"Piper, I thought you wanted me to take this marriage seriously?" Carol Chapman frowned at her daughter who had spent the past 20 minutes on her phone.

"I do mom, but this is business."

"Well put the phone down young lady and listen to me." Piper sighed but did as her mother demanded. "I have made a few phone calls and we have a viewing at The Plaza at 4."

"The Plaza? That is way out of any price range we would consider." Piper frowned. "Small mom, I definitely said small."

"Your father and I have discussed it," Mrs Chapman continued as if her daughter hadn't spoken, "we will pay for the reception and the dress. That should ease the financial burden on Larry and still give you the day of your dreams."

"The day of my dreams is small." Piper muttered before adding in a cheerier tone, "how about we look at The Plaza but also some smaller, more intimate venues. After all we are always being told size doesn't matter right?" Piper grinned winking at her mother who scowled and ignored her comment.

"Look I know you will want Polly as your maid of honour but I was thinking…"

"Mom, listen, please. I don't want a maid of honour or bridesmaids or a big expensive reception. I thought today was about finding a dress."

"Seriously Piper? You don't care? What happened to my little girl who spent her weekends making scrapbooks of dresses and cakes and colour schemes. The Plaza was your dream then."

"I am not a little girl any more mom. I am a grown woman trying to start a business and be taken seriously."

Carol rolled her eyes before sipping her iced water and staring at Piper as if she had just landed from another planet. Finally she said "Larry agrees with this? He doesn't want a big wedding? And his parents?"

"Well Amy was hoping for a big wedding." Piper admitted reluctantly knowing there was no point her denying it as her mother would be on the phone to the Bloom's to check anyway. "But as I explained big is expensive and I just don't have time right now."

Shaking her head Carol looked at her watch. "Well I have made the appointment now so we are going, you can at least look. Then, if you still insist on being stubborn, we will rethink. But you have to remember Piper, small weddings still take planning, more if anything. I mean who do we not invite!"

As she pondered this new horrific thought carol remained silent, allowing Piper to check her phone once more. She had left Polly to come meet her mother and they had been expecting a call from Sam Healy at the bank to confirm the appointment with Barney's. Polly had promised she would message Piper as soon as she heard. Frowning at the lack of messages Piper put her phone down and looked at her mother. She had been dreading today, knowing it would be a battle, she hoped that looking for a dress would at least appease her slightly.

"So I have some ideas for my dress." Piper said smiling in what she hoped was a conciliatory tone. Pulling a clipping from her bag Piper held the picture out to her mother.

"Oh Piper that is beautiful!" Carol beamed. "With your hair back, some properly applied make-up and shoes... think of the shoes!"

Rolling her eyes Piper knew it was going to be a long day

o0o

"Mom I really need to take this call." Piper could feel the glare of her mother as they entered the foyer of The Plaza, but if Polly was calling instead of sending a simple text it could only mean bad news. Walking back outside Piper answered the call.

"Polly what's wrong? What happened?"

"Calm down Piper," Polly laughed, "I just wanted to see how you were doing and if you had killed Carol yet!"

"What? You haven't called with news from Healy?"

"No. I called the bank, they said Healy was still trying to set up the meeting, evidently the person he knows is away so…"

"Damn." Piper groaned.

"Its OK," Polly soothed "they assured me we would have a meeting time by the end of the day. The person we will be meeting is out at some fancy networking thing so when they return we will get our time."

"OK," Piper relaxed a little. "I had better go before mom sends out a search party. I am currently at The Plaza!"

"Wow! I thought you were going small?"

"We are. I just haven't managed to get mom to listen to me yet." Saying goodbye Piper reluctantly returned to find her mother gushing over invite samples and table settings.

"Piper look. The colour scheme would go perfectly with your dress!"

"Mom the dress is white, everything goes with white. I thought we were going to have a quick look at the room and then maybe some smaller venues." Piper tried to keep her voice calm but the crazed look in her mothers eyes was making her nervous.

As they walked towards the sweeping staircase the wedding planner, who her mother had introduced to her as Lorna, turned and smiled at Piper.

"Miss Chapman, while small is sometimes beautiful I think you will find nothing, and I do mean nothing, will make your very special day any more special than what we, here at The Plaza, can offer." This obvious practised line was emphasised by the sweep of the hand to take in the grand setting and the bright smile on her scarlet lips.

