Keep Rolling the Lonesome Road

October

The ocean water was bright and clear, reflecting the flawless blue of the sky above. Amidst the shrieks rising out of the water, the exasperated voices of parents calling to children who had disappeared for the umpteenth time, and the little feet kicking sand carelessly over those foolish enough to get too comfortable on their towels, lay the coolers and colourful outdoor toys which marked Piper's organized hand on the day's adventure.

It was the last day of October, just over a week past Chris's fourth birthday, and it had been Phoebe's idea to take advantage of what could possibly be the last unseasonably hot day of the year by making a trek out to the beach.

Unfortunately, everyone in the state of California had apparently happened upon the same idea.

There were ten beaches spread out along the miles of waterfront, and Phoebe and Paige, naturally, had insisted on settling down on the most crowded section; the attraction of the beach lying, for them, more in the boardwalk clothing stores than in the sandcastle experience. Piper sat in between Leo's legs on the lounge chair, her back against his chest with her knees drawn up as she flipped absently through a Cosmopolitan magazine.

"Hey! I wasn't done reading that page yet." He protested.

"Oh, I think you were."

Paige watched through half closed lids as a minor tug-of-war began between her sister and brother-in-law over the magazine, stemming from Leo's teasing comment revolving around the article boasting "25 Sexy Ways to Use Your Kitchen." She sighed contently as Henry smoothed sunscreen onto the skin of her bare back, and then looked to the water's edge, where her nephews frolicked ecstatically in the ankle deep water.

Laura, her one-and-a-half year old niece, played contently with a set of wooden blocks on the blanket beside her, wobbling unsteadily under the weight of the sunhat that was more than twice the size of her entire body.

"Whatcha buildin' there, cutie?" Paige asked, tickling the inside of the little girl's chubby thigh.

Laura giggled and pushed away Paige's hand. "Cas'le."

After a moment of apparent deep contemplation, Laura solemnly selected a single, bright blue block and held the gift out to her aunt.

"Thanks, sweetheart."

Suddenly, the magazine flew from Piper and Leo's competing hands and landed directly in front of Paige, sending a small cloud of sand up into her face.

"Hey!" she sputtered, sitting up quickly.

"Sorry." Piper apologized sheepishly.

Paige stretched out her arm to hand back the magazine, and then looked around in confusion as Leo blushed and cleared his throat, abruptly turning his head away from her and shifting uneasily in the chair.

"Paige, honey, we all know you have fantastic breasts. The flashing is kind of unnecessary." Piper commented nonchalantly.

"Oh my god." Paige scrambled to appropriately adjust the fabric of her bikini top, and smacked the bare chest of her husband as he chuckled softly, "Thanks for the heads up." She snapped sarcastically.

Henry held up both hands in surrender, "It's not my fault. You moved so quickly, I didn't have time to tie it back."

Piper snickered, and Leo smiled into the sand below them, still averting his eyes from her direction.

"Well if you two," Paige pointed an accusing finger at the couple, "hadn't been acting like five-year-olds, it wouldn't have been a problem. Apparently expecting a break from sand being kicked around, since your sons finally decided to take their play a little closer to the water, was unrealistic of me. I was just sitting here, minding my own business, trying to get some sun..."

"Sun?" Piper laughed, raising an eyebrow. She glanced pointedly at the wide brim hat atop Paige's head, and then at the canopy umbrella which kept Paige, Laura and Henry completely encased in shade. "I could be wrong, but I was under the impression that you actually needed to venture out into the sunlight in order for that to happen."

Paige pulled her oversized sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and peered keenly at her older sister, "I thought you were working on being less snarky?"

"To be fair," Henry stepped in, "You were snarky first."

Henry took the glare he received from Paige in stride as he watched Piper grin triumphantly. Jumping from no family, to a family that made up in volume and invasiveness what it lacked in size, had been overwhelming at first, but he had long since grown comfortable within the group. The complete lack of privacy took getting used to… and he wasn't quite sure he would ever be comfortable knowing there was little about their relationship Paige didn't openly discuss with her sisters, but there was a certain amount of relief that went with knowing the same applied to Leo and Coop.

He watched Leo wrap his arms around Piper and pull her tightly against his body in a fierce bear hug, eliciting a series of giggles from her as he placed a playful kiss on the side of her neck. How Leo had managed to be the only guy, around these three women in particular, for so many years, he would never know.

