Leo hugged Piper close and let his power wash over her. He could feel her sadness, her anger, and her bitterness. They had been through so much together. They had faced death countless times. And yet that all paled in comparison to the task that lay ahead of them now.
Leo's power filled Piper, softening the pain she felt. She was right. He couldn't make her forget him. Nor would he even if he could. She was his wife. The mother of his child. He loved her more than his own life. She deserved her memories of him even if they couldn't be together any more.
Slowly he felt the pain she was feeling diminish. His power as an Elder was greater than anything he had experienced. Within seconds, her pain was just a pale memory. Her memories were intact. But her pain was nearly gone. He couldn't remove it all. There would always be that small reminder of the love they had shared. The love they still shared.
Leo didn't wait. When he had done all he could for his wife, he orbed her back to Earth. He couldn't risk a long goodbye. It might undo all that he had just done for her. And he didn't know if he had the strength to do it again. He would see her again sometime. He knew that. For now, that would have to sustain him.
"Leo," said Roland, walking over to him.
"Yes," said Leo, brushing a tear away. "I'm fine Roland. I'm going to be okay. Right now we have other matters that demand our attention. There's a lot that needs to be done. Many Elders died. They'll have to be replaced. We'll need to decide which Whitelighters should take their place."
"You were the right choice," said a man walking up to them. "We knew you would be."
"Founder," gasped Leo.
All of the surviving Elders and Whitelighters who had gathered instantly dropped to one knee, paying homage to this highest of all Whitelighters. One of the Founders. One of those who had created the Elder Council.
"Rise," said the Founder. "It is I who should be honoring you. Millennia ago when my brothers and sisters decided to create the Elder Council, we knew there would be great danger in store for them. Great obstacles and great hardships they must endure to protect and safeguard the innocents of the mortal realm. But there is much we did not foresee.
"You have faced the greatest challenge anyone has ever faced. Many have died facing that challenge. But you all survive. Things have changed. As they must always change. And Leo is right. A new Elder Council must be chosen. The evil that plagues the mortal realm still exists. They will need your strength and guidance to face that challenge."
"Founder," Leo said, "have you come to select the new Elder Council?"
"No," the Founder replied. "We have decided that you are right, Leo. Those Elders that survive must choose the successors for those who have perished. They are better qualified to decide who has earned the right to take their place as an Elder. Who will be best suited for that task. The Founders are not going to interfere in that decision."
The Founder paused for a moment.
"With one notable exception," he continued. "Grendor passed his power on to you, Leo. He knew you would need that power to combat the Titans. To defeat them. Only an Elder can enter the sacred vault. To provide the power needed to defeat their evil for all time. His faith in you was well placed.
"You assumed the powers and position of an Elder even though the sacrifice to yourself was great. A sacrifice that no one should be forced to make. And even though it caused you great pain to do so, you made that sacrifice willingly. Not only to save your family, but all of humanity.
"The Founders have decided that as your reward, you will remain an Elder. It is the only choice we will have a say in. You have done a service to the Elders, the Whitelighters, and to humanity that can never truly be repaid. And you have sacrificed a great deal for that service.
"It is our decision that Leo Wyatt will be the head of the new Elders Council. To help rebuild what has been destroyed by the Titans. Humanity will be at a great disadvantage until order can be restored. We believe that Leo is the right choice to lead those who will begin the rebuilding."
All of the gathered Elders and Whitelighters bowed to the Founder. Their word was law. It was rarely open to debate. Once they had made a decision, it was not questioned, it was only obeyed.
"Founder," Leo said, "head of the Council? I don't have that right. I've accepted that I'm now an Elder. But there are others better qualified to lead than I."
"You've more than earned that right," the Founder said. "And more than that, you have what will be necessary to lead the new Council. Most of the Elders had served for a very long time. They no longer remember clearly what it was like to be human. The myriad choices even normal mortals much make each day in simple day-to-day living.
"You've lived among them, Leo. You married a human. You understand, even better than most Whitelighters, what it means to be human. That understanding will be needed in the weeks and months to come. Even most Whitelighters do not have the understanding of humans that you have."
"But head of the Council," repeated Leo. "It's a great responsibility."
"So is being the Whitelighter of the Charmed Ones," said the Founder. "A responsibility that you have discharged admirably. Your protests fall on deaf ears, Leo. The decision has been made."
"Yes, Founder," Leo said, bowing slightly. "I'll try to justify your faith in me."
"You've already done that," the Founder said. "It was the main reason we agreed to your marriage to Piper."
"You?" Leo questioned. "But the Elders changed their minds after the Charmed Ones saved them."
"Even after all that they had done for the Elders," the Founder said, "most were unwilling to reconsider. We, however, were not. We simply informed them that it was our desire that any objections they had to your marriage should remain unspoken. Of course, they obeyed. They were the Elders. We are the Founders."
"Yes, of course," Leo said. "Thank you for that."
"A proper reward for all that you, and they, have done," the Founder said. "I must be going now. Lead well, Leo Wyatt. You have a chance to build a new era for the Elders. We know you will do your best. And we are confident you are more than adequate to the challenges ahead."
Before Leo could speak, the Founder orbed away. He knew there would be little contact with them in the future. Unless the situation warranted it. It was the way of the Founders. They concerned themselves with higher matters, leaving the day-to-day decisions to the Elders. But he would see them again. He knew that. Just as he knew he would one day see Piper again. With mixed feelings of joy and sadness, Leo turned to join his fellow Elders in the many decisions that lay ahead of them.
