A/N: Happy Orange weekend guys! I KNOW there's not much reading happening right now and there's a lot of binge watching. I'm savouring the episodes, so no spoilers please! Sorry I'm longer than usual with the upload of a new chapter, I've been swamped at work. I've made it longer than usual to compensate though ;-) Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter and for the new follows taking me over 200, I'm really happy so may alerts go out when I update right now. I hope season 4 is living up to your hopes and dreams :-)

Alex pulled Piper's head against her chest and kissed the top of her hair as she let the endorphins swirl around her bloodstream. That was certainly a much-needed release and her body was buzzing from the heat between the pair of them just now. She couldn't help but think back to the last time she and Piper had been intimate and what that had led to this past week. She had fought her natural instincts to touch Piper, to move her fingers beneath the layers of clothing that separated them in case it made the blonde retreat. It was different now. Alex was used to being in control, taking a lead and revelling at how she could make Piper come undone by her touch, her whispers, the promises of pleasure. There was a clear shift in the dynamic and it wasn't something that the dark haired beauty was at ease with. Yes, Piper had grown in confidence and skill in the art of pleasing Alex when they were together. Hell, she was never afraid to try anything new from day 1 to be fair. But she typically let Alex take the lead, maybe more from knowing how much the more experienced woman liked that control, dominance maybe. But since they had reconnected before Christmas, it was all Piper controlling and dictating the intimacy, the urgency, the way in which she would please Alex, rather than allow herself to be pleasured, refusing to become lost in the ecstasy of sex. At the time, Alex had just assumed that it was circumstances that prevented them from rolling around and creating sticky sheets for hours on end. She never thought they could slip straight back into a relationship, didn't dare to think they could even be together after all that had passed. It had been a case of taking things as they came and never thinking much past the present. A present where they were both treading carefully around the past and neither talking of a future.

Now she knew differently and it made her more cautious about where and how to touch the woman she so desperately wanted to feel against her skin. Although surprised that Piper had wanted to have sex at all so soon after talking about her rape, she was also relieved that there was enough trust between them for the blonde to want to connect that way. Piper taking control was hot and Alex was majorly turned on by that, but she equally wanted to flip Piper over and tease her girlfriend with her lips, taste her again and watch her lips part as she moaned her name. It had been too fucking long since she had felt that and living on the memories of years gone by was starting to feel like watching a well-worn copy of her favourite movie clips. When you've got the hot woman in your grasp, it's damned near torture to 'look and not touch'.

"Al?"

Broken away from her trail of thought, Alex realised she was smothering Piper with her arms and silence as she sat with legs around her waist.

"Sorry. Am I crushing you?" She looked down and smiled at the blue eyes that were questioning her.

"My legs are losing feeling a bit, but I was checking you hadn't fallen asleep on me since you've been quiet for so long."

Alex released her and moved to stand up, straightening the legs in her jeans. "I'm not asleep yet, but I'm happy to head up to bed if you're ready?"

"Are you propositioning me Alex?" Piper raised her eyebrows.

"What? No! To sleep I meant." She kicked herself for being overly sensitive when she realised Piper was joking. Jesus, why was she being so stupid with words all of a sudden? It's like being in a meeting and thinking about the one thing you're not supposed to say and trying so hard to not say it that you blurt it out anyway.

"Er….OK. You're so definitely NOT that I won't even think about that then." Piper furrowed her brow in confusion before standing up to get the feeling back in my legs.

"No, I just meant-" Alex sighed, folding her jeans.

Piper stopped her by putting her index finger on her lips. "I know what you meant. And yes, I am ready for some sleep. Can I use the bathroom down here?" She leaned in to peck Alex on the lips before turning to tidy the cushions.

"You don't need to ask. I'll be right behind you once I turn the lights out."

XXXXX

Piper needed to wash the events of the day from her skin and rinse them from her hair, so she wanted a shower before she headed to bed. So much had happened today that it had felt like a sick rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. Seeing Alex's new warehouse and the first day of the contract going well had been a great start, so was the agreement from John Peters to meet them still. But the stockroom sobbing had been a bit pathetic and she was embarrassed about letting that happen. The guy said yes for fucks sake! At least Alex hadn't taken the piss out of her or run a mile at her crazy girlfriend's ridiculous breakdown. Better still, she wasn't the type to want to sit down and talk about feelings and analyse the events. There was already more than enough therapy happening in her life already without that.

