Author's note: Just wanted to say that your positive feedback means so much to me. I'm so grateful for your support and wouldn't probably be writing without it. So thank you.

Enjoy :)

Alex was lying on her bed and opened the East of Eden that Piper had given to her. She opened the book and there was a picture of Piper and Alex assumed her grandma. They seemed close. And happy.

Sure Alex had seen Piper smile, but it never quite reached her eyes. In this picture, however, Piper was smiling from ear to ear. Alex promised to herself to do anything to get Piper smile like that again.

The picture must have been taken before Piper's parents' death. Alex wondered if Piper's grandma was still alive. If not, Piper is much stronger than she originally thought. Alex couldn't even bear the thought of losing her mom, Piper had lost two- maybe three close people.

Alex sighed, no wonder Piper was having issues with people. She tried to forget Piper and started to read.

It was friday. Diane didn't take Piper's Saturday's day off away even when Piper requested it. Piper thought that it would be only fair because she got the Wednesday off but Diane disagreed and said it was nothing.

Well, if tomorrow was going to be free, Piper was going to have some fun.

She showered and changed clothes. Tight, black jeans with a white sleeveless crop top. She did her make up and brushed her hair. She looked at mirror. Yup, she definetely went over 21-year-old. She smirked at herself, she knew she looked hot. She was going to get laid tonight. Yes, she had been without sex for too long.

She grabbed her purse where she put her money, keys and phone. She put her Vans sneakers and left the apartment, looking couple of years older than normal.

Piper woke up to somebody hugging her. She turned carefully around to see cute brunette sleeping next to her. Amanda? Amy? Or was it April? Whatever, she checked the clock and groaned quietly when she saw that it was already almost noon.

She slowly got out of the bed and started looking for her underwear and clothes.

Once she had found all of them, she quickly wrote a message.

"Thank you for the last night, I had a great time. Hope you did too ;) See you around."

Piper always wrote the same message, but never met them again, expect by accident in some bar. They always went to the other girl's place, never Piper's. It was always Piper who left, usually when the other one was still asleep. Piper wasn't looking relationship, just something to scratch that itch.

"You leaving already?" The girl asked sleepily.

Piper closed her eyes and sighed. That's the problem when you don't run off early enough. "Yeah, I have some stuff to do."

"Can I have your number?" The girl asked as she lifted her head up to look at Piper.

"That's not the point in one-night stands", Piper said.

"I know. But I enjoyed your company", the girl grinned.

"I could tell", Piper smirked. "See you around", she said with turning around and leaving the apartment.

It took her for a while to place where she was. She realized that she was only few miles away from her own apartment. She didn't want to call cab, because she tried to avoid cars as much as possible. Sure she used cabs, she had gone to the bar by cab, but now when the distance wasn't too long, she would walk.

She walked quickly and got home in half an hour. When she got home, she hopped into a shower and changed into sweatpants and too big T-shirt.

She walked to her bookshelf and picked Nights of Rain and Stars by Maeve Binchy. She hadn't read that one for a long time. She crashed on the couch and started reading the book.

Next day Alex stepped into the shop with two Iced coffees and a Caramel latte. Yes she remembered what Piper had taken when they were at the cafe.

Diane and Piper took the drinks surprised. "You seem to be in a good mood", Diane noted.

"More like tired. I hate to say this but the boy I'm tutoring, Nick, is getting on my nerves. So, I needed coffee and decided to bring for you too. So you wouldn't get envious", Alex grinned.

"How generous", Piper said and sipped her drink. She was surprised that Alex knew what she drank. "Thanks."

"So, what happened with Nick?" Diane asked.

"He has this habit to focus on me instead of his studies. He literally stared at my breast the whole time today", Alex said annoyed.

Piper burst into a laughter and had a hard time keeping the coffee in her mouth.

"It's not funny! I mean, you would be irritated too!" Alex said to Piper.

"Yeah. Luckily I don't do such a stupid thing like start tutoring. Like come on, could you imagine me tutoring someone?" Piper said making a face.

Alex laughed at that thought. "Oh man, I would like to see that."

"I don't. I would probably just call him an idiot and leave. I don't have the patience for interacting with stupid people", Piper said.

Diane chuckled. Piper wasn't even probably noticing it but she had become more open around her and Alex.

