Chapter One

Thanks for clicking and reading my story. I'm known for a slow burn in the case of Vauseman, and I don't plan to disappoint here. As this is a new story, I would love to hear your feedback! Enjoy.

Alex sat in her car in the empty car park, sipping slowly on her coffee and letting the warm breeze wash over her that blew in from her open window. Nikki had promised she would be here by 7, but knowing her friend that meant she would rock up 45 minutes late. So in the mean time, Alex would enjoy the loneliness of the school carpark, knowing that in just a few days she would be surrounded by 600 excited high school girls back from their summer vacation.

Teaching had never been a profession Alex had seen herself going into. She hadn't enjoyed school herself, but that wasn't the teachers fault so much as the other kids she was there with. Girls could be mean, Alex knew first hand, which is why taking a teaching position at a private all girls had shocked her more than anyone else.

"Are you sure Al?" Her mother had asked. Alex had only shrugged and laughed. What was life if not an adventure, and that was sure to be a fucking huge one. That was four years ago now, and it actually turned out to be of the best decisions of her life. She had a stable job, stable income with enough to live comfortably, kids that respected her, colleagues that had become good friends, and, of course, Nikki Nichols, her high school best friend, working by her side. It was a dream, or it was compared to the life Nikki and herself had lead before South Bell School had changed their lives.

She took another sip from her coffee that was starting to get cold now, and a glance at her watch confirmed Nikki was now 20 minutes late. She sighed, and got out the car. No point sitting in there and wasting time. Today was the first day back of term, for the teachers anyway, and Alex wasn't willing to waste a second of it. She hated being unprepared. Today would be spent in meetings and group training, and she would be damned if she was going to allow 30 teachers in her room without having a chance to set it up first. At the end of the winter term she had been so desperate to leave that she had left mountains of old essays and projects that the kids hadn't bothered taking home on the desk, and crammed all the bits and bobs, old text books and board pens, into the cabinet. It was all begging to be organised, and so there Alex was, two hours early for the training day. Nikki had promised to help her, but she would do better to get a head start. As she pulled her bag from the back seat and slammed the door, locking it without a second glance as she headed toward the main building. The sound of an engine made her head turn, and she recognised the silver Audi A8 of the deputy head. She never was sure how Caputo could afford wheels like that. Sure, the parents here paid a fair sum for their girls to receive the education they were given, but Alex knew that teachers wages were not great, not even in the private sector. Alex was the head of her department, and she was sure a deputy wage didn't far outweigh her own. Yet she could not have sustained the lifestyle she knew Caputo was familiar with.

She gave him a small wave, and continued inside the building, heading straight for her classroom. There was something strange about being in a school on your own. Alex wasn't sure if it was a feeling she liked. She often hated being here late at night, when she was forced to stay late to mark papers or lesson plan. The bright hallways had an aggressive contrast to the lateness of the evening, unsettling her. But today, right now, it gave her a sense of peace. Perhaps it was the time of day, or the prospect of the new year. The off white walls of the main corridor was lined with large print outs of students from years past. Candid shots taken from various classes and events. One photo that was mounted outside the library did not bring Alex too much joy. It was of a group of girls who had graduated two years ago. In their time here they had given Alex nothing but trouble, and she had not been sorry to see them go, a sentiment shared by many of her colleagues.

She stuck her head in the doorway of Nikki's office on the way past, just in case she had gotten a lift early, but not surprisingly it was still locked. She sighed, making a mental note to message her when she had settled down at her desk. Reaching her classroom door, she fished the keys from her bag and opened it slowly. There was a faint smell of disinfectant and lemon. It made her wrinkle her nose. The cleaners had clearly been in here the day before, setting up for the new school year. She welcomed it. Soon enough it would smell like teenagers. She dropped her bad at the foot of her desk and sat down, having a look around to see what needed doing. The piles of papers and books she had left before the summer had been moved onto the long table at the back. The display boards around the room were also looking worse for wear from when she had stripped off the colourful backing paper along with various bits of work last term. She would have to do them as well this week. However, first things first. She picked up her phone and shot Nikki a text to let her know of her location. She then grabbed her coffee cup and made her way to the staff room, intend on refuelling for the task ahead. Entering the staff room, she was surprised to find a few people in there already.

