As it turned out, hanging out in a bar when you felt like shit wasn't very fun at all and Alex regretted the decision the second she stepped through the door. She hadn't been to the tiny place (which was literally a hole in the wall) in eight months and it could have been her irritable state, but she had completely ceased to see the appeal. Once upon a time, the three of them (when she had gotten together with Morello, Nicky tended to stay away, using the reasoning it was easier to resist temptation by avoiding it all together) had hit up the place consistently a few times a week, leaving on almost every occasion with an attractive lady.
Steadily, she ignored the girls who tried to buy her drinks and when she attempted to join her friends on the crowded dance floor she quickly got tired of being elbowed and bumped and ended up slumped sulkily against the bar, nursing her third Bud of the night before she decided to leave.
"Hey, I'm heading home," She shouted over the music as soon as she had spotted her friends. Poussey was more than a little tipsy, hanging comically all over Nicky who seemed to be amused by the drummer's behavior.
"You sure, man?" Nicky boomed, grinning lopsidedly. "P's a pretty funny drunk."
"Yeah, I can see that." A dull ache was forming behind her eyes and she lightly massaged her temple. "I'm tired. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye, Al," Poussey waved crookedly, giggling as she nearly slipped from Nicky's grasp, "Love you, girl!"
"Text me when you guys make it back," The guitarist said into Nicky's ear and her friend gave her a thumbs up. It was not lost on Alex how ironic it was that Nicky was the one taking care of Poussey, instead of the other way around.
Months of being on the road had done a number on her ability to sleep when she was actually tired so it was really no surprise to Alex that she found herself unable to pass out when she fell into bed. So she grabbed a beer from the fridge and did she what she tended to do when insomnia (and her muse) decided to visit; she grabbed her guitar and a legal pad and headed out onto the terrace.
The September air was cool and quiet and as she looked out toward the clear night sky, taking in the stunning view of Williamsburg (which never ceased to enthrall her, even after living there for so many years), she strummed and scribbled furiously.
As she played, stopping only to write down lyrics, the tears she had been holding in for days spilled silently down her cheeks but she didn't stop, and it continued, playing and writing and the endless tears, the three cycling. By the time she was finished, her fingers were blistered and she wiped her damp face with the back of her hand and she didn't know if the song was shit or not but it was there, out in the universe, and her chest felt as if it had been cracked wide open.
Finally, putting her guitar back into its case she left the terrace, crawled into bed, and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Alex managed to sleep until quarter to ten, a feet that she hadn't accomplished in a long time, showering and dressing quickly before heading down the block to her favorite bagel place. After she bought her breakfast, she walked to the park and it hit her...after tonight, the tour would be over. Six months of her life flashed before her eyes, and the memories hit hard. So much of the tour was amazing; getting to see parts of the country she hadn't been to, forging a closer bond with her bandmates (especially in the wake of Morello's departure), meeting and subsequently loving Piper. Though it hadn't ended how she had hoped, there was no way she she regretted that the blonde had joined the band. How could she, when Piper made them better, their sound richer and fuller and cohesive in ways Alex had tried to accomplish for years. No one could argue the woman was insanely gifted and they were lucky to have found her. Alex could look past her heartache enough to at least see that.
In the afternoon, Nicky came by (while Poussey had lunch with her two best friends) and they sat around eating Thai take-out from the containers and reminiscing about the beginnings of the tour.
"Lot of shit that happened," The curly haired woman mused, spearing a stray noodle with her fork (Alex liked to tease her about her total ineptness when it came to using chopsticks) before slurping it up. "It's been a crazy year."
"And it's not over yet," Alex reminded her, tucking her feet underneath her on the couch. "Three and a half more months to go, give or take..."
"Vause," Nicky stared at her, "You do realize you're sitting exactly like Chapman, right?"
It took a second for her words to sink in and when they did, she smiled. "Well, shit...I guess I am." The idea settled into the corner of her brain she reserved for the tiny Piper details, little quirks and idiosyncrasies that she had to file away, because if she allowed them to stay at the forefront, she would obsess.
Brushing off any conversation it might have started, she took a long sip of water. "Anyway, this year hasn't been all bad...can I just fucking tell you, you look great, Nick. Happiness suits you. And before you make fun of me, that's the only sappy ass shit I'm gonna say, I swear."
