Author's note at the end.

2

Quietly as she could, Nicky inserted the key to the door of the apartment she shared with Lorna, her wife. When she heard the lock click, she slowly turned the knob and gave the door a gentle push. She peered from behind, into the living room and when she was satisfied to see Lorna was nowhere near the door, she let herself in.

"Morello, honey." She called. While most people addressed Lorna by her first name, Nicky was used to calling her by last name. It had been a nuisance for Lorna at the beginning of their relationship, but, eventually, she'd gotten used to it as it was something uniquely done by Nicky. Then again (as Lorna came to find out) anything having to do with Nicky, was unique.

"In a minute," Morello called from the bathroom, her voice slightly shaking.

Nicky sucked in a mouthful of air-no doubt Lorna was busy throwing up. She thought about offering a hand but then shrugged. Not because she didn't care as she'd previously tried to help Morello, but the other woman insisted she not bother her while she was in the bathroom being "ugly and hideous." Ignoring the noises coming from the washroom, she headed to the kitchen and groaned at the sight that met her. There, on top of the table, was the culprit of Lorna's predicament (and her groans): an empty carton of fried rice.

"Hmm…yummy." Nicky said to herself, her stomach souring. She suddenly had urge to join Morello in the bathroom.

"What was that honey?" Morello asked surprising Nicky. She was rubbing one hand in circles around her belly while the other dabbed at her mouth with a tissue.

"Oh hey there roundtits. Nothing. Here, I brought these for you," Nicky held out a purple box with a silver ribbon. "They're Macarons. I know how much you like them so you know, I figured why not, eh?" The truth was that Nicky was trying to tricck Lorna into changing her eating habits. Give the pregnant lady something other than Chinese, and hope for the best. Hope she would start craving something else. Hell, Nicky wouldn't mind eating snails as long as she didn't have to keep eating the same crap. Not that she thought Chinese takeout was crap, but after weeks of consuming it, she had developed a disliking for it.

"Oh sweetie, you shouldn't have," Morello took the gift from Nicky's hand and walked to one of the chairs, sat down, and let her body sink into it. It felt amazing to have a rest (if small) from all the weight she was now carrying. (She made no attempt to open the Macarons, causing Nicky to curse under her breath.) Nicky followed suit, except she wasn't carrying actual pounds. Rather what weighed her down was all the work accumulating back at the office.

"How's the kid doing?" She nodded in the direction of Lorna's belly which resembled a balloon that was being inflated ever so slowly.

"Oh you know, being a baby and doing what babies do," Lorna said in in that sweet voice of her. She placed both hands on both sides of her stomach, "I'm so excited to be a mommy. This is the best thing to happen to me. Don't you agree?"

"Yeah. I can't wait to see the amount of damage that little shit will leave on his way out."

"Nicky!" Lorna said aghast, "This little shit is your son. It's okay Vinny," she rubbed her stomach as if Vinny could understand what Nicky had said. Nicky rolled her eyes. "Mommy doesn't mean what she said. She's just a little grumpy from work. That's all." Morello looked at Nicky from under her eyebrows, "You know, if you'd let me go back to work you wouldn't be up to your neck."

How did she do it? How could Morello tell what was bothering Nicky without Nicky having to mention a word about it? Then again, that was one of the reasons Nicky fell in love with Morello—despite her clumsy personality, the dark haired woman paid attention to detail. Maybe I should start doing the same, Nicky wondered.

Nicky walked over to the sink and opened one of the cabinets on top of it. She grabbed a glass and walked over to the fridge pushing the button to the ice dispenser. When her glass was half full, she walked back to counter and set the glass down. Opening another cabinet she said to Morello, "I already told you. I don't want you stressing out and risk losing the baby." She paused. "Our baby. You know what the doctor said. This is a high risk pregnancy and I'll be damned if I lose my wife or baby. Damn it, Lorna where is my liquor?" She opened several cabinets unable to find a single bottle of whiskey, rum, or tequila.

Uh oh. When Nicky used the first name basis, it meant she was either angry or annoyed. Not that it mattered which of the two it was, as both ended in Lorna getting 'the talk' about touching Nicky's things. They had a rule that stated that whatever each one bought separately (and not from their joint account) the other could not touch.

