Guest- I wrote this prior to season 4, so the branding hadn't happened yet and I definitely never anticipated that; still bothers me a lot that it happened. Knowing what we know about Piper now, I think she'd leave it as the "window" and she'd continue to apply what she's experienced being in there to her life more broadly on the outside. As fucked up as prison has been, realities she's encountered are not as far fetched/removes from what society is like on the outside- at least in the U.S. currently. I think the window would remind her to be more self aware.

Shatter- I remember you! (And Sandfromoz)- I don't know how long I'll be keeping them up but I'll forewarn. It'll be up for a bit though.

Guest- there will be a few chapters that get into Litchfield and before they get married coming up, and in the Lost Chapters

44

She presses her bottom back in a small stretch, she lays on her side, as the little spoon, a rarity. Piper's arm is loosely hanging over her body. She takes her hand in her own and pulls Piper around her body, just a little tighter. She squints to see the time, but still can't make it out. She makes a small diamond with her finger tips and peers through it with one eye closed, 05:58. She let out a small groan, why isn't it ever Sunday? Everyday seemed to be a day, that she had to leave the warmth of her bed, the smell of Piper's hair, the calmness that's only felt when you wake up and have absolutely nothing to do. She turns the alarm off, leans over the edge of the bed and finds a sweatshirt she discarded the night before. She pulls it over her head, puts her glasses on and makes her first stop of the morning.

She knocks softly on the door and when she hears no answer, turns his knob and laughs at her son, sprawled out over his bed. He usually slept in a diagonal, aiming to keep most of his body on the bed, for when he lay straight his feet hung off the edge. Shopping for a new bed, continuously found its way to the "we'll do it next weekend" list. His arms are crossed above his head, his face toward the door, his feet rest in the opposite corner. After a caress of his hair, the first request to get up for school and a heave of the bed later, she heads to the kitchen to set the pot of coffee on. With two mugs in hand, she makes her way back down to her bedroom to ease the blonde awake to get on with the day, but first stops into Jamie's room again; he's now face down, his blanket pulled up over his head, calves bare and crossed from the chill in the air. She sets a mug down, and pulls his blanket back, "c'mon kid, three days til Sunday." He tugs the pillow over his head to drown out any sound. She sets the other cup of coffee down and pulls at the pillow. His grip tightens as he feels the pull, she leans back to give herself more force, but he's stronger than her and she relents. "Fine, five minutes and I'll be back," she gives him his warning, the same one he receives from either of them every-single-day.

She uses her foot to push open Harper's already halfway open door, but her daughter's not in her bed. She leans her ear toward the bathroom, quiet. She heads to her room to see... yup, just what I thought, a fake sleeping Harper Nicole Vauseman, with her head pressed against my pillow, trying hard not to smirk. Alex sets the mugs down on her nightstand, sits on the bed and lays back, squashing her daughter.

"Ugggg," she moans through her giggles.

The brunette comes up and turns around to see her daughter's exaggerated expression of her near death experience.

"Harper?"

The back of her hand rests across her forehead, her eyes are closed, her tongue hangs out the side of her mouth. The brunette pokes her a few times all the while amused with her daughter's break-of-dawn antics. She plays dead until Alex asks her what she wants for breakfast.

Her daughter's eyes stay closed, her hand stays on her head, she whispers, "French toast."

"Well thank the heavens she's alive. Can you start getting ready please?," she asks her with wide eyes and a cheesy smile.

"You're gonna make it?," she asks surprised.

"Yeah, if you get ready now."

The young blonde crawls to the end of the bed, while her mom taps her on her tush. She sips her coffee and looks at Piper sleeping, oblivious to the noise and movement of the bed. The blonde had been out late at work doing inventory with Polly, her body's natural alarm would have normally woken her up by now. Alex simply didn't have the heart to wake her up. She set her mug of coffee on Piper's side table, walked back out of her room and went back to Jamie's room, now raising her voice a bit,

"Kid! Up!," she shouts and starts heading toward the kitchen. "I'm making French Toast, only those that are up in the next twenty seconds are getting some."

He trudges into the kitchen a minute later, "did you say something about French toast?" He slumps into a chair, and rests his head on his arm.

