Ah, another chapter of Always--FINALLY! I wrote this at four o'clock in the morning. That's how devoted I am...I write a hell of a lot quicker in the wee hours of the morning...My thoughts come easier, I guess...
Okay, I forgot to keep track of who reviewed Chapter 5...So I went into the review history beside the name of the fic, and I pulled out all the Chapter 5 reviews...I hope I got all of you. If I didn't, I'm sorry...
PiPeRAnGeL39: I think Brain heard you. At least I hope she did...
foureverCharmed: I got another evil ending for ya! And no skipping ahead!
scullymulder1234: I'll take that suggestion
Chub: You might not be wrong about that spoiler. Tell me what you think the spoiler is! Glad you find me believeable...Wow, that's a strange-lookin' word, isn't it?
piperleo4eva: Um...You said you were looking for the spoiler...I have to look for it, too!
winter blaze: Glad you found the spoiler!
megan: More! You're welcome!
Pruedence.Halliwell: Wow and Cool? Sweet? That's gotta be good, right? Glad you like it!
meenyrocks: You like it too? Good thing. I aim to please.
I-Can't-Think-Of-A-Name-Lol: Can you not think of a name??? You had enough energy to say Update, and that was all I needed to update!
Gryffindor620: Cool? Cool is good!
We're still in 1832, guys (and girls!).
"Want some help?"
"No, Jacob, I--"
He cleared his throat. "Okay, let me try this again."
Piper looked up not to see Jacob Armstrong, the man who was nearly her brother, but her recent worst enemy.
"Leo, I don't want your help."
"Of course you do," Leo said. "With Jack on a drive, Jo in another town, and Prue and Phoebe fixing things with the Sheriff, you're the only one working today."
Piper had pulled two stacks of hay out of one of the barn stalls as Leo spoke. "There's Jacob," she said, going into another stall for a bucket.
"No, there's not."
Her head appeared out of the stall, followed by her body. "Where is he, then?"
"With the Sheriff. He went down to help his sisters."
Piper sighed. Leo was right…Jack had taken a hundred of the horses and some of the men from town on a drive to Kentucky. He wouldn't be back for another few months. Jo was in another town to see her sister, who was sick with the fever. Their crazy daughters got themselves into trouble at the saloon the night before, and the Sheriff had called Prue and Phoebe down to sort things out.
That seemed to be the Armstrong family lately. That was okay with Piper. The Armstrongs had been her family since she was a small child. They were just living their lives, and she was still living in the afterglow of bringing their lives back to them.
The man she married betrayed her and made her life a living hell. She had managed to get that life back when Leo appeared. He changed her in more than one way.
He made her hate him.
And the more she hated him, the closer he got.
And so she hated him more.
But she expected him to be here today. When she looked up at him, he was watching her. She got caught up in his eyes, but forced herself to look away. She was still ashamed of when she broke down in front of him. She was still nervous because he held her, because his arms were around her, holding her to him. She was nervous because he had kissed her. Okay, he had only kissed the top of her head, but still…She'd worked so hard to stay away from him, and then she'd broken down in his arms.
No one had ever come as close to her as Leo just had that day. Not since Daniel Gordon. But he treated her wrong and he paid. But she paid in the end.
She'd decided after Dan took her money that she should never trust another man again. That they were after her money.
They were.
Right?
Right.
And so was Leo. He just wanted her money. That was why he hounded her. He wanted her ranch and her horses. He wanted nothing from her but her fortune.
Right?
"I don't get it…What's going on?" Piper asked.
"You…She married a man who loved her for her business. She raises horses and sells them and ships them all over. The man she fell in love with cheated her out and stole all of her money. She tracked him down and, after some struggle, got it back. She nearly lost her ranch."
"Oh…"
"Her dad left her when she was young, after her mother died. She grew up living with a different family, friends of her father."
"Hmm…What place do you have here?"
"He's…He's kind of on a mission to open her heart back up."
"With a strange method."
"She's wearing down…Anyway, he's more of a, uh…a lost soul himself. He's haunted by his past. He was told by a…reliable source…that she needed his help, and here he is."
"Helping? Looks like she's doing the work in the stable."
Leo smiled.
"Need some help?" Leo asked again.
"No," Piper said firmly, turning her back on him to walk toward the exit of the barn. She was carrying two large wooden buckets full of food with her, one in each hand.
Leo ran to catch her and grabbed the bucket from her left hand. She started to protest, but decided not to. A little help may not be all too bad.