"Well you know, I figured since we're going to be parents that our little Vinny can't grow up around that stuff. Especially since we want him to be a lawyer."

"I thought he was going to a pimp?" Nicky said as she emptied the ice into the sink.

"Nicky!" Lorna cried incredulously. How could Nicky be so childish? So insensitive? So careless? This was their baby. Even if Vinny wasn't the actual product of their passionate lovemaking, but the result of an insemination, he was their son!

Morello began to have second thoughts about the future of their family. With a mother like Nicky, chances were, Vinny would grow up to be just like Nicky: rude, selfish, entitled, and worst of all, an asshole. Her little Vinny couldn't go about life like Nicky, without caring for another soul.

This has to stop, Lorna thought to herself, I have to move. Oh God, what will my parents say when I come home, pregnant and divorced. Surely, they'll understand. Leaving Nicky would have been my only choice. Before her mind could stray further, she mentally cursed herself. It's just the hormones Morello. Just this fucking-no no, you cannot curse. It is not good for Vinny. What I meant to say, she continued, is that these hormones have my mood all over the place. Nicky is good. No, not good, Nicky is great. Nicky is great and this is her way of showing affection: by being a total careless little b—Vinny… Morello, remember Vinny.

"Hello, anyone home." Nicky waved her right hand in front of Lorna, her left hand still holding the glass.

"Oh, yes of course. Everything is fine." Lorna said, eyes halfway closed and mouth slightly ajar.

"Are you high?" Nicky asked. She had an amused expression on her face. Morello didn't find it as amusing and grimaced. Nicky sighed loudly, "I was joking woman. Give it a rest. Wanna know what I think?"

Nicky walked back to the fridge. She grabbed a carton full of orange juice and poured the remaining liquid into her glass. Not that there was much left because living with a pregnant woman meant half the things were gone by the time you wanted to eat them. She made a mental note to get two of everything on the next grocery trip.

"I think," She continued, disposing of the empty carton on her way back to the table, "that we need to make this night ours and go do something fun. Something that will relax you and my boy. How about a midnight stroll, you know?" She tipped the glass ready to take a drink when Morello held her hand out. Without so much as a thought, Nicky handed over the glass and watched with a longing expression as the Morello emptied the glass in one long gulp.

"You know I can't walk for long stretches." Morello arched her back and rubbed the imaginary soreness, remembering that the last time they went out for a 'walk', it did not end well. She'd cried for the following days, angry at Nicky and her carelessness. No, not carelessness. After all. She was just trying to give Morello a breath of fresh air.

"Well…I didn't necessarily meant we would 'walk'."

"Then?"

"You know how you always said you wanted to ride one of the horse wagons? The one's on the street?"

"The one's you always bitch at for blocking the street?" Morello covered her mouth realizing the word that slipped.

Nicky laughed. "Yes, the ones I always bitch at."

Morello frowned. "I thought you didn't want me in one of those. At least until I have our baby?"

Nicky nodded, "Well, they're not exactly up to par when it comes to safety, but I think we can make this one exception."

Morello's eyes widened like those of a child receiving news of a Disneyland Trip. "You're not shitting me?" By now she didn't care what words came out. She figured Vinny would be exposed to this type of behavior at some point in his life, and if he was going to talk like a sailor, he might as well learn it from his mother and…mother.

"I shit you not." Nicky held her hands out and Morello took them, using them for support to stand.

"Oh Nicky! We haven't had a romantic night since our little shit came and ruined my appetite. This is going to be so romantic. You. Me. Horses." She was giddy with excitement and she began to wobble to the door.

"Whoa woman, there's no fire. Take it easy," Nicky said. "Aren't you going to change?" She began walking to their room.

"Oh no. When you're pregnant, changing is more of an option than a necessity. You go ahead I'll wait for you." She waved her hand at Nicky, who blew her a kiss.

As soon as she was in the room, Nicky began to remove her suit. While doing so, she opened several drawers taking out a pair of jeans, a shirt, and some socks. She was hopping on one leg when her phone buzzed alerting her of a message. Pulling one last time to get them up her waist she bent down, opened her bag, and unlocked her phone.

