Chapter Two
After the small exchange that she'd had with Alex in the canteen, Piper didn't see her for another two whole days. Every single move from that incident on was suddenly very calculated and planned, for example: she didn't use the bathroom in the early hours of the morning as she knew that that was the time that Alex preferred to shower (or used to, anyway) and she tried to skip as many meals as her grumbling stomach would allow (which was beginning to add up at commissary!), plus she hadn't been signed on to work duty yet, which is how Piper came about her first flaw in her otherwise successful plan... laundry day.
Piper hovered awkwardly outside of the laundry room, clutching her bag desperately against her chest. She knew that just through those doors, Alex would be there. Alex Vause. The Alex Vause. Alex Vause, the ex-girlfriend, the reason she was behind bars, the one she dumped in favour of her fiancé, wait, ex fiancé, the woman that knocked her unconscious to save her from maximum security. Piper still didn't know how she felt about that. But it wasn't just Alex that she was apprehensive about seeing but also Pennsatucky's followers, her clan, her evil Jesus-loving – Piper rolled her head on her shoulders and sucked in a deep breath. No, she would not get stressed out.
She'd come far in the last two days. Although she was worried about the repercussions from a variety of incidents, Piper was beginning to become less paranoid and obsessive. Morello had helped. She was always around to offer a helping ear, which often prompted a few jibes and inappropriate comments from Nicky, whom Piper had delicately resumed speaking to. Sure, their conversations were nothing like what they once were and, honestly, Piper knew it was because, deep-down, she was still pissed off about the fact that Nicky had had sex with her ex-girlfriend. Not that she'd been told but the SHU gives a person a lot of opportunity to stew over things.
Piper stumbled forward as an inmate shoved their way through to the laundry room, a movement that abruptly yanked her from her thoughts. She blinked a few times as she crashed back into the present world and when she did, she clawed tighter at her bag, as if it was somehow going to protect her from whatever was about to happen. On the other side of the door, she could hear the colourful conversation that was being bounced around between the inmates on duty. She listened carefully for any sign of Alex and when there was no recognisable, husky voice, Piper released a heavy breath as she reluctantly pushed open the door and slipped inside.
It took less than a second for somebody to notice her and when they did, they bellowed her name so loud that Piper almost dropped her makeshift protection device. She nervously peered around the side of the washer, careful not to make any direct eye-contact with the small group of people that were gathered around the table in the centre of the room. Leanne, one of Pennsatucky's hill billy friends, was leant up against the table wringing a pair of trousers in her hand, which Piper could only assume was a representation of her desire to wrap her hands around her throat and strangle her to death. She gulped, audibly.
"So the rumours are true then, huh? They've finally pulled you out of the SHU."
"Apparently. Or maybe... maybe I'm just a mirage?" Piper replied dryly. Confidently. Even though, right that second, it actually felt like her stomach was slowly travelling up her digestive system. "I don't want any trouble. It's my laundry day."
Leanne quickly dropped the trousers that she was holding and pushed away from the table, a crease forming in her brow, "A mirage?" she repeated, ignoring Piper's last comment. The questioning repetition prompted a slow and heavy nod from Piper, "A hallucination?"
Again, Piper nodded, unsure of where this was going. She watched anxiously as Leanne stepped closer, followed closely by the others, each one wearing a matching scowl.
"There are worse things that a person could hallucinate," Piper answered carefully, her eyes flitting from left to right as Leanne took another step closer, now standing less than a metre away. Eventually Piper's gaze landed back on that of Leanne's. She quickly straightened up and pushed her shoulders back. "What do you want, Leanne?" She asked, her voice surprisingly steady considering how nervous she felt. When the other woman took yet another step forward, Piper tilted her chin upwards and pulled her bag closer to her chest.
Piper watched as Leanne opened her mouth to say something when all of a sudden another person rounded the corner, her voice loud and clear above the noisy machinery.
"Can you Jesus-loving freaks get a move on? I'm all for friendly chit chat but if you are – Oh, Piper?"
Alex. The raven-haired woman stopped in her tracks as soon as she spotted Piper amongst the midst of Pennsatucky's followers. She cocked her head to one side and arched a perfectly manicured brow as her gaze bounced around and landed on each and every body that surrounded Piper. They all shifted nervously from one foot to the other, all well aware of the wrath that Alex Vause could cause. Meanwhile, Piper dipped her chin into her chest and buried her face behind her bag of washing.
