Thank you all for your support and the follows and reviews and all of that. I really appreciate it. I will try to be quicker about updating but I'm a bit of a slow worker. But as long as I know you guys are interested I'll keep posting! A much longer chapter this time. Enjoy! -Price

"…Hey! You stupid lesbian…. you better wake up like right now, or so help me God, I will bring in my wailing child..." Piper's eyes adjusted to the bright light that shone down on her, temporarily blinding her. She opened her eyes somewhat only to close them and then squint. An oncoming headache was threateningly pulsing in the deep recesses of her mind.

"Hey! Hey. Are you awake now? Can you hear me?" Polly was leering at her from where she sat, only a foot away.

Piper attempted to wave her hand at her but it was cut short by the handcuffs that she hadn't realized tethered her to the bed. She grimaced. "Yes, I can hear you… I got stabbed in my side not in the ear…" she said groggily, half smirking, half wincing in pain. She surveyed the room. It looked like other people had been in it besides Polly. She frowned, not knowing who to expect and not wanting to guess. The room itself was nicer than she would have expected and she briefly considered if that was due to an actually humane policy the prison had or if it was just because of her outside connections. It occurred to her then that Polly had not replied to her sarcastic remark so she looked over at her. She was looking back at her with tears running down her face. Surprised and unnerved Piper spoke quickly. "Polly… don't cry… c'mon, why are you crying? I will have none of that here… aren't you supposed to be my favorite spoiled bitch?

Polly just smiled weakly and put a hand on Piper's, "I was afraid I might lose you."

Piper looked at her for a moment, turning her hand over her friends so that she could hold it. "I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I feel like I've reached my quota for drama. Dying would have been a little excessive don't you think? As much as I love being the center of attention…"

Polly rolled her eyes, "Yeah I guess you have been a real pain in the ass lately, huh?" She smirked as she said it but almost immediately the humor dissipated from her visage and she was once again solemn. "I heard about what happened… with Larry."

Breathing out deeply, the blonde looked out the window of her room. "I don't want to talk about it. In fact I would rather talk about the fact that I may have killed that crazy Bible thumper who was trying to kill me or the fact that I may be going to prison for the rest of my life.

"Piper…"

"I don't really deserve any sympathy either, Polly," Piper looked down at her shackled hands. "I fucked up. I fucked it up with Larry. I fucked it up with both of them, because I always put myself first. That's really all there is to it. Sure they've both done some things that make me want to give them both a swift kick in the pants... but the truth of the matter is that I messed up. I didn't treat them like real people with real feelings; I was treating them more like a means to an end and still had the nerve to tell them I loved them. And as fucked up as it is that Alex named me and that Larry used my life as a fucking springboard for his writing career, they have never treated me like that. Larry became my outside comfort and Alex became my inside comfort and all that mattered was that Piper Chapman was happy-"

"You fucked it up with Super C- I mean.. Alex too?" Polly was looking at her sideways with concern etched on her face.

"Yeah…" Piper felt as though she might cry. She remembered the night before when Alex had turned her back on her. That was what she'd promised she'd do though, right? And she couldn't blame her. Piper knew that last thing anyone needed in prison was a poisonous self-serving narcissist to make it even more painful.

Polly was silent for a moment waiting for Piper to explain. When she saw that her friend had likely gotten completely lost in thought she might change the subject. "Well what happened-"

"Is he here?" Piper looked at her expectantly. She wasn't sure which answer she wanted to hear.

Polly was only briefly confused before replying, "…Yeah, he is. No one knew when you were going to wake up and it was kind of tense in here…as you can imagine…so he and your parents stepped out for a little bit to get some air."

"I don't know if I'm ready to see him, Polly." It briefly flashed across her mind that between Larry and Alex, that only Larry had swallowed his pride to make sure she was alright but she fought the thought back. It was different. They were different.

Her friend just looked at her sympathetically.

At the same moment Larry and her parents burst into the room in a huff only taking a moment to register that Piper was awake before stepping toward her hastily with hands outstretched to hold her.

Piper looked at the wall in front of her for what had to have been the 30th consecutive minute. Her arms were draped over her knees as she leaned against concrete. She was breathing hard, sweat pouring down her forehead as she attempted to catch her breath. Her mind did this every once in a while. Replaying all the events since she'd almost killed Pennsyltucky. It's not like it had anything better to do. That was one reality that the SHU had made very clear to her… the human mind in spaces like this was only good for reruns.

Her time in the hospital was emotionally exhausting but it had at least been peaceful…. As she continued to pant she closed her eyes, remembering her private conversation with Larry.

