CHAPTER 11 – Out of Town

The birds were chirping in the trees outside and the sun was shining through the open window above the bed. Piper lay there content with her eyes closed, enjoying feeling the warm sun on her face. She was happy here and she didn't want to wake up. When Piper eventually forced her eyes open, she panicked slightly as she looked around at her unfamiliar surroundings. A relieved smile appeared on her face when she finally realised where she was. She turned over to her left side expecting Alex to be lying beside her but was left disappointed when that side of the bed lay empty.

With the exception of her heels and jacket, Piper was still fully clothed. Alex must have covered them with the duvet after she fell asleep last night. Piper hadn't meant to drift off and she hoped Alex wouldn't be inconvenienced or annoyed that she slept over. She sat up in bed relaxing on the pillows that were propped up on the headboard. She looked around the room, attempting to become as familiar with her surroundings as possible – she hoped she'd be spending a lot more time here in the coming weeks. The dark coloured walls looked much brighter as the sun streamed in from outside, and Piper felt like she was in heaven as she relaxed in the dark satin sheets.

She heard a rattle outside the bedroom door and smiled as she saw Alex walk through, struggling to stay quiet as she did.

"Shit, you're awake."

"And there was me hoping you'd be glad that I was conscious again." Piper smiled as she took in the beauty that stood before her.

Alex still had the previous night's clothes on and was void of any makeup. Her pale skin shone even brighter as it met the many rays of sunshine and Piper struggled to understand how someone could be so beautiful.

"I wanted to surprise you." Alex raised her hands as she made her way towards Piper.

"Breakfast in bed?"

"Yeah." she replied as she placed a large tray topped with coffee, pancakes and fruit over Piper's legs.

"It looks beautiful Al, thank you." Piper leaned over and kissed Alex on the lips as the brunette slid back into her side of the bed.

The breakfast was incredible and Piper enjoyed every bite as she and Alex sat in silence breaking off pieces of pancake and feeding them to each other.

"I guess I fell asleep last night… I didn't mean to sleep over… Sorry." Piper said when there was no food left on her plate and she had placed the empty tray on the floor.

"Don't be silly. I loved having you here."

"You did?" Piper said, slightly surprised at Alex's answer.

"Yeah. I woke up in the middle of the night and you were still in my arms. I think that's the best sleep I've had in a really long time."

Piper smiled and laid her head on Alex's chest.

"Keep this weekend free." She heard Alex say as she held her close.

Piper lifted her head as she met Alex's gaze.

"Why?"

"I have a surprise for you." Alex smirked.

Piper waited a second for Alex to continue but grew quickly impatient when she stayed quiet.

"Aren't you gonna tell me what it is?"

"Kiss me first."

Piper didn't need to be asked twice and she quickly pulled Alex's face towards her own. Her kiss was full of hunger and her tongue grazed Alex's bottom lip. Her hand moved from Alex's neck and rested on her breast. She squeezed gently as their mouths continued to move as one.

"Like that?" Piper asked as their lips slowly parted.

"Exactly like that." Alex smiled.

"So come on Vause, what's the surprise?"

"Ok… well… My friend Jeremy owns this beautiful beach house just outside of the city that he only uses once or twice a year. It's huge and it overlooks the ocean. It's so relaxing and peaceful. I thought I'd take you there this weekend?"

"Really?" Piper's face lit up.

"Yeah. I mean, after 5pm tomorrow you're no longer my student, you're just mine and I thought we could celebrate that."

"I'd love to Alex."

Both women smiled as they pulled the duvet over their heads and continued their make out session.

Piper was reluctant to leave Alex's apartment, she wished she could stay there with her all day. In her bed, in her arms… Unfortunately she had lunch plans with her mother and she couldn't bear to face the Chapman wrath if she cancelled.

As she walked the New York streets on the way home she thought of nothing but Alex. She thought of the upcoming weekend and couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. This weekend was the first time she could be together with Alex and not worry that someone might see them. She'd be able to experience everything about Alex. She'd be able to feel all of her, hold her hand in public and make love to her – all the things she'd been dreaming of since the first time she ever laid eyes on her.

