A/N:

Here's the 2nd part of this story and I apologize if it took me so long to post it. And I'm also not happy at all with how this chapter turned out but I couldn't seem to make it better no matter how much I tried so apologies for that, too.

Also, sorry if some of you were misled but this is NOT a best friend A/U. It actually is about Alex and Piper's whole life (using Piper's POV) starting from how they met to how they fell in love until wherever I took this story. Haha.

Also, if there are some Naley (Nathan and Haley from One Tree Hill) fans out there, I hope you don't mind that I borrowed their signature line, hence the title.

Hope you still enjoy, whatever that means haha. Please let me know what you think. This was supposed to be just a two-shot but I couldn't finish it so I'll just give it to you in small parts.

-o-o-o-

The transition from being best friends to girlfriends was easy. They still followed the same routine except this time there were no more secrets that kept weighing their shoulders down. And now there were a lot of flirting. And sex. Lots of it.

The sex was good. It was great. It was so amazingly mind-blowing, hair-ripping, skin-scratching, toe-curling all the fucking time that Piper wondered why they couldn't have done it sooner.

Alex was an amazing best friend, but she was even a better girlfriend. Even though she's always thought that showing her mushy, fluffy side would taint her reputation as some badass hot lesbian (hence the rarity, sometimes lack of, her saying the words I love you, instead she'd always answer Piper's I love you's with "Always and forever"), Piper could always feel how much Alex loved her and that was more than enough for her.

Time passed by, and despite all the fights (that always came with the package of a young love, or any kind of love for that matter) and secrecy (enter Piper's parents), somehow Piper and Alex managed to make their relationship work.

"Al? What are you doing here?" Piper was up late studying for her finals when her girlfriend suddenly came barging inside her room, still through the window, much to her pleasant surprise.

"I was bored at home."

"It's almost 12 am."

"So?"

"We have finals tomorrow. Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

"Pipes, unlike you, I don't have the need to get a perfect score on every exam. I just need to pass and I'm pretty sure my knowledge is enough for me to be able to do that."

Piper shook her head at her girlfriend's confidence, but not without feeling a sense of pride because she knew she was telling the truth. Alex was smart, probably even a lot smarter than her, and if only she was as keen as Piper when it came to studying, she would've probably ended up at the top of their class.

"Has anyone told you how much of a smug bitch you are?"

Alex smirked and raised an eyebrow at the blonde, before finally moving towards Piper, tilting the blonde's chin upwards so she could kiss her. "You just did. You still love me though."

"That I do," answered Piper as she brought their lips together again, the stress of the upcoming finals suddenly forgotten as Alex's arms wrapped around her, giving her the sense of calm that the raven-haired never failed to give her.

"Come on," Alex closed the books on Piper's table and started pulling at her arm, urging her to stand. "Do you think your parents are asleep?"

"Wh- yes, I think they are. Where are we going?"

"Just trust me."

Soon enough, Piper and Alex was standing at the rooftop of Alex's apartment building, the place illuminated by lights hanging all over the place, candles and petals of white and red roses scattered all over the floor. There was a table at the center, and everything just looked, felt, so romantic that Piper was left speechless for a moment.

"D-do you like it?" the hesitance in Alex's voice brought Piper back making her look at her girlfriend. True enough, the taller woman looked uncharacteristically nervous, and she was looking back at Piper expectantly, waiting for her to say something.

Not knowing what to say, Piper immediately flung her arms around Alex's neck, kissing her just below her ear. "I love it, Al. I can't believe you did this."

"Yeah, well..." Alex hugged Piper back, her lips instantly pressing on Piper's hair. "Happy anniversary, babe. I know it's not much but I—"

But whatever Alex was planning to say was immediately cut off as Piper's lips pressed against hers. They kissed for as long as their breathing allowed them to and when they pulled apart, Piper looked at Alex and wondered to herself whatever it was that she did to deserve someone so wonderful like this person standing in front of her right now, looking at her like she's the only thing that existed in this world.

"I love you."

"Always and forever, babe."

Piper was 18 when it happened. She was at a family gathering, feeling mighty bored and wishing Alex was with her (which was, up until that time, still unallowed despite the fact that her parents already knew about them being more than friends) when she received the call from Diane.

Her voice was shaking, and it was thick with tears that Piper almost couldn't understand it. "Piper, honey, it's Alex. She got... she got into an accident."

Diane hadn't even finished her sentence when Piper was already running towards the door, ignoring her parents and everyone else's calls. All she wanted was to reach Alex, her heart hammering forcefully against her chest at the thought of Alex hurt, and probably fighting for her life.

