A/N: Many thanks for the lovely reviews. They give me confidence to continue. This chapter is twice as long as the first, I hope you enjoy it.
Piper arrived home from work a little after five o'clock. She kicked off her shoes, dumped her satchel on the chair, hung her coat and flopped onto the couch. She rested her head back and let out a long, slow breath.
She was working as a substitute teacher at an elementary school that was only half an hour away from her apartment. When she'd been given the gig, she'd been thrilled. Now, just two weeks later, she was beginning to realise just what it was that had forced Mrs Fischer, the regular teacher, into some extended sick leave. The woman had clearly earned that down time if she'd spent the last six months trying to control that bunch of prepubescent demons. Twenty kids, not a one of them over the age of nine, were slowly sapping her of her will to live.
Piper was seriously considering making contact with the agency who had placed her in the school and telling them this was going to be her last week. She didn't think she could face much more. Working as a regular teacher gave her the opportunity to learn the kids in her class, to discover how they worked best, which teaching style they responded to and how they interacted. It was a tough ask to walk into an already established group of unknown children and be expected to get the best out of them in such a short period of time. The effort was taking its toll on her.
She was jolted from her thoughts a moment later by the vibration of her phone in her hip pocket. She pulled it out and glanced at the screen and found her lips curving into a smile at the sight of Alex's name at the top of the message.
Hey Lightweight. Mexican,
Italian or Vietnamese?
Dinner. She glanced at her watch and realised she should probably make a move. She still had time for a run before she needed to get ready to meet Alex at Suave and knew that running would help her to clear her mind so she didn't turn up for her date preoccupied and stressed. She headed into the bedroom, changed into her shorts and vest then moved back to the couch to put on her running shoes.
It was only as she was tying them that the thought occurred to her.
Date?
Alex stood in front of the mirror in her bathroom, carefully applying her make-up. Her hair was tied up in a loose ponytail and she hummed quietly to herself as she continued to get ready. When she moved back into her bedroom she checked her phone to see if Piper had replied to her text asking where she preferred to go for dinner.
A message waited on the screen. Two words: Surprise me.
Alex's lips twitched into the start of a smile, she thought for a moment then murmured "You got it, kid" before crossing to the wardrobe and picking out something to wear. She decided on a pair of black tight fitting jeans that hugged in all the right places and a plain black cotton shirt. She sat on the edge of the bed as she carefully rolled the sleeves of the shirt to just below the elbow, then put on her watch. She touched a dab of Christian Dior behind each ear, then let her hair down from the messy ponytail. She spent a few minutes styling her hair; there was a definite skill in styling hair to make it look unstyled and Alex wasn't quite sure when she'd fallen into the trap of giving a shit about this stuff. She slipped her glasses on, checked her appearance in the full length mirror then grabbed her dark grey woollen pea coat and headed for the bar.
She arrived after a brisk ten minute walk, pushing through the heavy doors of Suave at 7:25pm. She cast an eye around the place, pleased to see that the bar was already busy as the early evening, post-work crowd lingered. She moved towards the counter, nodding a hello to a couple of waitresses as she passed. Nicky was in charge tonight and the wild-haired woman paused in the middle of mixing a cocktail as she watched her boss approach.
Alex lifted her chin in greeting. Nicky watched her curiously.
"Well well well," was all Nicky said, as Alex reached her.
"What?"
"Who's the lucky lady?"
Alex was a little taken aback, but covered it well, displaying confusion instead. "Huh?"
"Don't give me that, Vause. I know you, remember."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex replied, moving to pass behind Nicky and head to her office.
Nicky reached out and grabbed the arm of Alex's coat, stopping her. Maintaining her grip on her arm, she leaned in as if to speak quietly in Alex's ear. Instead, she inhaled deeply.
Grinning, she released Alex's arm and stepped away. "Dior. Not your usual Calvin Klein. Also, you have something weird going on with your hair. And the good coat, instead of the leather jacket. You have so many tells, Vause. Don't take up poker, yeah?"
Alex pulled her arm away, muttering "Fuck you, Nichols" and continued into her office, the sound of Nicky's laughter trailing in her wake.
Piper entered Suave at five minutes to eight. She looked around the bar quickly, before moving towards the counter and taking a seat on one of the tall stools there. She wore a simple, deep blue halter neck dress that fell to her knee, a heavy black double breasted trench coat hanging open over it. Her blonde hair hung in soft curls and her makeup was subtle.
