AN: Hey guys! This is another request that's a combination of a few different reviewers ideas. A lil bit of angst, hope you like it!
"Polly, we've been going over this for hours, don't worry. We're gunna score this deal,"
Piper rubbed her eyes harshly, sighing as she let the hand run through her hair with her eyes closed,
"I just want it to be perfect-" Polly started,
"It is perfect, Pol," Piper interrupted, head back and eyes still closed,
"You know I've never been good at this kinda thing, Pipes. I say the wrong thing, you say the wrong thing, it's the reason we're friends in the first fucking place,"
Piper giggled lightly, opening her eyes and letting her head fall to a normal level, meeting Polly's gaze,
"I know, we always do know how to fuck up a situation,"
Polly smiled a little, shaking her head,
"You really think we're gunna get this deal?"
Piper nodded,
"I think we'll be fine, and if they don't hire us, then fuck them,"
Polly laughed, and cocked an eyebrow at Piper,
"At least you've got a girlfriend who could give you work experience in a bar, you don't even need the opportunity," she smirked, and Piper smiled but frowned,
"Yeah, bar work would look really good on a literature grad's resumé,"
"Would look better than my options," Polly joked, and when Piper raised her brows curiously Polly chuckled at her, "It's either nothing, or riding on the back of Pete's bike while he delivers pizzas,"
Piper giggled loudly,
"You usually don't mind riding things that belong to Pete," She smirked, and Polly smirked back, not replying but cocking one eyebrow mischievously.
At that moment, Piper's phone vibrated as a text came through. Looking down at her cell, she smiled as she saw Alex's name,
"Speaking of things we don't mind riding…"
"Ew," Polly screwed her face up but smiled, shaking her head, "you can leave me out of that one,"
Piper wasn't even listening as she opened the text from Alex,
Alex: Hey babe, when are you coming home? I'm cooking tonight, and I've got wine and a new mattress that I think needs your inspection x
Piper smiled slyly, feeling her cheeks warm up at the suggestive comment. She looked to the window of the library, seeing that it was already dark outside. She'd been with Polly all day, trying to perfect their pitches to score an internship. She was feeling pretty confident, there were plenty of offices around where she could find herself a summer job in journalism, but Polly wasn't feeling as confident. As she began to type out a reply to Alex, she felt a smile grow on her face again in anticipation for what was waiting for her back at the apartment, which didn't go unnoticed by Polly,
"Do I even wanna know what that smile is for?" She asked, face showing disgust,
"Probably not, you usually just get jealous when I talk about my sex life,"
Polly snorts indignantly, and Piper grins smugly as she puts her books and laptop into her bag,
"I'll text you tomorrow, you lesbian,"
Piper smiled fondly at her,
"See you later Pol," she said warmly, pulling on her jacket and waving as she left the library.
She stood on the street for a second, wrapping her coat around her. It was cold enough to see her breath, but Alex's apartment was only a couple blocks away and a definite waste of a cab ride. She looked around at the streets, noticing that despite the darkness there was still a lot of people around town. Smiling to herself, she took out her cell as she began to walk.
Alex chuckled to herself as she received Piper's reply,
Pipes: Hmmm, I have become something of an expert when it comes to rating your choices in the bedroom… I'll be home soon, just about to start walking now x
She put down the book she was reading and walked to the window by the lounge, noticing that it was already pretty dark outside. The library wasn't too far away, but she didn't like the idea of Piper walking alone in the dark. Just as she was about to select her name to give her a call, her cell lit up with Piper's name, the adorable smile of her contact picture filling up her screen,
"Pipes," Alex smiled,
"Hey baby," Piper said softly, Alex could hear the sounds of the street in the background, and Piper's boots clicking off the floor, "just thought I'd call you while I walked,"
Alex frowned,
"Do you need me to come pick you up?," she asked, placing her hand on the window and tracing an A in the condensation, "I don't like the thought of you walking alone in the dark,"
Piper let out a little laugh,
"You're such a softy," she said affectionately, and Alex huffed a laugh but kept her resolve,
"I'm serious, Pipes. You shouldn't be on your own at this time,"
"I'll be fine Al, I'm literally a block away as we speak,"
Alex sighed, a funny feeling in her chest,
"Okay babe, if you're sure, but stay on the line. What are you thinking for dinner tonight? Anything you want, my treat,"
"Pasta," Piper said straight away, "With that sauce you make that I love so much,"
Alex chuckled,
"You're an easy date, Pipes,"
"I'm a pretty easy everything," Piper joked flirtatiously, earning her a louder chuckle from Alex,
"Don't I know it," she replied, "how did you get on with the internship?"
