Kubra's parties always reminded Piper of Gatsby. Grand and way too many people. Laughter, booze and white lines on mahogany tabletops. Sometimes celebrities or politicians would join in as well. It's chaos but anyone in the vicinity knows not to go in without an invite.

Piper and Alex are in the close circle of Kubra. They sit where he sits. The powerful people are in there with them, in the open space verandah that overlooks the rest of the party. It's in one of Kubra's many mansions in Paris. It has high ceilings with enormous chandeliers. Red, green, blue and neon lights bouncing off the walls and thump-thump-thump of some pop music thrumming in her blood.

Piper held the glass of champagne in her right hand and leaned on the railings, evaluating the party crowd. Her midnight blue cocktail dress fits around her hips perfectly. It had been a last minute choice due to the pockets which now carry the bugs. Piper took a sip of her champagne. Kubra hasn't arrived yet.

Piper felt two hands being softly placed at her hips. She sighed and leaned into the touch. Falling back on Alex. Alex chuckled in response.

"Feels like being on the upper deck of the Titanic, doesn't it?" Alex said after a while.

Piper nodded. "Looks like they are having way more fun than us."

Alex backed away a bit. She took Piper by her wrist and tugged towards the staircase spiralling down.

"What are you... what about-"

"Kubra won't be here for another hour. C'mon! Let's have some fun." Alex grinned like a child.

Piper couldn't stop smiling then. The childish excitement in Alex. The way she protectively has Piper's back as they go deeper into the crowd. The slow movements of her hips as she reduces any possible gap between her and Piper and starts to sway with the music. Their hands in and out of each other's hair. The slow trailing of experienced fingers going on well owned territories. The sloppy and hungry kisses of necks, collarbones and lips. Both looking like lovesick teenagers who couldn't get enough.

Time doesn't have its usual speed when they are like this. It's fast and sometimes slow. They are panting when the song ends. Both willing to continue this in a more private location.

A tap on Alex's shoulder brought her out of her trance. Alex turned around to find one of Kubra's men signalling her to come upstairs. Alex nodded. Turning to Piper, she leaned in closer to her ear and said,

"I am gonna go have some business talk with Kubra. We will pick it up where we left. I promise." Alex left with a gentle kiss and a provocative wink.

Piper let her go. At least Kubra was here now. She just needed to find his computer. And how many rooms could one mansion have?

By the time Piper opened the 17th door, she had lost all hope. Maybe today's not the day. Most of the rooms were occupied by guest who were already high off their asses. And others were naked people. A lot of naked people. Piper couldn't care less about them.

The last room however was the one were Kubra was having his meeting. Piper could tell that by the guard posted just outside. Going in now would be a mistake. So, Piper waits for the next fifteen minutes behind the door of a room just across it whose occupants were both naked and high.

When the meeting finally ended, Kubra came out laughing. From her little stakeout, Piper could see that Alex seemed distressed about something. When they were out of sight along with the bodyguard, Piper came out of hiding and casually slipped into the room.

The room sort of resembled a conference room. Long dark wood table with chairs on side. At the other end there's a television mounted on the wall. As Piper got closer, there was a call log on the screen. The latest call was an American number from Washington. Who the hell that must be?

The laptop was sitting right there at the head of the table. It was unlocked. Thank god. She wouldn't have to hack the password. But it also meant that Kubra will be back soon to get it. He is arrogant but not naive.

Piper got to work pretty quickly. She used a penny to unscrew the bottom case. It comes out easily. She placeed the little black cube in the space between. Once it was securely placed with no chance of falling it, Piper reassembled the whole thing praying that she didn't damage any parts.

Next went the thumb drive. Piper put it on one of the ports and it started running a code automatically. Piper left the laptop and peeked out of the door just to be sure.

Fuck.

Kubra was walking towards the conference room. He was too busy talking to a very sketchy looking guy. Piper ran to the laptop. The screen read,

48%

Estimated time : 560 seconds

Piper glanced at the laptop. What's the best way to deal with this? Fuck fuck fuck.

507 seconds

Kubra was just outside the door. Piper could hear them talking. She could even make out the words if she concentrated hard enough. But she was too busy emptying a nearby glass of champagne all on her dress. She smeared the rest of her lipstick, kicked off one of her heels to the far corner, tousled her hair and hoped that she looked drunk as fuck. She was positioning herself on the third chair from the head of the table very ungracefully when her ears focused on Kubra's words,

"-no, no... keep Vause out of it. The less she knows the better. JF wants her to take the fall. We can't risk telling her more than she needs to know. Once she is arrested I don't want her to rat us out to the agency."

"We can take her out before the agency gets her." An unfamiliar voice said. "Like we did with Fahri and all the others."

Piper's heart is beating like she has run a marathon. This was not the kind of information she was supposed to hear but thank god she did.

"When the time comes she must be taken care of. But don't do anything that's unnecessary. In two days everything will pay off all the sacrifices and we will have everything we ever wanted."

"To a new world."

There was a clink of glass and a short laughter. Piper heard Kubra get in the room as she settled with her face in the crook of her elbow and another glass of whiskey.

234 seconds

Kubra halted the moment he saw her. His whiskey splashing out of his tumbler. He contemplated her for a few seconds before walking forward to reach her. He came closer and placed a hand on Piper's bare shoulder, grabbing it hard.

Motherfucker.

"Wha-" Piper mumbled. "Alexxx..." she lifted her head slowly and hoped drama classes at Smith were worth it.

"No. It's me." Kubra chuckled.

Piper tried to stand up but failed miserably.

"No. No. No. Sit down." Kubra grabbed her waist pulling her back on the chair and sat down next to her. "You look very very drunk."

"No...it was just one drinkk." Piper slurred. "Alex was there then she wasn't." Piper cried. Tears streaming down, smearing her mascara.

"I am sure she was busy." Kubra's hands now travelled to her head. Stroking her hair.

"But she left me." Piper wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. "She...she..." Piper broke down crying again.

Kubra pulled her closer with one hand and placed his other hand at Piper's inner thigh. Piper silently gasped at the contact.

"Shh... baby girl. I am here now. I will take care of you. Soon there will be no Alex Vause and you will be all mine."

The way he was holding her now, Piper counted eight ways in which she could end his life. Three of which would be very painful.

A knee to his balls. Rotate his body while he will be recovering. Head in armlock. Crushing the tumbler and putting it into his mouth. Tighten the arm around his neck and he will be forced to breath in the glass which will in turn cut his trachea into pieces, causing him to bleed internally. Breathing will kill him. Slowly and rather painfully. But no. Now's not the time.

Piper counted the seconds in her head.