Alex's P.O.V
'Fuck that's bright' is all my subconscious can say as I turn to avoid the light and pull the scratchy…wait soft blanket up around myself. 'What on earth?' I muse struggling to sit up and attempt to not hit my head, it soon becomes apparent that, that's not going to happen either way. Reaching out blindly my hands settle on my glasses, shoving them onto my face I'm met with a bed. More specifically a non-prison bed, my mind shuts down and a mini panic attack starts to come over me, but it's stopped almost instantly by a familiar sound, a too familiar sound. Singing, in particular Piper's singing. Staying where I am, I can hear her voice staying constant, hearing the sound of running water makes me think that she is most likely showering so I take the opportunity to take in my surroundings. The sun is streaming through a long but narrow window that looks out onto a busy street, stepping up from the bed I move towards the window and take in the beautiful view of the street, it's not much to look at but after spending so much time behind bars in a minimum security prison, then two separate maximum security prisons I'll take any type of view. Turning back to the room I run my hand over the white wooden dresser that sits in the corner, the draws are over flowing with underwear, mismatched socks and pants but the candle on the top along with the fake flowers take me right back to Paris, our first time around. Piper always argued that she would never keep a real plant or flower because she could never keep it alive, any time we had flowers delivered I would always tend to them, because she really would kill them. The candle is actually burning, bringing a hint of lavender to the room. My hands run along the light beige walls and I turn to the bed, it's a large queen sized bed the cover is a light dusty pink, a firm favourite of Piper's and I walk back to the side nearest the door where I'd woken, plopping back down on the bed I grab her closest book from the nightstand. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll and flicking quickly I can see she has barely started it, so refusing to let a moment of freedom go to waste by ignoring the book I start to read.
Settling back onto the bed is easier than I thought, I can still hear Piper's voice singing albeit badly but she has never been a glorious singer, rather choosing to murder the cats of the world with her shrill voice. I don't recognise the song and by the time I reach the bottom of the first page, I can't hear anything aside from the words on the page. A decent amount of time must pass because I can hear footsteps, not loud enough to disturb my reading but enough to make me aware. "Well isn't this a pretty sight?" A voice calls, my eyes dart upwards and I notice Piper crowding the doorway, I smile at her and she crosses over to me, "are you comfortable?" I look at her and shrug,
"About as comfortable as I expect to get, I'm not putting those back on…" I state waving a hand at the prison clothes I had worn to be free this morning. Piper seems to agree with me as she drinks me in, "I agree Al, but at the same time the neighbours might stare if you're continuously naked all the time. Not that I care of course…" she states as her eyes once more roam my body. "You don't care if the neighbours see me, or you don't care if I'm naked in your bed?" I deadpan, placing the book back on the nightstand. She ponders it for a minute before quickly stating the later, I smirk grabbing her arm closest to me and dragging her in for kiss, her hands hit my shoulders as she places all her bodyweight behind it, but it doesn't even hurt me as my fingers tangle in her hair as we place frantic, but tender kisses on each-other's lips. "Mmm, Alex let me go, I need to get ready…" Piper states pulling away from me, I refuse and loosen my hands to where I can strip her towel away. "There now you're all ready for me to ravish you again…" I state kissing her exposed stomach and lower breasts. But she pulls all the way back and dances over to her draws, tugging a pair of red lacy panties and matching bra free, my eyes follow as she dresses. Next comes her blue navy jeans, they're three-quarter pants and rest above her ankle, next is a white t-shirt with a green trim, the logo reads Starbucks. It hits me quickly that Piper wasn't expecting me today and she had a shift. Her eyes meet mine and I grin at her, "…well look who has customer experience and waitressing skills now?" Piper laughs and moves back to sit next to me on the bed. Taking my hand she caresses it, "I'm so glad you're here Alex, it's so good to see you and touch you…" I smile and lean in to kiss her temple,
"I agree babe, what time do you start?" a quick glance to the bedside clock and the look on her face tells me it's soon, "in about thirty, but it's an easy walk." A quick nod from me raises her up and with her shoes on her feet she's gone and the silence envelopes me like a blanket.
The next few hours pass uneventfully, I get up and make a coffee, instant coffee is all Piper has so I settle for it, knowing that I need to buy us an actual coffee machine. I'd even settle for a Keurig at this moment, but hot water will have to suffice. With the coffee gone I set about exploring the apartment, it's small but totally usable. The kitchen is the hub of the apartment, and little 'fake' plants are scattered around, Piper's dishes sit in the rack, washed but not away. I move to the lounge and sit on the couch, it faces a small TV and has a coffee table which is decorated in magazines of food and culture, not what I would expect Piper to like but interesting all the same. The bathroom is tiny, a toilet, vanity and shower over a bath is all the room that there is so for sure we will not be having shower sex in there. I laugh but move towards the bedroom again, I absolutely can't stand mess so I make quick work of making the bed and fixing her draws, about halfway through a cough makes me turn quickly, heart racing I see it's just Piper and she looks absolutely pain-struck to have frightened me but after several kisses of assurance she helps me finish tidying and then makes quick work of loosening the robe I stole from her. Clothes fall away and feelings rush as we are quick to jump under the covers and reacquaint ourselves.
