Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Thanks everyone for all the reviews and follows! :) I'm glad people are still with me even though Vauseman isn't...at least at the moment. Not sure about the faith of our girls just yet.

Enjoy!

Rainstorms

Chapter 5

Baby to Think About

February 2017

Piper could hear someone knocking at her front door but she ignored it. She curled herself further up into a ball and pulled the covers over her head. It had been a week since she had told Alex and hadn't left the comforts of her bed since.

The moment she had got back home she had turned off her phone and shut herself off to the world. Her heart was broken and she had only herself to blame for it. It was her own damn fault she was in the position she was in now.

She heard her house phone go off but she made no move to get up. She just wanted everyone to leave her fucking alone. She just wanted to isolate herself from the world.

A few moments passed before the answering machine kicked in. Whoever, had just called didn't leave a message.

She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to go back to sleep but was once again interrupted by a pounding on her door. She could hear someone call slightly but she couldn't pick up who it was. And she really didn't fucking care. She just hoped whoever it was would get the message that she wasn't home.

"Fuck, Chapman!" cried Nicky as she pounded loudly on the door. "Open up!"

"Maybe we should leave," squeaked Lorna towards her girlfriend. Piper clearly wanted to be left alone.

"No, Lorna. This has been going on for a fucking week," Nicky's dark eyes looked over at her girlfriend before turning back to the door. "We are not leaving until Chapman OPENS THE FUCKING DOOR!" She banged loudly against it. She would stay here until Piper opened up. She couldn't stay in her apartment for ever. She would need to get up soon.

"CHAPMAN!" cried the blonde again as she once again pounded against the surface of the door.

August 2021

"Wait, what? You saw supercunt?" asked a very pregnant Polly towards Piper. The two friends were seated in the kitchen of Polly's house.

"Yeah," whispered Piper as she burned her tongue on her hot cup of tea. She placed it immediatly down onto the surface of the table before continuing on with her story. "I thought she wanted to see me...or so Nicky said but it turned out...it was just a fucking set up."

Polly rubbed her beach ball of stomach as she continued to look at Piper. They hadn't talked about Alex in ages it seemed. "What, did Nicky think you guys would get back together or something?" Polly raised an eyebrow as she reached suddenly for a cookie on the plate seated between her and Piper. The kids, Issy and Polly's two sons, Finn and Sebastian where playing in the living room.

"Who knows," groaned Piper as she rubbed her face before reaching for her tea again. She had no idea what Nicky was thinking. Alex clearly didn't want to have anything to do with her and she didn't blame her. But at the same time, Piper wasn't going to mope about it. She knew that she still cared about Alex. She always would. But four years had passed and she had a life outside of Alex. She had a daughter who was her world now.

"But the worse part is, that Issy met her," continued on Piper. Her voice was low as she leaned forward into her seat and checked that there were no little ones around. "And now she won't stop talking about her."

Polly just nodded her head slowly in understanding as she eat her cookie. Issy got attached to people quickly. That's why Piper had never really dated anyone since her divorce. Or when she did, they never met her daughter.

"Someone or something else will come along and get her attention," answered Polly, "Finn went through a faze like that when he was her age. He was obsessed with his babysitter, Ellen. All he talked about was her. I think it was his first real crush. It was kinda cute, actually. But he quickly forgot about her after we moved out of the city. I'm sure Issy will forget all about supercunt in the next few days. It's not like you are going to see her again...right?"

"I hope so," whispered Piper as placed down her tea cup and reached for a cookie. She really did hope that Polly was right and that Issy would forget about Alex. It wasn't that Alex was a bad person. It was just that she knew Alex wouldn't want anything to do with the kid. And she didn't want her daughter to get burn in the process of that.

The two old friends continued to drink their teas in silence, listening to the giggles and chatter coming from the next room.

March 2017

"Hey," spoke Alex as she took the seat opposite of Nicky in the visitation room.

"Hey," greeted back Nicky as her brown eyes locked with Alex's green ones. "How've you been?" She asked with genuine concern. She was worried about Alex. It had been a month since Piper had broken the news she was pregnant and she didn't look any better then she had a week after that visit.

Alex just shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her seat like she was bored already of the conversation. Nicky, she knew wanted to talk about Piper. But she wasn't in the mood. She never wanted to hear that name again in her life. Just the association of it brought a pain to her heart. "I've been okay..." she answered dryly as she looked away from Nicky and out one of the windows which looked out onto the gloomy prison yard. It was raining lightly outside. Spring was soon, she thought as she looked back onto Nicky.

