Author's note - I'm sorry the chapters are so short so far, this will be remedied. Thanks for the awesome feedback!

"I'm stepping out for a moment to check the shed for some… um… lost shit. I'll be back in five minutes, anyone with a toe out of line will be in fucking shu before they know what hit them. Just… do your job." Luschek headed out the back door to the yard and Nichols nudged Piper with her elbow.

"Hey-uh… I dunno why she sent it to me, maybe figured you'd toss it or somethin, but here - I was told I will be paid handsomely for a timely delivery." She slipped Piper a note folded in half. After a deep breath, Piper opened it where she stood and read:

I know this was you. I don't know if you were trying to protect me, kill me, or get me locked up again, but I know you well enough to know that by now you hate yourself. Don't. I had this coming, obviously. They've got me in some weird processing place, but I'm coming back to Litchfield, and I'm glad. I must be a fucking masochist, but even on the outside all I did was miss you. I also fucking hate you, and have no idea where we stand, but that's to be expected. You know how I hate feeling feelings, but I want you to know that from here on out, all you're getting from me is honesty. I'm done playing the game with you. Clearly we will never be able to avoid each other, so we at least owe each other the truth. This is just a jumble of words on a page at this point, so I'll just sign off and say I'll see you soon, kid.

-Vause

Piper looked up to see Nichols staring at her, waiting for her reaction.

"Oh god."

Nichols clapped her hands together loudly, "Ha! Yes! That would be my response too. Jesus Chapman. You guys are fucked up. Like, I know lesbians have mad drama, but holy fuckin shit, you two take the fuckin cake! That's cold, gettin her locked up again."

"I didn't think it through. She's right, I regretted it the instant it became a reality, the second I realized what I had done I wanted to take it back. I was just so angry. After she fucked me over in Chicago, I wanted her to pay."

Nichols raised her hands and shook her head, "Hey, I don't care. She's my friend, if she forgives you, I don't got shit against you. But I do have an eye on you. Just sayin."

When work was over, Piper skipped dinner and headed straight to her bunk. She sat with her back against the wall, Gone Girl's tattered spine folded back to give the impression she was reading instead of wallowing. Alex's words rolled over in her mind.

She misses me. She hates me. Obviously she hates me. I can deal with people hating me. But she misses me… Fuck, am I just desperate not to be alone? How are you supposed to tell? This conversation should definitely be happening outside of my head… probably with Dr. Sil. I miss her too. She's a cocky narcissist with questionable morals, but nobody makes me laugh like she does. Or come… Nope. Don't do that. Come the fuck on here, Piper.

Piper shook her head as though she could escape her own thoughts. She closed her eyes, slid down the wall, and rested her head on her pillow. She contemplated going to the dining hall just to be around people, and to think about literally *anything* else, but she was too far gone. Her fingers were already dancing just under the waistband of her pants. She pulled her blanket over her abdomen, and leaned into the fantasy.

2:34am on a Sunday morning in a rented apartment in Hampstead Heath, London

Piper slides her hand under Alex's shirt while Alex struggles with the keys to the flat, "Please hurry up, I think I hear your boobs calling my name." The key slides in, Alex pushes the door handle down, turns around, grabs Piper by the hips, kisses her fiercely, leans against the door to open it fully, and drags her blonde inside. Alex grips the backside of Piper's thighs and swiftly picks her up and leans into the wall with her. She reaches up under Piper's thin, flower-patterned summer dress, latches a finger under the band of her underwear and pulls them off as quickly as their intoxicated states will allow. Piper bucks her hips into Alex's body and tugs on her hair as the brunette's hand glides up her thigh-

"I… uh… came to return your book to you. I didn't know you'd be busy. Should I come back later?"

Fucking fuck swaddled in a blanket of fuck. Piper pulled her hand out, sat up, and tried really hard to look Poussey in the eyes.

"No. No, you're fine. Thank you so much, I appreciate it. Just… can you just put it on the table? Thanks."

She felt herself blushing hard, and left for the dining hall.