Hi ~waves awkwardly~

So I know this story is a little out there for Vauseman but the idea came to me in a dream and even though I have only snippets to work with, I am really curious to see where it can lead. Here is the first chapter. Let me know if it's something you would like to read more of or not. Thanks!


The Equation – Chapter 1


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Friday, May 24th, 2013

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The fingers on Piper's one hand swept through a melody only she could hear, on a piano only she knew was there. To anyone else who might be looking, she'd resemble a young woman nervously drumming her fingers on a table. She'd tried to be cool and collected. Normal. Like all the other normal people waiting in there with her. But three minutes is a long time to keep up that kind of guard. She always knew being inconspicuous was hard work, but with stakes this high, and in a place like this…

She'd taken the bus. It made a long trip even longer but there was less chance of being followed that way. Piper preferred those odds. Complete secrecy had never been more important than it was now. If the wrong person so much as guessed what she was about to do she might as well personally sign both their death certificates. No. Last resorts have a good track record. They work out more often than not. She'd weighed the odds. She'd plotted every scenario. As far as last resorts go, this one was her best hope.

She looked around, hoping to find some kind of distraction in people-watching. It usually helped. Now it just made her feel even more out of place in her faded blue jeans and even more faded hoodie. Most of the people in there looked like they made some kind of an effort before showing up. Slacks, skirt, skirt, tie, sundress… Piper gave up and turned her attention back to the metal detector arching the empty doorway. No movement. She glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall just above the door. Two minutes to go. Her foot joined the symphony in her head, tapping out a rhythm that made her knee jump in time.

The hushed murmurs of people waiting may as well not have existed for all it affected her. It was the ticking of that cheap wall clock that burrowed into Piper's ears. You will be contacted with further instructions in 48 hours the last message had read before disappearing from her computer screen as suddenly as it had shown up. She'd tried every trick up her sleeve to find its source. Untraceable. And for her that was saying something. The last time she'd been stumped by a more superior program she still had some of her baby teeth. 48 hours. That was nearly ten hours ago, she thought with a sinking feeling.

Fidgety fingers picked at the large rectangle sticker on her jacket. Visitor was written – black marker against white - in neat block letters. The man who wrote it hadn't clipped his fingernails in a while. A wide orange band ran across the bottom of the sticker, over which the letters DOJ were printed in bold white ink. Not yet ten minutes since it was stuck on her and it was already peeling at the top left corner. Subpar glue – which wouldn't be surprising – or hoodie fabric incompatible with stickers. The last was unthinkable. Everything stuck to hoodie fabric, just ask every piece of fluff and strand of cat hair in the history of the world. The first was easy to fathom. This place wasn't exactly known for splashing out on high quality resources. But delusional was something Piper Chapman was not and lying to herself was a practice she tried not to partake in too often. She knew the curling was most likely due to her constant picking at it. She lowered her hands again, this time resting them on the table. No fidgeting. No invisible piano playing. Like normal people. If Carol could see me now, was her last thought before a loud, ear-piercing buzzer rang out, making her jump in her seat. It was time.

The air around her filled up with heightened anticipation and she could feel that hers weren't the only set of eyes now trained on the metal detector arch. Grateful for something to do other than wait. Soon enough bodies started filing through it, like a formal procession of prisoners. All dressed in the same striking orange, none looking at all the same. Round, flat, thin, short, muscles, no muscles, tattoos up the wazoo, short, no hair, thin, too much hair, medium, short, tall- … Tall. Piper swallowed. Google Images did no justice and three years of prison life is apparently just the thing for perfect skin. She quickly tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, trying to make it look natural, thinking what she'd look like if it were all black instead.

"You're Chapman?"

