A/N- Yay! Fanfic didn't mess with my paragraphing! Lol. So no spaces
this time. Enjoy!
"Leo . . ." Piper said, repeating herself. She hadn't seen Leo is so long, if felt weird to see him now. He hadn't really changed much. For the most part, he was his old self. Part of that was probably because he hadn't aged one day. Piper quickly forced herself out of her daze. "What, uh, what are you doing here?"
"Chris. He told me what had happened," Leo responded, very monotone. "Why didn't you call for me?" he asked Piper, frowning just a bit.
Piper shrugged. "I didn't think of it," she lied. "It happened so suddenly."
Leo nodded but he didn't seem to believe her.
The room became very still and quiet. Piper glanced at Leo, then away. It was very awkward, seeing him again. She chewed her lip a little.
"Okay, well, you two need to catch up. I'll go check the Book, maybe find something to help us get Melinda back," Paige said suddenly. She slipped out of the room before anyone could stop her.
Piper stared at Leo again, then realized how rude she must seem. She stood up. "Do you want anything? Something to eat? Drink?" she asked. "Would you like to sit?" She nodded at the seats around the table.
"No, I'm fine. Besides, we have more important things to worry about and I can only stay down here for so long before I'm need Up There again," Leo replied. He studied Piper for a moment before speaking again. "Paige is right; we have a lot to catch up on and a lot to discuss. The first being Melinda."
Piper nodded. "We need to rescue her, Leo. She doesn't know about magic. She must be so scared! If Wyatt hurts her, I swear-"
"Calm down. We will. I doubt Wyatt will hurt her . . . he needs her to get to you and your sisters. And maybe that's a good thing. If he didn't need her as bait, he'd kill her."
Piper shuddered at the thought, trying not to cry or become hysterical. "But why? Why did he have to take her? She's just a little girl!" She cried.
Leo chewed his lip. He hesitated before stepping close to Piper and wrapping her in a comforting hug. Piper, much to Leo's surprise, welcomed the hug, sinking into him and using him as support to keep from falling to the ground. It felt so wonder, Piper realized, to be in his arms again. She looked up into his eyes; memories flooding through her of all the good times they had had together. Leo, too, felt overcome by emotion and memories. They stared at each other for a long time.
And then they kissed.
"So, nothing in the Book?" Phoebe asked Paige. Phoebe glanced up at Paige from the map of San Francisco that she had been using to scry for Melinda
"Nothing!" Paige complained. She flipped the pages of the Book once again, about the fourth time. "How can there be nothing?! There has to be something, right?"
Phoebe sighed, setting down the crystal and walking over to Paige. "I don't know, sweetie." She paused. "I couldn't find her anywhere in San Francisco. It's like she's dropped off the planet."
Paige slammed the Book shut. She walked over to the antique couch and flopped onto it. Phoebe joined her.
"So, what happened when Piper saw Leo?" Phoebe asked.
Paige glanced at her. "She was babbling."
Phoebe cringed. "Oh, that's not good . . ."
"Well I don't hear any yelling, so it can't be anything too horrible. I think," Paige commented.
They were silent for a moment. Then, Paige broke the silence, "Have you seen Chris? I haven't seen him since he came into Melinda's room and who knows when Leo saw him. It could have been hours ago. Time does run differently Up There."
"I don't know. He was pretty upset over Melinda. Maybe he's in his room."
Paige nodded a bit. "Just as long as he didn't go try and find Melinda. Going up against Wyatt unprotected would be like suicide."
Piper pulled away from Leo. She put a finger to her lips, still shocked at what had happened. Leo cleared his throat, looking away from Piper. There was a very awkward silence for a long time.
"Piper-"
"We should go see how Phoebe and Paige are doing," Piper blurted, interrupting Leo. Without waiting for him to answer, she strode out of the kitchen and made her way to the attic. She heard Leo following, but didn't look back. She quickened her pace as she emerged onto the second floor, then nearly ran into the attic. Leo came in a few paces behind.
Phoebe and Paige stood. They saw how flushed Piper looked and how distant Leo seemed. Something had happened between the two. Phoebe and Paige glanced at each other, silently agreeing to ask Piper after everything was over with.
"Leo, hey," Phoebe said, finally breaking the awkward silence.
"Hey, Phoebe, Paige," Leo replied gruffly, glancing at Piper once in awhile.
