Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Okay, so this chapter picks up from where the last one left off at.

Once again, thank you to everyone for reviewing and supporting this story still. I'm glad to hear that you are still enjoying where this is going. :) And big thanks to fig-aruna for everything! I mean it girl, you rock! :)

We Found Love

knight in shining armour...

Piper couldn't help but burst out with laughter as she and Alex stumbled out of the bathroom, hand-in-hand.

They were both still reeling from their previous activities in the bathroom, especially Piper. She couldn't believe she had just hooked up with Alex in the stall of the ladies room...again. With Alex, sex seemed to be on the table wherever they went. Which she didn't mind. She found it thrilling, to say the least. Over the five years she had been with Larry, sex had been pretty much kept in the bedroom or at least in the confines of the apartment. But like everything else with Alex, sex was different. If the brunette wanted it, she would do it. No matter where she was, really.

Alex yanked on Piper's hand hard, pulling the blonde towards her once again, her green eyes gleaming in the dark lighting of the bar as she locked eyes with Piper. The brunette grinned slightly as she pushed Piper up against the wall and began to kiss her hard and passionately. She knew she'd said that they should get out of here, but, with Piper, she just couldn't help herself. She wanted her. She blamed it on the alcohol currently coursing through her body.

Piper immediately cupped the sides of Alex's face, pulling the brunette's mouth closer down to hers as she began to kiss her back just as firmly.

The kiss was heavy and intense.

Their tongues slid and twisted together as lips opened wide. They sucked, bit, and licked at each other's faces. It was slobbery and wet but also filled with fire and passion. It was way too intimate and raunchy of a kiss to be seen in public, but they were both too wrapped up in each other to even think about that. It seemed like it was just the two of them as they tongue-fucked against the wall. The noisy atmosphere of the bar was like white noise in the background. All that could be heard was the beating of each other's hearts.

The couple continued to get lost in each other's touch for a few moments before breaking apart.

They grinned sheepishly at each other as Alex rested her forehead against Piper's and stared deeply into her eyes. They were both trying to catch their breaths.

The couple shared a tender kiss before Alex once again reached for Piper's hand and led her back into the noisy atmosphere of the bar. They should at least say goodbye to Nicky and wish her a Happy Birthday again before leaving, thought Alex. Nicky was understanding of most things, but Alex didn't think she would be too happy with either of them if they just left without a word.

Neither spoke as they wended their way through the swarm of people and back towards the table.

"Hey, Lovebirds!" cried out Big Boo as the couple reappeared at the table. The bigger woman just merely smirked and wagged her eyebrows knowingly at them. It didn't take a genius to figure out where the couple had disappeared off to.

Alex just rolled her eyes at Big Boo as she pulled Piper slightly closer to her.

"Where's Nicky?" asked Alex when she noticed that the table was empty except for Big Boo and Jones, who were seated intimately together.

Big Boo just let out a chuckle before gesturing over to the corner of the bar.

Alex frowned slightly as she followed Big Boo's gaze and looked over to where she was pointing to. A smirk immediately spread across her face at what she saw. Nicky and Lorna were deeply lip-locked together, just like Alex and Piper had been mere minutes ago. It seemed like they weren't the only ones who couldn't keep their hands off of each other.

Alex let out a raspy chuckle as she continued to spy on at the couple before casting a sideways glance at Piper.

"Should we go and interrupt them?" asked Piper.

"Nah," replied Alex with a slight shake of her head. "Let them be." If this was any other day, Alex would surely have rubbed it in Nicky's face, but it was her birthday. Woman deserved to have a little drunken fun, she thought. She would let it slide, this time around.

Alex once again looked over at the couple before snaking her arm around Piper's waist. She held her against her side as she leaned forward and kissed the blonde quickly on the cheek. "Let's get out of here."

Piper caught Alex's eye and nodded her head. She was more than ready to get out of the bar and back to the loft.

"Tell Nicky goodbye for us!" said Alex as she tore her eyes away from Piper and onto Big Boo again.

Big Boo smirked in reply. "Yeah, yeah. I got yer back, Vause!"

"Thanks, Big Boo!" Alex said with a smirk before she waved goodbye at the couple seated at the table and began to lead Piper out of the bar.

"Do you want to walk or take a cab?" asked Alex towards Piper as the two of them walked out of the bar and into the quiet New York streets.

"Cab," murmured Piper as she snuggled closer to Alex.

"Are you getting sleepy on me, Chapman?" Alex asked as she peered down at Piper over the rims of her glasses. There was a look of amusement on her face as the blonde rested her head against her shoulder.

"No..." murmured Piper as she smiled lazily up at Alex. "I'm just resting my eyes." Her eyelids had suddenly grown heavy with sleep. This was not uncommon for the blonde after the amount of alcohol she had consumed. Piper was a sleepy drunk. However, she was determined to fight off her tiredness, and she blinked her eyes rapidly as she lifted her head off of Alex's shoulder.

Alex couldn't help but smile at her girlfriend at this. She kissed Piper softly on the lips before pulling away. "A cab it is then."

