A/N: Hey everyone! I'm sorry for the long time it took me to update. Work and life had been chaotic lately and aside from that it was a bit difficult to write this particular chapter. I wrote something and then rewrote it because I wasn't content with it.

Again, thank you all so much for the favorites, follows and reviews. They are what keep me going with this story.

Reviews:

Samb06: I like your idea of them choosing a place to go together. It definitely is coming in some future chapter. I think you were right about the boyfriend so I decided not to introduce him, yet. However a friend of Lux makes an appearance in this chapter because I felt the need to establish Lux had had someone over the years with her. I mean poor girl if not, right? Thank you for taking the time to review every one chapter. And I've already told you but I loved your story and Liz as a character!

Vausemaniac: I love Nicky too. I think she is hilarious on the show so I wanted for her to be the same in this story. I think you were right about the boyfriend so I decided not to introduce him, yet. Hope you like this update as well and let me say thank you for sticking with this story from day 1 and review each chapter so Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Zibbsfan05: Hope you like this update and still think this could get good and still can't wait for more hehe ;)

Phantomjazz: When you said you would like to see Lux having a dream about Piper and Alex you meant it as in a flashback? That could be interesting and definitely keep that in mind for future chapters. Thank you!

(Larry is disgusting) Guest: Fucking Larry, belive me I know, but don't worry I'm a vauseman fan so... ;)

(NotPatient) Guest: I love you labeled this way so I could recognize you. Your patience is going to kill me for not updating in over a week, hope you're still hooked with this. I liked your idea of having Lux spending some time with each one of her mothers, there is something of that in this chapter and it'll certainly be more in the next one!

(Damn my phone) Guest: Thank you for your kind words. You are so nice! Lux's world before reconnecting with Alex and Piper make and appearance in the form of a best friend in this chapter so hope you enjoy it!

(Lux es un amor) Guest: Hola! Si, opino igual que tú. Lux es un amor y super dulce. Me encanta escribir su personaje porque siento que aunque tiene muchos sentimientos encontrados sobre todo lo que está viviendo le pone muchas ganas y de verdad desea intentarlo con Alex y Piper. Qué raro me resulta escribir en español acá jaja! Gracias por dejar un comentario!

(Motherly Alex) Guest: Hi there! Thank you for leaving a review! This chapter is more from Alex side and explores Alex and Lux relationship a bit more so I hope you like it :)

As always, all mistakes are mine. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own any character. No copyright infringement intended.

Chapter 5: Home Inspected

It was about noon and they all were still celebrating Lux's birthday. The young girl couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun. Alex's best friend, Nicky, sure was hilarious while sober but she could definitely get even funnier a few mimosas later. According to her, a mimosa was the perfect breakfast drink.

"… And that is how Vause, here, and I met. Yes, prison isn't exactly the best environment to go and make a friend but we bonded through it and we've been partners" Nicky made a pause and instantly smirked at the astonished look Piper had on her face right now. She made a mental note to tease Alex about it and continued talking "business partners, may I clarify, and friends since then. And from what I've seen today I can only congratulate you Lux. You, definitely, are in"

"I'm in? In what?" Lux amusingly asked.

"Our 'best buddies in da fucking world' club!" The messy-harried woman slurred the words with a wide smile.

"Wow, okay, no more mimosas for you" The brunette told her friend while taking the glass off of her hand.

"So Alex, you and Nicky co-own the bar then? Larry stepped in.

"No, I just work there. Nicky was being overly gracious when she said we were business partners" Deep down Alex knew the guy had asked innocently but she couldn't help to think he had wanted to embarrass her. "What about you? No 9 to 5 job, huh?"

"Excuse me?" Larry asked in confusion.

"I mean you are here having breakfast on a Tuesday morning" Alex replied arching her eyebrows at the same time.

Larry nodded. "I'm a writer and I'm sort of working on my own right now. You know, like freelance stuff. But even if I had a 9 to 5 job I certainly would had taken some time off for the birthday of my fiancée's child"

"I'm sure you would Larry. I'm sure you would" Alex thought the guy couldn't be more pathetic if he was trying to mark his territory by throwing the word fiancée a hundred times per minute. What a jerk.

"Well, this was great. But unfortunately we've to get going if we want Miss Birthday Girl over here to get on time for her last period at least" Piper nervously stepped in, running a hand through her hair.

"Oh man just when things with these two were starting to get spicy" Nicky growled and stood up "I'm going to take a cab and then a very long nap. Blame the mimosas for that. It was cool to meet you, kiddo, it's good to know Vause can do one thing right" Lux laughed while Alex rolled her eyes.