Polly questioned her smile as she entered the apartment. Thankfully Piper managed to dodge the subject and quickly changed before heading to the café to meet her Mother.

Mrs Chapman had arranged lunch with Piper and as much as she was reluctant, Piper accepted. She still had to tell her Mom about her success in finals so she used this as the perfect opportunity to do so.

She walked into the small corner café and saw her Mother wave at her from a table by the bar.

"Hey Mom." She said as she kissed her Mother on the cheek and took her seat.

Piper spent the next hour listening to her Mother either talk about her trip to The Hamptons or question if Piper was eating enough as she was looking too thin. She'd lost track of the amount of times she had asked herself why she'd agreed to this. She was eager to change the subject.

"So, Mom, my finals were this week."

"And how did they go dear?" Her Mother asked, not taking her eyes off of her blackberry.

"Really well actually. I got 84%"

Her Mother put her phone on the table and looked Piper in the eye. The pride Piper expected to see was missing.

"84? What happened to the other 16%?"

"84% is a pretty good result, Mom."

"It might be pretty good, Piper, but 'pretty good' can always be better."

Piper exhaled and let out a slight chuckle. Of course it was too much for her to expect her Mother to be proud of this achievement. She laughed at her own stupidity for imagining that her Mother could ever focus on anything but her shortcomings.

The silence was deafening and Mrs Chapman soon realised she'd crossed the line. She apologised, congratulated her daughter and quickly made her way out of the café as she was 'running late for her hot stone massage.'

As she sat alone in the corner of the retro café, Piper thought about Alex's reaction when she told her of her exam success. It was full of pride and love while her Mother's was cold and reeked of disappointment. This still wasn't enough to bring Piper down from the high she was riding. All she thought about was the weekend and Alex. Nothing could bring her down now.

"This is from all of us, Professor Vause. Thanks for being an awesome Professor the past few weeks." Alex smiled from behind her desk as Luke handed her the large bottle of wine.

"Thank you, Luke and thanks to all you guys for being great students."

It was Alex's last day at Litchfield and as she walked through the gates one last time she felt a wave of sadness throughout her body. She had enjoyed her time there much more than she thought she would. She'd experienced some great things and had met some amazing people. She'd miss seeing her students every day and she'd miss the thrill of affecting their lives in such a positive way. Thankfully, the placement had been completely successful and her place at NYU was confirmed.

Of course, in years to come, Litchfield University would only be remembered by Alex for one thing. She looked out to her class and smiled as she saw Piper's face. She was still overwhelmed by the feelings she was experiencing but she knew she never wanted to part with them. She never wanted to part with Piper.

Not much teaching happened that day, instead Alex acted as DJ and played some requests from her laptop. After the third Nicki Minaj song, she looked at the clock and dismissed everyone 15 minutes early – anything to not have to suffer any more of her music.

"All right guys. I just want to say a huge THANK YOU for being a great class. Congratulations on all your success in the exams. A bit of life advice for you to take with you; Always remember to be yourself, never let anyone tell you any different and never give up on those you love. Now get out there and live your fucking life"

The class erupted in cheers and the each student shook Alex's hand as they exited.

"Thank you for everything, Professor." Piper said as she was the last to leave the classroom.

"You're welcome Miss Chapman." Alex held on to Piper's hand for a few seconds too long, smiling as the blonde left.

She watched as Piper left the classroom, stood outside until the other students were out of sight then walked backwards back into the room and closed the door after her.

Alex chuckled at Piper's efforts.

"Stealth." She laughed as Piper approached.

Piper smiled and leaned over the desk to place a kiss on Alex's lips.

"I got you something." She said as she made her way over to her desk and picked up a bag which was strategically placed under her chair.

"What is it?" Alex said as she took the bag from Piper's hands.

"Open it and see."

Alex done as Piper said and watched the blonde smile suggestively as Alex pulled the sexy two piece black lace lingerie set from the gift bag.

