I'd already written a part of this before I saw on Twitter today that people had supposedly found Alex's date of birth. Apparently she was born in February and is 49... I don't know how to feel about that fact. She could be younger if it's based on the show's original timeline considering Piper's sentence was originally only 15 months, but knowing how the timeline has been so fucked up as seasons go by, who really knows? I mean, I don't even know for sure how many years it was that Piper and Alex were separated? 6? 8? 10? We love consistency.
Anyway, happy reading!
"Hey," Piper says as she watches Alex sit down opposite her, smiling widely.
"Hey. I missed you last week," the brunette says sincerely, reaching over to connect their hands - something that seems to be some form of ritual they perform at the start of each visitation.
"I know, I'm sorry I couldn't come."
"You don't need to keep apologising," Alex chuckles, squeezing her wife's hand. "I'm just glad you're here now."
"Hmm just when I thought you couldn't get any more cheesy, Al."
"What can I say? Prison's made me it's bitch," she laughs, pulling her hand away while letting out a heavy breath, her shoulders relaxing. "What?" the brunette goes on to ask as she sees her wife's burning gaze boring holes into her face while a close-lipped smile covers her lips.
"Happy Birthday," Piper whispers, her teeth now showing as she smiles widely.
Alex, letting out a light chuckle, lowers her head to fight the blush she can feel on her cheeks. Honestly, her birthday had never been something she really celebrated since herself and Piper parted ways in Paris and her mother died many years ago; she had no one to celebrate it with. However, last year, it was a date in which Piper dragged her into the chapel and showed her just how much the occasion was worth celebrating before the morning's count.
Being that she's in prison, Alex seems to lose track of time. Of course, she counts down the days until it's Friday, knowing that that's when Piper visits weekly, but she never really notes down what the date is. With her wife's admission, the brunette immediately now knows the date: November 11th, and despite the fact that she herself had forgotten her own birthday, the fact that Piper still remembered meant the world to her.
"Thanks, kid," Alex eventually voices, raising her head so that their eyes connect.
"What's wrong?" Piper asks, sensing her wife isn't very enthused by the reminder of her date of birth.
"Nothing," the brunette tries to digress. "It's just," she pauses, tilting her head. "I forgot."
"You forgot your own birthday?" Piper smiles, knowing the woman opposite her is feeling somewhat vulnerable.
"You know what it's like in here. I lose track of time."
"I get it," the blonde nods, not really expecting Alex to explain - she understands what it's like to be confined into a small space without any awareness as to what's going on around you. "Do you remember last year?" she goes on to ask, hoping to change the tune of their conversation as she reaches her arm over to Alex's, running her fingers along the visible part of her forearm courtesy of her rolled up sleeves.
"Like it was yesterday," Alex smiles, knowing her wife's thoughts immediately went back to their alone time in the chapel.
"Just think of all the birthday sex we can have when you're out of here."
"Is it just the birthday sex you want me to think about?" Alex asks, knowing her wife has a habit of letting her imagination run away with her.
"Well…" she stutters, "It'll be a good start… for scientific purposes."
"Whatever you say," the brunette smirks, noting the dark, lust-filled colour taking over Piper's blue eyes. "Enough about that," she begins, pulling her arm back and resting on her elbows. "How did your appointment go last week?"
"You've been dying to ask me that, haven't you?" Piper smiles, knowing that if the tables were turned, she would be going batshit crazy about the possibilities as to what Alex had been doing.
"When your wife can't visit you and won't tell you exactly why, some thoughts run around your head," the brunette responds, keeping a regular tone of voice as to not make the blonde feel guilty - an emotion she wasn't afraid to express when they had spoken on the phone earlier in the week.
"Let's just say I needed to collect something and if I wanted it in time for what I had planned, then was the only option."
"Just tell me what it was already, goddammit!" Alex says, sounding desperate to know what her wife is hiding from her.
"Alright, calm down," Piper chuckles before reaching up to undo two more buttons on the buttoned-up light blue shirt she was wearing.
"Whoa, I don't think that's appropriate," the brunette says, eyes widening.
"I'm not taking it off," the blonde replies, rolling her eyes in a humorous fashion before reaching into the enlarged v-shaped gap in her shirt to grab the necklace chain hanging from her neck.
"Piper," Alex warns, letting the woman opposite her know that she's growing impatient by the lack of explanation she's receiving.
