Alex woke up with a start. She blinked at the unfamiliarity of the place before everything settled and she was again reminded of her situation. She laid in bed for a few more minutes to calm herself down. Her ears were trained downstairs to listen for Piper. But she only got silence in return. She was alone in the house. A familiar fear of abandonment send shivers down her spine. Where is Piper? Maybe she was asleep, Alex reasoned.

Alex tiptoed down the stairs to find the living room empty. But there was something stuck on the fridge door. A note.

I will be back by 4.

-P

Alex released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She drank some water and decided to take a quick shower. The sleep had helped clearing her mind. If they were going to be fugitives, she might as well be clean.

It was nearly five in the evening when Piper came back to the house. Alex had been awake for an hour now. She had taken a shower and microwaved some Pizza from the refrigerator.

"Hey." Piper said getting rid of her shoes.

"You went running?" Alex asked. "Don't you have your pictures on the news?"

"CIA would never admit that one it's own betrayed it. Apparently, I would tarnish their reputation. Besides, I know how to hide." Piper walked past Alex into the kitchen to get a bottle of water.

"Okay." Alex said. "What do we do next?"

"I need to catch up on my sleep. Two hours then we leave."

"Leave for where?"

"The hospital where they are keeping Poussey Washington."

"And that is relevant to our objectives, how?"

"I don't know okay." Piper replied frustrated. "At this point you know as much as I do. Maybe more."

"You are just gonna sleep now? And what am I supposed to do?"

Piper's eyes lit up. She stood up immediately grabbing Alex by her wrist and pulled towards the hallway.

"C'mon. I have something to show you." She said walking towards the end of the hallway with a mischievous smile on her lips.

Piper opened the mahogany double doors to reveal a slightly dim room. She turned the lights on. Alex gasped joyfully at seeing what was in front of her. Piper let go of her hand and just looked at her. She had thought she would never have this moment with her. But now, they were standing in Chapman's very own library. Something that she inherited along with the house. Filled with hundreds of rare and special books.

Alex walked forward in slow quiet steps as if her steps would disturb the holiness of the library. Her eyes were upwards to the floor to ceiling bookshelves. She removed her glasses only to put them back on.

"Piper… this is-"

"My family's. Some are rare and old and special. My grandfather built this. You can take whatever you want."

Alex nodded. Her attention already captured by the historical fiction shelf. Piper placed herself in the couch in the middle of the room for a quick nap. She would love to watch Alex wander through the books but her body needs the rest. The recharge of power.

Sleep seizes her mind instantly due to all the exhaustion from last few days. Alex halted her wandering when her eyes fell upon Piper. She instinctively walked over to Piper's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful that Alex felt all her tension leave her body.

Alex can't help the way she feels. She still feels so much love for Piper that it hurts. It baffles her how Piper broke her heart into pieces but she still loves her with every broken piece of it.

—-

Two hours passed like two seconds. Piper woke up rubbing her eyes. Her body wanted to go back to sleep. But one look at the clock jolted her awake. It was 8 PM. She saw Alex's silhouette with a book in hand in the window seat. Curtains slightly open.

"You should close the curtains." Piper said in a hoarse voice. Alex was startled by the sudden voice. She almost jumped out of her seat.

"Jesus, Piper. Could you be more creepy?" Alex said putting a hand over her heart. "Nearly gave me a heart attack."

Piper laughed childishly, forgetting the tension between them. But it was there. Emerging back when Alex retreated back to her seat with a gloomy look. Piper stopped laughing midway. There are other things more important than her mess.

She got up and silently walked back to her room. She picked up a grey hoodie, an old pair of jeans and a brown leather jacket for herself. A classic black leather jacket for Alex. It was rather fitting and Piper chuckled at the stereotype-ness of their attire. All black and creepy.

Piper loaded both of her guns and put them in quickly accessible places and hoped that she wouldn't need them.

Back in the library, Alex was already putting back the book she was reading. She was surprised to see Piper in attire so quickly. Not that it bothered her that she looked so in complete gear. Piper threw a black jacket her way.

"Let's go." Piper said.

Alex put on the jacket. It fit her perfectly. She smirked seeing the look of awe in Piper's face. Some things never change, she thought.

—

Somewhere in Washington DC

"Alex Vause is not dead yet." Kubra said gruffly over the phone. The plan hadn't gone as smoothly as he had anticipated. Apparently there was a new guardian angel helping Alex.

"No." Aydin replied. "Not yet."

"Then what the fuck are you waiting for in Paris? Should I consider you incapable of doing such a small task?"

"No, sir. There's a problem. I can't travel to the states so soon. They are monitoring every airport. They will arrest me the moment I land given my record."