"Alex, how are you?" A bright faced shorter women who taught in the music department smiled at her from across the room.

"Great thanks, although it went too fast."

"Doesn't it always! Jefferson here was just telling me about your trip to Maine."

"Don't remind me" Alex smirked.

"Don't you be like that. We had an amazing time."

"I'm surprised you remember." Alex winked at her, picking up the coffee pot to refill her cup. The other teachers sniggered. Taystee rolled her eyes and waved a dismissing hand in her direction.

"Don't listen to her. She's just bitter about the fact that she went to bed early on the best night of our lives."

"Yes, I'm particularly sorry I didn't wake up in a construction sight covered in sauce."

"You what?" Said Luschek, taking a seat next to Taystee.

"It was barbecue." Like that made a difference, Alex smirked. "I just woke up on top of this bulldozer, and I look down, and there is this barbecue sauce smothered all over my titties."

"What the fuck? Again?"

"I know!"

Alex rolled her eyes and left the room as Taystee finished her story, waving over her shoulder. She loved her, she really did, but when her and Nikki got together, they were tyrannical. Although their yearly summer trip had been fun, this year had been tinted with bitterness for Alex. For some reason, for whatever logic her best friend could come up with, Nikki had invited Silvia. Silvia, who had been a one night stand that had gotten out of hand. Silvia, who got jealous if Alex answered an email from one of her students. The girl who Alex had been trying to shake off for months, and who turned up on the morning they were leaving, much to Alex's shock. She hadn't spoken to Nikki for three weeks after that trip, no matter how much the wild woman had apologised. She got the message though, and she mysteriously hadn't heard from or about Silvia since. Not that she was complaining.

Back in her classroom she got to work, popping in her headphones and choosing to battle the cupboard first. By the time eight forty-five had come about, Alex had managed to sort the mess and organise the books at least. Her desk looked ready and the room was somewhat neater. She hadn't had time to do the display boards just yet, but there would be time tomorrow.

"Knock, knock." A raspy voice called from the doorway, and turning she saw Nikki, wild hair framing her apologetic smile. She was holding a box of doughnuts in one hand, and held them up to Alex like she was trying to tempt a dog. "Breakfast?"

"What happened to you this morning." The taller asked, pulling out her headphones.

"Let's just say, I got kidnapped by an Italian."

"Lorna's back?"

Alex didn't miss the pause before Nikki's answer. "For now." Alex sighed, taking the box from Nikki's hand and turning to sit at her desk, Nikki in close tow. "Her and Vinnie had a fight. She was upset." Alex gave her friend a pointed look. "And I'm a fool."

"Well, yeah." Said Alex, a mischievous grin on her face as she bit into a pastry, in an attempt to hide the sadness she felt for her friend. As she chewed, she realised just how hungry she was.

"What can I say, Stretch, the woman's a vixen. She's my kryptonite. I see her and her little tits and I just want to.."

"Ugh, Nichols, I don't want to know." Nikki chuckled.

"Well, it's not gonna last so I need to get it in whilst I can."

Alex shook her head. As much as she had tried, she couldn't understand the hold Lorna had over Nikki. Sure the girl was nice enough, funny, but watching her best friend fall over and over because of the girl was enough for Alex to be done with her. Lorna was breaking Nikki's heart over and over, and Alex hated to watch it happen. Alex's silence had obviously gotten to Nikki, who stood up quickly, grabbing a doughnut for herself and looking around.

"You've done a good job in here."

"Thanks. We should get going to this meeting." Alex responded, glancing again at her watch.

"Sure. You know there's a new teacher in my department. Just graduated." Alex could basically hear the challenge in Nikki's voice.

