Here is the next chapter. I'm sorry they are taking longer than before, but hopefully the wait is worth it?
Thank you for the reviews and follows, each one makes my day. Feel free to leave your feedback in reviews or PMs, it's always interesting reading different perspectives.
Thank you, especially to Wanderingbrowneyes, for giving me "tragically beautiful", feedback, and the encouragement (some would call it nagging :P) needed to get these chapters out in a somewhat timely fashion. Your counsel is highly appreciated.
Random side note: what do we call ourselves as a fandom? The Oranges? Prison Posse? Vauseman Army?
Piper sat on one end of the couch with Alex's feet in her lap, one of which she massaged with the precise and practiced movements of a professional. Alex was lying on her side, with her head on the arm rest, watching The Lake House. Piper's attention was focused primarily on her feet because every now and then, she'd hit a particular spot that would involuntarily cause Alex to emit a delectable moan; there was nothing sexual about it, it just relayed a feeling of deep contentment. It was fast becoming one of her favorite sounds in the world.
She heard an emotional instrumental piece playing in the movie and sighed. Almost as if on cue, she could see Alex in the periphery, dabbing her eyes using the edge of her sleeve accompanied by subtle sniffling sounds. A week ago, this would have been cause for alarm for Piper, and it had been, the first time. Piper had come home one day to find Alex sitting in front of the TV, her eyes red and face blotchy. Her heart had decided to take an express elevator ride, first plummeting into her stomach, then threatening to come spilling out from her throat as she crouched down in front of the brunette, trying to get her to talk. Her unwillingness to tell Piper the cause of her grief, as it turned out, was more out of embarrassment than anything else. Alex Vause did NOT cry over movies.
Except, now she did.
"Babe?" she slid her hand up her calf muscle, digging her fingers in.
She tried to hold the tears in, her lips quivering and Piper gave her a reassuring squeeze. "Jack's about to get hit by the bus." And sure enough, the bus on the screen slammed into the man, and Alex gasped before crying in earnest. She waved her hands at Piper which was her way of telling her to get her tissues. Lifting the long legs from her lap, she grabbed the box of tissues that was always somehow out of reach and held them out for Alex who took out a bunch, wiped her nose roughly, and wadded them up.
She stood there, regarding the brunette with an amused expression on her face. "You know that because of the time warp, he doesn't actually die, right?"
"I- tha-that's not even the point!" Alex spluttered incredulously. "They love each other, they have this amazing connection, and they can't be together. It's tragic."
Piper couldn't help herself, "again… time warp means they do get together in the end." Not even bothering to reply, Alex just shot her a death glare and pointedly turned back to the movie. Piper smirked. "That glare would have been much more impressive if you didn't look so damn cute."
"I hate you." Alex said petulantly. Her voice came out thick and raspy as if she had a cold. Piper found it absolutely endearing.
"Wow, I didn't realize you were so heavily invested in it," Piper lightly teased her. "How 'bout I watch it with you? Maybe get better acquainted with Jack and …" she trailed off, knowing Alex would answer in annoyance over the fact that Piper had dared forget the female protagonist's name.
"Kate!" she supplied, exasperated. Piper continued looking at her expectantly, and Alex gave her a stiff shrug. "Whatever." She climbed over Alex and squirmed around so that she was sandwiched between the back of the couch and the brunette. Her fingers came up to brush through Alex's hair. Piper inwardly smiled as she felt her relax into the touch and entangle their legs together. The movement stirred the air around them and Piper leaned in to take a deep whiff of what smelled like soap and Alex. Intoxicating.
Alex was completely engrossed in the film but Piper couldn't look anywhere other than at her. Her cheeks were tinged with a lovely rosy blush which went enticingly with the smooth pale skin. Strawberries and cream, she thought, her hand reaching out to caress the object of her scrutiny almost without thought.
"Don't distract me," Alex whispered, loving the feel of Piper's cool fingers on her overheated cheek.
"Sorry," she whispered back, prying her hand away but Alex quickly grabbed it and pulled it up to her chest, entwined with her own. As Piper settled in and focused her attention on the movie, she started to really enjoy it, especially Alex's reactions to certain parts. They were at the scene where the two of them plan a tour of the city but in their different times and Piper could the corner of the brunette's lips turned up into a huge goofy grin and she couldn't stop herself from mirroring the expression.
"I think you were wrong before," the blonde murmured into her ear as the scene blended into the next.
"Huh?"
"I think it's tragically beautiful, how when two people are soul mates, they just find a way to be with each other… where even the space-time continuum isn't a factor. Now that's romantic."
Alex considered this. "Maybe you're right," she conceded, lightly pressing her lips to Piper's knuckles.
The movie was down to the climax and they had shifted to a more vertical position, after Alex complained her back was starting to hurt. Piper was gently rubbing circles over her lower back, completely immersed in the scenes in front of her when the phone rang.
"Let it go to voicemail," Piper groaned, not wanting to have to look around for the phone.
"I have it right here," Alex said, fishing it out from some deep recess of the couch. She turned the volume down a bit, and ignoring Piper's scowl, she answered the phone.
"Hello? Yes, you got the right number. Who is this?" Alex turned to looked at Piper, her eyebrows raised. Piper frowned and mouthed, "what?" "Your mom," she mouthed back. She saw Piper's face harden as she turned to stare blankly at the screen which made it easier for Alex to answer Mrs. Chapman's question.