"I don't fucking care!" Kubra yelled. "Get it done! Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir. I do. I am sending in a team right now. They will finish it."

"I don't fucking care how you do it. I want that bitch dead."

Aydin replied in affirmation.

—-

Alex had been anxious all the way. She was jittery, looking out of the car window. Sometimes asking Piper if someone was following them. Piper could have laughed at that. She had never seen Alex so paranoid about something.

She was confident in her selected route. In her free time in NYC, she used to run along the streets looking for cameraless sidewalks. It was weird hobby. But now, the hobby didn't seem so pointless. She assured Alex with the same story. But Alex didn't seem so convinced.

The hospital seemed a noiseless at this type of the night. Piper was grateful for it. They were sitting still in the parking lot. Piper scoped the place out in one glance. She knew the way the agency worked. They would never look in a hospital let alone so soon after an attack.

She got out of the car tilting her head to tell Alex to do the same. Alex got out hesitantly.

"I don't think this is a good idea. What if Kubra sent someone after me?" Alex mumbled.

"Yeah. Kubra called me." Piper deadpanned. "Told me to bring you to this hospital for him."

Alex stopped in her tracks. Piper smirked.

"Just kidding, Al."

Alex sighed and followed Piper through the emergency gates at the back of the hospital. Piper led her through the hallways into an elevator. She seemed oddly familiar with the hospital. Alex would've asked her if they were in a chatty situation. But she was too busy going incognito by keeping her face half covered in hair. Thank god, there weren't many people who looked their way.

Piper stopped the moment they stepped out of the elevator. She was looking at someone with weary eyes. Alex followed her eyes to an old man dressed in surgical gowns and gloves, talking to a woman. He seemed like a doctor. He looked their way as if he knew he was being stared at. His expression changed from shock to relief as his eyes stayed glued to Piper. He almost ran to cover the distance between them and in minutes, Piper was in his embrace. Alex instinctively stepped back. Her senses on high alert.

"Oh my god, Piper. Are you okay? Are you fine?" The man asked in a rushed voice.

"Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Dad…dad…you are okay. I am okay." Piper mumbled into his shoulder.

Now that the old man was close, Alex could see the similarities clearly. The same gleaming blue eyes. The noses. The hair. He was Bill Chapman. Piper's father. Alex had never thought she would be meeting him like this. Or meeting him at all. But the universe works in mysterious ways.

When they finally let go of each other, Alex didn't know what to do with herself. Should she hide? Or awkwardly walk backwards? Bill still had his hands on Piper's shoulders. And Piper had tears in the corner of her eyes.

"I didn't know you would be here." Piper said.

"Good thing I am. I was pulled into an emergency surgery. The things…that has been going around, it's all hands on deck." Bill smiles softly. "I have been calling you since… since the attack. I was worried. We all were."

"I was busy…at the agency. It's been a chaos, to be honest. Mom and Cal and Danny, they are okay?"

"Yes. Everyone is fine. How come you are here?" Bill asked. He finally noticed that Piper was not alone. His hands dropped from Piper's shoulders as he squinted to get a better look at Alex. He stiffened.

"Oh my god." Bill whispered. "Isn't she the -"

"Dad," Piper interrupted. "It's complicated. I'm here on agency business. And she's with me. It's an ongoing investigation."

Bill relaxed a little bit at that. The way Bill reacted disturbed Alex momentarily. Is that how the world sees her now? With disgust and terror. Like she will destroy everything around her.

"Dad, I'm here to see a friend from work. Poussey Washington. She was shot in the lower abdomen. Do you know where they are keeping her?"

"Yes. Yes. The nurses were talking about it. Poor kid," Bill said. "Third door from the right."

Piper nodded and hugged him again. "Dad?"

"Yes?"

"I need a favour."

"Yes?"

Piper pulled away briefly. "I need you to find a patient. Diane Vause. She was in Brooklyn General with a heart condition. Can you…can you find her? She needs good care. Can you please make sure she is okay?"

Bill was certainly dumbfounded by such an unusual request but he nodded in affirmation anyway.

"Thanks, Dad."

"You take care of yourself, okay?" Bill said, concerned.

"I will."

Bill's pager went off. He left with a promise that he will not say anything about this to anyone. Piper glanced at Alex to continue walking towards Poussey's room. But Alex could easily see that she was looking for something else as well. Absolution.

It was hard staying mad at Piper. Alex understands why Piper did what she did but the betrayal still feels too close to home. The delicate thread of trust has been snapped. And Alex is not sure it can be mended. Not so soon. Not so easily.

—

Quick Fact :

As some of you mentioned, the chapter titles are indeed song titles. In fact, there is a Spotify playlist named Hell or high water (FF), just in case you guys wanna listen to it. Happy Reading!