DISCLAIMER: The characters are property of WB and Spelling Inc.

For Richer, For Poorer

"Don't pay attention to her. She doesn't understand, Leo. She's never been in love, not really." Piper stood at the doorway of their house. She had just come from work when she saw her sister's car parked outside their small home.

Leo was sitting by the table with his head in his hands. He looked up to his wife. She looked so tired and worn out. There were rings under her eyes. She shouldn't be working, not when she was pregnant, but she insisted. They had to pay the bills. When she gave birth, they were sure to incur a large amount of debt. Milk and diapers cost a fortune nowadays, and the pittance he got from being a handyman would not cover anything.

He loved her so much. From the moment he first saw her, he knew she was the one for him. He had been selfish though. He allowed her to fall in love with him when he knew he would never be able to give her everything she deserved to have, everything she was used to having.

Handyman's pay sucks.

Piper knew what he was thinking. She put the groceries on the second-hand table they got for a bargain at the thrift shop he knew down the street. She sat in front of him. At least Prue had the decency to leave when she arrived. That was what was great about Prue these days, she knew how to hit and run. Piper certainly wouldn't appreciate it if she stuck around to survey the damage she wrought.

She sat before him, and took his hand in both of hers. "Leo, do I look like I'm not happy?"

He looked into her eyes. "You look tired." His fingers traced the hollows under her eyes. "You didn't have these before we got married."

"You don't find me less attractive because of them do you?"

Leo looked insulted. "Of course not! You're as beautiful as you were the day I met you."

"You see what I mean?" She smiled at him. "The physical is negligible when you juxtapose it to love." He pulled her to him and kissed her. "Okay but now I have another errand to run."

"You just arrived, Piper. Come in to the bedroom and rest your feet. I'll get you something to eat."

Piper shook her head. "This one's gonna be really quick. I'll be back in a jiffy." She brushed her lips against his.

The moment the door closed behind her, Leo covered his face with his hands again. He'd made the biggest mistake in his life by marrying her. True, he'd never trade the last months for the world. Still, it was the most selfish act he'd ever done.

She deserved so much more.

Piper leaned her head back against the door of their house. After a few minutes, she breathed in deeply and straightened. She resolved to do this, and she will. She hired a cab to take her to the manor. She'd sold her car when she and Leo found out about the baby, and placed the money in trust for the child. Now she commuted to and from the office. There were occasions when one of her co-workers would take her in their cars, but most often, she traveled alone or with Leo. Since it wasn't everyday that Leo was working, sometimes she'd just see him standing at the back door of Quake, waiting for her out in the cold.

When she arrived at the manor, Phoebe welcomed her with a gigantic smiles. Phoebe ran to the kitchen and got her some warm milk. Piper took it appreciatively and kissed Phoebe's cheek. Then she turned to Prue, glaring at her. "Never come back to my house again, Prue, if you cannot be civil to my husband. I love Leo, Prue. You can't keep on putting him down."

Piper knew that Phoebe understood her. Unfortunately, Phoebe didn't live at the manor anymore, so she couldn't keep an eye on Prue. Her marriage to Leo had set off a sort of domino effect at the house. Prue couldn't stand the thought of her sister marrying the handyman, so Leo and Piper moved out. And without Piper to referee, Prue and Phoebe just couldn't stand to live with each other. Phoebe stayed in an apartment close to the university and visited the manor once in a while.

"Piper, you know I love you. That's why I feel this strongly. You shouldn't have married a man without ambition."

"You don't understand him, Prue. Leo has ambition. He will be going back to medical school."

"Why isn't he now?"

"There was no money. But next semester we can pool together our savings and finally come up with his tuition fee."

Prue gasped in disbelief. "Your money is your money, Piper. Why do you have to give him anything for his schooling?"

Phoebe shook her head at Prue. "Stop it, Prue!"

"You stop it, Phoebe. Don't you realize that he's no good? He's using our sister!"

"You're hopeless, Prue," Piper muttered sadly. "When I married him I promised to be one with him. There is neither Leo nor Piper now. It's Leo and Piper. So if you can't accept my husband, I'm afraid I can't let you accept me either." She took her purse and headed out of the manor.

The older Halliwell hurried after her. "Piper! Piper, come back here!" Piper's retreating figure grew smaller with each step. "Piper, I know you're going to need my help!" she called out.

