The After Effects
"How was it?"
"Well Polly, it's finalized. I'm now a single mother with an ex-wife who works for an international drug cartel."
When Piper had told Polly what Alex had really done for a living, it was fifteen minutes before Piper was to walk down the aisle. Polly admitted she already knew from reading one of Alex's text messages over her shoulder several months ago but opted to keep her mouth shut. It was unlike to Polly to keep quiet, especially with this kind of subject. Over the years Alex and Polly had learned to tolerate each other for Piper's sake but Piper knew she wouldn't get anything more from the two even if she tried.
Piper took off her Ray Bans and Polly saw a small tear escape the corner of her best-friends eye. Polly knew the past year had been a lot for Piper to handle but never once did she falter. Walking around the counter she wrapped her arms around Piper's lanky frame and squeezed as hard as she could. The blonde woman laid her forehead on Polly's shoulder and silently cried the tears she had been holding in all morning since she left Popi to go to the courthouse.
"It's gonna be okay. You did what was best for you and Parker." Polly whispered into Piper's ear. "You're such a strong woman and a fantastic mother, Pipes. Don't forget you have an amazing support group behind you."
"We were together for ten years, Pol. Four of those we were married. In the midst of it all we have a son, who is now in the middle of this." Piper sunk down and sat on the floor next to the register with silent tears rolling down her face, not having a care in the world that shoppers could hear the events of her life and the emotional turmoil she was in. Polly nervously looked down at her best friend on the floor and looked to see how many customers were perusing. Looking back down at Piper, the short woman contemplated closing for the day so she could be there for her friend. She noticed that the last shopper had left and she raced to the door to lock it and turn the open sign around to closed.
When Polly arrived back at Piper's side, the blonde haired woman was standing up and going to her office.
"Where are you going?" Polly asked as she followed Piper down the hallway.
"I'm gonna take the rest of the day off, Pol." Piper tried to give the faintest smile but that proved to be too much. "I'm gonna go get Parker and just spend time with him before Alex comes and gets him."
Polly nodded.
"She's taking him for the night?"
"No." Piper shook her head. "She's taking him for the weekend."
"Wow, she's not jetting off to some foreign land?"
"No." Piper whispered. "I'll see you later, Polly. Thanks. For everything."
Piper hugged her best friend before walking to the back exit of the store and getting into her BMW X5, a gift Alex had bought her in an attempt to keep her happy. Piper opened one of the many compartments in search for a tissue to dry the tears on her face but found nothing but a random baby sock and one of Alex's Earth, Wind, and Fire CD's. Shoving the CD back in its compartment, Piper slammed the lid and placed her forehead on the steering wheel. All the while, Polly was looking out the second story window of Popi down at Piper wishing she could do something to ease the pain for her friend.
The cab ride back to her apartment wasn't long but the events of the morning were swimming around her brain and that made the ride seem everlasting. She had just been declared divorced from the one thing that she thought would forever be a constant; Piper. No words could describe how emotionally tormented she had felt the past eight months and it all started when Piper had said the word.
After Piper had stated what she wanted, Alex pleaded and begged Piper the next morning when Piper had finally opened the door to retrieve a crying Parker from his room. The blonde woman simply looked at Alex who had slept on the floor outside of the bedroom door and told her she had one week to find somewhere else to stay and disappeared into Parker's room down the hall. Alex had spent the next night in a hotel room.
It didn't take long for Alex to find an apartment located on the Upper West Side. The apartment had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a balcony that overlooked the city, and a kitchen big enough to play baseball in. Of course one of the bedrooms was Parkers, but she couldn't leave him in his room at night after she put him down and always ended up carrying him to bed with her. She wanted to spend every moment of her time with him because not knowing when she would see him next wreaked havoc on her brain. Missing Parker's arrival into the world had ultimately been the turning point into the tumultuous downfall of hers and Piper's marriage. Nothing ever seemed the same after that no matter how hard Alex tried to apologize and make it up to her. Since Piper couldn't travel with her anymore now that they had a baby, the separation anxiety became almost unbearable. Parker was an easy baby, but being the only parent for weeks at a time took a toll on Piper.
