A/N Sorry about the long wait for this update. I had a bunch of stuff going on and haven't really had the time to sit down and focus on this until now. Large chunk of this chapter doesn't actually feature Piper and gives you a bit more insight into Alex and Diane. It was fun to write for them for a change so I hope you like it.

Reviews:

Guest: Thanks so much and your wish has been granted with this chapter and most probably future chapters as well.

I3VauseMan: Haha thanks so much. That flashback was tough to write as I knew I needed to show a genuine reason for Piper not wanting to meet Diane initially. Exactly, in my mind Diane is the mother figure Piper never received. I purposefully stuck in a Nicky scene during the next chapter just for you so hopefully you enjoy it.

…..

The sound of clattering pans riles Alex from her sleep on the couch, the familiar weight of her girlfriend pressing down upon her chest. Blinking rapidly as her eyes attempt to adjust to the sudden light flowing through her living room, Alex lifts her head slightly and squints in the direction of her kitchen, her mother's silhouette visible through her strained vision.

Alex glances down and smiles at the sight of the blonde snuggled into her side, Piper's head rising a falling with the movement of the Alex's chest as she snores lightly, her mouth slightly parted in a way that made Alex's heart warm at the adorableness. During the times Piper wasn't suffering from a nightmare, Alex loved the way she looked when she was in deep sleep, the comfort and ease in those moments clearly shown in her relaxed expression.

Leaning forward, Alex places a soft kiss on the top of her girlfriend's head before gently removing herself from Piper's embrace, shifting the blonde with her hands so that her head now rests upon the pillow, Piper never once stirring from her slumber at the movement. Taking a moment to take in the sight of Piper's relaxed state, Alex smiles once again, before pushing herself from her now seated position on the couch and walking towards the kitchen to greet her mother good morning as she slips her black rimmed glasses onto her face.

"Hey," Alex murmurs quietly as she takes a seat at the breakfast counter, her mother's back facing her as the older woman remains focused on her task of mixing the cream coloured batter in the small wooden bowl in her arms.

Diane turns her head to face her daughter and smiles. "Hey kiddo, how'd you sleep?" she asks as she turns herr body towards Alex, leaning casually against the lip of the kitchen counter.

Alex returns her smile and watches on as her mother continues to mix the contents of the bowl, a sight which had grown so familiar to her after their Sunday ritual of pancakes during her childhood. "Good, I swear that couch is almost as comfy as my actual bed."

"That's good, last thing I need is you girls fucking up your backs every time I come to visit," Diane replies earnestly.

Alex smiles at her Diane's words, it clearly apparent her mother would be keen to return in the near future, Piper evidently having a positive effect on her mother. Whilst Alex had introduced people to Diane in the past, she had never seen her mother take to someone as quickly as she did Piper, a solid connection forming in front of her eyes as the two women laughed and joked throughout the course of last night. It had been a sight that Alex was honestly surprised to witness, her normally socially distant girlfriend never usually displaying such ease with someone she had just met, Alex acutely aware that Piper preferred to limit her interactions with those she did not know well.

"Piper still asleep?" Diane asks, breaking Alex from her current train of thought.

"Uh, yeah, she has had a rough past couple of nights so she has been pretty tired lately." Alex explains, her mind wandering back to the other night in which she had woken from her slumber to Piper whimpering and shaking in her sleep, whatever horrific nightmare causing the blonde to not want to fall back asleep once Alex had gently awoken her. Alex hadn't explained to her mother the details of the effects Piper's childhood had had on her girlfriend, Diane simply knowing that Piper had come from a difficult past, Alex feeling it was not her place to tell her mother the particulars of the blonde's issues.

Diane nods in understanding, her discussion with Piper after she woke her from her screaming inducing sleep, allowing the older woman to begin to piece together the puzzle that was Piper Chapman. "I can imagine, whatever is in those nightmares she has is fucking horrible."

Alex furrows her brow in confusion, unclear of how her mother was aware of her girlfriend's nightmares, never once mentioning the way she would sometimes be jolted awake from her sleep by Piper's thrashing body.

Seeing her daughter's confusion Diane smiles sympathetically, Piper apparently not having told Alex yet of yesterday's nightmare. "She had one while you were out getting dinner last night," Diane explains, her heart constricting as she remembers back to how scared and embarrassed Piper had appeared directly after.

