A/N: Here it is, the final chapter! Thank you to everyone who stuck with me for the 2 years it took me to finish this thing! I love all of you who read, reviewed, favorited, or followed! I appreciate it so much! I hope you enjoy the conclusion of Crave!
Chapter 10
Scanning the small, over-crowded café, Piper spotted two people standing from their table to leave. She quickly bee-lined for the newly available space, carefully balancing a plate in one hand and her phone in the other. Her backpack, swung over one shoulder, began to slide down her arm into the nook of her elbow as she moved toward her destination.
With a relieved sigh, she set her plate down first, and then settled her backpack in the small space in between her chair and the wall. She straightened up, gazing back toward the door just in time to see Polly rush in, eyes searching the space for her friend. When her eyes landed on Piper, she smiled and gave a small wave, weaving through the other café patrons on her way to their table.
"Oh my god, Piper, you will not believe the morning I've had!" she exclaimed as she heaved her backpack onto the floor. "My fucking economics professor sprung a pop quiz on us today and there was this, like, trick question about some term that none of us had ever heard before, trust me, because we all talked about it after class let out. Anyway, this girl goes up to ask the professor about it, and she's all, 'We talked about this in class, and you guys are responsible for all the material we cover, even if it's not explicitly on the slides. Everything is fair game,' and literally we all look around at each other so confused. I promise she had never mentioned this term before. It was so unfair! Not to mention, who the hell gives a pop quiz during the first week of classes? I'm already dreading the rest of the semester."
Polly finally took a breath, and Piper shook her head sympathetically. She replied, "Really? That really sucks. I feel like a pop quiz, with a trick question, during the first week of classes is a really bad sign for the rest of the semester. Have you looked your professor up on rate my professor?"
Polly shook her head and said, "She's new, apparently. Fresh out of graduate school, so there aren't any reviews yet."
Piper popped a potato chip into her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully, and then said, "Maybe she's just getting the feel for teaching a class, then. Maybe this is her first time teaching, and she's just trying to be a hard ass or something, to, like, prove herself."
Polly rolled her eyes a bit. "Well that's all fine and dandy, but she needs to calm the fuck down before she ruins my GPA. I wasn't exactly looking to take a challenging course with some wannabe hard ass professor in my last semester in this hell hole. Economics is supposed to be an easy A." Polly paused, glancing up at the line for food. "I'm gonna go order real quick," she said, standing. "Do you need anything while I'm up?"
Piper shook her head. As Polly headed up to the line at the counter, Piper took a bite of her sandwich. She unlocked her phone and saw that she had a new message from Alex. She thumbed it open, and tossed another chip into her mouth.
From Alex (11:46am): Nicky said she misses you hanging around our office
She smiled.
To Alex (11:46am): Aww I miss hanging around your office with you two. It's been kinda weird not stopping by at all this week.
From Alex (11:47am): I told her I can finally get some work done without you pestering me all the time ;)
Piper rolled her eyes at Alex's teasing. Glancing up, she noticed Polly paying for her lunch, so she quickly typed out a reply.
To Alex (11:47am): You love my pestering ;) Maybe I can stop by this afternoon to say hi?
After she hit send, though, she started second-guessing herself. She and Alex had been dating for a month now, but it was still very much a secret and Alex was still pretty nervous about people finding out.
To Alex (11:47am): Unless you think that'd be too suspicious
Alex's response was immediate.
From Alex (11:47am): Yeah, that's probably not a good idea yet.
Piper sighed a bit in disappointment, and put her phone away as Polly took her seat once again.
"So how's your first week been?" Polly asked, taking a sip of her iced tea. "I feel like I've hardly got to talk to you since we've been back from break."
Piper laughed, "I know! We're on, like, completely opposite schedules. Whenever you stay at Pete's, I'm home, and whenever you're home, I'm staying at Alex's."
"Exactly!" Polly laughed and said, "We need to sync our schedules up better." She paused to pop a chip into her mouth, "Speaking of, how are things with Alex?"
Piper sighed and averted her eyes to the side in a half eye roll, but quickly mustered up a smile and said, "They're good!"
Polly noticed her initial reaction, though. She tilted her head slightly to the side and asked, "What's up?"
