~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There you are
Wild and free
Reaching out
Like you needed me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo was in the hospital breakroom, about to go home after doing an extra shift, when his cell phone rang.
"Hello?" he answered, half expecting it to be a patient.
"Leo.. it's me. Piper."
He bolted upright, surprised but not unpleasantly. "Hi. I've been hoping to hear from you."
"Really?" she asked, sounding shocked. "Why didn't you ever call?"
He sighed. "I don't know. You were with Dan, and I just... I didn't want bug you."
"I'm still with Dan," she said, "But I was wondering... Could you come over for lunch or something? I know it sounds stupid and trite and there's a million reasons why this won't work, but I really do want to be your friend. I still care about you." She deliberately stopped short of saying "love", even though they both knew it was how she felt.
He paused, considering this. He didn't think he and Piper could ever be 'just friends', but on the other hand, any excuse to get close to her was a good one.
"Okay," he said finally. "I'll be right over."
-x-
Piper hung up the phone and turned to her sisters. "He's coming over for lunch."
"When?" Phoebe asked.
"Now." Piper replied.
Prue put an arm around her. "Do you want us to go?"
Piper shook her head. "I'd rather not be alone with him... just in case."
Prue nodded. "Okay. I'm going to take a shower, then."
She went upstairs. Piper followed a few minutes later. She went up to her room, trying to decide what to change into. After all, what was a girl supposed to wear for a lunch date with her ex?
It's not a date, she reminded herself, picking out a simple long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. By the time she was dressed and ready, her sisters were both downstairs waiting.
"I'm gonna go make sandwiches," Piper said. "Get the door if he comes?"
Phoebe nodded. She and Prue went into the sun room to wait. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Phoebe found Leo standing on the porch, and ushered him in.
"Piper's still cooking, but Prue's in here," she said, pulling him toward the sun room.
Prue got up to greet him. "Hi." she said. "Long time no see."
"How've you guys been?" he asked. They all sat down on the white wicker furniture.
"Pretty good," Phoebe answered. "Although Prue's probably felt better."
Leo looked at Prue, concerned. "What's she talking about? Are you sick?"
Prue smiled. "I'm not sick. Actually, I'm pregnant."
"Congratulations," he said, leaning over to hug her.
"Thanks," she replied, returning the embrace.
It was the kind of brother-sisterly exchange that they'd become used to while Leo had been dating Piper. Both the girls and Leo were glad to see that they fell right back into it now that he was trying to work out some sort of a relationship with their sister.
"We missed you." Phoebe told him.
"I missed you. All of you." Leo replied as Piper came into the room.
"Hi," she greeted him. "Lunch is ready. I made egg salad sandwiches, I hope that's okay."
"Whatever you made will be good," he replied, remembering all the times she'd cooked for him.
"Okay, then," she said, "Let's go eat."
The four of them proceeded into the kitchen, where a plate of perfectly cut triangular sandwiches was stacked on the counter.
"Wow, you didn't have to do all this." Leo said.
"Of course she did, Leo. She used to be a chef, anything she cooks has to be absolutely flawless." Prue remarked teasingly.
"Yeah, and I wonder who I got my perfectionist nature from..." Piper replied, pointing to her older sister behind Prue's back.
Leo and Phoebe laughed. Prue turned around, and Piper quickly tucked her hands in her pockets, looking innocent. Prue sent her a Look.
"So, dig in, everybody," Piper said.
The chatter during lunch was kept mostly to general, innocuos topics, such as Phoebe's classes, Prue's baby, Piper's club, and Leo's job. Dan's name never came up. Piper made sure of that.
After lunch, Prue and Phoebe offered to do the dished. Piper and Leo went into the conservatory to talk. At first, they stuck mainly to the harmless topics discussed at lunch. Piper's forthcoming neice or nephew seemed like a safe subject, so Leo brought it up to start with.
"I bet you're excited about becoming an aunt," he said.
She nodded. "Yeah. I can't wait until the baby gets here."
Leo noticed she hesitated. "What's wrong?"
Piper shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, exactly. I really am thrilled at being an aunt, and I'm so happy for Prue, but... I'm just surprised, that's all. Prue was always the responsible one, and not that this isn't a blessing, because believe me, it is, but out of all of us, she was the last one I would have expected to get pregnant by a guy she barely knew."
Leo nodded understandingly. "I have to admit, I was surprised when she told me. I haven't known her nearly as long as you have, but I do know her pretty well, and you're right, it does seem out of character for her. But she seems happy about it."
"She is," Piper replied. "We all are. I guess the shock just hasn't worn off yet, that's all."
Leo nodded, and they lapsed into silence. It was a few minutes before either of them approached the subject most difficult for them: Their own relationship.
"I'm not going to stop fighting for you, Piper," Leo began, "But I also want to be there for you in any way that I can, and if that means being your friend while you're still with someone else, then fine. I won't be happy about it, but I'll do it. It's better than losing you completely."
Piper nodded. "Thank you for that. I don't expect you to become 'one of the girls' or anything. You don't have to be my best friend if it hurts too much. I don't really know why I called you. All I know is that I don't want to lose you completely, either."
"So we have a chance?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm with Dan right now. I want to be with Dan right now." she said evasively. "The problem is," she continued after a pause, "I can't completely rule us out, either."
"So we have a chance?" he pressed.
She nodded. "Not now. But maybe... someday... yes."
He kissed her cheek. "That's all I wanted to know."
****************
A/N: Yes, this is setting up for something. But you'll just have to keep reading in order to find out what.
