Third and final part to Piper's little furlough escapade.

The two dressed quickly. Alex donned a pair of black jeans and a black sequined top that hung off of one shoulder and of course her new favorite pair of ass kicker boots. They made her a good few inches taller than her already impressive height. So now people really had to look up to her. She did her hair and make-up quickly so she and Piper could have a short make-out session against the wall of the bathroom. She then had to re-do her make-up, but it was well worth it. Piper quickly touched up her face as well, but she had applied her make-up before her grandmothers funeral so she was more or less okay. Just a quick touch up. Her make-up was better than the basic stuff they could use in prison so it actually stayed on during their earlier romp.

Piper came out of the bedroom just as Alex was finishing up her make-up at the sink. She shrugged. "It's all I have. I think it shrunk a little."

Alex's jaw nearly dropped. Piper stood before her in a skin tight sleeveless black dress with white and gold accents.

"Is it okay? It's too tight. I should take it off, shouldn't I?"

Alex had to look away or else she would have hiked up that dress and fucked Piper right then and there. "No. Don't take it off. I'll do that later when we get back." She said with a wicked grin.

The cab ride to the club was surprisingly slow for Piper. All she could focus on was Alex. How the outside of their thighs touched, how Alex rested her hand on Piper's bare knee, how her smile lit up her eyes when she caught Piper staring. All the things that made her first fall in love with the tall woman next to her resurfacing and making Piper fall in love all over again.

"What?" Alex asked after catching Piper staring again. "Is my make-up a mess?"

"No." Piper shook her head. "I just love you." She placed a gentle kiss on Alex's lips as the can came to a stop. Alex paid the cabby and they got out. The club wasn't anything really to look at on the outside. "It's . . . Nice."

Alex laughed. "It's just an old converted warehouse. Besides, it's what's on the inside that counts." She said with a kiss to Piper's cheek. She took the blonde's hand and led her around the side to the back entrance. She unlocked the door and punched in a code, flipping on the lights as they entered.

"Wow." Piper exclaimed, taking it all in.

"Don't 'wow' too much yet. It's a work in progress." Alex explained. "I have someone coming this weekend to replace the floors and new chairs and benches should be here tomorrow. I think the tables are coming on Monday."

Piper looked around. There was an oversized dance floor at the center of the room, bar up at the front and little VIP sections along the walls with tables, chairs and benches. Pretty standard. But, it was all Alex's. Her woman owned all of this. She looked up, realizing the club was at least three stories. "This is incredible Alex."

Alex smiled from behind the bar as she flipped on some more lights. "You really like it?"

Piper nodded. "I really do."

"There's so much more to be done I hated opening it when I did. But I needed the money. I couldn't wait until everything was ready to open it. So, you know, little by little."

"It'll get there."

They made their way to Alex's office as the staff started arriving; much to Piper's chagrin. She had wanted to christen Alex's office. Alex introduced Piper to everyone and left Piper at the bar with a drink while she flittered around the club talking with the staff, setting things up and just overall getting things ready for the night. At ten thirty the doors opened and people started filing through. Quite a lot of people, actually. Within half an hour the alcohol was flowing, music blasting and people were out on the floor dancing and having a great time.

Piper couldn't help but remember back when she'd be left at various club bars whilst Alex was busy making deals or connections or whatever exactly it was she did. Except this time she didn't feel like the 'pathetic housewife' she once did. She jumped as a pair of arms snaked around her waist, but quickly relaxed into the touch.

"Hey you." Alex whispered into her ear. "Sorry that took so long."

Piper smiled and kissed Alex. "Don't worry about it."

Alex nodded her head in thanks as the bartender handed her a drink. "You enjoying yourself?"

"You know, actually I am."

"Well I suppose it's more exciting than Litchfield." She joked.

Piper shrugged. "Eh, I don't know."

Alex smirked. "Do tell."