Piper ignored the tears that fell down her cheeks. No, she's not going back to the manor anymore. This was a choice she had to make. She'd been asked to choose between Prue and Leo.

And she chose Leo.

In Sickness and In Health

Piper rubbed her eyes and stretched. Her back was killing her. The child was getting heavier every day. She glanced up at the clock. It was midnight. She peered out to the main dining room and saw that there were still a number of tables occupied.

"Hey, why don't you head on home and get some sleep, Piper? I'll cover for you." She turned around and saw her assistant Melanie frowning in concern. "You look worn out. Don't worry about the bosses. They won't know. I'll close up after the diners go."

She was tempted to refuse. After all, if the owners found out, they'd withhold the raise they promised her, and she and Leo needed the money. In a few months the baby would arrive, and Leo still had two years left at med school. Still, her body was screaming at her. "Thanks, Melanie. You're a doll."

"Don't worry about it. What are friends for, right?" She moved closer and tucked Piper's hair behind her ear. "Here's your coat. It's cold out."

Piper shrugged it on gratefully. "Thanks, Mel." She felt something heavy at the pocket. "What's this?" She pulled out the hot paper bag and peered in.

"It's just some hot soup and some dinner."

"Mel…"

"I know you won't have time to cook yourself and your husband a proper dinner. Besides, you're too tired. It's not good to sleep without eating, especially now with the little one inside."

Piper felt tears threaten to fall, but she held them in. "Thank you so much, Melanie."

Her assistant hugged her. "Go on home, Piper," she advised.

Piper pulled the coat more tightly around her. It won't close at the stomach anymore. Her middle bulged out as the baby proudly announced to the world that it was ready to be born very soon. She really should take a maternity leave already. She pulled open the back door and sucked in her breath. Melanie was right. It was unusually cold. She could feel someone watching her.

"Piper."

She glanced up to see Leo standing there in his own coat. He was pale from the cold. "How long have you been standing there?" she asked, kissing him.

"A couple of hours."

"You should have gone in."

"No. No. Your employer might get mad."

"They weren't there. Honey, are you feeling alright?"

He chuckled softly. "I think I should be the one asking you that. How's the baby?" He touched her huge stomach.

"Fine. Big and heavy." Unknown eyes were still looking at her. She knew it. She pushed the thought away as she looked at Leo. Her forehead creased. She reached up to touch his forehead. "Leo, honey, you're hot."

He took her by the elbow and led her down the street to wait for a bus. "It's just a little fever, Pipe. Nothing to worry about. I'll take an aspirin when we get home."

"Okay." They waited at the bus stop for a few minutes when a blue car stopped before them.

"Hey, Leo, Piper. Hop in at the back seat."

"Phoebe! Hi." Piper looked askance at the driver. "Are you sure?"

Phoebe's date smiled at them courteously. "Yeah, we'll take you two home. It's a good thing Phoebe's eyes are quick. We would have missed you."

Leo helped Piper in. "Well, I'm pretty hard to miss now." Leo coughed. "We'd better get some mucolytic in you too, Leo. And I'll heat some soup tonight."

Phoebe and her date dropped them off at their house. "I'll come by tomorrow, sis."

"Okay, Pheebs. See you then." Piper kissed Phoebe on the cheek. "Thanks to you guys." She waved them away.

Inside the house Piper unwrapped the food she brought. She turned on the stove and heated the soup and the chicken. She heard loud and continuous coughing coming from the bedroom and ran towards it.

"Leo?" She opened the door and found Leo curled up at the bed, his entire body heaving and racking with the cough. "Leo, honey…" She touched his forehead again. His temperature had shot up from how it was half an hour ago. She helped him lie in a normal position and pulled off his shirt. It was soaking wet, although it was cold out. "You're running a high fever. Did you drink that aspirin?" He nodded. She pulled off his shoes and socks. "Maybe we should take you to the hospital."

"No, no. The expenses…"

"It's going to be okay, Leo." She was scared. She was a lone, pregnant woman in the small hours with a very ill man. She pulled off his belt and pants. Piper grabbed the blanket and covered him to his neck. She then got another one from the cabinet and laid it over the first.

"I'll get the soup. Don't move, honey." She stood up but Leo grabbed her hand. "What is it, Leo? Do you need anything else?"

He shook his head. "I should be taking care of you," he whispered hoarsely. "Don't tire yourself. The baby's doing it for you already."

