A/N: I'm so glad you are enjoying the story so far! I'm a little rusty so it is taking me longer than I would like, but I'll do my best for you. Please continue to review, I find such inspiration and encouragement in them. xo
Alex tried not to let her emotions play out on her face. She had always been good at hiding her feelings, protecting herself. Her plans for today had been simple. Go on this stupid job interview, grab lunch with Nicky afterwards, maybe have a drink or three depending on how their interview went. What she most certainly did not expect was to be standing face to face with Piper fucking Chapman.
Finding Piper had been in her plans...on her to-do list quite literally...but this was unreal.
"Fuck." The brunette shook her head. Piper looked amazing; still youthful and taut and glowing, her lithe body clad in a tight grey pencil skirt and a tailored blue button-down shirt that brought out her eyes and made Alex's fingers twitch at the thought of undoing those buttons.
Piper's voice shook her from her brief fantasy.
"Alex? What are you doing here? Are you? Um...what? Did you, uh..."
Polly and Nicky shared a look between them as Piper flailed for words, speechless for once in her life.
Nicky leaned close to Polly and stage whispered conspiratorially, "Okay, catch me up. So those two totally used to Do It, right?"
Polly rolled her eyes. "You have no idea."
"Piper..." Alex rasped and then faltered as she met the blonde's eyes. "I didn't realize you worked here..."
Nicky gasped. "HOLY SHIT! That's your Piper?"
Piper glanced at Nicky curiously.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
Alex glared at Nicky.
Nicky suddenly found her shoes very interesting.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, don't mind me."
Piper turned back to Alex. "Polly and I own the company, actually."
Alex nodded. "Impressive."
"It IS impressive," Piper snapped. She felt defensive and insecure, confused by all of the emotions warring within her.
"I know. I said so, didn't I?" Alex kept her face blank and folded her arms stubbornly.
"Yes, but the way you said it..."
"Piper, stop." Alex sighed. "I meant it, okay? I wasn't trying to be condescending-"
"I know. You never try to. It's my fault, as always. My mistake, as always." The blonde was starting to visibly shake as her famous temper boiled in her stomach.
"That's enough, Piper. Calm-"
"Don't fucking tell me to calm down, Alex. I am perfectly fucking calm."
"Yeah, you seem calm."
Alex's sarcasm made Piper's eyes turn ice blue, her fists clench.
Yup, she is still feisty. Alex fought the urge to laugh. She knew it was fucked up, but this felt good.
"Holy hell," Nicky whispered, a huge grin on her face as she stared at the two women.
Polly glanced at Piper with concern.
"Okay. Well, clearly this is not going to work. I'll call Wanda and-"
"No!"
They all looked at Piper, who was startled by her own exclamation.
"No," she said more steadily. "It's fine, Polly. Let's all sit down."
Nicky glanced at Alex as they took seats on the sleek modern couches in reception, waiting until the dark-haired woman nodded at her, signaling that she was okay.
Piper looked at Nicky and extended her hand. "I'm Piper Chapman, although apparently you know that already. And you are?"
"Nicky Nichols, at your service."
"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Nichols. I'm sorry about...all of that. Alex and I are old friends and-."
"We were never friends," Alex contradicted her immediately.
Piper rolled her eyes before returning her gaze to Nicky, determined to keep her cool this time.
"Fine. Anyway..."
Polly took over and asked Nicky and Alex some basic questions about their qualifications for the job. The wild-haired strawberry blonde charmed them and lightened the atmosphere, assuring them that if she could learn to repair electrical equipment in a corrupt prison under the tutelage of a drunk, she could answer phones and get coffee.
"Any other questions for me, Molly?" Alex couldn't resist.
"You know that's not my name, Supercunt," Polly spat, cutting her eyes at the taller woman.
"Well, my name isn't Supercunt either, but that's never stopped you."
"Listen, after what you did to Piper, I'll call you whatever I want."
"What I did? Right, because poor little Piper had no say in the matter. Poor little Piper who left me-"
"Okay, that's it!"
Alex startled as Piper stood and grabbed her hand tightly, yanking her up from the sofa and half-dragging her towards her office.
"Excuse us for just a minute," Piper called, closing the door as Polly and Nicky stared at her in shock.
"What the fuck, Alex?"
"Excuse me?"
"You come walking into my company, after eight and a half years, and you're starting in on ME?"
Alex smiled a small smile when Piper said "half". She had been counting, too.
"It's not funny, Alex."
"I know it isn't. I had no way of knowing you worked here, Piper. I just went where Wanda told us to go. I'm as surprised as you are."
Piper nodded. Fair enough. She took a deep breath. Tried again.
"So," she said in a small voice. "How have you been?"
"Well, I've been in prison so yeah, not great."
"Because of the drugs?"
"No, I left the cartel but became a serial jaywalker," Alex deadpanned.
Piper was trying really hard to suppress her instinctive response.
