Do not own Orange Is The New Black or any of the characters.

So this will be the last chapter. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing and supporting this story.

P.S. I don't know if it was ever mentioned what Alex's mom name was on the show. So I made it up.

Enjoy!

It had been a week since Piper had gotten called into Caputo's office and told the news that her mother had passed away. And that's where she found herself again, exactly to the day.

She was seated once again on that uncomfortable chair looking at the balding middle age man.

Caputo was quiet and avoiding looking into her eye. She knew the news wasn't good. She didn't get granted permission to go to her mother's funeral, she just knew it. The funeral was tomorrow.

"It isn't good news is it?" whispered Piper, breaking the silence.

Caputo turned his head immediately and looked over at Piper at this. There was a sadness in his eyes. He looked on at her for a second longer before letting out a sigh. "I'm afraid not Chapman. Due to your previous incidents in SHU, you weren't granted permission," his voice was firm but also filled with compassion for Piper.

Piper felt the tears sting her eyes but she blinked them away. "I understand," she replied towards the CO. It hurt to hear but she knew her chances of being granted permission had been slim. She didn't say another word as she rose to her feet and left the office. She had nothing else to say to Caputo.

She didn't know where she was headed to as she walked out of the office and down the hallway. It was the middle of the afternoon. Everyone was at lunch. But she didn't have the heart to eat at the moment. Like so many times this week, she just wanted to be alone.

Well, not totally. There was a certain dark haired woman she wouldn't mind spending sometime with. After her break down in the library, Piper had tried not to depend on Alex. But Alex kept on seeking her out, making sure she was okay. Piper didn't know quite what to feel about Alex's sudden presence back in her life but she was trying not to question it, too much.

She knew that Alex would be waiting for her at lunch but she didn't feel like being with the others. Nicky had been kind to her after hearing about her mother's death but she didn't want their sympathy at the moment. She needed to digest this information first before she shared it with anyone else.

Piper headed towards the chapel.

"So are you and Chapman like an item again?" asked Nicky out of curiosity towards Alex. They were seated at their usual table in the cafeteria eating lunch.

Alex just shrugged her shoulders as her eyes looked away from the entrance to her friend. She was worried, Piper hadn't shown up for lunch like she said she would be. "We aren't an item. We are just friends." She replied in a quiet voice as her eyes once again drifted towards the door.

"Friends with bennies?" asked Nicky with an amused expression on her face. She was trying to lighten the mood.

"Shut up Nicky," snapped Alex suddenly at the blonde. "She just lost her fucking mother. I'm not going to take advantage of her!" Her voice was firm and filled with rage. Her eyes were dark as she continued to glare across the table at the other woman.

"Look, I'm sorry," apologized Nicky quickly. She hadn't meant to make Alex snap like that. She'd just wanted to make Alex laugh again.

Ever since Sunday, she had been in a rotten mood. Seeing Piper struggle through her pain, just brought back all those old feelings of Alex's mother death. Alex sighed as she dropped her gaze onto the surface of the table. She knew that Nicky didn't mean any harm. She knew she hadn't been the most easiest person to be around over the last couple of days. She just couldn't stop thinking about her own mother and how much she still missed her years after. And she knew Piper was fighting her off. But she didn't want Piper to have to go through this whole ordeal alone. She needed someone to support and lean on. She wanted to be that person.

No one should have to go through losing their mother on their own. She had and she wouldn't wish it on anyone. Especially, Piper. Yes, she'd been mad at her for leaving when she had all those years ago, when she had given Piper's name for a shorter sentence but so much had changed since then. She had fallen in love with the blonde yet again. She had gotten her heart broken soon after. But there was a connection there that couldn't be broken. No matter how hard both of them tried. They always came back to one another, no matter what.

And now that Alex knewthere was no Larry in the picture anymore. She wanted to be that person more then ever for Piper. She wanted to be her wall. Her listening board. She wanted to be her everything. Even if it was just for a short while. Even if they were just friends after all this. She didn't care. She just wanted to be there for Piper, even if it was only to hold her hand as she cried.

It was at least something.

It was Sister Ingalls who told Alex about Piper.

After work was finished for the day, everyone had gathered in the rec room to unwind. She was playing cards with Nicky, Morello and Big Boo, or trying to at least. She kept on thinking about Piper. She had walked passed the library after work to see if she was there. Taystee had told her that Piper hadn't shown up after lunch. Taystee had gone on to tell her briefly about the blonde getting called into Caputo office just before lunch had started.

"I'm sorry to interrupt," spoke Sister Ingalls in her natural quiet tone, as she placed a hand on Alex's shoulder. Everyone at the table stopped what they were doing and looked towards the nun. "But I think your needed in the chapel dear."

Alex locked eyes with Sister Ingalls, a look of understanding passed between them.

"The chapel?!" asked Big Boos booming voice. "What got yourself a hot date or something Vause!" Everyone knew the chapel was the place to go to hook up in. Both Alex and Sister Ingalls glared at Big Boo at this.

"What?" asked Big Boo, innocently. Her eyes looked around the table at the other. She didn't know what she had said that was wrong. Nicky just rolled her eyes at her, shaking her head in shame. Morello just shrugged her shoulders and down casted her eyes onto her cards. No one decided to clue her in. They just ignored her before returning back to the game.

Not Alex though. She didn't say anything as she placed her cards onto the table and stood up. She thanked Sister Ingalls, placing a kind hand on her shoulder before making her way out of the room.

She found Piper in the same place she had been before. She was seated in the first row of seats, staring up at the stage. Alex walked slowly towards her.

Neither spoke a word to each other as Alex took the empty seat beside her.

Piper glanced briefly, over at Alex before looking away. She didn't have to ask how she knew where to find her. Sister Ingalls, who'd been there previously with her must had told her to come. She could feel Alex's green eyes boring into her but she kept on looking a head. She wasn't in the mood to talk about it yet.