"Shit." She said as she read the message.

Vause: Hey, I just landed. Where are you?

She slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. How could she have forgotten she was supposed to pick Vause at the airport tonight? Maybe Morello wouldn't mind if they postponed their date until tomorrow. She opened the door just a crack and saw Morello by the door, rubbing her stomach. Her mouth was moving but Nicky couldn't hear what she was saying.

No, I can't cancel on her. But, what about Vause? Her phone buzzed again.

Vause: I hope you didn't forget.

Think Nicky, think. You can't just leave her at the airport. Just think. Yes! That's it! Nicky typed a quick message to Vause then opened her contacts list. She scrolled down to the name of the only person who would be able to help her.

The phone rang a few times and for a second she worried the other person would be sleeping. She checked the time on the clock beside her bed. 8:01 PM. Too early. When the person finally picked up, Nicky rubbed her forehead already worrying about the kind of deal she would have to make.

"Hey. Listen, I need a favor…" She began.

…

After work, Piper drove around deciding whether she should go home and spend it alone (like she had been doing for the past year) or she should try to find a friend. Or a one night stand. Not that she liked sleeping around, but it had been so long since she had a sexual encounter. However, this was easier said than done.

After the whole Polly and Larry thing, she had a hard time trusting other women (besides Nicky) that making friends with a female seemed more of an impossible task than walking on water. And while she could easily find herself a man—she was very attractive. Or so she had been told- to fool around with, it was the same case with them as it was with women. Because of Larry, she couldn't look at a man without picturing him between Polly's legs. The thought alone made her stomach turn and she had the sudden urge to roll down her window and empty her stomach.

Piper hadn't loved Larry. At least not in the way she thought she did back then, but she did care about him enough to consider him husband material. Even if she'd only known him for a month, he proved to be a candidate worthy of her affection. With her parents pressuring her to sire them grandchildren, she thought that in time, she wouldn't just love Larry, but she would be in love with him.

Instinctively, she drove to the one place that never failed to give her peace of mind: PoPi's. PoPi's, a merger of Polly's and her own name, was a business located in the middle of a stretch of stores. The building itself was made of red brick with two huge windows in the front allowing passerby's a view into the contents being sold: soaps, scrubs, creams, oils, body washes, anything the mind could think of dealing with relaxation and alone time. (Plus, it was all organic.) The neon sign flashed, changing colors every other second. She smiled. That had been her idea.

She turned her car off and opened the door, pulling her purse form the passenger side and shouldering it. Her heels clicked against the pavement. A few men looked her way but when they saw the perfectly tailored white suit, the pricey bag hanging from her shoulder, the confidence she walked with, they cast their eyes downward. She sighed, if only one of them had the courage to approach her. She longed for company, for the warmth touch of another being that at this point, she didn't care who it came from.

Pushing the thought aside, she pushed the revolving doors and inhaled, allowing the aromas to engulf her. There was cucumber, vanilla, butterscotch, all sorts of smells. She smiled and walked around.

"Can I help you with anything?" An enthusiastic girl, no doubt in her teens, smiled at her. She wore a pink apron with the store's name displayed at the front.

Piper shook her head. "Just looking around. Thanks."

The girl smiled. "Well, let me know if you need anything."

Piper nodded. She watched the girl walk to another customer and offer them her services. This time, she found a potential buyer and Piper saw as the girl grabbed a couple of products from one of the shelves and proceeded to explain their purpose.

She couldn't help the pang of sadness swelling inside her chest. She looked around the small store that while it was small in size, was thriving with business. She'd heard that the owner had struck a deal with one of the bigger retail chain stores, to have their products sold internationally. The sadness turned to jealousy and finally, anger.

Four years ago she and Poppy had started PoPi's out of Piper's garage. They'd gone to a soap making class and come home (Poppy lived with Piper) to dreams of starting their own toiletries business. What started as a randomized idea, turned into a dream and not a year later, they had rented a building, turned Piper's garage into a mini factory, and kicked off what would be their baby. For two years, they both worked hard but that all went downhill a year ago when Poppy ran off with Larry.

