It has been three days since Alex proposed and she and Piper are currently on their way home from Polly's baby shower which was held at Piper's brownstone. "Well I'm so relieved that went off without a hitch! I have been feeling a bit guilty about throwing the shower together at the last minute, but Polly seemed happy don't you think?" Piper asks Alex as she creeps through the evening city traffic.

"Yeah, she's glowing…you know I always thought that was a bunch or horseshit when they say that a pregnant woman has a special glow about her, but Polly sure has it!" Alex says with a chuckle, "She's got to be so uncomfortable though, I mean she looks like she could pop at any minute!" There is a comfortable silence in the car for a moment before Piper breaks it.

"Al?"

"Yea Pipes?"

"I saw you playing hopscotch with Polly's nieces this afternoon and throwing the football with her little cousin—you are going to make an awesome mom someday…" Piper trails off staring lovingly at Alex from the passenger seat.

Alex laughs, "Slow down there Pipes, we haven't even set a date for the wedding yet!" Alex says jokingly.

Piper giggles back, "I'm not in any hurry, but I just wanted you to know, I mean you did have a pretty great example to learn from so it's no surprise," Piper says referring to Diane. Alex smiles, "Well for what it's worth babe, I think you will make one hell of a mommy yourself…someday!" Piper's smile lights up her entire face, "I just hope you will still love me when I am huge like Polly!" Piper retorts. "Pipes, you could grow two more heads and develop purple polka dots all over your body, and I wouldn't love you any less!" Alex says shaking her head.

"Hey? What do you say we stop by the bar for a few drinks before heading home? It's still kind of early and we really haven't had a chance to celebrate our engagement with our friends." Piper asks Alex as she pulls the SUV into the parking garage.

"That sounds great babe—let's do it!"

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As soon as the couple walk in they hear Nicky's loud voice from behind the bar, "There they are the old ball and chain!" Alex and Piper both flip Nicky the bird, as Lorna and Jenae run over to greet and hug them. "Congratulations you guys, we're so happy for you!" Lorna squeals as she grabs Piper's hand to examine the ring. "Holy shit Piper, your ring is amazing! Who would have thought that Alex had such great taste in jewelry?"Jenae asks giving Alex a playful punch in the arm. "And what do we have here?" Lorna asks grabbing Alex's hand and pulling it up for a closer look as her eyes nearly pop out of her head. On the brunette's left ring finger is a beautiful black and white halo shaped diamond ring. Alex laughs, "Piper insisted that I have an engagement ring as well, even though I told her it was totally not necessary!" Piper speaks up, "Of course you needed one too! And more importantly all those slutty girls that like to hit on you will know that you're officially taken!" Everyone laughs at Piper's logic as Nicky runs up with a bottle of champagne and several glasses. "For real though you guys, I am so fuckin happy for you both, I hope you know that," Nicky says pouring out glasses of the bubbly. "To Alex and Piper-the future Mrs. And Mrs. Vause!" Glasses are clinked and the small group of friends drink their champagne before Lorna and Jenae return to the bar to take care of other customers. Since Nicky's shift officially ended about ten minutes ago, the three women sit in a booth and catch up for a while.

"Hey Al? I'm gonna run home and change my shoes-these are killing me!" Piper whispers into her fiancée's ear.

"Okay babe, do you want me to come with you?"

"No, that's okay, stay and have a good time with our friends, I'll be back in a few minutes… Hey, could you make me a margarita while I'm gone?"

Alex smiles and quickly kisses Piper, "You got it Pipes…see you in a few."

The brunette watches the blonde until she is completely out of sight, then she glances down at her ring. "How the fuck did I get so lucky?" Alex thinks to herself as she heads to the bar to get the blonde's margarita.