"So what are you saying to me?" Larry was leaned over close to her, frustrated, as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Piper didn't look at him even as he got closer. She focused on the far wall in front of her. Larry had just told her that he realized while she was incapacitated that he couldn't imagine life without her and that he wanted to try again. Piper had initially made a remark about his use of the phrase "try again" as if they were attempting to have a child, and he had frowned a little and scratched his head. Then Piper had told him that she didn't want to try again, that she had also had some realizations.

"Larry, if you hadn't been afraid I was going to leave you for Alex, you wouldn't have tried to marry me in prison either. And when you realized that fear was driving you, you snapped out of it and even after your and my narcissism culminated in that one talk show causing me to be alienated from almost everyone I called a friend, you still decided you didn't want to be married-"

"Can you blame me?!" The man sat straight and threw his hands up in incredulity.

"No. And let me finish." She shut her eyes and took a deep breath because she was tiring easily these days. Larry seemed to remember this as he watched her and visibly relaxed some. As she thought over what Larry had done she realized that she would have done the same thingf she had been in his shoes. In fact, It was almost like what she had done to Alex all those years ago. She took another deep breath and decided to drop the issue.

"I was alone. And then Doggett, seeing it as an opportune time, when really no one seemed to care if I lived or died tried to off me. And now here we are, with fear again driving you to do things you haven't fully thought out."

"Piper..."

"What about Alex, Larry?" At the sound of her name on Piper's mouth he clenched his jaw and put a hand over his mouth.

"Just because she said those negative things about me doesn't mean we're never going to be together again. It might… in fact I'm almost sure of it, but that's not a guarantee. I still love her, Larry. What about the fact that I'm probably going to get more time added to my sentence? What about the fact that prison is changing me?" Her eyes dropped to her bandaged hands. "The Piper that you knew before I got here was complicated and hid things from you and was selfish… but even that Piper wasn't the real me probably… The truth is that I'm not sure who I am, or what I am going to be…what prison is slowly coaxing out of me. And since I know that, and because I care about you, I can't let you commit yourself to me again. If I did, it would only serve to teach you to resent everything about me. I'm not healthy or secure enough in there to be a proper anything to you and you know that." Piper felt like she was going to explode, her insides were screaming at her not to give up what was probably her only chance at happiness but she had decided whilst looking down at that little Angel of Meth that she was done putting herself first.

"I'm not saying that I'm done with you, Larry… or that I've moved on… things are just… too confused right now. We both need time to really think about what we want and who we are. I guess that probably sounds like more selfishness to you but I promise I am doing my best," She looked up at the ceiling and sighed before continuing, "For once in my life, not to be."

She didn't look back down from the ceiling but closed her eyes and chewed her lip as she heard the sound of the chair scraping away from her bed and footsteps headed towards the door.

"I'm sorry, Larry." It was a whisper. The blonde felt numb. She had since that night, but that only made this slightly easier. She was fully aware of what she was doing.

The footsteps stopped and she opened her eyes to see the man leaning against the door, crumpled.

Piper sat up slowly and spoke evenly. "You don't have to wait for me, Larry. That's part of what I'm saying to you… And I do still want you to be part of my life, but only if you want to be. If you decide to cut your losses and walk away, I'm not going to blame yo-"

He had cut across the room to her side again, and wrapped his arms around her. "Just shutup, okay?" He sighed heavily but smiled a small smile into her hair. "I'm not going anywhere."

Standing, he rubbed his face and took a deep breath. "I think… I agree with what you said. And it's true that I don't really know what I want. But, I do know that no matter what I can't ever forget about you… and you will always be my best friend. I couldn't imagine leaving you alone in that place with those people with no one to talk to. With you or without you, I'd still worry myself sick about how you're doing. I won't ever stop caring. And I think a part of me… maybe a big part, maybe a small one, will always want to be with you… Leonard." With that he broke into a goofy grin, causing Piper to return it in kind.

"Phew." He wiped at his eyes, tears stinging them, threatening to advance. "I must be allergic to something in here."

"Me too," breathed Piper smiling sadly as she let her own tears fall silently onto her sheets.

He hesitated before pulling her into his arms one more time, kissing her forehead, and walking out the door.

"23…24…" Piper counted as she lifted herself up again and again. The exercise of the moment was situps. With her feet tucked securely underneath her low sitting bed she continued on, fighting against the burning in her abdomen. It had been far too long since her days running cross country in high school she thought wryly. She would keep going till she reached 100 this time, she was sure. Closing her eyes, she drowned the pain of her exertion within the stream of her memories.

