This chapter is rated M for Mature.
Six months flew by in the blink of an eye—both women were insanely busy with school and work, but they cherished Sundays when they promised each other their undivided attention. Sunday evenings were often cut short as they prepared for the week ahead, but they basked in the glory of togetherness in the morning and into the afternoon.
Alex's phone rang on a very early December morning when both women had just gotten out of bed and brushed their teeth. The brunette could tell that sex was on her girlfriend's mind just by looking at her hooded eyes.
"I have to answer this; it's my mom." Alex lightheartedly pushed Piper away. "Hey, mom. Happy Sunday."
"Hiya, kid." Diane's voice wasn't as joyful as it usually was.
"I'm going to put you on speaker."
"Hi, Diane!" Piper found her way onto Alex's lap. "I miss you."
"I miss you, too, hon," she replied. "But I'm afraid I'm calling with some bad news."
The women exchanged worried glances.
"Mrs. Rankin died," she announced with a sniffle.
Piper's hand covered her mouth, and Alex closed her eyes, grimacing at the news. They sat in silence for a moment.
The blonde's eyes became glassy. "I thought she was in remission?"
"She was for a year and a half," Diane replied. "Fucking cancer won this time."
"That's terrible news." Alex hugged her lover tightly and placed a kiss on her temple. "When are the services?"
"They're putting something together at the school next weekend. I'll fill you in on the details as soon as I know more."
"We'll be there." Alex watched tears roll down her girlfriend's face and did her best to swipe them away with the pad of her thumb.
"Sounds good. You kids be good out there," Diane said before hanging up.
The brunette enveloped her lover in a more proper hug. Piper turned around, straddling Alex and cried on her shoulder. "This wasn't supposed to happen."
Alex rubbed her back. "Cancer is a fucking beast. It's not fair."
They sat like that for almost an hour, holding and comforting each other until one of them finally let go.
The following Saturday in late December, Alex and Piper took the train back to Purchase. Neither woman had been back to the school since Piper had graduated, but everything looked the same.
They walked through the gates, and Alex took Piper's hand in hers. "I have mixed feelings about being back here."
The blonde smiled dimly. "I wish it was under different circumstances."
"Me, too." She kissed Piper's hand, squeezed it, and then let go.
Once they were on campus, they followed the once familiar path to The Commons to find Alex's mom. Diane was busy in the kitchen, but she was dressed in all black as were all of the other food service workers. Upon seeing the couple, Diane raced out to the main area and wrapped both women in a hug.
"So good to see you," she said in an unsteady voice.
"You too, mom," Alex replied as she pulled back.
Diane wiped a tear off her cheek. "Such a tragedy."
Piper dabbed her own eyes with a Kleenex. "Is Mrs. Rankin's husband around?"
Diane nodded and pointed to her left. "He's over there, talking to Mr. Bounds."
Alex watched Piper give Mrs. Rankin's husband a big hug and admired her girlfriend for the strength she displayed. She'd told Alex during the car ride that Mrs. Rankin was the one who'd gotten her interested in pursuing an English major in college. The woman had a profound effect on the young Chapman, and Alex promised to give her girlfriend whatever comfort or space she needed throughout the day.
Although the first hour of the service was emotional for all of the patrons, by the time many of the students showed up, the place became a little less gloomy. There was so much life in the room, Alex thought, and that felt good.
After the formal part of the service concluded, things lightened up even more, and it became a celebration of Mrs. Rankin's life instead of the tragedy of losing her. Alex watched her girlfriend laugh with old friends and former teachers, which brought a smile to her face. She also watched her mother greet and comfort almost everyone in the room. There had to be at least 300 people there, but Diane made a point to hug every single person she knew.
This wasn't the time or place for Piper and Alex to come out as lovers, but neither woman resisted gentle touches or the occasional hug. There was a part of Alex that wondered if Caitlin had let everyone know about their union, and if she did, the brunette was fine with that. Their relationship didn't need to be in the spotlight; in fact, Alex would be perfectly content for it to remain private.
Alex was nibbling on a cookie and chatting with an old History colleague when Piper approached her with a hand on her shoulder. "Hey."
Alex turned around and placed her hand on Piper's elbow. "How are you holding up?"
"Ok." She smiled faintly. "Walk with me?"
She nodded, excusing herself from Bernie Ramone.
Piper grabbed Alex's hand as they walked out of The Commons. "I've never lost someone I loved."
The brunette squeezed her hand. "Sucks, doesn't it?"
"It really does." She looked up and squinted at the bright winter sun. "I want to go to our old classroom."
"Ok." Alex smiled, allowing her lover to lead the way.