"Hot." She said as she admired the items.

"You have to promise to wear it this weekend." Piper said.

"Only if you promise to rip it off." Alex raised her eyebrows and smirked at the blonde.

"Deal." Piper said as she leaned over to kiss Alex once more.

Time always flew by when they were together and after what seemed like two minutes it was already time for Alex's next class. She walked Piper to the locked door. She leaned her head down to whisper in her ear.

"I'll pick you up at 3 tomorrow."

"I can't wait." Piper replied.

Alex placed her hand under Piper's chin and moved it upwards before placing a soft kiss on her lips.

"Me neither." She replied as she unlocked the door and watched as Piper made her way down the corridor.

Her bag was packed and she was waiting on the sofa ready to go. Piper barely slept at all the night before. She was like a kid at Christmas. She couldn't wait to experience everything that this weekend would hold.

She heard the car horn and quickly jumped to her feet. She grabbed her things, said a quick goodbye to Polly and made her way downstairs and towards Alex.

She smiled as she saw Alex leaning against her car door watching as Piper got closer to her.

"Hi." Piper said as she finally reached Alex.

"Hey" she replied before continuing "I can finally do this…"

Alex put both hands on Piper's face and placed her lips against the blondes. They both shared a smile as they pulled away before Alex grabbed Piper's bag, placed it in the boot of the car and opened the passenger door signalling for Piper to get in. It was their first public kiss and Piper felt like she was floating as she made her way around the car. She noticed Polly watching them from the window. The friends shared a sweet smile before Piper mouthed "Pervert" in her direction and entered the vehicle. Polly laughed and closed the curtains.

The house wasn't far out of the city and the journey was short. Piper's hand rested on Alex's thigh the entire time and the brunette dropped her hand into Piper's whenever the opportunity to do so presented itself.

After an hour or so of driving, Alex pulled up outside the large beach house.

"Here we are." She said as she turned to face Piper.

The house was just as beautiful as Alex described and Piper admired it from the car before stepping outside. She could see the swimming pool out back and struggled not to rip off all of her clothes then and there and dive in – it was a hot day in New York.

"Do all of your friends ride motorbikes too?" Piper said as she noticed the Harley Davidson parked on the lawn as she and Alex walked hand in hand towards the entrance.

Alex just laughed, pulled out the keys and opened the door to the house.

Piper was taken aback by how beautiful the house was. It was decorated in a modern and chic way and it smelled of vanilla. It was bright and the views of the ocean were spectacular. That added to the fact that Alex was standing next to her made for a very promising weekend. After receiving the tour, Piper pulled a hesitant Alex towards the swimming pool.

"Thank you for this Alex. I'm so lucky to have you." Piper said as she leaned against the wall of the pool and pulled Alex close.

"You deserve it." Alex replied as she lifted Piper's legs up under the water and wrapped them around her waist before meeting the blonde's lips once more.

"Come on…" Alex said as she broke off the embrace and started to make her way out of the pool "…I have something to show you."

Both the women stepped out of the pool and dried off before Alex took Piper by the hand, led her across the freshly cut grass, into the house and up the stairs. She opened a door in the corner of the bedroom and motioned for Piper to step in. She followed and closed the door behind her.

"Wow" Piper said as she looked around the master bathroom. The lights were dimmed and the room was lit mostly by the scented candles which Alex must've set up earlier. The steam from the freshly run bubble bath in the corner was surrounding the room as well as Piper.

"I thought we could take a bath." Alex said to Piper as she stood in front of her in the middle of the large bathroom.

"I like that idea."

"Yeah? I thought it'd be fun to get clean before we get dirty later." She winked at Piper.

"Oh my God! That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard!" Piper burst out laughing at Alex's expression.

"I know." Alex chuckled.

