Chapter Eleven

Piper wasn't sure living on her own was helping. She fell down a rabbit hole of writing and only came up to go to interviews, drive to see Alex or when her brother brought Micah over. The brownstone was huge and so she spent most of her time in the second floor study. Her mother kept pushing until she agreed to hire a staff.

She took an entire afternoon off to interview people sent over by an agency her mom had used before. She let her mom ask all the regular questions while she had a few direct ones of her own. "So, I'm a convicted felon and my fiancee is one as well. When she joins me, we want to be surrounded by open minded individuals that know how to keep their mouths shut," Piper began. She felt the coldness creep into her stare as she settled her gaze on Mildred, the prospective head house keeper. She had an Irish lilt to her voice and seemed friendly enough but Piper wanted to make sure there would be no rebuking under her roof.

"I believe in discretion but I will not stand by and ignore blatant law breaking, if that is what you're asking. I can be held liable as well and I don't want to mess up my chance to get my green card. It has been a long process and-"

"No she wasn't implying that! Were you Piper?" her mom interjected. Piper smiled and told the woman she wasn't going to break the law.

This seemed to settle her and Piper waited patiently to see if she'd continue. Finally Mildred spoke up, "My son is gay. He and his husband have sponsored me coming over from Dublin and helped me to get my first placement. I'd still be there had the family not moved to Europe last month. I can run your household and make sure you aren't bothered when you're writing and keep all of your business quiet. Your mom told me you are writing a memoir when we spoke on the phone and you've been writing about criminal justice reform. She said there might be reporters and the like. I can make sure they stop at the gate, especially if you let me hire a footman or sorts to assist such things. Myself and two additional staff should be enough for this home," she concluded.

Piper looked at her for a long time and continued, "If I hire you would you consider ex-cons as the additional staff?"

Mildred blinked at that. "If they are honest now, you don't mind and they have some background in domestic service….sure. Will you be needed a driver as well?" Piper said no but her mom said yes. They argued for ten minutes about Uber and how drivers aren't needed anymore. Her mother won the argument though when she pointed out that Piper needed someone to help with security and to drive her out to see Alex on weekends. They saw three more applicants for head housekeeper before Piper gave up and told her mom to hire Mildred. She had an idea about the driver and would contact Women's Prison Association about sending over a few people for housekeeping interviews. She knew Mildred would be tough but fair.

"I'll make the call and tell her, then make us some lunch. Cal went shopping the last time he came over, didn't he?" she asked in a disapproving tone. Piper blinked, looking up for her chapter outline she was reworking on her phone.

"Um...yeah, I got to keep Micah while he went out. I have no idea what he bought though. When I got hungry yesterday I ordered a burger delivered," she said absently.

"Yes I see you ate half of it and the rest is in the refrigerator," she said with disdain.

"Oh yeah, cool..I'll just reheat that and eat. You can go visit your friends in Brooklyn if you want Mom," Piper said absently, hoping this would convince her to leave so she could continue working.

"Piper Elizabeth Chapman, all you ate yesterday was half of a hamburger and if I leave, all you will eat today is the other half. You're losing weight you can't afford to lose Piper," her tone started out critical but by the end of the sentence Piper recognized the underlying worry. She looked up from her phone at her mother. She had out all the fixings of a salad and some chicken breasts. Cal really did get fresh food to tempt her to eat.

"I'm sorry Mom. You're right...I get caught up in writing and missing Alex. I don't focus on taking care of myself. You're right about the housekeeper and all the staff. I'm sorry I am giving you such a hard time,' Piper said in a quiet tone. Her mother looked up surprised at the acquiescence.

"Well, this will take awhile to cook, why don't you go to your study and work on your laptop before your eyes go bad working on that little screen. I'll bring the food up when it is done and we can both enjoy a lunch together before I head to my meeting," she suggested. Piper smiled and agreed. She went behind the counter as she crossed to the stairs and kissed her mother on the cheek as she passed. It seemed to startle her some yet PIper could feel how pleased she was at the sweetness of the gesture. She sat at her comfortable desk and brought up the chapter outline. She messaged her editor, who was out to lunch but she knew would text her once the message went through.

