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"Grr." Piper mumbles, under he breath.  Who knew 60 seconds could take that long.  Any other day, it goes by like thatÖ but no, when you have to wait 60 seconds, it drags on and on forever. Piper glances at the timer.
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"Be patient, be patient." Piper whispers to herself, wanting to run over and grab the stick.
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It just keeps clicking on the seconds, each one getting longer than the last.
*DING*
Piper jumps in shock. She takes a deep breathÖ. Takes a step, stops. "What ifÖ What do I want it to be?" She wonders out loud. Another step, "Am I ready? Are we ready?" Last step. "Too late now."
Piper pulls out the stick. She closes her eyes for a second, not wanting to see the answer.  When she opens them, "Positive." She says, with a sigh of relief.
Now that she knew it was positive, she was overjoyed. "I am going to have a baby." She says, with pride in her voice.
She walks over to the toilet and sits. "Wow." She says, just staring at the stick.
"PIPER, ARE YOU HERE?" Piper hears her younger sister Phoebe call.
"Uh, YEAH. ONE SECOND." Piper shouts back down. "What do I do, what do I do?" she mumbles, shaking the stick impatiently.  Hearing Phoebe coming up the sitars, she quickly tosses the test stuff into a drawer, and flushes the toilet.
Phoebe knocks on the door. "Sis, you all right?" she asks, concerned.
"Yeah, fine, " Piper says, walking out into the hallway. "So how was work?" she asks. Phoebe had recently gotten a job doing deskwork at the social services office where Paige, their other sister, worked.  She wanted to use her Psychology degree more, but right now, having a job was more important.
"Work was fine. Now, are you sure you are fine? Because you have been sick an awful lot lately." Phoebe responds, not wanting to get off the topic of Piper's illness.
"Positive." Piper responds, smiling at her private little joke. "Uh, are you going to be free for dinner? I am planning on making just a special dinner for the four of us."
"Sure, but can you make enough for Cole also? He is going to drop by here after doing some job hunting." Phoebe responds, curious to what the special dinner was for.
"Sure, dinner for five." Piper says, heading off to the phone to call Paige, and let her know.
"Sure, I'll be there. Around 6 ok?" Paige responds, only half listening, half doing computer work.
"That will be perfect." Piper replies, hanging up the phone. "Yes." She says, joyfully. "I can't wait till tonight." She says to herself. "What should I make?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
*Ding Dong* "I'll get it!" Phoebe shouts, rushing and slipping to the door. "Cole!"  She shouts, like an excited child. She gives him a passionate kiss. "Cole is here, Piper!" Phoebe shouts to Phoebe. Turning her attention back to Cole, she says, "She is making us a special dinner! That means there is news."
Phoebe and Cole walk into the kitchen. "It smells great, Piper." Cole remarks. "What is it?"
"Shrimp in Cajun sauce." Piper replies. "I learned the recipe from a Southerner at a cooking conference. Once Leo and Paige get here, we can eat."
As if on cue, bright blue lights appeared in the room. "Leo's here." Piper says with a huge smile on her face. Letting the sauce simmer a little more, Piper walks over and gives Leo a kiss.
"Looks fancy," he remarks, smiling. "Is there something I should know about?"
"Ah, not yet." Piper says, mysteriously. "Once Paige gets here, and we all sit downÖ"
"I am here." Paige shouts, entering the kitchen. "Sorry, I got held up with this one case. Lets eat!"
"Wait, Piper has to tell us something first." Phoebe almost shouts.
"Calm down." Piper says, as she places the food onto the table, and everyone else sits down.
"So, come on Piper, What is this news?" Paige asks.
Piper takes a deep breath. "OK, well, you know how I have been feeling kinda sick lately." She pauses.
"Did you go to the doctor about it?" Leo asks, concerned.
"Well, not yet, but I have a good idea what is causing it."
Eight eyes looked anxiously at her.
"Well," Piper begins and takes a deep breath. "I'm pregnant"
Shouts of joy and congratulations were heard. Leo leans over and gives Piper a big kiss, and places his hand on her stomach. "I Love you. Both of you." He whispers in her ear.
