Till Death Do Us Part

Part1

A lone foghorn sounded through the mist hanging over San Francisco Bay as dew sparkled on the ground.

"OOO-AHHH. OOO-AHHH," cried the lonely and morose sound echoing under the great bridge in Golden Gate Park.

White fireflies appeared in the mist joining together forming Leo Wyatt who looked panicked. Running along the base of the old fort, he gasped finding three lifeless bodies lying in the grass shining in the streetlamp covered with the morning dew.

Checking for their pulses neither Phoebe nor Prue showed any sign of life. Piper had been thrown onto the grass against a poplar tree. Cautiously, gently Leo knelt down on one knee and reached for Piper's
hand. The warmth in her wrist spread like wildfire through Leo. Life was still within her though his heart was relieved it still pained him looking over at his other two charges. Picking her up he held her tightly and securely as they both disappeared into the night. All that was left was the sound of the foghorn.

"OOO-AHHH. OOO-AHHH! OOO-AHHH. OOO-AHHH!"

"Oh! Umm," moaned Piper twisting and turning in her bed. Dressed in her warmest nightgown she stretched finding her body and back so sore that only the touch of her husband would help as long as it was very tenderly. "Owww! Ouch!" she seriously moaned as her eyes just barely opened. Reaching next to her Piper did not find the comfort of her husband. Furling her brow she quietly asked "Leo?"

"Over here, darling," replied Leo taking her hand sitting next to her choking back a tear.

Piper smiled before she even opened up her eyes. "Get the number of that cable car that hit me. Umm, wow! Every muscle I have is screaming to my brain for attention."

"You've had quite a shock, Piper. But you're going to be all right! Everything's going to all right, my love," said Leo gazing at her now crying.

"And what pray tell gave me this wonderful physical definition of the word sore? Jeez, I'm feeling muscles I never even knew I had!" Piper replied painfully pushing herself up onto her pillows.

"Last night you and your sisters.." said Leo trailing off holding tightly to Piper's hand.

"My sisters? What about Prue and Phoebe? Leo!" explained Piper a little louder staring at Leo. Piper's eyes widened quickly and then looked worried.

Leo's expression turned to grief as he could barely be heard, "You went down to the bridge to see.."

Piper grabbed both of Leo's hands and cried hoarsely, "Where are they Leo?" Her blood ran cold as she looked at her door and called out, "Phoebe? Prue?" Then she gingerly escaped the warm confines of
her bed struggling to her feet. Stumbling she collapsed to the floor.

"Piper, no!" screamed Leo reaching for her.

Extreme pain shot up through her back as every joint she had sent a hateful message to her. "Back to bed, stupid!" Piper's determination ignored the signals as she crawled across the cold wooden floor to the bedroom door. "Phoebe? Prue?" Her voice could barely be heard. Grabbing onto the doorjamb she pulled herself up using every last ounce of strength she had. Leo flew to her side, but Piper refused any help. As the pain and disorientation swirled around in her head, Piper leaned against the wall knocking pictures and furniture down in her painful quest. "Prue?" she called into her older sister's room that was immaculate as always. No sound. The bed had not slept in. "Prue, where are you?" Leo hung his head not knowing what to say. Piper turned to look at him pleading with her eyes for some answer, but he couldn't return the look.

"Phoebe! Phoebe!" yelled Piper still leaning against the wall inching her way down to Phoebe's room. Her younger sister's room had clothes and personal items thrown about as if she had just left in a hurry. "Phoebe, you have got to be here!" said Piper now crying. No answer came. "For the love of God Phoebe answer me! This is not funny! Answer me this instant, young lady!" Piper called out at the top of her lungs. Leo tried to reach and support her, but Piper headed for the stairs calling out her sisters' names ignoring the aching muscles and swollen joints. Walking like a clumsy toddler, Piper reached the steps. Her unsteady left foot slipped on the top step. Silently screaming Piper began to cartwheel down the steps.

Hitting one step with her shoulder, the next on her back Piper yelled in pain, loss and exhaustion. Cracking her head on the last step heading a shimmer of light appeared underneath her stopping her fall.
Leo took the full force of her fall landing on his back finally stopping in the corner of the stairwell. "Uff. Gotcha!" Leo moaned underneath his scared frightened wife.

Piper shook the cobwebs from her head. "Falling?" she thought. "Uh, what? Whoa, no! Oh my God. Leo. You better tell me what happened ANGEL BOY!" she first said looking up angrily at her husband. "Phoebe? Prue? Leo tell me, please!"

Leo swallowed once and then swallowed again. "Piper, last night the three of you were investigating a religious cult that appeared to be using real black magic," he explained softly while holding her tightly. "A demon had been enticing these kids and he caught you three off guard. It was too late, Piper. Prue and Phoebe took the worst of the attack. They did not survive."

"Phoebe? Prue? They're dead?" asked Piper weakly now completely collapsing. "My sisters? They're gone? No, I WILL NOT accept that! You're lying! They are NOT DEAD!"

"It's true. I found them last night lying near you. I brought you back home, darling," whispered Leo.

"No, it can't be true. No. NOOOOOOOOOO!" screamed Piper. "No, they can't be dead," she whimpered quietly. "Please tell it's not true!"

"I can't. I just couldn't help them; they were already gone. I'm so sorry. I loved them so much too," cried Leo. "I wanted to save them, but I couldn't. I'll have that pain in my heart for the rest of eternity just because I was too late."

"Phoebe. Prue. You can't be gone. No! Leo, get me out of here. Take me far away. Please, darling," pleaded Piper quietly whimpering in his arms.