She answered emails rather than work on the chapter. She didn't want to ignore her mother and she knew her attention would wander to the chapter if she started. She was nearly done and the idea of that was startling. Her news show had been electric. The callers all wanted to ask her about her experiences and the DJ actually told them to buy her book when it comes out. She hinted at a few things and then focused directly on the conditions in the prison where she had lived for over a year. She was ruthless when she spoke about the danger of mixing profit with justice. They had surprised her by playing audio of Alex getting her arm broken. She wasn't prepped to hear it and it felt like a punch in the stomach. They had cleaned up the audio and you could hear her pleading voice, Nicky's rant and Red's vocalizations. Her body jerked and she paled. She asked him to turn it off in a whisper….they did at the moment her arm snapped. Piper's reaction went viral. All shows videotape in the studio now and her reaction to hearing it seems to fascinate people. She really hoped Alex didn't view it on a contraband cell phone. AFter that, she'd turned down five interviews to write but had two scheduled for next week.

She hadn't seen Alex after the interview but she did talk to her on the phone. The memory of the conversation is what haunts her mind as she tries to sleep at night.

"Yes, I'll accept."

"Hey kid," Alex said in her sexy low voice.

"I miss you! How are you?" Piper asked, not asking her if she heard the show or not. "I got your last letter at my new place and I sent you two packages, one should be there soon." She knew she was rambling but she was so damn nervous.

Alex laughed some, "I got one, thank you for the magazines. I read them and traded two for some more coffee beans. You made my day as always. I'm fine, I miss you and my arm hurts...I guess it is the rain." It was a subtle way to bring it up. Piper had to give her credit.

"So you saw," she said quietly.

"I listened live, then the next day someone showed me the video on a phone," Alex answered in a tone so neutral Piper knew it cost her to use it.

"Someone?"

"Baddison did. It seemed to pass around quickly because by lunch that day everyone was looking at me differently," Alex said in a light tone. "It seems I'm a badass for taking the break and pretty fuckin' lucky to have someone like you in my corner. It did however, bring attention to me from the prison," Alex said again in a neutral tone. Piper's heart sped up and she had a hard time catching her breath. .

"What's happening?" she asked, afraid to hear the answer. If anything happened to Alex now it would always be her fault. Just like the fact she was stuck in the system now was all her fault. She betrayed Alex and now she was in Max with animals like Baddison on one side, and a pissed off prison corporation on the other.

"Little things right now. They cut my advil dose, so I have to scrounge around for simple pain reliever. My lawyer has been here three times this week to see me. They know I have a spotlight on me and the means to back it up now, Pipes. I'm okay. I want to know how you are? That fuckin' clickbate whore of a DJ-"

Piper smiled at her anger and interrupted, "Was doing his job….and apologized profusely. I think his producer told him that I agreed to the 'surprise'. It doesn't matter, it has drummed up lots of interests and I have a few more interviews next week. One is on NPR, a feature...kinda ironic eh?"

"It is something that is for sure. I'm proud of you Pipes. I don't have much time but I wanted to tell you that my visitation day has been moved to next week. We are all on every other weekend now due to the new arrivals….though we all know most of them don't have visitors because they are detainees awaiting deportation. You have to keep going Pipes and shine a light so big none of them can hide," she said with real hatred in her voice. Piper couldn't help but feel this surge of pride at how fucking brave her woman was and how very much Alex had changed. She still looked out for herself, but she also realized she could help people along the way.

"I love you Alex Pearl Vause," she answered. "And I'll see you weekend after next then. I will use the time to finish the book. James is happy to set hefty goals for me and keeps me focused."

Alex replied quickly, "I love you too, Piper. James is your editor right? I picture an older gentleman, with a mustache and bifocal lenses."

Piper smiled, "You've spent time imagining what James looks like?"

"Sure, some man I don't know, talks to you numerous times a day and is helping you write about some of my worst fuck-ups in our history….surely you're not surprised, Piper," Alex explained. Piper blinked at that. She hadn't thought of it like that but naturally she'd worry about this new person in her lover's life.

Alex asked her something and she had to focus. "Oh, um no...he is a red headed, blue-eyed millennial. He is a wordsmith but doesn't try to change my voice," Piper replied to the question of what he actually looked like.

"Eyes as blue as yours?"

Piper smiled some, "I haven't noticed, Al. He's my editor and we talk about work. I don't even know his sexual orientation and I couldn't imagine asking." She frowned at the idea. "Don't worry."

