A/N: Thanks to orbing Punk, Piperleo4eva, sci fi fan, Piperhalliwell025, line100, Anarra and Piper15 for reviewing the last chapter. I know this update wasn't at all fast enough and I am so so so sorry for that. I haven't even finished writing it yet so I'm just hoping that I can do the end now!

Chapter 22

Leo orbed 'Up There' and found himself in front of the Council of Elders. To say he was angry at them would be a gross understatement; as far as it seemed to him, they were perfectly willing to let his wife, and possibly even his new baby, die. What he felt towards them couldn't even be put into words.

"What?" All civility he ever had for them was gone. The only reason he was there was because of Piper, and they knew it. He didn't see the point in pleasantries just then. His face and his mind were a jumble. He felt such complete devastation that it was hard for him to keep a handle on anything. He wanted to show the Elders exactly how he felt, to try and make them understand. But he knew that the Elders didn't 'do' emotions. For that, he didn't want to give them whatever sick satisfaction they got from seeing im get hurt.

The Elders spoke as one voice, a single entity. If one began to talk, another would easily carry on, and another from that. Despite this, or, perhaps, because of it, what they said flowed easily.

"Piper Halliwell. Witch. Charmed One. Mother. Sister...Wife. She will die tonight. She will die. Her baby will live. It will grow strong, healthy and powerful. But it will grow motherless. Unless you intervene. Leo Wyatt. Whitelighter. Father. Brother-in-law... Husband. Save her. Save your wife. Save your children's mother. Save your charge. Save the Charmed one. You save her and she will live."

Leo couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd wished for them to say this everyday since Piper was first injured. At last they'd seen sense and Leo felt hope. He began to orb away but he felt a pulling. It was strong almost to the point of being overwhelming. Soon the orbs stopped and he had not moved anywhere. Then realization dawned: He couldn't orb. He didn't understand, if he couldn't orb then how could he get to Piper? If he couldn't get to Piper how could he heal and save her?

"Don't try orbing Leo. It won't work. We will send you were you need to be. When the time is right, we will send you. "

Paige and Phoebe stood anxiously outside the operating theatre. Piper was being prepped for surgery and each sister was trying to deal with it as best they could. They both expected Leo to be back by now and couldn't understand why he wasn't. But there was nothing that either of them could do about it now. They had to trust that he was safe and doing all he could to save Piper. They knew he wouldn't let her go without a fight.

Time passed unnoticed to Phoebe and Paige. They remained outside the operating theatre, moving only to walk back and forth in front of the gray operating doors, thinking solely of their sister. The double doors burst open. Paige jumped up from where she'd been sitting on the floor, she moved towards Phoebe, who was somewhere between startled and worried out of her mind. A tiny bundle in a small glass tank was surrounded by three medical staff. One pushed the cot, another held a drip and ran along on one side, the third pushed a small monitor and ran along the other side. They moved as fast as they could without being a danger and didn't cast even a glance at the two sisters who clung to each other in the doorway.

"Phoebe why...why wasn't it making a noise?"

"What?"

"The baby. It wasn't crying then and we've been here all the time and it cry before. Babies cry when they're born why..."

"I...I don't know"

The doors were still swinging and they caught a glance inside. In each of their heads and hearts something screamed at them to go inside the room. The stepped inside the room and such commotion filled the space that they went unnoticed.

Piper lay on a trolley in the center of the room about seven doctors and nurses were focused on saving her. The blood was pouring out of a long horizontal slash across her stomach. It was everywhere, burning crimson into the eyes of all who were there. A nurse was fruitlessly trying to suction some of it away but the flow was relentless. The doctors were throwing anxious glances at screens dotted around the room, ordering more and more injections. Gradually the bleeding lessened before, finally, ceasing and a doctor stitched up the cut as a transfusion began. It was then that Paige and Phoebe, utterly overwhelmed by what they'd just witnessed, were noticed by a nurse.

"You're not supposed to be in here" she told them kindly but firmly "Let me take you to the Relatives' room."

