A few weeks later Leo was busy tidying up the sunroom when he came across an envelope buried in amongst the papers that were strewn about the table.  Still in his detective mode from his searches on the new baby he opened the envelope only to find a pink piece of paper.  Piper's hand writing neatly covered the entire front and back of the paper.  He stopped himself for a brief second then noticed it was addressed to "Baby".  He knew that it was not his business but proceeded to read the letter anyways. 

Dear Baby,

In a few short months you will join our family my sweet little girl.  I am your mother.  You are a dream come true.  I have been waiting for your arrival for over two years and after much heart ache you are coming.  Your room is ready, your clothes are bought, your sisters are prepared and your father is delirious.  I have written each of your sisters a letter prior to their births but I felt the need to write an extra special one to you.  You see you are a child that I fear will have a great burden to bare.  You are apart of destiny that your father, aunts and I do not know.  Much has been hidden from us.  You have two cousins that are to be born very close to you and together the three of you are going to be pushed into great challenges.  I want you to know that I love you.  I love you so very much and I never want anything bad to happen to you.  I also want you to know that you can do whatever you want with your life.  Our family comes with burdens that most never know exist and you are free to choose a life away from it.  I do not want anyone to pressure you into becoming something that you don't want to be.  Please listen, magic can be a great blessing but it can also cause more pain than one heart should have to handle.  Be sure it is the path you want before you take it.  I promise to protect you from those that want to harm you for as long as I can but soon you will be old enough to make that choice for yourself.  Make the decision that you want and stick to it.

I hope that you can enjoy life to its fullest and deepest pleasures.  Be yourself and don't pay attention to those that want to control you.  I will always love you and always be right by your side.  I love you angel. 

Love Always,

Your Mother

Leo pulled a chair out from the table and sat down reading the letter a second time.  He didn't know what to make of the letter.  His first thought was the Piper was giving their child permission to give her magic up, than she promised she would always be around which had always made him nervous and last the fact that she had never told him that she even wrote letters to the girls. He couldn't make up his mind what his feelings were.  One thing he knew for sure was that he would have to talk to Piper. 

"Leo," Piper called from the kitchen.  "Where are you?" 

"In the conservatory."  He answered rushing to put the letter back where he found it. 

"What do you have there?"  Piper said coming around the corner.  "Wait that's my letter.  You are reading my letter?"

"I'm sorry Piper I didn't know what it was."

"Leo it does say Dear Baby on it not Leo please read me."  Piper snatched the letter from his hands. 

"We need to talk about what you have said in there, Piper."  Leo said trying to take a step closer to Piper but with every step she moved back. 

"Talk about it, Leo?  This is none of your business.  I have done this with each of our children and we never 'Talked About It' before."

"Piper I am sorry that I read it but I am glad I did.  You have said an awful lot all on one page.  Why didn't you tell me that you were this worried about the baby?"  Leo didn't know what to say or do.  He felt horrible for invading in such a private matter but at the time he wondered if she was ever going to tell him about it or her feelings. 

"Leo, I always worry."

"But this …"  He started.

"This is different.  She is different."  Piper pointed to her stomach.  "We thought that Melinda was going to the next big force of good but she has nothing compared to this one.  I'm terrified Leo.  She is going to live her life for everyone else and not know what it means.  I don't want her to be forced to bare the weight of the world.  It's just not fair."

"I know its not but giving her permission to abandon her heritage, her destiny, Piper we cannot do that.  She needs to know who she is and accept it.  You did."  The moment the words were out of his mouth he knew he had said the wrong thing. 

"I did like Hell.  I never wanted to be a witch.  That was Phoebe's fault.  I have fought for the last 15 years for a normal life and I want my girls to know one.  This was pushed on me and although I have adapted and accepted my path there isn't a day that goes by that I think of what I may have missed out on."

"How can you say that?  We have everything.  Three soon to be four beautiful daughters, you run one of the most successful night clubs in town, and you have me.  Piper I don't know how much normal you can get."

She could tell that she had hurt Leo by saying that and he was right.  They did have everything that any one would ever want.  The problem was that they had so much that no one wanted.  Normal parents didn't have to worry about their child being stolen or killed by demons.  They didn't have to worry about their sisters or husbands being killed or one of their children slipping up at school and exposing them.  Life would have been so much easier if magic wasn't in their destiny.  "Leo I am sorry but I will never stop wanting a magic free life and I just want my children to know that if they want they can have one."

"That's just it Piper, they can't.  It's in their blood, their hearts, their dreams.  And whether you believe me or not, you did not choose this.  It chose you.  You are special, oh you are so special.  You have a compassion that world needs and the scary thing is they don't know that they need it.  Day after day, year after year you fight endlessly for world that doesn't know anything.  Why can't you embrace the fact that you are so much more than witch?"  Piper's anger seemed to lift and Leo moved quickly to her side.  She fell right into him and broke down. 

"Because Leo.  If I am so special why do I have to live each day praying that I will see the next and so afraid that I will leave my girls?  I want to see them grow, and develop and become the strong, important women I know they are.  I want to see them get married and see my grandchildren.  With magic in my life, in their lives, I just know that I won't."  Piper wept onto Leo's shirt.  She had never felt so defeated. 

"Piper, no mother can guarantee that she will be around to see every moment of her child's life.  Accidents happen, no one can predict them.  You just need to live life to its fullest entity and hope for the best.  Please just let go of your 'normal' ideas.  There isn't a fear you have said that every parent doesn't think about, maybe not demons but other evils in this world."  Leo gently rubbed Piper's back trying to calm her down. 

"I know Leo, I know.  I still want her to know that she can be so much more than a witch."  Leo nodded. 

"I do too.  What are you going to do about this letter than?"  Leo asked. 

"I am going to give it to her when she is old enough to understand and make the choice to accept her destiny.  We Halliwell women are strong and we never let family go.  She will make the right choice and I will be there to guide her through it."  She looked up into Leo's eyes.  He was right, if there was no magic he would not be in her life and she could not imagine that.  A wave of relief swept over Piper.  She knew that someway somehow everything would turn out just fine.