"They're going to be here soon," Alex murmured against Piper's collarbone, eliciting low, throaty moans from the other woman. Piper was practically in her lap, one hand tangled in Alex's hair, the other under her shirt, toying with the hooks on her bra.

"Let's just be really quiet...they'll think we're not here," she replied huskily, snaking her hand around to rest it on Alex's hip.

"Mhmm, don't think that'll work."

"Probably not. C'mere." Gently, she pushed the other woman backward onto the bed so that she was on top of her.

"Pipes-" It was meant to be a warning but the blonde had buried her face in Alex's neck, concentrating on sucking and kissing the sensitive skin there and all coherent thought went out the window. They were entering into dangerous territory and if Alex had been thinking rationially, she would've realized their friends were bound to arrive any minute, unannounced, and the door wasn't locked and even if it had been, Nicky had her other key card.

The singer either didn't hear the underlying messege in her tone indicating they should probably cool it or she just didn't care because she brought her head back up to meet Alex's lips again, kissing her as if she'd been stuck in the desert for weeks and had just now found water.

Truth be told, it was difficult for Alex to recall why she'd warned her in the first place. Piper's hot kisses and the curves and contours of her body as Alex ran her hands over the warm, pale skin underneath her shirt, her breasts pressed flush against hers...all of it was making Alex's brain fuzzy. It was a pleasant fuzz, like cotton candy and she found herself dizzy with desire. It wasn't often that she allowed herself to want so fiercely but she God help her, she wanted Piper.

"Yo, Vause? You decent?"

"Shit," Reluctantly, they seperated, Alex helping Piper to a sitting position. "She's gonna know," The brunette whispered, taking one look at Piper's dishelved hair and how her eyes were glassy with desire.

"I'm coming in, man! We got hot pizza and cold beer."

"Bathroom," Alex mouthed and Piper nodded, sneaking one single, fleeting kiss before she left the room, closing the bathroom door behind her.

Stealing a glance in the mirror, Alex quickly smoothed down her own wild hair, taking a few deep breaths to slow down her racing heart. There was no time to analyze what had just happened or what was about to happen next before she yelled, "Coming!" and opened the door.

"Hey," Poussey greeted as they stepped into the room. "You ok, Vause?" she asked.

"Yeah? Why?"

"Nah, man, nothin, you just look a little flushed, that's all."

"Uh, I got into the mini bar," Alex fibbed, making room on the desk for the pizzas. "Couldn't wait for you guys."

"Uh huh," Nicky eyed her suspiciously, setting the beer down, "Hey, where's Chapman? She knows she's gotta be here."

"Hi," Piper greeted, coming out of the bathroom. "I got here just before you guys," Her voice betrayed none of what had occured five minutes prior and Alex marveled at what a good liar she was.

"Hmm, surprised we didn't see you in the elevator," The bassist tossed her a beer. "Drink up, kid."

"I took the stairs. Thanks," she gestured with the bottle. "And for the pizza too. I'm starving."

"Get some," Poussey opened the boxes. "We got pepperoni and bacon with onions and pineapple for Vause over there with her nasty ass topping choices."

"Fuck you. It's amazing," she told Piper.

"Yeah, I think I'll take your word for it," She laughed, reaching for a slice of pepperoni.

"You're totally missing out, Pipes."

Nicky took a pause from shoveling her own slice in her mouth and stared. "Now you two are best fucking friends? An hour ago, you were barely speaking."

"We worked it out, OK? Whatta you guys wanna watch? We can order a movie..." Nicky knew her too well not to realize she was changing the subject and she knew, without a doubt, it would arouse the other woman's suspicions.

They managed to settle (amidst much heated debate), on The Conjuring 2 and they took their pizza and beers over to Alex's bed, Poussey and Nicky settling back near the headboard while Alex and Piper stretched out across the foot.

"You OK?" It was only fifteen minutes into the movie and Piper was watching from the crook of her arm, eyes not entirely open. ''You're scared." The realization dawned on Alex and she couldn't help but smile. It was pretty damn cute.

"You don't have to announce it," She whispered self consciously.

"Why didn't you say you don't like horror movies?" Alex questioned, her eyes twinkling. "We could have watched something else."

"Because it's embarrassing. Like how old am I?"