Still laughing Piper moved closer to Alex and nuzzled into her. Alex moaned as Piper began to lay soft, wet kisses on her neck. Piper loved hearing Alex moan in pleasure. It always caused her own arousal to quickly build. As she continued kissing, Piper felt Alex's hands move up and untie the cord on her bikini top. She stopped kissing and looked Alex in the eye. She was nervous for Alex to see her naked for the first time but she tried not to show it. What if Alex didn't like what she looked like naked? What would she do then? These thoughts raced through her mind as Alex undid the second cord and watched as the bikini top fell to the ground. Alex's eyes immediately darted to Piper's breasts and didn't move for a number of seconds. A smile was on her face when she finally met Piper's eye. Before Piper could react, Alex had lowered the straps on her own one piece bathing suit and with one slow motion pulled it to the ground and stepped out. Piper took in every inch of Alex's athletic, toned, feminine body. Her curves were in all the right places and she looked even better without clothes. Alex caught Piper giving her the once over and took a step towards her. Their bodies were now touching, their breasts pressed against each other's. Alex pulled Piper into a deep and passionate kiss before she fell to her knees. Piper looked down as Alex was kneeling before her. Her hands moved up her calves, thighs and over her ass before landing on her waistband. She pulled slowly, removing the blonde's bikini bottoms and holding Piper as she stepped out of them. Alex looked up and smiled at Piper before she took to her feet and grabbed the blonde's hands.

"Come on." She said as she led Piper to the tub in the corner.

Alex stepped in first and sat down against the back of the bath tub. She held her hands out for Piper to follow. The blonde stepped into the hot water and sat between Alex's spread legs. Her back was against Alex's front and her chest was covered by Alex's folded arms. She moved her head to the side where she was quickly met with Alex's lips on her own.

They lay there for what seemed like a lifetime. Piper felt so happy and content in Alex's arms. Alex covered her chest in the steaming hot water before her hands covered both her breasts and massaged them deeply.

"Fuck… Al…" Piper moaned out as Alex squeezed and pinched both of Piper's already hard nipples.

Alex slowed her hands down and turned Piper's face towards her own. She quickly closed the gap between them and kissed her slowly. Piper's tongue found Alex's and she held on to the brunette's thigh to stop herself from slipping in the water.

"We have dinner plans." Alex whispered as she broke the embrace.

"We do?"

Alex nodded and stepped out of the tub. She stood there naked holding out her hands for Piper to grab hold of. As soon as Piper stepped out into the cool air, Alex wrapped a towel around her shoulders and both women went to get dressed for their dinner.

"Are you ready baby?" Alex shouted from outside the bedroom door.

"Just a sec."

Piper had brought way too many clothes with her and spent the best part of the last hour trying them on and dismissing them. Eventually she settled on a new black dress which clung to her in all the right places. Her hair and makeup was done and finally she slipped on her Louboutin's and made her way down the stairs and into the living area where Alex was waiting.

"Ok. Ready." She said as she stood in the doorway.

"Fuck." Alex said as she stood up from the couch and moved towards Piper "You look… amazing." She kissed Piper softly on the lips.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Alex asked.

"Take half the time getting ready that I do and still look like that?"

Piper looked Alex up and down and tried to control the thoughts that were racing through her mind. She was wearing black leather skinny pants, a white sleeveless blouse and a black blazer. Her long jet black hair sat perfectly on her chest and the heels made her even taller and sexier than usual.

"What can I say? It's a talent kid." Alex smirked as the women left the property.

The restaurant was less than a mile away so they walked there hand in hand enjoying the freedom and openness that they could now experience. They stepped inside and the waiter showed them to their table. It was a beautiful and classy Italian restaurant that Piper had noticed as they drove in to the estate earlier in the day. A pianist played from the corner and candles lit every table. The waiter brought their requested bottle of wine and took their order. Alex poured them each a large glass and raised hers in toast.

"To us, kid."

"To us."

The women clinked glasses and took a large sip of their wine. Alex grabbed Piper's hands in her own on top of the table and stroked the top of Piper's hand with her thumb. The restaurant was busy and Piper could feel eyes turn towards the couple and whispers coming from the neighbouring tables. She always knew they would face this kind of attention but she accepted it because she was happy. Happier than she'd ever been before.

