Concentrating on the rhythmic noise of the running water hitting the plain, once white, ceramic tiles was strangely soothing. It allowed Piper to gather her thoughts and for her mind to truly relax despite the situation she now found herself in. The noise washed away all her doubts and fears, her worries being swept away like dirt washing down a plug hole and she was grateful for the peace and quiet that was usually so hard to come by in the bustling hive that was Litchfield penitentiary. The prison's occupants where rarely quiet but at half past four in the morning almost everybody was fast asleep tucked away in their bunks and Piper didn't know whether to be grateful or upset that in her time of need there was not one person by her side.

Not that she really had anybody that she could depend on any more after she had pushed everybody away, now she felt as if she was truly alone and surprisingly the thought didn't frighten her as much as she thought it would. Her parents trapped in their waspy lives had tried their best but they couldn't begin to imagine the life their only daughter had managed to wind herself up in and her brothers, one living the dream life of a doctor and the other a self styled hill billy in the woods, could not help her in these four walls. Larry, well after everything they had supposedly "been through, weathered, worked hard for" had all been for nothing as he was now shacked up with her best friend. Now the thought didn't bother her as much as it probably should have and she found herself almost wishing that they were happy together. Almost.

Piper supposed the closest thing she had once had to a friend in this place was Nicky but even she had avoided her as much as possible once she knew the true extent of Pipers narcissistic personality. Nicky had informed her brutally that no matter what the reasons Piper tried to justify her actions with, the fact that she was the cause of Alex's return to Litchfield was for pure selfish need. This time it was her who had fantastically fucked Alex over and she needed to accept this and stop glossing over the fact with excuses of love and safety. Piper knew that Nicky had hit on a small truth but she also reasoned that only she knew the truth, only she knew better. She had wanted Alex safe and whole and the only thing Piper could have done to protect her she had done and she had made peace with the consequences of her actions. Alex of course did not see things in quite the same way. When she returned to Litchfield Alex wanted nothing to do with her and after the last couple of days emotional turmoil, could now barely stand to be in the same breathing space as her. On her return Alex had put two and two together like Piper knew she would and realised exactly where the blame lay for her incarceration once more between these prison walls.

Piper was now paying for her actions dearly but for once she was not going to wail and scream, rage at the world at how unfair it was that once again her life had turned to shit. This time she knew what she had done, acknowledged that it was no ones fault but her own, held her head up high and accepted the fate that someone seemed fit to deal her with. She was protecting Alex something she had promised herself she would do ever since she witnessed the fear in her love's eyes when she had casually told her that she slept with a gun under her pillow. Piper had thought, at the time of making the phone call that had effectively set the wheels in motion, rather naively in her own innocence, that if Alex returned to Litchfield Kubra could not touch her and she would remain unharmed. Caged and repressed maybe but Alex would survive and be safe and they could live together in relative peace and harmony. Piper almost chuckled at her once naive thoughts and if she could be bothered to build up enough emotion she would be angry with herself for not realising who exactly she was dealing with. Kubra did not suffer failure lightly if he couldn't physically hurt Alex then he would go for the next best thing and he had been clever. Who better to hurt than the person who had taken his revenge away from him.

So for once Piper was accepting the choices she had made and the consequences for her actions. She would accept her fate lying down, literally, watching her blood entwine with the mould and grime as it washed down the drain in the filthy shower cubical of the suburbs bathroom. It should have scared her more she thought as her very life force ebbed away with the tepid water but she found that in her mind the truth she had recently discovered shone bright and true at the forefront. A life without Alex Vause was not worth living and if it meant she was the one that did not continue to walk this earth she was happy because Alex deserved better, deserved a chance at life no matter how repressed within these prison walls. Her conscience kindly reminded her that once again she was being selfish but Piper knew that she couldn't survive a life without the presence of one Alex Vause she had tried before and well, she internally snorted, just look at how that turned out. No this time she knew 100% that she was doing the right thing for both of them and she smiled brightly as she pictured the love of her life whole, strong, Alive. It didn't matter that these last few weeks had been spent filled with tense silences or awkward encounters she couldn't have expected anything different and for once she had not begged for forgiveness as she truly believed she did not need it. She would not apologise for keeping Alex alive and she would not be made to feel guilty for her actions Nicky had tried and failed, been sent away as quickly as she had arrived, not even being allowed to hit her stride in her lecturing of Piper. Instead after being rebuffed and ignored Nicky had backed away snorting told her that this time their "dyke drama" wasn't worth it and returned to a waiting Morello.

