A/N

Hey peeps, thanks for all the feedback on the story so far. I understand what you're saying re Piper not being active enough in things, hopefully this chapter starts to change that. I feel like there are so many conflicting things about Piper's personality, where she can be confrontational and then timid at the same time.

Given the point we've reached in the story and the relationships that have already been established, things will become more vauseman centric going forward. But Sally will obviously still feature heavily given her close bonds to both Alex and Piper.

Anyways, let me know what you think of this chapter, particularly Piper's actions...

Cheers.

Chapter 10

Alex pulled back from the kiss and rested her forehead against Piper's, her arms still wrapped around the blonde's waist. She had never said those words to a girlfriend before, this was a completely new feeling.

"I do love you Pipes, maybe too much."

They kept standing there, holding each other. This was the safest Alex had felt in weeks and she didn't want to let go. She sighed as she felt Piper's fingertips run over her cheeks.

"Please listen to me Al, don't go home yet. Just go to the library or something, last period is nearly over anyway. I'll take you home."

"Okay." Alex kissed Piper one more time, it felt different now. She could feel it in her chest and her stomach, how close she felt to the girl standing in front of her.

They finally left the bathroom and Alex walked towards the library, she felt so much calmer now. But Piper didn't go back to class. She walked straight back down the hallway to Caputo's office, she needed to at least try and talk to him. She reached his door and walked straight in, catching him by surprise.

"Didn't your mother teach you to knock?"

Piper ignored him, she needed to get straight to the point.

"You can't do this to her Mr Caputo."

"What are you talking about Piper?"

"I'm talking about Alex, you know what Sam Healy has been putting her through. You haven't reprimanded him once, but you don't hesitate to punish her."

Caputo was standing up now, "Hey, there's nothing I can do if she's stupid enough to get caught on camera! Why are you in here anyway? You only started here a few months ago, you barely know her."

The words were flying out of Piper's mouth before she knew what she was doing, she needed to keep trying.

"She's my girlfriend!"

Caputo looked surprised, but it didn't change his attitude.

"Fine, you're her girlfriend, but that doesn't change anything. Maybe you should try and talk some sense into her, she's only hurting herself."

"You know what happened to her! You know that he's bullying her! Why won't you do anything?"

"Because I can't! I can't do anything without evidence."

Piper's voice started to get louder, "You put this completely unrealistic burden of proof on her! She'll end up being forced into state care if you don't start doing your job!"

"Chapman! This has nothing to do with you!"

"It has everything to do with me! You need to start listening! Don't you care about what happens to her?"

Piper could feel the blood pulsing through her veins as she watched Caputo slump back down into his chair, she was obviously wearing him down.

"Of course I care. But if you want me to do something then I need proof. You bring me some proof, then I can do something. But until then, you need to calm down, and try convince Alex to stay out of trouble."

"Are you still suspending her?"

"Yes Piper! Now go, go back to your class."

Piper walked out of his office, but this time she felt like she had a purpose. This time she knew exactly what she needed to do.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper didn't go back to class, she needed to find Healy, and she was pretty sure she knew where he'd be. She walked towards the parking lot and saw him standing next to his car, it was impossible to miss the four very flat tyres. She waited until he got off his phone and started walking towards him. She'd already made sure she turned on the voice recording app on her own phone and put it back in her jeans pocket. If Caputo was so obsessed with having hard evidence of what Healy was doing, then that's what she'd give him. Not only would she have voice recordings on her phone, but Caputo had already told her there were cameras recording the student parking lot.

"Why do you hate Alex so much?"

It felt like he was looking at her forever, his expression was almost curious. She was sick of waiting for him to answer, so she kept talking.

"Is it because she's gay, or is it because of your mum?"

Now he stepped towards her and grabbed her wrist tight. It was already starting to hurt, but Piper knew she needed to keep going.

"I only started at this school this year. But I've already seen you make her fucking miserable. The first day I was here, I saw you slam her into the lockers. Every week you make her life miserable, then it was all topped off when you put her in the fucking hospital. And now you're going after Sally, all because she tried to protect Alex from you."

Piper could feel him squeezing her wrist harder, and finally he started talking.

"Alex deserves everything she fucking gets. And so long as I need to see her face every day here, I'm gonna make sure she knows."

"Make sure she knows what Sam?!"

This time he dragged her in close, bringing her face inches away from his own.

