Alex allowed herself a few moments to wallow in self-disgust before raising off the infected bathroom floor. She gazed around at the unknown females bodies of the inmates from 'C' block as they showered. With a discreet sneer, she surmised immediately that she hadn't been missing the future Mrs. Vause and then shuffled out of the area. Of course no one had thought anything of helping her.

She tucked her hair back nervously, with eyes down on the floor….. praying that she wouldn't be stopped or recognized by a guard. She quickly followed a few turns that she had remembered taking and was back in the yard. But, now in the back of growing crowd that was lining up. She could see all the sections of inmates had not yet been filed back into the correct cells. Alex eyed the several bystanders realizing that she didn't recognize anyone right away.

"Is this going to 'D' block"?

Brief moments of being directly ignored passed before she received a few affirmative head nods. Good, she shrugged her shoulders, then she hadn't been caught but now she was down two very important keys to this grand scheme working. Dammit why was fate seeming to rear its ugly head and how were these low life's outsmarting her…she had planned to just dupe a couple of people for a month top's while her and Red would worm their way out before anyone was the wiser….now the number of eyes on her kept growing by the day. It was time to not only start thinking like a criminal and less like her old self, but start acting like one. There was simply no logic in a place like this. Red had been right…she hated to admit it. She needed to see her…. Alex eyed the setting sun as she was filed in through the doors. No luck there, Chapel was long since over.

All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sleep until she could figure something out. She fanned the collar of her uniform, as her anxiety began to grow. All too soon she saw her familiar cell bars….she could at least freak out in solitude…though she wanted to be free of this place already and she hadn't made even one step towards getting over that wall.

Veronica Diaz's office

She closed her blinds and sat down with a glass of merlot. She had snagged one of those portable ones by the glass from a gas station. There were very few people left in the building after all. She focuses on the video, its a little dark and from across the street of the Reznikov's restaurant.

The video feed from her small TV showed a side angle view of a local street but within seconds the Vice President's brother can be seen driving past after a few seconds of stillness and turning into an alley on the east side behind the place. He parks far enough down that only the rear of the car bumper can be seen. More stillness…then a minute or so later a car alarm goes off. It blares with no movement for a minute or more. Then some horn honks are heard. Suddenly, Red can clearly be seen running out from the front entrance and into the alley, she pauses…..a man's voice yelling….she reaches into her coat pocket as she is reaching the back bumper and then disappears from the camera's view. A loud pop pop of a gunshot, then another….and another…..then Red runs back into the camera's view with her apron stained with blood before she disappears into a side door. The feed goes black.

Veronica leans way back in her chair….she definitely hadn't been expecting that. Sure the part of who pulled the trigger was blocked from view, but she could see how Red had been easily implicated. Anyone running from a crime scene with what would later be known as the victim's blood on your clothing pretty much seals the deal so to speak. Her pen lay silent on her legal pad. Well, she supposed she still owed this Reznikov a visit, even if it was to kill her win percentage some more with this baseless appeal. A quick online search let her know the visiting hours for tomorrow and she cleared her schedule for a couple of hours. She was Litchfield-bound.

Popular Nightclub

The limousine was long and black, the lights outside bounced along its sleek exterior giving those that exited a sparkle of glittering flashes. Two women emerged laughing, pulling vainly on the hems of their skirts. Christine patted them both on their generous backsides as she ushered them towards the waiting security.

"Go on ahead….I'll be there in a second."

"Well, don't take too long, honey"……one of girls trailed a manicured finger down the open neck of her dress shirt…"Or I just might find another sugar mama…." Both women laughed at this joke, feeling the effects of their previous alcohol-fueled stops.

Christine didn't reply but turned to the Italian beauty still sitting on the edge of the cushioned seat. Her head was bowed, her shoulder-length dark curls partially shielding her face. Christine couldn't help but stare as she raised her eyes, complete with eyeliner and shadow though it did little to erase their note of sadness. Her lips the exact shade of red that made them nearly impossible not to kiss….Christine used to have Lorna in the palm of her hand….but that had been before this other ruffian had shown up. Nicky….what Lorna saw in someone that couldn't even stay out of jail long enough to provide for her….some street kid could never stack up to what Christine had…all the more reason why she kept coming around hoping to pick up the pieces that obviously must be near to straining.

"Come on", she winked suggestively nodding her head at the club

"No, you go ahead…..

"What…."

"I think I'm just going to take a cab from here…."