Piper took a deep breath, staring at her bag of chips instead of her best friend. She wondered if she even wanted to get into it. "I don't know," she began, meeting Polly's eyes once more. "It's really nothing. It's just getting kind of annoying sneaking around all the time and having to be so secretive." She shrugged, "But, I mean, I knew it would be like this when we decided to date, so…"
Polly smiled sympathetically, "Just because you knew what you were getting into doesn't mean it can't still suck."
"Right," Piper continued. "I'm so happy to just be with Alex, finally, but it's frustrating when I want us to go out in public together, even just to dinner or a movie, and she is too nervous to go, because she doesn't want anyone to see us. We can hardly even see each other during the day, because she doesn't want Silvia to see me hanging around her office anymore now that she's not my TA. And the few times we have met up on campus, we've had to meet in a supply closet or empty classroom!" Piper laughed in a would-you-believe-it sort of way. She shook her head.
"I figured sneaking around would be kind of fun?" Polly laughed too, taking a bite of her salad.
Piper smiled and raised her eyebrows, "Well, it was, at first. It was kind of exciting, like there's always a chance of getting caught, which makes it seem more thrilling. But, it gets old. I just want to be able to visit my girlfriend in her office, or bring her lunch, or hold her hand as we walk to get coffee together. Just, like, normal stuff."
"I hadn't thought about any of that. That actually sounds really shitty." Polly sympathized.
"I know!" Piper agreed. "Not to mention that when you first start dating someone you really like, you want to talk about them to your friends and bring them to parties and get-togethers and stuff. But Alex insists that no one other than you can know." She shrugged and said, "I'm trying not to be hurt or get too upset about it, because I know that this is what I signed on for, that for now this is the way things are going to be. But sometimes it does hurt. Like on New Year's."
Polly nodded, "Yeah that really sucked."
Before Piper left to spend Christmas with her family, Alex had asked her to spend New Year's Eve together. For the holiday, Piper's friends were all planning to go out and celebrate. She had assumed that Alex would want to join, and she was excited for Alex to meet her friends. When she asked her about it, though, Alex told her that she had meant for them to spend it alone and that she wasn't ready for other people to know that they were together. She was afraid that it would get back to her department chair. It didn't turn into a fight or anything; Alex told her to go out with her friends and have fun. But Piper was still disappointed, because she had wanted to spend the night with Alex; had wanted to kiss Alex at midnight.
Piper glanced at her phone to check the time. Her lunch break was almost over, and now she was in a shitty mood. That was why she wasn't sure if she even wanted to talk to Polly about it. On one hand, it did feel good to get it off her chest and confide in her best friend, but on the other hand, she was now ruminating about it all, when she had (mostly) successfully put it out of her mind.
Piper stood, picking up her empty plate. "I've gotta go. I've got class in ten." She paused, then said, "I'm glad we had a chance to catch up! We should plan a night for us both to be home this week and hang out; I miss you!"
"That sounds like a great idea." Polly also began to pack up and Piper began to walk away. "Oh, and Piper?" Piper paused and looked at her questioningly. "Maybe mention some of this to Alex? You guys should talk about it."
Piper nodded and replied, "Yeah, I know. Thanks Pol. Have a good class!"
…
Piper didn't talk to Alex about it.
She was too afraid of what her reaction would be. In her mind, Alex had been clear about what she expected when it came to their relationship, and Piper had agreed that it would be the safest bet for Alex if they kept their relationship secret for now. She felt like she didn't have a right to complain about something she had already agreed to. So, she decided to suck it up. It was just four months until she'd be graduating, anyway, and then it wouldn't matter anymore.
"Piper!"
Piper looked up as she exited the English building, squinting into the sunlight at the person who had addressed her. Larry. Wonderful.
She suppressed an eye roll and forced a smile. "Hi, Larry," she greeted, approaching him.
"Where are you heading?" Larry asked as they began to walk in step.
"I have a short break, so I was going to run get a coffee real quick. What about you?" Piper asked politely.
"Coffee actually sounds great. Mind if I walk with you?" Larry smiled at her in a way that she assumed was an attempt to be charming.
She sighed. There was no socially acceptable way to say "no", so she mustered up enough fake cheerfulness to respond in a somewhat happy manner, "Sure!" It must have been convincing enough, because Larry didn't pick up on her annoyance.
