I'll Say Goodbye

Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story! All places, events, and characters belong to the creators of the TV show "Charmed". I am making no profit off of this story; it is simply done to relieve some of the overactive plot bunnies that have taken over my room.

Summary: What if Leo and Piper thought that they could never be together? On their last night together, Leo finds that he must make the saddest farewell of his life (or afterlife).

Rating: T (to be on the safe side)

Characters: Piper, Leo

Timeline: Somewhere in Season 2 of "Charmed". Leo has his wings; he's never given them up. Dan does not exist in this story, Piper never knew him. Leo is her only love.

A/U: Slightly, I suppose, solely in the fact that Leo has never given up his wings and Dan does not exist.

Author's Note: I am new to the "Charmed" universe, but as soon as Piper and Leo got together the first time I have been a fan of their relationship. This story idea just struck me today when I was listening to a CD in my car, and I felt that I needed to get it out. This is not meant to be a Leo/Piper bashing session. Piper and Leo are my two favorite characters, as a matter of fact!

Author's Apologies: Since has prohibited songfics on their site, I have had to edit out the lyrics that I originally wrote into this story. For a full version of the story, with song lyrics, please visit my website once it is up and running! As for now, just enjoy the story for what it is. The song I intended to go with this story is "I'll Say Goodbye (For the Two of Us)" by the band Expose.

She lay in the bed next to him, her hair disheveled and her eyes slightly swollen from crying. She was in an exhausted sleep, the result of their earlier love-making, followed by a tearful denial of what would have to come tomorrow.

Leo cradled the woman he loved in his arms, one hand idly stroking her hair as she slept like the dead. More than anything he wished that he could stay here forever, with her. She was the only woman that he had ever loved and if he could, he would give up his powers in a heartbeat to stay with her, but he knew that he had responsibilities and charges, and he couldn't follow the selfish desires of his heart when he could do so much more good in the world. There were so few Whitelighters as it was, every single one was needed and valued, and Leo knew that no matter how much he loved Piper, he had to let her go. He loved her too much to risk the elders doing anything to harm her, and it was better if they ended this relationship of their own free will, rather than forcing the elders to interfere.

As he gazed down at her tear-streaked cheeks, Leo felt his heart give a lurch. He couldn't leave her tomorrow, knowing that he would be breaking her heart and knowing that he would never see her again after this night. Tomorrow he would be assigned somewhere else and another Whitelighter would take over the Charmed Ones. It would be better if he left now, even though it would hurt her, it would remove the temptation in the morning. Leaning over, he placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, one that was so light it wouldn't wake her.

Leo moved slowly and gently disentangled himself from Piper, pulling the blankets up around her to prevent her from taking a chill. Fishing around on the floor, he found his clothes and pulled them on, his eyes never leaving the sleeping figure of the woman that he loved more than life itself. As he dressed, an old song came to his mind. One of his charges, a future Whitelighter, had played it over and over after being forced to break-up with her boyfriend by her parents, and Leo had watched over her, ready to guide her if her depression had been enough to drive her over the edge.

Leo hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Piper's desk and found a pad of paper and a pen. This seemed such a cold way to say good-bye, but he knew that if he had to look at her tomorrow and say good-bye, he'd never be able to let her go, the elders be damned. It was better all around this way. He began to compose the letter, but it proved harder than he had thought and he struggled to put his feelings into words. The whole time the song played itself out in his mind.

Piper shifted in her sleep, but didn't wake as Leo held his breath, hoping that she wouldn't wake and demand to know what he was doing. But she remained sound asleep, looking as peaceful as an angel. The moonlight coming through one of the windows silvered her cheeks, hiding the tear tracks and making her more beautiful than he could ever imagine. He turned back to his letter as his chaotic thoughts began to resolve themselves.

At that moment, Leo truly hated himself for what he was doing, and he knew that when Piper woke in the morning to find him gone, she'd probably hate him forever, but he knew making a clean break now was the best way to help her do this.

Leo reread the letter in his hand, then signed it and folded it, moving as silently as he could to the bed, slipping it underneath her hand. He hoped that she would be able to forgive him some day, but he knew that was probably too much to hope for. There was so much that he wanted to tell her that a letter couldn't express, but he hoped she would understand.

Leo leaned over Piper one more time and kissed her gently, running his hand over her soft brown hair, feeling the silky tresses underneath his palm, a feeling he knew he'd always remember, even years from now, just like he'd always remember her love, her passion, and her gentle caresses. She would forever live in his heart and his memories, and it would be a pain he would carry for the rest of his immortal life.

As he straightened up, Leo knew that he had to leave now, or he would never leave. Gazing down at her again, he whispered to the still room. "Good-bye Piper…forgive me for causing you this pain…I'll always love you." He turned his back on her and willed himself to orb away. The blue lights coalesced around him and he felt his body dissolving as the room around him faded from view. At the last minute, he turned and allowed his gaze to rest one last time on Piper.