Phoebe and Paige barely registered her presence. The beeping of Piper's monitor changed, dropping steadily before becoming a single steady tone that screamed in Paige's head, making her feel sick, causing tears to tumble down her face, and seared Phoebe's heart. The nurse was called over to Piper and once again Phoebe and Paige were unnoticed and transfixed on their sister; their dying sister.

The doctors pushed more fluids into Piper, the nurses performed CPR. But nothing worked. The same nurse that had been talking to them earlier flew to a corner of the room and brought over the paddles.

"Ready, charging, clear shocking!"

It was drilled over and over and Piper's body lurched upwards time after time. But the line remained flat, absolutely nothing would make it rise and fall again. The doctors could see no more options, they knew what they had to do and it pained them to do so. This woman had just had a baby; they knew she had another two at home and a family that loved her. This sort of thing shouldn't have to happen.

"All agreed?" The main doctor asked his team. They all nodded wearily "Time of death 23:17"

Upon hearing those words Phoebe and Paige couldn't keep it together anymore; they cried and shook and grieved. Holding onto each other in the center of the room they felt more pain than either thought possible. It wasn't that Phoebe and felt pain when Prue died but piper was...different for her. Piper looked after her when Prue died; she was always there for her. Piper to Phoebe was what Prue had been to Piper.

'Up There' Leo was growing increasingly agitated. He could feel what had happened and it was all he could do not to break down right there. He glared at The Elders.

"Are you happy now? She's gone and you let her! How could you let her" What he expressed to them was only a tiny proportion of what he was feeling. He couldn't understand why they weren't letting him do anything. They said that they would but they weren't. Slowly and utterly spontaneously he felt the familiar slightly giddy feeling that accompanied orbing, fill every part of his body and he saw the Council of Elders fade away.

When her rematerialized he knew exactly where he was. It was the same place he'd saved Piper's life before when she had Oroya fever almost seven years ago. Like that time, Piper's spirit moved towards him and he desperately wanted to hug her and tell her that it was all okay. But he couldn't, he didn't have the time.

She saw him and knew exactly what was going on. She wanted to talk, but didn't know what to say. Instead she put out her hands to his and he placed his on top of hers. A golden glow emitted from hiss palms and not a word was spoken; there was no need.

"I Love you" He told her as his hands stopped their glow and her spirit began to descend back to her body.

"I Love you...." Her voice lingered with him as her spirit moved out of his sight.
"...Leo" her voice was cracked and dry but that didn't matter. What mattered was that she'd said anything at all.

"Piper!" Phoebe couldn't believe it. She was sure that her sister had just spoken. "Oh my god Piper!!!" She was still crying but a different emotion was behind the tears now. Dragging a bewildered Paige with her, Phoebe rushed to her sister, startling the doctors.

The machine began a steady beeping again and Phoebe and Paige hugged their sister even though she remained lying down, as the doctors were astounded. Piper was exhausted. She could barely think but she was happy. She was alive and she was happy. I didn't take long for realization to dawn, however and she knew something was wrong. She had a horrible feeling what it was and ran her hand across her stomach terrified at the conformation it brought her.

"Where's my baby?"

A/N: I need your help for the next part. Mainly because I don't really have a clue what's going to happen! I can't see their being many more chapters to be honest because I don't think that Piper can survive much more. However I also thought this at around chapter 14 and 8 chapters later I'm still writing so I can be persuaded to think otherwise!

Also about the baby: girl or boy? I'd always written it with the intention of it being a girl but I started this story before I'd seen any of series 6 so I'd totally understand if you want a boy. Just please let me know.

If you're reading Diaries I'm working on an update but I have writer's block with that fic at the moment

Also I posted a new story called 'Life Without You' it's a Piper/Leo AU and I'd be really really grateful if you read and reviewed it if you haven't already done so.

But first please review this and don't forget to say girl or boy and if you have any ideas of what should happen next.

Thanks a million!!!!