Do not own Orange is the New Black or any of the characters.

Hello, I hope you are all doing well and keeping safe during these crazy times. I have found myself not being able to sleep at night anymore, with not going to work and long story short, I have been writing more. So forgive me for this chapter being a little rusty sounding, but I hope to be writing more soon.

Cheers and Enjoy!


The kitchen was a mess as Piper tried to get back into work.

She was currently trying out a new recipe for a product and was failing miserably. This wasn't her area of expertise. She usually handled more of the business side of things. Polly did more of the hand on stuff.

But of course with Polly heavily pregnant, Piper had to pick up the slack.

Business was steady at the moment, but it could be better. Piper was afraid for what the next few months would bring, with Polly becoming a mother. The two hadn't really discussed what would happen when Polly had the baby and would take off a few months to care of them.

Right now, they were only being sold at two boutique shops and probably had enough inventory to stretch until Thanksgiving. But Piper wanted to launch a whole new range of products for Christmas. She was trying not to get anxious about the future, but she couldn't help it. She quit her job to go into business with Polly and it was supposed to be this fun new adventure. At first it was, but now it was getting stressful, especially when Piper seemed to be doing most of the work herself.

"FUCK!" swore Piper as she spilt half the soap mixture onto the floor as she tried to pour it into the molds.

Piper could make the basic simple soaps and follow the recipe to the tee. It was these new fancier recipes that she was trying, she was failing at.

After pouring her mixture into the molds (a reindeer) and cleaning up the mess, Piper debated about if she should start again or call it quits for the day. She didn't really want to give up, but was getting frustrated all the same.

Wiping her hands onto her apron, she looked around her kitchen and decided to give it one last attempt before she called it a day. She really wanted to make some sort of progress today.

She had too.

She had arranged to have a couple of meetings in the City next week with a few new potential vendors and she wanted something new to show them.

"Okay, Piper. Focus," she said to herself as she reached for the recipe and once again, started over.

She put on her safety glasses and rubber gloves, and began to make the lye solution. All of the Popi's products were used making the cold pressed method.

Halfway through making the soap, Larry came into the kitchen. He laughed at seeing Piper at work, her apron a mess and the safety glasses on.

"Scientist Piper Chapman hard at work," he joked towards her.

Piper looked over her shoulder and glared at her husband. She was in no mood to be teased at the moment. "Either get your ass out of here," she murmured. "Or help me, Bloom!"

Larry didn't need to be told twice when he had stepped into a messy situation. He just grinned at Piper, before retreating back into the hallway. He knew that she didn't want him there. He had tried once before to make soap with Piper but that had failed. They didn't work well together.

Piper just shook her head at her husband before going back to work.


After a somewhat successful third attempt, Piper finally decided to call it a day.

It was late in the afternoon already and she had plans later on that she needed to get ready for.

Lorna Morello, her chatty neighbour the other day had slipped an invitation into her mailbox, inviting her to a book club meeting.

Piper at first was going to pass. As much as she loved a good book club and discussing literature. She didn't know if she wanted to fall into that stereotype of suberian white lady. Polly she knew was in book club, but she highly doubted that this was the same one. Polly and Lorna did not run in the same circle of friends. Polly hung out with the more elite people in town. Piper knew this for a fact, she had met these said people before when invited over to her house.

However, after running into Lorna the other day at the grocery store, Piper found herself agreeing to going. She had already read the book they were discussing and thought it would be fun to get to know her neighbours better. She was already getting to know one very well, but the others not yet.

Piper wondered if Alex was going to be there, suddenly.

Probably not, thought the blonde as she began to disrobe. Alex didn't seem like the book-club type. She was much too cool for that. But a girl could wish, couldn't she. Piper would love to see Alex again. It had been a couple of days since that night in the back of the car. Her body was itching for more.

Piper couldn't help, but get aroused as she continued to stare at her naked body in the bathroom mirror and think about Alex. Sex with Alex was something she had never experienced before. It also left her satisfied and wanting more. Something she didn't always feel with her past partners or her husband. She had never felt so sexually in sync with someone like she did with Alex.

The blonde began to touch herself briefly, playing with her nipples and slowly moving a hand down to her pulsing pussy. She had a couple of minutes to spare, she thought to herself as her index finger pressed against her clit.


Piper was hoping to run into a certain Brunette as she rang the doorbell to Lorna's place. She had looked out at Alex's house as she left her own, but she couldn't tell if she was home or not. All the lights were off. Piper was taking this as a sign that Alex wasn't home and was at Lorna's.

"Piper!" cried Lorna in her squeaky New-York accent as she opened the door.

