- 10 -

Piper woke up with a start and it took her a longer while to realize that she was safe and in a comfortable bed full of soft pillows. She didn't remember what her dream was about but she knew it must have been something horrid. Her body was still shaking slightly and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her forehead.

She reached out her trembling hand to where Laura should have been but all that she encountered with her fingertips was an empty pillow. It was cool to the touch, indicating that it had been a while since the girl had got up.

The blonde rubbed her face in hope to brush away the last foggy reminiscence of the disturbing dream. She wondered what time it could be. The sun was shining brightly outside. That was one of the reasons she loved California. The weather. You could always count on it here. Piper smiled to herself lazily, stretched her back with one hand over her head and was in the middle of a nice yawn when she realized a tiny little detail... Why the hell am I in bed? I thought I fell asleep in the 'cool room'. She furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to remember how she landed in the bedroom but no matter how hard she forced her brain to work, it was still completely blank. She blinked several times in confusion. Did she carry me here?

She heard a loud giggle of her daughter followed by Alex husky chuckling. The brunette was saying something to the little girl but Piper was unable to hear the words clearly. It must have been something funny since Laura laughed again... and then Alex screamed and Laura squealed and Piper heard fast footsteps. Someone was running fast into the bedroom's direction.

"No, no, no, no... Not there..." Alex laughed but it was too late and the door to the bedroom suddenly flew open and Laura jumped onto the bed with loud giggles.

"What on earth is going on?" Piper asked as she sat up in bed, a full grin adorning her face at seeing her child so happy and carefree.

Alex run into the bedroom just seconds after Laura. She had a paper cup full of water in one hand and a table cloth in the other. She was also smiling from ear to ear and Piper had to admit that that toothy grin was one of the best things she could witness as the first thing in the morning.

"You little sly dog... You think you're safe on your mommy's bed, huh?" Alex growled and took a step towards the bed which resulted in loud squeals coming from Laura. The girl moved closer to her mother and laughed with a little hint of fear. Her eyes were shining with amusement and mischief.

Piper laughed out when she noticed that the front of Alex's white t-shirt is completely soaked, making it slightly transparent and revealing the brunette's dark bra hiding underneath. She had to admit that it was quite a sight for sore eyes... Yet, she didn't dare her eyes to linger on that part of the brunette's body. If Alex had caught her staring, it would have been extremely awkward... to say the least.

"Hey, you two... What's this all about?" The blonde laughed when Alex made another attempt at getting nearer to the bed, pretending to be aiming the paper cup at Laura, making the girl shout at the top of her lungs before she started giggling excitedly again.

"She wants to pour cold water at me." The girl said, her tone accusative as she glared at Alex, yet a wide grin didn't leave her face even for a second.

"Care to explain to your mother why am I going to pour cold water at you?" The brunette asked unfazed as she put one of her hand on her hip and shot Laura a glare even more intense.

"That's not fair! You dared me, Alex." Laura giggled.

"Because I thought you wouldn't dare, you little ass."

At hearing that both Piper and Laura burst out laughing again. "Well... There's a lot you need to learn about my daughter then..." The blonde stated matter-of-factly. "Al, let it go..."

"No." The brunette simply announced.

"Mommy..." Laura squealed right into Piper's ear as she tried to hide behind her.

"Oh, for Christ sake, Alex!" The blonde glared at the singer. "Cut it out! How old are you?"

Alex started to laugh and took a sip of the water. "Tell you what..." She pointed at the little girl. "If you get cleaned up and dressed right now, I'll forgive you." She grinned.

Laura got off the bed, her eyes never leaving Alex as if she was expecting the brunette to pounce at her at any second. "Okay... You promised, you can't splash that on me..." She walked slowly to the dresser to get her clothes, her eyes following Alex's every move.

"I did not promise you anything, pumpkin. I made you a deal. You've got 10 minutes to fulfill your part." The brunette chuckled and her statement made Laura speed up her moves. The next thing they knew she was locked in the bathroom (just to make sure that Alex wouldn't follow her).

The brunette extended the hand that was holding the paper cup towards Piper. "Wanna a sip? Fresh cold water." She smiled when Piper actually accepted the beverage. She was quite thirsty after the night so was glad to accept the offer.

As Piper was drinking, Alex plopped down on the other side of the bed. She lied down and stretched her muscles, a long purr leaving her soft lips. "Jeez, it's so good." She smiled to herself, her eyes still closed.

"What's so good?" Piper smiled as she observed her friend's face. She wouldn't dare to allow her eyes wander any lower... Although, it was painfully tempting.

