The weekend seemed so long ago Piper thought as she swiped her arm across her face, trying to stop the sweat trickling down into her eyes. It was early, only 6.30 am, but she had been awake for ages and had decided a run was the best way to process the thoughts going through her head before starting the new week.

The weekend had been wonderful. She had felt so close to Alex, connected emotionally as well as physically. They had talked and laughed and returning home Piper was so happy just to curl up on the sofa next to Alex knowing this was where she belonged. But then Monday morning had rolled around and Alex was up early ready to start in her new role with Robin, while Piper returned to the PoPi unit.

By Monday night she returned home tired but pleased, not only with the work they had accomplished that day but with the way she had found the unit on her return. Everything she had asked of Tasha had been completed. The unit was neat tidy and set up ready to start the new week. As the week and work progressed though, the hours both herself and Alex worked seemed to lengthen and Piper knew she would not see Alex now until very late that night or even the following morning. When Piper had left home that morning, dressed for the run she had just completed, Alex was already in the kitchen drinking coffee and going over her notes for the day. She had given Piper a distracted kiss and promised to call, but Piper knew they would both soon be wrapped up in work.

As Piper slowly walked her cool down lap she thought about the meals she had intended to cook to spoil Alex, the dreams of shopping at the farmer's market together and maybe even cooking together too. The best she had managed this week though Piper reflected was bringing home a pizza when she knew Alex would be home before her and working in her office.

Resolving to make today, Friday, special Piper turned out of the park gate and headed home. Seeing both Alex car and bike still there she frowned, she had assumed she would have left by now. Entering the house, she did not need to go searching as she could hear Alex talking from the lounge.

"Hand on Tasha, I think she has just come in." Walking out to meet Piper, Alex smiled and said "you might want to talk to Tasha." She held out the phone with a wince.

"Tasha? What's wrong? has something happened are you ok?" Pipers face, Alex noticed, went very quickly from one of concern, to shock, to anger. "I am so sorry Tasha. Look I will be over in 5 minutes." Handing the phone back to Alex, Piper turned and made for the door.

"Err. Pipes? What are you doing?" Alex asked

"What do you think I am doing?! I am going to apologies to Tasha then I am going see my mother. How dare she harass Tasha like that."

"Well," Alex said calmly "she was not to know you had moved."

"No," Piper admitted "but there was no need to call so many times, accuse Tasha of telling lies then sending the police around!"

Seeing Alex smirk at the end of her statement she frowned. "It's not funny Al. Poor Tasha sounded so worried."

Openly chuckling now Alex said "I cannot believe she got the police involved! What was so urgent anyway?"

Piper cringed "I forgot my father's birthday… evidently there was a party last night. Mother was calling to remind me, then called back assuming she had a wrong number. It was only Tasha assuring her it was the right number, that she knew me and that I no longer lived there that stopped mother calling the police believing Tasha was an intruder. Unfortunately, Tasha then said I no longer lived there because I had moved in with my partner."

"Oh boy!" Alex chuckled eyes widening at this news. "I can just picture Carole's face now!"

"Yes, well while you sit there laughing and picturing it, I am going around to do some damage limitation."

"Piper what can you do? I mean Tasha didn't lie. Carole has no idea where you live and you were happy with that only a few days ago. Let her calm down then arrange to see her."

Piper shook her head. "She evidently told Tasha if she hadn't heard from me by 8am this morning she would be contacting the police and reporting m missing person and reporting Tasha for covering up the truth."

Alex rolled her eyes. "She likes drama I will give her that. Ok, come on I will come with you. Show her you are safe then drop you at the unit."

"No!" Piper almost shouted. "No its fine Al, I will go."

"You ashamed of me Pipes?" Alex asked lightly eyebrow raised.

"No of course not! But I know my mother. This will be a long drawn out conversation and quite frankly announcing I am living with you is not something I want to do in the middle of one of her hissy fits. You go to work. I will handle mother then I will call you later." Kissing a frowning Alex, Piper headed out the door.

0o0

"I'm sorry daddy." Piper smiled kissing her father's cheek. "I was away all weekend and hadn't realised the date. I didn't realise mother had arranged anything for last night either."

"It's ok Piper." Her father smiled patting her hand. "And it wasn't a party, just dinner with a few friends." He checked over his shoulder to check his wife wasn't within earshot. "Your mother just likes control; you know what she is like. She was shocked to hear you had moved. So this new man. Please tell me he has more about him than Larry!"

As Piper opened her mouth to reply Carole chapman re-entered the room carrying a tray of coffee and cookies.

"You have obviously only called in on your way to work," she frowned at Pipers clothes, "unless you have taken to dressing like that all the time now? Tell me Piper, that person that answered your phone, she said she worked with you, but it clearly wasn't Polly so that was a lie! She said you had a new man in your life obviously another lie, or I am sure we would have heard, if not from you then someone in our circle. So tell me what exactly is going on."

Piper took a deep breath. She should have listened to Alex, no way she could spin this was going to appease her mother. "Mom, the person you spoke to was Tasha. She does work for me, me and Polly. You know Polly is pregnant, well she had a scare so has cut right back at work. Tasha is our assistant. Also she now lives in my old apartment. I moved out last week. Before you ask, she held up her hand to silence Carole, no I am not giving you my new address or any details of my new relationship or living arrangements. It is new, I am happy and quite frankly I know you will disapprove."

