Okay, guys…History won 8-7, so history it is! Close call!
You've all made it pretty clear that you guys hate Dan as much as me, and for that I must thank you all…
THANK YOU!!!!!
But not everyone feels that way! Can you believe it? I was at the WB web site ) and I read that some people actually favor DAN over LEO! Insane…What is this world coming to???
I just wanna say that I don't want to make Dan out to be the bad guy (as much as I want to, lol). Actually, Piper really did love him…What has happened to me? Either way, Dan's dead now! Muahahahahahaha!
DISCLAIMER: This is a disclaimer to end all disclaimers. Do they expect us to say that we don't own Charmed on every chapter? ARE THEY JUST TRYING TO HUMILIATE US? We know we don't own Charmed! If I didn't own in in Chapter 1, do you think I'd own it in Chapter 2? No! So obviously, I'm not gonna own it in Chapter 3 or 4 or 5 or 6! I'm never going to own any of it! None of the chapters--ever! So BACK OFF!
charmedmel32: My first reviewer for this story! Be proud! I'm glad you're glad Dan is dead...It wasn't that mean. Actually, it was quite nice of me to kill him off! Save us all the hurt of staying in the story!
physcokitty3: I agree, there are a lot of fics with them having a history, and I've seen a lot without them having a history.
winter blaze: Hey, could you give me the link to your story? I couldn't find it.
thegreencow: Hmm...Interesting name you have there, lol. Ooh...tough-guy Leo...I'll seriously consider it. Trust me, he's no softie. He's with the CIA, remember? But he's gotta have a soft side in order to make this a good P/L story...
Charmed-Phoebe03: Thank you, I like the way I think, too!
Pink Volleyballs: Thanks for the input!
scullymulder: I think I'll take that as "give them a history" okay? I like making people cry in my stories. (Evil, ain't I?)
PiPeRAnGeL39: Yeah, I don't want a history for them to be all too dramatic, but then, with a history, I definitely want them to hate each other...Actually, Piper just glared at him because she was pissed because her fiancé was murdered. She has the right to be angry. Glad you like my writing! Oh, and I was at the web site for the WB, and on one of the chats there, I read that a LOT of people love Dan--over Leo!!! How insane?!?!?!?!?
Magical Princess: Ooh, actually, a history would slow it down, the way I would write it...I'm evil like that.
kk241289: I needed to get Dan out of the way. I don't mind writing him in...but I don't like to. Sometimes I need him in the story to play the bad guy, but now he's the dead guy. (That's about as much as he's good for--the bad/dead guy.) Actually, I don't want to make him out to be the bad guy in the story, because Piper really did love him, but now Leo's here, so move over, Dan!
piperleo4eva: No, I don't feel weird about killing him, but it was slightly depressing that he didn't make it to Chapter 2!
sadie: History, huh? I gotta say, I'm agreeing, though starting fresh would be fun...You know, I had a dog named Sadie once...She died on April Fool's Day two years ago...Anyway... ;-)
Charmboy4: Oh, trust me, when I get them together, Leo will be in some serious trouble...Dan has a very bad past. I kind of hinted to it a little tiny bit, but it'll be explained, don't worry.
leosldy: Start fresh, eh?
True Star: Thanks. Lol, my friend told me it meant "Criminal Investigations Associations" and I believed her, but then I decided to look it up to be sure. I googled it.
CF12: Well, well, well, look who it is. Cop stories? Oh, I love cops. I wanted to be one, but I changed my mind when I remembered how painful a paintball gun can be, let alone a P .40...
OTHCharmedFreak: Well, technically, I could write it with a history (ha! and I did!), because even though Piper acted like she didn't know Leo, that doesn't mean she REALLY didn't...And anything's possible, especially with me...
charmedsister: Funny, very funny. Sorry, though, no love at first sight for this fic.
classicchic: Past it is! That was what I wanted, too.
Whew! This chapter starts up right where Chapter 1 left off…
"What do you want?" Piper asked, still glaring.
"I need to talk to you about Dan Gordon."
"Leo…"
"Don't, Piper."
"Don't what, Leo? They send you of all people to investigate--I--I don't understand…"
"Good, then don't."
"Leo, please."
"I'm just here do you my job."
"And what might that be? What happened to you?"
"We can reminisce another time, maybe. This is not social."
Piper snorted. "Lord knows that. You don't do social anymore. Where have you been for two years, huh?"
Leo sighed. "That doesn't matter. I need to ask you some questions about Dan."
Piper was quiet for a few seconds. "No."
