Chapter Two

They had no idea what was going on but they both moved towards the doorways. The dorm doors are usually only locked at night and there is a sense of freedom of mobility. You could access your bathrooms and the bunk area. They were literally locked in their area now. Yet they went to the cell doors and looked down the hallway that turned to the left about fifty feet. Alex pushed her glasses up and clenched the bars tightly.

"Fuck...this isn't good," Alex said through clenched teeth. Piper wanted to make her feel better but could only worry about her friends. She didn't have shit right now, but her little prison family.

"We should have went the other way! Fuck, where was Nicky? She didn't feel well," Piper thought suddenly. Alex looked over at her for a moment and Piper was taken back to a memory of Chicago...how she felt when she saw Alex waiting by that cell wall the seperated them. The relief she felt to see and know she was okay...that all that time in the SHU and on the trip to Chicago was traumatic for Piper- yet the entire time she worried about Alex. It was a flash and it made Piper take her hand. "Come with me to check the bathroom."

"Pensatucky was helping her...come to think of it I didn't see them in the rushing throng," Alex said as she squeezed Piper's hand. "I fucking hate cell doors. It reminds me of Chicago. I dreamed for months of doors slamming between us and you screaming my name." She didn't look at Piper when she shared it. Alex tries to always be real with Piper but she doesn't always share details. Piper learned long ago that things slip sometimes when she needs her….usually while they are in each other's arms.

"I dreamed of you choking in that fucking dryer every night until I got back here from Chicago," Piper admitted as well. " And cell doors remind me of Chicago too..I fuckin' hate 'em with you." Piper didn't have to look at her love's face to know she got a slight smile for that last comment. Piper kissed her cheek and walked ahead of her some, swinging their hands. They entered the bathroom and heard a retching sound coming from inside one of the stalls.

"Nicky!" Piper ran forward towards the noise dropping Alex's hand. She ran right into a metal paper towel dispenser. The pain was intense her nose was on fire and she fell flat back on the cold hard tile. Her head thwacked back and the pain flashed through her skull. Everything went black for a few seconds. It was as fast as when Suzanne knocked her out and she still could sense her surroundings. She heard Alex scream and then someone say, "Oh shit Chap-"

She tried to look up but her vision was blurry from the pain. She heard a sickening thud and then the sound of fists on flesh. She rolled over to try and get up but it hurt.

"Stop Vause!" Nicky shouted from the toilet stall beside Piper's head. She could see Nicky crawling towards her on all fours. Alex seemed to listen and moved to help Piper. She tried to sit up again but blood ran from her nose.

"Oh baby, head back...shit Pipes...did you hit your head?" Alex sounded so worried. Piper hated that sound. Instinctively she reached up for Alex's neck, cupping around the base of her neck to grab on to the thick hair there. She pulled Alex closer as her eyes focused on the disgusting ceiling tiles above her. She felt kinda like she was drowning some and had to lift up to spit blood. Alex threatened to kill Tiffany again.

"Fuck it, sorry...I was scared. We heard shots after the doors closed...you better not have fucked up my teeth," Pensatucky replied. Alex told her she was a fucking idiot and if Piper had a concussion, she would be joining her in that state quickly afterwards.

"Here stop it up with tissue, Chapman," Nicky said. Piper reached her other hand out to take the tissue but Alex got it first. She went to work on stopping up Piper's nostrils and feeling around on her head. Piper cried out when Alex touched the massive goose egg knot on her head. She hated being in pain and not able to focus. Piper had vowed to be there to help Alex in anyway for as long as they could physically be together. She was going to make up for not being there and for getting her back in Litchfield, no matter what it took. Being hurt was not in the cards...and being hurt during a lockdown with gunshots was even worse.

"I'm o-tay, Al. She wus sc-awrd," Piper attempted in her best Elmer Fudd. She could feel the blood ebbing some. Alex pulled her closer and leaned them up against the small wall beside the entrance. She changed out Piper's tissue as she cradled her close. It felt amazing because her head just throbbed in pain with every heartbeat it seemed. The adrenaline was fading and she was left the the misery of a headache. She was sure her nose hurt as well but the head over powered it. She heard Nicky try to throw up some more. Pensatucky got up from the floor where Alex had apparently tackled her to beat her face. It was very much like what she had done that cold December night but Alex had stopped. Piper felt a flash of pure terror when she remembered how good it felt to beat her. That good feeling was the same darkness that propels her to always go too far. She watched Tiffany get the end of the towel she was using on her bloody lip wet and take it into the stall with Nicky to wipe her face.

"Dry heaves are the worst Nichols...I wish we had some ice chips, they help," Alex said in a soft tone. Piper was struck by the thought that Alex had gone through this herself but she had to do it alone. Her stomach wrenched again and Piper felt herself heave. She knew she'd swallowed some blood but fought hard to keep it down. She'd give anything to have been there to hold her hair back. Piper knew she wouldn't have been able to handle it then- she knew she would have run when it got hard.

Now though, maybe she'd grown more and maybe this time she'd stick it out. "I'm not going anywhere." Piper said to her and she clung to her more. Alex looked back at her and smiled pulling out the tissues to show very little blood on them. She didn't respond to Piper's words, sometimes they just followed each other's thoughts but this time Piper could tell Alex just thought she was a little out of it after her fall. They were all scared and Piper felt like a raw nerve, exposed to everyone because she couldn't handle anything happening to Alex. They all sat in silence for awhile. Pensatucky was gentle with Nicky. She told them they moved in here before the commotion and just stayed out of the way. "Did y'all see Boo?"