The tall woman had a low voice, with an edge of throatiness to it that seemed to rise up from somewhere deep and mysterious, travel up her long neck, out perfectly full lips, to crawl down the spine of anyone around and make the tiny hairs on the back of their necks stand up. Anyone around, or maybe it was just her. Piper swallowed again and nodded, shooting furtive glances around the room to see whether their meeting had any unwanted audiences. It didn't. When she looked back to the woman she found herself the subject of her curious interest as she studied Piper. Long enough to make her feel uncomfortable, to make her look away, and only once she accomplished that did she pull out the chair opposite her and sit down. Piper chose that same moment to look back up, and watched Alex Vause take her seat, a quiet confidence in even the smallest gesture. She was tall and slender and yet, for all her limbs, embodied a kind of grace that had Piper rapt. The simple act of sitting down became something she couldn't tear her eyes from.

"Considering the amount of red tape it must've taken to see me, I'm expecting this to be good," Alex said. Piper didn't say anything. She was trying to decide where to begin. In the seconds that process was taking, Alex leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table between them, hands lightly clasped. "Was this your first strip search?" she asked suggestively, fixing Piper with a look that burned right through her, flashing green behind her black-rimmed secretary glasses.

Piper flinched but tried to give nothing away. The smirk on Alex's face let her know she was giving away a lot more than she thought.

"It was, wasn't it?" Alex gave a soft chuckle, clearly enjoying herself. And why shouldn't she? It had been years since she'd seen the inside of the visitor's room at Litchfield. She could suddenly relate to that puppy with his new toy. And her toy was bright and shiny and so untouched it was irresistible. "So how'd you do it?"

Piper looked at her with round, blue eyes, confusion creasing her brow. "I just… took off whatever they-"

"Not the search," Alex said exasperated. "How'd you get to see me? The list I'm on… it must've taken you what… a couple of months?"

Yes, Piper would've had to wait six to eight weeks to see Alex if she had gone through the proper channels of requesting visitation. Processing, auditing, vetting, and who knows what other time-wasting aspects the system employed in these situations. Fortunately for Piper – even though it was a fortune she didn't like to acknowledge let alone call on – she was part of a rare breed of family. The type of family with money and networks, and money. 'Proper channels' don't exist if they don't want them to. She hated herself for doing it but really there was no other choice.

"That's not important," Piper replied, deliberately avoiding getting into that part. "What's important is this list you're on, and why you're on it." She waited for Alex to interrupt with questions or a snarky remark, but the brunette was listening, apparently waiting for her to continue. Piper took a steadying breath and did just that. "I've recently found myself the target of someone – someone dangerous – who you have had dealings with in the past."

"Dealings?" Alex repeated with some confusion. She wasn't in the mood for a fishing expedition and as cute as her visitor was, these sessions were timed and she didn't want to have to leave without knowing the full story behind what could have brought a hot blonde girl who clearly has her head screwed on the right way to seek out someone like her.

"The not so legal kind of dealings."

"Yeah, you're still painting a pretty broad picture here, kid," Alex interrupted. Her past was checkered with not-so-legal dealings starting from around nineteen years old. This could be a very long guessing game.

"Kubra Balik," Piper said. Rather abruptly, as it turned out, but she was running out of time and patience so couldn't be bothered either way.

Piper just made out the shift behind Alex's eyes – playful and mischievous suddenly turned cold and hard – when the brunette sat up. She straightened in her seat, arms folded protectively across her chest, checking the room as if it only just occurred to her that someone might be watching.

"What about him?" Alex asked guardedly, her voice much lower than before. She was actually taking care to keep it down this time.

"He's threatening to kill my fiancé and then me, if I don't give him what he wants," Piper said carefully, each whispered word laced with quiet desperation. She was at the end of her road. She needed help.

"So give him what he wants," Alex replied with a shrug she meant to play off as nonchalant but the look on her face, and those eyes… it was so obvious she was spooked. Meanwhile her mind started racing a mile a minute. What could someone like Miss Got-it-Together over here possibly have that would catch Kubra's eye? Would make him want to kill for it?

"You don't understand," Piper started to argue.

This time Alex abandoned all pretense and leaned in again, palms flat on the table between them. "No you're the one who doesn't understand. You don't know who you're dealing with. This man…" The last time she'd spoken his name was in a witness stand. Right before everything fell to shit and she became the walking dead for doing it. She wouldn't dare spare another breath on it. "This man only plays games he can win. And he always wins."

