A/N: Wow! This is the most reviews I've ever gotten for one of my fics! So my heartfelt appreciation goes out to HollyShadow, Geller Bing, foureverCharmed, piperandleoeva,leopiper4ever-SV-GG,halli-halliwell and PunkRokPixie for taking the time to review the previous chapter. You all make it worth it.

One more special thank you to Geller Bing for helping me with the direction of this chapter. Her suggestion helped so much with my writers block.

Chapter 8

Ellen watched from the kitchen window as Leo left the outer building and began sanding down a small end table he'd been working on. She didn't know what to do. Should she go to him? Maybe he needed some space. She had been so scared when the two women had entered the house. When Leo had called the one woman Piper, Ellen could feel her whole world collapse around her. Here was the woman Leo had left behind. Ellen didn't know what to expect, but wasn't the least surprised to see how beautiful Piper was. And the way she looked at Leo. Well, Ellen had little doubt this Piper was still in love with him. The hardest thing for her was to look into Leo's face and see such intense emotion. She figured right then and there that she had lost him. So she was taken totally by surprise when a distressed Piper fled the house leaving Leo to go about his daily activities. Ellen wasn't fooled though. She knew Leo and seeing Piper again had affected him. To what extent she was unsure, but maybe it was time to find out. Needing to know if Leo was still going to be a part of her life.

When the sisters got back to the motel, Piper made a beeline for the shower. Prue had not said anything and quietly waited. When her sister needed her, she would be there; knowing it was only a matter of time. A short time later, Piper emerged from the shower dressed in an oversized sweat outfit. Her eyes still red, but dry.

"Feel better honey?"

Piper shook her head, and when her older sister opened her arms, she did not hesitate. Hugging Prue tightly, her tears fell once again. She didn't think she had any more the shed but she was wrong.

After awhile Prue pulled slightly away. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Her sister wiped away the last of the tears and shrugged. "There isn't much to talk about. I was too late. He doesn't love me anymore."

Prue frowned. "Leo not love you anymore. I find that kinda hard to believe, even after all the time that's passed."

"It's true. He told me he's moved on with his life and he doesn't want to go back, doesn't want to be with me." Then as if she had to force herself to voice it, she said, "He's in love with someone else."

"Ellen? The owner of the bed and breakfast?"

"Yeah." Piper sniffed and grabbed a nearby tissue. "God Prue, I never imagined he'd fall in love with someone else. Pretty self centered of me huh?"

Prue didn't know how to respond. It was true, none of them ever thought of Leo with anyone other than Piper. He loved her so much. Guess they all had been pretty foolish. "So what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing else to do. We'll head back to San Francisco and I'll try and pick up the pieces of my life."

Moving a strand of hair away from her younger sister's face, Prue asked, "Are you sure? Maybe if you talked to Leo again, now that he's had some time to think about it…"

"No." Piper interrupted. "He's happy and I don't think he's going to change his mind. He was pretty firm on what he wanted."

"Okay then, why don't you try and get some sleep and we'll leave early in the morning." Prue watched in concern as Piper got under the covers and curled up into a tiny ball. She had a feeling her sister had a long recovery in front of her.

Two weeks had gone by since Piper's visit and Leo and Ellen's relationship had not truly returned to normal. Leo kept assuring her everything was fine, that he was fine, but that was a lie. She could feel the distance he had put between them. He was constantly lost in his thoughts and she wasn't fooled, she knew he was lost in the past, his past with Piper. How could she reach him and bring him back to her.

Leo knew he had to stop. Ever since seeing Piper again he couldn't get her out of his head. It was like a sickness and he was unable to find a cure. Ellen had been very patient, but she was being hurt by his distant manor. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain. That night, he took her by the hand and led her to a swing on the front porch. Sitting down, he gathered her in his arms and held her tight.

Ellen was taken off guard by his sudden affection, but thrilled in it as well. Leaning against him she took in his scent and the feel of him next to her. It had been awhile.

It was later in the week that the uneasy feeling came. He wasn't sure what it was, but it bothered him more than he liked to admit. Something was wrong, he could feel it, however was clueless to its origin. By the end of the day it had gotten so bad, he decided to take some time and meditate. It was something he had not done in a very long time. He hoped it would ease the troubling sensation he'd been experiencing. Closing his eyes he let his mind drain of everything. Sitting there he waited for the meditating exercises to smooth away the uneasiness. It did the exact opposite. The feelings were now more intensified and he could focus on where they were coming from. It was like he was traveling in a tunnel and at the end a light shone along with the answer to what had been bothering him.

Eyes popping open, his mind screamed. The girls! Something was wrong, terribly wrong. There were a dozen questions buzzing inside his brain, but none of them mattered. He needed to call the sisters, now! Racing to the phone, he dialed, but all he got was the answering machine. Frustrated he slammed the phone down, which brought Ellen running.

"What's the matter?"

Frantically he paced, not bothering to look at her or answer her inquiry. His mind filled with a whirlwind of emotions. Now that he had discovered the root of his uneasiness, he needed answers and quickly. Finally his eyes met hers. "I need to go to San Francisco."

Prue and Piper peered through the glass of the intensive care unit at San Francisco Memorial Hospital. A frail figure lay on a bed behind the protective window. Numerous tubes and machines were hooked up to the motionless body. Phoebe Halliwell had gone to a party celebrating the end of her college finals. She had been so happy and proud. It all changed last evening when a balcony, which many of them had been socializing, collapsed. Phoebe had fallen eight feet and been covered by multitudes of building debris. She had been rushed to the hospital with multiple internal injuries as well as severe trauma to her head. Lying there unconscious, the doctors were hesitant to operate to repair the internal damage.

When Phoebe showed no signs of regaining consciousness, the doctors finally agreed they couldn't wait any longer. They had to operate or the young woman would die. Prue and Piper had agreed, wanting only the best for their sister. Now they waited anxiously for the surgeons to ready themselves and prayed all would go successfully.

Leo had been on the road all night. Going on adrenaline, which drove him on and the unknown eating away at him. Was it Piper? Was she the one in danger or worse, hurt? Or Prue, Phoebe, they were like sisters to him. It was strange, since loosing his wings he had also lost the ability to sense the girls in trouble. So why was he having these feelings now? It didn't matter. All that mattered was finding out what was going on and if he could help.

He reached the Halliwell Manor just as the sun was breaking through the clouds. Hopping out of his truck, he raced for the front door. Without consideration for how early it was, he knocked loudly. There was no answer. Again he pounded on the door and while he impatiently waited he scanned the area and for the first time noticed no vehicles in the driveway. Standing very still he closed his eyes and concentrated. If it had worked once, maybe it would again. As before nothing specific came to him, just a feeling, a feeling that had him rushing to the hospital.