"I'm glad you're here, Pipes." Alex said as she kept hold of Piper's hands.

"I'm glad…" Piper didn't finish her sentence.

She saw a figure from behind Alex's shoulder approach them. At first she thought it was all in her imagination but as she blinked and looked again, she saw him get closer. He was smiling at her, now only inches from their table and Piper wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Too late.

"Hey Pipes." He said as both she and Alex turned to face the voice.

"Larry, what are you doing here?" Piper said as she was sure her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

"My date…" He pointed to a red headed woman at the bar "…is from this area."

Piper nodded. After a moment of silence, Larry turned his attention to Alex.

"So I guess you must be Alex?"

Alex looked confused, she glanced at Piper who avoided all eye contact then looked up at Larry.

"Yeah… and you are?"

"I'm Larry. Piper's boyfriend. Well ex-boyfriend I guess I should say. As of 1 or 2 weeks ago now. 2 weeks right Pipes?"

"What?" Alex asked but her question wasn't directed at Larry, her attention was on Piper.

Piper remained silent. She felt like she was about to have a panic attack. She knew Alex would be pissed at her for keeping Larry a secret.

"Larry, we're just about to have dinner, we can catch up another time." Piper said as Larry nodded his goodbyes and made his way back to his date.

Alex's hands moved away from Pipers and the blonde could sense her mood.

"Alex, listen, I…"

"Are you fucking kidding me Piper?" Alex interrupted "Your fucking boyfriend?!"

"Ex-boyfriend."

"I can't fucking believe this." Alex's voice was getting louder and her mood was growing more intense. Piper could see the other diners stare at them and the last thing she wanted was for them to cause a scene… especially in front of Larry."

"Alex, please, don't do this here."

"Yeah, you're right, let's go." Alex stood up, put her jacket on and threw some cash on the table to cover the bill. She stormed out of the restaurant and Piper was left following behind. Thankfully, Larry didn't notice as they exited.

The tension she felt on the walk back to the house was unlike any atmosphere Piper had ever experienced. Alex didn't say a word and she walked slightly in front. Piper didn't have any words. She knew she'd made a mistake so she remained silent also. She knew what was coming as soon as she shut the front door.

Alex threw her bag to the floor and turned to face Piper, her hand scraping though her hair as she did.

"I can't fucking believe you didn't tell me about him Piper." She shouted.

Piper could sense her anger and she understood it. All she could do was apologize.

"I'm so sorry. I left him as soon as I was sure about my feelings towards you."

"When did you leave him?" Alex asked sternly.

"A couple weeks ago."

"So when I took you out on that date, when we kissed for the first time in your apartment that night, you were with him?"

Piper nodded and looked to the ground as the tears began to fall from her eyes.

"I risked everything for you Piper…" Alex's voice had changed, it was no longer angry instead it was filled with sadness and Piper looked up to see the build in her eyes. "…my job, my future, everything… and you were seeing him behind my back not giving a shit."

"I do give a shit Alex. I should've told you. I'm so sorry."

"I have to get out of here."

Piper didn't reply. Alex marched up the stairs and Piper heard her collect her things. She remained standing at the bottom of the stairs hoping Alex was bluffing, the tears streaming from her eyes.

"You know what…" Alex said as she came back down the stairs, her bags in hand "…I deserve this. This is what I fucking get for falling in love with the straight girl."

"Alex please… wait… what did you just say?"

Alex just told Piper that she was in love with her, albeit not the way she imagined it to be said but they both loved each other so there had to be some hope for them, right? This couldn't be the end.

Alex looked at Piper with her tear filled eyes. She didn't answer her question.

"I'm gonna take the bike. My keys are on top of the bed. Take my car and drive yourself home. I can't be here tonight."

Piper didn't plead with Alex to stay. Her mind was made up and there was no changing it. She watched from the doorway as Alex threw on the helmet, started the engine and drove off out of sight.

Just when everything was going so well! Will these two be able to find their way back to each other?

Please review. Update soon.