"Piper, just calm down," said Officer James Kelley, one of Leo's best work friends, who was working on his case.

"How can I calm down?!" I screamed. "Do you even know who has him?"

Officer Kelley sighed and put his hands on my shoulders.

"All we know that it's the brother of Robert O'Hara, a man Leo put in jail. We're guessing he's going to take the money and run," he said.

"Well, pay him!" I demanded frantically.

"Piper. We have ways of dealing with ransomers," he explained. "We have steps, procedures that usually work."

"I don't fucking care!" I shouted. "I don't care if you do this by-the-books, I don't give a shit! I want Leo back, safe, now!" I ordered through tears.

"Calm down, Piper," he tried once more.

I pushed his hands away from me.

"Dammit, stop telling me to calm down! I'm not going to calm down. I don't know if he's hurt, or even alive!" I cried.

"He's fine. We have til midnight to negotiate..." he began.

"NO! Just stop! Stop treating Leo like he's just another case. He's not. He's everything to me, and a close friend to you," I said. "Please...help."

"We're doing everything we can," he reassured me again before leaving me alone in his office.

"It's not good enough," I whispered angrily to the empty room.

****************

"Thanks, Dee," I said before hanging up. Holly's mother said she would take care of Paige for another night.

An entire hour came and gone. I thought it the misery of waiting was almost over, until two more passed by, without a word from anybody.

"Piper," a voice finally broke the silence. I snapped my head up from being buried in my hands and saw James. "It's seven o'clock. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? We'll let you know what happens."

"It's not like I'm missing a tv show. I don't want you to just 'let me know' how this turns out!" I said. He sighed. "I'm not leaving," I said in a dead voice.

"I meant we'll let you know if anything happens or changes," he said, walking closer to me.

"I'm not leaving," I repeated. He leaned in to hug me. I wasn't going to complain, I needed some sort of comfort. I hugged him back.

Just then, the sound of knocking on the open door broke us apart. Prue was standing in the doorway.

"Sorry to interupt," she said in a cold voice.

I looked at James, then back at her.

"Prue, uh, no, don't be ridiculous. This is James, Leo's friend," I said, wiping my tears.

"Yeah," she whispered, not so sure.

James looked at me.

"Hang in there. I'll be back later," he said.

"How are you sweetie?" she said, stepping aside as he left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Not good," I sighed.

"We'll find him," she reassured me with a hug.

Another two hours passed, I felt like I couldn't breathe. Prue was pacing back in forth as I cried softly in a chair. I was so scared I wanted to vomit.

"That's it," Prue cried out. "They've had long enough."

"Where are you going?" I asked as she picked up her bag.

"I'm going to give them five minutes before I go get the damn money myself and pay this guy before its too late!" she yelled. She came over and put her hands on mine. "Leo will be fine," she spoke in a deadly serious voice, "I promise you that."

"Why do you care so much?" I asked. "You've never even liked Leo."

"But he means everything to you," she said. Then she turned away and stormed out, it wasn't long til I heard her yelling loudly at a cop. I actually smiled a little.

After one more hour, Prue left to go get some food. James waited with me in silence.

"I told him not to do this. I told him I didn't want him to join the force. It was a bad idea," I whispered.

"He'll be okay," he repeated for the hundredth time. I'd heard those words so many times they didn't even matter anymore.

"It's almost eleven," I said. "And you people still won't do anything."

After a long pause, he looked up at me.

"Come on," he said, standing up.

"Where?" I asked, not moving, not looking at him.

"Just trust me."

I stood up and followed him out.

"I'm escorting Mrs. Halliwell home," he said to his chief.

The chief nodded his head and we got in his car.

"I don't want to go home," I protested.

"I'm not taking you home. Listen to me, I'm going to get Leo back for you. I have to break some rules. So hold on and go along with it."

I opened my mouth and then I shut it. I nodded and he started the car.

I had no clue where we going, but James said he was going to save Leo. I was in no place to pass that up.