Henry placed a chaste kiss on Paige's cheek, apologetic, even though they both knew he was anything but. She smirked at him, seeing straight through his feigned remorse, and placed the bottle of sunscreen back in his large hands.

"I'm not paying you to sit around looking pretty."

"You're not paying me at all." He retorted.

Paige folded her arms beneath her cheek and cringed slightly as Henry squeezed the cold cream directly onto her back. "Was that really necessary?"

"What?" Henry answered innocently, squirting more of the cool lotion upon her skin as he spoke.

She rolled her eyes, "Really? Am I the only adult here today? Between Frick and Frack over there," she tilted her head in the direction of Piper and Leo, "you with your freezing cold sunscreen, and the two rabbits I sometimes call Phoebe and Coop leaving me with their child to go screw in the woods, I feel like I'm keeping an eye on eight kids instead of three."

Henry merely blinked impassively before dropping another dollop of the thick, icy liquid onto her back.

"You are such a child."

"I can think of a few not so childish things I'd like to do to you right now." He murmured.

"Over sharing." Leo stated brightly without opening his eyes.

Piper smiled at the easy banter that was so characteristic of her atypical family, and then turned her attention back to her children, who were now tenaciously digging a large hole in the wet sand. Twenty minutes ago, Wyatt had calmly informed her of his intentions to bury his younger brother, and she was really hoping Leo was correct in his assumption that the boys would grow tired of digging before the hole was anywhere near large enough to hide Chris.

"Do you think they need more sunscreen?" She fretted, "I think they do… the water must have washed away most of it by now-

"They're fine." Leo reassured, his eyes still closed. "Just relax."

He tugged blindly on the back of her bathing suit, silently urging her to recline alongside him and simply enjoy the family outing.

Henry grinned as Piper reluctantly complied; out of all the relatives –dead and alive- he had encountered since meeting Paige, his opinion of Piper had been the one to undergo the most drastic change. His first impression of Piper had been that she was, despite good intentions, easily stressed, and quite frankly, more unstable than not. While there was still no debating Piper's neuroticism, he could now understand that much of it stemmed from the deep-rooted affection she carried for her family. She worried because she cared, and the lack of stability he had seen in her three years ago had clearly been caused by the loss of her husband. They weren't complete without one another; PiperandLeo. He had unwittingly adopted the family's habit of enunciating the two names as if they were one. PiperandLeo are bringing the boys over later today. PiperandLeo said the movie was terrific. PiperandLeo are meeting us at P3.

He continued rubbing the lotion thoroughly into his wife's skin, and looked toward the water just in time to watch a suspiciously large pile of sand form instantaneously beside Wyatt and Chris.

"Piper, Leo? Remember that hole you were counting on the boys not finishing?"

Piper lifted her head from Leo's chest and eyed Henry warily, "What about it?"

Her eyes, along with Leo's, followed his, and both sets widened in horror as they watched Chris disappear from sight as Wyatt pushed him into the newly formed hole.

"Wyatt! No!"

"Great." Leo muttered, with more than a hint of annoyance, as the two of them scrambled off the beach chair and raced the short distance to the magically expanded break in the sand. Paige and Henry watched with mild concern as Leo hopped into the crevice after his son, but when he placed him safely on the edge, apparently no worse for wear, the pair began to laugh.

Paige's laugh grew louder as they watched Piper run her hands over Chris's head and limbs, no doubt checking for breaks – much to the irritation of her youngest son – while Leo dealt with Wyatt and his public use of magic.

"Do we have the greatest nephews in the world or what?" Paige asked.

"Karma is going to bite you in the ass for laughing, you know. And I'm going to get taken down with you."

"Oh please." She scoffed. "You're mortal; we're in the clear. If we ever had kids, they would never even come close to being as powerful as those two."

"Leo's mortal." Henry objected, taking offense as always when she threw the word, 'mortal,' around in that superior tone of voice.

"Yeah, but he wasn't when they were conceived… you know that."

Henry nodded mutely, he did know that. He just forgot; often. He had never known Leo as anything other than the man he was now, and his gratitude for there being at least one other 'normal' being in the family, Victor excluded, caused him to frequently forget Leo had once possessed supernatural powers of his own.