"Last week, I had to travel back to New York to collect this," she reveals as her hand pulls out the necklace, but keeping her fist clenched over whatever is attached at the bottom, keeping it out of view. "I wanted to give you something for your birthday… well, I can't exactly give it to you right now, but I want you to see it and know the meaning behind it."
"Okay…" Alex mumbles, suddenly feeling anxious.
"I can return it if you think it's a dumb idea, but that'll mean I'll probably have to miss another visitation. You know, I only have Friday and Sunday off from work," the blonde begins to ramble - a sign that she's feeling equally - if not more - anxious than her wife.
"Piper - I'm sure I'll love it."
"I hope so because it wasn't cheap," Piper begins, finally releasing her fist to reveal what was attached to her necklace for the first time.
In what she never in a million years would have expected, Alex's eyes fall onto a silver ring that's plain and simple around the band, but has a small diamond in the middle. Her eyes flicker back up to Piper's oceanic blues and in seeing a smile spread across her wife's lips, Alex feels more and more questions shoot into her head.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asks, shock evident in her voice.
"I thought that considering I was the one who proposed, you deserved an engagement ring," Piper reveals, the giddy look still on her face. "I know we're married now, but this is something for you to wear when you get out. I want you to know that our marriage means everything to me, Alex, and even though it's not been easy, when you're out of here we can really be together like as a family."
"Pipes-" Alex utters, her voice filled with emotion. "I…"
"It's okay," the blonde adds, "you don't have to say anything right now. Just know that I love you Alex and I want to make you happy."
"You do make me happy," the brunette manages to get out. "Seriously, Pipes, I love it. Thank you," she continues, reaching across to touch the ring as the blonde also leans forward to make the action a lot easier. "How did you even afford this?" Alex asks, knowing money was something her wife had previously voiced concerns about - especially considering most of what she had saved was spent on her move to Ohio.
"You don't need to worry about that. All purchased legally," she smiles, watching Alex remove her hand and lean back to her own side of the table.
"But now you don't have a ring. That isn't fair."
"You're not the one that proposed, Al. It's my turn to be the one to buy you these kind of gifts."
"Prison really did a number on you, didn't it?"
"No, I think you're the one that did a number on me. Prison facilitated," the blonde smiles, but that soon vanishes as the announcement that visitation is ending is voiced through the room's tannoy.
"Thank you for coming on my birthday," Alex says, standing up and pulling Piper into a hug.
"Of course I'm here on your birthday," she smiles, tightening her arms around her wife's shoulders. "Counting down the days until I can put this on here," the smaller woman adds, moving her hand down to capture Alex's left hand, rubbing along the space above her wedding ring.
"You and me both, kid," the brunette responds before capturing their lips in a short kiss. "I'll call you soon."
"Remember I'm going home this week for Thanksgiving. I have the week off work, but I'll still be here to visit next Friday."
"Have fun slaying giants," Alex smiles, pulling back entirely before they get told off by one of the observing COs.
"I think I'll need it," Piper raises her eyebrows in agreement, both knowing that heading back to see the Chapman could result in many different turn of events, both good and bad.
"How's school going, Piper?" Neri asks from across the dining table, conversation flowing surprisingly well so far.
"Great, thanks! The course is just over a year long, so I have my final exams soon," the blonde responds after taking a sip from her wine glass.
"Maybe you'll be of help researching a school for this little one here," the dark-haired woman responds, using her hand to play with the hair on her daughter's head who is seated between herself and Cal in a high chair.
"Oh, I don't know about that," the blonde begins, not expecting her sister-in-law to be wanting her input in such a thing. "It's night school for adults, Neri; I wouldn't even know where to begin with children's schooling."
"Just think of it as a form of preparation for when you have your own," Neri voices, her lack of filter again making itself known.
Piper ponders what to respond; looking after her niece alone somewhat made her question whether she wanted children, and in not knowing what Alex felt about having children of their own, she chose to brush off the concept, not wanting to make the dinner table erupt into an investigation about her private life - it wouldn't be the first time something like that happened.
"Isn't it too soon to be thinking about that kind of thing anyway? She's nearly turning two."
"We like to be prepared," Cal chimes in. "Studies show the more prepared you are as a parent, the more likely your child is to succeed."