Poppy then filed a lawsuit requesting the business be sold and the earnings split. Not wanting to make a big fuss about it, and still hurting by the thought of being betrayed by her childhood friend, she agreed to Poppy's request. They sold the business and split the earnings.

For a month or two after her ex- fiancé and friend ran off, Piper was unsure of her future until she bumped into Nicky, an old friend. They talked for a couple hours in which Piper spilled her entire life to Nicky. She didn't realize she started crying until Nicky smiled and pulled a tissue from her pocket, offering it to Piper.

Nicky offered her help and a distraction in the form of a job at Litchfield, Nicky's own baby. Luckily, Piper had finished her degree and was more than capable for the job. The rest was history as she submerged herself in endless paperwork. So much had been her focus in her new job that she didn't even realize the day she stopped thinking about Larry and Polly.

Now a year after their eloping, she was happy. Sure she felt lonely from time to time, but she was happy. Now, what would make her even happier, was if she could have PoPi's back, however, that was impossible. She'd offered the current owner a hefty sum to buy the business back, but the new owner loved this business and refused. So from time to time, she stopped by, bought a soap or two, joked with the owner about buying the business, before being on her way home.

"Can I help you with something?"

Without turning around, Piper smiled at the voice.

"Ready to sell?" She asked.

"Not yet." Sophia, a tall African-American transgender woman, towered over her. Her lips curved into a smile, one hand on her hip. "I told you, I would have to die and even then, you would have to either deal my wife or wait until she dies."

Piper laughed. She turned around and hugged the tall woman. Despite her intimidating size, Piper found her comforting. She was just like her, a woman, even if many refused to accept the latter's sex change. She let go and Sophia crossed her arms. The muscles bulged, but made no difference. She still looked regal in the red velvety dressed that hugged her curves.

"I know, I know. Doesn't hurt to try."

"Looking for anything in particular?" Sophia asked.

Piper rubbed the back of her neck, smiled, and shook her head.

"You look a bit tense. Why don't I help you find something to help you relax..."

…

An hour later, Piper was resting her head on the edge of her bathtub submerged up to her neck in water. The smell of honey, and pine needles filling her nostrils. At first, when Sophia had shown her the bottle, she had been unsure of the combination.

"Wouldn't the sweetness of the honey overpower the earthiness of the pine needle?" She'd scrunched her eyebrows in thought reading over the ingredients.

"Girl, it's weird. I know but after the sweetness overpowers your senses, you start getting the rain-like smell. That becomes overpowering but is sooth by the honey."

"I don't know." She'd said unsure.

"Would I ever give you something that I haven't tried and loved myself?"

"No. I always like what you suggest."

And so she had walked out, bag in hand (free of charge at Sophia's insistence), and driven home. She'd immediately turned on the bath, removed her clothes, and had been soaking in the warm water for the past twenty minutes.

Just as she began to feel the stress leaving her body, she heard her cellphone ringing on the other room. She groaned and tried to ignore it. It continued ringing and so against her will, she stood, grabbed the towel, wrapped it around her body, and rushed into the other room.

Picking just in time she said, "Hello, this is Piper?"

It was Nicky. "Hey. Listen, I need a favor..."

…

Thirty minutes later, Piper couldn't complain as she sped down the highway in an attempt not to make Alex Vause wait. Per Nicky's request, she was to pick Alex Vause, drop her off at Nicky's, and go home. Simple. But for some reason that sounded all too easy. No, not the fact that she had to pick a stranger at the airport but the part that it was not just any stranger—this was Alex Vause. Because if Piper was realistic, there was nothing simple and easy about Alex Vause. Then again she had yet to meet her in person and deal with her.

Even if things went downhill, she had gotten something out of it. Something she couldn't wait until tomorrow to see the look on Healy's face—the head of small business counseling—when he opened his e-mail to see he had been moved to the southern end of the building, far away from Piper.

