AN: OK, first of all I'd like to thank all of you for your wonderful reviews... seems like my lil speech about reviewing has helped and I hope every one of you will be reviewing regularly... I'll tank you each individually but first I want to point a few things out.
Someone pointed out that last chapter wasn't well explained, so I went and reread it and want to explain anything I didn't write enough on;
Leo and the rest spread a rumor that the files were stolen, and made sure Big Man heard about it (the cameras in Wyatt Investigations, they could have left some on, or in his house, maybe Piper's apartment.. lots of ways).
Big Man heard, and hurried to back to San Francisco taking Piper with him since he knows that Leo thinks she's staying in LA (she told him on the phone)
Leo had a record of every plane coming in from LA, and Darryl spread his officers around various airports in the area.
Big Man did NOT take the same plane as Piper, Junior, Dobbs and the rest, so he was not caught.
I think All these were mentioned in the chapter, but I really should have emphasized on that more. Let me know if you still don't get anything.
Another thing was the question... 'Is Piper pregnant?' Sorry, can't answer that, but you really should assume anything one way or another. Try not to be disappointed whichever way it is.
And now for the Thank You's;
nicole812us: Seems like people are reviewing again... and Big Man isn't caught, it's his son, Junior (Mark). I'm glad you understand that the story is not about fluff... thanx.
Lady Katreina: I know, some pop-up blockers block the review thing... (It took me a while to find one that doesn't, not just because of the review section, it blocks many sites too). I hope you'll get around it and review for the next chapters too... Thanx!
Phoebe: You reread the stories? That's the biggest compliment I could get. Thank you!!
naiya-isis: A new reader! Welcome to the fic, I hope you'll enjoy it... and really it's fine if you say you didn't like a chapter, but remember to say why, so I would know he future.
CrazyWomanLovesYou: Glad you liked it, a lil more fluff this chapter...
charmed-aussie: Again, can't tell you about the vomiting... Could be either. I personally tend to do that on planes (yeah, ewww, I know), and I find myself on planes a lot in my life. So I guess you'll just have to keep guessing...
carey: And again, can't tell. But thanks for reviewing!
CharmedAli: It's ok that you left the little massage for people about your fic... made me go and read one of yours. I'll see about shooting Big Man, after all he's not caught yet...
melodieeidolem: I know, I have lots of turns. But their all planed in my head... thanks for reviewing!
I-Cant-Think-Of-A-Name-Lol: Some more fluff in this chapter... and here is my update!
KC-Piper-fan: I'm glad you reviewed, and again the plane sickness was brought up... sorry, can't answer that. Thanks!
scullymulder1234 Here are more chapters! Thanks for reviewing.
muse-of-the-fairies: Yay! You loved it! Hope you'll love this one too...
Pruedence.Halliwell: It's ok, I don't mind you repeating the same review, It's just great to know you're reading... maybe some romance in this chapter, you'll have to wait and see.
piperleo4eva: Thanks, it's good to know I wasn't the only one suffering of the confusion about the declining reviews with every chapter... but this one got a lot, so I won't complain this time, and hopefully won't have to again any time soon. Also good to hear it's not just the fluff you are interested in, I'm trying hard to achieve that.
MAS: Yay! Another new reader.. (or a new reviewer, but both is great). You mentioned the planned out plot.. I assume that's a good thing? Some people like it when the story has many twists and turns, and this one is pretty much concentrated on the same thing. So let me know what you meant by that... and thanks!!
Angel1178: Here I am updating (pretty soon too) thanks for leaving a few words and letting me know you are reading!
Em: It's good to know you exist (tho I think you've been one of the regulars to update, but I'm not sure). Anyway, thank you!
OTHCharmedFreak: thank you! One question, there is another reviewer who has the same name as you (almost, it's OneTreeHillCharmedFreak), just wandering if there is any relation.
honestly-charmed: REALLY sorry you didn't like that last chapter... but you made me go and reread it and I don't like it much myself. I hope the lil summery I gave at the beginning was helpful, let me know if it wasn't. Thanks for reviewing!
psychokitty3: Bastard Major? Sounds just about right. I can think of many others, but prefer not to share (; Thanks for your review!
