Coursing Through My Veins Like Fire
Disclaimer:
A/N: First, thank you guys so much for the awesome reviews, a few of you hit the nail right on the head even with my mixed signals. And yes Alex is being a jerk but she's also been dumped spectacularly by Piper twice, that would make anyone a little gun-shy, plus I love it when she's an asshole. Montgomery has gotten a bit of flack from you guys , I wanted to give Alex a friend besides Nicky since Piper has a whole gang of folks at her back. Introducing someone from the outside has given me a chance to fill in the blanks of Alex's life while she and Piper were apart for those six-eight years, without having to devote an entire chapter solely to Vause: the lost years. Also, there was this whole section I cut that explained why Jess is so cool with the Hispanic tribe. It involved spotting a mistake with Daya's meds and her mother being grateful to saving her grandbaby but I didn't finish my medical research so it ended up on the cutting room floor. So, I hope that explains a few things and the rest will unfold in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 3: The Danger Of This Swelling Sea
Taystee and Poussey join their ex-dorm mate for lunch the next afternoon and immediately launch into a conversation that Piper doesn't technically need to participate in.
"See," Poussey exclaims to her friend, "told you Chapman was gonna mess that crazy cracker up, yo Blondie a straight up thug when she need to be. Must get that from hanging around The Don."
"Who knew skinny little white girls could throw down?" Taystee adds, giving Piper a nod, "I thought y'all were all about using your words."
"Must be all that pent up aggression from taking Hydroxicut and doing hot yoga." Poussey says in her upper crest voice, raising her pinky in the air as she sips her drink. "Seriously though, we're glad you're back Chapman, it's been too damn quiet around here."
"Yeah, your lady got them Jesus freaks shook, not that we're saying she committed any crimes or anything." Taystee is quick to clarify and Piper decides to seize this opportunity.
"So you both know," Piper sneaks a peek over her shoulder, scanning the cafeteria to make sure no one is listening. She's not exactly sure why she's checking for eavesdroppers but the situation seems to call for a little dramatics, "why is everyone calling Alex 'The Don'?"
Poussey and Taystee exchange a look, much like the one Boo and Morello has done every time Piper brings up Alex's new prison name. But unlike her other friends, these two seem to take pity on her and reluctantly fills Piper in on the back-story.
"Alright check it," Poussey leans over the table, gesturing with her hands for Piper to do the same. "so a few weeks after you got sent down the hill for kicking snaggletooth's ass, me and Tay were hanging in the rec room watching Giada make these apple inspired appetizers, when your woman comes struttin in. She gives us a couple cans of Pepsi and some Snickers bars,"
"And a King Cone." Taystee insists
"And a King Cone," Poussey repeats with an eyeroll, "which had me thinking, 'don't nobody hand out free cans of Pepsi unless they wanna get freaky' but all Vause asks is to switch the tv to the world news."
"I'm not following." Piper confesses
"Let the girl finish the story, damn." Taystee motions for Poussey to continue
"So I'm like cool, never had a problem with your girl before and she paid the door fee, we turn to the news and there's this big story about a bunch of meth labs and trailers that were burned down the night before. All of it happened around the same time in three different states so the cops and fire chiefs think it's connected, like somebody specifically targeted those places. They never caught the people responsible either and it's been three months. Whoever lit the match was one smooth mother fucker."
"I'm still…I don't know what you're getting at, what does this have to do with Alex?" Piper is more confused than before.
Taystee huffs, irritated that Piper can't pick up on not just what they've told her but what they are also not saying.
"One of the meth labs that burnt down was in Waynesboro." She let's that info hang in the air for a minute and watches as Piper slowly pieces the puzzle together.
"No, I'm from Waynesboro. My name is Tiffany..."
When the memory resurfaces, Piper nearly jumps out of her chair.
"Oh my…are you saying that Alex?!" Piper's voice is a harsh whisper as she stops once again to check that no one is listening to their conversation. "Alex was involved in these arson attacks? That's improbable, I mean why would she even…"
"Bitch please, you know why." Taystee gives her a pointed look that has Poussey sadly agreeing. "Nobody was hurt, the cops said it even looked like the person responsible went out of their way to make sure nobody was home when they torched that shit. She may not have been able to protect you cause y'all was beefing at the time but she made damn sure them crazy bible thumping fuckers wouldn't bother you when you came back."
"But how do you know it was Alex? Methamphetamines are very volatile it could have just been a coincidence."
"Oh it weren't no coincidence that all of Doggett's little sheep's drug dens are ashes. What was it she said when them bitches started freaking out cause they houses was on tv?" Taystee turns to Poussey eagerly awaiting the retelling of their favorite story.
"Right, right" Poussey clears her throat and takes a moment to find her character. She leans back casually in her chair, crosses her legs and pretends to rearrange her imaginary glasses. Her face is a cool mask of contempt and when she finally speaks, her voice is a smooth alto, 'Now that's a damn shame, here I thought tornados were the biggest threat to trailer parks. Guess you never know what could happen when you piss off the wrong people.'