Piper's P.O.V
My shift couldn't end quickly enough, I've been here for three hours and it's only four o'clock. Alex could be doing who knows what to my tiny apartment, well our tiny apartment but to be honest I just want to be with her. I'm so glad that our sex life at least hasn't really been compromised from the months away from each other, although it was strange to be having sex in a bed, and not in the chapel or a cardboard box fort. The highlight of my day was having Alex back, but my favourite moment is when she was sleeping, she was so peaceful which is amazing, I watched her sleep for an hour before rising to get ready for work. I didn't really want to leave her, but this job has kept me on the straight and narrow since moving to Ohio and that routine has become second nature and is absolutely what I need to maintain for now. "What's up with you Piper?" I turn from my spot of sweeping up the last of the ceramic from a broken cup and see my fellow worker Bree looking at me. "Nothing is up, everything is fine, why would something be up?" I question rather quickly and Bree catches on, the smart girl is what I've decided to call her. "You're all jittery and you keep looking at the clock, have some special plans?" she questions while cleaning the coffee machine, we have a whole hour before the shop closes early tonight. "I'm just excited to get home, Alex is back…" I state vaguely, I haven't spoken much about Alex or our relationship to people, choosing to keep my circle in Ohio small so people can't judge me. "Oh you have a boyfriend, that's awesome. Or is he your fiancé?" She questions gesturing to the make-shift ring on my left hand. I grin and go to agree but stop and think before I say, "oh Alex is my fiancée and she's spectacular." I state as Bree looks shocked but recovers nicely.
"I didn't realise you were gay?" I shrug,
"I didn't used to be, I would explain that I was bi-sexual but now I'm totally gay one hundred percent of the time, is that a problem?" I question finishing the sweeping and heading to help clean out the food areas. "No way! Just shocked," Bree comments returning to her job, "…are you getting married soon?" She probes gently and I turn and look at her, flashing a major grin I state, "…it feels like we already are so probably heading to a judge's chambers any day now so I guess whenever she wants." Bree nods and we make quick work of the last hour before Bree sends me off, making sure I promise to bring Alex by next time. Agreeing quickly to her demands I strip off my apron, returning it to the hooks before booking it out of Starbucks, I don't want to be there forever but for now it works well.
After surprising Alex mid clean and her surprising me by making love to me we're in the lounge, I had called delivery for dinner and we settled on Alex choosing Mexican. So far it was delicious even if Alex was constantly offering me part of hers, while stealing parts of mine. It was awesome and so domestic as we also then argued over the TV remote and settled finally on watching Greys Anatomy. Alex groaned as I settled myself in her lap but her arms quickly wrapped me close and she began to follow the storyline. I found myself watching her, fascinated by how she had seamlessly merged back to normal life, I knew that she would want to ask me things and we had time for that but as I watch her she twitches her nose and looks around the apartment. "How was work babe?" she questions looking at me and turning the volume down, I shrug as I say, "fine, just like normal. Although I did tell my workmate about you today, she thought you were a man at first but then I explained how I am one hundred percent gay all the time. Gay for you." I state with a kiss making her blush a little. "I'm happy that you're settled Piper…" I nod but sense a but coming, she looks at me and then says, "…but do you want to spend your life here?" I know I frown almost instantly and say, "What here in Ohio?" She nods and I stumble, I guess I only really moved her to be with Alex, to support her as she finishes her sentence, but now she's out and in a few months her probation will be done and then we're free.
Watching Alex closely I state, "I want to be where you are, I love you and you're my wife, 'prison wife' but wife none the less. I just want us in the same pod." I state with certainty, she nods and then looks at me before saying, "I love you too, we really need to make that wife thing official, the Vause-Chapmans…"
"Vause's." I deadpan, Alex pauses and looks taken back,
"Vause's?" I nod and lean in to kiss her lips, she's taken back but gives me a little soft one in return. "Yes Alex, Vause's because the world has enough Chapmans, but Vause's are rare and special, like your mom and so I want to be a Vause. Just Vause." Alex's eyes brim with unshed tears and I kiss her eyelids to let her know it's what I want and she nods, "…okay so we need to make you a Vause…Piper Elizabeth Vause and then we need to buy a house." I look at her and agree, but then she continues and says, "…how would you like to move back to New York?" My eyes almost bulge out of my sockets.
"New York? Like in New York City?" I question looking at Alex but she shakes her head,
"No I have this fantasy, well I've had it since we were together the last time…" she states and I let her talk.
I watch as Alex steady's herself with a massive breath and then starts to talk. "I'd never met anyone who made me want to be in a relationship until you. That night in the bar when you bantered back and then my god us having sex! You were so fucking sexy and the moment that Sylvie laid a hand on you I knew I was hooked on you, I kept wanting to run into you but it was like you were avoiding me. I missed you so much, so when you were at the Burlesque night I knew it was fate. I knew the moment you asked me about if Sylvie was my future wife then you would walk away, but I knew you wouldn't because you were her, my wife." Alex states still looking at me as I shuffle down the couch to turn and look at her, she plays with my feet in her lap and then states, "..it was before I brought the apartment, I'd thought about our future and I wanted to invest in us but then everything happened and then Litchfield and we changed, it was touch and go in places but we were together and when you proposed my heart almost broke with emotion. I loved you so much and I knew that if we stayed together we could make it, I fantasised about you in a wedding dress or at least us being officially married. I dreamed and continue to dream about a house in the suburbs with kids running around and I want all that with you, if you'll have me?" Alex questions glancing in my direction. I nod and throw myself at her, she kisses me and says, "so New York?" I nod and say, "Yes, yes to everything Alex. I want it all."