Alex had once looked forward to these weekly visits with Nicky, who she considered her best friend. But they only now brought her pain. Nicky she knew still talked and saw Piper on a regular basis which not only irritated her. Nicky was suppose to be her friend. She was suppose to be on her side, she thought. She was the one who was not only locked up in this hell hold but had been the one to get cheated on.

Also just seeing Nicky made her realize how alone she was in Litchfield now. She had nothing really. There were very few people within her social circle now. Being in prison had kinda turned her into a introvert in away. She spent a good portion of her time now, reading.

"How are things with you and Morello?" asked Alex as she crossed her arms and attempted to make small talk. It pained her how uncomfortable it felt to sit across from Nicky like this. Conversation which once had been so easy between them was now forced and awkward.

"Good, good. Things are good," answered Nicky, a smile appearing on her face, "We just bought that house I was telling you about last week. It's in Brooklyn. Brown Stone and shit. Real nice."

Alex forced a smile on her face at this. "Sounds amazing!" She really wanted to be happy for Nicky and Lorna. They had come so far it seemed since when she had first met them years ago. Lorna, she bet would never cheat on Nicky with Christopher. She pursed her lips as another stab of pain filled her heart. It had been a month since Piper had torn her heart out but the pain was still fresh and new. Last time she had turned to drugs to numb the pain. She didn't dare to turn down that dark road again. Especially since Red had taken her under her wing as one of her girls. The Russian cook would surely disown her, if she did. She couldn't a forward to lose her too.

"Yeah, Lorna is really happy about it. She is already talking about renovating and colour schemes and shit," Nicky couldn't help but smile at this. She had never expected for life outside of Litchfield to be this good to her. But it was. She had a girl that loved her and now a house to call her own. And she had done it all without her mother's help. Nicky didn't make a lot of money at the floral shop she worked now, along with Lorna but with saving and with the money that her grandmother had left her in her will last summer. It had been enough.

"Let me guess, pinks and yellows!" teased Alex, remembering back to Lorna's campaign buttons.

"Oh god," cried Nicky rolling her eyes, "I'm going to be living in a fucking cupcake or something!"

Alex couldn't help but laugh along with Nicky at this. It felt good to laugh, she thought. It seemed like so long ago she allowed for her self to do so. Her face always seemed to be made up of harsh lines and edges. If her mother was still alive to see her now, she would have told her to stop scowling.

The two friends continued to talk and chat for the rest of the visitation hours.

"Take care of yourself, Vause," whispered Nicky into Alex's ear as they hugged goodbye. She knew how difficult if was for Alex to be stuck in Litchfield while everyone else was living their lives. Especially now with Piper pregnant.

"I'm trying," whispered back Alex as she pulled away and looked into Nicky's eye. And she really was trying. It was just so damn hard sometimes. A sad smile appeared on her face before she said goodbye to the other woman and began to head out of the room along with her fellow inmates.

August 2021

Alex rubbed the back of her neck as she closed the front door behind her and let out a tired sigh. She had just worked a double at the hotel and she was exhausted. It was the early hours of the morning as she quietly placed her black rucksack down on the floor and proceed to take off her white tennis shoes. She was still dressed in her maid uniform.

She left her shoes and rucksack by the door as she slowly crept along the hallway towards the kitchen. She was starving and knew she wouldn't be able to go to sleep yet. It was six in the morning but she was use to being up at this time. She was still on prison time. Her body still wasn't adjusted it seemed to civilian life.

Alex couldn't help but yawn as she flicked on the kitchen lights and walked towards the fridge. She then slowly proceeded to pull out a carton of milk. Every muscle in her back seemed to protest as she straightened it suddenly. She wasn't as young as she use to be. She had just had her forty fourth birthday last month. She really needed to start taking up yoga again, she thought as she began to open one of the cupboards looking for the cereal. Alex had never been one for working out or fitness for that matter. But within the last half or so of her sentence she had began to take Yoga Jones's Wednesday afternoon yoga classes. It had mostly been out of boredom and just having something to do but it had quickly grew on her. She found it helped trigger her anger and feelings in a positive way.

After fixing herself a bowl of cereal, Alex flicked off the lights and proceeded into the living room.

It was there she took a seat on the plush floral couch and flicked on the TV in the corner of the room. She hardly paid attention to the morning talk show that was currently playing on the TV as she ate slowly at her cereal. Her mind seemed to be buzzing with a million different thoughts. It had been two days since she had seen Piper but once again the blonde was on her mind.

