AN-Thanks to everyone for such quick, positive support! I promise I will do my best to post once a week and will do midweek bonus chapters when I can.

Chapter Two-Not Dead Yet

"Where in the name of every hell god has that bitch gone!" Lawrence Bloom, heir and master of House Bloom was accustomed to getting what he wanted. In this case what he had demanded was the return of Piper Chapman to his estate, to be held in a private room in the Bloom bordello for his personal amusement. Mostly he had anticipated Piper entertaining him with sexual favors of his choosing and sweet cries of pain as he tortured her in new and inventive ways.

The cart driver had fallen to his knees, his forehead to the floor. The position wasn't a requirement, he was a free man not a slave, but facing a Lord's anger made such supplication a healthy start at continued existence. "She was being taken away by one of the slave traders when I left my Lord." The man decided to stick to true, if not entirely forthcoming, statements. "He said she was very ill, dying in fact, and instructed me not to bring her back to the estate where she could infect others my Lord." There was no power on earth that could convince him to tell Lord Bloom the girl had been bought by Lady Vause and he had the shiny silver in his pocket to prove it.

The response of the young Lord was a deep growl accompanied by the shattering of an expensive vase against the far wall. "Find her. If she is dead, I want to see her rotting corpse. Do not return without the body of that woman."

As the man scurried away Lawrence supposed he should partly blame himself for Piper's disappearance. He was the one who had sent her to one of the family whorehouses in the worst part of the city as punishment for her continued resistance. The madam in charge, known as Vee to her girls and patrons, was a legend in the Kingdom. She ruled her slave whores with an iron fist and Lawrence had instructed her to make sure Piper was kept busy with clients and well disciplined.

The daily reports he had received from Vee sounded encouraging. The uppity blonde had initially refused to service the paying clients just as he had anticipated and Vee had responded with great creativity under the limitations he had set for Piper's punishment. Vee was normally very 'hands on' with her girls, her mastery of the signal whip was legendary, but he had instructed that Piper was not to receive any permanent marks or maiming.

It had turned out being forced to watch the other girls do her work in addition to their own followed by starvation had been quite effective. Bearing witness to a few brutal men fucking and beating her fellow slave whores made Piper quite pliable. Vee made sure the other girls knew who was to blame for their treatment and let them take their own revenge as well. Soon Piper had no friends, no food and no sleep as she stayed awake trying to protect herself from the pummeling some of the other slaves gave her whenever her guard was down.

After a week Piper gave in and Vee lined up some specially selected clients to spend time with her. Lawrence had laughed at the blonde's sentimental weakness when he got the report. As if Vee's slave whores would ever care about Piper's altruistic actions. They were weak and good for nothing other than opening their legs.

He hadn't counted on Piper getting sick and Vee was going to suffer for withholding that information from him. Illness was always a risk with whores and he employed healers to treat them. No bordello wanted the reputation of making patrons sick and Vee did have a particularly rough clientele. Piper was only there for a month; he had thought that would be long enough to teach her a lesson without any permanent damage.

Now it looked like the blonde was probably dead or dying. That made him angry and would deprive him of the revenge and fun he had planned for the foreseeable future. Piper Chapman owed him for her insolence and if the only payment he would receive was burying her in an unmarked grave, well, so be it.

Lawrence rose from his softly cushioned chair and beckoned the head of his House Guard into the room. George Mendez was a competent, loyal man who was a frequent visitor to the private bordello on the Bloom estate. Rumor had it he was not favored by the slave girls, but the whores knew better than to complain about the Captain of the Guard.

"Mendez."

The Captain came to attention in front of his Lord. "Yes sir."

"I need you to follow the man who just left. He is a cart driver." Lawrence could hardly spit the words out through his disdain. "I have ordered him to return with Piper Chapman, dead or alive, although I would prefer her still breathing. Follow him and make sure he does as asked or suffers the consequences. Find out what happened to Chapman."

Mendez was a man of few words. He simply nodded and answered, "Yes sir."

The healer emerged from the bedroom with a solemn expression. "I have done all I can Lady Vause." He bowed and went to wash his hands in a basin by the door.

Alex had been pacing the outer room for hours. Nicky had stayed for a while and then gone to bed indicating in strong terms "get some fucking sleep, you look like shit" that Alex should do likewise. She just couldn't, not until she knew if Piper was going to live. Finally she had settled onto one of the couches in the outer room, resting and trying to analyze why this slave woman was having such an effect on her. She came to no logical conclusion and was in the process of hardening her thoughts, telling herself she could not afford such emotionality in her position, when the healer finished.

