Disclaimer: I don't own Charmed nor do I own anything related to Norah Jones' song, "The Long Day is Over." This takes place after the last present day scene in "Forever Charmed."
Through the Years
Twenty-Three: The Long Day is Over
Feeling tired
By the fire
The long day is over
The wind is gone
Asleep at dawn
The embers burn on
With no reprise
The sun will rise
The long day is over
-Norah Jones, "The Long Day is Over"
Piper didn't seem convinced that he was actually there. All day she hovered nearby, almost always with a hand touching some part of him. That night, as soon as the boys were asleep, she pulled him into the bedroom and pushed him down on the bed. Immediately she began to run her hands over his body, but the touch was in no way sexual. She seemed desperate to reaffirm his presence through touch, and her hands skimmed his entire body twice before they finally came to rest on his face. She clasped his face in both hands and ran her thumbs over his cheekbones, then without warning, began to cry.
Immediately, Leo sat up and wrapped his arms around her. She came closer without hesitation, climbing into his lap and clinging to him while still sobbing. Leo didn't bother with words. He simply held her and waited for her to calm down on her own.
"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," she said, the words mumbled by his shirt and her thick tears.
Leo kissed the back of her head. "I'm here," he said. "I'm here."
Piper pulled back to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just feel so overwhelmed. I can't believe you're here. That you're real. I've dreamt it a hundred times. What if this is just another dream? What if I wake up and you're not here?"
"It's not a dream this time," said Leo. "Piper, I'm back. And I'm not going anywhere ever again."
Over the next few weeks, he found out that convincing Piper of this was going to be more difficult than he realized.
He found the tape accidentally, over two weeks after he had returned. Piper had finally gone to work (apparently she had spent less and less time at the club while he was gone and she seemed in no hurry now to take back more responsibility there) and Victor had taken the kids to a concert he had bought tickets for months ago. Leo had been digging in the bedroom closet for a box of his old clothes so he could work on the car while he had some time to himself. Instead he found a tape labeled "2/6/06-2/24/06" and his curiosity piqued. Piper had already shown him the tapes she had made of the kids and he wondered if this went along with those other tapes. Deep down he knew that he should have called Piper and checked, but he didn't. He just went downstairs, popped the tape into the player and watched the entire thing.
Seeing Piper speaking directly to the camera—directly to him—made him feel susceptible to her pain in a way he hadn't been in years. It was deep and sharp and tangible, similar to the way it had been after Prue died, and Leo could only thank God that Paige had been there to help Piper through what had happened. The video also brought a new light to Piper's behavior since he had returned.
In the past two and a half weeks, he'd seen Piper cry or at least get teary eyed at a minimum of once a day. This day had been the first she'd left him alone since he returned. Even if she was exhausted, she never went to bed until he did. While they slept she'd awaken several times during the night with a jolt and couldn't get back to sleep until she reassured herself that he was still there. As a series of small events, he hadn't thought too much about it. Now, in light of the tape he was more concerned. Her behavior wasn't just the result of missing him for so long or residual nightmares. No. She was simply continuing the fear and obsession that had plagued her while he was gone. And it seemed a very real possibility that she wasn't recovering from what had happened.
The problem was, he wasn't sure if he should talk to her about it. Piper would not admit her problems before she was ready to and if you prodded her it sometimes made the process even slower. And she had left him alone today, which was some progress, wasn't it?
Still, he didn't feel that he could just let it go. Resolved, he decided the best thing to do would be to talk to Paige that night when she and Henry came over for dinner.
That night, as soon as Paige and Henry arrived, Leo pulled Paige aside. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked.
"Sure," said Paige cheerfully. "What's up?"
Leo glanced at Piper; she was clearly engaged in conversation with Henry and not paying any special attention to him and Paige. "I found this tape that Piper made while I was gone. Not the one she made of the kids. This one was personal. Just her speaking to me. And Paige, she was a wreck. I haven't seen her that upset in ages."
"She missed you, Leo," said Paige. "This wasn't like when you were an Elder. This time someone took you from her and threatened never to give you back. She was under a lot of pressure and a lot of stress."
"I know," said Leo. "And I understand. I just wanted to thank you."
Paige looked taken aback. "Thank me? For what?"
"For being there for her," said Leo. "I know that it can't have been easy on you either. Especially since you just got married. But I really appreciate it."
"Oh. Well." Paige sighed. "I don't really deserve too much thanks to be honest, Leo. Truthfully, I don't think either Phoebe or I was there as much as we should have been."
