A/N: You guys are honestly the greatest. Thank you so much for all the amazing support. I have (clearly) written an epilogue for We Looked Like Giants, and I hope you all enjoy it. It's pretty fluffy, so I'm not sure how well it gels with the rest of the story, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway. Thank you for being amazing!
We Looked Like Giants – Epilogue
It was finally December 29th.
Alex was sitting on her couch at home, nervously running her hands through her hair as she pretended to watch a movie. It was 7:36pm, and Piper's train was due in at 8:30, which meant that Alex had about twenty minutes before she had to get going.
A part of Alex was still in shock at how easy everything was with Piper. After finally getting together in November after the most stressful semester of her life, Alex had worried that whatever had intrigued her about Piper Chapman would disappear. But, she was wrong; Piper still captivated her in every way.
Since Piper showed up at Alex's doorstep, and Alex finally admitted she loved Piper, their lives seemed to instantly melt together. Coffee on Thursdays turned into breakfast every morning at the dining hall. Sporadic texts throughout the week turned into date nights. Randomly waving at each other when they spotted each other around campus morphed into Piper spending every weekend in Alex's apartment, spending over forty-eight hours straight together. Alex would have sworn off this type of relationship as needy and dependent, and would have pushed anyone else away in an instant, but instead, she found that she couldn't get enough of Piper Chapman.
The past two weeks had been the longest of Alex's life. Piper had finished her exams on December 10th, and even though she had been forced to leave her dorm within twenty-four hours of her last exam, she had moved into Alex's apartment for the last five days of the exam period, before Piper's parents came to pick her up and Alex headed home to her mom for Christmas. Though they talked on the phone at least once a day and texted constantly, Alex missed Piper's physical presence in her life.
Which led to Alex making a rash decision a week ago:
December 22
Alex was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling as Piper ranted about something offensive her mother had said. She could picture her girlfriend perfectly, wildly gesturing as she spoke, her face scrunched up in that adorably indignant way when she's angry, and a pang of loneliness rushed through her.
"So, she basically couldn't believe that Elizabeth Perkins would cheat on her husband, because it's so wrong and immoral, all the while my father was having an affair with someone when I was nine, and when I confronted her about it, I got in trouble. Ugh, the hypocrisy is ridiculous, I-"
"God, I miss you," Alex breathed out, unthinking.
Piper stopped talking, and they were both silent for a moment.
"I miss you too Al," Alex could practically hear the small smile in Piper's words, and she knew the blonde was missing her just as much.
"I just… I can't believe it's only been a week," Alex continued. "I don't know how I'm going to survive the next three weeks until we get back to school."
"Tell me about it," Piper groaned. "All my parents are talking about is a ski trip up in Vermont next week, and I would rather do anything else. Danny is going, but Cal got out of it by saying he had to work on a project with his friends. I need to find a way not to go, but I can't think of one."
Suddenly, an idea popped into Alex's head. "Come visit me," Alex blurted out without really thinking about it.
"What?" Piper asked, shocked.
"Come visit me," Alex repeated. "Come see me, I'm serious. I'll buy you a train ticket." Now that she said it out loud, Alex was desperate to make this happen. She had to see Piper.
"Are you serious?"
Alex smiled. "Yes. Come see me. Tell your parents you have plans for New Years, and come down here."
"That honestly sounds amazing," Piper sighed, and Alex could tell that Piper was in.
"When are your parents going skiing?"
"The thirtieth until January 3rd, just for a long weekend."
"Okay, give me a second," Alex sat up and reached for her laptop. She quickly searched for tickets before saying. "Okay, how about you come down on the twenty-ninth, and head back on the fourth? You get to leave before they do and come back after they get home, and then it'll be less than two weeks before we're back at school."
"That sounds amazing," Piper laughed a little, before her voice turned serious. "But Alex, train tickets get expensive, I can't ask you to do that."