Entering a banqueting suite of pure opulence Piper's frown grew larger. She listened as the two women in front of her spoke of table plans, menus and colour schemes and knew the only way to get her mother out of here and back to reality was to play her at her own game.

"You know mom," Piper made an exaggerated show of standing in the doorway and gazing round the room as if awe struck. "You are right. This room! It is going to make my wedding the envy of all our friends and all my dreams come true. I will feel like a princess."

Piper, busy gauging the reaction of her mother to this performance, did not see the door behind her open as a business meeting finished. She did not see the tall woman stop, eyes wide, as she stared in disbelief at Piper's words. What Piper did hear however, as the woman walked away, was her comment.

"I was right with my first impression. Shit for brains!"

Piper spun round. Who had said that? All she could see were suited business men leaving a meeting. But she had heard her voice. The voice from the bathroom and the bar!

"Piper! Piper are you listening. Lorna here was just saying they have a cancellation for the fall! Just think of the colours!"

"OK mom, well take a note of the date and I will check with Larry."

Seeing this at least appeased her mother for a while Piper slowly edged her out of the extravagant room back down the stairs to the foyer. Smiling and thanking Lorna she assured her she would be in touch and then all but pushed her fawning mother out onto the street.

"Its so perfect." Carol smiled.

"Its so expensive." Piper grumbled.

o0o

"Friday morning 10 am." Polly smiled as a frazzled looking Piper practically inhaled the coffee she had been given and collapsed on the sofa. "Our meeting is with an Alexandra Vause. She is evidently head of international business, but as Healy's contact was unavailable he went higher. You must have made some impression on him Piper!"

Piper shrugged. "As long as this woman is willing to listen and is realistic. You don't think we will be too small a concern for her if she deals in international business?"

Polly shrugged. "We will just have to impress her, maybe convince her we can go worldwide!"

Piper laughed, "Lets not run before we can walk! OK, so how about Friday night we celebrate then."

"Let me guess, just us?" Polly smiled.

"Well I was going to suggest the 4 of us. It gives me a few days to work out how to break the news to Larry our small wedding has got a little out of control and to suggest eloping."

Polly sat grinning as Piper went into detail about Carol's plans for the wedding. Soon wine had replaced the coffee and when Pete came home Piper took great delight in informing him he would in all likelihood have to wear full morning dress and usher 100's of people they didn't know to seats they couldn't afford before eating a meal so posh they couldn't pronounce it.

At the look of horror on his face Piper finally felt justified, his face showed the disgust she had to keep hidden. Standing and hugging her friends she said "OK, I am going home then going for a run. Maybe it will clear my head and help me devise a plan to convince my father, if not my mother, that she is clearly insane. If that doesn't work I will run until I am too tired to even think or care about dresses, invites and seating plans."

o0o

"I look OK? You are sure?" Piper turned slowly in front of Larry waiting for his verdict.

"Very professional." he grinned.

Hearing Polly banging on the door Piper grabbed the briefcase and greeted her friend.

"You ready?" Polly grinned. Nodding Piper followed her to the waiting cab.

Walking into the business offices on fifth avenue Piper couldn't deny how nervous she was. Last time they had been super confident and left feeling defeated, this time she just felt sick.

"We have an appointment with an Alexandra Vause." Polly smiled at the general receptionist who, nodding, made a call.

"OK, if you take the elevator to the top floor Ms. Vause will see you straight away."

Neither Piper nor Polly spoke as the rode the elevator. When the doors opened into a plush office Piper felt her mouth drop open.

"Fuck!"

Alex Vause, although equally as surprised to see Piper as she was to see her, chuckled.

"Not the normal greeting for a business meeting! Hi I'm Alex Vause." She shook Polly's hand before looking once more at Piper, "please sit down." Piper had clamped her mouth tightly shut and tried to compose herself.

"I take it this is a business meeting not just a chance for the princess to make her friends envious by getting her wedding list authorised on an international level!"

"I knew you were there!" Piper hissed. She could feel her cheeks flush scarlet as Alex threw her own words back at her, and tried to think of a quick retaliation to wipe the smug smirk off the face of the immaculate woman before her, but a very confused Polly interrupted.