She locked the bathroom door behind her as she went in with her overnight bag. Locking the door was easier to explain as an automatic action she hadn't thought about than risk Alex walking in on her showering. If she was really quick, Alex wouldn't even realise that she had turned the lock and she didn't have to use the lie she was already preparing to explain it. Running the water to heat up, she stripped out of her clothes and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still a little puffy from earlier and her complexion was drawn. A face that she would quite like to wash down the drain right now. Slipping under the hot water, she set the Ziploc bag with a pair of scissors sealed inside down by her feet. Piper had one eye on the door as she quickly lathered her hair with shampoo. It was a force of habit that she had developed, no matter whether it was her own shower at home or her parents' house. When she first left prison, she always went into the shower with a kitchen knife – stowing it in the soap rack when she needed to use both hands. It was a habit that she had not long since managed to break, by deadbolting the doors and windows of her home and getting a high grade door lock put onto her bathroom door. There was a knife under the sink at home in case of emergencies anyway. Taking a bath wasn't the same thing at all as the bubbles seemed to make her feel less vulnerable and she didn't associate baths with prison. It was as though baths were still a safe place, but showers were a potential source of terror. At Alex's she felt safer knowing that her badass girlfriend was right outside to protect her. She had seen the raven haired woman hold her own in some pretty scary situations before and her reactions were lightning quick. It didn't completely assuage the panic that remained at the prospect of the door opening, but having a sharp object by her feet meant that she at least felt she had a chance to fight them off.

XXXXX

Alex locked everything up downstairs and left the lights on for Piper to find her way out of the bathroom when she was done in the shower. She washed and changed quickly and was already in bed checking her emails on her phone when Piper came through the door.

"Hey. I think I might be underdressed for this date?" Piper nodded at Alex's figure hugging camisole top as she sat up in the bed.

"Well, seeing how you've gone for full sleeves and fleecy pants…maybe I'M the one who is underdressed?" Alex laughed.

"Not sexy huh? I just picked up whatever was on the top of my pile of clean stuff." She dropped her bag by the end of the bed and pulled the duvet back to climb in.

"Which tells me you are spending far too much time in fleece for a lesbian of your young years." Alex switched her phone off and snuggled down into the covers next to her girlfriend.

"Are you labelling me?" Piper snuggled down on the pillow next to her so they were only inches apart.

"That depends. Are you objecting to being labelled middle aged or a lesbian?" Alex teased.

"I'm objecting to labels full stop. I don't even like them on my canned food. I like the element of surprise when I'm making my dinner." Piper grinned as Alex chuckled at her comment.

"OK, I'll remember that then. I won't be surprised to wake up in the morning and find you in a puddle of sweaty fleece under this goose down duvet though."

"And there I was thinking you'd love me to make a wet patch in your bed."

Alex raised her eyebrow before turning serious and looking into the teasing green eyes in front of her. "You have no idea." Reaching out to stroke the side of Piper's cheek with her fingertips, Alex continued to look into those green eyes for the longest time and convey what she daren't speak out loud. Moving closer, she pressed her lips against Piper's softly, closing her eyes as she continued to stroke her girlfriend's face. Piper returned the kiss and moved her own arm to stroke the dark hair by Alex's face. After a few moments, Alex pulled back and smiled at the blonde.

"I really want to snuggle with you, but it would basically be like holding a hot water bottle – with a fleece cover. And we'd both be a hot and sweaty mess for all of the wrong reasons."

"Well, these are the only ones I brought."

"Do you have panties? I can get you a vest top if you want? That might be comfier. Honestly, you'll be sleeping on top of the covers in 10 minutes and I'll still be under them. And that totally defeats the object of us sharing a bed in my opinion." Alex switched the lamp on and got up to find a top and some panties for Piper and dropped them on top of the covers before climbing back in bed. She moved her glasses over by the clock and was aware that Piper hadn't moved at all.

"Hey. I'm gonna switch the light out in a second anyway, but you can change in the bathroom if you prefer. I'm honestly telling you that you'll be too warm. I wouldn't be so cunning if I wanted to just sneak a peek of your hot ass cheeks." She kissed her cheek before turning to switch the lamp off again.

They lay in silence for a couple of minutes, but Alex could feel the cogs turning in Piper's head and they were spinning so fast there should have been sparks coming out of her ears. It was driving her mad and she was clenching her jaw to not press or coerce at all, waiting for Piper to make a decision. Instead, she turned her thoughts to the warehouse and the emails she had just been reading from Lorna to update her on what stock was already crated and packed for shipping. She thought about the chances of that getting finished up tomorrow and if Nicky might need anything on site again. She'd be totally lost without those two this weekend and she thanked her lucky stars she had two friends like them right now. As she started to think about a promotion for her wiry-haired friend and what job title she could really give Nicky as a reward for her help with the contractor, she felt Piper start to move next to her. Alex remained still and tried not to hold her breath as though she was witnessing some rare event in nature that very people witness…..Well, she damned hoped very few people had witnessed this particular beauty doing this particular activity anyway. The blonde was pulling her fleecy bottoms off and dropping them by the bed before feeling around for the panties and pulling them up her legs as Alex smiled to herself in the darkness. Piper was removing her top under the duvet and reached for the vest to pull over her head awkwardly as she half lay on her side to pull the vest over her head. Sensing her struggling, Alex couldn't help but laugh.

"Seriously? It's pitch fucking black in here save for the stars above us. My glasses are out of reach and you sound like you just put your head through the arm hole."