This day is good. You being here is good. Laura being here is good. Life is good when you're here.

"Not having to do anything." Alex chose to say instead. When she heard Piper giggle lightly, she knew she made a good decision not to turn this conversation into something heavy.

They just continued to lie on the bed next to each other. There really was no hurry in the world so they could simply enjoy the quietness. Long minutes had passed and Piper thought for a moment that Alex had fallen asleep. Her eyes were still closed and her chest was going up and down as the brunette took deep long breaths (yes, Piper couldn't help a glance or two...). That's why she was a bit startled when she heard Alex's husky chuckle, which evoked a pleasant warmth spreading within Piper's own chest.

"What is it?" The blonde asked after several more amused sounds coming from the woman next to her.

"That daughter of yours has got some guts, I must admit." Alex looked up at Piper, her green eyes sparkling.

"Yeah, well... You've learned your first hard lesson, I guess." Piper smiled at her. "Can I ask you something?" She asked tentatively and the brunette just nodded. "Don't laugh, okay?" That made Alex smirk. "How the hell did I get here?"

"What do you mean?" The signer couldn't hide the mirth in her voice.

"I mean... I remember us being in your little studio... Did you carry me here?" The blonde chuckled.

"Yeah... You were so out that for a second I feared that I had confused our wine bottles." Alex laughed as she maneuvered her body to lie down on her belly now, her upper torso propped on her elbows. The position made Alex's t-shirt cling to her body even more but she didn't seem to notice that at all.

Jesus fucking Christ... Piper do not stare. Don't you dare...

"What time is it?" Piper cleared her throat and slowly moved to get out of bed. She felt that she had enough of laying down for the day... and she also desperately tried to get herself out of that sort of uncomfortable situation.

The brunette still seemed to be completely oblivious to the condition that her clothes were in. "It's almost 11 o'clock. Why?"

Piper's eyes grew big upon hearing how late it really was. She knew she must have slept in but she didn't expect that she had been sleeping that long. The whole morning was almost gone and she was still lazing around in her pajamas. That was so not like her...

"Oh man... Why didn't you guys wake me up?" She asked as she walked to the drawer to get some shorts and a t-shirt for herself. She rummaged some more in search for one more thing and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "How many sport bras you said you got me?" She asked the brunette as continued to move her clothes around.

"I thought you could use some good sleep. You looked so peaceful..." Alex sopped herself before she said anything more. Great, Vause. Just go ahead and tell her you were watching her sleep. How fucking creepy can you get? She cleared her throat and then she remembered that the blonde had actually asked her two questions. "Five... Why?"

Piper stood there for a while and it looked as if she had been counting something in her head. "Fuck." She finally whispered. She had run out of fresh sport bras and she loved them because they were not only comfortable, which was a major advantage right now, but they also had no clasps, which made it easier for Piper to put them on. With one of her arms still in cast it was virtually impossible for her to put on any other type of bra without anyone's help. Fucking fuck.

"Let me guess... We need to order the laundry service." Alex chuckled.

"Yep. Definitely." Piper started looking for some other bra that she would be able to put on. Once upon a time she was able to unclasp a bra single-handed. She smirked to herself. Maybe she'll be able to clasp one too if she tried hard enough... She finally found a nice comfortable-looking piece... in the color of fuchsia... She couldn't help laughing out loud. She showed it to Alex. "Really?" She chuckled.

The brunette lifted her eyes from her phone when she heard Piper's question. She stared at the blonde for a second or two. And when she registered what the woman in front of her had in her hand... Was there a tiny ghost of a blush appearing at her normally alabaster skin?

"What?" Alex quirked her eyebrow. "It's a nice bra." She regained her typical carefree posture pretty quickly but Piper was sure she did see the brunette squirm a little.

"Okay... It's a nice bra." The blonde smirked a little before turning to the bathroom's door. "Laura, speed it up, babe." She said loudly to the girl.

Alex looked at Piper for a moment before she realized why the blonde had been so desperate to find some sport bra. "Do you need some help with that?" She asked gently as she pointed to the outrageously pink bra.

"No, I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

The door opened swiftly and here she was, all dressed up and ready to face the upcoming day. Laura threw Alex a wary glare but when she noticed that the paper cup was now standing empty on the bedside table she seemed to relax.

"Don't you try anything funny." The girl pointed her finger at Alex. Obviously, she had decided that a little warning was still a good idea.

The gesture made the brunette laugh. "Chill. I come in peace, child."

"Good." Laura was still glaring at her but her lips were formed into a cute little smile.