"Awesome!"
As they walked, she noticed Larry inching closer and closer to her, his arm swinging dangerously close to her own. She folded her arms across her chest, instead, removing the threat of an accidental hand touch, or even worse, hand grab.
They walked mostly in silence, with Larry, every couple of steps or so, turning to send a smile her way. She kept her eyes trained straight ahead.
"So, how's your semester starting out?" Larry asked, in an attempt to start a conversation.
Piper shrugged, as Larry held the door to the coffee shop open for her. "It's been fine, you know? Just ready to graduate."
"I'm so ready, too. But also kind of nervous about having to go out and find a job. Feels so intimidating."
Piper nodded. That feeling she could actually relate to. She smiled a genuine smile at Larry and reassured, "Litchfield prepares us really well. I'm sure we'll have plenty of job offers lined up soon. Are you starting to apply this semester? Or waiting until closer to graduation?" As they entered the coffee shop, she did a quick scan of the place.
Oh shit. As they approached the counter, she noticed Alex and Nicky bringing up the rear of the line.
This hadn't happened before, them running into each other unplanned in public. She wasn't really sure how to act. Should she acknowledge her or just pretend not to see her? Should she seemed surprised, as if they hadn't spoken since before break?
Larry droned on, luckily not noticing her slight distress, but she had tuned him out. Alex glanced up at them as they approached and their eyes locked together. She decided she'd just follow Alex's lead.
"Piper, hey," Alex said, smooth as always. She had a smile on her face, but the rest of her expression was unreadable to Piper. Her eyes darted between Piper and Larry.
"Hey, um, Alex. How are you?" Piper responded, and she knew the hesitance was clear on her voice.
"I'm good; really good." She said with a smile, her eyes sparkling as she held eye contact with Piper in a sort of inside joke kind of way.
Larry cleared his throat, and Piper broke the eye contact.
"Oh. Um, this is my TA from last semester, Alex." She introduced.
Larry smiled cordially. "I remember! You stopped by our tailgate once."
Alex smirked and said, "Oh, right. Barry, was it?"
Larry's smile disappeared quickly. "Actually, um, Larry."
Alex nodded and the four of them stood in awkward silence. Nicky hadn't said anything, but Piper could see that she was clearly amused.
After they had ordered and received their drinks, Larry made a move to steer Piper for the door, literally, as he pressed his hand into the small of her back.
She grimaced and attempted to pull away. Oh my god. Why did all of this have to happen? She could not imagine a more awkward situation.
"Actually, Piper, could I talk to you real quick?" When Piper turned, her eyes found Alex's which were narrowing threateningly at the sight of Larry's hand on her back.
"Of course!" Piper said immediately, jumping away from Larry. "I'll catch up with you later, Larry." It was easy to dismiss him, especially since she hadn't even wanted to be with him in the first place.
Larry looked disappointed. "Okay, yeah. I guess I'll see you for dinner and movie Friday night? With Polly and Pete? Pete mentioned you'd be coming, too."
Piper nearly groaned in annoyance. She was going to kill Polly. "I'll be there," she forced out.
"What the hell was that?" Alex asked once she had pulled Piper into a secluded corner. She sounded mad.
Piper shrugged and smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry," she said, "we never really discussed what to do if we just ran into each other like this. I hope I wasn't too obvious."
Alex shook her head. "No, I mean, why were you getting coffee with that pinhead?"
Piper's eyes widened in surprise. Was Alex jealous of Larry? "Trust me, I didn't want to get coffee with him."
"Really?" Alex didn't sound convinced. "Well, he's clearly into you. And you're going to dinner and a movie with him Friday night?"
Piper could feel herself getting angry and defensive at Alex's accusatory tone. Alex had no reason to be upset, when it was she who was so insistent on them keeping things secret. "With Polly and Pete! You told me Polly couldn't tell Pete that we're together, and Pete is friends with Larry, who yes, happens to like me. Pete keeps trying to set us up, because he thinks we're both single and he wants to hang out with his friend." Alex's eyes widened in surprise, but Piper kept going. "Now I have to keep fending off his advances, because I can't tell him I'm seeing someone!"
Even though Piper was worked up, Alex remained calm. She said, "Why didn't you mention any of this?"
