Alex wasn't into fairytales. She never had been. Even as a little girl, she'd had no use for them. The thought of some helpless maiden who was saved by a prince did nothing but make her roll her eyes. If those stories held a kernel of truth, where was the mythical saviour when their electricity got turned off for the fifth time in six months or when Diane had to hold down three jobs just to keep food on the table? Maybe those kind of things happened to imaginary girls but not to ones like Alex. She preferred to concentrate soley on reality.
Which is why she didn't believe in love at first sight or in soulmates or any of the other garbage society tried to push on impressionable teenage girls. Her mother had insisted her father had loved her the second he laid eyes on her and all it got her was getting knocked up and alone at only nineteen. Alex had heard the same story, time and time again and it didn't take her long to put two and two together and conclude her father was a deadbeat.
She liked to keep things casual with the girls she dated and while nowhere as free wheeling as Nicky (who tended to fuck around first and ask questions later...Alex at least got their name), she didn't particularly do relationships. She also didn't play games so she made her rules clear from the get go; no extended sleepovers, no titles and no exclusivity. If the girl she was with broke those rules, it was time to move on. If she herself broke those rules...well, she had never been tempted to break them. Not once. There hadn't been any great love or heartbreak in her life and she wanted to keep it that way. Nicky claimed it was because she was afraid of losing control, of getting hurt but really, it was because she'd worked too damn long to establish herself and her band to risk losing everything for some man made fictional thing like love. Her mind needed to stay clear and focused and she knew any sort of strong romantic attachment would jeopardize that.
Piper was beautiful, there was no doubt about that and the tingle that had passed through Alex's entire body when their skin connected had taken her slightly aback. It wasn't something she'd ever felt before and she realized dizzily that everything about the other woman suddenly made her uneasy, from her endless ocean eyes to her perfect smile. Alex wanted to run. The urge hit her fast and furious and she momentarily had to catch her breath.
But Alex didn't believe in soulmates. Especially gorgeous blonde straight girls who were about to audition for her band. Managing to regain control of herself, she dropped Piper's hand. "Ok," she said briskly, "Ready to get started?"
If Piper was startled by the brunette's sudden transition into all business, she didn't let on. "Yeah, of course." Larry stepped out from behind her and handed her a well worn fender guitar. His expression hadn't changed the entire time he'd entered the room and Alex noticed (rather gratifyingly so), he seemed uncomfortable.
"You play?" Nicky questioned, ignoring Alex's raised eyebrow. "What? Not all singers play, ya know."
"She just pulled out a guitar and you askin' her if she plays?" Poussey quipped from beside Alex.
"Why don't you guys just shut the fuck up so she can sing?" The bite in her tone silenced the room and she felt slightly embarrassed by her harshness but they were looking like a bunch of bitchy teenagers with their dumb questions and pointless bickering. How were they supposed to find anyone decent if they seemed like they'd totally lost their shit?
Red cleared her throat. "All right, Blondie. Take it away...show us what you got."
Piper smiled, as cool as could be and Alex had to have a shred of admiration for the woman; she sure as hell wasn't easily rattled. "I'm not singing anything I wrote...I hope that's OK."
"Perfect." Red spoke for them and Piper looked right at Alex as she began to strum the opening chords which Alex immediately recognized as a Grace Potter song.
"I lit a fire with the love you left behind," Piper sang in a clear, rich voice. "And it burned wild and crept up the mountain side. I followed your ashes into outerspace. I can't look out the window, I can't look at this place."
As she sang, her blue eyes pierced Alex's and the intensity of her gaze made the other woman look to the floor. Her tone, while not as powerful as Lorna's well known growl but it had a dynamic quality that made you stop what you were doing and pay attention.
"And I can't look at the stars," Piper leaned into the final chorus, her fingers strumming madly. She was no longer looking at Alex; her eyes squeezed shut tightly as her voice soared on a beautiful, pleading howl, "They make me wonder where you are, stars, on heaven's boulevard. And if I know you at all, I know you've gone too far, so I, I can't look at the stars."
She opened her eyes again, training them not on Alex this time, but on the wall in front of her as she finished. "So I, I can't look at the stars."
The room was completely silent and Piper handed her guitar back to Larry. He shot her an indiscreet a thumbs up which caused Nicky to snort.
Alex shot her a look. "Uh, thanks," She turned to the other woman who said nothing but smiled up at her amicably, taking a swig from the camel bak water bottle Larry passed her. Fuck, does nothing phase this girl? Alex thought incredulously. She had just given an incredible audition and she was lookung at them casually, as if she'd just done her taxes or taken out the garbage. "Good...good job. Do you mind waiting outside so we can all talk?"
Red opened her mouth to object but Alex had anticipated it and headed her off at the pass. "Red wants us to agree on a decision, you know?" She flashed the woman a grin. "Red, if you don't mind."
The Russian raised her eyebrows. "You want me to wait outside?"
"You said this is my call. Our call."
"Fine," The woman threw her hands up. "This one is so difficult," She turned to Piper, touching her shoulder. "You did good, honey. Shall we?" She steered her toward the door.