"C'mon, let's finish that game of Uno." Alex got up form the bed and took a look at herself. "But first I need a dry t-shirt." She smirked.

XxXxX

They were playing the third round of the game when Alex looked at her watch. It had been over twenty minutes since they had left Piper alone to get ready for the day and the brunette started to worry a bit. Maybe she should go and check on her?

"Your turn." She heard Laura's voice and she snapped from her thoughts. She put another card on the table and tried to focus her mind on the game.

Another few minutes had gone by when she heard Piper's voice calling her from the bedroom so she dropped her cards on the table and ruffled Laura's hair a bit as she jumped up to her feet. "Turn the TV on and watch some cartoon for a moment, okay?" The girl simply nodded and started looking for the remote.

When Alex walked up to the the bedroom door, she found them closed so she knocked lightly before entering. She didn't want to startle her friend. "Hey, Pipes... Can I come in?"

"Yeah, it's open." She heard from the other side so she pushed down on the handle and walked into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Piper was standing with her back to Alex, dressed only in her shorts. She had the bra on as well but it was pretty obvious that she hadn't managed to clasp it after all. What drew Alex's sight more than the unhooked piece of garment was a slowly fading but still clearly visible big purple bruise on Piper's lower back. Is that a fucking footprint? Alex's blood boiled in her veins and she clenched her jaw so hard it was pure miracle that her teeth didn't break.

"Could you please help me a bit here?" Piper's tentative question made Alex lift her gaze to meet the blonde's eyes. Being in such a state of undress was definitely making her extremely uncomfortable and Alex could see that immediately. The blonde was trying to cover her body best she could without dropping the damn bra to the floor. She looked so small and fragile, still a long way before she would finally gain enough weight to stop looking almost anorexic. Alex felt a sudden urge to just walk up to her and hug her, shield her from everything and make it all okay again. But she knew she couldn't.

She walked up to the woman in front of her and smiled warmly at her. She took the clasp of the bra and fixed it for Piper, thanking all the gods up there that her hands weren't shaking (she sure was trembling inside like crazy).

"There you go." She smiled again.

"Thanks." Piper smiled back at her, a furious blush adorning her cheeks.

"Fuchsia looks good on you." She chuckled to lighten the mood a bit but the blonde's face just turned more crimson and Alex wanted to kick herself hard in the ass for that. She didn't mean to make her even more uncomfortable. Goddamn moron... She put her hands into her pockets to stop them from trembling. "Do you need anything else?"

"No, thanks." Piper answered sheepishly as she maneuvered to put her loose t-shirt on as fast as she could so Alex turned to leave before she managed to say anything even more stupid and make her even more uneasy. "Wait." She heard Piper's voice when she was almost out of the door so she turned back around to face her. "I'm sorry." The blonde stated.

"For what?" Alex smiled at her.

"For being weird, I guess." She dropped her eyes. "I just get... weird sometimes." She tried to smile at Alex but it was clear that it wasn't easy for her. Where was that wonderful woman who had used to be so sure of herself? Fucking Larry. Alex had to fight hard again to push all the anger away. It wasn't the right time nor place to let that awful feeling bubble up to the surface.

The brunette took a few steps back into the bedroom. "There's no need to apologize." She smiled again. "Everyone's... well... weird sometimes." She chuckled and rolled her eyes and this time she was glad to hear Piper laugh along a little.

"Yeah well... Sometimes I just get weirder."

"Is that a challenge, kid?" Alex's eyebrow shot to her hairline and a big grin enlightened her face. This made the blonde laugh some more and Alex could swear there wasn't a better sound in the whole wide world.

They heard Laura shouting to Alex to get back to the living room because she wanted to finish the last round of the Uno game.

"Just a second!" The singer shouted right back and then turned around to face Piper again, a soft smile on her face.

"What is it?" The blonde asked when she saw Alex hesitating for a moment.

The brunette looked straight into Piper's blue eyes. A slight nervousness could be heard in her voice and it made the younger woman furrow her eyebrows a bit but she didn't have the time to ask any further questions... and what Alex said next simply left her speechless.

"Don't get it... the weird way but..." She chuckled nervously as she dropped her eyes to the floor for a second. When she looked up at her again, Piper shivered upon the intensity of those green orbs. "You have no idea how utterly beautiful you are, Pipes. The most astonishing creature I've ever met." She smiled at her again and it wasn't any of her infuriating smirks. It was honest, open and tender and it made Piper's throat go dry while her eyes suddenly felt moist.

"Aaaalllyyyyy... The cartoon's over. Get back here." Laura's loud shouting from the living room brought them both back to the reality. Alex started to laugh and the moment was gone. Piper chuckled with her, still feeling... well... weird.

