Set after s1. I don't think there's anything else you really need to know!

Enjoy!

x-x-x

Piper didn't think she'd ever been so happy to be let out of a fucking room. She didn't know how long she'd been in SHU but she was certain that Winter was now long gone. It was surreal not knowing what was going on in the outside world and even more surreal to now think of Litchfield as 'the outside world'. She supposed that she had better get used to Litchfield again, after all there was no doubt a hefty amount of time added to her sentence after her beating of Pennsatucky.

She wondered how Pennsatucky was. Just the thought of her summoned the sensation of bones crunching beneath her knuckles and she wondered if it would ever go away. She doubted it. No matter how often she'd asked, the guards refused to tell her if the younger woman was okay. If she was deformed, in psych, dead. She sometimes thought the not knowing was part of her punishment but she guessed that she should be punished further than her confinement.

But she didn't doubt that her punishment would continue for months to come. Vicious attacks weren't easily forgiven in Litchfield. There had been times when inmates had come back from SHU and been questioned so intensely by the other inmates that they'd lashed out and ended straight back there. Piper also feared the rumour mill. With little else to do but gossip, she was sure that her fellow inmates would have come up with countless outrageous stories about what she had supposedly done. How. Why.

As Bennett guided her through the doors and into Caputos office, Piper tried to brush of the eyes that were boring into her back. She could already hear the whispers starting up, but with her head held high she tried to ignore the endless repetition of her name. Clearly no one was expecting her back. Did that mean they weren't expecting her back yet or not at all? She wasn't sure how much the inmates know about what had happened between her and Pennsatucky. If they did know the full story it would definitely be Pennsatuckys side and not entirely the truth. That's if the bible basher was back in the prison, of course.

"Chapman" her name grabbed her attention and she looked at Caputo sat behind his desk, moustache as paedophilic as ever. "Nice to have you back. I hope you're ready to be the model of a good inmate and keep your head down?" His question allowed no room for argument and Piper knew that this the one warning that she was going to get.

"Yes, Sir" she mumbles.

"Good to hear. I assume you know where everything is? You'll be able to sort yourself out?". Piper looks blank for a second. She'd assumed that she was going to be brought the various areas to collect clothing and shoes as she had been before but apparently not.

"Yes Sir" she says again. A flash of relief passed of Caputos face. He had a feeling that Chapman really did try to stay out of trouble but unfortunately, some people were just a magnet for no-good. He hoped that she managed to stay out of trouble this time around. He smiled briefly at the woman in front of him.

"Enjoy your stay then, Chapman" he said and then looks back to his computer screen and back to his intense game of Minesweeper. As Piper leaves the room past Bennett who had been stood like a guard in the doorway the entire time, Caputos eyes flicked back to her. She really was fucking hot. He hoped she wouldn't be sent back to SHU any time soon.

x-x-x

To her surprise, Piper was assigned a bed straight away. Ignoring the lecherous stares of Pornstache as he guided her through the Suburbs, Piper stood in the doorway of her new cubical. A part of her had hoped that she'd be put back in the Ghetto but she guessed that it only made sense to put her in the Subs – she was a nice white lady after all. Supposedly.

"Enjoy" was all Pornstache said as he made a vague gesture to Pipers new home and then made his way back to the bubble where his coffee was waiting for him. Piper looked around the corner, anxiety bubbling in her stomach slightly at the prospect of her new bunky. She could barely bite back her sigh of relief at the sight of Yoga Jones sat peacefully on her bed.

"Its' nice to see you again, Chapman" she in her long, drawn out voice, a smile on her face. Piper could almost physically feel a weight being lifted off her shoulders. Yoga Jones was a good woman and she was sure that she'd be a good bunky.

"You too, Jones. How are you?" she asked, putting her only possession – her toilet roll – down and trying not to get hung up on the loss of her books and other belongings. She assumed that they'd all been taken away when she'd gone to SHU but she figured that she'd never really know.

