Author's Note: One chapter left after this one. Chapter 19 is rated M for Mature.

Even after two delays, I won't allow my mood to be dampened considering where we're headed.

"If they announce another fucking delay, we're rebooking for tomorrow." Piper doesn't seem to follow the same sentiment.

I flip a page in Vogue magazine. "Would you rather we take off during a thunderstorm and risk getting struck by lightning?"

She lets out a frustrated sigh and paces in front of me. "It's not like this is a quick flight to JFK! If we're delayed another hour, we're going to miss our connection."

I shrug. "Then we'll spend the night in Amsterdam and get high for old time's sake."

"This is ridiculous." She glances at the line in front of the desk. "All of those people are probably changing flights. If we don't do that soon, there won't be anything available tomorrow."

"Babe, I need you to relax." I close the magazine. "I checked the weather app five minutes ago, and the storm is going to blow over within the hour. We're going to get on that plane, stop in Amsterdam, and then arrive in Bali tomorrow morning just like we planned."

She plops in the seat next to me. "I don't know how you can be so calm."

"Because sitting in the airport is a fuck ton better than sitting in a prison cell." I shrug. "Perspective."

She closes her eyes, letting her head lull back.

"Why don't you go for a walk—stretch your legs?" I suggest. "By the time you come back, we'll probably be boarding."

She nods. "Fine."

As much as I love my wife, her nervous energy sometimes gets the best of her. Now that she's out of eyesight for a moment, I decide to check my e-mail to see if my dinner reservations were accepted at Hatiku, the first place Piper and I had dinner when she agreed to travel the world with me. A smile crosses my face when I see that they have indeed been accepted for tomorrow night.

The other surprise I have in store is where we're staying. While it was true that the Four Seasons at Jimbaran Bay, the place we stayed 15 years ago, was sold out when we tried booking it a month ago, I called the resort every day until something opened. It's not the ocean view, two-bedroom villa we shared during that first trip, but it's close.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to begin boarding in five minutes. Please check your boarding pass and note the group you're assigned. We'll start with Group A after pre-boarding. Please stay in your seat until your group is called. Thank you for your patience."

"Are we boarding?"

I look up to see Piper standing in front of me. "Almost. Feel any better?"

"I'll feel much better when we're in our seats."

I get to my feet, then peck her on the lips. "Our first class seats."

If I thought pre-flight Piper was cranky, post-22 hour flight Piper is downright irritable. I need to get her to bed and I don't mean to have sex. I just hope my surprise of staying at the Four Seasons isn't wasted on her sour mood.

"Where are we?" She peeks out the taxi window as he pulls under the awning. "Alex, he took us to the wrong hotel."

"No, he didn't." I exit the cab and reach for her hand. "Remember this place?"

She steps out. "Of course, I do."

"Welcome back, babe."

"We're staying at the Four Seasons?" She shakes her head. "But they were booked when we made reservations."

"I took a page out of your book and called every day for like three weeks until something came up." I raise my shoulders. "I guess persistency has its perks."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

She throws her arms around me. "I can't believe you did this!"

"Let's just hope our room is ready. I'm about to keel over with exhaustion." I pay the cab driver, then pull a suitcase behind me with my wife not far behind.

"I remember it like it was yesterday." She twirls in the lobby. "They've changed the décor, but it smells exactly like it did all those years ago."

I take in a big whiff of ocean air coupled with fragrant flowers and laundered linens and am immediately transported to the past.

"Oh, my God, look at this place." Piper twirled in the lobby and marveled at the high-end yet beachy furnishings. "I've stayed at a few nice hotels, but this is…"

"I'm glad you approve." I took her hand and walked up to the front desk clerk. "Alex Vause, checking in."

"Welcome back, Ms. Vause," the clerk greeted me. "Looks like we have you in one of our private villas."

Piper sidled up next to me. "Is there a pool?"

"Yes, ma'am. We have three pools for all our guests, and each villa has a private one." She slid a pamphlet across the counter. "Here's a list of our complimentary services. On the back are our services with a nominal fee."

She read from the brochure to me. "They have a meditation center with hatha yoga and guided cultural tours."

"I know." Piper and I had been together for three months at that point, and I was positively smitten. "You can check it out while I work."

The clerk filled us in on a few more details, and then handed us the keys. "Enjoy your stay."

"Thank you." I began walking towards the elevator bank, but Piper stopped short.

