Pipers POV

I spent the whole day yesterday avoiding Alex. And no, it's not intentional, that is actually the last thing I want to do right now. But since she's making a good job of it why should I put the effort in to try to apologize and explain to her my actions. It gets draining to be shoved off all the time and ignoring her was much much easier. It was especially hard to go get my clothes washed up knowing I'd be bumping into her at her work. Her facial expressions told me she didn't want to talk and her demeanor was speaking a clear message to fuck off, down to the way she gave me my laundry number stub, discarding it to me like a piece of garbage. All I was could do was, retrieve that ticket, turn, keep my head up and walk away.

I passed the time doing things that kept my mind off Alex- running, doing yoga, reading, working on electric while trying not to electrocute myself; I still did not enjoy this job by the way, or talk to my friends, and sleep.

This time around I decided for some yoga.

"Hey newbie, coming here to do some breathing exercizes with us?"

"Hi Yoga, yes I have, lately i've been needing it," I replied.

"Right on Chapman, grab yourself a mat and come feel the music," she said continuing her practise.

I went ahead and copied her, quickly feeling my mind completely disconnect from my body and my body going into a relaxed state. It was cathartic. I lost track of time.

"Piper, hello, you're being called to go to visitations for some odd reason. It's a Friday, visitations are on weekends, must be a problem. You should go," Sophia poked me out of my trance from next to me.

"What okay," I got up hurriedly putting my mat away messily.

I walked to the visitations section and met with correctional officer Bell who was patrolling the place. She told me that it was a special occasion and that Larry, my boyfriend, got the green lights, after much fuss, to come early to talk with me.

I was not visually ready to see him. I was a mess, but I walked in unrelenting.

He was the only one in the room his back to me and his hair longer since the last time I saw him. I walked up to his hands folded in front of him.

"Hi Larry," I spoke with as much eagerness as I could. He looked up at me with almost as much love in his eyes as he had on our first date.

"Oh Piper! I am soo sorry for not coming sooner! Oh my gosh I miss you so much, and you are looking so much different," he jumbled all his words together and got up and gave me a hug. Oh so warm, I want to stay here forever in his arms, i thought. I was waiting for the kiss, but after his big warm hug he leaned in to me for a peck on the cheek... the cheek. I was a little confused but went with it.

I took a seat across from him.

"Larry, why did you come today, you couldn't wait till tomorrow? Today is not visitations," I asked.

"I had to see you Piper. Don't you feel the same way?" He asked me.

"I do and i'm happy you came. It's just I had no time to prepare so I look like shit," I said, feeling like it too but I didnt tell him.

"No Piper, you still look beautiful to me," I smiled. What a romantic.

"Thank you Larry. You look good too, but you need a haircut. So how did your DJ gig go? Polly let me know about it last weekend," I asked. He paused with shock on his face like he wasn't expecting the question.

"...Oh it was good. They loved me. I played some of my new stuff too. They wanted my card for another go in the future," he spoke.

"That's fantastic. You have been busy, Larry. I want to hear this new stuff of yours. How has the writing been?" I said asking him all the questions.

"Writing has been on a halt for now. Hopefully I will think up some ideas to write about. So do you have any prison stories to tell me?" he smiled asking.

"Quite a few Larry," I said. "Let me first tell you how I am working with electricity and we had a task to fix a toaster and in mine out poped a fucking rat. Larry. A rat!" I told him.

"Wow, thats wild. Don't electrocute yourself, I don't want you coming out with short term memory loss or worse with burns," he told me enjoying himself.

"I know, i'm still questioning my position there. I may change." I admitted.

"Yes that would benefit us both. I won't have to worry about you then. Anything else happen?" He asked. I told him briefly about my win and what that entailed and as well about some of the girls I had met. We both paused for a few seconds. I averted my eyes in that brief moment to the window behind him and looking in was none other than Alex herself.

I wanted nothing more then than to crawl under a rock and vanish forever... with her, like we used to do.

She stared just a moment at me with sadness and venom in her eyes. I looked away breaking the contact. She walked away. Larry was oblivious to it all.

"Piper do you love me?" He asked me out of the blue.

"Of course Larry. Why do you ask," I questioned.

"Good I love you too. Piper get up," He motioned. I got up and so did he. We both ignored the CO's command to sit back down.

"I want to marry you Piper, right now. I don't have a ring for you just yet but will you marry me," he said getting on his knee holding my hand. The two officers stared at me with their mouth in awe. I was glad Alex didn't witness this. This would've been the ultimate blow.

I had so many emotions. Confusion and excitment, happiness and sadness, wanting and unwanting, loss, and even more confusion. I couldn't choose right now, as much as I wanted to tie the knot and be Mrs. Bloom, as much as I loved Larry... I wanted just as much and more to be a Mrs. Vause too. I was in love with Alex. I needed time, this was too soon. I needed a second opinion.

"Piper, what do you say? I know I look like an idiot right now proposing in an empty room without a ring but I love you and I want you to be my wife. This Jew boy cannot wait any longer," I looked down at him.

"Larry, you know I love you. But this is too soon. It's not a no and its not a yes, it's a maybe. Please give me time to talk to someone about this. Let me talk to Polly first, for her opinion. Do you understand?" I told him. I was expecting a bad reaction but he just said.

"Polly shouldn't affect your decision Piper. It's how you feel not her," I could sense some madness but he was keeping it under control.

"I know. But it's too soon at least give me some time to think about it. I only known you for half a year," I said.

"Okay i'll give you some time then, just know I love you" he sounded defeated.

We used up all our time after that presentation and it was Larry's time to go. Larry brought me into one of his warm hugs and I turned my head for another cheek kiss but he brought his hands to my face, righted it, and kissed me warmly on the lips as if to magnify his love.