It was two weeks away from Piper's due date and Alex had scheduled to take the next month off as soon as she arrived back in New York to prepare for the arrival of their son but one text message fucked those plans up royally.
Alex paced around the Heathrow airport anxiously as she was waiting to board her plane back to the states. As soon as she got the text message from Polly saying Piper was in labor she ran out of her meeting with Fahri and ran back to her hotel room to retrieve her suitcase.
"There's nothing you can do to prolong his arrival?" Alex asked.
"No, Alex. I'm sorry. He's gonna be here in the next few hours." Polly replied as her patience was at its precipice with Alex and her irresponsibility.
"Fuck! Her due date isn't for another two weeks! Let me talk to Piper!"
Polly complied and tried handing the phone to Piper but Alex could faintly hear her telling Polly that she didn't wish to speak to her before another contraction washed through her body.
"Polly just shove the phone next to her ear!"
"Alex, she doesn't want to talk to you…"
Realizing she was just going to be going in circles with Polly, she let out a sigh and told her to tell Piper she loved her and to text her as soon as Parker was born. She couldn't live with herself knowing that she was missing the birth of her child, but there was nothing else she could do. The plane ride back to New York felt like the longest flight she had ever flown on.
The moment Alex landed at JFK airport, and turned on her phone, there was a picture message from Polly with a picture of a naked Parker laying on the scale waiting for his measurements to be taken with his mouth wide open in a scream.
A stray tear fell trailed down her face as she sat in the back of the cab rubbing the pad of her thumb over the picture.
Alex had been living in her apartment for seven and a half months but she spent the majority of her time traveling. The only times she was really here was when she had those rare few days off but on those days, she had Parker. When Piper filed for divorce, Alex knew she had to be careful with what she said about her lifestyle or she could have very easily ended up in prison. Piper had never once brought up the subject of child support but Alex transferred ten thousand dollars into Piper's bank account every month. It was more of a silent agreement than having to bring it up in court.
Walking into her apartment, Alex saw that it was still in the same state it was when she left that morning. Clothes were strung about the bedroom from when she was trying to find an outfit to wear to the court hearing. Her coffee cup was still sitting in the same place on the dining room table. Parker's toys were scattered about the living room from the last time he was there.
As the raven haired woman stepped through the threshold into her bedroom, her eyes landed on the picture that was framed on the night stand next to her bed. The picture was of her, Parker, and Piper. They had just taken Parker to the beach for the first time when he turned a year old. The couple's smiles were genuine and Parker was grinning with his new teeth. Alex ran a tender hand over the picture, reminiscing on how her heart was filled with love that day and returned back to the kitchen to get the house prepared for Parker's visit.
"Hello, Mrs. Vause! Picking up Parker early today?"
Piper felt like she shrunk to the size of an ant at the use of what should be her former last name. She didn't even feel right using it now that she was divorced but when the judge had asked her if she wanted to go back to her maiden name, Piper refused. This caught Alex off guard.
"Hi, Tina. Yeah, I took the rest of the day off!" Piper tried hard to fake happiness but she was sure Tina could see right through her.
"Okay just do the usual sign out and I'll go get him."
"Thank You!" Piper murmured while looking at her name 'Piper Vause' that she had just signed.
When Tina came back Parker was intently searching around for his mother and once he laid eyes on her, he squirmed around and reached until Piper grabbed him.
"Hi Buddy!" Piper kissed the small boy's temple and squeezed him in a hug.
"He's been kind of fussy today. He may just be tired, but I just wanted to give you a heads up."