The water had run cold now and Piper started to shiver uncontrollably she didn't think she would last much longer lying on the cold wet floor. She tried to comfort herself conjuring savored memories of herself and Alex in their younger days loved up and indestructible as they splashed Alex's illegally gained cash, indulging their every whims and wishes as they conquered the exotic countries of the world. So lost in her thoughts of her favorite Cambodian holiday she had taken with her dark haired goddess she could almost feel the sand under her skin, hear the waves crashing into the shore and she could imagine the warm weight of her love pressed against her side. Her eyes slid shut in bliss and she remembered how that first night in Cambodia they had laid entwined together on the white sandy beach in silence. Neither feeling the need to speak so content in one another's company watching as the sun went down witnessing the most beautiful scene of a perfect sunset. If heaven exists she hopes that it is as beautiful as that day although she isn't sure anything ever could be as magnificent as how her 23 year old felt in that moment cuddled next to the love of her live. The pain in her side rudely snapped her from her thoughts and made it's presence known as it began to spread and burn over her weakened body determined not to be ignored any longer causing Piper to repress the urge to cry out. The sky was just beginning to lighten and she forced her mind to focus on the light slowly brightening the shower block. It was a non to easy feat but she managed it for a few more minutes before she could feel her mind become hazy and the urge to sleep became nearly impossible to ignore. Finally as she allowed thoughts of Alex to surround her every sense and let her heavy eyes begin to shut she heard footsteps approaching accompanied by hushed voices. Piper let one last self depreciating smirk cross her features as her favorite bushy haired inmate rounded the corner and stopped still in shock. A shocked gasp fell from parted lips as they hung open before Nicky shook her head as she recovered herself and rushed to her side landing heavily on the tiled floor with an audible thump. A warm feeling spread over Piper as comforting hands pulled at her own to uncover the wound at her side and a sympathetic hiss fell from Nicky's lips as her eyes took in the sight of Pipers torn mutilated skin. As the sound escaped from her friends mouth Piper chuckled weakly.

"Jesus Chapman what on earth have you got yourself into now?"

"I'm sorry I just have a knack for attracting trouble" Piper coughed trying to clear the hoarseness from her voice and Nicky smirked weakly.

"Damn right I thought I told you no more dyke drama"

"I'm not a dyke"

"Your googly eyed puppy looks at Vause tell me differently" Piper scowled as Nicky chuckled before her expression became serious once more as her eyes roamed over Pipers body. Piper knew that Nicky had seen the other marks left upon her skin the bruises that were already partly healed but also the ones only a few days old that littered her chest and abdomen entwined with the old. Piper knew exactly what was running through Nicky's mind.

"Sweet Jesus Chapman who's being doing this to you? Please tell me surely it's not worth lying to me again" Nicky's voice echoed with anger and Piper winced and groaned as another voice echoed into the bathroom and her eyes widened at the realisation as her sluggish brain, struggling to work under such pain, deciphered who that signature husky voice belonged too.

"You finished checking Nichols or are you just trying to use all the hot water" as Alex chuckled unaware Piper shook her head desperately at Nicky.

"You need help this wound's deep you'll bleed to death, I'm sorry Chapman" fighting against her hazy pain induced mind Piper began to cough as she frantically tried to keep hold of Nicky in her ever weakening blood stained grip to stop her from moving. Keeping her eyes trained on Nicky's face Piper forced her suddenly thick tongue to form the words she needed to finally say out loud to another person.

"Alex. Kubra. I did it to keep her safe"

Nicky's face was one of confusion before suddenly realisation dawned in her eyes and she almost involuntarily glanced to the bathroom entrance as Alex shouted again.

"One second Vause! Oh Chapman why didn't you say anything?"

"Only way... Payback for what I did" Piper smiled trying to show Nicky that it was ok everything that had happened was worth it.

"Nichols! seriously what are you doing in there?"

"Look after her please Nicky.. I don't know if he will keep his promises" Piper grimaced with the effort to keep talking her body was becoming numb with the cold, she shivered and shuddered involuntarily as tremors took hold of her muscles. Nicky held her as tightly as she could while still trying to stem the blood flow from her side and as the seconds ticked by she heard Alex shift impatiently.

"Nichols?!"

"Vause I need you to promise me you'll keep your shit together" Piper looked at Nicky desperately and Nicky shook her head grimly in response as they heard Alex shift and mutter as she began to make her way around the corner.

"What the fuck are you on about Nichols"

Slumping down in defeat finally tired of fighting the now unavoidable Piper allowed herself to succumb to the darkness that she had tried valiantly to fight. Her eyes slid shut just as a loud gasp reached her ears and her heart clenched as Alex's pained voice echoed into the room. Her last conscious thought was she was proud, proud that she had fought for Alex but it was marred by immense guilt for the pain and trouble her demise was now surely going to cause.

"No ... Fuck Kid what have you done?!"