Alex squinted her eyes to guard against the sunlight peeking between the curtains. After blinking her eyes a few times to clear the film of a night's sleep, Alex was surprised to see Piper still sleeping soundly in front of her as Piper was normally awake at the crack of dawn. Alex listened carefully to the quietness enveloping the house. She did not hear any whining or sounds that the furry monsters housed in the laundry room below might be stirring so she snuggled into Piper's back as the blonde spooned into her. Alex was torn whether she should enjoy the quiet and Piper's companionship or slip out of bed to head downstairs and ensure the peace was not broken, allowing Piper to continue her undisturbed slumber.

After contemplating the pros and cons of each choice, Alex decided on the latter so that she could have breakfast ready for her girlfriend. Piper was normally the first to rise, so Alex felt this would be a special treat for her to wake up to – puppies tended to and a prepared, albeit continental, breakfast. Alex softly smoothed Piper's long blonde hair down her pillow and kissed her on the back of the head before furtively slipping out of bed.

Downstairs Alex realized that by a fortunate turn of events, the pups were still asleep in their crate so did not start their cacophony of barks and howls as their normal form of morning greetings. Alex opened the back door and quickly opened the crate door before Choc and Peep could get fully awake to raise a ruckus. They raced out the back door with enthusiasm. She sat on the damp grass with them for a bit while they romped and wrestled, hoping the change in routine and extra attention would keep them quiet. Alex dished out their food and lured them back in for their kibble breakfast.

Returning to the kitchen, Alex started a pot of coffee and pulled out the makings of a modest yet filling breakfast of fruit, yogurt, bagels, and peanut butter. After cutting up and arranging the fruit, the coffee had finished brewing. Alex was surprised that Piper still had not come downstairs as normally the sweet aroma drew her down like a junkie drawn to heroin. Since everything else was ready, Alex poured Piper a cup of joe and headed upstairs.

As she rounded the corner to the bedroom, she caught sight of Piper sprawled out in the bed. Luckily Alex had made the choice to get up, otherwise there would have been no room for her! Piper was sleeping so soundly that Alex could not bear to wake her. She slowly exited the bedroom and shut the door as an extra noise barrier in case the dogs later became rambunctious.

Alex ate her own breakfast, placed the remaining fruit and yogurt in the refrigerator, and left the bagels and peanut butter out on the counter. She plucked insulated travel mug from the cabinet and filled it with coffee and herded the dogs outside. It was a beautiful morning and there was no reason to spend it inside.

Piper rubbed her eyes as she padded downstairs in her pajamas and socks. When she finally woke up and saw that it was almost 11 am, she panicked until she realized that the bed was empty and the door was closed. Her heart warmed as she realized that Alex must have closed the door so that she could sleep. She could faintly hear Alex outside, playing with the dogs, so Piper decided to enjoy her solitude a tiny bit longer. The coffee pot had long shut off automatically, so Piper poured her a cup and popped it into the microwave to warm. She popped a bagel into the toaster then opened the refrigerator to pour herself some juice. Seeing the cut fruit and bowl of yogurt, she smiled realizing that, had she gotten up, Alex would have even had breakfast ready for her. After preparing her breakfast, she carefully balanced everything on a large tray and made her way outside. No sooner did she step out the door as a flash of brown fur was at her feet, almost knocking her down.

"Choc. Come." Alex's voice was exasperated. Piper did not dare to pet the wriggling mass of puppy clamoring for her attention. "Peep. Stay. Good girl." Alex tossed a small treat to Peep whose butt was planted firmly on the ground, ignoring her other mother who had just emerged from the house. "Choc. Come." Choc took a wide circle, running full tilt around the back yard and came sliding to a halt at Alex's feet. She plopped her butt on the ground and looked at the treat bag intently. "Seriously? You think that deserves a treat? I don't think so."

Alex released both of the dogs from training to go play and went over to Piper. "Well if it isn't sleeping beauty herself? I'm glad you could join us Ms. Chapman!" Alex gave Piper a brief hug and kiss.

"I feel like I slept for days. I guess I was tired, huh?"

"I guess so. By the way, your dogs are rascals."

