The brunette did most of the talking—she told her mom (almost) everything from high school forward. When it got to the part about her involvement in the drug ring, things turned somber. Piper grabbed her hand several times as Alex fidgeted throughout the story.

Diane had a difficult time hearing some of the choices Alex had made while in Europe. There were a couple of times when the brunette had to pause so that her mom could take it all in. (Although Piper had heard Alex's story two days ago, it was still difficult to stomach.)

"Why didn't you come home?" Diane shook her head. "We would've helped you, Al."

"I wanted to make it on my own." She looked at Piper, who'd already benefitted from the answer to that question, and then returned her attention to her mom. "By the time I was waist-deep in the cartel, I didn't know how to get out—I didn't want to. The money and the drugs were a powerful combination."

"You're too fucking smart to have gotten yourself in that deep," the older woman complained.

Alex explained that she couldn't make sound decisions at the time, and she regretted her actions sorely. She left out the part about her and Piper's breakup being the primary factor for her nose dive into the drug world.

"You need to see a doctor," Diane stated, squeezing her daughter's hand.

She nudged her glasses. "I will."

"I'm going back to Smith, and I'm worried about leaving her," the blonde admitted.

"I'll take good care of her, hon," Diane replied. "You need to finish college."

Alex regarded the blonde, knowing that there was so much more to the conversation that they couldn't share yet. Piper had to be the one to inform their family about her pregnancy—that much was certain.

Alex yawned for the fourth time. "Can we pick this back up in the morning?"

"Yeah." Diane stood. "Did you both have enough to eat?"

"I'm stuffed." Piper put her hand on her stomach. "Thanks for being so understanding, Diane."

"You're welcome. And I'll work on your father."

The blonde smiled, but Alex could tell she was still worried about her dad's reaction to everything. She didn't know what would make Bill more upset—the fact that his daughter was in a relationship with a woman or that she was pregnant as a result of a one night stand.

By 10 o'clock, Bill still wasn't home, and the young women were fading. Alex had hoped that they could get the ordeal over with that evening, but it was looking more and more unlikely. Piper had told her that during the holidays, it wasn't uncommon for her father to work 12 to 14 hour days.

After the three women said their good nights, Alex followed Piper into her room.

"You ok?" the blonde asked, stripping down to her panties.

"Yeah." Alex took off her sweatpants but remained in Piper's baseball shirt.

Piper enfolded her in her arms. "You have an amazing mom."

"I do," she let out a soft chuckle. "I hope your dad is just as accepting."

She pulled back. "That's not going to happen." She pulled on an oversized t-shirt, and the two crawled into a bed that was once so familiar.

Alex took in a deep breath, relishing in the scent of Piper's sheets. "Tomorrow's a new day."

"It is," Piper sighed. She kissed her lover on the mouth, holding her chin with two fingers and a thumb. "I love you."

"Me, too." She hoped Piper could see her smile in the dim light.

Piper had gotten up to pee once that night and noticed that Cal's light was on. She thought about going into his room to say hello, but their house was cold; all she wanted was to be back under the sheets with Alex's warm body surrounding her.

She crawled back into bed, and it was only a matter of seconds before her lover's arms enveloped her from behind. Piper fell back asleep in an instant. She had no clue how long she'd been asleep before someone entered her bedroom.

"What the hell?" She was awakened by a man's booming voice. "What's going on?"

Piper sat up, taking a moment to realize it wasn't a dream. "Dad?"

"Is that Alex?" He took a step closer. "What is she doing in your bed?"

"I…we…" The blonde rubbed her eyes as Alex sat up next to her.

Bill grasped Alex's shoulder. "Get off my daughter!"

"Dad, stop!" Piper scuttled on her knees and reached the other side of the bed as quickly as she could.

His force was great enough to fling the brunette onto her back.

"What's happening?" Alex was still waking from being in a deep sleep.

"What are you doing in here?" Bill yelled. "This is not you're room!"

"Dad, let me explain," Piper pleaded, a hand now on his forearm. "Please."

"Alex is in your bed," he said as if that was news to her. "There must be some sort of mistake." Once again, Bill put his hands on Alex's shoulders.

She tried to fling his hands off of her, but the man was too strong. "Get the fuck off me!"

Cal busted in. "Whoa, dad!" He grabbed his father by the upper arms. "Let go of her!"

The light from the hallway was enough to show Bill's chest heaving in an out.

Piper stood in front of her father, trying to block him from attacking Alex. "Don't you lay another fucking hand on her!"

"Chill out, dad." Cal was behind Bill and had him by the arms as he yanked his father away from the bed.

Piper looked at her lover, who was searching for her glasses. The brunette found the spectacles and shoved them on her face. As soon as they were in place, she reached for the gray sweatpants at the foot of the bed—it didn't matter that, like the shirt she was wearing, they were Piper's.

"I've wanted to tell you about it…about us for a long time," Piper said in a shaky voice. "But there never seemed to be the right time."

Diane barreled in and flicked on the light switch. "What's all the commotion?"

