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My majesty, this is for you.
When Carol and Bill arrive the following morning, Piper is taking a shower while Alex is sitting outside, enjoying the day. She is drinking a cup of coffee when Georgia comes outside and tells her that the Chapman arrived. For a moment, all Alex wants to do is run. She's never had to face her girlfriends' parents, and Carol and Bill don't really look like the best way to start doing it. However, she knows that she's gotta be brave because Piper will need her. If she has to disappoint her parents, Alex has at least to be there for her, to comfort her and tell her she loves her and nothing else matters.
She goes inside to greet them. Bill is friendly as the last time she came here while Carol is weirdly silent and just looks at Alex likes she wants to say something. It's going to be a long day, Alex thinks.
She tells them she'll go tell Piper they're here, as she was taking a shower and probably didn't hear them. They both nod without saying too much, as Bill busies himself reading his papers and Carol just stares at her full of questions that she still has to ask.
"Your parents are here," Alex says entering into their room while Piper is wearing nothing but a towel.
"How did you find them?" Piper asks, looking at Alex through the mirror and brushing her wet air.
"Your mom is probably planning to kill me while your father is playing cool so that I won't suspect he is the one who's actually gonna kill me."
Piper erupts in a laughter, and just reaches Alex who's sitting on the bed behind her. She takes the older woman's face in her hands and kisses her forehead while Alex's hands find their way to the back of the blonde's knees.
"I'll protect you," Piper whispers, seeing the worrying on Alex's face.
"I should be the one saying that," Alex replies back, her hands massaging the blonde toned thighs.
"You've never dealt with them, I know how to protect myself." Piper chuckles and kisses the brunette's temple one more time, trying to comfort her.
"Even if I'm kinda of shitting myself," Alex says, smiling and then adds, "we're in this together and I won't let you deal with them all by yourself." She looks up at the blonde with her chin resting on the younger woman's front.
"Cool, cause I'm gonna use you like a shield." She nonchalantly says while she takes some dark hair behind the brunette's ear.
"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you, you little traitor." Alex grins while saying it, then burrows her face into Piper's chest which is still covered by the towel. They stay like that for a while, whispering silly things, sharing tiny kisses and then Piper decides it's time to face her demons, she says, smiling like an idiot.
They go downstairs and before entering the kitchen where her parents are, Piper's hand search for Alex's and she suddenly feels braver, fearless, ready.
She spots her mother discussing something with Georgia while her father is still reading his newspaper. She leaves Alex's hand just to greet them with a hug and a kiss.
Suddenly the air is heavy and the silence finds its way into the vast kitchen. For a moment, Piper thinks she can't do it, but then she looks at Alex, who's sitting next to her on the kitchen stool and she knows she can.
"Mom..." she starts, finally gathering the woman's attention, then claims for her father's, "Dad..." and he looks at her, his paper still in his hands. They look at her, expecting her to say something.
"I have to tell you something, and I hope you'll accept it because it makes me deeply happy." She sighs and automatically searches for Alex's hand under the counter. With that warm and that strong grip, she definitely knows she can do it.
"Okay, Piper, speak on," Her father says, setting the paper on the counter.
"Okay," Piper mumbles, then takes a deep breath and just spills it, feeling Alex's hand firmly around her own.
"Me and Alex are more than just friends." Piper tries not to rush anything, but she can see Alex gulping from the corner of her eyes. The brunette squeezes her hand harder, as to reassure her she is there.
"We're living together, as a couple and I know it must be completely unexpected to you but yeah...that's it, I'm in love with a woman." She blurts it out, as she can't keep it to herself anymore.
There's a moment of deep quietness, no one says anything. It almost feels like no one is breathing too. Bill is stuck for a moment and then he searches for his wife's gaze. She is looking straight to Piper as if she is elaborating everything her daughter just said. Lost in that stillness, Piper regains herself when she searches for Alex and the brunette is already staring at her. She nods, whispering a silent 'it's gonna be fine', which eases Piper.
