One Month Divorced

"Can you bring him to the country club? I told my parents I would have Sunday brunch with them and they want to see Parker."

Piper was nervously walking around the kitchen gathering her purse and keys before she set off for the country club. Alex had Parker for the weekend but Bill and Carol requested to see their grandson and Piper would rather deal with her ex-wife rather than upset her parents.

"Piper this is my weekend. I leave for two weeks in the morning, I have a right to see my son."

Piper was getting tired of Alex throwing all the legal terms into their conversations as if she could take away Parker. If Piper so chose to, she could have Alex thrown into prison in an instant for her deep involvement in the cartel, but she couldn't bring herself to do that and cause that much more of a mess. Plus, no matter how hard she fought herself, Piper still loved Alex.

"You can pick him up when we're done. All I'm asking is two hours and then you can have him back for the rest of the day."

Bill and Carol saw Parker much more than Alex did, but not wanting to deny her ex-in laws the right to see their only grandchild, Alex gave in. But then again, hasn't she always given in to Piper?

"What time do you want me to meet you there?"

Piper smugly grinned to herself knowing she still had a little bit of power in this co-parenting situation.

"Ten-thirty. And make sure he has nice clothes on please. No dinosaurs or sweat pants. I think I packed his Sperry's, so put him in those."

"Okay." Alex sighed.

Piper and Parker were sitting on the patio of the country club having brunch with Bill and Carol Chapman. Half the things that were coming out of Piper's parent's mouths, Piper wasn't paying attention to. She was more worried about Parker's incessant fussing rather than Carol asking if she had been on any dates or had any person in mind. In Piper's mind, she had no want to go on a date or even think about starting another relationship. Did her mother not understand that she was just declared divorced a little over a month ago?

When Alex and Piper got married, Bill had happily escorted his daughter down the aisle, but Carol sat in the back row as if it was an embarrassment to be there. To her it was. Bill and Alex's relationship had flourished when he saw the way she supported and loved his daughter. He was skeptical of how often the pair traveled the world but the thought soon vanished when he would receive pictures of the two happily smiling wherever they were. The idea of his daughter being in a same sex relationship was no problem for him as long as she was well taken care of. Carol on the other hand, still sent her the phone numbers of men with old money.

Upon hearing the news of the divorce, Bill's heart wept for Piper, but Carol, even though she sent her condolences, she was secretly relieved. Alex and Carol had stomached the visits for Piper, but you could tell there was tension between the two. More often than not when Piper requested a family lunch with Alex in tow, Carol came up with excuses for her to not have to attend. Since the divorce was finalized, Piper's mother hadn't missed one lunch.

"Are you doing alright, honey?" Bill asked reaching across the table to place his hand on top of Piper's. "You seem sort of distant."

"Yeah, daddy. I'm fine." Piper tried to fake the best smile she could.

"Is Alex paying the child support on time? Your father and I would have no hesitancy in lending you money for you and Parker."

This was the first non-selfish thing Carol had said all morning.

"She's getting it to me on time, but thank you."

Piper had never told her parents the actual results of the divorce. She led them to believe that the judge told Alex she was to pay child support and take him every weekend, but Piper had never told her parents what Alex actually did for a living so she had to fabricate that Alex actually just transferred money into her bank account and saw Parker two to three times a month. Parker's fussing and squirming about the high chair broke the adults from their conversation.

"What is it, babe?" Piper asked rubbing a maternal hand over his forehead and noting he was a tad bit warm. Whether the warmth was from the sun or if he had a fever was unknown. Picking up the toddler and sitting him across her legs, the boy leaned the side of his head against his mother's chest, calming at the closeness.

"Does my grandbaby not feel good?" Carol asked reaching across the table to touch his cheek. Parker pressed himself further into Piper's chest.

Just as Piper went to reply to her mother, her phone alerted her with a text message.

From Alex: I'm caught in traffic, I'm going to be a little late picking him up.