Piper ignored Leo as she watched her sisters. "Find anything useful?" she asked.
Paige shook her head sadly. "No. I didn't see anything in the Book and . . ." she hesitated.
"And?" Piper asked, tensing up.
"And I couldn't find her when I tried to scry for her," Phoebe replied in a low murmur.
Piper's heart pounded against her ribcage. "No. That's impossible, unless he took her to the Underworld. Did he take her to the Underworld? Would he??" Piper asked, panicked.
"Piper, stay calm, stay calm. It won't help anyone, especially Melinda, if you panic," Paige stated.
"How can I not panic?" Piper demanded to know. "Wyatt has Melinda and he's doing god knows what to her!"
Melinda was still tied up and gagged. She wasn't sure how long it had been. She wasn't even sure if it was morning yet, or even afternoon. She felt exhausted from lack of sleep; she had been afraid to close her eyes, afraid someone would come and hurt her or worse. She was starving, as well, because she hadn't had anything to eat since the day before. Her stomach growled noisily. She groaned, looking all around her for any means of escape. No one was around and if she could just get her ropes untied and get out . . . She tensed up, became still. Someone was coming, though she couldn't tell who or from where.
Wyatt stepped into the room. He glanced at Melinda, starring at her for a moment. Something was in his hands, and Melinda didn't even want to think about what. Wyatt moved closer to Melinda and kneeled in front of her. The items in his hands turned out to be a plate with some food – bread, some cheese, spaghetti noodles without sauce, and some deli turkey – and a fork.
He lowered her gag. Melinda said nothing. She stared at Wyatt as he cut off some cheese and turkey and slipped it onto the fork. He put the fork close to Melinda's mouth. Melinda clenched her jaw tightly closed, refusing to take the food.
Wyatt rolled his eyes, annoyed. "It isn't poisoned. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead."
Melinda still refused to eat it. She snubbed Wyatt, turning her face away.
Wyatt clenched his fist, stood, and threw the food at the wall.
"Fine. Don't eat. Starve, for all I care," he snarled. He turned to leave, but stopped mid-step. He had an idea. An idea that would not only get him his mother's powers, but also give him the satisfaction of breaking her heart and making her life not worth living. He turned and looked at Melinda, smirking.
"Leo . . ." Piper said, repeating herself. She hadn't seen Leo is so long, if felt weird to see him now. He hadn't really changed much. For the most part, he was his old self. Part of that was probably because he hadn't aged one day. Piper quickly forced herself out of her daze. "What, uh, what are you doing here?"
"Chris. He told me what had happened," Leo responded, very monotone. "Why didn't you call for me?" he asked Piper, frowning just a bit.
Piper shrugged. "I didn't think of it," she lied. "It happened so suddenly."
Leo nodded but he didn't seem to believe her.
The room became very still and quiet. Piper glanced at Leo, then away. It was very awkward, seeing him again. She chewed her lip a little.
"Okay, well, you two need to catch up. I'll go check the Book, maybe find something to help us get Melinda back," Paige said suddenly. She slipped out of the room before anyone could stop her.
Piper stared at Leo again, then realized how rude she must seem. She stood up. "Do you want anything? Something to eat? Drink?" she asked. "Would you like to sit?" She nodded at the seats around the table.
"No, I'm fine. Besides, we have more important things to worry about and I can only stay down here for so long before I'm need Up There again," Leo replied. He studied Piper for a moment before speaking again. "Paige is right; we have a lot to catch up on and a lot to discuss. The first being Melinda."
Piper nodded. "We need to rescue her, Leo. She doesn't know about magic. She must be so scared! If Wyatt hurts her, I swear-"
"Calm down. We will. I doubt Wyatt will hurt her . . . he needs her to get to you and your sisters. And maybe that's a good thing. If he didn't need her as bait, he'd kill her."
Piper shuddered at the thought, trying not to cry or become hysterical. "But why? Why did he have to take her? She's just a little girl!" She cried.
Leo chewed his lip. He hesitated before stepping close to Piper and wrapping her in a comforting hug. Piper, much to Leo's surprise, welcomed the hug, sinking into him and using him as support to keep from falling to the ground. It felt so wonder, Piper realized, to be in his arms again. She looked up into his eyes; memories flooding through her of all the good times they had had together. Leo, too, felt overcome by emotion and memories. They stared at each other for a long time.