Piper took a calming breath and looked around. They were secluded enough, and she had kept her voice quiet enough, that they hadn't drawn any attention. "I was afraid you'd break up with me if I told you I'm getting tired of sneaking around all the time. I'm trying to just deal with it, because I know your education is important, and I don't want you to get into trouble." She paused, averting her eyes. "I guess I was just hoping that with a new semester, with you no longer my TA, that things would relax a little bit, and that we could feel like a real couple."
Alex's eyebrows scrunched in confusion and hurt. "You don't feel like we're a real couple?"
"No, that came out wrong," Piper shook her head vehemently, "that's not what I meant. What I'm trying to say is that… I wish I could bring you around my friends and introduce you as my girlfriend. I wish I could tell Larry or anyone else who might be interested to move along, because I'm taken. I wish we could be seen together in public and not worry about how to act so that I don't give anything away."
Alex nodded, looking around quickly and then gently grabbing Piper's hand in her own. "I wish for all of those things, too, Piper. I'm still just nervous about what will happen if someone finds out."
Piper smiled, "I know, and I understand that."
Alex tugged her a little closer, "But that shouldn't mean that you have to be miserable either, Pipes."
"What should we do then?" Piper asked.
Alex smiled and shrugged, "Compromise? Maybe loosen up on the secrecy a little. I mean, there's no rule that says we can't be friends. That way, we can meet up in public and I can meet your friends. It doesn't really solve the Larry issue, but maybe Polly can tell Pete, so he'll stop pushing you two together and you could tell Larry that you are seeing someone."
Piper smiled, "That sounds really good." Not perfect, because perfect would be being totally transparent about their relationship, but definitely better than how things were currently.
Piper took a step forward, then hesitated, and Alex realized just how uncertain she was about her every move. Alex hated herself a little then. She pulled the smaller girl the rest of the way to her, saying, "Come 'ere," and engulfing her in a hug.
As they pulled away, Alex kept their faces close, even going so far as to peck Piper quickly on the lips. She then sighed and said, "I've got a meeting I'm almost late for." She tucked a loose strand of Piper's hair behind her ear, then tugged lightly on her earlobe. "Why don't you come by my office for lunch tomorrow? I can pick up sandwiches and see if Nicky wants to join us."
Piper's smile widened and her eyes sparkled. "Really?" she asked, a little surprised at how much Alex was already changing based on their conversation. How easy it seemed, already.
"Yes, really," Alex replied with a small eye roll and teasing smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, around 11:30 maybe?" Piper nodded and Alex took a few steps back. As she started to walk away, she turned back to smile reassuringly and say, "And Pipes? Good talk."
…
"Good afternoon, Blondie. May I take your coat?" Nicky greeted with an exaggerated bow when Piper appeared at their office the next day for lunch. She continued to play hostess. "Just one today? Well, we're all booked up, but I can seat you with that hot brunette over there." Nicky waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Piper shook her head at Nicky's antics, meeting Alex's amused expression. Alex's eyes sparkled, "Yes, do sit over here. I'm just a sugar mama on the hunt for a sugar baby, and you'll do just fine." Piper laughed, and Nicky actually took her coat for her, flinging it over the spare office chair. "But for real," Alex continued patting the chair next to hers, "Come sit."
When they were all seated around Alex's desk, Alex reached into the mini fridge and pulled out the sub sandwiches she had brought for them all. She passed a lemonade to both Nicky and Piper, then settled one in front of her own plate.
"Oh, wait," Nicky said, standing. "I've got just the thing we need to perfect our spread." She rummaged around in her desk drawer for a minute, exclaiming, "Voila!" as she presented a candle. She set in the middle of Alex's desk and lit it with a match she had also grabbed from her desk drawer. "Now that's nice," she said, admiring her work as she sat. She followed the statement with a big appreciative bite of her sandwich.
Piper couldn't help beaming at their little indoor picnic. As silly as it was, this was the sort of the thing she had been craving to do with Alex. Spending time with each other's friends, and not having to hide their relationship.
Alex barked out a laugh, "Why do you have a candle stashed in your desk?"
"It's for when I work late and want to smoke. It masks the pot smell a little," Nicky explained, causing Alex and Piper to burst out laughing. "What?" Nicky asked, but she was smiling. "A girl's gotta take precautions, you know?"
