Piper and Alex were wrapped up in each other on the couch, enjoying a rare lazy day together when Dane walked in. He looked like both relieved and exhausted.

"How did it go?" Piper asked.

Their son had just come from coffee with Cara where they were meant to "talk things out."

Piper could see how hard he fought to keep his handsome features blank.

"We agreed to end it," he said simply.

Before either of his mothers could say anything, he excused himself to his room. Alex looked at Piper with raised eyebrows.

"He'll be okay," Alex said. "It's his first heartbreak."

However, when they heard his guitar kick into an acoustic version of Ed Sheeran's "New Man," Piper couldn't take it anymore. She needed to help the boy feel better. She peeled herself away from her wife and went to his door.

"Dane?"

The guitar stopped and there was a moment of silence before she heard him say, "Just give me a little bit, Ma."

"Come on, Dane. You can't sit in your room all day. Why don't we go for a run? Change and meet me downstairs in 10 minutes."

Piper didn't hear a reply, but she hoped he would follow through. She changed her own clothes and informed Alex of her plan.

"This will be good. Exercise always helps me clear my head. You know, endorphins-"

"If you quote Clueless one more time, Pipes…"

Piper shrugged. "I'm just saying. And don't act like you don't have a thing for Elle Woods."

"What can I say? I have a type."

Piper rolled her eyes and went downstairs. She paced the sidewalk, wondering if her son was actually going to come out. When she finally saw his tall form exit their building, she nearly sagged in relief.

"Race you around the park? For old time's sake."

The hint of a smile played at Dane's lips.

"You think you can still keep up, you know, in your old age?" He joked.

Competitiveness. It was something they shared. But Piper was nearing 60 and her 17-year-old son was an extremely gifted athlete. There was no way she would beat him, but that wouldn't stop her from trying.

She took off in a head start, catching him off guard. She was ahead for two blocks, but as the park came into view, Dane overtook her with a smile on his face. Jesus, he didn't even look winded, and Piper was already regretting her fast start.

There was no catching him. But when Piper jogged to a stop at the Lafayette memorial and saw that he was waiting for her with a smile, it made it all worth it. Their old game had erased his heartbreak, if only temporarily.

"I almost had you," she panted.

"If by 'almost' you mean 'not even close,' then sure," he laughed.

They walked on to cool down, and Piper touched Dane's arm.

"You want to talk about it?"

Dane's jaw clenched, but he spoke calmly.

"When does it stop hurting?"

Piper's heart broke. There was nothing she could say or do that would take the pain away. She knew that all too well, but she wouldn't let him suffer in silence.

"How did she make you feel when you two were together?"

Dane thought for a moment, but Piper pressed on.

"Did she make you see the beauty in even the ugliest situations? Your mom made prison beautiful in many ways for me. And that's what love is. Love is beauty. Don't forget that."

Dane walked in silence for a while.

"I don't think she was my Alex," he said thoughtfully.

Piper smiled sadly. What she and Alex had was rare. She didn't want her son to set those kind of standards for every relationship.

"Love isn't the same for everyone, Dane."

"You and mom," he started. "You guys set the bar high."

"Your mom and I…it was hard won."

"But it's been worth it?"

"Absolutely," Piper said, smiling at the thought of her wife.

"I think if I would have felt it was worth it with Cara, I'd have fought for her."

Piper wrapped an arm around his waist as his shoulders were too high for her reach anymore. They walked the rest of the park in silence before heading home.

"Hey Ma," he said as they approached their building.

"Yeah, baby?"

"Thanks."

Piper looked up into his face. It always surprised her how grown up he looked. The one thing that never changed, however, was the innocence in his big blue eyes. It killed Piper a little to see that there was still pain behind those eyes.

[The Next Afternoon]

Alex was alone in the apartment for once. Piper had been called into the PoPi offices to deal with a backorder situation and Dane had gone to meet some friends in Manhattan. Still the dark-haired woman was at a loss for what to do. They didn't have any pets that needed walks. Piper had already done all the cleaning as she couldn't sit still. There were no pressing tasks to complete for the book store.

After pacing through the apartment for a third time, Alex finally settled on reading one of the new books Dane had brought home. It was supposed to be her lazy Sunday, after all.

By the time a key finally turned in the front door's lock, Alex had managed to get through half the book. Dane came through the door and tossed his jacket on the rack.

"Hey," she said, tossing the book aside.

"Hey," he replied.

The teen plopped himself on the opposite end of the couch, tossing his phone down between them.

"I'm starving."

"You didn't eat downtown?" Alex asked.

Dane shook his head. "Nobody could agree on anything. Did you eat?"

"I got caught up reading."

