Chapter Two: Kidnapped

It was the perfect day for a trip to the park, Piper thought as she pushed Wyatt on a swing. She and Leo had been so busy taking care of two infant boys and running a popular nightclub and with the occasional demon vanquishing that they hardly had time for any fun anymore. Paige told the parents to take the afternoon off and that she would take care of the club and they would have nothing to worry about.

Leo was the one who thought the park would be a fun place to go. Wyatt enjoyed playing on the swings, going down the slides and running around, and with no children around, his parents did not have to worry about him using his powers. Chris, who had just turned a year old, like to be outside where he could look around. His big green eyes took everything in, and for Leo, it was another chance to spend time with his youngest son.

As Piper pushed Wyatt, she looked over at Leo who was walking Chris around the playground, showing him the sky and the grass and just about anything that would get Chris' attention. She thought to herself how lucky she was, how lucky her sons were to have a father who could come and spend as much time with them as he could.

After the little, or rather big, incident with Gideon, the other Elders had decided to strip Leo of his Elder status and demoted him to being a mere Whitelighter, the Charmed Ones his charges. Leo could have cared less, because it meant that he would be able to stay where he wanted: at home. And now that he was home, Piper began to realize how much she really missed him.

It had been hard when she had found out the truth about Chris, and his death, but it meant that she would only try harder for him to have a happy life full of love. She was more than willing to give him love and so was Leo, and with Leo there, her pain from older Chris' death was slowly fading. Her own heart was opening up and she was beginning to think she was ready to let Leo back in.

But she had already done that a long time ago, and over the year she and Leo had grown closer and neither of them wanted that to change. Leo was happy that Piper was letting him back into her life and that he was going to be able to spend time with his sons. He had been asked by Piper to move back into the Manor shortly after Chris' birth, and at that time, Leo thought it was just because Piper was going to want help with the boys. It wasn't until later that he realized it was because she wanted to try and give him another chance. Give them, another chance.

At this trip to the park, Piper and Leo looked like any other happy couple with their children. It was one of those random moments of normalness that Piper craved so badly. If only they had known that it was not going to last for much longer.

While Piper was busy watching Wyatt slide down slides, Leo was over by the trees, showing them to baby Chris. Leo didn't see the black orbs of the Darklighter, or his looming shadow as he walked toward them, his crossbow raised and aimed.

"One day, you'll be this big too," Leo said to Chris in a babyish voice, making him laugh.

As he turned to go back to the playground, Leo heard a twig snap and glanced behind him. Not seeing anything, Leo continued toward the playground and heard another twig snap. Shifting Chris' position on his side, Leo walked back into the wooded area of the park and fell to his knees as he felt something hit his shoulder.

It was a Darklighter arrow.

"Piper!" Leo shouted. He could feel his strength leaving him as the Darklighter moved closer. "Piper!"

Piper caught Wyatt at the bottom of the slide and stopped when she heard Leo call out her name. She knew the only reason he would do something like that would be because there was either a demon or a Darklighter. Her mind jumped to Chris and how Leo would not be able to protect him had some sort of demon attacked him. Grabbing Wyatt, she ran after Leo's voice as he called out for her.

Leo held onto Chris for dear life as the Darklighter came closer. He had no idea that the Darklighter would be there for his son. Many in the Underworld did not yet know that Charmed One's Elder had been demoted to Whitelighter and they still thought Leo a major target.

Trying to stand, Leo only fell back onto his knees, the pain from the Darklighter poison getting to him. Chris began to cry, not understanding what was happening. The baby gripped Leo's shirt and tears streamed down his face. Leo was almost about to give up when Piper came up behind him. Setting Wyatt down, she angrily made her way toward the Darklighter and threw out her hands, blowing up his crossbow.

"Get away from my family!" she shouted.

The Darklighter gazed down to where his crossbow would have been and his eyes narrowed as he looked back up at Piper. "That just happened to be my favorite crossbow."

"Well, you'll soon be joining it if you don't leave my family alone." Moving closer to Leo and Chris, Piper saw blood on Leo's shoulder and knew that he needed to get to a Whitelighter for healing fast.

Letting out a vexing sigh, the Darklighter knew that he did not have time to be fighting witches. He came there to take the youngest son and to leave, that was it. Barbas had said nothing about battling one of the Charmed Ones. It didn't matter that there was one, the Charmed Ones were feared individually. Knowing that he might face the same fate as his beloved crossbow, the Darklighter knew that he did not have much time to steal the child. Smirking, he black orbed out and reappeared behind Piper and made her believe that he was after Wyatt.

Turning, Piper threw out her hands as she saw him reach out for Wyatt, but took a step back, confused when he was no longer there and there was only a trail of black orbs.

"Too slow, Charmed One," the Darklighter said, taking a step and moving himself next to Leo. In one fluid movement, the Darklighter grabbed baby Chris and kicked Leo in the chest, forcing him back and to the ground and black orbed out of the park.

Piper was at Leo's side in a heartbeat, and Wyatt orbed over, but Chris was gone. Taking Leo into her arms, Piper called out for Paige, hoping she wouldn't be too late when she came. It was then that she cried. Not only for her husband who lay dying in her arms, but for her youngest son who had been kidnapped by the Darklighter.

"Chris..." she cried. "CHRIS!"