"Your husband just attacked me!" Alex shouted.

The older woman gave Bill a look. "You did what?"

"We talked about this, Diane. Your daughter can stay here when she's in town, but that doesn't mean I have to accept her lifestyle." Bill straightened his posture. "And what she's trying to do to my daughter!"

"She hasn't tried to do anything to me," Piper yelled, standing toe-to-toe with her father. "I've been in love with Alex since high school. The only one who was blind enough not to see it is you!"

He jutted his head back. "What in God's name are you talking about?"

"News flash, dad: Piper and Alex have been together for like five years," Cal replied. "I know it's weird and all, but I'm pretty sure how they feel about each other is legit." Cal put a hand on his dad's shoulder.

All eyes were on Bill Chapman, who was still trying to control his breathing.

Piper chanced a comment. "Cal's right—I love Alex and have for a long time. I was afraid of this exact reaction from you, which is why I didn't say anything."

"How can you be in love with a…a woman?" Her dad asked. "You're not gay."

Alex huffed, and the blonde gave her a look.

"Now's probably not the time to explain fluidity, but it's a thing," Cal said, scratching his chin.

"I tried to warn you in the most sensitive way I could," Diane said, putting an arm around her husband's waist. "But you wouldn't hear it."

"I'm still not hearing it!" he shouted. "My daughter isn't gay. She's a…she's an angel who always does the right thing."

Little did he know.

"I'm not an angel, dad. Far from it." She shook her head as her voice quivered. "There's a lot more that I need to share with you."

Cal's eyes widened. "There's more?"

Alex took three steps to her right and put her arm defiantly around the blonde.

Bill pointed towards the door. "Get out of my house."

"Excuse me?" Alex shook her head almost as if waking from a nightmare.

Piper took a step forward, grabbing her lover's hand. "She's not going anywhere; at least not without me."

"Piper, this isn't you. You're confused," he tried, putting a hand on her elbow.

"I've never been more certain of anything in my life." She raised her chin, looking her father in the eye. "If Alex leaves, I leave. Period."

Diane pulled him by the waist. "Let's give them some space. It's been a long day for everyone."

The blonde didn't back down; if anyone was to surrender, it would have to be him.

Bill turned abruptly, but before exiting the room, he addressed the women. "I won't be in the same house with homosexuals."

Piper shrugged. "Then leave."

"That's precisely what I'm going to do." He walked out with Diane hot on his trail.

Piper looked at her brother. "You can go now, too."

"Thanks, Cal," Alex quickly chimed in.

"Sure." Cal exited the room with eyebrows raised high.

As soon as her brother was out of sight, Piper turned to her lover. "I'm so sorry, Alex."

She exhaled. "It's not your fault."

"I should've told him years ago." She brushed her hair off her forehead.

"We can't change the past." Alex took both of her hands in hers. "Do you want to stay here?"

"Tonight, yes. Tomorrow might be a different story." The blonde looked apprehensive. "As hard as it'll be, we both need to get some rest."

The brunette nodded. They climbed back into bed, and it took what felt like hours to fall back asleep.

The next morning, Alex awoke before Piper. It was snowing outside, and she could see colorful twinkle lights in the bushes, which reminded her that it was Christmas Eve. She glanced at the digital clock and noticed it was going on 11 a.m. Considering the night they'd had, sleeping that late was probably a good thing.

The blonde rolled onto her back and hooked a leg over Alex's.

She ran her hand down Piper's arm and placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. "Morning."

"Good morning." She stretched and yawned. "We have a big day ahead of us."

"Last night was awful," Alex sighed, head falling back onto the pillow hard. "I don't know how we're going to fix this."

Piper strung a piece of dark hair over Alex's ear. "If we can't, we'll leave. I can ask Polly if we can stay at her house the rest of the time we're in town."

That reminded Alex that Piper was on Winter break—waking up together every morning was far from permanent.

"I have one more semester before we can figure out long term stuff," the blonde continued, rubbing Alex's cheek with her thumb. "In five months, I'll have a job in New York, and we can find a place together."

"In five months, you'll be in your third trimester, Piper." Alex faced her lover and propped herself up on her arm. "Have you thought about how you're going to address your pregnancy with Time?"

"No." She shrugged. "But they can't fire me for being pregnant."

"Do you know if you'll have health insurance if you've only worked there for a month before the baby comes?" Alex continued.

"My benefits kick in the first day on the job, except the 401K. I can contribute to it from the start, but they won't match my contribution until my second year." The blonde sat up and must've noticed the frown forming on her lover's face. "What's wrong?"

"This is just so royally fucked up," she said with an incredulous laugh. "I'm a good-for-nothing drug addict, your father hates me, and you're pregnant."

"The American dream," Piper tried with a soft smile.

Alex huffed, but her smile mirrored her lover's.

The blonde traced a finger along her lover's jawline. "We're going to find a way to get through this—all of it."

Alex had a hard time believing that, but she loved Piper for having faith that things would work out. "Your optimism is astonishing."

