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

Just a quick message to the guest- Toye, who left a review on the last chapter about Alex and Piper's ages. 44 is not too old for Alex. Yes, 44 might be too old for the timeline of what the show goes off of but when I started writing Snowflakes, I changed it a bit. I've always written Alex as four year older than Piper and Piper was 22 when she met Alex. They were together for four years. Making Piper 26 and Alex 30 when they broke up. Then six years passed before they were at Litchfield. Making Piper 32 when she entered in 2013. Alex would be 36 when she went to Litchfield. Then Piper got out in 2015- making her 34 and Alex 38. Then add another six years and she is 44 when she got out in 2021 and Piper 40. Just thought I should explain. I have planned out their timeline to a T.

Also, there will be flashbacks from Snowflakes in this. Non-con, just a heads up.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

Rainstorms

Chapter 9

Laundry

February 2019

"Are you crazy?" asked Piper as she glared across the table at Nicky.

"What?" replied Nicky with a shrug of her shoulders. "It's been a while for you. Joanna is hot! Go for it!"

Piper just continued to stare at Nicky at this. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her friend. No, there was no way she was doing that, she thought to herself. She couldn't. She wouldn't.

"Are you seriously thinking about turning her down?!" Nicky couldn't believe that Piper was thinking about turning down Joanna. If she wasn't with Lorna she would definitely get with her.

"I am in no position to go out with her..."

"You're single."

"Yes, but I also have a daughter to think about," explained Piper as she looked down at the sleeping toddler in her stroller. She hadn't gone out with anyone since her divorce, and she didn't have any plans on going out anytime soon. Love was a complicated thing for Piper. She had already loved twice in her life and had screwed it up both times. She was better off just focusing on her daughter and loving her rather than putting herself into a relationship at the moment.

"Joanna knows that you've a kid," replied Nicky. She couldn't believe how stubborn Piper was being at the moment about this. Joanna was a friend of Lorna's. She had met Piper a couple of days ago and had asked her out on a date. "That's no big deal."

Piper didn't say anything as she continued to look at her sleeping daughter's face. The blonde was a little skeptical. Yes, Joanna was hot. She had blue eyes and blonde hair like Piper. She and Piper had flirted a little, but she was no Alex.

"Is this about Vause?" asked Nicky as if reading Piper's thoughts.

Piper head snapped up at this, her eyes locking with Nicky's. No, this was not about Alex, she thought. Yes, she still loved her, and she was the last woman she had been with. But this was way more than just about her.

"Because, you know she has a girlfriend," continued on Nicky. She had yet to tell Piper that Alex had found herself a little jailbird girlfriend to keep her company.

Piper cocked an eyebrow at this. She tried not to let too much emotion show on her face. This was the first time she was hearing that Alex had a girlfriend, but it didn't surprise her. Litchfield was a lonely place. It was good to have someone there with you to love. As much as it hurt, she was happy for Alex. "It's not Big Boo, is it?"

Nicky's face broke out into a wide grin at this. "No, she isn't the newest Mrs. Boo."

"Well...I'm happy for her. It's good she has someone at Litchfield. It's a rough place to be alone in..." Piper's voice trailed off as she downcast her eyes onto the surface of the table. She was suddenly filled with memories of Litchfield. Good and bad ones.

Nicky was quiet as she looked on at Piper. She was right. Litchfield was a bitch to go through alone.

A moment passed before Piper looked up at Nicky.

"Okay," she whispered. As much as she didn't want to, she knew that Nicky wouldn't drop it until she agreed. Plus, it was only a date. Not marriage or anything serious. If Alex could move on, so could she, she thought. What was she waiting for really? Alex wasn't getting out anytime soon. And even if she did, the chances that they would get back together were next to impossible. Piper deserved to be happy, everyone else seemed to be.

Nicky cocked an eyebrow at this. Was the blonde saying what she thought she was saying?

"Okay. I'll do it. I'll go out on the stupid date."

Nicky grinned at this, "You won't regret it, Chapman!"

Piper couldn't help but smile back at Nicky. She hoped she wouldn't regret it.

September 2021

The room was quiet except for the sound of the washing machines.

Alex was at work and once again found herself doing laundry. It was only her at the moment as she opened one of the machines and began to pull out the load of bed sheets that had just been done.

She hated being down here. Especially on her own.

It reminded her too much, felt too much like Litchfield's laundry room.

She hated it.

It was usually easier when she was surrounded by the other maids. She didn't really get along with them, but all their chatter took her away from her own thoughts. They distracted her.

