AN: Hello, hello, hello! I'm here with an update on all of my stories!

The Cardinal Rule: Sadly, my friends, my most successful fic ever, "The Cardinal Rule" is coming to a close. After this, we only have two chapters to go! Which, by the way are all typed up. It'll be a bitch to watch this fic go, I'm so totally in love with it, but hey, the world'll still turn.

Profiling Love: I'm taking my time with it. I'm trying to further the mystery aspect of it. I'm telling ya, when I finally do get back to this, you'll love it.

The Hallelujah Chronicles: Fire and Ice: That's what I've decided to name the magic fic. You guys will totally love this. I actually have the first to chapters written, so this will probably be the story to follow "The Cardinal Rule".

The Reunion: I'm having problems. Seriously. If anyone has any ideas, it would be great!

Personal Responses:

charmedmel32: Hi! Thanks so much! I'm glad that after um, 17 chapters, you still love this story! Thanks! Yeah, I was looking for a way for the kiss to come out and it seemed totally natural for Ross to come busting in the courtroom like that. I dunno, it just made sense. Thanks again!

HollyShadow: Glad you're with me on the PiperCole bandwagon, but it'll have to wait awhile. I'm working on it, in my head, trying to ya know, plot it out mostly before I get to the good stuff, i.e., writing it, LOL. Thanks!

Alyssa Halliwell: Amy is a bitch isn't she? Tsk, tsk, I hate her. Glad you'd read a PiC. Thanks!

midnite magic: Thank God. Somebody agrees with me! It seems that a lot of PiC is just bawdy garbage! Man, like Piper would ever really cheat on Leo! Sure, and the sky will rain pink cheese. Thanks!

heather1021: I won't mind if you can't read a PiC, I know most of you are diehard, never-waver, always steady, unmovable, PL fans, so I didn't expect all of you to be on it with me, but thanks for saying you'd try to read it if I post it. Thanks so much!

KC-Piper-fan: It's totally alright that you don't review, as long as I know someone's out there, you know, reading it and stuff, I'm happy. And about the PiC, it's no big, I expected all of you to be all like, "PiperCole? Yech, gag me on an undone egg", ya know? Anyway, evern if you don't read the PiC, I'm glad you'd still read my PL, and I would always keep writing PL, no matter what else I wrote. Thanks!

LeoPiper-Forever: Thank you for saying that you wouldn't read a PiC, so you know, I know who's with it and stuff. But, I would always keep writing PL, so you know, I wouldn't stop for PiC. Thanks!

charmedchick4eva: Thanks! On the PiC tip, I would never stop writing PL to write PiC. Thanks for asking about my book. I'm taking it through a lot of revisions actually, you know different dialogue, scenes set up differently, it's way hard work. The lead character is loosely based off of me. Basically, it's about a girl who gets into some funny, crazy situations and is totally blind to the perfect guy for her. If you want to read it in it's very earliest form, go to my profile page, click on my fictionpress account and from there, "Trial and Tribulations" Feedback on it would really help because I do want to get it published. Thank you!

Anon, silver-angel-sakura, nicole812us, reneexoxtyler15, veratilecutie, halli-halliwell, livingwyatt, Paige fan: Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you SO MUCH!

Thanks to all of you, on the with the story!

Piper sighed and breathed in air that didn't seem to be filled with tension as she stepped out of the bathroom. Too much had gone on today. Way too much. She wanted to see Emma, but they weren't allowed to talk to her until after the hearing. She wanted coffee. That, she could have. Her heels clicking down the dark hallway, Piper walked to the water machine. And lo and behold, there was Amy. Goodness, scrounging up non-Evian water with the rest of them.

"Hello." Piper said civilly, stepping beside her to reach for a Styrofoam cup.

Amy glared at her. "You bitch."

Piper's eyes widened in surprise. What? If anybody was a bitch, it was her. All Piper ever did was give support to the love people she loved. "What are you talking about?" Piper demanded, slapping her cup aside, resting one hand on her hip.

Amy slammed her cup down as well. "I had this case won until your little—character witness came in."

Piper narrowed her eyes. "Look, I didn't send for him. And for God's sake, you cheated with him! Don't blame me for your mistakes!"

"You can't steal my life!" Amy said shrilly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Piper snapped.

"Leo never loved me the way he loved you!" Amy sounded angry, with an underlying twinge of sadness. "He would talk about you. And when he did, it was like, he went to this happy place I could never provide for him. And he made it sound like you were perfect, absolutely perfect. Like no one else could amount."

Piper sighed. "Amy, that doesn't change the fact that you're taking away Leo's daughter. She's practically the only thing that gives him happiness."

"If he has you, he doesn't need her."

Piper got angry all over again. "Amy, are you taking Emma away because you want to get back at Leo?" Her voice had a raging evenness.

Amy glared. "What does it matter, she'd my daughter and I'll use her however I please."

Use her? Like a pawn? Children were not pawns. Children were never meant to be used, for anything. Children were innocent and when you took that away, they became tiny adults. Nothing more, but nothing less. Piper was boiling. She'd never been so angry, her line of vision was darkening, her heart was hammering incessantly with adrenaline and she could feel herself shaking. "You are crazy." She managed evenly, and had never been so serious. "You can go to hell, which is exactly where people like you belong." Piper turned to leave, but on a sudden spurt of blind idiocy, she spun on her heel and slapped Amy. "You deserved that." She said as Amy gripped her cheek. "And what ever other harms God sends your way." And she stalked away.

Leo watched as Piper came around the corner, towards where he stood near a coffee machine. Her face was flushed and she looked near tears. He smiled grimly at her as he sat his cup down and opened his arms to her. "What's—" He began.

"I'm scared." Piper said, sobbing into his shoulder. "I'm scared she'd going to take Emma from you and then, what will happen? Emma will grow up unloved and unwanted. I'm so scared."

Leo's heart broke. As opposed to where he kept tings bottled up and hidden, Piper wore her feelings on her sleeve. He believed she was afraid. Amy didn't even love Emma the way Piper did. That made him love her even more. He pulled away to look at her. "Piper, will you marry me?" He'd said the words before he could stop them, and as soon as they left his mouth, he knew they were right.

Piper made a funny chocking sound. "I—I…" She made another sound, this one even throatier than before.

Leo's eyes grew big. Oh God, she was going to say no. "Piper." He gripped her shoulders and kind of shook her a little. "Say something!"

The bailiff stepped up. "It's time to go back to the courtroom." Without an answer, Leo turned and walked back to the courtroom, Piper trailing behind him, making one guttural noise after the other.

AN: Muah, ha, ha, ha, ha! I'm so evil! Review and tune into the next chapter of "The Cardinal Rule"!