They continued to chat as they ate their lunch with Nicky filling Piper in on how things were going with Morello and what she got up to over break. They talked about school a little, but Piper could tell that school wasn't really something these two discussed much. When she asked Alex about it later, Alex had explained that as a graduate student, school was more like a job, and no one wants to discuss work outside of work.
At around noon, Nicky stood and said, "I've gotta jet, and I figure you two lovebirds might want some time alone anyway." She punctuated the statement with an over-exaggerated wink.
Alex met Piper's eyes and smiled suggestively with a little shrug that seemed to say, "might as well."
Nicky swung her bag over her shoulder and called, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" and pulled the door to the office shut behind her.
Piper smiled, tilting her head shyly to the side as she looked at Alex, "That was perfect, Al. Thank you for setting it all up."
"Get over here," Alex said in response, her voice a bit huskier than usual. She pulled on the armrest of Piper's desk chair, and the chair rolled easily over to her girlfriend. Alex leaned forward, bringing their faces closer together while holding steady eye contact, and whispered, "Hey."
Piper blinked slowly, feeling her heartrate pick up at their close proximity. Her eyes darted down to Alex's full lips, then back up as she also leaned forward whispering, "Hi."
She watched as Alex's eyes fluttered shut, and then felt the soft press of lips against her own. Alex's grip on the armrest loosened, and she brought her hand up to weave into Piper's long tresses. She used her hand to cup the back of Piper's head, bringing her face closer and deepening the kiss.
She pulled back after a couple of seconds and chuckled softly. "I've been wanting to do that since you first walked in here and looked all flustered when Nicky called me hot."
Piper giggled and said, "You are hot. I missed you last night."
Alex tried to tug Piper closer, but their chairs were already flush against one another. She pulled instead on Piper's shirt sleeve, and Piper climbed onto Alex's lap, straddling her. "Me too," Alex agreed, leaning forward to press a kiss to long column of Piper's neck. Her hands gripped at the younger girl's waist. "Did you have fun with Polly though?"
Piper's head rolled back and her arms snaked around Alex's shoulders. Her fingers massaged lightly at Alex's hairline at the base of her skull. "I did," Piper affirmed. Alex felt the vibration of her words against her lips.
A sharp knock on the door interrupted the moment. And unfortunately it was the kind of knock that signaled entry, not the kind that asked permission. The door began to swing open. "Alex? Are you in here? I thought I heard voices – Oh my god! What the fuck?"
It all happened so quickly, Piper hadn't any time to climb off Alex's lap. Silvia's face was a mixture of shock and outrage. Alex gently pushed Piper off her lap and stood, walking over to Silvia as she continued her tirade. "I fucking knew it! You were fucking her this whole time! Is she the reason you broke up with me?"
"Silvie, stop, calm down," Alex pressed, attempting to get her to lower her voice.
Piper backed into the corner of the office, nearly shaking with nerves. She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Someone had caught them, and the position they were in was anything but innocent. There was no explaining this away.
"You whore!" She shouted, directing her anger at Piper. She tried to approach the blonde, but Alex blocked her.
"Silvie, stop! I ended things with you before I even met Piper. You and I haven't been anything for nearly six months, get over it."
Silvia turned her anger back to Alex. "Whatever Alex. I'm sure the board will have plenty to say about this." She turned to Piper, "You better watch your back, whore." And then she turned and stormed out.
"Fuck," Alex said, turning back to Piper. "Are you okay?"
Piper was obviously shaken up. She nodded though. "I'm so sorry, Alex."
Alex shook her head and pulled Piper into a hug. "Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault that Silvia is such a psycho bitch."
Piper shook her head against Alex's shoulder. "I'm still sorry that you have to go through all this for me."
Alex didn't respond, but continued to rub her back comfortingly.
"Did you? Break up with her for me?" Piper asked hesitantly. It was one of those things that still bothered her a little, not knowing if Alex and Silvia had overlapped any with Alex and Piper.
Alex shook her head. She pulled back slightly and cupped Piper's face in her hands. "I ended things with Silvia at the end of summer, before the semester even started."
"Did you love her?" Piper whispered.
Alex shook her head. "No," she paused, looking deeply into Piper's eyes, "but I love you."