"I should go before your lovely daughter throws a tantrum at me." The brunette winked and turned to leave but she stopped right before closing the door behind her. "I really meant it." She smiled before leaving Piper alone with her thoughts.

XxXxX

Nicky: [How much do you charge for renting your kid for a day?]

Alex: [Laura's not my kid.]

Nicky: [Could've fooled me...]

Alex chuckled under her nose and it made Piper lift her head from her book, her eyebrow quirked in amusement but she didn't say anything. She observed the brunette for a moment before going back to reading her book.

Alex: [Fuck you, Nichols.]

Nicky: [Nah, thanks. Lorna's got it covered.]

Alex: [Perv.]

Nicky: [Normal human being.]

Alex laughed quietly again and shook her head at her friend's words. Piper looked up again from her book and this time her curiosity got the better of her.

"What's so funny?" She asked as she put her book down onto the coffee table.

"Nicky's up to something. She wants to 'rent' Laura." The brunette made the inverted commas. "I'm not sure we can trust her." She chuckled.

"Just give her a call and ask what this is all about." Piper smiled.

And Alex did just that. As it turned out, Nicky and Lorna had got invited to Lorna's goddaughter's birthday party so they thought that it would be cool to take Laura with them since most of the children would be around Laura's age. There would be a lot of kids, nice food and games for all the little guests. Besides... Lorna insisted that going to a kids' party without a kid was kind of well... uncool.

After a little bit more of persuading, begging... and a pinch of threatening from Nicky, Piper finally caved in and allowed Laura to go with them. When the girl found out that she would go to a kids party, she was beside herself with excitement. She adored Nicky and Lorna and the idea of spending a whole afternoon and part of the evening with them, made her feel extremely happy. Upon seeing her smiling face, Piper convinced herself that letting her go was actually a good thing.

But now they had another problem to deal with. Laura insisted that she needed to buy a present for the girl who invited her to the party. Piper had been feeling rather tired the whole day, her spine was bugging her way more than on Saturday so she wasn't really up to a day of long walking. Besides, she didn't really like shopping that much so... She let Alex take Laura shopping by herself. She just had to promise not to go too crazy about the present... and not to buy any more toys for Laura. Somehow that condition saddened both the brunette and the little girl, thus it only ensured Piper that they had had some secret plan to bring yet another board game home...

"Maybe we could go down to the restaurant when I get back? Get some nice dinner." Alex smiled while she was putting her shoes on. Laura was already waiting for her by the door, sheer excitement making her jumping a little up and down. Right after their visit to a toy store, the brunette would drop Laura off at Nicky's place. Later she and Lorna would bring her home.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Piper beamed. She didn't feel like being overly active that day (her back was really killing her...) but going out for an hour or so to grab something to eat sounded like a nice plan.

"I'll call you when I'm on my way. You can go down and get us a table, I'll meet you there." Alex stated as she grabbed her purse and car keys from the cabinet next to the door. "I shouldn't be long." She smiled again before walking out of the door.

XxXxX

Piper continued to read her book for a while but soon she decided to give it a rest since her eyes were getting more tired by the minute and she didn't want to look like a zombie when she went down to meet Alex. She decided to freshen up a bit and change her clothes into something more decent for a fashionable restaurant. Not that she had so many clothes but anything could be better than a plain oversized t-shirt and comfy shorts. She opened the drawer that the singer had had installed in her bedroom and looked through her selection of outfits.

"T-shirt... another t-shirt... sweatshirt... Jeez, Al... How practical do you have to be?" She huffed a little bit to herself when she realized that most of the things that Alex had bought for her were nice and sweet and and of high quality and comfy... and plain... Yeah, except some pieces of sexy lingerie. Piper felt a smirk forming on her face. She pondered for a moment of what to do. She really would love to put on something nice.

She looked to her right and was extremely tempted to take a look into Alex's wardrobe. Would that be too intrusive? She hesitated for another minute before her curiosity got the best of her. She opened the door and turned on the light inside. The room was much smaller than she had expected... and it was perfectly well-ordered. That surprised the blonde because ever since she could remember Alex hadn't cared where she put her stuff. Here, everything had its own perfect place. The clothes were even ordered by colors and when Piper realized that she couldn't help the chuckle leaving her lips. Not that it's so hard for her... Most of the things are black anyways. She laughed some more and looked around. There were leather pants that Piper knew Alex adored. Wonder why she doesn't wear them more often. And then she laughed when she remembered that it was California so... The heat wouldn't make those pants comfortable... Nope, definitely not. There were tons of t-shirts and shirts, jeans and jackets... And then, her eyes landed on the only truly colorful part of the whole wardrobe. Piper walked up to the clothes hanging on the rack. Ahhh... The dresses. She smiled to herself... Yet her smile turned into a frown when she realized that they were the clothes that Alex must have worn to some galas and shows. One of them she even remembered form the Oscar night she had watched all those years ago with Polly. She looked so beautiful in this. Her eyes suddenly became more moist at the memory of that evening.