"So," he started, doing his best to sound casual, "have you given any more thought to us maybe working on kids of our own soon?"

"Just stick to the sunscreen, baby."

"Chris, sweetie, are you sure you're okay? Did you hit your head? Does anything hurt?"

"Mommy, I'm fine!" Chris whined, pushing her hand away from his hair. "That was the funnest thing ever!"

"Of course it was." Piper deadpanned, rolling her eyes, "Naturally."

"…but daddy, it was taking forever to dig the normal way. I was careful, I looked to see if anybody was watching first!"

"Wyatt, it is not okay for you to use your magic in public, ever. Especially not for personal gain." Leo admonished.

"But it was really really really really really important." Wyatt protested.

"Buddy," Leo began, crouching down in front of his son and cupping his chin gently, forcing Wyatt to look at him, "if we're going to visit fun places, then we need to know that we can trust you. Mommy and I aren't going to take you to the beach if we aren't sure you can keep from using your powers."

"But I like the beach." Wyatt said softly as tears began to form, further brightening his ever-dazzling eyes.

"And we like taking you," Leo continued, "but we can't unless you follow the rules. Now, do you think you can stay here and play nicely with your brother, without using your powers, or do we have to go home?"

"We can stay." Wyatt sniffled, "I'll be good."

"I'll hold you to that." Leo smiled, ruffling the child's hair.

"And mister?" Piper added in a tone that did not bode argument, "No more pushing your brother into holes, okay? Even," she paused to glare at Chris, "if he wants you to."

"Yes Mommy."

"I'm serious, buddy."

"Mom," Chris jumped in, rolling his eyes and drawing out her name with so much exasperation Leo had to bite the inside of his lip to keep from laughing. "We won't do it again. Promise."

"You bet you won't."

Chris's face fell, "Are you mad?"

Piper's expression softened, and she scooped him onto her hip, her heart swelling as his arms automatically looped around her neck. "No baby." She whispered, brushing sand from his cheek and breathing in the scent of the water on his damp skin, "I'm not mad at you. I just want you to be careful okay?"

He nodded into her shoulder. "And no magic." Piper added sternly.

At this, Chris raised his head indignantly, "I didn't use magic, it was Wyatt!"

"Thanks a lot." Wyatt muttered.

"He just doesn't listen, mommy." Chris remarked, sighing theatrically.

"Yeah well, neither do you. At least now I know not to take it personally." She flipped Chris's body in her arms and placed a loud butterfly kiss on his belly before setting him on his feet.

"You two go bother your Aunt and Uncle while daddy and I get rid of this mess."

"When are Auntie Phoebe and Uncle Coop coming back?" Wyatt asked.

"Soon." Leo answered ambiguously.

The truth was, no one had seen Phoebe or Coop since they disappeared to do some, "shopping." At least, that was what Phoebe had called over her shoulder to the boys as the two of them strolled away, hand in hand. Leo still wished she had taken the time to consider the intelligence of her nephews, who had wondered, as soon as she disappeared from sight, why they were heading away from the boardwalk instead of toward it.

"They've been gone forever." Chris observed. "What if they're lost? I told you daddy, I told you they were going the wrong way."

"Maybe we should go find them." Wyatt suggested.

"I'm sure they're fine." Leo assured, however their identical looks of skepticism told him they were less than convinced.

"Hey boys?" Piper interrupted, "If you don't hurry, we're going to make you help move all this sand back."

Wyatt and Chris took a moment to study her expression and decided, based on the expectant, unblinking stare she delivered back, that it would definitely be in their best interests to quickly vacate the area. They had already learned that while it was safe to assume threats to bind their powers were empty, threats involving cleaning rarely were.

The boys scampered off, and Leo watched until he was certain they had been spotted by Paige and Henry. Satisfied that they would be taken care of, he turned his attention back to Piper, who was frowning at the miniature dune of sand which stood almost as tall as she did, hands fixed firmly on her hips.

"Well, Wyatt was right;" she commented dryly, "this is going to take forever."

"We don't have a choice Piper, some child could fall in and hurt themselves. If we get started now, we should finish up just in time to help repack all the vehicles-

"To hell with that." Piper retorted succinctly, moving to stand beside her husband, "I am not wasting a rare, family day, filling up a stupid hole."