"Alex, look!" She pointed to the view from the lobby that overlooked the long infinity pool with the bay in the background. "It's gorgeous."

I stared down at her. "It is."

Although we fell asleep on top of the covers in no time due to serious jet lag, Piper woke me up at some godawful hour by going down on me. I decided right then and there that's how I wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of my life.

"I can't believe you pulled this off." She steps into the room and walks immediately to the French doors that lead to our private deck and pool. "I would've been fine staying at the Sheraton, but this is way better."

I smile. "I figured you'd like this little surprise."

"I love it." She turned towards me. "I love you."

The sex that followed was surprising not because it was wild or particularly adventurous, but because even 15 years ago, we were too tired to do it when we arrived at this very hotel. We're two much older women now who've been together long enough for the horniness factor to have worn off, yet I find myself blissfully buried between her legs.

Piper let out a content sigh. "Now, we can sleep."

"Now?" I chuckled.

She nodded against the pillow; one arm slung over my chest. "Now that we're jet lagged and sexually satisfied."

"I suppose I'm both." I kissed the tip of her nose. "I'll set an alarm."

"Good idea."

I'd been dreaming of a beachy vacation when the shrill sound of an alarm wakes me up. I lift my head, trying to place where I am, and then it dawns on me: we're in Bali. I am on a beachy vacation.

Alex reaches for her phone, shutting the intrusive alarm off. "You awake?"

"Barely." I snuggle against her. "I'd forgotten what Egyptian cotton bed sheets felt like."

Her hand drops to the side of my butt. "We should buy some."

"Or at least sheets with a higher thread count," I offer.

"Ours aren't bad—they're much better than the sandpaper sheets in prison." She reaches for her eyeglasses. "We slept a solid five hours."

I yawn. "I could sleep five more."

She twists her neck to look at me. "Don't you want to check out the property—maybe go for a walk on the beach?"

"Yeah." I kiss her, then stretch before getting out of bed and walking to the French doors. "I think we should go skinny dipping in this private pool."

She grins. "As I recall, we did a lot of that last time we were here."

I spin around and smile. "We did."

Alex comes up behind me, enveloping me in a hug while my back is to her chest. I can feel her hardened nipples against my skin. I squeeze her arms before opening the doors and tugging her outside with me.

"Is it cold?" she asks as I dip my toe into the water.

"No, it's perfect." I proceed to the steps at the far end.

She follows me into the perfectly cool water and shivers. "It's not exactly warm."

"It's perfect," I repeat, slinging my arms over her shoulders.

She leans in for a kiss that starts out innocent but quickly elevates to fiery in seconds. I've always loved Alex's mouth—her supple lips, wide smile, long, magical tongue. Even after all these years, she still gives me goosebumps when we kiss like this. The sounds she makes that come from deep within serve to turn me on that much more. She's commented before about my verbal cues in the throes of passion, but she's almost as vocal as me but for some reason doesn't like to admit it.

I massage her breast, then my hand scoots underwater to her center. I know water is a terrible lubricant, so I walk towards the side of the pool until her back hits the ledge. She pulls back, then turns us around. She places her hands on my hips, and I know the tables have turned—she wants me first. I allow her to lift me while I sort of hop onto the deck. Alex lowers her head, kissing a path from my knee to my thigh.

Eventually, she looks up at me. "You're just as beautiful as you were all those years ago. Maybe even more."

"I doubt that." I smile at the sentiment. "I was in my 20s; now I'm pushing 40."

"I love older Piper." She holds one of my hands. "You had no idea what you wanted when we were here last time; you're much more confident and self-aware now."

"All I knew was that I wanted to be with you wherever you were," I confess. "Still do."

Alex smiles and stares at me for a moment, and I know what she's thinking—it's the same thing on my mind—how did we make it this far? The odds were completely against us. There was a time when I thought I hated her for turning me in. Maybe a part of me did hate her—besides, hate isn't the opposite of love, indifference is. Hate can be a strong, visceral feeling just like love. Sometimes I can't believe we've made it past all that and I find myself wondering if this is real—if I'm truly alive or am I dead and this is my all-time, greatest fantasy.

She lowers her mouth to my center, and it's hot against my chilled skin. I spread my legs, giving her better access, and her tongue darts out to lick me. The first few licks are exploratory, and then my head lulls back and she fucks me with more gusto. I place one hand on the crown of her head and look down at what she's doing to me. We don't have sex like this often enough where I can see her pleasuring me. It's an extreme turn on.

