A/N: Someone on tumblr asked me to do a Haunted House themed one-shot, so here's my best shot.
Superstition
It wasn't until she pulled up to Piper's apartment that Alex Vause realized she may have made a mistake. Piper had told Alex to surprise her, but she may have taken it too far without Piper's permission.
Alex pulled up to Piper's apartment last Saturday after a quiet dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Cutting the engine, Alex flashed Piper a smile as she slid out of the car, moving to meet Piper on the passenger side. Entwining their hands, Alex let Piper lead Alex into the building and up the flight of stairs to Piper's door, where Piper turned to face her.
"Thank you for another great night," Piper smiled, reaching her free hand to play with the blue tips in Alex's hair.
"Anytime," Alex murmured, taking a step closer to Piper, her hand sliding to Piper's hip. "Are you free next week?"
"Hmm," Piper sighed, nodding. "I guess I can be free."
"Any idea what you want to do?"
Piper shook her head. "Surprise me."
"Ha," Alex scoffed, but her snicker died when she noticed that Piper wasn't laughing. "Your serious?"
"Yes," Piper replied, punctuating her answer with a brief kiss. "Seriously, surprise me."
Alex leaned in to kiss Piper again, slowly and softly. "Alright," Alex agreed before pulling Piper in again, their lips moving languidly against one another. "You're asking for it."
"I'm sure I'll survive," Piper muttered against Alex's lips before kissing her once more.
Alex pulled away first, briefly resting her forehead on Piper's, a satisfied smile growing on the blonde's face.
"I had a really nice time," Alex admitted softly, her forehead still touching Piper's.
"Me too Alex," Piper grinned.
Shifting to kiss Piper's cheek, Alex pulled stepped away, turning towards the stairway.
"I'll see you next week Pipes!" Alex called over her shoulder.
"It's a date," Piper shot back.
When Piper had given her free reign over their date, it hadn't taken Alex long to figure out what to do. It was late October, and Alex loved going up to the Trail of Terror in Wallingford, Connecticut. The Trail of Terror is an outdoor haunted trail a few towns over, and one of Alex's favorite parts of Halloween. However, her usual group of friends hadn't been able to get a group together just a couple of days before Piper suggested Alex surprise her, so Alex figured spending their date at Trail of Terror was a win-win for both of them.
Alex had been to the haunted trail for the past few years, and knew it could get scary with strange characters jumping out. Normally it wouldn't have bothered her, but she had never asked Piper if she liked scary movies, or haunted things, or anything that jumps out at you. But she had bought the tickets without thinking, and they were nonrefundable, so they would both have to deal.
As Alex cut the ignition on her car and took a deep breath, she felt terribly inadequate. She had never done this before. Sure, she had gone on dates with plenty of girls, and slept with a fair number of them, but those flings fizzled out after the second date. And, if she were being perfectly honest with herself, when she had seen Piper in a bar a little over a month ago, she was expecting a similar outcome. And yet, Piper had surprised her. Piper was different.
About halfway through the first date, Alex realized that Piper wasn't one of her normal conquests. She was smart, witty, and sarcastic, but somehow maintained a sort of wide eyed-innocence about the world, making her even more appealing. Alex found herself feeling things for the blonde that she had never felt before. She wanted to keep going on dates with Alex, wanted to spend more and more time with her. The last thing she wanted was to send Piper running for the hills.
Alex slowly exited her car and made her way to the apartment entrance. She was buzzed in, and made her way to Piper's front door. Piper opened her door immediately when Alex knocked, grinning at her.
"Hey," Piper said cheerfully as she kissed Alex on the cheek.
"Hey Pipes," Alex replied, much less enthused.
"Alright, how do I look? Am I properly dressed?" Piper asked, slowly spinning for Alex to see.
Alex couldn't help but smile in appreciation as her eyes roved over Piper's body. Piper was in tight grey skinny jeans tucked into brown riding boots, an oversized blue sweater topped with a large grey fashion scarf.
"Hmm," Alex half moaned. "You look hot."
Piper rolled her eyes. "Shut up. Is this nice enough for our date?"
"Yeah, it's perfect. But you might want to bring a jacket. We'll be outside most of the night."
"Oh really?" Piper raised her eyebrows.
"Um, yeah," Alex shrugged, fidgeting with the cuff of her leather jacket.
Piper went to her closet and grabbed a light jacket, shrugging it on. "I'm ready."
"Great," Alex forced a smile, reaching for Piper's hand and holding it lightly.
"Everything alright?" Piper tilted her head to examine Alex closely.
"Yeah," Alex coughed, opening the passenger car door for Alex. Pasting a smile on her face, Alex lightened her tone. "Everything's great."
"So, are you going to tell me where we're going, or are you just kidnapping me?" Piper's voice was light and teasing, and succeeded in pulling Alex temporarily from her funk.
"I wish I could kidnap you," Alex shot back, her voice husky as she smirked at Piper.
"Seriously, where are we going?" Piper repeated.
"Do you like scary movies or events?" Alex asked suddenly.