I walked back to my bunk with five thousand things to think about now. What was the hurry with Larry wanting to tie the knot so fast? Shit. I reminded myself to breathe.

I took out Emily's book to read, and apparently I had it in an awkward position because a note fell out the middle of it and landed in my lap.

"What the hell is this?" I looked at the note in my hands, not open. I heard movement in the dorm across from mine and Alex's head bobbed up. Shit I woke Alex. I didn't even know she was there sleeping.

Should I open it. I don't even know if its addressed to me. Whatever. I decided to open it to read what it said, it was dated on Monday this week. That would mean I would still have been with my old roomates. The note read.

Chapman,

Leave, you know who, alone. Word got out you treated her like a bitch. You fuck with one of us you fuck with all of us and what I end up doing to you will be the worst of them all.

Signed,

Your roommate.

My face went all white. Was I being punked? This is not happening. Oh no no no. I needed to speak with someone now- my councillor perhaps. This could be a big offence, a threat like this. More importantly it brought back harsh memories of my stay at that other facility. No way do I want to sleep with fear.. however close Alex may be to protect me.

But who the hell could have done it? Yoga was too nice to have such anger. Demarco didnt look the violent type and well, Emily... i didnt know much about her but she seemed like a nice person... but it is her book. I'm not a snitch but I have a right to be worried for my life. I have to warn my councillor. I had my hand on my stomach in case of the vomits happening and walked up and out of my dorm with a glance at Alex awake, half off her bunk looking concerned. For me?

As I walked to his office I looked at the books pages to see if it carried any indent of where the letter had been camping out. It did and it was almost directly placed at the center of the book. I opened the page and slipped the note back into the book. It was how I was going to show Healy.

I knocked at his door, once, twice, three times no answer.

"Chapman, are you looking for me," Healy's voice thundered from behind me with a coffee in his hand.

"Mr. Healy there you are. I have a problem. I'm worried for my life. Can we talk inside?" I asked him.

"Go in, sorry I went to get a coffee," He opened the door ushering me in first. I took the seat infront of his desk.

"What could be the matter Chapman," he asked finally.

"This," I opened the book up to the page that held the note and placed it on his desk a top his papers. He took a sip from his drink.

"What is this Chapman?" He said lifting it up.

"Someones threatening me sir, read it. I know its not anyone from where I have been moved to, but instead from my first bunkmates. This is not even my book, it belongs to one of those girls too, and I have a feeling she wrote this threat," I said.

"Do you have a name? We can speculate and find out who's done it then send them down to SHU for a while," he told me.

"Well the book belongs to a girl named Emily. Please find out for sure. I had to run from my prior prison placement for this exact fear. I can't do that anymore," I told him scared.

"Don't worry Chapman we will be on the lookout. Don't be surprised if you see COs nearby, they are only there keeping an eye for you. Be grateful you got moved at least," he said.

"Thank you sir," I said getting up to leave.

"Do you want your book back, Chapman, I mean, after we interrogate the people involved," he asked.

"Yes plase, I haven't finished reading it," I said.

"Here Chapman, let me walk you back to your dorm," he offered getting up.

"Uhum okay. But first I'm going to commissary, I need to pick up something." I said. I was going to go buy a pack of elastic bands. If that scary chick at the other facility could hurt someone with that then I could damn well attempt to protect myself with them.

At the commissary.

"Hey can I buy a pack of elastic bands," I asked the asian woman there.

"Why you need these," she asked handing me them.

"For reasons," I jotted my name down on a paper along with my item bought so my money can later be deducted off my cheque for this purchase. I joined Mr. Healy a few steps later.

"All done," I said.

He nodded with a smile, coffee in hand.

"Here you are Chapman," He left me at my bunk and walked away feeling better. Alex was still up looking at my direction with sadness and venom and worry all showing in her face. Was she waiting on me to get back? Well i'm here now.

I put my bag of 100 elastics down on my bunk. I wanted to go talk to Alex but would she refuse again? I didnt want to intrude. I needed to tell her how someone was trying to hurt me for hurting her though. Instead I got another idea while looking at the elastics. I could use some of these, I had more than enough.

I went down to my compartment and withdrew my box and pulled out my lined paper and a pen. I decided to write Alex short notes and roll them towards her. It was a non intruding way of talking to her. She could either respond or refuse to.

Alex, Larry asked me to marry him.

I denied.

Piper

I ripped around the note and rolled it into a cigar shaped form and wrapped two elastics around it for more bounce to get it the way there. Then I brought my hand below and into a swing and released the note forward. It landed just inside the entrance to her dorm. Next time more force.

I saw the puzzled look onm her face and directed my pleading eyes downward to the note to pick it up. She shuffled out from under her cover with a grunt and picked up the rolled up paper. I froze while she read. She pulled out a pen and her own paper from her notebook to reply with a smile on her face. I knew that smile, it was one of thanks.

Thank You Piper.

Really.

ps. Nice way of communication, maybe you are not so bland after all.

Alex.

She rolled her note back with perfect force it landed right in the middle of my bunk bed. She was perfect... too perfect. I reached down for it, feeling hopeful.

I smiled at her reply. I sent her another.

:)

Last second idea comes in handy.

Can we talk?

Piper.

I rolled the note back this time exerting more force, and she was content with the placement. She suddenly put the pen to her lips thinking. I shuddering at what she may put down. Please say yes.

It does.

Almost like texting or email.

And... okay.

You have a lot of explaining to do.

Alex

I read the message with much hesitation but was happy when I saw her get off her bed and walk forward to my dorm.


A/N- So theres that. Larry got put on hold and now it's time to get some Alex loving from Piper. :) Please review!