There he was. His bloodshot eyes, tired and puffy from driving. Speeding, like a rocket down the highway. His hands clenching the steering wheel, knuckles white. Furious. Enraged at his fiancé, the woman who broke his heart. He was going to do something; he was going to teach her how upset he was to have been betrayed.

"Piper! PIPER!"

Oh, god. There he was, pacing through the halls, trying to find her. His fists swinging by his side, his breathing heavy. No one was standing in his way. He needed to find her, or the raven-haired bitch who ruined everything.

"Shhhh, Piper! It's ok, I'm here kid. Shh, no one's going to hurt you. I've got you. You're safe." Piper sat straight up in bed, gasping at the sudden shock of being awoken in the dead of night. Cool hands were running up and down her arms, she could feel the presence of someone kneeling close to her bunk.

"Oh, Alex!" Piper cried, bowing her head and covering her face with her hands. She felt hot. She could hear snoring but knew she had probably woken others up with her nightmare.

"Look at me," Alex demanded, her tone persistent yet soft. Piper turned her head and sighed deeply, looking into the green orbs that were swimming with concern. She took Piper's hand in hers and brought it to her lips, kissing her palm gently.

"I love you, kid. Scoot over, Fischer's on duty." Piper gladly made room for her, shifting as close to the wall as she could but still facing Alex. Fischer's footsteps could be heard, but she chose to look the other way when Piper had her nightly outbursts. They figured she'd rather turn a blind eye for the sake of peace and quiet during the night shift.

"Mmm. I'll gladly leave my incredibly lavish bed to come do this," Alex whispered seductively, allowing her hands to roam under Piper's shirt and over her hips. Both were facing each other, pressed close. The dim lighting allowed them to see each other.

"Lavish? Ha." Piper chuckled, gazing at Alex's sleepy face. Her eyes had dark circles under them, but she was gorgeous. Her pale skin contrasted sharply with her black hair. It looked thinner than usual to Piper. Her face was clean of any makeup. She looked almost…more vulnerable without her eyeliner. Her eyebrow raised expectantly at Piper.

"Come on, kid. Please talk to me? Was it, um, Larry again?" Piper caught the subtle hesitation to say his name. She just nodded, tears filling her eyes and threatening to brim over. She hated how difficult it was to hide her emotions. Even if she hadn't started to cry, Alex could read her like a book. Always could.

Instead of pushing her to explain, she just turned Piper around so her back was to her. With one arm snaked around her waist and the other nudged underneath Piper's neck, she pulled her in close and kissed the back of her neck softly. And again. And again.

"Mmmm. Alex. You're gonna have to stop that…" Piper murmered.

"Well, I guess I'll just have to settle…" Alex whispered, a grin on her face. She slowly moved her hand under Piper's shirt and found what she was looking for. Her pointer finger gently circled Piper's nipple, chuckling softly as she heard Piper gasp and begin to writhe. Without warning, Piper suddenly shot her hips backward and moan.

"Okay kid, none of that," Alex chuckled, allowing her hand to just rest against her chest over Piper's shirt. She heard an indignant grunt which made her smile wider.

Silence filled the air. It was a sweet, cozy silence for Alex and she began to drift off. The sound of squeaky bunk springs, shifting bodies, snoring, and the occasional cough lulled her to sleep. Several moments later, she woke to feel Piper's body tense and curl inwards, almost as if she was trying to get into the fetal position.

"Shhhh. Pipes, wake up. I'm here," Alex gently whispered, moving her hand to run through Piper's blonde hair.

"It's Larry. Oh, god. He is just so angry. It scares me. He's never, ever been this upset. It's making me anxious. I feel like he may just march in here and…well…I don't even know."

"Well, kid, that's the one good thing about this place. Keeps us safe from the outside. Just the shitheads inside this godforsaken place we've gotta look out for. Kind of ironic, don't you think?"

"Mhm. Gotta…" Piper let out a long, loud yawn, "…protect myself from hot lesbians. From ones who insist on crawling into bed with me."

Alex just laughed softly. God, how she loved this woman. She just hated her nightmares.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For being here."

Alex just smiled and pulled Piper closer. She rubbed Piper's arm gently up and down until both of them began to doze off to sleep.

When Piper woke up the next morning, the missed the feeling of Alex pressed up next to her. She must have snuck away before guard change. As she got out of bed, she decided to hurry into the bathroom while others were still snoring away. She knew she still had a few moments before the bathroom would begin to crowd with grumpy prisoners. She gathered up her shower things and hurried into the bathroom.

To her surprise, Alex was already wrapped up in a towel leaning against the wall. Her hair was dry. Piper gave her a quizzical look.

"Decided to spend a little extra time with you this morning, kid. Saw you start to wake up as I was heading in and didn't want to…arouse any suspicions." Piper knew exactly what Alex was referring to. Last thing she wanted was for either of them to get thrown into the SHU for alleged lesbian activity. But she'd risk it on this early morning with Alex. It gave her a thrill.

Alex was the first one in, and she turned the water on slowly, allowing it to gradually wet her body. She hated shocking her body to the cold showers. She figured by now she'd be used to it. Piper, on the other hand, hopped in quickly. The cold took her breath away as it did every morning. She giggled and clutched Alex, wrapping her shaking arms around her. Alex kissed her head and swayed them back and forth, holding each other and shivering as the cold water fell. Piper grinned, realizing how simultaneously this was so pathetic yet so romantic.