Nicky saw her the moment she entered the bar and watched her as she approached the counter, noting the nervous glances as she made her way to the counter. She continued completing the order for one of the waitresses, then moved to the end of the bar to serve Piper.
She rested against the countertop, both palms planted on the smooth granite surface, leaning towards Piper slightly.
"What can I get you, beautiful?" she asked, flirting unashamedly.
Before Piper could reply, a bottle of Jose Cuervo 250 Aniversario tequila was slid across the countertop and two shot glasses were placed beside it.
"I got this, Nichols." Alex's voice was low as she appeared beside her.
Nicky let her head drop low between her shoulders and laughed quietly, shaking her head.
"Of course you do, Vause. Of fucking course."
She lifted her head and grinned at her boss, then pushed herself off the bar and backed away, giving Piper a not-so-subtle wink as she did.
Alex watched Piper watching Nicky throughout this brief exchange, then moved around the bar and slid onto the stool beside her.
"So," she started. "Piper, hi."
They way she said her name made Piper look at her. It was if she were tasting the syllables, trying them out for the first time. She turned a little in her seat and offered Alex a small smile. "Hi."
Alex reached for the bottle of tequila and carefully poured a shot into each of the glasses. "Don't mind Nicky," she said as she poured. "We go way back and she's always been a sucker for a pretty face."
Piper felt colour rise to her cheeks at the compliment but said nothing, instead looking at the small glass of amber liquid that Alex slid in front of her.
"Is that…?" her voice trailed off.
"Your chance to redeem yourself, yes." Alex smiled.
Piper laughed softly.
"Do I get salt and lime this time?"
"The lime is to cut the liquor. This is the kind of liquor that doesn't need cutting. That would be bordering on sacrilegious."
Piper wasn't sure if Alex was serious or not, but she didn't produce any lime.
"And if I choke?"
"You won't."
"I won't?"
Alex shook her head. "I have confidence in you, kid. You won't let me down."
Piper looked back at the small glass on the bar in front of her. She had absolutely no idea why it suddenly felt incredibly important not to let Alex down, but she was determined she wouldn't.
She picked up the glass, holding it between her thumb and two fingers. She looked at Alex. "On three?"
Alex smiled and picked up her glass. She started to slowly count to three.
When she got to two, Piper moved the glass to her lips, threw her head back and swallowed the fiery liquid. She pressed her lips together, squeezed her eyes closed, grimaced, then let her head drop forward as she slammed the shot glass back onto the bar. She opened her mouth and a quiet gasp escaped, but only a gasp. No coughing. Just a gasp.
Alex smiled broadly, then drank her own shot. Placing her glass back beside Piper's on the bar.
"You're a cheat," she grinned, referencing Piper going on two, not three. "But you're not a lightweight any more."
"I don't think I can breathe," Piper rasped, bent over the bar. "I think you just killed my throat."
Alex laughed and raised the bottle of tequila. "Another?"
"No!" Piper replied immediately, pushing the shot glasses away. "Please God, no. How strong is that stuff, anyway?"
"Hmm," Alex pondered this, looking at the bottle as she placed it back on the bar. "About eighty per cent, I think."
"Eighty?"
"Yeah, thereabouts."
"Holy crap! Are you trying to get me drunk?"
"Do I need to?" Alex replied with a smile and a comical wiggle of her eyebrows.
Piper laughed and Alex grinned at the sound.
"C'mon," she said a moment later, easing off the bar stool "let's get out of here."
She gestured to Nicky and held up the bottle of tequila. "My office," she instructed and Nicky nodded her understanding as she made her way over to collect the bottle.
"You kids be good," Nicky said, as Alex shrugged into her coat and stepped aside to allow Piper to lead the way.
Alex threw Nicky the middle finger with her left hand, as she placed her right in the small of Piper's back and guided her to the door.
Nicky watched them go, grinning, then carefully placed the ridiculously expensive tequila back in Alex's office.
As they stepped out onto the street, the noise of the bar fading behind them, Piper looked around at Alex.
"So, I'm guessing Mexican then, given the tequila entree."
Alex shook her head. "Nope, that was just to warm you up. How hungry are you?"