And Alex didn't push her.

The two women just sat there in the quietness of the chapel for a moment or two. Silent tears ran down Piper's face as she continued to cry into herself. She let out the odd sniffle or sob here and there. But other then that, not a word was spoken.

Alex, desperately wanted to reach out and brush away the tears from Piper's eyes. It broke her heart all over again to see her like this. She just wanted to take her in her arms and kiss away all the pain and sorrow from her eyes. She hated the distance between them. Piper was slowly taking down the walls she had built around her but it wasn't enough for Alex. She wanted more. But she knew she couldn't push her. Piper had to let her in on her own time.

And when she did let Alex, fully back into her arms, she would never let her go.

Alex continued to study the profile of Piper's face. She wanted her to look at her. However, Piper continued to look away.

Alex pursed her lips together at this. She didn't know if she should say something or not. She knew that Piper had probably heard it all, already. There was nothing anybody could say that would make her feel better at the moment. Nothing took that kind of pain away. Only time could. Words were just words. They usually only made the person who spoke them feel better.

Alex's eyes then fell onto Piper's hands which was resting palm up on her knee. Her eyes studied the lines of it like a map. She then shifted her eyes towards Piper's face again. She was still crying silently to herself. Alex closed her eyes briefly as she quickly counted to three before reaching out suddenly and taking her hand into her own. Her eyes fluttered open and immediately looked over at Piper, who was still looking at the stage.

However, she didn't pull away from Alex either. Piper curled her fingers around Alex's as she squeezed it gently back. Alex then brought her hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles. She wanted to let her know she was here. She then lowered her hand and placed it on her own lap. Her fingers gently caressing the lines of Piper's palm.

If she couldn't hold Piper at least she could do was hold her hand. Like the Beatles' song, she just wanted to hold her hand.

As they continued to sit there, Alex found herself talking. She didn't know what had triggered it but once she started, she couldn't seem to stop. She'd never really talked about her mom's passing with anyone really. Especially with Piper. But that's what she found herself doing. Talking about the incredible woman her mother had been.

"My mom's name was Suzie. I don't think I ever told you that. Suzie Vause. Badass Suzie Vause, or that's at least what my dad had described her as back in the day, when she had been one of his groupies for his band. Anyways, my mom was awesome. I wish you had gotten to meet her Pipes. I always had the intention to do so but you know, it was never that easy with my job and such. Shit happened. But you would have loved her Pipes. And I know she would had loved you too! She was Badass Suzie Vause!" she smirked at these last words. Her mom had been badass. Way more badass then all those other mothers of the kids she knew growing up. Despite being poor and the teasing she got for it. She loved the way her mom had been. She made everyday an adventure in away. She had taught Alex how to be independent and not to rely on others. Her mother had taught her how to be cool. Tears brimmed Alex's eyes as she thought back to all the good times in her life. There had been a lot of shitty ones too. But her mom always knew how to made it better. Her mom had taught her not to take no for an answer and when something didn't work out, you tried again. She taught her to be a hard worker and to go after what she wanted.

A stray tear ran down her cheek but she quickly blinked the other ones away. She needed to remain strong. She didn't want Piper to think she was making this about herself again. She didn't want to rub anything in Piper's face. She just wanted to tell her about the amazing woman her mother had been.

"In that year that I was traveling the world with you, our relationship strained a little. My mom didn't understand why I couldn't come home and see her on her birthday or mother's day. She didn't know about the drug business. And I didn't want her too. She had raised me to be better than that. She had wanted me to do better then she had. She thought I worked as some international art dealer. That's were she thought I got all that money from to live the way I did and to send her lavish gifts. I was nearing my thirties and I think she wanted me to settle down. To live in one place for more than a month. To find someone and maybe have a kid or two. I dunno," she shrugged her shoulders at this. She didn't like to think about the past and think about what she should or could have done differently. It didn't really matter now. It wouldn't have mattered in the end if she had gone home to her small town, her mother's still would have died of a brain hernia.

"After, I returned to the states. I didn't know what to do with myself. My aunt had arranged most of the funeral before I even got there. I was a mess. You had left me. My mom was gone. I felt like I had no one left," her voice cracked at this. All those old feelings of abandon-ness coming back. Those had been such dark days in her life. "You know I couldn't get through the entire funeral with out being drunk. I started off the day with a drink and by the time it was to go to the church, I'd drank a full bottle of Jack Daniel's. I had been a fucking mess!"

Still holding onto Piper's hand, Alex with her free hand lifted her glasses off of her face and wiped her eyes. She glanced over at Piper, through the corner of her eye. Piper had her full attention now. Alex gave her a small smile.

"I'm sorry, I left you that day," whispered Piper, her voice filled with emotion as she looked up at Alex.

Alex opened her mouth to protest at this. She didn't want Piper to apologize. That's not why she brought up her mother. She had just wanted to open the lines of communication between them.

"Pipes, " she whispered as she turned around in her seat to face Piper better. "Don't apologize."

"No Al, let me talk," argued back Piper, shaking her head violently back and forth. "I didn't understand what you were going through. I couldn't understand the pain you were going through until now. I had been so naive back then in Paris. All I could see was myself and my needs." A fresh set of tears rolled down her cheeks at this.

Alex didn't say anything as she put her glasses back onto the bridge of her nose. She then slowly, reached out and brushed a tear away from Piper's cheek. A moment of silence then fell over the two of them as Piper leaned into Alex and rested her head on her shoulder.

"This sucks ass," whispered Piper, "It fucking sucks ass."

"I know it does, kid," replied back Alex, leaning her head against Piper's and giving her hand a squeeze.

Thanks for reading!

Julie