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

Thanks for everyone's feedback on the last chapter. Glad you are enjoying the build up.

Thanks fig-aruna for editing like a champ!

I promise there will be no playing with your emotions or anything like that in this chapter. It's straight up Vauseman! :)

Enjoy!

It turned out that Alex only lived a few blocks away from Coyote in East Village on St. Marks Place. She lived in a two-bedroom apartment with some girl named Leanne who, as she told Piper, she didn't see much.

"It isn't much," stated Alex as she closed the apartment door behind her.

Piper couldn't help but be impressed by the space. It was much bigger than her tiny one-bedroom apartment which seemed so cramped and over flowing, especially since her studio space was almost overcrowding her living space and kitchen area, now.

"I think it's great," commented Piper as she peered into the separate kitchen area, which was just off of the entrance.

"If you say so, kid," responded Alex with amusement as she hung her keys on a little hook on the wall.

"How long have you lived here?" asked Piper with curiosity, as she slipped off her white Vans and placed them by one by one on the mat by the door.

"Not too long," replied Alex as she kicked off her own boots and padded into the main living space of the apartment. "About two months or so."

"Where were you living before?" Piper was fascinated to hear about all the different neighbourhoods that people lived in. For example, she knew that Nicky lived in Queens with her girlfriend Lorna.

"I was living with Nicky and Big Boo in Harlem, actually," explained Alex as she looked over at Piper who was hovering still by the door. "But, of course, Nicky moved in with Lorna, and Big Boo and I decided it was time for us to leave too. We had lived there for three years prior already."

"Wow!" murmured Piper in astonishment. She had known they'd all worked with each other for years, but she hadn't known that they had lived together too.

"Yeah. I would've gotten another place with Big Boo somewhere, but then I saw that someone was looking for a roommate here and decided to take it. The rent is a little more than what I paid previously, but I've always wanted to live in this neighbourhood," Alex answered with a shrug. She didn't usually share all her past information, especially on a first date, but she found herself opening up more and more to Piper.

Piper nodded her head nervously as she slowly made her way further into the main living space of the apartment. She didn't know exactly what they were doing here at Alex's apartment still. Alex had mentioned about ordering pizza or something, but she hadn't been paying too much attention to be honest. All the blonde had been able to think about while on the way here was that Alex was holding her hand. She blushed slightly as she remembered how warm and soft Alex's hand had felt against her own.

The room filled with an awkward silence for a second as the two women looked at each other.

"You don't mind if I go change...do ya?" asked Alex, gesturing to a door just off to the side with her thumb.

"No," murmured Piper, casting her eyes to where Alex was pointing. It was the first time she was realizing there was a door there. There were two, on either side of a wall which had a TV unit pressed against it.

"I'll be quick, and then I'll order that pizza I promised you," she smiled at Piper before making her way towards her bedroom.

Piper just nodded her head in response to this before watching Alex walk away and into the room she assumed was the brunette's bedroom. Nerves twisted in her stomach as she stood there awkwardly in the middle of the living room. Her eyes scanned around the apartment, but there wasn't much to look at... The walls were painted an off-white colour, and there were no photographs or paintings on the wall, except for a cross she noted on the far wall. She stared at it for a moment before down casting her eyes onto the large brown leather couch in the middle of the room, facing the TV unit. A large thrift-store-looking rug sat in the middle of the floor. The blonde couldn't help but think how much it reminded her of a dorm room or something. There was no décor or personal touches anywhere. She figured that Alex kept all her personal belongings in her bedroom.

A few moments passed before Alex emerged from her bedroom. She had changed out of her work uniform and into a white wife-beater and a pair of faded blue jeans. The brunette smiled when she noted that Piper hadn't moved from her spot.

"You know you can sit and make yourself at home. You don't have to wait for an invitation..." Alex teased with a raised eyebrow.

Piper blushed slightly as her eyes suddenly travelled to watch her feet. She didn't say anything in response. She hadn't taken a seat because she was still trying to figure out her bearings and reconcile with the fact that she was here at Alex's apartment.

"Feel free to watch something on the TV," Alex continued to explain as she walked past Piper and back into the kitchen.

