[Author's note: What did you think of that lovely dive into the past of the ladies? So I thought it was time to add Red to the story, she is kind of an key character to the girls. Also, I am working on making the chapters a bit longer. That being said, enjoy!
PS: THANK YOU for your reviews/faves/follows. It is truly motivating, so do not hesitate to leave a review.]
New York, May 13, 2023
Alex walked the streets of New York the next morning by herself. After the argument she had with Nicky yesterday, she got drunk and ended up having sex with a red head whose face Alex honestly doesn't remember. She even spent the night at the girl's house, not wanting to see Nicky for a while, partly because she was still angry and partly because she felt ashamed.
After the stranger's alarm went off in the morning, and the red headed girl got up to take a shower, Alex left her place without mentioning anything to the poor girl. She knew that wasn't classy but she honestly didn't care.
Not wanting to go see Nicky in their apartment right now, she just walked the streets until she got to the one place her feet always brought her, somehow. Red's renewed restaurant: The Chicken's Cluck. Alex remembers the night Red went to their bunk at Litchfield, searching for a catchy name for her new restaurant. Alex liked the name "The Chicken's Cluck". It sounded catchy, but it was Nicky that rejected every suggestion for the restaurant's name that Red and Alex made. "I am telling you, you have to go with Mother Clucker, that is just solid gold!," the wild haired woman said passionately.
Red was the first one of the Litchfield bunch to get released. After serving over a decade, the administration thought she was ready to be released into the outside world again. There had been an incredibly emotional good bye party. When you spend that much time in prison, and in the position Red did, you are bound to touch some hearts. She provided food, advice, and tough love when you were on her good side. When you were on her bad side, however , which only a few dared to be, she gave you bloody tampon sandwiches.
The Red chicken logo on the door always felt very safe to Alex, she was glad to see that business was going good for the Russian maternal figure.
"Vause, come here and taste these eggs," Red ordered behind the counter, after she saw the dark haired girl come in.
Alex took place in an empty seat opposite of Red, and took a spoonful of eggs only to spit it out seconds after she put it in her mouth.
"What? Its a secret recipe," Red defended.
"Let it remain a secret, please. Red, what is that? I definitely had better food in this place." Alex eagerly drank her glass of water that Red just filled for her.
"It's chicken testicles. It's a waste to not use every part of the chicken," Red replied, throwing away the eggs.
"I am guessing your unhappy face isn't only a product of my new invention," Red asked, casually.
"There is just no way someone can hide anything from you, huh?" Alex laughed. Red knew. Of course she knew. She always knew whether Nicky and Alex were genuinely okay or just faking it.
"Nicky and I kinda got into an argument, well it was actually just me shouting and she not taking it seriously." Alex sighed, regretting the part where she accused Nicky of letting Lorna go. She had done the exact same thing. Piper Chapman was worth the fight. Why didn't I fight harder.. Alex thought as she fought the tears that were threatening to leave her sad green eyes.
Red saw the younger woman fighting her internal battles and she immediately made her way to Alex, two protective arms pulling the kid into a tight hug.
"It's okay. Whatever you are battling against, it's gonna get better." Red softly whispered. "I am guessing this is about Blondie?," Red asked, but actually knew.
Alex just sobbed and nodded, as she started to take her glasses off, to wipe her tears.
"Listen to me, kid. It has been 5 years. You and the other dumb daughter of mine have been too naive. You think that just because you bring other girls home, play video games, and party your dumb asses off, you can get over Lorna and Piper, but you are sadly mistaken."
Alex looked into Red's eyes, listening carefully to the Russian lady with her tear glazed eyes.
"You either fight for them or move on forever," Red said, not breaking eye contact.
"Yeah right, when will I even see them. I don't even know if they are in the US anymore," Alex said, trying to stop her sobs and partly succeeding.
"Don't Jefferson and Washington have a wedding next month?," Red thought out loud.
"Holy shit, of course!," Alex gasped. This is it. This may be her last chance to win over Piper's heart again.
"I need to talk to Nicky, right now," Alex said hurriedly, jumping out of her seat and leaving the restaurant after planting a huge kiss on Red's cheek that she wiped away laughingly.