And then they kissed.
"So, nothing in the Book?" Phoebe asked Paige. Phoebe glanced up at Paige from the map of San Francisco that she had been using to scry for Melinda
"Nothing!" Paige complained. She flipped the pages of the Book once again, about the fourth time. "How can there be nothing?! There has to be something, right?"
Phoebe sighed, setting down the crystal and walking over to Paige. "I don't know, sweetie." She paused. "I couldn't find her anywhere in San Francisco. It's like she's dropped off the planet."
Paige slammed the Book shut. She walked over to the antique couch and flopped onto it. Phoebe joined her.
"So, what happened when Piper saw Leo?" Phoebe asked.
Paige glanced at her. "She was babbling."
Phoebe cringed. "Oh, that's not good . . ."
"Well I don't hear any yelling, so it can't be anything too horrible. I think," Paige commented.
They were silent for a moment. Then, Paige broke the silence, "Have you seen Chris? I haven't seen him since he came into Melinda's room and who knows when Leo saw him. It could have been hours ago. Time does run differently Up There."
"I don't know. He was pretty upset over Melinda. Maybe he's in his room."
Paige nodded a bit. "Just as long as he didn't go try and find Melinda. Going up against Wyatt unprotected would be like suicide."
Piper pulled away from Leo. She put a finger to her lips, still shocked at what had happened. Leo cleared his throat, looking away from Piper. There was a very awkward silence for a long time.
"Piper-"
"We should go see how Phoebe and Paige are doing," Piper blurted, interrupting Leo. Without waiting for him to answer, she strode out of the kitchen and made her way to the attic. She heard Leo following, but didn't look back. She quickened her pace as she emerged onto the second floor, then nearly ran into the attic. Leo came in a few paces behind.
Phoebe and Paige stood. They saw how flushed Piper looked and how distant Leo seemed. Something had happened between the two. Phoebe and Paige glanced at each other, silently agreeing to ask Piper after everything was over with.
"Leo, hey," Phoebe said, finally breaking the awkward silence.
"Hey, Phoebe, Paige," Leo replied gruffly, glancing at Piper once in awhile.
Piper ignored Leo as she watched her sisters. "Find anything useful?" she asked.
Paige shook her head sadly. "No. I didn't see anything in the Book and . . ." she hesitated.
"And?" Piper asked, tensing up.
"And I couldn't find her when I tried to scry for her," Phoebe replied in a low murmur.
Piper's heart pounded against her ribcage. "No. That's impossible, unless he took her to the Underworld. Did he take her to the Underworld? Would he??" Piper asked, panicked.
"Piper, stay calm, stay calm. It won't help anyone, especially Melinda, if you panic," Paige stated.
"How can I not panic?" Piper demanded to know. "Wyatt has Melinda and he's doing god knows what to her!"
Melinda was still tied up and gagged. She wasn't sure how long it had been. She wasn't even sure if it was morning yet, or even afternoon. She felt exhausted from lack of sleep; she had been afraid to close her eyes, afraid someone would come and hurt her or worse. She was starving, as well, because she hadn't had anything to eat since the day before. Her stomach growled noisily. She groaned, looking all around her for any means of escape. No one was around and if she could just get her ropes untied and get out . . . She tensed up, became still. Someone was coming, though she couldn't tell who or from where.
Wyatt stepped into the room. He glanced at Melinda, starring at her for a moment. Something was in his hands, and Melinda didn't even want to think about what. Wyatt moved closer to Melinda and kneeled in front of her. The items in his hands turned out to be a plate with some food – bread, some cheese, spaghetti noodles without sauce, and some deli turkey – and a fork.
He lowered her gag. Melinda said nothing. She stared at Wyatt as he cut off some cheese and turkey and slipped it onto the fork. He put the fork close to Melinda's mouth. Melinda clenched her jaw tightly closed, refusing to take the food.
Wyatt rolled his eyes, annoyed. "It isn't poisoned. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead."
Melinda still refused to eat it. She snubbed Wyatt, turning her face away.
Wyatt clenched his fist, stood, and threw the food at the wall.
"Fine. Don't eat. Starve, for all I care," he snarled. He turned to leave, but stopped mid-step. He had an idea. An idea that would not only get him his mother's powers, but also give him the satisfaction of breaking her heart and making her life not worth living. He turned and looked at Melinda, smirking.