Nicky laughed and Alex could tell her compliment had pleased her "I am happy. Took me fuckin' long enough, didn't it? She's pretty great. Obviously," she said (the fact her New York accent thickened when she was excited had always made Alex grin) I knew this already but being her girlfriend...it's different." Stopping to examine her words, she nearly dropped the carton of noodles. "Motherfucker," she proclaimed loudly, turning toward Alex, "Did I just call her my girlfriend?"
Grinning, her friend nodded. "First time for everything, right? But if you fucking spill shit on my couch, dude..."
"I've had actual girlfriends before," Nicky defended herself, ignoring Alex's idle threat. "Like not long term or anything but P's...Poussey is Poussey, ya know?"
"I do," the guitarist acknowledged. "You know how I feel about her." She regarded her friend seriously. "Don't fuck it up, man. You and me...we tend to self-sabatoge, so...don't do that."
"Not planning on it. Trust me."
They were silent for a minute when Alex put her empty container on the coffee table and sprang up. "Hey, I wrote something last night, if you wanna hear it. I know you'll be honest with me if it blows."
It wasn't uncommon for one of them to write a song, present it to the other person and then together, they would either tweak it or scrap it and Nicky nodded. "Let's hear it."
She grabbed her guitar from the bedroom and brought it back, closing the french doors to the terrace before sitting back on the sofa.
She strummed softly, her gaze on her socked feet. "Tell me you turned down the man," she began huskily, "who asked for your hand cause' you were waiting for me. And I know you're gonna be away awhile, but I've got no plans at all to leave."
As she played, (not the least bit self conscious singing in front of Nicky, who teased her about her low, raspy tone but could barely carry a tune herself), Alex was able to contain the emotions that over taken her when she written it and focus simply on the honesty in the words and the way the chords reverated through her body, forcing her to be still.
"All my senses come to life as I'm stumbling home as drunk as I have ever been and I'll never leave again. Cause' you are the only one and all my friends have gone to find another place to let their hearts collide. And promise me you'll never leave, you are the only one..."
Lifting her head up, she leaned into the music, her voice pained but open, fingers flying across the stings," Take my hand and my heart and soul, I will only have eyes for you. And you know everything changes, but we'll be strangers if we see this through. You can stay within these walls and bleed or just stay with me."
She dipped into the chorus again and then again still and by the time she was finished, she was exhausted, as if she had run a marathon. There was no sense of carthasis or resolution and she wasn't entirely certain it even belonged on the album, but she had needed to get it out of her and onto paper and she knew Nicky would definitely give her an honest opinion.
Looking up, she placed her guitar gently on the sofa and shrugged. "That's it. Listen, Nick, if you hate it, you can say so...it's all good. I just kind of-"
"No, no, man," Nicky's eyes grew larger, "No..it's fucking amazing. And you know I'm not just saying it. It's...beautiful, Vause. But-,"she hesitated, trying to gauge her friend's reaction.
"You can say it. But what?"
"Is Chapman gonna sing that in concert? Cuz obviously it's about her. About you and her."
"I don't know. I don't even know if it's right for the album. I mostly wrote it for me...it just came to me. I guess if we went ahead and laid the track down, I'd sing it."
The song was probably the most intensely personal she'd penned, even more so than the one she wrote for Diane (which had touched upon the diaster of finding her father). There wasn't enough distance between them yet where Piper could hear it, but someday there could be.
"Is that how you feel? How you still feel, I mean?'"
"It's what happened, honestly," She sucked in a breath "She was it for me, Nicky, and it didn't work. That's what's the last verse is about."
"Well," the bassist shook her head, "It's gotta go on the album, dude. It's too good not to. Whatever Piper thinks."
Closing her eyes, she moved her guitar and lay down, resting her head on the throw pillow. "Last show tonight, Nick. We did it. We made it."
"We sure fuckin' did. And we'll have our big, insane party to celebrate."
The tour wrap party would be at The Foundry and Alex knew her friends had been looking foward to it for weeks as a celebration of their accomplishments and months of hard work. She had been excited when they had booked it, way back when she was crazily, deeply wrapped up in the all consuming love she had for Piper and she could live safely in denial, even going as far to think she would be dancing with her at the party. Now the idea of putting on a smile for the benefit of strangers (Red had invited some of her connections), was completely disheartening.