"Good to know then that we aren't stupid. You talk with us", Alex said grinning.

"Yeah. Or then you aren't people", Piper stated seriously.

Alex and Diane burst into a laughter. "Jeez, kid", Alex said still laughing.

"I'm not a kid", Piper called out as she went into a backroom.

"See? We are making progress", Diane said quietly.

Alex's phone rang and she smiled when she saw her best friend's, Nicky's name pop up on the screen.

"Heyy, haven't heard from you for a while", she answered.

"Yeah..." Nicky said sounding weird.

Alex's smile vanished. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I'm at a hospital-"

"What happened? Are you okay?" Alex asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I... uhmm..." Nicky hesitated.

Alex closed her eyes and sighed. "You overdosed, didn't you?"

Nicky was quiet on the other side and that was all the confirmation that Alex needed.

Piper came out of the backroom and heard the last sentence. She looked at worried looking Alex and Diane.

"You need to get yourself together", Alex said sadly.

"I know, okay? It's just not that easy", Nicky said tiredly.

"Where are you?"

"I'm in Hartford hospital."

"Hartford hospital, huh? Well, not in Philadelphia this time", Alex said shaking her head. "I'll come to see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay."

Alex ended the call and looked at her mom. "It's Nicky, she overdosed again."

Piper looked at Alex's pained expression, she had no idea that Alex had friend that was drug addict.

"She needs help", Diane said as she hugged her daughter.

"I know. She just doesn't accept it", Alex said quietly.

Piper turned around and went to the backroom again. Before she even knew what she was doing, she started to look the bus from Litchfield to Hartford.

There went bus at 4.30 p.m. Perfect, Piper would get off at 4 p.m.

Piper hated to see Alex so helpless and decided to talk with this Nicky. She got the picture that Nicky was kind of like herself and she had experienced the drugs herself. She was determined to help Nicky. For Alex.

Piper stopped. This was far from taking distance from Alex. But Alex didn't need to know. Happy with her plan, she stepped back into the shop.

Alex had cried and that made Piper feel even worse. "I'm sorry, I heard your conversation. What is Nicky's whole name? I might know her..." She asked.

Alex furrowed her eyes. Could Piper know Nicky? "It's Nicole Nichols..."

"Ahh, nothing then. It's not the same Nicky", Piper said apologetically as she memorized the name.

Alex didn't notice Piper's weird behavior but Diane looked at her suspiciously.

Piper just gave her a small smile before went between shelves to organize books again.

When the clock hit 4 p.m, Piper almost ran off and Diane became even more suspicious since Piper always stayed around until Diane closed the shop and had to practically drive Piper out.

Piper got off near the Hartford hospital. She started walking towards the hospital but stopped when she saw it. Last time when she had been there, she had heard that her parents were dead. Piper obviously hadn't thought this through. But it was too late to back off now.

Piper let out a shaky breath before started walking again. Once she was inside she looked around. She didn't remember much of the hospital, so she could imagine that this was a different hospital.

Piper went to the front desk. "Hello, Nicole Nichols was brought here recently?"

The man at the desk looked at the computer. "Yes. I'm sorry, but only family members can visit today."

Piper gritted her teeth and decided to try something. "I'm her sister. Olivia Nichols", Piper said trying to sound annoyed and impatient.

The man's eyebrows rose. "Oh, I'm sorry. She's staying in..." The man clicked something. "Room 380."

"Thank you", Piper said before left. Luckily they weren't too strict here.

She stepped into the elevator and went to the third floor where the room was.

Piper stopped in front of the room 380. She took a deep breath and knocked. What was she even doing? If Alex couldn't help Nicky, how she could? She didn't know even how to help herself.

"You waiting for me to invite you in?" The voice laughed on the other side of the door.

Piper opened the door and stepped inside.

"And what do I own this pleasure? Who the fuck are you anyways?" The girl, Nicky laughed.

Piper took her in. She was lying in the hospital bed with some tubes attached. Her hair was dirty blonde colored and was sticking out to every direction.

"Hey Nicky. I'm..." Piper decided not to reveal herself. "Well, it doesn't really matter."

Nicky raised her eyebrows. "Well, it doesn't really matter, what are you doing here?"