"I'm offering," Alex insisted. "Trust me, this is just as much for me as it is for you. And if you really have a problem with it, consider it a Christmas present, since I didn't get you one."
Piper was silent for a moment, and a flicker of worry coursed through her, thinking that Piper might say no. "I love you," Piper finally whispered.
"Is that a yes?" Alex asked.
"Yes," Piper giggled, and Alex couldn't help but laugh with her. "Yes."
It was 8:30. She had seen that Piper's train had arrived and now she was waiting impatiently as everyone filed off the train and into the station. She squinted as she looked for Piper's blonde hair, finally catching sight of her as she through a duffle bag over her shoulder. She looked beautiful.
Alex always thought Piper looked great, but right now took the cake. Her black pea coat and cream knit hat made her blonde hair and blue eyes seem brighter. Alex watched as Piper scanned the small station before her eyes finally landed on Alex. Alex gave Piper her best smirk, lifting her hand in a wave.
Piper's eyes immediately lit up, and her expression broke into a wide grin, the widest smile Alex had ever seen. Piper began to dart through other passengers, making her way to Alex as quickly as she could, given the crowd and her duffel bag. When Piper finally reached her, the blonde launched herself into Alex's waiting arms, Piper's arms vining around her neck and burying her face into Alex's shoulder.
Alex gripped Piper tightly, running her hands up and down her girlfriend's back to solidify that she was really there, that it wasn't her imagination. Suddenly, she felt Piper laugh into her neck, and Alex couldn't help but join in, pure joy radiating from both of them.
Finally, Piper pulled away, her hands moving from Alex's shoulders to her face, cupping the taller girl's cheek. Alex kept her arms firmly on Piper's waist, not quite ready to relinquish contact yet.
"Hi," Piper whispered, almost in awe.
"Hey Pipes," Alex replied, just as quietly. Alex tilted her head down, pressing her lips to Piper's in a searing kiss. Piper moaned into Alex's mouth, causing Alex to pull Piper even closer to her, not caring about the fact that they were in a train station.
When they finally pulled apart, Piper was blushing, and Alex could feel herself smirking. "Yeah, I missed that," Alex said, cocking her eyebrow.
"Hmm," Piper hummed. "Me too."
"C'mon, let's get going," Alex grabbed Piper's hand, leading Piper out of the train station and toward her car.
The closer they got to her house, the more nervous Alex got. With the hand not holding Piper's she began to tap anxiously on the steering wheel at stop lights.
"Hey," Piper squeezed her hand, pulling Alex from her thoughts.
"Yeah?" Alex turned to her girlfriend, smiling expectantly.
"Are you alright" Piper asked, concerned. "You seem antsy."
"It's nothing, just…" Alex trailed off before looking at Piper again with wide eyes. "Just promise to keep an open mind when you get to my house, okay?"
Piper furrowed her brow, clearly confused. "Of course," the blonde refined firmly, lifting their joined hands and pressing a kiss to Alex's.
Alex smiled weakly, and they drove the rest of the way in silence. She couldn't help but tense as she turned down her street, with the sign "Pine Valley Plantation", on full view. She glanced at Piper as the blonde took in their surroundings. Piper looked out at the trailer homes with wide eyes, but as far as Alex could tell, her girlfriend's expression is unreadable.
The pulled into the gravel driveway in front of Alex's home, her trailer, and went to grab Piper's bag. Coming around to the passenger side, she caught Piper smiling at her, and Piper reached for Alex's hand, squeezing it again as they made their way inside.
"Well, um," Alex began, moving to fidget with her glasses. "This is the living room. And the kitchen, obviously."
Their trailer had an open floor plan, the living room and galley kitchen in the same room, separated only by a raised countertop.
Alex pointed to the right. "My mom's room is just past the kitchen through that door. The bathroom is the first door there," Alex pointed to the left, and began to lead Piper to the door right next to the bathroom. "And this is my room."
