I woke up today to the realization I apparently don't own OITNB and its characters. Those pesky dreams...
Alex is already on a huge power trip and in too deep with the cartel when they meet.
She's on one of her usual local bars, downing her beer and laughing along with her soon-to-be mules when the girl catches her eye. She looks at Alex for a second, as if contemplating something, but soon she's walking steadily and straight at her. Alex is immediately intrigued by the sizzling determination on her face and turns her head to look at her openly. She feels a chill running down her spine and just a twinge of uneasiness, which she revels on. The slim girl looks tired and out of place but has captured her attention and Alex makes sure she knows it, eyeing her up and down unashamedly.
"Hey there beautiful," she says as soon as the girl is within an arm's reach. Alex takes another sip of her beer and smirks. The girl looks young. "But it could work," she thinks
"Uhm, hey," she replies. The girl is feeling self-conscious all of a sudden, and unsure of what she's really expecting to accomplish here. The older brunette looks so smug she just loses all her resolve and decides to make a quick escape.
Alex reacts quickly and grabs the wary girl's wrist gently. "Hey, wait a second pretty girl," she says. "What's your name? Sit around with us for a moment." Alex could benefit from such a young mule. Young and innocent looking mules are rarely caught by airport security when they stick to some specific routes. She could profit immensely from her. "Let me show you a good time." She winks, biting her lip suggestively, ignoring the small hint of familiarity she recognizes in the girl.
The younger brunette stuffs her hands in her worn jacket and looks down. She feels the disappointment bubble inside her stomach and knows she's made a mistake by coming here tonight. She shakes her head at Alex and takes a step back.
"Come on," Alex insists. "I'll rock your world," she coaxes, leaning forward a bit. There's a round of snorting and chuckling at the table but Alex ignores it. Her intense gaze is on the doe eyed brunette.
"I'm sorry, I…" the girl stammers. "I shouldn't have come." The sick feeling on the pit of her stomach is so great she can't look at the older brunette, which rattles Alex.
"Why did you come then, pretty girl?" She asks with her trademark smirk still plastered on her face. Under Alex's scrutiny, the younger girl just feels herself wanting to evaporate into thin air. She feels like a prey and wants to run. Yet, she remembers all the nights she kept wide awake, thinking about this very person, wondering about her, what she would be like. With that thought in her mind, she dismisses her fear and disgust and manages to muster enough courage to look up into bright green eyes.
"You're my sister," she blurts out.
Alex's smirk drops instantly and she shudders. Someone whistles dramatically at the table but she doesn't even care to glare at them. Alex gets up slowly, needing to feel taller to regain control. The girl cowers before her and takes two frantic steps back. Alex catches Fahri in the corner of her eye and knows he's interested in the exchange, paying full attention to her and to what's going on.
"I'm what?" Alex whispers, incredulity written all over her face. There's a mix of feelings rushing through her as the familiarity falls into place and becomes all of a sudden very obvious to her. What rattles her the most is that it's not even the very subtle physical similarities that tug mostly at her heart, it's the perfect recollection of the fact that 9 years ago she was this girl. She was in this exact position, looking just as disgusted, just as disappointed, just as heartbroken, as the man who was supposed to be her father hit on her and behaved as inappropriately as he could. Alex swallowed a lump on her throat at the memory.
"You're my sister," the smaller girl whispers in reply, looking away from Alex's intense stare. "I'm sorry, I… just…" but the words die out as all she feels is rejection. "Please just forget I came." She turns quickly before Alex gets a chance to react and almost sprints into the bathroom, trying to avoid the tears from falling, but failing miserably. She sobs silently and fights off her own jacket, feeling it sticking to her skin, adding to her disgust. Her sister had practically eyefucked her, treated her like some piece of meat. It sickened her because in her mind she had built the fantasy that if her sister ever took one look at her, she would know immediately who she was. She had had high expectations that were now falling with her down into a bottomless pit.
She took a deep, shaky breath and turned to look at her reflexion in the mirror. She cringed at the look of her red, swollen eyes and turned the tap water to wash her face. All she wanted now was to wash off this day.
#####
As the bathroom door opened, Alex straightened her posture.
"Hey," she whispered as the girl came out disgruntled. She saw as the young brunette flinched at her voice and Alex knew instantly she hadn't expected her to come after her. When it had been her, she remembers having had the same expectation. The difference was, she wasn't willing to be a shameless asshole like her father. She wanted to at least begin to understand this whole mess.
The girl clutched at her jacket, hugging it closer to her body, feeling exposed. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to bother you. I'll just be on my way out now."
She tried to move past Alex, without even daring to move her eyes from her feet, when she felt strong hands on her clammy arms, keeping her in place.
"I'm sorry, kid. I had no idea," Alex apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you away," she said.
Molten chocolate eyes looked up tentatively and relaxed when they spotted no hint of a smirk. It was quite shocking to absorb all the honesty and softness Alex now sported, that contrasted heavily with the overpowering smugness and inadequacy from before.
"I can obviously assume you're Lee's," Alex pried, shuddering at the image of the revolting little man.
"Yeah. I'm uh… I'm Charlotte," she said. "Burley," she added in a tone so low it was barely audible. Alex didn't miss the twinge of embarrassment with which Charlotte whispered her surname and she couldn't help but relate. Even though she thankfully didn't have his surname, Alex felt her skin crawling just knowing they shared DNA. "But everyone just calls me Charlie, so… yeah."
Alex nodded. It was unnecessary, she was more than sure, but she still said it. "I'm Alex."
"Yeah. Vause. I know."
Alex pursed her lips and they stared awkwardly at one another without knowing what the political correct way to proceed would be.
"It's late," Alex ended up pointing out. "Do you have a place to crash?"
Charlie nodded, waving her hand in dismissal. She definitely didn't want to impose. "Oh yeah. Yeah. Don't worry," she said quickly.
Alex pulled back her black rimmed glasses and raised her eyebrow in a smirk. "You're a fucking terrible liar, kid."
The younger girl blushed and shrugged. "I didn't come here looking for anything. I don't want to storm into your life. I just wanted to see who you were."
At that, Alex kept silent. She was still trying to understand the brunette, but she knew from experience Charlotte had come to her looking for something. She knew she, herself, had been very hopeful to find family and a connection, she had craved to feel loved and wanted by her father, she had wanted to quench all her insecurities and fears, but she had found none of that when she met Lee. And unfortunately for Charlie, Alex wasn't sure she was in a position to offer her sister anything like that either. She frowned. Maybe she had something in common with her sperm donor after all: emotional unavailability.
"You're coming home with me for tonight." It was the least she could offer. And by the way the girl's eyes perked up, hopeful, Alex was very glad she had offered.