Phoebe and Paige ran over and gave Piper a big hug. "This is so cool." Phoebe says. "I am going to be Aunt Phoebe"
Piper just sits there, beaming with pride, and says, "Now lets eat these shrimp before they get cold."
Later that night, while in bed, Leo rolls over, "Sweetie?" he whispers, unsure if Piper is awake or not.
"Yeah, Leo?" She asks.
"I am going to be a father." He says, the pride evident in his voice.
"I know," Piper says, smiling. "This is amazing."
Leo wraps his arms around Piper's waist, and whispers, "I love you."
"I love you, too." Piper says, before falling asleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A Few Months Later
Piper rolls over in bed. She places her hands on the gentle bump of her stomach. "You better hope no demons attack, so I can get to the doctors okay today." She had been forced to reschedule her last two appointments because of random demons attacking. Her obstetrician was running out of patience, and so was Piper.
Piper climbs out of bed and gets dressed quietly, as not to disturb Leo, who was still sleeping soundly. He had come in late last night, after dealing with another charge.
Piper walks downstairs, starts brewing some coffee.  She started to get out some cereal, but sees a bag of popcorn in the closet also.
"Hum, Popcorn sounds good." Piper says, putting the cereal back in and grabbing the bag. She takes out the popcorn popper, and pores some into the measurer. In a few minutes, she hears kernels starting to pop and she grabs some jalapeno powder from the cupboard. For the last few weeks, she had been craving spice, so Leo was nice enough to buy five of them. And she only had half of one left. She sprinkled the rest of it over the popcorn and took the bowl and a cup of coffee over to the table.
Phoebe walks downstairs, hair all a mess, and rubbing her eyes. "Ah, sis, what is that?"
Piper responds, "Popcorn and jalapenos. Want some?" Piper offers, holding out the bowl.
"No, I think I will stick with normal food. Your cravings are really weird, you know that right?"
"HaHaHa" Piper says, sarcastically. "You just better hope no demons come crashing through that door, since I have a doctors appointment in..." Piper glances at her watch. "Three hours and 27 minutes"
As if on cue, a demon burst into the door. "So these are the mighty Charmed Ones?" He sneers. "Eating Fruit Loops and Popcorn for breakfast."
Piper sighs and freezes him. "Well, aren't these pesky demons getting annoying?" She says sarcastically to Phoebe. Shouting upstairs to Paige, "PAIGE WE HAVE A VISITOR."
Paige comes running downstairs, still half asleep and almost falls on the stairs. "Alright who is he?"
"Who knows? Probably just some basic demon. Want to do the Power Of Three?" Phoebe said.
"Sure, and then I am going back to sleep." Paige says, still only halfway awake.
"The Power Of Three Will Set Us Free. The Power Of Three Will Set Us Free. The Power Of Three Will Set Us Free." The sisters chanted.
The demon unfroze and spun around, turning into dustÖ "Noooooooooooooooo" she shouted.
"OK, now back to my popcorn." Piper says, turning around.
Paige glances at Phoebe and they share a laugh. "Yep, popcorn." Phoebe says.
Paige walks back upstairs and a few seconds later, Leo comes down. "What happened with the visitor?" He asks, "I was up there when it happened, sorry I wasn't there for you." He says, apologetically, walking over Piper giving her a hug.
"Its ok, just another pesky demon. Are you going to be able to get to the appointment today? You've missed the last fewÖ" Piper says, longingly.
"I asked them. They said I could be there today." Leo replies a huge smile on his face.
"Really?" Piper asks, a smile creeping onto her also.
"Really."
ÖÖ Doctor's officeÖÖ
Piper is waiting impatiently in the waiting room. "He said he would be here." She mumbles under her breath, angry.
"Sorry, I was late, but I told you I would be here." Leo whispered in her ear.
"Leo!" Piper said, excitedly. "You made it." A smile lights her face. "They should be calling us in soon."
As if on cue the nurse called out, "Piper Halliwell?"
Piper and Leo stood up and walked towards the nurse. "Third door on the left. The doctor will be with you in a minute." The nurse instructed.
Piper and Leo went inside the room, and Piper sat on the bed, while Leo got comfortable in a nearby chair. Suddenly, Piper tenses up, and looks surprised.
"What is it?" Leo asks, concerned.
