The light had faded to a dusky pink sky, and the cicadas sang a symphony in the long grass surrounding the lake. All was peaceful, until a shriek rang through the air.

"This isn't as fun as I thought it would be!" Piper squealed, having just dived into the lake stark naked. She threw her head back laughing, not caring that the mascara ran down both her cheeks.

The silence that followed was filled with peals of laughter from Alex, who watched from the bank. "You are crazy," Alex said through giggles, her cheeks tingeing as pink as the sky above them. "You realize it's freezing out here, right?" The brunette adjusted her glasses and folded her arms. "I was kidding about the skinny dipping."

Piper responded in the most mature way she could think of; by making chicken noises. She smacked the water with her hand, sending splashes up to hit Alex. "Are you a chicken, Vause?"

Alex rolled her eyes. "A warm chicken."

Piper raised her eyebrows, but couldn't stop the cheeky grin from turning the corners of her lips upwards. "Are you saying I'm not hot?"

Piper rested her head against the bank. Her hair hung around her shoulders in wet rat tails, and mascara trailed down both of her cheeks. She looked ridiculous, but not to Alex. Never, to Alex. "Please join me?" Piper asked, batting her eyelashes.

Alex rolled her eyes, looking down at Piper. Droplets of water glistened on her skin, hitting off of the fading sunlight. She resisted the urge to reach down for her, to caress the soft skin on her neck. If she started she wouldn't be able to stop. Her fingers would get tangled in her drenched hair as she raked them through it, her lips would touch Piper's as they basked in the glorious dusk the day had granted them…

"What are you staring at?" Piper asked, hugging her arms around herself. "Have I got something on my face?" She swatted at her cheek to see if there was a leaf or some other debris that Alex was looking at.

A smile skimped Alex's features and a blush swept her cheeks. "Oh, nothing," she said, stumbling over her words. She turned round, hiding her burning cheeks from Piper. Looking up at the candy floss clouds in the sky, she wondered what an actual relationship with Piper would be like. Not stealing kisses in shadows and holding hands under tables, but something tangible and open. It seemed so far away and unlikely, she didn't like to dwell on it. Because when she did, she felt hope - and that was something her jaded heart hadn't felt in a long time.

As Alex cloud watched, Piper's hands snaked out of the water. She grabbed Alex by the ankles and yanked her down into the water. Her laughter rang out clearly...until Alex's head didn't break the surface of the water.

Piper's eyes scanned the water. She was beginning to feel sick. And then she felt fingers scratching at her legs, clawing at her for a lifeline.

Alex's hands scrambled to grab for any part of Piper, her body sparing her blushes in her attempt to find air again. Meanwhile, any of Piper's self consciousness went out of the window as she pulled Alex up, clinging on to her and holding her close. When she yanked Alex's head out of the water, hearing the coughing almost instantly, Piper sent a silent thank you to the sky.

Alex spluttered as Piper held her up. When she caught her breath, she glared at Piper. "You could have killed me!"

"I didn't know you couldn't swim! You suggested skinny dipping!" Piper said, shock coursing through her veins. Her heart was hammering and adrenaline was pumping around her body. It had nowhere to go but out of her mouth. "Why the hell didn't you say?!"

"I'm not like you!" Alex exploded. "I didn't go to summer camp and swim in lakes and make friendship bracelets! No-one was around to teach me to swim!" She gasped some more air in, her lungs begging for relief. "Me and my friends aren't like you."

"What?" Piper scoffed. "What about Nicky?"

"Nicky's different," Alex insisted, shivering on the bank. "She doesn't have a mom that cares. I know your mom pisses you off but you take one look at her and you just know that you and your brothers are her world. Hell, even Diane takes an interest in me. God knows she's got her problems but she loves me, I know that. If you asked Nicky if her mom loved her, she wouldn't be able to answer."

Alex played with a blade of grass, her eyes fixed on it. She shrugged, her lips turning a light shade of blue as she trembled with the cold. "You and me...we're just different."

Piper nodded, letting a strand of wet hair fall in front of her face. To say she felt crushed was an understatement, but she didn't know how to make it better. In the past, she had never been the one with making up to do. Larry had always been the one showing up at her doorstep with flowers. But something told her Alex wasn't a flowers kinda gal.

"I know…" Piper said softly, running a finger along her bottom lip. "But that's why I like you."