"Uh, Piper isn't here right now, I could take a message though, if you'd like." She nodded slowly, her hand creeping over to Piper's, which now sat as a fist in her lap, trying to loosen it up. "Oh," surprise colored her tone. "That sounds… that's very thoughtful of you. I'll pass it along… you too." Alex hung up the phone and placed it on the coffee table. Leaning back, she could see the rise and fall of the blonde's chest, the movement a little too even for it to be natural.
"Don't you want to know what she wanted?" Alex asked after it became apparent Piper wasn't going to speak. She shrugged. "She wanted to talk to you…she didn't go into too much detail, but I think she wants to get to know her grandkid." She stole a glance at Piper. Her face was stoic; giving nothing away.
"What do you think? Pipes?"
Piper took a deep breath, her posture visibly relaxing, and she turned to Alex with a half smile. "I think I should get started on dinner."
It was a few days after the phone call from Mrs. Chapman, and Alex still hadn't been able to get Piper to talk about it. It bothered her to know there was a part of Piper she couldn't get to, a hurt part that she couldn't heal. Even though it had been months ago, the image of Piper sitting in the tub that night was still fresh in her mind, and it haunted her. She had tried to bring it up a couple of times but Piper would suddenly put up a wall and refuse to answer her questions. Every time, Piper would walk away, or change the subject or busy herself in some other task. It had bothered Alex, yes, and now it was beginning to annoy her.
They'd had an early dinner and had then gone out for a stroll that had become a part of their daily routine ever since Alex had started complaining about experiencing heart burn. They were rounding the corner back to their apartment building when Alex purposefully slowed her pace.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." They walked for a few moments before she asked, "can we talk about your mom's offer?" she felt Piper's grip on her hand slacken and she tightened hers. "Now I know you're not gonna leave a pregnant lady all by herself in the middle of the street, so we have to talk."
"Al… can we please not?" her mind was on high alert sensing they were approaching dangerous territory.
"No, we're going to," she said firmly. "Have you thought about it?"
"There's nothing to think about. I don't like the idea of having her around Pea-"
"Pipes, I get that things between the two of you are…" Alex struggled for the right word. "Rough." Piper rolled her eyes. "But it doesn't mean you can't work on it."
"It actually means exactly that," Piper said mulishly.
Alex sighed, irritated at her tone. "It's like, you just throw up a wall when it comes to your mother Piper, and you're not even willing to give her a chance. You should have heard her, I dunno, she sounded sincere…"
"It's very easy for her to sound sincere and not mean it, Lex. I've had a whole childhood full of experience at figuring that out."
"She's extending an olive branch here; I think it's pretty big of her. The least you can do is to consider it." Piper could feel the frustration building up. First Alex had cornered her into having this conversation, and now she was siding with her mother?
They approached the steps of their building as Piper pulled her hand loose. "This is between me and her, and I'm telling you working it out is not an option. Can you please just drop it?" With that she stormed into the building. Alex followed her and felt her own temper flare when she saw Piper deliberately taking the stairs knowing full well Alex only used the elevator. She got in, fuming and punched the button to her floor with more force than necessary. She closed her eyes and took in deep breaths, hoping the gentle hum of the elevator would calm her down enough to face Piper. The chime alerted her to the opening doors and she stepped out. She had to wait for Piper outside their door because, of course, Piper had the key. Even though Piper's blonde head appeared less than a minute later, Alex's nostrils flared as Piper opened the door and walked past her.
"You don't just get to walk away." Alex slammed the door shut, following her into the kitchen. Piper got out a bottle of water and took a swig.
"This is too much for me Alex; I mean you're supposed to be on my side here!"
"Your side?!" she laughed a humorless laugh. "Okay, first of all, how am I supposed take sides when you never even bothered opening up to me about what happened between you two? Secondly, this isn't just between you and her anymore."
Piper rounded on her, "really?"
"Yes really. Look I know she was a bad mother to you, and you have unresolved issues, and all of that, but that, in no way indicates she'll be a bad grandmother too. And don't you think you can work something out with her, for the Peanut's sake?"
She smacked the bottle down on the island with a loud thud. "Peanut already has a grandma, and she'll be great."
"That may be but…" her tone softened and she realized how much it meant to her as she said it, "on your side, Peanut will have an uncle, possible cousins… a granddad. I'm thinking like a mom here, and it's a whole family for Peanut, Pipes."
"Al… I don't know. I mean it's easy for you to stand there and talk about working things out with my mother, but it's a whole other thing actually-"
"Christ! Listen to you. This is about so much more than you Piper! When are you going to step the fuck up and act like a mother?!"
The insinuation that she was acting immature, that her issue wasn't an important issue finally got to her and she lost it. Blood boiling, she rounded the island and marched right up to stand in front of Alex. "You've had one conversation with her and you think you know her. I've spent my entire life being criticized by her, disappointing her, fighting with her. I don't trust her! I don't trust her with me, I don't trust her with you, and I especially don't trust her around our baby. As for sincerity, if you'd heard what she'd said when I told her you were pregnant, you'd have realized just how sincere she is. Every-"
"What the hell are you talking about? You haven't talked to her since the dinner!"
She blinked. "What? Of course I haven't talked to-" her words died down in her throat, as she replayed the past few seconds in her head and she suddenly realized her slip. She clawed desperately, trying to find some way to salvage this, hoping, praying, Alex would let it go. But she could see from her face that it was too late, as it went from confused to calculating to horrified.
"Piper?" her voice was hushed, as if that would somehow change the ugly truth dawning on her. "What did you do?"