"It kicked. The baby kicked."
"Really?" Leo asked, getting up and placing his hand on Piper's stomach. Just then the baby kicked again. "I felt it."
Just then, the nurse came in and took Piper's blood pressure, asked the questions about if she was having any problems.
In a few moments the doctor knocked on the door and then entered. She asked the same questions as the nurse had.
Piper responded, "The baby just kicked, and that is the only new thing. It is getting more active. I can feel it moving around a lot more.
Dr. Callahan gets the ultrasound ready, and focuses the picture. Piper sees her face study the picture, and notices that she looks worried. "Dr. Callahan, what is it? Is there something wrong?"
"No, No, nothing that is wrong, it's just thatÖ" She pauses, and tries to focus the picture more, "I think you are having twins."
 "Twins?" Piper asks, amazed. "As in two babies?"
"Yeah, here is one babyÖ" Dr. Callahan says, outlining a shape on the ultrasound screen. "And here is the other one," she finishes, outlining another shape.
"Twins. We are having Twins." Piper says, squeezing Leo's hand. Both parents stare at the screen for a little bit, amazed at what their love had created.
Dr. Callahan clears her throat after a few minutes, and says, "Both babies look healthy and fine. Here are a few pictures from your ultrasound," handing over a few black and white pictures.
"Thank you doctor." Piper and Leo both say, their pride evident in their voice.
As Piper gets changed back into her clothes, she starts to think about having two babies.
When she is done, and meets Leo out in the waiting room, she has a worried expression. Once they are out in the parking lot, Leo asks, "What's wrong sweetie?"
"Leo... two babies." Piper says, "That will be twice the workÖ and with the club, and demons, I don't know. What if I can't do it?"
"Honey, we can do it. I promise you, I will not allow anything to happen to the babies, or to you." Leo pulls slightly on Piper's hand, forcing her to stop and look at him. "Piper, our babies will be perfect. Don't worry about them, Okay?"
Piper looks Leo in the eyes, with tears glistening in the corner or hers. "Okay." She says, not sure how much she meant it, but she knew she wanted to mean it.
Leo gives Piper a hug, making her relax in his arms. "It will all be OK, sweetie."
The ride home is silent, the only sound being the radio on in the background. Both parents are thinking about what the future holds, and how to handle it.
Before the car finishes pulling into the driveway, Phoebe and Paige come running out of the house. Piper rolls down the window, calling out, "What is it? A.. sisterly problem?"  being careful of her phrasing.
"No, No, we just wanted to know how it went!" Phoebe shouts, laughter in her voice.
"So, what happened?" Paige pleaded, like a small child.
"Wait till we get inside." Piper says, getting out of the car once Leo parked it.
"Uh, sweetie." Leo says. "They are calling- urgently. You can tell your sisters yourself, but I have to go."
Piper starts to complain, but then says, "Well, at least they waited until we were home."
Leo orbs out then, and Piper is ushered into the house by her sisters. As soon as the front door was closed, Phoebe blurts out again, "So what happened?"
Piper holds the secret to herself a little longer by going into the kitchen and starting a pot of tea. "Well, first of all, the baby kicked for the first time today, when we were at the doctor's."
"Really?" Paige exclaimed, placing her hand on Piper's stomach.
"Silly, it isn't kicking now."
Paige reluctantly removes her hand, and asks, "so, what else? Anything?"
"Now, here is the major news. I am having twins," Piper finishes, a smile lighting up her face.
"Oh my gosh!" Phoebe and Paige both shout, jumping up and down and giving their sister a huge hug!
"Twins, Piper that is so cool." Phoebe says. "Do you have any idea what sex the babies are?"
"No, she can't tell yet, possibly by the next doctor's appointment." Piper says, a smile still lighting her face.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ö.. The Next Doctor's AppointmentÖ.
 Piper is sitting on the cold table, waiting for the doctor to arrive. Leo wasn't able to make it, since he got a new charge a few days ago, and was working very intensely with her. Piper didn't like it, but she understood why he couldn't be there every second.
 "Hello, Piper." Dr. Callahan says, "How are your babies today?"
 "Rowdy. They haven't stopped moving since 5 this morning. They aren't even born and they are causing me to loss sleep." Piper jokes.