But it was the nightshift and just her.

She chewed on her bottom lip as she closed the door to the machine and carried the basket full of soaking wet sheets to the dryer. Her back ached slightly, but she continued to work away.

It had been a week since Alex had seen Piper. Issy had just started school and wasn't over at the house so much. She had mixed feelings about this. She was happy that she didn't have to worry about coming back to the house and seeing Piper there, but at the same time, Alex wanted to see her. She was so used to seeing the blonde on a regular basis now that she found herself almost getting disappointed when she didn't see her. It was confusing to say the least.

As she finished loading the dryer and was starting a new load, a sudden thought came to her mind. One that she couldn't shake.

Ever since Nicky had mentioned Pennsatucky, she couldn't get the hick out of her mind. Pennsatucky had been released from Litchfield two years ago. Her and Alex's paths had crossed over the years, but they had avoided each other for the most part. Alex had hated what she had done to Doggett after the fact, but she wouldn't admit it to her. Plus, it had solved one of her problems.

Pennsatucky had stopped making Piper's life at Litchfield a nightmare.

As Alex continued to stand in the laundry room alone with the thundering of the machines in the background, she was drifted back to that day that changed everything.

She had been seeing red that day. She was out for revenge on Pennsatucky for selling out Piper to Healy. She had missed her chance with Healy for what he had done to Piper, but Pennsatucky had still been there, causing trouble. She had wanted to put that bible-thumping hick in her place. She had needed to be taught a lesson...

"Oh, so you don't have any idea why Healy got fired? huh?" Alex asked, cocking an eyebrow, her eyes continued to pierce intensely at Pennsatucky. "You wouldn't have anything to do with that now...would you, Tiffany?" Her voice filled with sudden sweetness as she spoke Pennsatucky's name slowly. She then released her left hand from Pennsatucky's wrist and slowly trailed a finger down the curve of her neck. She wanted to make the other woman squirm.

"That's such a pretty name...T-IFF-AN-EE," she drew out each sound slowly, caressing each syllable with her tongue as she leaned in closer to Doggett's, planting a kiss softly on her jaw line. She smiled as she felt the other woman stiffen slightly at her touch.

"You don't know what ya talking about, dyke!" whispered Pennsatucky as her eyes locked with Alex, who was still continuing to grin at her. Her hand was traveling slowly along the V-neck of the front of her shirt. Taunting Pennsatucky.

"Oh, really?!" whispered Alex in reply, the smile was gone from her face as she continued to glare at Pennsatucky. Her left hand was back, pinning Pennsatucky's wrist against the wall. Alex then slowly began to move her arms, so that her wrists were pinned above her head.

Pennsatucky tried to break free, but Alex was too strong for her.

Alex just sniggered slightly at this. "So you aren't the reason why Piper is walking around like a fucking zombie for what Healy did to her?" Alex's voice was filled with coldness towards the meth head. Her heart was beating rapidly with adrenaline as she continued to press Pennsatucky against the machine.

Pennsatucky didn't say anything at this. There was a mix of emotions playing out on her face as she continued to look up at Alex.

"Were you that fucking pissed off at her that you had to report her to Healy?" Alex continued. "I know... I know, she beat the crap out of you, and she deserved to pay. But it's been five fucking months! Couldn't you let it go? Huh? Didn't Jesus forgive Judas for giving him up...couldn't you do that same? Couldn't you fucking be the bigger person, Pennsatucky, and just let it all go? And maybe, for once, forgive someone like Jesus fucking teaches people to do?" Her voice was low but filled with rage towards Pennsatucky as she continued to hold her wrists in place.

Pennsatucky, once again, didn't say anything in reply.

"Shit! Doggett! You really are that fucking pigheaded!" snarled Alex in disbelief. "You really thought that you would get away with all this...that you could trust that bastard Healy to not give you away? That Piper wouldn't figure it all fucking out?...If I didn't know any better, I would think you were jealous of her in a way...Maybe you secretly have a crush on her and are upset that she flat out rejected you...just like she did with Healy...mmhm, how fucking close am I now?" asked Alex, a smile once again playing on her lips. She blew hot air against Pennsatucky's exposed neck, making her squirm again.

"Healy was fucking jealous that Piper chose me...instead of him. And I am starting to think that the same goes for you, Tiffany," she once again whispered her name tenderly, "That you fucking loved Piper and was pissed off she didn't return your affection...so then you and Healy got together to plot revenge on her...What is this? Fucking Mean Girls or something?" Alex was silent for a moment as she continued to purse her lips at Pennsatucky.