"I haven't eaten anything other than an apple since breakfast at 7am. So, yeah. Pretty hungry."
Alex started walking down the street, tilting her head to the side, gesturing for Piper to follow. Piper fell into step beside her and Alex chastised her. "That isn't good. You didn't have lunch?"
"Not today. I was going to, but one of the kids had a fall and I spent most of lunch trying to calm him down and reassure him that his leg wasn't actually broken."
Alex's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she looked at Piper. "You have kids?"
Piper laughed quietly at the tone of Alex's voice and smiled across at her. "Yeah. I have twenty of 'em. I'm a teacher."
"Wow," Alex said, looking genuinely surprised. "A teacher. I'd never have guessed that about you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. No. I mean…" Alex's voiced trailed off as her mind tried to organise itself.
"You don't think I look like a teacher?"
Alex looked directly at Piper as they walked, then shook her head. "Trust me, Piper. If my teachers had looked anything like you, I'd have spent far more time in class and far less smoking behind the bleachers."
Piper ducked her head, smiling shyly at the compliment. That was two so far and she'd only been in Alex's company for fifteen minutes.
She pushed her hands into the pockets of her coat and walked beside Alex. "I'm a substitute teacher, really. The real teacher is sick, so I'm covering."
"What age are the kids?"
"Third grade."
"Tough gig."
"Tell me about it."
They walked half a block in silence, until Piper spoke again. "Are you going to tell me where we're going yet?"
"Not far."
"That isn't telling me very much," Piper smiled.
"That's the whole point of a surprise, Pipes."
Piper grinned at the casual and familiar way Alex had shortened her name, then instantly wondered why she wasn't offended by this. She often corrected people when they did this, irritated by the over-familiarity of acquaintances who thought it was okay to use a shortened version.
But it was okay when Alex did it. Apparently.
"Penny for them." Alex's voice was soft, quiet beside her.
Piper startled a little, then quickly apologised. "Sorry. I was just thinking about that kid from school today," she lied. "The one with the broken leg."
"That wasn't broken."
"More's the pity."
Alex grinned. "Nice, Teach. Showing your compassionate side there."
Piper shrugged. "You can't like all of 'em. This one's the class bully, so I had to dig pretty deep to find some compassion today."
"Ugh. Bullies. You shoulda broken it for him." Alex's voice was quiet again, with a hint of something else lacing her words.
"They kinda frown upon that. The school board, I mean."
Alex smiled a small smile, then turned up the collar of her coat against the sudden chill and pushed her hands into her coat pockets.
"Almost there," she said, casting a sideways glance at Piper, who walked beside her, eyes wide as she took in her surroundings.
"Almost where?" Piper tried, hopefully.
Alex just smiled at her.
A few minutes later they turned a corner and entered what appeared to Piper to be a communal garden. It was surrounded on three sides by large industrial looking buildings, the fourth side opening onto the road. The square in the centre was large, mainly grass covered and dotted with trees, but with paved walkways lined with street-lamps and benches criss-crossing the area. Piper could hear music playing but couldn't quite work out from where and her steps slowed as she tried to take in her surroundings. There were strings of coloured flags draped along the railings separating the garden from the road and groups of people everywhere. There was a buzz emanating from the garden as people chatted and laughed together.
Alex slowed to match Piper's pace and half-turned towards her. A huge cheer rang out ahead of them and off to the right, then raucous laughter. Both Piper and Alex turned to the sound and saw a Chinese lantern drifting lazily up into the air, cheered on by a group of a dozen or so people, as it rose past the height of the adjacent building, then was caught by the breeze and disappeared from sight behind the structure.
Alex moved to stand beside Piper as they watched the lantern's slow ascent, placing her hand in the small of the other woman's back. When the lantern disappeared from view, she applied gentle pressure, steering her further into the garden.
"Hungry?" she murmured.
Piper nodded, looking around.
With one hand firmly planted at the bottom of Piper's back, Alex used the other to point out various spots within the garden.
"That's Mr Nguyen and his wife, just there, they make an incredible nom hua chuoi, but I think they're just doing banh xeo tonight. It's basically an enormous pancake filled with shrimp and pork and egg and bean sprouts, then they fry it and wrap it in rice paper with a load of green leafy stuff in an attempt to distract you from the whole frying thing and fool you into thinking it's healthy."
