A/N- This one is kind of a shorter (8k is short man) transition-y chapter, leading into the big finale, which will hopefully be following relatively quickly... Thanks again to everyone who reads and reviews (which are always fun to read). And of course, perpetual thanks and infinite appreciation to the Person Who Read This. This one, more than some of the others, they helped me get thinking it was ready to go. (Oh and also, I wrote a little Nicky focused one shot called "A Girl and her Horse" which you can take a look at if you want... it's actually short lol). Anyway, here you go... hope you enjoy... :)

Chapter 7- The Desperate Hours

The next day...

Nicky hadn't seen Piper all day, which was more than passing odd considering the news they'd gotten yesterday morning. Chapman had said she'd be up for lunch today. Considering that they'd spent the last week worrying about Alex and Lorna together, Nicky had assumed she and the blonde owed it to themselves to spend at least part of the next couple days being happy about the whole fucking ordeal being so close to over, to their girls coming back and life going back to being just the normal constant struggle for survival. It wasn't like Piper to make a promise and then not follow through.

But afternoon turned into early evening and the anxiety that had finally lifted from her yesterday when the news had come that Lorna was on her way home was settling in again. Around four, she looked over at Red, who was sitting at a table going over ledgers, "Ma, I'm goin' down to the ranch to see Chapman."

Red just nodded. It was a trip Nicky made once or twice a week. The bartender pulled off her apron and ambled out the door of the saloon. She unhitched her infinitely patient brown horse (who never seemed to mind that Nicky was pretty fucking horrible at riding horses) and glared at her, "All right, Bugsy, you bitch, let's do this..." She managed to get into the saddle on the second try (which was pretty good for her) and turned the placid beast down towards the ranch. She didn't feel comfortable going much faster than a relaxed walk, so it took her near a half hour to get to make the two mile journey.

From the outside, it didn't look like anything was amiss. The sun was getting lower in the sky, but there was still plenty of light. She slid carefully off the horse and tied her to the hitching post. She wandered up to the porch and opened the screen door, knocking twice firmly before putting her hand on the knob, intending to follow her usual policy of just walking straight in whether anyone responded or not (she'd caught them fucking on the kitchen table once, something that she still liked to bring up at random, inappropriate moments, when she wanted to see Piper turn beet red... Alex, infuriatingly hard to fluster, would just grin smugly).

Before she could turn the knob, the door opened suddenly. Piper stood there, framed in the doorway, one hand on the door, the other holding a well worn Bible (the girl read, but she had no use for that particular book and only kept it because it had been Celeste's), her body angled in a way that meant Nicky couldn't get past her. Piper was standing finishing school straight and the look on her face was the polished neutral pleasant mask she'd probably worn all the time in Boston. She was wearing one of her fine dresses, which she never did unless she was coming up to town.

"Good evening, Nicole," she said, giving Nicky a bright, entirely false smile, "How are you?"

Nicky maintained her own sardonic smirk, even as she realized something was very wrong with her friend (Nicky had had her own experience with putting on a convincing act when she needed to…), "All right. How 'bout you Chapman?"

"Very well, thank you for asking," she was speaking even more precisely than usual, "How may I help you this evening?"

"Ah, well you had said something about coming up for lunch and..."

Piper laughed, a lilting, perfectly calibrated thing that sounded nothing like the unadulterated amusement of her true laugh (Nicky had witnessed the woman snort milk out through her nose once, a memory that never failed to warm her heart). "Oh it was quite an amusing story really. Hestia threw a shoe right as I was preparing to depart and of course I had to replace it. You know how long that takes me without assistance."

The blonde was doing her damndest to tell Nicky something wasn't right (had been since she opened the door… carrying a Bible and calling Nicky by her hated full name). The horse was Persephone... and these days Piper could shoe her in five minutes flat without so much as a second thought. Nicky kept smiling and nodding, "Ha, yeah. She near kicked you in the face last time you tried it..."

Piper nodded, her eyes meeting Nicky's and darting to the left and then the right as she kept smiling, the look in them telling Nicky she couldn't speak freely, "Yes... quite unfortunate. So by the time I was through with that, it was far too late to come up. You have my sincerest apologies..."

Nicky was anxious as fuck. The way Piper was playing this meant that someone was in the house with her, watching her closely to ensure that she wasn't stepping out of line… but that they didn't know her well enough to know that she wasn't acting right, "Ah, it's alright, Chapman. You didn't miss anything. I just came down t'make sure you were all right, y'know?"

"Of course. I thank you for your concern. As always, you are most kind."

Nicky's head was starting to hurt from seeing this version of Piper. Aside from the obvious danger she was in, it was jarring as hell, completely unnatural, like seeing a monkey strolling through the center of town in a suit. She hadn't even acted like this when she'd first come here. She'd been more formal in her speech and manner than anyone in town, but that hadn't been too hard in the first place... but she'd never spoken to Nicky like this unless she was making a mockery of the trappings of her old life.