"I'm making some headway," Piper started, but as she began to explain Polly's struggle, her voice cut off, and Alex could hear a muffled commotion in the background of the call,
"Pipes? What's that noise?" She asked standing up straight and wiping the window to see if she could see the blonde on the street yet,
"Just some guys behind me," Piper said shakily, as though she was trying to sound confident but wasn't completely sure in herself,
"Where are you?"
As Alex asked the question, she heard a deep voice that she vaguely recognised muffled in the background, calling Piper's name,
"Who is that?" Alex asked, frowning in concentration as she listened intently, worry making the hairs at the back of her neck stand up,
"I don't know, oh… wait, its just the guy from the bar the other night. He's coming out of Brooklyn Bar now, I've just gone past," Piper muttered, then louder she said, "hey!"
Alex grabbed her keys, she didn't have a good feeling about this. She began to tell Piper she was going to come and meet her by the bar, but suddenly she heard a crackling on the other end, and a crack as though the phone had hit the ground,
"Pipes?" She asked, "Piper!?"
She could hear the sound of movement, but it was muffled, as she shouted Piper's name again, she heard the sound of breathing, deep, ragged and distinctly male, before the phone cut off.
Alex's blood ran cold as she shouted Piper's name to the dead line,
"Fuck," she breathed, bolting towards the door, taking the stairs three at a time.
She wasn't taking her her surroundings anymore, everything seeming blurry and uncoordinated. She felt sick, and her lungs hurt from the shallow breaths she dragged through them.
All rational thoughts had left her head as she pelted for the bar Piper had mentioned being near before the phone cut off.
She had never been a religious woman. She thought praying was for people who had nothing else to hope for, but as she ran down the street with ice in her veins into the equally icy night, she found only one thing running through her fear stricken mind,
Please let Piper be okay.
"Hey!" Piper called to the blonde man who was bounding up to her down the street, she smiled and raised her hand to wave, hearing Alex begin to talk on the line again, before she could register what her girlfriend was saying, the phone had been struck from her hands.
Jared stood before her, a drunk, far away look in his eyes as he sneered at her. He picked the phone up as Piper stood frozen on the spot. He stared at the phone for a few seconds, squinting as he tried to read the name, and Piper swallowed and felt her heart constrict as she heard Alex calling her name on the cell. Jared dropped the phone, standing on it with the heel of his shoe and sneering at Piper,
"Jared-" she started and he cocked an eyebrow at her,
"Oh so you remember me huh? I thought you woulda been too interested in that bitch girlfriend of yours,"
Piper stared wide eyed, not sure what to say, and Jared huffed out a humourless laugh,
"Not so talkative without her are you, huh?"
He grabbed her hand, and as Piper opened her mouth to scream, used his other to cover her mouth, pulling her into a dark alley by the bar.
He shoved her into the brick wall roughly, Piper felt a sickening jolt through her head as it connected with the stone.
Jared leaned in close to her, and Piper muffled whimpers against his hand, trying to shake her head free. He had her whole body pinned with his, two of her hands over her head in one of his. Her nostrils flared as she breathed shallowly, and she felt her stomach reel at the strong smell of alcohol and cigarettes on his breath.
He leaned in, breathing in Piper's scent deeply from her neck, and Piper took his distraction to sink her teeth into his palm. He yanked it away, and as he did Piper let out a piercing scream that echoed around them. Jared swore at the pain in his palm before he recovered and once again covered Piper's mouth, using the other hand to slap her roughly across the jaw.
Piper felt her eyes shake at the impact, the pain ringing through her head, and whimpered again as tears started to trickle down the corner of her eyes, Alex's name repeating over and over in her head.
Alex felt her heart stop as she rounded the corner and heard a piercing scream echo from the darkness. Her blood ran cold and she pushed herself even faster, fighting the natural urge to scream Piper's name in case it caused more commotion. She slowed as she turned into the alley, squinting in the darkness to make out shapes near the wall by the back. She could hear a man's voice, though she couldn't hear what he was saying, the tone of it sounded frustrated, almost feral.
