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

Piper slid away from a slumbering Larry and carefully got out of bed.

She glanced briefly over at the digital clock on the nightstand, it was just past seven in the morning. The morning light was weak as it slipped in through the room.

Despite her lack asleep that night, Piper was wide awake.

Since coming home last night, her and Larry had gotten into an argument. She didn't want to be anywhere near him when he woke up. She knew it was childish of her to avoid her husband, but she didn't care. She had arrived home confused and hurt by Alex's sudden coldness towards her, only to have Larry also take his anger out on her for coming home much later than she had previously said she would be. It had been a stupid spat, one that could usually be fixed with passionate morning make-up sex. However, Piper had no desire to have sex with her husband.

So instead, Piper quickly changed out of her sleepwear, replacing an old Smith t-shirt with a light pink sport bra and cropped sleeveless white top. On her legs she slipped on a pair of cropped black leggings. She didn't usually run so early in the mornings, but she needed to get out of the house and clear her mind. She quietly unplugged her phone which was charging on the nightstand and left the bedroom.

Downstairs, Piper quickly left a note for Larry in case he woke up before she got home. She didn't want to have another fight with him. She left it on the kitchen counter beside the coffee maker, before heading towards the front door. On a small chest of draws, where they kept their keys and such, were Piper's earphones and armband for her phone. She moved eagerly, putting the phone into the band before securing it to her left arm. She felt like a caged horse getting ready to race. She pocketed her keys in the small zipper compartment at the back of her leggings and put her earphones in place.

A few moments later, Piper was out of the house and was jogging down the block.

Piper tried not to think about Larry or Alex as she ran, but as her morning run progressed, naturally so did her thoughts. She was thinking more about Alex, than Larry though as her feet pounded the sidewalk.

She didn't know what to do about Alex or even if there was anything to fix between them. Yes, there was a mutual sexual attraction between them. But Piper hardly knew anything about the woman. Maybe that was a good thing, she thought. The less she knew, the better at keeping feelings from getting muddy. However, the more she was around the tall vixen, the more she wanted to know. The blonde was confused to say the least about what was happening between them.

She had never had an affair didn't know the rules. Piper, who had always been a rule follower, didn't like going off path.

However, when someone like Alex Vause lured you away, how could you possibly say no.

Piper wondered if she should apologize to Alex, but the thought quickly fizzled away. She had nothing to apologize for. Alex had known that Piper was married since day one. She shouldn't have to apologize for her husband calling her. It wasn't Piper's fault that Alex had gotten jealous or upset by the reminder last night.

Fuck her, thought Piper bitterly to herself.

She then remembered that night not too long ago when Alex had explained to her that they were 'just fucking'. That was right, they were only just sleeping together. Alex had no right to make her feel guilty or upset and she had no right either to be upset with her. There was supposed to be no strings attached here, but clearly, Alex had forgotten about this little fact.

Piper would make sure to remind Alex of their agreement the next time she saw her. Whenever that would be.

Alex moaned out in pain as she was awoken brutally up by the sound of someone's lawn mower.

"Fuck," she cursed as she threw an arm over her eyes, trying to block out the bright morning light.

Her head then suddenly began to pound painfully as she felt a headache come on. Alex knew that this was a side effect from the two glasses of hooch she had consumed the night before, not to mention the beers she'd previously drank earlier that night too.

The brunette sank lower into her bed, covering her face with a pillow and trying to fall back to sleep. However, her body and the neighbourhood had other ideas for her it seemed. The sound of the lawnmower continued to spill into the room, despite the closed window. And as if it was some cruel joke, there was the sudden sound of laughter coming from the neighbour's yard.

"Fuck!" Alex threw her pillow across the room in frustration. All she wanted to do was sleep, but clearly that wasn't going to happen for her. She hated the suburbs, she thought bitterly to herself as she slowly sat up in bed. Not only was her head still pounding, suddenly a wave of nausea filled her stomach.

Why had she drank so much? She thought. But she didn't have to answer that, she remembered quite clearly what had happened the night before. Alex squeezed her eyes shut as another wave of nausea came over her. Her body broke out suddenly in a cold nervous sweat at the mere thought of being sick.

This was not the morning she had planned on having.

Alex tried to calm her racing heart as she closed her eyes, forcing herself to fall back to sleep. However, that didn't last long. Alex was awoken by yet another wave of nausea hitting her.

She closed her eyes and waited for it to pass, however it didn't.

