1 hour, 4 hours, 12 hours, a day, 2 days, a week? Goodness knows how long I had been sitting in that fatal position, with my back slouched against the cold bare walls. Each muscle felt like rubber and each bone like lead. My hazy eyes unfocused and my mind thoughtless. I didn't really recall what happened. Mattress. Piper. Pornstashe. Piper. Bed. Healy. Piper. Healy. Piper. Piper. Shu. * Flap* Heavens knows why I jumped out my skin when a tray was passed through the gap in the door. Now I understand why piper look like a demon from hell, did they really expect me to eat this shit? It was like someone had puked on the tray whilst bringing it here, and it joined the previous meal, in the corner where three trays had now been stacked up. What was that? Breakfast, lunch and dinner? Dinner, breakfast, dinner? Or just three lots of dinner? I had lost track of time. * Flap* I cursed myself mentally, for jumping once again upon hearing the door go. To be fair I was glad I could hear anything as if all that bloody screaming and crying hadn't deafened me. But this time there was no tray occupied with despicable foods layered in mould and goodness knows what else. It was wrapped like a parcel, and, oh fuck it smelt good. But what truly gave me the biggest shock, was whose hand was offering me the delicacy.

"Al? Come on Al, get up" Piper, my Piper! My eyes lit up, as I pushed my glasses back up my nose.

" Piper! Oh my God, is it really you!? How the hell did you get down here ?" My voice was cracking and hoarse, probably a lack of fluids, the sink water was fucking disgusting. I scrambled forward overly eager before I paused taking the cornbread. When red had been starving her out, I was able to persuade Nichols into pinching it for me. But I had done the same for her and I knelt right next to the door to see her.

" I don't have long, I just told the guard Lorna was in a state" of course, of the late she had been going insane that her dearly beloved was just a phase she was caught in. It was common now, to find the Italian crying, or hitting something. Yoga Jones had offered her some form of peace and comfort, but Lorna only wanted her ' true love'.

" she good?"

" Yeah! You should see her, she's a great actress, Nicky said she could act for a living!" Piper chuckled crouching low so our eyes met through the gap in the door.

" hun, she already does!" I grin softly curling my fingers over the cold metal as she brushes them softly with her own. " shit, I miss you, Pipes"

" I miss you too Alex, when they letting you out?" The same concern was flickering in her eyes. The eyes that had stared plainly at the same wall as I had recently. I shrugged, pressing my head against the door just to see her properly.

"Don't know," I can't help but grin as the blonde stroked her fingers gently at the side of my face, all the gap would allow.

"Inmate, you've got to go" Susan Fischer was soon behind Piper and I guess we we're pretty lucky that she was the one to find Piper here, God forbid she get into trouble again. But then again, Piper was getting taken away from me again, because of all these rules all my life has been built on rules, and I'm in love with a girl who likes to stick to them. And she turned.

"Please don't leave!" I blink the tears away, the same words, when she left me the day my mother died, the same words when she almost left me in the dryer, minus the manners plus the swearing. I was shaking as my eyes burned, desperately clinging to the door. " Piper!" Immediately she spun around and for a brief moment, her lips were firmly on mine, as much as possible.

"Chapman! You've got to go now!" I couldn't help the stray tears that casually strolled down my cheeks. Maybe the Shu was affecting me, in a way that made me alone, I suppose that was the point, to torture me. To make me feel such loss and pain because I'm alone.

"Alex! I'll see you! Alex!" She was led out by Susan, it sounded like there was a strangled sob in the back of her throat and I hopelessly banged the door with a palm, too bloody weak, too damn tired, but her name still fell quietly from my lips, falling flatly like my tears. Black locks hung scruffily around my face, as a curtain, shutting me off from the world. Unknowing amounts of time passed before I cleaned my glasses with the hem of my shirt, when above the relentless crying and angry shouts, a door to the room beside me opened and I rolled my eyes praying I wouldn't have another mother-fucking noisy neighbour, then I was certainly guaranteed a fucking sleep-free stay. I had barely nibbled at the food Piper brought me, figuring I might have to use it sparingly as I said, I had no fucking idea when they'd let me out. My back was stiff and cold, feeling like the tin man in the children story, rusting away in one tiring position. Yes the shu was certainly getting to my head, now I was hearing things, I was hearing tapping. But it came again, and groaning, I unsteadily got to my feet.