She took a quick look around her, then, with a subtle wave of her fingers, the sand beneath the pile mysteriously gave way. Leo sighed, but refrained from further comment. Once the landslide slowed to a stop, Piper examined what was left, and nodded in satisfaction. She would be soaking up the sun again within fifteen minutes. As long as the boys didn't come back to "help."

They worked quickly together, each gracefully moving in accordance with the other, through no conscious thought of their own. They were having a conversation, that much Leo knew, but if she pressed him for details, his recount would be fuzzy at best. She was happy, relaxed; and he was finding it increasingly difficult to pay attention to anything outside of her smile. Leo felt a surge of love shoot through him as he reflected on how relatively simple pleasing Piper could sometimes be; a nice day, spent outdoors with her family, provided enough normality to sustain her during the not so normal days. Now that the demon attacks were, generally speaking, fewer and farther between, his wife was slowly learning to enjoy her moments of freedom without squandering the time worrying about when they were going to end.

"I think this is good enough." Piper stated casually. However Leo couldn't help but smile as he watched her continue to examine their work with a critical eye, comparing the sand where they were standing to the sand in the surrounding area. Despite her offhanded comment, he knew they weren't leaving this spot until Piper was positive the job was flawless.

She stamped her feet in a few places, smoothed the sand out in others, and finally, the crease between her brows disappeared, and she turned to her husband, completely contented.

"Score one for mom and dad, huh?" She laughed. Tendrils of her hair, now coarse with sand, had fallen free of her messy ponytail. She absently brushed the wayward strands out of her face with the back of her arm, leaving a trail of wet sand across her forehead in its wake.

"Close your eyes." He murmured, as he stepped toward her.

Piper's breath caught in her throat; the way it always did when he used that voice. Nevertheless she willingly obeyed, cursing her sisters for picking this damn overcrowded beach. Without warning, the memory of her and Leo, and their spontaneous midnight escape to this very beach last summer, jumped to the forefront of Piper's mind. The boys had been sleeping over at Victor's, and the night, like the day, had been exceptionally hot. The trip had been Leo's idea, of course, and he had smiled and whispered so irresistibly in her ear that she had not been able to think of a single good reason not to go. It had, obviously, been considerably less crowded then; deserted, actually. The water, cool and perfect, well lit by the full moon above. A perfect evening. But, she reminded herself firmly, she had paid for that particular rendezvous for days afterwards. Today she would take no chances; she wasn't going anywhere near the water with Leo unless Chris and Wyatt were with her.

Leo tenderly dusted the sand off of her face as best he could, then dropped a light kiss on her upturned lips. "I love you."

Piper smiled that gorgeous, crooked smile of hers he loved so much, and leaned forward on her tiptoes to brush a quick kiss of her own on his mouth. "I love you too."

What had she been thinking? Bringing her children to this particular beach, with its inexplicable, arousing effect on sexual urges; Phoebe's vote shouldn't have even counted. Her sister would bring back at least one shopping bag if she knew what was good for her, otherwise she could be the one to deal with Wyatt and Chris's questions. Piper began to fidget with her bathing suit, tugging with increasing agitation as the sand began chaffing.

"We could go out a ways in the water and try rinsing the sand out." Leo suggested, "Away from all these people… you won't have to fight yourself so hard to not freeze them." He continued with a grin.

"Leo," she complained distractedly, "I got an infection the last time we did that. It was not a good time. And it successfully killed all correlations within my mind between open water and romance. We are not having sex in any water outside of what we get in our own shower; I am not a teenager, I can keep my hormones in check until we get home, and so can you."

She let out a childish wail of frustration as she yanked emphatically on the top of her tankini, grumbling under her breath as it did little to ease her discomfort. Perfect; she had sand, literally everywhere, and this time, there were no pleasing memories to make it at least somewhat worthwhile. It took her a moment to realize Leo hadn't made any sort of reply, and she reluctantly turned towards him, hoping he wasn't sulking. She so was not giving in on this, no matter how badly she wanted him right now.

Except it only took one look at his face for her to realize that they were on two completely different pages.

Leo finally came back from his stunned silence and found his voice, confirming for Piper what she already knew. "That wasn't how I meant that… at all, actually."

