It was just one of those cool winter afternoons and Alex found herself sitting in her basement going through a few boxes that her aunt had packed of stuff that once belonged to her mother. Normally she's not the type to linger onto things and let pain eat her alive but this time was different.

She knew she wasn't always perfect in her transition into adulthood but if there's one thing she was always grateful for, it was the bond and relationship she had with her mother. She never had a father so therefore, not having her mother anymore is more than she could bargain for and her loss hit her harder when she was going through those boxes more than it had when she was at the cemetery.

Everything from her baby pictures down to the first book she ever read of Julius Caesar was in that box. Her mother wasn't always around twenty four seven but she was there when she needed the most.

It was just hard to sit there and pretend like it was easy to let go. Nothing… nobody that mattered is ever easy to let go and that was the cold truth.

"Trip down memory lane?" Piper quietly asked as she marched down the stairs of the basement towards Alex.

"Yeah."

She took a sit on the floor next to her maybe-ex-girlfriend-but-still-girlfriend and ran her hand up and down Alex's back.

"Everything's gonna be okay." She sympathized. "Just breathe."

Alex chuckled when she came across a picture of the two of them from a couple years ago and the vivid, happy memories that it brought made it feel as though someone reached deep into her soul and just shattered her world all over again.

"Do you remember this?" She asked.

Piper mastered a small chuckle with a nod. "Of course I remember." She grabbed the picture from Alex's hand and smiled. "Your mother was a rock star."

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Flashback

Things had been going great between them for a year now and though they were still on the honeymoon phase and getting to know each other, things were getting serious between the two of them. Serious enough that Alex Vause was sure Piper was the one and worthy enough of meeting her family.

After a four hour drive from a business trip in Texas, the two finally were in Louisiana and Alex couldn't be any more excited as she pulled her 1987 convertible in the suburban home driveway.

"Here we are."

She honked her car and working in her garden was a woman wearing a long summer dress. She was in her early fifties, long natural red hair, sea-grey-ish eyes that were so ridiculously beautiful and she was blowing cigarette smoke out of her round shaped pink lips into the summer's day.

"Hey Mama!"

"Welcome home, darling!" The southern woman smiled.

It'd been far too long since her little girl had been home for a visit.

"I brought someone."

…

Piper remembers being so petrified, she had to go to the bathroom a countless amount of time as Alex's mother prepared lunch for them.

From what she's heard, southern parents are usually very overprotective and she wasn't sure whether or not Alex's mother knew they were in a relationship. She knew that they were very close and talked about everything but she's not sure if she's ever been brought up in their many conversations so she was very afraid of saying the wrong things and acting the wrong way.

She didn't know how to be the college girl her girlfriend brought home to meet her mother. Heck, she couldn't grow a pair of muscles yet to do the same.

"Are you always so tense, darling?" Diane asked her at some point after lunch.

Piper didn't know what to say and Alex apparently found it extremely cute and entertaining. Just watching her squirm and stuttering trying to form the correct words to please the southern woman… ooh, joy!

"Cat got your tongue?"

Alex chuckled. "I'm gonna go grab some more wine."

And when she left, Piper started to turn red, didn't know what to do and started freaking out.

"Can you dance?"

Piper nodded. "A little. Yeah."

"Okay." Diane flashed her a smile as she got up from the table. "Come with me, kitten."

"Kitten?" Piper mumbled to herself as she followed the southern woman around the house.

…

Alex had been caught up in her mother's fascinating wine collection. Supposedly being the daughter of a rock star, Alex forgot that her mother's wine combination was the absolute best. Diane doesn't do drugs, but she loves wine.

And by the time Alex brought herself to stop touching everything she saw, she had lost track of time.

What brought her back was the music blasting through the stereo in her mother's home. She grabbed three glasses of wine and a fine bottle of red Tuscany and headed back.

"Pipes?"

Alex's face stretched into a smile when she walked in the living room to find her mother and her girlfriend jumping around like juveniles and dancing to Rock N' Roll music on an air bed.

And they were actually enjoying it with echoes of uncontrollable laughter.

"What just happen?"

Her mother and girlfriend getting along… She supposed that was a good thing but they were dancing together and singing and Alex was jealous because she couldn't count the many times Piper had made fun of her music choice.

So instead of interrupting, she poured herself a glass of wine and watched them sweat, come short of breath, laugh and have a good time. At that moment, she couldn't be any happier. Her two favorite girls in the entire world were getting along and that's more than she could ever ask for. She felt blessed.

She finally decided to stop the music and interrupt when she thought they were exhausted enough seeing as though the sun had set and it was starting to get dark.

She let Piper finish the rest of her wine as they changed the record player to something more relaxing as all three of them collapsed on the deflated air bed.

"Al, honey, can you go grab the camera down in the closet for me?" Diane asked politely.

She needed a minute with Piper alone for some tough love.

"Sure." Alex smiled.

It was silent for thirty seconds before they both spoke.

"I-"

She-"

They chuckled.

"You go first." Piper said.

"She loves you." Diane stated the obvious. "Don't you break my baby's heart now."

Piper smiled. It turned out; she had nothing to be terrified about. Alex's mother wasn't the type of parent who asked a million questions in sixty seconds. And just by dancing around together, they bonded and got to know each other. It was fun.

"I won't."

Alex came back and they both grew silent again after their agreement.

"Here you go."

She handed her mother the camera and sat next Piper.

"You lovebirds get a little closer and let me take some pictures of the two of you." Diane commended.

Alex wrapped her arms around Piper's neck and laid her head against hers as the flashes of the camera went by.

"Is that the best y'all can do?" The southern woman asked.

Alex rolled her eyes. "Mother…"

"What?" Diane chuckled. "You guys are in love so be in love. If you kiss I won't be offended."

Alex figured the only way her mother would leave her alone is if she did what she was told. She's been giving Piper room to breathe and warm up to her mother and now that's clearly happened, she can expect them to be best friends because Diane doesn't really dance with everyone of Alex's exes so Piper was pretty special because well, Piper's the only girlfriend she ever brought home.

It was one of the many kisses they shared but this time around, it was different. Knowing that Alex felt comfortable enough to kiss her and claim her as her girlfriend in front of her mother was… well there's no words for how she felt except for joyful.

And Piper knew that Alex felt it too.

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Hot tears sprung in Alex's eyes as she brought herself back from the memory. She needed to let it all out and then get her shit together and let things rest at peace.

That memory was special and meant everything to her. It reminded her of a time when she used to be happy. Her mother wasn't dying and her relationship wasn't on the verge of ending. Things were so great then.

It just all seemed like yesterday.

"We're gonna get through this." Piper promised as she grabbed Alex's hand and intertwined their fingers. "Together."

She nodded. Alex wanted to believe that she'll get through it because she was already sick of being miserable.

"We're gonna give "us" another try and everything's gonna be okay, again."

Piper meant it and she was ready to fight like hell for some of that happiness back. Things were going to be different.

"Okay." Alex smiled. "Okay."

She leaned into Piper and brushed her golden blonde hair across her neck before placing a kiss at her jaw.

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I'm not sure I liked how this chapter turned out but it's been a while since I've updated so I hope you guys still enjoyed it. Leave your feedbacks and let me know what you thought.