~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
How many lovers must stay
To put up with this shit day after day
And how do we wind up this way
Watching our mouths for the words that we say
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next night, Piper invited Dan to Quake for a sort of welcome-to-the-neighborhood gathering. She tried to be as cheerful as possible, but she'd just had another fight with Leo that morning, so she was feeling quite upset. Nonetheless, she was determined that Dan and his neice, Jenny, have a good time. She had a feeling that she and Dan could be great friends, or possibly more, though she of course pushed that thought away.
She reserved the restaurant's largest table for them. It was a party of 9, with Piper, Prue and her date Allen, Phoebe and her date Rob, Darryl and Janna, and of course Dan and Jenny. One of the waitresses had unexpectedly called out, and so Piper was sometimes caught doing double-duty over the course of the night, but she devoted most of her time to the party.
By the end of the night, Dan and Jenny had plenty of new friends. The group left the restaurant together well after it had closed to the rest of the public. Only Piper stayed behind after that, to help clean up with the few employees she hadn't already sent home.
Once the other workers had left, and Piper was getting ready to go home herself, Leo showed up.
"I saw you with that guy." he began accusingly.
"Hello to you, too." Piper replied coolly.
"Who is he?" Leo demanded, keeping his voice low and even.
"Not that it's any of your business," Piper retorted, "but his name is Dan Gordon. He's a friend of mine, and he just moved in next door."
"Not any of my business?" Leo repeated. "Damnit, Piper, you're my girlfriend. I said I love you, and I swear I still do-"
"And I love you, damnit!" Piper shouted, tears burning her eyes. "So why the hell are we fighting again?"
Leo looked away. "Maybe Natalie was right." he muttered.
Piper heard him. "Natalie? You come in here yelling at me because I've made a new friend, and you're talking about us to freaking Natalie?"
He looked up sharply. "Well, I couldn't exactly talk to you, could I?"
"You could have tried." she countered. "I tried. Every time I brought up the subject, you suddenly got busy with something else and had to leave."
He put his hand up, trying to calm her. "Hey, I didn't bring it up with Natalie, okay? She was the one who approached me. A couple times, actually. The first one was when Prue was still in the hospital, a little less than a year ago. She said it was a bad idea for us to date then, she said it would distract me from my patients. I told her she was wrong, and she left it alone, until a few weeks ago. I should have told you. I'm sorry."
Piper sighed, and leaned against the bar. "So where do we go from here?"
"I don't know." he replied.
"I am so sick of fighting." she continued. "And lately, we just don't seem to be capable of anything else."
Suddenly their eyes met. They held the gaze, painful as it was, because neither wanted to say what they were thinking. Finally, they seemed to come to a silent agreement.
"You know I don't want to..." Leo began.
"What else can we...?" Piper's voice trailed off. Neither felt the need to finish their statement, because the other already knew.
"So this is it. This is good-bye." Leo said, his voice cracking.
Piper nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak; she felt she was going to burst into tears any minute now.
"I'll just.. I'll just go, now." Leo said. He gave Piper a quick kiss on the cheek, and left.
Piper stared out the window after him, until he was gone from sight. Then, she sat down on a stool, and cried.
****************
A/N: Please, please, please don't hate me! ::hides:: I swear this isn't the end. I just need to do the Dan thing for a while. And... yeah.
~from the song "Absolutely" by Nine Days~
How many lovers must stay
To put up with this shit day after day
And how do we wind up this way
Watching our mouths for the words that we say
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next night, Piper invited Dan to Quake for a sort of welcome-to-the-neighborhood gathering. She tried to be as cheerful as possible, but she'd just had another fight with Leo that morning, so she was feeling quite upset. Nonetheless, she was determined that Dan and his neice, Jenny, have a good time. She had a feeling that she and Dan could be great friends, or possibly more, though she of course pushed that thought away.
She reserved the restaurant's largest table for them. It was a party of 9, with Piper, Prue and her date Allen, Phoebe and her date Rob, Darryl and Janna, and of course Dan and Jenny. One of the waitresses had unexpectedly called out, and so Piper was sometimes caught doing double-duty over the course of the night, but she devoted most of her time to the party.
By the end of the night, Dan and Jenny had plenty of new friends. The group left the restaurant together well after it had closed to the rest of the public. Only Piper stayed behind after that, to help clean up with the few employees she hadn't already sent home.
Once the other workers had left, and Piper was getting ready to go home herself, Leo showed up.
"I saw you with that guy." he began accusingly.
"Hello to you, too." Piper replied coolly.
"Who is he?" Leo demanded, keeping his voice low and even.
"Not that it's any of your business," Piper retorted, "but his name is Dan Gordon. He's a friend of mine, and he just moved in next door."
"Not any of my business?" Leo repeated. "Damnit, Piper, you're my girlfriend. I said I love you, and I swear I still do-"
"And I love you, damnit!" Piper shouted, tears burning her eyes. "So why the hell are we fighting again?"
Leo looked away. "Maybe Natalie was right." he muttered.
Piper heard him. "Natalie? You come in here yelling at me because I've made a new friend, and you're talking about us to freaking Natalie?"
He looked up sharply. "Well, I couldn't exactly talk to you, could I?"
"You could have tried." she countered. "I tried. Every time I brought up the subject, you suddenly got busy with something else and had to leave."
He put his hand up, trying to calm her. "Hey, I didn't bring it up with Natalie, okay? She was the one who approached me. A couple times, actually. The first one was when Prue was still in the hospital, a little less than a year ago. She said it was a bad idea for us to date then, she said it would distract me from my patients. I told her she was wrong, and she left it alone, until a few weeks ago. I should have told you. I'm sorry."
Piper sighed, and leaned against the bar. "So where do we go from here?"
"I don't know." he replied.
"I am so sick of fighting." she continued. "And lately, we just don't seem to be capable of anything else."
Suddenly their eyes met. They held the gaze, painful as it was, because neither wanted to say what they were thinking. Finally, they seemed to come to a silent agreement.
"You know I don't want to..." Leo began.
"What else can we...?" Piper's voice trailed off. Neither felt the need to finish their statement, because the other already knew.
"So this is it. This is good-bye." Leo said, his voice cracking.
Piper nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak; she felt she was going to burst into tears any minute now.
"I'll just.. I'll just go, now." Leo said. He gave Piper a quick kiss on the cheek, and left.
Piper stared out the window after him, until he was gone from sight. Then, she sat down on a stool, and cried.
****************
A/N: Please, please, please don't hate me! ::hides:: I swear this isn't the end. I just need to do the Dan thing for a while. And... yeah.
~from the song "Absolutely" by Nine Days~