Saving her
Hey everyone, this is my first fanfic ever so I'm a bit nervous to post it. I hope you'll enjoy it. - Alex
The letter:
" Pipes,
I know you will be in shock upon receiving this letter. It's been five weeks since I've seen you. Five unbearable, long, lonely and frustrating weeks. I'm afraid that this will be the only time that I can reach out to you so I want to make the most of it.
Do you remember the moment we met. That wonderful perfect moment that I wish I was able to relive. If I could do it all over again I would cut ties with the drug ring at that specific moment. There would have been no fear, no anger and no heartbreak which, I'm sure, you are experiencing at this exact moment. While trying to get my own emotions in check I've been thinking about yours. I can't imagine how hard it must be to see me disappear, to feel that I'm gone. I have been pulled out of your life, our life.
I should have listened to you the night you told me I was too caught up in work. Back then, when I was 25, my only focus was to make as much money as I could and to climb up into the hierarchy of the ring. I wanted to impress my boss and most of all I wanted you to see that I was someone powerful. My whole life I had been working hard to get somewhere, to be independent and to be someone. I was blind and now that I'm here the only thing I can think of is that I fucked up. You trusted me, you loved me and I feel like I betrayed you. Not in the 'I cheated on you' way but I kept some things from you and now I have to pay. Before I disappeared you told me that you understood that I had to protect myself but that you were mad that I didn't take the risk to tell you what had been going on. The risk was too high, I couldn't care less about getting caught and locked up, I just couldn't leave you.
After our first meeting in the bar I took you home and took all the time I had to make you feel loved. Touching you, feeling you, kissing you, all of these things made me realise that you are the one and only. I know that I can't promise you a lot given the circumstances but if I can promise you one thing than it is that I will do everything in my power to return to you so that I can touch, feel and kiss you again. All my love has been piling up and it's ready to be set free and I can't wait to give it to you, if you let me.
If there is one thing that I've learned from this isolation it's that as soon as I'm back I want you to become my wife. I never thought I would say it, but you, Piper, YOU are the love of my life and I know I've said it numerous of times before but it'll never be enough, I love you. I love you and we'll see each other again. Soon. Real soon.
Always yours,
Alex"
CHAPTER 1: The letter
Alex where are you.
This question has been keeping my mind busy for the past five weeks. In these weeks I have been searching her all over New York City. Every time a black haired woman crosses me on the street I yell her name 'ALEX!'. I ignore all the stares from strangers around me hoping that you would turn around, running straight into my arms. But that never happens. You never turn around, the passengers walk on and I'm left with tears streaming down my face all the while crossing my fingers so that sometime, someplace, somewhere I will see you again.
I know you told me that everything would be alright and that I had nothing to worry about but can you see Alex, it turned out the wrong way. I know why you did it, trust me, I know. But now you are gone and I'm all alone. Crying myself to sleep whether it's day or night because I want to escape into a world where you are with me.
My mind has been racing while trying to sleep. I open my eyes and mouth before whispering "Alex where are you, where are you" into the dark. I'm lying on my bed trying to find a way to calm myself down as the tears stream down my face. "Alex, please, just come back to me." No answer. Only the darkness is here to try and comfort me. I roll on my side and grasp my phone.
*one missed call from Polly*
*two missed calls from Nicky*
I ignore Polly's call and dial Nicky's number hoping for answers. This seems to be my ritual for the past weeks, three times a day. Nicky must hate me by now I think to myself. As I'm preparing myself to leave her a message I can hear the ringing coming to a halt.
"Hey Blondie, I'm glad you called back, I was starting to get worried since you didn't call me at the usual hour. How are you? No wait, sorry, stupid question."
"I'm sorry Nicky, I fell asleep on my bed, I mean mine and Alex's bed. Have you heard anything from her? Has she reached out?"
