Alex must have spent twenty minutes deciding on which shirt to wear. Finally Piper rummaged through the hangers in Alex's closet and pulled out a sleeveless Guns-N-Roses shirt, thrusting it towards her frantic girlfriend. The yellow circle and rose design on the shirt was the perfect fit with Alex's tattoo. "Where did this one come from?" Piper pointed to the back of the closet. "Pipes you are perfect."
The couple walked the short distance to the café to fuel up on caffeine and sweets. Once at the bar, Alex and Piper kissed briefly. "You'd better text me when she gets here." Piper teased a nervous Alex who probably wouldn't even remember her guest's name. Alex gave a wide grin and turned to enter her establishment while Piper went across the street to her space.
As mid-morning rolled around, the doors to the bar opened and in walked the icon that Alex had been waiting for – none other than Joan Jett herself. The shorter shaggy haired black woman in the room seemed larger than life. She had a sheer black shirt over a black camisole which was cut at her cleavage at just the right point to expose her ornate v-shaped swirled tattoo on her sternum. Her pale shoulders were covered with a short-cut red leather jacket which ended right at the level of her broad silver chain link belt. Silver necklaces layered up her neck, culminating with a black leather choker tied at the top of her throat.
Joan slowly nodded as she appreciatively looked around the bar. "I like what you've done with the place. Nice." There was not a large crowd, and those that were there were respective of the star's presence as they knew how important this visit was to Alex. "I heard you had to completely rebuild. I'm impressed."
Wiping her hands, Alex rounded the bar to greet the rock star. "Hi I'm Alex." She motioned to the mural behind the Joan. "How do you think it came out?"
Nodding, Joan took in the larger than life portrait of herself painted on the wall. "Guy said his artist was good. He was fucking right. I'm fascinated at how close to the photo it is." She pulled out a broad tipped black Sharpie. "Let's do this. Got your camera?"
By this time, Piper had made it across the street with her SLR camera to meet Joan and to document the signing of the portrait. Joan's broad strokes were definite, defined just as if she was signing a picture. "Alex, Keep Rocking, Love Joan Jett" along with her traditional star at the end of her name. Joan was extremely gracious as she posed for several shots with Alex and the rest of the staff. She also signed autographs and buddied around with the customers at the bar.
Once the mild commotion had died down, Alex and Piper sat at one of the back tables with Joan. "So how about a burger? I'm sure you've heard our reputation."
Joan was staring towards the front of the bar towards the portrait. "Alex, do you know what my favorite part of that Rolling Stone shoot was?" Alex and Piper were silent. Joan reached into her jacket pocket and withdrew a large rolled object. "That big ass joint!" All three woman laughed. Joan directed her attention back to Alex. "Got some place we can smoke this?"
Alex looked at Piper who nodded. "I have just the place." The three woman and Joan's publicist who apparently followed her everywhere walked across the street to Popi's.
Alex and Joan settled themselves in two of the chairs. Joan extracted the joint along with a lighter. Licking her lips, she placed the blunt between her lips and breathed deeply, the paper on the end glowing and burning unevenly up the sides of the joint. Leaning her head back, she held the thick smoke in as she passed the thick marijuana stick over to Alex.
After opening the windows and positioning one of the fans behind them, Piper settled herself in Alex's lap. Alex presented the joint to her and Piper shook her head slightly. Smiling down at Alex, she said, "You guys go ahead."
"Sure?" Alex's voice was short, choked as she didn't want to let smoke exit her chest. Piper nodded so Alex shook her head and passed back to Joan. The two women continued the dance of getting stoned, exchanging stories of music and food. Piper was simply enjoying the closeness of Alex.
Alex was definitely beginning to feel toasty – warm and relaxed. "Damn Jett, this is some good shit." Piper laughed as Alex was almost giddy, giggling. "See all this Joan?" Alex motioned around the room. "This is soap. Can you believe it? My girlfriend here makes fucking soap." Piper swatted at Alex's arm. "Hey enough with the abuse. She's good Joan. What's your favorite smell? I bet she has it?" Alex stood, dumping Piper off her lap and began to rummage around the shelves of inventory, pulling off bars of Piper's soap for Joan to smell.