Piper cleared her throat and decided to move on in her search for something nice to wear. And thankfully, just a second later, she finally found what she had been looking for. At the back of the rack there it was. A nice, simple beige summer dress with a cute pattern of tiny flowers.

"Perfect." The blonde grinned to herself. "I hope it fits." She looked down at herself with furrowed eyebrows. She was aware that she was kind of... slim. But the dress looked as if it could fit and Piper decided she could try it on.

And when she did just that, she liked what she saw in the mirror. It was probably a bit longer than the designer had intended but Piper actually liked that. Made her feel more comfortable.

"I just hope she doesn't mind." She whispered to herself when she took another look at herself. "Maybe I should call her?" She wondered aloud... But then, she decided that it would be funny to see the brunette's reaction. Would she even notice I've borrowed this? She smirked to herself.

After finally choosing her outfit, she went to the bathroom and borrowed also some of Alex's make-up. She wanted to feel a little pampered up. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her make-up was light, just a bit of lip gloss and mascara. Nothing more, but it was enough to make her feel better about herself.

She heard her phone's loud ringing. She had left it on the bed so she quickly walked to the bedroom to get it.

"Hey you..." She smiled when she answered the phone, she was slightly out of breath from the mini-jog.

Alex chuckled, surprised at the sound of Piper's voice. "Hey yourself." A little pause. "I should be there in ten so if you're still up to that dinner, you can start getting ready to go downstairs. I'll meet you at the restaurant, okay?"

Piper grinned so much that she felt her cheeks hurt. "Okay." She whispered into the receiver and hoped that she didn't sound too excited.

She was about to leave the suite and head to the restaurant when she realized that the trainers she had worn for the last couple of days wouldn't go well with her/Alex's dress.

"Fuck." She whispered under her breath and was slowly getting more and more pissed when she remembered that she had those cute flip-flops that Alex had bought her the other day when they were coming back from the park (the brunette had insisted that they looked just too wonderful on Piper's feet to give them a pass).

Finally satisfied with her outfit, Piper stepped out of the suite. She didn't understand why she felt a little nervous. It's not like it's a date or anything. She chuckled to herself at the ridiculousness of that thought. She walked a few steps to the elevator, a smile still lingering on her lips, and pushed the button on the side of the big silver sliding door.

The smile adorning her face was gone the moment the door finally opened. Because there he was, standing in a manner that made him look tense... and pissed off... And the way his shoulders swayed when he stepped out the elevator made Piper realize that he was a little more than just tipsy.

"Larry." She whispered under her breath, a sheer panic rising upon seeing her soon to be ex-husband.

XxXxX

Alex parked her car and went to the back door to get the bags from Toys'R'Us. She was almost by the elevator door when she realized that Piper wouldn't be too happy to see those exact bags so... She hesitated for a second. She could use the fact that the blonde was in the restaurant and quickly drop the bags in her suite... But that would make Piper wait even longer for her (she was awfully late due to a terrible traffic right outside the hotel).

Upon pondering for another while, she finally decided to drop the bags back in the trunk of her car. She would find another way to get them to the suite without Piper noticing. She smirked to herself when she pushed the elevator button once again and waited... and waited... and waited... Fuck, I'm already so late. Speed up you little bitch... She thought as she patted her thigh nervously.

She calmed down a bit only when she finally saw the entrance to the restaurant. She smiled to herself upon a single thought about the blonde who was probably now waiting for her at their table.

"Hi, Julie." She smiled at a young brunette by the entrance. She knew her quite well by now. Before Piper's situation, Alex had often visited the hotel's restaurant so she was well accustomed with most of the workers here. "My friend should be waiting for me here." Her smile only grew bigger when she thought about Piper. "Check for Vause or..." Alex furrowed her eyebrows. "...or Chapman."

The woman in front of her checked the books laying on her desk and the longer time it took her to find the table number, the more anxious Alex became.

"You can check also Bloom." She added after the waitress couldn't find the first two names Alex gave her.

"I'm sorry, Ms Vause... But maybe she hasn't arrived yet." The brunette seemed confused as well.