"Goodbye Lux, it was nice to meet you. Hope I see you by the store sometime" Polly enthusiastically said.

"See! They offer you a store. We offer you a bar. I meant it when I said we were the best club around" Nicky held up her hands with a grin.

"Thank you all for coming" Lux said with a sweet smile plastered all over her face "And thank you both for planning it. It really means a lot to me"

Piper was thrilled to see Lux being all-smiley and enjoying herself. She then threw a glance at Alex and felt her heart melt inside just from seeing the brunette adoringly looking at their daughter. She remembered that look from when Alex used it give it to her and she couldn't help to miss not being the recipient of that anymore.

"Alex, is it okay if we go to Lux's school in your car so Larry can take ours back home?" Piper asked. Alex nodded and they all waved goodbyes as they parted ways.

The school was located in a not so very nice neighborhood. They stepped out of Alex's truck and could already hear a few police sirens not far from there. Two young boys were having what it seemed to be a big disagreement about something at the building's front and when the bell rang a group of people went quickly running past them, one of them even pushing Piper on making her to almost fall down.

"Umm, do you want us to walk you in? Is everything cool?" Alex said with a little bit of concern about the place her daughter was getting an education from. If she was this worried she could only imagine what sort of perturbing thoughts were flashing over the blonde head right now.

"Ah, don't worry about it. If the state prison had a feeder school, this would be it" The young girl replied.

"I've to get ready for the home inspection. Nicky was supposed to help me out but since she got wasted this morning I think I will have to take care of it on my own. I can pick you up and drive you to Piper's though. What time do you need me to be here?" Alex asked. Lux could tell she was really nervous about the inspection so she came up with an idea but she needed to ask Piper first.

"Um… do you mind if I go to Alex's after school to lend a hand on her with this whole apartment check up thing? I mean… I would do the same thing for you but I think you already have everything under control"

"Oh my God, kid, that would be great" Alex exclaimed getting really excited. "And I could drive her to your house before I get to work" She told Piper while turning to her side to look at her.

"Uh yes, I think that will be okay" The older blonde agreed, she would be lying if she denied she kind of felt left out but she knew Lux was being super supportive of Alex so she decided to comply.

"Awesome, I will see you later. Bye!" Lux said and went inside the building.

"She is some thing else, right?" Even if she hadn't raised her, Alex couldn't help to feel proud about Lux as a person.

"Yeah, definitely. Um… are you free right now? 'Cause I was thinking we could maybe go for a coffee… you know… to catch up" Piper whispered almost like she was expecting a negative or an ironic response.

"Yes. I'd like that. Let's go" Alex nodded. She was surprised by her ex's invitation and a little bit nervous about what would they talk about.

They were already in the car looking for a coffee shop nearby Piper's store which she couldn't stop gushing about when her phone rang.

"Hey" Piper answered her it. "Um yeah we need that but buy the organic one, please. Oh and don't forget the beef for this new receipt I want to try… Okay, that's great, thank you" Alex chuckled after realizing the blonde still freaked out if something wasn't organic or healthy enough. She noticed Piper looking at her for a mere second and then abruptly turn her head to her side facing the truck's window.

"I love you too" Piper softly whispered. She didn't know why but she felt extremely guilty. Well, she DID know why. Alex, her once love of her life, was sitting right next to her and there she was saying all this strong love words to another person.

Alex was actually getting all excited about the coffee because this was the very first time they were talking and not arguing since they'd reconnected. But then she heard it. I love you too. Deep down Alex knew she had no reason to get upset with Piper. She was engaged to fucking marry the man, of course she loved him. But all the logic in the world didn't make it any less hurtful.

"Sorry, I had to take that. Now turn left and we'll be there"

"Um… you know what? I just remembered I have to do this important thing and with the inspection and everything I don't think I have the time for a coffee right now. Maybe another time. Is it okay if I drop you here? You were going to the store after anyway, right?" Alex couldn't come up with a better excuse. She just wanted to be as far away as possible from the blonde right now.
Piper loved another person and even if she knew the blonde one had every right to have moved on she couldn't avoid getting angry with her. And more than anything else she was angry with herself. It had been 15 years and Piper still had this hold on her. It sucked.

"Did something happen? Did I do something wrong?" Piper was shocked Alex was changing her mind and not even be sincere about it. It seemed to be a patron with them. When things were starting to improve something had to happen to leave them right back at square one.