The building was vacant—everyone was either in The Commons or the gym, so the women stepped inside that familiar third floor room undetected. A physical sensation washed over Alex at the strong memories associated with the place. She touched the desk that she'd sat in for four months and smiled at Mrs. Rankin's Shakespeare paperweight that had been there when she was a substitute teacher. She watched Piper stand in the doorway, taking in the scene before her and could see her eyes well up with unshed tears.
"I feel like I'm in a liminal space again." The blonde stared straight ahead at nothing in particular.
Alex sat on the lip of the desk as she'd done hundreds of times before, crossing her ankles. "Why do you say that?"
"If I step back, I feel like I can ignore everything that's happened since I graduated." She turned to face Alex. "And if I step forward, I feel like I'd accept everything that's happened."
She rested her glasses on top of her head. "Which is it, then?"
Piper didn't hesitate—she took five steps into the room, until she was standing across from her lover. "Forward. Always forward with you."
Alex spread her legs a little, allowing Piper to step between them. She lifted her head, meeting Piper's lips with hers. They kissed softly, arms draped comfortably around each other.
Piper pulled back, resting her forehead against the brunette's. "I wish we could create a life," she whispered.
Alex blinked several times, trying to wrap her head around Piper's profound statement. "Wouldn't that be something?"
The blonde wrapped her hand around her girlfriend's neck and stared into her eyes. "Make love to me, Alex."
She raised her eyebrows. "As soon as we get home, I promise."
"Now." Piper shook her head. "I need to feel you now."
"Piper, we're at your teacher's funeral, we can't…" She was cut off by her girlfriend's mouth on hers.
The blonde ran her hands down Alex's chest, grabbing a handful of breast while angling her head to deepen the kiss.
Alex could never fucking say no to Piper—she'd spent six months of her life denying Piper access to her body and her heart, and she swore on June 7 a year and a half ago, that she would never deny Piper Chapman anything she asked for again.
The blonde unbuttoned Alex's black slacks, reaching a hand inside and cupping her center. She drug one finger inside her folds, making her girlfriend moan.
Alex massaged her lover's breast with one hand, while the other traveled up her dress to her thigh. She squeezed hard, and then broke their kiss. The brunette turned them around until Piper was forced to sit on the desk. She dropped to her knees, and then lifted Piper's dress high enough to gain access to her center. Alex put her hands on the younger woman's hips, pulling her closer to the edge of the desk, and dipped her tongue into her folds, underwear still on.
"Take them off," Piper panted, her neck extended as her head fell back.
"Mmm mmm," Alex disagreed as she continued mouthing her girlfriend through the thin fabric.
The blonde used both hands to pull Alex's head closer, and she bucked her hips into her lover's face.
Alex couldn't get enough of the scent and taste of her former student. She was able to stick her tongue around the inside of her underwear, causing Piper to orgasm right there on the desk. "Fuck, Alex!" she yelled. "Oh, fuck…Iloveyousomuch…Ungh!"
The brunette placed a kiss on her lover's center, and then pulled her dress back down and stood between Piper's legs. Piper was still panting heavily, but her eyes looked damp.
"Are you crying?" She pushed Piper's hair behind her ear.
"I just needed to feel…alive." Piper wiped her cheeks. "Thank you for that."
"You're welcome," she whispered, holding her girlfriend close.
Alex looked around the room one last time and smiled. "I never thought we'd have sex in this room."
That caused Piper to grin. "I've had a dream or two about it."
"Yeah?" She wiped the remnants of tears off her lover's cheeks.
"Haven't you?"
Alex pursed her lips. "Maybe."
"You're full of shit." Piper kissed her on the side of the mouth.
"Yes, Piper." She rolled her eyes. "Of course I fantasized about having sex with you in this room. More times than I care to admit."
"That is super hot." Piper reached up with a Kleenex to wipe her own juices off her lover's chin.
"It's so fucking hot," she laughed.
Alex was so glad to see her girlfriend smile with genuine happiness that she would have said anything for the wattage she witnessed at that moment. Not that she didn't think fucking Piper in their former classroom wasn't hot; quite the contrary, she'd thought about it a million times, mostly when she was at home alone and naked with her eager fingers ready to go to town.
The women used a few Clorox wipes to tidy up the desk, giggling like school girls as they walked down the hallway.
"Wait for me right here?" Piper asked before they descended the stairs.
Alex nodded, and then watched her girlfriend walk back to the classroom. She stood in the doorway and gazed into the room with affection. Piper lifted her hands over her heart and bowed her head for a moment as if paying reverence to the space that meant so much to her over the years.
When she walked back to join the brunette at the end of the corridor, Piper grabbed her hand and smiled softly. "Take me home, Alex."
Author's Note: I so wanted to write classroom sex throughout the entirety of this story! I was glad that the opportunity finally presented itself. It wasn't until this chapter when I felt like I got into the groove for this sequel, and I hope you'll agree that the best is yet to come. (There will be a total of 12 chapters.)