"Don't get fantasies about going to a court," Natalie said leaning closer. "As I said, we have other ways to handle things like this. You see that building out there," she pointed to a multi-storey building. "There's a shooter waiting for my signal on the twelfth floor. He is itching to pull the trigger on my command. A 9mm bullet will shatter this glass over here and go straight into your heart before you could say 'court'."

Alex went still in her seat.

"As I said," Natalie said with a smug face. "This is the best you can get."

Continued

"Natalie," Piper said calmly. "You have made yourself very clear. But now you need to listen very carefully. This-" She pointed towards the glass and whispered very quietly. "This glass is will not shatter. It is built to withstand grenade explosions. You will just foolishly expose yourself by shooting at a public place which will result in chaos and you'll lose your chance with us. We will be on a flight to Switzerland before you can say 'deal'. And I don't have to tell you what will happen after that. The international press will be dying to hear our side of the story. You don't want that now, do you?"

"No." Figueroa's face had gone white. She fidgeted with her cup of coffee before looking up. "Did you poison me?" She asked seriously.

Piper nodded. Clearly, Figueroa realised that Piper had connections in the cafe. She gave an impressed smile before asking,

"How long do I have?"

"Three hours, give or take." Piper said as a matter of fact. She could see the shocked expression on Alex's face from the corner of her eye. "Now, since the threats are out in the open, can we talk?"

"What do you want?" Figueroa asked.

"A public apology for all the accusations, financial compensation for the stress caused, my job and most importantly, Alex and Nicky walk free. All charges dropped." Piper finished.

Figueroa laughed. "I'm sorry- I just-" she covered her mouth with the back of her hand. "Did you just say that? Do you really think that?" she said finally getting a hold of herself.

"Yes." Piper answered. "I think we deserve that much for keeping our mouths shut."

"You harboured an alleged criminal, Piper-"

"Because I knew I was right. Because I couldn't trust the agency-"

"-then you burned down a library, killed mercenaries right outside a hospital, murdered Aydin Bayat-"

"It was clearly an act of self defence." Alex interjected.

"Oh, yeah?" Natalie snarked. "Torturing Larry Bloom, was that self defence too?"

"He gave crucial information-" Alex started.

"That's it!" Piper tapped her hand on the table. "That's it! You have nothing to tie up Kubra, Jason and Larry other than the tape, do you?"

"If he goes to a public hearing," Alex thought out loud. "That tape could be easily dismissed because Larry Bloom is dead."

Natalie nodded in affirmation.

"Can we stop playing games now?" Piper said angrily. "What is the story here? What are you trying to do?"

Natalie sat back, her eyes resting on Piper. She pressed her forefinger to her left ear. Piper realised that she was wearing some sort of a microphone.

"Are you hearing this, Director?" Natalie said to whoever was on the other side. "Yes they know…But…yeah…yes, yes… yes I understand."

Piper and Alex waited for her to finish the conversation.

"Director Rawlings thinks you should know the story." Natalie said. "Yes, we don't have anything to prove that Jason was the mastermind behind it all. The bomb, the mercenaries, Larry Bloom- everything points to Kubra. But nothing connects him to Jason except the tape which as you said can be easily disregarded since you tortured it out of Bloom and Bloom is dead."

"Where do we come in then?" Alex asked.

"Well, we are keeping Piper's name out of it because it will be dangerous to her and the agency. It's the same old story, CIA sent an undercover agent to spy on you and found out that Kubra and Jason Figueroa are associated. The undercover agent also knew about the attack. We did our best but couldn't stop it. Then the agents found out about Larry's involvement and he got killed by Jason. So, we worked with you," she pointed to Alex. "We used you as an informant to pull him out. And he died at the hands of our agent who fired in self defence. This makes the agency look good, Uncle Sam happy and you become a hero. Everyone is happy, end of story."

"But,"'Alex said, confused. "Jason Figueroa isn't dead?"

