I know it's short, but this is the final chapter. I didn't want to overdo anything, so I hope this is fitting enough of an ending for you all.
Making sure she's presentable, Piper rushes out of her bedroom, hoping for the life of her that this conversation isn't going to be as bad as she thinks it will be.
Rounding the bottom of the stairs, she hears the sound of movement coming from the kitchen. Letting out a heavy breath in preparation, the blonde walks barefoot along the hardwood floors and into the room where she finds her mother sitting at one of the stools, giving her a look she can't quite decipher.
"Morning," Piper says, testing the waters for how this conversation is going to go.
"Just about," her mother says, looking at the watch on her wrist.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Piper says, knowing they should tackle the topic head on rather than avoid it.
"Is she your-" her mom pauses, obviously uncomfortable at the thought of what she had witnessed.
"Girlfriend. Yes, she's my girlfriend."
She watches her mother let out a sigh and adjust a piece of hair that moved out of place.
"How long?"
"A couple of months. I've known her for longer than that. Alex was my bodyguard," Piper pauses, seeing her mother's eyes widen slightly at the revelation. "You met briefly when she came with me last time I visited," she adds, recalling the fact that Alex had indeed met her parents for all of a few seconds when she joined her on her trip to Connecticut some time back.
"I remember," Carol pauses, wetting her lips with her tongue. "Back then. Were you…?" she begins to ask, but Piper cuts her off.
"No, we were strictly professional," she responds, despite the fact that it's not entirely true. At the time, they had been professional enough, but that didn't stop the longing glances and overriding fantasies. "My case ended so her job assignment recently ended. We have nothing to hide," she adds, knowing the next set of questions that were bound to come her way.
"I see," her mother again takes a moment to think, and Piper wonders why she hasn't yet raised her temper. "Were you going to introduce us at some point, or just keep this to yourself?"
With her eyebrows raised, Piper leans her hip against the kitchen counter opposite where her mother is seated.
"Well, um," she stutters, having not expected that response. "I thought you wouldn't be that… accepting."
"I know we've given you a hard time, Piper, but we're not horrible humans," her mother smiles lightly, and Piper wonders where there's going to be a catch.
"You mean that?" the blonde asks, her tone a lot quieter than it had been before.
"You're my daughter, Piper. That's all that matters," Carol says, her smile growing. "Your father and I are here for the evening," she continues, and Piper senses the other woman can tell she isn't too sure what to respond. "Would yourself and Alex like to come to dinner with us?"
Although she hasn't had the greatest relationship with her parents, Piper is surprised by her mother's words. Having dinner with her parents isn't the most exciting way she thought she would be spending her evening, but if it meant they would make an effort with herself and Alex, she gathered it couldn't be the end of the world.
"I would love that," she smiles. "And I'm sure Alex will too."
"Okay, great," her mom says, standing abruptly. "I do have a hair appointment in half an hour though."
At this, Piper is again reminded that despite what seems to be a change of heart on her mother's part, she will always be the waspy woman that raised her.
"I'll call you with the reservation information," she adds, starting to walk towards the front door.
"Sure," Piper follows, watching her mother rush to the door.
She would normally be annoyed about the fact that her mother supposedly came to visit knowing she would have to leave so soon, but after the conversation they had had, that's the last thought on her mind.
"Mom," the blonde says, causing the other woman to turn around as she pulls the door open. "Thank you," she concludes, wanting her mother to know she appreciated the nature of the conversation they had just had.
"I'll see you later, Piper," she smiles, not addressing her daughter's sentiment, despite them both knowing she acknowledged it.
Now again with just herself and Alex in the apartment, Piper leans against the door, laughing to herself as she thinks about what had just happened.
"Hello," a voice echos through the apartment, loud enough for Piper to hear from where she's sitting on the living room sofa.
"In here," she shouts back, eager to ask about how the other person's day had been.
"Hey," Alex smiles as she appears in the room, dressed in just her white shirt and black trousers. "You working hard?" she adds, clearly joking given the fact that the blonde is wearing one of the brunette's old t-shirts and a pair of pyjama shorts.
"Very," Piper straightens her back, making it easier for their lips to meet in a greeting. "How was it?" she asks, knowing the other woman must be expecting her questions.
"They want me on the job," Alex reveals, taking a seat on Piper's right, sinking into the comfort of the leather sofa.
"Are you happy about that?" the blonde asks, tucking her left leg under her body as she turns to face the woman next to her.
"Kind of," she huffs, clearly tired from a long day of meetings. "I'm not looking forward to the hours, but I guess working with you again is a plus," she smiles, turning her head to the left to eye Piper.
"You guess?" Piper tilts her head, biting down on her bottom lip. "We're gonna have to do a lot better than that."
After a few moments of silence, the blonde reaches a hand over and rests her right over Alex's left. She brushes her fingers along the smooth skin, focusing on the silver band covering the brunette's ring finger. Proposing to Alex had been the most daunting thing she can say she's ever done, and considering the line of work she does along with the background she came from, that really says something.
It's been just over 2 years since they officially became a couple, and although things had initially started out far from easy, since Alex moved into Piper's apartment coming up to a year ago, things have been the opposite.
It wasn't until the week before that Piper agreed to assist with some legal work on an up-and-coming case, and for the first time since the days they had met, the couple's paths again crossed in the working world.
"Are you going to tell your employers about us?" Alex asks, knowing that the woman next to her is working with a new group of people compared to some of her usual jobs.
"What? That we're getting married?" she asks, despite knowing that's what the other woman means; she just enjoys hearing Alex talk about it.
"Yeah," Alex smiles, knowing what Piper is up to.
"Of course," the blonde adjusts her hand so that their fingers are now linked. "I think we both figured out how bad we were at hiding things the first time round," she chuckles. "Plus, if there's a problem, I'll quit. They need me, not the other way round."
"Damn, you're cold, Chapman," Alex jokes, leaning her head back against the sofa as she watches her fiancée smile.
"Don't you forget it," Piper responds, using their hand connection to hoist their bodies closer and kiss Alex on the lips. "Race you to the bedroom," she adds, quickly standing up and attempting to dart out the room.
Alex, however, unsurprisingly has the much faster reflexes. She stands and reaches out her arms just as Piper moves to run past her, and wraps her arms around her torso from behind, lifting her feet off the floor slightly.
"Nice try."
"You know it's hot when you do that," Piper turns her head back onto the taller woman's shoulder, feeling her voice vibrate as Alex continues walking.
"I know," Alex smiles, her mouth against the blonde's neck.
"Just don't drop me," Piper comments, knowing what the other woman's like.
"Would I ever do that?" Alex asks, sarcasm running through her tone of voice.
"Well if you do, you can go marry someone else."
"I think it's a risk I'll take," Alex concludes, enjoying the sound of Piper's laughter as she flexes her arms around her body, squeezing them closer together.
So that's the end of this one! Thanks to everyone for the kind reviews and PMs - it's nice to know people enjoy my work.
I'll be finishing my other story, Bring Her In, and then there will be a new one coming out. I'm aiming to plan and write it all out start to finish before uploading the first chapter, but I might let me excitement get the better of me.
Thank you again!