Nicky hopped from the stool at the counter as the bell jinged above the door, signalling Red's arrival. The smile that had plastered itself over her face dropped as she saw Piper and Alex coming through the door quickly followed by the person she had actually wanted to see.

"I thought we were having lunch," Nicky said, all tact out of the window. Her lips were pursed as she awaited Red's response and she didn't seem pleased in the slightest even with Alex's presence.

"We are," Red said simply, hanging her coat on the stand by the door. She raised her eyebrows, waiting to see if Nicky would push any further. "I invited Piper and Alex to join us. I take it you're still hungry?"

"Yes," Nicky admitted reluctantly. She looked to Alex, rubbing her ear on her shoulder and pressing her lips together. "I'm sorry for telling Red about what happened."

"That's okay," Alex said, shrugging. "It wasn't what you thought anyway...but Red took me to see my mom, so everything worked out."

Nicky raised her eyebrows. "Took you where to see your mom?"

Alex rocked on her heels. "The hospital."

"Why is your mom in the hospital?" Nicky asked, all traces of her sulk gone as her curiosity got the better of her. She lowered her voice. "Is she having one of her...episodes, again?"

Alex shook her head, picking at her hangnails. "No, not exactly," she said slowly.

"You don't have to answer her," Red said, looping an apron round her neck. She glanced at Nicky, tugging gently on one of her curls. "Have you never heard of the phrase, 'not my circus, not my monkeys', hm?"

"I mean, if I hadn't involved myself already, Alex wouldn't have seen her mom. So technically, this is one big circus involving us all. Piper could be the ventriloquist dummy," she offered.

"Ha-ha," Piper said weakly, throwing a glare in Nicky's direction. She sat down on one of the bar stools at the counter and rolled her eyes. "Where was that display you wanted help with, Red?"

"Oh, it's just over there," Red said vaguely. "You can get to it later. I'll fix you something to eat first. It's been a long day."

"Mm," Piper agreed, gratefully accepting when Red reached over to pass her a steaming mug of hot chocolate. "Thanks."

"No problem," Red said, smiling as she watched Piper warming her hands on the mug. "Alex, would you like one?"

"I'll take a coffee," Nicky piped up.

Red raised her eyebrows. "Will you?"

"Can I have a coffee, please?" Nicky rephrased, offering Red a sheepish smile.

"No, you don't need the caffeine," Red said, passing her a mug of hot chocolate the same as Piper had. She watched as Nicky looked down at the mug, a frown beginning to form on her face. "Take it or leave it," the older woman sang, lifting the mug away teasingly.

Nicky took it, of course, and Alex nodded from behind her.

"I'll take one please, Red," she said, sitting herself down next to Piper. The blonde continued to stare down into her mug without flinching as Alex stared at her. A little v formed between her eyebrows as she gave Piper a little poke, moving her hair out of the way so that she could see her face. "You okay, Pipes?"

"Of course," Piper said, plastering a fake smile on. "I'm fine, sweetie. I'm glad you had fun visiting your mom. Do you feel better now?"

Alex smiled. She was pretty sure this was a distraction technique on Piper's part, but if she didn't want to talk about it now, that was fine by her. They could talk about it later, but she would find out whatever it was.

"I do," she said with a firm nod. "I know you probably don't understand, but...I've been looking after her my whole life. It was hell, those three days. Seeing her was such a relief."

Piper forced herself to smile. She might not understand it, but she was willing to try to. She laced her fingers with Alex's, brushing her thumb over the back of her hand.

"I'll bet," she said, sounding anything but enthusiastic. With her free hand she took another sip from her hot cocoa. "This is lovely Red, thank you."

"You're welcome, honey," Red said, looking over the grill she was toasting bagels with. "These will be ready in just a moment so I hope you're hungry."

Piper smiled. "Yeah, I am," she said agreeably, her nose in the air appreciatively sniffing at the scent of freshly warmed bagels wafting through. "Mm. They smell just like the ones you get at Bagel Oasis."

"They're better," Nicky said, which earned a smile from Red. She wrinkled her nose. "Red never reheats them. I'm pretty sure they do at Oasis."

Red looked up at Alex and Piper, who weren't really chattering away like they usually did. "Nicky," she said, remembering her and Piper's conversation in the car, " I'm out of cream cheese and my back hurts. Would you help me get some from the store room fridge?"

Nicky hopped from her chair easily, nodding as she drained the last of her hot chocolate. "Sure," she said agreeably, her eyebrows knitting together. "But I thought you got some down the other day."

Red shot a glare Nicky's way. "Yes, well, a lot of people like bagels, don't they? We're in New York, remember," she said sharply.

Nicky rolled her eyes, exchanged a glance with Alex as if to say, I have no idea what is going on, and followed Red out to the back room.

