A/N:

REPOST: this is a repost of an old story that was once lost forever to the internet. Thanks to an anonymous angel, it's found its way back to me. There are many, many things I'd like to change in this; but that feels like a cop out, and a dismissal, to all the people who one read, supported and liked this story, as it was.

Thank you to everyone who continues reading and leaving feedback. You all have a special place inside my gay little heart.

It was the late afternoon and Alex Vause sat at the counter facing the double doors of the bookstore where she worked. It wasn't the most stimulating line of work but it kept her close to one of her passions: books, and allowed her to work on her second passion, writing.

She had never gone to college due to a lack of funds. During and after high school she had gone through a rough patch, dabbling in drugs and mixing with the wrong crowds. Fahri, who had been a friend of her mom's, had taken her under his wing and taught her the ropes to managing his bookstore so that she could earn a decent living. She had started as a checkout girl, and pretty soon proved herself competent enough to be running the whole place herself.

Alex was smart, sharp and innovative. What had initially been just a bookstore was now also a regular hang out for the youth. People came in to read, write, work or participate in different activities the store hosted. Alex had designated nights for open mic, there were bimonthly writing competitions, where aspiring writers would come and recite their works to their peers.

She had built a community-within-a-community, a budding empire of sorts, and she took great pride in it.

It was that part of the afternoon where customers reduced down to a handful and there was a lull in the proceedings. She looked forward to this part of the day the most so that she could focus on writing. At that moment however, no words were coming to her and she just sat there, with a blank mind and a blank screen.

Her phone buzzed, two short buzzes, snapping her out of her almost-trance. She looked down to see her friend, Nichols', text.

"Yo gimme a call when free."

Alex looked around the place to find two girls and a guy scattered around looking at books. Figuring they wouldn't be needing her anytime soon, she called Nichols.

She picked up on the second ring.

"That was fast. Bored outta your fuckin' mind?" Alex could hear the smirk in her friend's voice.

"You know it. So what's up?"

"I have a friend here; writer, self published. Heard about your place and wants to know if he can leave a few copies with you. See if they sell."

Alex had her friends on the lookout for writers who were looking for a platform for their work. This way she was helping out people and word got out about her place. Soon she wanted to be able to venture into publishing too, so any kind of networking was good news.

"He's from out of town?"

"Yeah. Just moved here a week ago."

"That means I'm getting good publicity. Sure, send him over. I'll take a look at it."

"Of course you are. With all the hard work you put in, not to mention a little freelance marketing from your friends…"

Alex let out a laugh. "Yeah Nicks, I appreciate your efforts. Dunno where this place'd be without ya."

"Anytime, sister. So listen, can he come over today?"

"Yeah, I'll be here."

"Okay, hold on." Alex heard Nicky's muffled voice telling someone the address to Poe's and Plath's.

"Alright, so he'll be there in about half an hour. I'll see you around."

The doors opened and in walked a man with a nervous look on his face and a bag slung across his shoulder. He looked around and spotted Alex with her eyes fixed on her laptop screen. He was sure she was the woman he was there to see; Nicky's description of the dark haired, bespectacled woman was easy to spot. Also there was an air of authority to Alex that was hard to miss.

He walked up to the desk and cleared his throat. Alex looked up with a slightly annoyed expression on her face which was replaced with a welcoming smile as soon as he said,

"Uh, hi. Nichols told me to meet up with you…?"

"Oh, of course. Hi, Alex Vause." She held out her hand.

He shook it and smiled. "Larry Bloom."

"Larry. Why don't you take a seat and I'll be with you in a minute." Alex pointed to a booth to the right.

"Sure."

Alex saved the document she'd been working on, ordered two cups of coffee and joined Larry.

"I've ordered us a couple of coffees, I hope that's okay."

"Yes, thank you." Larry cleared his throat and shifted a little in his seat. Alex considered Larry for a moment. One of the things that made her so good at her job was her ability to judge people and work accordingly. She could tell he was uncomfortable and wanted to set him at ease. She pushed her glasses up her forehead. She decided to be friendly.

"What brings you this part of the world?"

He let out a breath he didn't seem to realize he was holding in. "Huh, well I'd been working for a local paper back home for a couple of years and writing this book on and off, but it just didn't feel right anymore, you know? We talked about it and decided it was best I finally did something I'd wanted to do my entire life."

"Write the great American novel?" Alex grinned.

Larry grimaced. "Yeah I know, it sounds outdated-"

"Whoa, hey, no judgement here. I am a struggling writer myself. At least you finished something, right?"

Larry laughed. "Yeah, maybe."

A waitress appeared with two steaming cups of java. Larry thanked her and was about to reach for his wallet, when Alex waved it off.

"It's on the house." Larry tended to his coffee while Alex surveyed him. "So, Larry, let's talk about your book. What's it about?"

"Alright, let's see. It's basically a satirical look into the society in the 70s through the eyes of a group of teens. The book deals with a lot of issues without itself getting too serious. And of course they have their own arcs happening too."

"That sounds interesting." Alex pulled her glasses back on. Game face.