"I think we should talk about a realistic agreement Pipes. My lawyer said it would take months to get a court date. You're a free woman now, you've got options and needs…"

"Shut the fuck up Alex. I made a promise remember? My vow. What did I say Alex?" she felt a flash of anger and knew how much the separation was eating at Alex.

"You said you'd wait on me. Thing is baby, I never asked you to wait on me. I'd rather we talk realistically about things like your sex drive and come up with something we can agree is feasible," Alex said in a tone that sounded rehearsed.

"I made a vow. I'm not discussing this over the phone. Don't worry about James or Larry or any man- I love you and only you." She was breathing hard as she spoke. She was terrified hearing these words come from her mouth.

"Larry? Why bring him up? Did you see him?" Alex's voice piqued in a way that Piper hadn't heard in a long time. She winced at her own fucking stupidity.

"Yes at Cal's briefly. He told me Polly wanted to get in touch. Cal threw him out and I haven't seen him since," Piper said quickly.

" I gotta go before they cut me off. I'll write you and mail it tomorrow. Bye Pi-" the line went dead.

She'd thrown up immediately after the call. Her stomach had been in knots ever since. Her book would end with the death of Poussey and she had found it easier to focus on the events leading up to that horrific act than on her relationship with Alex. That and her near constant state of fear that the corporation would hurt Alex. She wouldn't write about the riot specifically until all cases were finished. Her research with Caputo and others had produced some facts that could have a political impact. She had dirt on Fig and thus her corrupt husband. It was detailed in the book and to her amazement backed up by Caputo, who was letting her use his real name. He'd regret it in the end because she told the truth from the prisoner's point of view. She had also decided to donate all the profits from the sale of her book to fund a scholarship for ex-cons in Poussey's name. She wrote Taystee about it and was waiting for a reply. She'd also helped finance an appeal for her conviction but she didn't know that. Piper was positive that Taystee didn't kill Piscatella.

Her mother had to say her name twice to get Piper to look up from her screen. She hadn't really been working but stuck in her thoughts for a long while. The lunch looked great and Piper's stomach growled in response. They sat in the table by the window.

"What's bothering you?" her mother asked after Piper ate half of her salad. Piper grimaced some as she took a sip of lemonade to wash down the piece of chicken that seemed to stick in her throat at the question.

"Nothing, just distracted by the book," she answered automatically. "I have a set deadline-"

"That you set for yourself, Piper. You didn't go see Alex this weekend...is there something wrong?" her mom probled.

"No, the hours changed, probably as a result of my advocacy for criminal justice reform...and particular focus on that institution. My agent said they've leaked my discipline file….so be prepared, I got a lot of shots for lesbian activity. I'm hoping it backfires on them though," she said with a shrug, trying to distract her mother with the idea of upcoming gossip.

Carole didn't even blink, "I've already had calls. We say no comment and refer them to our lawyer...eventually, they'll see we aren't a source of information. Stop trying to distract me, Piper. Are you and Alex on the rocks?" she sipped her lemonade gracefully and Piper felt like she was a teenager again being grilled about her choice of prom date.

"I'm worried they're going to hurt her. I'm worried other inmates will turn on her afraid I'm going to out their business. I'm afraid of losing her because she thinks I can't go without sex and would rather push me away than take the chance I'll cheat on her again," Piper blurted out. She felt better saying it but couldn't believe she was telling her mother.

"Again?"

"I'm more like Dad than I want to admit. Yeah….again. I cheated on her in prison with another inmate. I cheated on Larry with her...now only with her and to be honest, I never stopped loving her so ….I shouldn't have been with him." Her mother took another sip and sighed. She'd liked Larry at first and tolerated him because eventually he'd inherit his father's money. She thought he'd provide for Piper and that is all she wanted for her daughter. Now that things had changed, she wasn't sure what her mom thought about the whole situation.

"Larry is a feckless bum. His parents are outstanding though and I thought maybe he'd grow a pair. I can't quite get over him breaking up Polly's marriage considering she was your best friend and Pete his….bad character. Do you think you'll cheat on Alex?" Her question took Piper off guard.

"No...I've changed. I lived through a time when I thought she was dead. I can't risk having a life without her in it. I don't think I'll survive it. She needs reassuring though… and I can't do anything from here," Piper didn't like the sound of her voice and she pushed her food forward, all thoughts of eating gone. Her mother frowned and pushed her plate back.

