Takes place during Season 1 Episode 13. The ending gone differently. Originally intended this to be a one-shot, but then the ideas ran away with me.

Piper was terrified. She knew Doggett was a tiny, little thing as Taystee had said. But she was scared. Piper wasn't a violent person. She was not equipped to deal with someone threatening her life. She didn't know the first thing about how to protect herself.

She needed Alex. Alex would know what to do. Alex would know how to protect herself, to protect Piper. Alex would put her own life on the line to save Pipers. Well, she would have before Piper chose Larry.

She tried to apologize to Alex. But when she showed up at her bunk, Alex was sitting with Nicky. 'So they're a thing now.' Piper thought in disgust. She liked Nicky, she did. But Alex was hers. Did Alex feel anything for Nicky? Piper knew she had absolutely no right to feel jealous or hurt. But they had just ended things. Even though she had been horrible to her. Choosing Larry over her. She had no right to be hurt. But she was.

Piper left the play and bolted outside. She needed to think. Needed space, air, answers. The cold winter air stung her skin, but Piper could barely feel it. Out here alone she could let the tears flow. No one would see her and think she was weak out here.

"Why?" She asked herself. It was a highly loaded 'why.' But the most pressing one was why had she chosen Larry? Because he was what was expected of her? Because with him they had a nice, quiet, stable life? Sure, she loved him. But he didn't light her soul on fire the way that Alex did. Alex made her feel things she only ever felt when she was with her. Not before her and certainly not after. But Alex was a drug dealer! An international heroine pusher. Piper cocked her head to the side. Was a drug dealer. As in the past. Alex was a drug dealer. Now, for however long she had been in prison, she was a fine, upstanding...prisoner...Not the best thing to be, but Piper certainly wasn't in a position to judge.

Piper was too deep in thought to hear the door open and someone join her outside.

"What the fuck is the matter with me?" Piper asked herself. "I don't want Larry!" Ice cold fear ran down Pipers back. "What have I done? No no no no no. NO!" She slammed her hands on the fence, tears streaming down her face. "FUCK!"

"Hey College!"

Pipers heart sank. Not what she needed right now. She turned around facing Doggett and tried to walk past her. But that would just be too easy. "You need to get out of my way."

"Or what?" Doggett taunted. "What are you gonna do, College?"

Piper took a step back. How she wished she was still with Alex. She tried a couple more times to get past the tiny woman, but Pennsatucky wasn't letting her. She drew a homemade sharpened cross out and showed Piper. Pipers eyes widened. Terrified didn't even begin to describe it.

But she had lost Alex. The one person in the world who truly had her heart. She shook her head. "You know what Tiffany, go ahead."

"What?"

"You want to kill me, go ahead. Nothing matters anymore!"

Doggett pouted sarcastically. "Awe, not now that you broke up with your little girlfriend?"

"You shut up about her."

Doggett rolled her eyes. "I don't give a shit about her. My battle is with you. Although," she took a step back. "Maybe a better way to get to you is to get to her."

Piper wasn't really sure what had happened next. But before she knew it she had that bible thumping meth head on the ground, her hands squeezing the life from her body. "DONT FUCKING TALK ABOUT HER!"

"Shit, Piper." A pair of strong arms grabbed her and pulled her off of Pennsatucky. Instinct kicked in at this point and Piper fought the arms around her. Had to be one of those other meth head Jesus lovers. And no one was taking her down right now. "Hey, hey it's me." Piper still fought. It's fight or flight and Piper was ready to fight. "Piper it's me!" Those pair of strong arms grabbed Pipers shoulders and turned her around. Alex. "It's me."

Piper stepped back and caught her breath. She looked around, Doggett was long gone. "Thanks" She muttered to Alex.

"So, you don't care about your own life, but you'll risk a transfer to max defend my name?"

"You heard that?"

"Yeah." Alex shrugged. "I came out before Pennsatucky did."

"Why?"

"Look I heard about the dead rat and the shower. I might be heartbroken and pissed but I don't want you to get hurt. Or thrown in the SHU for giving that bitch the beat down she deserves."

"Well. . . thank you."

Alex shrugged it off. "Did you mean what you said?"

"Like you care." Piper snapped. "Go back to Nicky."

"You left me Piper! Again, might I add."

"Didn't take you long to replace me."

"What is wrong with you?!" Alex snapped. "Aside from the fact that I just saved you from killing someone, I can't replace you. That's the fucking problem. If I could we wouldn't be in this fucking cluster fuck right now."

Piper smirked. "Say fuck one more time."

Alex shook her head and tried not to laugh. "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"What you said when you were out here alone."

"Wasn't really alone was I." Piper replied sarcastically.

"Piper-"

"Those were my private thoughts."

Alex let out a long breath. "Can you drop the fucking macho you don't give a shit attitude for a minute and tell me how you fucking feel."

"You first." Piper snapped.

Alex scoffed and put her hands up in front of her chest in mock surrender. "You know how I feel. I've told you every chance I've had. . . I fucking love you. I'm so fucking in love with you it makes my head spin and nothing make sense anymore. I keep coming back for more even though you keep breaking my ducking heart. I hear someone say your name and have to stop myself from smiling. I think of you and nothing else exists. You know this Pipes." Alex's voice softened. "But you left me anyway." She dropped her head and turned to walk back into the prison, but a cold hand stopped her.

Piper grabbed Alex's hand, keeping her there in the yard. "I don't want Larry."

"From what I hear he who doesn't want you."

"Doesn't matter what it is. It's you Alex. It's always been you. You've always been inevitable to me."

"I don't want to be inevitable Piper." Alex said turning around. "I want to be a choice. And you chose Larry. I just can't fucking walk away. How do you look at the person you love and tell yourself it's time to walk away?"

"Alex I chose him because." Piper dropped Alex's hand and turned away. "Fuck Alex I don't know! He was the only connection to my life before coming here. My best friend had her baby without me, ended our business I quit my job for, my brother got engaged..or something, life went on and I'm just in here. Larry was the only connection I had to anything. The only thing that didn't change."

They both paused a moment taking everything in. "That actually makes a lot of sense." Alex eventually said.

Piper took a step further from Alex, looking out beyond the fence. "And you..." She smiled. "You're in here with me. You're everything that my life out there now isn't. You're in here. You're a connection to the me now and I don't feel very much like me in here so I got scared."

"Yeah, Piper I get it."Alex said, the hurt clearly evident in her voice. No matter how much Piper hurt her, Alex still wanted the shorter woman to like her. To love her.

"No you don't." Piper turned back around to face Alex. "I never stopped loving you Alex. Since the minute we met I've been head over heels for you. But were both in prison Alex! For god sake I just choked a girl!"

"Who deserved it."

"Not the point." They shared a sad chuckle.

"Look Pipes," Alex began as she walked closer. "I know it's less than ideal" she smirked. "But right now it's all we have." She reached out and took the blonde woman's hands in her own. "I want to be with you. Now, after were out. . . Forever. Can I promise you everything will be all sunshine and rainbows all the time? Fuck no!" Piper laughed. "But I want to be with you and you want to be with me. And right now that's all that matters."

Piper closed the distance between them and kissed Alex. A kiss that conveyed all her words could not. "It's all that matters."

Alex pulled away, breaking the kiss. "But god help you if you pull this shit again Chapman!"

Piper smiled. A real smile that reached her eyes and lit up her face. How Alex loved those smiles. She smiled and kissed Alex again. "I heart you."

Alex smiled. "I heart you too"