"I love you, Leo. You're my husband and you're also my first baby. Let me take care of you." She calmly left the room but hurried to the kitchen. She was nervous. Leo must be 40 degrees already. He might even convulse if she didn't bring the fever down soon. She took a small towel and a basin of cold water and took it up to Leo together with the soup.

Piper washed the towel in the cold water and squeezed. She laid it on Leo's forehead. "Up, Leo." She helped Leo sit up and fluffed the pillows behind him. She fed him the hot soup and periodically wet the towel. She could see his eyelids drooping. "You're tired." She helped him lie down again and kissed him on his hot lips. "I'll wake you up in four hours to check on you." She sat beside him and napped, waking every twenty minutes to change the cold towel.

At four thirty am Piper tried to shake Leo awake. He was wheezing in his sleep. "Honey, take another aspirin." He didn't bulge. "Leo, wake up." She was getting nervous. Piper held her head between her hands. "We don't even have a phone!"

Piper ran to the neighbors and rang the bell. It was an unholy hour but she didn't care. Her husband was in danger and she had to use the phone. No one answered, so she pounded on the door. A few minutes later, Mrs Wilbur opened the door. "Piper Wyatt? What are you doing yelling out here before five?"

"Mrs Wilbur, I'm so sorry, but I need to call an ambulance!"

"Are you in labor, young woman?" she demanded. "You should ask Leo to take you to the hospital."

"Mrs Wilbur, I can't wake my husband up. And I know he's not breathing normally."

"Hey Rod!" She turned to Piper. "My husband will bring you two to the hospital. It's faster than waiting for the ambulance. Rod, come out here and help the neighbor!"

"Thank you, Mrs Wilbur!" She ran back up to the house and packed some of Leo's things. They might stay there for a while.

Til Death Do Us Part

Piper sat at the waiting room crying. The doctor had come and gone. Leo had developed pneumonia. It wasn't sudden. Her husband must have hidden the symptoms to her. She only found out when he couldn't conceal it anymore. That was when it was too acute already.

"Can I see him?"

"He's in intensive care. If you're going in, I must ask you to keep your emotions in check. If you feel that you can't handle it, please don't try to. You'll disturb him."

Piper tried to go inside. As soon as he saw him through the glass, hooked up to those machines and in the respirator, she immediately collapsed. She sobbed outside the unit. She felt all her energy drained from her. He was such a strong man. How could fate suddenly take this turn?

Piper gathered enough courage and calmness to look into her husband again. Tears clouded her vision as soon as she saw him through the glass doors. She took a deep breath and pushed the door in. She stood beside his bed and looked at him fondly. He looked like an angel.

Very slowly he opened his eyes. She smiled at him, encouraging him to fight. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"What are you talking about?" Leo was suddenly attacked by a fit of coughing. He reared up from the bed and was racked by cough again.

Piper stayed back as the doctors rushed in to calm Leo. Her heart was racing. She didn't want to lose him. She needed her sisters, but she had made her choice. Prue would never accept Leo. And she had no way of contacting Phoebe. She'll just find out in a few hours when she finds out that Leo was taken from the hospital. She made sure to tack a note on the door for her sister.

She gasped. This was not the way it's supposed to happen, was it? She'd seen too many television shows and read too many books to know that this was not the way. The pain was supposed to escalate as she went along. But this… "Aaaaah!" She grabbed the bed and held on as the pain ripped through her. A flood of warm liquid gushed through her things and she knew at once that her water had broken. She was in labor hard and fast.

An intern appeared by her side at once. She caught Leo's eye. He was concerned about her. She shouldn't have worried him when he was so ill. That shaft of pain ripped through her again and she couldn't help groaning out loud. There was something very wrong here. Why was it so painful so suddenly?

The intern led her out and the next hours were the most grueling of her life. All these months she and Leo had planned and dreamed of this day.

"The stress you've been under caused the premature delivery, Mrs Wyatt."

They'd always pictured themselves doing this together. He'd hold her hand and wipe her face. He'd encourage her to push. He was supposed to be there to see the baby first. They agreed to be through this together. She closed her eyes as the pain ripped through.

"It's been too long. Why isn't she dilated enough yet?"

"Don't push, Mrs. Wyatt!"

"Aaaaaah! It's killing me!"

"Mrs. Wyatt, we have to do a C-section. This labor is endangering the baby."

Piper groaned as another contraction tore through her.

"She'd dilated, doctor."

She fell back on the bed, drained.

