AN: First of all, thanks to everyone for reviewing, it means a lot. Here are answers to some questions that were raised;
Maggie knew how to find Piper just because the town is so small, and even a four year old (let a alone a smart seven year old) can easily get around. Everyone knows if someone new movies in (especially if they own the club it town), and where did they move into. Oh, and Piper didn't know Maggie even existed until she actually met the girl. Some of you tried to predict some more, but I think none of you really got it correct. In this chapter the first 'spoilers' I gave you last chapter (if you can't wait you can go back and check... lol) will happen, and I think you guys are out for a surprise.
Chapter 7
OoO Cold River Water OoO
"So what's going on between you and the sheriff?"
Piper turned around with surprise when someone came up behind her with a question.
It was Mar.
"Umm... well, you know..." Piper tried.
"Of course I know, all town does." Mar said, and giggled.
She didn't look even slightly upset. On the contrary, in fact.
It was a Saturday night again, and P3 celebrated a week from its opening. So far the coming in money didn't even begin to cover what they were spending, but starting Sunday the prices that were low due to the fact that the club was just opening, were going to raise and settle at their disserved price.
But what Piper came to realized that every day she was waiting for it to be night.
That was when the donut always came, sometimes looking tired from his long day working, but mostly ready for a long night with Piper, not necessarily of just sex.
She's decided to let him tell her about Maggie himself, but he hasn't even brought her up yet, which was getting suspiciously wired.
Why didn't he want her to meet his daughter? Did he think Piper wasn't enough of a 'friend' to meet her? Maggie, on the other hand, has come to visit yet another time on Friday, this time staying for a bit longer.
"Anyway, I'm glad you two are having fun, and I wanted to thank you too. Maybe now my mother will get off my back about marrying him." Mar brought her back to reality.
"Maybe. But if she's anything like Keren Wyatt, I don't know if you should get your hopes too high." Piper said, remembering the little conversations she's had with Keren during the week, none of them very friendly.
Mar smiled, and left back to her table where she's been spending her time with a guy looking no older then a teenager. But then, she looked like one too, so it all fit well. Harriet and Keren needed to look what Mar was doing, not Leo.
That was when she felt something wet tickling her where her neck connected with her shoulder, and couldn't help but smile.
She swung herself around and found the sheriff there, already catching her around her waist.
She looked at the time, and it was well over eleven pm.
"Well, town boy, you are late tonight." She said.
"Better late then never. I had to take care of a few drunken kids across town."
"Excuses excuses..." Piper teased, and leaned in to hug Leo.
She never got close to someone that fast, but on some level she still felt like his sex partner, and not much more. Why else would he keep Maggie in secret? It was time to come clean.
"I guess you have some responsibilities at home, so I understand." Piper said, suddenly turning the conversation serious.
---OoO---
Of course he has responsibilities; it starts with Maggie and ends with Maggie. Wait...
"Wait, what?" He asked. Piper didn't know about Maggie.
She looked like she was waiting for him to say something.
"Well, yeah, even in this town a head sheriff is a hard job." He tried, but could see that she was expecting something else. She obviously knew.
"Look, I didn't tell you about Maggie because..." Why DIDN'T I tell her about Maggie?
She was still waiting for an answer.
"I guess I was just being protective, I don't usually tell about her to everyone."
He expected her to be upset, but she smiled.
"She's a great girl."
"You've met her?"
"Of course I have. A while ago, actually. Come on Leo, you know you can't get things like that around me."
"Maggie came to you." Leo knew Piper well, but his daughter he knew even better.
"Yeah, that too." She admitted. "She's smart, very much like her father. She defiantly got her looks from him."
"She actually looks a lot like her mother." Leo said automatically.
Piper nodded.
"Did Maggie tell you about her too?" Of course she did, it's Maggie.
Piper nodded.
"I hope you're not upset. I was going to tell you at some point..." He knew it sounded lame. He should have told her long ago.
"Nah, I understand." She wasn't very convincing, but Leo knew better then to mess with a good thing. So he spent the rest of the night helping her with the busy Lustville citizens, until the place cleared up and he stayed to enjoy some dry red wine with her and some music to add to the romantic feeling.
---OoO---
She sat and stared at Leo, wandering.
"What?" He said after slipping the last of the wine in his glass.
The aroma and general feeling was nice, but Piper wasn't sure what they were really doing.
"I don't know. I wonder." She said. Were they a couple now? Just like that, hardly knowing each other? But then, how much did you really need to know about one another to be 'together'?
"Do share." He encouraged.
"What do you see me as?" She asked instead.
"Well, right now, I see a VERY attractive woman; you just eat me alive by sitting there and looking so tired and irresistible..." He was teasing her, trying to sound like an English officer out of a sixties movie.
She wasn't very amused.
"I mean it Leo. What are we doing?"
He stared at her.
"Having fun." He said.
She stirred and put her wine away. He was right, they were just having 'fun', she didn't know what else she expected him to say, but she wasn't in the mood of 'fun' anymore.