" Hello?" It came again, from a grate near the sink. Maybe just a mouse? Maybe I was just going loopy. I almost laughed almost cried the moment she spoke my name, I couldn't see her, it was too dark, but it was Pipers voice coming from the box next to mine. "What the fucking hell are you doing here Piper?" I shriek quietly, slamming my fist into the wall, angry she was back here, but still I was determined to see her, but a part of me was angry that she was back down here surely it hadn't been more than 2 days since she was last locked up like an animal.

" Alex I'm so sorry, I... I couldn't leave you down here alone" I was forced to swallow on guilt, I hadn't condemned myself here when she was stuck, I never even fed her. Damn you Alex! " God Alex, say something!" It took me a moment to register everything, the sacrifice...

"What the hell did you do?" It took a while for her to answer and I was sat staring at the wall where I could imagine my Pipes sitting on the other side. Was she smiling? Frowning, was she kneeling or laying flat on the floor? I wanted to see her, I longed to pass through the wall like a ghost, I wanted to be in pipers arms, I wanted-

" I hit Pennsatucky " she mumbled and I blink confused a moment.

" you what? Was it major?" Did I have to sound so concerned, I was concerned about Piper, I didn't give a shit about 'the chosen one'.

"No, just a punch to the gut, I wanted to talk to you Al... I wanted to be with you" She sounded sad, and defeated, the prison was getting the better of her, and I lay on my back, my ear still by the wall.

" Not that I'm not grateful for this Pipes, honest to God I am, I've been dying without you, but... Fuck you! You're going to starve here! I don't want you to get ill again..." Of course most the time I was a heartless bitch, but Piper was always different, I cared about her and I never wanted her to be in here.

" Dammit Alex, I'm here now so you'll have to put up with me" I find myself smiling softly.

" Oh dear, how will I cope?" I state flatly till I hear her soft chuckle.

" Alex I'm sorry... " I hear her whimper. I don't know why she did it, how she could possibly condemn herself to this... For me. Before I know it, my cheeks are damp and a bitter sob cuts through the thin emptiness.

"I- I'm sorry Piper... For being such an ass to you, I'm sorry for turning you in, I'm sorry for getting you caught up in all this mess, this is all my fault" I'd hardly ever said I was sorry, I loved being right, and I was so stubborn that people hardly argued with me. Silent tears streamed down my face as I sat back against the wall, hugging my knees and digging my nails into my palms. In all my time in Prison, I had never cried, except in the Library, with Nicky, but that had been over Piper...

" Alex I..." She was in loss for words and I could hear the effort in her voice that she was refraining from crying. " I'm glad I'm here now, I am, because right now... I'd be with Larry... Talking about... I don't know, his penis shaving incident. I thought I'd lost you." I find myself flinching at his name, the guy who stole my pipes. I was crap at emotional conversations, often able to get my point across by seducing the victim or flirting, I couldn't do that with a wall in my way.

" you should be with him, I've brought you nothing but trouble Pipes... I don't want you to throw your life away, for me" that had to be the most selfless thing I have ever done. I didn't want to lose her, I wanted her to myself, I wanted to spend the rest of my life with the blonde inmate, not caring where we were. " I heart you" I mumble softly past the salty tears I could taste on my dry lips, as I remember the first time I had said that to her. Obviously she did to.

" What's that? I love you for pussies?" Same as she had said those days ago, and I felt everything shatter inside me as I press my hand to the stone cold wall separating us.

" say 'pussy' again" I force the words past my lips, my voice threatening to crack.

" I heart you too" Chapman sounds broken and defeated and I can't help the tears cascading down my already tear stained cheeks, my eyes burning viciously.

" I love you Piper" I whisper, not knowing if she could hear me, as I hug my knees even righter to my chest, longing for warmth" a moment passed where I doubted she actually heard me, and I sigh softly, talking off my glasses and laying them to one side so I can rub the evidence of my tears into non existence.

Then I heard her " I love you more Alex" and I buried my head in my arms, discarding my glasses, as I break down again, into nothing but a shaking mess. Although minutes later I abruptly stop, as I hear the flapping of the door flap again, but instead of food, a snappy price of paper torn from a book floats down to the cell floor. Slowly I hold it between my shaking fingers, inaudibly gasping.

Vause, you'll be sorry. God bless you. P. I wasn't scared, not for me, a little scared for Piper, but I was very very cautious as I read the note again, from Pensatucky .