"Will she live?" Alex tried to keep her voice even.

The healer dried his hands and came over to her. "I truly don't know. I gave her medicine for the infection and the fever. If she makes it through the night and the next day I would say her chances are good. It would help to keep her cool and try to get her to take fluids. I will come back in the morning to check on her."

Alex thanked the man and showed him out; she wanted to be at Piper's side.

She found the blonde sweating and breathing deeply on her bed. The healer had stripped off the tattered dress leaving Piper in her undergarments which were now completely soaked. Alex found a basin of cool water and several strips of cloth on the bedside table and used them to wipe the grime from the blonde's face and hair.

Alex stayed at the bedside trying to keep Piper cool. As the deepest part of the night passed, the blonde began to mumble, at first words of discontent; no, please don't, why. Later she started to move aimlessly and cry out names; mother, Cal, Polly and surprisingly, Larry. Alex couldn't imagine that Piper was referring to Lawrence Bloom; it must be another Larry that she knew. No slave would call the Master of the House by their first name, let alone a nickname that she knew Bloom hated.

Who was this woman? Despite her outward appearance and the collar, Piper didn't have the hard worn look of a lifelong slave. Alex took one of the blonde's hands in her own. The skin was soft, with no calluses. She had heard of girls raised from birth and trained with the intent to be pleasure slaves at puberty. Perhaps Piper was one of those. Even ill and with her thin physique she was a beautiful woman.

Certainly the blonde had made an impression on her. Alex chuckled to herself at the gossip that would be flying around the estate by morning. She had purchased a sick slave, placed the woman in her own bed, paid for the best healer in the city and was now sitting vigil. Alex had always treated her people fairly, but this was entirely different. She couldn't even pinpoint why she felt this sudden loyalty and protectiveness for the woman, it just felt right.

Piper began to thrash and clutch at the collar around her neck as if to rip it off. Alex wiped her hot brow again and tried to speak calming words, but eventually had to forcibly hold Piper's hands down to keep her from scratching the skin on her neck. When the fight went out of the blonde, Alex decided the collar needed to go anyway. She had no interest in seeing the mark of House Bloom around her slave's neck. She stepped out to retrieve a master key from the safe near her desk and returned, using it to unlock the collar which she flung into the far corner of the room. She would have the maid dispose of it tomorrow.

Alex could see the dirt and marks on Piper's neck now and used the opportunity to clean and apply a soothing balm to the skin. When she sat back and looked over the blonde, the absence of the collar didn't bother her and she felt no rush to replace it with one of her own. Perhaps in a few days after Piper had recovered, then she could have Gloria Mendoza, who was in charge of the slaves at the estate, bring her a House Vause collar.

By the time the healer made his return in the morning Alex was exhausted. She relinquished her post at Piper's side and agreed to take some rest in one of the guest rooms, but only after he indicated he would stay with his patient administering medicines and monitoring her for several hours.

When Nicky woke her, Alex could see through the window that the sun was at midday.

"Piper? Is she. . ." The panic was instinctual.

"She's hanging in there Vause, it's ok." Nicky smoothed back the hair from her forehead and encouraged her to lie back down. "I'm sorry to wake you, but the healer has to leave to see some other patients and he insisted you be told."

Alex swung her legs off the bed still shaking off sleep. "Yes, I want to speak to him. Thanks for getting me."

Nicky went with her back to her rooms. The healer was packed up and ready to go.

"Lady Vause. The young woman is stable, doing better. She is strong; I think she has a good chance now, although . . ." The older man seemed to pause in embarrassment and glanced at Nicky.

Alex understood his unspoken question. "You can say anything you need to in front of Ms. Nichols."

"I have seen this type of infection in pleasure slaves all too often. They become infected by unclean men and if it is not treated promptly they often die. If she survives, well, it is doubtful she will ever have children."

Alex raised an eyebrow at the man. It seemed a ludicrous statement to make to her at first blush. "Do I look inclined or capable of breeding with a woman?"

Nicky couldn't stifle her guffaw and Alex could see the blush rising in the healer's cheeks. "No, of course, it's just some owners encourage slaves to have offspring. I only thought you should know."

Alex nodded and bit her tongue. He was correct to tell her. A young slave woman who could not have children was worth less. "Thank you; I should have appreciated the information. When will you return?"

"Tomorrow. Her fever has broken. If she takes a turn for the worse, send word and I will return." The poor man couldn't don his coat and leave fast enough.