"Yes, hurry up and shower or you won't have time to eat it. You can use our bathroom, Harper's getting ready in yours."

He pushes back from the table, having slightly more energy, with the mental awareness that French toast was in his near future.

"Just try to be quiet, your mother's still sleeping."

His eyebrows furrow, "is she sick?"

"No, just exhausted. She and aunt Polly were up late at the store."

He nods, as walks out as Alex starts scrolling through her phone for Polly's number.

As he exits his mother's bathroom, Piper stirs and smells coffee nearby.

"Hey mom," he says to her as she's still on her back with her eyes closed, arm stretched toward her night stand searching for her mug.

He grabs her coffee and puts it in her hand. As the heat from the cup starts to warm her hand, she realizes the "mom" came from Jamie, she opens her eyes.

"What time is it?," she asks confusedly as he's already showered.

She can't make out the clock so she opens the drawer of her nightstand to grab her glasses. As she reaches in she feels the box of condoms.

"Almost 7. Mom's making French toast," he says and tries to walk out.

"Freeze! Why are these in my drawer?," she asks lifting the box, her voice thick with sleep.

"Why were they in my drawer?"

"I don't need them, thanks," she says as she hurls the box in his direction, unbeknownst to her, the box was open, sending three dozen condoms hurling through the air. She throws her head back onto her pillow.

Through the shower of condoms and his laughs he manages, "I don't need them either."

"Well...," she remains supine and motions toward the floor, "why was the box open?"

"I just took one for my wallet just in case."

"Jamie...," she lifts her head and tensely starts, but stops.

"Mom, I'm kidding. It's in my room. I just wanted to you to find the box one day and count them and realize one was missing. I can show you," he says kicking a couple across the rug.

"It's too early for this. No. Wait. Did you say it was seven?," the time finally registering.

He nods and backs out the door.

"Alex!," she yells down the hall as she sits up, worked up that she's late because her alarm and her wife failed to wake her up. She throws her comforter off her body and starts to get up when the brunette comes in.

"Whoa, hey...," she looks around at the scattered condoms, "are these in leiu of confetti, to celebrate my entrance or something?" She notes the blonde isn't looking at her but huffing while she starts bending down to pick up the condoms. "Why are you upset? Relax."

"I can't relax, I'm supposed to be leaving in half an hour. Is Harper up?," she asks shoving a bunch in the box. Alex helps stand her up and hands her the mug of coffee. She takes a sip.

"She's up," she nods, "and eating." She takes the mug and sets it down and places her hands on Piper's shoulders, forcing her to sit. "I talked to Polly and insisted you take a personal day."

"That's not fair to her though, she was up as late as I was Al."

"She agreed, and said she couldn't remember the last time you took one, and was only slightly bitter about the request because she hadn't thought of it for herself first." She pushes Piper back so she's lying down and pulls the blanket back over her body. "I'll bring you breakfast, I'll pick all these up, I'll take Harper to school. Just hang out here til I get back, okay?" She fluffs a pillow for Piper and taps it. When Piper looks at her reluctantly, she gently forces the blonde into a reclined position and sits beside her on the bed. "Yes?," she pecks her on the mouth.

"Mmmm."

The brunette leans over the blonde and kisses her more deeply, Piper hums against her lips. Alex nibbles at her bottom lip and keeps it within her gentle bite, "yes?"

Piper mumbles an "uh huh" and proceeds to kiss the brunette back when Jamie walks in to get his dirty clothes out of their bathroom.

"Okay gross, some of us haven't eaten yet!"

Alex presses her head into Piper's pillow while Piper tries to suppress her giggles.

"Are you sure you're not sick?," he asks concernedly, as Piper is only ever late for work if she's not feeling like herself.

"She's fine," Alex answers him. He glares at her, annoyed having not asked her.

"I'm fine baby," Piper confirms.

"Good, because if you were, I'm pretty sure you'd both be contagious now."

"A regular comedian we have here, go eat your breakfast," the brunette commands.

"I'd love to, but I'm not sure I can keep it down now," he says toward Alex. He looks at Piper, "aren't you going to be late?," he asks judgmentally as she doesn't make any effort to start getting up for the day.