To Alex: Can you pick him up at the house? We're about to leave. He's not feeling well.

Alex quickly responded with a worried response but Piper decided against replying so she could leave quicker. Bill and Carol didn't seem too upset that their daughter and grandson were leaving so quickly but they understood that Parker's health was more important. Carol and Bill quickly kissed their grandchild goodbye after Bill had strapped him into his car seat and told Piper to call and update on how Parker was doing.

The whole way home, Parker fussed and squirmed about in his seat. Any time Piper would try to coerce him to tell her what was wrong, he refused and continued to whimper. By the time Piper pulled into the driveway, the small boy was in a full blown crying fest and the blonde woman didn't even notice that Alex had beat her to the house and was already walking up the driveway to get Parker out of the back of the BMW. As soon as Piper got out of the car and turned around to open the rear door, Alex was reaching for the handle. A part of Piper felt relieved that she had back up but another part of her was scared from how stealthily Alex had walked up the drive.

"Jesus Christ."

Alex slightly smirked and opened the back door. "What's wrong buddy?"

Parker was grasping at his left ear and Alex could faintly make out the word 'hurt' through his crying.

As soon as Piper unlocked the front door, she told Alex she was going to fetch the fever thermometer and the otoscope to look into Parkers ear. Alex sat down on the couch with him and pressed her cheek to his forehead. Noting that he was getting warmer, Alex cradled Parker just enough to wear she could untie his baby Sperry's and strip him of his clothes. Once he was down to just his diaper, Piper appeared in the living room and sat down next to Alex. Parker's cries were less violent but still very audible.

"Okay, buddy." Piper cooed as she ran the temporal thermometer gently across Parker's forehead to his temple. The thermometer read 100.8 degrees Fahrenheit.

Alex craned her neck to see the reading and quickly clutched Parker to her chest.

"My poor little guy."

Parker refused to let Piper look in his ear but when she caught a glimpse of his throat with the flashlight from her phone, she noticed his throat was covered in white spots.

"Shit."

"What?" Alex asked.

"He has spots on his tonsils."

Alex slowly threw her head back into the couch.

"How many fucking times is he going to get this a year?"

"Alex." Piper threw her a knowing look about using bad language in front of their son. "Can you run and get some children's Tylenol and I'll call and make him an appointment?"

It seemed like the poor little boy had strep throat or tonsillitis at least once a month. Alex and Piper noticed over the span of his life that he could be perfectly fine one minute and the next he was miserable.

"Yeah, I can do that." Alex stood up from the couch still cradling Parker. Piper reached her arms out to take him and when Alex removed her arm from the back of Parker's head, the back of her hand skimmed Piper's forearm. Automatically Piper felt the spark of electricity run through her body when her ex-wife touched her. That feeling had never seemed to go away. Every innocent brush of the hand when they were passing Parker off or handing something to each other over the past nine months, that spark had made its presence known. Piper hesitantly looked up at Alex and as she watched the raven haired woman run her hand through her hair.

"I'll be back in half an hour." Alex murmured reaching a hand down to touch Parker's head.

Piper had never once doubted the love Alex had for Parker. You could see the bond that the two had between them from the first time Alex held him. It killed Piper when Alex didn't make it in time for Parker's birth. When Alex arrived at the hospital, Piper was furious and Alex knew that, she would be too if she were in Piper's shoes, but the tall woman did everything in her power to make it up to Piper.

Alex left to go back to work three weeks after Parker was born, that alone was enough to send Piper completely off the edge. Piper had never seemed to understand how hard it was for Alex to leave her wife and child at home but she had no choice. Once Alex went back to traveling, Piper tried hard to get into a routine but being the only parent proved to be a difficult task with a newborn.