Nicky went to the bar in the room and took down two glasses. Alex kept only the finest of the estate's spirits in her rooms and Nicky made drinks for both of them, gesturing for Alex to sit down. She waited until they both had taken a few sips before trying to broach the obvious subject.

"What's going on Alex? I appreciate you buying this woman on the cheap, but that healer costs more than two slaves. And putting her up in your private rooms? There is already talk."

Alex had expected this and knew Nicky deserved an honest answer. They had been best friends for years and Nicky was an excellent production manager, even if she sampled the product off the books from time to time. "I don't know exactly."

Nicky started to say something, but Alex cut her off. "I'm asking you, as a friend, to back me up on this for now. There is something different about this woman Nicky; she isn't just a pleasure slave. In fact, maybe you could make some discrete inquiries; see if you can find out anything about her."

"For you? As a friend? You know I will." Nicky grinned. "I'm sure none of this has to do with her being nice looking."

When Alex scowled Nicky stood up. "Fine. I hear you. Oh, Red is worried that you haven't eaten. Can I have some food sent up since it is obvious you won't be leaving your rooms for a while?"

Alex realized she was hungry. "Yes, thanks, I guess I forgot to eat. Could you ask Red to send up some broth as well? I'm going to try to get Piper to eat."

"Will do boss lady." Nicky smiled and headed for the door. "I'll see what I can find out while you take care of your new girl."

Piper's first thought was how much every part of her hurt. She had a terrible headache and each individual muscle felt cramped and achy. A fire burned in her lower abdomen. It was difficult to open her eyes, but when she did she wondered if she had died. She was in a soft bed in a well-appointed room. The furnishings were stylish but not overly opulent. There was a distinctly feminine flair. It reminded her of a more adult version of her own room at home, but she hadn't been in that room for almost a year and now it was gone.

She decided she must not be dead yet to be in this much pain. Maybe this was another of Larry's cruel games, making her think she was being provided comfort in her misery, only to yank it away. She certainly had no idea how she had gotten here. Thinking back, the last thing she could remember was being taken from Vee's whorehouse of horrors and put in a cage at the slave market. The driver had said she was to be returned to House Bloom and she had told the driver she would rather die.

It appeared she almost had. Pulling back the thin sheet covering her, she grimaced at the dingy undergarments covering her emaciated body. Perhaps she could get out; there was no one in the room at the moment. Piper tried to sit up and move her legs, but she only succeeded in flopping onto her side and making her head and body flair in agony.

"Piper! What are you doing?"

The woman's voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Piper couldn't identify her. Escape was clearly out of the picture for now. "Where am I?" Her voice was weak and the other woman came closer to hear her.

"You are in my room. I am Alex Vause. You are sick and I brought you here to help you."

Piper rolled onto her back in order to get a better look at Alex. She was tall, with a regal air, and undeniably gorgeous. She also seemed sincere in her statements. "Then thank you. How did I get here?"

Alex's reluctance to answer raised Piper's suspicions immediately. She was probably part of some scheme of Larry's. When the response came it was more confirmation that Alex shouldn't be trusted.

"I bought you at the slave market. The trader didn't want to deal with your illness."

Piper could tell there was more to the story. She needed to keep her guard up as much as her muddled brain would allow. She rubbed a hand over her face and down her neck stopping suddenly. "The collar is gone."

She could see the anxiety her comment elicited in Alex. "Yes, I took off the Bloom collar. You have been so sick and were pulling at it, so I didn't put on another one."

Piper lay back suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion. "But you intend to, I am your slave now?" There was no point in disclosing anything to this woman if she was just another master, even a seemingly kind one.

Before Alex could answer a red-haired older woman knocked at the door and entered carrying a tray of food and beverages. After a brief muffled conversation that she couldn't hear and a dirty look from the redhead who walked back out, Alex took the tray and set it at the bedside and then pulled up a chair. She fluffed some pillows and helped Piper sit up then took a bowl from the tray. It was a rich smelling broth and Piper eagerly took several sips as Alex held out the spoon. She knew she shouldn't say or ask anything, but her curiosity was overwhelming. "Why are you helping me?"

Alex didn't answer for several minutes. She just continued to feed her spoonfuls of broth. When the bowl was empty she set it back on the tray. Still looking away from Piper she nearly whispered, "I'm not completely sure. You needed help and well, you seemed special Piper."

The broth was spreading warmth through her body and eating it had worn her out. Still, Piper couldn't stop her smile at Alex's words as she fell asleep.