Piper turned to Alex, hands on hips. "How are you really?"

Alex looked a little bemused. "Fine," she said, pushing her glasses further up her nose. She looked at Piper. "I'm fine."

"What happened that night?" Piper asked.

"I already told you," Alex sighed. "The gun dropped and-"

"Yeah, I know," Piper said, lowering her voice. "But where is the gun now? Did you get rid of it?"

Alex shook her head, her eyes misting.

"Where is it?"

Silence.

Piper's eyes widened. "It's not in that fucking boot, is it?"

Wordlessly, Alex nodded.

Piper groaned but clutched Alex's clammy hand in hers. "It's okay. We're going to sit tight here, eat that bagel, put up that window display, and then we're gonna go to yours. I will sort this out. Okay?"

Alex bit down hard on her lip. "I don't want you getting involved."

"Isn't it a bit late to worry about that?" Piper said.

"This isn't kid stuff," Alex said sharply. "It's not pills and weed, okay? It's an unregistered gun that almost killed someone. This is a whole different ball-game."

"What happened when the ambulance came to your house?"

"It didn't," Alex said, tears brimming in her eyes. "My mom limped outside to an alleyway outside of our house. You know the one. Then she told me to go and get lost. Said she didn't wanna see me."

Piper felt her heart squeeze. "Sweetie, she didn't want you getting into trouble with the law," she said, finally finding some common ground with Diane. "She didn't not wanna see you. She was trying to protect you."

Piper swallowed hard. The thought of Diane hobbling, a gunshot wound to the stomach, out of her home and into a dirty, dingy alleyway just to protect her daughter made Piper feel sick. She must have been in so much pain. She must have been so frightened that she wouldn't make it, terrified that Alex would get into serious trouble.

"It didn't feel like that at the time," Alex said quietly.

"No," Piper said softly, pushing Alex's hair back out of her eyes. "I don't suppose it did. But you were in shock. And we're going to sort this. Okay?"

Alex nodded, wrapping her pinky finger around Piper's in promise. "Okay."

The brunette wiped her eyes on the back of her hand as Red and Nicky walked back in. Nicky peeked at her from behind the large cardboard box she was juggling.

"You okay, Al?"

Alex forced out a smile. "Yeah. Of course I am," she said, repositioning her glasses. "The real question is: are you?" She laughed. "You look like you're struggling with that box, girl."

"Not me," Nicky said, heaving the box down next to the smaller refrigerator behind the counter. She kissed her almost non-existent biceps and flexed. "I can handle the heat." She squatted down to place the smaller containers of cream cheese into the fridge. "Red," she said, her tone colored with annoyance. "There is cream cheese in here. I think you're losing it."

Red gave Alex a little smile and then rubbed Nicky's back as she placed three bagels down on a cutting board and began to spread cream cheese on them. "I must be," she said. "That happens when you get old, you know."

Nicky's hands hovered over the shelf. "You're not old, Red."

There was a slight quiver to Nicky's voice. She didn't like to think that way. Even with the lines on her face, even when she groaned as sat down, even when she complained about the gray hairs peeking through the maroon, Nicky never thought of Red as old. Old meant fragile. Old meant not much time left. She couldn't imagine life without Red and she didn't want to.

"No," Red agreed, giving Nicky a quick little squeeze. She pecked her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere for a long time." She turned to Alex. "No-one around here is, hm? I bet you're looking forward to your mom coming out of hospital."

"I am," Alex said. "I just hope she stays long enough to heal up properly. She hates hospitals, but she needs to be there."

"I'll visit her again," Red offered. "I'll try to make her see that staying is a good idea."

"Thanks, Red," Alex said. "I appreciate it."

As Nicky finished placing the cream cheeses into the fridge, Alex and Piper finished off their bagels. After a moment of sitting, their tummies full, Alex jumped from her chair. "So, what do you want us to do for the display?"

"Oh, just put up the specials board and hang some garland," Red said dismissively. "My boys used to do it but they have busy lives now. Even my youngest doesn't like doing it anymore." She let out a sigh. "I could force him but life has taught me to pick my battles. That's something to remember, girls. Always pick your battles."

"Oh, that won't take long," Piper said easily.

"The bits you'll need are in that box," Red said, tilting her head toward a cardboard box balanced on the countertop. "Just set that up and then you can go. I know you've had a lot to deal with."

Alex flashed Red a smile, taking Piper's hand and giving it a squeeze. Nicky rolled her eyes as Red smiled at young love.

"Yeah," Alex agreed, a sigh slipping from her lips, "But it's easier when you have someone to get through it with, isn't it?"

"It is," Red agreed. "Whilst you two get on with the display, I'm going to do a final stock check and empty the register. Nicky, will you serve customers, please?"