"Yeah… yeah no problem..."

"And perhaps you might visit again," Piper said, pinning Nicky with her gaze again, "After Alex has returned."

"Oh sure. Definitely, I mean... yeah..." she nodded amiably, still trying to be casual, "Well, real good talkin' to ya, Chapman. Real good."

"Indeed. Have a pleasant evening and a safe journey back to town."

"Much obliged," Nicky said, nodding once.

Then Piper shut the door and she heard the door locks click over.

Nicky turned and walked back to Bugsy as casually as she could. She took four tries to get up on the bitch, who just looked at her calmly with those big black fucking horse eyes (she swore the fucker was grinning at her), and then she turned her up towards town. She urged the mare on to a trot (about twice as fast as she was comfortable with), and she was positive she could hear the horse scoffing.

She rode back up to town without looking back, not wanting to give the people watching Piper anything that might indicate anything was wrong. Once she got to Red's she slid off the horse and practically fell on her ass. She hastily hitched it to the post and pushed roughly into the saloon.

Red frowned at her, "Nicky? What?"

"Ma... we got a problem..."

"So apparently it was too much to ask that Soso's voice didn't carry..." muttered Red.

"We're gonna go get her right?"

"Nyet," Red said, frowning.

"What? We're just gonna leave her there?"

Red had a thoughtful look on her face, calculating, "They haven't hurt her yet. She is their bargaining chip. Hurting her doesn't benefit them unless Vause is here to see it. Besides, we don't know how many there are, how dangerous... it would be foolish to barge in. If we misjudge things," Red made a gesture with her hands, "Poof... Chapman dies or is hurt..."

"The soonest she'll be back is tomorrow..."

"I am aware of that. We just have to hope Blondie can hold her own with them..."

At 8am the next morning, the rescue party returned, looking a little worse for the wear but triumphant. They stopped in front of Red's, and before they could even dismount, Nicky had burst out the swinging doors and was practically pulling Lorna off her horse.

Nicky had intended to be the one to tell Alex about Piper. She was going to come down and let her know right away, but as soon as she saw Lorna, she was incapable of doing anything but sobbing and clinging to the little Italian as though she would never let go. Alex would've been offended, but she knew that if the situation were reversed, Piper would have taken precedence. She was, in fact, eager to get back to the ranch, to see Piper, to bury herself in the blonde for a few hours and try to get her focus back after dipping a toe into the cold black ocean of her less pleasant self for such an extended period of time (try to forget how good it had felt to feel Christopher's bones cracking under her fists, how satisfying it had been, if only for a split second).

But Red walked up to her as Alex was turning to Rosa to shake her hand on a job well done. Alex frowned at the look on the Russian's face... apprehension. Not something she saw there often. "Red? What is it?"

Rosa started to step away, but Red put up a hand, "No, Rosa, you need to hear this too..."

Alex frowned... She had a sudden flash of memory from five years before when she had returned to town after the only other time she'd left Piper for anything other than a routine supply run... and had come home to bone-chilling cold and tragedy. "Red..."

"Vause... you need to be calm when I tell you this, yes? You need to be calm because overreacting will do none of us any good..."

Dread began trickling down Alex's spine like frozen water... she immediately had a flash of finding Celeste's body... finding Piper and thinking she was dead... that was what happened when she left the ranch for anything unusual... that was what happened when she left Piper alone... it was the only thing that would prompt such a warning from Red...

"Kubra's men are at the ranch... they have Chapman..."

It took Rosa and Cindy and Maxim and Vasily together to restrain Alex... Red tried to shout her down, but finally it was Ruiz's gun in her face that made her stop struggling long enough for Red's words to penetrate (Ruiz respected Alex's skills but didn't like her, was perpetually wary of her... so Alex knew for a fact that she would shoot her if need be). Alex's formerly hair trigger impulsiveness had long ago given way to calm deliberation... but there were some things that she was incapable of being calm about, and the thought of Piper Chapman in danger was one of them.

After they were sure Alex wouldn't make another run for her horse, Red grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a hard shake, forcing her to look down into her eyes, "We cannot be stupid here... these people... they are Kubra's."

Alex had been sitting at one of the tables, her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. She looked up, running a hand through her hair, "How do you know?"

"They were asking for you around town. You know Jefferson across the street, she used to work with Vee," Red's face clouded over, thinking of the opium dealer who had once tried to kill her, "and she used to deal with Kubra. Jefferson had seen one of the fellows around when she was with them."

"She was with Vee a decade ago, was barely more'n a kid. She sure?"