And that had been true; thirty seconds ago. Now, he couldn't help but react to the mental images her rant had placed inside his head. The look of love and tender affection in his eyes gave way to desire, even as he watched her fiddle comically with the edges of her suit. The subtle change in her restless motions had not gone unobserved; the constant movement of her fingers now had more to do with providing distraction rather than ridding herself of sand.

"Could you possibly be projecting right now?" he asked smugly, "transferring your own feelings to me, in order to convincingly give someone else the lecture you really want to give yourself?"

Piper made a conscious effort to still her hands before placing them defiantly on her hips, "Don't you get all Phoebe on me. I may not be able to freeze her, but I can sure freeze you."

"I wouldn't object to doing a little 'shopping'." Leo responded, ignoring her threat, a suggestive smirk gracing his lips.

"You think you're funny, huh?"

"Maybe just a little."

"Keep it up honey." Piper replied, somehow managing to maintain a semi-straight face, "See if we ever go shopping again."

The sung hung low in the sky, almost kissing the water when their group decided to call it a day. Paige assisted the men with the repacking of the vehicles while Piper and Phoebe hauled the overtired children away from the sand. Tentative plans were made to have a family dinner at the manor the following Sunday, and before long, three new cars joined the line of traffic heading toward the highway on-ramp.

Piper groaned internally as a glance in the rearview mirror revealed Wyatt and Chris, already sound asleep. She didn't have the heart to wake them, but the hour and a half drive meant that if the boys continued to sleep, there would be no settling them in bed before eleven. In all likelihood, despite this, they would probably still be awake at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning. She and Leo were screwed.

Leo too, watched his sons sleep via the mirror, and he smiled as he saw Wyatt frown slightly in his sleep, stretch, and relax back into his seat. Wyatt was as tall for his age as Chris was small, and Piper and himself had been forced to explain to Chris – more than once – why it was necessary for him to continue using his booster seat, while Wyatt sat grown-up style by his side.

The day had been perfect, his sons' magical mishap notwithstanding, and as he navigated the busy highway, he couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like had Wyatt and Chris had another sibling to add to their amusement on the sandy shore. He doubted they would be as careful with a sister as they had –so far – managed to be with Laura, and it was somewhat crazy, he knew, adding another magical child to their impulsive duo, yet once the thought entered his mind, it was nearly impossible to shake it. If they were ever going to have another baby, the timing couldn't really get any better than where they were now. Wyatt and Chris were growing fast, and with Chris starting school the next fall, it would be easier to care for a baby. Any neglect felt by the boys, due to no longer readily having their parents' undivided attention, would be kept to a minimum if they had school to keep them busy. The last thing they needed was Chris repeating the resentful, jealous behaviour Wyatt had exhibited toward him in the beginning. Calling Paige – possibly repeatedly – to sense for a missing child was not an experience he was particularly enthused for. Hopefully Chris's age would contribute to a more easily checked temper.

His gaze shifted briefly from the highway in front of him to rest upon his wife; she was staring intently out of the passenger window, and the slight crease between her eyebrows told him she was lost deep within thoughts of her own. He watched her brush absently at her dirt-streaked white dress, and he rolled his eyes at the impracticality of her decision to wear a white sundress to the beach… as pleasing as it was to look at. However, when he had made the mistake of saying as much before they left the house that morning, Piper had unceremoniously stated that she hadn't asked for his opinion. End of discussion. Hopefully, she would be more receptive to discussing a third child.

Leo recognized the sacrifices another pregnancy would entail for Piper; it would mean reduced hours at the club, a more or less constant state of illness, sleep patterns that fluctuated from near insomnia to near narcolepsy, and essentially, a loss of control over her own body. It was a lot to ask of her, but he had witnessed during their time spent at the beach, her fleeting glances – lasting just a tad too long – towards the unsteady body of their niece and the toddlers of surrounding couples, teetering on shaky legs that could barely handle even ground, never mind shifting sand.

Leo's hand crept across the divide to Piper's lap, finding her hand and squeezing gently. When she squeezed back, suddenly it seemed as if even the hour's drive they had left was too long a time to wait in order to have the conversation that has been on and off his mind for weeks.

"Do you ever thing about what it would be like with another one?" He blurted out, not quite as smoothly as he had imagined when he said it in his head.

