Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed nor do I own anything related to Carly Simon's song, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning." This takes place somewhere around "That 70s Episode."
Through the Years
Two: In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning
In the wee small hours of the morning
While the whole wide world is fast asleep
You lie awake and think about the boy
And never ever think of counting sheep
When your lonely heart has learned its lesson
You'd be his if only he'd call
In the wee small hours of the morning
That's the time you miss him most of all
-Carly Simon, "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning"
Piper picked up the coffee pot and started to pour it into her mug when a pair of arms snuck around her torso, settling right under her breasts. The arms pulled her back against a warm chest and she set the coffee pot down, completely forgetting about it.
"Hey," said Leo, kissing the back of her head and working his way down the side of her face, planting light kisses the entire way. Piper twisted around in his arms and he immediately pressed his mouth into hers in a firm kiss, to which she eagerly responded. When he finally broke it off he left his lips against her mouth and said, "You stole my shirt."
"It's flannel," said Piper. "Soft and warm. Exactly what I needed." She pushed against his mouth again, eager to repeat their earlier activity.
Leo's hands slipped down from her shoulders, over her ass, and up underneath the shirt where he began to slowly caress her back. Piper moaned a little into his mouth, and he pushed his knee between her legs, backing her straight into the counter. It had been an unexpected surprise, she thought, that Leo was simultaneously forceful and tender in his ministrations. She'd been the one to make every move in their relationship so far, though he'd been so very eager in his replies that she'd figured he was just shy. Knowing him better now, though, she wondered if she'd mistaken timidity for something deeper.
"I kind of need it back," he said as he began to kiss his way down her neck. At the same time his hands snaked around to her stomach, before dropping lower in a feather light touch, to the outside of the shirt and up, where he started to undo the buttons, beginning at the top. For her part, Piper clutched the back of his t-shirt and pulled him in toward her, as close as he could get.
He was almost through with the buttons when she remembered that they were in the kitchen, and that Prue and Phoebe could get back at any minute. "Mmm," she said, pulling back to catch her breath a little. "We can't...here. We...should go...upstairs."
"Upstairs is so far away," said Leo, moving back in to kiss her again.
"My sisters," she managed to say, and it was enough. Leo reluctantly pulled away and grabbed her hand.
"All right," he said. "Come on."
He tugged on her hand and began to lead her out of the kitchen towards the stairs. She felt so alive, so happy right now. Laughing, she looked up at Leo and in the distance she heard a loud ringing. No, that couldn't be right. What...?
Piper opened her eyes slowly and blinked, looking around her bedroom. Groaning loudly she turned over onto her side and smacked her alarm clock, pissed off that it had ruined her dream. With Leo gone her dreams were just about the only place she got gratification these days. The morning light was just beginning to come through her window and she knew she should get up to start to get ready for work, but just the thought of going to Quake was enough to make her want to curl up in her blankets and never emerge.
It had been almost two months since Leo had awkwardly broken things off with her and Piper could hardly believe she wasn't over it yet. In her entire life she'd never fallen for a guy so hard so fast; and for one that had left her with little to no explanation as to why he was leaving. It was simply incomprehensible that she'd still be thinking about him. Most of the time she'd just tell herself that it was because she hadn't found anyone else remotely likeable since Leo, but sometimes, like right now when she was still half-asleep, she would admit that it was because she didn't want anyone else. In her deepest desires, she couldn't help but want him to suddenly appear out of the blue again.
"Leave it to me to fall in love with the world's most secretive man," she mumbled into her pillow.
Maybe she shouldn't have called it off so casually. Maybe she should have fought harder to get him to admit the truth and then maybe he could have stayed. Whatever he was hiding couldn't be that bad, could it?
There was a loud knock on the door and Prue said, "Piper, are you up? You said you needed to go to work early today, so I was going to let you use the shower first. Remember?"
"Yeah, Prue," said Piper, not looking up. Leave it to Prue to spoil her wallowing.
"Well then get up," said Prue. "I have to get ready too, you know."
"Yeah, Prue," said Piper. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed loudly. Why was it that nothing in her life seemed to be working out the way she wanted?
"Piper!" said Prue.
Well, at least she still had her sisters. That was one thing to be grateful for. And with that thought, she finally pulled off the covers and went to start the day, determined to put Leo out of her mind.