Alex frowns, guilt instantly washing over her at the thought of Piper having to wake up from one of them to an unfamiliar person, knowing full well the state the blonde could be in immediately after one's occurrence. Whilst during their time together Piper had told her the nightmares had reduced, Alex still felt helpless each time one did occur, the expression and tension apparent in Piper's body immediately after making her heart ache. "Sorry, she never usually has them during daytime," Alex explains, hoping her decision to leave Piper during her sleep hadn't caused her girlfriend or her mom to feel too uncomfortable, greatly regretting her decision to leave before Piper awoke.

Diane shakes her head, signalling her daughter had nothing to apologise for. "Don't be sorry baby, it's okay. Nothing I couldn't handle."

"Fuck, I shouldn't have left her. Ugh, I'm so stupid sometimes," Alex rasps out as she runs her hand through her black hair, guilt still pooling in her stomach at the ill-comfort she may have caused either woman.

Placing the mixing bowl on the counter top, Diane walks towards her daughter and places a hand on her shoulder, rubbing soothing circles. "You're not stupid Al, its fine. We had a small little chat about it," Diane explains, referring to her discussion with her daughter's girlfriend about her own past struggles with nightmares, the blonde deeply interested in how the older woman had help combat her nightmares.

Alex relaxes under her mother's comforting touch, turning her head to face her and smiling as she realises that their talk had resulted in the embrace between the two which she had interrupted upon her return. Piper rarely hugged anyone, Alex only witnessing her girlfriend willingly embrace one other person aside from herself, that person being Nicky. The sight of Piper embracing her mother had made Alex smile widely, the two people she cared about the most in this world connecting warming her heart.

"I just feel so helpless sometimes," Alex mumbles dejectedly towards her mother, her memory burning with the images of Piper's distraught face from the other night's nightmare. "She won't tell me anything about them so I feel like I don't know how to help her, mom."

Diane sighs in compassion, knowing full well just how difficult it could be the build the courage to discuss the haunting events that were plaguing one's mind, not wanting Alex to push Piper into discussing something she wasn't ready to, fearing it would be damaging to the blonde. Diane wraps her arm further around her daughter, pulling her into a tight embrace before affectionately kissing the side of her head. "You are helping her just by being there to comfort her when she wakes up. Give her time Al, she will tell you when she is ready."

Sighing, Alex nods her head. "I missed you, mom," she whisperers as she leans further into her mother's warm embrace, not truly realising just how much she had missed the older woman until that moment.

Diane smiles "I missed you too, baby," she murmurs, leaning down to kiss Alex's head before pulling away and walking her way back around the counter and towards the abandoned mixing bowl that lies near the kitchen sink.

Rising from her seat on the bar stool, Alex walks towards the fridge, opening the metal door to retrieve the orange juice from the shelf. "So, I take it that means you like her," Alex questions as she grabs a glass from the counter and pours the liquid into it, taking a long sip as she awaits her mother's response.

Diane gives Alex a broad smile, almost not needing to provide a response to her daughter's question. "Very much. You did good with this one kiddo, she's a keeper for sure. I don't think I've ever seen you so happy," Diane responds with a large smile, clearly delighted for her daughter's ever growing happiness which was in direct correlation to the blonde still presently sleeping on the couch.

Diane had never been overly fond of any of the other women her daughter had brought home, merely putting up with them for the sake of her daughter's apparent happiness. However, unlike those women, Piper was different, the older woman having a genuine liking for the girl from the moment she knew she existed, her numerous phone calls with her daughter leaving her feeling that Piper was incredibly special, the happiness she provided Alex radiating through the phone line with every word spoken by the brunette. "You think she's the 'one'?" Diane jokingly asks, her daughter always flippantly ignoring her whenever she brought the prospect of such a thing.

Alex face grows serious as she chews on her bottom lip, her fingers fiddling nervously with the small, raised pattern of her glass, not sure how to express the depth of the feelings she felt for Piper, never having felt so strongly for someone before. "You know, I really think she is," Alex responds, averting her gaze away from her mother's eyes as she blushes slightly. "I don't know mom, but there's just something about her that I can't explain. I feel like she's the piece of me that I didn't realise was actually missing. She understands me and from the moment she leaves to the moment she comes back, I miss her. She gets makes me laugh more than anyone and I've honestly never felt like this about anyone, ever."