"What did Healy give you as a reward, huh? What did you ask for in return for snitching on Piper? Taystee I heard got candy from him...What did you fucking get?" She raised her eyebrows once again, waiting for Pennsatucky to reply, but she knew she wasn't going to. "Well, I hope whatever it was, it was fucking worth it...because you know what Tiffany...you're going to hell! Maybe not today...maybe not to tomorrow...but when judgement day does come...you're fucking going to burn in hell...Jesus doesn't like a snitch!"

A silence then fell over the two women as they continued to lock eyes with one another.

"You're fucking going to burn in hell!" murmured Pennsatucky. Her voice was bitter. Her eyes were filled with burning rage as she raised her chin at Alex. "Jesus has my back! I might have snitched, but that bitch fucking deserved it! She's a sinner. A no-good sinner! She fucking deserved everything she got from Healy! And you're going to burn in hell too! Jesus doesn't like lesbians!" Her voice rose higher and higher with each word spoken. She had suddenly found her confidence.

The corners of Alex's mouth tugged upwards, showing her teeth to Pennsatucky like a wolf.

She was done playing nice.

"I will show you a sinner!" whispered Alex as she pressed her body further up against Pennsatucky.

"I don't know if you remembered, but I said I would fuck you, literally...and this your lucky moment," she whispered, seeing the fear flash before Pennsatucky's eyes. She did remember.

Alex smirked at this before she placed a soft kiss on the side of Pennsatucky's neck...

Alex knew that she had gone too far with Pennsatucky, but the smaller woman had never snitched on her. After the incident, Alex had left the laundry room and gone to dinner like nothing had happened. She had walked on eggshells for days it seemed afterwards. But nothing happened. Prison life had gone on. The only thing that changed was that Pennsatucky kept her trap closed. Well, at least around her and Piper. She never bothered the two women again while at Litchfield.

Alex couldn't help but let out a deep breath as she pushed her glasses up into her hair and rubbed her face. An unnerved feeling fluttered in the pit of her stomach. She wasn't one to live in the past. She tried to put all the bad stuff that had happened in her life behind her and live only in the present. However, there were always a few things that she couldn't get away from.

Piper being the first and what she had done to Pennsatucky coming in as a close second.

It would forever haunt her.

And there was no way she was going to tell Piper. She had never planned on doing so when she was with Piper and had no plans on doing so now. Nicky was wrong, it wouldn't open the lines of commutation between them, thought Alex to herself.

It would do the opposite. It would close them.

February 2019

Piper couldn't believe she was doing this. Never in a million years did she think she would be going out on a date with a friend of Lorna's.

Especially a female friend.

Piper had always been attracted to both sexes but had swayed more to the male side, usually. It wasn't until Alex Vause had stepped into her life that things changed. She had been attracted to Alex from the start. She had been her first real romance with a woman since that summer fling she had with Lucy Martin when she was thirteen. She had fallen for Alex and hard. After the break up, Piper had dated a string of both women and men, but nothing had really satisfied her or compared to what she'd had with Alex, until Larry came into the picture.

But she hadn't dated anyone since either of them. This was her first date in years, and she was a little nervous to say the least.

Piper continued to take in her appearance in the mirror of the vanity when there was a knock at the front door. Her blue eyes immediately glanced over to the clock on the wall. She cursed underneath her breath before rising to her feet. She then made her way out of the room and to the front door.

"Coming," she called out.

"Hey, Chapman," greeted Nicky warmly to Piper as she opened the door a moment later.

"Hey," greeted back Piper as she continued to glance down at the other woman before gesturing for her to come inside. Nicky was here to babysit Issy while Piper went out on her date.

"How are things?" asked Nicky as she slowly began to unzip the black parka she was wearing and continued to look at Piper, who was shutting the front door.

"They're okay," answered Piper in a nervous voice.

"You nervous?" asked Nicky with a slight smirk on her face. Her brown eyes gleamed with amusement as she handed Piper her coat.

Piper just shrugged her shoulders as she took the coat from Nicky and hung it up in the hall closet. "Just a little," she murmured, a slight smile peering on her face.

The two women continued to look at each other before Nicky clasped a hand onto Piper's arm. "You will be fine. It's just a date. Enjoy it. You never know, it can lead to something more, and if not. No biggie. There are plenty of other bitches in the dog park!"

Piper couldn't help but laugh at this. Nicky, no matter what, always seemed to know how to put a smile on her face. "Thanks," she replied.