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Alex nervously glances at the clock on the wall, Piper has been gone almost ten minutes and she wonders what is keeping her. Suddenly the door to the bar bursts opens and a young man of about nineteen or twenty shouts, "SOMEBODY CALL 911 QUICK! A LADY HAS BEEN STABBED OUT HERE!" Lorna immediately picks up the phone and dials 911 and Alex can feel her heart drop nearly into her stomach, thinking the worst, but praying she's wrong. "Oh my god Piper!" Alex screams as she starts running outside after the young man.

Alex feels as though time is suddenly moving in slow motion and she seems to have a sort of tunnel vision that is only allowing her to see one thing at a time. The first thing Alex sees as she gets outside is Piper's distinctive cheetah print purse laying in the corner of the street near a sewer drain. Again almost in slow motion, Alex's eyes move from the purse down the sidewalk a bit where she sees a small group of people up ahead standing in a circle around something or someone, she can see their mouths moving, but her ears have now decided not to work and all she can hear is her own heart thumping in her chest. Running toward the small crowd of people, Alex pushes her way through and her worst fears are confirmed when she sees the love of her life lying on the sidewalk bleeding heavily from a wound to her abdomen. There is a young African American woman kneeling next to Piper administering first aid. Alex's ears thankfully begin to work again. "Piper, that's a beautiful name…" the young black woman says as she continues to apply pressure to Piper's stomach with a white button down shirt that is quickly turning a deep crimson color, "Piper I need you to stay awake okay? Help is on the way, my name is Tasha Jefferson and I'm a nursing student at NYU and I'm gonna stay right here with you until the ambulance arrives."

"PIPER! OH MY GOD BABY! PIPER CAN YOU HEAR ME?" Alex shrieks snapping out of her trance and kneeling on Piper's other side.

"Alex…" Piper mumbles turning her head slightly and struggling to keep her eyes open. "Here keep pressure on her stomach, I need to elevate her legs-I think she's going into shock. You need to keep her awake," Tasha says meeting Alex's eyes.

"Pipes…babe…I'm right here," Alex chokes grabbing onto Piper's hand.

"Al…" Piper wheezes slightly, "He took my ring…I'm sorry…" the blonde's eyes start to close.

"Baby it's not your fault, do you hear me? Piper baby please open your eyes!"

"I…love…you….Alex," Piper mumbles but her eyes remain closed.

"Piper! Don't you fuckin leave me! Do you hear me Pipes? I love you so much…I need you too much…"

Piper musters all the strength she has left and opens her eyes to stare into Alex's emerald orbs, "There you go Pipes, just keep looking into my eyes, you're gonna be fine I can hear the sirens coming, Just hold on okay?"

Just then the ambulance screams to a stop and a male and female EMT jump out of the rig. Tasha quickly explains that she's a nursing student and was on scene almost immediately after the incident, "Twenty-seven year old female with two stab wounds to the abdomen. She has been sliding in and out of consciousness for the past couple of minutes." The paramedics immediately get to work checking Piper's vital signs and applying pressure to the stab wounds with sterile gauze as Alex moves back slightly to give them room to do their jobs. A third paramedic pushes his way through the crowd with a gurney.

The loss of eye contact and the physical contact of Alex's hand causes the blonde to become upset, "Alex… Alex… Where are you?"

"I'm right here Pipes," Alex says moving so that Piper can still see her. "They have to get you on the gurney, but I'm still right here…don't worry babe, I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh fuck Vause! What happened?" Nicky asks bursting through the crowd to Alex's side pulling her friend into a hug.

"I don't really know, I just know that she's been stabbed at least twice and she's losing a lot of blood…" Alex stammers to Nicky as tears run down her cheeks. "I can't lose her Nick…"

It only takes a moment to get Piper's small frame loaded onto the gurney as the paramedics rush her to the ambulance. "Go with her Vause, I'll be there as soon as I can okay. Alex…she's gonna make it…believe it okay?" Alex simply nods as the tears continue to fall and runs to the back of the ambulance where she jumps in right before the doors close.