"I just wanna get through tonight and get all my shit together and take off for like, two weeks. That's it, that's all I need. Then we can finish writing and get into the studio before Christmas." What she didn't mention that it would be two full months away from Piper, two months where the absence would put things into perspective and she could come back and soley focus on the music.
"Whatever you need, man..I'm here. Like herpes. You can never, ever get rid of me," Her friend groaned as Alex tossed a pillow at her head.
"That's charming," The guitarist replied dryly. "I can totally see why P's so into you."
"Right?" Nicky ran a hand through her unruly mane. "Alright, Vause," she stretched, yawning loudly. "I'm gonna bail. See you in like...shit, two hours? I told Poussey we'd hang out before the show."
"Go," Alex waved her off, "I'll see you later. Oh and Nick? Thanks."
"For what?"
"For listening...for calling me on my bullshit. Everything, really. I know I've been a total fucking mess lately and-"
"Forget it, man," Nicky interjected, standing. "May I remind you again of all the times you've personally saved my ass? Picked me right up off the ground and told me to get my shit together but never once judged me? Guess what, Vause...just returning the favor."
She enveloped the guitarist in a brief, tight hug. "See you at five. Relax," she ordered, pointing her finger as she left the brownstone.
Relaxing was easier said than done and after she'd tried reading and watching a movie, only an hour had passed before she gave up on the idea and jumped on the L train with her big bag of concert things and transferred at 14th st to the A to head uptown.
She stopped at Fairway to buy a salad and walked across the street, expertly manuerving through crowds on the sidewalks. When she had first moved to New York, she was only eighteen and the first few months had been unbearably lonely. There was a strange disconnect with people and the fact she could be walking on the street with literally hundreds of people but no one had any connection to one another; everyone lived in separate worlds, separate spaces and though she often thrived on being alone, she found she had immense trouble coping with the utter sense of isolation she felt.
As she became older, she grew to appreciate the anonymity of living in the city, the knowledge that whatever her problelms were, she could walk outside and disappear into the crowd. It was freeing to be able to blend in now, to spill out onto the sidewalks and become swept up into a mob of people. Oddly, it made her feel less alone and more a piece of the intricate animal that was New York City.
No one else was there when she arrived at the theater but she wasn't suprised, having grown accustomed to Piper's absence (the notion still sent a brief lightening bolt of pain into the center of her chest) and she welcomed the silence, seeing it as an opportunity to take in her surroundings, to focus on making their last show the very best possible and to shut out all the other shit that was weighing heavily on her mind.
It wasn't long before everyone came for sound check and the room was bursting with noise, the excitement palpable. Wrapping up their first national tour was no small feat and in spite of her own troubles, Alex was extremely proud of them, of their ability to persevere in the bleakest of circumstances. It was only up from there.
Piper was her usual quiet self but she looked healthy (albeit a little morose) and it relieved the other woman to see she had gained a little weight over the past few days. She had her guitar in tow and sat in a corner after she had quickly dressed and strummed softly on it. A few times, they made eye contact and Alex was able to give her a small smile.
She wondered when it would click; that one moment where blue eyes would no longer bore into hers and she could look at Piper again without feeling as if there was an enormous weight on her chest, the day where she would wake up and not be reminded of what could have been and when she would stop wishing that her resolve was weaker and that Piper's were stronger and that she hadn't fallen in love with someone who could never fully love her back.
Dressing quickly, she made idle talk with her bandmates, if only to shut up the thoughts in her own head, laughing as Nick recounted early band tales, some which Poussey had never heard. And she smiled as the drummer rose and went to where Piper was sitting, bending down and speaking lowly to her and then helping her up and pulling her into their fold. She watched Nicky briefly stiffen (if she thought it would take a long while for herself to fully trust Piper again, it was nothing in comparison to how difficult re gaining Nicky's would be) and seconds later, relax as Poussey sensed her trepidation and put a hand on her shoulder, fingers just grazing the bone. For better or for worse, they were a band and the singer was an intergral part of it. They wouldn't be as good, as solid, without her, and that was a fact no one could dispute.
It was Red who brought the champagne this time, opening the cork herself with a resounding pop while Alex handed out cups.
"To you girls," She tipped her own cup toward them. "Many times on this tour, I wanted to strangle you but we got through and we turned a profit too. It's been a success." Red turned to Alex. "Vause, anything you want to say?"