Alex let the door swing open, and let Piper soak in her room. She knew her room was small, smaller than her bedroom in her apartment up at school. Squished in the small space was a full sized bed, pushed against the far corner of the room. A bureau and bookshelf overflowing with ran the length of another wall, and a door led to her closet. That was it, her tiny room.
"I probably should have cleaned up a little," Alex said, hoping she sounded casual as she motioned to the open bureau drawers overflowing with clothes and shoes strewn along the floor.
Piper turned to her, still grinning. "It's very you," she mused, nodding to the band posters and books as she grabbed her duffel bag out of Alex's hand and tossed in on the bed. "Where's your Mom?"
"At work, she'll get out at eleven."
"Well," Piper drawled, her voice turning sultry as she began to slowly unbutton her coat. "How do you plan on entertaining me?"
"It has been a long two weeks," Alex husked back stepping into Piper's space as the blonde dropped her coat to the ground. "So I definitely have some ideas." Hooking her fingers through Piper's belt loop, Alex pulled Piper to her, kissing her deeply.
When the kiss broke, Alex grabbed the hem of Piper's shirt and pulled it over her head, backing her up so that they fell onto the bed, Alex draping over Piper.
"Hmm," Piper moaned. "I like this idea."
"You better," Alex whispered into Piper's neck, trailing kisses along her neck as her hand slid down to flip the button on Piper's jeans.
By the time Alex's mom came home, Piper and Alex were draped across the faux leather couch in the living room, watching a movie. Alex was in her pajamas, a tee shirt and athletic shorts, while Piper opted for one of Alex's oversized band tee shirts, letting it fall halfway down her thighs.
Diane came through the door shortly after eleven, a bottle of wine in one hand and some take out in another. Alex squeezed Piper's arm on instinct, but the blonde met her gaze with a reassuring smile.
"Well, don't you two look cozy," Diane commented as she pulled off her jacket, her waitress uniform wrinkled underneath.
"We are," Alex smiled at her mom, and she was. Alex was sitting upright on the couch, feet resting on the coffee table, while Piper was sprawled on her back across the couch, her head pillowed in Alex's lap. One of Alex's arms draped lightly over Piper's stomach, while the other played with her hair.
"And you must be Piper," Diane smiled warmly at Piper. "I've heard a lot about you."
"I've heard a lot about you too," Piper wiggled out from Alex's grip, standing and moving towards Diane, arm extended. "It's nice to finally meet you Diane."
Diane ignored Piper's hand, instead pulling her in for a hug. "You too, Piper." Pulling away, Diane looked briefly between Piper and her daughter. "Are you guys hungry? I grabbed a bottle of wine, and picked up take out from the restaurant. We have to celebrate the occasion."
"What occasion?" Piper asked as she followed Diane to the small, circular kitchen table in the corner of the living room, Alex following behind her girlfriend.
"That Al brought a girl home. I never thought I'd live to see the day," Diane laughed.
"Mom," Alex groaned as she flopped down at the kitchen table, turning to Piper and reaching for her hand, playing with her fingers. "Don't listen to her, she's trying to embarrass me."
"You've never brought a girl home?" Piper asked, cocking her head and smiling.
"I was so worry that Al would never settle down. She's never had a real girlfriend before," Diane chuckled.
"Mom," Alex hissed, her face turning red.
"It's okay Mrs. Vause-" Piper began.
"Diane, call me Diane."
"It's okay Diane, Alex was just waiting until she found someone worthy," Piper joked, winking at Alex.
"That's very true," Alex said seriously, gazing at Piper with only a ghost of a smile on her lips. Piper's joking smile sank away, and it was now Piper's turn to blush.
Late that night, Alex was lying on her back, one arm curved around Piper as the blonde draped against her, head resting on Alex's shoulder as Piper's arm was snaked around her stomach. Alex felt herself slowly drifting to sleep as she played with the ends of Piper's hair.
"Is it true what your mom said?" Piper asked out of the blue.