Leo furrowed his brow. "But—"
"You want to know how good of a sister I was, Leo? I left Piper alone on your anniversary. I didn't even remember. And when I got home that night I found her sitting in a closet crying." Paige laughed, bitterly. "So yeah, I was a real big help."
"Paige," said Leo seriously, "don't do this to yourself."
"Do what?"
"Take the blame for things you couldn't prevent. Piper would have been a wreck on our anniversary if you were there or not. The point is, I know that you were there for Piper whether you believe it or not. She's mentioned it too, so don't underestimate yourself."
"I just felt really useless," said Paige quietly. "I didn't know how to deal with that kind of desperation." Then she smiled and visibly shook herself, as though casting off the moment of pain. "But she's better now, isn't she?"
Leo bit his lip. "I don't know," he said honestly. "She's been on edge most of the time like she's just waiting for me to just disappear again. And after I saw the tape today… Well, let's just say that I didn't realize just how bad things were while I was gone."
"You need to talk to her," said Paige.
"Yeah," said Leo. "I think you're right."
As it turned out, the subject was harder to broach than Leo thought it would be. He was trying to wait for an opportune time, a moment when he thought Piper might be open to listening. He was also trying to strike up the courage to tell Piper that he had watched the tape. The way her temper flared these days, he wasn't sure that she'd listen to anything he said after he confessed that.
Then, two days after he had spoken to Paige, Phoebe provided the catalyst to the conversation. Mid-afternoon there was a knock on the door and Leo opened the door to find Phoebe on the other side twisting her hands together anxiously.
"Hi," she said. "Is Piper home, I need to talk… Oh! Hi Piper."
Leo turned and saw that Piper had come into the hall upon hearing Phoebe's voice. He began to walk away to give them some privacy, but stopped short when he heard the next words out of Phoebe's mouth.
"Piper," she said, "I came over to talk to you about Billie." Leo turned his head towards the conversation and saw Piper visibly stiffen. Please, Phoebe, he thought, just let it go. Stop there. But of course, she didn't. "She has no place to go right now and I told her she should talk to you. She seemed to think you wouldn't want her here, but—"
"She's right," said Piper abruptly. "I don't want her here."
"But Piper, it wouldn't be forever. Just until she can get back on her feet. She's lost everything."
Piper's voice dropped low and threatening in a way Leo had not heard in a long time. "And she almost cost me everyone I love in the world. I won't have her in this house. I absolutely will not have her around my children. Do you understand me?"
"She was manipulated, Piper. Can't you see that? The demons were playing with her mind and so was Christy."
"I don't understand why you're still pursuing this," said Piper. "She tried to kill my child. If you think I'm going to let someone who tried to kill my child back into my life you're sadly mistaken. Never mind that she's essentially the reason Leo was taken from me and that she killed you and Paige, no matter how temporarily."
Phoebe shook her head in an offended manner. "Piper, I know what it's like to be under the influence of evil, remember? Billie may have made some bad choices, but she also had something really dark pushing her in that direction. It's so hard to overcome that, but she did. And against her sister, too. I can't even imagine."
"What if it happens again?" asked Piper. "I'm not taking that risk. Forget it, Phoebe."
"Well what about me?" asked Phoebe. "It could happen to me again. You don't seem to have a problem letting me around the kids."
"That's different," said Piper.
"How?"
"You're my sister. And even when you were under the influence of the Source you never tried to intentionally hurt me or Paige or Leo. So don't try to tell me it's the same."
Phoebe crossed her arms. "You're really not going to back down on this."
"No," said Piper.
"Fine. She can stay with me then."
Piper stared at Phoebe for a moment and then turned away, apparently deciding the conversation was over. "Just keep her away from my kids, Phoebe," she said as she walked away. "I'm serious."
Phoebe sighed and turned to Leo. "Maybe you can talk to her," she said. "She shouldn't hold onto this anger. It's not healthy."
Leo shrugged. "Frankly, Phoebe, I'm not too wild about Billie either. I can empathize with her and I can pity her, but that doesn't mean that I feel comfortable with her around Wyatt and Chris."
For a moment, Phoebe looked like she pitied him, but then she came forward and gave him a brief hug. "I am glad you're back," she said. Then she let him go and left the house. Leo stared at the door for a moment after she left, then walked into the living room to find Piper standing at the window.
"She'll understand when she has kids," said Piper.