 "Well, sorry I can't do anything about that. But, I might be able to tell you the sex today, if you want to know."
 Piper thinks for a minute, "Yeah, I think I do want to know."
In a few minutes, Dr. Callahan had the ultrasound working. "OK, Piper. See this baby here?" she asks, outlining a shape on the machine.
"YeahÖ" Piper says, hesitantly.
"That looks like your little girl." Dr. Callahan says.
"I'm having a baby girl." Piper repeats. "What is the other baby?"
Dr. Callahan focuses on the other baby. "This one looks like it will be aÖ" she pauses, studying the image, "it looks like a little baby boy."
"A girl and a boy." Piper says, overjoyed.
Dr. Callahan finishes up doing tests on the babies, and then leaves so Piper can get changed.
Piper drives home, almost breaking the speed limit, wanting to get home and tell Leo and her sisters. When she got home, there was no one else there. "LEO! LEO!" Piper called, seeing if he could get away.
Piper waited there a few seconds, and when Leo didn't orb in, she figured he was busy. Piper walked into the kitchen, and started making some hot tea. She sat down at the table with a magazine and her tea. Right after she sat down, she felt the babies moving around, "Oh sorry, is this not comfortable to you?" she asks, looking down at her stomach.
As she was almost ready to go get another cup of tea, Piper heard the familiar sound of her husbands orbing in. "Leo, in here." Piper called, not wanting to get up.
Leo walks into the kitchen and sits down, after leaning over and kissing Piper. "Sorry again." He says, "How'd it go?"
"Well, I will tell you first, but you can't say anything to anyone, until I tell Phoebe and Paige. We are having a girlÖ and a boy."
"Really? Both?" Leo says, smiling, he moves over closer to Piper, and says, "Hello kids."
Ö.. A Few Hours LaterÖ..
"OK, Piper, we are both here, now tell us." Paige commands. Paige and Phoebe were sitting on a couch, opposite from Piper. Leo had left earlier, having received a call from another charge.
"OK, fine. Well, the doctor told me the sex of the babies today."
"AndÖ" Phoebe says, urging her on.
"And, it seems it is both a girl AND a boy." Piper finishes, a smile lighting up her face.
"Oh my gosh!" Phoebe and Paige both shout, jumping up and down and giving their sister a huge hug!
"What are you going to name them? Any ideas?" Phoebe and Paige ask, excited.
Piper pours herself a cup of tea, and takes it into the conservatory. "I don't know. Should I name them Ps? What about MelindaÖ Oh, my gosh... MelindaÖ" Piper says, almost starting to cry at her memory of her trip to the future.
"Uh... Melinda?" Paige asks, turning to Phoebe for help.
"Piper's daughter when we went to the future." Phoebe answers Paige, before turning her attention back to Piper. "Piper, you know the future has been changed. That doesn't mean anything."
"You don't know that. What happens to my son?" Piper asks, the tears now flowing freely. "I have two babies inside of meÖ in the future I only had one."
Paige, now understand fully, says, "Piper, I am sure both babies will survive. You just have to believe that."
Phoebe hands her sister some tissues, and continues, "There is a lot of things that aren't going to happen in the future. Prue, your divorce, my death; Piper, none of that is going to happen. I am sure both babies will grow up to be happy, healthy, and perfect." Phoebe wasn't totally sure, but right now, she wanted to cheer up her sister more than tell the complete truth.
"How can you be so sureÖ my son might dieÖ" Piper says.
Phoebe reaches over and gives Piper a hug, "I am sure everything will work out."
A few seconds later, Leo orbs in. Seeing Piper crying, he quickly walks over to the couch, and takes Piper from Phoebe. Piper just allows herself to be pried from Phoebe and starting crying on Leo's shoulder. Leo looks at Phoebe confused, and mouths, "What's wrong?"
Phoebe, unsure of how to explain it, just shrugs, figuring Piper would say it when she was ready.
Phoebe gets up, and leaves the room, motioning for Paige to follow her. Paige gets up and leaves also, but not before casting a worried look at Piper.
In the kitchen, Paige asks, "OK, explain this whole future deal to me please?"