She fought against the sick in her throat as she crept towards the figures that she could now make out. Piper was pressed against the wall, hands and mouth restricted, eyes squeezed shut tightly. Alex gritted her teeth in anger, feeling her nails sink into her palms from her tightly clenched fists.
As she neared the back of Jared's body, she saw him move his hand from Piper's wrists to run down the hem of her shirt, and all rational thought left Alex's head,
"Get the fuck off her," she said coldly, voice quiet and deadly in the silence of the night. Piper opened her eyes at the raspy voice she recognised so well, feeling her heart almost leap up her throat.
Jared began to turn at the sound of a voice, but Alex was lightning fast. The adrenaline in her system and natural urge to protect Piper taking over her system. She raised her arm, connecting her elbow perfectly to the soft spot at the top of his neck, watching as he dropped to the ground. She instantly grabbed for Piper's arm, roughly yanking her away from the wall to stand behind her as Jared groaned on the ground, trying to focus his eyes past the darkness and the knock to the head. Alex looked down at him and felt her nostrils flaring, the fire of anger burning through her had reached a peak, and she felt the urge to not just hurt Jared, she wanted to torture him.
Stepping over him, she leaned down to wrap a hand around his neck, watching as he began to struggle for breath, trying to reach for Alex's hands though the suffocation and concussion he'd suffered,
"You piece of shit," she spat out, eyes focused on Jared's as they looked around blindly, "I should kill you for what you just tried to do,"
Alex squeezed tighter as Jared began to cough, and she gritted her teeth as she applied more pressure. She wasn't violent, by any means, but as she wrapped her hands around his neck all she could think about was his hands over Piper's mouth, and what he was about to do to her, and she felt her protectiveness take over her, until a small voice shattered every bit of anger inside of her body,
"Al," Piper whimpered, arms wrapped around herself as she shook against the cold and the shock. Alex's head snapped up, and she loosened her grip immediately, striding to Piper and wrapping her up in her embrace, holding one hand to her back and tangling one tightly in her cold, blonde hair.
She looked over her shoulder at Jared, who was laying on the ground, gasping for air. Turning back to Piper, she cupped her face with her hands, ripping it up so she could meet her eyes,
"Are you okay?" She breathed, and Piper nodded,
"Yeah," she whispered shakily, "He slapped me b- but-"
Alex cut her off,
"He what?"
Alex dragged Piper past Jared, who was seemingly unable to move or speak, and into a street light. She inspected Piper's jaw, and felt her own tighten at the sight of the red mark across the right side,
"We should call the police," Piper said, the cold, faraway look in Alex's eyes was scaring her. She felt vulnerable, out of control, and she needed that affectionate warmth from Alex to make her feel safe again.
Alex looked at her, nodding quickly as she took out her cell, calling the police to their location and wrapping Piper in her arms once more.
When the police arrived, they took Alex and Piper to once side to ask Piper some questions about what had happened. Alex held her the whole time, not wanting to let her go for even a second. Piper occasionally felt her grip tighten as she told the officer details about how she had been pulled into the alley, and as she mentioned her head hitting off the brick wall, Alex moved her hands to inspect the blonde's scalp,
"You hit your head too?" She muttered angrily, "why didn't you tell me?"
She moved Piper's hair erratically, searching for any injuries,
"Do you need to go to the hospital? I'll take you there, I didn't bring my car but-"
"Al," Piper whispered, and the police officer nodded a thanks to her, moving back to the car, "Al, I'm fine,"
She placed her hands over Alex's on either side of her head, stilling her movements and making eye contact with her,
"I'm fine," she whispered again, and Alex swallowed thickly as she nodded, dropping her forehead to rest against Piper's,
"I thought I'd lost you," she choked out, and Piper rested her hands on Alex's cheeks, mirroring the brunette's actions on herself,
"You stopped him before he could hurt me, Al," she said gently, and Alex nodded weakly, dragging in a shaky breath,
"I should never have let you walk home alone, I knew it was a bad idea,"
"You couldn't have known," Piper dropped her head so Alex had no choice but to meet her eyes, "I'm okay," she said again.
