My Beloved

Chapter 11

Alex groaned at the morning light piercing through her eyelids. She turned on her side to avoid the disturbance, but winced at the pain shooting at her sides. The stings pulled her out of the dazed state. Her eyes fluttered open as her mind began to take note of everything around her. It was what Bill taught her: be cautious in every step. She needed to know where she was, what she was, and who she was with the first thing in the morning.

Two hands. No claws. No fur.

Her brows tied, forming into a slight frown. Alex turned to lie on her back again, staring up at the ceiling. Not the mansion. She was in her own house. The pain. What happened? Danny attacked her. Piper was lost in the woods. The cold and darkness. The long trek home. The needle and the gloves. Vodka and stitches. Alex lifted the edge of the blanket up and stared down her almost naked form. Her gaze then stopped at the stitches Piper did on her.

Ugly stitches.

An exhausted sigh escaped Alex's lips before she decided to sit up. She grabbed her cell phone and checked for messages. There were several from Sylvie, but she skipped. There was one from Bill.

ChapmanB: Ranch. UFN.

Alex put the phone down, and tiredly rubbed her face with both hands. 'Until further notice' had been the worst command she had grown to fear. It would mean that she would be out of the mansion—away from her master—for a lengthy period of time. It would mean that she would not know how long she would be stuck here in this lonely, empty house. She was hurt, and she needed Piper more than ever, but she just couldn't go near her.

Alex traced her fingertips along the stitches, vaguely imagining where Piper's hands had been.

"I'm gonna call a wildlife agency—or—or a wildlife rehabilitator, or something. This is so wrong," Danny said. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, Carol next to him. His right arm was slung in a blue cast.

Bill strode past Danny and snatched his phone away.

Danny looked up. "Dad!?"

"Bill, please!" Carol was exasperated.

Arms across her chest, Piper was standing by the opposite couch, listening, her heart heavy.

"Al is part of the family. You can't just get rid of her like that. She's not yours to decide," Bill said, clutching the cell phone until his knuckles went white.

Danny shot up from the couch. "For God's sake, she's a cougar! She can't be domesticated, or have walking around the house like a person! I don't see a cage anywhere. This is just crazy! I don't know how you guys have managed to live with her like this for so long. Who will she attack next? What if it's not someone in the family? How are you going to take responsibility if it happens again? And it will. You know that you can't always just take them to the vet, dad."

Piper hated everything her brother was saying, but she thought that he was actually making sense when he was sober. She wanted to cry. She wanted to beg her father to make a decision against all reasons. Be unreasonable. Be selfish. She just wanted to keep Alex with her.

"I agree with Danny, Bill. There were times when Alex scared me," Carol added.

Piper stiffened, blood rushed to her head. "Bullshit!"

Carol put a hand on her chest, her eyes widened.

"Language," Bill said grimly.

"Are you kidding, mom? She's lived with us for eight years! She's never hurt anybody! She's very smart, and she's kind. She interacts with us just like another human being, and you know that!" Piper continued, her fists clenched.

Carol looked away, subtly adjusting her blonde bob. "Oh, I'm not so sure about that."

Danny lifted his broken arm at his sister. "Come on, you saw her bite me. I know that you love your pet, Piper, but a mountain lion can't be tamed. If I called the shelter right now, she'd be taken away. It's too dangerous to have her around. What if she gets out and attacks other people? It could get dad in so much trouble."

"Your brother has a very good point. Think about your father," Carol said, protectively placing a hand on Danny's good arm.

"I am very sorry to interrupted, Mr. And Mrs. Chapman. Miss Piper." Claudette walked in, stopping by the doorway. "… Mr. Danny."

Everyone turned to look at the maid.

"What is it?" Bill asked, letting out a heavy sigh.

Claudette cleared her throat, hands clasped together in front of her. "I would like to offer my account of yesterday's incident. I was here when it happened."

Danny glowered at the maid, while Carol looked puzzled.

"Mr. Danny attacked Alex with a golf club first. She only bit back to protect herself," Claudette said.

Piper froze, and turned to Danny. "You hit her? But, why, Danny? Why did you do that?"

"Mr. Danny was very drunk," Claudette added.

