A/N: Sometimes, it just takes someone else to tell you what is right in front of your face...

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Chapter #16…

Piper arrived home late Sunday evening. The train journey from her parent's house had been horrific, standing room only as sweaty students banged and barged into the blonde. By the time the taxi pulled up outside her building, she'd had enough. Enough of her parents, enough of travelling, and enough of Alex invading her every waking thought.

The brunette had been on her mind constantly and Piper still had no clue what to do about the situation. The bruising on her face had subsided, luckily she had been able to cover the last yellow tinge with makeup to avoid questioning from her parents. Carol and Bill had been far too wrapped up in who Piper was dating, evidently no one, to even notice her foul mood.

Deep down, Piper was hurting, she liked Alex and had trusted the brunette, trusted the chemical reaction she felt whenever she was in her company, but Alex wasn't the type to settle down, deep within the pain of her heartbreak she knew this and it presented itself clear as day over and over again. Piper had finally come to the realisation she couldn't be just a quick fuck and chuck. Alex actually meant something to her, something that was unpredictable and out of her control and that was frightening.

Piper had used her time away to realise how much she missed seeing the brunette or spending any time with her and regretted her knee jerk reaction of asking Healey if she could work alone. It made sense that if she didn't see Alex then it wouldn't hurt, wouldn't bother her at all, but as she thought about it more, she was well aware of just how wrong she was.

But Alex had made little effort to clear things up with her, so maybe things just got too complicated for her. Piper knew she would have to see the brunette again at some point but it would be on her terms when she had the strength to tell Alex how badly she felt she had been treated by her, and boy Alex would get a piece of her mind then.

Dragging her suitcase so it bumped up the five steps to the main door, Piper entered her building and headed for the elevator. As she pushed open the door to her apartment, the familiar scent and sight of Polly overwhelmed the blonde.

Tears began rolling softly down her cheeks as she took in her apartment, it was exactly how she had left it. Polly rushed over, throwing her arms around the blonde and pulling her close.

"Hey P, it's good to have you back, don't cry." Polly took Piper's face between her hands, gently wiping the tears with her thumbs.

"It's so good to be back Pol, I've missed you!" The blonde spoke with such surprise in her tone it made her laugh, Polly looked at her, just happy to see that she was alright and so let the comment slide this time.

"How's Cal? Is he any better?"

"Yeah, he's fine Pol, they took his appendix out and he was good, it was nice to see him, I've missed him so much. How have things been here?"

Piper looked up at her friend seeing the guilt and another emotion she couldn't place passing over Polly's expression.

"Pol?" Her tone was serious, more urgent this time, there was something about to be said that she wasn't going to like.

"Shall we sit down, have a nice glass of wine?"

"Polly, if there's something you need to tell me then say it, now."

Piper could read her best friend like a book and something was clearly troubling the blonde, she could see the guilt and trepidation written all over her face now.

"Okay" Polly moved over to the sofa, taking a seat on the far end away from Piper.

Piper slowly moved towards the brunette, anticipation and anger bubbling inside as Polly stared at the floor in front of her.

"Piper, just know that what I did, I did for you, you were so upset, I needed to protect you, you…"

Piper was raging, she could feel the burn of her skin against her face as her fists clenched by her sides.

"I'm not a child Pol, what did you do?"

"Piper, you just get so caught up when you're in love and don't see what's going on around you…"

Piper couldn't sit, her body was so tense and rigid, she began pacing as she digested Polly's words.

"Wait, what did you say? In love?" The blonde felt her tone rising an octave as she struggled to keep her temper in check.

"I'm sorry, I know you love her P and I didn't want to see you get hurt."

Polly looked up for the first time trying to gage Piper's reaction.

The blonde's head was spinning, yes she cared about Alex but was it love? Why would Polly be saying this, they hadn't known each other long enough for the L word. But if Polly could see it, maybe Piper was just denying her feelings to herself, either way, she still wasn't sure what the hell was going on, either with Alex, or right here, right now in their apartment.

"Polly, just tell me what you've done, I need to hear it."