Piper raises her eyebrows at this, questioning the truth of such a statement. She wonders if her parents think of her as a failure - perhaps they didn't prepare well enough when she was growing up.
"I think it's nice they want you involved, Piper," her mother begins, joining the conversation for the first time. "You can claim that you're the favourite aunt," she adds, knowing Neri doesn't have any sisters to be offended by the comment.
"Ah, from what I've heard, I think Alex might take that spot," Cal says, laughing loudly as he thinks back to some of the stories Piper had shared back when they'd played hookie for the day and each took one of his innovative 'bloobs'.
Piper's eyes shoot open as she looks over at her brother. She'd never heard anyone in her family really voice anything good about her wife, and in hearing her brother say such a positive comment in front of everyone, it makes her smile, happy that at least someone accepts who she is.
"She definitely will take that crown for sure," Piper laughs, despite noting her father's head turning away in disgust. "It was her birthday last Friday and she seemed in high spirits," she adds, taking advantage of the fact that it wasn't her who brought her wife into the conversation.
"How long is left now?" Carol asks, making Piper feel a sense of happiness that her mother is at least trying.
"640 days."
"Not that you're counting or anything," Cal adds with a smile.
As if by coincidence, Piper feels her phone ringing in her pocket. Reaching down to grab the vibrating device, she sees the familiar number belonging to Alex's prison in Ohio.
"It's her now," she says out loud, pushing her chair back to excuse herself from the room.
"Piper, we're having dinner," her father decides to chime in.
"I'm not stopping you from continuing," she says sharply, answering the phone and leaving the room, waiting for the automated voice on the other end to finish.
"Alex?"
"Hey, Pipes," her wife's husky voice comes down the phone line, making Piper smile to herself.
"How are you?"
"Everything's been okay here I guess. How's Connecticut?"
"It's been okay so far. No arguments. What do you mean by I guess?"
Hearing her wife sigh down the phone makes Piper's heart clench out of worry.
"I just miss you. That's all."
The blonde immediately understands where Alex is coming from; Thanksgiving always used to be a holiday that they spent together when they were a couple - they even spent it with the brunette's mother one time.
"I miss you too," she pauses. "I'm sorry I've been insensitive. I know this holiday meant a lot to you."
"I want you to enjoy yourself without worrying about me, Pipes. It's not so bad here. I can't say I want slop every year for my Thanksgiving dinner, but it'll have to do."
"I guess this is an anniversary for us," the blonde says, biting down on her lip.
"What do you mean?"
"Last Thanksgiving in the chapel. We had sex for the first time in 8 years."
"Ah, you're right right after you got out the SHU. I like where you're going with this," the brunette responds with a seductive tone.
"We can't Alex," Piper chuckles, knowing that can't happen both while she's in the middle of having dinner with her family, and while Alex is standing out in the open using one of the cell block telephones.
"I know," she joins in with the laughter. "Maybe later. How's it been with your dad?"
"He hasn't really said much, but he seemed pissed when you called. You were mentioned at the table though."
"I was? Who tried to persuade you to run this time?"
"No one, actually. Cal said you'd be the cool aunt out of the two of us."
"What?" Alex laughs.
"I know. I was surprised too. They seem to be coming around to the fact that we're married."
"Except Bill."
"Except my dad, yeah. He hates that we're married," she laughs, trying to make light of the situation.
"I still love you, no matter what your family say, Pipes."
"I know. I love you too," the blonde says. "I should go. Do you have enough money to call tomorrow?"
"I do, but I won't be calling tomorrow."
"Oh."
"Jones said I could use her phone again tonight…" Alex explains, causing Piper's thighs to clench together at the memory of what happened the last time her wife borrowed her cell mate's phone.
"So you just want me for my body?" the blonde laughs, knowing Alex can hear the humour in her question. "Not that I'm mad about it."
"By all means, I'll tell her I don't need to use it."
"No, I'm kidding!" Piper immediately butts in. "You can call later. I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm sure it's not the only thing you're looking forward to," Alex flirts, knowing such a statement would elicit a shade of red to cover her wife's cheeks.
"Oh, you know me so well. I love you, Al."
"Love you more. I have to go but I'll call later."
Before she gets the chance to respond, the call ends. Piper's left standing against the hallway wall with a smile on her face. Giving herself a few seconds to collect herself, she walks back into the dining room and her entire family are looking directly at her.