OneTreeHillCharmedFreak: Another pop up blocker problem... Hope you'll get it fixed and review more, but thanks bunches for that last review! Really appreciate it.
charmedangel429: Get married? Hmmm... Lol, thanks for reviewing.
HyPeR-PiPeR-312: Hey Marina, I'm Karina and it's good to know we both exist! I appreciate that you will be reviewing regularly now, it really means a lot to me.
foureverCharmed: Glad you liked the fluff... I'll try to squeeze some more in, just for you! (; Thanks for the review.
Well, I think I never babbled as much as this time, but I had to thank you all, I felt obliged to after you all so kindly reviewed. Here is the chapter............................................................................
Chapter 24
OoO Stay with me? OoO
Leo disappeared into the kitchen after sitting her down on the sofa.
Piper was resting her elbows on her knees, looking at both her hands as she twitched her fingers nervously.
She closed her eyes as she recalled the gun shots that filled the air whilst she was in that car.
The first bullet was released from Junior's people, and the cry of pain belonged to one of the officers.
The shots that followed that were fired from both side, and god knows how many more officers were hurt.
She sighed, feeling guilty deep down.
She knew it wasn't her fault, but it was hard to convince herself in that.
Her heart was still beating a little too fast from all that took place this last week, and her brain was too tired to try and put everything in place. It was all messed up, and the pieces of the great puzzle that were finding each other so nicely before everything went wrong were now falling apart, hiding behind the dark corners that were disappearing slowly before Big Man was introduced into her life...
Images were floating through her mind, and she only realized that she was drifting off into deep sleep when she heard Leo's voice above her.
When she opened her eyes to look up Leo had already sat down next to her.
"Here's the tea I promised you." He said with sympathy, handing her a warm mug with sweet aroma rising from it.
"Thanks." She said, and tasted the tea in her hands.
It was nice to feel the warm liquid taking over her insides after long days spent in the cold.
"You are tired. Why don't you call it a night and get some rest?" he offered after about two minutes, when her tea was already reaching the bottom of the mug.
"I'd love that." She said, setting the mug on the table in front of her, and got up just to hear the front door opening and two hysterical sisters bouncing into the house.
"Piper!!" One of them exclaimed, maybe both, Piper was too tired to notice.
But she was too happy to see her sisters to care.
"Oh honey..." Prue said as soon as her arms reached Piper, and she was pulled into a trio hug from both sides.
"Thank god... We were going out of out minds worried about you..." Phoebe said from the other side, the tears heard clearly in her voice.
"Let me look at you..." Prue said, pulling away and looking closely into Piper's face, which now had a small smile on.
"What did those fuckers do to you?" Prue asked.
"I'm ok, don't worry." Piper tried to assure her sisters.
They spent fifteen minutes sitting on the sofa snuggled close to each other, with Piper in the middle, the way they supported her for months after Luke and the baby were gone, the way they helped Phoebe move on after Cole, the way the did with Prue when she first tried to get pregnant and miscarried... The three of them had completely separated life, all so different, but always together when one was in trouble, they all suffer together.
"Maybe you girls should let Piper sleep some." Leo interrupted after half an hour, walking into the living room.
"Good Idea. You can stay with me or Phoebe tonight." Prue started.
"She can stay here if she wants." Leo offered, directing the question to Piper.
"Its ok guys, I'll just stay here tonight." She said, and her sisters didn't dispute.
Phoebe promised to come over at ten and Prue said she'll be there with her son Harry after she picked him up from school.
Leo led her to a room when he set up a bed for her, and after she took a shower and got rid of the filthy clothes she was wearing, she put on the nightgown she left at his place about two weeks ago after she spent the night.
He walked in right as she got under the covers, and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Let me know if you need anything, ok?"
Piper smiled, and nodded in response.