"Pessimism will get us nowhere." She kissed Alex on the cheek. "Let's get out of bed and start facing reality."

The brunette watched her lover bounce out of bed, and she wished she had half of the conviction of the younger woman. She wasn't so sure things would turn out right—there was too much shit to muddle through for Alex to see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Piper spent two hours on Christmas Eve talking to her father after he came back briefly from spending the night elsewhere. He couldn't comprehend bisexuality, and as hard as the blonde tried, she couldn't get through to him. The conversation ended with Piper explaining that he didn't have to get her, but if Bill wanted her in his life, he'd have to accept her.

There was a moment when Piper thought she should mention her pregnancy, but she didn't want to lay too much on him at once. Besides, she wanted Alex next to her for that conversation.

They ended the discussion with a hug, but the blonde was concerned about next steps. Bill didn't tell her she couldn't stay there, but he insinuated that they would not be sleeping under the same roof if she chose to sleep with Alex.

Piper didn't think it was right to make her father sleep in a hotel or wherever he'd spent the previous night, so she planned to dig deep and call her mom later that day. They'd spoken on the phone a week ago and seemed to be on decent terms, but the blonde had no idea how her mother would react to her relationship with Alex. She figured if Carol didn't accept her choices, it wouldn't hurt half as bad as her father's lack of acceptance, so really, it was no skin off her back to at least ask her mom if she could stay with her for the duration of her time in Greenwich.

Alex wasn't too keen on the plan, but Piper's comfort was her top priority. She said she'd call Nicky to see if staying with her and Lorna was an option, and the blonde agreed to it but didn't want to intrude.

"Merry Christmas, mom," Piper said into the phone as she paced in her bedroom.

"Hello, Piper. Will I get to see you while you're home?"

She could feel Alex's eyes on her as she walked from one end of the room to the other. "That depends."

"On what?"

"Mom, there's something I need to tell you—something that I told dad yesterday," she said.

"What is it?"

"I'm…Mom, I'm…" Piper stopped in front of the window and watched the snow fall, thinking of what a peaceful scene it was outside and what a shit show it was inside. "I'm in a relationship…with a woman."

"You're what?"

"I'm in love with another woman, and I have been for quite some time." She spun around and looked at Alex, who was perched on the lip of the bed.

"It's that all-women's college, isn't it? I knew that wasn't the best choice for you," Carol replied.

The blonde rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand. "It has nothing to do with going to Smith, mom. I'm in love with Alex, dad's wife's daughter."

"Ha!" She let out a dubious laugh. "You must be kidding!"

"No, I'm not." Piper closed her eyes, hating that she had to go through the tale again. "I've been in love with her since high school, so this isn't something new."

"What has gotten into you, Piper Elizabeth?"

"Nothing has gotten into me," she sighed. "And going to therapy isn't going to change my mind or the way I feel, so please don't suggest it."

"Therapy has done wonders for me," Carol said as if she needed to defend psychologists everywhere.

Alex reached for Piper, and the blonde stood between her legs. "That's great, mom."

Silence descended upon them until her mom spoke again. "I have some gay friends, you know."

Piper's eyes shot open. "You do?"

"I can be a modern woman, Piper. In fact, I'm much more cosmopolitan now that I'm no longer with your father," she huffed.

Alex put her hands on Piper's hips. "Speaking of dad, he's not happy about this. He doesn't want Alex and me to stay here."

"He never was tolerant of homosexuals," Carol responded. "And he's quite closed-minded. I don't know what Diane sees in him, but I'm glad to be rid of his conservative, self-righteousness."

Piper put her hand on the top of Alex's head as her lover kissed her belly. "Would it be asking too much if Alex and I stayed with you for the next couple of weeks?"

"I'd have to get the maid to make up the spare room," she said as if it was a huge undertaking. "And this whole place needs to be cleaned properly. I fired Juanita last week, so Molly Maids needs to send someone new. Can you believe she washed the windows with a homemade concoction that made my house smell like bleach for days?"

The blonde rolled her eyes. "No, I can't believe that."

"I had to go to the doctor, because my nose burned from the fumes," Carol huffed. "If I can get someone to clean on Christmas Day, you're welcome to stay with me. Oh, and there will absolutely be no gay sex in my apartment! Do you understand that, Piper?"

"I wouldn't dream of it." She smiled, giving Alex a thumb's up. "If you can't get someone to clean, Alex and I would be more than happy to do it ourselves."

"Well, you'd have to work extraordinarily hard. The place is disgusting."

She knew her mother well enough to realize that if one dirty dish was left in the sink overnight, she'd call the place a pigsty.

"I'll call you in a couple hours. Thank you, mom." With that, Piper hung up and hugged her girlfriend.

"She said, 'yes'?" the brunette asked.

"Don't get too excited; you haven't met Carol Chapman yet."

Piper told her father about their arrangement, and he looked conflicted—he seemed to not want his daughter to leave, but he was also unyielding on "her newfound homosexuality."