"Yes," Natalie continued. "He is still unconscious at a military hospital under CIA custody. But he'll wake up soon and when he does, he will not give up easy. He will drag this out in public and fight tooth and nail till he gets out of this country. And trust me, he will. He has the power and money and connections to do just that. He knows we have nothing. That's why we are in such a hurry-"

"Wait," Piper said. "You are going to terminate him?"

"Yes, while he is unconscious. We can't let him walk free. Practically, you were the one who shot him in self defence so you'll have to take the fall for it. We are forgiving the other violence and destruction in exchange for that. And for Alex, she is getting a good deal. This is the best you will get."

Piper felt a mild headache throbbing in head. She bounced her leg beneath the table. Alex kept a firm hold on Piper's hand to keep her grounded. Piper looked sideways, although Alex looked calm and collected on the outside, she knew that Alex must be freaking out internally right now. Eighteen years of someone's life was not a joke. That flight to Switzerland seemed more inviting with every passing second.

Think. Think. Think. What can I do? What can I fucking do?

"If we agree to your bullshit story, we are gonna need more than that." Alex said. "We can't do that with what you're offering."

"I can take out a few years," Natalie took out a thick folder from her purse and flipped through the pages. "I can take off three years for your extraordinary cooperation, that gives you fifteen years in max."

"Ten." Alex stated. "Bring it down to ten. Give Piper her job back and you have a deal."

Natalie scoffed. "Ten? You must be kidding-"

"I am not." Alex said firmly. "We put our fucking asses on the line. Piper was literally doing her job and she had no fucking support from your so called agency. We could have died doing that. I think that demands some more gratitude."

"Fifteen and Piper gets to keep her job. That's it-"

"C'mon, now, Natalie," Alex smiled. Piper was surprised on how quickly Alex had turned on the intimidation and dominance on her side. It must have been years of practice in the drug cartel. "Make it ten and I am all yours. I'll say whatever you need me to say. I'll fucking sign whatever you need me to sign. Ten years and Piper's job."

Natalie flipped through the pages once more, talked some into the earpiece and brought out a non-disclosure agreement. She put the paper in front of Alex and said,

"There you have it, ten years and your girlfriend's job-"

Piper was not done with ten years. Ten years was way too long. So, she tried once more.

"What if," Piper said slowly. "We give you something concrete, hard evidence that connects Kubra to Jason. What then?"

"Excuse me?" Natalie spat out, not believing what Piper said.

"What if we trade hard evidence that connects Kubra to Jason? How much will that reduce from Alex's time?" Piper prompted again. Alex nudged her hand, not understanding where this was coming from.

"Depends on how good the evidence is." Natalie regained some of her composure but the desperation was clear in her eyes.

"Good enough to give him a life sentence in a CIA blacksite." Piper said.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes," Piper replied. "There's a thumb drive with records of financial transactions between Kubra and a number United States citizens which can be traced back to shell companies owned by Jason Figueroa. These transactions happened a few days before the attack. I copied them from Kubra's laptop."

"I-"

"Natalie, that drive is enough to send him to a blacksite." Piper continued. "Death is the easy way out. And that son of a bitch deserves to suffer. I know that you want that too. So, please, please decide carefully what you say next."

"Will this evidence hold up in court?" Natalie asked.

"Yes, yes, it will. There's even more to it. It has a complete history of every transaction ever made between Kubra and Jason." Piper said. "Natalie, just think about it. Make the right offer and the drive is yours."

"Fine. What do you want for it?" Natalie asked giving in.

"Same as before. All charges dropped. Alex and Nicky walk free." Piper replied.

Natalie scoffed again. "First of all, your friend Nicky has already plead guilty to all charges on her own even though we offered a lawyer. She's serving sixteen months in Litchfield. As for Alex, that's impossible. Someone has to go down for the chaos."

"Yes," Alex agreed. "But now you can chalk it up to Figueroa now, can't you? Not to mention the hundreds and thousands of people who benefited from the attacks. Those people can be easily prosecuted."

Natalie seemed to agree. She assessed Alex's suggestion mentally. Piper could see the wheels turning in her.