Piper looked briefly over her shoulder as Alex passed her before forcing herself to take a seat on the couch. She let out a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She knew that nothing was going to happen...at least not tonight, but she still couldn't shake her nerves. She buried her face in her hands before Alex came back into the room. She immediately lifted her head up and looked over at Alex. The brunette smiled as she came around the couch and took a seat beside Piper, handing her a cold can of beer.

"Thanks," Piper murmured as she took the can from Alex's outstretched hand.

"No problem, kid," replied Alex as she looked at Piper through the corner of her eye.

Piper didn't know where this nickname "kid" had come from, but unlike Tricia's nicknames for her, she didn't mind this one. Alex could call her whatever she wanted to, thought Piper as she watched as Alex opened her can and took a sip from it. Yeah, she was a goner, she thought. She had only known Alex for a week and could feel herself falling hard for her already. She couldn't remember feeling anything like this before for someone. Sure, she'd had crushes and felt strong attractions before...but this was different. She couldn't quite place why. It just was. She didn't think it was because Alex was her first ever real "girl crush." Attraction was attraction when it came right down to it, she thought. It didn't really matter who it was with, a boy...a girl...

Love was love.

Piper blushed underneath Alex's gaze, but the blonde tried committing herself to not withering away. The more time she was around the brunette, the more comfortable she was getting; she didn't want to fuck things up now by acting like a stupid wallflower. She was still as bashful as ever, but she could at least now make eye contact without tearing her eyes away immediately in embarrassment.

"So..." she whispered as she cradled the cold can of beer in her hand and continued to look at Alex.

"So what?" asked Alex with a smirk playing on her lips.

"Well...when's the wooing supposed to happen?" Piper once again was finding her confidence as she placed the unopened can down onto the coffee table in front of her and turned to look at Alex better.

"Wooing?" Alex cocked an eyebrow and continued to look at Piper in awe.

"Yeah.. Or is this it?" Piper gestured with her hands to around the room. "Pizza and beer? Is that your big move?!"

Alex couldn't help but be a little taken aback by what the blonde seemed to be implying? She couldn't tell if Piper was joking or not. Yes, it was a little lame to have pizza and beer as their first date, but it had been kinda last-minute, and she'd thought it would have been better than nothing. Her mouth hung open slightly as her eyes continued to search the blonde's face, trying to figure out where Piper's head was at.

The two women stared at each other for what seemed like the longest time before Piper's deadpan face broke out in a manic-looking grin.

"Pizza and beer is a great choice!" spoke Piper in a high voice. Her nerves had once again returned to torture her as her heart began to race. She was suddenly afraid that she'd insulted Alex just now with her stupid-ass attempt at witty sarcasm. "I love beer!" she added with marked enthusiasm as she reached for the unopened can and quickly pulled up the metal tab. Then without thinking about what she was doing, she brought the can up to her lips and quickly chugged it all down. Her movements were far from lady-like as some beer dribbled down her chin and neck, but she was too anxious to care about proper manners at the moment.

She drained the beer in short order before slamming the empty can onto the coffee table and suppressed a nervous burp.

"I love beer..." she started once again this time in a low whisper. She didn't know why she'd just done that... It had felt like a good idea at the time, but now she just felt like an fucking idiot about it. She could feel the warmth of her cheeks, which she embarrassingly realized wasn't just from the alcohol suddenly coursing through her system.

Alex sat there clenching her own can of beer, staring in amusement at the blonde. That had been the last thing she expected Piper to do. Even so, she couldn't help but admit she was a little turned on... Okay, she was extremely turned on. Alex slowly licked her lips as she placed the can down onto the coffee table beside Piper's empty one.

"I love beer too," she whispered slowly as she pushed her glasses on top of her head and stared deeply into blue eyes. "But I bet I would love it even better on your lips," her voice caressed each word carefully as she slid her body closer to Piper's. If Piper wanted big moves from her, well, she was going to get them, thought Alex wickedly to herself.

Piper sat there frozen, watching as Alex's face came closer and closer to her own. But as she felt the soft wetness of Alex's lips press against her own, she closed her eyes and subconsciously decided to let go, immediately kissing Alex back, bringing her hands to rest on broad shoulders. It didn't take long for the kiss to deepen as their lips parted and their tongues coiled around each other. Alex's hand moved to the back of Piper's head, grasping at the blonde's ponytail while her other cupped her cheek.