"I'm good" she drawled. "More importantly, how are you doing?" Piper wasn't sure how to answer. Honestly, she wasn't quite sure herself. Instead, she cocked one eyebrow and shrugged her shoulders as she sat down on her thin mattress.

"I'm doing" she offered. Yoga Jones gave her a friendly smile.

"It's going to take some time to adjust, but you'll get there Chapman. I know the girls will be happy to see you". Piper wasn't so sure about that. Her parting words with both Nicky and Alex left a lot to be desired but maybe things had changed. Or maybe not.

"Thanks, Jones" she said and offered the older woman a small smile. She knew that she was trying to be kind, but Piper didn't really feel like conversation at the moment. It was hard enough to try and adapt to the endless noise that surrounded her and the sight of actual human beings passing by as if nothing had changed, let alone try and hold a conversation. Jones, ever perceptive, let the conversation drop and returned to her book, happy to sit in a comfortable silence.

x-x-x

She didn't know how long she stared up at the ceiling but Piper allowed time to steadily pass her by, deep in her thoughts. At some point she became aware of Jones slipping out of their cubical with her towel over her arm but she chose to stay where she was. One thing was for sure; the beds seemed like luxury here.

"Holy shit, Chapman. Jones wasn't lying out of her zen ass"

And so it begins Piper thought to herself. Lifting her head, she looked at the woman casually leant against her cubical entrance, one arm slung over the white wall. Nope. She still hadn't touched a hairbrush.

"Nicky" Piper said, a smile playing at the corner of her mouth despite herself. With no invitation, Nicky was in the cubical and pushing Pipers feet aside so there was room for her on the bed. With her legs crossed, she looked Piper up and down, taking in the damage of SHU.

"Shit. SHU fucked you over good and proper. You look like crap" she said as she fiddled with the hem of her trousers and nodded her head as if to confirm her words to herself. Piper let out a small laugh and nodded with her. She knew that she'd lost weight in SHU but it was so typical of Nicky to point it out straight away.

"Thanks, Nichols"

"Anytime" she winked with her lopsided smile. "I've got your stuff, by the way. Kept it under my bed so the bible freaks didn't try and sacrifice your shit instead of you. You're books and all that crap. We have a library. Why does a person need so many goddamn books?" Relief washed over Piper and she felt pure gratitude towards Nicky. She didn't think in a million years that anyone would have taken the time to clear up her stuff and look after it for her, especially since they couldn't have been sure she was coming back. Space was scarce in here and to look after someone elses belongings was a generous move.

"Thanks, Nicky." She hoped how grateful was came through in her voice. Nicky just waved her away.

"I'll get it for you later. How was SHU? Hear any voices this time?" Piper shook her head and laughed slightly. She'd regretted telling Nicky about the voices that she'd heard last time she'd been released. Nicky had mocked her for weeks, hiding behind walls and doors trying to talk to her.

"Not this time. Just me" Piper shrugged.

"That's shit"

"Nichols. What the fuck are you doing over –" the question was abandoned as Alex Vause saw the company that Nicky was keeping. A bolt of electricity ran through Pipers body as she openly stared at the face of her ex-lover. Alex stared right back and said nothing. Piper wanted to say something, anything, but her mind had completely blanked at Alexs unexpected appearance. She was clearly taken aback but composed herself quickly and brushed away the shock of seeing Piper back. Her gaze turned to Nicky who was sat looking between the two with wide eyes and a gleeful smile on her face.

"I'll catch you later, Nicky" Alex said calmly and then walked away. Piper didn't know what to do. She'd seemed too cold, too calm. She wasn't sure what to say as she saw the grin that was still fixed on Nickys face. A moment of silence passed between the pair before Nicky broke it, delight and laughter in her voice.

"Thaaaaat was awkward".

Thoughts and comments are always appreciated….

MBRB'xoxo