A/N: Kinda super fluffy, so don't say I didn't warn you.

FEBRUARY 11

Piper dejectedly threw her head down on her arms which covered her closed laptop lid.

"You can't fool me Pip. How many years have we been friends? What are you hiding? Let me see that." Polly reached to pull the computer from beneath her friend's protective body.

A muffled "no" came from beneath the blonde's hair which fell over the laptop as she pulled the device tighter into her body as she turned to face the wall.

The brunette placed her hands on her pal's shoulders, turning her back in the correct direction before taking a seat. "Look, I know that ass dumped you right here before the most romantic day ever. That's a sucky move. He never deserved you anyway. He's a prick your mother set you up with for her benefit, not yours."

Piper abruptly sat up. "Don't you think I know that? Larry is a dickhead, but who wants to spend Valentine's Day alone? Spending it with someone I loathe is slightly better than by myself."

Polly took advantage of her friend's momentary lapse of attention and grabbed the laptop away from Piper's protective hold.

"What are you doing?" Piper's haphazardly attempted to get the device back or at least keep the brunette from seeing what she had been searching.

Polly lifted the lid and ran her eyes over the web page Piper had been reading. "Speed dating? Are you seriously looking into speed dating Piper?"

Piper's grin was sheepish. "A gal has to get a date for the most romantic day of the year somehow, doesn't she?"

"True. So let's see what we have here. V-day is in three days, so we are working on a short notice. You are going to have to find an event tonight or tomorrow if you want a date on that magical evening." Polly rubbed her hands together as she took over the search. "Just to show you the supportive friend that I am, let me take care of this. It's the least I can do for my grieving comrade."

Soon the pair had found several companies who were hosting speed dating events within their time frame. Polly picked up her cell phone and began dialing.

Half an hour later, Polly threw her phone down on the table. She leaned back in her chair, a disgusted look on her face. Piper came back in from the other room. "What's wrong?"

"Everybody is booked. I can't believe there are all these speed dating companies in town that I've never heard of and not a single one of them has an opening for a woman. There is some bullshit about having to have an equal number of men and women."

Piper chuckled. "It only makes sense Polly."

"Well it's silly. Anyway you are on the waiting lists of all companies that have a waiting list." Polly pushed the computer back some on the table.

Piper took a seat again and grabbed the computer to run another search. She pulled Polly's pad of paper over and did a second check against the list that her friend had written. "Hey, what about this one?" She pointed at one of the companies towards the end of the list. "Did you call them?"

Polly looked over her shoulder and laughed. "No. Read it more carefully chum."

Piper read it again. "And?"

"That company caters to women only."

"Well last time I checked, I am a woman."

Polly didn't know if her friend was serious or not. "Lesbians, Piper. Lesbians. This company is for lesbians."

"Well my track record with men sucks. I might as well try women! Besides you never know, I might just get a date for Valentine's Day out of it."

Polly finished clipping her nails and filing them into shape. Her fingers were soaking in a small bowl of warm water while she chattering to Piper about what she should talk about during her event. "You know Pip, in reality it doesn't matter what you say at these things. At these events, most people decide if they are interested within five seconds of sitting down."

Piper pulled her friend's hands out of the bowl and blotted off the moisture. "So you are telling me in reality, why bother talking? That it's the non-verbal communication at the beginning." She shook the nail polish bottle and started painting Polly's nails.

'I'm not saying that at all. I also read a study that discovered to increase your chance of getting a date, talk about travel."

"Why were you reading studies about speed dating?"

"Cosmopolitan magazine." Both women laughed.

.

FEBRUARY 12

Piper had done some internet research on the place the event was being held. While the location seemed casual and laid back, she felt she needed to dress a little more attractive than in a t-shirt and jeans. So she had decided on a simple scoop neck shirt and a loose skirt that fell right above her knee. Piper felt this was casual enough to not stick out but enough to keep her comfortable in her own skin.

Piper showed up to the location of the speed dating event early as suggested by the woman who took her basic registration information over the phone the day before. She cautiously looked around her at the women standing in line around her, eyeing the variety of lesbians she saw. As she did, she became more confident knowing she was wearing what she normally would wear. This eased off some of her pre-event jitters.

As she made it to the front of the line, she was given a sticky name tag on which was her first name and a printed number. She also got a small stack of cards. Stopping at a folding table, she grabbed a red Solo cup and filled it with punch from the bowl and then found a seat at one of the small tables. Slowly the room filled up and women randomly took seats at the small tables positioned in two concentric large circles.