It was that day when Alex found out she couldn't go to college, which she didn't take very well, which caused her to end up driving her bike very drunk resulting to her accident. It wasn't because she wasn't gonna be able to continue her education. It was because of the fact that she wasn't going to college and Piper was.

Alex and Piper had spent more than half their lives together and the reality that they might soon have to part ways because of the simple truth that Alex just couldn't afford the kind of life she needed to still be with Piper, hit her hard.

And it was also that day that Piper realized just how much she couldn't live a life without Alex. When she found out she was in danger, she was so scared she went numb and a life without Alex suddenly flashed right in front of her eyes and she felt her heartbeat stop just at that thought... which brought her to make a vow to herself that she would do anything in the world just so she wouldn't have to live a life like that, a life without the person she loved deeply and who's only ever loved her just as much.

Because then, Piper knew that a life without Alex just wasn't a life worth living at all.

Piper was able to convince her parents to just let her study college without having to move so far away. It was a hard-fought fight but Piper gave her parents (and also Alex) the choice between her studying college at their hometown and not studying college at all. So life went on without the two of them having to separate and the blissful and contented life together continued.

But then it had to come, the inevitability of life being uneasy for both of them, it made its presence known once again and neither of the two was prepared for it.

Alex's mother died. She suffered from an aneurysm and it was something that not even Piper could save Alex from. Piper knew that Alex could take anything life would throw at her, but the very exception to that was anything that had to do with her mother.

So when Diane died, Piper felt like she's lost Alex, too. There were long days, even coming close to a week, when she wouldn't see her, wouldn't even know where she was and it worried Piper like crazy but there was nothing she could do and she felt so useless. Alex was always there for her whenever she needed her but at that time she couldn't do the same thing.

And it caused a strain in their relationship. Alex started becoming so distant, surrounding herself with a wall that even Piper couldn't break. It had been the most difficult time they, as a couple, had gone through, and yet Piper had no plans of giving up.

But no matter how much Piper tried, Alex was just too far gone to even care anymore. So she was the one who gave up first.

"Piper, I'm leaving."

"What?"

"I have to go away."

And it wasn't what Alex said that scared Piper the most but the way her eyes seemed when she looked at her. There wasn't any life in there anymore, no signs that she even wanted to bring that life back and it was the very first time that Piper felt that maybe, in spite of how much she tried, she could still lose Alex.

"No. You can't... no, Alex, you can't leave me."

"Pipes, I'm sorry. But I just... I can't live here anymore. Everywhere I look, I remember my mom and it hurts so fucking bad. It's killing me, Pipes. The fact that I won't be able to see her again, it's ruining me every minute that I just... I really have to get away from here."

Piper was crying and maybe it was because she was slowly losing grasp of the person she loved the most but it was more so because of seeing Alex in so much pain. "I understand how much you miss her, Al. I miss her, too, so much. But... but what about me? I'm still here."

"Believe me, I don't wanna leave you. But you have a life here and you have a future that you're chasing. I don't have any of that anymore, Pipes."

"You have me. Do you not see me as a part of my future anymore?" Piper's heart was breaking and the fact that she knew Alex's was, too, was doubling the pain she was feeling and it was all she could do not to break apart in front of her.

"I do. You know I always will. But Piper I can't stay."

And then it hit Piper that there was an easy solution to this thing. It wasn't her who Alex wanted to leave. It was this place and so there was still a way that they could be together, no matter how crazy it sounded. It was the only way.

"Then I'm coming with you." It wasn't even a hard decision to make, it was the only thing that made sense to Piper right at that moment and Alex only had to agree and they didn't have to separate anymore.

But Alex looked at Piper like she was going crazy and the fear came back as soon as it left. "What?! No. Pipes, you only have a year to finish colle-"

"Alex, please. You're the only reason I'm still staying here. All of it, even college, none of those matter without you. So please, please just let me just go with you."

Alex kept shaking her head as if it was going to change anything but Piper has already made her decision and whatever it was that Alex was gonna say to make her stay, she wasn't going to take it. "Pipes, I'm gonna ruin your life."

"No, Alex. If you leave me, that's when you ruin my life. Al, don't leave me here. Please."

And Piper knew that it was selfish. Because whatever Alex planned to do, that was supposed to be for herself but Piper had made it about her, too. But she couldn't let Alex go, not then and definitely not now.