"So where's the little one?" asked Nicky. Usually Issy was glued to Piper's side.

"She's sleeping," replied Piper as she motioned for Nicky to go into the living room. "She didn't have her nap this afternoon. I'm hoping she'll sleep through the rest of the night, but knowing Issy, she won't."

Nicky just nodded her head at Piper as she made herself comfortable on the couch.

"She's already eaten dinner, but if she does wake up...there is a bottle of milk already prepared in the fridge. You can give her that," Piper continued to explain. She knew that Nicky already knew all this. This wouldn't be her first time babysitting the tyke. However, she still felt like she needed to explain.

"Okay," replied Nicky, nodding her head in understanding. She pretty much knew all this.

"I shouldn't be late," Piper ran a hand through her hair. "Probably around ten-ish or so."

"Chapman, don't worry about being late or not. I got nowhere to go. Enjoy the night," Nicky meant this. Piper deserved to have a night out. The blonde hadn't been out since she'd the kid. She needed to have a little fun, she thought.

Piper let out a deep breath as she nodded her head slightly in agreement. She wanted to enjoy the night, but she was just so fucking nervous.

September 2021

Piper stiffened a yawn at the sound of the dryer going off.

It was late, and she was doing laundry. It was the only time that the machines in her building seemed to be free. Standing up from where she was seated on one of the plastic chairs that lined the wall, she slowly walked towards the machine.

She felt her body protest as she suddenly knelt down and began to unload the machine, but she carried on. Piper, who had turned 40 in March still made sure to run and do yoga, but she could feel her age at times. She didn't have as much energy as she used to have, especially with taking care of a four-year-old.

Piper slowly straightened her back as she rested the heavy laundry basket on her hip and walked out of the room. She still had another load to do which she had left upstairs in her apartment. The blonde usually did her laundry when Issy was with Larry like tonight. It made it a lot easier when she didn't have to keep an eye on the energetic four-year-old.

The blonde returned to the laundry room a few moments later with another load of clothes.

As she loaded the clothes into the washing machine, she couldn't help but think of Alex. She always thought of Alex when she did laundry it seemed. The two just seemed to go together in her mind. Alex probably would hate being associated with laundry, but Piper couldn't help it. She had a few memories of Alex that involved a laundry room or laundry in some sense. There had been the time that she and Alex had had sex in the Laundromat down the street from Piper's crappy student apartment. And that time on their world travels when they just threw their dirty clothes in the hallway for the maid to pick up. And that time in Litchfield when Alex had gotten stuck in the dryer. And that other time when she had kissed her in the laundry room.

Piper couldn't help but sigh as she thought about all those times. She didn't know how she should be feeling about Alex. They had barely talked or seen each other since that moment in the kitchen. And there had been a moment, she thought. There were always some sort of moment with Alex. They had too much history together for there not to be.

They would always have some sort of connection, she figured.

Alex Vause would forever seem inevitable to her.

February 2019

Piper found herself blushing as she stood just outside of her apartment building and met Joanna's eyes. It was pouring rain and the two women were standing underneath an umbrella.

It was odd to have rainfall like this in the middle of winter. Usually, around this time there would be snow or ice pelts. But no, this was full-on rain like April showers kind of rain.

The date had gone surprisingly well. Way better than Piper had thought it would have. Joanna, like Piper, was a lover of anything organic and green. She was a college graduate like Piper. She was just a year younger than Piper. The two women had hit it off well tonight.

And the most surprising thing was that Piper had fun tonight. A lot more fun than she'd in a while.

The blonde found herself getting lost in Joanna's blue eyes. It had been a while since she had felt such a strong attraction to someone. It was liberating to say the least. The two women continued to look into each other's eyes for a moment longer before Joanna spoke.

"I don't usually do this on first dates, but...can I kiss you?"

A small smile appeared on Piper's face at this. She once again blushed underneath Joanna's gaze before slowly nodding her head.

Yes, Joanna could kiss her, and she did.

Joanna flashed a smile at Piper before tipping her head to the side and pressing her mouth to hers. The kiss was tender and soft just how Piper had imagined it would be. Piper's mouth responded to this. She immediately kissed her back.

They stayed like this for a moment or two longer before breaking a part. They once again stared intensely at each other before leaning in for another one.

The second kiss was a little longer and rougher than the first one had been.

Okay, you all probably hate me. There was no Vauseman, but just wait for the next chapter. It will be all Vauseman...wink...wink! lol.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

Julie