Alex's P.O.V
This bus ride absolutely suck ass! They're making it as difficult as possible to get any sleep let alone peace and quiet. McCullough keeps making it her personal mission to walk back and forward past me just as I'm about to fall asleep and she takes it further by either bumping into me or coughing loudly. I know it's on purpose because she's not sick, well she wasn't the last time I fucked her which was a week ago and I know she's just trying to bait me. But unlike when she handed me my transfer notice I won't rise to her bait. Instead I force myself to glance out the darkened window. I have no idea where we are or how far away from Columbus we are. "Yo Vause," I spin and look behind me recognising someone from C block is behind me. "Yeah," I state,
"Do you know how much further it is?" I shake my head and turn back and face the front as quickly as I can. Knowing that outside the prison the guards at the front of the bus are the force and I don't want to piss anyone off. I decide to attempt to rest my eyes. The last thing I remember is watching cars pass us by.
The bus halting quickly wakes me and I fix my glasses to sit on my face properly, "alright inmates up. Single file and line up outside." I stand and grab my bag making sure the envelope of notes is securely inside. Stepping off the bus the new prison reminds me of Litchfield in the way that it's a large building but also in the way that there are lots of different coloured uniforms being worn. I sigh as we are marched inside, but almost immediately I feel at ease, the room is warmer, the light seems to get into the darkest of corners and I don't feel so constricted. The guards are calling out our names and the moment I hear mine 'VAUSE!' I make my way towards the guard who will lead me and two others from the bus to our new dorm, The Garden. I roll my eyes but don't say anything as we enter the cellblock; it feels very similar to C block in the way that there is a communal area for us to all sit and discuss our crimes, and then our cellblocks. Staring up I'm shocked that it goes up at least two floors. "Okay inmates, meet your new block the Garden, cells are split into two pairs per room." I nod and look around not wanting to seem interested or uninterested by where I am, but almost immediately upon glancing around I notice a few familiar faces from the old penitentiary. Big Boo, Gina, Yoga Jones and even Norma and at the same moment they all look up at the new recruits, I notice Yoga Jones leaning in and pointing in my general area, Big Boo looks up and waves so does Gina. I'm shocked at myself when I feel a familiar sensation of warmth and I realise that I may not be out and free, but the comfort of familiar people definitely doesn't make me feel lost.
"So that's it, we let Piscatella go and suddenly everything was a go. The guards stormed the pool. I was dragged off somewhere, woke up in the hospital but had no idea where anyone else was and a week later found myself in C block." I state looking around at other people. "Jesus Vause who else was in max with you?" Big Boo questions as we sit around one of the tables. "Well I can only speak for those I know but pretty much Frieda, Suzanne, Doggart ended up in Florida (B block), then in C there was me, Piper, Red, Mendoza but she was moved to D block pretty soon after and I'm sure there were others. I know that Nichols and Morello were in D so were Ruiz, Diaz senior and junior then also Cindy before she was released." Everyone looks around at each other before Gina states,
"So how is everyone else? Red and such?" I shake my head,
"Red's not so good, she was being transferred to B block a few days ago something about a change in her medical and as far as I know Nichols wasn't happy but Morello had been sent to psych so I'm not shocked." Seemingly satisfied everyone starts to chat about what's happening in here, comparing it to the minimum security place we were in before the riot. Seems like a totally different world to what max had been. "Vause, room 108." I nod and rise, "well sounds like my hotel is ready, catch you later."
Following the guard, his uniform says Marshall, "right here you go Vause, your roomie will be along shortly. I think you'll get on okay but if not, suck it up." I huff and enter with my stuff. Setting my bag down on the downstairs bunk, clearly the top is taken and as I work on getting out my stuff, making the bed and such the time passes quickly, before too long I hear a throat clear and with a sigh I stand and turn around, "well, well if it isn't Alex Vause." I lay eyes on the speaker and my heart sinks quicker than a large rock in quicksand. "Taylor," I state my heart sinking as I quickly recognise Taylor the meth-head, my old cube mate from Litchfield penitentiary. "Oh yeah me Vause, and guess what I'm still mad at you but I can see that we are different than we were the last time so how about you don't speak to me and I don't speak to you, I get out in a year so let's just chill, cool?" she questions, this takes me by surprise as it was because of her that I had no mattress for most of my time at Litchfield but I know how important the 'date' is for people to get out so I agree to her comment and say, "okay, cool." She nods and leaps up to her bunk leaving me confused but like Taylor, I only have three years to go and I intend to keep my nose extremely clean.
