A/N: thanks to Miggs, Charmboy4, Magical princess, xjelliepotatoex, Holly Shadow, anonymous, p3charmedforever, piperleo4eva, Charmedmel32 and Stony Angel for all your amazing review. A lot of you had comments and questions and all I can say to them is: don't presume anything about Piper and Leo's previous time together unless it says it in the story. I promise things will all become clear soon. If you do have any really urgent and specific questions then point them out to me in your next review (hopefully) with an email address and I'll answer them that way so it doesn't spoil things for any one else. Also I know it's been a really long time between the last chapter and this one and I'm so sorry for that but It's been a crazy few weeks and I've been seriously under inspired then last night this just came to me so I wrote it down in my notebook and here it is. I hope you like it but sorry if it's rubbish. That's enough of my ramblings. Here's what you really want...

Chapter 3

Piper had never been good at getting up early and being here definitely didn't improve that. Unfortunately her daughter didn't have that problem.

"Mommy!" Melinda ran across the room and launched herself at her mother's waking body.

Because of the size of the Manor, Piper and Melinda had to use the large attic as a shared bedroom with Paige taking the room downstairs that Piper had had when she had lived here permanently. A gentle knocking at the door signaled that Paige herself was awake now.

"Auntie Paige!" Melinda now raced across to jump in the arms of her mother's best friend as Paige half carried, half tickled the girl, who was now laughing almost uncontrollably, back to Piper who was still lying in bed and was just starting to properly wake up.

"How can you both be this awake this early?" she asked as Melinda engulfed her in a fierce hug.

"Why shouldn't we mommy?" Melinda asked innocently

"Yeah, why shouldn't we mommy?" Paige mocked, causing Melinda to laugh more.

"Because it's early and I'm tired" Piper knew her response was weak but, like she said, it was early and she was tired. She didn't have the energy to think up a better one.

Melinda was now occupying her self by playing with Piper's hair and using a pile of hairclips and a hairbrush she'd found on Piper's bedside table. This gave Piper and Paige a chance to talk.

"What's really the matter?" Paige asked. She could always tell when there was something Piper was keeping from her.

"It's just being here you know. I feel like I've gone back in time 7 years. I feel like I'm this weak, invisible 18 year old again and that's exactly what I was trying not to be when I left. And I've only been here for less than 24 hours" she gave a small laugh, "great!"

"What do you think Auntie Paige?" Melinda had now finished Piper's hair.

"Oh I think its Beautiful!"

"Let me see?" Piper wanted to know how she looked and motioned for Paige to grab the mirror that lay on her bedside table. Paige obliged and, with Melinda's help, made a great show of presenting it to Piper.

What Piper saw next made her laugh with shock and the pure hilarity of it. Her hair was all up and secured with pins so that it stuck out in several ways and resembled a small firework going off.

"Yes Mellie that is absoloutley beautiful. How about you do the same to Auntie Paige now" Piper suggested looking innocently but sneaking Paige a devious glance.

"Oh no. No you don't!" Paige got up of the bed and had no choice but to run around the room as Melinda bounded after her brandishing a hairbrush and a new set of hair clips.

-x-

Downstairs in the Kitchen, Prue and Phoebe could hear the laughter and squeals that were coming from the attic.

"I don't understand it Prue. Why is she different with Paige, you know more relaxed, then when she's with us? We're her sisters."

"I know Phoebes but a lot's happened in the past 7 years; a whole lot of stuff that we don't even know about properly. But Paige was there. She helped her through it and Piper obviously needs her now otherwise she wouldn't have brought her."

"I know but it's hard. I can't help but think that we should be the ones to help her. I don't even know why she left in the first place. I thought everything was fine."

"Me too but she'll be finding this as hard as we are. We haven't all lived together in 7 years. We've hardly seen her in 7 years. It'll take some getting used to."

"I guess you're right. I just hope it doesn't take too long."

"Haven't you learnt by now? I'm always right" Phoebe smiled and the tension of the moment was relieved slightly.

-x-

Leo walked into the hospital in a strange sense of detachment. He was there, yes, but he was there for a job, for an escape. All feeling, emotion and sense were left behind him and he didn't want it back.

She'd been gone for three years now and for 3 years he had lived with the pain and false hopes. He couldn't take anymore and he wouldn't. It was as simple in his mind as that. Somewhere between leaving his house and arriving at work Leo had subconsciously made the decision to function on auto-pilot from now on. Somewhere deep inside him he was scared of this new found emptiness. But that part of him had been silenced and he was resolved to hurt no more.

A/N: hope you liked it. It wasn't very Piper/Leo moment filled but it's sort of a filler chapter. if anyone has any ideas they're welcome and please review!