"I will make sure she knows that she is a waste of space, and that she doesn't deserve to be here. And the same goes for her fucking sister. They're both disgusting and pathetic as far as I'm concerned, and I have no problem making sure they never forget it."

"She's stronger than you think Sam, she will always be stronger than you."

He leaned in close to her again, his voice was getting darker with every word.

"Then I'll just have to hit her harder next time."

Piper never broke eye contact, she was not willing to back down from him, no matter how much he tried to intimidate her.

"Next time it won't just be a short trip to the hospital. I'll never understand why someone like you would sink to her level."

Piper was confident she had more than enough evidence for Caputo, now she needed to get away from this maniac. She tried to pull her wrist out of his grip, but he just held on tighter.

"Let go of me!"

He just kept staring at her, saying nothing. Piper tried again to pull her wrist free, but he kept holding on tight and started twisting her wrist in his grip.

"You're hurting me! Fucking let go!"

"If you think Alex is so great, you'd better get used to this, you're just as delusional as she is."

He started to twist her wrist more and Piper knew she wouldn't be able to pull herself free. She took a step back and kicked him in the leg, making him let go of her. She ran back towards the main building as soon as he let go, but she could still hear him call out after her.

"You're no better than her Chapman!"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper ran as fast as she could back to Caputo's office, she needed him to do something about this now. She needed Alex to know that she wasn't alone in this. Her wrist was stinging and she could see the red marks his fingers had left on her skin. She flung open his door again and rushed in.

"What the hell is wrong with you Chapman! We are done for today."

Piper ignored him, took out her phone and hit play on the new recording. She made sure the volume was turned all the way up. The sound was muffled because of her jeans, but it was still loud enough to make out the words.

"…I'll just have to hit her harder next time…..Alex deserves everything she fucking gets…"

"Is that good enough evidence?"

Caputo was standing up, leaning over his desk. He kept running his fingers over his moustache again and again, in between straightening his suit jacket. This was real evidence, and Piper was not going to leave that office until he did something about it.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper hoped Alex had listened to her and waited in the library so she could give her a lift home. At the very least, she knew Sally would be waiting for her in the parking lot. She called Sally and told her to come to Caputo's office right now, and to bring Alex if she was still in the library.

Piper sat across from Caputo, just waiting. She had her arms crossed over her chest and kept tapping her foot against the floor. Her wrist was throbbing but she ignored it, she couldn't relax until she knew what was going to happen. She kept sitting in silence until Alex and Sally walked into the office ten minutes later.

Piper practically jumped out of her chair as soon as she saw Alex and threw her arms around her neck. She couldn't stop her arms from trembling. She hadn't even been able to process the fact that she told Alex she loved her, let alone her confrontation with Healy. She could tell from Alex's touch that she was worried, but that feeling of Alex's hands on her back and their faces touching made her feel so much better.

"It's okay Pipes, I'm here, I didn't go anywhere."

Alex kept holding onto Piper for a few more moments until Caputo started talking.

"Take a seat ladies."

Alex and Piper sat in the two chairs across from Caputo's desk and Sally stood behind them. Alex reached out and grabbed Piper's hand without even realising. She was starting to feel nervous.

Caputo didn't say anything and hit play on Piper's recording, they all needed to hear it.

Alex didn't even realise she was squeezing Piper's hand tighter by the time it finished, she wasn't even sure what she just listened to. But she was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt Piper pull back her hand and whimper. At first she thought Piper was angry with her, until she saw the blonde rubbing the bright red marks across her wrist.

"Are you okay? You need to tell us what's going on Pipes."

Alex sat there patiently and listened to Piper explain it all, from her conversation with Caputo to her confrontation with Healy. They had the voice recording and the video footage from the parking lot security cameras. Alex felt her sister put a hand on her shoulder, this was the first time in so long that Alex felt anything remotely close to hope. All three girls were trying to process their thoughts, and Caputo kept talking.

"I'll need a copy of this recording Piper, and I'll talk to the security guards this afternoon about looking at that footage. I'll be talking to Sam first thing tomorrow morning."

It was more progress than they'd ever had in the last two years, but Sally wanted to know more.

"What are you gonna do to him?"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, I need to talk to Sam first. Something will be done, I just can't say what that will be right now."

"What about Alex?"

Sally was really hoping he might lift Alex's suspension.

"You're still suspended for the rest of the week."