"Why are my daughters so stupid?," Red said, smiling to herself as she threw away the left over chicken testicles from the fridge.
Nicky tried calling Alex what seemed like a billion times, but with no success. This really wasn't typical for Alex and at the same time it was. Just randomly disappearing and then showing up and pretending nothing happened was what Alex Vause did to cool down after a heated argument.
Wow she must have been really pissed off. Nicky thought. Alex's words never left her head since they were spoken. Had it been true? Did she let Lorna go without a fight? "I only let her go because my goal in life isn't to be with her but to make her happy and if that isn't with me then.." Nicky felt her heart ache in the loneliest way possible.
"Fuck," Nicky sweared as she felt tears falling down her cheeks. "Don't cry, come on, come on, stop crying. Stop being so weak, she is gone, she is better off without me," Nicky said brokenly, while she wiped her tears harshly with her sleeve.
She hated talking about Lorna, and it was a subject all of her friends tried to avoid when Nicky was around, because they knew the effect it had on her.
Nicky was willing to talk about her personal drug battles to random strangers during the AA meetings she attended for the past 5 years, and she was also willing to talk about her evil mother to Red and her friends. But Lorna Morello was a forbidden subject, and Alex knew that too.
"Fuck you, Vause. That was so unfair and uncalled for. You fucking hypocrite," Nicky sweared, her sadness being replaced with anger now.
She balled her fists and dug her nails into her skin, not caring about the blood that was now pouring out of her skin. She clenched her jaw so tightly that she didn't feel anything but her head throbbing and jaw aching. She felt like she needed a cigarette, or actually something a lot stronger, but she knew she worked too hard to fuck up right now. So instead she went over the medicine cabinet in their bathroom, leaving a trail of spilt blood, and took the last sleeping pill in the bottle. She looked in the mirror and realized that she looked like shit. She sighed and leaned with her back against the bathroom wall, she slid her body down until her knees met the floor, she softened the pressure on her jaw and took a good look at her hands now. Her palms were red and her heart felt heavy. She closed her eyes and as fatigue took over her body, she fell asleep.
"Nick!," Alex called while she stepped into their apartment. No response. Alex sighed. She probably went outside. Alex thought. Alex grabbed her phone and noticed the missed calls, she felt guilty as shit. She called Nicky, but was met with the sound of her ringtone coming out of Nicky's bedroom.
Nicky always takes her phone with her, wherever she goes. Alex thought as her heartbeat quickened.
"Nick are you-," Alex stopped when she saw the blood stains on their floor. Her blood ran cold as she followed the stains into the bathroom.
She opened the door quickly and saw a bloody hot mess that was supposed to be her best friend. When she eyed the empty bottle of sleeping pills on the floor, she only panicked more.
"Nicky. Nicky, open your eyes. Please, oh God. Nicky!,"Alex cried, shaking her friend wildly after she ran towards her and was now cradling her in her arms.
"What the fuck, Vause?," Nicky replied, moody. "Let me go, ya maniac."
"Nick, are you okay?," Alex asked with panic in her eyes.
"Yeah, man. You can let go of me now." Nicky pushed Alex slightly so she could sit up on her own.
"What the fuck, Nichols. You scared me half to death. I thought you overdosed, you ass hole."
"Overdose? Dude there was one pill in the bottle," Nicky said, half laughing because of the ridiculousness of the situation.
"Well what about the blood stains," Alex wanted to know.
"I am on my period," Nicky stated sarcastically as she got up to wash her palms.
"Nicky, please look at me. This is not funny, I am actually fucking worried about you," Alex said, while holding Nicky's face in her hands, forcing her to make eye contact.
"I know, I am sorry. It's just a fucking mess, ya know. I still don't know how to deal with losing her," Nicky said bitterly. There were now tears in Nicky's eyes. Fresh burning frustrating tears.
"I feel like such a selfish prick, I mean I want her to be happy. But I want her to be happy with me. I just know for sure that she is now married, has a couple of kids and doesn't even think about me anymore. While I am fucking suffocating because of her absence, ya know" Nicky said trying to keep her voice steady, but failing miserably because of the shakiness.
"I know, kid. I know," Alex said while she pulled her best friend in a warm hug.
"But, I have a plan."