Alex looked between her eyes, and Piper watched as the frosty worry melted out of them, leaving behind the warm green eyes that Piper needed to feel at ease again,
"Please take me home," she whispered, and Alex nodded, wrapping her arm around Piper's waist, unwilling to let her leave her side for even a second.
As they entered the apartment, Piper walked straight to the bedroom without a word. She took her clothes off, wanting to rid herself of the night. She went to the drawer, taking out one of Alex's shirts and pulling it on as she crawled towards the bed. As she wrapped herself in the cover and sank into the pillows, she heard Alex's footsteps approaching and left her eyes trained on the doorway.
Alex stopped as she reached the doorway of the bedroom. Piper sat, in nothing but her shirt, looking small, fragile and achingly beautiful in the middle of the big bed. Her heart did a nasty lurch as she looked over her small frame, protectiveness flaring through her once more. She clenched her fist against the doorframe as she remembered seeing that guy pinning her helpless girlfriend up against a wall,
"Come here," Piper whispered, snapping Alex out of her thoughts once more.
Alex closed her eyes at Piper's gentle tone, clenching her jaw against the tears that threatened. She couldn't cry, it wasn't her that was just roughed up on the way home, she needed to be strong for Piper. As she met her eyes again though, she knew that Piper didn't need it. She was resilient, and she was shaken, but she was safe, virtually unharmed, and most of all, she was alive.
Alex moved to the bed, and Piper held her hand up. Alex froze instantly, not knowing what mind frame she was in. Piper saw the concern flash across Alex face and shook her head quickly,
"No, Al. I want you to come to bed with me, I was just going to ask you to take your jeans off first,"
Relief flashed across Alex's face, but the sparkle that usually ignites in her eyes at that kind of request was absent, and it made Piper frown.
Alex removed her jeans and crawled under the blanket next to Piper. Before she even leaned herself back, Piper had wrapped herself around her, snuggling her face into Alex's neck and breathing her in, sighing at the warm, safe protectiveness she felt at Alex's skin against hers.
Alex closed her eyes as Piper pressed against her, breathing in the smell of her hair, clutching her tight to her as if she needed the reassurance that she was there and she was safe and she was hers.
"How are you?" Alex asked quietly, as though she was scared to break the harsh atmosphere. Piper sighed,
"Shaken, but I'm okay. You got to me before he could do anything,"
Alex rolled to the side to Piper was below her, gently reaching up with her hand, running her fingertips over the developing bruise on Piper's jawline. Her face crumpled in pain at the sight of the marks on her girlfriend's body, marks that she didn't protect her from, and she dropped her head onto Piper's forehead, eyes closed. She breathed Piper's air, feeling her gentle touch run through her hair, all of the demons wiped away by the gentle touch of her lips against the soft ones of her girlfriend.
They stayed like that, still in bed. Not moving, just feeling the pressure and closeness of their lips against each other's, until Piper pulled away, running her thumb along Alex's cheekbone until the warm green eyes met hers,
"I love you," she whispered, and Alex shook her head,
"I love you too," she answered, "so much,"
She pulled Alex down to her, meeting her lips with more ferocity this time. She moved her mouth passionately against Alex's, and felt Alex pull away instead of respond,
"Pipes," she breathed against her lips, voice sounding pained as she rested their foreheads together, "I don't… I can't…"
"What's wrong?" Piper asked, fear of Alex's rejection outweighing any fear she'd felt all night,
"I can't, not after what he tried to do…" Alex stuttered her words, and Piper felt her stomach roll unpleasantly. She raised her hands, pushing lightly on Alex's shoulders and pushing herself to the other side of the bed, needing some distance between her and Alex. She felt a sweat break over her, and her head began to spin. She said no, she rejected her.
Alex watched as Piper closed her eyes and breathed shallowly, instantly feeling the cold when Piper moved her body away from her,
"Pipes?" She asked, reaching out for her. Piper moved her hand away, looking away from Alex so she wouldn't see the tears in her eyes,
"You don't want me, is that it? I'm damaged now, tarnished or something?"
Alex opened her mouth but couldn't get her words out. Piper had shocked her that that had been her first assumption of Alex, like she would ever feel that way about Piper.