"Why are you so concerned?," Alex says muffled from the pillow.

"I'm taking the day off babe," Piper tells him.

"What? Why?"

"Mental health day, I'm exhausted."

"I was exhausted this morning, mom practically pried me from my bed and then bribed me with breakfast."

"Get...out," Alex says with enough bite to make him retrieve his clothes from the bathroom and go eat his breakfast.

When she returns from dropping Harper off, Piper's in the same position she left her in minus her breakfast and irritated expression.

"Having an unexpected day off is making me giddy, I don't know what to do with myself," Piper tells her from their bed.

"I was thinking we could take a drive?"

"A drive where?"

"I don't know just felt like getting in the car and going somewhere, you game?"

"I guess... I'd like to at least have an idea of where were going."

Alex outstretches her arms, she points to her face, wiggles one hand then the other and then points to the floor, "pick one."

Piper lightly touches her nose. "North it is then, were going north."

"Okay, but north where?"

"I don't know Piper that's the point."

"Okay, okay. Can I at least pack snacks or is that ruining the spontaneity?"

"We'll find something along the way," she takes Piper's hand and pulls, "let's go."

"Okay can I shower?"

"Not necessary," she says pulling the blonde upright.

Piper pulls on a pair of jeans washes her face, and meets Alex by the front door a few minutes later.

Their car heads north along the highway, Alex draws patterns along Piper's arm, and circles along the back of her neck, until she falls asleep.

She awakens to Alex screeching "...nowhere to hide, since you pushed my love asiiiiiide," Piper judges her hypocrisy.

"I'm out of my head, hopelessly devoteeeeed to youuu-oooh-oooh-oooh, hopelessly devoted to you," she taps Piper's nose.

"Was this just lying around the car?," she asks the brunette suspiciously.

"Hopelessly devoted to you," she continues screeching through the last note.

"Amazing," Piper says sarcastically and reaches to switch the musical stylings onto something from the radio.

"Wait," Alex stops her hand, "one more"

"Are you serious?," Piper laughs astonished that her wife is fighting her to listen to showtunes.

"This is a great road trip soundtrack," she skips through the tracks until she finds "Beauty School Dropout." Alex starts to sing with Frankie Avalon, while Piper continues to laugh.

They continue north, passing the sign for Brewster, "how far are we going exactly?"

"If you're going to start with the questions again, you may as well go back to sleep. C'mon you're missing your cues."

"My cues?, Piper asks amused at how serious Alex is taking this sing-a-long.

"The girl parts," as if this is obvious. "Harper doesn't need the clarification, she just knows what parts are hers."

Now it made sense as to why this album was in the car.

Piper echoes Alex's words, in the beauty school angel's voice, trying her best not to poke fun at Alex as the brunette continues.

"...unless she was a hooker."

"You know, now that I think about it, this movie isn't really appropriate for her."

"Too late," Alex responds, knowing Harper already knew all the words and lyrics in the movie. She continues singing, "better forget it," she points to Piper,

"forget it," she echoes.

"Who wants their hair done by a slob?," Alex asks Piper dramatically.

They finish their song, Alex off key the entire time, she tells the blonde, "you really should work on your part." She pulls off the highway, and stops at the first place they see that has food, they buy a couple of sandwiches, and take a pee break.

About twenty minutes later, they drive through the gate of the Taconic State park. Alex clutches the little park map in her hand; she looks between the map and the scenery that surrounds them several times, before making a right and heads uphill. She parks toward the side of the road, they get out of the car, and walk beneath a few trees until they're on the flat slate rock at the base of the park's waterfall.

Piper sets their belongings down on the rock, "well, this was unexpected," she says and takes a seat.

"Tada," Alex sits down beside her. They talk over their sandwiches, and play several rounds of "Would You Rather." Piper sits cross legged, while Alex lays on her back, her head propped in the blonde's lap, her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. Piper follows the shape of the brunette's eyebrows with her fingertips.

"Not quite Bali, but, it's still nice," Alex comments.

A single chuckle from the blonde confirms, no, it's not Bali, "its beautiful," she looks around, "I love that it's the middle of week, no one's here."