"You do?" Piper needed confirmation. She could feel her eyes growing wet.
Alex nodded and kissed her sweetly. "Now you have to say it back," Alex said as she pulled away, and for the first time since she had met Alex, Piper saw some of her confidence waver, could hear the insecurity in her voice.
"I love you, too, Alex."
…
"Well, there it is." Alex reclined back in her desk chair, staring at her laptop screen.
"Huh?" her officemate asked, confused, and swiveled around in her chair to face the darker haired girl.
"I just got an email from Fig. She wants to have a meeting to do an investigation into my relationship with Piper." Alex sighed heavily. "Fucking Silvie."
Nicky stood and read the email over Alex's shoulder. "That actually doesn't sound too bad, though. It just seems like she wants to make sure Piper received the grade she actually earned in Healy's class; that you didn't give her extra points or anything. She doesn't mention how you broke a rule at all!"
Alex read the email over again and found that Nicky was right; it didn't seem like she was in trouble. "Hmm. Maybe you're right?"
The meeting took place the following Monday. Dr. Figueroa, the chair of the psychology department, Dr. Caputo, Alex's advisor, and Dr. Healy were all in attendance.
Fig could tell Alex seemed nervous, so she began by saying, "Don't worry, Alex. We're on your side, here. We just need to make sure that there was no wrongdoing to protect the department. If that's the case, then this is really all just a formality."
Alex breathed out a small sigh of relief, relaxing just a bit. She was still nervous, but it was comforting to hear that the department was behind her. She nodded, and Fig continued, "Can you tell us the nature of your relationship with Piper Chapman?"
"We're dating," Alex responded, briefly glancing at the small recording device in the center of the table.
"When did your relationship begin?" Caputo asked, sending her a reassuring smile.
Alex looked to the ceiling, unsure how to answer the question. "Well, we kissed over Thanksgiving Break, but we didn't start dating until two weeks before Winter Break."
"Okay, so for most of the semester that you were her TA, you were not romantically involved. How would you characterize your relationship up to Thanksgiving?" Fig asked, jotting something down in a notebook.
Alex shrugged, "Um, friendly? She started coming to my office hours for some additional help and we got to know each other a bit better because of that. There was some flirting," Alex continued, truthfully, "and I started to like her and had a feeling she liked me, too."
"And were you aware of the rule the university has against graduate students becoming involved with undergraduate students?" Healy pressed. Fig rolled her eyes.
Alex nodded, "I was. That's why we didn't kiss until Thanksgiving, and even after that it took us a few weeks to start dating. I tried really hard to abide by the rule, especially while I was her TA."
"Personally, I think the rule is outdated and is in need of an update; however it does serve a purpose. This is the last question I have for you for now, Alex. Did you ever do anything to give Piper an unfair advantage in class? This can include the sharing of course materials early, adding points to an assignment that were not earned, or changing incorrect responses on an assignment."
Alex shook her head. "No, I did not."
…
Piper entered the room cautiously.
"Hello, Piper; come on in and have a seat. I'm Dr. Figueroa, the chair of the psychology department. This is Dr. Caputo, Alex's advisor, and you know Dr. Healy."
Piper nodded, carefully situating herself across the table from the other three. She took a calming breath, bravely meeting the professors' eyes.
Dr. Figueroa was straightforward, but kind. She said, "There's no need to be nervous, Piper. We just need to ask you a few questions, and we need to you be honest with us. Okay?"
Piper nodded again to acknowledge her understanding.
"Alright." Dr. Figueroa began, "What is your major and minor area of study?"
Piper cleared her throat. "I'm double-majoring in English and Theatre. I don't have a minor."
Dr. Figueroa nodded. "And what year are you?"
"I'm a senior; this is my last semester." Piper responded.
The questioning went on for a few minutes more, as Dr. Figueroa and Dr. Caputo asked her questions pertaining to the nature of her relationship with Alex.
"Thank you for your time and honesty, Piper. We have one last question for you. Did you ever feel coerced by Alex? Did she offer you any special benefits for becoming romantically involved or threaten you in any way?"
"Never."
…
Piper passed Alex as she went to re-enter the room for the final part of the meeting. Alex grabbed her hand lightly as they passed, squeezing it reassuringly. Piper smiled and said softly, "I'm gonna wait out here for you, okay?"