Piper laughed at the description, looking over towards the Vietnamese couple who were busy wrapping pancakes. Alex lowered her voice and leaned a little closer. "It comes served with a sauce that you dunk it in. A spicy sauce. Probably too spicy for your delicate throat, Lightweight."
"Heyyy!" Piper protested. "I didn't choke! You're not allowed to call me that."
Alex grinned and pointed out another table, a little further along the path. "That's the Mendoza family. I'm not sure what they've cooked tonight, but I absolutely guarantee you that whatever it is, if you choose them, it'll be the best Mexican food you have ever, ever tasted. Ever."
"Ever?" Piper asked, with a smile.
"Ever," Alex grinned.
They continued to make their way through the garden, following the paths, passing more families manning more tables with tantalising smells emanating from each. Alex smiled and waved hello to several groups who greeted her as they slowly meandered through the garden.
"How do you know all these people?" Piper asked, amazed at the number of people who knew Alex by name.
Alex shrugged. "They're my neighbours," she said simply. "I live here."
Piper seemed surprised. "Where? You live where?"
Alex looked at Piper curiously, then moved six feet to the right, bent her knees slightly and pointed through a gap in the trees to the building at the back of the garden. "Just there. Top floor, in the corner."
Piper peered through the gap in the trees, then stood and turned full circle, surveying her surroundings.
"I thought they were industrial buildings. Warehouses. I didn't realise..."
"You're kind of right," Alex began, starting to walk again. "They were all warehouses, up until the early eighties when the lumber mill closed and everything went to shit. Then about ten years ago, urban regeneration finally hit. Not a moment too soon. They demolished the mill, turned the footprint into this garden, and refurbished the warehouses, turning them into apartments. I've lived here since they first opened, most of the other families arrived not long after."
"So you've built your own little community."
"I guess so. This cookout happens a couple of times a year, it's a good chance for any new families to get to know everyone else and a good opportunity for slate wiping, if there's been any discord. Everybody contributes in some way, it's kinda nice."
"So what's your contribution?"
Alex smirked. "Funny you should ask..."
They stopped in front of a couple of stocky looking guys with short dark hair standing beside two empty tables draped in large, white tablecloths.
"Max. Vasily." Alex nodded at both men. "Everything okay?"
"Everything's cool, yeah." Vasily replied. "Yuri's just gone with ma to bring a little more stock out. Everything is good."
"Get you something, Alex?" Maxsim asked from behind one of the tables.
She glanced at Piper and smiled slightly, then held up two fingers. Max picked up the edge of a tablecloth, bent under the table and emerged holding two ice cold bottles of Corona. He flipped the lids off, ducked under the tablecloth again, and to Piper's amazement emerged with two slices of lime, which he pushed into the necks of the bottles before passing them both to Alex.
She thanked Max, handed a bottle to Piper and started to move away again. "Later, guys."
Piper followed quickly, but couldn't help casting glances back to the two tables with the mysterious tablecloths hiding goodness knows what underneath. Alex grinned, watching Piper, then gestured to an empty bench a little way ahead. They both sat, then Alex clinked her bottle against Piper's before taking a swig.
"I own a bar," she shrugged. "My contribution is pretty standard every year."
Piper took a sip of beer, looking back towards the tables. She watched as two boys, no more than ten years old approached Maxsim and Vasily. This time it was Vasily who disappeared beneath the tablecloth, emerging with two cans of soda. As he cracked them open, Max stuffed a straw into the top of each and the kids wandered off again, slurping their sodas, happy.
Alex watched Piper, watching the kids. She turned sideways on the bench, her arm draped along the back. "There are bins under the tables, filled with ice. Four bins. Two hold beer, one holds wine, the other soda. The guys run the bar," she made speechmarks in the air as she said this, "supervised by their mother, Galina. Or Red, as everyone calls her, on account of her hair apparently, although I think it's more likely to be her fiery temper." She swallowed another mouthful of beer then continued. "Red keeps the stock in her apartment, because it's easier. She's on the ground floor, I'm on the top. When the bins start running low, she tops them up again."
"It must cost you a fortune," Piper mused.
"It's worth every penny. Look around you, Pipes. Look how relaxed everyone is. Everyone getting along."