"Responsibility is overrated."

Piper stares at the water tumbling down the rocks, she gets lost in thought as her fingertips absentmindedly, trace the familiar contours of her wife's face.

After a while, Alex breaks her trance, "penny for your thoughts kid," she asks without the inflection that usually accompanies a question.

"Where do you see us in ten years?"

"Uh, well I'll be collecting social security. wait," she stops unsure of herself, "I don't even know if I can."

"Yeah as long as you held employment and paid taxes for more than ten years, you're good."

"You're sure?," she asks turning over and looks at Piper.

"Yeah, I'm positive."

Alex thinks about this for a moment. Relieved, she turns back over.

"Anything else?," she asks, pressing the brunette for more of her thoughts.

"Uh, are you asking me If I have a plan? Because I don't."

Piper nods, unsurprised.

"I mean, I'm still saving?," the brunette offers.

Piper smiles slightly. She figured Alex hadn't thought too deeply, that far down the road, she couldn't help but wonder.

"Why? I mean I'd ask if you thought about it, but you already looked into my extra sources of income in my old age, so I'm gonna venture out on a limb here and say you have our future planned."

Piper draws her knees upward, pinning Alex's head in place. "I haven't much, but what's so wrong about that?," she says somewhat defensively, keeping her wife in a physical position of vulnerability.

"Nothing. Don't get upset."

"I'm not upset," she releases the muscles in her legs.

Like I don't know when you're upset. "So... where do you see us? House? Big country house? Side by side, rockers on a wooden front porch?"

"You're such a wise ass."

"I'm asking you seriously," she tries her best to not laugh through her statement.

Piper resists the urge to re-squeeze her head, "I truly don't know either, I was just wondering if you'd thought about it."

"Because?"

Why is she so sure there's a reason? But of course there was. She leans over Alex's face and blows air through her nose like a dragon, "Polly."

"Mmmhmmm," Alex says, assuming as much, " let's hear it."

"Well we were talking last night, while unpacking. Now that Finn's up at school, she has all this extra time."

"Ahh."

"She said she misses him, she never fully realized how much of her day, truly revolved around him, and now she's in this place where she's trying to figure out what she wants to do. Like, for the last eighteen years, her own life kind of took a backseat."

"But do you feel like your interests have taken a backseat?"

"I... I don't know really. We were talking and I guess, it just got me thinking about the future, and how we shouldn't hold off to do things later on, if we could possibly do them now."

"Hmmm."

"Thinking?"

Alex nods.

"Like I just didn't know if there were things you felt like you've had to put aside, so that our family could come first," she says to Alex.

"I've thought once or twice about taking a class. "

"Really?"

She shrugs her shoulders, "maybe."

"What kind of class? Like a cooking class?"

"Yeah Pipes, I'm just dying to know how to bake a better batch of muffins."

When Piper doesn't respond, her eyes look up, she's met with a look that's short of amusement.

"Not cooking. I...I don't know, anything. I'd just like to discuss topics with some people," she gives the blonde more details.

"Like... a suburban housewife book club?"

"Uh huh, again dying to discuss some of the garbage that ends up on the NY Times Best Sellers list with a bunch of bored, catered-to biddies."

"Can you try answering a question without sarcasm?"

Alex grimaces, as if she's torn over her ability to be serious. "But really I'd like to take some kind of course with discussions and do a write up of my thoughts. I guess I just want to see how I'd pan out. Getting the certification for this job was so focused. I want to take some liberal arts class or something."

"I think you should do it babe."

"You don't think I'd look ridiculous, like some old oaf sitting at a classroom desk?"

"You're not an oaf.

"So I'm just old."

"You're not either...youth challenged?," she offers. Alex tilts her head back towards Piper displeased.

"Mature then," she trades. "Really though, there's tons of classes around the city, if you wanted a class of people who are signed up because they really want to learn, versus a college setting. Half of those people are in those classes because it's a requirement for their major."

She toggles her head back and forth in thought.

"Or you could go back and finish your degree," she suggests.