Alex nodded and released her hand, took a deep breath, and entered the room once again.
Fig smiled, "Have a seat, Alex. We just need to go over Piper's assignments and grades to ensure that they match up. Everything seems to check out so far, so this is the last hurdle."
Alex sighed and actually smiled. That sounded hopeful. They definitely seemed to be focusing more on the purpose behind the rule and not the breaking of the rule itself, which was in her favor.
As they finished checking over the work, Dr. Caputo said, "It looks like the grades on the assignments are consistent with those in the gradebook. Alex seems to have handled the situation professionally, and did not let her personal feelings influence her objectivity in her TA assignment."
"I agree," Fig said, smiling. "I think this is a straightforward case. Piper is in her last semester at Litchfield, and she isn't even a psychology major. There isn't any evidence of fabricating grades or work, and Piper's records indicate that she is a good student. I think that maybe one thing we need to do is add an item to our next faculty meeting agenda about amending this rule; make it easier for students to come forward when this happens and maybe provide a course transfer if it does. There are ways to make it work so that it is fair for everyone involved."
Alex looked at them expectantly. "You're good, Alex. Thanks for bearing with us through all this."
Alex's eyes widened. Could it really be that easy? "Really? So, Piper and I can be together?" She couldn't help the skeptical note from entering her voice. This rule had loomed over her head for an entire semester, and they were just going to let it go?
Fig smirked. "Yes, really. Now go, so the three of us can finish up our notes and get out of here."
…
Piper's head shot up as she heard the door to the meeting room open. She had planted herself on the floor, her back propped up against the wall with a textbook open in her lab. She had to admit she had been having a terrible time comprehending the words she was reading.
Her eyes met Alex's expectantly, but her face began to fall immediately at Alex's stoic expression.
"Well?" Piper asked nervously.
It was then that the smile split across Alex's face. "Come here!" she said, holding her arms out.
"Really?" Piper squealed, her own smile matching the brunette's as she jumped up and ran into Alex's waiting arms. Alex's arms squeezed her waist tightly in her excitement, nearly lifting her feet off the floor, but Piper didn't mind. She was just so relieved to not have to keep their relationship a secret anymore.
Alex loosened her grip and pulled away slightly to look into Piper's shining blue eyes. Alex cupped the blonde's face, and brushed the tears away gently with her thumb. She leaned forward, eyes fluttering closed, and pressed her lips softly to Piper's. She laughed joyfully as she pulled away and whispered, "Salty."
Piper giggled, too. "Sorry," she replied. "I'm just so happy; we can do so many things now, be a real couple. What should we do first?"
Alex pretended to ponder and then suggested, "Go back to my place and watch more Gilmore Girls?"
"Alexxxxxxx," Piper whined playfully.
"What?" Alex asked innocently, although the mischievous twinkle in her eyes and the laughter in her voice made it obvious she was teasing. "I'm dying to see if Lorelai and Luke get together!"
End.
A/N: Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Personally, I thought it was a little choppy (and I apologize for that), and I definitely feel rusty compared to how I felt about my writing 2 years ago. I am hoping that with consistent practice, I will continue to progress.
Again, I want to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story. It was so much fun to write! I also want to thank everyone for being so patient with me – I know how frustrating it can be when authors take so long to update! I truly do the best I can with my schedule!
A few notes to my readers:
1. I will be writing the M rated deleted scene, and posting under it's own unique link so that I can keep the T rating for this story. As I mentioned in the last chapter, I have not written an M rated fic before, so I am not sure when I will have it posted. Hopefully within a week or so.
2. I have begun to go over my notes for Fall Girl, and am planning to continue with that story next. I've received many comments from readers wishing for me to continue with it, so I hope this makes some of you happy! I am excited to begin with it again, as I had so much fun writing the first few chapters. I am currently working on some edits to Chapter 3, so you should expect those soon!
I've got a good momentum going and I hope to continue with it. My schedule looks very different this year compared to the past 2 years, so I am hopeful to be a little more active on this site!
Please leave a comment to let me know what you thought of the story! I love to hear from you guys; it makes the time spent writing worth it!
I'd also love to hear any ideas you may have for future fic! I've got a couple in the works, but am always open to new ideas & inspiration.
Love, love, love,
-H.M. :)