"Wait. Wait! I—I don't know. Maybe she wasn't familiar with me, or something. I ran from her and found the golf club. It was self-defense! Come on, I gotta be pretty mad to try to upset a cougar! Don't tell me that you're taking a maid's words over mine!" Danny fiercely turned to glare at Claudette, who offered a nonchalant response.

Carol let out a sigh, and took a sip of her hot coffee. No one had to say anything, but they knew that it wasn't just black coffee, but a mixed alcoholic drink. At the moment, Piper had the urge to ask her mother for some.

"Thank you for your input, Claudette. We appreciate it," Bill said.

"Anytime, Mr. Chapman." With that, Claudette left.

Piper bit her bottom lip, her blood boiling, trying to take in everything she had heard. Her father sat down next to her, rubbing her arms and back. The horror of that particular time when her brother broke Alex's leg when she was a still cub rushed back into her mind. Piper had promised to protect her, but she failed yet again. Her heart broke, knowing how hurt Alex must have felt, and not just physically, because Alex knew and understood just like humans did.

"Don't worry. Alex was a little frightened by the whole thing, but she's fine now," Bill said.

Danny scoffed, but Piper tried to ignore him.

"Can I go see her?" Piper muttered. There was no response. For some reason, Bill never let anyone visit the ranch. Piper had never complained before, because Alex always came back, safe and sound, and that was the only thing she cared about.

"She's fine. You have to trust me," Bill said.

Piper looked up at her father, staring into his eyes, trying to determine if he was telling the truth or not. But it probably didn't matter, because she knew what her brother was like. If she hadn't tried to delude herself, she could imagine what had really happened. She turned to meet with Danny's dark eyes. His gaze was always sad, his anger simmering underneath. His smile was always timid, restrained. His touches were always soft, but cold. She used to feel sorry for him, but everything had its limit.

"If I ever see you near Al again, I swear, Danny, I will not hold back," Piper said with finality.

Carol took another gulp of her dark-colored drink, glancing away.

When Piper stormed off the mansion, she could hear Danny's distant shouts in anger, Bill responding in kind. It was madness inside the calm exterior of the grand mansion. It was a time bomb ready to explode. She was powerless to stop it. She was powerless to keep Alex from harm. Tears welled up her eyes as she ran to her car and drove out through the open gates.

Alex's hair was still wet from the shower. She was in her white robe, wearing a pair of black shorts beneath, when she was having a pair of sandwiches for lunch, a carton of milk on the dining table.

The bell rang, interrupting her meal. She opened the door to the sight of a glaringly bright blonde head, a pair of deep blue eyes that rivaled the oceanic shade. In the sun, Piper was standing in front of her house with two large shopping bags in her hands, two buckets of white paint at her feet.

"Hey," Piper breathed, flashing a megawatt smile of her perfect teeth.

Alex had grown up with Piper, but she was still rendered breathless every time Piper smiled at her. Slowly, she pushed the door open wider and stepped to the side, offering a small smile to the visitor.

Lunch was quick. Alex bought some burger with a diet Coke for Piper. It was already half past five when Piper was done with the living room.

Piper had painted the wooden walls white, giving the whole room a new look. Brighter. Fresher. Livelier. The leather couch's dark wrinkles, combined with the murky-colored, wood flooring, gave a good contrast to the newly painted walls. The new curtains were in light gray, with sheers filtering softer light in.

Piper was in a blue t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts, now tainted with white spots. Her hair was slightly messy. She stood in the middle of the room, the sheets of newspaper spread across the room. The windows were left open, letting the wind in. An old ladder stood in the corner of the room, two buckets of white paint nearby. A paint roller in her hand, Piper admired her accomplishments of the day.

Today wasn't all so bad. Alex had let her in and let her do whatever she wanted. Alex liked her ideas.

"Coffee," Alex's voice came from behind.

Piper turned around, sniffing. "That smells nice."

Alex placed two cups on the low table. Hers was black, while Piper's was added with milk. "It looks really nice," she finally remarked.

"Of course!" Piper said, and then laughed at herself. She had to smile. She had to fake fine, while she was burning inside. Rage was what she felt towards her brother, anger towards her father for keeping Alex away when she knew that the cougar needed her the most right now. Resentment towards herself for not being able to do anything to fix any of it.