~from the song "The One" by the Backstreet Boys~
There you are
Wild and free
Reaching out
Like you needed me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Leo was in the hospital breakroom, about to go home after doing an extra shift, when his cell phone rang.
"Hello?" he answered, half expecting it to be a patient.
"Leo.. it's me. Piper."
He bolted upright, surprised but not unpleasantly. "Hi. I've been hoping to hear from you."
"Really?" she asked, sounding shocked. "Why didn't you ever call?"
He sighed. "I don't know. You were with Dan, and I just... I didn't want bug you."
"I'm still with Dan," she said, "But I was wondering... Could you come over for lunch or something? I know it sounds stupid and trite and there's a million reasons why this won't work, but I really do want to be your friend. I still care about you." She deliberately stopped short of saying "love", even though they both knew it was how she felt.
He paused, considering this. He didn't think he and Piper could ever be 'just friends', but on the other hand, any excuse to get close to her was a good one.
"Okay," he said finally. "I'll be right over."
-x-
Piper hung up the phone and turned to her sisters. "He's coming over for lunch."
"When?" Phoebe asked.
"Now." Piper replied.
Prue put an arm around her. "Do you want us to go?"
Piper shook her head. "I'd rather not be alone with him... just in case."
Prue nodded. "Okay. I'm going to take a shower, then."
She went upstairs. Piper followed a few minutes later. She went up to her room, trying to decide what to change into. After all, what was a girl supposed to wear for a lunch date with her ex?
It's not a date, she reminded herself, picking out a simple long-sleeved shirt and a pair of jeans. By the time she was dressed and ready, her sisters were both downstairs waiting.
"I'm gonna go make sandwiches," Piper said. "Get the door if he comes?"
Phoebe nodded. She and Prue went into the sun room to wait. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. Phoebe found Leo standing on the porch, and ushered him in.
"Piper's still cooking, but Prue's in here," she said, pulling him toward the sun room.
Prue got up to greet him. "Hi." she said. "Long time no see."
"How've you guys been?" he asked. They all sat down on the white wicker furniture.
"Pretty good," Phoebe answered. "Although Prue's probably felt better."
Leo looked at Prue, concerned. "What's she talking about? Are you sick?"
Prue smiled. "I'm not sick. Actually, I'm pregnant."
"Congratulations," he said, leaning over to hug her.
"Thanks," she replied, returning the embrace.
It was the kind of brother-sisterly exchange that they'd become used to while Leo had been dating Piper. Both the girls and Leo were glad to see that they fell right back into it now that he was trying to work out some sort of a relationship with their sister.
"We missed you." Phoebe told him.
"I missed you. All of you." Leo replied as Piper came into the room.
"Hi," she greeted him. "Lunch is ready. I made egg salad sandwiches, I hope that's okay."
"Whatever you made will be good," he replied, remembering all the times she'd cooked for him.
"Okay, then," she said, "Let's go eat."
The four of them proceeded into the kitchen, where a plate of perfectly cut triangular sandwiches was stacked on the counter.
"Wow, you didn't have to do all this." Leo said.
"Of course she did, Leo. She used to be a chef, anything she cooks has to be absolutely flawless." Prue remarked teasingly.
"Yeah, and I wonder who I got my perfectionist nature from..." Piper replied, pointing to her older sister behind Prue's back.
Leo and Phoebe laughed. Prue turned around, and Piper quickly tucked her hands in her pockets, looking innocent. Prue sent her a Look.
"So, dig in, everybody," Piper said.
The chatter during lunch was kept mostly to general, innocuos topics, such as Phoebe's classes, Prue's baby, Piper's club, and Leo's job. Dan's name never came up. Piper made sure of that.
After lunch, Prue and Phoebe offered to do the dished. Piper and Leo went into the conservatory to talk. At first, they stuck mainly to the harmless topics discussed at lunch. Piper's forthcoming neice or nephew seemed like a safe subject, so Leo brought it up to start with.
"I bet you're excited about becoming an aunt," he said.
She nodded. "Yeah. I can't wait until the baby gets here."
Leo noticed she hesitated. "What's wrong?"
Piper shook her head. "Nothing's wrong, exactly. I really am thrilled at being an aunt, and I'm so happy for Prue, but... I'm just surprised, that's all. Prue was always the responsible one, and not that this isn't a blessing, because believe me, it is, but out of all of us, she was the last one I would have expected to get pregnant by a guy she barely knew."
Leo nodded understandingly. "I have to admit, I was surprised when she told me. I haven't known her nearly as long as you have, but I do know her pretty well, and you're right, it does seem out of character for her. But she seems happy about it."
"She is," Piper replied. "We all are. I guess the shock just hasn't worn off yet, that's all."
Leo nodded, and they lapsed into silence. It was a few minutes before either of them approached the subject most difficult for them: Their own relationship.
"I'm not going to stop fighting for you, Piper," Leo began, "But I also want to be there for you in any way that I can, and if that means being your friend while you're still with someone else, then fine. I won't be happy about it, but I'll do it. It's better than losing you completely."
Piper nodded. "Thank you for that. I don't expect you to become 'one of the girls' or anything. You don't have to be my best friend if it hurts too much. I don't really know why I called you. All I know is that I don't want to lose you completely, either."
"So we have a chance?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm with Dan right now. I want to be with Dan right now." she said evasively. "The problem is," she continued after a pause, "I can't completely rule us out, either."
"So we have a chance?" he pressed.
She nodded. "Not now. But maybe... someday... yes."
He kissed her cheek. "That's all I wanted to know."
****************
A/N: Yes, this is setting up for something. But you'll just have to keep reading in order to find out what.
~from the song "The One" by the Backstreet Boys~