"That feels so good," I mumble as my pulse increases. "Al, I'm going to…" I burst into a fit of whimpers and moans as she continues eating me.

It isn't until I remove my hand from her head when she pulls back and smirks. Alex almost always smirks after sex.

"That was extraordinary," I say.

She cocks one eyebrow. "It was."

I jump back in the pool, splashing her. "I hope they thoroughly clean these pools between visitors."

"I'm sure they do."

We spend the next 20 minutes, floating and relaxing in the water before deciding that it's time to shower. I've yet to reciprocate Alex's generosity, so I plan to do so under the hot spray of a refreshing shower.

One of the first tasks I accomplished when I was released from prison was getting a driver's license and renewing my long since expired passport. I had no intention of leaving the country when I got out, but I was happy to have the proper documents in order when I learned about my bank account potentially closing in Bali.

We take a taxi to the bank, and I have a vague recollection of coming here nearly two decades ago to open the account. Back then, I traveled to and from Bali at least four times a year. Fahri had an account at the same bank and might've been influential in them allowing me to have one as a non-resident as well. I'm glad both he and Kubra are dead, but we did have some good times.

"Are you nervous?" Piper asks as she steps out the cab.

"Not really." I follow her to the entrance. "I have two forms of identification and a credit card in my name. That should be enough to prove I am who I say I am."

"Do you know if they'll give you a check or wire the money to our bank in Columbus?" she asks.

"I have no idea." I stand in line behind a velvet rope. "I can't remember my login information and have no idea how much is even in the account."

"Next in line," the teller says in Indonesian.

We walk up to her station. "Hi, do you speak English?"

"Yes. How can I help you?"

I explain the situation, then show her my license and my passport.

"This isn't the address listed on the account," she notes.

"I haven't lived in New York in a long time," I state. "I've been in Ohio for…awhile."

"I'll need to get my manager." The teller disappears behind the wall into another room.

I sigh. "Well, this sucks."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," she replies. "It's a large sum of money—they just want to make sure it's you."

A well-dressed man enters the teller's space. "Hello, I'm Kadek. I understand you would like to cash out your account."

"That's right." I present my phone to him. "I received this e-mail, saying the account would be closed if I didn't make a withdrawal or deposit within 60 days."

He glances at my phone. "May I see your ID?"

I hand him both documents just as I did to the female teller.

He types a few things into the computer. "Can you confirm the address we have on file?"

I close my eyes, trying to remember the exact address where I lived nearly 20 years ago. "1760 East 33rd Street, Unit C, New York, New York…" I pinch the bridge of my nose as I try recalling the zip code. "10016."

"Thank you. I see you have $44,780 in a savings account." He glances at the screen. "How much would you like to withdraw today?"

I watch Piper's eyes bug out, presumably at the amount of money I have socked away in this account. I must've known it would draw interest when I originally opened it, but until I see the paperwork, I don't remember how much I initially began with.

"All of it."

"We can give you a check for up to $8,000," he states. "But we'll have to wire the rest of the funds to another institution. That could take five to seven business days."

"I'll take it." I pull my latest statement from my purse. "Here's my bank information. The wiring instructions are at the bottom of the second page."

He returns to the computer. "Give me a moment to wrap this up."

"Oh my God, Al!" Piper whispers, tucking her arm through mine. "Did you know it would be that much?"

"No," I chuckle. "Looks like this little vacation is covered."

She steps to the side until we're out of earshot. "We can use some of it for the down payment on a place in New York."

"What if this is our fun money—money we use for trips and dinners and indulgent things we haven't allowed ourselves to do for the past four years?"

"We've spent plenty of money since you've been out."

She's right—we blew through $75,000 since I've been out, but most of it was on new furniture, rent and food. Both of us needed to significantly refresh our wardrobes, so we spent quite a bit of my settlement money on professional clothing and shoes. We also used part of it for our monthly trips to New York over the past year. If I had to guess how much we've spent solely on travel to Manhattan, I'd say upwards of $20,000.

"Most of it was on practical things," I respond. "Now we can go to fancy dinners every Saturday night or buy season tickets to Broadway shows."

She smiles. "That would be nice."

"Ms. Vause, I'll need your signature." He presents an electronic device. "This is stating that you've given us permission to close the account."

I skim the paperwork, then sign it.

The man smiles, then hands me the check. "We're sorry to lose your business, but if you ever relocate to Bali, please keep us in mind."

"I will, thank you." I take the money and head out the door.