"My dogs? They are your dogs, too, Al. Peep seems to be learning quickly though."

"Peep is running a racket for treats. Watch this." Alex whistled. "Choc. Come!" The golden dog came racing up, looking at Alex expectantly while the chocolate one came lumbering up slowly behind her. "Choc. Sit!" Peep planted her rear on the ground while Choc simply wandered off. "See, Peep is in it for the treats. She's going to be big as a house while we try to get Choc trained." Alex tossed a treat towards Peep.

Piper chuckled. "Choc will just take extra time. She's just special, you know."

Alex and Piper stayed outside the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon, visiting about various things. What spring flowers to plant, should they repaint the bedroom, totally random. "I feel like it's been so long that we've just talked Pipes. You and me. No café talk, no house talk, no drama. I've missed this."

Piper scooted her chair closer to Alex's where she could hold the dark haired woman's hand. "I've missed this, too, Alex. Things are about to get even busier for us. So I'm super grateful for today. Thanks for letting me sleep in. But even more so, thank you for being you."

Alex's eyes sparkled as she looked at Piper. "Who else would I be if I were not me? You were sleeping so soundly this morning; I couldn't bring myself to wake you up." Alex pressed her lips to Piper's. Leaning her forehead against Piper's, she smiled again. "But actually I'm starving. How about we go out for dinner tonight?"

Alex left Piper to pick up the dog toys from the back yard and clean up the small kitchen mess. Alex ventured upstairs and turned on the shower so it could get steaming hot before she got in. While the water was warming up, Alex selected her clothes and laid them out carefully on the bed. Despite being a café manager, she was proud of her body and always took advantage of opportunities to dress up.

Soon Alex was naked and relishing the hot water beating on her skin. Today had been a relaxing day and this shower was a complement to start a lovely evening. Alex placed both of her hands on the wall, dipped her head forward, and let the water roll down the back of her shoulders. She heard a slight click and felt a burst of chilled air rush through the steam. No sooner did she hear the second click of the shower door closing, she felt Piper's arms wrap around her waist and Pipe lay her head on Alex's back.

Alex went to turn around but Piper slightly tightened her arms, restricting Alex's movement. Piper moved both her hands down to Alex's thighs then moved one hand up to cup one breast while another hand reached around Alex's leg and pulled her ass into Piper's crotch. Alex moved her head backwards and Piper immediately pulled her girlfriend's earlobe into her mouth. Piper eased her grip on Alex, encouraging her to turn around.

Alex's mouth immediately found Piper's and attacked it feverishly, each woman kissing with her own agenda yet fully focused on the body in front of her. Piper looped the fingers of one of her hands with Alex's and brought the hands to their face. She touched Alex's face then rubbed the back of Alex's hand on her own face. She then drew Alex's fingers down their pressed bodies.

Piper broke the kiss, turned and leaned her head back into the streaming shower water. Alex drew her teeth from Piper's jaw, down her throat to her shoulders. Nipping slightly at Piper's shoulders, Alex pulled her closer with one hand firmly on Piper's ass. She moved her hand back up to Piper's back, pressing her fingers in to knead Piper's skin. Piper then dropped her head slightly and found Alex's breast and began to suck Alex's nipple, then beneath her breast, then her stomach and back to her nipple. As Piper's teeth closed on Alex's nipple, Alex involuntarily moaned and pressed her knee between Piper's legs.

"Fuck Pipes. I want you." Alex moaned again as Piper flicked her nipple with her tongue. Alex could feel Piper's mouth grinning. Alex reached down and found Piper's core, knowing the wetness was certainly not caused by the shower.

Piper immediately stood and again found Alex's mouth. "If you want me, take me." Piper's voice was a low growl. That was all it took to push Alex over the edge of control.

The drinks had been delivered and the appetizers ordered. Alex grasped Piper's hand and brought it to her lips. "You look gorgeous tonight Pipes. Glowing, I might say."

Piper giggled. "Perhaps it's because I finally had a good night's sleep and uninterrupted sex. But seriously, thank you. You look ravishing yourself as well." Piper picked up her wine glass and held it up for a toast. "To us."