Piper could see Alex thinking and she knew how hard she was making this for her. And just when she thought Alex was gonna say that she couldn't take her, that she was still leaving without her, Alex brought her hands to cup her face and wiped the tears that had settled on her cheeks.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. I've never been more sure in my entire life. Always and forever, right?"

Alex then nodded, and she did that one thing Piper hasn't seen her do in a really long time. She smiled. And it was so beautiful that any doubts Piper should have had about this were immediately thrown away, leaving Alex the only thing that mattered.

"Always and forever."

So when Alex and Piper finally left their hometown in the middle of night with not even a single soul aware that they'd never see them back here again, Piper thought that maybe giving up on each other just wasn't ever gonna be part of their books.

The first couple of weeks weren't easy.

But with the small amount of money that they both were able to save, they managed to eat two decent meals a day, spending nights at cheap motels. During day time, they would go everywhere to find any job that would pay enough for them to be able to rent a small apartment.

And so with Alex's ability to use her charm at just about anything, they were able to find waitressing jobs at a somewhat-decent bar, even managing to be friends with the daughter of the owner, a wild-haired, totally crazy girl named Nicky.

"So you two have been together for how long?"

"Almost six years," answered Piper as she cleaned up the last table for the night as Alex started turning the chairs upside down. "But we've known each other since I was eight."

"And you're how old now?"

"22."

"And you've never been separated since then?"

"Nope."

"And you've never gotten tired of each other's faces?"

Piper chuckled at the absurdity of the question, the thought of getting tired of anything that had to do with Alex sounding so impossible. "No, I don't think so.

"It just seems so..." Nicky paused, looking for the right word for what she was about to say, "surreal to find someone like you two. Don't get me wrong, as much as I want to throw up every time I see you eye-fucking, I'm happy for you both. It's just... so hard to imagine you not getting tired of any of it."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, don't you ever think about it? 14 years and you seem to be the one who had sacrificed more. You gave up the chance of getting into a decent university until you just gave it up for good. You chose this life," Nicky extended her arms to gesture around the bar, "over your former life as a spoiled rich girl. I mean... why?"

Piper stopped whatever she was doing, the reality of all of it suddenly magnified right in front of her eyes. But when she looked at Alex who seemed to sense that she was looking at her and gave her a smile and a sultry wink, she realized that what really surprised her was the fact that she didn't care... and that she didn't feel like she gave up anything at all.

"She saved me... from being trapped in my own life that I used to not even have any control over. Alex saved me. And this life," Piper mimicked Nicky's earlier gesture, "this is a life with her, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in this world."

They were cramped up together in their tiny twin bed, the only thing that would fit in their small bedroom in the small apartment they could afford, arms wrapped around each other, hearing nothing but each other's breathing.

"I'm sorry, Pipes."

The apology took Piper by surprise and she had to disentangle herself from Alex so she could look at her with her brows furrowed, eyes filled with questions. "For what?"

"Because this isn't supposed to be the only life that I can manage to give you. I shouldn't have... I should have just left—"

"You should have just left me?" Piper knew the pain was evident in her face and voice, and she could see how guilt suddenly flashed across Alex's features. "So you'd rather choose a life without me?"

Alex immediately sat upright, enveloping Piper's hands into her own. "Pipes, that's not what I meant, okay? It's just that... I can see how hard this all is for you and I hate it, especially because I'm the reason behind it."

"Al," Piper closed the distance between them to press her forehead against Alex, the proximity instantly calming her down, "I was the one who chose this. You didn't force me to do anything, okay?" She then pulled away to look Alex in the eye, and her heart broke at how sad they looked. "Yes, I'm not gonna say that this is easy, because we both know it's not. But we're gonna get through it, I know we can. Together." And as if thinking the same thing, they brought their lips together in a chaste kiss. "And besides, you make the hardship worth it." She lightly shoved her girlfriend playfully, causing a small smile to form on her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Surprised at the unusual response, Piper raised her eyebrows at Alex. "What happened to always and forever?"

Alex chuckled, shaking her head before kissing Piper again. "Always and forever."

-o-o-o-

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FFChik, maanetoootz, Pember, moanzs, Marauder-Lu, Lily, Oitnbisamaze, mca, WB79, Guest (for some reason...), Vausemaniac, vausegasm, vausemanoitnb, Kojojo, Guest (nice job), Pickypflu, ManveerlovesVauseman, oitnbaddict, Sarag (or maybe Sarah?), Guest (Part2), RJVause, tslp, Guest (loved it!), SeriouslyAwesome

You guys are wonderful! Sorry for the long wait. =(