– 1 –

Two blue lines. No matter how many times she had tried, the result had always turned out to be the same. Two god-damn-fucking lines. Thick and obvious even to a blind man. Glaring at her, shining mockingly, as if laughing right to her face. A fucking tiny blue evidence of her stupidity, her mindlessness… her inability to say 'no', even though she really wanted to oppose. Right at the very moment when she finally knew what she really wanted in life… THIS just had to fucking happen…

[Babe! I've got some big news! Meet me at Murphy's. Same time. Love you!]

"I bet mine are bigger." She mumbled bitterly under her breath as she read the text for the millionth time within the last hour.

When the sheer panic subsided, she tried to look at her situation with cold eyes. She wished she had been able to grab a drink but that was out of question now... for obvious reasons. On the other hand, maybe it was a good thing. She should have a sober mind for such decisions, life changing decisions. And finally, after processing everything in her head, she had her mind settled. She had to be honest. She would go to Murphy's and spill all the truth. Of course she wouldn't be abandoned. She was loved – she was sure of that. It would be tough but she wouldn't be alone with this, right? All she had to do was just to go there and tell it all. She would be understood, right? Right? Yes, of course she would. Everything would be just fine.

"Now… Breathe, Piper." She whispered to herself as she tried hard to make the damn tears stop from falling.

XxXxX

Piper entered their favorite bar, being at least half an hour late. She needed the extra time to make herself look presentable. She didn't want people to notice that she had been crying her eyes out for the bigger part of the day. She especially didn't want her friends to ask too many questions and teary, red eyes would have certainly evoked them. But now she was finally here and the conversation she was about to have filled her veins with cold dread. She felt sick to her stomach and a little dizzy, and she wasn't sure whether it was caused by the nerves or her condition. Either way, she couldn't back out anymore. Even if she had an impulse to run back home, now she had to stay. Not because she didn't want to escape… but because Alex had noticed her entering the bar and was now heading her way. She looked amazing in her tight black jeans that hugged her body like second skin and the sexy, a little worn-out but still awesome leather jacket which covered the red shirt unbuttoned just the right way to show enough of her alluring cleavage.

Piper smiled for a second when she remembered that all that looks was just for her and that Alex didn't give a single fuck about the other onlookers. Alex was just for her… Was she? Piper's smile faltered when she realized that this fact could be soon the element of her past. Alex didn't notice the change of expression painting her girlfriend's face because right as it happened, she engulfed the blonde in a tight embrace, kissing her sweet lips with full of endearment.

"I started to think you were going to stand me up, you asshole." She laughed at her, not knowing how close Piper had been to doing just that.

Alex was obviously in joyful mood. In fact, she was radiating with good energy, buzzing with positive vibes. Something extreme must have happened that day. The tall brunette led Piper by the hand to a table at the back of the room packed with young people. The music was blasting around them as they walked. Various men and women shouted heir 'hellos' at them, some of them would pat Alex's arm and congratulate her on something. What? Piper was yet to find out.

Finally, after seemingly never-ending journey across the crowds, they were able to sit by the table. It was much quieter here. They were alone, and Piper was glad about that. She decided that the sooner she got it out of her chest, the better. Alex needed to know. Now. So when they sat down, very close to each other, Alex slipping her protective arm around Piper's shoulders, Piper found her courage to speak.

"Al, I must tell you something toni..." She stared but before she was able to continue, Alex stopped her with a quick kiss that completely silenced her mid-sentence.

"Me first." Alex was beaming. She was almost giddy. A very unusual sight when it came to Alex. The girl was rather cool and collected 99% of time… Guess now was the moment of that rare 1% to get its turn.

"Okay..." Piper was too stressed out to say anything else but because of all the excitement Alex failed to notice the clear distress painted on her girlfriend's beautiful features.

"We've got a fucking record deal!" The brunette announced so happily that it managed to lift Piper's mood up for a short second but as Alex continued to ramble about the meeting with the record label, one of the biggest and most important in the country, Piper's heart sunk. That was it. That was what Alex had always been fighting for, waiting for… working her ass off for. As she sat there and listened to Alex cheery laugher, how she told her about the girls' excitement and happiness… They would be there soon, they would celebrate...