Piper sat down on the couch and took a sip of the hot coffee. She glanced at the pale girl. Alex's hair was wildly disheveled, but somehow managed to look as though it was set for a magazine cover shoot. "How's your shoulder?" she asked.

And your back. Your ribs.

Alex remained quiet for a moment. "I'm good. Thanks for last night."

"Do you live alone? Where's your family?" Piper had noted that there was not one picture around the house. 'Alex Vause' appeared out of nowhere, and without much background history to go by.

"I have a guardian, but he isn't around much," Alex mumbled over her coffee.

"A relative? Where are your parents?" Piper took the risk asking all these questions now. She knew that Alex owed her enough not to kick her out of the house now.

Alex scratched her cheek a little. "He told me that he knew my mother."

"Oh?"

"I don't know much. He told me that she passed away when I was very young."

"...I'm so sorry," Piper said, inwardly cursing at herself for bringing the topic up.

"It's ok. I've got a pretty nice childhood to make up for it."

Piper's heart skipped a beat when Alex looked straight into her eyes and smiled. It was the loving gaze she had seen somewhere before, but couldn't recall. Alex eventually broke the eye contact, wincing as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Piper assumed that it was the black bruises on the girl's back.

"Are you ok?" Piper studied the taller girl.

Alex bit her bottom lip. "Better than yesterday."

"What happened? How did you get hurt?" Piper took a deep breath in, waiting. She remembered the horror that she saw on Alex's body last night.

Alex ran a hand through her thick mane. "I—I was crossing the street. Almost hit by a car. I fell and bruised myself quite a bit."

"A bit?" Piper echoed, her brows raised.

"It looks bad, doesn't it?"

"And you went trekking in the woods afterwards?"

Alex let out a small sigh. "Fuck. You caught me."

Both girls chuckled, but Piper's smile died down rather quick. "What really happened, Alex? This is serious. Have you told anyone about it? Your guardian?"

Alex took another gulp of coffee. "Yeah, he knew, but I don't think he would do anything about it. It happened before."

"That's awful. It's unacceptable. You should go to the police." Worries flooded Piper's chest. Piper sat tight in her spot, fighting the strong urge to get up and move to Alex and hold her.

Alex glanced up, and the sharp green gaze was locked with the deep blue one. "Don't worry. There won't be next time."

It had been a long weekend, and it hadn't even officially ended yet. After the fight over the cougar's attack in the morning, Danny demanded to leave the house right away. Bill felt that his stepson hadn't matured with his age at all. Danny was still the irresponsible, careless boy he once was. Bill offered to drop him at the airport, but also emphasized at how important to continue to keep 'Alex' their family secret. Danny was still upset, but promised anyway. Bill knew that the cougar's time was running out. Alex needed to grow as a human and tried to fit in as much as she could.

Bill dropped Danny at the airport at four in the afternoon. It was now half past six as he drove down the peaceful lane, moving past his own mansion. He wasn't going home. He was certainly not going to the ranch. He was heading towards Helen's house, which was about twenty blocks away, westward.

Then his car slowed down when Bill spotted two figures inside of Alex's old, tiny house. Through the window, he could see two girls were moving about in the living room. He was furious since he had specifically told Alex the 'no visitors' policy. He almost pulled over to give the girl a scold, but he froze when he got a clearer view of the said visitor.

Piper.

Many thoughts rushed through Bill's mind, but marching into Alex's home right now wasn't one of them. Slowly, he accelerated his car and disappeared down the lane.

To Piper's surprise, Alex was a wonderful cook. At least, a much better one than she was. She could hardly make the toaster work. She liked to be fed.

After dinner, they sat out on the small porch. Piper had borrowed a gray, checkered pattern scarf from Alex. The old, wooden bench creaked at their slightest movements. A big bag of chips and a bottle of Vodka between them. The starry sky was clear on this chilly, fall night.

Piper gazed into the distance, staring uphill where the Chapman mansion was, feeling slightly strange as if she were an outsider. Maybe she really was an outsider. She was always the last to find out the ugly secrets.

"Do you love her?"

Alex chewed the chips. "Who?"

"Donovan." Piper rolled her eyes. "I mean, you guys are like the coolest couple in school at the moment. The hot couple. You're the hot one, and she's—uh—a feisty sidekick."

