Her eyes heavy, Piper heard a slight grumble beside her and the distinctive deep breath of a person just waking up from a very deep sleep. The moment of confusion lasted barely a second as she realised that she was, in fact, waking up beside Alex Vause. Her boss. Usually, she would process her headache caused by the amount of alcohol she had consumed and she would fleetingly think of who it was beside her, and she would conclude that this was a terrible, terrible mistake. Another oh, Piper moment that would make her internally cringe whenever she dared think back to it. But, much to her surprise, the regret never came. She knew that she had done nothing more than kiss Alex and the pair had tumbled into bed, their bodies close and barely touching, as they both gave in to the overwhelming desire to sleep.

Turning slightly, she saw Alex reach a lazy hand over to the night stand and push her glasses onto her face. Only then did she look at the blonde that had a lopsided smile upon her lips.

"Morning" Piper offered, her voice croaky. Alex just gave a long blink, touched a hand to her forehead and sighed.

"You're looking particularly cheery" The half smile on Pipers lips almost got her a pillow to the head but Alex couldn't quite bring herself to move that much yet.

"You're not hung over at all?" Piper let out a small laugh at the hatred in the woman's voice.

"Not really." She shrugged, tucking her hands underneath her cheek and watching Alex closely. "You didn't drink that much. How come you feel so shit?" she frowned. Alex shrugged and sniffed.

"I don't have a fucking clue. Old age?" Piper laughed and Alex shot her an unimpressed look. "This is where you protest?"

"Oh…right. Sorry. It can't possibly be the fact you're getting old. Don't be ridiculous" Piper deadpanned. Alex sniffed again and lay back down onto the pillows, mirroring Piper and tucking her hands beneath her head. Silence passed between them and Piper smiled the soft smile that Alex was beginning to become particularly fond of.

"Sorry for pouring my heart out last night" Alex said. She didn't often open up so much to people – especially those that she hadn't known for all that long – and she always felt a little awkward about it afterwards. But judging by the shrug Piper gave, there was nothing to be worried about.

"Don't apologise. I had a lovely evening" Piper assured her, the corners of her lips turning up at the memory of the evening they had shared.

"You did?" Alex quirked an eyebrow, her voice low and sultry, still heavy from sleep. Piper gave a huff of laughter and nodded twice slowly in response.

"I did"

"Any part in particular?" With an exaggerated look of trying to remember, Piper paused for a moment.

"I think the end was pretty good"

"Oh, yeah?" Alex asked playfully. Piper nodded again.

"Mhmm" Alex shifted closer towards her, inches away from her lips, and placed a hand on her cheek.

"Me too" she whispered. It was Piper who closed the gap between them, her lips hungry and her hands reaching behind Alex, pulling her closer. It was scenario that she hadn't ever really imagined but now that she was here, what the hell. May as well make the most of it. Her hands wandered over Alex's body, resting on her hip and then moving up and over her shoulder blades. Her enthusiasm was very much returned by Alex who was running her hands up Pipers front and under the shirt she had borrowed from Alex's' wardrobe for the night.

As Piper shifted a leg over the other woman's hip, hooking the heel of her foot around her and tugging her ever closer, a loud bang came from outside the bedroom door. And then a fuck and a giggle. Alex pulled back, a frown line between her brows as she listened out for more activity in the hallway.

"I guess we're not alone" Piper said, an eyebrow raised. Alex looked down at her, sighed regretfully and shook her head.

"I guess not" The two laughed a little and kissed briefly once more.

"I suppose we can't stay in bed all day. It'll look far more incriminating than it will already" Alex smirked.

"Incriminating? I think I like the sound of that" Piper slapped her shoulder lightly and pulled her leg back from over Alex's, ignoring the slight groan that came from the brunette. She sat up in the bed and pushed the hair away from her face.

"Shouldn't you make me coffee or something?" Piper asked. Alex frowned slightly.

"You want one?"

"The answer to that is always" Alex rolled her eyes and dragged herself out of the horizontal position she had been perfectly happy in.

"If I'd have known you were high maintenance I would have steered well clear" she grumbled, causing Pipers' mouth to drop open slightly in outrage.

"I am not high maintenance!" she protested and Alex let out a short burst of disagreeing laughter.

"Right" she drawled, throwing a short black silk robe around her shoulders and making her way towards the door. "We'll see about that" she threw over her shoulder as she walked through it, unaware of the smile her words had brought to Pipers' lips.

"Oh we will, will we?" she whispered into the now empty room.

And she found herself hoping that they would.

-x-

Realising that no matter what she did or said, she would never be able to convince Nicky that she hadn't slept with her boss and so she thought fuck it and gave up on the idea of getting fully dressed and making herself look presentable. Grabbing one of Alex's shirts from the wardrobe, she wrapped it around her body and made her way towards the kitchen. She was fully prepared for the raised eyebrows, hollering and teasing that she knew she was walking into and she realised that she really didn't care. It would all be in fun and she knew that Nicky would probably just be happy they had finally managed to get over their 'I don't like you in that way' phase.