The girls. Alex loved them. The band was her home, the girls were her sisters. They all deserved the success. After all those years of struggling… And Diane. She must have been so proud, of all of them. Piper was proud, too. And then she realized one thing…

"… and we're gonna travel all around! Pipes! This is what we have been dreaming of. Isn't it just great?" The brunette hugged her again tight and Piper wanted to savor the feeling of Alex's arms wrapped around her, of Alex's smell of vanilla and marzipan that she loved so much. She tried hard to memorize it all in the tiniest of details because she knew that what she was about to do next would end it all.

"Alex, wait. I need to tell you something." She wasn't smiling. In fact, she was fighting off the tears which stubbornly returned to her tired eyes. She couldn't stop Alex. She wouldn't let Alex stay, because that was what the brunette would have done if Piper told her the truth. She was sure of that. Piper couldn't do that to her. She fought too hard for this band.

"What's going on?" Alex finally registered that something was up and it scared her. "Pipes?" She asked quietly when the blonde wouldn't say anything for a while and as Alex noticed the tears, she just had to find out what was bothering the blonde. "What's wrong, baby?" She tried to gather her in her arms but Piper wouldn't let her which only left Alex in deeper confusion and worry.

"Remember when you asked me to choose between you and Larry last month?"

"Yeah." Alex's brows furrowed. Of course she remembered that very clearly. She had had enough of sneaking around. The whole emotional roller-coaster had been making her miserable. She had made Piper choose and Piper had made her decision. She had chosen her… so what was it all about?! "Why are we talking about this now?"

Piper's lips were trembling, as her whole body was. "I made a mistake." She whispered and her heart screamed at her to shut the fuck up. Yet, her brain took control for once in her whole life. She knew she had to go through with this no matter what.

"What do you mean?" Now Alex's voice was also shaky (another rare thing to happen to Alex).

"I choose him." And then she did it. She let her Alex go. She couldn't let her stay in NYC with her. Pushing her away was the only way to make sure Alex got what she had dreamed of. It literally hurt to say it out loud and Piper felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks. She was no longer able to stop them.

"What?" Yet, she was not the only one crying. Alex's eyes were suddenly flooded with the tears she was fighting off on her own.

Piper had expected anger, shouting, hell… even a storming fight. What she hadn't expected was the vision of Alex defeated. The vision of Alex speechless. The vision of Alex broken. It was killing Piper and right when she was about to panic, take it all back, laugh it off… do what-the-fuck-ever just to make the pain stop, Alex looked her straight in the eye. The brunette's own green orbs full of hurt.

"You have made a decision. Are you sure about it now?" She whispered and Piper nodded her head. "I need to hear you say it."

"Yes, I have made the decision." Piper answered as more tears came.

"So here what it means going forward. You may not come running to me again. Not with your problems. Not with your love." She chuckled darkly. "Not with your need or sadness. OR love. You may never come to me again. Ever." Alex whispered. It wasn't even an angry speech. Alex was done. For good.

"Al…" Piper tried to reach out to her but Alex pushed her away and stood up ready to leave.

She didn't manage to do so because right at that moment Nicky, Poussey, Stella and Pennsatucky walked up to their table, full of laughs and merit. They stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Piper's face swollen with tears.

"What the fuck?" It was Nicky, of course. She looked at the tall brunette and repeated the humble question to her but yet again she was met with agonizing silence.

"I need to get out of here." Was all that Alex managed to say before finally leaving the bar. Her band mates were just standing there and staring at them, totally dumbfounded. All the four girls turned their expecting gazes to Piper.

"If you didn't hear me the first time: what the actual fuck, Chapman?"

"Yeah, what the hell's going on with the two of you?" This time it was Stella.

"There's no 'the two of us' anymore." Piper mumbled through tears that just wouldn't quit.

"What? What happened?" Pennsatucky looked crashed. Same as the rest of the girls. They weren't just Alex's home. They became Piper's, too.

"I need to go. I'm sorry. I can't talk about it. I'm sorry." She apologized a handful of times more and ran out of the bar, too. Yet, in a totally different direction than Alex had gone.

"What the fuck has just happened here?" Nicky was lost for words. Probably for the first and last time in her life.