CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Alex woke up uncharacteristically early. She was even awake before her beautiful companion sleeping soundly beside her. Alex Vause hated getting up early, but today she woke up on her own. Alex pressed a soft kiss to the sleeping beauty's temple and quietly removed herself from bed. She quietly got ready and left the house.

Piper Chapman stirred in bed and instinctively reached out for Alex. However, her arm was met with an empty, cold spot. Confused blue eyes fluttered open as she searched for any type of message that the brunette may have left for her.

Two hours later, Alex came back home and quietly went into the room to see if Piper was awake. A wide smile formed on her face at the sight in front of her. Piper Chapman was laying on her side of the bed with her face buried into her pillow. Piper Chapman was inhaling her pillow and Alex couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from her mouth.

Piper's eyes widened and her cheeks instantly turned a shade of pink at being caught. "Alex! I didn't hear you come in. I didn't even know you had left! What time did you get up at? How come you didn't wake me? Where'd you go?" the blonde rambled hoping that Alex didn't know what she had been doing.

"Well, Pipes. I woke up at 6AM to run some errands. Maybe I should leave you more often since it seems like you like MY side of the bed more. You know if you want that side of the bed or if my pillow is more comfortable even though they're the same, you just have to say so.

"Fuck off, Alex!"

Alex laughed as she jumped into bed and shoved the blonde over in order to reclaim her side. Alex took the pillow out from underneath her head and waved it in front of the blonde. "Did you want my pillow, Piper?"

"No!"

"Oh really? Then why were you basically making out with it?" Alex's laughter boomed through the room.

Piper was absolutely mortified at being caught. She grabbed the pillow from the teasing woman's hands and hit her with it. "I hate you."

"That's not what I witnessed moments ago. You loooove me, Piper Chapman." the brunette continued.

Piper let out a huff of annoyance. "Fine, I was smelling your pillow! Did I feed your ego enough?!"

"I must smell really good."

Piper growled at Alex and was about to leave the bed from embarrassment but Alex's strong arms pulled her back into bed and into her arms.

"Alright, I'm done teasing you. I had to take care of some things at Blue, got us breakfast, and got these made for us." Alex opened her palm to show two keys. "They're keys to our home. I changed the locks. I was too excited to sleep so I got up early to finish everything so that I can have the rest of the day to help you move in."

A bright smile formed on the blonde's face, dimples showing. "Thank you, Alex. You know you didn't have to change the locks." she said softly as she took a hold of Alex's hand that held the keys.

"I know but I wanted to."

Piper brushed her lips against the raven haired beauty's gently, murmuring an "I love you" against her lips.

"I reached out for you but you weren't there and I couldn't go back to sleep because it feels so empty without you. I didn't want to seem needy calling you to ask where you were so I waited. I know you were only gone for a couple of hours but I missed you so I went on your side and was smelling your pillow because it smells like you and I know it's dumb but I can't help it. Piper softly explained.

Piper was expecting Alex to make fun of her, but instead she was met with serious emerald eyes that bore into hers. Alex felt like her heart was going to erupt from all of the love she felt at the blonde's admission. Alex placed her forehead against the blonde's. She ran her nose down against the blonde's before capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Piper gasped against Alex's lips as Alex devoured her mouth with her lips and tongue. Piper's moans of pleasure soon filled the room when Alex's lips and tongue met her other set of lips.

Transporting Piper's belongings didn't take very long, to the brunette's amazement. "I thought you were going to have a lot more things."

"I got rid of a lot of things. I just kept what was important. It's a new beginning." Piper smiled.

"What's all this?" Piper asked looking at boxes that did not belong to her.

"Well, let's just say I was thinking the same thing so I put away a lot of stuff and found some more important things I want on display in our home."

"You didn't have to do that, Alex." Piper was touched. "Alright show me what you got, sexy."

The brunette responded with her signature quirk of her perfectly sculpted eyebrow and opened a box.

Piper's blue eyes immediately welled with tears. "You kept everything? I was sure you would've gotten rid of everything that related to me. I was always so certain that I was the person you hated most after everything I did." her voice cracked with emotion.

The playful banter had shifted into a serious atmosphere at Piper's words. "I could never hate you, Pipes." Alex said softly. "After you left, I threw everything relating to you into this box and I threw it outside for the dump truck only to immediately run back outside to retrieve it. I tried to lock everything away in a box and throw it away... throw you away... but I couldn't do it. This box represents the most important thing to me...you. I could never forget you."

Piper picks up a frame from the box and studies the picture of her, Alex, and Diane. Piper runs her fingers over Diane's face and she can't help the lump that forms in her throat or the tears that cascade down her cheeks. She didn't even say goodbye to her.

"I'm so sorry, Alex. Leaving you has always been my biggest regret and I loved Diane."

Alex interrupts Piper from blaming herself, "I know, kid. The timing sucked, but I understand why you did. My line of work wasn't exactly safe and it consumed my life."

The brunette's voice begins to waver with anguish, "It ruined everything good in my life. I am the one that is sorry for not seeing it back then." Alex's fingertips trace a soothing pattern down Piper's arm and hand before taking the frame from her. Blue eyes follow the taller woman's movements as she takes a couple steps towards the fireplace and places it on the center of the mantel. "Mom loved you. She told me to never let you go."

"I'm not going anywhere." Piper confirms. "You're stuck with me."

"I think I will manage." Alex smirks.

A couple of hours later, Piper's clothes are hanging alongside Alex's in their massive closet and her books have joined Alex's collection.