"If we were alone, I'd totally take advantage of you being so freaked out," Alex leaned in to speak lowly into her ear.

"Really...and how would you do that?" Piper had moved in towards her so that their foreheads were nearly touching. Her nearness and the sexy, gentle, teasing caused heat to pool between her legs and she silently cursed herself for suggesting they all hang out in her room.

"Well, for one thing, you'd definitely be watching the movie in my lap," she smirked, as the blonde bit down hard on her lower lip. Alex decided she liked watching cool, calm, and collected Piper come undone by her words alone. Maybe because it was just too easy.

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm," Alex confirmed softly, "Even though I doubt we'd see much of it." She stifled a laugh as Piper blushed.

""Oh you're going down for that," she recovered quickly.

"Wasn't that the plan?" Alex arched an eyebrow. "Sorry, Pipes, but you set yourself up with that one."

"Hey!" Nicky piped up from behind them. "There's a movie going on in case you guys haven't noticed."

"And hasn't ya'lls mama's ever told you it ain't polite to whisper? You better let us in on the secret." The drummer chimed in, taking a long swig of beer.

"No secrets," Alex made some room between them and twisted around to look at her friends. "Chapman was just telling me she hates horror movies."

"Ass," Piper nudged her with her foot. "Told you not to say anything."

"Yo, it's all good. Nichols is afraid of fuckin' clowns. We went to the circus once and she hid in the bathroom till they were gone." Poussey giggled.

"Shut up," Nicky protested over their laughter. "Those motherfuckers are terrifying. One word, man, Penneywise. That'd make anyone fucking afraid of clowns."

"Anyway," Alex said pointedly, "I told she should've said something."

"No way. This fucking shit is amazing. Chapman, pass me another beer, will ya?"

Piper complied and grabbed another for herself. "It's all good. We can keep watching."

"Thanks for your permission, princess. Now can everyone just shut up so I can hear what the fuck is happening?" Nicky settled back against the head board, crossing her arms over her chest in a way Alex knew she meant business.

For the rest of the movie, everyone was quiet, except for the occasional ribbing of Piper who continued to watch with one hand over her eyes when things got too intense for her. Once, during a particular frightening moment, she buried her face in Alex's shoulder and she felt Nicky tap her calf with her foot.

She definitely knows something's up. Logically, it shouldn't have mattered if her bandmates knew something had finally happened between them because Alex was pretty sure Nicky would've said, "It's about fucking time, man", and Poussey along the lines of "I told you, yo."

The problem at hand was she couldn't explain exactly what was going on, where they stood. She had finally allowed herself to acknowledge her feelings and she knew Piper's feelings but that was where it ended. There was no clear cut definition of what they were, where they were headed or where the hell the Larry issue fit in with everything. Alex could only define want. And desire. And lust. And affection. She liked Piper. She liked how she was tough and soft and vunerable at the same time. She liked how she could hold her own but she still needed reassurance. She liked how she was insanely gifted and she could've easily stolen the show when she was on stage but she was also insanely generous to her bandmates, relishing them as teammates. And she liked, no she loved, how incredibly passionate Piper was about music, like she couldn't do anything else. And though their differences were glaringly obvious, Alex hadn't ever met anyone who held the same devotion to her craft as she did.

The end credits rolled and Alex turned over onto her back. Nicky was sprawled across Poussey, her head in her lap and the drummer was absentmindly playing with her hair. Piper had apparently noticed too because she shot Alex a quizzical look.

"Vause," Nicky yawned suddenly, springing up, "Let's go get ice."

"For what?"

"Because you can always use ice, I dunno, man, just come with me."

Alex sighed. "You're so weird," but she rose. "Be right back, ladies."

They shut the door behind them, Nicky pulling her by the hand down the hall, into the alcove with vending machines and the ice machine.

"Dude," The brunette put her hands on her hips, "We didn't grab an ice bucket. Since we're supposed to be "getting ice"and everything."

"We're not really getting ice, dumb ass." Nicky leaned up against the machine. "I just wanted to talk to you alone."

"No shit," Alex replied, rolling her eyes. "So talk."

"What's going on with you and Blondie, huh? Cuz I had a feeling you guys were gonna start going at it any minute."

"Nothing's going on."

"Bullshit, dude. I'm not blind. I saw the way you were looking at each other."