"I just forgot about something I need to do. That's all" 'I forgot you have a fiancé now' Alex really wanted to say. 'I forgot you've moved on and I… I have not'

Lux went straight to the lockers hall looking for Natasha. Tasha had been her best friend since they'd met at Sunnyvale, a foster care center when they were only eight years old.

"Tasha!" Lux called out while approaching her friend.

"Lux! Oh my God. I almost called the police. I had no idea where you were" The young brunette girl said with relief.

They skipped class and Lux told Tasha all the crazy events that had happened over the past few days.

"I can't believe this is happening. Lux, I was banking on this. I took off, I ran away from foster care. These are the same people who gave you up the first time around. How can the judge just put you back into their custody? Just like that? Did you fight it? Did you tell the judge about our plan?" Natasha was still in disbelief.

"For us to get emancipated and move in with our boyfriends? No, I didn't mention that. Living with two high school dropouts probably wouldn't have helped our case much" Lux answered and noticing the annoyed look she was receiving by her friend she continued talking "Tash, none of this was my fault. It's not like I wanted this"

"Okay, then get out of it. Tell the judge or whoever that they're unfit parents and that you don't want to be with them"

"Look, wherever I am, you know, you can still get emancipated" Lux stated.

"How? If they won't approve you, they'll never approve me. You're the one with the better grades, the better references, all the money saved. Your bank account was the key to the judge thinking we could afford our own place. We had a plan. You and me together. Do you remember? Together. You don't have to be stuck with these people. We can go get your stuff right now"

"Tash, I'm sorry. I really am but I think I want to give this Alex and Piper's thing a shot, okay? For the first time in my life I feel like somebody wants me. They even throw me a party today with a banner, a cake, candles and everything. When did we get the chance to have a normal birthday party, huh? Never"

"You've everything sorted out. That's great but I've to get back to Sunnyvale now. Enjoy your new blissful life. And happy birthday by the way" Natasha ironically said and fumingly disappeared.

Alex went to pick Lux up and already at her apartment they started to clean and organize some stuff. She didn't have a big space, so, she didn't have that much of stuff anyways.
Life after prison had been hard on Alex. Looking for a nice job when you are en ex-convict can be a bit of difficult. Fortunately, Nicky had received some money from her loaded mother and decided to invest it in a bar offering Alex a job and her old apartment because the messy-haired girl was moving in with her then girlfriend to the loft located upstairs the bar.
Over the years Alex had learned she could still have fun and enjoy life without all the commodities that come with being a wealthy heroin importer.
So there they were mother and daughter trying to make a one-person apartment suitable for two in a matter of hours.

"Maybe if we put a small bed right here it could work out, right?" Lux didn't look one-hundred per cent convinced but she was trying to be optimistic about it.

Alex shook her head. "Kid, I don't think even the smallest bed of all can fit there"

"Yeah, probably not" The young girl agreed.

"Listen I've been thinking a lot and I've decided to use some of the money I have saved and look for a bigger place for the both of us. All we need to do is convince your caseworker this is only a temporary thing and it will be okay"

Lux was about to say she didn't have to go and spend her savings because of her when she noticed something she didn't expect. "Umm… Alex… I think it'll be best if you get rid of that a bong at least for the inspection, you know"

"Oh no no it's not a bong. Well it was once a bong but now" The brunette proceeded to press a button and it lit up "it is turned into a lamp. Impressive, huh? It was Nicky's and I've to say I've become quite fond of it. I love to read, remember? But maybe you're right and I will take it to Nicky's just for one day"

"Cool! Nicky is the best!" Lux said with a big toothy grin and then continued talking in a much serious tone. "Speaking of her, I think it's amazing you two met under such hard circumstances. I've been feeling kind of bad because I compared my school to a federal prison earlier today and I… I don't' know… I don't want you to think I was trying to belittle your experience or anything"

"Are you kidding me? It never occurred to me you were trying to minimize anything. I was kinda worried of discussing this topic with you but I think you deserve to know the story from myself. I was imprisoned because I used to work for an international drug cartel as heroin importer. Prison was probably the worst time of my life and it changed everything but I've made my peace with it. It was necessary for me to pay for the illegal and bad shit I had done in the past. I'm not proud of the kind of person I used to be or the decisions I used to make. I guess I was blinded by the easy money and the power and adrenaline it made me feel to be in charge but" Alex, then, softly grabbed both of Lux hands "It's really important to me for you to know I've changed since then and I've never will do anything like that again. I won't lose you again."