"Three years at maximum security." Alex said suggestively.

"No, Al-" Piper started only to get diminished by her.

"Three years Natalie, that's all I ask." Alex continued.

Natalie talked to the director on the other line and nodded looking at them. Alex squeezed Piper's hand harder now. Piper couldn't understand whether it was from joy or anxiety. For Piper, three years was still a long time.

"Alex, we could still run away to Canada." She whispered in a low tone. "Three years-"

"No, Pipes, you know that's the best we can get. Three years is nothing." Alex said with a sad smile. "If you are still willing to wait."

" Al, that's not the p-"

"The Gods are gracious on you today." Natalie said in a bored voice. "The Director has agreed on a four year-"

"She said three, Nat-" Piper interrupted.

"Hear me out first." Natalie demanded. "Four years in Litchfield minimum. Behave nicely and they will probably let you go in three."

Alex exhaled in relief. Piper could feel her hands shaking underneath the table. This was better than what they had expected. But Piper was willing to give it another try.

"I can see it in your eyes, Chapman." Natalie said with a smirk. "Don't push your luck."

"What if you could make two of those four in Litchfield minimum and the other two can be changed into house arrest?"

"I don't have the authority to that kind of sentencing-"

"That is a lie." Piper stated solemnly. "You have the authority. She is serving four years just in different ways. It doesn't make much of a difference. You know that we deserve that. We are not the bad guys here. He is. Pin it up to him. What's the difference?"

"You keep saying that you deserve it, but do you?" Natalie quirked one of her eyebrows. "Honestly, you should have come to me or Joe or the director when you discovered-"

"For God's sake, he was your husband, Joe was involved with you and I got only half of the files so I didn't know who to trust." Piper snapped. "I really didn't want to do this but you are making me - if you want an antidote to the poison that I gave you, you're gonna have to agree to that-"

"Seriously," Natalie raised her eyebrows incredulously. "You're blackmailing me-"

"Oh, I have done worse things than that." Piper coldly said. "You know I'll do just that. I'll sit back and watch you choke on air. So, why don't you make this easy on yourself and do as I say?"

"This is not what I came here for. This is not-" Natalie said into her earpiece staring at point behind Piper. "Okay…yes, God, …yes, we are clear." She finished and turned to Piper. "Director Rawlins has one final offer and that's it. Four years, two in Litchfield minimum and two in house arrest-"

"R-Really?" Alex said, her hand was trembling and eyes not believing.

"Yes," Natalie said she was disappointed with the result. "But you have to come with us now. I'll call in the agents. They will be here in few-"

Piper felt her heart hammering in her chest. She looked at Alex who was very attentive to Figueroa's each word. Figueroa was explaining the terms of indictment and the rules she will have to follow. Piper was listening to it partially. She was more focused on Alex's face. It was calm as always like everything was going to be alright. But her hands underneath the table were clammy and shaking terribly. Piper changed position of their hands and clenched Alex's in hers firmly.

"Chapman? Chapman? Are you listening-" Natalie voice echoed in her brain. Alex tugged her hand to wake her up from her daze.

"Yeah, sorry, what?" She said, her voice became a bit sharp. "Can you repeat that?"

"The thumb drive? When are we going to get that?" Natalie asked clearly and loudly.

"Oh," Piper's brain responded with the quickest thing she could fathom. "Two weeks after Alex is safe and sound at Litchfield."

"Two weeks is too long. We will have the trade once Ms. Vause is processed into the prison system. That works for you-"

"No." Piper said immediately.

"Piper, it's ok-" Alex tried to convince her.

"No, Al, it's not." Piper said turning back to Natalie. "I'll give it to you whenever you want but I have one condition."

"Oh, for Christ's sake," Natalie ribbed her forehead, smiling. "What do you want now?!"

"It's just a request." Piper said more politely. "Y-You have to take Alex somewhere before she goes to-"

"Pipes," Alex looked at her confusedly. "What are you talking about?"