Leo looked up, tightened his hold on Piper and they vanished from the Manor.

Drifting. Drifting. Drifting. Floating across an endless sea of white. I'm so light an airy, weightless and carefree. Think of nothing, just flying like a kite through the air. Nothing but sheets and sheets of white nothingness passing in front of me. One sheet of white turns slightly grayish and then forms the familiar shape of a human face. Nothing too distinctive until I see my sister Phoebe. Looking directly at me she gives me a generous smile.

"Whhhhhhoooooaa!" Piper's eyes popped open more frightened then she had ever been in her wrestling with warlocks and demons. With the clouds passing overhead she wondered if she was in heaven with her
sisters or whether they would be roaming the earth for all eternity.

"Nope. Still in one piece wherever I am. If anyone was coming back to haunt me, it would be Phoebe. Prue always had her act together. Phoebe was the restless one. Gone one day and she's already playing
Casper in my dreams," Piper complained to herself. She played a bit with the bow on her nightgown and run her fingers through the mist from the cloud that was acting as her bed. Though it was the softest
that she had ever felt she also couldn't move out of it. Waking her arms frantically she looked like some strange bird flying in place.

"Leo! Leo!" Piper yelled in her most frustrated tone. Leo appeared next to her.

"Morning!" he said lovingly kissing her. Nothing else seemed appropriate at the moment.

"Is it? And how do you tell time around here when it's always so bright?" she retorted with a slight edge.

"We just know," smiled Leo taking her hand.

"Do you know where Phoebe and Prue are now, Mr. All-Knowing White Lighter?" she asked sniffing a bit looking into his blue eyes.

"Their spirits have already moved on. It seemed they had no unfinished business on earth," said Leo holding her tighter knowing that he was all she had left.

Piper grabbed him to her chest and looked over his shoulder. "At least two of us are at peace. Sniff! And what about their..um," stammered Piper.

"Their bodies are at Stevens Funeral Home. I've already taken care of it, Piper. We can go see them if you want to," said Leo quietly. Not only did he love his two sisters-in-law dearly, but also he had last two of his witch charges.

"Not just yet. We have some other business. Would you do something for me, Leo darling? " said Piper in her sweetest and most enduring manner.

"Anything? Pick up a few things for you?" asked Leo partially smiling.

"Yes. First do that. Then go to the kitchen and find the acetone. Open up the oven, stuff it with newspaper, pour the acetone all over the floor, turn on the stove and drop a match onto the floor. BURN
Halliwell Manor to the ground. I am NEVER going back there," said Piper calmly, coldly, rationally.

"Piper, you're distraught. You don't what you're saying," said Leo letting her go and looking into her eyes that did not even blink.

"Whoa! I know exactly what I'm doing. One time I told my darling sisters that I'd stay a witch as long as they wanted to be witches. They're GONE, Leo and I will have NOTHING more to do with that life. No more Book of Shadows. No more Manor. No more demon fighting. No more Halliwell's. I'm Piper Wyatt from now on and nothing will ever change my mind. As of this moment you are my life and it begins HERE and NOW. And if you love me Leo, you'll do this for me. Get me out of the magic business!" she said defiantly with him.

Leo looked shocked, but not overly surprised, "Piper, I don't know if that's possible. Powerful magic exists around that house and it may lash out if threatened with destruction. The Book of Shadows is a
magic book and I doubt it can be destroyed," said Leo shrugging a bit.

"Great! They're still out to get me! Then we'll board it up, rent it out, whatever! I'm not stepping back into that house. What it represents killed two of the three of the people most dear to me," said Piper flatly. She folded her hands, closed her mouth tightly and stared into Leo's eyes.

"Being a witch is very dangerous, Piper," said Leo looking at her in his arms.

"And I quit. I'm sending my powers to the four winds. The Warren line of witches ceases to exist from this moment on!" cried Piper. "Our little charmed fiasco failed. Phoebe and her magic book got me into this. I NEVER wanted it. You and a home, a nice quiet place where we can live happily ever after with our children, Leo. Is that too much to ask? Phoebe was so delighted with the magic. Prue grabbed onto it
full throttle like she did everything in her life. I was just along for the ride. Tally ho and sisters three! Yippee! And what did it gives us? Danger. Heartbreak. Death. Great Phoebe. Let's be witch's.
It'll be fun. We can be really special. We can accomplish and do something! Phoebe was now shouting up onto the clouds. Well, it didn't work out that way. We weren't charmed; we were cursed! You wanted to be Samantha and we ended up being Buffy and the Scooby Gang attracting all the bowels of hell to us! Phoebe can you hear me? The evil killed you. The evil killed Prue. The evil killed Mom! Well, it will not be a part of MY LIFE any more."

"Piper, there is still evil out there. And you will pass your heritage on to our children," explained Leo holding his hands out.

"No-no-no-no-no-no-no!" said Piper shaking her head. "Demons and warlocks don't bother witches with no powers or whose powers have been bound. It happened to me for twenty years, so I know. Melinda or
whoever comes along is not going to become a witch, nor her children. I may not be able to stop our destiny forever, but for the rest of MY LIFE we are out of the magic business. On the graves of my two dead sisters I swear this. Do you hear me?" Piper yelled to the clouds.

Light filtered down from the two lamps that brought artificial warmth to the large room. Nothing one could feel, just the warmth one feels under a full moon on a warm summer evening. Two long thin shadows moved across the floor entering the large double doors on the far side of the room. Walking into the parlor that held the final remains of her sisters was Piper Wyatt supported by her husband Leo. Passing the rows of chairs where their friends and relatives had just attended the viewing and said their good-byes, Piper had her final farewell.