Nicky nodded, finishing off the rest of her bagel. She pulled a magazine from under the counter and got comfy to wait for the last stragglers of the day. "Sure."

Piper walked over to the box of window display supplies and pulled out the poster. Alex followed after her.

"I really appreciated you coming today," Alex said, her voice low. She stood close next to Piper so that their arms brushed. "I don't think I could have done it without you."

"Oh, you could have," Piper said, and she sounded like she really meant it, "I'm glad you got to see her. I know it meant a lot to you."

"No, I mean it," Alex pressed on. She pressed her lips together. "I've been so hard on you. I don't think...I don't think I've been very fair."

Piper looked up from the Blu Tack she was sticking to the poster to adhere it to the window, shrugging. "I shouldn't have pushed you so hard when you weren't ready."

She stuck the poster on the window, pressing it down hard with a sigh, and turned back to Alex.

"I tend to go a little crazy when I like something. Or someone. I can be...intense," she said slowly. She picked up a chalk window marker from the box, flipping it between her fingers. "I know I need to reign it in sometimes. But it comes from a good place." She flashed Alex a quick, half embarrassed smile. "Well, most of the time."

Alex nodded, tucking a strand of brunette hair behind her ear. "Yeah. I know that now."


Piper pulled up outside of Alex's house and cut the engine. She turned to Alex. "Ready?"

Alex nodded a little reluctantly, playing with her fingers as she stalled getting out of the car. "You really think this is a good idea?"

Piper nodded. "Absolutely. If they come looking for that gun, it's not exactly well hidden, is it?"

Besides, Piper thought, thanking God that Alex was finally listening; if that gun was out of Alex's hands, she wouldn't be able to get herself into any more trouble with it. Good riddance, she thought as she climbed out of the car, hoping Alex would follow.

Alex did follow, fishing her keys from her back pocket as she dawdled up the path to her house. Once, she would have felt ashamed as she stared up at her house, at the broken windows and the ivy crawling up the walls, but she couldn't even bring herself to care then. She opened up the door, letting Piper walk through first.

"You got a new rug," Piper noted, staring down at the - franky, ugly - runner that laid on the floor in front of her. "It's...different."

"Mm," Alex said, her eyes glued to the floor. "It covers the blood stain."

"Oh," Piper said, swallowing hard. She reached out for Alex's hand. "I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"It's fine," Alex said dismissively, making her way to her bedroom. "You couldn't have known. Wait here. I'll get the...I'll get it and then we can go straight away."

"We don't have to do it straight away," Piper offered. "I don't have to be home for a while."

"No, that's okay," Alex said over her shoulder.

Piper was stung, but Alex hadn't meant anything by it. It wasn't Piper, it was this house. She struggled to be in it for long periods of time now. If she had to be in it, then she was bundled under her covers in bed, music blaring, and trying to block it all out. It was harder than she'd anticipated, coming back after Diane had been shot.

Piper nodded to herself and waited for Alex to return. She was trying her hardest not to push Alex too hard, but she had to admit, it wasn't easy. When Alex did return, she clutched a bundle of fabric in her hands.

"I wrapped it in a tea towel," she explained. "It's not loaded anymore. The bullets are wrapped up in it too."

"Good," Piper said, looping her arm through Alex's. "Now come on. Let's get this over with."


Piper leaned on the edge of the bridge. "It's a pretty view," she noted, turning to Alex. "Sometimes I wish we could just freeze time, you know."

"Not in this moment," Alex said grimly, her sweaty hands trying to keep ahold of the bundle of fabric and the gun sitting underneath it.

"No," Piper agreed, a half smile appearing on her face. "Maybe not."

"Should I toss it now?" Alex asked.

Piper nodded. "Just drop it. Don't Frisbee it or anything."

Alex did as she asked. As she heard it splash down into the icy water, she couldn't help the sobs that broke through her eerily calm demeanor. She curled in on herself, wrapping herself up in her own arms, as she yelped and cried.

"Oh, Al," Piper breathed, pulling Alex closer to her. She held her up, and though Alex was taller than her, she seemed so childlike in her arms. Piper planted a kiss on her head, squeezing her tighter and tighter as she continued to weep. "It's okay now, alright? Everything is going to be okay. Your mom looked great. You're okay. You're okay."

"It's just been so hard," Alex said, barely able to draw breath through the tears that splashed down her ivory cheeks, "I'm so tired, Pipes."

"Tired?" Piper asked, holding her up. "You need to sleep, sweetie."

"I can't," Alex said. "How am I supposed to sleep? Nothing makes sense anymore. I have to work, I have to look after mom, I have to take care of everything! It'd be easier on my own," Alex said, and then she cried harder, because a couple of days ago, she could have been left alone.

"You don't mean that," Piper said softly. "I think you need to get some sleep. Come on. I'm taking you home, okay?"