The imitation is spot on and Piper giggles a little as Poussey over exaggerates adjusting her make believe glasses. Then her words really sink in and Piper is unsure how she should react to knowing that even though she broke Alex's heart, again, her ex came up with another elaborate scheme to strike back at the woman who hurt Piper.
"Yo your girl is a straight up gangsta." Poussey concludes as she digs into her lukewarm chicken noodle soup.
As much as she's come to like Red, Piper still cannot stomach the Russian woman's cooking, nor her managerial style. So when she's assigned to work the kitchen crew under Martinez's supervision, Piper heaves a sigh of relief. It's not the education division she had once hoped for but at least she's not stuck down in the laundry room with Pennsatucky's hate squad and standing mere feet away from a total radio silence ex. Plus she's fluent in Spanish, the only downside to her new work arrangement is that Montgomery is also working there.
It's raining out, so she's taking a stroll before heading back to the kitchen to prepare for dinner when a storage closet door slowly creaks open. Lozano, a twenty something inmate with long curly hair, slinks out of the closet, looking very satisfied and heads in the opposite direction. Catching people do the walk of shame out of remote places is nothing new in Litchfield but Lozano's companion following a beat later does take Piper aback.
Alex is still drying her hands with a paper towel and when she sees Piper staring at her, she flushes with embarrassment and a twinge of guilt.
"Hey."
"Hi."
There is so much that needs to be said between them but even if Piper didn't just catch Alex sneaking out of a hideaway with someone who is not a young redhead that's been practically glued to her side, she can't form a single damn word other than 'Hi'. She starts to walk away before the shock wears off and her anger builds but amazingly Alex speaks first.
"You should sit at our table sometime," it's a lame attempt but the hope it inspires makes Piper feel just a tad bit pathetic that she still cares so much when Alex has obviously moved on, "Lorna and Boo, they don't like feeling like they have to take sides or anything so we should be able to get through a meal without making everybody uncomfortable."
It's sort of an invitation and she has missed being with all of her friends at the same time instead of them separating who eats with her and who eats with Alex. But she decides to play it cool, not wanting to show how much she just wants to be able to be around Alex again, even if Montgomery is there. Piper shrugs nonchalantly and starts walking back down the hall.
"Alright, I'll think about it." She smirks to herself and as she heads towards to the kitchen she feels Alex's gaze follow her until she turns the corner. Alex made the first attempt to rebuild their…whatever. Piper can almost hear her own personal theme music playing in the background.
Piper was aware, from the moment she woke up, the significance of the date to Alex. The pair had only been dating for five months officially when she was introduced to Andrea Vause. And on the woman's birthday at that.
Alex flew her mom, aunt and niece to their villa in St. Tropez for Andrea's 49th birthday. She was so excited you would think it was Alex's birthday. She'd spent a month organizing a week's worth of sight seeing and searching for the perfect gift, her childlike enthusiasm for making her Mother's birthday special was exceedingly endearing and Piper fell a little bit more in love with her beautiful girlfriend. She was so swept up in the planning that her nerves didn't start to fray until the ride to the airport to pick up the Vauses'. It was completely unnecessary, after Andrea gave Piper an initial once over, the blond was pulled into an unexpected hug and welcomed into the family as if she'd been dating Alex for years
Towards the end of lunch, Jess brings a lemon meringue pie out to the table. She places a kiss on top of Alex's head and runs a hand through the older woman's dark hair as she's enveloped into a tight hug.
"This was her favorite, thanks for remembering, babe." Her normally husky voice is thick with tears she's trying not to shed in the middle of the cafeteria.
"How you holding up?" Jess sits next to her and continues to stroke her hair, ignoring the envious glares aimed from several directions across the room.
"It's been nearly six years and my first thought is still to call her to wish her happy birthday. How in the hell have you endured this for most of your life?"
"Bourbon, mostly."Jess replies dryly causing Alex to crack a smile.
"So Vause, does this mean I finally get to taste your sweet sweet pie." Boo makes a vulgar gesture with her tongue and fingers that has everyone laughing.
"You couldn't handle my pie, Boo" Alex smirks and makes an equally vulgar gesture back at her.
As Jess begins to divvy up the slices, Alex catches Piper's eye three tables over and maintains contact for nearly a full minute. Piper shifts in her seat, preparing to rise and walk over to her ex but Montgomery chooses that moment to lean over and whisper something to Alex that instantly extinguishes whatever was building between them.
Piper stifles a groan when the dark haired woman rejoins her table's conversation without a second glance in her direction.
Saturday arrives and Piper is a ball of nerves. She's up before the sky even lightens, by the time she's brushed her damp hair the first wave of her dorm mates are staggering into the lukewarm showers.
It's visiting day, her first in months but the thought of facing her mother, Cal and Polly after her fight and isolation is more than a little disconcerting. She wants to look her best, knowing her mother will pick apart her appearance even though there's very little to be done about it in prison. Lorna offered her stash of lipstick but the too bright shade would only accentuate her ashen skin.