"You'll just worry her if you show up gaunt and looking unhealthy. Reassure her when you see her on Saturday. You need your strength to do the NPR interview. You know they'll bring up video and the news show. Your agent needs to be strict about what they show you. That shouldn't happen to you again," she consoled. Piper picked up her fork and picked at her salad to placate her mother.

"She could be more aggressive but really she knows it drums up attention for the book and speech tour….and no I haven't committed to doing it because I don't want to be that far away from Alex. Besides, I need to prove myself with some figures before I head out on the road speaking about criminal justice reform," she took a bite as she talked, it was a nice piece of baby spinach. She remembered how much she craved fresh greens in prison and felt a pang in her chest that Alex still had to trade magazines to drink a cup of real coffee. Her mother discussed her wardrobe and calendar. It helped when she set it out for Piper, she put it in her phone and it helped her not to miss appointments. Her mother mentioned Piper hiring a secretary again but she put it off. She was already hiring a staff and felt so pretentious doing it. Her emotions were all twisted but she had to admit that she needed help to function until the book is finished.

Her mom left and Piper went back to work. James called and they worked on the outline for an hour before Piper sat her bum in her chair and started to write. She was crying so hard when she finished. It needed work but she was done with the last chapter. She was sobbing when her phone rang. She answered it without looking assuming it was her mom telling her she was heading back home rather than staying the night in the city.

"Hey Mom, you headin' over the bridge?" Piper answered, sniffling loudly and trying to wipe her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked. Piper blinked twice. This wasn't a call from the prison but one on a regular phone.

"Alex? Tell me you aren't on a contraband phone!" She began, fear coursing through her body as she saw Alex being pushed into a cell in the SHU.

"No, I'm in the admin's office. Red works here now and she got me time on the phone, I don't have long though. Listen Pipes, they've made noise about moving me. I need you to call my lawyer and tell him. They're stating it's over crowding but I think they just want the focus off them," Alex said in a low tone.

"Who is keeping an eye out?" she asked, totally unable to process everything except that Alex could get in trouble.

"Nicky and Red….listen, tell me you'll call Pipes. If you don't I might not be here when you come to see me on Saturday," she stated again. Piper swore and told her she'd call him as soon as they got off the phone.

"We knew this might happen. I will contact you as soon as I get privileges wherever I end up. I'll be fine, you keep doing everything you have to do okay? I'm really proud of you, kid," Alex sounded so tough and reassuring.

Piper started to cry again. "I need you, they can't...those fuckin' fucks!" Piper grunted exasperated at the notion. "It could take weeks Alex. I...will stop the book and no more interviews. You can tell them that I'll stop all of it if they keep you there and safe," Piper pleaded. Her mind was racing thinking about who she needed to call.

"No Pipes, listen to me...all I need you to do is call my lawyer and tell him. I will deal...we will deal. If we can survive my toxic drug career, yuppie writers, betrayal and assassination attempts, we can handle my being moved out of state," Alex said clearly.

"Out of state? Where? Did they say it would be out of state?" Piper knew too much about the Federal system now to feel any relief at the idea of Alex going to a better place. She knew they could move her anywhere and lots of those places were way worse than Litchfield. Alex told her that they just hinted and she told PIper she wasn't to change a thing she was doing.

"I'm proud of you Pipes, you keep telling the fucking truth. .Promise me!"

"I can't...what if they do to you what they did to Poussey? Fuck, I can't..I wrote it all today. I told it….as it happened. They're going to get us both, what am I doing to us?" Piper felt her heart race and panic rise up in her throat like a tied of acid.

"Promise me, kid. I believe in you and I need you to stick to your guns. We all do Piper. You can use your upper class privilege to make things happen for the better. Don't give in to the pressure. Promise me," Alex insisted.

"ONly if you promise to stop mentioning me sleeping with other people. If it gets so bad I want to just go out and get laid, I promise I'll talk to you about it...but Alex, I don't want anyone else. I just want you safe and in my arms," Piper managed through her sobs.

"I promise, I gotta go Pipes, say it...say it…"

"I promise Alex, I will call your lawyer and not stop." Piper got it all out before the line went dead. She prayed Alex didn't get caught as she dialed the after hours number for Alex's lawyer.

******I didn't forget this story. Life has me...well working two jobs and remodeling due to hurricane damage. I love the reviews and beg for more please. Peace, Fae*****