Alex nodded and let Piper lead her to the car. There was a weight lifted now the gun was gone, but there wasn't a huge amount of relief. She only felt exhausted and depleted.

Walking through her front door again, Alex tried to avoid looking at the rug on the floor. She limped to her bed, let Piper cover her with a blanket, and closed her eyes as the blonde sat on the edge of the bed, stroking her hair.

"Go to sleep," Piper said quietly. "Tomorrow will be a better day. I promise."

"You don't know that," Alex mumbled, her mouth pressed against her pillow. She cracked an eye open. "No-one knows that."

"No," Piper admitted, leaning down to kiss her forehead, "I guess I don't. But we can hope, right? And as long as we've got each other, we'll get through. I promise that. Hm?"

"Piper?"

She looked down. "Yeah?"

"I think I love you."

Piper hadn't been expecting that. Her hand froze, tangled in Alex's hair, as she nodded. "Yeah," she said, her voice barely audible. "I think I love you too."


Piper knew she should have gone home after dropping Alex off. She knew her parents would be wondering where she was by now, she knew there wasn't really anything she could do anywhere else. Yet as she drove, she wasn't driving home. She drove in the opposite direction, in fact.

"Poppy," Diane said in surprise as Piper stepped into the room. "I didn't expect to see you again tonight. Is Alex with you?" She peered behind the blonde hopefully, but Alex didn't appear, nor would she.

Piper prickled with annoyance; by now, she was sure Mrs Vause was calling her every P name under the sun except her own on purpose.

"It's Piper," she said, trying to smooth out her forehead as a frown forced its way onto her face. "My name is Piper."

"Sorry," Diane said, without a hint of remorse in her voice. She shrugged. "It's the drugs, you know...some pretty strong stuff."

"I see," Piper said, readjusting the strap on her backpack. "You should be careful with those. You know, my neighbor's son, he got addicted after back surgery...it's pretty common."

Diane regarded Piper carefully, tilting her head. "I won't get addicted."

"Well, no-one thinks they will," she replied. "But Alex needs a mom to look after her. She needs you to get better and take care of her." Like you should have been doing all this time, she added inside of her head.

She replayed tossing that gun into the river, flinching as she heard the splash in her mind. Alex had looked terrified as she fished it out of her bag and Piper never wanted to see her look like that again. Any sympathy she'd had for Diane had withered and died the moment Piper had seen that black eye anyway.

When Diane offered nothing else up, Piper couldn't stop the question from spilling from her mouth.

"Why would you try and wrestle a loaded gun out of someone's hands?" Piper asked, her brow wrinkled. "It makes no sense! So yes, this is your mess! And Alex shouldn't be cleaning up after you yet she is - again!"

"I didn't know it was loaded," Diane said in her defense, rubbing her temples as she sighed. "How was I supposed to know that?"

"You always assume it's loaded!" Piper exploded, parroting back the words her Dad had always taught her. "Alex could have been killed."

Diane threw back her blanket, revealing a bundle of bandages. "I could have been killed!"

"Don't you care?" Piper asked. "She's your daughter. Your only daughter. And yet she's been the adult for basically her whole life. Taking care of you. Making sure you're okay. Putting you first. You know that's backwards, right? It should be the other way round."

"She almost killed me, aren't you listening?" Diane's voice grew dangerously loud.

"Lower your voice!" Piper hissed back at her. "Just get yourself together, will you? As much as I don't understand it, Alex loves you. And I love Alex. So with that being said, you and I need to work together."

"Work together?" Diane scoffed. "I wouldn't work with you if you were paying me!"

"Well, you might want to hear the offer before you turn it down," Piper snapped back. She took a deep breath to calm herself, reminding herself that this was Alex's mom. No matter what, Alex loved her, and that meant more than anything else right now.

Diane looked at Piper. "Go on then," she said quietly, a little v forming between her eyebrows. "Spit it out."

"My dad needs a cleaner for his office. It doesn't pay much but it's something. Something steady. And something to pay the damn bills so Alex doesn't have to."

"You know, Piper," Diane said, looking the blonde straight in the eye, "I never intended to fuck up this badly. I never intended for Alex to have to pay the bills. I don't want her to." Her voice was quiet.

"I know," Piper said, because she saw in Diane's eyes that she meant it, and she wondered how on earth she'd ever got this low down in the world, "And this is your chance to prove it. Put your money where your mouth is."

"Okay," she said quietly. "When do I start?"

Piper softened, reaching out to touch Diane's arm. "When you're better," she said firmly. "Focus on getting better and then get back to me. Okay?"

Diane nodded. "Okay."


A/N:

Hey guys. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter, I appreciate them. It's been awhile, I know. I hope you enjoyed this update. Please let me know what you thought and what you'd like to see in the future.

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year.

- Star xo