Diane smiles warmly at her daughter, sadly never herself having the opportunity to experience the love and connection that eloped her own daughter. Aside from Alex's father, whom she had had a brief fling with during her rebellious times as a teenager, Diane had never attempted to seek out love, choosing to revolve her world around Alex and providing for her the best she could. "I really happy for you, baby," Diane croons, raising her hand to stroke her daughter's arm lovingly. "Now enough of this sappy shit, let's make pancakes. Get your lazy ass out the kitchen and go wake up Piper."

Alex laughs loudly as her mother throws her a playful wink, placing her glass on the counter before throwing her hands up in surrender as the older woman raises the wooden spoon in her direction, jokingly threatening to wack her with it if she didn't move out her way.

….

Hearing her girlfriend approach, Piper quickly shuts her eyes and buries her face into the pillow as she attempts to disguise the broad smile currently stretched across her face, having heard every word Alex had said after waking up once her girlfriend had moved from the couch. Piper had felt somewhat guilty as she heard Alex discuss Piper's lack of ability to express her nightmares, Diane's suggestion yesterday reiterating through her mind, Piper desperately wanting to have the will next time to provide Alex with details. Diane had suggested Piper explaining the images that flooded her head in hopes of allowing them to not have as strong of a hold on her in the future, something she greatly wanted to have the courage to do.

Feeling the side of the couch dip beside her and Alex's lips brush the base of her ear, Piper slowly lifts her head and smiles up at her girlfriend who gazes back down at her, her emerald eyes filled with nothing but adoration. "Hey you, my mom's making pancakes," Alex murmurs, raising her hand to stroke it through Piper's messy blonde hair, apprehensive about touching the large bruise that had formed itself on Piper's face form yesterday's incident.

Piper hums in content at the gesture, her eyes closing as she allows herself to take a moment to enjoy her girlfriend's soothing touch. Opening her eyes, Piper softly rubs Alex's thigh, her heart fluttering at the goofy smile that adorned the brunette's face. Sitting up so that her face is level with Alex's, Piper quickly glances towards the kitchen to ensure that Diane is preoccupied before leaning forward and pressing her lips to Alex's, raising her hand to cup her face as she pulls her closer into an ever heating kiss.

"Well, good morning to you too," Alex chuckles as she pulls back from the kiss, her breathing slightly laboured at the short but intense make-out session. Pushing her body from the couch and standing, Alex offers Piper her hand.

"Mmm, morning," Piper hums as she smiles widely towards her girlfriend, before kicking the blanket from her body, taking the brunette's outstretched hand and allowing herself to be pulled from the couch and led into the kitchen.

"Morning kiddo," Diane calls over her shoulder as she stands at the hot plate, expertly flipping the pancake in the pan.

"Morning Diane," Piper says as she takes a seat next to Alex at the counter, the brunette's arm resting on the small of her back, her thumb rubbing absentmindedly over the small amount of exposed skin that is visible under the blonde's ridden up white tank top.

"I hope you like pancakes, Piper," Diane says as she walks over and places a plate on the countertop.

Her stomach growling, Alex reaches forward to grab the plate before her hands a quickly slapped away by her mother, who gives her a judging look. "That's for Piper, fat ass," Diane laughs as Alex gives her a fake wounded expression finishing it off with a small pout.

Piper gives a joyous chuckle as she reaches for her plate, the steaming pancake topped with strawberries and ice-cream looking amazingly appetizing. "Mmm, thanks Diane. It looks great," Piper comments as she reaches for the cutlery that lies just across the counter, cutting a piece of pancake as stuffing it in her mouth, letting out a not so subtle moan as the flavour invades her senses. "Holy crap, this is amazing," Piper keens out, her mouth still stuffed with food.

Alex gives a loud chuckle and quickly glances towards her mother who smiles and then turns to focus back upon the pan, her back facing the two younger women. Turning her attention back to her girlfriend, Alex raises her hand and rubs her thumb over the small amount of syrup that lies on the corner of her Piper's mouth, before raising her thumb to her mouth and licking the syrup from the side, her eyes never leaving Piper's which stare back at her with desire. "Mmm, that is good," Alex whisper's teasingly as she raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at her girlfriend, a smirk adorning her face. 'Fuck you,' Piper mouths, inciting another laugh to fall from the brunette's lips.