Alex sighed, her anger quickly dissipating and being replaced with resigned disappointment. "No. That's why this," Alex gestured between the two of them, "won't work."

"It doesn't have to be that way," Piper said. She touched Alex's arm and recoiled at the icy feel of her skin. "Come on. Let's sit in the car."

Piper wrapped her dress around herself, grabbed both pairs of shoes, and trailed Alex to her car. She unlocked it, grabbed the blanket her father made her put there 'for emergencies' and handed it to Alex.

"Wrap this around yourself," she said. "Take off the wet clothes. You'll get hypothermia out here."

Alex obliged, shimmying out of the dress that clung to her now. She always hated getting wet. It reminded her of long waits at the bus stop when her mom was between cars, and the rain seeping into sneakers that had been worn to the point that their soles gave out. She wiggled her toes now, thankful that she didn't have to walk home.

Piper sat in the driver's side, waiting for Alex to slide in next to her. She switched on the ignition and then the heating to full blast. Alex raised her eyebrows.

"That's gonna use up all your gas."

Piper didn't know how true that was, but she didn't particularly care. She wrinkled her nose. "You're worth more than a tank of gas, Alex."

Alex looked away, watching the birds flock above them out of the window. She followed them as they dipped in and out of trees, swathed in the moonlight.

Piper watched the back of her head. Her hand reached out to touch Alex's back, but she stopped herself. Despite still dripping with water herself, she turned the heating vents to face only Alex. If she noticed, she didn't react.

"Let me spend some time with them," Piper said slowly, after a moment of silence. She had always hated silence. "Your friends, I mean. I want to get to know them. I want to be a part of your life, Alex."

"Really?" Alex turned. Her lips were rosy again, and Piper had to tear her eyes away from them. "You want to spend time with my friends?"

"For you, yes," Piper confirmed. "Nothing worth having is easy, right?"

Alex thought of her business, and how many people had told her she was wasting her time. How many people said she would amount to nothing because of where she came from. If something was worth it, then it was worth doing well. Alex nodded, not looking sure but willing to try.

"Let me sort something out."

"Yay!" Piper couldn't help the smile that lit up her face. "Oh, and Alex?" she said, her smile fading away. "I'm sorry for...well, you know. I would never have done it if I thought you could get hurt. You know that, right?"

Alex nodded. As mad as she had been from the shock, she did know that. She smirked. "I was just enjoying the view before you almost killed me."

"We can come here again," Piper said, Alex's innuendo going over her head. "It's always pretty empty. The view is gorgeous."

Alex rolled her eyes. "I meant you, Piper."

Piper's cheeks glowed. She tilted her head. "In that case, the view is right here." Her eyes flitted back down to Alex's lips, and she leaned in. She wasn't quite brave enough to touch her lips to Alex's, and the brunette leaned forward to connect them.

Sparks flying had always been delegated to books and fairytales for Piper, but with Alex, they came to life. She reluctantly drew away. "You're still freezing," she whispered, her fingers coming up to gently touch Alex's lips.

"This'll warm me up," Alex said, tangling her fingers in Piper's hair like she had imagined earlier. The kiss deepened. Alex's hands traced patterns on Piper's thigh, figures of eights and fingernails trailing across goosebump littered skin, making the blonde shiver from not just the cold.

Piper's timid hand comes up to wrap around Alex's neck, pulling her closer. Their bodies pressed together, chest to chest, and their noses brushed against each other's cheeks.

Blue eyes met green and it was like the stars had aligned in their favor. Clothes were already strewn everywhere, the kiss had left both wanting more..but Piper pulled away.

"We should get going," she said finally.

"Is...something wrong?" Alex said.

"No," Piper replied. She rested her forehead against Alex's. It really wasn't. "But not now. Not like this. Not after I almost drowned you," she joked. "My brother sits in that sit when I take him to school. I don't want...our moment to be here. I want it to be special. Because you are."

Alex didn't know if she believed it, but she nodded anyway. "I can wait," she said, tucking a strand of Piper's hair out of her eyes and behind her ear. "It'll be worth it."


A few days later, Piper found herself in the midst of a sleepover at Nicky Nichols' house. Needless to say, it wasn't Piper's idea - nor was it Alex's or Nicky's. Lorna had suggested a slumber party (something she had never had growing up with parents who didn't want their own kids in the house, let alone anyone else's), and with Marka gone and Nicky unable to say no to Lorna, the day was finally here.