The brunette held tightly onto Piper's waist, holding her close to her side as she tried to hail a cab.

Piper once again leaned all her weight into Alex and rested her head back against the brunette's shoulder, blissfully closing her eyes once again.

The bar doors opened suddenly, a crowd of people spilling out onto the sidewalk behind them. Voices and conversation swirled around the two, but neither Alex or Piper paid much attention to the newcomers.

"Piper?!"

The blonde's eyes immediately fluttered open at hearing her name and looked over her shoulder at the familiar voice.. Alex too turned to look to see who had called Piper's name.

"Larry!" Piper cried in utter shock to see her ex-fiancé standing a mere three feet away from her on the sidewalk. The last time she had seen him had been on what-was-supposed-to-have-been their wedding day.

"That's me," Larry answered with a hint of a smile as Piper continued to gawk helplessly at him.

The blonde was in complete shock at suddenly seeing him here, especially since she was currently glued to Alex's side.

An awkward silence and tension of sorts fell over the trio as they stood in front of the entrance of the bar and looked stupidly at each other. Alex was holding onto Piper as if she were claiming her as her own, and her face was blank of emotion as she stared at Larry, who was swaying slightly on the spot. He was drunk, she noted.

Piper's blue eyes were wide and Bambi-like as she continued to look at the face of her ex. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening. Two months ago, the exact same thing had pretty much happened, except it was her and Larry serendipitously running into Alex, and now it was happening again, just in reverse. She could feel Alex's hand pressing firmly into her side, her fingers slightly digging into her skin as the three of them continued to stand there.

"So..." started Larry. "You guys are still together." His brown eyes looked between the two women. He had heard that Piper had gone to live with Alex, but seeing them together in the flesh now was something else.

Piper bit down on her lower lip as she quickly glanced over at Alex for a second before returning her attention back onto Larry. "Yes, we are," she stated simply.

She didn't know what to say to her ex. There really hadn't been anything to say. Yes, leaving him the way she had had been terrible, and she regretted not having left him sooner. But she couldn't go back in time to change how she had ended things with Larry. And she had no idea of how he had been since then. She knew that Larry had gone on their honeymoon alone, but other than that, she had no clue on what he had been up to. Polly had made a point of not mentioning him, and Piper herself had made a point of not asking. She didn't want to know, and she was perfectly happy not knowing, for she was with Alex now, plain and simple. Don't get her wrong. Piper wished Larry all the best in life and hoped he would be able to find someone to love. But she didn't need nor did she want to keep up with his life since they had parted ways.

They needed to move on.

She had moved on.

"Come on, Pipes," whispered Alex into Piper's ear. She could sense that something was going to happen if they continued to stand there talking to Larry. She didn't like the look on his face at the moment. Maybe she was reading too much into it, and maybe her feelings were getting in the way of her judgement at the moment. Maybe Larry was harmless. But she didn't want to take the chance. She could tell by the way he was staring at Piper that he was still in love with her. And she couldn't blame the guy for that. She knew what it was like to have your heart broken by the blonde. It fucking sucked. But she wasn't going to stand around sympathizing with him either.

Piper snapped her attention back onto Alex at this. The two women held each other's eyes for a second before the blonde nodded her head in agreement. She could tell that Alex was feeling a little uneasy about Larry, and frankly, so was she.

As a cab magically pulled up, Alex turned and released her grip on Piper, allowing the blonde to look over at Larry one last time.

Larry immediately took a step towards Piper and reached out for her hand. He wasn't ready to let her go so easily this time.

"Larry!"

"Pipes. That's what I called you," Larry whispered, his brown eyes boring into Piper's as he smiled sadly at her. "My little Pipes..."

"Larry!" Piper whispered more distraughtly as she tried to pull away from his grip. Her heart suddenly began to race as panic began to set in. She didn't like this one bit.

Alex turned away from the cab and back onto Piper and Larry at this, her eyes immediately falling to where Larry was holding tightly onto Piper's wrist.

"Let her the fuck go." Alex's voice was clear and firm. She didn't want to start anything between her and Larry, but she wasn't going to be shy about defending her girlfriend's boundaries.

Larry, however, didn't seem to be threatened by Alex. He ignored the taller woman and continued to bore his eyes into Piper. "I miss you so fucking much," he whispered. "The apartment just isn't the same without you there, Pipes..."

"Larry," whispered Piper again, her voice taking on a desperate tinge.

"Come home with me," he begged. "I don't know what I did, but...I can change, Pipes. Polly said it was because I wasn't adventurous enough. That you wanted excitement in your life. I can be that. I can be exciting, Piper. Yes, maybe over the last few years things had gotten predictable between us, but that can all change... Just last week I bought spicy Dijon mustard instead of my usual Frenchie's yellow mustard..."

"Larry, it's over," whispered Piper over Larry's murmuring. "Please go home. You're drunk."

"I love you, Piper..." Larry's words started to slur as he tightened his grip on Piper slightly and continued to stare intensely at her. He was determined to change Piper's mind. He knew that Piper still loved him, even if she said she didn't. "And I know you love me too. I forgive you for leaving because you were just scared and thought that Alex was what you wanted. But I can make you happy, Piper..."