After Alex had left to run to the drug store, Piper got Parker a sippy cup from the kitchen and laid him on the couch to rest. As soon as she left his presence, he whined and whimpered until she laid down with him. Once she had successfully pried herself from the toddler's death grip after he fell asleep, the blonde woman made her way upstairs to change out of the attire she wore to the brunch. When Alex passed Parker to Piper, Piper observed that a month after the divorce, Alex still had her wedding ring on. Was she feeling guilty? Did she not want to let it go? Piper would never know, but it was odd to her that Alex, a woman who could have anyone pretty much, still had her wedding ring on. In all honesty, Piper thought that Alex would have ditched the ring and start having sex with random girls to cover up the pain she was feeling, but from the looks of it, she was doing quite the opposite.

Walking over to her jewelry box, Piper placed her hand on the knob to pull out the drawer that held her wedding ring, the small shiny object that once brought her so much joy, but now caused so much hurt. It took her a moment to pull out the drawer, but her body spoke for itself and before she knew it, she was holding the ring in her hand. As soon as Piper laid eyes on that two karat, princess cut diamond with the diamond encrusted band, the band that matched Alex's, a wave of heartache pulsed through her body.

It was a wintry Christmas Morning in New York as Piper and Alex sat curled up in front of the fire in their penthouse apartment. Most of the morning was spent in bed basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking that had lasted until early hours of the morning, but Alex persuaded Piper to finally get out of bed to go and unwrap presents. Alex had thought that it would be Piper who would be chomping at the bit to unwrap presents, but the blonde woman simply stated, "You're all I need." What Piper didn't know, was that one certain gift under the tree would make her statement come true forever.

Alex had picked out the ring four weeks before Christmas. As soon as she laid eyes on it, she knew it was the one for Piper. It basically screamed at her from the glass case to pick it for her (hopefully) soon to be fiancé. She had originally planned to propose to Piper in Cambodia on the beach but inclement weather cancelled that plan.

Keeping the ring hidden was a task of its own. Piper had something stashed in every nook and cranny of that apartment, so Alex had trusted Nicky enough to leave the ring at her house until Alex was ready for it. Piper and Alex had discussed marriage a few times before and the blonde woman insisted that she didn't need to get married, but deep down Alex knew it was ultimately what she wanted. Alex never pictured herself getting married, but all it takes is one person for that to change completely.

The pair had just finished opening what Piper thought was all the presents but little did she know. Alex casually asked her to go and get some coffee for the two of them and Piper happily obliged but not before kissing Alex multiple times.

As soon as Piper left the room, Alex's nerves went into overdrive. She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. The raven haired woman stood up on her wobbly legs and reached for the black velvet box that was sitting on a limb towards the back of the tree and placed it in the pocket of her hoodie. Alex sat back down quickly when she heard Piper's footsteps approaching.

"Thanks, babe."

Alex kissed Piper's cheek as she sat back down next to her.

Keeping her hand in her pocket clutched around the little black box, Alex realized that she had never completely thought out how she would approach the subject. If she had proposed in Cambodia, she had it planned out to where the two would take a walk on the beach and she would propose but she had never thought about what she would do when she proposed in the apartment.

Deciding to just take the plunge, Alex grabbed Piper's hand and intertwined their fingers.

"Did you have a good Christmas, Al?"

This response was perfect for Alex's situation.

"It will be perfect if you agree to something."

Alex let go of Piper's hand and slowly went from her sitting position to kneeling on her knee, and reached inside her hoodie pocket. Quickly realizing what was happening, Piper grinned and placed a hand over her mouth to contain her excitement.

"Babe." Piper whispered as a stray tear fell from the corner of her eye.

Alex grinned at Piper as she opened the velvet box to reveal the ring, and grabbed Piper's hand.

"Piper, we've talked about this many many times and no matter how many times you tell me that we don't have to get married, I fail to believe it. I never believed in marriage until I met you and that says a lot."

Piper chuckled and nodded her head.