"No," Leo echoed.
"No. I'm not sharing my private life with Dan with you, of all people. That badge doesn't mean a thing. It never came between us before."
"This badge means that if you don't answer my questions, I can arrest you for hiding evidence or obscuring justice."
Piper was silent again. She certainly didn't think Leo would arrest her, but she didn't want to take any chances.But what would they want with Dan?
"And just for your information," Leo added, "you know nothing about your fiancé's private life."
"How did you know he--What is that supposed to mean?"
"I'll explain later. Mind if I come in?" Leo asked, though he was already inside and past Piper, making his way into the living room. Piper turned to face him and closed the door with one hand. "Manor hasn't changed, has it?" Leo said, walking toward the living room, then toward the stairs.
"What do you want to know?" Piper asked coldly.
"How long were you two dating?" he asked, his back to her.
"Two years."
Leo turned around to face Piper. They stared each other down for a few seconds. "Two years, huh?" Leo finally said. "So you started dating him when--right after we broke up?"
Piper nodded. "As a matter of fact, I did."
"Hmm…When did he propose?"
"Three months ago."
"What did he tell you he did for a living?"
"What does that--" Piper sighed. "He was an architect."
Leo chuckled. "Oh, really?"
"Yes," Piper said through clenched teeth.
"And how long did he say he worked as an architect?"
"Ten years."
Leo laughed out loud this time.
"Nothing about this is funny, Leo."
Leo cleared his throat, but didn't apologize. "So where're your sisters?"
"They don't have anything to do with Dan."
"Says who--You?"
"What are you doing here? Why is Dan your case?" Piper demanded, stepping forward and grabbing Leo's arm to turn him around to face her.
"He's been my case for about seven years now."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Leo sighed. "I'll explain if you come down to my office tomorrow at ten…Oh, and In case you don't remember where it is--" He pulled out a business card and handed it to a stunned Piper. "And tell Prue and Phoebe I said hello." He left, closing the door behind him.
Piper gnawed on her lower lip. It was better than crying. She looked down at the business card Leo had given her.
Leo Wyatt, CIA Special Agent
Office - 1832 Lily Street
Phone - (409)-555-0518
Piper stuffed the card into her pocket and climbed the stairs up to her room. She lay down on her bed and cried. She'd started crying even before her head had hit the pillow. Why was everything so wrong?
Why was Dan dead?
Why was Leo back?
Piper sobbed. She thought about her past. It all went well for a long time. It was all good. Then Leo came into her life, and everything was great. The only downside to their relationship was that Leo had been part of the CIA for three years already. She managed to share him with her job, though, and Leo's high-priority job didn't stop her from loving him.
They were together for three years.
And then it all went to hell.
She didn't quite remember why they broke up…Little things, she supposed. As he was part of the CIA longer, his job became more demanding. Later hours. Harder cases. He was flying back and forth across the country; from Seattle to Washington, D.C. to New York and back to Seattle. His offices sent him out of the country as well. Just after their second anniversary, Leo was sent to Sweden. Then Mexico, then Paris, France. They sent him to Beijing a couple of times, too.
The more demanding his job was, less he was home. And the less he was home, the more she wanted him. But it soon got to be too much to handle. Whenever he was home, they fought. She wanted him home more. He tried, but couldn't get time off of his job.
So two years ago, they broke up. She'd been living with him for a year, and she'd left in the middle of the night. She remembered it perfectly, too…Leo had two weeks off and they'd spent half of it fighting. They worked through a lot of things the night before he had to leave. She remembered waking up at three o'clock in the morning, knowing she had to leave…
Piper's eyes fluttered open, but she couldn't see much. In the dark, she did see objects--a desk, a lamp on top of that, a dresser, a door cracked open. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She glanced at the digital clock on the table beside the bed.
3:30 a.m.
There was something hanging off of the lamp…She squinted again. It was her bra. Her hand flew to her chest. Her shirt was gone. She moved her hand to her thigh.
She was naked.
Piper rolled over to meet another body.
Oh, yeah.
She looked at the sleeping face beside her for a moment. She traced his face with her hand. Just last night they were fighting. But then everything seemed to change. They fixed so many problems that night.
Piper shivered and pulled the blanket up closer to her body.
She looked back up at Leo's face. She knew that even though they worked through so much, even though they fixed so many things…It wasn't enough. He would leave later this morning and then he would come back after long weeks.
Then they would fight.
Then they would fight some more.