Mere minutes later, Alex bolted out of bed and into the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet before all the content she had consumed the previous night came up. Alex couldn't remember the last time she'd been sick like this.

Alex pressed her forehead up against the cool porcelain edge of the toilet. She let out a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut and willed herself not to be sick again.

She didn't remember falling asleep, but at some point, she must have as she was awoken abruptly by the ringing of the doorbell.

"For fucks sake," Alex murmured as she sat up from where she had been lying on the bathroom floor. She didn't know how long she'd been there. It felt like hours at how stiff her neck and shoulders were.

She rubbed her forehead, trying to think if she should get up and answer it. Not feeling up to talking with anyone, she decided she would just let it be. Whoever it was, she knew they would go away soon. It was probably just some neighbour kid selling something for a fundraiser or a Jehovah witness or someone else that Alex didn't want to deal with.

The doorbell rang a second time.

"Just go the fuck away," she moaned as forced herself to her feet and made her way back to the bedroom.

She was grumpy and sore and wanted to go back to bed. So like her teenage self, she wrapped the old mint green quilt around her body and climbed back into the small twin bed. Alex didn't always sleep in her childhood bedroom. It all depended on her mood at night. Sometimes she slept in the guest bedroom (which was supposed to be the dining room) or on the lumpy couch in the living room. She never dared to sleep in her mother's bedroom at the back of the house. It was a room she'd yet to go in since being here.

Alex immediately fell into a deep slumber as her head hit the pillow.

The late afternoon sun beamed down onto the back of Piper's neck as she pulled aimlessly at a weed. She was doing yard work, or attempting to. Never having owned a house before, this was her first time gardening.

Larry was in the back mowing the lawn, while Piper was out front.

The previous owners of the house had planted some flowers and bushes along the front and back yard. Piper just needed to try not to kill it. The blonde didn't pry herself on having much of a green thumb. But she was finding the physical labor rewarding, even if she couldn't quite distinguish a weed from a flower.

She was trying.

Piper's run that morning had yet to clear her head from Alex. She hated that she kept on thinking about the brunette.

"Son-of-a-bitch," she cried as she fell backwards onto her ass as she pulled hard on a stubborn weed.

The blonde groaned at this, surrendered in defeat. It was way too fucking hot out here, she thought as she pulled off the canvas gardening gloves. She threw them onto the grass as she took a seat. She brought a hand up to her forehead and wiped the sweat away. She desperately wanted to go back inside, to the comfortable AC. However, she knew Larry wanted to make an attempt at the yard today and since their fight last night. She didn't want to make things worse. So like a happy little yuppie housewife, she'd come outside and here she would stay.

Piper sat there for a few minutes, taking a break in the grass before her neighbour approached her.

"You look like you could use a cold glass of lemonade."

Piper jumped slightly at the voice behind her. She turned her head immediately and politely smiled at Healy.

" Mr. Healy," she spoke as she got to her feet.

"Sam."

"What? Or yes, sorry, Sam," Piper corrected herself as she took a step towards where the older man was standing on her driveway.

"I saw you working hard out here and thought you could use a glass," spoke Healy as he held out a glass of lemonade to her.

Piper looked at the man with amusement, before finding her manners again and taking the cold glass into her sweaty palm. She wasn't used to all this hospitality that her neighbour kept on showing her. First with the cookies from Lorna and now with the lemonade. It all felt like something from the 1950's.

"It's homemade. Freshly squeezed," continued Healy to Piper before he raised his own glass to his lips and took a sip.

"Thanks," murmured Piper as she took a drink. The cold sweet lemonade was refreshing against her parched throat.

The two of them stood there for a moment or so making small talk, listening to the roar of the lawn mower out back when a car pulled up suddenly across the street. Healy stopped mid sentence as their attention drifted over to the car and watched as a familiar spiked Redhead got out.

"Good Afternoon Galina," called out Healy, waving a hand cheerfully.

Piper was surprised to see that Healy knew the older woman. They didn't seem like they would run in the same circle. But again, Piper knew nothing really about the inner circles of the town.

The older woman squinted over the street at this, before smiling politely back. "Good afternoon, Sam!"

"How are you?" he asked as he walked down Piper's driveway and closer to the Russian.

Piper just stood there awkwardly,drinking the remainder of the lemonade. She didn't know if she should follow or leave the two friends to be. However, she was curious to see why the older woman had pulled up in front of Alex's house. She knew that Red had some sort of relationship with Alex, remembering back to the fundraiser at the high school.