"To us." Both touched glasses then took a sip of wine. "You know Pipes, this is where we had our first dinner." Alex chuckled as a puzzled look crossed Piper's face. "Oh come on, was I not memorable enough? Remember I missed my initial group interview. I was so nervous to call you, but when I did, you invited me to dinner."

Piper laughed. "Oh, yes, now I remember. Imagine my surprise to walk in and to see Andrea sitting at the bar. Then Andrea ended up being you." Both women laughed. "Well Andrea, Alex, whoever… I'm glad things worked out the way they did. I love you Alex Vause. I love our life."

"I love you, too, Piper."

The next morning, Alex and Piper ventured to The Place for breakfast and to see how things were going now that most of the daily operations had been turned over to Celeste, Boo, and sometimes Nicky. The morning rush was just finishing out, so Alex procured their drinks and pastries while Piper commandeered a table at the back of the store.

As Alex placed breakfast on the table, Piper had a proud look on her face. "A few years ago, this café was just a dream. After a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, look at it. We've done well Alex." Alex nodded in agreement, knowing how much Piper loved the café and what it meant for her starting her life over. "But enough of the sappiness. We have work to do."

Piper pulled out a folder and a bound notebook. She had organized checklists of things that needed to be taken care of for Donovan Manor – daily and weekly check lists as well as one-time decisions that needed to be made.

"Where are we on the construction?"

Alex referred to her notes. "Tom and I agree that the electrical and plumbing should be completely redone. Tom e-mailed me last night. The city permits came through. So demolition starts today. Then he can start on the electricity and plumbing later in the week. We need to find a designer to work with us starting pretty quickly so we have a direction."

Piper grinned and pulled out an oversized book from her bag and slid it over to Alex. Alex opened it to find cloth swatches, paint chips, turn of the century furniture pictures, and several room layouts. Alex looked questioningly at Piper. "Did you already hire a designer Piper? Where did you get this?" Alex kept turning page to page.

A giggling came from behind Alex who turned to see Lorna standing behind her. "Oh hi Lorna. Good morning." Alex turned back to Piper. "These are really great ideas."

Lorna slipped into the booth next to Alex and slid the book halfway in between them. She flipped to the front and started going through the book with explanations to a stunned Alex. Finally Piper couldn't stand it as she was about to burst with laughter. "Al, Lorna is an interior designer with a particular passion for turn of the century design. This is what she put together as her resume for the job."

Lorna entire face was lit up as she knew Alex was pleasantly surprised. "I'm glad you like my work Alex. I promise you won't be disappointed if you hire me."

Alex narrowed her eyebrows and fake glared at Piper. "Somehow I think I have been tricked into this one and that you already have the job. How did I not know this about you?" Lorna shrugged. "Regardless, I'm glad to have you on board. We have a tight timeline. Since you are here all the time anyway, can you meet with me this afternoon? I have somethings I'd like to discuss." Lorna and Ale agreed on a time and Lorna excused herself to go work on another project. "Sneaky one Piper. I like her work, but sneaky."

"I'm not done sneaking yet, Al. How much do you know about Lorna?"

"Not much. I know Nicky is crazy about her and she makes a mean cupcake. Those went over so well at the ground breaking ceremony."

"That's not all she does Alex. Nicky told me about a breakfast in bed she was treated to. And Lorna told me about New Year's Eve dinner. It seems as though Lorna likes to also express her creativity in the kitchen. We are going to need an innkeeper, unless you are planning on learning to cook gourmet breakfasts to keep our guests returning year after year. We can put feelers out to hire someone unknown, but I think we should at least see if Lorna is interested. I think she'd be a perfect fit. We could work out her responsibilities around her design projects."

"I never knew she was such a woman of many talents. I trust your judgement Piper. Let me get the major design pieces out of the way first. Then we can talk to her. I don't want to overwhelm the poor girl."

This project was definitely getting off on the right foot.

A/N: My condolences go out to the Pulse nightclub, all of Orlando's LGBT community and most importantly the family and loved ones of all effected by this senseless act of violence. My heart breaks for everyone involved in this.