Piper was twiddling her thumbs as she sat in front of Caputo who was looking at her as he tapped a pen on his desk. The woman was returning his gaze calmly, with practiced indifference.

Stroking his chin he averted his eyes from her momentarily, "You seem different, Chapman."

Her hand flew up to push her hair behind her ear as she responded, "I probably am."

He was silent for a moment before continuing. "How are you feeling? Still in a lot of pain?"

She subconsciously brushed her fingers over her side and sighed. "Not nearly as much as before, but I'm still recuperating."

"You're facing more time added to your sentence, y'know." He didn't look at her when he said it.

"…"

"Your fellow inmates have made quite a show of reporting Inmate Doggett's previous offenses towards you…and that along with your injuries and the fact that she had a shiv on her person seem to indicate that this was all in self-defense." He leaned back in his chair. "…Which is good."

"How is Inmate Doggett?" She took a deep breath before continuing, not wanting to stutter. "Is she alive?"

"Fortunately…and I suppose, unfortunately for you, she is." He smiled warily. "But of course… she's saying that you were the one who assaulted her first."

Piper rolled her eyes, hating that she had ever felt a single drop of pity for the evil little imp.

"And so?" She intoned with the former indifference.

"So…" He frowned, then attempted a half smile. "I… we want to help you. You don't seem like the type to do anything more than whine to your boyfriend or gossip with your little friends when you don't like someone. I personally don't see you picking fights. And that woman has stirred up more than a little trouble in here since her arrival."

"In what way can you help me, and what is it that you want in return?"

"We can make sure all the evidence we submit is…favorable… towards you. We want all of this to be as clean and as quick as possible, you see?" He gestured with his hands, snapping a finger. "And then in return we can always come to you for a few favors here and there… maybe even a few on the outside."

Piper crossed her arms and then her legs, pursing her lips. Shaking her head, a small mirthless grin sprouted on her face and she looked almost as if she were going to laugh.

"I have a different proposition." A shock of fear was quaking at the base of her spine and in the center of her chest but she held it back. She was a new Piper Chapman. She would not take any bullshit from anyone in this place any longer. If she was going to be here another however the fuck many years, she couldn't afford to start bending over at the waist for any of the inmates… or Caputo… Healy or any of the rest of them. It was up to her to make sure that they all had an understanding. Of course there was a fine line between playing the system and fucking yourself over… but she was on the right side of it. Or so she hoped. She had a few cards to play in this game and she had every intention of utilizing them, or be damned trying.

"This is what I think should happen… "Her voice was quiet and she leaned in gingerly. "I think you should submit whatever evidence you want to."

He blinked and furrowed his eyebrows, "You-"

"But you should know I have a few extra things to share with my lawyer…and with my fiancée." She felt herself faltering with her last word but only looked down a moment before looking back up again with a self-assured grin. "..Like how Counselor Healy put me in the SHU for attempted rape for dancing with Inmate Vause after being informed by Inmate Doggett …and how he has clearly shown a personal dislike for me because I won't bend to his personal vendettas and be his little girlfriend. Take for example the fact that he was there when Doggett was attempting to murder me, and left the scene even after I called out for him. And that, as aforementioned, they've previously collaborated to try to punish me for whatever it is I have been doing that they hate so much… as well as doing several things on their own…most of which the other inmates can attest to.

Caputo looked at her with wide eyes before narrowing them, his mouth in a thin line. "Is that all?" He relaxed slightly into his chair. "As problematic as all of that sounds, I'm afraid there is no way to prove that Counselor Healy neglected to stop the situation between you and Doggett."

"Oh there isn't?" Piper's mock surprise brought displeasure to Caputo's face. "I do believe that in all high security areas like say for instance, where I found myself being assaulted by Pensy… Doggett there are security cameras, correct? And since I was not the initial aggressor, I have nothing to lose by asking for that footage…right? But I see where that may be an issue for Healy…Doggett…and maybe you and Figueroa , hm? If that tape showed Healy abandoning me to die, I can only imagine what would happen. And if you are going to say that for some reason those cameras are not being used properly and that there is no tape at all…" She leaned back in her chair and threw up her hands. "Well, at the very least you are looking at an investigation, and I am left to the hands of fate. And it seems like an investigation is the last thing you all need."

Caputo was silent.

"I am aware that no matter what evidence you add, withhold, etc… I am most likely going to get time added to my sentence. I can pretend, hide, lie… but there is no dismissing Pensyltucky's noticeable lack of teeth, or the reports from the hospital. No matter how innocent and non-threatening as I seem, I clearly went past the realm of self-defense… and no matter what you bring out about me in here, any lawyer worth half his shit should be able to make it clear that I am not a danger to society and that I am not the type to be sent to Max."

