Anyway, I asked for this in the previous chapter, but I like repeating myself - please review for the two chapters individually.
Oh, yeah... there are some fck words down there. Just thought I should warn you. I don't usually like used those words, but they just seemed in place there... ::shrugs::
Thankies and I hope my poor attempts at fluffness won't ruin your day
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When he opened his eyes again, he was taken aback by the darkness and the sudden fierce blow of sand-strewn wind. He staggered aback, spitting out the sand and rubbing his watering eyes. He didn't feel the subtle rumble beneath his feet and didn't hear the strange gurgling sound as the dune creature swiftly slithered under the sands, sensing another victim. When he finally opened his eyes and faced the enormous snake, his mind was so bleak, he couldn't even command himself to orb out of its' way.
He backed up against a boulder, absolutely paralyzed, staring straight into the creature's eyes. Suddenly, feeling someone's grip tighten around his collar and effortlessly hefting him up, he gasped in terror as the creature attacked the boulder and heckling menacingly, sank below the dune. He was thrown unceremoniously on top of the boulder, a dark voice hissing the word "Idiot!" before stomping to the other side.
Leo stood up slowly, scanning his surrounding. He has visited the Wasteland couple of times, but its' endless sandy planes weren't familiar to him. He clapped the dirt from his jeans, only now turning his attention to his rescuer. He sought her with his eyes and was greeted by the sight of a two-feet tall demon, black ancient markings clad its' red skin, long dark-brown tresses carefully wrapped in a velvet hair-glove and the clothing strangely familiar. The demon smirked at him, revealing two rows of jagged canines and he realized he knew her.
"What's the matter, whitelighter? Speechless?" the demon growled in disdain, turning to face him fully. "I believe this is the first…"
"Piper…" he couldn't help his voice from sounding like an eager whisper.
This made her smirk deepen into a sneer as she glanced at him almost venomously. "Bellatrix," she corrected him.
Leo stood still, finally retrieving control over his own posture, and gazed at her for the longest seconds. He had seen her demonic self in the Source's lair three months ago, but it was only for a brief, petrified moment, before she disappeared beyond the shadows. Now, as he could look at her for so long, he could clearly see something oddly familiar in the demon before him; something beyond the jet-black eyes that inflict the same sense of belonging. "Change back," he said finally.
Piper snorted at him, turning away to look at the farthest dunes of endless sand. "Fuck off," she spat back at him.
"Change back," he repeated in a low growl, which found its' way from the back of his throat, coiling through the hot air until it reached her mind, sending uncontrollable shivers all over her skin and flooding the mind with vivid memories of that night when he called her name with the same mind-numbing voice. He watched her as her body shuddered at the sound of him and the gruff demon in front of him began to shift, simmering and changing to her human form.
She remained in her place, now fully human, uninterestedly observing the planes. She hated when he used that voice with her, absolutely loathed it. Especially since it cracked her up every time, forcing her to cave in and surrender. Sneering in disgust with herself, she swirled around, glaring into the whitelighter's blue eyes. "What do you want?"
Leo eyes darkened with some strange desire as he saw her eyes seethe with well-planted hate. "Don't act like this…" he told her, almost succeeding in not sounding pleading. "I came as soon as I heard. Come on, let's get you out of here…" he said, reaching out his hand for her to take.
Piper watched the offered hand with a raised brow, cocking her head to a side and glancing at Leo, amused. "All that vast light and goodness finally fried your brain, whitelighter? You actually expect me to come with you?"
Leo remained unnerved, taking a step closer to her and holding his hand still offered. "Piper, we don't have time for this. If they'd find out that I'm down here, why am I down here, they'd summon me back up immediately! Now just hold my hand and let me get you out of here!"
"Screw you!" Piper barked back. "What the hell do you think you're doing? The 'knight in shining armor routine' doesn't work on me! Now get the hell out of here before I start getting bored with your idiocy!"