They were supposed to be going slow with their relationship, but that didn't seem to matter at the moment. Piper could feel herself getting wet as her tongue continued to explore the warm depths of Alex's mouth. She tasted so good, she thought. Her toes curled and pleasure built slowly in the pit of her stomach as she let herself go. All her nerves about kissing Alex the right way had flown out the door by this point. She didn't fucking care if she kissed her well or not, she just knew she fucking wanted it so bad, her nerves buzzed. Kissing Alex was intoxicating. It was like taking her first real drink, leaving her slightly buzzed and confused but making her want so much more of it.

She moved her body so that she was now straddling Alex's lap, pushing her tongue further into her mouth. She ran her hands through the brunette's long hair before slipping her fingers down the softness of her bare arms. She wanted to run her hands all over her body, feeling every bone and muscles of this beautiful woman. Her desire for Alex ran deep within her by this point and was only getting stronger.

Alex could sense where this was going as their mouths continued to assault one another with more and more hunger. Her old self would have let nature take its course and allow this to progress to a more intimate level. But knowing what she knew about Piper and her sexual history, she didn't want it to go that far...not yet that was. It was still only their first date, and she knew that Piper wanted her to "woo" her. But there was other ways to woo her than just getting into her panties, she thought. It was a hard thing for her to do though.

Every nerve within her was alive and alert as her hands slid briefly up Piper's shirt, feeling the edge of her bra. She was so close, she thought as her fingers hovered over the clasp of it. She could so easily take advantage of this situation, but she knew deep down she wasn't going to. She bit Piper's bottom lip roughly before sliding her hands from underneath the shirt and rested them on the blonde's hip.

Alex found herself counting to ten in her head before finding the urge to pull away.

Piper rested her forehead against hers at this and smiled lazily. Her blue eyes, Alex noted, were darkened with lust. The blonde had clearly enjoyed the kiss just as much as she had.

Alex returned the smile before putting her glasses back on. Piper's image came back into focus as she stared up at her. God, what kind of control did the little blonde have over her? she wondered to herself as she continued to study Piper's face for a moment.

"How about I order that pizza now?" her words came out in a breathy whisper.

Piper nodded her head slowly at this. "O.K."

Alex pressed her mouth to Piper's quickly before she climbed completely off of her.

As she reached for her cell phone in the front pocket of her jeans, she slipped her arm around Piper's waist. Just because she didn't want to rush things with her didn't mean she couldn't enjoy her body heat against her own.

Piper couldn't help but smile as she leaned into Alex's long body. This feels so natural, she thought to herself as she rested her head on the brunette's shoulder and listened idly as Alex made the call.

It was about an hour later into the night.

The two women had moved their date from the confines of Alex's apartment to the roof of the building. Alex's roommate had returned home early from her job and hadn't wanted to be disturbed, so Alex had lead Piper to the roof.

"Cheers."

"Cheers," Piper smiled deeply as she clinked her beer can against Alex's. The blonde had to admit that this wasn't the fanciest date she had ever been on, but it was certainly one of the best. She and Alex were seated on a flannel blanket having a midnight picnic of sorts. The pizza box lay between them, untouched. There were only a few pieces left but neither was motivated to finish them.

A comforting silence fell over them as they drank their beers and looked up at the clear night sky. They couldn't see any stars, but that was okay. They had the lights of the city to memorize instead.

"So tell me about yourself," Alex lay down on her side and looked over towards Piper.

Piper giggled drunkenly at this. "Tell you what?" she asked as she smiled at Alex. "You already know me!"

"I don't know everything," replied Alex as she propped her head up with her hand. "Tell me something about you that I don't know, kid."

Piper took a sip from her can, thinking about what she could tell Alex.

"Okay, I got it," she whispered as she put the can down and rested it on the cement roof, turning to face Alex better. She couldn't help but feel like there was too much distance between them as she remembered to their closeness on the couch. She suddenly felt cold as she thought back to the warmth of Alex's body pressed up against her.

She gave Alex a little smile as she felt Alex's eyes on her.

"My favourite colour is blue."

Alex couldn't help but snort with laughter at this. When she had asked Piper to tell her about herself, she had meant like about her family or something.