"No, I'm sorry Piper." Nicky could hear Piper sighing as she gave her the inevitable answer. "Do you wanna hang out tonight? I could come pick you up and we can go to The Shack." The Shack is their place to be. It's the bar where Piper, Alex, Nicky and Lorna used to dance, drink and escape from their daily routines of work. Since Alex wasn't around anymore Piper refused to step foot into the bar, their bar. "I'm not sure that's a good idea Nicky."
"Come on Piper, I can tell that through all those tears, you're longing for an escape. Let me take care of you. She would want me to do that you know."
Maybe Nicky was right, Alex wouldn't want me to be all alone. "Okay, fine, I'll go with you. Is Lorna going to be there?"
"Yeah she'll be there but she has to work till 11pm but then she'll join us. Let's say I pick you up at 10.30, that leaves you with an hour to get up and ready."
"That's perfect, thanks Nicky." Piper couldn't express her love for Alex's best friend that became her own friend over time.
"No worries Blondie, anything to see you drunk and dancing all up on me." Nicky laughed.
"Nicky! God! That happened one time! We promised to never bring it up again! Even Alex agrees on that matter. If she were here she would back me up anytime." Piper smiled to herself remembering that awkward incident and Alex's jealous behaviour.
"Well, as long as you remember that I have an official girlfriend now. See you later not lesbian!" Nicky joked.
"Bye Nick!"
Piper leaves her bed and walks to the shower to clean herself. The water warms her body and she imagines Alex walking into the bathroom, undressing herself and joining her under the heavenly stream. She closes her eyes and for a second she'd swear she could hear her voice 'I'm glad we have each other kid'.
…..
When I open my eyes all I can see is the dark. My feet are cold, hands are tied together and I feel like I'm alone. Fear, anger, hurt, sadness, you name it, all these feelings have found their way into my life these past few weeks. Now, in this moment, the only thing I can feel is calmness. I try to count the days again. Has it been weeks? How long have I been here? I've been trying to keep track of the amount of days that I've been here but somewhere around 25 I lost my count. I'm not even sure that the first day I counted was in fact the very first day of my disappearance. By shifting the position that I sit in I can feel the strain on my hands. It must be dark outside since the gleam of daylight that is normally visible under the door isn't here. Usually they enter the room when it is turning dark to untie my hands so I can get some kind of descent sleep.
I never would have thought that I would end up here. Of all the scenario's I'd imagined this clearly wasn't one of them. Jail, prison or a life with Piper have crossed my mind but I never would have thought that my encounter with Fahri would lead me here, all alone in this dark room.
Piper must be so scared, at least I know that I'm alive. As I ponder on this thought I feel a tear running down my cheek. My Pipes, I miss you. I can feel my shoulders shaking as a stream of tears escape. I can't hold them back anymore. I cry for myself, this shitty situation and most of all I cry for Piper. I want to reach out to her to let her know that I'm ok. Well, not really ok but at least I'm alive, that counts for something, right?
When I'm about to let new tears escape from the corner of my eyes I can hear footsteps in the hallway. The sound is followed by the click of the door and soon the room is being filled with light.
A tall dark man stands in the doorway. "Even after all this time you still seem to be as hot as you did when they first threw you in here."
"Thanks, I guess, but I have to say, I'm all gay all the time so I'll never fuck you." Shit Vause, you have to cut that shit. Don't be cocky around these people, maybe they'll kill you for real.
"I'm happy to see that you still have a sense of humour. Most people would have cracked by now but I warn you, don't try that shit with the other guards, they'll slit your throat. Lucky for you, I'm a decent human being. Now, turn around so I can untie your hands."
"Alright mister Nobody, I'm ready to be freed." I try to stand up but fail miserably. The guard steps closer and puts his hands on the rope around my hands. "Don't pull any stunts on me Vause or I will inform them that they never have to try to untie you again." I nod and feel the rope slipping from my wrists. As soon as they are freed from the tight grasp I wiggle them around to get rid of the tingling feeling. I can hear the guard standing up and making his way over to the door. "Have a good night."