"You are my best friend. I love you more than life itself. You have been there for me through so many shitty situations and through so many joyful times. You show me that life has a meaning and I can't picture myself without you by my side. Everywhere I turn, I'm reminded of you and it makes me so fucking happy to wake up next to you every morning. You are the most beautiful person inside and out and I can't believe how incredibly lucky I am to have you."

By now Alex had tears trailing down her face which caused Piper to cry even more.

Piper knew Alex was hesitant about speaking on spot but in Piper's eyes, Alex's speech was perfect.

"SO, Piper Chapman, will you marry me?"

Piper broke their connection and cupped Alex's face and looked her dead in the eyes.

"Yes."

Piper gently placed her lips on Alex's as they shared a tender kiss. After they broke apart, Alex removed the ring and placed it on Piper's ring finger, ecstatic that it was a perfect fit.

"It's so beautiful." Piper admitted, mesmerized at how it looked on her finger.

Alex leaned down to capture Piper's lips in a kiss again and whispered, "I love you so fucking much."

"I love you too."

"Piper?" Alex called out. She was right outside the bedroom door.

"How did I not hear her come in?"

"I'm in here!"

Quickly placing the ring on the island in the closet, she shut the door to the walk-in and saw Alex entering the bedroom with a grocery bag in hand.

"Hey, I got children's Tylenol, and some of those organic throat lozenges that you buy for him."

Piper looked down at Alex's left hand to make sure she didn't just think that she still had her wedding ring on but was proven correct that Alex did indeed still have her ring on.

"Thanks."

"Did you get him an appointment?"

Alex moved to set the bag down on the bed, taking note that Piper too had a picture of the three of them sitting on the night stand next to her side of the bed.

"Yes, at eleven-thirty in the morning."

Alex's eyes grew wide as she abruptly turned around to look at Piper.

"You can't get it any earlier? My flight is at noon."

Surprised that Alex was actually trying to be there instead of jetting off to wherever she had to go, Piper told her she would try to get his appointment for earlier. Usually Alex would just let Piper handle the medical issues and attend the doctor's appointments but something seemed to have changed.

Alex left soon after her conversation with Piper but not before kissing Parker and making sure Piper had everything she needed to take care of Parker.

Wednesday Morning…

"Yeah, Pol. She sat through the whole appointment and didn't just leave right after."

Polly and Piper were sitting outside of the café next door to Popi have lunch after a successful business meeting earlier that morning.

"Do you think she's just trying to suck up so she can get you back?"

"I don't know, Pol. I mean she really does care about Parker."

Piper looked down at her phone as a text message from an unknown number popped up on the screen.

From Unknown: Hi, this is Benjamin.

"Who is it?" Polly pried.

"Probably just another recruitment that my mother made."

Piper rolled her eyes and set her phone back down on the table.

"Besides, it would take more than her showing up to Parker's appointments for me to even consider trying to work things out."

"Aha! So you WOULD take her back!" Polly pointed her fork at Piper.

Piper shook her head.

"I never said that. I desperately tried to hold onto our marriage but she won't leave the one thing that she thought was more important than her wife and child."

Polly kept her mouth shut with this statement.

"Can I tell you something?"

The short brown haired woman nodded.

"She still has her wedding ring on."

"She's probably feeling guilty. I would feel guilty too if I threw away Pete and Finn for drugs."

Feeling her temper growing, Piper shot her best friend a look and quickly replied, "She doesn't do drugs, Pol."

Shrugging her shoulders, Polly grabbed the check, paid as a silent truce, and didn't say a word more about Alex. Polly knew that Piper missed Alex even though she wouldn't admit it, but in her opinion, Piper deserved someone better than Alex.

Across the ocean, Alex sat nervously in Kubra's living room of his Paris apartment waiting to speak to him.

A/N: Slowly but surely…Let me know what you think.

All mistakes are my fault. I had no patience to go through and look for errors. Been battling the stomach flu.

Thanks again for all the great reviews!