"I'm good and yourself Sam?" asked Red, her Russian accent chipping every word. She closed the car door and shifted a casserole dish in her hands to her hip.

"I'm good. Can't complain."

"Good. Good. And how is Katya?" asked Red, politely.

Piper, who had finished the lemonade was now slowly walking down her front lawn, pretending she was looking for something as she eavesdropped onto the conversation.

"Katya is good. Her mother keeps her busy. You and your husband must come by for dinner soon. I need to practice my Russian," Healy spoke, a smile spreading on her face.

"Yes, we should," spoke Red, returning the smile. She'd always like Sam Healy, he was a good man.

Piper couldn't tell if Red was enjoying the conversation or not. The woman was extremely hard to read to her.

There was a brief moment of silence as Healy took a sip from his glass, before gesturing to the dish in Red's hands. "What's in the dish?"

"Oh," replied Red in her thick accent, as she looked down at the orange casserole dish, she'd forgotten she was holding. "Just some leftovers from the restaurant."

Healy nodded his head in reply, before he began to hum something underneath his breath. He rocked slightly back and forth on the balls of his feet. He clearly didn't want the conversation to end. He enjoyed Red's company, but he didn't know what else to say. Red clearly wasn't here in the neighbourhood to see him.

"Have you gotten a chance to meet Piper yet?" he asked suddenly as his eyes fell onto Piper and his face lit up, remembering that she was still there. He gave Piper a smile and gestured for her to come over.

Piper straightened her back and slowly turned towards the two of them. She couldn't help but feel like she had been caught doing something. A tight smile broke across her face as she slowly made her way towards them.

Red just looked coldly in Piper's direction for a second, before looking back at Healy. "Yes, we've met."

"Hi again," whispered Piper awkwardly to the Russian.

The three of them stayed here talking for only a moment longer, before Red was excusing herself.

Both Piper and Healy watched her go, walking up Alex's driveway and to the front stoop.

Piper only watched for a second longer as the door opened and she saw the brief appearance of Alex. She nervously turned away and looked over at Healy. She didn't want Alex catching her looking. She quickly handed Healy the empty glass, thanking him for the lemonade again before disappearing into her back yard. She pretended she heard Larry calling her.

Sam Healy watched as the blonde retreated away on those long toned legs, up the driveway and to the back. He began to hum again as he finished off his own glass of lemonade and looked briefly back at the Vause's residence. There was no sight of Red there.

He pursed his lips before finally moving back to his own house.

Galina "Red" Reznikov let out an impatient sigh as she rang the doorbell.

She could feel the eyes of Healy and the new shiny blonde girl in the neighbourhood staring at her, but she didn't look back. She knew if she had stayed any longer, Sam would somehow make her come into the house and see Katya. She respected Sam Healy and his choice of a wife, however it was not in her plans today to fix some sort of disagreement between Healy and his wife. Since day one of meeting the Healys, Sam was always seeking her out to communicate something to Katya, who barely spoke a word of English.

She'd come to pay a visit to Alex, someone she knew hadn't visited her mother in quite some time.

Again, Alex was rudely awoken from her slumber by the ringing of the doorbell.

"For fuck's sake," she groaned as she turned on to her back and briefly stared up at the ceiling. Why was everyone fucking bothering her today? She debated if she should answer it or not again.

The doorbell rang a second time, followed by a brief knock.

It was the knock that threw Alex off. The knock seemed out of touch, it was too foreign sounding to her ears. Like it was a personal calling and not just some random trying to sell something. Violently kicking off the covers, Alex got out of bed. Noticing the state of undress she was in, she quickly put on a pair of sweatpants she found on the floor and stepped out into the front hallway.

"Coming!" she called out, before opening the front door.

Alex was met with an unimpressed looking Red.

Alex was surprised to see the Russian at her doorstep. She hadn't seen her since the fundraiser at the high school. "Red, what are you doing here?" she asked, slightly raising her right eyebrow.

"I heard you've been drinking that vulgar drink," commented the Russian in her thick voice. She looked at Alex over her glasses. She could tell by the way Alex looked, that she'd been told correctly.

"Hooch?" asked Alex, staring back at Red. Despite being well over the legal age, she couldn't help but feel like she was in trouble.

"Boo told me," went on Red, as she slipped past Alex and into the house. She looked around briefly at the mess, but chose not to say anything as she made her way into the kitchen at the back. It had been a couple of years since she had last stepped into the Vause Residence, but she still remembered the layout pretty well.