Piper stirred and rolled over, opening her eyes only to find emptiness in the place where Leo should have been lying beside her. Confused, she sat up and looked around, listening for him in case he was using the bathroom to get cleaned up before leaving.

There was no sign of him anywhere. Puzzled, Piper was about to get up, when she felt something smooth under her hand. Glancing down she saw a folded piece of paper in her hand. Swallowing nervously, she unfolded it and brought it up, checking the bottom to see Leo's name in a bold, strong hand.

My beloved Piper,

As I sit here, watching you and thinking about everything that we have shared ever since I first arrived on your door-step pretending to be a handy-man, I find that this is going to be harder than I first thought. If you are reading this, I have already gone. You will not find me waiting for you to say good-bye, because I love you too much to put you through that hurt.

I suppose that I am also a little bit of a coward, as well, for I cannot bear to see you cry when we part ways forever, and know that I am the cause of that heart-ache. It seemed easier, for both of us, if I just left quietly and made a clean break, because I know that if I have to watch you cry as I leave, I'll never be able to go, no matter what the elders say, and I will not put you at any risk of suffering their wrath because I was unable to perform my duty as your Whitelighter.

You have every right to be furious with me for what I have done. I know that I deserve it, but I only hope that someday you can forgive me, and even look back at the memories that we did share with fondness and love, not rage, for we will never see each other again. I have requested to be reassigned, and another Whitelighter will be taking over responsibility for you and your sisters. Continuing to see you, knowing that we can never be together would only hurt too much.

I will always be grateful for everything that you have given me, including the time when you saved me from the Darklighter Alec's poison. You gave me back my life, and enabled me to continue caring for others. Thank you for all the beauty and life that you have brought to me. Know that I never meant to hurt you in any way, and it is to my greatest sorrow that we will never be able to be together, but that knowing you was also my greatest joy. Know that if I could do this whole thing over again, even if I knew where it would lead, I would do it again, if only to have known your love once.

Please forgive me someday for what I have done, and know that I will always love you, even when you no longer remember me.

Forever yours, my love,

Leo

Piper was staring wordlessly at the letter as she read it, uncaring of the tears that streaked her cheeks anew. She could not believe his utter and complete gall in what he had done, and a slow, hot rage began to rise in her by the time she got to the end of the letter. She crumpled the letter in her fist and threw it across the room with a wordless scream.

A moment later, Prue and Phoebe came barreling into the room, wide-awake and looking ready to vanquish any demon that had somehow gotten to their sister. Instead they found an extremely angry Piper pounding her pillows while screaming and crying. Bewildered, the other two Halliwells looked around for the cause of Piper's obvious fury.

As Prue went to hold Piper and try to comfort her, Phoebe looked around, wondering where Leo was. She and Prue both knew that Leo had come to spend one last night with Piper, but there was no sign of him except in the disheveled bed. Spotting a crumpled up piece of paper on the floor, she picked it up, only to stiffen as a flash blinked into her mind.

In her mind's eye, Phoebe saw Leo sitting at the desk watching Piper sleep as he struggled to compose the letter, then placing the letter next to her sister before orbing out of the room in a shower of blue light.

As the flash faded from her mind, Phoebe shook her head and smoothed out the letter, reading it quietly to herself. Prue watched curiously from the bed, where Piper was now sobbing into her shoulder, mumbling incoherent phrases. Phoebe finished reading the letter and handed it to Prue, who also read it quietly, while rubbing Piper's back.

"Oh, Piper, sweetie, I'm sorry. He was wrong to do what he did, but he was only trying to not hurt you any more. The elders are fools for not seeing that you and Leo were meant for each other." Prue murmured softly as she placed the letter on the nightstand and embracing her younger sister more tightly. "Just believe that Leo was trying to do what he thought was best for the both of you. Don't stay mad at him, sweetie. If you have to be mad at anyone, get mad at the elders, because they are the only ones to blame for this whole situation."

Phoebe chimed in as she sat on the bed next to Piper and Prue. "Yeah, Piper. I bet sooner or later they'll realize the mistake that they made and they'll let you and Leo be together. Just keep that in mind. Leo loves you, just like he wrote. He was wrong to leave without saying good-bye, but he will always love you."

Within a few more minutes, Prue and Phoebe had managed to calm their sister enough so that she fell back into an exhausted sleep. They slipped quietly out of the room and closed the door behind themselves. Once they were gone, a soft blue light filled the darkened room, and suddenly Leo was back, standing in the corner of the room.

"I'm sorry, Piper…please forgive me." Leaning over her, Leo kissed her again, softly, before orbing out of the room, even as his heart broke to see her sleeping there, unaware of his presence.

Author's Note: Ok, so it may not be one of my best stories, but it was the best I could come up with! I may continue this as a series of one-shot stories, if I can find other songs that fit Leo and Piper and inspire me to write as well as this one did. If you liked this story, please jump over to my profile and read and review the rest of my work!