Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews so far! If you have questions about this story or when I'm going to be updating, please private message me. I can't answer questions from guest accounts; doesn't give me access to message you. Also, the Review page is not a message board, so I can't reply to your questions there. Thanks!


Alex jogged up the four steps to her mother's home, but before she opened the door, she heard music coming from inside. She backed down the steps, walked a few feet to her right, and looked through the large picture window into the kitchen. As Ray Charles belted out, I've Got a Woman through the old stereo, she noticed Piper dancing while doing the dishes. Her mom was singing every word, and her young guest played the air drums every few seconds. The two women appeared to be enjoying themselves immensely, which brought a sad smile to Alex's face, because of what she had to do.

Alex jogged back up the steps and entered the house, slamming the door to announce her presence. The two women either didn't hear her or didn't care.

"Music loud enough?" Alex finally asked, turning the volume knob all the way down.

"Hey, turn Ray back on! It's not our fault you dined and dashed, kid," her mom said while drying a pot.

"Yeah, and left us with all of the dishes," Piper added as she placed two bowls into the dishwasher.

"I'm taking you home," Alex announced, eyes not focused on the blonde.

Piper looked stunned. "I'm not finished helping."

Diane retreated to the other room and turned the music louder.

"Piper…" She ran a hand through her damp hair. "I need to take you back to school."

"Wait a minute, Al," Diane put a hand on her arm. "You've had as many glasses of wine as me. You ain't driving anyone anywhere." She grabbed the two pies from the counter and brought them to the table. "Besides, we haven't eaten dessert yet!"

The blonde stared at her companion with a dejected look on her face. "Thank you for everything, Diane. I think I've overstayed my welcome."

Alex looked away and felt like shit, but before she could say anything, her mom chimed in. "You did no such thing, young lady. Now get your ass over here and have a piece of pie with me. I can't wait to try yours." Diane grabbed a knife out of the drawer. "Did you use nutmeg or cinnamon?"

The younger women kept their eyes trained on each other; it was as if Piper was silently checking to see if her presence was still welcomed.

"Both. I can't wait to try a piece of apple pie," the blonde said with a smile directed solely at Diane as she sat down next to her.

Diane cut three slices of each pie and put them on small plates. "Come on, Al, get it while it's hot."

Although she thought it was a bad idea, the younger Vause complied and sat across from her student. She took a bite of the sweet potato pie first, and she watched Piper take a bite of the same. As the women chewed, Diane raved about the texture.

After chewing four or five times, Piper abruptly spit the pie into her napkin. "This tastes like snot."

Alex couldn't help the laughter that escaped and spit hers out as well.

"Nonsense!" Her mom complained. "It's delicious."

Alex looked directly at Piper and shook her head, a small smile creeping onto her face. I am so fucking gone.


Diane had saved a very special bottle of Madeira for the occasion and poured each of them a tiny glass. She even allowed Piper to drink a small amount.

After Alex's second glass of Madeira, she stood as Ray Charles sang, Georgia on My Mind. With a bit of liquid courage, she held out her hand. "Dance with me, Chapman."

The blonde looked surprised, but stood and walked towards the center of the living room. The dark haired woman placed one hand on her back, and held Piper's hand with the other. They swayed slowly to the music, and Alex felt her whole body relax into the younger woman's arms. She still smelled faintly of lavender, but her breath smelled sweet like caramel and orange peel. Alex tucked their joined hands closer to her chest and was rewarded with Piper squeezing her hand and letting out a content sigh.

If anyone told her that her mother was sitting 10 feet away, she wouldn't have believed it—it was as if everyone else in the world disappeared as she swayed to the music, feeling Piper's body against hers.

Just as Alex was about to lay her head on top of Piper's, the blonde pulled away. "You can't have me all to yourself, babe. Get over here, Diane!"

Alex blushed at Piper's use of the term, babe, but she was thankful for Wise Young Piper's interference. She watched with complete joy as her mom dipped the blonde on the last chorus. Piper let out a howl and threw her head back with laughter. It was a sight Alex would never forget.

"Whew! You two have worn me out!" She wiped her forehead. "I'm going to go take a bath and soak these old bones. Piper don't you dare leave without saying goodbye, and if you want to stay the night, you're more than welcome."

Alex's eyebrows arched, but she kept her comment to herself.

"Thank you so much," the blonde said with a hug. "Everything was delicious."

"You're welcome, kid." With that, Diane disappeared into her bedroom and closed the door.

The two women stood in the middle of the living room, several feet apart.

Alex was the first to speak. "I really need to get you home."

Piper looked away. "I'll take the bus."

"No, I'll drive you."

"You heard your mom, you've been drinking."

"Piper, you can't stay here," she said in a quiet, sad voice. "You get that, right?"

"Why?" the defiant girl asked, folding her arms.