"But he has him," Piper said then, urged by desperation. "My fiancé."

"Sorry to break your heart, kid, but your fiancé is already dead. And you'll be too if you don't hand over whatever it is he's asking for. And do it with a smile, just in case."

But Piper didn't come all this way just to be shown the door. She shook her head. "No. I need your help. You know him. You were part of his inner circle. You could-"

"A man like that doesn't have an inner circle," Alex interrupted. She was quickly losing her patience with Piper who refused to accept she was fighting a losing battle. You always lose when it's against Kubra. "Everyone's disposable. He'd make his own mother disappear if he wanted to."

"But you're here," Piper said. "Practically a sitting duck, and he hasn't done anything to you. That tells me-"

"It tells you shit," Alex said, struggling to keep her voice down. She checked over her shoulder to see that the guard wasn't watching before turning back to Piper. "He's clearly found a worthy distraction and if you think I'm going to remind him I exist just so he can-"

"A man called Fahri…" Piper interrupted and the mention of that name shut Alex up instantly. "He disappeared a little over four years ago."

Alex leaned back in her chair again, considering Piper with renewed suspicion, surprised by how much she knew but trying not to show it.

"Aydin Bayat? You know him?" Piper didn't wait for a reply because she knew the answer. "He disappeared late last year. Both were part of this inner circle you say doesn't exist. But if you ask me, I think Kubra's taking his time picking his closest minions off one by one. Close minions, of which he had three. Guess who's left?"

Alex pursed her lips and said nothing. What was there to say? Piper was right. All this time she'd felt as if Kubra was toying with her. Making her watch as he inched his way closer and closer to her with every life he took. And was she safe inside Litchfield? A man like Kubra had means and ways to get what he wanted.

"I need your help," Piper said then, abandoning the no-shit tone for a softer approach. She could tell Alex was closed up and she wanted her on board with this. She needed her to warm up.

"Look around you," Alex said. "What the hell could I possibly do for you from in here?"

"Well for starters, you wouldn't be in here," Piper said, keeping her voice matter of fact even though she knew this was it – the deal-closer, the show stopper, the winning ticket.

"Is that right?" Alex said with a laugh. She couldn't help it. The poor girl was so obviously delusional. "What are you going to do? Break me out? Are you going to pass me a teaspoon under the table so I can dig a tunnel out of my cell?" Piper remained tight-lipped and let Alex have her fun. "No, they would've found the spoon in the strip search. So what's your plan?" Alex finished, fixing Piper with an incredulous look.

"You don't have to know the details," Piper said. "Say yes, and I'll get it done. And I'll pay you." That last part was said on a whim. Not part of the original plan but Piper was pulling out all the stops.

The two entered into a stare-off that seemed to last forever. Piper's head like a calm sea, patiently waiting for Alex to snap at the bait. Alex's head bursting with runaway thoughts. Trying to figure out this blonde mystery in front of her, what the hell Kubra was playing at, the possibility of freedom?...

"And what makes you think I'd want out?" Alex said eventually. "If I'm not safe in here, I'm even less so out there. I might as well put a gun to my head right here and now and get it over with."

"Your ex boss isn't the only one who can make people disappear," Piper said, and then quickly retracted off Alex's expression of shock. "No, I don't- I'm not a killer or anything. I mean… that came out a little more foreboding than I intended."

"You don't say."

"Do you have access to the internet?" Piper asked.

"I could," Alex replied with a shrug. She was on good terms with all the guards. If she needed a few minutes at a computer, she was sure she could get it.

"Okay," Piper said, perking up. Things were starting to look a little more hopeful. "I want you to run a search on these names." She slid a tiny piece of paper that looked like it was hastily ripped from a notepad across the table and Alex palmed it quickly so no-one would see.

"What is it?"

"They're the names of people you will find nothing on after 2002. Whistleblowers. Cost their company a chunk of cash because of it. Their lives and the lives of their families were threatened."

"Corporations, man. That shit'll kill you," Alex said.

