"Please don't go"

Those were the last words that Alex Vause ever muttered to Piper Chapman. Or so she thought. It's been 8 years since that fateful day in Paris. That great thing that they once had was thrown away the moment that Piper walked out of the door. Alex, of course, was absolutely destroyed. She lost the 2 most important people in her life on the same day within minutes of each other. Losing them was like being lost at sea and then having someone popping your life raft. You're doomed to drown and nobody is there to save you. Alex did find something to save her though. She turned to the thing that brought her wealth and power. Heroin. Using heroin was the only thing that helped Alex keep treading the water when it would've been so much easier to just let go and drown. She kept going through the motions. Her eyes that used to be filled with so much light and mischief were now empty and dark. Her entire life went down the drain within a few years. After she started using, her work ethic failed. She wasn't doing her job. She was missing drops and failing to pick up new mules. Kubra was furious. He planned to have her killed; but the heroin got there first. Or so he thought. Kubra sent his men to Alex's apartment to finish her off. What they found was and unconscious Alex and a bag of heroin next to her. Overdose. They checked her heartbeat. It was so faint that they didn't even feel it. So, why waste a bullet when she's already dead? They left her there, practically dead. She had finally gave in and stopped trying to stay afloat. It was useless. Nobody will come to save you. Might as well give up.

Except someone did come to save her. One of her only friends decided to check up on her one day. Nicky Nichols. Nicky Nichols saved Alex's life. When she went to Alex's apartment and saw Alex laying there she immediately knew what was wrong because it has happened to her before. Nicky was a recovering drug addict and had only known Alex through the business. She was out of the business of course. She had found another life boat that was able to take her back to land. She called 911 and they took Alex to the hospital. It wasn't pretty. Alex was inches from being within death's grip. The doctors said that if Nicky would've showed up mere minutes later then Alex would've been a goner. So Alex Vause found her new lifeboat. Nicky Nichols was the one that was able to pick her back up and drag her back to land. Alex will forever be thankful for that. Maybe, just maybe, she will be able to forget the needle that put a hole in her lifeboat in the first place.

Piper Chapman wasn't doing so hot either. She didn't allow Alex to see it, but as she was walking out of the apartment in Paris, she let her tears stream freely down her face. She knew that it wasn't right to leave Alex. She knew that she should stay. But Alex was an anchor. And if she would've stayed, she would've tied herself to that anchor and thrown it into the water. The anchor would drown and so would she. So she left. She did what she did best and walked away when it was to hard to do anything else. She cried for weeks straight. Sure she wasn't left completely alone like Alex was, but she essentially got her world ripped away from her. Even though she was the one that was doing the ripping, it doesn't make it hurt less. A breakup is like a punch. Even if you see the punch coming, that doesn't make the impact of it hurt less. Even though she was the one that was throwing the punch, she still felt that sting in her hand. She kept telling herself that Alex was the one that brought this on. She instigated the fight, but Piper threw the first punch. Piper returned to New York. She wanted to go back to Alex's apartment and get the rest of her things. But she knew that if she went back then she would be forced to relive her past and to think about what she did. If she went, she would've seen all of the pictures of her and Alex throughout the walls. She would have seen all of the souvenirs that they collected over the past 2 years. She couldn't bring herself to really truly thing about what she did. So in true Chapman fashion, she ignored her feeling and put on a front that said she was fine. What her friends and family didn't know, was that when Piper went home and could finally take off that stupid front, she drank her nights away. She physically ached for Alex. Never in all of her years did she miss somebody so much. She just kept telling herself that she brought this onto herself. She's not allowed to truly feel the pain of the breakup. So no matter how many times she wrote an email or dialed Alex's number into her phone, she never hit send.

After a while, she got a job, found new friends, went out more. She created her own world and started living in it. She decided that she would become the woman that her parents always wanted her to be. She got a new job. She found somebody else. Slowly but surely, the pain of leaving Alex began to subside.

"Babe, do you really want to work at a bookstore?'

"Larry, I have too. We need some way to be able to pay for the wedding. And no offense but your job isn't going to completely do it."

"Pipes, c'mon, you know I'm trying. My stupid editor just wont publish any of my stuff. But I promise, I have a new article coming up about edging and it will definitely get published. Its when you masterb—"

Piper cut him off, "Ew ok Larry I don't want to know. But seriously, please, we need this money."

"I know babe, don't worry. Plus, if we don't get the money we'll always be able to ask your parents right? Or mine."

Piper rolled her eyes at the thought. She was honestly so tired of Larry trying to scam money off of her parents. He can never just work hard and own his own money to pay for his own things. That's one of the worst things about Larry. Always asking and never actually doing.

"Okay whatever hunny, but I have to go, Im going to be late for this interview."

"You'll do great babe, I know you will."

Larry leaned in and kissed Piper chastely on the lips.

"Thanks. Bye, I love you!" Piper said as she walked out of their apartment.

"Love you too!"

Piper walked up to the bookstore. It was called Diane's Book Store. She immediately had a flashback to Paris. She felt a pang in her heart thinking about Diane. She felt an even bigger pang when she thought about Alex. Just because she didn't go to Diane's funeral doesn't mean that she didn't care for her. Piper loved Diane. And Diane loved Piper. It's been 8 years since Paris. Things that remind her of Alex pop up every once in a while. Sometimes she finds herself wondering what Alex is doing at the moment. She wonders if she's still in the business. She wonders if she with anyone. That hurts to think about. Piper can't imagine Alex with anyone but her. She's allowed to move on Piper thinks. Piper wonders if Alex is even alive. That hurts even more to think about because she knows how the business works and how easily it is to lose your life if you make a simple mistake. She shakes off all of those thoughts. She has to prepare herself for this interview. She needs this job.

She walks through the doors. It's a cute bookstore. Its not too big and it's not too small. It is very modern with technology scattered all around the store. No wonder why it's so successful in New York. It's right in the middle of Manhattan. It's an easy place for people to get away after work. It doubles as a coffee shop also, so people who are on their way to work can also stop in. She looks around for a little bit. The store feels familiar to her. Like she's been here before. She feels some weird connection to the store that she hasn't felt before. She shakes off the feeling and finally approaches somebody who works there.

The bushy haired girl is stacking books when Piper walks up to her.

"Hi, uhm I have an interview today. I was wondering who I'm supposed to talk to for that."

"Oh hi blondie. The name's Nichols. I'm the manger of this place so I'll do the interview for you."

Nicky led Piper to one of the back offices.

"Take a seat and we can get started. Ok so what's your name?"

"Piper, Piper Chapman"

"Huh, weird, my friend, actually the owner of this fine establishment used to know somebody named Piper. You can't be her though. This piper was a real bitch."

"Oh really? What's your friends name?"

"Oh her? Oh well there she is"

Nicky pointed behind Piper. Nicky turned around expecting to see her possible new boss. The person who she saw was the one person who she thought she would never see again.

"Alex?"

A/N: Ok so this is my first story so sorry if its not good. Im honestly just doing this to pass the time. So please review and tell me if you like it! Thanks.