing that he was really going to do this. Looking from his baby daughter to her distraught mother, he knew it was the right thing. He stood up, kissed Piper good-bye, and then, with Melanie in his arms, walked out the door.
Penny, Prue, and Phoebe came to take them home a few minutes later, and were surprised to find Piper alone in the room, crying. "I gave her up," she said simply, and went on to explain what had happened.
Penny put her arms around her, assuring her that she'd done the right thing. Prue and Phoebe were less convinced, but still tried to be supportive of their sister. They brought her home, and did everything they could to make her happy again. Piper never stopped missing or loving her daughter, but as time went on, she only became more convinced that she'd made the right decision. She never regretted it, even when the pain seemed unbreable, because she knew Melanie was better off. This, at least, brought her comfort.
****************
The End.
A/N: Don't forget to check out the next fic in this series, tentatively titled "Coming of Age", which will be centered around Melanie.