She tried to cut that part of her self off and it worked for the most part. But every now and then when she was too exhaust to care, she would slip into those thoughts and feelings. Like now.

Alex let out a deep breathe as she placed the some what empty bowl onto the coffee table and rose to her feet. She knew she should clear her bowl but that could wait. Curiosity was getting the better of her as suddenly rose to her feet and enclosed the distance between the couch and fireplace. She had made an effort not to look at the photographs that lined the mantel when she had first arrived at Nicky's house.

But once again, curiosity was getting the better of her. Maybe it was because her lack of sleep or something else but she couldn't stop her green eyes from studying the framed photographs. There were about twenty or so. There were some of Lorna and Nicky but the real star was a little blonde girl from being just a tiny newborn to her current age.

Any stranger that came into the house would think that she was Nicky's and Lorna's. But in reality, they were just proud Godparents.

"She's a cute kid, isn't she?"

Alex jumped slightly at this. She immediatly straightened her back and turned to see Lorna staring back at her. Her green eyes locked on the smaller woman's brown eyes. She didn't say anything in reply to her question. She blushed slightly at being caught, looking.

Lorna smiled a kind smile at Alex before asking if she wanted a coffee, she was going to be putting the machine on. "Nicky hates when there is not a fresh pot made when she wakes up," explained Lorna in her normal squeaky voice.

Alex couldn't help but smile slightly at this. Nicky was a pain in the ass when she didn't have her coffee first thing in the morning. "I'm okay," she murmured, "I'm probably going to fall asleep any minute anyways."

Lorna just smiled again and before moving into the kitchen.

Alex waited until Lorna was out of the room before turning to look back at the photographs one last time. There was one in particular that caught her eye. It was one of both Issy and Piper together. Issy looked to be either about one or so, figured Alex. Piper looked as beautiful as she always did, she couldn't help but admit. Piper was grinning broadly into the camera as she held Issy on her hip. Issy was smiling too, her little teeth showing. The tot had an ice-cream cone in her hand. Half of it was smeared across her face where the other was melting and running down her chubby arm. Alex couldn't help but think about how happy Piper looked. The last time she had seen her look like that was back when they had first been going out. There had been moments in Litchfield when Piper had come close to looking like that but never quite. There was always a touch of sadness in her eyes.

Alex pushed her glasses off of her face and rubbed her eyes before putting the photograph back. She was suddenly very exhausted not only physically but emotionally. She then headed out of the living room. She grabbed her rucksack before heading up the stairs and towards the attic.

She was hoping that sleep would come quickly and for it to be dreamless.

March 2017

Piper let out a sigh as she turned to her side and examined her naked body in the full length mirror. She was eighteen weeks pregnant and felt like a whale. She was in her second trimester and you could defiantly tell now that there was a baby there.

She placed her hands automatically on her round stomach and smiled as she felt the baby move. The baby had just started to move a couple of days ago. At first it had completely weirded her out but she was now slowly getting use to it. It just made this ten times more real to her.

She was having a baby.

Her smiled widened as she turned these words in her head. She was going to be a mommy. They had yet to find out the sex of the baby. Larry had told her it was up to her if she wanted to know the sex or not. She had chosen no. She wanted it to be a surprise.

It had taken her some time but she was looking forward to this. After Nicky had charged into her apartment and told her to get out of bed. Something had changed within Piper. It had made her realize she didn't just have herself to think about anymore. Soon this little being would depend on her for everything. She couldn't be the selfish Piper Chapman anymore. She needed to start focusing on someone who wasn't herself.

And that was what she did. After that day, Piper had called up Larry and told him they needed to talk. Really talk about the future and how they were going to raise this child. And so, they had gotten married. It had been nothing big or fancy. Just a simple ceremony and reception at Piper's parents' house with only close friends and family.

She had kept her own name though, despite the disapproval of her mother.

Larry had ended things with his girlfriend and had moved into Piper's apartment. She had to admit it was weird to be living together again but it was slowly starting to feel normal in away.

She still missed Alex everyday and second but she tried not to let it affect her too much. Like Nicky said, she needed to move on with her life.

She had a baby to think about.

Okay, so I might be M.I.A for the next few weeks. I am trying to finish a thesis and get my BFA at the moment. But who knows, I can never stay away for too long! Lol

Anyways, thanks for reading and if you feel like making my day, leave a review!

Julie