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked.
She got up, and turned the music off.
"No. It's late, we should get on going." She said. She wasn't angry or upset, just not in the mood anymore.
He didn't argue much, and took her home.
She could see he was confused about her sudden change of moods, and she wasn't sure herself, but something about just 'having fun' didn't sound right. Like there had to be more... but then again, she was the one who decided not to get serious with the sheriff, so why did she feel like there should be more?
When she was about to enter their house, she heard giggling noises from the back yard and went over there without walking into the house.
There, not far from the running water in their back yard, were her two sisters, each cuddled in a blanket, talking away.
"Hello, night girl." Phoebe said when Piper walked into the scene.
"Hey." Piper greeted, and snuggled into the third chair.
"You're early today, and no sheriff with you? That's new." Paige teased.
"Did something happen?" Phoebe asked, probably noticing Piper's not so amused expression.
"Nah, not really. Just tired."
The three set out there for a while, talking about small things like they always do.
"I don't think Robert is right for you." Paige said.
"I agree. He is too much like your latest fling, the one you almost got into jail for..." Piper said, remembering one of the reasons they moved to Lustville.
"Hello! Rob is an officer; he can't go against the law. He's clean." Phoebe insisted.
"At first, they all are..." Paige said.
"Did you see that??" Phoebe suddenly said, looking across the river.
Piper turned to look, but it was dark and nothing could be seen.
"What are you talking about?" Paige asked, but gasped right away. "I saw! Oh my god, there is someone there!"
"Relax, I don't think anyone lives in that house across the river, you've probably just seen a fox or something." Piper said, still not seeing anything. But then, she did see something move... though that was probably just her imagination.
"No Piper, I saw someone, and the light from here was reflected on something... like a camera, or binoculars, or something like that. THERE!" Phoebe jumped to her feet, pointing straight across the river.
"I see it! Someone is spying on us!" Paige exclaimed, jumping to her feet herself.
Piper still wasn't convinced she saw anything, and even if there was someone there... what could they possibly want to spy on?
She got up, and tried to see something, but no one was there.
"No one's there." She stated.
"Oh yes, I saw it." Phoebe said.
"No." Piper said, a little annoyed.
"Please go check." Paige suddenly pleaded to Piper.
"What? Why me?"
"Because! Oh, please Piper, please please please... I swear I won't ask anything of you ever again!" Phoebe begged.
"Alright! Fine. But if someone kills me, you don't get any of my clothes. Neither of you." Piper said, and headed towards the river.
Glancing at her two sisters who were now standing very close to each other, Piper crossed the old bridge to the other side, and started trying to make out anything.
She was about to go back when she heard something move, and she started walking to that direction.
After a few minutes of walking slowly along the river, Piper stopped, and took a last look around.
She couldn't see their back yard from there due to the huge tree blocking her vision to it.
Cursing under her breath, she tightened her sweatshirt around her and made a note to herself; 'Kill sisters'.
And when she started moving back to the direction of the old bridge, she could have sworn that she heard something behind her, and turned quickly to see.
Nothing, there is no one here, just turn around and go ba... OH MY GOD!
Someone from behind her had pushed her hard, and Piper stumbled right to the edge of the river, rolling on the ground for less then a second before she felt the cold deadly touch of the river water.
She felt something collide with her head and remembered up swim up.
Piper gave all her energy to trying and taking in as much air as she could, and tried to cry for help, but all she herself could hear was the sound of rushing water which had sounded nothing like it did from the back yard with Leo a couple of days ago. And this time, the rushing water was taking her for a ride with it.
Many times she attempted to hang on to the big old roots sticking out from the ground, and only after about ten of them both her hands managed to grab one of the roots, and with her arms she started pulling herself up, gasping for breath, fighting the water which was still trying to take away her lower body.
And then finally, she was out.
She crawled on her hands and knees as far as she could away from the edge - which wasn't very far, because after a few feet she collapsed down.
Stay awake... breathe... oh, just stay awake... awake...
But as hard as she tried to force herself not to close her eyes, they were shut within seconds, and Piper gave in to the suiting darkness.
---OoO---
Something kept ringing, and he desperately wanted it to stop.
It didn't, so he pulled himself up and found the cell in his pants on the floor.
"What?" He said, when he finally reached it.
"Leo? It's Rob; you need to come down to the Halliwell's place."
Leo rubbed his temples and ran his hand through his hair.
The Halliwell place... that's where Piper is. It took him brain a few moments to understand things said to him in these early hours of the morning.
"Why? What happened?" Leo asked, not sure what answer to expect.
"Someone shoved Piper into the river. I'm on my way right now; you get here fast." Rob said, and the line went dead.
That he understood very quickly.
"Fuck." He said to his empty room, and started fighting his way into his pants and shirt.
AN: Muahahahaha... lol. I bet many of you are guessing who shoved her in, but let's just say that you needn't hurry and assume the obvious answer, because it's not. Review please.