Piper's P.O.V.
One month later…
Looking around my new apartment I can't help but wonder what I do now. The job at my fathers was paying me bare minimum but thankfully because I was now finished with my probation I am able to now have access to my previous accounts and thankfully it had all of my savings, some of them, okay all of it was from when I was with Alex travelling the world. I was able to get myself a small apartment it had a tiny kitchen with a separate bedroom. Located not far from Gramercy Park in Manhattan I can't believe how similar it is to what Alex and I planned for that day during the riots when we planned our future. My final meeting with Wyndolyn had gone well and she had accepted that I was at least living on my own, even though I wasn't out from under the working thumb of my father. But I sense that the day of me leaving was getting closer. My father had been beyond mad that I had sent Zelda away, he liked her. But like I told him, "Dad, you've never even met Alex. You can't compare Zelda to someone you haven't met." His shallow response always came back to, "Piper I don't know how you expect me to support a relationship that you're in where the woman sent you to prison. Did Zelda send you to prison? No I don't think. Loving Alex got you into this mess…Zelda is or could be your way out of it, but no you send her away." That conversation had taken place nearly a month ago but I remember it clear as day and that's why I'm here. Standing outside my old apartment, the one I had with Larry.
Raising my hand and knocking on the door I'm shocked to come face to face with Larry. He wordlessly lets me in and I walk through the foyer and see the entire place has changed but before I can say anything Larry asks me why I'm here. "Alex broke up with me, she said she wanted to set me free…I don't know what to do." I state looking around the room, everywhere I look there are toys lying around and Larry follows me as my eyes look around not saying anything. "This could have been my living room; these could've been my boogie wipes,"
"No it couldn't, you always wanted to be with Alex," I stand there looking at Larry, tears filling up in my eyes and it's now that I know I need to explain why I couldn't be with Larry. "Oh Larry, I wanted to love you so much, but with Alex, it's like when we met I grew an extra limb and she's now a part of my body and now she doesn't want to be with me," Larry moves so he's across the room from me, he looks at me and then says, "That's not true, she didn't say that. She set you free and that is different…lucky for all of us, Alex named you and you can call me crazy but this was the best thing that happened to you. You can be the same type of special that being with Alex made you feel like, you can't be the old Piper anymore. Sure you can go to North Hampton and be with Zelda, but you don't really want that. So go do what the new Piper would do…" Larry states after telling me everything I really didn't want to hear about myself, but in some type of fucked up way it makes sense. My life makes sense, but it only makes sense with Alex in it. Not Zelda, not Larry and not my family. Just Alex, Alex is my family. I love Alex.
Leaving Larry and Polly's place I feel clean and my mind is clear. Calling my father who quickly picks up, "Piper…"
"Dad, I uhm need to say something and I would really appreciate it if you would let me get it out before telling me how dumb I am and how stupid I am, do you think you can manage that?"
"Yes Piper, but I will tell you what I think honestly." I nod and know that dad will tell me what he thinks and I know that he deserves to do that too. "Okay, so here I go…" I launch quickly into my conversation I had with Larry and hearing dad grunt every now and then I know that it is killing him to not be able to jump into what I'm saying but he respectfully keeps quiet. "Dad…"
"Yes Piper," I twist my hands in my lap as I speak into the phone.
"Do you have anything to say?" I hear him inhale a big breath and then he takes a deep breath before he says, "look Piper, the fact of the matter is that you are no longer a child. I can't just tell you what to do, you left home and travelled Europe with Polly, but we both know that Polly was never there, it was Alex. Always Alex, and for years and the entire time you've been in prison I blamed Alex, but that's not fair is it?" I wait for him to continue, "Alex was there for you, she was your person. You felt safe with her and although I blame her for naming you and dragging you to Europe to beign with, I can't help but want to thank her for turning you into the person you are today. You are more aware of what is happening around you, you didn't complain when I gave you the worst job I could at the company. So although it kills me to say it, I'm proud of you Piper. I love you and I know that this call is for you to quit your job, I know that you love Alex and because you've grown up I'm going to do the same thing. I'm letting you go Piper, I will always be here if you need me but I sense you won't." The conversation pauses and I struggle to not burst out into tears.
"I love you too Daddy. Thank you for everything you have ever done for me."
"That's what parents do Piper, go and be happy." I nod and hang up the phone. My mind clear and I can see the future and it looks bright and happy, now I just have to convince Alex.