Piper nodded and automatically felt guilty as she brushed his blonde hair away to look at his blue eyes. Parker had just turned two years old, but Piper felt that he sensed something was going on between his parents. There was no need in trying to explain to him what was going on because she knew he wouldn't understand but she still felt like she was to blame.
After arriving home from the daycare center, Piper retrieved a now sleeping Parker form his car seat and walked inside their home. Walking up the stairs and into the master bedroom, Piper laid Parker down on her bed, making sure pillows were surrounding him in case he rolled, and walked into the closet to change and double check that she packed all of Alex's things. Stepping up onto the step stool to look at the top shelf of the closet, Piper found a stray picture that had slipped from the photo album next to it. The photo album was labeled "Our Wedding."
Piper picked up the photo and felt her heart break into a million more pieces. In the photo, Alex and Piper had just said "I do" and were walking down the aisle. Both women had wide grins plastered on their face as they walked hand in hand. Piper shoved the photo back into the photo album and pushed it back as far as it could go to keep it out of her sight. There was no use in getting rid of all of their pictures, plus Piper couldn't bring herself to throw away ten years of memories. Parker was obsessed with looking at pictures of his parents and maybe one day when he understood what was going on, Piper would pull down that album, but her heart was too fragile and broken to look at it now.
Before Piper knew it, she heard the front door open and shut quietly. Alex's voice echoed up to the second floor. Piper wasn't about to ask Alex for her key to the house, it was in her name after all but Alex left everything to Piper so she could keep Parker in the same routine.
"Piper?" Alex called out looking into the kitchen and living room.
Walking into the house was like a foreign land now to Alex. It didn't feel like a home anymore. Her home anyways. Alex was particularly happy that she and Piper didn't endure a "Nasty Divorce", but the long discussions and paperwork that they sat at the dining room table sorting out was stressful enough. With Alex's line of work she missed multiple hearings and meetings with the judge, but Alex was secretly happy about this because she just wasn't ready to be divorced. The divorce should have been finalized two months ago but was finally pronounced final in mid-June.
Piper walked out of the bedroom but not before glancing at a still sleeping Parker. Placing her hands on the balcony, Piper peered down at Alex.
"Where is he?" Alex asked.
"He's sleeping in here." Piper motioned to the bedroom door. "If you want to come get him, I'll go get his bag."
"Okay."
Once Piper pushed off the balcony and walked down the hall to Parker's room, Alex began her descent upstairs towards her son. Alex wanted to avoid an argument or even a small disagreement at all costs, especially in front of their child. That was one thing they had easily agreed on, they would keep it professional in front of their child.
Alex pushed open the door and her eyes automatically fell onto her sleeping son. He was sprawled out on what used to be Alex's side of the bed with his head turned to the side. Not wanting to wake him, Alex walked into the closet where they kept extra throw blankets and grabbed one. Walking into the closet was like a slap in the face. Where her clothes and shoes used to be was blank and desolate. It made the closet look so much bigger than it actually was.
As she walked out of the closet, she bumped right into Piper.
"Shit. Sorry." Alex mumbled.
"What are you doing in there?"
"I don't want to wake him so I grabbed a blanket to cover him with when I pick him up. You don't mind me taking this one do you?"
Alex lifted the blanket in her hand.
"Oh, no. Go ahead. I'm gonna go put his bag next to the door." Piper briefly made eye contact with Alex and quickly looked away.
After Alex successfully picked her son up without waking him and placed his head on her shoulder, she made her way downstairs where she found Piper waiting by the door.
"I'll bring him back Sunday on my way to the airport. I have a flight at noon."
Piper rolled her eyes, which didn't go unnoticed by the other woman in the room.
"You told me this morning that you took the week off."
"Don't be like this in front of him." Alex shook her head. The look on Alex's face was one of pure hurt and heartbreak, the same it had been for the past eight months.
Ignoring the comment, Piper explained that everything he needed was in his backpack.
"I got it under control. I've done this before."
