"I will follow you down wherever you go

I am, baby, I'm bound to you and do you know?

Closer, pull me in tight

I wanna be yours, wanna be your hero."

-'Empire' by Shakira

Piper woke the next morning in a room she had never seen before. She heard laughter come from somewhere in the house as she slowly sat up, looking around the room to detect where she was. There were posters on the wall of old 80s bands, a corkboard adorn with ticket stubs to movies and concerts, and an old wooden desk that sat in front of a window covered with old spiral notebooks. Piper smirked, standing. Her bag was by the door, she figured that she would find the bathroom and shower really quick before meeting Alex's mom.

Alex sat with her mom at the kitchen table. "So Alex, how did you and Piper meet?" Alex shrugged, not finding their meeting all too significant, "In art history, I saw her looking at me, and again an hour later in a café so I dropped a note near her table, asking her to meet me under a tree to talk." Diane smirked, "Like mother like daughter, going after what she wants." Alex chuckled, "Yeah I guess so." She watched as her mom looked behind her, her face spreading into a big grin. Alex quickly looked behind her to find Piper standing in the door way, her hair still wet from the shower. Diane rolled her eyes, "Jesus Alex, stop balking and get breakfast started." Piper smiled nervously as Diane made her way over to her. "Hello Ms. Vause, I'm Piper Chapman, your daughter's girlfriend." Diane smirked an all too familiar smirk, "I know who you are dear, and please, all me Diane." She pulled Piper into a bone crushing hug, knowing fully well that if Alex was brave enough to bring this girl home, that she was special.

Alex excused herself after breakfast to get a shower as Diane and Piper continued to talk about anything and everything, mostly about school. Diane checked to make sure Alex was out of ear shot, "Want to see some of Alex's baby pictures?" Piper smiled, "Sure that sounds great." Diane stood, going into the living room for a moment before bringing back a heavily stuffed photo album, "Here, you can look at these while I clean up." Piper moved to stand, "I can help." Diane shook her head, shoving the album into the blonde's hands, "Nonsense, you relax, I heard you had a rough day yesterday." Piper nodded, feeling herself begin to blush, "I'm sorry about that, my mother isn't the most welcoming person." Diane shrugged, "Just don't ever leave me in a room with her." Piper nodded, smiling, "Noted."

Alex hadn't slept at all the night before, staying up until the early morning with her mother, and then trying to curl up next to Piper, but she tossed and turned, not wanting to wake Piper, she had slipped back out of bed and read until her mother woke. Now she was practically falling asleep in the shower.

She quickly toweled off and got dressed, not wanting to leave her mom with Piper for too long; who knows her mother could have gotten out the baby pictures. At that thought, Alex's eyes widened as she rushed out into the kitchen to see Piper and Diane smiling over photos of her as a kid. "Mom!" Alex whined, standing with her hands on her hips. Diane looked up grinning, "Oh Alex, stop it." Piper chuckled, "Alex, you were so cute, what happened?" The tall brunette rolled her eyes, leaning into the door jam, "Please, I'm better than cute." Piper winked at her before going back to the album. Alex sighed heavily, sitting down across from them and put her head into her folded arms. When Diane started to hear the tell-tale signs of Alex beginning to fall asleep she kicked her daughter's leg, "Alex, did you sleep at all last night?" Alex kept her head down, shaking her head. Diane sighed, "Neither did I, why don't you go take a nap, that's what I'm going to do. I'll get up later and make dinner."

Once Diane left, Piper stood, shutting the photo album and placing it in the middle of the table. "Come on Al, let's get you to bed." Piper said, pulling Alex up by the arm. The taller woman sleepily followed her to her old bedroom and laid down on the bed. Piper crawled up next to her, resting her head on her chest. "I like your mom; she's so nice, nothing like my own." Piper whispered into Alex's shirt. The brunette rubbed circles on the small of the blonde's back, "I liked your dad and brother, and of course Celeste." Piper grinned, giggling, "That was great wasn't it?" Alex smiled, "I've never had a woman over sixty defend me before." Piper looked up at her, "Well now you have." Then she kissed her chin, laying her head back down. "I just wish my mother didn't hate the woman I loved." Piper froze, realizing what she had just said. She felt Alex stiffen, "You love me?" Piper closed her eyes, wishing that she could eat her words, "Busted." Alex smirked, pulling Piper up to face her, "I love you too."