Alex spun around and remained with her back to her companion. "Because you're my student, and because you're 17-fucking-years-old!"

The air between them was thick.

Alex watched the rain falling harder against the window. She felt Piper's hand crawl up her back, and as if the younger woman was a masseuse, the tension in her body melted away.

"What if I wasn't either of those things?" the blonde asked in a soft voice.

"We can't pretend that you're not." She turned around to face her companion. "The facts are the facts, Piper. We can't be together. Not like…"

"Like what?"

"Not like I want," Alex whispered, but said with confidence.

Piper pursed her lips and took a step back. "Not like we want."

Alex rested her glasses on the top of her head. "You are beautiful and smart and funny and…"

"Stop." She held up a hand. "Don't tell me those things when you can't show me how you feel."

"Believe me when I tell you it's not that I don't want to show you," she said in a heavy voice.

Piper grabbed her bag from the kitchen, and then reached up to give her hostess a kiss on the cheek. "Then I need to leave before I show you how I feel. At least one of us sees nothing wrong with spontaneity."

She hung her head. "This has nothing to do with being spontaneous, Piper. It has to do with my position and your age."

"I get it, Alex. I really do." She opened the door. "But I cannot possibly convey the sadness I feel at this moment."

Alex had to look at the ceiling to keep the tears from falling. "Me too, babe."

With that, Piper Chapman walked into the rain.

The brunette collapsed on the sofa as Come Rain or Come Shine blasted through the speakers. She wiped her damp eyes before any tears rushed down her face.

"I heard the door shut," Diane said as she entered the room in a worn out robe. "Did Piper leave?"

Alex looked up at her mom, and she knew that Diane Vause was no fool.

"Oh, come here, hon." She rocked her daughter in her arms until the younger woman's tears stopped falling. "She's a catch, that Piper Chapman."

"Yeah, I'm just fishing in the wrong fucking sea," Alex sniffed.

"You know what the good thing is, kid?" Diane lifted her daughter's chin. "She'll be 18 in less than a year."

That caused Alex to huff and smile. "Six months to be precise."

"I know I don't need to tell you this, Al, but you have to wait," her mother explained with a serious face.

"No, you don't need to tell me that." She wiped her eyes on her shirtsleeve. "But I might need constant reminding."

"Will do, kid." She hugged her daughter and then retreated back to her bedroom.

Alex stood, thinking a bath sounded like a good idea. She stripped in the bathroom and texted her companion. Got home ok?

Piper: Yes. Please thank your mom again for me.

Alex: Ok. See you on Monday.

Piper: That's going to be tough.

Alex: We have to keep our distance.

Piper: I'm well aware of that.

Alex: Major feels for you, kid.

Piper: That makes two of us.


Alex was not looking forward to teaching on Monday. She'd had a rough weekend, acknowledging and coming to terms with her feelings for Piper, and not being able to do anything about those feelings left her incredibly sad.

The blonde entered the classroom with her head bowed, eyes shifting to the left to look at Alex. Two other students were already seated.

Alex tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Hey."

Piper ignored her greeting.

"How was your Thanksgiving?" One of the Caitlin's asked.

She plopped into her desk with a thump. "It sucked."

Alex looked away and pursed her lips.

"I'm sure it wasn't all bad," Caitlin said.

"No, but it ended that way."

One of the other students asked Piper what happened, and she made up some half-lie about being alone.

"Alright, folks," Alex began once everyone was present. "You're stuck with me for another three weeks before Mrs. Rankin returns. Let's see how smart I can make you in that time."

The students were still allowed to ask two questions per day, and she'd answered some good ones so far. They'd strayed from questions about her personal life and ventured more into material that would be on the Friday quizzes, and Alex was grateful for the transition.

"Who has the first question today?"

A short boy in the front raised his hand. She hadn't called on him in a while. "Carter, shoot."

"Why do we have to read two Jane Austen novels?" he asked.

The boys in the room laughed, and a few girls proclaimed their love for the romantic author.

"Because it's on the syllabus," the teacher replied. "If it were up to me, you'd only read one: Sense and Sensibility…Next question?"

She looked around the room and noticed that Piper had her hand up. No way in hell was she going to call on her. "Catherine, you're up."

"You called on me last week," Catherine said. "Um, Piper hasn't had a turn since, like, the first week of school."

Alex looked at Piper and tried to hide her uneasiness. "Ok, Ms. Chapman, I guess it's your turn."

Piper, who looked like she hadn't slept a wink, paused before asking, "Have you ever been in love?"

The room filled with quiet gossip, and all of the students except Piper sat up straighter and were on the edge of their seats.

"Yes," Alex replied with a slight quiver in her voice. She cleared her throat and looked boldly at Piper. "Yes, I have."

A barely detectable smile formed on the blonde's lips. "Me, too."


Author's Note: This was my favorite chapter to write. Please let me know what you think.