"Don't worry, I know. In fact, I was surprised to learn you were and ex-convict back at my hearing. From what I had seen I knew you were kind of a bad-ass but couldn't picture you as someone who had committed a crime. It must have been so awful to leave everything behind and go to prison. I can only imagine"

Alex tightened her jaw and looked down to the floor "Yeah, it was. It was hard to leave behind one person in particular"

"Piper" The young blonde acknowledged.

"Yes" Alex muttered, her voice sounding almost like a whisper. "Anyways, I've meaning to ask you, are you sure you are only 16? Because you certeinly are very mature for your young age. I'm proud of you, kid"

Lux was so happy over listening Alex being proud of her. She smiled big-time and replied. "Haha. Yes, I'm sure. Life was hard on me so I had to toughen up, I guess. And thank you for telling me about prison. I feel like I can talk about everything with you"

"I feel the same way about you, kid. And you should know by now I'll always be here for anything you need, okay?" Alex really wanted to hug her right now. So, she did.

It was Wednesday morning and Piper was at the kitchen making some oatmeal for breakfast when all of the sudden the land phone rang and she went to answer it.

"Hello. Oh, hi, mom how are you?... Yes, yes, everything is fine…. Mmm-hmm… no, nothing new no, Larry is about to get some work done and I'm on my way out to the store now… Yes I'll tell him you said hi… okay mom, you too. Bye"

After she hang up she could feel every inch of herself being inflected with guilt. She so wanted to tell her mother about Lux but that meant she had to explain everything from the beginning and she wasn't ready to be the Chapman's biggest disappointment all over again.
During the whole time Piper was with Alex, her relationship with her family was strained. They didn't approve of 'that lifestyle' as her mother used to refer about her lesbian relationship.
After they'd broken up and since she'd gotten engaged with Larry they had started to talk and visit again trying to move forward leaving any resentful feeling in the past.

Meanwhile, Fern was already at Alex's apartment which had never been so clean and organized so far.
However, judging from the caseworker first look around the place, Alex knew she was going to need her, as Nicky liked to call,' Vause charm' at her highest if she wanted to get an approval from this lady today.

"So this is the bedroom, living-room and kitchen all together. And the bathroom is right there" The brunette said while pointing a door out.

"I see, what about a bed for Lux? Fern asked.

"As you can see this is a very small place but I'm planning on renting a bigger one now that there's gonna be two of us. In the meantime, Lux can sleep with me in the master bed. I already talked to her and she was okay with it. It's only temporary, of course"

Mm-hmmm" Fern murmured. "I don't see any smoke detector alarm around"

"Oh, I haven't worked that out yet but I can assure you I'll get to it as soon as possible" The brunette stated.

"You see, the purpose of these home visits is to make sure that Lux's safety won't be compromised and that she is in an environment that is appropriate for a teenager. Now, Piper has already given me her paperwork, but I'm waiting for a copy of your medical records and a list of references who can vouch for your ability to parent" Fern was saying when she suddenly freezed in one place."Is that a bong?"

Alex felt so stupid right now. She apparently had forgotten to take the bong-lamp to the bar last night. "Oh, no, no. It was once a bong but it's turned into a lamp now. This was a gift, a very special gift from a very irresponsible person" She was nervously rambling now. Perfect.

"I'm gonna look around some more" The caseworker firmly stated and judging from her voice tone she was far away from granting Alex with an approval.

"Okay" The brunette replied while tensing up. Everything wasn't turning out like she was expecting to be.

The bell rang and Lux was relieved classes were over for the day. She was extremely worried about Tasha though. She hadn't heard from her since their fight the day before and was expecting to see her on class but Tasha had missed school. Again. There were days that if it wasn't for Lux Tasha wouldn't even care to go to class.

She started to feel guilty about the whole situation. Maybe it wasn't right for her to have a real chance of a family and let her friend to bear alone with all the government crap. After all Tasha had been at her side for almost all of her life and their birth mothers didn't. 'But Alex didn't know about you', she thought. Lately, she had been juggling with the idea of what had happened if at the time Alex had known about her existence.

She exited the building and saw Alex in her trunk ready to take her to Piper's.

"Hey! So? Spill! How did it go?"

"I don't know, Lux. I was just telling Piper over the phone that I think this Fern chick doesn't like me, or my tiny-shitty apartment or my even shittier job" Alex was really frustrated. "Ugh I'm sorry kid I've been really anxious about it all of the friggin' day. Let's do something fun. You know, when I was your age my mother taught me how to drive. Wanna give it a try?"

"Umm… Are you sure? I haven't even taken driver's ed yet" The young girl got excited but she didn't want to get both of them into trouble.