Piper looked shocked, "You do?" Alex smiled, "More than anything, in fact I am so in love with you that I wish that we were alone right now so that I could show you." Piper bit her lip, "We can be quiet." Alex raised a brow as she smirked, "You are really loud, and I love it, but it's different for college students to hear it then my mother. I know you can't remember, but you moaned, a lot." Piper shoved her, "You just have that effect on me I guess." Alex kissed her then, not seeing the harm in a nice and long make out session.

Alex woke up with her face pressed into Piper's stomach; she could feel the blonde's fingers tracing designs on her back. Piper felt Alex stir, "Good evening star shine." Alex rolled over onto her back, looking up at her, "Hi." Piper giggled, "Hi." Alex sat up, "What time is it?" Piper smiled, "7:30." Alex's eyes widened, "At night?" Piper nodded. "Why would you let me sleep that long?" The blonde shrugged, "You were too cute to wake up." Alex rolled her eyes, "I am not cute." Piper shook her head, "You're right, you're adorable." Alex rolled her eyes, "Is my mom up?" Piper nodded, "Came to check on us twice, says dinner will be ready at eight."

Alex stood up slowly, "I should go and check to see if she needs any help." Piper grabbed her arm, "She knew you'd say that." Alex turned, "Oh yeah?" Piper nodded as Alex asked, "What did she say?" Piper smirked, "She said that if you tried to help her that I should grab onto your leg and forbid you from leaving the room until eight." Alex rolled her eyes, "Are you going to grab my leg?" Piper grinned, "If that's what it takes."

"Dinner was wonderful Diane, thank you." Piper said as she helped her clean up the table. Alex was outside taking a call from Nicky. "No, thank you Piper." Diane said, not bothering to look up as she washed dishes. Piper took a plate from her to dry, "For what?" she asked, not understanding why Alex's mother was thanking her, they had just met. "For loving my daughter, she deserves someone like you." Piper smiled, blushing slightly, "Well, it's easy; your daughter is an amazing woman." Diane chuckled, "You don't need to tell me that, I raised her, not a day had gone by that Al didn't teach me something about not only being a mother, but how to be a better person." Piper smiled, "She does tend to do that, make you want to be better that is." She agreed. Diane smiled, turning off the sink, "She is quite the charmer though, I just hope you help her keep in a straight line." Piper raised a brow, "What do you mean?"

Diane shrugged, drying off her hands, "Alex does what she wants, sometimes she wants something so much that she doesn't think about what it could do to her." Piper thought immediately of their first night from nearly three months ago now, she wanted Piper so much that she didn't think about what that night would do to her. Piper sighed, looking towards the back door where Alex had disappeared out of. "So I've noticed." She said absent mindedly. Diane nodded, beginning to make coffee, "Just look out for her, make sure she doesn't work too hard. Ever since she had met her father, she feels like she needs to be this bigger person, to do great things, I just don't want her to fall in the process." Piper nodded, "I don't plan on going anywhere, as long as I'm around, I can promise you that Alex will have the life she deserves." Diane smiled, hugging Piper than. "Thank you." She whispered to the blonde. Piper had never had an affectionate mother, but she figured that this is what it felt like to have someone love you so much, that they would give up their responsibility to the person their kid loved most. Diane was putting the cards in Piper's hands now; she just hoped that she never has to fold.

Piper found Alex in the backyard, sitting at a small table, turning her phone around and around in a circle on the surface. "What did Nicky have to say?" Piper said, breaking Alex from her reverie. "Hey, babe." Alex greeted her. Piper smiled, loving the nickname. "Everything alright?" Piper asked. The taller woman nodded, "Yeah, Nicky got me a job at the library." Piper nodded, moving closer to her, "Then why the sad face?" Alex pulled her down into her lap, hugging her closely, "I got a text earlier from a random number, and apparently I have a half-brother."

AN: Hey guys, how about that from a cliff hanger? Don't worry; you guys won't be dangling for too long. Sorry this is being put up a bit later than usual, I had trouble writing this chapter due to a little nemesis of the writer called writer's block. I hope you guys liked the conversation between Diane and Piper, and the Vauseman declaration of love. Let me know what you guys think in a review and the next chapter will be up shortly.

-Marissa