Note: I'm not a native New Yorker (or even American for that matter) so I do apologize if I don't get the places or any sort of description right. My only resources were Google and Google Maps. Also, since no one figured out Yoga Jones' real first name I thought I would use a made up name.

2016-New York.

Running in the morning had always been Piper's favorite routine. Every day she would get up at 6, do a little housekeeping around her apartment, and then went out for a run. Out in the park with no one else except for a few fellow morning joggers made her feel as if she's got strangers for company, which is a nice change. She wouldn't let herself think of anything else when she was running, and let the humming silence engulfed her. Pacing her run and putting one foot in front of the other, everything became quiet and she would only hear her feet rhythmically hitting the pavement and her breath going in and out in quick succession. It would help her think and always cleared her head.

This week's workload had slammed on her like a bus, and she couldn't squeeze her early runs as much as she'd liked. The business had flourished at a much faster pace than she or Polly had expected, and that meant more meetings, more adjustments, more haggling with retail companies. On top of all that, they have new store opening next month, and they've been scrambling like mad to find a store manager. She had interviewed some prospective candidates, but whenever she thought a candidate would fit, Polly would think otherwise. And vice versa.

That's why today's run felt like redemption.

Once she went pass the small bridge, Piper thought she saw a familiar figure doing yoga poses by the small lake. She stopped in her tracks, panting and feeling almost completely spent. She squinted to make out the exact figure, someone she thought looked very familiar.

"Yoga Jones!" Piper shouted, reminding herself who it was and calling out at the same time. She waved to Jones' direction.
"Chapman?"
"Yeah, it's me!" Piper walked over. "I can't believe I ran into you here."
"I was just released 6 months ago."
Jones' opened her arms and gave Piper a friendly hug. "How've you been, Chapman?"

They went to the nearest bench and sat next to each other, the stories poured endlessly for hours. In prison, both women rarely talk but treated each other with mutual respect. Piper could never forget how Jones had helped her to adjust her perspective during her first day in prison and how, despite only participating for a short time, yoga had actually helped her.

Jones told her about Red and Piper instantly felt a pang of nostalgia at the mention of her name. She made a quick mental note to write a letter soon. Nicky was getting out soon, Jones said, and Piper was beyond thrilled to hear it.

"So how are you coping with all of this?" Jones asked, opening her arms and gesturing to their surroundings.
"I've been really well. The soap business took off, believe it or not. So I have something to keep myself busy."
"Soap business, huh?"
"Yeah. Homemade stuff. Soaps, candles, shampoos, things like that." Piper's brain made the connections faster than she could speak. "Hey, are you doing anything? I mean, do you have a job?"

"No, unfortunately. I mean, I was working at Subway a few months ago and they fired me 'cause I was 'too mellow.'" Jones rolled her eyes and Piper laughed at the image of Jones as a sandwich artist. "Why do you ask?"
"Well. My business partner, Polly, and me, we're actually going to open a new shop in a month, just a couple blocks away from here. I've been interviewing people like crazy and I can't seem to agree with Polly on who we should pick. I was wondering if you would like the job."

Jones smiled and placed her hand on top of Piper's, and for a moment Piper felt like they were back at Litchfield, having a regular conversation during breakfast.
"It's very nice of you to offer, Chapman."
"I wouldn't have offered you if I didn't think you're up for it. If you're too mellow for Subway than by all means you should be perfect for the shop. We sell soaps and candles, for God's sake. It doesn't get any mellower than that."

Jones laughed and gladly took the offer after a few minutes of consideration. She asked what Polly would think, and Piper told her to come in on Friday and they'll all have a meeting, but she convinced Jones that Polly would be on board.

"You know, I never knew your first name. I always call you Yoga, just like everybody else."

She told Piper to call her Constance.

2016-San Francisco.

"Wow, for your first apartment in the city, this isn't too shabby." Geoff handed Alex a bottle of wine as he walked in. "Housewarming gift."
"Thanks."
Geoff took a peek of the kitchen and scanned through the bookshelf. "I mean, this is nice!"

