I know it's short, but I've had a lot of people requesting for an update in reviews on my other stories and figured I owed a chapter. Life's been very busy at the minute, but I wanted to get at least something out there to keep people happy.
PS: I'm a human with a life outside of writing, so please respect that I won't always update very quickly from here onwards. I'm still more than open to take any suggestions in reviews/pms, however!
"Pipes, how're we going to afford all of that?" Alex asks down the phone line, causing the blonde to let out a heavy sigh.
"I've explained, Al. We have savings," Piper says, somewhat irritated that she has to keep explaining the situation at hand.
"We don't have savings," Alex states. "You have savings, Piper."
"Alex," the blonde again pauses, her growing irritation down the line. "You're my partner. What's mine is also yours. I want this to be perfect for us. I've waited over 10 years to be with you. Let me do this."
"There's no changing your mind, is there, kid?" the brunette asks, her rising tone of voice suggesting her lips have grown into a smile.
"Nope," Piper comments, before going back to what she was saying before she was interrupted. "Anyway, if you didn't want to wear a dress that's fine, but whatever it is, it has to be white," she adds, seriousness running through her voice.
"I don't mind the idea of wearing a dress. It'll be like the riot all over again," Alex says, chuckling at the memory of her make-shift makeover.
"Al-" Piper begins, warning the brunette as she knows her wife is aware that her thoughts will drift towards what had happened in the janitorial closet after she had first seen said outfit with her own eyes.
"Things are that bad, huh?" she laughs, sensing what Piper means.
"No. You're just making me miss you more," the blonde admits. "All of this wedding planning makes the distance harder."
"I know the feeling. It's not long left now."
"Too long," Piper mentions, trying hard to not get emotional.
"Have you still been reading the notes?" Alex asks, sensing the other woman's emotions are changing.
"Of course I have," the blonde smiles at the thought of Alex's reasons for loving her.
"How many are there left?"
"I don't know uh… I'll go check," Piper voices, wanting to give her wife the correct answer.
"39," Alex says. "That's if you haven't read them all ahead of time."
"How did you…?"
"I'm in prison, Piper. Forgive me for counting down the weeks."
"Oh… right. Sorry," the blonde utters, feeling nervous for some reason.
"Come on, Pipes, don't do that," Alex says, not wanting her wife to change the tone of their conversation.
"Do what?"
"Apologise. I like it when you free fall with whatever you want to talk about."
"I just…" Piper pauses, not wanting to lie, but already knowing Alex is going to shut down what she's about to say. "I don't want you to feel like I'm being too overwhelming and that you've had enough of me."
"You know that's never going to happen, Pipes. I can't wait to get out of here and be with you. That feeling isn't going anywhere any time soon," the brunette admits, wanting to reassure her wife.
"I know. I know. I'm just finding it hard without you here," the blonde reveals, feeling further away from Alex than she has in a long time.
"Keep reminding yourself there isn't long left." Alex says, before smiling on her end. "Plus, I can't wait to see you in that dress you won't stop talking about."
The brunette hears Piper's light chuckle down the phone, and although throughout the years they've found the lack of contact tough, the final few months of Alex's sentence are proving to be the most difficult.
Since Piper had brought up the idea of getting officially married, most of their visitation and call time was spent planning, and although she at times feels like she's overwhelming her wife with her freedom, Alex ensured to let it be known that she too wants to get married just as much as Piper does once she's out.
The next 200 odd days prove to display their highs and lows from both women, and although she knows it's something she shouldn't be doing, Piper finds herself panicking.
The night before she was due to pick up Alex was spent frantically rushing about the apartment she calls home. She attempted to clean the space, knowing it's something that Alex will appreciate, as well as the fact she wants to impress her wife as ridiculous as it sounds.
She made sure to drive to the prison at least 20 minutes before Alex was due to be released, as she knew from her own experiences that due to paper work, the brunette could appear a bit before or even quite some time after her allotted release time: 11am.
Waiting in her car in the prison car park proves to be a nerve-wracking experience, and when the clock passes 11, Piper gets out of the driver's side and approaches the prison entrance as previously instructed the last time she had inquired about where to pick up an inmate being released at visitation. She's the only person standing outside in the cold air; burgundy sweatshirt opposing the colour of her navy skinny jeans and black Chelsea boots. Her hair is down just below her shoulders in a straight fashion - something she styled when she woke up early to get ready that morning.
The door to the prison opens several times, causing her hopes to rise, yet every time it's a worker either leaving in a switch of shifts, or a visitor leaving to go back home. By the time it reaches 11:30, the blonde grows restless. An underlying sense of panic begins to form inside at the thought of Alex being caught in some form of situation and having more time added to her sentence, but when the prison door finally opens and reveals the person she had been waiting for, all negative thoughts go flying from her head.
"Alex-" the blonde whispers out, but the brunette doesn't allow for further conversation as she drops her bag of belongings and pulls her wife into a hug.
The pair stand in that stationary position, embracing one another in an emotion-filled reunion. It isn't for at least a minute until they pull back, and despite tears building up in her eyes, Piper reaches up and cups the taller woman's cheeks, pulling her into a loving kiss.
"You're here," the blonde says, breaking the liplock but still keeping her hands on her wife's cheeks.
"I am," Alex smiles, rubbing her hands along Piper's forearms. "Should we get out of here before they find out about the heroin I was dealing in there?" she does on to ask, causing Piper's eyebrows to shoot up in an extremely worried manner. "I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Alex says before the blonde gets a chance to even respond.
"Jesus, fuck, Alex! Don't do that to me," Piper says, moving her right hand down to cover her heart.
"Was that not funny?" the brunette asks, reaching down to link their fingers.
"No. It wasn't," Piper replies, yet the feeling of Alex connecting their hands causes a smile to erupt onto her face. "Come on - the car's this way."