I wanted to thank you all again for reading, following, faving and reviewing! It means a lot to me that you're enjoying the story. I made this one longer than my usual ones because I'll be at a convention over the weekend and won't be able to write on this, s I figured I'd give you guys a little more than usual. This chapter is heavily focused on Alex but will deal with Piper's condition and Pennsatucky as well, though not as much. More to come with the next one.

Please do take the time to review and tell me what you thought of it. I'd like to know how the chapter worked with the story and if I got the characters, especially Alex in this situation right, or if you thought I should have done things differently. I'd love to come back to some feedback :) It also encourages me to write, write, write!

When Alex headed for breakfast the next morning, there were still no updates on Piper's condition at all. Not even a quick statement on whether she was alive or dead had been made and it was driving Alex up the walls. She hadn't slept all night, unable to find the peace to rest. She turned around once she had her tray of food and saw Pennsatucky walk in with the brightest smile. It made her want to knock it off and her teeth out and while the urge to drop her tray and do just that was overwhelming, Alex suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to the origin and found Red standing behind her, a sympathetic smile on her lips.

"I know what is on your mind, Vause. Do not attempt anything stupid, you hear me?" She warned, her Russian accent as present as always and all Alex could do was drop her gaze and nod in defeat.

She nodded towards Nicky and the others, telling her to go sit with them and as far away from Pennsatucky as possible. Alex simply left to the table, silent and thinking. Nicky gave her a quick look, checking up on her before offering a smile. Morello was her rather cheerful self but it was obvious to everyone that she wasn't doing that well herself. It had shaken her what she had seen the previous night.

Alex only looked up again when Taystee sat next to her, Poussey seating herself opposite her.

"Someone gotta teach Jesus bitch a lesson." Taystee started.

"Yeah, the guards ain't gonna do nothin' about her." Poussey agreed quickly, picking at her food for a moment.

"The cross should be indicator enough who did it. They're not that stupid and they can't just ignore it either."

They all looked at Alex then and she shrugged. Red was right. None of them could do anything about her without getting in trouble and Piper would need them all around when she got back. She hoped she could skip work today or she wouldn't be able to compose herself and not crush Tiffany's face into a dryer. Repeatedly.

"Listen, Vause, Chapman's gonna be fine. She'll be back here sooner than you think and kick our asses at Scrabble again just like before."

"And if they don't send Doggett to Psyche, shit's gonna go down." Poussey declared in addition to her friend's words.

Alex appreciated it, even managed the faintest smile for the two of them before nodding in agreement. She picked at her food more than eating it, not really hungry and the thought of food actually made her more sick than anything anyway. She ate a bit though, knowing Red wouldn't approve if she didn't and give her another long speech about how she needed to be in shape and not look half dead.

It was a couple of minutes later that the first on their table went off, leaving Nicky, Morello and Alex alone.

"Are you gonna finish that?" Nicky asked when Alex didn't continue eating.

She shook her head no and pushed the tray towards her friend. She knew she wanted the rest. She got up, mumbling an excuse to head off and made it past the door into the corridor where she was stopped by a gentle hand on her arm. As soon as she turned around, the hand left her and she took a small step back, staring at Fischer.

"I'm not really supposed to tell anyone yet but... You and Chapman are close, right?" Fischer asked, seemingly nervous.

She nodded, frowning. Was there anything new on Piper?

"We got a call this morning, just an hour ago, actually, from the hospital. They operated all night and they said there were some complications but she's stable. She's alive, though she won't be released any time soon. I just thought you should know."

Alex' eyes widened as she listened to what the other one told her and there was a wave of relief washing over her once she was done talking. Piper was alive. That was all she had wanted to know. She nearly had the urge to hug Fischer but just looked at her, emotional.

"Thank you.."

Fischer gave her a smile and then left again. Alex looked after her for a little while before snapping out of it and going back to the dorm. She dropped onto her bunk and grabbed a book, her knees up against her chest and instead of reading the book, she used it as a shield to let her emotions run free for a minute. She cried quietly, anger, relief, frustration, worry and fear all mixing together.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. She somehow managed to go to work and completely ignore Pennsatucky and her minions. Dinner wasn't anywhere close to being fascinating either and though people talked to her, she never replied, lost in her own little world that resolved purely around Piper.