The flash of Dane's phone caught her eye. By way of reflex, Alex's gaze drifted to the text on the screen. It was a picture from Cara. The photo looked as if it was of a box filled with old football t-shirts and other items. The text below it read, "Do you want anything from this box? If not, I'm getting rid of it."

Alex's gaze flitted up to her son's face, and she saw a wave of pain wash over it before he composed himself.

"You wanna to go to the bar and get some food?" she asked.

Dane nodded and stood, leaving the phone behind. Alex followed him out the door and down to the street where they caught a cab. They didn't speak the whole way, but Alex stole glances at the teen throughout the entire ride.

[At Nicky's Bar]

It was a Sunday afternoon, but the place was buzzing. Boo was busy checking IDs and harassing the obviously-straight women, so Alex and Dane walked right past her. Little crowds of locals and a few far-venturing tourists were sprinkled throughout the place. Nicky was helping one such group but called the mother and son duo over as soon as she saw them.

"If it isn't my two favorite Big Friendly Giants," she crowed. "Move over, pal."

She made a "move it down the line" gesture to the patron in front of her. The shocked man finally scooted over a stool, allowing Dane and Alex to sit side-by-side at the bar.

"What can I get you? Or did you just come here to check me out?" Nicky joked, waggling her eyebrows at Alex.

"I'm just going to have a beer, but get the kid whatever he wants."

Nicky turning an asking gaze on Dane.

"Powers neat, Nick. Thanks."

"You're a little too practiced with that order," Alex scolded.

Nicky and Dane exchanged winks, and the wild-haired woman began working on their order. Alex focused in on her son.

"How're you holding up? All joking aside."

Dane opened his mouth to speak, but he noticed a pretty brunette standing behind their stools. He was not in the mood for flirting and smiled dispassionately at her in hopes that she would go away. The young woman smiled back pleasantly at him before squeezing herself in between Dane and his mother.

"Can I get your next drink?" the twenty-something purred at Alex.

The teen's mouth dropped open. This girl was a couple decades too young to be interested in his mother. Dane watched in awe as Alex politely but firmly told the girl, "No thanks."

When the disappointed beauty left, Alex returned to their conversation as if nothing had happened.

"You were saying?"

Dane's stomach growled, snapping him out of his shock. "Nicky, can we get a couple of the cheeseburger meals, too?"

"Sure thing, kid," Nicky said as she set their respective drinks in front of them - Dane's in a small, discreet to-go cup.

"Make mine a veggie patty," Alex added without meeting either of their gazes.

Nicky cocked an eyebrow at her friend before turning to Dane with a questioning look. The teen rolled his eyes but wore a mischievous grin.

"She and Ma are going meat-free this week."

"What?!" Alex snapped at her smirking friend. "It's only a week, and I promised I would do this one with her."

Nicky and Dane exchanged another look. Suddenly, Nicky made a sound like a cat meowing, and Dane followed it up by doing a whip-cracking sound effect with his mouth.

Alex blinked back at them, unimpressed.

"You get it, Vauseman? Pussy whipped," Nicky laughed.

"Funny. You guys been practicing that long?" Alex asked dryly.

Nicky walked away, still laughing, to put in their food order. Alex turned to her son. The mirth had faded from his eyes, and he staring into his drink.

"Hurts doesn't it?"

Dane nodded and took a drink of his whiskey.

"It always does. Love is pain, kid."

The teen's blue eyes stared at Alex guardedly. She knew he couldn't tell where she was going with this.

"The best kind of love is one that's worth the pain. It would hurt worse for me not to have your mom than to trade our shitty past for an easier one. When you find someone who makes the pain worth it, then it's real. Is she worth the pain you're feeling now?"

"I hope she is to someone someday," he replied slowly. "But no. This pain wasn't worth it."

The teen finished his whiskey and a grin crept across his face.

"You know, yesterday Ma told me love was beauty."

Alex returned his smile. "She would."

They laughed but were interrupted by a woman, perhaps in her early 30s, touching Dane's arm. The sandy-haired boy couldn't help but notice how pretty she was.

"Excuse me," she breathed, "I was wondering…"

Dane batted his blue eyes, knowing his mother was watching behind him. If she could get hit on by someone too young for her, he could flirt with a woman who was too old for him.

"...if I was going to buy your friend a drink," she continued, "What would I get her?"

Dane whirled around in his seat to see his mother hiding a smirk behind her beer.

"My friend?" he choked out. "That is my mother!"

The woman quickly excused herself.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked with a laugh.

"I mean, we've been in here less than half an hour and you've been hit on twice. By really hot, younger women," he added. "And you're…"

"Not at all interested," Alex tried to finish.

