Nicky sobbed the whole way back to Litchfield. Red sat in the front seat with Alexander and stared at the road ahead. She wasn't in Litch anymore. She didn't have to push Nicky away like she was doing, but Nicky had taken advantage of her help and Red felt like she'd failed her daughter.

When Red walked into the entrance, Officer Bell raised her eyebrows at her and took Nicky for booking.

"I'm so sorry my Nicky. I'll come see you soon." Red hugged her as tight as she could.

All Nicky could do was nod and squeeze Red back.

She waited until she was in the car to let it out. She sobbed so hard Natalya asked for her.

"Ba-ba?" She kicked her feet and tried to stretch her neck far enough to see Red. But Red couldn't help it. When Alexander got back into the car, he reached over and pecked Red on the cheek.

That night Red slept for two hours after crying for four. Natalya slept in her own little bed next to her's. But as soon Red started to audibly sob, the toddler crawled out of her bed and hoisted herself onto Red's.

"Ba-ba sad?" She patted Red's hip and then clambered over her to the side of the bed she was facing.

By the time they'd both fallen asleep, Red started to dream that Nicky had gone back to Litch to the waiting arms of Vee. It hadn't mattered that Vee had been hit by a fast moving car and killed, no, Red's mind came up with a scenario that caused her to jerk away.

By the time Red could sleep through the night, the snow had accumulated to inches. She was thankful Alexander was there with her every step of the way. He found a nice, young nanny who spoke enough Russian to teach Natalya some of the language. Red would go to work where Ashton and Adam would try to cheer her up the best they could and when she came home, she'd curl up with Natalya and read before bed.

Adam and Ashton would try to cheer Red up, but mostly she'd lost her spark. With their urging, Red sought out a doctor and was prescribed anti-depressants. After being in Litchfield, she vowed no more of those. Instead, he suggested regular exercise and yoga.

Every other day, Red dropped Natalya off at the center and went to her hour and a half long yoga class. At first, it just made her back ache, but soon, it started to help. Soon she was doing stretches and poses in the morning and before bed.

Natalya even tried to copy her. Stretching her arms above her head, the toddler followed her mother step-by-step. And soon everyone started to see the spark in her eye again.

There was a knock at the door and Natalya made a surprised face at Red.

"Who do you think it is Natalya?" She closed her book and got up to answer it. Alexander held a fresh bottle of wine and some groceries. "Hi darling." She stood on the balls of her feet and kissed him.

"Mmm, you smell like strawberries."

"Natalya has new bubble bath," Red cooed. She grabbed the groceries and moved into the kitchen. "So, what do we want to make tonight?"

"Well, I grabbed pasta-y things." Alexander walked up behind her as she unpacked the bags and kissed her neck and ear. It sent shivers through Red. She turned around and kissed him back, her hands running over his arms.

It was definitely a change, over twenty years since she'd been intimate with a man and now she had a man who was just her type and almost half a foot taller than her. Red was in heaven.

"A-ex!" Natalya ran through the kitchen and threw her arms around Alexander's leg.

"Hello there princess." He scooped her up into his arms and tickled her.

Red watched them, a content feeling washing over her. She also knew Nicky was missing from the picture and Red hated the life without Nicky.

She'd made sure that Nicky always had enough phone credits and made sure to always answer the phone if she was home. Most of the time she was. Every time they had to say goodbye Red felt her heart stumble.

It was a harsher sentence, a second strike. If Nicky got out and used again, she'd be in deep-deep trouble.

And Red knew that just as much as Nicky did.

"Hey," Alexander took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Everything okay dearest?"

"Yes, just," she paused, "Nicky."

"We'll go and see her this weekend, eh?"

Red curled into his one-armed hug and rested against him. She tried not to cry, almost every day she cried; for Nicky, for Norma, for Piper and her newly extended sentence, for Anastasia, for everyone. Everything made Red cry nowadays. She didn't know how to stop it, or how she'd let herself get this soft. Sure, she didn't have a tough bitch rep to keep up out here, but sometimes Red felt like she was a child.

"What should we have for supper Natalya?" Red wiggled her foot around.

"'ghetti!" She chirped.

Red and Alexander looked at each other, shocked.

"Did she—" Red gawked.

"She said just spaghetti." He bounced her around, beaming. "Did you just say spaghetti?"

"S-ghetti!"

Red let her mouth fall open and she shrieked. Squeezing the toddler's plump little face, Red urged her to say it again, instead she fell into a fit of babbling.

"Alright! Spaghetti it is!" Red zipped around the kitchen like she was whole again. When it came to boiling the noodles, Red let one cool off and then showed Natalya how to see if they were ready or not. "Throw it against the cabinet, like this."

The noodle stuck to the cabinet.

Natalya giggled and tried to grab the noodle off the cabinet to eat it. Alexander plucked it off the wall for her and broke it into smaller pieces.

"Mmmmmmmm," she said. "More, Ba-ba?"

"Just one second Natalya, let me scoop this up."

While Red dished up the spaghetti, Alexander put the booster seat in place and got the bib out.

In the middle of Natalya sucking down noodles, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ma?"

"Who else would be answering this phone Vasily?" She dabbed the napkin against Natalya's sauce stained cheek.

"So, I gotta tell you something."

"Anything but bad news—I hear more bad news and I'll come over there and hit you with a bag of quarters."