"We just got here…", Christine whined a little

Lorna kept her head low, but she could feel the tears beginning to well up…Christine could see them glittering in the street light.

"I hate that you're sitting here about to cry….on your birthday…..come on"…..she grabbed at her arm but Lorna shrugged her off

"She didn't call did she?", her tone was accusatory….Lorna only sniffed slightly and shook her negatively, her slumped body language said it all

"I told you Nicky was no good for you…but if she could talk to you believe me….she would want you to have some fun….she can't be here with you….and she's not going to be here with you for a long time still…there's no reason for both of you to be in prison….you're still free to do whatever you want….she grabbed Lorna's hand and kissed it gently, "with whoever you want"…

"We're engaged, Christine", Lorna said pulling her hand quickly…."but I suppose a couple drinks wouldn't hurt….I mean it is my birthday after all." She tried to smile fully but only managed a crooked half smile….but it was better than her going home Christine thought as she watched her ass sway slightly before they went inside the club.

Solitary confinement

Nicky curled herself into the smallest ball possible. She had tried to sleep the day away, in between abject depression, and gut wrenching panic at what Lorna must think of her. There was no way she would have missed calling her love if she only had any power whatsoever. The end of her two weeks in this mind-numbing oblivion was nearly up….she had begged to no one with any mercy again to use the phone. Again, denied….Lorna must be so confused…she stared at what passed for food still sitting in only slot allowed, with a small shaft of light cutting through the darkness as she imagined the sun was setting on her fiancée's birthday without her…

Cell Block D

Alex uncurled from her neonatal position as she heard guards shouting for them to stand for count before dinner. She made eye contact with the unknown prisoner in the cell next to her, she received nods of affirmation from other white inmates, whispers of excitement sweeping down the line….the tension was about to erupt on many unsuspecting ones…Alex saw Vee and her crew on the levels above her own, eyeing all those below with a sneer of disgust…Boo and her crew were on the level below her staring anyone down who dared to make eye contact. She saw Rosa with her precious cat, she stroked its back as they lined against the bars of their cells.

She saw Taystee and Cindy further down lane as she was talking to Vee. She guessed being part of the work crew allowed them to move between blocks more than those less privileged unless they had been reassigned dinner blocks. Although they were all PI crew together, Alex knew when she was being singled out and it seemed that her new black friends may not want to be friends anymore given the circumstances of her last encounter where she'd been warned to watch her back. She wiped her palms against her jumper, the sweat making them tingle slightly…her adrenaline began to soar as she realized that her time was running out….she needed that screw back and she needed those pills…after dinner Dr. Chapman would call for her, it was imminent.

Suddenly without warning on the level below Alex, one of the females in white supremacist groups stepped far forward out of the line and towards some black prisoners on the opposite side. A guard reacted immediately shouting "Get back in line, inmate", but she held her ground, her eyes alight with a fire and she bore a hole in the heads of her enemies in front of her, never once backing down.

"I'm not going to tell you again, get back on your number inmate!" …..the guard was now yelling forcefully, his hand gripped to his baton as he took several menacing steps towards her. Rosa already knew what was about to go down and slowly stepped back into the safety of her cell. Another guard began to radio, and no sooner had he radioed for back up….but the other white females began to yell as they charged head first towards the growing group of black inmates on the floor level.

Alex's eyes bulged as the chaos unfolded before her. A flurry of arms and fists was all she could focus on at first. Groans and muted cries of pain assaulted her ears. She turned just in time to see a black inmate charge her. She put her hands in attempt to deflect a punch but only sidestepped into another black female. They both grabbed her arms and before she barely yell out a protest, they drug her to the railing and pitched her over it head first….Alex could only register to take in a deep breath before she was able to angle herself onto her side in the seconds that passed in slow motion as she fell through the air and smacked down on the hard tile on the level below her….all the air rushing out of her lungs as she landed with a sickening thud. She received a meaningful kick to her side as a prisoner ran by.

Alex took little time to recuperate as she rolled to her stomach on reflex and started to rise upwards. She glanced around quickly to see many in the midst of being brutally punched or stabbed, others screaming, so many sirens…..her ears burned….the guards most of them had barricaded themselves in the sheltered guard shack behind the bulletproof glass.

Taystee just dodged a knife stick to the side of her thigh and instead delivered a nose crushing blow to an ex meth head. The contrast of black and white never seemed so obvious as it did now…their ranks seemed overwhelming at the moment and Alex found herself on the wrong side. She crouched against the cement wall, gasping for air.

