Alex

"How'd you end up in here?" I asked her after a while of neither of us saying anything.

I heard her groan, "I tried to tell Healy it wasn't your fault and, of course, he wasn't very understanding. He said I was being insubordinate."

"You? Insubordinate?" I joked. "Oh, wait, yea... That's not in my top five adjectives for you, but it's up there."

"Shut up."

I shook my head. I was still high and I knew it'd be a while before it wore off. Maybe that's why I was able to talk to Piper so easily. Or maybe it was because I didn't have to see her face. "So, let me get this straight; you tried to reason with Healy even after he left you to die at Doggett's hands? On what planet did you think that would actually work?"

"I know. I fucked up," she said angrily and let out a bitter laugh. "What's new?" When I didn't answer, she asked, "Are you still there?"

"Uh, yea. Where the fuck would I go, Piper? I was just nodding my head in silent agreement."

"Great. Thanks..."

I rolled my eyes even though she couldn't see me, "What do you want me to say? That you didn't fuck up? Well, I'm sorry, but you did. You literally just got out of Psych less than four hours ago and now you're in the SHU because you couldn't control your temper."

"I was trying to help you!"

"Yea, because getting yourself thrown in here, too, is really helping," I assured her sarcastically.

"Fuck you, Alex."

I sighed, suddenly not in the mood to continue this conversation. "I'm going to sleep. I'd appreciate it if you held off on beating the shit out of the wall for a few hours. 'Night." I stood up and walked over to the bed. I was dead tired and didn't care that there was no blanket or pillow. I hoped that my exhaustion would be enough for me to actually get some sleep. A deep sleep that would last for days without any nightmares of sharpened crosses, hillbillies, or Piper.

-Day One...-

Piper

I stared down at the tray in my lap and grimaced. It was a bowl of some odd oatmeal-looking goop. I didn't know that it was really oatmeal, the mixture had congealed and stiffened and there were black specks of god-knows-what sprinkled throughout it.

"I can't do it," I said.

"Just think of the stories you'll have," was shot back at me through the grate.

"I already have stories about mystery loaf and moldy lunch meat. And besides, that really doesn't apply if this shit kills me."

"C'mon, we'll do it together."

Alex was always willing to try anything when we traveled, whereas I was always too afraid. But this stuff wasn't some rare, poisonous fish. It was just rotten food. I brought it up to my face and smelled it. My stomach turned.

"On three, okay?" she said. "One..." There was no spoon so i used my fingers and scooped out a small bite. "Two..." I took a deep breath and brought it inches from my mouth. "Three.." I couldn't do it. I heard Alex gag through the grate and the clattering of a tray.

"Alex?! Are you okay?" There was coughing and more gagging before she said, "Fuck... that! Don't do it."

"I-I didn't. I couldn't."

"Wimp," she said, "I knew you wouldn't."

"Well, I'm okay with being a wimp. That sounded horrible. Are you alright?"

"My tongue is kind of numb, but other than that, yea, I'm good."

I let my head fall back against the wall. If Alex couldn't handle the food in here, then I was seriously screwed.

A few hours later, we were playing Twenty Questions. It was like we had some sort of unspoken deal. While we were in here, we would act as though everything was normal and not talk about any heavy topics. We needed eachother to be there as a distraction in order to keep our sanity. I was just so grateful that she was talking to me that I wouldn't care if all she did was bitch about what an asshole I am. But she didn't. She was acting... normal.

"Is he a historical figure?" I asked.

"Yea, I guess."

"Was he a president?"

"Yup."

"Was his nickname Teddy?"

"Fuck! Okay, yea."

I laughed at her frustrated answer. "Theodore Roosevelt."

"How the hell do you do that?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. It's a gift. And you used that same one when we were flying from New York to London for the first time."

"Really? You remember that?"

"I remember a lot of things," I told her softly. There was silence and I knew I had crossed one of the unsaid boundaries. "So, I would say we could play 'I Spy' but it'd be kind of pointless," I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"It's amazing how the little things stick, you know?"

I swallowed, "Alex..."

"I spy with my little eye... something... white."

"The wall?"