"Ma, you don't wanna scar my face before the wedding."

"Wedding? What wedding?"

"Mine, I asked Zara. she said yes."

"You're getting married?" Red nearly screamed with joy.

"Yeah, Ma, I am. Thought I'd tell you. We're planning to come visit next week. See that pastry shop and you." His voice became distant and then there was some mumbling in the background. "Hold on Ma, Lev wants to talk to you."

Red felt tears well up again, for the first time in a long time they were happy tears.

"Gamma?"

"Lev! My baby! How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Guess what, I lost two teeth!"

"Two teeth? Holy cow!" Natalya shoved a chunk of tomato in her mouth, made a face, and then spit it out. "Daddy says you're going to come see me next week?"

"I miss you Gamma, I can't wait to see you!" Lev's Brooklyn accent was thick, even at his young age.

"I miss you too baby, now, let me talk to your father again. I'll see you next week Lev." The young boy handed the phone back over. "You'll have to let me know when you're coming over. I'll make some of those pastries you love."

"Oh, Ma, you're gonna make me fat with those."

"But you love them, ask Zara what she wants, I'll make her whatever she wants."

"Alright Ma, I gotta get Lev into his bath. I'll call you next week."

"Vasily, I love you and tell Lev I'll see him soon."

Once she hung up the phone, Alexander watched her intently.

"You've got a wedding to go to?" He spooned some more spaghetti onto Natalya's plate.

"We've got a wedding to go to. You'll of course be there with me." Red hadn't felt this great in a while. "You will be there, right?"

"Of course. And Natalya will be there. And I will dance the night away with you my dear." He reached his hand across the table and held onto her hand. "Let me clean up the dishes and everything."

"Nonsense, I can at least clean up my little princess."

Natalya raised her hands above her head, stretching them as high as they could go. Smacking her lips together, she let everyone in the room know that she was done eating. Red unclipped the bib and carried the spaghetti covered toddler to the bathroom. She ran warm water and got the dirty clothes off and tossed in the hamper.

"Let me rub your face," she cooed, holding on tight to Natalya's arm so she wouldn't bolt out the door in just her diaper. She puckered her lips stuck out her face so that Red could get all the spaghetti sauce off. "Spasibo."

"Spasibo," Natalya repeated after Red.

"Okay, time for a bath!" Instead of jumping full boar into the bathtub, Natalya flung her arms around Red.

"Ba-ba?"

"No, Ba-ba is not going to get in with you."

Natalya tucked her chin into her chest and looked up at Red with big puppy dog eyes.

"No Natalya, just you tonight. Now come on and we can watch a movie before bed." That was all it took.

Red carried Natalya into the bedroom and gently laid her in the bed, her cheek red from resting on Red's chest. She brushed her black hair from her face and kissed her goodnight.

"What a day." Red flopped down on the sofa next to Alexander. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close to him.

She leaned into him, smelling his aftershave. Red knew that sooner or later he'd kiss her goodnight and she'd go to bed alone. That's not what she wanted. Not tonight. The day had been long, but it'd been so good.

Red rested her hand on Alexander's thigh, light and gentle, she drug her hand higher until she felt the bottom hem of his boxers through his pants. She got up from the sofa and nudged his knees a part with hers before straddling his hips. Red cocked and eyebrow as Alexander brought his hands up to rest on her hips.

Their first kiss was slow and sensual, Red bit down on his lower lip.

"Mmmm," she moaned. She didn't want to wait any longer. Instead she stood back up in front of him and started to peel off her own shirt, revealing her lacy black bra underneath.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Alexander pulled her closer to him, her hips nearly against his chest now. She arched her back into him even more.

"Yes, I want this so bad," her usually husky voice was even huskier with want.

With every ounce of strength, Alexander lifted Red from his lap and laid her back on the solid coffee table, legs dangling off the edge of the table. Instead of staying horizontal on the table, Red sat up and jerked Alexander toward her. She pulled his belt off before unzipping his jeans.

She sucked in a breath of air when she slipped his boxers off.

"Wow." Before he could respond, Red wrapped her hand around his thick cock, stroking it several times until it was hard. Alexander groaned, running his hands through Red's hair. She could hardly wrap her lips around him, but that didn't stop her from trying.

It wasn't more than a minute when Alexander stopped her, pointing back at the table.

He hooked his fingers in her belt loops and pulled them off of her. Running his fingers over her clit, Red shivered under him.

She rested her head back against the table, staring at the ceiling.

"Galina," he whispered, only his hands touching her. "You need to tell me if it's too much."

She nodded.

"No, tell me."

"Okay."

Her hands wrapped around his upper arm, as much as she could, and held her breath.

"Wait, wait, wait," she said, terror flooded her. "Twenty years since I've had sex."

"I will be gentle, Galina." He pressed against her entrance. He sank into her slowly.

Red's eyes rolled back into her head and her back arched. Alexander stretched her, that was for sure, but she hadn't felt her body hum like that in so long, she'd almost forgotten what sex felt like. It didn't take long before she started to feel her climax coming at her full bore.

She ran her hands over Alexander's arms and when her orgasm struck, she dug her fingernails into his flesh, trying to stifle a scream. She felt his release and they both stopped moving, staring into each other's eyes.

The timeline of events started to hit Red; she couldn't stop her eyes welling with tears.