Polly looked to the floor once more as Piper towered over her seated form. The brunette could see the anger radiating off her best friend and decided she would bite the bullet and admit what she had done.

"That evening when you came home with a black eye, after everything had happened, I thought, I still thought Alex might have had something to do with it and you weren't telling me the whole story, you were devastated Piper! Like I said, I was just trying to protect you, stop you getting hurt, she's not right for you, I've heard the rumours about her and I'm sure you have too…"

Polly took a pause to see how Piper was taking it. The waves of anger still emanated from the blonde who herself couldn't even look at her friend now. Polly bit her tongue to hold back her sobs, tears now rolling down her cheeks as she continued.

"She came here Piper, wanting to see you, she was an asshole, couldn't even get my name right, so I told her…"

"You told her what Polly?!"

Piper was screaming now, she was furious and needed Polly to hurry up and tell her what she needed to hear before she got the fuck out of there.

"I told her you didn't want to see her." Polly looked up, finally letting a deep sob out and wrack her body.

Piper was feeling no sympathy for her best friend today, she just needed to get to the bottom of this so she could figure something out. Her head pounded.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

Polly looked up to her friend again, taking a deep breath.

"Alex came by again last week while you were away. She asked to see you again and I told her you weren't home but she clearly didn't believe me. I went out a few hours later and she was sat outside in the freezing cold waiting for you. I told her you'd gone home for the week to see your brother, but that's when I saw how much she cared for you and now I think you need to hear her out Piper."

Polly stood up, meeting the angry blue eyes of her best friend as she reached out towards her.

Piper pulled away sharply.

"Well, you've suddenly changed your tune" Piper spat back, unable to fully process what she was hearing.

"Piper, please, I really am sorry. I was trying to protect you, you have to understand."

"No Polly, I don't have to understand anything at all."

"P, she cares for you a lot, I see that now, and I know you care for her." Polly was careful to stay away from the L word, given Piper's startled reaction to her use of it before. "I'll do anything I can to see you two together, you're inevitable to each other Piper."

Piper couldn't stand to listen to her friend grovel for a second longer. She headed for her bedroom, grabbing the suitcase roughly and dragging it with her before slamming the door behind her retreating form.

She flipped open the case lid urgently, rummaging deep into the case, throwing her neatly folded clothes over either shoulder until she found was she was looking for. She pulled out her shorts, vest and running shoes, pulling them on quickly and haphazardly.

She changed quickly, grabbing her iPod and thrusting in her earphones, turning up the music so to not have to face anymore words from her roommate as she left the apartment.

XxX

It was chucking it down outside. The rain poured from the navy sky pelting the pavement and forming large puddles quickly in the dips in the street.

The feel of her feet hitting the wet floor beneath her was cathartic. Each hit of her foot on the pavement timed with the bass of the music pounding loudly in her ears.

So Piper ran, and ran, and ran.

Her chest ached, a delightful burning sensation where she could feel her heart pumping at its maximum, numb to any other feeling, be it love or heartbreak. Her ribs moved rapidly in and out as her lungs screamed for the oxygen they craved to be delivered quicker. The muscles in her legs, warm and stretched, failing to notice the cold rain hitting hard as the wind caused the tiny droplets to swirl in the sky, hitting the unsuspecting surfaces from all different angles.

Her blonde hair stuck to her head, her ponytail still swishing left and right from the momentum of her run.

She stooped over, hands on knees, inhaling loudly and rapidly, sucking in her much needed oxygen.

Her wet top clung to her body as it moved with her breathing, her shorts and shoes soaked through.

But finally she had release, from the anger and tension of being with her parents, worry for her then sick brother, hurt from Polly, and then there was Alex.

Regaining her breath, Piper stood to her full height finally at peace with the reasoning and decisions she had come to in her head.

She looked up at the building in front of her, she was around the back of some parking lot space. Piper was suddenly worried for her safety, she had no idea where she was, so lost in the motion of running to clear her head.

That's when she heard the motorbike pull up alongside her. She turned to her right sharply, ready to run again. The figure of the bike looked at her, covered by the dark helmet and visor that was slowly being removed.

But Piper already knew.

"Alex?"