"No, Pipes, that's not it at all-" she started, but in true Piper fashion, the blonde sat up, as far away as she could from Alex, and fixed her with a teary but steely gaze,
"You've never pushed me away before like that Alex, never,"
Alex crawled closer, and Piper stayed frozen to the spot, staring into her eyes. Alex caught sight of the bruise across her jaw, and her heart clenched again. She felt a strong urge to hold her, to comfort her.
She stilled when she was face to face with her, blue eyes boring into green ones. Alex looked between her eyes as she held herself over Piper on her hands and knees,
"I didn't want you to think I was expecting it after what happened to you tonight, Pipes. Of course I want to, but you're hurt and you're shook up, and I'm shook up and I feel… I feel awful, Piper, really. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. I stopped because I didn't want you to feel pressured, I just want to hold you,"
Piper bit her lip as a tear escaped her eye. She watched Alex carefully as she reached out to softly wipe the tear away, holding Piper's face gently. She searched Alex's eyes for anything that might indicate she was lying, and found nothing. Instantly, her frostiness dissolved.
"Alex, this is not your fault," she said quietly, "it could have happened yesterday, tomorrow, 5 years from now. It could have been you, or a stranger on the street. I am fine. How many times do I have to say that before you believe it? He didn't hurt me, you stopped him before he could do anything serious, and here we are, safe and together,"
She leant forward so she could run her nose along the length of Alex's, and the brunette felt herself melt and her heart swell with love at the feeling of Piper's small fist clenching at her collar,
"I want you," she whispered against Alex's lips, "I want you to touch me, to get rid of his touch. Make me feel safe, and wanted, and happy. That's what you do best, Al. Please don't push me away because you think that's best for me,"
Alex looked from Piper's eyes to her soft lips, then back again, leaning forward. Piper leant back as Alex leant towards her, lying herself flat on her back beneath her. Alex followed, leaning in until Piper's head hit the mattress, and pressed their lips together.
Piper ran her hands up Alex's body, gripping tightly around her neck as she began to place feather light kisses over Piper's bruised jaw, brushing away the memories with her lips. As she traced her tongue to Piper's neck, she felt a long, toned leg wrap around her hip. She slowly traced her hand from Piper's ankle, up her firm calf, and around her bent knee to the underside of her thigh. Gently, she ran her fingertips up to Piper's hip, slipping her hand underneath the material of her shirt and skating it up her flat torso.
Piper gripped onto Alex's neck with one hand and balled her shirt up at her should with her other, feeling her breathing steadily begin to escalate as her warm hand got closer and closer to her breasts,
"Take it off," Piper murmured softly, and Alex sat up on her knees to lift the shirt over Piper's head, dropping it by the side of the bed and leaning over Piper, fists on either side of her shoulders. Attentively, she looked over Piper's body, moving one of her hands to rest flat on Piper's stomach. She left it there and her eyes scanned over every inch of the skin she had long since memorised, protective to the point of possessive.
She felt her stomach jolt deliciously as she looked over Piper's breasts, small and perfect, her nipples already hard.
Piper blushed under the intense scrutiny but didn't look away from Alex's face. She raised a hand to wrap around the metal of the bed frame above her head, resting the other on the wrist of the hand Alex had left on her stomach. Gently, she pushed down, signalling to Alex what she wanted.
Alex groaned at the motion, leaning down again to press herself against Piper. Slowly, she ran her hand down Piper's abdomen as she met her lips again, feeling Piper's hand leave her own at her pelvis to lift Alex's shirt. She let it be lifted over her head, moving her hand from Piper's body for a second to throw it away, before falling back onto her, both groaning at the sensation of skin on skin.
Alex ran her nose against Piper's as the blonde rested her hands on either side of her bare waist, running up and down soothingly. Alex kissed Piper quickly, gently, almost innocently.
"I love you so much," she whispered, not wanting to break the intensely romantic atmosphere they had built in the room,
"Show me," Piper murmured, and Alex smiled softly as she slipped her hands beneath the band of Piper's panties. She closed her eyes at the same time as Piper at the contact, her fingers instantly finding warm wetness.
Alex ran her finger gently up and down Piper's centre, softly stroking her clit on every pass,
"Yes, Al," Piper breathed against her lips, hands tangling in Alex's dark hair as she held her close,
"Can I take them off?" Alex asked.
Usually, she would take them off without asking permission, but after the nights events, she wanted Piper to totally be in charge.