"And that's it? You expect me to be happy with that?"

Piper shrugged. "You don't really have any choice. You can see I am ok. I have told you I am happy. Surely that's enough." Standing Piper moved to the door. "Now I really do have to get to work." Exiting hurriedly, she returned to her car and drove towards the unit. By the time she had arrived her nerves had calmed a little and she reflected on the conversation. It was probably the first time she had ever stood up to her mother. She knew she had only bought herself some time but for now it was enough.

0o0

"How was it?" Piper smiled as she handed Alex a glass of wine much later that day.

"Good" Alex grinned. "In fact, it felt almost as if I hadn't been away."

"Almost?"

"Well my role is different of course, and seeing Nicky in my old office was strange but good strange you know, she is doing really well and was surprisingly professional! I had a chance to go through all Robin's client list and there are so many opportunities for expansion. I have spent most of the day just making notes to share my ideas."

Piper grinned. This was the Alex who had fired her own desire to succeed. Seeing that spark in her eye made Piper remember her first visit to the very room they were sat in now.

"What are you grinning at?" Alex asked.

"I was just thinking how good it was to see you so excited about your job. And then I remembered the first time I came across that passion." She laughed. "You lecturing me on how I should behave right in this room."

Alex grinned pushing her glasses up on her head she surveyed the woman before her. "As I remember pipes you were offering me a massage in exchange for me buying your product. It was unconventional to say the least."

Piper smiled. "Now I don't remember you complaining when you eventually go the massage!"

"No, I didn't, you are right. In fact," she winked "I should probably demand a weekly massage now you are living here!"

Piper grinned "How about you can be my guinea pig. Every time I come up with a new scent you get to be my test subject before I present it."

Alex eyes glimmered "Ok, I like the sound of that, but only on the condition that I get one non work related strawberry scented massage a month."

"Deal!" Piper smiled. "I am working on a new scent now actually." she moved closer laying her head on Alex's shoulder.

"Well," Alex pulled Piper closer, "maybe this coming weekend I will let you test it on me. But tonight pipes I think we both need an early night."

"Alex." Piper lifted her head to look at the woman next to her. "I didn't tell my parents about us." She admitted.

"Ok." Alex shrugged. "Why do you look so worried about it Piper? What you do is none of their business."

"I know." Piper admitted "but when I left, when I was back at the unit and I had calmed down I just felt ashamed."

"What?" Alex pulled back looking concerned now. "Piper are you saying you regret moving in? that you are ashamed of us?"

"No Al." piper smiled at the worried look Alex was giving her and kissed her soothingly before continuing. "No I mean I felt ashamed I hid from them. Hid where I live hid who I am with as if it was wrong."

"Ok." Alex looked more relieved than anything at piper's words before considering how to reply. "Look at it from a different angle then. Let's pretend you had told you parents this address, that you had moved in with me, the motor cycle driving woman that your mother had met previously. What would her reaction have been?"

Piper grimaced. "She would have said I was letting the Chapman name down. That I was not thinking like a sane person. She would have come her demanding to know what you had down to her daughter!"

"And instead we are sat here together drinking wine in peace" Alex pointed out. "Stop worrying. You can tell them when you are ready Piper, or not at all."

0o0

Piper groaned the next morning however and tried to recall the sensible words Alex had used to calm her when pulling up in front of the unit she saw her mother's car waiting. Getting out of her own car slowly Piper mover to the driver's side and grimaced when she saw it was empty.

Knowing that meant Tasha was now being forced to entertain her mother alone piper quickened her step and entered the unit. She bit her lip to hide the smirk at the look of horror on Carole Chapmans face. Realising from the expression she had arrived possibly seconds behind her mother she winked at a nervous looking Tasha and stepped forward.

"Mom! What an unexpected surprise. This is Tasha, I believe you spoke on the phone!"

Tasha moved forward holding out her hand politely but Carole eyes were fixed in a horrified fashion on Tasha's multi coloured hair missing the gesture completely. Pulling herself together she spun around glaring at Piper.

"I came to talk some sense into you. You need to come home Piper. It is not fitting for a young woman to roam from house to house. Goodness knows what state the new place is like."

"Mother the house I live in is perfectly suitable I can assure you." Piper said calmly.

"Then why is it some big secret? Is it this new man? Is he a criminal?"

Piper rolled her eyes "There is no new man mom."

"But she," Carole looked accusingly at Tasha., "she said you had moved in with your new boyfriend."

Piper shook her head "No she said my new partner."

"Business partner? You haven't moved in with Polly so who is it?"

"Alex mom, you met her before. I am living with Alex."

Carole was silent as she digested this information. "But why? Why move in with her when you had somewhere to live. It doesn't make sense. Was it the money? You couldn't afford living alone? You can always move back home Piper."

"No mom it wasn't the money." Piper took a deep breath "I am living with Alex because we are a couple."

"What?" Carole blinked her eyes staring as if not comprehending the words Piper had spoken. "What do you mean a couple?"

"It's simple, I love her mom." Piper stated calmly.

Carole stared at her daughter for several seconds then without a word left the unit.

0o0

A/N: So Piper finally admits her feelings but to the wrong person! Not the longest chapter but wanted to get something out. Thanks for last week's messages, sorry I did not get to reply to everyone. I promise to try harder this week.

A x