A/N: Just an idea that was asking to be written. Let me know what you guys think!
It was the first warm day after a particularly long and grueling winter, and people seemed to be taking full advantage of that. The patio area of the café was brimming with loud colors, with not a single vacant table in sight. Alex had been lucky to have come early enough to snag a table near the back. This, incidentally, also provided a good vantage point.
When Piper had called her a few days ago, Alex was more than a little surprised. The blonde had been the last person she had ever expected a call from, given their last encounter, where Alex had expressly told her to stay away.
"Hello?"
"Alex? Hi, it's me." When Alex didn't respond for several seconds, trying to determine whether she was dreaming or not, Piper continued. "Piper?"
"Yeah I know." Why would she be calling? "Is everything okay?"
"Oh yes, don't worry, everything's fine."
"How did you get my number?"
"…Nicky gave it to me."
"Ah." Alex internally cursed at her best friend, who would be getting call from her very soon, she thought vindictively.
It was almost as if Piper could hear Alex's chagrin, as she hurriedly added, "I had to practically torture her to get it out so don't be too mad at her."
"Right. So, is there any particular reason you called?"
"I need to ask you for a favor. I mean you can absolutely say no."
"What is it?"
"I was hoping we could meet? It's more of a face-to-face thing." Memories from their last time face-to-face flashed in her mind, with them sitting in the library, hearing Piper's soft voice as she traded her for a safer future with Larry. The heart break that followed; a heart break that wasn't the worst she had ever experienced, but still stung bad enough.
"I don't know if it's such a good idea, Piper." Just saying her name again sent a little thrill through her, which she tried her best to ignore. She sighed, knowing full well, when all was said and done, she would end up going.
"I know this may be …difficult for you. Trust me, if I could see a way of not doing this, I would have taken that option." That hurt. Piper prattled off the name of a café nearby. "I'll wait for you. If you decide not to come, I'll understand."
She had been waiting for nearly fifteen minutes when the doors swung open and Alex saw her. The blonde head cleared the crowd by a few inches and Alex could see the blue eyes searching. No doubt looking for a place to sit, Alex waited until Piper almost gave up before putting her hand up to get the blonde's attention.
Piper saw her then, and their eyes locked. The world seemed to fall away for a moment, stretched tightly over a few seconds, as a flurry of emotions exchanged between the two women. Alex hated it. She hated the way Piper could still make her feel. Despite everything she'd been through at the hands of the younger woman, Alex could never deny the effect she had on her.
Piper made her way over to her table and sat down sporting a polite smile. "I'm sorry I'm late, I got held up," Piper explained vaguely, as she put her bag down next to her chair. "Thank you for coming though, I wasn't sure if you would turn up."
"Yes, well. I like not living up to expectations." Up close, Alex noted her eyes looked weary beneath the light make up she'd put on. Tense. Beautiful as ever, though. She sighed. "So what's this favor you need?"
"Oh, right down to business then?" when Alex didn't respond, Piper nodded, leaning forward a little. "Okay, I need you to write a letter for me. A reference letter."
This was not what Alex was expecting; her tone carried her confusion. "What, like for a job?"
Piper let out a little laugh, and then sat up straighter, shaking her head. "No, not for a job. It's, uh, for a judge." Seeing Alex's raised eyebrows, Piper continued, "I haven't done anything illegal…" she left her sentence hanging, as if not sure how to say the next words.
"I'm glad to hear that?"
Piper was fidgeting with her hands and stopped as soon as she realized she was doing it. "It's for a custody hearing."
"Oh." Alex tried to keep her expression neutral as Piper's words created a tumult of possibilities and questions within her. Her eyes fell to Piper's hands, where she noticed the unoccupied ring finger.
"Yeah, Larry and I are splitting up." Her voice sagged under the words and the brunette felt a wave of protectiveness wash over her.
"That little weasel is fighting you for custody?!"
Piper's head snapped up. "What? Oh no, it'll most probably be a simple division of time between the two of us. My lawyer just thought, that with my background in prison, and with Larry's dad being my former lawyer during the mentioned imprisonment, it would be wise to have a backup plan in case they decide to question my character." Alex sat back in her seat, regarding the woman she once swore she would never have anything to do with ever again. For all the heartbreak, for her mom, for herself, she had promised she was done with Piper.
Sitting across from Piper, who was looking at her in a casual manner that didn't fool anyone, Alex found herself wondering what the statuette of limitations was on a promise like that. I'm doing this to stick it to Larry one more time. Yes, that's more acceptable.