Alex looked around as she said this, then suddenly sat up as something caught her eye. She thrust her beer at Piper then stood. "Wait right here, 'kay? I'll be back in two minutes."
Before Piper had time to argue, Alex hurried away. Piper watched as she made her way to another table a little further around the path. The woman running this one was young, petite and obviously delighted to see Alex, greeting her with a squeal and a big hug. Piper smiled watching the interaction, sipping her beer. She watched Alex's shoulders make a quarter turn and saw her gesture vaguely in Piper's direction, talking animatedly, then a minute later she made her way back to the bench, carrying two paper bowls in her hands.
She grinned at Piper as she sat beside her and passed her a bowl. Piper glanced at it, finding a pile of steaming spaghetti with a plastic fork sticking out of the top.
"Spaghetti?" Piper asked, vaguely.
"Not just any spaghetti, kid. This is Morello's spaghetti. It's the best damn spaghetti outside of Rome, I shit you not."
Piper took a sip of beer, then placed the bottle on the floor with Alex's.
"I offered you a choice of Mexican, Vietnamese or Italian, right? We also have Hungarian, Latvian, Greek, Korean and Portuguese I think, but once you've had Morello's spaghetti sauce, you'll be ruined for any other, ever."
Piper laughed softly at Alex's enthusiasm, then extracted her fork from the bowl.
"It's maybe the worst possible choice of food for a first date, I'll admit that. It's messy and it's difficult to eat, but trust me, it's worth it."
Alex managed to twirl a sizeable amount of spaghetti around her fork and manoeuvred it to her mouth without spilling any, Piper watching her. As soon as Alex pulled the empty fork away, Piper asked her question.
"First date, huh? Is that what this is?"
Alex chewed her food slowly and swallowed, eyes fixed on Piper. "Isn't it?"
"It's rude to answer a question with a question."
"I'm just curious as to what you think we're doing, if we're not on a date."
"Enjoying each other's company?"
"Is that a question or a statement?"
Piper smiled. "Maybe you're just taking pity on a stranger who you feel sorry for, because you think she was stood up last night."
"I'm not the pitying type, kid." Alex chuckled.
"I wasn't stood up, anyway," Piper started. "Or at least, not in the way you think."
"How do you know what I think?"
"It's one of my many talents. Mind reading." Piper smiled, joking.
Alex raised an eyebrow and looked sideways at Piper. "For real?"
Piper giggled, shaking her head.
"Go on then. Tell me what I'm thinking, right now."
Piper smiled wider and looked at Alex, pretending to concentrate, staring into her eyes. Alex leaned back slightly on the bench and tilted her head to the side, watching Piper carefully. As they looked at each other, Alex pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, holding it for a couple of seconds.
Piper, ducked her head and turned away a few seconds later, a flush creeping up her neck and leaking into her cheeks. She wasn't entirely sure just how Alex was able to induce this kind of reaction in her from something so simple as biting her lip, but there was no mistaking the heat that pooled in the bottom of her belly as she watched the gesture and there was no escaping the blush that threatened to give her away.
Alex leaned a little closer. "Are you blushing?"
Piper quickly denied this. "Of course not!"
She was. She clearly was. Fortunately Alex didn't push it.
"Phew," she said quietly. "For a minute there I thought you really could read my mind."
She turned her attention back to her food and pretended to ignore the fact that Piper had just almost choked on a mouthful of spaghetti.
Alex grinned. Piper blushed even redder.
"You were right," Piper said a few minutes later as she finished her spaghetti and placed the bowl on the bench beside her. "I don't think I've ever had spaghetti that good before. Even in Rome!"
"You've been to Rome?"
"Mmm. The Eternal City. You know, even the ancient Romans called it that, because they thought that no matter what happened to the world, no matter how many empires would rise and fall, Rome would go on forever. Even Ovid referred to the city as eternal and he was around about fifty years BC. He was right, too. For over two millennia, Rome has an almost uninterrupted history as an important centre of power. "
Alex smiled a little, listening to Piper. "You'd think in all that time, they'd have nailed spaghetti sauce making, huh? They've had two thousand years to do it, Morello here's had about twenty-eight and she wins hands down."
Piper grinned, reaching for her beer again. She raised her bottle slightly in a toast, waiting for Alex to follow suit. "To Morello and her eternal spaghetti sauce."