"Is what true?" Alex asked, shifting her arm so she could trace random patterns up and down Piper's bare back.
"That you've never brought a girl home before," Piper whispered, tilting her head to kiss Alex's collarbone.
"Well," Alex drawled, snickering a little. "That's not exactly true. I have brought girls home. My mom has just never been around to meet those girls."
"You brought them home for sex?" Alex turned to Piper to watch her knows crinkle at the question, and Alex couldn't help but let loose another snicker.
"Maybe," Alex said coyly, punctuating it with a kiss. "But don't worry, this mattress is kind of new, so you're the only one I've had sex on it with."
"You're such a romantic," Piper rolled her eyes, giggling slightly and kissing Alex again. "Why didn't any of them meet your mom?"
"Because none of them were my girlfriends," Alex said wanting to drop the subject. However, she sighed, finally softly admitting. "I've never had a girlfriend before."
"What?" Piper said with disbelief. "How is that possible? I mean, look at you!"
Alex laughed. "Just because I'm hot doesn't mean I have tons of ex-girlfriends. Tons of hookups? Yes, but I never really wanted to be in a relationship. Sylvia was the closest thing I came to a relationship, and even that was just a more consistent friends with benefit relationship than anything. I still came home at breaks and looked for girls around here to hook up with, so we definitely weren't exclusive. And when she asked for something more serious, I couldn't give her an answer."
"Well, you had also met me by then," Piper said quietly.
"Yeah, obviously. But I really think even if I had never met you, I wouldn't have wanted to take that next step with Sylvia."
"Then why me?" Piper asked with wide eyes.
Alex stared at her girlfriend, her gaze intense despite the smile cracking across her face. "Because you were different," Alex replied seriously as she kissed Piper.
When they parted, Piper grinned at Alex for a moment before burrowing further into Alex's embrace.
"I love you," Piper breathed against Alex's neck.
"Love you too," Alex murmured into the night.
The next two days flew by in a euphoric blur. Alex took Piper everywhere around her home town, showing her where Alex had gone to school, her usual hangouts, everything. Piper took everything in with glee, eager to learn as much as she could about young Alex.
On the morning of December 31, Piper rolled out of bed before Alex, throwing on sleep shorts and a tee shirt as Alex reached for her glasses.
"So," Piper began, flopping back onto Alex's bed as Alex began to sit up. "It's New Year's Eve."
"It is," Alex confirmed, smiling back at Piper.
"Well, do we have any plans for tonight?"
"I have a couple of ideas," Alex replied, kissing Piper quickly on the lips.
"Well?"
"Well one, we could just hang around my house today, drinking, watching the ball drop, and other things," Alex winked coyly. "Or, we could go out tonight. My mom has to work, and the restaurant has a bar area. I could take you out to dinner, and then we could move into the bar area later in the evening."
"Hmm, I like the second idea. It'll be nice to spend a little bit of time with your mom on New Years."
"You just want to make sure my mom likes you," Alex laughed, kicking Piper's leg.
"No!" Piper exclaimed insistently, moving to shove Alex lightly. "But I do need to make a good impression."
"Pipes, trust me, my mom loves you?"
"Really?"
"Yes you idiot," Alex laughed, reaching for Piper and pulling her close. "Trust me, she approves."
"Good," Piper nodded. "I really like her too."
Alex rubbed Piper's arm lightly. "Good, because it would be a deal breaker if you didn't. Now come on, I wanna go grab some coffee."
After eating in Diane's section of the restaurant, and spending a lot of the time joking with her when she was on break, Alex and Piper moved to the bar. She managed to find an opening near the bar, and was thus able to keep Piper with a constant supply of margaritas.
"Ooh!" Piper jumped. "They're starting the countdown!"
"They are," Alex replied, raising her glass. "I'd like to propose a toast."
"To what?" Piper asked, her voice cushioned and over enunciated due to her buzz.