Trust me, Piper mouthed.

"Where?" Natalie asked, intrigued at the odd request.

"To see her mom." Piper said. Alex blinked and looked down to the table. "Diane Vause. At the city hospital. She's on life support. If you could-"

"Fine, whatever," Natalie waved her hand to dismiss. "It will be arranged after the documents are signed. But you can't go with her. She will be in our custody. So no sneaking behind and no touching. Are we clear?"

"Yes, we are." Alex said. "We are clear."

"Good, I am going to call some people outside." Natalie explained, getting up from her seat. "I want to see you here when I get back." She left them and headed straight for the door. Piper was thankful for that. She was. But that didn't make it any easier.

Alex had turned to face her. But she couldn't look at Alex. She couldn't get herself to look at Alex. She couldn't. She wouldn't. She knew Alex was begging her to. This was probably the last time she would see Alex like free. Two years wasn't a long time. By American standards it was no time at all. But still it hurt that she would have to say goodbye.

Alex rubbed soft circles on the back of her hand where their hands were intertwined.

"Pipes," She said softly. "Will you look at me?"'

Piper couldn't say no to that and she couldn't look at Alex. It was a horrible turmoil.

"Please," Alex begged.

Turning on her seat, Piper faced her. She felt we heart shattering, her lips trembling and eyes barely blinking back tears. She let out a small sob before letting herself go completely.

"Hey, hey," Alex cradled her face with her left palm and rubbed away the stray tears. "We are going to be okay."

"I-I don't want you to go." Piper whispered, too ashamed to break down like this. She saw the glassiness in Alex's eyes as she blinked away.

"I know." Alex tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her forehead softly. Her gentle touches sending soothing waves throughout Piper.

"It hurts." Piper said. It felt like the prospect of letting Alex go physically hurt her.

"But love is pain, isn't it?" Alex smiled or tried to smile. Piper easily recognised the grief behind her eyes. She didn't want to make this hard for Alex. But she was doing exactly that. Even uncontrollably so. "I'll be back before you know it, babe."

Piper pulled away wiping her tears and clearing her throat.

"We could still run away." Piper suggested in a whisper. Alex laughed. "I have a guy. He'll drive us to Canada. We can take a flight to Switzerlan-"

"That is a good option, babe. But I'm gonna have to refuse it, yeah?" Her voice was bit wet now. Like she was barely holding back. Piper nodded. "Maybe sometime later when I am out."

"Yeah." Piper absentmindedly looked down.

"Hey," Alex bent down to catch her eye. "Thanks for t-the," she cleared her throat. "For mom. Thanks for requesting that."

"I thought you would want that."

"Yeah, I did." Alex said gloomy. "Thank you."

Piper hugged her. A tender, reassuring embrace that said she'll be strong and she'll be here. Alex melted into it and took a deep breath.

"We are going to be okay, Al." Piper said as if she was asking for assurance.

Before Alex could reply, they heard the familiar click of heels echoing in the nearly empty cafe. They both pulled away and tried to look decent. Although their eyes were red, their faces determined. They stood up when Natalie arrived at the table. She opened a new folder explaining their terms of agreement. Piper could tell from the smug look on her face that she was restraining a snarky remark.

Alex signed a couple of papers reading each line thoroughly. Piper did the same. They were done in a couple of minutes. The capped the pens and gave them back to her. Their movements almost in sync. They stood in silence as she examined the papers and nodding when done.

"Here's how we are gonna do it." Natalie said, folding her arms in front of her and looking straight at Alex. "I'll call in my agents who will escort you to a van standing outside. They will take you to our headquarters for the processing. Meanwhile," she turned to Piper. "Agent Chapman and I are gonna sit here and have a chat and not cause any unnecessary drama. We are going to do this as smoothly as possible."

Piper nodded in agreement.

Natalie turned around to call someone as they hugged each other once again. Briefly, this time.

"You have to take care of yourself, okay? Be selfish. Do what you need to survive. You have to come back to me." Piper whispered frantically.