"Let me see…" Piper reaches for the check. "Holy shit! I can't believe it's real."

I'm surprised she's yet to comment on how I earned this money, but I dare not bring it up.

"We're rich!" she exclaims.

"I hardly think $44,000 makes us rich." I walk to the main street and raise my hand to hail a cab. "Even the million dollars we have from my settlement doesn't make us rich, per se."

"Well, we're $44,780 richer."

I open the cab door for her. "Get in, Daddy Warbucks."

She slides across the bench seat and something shifts in her eyes—like she's thought of a role play scenario in relation to Annie. "You're Daddy Warbucks."

Unexpectedly, Piper starts making out with me and I have to laugh against her mouth. I don't give a damn if we're giving the taxi driver a show—I'll take this woman's lips on mine any day.

"Are you my little orphan, becoming accustomed to living the high life?" I tease.

Her hand glides up my thigh. "I like where this is headed."

We make it back to the resort before causing a scene in the cab, and I waste no time getting my wife naked and having my way with her.

We decide to do a yoga class at the resort and Piper's core strength is impressive. I can't believe how flexible and strong she is. I, on the other hand, haven't practiced yoga since my release from prison. This session reminds me that I should get back into it—I'm not nearly as flexible as I used to be and I'm not getting any younger. I remember early on in our relationship I could hold my legs by the ankles in the air while Piper went down on me. No chance I could do that today.

Following yoga, Piper convinces me to rent a kayak and paddle in the bay. I'm going to be very sore tomorrow with all this physical activity, but I want to do the things she likes this time around rather than being too occupied with work than to spend time with her all those years ago.

That evening, we go for a dip in the infinity pool, and then she asks what we should do for dinner.

"I have one more surprise up my sleeve," I announce as we dry off and head back to our villa.

"What is it?"

I stick the keycard against the lock, then open the door. "If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise."

She proceeds immediately to the bathroom and turns on the shower. "What should I wear to this surprise date?"

"Something nice." I kiss her shoulder before removing my wet swimsuit.

There's no way I could not have sex with Piper when she's wearing nothing more than skimpy, hot pink bikini bottoms. They're borderline too small, so when they're wet, I can see the slit of her pussy. I start kissing her while the water in the shower gets warm, and then I hoist her onto the vanity. I take one of her breasts into my mouth and am treated to an elongated moan. When I dip my hand into her bikini, her mouth opens.

"You're so warm," she comments.

Her skin is cold from the pool water and the air conditioning in the room. I cup her pussy, trying to make it warmer.

"There's only one way to make it hot," she says.

I cock an eyebrow, pleased that she's come up with a superb invitation.

"Let's turn the shower off first," Piper requests.

I give her a look before I get down on my knees.

"Don't you want to conserve water?"

I love my environmental conscious wife, but I'd be just fine wasting gallons of water in favor of having spontaneous sex with her. "Of course I do." I roll my eyes as I shut the water off. "Now…where was I?" I get on my knees and push the fabric aside, diving into her center with a greedy tongue.

We pull up to a restaurant that's flanked by six palm trees, and it all comes flooding back to me. "Alex, is this the first place we had dinner together in Bali?"

"It is." She takes my hand as we walk towards the front door. "How did you remember?"

She shrugs. "I have a hard time forgetting consequential moments."

Alex raised a glass, tapping it against mine. "To consequential moments."

"I'll drink to that." I smiled and took a sip of the Mai Tai. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's so consequential about this particular moment?"

"It's our first meal together in another country," she replied. "I'm hoping this marks the beginning of you traveling with me around the world."

I'd only agreed to go to Bali with her—I hadn't even considered traveling to other countries, but the thought of being with Alex all the time sounded amazing. Everything about her was wonderful and I couldn't wait to discover more.

"Where else do you travel?"

"All over Indonesia and Europe." She held my hand across the table. "There might be a trip to South America in the next few months."

"Months?"

"I'm typically gone for two or three months before returning home for a couple weeks." She brought my hand to her mouth, kissing the back of it. "I want you with me."

I was surprised by her request seeing as how we'd only arrived in Bali two days ago, but truth be told, I'd go anywhere with her.

"Really?"

"Yeah," she chuckled. "I think we could be good together."

I blushed. "I think so, too."

"Welcome to Hatiku. Do you have a reservation?" the hostess asked.

"We do." Alex linked our fingers together. "It should be under Alex Vause."