Ever since she started working at Litchfield, it was as if Healy had a personal vendetta against Piper. He would attempt to humiliate her during board meetings. But she always lived up to her ability and quickly shunned him down. From time to time she wanted to ask Nicky to fire him, but because he was good at his job and she was a professional, she'd learn to tolerate him. Every day she marched into Litchfield, she would think how life would be so much easier had she not been given the office right next to his. But that would all change as of tomorrow.

She remembered her conversation earlier with Nicky.

"Come on Chapman. I really need you to do this." Nicky said, "I already promised Morello I would take tonight to be with her. I can't change plans now."

"Nicky, I am not picking her up. We made a deal that I would tolerate her so long as I coincidently ran into her. That did not include you using me as her chauffeur." Piper said sternly.

"I know. I know and I'm sorry but Chapman, I really need you to do this." Nicky said. Her voice desperate.

"Why doesn't she take an Uber? It's not like she's going to get robbed." Piper said. When Nicky didn't answer, Piper burst into laughter. "No way?"

"Yes way." Nicky confirmed.

"Did she really?" Piper asked amused.

"She's swimming in money. If you had to chance to rob a millionaire wouldn't you?"

"I would have paid to see the look on her face."

"And I will do anything that you want, so long as you pick her up. Just call any favor any time. Please?" Nicky begged.

"Any favor?" Piper asked.

"Any favor."

"Move Healy."

"I can't fire Heal-wait…what do you mean by 'move Healy'?"

"Out of his office as far away from mine as possible."

"Done."

"Really?"

"Just pick her up," and with that Nicky hung up. For some reason. Piper thought she would have a longer time convincing Nicky. But this was Nicky, and Nicky loved Lorna, whom Nicky would do anything for.

…

Piper arrived at the airport. Even at this time of day, it was busy with travelers leaving and arriving. She managed to find a parking spot not too far from the entrance and immediately jumped out. The sooner she got it done with the better.

She pulled her phone out ready to call Alex (Nicky had given Piper Alex's number) but came to a stop at the door. There on the side, was a woman sitting down, her legs pulled to her chest, hands wrapped around her knees, chin resting on top. Her hair obscured her face, but Piper easily recognized that body. Piper surprised herself. Had she paid that much attention to the pictures of Alex, that she recognized her just by looking at her body?

"Alex?" She was surprised by how soft her voice came out.

Ever so slowly, Alex unwrapped her arms. She placed a hand on the pavement and pushed herself up. She was tall. Taller than Piper and she herself was tall. Alex patted her pants with her hands trying to clear the dirt and Piper couldn't help herself; her eyes drifted to the lower part of Alex's body. Her legs were long and through the pants, she could see they were muscular.

Her eyes, taking their time, roamed upwards. Alex was wearing a black suit. It was tighter than was custom, with the black pants resembling normal skinny jeans, except for the fabric that gave them their purpose of being business pants. Her blazer was opened and just like the pants, revealed her torso length as it hugged her figure quite nicely. Underneath, she was wearing a white blouse that was loosely tucked inside her pants. When the wind blew, it clung to Alex's belly, revealing a flat stomach.

"You must be Piper." Alex said in a low rough voice. She sounded tired and Piper noticed an emptiness to it. There was no energy and for a split second, Piper felt compassion.

"Yes," she answered stretching her hand out. Alex shook it, a light but somehow firm shake. Piper noticed that despite the hot California weather, Alex's hand was cold. "Nicky sent me. I would have gotten here sooner but I was…busy with other matters. Have I kept you waiting for long?"

"Not at all," Alex offered her a small smile. That's when Piper noticed it. It was emptiness she had noticed in her voice, it was life itself that was missing behind it. Like there was no soul, no person inside. The look in Alex's eyes devoid of anything, revealing nothing.

Piper took a second to study Alex's face. While she knew Alex to be thirty-one, she looked much older. Perhaps in hear early forties. She had dark bags under her eyes which were swollen and red. Had she been crying? Surely not in public. No, it must have been the flight that did that to her. Piper herself knew how tiring sitting for hours could be, as she'd flown all over the world herself.