"I'm going to get you back for that," Piper whispers as she leans closer to her girlfriend, a wicked glint in her eyes.

…..

"So, she rolls down the fucking window and throws her shoes out," Diane explains with the shake of her head at the memory, bringing her glass to her lips and taking a small sip of her drink.

Piper gives a quick glance to Alex, who simply shrugs her shoulders at the memory. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," Alex says nonchalantly, no longer phased by the retention of the comments people had made towards her as she grew up, her mother teaching her to remain strong and not allow other people's words to affect her.

Piper smiles and raises her hand to give the brunette's thigh a reassuring squeeze, provoking a small smile to form on Alex's lips, who in turn leans in and gives Piper a small kiss on the jaw, cautious of the formed bruise on her eye. Alex had explained a little about the relentless bullying she had suffered growing up, her girlfriend proudly telling her of her mother's words and how that had allowed her to overcome the hateful comments.

Piper sees Diane smile warmly out the corner of her eye before she pushes herself from the chair she was seated on. "Well, I'm going to go have a shower. It's your turn to wash the dishes, Al," Diane comments as she walks towards the door of her daughter's room which leads into the small bathroom and disappears from sight.

Alex pushes herself from the counter and begins to collect the dirty dishes and places them into the sink, turning on the tap as she collects the dishwashing liquid from the cupboard below. Rising from her seat, Piper walks around the counter and wraps her arms around her girlfriend, pushing her front into Alex's back and resting her chin upon her shoulder.

Turning off the running tap, Alex turns herself in Piper's arms and pulls the blonde closer to her body, dipping her head to connect their lips together in a soft, lingering kiss. Pulling back, Alex tightens her arms slightly before gingerly bringing her hand to stroke her uninjured cheek. "Thank you for doing this, Pipes" Alex murmurs as she stares lovingly into Piper's eyes, a thankful smile playing on her lips.

Piper smiles in return and leans forward to press her lips to her girlfriend's, feeling Alex continued smile against her own lips. "You're welcome. Your mom is amazing," Piper says as she pulls back from the kiss. "So much so that I might have to trade you in for her. You know upgrade to the clearly better Vause," Piper continues in a teasing tone, earning a soft chuckle from her girlfriend.

"Is that so?" Alex retorts playfully, a smile adorning her lips.

"Yep," Piper replies, slipping her hands underneath Alex's t-shirt and gliding them softly up her back in long, gentle strokes.

"Well," Alex whispers seductively as she tilts her head closer to Piper, her lips inches from her girlfriends who begins to immediately close the distance between them. "That's too bad then," Alex finishes as she quickly pulls away and begins to remove herself from Piper's embrace, earning a groan of disapproval from the blonde. Chuckling, Alex looks over her shoulder as she returns to the dishes in the sink and gives Piper a flirtatious smile. "Hey, I'm just making this upgrade easier on you. According to you I'm the crappier Vause model," Alex continues, grinning widely as she hears a huff from the blonde behind her.

"Not the crappier model, just the less cooler one. But you still have your uses," Piper teases as she once again wraps her arms around her girlfriend's waist and puts her lips to her ear, smiling as she feels the small shudder rock through her Alex's body.

Feeling the warmth of her Piper's body pressed against her back, Alex attempts to suppress a moan, willing herself to remain strong as she feels the blonde's hand begin to wander over her body, gently cupping and pulling at various parts as she glides her hands under the brunette's shirt. Bracing her hands against the sink, Alex tilts her head to the side, allowing Piper better access to the weak spot on her neck, a small groan escaping from her lips. "Oh yeah?" Alex huffs out breathlessly, "What are they?"

Piper smiles against Alex's neck before gliding the tip of her tongue from the base and towards her ear, catching the lobe gently in between her teeth as her hands come to rest of the brunette's breasts, gripping them firmly as she massages them in her palms, pulling Alex further back into her front, the brunette's breathing hitching with every passing moment, her eyes shutting as she takes in the sensation of her the blonde's hands on her body.

"You are really good at ordering take out," Piper finally whispers in the brunette's ear before quickly letting her hands drop and stepping herself back and leaning casually against the counter that sits in the middle of the small kitchen, smiling innocently as she waits for Alex to turn.