"Yeah. Uh, you guys know how fucking proud I am. From where we started till now. We made it. After everything that's happened, we're here. And as much as I ride everyone's asses, you guys are hard workers and you give all you've got. So thank you. That's it." She was not an eloquent speech giver, not by a long shot, but her words held true.
"Thank you, man," Poussey toasted, eyes twinkling. "You're our leader...even when the shit hit the fuckin' fan, you made sure we got right back up."
"Right," Nicky chimed in. "You ride our asses, alright, but it's for us. Everything you do, it's for us and we know it. Everything you've sacrificed...it doesn't go unappreciated, dude." The bassist glanced toward Piper who cleared her throat.
"I just want to say thank you," Piper added quietly, eyes wet. "To you, Red, for taking a chance on me, to Poussey for always making me feel like one of you, to Nicky, for calling me on my shit," She laughed, "even if I wasn't always ready to hear it. And to you, Alex," she turned to the guitarist, "For everything." Her voice broke and she shook her head, raising up her glass. "To a fucking amazing tour."
"To a great tour," Everyone repeated, downing their drinks quickly before Red left them to finish getting ready.
Piper sat down at her make-up station, next to Alex's and the guitarist couldn't help but glance at her out of the corner of her eye. She was beautiful. Not her ususal every day beautiful, but there was a glow about her. The thought crossed her mind that perhaps she had come to terms with marrying Larry and she tried to brush off the pang it gave her. She had squashed any hope between them, when it was all said and done. She had let Piper go, once and for all. Who was she to be disappointed because the blonde was marrying the man she had chosen in the first place?
"Hey," Piper said easily, applying bronzer efficiently. "You ready for tonight?"
If she was taken aback Piper had intiated a casual conversation, she tried not to let on. "Yeah. I mean, I think so. I think it'll be good."
"I just can't believe it's the last show. I know I came on board late in the game...but it's been incredible. So...I don't know...I guess just want to say thank you again."
"You don't have to thank me, Piper. You're amazing. You know you are and personal stuff between us aside, we lucked out finding you."
"Al..." Her voice lowered a decibel then she stopped. "I wish-"
"Please don't. Not now, OK? Let's just concentrate on going out there and having the best fucking show possible. Can we do that?"
"Yeah...yes. We definitely can." The blonde turned back to her mirror and didn't really speak to the guitarist or anyone else until they were called to take their places.
"Alright ladies," Alex took in the relaxed, content faces of her bandmates, "last show. We need to show them we're in it. Got it? Full throttle, OK?" Her expression softened ever so slightly. "Love you guys."
Piper's eyes happened to meet hers and for a second, she was unable to look away. She had spoken a truth, in more ways than one, and it was too late to take it back. But it was the truth, she did love each of them, Piper, included, albeit in a different context. She wouldn't apologize for it, even though everything was fucked up, even though the world was topsy turvy...loving Piper was her truth and she didn't see it changing anytime soon.
They stepped out on the stage, Red watching from the wings (something she hadn't done since the very first show on the tour) and immediately, Alex was swept up the energy. Their last show on their very first tour. The period of uncertainty where she didn't know if they would survive seemed like it had been a lifetime ago but she was painfully aware that their story could have been completely different, that the fact they were there was amazing and she wasn't about to take everything for granted.
The audience was wild and responsive and they fed off of their love; Alex could look around the stage and see the pure joy on Nicky and Poussey's faces, in the way they matched her grin.
And Piper...Piper wore the same glow she had had in the dressing room. There was a peacefulness about her that hadn't been presentl lately, her mouth relaxed, her shoulders held not at their ususal rigidity. She sang with the same clear, open quality she always had but there was more...Alex could hear the love as she sang, she could physically feel it...love for them all, love for the crowd, love for what she was doing. It was so palpable and real that the weight of it nearly took her breath away.
It came to the time where Alex introduced them, pausing in between each name to allow for cheering, which seem to go on forever.
"And I'm Alex Vause! As you guys know, this is our last show and there's no where we'd rather be than in our home city. It's been an incredible tour and we all just wanna say thank you! We love you all!"
She re-positioned her guitar, waiting for the yelling to subside to launch into "Inevitable" as the others waited for her cue
"Hey New York!" Piper unexpectedly leaned into the microphone, taking Alex completely aback, and she let her strap slide slightly down her chest.