"Wait there's one more box," Alex says as she reaches for the top to open it."

"Wait, Alex!"

"Why? What are you hiding, Chapman? Naughty magazines and movies? Alex waves her eyebrows suggestively as she laughs and proceeds to open the box.

It's Alex's turn to choke back a sob. It's everything she's ever given to the blonde... every gift, every little note she's left her, every photo, every plane ticket, every movie ticket stub... it's everything that the two lovers had experienced together. Piper has photos of Alex that she was never even aware that Piper had taken of her- nose in a book, sleeping, laughing. She pulls out a notebook and it's pages and pages of letters that Piper has written to her after she left her in Paris. Her glassy emerald eyes scan through some of the words... words that express such love, anguish, and regret at leaving her, and pages upon pages telling herself how much Alex must hate her and that she is not worthy of Alex.

"You're not the only one that couldn't forget." Piper said laced with anguish.

"Honey, I'm home!" Alex loudly teases as she steps through the front door after a whole day of business meetings. She's met with an eye roll from Piper but the blonde's excitement is palpable as a bright smile crosses her features and she launches herself into the brunette's arms, peppering her with kisses. "I missed you."

"Oh really, Ms. Chapman? It's only been nine hours since you last saw me and we've been officially living together for two weeks. You see me all the time. What is there to miss already?"

Piper huffs and crosses her arms. "I guess I'm the only one that's not sick of the other and am delighted when you come home," the blonde pouts.

Alex is biting her cheek at how adorable Piper Chapman is. "Come here," the brunette says as she goes to embrace the blonde.

"No! Why do you want to hug me? It's ONLY been nine hours since you last saw me," the blonde mimics.

Alex can't help the cackle that escapes her lips and she's met with blue eyes narrowing at her.

"You're so adorable when you pout." Alex laughs as she tries to embrace the blonde again, but Piper is resisting.

"Say it."

"Say what?"

Blue eyes narrow once again.

"I missed you too, kid." Alex says softly with honesty. She tries again to embrace the blonde and this time the blonde allows her arms to envelop her.

"See, was it that hard to say it in return, you meanie?"

The taller woman buries her face into the blonde's hair, closing her eyes at the woman's scent. "I've been thinking of you all fucking day and couldn't wait to get home to see you." Alex admits.

Piper pulls away and looks into emerald eyes. "Oh really, Ms. Vause? Care to tell me what you were thinking about for NINE hours?" the blonde asks teasingly.

"No, but I'm going to fucking show you."

Piper gasps as Alex grabs her face and roughly kisses her. She slips her tongue into the blonde's mouth, earning a moan that Alex swears goes straight to her core. She takes a hold of the blonde's bottom lip with her teeth as she starts to take the blonde's top off. Her lips are back on Piper's after she quickly sheds her of the barriers covering her top half and her dexterous hands are on Piper's breasts in an instant. Piper swallows thickly as Alex massages her left breast while her mouth travels down to her right breast, grazing her hardened nipple with her teeth before placing her mouth fully on the blonde's breast. Piper is so lost in the pleasure that Alex's hands and mouth are delivering to her breasts that she does not even realize that Alex has moved her a couple of steps back until her back gently hits the bookcase behind her. Alex's mouth finds Piper's again with a searing kiss as she pulls the blonde's pants and panties down her long legs. Piper quickly steps out of her clothes and her head hits one of the shelves behind her when Alex cups her heat. The taller woman kisses a trail down Piper's body and Piper lets out a loud moan when she feels Alex's tongue go from her wet cunt to her clit. Piper gasps loudly at the deep penetration of Alex's tongue in her heat when Alex takes her right leg and places it over her shoulder. One of the blonde's hands grabs at a shelf behind her as her other hand grabs at Alex's shoulder to keep from collapsing because Alex is fucking her with her mouth. Her legs start shaking as Alex's mouth closes over her clit and sucks at the sensitive nub before flicking it with her tongue. Alex repeats this pattern until Piper is coming.

Alex isn't done. Her strong arms lift the blonde up as Piper instinctively wraps her long legs around the brunette. Alex quickly carries Piper into their bedroom and throws her down onto their bed. Alex's body is on top of the blonde's as she kisses the blonde passionately. Piper's mouth leaves the brunette's to gasp for air when Alex plunges two fingers into her dripping center. Alex delivers quick shallow thrusts as her thumb rubs against the blonde's sensitive nub. Another orgasm rips through her but Alex doesn't let her come down fully from her orgasm before plunging a third finger into her center. Piper screams in pleasure at the intrusion and holds onto the sheets for dear life as Alex takes her fingers almost completely out before fully plunging them back in. Alex's other hand finds the blonde's clit as she rubs at her clit. Piper feels like she can't properly breathe because Alex Vause is fucking her senseless. Her senses are in overdrive as Alex's three fingers plunge in and out of her wet pussy as Alex's other hand is rubbing vigorously against her engorged clit. Piper's back arches off the bed when Alex starts curling her fingers inside her dripping center. Piper's breaths are short and her loud moans are filling the room. Her legs are quaking, knuckles white from grabbing onto the sheets, and she is screaming Alex's name over and over again as Alex fucks her with her talented hands.

When Alex finally allows Piper to properly breathe after her fourth orgasm, Piper can't help but think that she should always ask the brunette what she is thinking of when they're away from each other.

AN: I hope this chapter was ok. Writing is not my strong suit, especially smut. Thank you to every single one of you that takes the time to read my story and I appreciate every single review you guys leave.