Phoebe responds, "Well, a few years ago, I had a premonition I was going to be burned at the stake. And so, we sent ourselves to the future to figure out why and to stop it. Piper and Leo were divorced, but had a daughter who was about 8. That was Melinda. PrueÖ" Phoebe pauses for a moment, remembering her sister, "Prue was a workaholic, owning Bucklands. And I was about to be burned at the stake, because I used my power to kill someone, and got caught."
"Ohhhhhhh, Okay." Paige says. "So, you don't think that the boy will die?"
"I don't know. I hope it doesn't. It would tear Piper apart." Phoebe says, sorrowfully.
Ö.. Meanwhile, back in the conservatoryÖ.
 Piper slowly stops crying. Leo asks, "What's wrong Piper?" he scoots back a little bit, so he can look into Piper's face.
 "Melinda." Piper says. "In the future, we had one child, Melinda. Not twins. That means something is going to happen to our son."
 "Piper, no it doesn't. The future has been changed, you know that. Our son is going to live." Leo replies, his compassion showing on his face. "Pipe, I know everything is going to work out, trust me."
Piper just nods, again, not fully believing, but wanting to act like she was. "So, what should we name them?" She asks, her voice sad.
"Melinda andÖ" Leo says, "Are you okay with us using Melinda? It is a beautiful name?"
"Lets use Melinda andÖ" Piper says, searching for a perfect boys name. "Morgan."
"Melinda and Morgan Wyatt." Leo finishes, smiling. "Sounds perfect."
Piper and Leo walk into the kitchen, right after Paige and Phoebe were finishing their talk about the future.
"Sis, you okay now?" Phoebe asks, concerned.
"Yeah, and I think we know the names also." Piper replies.
"Oh, do tell." Paige says.
"Melinda and Morgan. Do you like them?" Piper asks, wanting to make sure her sisters approved.
"Love ëem" Paige responds.
"Great." Says Phoebe.
 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Ö.. After A Lamaze ClassÖ..
"Wow," Leo says, walking out the door with Piper. "How can you be able to do that?"
"To be perfectly honest, I have no idea." Piper says, "I sure wish nature had thought of an easier way to have babiesÖ with a lot less pain." Piper places her hands on her ever-growing stomach.
"Honey, I am sure you will get through it just fine." Leo says, encouragingly. "Just as long as there are no," he lowers his voice, "demons attack. They have been rare lately."
"Argh, lets not think about that. Lets just enjoy the fact that we have a few weeks off from demon killing, and hope they don't decided to crash my baby shower or the birth." Piper says, suddenly realizing the very real possibility that that might happen
Once they got home, Piper went straight up the attic. "There has to be a way to make sure demons don't attack," she says, under her breath. Piper flips though the pages, searching desperately for a protection spell, or something.
Leo comes in the door. "Sweetie, what are you looking for?"
"A protection spell, something, anything, to make sure the babies are safe." Piper replies, harried
"Piper, you know there isn't one in there. It is your destiny to fight demons, so you can't be protected against them."
"But what about our babies, it isn't their destinyÖ they deserve protection."
"Piper, we can do it. I promise you that."
Piper slowly closes the book. "Leo, Morgan might die, somehow, some unknown way, and there isn't any way he can protect them?"
"Piper, I will ask, just for you, but I don't think so, so don't get your hopes up." Leo says, orbing out.
Piper sighs and walks downstairs, dejected. Phoebe sees her, and asks, "Sis, What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just want to protect them." She says, placing a protective hand around her stomach. "What if a demon bursts in while I am giving birth, or when they are really young, and can't protect themselves, and they die, or get taken?"
"Piper, the world is full of what ifs. We just have to try and plan for them as best we can, and hope everything goes all right. Which, I am sure it will." Phoebe says, decisively.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Leo said the same thing, but I am still worried."
"Don't be." Phoebe replies. "Now, I have to get going. I have a job interview in downtown, and I am going to be late if I don't get moving. Can I borrow your car?"
"Fine, just be careful." Piper says. "The keys are on the rack."
Piper sits down at the table, and stares off in space, unsure of what else to do.
"Piper?" Leo asks, having just orbed in.
"Yeah, what did they say?"
