"Hell no, I ain't nervous," Poussey shoveled a fork full of scrambled eggs into her mouth. "Nichols, you nervous?"

She groaned. "I'm too fuckin' hung over to be nervous." She nudged her seat mate. "And I'd greatly appreciate if you saved the lecture, Vause, OK?"

"Coffee," Alex pushed a cup toward her gently. "And I'm not saying a word, dude. I think this is punishment enough, don't you?"

"You don't have to yell, man, Jesus," Nicky slid her sunglasses down over her eyes. "Motherfucker...I'm never drinking again. Like this is it. For good."

Poussey threw a piece of toast across the table that bounced off her shoulder. "That's what you said the last time."

The curly haired woman ignored her. "I mean it. Seriously, never fucking again."

"Worrying is counter productive." Alex took a sip from her own cup, making a face. "Goddammit, Red was right. No one in Missouri can make coffee that doesn't taste like swamp water." She sighed. "I fucking miss New York."

"Girlfriend sounded good yesterday," Poussey commented. "I think she's ready."

"Hmmm," Nicky muttered disparagingly. "You just wait till she gets in front of all those people. Then it'll be a different fuckin' story, I guarantee. "

"Why do you have to be such a raging bitch all the time?" Alex slammed her fist down on the tabletop with such force that the silverware jumped and the couple seated across from them turned to look.

Nicky regarded her calmly. "Do you have a problem?"

"C'mon now," Poussey placed a hand on Alex's forearm. "It ain't worth it."

"No, Poussey, I've had enough of her shit lately." She turned to Nicky, lowering her voice. "Lorna left you and you're really fucking messed up, I get it and I've tried to be supportive and you can't say I haven't. I've listened to you talk about her until four in the morning, I drank with you, straight vodka, even though I hate it...hell, I even held you when you cried." She nodded to Poussey who looked at her, surprised. "It's the truth. I didn't mind helping you, Nick. We've been friends since we were barely adults but Jesus fucking Christ, her leaving? It doesn't give you the right to be such an asshole."

For a moment, no one reacted. Nicky turned to Poussey, taking off her sunglasses. "You feel that way too?" Her tone was matter of fact but her eyes betrayed that she was upset and it sent a momentary pang of guilt through Alex.

"Uh...I mean, yeah, dude. You haven't been exactly the easiest to deal with lately. I'm not sayin' it's not justified cuz what she did, that was cold but c'mon...you can't keep treatin' everyone like shit who's tryin' to help."

Well, shit, look who's finally speaking her mind, Alex thought, cocking her eyebrow toward Poussey. It had been a long time coming and she was relieved. She only wished Nicky wasn't looking at them both like a dog who'd just been kicked. She loved the girl, she truly did, but her behavior was becoming embarrassing, especially the more well known they became.

"Well...fuck me then. So sorry I've been such a prick to you guys. Do you want me to leave, is that it?" She narrowed her eyes, "Has Red been talking shit?"

Alex shook her head. "Nobody wants you to go anywhere, Nick. We all just want things to be how they were...before."

Nicky laughed. "Yeah right. Before what? Before I fell for a straight chick? Before Red started pitting us up? Before Chapman came in two days ago with her perfect voice and her perfect ass and turned you into some weird pod person version of yourself?"

Alex instantly reddned. "What the hell are you even talking about?"

"Please," She snorted, "You wanna fuck her so bad it's not even funny."

"Right. And you've come to this conclusion how?"

"Uh, cuz I have eyes. And-"Nicky was cut off by a sharp jab in the ribs from Poussey. "What the fuck, dude?"

"Chapman and Goofy just walked in." The drummer whispered loudly. "You best shut up, they're comin' over here."

"Shit," Alex growled lowly. It wasn't bad enough that Nicky had to make blanket assumptions, now Piper and Larry had to walk in directly afterwards. My face probably still looks like a fucking strawberry, she thought, self consciously touching her cheeks.

"Hey guys," Piper greeted easily, smiling at them. She was dressed like a J Crew model again, Alex noted, with a crisp white button down, a pink cardigan, blue jeans and pearl earrings. It was not lost on Alex that whenever she was around Larry, Piper looked as though she were going to have brunch at a country club, whereas for practice, she'd change into worn jeans and a t-shirt. Larry was the male version of her look, with a white polo and khakis, albeit more rumpled. He stood behind her and held up his hand.

"Nice to see you again, ladies."

"Oh, you too," Nicky replied grandly. "Won't you join us?"

Alex inwardly groaned. She knew exactly what her friend was doing and she wanted nothing more than to slap the smug ass smile right off her face.

"Thanks, but we're going to grab a booth," Piper explained, turning her eyes toward Alex. "Thanks for the one on one work yesterday. I think it sounded good, right?"

If there was one thing to give Nicky and Poussey more to rib her about, it was Piper mentioning the fact they had "one on one" time. As innocent as it was, her bandmates would not easily let her hear the end of it.

"No problem," Alex brushed her off, "Uh, ready for tonight?"