Piper didn't need to ask what he was referring to, because truth be told, her mind had already strayed in that direction a time or two today. Unlike Leo, however, she had already put the ridiculous notion out of her mind. They had two beautiful boys; she wouldn't tempt fate by trying to bring another child into the world. Not when she was presently so happy.

"Yeah." She laughed, "A disaster. We can't even keep two in check."

"I'm serious, Piper," Leo insisted, "I'd, I'd like another baby."

The second half of his sentence was so softly spoken, so obviously lacking his virtually ever-present air of confidence, it almost wasn't recognizable as coming from him. Piper sat frozen in her seat, searching for a diplomatic response to his statement, rather than the cry of, are you out of your mind?! resting on the tip of her tongue. "Do you think that's a good idea? I mean, things are good right now… I don't know if we should push that…"

"Come on Piper." Leo pleaded, in that voice she hated, because it made her feel like saying yes to anything he wanted.

"Don't you want another baby?" He continued, "You started crying last week just from thinking about Chris starting full time Kindergarten next fall…"

"I wasn't crying." Piper protested defensively, "I was just… I was thinking about…" she tossed her head in frustration and yanked her hand out of his, "I wasn't crying." She repeated stubbornly.

Leo laughed and moved his hand up and down her thigh, "You want another baby as much as I do. Admit it."

"Stop that." She snapped, slapping his hand away. "I can't concentrate when you-

She inhaled sharply as his hand grazed her intimately beneath her sundress. "Leo, the boys." She hissed.

"…are fast asleep." He finished easily.

"You're not playing fair." She breathed.

"You never play fair. Admit that you miss having a baby in the house."

"Miss it?" Piper scoffed aloofly, "Miss the long months spent walking around like a zombie due to lack of sleep? Miss sore breasts and bitten nipples and what basically amounts to a year and a half of hormonal roller-coaster riding? I have to say, Leo, I miss all of those things not so much."

She watched the corners of his mouth twitch almost imperceptibly, in that way they were prone to doing when he tried to appear indifferent to her tangents. Piper suppressed a grin of her own; she loved that hidden smile. She loved knowing that she could put it on his face.

Her thoughts then drifted back to the afternoon spent at the beach; the parts she didn't squander away fantasizing about ripping Leo's clothes off. She had thought she had been subtle in her observations, but she should have known better. Few things escaped Leo's attention, even if he didn't always let on.

The file in her mind housing that little girl she had seen so many years ago was one she rarely opened, but occasionally she fell prey to moments of weakness, and she couldn't keep the memories contained. The freckles inherited from her, the smile inherited from Leo, and a sunny disposition capable of melting the coldest of hearts; a little sister to be fiercely protected by Wyatt and Chris… or a new guinea pig for her two boys to push into holes.

"There's the smile I've been watching all day." Leo teased, drawing her from her reverie. "I know you, Piper; for whatever reason, you don't feel like admitting it, but that doesn't change the truth. It doesn't change what's in your heart."

"Alright! Enough with the whitelighter speak."

A tiny shock ran through Piper's body as Leo gently squeezed her knee.

"Sorry."

"No," she sighed, "I'm sorry, I just… I'm really not convinced that now is the best time."

"…because you're happy?"

The silence with which Piper met his question was all the confirmation Leo required.

"Piper I thought you were getting past this."

"I am Leo." She snapped, "I'm dealing with it at my own pace, a little bit at a time. And I don't think it's fair of you to expect me to take a leap like this without hesitation."

"Piper I understand that it's very difficult for you, and I'm not asking you to jump in without pause, but it is never going to be the exact right time. The only reason you're hesitating is because –

"Stop analysing me." Piper shifted subconsciously closer to the window, away from her husband. "And yes, I'm happy. I'm happy, and I'm slowly learning how to take the world on a day at a time instead of worrying about every aspect of the future. But, I still think asking for more than we have now would be essentially daring the cosmos to throw something devastating our way. I'm not risking it Leo, now drop it."

She wasn't sure when this conversation lost all trace of its easy, teasing tone, but she had definitely sailed past amusement and vague annoyance, straight to pissed.