"So this is our last show and I want to share something with you all. Is that OK?" Her question was met by shouts of approval and she smiled. "Thanks." She stepped off stage, into the wings, returning with her own guitar. "You guys can take it easy for a few minutes," she gestured to the stools Alex and Nicky perched on for the slower numbers.
"So," Piper began, looking out into the crowd. "This is a song I wrote for someone special. It's actually the second song I wrote for them and maybe you'll hear that one someday too but..."She trailed off. "I screwed up. Simply put. So...here it goes."
"What the fuck is going on?" Alex muttered under her breath to Nicky who shrugged. It was a ballsy move to take over the concert to play an original song (not that anything Piper did surprised her anymore) and for some reason, she convinced herself instantly that the song was a plea of forgiveness to Larry which definitely had no place at their show (never mind it pissed her the fuck off).
The singer began strumming her guitar, picking her head up to sing into the microphone, her voice rich and clear.
I've hardly been outside my room for days, Cause I don't feel that I deserve the sunshines rays. The Darkness helped until the whiskey wore away. And it was then I realized the conscience that never fades.
While gorgeous and percise, Alex could hear the anguish in her voice as she dug into the second verse and her stomach twisted hearing her pain.
When you're young, you have this image of your life, That you'd be scrupulous and one day even make a wife. And you make boundaries you'd never dream to cross, and if you happen to you wake up completely lost.
The singer closed her eyes, leaning into the first chorus.
But I will fight for you, be sure that I will fight. Until we're the special two once again. And we will only need each other, we'll bleed together. Our hands will not be taught to hold another's, cause' we're the special two.
And we can only see each other, we'll bleed together. These arms will not be taught to need another's, cause' we're the special two.
"Holy fucking shit," Nicky nudged her indiscreetly. "It's about you."
"What?" She replied dumbly.
"The song, stupid. The song is about you."
I remember someone old once said to me, that lies will lock you up with truth the only key. But I was comfortable and warm inside my shell and couldn't see that this place would soon become my hell.
Alex listened intently as Piper sang, the blonde looking out into the audience until she got to a specific place.
I know I'm not deserving of your trust from you right now, She snuck a glance at Alex (subtle but there it was), But if you change your mind, you know I will not let you down. Cause' we were the special two and we will be again.
Tears spilled from her eyes, open and sorry and Alex's heart clenched as she jumped on the wings of the chorus, fingers flying furiously over her guitar strings.
And we will only need each other, we'll bleed together. These hands will not be taught to hold another's, cause' we're the special two. And we will only see each other, we'll breathe together. These arms will not be taught to need another's, cause' we're the special two.
The last note of the song hung in the air as she wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "Thanks for listening, guys," She said as the applause began. "That was "The Special Two". You guys ready for this next one?" She nodded to Alex to pick up her own guitar to start the chords to "Inevitable".
The dark haired woman was frozen to the spot, a deer in headlights until Nicky bumped her to push the stools back. "Next song, man," She whispered, "Focus."
Jolted, she started to play, shutting out what had just happened, shifting her complete concentration on what was going on in the moment so she wouldn't lose her shit.
A stunt like that would have normally infuriated her as she was deadly serious about the manner in which they handled themselves on stage but Piper's song was beautiful and haunting and more than that, she had written it for her and it was difficult to process how that felt, what it meant, but for the other woman to sing it in front of a thousand people...it was fearless.
The rest of the concert was uneventful and when they played the very last encore and left the stage, the four of them had tears in their eyes (though Nicky tried to play them off as stage dust) and Poussey gathered them all into a fierce group hug in the wings chanting, "And that's a wrap, ladies. We fuckin' slayed this tour. Fuck yes!" Red even got caught up in the moment as Poussey pulled her into their small circle, uncharistically jovial.
"You did good, girls. Chapman," she winked. "Beautiful song, even though I don't approve of displays like that with no warning. "May have to go on the new album. Don't you think, Vause?"
Luckily she didnt wait for a response before she laughed. "Come girls, go change. We have a closing party to get to and people who want to meet you."
They did as told, changing quickly into their party clothes, the mood in the room light and happy. Piper joked with Nicky and Poussey but no one mentioned her song or the fact they all were well aware of who it had been for.
"I'll meet you guys there," Piper told them. She had changed into a simple red cocktail dress, her hair loose and she had kept her dramatic concert make-up on; a smoky, sultry eye with nude lips. Without waiting for a response, she gathered her things quickly and left the room.
"Well, fuck," Nicky began but Poussey shook her head to silence her.
