Authors Note: Thank you all for the reviews and follows. Sorry I forgot the tissue warning in the last chapter, well they might be needed again in this chapter. Once again I do not own these characters.
A week had passed since Piper had started Chemotherapy; Alex took her each day before work and went to see Shania while she was there. Polly, Nicky, Lorna, and Carol would come in and sit with Piper even though it was quite clear she didn't want anyone there. Shania now weighed four pounds and the doctors had told them in about a week she would be able to come home if everything stayed as well as it was now. Sofia was excellent through this whole process so far, she still didn't fully understand what was happening but Alex had told her if she had any questions or just wanted to talk that she had two loving mothers who are always there to listen, as well as the rest of the family.
It was a Thursday afternoon and Piper was still in treatment when Alex came back to check on her. Alex had gone to work, but came back on her lunch break to feed Shania and check on her wife. When Alex walked down the hall way she saw Polly standing in the hallway. Alex quickly rushed over to her and asked "Hey is Piper okay?"
Polly looked up from her phone when she heard Alex's voice "Your guess is as good as mine, she kicked me out an hour ago." Polly told her while she put her phone back in her pocket.
Alex shook her head "What do you mean she kicked you out?" Alex asked
"What it sounds like, she told me to get out, I was sitting there reading some magazine since she didn't want to talk, and then next thing I knew I was being kicked out." Polly told her while she shrugged her shoulders.
"Just like that she told you to get out" Alex asked totally confused, Piper was doing so well and even though she didn't want people staying with her during treatment she was grateful that they did.
"Just like that Alex. I can't tell you anything else because I don't know." Polly snapped at her. "Sorry, Finn was up all night thanks to Pete he gave him tons of candy and Pete is away on business." Polly apologized.
"it's okay, I'm going to go and check on her." Alex told her and Polly told her good luck.
Alex walked into the treatment area and walked over to where Piper was sitting "Hey Pipes" Alex greeted her with a smile.
"I'm going to say the same thing I told Polly, please leave" Piper told her without even looking at her.
Alex did exactly what Piper didn't want; she walked over to the chair beside her wife and sat down. "Pipes what is going on?" Alex asked while she took her hand. When Piper didn't answer Alex spoke again "Please Piper don't shut me out."
Piper let out a sigh and rolled her eyes "What is wrong, really Alex you need to ask that?" Piper snapped at her.
"Pipes we just want to be here for you." Alex told her softly trying not to disturb the other patients.
"Well don't" Piper snapped and pulled her hand from Alex's and pointed at the door.
"Fine I'll leave if that is what you really want. I'll be back when your treatment is over" Alex told her while she stood up and walked out of the room.
"No such luck?" Polly asked when she saw Alex walk back out into the hallway.
"Nope, she doesn't want us to be here for her apparently. I'm going back to see Shania then going to work." Alex told her and walked off hurt and pissed that Piper didn't want her around.
After Alex left Polly went back inside to see Piper "You sure you want me to leave as well?" Polly asked and Piper nodded her head. Polly grabbed her purse that was behind Piper's chair and leaned down to hug her friend "Remember we care and love you. We just want to help you and be here for you Pipes." Polly whispered in her ear before she too left the room giving Piper the space she wanted.
As Polly was leaving the hospital, she walked down to the NICU and looked in the window to see Alex holding Shania in her arms talking to her. Polly tapped on the window lightly and Alex looked up and told her to come inside.
"Hey" Polly said while she walked over to Alex and Shania.
"Hey look who is here baby girl, Auntie Polly" Alex said excitedly to the little girl "Can you say hi to Auntie Polly?" Alex asked with a smile.
"Hey there little one" Polly said while she ran her finger along the baby's arm while she cooed. "You okay?" Polly asked.
Alex nodded "Yeah the doctor said she would get like this, and I don't blame her I would probably be the same way." Alex told her while she looked at the time. "You staying?" Alex asked
"No she doesn't want me here, but I can stay with Shania a bit." Polly told her
"Do you mine, I hate leaving her here by herself." Alex told her
"I would love to." Polly said with a smile
"You be a good girl for Auntie Polly, mamma and I will be back later. I love you" Alex told the little girl in her arms while she handed her over to Polly. "Thanks Polly" Alex told her while she was leaving.
Alex had just gotten into her car when her cell phone rang "Hello" Alex said when she answered the phone.
"Hey Alex, how is Piper?" Carol asked her daughter in law.
"She is okay, I guess. She kicked Polly out of the treatment session and when I went in she didn't even want me there." Alex told her.