"Sorry, they can't do anything. Piper, I really am sorry, but I know we can do it." Leo says, giving Piper a hug.
"I know. I have been thinking about it. I guess whatever happens will happen, even if we hate it, right?"
"Unfortunately, yes."
"We can get through it." Piper says, staring into Leo's eyes, both pairs gleaming with hope
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Leo, Leo, wake up." Piper says, loudly in the middle of the night. "Leo!"
"Huh? WhÖ What is it Piper?" Leo says, groggily
"The babies, they're coming. Soon!" Piper says, wincing as another contraction coursed her body.
"Now?" Leo asks, suddenly awake. "We, we've gottta get to the hospital, and get your sisters, and pack, and, and, andÖ"
"Leo, its okay, I am already packed, and I took a shower, and if you can go get the suitcase form the closet, while I go wake up my sisters, everything will be fine." Piper says, being calm, while Leo rushes around the room in a state of panic.
"Closet, suitcase." Leo repeats, running over, and almost sliding past the closet while stopping.
Piper laughs, and walks out the door. She knocks on Phoebe's door, and then lets herself in. "Sis?" She asks.
"Piper, what is it?" Phoebe says. "I heard a lot of noise, but I was trying to get back to sleep."
"The babies are coming."
"Really?" Phoebe asks, jumping out of the bed. "Now? As in, we have to get you to the hospital?"
"Yes, now." Piper says, laughing at her sister's reaction.
Phoebe runs out of the room and down the hall. "Paige, Paige, wake up, we have to go to the hospital. Piper is having the babies!"
In a few minutes, all were downstairs, dressed, and ready to go. "I'll drive." Phoebe volunteers, pulling the keys out of her coat pocket.
Leo helps Piper into the car, and then they pull out into the street in a mad rush.
"Uh, Phoebe, go a little slower. Lets try and make it to the hospital alive." Piper said, only half joking. Phoebe slows down a tad, but they still arrive at the hospital in 7 minutes. Phoebe parks the car, and very quickly, Leo helps Piper out.
Paige rushes in and says, "My sister is having twins, and she needs to get a room now." Then, Paige looks around, and realizes Piper hadn't made it in yet. "Well, she will be here soon." She continues, slightly embarrassed.
In a few seconds, Piper, Leo, and Phoebe walk though the doors. Phoebe rushes over to get a wheelchair for Piper. Piper gratefully sits down, and Leo wheels her up to the front desk. "This is Piper Halliwell, and she is having twins."
The nurses hands them some forms, and soon, a doctor comes to take them to the birthing room. The next few hours are mainly filled with meaningless talks, with breaks when Piper screams in pain from the contractions.
Soon, around 9 am, the doctor comes in again. "It looks like you are fully dilated. Are you ready to start pushing?"
Piper gives a nervous glance at her husband and then to her sisters, "I guess so."
"OK, when the next contraction starts, I want you to push, ok? And then, Leo, if you would count to ten, and then, once he reaches ten, Piper, stop pushing and relax. Understand Piper?"
Piper nods. A few seconds later, a contractions starts. "OK, Piper, push!" Doctor Callahan says.
"One.. TwoÖ ThreeÖ FourÖ Five.. SixÖ SevenÖ EightÖ NineÖ Ten." Leo counts slowly.
Piper gives a great, big sigh.
"OK, Piper, I can see the head, just a few more pushes, and you will have your first baby."
"You mean I have to do this again?" Piper says, clearly exhausted.
"Come on sweetie, you can do it." Leo says encouragingly.
"OK Piper, push." Dr. Callahan says again.
Once again, Leo counts slowly, as Piper pushes. "Ahhh" Piper screams, near the end of it.
"Your baby has a head. Just one more, Piper. Just one more time for this baby. Are you ready?" the doctor asks.
Piper weakly nods her head.
"OK, PUSH!"
Piper pushes with all her strength. A few seconds, before Leo even reached eight, Piper heard a faint cry, that soon become louder and louder. Piper panted slightly, but had a huge smile on her face.
"You have a little girl." Dr. Callahan said, holding up the baby for Piper to see. "Leo, would you like to cut the cord?"
Leo, grinning ear from ear, walked over to cut the cord. "Piper, she's beautiful."