I don't bother to reply and hear the door shutting with a loud noise. As soon as the door is closed the light in the hallway is gone and the room is dark once again. I feel around and stumble upon the edge of the bed. I lay myself down and close my eyes and think to myself 'maybe, just maybe I'll be free by tomorrow night'.
…..
"Chapman you there?"
I can hear Nicky banging on the front door of my apartment. "I swear to god Piper, I have to pee like real crazy so if you don't open the door I'll squad right here in the hallway and I'm afraid that you won't appreciate that gesture."
Upon hearing these words I run out of the bathroom and rush to the front door. You never know what Nicky is capable of.
"Finally, what took you so long. Are you ready to go?" Nicky said as she pushes past me and steps into the living room.
"I thought you said you had to pee Nicky, the bathroom is free." I sign my hand in the direction of the toilet.
"Nah, that was just a diversion. Last time I was here, as you may seem to remember, I had to wait 20 minutes before you opened the front door. Today I'm not in the mood to wait cause Lorna's shift is almost over and I'm ready to get drunk, like real drunk, so get your stuff so we can rush to the car to make the ride over to the bar."
"I'll get my wallet, it's in the bedroom and then I'll be good to go." I walk my way over to the bedroom and close the door to have a minute for myself. I take my jacket up from the ground and walk over to the night table to take my wallet. As I'm about to reach my wallet I glance at the framed picture that sits nicely next to my bedside lamp. I take a deep breath and take a long look at the photo. I can see myself smiling while Alex is giving me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm doing this for you my love. Tonight I'll be dancing for you." Piper whispers to herself. She gives Alex's image a quick kiss and makes her way out the door.
She jumps into Nicky's car and before they know it they are in the bar sitting in a booth with Lorna heading their way with a tray full of beer and tequila shots. This is going to be a long night Piper thinks to herself as she downs 2 shots in a row.
"Wow Chapman, you never cease to amaze me. Lorna, Piper here is already in need of a refill."
"I'll be right there dear. I first have to serve the customers that are waiting by the bar. In 10 minutes my shift is over and we can get our party started." Lorna gave Nicky a kiss on the cheek and left the two girls alone.
"So Chapman, when are you going back to work? I'm sure they are missing you in that bookstore of yours."
"Actually, I closed the shop down the day she disappeared. I want to focus on finding Alex. If I were the one to be missing she would have quit her job in an instant to come and look for me." Piper took a big gulp of her beer.
"Yeah that's true but you have to let the police do their job. They will find her and in the meantime I think it's a good idea that you find yourself a distraction. Work might just be that." During her speech Nicky saw how Piper downed the rest of her beer in no time. "And maybe you want to take it down a notch, we've been here for like 10 minutes and you already finished half the tray. I know I told you to get drunk but we have plenty of time to get there."
"I can't. I can't just sit here and not be drunk. The whole time I will see you and Lorna together and my heart will break over and over. I miss her Nicky. Every time the door of the bar opens I imagine that the tall, hot, raven haired love of my life comes through the door. So please, Nicky, tonight I will drink as much as I can to try and forget that she is out there. I'm gonna pretend that she's here." Piper stands up and walks towards the middle of the bar to dancing crowd. She motions for Nicky to join her while she throws her other hand in the air and starts swaying her hips. She uses the rhythm of the music and the alcohol to take her away.
The whole night Nicky has been keeping an eye on me to make sure that I'm ok. Around 2am I can hear the DJ speaking through the microphone 'The following hour I will be taking requests so make your way over to my table and have the night of your life' I don't have to think about the song that I want to hear so I rush over to his table. "Hey you, I have a request." "Hey beautiful, what song would you like to hear?" I tell him my request. "Do you want me to introduce your song in a special way?" I put my hand on his shoulder and get my mouth close to his ear. "Alright beautiful, in about 5 minutes I will start blasting this request through the speakers.
