I think that we can all be in agreement that the new series is absolutely incredible! I'm so excited to have Alex back for season 3! Eep!
This one should be a little better because I've actually had some bloody sleep!
Enjoy
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"Well well well. What is it we have here, ladies?" the voice came from the doorway. All four women turned to stare at the guard with his hands on his hips and a curious expression on his face.
"What've you got there, inmate?" he asked, walking over to the group and nodding his head towards Leanne.
"Nothing" Leanne lied lamely, her hand going behind her back in a feeble attempt to hide the star. Alex rolled her eyes and Nicky exchanged an exasperated look with Piper.
"Sure looked like something to me". Bennett took a step closer and raised his chin a little in an attempt to exert his power.
"Just fucking show him, Leanne" Alex sighed, pushing the girls shoulder a little, turning her towards Bennett. Leanne seemed confused and lost for a second before letting out an immature grumble and holding her hand out to the expectant guard. Looking down at her hand, Bennett seemed puzzled for a second. He took the makeshift star from her and turned it over, taking in the razors and processing the potential for harm the weapon could have.
"What the hell is this?" he asked, looking to Alex.
"We don't know" she said simply.
"The meth head found it in the dryer" Nicky explained, nodding her head to an offended looking Leanne.
"And I'm supposed to believe that none of you know anything about this? Because it sure looked like you were all conspiring about it to me."
"We got nothin' to do with it" Leanne protested loudly and Bennett gave her a sceptical look. Piper rolled her eyes.
"She really did find it, Sir. We were trying to decide what to do with it. We decided it was best to be honest and hand it in to Mr Healy" Piper offered, trying to diffuse the situation a little. Bennett still didn't seem to believe them, but he looked down at the shuriken in his hands for a second and then studied the four women again. Feeling its weight in his hands for a moment, he pocketed it and stuck his chest out a little.
"Well I'm going to handle this, ladies. You better sort your story out if you don't want to get yourselves in trouble". The four women looked stricken.
"That's bullshit! We don't have anything to do with that rookie piece of shit!" Nicky burst out, earning her a hard look from both Alex and Piper.
"You better watch it, inmate. Or this could be put totally down to you" Bennett warned. Silence passed as the women waited to hear the action that Bennett was going to take.
"Now I know that you've all been in trouble in the past and something like this wouldn't look to good on your records, so how about I make a little deal with you all?" Bennett asked with a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. Alex and Piper exchanged a questioning glance as Nicky crossed her arms and Leanne looked dumbfounded. This wasn't the Bennett that they thought they knew but then again, things were changing rapidly in Litchfield and there was nothing that would surprise the inmates anymore.
"What kind of deal would that be?" Nicky asked, her eyes squinted at the guard and her weight shifted towards him. Checking over his shoulder, Bennett leant in a little.
"How about we don't mention anything ever happened? I keep this from the powers-that-be and you ladies forget that you ever saw anything other than pants and sheets?" Piper looked confused.
"So you're not going to hand it in? And we don't say anything?" she asked, clarifying. Bennett nodded.
"Why would we want to bother them anyway? All it means is I avoid having to carry out extra searches and being told to crack down on you all, and the inmates all avoid the hassle of being questioned day and night about where it came from".
The women were all in agreement. There seemed like no downside to agreeing to Bennett's proposal and besides, he was one of the nicer guards. They all nodded and Bennett gave them a wide smile in return.
"Good choice, ladies" he paused. "Now get back to work!" he called louder. "And Nichols! Don't think I'm not aware you're not supposed to be down here. Back to your section inmate, before I write you up a shot!" Nicky gave Bennett a lazy salute, winked at Alex briefly - an action that didn't go unnoticed by Piper - and followed Bennett out of the laundry room.
Leanne looked as if she'd been punched.
"That's so going to get us in trouble. You can't trust the guards in here. He's gonna say something and we're all gonna be in for it" she rambled, shifting her weight from foot to foot nervously. Alex rolled her eyes at Piper.
"Shut up, Taylor. Get back to your work" Alex told her and then turned back to the laundry waiting to be folded. Leanne looked pissed for a second and then picked up a shirt, moving to the other side of the laundry room where she could be alone and sulk. Piper looked around the room for second, trying to decide if going over and talking to Alex was a good idea or not. She ultimately landed on the conclusion that it probably wasn't, but hell, she was going to do it anyway.
"Hey" she said quietly, sidling up to Alex with as much nonchalance as she could muster. Leaning against one of the machines, she folded her arms across chest. "D'you reckon that's all going to work out?" she asked. Alex glanced behind her to where Piper stood and then focused back on the clothing in her hands.
"I dunno. Bennett's one of the better ones. I'm sure it'll be alright" Alex shrugged. Piper nodded down at her feet, pulling her bottom lip in and chewing on it for a second.
"So…got any plans for later?" She knew the questions was absolutely ridiculous as soon as it left her mouth and by the look on her face, so did Alex. Piper swiped a hand over her face and then looked back up to Alex with what she hoped was an intrigued, rather than mortified, expression on her face.
"Well, I have a thrilling game of scrabble with Nicky planned which will, no doubt, end up in either her or me tipping the board up and then I have a book that I have very little interest in to read". Alex finished the shirt in her hands and tossed it down onto a pile. Turning, she leant against the table, her arms crossed over her, and stared over at her ex. "Look, Piper. I know we're on talking terms and shit now, but you don't have to try so hard" Piper looked embarrassed for a moment and Alex knocked her glasses up her nose.
"I don't know where the line lies with us anymore. We weren't talking at all and I hated that but now we're in some kind of awkward no mans land and I hate that too. Even more so, I guess.". Alex didn't reply instantly, instead shaking her hair out away from her face and pushing her glasses up on top of her head, letting out a sigh.
"There is no line, Pipes. There's never been a line with us and there never will. We're fucked up and there's never going to be any 'rules' that we can follow" she cocked an eyebrow "you should know that by now". Piper let out a small breath of laughter and looked down to inspect her nails, avoiding Alexs' intense gaze as best she could.
"Rules aren't any fun" Piper mumbled quietly, a smile on her lips. It took Alex a second, but she soon got there. The image of a much younger woman, blonde hair long and bohemian, approaching her in a bar flashed before her. Piper had been so different then - more naïve and far more impressionable - but the woman she had approached had also been a far different person to the one who stood in the prison laundry room today. She had been so nervous when she had seen the blonde walking over to her and Alex remembered being so unsure as to whether Piper would slot into her future, but she hoped to God that she would.
"Jesus, we were so young," she sighed. "I couldn't believe the balls you had, coming over to me like that. I was so sure want nothing to do with me after you were punched". Alex let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, well. I never did know what was good for me" Piper said flatly. There was a moment of silence between the pair until;
"Does anyone?" Alex asked, tipping her head to one side questioningly. Piper looked up at her words blankly and then gave her a half smile and an almost uncatchable shrug.
"I guess not".
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