"Evidently the gentleman made quite an impression on her. Beat a man to death with his bare hands without once removing the toothpick from his mouth."

Alex put her head back in her hands, "Aydin... fuck..."

Rosa spoke, "So. How should we play this?"

Alex looked over at her, "You're volunteerin' to help?"

"Vause, only reason you weren't here to take care of these fucks 'fore it even got this far was cause of us. Yeah, we're volunteering to fuckin' help."

Ruiz snorted, but Rosa glared at her and she shut up.

Cindy had her arms crossed, "A'ight then, we helping you. So anyone got any ideas how we gonna crack this?"

"Full on assault won't work. They feel like we're attackin' em, they'll hurt Piper..."

Rosa held up a hand, "Strategy, Vause. A little finesse. We're gonna look at this like robbin' a bank, only we have to get an uptight blonde 'stead of money..."

"She ain't uptight..." Alex said, defending her automatically.

Everyone else snorted a little, but Rosa sighed, "We need to distract 'em. And we need you in the same room as your lady. That's the only way we're gonna know she's safe 'fore we move in."

Alex looked hard at Rosa, "What d'you have in mind?"

After they'd made their plan, Alex rode back down to the ranch as fast as she could without making it look like she was being too eager.

Act natural. That's what she had to do in order for this to work. Rosa's plan made sense. She'd have to act fucking surprised. Fuck.

So she went about her normal routine. She dismounted and led Hades through to the small stable where they kept he and Piper's brown mare, Persephone. Forcing herself to remain calm, even though it was nearly driving her insane knowing how close Piper was, she pulled off his saddle and bridle. She made sure he was fed and watered and gave him a pat on the nose before throwing her saddle bags over her shoulder and heading out of the stables towards the house. It took all of ten minutes, but it felt like forever.

Normally, Piper would've come out to greet her as soon as she'd seen her and would've stood to the side while Alex pulled off the saddle and talked about whatever trip she'd made. Therefore the anxiety in her voice when she entered the house through the kitchen door and called out for Piper was something she would've felt even if she hadn't already known what was happening. "Pipes?" she called, "You here, darlin?"

Piper's voice came from the sitting room. This was also unusual. It was near on six in the morning now, and Piper wouldn't likely have been in the house. "I'm in here, Al..." her voice was level, calm. Just the slightest tremor to it.

Alex dropped her saddlebags and rifle on the kitchen table, grimacing as she did so, wanting more than anything to run into the room and kill whoever had dared to threaten Piper, but she knew it would be ill advised until she knew where everyone was. How many there were and where they were. From what she recalled, Fahri usually only traveled with two others in situations like this (she knew because she'd accompanied him more than once), but she couldn't know if that was the case this time.

She walked through to the front room. The curtains were drawn, but the morning light was coming through well enough to illuminate the scene before her... her heart felt like it was being strangled when she saw Piper.

The blonde was sitting in the arm chair near the front window, wearing the fine blue silk robe (a gift from Alex for her last birthday) over her simple nightshirt. She was sitting up ramrod straight, a proper Boston lady, with her ankles crossed in front of her and her hands in her lap, one over the other. Her expression was blank, neutral, betraying nothing, even her eyes. It was like a curtain had dropped over her and all she looked was prim and polite.

But Alex knew her. Could see the storm behind her eyes. The turmoil. The fear. She knew that Piper would be determined not to show a lick of fear to Fahri or his men. It was how she always was in the face of a threat or something upsetting. She would never show anyone any weakness because she hated being perceived that way, even though no one in this town thought that of her anymore. There would always be a part of Piper that would be desperate to prove she was capable.

"Pipes...?" Alex said, unable to keep the worry from her voice.

"Alex..." Piper said, her voice formal, polite, "These gentlemen were inquiring about you..." her eyes flicked across the room.

Alex had been entirely focused on Piper. She was examining her carefully, assessing her to make sure she wasn't hurt, not sure that she could trust herself entirely to stick to the plan if she had been harmed in any way... Piper saw the question in her eyes and inclined her head minutely, telling her she was fine.

Satisfied this was the case, at least for now, Alex turned slowly to look at the couch that had been obscured from her sight when she'd first walked in. And saw Fahri sitting there... Aydin was behind him to his right, leaning casually against the fireplace, his pistol drawn, but held loose at his side, which was more than deadly enough. Alex knew that Aydin was nearly as good as she was. Had he been one of the men in the old church the day she'd nearly died, Alex wasn't sure she'd be standing here today. But he had always been Fahri's man.

It had been five years since she'd seen Fahri, and he barely seemed to have aged since then... in fact, barely seemed to have changed at all since she had first seen him more than 10 years ago. Same placidly polite smile, same quiet dark brown eyes that never seemed to be moved for anything. Alex had learned so much from him. She had always been good at reading people, at knowing what they were thinking, but Fahri had taught her to use that to her best advantage, to figure out how to get them to do what she wanted them to.