Piper couldn't believe it, "You know that she was just trying to defend herself!"

"Yeah, and I have video footage of her slashing tyres! Alex, I don't want to see you on school grounds until next week. Sally and Piper, we'll talk again tomorrow."

The girls knew there was no point arguing any more and they all left Caputo's office. All three of them started walking towards Piper's car. It had been a crazy day, and there was still so much more to talk about.

0-0-0-0-0

Sally had a rare dinner time shift at Red's that night, leaving Alex and Piper alone in the apartment. They sat next to each other on the lounge room floor. Alex reached out and took Piper's hand, looking at her wrist. It was obviously still sore, but at least the red marks had gone down. Alex gently kissed the red marks, and she was overcome with the completely unfamiliar need to tell Piper everything.

"I've never loved someone like I love you."

"Me neither."

"It's almost scary. Does that even make sense?"

"Yeah, it does."

"I think on some level I didn't want to fall in love with anyone, I always tried to keep new people at a safe distance. But I could never do that with you. I was always afraid that if I ever fell in love, it would just be another person that I could lose."

Alex smiled as she remembered back to when they first met, "I liked you from that first day, even though you knew nothing about Donnie Darko."

Piper laughed and playfully pushed her girlfriend's shoulder, she remembered everything about that day. Especially the end of that day when Alex fell asleep on her shoulder while they were sitting on the couch.

"I tried to convince myself that it was just physical, but it wasn't. You were always there….and I missed you when you weren't there. And then I just stopped being afraid, I couldn't stop thinking about you. And then what you did for me today….Fuck Pipes, you'll never know what that means to me."

Alex felt like she was rambling but she needed to get those words out, she needed Piper to know. Piper just smiled and rested her head on Alex's shoulder.

"You put yourself on the line for me today."

Piper kept leaning on the brunette's shoulder, "I had to do something, I had to at least try. I meant it when I said I loved you. That means you need to let me help."

"I will."

They kept sitting together and flicking through TV stations, eating ham and cheese sandwiches for dinner. Piper was responding to a text from her mum when she noticed how close it was to Thanksgiving, and she realised that Alex and Sally would probably be spending the day alone.

"You and Sal should come to Thanksgiving at my place, that way we can spend the day together."

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea Pipes, what about your mum?"

"We don't need to say anything about us, but it will be a good chance for her to get to know you. It'll just be me, Cal, my mum and grandmother. It's just dinner, I don't want you sitting here on your own."

Alex was nervous about meeting Carol Chapman, Piper never really described her in a positive light.

"And what if your mum hates me?"

"She's not going to hate you Al, and my grandma is really nice. And even if my mum didn't like you, I don't care."

"You might regret saying that."

"No, I won't."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Sally ended up meeting John after work for a drink, which gave Alex and Piper even more alone time together. It was nearly midnight, Piper had already let her mum know that she wouldn't be home that night. Of course, Carol was annoyed that Piper was staying out on a school night, but she was also glad her daughter had managed to make new friends. Piper knew that sleep was a problem for Alex, but it wasn't something they'd spoken about much in the two girls were lying next to each other on the usual array of blankets and pillows.

Piper could see that Alex was trying to keep her eyes open, clearly fighting off sleep.

"You don't have to be embarrassed or ashamed if you have bad dreams in front of me Al."

She felt the brunette stiffen slightly in her arms, but then she started to talk.

"I know..."

For a moment Piper thought Alex was going to get upset, she scolded herself internally for saying anything about it when so much had already happened in the last 24 hours. So she was relieved to hear her girlfriend's voice again.

"To be honest, I don't dream anywhere near as much when I sleep next to you."

Piper was surprised that Alex was even willing to admit that to her. But it meant a lot to the blonde, it proved to her how much Alex trusted her. It also got her mind thinking back to what Sally said when she first found out about them, her words around not hurting Alex. Right now she couldn't imagine ever hurting Alex, and if she did ever hurt her by accident, she'd do anything to make it better again.

All of these things gave her the courage to introduce Alex to her mum, even if only as a friend. She needed to see how Carol would react to her, whether she'd give Alex a chance. Then Piper could decide what to do next.

Piper was starting to get tired too, plus she still had to go to school the next day. She was excited and nervous about what Caputo would do about Healy, and for the first time in so long she felt like she was in control. She really felt like she had the opportunity to make a difference.