"Unexpected, you think?" Carol breaks the silence, shifting her gaze from Piper to Bill. At that point, Piper can't read what's going on in her mother's mind. What she's thinking. How she's dealing with it.
"Listen, Piper," Bill regains Piper's attention, and after sharing a knowing look with his wife, he begins to speak again, "it's unexpected, but we're not that blind. We figured out that you and Alex shared something more than friendship when you came here months ago." He smiles, seeing the surprise setting on his daughter's face.
"You know your mother prefers to live in denial," he says, looking at his wife with sorry eyes.
"I don't live in denial." The woman's tone is harsh, but she manages to stay calm.
"You do." Piper and Bill speak together, and then they share a smile, seeing Carol shaking her head and dismissing them by throwing her hands in the air.
"I'm not looking for your approval, but it'd be better if I had it." Piper's tone is firm.
"We're not saying we don't love you or what. You're a grown up and you decide what's better for your life like you've always had." There's a brief pause, as Bill clears his throats and then says, "It's just that it may take a while for us to be comfortable with it."
Bill Chapman is speaking for both of them but Piper would really love to hear her mother saying something. Maybe she shouldn't push it too much, she thinks moments later.
"I can deal with that," the blonde says, leaving Alex's hand as the worst part is gone and sensing the sweat on her hand. She looks at her hand, then at Alex's and she realizes she must have squeezed too hard. She mumbles a soft "sorry", earning a wink from the brunette.
"Can you just give me time to process it?" Carol speaks, and she then looks at Alex, hoping the brunette understands what she is asking for, "I mean, can you like be just friendly when I'm around? I need time to settle myself in the idea that my sweet debutant is dating a woman."
Bill rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything, and Alex just nods, understanding the woman and feeling slightly good about the whole situation. She pictured it way worse that it actually is. She looks at Piper, to see how she is reacting to it.
"Okay, that's something we can do, I guess?" She turns her head and looks at Alex who nods and smiles.
After finally revealing to her family the nature of her relationship with Alex, Piper starts to get ready for the wedding. Alex is already dressed up in a beautiful red dress that leaves her shoulders bare and now she is dealing her makeup, applying some foundation and adding black eyeliner, a soft shade of red lip gloss. Piper looks at her with admiration, enjoying way too much the woman sitting at her old desk.
"Move your ass, I don't wanna be late because you're staring at me." Alex's voice startles her, and she suddenly moves around the room, picking up her dress, a yellow one-shouldered gown that makes her glow.
"You're gonna look incredibly hot tonight," Piper says while putting on her dress; she goes where Alex is as she needs the mirror too, and then whispers into the brunette's ear, "and it's going to be so hard to just be 'friendly'."
They both chuckle and Piper kisses her on the cheek, earning a grunt from Alex, as she has just finished applying the foundation.
Several minutes and a lot of lustful looks later, they manage to join Piper's parents as they're going to the wedding spot together. The ride is quiet and they make small talk while the two women sitting in the back of the car stay at a safe distance as to avoid to challenge Carol.
Once they're there, Piper goes to Polly's room as she is the maid of honor and Alex is left wandering in the garden where the wedding is going to take place. She feels someone tapping her shoulder and when she turns, Bill Chapman in his perfect suit his standing behind her.
"Mr. Chapman," she says in an uncertain tone. He offers her a flute of champagne and she takes it thanking the man.
"So, you and Piper." He nods as if he said something special. She knows it's a big deal for him to admit it so she just smiles.
"Yeah, me and Piper."
"I know we're not the most open-minded parents ever, but we'll try. We love Piper and we just want her happiness. You think you're able to provide that?" He says before taking a sip of its flute of champagne.
"I know I can," She smirks, and her offers him a toast, and then she says "To making Piper happy."