It was just too tiring. True, they had figured out a lot of things the night before but those problems would just come flying back as soon as Leo came back home. They would start fighting again.
Piper had had enough of it. Leo had turned her life around and helped her in so many ways. He taught her to believe in love again and reminded her that there was still some good in the world when she was surrounded by the badness.
But in their three years together, he never taught her how to deal with their situation. Neither of them knew what to do.
But now Piper knew. She had the answer. She had the key.
She had to leave.
She looked up at Leo's face once more. With one hand on his cheek, she pulled her self up and kissed him softly, begging him not to wake up.
Very carefully, she got out of the bed, laying the blanket down with care. She gathered her clothes and got dressed as quietly as she could. With one more sad glance at Leo, she left.
Piper sobbed. She couldn't imagine what Leo had thought when he woke up and she wasn't there. She knew he would have searched for her if he could, but he had to leave.
They separated for the last time without even saying goodbye…
It was the hardest thing Piper had ever done, going to Leo's house and collecting her things…He wasn't there, and that did help a lot, but it was still so hard. She had left the key to his house on the counter in the kitchen. She couldn't imagine what he had done or thought when he came home to see that…
They had talked very few times over the next couple of weeks.
Piper had found out exactly what she had assumed--Leo hadn't expected her to be there when he got back. In fact, she found that he hadn't even expected her to be there in the morning.
After that they went their own separate ways. Piper met Dan and tried to piece her life back together, deciding never to get involved with someone with a demanding job. Or anybody named Leo Wyatt, for that matter…
Piper looked down at the business card. She had to go in.
She had a sudden thought. Why am I crying over Leo? That was two years ago! I'm crying over my old boyfriend, when my fiancé is dead! Idiot! Cry over Dan! Forget Leo! Just go in and answer his questions! Let him get through the case and then he's gone! she though to herself. Go cry over your dead fiancé, not your ex!
The next morning at 10:00 a.m., Piper was sitting in a chair on the other side of Leo's desk. They had been sitting in silence for a moment or two.
"If you wanted me down here, then you have to have had a reason," Piper said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Yes, I did." Leo looked up at Piper. "Off the record…I never thought I'd see you again…and I'd never actually hoped for it, either."
"Well, what to you know? We finally agree on something. That only took two years and a dead man to figure out, too! New record!"
"You know, I found your leather jacket downstairs."
"Downstairs?"
"Yes, I found it a couple weeks ago."
"It took you two years to find my leather jacket? I asked for it the day after you came back." Piper closed her eyes, realizing the stupidity of their conversation. She decided to keep quiet.
Leo smiled a little. "I can buy you another, if it means so much to you."
"I don't want anything from you…Can they transfer my case to someone else?"
"No. "
"Why?"
"Because Dan has been my case for years. Actually, I got his case a year before we even met."
"Six years? What case?"
Leo sighed. "Dan wasn't who he said he was."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"It means that he was a con artist. A fraud. He was in trouble with some big gangs in Chicago and New York. That's why he moved to San Francisco. Then he got in trouble with the gangs here."
"What?"
"I'll explain--"
"Now."
Leo sighed. "Stubborn, still, I see."
"Just give me the facts."
"Piper…"
"I'm a client, right? How about you just call me Miss Halliwell?"
"Piper…"
"Explain, Leo," Piper said coldly. "I deserve to know."
"…About a year after I entered the CIA, Dan started…experimenting."
"With…"
"With drugs and guns, basically. He got to like 'em, too. So he spent more time with them. He hung out with small gangs for a while, then he moved up. The gangs figured if he was just gonna follow them around, they might as well make him useful…So they made him a messenger."
"…Messenger…?"
"They sent him back and forth between gangs to pick things up, deliver messages. He got to be a pretty good messenger, too."
Piper was silent.
"But he wanted more. He started asking for more. The gangs paid him in drugs usually and gave him a gun, but he wanted more than that. He started demanding money. When the gangs refused but then sent him out on a run, he would take whatever he had straight home. If he had information, he would forget it. He started collecting what the gangs were giving him."
"…What were they giving him?" Piper asked.
"I can't tell you that."
"Why?"
"It's confidential."
"He was my fiancé."
"I know, and it's my job--my life--on the line if I tell you."
They were locked in a stare down. Piper looked away from Leo. Tears welled up in her eyes. Leo either didn't notice or didn't care, but he made no move to help her. He stared at her for a few seconds.
"It's strange…" Leo said quietly after a break of silence, during which he had been watching her fight tears.