Alex chuckled as she took a gulp from the Vodka bottle. "Well, I don't look so hot now, do I?" She lightly gestured at her wounded shoulder.

Piper eyed the taller girl up and down, hoping it wasn't too obvious. "A different kind of hot. You're rugged now. Tough, you know."

Alex laughed, and Piper laughed with her. Their cell phones vibrated at almost exact, same time. It took them a moment to break their stares from each other before they checked the text messages.

"Donovan?" Piper watched as Alex swiped the screen down.

Alex briefly glanced at Piper's phone. "Walter?"

"Yeah, I let him know that I'm with you."

There was a moment of silence before Alex began, "Piper—"

"I told you that I want to be your friend. We're friends, right?" Piper hugged her legs, resting her chin on her knees. "Or, at least, we're neighbors."

Alex's gaze softened. "Right."

Piper's smile widened, but it was short-lived as her phone vibrated in her hand again. She read the new text. "Shit. He's very upset. He said he's coming over to my house."

"Do you love him?"

Piper stalled at the sudden question. She looked up to meet the intense green gaze, and she found it difficult to breathe all of a sudden. "Yeah, we're a good match." For some reason, Alex's face fell at her casual answer, and Piper wasn't sure how to feel. Sometimes Alex seemed so cold and aloof, hard to read, but at a small moment like this the girl was an open book, upset and vulnerable. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't—I... I'm so sorry that he hit you that day. He hasn't apologized, and I still—"

Alex stiffened. "I wasn't thinking about that."

"What were you thinking about then?" Piper was genuinely curious when Alex instantly looked away. "Look, I know that it was so wrong, completely wrong of him, to treat you that way. But he's actually a—not violent guy. I mean, he, umm… God, he was scared of you. Terrified. He said you're very strong. I mean, I know that sounds like bullshit, but his fear is real. Other than that, he's got nothing else against you. We could try to be friends, you know. I could try to explain to them. I mean, Polly and I had a talk about it, and she seemed—curious about you. She's a kind person. Maybe she'll like you when she gets to know you better."

There was a hint of sadness in the green eyes. "But you don't know me, Pipes," Alex muttered.

Piper stopped. "You're right. I don't, but... but you walked me out of the woods yesterday. I don't know how you found me, but you saved me, Alex. I want to know you, if you'd let me."

There was a moment of silence before Alex stood up and retreated into the house.

Piper's gaze followed. She got up from the bench and entered the house. The smell of fresh paint was still heavy. Alex walked up the stairs, swaying slightly. Piper followed.

"Alex?" Piper stopped by the doorway of the bedroom, watching Alex lying down on the bed. The girl grunted at the pain her movements caused, and Piper quickly approached the bed. She sat along the edge of the bed, and pulled the blanket over the girl.

"Hm?" Alex flinched a little, her eyes fluttered open. She seemed a little shaken, but also tipsy. It must be the influence of alcohol.

"Go to sleep," Piper cooed, gently stroking her head. Alex nodded and closed her eyes. When all was quiet, and Alex's soft breathing was the only thing she could hear, she got up, ready to leave. However, Alex lightly touched her fingers, and she turned around, perplexed that the girl was still awake. For a few quiet moments, their fingers intertwined, lingering.

"Stay." Alex's word came out small.

The whisper stopped Piper's world. Piper gazed down at the pale girl, and then glanced up at the gap between the curtains. She could see her house from here. Her mother was out for poker games with her friends (and a few drinks). Her father had sent Danny off to the airport and would spend a few nights at the ranch with her cougar. Kevin would arrive at the mansion soon, but Claudette would dutifully send him away.

Piper took another look at the pleading green eyes, and climbed onto the bed. Fuck it. She finally got the proper invitation.

The bed creaked as Alex moved to make some room for her. Piper snuggled into the taller girl, leaning on her good shoulder, Alex's long arm wrapped around her. It was a familiar position, the one she never shared with anyone, even her boyfriend, but her cougar.

"Thanks. I didn't really want to go home. There's no one there," Piper muttered, a hand on Alex's chest.

Alex hummed a little. "I'd love some company. It gets really quiet here sometimes."

Piper nodded to herself. "It used to be bearable. We used to be happy, you know. Or happier... or maybe I was wrong, and we were never happy."