Fahri was the one who had taught her that while violence was sometimes necessary, it was even better if you could talk your way out of a situation. It saved time and trouble, and often had unpredictable fringe benefits. She knew his mind was always working, that he was always reading anyone he spoke to. She didn't want to know what he might have learned from Piper, or what he might have said to her... she had to focus, had to school her own reactions.

"Fahri..." she breathed, not having to work hard at all to sound astonished to see him. It had been so long, and it took her breath away to see someone who had almost faded away into nothing in her head appear fully formed and solid in front of her again. "What in hell are you doin' here?"

"Alex," he said, nodding amiably. "You will perhaps do me the favor of taking off your belt and laying it there on the floor."

Slowly and carefully, she undid her belt and placed it on the floor gently. As soon as she stood up, someone behind her grabbed the belt. She glanced over her shoulder. Ahmad. Alex raised an eyebrow as she turned back, "Ahmad ain't been missin' any meals," she said.

Fahri chuckled at that, a genuine laugh, "Indeed. Although last you saw him he was just a boy."

Alex kept her hands at her side where Aydin could see them, her eyes darting around the room, looking for signs of anyone else. She could believe that it was just Aydin and Ahmad. From what Red and the others had said, they'd been poking around. They hadn't known she was here, they'd only thought she might be. (She'd have to put some thought into how they had known, but her instinct told her it was that fat fuck blacksmith from up in New Litch... if they survived this, she'd most definitely be paying him a visit). So a small contingent, Fahri and his usual men... and he would've cabled Kubra as soon as they'd been sure... she tried not to think of how far away he might be...

"Enough pleasantries, Alex," said Fahri quietly, "You must know why we are here."

"Not to kill me, else it'd be done by now."

"We are here only to detain you. Kubra will be coming soon. I cannot guarantee he will not want to kill you."

Alex heard the echo of Kubra's final words to her and frowned, "We both know he will, Fahri. We ain't never been in the habit of lyin' to one another before. Let's not start now."

Fahri nodded, "That is so. Fine, he will most likely he will wish you dead."

Out of the corner of her eye, Alex could see Piper tense almost imperceptibly, her hands grasping on to one another even more tightly than they had been before. "So you're just here to sit with me and pretend to be cordial until he comes."

"That would be ideal."

"And if I don't feel like just layin' myself out like a pig to the slaughter?"

Fahri's eyes cut to Piper, then back to Alex, "Then I will be forced to convince you that that is the wisest course of action."

"She's got nothin' to do with this, Fahri."

"On the contrary, she has much to do with this. She lied to my face twice. All the people of this town seem quite steadfast in their loyalty to you, but Miss Chapman most especially..."

"Fahri..."

"you recall that I once told you that personal relationships were a burden you could not afford? that they had the potential to get you killed, to twist you up so that you could not think straight? This is what my meaning was... had you not been worried about her, who knows what you might have done when you realized that someone was here? Perhaps you would even have checked things beforehand, but you were so eager to get to her, and now you are so worried about her..." he shrugged, "You are hampered by your emotions now."

"They hurt you?" Alex asked Piper, not bothering to tell Fahri that being "hampered by her emotions" was a sight better than not feeling any fucking thing ever.

Piper's voice was tightly controlled, but her eyes were telling her a million things (that she was grateful she was here, but also worried now that she was... afraid of what Fahri would do, what Kubra would do... but also what Alex would be forced to do...), "No. He has been... a gentleman."

Alex nodded, tried to reassure Piper as much as she could with just a glance, and then turned back to Fahri, "I don't fancy being a sitting duck... you don't have to do this..."

"Alex, this is not a negotiation. You know that I will kill her if I must," Fahri said, real regret in his voice, "And I feel that would be a pity. I can see why you love her so..."

Alex's jaw twitched, "Fahri... if you even think about touching her, I will end you. And it will not be quick."

"That does not seem like a very good negotiation tactic, Alex..."

"You just said this ain't a negotiation," Alex glared at him, "You were my friend... now you're huntin' me down like an animal?"

"I was your friend, yes. But you lost track of your purpose. That cannot be allowed to pass. Not with a man like Kubra."

"I ain't done nothin' to him. Ain't said a word about him to anyone, or brought the law down on him..."

"You know that matters very little. It was your transgressions against him."

"I didn't do a fuckin' thing to him... I just… wanted to be able to sleep at night damn it. And since then I ain't said a word to anyone about him, never brought the law down on him…"

Fahri waved a hand, "This is all irrelevant. Whether or not you believe you have done anything to him or not, he believes you have, and he made his decision five years ago that you should die for it. You denied him that," he shook his head, "And then you came back here and did the opposite of what I always advised you..." he looked over at Piper, "You made connections, you fell in love."