"I'm guessing she's female?"

"And hot as fuck. I'm telling you Vause, just wait until you get a look at her. She'd give you a run for your money." Alex adjusted her glasses. She knew, as well as Nikki did, that they could never start anything with a colleague, but a little flirting never hurt, and her and Nikki got great pleasure from making the younger female members of staff squirm. "She's a real stick-up-the-ass Hamptons type too."

"That sounds like fun." She said, smirking, one eye brow raised. Nikki chuckled at the expression on Alex's face.

"I wonder what she will be more into, short and fiery or tall and geeky."

"Geeky?" Alex laughed, mock offended.

"Those glasses give you a real sexy librarian vibe."

"I'll take it. I bet little miss priss won't mind an intellectual either."

Nikki couldn't resist a challenge like that. "I bet you £50 that I can get her to go for a drink with me by the end of the week." She said in a low voice, as they entered the staff room, now brimming with people.

"Game on."

Piper had been nervous when she pulled up to the school this morning. She sat in her car for a minute, taking in her surroundings. She had been here before of course, for interviews and pre-term tours, but she couldn't get over the beauty of the place. The main building was an old large house converted to a school, with dark green shutters and frames around the windows. The main door was an impressively carved heavy wooden structure. More buildings, newer buildings, she knew, were hidden behind this one, but they were surrounded by fields and trees. It really felt like, despite the hugeness of the buildings, that they were tucked away in the middle of nowhere. She knew, of course, that when Monday came and the girls arrived, that would change, but she hoped the feel of the place would not lose its charm.

She was due to meet with the head of her department in a few minutes, and the thought made her hand slightly clammy. Becoming a History teacher was something Piper had worked towards for a long time. She loved the subject, loved teaching it, she only hoped her students liked her too. And her colleagues of course. They were today's battle. Meeting other faculty members, and the other teacher in her department was one of the things Piper had been most dreading. She had been brought up to be a socialite. She knew how to handle herself, how to impress, how to converse, how to get her own way. It still made her nervous however, and from what the department head had hinted, the other teacher, Miss Nichols, was a bit of a hand full. The time on her dash board told her that if she didn't move now, she would be late, and that would not do on her first day there. She got out the car and headed for the main building, where she had been told she would meet with the deputy head and headmistress. She had met Joe Caputo before too, and he seemed nice enough, although there was definitely something else there. The headmistress was a mystery to Piper however. She had never been available to meet when Piper had been in before, and did not seem keen on interviewing her own potential new staff. A new flood of anxiety filled Piper's chest as she headed for the doors. She could hear cars of other teachers pulling in behind her, but she didn't dare turn her head for the fear of making eye contact.

Caputo and a tall, crow faced woman were talking in the reception area. They both turned as soon as Piper opened the doors. Joe smiled and came forward, shaking Piper's hand and greeting her.

"Nice to have you here Piper. Please meet Natalie Figueroa, our head mistress."

"Miss Chapman, it's lovely to meet you." The taller woman said, although her face wasn't convincing. "I hope you will enjoy your time with us. Shall we?" She signalled for Piper to start walking with her, with Joe trotting along behind them, and it hit Piper. She is the reason for Caputo's uneasiness. The head mistress. "As you know, the next couple of days will be mostly training, team building, and will give you time to set up your classroom and get to know your department faculty. You already know Erica Jones, head of History."

It wasn't a question, but Piper gave a cursory, "Yes" in response. Natalie nodded. She was leading them down a long bright corridor towards a door to the outside and a small court yard. Piper recognised it from her tours. They passed an open door on their left, and all three peeked in as they walked by. A tall raven-haired woman was in there, pulling a pile of books down from a high shelf at the back of the room. Her thin jumper had risen up slightly at the back and a slim strip of creamy skin was revealed.