Then there was her hair, sticking out oddly. Like someone had dragged her across the floor, kicked her on the head a couple of times, then dropped her off the airport. Piper almost laughed. Almost. Alex was also hunching a little, her shoulders seeming to carry an invisible weight. Was it from work? After all, she knew Nicky carried this posture every now and then.

"We should get going." Alex said and walked past Piper without another word.

"What about your baggage?" Piper asked when she noticed the brunette was not even carrying a handbag. Alex shrugged. "Didn't bring any."

"Why?" Piper hurried after her.

"Thought I could use a new wardrobe." Alex said casually as if buying an entire closet of clothes was all too common.

"Oh."

Alex looked over her shoulder. "Where's your car?"

"It's the white Cherokee…" Piper trailed off. She watched Alex walk to the passenger side. She looked the car over and turned to Piper.

"Sorry." Piper hurried to the driver's side unlocking both doors. She hopped in, however Alex waited outside, her back to Piper. It took her a second she finally let herself in. Piper couldn't help feeling self-conscious. Maybe Nicky was right; maybe she should get a new car, because from the way Alex reacted, she was not impressed with Piper's ride. You're not trying to impress her, she said to herself, snap out of it.

She peeled out of the driveway. Next to her, Alex looked out through the tainted windows at the speeding cars in the highway. The silence was unsettling and so Piper tried to make conversation.

"So, how's New York?" When Alex didn't answer, Piper couldn't help feeling slightly offended. Calm down, she is just tired and the only reason she is in California, is so she can grieve and forget. The last thing she wants is to be reminded about her mother. About home.

"Long flight?" She tried again. Nothing. Alex continued staring. "So you travel often?" She tried sounding friendly. "When I started working with Nicky she had me flying all over the world. To get my mind off of…things. It's nice getting away from home once in a while, don't you think?" She looked over to Alex who hadn't moved an inch. She continued staring out the window and ignoring Piper.

Well, that small moment they had back at the airport was gone. Piper always thought Alex to be a narcissist. A selfish 'self-made' millionaire, who in fact was not self-made, rather she piggy backed off of her mother. Fine, Piper muttered and hit the pedal and sending the car lurching forward. Through the corner of her eye, she was pleased when she saw Alex had moved from the stiff position and was holding onto the side of the door.

You want to get to Nicky's, I'll get you to Nicky's, Piper thought. And so she drove erratically, like she'd never had done before. Making sure Alex Vause knew that she, Piper Chapman, was not a force to be reckoned with. Because while Piper may not be photographed by the endless paparazzi, and while she may not have bank accounts out in Europe and Asia that she couldn't keep track off, she was in fact Piper Chapman. And Piper Chapman was not ignored or made a fool out of. Because if Healy couldn't break her spirit in a year, Alex Vause would not break her in an hour. She was Piper Chapman.

But Piper failed to see that while she was Piper Chapman, Alex Vause was Alex Vause.

…

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Nicky's. Piper didn't even bother parking but rather drove up to the entrance, feigning she was going to crash into the double doors. Alex clenched her stomach. Once she was on safe still-still ground, she let the out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Thanks," she muttered. Piper didn't answer and Alex had to jump back when Piper didn't wait after Alex had closed the door, to drive off.

Alex frowned. Had she done something wrong? Perhaps said something out of character? She replayed their conversation back at the airport but didn't find anything severely offensive she could have said to upset the blonde. Then again some people shifted moods faster than a bead of water evaporating on a sizzling skillet.

She replayed the conversation again. No nothing. Oddly, she cared enough to give it one last try. No. There was absolutely nothing she had said. Shrugging the thought off, she looked up the thirty story building.

Sighing loudly, she smiled, this time a flicker of something (which Piper had missed earlier) sparkling in her eyes. She smiled.

For the first time in six months, she finally felt at home.

…

Somewhere thousands of miles away, a man sat in an office. It was dark, save for a small lamp that cast a yellowish light across his desk, barely illuminating the picture in front of him. He took a long drag of the cigar he held in his right hand, the smoke drifting in front of him before it vanished into thin air. This always amused him and it was one of the reasons he loved smoking. To try to figure the mystery behind it.