"Of course. Take all the time you need. C'mon, Larry."
"Oh fuck no," Nicky jumped off her post the second they left the room. "My vote is a big, fuckin' no." She plopped down between Poussey and Alex on the sofa.
"Okay, first of all, lower your voice, they're right outside and second of all," She lowered her own volume a few decibels. "Second of all, are you fucking kidding me? Were you not in the same room as everyone else? That voice...Jesus Christ, she can read music, she can sing and she's obviously got a brain in her head. Do we really need to see anyone else?"
Nicky elbowed her in the ribs. "You want to sleep with her."
Poussey grinned. "Hell yeah she does."
"Fuck you guys," Alex shook her head . "That's got shit to do with-"
"So you're sayin' you don't think she's hot?" The bassist narrowed her eyes. "I call bullshit."
"Total bullshit, man," Poussey agreed, bumping her knee against Alex's. "Even I'd hit that."
"Right!?" They high fived each other over Alex's head and she sighed exasperatedly and hopped off the couch.
"Listen, Tweedle Dumb and Tweedle Dee, that's enough. I'm not you, Nick. I don't wanna fuck every attractive girl I meet. Can you for one second quit acting like ten year olds and tell me why you don't want her to sing for us? Don't you think she's fucking amazing?"
"Oh she's amazing," Nicky replied. "That's not the problem."
"OK..." Alex paced. "You don't think she can learn the music soon enough? Because I can tell you, just by listening to her, she can." She stopped in front of the sofa again. "Is it her image? Because we can fix that too...none of us look like we do when we perform. Look at you," She gestured to Nicky. "You can't be bothered to run a fucking comb through your hair when you're not on stage."
"Love you too, Vause," Her friend replied dryly. "None of that shit is the problem. Are you blind? Do you really not know what the big fucking red flag is here?"
"Let me help you," Poussey ran a hand over her head. "He's about 5'10, goofy ass smile, dresses like Forrest fuckin' Gump and if he could crawl up Blondie's ass, he would."
"Shit, really? We're gonna let that asshole stop us from getting her? Red will handle him."
Nicky shook her head. "I've seen this shit a million times, dude. He starts sticking his nose in her business and he's always around. Did you not see the way he trailed her around here like a little fuckin puppy?"
"He even looks like a little puppy, yo." Poussey barked wildly."Seriously," She sobered. " Nichols's right. That dude's gonna be trouble. You think after they're married he's gonna want her to tour? He's gonna knock her ass up and she's gonna have like five kids and get all fat and live in New Jersey or some shit."
"Guys, ok, ok, I admit the Larry situation could be a... challenge. But Chapman, she's the real deal. Like insane and I know you heard it too. I was dead set against finding a singer. You know I was. But the second she opened her mouth...we're not going to find anyone like her. And if we turn her away, we're idiots."
Nicky slow clapped. "That was beautiful."
"Shut up." She turned to them. "So...is she in?"
"I say yeah," Poussey piped up. "We want someone good, right? Girl is damn good and you know it, man," She said to Nicky.
"Fine," Nicky agreed begrudgingly, "but if that douche oversteps his boundaries..."
"I'll have Red call in her contacts," Alex joked. "Go get em."
Nicky got up and poked her head out the door. "You guys can cut the awkward small talk now." They re entered the dressing room and Alex turned to Piper.
"Sit down," Alex gestured to a chair. She sat next to her, forcing herself to meet Piper's eyes. Something in their depths unnerved her but she was a musician first and foremost and it was her job to find the best possible replacement, in spite of how she may have felt personally. And Piper would be an asset to them. That she was certain of.
"So we talked and if you're in...we'd like you to be our singer. Provided of course, you don't fuck up at the concert. What do you think?"
"I think that's fair. And I accept. I'm ready for whatever you guys have." Again her unflappable manner bewildered Alex and she silently vowed to find what exactly it was that shook Piper Chapman up. The woman was like a classic Hitchcock blonde; all cool, collected veneer. She wasn't sure if it was all an act but all she cared about was that the woman could fucking sing Lorna under the table.
"Great," She said formally, noting with great satisfaction that all through their encounter Red nor Larry dare interrupt. This was her show, her band, her job to ensure Piper knew what the deal was and who was really running things. "We have alot of material to get through so go back to your hotel, do what you have to do and Red will let you know where to come for rehearsal. Six sharp. And plan to stay late, you ok with that?" Alex's green eyes flashed, as if she were waiting for Piper to protest.
"Absolutely." She nodded and only then did Alex see a trace of excitement as her face lit up into a genuine smile. "And thanks. This means alot. All of you guys," She turned to Nicky, Poussey, and Red. "I can't wait to get started."
Something in Alex's stomach twisted a little at her grin but she ignored it. "You earned it," She said gruffly. "Go. Get some rest. See you at six."
As Piper and Larry left, Alex let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and she was glad her back was to the rest of the room. "Fuck," She muttered. "What did I get myself into?"
Stars belongs to Grace Potter and The Nocturnals. :)