Leo gripped the steering wheel tightly and clenched his teeth, pressing his lips into a thin line. In that instant, he would have been hard pressed to determine whether he was more irritated with Piper, or himself; pushing the emotional envelope with Piper before she was ready never made her open to discussion, it only pissed her off. If there was anything he should instinctively remember by now, it was that.

Piper kept her gaze fastidiously focused on the skyline, stubbornly wanting Leo to see how mad he was single-handedly responsible for making her, yet, at the same time, wanting to apologize, if only to recapture the joy that had been her day today. She glanced at the mirror again, hoping to catch a subtle glimpse of Leo, but all she saw were her boys, still sleeping soundly with their heads resting against one another. Chris suddenly raised his head, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand before meeting her eye in the mirror.

Piper couldn't help but smile as he grinned, entertained by the mirror which allowed him to see her face, even though her back was to him. She raised a hand and waved to the mirror, grinning wider as the action elicited a giggle from her younger son. She caught Leo's soft smile from the corner of her eye, but she studiously ignored it in favour of continuing the mirror game with Chris.

"Mom?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"Wyatt's hand is touching my chair."

Piper rolled her eyes, "I'm sure it's not on purpose baby, Wyatt's sleeping."

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"If I'm not allowed to touch Wyatt's seat, how come he can touch mine?"

"Chris, honey, I just explained this to you. Your brother is asleep; it's not his fault. Besides, it's not that you're not allowed to touch each other's seats so much as you're not allowed to touch each other."

"Why?"

"Because it always ends in tears, and that stresses mommy out when she's driving."

Leo chuckled, and the sound switched Chris's attention from his mother to his father.

"Daddy?"

Leo grinned, "Yeah, buddy."

"You know how we always get to play with Auntie Paige and Auntie Phoebe?"

"Uh huh."

"And you know how Auntie Paige and Auntie Phoebe are mommy's sisters?"

"I think I remember hearing that somewhere." He smiled.

"Dad, I'm being serious."

Piper suppressed a laugh as Leo mustered a passably sincere expression. "Sorry buddy. Continue."

"How come we never play with your sisters?"

Leo flashed the uncomfortable half smile that always took over his face when he was questioned about his first life, "Because I don't have any sisters, Chris."

"What about brothers then?"

"Nope."

Chris's eyes widened in astonishment as he looked down at his own brother, unable to fathom the existence of just one boy instead of two.

"No brother?"

"That's right." Leo nodded, "And it's a good thing too; your Aunts love you so much, they sometimes don't even want to share you with your mom and I. If I had any brothers or sisters, we would never get a turn with you." He said with a wink.

Chris giggled again, and the noise drew Wyatt out of his nap. Piper caught the movement in her peripheral vision, and she twisted in her seat to smile at her older son as he yawned and pushed his long hair out of his face.

"Morning handsome."

"Hi mommy."

She then exchanged a small smile with Leo, choosing to close her fingers around his when he tentatively slipped his hand into her palm; the anger she had felt disappeared as swiftly as it had come. He had annoyed her earlier more than anything else; she didn't like the feeling of being virtually trapped inside a conversation – one she didn't want to have in the first place – by the moving vehicle. Leo probably wasn't going to let it go altogether, but at least it was done with for the time being.

"Mommy?" Chris repeated.

Piper sighed; Wyatt and Chris were as opposite in development as they were in looks. It was really only when Chris began speaking in full sentences that Wyatt took an interest in making conversation; up until the age of about four, Wyatt had been relatively introverted, speaking when necessary, but content to stay in his own world. Chris, on the other hand, was another story; he hadn't stopped talking since he first learned how. Even as a toddler, he had voiced his sentences to the best of his ability, and then filled in the blanks with gibberish. Around the people he loved, Chris was rarely content to sit in silence. Wyatt had blossomed in his own time, and while he had been quiet around strangers and family alike, he was now the more publicly outgoing of the two of them. Anyone outside the family was lucky to get two words out of Chris – if they could manage to coax him from behind Piper's pant leg – while Wyatt chatted charismatically with anyone who took an interest.

"Yes sweetheart?" she answered patiently.

"You know how Laura used to be boring, but now she can be fun sometimes?"

"Mmm hmm."

"I don't like Laura." Wyatt declared.

"Wyatt." Piper reprimanded.