"Yes-"

"Promise me."

"I promise." Alex kissed her. "Don't fuck this up, kid. This is a good chance. Don't fuck this up."

"I won't."

"I heart you."

"I heart you too."

Two men in suits entered the cafe casually. Piper recognised them from the agency. She tugged Alex's sleeve to draw her attention to them. Natalie shook their hand and pointed to Alex.

Piper heard Alex sigh and go ahead to the men. She was about to grab her but she heard Natalie say,

"Why don't we sit down, Chapman?"

Piper backed up and sat down on her seat. She was going to do this for Alex's sake, for their sake. She plastered a soft smile on her face when Alex glanced at her for one last time. She wanted to give Alex something good to remember, not a crumbling face but a hopeful one.

After that Alex didn't look back and neither did she. She turned away and trained her eyes on a stranger and observed him. She didn't want to look at Alex going away, she knew she would break down again if she did.

"She will be out of the door in seconds." Natalie said arranging the documents in sequence. "Don't look now. It'll hurt. I'll tell you when she's gone."

And she did. She informed Piper that Alex was out of the door. Piper exhaled like she was holding her breath. She regained her composure. Natalie told her that they would have to wait for another five minutes and then Natalie will leave for good. Piper counted the seconds.

"What happened to Joe?" Piper asked trying to make conversation and keep her mind off of Alex.

Natalie grimaced. "They transferred him to some no-man's land in Iraq."

"Oh, I-I am sorry, you know for Joe and Jaso-"

"Chapman, you don't have to make small talk. We can be quiet." Natalie said, pulling out her earpiece and putting it in a case.

Piper nodded and dug her nails into her palm to hold back the anxiety.

"Oh, and, t-the poison thing wasn't real." Piper said looking up to Natalie who stood up to leave. "I didn't poison you."

"Yeah, I know," Natalie replied cooly. "I have the waitress on my payroll. Don't thank me. Go home. Take a shower. Come back to work on Monday." She tossed the documents in her purse.

"Will you be there? At the farm?" Piper asked out of curiosity.

"Nope. As it turns out I got a worse deal than you. They want me to disappear from the face of the earth for good." Natalie spared her one last glance before walking away with a scowl, leaving a bewildered Piper behind.

They wouldn't have gotten out so easily if Natalie had really wanted to put up a fight. Piper recalled how she had suggested the poison herself. Thinking back now, it seemed like Natalie was giving her straws to grab. She was prompting them to argue. She wasn't supporting them openly probably because the Director was listening to the conversation. But she was on their side all along.

Piper didn't get up for a long while. She sat there and stared out of the window. Back when she was in training, they taught her how to empty her mind. Some kind of meditation that helped them focus on what needed to be done. Piper utilised it without giving much thought. She blanked her mind not really thinking anything with no sense of time. Or sorrow. Just this darkness surrounding her senses. She sat there until the sun went down and the day turned into night.

When the cafe owner politely asked her to leave, she left without protest. She couldn't walk down the street with a blank head. She was forced to watch strangers go on with their life as if everything was okay. As if the love of their life hadn't been taken away from them. The strangers on the street were happy. Laughing. Kissing. Talking. Giggling. Piper walked faster. She couldn't tolerate it.

It was the kind of night that she and Alex would have enjoyed. The wind that was cold enough to put on fluffy jackets. On nights like this, Piper used to drag Alex out for walks after debating whether they should go out or read books inside. Alex would always gave in to whatever Piper wanted. Tonight Piper hugged herself and willed not to cry on the street like a fucking lunatic.

Around midnight, she found herself unlocking the door of her brownstone house in Brooklyn. Piper got inside the warmth of her so called home and slid down the door, crying silently into the night. This is the last time, she promised herself, this is the last time.

—

A/N:

Will I write more Vauseman after this ends?

I don't know, man. I don't know. At this point in my life don't know if I'll write anything after finishing this. So we will see how that goes.

Again, thanks for the amazing reviews. You guys are awesome.