As she sipped on her drink, Piper went through different scenarios on how she should act. Polly had given her tips on what to talk about or questions to ask but the situation was still fairly high stress. Finally, she decided to just be herself. What other way to see if someone is interested in dating her than to show her what you are really like? The real you! Wait. Was she really considering dating a woman? No. This was just for Valentine's Day. Right? Now Piper was right back to being nervous.

A relatively short bushy haired woman got up and tapped on a microphone a few times. "Hello, hello. Is this thing on?" Everyone laughed. She introduced herself and explained the rules of engagement for the event. The rounds would last for six minutes at which a small bell would be rang to signify the end of the round. The women on the inside circle would then rotate one position counter clockwise.

A one-minute grace period would be given for the transition and for women to make notes on their cards. Each woman would signify whether or not they would like to meet their "date" before the next round began. The day after the event, participants would receive word of their common matches and a method of contacting each other.

"Come on Vause. I'm short a girl. There's an odd number. Sit in for me. Please?" The bushy haired woman was pleading with a much taller woman. The taller of the two wore tight black jeans with a tattered band t-shirt. Her long black hair fell right below her shoulders and was pushed away from her face with a pair of black rimmed hot-secretary looking glasses.

"No Nichols. Your events are for schmucks. Losers."

"No Vause. I cater to lonely professionals who, in this case, probably don't want to spend Valentine's Day alone."

"Like I said, schmucks. No. And that's my final answer."

The lanky, pale skinned woman leaned against the doorway looking at the twenty some odd women who had gathered for the speed dating event. She rolled her eyes and was about to head to the bar to get a drink when one particular woman caught her attention. While simply dressed, the woman was stunning. She sat with such poise and grace and Alex couldn't tear her eyes away. Fuck. Now she wished she hadn't told Nicky no, but it was too late as she had found another fill-in and the event was underway. She kept her eyes on that woman the entire night as she made her way around the circle.

.

FEBRUARY 13

For some reason, Piper got up earlier than normal. Perhaps it was nerves from the anticipated results she would be receiving from the speed dating event the previous night. She avoided checking her e-mail to give the butterflies in her stomach a chance to settle. Rather she started brewing coffee and making a small breakfast out of a toasted bagel along with a smear of fruity cream cheese.

Retrieving her morning newspaper from the outside the front door, Piper settled for her morning routine. Soon her mind began to drift. She thought about the women she had briefly met and the cards on which she had checked her interest.

Her breath did a sharp intake as a realization hit her. "What if nobody liked me?" Piper slapped her own forehead. "What if I gave off 'straight girl' vibe?" Piper had a habit of speaking out loud when she talked to herself. "What if I can't even get a lesbian date? Oh my god. What is a lesbian date? What if I do get matches?"

Piper was now making herself frantic, a little sick to her stomach at this point. She decided to take a shower before checking her e-mail. The steam in her bathroom opened up her pores while the hot water loosened up the tight muscles in her back.

Once Piper felt clean and suitably relaxed, she allowed herself to boot up her laptop and open up her mail. She had two e-mails. Holding her breath, she opened one from the event organizer first. She quickly scanned it and let a relieved breath out. Of the dozen or so women in that circle, she believed she marked interest in about five. Selective, yes, but Piper reminded herself that she wasn't even gay.

There were four names and e-mails of matches which perked Piper's spirits up. She wasn't a complete loser after all, at least in the world of woman-attraction. She looked over the names, trying to put a face to each name as she tried to remember the conversation she had with each lesbian. She was fairly confident that she placed three of the women but the fourth, actually the first on the list, she had absolutely no clue.

Thinking nothing more of it, she returned to her e-mail the second e-mail was from avause. .gmail..com . You were gorgeous last night. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you. I'd love to see you tomorrow, or tonight even. Text me. Alex A number was included.

Piper realized that this was the name she didn't recognize from the event e-mail. Alex. Alex. Alex. Had she met an Alex? Piper prided herself in her incredible memory, and she certainly didn't recall an Alex.

Her phone alerted her to an incoming text message, breaking her thoughts about the mystery e-mail.

[I meant what I said. You are stunning. Can I convince you to go out with me? ~Alex]
[How did you get this number?]
[I have my ways, besides I gave you mine ;) ~A]
[Still a little creepy]
[The organizer is my best friend. I can get your address if you want creepy : ) ~A]
[I'd rather just take you out ~A]

Piper caught herself smiling at this insistent woman. She was humorous if nothing else.