Soon there was a large pile on the table in front of Joan. The rocker put one of the blocks to her nose and smelled deeply. "This does smell most excellent, Alex. I wonder if it tastes as good." She opened her mouth as if to take a large bite of the vanilla oatmeal soap.
Piper grabbed the bar out of Joan's hand. "How I just bag up some samples there for you? As a thank you." Joan nodded as she finished off the last of the pot.
Alex had again taken her seat, head lolled back on the chair back. "Fuck, I haven't been this relaxed in For. Ev. Er. I can't believe I'm sitting here, getting stoned, with Joan. Jett." Alex punctuated her statement with her fingers. "Woman rocker extraordinaire." Alex eyes were squinting, almost closed to slits. "Pipes, turn on some music babe."
Piper flipped on one of her favorite play lists and came to sit on the arm of Alex's chair. The two stoners just swayed back and forth in their chairs. Abruptly out of the relaxed atmosphere, Alex reached up and pulled Piper back into her lap, wrapping her arms around Piper's waist. "I love this woman Ms. Joan Jett. Do you know that?" Joan sat with an amused look on her face watching a very high Alex. "I am going to ask her to move in with me. What do you think about that? Do you think she'll say yes?"
Piper wriggled around to face Alex. "So Alex, are you going to forget this tomorrow, too?" Piper got up once more and went into the kitchen. She came out with a pad of paper and a pen. Throwing it in her lap, she spoke to Alex. "Write."
"Write what Pipes? Chill." Alex chuckled as she slid the paper to the floor. "Come back here."
"No. You didn't remember your little comment about our place when you were stinking drunk on reopening night. So I want record of this!" Piper laughed as she retrieved the paper and tossed in Alex's lap again.
Alex shrugged her shoulders and scribbled out a note. "I, Alex Vause, love you, Piper Chapman. WE need our own place. Signed, a very stoned AV." She handed the pad to Joan. "Would you witness my statement bud? The little woman seems pretty adamant about wanting my declaration in writing." Joan chuckled as she reached over and scrawled her signature beneath Alex's. "There Pipes."
Piper took the pad of paper, tearing off the top sheet. She folded it neatly and tucked it into her pocket.
Joan smacked her lips in an attempt to bring moisture back to her mouth. "Say Vause, I'm getting thirsty." She rubbed her stomach. "And I believe I have a bit of a munchy thing going on here, too." Joan motioned across the street. "How about we go sample some of your burgers and brew Michael was raving about?"
Piper did not join the spaced-out pair at the bar. She was working on a project that had a strict deadline she had to meet.
Later in the evening, Piper carried a paper bag across the street to Alley's. Joan Jett was long gone, and the staff was overjoyed sharing stories about the short haired rocker that had spent the greater part of the day tossing back drinks at the bar and sampling about everything on the menu. Everyone was keyed up from the excitement.
Taking her normal barstool, Piper set the bag gently at her feet. "What you got in the bag blondie?" Nicky was smacking her gum as usual, being brass and rather obnoxious.
Piper reached over for a napkin to place in front of her and smugly motioned to the empty space. Taystee popped the lid off of a beer and set it in front of her boss's blonde girlfriend. Piper took a long pull from the beer which was dripping condensation onto the napkin. She reached down and hauled the bag to her lap, pulling out a stack of gaily wrapped gifts, each with a staff member's name.
A much mellower Alex approached and took a seat next to her partner, raising her eyes curiously. Piper nodded to the gifts. "Just a token of appreciation. Don't throw them!" Alex passed the presents out to the bartenders and called the kitchen staff to the front of the house to distribute theirs as well.
Everyone simultaneously opened their gifts, and the reactions were immediate. After Alex had returned to the bar to take care of her munchy fix, Piper had popped out her camera's SD card and downloaded the pictures to the new computer at Popi's. Selecting the best pictures of Joan and the staff, she moved them to a USB stick and quickly went to a print shop to have high quality photos printed. She had earlier arranged with Joan's publicist for her to return to Popi's and sign the pictures, personalizing them for Alex's staff.