"Hope so." Piper looked down at the floor and the small gesture of nervousness made Alex's mouth twitch. It was kind of endearing, she had to admit.

"Oh come on, Pipe, you're amazing and you know it," Larry piped up, putting a hand on her shoulder. "She was practicing in the shower this morning and she sounded great."

Piper laughed. "That's the shower, Larry, everyone sounds great in there."

"Vause doesn't," Nicky interjected. "She can't sing her way out of a paper bag."

"Well she's an insane guitarist, so that more than makes up for it." Piper smiled at her and Alex couldn't help but smile back.

"Adorable," Nicky leaned on her elbows and looked from Piper to Alex and back again. "So when's the wedding?"

Larry looked confused. "Uh, we're thinking sometime next year...we haven't exactly set a date yet."

"Yo, you better go grab a table," Poussey said loudly and Alex shot her a grateful look. "Place is fillin' up."

Piper glanced around the diner. "Seems pretty empty to me."

"Yeah well, it'll get real busy soon, trust me," Poussey assured her. "And you wanna bulk up, right? Get some energy for tonight."

"Definitely,"The blonde agreed. "Hey, what's good here? You guys've been here alot..."

"Nothing," Nicky replied at the same time Poussey said, "The toast."

"Mmmm, toast sounds good. Do you know if they have multi grain? And maybe some Greek yogurt and organic fruit."

Poussey laughed. "Girl, you wishin' for the stars. This place don't even know how to make a good cup of coffee."

"Guess we'll just take our chances then," Larry said amicably, slinging an arm around Piper's shoulders. "We're going to get some R and R before the concert. Try to get our girl here to chill, you know."

"I'll be there at five." Piper offered, "I like to get to gigs early to warm up."

"I'll be there," Alex replied, finally finding her voice. "I can't speak for these slackers."

"OK,see you all later then," The blonde waved, letting Larry guide her to the other side of the restaurant.

"What a fucking douche," Nicky said emphatically once they were out of earshot. "What the fuck does she see in him?"

"Maybe he got a big-"

"Ew,that's enough, man. Gross." Alex shuddered. "And you," She looked at Nicky, eyes flashing, "What the hell is your problem? Is this because I was straight with you about you being a giant asshole? Because if it is, seriously, grow up."

"Hey man," The bassist shrugged, "I just call it like I see it."

"Yeah, what's with the "one on one time?", Poussey questioned, reaching across the booth to steal a cast off fry from Alex's plate.

Again she felt herself turning red and again she cursed herself for it. Alex Vause didn't blush and she especially didn't blush over a girl. "It was nothing. After you guys left, she asked if we could practice a few songs so we did. No big deal." She deliberately omitted the fact they'd sat so closely together, their arms had brushed and Alex had felt it again, that electric current that had coursed through her body when they'd shook hands three days prior.

"Hmmm..." Nicky raised her eyebrows. "Whatever. We got a show tonight, so let's get the fuck outta here." She threw a 50 dollar bill on the table. "It's on me ladies. See? I'm not an asshole all the time."

"Thanks Nick!" Poussey grinned, sliding out of the booth. "I'm gonna go back to the hotel and go for a swim. You guys wanna come?"

"Hell no," Her friend shook her head. "I'm gonna go back to sleep, eat some unhealthy shit and then go back to sleep again till it's five."

Alex looked at her disdainfully. "Really?"

"You have your pre show ritual, I have mine."

They said their goodbyes and parted ways and Alex stood outside the diner,unsure of what to do. Suddenly, since she was dressed for it, she decided to go on a run. She wasn't a runner, not really, but she enjoyed the adrenaline rush it gave her and since she couldn't ride her bike on tour, it was better than nothing.

She ran further and further downtown, past stores and restaurants, past people going to work, past the steady stream of cars in the street, past the park where people walked their dogs in the mid morning sunlight.

The whole thing was annoying. Not thinking a straight girl was hot, that didn't bother Alex a bit as she'd slept with more than a few in her time. It wasn't even that she was engaged (which was a no no) or that she was in the band (well, unofficially, still an even bigger no no). It was more the fact she was crushing on the girl like she was a fucking fourth grader all over again. She might as well hand Piper a note that said, "Do you like me? Circle Yes or No." Alex had never been the heart beating fast, steady palms type woman. She had always prided herself on remaining cool with girls and if she saw something she liked, well, she usually got it.

Piper was different. There was something about her Alex couldn't quite put her finger on. Panting, she finally stopped running and collasped into a little patch of grass, her breath coming in jerky spurts and she put her head between her knees to steady the pounding in her ears.

Whatever it was, Alex knew right then and there she couldn't act on her impulses. There was no way they could lose such an amazing singer. And even though she didn't know her well enough yet, Alex genuinely liked her, once she got passed the slightly uptight veneer. She wasn't afraid of hard work and she strived for excellence, just like Alex.

The problem was, she realized, her head nestled in the quiet of her arms, she could listen to logic about staying away from Piper Chapman all day long. But her heart, well that was another matter entirely.