"Exactly. But not them… because I helped."

Alex eyed Piper a little dubiously. She wasn't convinced. This woman couldn't be more than 24, maybe 25? And she was promising to not only get her out of a 15 year sentence, but also to hide her from a man it was impossible to hide from.

"Just… do the search," Piper pressed on.

"Two minutes," came the call from the guard on duty.

Piper's anxiety levels shot up. She needed to leave here with a definitive answer. She wasn't supposed to have spent the entire time trying to convince the woman to help – that was supposed to be the easy part.

"What do you want me to do?" Alex asked. She looked for the first time like she was considering Piper's proposal.

Piper's heart leapt in her chest. "Everything you know about him. Where he could be, how he works, his weaknesses. Mostly where he could be. I have to find him."

"To save your fiancé?"

Piper nodded.

"What do you have that's got him so wound up?"

Piper shook her head. "That's not important. Just… know that if he were to have it… one of the most dangerous men you know would have a very dangerous weapon at his disposal."

Alex studied Piper closely. Intrigued by the woman who obviously wanted to get her fiancé back alive while also trying to be a hero for the world. That took some serious balls. She knew that if she were in the same position, she'd choose self-preservation. It's what she always chose. And it had served her well for nearly thirty years. Including now. If she agreed to help, and this kid was for real, that meant she'd get out of here and out of Kubra's reach for good. Whether Piper succeeded in saving her fiancé - and the world - wasn't any concern of hers. They'd most likely both end up dead. But she would be free. Forever. No more looking over her shoulder or sleeping with one eye open… A loud buzzer, same as the first, rang out and called an end to visitation.

Slowly the room that had been hushed began to fill with sounds of scraping chairs and hurried goodbyes, final hugs and promises to visit again soon. But Piper remained seated, looking at Alex looking at her. People were milling around and gradually filing out around them but they all might as well not have existed. There was nothing else in that room with the two women. Nothing except a desperate question begging for an answer.

"Do you know if he's still alive?" Alex asked, able to raise her voice a bit because of the increased noise level in the room.

"Come on people!" the guard yelled, noticing the two that were still seated.

Piper glanced in his direction quickly and then back to Alex. She nodded.

"You're sure?"

Piper nodded again.

"Inmate! This is a warning!"

Piper shot to her feet, somehow feeling that if she didn't at least look like she were leaving she might get cuffed and thrown in a cell herself. She was hanging on a thread, coming undone with anticipation for Alex's answer. Her last resort. Her only hope.

Alex on the other hand already knew what she was going to say. But it was vital to keep the upper hand in this thing. Her whole life she'd seen how quickly a well laid plan could get out of whack. This was her last chance. She wasn't going to be on the receiving end of bad luck again. As long as Piper believed she needed Alex more than she needed her, Alex could orchestrate things to run in her favor.

Piper had fallen in step behind the last of the visitors, awkwardly trying to walk sideways so she could look at Alex still seated at the table. Then the brunette looked up. Their eyes found each other and Piper's heart jumped into her throat. She hoped Alex could tell she was pleading. Alex stood up slowly and slipped the piece of paper into the front pocket of her standard issue shirt, holding Piper's gaze the whole time as the blonde made her way out. And then she nodded. Piper exhaled with heavy relief, her shoulders dropping as the tension released from her body, and just before she crossed under the metal detector to move finally out of sight, mouthed the words thank you.

Alex smiled back even though it was a smile Piper couldn't see. It wasn't really meant for her anyway. A dangerous weapon. The kid barely looked like she could fry an egg, let alone cook up something of mass destruction. No thanks. She'd had enough of that life. She'd use Piper to get out, take the money, and help herself to a healthy dose of freedom. She let the guard herd her into a group with the other inmates, ushering them out of the visitor's area like sheep. The herd moved slowly to keep from stepping on each other. Alex took advantage of the moment and reached inside her pocket for the piece of paper. Without sparing it or the names on it another thought she let it drop to the floor, where it was promptly trampled to the point of illegibility by a horde of passing prison boots.