"Here's what I'll do. If you can give me a copy, I'll read it. If I find it to be the kind of thing that people are interested in, I'll put it up. Hell, I'll even put it in the recommended section. And depending on how they sell in, say, the first week, we can work up a plan. How does that sound?"

He was quiet for a few moments before he said, "That actually sounds very fair." Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a paperback and handed it to Alex. "Here, luckily I was carrying this around."

"I'll be done with it in a couple of days, and then I'll get in touch with you."

"That's great. Nichols has my number." With that, he finished his coffee and they wrapped up their meeting.

Alex went back to her desk, sent Nicky a text to forward her Larry's number and got cracking on the book.

/

"Polly, this place is tiny. I take 5 steps and I hit a wall!" Piper couldn't keep the whiny tone out of her voice.

"I am sure it's not bad. Besides you both agreed to move, which I still hate you for, by the way, so why are you acting like you've been sentenced to prison?"

"I know we agreed but-"

"But nothing! Listen, we all know Larry wasn't happy working for that has-been pamphlet disguising itself as a newspaper. And he's always been happy to go along with whatever you want to do. Can't you suck it up for once and let him have his moment?"

"Jeez I thought you were my best friend."

She heard Polly's laugh sound tinny over the phone. "I am babe, and it is for your benefit that I am telling you this. I know how happy you are with Larry. And I don't want you to mess it up because you can't learn to adjust a little."

"Ughhh. I hate it when you make sense. I guess I could compromise a little." Piper heard the jingling of keys outside the door. "Oh, I think Larry's home. I'll call you later?"

"Yes, now go be a supporting girlfriend. And try not to pout too much," Polly teased.

"Ha ha ha. Love you."

The door slammed.

"Pipes?"

"In here!" Piper walked out of the bedroom to see Larry hanging up his jacket and bag behind the door. She went over to him to give him a kiss.

"Hey, how'd it go with your friend?"

"Oh she was a great help."

Larry collapsed onto the couch that was half occupied with unpacked clothes. Piper grabbed a bottle of water and handed it to him.

"Thanks. Yeah she even got me hooked up with this woman who runs her own book store. I met up with her today and she agreed to read my book. She might put it up."

"Really? Wow, that's great hun. I'm sure she will." Piper smiled.

"Let's hope so. She was a little scary to be honest. Maybe it was the nerves, but she seemed like a panther, ready to pounce at the merest sign of weakness."

Piper laughed. "Oh come on, it couldn't be that bad. I'm sure it's just your imagination."

"Maybe." Larry let out a sigh. "So what have you been up to?"

"Well, when I woke up this morning to make some breakfast, I realized we didn't have any groceries. So I went shopping. Came home, straightened up the place as best as I could and was just talking to Polly when you came in."

"Hmm, complaining about how much it sucks here?" Larry's eyes twinkled.

Piper blushed a little. "No! Well, maybe a little. But, you know, it's not so bad. It's all about making space." She tried to sound convincing.

Larry gestured to his lap. "Come here." She climbed easily on him and he wrapped her arms around her. "I know it's a step down from home, and I appreciate it so much, you making this move for me. But I really couldn't stand working-" Piper cut him short. They had moved, what was the point in explaining himself again and again.

"I know, Larry. I know. I just need a little time, you know, to adjust." Larry kissed her cheek and smiled at her. "In the meantime, I think I'll hand in a few CV's, see if I can find a day job. Sitting at home all day might just drive me crazy."

Piper worked as a freelance web designer and got by okay on it. But she also needed to be with people and thanks to this move she was suddenly short on friends to hang out with. She tried not to feel annoyed at Larry; he was just following his dream.

Larry's phone rang and she had to get off of him for him to reach it. Piper moved around the living room a little, trying to shake off the negative feelings she was experiencing. She went to the kitchen, trying to bring some sense of order in her surroundings. Snippets of conversation drafted from where Larry sat.

"Hey Nicky, yeah it went well I think."

"I pitched the book to her and she seemed interested."

A pause.

"Mhmm, I left a copy with Alex, and she said she'd let me know in a few days."

Piper's head snapped in Larry's direction. Alex? It couldn't be… could it? Her heart sped up a little.

"…really appreciate this Nicks."

There isn't just one woman in this world named Alex.

"Yeah home is a little messy right now but…"

There is for you.

"Alright, then. Take care." Piper walked in as he finished his call. "That was Nicky, she was asking about the meeting. She seems to think…" Larry looked at her face. "Pipes, you okay?" He got up to stand in front of her.

"Yeah I'm fine." she worked her face into a smile. "Tell me about this woman you met today." She tried to keep her voice casual. "Alice, was it?"

Larry stared at her for a moment longer, still trying to determine if she was fine. "No, it's Alex. Alex Vause."

Alex. Vause.

Alex Vause.

Larry grinned. "You're not jealous, are you? Aww Piper, she had nothing on you." Piper let herself be pulled into a hug. A small part of her brain registered what Larry had just said and she snorted mentally.

Alex Vause had everything on her.

Fuck.