"What's going on here?" Alex eventually asked after a long stretch of silence.
Leanne was the first to respond: "We are being nice!" She took a step closer to Piper, which immediately made Alex take a step of her own, her eyebrow arching even further towards her hairline. Sensing Alex's hostility, Leanne held up her hands in surrender. "Relax. We were just about to take Chapman's laundry. It is her laundry day, after all."
"I'll do it," Alex said.
"No, it's-"
"I said, I'll do it."
Leanne murmured something incoherent under her breath before motioning for the others to take her lead and leave the room. Alex watched them carefully, eyebrow in the same position as before, as they all scurried out of the room. Eventually she returned her attention to Piper.
"You okay, Pipes?"
Piper lowered the bag slightly and peeked over the top, her blue eyes glossy with tears. She turned towards the table and dropped the bag on the table, nodding slightly.
"I'm fine."
She was far from fine. An incident like that was why she'd put up such a huge fight with Mendez about leaving the SHU. If eating a dinner that consisted of three different mouldy meals mashed into the shape of a loaf meant that she didn't have to deal with any sort of drama for a very long time then so be it. She'd do it happily (well, happily is a slight overstatement)! But instead, she was in the laundry room with Alex, seconds away from bursting into what she could only assume would be, uncontrollable tears.
"You're not fine. I know you."
"So why ask me such a stupid question then?" Piper threw back quickly, earning a small eye-roll from the taller woman. Well, she did have a point.
"I won't try and be friendly in future then."
Piper spun around and stared wide-eyed at Alex, who merely crossed her arms over her chest and arched another questioning brow. Damn Alex and her fucking eyebrows. She threw her hands to her head and grabbed, and pulled, at her roots. She was losing the plot.
"Don't try and be anything, Alex. I don't need your help," Piper snapped, "I don't want to be, wait, no, I can't be here. I killed somebody, it's only a matter of time before they send me down the hill. Shit, what the hell am I going to do?"
"Kill?" Alex scoffed, "Oh please, is that what this is about? Killing Doggett?"
Piper dropped her hands, a look of disbelief flashing across her face. "Oh please?" She repeated, "How does that warrant an 'oh please'?"
Alex stepped closer, her eyes locking onto Piper's, "It warrants an 'oh please' because you're being fucking ridiculous. You didn't kill that meth head. She's locked up somewhere else getting her fucking fangs put back together. Don't ask me how they're going to salvage those things-"
"Wait... so she's not dead?" Piper whispered, eyes frantic as they searched Alex's face for an answer, half expecting it to be a huge lie in an attempt to make her feel better. Alex shook her head and offered a small, hesitant smile, a look that immediately told Piper that she was telling the truth. "Oh thank God, oh God, oh God, thank you."
Tears sprung out of the corners of her eyes and she quickly pushed her hands against her face, unintentionally hiding the big smile of relief that stretched across her features.
"You're beginning to sound like her," Alex quipped dryly. She watched patiently as Piper rubbed the tears away from her face before eventually breaking the silence: "You're not a murderer, kid." Her voice was soft and soothing, far different from the husky tones that she usually possessed.
Piper lowered her hands and finally looked up at Alex, her eyes darting curiously over the older woman's face. She looked as if she wanted to say something so Alex waited quietly, a slight crease in her brow, which continued to deepen in concern as the silence extended into one that was no longer comfortable.
"Thank you," Piper whispered sweetly.
Alex cocked her head to the right slightly and arched a brow, signalling for Piper to elaborate but she didn't. Instead, Piper grabbed her bag of washing and pushed it towards Alex, who instinctively took a hold of it before it ended up on the floor.
"Can I have my ticket?"
"Uh, okay, sure," Alex mumbled. She balanced the bag under one arm as she rifled around in her pockets until she located the required item, which she then passed over to Piper. The younger woman pushed it inside her pocket before walking towards the door, stopping only at the sound of Alex clearing her throat. She didn't turn around but did turn her head slightly, revealing an ear to Alex as she glanced out of the corner of her eye. It took a few seconds but eventually Alex spoke again, her voice full of unspoken affection, "It's nice to see you, kid."
Piper turned her head forward and with the smallest of smiles on her face, she walked out of the door. Today was going to be a better day.
This chapter is not as long as I originally wanted it to be but I've been very busy working and watching season 3 (I won't tell you how I feel). Thank you for all of the favourites/follows/reviews.