Piper felt Alex's arm tightened around her as if to comfort her. She smiled. She didn't know how a stranger's embrace could make her feel this safe, but it just did. She didn't know why she got into bed with a stranger in the first place, but they still ended up here.

"I'm here," Alex whispered.

It felt strange that a stranger would offer her such kindness, and even stranger to believe in its unfamiliar sincerity. Piper took a deep breath in as if readying herself to take the plunge. "My parents fell out of love a long time ago, I figured. I got a half-brother who lives in London... I got a best friend whom I love dearly, but I'm unable to see her right now, and it's killing me. I miss her. She's been hurt, and I know that she needs me."

Alex frowned. "Something happened to Harper?"

Piper paused. "No, not Polly. This friend of mine goes to a different school. You don't know her." Piper glanced up and saw Alex frowning in displease. She pushed herself up, resting her weight on her elbow, studying the brooding girl. "What is it?"

"What other best friend? Who is it?" Alex sounded possessive all of a sudden, and Piper wasn't sure how to feel about it. There was just something very strange about 'Alex Vause' since the first day they met. Normally her head would have told her to stay as far as she could from this girl, but her heart was getting the better of her.

"Well, we grew up together. We've spent so much time together. We're very close. I'd say that she's closer to me than Polly, but I can never tell anyone about. My dad won't let me."

For some reason, Alex's gaze softened at her last words. "You consider her your best friend?"

Piper nodded, tears involuntarily brimming her eyes. "She knows me like no one else does, and I her."

Alex reached up, gently wiping Piper's tears away with her thumb.

The warmth from the hand comforted and soothed Piper. Strangely, she felt safe enough to let it all out. Tears poured down her pretty face, mingling with her anger and sadness. "But something terrible happened to her, and I couldn't help her. I couldn't even go see her. I couldn't protect her. I tried to, but I just... It's all fucked up. I'm not allowed to talk about her. Ever. I could never show how much I care about her to other people. It's difficult. It's fucking frustrating sometimes. I just don't understand. Fuck! Why the hell am I even talking about this? This is weird. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I just—I freaked out over some shit. I feel so stupid. Stupid! Sorry."

Alex struggled a little to sit up, and then cupped Piper's face with both hands. They were so close now, sighing into each other. Piper swore that she had never let a stranger does this to her, but reasons failed to apply when it came to 'Alex Vause'. "Don't blame yourself over it. It's not your fault. I'm sure she's fine."

"How do you know?" Piper frowned, wiping her tears away with the back of her hands. She was starting to feel embarrassed about crying like a baby in front of Alex. She was definitely kicked out of the 'cool kids' club forever. Not only she never jumped out of the back of the bus, she was thrown under the bus. She would never ever be as cool and tough as Sylvie Donovan, the Dyke.

"Your father would have told you, if her condition worsens, right?" Alex shrugged slightly. "Sometimes bad things happen, Pipes. It's not your fault that you couldn't stop it."

Piper nodded, her sob subsided. "I just wished that I'd done more to prevent it from happening."

"Lesson learned. Let's just take one step at a time."

Piper smiled. She did feel a lot better, and her head became much clearer now, realizing what odd positions they were in. Piper didn't know what they were, friends or trying to be friends, but Sylvie might get a wrong idea, if she saw them like this. Alex didn't seem to mind, however.

"Alex."

"Yeah?"

"What if your girlfriend walks in and sees us?"

Alex let out a laugh, retracting her hands from Piper's face. "She doesn't know where I live."

"Seriously?" Piper faked a frown, something she learned from Carol when she was actually, secretly delighted.

"My guardian is very strict about having visitors, which means absolutely no visitors."

"But I'm here." Piper found it amusing that she, too, couldn't have visitors at home, but for a different reason.

"I can't really kick you out, right? I owe you some stitches."

Chuckling, Piper shyly looked away before glancing up at Alex again. "How long will the invitation last?"

Alex shrugged. "As long as the stitches stay, I guess."

Piper's smile widened as Alex reached out and tucked the strands of blonde hair behind her ear. With everything laid out for her, Piper had never felt like winning in life, but she did just now. Alex had made it possible.

Involuntarily.

Effortlessly.

A/N: Have a great weekend! Love y'all! xoxo