Then again, it was Leo.
She reached for the bucket, but he held it out of her reach. "Where're you goin' with these?" he asked her.
"To the fence."
They carried the buckets to the fence. She dumped the horse feed into a large wooden trough, and he did the same.
"Now what?"
"Now you leave."
"Ah, you can't get rid of me that easily."
"So I've seen…"
They were both silent for a few seconds. Piper looked up at Leo. "Leo, look…About the other day…"
"Are you explaining yourself?"
Leo took a step forward and Piper stepped back.
"Yes, I…I shouldn't…"
Leo took another couple of steps and Piper backed up.
"I'm sorry, I…I was over the line…I was just angry and upset and…well, I haven't gotten it out in a while…I'm sorry."
All the while she was talking, Leo was advancing on her. She kept backing up on instinct.
"You're apologizing? For crying?"
Piper nodded. She backed up another step and hit the side of the house.
"Don't."
"Don't what?" Piper questioned.
"Don't apologize." Leo took another step forward, but Piper couldn't back away. "Why should you? You did nothing wrong."
"I was childish."
"You were upset. You were lied to. Led on. You had every right to be upset. And you weren't childish."
Piper was silent. Leo's face was only inches from hers now and she was lost in his eyes once more. But she knew he was just going to walk away. He would lean in close so that she could feel his hot breath, then he would smile, tip his hat, and leave.
She braced herself for it.
"Don't ever apologize for somethin' you didn't do wrong, Piper," Leo whispered. "Ever."
Piper just stared.
"I'm serious. I don't want you apologizin' to me, either. Ever." Leo paused for a few seconds. "I need to watch out for you. You know I'm here when you need me--always."
This was it. She was all ready for him to just walk away.
Walk away, now! Just walk away!
He leaned in closer. She could feel his breath on her lips. Just go, her mind pleaded. Don't make it harder…She didn't think she could take anymore. Just go now…
This was the part where he leaves.
…Then again…She could always be wrong about these things…
Just when Piper thought she was going to explode, Leo moved forward and pressed his lips against hers. Piper melted. She closed her eyes, forgetting that the man who was kissing her was the same one she hadthought ofas her worst enemy just ten minutes ago.
At first she wasn't sure of what to do. Should she pull away and hit him or lower her walls and let it continue? She couldn'treally debate the decision; she could barely think.So she wrapped her arms around Leo's neck and deepened the kiss.
He pulled away suddenly. She opened her eyes, confused, and looked up at him.
"Piper…"
"...We're gonna pay for that, aren't we?"
He nodded slightly.
Damn it!
He let her get too close. He let himself get too close.
It was all a game until he got lost in her eyes. He had her backed up against the wall just how he wanted, and he had her realizing she didn't need to apologize for what was beyond her control. But then…Then he had to go and look into her eyes.
He'd done it a million times. He's stared at her and pictured her eyes in his mind. He'd locked his eyes with hers countless times. And he had power each time. He had control.
But he got lost that time.
And he screwed up and kissed her.
As soon as his lips touched hers, though…He couldn't move…He was in a different world. He realized now just how important it was not to get too close. To make her want him, not the other way around.
Just seeing her, waiting like that…He wanted to walk away, to leave. It would have been so much better. It would have worked out so much better…
But no…
He had to kiss her.
Damn him…
Damn him to hell.
He had to lead her on like that…She was ready for him to walk away. She was ready for him to leave. She was prepared and braced. She was ready for anything.
But she wasn't ready for him to kiss her.
Not ready at all.
But as soon as he touched her, she was lost. She went into some sort of dreamland…She was in heaven on earth…
Why did he kiss her?
Piper groaned. He just had to kiss her…It changed everything. And she was right, they would pay for it sooner or later.
But it was a hell of a kiss.
He'd never kissed her before…She'd never been kissed like that before…It was slow and soft and gentle, not like the rough pecks Dan gave her…The worst part about it was that when Leo pulled away from her, she wanted more. She didn't want him to go.
No! No! He needed to go! He needed to go far, far away! He was her mortal enemy! She hated him!
She kissed him. She kissed the man she hated.
Well, he kissed her.
Piper sighed. It was all so confusing…What was she supposed to do? What was Leo thinking? She wondered what he thought about it, but she wasn't about to face him to ask.
Damn him to hell.
Um...Don't have much to say...
Hope you liked it!
Review!