Phoebe and Paige walk up, "Wow Piper, I have no idea how you did that." Paige says.
Piper just smiles. "Me either."
Leo walks back to Piper, "Melinda looks exactly like you."
"OK, Piper, ready to have your next baby."
"Ready as I will ever be."
The second birth goes almost exactly like the first one, except, very soon, Piper realizes something is wrong. Once the head appeared, there was a suddenly flurry of activity. Nurses rushed around. "What's wrong?" Piper asked, very, very scared.
Leo walks up, to see if he can find out, and Phoebe and Paige walk over to Piper. "What's wrong?" Piper asks again, her anxiety showing.
"Don't worry, I am sure everything will be fine." Phoebe said, but the doubt was evident in her voice.
"OK, Piper, I need you to push really fast this time, ok? We need to get the baby out, as soon as possible. So, next contraction, I am going to pull on the baby gently, and I need you to push as hard as you can, understand?"
Piper nods, tears of worry streaming down her face. Once she feels the contraction start, she starts pushing, not even waiting for the doctor's queue. Once the baby was fully out, the doctor cut the cord, and immediately placed the baby into the crib, and wheeled it out.
"Leo, what happened?" Piper asked.
"The umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck. They don't know if he will be able to recover." Leo said, tears glistening in his eyes. He sits down in the chair next to the bed, and both him and Piper cry, while Phoebe and Paige stand nearby.
A few minutes later, a nurse, who no one noticed was still in the room, asked, "Do you want to hold your daughter?"
Piper brings her head up from her hands, and nods. The nurse places Melinda into her arms. ëHey Melinda." Piper says, trying to be cheerful, but with tears still flowing down her face. Piper gently strokes her daughter's face. "You are beautiful." She says.
Phoebe and Paige come and stand by Piper, and Leo raises his head, and scoots closer to Piper. "Hi Melinda, I am your daddy." He says.
"And I am your Aunt Phoebe, and this is your Aunt Paige," Phoebe says. "She is amazing, Piper. She does look exactly like you."
"Except a lot tinnier and wrinkly." Paige says, trying to a joke, but no one laughed.
"Um Hum." Dr. Callahan says, clearing her throat. "I am sorry Piper. The little boy was without oxygen too long. He didn't make it."
"NoÖ" Piper says crying, almost dropping Melinda onto her chest. "NoÖ"
"Don't worry Piper, it will all be OK." Phoebe says.
"It will never be ok, Phoebe. Morgan died. He died." Piper says, crying.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It had been almost a week since Piper and Melinda came home for the hospital. Life was getting back to normal, or however normal it could get with Piper grieving and a screaming baby in the house. Phoebe and Paige tried to be there for their sister as much as possible, but they still had to work, and since Piper wasn't really feeling up to running the club, they had to take over that responsibility also. Leo had been given a few days off, and was still not working as much as he used to, but he still could be gone for hours at a time.
"Hi Melinda." Piper says, picking up her whimpering daughter out of the crib. "How are you today? You have a dirty diaper, don't you?" Piper says, squishing her face in disgust because of the smell.
Piper carries her daughter over the changing table in the bathroom. She pulls out a new diaper, some wipes, and some baby power. "OK, lets clean you up." Piper says. "If Morgan was still alive, I could do this to both of you." She glances over at the other crib, visible through the doorway. They had been meaning to move it to the attic, or sell it, but it had been too busy to do it just yet. So, everyday, it was a constant reminder of the baby that had died.
After Piper had wiped her daughter clean, she saw something gleaming in a drawer, while throwing away the wipe. After she had powered Melinda, and put the new diaper on, she opened the drawer wider, to see what it was. "A Razor." Piper says out loud.
Piper suddenly thought. "If I die, I won't be sad. I could join Morgan, and Melinda can be raised by a happy family, not a mother who mourns the loss of another child."
Piper took the razor, and walked over to the corner of the bathroom. Sitting down, she places Melinda on her lap. "Melly, this is something I have to do." Piper then slits her wrists.