I make my way over to Lorna and Nicky and tell them to come and join me on the dance floor. Lorna is excited and pulls Nicky by her arm. Soon we're all swaying our hips.
"Alright everyone, how are we doing?" The DJ speaks in the mic once again. Everyone starts yelling to answer his question. "Few minutes ago a stunning lady came and asked me to play a very special song. Alex, she said, this one is for you my love." Soon an up tempo version of Miguel's - The pussy is mine starts playing.
"Damn Blondie, if Alex where here she would eat you out right here on the dance floor" Lorna slaps Nicky playfully on the arm.
The trio keeps dancing till it's 5am. "Chapman, Lorna is tired as fuck so we're out of here, I'll drop you off by your apartment."
I wave goodbye to Nicky and Lorna and watch them riding off. I make my way up to the apartment and once again I fall asleep on Alex's side of the bed.
Fuck. This headache is unbearable. I take a look at the clock on the night table, 11.45am. I stumble to the bathroom to get some painkillers and soon I'm on my way to lay down once again. When I'm about to drift off I can hear my phone buzzing. *Incoming call from Polly* Shit, fucking shit. I let the phone buzz but after a few seconds I make up my mind. Fine, I'll answer.
"For fuck sakes Polly."
"Wow, easy tiger. I guess you had a rough night. I'm sorry that I'm your best friend and that I want to look out for you. How are you doing?"
"I'm sorry Polly, I'm having a major hangover." Piper sat up against the headboard and touched her forehead with her hand. "I find it hard to say how I'm doing but if I'm really honest Polly, this headache is nothing compared to what I've been feeling these past couple of days."
"Have you returned to work? I think it could help you to take your mind of things."
"I'm not sure Polly, I guess I could go back since it's my own shop but somehow I don't think that getting back to being an accountant manager will help me get through the day.
"You could switch jobs you know since you own the place. Maybe hire someone to do the accountancy and start working as a seller. You'd have to talk to people all day so there won't be any time to think about her. And besides, I don't think that keeping the store closed is the best option."
I wait a few seconds before I answer her. "I'll think about it." We continue to make small talk till Polly has to go back to work. "Talk to you soon, bye Polly!"
…..
"Rise and shine Vause"
Where am I? Oh right, back in this fucking motherfucking small, smelly and now bright room. I open my eyes and can see last night's guard leaning against the door. "I'm here to bring you breakfast, well actually something that should count as breakfast." He shows me the plastic plate with a brown mass on top of it. I take the plate and scrunch my nose. "What the fuck is this supposed to be?"
"Well Alex, it's as close to a breakfast as it can be. I want to encourage you to at least try and eat it. I know I'm not supposed to say this but you look really skinny and pale." I'm glad to hear that at least someone here is trying to sound as if he cares about me.
"Well mister, being skinny or pale is not unusual for me." I say while laughing at my own joke. "But anyways, thanks I guess. I'll try to shove it down my throat."
"Good. I'm also here to inform you that since you're one of our 'good' captives I have the honour to cheer you up by telling you that the 'tying of your hands thing' isn't necessary anymore and that tomorrow you have the privilege to write a letter to reach out to someone. The details and rules will be given to you. Enjoy your added freedom!" The guard leaves the room and the light is being turned off. I'm left in the dark with a little bit of light crawling from under the door.
As soon as his words left his mouth my head started working in overdrive. A letter, I can write a letter to my dear Pipes. I can let her know that I'm alive. As the excitement is taking over I can't shake of the feeling that maybe this is a trick to get to me. To fuck me over and to fuck up my head. Maybe tomorrow they'll tell me that this letter is a goodbye letter. Maybe they're gonna kill me and they'll never deliver the words I need her to hear. I try to calm myself down and start hoping for the best. The food is long forgotten and I think of all the things I need to write to her. The whole day I spend writing the letter in my head. 'I'm coming back to you Pipes, I have to'.