Alex used her keys and entered the small townhouse. "Mom, are you home?" She made her way into the living room without hearing a sound. She goes to check the bathroom to see if maybe Diane is in the shower. No luck. So then goes to the fridge to check the work schedule and a grab a beverage. Since her Mom wouldn't be back for awhile. She takes out her phone and texts Nicki.

Alex: Hey Lion! At my Mom's till the morning. If you wanna swing buy and do pizza and movies, let me know.

Nicki: Stretch! How'd you free yourself from training?

Alex: I was certified yesterday and moved out of the dorms this morning

Nicki: Wanna hear all about it. I'll come by later. Maybe pizza and games instead?

Alex: Yeah that's good Nic. I just wanna a little time with you and Diane while I have the chance.

Alex decided to pack up anything in her old room that she would want at her and Pipes forthcoming apartment, plus any clothes and bathroom items that she didn't take to the dorm. Alex also checked that the storage facility would be open for her retrieve some of her stored items. 'I should text Piper and see if I need to bring anything for the kitchen or common areas.' She checked the address Piper had texted then opened her laptop to plot a path there and figure out how early she'd need to get up in the morning.

Soon her Mom returned and noticed her daughter's shoes and jacket. "Al, are you here kid?"

Walking downstairs with the biggest smile on her face, Alex goes straight to her Mom for a hug. "Hey Mom, it's so good to see you."

"You too baby. So what do I owe the honor"

"I was certified yesterday Mom. I was in the top 5% and even got a gift certificate."

"Oh, baby that's absolutely wonderful," Diane's face matching her daughter's with her own massive smile.

"And it gets even better Mom. The day before the final test, four of us were selected directly onto a security detail upon certification. That almost never happens Mom."

"Oh baby. That is fabulous. Do you know who your working for or when it starts or your pay?"

Alex laughs. "Slow down Mom. Yes I know all three. I signed paperwork and everything yesterday. It pays even better than I expected, so no financial worries on this long-term assignment. The team starts the Monday after next and we'll be based in Northampton for at least a year."

"Why Northampton? I expected someplace larger though I'm not sure why."

"The person we're protecting started watching our training a few weeks ago. Cutting her list a couple of times before choosing her her security detail. We do all the paperwork we learned in training, and send in those reports, but we work directly for her. And since that's where she is, that's where we will be."

"So have you met this woman?"

"Yes I have. In fact I really like her. She participated in three days worth of courses, so we got to run through scenarios with her both individually and as four person teams... which is the size of security detail I was chosen for."

"Tell her more about her."

"She's about to enter her final year of college. She's double majoring in media and business, the latter at her Dad's insistence. She's a couple inches shorter than me with long blonde hair and the most mesmerizing blue eyes. She seems incredibly intelligent and passionate. Her dad is the CEO of the security agency. She's not only been under protection since she was old enough to go to school, but also had to deal with a super WASPY Mom and the press treating her like some kind of royalty. She is sick of her life being controlled and dictated by others, and since graduating high school she's been slowly taking steps to be true to herself instead of who people want her to be. I find that very impressive."

"Kid, would her name happen to be Piper Chapman?"

"Yeah. It is. How'd you know?"

"I tried to think of what blonde non-famous person, tabloids and reporters love to talk about in a mostly positive way."

Alex smiles a genuine smile. "Oh, I almost forgot. Piper is about to move to a different apartment. Her current roommate, who is also her best friend, is increasingly getting on her nerves. And so she won't kill the girl or explode the friendship entirely, she's going to move. And get this, not only did she choose to give me a dual role in the security detail, but she asked me to be her new roommate as well. Apparently my presence calms her and puts her in a better head space. She's showing me her top two property choices in the morning."

"Is this what has you smiling ear to ear baby?"

"Yeah Mom. I couldn't have asked for a better situation after certification."

"Do you think you'll get sick of seeing each other constantly?"

"I asked her that Mom. She's certain she won't. We may barely know each other but we're already having great conversations, and strong non-verbal reads on each other as well. It's like her expressions and mannerisms are a novel I can read so easily yet still want to know more. As she feels pretty much the same. So I'm excited about it."

"That's great baby. So tell me more about these roles you've gotten in the detail."

"I am the team lead, so in charge of the guys and making sure we're all fulfilling our roles while keeping Piper at the very center of things. She also chose me as her body person, which is basically the person that stays closest to her, the one to notice if she's comfortable or not with anyone around her. I'm the one that steps in to either try to diffuse the situation or gently pull her away from any unwanted attention she's getting."

"You must have really hit if off for her to select you for three different roles in her life." Alex furrows her face in confusions for a few seconds until the third role suddenly occurs to her. She smirks as her Mom laughs.

"Yeah Mom. I feel we really have. The apartments are move-in ready so I imagine we'll get to move in one day next week. I think she has class registration one of those days." Alex remembers what else she wanted to mention. "Hey Mom do you work later or are you done for the day?"

"I'm done until the morning. Is there anything in particular you want to do tonight?"

"I was thinking pizza and game night with you and Nicki. She's supposed to come by when she finishes work. But I wanna spend time with you too, especially since I'll be leaving in the morning by 8 or 8:30 at the latest."

"Sounds great baby. But I'm not drinking much, hangovers at work are waaaay in my past for a reason."

Alex laughs. "I plan on doing the same. Nicki's gonna give me hell but I'd rather deal with her taunting than have an alcohol haze tomorrow when I get to see where I'll be living."

"I'm so proud of you Alex."

"Thanks Mom. Oh, I plan on giving Nic a quick watered down version of what I told you. Please don't fill in the details."

"I won't baby. But any reason you don't want her to know?" Diane asks with a raised eyebrow.

"I'll tell her eventually. But I'm way too excited about this for her antics, ya know."

"You have my word."

"Thank you."