Alex smiled and tapped her bottle against Piper's, then took a swig before leaning back against the bench again.
The two women sat in silence for a few seconds, watching the people moving around the garden, everyone appearing relaxed. Piper looked around, trying to ascertain where the music she could hear was coming from, but couldn't quite pin it down. She was about to ask Alex about it, when the dark haired woman spoke.
"I've been to Rome too," she said. "About four years ago. I did a bit of a flying tour of Europe, five countries in two weeks. London, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Bratislava."
"Bratislava? Why on earth did you choose Bratislava? I mean, I get the others, but Bratislava?"
Alex smiled and took another mouthful of beer before replying. "I didn't exactly choose it. I was meant to be going to Prague from Rome, but there was a technical problem with the aircraft and we ended up being diverted for an emergency landing in Bratislava. Once we were there, I thought I might as well stay. Turns out Slovakia is really beautiful. Who knew?"
Piper laughed quietly. "I kinda like that. The deciding to stay, thing. I'd have probably been panic stricken and desperate to leave again so it didn't disrupt my itinerary. I quite like the spontaneity of you choosing to make the most of the unexpected and just staying."
Alex shrugged and sipped her beer again before speaking slowly, thoughtfully. "Sometimes, I think, life just presents you with opportunities, often when you least expect it and when you're not particularly looking for them. Beautiful opportunities."
She paused, looking at Piper, before she continued. "Bratislava was beautiful. Sometimes beauty just lands in front of you and it's important to embrace it and not let it pass you by."
Her eyes held Piper's as she said this and they continued looking at each other for a few seconds after she'd finished. It was Piper who lowered her eyes and looked away first, but Alex didn't miss her small smile and knew Piper had realised she was the beautiful opportunity Alex was now referring to.
"Tell me about Paris," Piper said, breaking the silence a few moments later. "I've never been."
So she did. They spent the next hour on the bench, surrounded by groups of people all of whom were talking and laughing and enjoying each other's company. Alex spoke at length about the cities she'd visited on her whirlwind European holiday, sharing tales of good restaurants and rough bars, tourist hotspots and backstreet secrets. Vasily walked past them a couple of times and delivered two new bottles of beer each time. Occasionally people would stop and exchange pleasantries with Alex and she had a kind word for everyone she met. The music continued to drift across to them, carried on the breeze from somewhere nearby. It was a good place to be.
The sun had set a couple of hours previously and the temperature was dropping noticeably as they sat talking on the bench. Piper pulled her coat closed around her and moved a little closer to Alex for warmth. Eventually the hubbub in the garden began to subside as families put their younger children to bed and the numbers began to dwindle. Alex drained her bottle of beer and looked across at Piper.
"We good to go, Pipes?"
Piper nodded, finishing her own drink. The alcohol was giving her a gentle buzz, helping to stave off the cold of the night, but only just.
Alex stood and offered her hand to the other woman, to pull her up. Piper took it, but didn't let go once she was standing. Alex glanced sideways at her and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, but she didn't let go either.
They began a slow walk back in the direction of Suave, talking quietly. Piper lived a fifteen minute walk away from the bar, but it took them three times as long this evening, neither of them hurrying, both enjoying each other's company and the ease with which the conversation between them flowed. Eventually they arrived outside Piper's apartment building.
"This is me," Piper said, looking up at the building.
Alex squeezed her hand gently. "I think I'm ready to answer your question now," she said softly.
"What question?"
"The one about what we're doing tonight." She paused, wet her lips, then spoke again, keeping her voice soft. "I'm not going to make you uncomfortable or put you on the spot here, but I'm pretty sure we both know what tonight was."
A slow smile began on Piper's lips. "Ah," she said, understanding. "Ah yes."
"But calling it a first date, suggests there might be a second."
"Mmm. There's that."
"You have my number, Pipes. You know how to use it if that's something you'd want."
Piper opened her mouth to reply, but Alex continued, cutting her off. "For now I'm just going to thank you for tonight. I'm very happy I didn't let this particular beautiful opportunity pass me by."
Alex took a step closer, closing the gap between them. Holding Piper's gaze she lifted their joined hands and softly kissed the blonde woman's knuckles, pressing her lips against the skin and lingering for just a moment before releasing her hand and stepping away.
She smiled slightly before murmuring "G'night, Piper."
Then she turned and walked away.