Alex snorted. "You're one to talk. What's going on with you and Poussey, huh? Because you guys looked pretty friendly."

Nicky shrugged. "Yeah, cuz we're friends."

"She's my friend too but I don't go around putting my head in her lap, dude." Alex retorted.

"Don't try to change the subject," Nicky pointed a finger at her, "This is about you and Chapman."

Alex couldn't help but notice the bassist had a light blush spread across her face when she'd called her out and she made a mental note to ask Piper later if Poussey had said anything.

"Look," Alex exhaled,"I'm into her. Like really into her. Don't fucking repeat that. And tonight, before you guys got here, I found out she feels the same way."

"Holy shit, dude."Her friend's eyes widened. "Whatta gonna do?"

"I don't know. Things are just really messy."

"Cuz of the fiancee?"

"Among other things, yeah. But even if she breaks things off, and I'm not asking her to, if we did get together and then everything went to shit and she left...where would that leave us? Not gonna fuck you guys over. I'm not gonna-"

"Do what I did?" Nicky supplied quietly. "Look, I fucked everything up, I know I did and I'm fucking sorry. You know I am."

"I know," She softened, reaching out to touch Nicky's shoulder. "I'm not blaming you for anything, Nick. She's the one who left. All you did was fall in love with her."

"Big fucking mistake."

"Yeah well, you can't control shit like that."

"Exactly. Which is why I'm telling you to watch it. Not cuz of the rest of us or cuz you want us to be the biggest fucking band in the world. Because I love you, asshole. And I don't wanna see you get hurt."

Vulnerable Nicky was rare and Alex couldn't help but be touched by her friend's words. "Thanks, man. I love you too. But I'm a big girl, Nick."

"Straight girls will fuck you up." She shook her head. "She made me fucking crazy, dude. You know. You were there. And I'm still not-"

"Piper is not Lorna. And weren't you the one who told me to sleep with her?"

"Sleep with her. By all means, sleep with her. But just be careful. Ok? That's all I'm saying." She poked her in the side. "I'm not as nice as you. She hurts you, I'm gonna have to kill her."

They returned to the room and neither woman commemted that they were gone for far longer tjan they should have been or the fact they didn't return with ice. Instead, Poussey put her cell into Alex's hand excitedly.

"Yo, The Tribune review."

Alex's eyes scanned it, Nicky reading it over her shoulder. " Let's see...he said we sound cohesive and we play with passion." She continued reading. "He loved the songs..."Alex looked to Piper who hadn't said anything. "And he went nuts over you, Pipes. She read aloud, "The new lead singer, Piper Chapman, replacing Lorna Morello, may be a newcomer to the indie rock circuit but she captivates the audience with a quiet power and a voice that could draw comparisons to Annie Clark or Florence Welch, but is entirely her own. Whereas Morello was all spunk and fire in a tiny package, Chapman, a tall, statuesque blonde, seems almost standoffish when she first steps on stage. The second she opens her mouth, the audience is gifted with a rich, pure honesty that is evident in softer songs like "Inevitable" and "I Just Can't Help It" but also a steely determination in the more raucous ones. She's definitely a force to be reckoned with and the band struck gold when they found her."

Piper's expression remained unreadable and Nicky hit her arm. "Dude! Why the fucking grim face? If that wasn't an ass kissing, I don't know what is. We fucking rocked that shit. And we'll do the same thing in Dallas."

"What's up, Pipes?" Alex asked. "It's a good review."

The blonde pushed herself to a sitting position. "And I'm glad, especially when he said he liked the songs because I think you guys are both wonderful writers. But it's a fucking lot to live up to...I mean he compared me to Florence. That's insane."

"Why is it insane? You're incredible. And you've worked hard for this. It's what you deserve."

"I won't let it get to my head." Piper promised, finally smiling slightly. "But...do you guys think I come across as standoffish, like he said?"

No one spoke. "Uh," Nicky turned away, scratching her head. "Do you want me to answer with like...the truth truth?"

"You do!" Piper looked crestfallen and Alex chuckled gently and shook her head.

"I mean, yeah, a little, maybe when we first met you. But no one thinks so anymore, Piper," she reassured her. "And you really only come across that way to people because you're beautiful and put together and so sure of yourself. Totally not your fault."

"Yeah?"

