Chapter Twenty Two

Piper's parents were going out. Her mother was worried that Piper wanted to work and spend the night there. Piper avoided her questions. It was times like these that she wished she had her old relationship with her mother.

"Piper, all couples have arguments. You'll never get through it if you don't talk," her father said. Piper smiled at him. He looked so much better...even better since Christmas. She knew her mother had him on a great diet and they both were walking in the park most evenings.

"Dad, I'm going to go upstairs and call her now. It's complicated...and yes I know I shouldn't run away when things get bad...but I have issues with anger. I think I've always had them but my experience in Litchfield made it so much worse. I had to distance myself from the whole situation," Piper explained.

"Just make sure you don't distance yourself from your marriage, "her father warned. He should know. Piper hugged him and went to the upstairs apartment with her mom's laptop to work. Once there she poured herself a stiff drink, turned on her phone and called Alex.

She picked up on the first ring, "Piper?" Piper winced. She sounded worried and angry. Piper pulled a deep breath.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm at the Brownstone-" she began.

"I'll be right there," Alex interjected.

"No. No, I'd like you not to come over. I'm staying here with mom and dad tonight." Her voice was strong and she hoped it conveyed that it wasn't open for discussion.

"Pipes, listen...she just agreed to keep an eye out for Nicky and I said thanks and she hugged me. It was perfectly innocent," Alex said. Piper heard the exasperation in her voice and she really couldn't blame her. But...the anger kicked in and she had to stop herself from cursing and hanging up.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear. I don't like that bitch, I don't like what she thinks and says about our relationship and I don't like her treatment of her daughter. Most of all, I hate that you lied to me and didn't tell me she was the one calling you the other night," Piper finished.

"You didn't tell me Red called so I guess we're even, "Alex spat back. Piper closed her eyes and tried to count to ten. Alex was already going on about trust going both ways.

"Hey, listen...she just called this morning, we had my parents and then that awful cab ride fight where you pointed out that I didn't know jack shit about what it was like to be an addict...then you are hugging your ex on the sidewalk. Obviously you feel you can talk to Becca and not me, " the last part of the sentence her voice broke and she had to fight tears. Piper wiped her face and swallowed hard trying to choke back tears.

"Piper, that's not true. Oh baby, please just come home and we can talk face to face," Alex pleaded.

Piper shook her head but realized Alex couldn't see her. She cleared her throat before she answered, "Look, I'm fucking Pissed. I'm pissed at the situation with Nicky, I'm pissed that I can't relate to your addiction...I'm pissed that this other woman gets to help you through the program and I just stand outside of it all waiting."

Alex took a deep breath and then growled in the phone. Piper shivered at the sound. "That isn't true! Fuck, Piper...don't you know that you're the only reason I'm still fucking alive? Piper...just you...just the thought of being with you got me through the worst of what happened at the boot camp. Yes, Becca knows the program and she was like my sponsor at Danbury...but really the only reason I even went to meetings with her was because Nicky likes the leader of that group," Alex tried to explain and Piper could tell her patience was wearing thin. "Listen Piper, I don't want to be with Becca. She was just a fucking substitute for the woman I loved and now she doesn't mean anyth-"

"I know! I KNOW...I KNOW..okay...I know you don't want Becca. I just can't help my reaction. It is all twisted up in my guilt over your rape. You were with her at Danbury, sober and safe. I have a meltdown at my friend's Christmas party and Roger tells you that I'm unhappy. You LEAVE Danbury and go-" Piper's voice broke and she just dropped to her knees.

Alex was silent on the phone. Piper drew a ragged breath and tried to calm herself. "I shouldn't run when things get rough. I left you today because if I'd stayed I would have jumped her or I would have smacked the woman I love. I felt the fury rising and I just split. It is my problem. I can't always understand your addiction and you can't always help me with my anger issues. I think...I think I just need time to myself. I need to regroup," Piper said in a soft whisper.

"What does that mean? Staying the night there? Okay...you can come to the store tomorrow after I open up and we can have breakfast...we can talk and I can read to you like I was going to do before the day and the drama got away from us," Alex spoke in a quiet tone that told Piper she was trying to defuse a situation. She'd heard it many times when she talked down a scared mule who called her from an airport phone.

"No...look, I have a trip scheduled for Tuesday. I'm going to move it up to Monday and cancel our session with Dr. Speer. You take this time, work your steps with Nicky and Becca. By the way, she doesn't get to make amends with me, she should focus all that on her daughter." Try as she might, she couldn't keep the steel out of her voice. Her anger was still simmering and she hoped that she never had to see Becca.

Alex was silent on the phone for a few minutes. Piper actually said her name to see if she was still there. " Yeah...how long is the trip again?" she asked.

"It's a week long. I'll fly out on Monday and return the following Sunday night. I have lots of appearances and a conference." Piper saw her crazy itinerary in her brain and sighed. It would have been more fun if Alex was going. "Look you have Nicky to look after so all will be fine."

"She mentioned going out of town with Lorna...but probably not until this weekend. Thanks for finding her, by the way. I should have guessed she was at Coney Island. I was really lost when you weren't at Polly's place" Alex seemed to be trying to remain calm about her distance.

"It was nothing. I remembered a conversation she once had with me and figured it didn't hurt to look. I realized I always run to Polly when we fight. I figured it was best to keep busy looking for Nicky," Piper replied.

"I don't like the idea of us not being alright and you leaving town. Please Piper, just come home tonight. Let me hold you." Alex seemed to really want to do just that. Piper closed her eyes and was soothed by her voice.