But as she saw him getting close to the door, almost out of the room, she couldn't stop the smile that faded, and felt a cold chill inside.
"Leo?" She called after him, hardly audible but heard perfectly in the empty house.
He immediately stopped and turned back to her.
"Yes?"
"Stay with me?" She asked in a whisper.
He didn't hesitate long and stripped off his jeans and sweater.
Piper closed her eyes and waited until she felt the bed shift, and soon enough a warm and was around her waist, pulling her closer.
She buried her face into his neck, and whispered;
"Thank you."
His other hand started stoking her long hair, and moments later he asked;
"Did they hit you?"
She stopped the breath she was taking for a moment.
Why did he have to bring any of it up?
"No. Only after he found that I called you. His son, that is. He was the one who cut us off." She whispered.
"He will go to hell. They all will. I promise you we'll find him, now that you know what he looks like."
"Ok." She mumbled.
He pulled her closer, if possible, but it still seemed like not close enough to her.
"You and your sisters are very close." He stated not long after.
Piper smiled.
"I know. We always were. We spent many years together."
"They were working as hard as any of us to try and find you." He continued.
"How did you know to locate the plane?" She asked, suddenly curious.
"I flipped tables upside down so that would be possible, we all did."
"And I'll forever be grateful for that."
He placed a kiss on her lips, brushing his lips against hers just for a few moments.
"Try to sleep Piper, I have a feeling you won't be able to do that much tomorrow."
"Ok." Piper obeyed, trying not to think about the last part of what he said, and found herself drifting off rather easily.
As tired as she's been, every time her eyes would close she would see images that she dared not to, and forgot what they were when she would open her eyes again.
And every time she shut them closed, she felt herself remembering something, and wanted to keep remembering, something told her that she should, but again after she opened her eyes she didn't remember a thing.
---OoO---
Leo shifter around bed and found her.
The feeling was more then amazing, he felt such relief when his arms where able to wrap around her again.
He looked over at the time, which said it was half past four in the morning, and yawned.
He knew he had to get up any minute now; there were hundreds of things that needed to be done in the next few days, and no time to waste.
He inhaled one more time the smell of his bed when she was in it, and started pulling himself off bed, doing his best not to wake her in the process.
She didn't, and he ran his hand through her hair one more brief time and headed for his office, grabbing some clothes on the way.
He spent the next three hours on the phone with various people, Darryl one of them.
"Piper said he was heading to San Francisco too last night, but he wasn't on the plane with them." Leo said, while tapping his pen on the paper where he was writing bulleted notes, not sure how would it help.
"Obviously. He probably had time to return to LA by now."
"Unless he's not there either, he could have gone anywhere." Leo stated, slipping from his third cup of coffee.
"Did anyone talk to the son yet?" Leo asked.
"No, I'm waiting for you to do it."
"Good. I want to be there in the first questioning. Make sure he doesn't have time to plan any answers."
"Don't worry, I wouldn't dream to start without you. You can really suck the juice out of them." Darryl said.
Leo smiled.
"I'll be there at ten. Is that ok? I don't want to leave Piper alone before her sisters come."
"That's just fine. But I'm thinking she might have to come with... but you can bring her over later today. How is she?"
"Asleep, unlike us night people."
"I mean yesterday, I didn't get to talk to her much, but she seemed pretty shaken."
"She is, but better then I expected. You know Piper, she's goanna be ok."
Just as he said that, he heard something from Piper's bedroom.
"Listen, you get on going with the other guys, leave Junior and Dobbs for when I come. I'll see you soon." He said, and put the phone down.
He got up, and walked back to the bedroom where Piper was sound asleep just a few hours ago.
"Piper?" He asked, unable to see her in the dark but hearing the muffled panting coming from her direction.
He turned the lights on, to find her sitting in bed, her fingers shaking as she tucked her hair behind her ears.
"Are you ok?" He asked, walking towards her and taking one of her hands, which now were hot and sweaty.
"Leo, I remember." She whispered.
"Remember what?" He asked.
"The files. I remember."