"Just like Tuesday." Carol told her with a sigh.
"Yeah it is, but at least then she let Nicky come back in and sit with her. This time she wants no one around." Alex told her
"Hey it will be okay, just imagine all the stress that is on her on all of us. If she wants space we give it to her but we don't go too far." Carol told her "Will you be picking Sofia up from school?" Carol asked.
"It is now 2:30, I am going back to the office for a bit. I have a shipment coming in that I have to take care of, if I don't get out in time I will call you." Alex told her "I can't thank you enough for all the help you have given us." Alex added.
"There is no need to thank me. You handle the shipment; I will pick her up and will bring her home. I will even make dinner for you guys." Carol told her
"You don't need to do that." Alex tried to tell her but Carol wouldn't listen.
"None sense I don't mind." Carol told her and then both women said goodbye.
Alex drove to work just in time "Hey Vause, how Chapman?" Nicky asked when she saw Alex walk into the office.
"Feel lucky enough that she let you stay" Alex told her while she walked into her office and went digging through all her folders trying to find the shipment for today file. "Shit where the fuck did I put that file?" Alex asked herself in annoyed tone.
"Whoa there Vause, take a breath. I already got it set for you." Nicky told her from the door way while she held up the file.
"Thanks Nichols." Alex sighed while she took the file from her hand.
"Just breath Chapman will be okay." Nicky told her while she walked back to her office.
While Piper was in ending process of her treatment, Carol Chapman was picking her granddaughter up from school "Mema" Sofia shouted with a smile when she saw her grandmother standing there.
"Hey Sofia, how was school?" Carol asked while she gave the little girl a hug.
"It was good" Sofia told her while they walked hand in hand back to Carol's car.
Sofia was telling her grandmother all about her day at school while they drove home and Carol told her that she could help her make dinner. Once they were home, Carol let Milah outside and started pulling ingredients out to make a stir-fry she knew it was one of Piper's favorites. "Hey Mema?" Sofia came out of the blue and asked.
"Yes sweetheart" Carol asked while she put the soy sauce on the counter.
"Will my mom be okay?" Sofia asked looking up at her grandmother.
Carol Chapman knelt down on the ground so she was eye level with Sofia "Your mom is a fighter, and if there is anyone I know who can make it through this it is your mom." Carol told her holding back tears. The truth was she wasn't God, she had no answer for what the future held, she could only hope that no one would take her only daughter away from her and her family.
"Then why has she been so sick lately if she is going to be okay?" Sofia asked. And she was right even though Piper was getting anti-nausea medicine it wasn't helping.
"It is part of the medicine" Carol began to tell her but Sofia stopped her.
"Then why isn't it making her better? When mommy or mom gives me medicine when I am sick it makes me better not more sick." Sofia told her confused.
"I know sweetheart, but this is a different type of medicine. And sometimes it makes people feel worse but it is actually helping it just takes time." Carol tried her best to explain.
"I just want my mom to be okay" Sofia said with tears in her eyes.
Carol Chapman took her granddaughter in her arms and held her tightly while she whispered "Me to baby, me too"
Alex had just finished up with her shipment and told everyone who was still left in the office goodbye before she went to the hospital. When she arrived she knew that Piper's treatment was just about over so she figured she would stop and see Shania with Piper just like she did this morning. Alex walked down the hallway to the cancer treatment section of the hospital and saw Piper was leaning up against the wall. "Hey babe" Alex greeted while she went to give Piper a kiss; Piper turned her head so Alex caught her cheek.
"I want to go home" Piper told her blankly.
Alex nodded and wrapped her arms around Piper's waist "Okay let's go see Shania, and then we can go home." Alex told her and they walked over to the see their daughter.
Alex had pumped milk earlier when she was here on her lunch break that way Piper would be able to feed her after the treatment. Piper picked Shania up and sat down in the rocking chair and Alex handed her the bottle.
Piper's face lit up in a smile immediately when held Shania in her arms and started to feed her. It was the happiest Alex had seen her all day and she took out her phone and took a picture and made it her lock screen wallpaper.
When Piper was done feeding Shania, she just sat there for a few rocking her daughter back and forth for a bit. Alex sat next to them just watching the love of her life and their second daughter.
When they were ready, even though neither wanted to leave Shania they knew it would be just a matter of time before their daughter would be home with them. Alex and Pipe both drove home in silence except for the radio, Piper didn't want to talk and Alex didn't push her. When they arrived home they were greeted by Sofia who ran over and hugged Piper first. "Hello darling" Carol greeted them also when she walked over and hugged Piper "I made you your favorite." Carol added.