"What?" she asks, wondering why she's receiving such a mixed reaction from everyone.
"You fucked Alex in the chapel?" Cal laughs loudly as he asks his question, and it's in this moment Piper realises everyone could hear the entire conversation she had just had with her wife.
"It was prison, Cal. There's not a whole lot of options."
"Well you have phones now I guess," Neri adds.
"No, Alex doesn't have a phone to do that kind of thing."
"Pipes, we literally could hear everything you were saying," Cal also adds, reminding his sister the entire table heard of the suggestive comments that were made about plans for later in the evening.
"Okay, I think it's time to change the topic," the blonde says, moving to return to her seat.
Before they have the chance to start another conversation, Bill gets up from the table without so much as saying a word, and leaves the room.
"He heard what you said," Carol voices, trying to explain her husband's departure.
"I know. You all did according to Cal."
"No. He heard what you said about him."
"Oh," Piper realises what her mother is alluding to. "It wasn't exactly a lie. He's made it pretty clear he doesn't agree with my marriage. Several times in fact."
"It's not easy for him you know, Piper. He's trying."
"Mom, he can't even look at me anymore; he doesn't ever try and call, and whenever Alex is brought up, he acts like the world is ending."
"Just go and talk to him. Please," Carol pleads.
"If you insist," the blonde rolls her eyes, again getting up from the table but this time with the intentions of finding her father.
It doesn't take her long until she finds him sitting alone outside on one of the patio chairs. He looks sad, she notes, and although a part of her feels sorry for the man, she knows that sympathy isn't what her father wants nor what he particularly deserves.
"Is it okay if I join you?" Piper asks as she steps outside and closes over the glass door.
"Sure," Bill responds, taking a sip from his small glass of - what Piper is guessing is - whiskey.
"I'm sorry you had to hear all of that," she begins, taking the seat next to her father yet keeping her eyes trained forwards just as he is doing.
"What part?"
"I'm not going to do this with you. I'm not going to let you turn this around like I'm in the wrong. Yes, I'm sorry that you heard some of the things I was talking about, but why does hearing something you already know is true make you flip out? You've made it clear you don't like Alex - and you certainly don't like the fact that I'm married to her, but nothing you say or do will change that. It upsets me that you can't just be happy for me. I'm your daughter," Piper concludes emotionally as she begins to feel tears falling from her eyes.
"It's not about that," Bill attempts to explain before he's cut off.
"No, Dad. This is exactly what this is about. You can't accept that I went to prison and ended up marrying an ex-drug smuggling lesbian. Because that's how you see her, isn't it?"
"I am happy for you, Piper. You're finally making your own decisions using your adult brain. I may not agree with them entirely, but I know I can't stop you."
"Then why won't you at least treat me like a human being with feelings?"
"I just don't want you to get hurt," the man reveals, turning to face his daughter, his brown eyes showing no real sign of emotion.
"I won't. Alex and I are past that. We love each other, and even if she were in prison for the next 10 years that wouldn't change."
Bill doesn't respond, instead turning back forwards and taking a sip from his drink.
"So what's this Alex like then? Tell me about her."
Piper is initially surprised by the request, yet in this moment it strikes her that her family don't really know anything about her wife - only the negative minor details about their past together. Sure, she'd shown Cal and Neri some pictures, but she doesn't even think her parents know what Alex looks like.
"Well, she's tall, has long, dark hair, green eyes, glasses - the ones that a typical librarian would wear… we used to joke about that," she explains, nearly losing herself just at the thought of her wife.
"Piper," her father interrupts, causing her to pause mid-way through her list. "I meant what is she like - her personality. Not what she looks like."
"Oh," the blonde ponders, finding it difficult to choose the right words to even begin to describe Alex. "She's an enigma; she's sarcastic; she's intelligent; she knows exactly where to find the best value for your money; she likes to read; she's secretly soft on the inside but tries to downplay it..."
Once she gets the feeling that she's rambling, Piper pauses and turns to see her father looking her way.
"You really like her, don't you?"
"I love her, Dad."
The older man takes another few seconds before responding.
"So what kind of books does she like to read?" he asks in a more timid fashion.
While Piper attempts to stifle a smile at her father's attempts to seem engaged, she appreciates that he's trying to make an effort rather than continue to downplay her relationship. She knows it's going to take a lot more time, but she'll take any progress she can - regardless of what form it comes in.