As she rounded the corner, she saw Alex fiddling around with the coffee machine and smiled.

"Make yourself useful and get the milk out" Alex said to Nicky who was sat on a barstool sipping from a glass of water.

"Lorna. You're closer. Get the milk" Piper hadn't seen the short dark woman stood leant against the wall near the fridge and her eyes widened slightly. Nicky she had planned for. Lorna? Not so much.

"Morning, Blondie" Nicky smirked over the rim of her glass. "Nice evening?"

"Not too bad" Piper smiled, quirking an eyebrow. "How about you two? You must have been out late?"

"Sleep when we're dead, that's what I always say" Nicky winked. Lorna smiled at Piper as she handed the milk over to Alex.

"We wondered where you two had disappeared to" she said with a sly smile. "Everyone was asking where the boss was and nobody believed Nichols when she said she'd taken you home with her". Piper let out a small laugh at the eye roll Alex gave her as she passed over the steaming mug.

"I'm going to try this one time and one time only because I know I'm wasting my breath. Would you believe that nothing other than a bit of kissing happened between myself and Piper last night?" Nicky and Lorna exchanged an unconvinced look and then started laughing in unison.

"Nahhh"

"Definitely not" Alex shrugged and turned to Piper.

"I tried" she said, dragging a hand across her forehead and sniffing. "God, I feel like shit" she sighed. Piper frowned at her and studied her face a little closer. She did look a little paler than usual? But then again, it could just be that she didn't have her makeup on? She wasn't really sure.

"Coming down with something, Vause?" Nicky asked.

"I better fucking not be" Nicky nodded in agreement. "The damn auditions are soon and I can't exactly miss them". Nicky jumped up from her bar stool and slapped her on the shoulder.

"Ehhh I'm sure you'll be fine. The great Alex Vause ill? Hardly ever happens. It's probably just a cold. Grow some balls". Nicky grabbed a giggling Lorna on her way to the door and dragged her down the hallway and back into her bedroom causing Piper to smile at the new couple's ridiculousness. Alex, however, was not smiling at all.

"Are you seriously not well? You were fine earlier?" she took a step closer and pushed the hair away from Alex's face. Alex sniffed.

"I don't know. I don't usually get ill but I'm sure I can feel something coming" she let out a tiny cough and Piper stepped back from her slightly. "I'll just take a shit tonne of precautionary meds. I'll be fine".

Piper hummed in agreement but they sounded very much like famous last words to her.

-x-

Back at the club, Piper had become used to throwing a wave at Larry as she walked down the stairs. She didn't miss the double take that he did as he saw she wasn't alone today. Alex was following close behind her, her attention fully focused on her phone which had been buzzing all afternoon. As soon as she reached the bottom step, a flustered Daya appeared from behind the curtain and made her way towards the pair, barely even noticing how unusual it was for Alex to arrive at work with anyone else but Nicky.

"Alex, I've gotta stop early. I went to the doctors and he said it's not good for the baby. I can't do tonight, I've already put it through enough, I don't wanna do any dama-"

"Slow down, Daya" Alex told her calmly, holding a hand up to stop the tense mum-to-be. "What's going on? You can't dance tonight?"

"Nah-ah" Daya confirmed, shaking her head and wringing her hands together. Alex simply put her fingertips to her temple and took a long, calming breath.

"And is there any way that you can explain why without going into a load of baby crap?" Daya seemed to consider it for a moment.

"Well the doc said –"

"So that's a no" Alex interrupted. Daya shrugged. Piper listed in on the exchange as she made her way behind the bar and picked up a cloth to start polishing the bar with.

"Right. Okay. Go get online. Tell all the girls that they need any of their dancer friends to get down her today at 5 for auditions. Put it on twitter. Do whatever you can to try and get the best dancers possible to come and take your place" Daya nodded, mumbled a 'yes' and an apology and then hurried back behind the curtain, not noticing the look of annoyance on Alex's face. Piper gave her a small smile as she slouched onto one of the barstools and put her head in her hands.

"Not good news, huh" Piper sighed. Alex groaned in response.

"Not at all. Auditions were supposed to be in a couple of days but if she's out of action now then…" she shrugged. Piper grabbed a glass a filled it with a couple of shots of whiskey for her, placing it in front of the stressed woman who gave her an appreciative half-smile. "I know it's not her fault if it's something with the baby, but it's just a pain in the arse, you know. I'm gonna chop Bennet's balls off, I swear to god".

"I could always…." Piper started, hoping Alex would pick up on what she was saying. She knew that auditions were coming up soon and she'd been practicing the dance routines in her crummy apartment as often as she possibly could. A couple of them were still a little shaky but she knew that as soon as she started working with the girls, she'd pick it up in no time. Daya going on maternity leave gave Piper hope that she'd finally be able to get a spot on the stage. She love working at the club and she had come to know many of the customers who appreciated her as a waitress, but her dream of getting up there and dancing with the Litchfield girls was still there and she swore to herself that she would do it. She just needed to convince Alex that she could dance and that she was the right choice.