Alex darted her eyes to Piper. Ahmad was standing next to her chair now, hand casually on his pistol. Piper still looked completely calm, but Alex knew she was worried. She looked back at Fahri, "That advice was for shit..."

"The more people you love, the more people that can be used against you..."

"I ain't never seen it like that... ever."

Fahri shook his head, "Again it is irrelevant. We will stay here until Kubra comes and then he will decide your ultimate fate."

"I thought he was goin' to kill me."

"There are so very many ways to die, Alex... And I must repeat that if you decide to make coming along quietly an issue, then..." he shrugged, gesturing to Ahmad, who adjusted his gun belt ostentatiously.

"Any man touches her is dead."

Fahri sighed, "You see... all these feelings you have... you cannot think straight. There is no way you could kill all of us, or even hit any of us with no weapons..."

Now Piper spoke, "So you believe we'll just let this Kubra walk into town and take Alex away?"

Alex started slightly. She hadn't exactly forgotten Piper was in the room (she was always entirely aware of where Piper was if they were anywhere near one another), but she hadn't expected her to speak up.

Fahri frowned, "I believe that Kubra will make it impossible for anyone to object."

The blonde glared at him contemptuously, "I think perhaps he won't be expecting exactly what he finds here..."

Ahmad scoffed. He ignored Fahri's sharp look as he said, "What he'll find is a town full of women... not so much trouble, I should think..."

She turned towards him now, "I wouldn't suspect that an overlarge cretin such as yourself would have any sort of imagination about such things but..."

Ahmad frowned, "What? What did you say to me?"

"I said you were a moron," Piper replied, enunciating every word with deliberate care, glaring at him, eyes blazing, but her voice and her posture staying entirely the same. "A fat, fragrant moron without any more sense in your head than the Lord gave the lowest cockroach on earth..."

Fahri was watching the exchange with dismay, a grimace on his face, displeased that Ahmad seemed to be taking the bait. Near the fireplace, Aydin was eyeing Ahmad and Piper as well, a bemused expression on his face. Fahri spoke, "Ahmad, step back..."

"Yes, Ahmad," Piper said, smiling brightly, "Do as your master says... heel... sit… do you perhaps also roll over at his request as well?"

Ahmad was livid now, his face twisted into a snarl. He'd gotten as close to Piper as the chair allowed, looming over her, "You fucking whore, I'll teach you to keep your god damn mouth..." he started to draw his hand back...

Before Piper could even begin to brace herself, a gunshot rang out and Ahmad was knocked back a step, crying out in pain and clutching his stomach. He barely had time to register the first shot before four more rang out, three slamming into his chest, and the last into his neck. He collapsed into a heap on the hearth rug in front of Piper, unmoving, unseeing... the whole thing took less than ten seconds.

Piper turned towards where the shots had come from and saw Alex swiveling her smoking gun towards Aydin who had drawn his own gun after getting his initial shock. Fahri frowned, the calm veneer disappearing, "What the..."

Alex's voice was low and deadly, "You always taught me to be prepared for everything, Fahri... I saw you got Piper's gun by the door, but you didn't get the revolver underneath the table there..."

Fahri's eyes darted to the large, well polished table to the right of the entrance to the sitting room... a foot away from where Alex had stood when she first entered the room. There was a large vase of flowers on top of it... and as he looked more closely, he could see the edge of the holster that had been secured underneath it... He gritted his teeth... once again he had underestimated Piper Chapman... the girl had recognized Ahmad as the weak link and had taken advantage of it, distracting them all while Alex, in her impossibly silent, incomprehensibly fast way, had retrieved the gun.

Aydin shook his head, his gun still pointed at Alex, "Had to get your woman to distract him in order to get him... how about you try me now, Vause? Fair fight?"

"Not so fair if Fahri there keeps pointing Piper's gun at her," growled Alex, looking to Fahri, who had indeed pulled Piper's gun from his belt... and was pointing it at Piper. He wasn't fond of actually having to use the weapon, and he was aware that Alex knew it. She had learned a great deal about how far a well placed word could go. Fahri wasn't necessarily that good with a pistol, although at this range, he could easily hit the blonde.

"Kubra wants you alive," Fahri said, "And I am loathe to disappoint him... lower your weapon."

"Fuck you..."

Fahri sighed... Aydin smiled around his toothpick, "Always wanted to see how good you really were Vause..."

They all tensed, ready to pull the trigger...

...and then the cavalry arrived…

FIVE MINUTES EARLIER

The party consisted of Rosa, Cindy, Maxwell and Vasily. As soon as Alex had crested the rise to the ranch and was out of sight, they had ridden east out of town and then doubled back to the North, coming around the back of the ranch through the pasture. It was always possible the people holding Piper had enough men at their disposal to set watches on the back door, but that was a bridge they'd cross when they came to it.

