She was outside on the track running in the cold Wind when she saw Alex next. Alex didn't run but she stopped by the track and watched Piper. She wasn't going to over do it, just a few laps. She just missed the air and the feeling of cold air in her lungs. Piper stopped in front of Alex and breathed a bit hard. It was kind of embarrassing. She didn't realize how much her illness had taken out of her.
"Don't over do it...catch your breath and walk with me." Alex said in a soft voice that seemed to float to Piper on the cold breeze. She was wearing the mittens and scarf they provided. Piper always found them to be too itchy. She nodded and started to walk with her. Alex hated the cold, always had. Once she asked her about it and Alex had told her she spent too many nights cold without proper heat growing up.
Alex started talking about a book she was reading. It was a southern fiction that had been made in to a movie. Something she never would have bothered with before incarceration.
"Yeah it is amazing what you find interesting in here. Do you get many books sent to you from friends?" Piper asked. She wanted to know who the red head was that visited Alex twice a month. She didn't ask though. What if Alex said she was her girlfriend? Piper would freak out to know Alex had someone waiting on her. That wasn't fair of her, but then again, she wasn't a fair person.
"I get some yeah. Some magazines...is Cal sending you books on living in the wild?" she asked. Piper rolled her eyes and told her about how he is trying to live off the land with his new girlfriend or maybe it as fiancé she wasn't sure." Alex listened as Piper went on about how family dinners at Cal would go with various small furry animals and pot brownies. They laughed and walked.
There was a lull in conversation when Piper got up her courage to ask, "if I told you I just want you to hold me now and again...that I would be happy if I could just close my eyes in your arms...would you say no?" She stopped walking and looked at her. Alex cast her gorgeous eyes to the tops of the trees where the afternoon sun was making a valiant attempt to warm the frozen Earth.
"Would I be the only one holding you in here?" Alex asked. Piper blinked. She thought for a moment that Alex was kidding but she could see her earnest expression behind her glasses.
"Yes. You know I...fuck Alex, there is no one else." She moved closer as she said it. She wondered then if Alex thought she was with someone else Silly, silly drug dealer. "I understand you may need more from other women. I...just don't want to see it." Piper looked down and started walking on, Alex took a quick step and caught up. She didn't answer for half a lap.
"Yes. But I don't think we will stop at holding. We can give it a try though." Piper peeked over at her and smiled. She would be happy with just holding each other, she'd have to be. " So I take it you don't want to do a threesome with me and Nicky in the back of the laundry room?" Alex asked casually. Piper growled her response. Alex laughed.
"No...if you want that, you are asking the wrong woman. I wasn't ever really good at sharing you, if you recall." Piper reminded her. Alex laughed and they started to walk in when the guard told them time was up.
"OH yes , that girl in Indonesia. The one that wanted to go home with us, you thought I was interested just because I wanted her to tell her who she got her drugs from and bought her more drinks. You nearly got yourself knifed by throwing that white Russian in her face. Lucky for me you were kinda drunk because I was able to get you out and in a cab before she returned with her friends." Piper looked at her incredulously.
"You did that on purpose because I had won the bet that I could get three guys to give me their number, even if I couldn't speak their language." Piper huffed. Alex agreed and threw up her hands. They came in and went to their bunks for check. Piper was ecstatic that Alex said yes. She wasn't ready for more with her yet, she too knew they wouldn't be able to keep it to just holding each other. Yet she was going to try. She had to call Larry too but didn't really know when she would or what she was going to say to him. She missed the life they made and she missed his kind, gentle love. She just felt more and more alien to that woman and didn't think it was fair to him to pretend she was the same person he fell in love with. Maybe she would be the same again once out, but right now she wasn't. Right now all she wanted was to be held by the woman who put her in here. She sighed and thought not for the first time that she is one fucked up woman.