"I was going to say, 'old.' You're old, Mom."

Alex didn't even try to argue with him. She was no longer a 30-something Betty Page. She was well into her 60s, but even Dane would have to admit she still looked great for her age.

"Don't worry, kid. I still think you're cute, even if none of the women in here do," she joked.

Dane playfully shoved at her, and Alex was happy to see him lighten up. He would be okay. Not right away but soon. She continued to watch him even as he looked away, and she was the first to see his face brighten and his pupils dilate. Alex followed her son's gaze to a pretty girl in the bar's waitress uniform.

"One veggie cheeseburger?"

Alex accepted her order watched the girl swing her strawberry blonde ponytail over her shoulder as she served Dane.

"Enjoy," she said, glancing at him with a blush before she disappeared.

"As long as your mouth is open like that, why don't you try stuffing some food in it?" Alex teased.

Realizing that he had, in fact, been staring, Dane snapped his mouth closed and tossed a french fry at his mother. Nicky reappeared from the back and leaned on the bar in front of them.

"Hey, who's the cute new redhead?" Alex asked her friend.

"Why, Vauseman? You looking to trade Piper in for a newer model?"

Alex rolled her eyes and gestured her head toward Dane, who was pretending to be far too focused on his cheeseburger to pay attention to them.

"OH!" Nicky said, catching on. "That's Red's granddaughter. I promised her that I would give the girl a job. She's a minor though, ya know? All I can let her do is serve the food."

"Just a minor, huh?" Alex asked in a way that hinted for Nicky to direct her answer toward Dane.

"Yeah, she, uh, just turned 17."

"Does she live around here?" Dane asked casually.

"She lives over in Sunnyside."

"Queens isn't a bad commute," Alex offered. "Does she have a name?"

"Galina. Poor kid's named after Red. You want her social security number, too, huh?" Nicky quipped.

Dane, again playing casual, asked, "Does her boyfriend ever come in?"

Nicky couldn't hide her smile.

"I don't think she's got a boyfriend, kid. Why? You looking to fill the role?"

"What? No. I was just-."

"-hoping I would give her your number. Don't worry. I got it covered," Nicky said, walking toward the back.

"Nicky, no. Wait!" Dane called in vain.

The wild-haired woman had already disappeared into the back room.

Dane turned to his mother.

"We need to go," he said quickly.

"But we just go our food."

"I would like to go now, please," the boy interrupted with a nervous glance toward the swinging door to the back.

Alex laughed and threw down some money for their tab. She followed her son as he quickly exited the bar.

[Back in the Apartment]

"Where've you two been?" Piper asked after kissing them both on the cheek.

"Dinner at the bar," Alex replied, still holding her wife.

"Alex," Piper drawled. "Baby, you promised me you'd do this with me."

With a groan of annoyance, Alex dropped her hands from around the blonde.

"I swear I didn't eat meat."

"Since when does Nicky's place have vegetarian options?"

"I don't know, but that's what I had."

"It's true. I can vouch for her," Dane said, walking past them in search of his phone on the couch. "You know what else I can also vouch for, Ma?"

Piper looked at him expectantly.

"That your wife's still got it. She got hit on not once, but twice during dinner, and then again while we waited for our cab."

Alex saw jealousy dance behind Piper's eyes as she replied, "Did she now?"

"Best shutdowns I've ever seen," Dane laughed.

Alex almost sighed with relief when the jealousy drained from Piper's eyes and the warmth returned. The blonde reached up and kissed her soundly, and the women were too busy to see Dane smiling at his phone.

In the time he had been away from it, he missed several texts from his friends and a call from Larry, but those weren't what had him grinning. The three texts from an unknown number were the cause of that.

(Unknown Number - 7:31 pm): Hey, this is Gal Reznikov.

(Unknown Number- 7:31 pm): From the bar.

(Unknown Number - 7:34 pm ): Nicky said I should text you?

Alex caught Dane at the end of the moment and thrust her chin in the teen's direction. Piper's gaze followed.

"New girl," Alex whispered to her. "I'll fill you in later."

The sandy-haired teen's eyes were alight when he faced them.

"Beauty," he addressed Piper. "Pain," that time at Alex. He bowed with a melodramatic flourish before adding, "Bonne nuit."

The two women watched their son exit for his room, all the while typing out a message on his phone and grinning.

When he'd shut his door behind him, Piper's blue eyes zeroed in on Alex.

"So, three women in one night, huh?" she challenged.

"What can I say? I still got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Piper went to hit her playfully, but Alex caught her wife's wrist and pulled her in for a kiss that was the perfect blend of beauty and pain.