Piper refused to regret leaving barefoot. She still heard Alex and her pathetic fucking, "they're nice shoes." Like that's what the problem was with walking barefoot in a city just coming out of winter. Piper'd have thought she'd be much better when it comes thinking on her feet since she's clearly so good at lying. But apparently not.

The throbbing in Pipers cheek synced up with each careless footfall as she walked further away from the mess that had become her life, and the promise she'd to made to her nine year old self that now laid as broken and sullied as she felt. She'd become that woman. She'd become the woman who so easily tore up families, or in this case a relationship. It doesn't matter that she didn't know, rational thought left the minute she stormed out of the apartment without shoes.

And she's back to thinking about her shoes... God, she really is as self-centered as everyone claims. She just played an accomplice in destroying another woman's happiness, and she can't stop thinking about her fucking shoes.

Oh god. She stops as her hyperventilating starts. She's a cheater. She destroyed that girl. Just like the woman with the red hair that destroyed her.

She still remembers that day so clearly, the day she stopped looking at her dad like the hero she'd always thought him to be. The whole time he was teaching her to follow the rules, he'd been cheating on her mom, on her family, and on her.

Her mom may have acted like she didn't care, but late at night, when everyone but her parents was thought to be asleep, all facades fell. Piper would stay up listening to the yelling, the screaming, the eventual slam of the door which was always followed by sobbing. Sometimes she wondered what would've happened if she'd gone to her mom then. She could hear the sounds so clearly from her room but try as she might, she could never actually picture her mom making them. She'd have nightmares for days after of her mom's emotionless face from that day in the kitchen, glaring down at her while making those awful deep wailing sounds.

It was in those late nights that she'd swore she'd never be like her father; she would never stoop so low as to cheat. Because while he'd always be her daddy, he was no longer her hero. She knew better now.

It's in the cab that she finally managed to hail down, that Piper realizes the true placement of blame should rest squarely on Alex's shoulder. Alex knew she had a girlfriend. Alex continued to go after Piper. Alex failed to ever mention said girlfriend to Piper. Alex made her into a cheater. And maybe it was all too easy to push all the blame onto Alex, but Piper could see nothing past the fact that she was so obviously just a lying, cheating, drug dealer. And Piper was nothing but an innocent fool to ever believe otherwise.

As the cab pulled in front of her apartment, Piper was so sure in her reasoning that even the lack of shoes no longer bothered her. Of course, she was right to leave without shoes. Alex is toxic, and subconsciously she knew not to spend any more time in her presence. Plus, she might possibly have a concussion from that hit, and she should just be proud of the fact she was able to make it home. And with that sound rationalization, she was able to go to sleep... After cross-fading a handful of Advil and half a bottle of wine, of course. Her mother did manage to teach her a few things herself after all.

And this rationalization held solid for a good few days. Until the weekend came again, and Piper found herself with much too much time on her hands to think about the rest of her- whatever you call it, with Alex. Fling seemed much too casual, but relationship seemed much too... Well, like a relationship. Which it clearly wasn't. It was just... Them. And "them" was pretty great. Alex was pretty great. And damn it, she missed her. Her stupid glasses, and her stupid smirk, and her stupid eyebrows that she didn't really get at first but now just work oh, so well.

Fuck her. Fuck Alex for making her feel like this. Fuck Alex for being a total prick and having a girlfriend. Fuck Sylvie for the bruise that took forever to fade. And fuck Sylvie for being Alex's girlfriend. But most of all, Piper thought at she downed another shot of scotch, fuck me for not being able to get the fuck over it.

By the next week, Piper was done resisting it. The overwhelming pull to Alex. Nine year old Piper was too weak to go to her mother at night, and now, twenty-three year old Piper is too weak to walk away from something she just knows will come to ruin her. And the worst part is, Piper's not sure she'd even mind.

When she sees Alex smirking at her again, God how she'd missed that insufferable smirk, the words just tumble out until she finally leans in close and says what she knows will doom them both, "I wanna taste what you taste like."

And with that she's accepted her place in this, and sealed their fate. Piper may have grown to be many things, but when it all comes down to it, she'll always be her father's daughter.

"Father's be good to your daughters,

Daughters will love like you do,

Girls become lover, who turn into mothers,

So mother's be good to your daughters too"

-John Mayer, Daughters

Author's Note: I've been thinking about this idea for awhile, and I may have had it much better planned out in my head when it wasn't 4 AM and I wasn't emotionally drained or about to take a final in a few hours, buttt yeah, I think I'm still content with how this turned out. I'm really tired so I didn't go through it as much as I normally would, so I'm sorry for any mistakes that may distract you from the reading. That being said, I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, thank you.

Disclaimer: It's not mine, nor will it ever be.