Chinese food sat in the middle of the circle they had formed. Lorna sat on one side of Nicky, Alex on the other. Piper sat across from Nicky, cross legged in her matching silk pajamas. She bit her lip as she stabbed her chow mein, skewering a few noodles before pushing them around the plate instead of eating them.

Ordering take-out had been the last thing in a long line of traditional slumber party activities. Nicky had rolled her eyes at each and every one, including the truth or dare where the only embarrassed one was Piper, but to her credit, she had gone along with them all.

Tonight had meant a lot to Alex; she didn't want to mess it up by pissing off Nicky, or saying the wrong thing to Lorna. The girls were weird and reactive to the smallest thing, but they were Alex's friends. And whilst Piper was full of confidence, this was something she hadn't yet experienced - being friends with someone who came from such different backgrounds to her was foreign.

How she had convinced Nicky to hold it at her house was a question for another night, but something Piper was particularly curious about, and she looked to the blonde. She assumed it was to spend more time with Lorna, a bubbly brunette who had giggled maniacally as Piper had knocked on the door, but she couldn't be sure.

"You know, Sylvie just got out of juvie," Nicky said, taking a drag from her cigarette. She didn't feel the same apprehension. "The crazy bitch spent six months locked up and the first thing she does on the outside is hit up a dealer."

Piper watched the smoke rise up, wrinkling her nose at the thought of the smell clinging to the furniture. Alex didn't seem to notice. Her attention was firmly on Nicky's words, and her heart started hammering under her shirt at the thought of Sylvie being free.

The rumors had flown about Alex's old flame, and whilst Alex never really spoke about her, Piper knew she was still pretty infamous around town. Her own ears pricked up at the mention.

"You should probably prepare yourself for a visit," Nicky continued, rolling her eyes and waving the cigarette in the air. "You know what she's like. Unfinished business and all."

Piper glanced at Nicky. "Unfinished business?"

"Mm," Nicky said, not willing to give up any more information. She took a swig from her Starbucks cup, downing the rest of the coffee, and raised her eyebrows at Alex. The lack of a response was more interesting to her than the opportunity to piss off Piper. She stubbed out her cigarette and dropped it into the cup, pushing it onto the coffee table. "Wonder when she'll show up."

"Who knows," Alex murmured. She shook her head, leaning back against the couch. "Have you seen her?"

"Nope," Nicky said. She raised an eyebrow pointedly. "Thank God."

Piper shifted, uncrossing her legs and sitting on her knees instead. "Why?" she asked, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Is she dangerous?"

Nicky opened her mouth to reply, but when Lorna shot her a glare across the circle, she stopped short. Piper hid a smile at the tiny brunette being able to control Nicky.

"No," she said carefully, her tone measured. She caught Nicky's eye, raising her eyebrows. "But if you see her, avoid her."

"Is she causing you a problem?" Piper asked.

Alex opened her fortune cookie, the crunch deafening in the otherwise silent room. "No."

"Alex-"

"Piper, I said no."

A small silence ensued, before Lorna piped up again. She was in her element, and despite the tension, Nicky couldn't help but smile. "So...manicures?"


Later that night, when Nicky and Lorna had sneaked off somewhere to be alone, Alex took the opportunity to say what had been playing on her mind.

"Piper," Alex said, squeezing Piper's shoulders with conviction. "Promise me you won't talk to Sylvie. Don't go look for her, don't ask around about her, don't even think about her."

Piper gave a quick, shallow nod, her brow furrowing. She tucked her left hand behind her back.

"Okay," she finally said, both shocked and intrigued by the intensity with which Alex was asking her this. If anything, it made her more curious. Crossing her fingers on the hand behind her back, she echoed, "I promise."


A/N:
I know it's been a while but this was just a hard chapter to write for whatever reason! But I hope you liked it.
Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews. You guys are all so sweet.
Also, thanks to the guest reviewer on Midnight Lullabies who told me about someone copying this on Wattpad! It wasn't me, and I'm so grateful you took the time to let me know. I assume you read this one too, so thank you! So annoying!
Please leave a review letting me know your thoughts. I love hearing from you all.

Hope you're all good!

- Star xo