"Okay, Piper. I'll do it." Piper smiled at her, leaning back in her chair for the first time.
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet, kid." She got her phone out, opening the Notes app. "Are there any specifics I need to mention? Like, give me a layout or something."
As the afternoon faded into evening, their table, previously empty, now strewn with several empty cups and plates, Alex found herself relaxing a little, their conversation flowed more easily. A conversation that was strictly supposed to be business, Alex thought wryly.
During a lull where Piper picked at the last bites of a tiramisu she'd ordered, Alex couldn't help the smirk that curved her lips.
"What?"
"It's just slightly ironic how this worked out. That you would come to me, a former drug importer, an ex-con, your ex, to make you look good in front of a judge."
"Oh fuck off." Piper smiled a smile that bordered on laughter. Alex hooked an eyebrow. "All of that notwithstanding, you are the only person who's ever called me a…" she scrunched up her face, as if trying to recall something, "oh, a Park Slope narcissist and a horse's ass, both within a minute of each other."
The brunette grinned at the way Piper shot a glance around them before saying "horse's ass". "And that's something you want in your letter?"
"God, no. That would be quite detrimental. My point is, you loved me once, despite those qualities, or maybe because of them, I can't tell." Her eyes twinkled and Alex would have assumed she was being teased if her mind hadn't gotten stuck on you loved me once. "I just feel it would be more genuine if someone wrote the letter who didn't have to gloss over my faults to love me."
She could see at least three things about Piper's reason for choosing her that seemed off, that didn't make sense. Even if Piper's claim that the brunette knew her better than anybody else was accurate, there were still people in her life that would be more judge-friendly. And maybe a few years ago, Alex would have called her out on that, maybe she still would have, but she didn't.
"I just thought it was because of my excellent penmanship."
"Well, there's that too."
At the back of Alex's mind, and slowly making its way to the front was the thought of Piper's kid. It was the life she had chosen when she picked Larry. When she didn't pick Alex. She wanted to hate it by default. She was sure she did, too, except for these nagging images her mind kept throwing at her of Piper holding a little baby, Piper falling asleep with the baby asleep on her chest, or maybe Piper and the baby having a bath together. She didn't even how old he was. Or her.
"So… you have a son?"
Alex watched as Piper's entire being lit up like a Christmas tree as she nodded and the brunette was taken back to a younger, more carefree Piper. When she would be the cause of such a reaction.
"I do, his name's Luke, he's four." She beamed with pride as she busied herself with her phone. "I'll show you."
"No! Uh-" Piper looked up, surprised at the outburst. "I mean, I don't think I can do that." She didn't feel hatred towards this tiny, unknown entity, that wasn't it, exactly. It was more of nervousness, a yearning, and a slight envy at the missed chance of a life together all balled into one. She didn't want to go down that road, she was sure of that.
Doing her best to ignore the crestfallen look Piper was throwing her way now, Alex got out a few bills, "this should take care of it."
"No, come on, I'll get this. The asker pays, last time I checked." Piper flashed her a small smile, and before Alex could become complete putty in her hands, she placed the money on the table and got up.
"Tell you what. When you win this, you can treat me."
With that, she hurried away from the table and out the two sets of swinging doors.
Piper sat outside the designed chambers, waiting for the hearing to begin. She had arrived unusually early, and had to wait half an hour for her lawyer, a woman named Elise to join her. Larry and his father were seated nearby, an attempt having been made at forced pleasantries that neither party wanted to continue.
All the waiting hadn't done anything to assuage the anxiety that had begun to consume her entire being. Over the last few days, Piper was becoming increasingly nervous about having Alex write her character reference letter. On some level, she knew she was being unreasonable; Alex wouldn't purposefully do something to hurt her chances with her son. Their meeting had started off pretty well, and Alex had agreed to help, that had to count for something.
But then she remembered how adept the brunette was at manipulation. What if it had all been an act? What if she had agreed as a joke? She knew how Alex felt about her decision to marry Larry. Hurt, betrayed, and abandoned were some words that came to mind. Why would she want to help her out now? They hadn't ended on the best of terms, either. Alex had been visibly upset at the mention of Luke, and that made Piper very uneasy.
Their past didn't really reflect highly on either woman's ability to make sane decisions regarding the other when emotions were at play.
But so much time had passed, Piper tried to reason. Surely, they had grown up beyond jeopardizing each other's futures. Right? When a definite answer refused to come to her, the knot in the pit of her stomach only tightened painfully and she felt the sudden urge to be sick.
What made the whole thing even worse was the fact that Piper had told Alex to mail the letter directly to her lawyer, as per her directions. Maybe Alex hadn't written the thing to begin with.