"Please," Piper whispered, and Alex leant back for a second, dragging the material down Piper's long legs and dropping them by her shirt next to the bed.
Slowly, she hovered herself over Piper again as the blonde once again tangled her fingers in her hair.
Alex let her fingers find Piper's centre again, running through the wet skin as Piper sighed her name and softly bucked her hips up to meet her hand.
Alex looked at Piper's face as she touched her, memorising it, cherishing it. The way she alternated between biting her lip and leaving her mouth agape, the sound of her name being breathed in that way that made her stomach twitch, her blonde hair fanned out around her. Letting her eyes stray down, she took in the feminine features that drove her crazy. The soft swell of her breasts, nipples standing hard. The flat expanse of her stomach and the curve at her waist, the jutting out bone of her hip that fit Alex's hand perfectly, to her long legs and the glistening skin between them.
"You're so beautiful," Alex whispered slowly, capturing Piper's lips in another soft kiss,
"Touch me Al, I want you inside."
Alex closed her eyes at Piper's request, leaning her head down to gently suck in a nipple as she slowly slipped two fingers into her entrance. She felt her eyes flutter closed at the sensation. She was so warm, so tight, and Alex once again felt a surge of possessiveness pass through her. Piper was hers, and nobody else could touch her like this.
"Oh, god," Piper moaned gently, hips slowly bucking up to match Alex's perfect, gentle loving pace. She put her lips to Alex's hair as the brunette worked on her breasts, steadily feeling pressure building in her lower abdomen as she held Alex tight, matching her rhythm perfectly,
"You feel so good," Alex whispered around her nipple, completely lost in everything that was Piper. Her heart hurt at the amount it swelled with love and affection as she touched her like this, she had never felt more connected to someone in her life,
"So do you," Piper moaned, relishing the feeling of Alex's fingers sliding in and out of her effortlessly, "I'm close,"
Alex groaned and gently ran her teeth over Piper's nipple, feeling a sharp hip movement from the blonde below her. She began to curl her fingers on each thrust, moving her lips to the breast she hadn't yet touched. As soon as she encircled it with her lips, sucking it in, she felt Piper's grip on her hair tighten, and her hips moved haphazardly,
"I'm cumming baby," Piper breathed into Alex's hair, squeezing her head tightly to her breasts as she moaned, holding her close as she rode out the pleasure. Alex closed her eyes as she continued to gently thrust in and out of Piper, slowing the motion of her tongue on her nipple to a gentle caress as she worked her down from her orgasm, enjoying the way Piper held her tightly.
Once she had stilled, Alex gently withdrew her fingers and wiped them across Piper's stomach, gently kissing over her nipple and up her breasts to her face, where she pressed her lips gently to Piper's, before moving her head back and looking into soft, loving and sated blue eyes.
Alex grinned softly at Piper's flushed face and sweaty hair, and Piper smiled back at her as she tucked a lock of Alex's equally sweaty hair behind her ear.
Slowly, Alex fell to her side, opening her arms to encircle Piper, who instantly snuggled into her skin, arm and leg tightly wrapped around her. Alex kissed her forehead, holding onto her tightly and Piper's breathing evened out,
"That was incredible," Piper breathed, and Alex chuckled,
"You're incredible," she answered, and Piper giggled softly, kissing her shoulder gently before snuggling into her neck,
"You're a sap," she answered, and Alex grinned,
"I love you," she said, and felt Piper squeeze her tighter as she yawned,
"I love you," she said in a quiet voice, and Alex felt the breath on her neck as Piper fell to sleep.
Alex closed her eyes as she listened to Piper breathe, felt her ribs rise and fall with each intake and outtake, cherishing the warmth and feeling of life that she represented. Piper was there, she was safe, and she was Alex's, she would never let anyone try to take that away from her again.
AN: I hope you enjoyed it, I'm not used to writing angst and I'd consider it one of my weaker points. I always think fics portray Alex as some stone cold badass, which she can be, but in my eyes she's not for Piper, and she had just as many securities and the need for reassurance. Piper wasn't hurt, but she was shook up, and she and Alex had to rely on each other to resolve it, which is how I imagine their relationship to be. Let me know what you thought, and if there's any ideas anyone has let me know cos I'm taking all of them into consideration!
Laura xo