Strangely, it felt fine to Piper. She stared at her wrists, watching the blood drain out of them. But soon, it started to hurt. The blood loss was making her weak. Phoebe, Prue, Paige, and Leo, suddenly popped into her head. "No, No, how could I do this to Leo? He needs me," her mind was screaming. She tried to sit up straighter, and grab something to stop the bleeding. But she had lost too much blood, she couldn't move. "LeoÖ" Piper mumbled, hoping he could hear, and then dropped to the floor unconscious.
Melinda started screaming, not being able to move, but knowing, even though she was so young, that something was terribly wrong.
Leo was helping another client when he heard a weak, feeble, "Leo."
"I have to go," He said to the witch, while he was orbing out.
Leo orbed into the bedroom. At first he couldn't see anything wrong, but he heard his daughter screaming. He followed the sound, running into the bathroom. "Piper!" he shouted, seeing her in a pool of blood. Leo ran over to her, grabbed his daughter, and holding Melinda with one arm, he held his other hand above Piper's wrist. "Come on, heal!" he shouts up to the sky. "I can't lose her!"
Suddenly, Leo's hand started to grow, and the cuts slowly closed, leaving a scar on the wrist. Leo puts Melinda on the floor, so he can get Piper's other wrist. "Come on, Piper, you can make it." Slowly, the cuts on that wrist close also.
Leo picks Melinda up also, and pulls Piper close to him. All three were covered in blood. Leo just cries, resting his chin on top of Piper's head.
Slowly Piper wakes up. She hears sounds, and sees Melinda. "Melinda?" Piper says weakly. "Leo?"
"Piper, you made it." Leo says. "I was so scared. What happened?"
"I.. I saw the razor, and, I just thought that it would make life better for everyone, if I wasn't here." Piper replies, crying herself.
"Piper, how could you ever think that? I almost felt like dying myself when I saw you lying on the floor in a pool of blood. I should have asked for more time off. If I was here, it wouldn't have happened." Leo says, his face full of guilt.
"I know Leo, I love you, and Melinda with all of my heart. But something took over, and it isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself Leo."
The family sits there, in the pool of blood, until they hear Phoebe come home, and a few seconds later, Paige.
"I have to tell them, Leo." Piper says, terrified.
"It's okay, we can tell them together." Leo says, helping her up. Piper is holding on to Melinda. "Melly, how about if you stay upstairs in your crib?"
Piper walks over, and places Melinda into her crib. Then, Piper grabs onto Leo's hand, and they walk down the stairs. "Phoebe, Paige, we have to talk." Piper says.
"Piper what happened?" Paige asks, seeing the blood on both Piper and Leo's clothes.
Piper and Leo walk into the conservatory, with Paige and Phoebe following. "OK, spill, how come you are both soaked in blood?" Phoebe asks.
"IÖ" Piper stutters.
"Tell them Piper." Leo says, giving Piper courage.
"IÖ I tried to kill myself. I was so upset about losing Morgan, and it just took hold of me."
"Oh my gosh." Phoebe says, rushing over to give her sister a hug. "Why didn't you tell us? We could have stayed home or something!"
"It just happened. I didn't plan it or anything. I just saw the razor, and it seemed like a good idea. I knew it wasn't, but that part of me just shut up, and agreed."
"Piper, we love you. Never do anything like this again," Phoebe says.
"Yeah, come on Piper, you are the greatest. Without you, Melinda would have no mommy. And we would be out a sister."
"I know. I know." Piper says, crying again.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Momma? See baba Morgan?" a tiny voice asked.
"Of course sweetie." Piper said, from the bed. She was holding a small bundle in her arms.
Leo reached down, and picked Melinda up. "See Melinda, this is your baby brother, Morgan."
"Hi, baby brodder. I Melly. Iís your sisser." Melinda said, leaning over to see her brother.
It had been three years since the accident. Leo was home a lot more, and was thinking about clipping his wings, so he could spend even more time with his growing family. Cole and Phoebe were now married, and Phoebe was expecting her own bundle of joy in a few months. Paige was getting serious with Glen, and everyone expected him to propose soon. But, most importantly, Piper was better, and never thought about that day again. She saw the scars everyday, but they just reminded her over her love for her family, not of the attempted suicide. Two years after, Piper had found out she was pregnant with a baby boy. This one had been delivered without any trouble, and Piper and Leo had decided to name it Morgan, after the baby who never had a chance at life.
The End