"Lorna! Hi!" answered Piper back with a smile. Lorna was slowly starting to grow on her.

"I'm so excited that you came," said the petite woman as she ushered Piper inside the house. Lorna Morello lived a couple streets over from Piper. The house looked very similar to Piper in exterior and layout.

"Of course," said Piper.

"Everyone is in the living room," chatted away Lorna as she closed the door behind Piper. "They can't wait to meet you.

"Meet me?" Piper frowned slightly as she turned her head to look over at Lorna. A sudden nervousness coming over her.

"Yes, I've been telling everyone about you." Stated Lorna warmly with a smile as she met Piper's eye.

"Oh great," mumbled Piper to herself. She was suddenly nervous at hearing about everyone waiting to meet her. Whoever everyone was...

"Everyone, Piper is here!" cried Morello happily as she took Piper by the hand and dragged her into the living room.

There were a meres of greetings followed as Piper looked around the room.

"Hi," she stated.

The everyone that Lorna had been referring to was really only six or so people. Nothing to be worried about. A few Piper had already met. There was Anita DeMarco, Rosa Cisneros and Nicky Nichols.

With seeing Nicky, Piper suddenly perked up in thinking that maybe Alex was here after all at seeing that the two of them were good friends. The other people in the room, Piper recognized but didn't know their names. There was the angry Russian lady from the fundraiser a couple of weeks ago and the short, Peter Pan looking girl who had been working the grill.

"You've already met DeMarco, Rosa and Nicky." said Lorna as she gestured to the three woman seated on the couch. "This here is Red," Lorned gestured to the angry Russian who was seated beside Nicky's left on a chair. "She runs the cafeteria at the high school."

Red didn't look too impressed with Piper as she lowered her glasses and met her eye. She just frowned slightly at the blonde. However, before Piper could think too much about this, Lorna was introducing her to the Peter Pan looking one.

"This is Gina Murphy. She too works with Red in the cafeteria."

"Hi," said Piper again, awkwardly. This was certainly not the crowd she had been thinking of when she first agreed to the book club. It was definitely a unique group of individuals that Lorna had established here.

"Now, Piper take a seat. We are just waiting for a few more people to arrive," explained Lorna as she ushered Piper into a seat by the door. Piper tried to day something, but Lorna disappeared quickly and into the kitchen.

A silence fell over the room as they all looked on at Piper. The blonde just tucked a stray hair behind her ear and gave an awkward smile as she felt everyone's eyes on her.

"I've seen you before...yes?!" asked Red as she leaned forward in her seat and met Piper's eye.

"Um...yes. At the fundraiser. Me and my husband," said Piper, addressing Red.

"Yes...I remember now. He wanted airmiles and you wanted meat with no hormones," said the Russian coldly.

Piper couldn't help but blush, being under this older lady's judgement. She knew she had no reason to be embarrassed, but somehow she was. She just smiled politely at Red, before turning to Nicky.

Piper made politel chit- chat with the other women in the room for about ten minutes longer, before the meeting officially began. Two other people had arrived in that time-frame but neither had been Alex. There had been a Sister Jane Ignalls and a Yoga Jones, but no Alex.

Piper was a little disappointed but she did not let it show.

"Oh...I'm so happy that everyone could make it here tonight to discuss our next book!" began Lorna, clapping her hands excitedly together, and beaming around the room.

Piper had just learnt that this was only the third time that the group was meeting.


The meeting ran for two hours. Much longer than Piper had been anticipating staying for. It had been fun to learn more about her neighbours and hear the town gossip, but it had been a long meeting. She had learnt that Lorna's mystery fiance Christopher was a pilot and was currently in Europe. That's why he was never in town or no one saw him. He always seemed to be traveling. She also learnt that Yoga Jones taught yoga and mediation at the town community centre. Yoga Jones had convinced Piper to come the next morning for a free class. Piper had gone regularly to a yoga studio in the City and was excited to hear about a yoga class she could join. Sister Jane had also offered her services to Piper, asking if she needed any advice or guidance from God that she could always come to her or 's to do so.

She had also gotten to observe more of Red and Nicky's relationship together.

They had hardly discussed the book, which was fine with Piper. She hardly remembered what had happened in the book anyways, it had been a while since she had read it.

Just as Piper was saying her goodbyes to Lorna, Nicky crept up beside her.

"Heading home Chapman?" asked the blonde with a grin on her face.

Piper looked down at Nicky with a slightly taken back look. Her sudden appearance scared her little. "Yes, I am," she said. She had a Larry to get home too.

"Well, say hi to the husband for me! Next time Christopher is home, we should have you two over for dinner!" said Lorna cheerfully.