Piper smiled. She liked the girl, she was kind of like Piper. "I came to talk with you, about your drug use."

The girl's smirk vanished. "If you're some therapist or something, then no thanks. They haven't helped before and they won't help me now either."

Piper laughed. "Yeah, no. You can't probably find a person farther away from a therapist than me."

"Then who the fuck are you?" Nicky asked.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" Piper decided to go straight to a point.

"Woah, slow down. I don't mind cute girls hitting on me, but I don't even know your name!" Nicky chuckled.

"Don't flatter yourself", Piper rolled her eyes. "I meant to ask if you have anyone important, family, girlfriend, best friend?"

"Well, there's this girl that I'm interested but she doesn't want anything because of the drugs... Jesus, I don't even know why I'm talking to you. Did Alex sent you?"

"No one sent me. Who is Alex?" Piper asked faking ignorant.

"She is my best friend. She has tried to get me clean..."

"Why did you start using?" Piper asked as she sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"I don't need to talk with you."

"Well, you're right. But if it helps to trust me more, I'm a friend of your friend. I used to use too, so that's why I thought that I should talk with you", Piper told.

"No shit", Nicky's eyes widened. "I would have never guessed that you have used!"

"Yeah..."

"I didn't knew that Alex had other addict friend. Well, ex-addict", Nicky said.

"What? I don't know who is Al-"

"Bullshit. You're a friend of my friend. The only real friend I have is Alex", Nicky said smirking.

Piper sighed. "Okay, listen. I wouldn't maybe say that I'm Alex's friend. She doesn't know that I'm here or that I've used. I would like to keep it that way because I don't want her to pity me even more than she's doing now."

Nicky furrowed her eyebrows. "Who are you, really?"

Piper sighed. "I'm Piper, Alex tutored me for a while and I'm working for Diane. That's why I know them. I have kind of troubled past and some problems, Alex and Diane are trying to help me or some shit like that but yeah. I heard when Alex talked with you and I just hated it. She seemed so helpless you know?"

"I know. I hate how Alex looks at me always when she knows that I've used. I really hate it, but I just can't stop it. You've used, you know how it's like!" Nicky said desperately.

"I know. I didn't use for too long. Couple of months. But it was hard to stop even then. My brother noticed it and made me to get help. He reminded me how disappointment my grandma would have been, if she was alive. After her death, I started using. But anyways, I realized that I was being selfish because I only thought about myself and not about how it affected people around me." Piper said, now voluntarily sharing her past that she had been trying to forget.

"How you were able to stop?" Nicky asked curiously.

"I got help. I told my parents and they took me to this clinic. I was there a couple of weeks and then saw my counselor first daily and then few times a week until she thought that I was ready."

"When was this?" Nicky asked curiously.

"About one and a half year ago."

"You never used again?"

Piper was quiet for a while. "Year ago something happened again and I used. Overdosed actually. My brother saved my ass again and I got clean again. This time only with his help. I've not used since then."

Nicky listened curiously. "Interesting. Are you going to get me clean now?"

Piper smiled a little. "I can't do that. Only you can. My advice is that go to the clinic, get help. Focus on something else, I changed my drug use to running. You can concentrate on that girl you liked. Think about people around you."

Nicky listened to Piper and realized that she was right. "But what if I can't do it?"

Piper put her hand on top of Nicky's. "You can do anything when you believe in yourself. Cal once told me how it felt when I was using. That kind of helplessness almost ruined him. Please, if you don't do it for yourself, do it for Alex."

"You've been inspirational, blondie", Nicky smiled.

"If you visit in Litchfield someday, I wish you've gotten clean", Piper said as she got up.

"I'll promise that I'll try. For Alex and Lorna. And myself."

Piper smiled as she figured that Lorna was the girl Nicky was interested in. "Good luck."

"See you around, blondie. And thank you. I really mean it." Nicky said smiling widely. She had been trying to get clean, but Piper here might just have given the final push she needed.

"Remember, I was never here", Piper reminded before left the room and the hospital.

"Ayee, Vause. I've missed you", Nicky said smiling as she saw Alex walking into her hospital room.

"I've missed you too, Nicky. Although I hoped to see in other circumstances", Alex said as she sat in a chair next to Nicky.