"Damn blondie. I don't care what the others say about you. You rock." Nicky planted a kiss on the glass cover of her signed photo, held it to her chest and spun around. "Oh Joan, how I hold you close to my chest."
Poussey and Taystee were speechless. They looked at each other, silently. Taystee broke the spell by cocking out her hip and switching into her high society voice. "Why MacKenzie, isn't this one special surprise? I don't know quite what to say."
"Well Amanda, society rules say it's rude to not start with a thank you." Poussey bowed towards Piper. "Thank you I say, thank you."
"Why yes Piper," Taystee chimed in. "Thank you indeed." She looked up above the bar to the soot covered penguin. "Penny, I say mother is one nice woman, a real southern belle."
Piper looked up at the stuffed mascot. "Hey Penny, I didn't forget you! She handed a smaller autographed picture of Joan holding the penguin to Poussey who crawled up and propped it next to Penny.
Nicky poured out tequila shots for everyone. "It may not be the top of the top shelf, but here's to Piper!"
Piper pulled the last items from her bag, a hammer, a lone nail, and the final picture – the one of the entire staff and the rocker. She located the wall spot which had seemingly been left just for that purpose and hung the team picture.
Alex rolled over and wrapped her arm around Piper whose back was to her. Nuzzling her face into Piper's hair, Alex murmured into Piper's ear. "You are incredible Pipes. You know that, right?" She could feel Piper's smile form. "What you did was really special, the girls are going to be raving about those pictures for quite a while."
Piper maneuvered her body around to face Alex, her blue eyes sparkling with the knowledge that Alex was so pleased with her. "They deserved it Al. You deserved it. I mean the bar got a signed mural, why shouldn't they have a picture?" Piper shrugged suggesting that she didn't feel her actions warranted such acknowledgements.
Alex placed her hands on either side of Piper's face. She pressed her lips against Piper's, kissing her gently, her tongue softly asking for entrance. Piper's mouth opened slightly and allowed her tongue to meet Alex's. Piper's eyes remained open, watching her lover intently as they traced each other's mouths.
"Close your eyes," Alex whispered. She brushed her fingertips over Piper's eyebrows, out towards her temples. Piper sighed at the soft skin touching her face. Alex continued to kiss Piper as she ran the pads of her thumbs from inside corner of Piper's eyes out to the side of her face and again.
"Aaaaaahhhhh." Piper lost track of the kiss as she relaxed into Alex's touch.
Alex continued to press her fingers from Piper's cheekbones out and down along her jawline. She then ran her fingers into Piper's hairline, massaging her fingertips into Piper's scalp. Piper's jaw went slack. Alex pushed her fingers back into her girlfriend's blonde hair a little further with circular massages, around follicles and over skin. Ever so lightly, she brushed against the outside of the rim of Piper's ears, again, and slower a third time.
"Mmmmm Alex, this is so relaxing. You are so damned erotic, sensual."
Alex slid her hands down to the hollow of her girlfriend's throat. "Your skin is so soft Pipes." Alex's voice was nothing but breath. She increased pressure as she moved her hands back up behind the back of Piper's neck.
"Kiss me Alex. My body aches to feel your lips." Piper slipped her hand down to Alex's thigh and rubbed lightly, feeling Alex shiver.
Alex leans forward, softly touched her lips to Piper's eyebrows, and shivered. The shivers were because Piper's hand had slipped from her thigh to her crotch, cupping the heat radiating from Alex's core. Shaking her head clear, Alex pressed a soft kiss against each of Piper's closed eyelids, then the tip of her nose, and finally licked her warm, soft lips.
Piper again separated her lips slightly in anticipation as she began to brush her fingers between Alex's legs again.
"Oh god, I can't resist any longer." Alex pressed her lips against Piper's who immediately pressed back, tongues tangling as the ache built between them. Piper pulled Alex on top of her and pulled her leg to straighten out her body in order to pull Alex closer to her. She moved her hand up Alex's body to touch her face. Alex moved into Piper, urging her to continue to touch her body, hands against skin.
Piper moaned into Alex's mouth, warm breath against her tongue, whispering into her mouth as tongues explored tongues.
"Mmmm, what Pipes? I missed that."
Piper grinned shyly. "Feel me Alex. Feel what I whispered."