Before she could turn to Elise and ask if she had received any letters on her behalf, a man, looking to be in his mid to late thirties poked his head through the double doors to her right and motioned for them to come in.
She stood up on shaky knees. C'mon, Piper. Get it together. Wiping her clammy hands on her navy blue skirt, she took a deep breath and followed her Elise into the chambers.
As Piper had expected, most of the proceeding went smoothly. She had moved out of their house to begin with, so that hadn't been an issue. A sort of a barter trade took place for things like shared books, or ornaments from vacations taken together, the minutia of two lives merged together.
When it came to Luke, there was a shuffle of movement as the judge pulled out an envelope from within her folder and said,
"I have a letter here on behalf of Ms. Chapman," he turned to look at Piper. She could feel herself break into a sweat. "If it's all the same to you, I would like to have it read on record." What could she do, say no? so Piper just nodded, and clasped her hands under the table.
To whom it may concern,
I have known Piper Chapman nearly sixteen years and to say I know her better than most would be a fair judgement. I am not going to try and convince you of her perfections, or of her flawless character, because let's face it, none of us is perfect. And anybody who claims otherwise is a liar.
In my humble opinion, a child doesn't need two supposedly perfect individuals who seemed to never have erred, to hold as role models. All that accomplishes is sending a message to children that making mistakes is not normal. What a child does need, and I believe Piper can provide that, is support, and an unconditional love, and a reminder that mistakes are a natural part of learning, and growing, given we face them and learn from them.
A child needs someone who would show rather than tell them the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity. In all my years of knowing Piper, I have stood by and witnessed, time and again, as Piper questioned the "norm" and pushed boundaries, all in an attempt to assert her individuality. Would it have been simpler to walk a predetermined path? Perhaps. I know it comes easier to her than she would like to admit, the background of privilege and silver spoons; she is not an aberration, she belongs there. She simply chose to live her life on her own terms, which is a testament to her strength of character.
Having grown up in a household where adults weren't forthcoming with their mistakes, and feelings were repressed to a point when they would come bursting out at importune moments, often misdirected, I believe Piper knows the importance of establishing trust and communication with her own son. Providing a healthy environment for him to truly express himself would be a top priority with Piper, of this I am sure.
I have not had the pleasure of knowing Piper as a mother, but I do know what it is like to be loved by her. Having Piper in your corner means there will always be someone to fight for you, and also to fight you if that makes you a better person. It would be a great shame to deprive a growing boy of having that kind of unconditional love of a mother, and the fierce loyalty of a friend that Piper Chapman has to offer.
I hope you will take my opinion into consideration.
Sincerely,
Alex Vause.
The judge finished reading the letter, and placed it back in the envelope, possibly unaware of its effect on the people in the room. Larry was staring out the window, an unfathomable expression on his face. Piper could feel Mr. Bloom's eyes boring a hole at her; what was going on in his mind, she didn't want to know. She was sure that the fact that she had gone to Alex, of all people, for the letter, wouldn't do anything to create a positive atmosphere with her soon to be ex-in-laws. But she couldn't care less at the moment. Alex's words seemed to have taken a hold somewhere deep inside her and didn't feel like they were going to let go anytime soon.
Alex keyed her way into the apartment, a little later than usual. Foregoing the lights, she shuffled to her living room and slinging her jacket to where she assumed the arm chair was, and collapsed on the two-seater. She didn't normally didn't drink a lot, but the past week had been harrowing on her senses, all the deeply buried feelings resurfacing in her attempt to write a genuine character sketch of a woman she just couldn't let go of.
Eyes focused on the ceiling, she lay there, willing for sleep to come, but something in her periphery kept blinking at her. She tried to determine what it was without having to turn her head and it took her nearly five minutes to realize it was her answering machine.
She had two choices; ignore it, or get up and get rid of the light. Knowing the first option wasn't going to cut it, Alex heaved herself to her feet, and dragged herself over to the offending machine. She pressed the "play" button and collapsed back on the couch. Piper's voice filled the darkness.
"Oh. Hi. It's me again. I really didn't want to do this over the answering machine but you're not picking up and I can't wait." A pause. "It seems I owe you a dinner." Piper's voice came out shaky and slightly breathless. "Call me when you get this. Bye." Alex waited for the beep to indicate the end of the message as Piper spoke up again. "It's Piper, by the way. Did I already say that? Okay, call me."
Alex finally found herself drifting off to sleep, a huge smile on her lips, the annoying blinking light finally gone.