Instantly feeling the loss of touch, Alex eyes snap open and she whips her body around to face Piper, whose face is still a picture of innocence. Raising a questioning eyebrow, Piper bites her cheeks in an attempt to suppress a wide grin from forming.

"What the fuck?" Alex huffs in annoyance, not having had the opportunity to properly touch the blonde since yesterday morning, keeping their interactions modest due to her mother's presence.

Piper finally allows her lips to form into a broad smile, suppressing the laughter that was slowly rising at the sight of Alex's adorable pout that presently adorned her lips. "Told you I was going to get you back," Piper explains, referring to the previous syrup incident that happened earlier.

Frowning, Alex nods her head slightly in acceptance before stepping forward to enclose the space between them, putting her hands either side of Piper who still leans against the counter, stepping in between her legs, their faces level with one another, lips centimetres away.

"How about will call it even?" Alex asks, her breath tickling the blonde's lips.

"I could live with that," Piper responds, her fingers playing inattentively with the hem of her girlfriend's shirt.

Smiling, Alex leans forward to catch Piper's lips once again, wrapping her arms firmly around the blonde and pulling her into her chest as Piper raises her hands and cups Alex's face, a hand slipping around and gently gripping her neck, pulling her impossibly close. Alex traces her tongue along the bottom of Piper's lip, silently asking begging for entrance which she is immediately granted as their tongues swiftly intertwine as the kiss quickly heats up.

The buzzing of Alex's phone forces them to break apart, both groaning slightly as they turn their attention to the small device that lies on the opposite counter, the screen alight as it registers an incoming text. Sighing, Alex releases her hold on Piper and walks towards the device, her face falling into a frown as she reads the message on the screen.

"Fuck," Alex groans as Piper walks over towards her, placing her hand on her shoulder and leaning into the brunette's side.

"What's wrong?" Piper asks concerned.

Alex shakes her head, turning her body to face Piper. "Red needs my help, three people called in sick and she had no one to fill for them," Alex explains, knowing that the red-headed woman would not have messaged her unless she was desperate, Red always having respected the times Alex requested off to see her mother.

"Can't Nicky go in?" Piper asks, hoping that her best friend would be able to fill in, knowing how much Alex had been looking forward to finally spending some quality time with her mother.

"She's already pulling a double shift. There is no one else to do it," Alex says with a sigh, pulling Piper closer as disappointment begins to seep through her body. "I was going to take my mom out to lunch," she explains.

"What time would Red need you to stay to?" Piper asks as she raised both arms and lock them around the brunette's neck, gazing affectionately into her eyes.

"Just until five."

Piper chews on her lip nervously as she watches the frustration cloud Alex's face. "I can take her out to lunch and then we will come meet you at the bar later on" Piper offers, slightly anxious yet willing to take the older woman out for the day in an effort to ease her girlfriend's displeasure.

Piper smiles as she watches Alex's face light up at her suggestion, relief flooding through her features at the thought of a solution that would allow her to not disappoint her mother during her trip. "Are you sure? You don't have to," Alex responds, wanting to give the blonde the option to back out if she felt she needed to.

Piper shakes her head dismissively. "It's fine. Besides John won't want me in the gym for the next few days until my face heals a bit."

Alex smiles widely, Piper's heart warming at the satisfaction and content that crept itself onto her girlfriend's face, Alex clearly so happy at Piper's willingness and effort to get the know her mother, knowing the older woman would be more than happy to spend the day with the blonde she was becoming so fond for.

"Thank you," Alex says simply, dipping her head and placing a soft, chaste kiss on her girlfriend's lips, feeling the relief that she would not have to dishearten her mother's few days off from work.

"You're welcome."

…

A/N Hope we are enjoying all this Vauseman goodness. It has been requested numerous times for some more cute fluffy moments between them so hope you all liked it and the small teasing between them.

I had to split this chapter in two because the length was getting way out of hand and I didn't want to shorten it as it would affect the transition and subsequent flow of events. Also, I felt like we all wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of Diane anyway and wanted to see her interact with both Piper and Alex separately and together as a couple. So think of this as part A and next chapter as part B of the whole Diane visit.

As always please review, I love hearing what you guys have to say. Thanks again for all the favs and follows.

Mrosse38