"Dance? Take Daya's place?" Alex sighed. "I know you really want it Pipes, but you don't have the experience and the last time I saw you dancing, you weren't exactly great. Next time, maybe" she said, slipping off her stool and making her way to her office with her drink in her hands. Piper knew she was under a lot of pressure and was incredibly stressed, but that didn't stop her blunt words from stinging.

-x-

"Jesus fucking christ" Alex mumbled. She held a hand up for Boo to stop the music that was pumping out over the speakers. The girl half way through a particularly sloppy spin on stage stopped and looked at Alex with wide eyes, wondering what it was that had made the woman sound so irritated. It wasn't exactly her fault – the auditions were not going well and Alex knew that none of the girls she had seen were going to be any good to dance in her club. There had been one who had been okay and might have got the job had she been a little harder. One jibe from Nicky and the innocent looking thing would have been out the door faster than she could ask 'men or women?'. A good dancer, but definitely not a Litchfield girl.

Nicky, Lorna and Piper all stood by the bar, watching the auditions with rapidly sinking hearts. Piper knew that she could do ten times better than half the girls that were auditioning but, with the mood Alex was currently in, there was no point in even trying to get up there and give it a go. She'd be shot down immediately. Lorna, with her clip board of names, had her brow furrowed and Nicky was watching the stage with a completely blank face. It was not a successful day.

"I'm sorry. No. Next" Alex waved her away with a tired flick of the back of her hand.

"Erm. That's it" Lorna called back, chewing on her lip slightly. The mood in the club right now definitely didn't bode well for a good night at work. Alex would be tense on stage and, more than likely, a massive fucking bitch backstage. The girls had all done their best to get their dancer friends down to the club to fill in for the night but the good ones had all been unavailable and the others… well, they hadn't exactly impressed.

"That's it?!" Alex almost yelled. Another loud sigh and then "right. Fuck it. Reblock the numbers, Nicky" she ordered, standing up from her chair, slamming backstage and making her way towards her office.

"You remember I know fuck all about choreography, right Vause?" Nicky called after her, clearly not impressed that she had been given the job of reworking the evenings performance.

"I don't give a shit. Make it fucking work, Nichols" Alex shouted back at her, not even glancing back at her friend as she threw the backstage curtain close behind her. A couple seconds later, a door could be heard slamming shut and the three women all exchanged a look.

"Right. Fantastic. I'll fucking well do everything then, shall I? 'Reblock the numbers, Nichols'. Seriously. Fucking joke" she mumbled as she stormed backstage to get the rest of the girls. Lorna and Piper sighed in unison.

"So, you've got a real catch there" Lorna joked, trying to lighten the atmosphere. Piper raised her eyebrows in agreement, unsure what to say.

"D'you think I should go and see her?"

"Not unless you have a serious death wish"

"You're right". Pause. "I know she's stressed out but… seriously". Lorna nodded.

"I know. Vause gets like that though. Give her some time and she'll be absolutely fine. She'll probably throw a couple glasses at the wall, drink a bit too much and then she'll be back in tomorrow with a fresh face, ready to find Daya's replacement. I think the sudden auditions just threw her. She hates having to change up a show". Piper nodded in understanding, hoping that Lorna was right and Alex would be alright in a couple of hours. She had been hoping that they would all share a drink again at the end of the shift but if Alex was in the foul mood she was now, a social drink with the four of them was definitely off the table.

"It probably doesn't help that she's coming down with something, either" Piper added. Lorna raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, you actually think she is? Yikes" she said, eyes widening momentarily as she pushed herself off of the bar and began to make her way to the 'dressing room'. Piper looked confused.

"Why yikes? It's probably just a cough and a cold?" Lorna nodded.

"Yeah. Sure. You haven't seen Vause with any kind of illness yet, Chapman. You think she's in a crap mood now, you just wait. She'll seem like an absolute delight in comparison".

Piper watched Morello disappear backstage, chewing on her lip slightly. She'd seen Alex in bad moods before, but from the sounds of it, she hadn't seen anything yet. Surely she couldn't be that bad?

Piper sighed heavily. Her chances of talking her way into an audition were looking smaller and smaller by the minute.

-x-

I am SO sorry that it took me so long to start writing again. I admit, I was pretty close to not continuing Bound to You, but I had so many lovely messages asking when the next chapter would be up that I felt I couldn't just leave you all hanging like that! It would be really lovely to know if anyone is still interested in this fic and if a revival is worth it. So it would be really appreciated if you could just drop a couple words review to let me know if you're still reading. Thank you so much for all the support, I hope you guys enjoy it. Here's to (hopefully) many more nights in Litchfield!

Special thanks to mielsita, reesefries, iamsober, moanzs, bemo1992, Rhythm0fLife, giggi91, Lefty1067, PipexVauseman, raquellu47, ToTheBarricades, VillageVoice412, emilyjasmine and the 4 guests who reviewed chapter 8.

You're all darlings.