[Well mysterious creepy Alex, I don't even know what you look like. How do I know I'm interested?]
[Trust me. You won't be disappointed :)~ Just say yes ~A]
[Ok Alex, I'll go out with on one condition]
[Name it ~A]
[I plan the date and what I say goes]
[Oh a woman that takes charge, demanding. I like that ~A]
[Deal?]
[Deal! ~A]

The pair communicated back and forth for a while. Piper told her she'd message later with where to meet the next day.

She hated to admit it, but Piper was actually uneasy. What had she been thinking when she went to a lesbian speed dating event? Even more so, what business did she have accepting a date with a woman she didn't even see at said event? Oh well, it was too late to back out.

.

FEBRUARY 14

Piper was extremely nervous as she sat in the food court in the mall. Her plans had started out as a joke as she tested the woman who boldly wouldn't take no for an answer. However, now she's wondering if now the joke was on her as she got a strong feeling she was about to be stood up. Piper scanned the area, watching the main entrances for a single woman who looked like she might be the one on which Piper was waiting.

A woman in a tailored gray suit slowly entered the area. She immediately caught Piper's attention. The woman could have adorned any billboard or magazine cover, but she was certainly better than those two dimensional photo-shopped models. Somehow her imperfections made her perfect. Her suit was bold against her pale skin, but Piper could already see her in jeans and a t-shirt, feet up on the couch and painting her nails. She was right there, only feet away, but in her understated allure, she might as well be on the television or a girl in a pop video.

Piper gathered up my things to go. She knew she'd never see her again, but that was alright. She didn't need a plain gal like Piper, even for a simple Valentine's Day date planned at the last minute. In that moment Piper's eyes were down on her belongings. That's when the other woman spotted her. Before Piper could make her exit, the other woman was at her table.

The deep, raspy voice vibrated within her chest. "Piper?" Piper raised her eyes to look at the woman, mesmerized by her striking emerald eyes and jet black hair, and nodded. "I'm Alex." The gorgeous woman held her hand out to the blonde. Piper gently shook the proffered hand and was amazed at the woman's silky, soft skin.

"You are a woman of many words Piper. May I sit?" Piper again nodded. "I must say you picked an interesting place to meet. Then again they, whoever they are, say to meet in a public place. Anyway, I'm just glad that you agreed to meet."

Alex decided to let silence drift between the two to see if that would encourage the other woman to talk. She had been intrigued with the woman when she first laid eyes on her at Nicky's speed dating event. She had to work hard to get her information out of Nicky and now owed her friend a slew of favors. But it was worth it. She had been excited yesterday when Piper had agreed to go out with her on the condition that Piper got to plan the date. Alex readily agreed.

Eventually Piper broke the silence. "Ummm you are stunning."

Alex grinned sheepishly. "You are quite captivating yourself." She traced a short line across Piper's arm, stopping only when she felt the goosebumps on the blonde's arm. "So the mall, eh. What are our plans?"

"I thought maybe we'd grab a bite to eat then maybe a movie." Piper looked at the woman before her trying to judge her reaction. She could not quite tell if Alex's enthusiasm was genuine. Oh well, Piper thought to herself, today is about me. My date. My plans.

"So what are you in the mood for Piper? I passed a few restaurants on my way in. The lines didn't look too awfully long being that it's Valentine's Day and all."

Piper laughed. "Nope, let's eat up here." She motioned to all of the cheap places around the food court mall. "Come on, be a kid again."

"Okay kid. Do I at least get a say in the movie then?"

Piper pulled the tickets out of her pocket. "Already bought the tickets, so no." She glanced at her watch before speaking again. "And we have 40 minutes to eat, get to the theatre on the other side of the mall, get our snacks and get settled. So let's get going."

Neither woman could agree on what food to eat, so they decided they would get their own food and meet back at the table as quickly as possible. When Piper returned with her veggie wrap and sparkling water, Alex was waiting with a huge plate of Kung Pao Chicken, fried rice, and an egg roll. She also had a huge soda. When she saw Piper, Alex stopped playing with her chopsticks and slid an extra fortune cookie over to Piper.

"I brought dessert." Alex had decided that despite Piper being a bit on the strange side with her date planning, she would play along to see how far Piper would take it.

Piper smiled sheepishly. "It looks like you out ordered me."