Leo sighed, letting his hand to drop by his side. He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, glaring around himself aimlessly. "Why were you sent here in the first place?"
Piper flinched unnoticeably, chancing a glance at his grim features. "None of your business! Now, get the hell out of here!"
It was Leo's time to smirk. He shook his head good-naturedly, and spoke to her as if talking to a small child. "How long do you know me? Do you really think I'll go without you?"
Piper sneered at his tone, clenching her slender fingers into tight iron-fists. "I should've killed you the first opportunity I got," she sputtered at him. "Then you wouldn't have remained a pain in my neck…"
Leo chuckled, taking a step closer. "I wouldn't refer to myself as 'a pain'… perhaps 'an itch'," he offered, still walking closer.
Piper grimaced in disgust at his tackiness, "You're a fucking cholera!" she yelled at him, flailing her hands in exasperation, and turned around, glancing at the shifting sands beneath the boulder. Deciding the boulder wasn't big enough for the both of them, she gripped her dagger, launching herself downwards, muttering. "I prefer my chances with the snake!"
"Piper!" Leo cried in disbelief, watching her land softly upon the yellow dunes, scanning the land for any movement. Noticing a sudden shift in the sand behind her, Leo spattered a curse and, allowing himself to be enveloped in pallid blue lights, dived down. Capturing her in the light swirl, just when the creature was about to attack her from behind, Leo sped up, depositing them both on top of the boulder again, seething with anger. "What the hell are you trying to prove?"
"I'm not trying to prove anything! I don't need protection! I don't need a pesky whitelighter to loom over me!" she shouted at him, jumping to her feet and distancing herself from him. "I'm not your lost soul, Leo, nor am I damsel in distress! I don't need rescuing!"
Leo growled in frustration, standing up as well. "Do you think this is why I'm here? Why I'm worried about you? Because I presume you're a damsel in distress? How stupid do you think I am?"
"Do you want a list or just the cliff notes?" She quipped before she could control herself.
"Piper, damn it-" he clawed his fists in the air, his eyes flashing with some uncharacteristic fire, his mind simmering with rage and his face contorted in frustrated sneer. Stopping himself in his tracks, Leo took a deep breath, unused to this lack of control over himself whenever Piper pushed his buttons. "Let me get you the hell out of here!" he barked at her suddenly, making her jump in surprise at the outburst.
"And you're asking how stupid you are? Do you think my answer will change in a matter of these minutes?"
Leo growled in aggravation, turning away from her and walking to the further side of the boulder. Why is she so stubborn? I'm trying to freakin' help her!!!
Piper watched him stride away, absently placing her hand at the pit of her stomach. Why the hell is he trying so hard? She sneered at his back, turning away as well and was about to walks further from him, when she was suddenly entangled in a shower of bright blue lights and her entire world became white. Her stomach jumped and her heart sped up. Her knees buckled with the sudden rush of fatigue as her feet hit the ground again, right behind Leo's back.
Sensing the sudden closeness, Leo jerked around, instinctively clutching her closer to him, as she seemed to lose balance. He heard her grumble in irritation and felt her trying to wriggle away from him, but in that moment he realized he couldn't let her do that. He tightened his grip around her petite figure, hauling her closer to him and sensed her body stiffens against him. He held his breath when their eyes finally crossed, such searing contact preventing now both of them from moving away. His hands slithered further around her tiny waist, his heart humming against his ribs. He saw her hesitate, the dark-chocolate eyes wide open as she tried to convince herself to no avail to move away from him. He lowered his head down, unable to stand this nearness without extending it, and paused for a moment. His soft breath fanning her face, he felt her skin shiver beneath his fingertips. She did not move and his hunger was burning fiercer than anytime before.