"Not the time, man."
"Fine," The bassist replied sulkily. "Only cuz I kinda like you and you look super hot right now."
Poussey wore an off the shoulder fitted white shirt and black pants, tucked into black boots. "Lookin' smokin' yourself, Nick."
Alex could have sworn the bassist was blushing but she did look nice and Nicky in a dress was a rare thing to behold. "You OK, Vause? You're pale as fuck. And that's all I'm gonna say," She said pointedly to the drummer.
"I will be. Let's just go." She ran a brush through her own hair and straightened her short black and red patterned dress which she had pared with combat boots. It wasn't her intent to get wasted at the party, but she would need more than a few drinks to deal with the people Red would introduce them to and to logically process the events of the concert.
The Foundry was large and open and they were immediately handed flutes of champagne upon entering which Alex downed in one long gulp.
"Oh good, you're here," Red greeted, taking her by the arm before she even had a chance to put down her empty glass. "There are some gentleman I'd like you to meet...Where's Chapman? They are dying to meet her too."
"Uh, I don't know. She'll probably be here soon."
"I hope so. That one is turning out to be more difficult than you. And that is saying something. Come."
Alex let herself be led away, waving over her shoulder to Nicky and Poussey who didn't look at all bothered to be excluded in introductions and made a beeline to the open bar.
Mercifully, Piper arrived not long after so she let her and Red do most of the talking. If there was a part of her job she hated, that she couldn't quite get used to, it was networking, even more so than interviews. She lacked the social graces to properly bullshit and preferred to let Piper (who had done more than her fair share of schmoozing over the years) smoothly make small talk and leave Red's business associates thoroughly charmed.
They finally finished and made an escape, Alex managing to swipe them both more champagne and some canapes from a nearby waiter passing them. She found a quiet spot for them to sit on a loveseat, away from some of the din.
"Thank you," She told her companion gratefully, breathing a sigh of relief. "I don't know how you do it."
"Do what?" Piper bit into her canape. "Function lately? Me either."
"Talk to people without sounding like an asshole."
The blonde shrugged. "Lots of practice at lots of boring parties my mother and father hosted. I had to be at every single one of them. I figured out pretty early on what's acceptable and what's not to talk to rich people about." She paused to drink, draining her glass, "Anyway, no need to thank me. I know you're not comfortable making small talk."
They were silent for a minute before Alex took an enormous breath and turned to face her. "Piper," she dove in, "that song-" Shaking her head, she rose. "Can we go somewhere?"
"Terrace?"
Alex nodded and followed the singer wordlessly outside, passing by with a quick wave to her friends who each had a drink in hand.
The terrace was empty and as they leaned against the balcony, Alex was reminded of another time in the not so distant past when they were on another terrace, in another city, toasting a promise to live in the moment. She would have liked to say it was a time before things had gotten complicated but things had been always been complicated...they had been the second she shook Piper's hand.
"So, the song..."Piper let her eyes connect with Alex's. "You figured out I wrote it for you, huh?" She smiled. "It's the second one I wrote, if you can believe it. The first one was alot...lighter. I wrote the one I sang tonight after our conversation at the park."
"Piper-" She didn't have adequate words. What little words she did have failed her as she struggled to express herself. "It was beautiful," she finally settled on. "What you said-"
"I meant it," The blonde cast her gaze downward. "I needed you to hear it. If you never knew how I really felt-" She paused, bringing her eyes back up to look at Alex again. "Look, Alex, the truth is, I'm-I am who I am and I'm probably never going to change. You're right. I know what I want but I'm too fucking scared. So you're right to move on, you're probably better off without me." Her voice was soft as she reached out to gently cup her face. "You have to know, Alex, if I could, I'd fight like hell for you. I would fight so fucking hard."
Piper leaned forward and kissed her lightly, so lightly, Alex could've mistaken it for the breeze brushing her lips. "You've showed me what it means to love and I'll always love you. Always. But I haven't been fair to you. I won't hurt you anymore." She turned to leave.
Speechless, Alex tried to take her hand. "Piper, wait...please."
But she was already gone.
Authors Note: One more chapter! Hard to say good-bye to this fic but I hope you all will enjoy what's to come...
One belongs to the brilliant Ed Sheeran. Thanks to Alyienlorriane for the suggestion!
The Special Two is the work of the equally amazing Missy Higgins.