"Um, they're fine I guess," Piper replied. "Why?"
"Every year, my friends go to Trail of Terror in Wallingford, it's like an interactive haunted house. My friends can't go this year, so when you said you wanted to be surprised, I decided to buy the tickets without really thinking about whether you're be into it. Are you mad?"
Piper smiled sweetly at Alex, and Alex felt relief surge through her. "No, it's fine, I told you to surprise me. Scary movies and stuff like that kind of freak me out, but they aren't terrible. Well, except for Nightmare on Elm Street. I saw it one time at a sleepover when I was seven, and I didn't sleep for a week, convinced Freddy Krueger was going to come for me."
"Aww, poor baby," Alex teased lightly, softening her jab by reaching for Piper's hand over the console and giving it a squeeze. "I promise I'll protect you."
"How kind of you," Piper laughed.
"Anyway, I think the theme this year is hospital related, so there shouldn't be any Freddy Krueger's running around."
"Good," Piper nodded, squeezing Alex's hand.
When they arrived at the trail, it was already kids. Teenagers were running around, screaming and messing around with their friends. Alex paid the parking attendant, and the couple went to pick up their tickets.
While they were waiting in line, actors were moving around in costume. Among some witches and monsters, most of the characters appeared to be mutilated surgical patients.
"Wow," Piper gasped, wide eyed as she stared at the actors. One in particular that shuffled passed them was particularly gruesome. A fake arm stuck out at an odd angle of a man in a hospital gown, fake blood spattered across the white medical gown. A fake scar ran across his neck, dark shadows under his eyes. He grunted as he brushed past Piper, who jumped a little.
"Scared already?"
"No!" Piper replied indignantly, raising her chin in defiance.
"Whatever you say, Kid," Alex laughed, leaning in for a kiss. Piper pouted at first, sidestepping Alex before the brunette shot her hands out and gripped Piper's hips, pulling Piper back towards her. As Alex leaned towards Piper again, the blonde grinned cheekily, this time meeting Alex's waiting lips. Their lips moved against each other gently until they heard some cat calls from nearby kids, which caused Piper to jump away, her cheeks bright red.
They waited in line for a little over half an hour, Alex's arm wound loosely across Piper's waist as Piper leaned into Alex, her head resting on the brunette's shoulder. As they got closer to the front of the, line, Piper began to bounce nervously on the balls of her feet, fidgeting with the cuff of her coat.
"You alright Pipes?" Alex asked quietly as Piper curled a little further into Alex.
"Fine," Piper muttered into Alex's shoulder before meeting her gaze, before continuing. "Is it a lot of people jumping out and scaring you?"
"The trail? Yeah, it is, but it'll be fine. Sometimes they have the actors follow you around for a little while, but they can't touch you."
"Okay," Piper nodded, steeling her expression as they were told they could enter the trail. Piper moved away from Alex, but gripped her hand as Alex led her forward. Alex turned, shooting Piper a reassuring smile as she squeezed her hand and moved with the rest of the group.
Piper and Alex entered with about ten other people, and fell somewhere in the middle of the pack. This seemed to work well for Piper, as those towards the front or back of the group got the most scares, and people jumping out at them. Piper still held on to Alex's hand, and jumped slightly every time someone screamed. But, for the most part, Piper didn't seem to be doing too poorly.
Though most of the trail was a haunted hospital theme, there were also scenes devoted to an insane asylum, a prison, and a school. Alex could tell the trail was almost done, and flashed a grin at the wide eyed blonde.
"Look, we're almost done. You made it kid."
Piper gave her a shaky smile, but the glint in her eye told Alex she was pleased with the complement. They followed the group towards the end of the trail, Piper walking slightly ahead of Alex. They could see the light of the exit in the distance, and Alex figured that the trail was basically over. That is, until something flashed through Alex's peripheral.
Alex jumped as something popped out right in front of Piper. Piper screamed, backing into Alex. Alex squinted to see what had jumped out at them, gasping at what she saw.
"Oh shit," Alex groaned as Piper kept backing into Alex, her eyes fixed on a six foot Freddy Krueger.
"No, no, no, no, no!" Piper shrieked her eyes wide as she turned into Alex, gripping Alex's leather jacket.
"Come on, Piper," Alex tried to soothe the terrified blonde, who looked to be close to tears. Piper's eyes were wide, and kept darting between Alex and Freddy Krueger, who was slowly entering their personal space. "Let's keep walking."
They took a few steps, Alex having to practically drag Piper along with her, but Freddy Krueger kept following them. Alex had been here enough to know the drill. Piper was still clinging to Alex, breathing heavily. The guy playing Freddy Krueger could clearly see that Piper was terrified, and was going to keep following them in order to maximize on that fear.
"Piper, you have to calm down. If you act like you aren't scared, then he'll leave us alone, and we can get out of here."
"Noooo," Piper moaned, gasping as Freddy Krueger once again stepped closer, staring down at Piper. "Please stop," Piper whined, and Alex felt Piper sob against her as tears began running down her cheeks.