Alex rolled her eyes with irritation as she closed the front door and followed Red. She knew there was no point in saying anything to her or questioning her further on the matter. Everyone in this town always knew everyone's fucking business. So she wasn't the least bit surprised that Red knew she had been drinking hooch. Drinking of hooch was always some sort of cry for help.

Red muttered something in Russian to herself as she opened up the fridge and noted it's sad bare contents.

"Red, seriously," spoke Alex as she leaned against the archway of the kitchen, crossing her arms over her chest. "What in hell are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you're eating," replied Red as she placed the casserole dish in the fridge.

"Thanks for the concern. But I'm fine."

She hated that Red felt like she had to check up on her like this. Yes, she had known her since she was a teenager and thought of her as a second mother. But that still didn't give her the right to charge in here, thought Alex bitterly to herself. She was slowly coming more and more pissed off. All she wanted to do was to go back to bed and sleep off the remainder of this day and hang over.

"When was the last time you went to see your mother?"

"I dunno...a couple of days ago," lied Alex as she nervously went to go play with her glasses, before she realized she wasn't wearing them. She bit down on her bottom lip before looking at the floor.

"I was there today and the nurse said she hadn't seen you in a week or so," spoke Red, closing the fridge door and looking sternly at Alex.

Alex didn't say anything as she met Red's eye and tried to give her her best poker face.

She hadn't meant not to visit her mom. The last time had just been too hard and then she had gotten distracted with a certain blonde. Time had just seemed to past through her fingers over the last couple of days.

The two women continued to stare at each other, before Red let out a sigh and gestured towards the small breakfast nook of the kitchen. "Sit. I'm going to make you something to eat."

It was Alex's time to sigh now. She didn't want Red to take care of her. "Red, you really don't have too. I'm not hungry." And then just on cue, Alex's stomach let out a loud rumble. She was a little hungry, she thought. She had been dreaming of a juicy greasy hamburger earlier in her sleep.

"Sit," demanded Red before she began to make herself busy and warm up the leftovers.

Piper tried to read her book, but she was finding it hard to concentrate. Her mind kept on going to other places.

Letting out a sigh, the blonde closed her book and stood up from her spot on the couch. She was restless.

She was home alone at the moment. Larry had gone over to Polly and Pete's house for a weekly poker night.

Piper tucked her hair behind her ears as she went over to the front window, and stared out onto the house across the street. She knew she shouldn't go over there. First off, it would be too much of a risk, Larry could come home early or one of her neighbours could be watching. Second, she wasn't sure if Alex would want to see her, again after what had happened last night.

But, the desire to see her was too great.

Screw it, she thought, she was heading over there.

She quickly grabbed her keys and was out the door. Piper barely took any notice if she was being watched as she crossed the street and made her way up Alex's driveway, Red's car was long gone by now.

Piper nervously fiddled with the keys before putting them in the back pocket of her shorts. She chewed on her cheek, gathering up the courage she needed to knock on the door. She debated if she should ring the doorbell or just simply knock.

Deciding on the later, she raised a fist and knocked twice on the wooden door.

Piper listened closely for footsteps or any sounds of movement on the other side of the door. She prayed that Alex was home still and hadn't gone off somewhere with Red. By the time that Piper had returned back to the front lawn earlier that day, Red's car had been gone.

She knocked again this time a little louder in case Alex hadn't heard her the first time.

A small smile spread across the blonde's face as she heard the faint sounds of footsteps coming towards the door.

A moment later, the door was opening and a very pissed off looking Alex was staring back at her.

The brunette didn't say anything at first as she shifted her weight onto one side, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at Piper. She was surprised to see her here on her doorstep. She was also pissed to see her. Once again, Alex's sleep had been disturbed.

Piper opened and closed her mouth. She didn't have a speech prepared or anything. Her coming over her had been a whim. She knew she had no right to be here, standing on her neighbour's stoop, expecting to be let in. But now that she was here, she most certainly couldn't turn back. Especially as she took in how good her neighbour looked, standing there with those fiery green eyes and lustful lips. Piper couldn't help but be turned on by this angry looking Alex, who continued to glare at her, waiting for some sort of explanation on why she was here.

However, before Piper's brain could stop her, her body acted on it's own as she threw caution to the wind, and kissed Alex.

Thanks for reading and please review!

Julie