"What is?" Piper retorted. "The sight of me crying? You've never seen me cry Leo?" Piper asked, knowing it wasn't true; she'd cried and bawled her eyes out in front of him many times.
"No…What's strange is not feeling obligated to go over there and hold you, or comfort you."
There was another stretch of silence. Some tears slipped down Piper's cheeks as she stared at the wall, determined not to look at Leo.
"Piper…" Leo reached a hand out over his desk to her.
"Don't."
"Piper," Leo said quietly.
Piper slowly turned her head to look at him. She looked down at his hand and, after a few seconds, took it. "I'm sorry, but I…"
"I know. I know how to deal with this kind of stuff, but you don't, I know…"
Piper nodded a little.
"Now…" Leo let Piper's hand go and leaned back in his chair. "When the gangs found out what Dan was doing, they decided to do something about him. They tried to kill him, and he came to us…That was a year before we met," Leo explained.
Piper nodded a little, showing him she was listening. "So you were in New York."
"Right. I got his case and kept an eye on him, kept him out of trouble. But he told me some of the information he had, and we knew that keeping him out of trouble just wasn't enough. We relocated him."
"To San Francisco…?"
"No, Los Angeles."
"Oh…"
"They relocated me when they moved him, too, though, so I could keep an eye on him. During the three years that we were together, I was protecting him. But everywhere we relocated him, he got involved with the gangs. We had to keep moving him, and we even had to keep him in our custody for a while.
"Some of the times when I was out of the country, it was because I was trying to persuade the connections of gangs he had pissed off not to kill him. See, the mobs in New York and Los Angeles and San Francisco had connections south of the border, Europe, Asia--You name it, they had it. The information and supplies he was stowing belonged to those mobs, especially in Europe and Hong Kong.
"So I had to persuade them not to kill him. Truth was, I didn't give a damn."
Piper went cold and she glared at Leo.
"Look, Piper, I had no idea you were engaged to him."
"You work for the CIA, you know everything there is to know about the behind the scenes of this country--you know the secret behind crop circles--and you didn't know that we were engaged?" Piper replied quietly.
"I let him make a life. I didn't trust him, but I let him have some privacy. He kept you hidden from us like we kept him hidden from the mafia…But I guess someone caught up with him and didn't like him…Took them almost eight years to get him."
Piper shook her head. "This isn't…This isn't happening. This can't even be real. There's no way…"
"It's real, Piper. I wish it were different, but…"
"No you don't, Leo. Don't use the fake sympathy they taught you on me. You know better than that--and if you don't, you should. You're just doing your job, aren't you? This is just another paycheck for you, isn't it?"
"Piper…"
"Don't, Leo. Don't do this. Don't come into my life after two years and tell me Dan--my Dan--is dead and someone in the mafia killed him! I--I can't handle this! It's just…You were gone for two years then you come in and tell me this, I--"
"What? Hold on--You're the one who left, not me."
"You pushed me away, Leo! It was inevitable. What else could I do? We were just going to keep fighting anyway and it would get harder!" Piper stopped herself and settled down. "Never mind...Now is not the time to fight over why we broke up..." she mumbled.
Leo nodded. "Very well."
Piper had left later with Leo saying he would keep her posted. He had to find out who killed Dan. They knew why--Dan was an idiot and he screwed up--but they didn't know who he screwed over.
Piper opened her front door and Prue and Phoebe were there.
"Where've you been?"
"At Leo's office."
"What? Leo? Why?"
Piper sighed. "Dan's…murder…is his case."
"Case? Oh, right, Leo's with the CIA…Wait, Dan's case? What'd Dan do? Why can't they just get a detective to investigate."
"Because Dan was…involved with gangs…and he had to be relocated…and he had to be protected from the mafia and from gangs in San Francisco and New York…"
"What?"
Piper didn't say another word. She dragged her beaten and broken body upstairs and into her bedroom. She fell asleep immediately.
Hey, did you guys notice what I did? I named the street Leo worked on Lily Street...Aw...
So...Now you all know what Dan did...Stupid bastard... :-) lol
Ah, Piper and Leo...Poor things...I'm thinking I'm going to put them through some emotional pain...I'm evil, aren't I? Oh, well...All I've given so far are Piper's feelings...I think I'll have Leo's thoughts and regrets next. Expect a coldhearted bastard. j/k...we'll see what he's like. I'm not sure yet myself!
Sorry, guys, if anyone's angry that they have a history. I promise it'll be good...Unless you don't like it...But I think you will. I hope you all will love it!
Don't forget to leave a review! I love 'em!