They share a knowing look and several minutes later, everyone takes his seat and she finds herself next to Cal. The music signals the wedding is starting, and the baby bridesmaid walks the red carpet, throwing white petals and going to sit near the altar. Then, the bridesmaids show up, with Piper closing the sequence.
Alex reads the emotions in her girlfriend movements, and suddenly their eyes connect and Alex is sure this is the most beautiful Piper she's ever seen. She takes her place on the altar, and her eyes find their way back to the brunette. She's in love, and her best friend is getting married. She can't contain the feelings, as she is about to getting emotional. Alex stops her, arching an eyebrow and giving her one of the most lustful looks ever; then she winks and all Piper can do is smile. Profusely.
Then, finally, it's Polly's turn and Alex has to admit that she looks really lovely.
The rest of the ceremony is a blur, it happens so fast and Alex swears she feels quite shaken by it. Piper often glanced at her, and she felts possessed by those blue eyes full of joy and love. She doesn't recall very well, but she may have thought that she'd really love to marry that woman.
After obliging all of her maid of honor duties, at the end of the night, Piper takes Alex's hand and guides her out of that crowded place. They find a pillowed swing which faces the coast and the ocean next to it. Alex sits there and her arms are ready to welcome Piper who sits next to her and hugs Alex back. She kisses her chin, then the brunette searches for her lips and they exchange a soft and sweet kiss. A kiss which becomes less soft in a few seconds, as they had to keep their distance for the whole day.
She cups the blonde's face with one hand while hugging her back with the other arm. They smiles between kisses and stops just to take a proper breath; Alex is impatient, as she's missed feeling Piper skin under her lips, so she kisses her cheekbone, earning a giggle from the blonde. She then tilts her head and kisses the blonde's jaw. She keeps going, reaching her neck and then going back to her lips, while her hands softly travel along the blonde's back and over her perfect face.
"You had the strawberry cake," Piper whispers, inhaling the scent from Alex's lips. Her hands stay around the brunette's shoulders.
"Yeah, it was lovely." Alex kisses the tip of Piper's nose while one of the blonde's hand grasps one of her breasts. She gasps at the touch, and then smirks.
"I picked that one." The blonde says proudly, leaning in to leave a gentle kiss on the woman's neck. "Did you enjoy the flowers on the tables?" She asks, her lips grazing the new found skin, picking her collarbone.
"Yeah," Alex says before breathing heavier as Piper's tiny kisses always have that effect on her.
"I picked them too." Piper grins, leaving one last kiss where the neck and collarbone meets. She then looks straight into Alex's eyes.
The brunette's hands slide on her hips and she leans in, resting her forehead on Piper's. She shakes her head, closes her eyes and take a deep breath.
"I think I'm gonna have to marry you, Piper Elizabeth Chapman." Her eyes are now open and they're glowing, maybe weeping.
"You think?" Piper asks with a shy voice, a giant smile taking place on her tired face.
"I'm almost sure." Alex chuckles, then bites Piper's lower lip.
"How do you know I'll allow you to do such a thing?" Piper frees herself from the brunette's teeth and kisses the corner of her mouth.
"I read it in your eyes, kid."
And then they kiss, freely, carelessly, passionately. As if nothing else is meant to be done in a world where they love each other that much. Alex's strong arms guide Piper on her lap, and she moves her blonde hair behind her ears. She stares at her for a moment, taking in her beauty emphasized by the moon's light. She whispers a silent 'I love you' while her hands guide Piper closer to her.
"Say it loud," Piper demands.
Hands on her face, thumbs brushing under those beautiful blue eyes, she licks her lips.
"Girl..." Alex shakes her head, as if she doesn't believe it, then she says it, in a colorful cheerful voice.
"I fucking love you."
Piper smiles and nods, cups Alex's face and then kissing her again, mumbling 'I love you too' into the kiss and swinging together in the immense and pure sea that's their love. A love they didn't see coming; a love they didn't ask for. A love that just happened when they didn't expect it. A true sign of serendipity.
THE END.