She shakes her head, no. She stands up and starts rolling up her jeans. "I'd still get paid the same, too much work." She kicks her shoes off and beckons Piper over towards the water. "Alright can we get back to truly important matters like..." she hisses, "HOLY SHIT it's freezing," she says pulling one her feet up out of the water.

As Piper gets a little bit closer, she kicks some of the water at the blonde, who tries to run back to avoid being hit. She joins her wife, letting the water just barely touch her toes before inching in a little deeper.

Alex continues with her topics of higher importance, "would you rather have every song you love stored in your head like an iPod, or be able to watch your dreams on TV?"

"Definitely be able to watch my dreams on TV. Then I wouldn't have to try to scramble to write them down, they never make sense once I'm awake for more than two minutes. Alright, would you rather..." she thinks, "would you rather go back in time and meet your ancestors, or go into the future and meet your great great grandchildren?"

Alex thinks for less than five seconds and smirks, "great great grandchildren." "So you can tell them about the Cyclone, yeah?"

The brunette huskily laughs, "yes forever. Eternal bragging rights," she stops to reminisce for a moment before continuing asking Piper for a time check. "We should go soon," she says, aiming to be back before Harper gets out of dancing school. "Okay, would you rather make a new law or get rid of an existing law?"

"Good one. Hmmm, where would I even begin? Ah, having people pass a test before being allowed to parent children, drivers needing to be retested every few years, banning some people from singing." The brunette shoves her. "No, really, there are so many laws that need reform, so I'd abolish one that's already in existence."

The brunette nods and waits for her question.

"Would you rather be able to speak to animals, or speak all foreign languages?"

"Foreign languages, pick another one, you already knew the answer to that." They continue back and forth for another half hour or so before they head back down to the city.

He sits on the floor of the boy's locker room, his back leans against Joey's. He wraps his left ankle snuggly with an ace bandage for slightly more support, while Joey laces up a new pair of cleats, the room is perpetually humid and reeks of sweaty feet. While the majority of his team still passes the occasional "that's so gay," across the room, specific discussion on his mothers' level of hotness, thankfully died down. But as Joey reaches out a hand to help Jamie up off thefloor, Eli Williamson forcefully steps on his wrapped foot, breaking his grasp from Joey's hand and causes him to fall back down. He looks back and snickers, "fuckin homo's."

Joey flips him off and reaches a hand back down but Jamie shakes his head and gets to his feet on his own. His foot throbs a bit, but he gets on his toes and bounces around a few times, testing his now even more sore ankle. They grab the box of pinnies and head out with the rest of their team to the field.

They stretch by the bleachers, avoiding their laps until their coach comes out and tells them they're "the laziest bunch of boys" he's ever seen, followed by a recap of how dedicated athletes used to be. A bunch of the guys stand up and start stretching out their quads when friends and girlfriends stop by to watch their practice. A few of them make themselves comfortable on the metal stands, while Lauren sees Jamie's face and knows something's up. She puts her bag down on the bleachers and comes over to the fence.

He smirks, instantly feeling at ease as her fingers wiggle through the fence and touch his side. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

She half rolls her eyes, and looks at Joey for more information. He raises his hands and keeps quiet.

"Fine then, I'll get it out of you later." She pecks him on the mouth, and pivots to return toward the seat near her bag when she hears,

"Dunno who you think you're kidding Vauseman, everyone knows you're a homo."

Lauren spins around, her eyes narrow, she takes a step forward, "I can assure you, he isn't gay." Her hand presses against the back of his neck, her thumb traces his hairline.

"Right. Having your girlfriend defend you, really proves me wrong. Your whole family is a bunch of faggots." His breath catches in his chest at the word, his toes curl in his shoes. He bites his tongue, trying not to expend his energy on someone who wasn't worthy.

"Ugh my God, who raised you?," Lauren asks appalled, unable to withhold her own words. Eli sneers at her and laughs.

"That doesn't even make sense! Do you even know where that term came from?," she continues. Jamie can hear the crack in her voice, he turns to face her, looks into her eyes and takes her hand over the top of the fence. Her arm drapes over her chest, he squeezes her hand.

"He doesn't know shit," Jamie turns his head toward her.

