A/N: I'm very sorry for the long time between updates, I started this chapter ages ago but I couldn't seem to finish it, then last night I got hit by a sudden burst of inspiration and I finished this chapter then got some ideas for the next one. So here's hoping for some more frequent updates!

Thanks to Midnite Magick, Linn-LovesPiperLeo, Magical Princess, Piperleo4eva, nicole812us, swimmer07, halli-halliwell and versatile cutie for reviewing the last chapter.

Hope you all enjoy this one.

Chapter7

Leo stared at Paige. There was so much that he could say. But he didn't. His mind was racing; jumping from each thought to a new idea, consideration and possible meaning.

When Piper left, she'd gone to stay with Paige; that much he knew. The two of them were best friends so Paige almost certainly knew where Piper was now. But he wasn't even sure he wanted to know where she was. He'd felt to much hurt over the years, and coming here was supposed to put an end to that but now…Now he had a link. And the possibility of an answer to why she'd really left and never come back.

Paige's mind span. He wasn't supposed to be here. What was he doing here? She had no idea what to do. Piper was just inside the house; if she looked out one of the front windows now then she'd see him. And his daughter…God! She was holding his daughter, and he didn't even know she existed.

"Paige! Melinda forgot…"

Paige whirled her body around to see Piper standing at the front door of the manor. She was holding Melinda's purple jacket in one hand and clutching to the porch frame with the other; an attempt to steady herself as her knees threatened to collapse under her with the confrontation of her past.

He looked up the steps to see her standing there. Her face was drained of colour which made her eyes appear darker and bigger than usual. Her hair was longer than he remembered but she essentially appeared to be the same Piper he had known. But he had no idea at all; anything could have changed since the day she walked out three years ago. She was 21 then and 24 now; so much would have changed during those years. So perhaps that was why, as he looked up at the love of his life, the most dominant feeling in a torrent of emotions was fear. Fear that even though she was so close to him now, she might be evenfurther away than he'd dare to imagine before.

What was he doing here? She half wondered if he was here looking for her but the look of shock on his face told her starlight away that wasn't true. Say something a tiny voice inside her urged. But how could she say something when it was taking all her energy to just try to think clearly. Instead she looked down to the pavement and saw that even her daughter had momentarily lost her previous excess energy as she looked back at her mother with a quizzical expression on her face.

Come on Piper! Deep breaths. You've been in worse situations than this. Say something! She mentally coached herself as she walked down the steps towards the pavement; towards the man that used to be her world, but had instead become part of a world that she'd rather forget than feel the pain of. As she moved closer to him she felt she felt like she was 18 again and seeing him for the first time at Darryl's party. But then it was all so fresh and new that anything could have happened.

She thought they'd be together forever when he proposed to her. But she'd been young. Too young, some people said at the time. Maybe they'd been right, she didn't know. But she'd been in love and she could see no wrong in accepting the proposal. It was everything she'd dreamed of and she had felt like the happiest person alive for those few short months.

As she neared him she could feel herself falling in love with him again. But she immediately chastised herself; she didn't know him anymore so she couldn't love him. She loved what had been and she loved an ideal. But she didn't know if she could love him. She didn't even know what he was doing here.

Those moments between Piper leaving the solace of the front door and walking down the steps towards the pavement felt like hours to everyone present, but in reality it took only a matter of seconds. Nonetheless, the air seemed to hum with anticipation. At last Piper reached the group on the pavement. She handed Paige the small purple jacket she held in her hand.

"Paige, Melinda forgot her jacket"

Her voice was trying to sound normal but it cracked just a little too much. She looked Paige directly in the eye, allowing her best friend to see the glisten of tears that betrayed exactly what she was feeling. It also allowed Paige to understand what piper was really telling her:

"Act normal. Take Melinda to the park. Leo can't know about her yet."

Silently Piper watched Paige and Melinda leave. Her daughter seemed to be rediscovering her energy that had led to the park trip to be planned in the first place as the sound of her voice danced on the air as she talked excitedly to Paige. Piper couldn't hear what she was saying, but by Paige's laugh it didn't seem to be about Leo. She was glad but it didn't last long asshe hoped that Leo hadn't realized the truth about her daughter; their daughter, she corrected herself. She knew that he'd ask about Melinda, and even if he didn't she knew she'd have to tell him anyway. She just didn't want Melinda to be there when it happened.

Slowly, and somewhat uncertainly, she turned around to face him for the first time in three years.

A/N: I hope you liked it. I' know it was very descriptive and not very dialogue-y but hopefully I'll make up for that in the next chapter when a lot is going to happen I feel, (although I haven't written it yet so I don't actually know!)

Please review, and include any suggestions if you have them because I love the help and feedback :)