They ate, it was some roast beef with a green metallic looking tint to it. Piper ate all of the cucumbers and beans instead. Alex sat the table over and checked her plate twice to make sure Piper was eating. She was walking back when she heard a whistle coming from the short hallway to the Chapel. She looked behind her and in front then darted in to the hallway. Alex appeared from behind the open door and pulled her in to the Chapel. This was fastly becoming 'their place' though she knew it was shared with many girls. Alex didn't speak, she just sat down behind the pulpit and opened her arms. Piper sat and laid her head against Alex's chest and closed her eyes. Once her arms closed around her, Piper felt the tears well up. She didn't sniffle or try to keep them inside, she just snuggled in to her more and nuzzled her neck.
"The first time you fell asleep in my arms was in my old apartment. It was the first weekend we spent together and I'd kept you awake most of the night making love. I was reading the paper and you climbed in to my arms like a lazy house cat and fell to sleep. I remember thinking, 'look how she trusts me already, don't fuck it up with this one Vause'. I never could take my own advice." She laughed at herself as she said bit but tightened her arms around her. Piper remembered that day clearly. It was before she really knew. It was that day, on that couch that Alex had told her she wasn't joking about running drugs. She told her how she got in to it, how she pretty much managed it like a business and how she understood if Piper didn't want to keep seeing her.
"You were honest with me from the start about what you did. I thought it was exciting, I thought you were the best lover I'd ever had." Alex laughed.
"Wasn't I? I mean you weren't a virgin but come on, you were what, 22 maybe 23?" Piper pulled her head back, she didn't wipe her tears but smiled for Alex. Alex reached up and traced them down her face with soft fingertips.
"Yeah I was young. You weren't that much older, just...better in bed. Must have been all those nights I spent with college boys that didn't know what they were doing." Piper joked and nuzzled her neck again. Vause nodded and stroked Pipers back in small circles. They were quiet after that.
Piper wasn't aware of how long they stayed there but too soon Alex said," We have to go, there is a night service in here tonight. Wouldn't want the Chaplain to discover us and have them give us a shot." Piper reluctantly left her arms and stood. She extended a hand and Alex took it to rise. They were standing very close when Piper leaned her forehead in to touch her love. They stood for a moment like that.
"See, we did it. Just holding...no kissing...or sucking or stroking..or anything that would make us want to get naked." Piper grinned as she said it and Alex gave a husky chuckle and they started to walk towards the door. Piper missed the closeness already.
" I wanted you naked the minute you walked in here with me, I just respected your request." Piper stopped at the door and turned.
"Wait, you said you didn't want to be the 'fuck-the-one-your-with- girl. I was trying to respect your wishes." Piper was confused. Alex nodded.
"I meant it but my pride has more willpower than my flesh when it comes to you. Now you better get going, before they realize you ever came back from dinner." Alex turned and walked the opposite way towards the rooms. She watched her disappear around the corner before she headed her own way to the dorm. Alex Vause confused the fuck out of her. Nothing new, she'd been doing it ever since she met her. All of this emotion had Piper exhausted. She laid down on her bunk once she got back and closed her eyes.
"Here is your new bunk, inmate. I don't want any shit from the two of you. I think it is a mistake to put you here but Kaputo ordered it." Piper opened her eyes and to her utter amazement, there stood Alex with her laundry bag. Piper shot upright.
"No problem here Sir, we will be perfect angels." Alex responded in her droll manner. He just snorted and moved on down the cubicle line. Alex looked at Piper and shrugged. " No Snoring bunky, or I'll pinch your nose till you wake up." Piper laughed right out loud and leaned back against the wall.
Then she stood and did her best Miss Claudette imitation..."That is your bunk, those are your hooks, my floor is my pride, so shoes off. I get honor cube, um once in awhile, so clean up after yourself, and NO leaving food around. I don't want rats and bugs, got it? Oh and leave your drama out as well, you and I create quiet enough on our own." Piper was complete flabbergasted when the entire Dorm started to cheer and yell how much they agreed. She ducked down embarrassed. Alex doubled over and laughed and laughed.
**short one today, hope you're having a good Monday. check this out 2013/07/19/orange-is-the-new-black-season-1-finale / please review!