"What?" asked Piper as she reached for her beer again. "You asked me to tell you something you didn't know...I'm pretty sure I hadn't told you yet what my favourite colour was."

"Not that I recall," responded Alex with amusement.

"So what about you?" asked Piper as she cradled the can in her hands.

"What about me?" asked Alex as she slowly moved back into a seating position on the blanket.

"What's your favourite colour?"

Alex loved how playful Piper was being with her at this moment. She didn't know if it was the three beers that the blonde had consumed already that night in a course of two hours or not, but she didn't care.

"Black," she responded easily.

"Black's not a colour," stated Piper, shaking her head at Alex. "It's a shade."

Alex crossed her legs and looked on at the blonde in puzzlement. "It's a what?"

"It's a shade," repeated Piper again, "It's basic colour theory knowledge. Black is not a proper colour. It's a shade...used to darken a colour. Just like white is not a colour either. It is used to make a colour lighter."

Alex just continued to stare at Piper for a second before a smirk spread across her face. "Well, sorrryy...Miss Artist!" She held up her hands in the air as if she was surrounding to Piper.

Piper just rolled her eyes at Alex at this. "Just saying..." she murmured, pretending to be annoyed by Alex's remark. Her eyes scanned over the rooftop and out onto the city landscape for a moment before drifted back onto the brunette.

Alex chugged the remainder of her beer before moving closer to Piper on the blanket. She smiled as she caught her eye and placed a hand on top of her knee. Her eyes continued to pierce into the blonde from over top of her glasses as she inched her face closer to hers.

The two women held each other's gazes for a moment before their lips met in a tender kiss.

"Come here," whispered Alex in between kisses as her hand slid up Piper's leg and to her hip, pulling her towards her.

It was just past midnight as Alex walked Piper home.

The two of them held hands as they walked in silence out of Alex's apartment building and onto the street. The air was warm that night as they made the journey to Piper's place.

Piper found herself biting the inside of her cheek, trying to stop herself from smiling like an idiot. She couldn't believe how happy she was at this moment. A warmth of joy filled her belly as Alex squeezed her hand as they crossed the street. She couldn't get over how natural this all felt, being with Alex. This was only their first date, but it felt like they had been going out forever. Sure, there had been some awkward moments at the beginning, but there was also a comfort about all of it. Something she had never really experienced before with anyone at the beginning of a relationship.

Even with Larry she hadn't felt what she was feeling now with Alex so soon in their relationship.

"I had fun tonight," whispered Piper as she looked up at Alex as they came to a stop outside her door.

"I had fun tonight too, kid," replied Alex as she adjusted her glasses on her nose and smiled at the blonde. Tonight had not been her best first date she'd ever planned, but it had gone over well despite that.

Piper held Alex's gaze before glancing over towards the door of her place and back. She was suddenly nervous for some reason. She and Alex had already kissed multiple times during the night, but she wondered if she would kiss her again. She knew it was stupid to worry about but it was on her mind.

"Can I call you?" asked Alex after a moment of silence had passed between them. She knew it was lame to ask, especially since she would be seeing Piper tomorrow night at work. But she just wanted to make sure it would be okay.

"Sure," whispered Piper in amusement as she locked eyes with the taller woman. "You don't have to ask though."

"I know," replied Alex, suddenly feeling stupid for asking. She didn't know why she questioned all her usual motives and such around the blonde. She usually never asked permission to call someone, she just usually did it. But like everything else around Piper, she acted completely different from her usual cocky self. "I just want to make sure."

Piper grinned at hearing this. She loved how Alex was asking to call her so she could be sure it was okay. She found it extremely cute that Alex was being so reassuring with her.

"Well, I guess this is goodnight..." spoke Alex as she let go of Piper's hand and stared deeply into her eyes. She didn't want the night to end but knew if it did continue, she might not be able to control herself.

"I guess so..." whispered back Piper as she shyly looked up at Alex. Her blue eyes shifted from Alex's green eyes, down to her lips. God, she wanted to kiss her so badly again, thought the blonde.

"Good night," murmured Alex as a glint of something appeared in her eyes, taking a small step closer to the blonde.

"Good night," replied Piper in a breathy whisper as she watched as Alex's face came closer and closer to hers before capturing her lips into a kiss.

Thanks for reading and please review!

Julie