Once they reached the back of the property, they dismounted. The cattle were in the barn, so Rosa kicked the boards out of a section of fence and they led the horses through it. Maxwell and Vasily quickly scouted things out while Rosa and Cindy stayed behind the barn. Once the scouts reported that no one was outside the house, they cautiously approached. It was easy enough to hear voices coming from the sitting room.

There was a window in the sitting room that looked back out over the property. The curtains were drawn, but they could see through the gap. There were three men inside, along with Chapman and Vause. Rosa made a study of where they were. She sent Cindy around to the front, and Maxwell and Vasily to the back door, staying at the window herself.

She watched through the window as Chapman started mouthing off. It was like watching someone conducting a symphony. She got the fat one's attention first, and then as he got angrier, the other two men turned their attention entirely to her... forgetting Vause (unarmed but in no way docile and safe) entirely. Rosa watched as she slipped over to the side table, quick and quiet, and grabbed the gun underneath... turning and aiming in one swift movement as the fat man started to raise his hand.

The gunshots were loud and the man fell heavily. The man at the fireplace and the one in the chair both pulled irons. The one in the chair pointing at Chapman, the one at the fireplace aiming at Vause...

Enough of this shit... Rosa gestured to Maxwell, who nodded and she and Vasily slipped into the house quietly. Rosa trusted them to know what to do. Rosa saw everyone in the room tensing... and then Maxwell's voice called out... and Cindy came crashing through the front door. Saying a silent apology to Chapman for breaking her window, Rosa drew her gun and broke the window with the handle, reaching in and unlatching it before rolling into the room.

The skinny fellow by the fireplace evidently sussed out what was going on quickly. He moved as fast as Rosa had ever seen and bowled Cindy over as he flew out the door she'd just opened. Vasily went after him, but the man was on his horse and down the road before Vasily could get to the gate.

As soon as they created the distraction, Alex darted forward and grabbed the man from the chair, knocking the gun from his hand, and spinning around 180 degrees and pushing him unceremoniously down on his knees, pointing her pistol at his forehead, "Now we're gonna talk..."

"Where is he?"

Fahri remained silent.

Alex punched him once, hard.

Fahri shook his head, tongue darting out to run over the cut in his lip as he pushed himself up into a kneeling position, his hands raised slightly so they couldn't mistake his intentions. He made no move to touch the area around his left eye, which was rapidly bruising and swelling… it wouldn't take long for it to close over entirely, "You are so good at this, Alex… and here you sit, working as a ranch hand… mucking out pig shit and replacing fence posts day after day when you could be doing something so much more…"

"I don't 'spect you'll understand, Fahri," Alex shook her head, her fist still clenched, "Don't 'spect you ever really did… none of you ever really knew me…"

"I know what I saw," Fahri said, "then and now… you have a talent… you are wasting it."

"Bein' good at killin' folk ain't a talent. It's a god damn curse…"

"And yet if you were not cursed in this way, you would not have been able to stop Ahmad doing what he intended…"

Alex kept her green eyes on Fahri's, but the others glanced over at Ahmad… the big man now well ventilated and flat on his back, mouth parted, eyes wide and staring at the ceiling.

Everyone except for the blond herself, who was standing now and had taken several steps towards Alex (and away from Ahmad's rapidly exsanguinating belly) before Rosa had put a hand on her arm, knowing that Alex wouldn't want her anywhere near Fahri… Piper's eyes were glued to Alex, worry and apprehension written all over her face. She'd seen Alex get rough with people before...

(Right after the long winter had ended, there'd been a couple attempts by less than scrupulous drifters to "take advantage" of the "helpless" ladies who ran the little ranch… Alex had managed to threaten most of them away, intimidating them with her stature and her general air of competence. The threat of what she could do was more than enough for most. A couple had challenged her, and she had beaten them down just hard enough to make them regret their decision and want to leave… and then she had let them go.)

...but this was the first time Piper had seen Alex kill someone, had seen just how good she was at it. She had moved so god damn fast… Piper was well aware how fast Alex was, but she'd had no idea how that would look applied to something like this. Ahmad had little more than raised his hand before he was on the floor. And when Piper had looked over at Alex… for just a split second she almost hadn't recognized her. There was something in her eyes… a flash of triumph, of satisfaction… of exhilaration… it lit up her whole face with a glow that was scared the shit out of the blond…

As much as it had been a release to let it go, Piper had always been terrified of the violence that hid inside her. She'd only given in to it fully once, and though it had felt good, it had been a mad sort of satisfaction, one predicated on a complete loss of control, of letting go of all the most important parts of herself and her sanity and giving into her unbridled primal instincts, the beast finally uncaged… but the look on Alex's face was one of someone completely and totally in control. Of someone who knew exactly what they were doing and reveled in having the power to do it...