"Yeah, I bet you don't. And if you do, you're even more of a disgusting waste of life than I thought you were before," she finishes, her words are laced with vile.

Bless her, he thinks, for speaking her mind, for not only telling him off, but emphasizing this asshole's historical ignorance.

"Dolger, Defender of Faggots," Williamson points to her, "you're adorable."

"Well I guess they all are as well," she says pointing to the crowd of their friends behind her and the boys on Jamie's side of the fence that are frozen in various stretched positions.

"Eli, if I was, do you have nothing else to do, than continue to state the same thing repeatedly?" He bends down to stretch his hamstrings. He looks at the ground, "I mean I could continuously call you a dickhead, but regardless of how many times it's said..."

"There's no mercy, looking like a dickhead would be better, but nope, his fugly face still remains," Joey finishes.

"Vauseman, stay bent just like that, I'm sure it's easier to pack the fudge," he walks away snickering with another one of their teammates who otherwise stayed silent.

"I bet your parents try to poison themselves when you get home in the evenings," Lauren calls out to him. She looks at Jamie, who's visibly upset, "don't let anything he says even try to get through your head Jamie."

"I don't."

Their coach starts walking over toward his team on the field, already complaining that they all look a mess and tells them to jog two laps around the field.

"You gotta tell coach man, new level," Joey encourages him, feeling as if it's gone too far.

He looks at Joey, as if he's lost his mind, "I'm not telling coach, like that's really gonna help." He cracks his neck to the side and starts his lap around the field. Joey looks at Lauren and frowns, shrugging his shoulders.

After their warm up, their team is divided in two, one team is given yellow pinnies, Jamie pulls his over his head as he sees Eli, pulling one on as well. At least if were on the same team, he'll leave me alone, he thinks.

Jamie sprints toward the ball, to keep it in play before it goes over the touch lines, when he feels a blow to his ankle that almost knocks him to the ground. He continues to fight to keep the ball in, as Eli blocks him from making a pass.

"Are you fucking crazy?," he asks the jerk that's been tormenting him, "you're on my team," he says still trying to kick the ball away.

"I'll never be on your team."

He looks down and notices Eli's shin guard is slightly off to the side, he pulls back and kicks him in the shin with his cleat, takes possession of the ball and passes it to another teammate.

"Coach? Foul!," Eli stomps over toward the coach, pissed that it hasn't been called.

"No foul, and you're on the same team, why are you challenging him for the ball? Get out there!," he barks back.

No goals are made on either side, as both teams are bringing their defense. When Jamie's positioned in a spot where he can try to make a goal, he yells "pass," running backwards, he gets closer to the goal as the ball is dribbled down the field. He knows Eli will never pass him the ball, but he wants his couch to at least hear that he's aware of his open position. He doesn't dare try to take possession from his own teammate so he continues to run alongside the kid who's taunted him for every practice for the last month, when he sees him strike toward the goal, and miss.

Eli elbows him, hard, in the ribs, causing his breath to get caught in his chest. And he's had enough. He hears his couch yell "foul," the rest of his words are thick fog. He coughs, gets control of his breathing, his fist instinctually tightens, he consciously removes his thumb from within the confines of his palm and punches Eli square in his jaw. A whistle blows, long and hard, he turns toward the sound and before he knows it, he feels bone hit bone, his vision goes black momentarily, the flesh of his cheek is on fire. The whistle blows fast and sharp over and over, but his temper flares, appalled that he was hit again. He slowly opens his fingers, they're sore and stinging, he keeps them flared open. His hand shakes from the adrenaline coursing through his body, he thrusts the heel of his hand upward against Eli's nose. Blood instantly seeps from his nostrils, down his chin, onto the yellow pinny.

The whistle gets louder, he feels someone's arms envelope his body, restraining his arms to hold him back. He sees their couch, on his knees talking to Eli, he tries to keep the kid's chin tucked, and leans him forward. He removes the pinny from the boy's body, and uses it to pinch his nose. The boy fights him from the added pressure and pain, the trainer soon arrives and takes over. Jamie's coach, puts a hand on his shoulder and asks if he can move his hand. His hand continues to shake, his breathing is staggered, he looks at Eli on the ground with the trainer, what did I do?