Piper has a quiet breakfast with Sister Ingall and Sophia, whose son is visiting for the very first time. Watching the normally unflappable woman worry about seeing her son puts Piper at ease.
This visit is only mildly awkward, Piper muses. She sits with her family crowded on one side of the table, twiddling her thumbs on top of the sticky surface. Her eyes are immediately drawn to the door when Alex steps into the room and gives a genuine warm smile to the girl sitting at the table next to Piper.
"Hey pretty girl." Alex greets the gorgeous young blonde, who eagerly hops out of her chair and returns the hug with obvious affection.
"Hi Lex," the girl's voice is soft and a bit raspy, just like Alex's. They hold onto each other a second longer after the C O half-heartedly calls out 'no touching'. "It's so good to finally see you, I've missed you so much."
"I missed you too Quinn, you cut your hair," her long fingers graze the blonde stylishly choppy locks across Quinn's lovely face, "look at you, all woman sized."
Alex's teasing causes a dark blush and a pleased smile from the girl. Piper's chest aches at the deep resonance of Alex's unfiltered laughter. It's been so long since she's heard more than a quiet chuckle from her ex. From the familiar teasing and easy banter, it's obvious that Alex and this Quinn know each other well.
"Could you be more obvious?" Polly's snarky comment redirects Piper back to her own visitors. "Your mom's braving the ladies room so she hasn't witnessed your obsessive gawking of supercunt."
"Don't call her that." Piper weakly protests
"Superwho?" The pithy nickname makes Cal chuckle even as Piper rolls her eyes.
"That's her," Polly helpfully nods towards Alex,
"Damn Pipes, she's hot, seriously like Diana, Amazonian Warrior!" receiving blank stares in return Cal expands on his statement, "Diana, Wonder Woman?"
"Well she's an asshole and the one who got your sister incarcerated in this charming resort so try not to have a fangasm."
"Funny, I thought Piper was in prison because she committed a crime?" Cal's feigned confusion only serves to irritate Polly.
"Don't be a new aged hippy, if Piper never fell for Supercunt's bullshit she wouldn't have a criminal record or be facing additional assault charges!"
"Speaking of," Cal turns quickly to his sister, effectively ending Polly's rant and ignoring her annoyance "pop said that your new lawyers are brilliant. He and mom were your proxy when you were in the stew,"
"It's called the SHU." Piper tiredly corrects her brother "segregated housing unit, SHU."
"Yeah that, anyway they met with your new attorneys to go over your case, did you know that you could have gotten a suspended sentence?"
"Wait, what?!" Pipers outburst garners attention from most of the visiting room, including Alex who's eyes bounce over to Piper.
"Quiet down, Chapman!" the CO barks, causing Piper to duck her head in embarrassment.
"Jesus, they're strict." Cal shakes off the reprimand and continues filling his sister in on what their parents learned about Piper's original drug case.
Her mother returns a moment later, baring a bag of fat free pretzels and a diet Coke that she hands over to her daughter. Piper's attention is split between her mother's passive aggressive comments and eavesdropping on her ex's conversation with the mysterious girl. She sneaks a peek when she thinks no one will notice, the girl Quinn, as Alex calls her, is beautiful. Perfect bone structure and what could possibly be a really great nose job are illuminated by sweet hazel eyes which are mid roll as Alex tells her how proud she is of some accomplishment. Polly subtly kicking her shin under the table draws her focus back to her own visitors. Before she knows it the guard is calling out the two minute warning and all the inmates rush to wrap up their goodbyes.
"Don't worry darling, this new lawyer assures me that you will not be trapped here forever. She's already found two technicalities to argue, I don't know why you didn't just retain her services to begin with."
"Mom, Larry's dad was a really good attorney even if his specialty isn't criminal law."
"I'm simply stating that this whole ordeal could have been avoided if you had retained proper counsel," Carol waves her hand dismissing Piper's defense of Larry's father, "she even said your named was only one in a long list of people that odious Madison girl had given to the DEA."
"No mom, it was Alex who named me in the indictment, Larry told me last year that…"
"I don't know where he got his information from but I have read every single document from your indictment and your former girlfriend's name didn't appear. According to the Federal Prosecutor that tried the majority of the cases, a woman named Madison Sinclair named you and nine other people to get a few years taken off of her sentence. Now, your father will be here next week to visit and…"
Piper didn't hear anything after her mother dropped that bombshell on her, she automatically hugs each of her visitors, promising to keep herself safe and out of trouble without really registering what was going on around her.
Alex is also wrapping up her visit, hugging her guest and smoothing her thumbs under the girl's eyes to wipe away the gathering tears. Piper openly watches Alex kiss Quinn's temple and whisper into the girl's ear. She rubs the shorter woman's shoulders one last time before saying 'Love, you' and exits the visiting room.