And it was nice. Sure, the walls were unpainted cement and the floor was made from cheap vinyl planks, but if the owner didn't tell Alex, she wouldn't have known the difference. The amenities provided were mostly new, and if they weren't, they were polished to look like they were. It wasn't by all means big, but Alex noted how well put together the unit really was when she first saw it, and signed the lease on the spot. Finally, after months of working at Geoff's café, she went apartment hunting. When she got this place, she excused herself from Geoff and Hannah's spare bedroom and moved out.

The difference between her old job and the new one is that this job is actually legal. She'd learned a lot during her smuggling days, and balancing finances are no different than balancing drug distribution. She was a nervous wreck during her first week, but she didn't let it show. Almost all of the employees felt intimidated by her tattooes, but once they got over the initial introduction and learned how efficient Alex really is, they quickly eased up around her and showed her the ropes. Hannah was thrilled. "You're a lifesaver."

By the end of the year, they were planning on opening several new branches on the East Coast when Geoff's condition took a turn for the worse. Alex was in a meeting with potential franchise partners when she got the call from Hannah. She wrapped up the meeting early, rescheduled the unfinished projects for the next week, and went straight to the hospital.

"How'd it go?" he was barely awake, the morphine was flowing to keep the pain at bay.
"Don't worry about it. I'll handle it." Alex tapped his hand with her forefinger and gave him a reassuring smile.
"I knew there was something about you, Vause," he paused and took a deep inhale, wincing from pain and waiting for it to stop before speaking again. "Even when we were out there doing crazy stuff, I knew."

"Jesus, don't go sappy on me now, dude."

"I'm fucking serious." he retorted quickly. Alex's eyes softened, and she looked him in his eyes and nodded.

"Look, I don't have much time left, so listen carefully, cause if I don't say it now, I'm not sure I'll be able to later." Another long pause for breathing. Another wince. Geoff reached for his morphine pump and pressed it twice. "I want you to have a fair share of the business." Before Alex could open her mouth, Geoff raised his hand. "Not a word. It's a done deal. I also know how much you miss New York. Take your time with the partners and discuss it with Hannah. Choose whichever one you both think is best. But promise me that no one will handle the Amsterdam Avenue store but you."

She felt tears running down her cheeks. First this man agreed to pick her up from Dublin, then gave her a job and helped her stayed on her feet, and now she's part owner and was told to move halfway across the country to run a store by herself. It wasn't that Alex didn't believe in luck. She just had gotten used to luck not being by her side. She loved Geoff and Hannah like her own brother and sister, and what they had done for her was more than she could ever have asked for. Alex gripped the bed railing and bowed her head down, the tears streaming down in full force and her shoulder shook as she sobbed. Geoff put all his efforts to lifting his hand and placed it on top of Alex's.

"Vause."

When Alex looked up with red eyes, she saw Geoff lying there in his bed, almost completely spent. His cheeks were hollow, and his chubby figure was no longer there. All she could see was this frail man who still had Geoff's strong, determined eyes, waiting for an answer.

"Okay."

2017-New York.

"Everything okay on the Bay Area?"
"Hey, no complaints here. Lotsa fine lookin' chicks. I'll be just fine." Nicky spoke from the other end of the phone, and Alex's deep and raspy laugh filled her still-empty office.
"Get your head out of your ass and stop talking smack. You know you've still got it for Morello."
Nicky's only reply was a long sigh. "I swear it's like she's got some kind of voodoo shit on me, Vause."
Again, Alex laughed. "No shit."
"Yeah, just like you-know-who has got a voodoo for you."
"It's been years, Nicky."
"Dyke-drama detector, baby. I can still feel it."

Alex laughed again but didn't come up with a single witty retort this time. The pause was filled with the sound of her fingers typing on her computer. She hadn't thought of Piper in years.

"Listen, Vause. Thanks for subletting this place for me."
"No big deal. I'm not using it anyway." Alex took her phone and went outside to check on things. They talked about Red and some other inmates, and Nicky mentioned Yoga Jones was out.
"Maybe I'll bump into her sometime."

She was inspecting the countertop and table layouts when she thought she saw a familiar figure wearing stopping by the front door. Her hair seemed longer and messily pulled up. The woman stopped for a second in front of the store and looked up to the sign. Before Alex could even blink, the blonde woman already walked on. She felt her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Vause? You there?"

"I gotta call you back."