Alex slid over an extra set of chopsticks. "Help yourself. So Piper tell me about yourself."

The pair spent the next bit of time visiting back and forth exchanging meaningless tidbits of information such as favorite color, childhood pets, and best hang-out spots in the city. After they finished their meals and cleaned up the table, they headed towards the theatre.

"So do I get to know what we are seeing?" Alex was hoping for a sappy chick movie for Valentine's Day or even a horror flick so she could 'protect' the blonde.

"Ummm…" Piper was stalling. She hoped her earlier decision to test this woman's resilience would not backfire on her.

Alex gently shoulder checked the shorter woman as they walked. "Come on. I'm going to find out in a few minutes anyway."

"I don't want you to bail on me though." Piper chewed on the inside of her mouth, almost nervous that the raven haired woman would do just that.

Alex's chuckle was as deep and raspy as her voice. "Hey ease up there kid. I ate mall food, didn't I?"

Piper pulled out one of the pair of tickets she held and gave it to Alex as they approached the theatre.

"The LEGO Batman Movie?! Seriously?" Alex checked her voice.

Piper huffed. "Of course, it combines the best of both worlds – I happen to love Batman and playing with Legos." She tried to keep a straight face as long as possible before bursting out in laughter. "Come on, I've already bought the tickets. Let's give it a shot."

After showing the usher their tickets, they got in line for refreshments. Alex insisted on paying for the popcorn and sodas since Piper had bought the tickets. Once they made their way to the correct theatre, they discovered that the previews had yet to come on and the room was practically empty. They found great seats halfway up right in the middle.

Alex and Piper exited the theatre laughing up a storm. "I have to admit Piper, that was one of the better movies I have seen in a while. Thanks." Unconsciously she slipped her hand into Piper's as they walked. Piper flinched slightly but didn't pull her hand from Alex's grasp which gave Alex a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest.

"I have to say Alex, I'm moved. I made these plans to make sure this would be our only date. I mean who in their right mind would eat at a mall food court and then go see a cartoon movie with a complete stranger. That's not very impressive."

"What can I say, you have an effect on me." Alex knew she was pressing her luck when she brought Piper's hand to her lips and gently kissed her knuckles. "I've really enjoyed today, your company. I know you said you were recently dumped, but I hope you would consider seeing me again." Alex looked over at Piper.

Piper's look was incredulous. "Did you miss the part about me being straight?"

"As a friend," Alex added.

Suddenly Piper dropped Alex's hand as she squealed. "Oh my gosh Alex, look the Lego store! Can we go in? Please?"

The pair decided on two smaller pieces from the movie. Piper chose 'The Penguin Artic Roller'. Alex argued that the Penguin was a bad guy and Piper shouldn't support evil. But Piper countered that penguins were awesome animals. Alex selected 'Catwoman Catcycle Chase'. When Piper pointed out that Catwoman, too, was a bad guy, Alex responded, "Yeah, but she's hot."

Alex narrowed her eyes in thought. "Hey Pipes, wait here, okay? I'll be right back." She ran back into the store.

The casual nickname caught Piper off guard, and she nodded in agreement without even questioning Alex. Soon Alex exited the store with another purchase, this time a large box that had been wrapped in brown paper.

Piper hopped up and down. "What did you get? What did you get?" Her excitement was unmistakable.

"I'm not telling. That's why it's wrapped." Alex laughed when Piper stuck out her lower lip in a fake pout. "That won't work on me Pipes. Patience is a virtue."

"I meant what I said earlier Pipes. You are great. The guy, what's his name – Harry, Barry, whatever – who dumped you last week. Screw him. You are better off without him."

Piper had only planned the food court and the movie. She thought that would be enough to ensure she wouldn't have to stay out with Alex the entire day. But the longer they spent together, the more she realized she was enjoying the woman's company. Their conversation was easy and not forced. Alex was certainly nothing like any of the guys she had ever dated, especially Larry. With Alex, it was so easy which was truly rare, especially for a first outing.

Soon the woman had made their way back to the food court. "I don't want today to end. I planned the most horrible adult date ever in hopes it would be short, but now – I don't want it to be." Piper's voice was sad and mopey.

Alex raised one eyebrow. "It doesn't have to be you know. I can think of ways to entertain you." Piper slapped her chest playfully. "Not like that Pipes. I don't want today to be over either. Look if you trust me, we can go back to my place. I can cook dinner or we can order take-out." She slapped the wrapped package she had bought earlier. "And maybe you can find out what's in here."