"Well. This is the last time when you see me like this."

Alex raised her eyebrow. "Really? You seem pretty sure about that."

"I am. I had this... interesting encounter which led me realizing that I can't keep going like this. It's not fair to you or to myself or to anybody. So, I decided to get help and get clean and stay that way", Nicky stated proudly.

Alex smiled widely. "What changed your mind? You hated the idea of clinics and help. Did Lorna visit you?"

"Nope", Nicky said with a mischievous grin. Alex would never guess who visited her. "She didn't want to be in any contact as long as I was involved with drugs. But I'm going to get clean and then she's mine", Nicky smiled happily.

"You need to tell me what changed your mind", Alex demanded smiling. She was so happy that her best friend was finally going to try for real. She just hoped that Nicky reached her goal.

"Some girl that I didn't know came here yesterday to talk some sense into me. She never told me her name but just something about her made me realize how stupid I've been", Nicky said, tolding only a half-truth. She had promised Piper that she wouldn't tell.

"If I knew who this girl was I would thank her personally."

"Yeah... I'm sorry what I've made you go through", Nicky apologized.

"Nicky-"

"No seriously. I've been selfish. I haven't really thought about how this has affected you. So, I'm sorry", Nicky said sincerely.

Alex shook her head. "It's okay. I'm just happy that you're trying now."

"So, how's it going in Litchfield?" Nicky changed the topic. She was curious about Piper.

"It's going pretty well. Mom's shop has been successful and I've started tutoring", Alex said.

"Oh really? Any interesting students?" Nicky said smirking.

"I have no intention to sleep with these students", Alex said chuckling as she caught what Nicky was trying to imply. "But there is this boy who's trying to hit on me and then..." Alex trailed off as she thought how much she should talk about Piper.

Nicky raised her eyebrows. "Some fine ass girl?"

Alex laughed. "No! Well, kind of yes. But Piper is very... Man, I don't even know. She is very smart but doesn't bother to show it and that's why I was tutoring her for a while. She is actually working for my mom, so we see each other quite a lot."

"Have you tried to sleep with her?" Nicky asked, trying to provoke Alex a little.

Alex's eyes widened. "No! You don't know what she's like. You don't try to sleep with her without wanting a black eye. She is a very complicated girl. I swear she changes her mind all the time. First, she hates me, then she apologizes and then we become friends. Then she is distant and then after a while, she opens up to me little about her problems and then she's distant again?" Alex explained, trying to understand herself.

Nicky was surprised. Piper had seemed like a nice girl when she had visited. "Jeez."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Alex called to her mother as she was driving back to Litchfield. Her mother had left with a couple of friends to London. Her birthday was soon, so it was like a birthday trip.

"Hey hun", Diane answered.

"Mom, hey. You already at the airport?" Alex asked.

"Yeah. The plane leaves in an hour. How did it go with Nicky?"

"Really well actually. She always promises to get clean but this time, she really meant it. She said that someone had visited her and talked some sense into her", Alex said still smiling.

"That's good. I'm happy for her..." Diane said before trailing off.

Alex sensed that her mother had something to say. "What is it?"

"Who do you think that visited her?"

"I have no idea. Nicky said that she had never told her name", Alex said furrowing her eyebrows. Sure, she was confused why somebody random went to talk with Nicky but mainly she was just grateful.

"I'm not saying that it's her... but Piper acted pretty weird yesterday after she heard your conversation", Diane said.

Alex's eyes widened. "Do you think that Piper...?"

"I really don't know, but she just... she asked her whole name and then she just run off immediately after her shift", Diane thought.

"But why would she do that?"

Diane chuckled. "She's Piper. She doesn't need reasons, she just... does things. But like I said, it isn't necessarily her. She just acted weird."

"I'll ask about it when I see her", Alex said.

"Okay. I'm happy for Nicky, I really am. I'll call you later", Diane promised.

"Okay, love you, bye."

"Love you too. Bye."

Alex put her phone in her bag. Could it really be Piper? But if it was, then why? Like her mother had said Piper really didn't need any reasons, but she didn't think that Piper would travel to a city that she hated just to help Alex's friend without any good reason. And why Piper was even so sure that she could help Nicky?

Thank you for reading and like always, please review :) I'll try to update soon again!

-Iina