"Vause is on point. Anyway, it doesn't matter...you one of us now." Poussey slung an arm over Piper's shoulder, grinning. "Fuck what anybody else has to say."

The blonde smiled in return. "You guys are- Seriously, auditioning for this band was the best thing I ever did."

"Really?" Nicky smirked, "The best thing you ever did, huh?"

"Ok, one of the best things I ever did."

Poussey stood and stretched. "Yo, it's like 1:30. We gotta get our asses on that bus in six hours. Let's go and let Vause get some sleep or else Nick's gonna have to buy her ass a coffee again."

"Yeah, yeah," Nicky grumbled, grabbing the six pack of empty beer bottles and another slice of pizza. "See ya, man. Hey, Chapman, you coming?"

"I'm gonna talk to Alex about something first. You don't have to wait for me. See you guys in a few hours."

If the singer noticed the knowing look Nick and Poussey exchanged over her head, she didn't let on. "If that's cool with you," she directed toward Alex.

"Uh, yeah. Totally cool. Night, guys."

"Don't stay up too late now," Nicky winked, shutting the door behind them. Alex could hear their laughter travelling down the hallway and she reddened.

"Al," Piper walked over to where she was standing, "Maybe we should-"

"Call it a night?" Alex filled in. Truthfully, she was relieved. Putting a little time in between what had nearly happened had slightly cooled her insane hormones, or at least it had taken the edge off enough not to act with her pussy instead of her brain. "Look, Piper, we probably shouldn't be rushing into anything. We should probably take the time to figure out what all this stuff means."

"And rationally, I know you're probably right. And I don't want to hurt anybody here...Larry, you, possibly myself. But now you know how I feel and I know how you feel and if Nicky and Poussey hadn't walked in I would've just stopped thinking all together." Piper's eyes darted over her face, zoning in on her lips and Alex took a deep breath.

"I know. Me too." She focused on her bare feet. "I think we should sleep on it. "

"Because you don't want to make a mistake?"

"No," Alex replied intently, "Because I don't want you to." She couldn't bring herself to bridge the small gap between them, to touch her, not yet, not until there was the safe distance of five floors. "Do you trust me?" She asked Piper quietly.

"Yes." Her reply was barely above a whisper and Alex could see that she was trembling.

"It's going to be OK. Alright? I'll see you on the bus and we'll talk about all this before we hit Dallas."

"OK," she agreed, resigned. "OK." Leaning in, she kissed Alex on the cheek. "Good night." And with that, Piper left.

Alex lay down on the bed, her hair fanned out on the down pillows. She'd done the right thing, no, the only thing she'd been able to do but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why she still felt like shit. Sleeping with Piper before they sorted out details of the whole insane mess would've been a mistake. Once they crossed that line, there was absolutely no going back. Shutting her eyes, Alex attempted to hit pause on her spinning thoughts and knock out.

Fifteen minutes later, she inexplicably found herself on the tenth floor, rapping on the door, once and then twice, her heart doing a tango inside her chest.

"Alex?" Piper was clearly taken aback to see her as she unlatched the chain. "What are you doing here?" She'd changed into pajamas, her blonde hair secured in a messy bun on top of her head.

Once again (and it was becoming a habit since they'd met), Alex found herself at a loss for words. Sitting down on the armchair across from Piper's position on the bed, she shrugged helplessly.

"I don't know. I know we were gonna talk later but..."

"But there's clearly something you need to say now so..."

"I'm tired of thinking,"Alex exhaled. "Like so fucking tired of it. I just want to feel. And I can rationalize and overanalyze this into the ground...but the way you make me feel, Piper...I want you. I want you so fucking much. The other shit, we can figure out later."

"Thought you'd never ask," Piper got up and not so gingerly sat on Alex's lap. "Sorry,' she giggled when the brunette groaned. She pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "I want you too, Al. I think I've wanted you from the moment I met you."

Piper lay kisses on her jawline, her neck, and finally, on her lips, as Alex placed two hands on both sides of her waist.

Their tounges danced and she moaned into Piper's mouth, all bets off. Breaking away, breathing heavily, she brought the other woman's face up so that she could look into her eyes. "Just gonna ask one more time. You sure?"

Piper's blue eyes were warm as she pulled Alex to her again. "Shut up."