"Have I missed something? We are here to discuss plans for PoPi, Mr Sam Healy at the First National Bank arranged the meeting."

Tearing her gaze from Piper's, satisfied she had her rattled at least for the moment, Alex turned her attention to Polly. "Yes I have your proposal here. Mr Healy seems to think our initial proposal was unrealistic, yet it seems to me it was a fair offer. Can you explain the problem."

Polly, seeing Piper was still in some kind of trance, explained the nature of the business as it stood currently and the proposed expansion plans. "...So with a smaller product placement to start we will be able to build on this as demand grows."

"You seem very certain demand will grow. What are you basing this assumption on?"

"Well the product is good." Polly shrugged.

"I am guessing you base this verdict on friends and family?"

Polly nodded reluctantly.

"So a few biased reviews and you think you are ready for a store like this, that you can meet the quality and demands of this store? Maybe you should start smaller. A local store, a few products..."

Polly looked at Piper, desperate for her to jump in and defend PoPi's, but seeing she was going to be of no use Polly said defensively "look, I know you are the international manager or something, so yes we appear small to you, but that doesn't mean our product isn't good. Maybe whatever it is that has happened here," she threw a look once more at her friend, "it is clouding your judgement. Maybe you should test the product yourself then we can talk again."

Alex's eyes widened at Polly's brave challenge. She was used to people cowering before her, accepting her word as law. Piper, still sat silently, may look the part Alex thought but she certainly hadn't done her own cause any good.

"I tell you what, Miss Harper, if your 'business partner' here eventually joins the land of the living and agrees, she can bring me some of this amazing product and I will try it. You have shown your commitment to your company but as it is a joint business venture, and you claim you are both involved, I need to see her commitment too."

Polly looked from Alex to Piper. She was missing something. But what? Feeling they had been dismissed Polly stood. Piper followed automatically.

As they got to the door Alex leant close and said quietly "Nice to see you again Piper."

Blushing again Piper nodded and left.

o0o

"What the fuck was that!" Polly screeched as the hit the side-walk and tried to hail a cab.

Piper just shook her head.

Sensing she was going to need to ply her with alcohol to get any sort of response out of her friend Polly gave the driver the address of the bar that was fast becoming their regular and sat back. Piper had been so up for this meeting, so keen. But one look at that woman and she had freaked. She obviously knew her. How?

Once inside and a large wine in her hand Polly tried again. "I take it you two had met before."

Piper nodded.

"When?"

"Here." piper said slowly closing her eyes "and at The Plaza, kind of."

"What do you mean 'kind of'."

"Well I didn't see her, but I thought I heard her. Then what she said, when we arrived today… well it confirmed it."

"OK Piper you need to explain because what I saw was us going to a very important meeting and you loosing your shit."

"She is the woman from the bathroom. The one who said I 'had shit for brains'. She must have been at that meeting in The Plaza. I was showing off to mom, saying how I would be the envy of my friends, I would be a princess… dammit Polly I was not serious! I wanted to shut my mother up and get her out of there, it seemed the only way. But then I heard her voice. Saying she was right and I had shit for brains." More indignantly now Piper said "I am not stupid!"

Polly looked dumbfounded. "The thing is Piper today you made yourself look stupid. PoPi's too. You need to go back, explain and grovel… otherwise we are finished as far as Barney's is concerned."

o0o

It wasn't a dream that woke her that night. She couldn't dream as she had been unable to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw her face. It was worse now as she had a name to go with the face. A name and the sound of her laugh. Sure it had been directed at her, but Piper groaned as she thought of it. What was happening to her? Polly was right, if she wanted their business to succeed she needed to go back. She had bailed on celebrating tonight, they had nothing to celebrate after all. But she knew the real reason was fear. Fear of seeing Alex again, fear of making herself look even more stupid. Deciding she needed to plan the next meeting better Piper got up, crept out of the bedroom and opening her laptop began to research Alexandra Vause. Next time she would be prepared!

o0o

A/N: So thrilled so many people have read this story so far, and so many have been kind enough to contact me. I am sorry I cannot reply to 'guest' reviews but I read them all.

I noticed that my story breaks, which show up clearly as I write, are not translating to the site so have tried something different this time.

I hope this chapter is OK, would love to hear what you think! A x