"Wanna fuck with Luschek?" Nicky asked as they made their way back into the electrical shed. They were the first ones back and Luschek was drunker than a skunk in a trunk today. Well, that was before the lunch break. He probably had a few more schnapps infused hot chocolates with his lunch.

Piper smirked. "What do you want to do?"

Nicky looked around the room just double checking no one was there. Then she stealthily made her way into Luschek's office at the back of the shop. She came back out with two large bottles.

"What the hell is that?"

Nicky shrugged and handed one to Piper. "Not a fucking clue. Drink up."

They clinked the bottle necks together and started drinking. "He's gonna be pissed when he realizes it's missing."

"Yeah" Nicky agreed taking another long drink. "But we'll be drunk by then and what's he gonna do? Report us? Then we'd just say where we got the alcohol and he'd be fucked."

"Good point." Piper agreed with a long swill of her own bottle. "You only live once."

"Amen sister." Nicky nodded and clinked her bottle with Piper's. "Amen."

"We got everyone in electrical completely shitfaced and Luschek just sat in a corner shaking his head. He had to say there was some big electrical emergency to keep us all there later until we sobered up. The next day he blasted music in the shed and wouldn't let us leave. We were all in agony. But it was worth it."

Alex let her head fall back as she laughed. "Wow. I leave and then all the fun starts, huh?"

Piper chuckled and snuggled closer to Alex. "Well I don't have you there anymore so I have to do something to pass the time."

Alex smiled and placed a kiss on the top of Piper's head. "Only a couple more months, kid." She downed the rest of the drink and took a few steps toward the dance floor, reaching out for Piper's hand. "You coming?"

Piper smirked and took Alex's hand, trailing behind as Alex walked them into the middle of the dance floor. The beat to Christina Aguilera's Fighter pumped through the speakers and Piper smiled.

'Cause it
Makes me that much stronger
Makes me work a little bit harder
Makes me that much wiser
So thanks for making me a fighter

Made me learn a little bit faster
Made my skin a little bit thicker
Makes me that much smarter
So thanks for making me a fighter'

The past few months had made her a fighter to say the least. Prison hadn't been at all what she thought it would be. It showed her who she truly was without all the bullshit of the outside or her pretending to be who others wanted her to be. She was free to just be herself. To just be. It was sad that it took going to prison for Piper to become who she was born to be, but that was the push she needed. She no longer gave a shit about keeping up her perfect, WASPy persona.

But it was more than that. She and Alex had fought just to be able to be in the same room together without fighting, never mind being able to be together. They had fought against many things, but time and betrayals being the most important. And now they were together. And they would both be thankful to Litchfield for that. Everyday would be another battle, but they knew now more than ever that they were fighters. They could handle it.

Alex pressed herself as close to Piper as she could and grinned up on her from behind. Her hands trailed from Piper's waist to her hips, pulling the blonde as close to her as she could. Piper leaned back and kissed Alex with all the passion she could and then they lost themselves to the music.

Aside from a few times Alex was pulled away to deal with things and occasional drink breaks at the bar, the two stayed on the dance floor all night. No one was an inmate, no one was an ex-girlfriend, they were just two people in love. For a few short hours Piper wasn't going back to prison, Alex wasn't going back to an empty apartment. For a few hours, life was good.

They finally got back to Alex's apartment just as the night was ending. A few rays of sunshine covered the comforter as the two women writhed underneath. They made love well into the morning and finally fell asleep wrapped in each other's arms.

They stayed in bed until they sun came up the following morning. They had spent the rest of the day completely wrapped around each other. It had been Heaven. Cal showed up early the following morning to bring Piper back to prison. Even in Paris it hadn't been this hard to leave Alex. After a tearful goodbye Alex promised to visit the next visitation day and Cal dragged Piper into the car. Just a few short months and they would be together again on the outside.

After a quick stop to Red's sad looking little shop, Piper was on her way back to Prison.

Just a few short months.