"Thanks mom" Piper said since she could smell the stir-fry cooking on the stove.
The table was already set and Alex helped Piper over to the couch where she sat down with her daughter while she told her all about her day, while Alex went into the kitchen to see if Carol needed any help. "No that is quite alright darling. Dinner is almost done anyway" Carol told her and Alex nodded while she walked over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle and then walked over to the cabinet where they held their glasses and took out a shot glass. "Should you really be doing that?" Carol Chapman asked in whisper while she covered the glass with her palm.
"No" Alex told her "But it is the only thing I know" Alex added.
"Fine you can have one shot of the tequila and then I am taking it" Carol told her while she removed her hand and Alex nodded her head.
Dinner went smoothly, Piper was even laughing a bit with them. Although she loved her mother's stir-fry she couldn't eat more than a couple bites. The chemo had affected her appetite, and she seemed to be full after just a couple bites.
After dinner, Piper took Sofia up to give her a bath even though she was dead tired she felt like this was the only thing she could do. While Carol and Alex were downstairs cleaning up Carol told Alex she would be staying from now until Monday "You really don't have to" Alex told her.
"Alex, you need me. I know it must be hard to get everything ready in the morning with Sofia with school, and then the days you have to take Piper to treatment and then get yourself ready for work. This is my way of helping whether you want it or not." Carol told her in a voice similar to Piper's when she wasn't taking no for an answer.
Alex nodded "Thank you, I really can't thank you enough."
Carol Chapman took her in her arms and held her tightly "And just wait until Shania comes home you won't be able to get rid of me" Carol told her with a chuckle. Alex smiled and nodded while she pulled away and dried her eyes.
Later that night after Carol had gone to sleep, Alex just gone done brushing her teeth and was checking the doors one more time and shutting off the lights, she checked on Sofia one more time before she walked into her and Piper's bedroom and shut the door. She saw Piper wasn't in the bed so knew she had to be in the bathroom, when she walked into the master bath Piper was at the sink brushing her teeth. Alex walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her.
"Hi" Alex whispered against her neck while she placed a kiss there.
Piper rinsed her mouth out and turned in her wife's arms "I'm sorry" Piper told her softly.
"For what baby?" Alex asked.
"I've been such a bitch to you, to everyone. I know you all are just trying to help." Piper whispered.
Alex pulled her close to her and rested her forehead against Piper's and told her sweetly "Don't you dare apologize, I can only imagine what you are going through we all understand"
Piper smiled at her slightly "I love you" Piper whispered.
"I love you too" Alex whispered back before she placed a light kiss on Piper's lips but when she was about to pull back Piper wrapped her hands in her dark hair and pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.
Alex broke the kiss, and rested her forehead against Piper's "Pipes?" Alex asked
"I just love you so much and I don't want to lose you" Piper whispered.
"Piper I told you how many times I am not going anywhere." Alex told her between kisses "I love you and you are the only one I want" Alex added in between kisses again.
Piper sighed and turned to look in the mirror before she moved her hand up to her scalp and ran her fingers though her hair. After she ran her fingers through she opened her palm and showed Alex the hair in her hand. "There was more before" Piper whispered holding back tears.
Alex turned her in her arms and wrapped her in a tight hug "Shh, I don't care if you have no hair Pipes, it will grow back. There will never be another you, all this will grow back but you cannot be replaced." Alex told her while she held her tightly.
"You won't think I am beautiful anymore" Piper whispered too softly Alex almost didn't hear her.
Alex pulled her back so that she was looking Piper in the eyes "Don't ever say that, Piper I always think you are beautiful because you always are. No hair, long hair, short hair, blue hair, blonde hair, brown hair, I don't care what color hair or if any you will always be the most beautiful woman in the world to me" Alex told her with such love in her voice. "I love you so much" Alex added before she kissed her wife and held her tightly.
After just standing there for a while Alex and Piper went into their bedroom, Alex got into bed first and smoothed the sheets out "Come be my little spoon?" Alex asked just like she did at Litchfield.
Piper smiled with tears in her eyes and got into bed beside her wife. Alex wrapped her arms around Piper tightly, kissed her neck and whispered in her ear "I heart you"
Piper turned in her arms and snuggled up close to her and whispered "I heart you too Alex Vause"
Authors Note: And there is Chapter 10, chapter 11 will be up shortly. Hope you all enjoyed and I apologize if there are tears, trust me I have them too when I read back and while writing on certain scenes. Please review and let me know what you all think, I look forward to hearing from all of you, all your reviews keep me writing.