"Maybe she was here but has already left? Can you check that?" Alex tried again. She was late by 20 minutes, there was no way Piper hadn't come to the restaurant yet.

"Once again... I'm sorry, but we don't have any of these names in our system today." The girl looked at her apologetically. "Maybe she just hasn't arrived yet and you need to wait a bit. I can show you to your table." The brunette smiled.

"No, thanks." Alex smiled back at the girl who just tried to be nice, that's all.

The singer walked a few steps into the direction of the main elevators to get back to her suite but as she was waiting for the elevator to arrive, she pulled out her phone and tried to call Piper on her mobile. When the blonde didn't answer, Alex's concern grew tenfold. The fuck is going on? She felt a cold shiver run down her spine, which didn't make the matters any better.

Finally, the elevator was there and Alex pushed the number of her floor several times as she couldn't conceal her nerves anymore. She was eager to get back to her place and check if everything was alright. Maybe Piper was just getting ready and she simply had lost the track of time... That particular thing had happened several times all those years before.

"God, please, let her just be putting her make-up on right now..." She whispered under her breath.

On the seventh floor the elevator stopped for a while and Alex thought she would scream. Her agitation had just reached sky limit. Yet, she smiled politely at the man who entered the small space to travel with her up. She knew him quite well. Mr. Jefferson was the head of security at the hotel and Alex had had quite a few conversations with him in the past. He was in his late fifties but the brunette thought he was in great shape and looked quite intimidating if he had to.

"Hello, Ms. Vause." He greeted her with a wide smile.

"Mr. Jefferson, how are you?" Alex asked out of politeness. She liked him a lot but now her mind was too preoccupied with other worries.

The tall man standing next to her seemed to have noticed that something was bothering the singer that afternoon. "Is everything alright?" His eyebrows furrowed when he looked at her face which seemed to be way paler than usually.

"Yeah." The brunette smiled at him. She didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble. "How is Emma doing?" Alex chose to shift the focus from her to Mr. Jefferson's daughter. The fact was was that the brunette had found out about the young woman's health problems a while ago. The treatment of those was highly expensive and totally out of reach for most people so Alex had decided to found it and after some arguing from Mr. Jefferson, the matter had been finally settled.

The man's features brightened up upon hearing the question. "Oh, she's just great." His big smile reached his eyes. "She's been doing very well recently. Thank you."

"I'm really happy to hear that." Alex smiled at him. She took a fast look at what floor the man was going to. Higher than mine... Damn... Love the small talk. She normally enjoyed the small conversations she had with the hotel staff but at that moment her mind just wasn't into that. She was too worried about her friend.

Thankfully, the rest of the elevator ride was rather quiet. It seemed that Mr. Jefferson felt that Alex wasn't really in the mood for talking so he didn't insist on keeping the conversation alive and in her mind, the brunette thank the man.

Finally, a fairly quiet sound announced that they were at Alex's floor and the brunette stepped out of the elevator. The moment she turned her head to the right, she was stopped in her tracks, her hands turned into fists.

Piper was leaning on the wall right next to the door to their suite. The blonde's phone was lying on the floor few feet away from her and it appeared to be broken. That's why she wasn't answering. Larry was holding her by her shoulders, making it difficult for her to move anywhere, his face close to her right ear. He was saying something in a quiet voice so Alex was unable to hear that but judging by Piper's face expression, it wasn't anything good. The blonde's features were scrunched in hight discomfort. She obviously didn't like the fact that Larry was way closer than her comfort zone.

Before Alex could realize what she was really doing, she was already running down the corridor at full speed, her hands clenched in fists, pure fury painting her features. She saw red the moment she noticed that Larry's right hand was not empty. He was holding a small jack-knife so close to Piper's arm that one tiny move would have been enough to puncture the blonde's skin.

The brunette run into Larry's side with full impact, which thankfully was strong enough to send him flying to the floor with a loud thud and a shout of anger and bewilderment. It was the element of surprise that did the trick. Alex dropped to the floor with him but she was much better prepared to take the next action. Before Larry realized what happened, the brunette kicked the jack-knife out of his hand. She actually managed to hit the man's wrist with full force and the sound it made didn't augur anything good.

"What the fuck?" Larry groaned in pain as he gripped his wrist, his eyes squeezed hard in obvious anguish.

Alex was about to kick him again but was stopped by a strong arm on her shoulder. When she turned around she saw the face of Mr. Jefferson who must have heard the commotion and decided to check on it instead going up in the elevator. Now he was standing right next to the brunette, pure confusion painting his serious features.