By the time New Year's Eve came around, barely anything had changed. There weren't really any more news on Piper's condition and Pennsatucky was still roaming around the prison like any other day before. Alex had noticed how everyone around her checked up on her and made sure she ate and was fine all together. She had reduced speaking with others to a minimum though she really wasn't opposed to any kind of conversation. Since everyone was seemingly walking on eggshells around her, however, she found it easier to spend her time reading and working, eating and sleeping. She had had quite some things to deal with that would only be complicated by the others. Things like her feelings for Piper, mainly. Although she had meant what she had said that day in the library, she couldn't deny her feelings. Especially not when Piper was in the hospital because some meth head had nearly killed her. She hadn't even needed any time to realize how ridiculously in love she still was with her. The fear of losing her like that had hit her harder than anything else ever could; not Piper marrying Larry, not Piper leaving her or ignoring her or even hating her.

The celebrations for New Year were great and Alex managed a few honest smiles and laughs and more snarky remarks than she had left in days. It was a little difficult to be the self she had been ever since the incident at Christmas when there was so much happiness around. She wished Piper was around though. She missed her.

Nicky and Morello took her mind off, dragging her around to dance and have fun and simply taking her mind off so she could enjoy the time. They had noticed how tense Alex had been lately and were all the more glad that it seemed to work to get her off the edge a little. She did eventually resign to her dorm earlier than the other inmates but she had to admit she had had fun. Quite a lot, actually. She went to bed just after midnight, hearing the excited shouts from everyone still celebrating and she fell asleep with a small smile on her lips.

Two days later, there was a turmoil in the cafeteria when the guards tried to take Pennsatucky with them. Mendez was the one finally managing to pull her away from her freakshow, leaving Bennett and Bell to deal with the others.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, having missed most of what was happening.

She had been late for dinner and had barely made it inside without Pennsatucky losing her shit on her. Mendez had held her off of her and had told her to move inside and eat.

"Ah, they're taking her to Psyche." Morello said.

Alex raised her eyebrows, surprised but then not. It was about fucking time they put her away.

"They finally did something and proved it was her who attacked Chapman and she wasn't even trying to deny anything when they accused her earlier. You missed quite a show, let me tell you. Bitch was all proud of herself." Nicky explained.

Those were about the best news she had had in weeks. She sat down with them once she had gotten her food and ate, finishing her tray in record time and earning a pleased smile from Nicky, Morello and Red when she saw. It was the first time she had eaten like that since Christmas.

It had been three weeks now since Christmas. Three weeks since Piper had been attacked and sent to the hospital. Three weeks since there had been any updates on her. Two weeks since Pennsatucky had been sent to Psyche without a real chance to get out again.

Piper hadn't realized how much she actually missed prison until she was back on the property. They had released her in the early evening. She didn't remember too much of what had happened to her. The wound on her stomach was the only real indicator. Polly had visited her as often as possible while she was in the hospital, occasionally in company of her mother. She had explained to her what had transpired at Christmas but she had to do it more than once because with all the painmeds Piper had been on, she didn't recall a lot the next time she woke up.

She wondered how everyone was doing. What they had done with Pennsatucky, if anything at all and most of all, how Alex was. She probably still hated her but she just wanted to see if she was okay. She probably was. It was Alex after all. Morello had been the one driving her and had hugged her so tight, it had actually hurt and left her breathless for a few moments. She rambled on about how she had found her in the snow but being honest, Piper had stopped listening after that and had completely overheard any comment the woman had made about Alex or Doggett.

Morello left her alone when she stood outside, taking in a deep breath before she decided she wasn't ready to face anyone yet. She wanted to be alone for a little while longer. It was already dark by now and she guessed everyone would be at dinner now so she went to the chapel first thing. She got in quietly and stopped a few benches into the hall. There was someone sitting on the stage and when she took another step closer, she could finally make out who it was.

"Alex?" She whispered, her voice hoarse.

She hadn't spoken a lot since she had woken up weeks prior in the hospital. A few forced words with Polly and her mother and that was it. She barely even recognized the sound of her own voice. But apparently Alex did because her head shot up and she was standing in a heartbeat, staring at her in utter disbelief. No one had told her she would be back today.

"Piper? Pipes, you're back?"

Her voice sounded so small, so weak that it tore at Piper's heart. She hated that tone of voice. Alex was always the strong one, always had been too. She sounded broken. Defeated. Like she had spent a lot of time in silence or crying and simply being done with everyone around her.

"Oh my God, you're back..." She said, walking the few feet over to where Piper was still standing.

They stared at each other for a few seconds before Alex pulled her into a tight hug, hiding her face in her neck and running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm so sorry, Pipes. So sorry."

Instead of saying anything in return, Piper marveled at their hug, her arms wrapped around Alex' neck. Never had she been so glad to be back in her arms than at this moment.