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Chapter 7: Avoiding the Issue
The next morning, Piper woke up, alone. The first thing she realized was that Leo was not in the bed next to her. Neither was Laurie, for that matter. Every night they had been in this house, Laurie had come and slept in her mother's bed. But not this night.
Piper went across the hall to check on Laurie. She was fast asleep in her bed, clinging to ragged stuffed bunny rabbit.
Feeling the urge to pee, Piper went to the bathroom and opened the door. What she saw brought a blush to her cheeks.
Leo standing in the bathroom, stark naked.
She hurriedly closed the door. "I am so sorry," she said sheepishly. How did she miss the sounds of the shower running?
Leo opened the door, now wearing a towel. "It's not anything you haven't seen before."
Piper playfully slapped his arm. "Ha-ha."
"Did you need to use the bathroom?"
"Not anymore."
Leo laughed and ran his fingers through his wet hair. They stood there awkwardly for a moment. Piper placed one hand on the side of her forehead, shielding his towel-clad body from view. "I think I'm going to go get dressed," he said.
"Good idea."
He walked away and Piper was free to use the bathroom. She didn't know why she was being so shy with him. Like he said, it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. When they were dating, she had walked in on him in the bathroom many times. Hell, they showered together.
Maybe it was because she wasn't sure where they stood anymore. She wasn't sure what she agreed to last night when she agreed to give her and Leo another chance. There had been no sex last night, which was fine with her. She wanted to know where they stood before she slept with him.
She finished using the bathroom and washed her hands. She walked to Laurie's room where the girl was now awake and sitting on top of her bed.
"Hello, Mommy."
"Good morning, Sunshine. Did you sleep well?"
"I wasn't scared anymore,"
"Well that's good. Why were you scared?"
"The bad man. I was scared he would come back. But you and Leo won't let him."
"That's right," Piper said with enthusiasm. "Leo and I won't let the bad man get you."
Piper held her hand and walked Laurie down to the kitchen. "What about my daddy?" Laurie asked.
Piper immediately tensed, but didn't let Laurie see it. Every so often Laurie asked questions about her father. Not often, but once and a while. "What about your daddy?"
"Would he let the bad man get me?"
"No, Sunshine. He wouldn't let the bad man get you."
"Where is Daddy?"
"Do you want cereal or eggs for breakfast?"
"Eggs!"
Piper turned to go to the fridge to get the eggs, but she bumped into Leo. She gave a small scream of surprise. "Leo, you scared me!"
Laurie giggled. "Leo scared Mommy. Leo scared Mommy," she said in a sing-songy voice.
Piper smiled at her. "Someone's in a good mood."
"Do you always avoid the subject like that?" he asked her as she began to make eggs.
"What are you talking about?"
Leo looked at Laurie, who was coloring contently in a coloring book on the kitchen table. "Laurie's father. Do you always avoid the topic?"
"Yes."
"You can't forever. When she gets older, she going to wonder and ask questions you can't avoid."
"I'm going to tell her when she's old enough to understand."
"How old would that be?"
"Thirty or forty."
Leo could hear the teasing in her voice. "Very funny. I'm just saying you have to tell her sometime."
"I will. Now will you hand me that egg?"
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Later that night, after Piper had played dolls with Laurie and put her to bed, she went down stairs and smelled a delicious aroma floating through the air.
"Mmm. Something smells good." She went to the kitchen where Leo stood by the over.
"It should," he said, slipping his arms around her waist. "I'm making roast chicken."
"Sounds delicious. I haven't had anything like that in a long time."
"Really? You used to love cooking."
"I still do. But I also have a three-year-old. My grocery list usually consists of macaroni and cheese and chicken noodle soup rather than the more refined foods."
"Well, then. You are going to sit at the table and wait for me to serve you one of the best meals you've had in three years."
With a smile, Piper did as she was told. Dinner was soon served and Leo served her before sitting down himself. They talked about their past and fed each other, but dinner was half way over before Piper brought up what was really on her mind.
"Leo, where do we stand?"
Leo smiled the last bit of his food before answering. "I'm not quite sure."
Piper nodded. "That's what I thought."
"But I do know what I want us to be."
"Oh yeah? What's that?"
"I want what we had before. Only better. Less work, more communication. Admit it. What we had before was good."
"Yes it was."
"Don't you want that back?"
"Yes, I do."
"I'm willing to make it work. How about you?"
"Of course I am."
"Okay then. It's settled. We're going to try to make it work."
After they finished dinner and were heading upstairs, Piper suggested, "Let's take a bath."
"Are you serious?"
"Yep."
Piper led him to the bathroom where she drew the bathwater. "You really are serious."
"I told you I was."
Later, as they laid in the tub among the numerous bubbles from the bubble bath, Leo asked, "How did you come up with this idea?"
"I thought of it when I was giving Laurie a bath earlier. I though it would be relaxing."
"You were right," he said, his hands roaming over her bare stomach. He took a handful of bubbles and put them on her face.
"Leo!" she squealed.
Later, after they had showered, taking turned soaping each other's bodies, they went into Leo's room. Neither Piper nor Leo had ever felt anything this exhilarating before. Leo began kissing her, the kiss becoming more intense with every passing second. Piper knew she was ready. She was ready to accept Leo like she did four years ago.
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Scott McGunther kept an eye on the house from across the street. It had been amazingly easy to find out where the woman was being kept.
As he paced back and forth in the living room of the house across the street from where Piper was staying, he sorely rubbed the back of his head. Stupid bitch had hit him on the head with a lamp.
As much as it made him mad, it also thrilled him. He loved it when women fought back.
He watched the cops that sat in black SUV near the house Piper was in. Every so often, one of the cops would get out and do a quick surveillance check around the house. He tried to be discrete, but he knew what they were doing. They were looking for any sight of him. He laughed at the thought. Here he was, watching them as they looked for him.
Soon, his plan would be in action. Police security would lax and he would make his move on the little girl. He knew the little girl would be his leverage to get Piper alone, away from the cop he knew was living in the house with her. He really had no interest in the little one. It was her mother, Piper, that he wanted. He may be a rapist and a murderer, but he wasn't a pedophile. Even he looked upon child rapists with disgust.
He stepped away from the window and went into his bedroom where his dreams were haunted by Piper.
Author's Note: Ha Ha! Fooled you. They didn't sleep together last chapter! It wasn't until this chapter! Fooled you. Anyway, I hope you liked, sorry it took me a while to update, internet problems :( I am going to publish a new Piper/Leo story soon, call 'College Days'. Yes, according to the title, is about Piper and Leo in college. But there is a twist, I assure you. A big twist.