"Come on Pipes, you're okay, you're okay. He can't touch you, you're fine," Alex murmured as she tried to keep walking. Freddy Krueger stepped out of their way, but sidestepped so he was standing close to Piper, who was still gripping onto to Alex's shirt. Freddy Krueger began breathing heavily, leaning into Piper, which only caused Piper to start backing up, trying to move away from Alex.
"Alex," Piper sobbed as she tried to run away, tripping and falling into Alex, who was still holding onto her. Alex shifted Piper, standing between her and Freddy Krueger.
"Listen dude," Alex said, her voice authoritative as she stood straight up. "Back. The Fuck. Up. She's clearly scared, and you need to back off."
Freddy Krueger stared at her for a moment, but Alex kept her gaze level until the actor finally backed away, moving further into the trail.
"Come on Pipes, let's go."
Piper practically ran out of the exit, breathing heavy as soon as they entered the clearing, surrounded by hundreds of people. When Alex caught up with her, Piper was doubled over, breathing heavily.
"Hey, it's okay Piper," Alex soothed, reaching to rub Piper's back. When she made contact with Piper's back, however, Piper jumped away, turning to face Alex, her eyes flaring.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Piper spat at Alex, taking a step back.
"Piper, I'm so sorry, I had no idea…" Alex began, her voice filled with remorse, but Piper cut her off.
"What do you mean you had no idea? You've been here before, did Freddy Krueger make an appearance the last few years?"
"Well, yeah, but–"
"But nothing! What would make this year any different?"
"The theme was just so different than the last ones, I honestly didn't expect that character to be there," Alex apologized quietly, but Piper was barely listening.
"Who takes someone to a haunted house on a fourth date? Who actually thinks that's a good idea?" demanded, half ranting to herself, her voice still raised.
"Hold up, you said you were fine with that," Alex shot back.
"I lied!" Piper shouted, drawing the attention of those close to them. "You told me you already bought the tickets, so what the hell was I supposed to say? No?"
"Yes, that's exactly what you're supposed to say!" Alex exclaimed. "We could have done something else, I wouldn't have been mad?"
"Well, it's too late now," Piper said, turning on her heel and moving towards the exit of the venue.
"Where are you going?" Alex called to her.
"Getting away from you!" Piper shouted back as she disappeared in the crowd, and Alex's stomach dropped.
It had been twenty minutes.
Twenty minutes of Alex sitting on the hood of her car, staring at the crowd of people in front of her. Twenty minutes of constantly searching the crowd for a familiar head of blonde hair, hoping that Piper was still here somewhere.
Alex felt defeated. She should have known she was going to fuck up this thing with Piper. Piper was hot, brilliant, funny, and way too good for Alex. She should have known that this wouldn't have lasted.
Alex should probably leave. She must look pathetic, just sitting here by herself, her head in her hands. Piper was probably already gone, having called a cab or a friend to come rescue her. She reached into her jeans and pulled out her phone, checking the time. Sighing, Alex decided to wait ten more minutes before texting Piper and leaving.
"I have a temper,"
Alex's head snaps up at the voice, familiar, warm, Piper.
And Piper is standing before her, her shoulders drooping, her eyes wide and nervous, her top teeth worrying at her lips. Alex watches as Piper fidgets with her hands for a moment before inhaling deeply, beginning to speak.
"I know you didn't know that Freddy Krueger would be there, and that you didn't know I would freak out. I overreacted. I know I ruined tonight for us, and I was being a bitch. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
Slowly, Alex slid off the hood of her car, moving towards Piper. Alex sighed, pushing her classes up on top of head. "I'm sorry too Piper. I should have just cancelled and found something else for us to do when you mentioned that scary movies freaked you out."
"No, please don't apologize," Piper insisted. "I told you it would be fine, and then threw that it your face."
"It's alright Pipes," Alex replied softly, smiling down at Piper. Piper reached for Alex's hand, pulling the brunette towards her and kissing her softly.
"You know," Alex muttered before kissing Piper again. "There's still time to salvage this date."
"Hmm," Piper sighed against Alex's lips. "My roommate's gone for the night."
"Really," Alex smiled as they broke apart, Alex dipping her head to place a kiss on Piper's jaw. "Maybe I can come over and keep you company." Alex continued planting kisses along Piper's jaw. "You know, in case you get scared." Alex punctuated with a kiss on Piper's neck.
"I might get scared," Piper whispered, moaning slightly as Alex pulled Piper flush against her.
"Then maybe I should stay the night," Alex smirked.
"Maybe you should," Piper agreed, grapping Alex's waist and kissing her firmly. Alex slipped her tongue into Piper's mouth, deepening the kiss. When they pulled apart, Alex rested her forehead against Piper's, both of them panting.
"Let's go," Piper whispered.
"Let's go," Alex repeated.
A/N: I'm not sure how this one turned out, largely because I hate scary movies and haunted houses, so I only really had two experiences to draw from to write this. I hope whoever requested this on tumblr enjoyed it! Let me know what you think, and if you have any other fic ideas, let me know!