"She's not good at sharing yet. She's like when Chris was a baby and he tried to take Wuvey all the time even though he's mine."

"I did not!" Chris claimed indignantly.

"You don't even remember."

"Did I mom?"

"Well, yes, but you were too small to know any better; just like Laura. And eventually, she'll grow out of it too. Until then, we'll just be patient with her, right Wyatt?"

Wyatt sighed off Piper's pointedly raised eyebrow, "Right."

"Why were you asking about Laura, Chris?" Leo inquired curiously.

"Well, there were lots of babies like Laura at the beach today, but she's better than all those babies, and prettier too, because mommy and Auntie Phoebe and Auntie Paige are the prettiest girls in the whole world."

"I'm with you so far." Leo laughed. With Chris, there really was no telling where his mind had wandered until he spelled it all out.

"So I was thinking, if mommy has a baby like Auntie Phoebe did, then we could have our own Laura, except our Laura would be better, because she would be ours."

Leo choked back a laugh and concentrated on the road, refusing to meet Piper's glare.

"That's a stupid idea. We don't need girls in our house." Wyatt objected.

"Hey!" Piper protested.

He rolled his eyes; an action that was distinctly Piper, no matter how much he resembled Leo. "Mommy, you're not a girl; you're just mommy. I mean I don't want a girl-baby crying all the time and taking my toys. I like just me and Chris."

"You and me both." Piper muttered.

"Huh?" Chris asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Don't 'huh,' me, Christopher; it's rude, and you know better."

"Pardon me?" he amended.

"Thank-you. I was just saying, I don't think it's likely to happen any time soon; you're going to have to be happy with Laura for now, buddy."

"Good." Wyatt whispered. Piper shot him a warning glance, and he offered his most charming smile.

At least she knew Wyatt would always be on her side; even if Leo and Chris tried to tag team her. Change was not something he handled well, and while she was certain – for the most part – that he would never try to orb a new baby away like he had Chris, he definitely wouldn't be a happy camper.

"What about later?" Chris persisted.

"We'll see honey. We're almost home; what do you two want for dinner?"

The boys were still debating amongst themselves in the backseat when Leo pulled into the driveway, although they were soon distracted by their sudden freedom from the car. They pulled their tiny backpacks out of the trunk and raced around the front lawn as Piper and Leo gathered the remaining bags of toys and wet clothing from the back.

Leo lightly grabbed Piper's wrist as she turned toward the house, speaking his piece softly before the boys became impatient and stole her focus.

"Just think about it." He whispered, his voice like velvet against her ear, "I know we can make it work."

She shivered, affected by his voice despite her desire to simply roll her eyes and walk away. Instead, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek and headed to the porch, where she just managed to pull the back of Chris's collar before he ran to get better acquainted with the skunk making its way under the neighbour's fence.

Leo shook his head, an amused smile fixed on his face as he slammed the trunk shut.

"Wash your hands!" Piper called into the house as she swung the door open and allowed her boys to race past her.

The front door was left open when Piper disappeared inside, and Leo shifted the chairs in his left arm in order to reach into the mailbox.

From somewhere in the house, he heard a loud crash, almost at the same time as he heard Piper's voice yelling for him with an urgent, slightly apprehensive tone that was only too familiar.

Leo was over the threshold before the load in his arms even hit the ground.

Hey people! I've sort of begun things completely backward, as this story, from around the half-way point to the end, is pretty much finished. I've been thinking about this off and on throughout summer break… my biggest problem being that, as I mentioned, I knew exactly what I wanted to happen eventually, but I couldn't quite figure out how best to start it off. While suffering through an INCREDIBLY boring day at work today, a few things came to mind, and I think I might actually be on the right track now. I still can't say I'm all that fond of this first chapter; I realize it's a bit of a cheesefest, for lack of a better term, but I started off trying to put together some random fluff I could manipulate as a transition into the bigger picture… aaaaand then I got carried away. As usual. The next chapter was supposed to be the first chapter, but it seemed a little intense to be an introduction, so I went back to the drawing board. I tend to drift toward one extreme or the other… the way I write mirrors my personality I guess, haha. There is noooo middle ground with me. Anyways, now that the intro is MORE than over and done with, the coming chapters will actually (gasp) contain some A plot. Stay tuned; I'm having fun with this.