With a swift motion, his lips crashed hers, leaving her disoriented, exhilarated and utterly hopeless. On their own accord, her hands traveled up, curling into tight fists around the soft material of his shirt and pulling him even closer. His lips came down hard, ripping her mouth with much anticipated kiss. She moaned with the forbidden pleasure, her tongue darting further to demand an entrance to deepen the kiss, which he eagerly allowed. Her stomach knotted with hunger as her mind absently berated the unborn child within her for playing such a foul trick.
What are you doing A sudden voice shrieked within her mind. Have you completely lost your mind? Get your tongue out of this whitelighter right this instant, Missy!
Piper froze, suddenly coming to her senses and wrung away from Leo's tight grip. She turned around and strode off, biting her swollen lips and letting her eyes looking aimlessly into the distance. This cannot be good… she thought to herself, raking her shaking fingers through her hair. What is wrong with me? Why am I always finding myself playing tonsil-hockey with this blasted goody-two-shoes?
Leo lingered in his stance for couple of moments; her taste was still too vivid on his tongue for him to think straight. He swayed forward hopefully, but encountered only more cold air. And indeed he noticed that the heated desert suddenly became so chilling the moment she stepped away. He watched her silently, still baffled by the intoxicating savor swirling in his mouth, still craving more of her, all of her.
"So what will you do now?" he asked finally after a long silence. "You can't hide from me without your powers, you can't get out of here without my help and the Source…" he paused, wondering whether he should tell her what he was told just a while ago.
Piper forced herself to breathe, ignoring the shivers his voice send up and down her spine and trying to block it from reaching her altogether. She licked her lips, her mind reeling with unsettling thoughts about his lips and eyes and arms and that smell, oh that smell… She shook her head, chasing the unwelcome notions away before turning to face him, hoping her voice won't crack.
"Save it," she snapped at him, using all her strength not to give in. Damn whitelighter! "I don't need your help!"
"Yes, Piper… you do. If you haven't notice, you are in the Wasteland! You don't have your powers! How will you get out of here?"
"Like I said… I can take care of myself."
He inhaled slowly, releasing the breath as a soft, almost inaudible hum. Taking a step forward, he saw her stiffen and smiled. If one knew not of his plight to eternally serve the greater good and the side of light, one might have easily mistaken that smile as an evil smile. But Leo wasn't evil, not at all. He was just a man in love, a man who would stop at no manipulative little action he knew to make Piper melt, so he could get what he wanted. And he wanted her.
"Believe me when I say I have no doubts about your ability to take care of yourself," he said softly. "You've been doing such a good job for the past three centuries. But I can't stop myself from caring and worrying about you… I just can't."
"Well then… it's your problem, whitelighter. I didn't ask you to--"
"To what?" Leo snapped suddenly. "To fall in love with you? Damn it, I wasn't asking to fall for a demon either!"
Piper cringed. She couldn't stand him saying he loved her with such rage and fire in his eyes. She wasn't sure though whether she hated it because his anger made her quiver inside with need or because it seemed he was regretting his love for her. She shook her head, This is not the time to get confused! "Just leave. I don't want you here and I don't need your help. What I do need is for you to leave… now."
She glared at him sternly, taking back full control of herself, her hands coiling around her stomach protectively as she prayed with all her might for the child not to react now. She luckily escaped exposure minutes ago because Leo turned his back away, but she knew she wouldn't be as fortunate again. She must keep this child a secret from him and from the Source, at least for this time, while she's figuring out what would she do next. She knew she had not much longer since her belly was slowly beginning to grow, but she just needed this time, just some more time and then everything would be crystal clear. At least she desperately hoped so.
Leo watched her harden before his eyes, a thought flickered through his mind as she braced her stomach, but that was too small and rapid to be noticed. He knew she wouldn't be talked out of this now that she'd changed her stance. He tilted his head forward in defeat and drew a big breath. "Fine… as you wish…"
His eyes lingered on her still red and swollen lips before he was shrouded in shower of blue lights that carried him far away from the woman he desired so much.
Author's Notes: Now... flame away as you want. I know that was horrid... ::sigh::