The moment had passed quickly and no one else had seemed to notice in all the chaos that followed, but Piper knew she didn't want to see that look on her face again…

"He was threatening Piper."

"He was going to hit her… not kill her."

Alex's mouth twisted into a scowl, her eyes flashing hot anger, "I warned you. Any of you hurts her, I kill them… that's how this fucking works…"

"So you are not such a pacifist as you pretend…"

"I protect my own."

"You may call it whatever you wish, whatever you believe will help you sleep at night. That does not change its nature…"

"I ain't what I was no more…"

Fahri shook his head, still skeptical. "It hardly matters. Once Kubra arrives, you will either surrender or you will watch all these people you claim to care about die painfully." His voice was almost regretful.

"Where is he?" Alex repeated.

"Close, no doubt. I sent Ahmad to cable him not long after the Chinese girl exposed Miss Chapman's incredibly convincing lie. He was perhaps three days away then… I expect him any moment…"

As if on cue, a gun shot rang out from the direction of town… then another… and another…

"God damn it…"

They crested the rise that led up from the ranch, Alex was riding Hades, with Fahri in front of her somewhat awkwardly, hands bound, Alex's pistol in the small of his back. She had one hand on the big horse's reins. Vasily was driving the wagon behind them, loaded with Maxim, Rosa and the rest of the small party who had come down to rescue them. They'd pulled Ahmad's body out of the house and into the wagon as well, it was covered with a sheet.

Alex let her eyes move around the main street. The town was small, only a half dozen main buildings with living quarters for the residents built behind them, for possibly a dozen actual structures total. Kubra was standing in the middle of the street, Red in front of him, blocking any truly clear shot, looking spitting mad but without anything she could do about it. To Red's left stood Aydin, who had evidently circled back around into town, holding his pistol to Red's head.

On the porches of each building, she could see that almost every single resident had been hauled out of their home and was being held at gunpoint: to her left the livery, with Miss Berdie and Ford huddled there, to her immediate right, the saloon. Red's eldest son Sergei knelt next to her youngest, Arkady, who was groaning and holding his arm. Dmitri was behind them. The girls weren't in plain sight, but Alex assumed there were men inside holding them at gunpoint.

Next to the livery, Bennett was crumpled into a heap in front of the sheriff's station, Daya holding his hand and glaring at Kubra. It looked like he'd been beaten, maybe shot, but Alex couldn't immediately tell, could only see that he was still moving. Behind Daya, Fischer, tall and lanky, stood with her hands up, her face bruised. The next building up on the left was the general store, where Soso and Old Chang stood in front of the building with a man behind them, Chang looking for all the world like she was asleep. The last building on the right was the Apothecary, and Jones and the Nun were on the porch, looking stoic. next to them was Mendoza's rooming house. Mendoza was on the porch, glaring at the men holding them. Gloria had a shiner as well... Alex was gratified to see that some of them hadn't gone down easy...

Aside from the two men on each porch holding guns to people's heads, there were half a dozen on horses at strategic points on the main street. Kubra was on foot, but flanked by Mendez and someone Alex hadn't seen before, a younger black woman. Alex could tell she was tall and athletically built just from the way she sat her horse. There was an unreadable look on her face... almost like apprehension. Alex took note of it... might be of use later.

Kubra must have brought almost two dozen men. Two dozen men on a four day ride... just to get her. She had evidently underestimated just how just much he wanted her dead...

When he saw her, something flashed in Kubra's eyes. He glared at her ,"Vause... so you are alive... I had so hoped that it was a mistake..."

"Yeah... reckon you fucked that up real good," Alex called out. They had stopped a good forty feet away. There was no way Alex was getting any closer.

"I told you before that if you survived, you would regret it. You should have listened to me..."

"Ain't never been the best listener..."

"No. Else you would have listened to Fahri when he tried to teach you the dangers of getting close to people... now I have all this leverage.." he gestured to the town as a whole. Everyone was eerily still... no movement... no sound... all eyes on what was happening in the street.

"You leave us alone, no one has to get hurt..."

Mendez and a couple of the others laughed, low and mean. Kubra didn't join in. He kept his eyes on Alex, "Such arrogance... you may have been good when you were mine, but you have been here in this town full of women for years now... a weapon must be constantly honed to remain sharp... you have most surely fallen into disrepair..."

"I don't feel like you'll be wantin' to test it..."

"It is not my wish to draw blood here, unless I am forced. I want you Vause, no one else."

"Well you can't have her!" Piper said. She'd gotten down off the wagon and was standing next to Hades.