"We were going to anyway, this way I have some time to calm down and get my head on straight about Becca." Piper reasoned.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you it was her on the phone. I just...I figured it was something I could just shield you from...she called me right as I got home to thank me for being so kind at the meeting and to ask me if she could come over to make amends to you. I told her I'd talk to you about it to get her off the phone. I had no intention of doing that," Alex replied. Piper understood why she did it. She just didn't like the way it made her feel.

"I really have to make a few phone calls and work some Alex. I'll call you tomorrow, maybe we can have dinner together or something before I leave," Piper suddenly felt completely drained and wanted to get off the phone. She knew Alex wasn't happy with how the conversation had gone but she wasn't going to turn it around so things would go her way.

"If...that is what you want then okay," Alex answered. Piper winced because she knew she was hurting Alex with the way she was speaking but she just couldn't do anything else right that moment. She was done with thinking about all of it.

"It is. I love you Alex, bye." Piper hung up and downed the rest of her drink. She poured another one and immediately started to answer some emails. She made three calls and put Raven on moving up her flight. She worked for a few more hours and then decided she'd better put up that bottle before she was too shitfaced to say goodnight to her parents. It was sometime later that they got back and Piper went down to wish them a good night. Her mother wanted to talk but Piper just refused.

"I'm exhausted, Mom," was all she said. Her father stepped in and told her mother to leave her alone for now. She gave him a grateful smile and headed back upstairs carrying their leftovers from dinner out. Piper picked at the food and ate just enough to stop her stomach from growling. She hadn't eaten since the brunch that morning. Piper barely made it to the bed and fell over it exhausted. She wanted to cry but it was too much effort. She made herself feel better by imagining Becca's face against white snow, bloody and toothless. It was an image that usually would pop in her mind and make her sick. Now, it was a release. She tried to imagine it were true and she beat her down hard so she'd never even think about touching Alex again.

She must have passed out on the bed because it was pitch dark when she felt herself being turned over and her shoes removed. She mumbled something to her mom, asking that she be left in peace.

"I'm not your mother Piper. I'm your wife and I didn't get married to sleep alone. Arms up-" Alex said.

Piper blinked and frowned at the fuzzy picture of Alex before her. She lifted her arms and felt her shirt come up over her head. Her bra was released moments later and she felt the cool air on her nipples. They reacted in a way that made Alex's eyes dart to her chest and her eyebrow lift with a teasing lilt.

"What are you doing here? I thought I was clear-" she didn't finish the sentence because Alex kissed her. She kissed her with barely contained passion and need. Piper groaned and wrapped her legs around Alex body as she bent over on the bed. Alex turned and landed back on the bed with Piper on top. She was moaning but she managed to pull her head back.

"I'm still pissed at you Alex," she breathed out as she kissed her wife's jaw.

"Fine, be pissed...fuck me hard and make me regret letting that woman hug me...but don't make me sleep alone missing you. Please, not while we're mad at each other. Never again Piper," Alex exclaimed as she reached up to pull Piper's hair at the base of her neck and force her head up. Alex proceeded to lick and suck at her throat. Piper hoped she didn't leave any marks but honestly, she felt her center become soaked from the way she was handling her.

They had different modes of how they fucked. There was playful...full of laughter and exploration...soft where they treated each other like the most fragile glass one would find in a Tennessee Williams menagerie...and also they have this angry type of fucking that always leaves her sore and satisfied. They used to do this at Litchfield sometimes when they were frantic to touch or Piper was pissed some girl was hitting on her in the shower.

"Take this off, now" She grunted and pulled at Alex's sweat shirt. She found her wife was wearing jogging pants and a tee shirt only. She had got up straight out of bed and came all the way to Brooklyn to be with her. Piper felt her heart surge with love as her fingernails started to score Alex's back underneath her shirt for not taking it off fast enough. Alex hissed and jerked off her clothing faster before she started to suck Piper's left nipple with ferocious vigor. It was a hard, intense fuck that ended with Alex's hand inside of Piper. She was so tight that it was rare that she could be fisted. This night though, Alex was going to be inside of her no matter. It hurt...but the feeling of fullness and the pressure of her fist against her cervix was enough to make Piper scream. She didn't relent at all and pounded Piper until she herself came from the sensation. Pulling her hand out was almost as hard and Piper whimpered as it was removed. Alex was up like a shot and gathered a towel. There was slight bleeding but nothing that they hadn't experienced before when they tried fisting. Piper could still feel her inside when Alex put a bottle of water to her lips and made her drink. She had cleaned Piper up first before she washed herself. Piper closed her eyes and felt a wave of exhaustion hit her so fast she felt like she was falling.

Piper jerked and reached out for Alex but she was behind her. "Be my little spoon tonight. I have to get up in a few hours to head back to open up the store. I fully expect you to be there by noon, with a great lunch or at least dinner if you're too busy. There isn't anything we can't work out Pipes if we're together. Don't forget that," Alex whispered in her ear. Piper didn't respond as she felt Alex tighten her arms around her. She fell to sleep just like she fell in love with Alex, suddenly and completely.

****Learning to fight is an important part of being a married couple. They're handling the stress as best they can with all the other issues they are facing. Thank you for your words and support. I love to read the different takes on Becca in the relationship. Please review. I need all the motivation I can get to write at this point in my life. Happy Memorial Day to my American readers...please remember those that gave their lives for their country. Peace, Fae***