AN: Okay, this totally took me forever, sorry about that, I've been really busy with school and stuff. This chapter still didn't turn out how I would've liked, but it's filler basically, until next chapter where there's some nice juicy drama!

P3 was almost ready to open. Piper couldn't believe it. This club meant so much to her, it was like a dream come true. Now, if only she was millionaire married to Brad Pitt with 2.5 kids…

Piper laughed at her own daydreams. She didn't really want Brad, she wanted Leo. She had Leo. She glanced over at her boyfriend who let out a foul curse as he looked at few papers splayed out in front if him. Then came a smattering of various curses. Piper sighed and walked over to the barstool where he'd set up. She started to rub his shoulders, hoping to ease some of his tension.

The past few weeks hadn't been easy. He'd lost his job within a few days, on a flimsy excuse. But Leo had some money saved up and was making due. She hadn't even tried to offer him money, knowing that he was too proud to take it. Leo was on his way to losing the car too, because, without the job, it was getting hard to keep up the payments. Everything was falling apart.

"Honey, that feels great." Leo said, reaching up to cover her smaller hand with his own, work-rough one. Piper had forgotten what she was supposed to be doing.

Piper leaded down and kissed him on the head. "Good." She hesitated. "How are things going?"

Leo was silent for a long time, then he rubbed his face. "It's not looking good."

Piper sat in the barstool beside his. "It'll be okay, I promise."

Leo buried his face in his arms. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

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Piper had taken to staying in the Wyatt house. It was sort of an unspoken thing. She would stay at Leo's house, cooking, cleaning, and watching Emma, while Leo took care of the things he needed to. One morning, Piper rifled—uninhibitedly—through Leo's underwear drawer, which happened to be the top one on his honey colored dresser. "Leo!" she called to her boyfriend, who was currently drying his hair, having just returned from the shower. He appeared in her line of vision—the bathroom to her left—and spoke to her as he roughly dried his hair with another towel.

"Yeah?"

Piper looked back to the drawer. "Have you seen my black tank top? I had it so I could take it home and wash it while I got in the shower, but now, I can't find it."

Leo squinter his eyes as he cleared his hair of the water. "Look in a drawer down."

Piper opened it up as he went back in the bathroom. In the drawer, all of her clothes were nice and folded in what she identified as clean/dirty piles. She glanced up to give him "a look" but of course, he'd disappeared. She had a drawer? A whole drawer? She knew this was the stuff of movies, but God, what was he thinking. She had to stop for a moment. Not that she didn't like it, but…

Piper shook her head, grabbed the shirt and started for home.

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Piper, Leo, Emma, Bret and Phoebe were sitting around Leo's backyard, just hanging. Piper and Leo were in the hammock. Bret and Phoebe were talking on the deck. For once, Emma wasn't chasing lightning bugs, but was playing with a doll in the sandy grass. The night was warm, summer was fast approaching. Hell, it was late May. Piper's birthday was coming up, he realized. She probably didn't even expect anything. Well, he'd show her.

Leo stroked Piper's hair. "What'd you think?"

She made a low humming sound, and he knew she was close to sleep. "About what?"

He licked his lips. "Oh, I don't know, the drawer."

Piper's eyes shot open. There was a stretch of silence as the hammock rocked them slowly. "I think you're a foolish, stubborn, proud man."

Leo nodded. "I think I can handle that."

The corner of her mouth twitched with an unfinished smile, but her eyes did enough. She patted his knee. "Just don't…stress yourself. Okay?"

He didn't say anything right away. She didn't expect him to. "I love you." He turned the words over in his mouth and relished each and every one. It was like they were made for her. And, of course, it was true. He could've shouted it from the rooftops. LEO WYATT LOVES PIPER HALLIWELL! Let the Bolepick Banner have some news.

Piper didn't hesitate. "I love you too." She didn't go on to say something mushy and stupid like "more than life its self." Not that it was actually horrible thing to tell anyone, but that was all they needed. Over-clichéing was long dead. She smiled up at him and cupped his cheek in his palm. "You're a gorgeous man."

He laughed and with an exaggerated hand, covered his heart. "Oh, thank you. I'm glad somebody still points out the obvious." She punched him in the shoulder. It didn't matter, they were both laughing. Suddenly, a loud squeal rang out and a rag doll came flying their way. Piper and Leo struggled to sit up and upon reaching their goal, saw Phoebe and Bret chasing Emma down to the shore. All Phoebe and Emma both giggled and squealed as Bret turned into the "hulking" Tickle Monster. Piper rolled out of the hammock, onto the ground before promptly standing and dusting herself off.

"I think Emma and Phoebe could use a little help." She said with a laugh.

Leo gave her an odd look as he more gracefully got to his feet. "That's funny." He said slowly. "Here I am think that the Tickle Monster needed help." Getting his meaning, Piper took off with Leo growling along behind her.

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"Well, fuck!" The word was positively roared as Leo came through the front door. Emma gave Piper a grave look as the two put aside her dolls in her bedroom.

"Daddy's mad isn't he?" She said the words slowly.

Piper nodded. "Yeah, I think so. Maybe you should stay here."

Emma nodded and crawled up on her bed to the window, apparently on people-watch. Piper went to the living room where Leo was glaring at a letter and holding two now floppy variegated tulips. "I never did like the bitch." He seemed to be talking more to himself than anyone else. "Even when I married her…Goddammit!" He sat on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked gently, as she slid onto the cushion next to his.

Leo sighed, the adrenaline of anger fast fading. "I'm going to lose my house, Piper." He leaned all the way over until his head was in her lap. He turned his face up to look at her, but then closed his eyes. "I'm going to lose my car, my house and then…Emma." For a fleeting moment, Piper thought he was going to cry. It would've been a perfectly reasonable and honest reaction, but she knew he would've been ashamed. But then, he didn't. "Piper, let's…run away. You, me and Emma. Let's just go."

Piper laughed lightly. "I don't think so, Wild Man. That would just make things worse."

Leo opened his eyes briefly. "I brought you flowers."

"I know. Beautiful Eyes. Thank you."

He shrugged. "It's nothing." A beat later, he closed his eyes again. "I'm tired, Piper. Very, very tired."

Piper ran her hand over his chest in a soothing motion. "I know."

"I'm not sure you do, in all honesty." With eyes still closed, he reached up to stroke her face. "If it weren't for you and Emma, I'd just give up." Leo sighed.

"She's listening to every word we say." Piper told him.

Leo dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "If it weren't for you two, I'd kill her. Point-blank, in the temple." He ran a hand through his hair. "And then, with her dead and me in jail—of course, because I'd want everybody to know I did it—with any luck Emma would go to you."

Piper didn't hesitate. "It scares me when you talk like that."

Leo sighed heavily and it took him a very long time to respond, so long in fact, she thought he'd drifted off to sleep. And then, finally: "It scares me too."

AN: Please review!