"Ding, ding, ding..."

More hours passed and two more trays of inedible food were left untouched.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked. Conversation had dwindled and the games had gotten tired. There wasn't much we could really talk about without bringing up our past, present, or future.

"Food. You?"

"How long do you think they'll keep us in here?"

"Hard to say. Healy said a week or two in here might straighten me out. I'm not completely sure whether the pun was intended, though."

"God, I hate him."

"Was Psych as bad as Crazy Eyes said?" she asked.

"I wasn't detained there, so I'm not sure but it seemed like it. I only had to go for an evaluation."

"How'd that go?"

"I didn't get sent down the hill so I guess it went well." I readjusted my sitting position, my legs were starting to go numb. "The doctor who evaluated me asked about you."

"He did? Why?"

"Because after... what happened... the guards were interviewed and apparently they reported that we had an intimate relationship that, as the doctor put it, 'may have attributed to the detriment' of my mental health."

"What the fuck?"

"Yea, I know, right? It has Healy written all over it."

"So, he basically said I drove you crazy?"

I laughed, "Yes, but not in a good way."

She was quiet for a while. "Is that how you feel?"

I took a moment to really think about it. She had been part of the reason I broke down. But it was the stress of a situation I had created that pushed me over the edge. "Honestly? No. It's the opposite of that," I admitted. "You were the one keeping me sane, Alex. And when I lost you... that's what drove me crazy." She didn't say anything but, since we'd already crossed the line with the conversation, I took my opportunity to bring up what happened that night. "I never thanked you... for what you did. You were right, you know, about them being scared Larry would write something..." The silence continued. "Thank you, Alex. I know that it might not mean much, but I owe you my life."

"You don't owe me anything," she finally said. "I got you thrown in here, so let's just say we're even. I'm gonna try to sleep. 'Night, Piper."

"Alex, wait," I said, but she didn't answer.

-Day Two...-

Alex

The breakfast tray being dropped through the slot in the door woke me up. I didn't know how long I slept, the lights were always on and there were no windows so the only way to mark the passing of time was counting meals.

Today's breakfast was a stale piece of bread. The mold was easy to scrape off at least. When I said this through the grate, there was no reply. I figured Piper must still be sleeping. Or maybe she'd been released. I hoped it was the former, though I hated to even think that I was in a position where I relied on her. I had promised myself I wouldn't let that happen anymore.

Sure, yesterday had been fine. We had joked around and been civil. But I had screwed that up and asked a question I didn't want to know the answer to. Apparently, in Piper's mind, it was my fault she lost it. That pissed me off and I didn't think I could handle finding out what else she thought of me at this point.

The door to my cell opened to reveal a guard I'd never seen before. "Time to shower, inmate. Let's go."

It wasn't the greatest feeling in the world, having to strip in front of a perverted guard who didn't even have the decency to pretend he wasn't ogling me. The water was fucking ice cold and I couldn't move from beneath the stream because one of my hands was cuffed to the wall.

Just like the disgusting food, I seriously hoped I wouldn't have to get use to this routine.

I was still shivering slightly when I was put back in my cell. I could hear Piper talking through the grate quietly when the guard opened the door and luckily, he didn't seem to notice. I couldn't make out what she was saying but when the guard closed the door, she started yelling.

"Alex? Alex! Please, tell me you're still there!"

I hurried over to the grate and knelt down, "I'm here, Piper. The guard took me to the shower."

"What? You mean, you weren't there before?"

I could tell by her voice that she was crying. "No, I left like, twenty minutes ago. I just got back. Are you okay?"

"Are you serious? You weren't there? You didn't hear anything I said?"

"No, I told you I just got back. Why? What did you say?" She didn't reply. "Piper?"

I heard her laughing... or was she crying? It was hard to tell. "Wow," she said after a minute, "I just spilled my heart out to an empty room."

"What are you talking about?"

"Forget it. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," I said before I could stop myself, then mentally cursed myself out. I leaned my forehead against the grate and sighed, "Will you please tell me? I wish it didn't matter so fucking much, but it does, okay?"

"That's exactly why I shouldn't tell you, Alex," she whispered sadly.