On the level below her, Boo was brandishing a shank in her right fist. She turned with eyes lit up with bloodlust, she looked for her constant companion…that young thing had scampered off…probably hiding….she made eye contact with a nameless black face and grabbed her by the head. Boo's massive arms grabbing the inmate in a head lock…the smile that stretched from ear to ear of Boo's face was just as smooth as the slash she made with the knife across the tender skin at her enemies' neck. Effectively slicing her throat wide open, she made the motion so quick, that she had time to wipe the blood off the blade before the body even hit the ground. She stepped over the body and the pooling blood without looking back, seeking her next victim.

Alex looked around for a swift exit and made eye contact with Boo's latest lady. She had the screw last or damn sure knew where it was now if not. She took a couple steps towards her and then without warning Alex was being charged at with vigor. The brunette came at Alex with her hands outstretched looking for an immediate grab and wrestle down to the ground tactic. Alex met her head-on as they locked arms, shoving one another, then grabbing again….she went to choke Alex, she dodged and grabbed one arm bending it behind the girl's back. The girl threw herself forward on the ground, the impact loosening her grip on the girl's arm as she twisted and wrapped her legs around Alex's waist attempting to roll herself on top. Alex grabbed into the pocket of her jumper and grabbed the screw. The girl grabbed frantically at it, swiping her hand out. The metal grooves of screw digging a bloody streak in both of their hands mixed with sweat as they fought for it. Alex struck her fist into the side of her face while simultaneously yanking the screw away from her enemy. Alex backed away not sure if she was to be chased down. She turned to run away and of course the girl followed after…they raced past several cells before the girl ran clearly into the back of a black inmate, her eyes so focused on Alex that she wasn't watching her surroundings.

Without warning, the strange inmate turned and seeing a white face delivered four quick jabs into the chest of young girl with an icepick weapon. Alex screamed out and ran back just as the girl fell forward into her arms. Blood was bubbling out of the puncture wounds down the girl's chest and running down Alex's arms. Alex had never seen anyone die…..she saw the awareness slide out the girl's shocked brown eyes…her mouth make movements but the sound unable to be heard….Alex's heart pounded so loud in her ears that she thought it would burst. She slowly lowered the girl to the tile as her weight was a lifeless limp thing now…her brain was overloaded….she hadn't wanted this….any of this….Alex's feet wouldn't move for several minutes

Boo was weaving her way through the crowd….and her land on Alex…so pretty….she was hovered over a body that looked familiar….

"Vause!"

Alex looked at how this must look…the bloody body of her lover on the ground…she's bent over covered in that same red tell-tale sign….she shook her head….no…it wasn't her fault...she'd only wanted the screw back….Boo ran towards her the anger clearly etched on her features.

The unmistakable pop and clink of cans of tear gas being thrown and set off richoeted through air. As a blanket of white smoke began to take hold their lungs and eyes…Boo knew as she knelt over the body that Alex would pay for what she had done….now it was personal. Many coughed and screamed and fell to the ground twitching…Alex barely dragged her heavy body to her cell on the upper level….her body and forehead covered with sweat. She trusted no one, jumping at every inmate that rushed past…not sure if she was to be jumped again. She frantically hid the screw back in her pocket and vainly tried to wipe her hands on her clothes. When she got to her cell, the bars began to shut but stopped after reaching halfway….the sirens continued to assault her ears.

Alex scrambled onto the floor in the farthest corner by the sink. Her hand went reflexively to her hair for her glasses but luckily she had left them here on the desk or she'd have lost them for sure. Her hands shook as she wiped the sweat and fear from her face. Her eyes wouldn't quit staring at the blood on her. It was really fucking happening…she…Alex Vause was in the middle of a prison riot when less than a month ago she'd have been watching David Muir and drinking a craft beer at home….what the fuck had she been thinking…Red was right..…she'd made a mistake…this whole thing was falling apart and she was covered in someone else's blood….she didn't even know the girl's name.

A single tear ran down her cheek something that Boo hadn't thought was still possible after all evil things she'd done. But somehow, this sweet girl had gotten under her skin. She had craved her, chased her, and won her…..her little Mercy…sweet sweet Mercy…..so much she never got to tell her by always trying to act so tough….now she'd never get the chance…she knew the retribution would be a bloody mess…there was simply no other way.

Alex began to rock herself with anxiety as Boo could be heard screaming out in pain from wherever she was…"You're dead, fish….do you hear me….DEAD!"