Piper's eyes lit up, becoming even brighter blue with her emotions. "We can do that. I need to change clothes, so how about I meet you at your place in an hour?"

"Whenever. I'll be there." Alex texted Piper her address and rushed home to make sure her place wasn't too much of a mess before the blonde beauty arrived.

Polly met Piper as she walked in the door. "Well? Did the plans run her off quickly enough? I expected you back earlier." Piper's sheepish look caused Polly to gasp. "Piper, what are you doing?"

Piper had quickly shed what she had worn to the mall in exchange for some more comfortable clothing. She pulled on a pair of ripped, faded skinny jeans and a cute top. "Ummmm I'm going to her place."

"You're what? No Pip. That wasn't the plan. You wanted a date for Valentine's Day. You went on one. Now you are done. You are not going to a stranger's place."

Piper felt her phone buzz. She looked at the screen.

[Bring the Penguin. Catwoman is feeling feisty ~A]

Alex's message made Piper laugh. "She's not a stranger." Piper yanked open the wine fridge and began searching for a bottle that was neutral yet impressive. "You look nice. Enjoy your night with Pete. Don't wait up." And as quickly as she arrived, she left.

Piper sent a text as soon as she got in the Uber.

[ETA 15 min. Bringing wine ~ P]
[Can't wait ~A]

Piper knocked on the door of the address Alex had texted her. Enough time passed that Piper became nervous she was at the wrong place. As she was about to walk away, the door was flung open, and the wild haired woman from the speed dating event was thrust out. Alex stood behind her laughing. "Sorry about that Pipes. Nichols was just leaving. Come in." Alex pulled her in before Nicky could speak.

Alex took the bottle of wine from Piper and set it on her counter. "Make yourself at home."

Piper walked around the living room, examining the rows and rows of books on the built-in bookshelves. There were also travel mementos from many countries as well as stack of vinyls. A record player was on a stand next to the window. "So what's the plan?"

"Well I thought we could order in. Cooking would take too long as I made other plans. Name your poison." Alex thrust some paper delivery menus in Piper's direction. After a bit of perusing the menus, Piper selected a Thai place and told Alex to choose for her.

After Alex phoned in the order, Piper said, "so what are your plans? I hope they are better than Batman and Legos."

"Actually… "Alex threw her head back and laughed. "I hope you aren't disappointed." She motioned to the kitchen table where the wrapped package from the mall sat. "Open it."

Piper clapped as she giggled. "Yay! Presents!" She made short work of the brown paper wrapping and her giggle turned into a shriek. "Oh my god Alex. You got the Batcave Break-In set! This is going to be so much fun!" She pulled the Penguin Roller out of her purse and tossed the package on the table. Alex already had Catwoman waiting on the table.

"Oh, and this." Alex handed Piper one more thing.

"BATMAN MINI-FIGURES." Piper threw her arms around Alex's neck. "I could just kiss you." Alex froze. Piper laughed at the look on Alex's face. "I was serious when I told you I like Legos."

The pair worked late into the evening assembling and playing with the things they had bought. Thai food containers were strewn about the kitchen along with several empty wine bottles. Then women ended up sitting side by side on the couch with their feet put up on the coffee table.

"Alex?"

"Hmmm?"

"I enjoyed today. A lot."

"Me, too."

The silence between them seemed comfortable, right.

"I probably need to head home Al. It's getting late."

"Hmmm okay."

Alex hopped off the couch and pulled Piper to her feet and walked her to the door. They stood right outside the door staring at each other. Piper moved forward and wrapped her arms around Alex. After a few moments embracing the taller woman in a hug, Piper backed off.

"Happy Valentine's Day Alex."

"Happy Valentine's Day Piper."

With a quick wave, Piper turned and left.

Piper ordered an Uber and was soon on her way home. Piper's day-dreaming was cut short by the sound of her text message tones sounding. Her ride was almost at her doorstop.

[Alex: I hear there is a good rom-com coming out this weekend]
[Piper: Yeah?]
[Alex: Would you be interested in going with me?]

Piper's grin was plastered across her face as she responded.

[Piper: Hell yeah I'm interested!]
[Alex: Awesome. Thanks again for a great Valentine's Day!]
[Alex: Maybe next time I'll get a kiss]
[Piper: LOL Don't press your luck]

[Piper: Good night Al]
[Alex: Sweet dreams Pipes]