"Piper..." Alex closed her eyes, grimacing in frustration. She had hoped to keep Piper in the background, hoped that Kubra wouldn't know who she was.

"oh, don't look that way, Vause," Kubra said, "We knew who this one was before we set foot in town. I was very much anticipating meeting her..."

"I don't think I have to tell you what'll happen t'you if you touch her..."

Kubra shook his head, "No one has to be hurt at all... unless you are foolish." he looked around again, then raised his voice, ensuring that everyone watching could hear, "You come with me and the rest of these people, I will spare them. If you refuse, then they die. All of them. Slowly, and you will stand there and watch," his eyes burned into hers even from a distance. Alex's grip on Fahri's shoulder tightened enough that he winced in pain. Kubra's eyes moved to Piper, "And then she will watch you die. And you will die… in agony... secure in the knowledge that once you are gone we will make her death worst of all..."

Alex saw conviction in Kubra's eyes. The absolute truth behind the words. Maybe she and the still-armed group behind her could take some of them out, but... in the end the result would be the same.

She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then she unceremoniously pushed Fahri out of the saddle. Unable to stop his descent with his hands, the man landed hard on his shoulder, gritting his teeth and hissing in pain. Alex remembered the look of fear in Piper's eyes when she had first walked into the ranch house and couldn't summon up any regrets. She followed him off Hades' back. Maxwell had come off the wagon, Vasily at her side. Vasily held his gun pointed at Fahri as Maxwell took Hades' reins.

Alex holstered her pistol and turned to Piper, whose blue eyes were blazing as they met Alex's green. Of course... of course Piper knew what she intended to do... probably had known before Alex even made her decision... "No," Piper said, her voice shaking with anger (there were a dozen other emotions cartwheeling through her eyes, but anger was the one that was easiest for her to grasp onto, to hold…the one that would keep her from breaking down), "No. You can't..."

"Pipes," Alex's expression was drawn, trying desperately to remain stoic in the face of the blonde's reaction... she had never been good at seeing Piper upset, "Kubra ain't the type for idle threats... he don't fuck around... he knew what he wanted when he came here, and he knew exactly how far he'd be willin' to go to get it..."

"So you're just going to give up? You're going to fucking walk up there and present yourself to him? Without a fight... like... like a god damn coward?"

"This ain't a fuckin' debate, Piper, I ain't gonna let this bastard kill everyone in this god damn town one by one because I won't give myself up..." Alex took a step forward, took her by the shoulders, "And do not act like this is a fuckin' easy thing for me. Do you think I want to leave you after all we've been through? But I won't have him hurt you either, and I don't fuckin' care about dyin' as long as I know you'll be safe..."

"I care about you dying..."

"Piper..."

Kubra's voice from behind them, "Enough of this! It is time for you to decide, Vause..."

Alex grimaced, turning to look at him, "What proof to I have you're gonna keep your damn word?"

"You know I'm a man of my word. I have no use for any of these other women..."

Alex sighed… she did know he was telling the truth. Kubra thought himself a man of honor, a good guy... Alex almost laughed... they all thought they were good guys... maybe the truth was no one was... maybe the truth was that they were all going to hell eventually, it was all simply a matter of how long and hard the journey was...

She nodded, turned to Piper again, "I love you."

"Do you?" Piper said, tears in her eyes, though Alex couldn't tell whether it was rage or sadness... probably both...but her anger was all Alex could hear in her voice and it was like being kicked in the gut, "Well, I fucking hate you for this..." her voice was low, practically shaking.

Alex felt her own tears rising, but she couldn't show that kind of weakness in front of Kubra. She covered them by stepping up and throwing her arms around Piper, hugging her tightly. Piper tried to struggle for a moment, tried to maintain her anger, but she couldn't do it, and she ended up melting into Alex's embrace. "No you don't..." she said softly, right next to the blonde's ear.

"No... no I don't... god damn you..."

"Don't come for me... don't follow me, you understand?"

Piper didn't say anything.

Kubra called out again, "NOW VAUSE!"

Alex pulled away reluctantly, kissed Piper briefly on the lips (afraid that if she did anymore she would change her mind about this madness), and then turned. She looked at Vasily, "Don't let her follow me..."

Vasily nodded, face unreadable...

Then Alex turned back towards Kubra. She grabbed Fahri by the scruff of his collar and he cried out. Evidently his shoulder had been hurt pretty bad. But his feet were just fucking fine. She pushed her ahead of him and they walked towards Kubra.

She heard Piper behind her, finally giving voice to her rage, her voice a maelstrom of emotions. "Fuck you Alex... Fuck you..." Each word felt like a knife to the chest... Alex closed her eyes for just a moment, steeling herself… then kept walking, not turning back

...wondering why it seemed that she was always walking away from Piper Chapman...

A/N- yeah i know. sorry.