He took the picture in his left hand (and took another drag) and smiled. Not a friendly smile, but a cocky smile. The type of smile real narcissists have. Now, here was another mystery. Here was his future. Now, he wasn't sure how he would make it happen, but somehow… somehow everything would fall into place. Someone knocked, low and careful. The person afraid to disturb him, no doubt.

"Come in," he dragged blowing circles into the air. It was something he mastered decades ago. Had he been smoking that long?

A young man nervously stepped in. He was wearing an all-black outfit and he held a black hat in his hands.

"Sir," he said.

"Aydin," the man said, he placed the cigar in his mouth and left it there, using his now free hand to open a drawer. "Did you do it?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. He should wake up tomorrow and everything will go according to plan."

"Aydin, you are like family to me. You don't have to call me 'sir,'" the man set a manila envelope on top of his desk and slid it across. "Why don't you call me what we have already agreed upon." He motioned for Aydin to take the envelope.

"Yes, si—Yes, Kubra." Aydin took the envelope, feeling unsure if he had been right to follow as directed because Kubra had been known to play mind games, easily disposing off of those whose services he no longer required. However, Kubra smiled again, cigar still in his mouth.

"You will give that to her, yes?" Kubra gestured to the envelope now in Aydin's hands.

"Yes."

"Does she know what she has to do?"

"Yes."

"Did you give her what she asked for?" Kubra raised an eyebrow. Now here was a real test.

"Only half."

"Good. No, not good, you did great."

Aydin felt proud. It was rare for Kubra to give such a compliment.

"Now," Kubra removed the cigar from his mouth and rubbed the tip in the ash tray. "Where's my package?"

Aydin reached into his pocket and slid a much smaller envelope to Kubra. It was half the size of Kubra's palm.

"Are you sure this will work?" Kubra asked.

"I've already tested it myself."

Kubra, satisfied, flicked his hand. "Go."

After Aydin left, Kubra opened the small parcel. He slid the contents onto his hand and was happy when a small silver key landed on his palm. It was barely the size of his pinky but then again he had big hands.

He took it between his thumb and forefinger twirling it.

"You my friend, will help me get everything I have ever desired." He laughed and placed the key next to the picture he'd been looking at earlier. He picked the photograph and one of the most evil smiles on the face of the planet spread across his lips.

"And you my dear, will help me get it."

He set the picture down. But it wasn't just any picture. This was the picture of Alex Vause.

….

As agreed: you're good to me, I in turn will be good to you.

I will admit that I was rather thrilled at the response this story generated. The amount of reviews, not to mention the amount of followers, is a number that surpasses the amount of people I know in real life. (I spend my spare time indoors writing so I don't make many acquaintances.)

I read all of them and they each made my day. I know it sounds corny but I do enjoy reading them and while I wish I could individually thank each one of you, I believe you know that the fact that I take the time to do an author's note is proof enough that I appreciate you guys. Plus, not counting the author's note, this chapter is over 5k words.

I was also surprised to know all the places (countries) this story makes it into. According to FF, not only do people in the U.S read this story, but people all over Europe, Asia, etc. That's insane!

Enough rambling, so here is the second chapter although if you're reading here you've already finished it. So I hope you enjoyed it and it continues to spark your curiosity. I have a plan for this. Now I want to make it clear that this update is not a reflection of how often I will update. It depends on my mood and today, Saturday, I woke in a good mood. So I wrote until I finished it.

This is a romance/suspense/mystery/thriller rated T for the moment. If you guys would like me to continue doing as I have planned let me know but if you have a suggestion concerning the direction you want me to take it, let me know. After all, you guys are the audience and what the audience wants, is what I shall try to give you.

I am still developing my writing style so be patient if the writing evolves throughout the story. If I get sloppy, don't be afraid to let me know.

So once more, your reviews get you updates.

By the way, I have a question. It's a way to interact with you guys. You don't have to answer, I'm just curious.

If someone said, "I will give you twenty thousand dollars right now, but you have to show the entire world your browser history," would you do it? Yes? No? Why?

I think I would pass on the offer. I'm not sure that amount of money (or any thereof) would be worth the embarrassment. There are things in my browser that no one can never know of!