Leo nodded, though Piper couldn't see, lost in thought. "I saw the tape," he said abruptly.
"What?" said Piper, turning to face him.
"I saw the tape," said Leo. "I know I probably shouldn't have watched it, but I did. And it scared the hell out of me, Piper." He swallowed hard, trying to cast out the lump in his throat. "I also talked to Paige."
Piper stood frozen and stared at him. He couldn't tell what she was feeling or thinking and that worried him. Still, he plunged forward.
"I'm really worried about you," he said. "And not just because of that. The past two weeks you've hardly let me out of your sight. You panicked when I went out to the garage without telling you. I know that I can't even begin to imagine how hard things have been for you, but Piper, I'm back now. I'm not going anywhere. I swear."
Her face visibly paled. "How do you know that?" she whispered. "What if something else happens? What if they take you to motivate me again? I can't…" Her breath hitched and she shook her head. "I thought that once you came back everything would be fine, but I'm having so much trouble. I can't believe that it's going to work out and I'm so scared all of the time."
Leo stepped forward and took Piper's hands in his, bringing them up to his lips and kissing the back of each hand. "You said the Elders sent Coop to Phoebe consequence-free as an apology, right?"
Unexpectedly, Piper's anger flared. "Who the hell do they think they're apologizing to? You and I are the ones they've screwed with again and again and again. If they wanted to apologize they should have given you back to me. And don't try to tell me they weren't behind this entire thing. I know that they were."
"I just think," said Leo carefully, "that they felt bad about everything that happened. And I think we have to take it as a sign of faith that they're not going to play with our lives again."
"They're the Elders," said Piper. "They and the Angel of Destiny, they all think of us as playthings that are supposed to do their every bidding. I'm sick of it. And I don't trust them."
"I know," said Leo. "But you have to get past this, for your own sake. If you don't, you'll just make yourself crazy."
Piper pulled her hands away and pushed her hair behind her ears. She looked frustrated. "How can you be so matter-of-fact?" she demanded. "They stole four months of your life. Four months! Do you really want to just trust that they won't do it again?"
"What else can we do?" asked Leo.
"Demand a guarantee," said Piper. "I want to set up a meeting and get them to put in writing that they aren't going to threaten my family again to get me to do something for them."
"Piper…"
"No. It's perfect. I'll get Paige to orb me Up There and I'll talk to them. If they really are trying to make amends with us, they'll listen to me."
"They aren't going to respond to ultimatums. And you, more than anyone, should know that."
For a moment, she simply stared at him as though debating whether to continue the conversation. Then without warning her whole face crumpled and she blinked back tears. "I'm just so tired of being scared all of the time," she said.
"You don't have to be scared anymore," said Leo. He pulled her towards him, hugging her tightly. "I'm here. And we saw the future, Piper. You worked so hard to get that future for us. I can't believe it's just going to disappear after everything we've been through. I know it's difficult for you to have faith now, but you have to try."
"I don't know how," she said.
"It'll take time," said Leo. "I'll help you. But Piper, you have to talk to me. You can't keep everything inside. Please, promise me that."
Slowly, Piper nodded against his chest. Then she pulled back a little to look him in the eye again. "Just, for right now," she said, "don't go too far."
"I'll be here," said Leo, "whenever you need me."
That night, while Leo was saying goodnight to the kids, Piper went into her bedroom to put on her pajamas. Almost immediately she noticed the picture on top of her pillow: it was one of her and Leo that Phoebe had taken at the very beginning of their relationship. One from before she'd even known that Leo was a Whitelighter. It wasn't a great picture by any means; in it they were kissing, but neither she nor Leo had been aware that the picture was being taken: her hair was covering most of her face and Leo was turned three quarters away from the camera. It wasn't Piper's favorite picture, by any means, but it was the first picture that had been taken of them together. Piper picked it up off of the pillow, curious, and flipped it over. On the back, Leo's familiar handwriting jumped out at her. It read:
Piper,
Here's my guarantee to you: I'm here. And just like always, if you need me all you have to do is call for me and I'll be there.
Love,
Leo
A/n: Sorry this one took a few days to get up. We have construction workers at the house right now working on the bathroom which has made it hard to concentrate. And on top of that, I'm fighting off a cold. I finally finished this chapter though, and I thought I'd post it. I'm very interested to hear what everyone thinks; there are parts of it I'm very happy with and other sections that I have mixed emotions about.
The last chapter is partially written and should be up soon (fingers crossed). Thank you all for the reviews!
Katie