Piper shuffled towards Alex until she was up against her back. She hugged the brunette from behind and whispered in her ear before going to sleep, "Goodnight Al, I love you."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Piper was so impatient the next day at school, it was lunch time and they still hadn't spoken to Caputo.

Sally could tell how nervous she was, "You've done the hard stuff already Pipes, don't make yourself feel sick before we've spoken to him."

"I know, but I can't stop thinking about it. I haven't seen Sam at all today, surely he's been sent home. Fuck, if Caputo has done nothing and he's still walking around school grounds, I .."

Sally reached across the lunch table and placed a hand on Piper's, "Hey, he can't do nothing this time, we just need to be patient. I know you're worried about her, but I can guarantee you that no matter what happens, she will be okay. Don't forget how fucking stubborn she is."

Sally was glad to see her friend smile, but that didn't prepare her for what Piper was about to say.

"I told her I loved her..."

Piper wasn't sure why, but she wanted Sally to know that this wasn't a game for her. She had completely fallen in love with her best friend's sister, and she needed her to know that she would never hurt Alex.

"Okay, that happened kinda fast."

Sally felt her protective side coming out, but at the same time she knew Piper was being serious.

"But it doesn't feel fast to me. I just wanted you to know."

"I know, and I do trust you Pipes. But it doesn't matter how old she gets, she'll always be my little sister. Did she say it back?"

"Yeah, she did."

Sally smiled and looked down at her lunch, she knew that Alex would never say those words if she didn't mean it.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Sally and Piper were finally called into Caupto's office towards the end of the day. Piper was so nervous as they stood outside his office, she squeezed Sally's hand until he opened the door and invited them in. Piper felt like the air in his small office was stale, like he never opened the window. She sat in the same chair as the day before and crossed her arms, she wanted this to be over and done with.

"Okay girls, I spoke to Sam this morning. I showed him the security camera footage from the parking lot and the voice recording. Needless to say he stayed pretty quiet. I also spoke to his father to explain what's happened and talk about my concerns."

The way he was talking annoyed Piper so much, "Yeah, your concerns! If only you'd voiced those concerns a little earlier, things would never have gotten so bad..."

"I'm suspending him for two weeks, and we'll be keeping a close eye on him for the rest of the school year. If there are any other incidents between Sam and Alex, you need to come to me immediately."

Piper's voice kept shouting inside her own mind, then she heard Sally's voice echo through the office.

"We will come to you immediately, but we've come to you so many times in the past and you never believed us. Are you saying that you'll actually take action if he does something else?"

"What I'm saying is that we now have evidence of a pattern of behaviour. So if things happen in the future, we have something to link it back to. We saw him get physical with Piper, and he clearly threatens Alex on the voice recording."

Piper was glad that at least something was being done, but it wasn't enough.

"Why aren't you expelling him? He's not going to care about being suspended for two weeks!"

"I've had enough of your outbursts Piper! Trust me, he cares about the suspension. I can't expel him over one incident."

By now Piper was standing, "It was never one incident!"

"Sit down Chapman! All I have is evidence of one incident, that's what he's being punished for. And I promise that we will be keeping a closer eye on him. But both of you need to make sure Alex stays out of trouble."

Piper sat back down and closed her eyes, she needed to regain some composure. She couldn't believe that he was still talking about Alex's behaviour, he could never let it go. Alex wasn't the bad guy here, but all he could ever talk about was her mistakes.

"I promise, we'll look out for her. But you gotta play the game too girls. I need your word that you'll come to me if anything else happens."

Sally answered him, she was ready for this meeting to be over, "Okay, we will."

Five minutes later and both girls had left his office. The day was nearly over and there was no point going back to class, so they headed back towards Piper's car.

"I know you wanted more Pipes, but this is still good."

Piper fumbled as she tried to find her car keys, but her emotions were getting the better of her.

Sally reached out and tried to get her to stop, "Pipes, you gotta calm down. This is a good thing, and it only happened because of you."

Piper leaned her head against the car door and tried to take a few deep breaths, "I know..."

"Hey, I know how much you care about her."

"I meant it when I said I loved her Sal."

"I believe you."

Piper was starting to feel better, and both girls got in the car and started the drive towards the apartment. The monotony of driving helped Piper calm down, she felt like she could finally think straight.

"I will not let anything else happen to her, it's not an option anymore."