"Go ahead. You can say it."
She marveled that Alex still knew what she was thinking after all these years.
"I told you this would happen, Alex."
"I knew that was coming. The Piper Chapman 'I told you so'."
"Well, I did, Alex. I begged you to quit!"
"I was damn good at the job. I was so fucking careful, Piper. I always kept us safe. I'm sorry if I was thrown off my game a little after the only girl I ever loved ripped my fucking heart out and fucking left me on the same day my mother died!"
"That's not fair, Alex! I had to. I had to leave. If I hadn't left you that day, I would never have been able to do it. I would have ended up in an orange jumpsuit next to you and your friend out there."
"Nicky. Her name is Nicky."
Piper made a pouty expression that Alex knew all to well.
"Are you and Nicky..."
Alex laughed, amused at Piper's familiar jealous streak, her stomach tickled thinking of the blonde's motivation in asking her about Nicky.
"Are we what? Fucking? No, not that it is any of your business."
Piper felt relieved.
"I'm sorry. You're right, it's not my business. I just..."
"What?" Alex asked intently.
Piper broke eye contact and looked down. Alex's heart clenched. Fuck it, she thought.
"I've missed you, kid."
Piper felt tears spring to her eyes at Alex's last word. The air whooshed out of her lungs. She was a grown woman now, with a promising new company, family and friends who loved her, a degree from Smith. Yet all it took was that nickname falling from Alex's lips to transport her back to being 22 and tucked under this woman's arm, carefree and radiantly happy.
Alex held her breath as Piper exhaled, watching emotion flicker across the younger woman's face, her eyes glazed and faraway.
"Pipes?"
The blonde was shocked back to reality.
"Yeah?"
"Where did you go?"
"Back..."
Alex nodded.
"And?"
"I've missed you, too."
They smiled at each other in relief.
God, Piper wanted to touch her. She felt desperate to get her hands into Alex's hair, to feel those full lips against hers. The blonde shook the thoughts away and tried to focus.
Alex saw Piper shift into what she used to call Thinking Mode.
"What is it, Pipes?"
"On your way here today, did you want this job?"
Alex smirked.
"Well, it's not like it's my dream job or anything but the Feds took my penthouse along with everything else and I do have to pay rent on my shitty apartment and keep the lights on, so...yeah, I guess I wanted the job."
Piper was careful not to wince visibly as she realized how hard it must be for Alex to have to rebuild her life, to lose the things she worked so hard for, the things that signified security to the brunette. Plus, that penthouse had an amazing fucking view.
"And now?"
Alex pushed her glasses up in her nose, confused.
"The job is yours if you want it," Piper clarified.
Alex cleared her throat.
"I don't need charity."
Piper rolled her eyes at Alex's ego.
"It's not charity. Believe me, you'll be working for your paycheck. Plus, I know how fucking smart you are. We'd be lucky to have you."
Alex smiled at that last sentence and Piper smiled in return.
"Nicky, too?"
"Nicky, too," Piper confirmed.
"Dolly going to be cool with this?"
"It would probably help if you started calling her 'Polly'"
Alex just grinned.
"Al?"
"Yeah?"
"One question."
"Shoot."
"Are you taking the job because of me or in spite of me?"
Alex rolled her eyes. Typical Piper, she thought.
"Honestly? Both, you fucking narcissist."
Both women laughed at that, a contagious happiness filling up Piper's office.
Nicky looked sideways at Alex as they left the building.
"Um, whoah."
"What?" Alex asked, shrugging.
"What?" Nicky elbowed her. "Are you fuckin' kidding me? That was the most intense dyke drama I have ever seen! And I've been in prison!"
"She looked really good," Alex mused.
Nicky shook her head.
"You don't think she looked good, Nichols?"
"She's fuckin' hot, Vause, but that's not the point. That chick is crazy!"
"She's not crazy, Nicky. We...we just have history. Plus, hey, we got the gig."
Nicky returned Alex's high five, shook her head and grinned.
"This is going to be so bad."
"This is going to be so bad."
Polly sat in Piper's office with her head in her hands.
Piper patted her on the back. "I really think maybe it could be a good thing, you know?"
"Are you fucking serious?"
"Yes? Alex is crazy smart and she, um...well, you really liked Nicky! Plus, it's just on a trial basis."
"Let's see. I can only think of about a hundred reasons why this is the worst idea in the world so, sure, great."
"I promise it won't affect business, Pol."
Polly hugged Piper tightly and then smacked her arm.
"I'm not worried about work, Pipes. I'm worried about you! I just...can you survive this again?"
"I've been 'surviving' for a long time, Polly. I need to live again, even if it hurts sometimes. Tell me you understand that."
"I understand. I don't like it, but I understand. I do need a drink like now, though."
Piper picked up her purse and linked arms with her best friend.
"Let's go. Liquid lunch. I'm buying."
"Damn right you are, you stupid lesbian."