"To this past year, because I got to meet you," Alex smiled as Piper's eyes lit up. "And to this upcoming year, because I'm pretty sure it's going to be a pretty great one."
"To last year. And to this year," Piper giggled, clinking her margarita glass against Alex's beer bottle and taking a sip. Alex sipped her beer as the crowd started to count down around them.
10…9…8…7
Alex turned, placing her beer bottle on the bar and stepped toward Piper, looping her arms around the blonde's waist.
6…5…4
Piper reached her free hand up, briefly running her hand through Alex's hair before letting it rest lightly against Alex's cheek.
3…2…1
"Happy New Year's Pipes," Alex said quietly, ducking her head down.
"Happy New Year Alex," Piper whispered, pulling Alex's face towards her and kissing her deeply.
Alex gently worked Piper's mouth open, slipping her tongue inside. Piper sighed into Alex's mouth, holding Alex firmly to her. Alex began to run one of her hands up and down Piper's back, skimming dangerously close to the blonde's ass.
"Um, you girls know you're in public, right?" Diane's voice came from the right, and Piper jumped back suddenly. Diane was smirking at the two of them, and while Piper blushed beet red, Alex merely, shrugged, smiling at her mom.
"Just came over to wish you two a Happy New Year before I have to go help close up the restaurant," Diane turned to Alex, pulling her daughter into a hug. "Happy New Year Alex."
"Happy New Year Mom," Alex responded, kissing her mom's cheek lightly. "Love you."
Diane pulled away and immediately reached for Piper. "And Happy New Year to you too Piper. I'm so glad I got to meet you."
"Happy New Year Diane."
"Now you girls head home, I'll meet you there soon with a bottle of champagne."
"Kay," Piper replied giddily, downing the rest of her margarita. "I'm ready."
"Let me pay the tab," Alex laughed, quickly flagging down the bartender. After leaving a generous tip, Alex turned, grabbed her girlfriend's hand, and led Piper from the restaurant, giggling and smiling all the way. Alex could honestly not remember a time she felt this happy.
The night before Piper was supposed to leave, Alex noticed that her girlfriend had been acting distant all day. She had tried to pull Piper from the thoughts in her head, but had been unsuccessful.
Waiting until they were curled up in bed that night, she decided to pull the information from Piper.
"Pipes, what's going on?" Alex said as she ran her hand through her girlfriend's blonde hair.
"Nothing," Piper replied automatically.
"Come on Piper, you've been acting weird all day. Please just tell me?"
"It's just…" Piper paused before continuing. "You graduate this year."
"I know," Alex smiled. "I can't wait to be done with school forever."
"But, I'll still be at school. And Alex, we could barely survive two weeks without each other, how the hell are we supposed to survive a year?" Piper looked up at Alex with wide eyes, worry and anxiety filling her expression.
Alex felt her heart melt a little at Piper's worry, and gave Piper her best reassuring smile. "Hey," Alex whispered, kissing Piper's forehead lightly. "I promise it will work out."
"How do you know?" Piper whispered.
"Well, I kind of like the Northampton area. It's only about forty minutes from home, so I wouldn't be too far away from my mom, and I could visit her a lot."
"You're going to stay in Northampton?"
"Or a town near there. Mt. Holyoke just posted a job in their marketing department. We'll see if I can convince them to hire me in May, or if I can do some extended training with them this semester until I graduate." Alex looked down at Piper, who seemed shocked by Alex's plan. "I'm not leaving Northampton, and I'm not leaving you Piper, I promise."
Piper tilted her head up, brushing her lips lightly against Alex's. "Good."
"I told you, this year is going to be pretty great. In order for it to be great, you need to be a pretty big part of it."
"I love you," Piper smiled brightly.
"I love you too," Alex grinned, pressing her lips to Piper's again.
As Piper settled back against Alex, her smiled widened. It was January third, and Alex Vause had a plan for this year. And she was pretty sure this year would be her best one yet, at least with Piper by her side.