Piper could tell she was worried. She had seen her in the crowd as they ran past them. She seemed really angry. They were all angry after what happened to Poussey. Red's garden zen talk could only go so far in a riot atmosphere. She felt fear for Red again and had to laugh at how much she really cared for that scary woman. She felt more genuine love and caring from Red's brash, cynical, care then she felt from her own biological mother.

"Yeah she was with the crowd rushing through the halls. We were by the chapel, saw the riot and bolted back here. There hasn't been any more shots so maybe that's a good thing," Alex said trying to be hopeful. Piper used some tissue to wipe Alex's knuckles. She saw quickly that it was blood from Pensatucky's lip but her hands would be bruised. She looked up to see if Nicky could see, then brought her knuckles up to her lips and kissed them softly. She was rewarded with a soft nuzzle and kiss on her neck. She shivered just like she always did when Alex kissed her there. Her head throbbed and again Piper fought off nausea. She knew she had a slight concussion. Once in Girl Scouts she did a brochure about recognizing concussion symptoms for all the contact sports league. It was part of her Gold Award service project. Alex didn't know she was a real girl scout, Piper hid it. She'd love the scouts because she was rewarded for thinking for herself and got some actual skills out of it. Her grandmother had stepped up and filled in for her mom often so it was something she shared with her. She wanted to tell Alex about it and promised to share it with her. But right now, telling Alex she had a concussion would only worry her more. There was zero she could do about it. Finally, Nicky thought she could lay down. She needed rest but Tiffany said she'd make sure she sipped on water when she woke up. Alex walked with Piper back to her bunk. She didn't want to climb up in her own bunk so Alex took her to her cube. She told Piper they would play cards. Piper really just wanted to curl up. They heard more shouting some place and the announcements came on with the siren to get on the floor. No guards were in the dorm so they didn't bother. It lasted a long time and it really made her head ache. She took some advil.

"You're going to have a bruised nose, it may swell. Fuckin' Tucky-" Alex muttered. Piper smiled up at her and pushed the chair with the cards away.

"You must kiss it each day then till it looks good again...who knows maybe a broken nose will be just another scar to remind me of something," Piper mumbled.

"Hey, hey...I know you want to sleep….please Pipes, just keep up...stay focused," Alex said with some worry. Piper heard that tone and sat back up again. She picked up her hand and tried again to focus on the cards.

"Talk to me baby, keep my mind hopping. Tell me something about you that I don't know," Piper said to her softly. Alex slowly sat back down and took her turn. She thought for a moment, then told her…" I have one of your t-shirts still. It is old and ratty...lots of holes, but I sleep in it if I need to feel better." Piper thought for a moment then she smiled.

"The blue Smith one...you always loved that one," Piper whispered. She remembered taking it off of her many late night in bed. Piper knew Alex wanted to stay in bed and snuggle if she went to bed wearing her shirt. She considered it Alex's shirt and tried not to think about it once she got back to the States.

"It is in a storage facility in Queens. I'd given anything to have had that shirt these last few months. Your turn," Alex said, pushing her glasses up with her finger. It showed a bit of embarrassment. Piper knew she left the shirt, she didn't know Alex had kept it for all these years.

"Um, I'm a Girl Scout...top Gold Award winner. I never told you this because I knew you'd laugh at me. But I told Larry..which made me feel bad suddenly because he knew something about me that you- I mean...of course he knows things about me that happened...when we were apart. Why did I bring him up?" Piper rubbed her neck, her head throbbed the pain meds didn't really help that much.

"No no, I get it. I think maybe you're a little too stream of consciousness...you'd get like this one really good weed too," Alex pointed out. Suddenly Piper craved a bong hit like she was a Freshman again. Besides some molly once in awhile, that was all Alex ever did with her. She was a control freak, always working so drugs didn't fit.

'I love that and you're right I would have made fun or cracked a joke….then bragged to my mom on the phone about you," Alex said with a grin. Piper smiled happy with that answer. She just discarded when they heard a woman scream far down the hall. She tried to stand up quickly to run see but Alex made her stay on the bunk. She and Pensatucky left to go check and see. Piper couldn't just sit though after they didn't return right away. She started towards the hall. She didn't hear any shots so she was hoping that was a good thing, She almost got to the archway when the floor shifted under feet and she had to slowly squat, then sit down. Piper felt like she was going to throw up again but she took a deep breath.

She was on all fours trying to stand up when she heard another scream, this time closer to the dorm. Piper felt fear spike in her chest and she called out, " Alex?" before she felt the blackness swell up and claim her.

***Chris, PCAV2000, Goddam Dryer, Bellacjh, Motacilina, ftbtlw, nat my SG :), izzielg, Mama, Librarybook, Pickypflu, CamiMoraes (kiss), firefrog25, Icarriedawatermelon, RachelBarbraBerry, ejm137, Phantomm my dear, FFChik...your review made my night!, monstermommy101hi toots I will take my time I promise. nnicholsnlyonne- my stories always ahve Nicky in them as I think she is really Piper's best friend beside Alex, AND each Guest review- Thank you all so very much. You are the reason I keep writing fanfic, you lift me up so much. I am dedicating this story to my friend Bob and all my readers. Please keep up the reviews. Peace Fae. ***