Not wanting to face Alex and her sarcasm any longer, Piper stepped forward to place a kiss on top of Parker's head and gently rubbed his back.
"Love you buddy."
The tension was thick in the room after the event that had happened a mere five hours ago. Neither woman knew how to bid farewell as they stood awkwardly staring at each other. It used to be a simple kiss but now it was just a memory.
"Bye." Alex murmured as she reached for the door knob, breaking her gaze from Piper's.
"Bye."
Later that night…
Parker searched Alex's apartment high and low for Piper. Alex followed him fascinated at how much he seemed to grow every time she saw him. She made it a point to see him as much as she could when she was in town but since she and Piper had separated, it was like she was missing every milestone the boy had and deep down it tore her apart.
"Mommy?" Parker asked looking under the kitchen table.
"Mommy's at your house, bud."
It even hurt Alex to look at Parker. He was a spitting image of Piper. The blonde hair and the blue eyes. Even some of his mannerisms. Alex had been so excited to find out Piper was pregnant after they had tried invitro four times before it stuck. The idea of a child had seemed so perfect when Piper was traveling the world with Alex but as soon as he arrived, all of that went down the drain. Taking a child on a drug run was the last thing Alex wanted to do so that left no choice but to leave her then wife and child at home.
Alex's phone vibrated in her back pocket and saw she had a message from Nicky.
From Nicky: Has the little monster gone to bed? I was gonna come by with a six pack.
As if on cue, Parker bumped his head underneath the kitchen table and began to wail.
Alex quickly replied.
To Nicky: He's about to. Give me 20 min.
Shoving her phone into her back pocket she pulled him out from underneath the kitchen table and clutched him close to her chest while running a soothing hand over his head. The small boy rubbed his face into Alex's shoulder and whimpered.
"It's okay bud."
It took ten minutes for Parker to fall asleep. Alex figured it must have been a long day for him also. Quietly shutting the book she was reading to him, she cradled him in her arms and stared at his angelic face. A knock at the door broke her from her trance. Carefully placing Parker in his crib, she gently closed the door and walked down the hallway.
"It's about time you open the door!"
"Shut up, Nicky."
Alex was in no mood for banter.
Quickly taking note that her best friend was in no mood to kid around, Nicky walked past Alex and sat the six pack of beer on the coffee table in the living room.
Alex noisily sat down on the couch next to the wild haired woman and cracked open a can of beer
"Well, are you gonna ask me how my day went?" Alex asked sarcastically while laying her glasses on the coffee table.
Nicky hesitantly looked over at Alex with a knowing look. She didn't need an explanation of Alex's day to know how it went. It had been that way since they were kids.
"I'm fucking divorced." Alex let out a nervous chuckle before setting down the beer and burying her face in the palms of her hands.
"Let it all out sister." Nicky scooted over to rub her hand over across Alex's back. "It's all gonna work out."
"She was my wife." Alex quietly sobbed. "I loved her, I still do. This has been one of the worst fucking things I've had to do in my life."
Nicky didn't pull any punches or sugar coat anything she said.
"Well, Alex, you have to prioritize. What's more important? Your job or your family?"
Taking a swig of her beer, Alex leaned back into the couch.
"If this is how I'm gonna feel every day for the rest of my life, I don't know how I'm gonna survive."
"Don't say that shit, Vause. You have a perfect little boy in there that completely adores you," Nicky pointed down the hall. "You need to stay strong for him. If he sees his mother moping around, fucking depressed, how do you think that's gonna make him feel? He may only be two years old but he can sense things."
"I brought this onto myself and I doubt I can fix it." Alex whispered while staring blankly at the coffee table.
Surprised at Alex's admission, Nicky shrugged her shoulders and shook her head when Alex turned her towards her.
"Find a way, Vause."
A/N: I can't thank you guys enough for the response and feedback I've gotten from this. I feel this chapter is nothing but a filler but I have to lay down the pathway accordingly before I can rebuild the Vauseman relationship.