"Get much more sleep? I'm worried about you." Alex whispered. Piper ignored the question, instead reaching over to grab the shampoo. It was a brand new bottle she'd bought from the commissary. It was some cheapo brand with a scent called Strawberry Fields. She'd bought it because it seemed like the total opposite of Litchfield Penitentiary. She squeezed some out and dumped it on her head and began to suds it. Before it was properly washed out she squeezed shampoo onto Alex's head.

"I'm not sleeping well. You know that, babe," she said quietly. She was careful to keep the soap out of Alex's face as she washed her beautiful dark hair. Alex dipped her head back and breathed in deeply, enjoying the smell of the shampoo. It was the little things she was learning to enjoy. Something she obviously took for granted before prison. She frowned as she realized smelling shampoo wasn't the only thing with her in that moment she had previously taken for granted.

"I know…I just wish there was something I could do. Crawling into your bed, only when Fischer's on duty, after you've made it clear from two cells away that you're having a nightmare doesn't seem helpful enough," Alex said while rising her head under the sputtering shower head. Piper moved back to let her finish up. She crossed her arms and bent slightly, trying to warm up. There wasn't too much she felt she could say. Her nights for the past week had been plagued with dreams of Larry seeking revenge after finding out about her and Alex. And…she had chosen her. Larry was dumbfounded. So was Piper. And Alex, for that matter.

"You help. Trust me," Piper grinned, tilting her head up to kiss Alex softly. That didn't last for long. Alex had her pinned against she shower wall in seconds, demanding her kisses with passion. The had to peel off of each other once they heard other inmates yell for their turn for the shower. Alex groaned as she looked over Piper.

"I heart you, kid."

Piper just smiled at her, thankful that she had her back in her life. Despite the circumstances, despite the conditions, despite the tension it caused in every other aspect of her life outside of prison. She was grateful to have Alex Vause back.

"No, please. Get away from her!" Alex was shouting from her bunk. Her flimsy blanket was on the floor, her hair was wild, and she woke with the fear of not realizing where for was for a moment. She felt around blindly for her glasses. She felt a warm hand instead.

"Pipes?" She whispered, breathless.

"Shhh. Pornstache is patrolling so I don't think I can join you, but I'll wait until you fall back asleep. Go back to sleep, baby. I'm okay," Piper spoke softly, grabbing Alex's hand and rubbing her thumb back and forth. She remember fondly when Alex was sick and did this to her. It was the spark that felt like a changing point.

"What makes you think I was dreaming about you?" Alex smirked, trying to make light of the situation. Piper chose not to answer.

"Remember the night in Phnom Phen, when you ate all that bad sushi and I had to hold your hair back? That was when the tips were still blue, if I remember correctly-"

"Let's not reminisce on the food poisoning, or the hair. Do you want me to have another nightmare? God, woman," Alex teased, reaching one of her hands out to cup Piper's chin. "You're the one that needs sleep. Please go back to bed. I love having you here, but I'm not usually the one needing bedside assistance to chase the monsters away."

"Go back to sleep, my love," Piper yawned, resting her head against the side of Alex's pillow. She knew she wouldn't risk falling asleep here; her knees were already going numb. Just until she knew Alex was asleep.

The minutes crept by as Piper knelt by Alex's bedside, gently stroking her hair. As she listened for her breathing slow and even out, she took the time to practice one of the meditation exercises Jones had taught her. Something about emptying her mind by silently repeating the phrase, "be formless, like water." After thirty seconds of trying that, all she thought about was her shower that morning with Alex. How wonderful and comforting it was to have her by her side. Her mind drifted off to the showers and baths she enjoyed with Alex years ago. In the New York apartment, god she had loved that bathroom. Or the extravagant hotels with their lavish tubs, or the rustic showers when they traveled to southeast Asia. It didn't matter where they were. They bathed together. And it was usually followed by-

"Back to your bunk, Chapman!" Mendez harshly whispered through the dark, fed up with inmates disregarding sleeping arrangements. Piper silently cursed, hoping Alex didn't wake. She gently removed her hand from her grasp, careful to move as slowly as possible. She felt Mendez watching her as she made her way back to her bunk, careful to ease into her bed so the springs didn't squeak. She saw Mendez walk towards the other side of the room. All she wanted was to go lay with Alex and cuddle her up, chase all the bad dreams away. She hated that she now had nightmares for her. How counterproductive.

As the light hit her face and the bunks started to slowly buzz with movement and quiet talking, Piper hopped out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. She felt lighter than air. It was the best night of sleep she'd had in a while. Alex was dozing soundly in her bed, mouth slightly open. Piper stopped and stared, an adoring smile plastered on her face. She could hear Alex snoring ever so faintly, and it made her heart skip a beat. She was so cute, and clearly zonked out. It made her heart happy. Piper supposed they would just have to keep the monsters away from each other. Deciding to let her sleep, she made her way over to the showers to begin the day.

**Sorry, that was kind of an awkward ending. Just wanted it to be cute and light. Hope you enjoyed it!