"Yeah, well, the sooner you learn how to drive, the sooner you can apply to get a license. Get in here. Come on" They switched places and Alex started to explain the basic stuff. She must have given her some good tips because Lux got the hang of it really quickly.

They were approaching Piper's house at a steady speed but Alex didn't count for the blond one to be on the front lawn working in the garden.
Piper saw Alex's truck and kept working on a plant but immediately went to look again just to check she was imagining things. She wasn't crazy after all. Not even a little. The crazy one would be her always impulsive ex-girlfriend who apparently had not one bit of responsibility at all.

"Why is she driving? Why is she driving?! Alex, are you drunk?" Piper rapidly stood up and began to yell at them.

"Hey, she's fine. She's cool. Just relax. She knows what she's doing" Alex yelled back and then spoke directly to Lux "Okay, so now that we are near the sidewalk you're gonna downshift" She didn't get to finish the sentence because she noticed the car accelerating rather than slowing down. "Not the gas, the brake. Not the gas! Not the gas!"
Lux was panicking by now and didn't even know what pedal she was pushing on. The car went up the sidewalk and crashed onto one of Piper's big flowerpot.

"Oh, oh, my Oh Oh, my God, are you okay?" Alex worriedly asked her daughter.

"Oh, my God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I was fine and suddenly I got all nervous and my mind went blank"

It had been a small crash, they were fine, the truck didn't even get a dent but the blonde was raging with anger by now.
"Were you dropped on your head as a child, or is there something diagnosable wrong with you? It's like you know the social worker's on her way up here, and so what do you do? You have Lux drive up. It's like you're actually trying to sabotage everything and screw this up" Piper made a pause and then she had a realization look all over her face. "Oh, my God, you are actually trying to screw this up. Deep down, you don't really want this, do you? That's why you forgot the home smoke alarm, right? Oh and the bong and didn't even got a bed for her. You're actually trying not to get approved. Admit it; you're in over your head.
You don't want to be a parent. You don't want a kid, just admit it"

"Like you do?" Lux snapped. "I heard you on the phone today. You were talking to your mother, and when she asked if there was any news you didn't tell her about me. You did it again. You neglected me again"

Piper eyes went glassy while listening to her daughter feel rejected by her. What had she done? Why seemed like she couldn't do one thing right with this girl? She was about to explain herself and comfort Lux when Alex cut her off "Guys, the caseworker is here"

Fern had already inspected Piper house and they all three -Piper, Alex and Fern- were now sitting at the table in the living room.

"My job is to determine how viable of an option this is" Fern stated with concern in her voice.

"We understand, but don't… don't let the, uh, the thing on the front lawn, you know, fool you. We've been doing great" Alex vigorously lied. Thinking that Lux could be sent away because she thought it would be fun for the kid to drive, was torturing her. She had to fix this right now.

"Seriously, what I saw out there, the way you treated… I don't think you even like each other so, what makes you think you can co-parent? I am speaking with the judge in the morning. And even without talking to Lux. I am reluctant to recommend that that state allows her to be placed in your care"

After walking Fern out, Piper took a moment to recollect herself and her thoughts. No more running away she had told Larry the other day and yet when she should have told her mother about Lux she panicked and lied. It seemed to be one lie to another lately and she could understand Lux being mad at her. She, of course, hadn't done it on propose but in one way or another had neglected her. And that was not okay.

So, she turned around and looked at Alex in the eye. "I need to say something. I think Lux has been through more than either one of us realize, and if I don't find a way to get approved for custody of her, I literally will not be able to live with myself; I'm just not going to turn her away twice, so if you want to walk away now is the time to do it, but I won't"

"Piper, I mean it, I don't. I will do whatever you want. I'll take her to school every day. She can stay at my place. We can split time with her 50/50. I don't… I don't want to be that person who bails. Not again. I want to be a mom. And I want to do this with you. I mean, not like with you, with you. I mean, I know you're with Larry, and I definitely know how you feel about me. And whatever happened between us that's in the past. And the only thing that matters between us now is Lux"

And for the very first time in a very long time they, FINALLY, were agreeing on something.

A/N 2: Oh I love me some cliffhanger. Will they get approved and get Lux back or not? What do you think of Alex and Lux bond over this chapter? Piper and Lux relationship will be explored a bit more in the next one.
Also for all the Vauseman fans out there, they are little by little coming together, it will take a bit more time but they will get there... if you catch my drift ;) They were about to get some coffee and fucking Larry had to ruin everything, man, i hate myself sometimes but don't worry everything will start to come around.

Please leave a review on your thoughts about the story so far. I would really appreciate it!

See you soon :)