"Alex Vause." Figueroa's harsh voice tore Piper's eyes quickly away. "Head of the English department. I'm sure she will introduce herself quickly enough." Piper saw a smirk creep onto the woman's face, and a small snigger showed her that Joe found something equally as amusing.

"A friendly one, is she?" Asked Piper, slightly annoyed that she wasn't in on the joke.

"Oh very." Replied Natalie, still smirking. "Well here we are. Joe, take Piper in and introduce her will you? I need to pick up some start of term paperwork, and I'll be right there." With that, Figueroa turned and headed into a room across the courtyard. 'The Bursary' Piper read from the sign above the doorway.

"Let's go." Said Joe, happily, opening the door for Piper. "Don't mind Fig. She'll grow on you." Piper gave a tight smile in return. "We are glad to have you here, Miss Chapman. I was impressed with your resume, and it will be good to have a breath of fresh air in the History department. Don't get me wrong, our teachers are good, but we really need someone who is going to push for results, and thats who you are."

Piper gave a polite smile and turned to him. "Thank you. Although, I think good teaching requires a little more than just good results."

"Of course of course." Said Caputo, just as happily, but his face displayed his awkwardness. "Ah, Jones, your new teacher."

Erica Jones approached them, her open face smiling softly. Piper had liked her when she interviewed with her over the summer. She had a presence that was immediately calming. The woman was small and lithe, and looked like a light wind could blow her away. "Piper, you're here. Coffee?"

"I would love some." And she followed Jones over to the little kitchenette. "How was your summer."

"Oh wonderful actually. I went on a yoga retreat in the Netherlands with some gal pals. It was everything I needed. Trying to keep my chi flowing this term."

"I like that." Said Piper, honestly, smiling wider at the woman.

"Come on, let me introduce you to some of the team." Piper was lead forward through the group, and met other teachers from Maths, Psychology, the scary food technology teacher, who went by the name Red, although Piper thought it was unrelated to her choice of hair colour. She was currently having a rather baffling conversation with the electronics teacher, Luschek, who she thought was trying to ask her out, when they were interrupted by a loud husky voice.

"Put it away Luschek."

"Oh, Nichols, great timing." Said Luschek, looking awkward, "as always." He added under his breath, but Piper was already distracted by the name.

"Nichols? As in Nicky Nichols? You're a history teacher right?"

"My reputation proceed's me." She winked and Piper smiled at her daring demeanour. "You must be the new teacher."

"That's me. Well, unless there is more than one."

"History newbie?"

"I prefer to go by Piper. Piper Chapman." Piper held out her hand, but faultered as Nikki's eyebrows shot up.

"Chapman? As in Carol and Bill?"

"You know my parents?" Piper was surprised, but also a little bit reserved. She pulled back her hand quickly. It had taken her a lot to branch away from the life of the Chapman's, and the people that came along with them.

"Woah there blondie, chill it with the daggers." Nikki held up her hands defensively, a mock shock crossing her face. "My mum is Marka Nichols." Recognition flooded through her.

"Oh wow, she's, um.."

"A classic narcissist?" Nikki grinned. "Yeah."

"I see we have similar opinions of our mothers."

"Started from the Wasps and now we're here." Nikki laughed.

"Ah good, you two have met." Erica was back. "Let's find a seat Piper. Natalie is about to start." Piper turned to follow her, glancing quickly back at Nikki who had somehow shot to the other side of the room and was standing with the tall, dark-haired English Head they had passed earlier this morning. Piper couldn't help how her eyes widened slightly as she now saw the face that belonged to that person. She was beautiful. Deep green eyes, decorated with black winged eyeliner and framed with squared receptionists glasses. Her lips curled into a smirk, and Piper suddenly realised she had been caught staring. She turned quickly to follow Jones and take her seat, a blush creeping up her neck and onto her cheeks.

Alex chuckled under her breath as they watched the new teacher turn quickly.

"For fucks sake Vause." Muttered Nikki as they took their own seats. "I want to revoke my bet."

"No way short stuff. I look forward to taking your money!"