"Larry, please. Just let me go...it's over," Piper's voice came out strained slightly as she once again tried to pull away from him. "I don't love you."

"Let her fucking go, Larry!" spoke Alex, who had moved slightly so that she was now standing in front of Piper. Her whole body was on alert, ready to make a move if Larry tried to do anything else.

"Larry, please."

Larry didn't bat an eye at Alex as he continued to focus solely on Piper. His grip on her wrist was tighter now as he pulled on it slightly. "I love you, Piper," he whispered as he tried to reach out for her other hand.

Before he could though, Alex was on him like a cat. She'd had enough of this crap.

"Do not fucking touch her!" she cried as her fist slammed into the side of Larry's face.

"ALEX!" Piper screamed in shock as she watched things devolve quickly in front of her.

Larry immediately let go of Piper's wrist and stumbled back slightly at the sudden impact of Alex's fist. He swore, bringing his hands up to his face as blood starting to flow from the nose.

"Fuck," swore Alex slightly as pain shot through her right hand. It had been a while since she had hit someone like that. Her knuckles were red from where they had come into contact with Larry's nose.

She looked down at her hand for a moment longer before glancing over at Piper. She didn't bother to look over at Larry who was still swearing up a storm, kneeling over in pain. Alex couldn't quite read the expression on Piper's face as she stared back at her. She couldn't tell if she was mad or not for punching Larry.

"Piper," Alex began, taking a small step towards the blonde.

Piper just shook her head and gestured towards the still waiting cab. "Let's just go," she whispered. She just wanted to get home.

Alex stood there for another second looking at Piper before nodding her head in understanding.

Not another word was spoken as the two women got into the cab and headed back to Alex's loft apartment.

"Are you mad?" asked Alex in a whisper as she looked over at Piper, who was closing the front door behind her.

They had just gotten home, and Alex couldn't take the deafening silence any longer. She needed Piper to talk to her.

Piper slowly turned to look at Alex at this. Their eyes met briefly in the darkened apartment, but Alex couldn't read the expression on Piper's face.

"Are you mad?" she asked again, more nervously.

However, Piper didn't say anything as she came towards Alex.

"Let me see your hand," she whispered as she gently reached for Alex's right hand and began to inspect the damage done to it.

"It's fine," whispered Alex as she watched Piper lay her right hand out flat against her own. She tried to pull it away, but Piper grasped a hold of her wrist.

"It's going to bruise, probably," Piper observed as she took in the damage to Alex's knuckles, still avoiding Alex's gaze as she explained all of this. She was still trying to get over the shock at everything that had just happened. Not only from seeing Larry all of a sudden but also Alex punching him in the face.

"I'll be okay," Alex tried to reassure her. The back of her hand was still stinging, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. She could handle the pain.

"You don't always have to act so tough," whispered Piper as she suddenly looked up at Alex and met her eye.

Alex was slightly taken aback by this. Her green eyes bore into Piper's in surprise, and she opened and closed her mouth as she tried to think of how to response. She wasn't sure if Piper had meant acting tough about the pain or whether she was implying something about the punch.

A silence fell between them as they looked at each other before Piper dropped her gaze to Alex's hand once again. She then brought it up to her lips and kissed it softly. Alex couldn't help but wince slightly as the tender skin came into contact with Piper's lips.

Piper looked up at Alex briefly before letting go of her hand and slowly making her way into the kitchen.

Alex stood there watching as Piper flicked on the lights and opened the refrigerator door. The blonde came back a moment later with a bag of frozen peas and two cans of beer in her hands.

"Here, put this on your hand," whispered Piper as she handed Alex the bag of peas. "It'll help with the swelling."

Alex didn't say anything as she took the cold bag and placed it carefully on her right hand.

Neither spoke a word as they took a seat on the couch beside one another. Piper opened both of the cans with a hiss before handing one of them over to Alex.

"Thanks," murmured Alex as she took the can with her left hand. Her right hand was resting on her thigh with the bag of frozen peas sitting on top of it.

Piper offered Alex a small smile before taking a sip from her own can.

Alex continued to look at Piper, silently watching as the blonde drank her beer while leaving her own can untouched. She still wanted to make sure everything was okay between them.

"Are you mad?" she asked again.

Piper smiled again at Alex as she lowered her can onto her lap and turned her body so that she was facing the brunette better. "No," she whispered. "But I do think that what you did was fucking stupid. I'm not mad though."

Alex smirked slightly at hearing this.

"Thank you," finished Piper in a whisper as she leaned slightly into Alex.

Alex cocked an eyebrow in confusion at this.

"Thank you for being my knight in shining armour and coming to my rescue," teased the blonde.

Alex knew that Piper was just trying to be funny, but there was some truth to Piper's words. She once again smiled at the blonde. She was happy that Piper wasn't upset at her for punching Larry like she had.

The couple continued to look at each other before Piper inched her face closer to Alex's and captured her lips in a soft kiss.

If you feel like making my day, leave a review!

Thanks for reading.

Julie