"What on earth is going on in here?" He asked and even though he tried hard not to show his agitation, he failed miserably. Through his whole career he never had to break a fight in that hotel.

Alex took a deep breath before answering. Her eyes were not leaving Larry even for a second. She didn't trust him one bit and the fact that now he was lying on the floor squirming with pain didn't change that. "Mr. Jefferson, I want you to make sure that this scumbag here doesn't move an inch and call the police. My friend's got a restraining order against him."

Mr. Jefferson's eyebrows shot to his hairline but he didn't ask any further questions and just dialed 911 on his phone.

"Please, don't." Larry pleaded. He was now sitting by the wall, still holding his wrist which now was slowly turning purple and getting more swollen by the second. Mr. Jefferson walked to the jack-knife and picked it up with his hand dressed in a rubber glove.

"Oh man... That was exceptionally stupid." The man said after he put it in a plastic bag with an intention of passing it to the cops later.

Suddenly, Larry leaped to his fit and tried to run into the direction of emergency staircase. Thankfully, that was the exact moment when two of the security officers stepped out of the elevator and he basically ran into them. They caught him immediately and brought him back to where Mr. Jefferson was standing. "You're not going anywhere, pal." The tall well-muscled guard announced, his hands gripping Larry's arm, making sure he wouldn't budge again.

Alex ignored all of that. The first thing she did after telling Mr. Jefferson what to do was tentatively walk up to Piper and delicately put both of her hands on her cheeks, trying to make her look up from Larry and focus on her own green eyes but the blonde seemed frozen. "Pipes." She whispered full of worry. "Are you alright?" She felt the blonde nodding her head slightly. Her eyes were dry but her face was white as a sheet, her eyes big with fear. "Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" Another barely detectable nod. "Baby, look at me." Alex pleaded with worry in her voice and only that finally made Piper focus her gaze on the brunette. Alex smiled gently at her. "You okay?"

"Yes." Piper whispered hoarsely but now she managed to utter a ghost of a smile on her own. She was glad Alex was there. The warmth radiating from her palms calmed her down. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths. Alex was there. They were okay.

When Larry noticed the somewhat intimate exchange between the two women, his anger sky-rocketed again. He tried to break free from the guard's strong hold but he didn't have enough strength to do so. "I knew it." She spitted with venom. "I knew those divorce papers were her doing." He kept struggling with the two big guys who were holding his arms and preventing him from doing anything stupid. "Look at me when I'm talking to you, Piper!" He shouted with frustration at the fact that he was unable to make a move.

The blonde flinched upon hearing his words and Alex hugged her close. "Shh... It's okay. Don't listen to him." She whispered reassuringly into her ear.

"You're fucking her, huh?" He wouldn't give up, his anger rising. He ignored the guards' warnings. He couldn't touch her anymore but he sure wanted to hurt her with his obnoxious words. "You're a fucking whore."

And that was the limit that Alex could handle. Upon hearing his last words, she spun around and smashed her fist into Larry's face, hitting his nose well enough to make it bleed. Her move was so sudden and unexpected that before Mr. Jefferson registered what was happening and grabbed Alex by her arms to pull her away, the brunette managed to kick hard right into Larry's groin, sending him to his knees and kissing the floor again.

"Shut the fuck up, you piece of shit." She hissed through her teeth as the big guard dragged her away.

"Shhh... Now, Alex, calm down." It was the first time Mr. Jefferson had ever called her by her first name and she looked up at him in surprise. She had been practically begging him to call her by her first name but he had always refused that until now. She threw him a little smirk. "Wipe that smile out of your face." He chuckled at her. "Keep your fists to yourself now, okay?"

"Sure, no problem." She lifted her hands in surrender. "I'm good now." She smiled.

"She hit me!" Larry squealed almost like a little girl.

"You hit yourself mister." Mr. Jefferson threw at him over his shoulder. "Things happen when you get drunk and harass you friend."

"She's my wife." He hissed angrily and glared at Piper, his eyes bloodshed.

"Not for long, obviously." The blonde stated. Her voice was cold, void of any feelings. She stared at him hard as she gripped Alex's hand even harder. She was trembling but fighting hard not to show it and the brunette wished she could just whisk her away from there to somewhere safe.

Thankfully, the police arrived within minutes. The detective leading Piper's case was among them which made the whole arrest even more smooth. After talking to all the people involved in the incident, the officers took Larry away and the detective assured both Piper and Alex that this time his ass would land in a jail cell for a long time. After what he had pulled this time, it was almost certain that the prosecutor would fight for an even higher sentence.