"Yes, please follow me." She took us to a table on the patio next to a beautiful fountain. "I hope this is ok."

"It's lovely, thank you," I responded.

"Your server will be with you momentarily."

"I remember this place like it was yesterday." I point to an area just inside the door. "We sat over there and had Mai Tais."

"I remember." She grins. "I also remember asking you to travel the world with me."

I reach for her hand. "This is where it all began."

She rubs her thumb across my knuckles. "Would you go back and do it all over again?"

I've thought about that very question for years and my answer has changed over time. "When I first got to Litchfield, I would've answered with a resounding no, but now…" I shake my head. "If it meant meeting you and having this life together, then yeah, I would."

She raises her eyebrows. "Even prison?"

"It's hard to say yes to prison, but I can't imagine my life without you."

"So would I." She squeezes my hand and smiles. "As fucked up as that sounds."

"The good news is we never have to go back," I reply. "Look at us—we're a married couple on a normal albeit expensive vacation."

"I never thought we'd get here," she says. "I mean, I wanted it, but the shit we've had to overcome." She rattles her head from side to side. "It's almost unfathomable."

"It is." I place my other hand on top of hers. "Thank you for everything."

She smiles at me just as our server approaches the table. "May I start you off with a cocktail?"

"Two Mai Tais, please."

We spend the next three days swimming, lounging by the pool, drinking tropical cocktails and making copious amounts of love. It's the first time since Alex's release from prison when we've allowed ourselves to relax without worrying about the future. Sure, we've had weekends when we've intentionally made no plans and just chilled at home, but we also put in a few hours of work each day. On this trip to Bali, we promised to check e-mail once a day for no more than 30 minutes in case something critical comes up. Other than that, we've refrained from using technology except for calling a sunset cruise company to book a three-hour dinner sailing experience on our final night.

Alex slings an arm around my waist. "I'm going to miss this place."

"Me, too." I hold onto the sailboat's railing. "Maybe we could come back for our ten year anniversary."

She kisses my neck. "That would be nice."

"I've been thinking a lot about New York."

She juts her chin back as if surprised to hear my statement. "What about New York?"

I hold my hair back from whipping against my face. "If we find the right place, maybe we should move sooner rather than later."

"I thought you didn't want to leave Columbus," she states with confusion etched on her brow. "At least not for the foreseeable future."

"I miss Cal and Neri and Goodall," I start. "And now that I'm talking to my parents again, it would be nice to see them more often."

Alex seems shocked.

"What's wrong?" I ask. "I thought you wanted to move back to Manhattan as soon as possible."

"I did…" She shakes her head. "I do, it's just that…I guess I like our lives in Ohio. I never thought I'd say those words."

"You want to stay?"

"We've built a life for ourselves." She moves in front of me, taking my hands. "You and Jabari have your law firm; I have my web design business with two employees. You want to walk away from that?"

"I wasn't suggesting we'd move next week or anything." I lift my shoulders. "But maybe a year, year and a half from now. I could talk to Jabari about working remotely and maybe meeting in person once a month. You've said it yourself—you can do your job from anywhere as long as there's an Internet connection."

She lets out a surprised chuckle. "This is coming totally out of left field."

"If you want to stay in Ohio longer, we—"

"No, it's not that…well, maybe it is," she sighs. "New York is home; of course I want to move back. I just didn't think that was on the table for at least another five years."

"What if it could be?"

"What about Ms. Mabel?" Alex asks. "I thought one of the reasons you wanted to stick around was because of her."

"It won't be long before she's going to have to hire a live-in aide or move to an assisted living community," I reply. "I don't want that to be the case, but you've seen her mobility decline as much as I have."

She nods.

"What if we do the reverse of what we've done over the past year?" I suggest.

"Make New York our permanent home and travel to Columbus monthly?"

"Exactly," I reply. "Again, this wouldn't be something we'd do right away. We both have our jobs to consider plus we still need to buy a place in Manhattan."

She rubs my arm. "Is this what you really want?"

I nod. "Is it what you want?"

"I didn't allow myself to want it," Alex says. "But yeah, I'd love to move back home."

I wrap my arms around her. "Home is wherever you are."

"True." She kisses the top of my head. "If that's what you want, I'm on board, babe."

I look up at her. "You're sure?"

She leans down for a kiss. "Positive." She moves behind me as we watch our last Balinese sunset from the deck of the sailboat.

I've never forgotten our first trip to Bali and I certainly will never forget what might be our last.