"We'll give this another try, Mrs. Wyatt. When I say so, push with all your might."

"I can't," she whispered. "I've no strength left."

"Mrs Wyatt."

"Yes. Yes, I will."

"She's bleeding too much. We'd better do the C-section."

"Now, Mrs. Wyatt! Push!"

Piper grabbed the sheets and raised herself up, huffing and pushing. She was soon crying and fell back on the bed. "I'm so sorry."

"It's fine, Mrs. Wyatt."

Piper was cold. Loss of blood can make you this cold, she knew. If she died, who would take care of Leo? He would be so weak after this. And she couldn't let their baby be left motherless. As the next contraction hit, she reached inside herself and pushed the baby out. She felt the slick body slide out and collapsed on the pillows, exhausted.

She woke up next to see Phoebe sitting beside her bed, smiling down at her. "Hello, mommy. Look, baby, mommy's awake."

Piper reached up and Phoebe laid the baby beside her on the bed. The tiny fingers wrapped her finger. "Phoebe. Tell the doctor I want to go to Leo."

"I already asked them. They say you can't. You're too tired and drained, Pipe."

"Have you seen him? Phoebe, answer me."

"I have."

"How is he?"

"Bad."

Piper looked down at the baby. "Take the child, Phoebe."

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm getting up. They can't stop me from going to my husband." The doctor spotted her at once and knew that they had no choice. He ordered a wheelchair be brought and Phoebe took Piper into the ICU.

"Hi." Leo's eyes opened. Piper sucked in her breath. They were so dulled by pain and weariness already.

He slowly took off the oxygen mask. "You're all right," he breathed. "I was so worried. I thought I was going to lose you. I couldn't even be there with you." He took a deep breath.

"I brought someone with me." She raised the baby up for Leo's inspection. "What should we name it?"

"It?"

"I never found out." She grinned and peeked. "Him."

"I've always thought that-" His eyes widened and he began wheezing again. "Piper, I'm sorry."

"Leo? What's happening?"

"I didn't think this would happen," he gasped. "I've always planned to give you a beautiful life."

"Leo!" Tears fell like raindrops from her eyes.

"Thank you for everything."

Piper closed her eyes. There was nothing more to do. She leaned down and kissed his lips. He never even found out about her secret.

"Thank you for a beautiful child," she whispered to the unmoving form. "And for the beautiful life you've already given me."

As Long As We Both Shall Live

Piper changed the baby's diaper and blew her nose.

"Sweetie, are you crying again?" Phoebe stood at the doorway of her room. "Hello, Leo! How's my handsome nephew doing now? The doctor's looking at him this afternoon, isn't he?"

Piper nodded. "It's his last appointment. Leo's strong even though he was premature."

Prue had arrived and fetched Piper, Phoebe and the baby. They'd formed an informal sort of truce. Prue wasn't supposed to touch the subject of Leo, and Piper and Phoebe stayed.

"Guys, get down here! Warren wants to speak with us," Prue called from downstairs.

Piper took the baby with her and climbed down the stairs with Phoebe. Warren stood in the living room. "Hurry it up, girls! I have plenty of charges. Even the Charmed Ones can't have special treatment."

"Give me a break, will you, Warren?"

Warren softened his tone. "I'm sorry, Piper. I heard. I never met your husband because you cut yourself off when you were married. But I'm sure he was a wonderful man to have actually captured your heart that fast." He took the baby from her. "I know how to handle babies, Piper. Don't worry. So what's it's name?"

"Leo," she answered.

"Heck of a coincidence," he muttered. "Which brings me up to the subject of my meeting with you. I'm training a very new whitelighter. Since I have the fullest load with you three, he'll be your whitelighter too. He's still getting the feel of things so if he commits mistakes, forgive him."

"Great! We're going to baby sit our guide!"

"So where is he?"

Warren held his hand up and called his trainee through his mind. Blue lights appeared in the room and the new whitelighter orbed in, his back to them.

"I'm here, man! I told you to picture yourself facing the people. You have a lot to learn."

The whitelighter turned around and faced the room. He looked surprised as he saw the charges assigned to him. The witches gasped at the sight of their new guide.

Piper laughed in delight and ran towards him, embracing him tightly. She pulled his head down for a deep kiss. The whitelighter held her head in his hands as he prolonged the kiss.

Warren protested, "Hey, why wasn't I greeted like that when I orbed in my first time?!"