Caputo rubbed his eyes and then rested his head in his hand. "So what is it that you want, Chapman? What are you saying to me?"

She shrugged noncommittally and sighed. "Nothing really. Just that I have no desire to be a little dancing monkey for you people. And I am not going to tell Larry to write one more good thing about this godforsaken place. But I may refrain from telling him to write anything bad either. And I may not. And you may submit unfavorable evidence surrounding my case… and you may not. And I may submit some unfavorable evidence of my own. I guess we'll just see." She set her jaw and pursed her lips again, eyeing him with noticeable irritation. "Are we done here? Anything else?"

Caputo grunted and fumbled with the pen again. "No… not right now." He gazed at her warily, seeming to want to fish for something else to say but not able to produce anything.

"Alright." She got up to leave with great care not to agitate her wound and turned around towards the door.

"Oh, but Chapman..?"

She froze and let out another deep breath. "How long? How long am I gonna be in there?"

"Most likely until your trial."

She screamed internally and her face screwed up as tears began to fall down her face but her back was turned to him so he couldn't see her. Taking a moment to master herself, she just barely managed to even her voice and bite back her despair before walking out where she was immediately accosted, cuffed, and roughly pulled towards the direction of her favorite place. The blonde breathed somewhat heavily as she came down from the emotional high she was on from her conversation with Caputo. It had been dumb… asinine to confront him like that and she could feel herself paling… pussying out. She wanted to run back in there and take it all back and bend over for them like a little bitch and avoid stepping on any toes… keep her head down. But she knew that even though that was hypothetically a good short term plan it wouldn't work out for her in the long run…and she was in for the long run now. As soon as she started kissing ass, she'd be kissing it for the rest of her stay… Healy had made that all too clear.

Eyes stared at her with mixed feelings of relief and pity as her fellow inmates watched her being led down the hallways, knowing where she was headed.

Red had given her a quiet nod of acknowledgement and mouthed, "Stay strong."

Morello had frowned with an expression that said that she really wanted to pat Piper's shoulder and tell her it would be alright, but in the stead of being able to, she just looked on.

Black Cindy had given her a salute of some sort and Piper supposed she'd then walked off to tell the others that she was alright and well enough to be headed back down to SHU.

Nicky had briefly given her a watered down version of her usual half-smile as she emerged from the library before Alex had run into her from behind, not realizing she had stopped moving. Her head had been buried into a book and she lightly shoved Nicky before looking up at her and then at Piper. She froze. Piper turned away before Alex could register any further reaction, even though she wanted nothing more than to see her. But as she was dragged away from the two she could have sworn that she heard the sound of a book falling to the ground.

"95…96…" She was breathing harshly now, her face bright red. She heard the shuffling of footsteps outside her door and saw the tray being pushed in through the slot. Her mind urged her to finish out the hundred but she couldn't be bothered. She knew she would start it all again when the next tray came. The indistinguishable pattyloaf was sitting there, daring her to eat it, as it did every time. And she would. She wouldn't let this place make her weak. She was going to grow in this tiny hole. She was going to get ripped and she wasn't going to lose her mind. Piper was now focused on making plans, exercise, whatever she could do to keep the darkness and despair at bay. To push back the insanity. The tortured screams of the other inmates didn't scare her anymore. Sometimes, she even joined them for the release it gave her. This new Piper Chapman wasn't going to sit and wait for shit to be handed to her for free due to some ridiculous sense of entitlement, she wasn't going to take things for granted and blame others for her shortcomings. No. Not anymore.

She froze for a moment as she felt a surge of energy coursing through her due to this new state of mind and wondered if maybe… this was insanity.

And maybe it was.

When in Rome, right?

She chuckled to herself. "This is my home…I may as well stop acting like I don't belong here and get with the program." As she looked up into the light on the ceiling, she could feel herself beginning to cry.

Yeah. That was probably why she wasn't so afraid in here. Why she had this new resolve… She had lost her mind fragment by fragment when she stepped into this building. And then the rest had slipped away when she had destroyed everything she clung to in a matter of hours. Yes, the old Piper was probably gone for good.

She sniffed and rolled over onto her chest before beginning a series of pushups.

"Good riddance."

Things are going to get a lot more interesting from here on out and in the next chapter we'll be getting a look into Alex's side of the story as well as some other fun stuff. I hope you all stick around! Thanks for reading. -Price