"Yes, we should!" replied Piper with a poliet smile. "Thanks again Lorna!"

"Oh! It was nothing!"

"See yah around Morello," said Nicky towards the host before stepping out of the house.

Piper waved goodbye to Lorna before following Nicky.

"Are you really heading home?" asked Nicky with a playful look on her face as the door closed behind them.

"What do you mean?" Piper was confused at what the shorter woman was suggesting at her. Did Nicky know about her and Alex? She thought suddenly to herself. Had Alex told her? She knew that Alex and Nicky were close friends...but surely Nicky didn't know?

"Well...I was just thinking that you and me should get to know one another better...if you know what I mean…"Nicky wagged her eyebrows suggestively at Piper. "Come to Boo's with me! One drink!"

"What's Boo's?" asked Piper out of curiosity. A sense of relief suddenly washed through her that Nicky wasn't asking about her and Alex or wasn't even hinting at it. She just wanted to get a drink at some bar it seemed.

"Oh! Now you definitely have to come!" smirked Nicky as she weaved her arm around Piper's and began to lead her away from Lorna's. "Everyone has to go to Boo's at least once!"

Piper just sighed as she allowed Nicky to take her away. She liked Nicky and it was only 8pm. She told Larry she would be home by 9. An hour was plenty of time to have one drink with her new friend.

Maybe a certain dark haired beauty would be at this Boo's too, she thought hopefully to herself.


Boo's turned out to be a dingy bar in the middle of town. It didn't look like much on the outside and neither on the inside. It was just your typical bar with a flashing neon sign and a pool table.

Piper also learnt within five minutes of being there that Nicky was good friends with the owner/bartender Big Boo, hence the name.

"Who's your friend?" asked Big Boo as she leaned her forearms against the bar and smirked at Piper.

"This is Chapman," stated Nicky.

"Piper," corrected Piper. She didn't understand why everyone kept on calling her by her last name.

"Nice to meet you Piper Chapman. I'm Boo." The butch lady smiled at Piper, leaning forward and offering her a hand.

"Hi," said Piper, shaking Boo's hand back.

"Now what can I get you ladies started with?" asked Boo, smirking, looking between the two women.

"Whiskey," replied Nicky quickly before Piper could reply. "We'll be over here,"she gestured to her normal spot in the bar, before grabbing Piper once again by the arm, and leading her away.

"I think this table is taken," stated Piper noticing the half filled glass on the table.

"Oh don't worry about that," replied Nicky as she moved the glass to the side of the table and gestured for Piper to slide into the booth.

"Hey Nichols!"

Both women turned around at hearing this familiar voice behind them.

"ALEX!" cried Piper in surprise at seeing her neighbour.

"Piper!" Alex couldn't help but let her happiness show at seeing Piper. She had been hoping to see the blonde around town soon. It had been way too long since their moment at Dairy Queen.

Nicky stood between the two, looking back and forth between them. She had known Alex since they were kids and could read her pretty well. She didn't have to be told what was happening between Alex and a potential lover. She could sense it. Think of it as her Nichols-sense like spidey sense.

A smug look appeared on her face as she turned to look over at Alex. "I thought you were going to stay away ugh?! I see that a damsel in distress did wander to your door!" Nicky looked like a cat who had just caught a mouse. She couldn't hide her glee at what she had just discovered.

"Did you just call me a damsel in distress?" asked Piper, over hearing Nicky's comment.

"No she didn't!" injected Alex. She gave a brief drop it look over at Nicky.

"Ignore her!" She told Piper as she turned her attention back onto her. She gave her a small smile, hoping that no damage was done. She didn't need Nicky meddling and ruining what she had going with Piper.

Piper just looked at Alex, unsure how to proceed. Nicky had clearly made some sort of comment about her, but she wasn't sure. And she wasn't sure if she really cared. She had come to Alex like some damsel needing sugar. And would probably continue to come to her like a damsel until Alex got tired of her.

She smiled at Alex before taking a seat at the booth.

Alex let out a sigh of relief that no damage had been done by Nicky and her big mouth.

"You just shut-up now!" she whispered down at Nicky, pointing a finger at her chest before joining Piper at the table.

Nicky just smiled, knowing that she had been right before sliding into the booth beside Alex.

She had come to the bar to flirt with Piper and try to maybe steal a kiss or two. But now knowing that Alex and her were most likely sleeping together, the night had just gotten a little more exciting.

It was going to be a fun night to try to bust their balls, thought Nicky wickedly to herself.


Thanks for reading! Leave a review if you would like.

Julie