All through the questioning from the cops Alex hadn't left Piper's side even for a second. The blonde kept gripping the singer's hand as if her life depended on it. Just her pure presence was enough to make the blonde feel calmer and safer. Alex was there.

XxXxX

When they finally entered Alex's suite, their hands were still locked together. Instead of stopping in the living room area, Piper continued to walk slowly into the direction of the bedroom and the brunette's eyebrow furrowed in slight confusion but she didn't say anything. She followed her friend into the other room obediently. Piper released the singer's hand and sat down on the big bed. She looked exhausted. Her complexion was pale and her hands were still trembling from all of the emotions coursing through her body. She started to take off her shoes but those stupid flip-flops were persistent to stay on her feet and the blonde huffed in frustration.

"Let me." Alex said quietly as she dropped to her knees to help the blonde. She gently slid the shoes off and smiled up at her. "There." Her smile was warm and comforting. Piper put the palm on her hand on Alex's cheek but the second she realized what she had done, she took it away almost as if the brunette's skin had burned her fingertips.

"Sorry." She whispered sheepishly and looked away from those mesmerizing green eyes. She fumbled with her hands nervously, not really knowing what to do with them. Finally, she put them on the bed along her thighs before she turned herself crazy.

It was obvious to Alex that for some reason Piper felt uncomfortable but no matter how hard she tried, she was unable to find the reason for it. Had she done something to make the blonde feel that way?

"What is it?" She gave up guessing because her mind was totally blank.

Instead of answering her question, Piper slowly pulled herself up on the bed and lied down, stretching her healthy arm over her head to push the pillows away. She needed to get her spine to rest or she would go insane. The tense muscles of her back were not making her life easier, either. Alex just stood by the bed, letting Piper ignore her question altogether. She didn't want to cause her more distress. God knew she had had enough of that for a one day. She observed as the blonde took several deep breaths, her eyes closed.

"I'll let you rest." She smiled down at her when Piper finally decided to look at her and slowly turned to leave but before she managed to take even one step, she felt Piper's warm hand on her own and looked at her again, a little hint of confusion painting her features.

"Stay." Was all that the blonde whispered as she pulled Alex's hand, indicating that she wanted the brunette to join her on the bed.

And that's exactly what Alex did. After taking her own shoes off, she slowly lied down next to the blonde. She was now close to her but not within the touching distance. She didn't want to make Piper uneasy again and it seemed that somehow she had a special talent for that. Yet, after a few minutes, lying just like that in that awkward position started to get on Alex's nerves so when she felt Piper's warm hand on her own once again, she couldn't help an audible sight of relief.

The blonde shifted her position a bit and her head was now on a small pillow, making it easier for her to observe the singer. She lifted Alex's hand so she could have a better look at it. She delicately touched her knuckles, studying them intently, her eyebrows furrowed.

Seeing the surprise and then anger in Piper's eyes, made Alex look down at her own hand and the moment she saw her knuckles, she knew why her friend was not too happy about the look of it.

"Damn." Alex chuckled in amazement. The knuckles of her right hand were turning a light shade of blue. She must have hit Larry much harder than she had thought and the realization made feel... so much better. She would have gladly sell him one more punch or two if Mr. Jefferson hadn't stopped her. It was so good to smash that fucker's face. A brig toothy grin appeared on her face.

"My god, Al... Does it hurt?"

Alex moved her fingers a bit and yes indeed, they did hurt. Actually, the pain was much bigger than the bruise would indicate but of course she didn't say that out loud. She just continued to lie there and grin like a madman.

"I'm so sorry." This statement made Alex look up into Piper's eyes, this time it was the singer's turn to furrow her eyebrows.

"What are you talking about? Why would you be sorry?"

"I got you into this mess." The blonde said angrily, hot tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I've never wanted to put you into that position."

"Are you kidding me?" Alex chuckled. "Hitting that sorry face was delightful." She laughed so heartily that Piper couldn't help herself from smiling a bit. She turned to her side and snuggled a little bit closer to the brunette, still holding her hand with care. She had to fight an urge to kiss it. "You should try that sometime." Alex's chuckling continued and Piper was glad for the distraction from her own, a bit disturbing, thoughts.

They rested for another moment in comfortable silence.

"Pipes..." Alex whispered as she returned her eyes to Piper's baby blues. "Don't you ever apologize to me again, okay?" She put her finger onto the blonde's lips when she started to protest. "Shhh... I mean it." She smiled at her gently, yet her eyes were serious. "You've done nothing wrong and there's nowhere I'd rather be than right here in this mess with you."