Chapter 2: Piper.

It was all so easy now. But just as the metal made contact the sound of activity in the other room made her pull the blade back, someone was there.

"Alex, I'm home. Come on Alex, where are you?"

Shit, Piper.

"I'm in the bathroom," Alex shouted back. "Just throwing on some clothes, I'll be out in a minute."

The footsteps drew closer and Alex grew more frantic as she tried to hide the knife and get her clothes over the cuts, she needed to hide the cuts, she had to hide the cuts.

"Alex, do you want me to help you get dressed?" Piper offered as she began to open the bathroom door.

"No, no, no."

Alex slammed against the door, forcing it shut.

"Alex are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine, just give me a minute," she shouted.

"Are you sure you're okay Alex?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

She had to force her hand over her mouth to stop the whimpers and sobs from rocketing out of her as Piper's footsteps moved away from her.

She couldn't get emotional, she couldn't drag Piper into her shit like that, whatever she did she couldn't do that.

Slowly Alex calmed herself and stashed the knife in her pocket. She moved to the sink and ran the water taking a cloth to her arm and wiping the blood away as best she could.

She'd keep the arm behind her back and Piper wouldn't see the scars, she couldn't see the cuts.

Alex slowly stepped out of the bathroom and found Piper on the sorry excuse for a couch, stirring coals as she started the fire anew in the old fire place. The house was frigid and so Piper huddled by the fire, her fingers fast at work on it.

Outside the wind howled, rocking the bones of the creaky house all around them. The sound made her feel it would tumble down on them any second, but Alex didn't care, it would just be peace for once.

"So I guess you got dressed for me, I imagine the undressing will be my job huh?" Piper grinned as she looked up.

Somehow even after a full day of work Piper still held a dazzling smile. The way her eyes shone always seemed so genuine and warming.

Yet Alex stared back blankly as she sank down onto the other side of the couch. Piper schootched and sat beside her, her hand lightly resting on Alex's thigh. Neither of them spoke, they just sat and listened to the crackling fire and the menacing howl of the wind. Slowly Piper moved her hand up Alex's thigh and…

"I'm not in the mood Piper," Alex scoffed as she brushed her hand away.

"Hey after working my fingers all day I want to put them to some real work towards making you happy..."

"I said I'm fine Piper."

Piper moved away a little, looking at Alex in an almost alien way, skepticism and something else rocketing through her puzzled mind.

"Alex, are you okay?"

"I said I'm fine Piper," Alex snapped, her face growing red hot like the coals in the fire. "What part of I'm fine don't you fucking understand?"

"Alex, I just want you to let me in," Piper sighed. "It's a cold winter here and we're both exhausted, but I thought we could just stare into each other's eye as we hold the little heat we have before this feeble fire. I thought that could connect us back to the old days when..."

"I'm just not in the mood for cuddling or poetry Pipes. Why don't you head to bed…"

"Alex, what's that red mark on your neck."

Her face grew hotter with guilt.

"It's nothing."

"But…"

"It's nothing," Alex assured. "Look Piper, I'm just tired, that's all."

"Well so am I… I just thought we could kiss or cuddle, or somehow show each other some support in this cold."

"I've got it Pipes, I'll feel better tomorrow and I'll make it up to you then."

Alex flashed a slight grin as she stood up and kissed Piper softly on the lips.

"We can have our fun tomorrow night, I promise."

Piper smiled as she left Alex's side and headed towards the bedroom.

Alex stared after her, barely able to suppress her tears. She let her fingers drift down her thigh where Piper's hand had been, then drift down into her pocket. Her hand locked around the knife in her palm and she felt the cool steel drain the heat from her hands.

Slowly she lifted the blade out of her pocket and watched the flickering flames in the mesmerizing metal. She smiled as the tears broke free and she sunk back in low light.

Soon she'd be dead, but for now the fire was magic before her eyes, the only scrap of magic she had left in her life on her last night of life.

"Soon we'll be together my love, together in a better life,

We'll soon be free to do as we wish with no limits and ultimate power,

I'll leave you soon and I do it for your own good,

Soon we'll be together my love, soon we'll bath on in an eternal shower."

Alex closed her eyes and cried, getting ready to make her move, her final move.

For Piper, she'd do it for Piper.