"Alright, I confess. I didn't think that through."

Alex moved onto her side behind Piper now and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Pipes?"

"I know, I'm a dumbass."

"Will you trust me to help you?" Her voice was low, almost a whisper.

"It's OK, I can do it. Maybe I'd be better off going to the bathroom…."

"I want to help you."

"It might not look like it right now, but I can handle this. It's only a top."

"I know YOU can handle it…But I want you to let ME handle it." Alex spoke softly from her position behind her tangled top.

"Alex…." She began, already tense.

"It's me Pipes. It's only me." Alex moved so she was kneeling now, sitting behind her in the darkness.

"I don't want to Alex." Piper spoke quietly but firmly.

"I know you don't babe. I know all you want to do right now is run into that bathroom and get dressed yourself. I know that." She was calm, understanding and unmoving in her actions.

"This is so stupid." Piper huffed, her back still to the brunette as she worried her lip.

Alex didn't move and didn't answer either straight away, but she leaned down to kiss Piper's temple before whispering in her ear.

"It's only me Pipes. Me and you, on our own under this gorgeous night sky. Come on. Sit up. You're like half-dressed at the moment. Half incorrectly dressed at that. The sooner you are respectable, the sooner we can snuggle, OK?"

"Alex…..I'm sorry. You must think I'm a complete screwball."

"Totally…..But you're MY screwball."

"Hey, you're not supposed to agree!" Piper swatted her arm behind, searching for Alex. The brunette grabbed her hand and leaned down to kiss it.

"Are you going to trust me?"

"Let's get this over with." She pulled herself up slowly, with her back to Alex. The brunette moved closer to her back, knees either side of her hips now.

"Good. Now, God only knows where you've got this wrapped and I'm working in the dark here, so shout up if you think I'm tearing a limb off."

"You'd be doing a pretty crappy job if I ended up in hospital from a wardrobe malfunction." Piper added nervously.

"I guess we're about to find out. Please try not to bleed on my sheets." She found the edges of the top and lifted it slowly towards her shoulders.

"If your arms are still attached, you should lift them at this point babe."

Alex lifted the shirt the rest of the way off before trying to work out the right way up in the tiny bit of moonlight coming from above them. Piper pulled her knees up to her chest while she was waiting, feeling conscious of her semi-naked form being on display. The fact that it was dark made little difference to how vulnerable she was feeling.

"I might have to put my fleecy pyjamas back on at this rate. What are you doing, knitting a new one?"

"I'd be pretty shitty at following a pattern right now without my glasses. It's hard enough turning it the right way around. I've got it. I'm confident on this one now. Ready?"

"Arms up?"

"You got it. It's like you've done this before."

"Once or twice wise ass." Piper lifted her arms and felt Alex pulling the material over her head, carefully avoiding touching her skin with her fingers as she pulled the material all the way down.

"Done. Is m'lady satisfied with my workmanship?" Alex kissed the top of her head, before shuffling back to lie down under the overs.

"Mmmm. She is. I'm ready to be wowed by your duvet warmth now." They snuggled down and Piper moved back until she was flush with Alex's body. They both had bare legs and Piper shivered at the feeling of their skin touching. It felt strangely intimate for her, yet totally familiar at the same time. Alex's long arms wrapped around her and she covered them with her own. It was as much skin contact as they had had since they were last together like this and it felt like coming home to Piper.

"Is this OK?" Alex whispered into her hair.

"It's more than OK." Piper wrapped her legs over the top of Alex's to pull her as close as she could, feeling safer than she had in a very long time.

XXXXX

Alex was awake early again the next morning and she smiled at the feeling of Piper lying against her, arms draped over her waist before she even opened her eyes. It felt so good that she didn't open her eyes for a while, just enjoying the feeling. As she enjoyed the warmth of Piper's body against hers, she thought about how real the fear had been that she might never get to have this feeling ever again. Alex had always enjoyed cuddling with Piper, but she'd never savoured it quite like this. This was a moment and a feeling she wanted to bottle, to have enough that she might be able to squeak the cork open and get another taste of it at any point in case this was taken away from her again. The thought turned her stomach and she quickly banished it, reminding herself to enjoy the moment. She had intended on getting up to do some work while Piper slept, but an internal pep talk on what was most important in her life right now meant she decided the world outside the bedroom could be a raging inferno. What mattered most was lying in her arms and once she wrestled with her guilty conscience for not working, she fell back asleep to the sound of the blonde's regular breathing against her skin.

XXXXX

Piper woke with a crick in her neck from lying in the same position on Alex all night. She couldn't even remember getting there, but it was obviously comfy enough to stay there for hours. She lifted her head to lie back onto the pillow and felt Alex's arms tighten around her as she tried to move. She smiled and pressed a kiss to Alex's collarbone before trying again, but Alex pulled her back.

"Well, Good Morning. Am I waking up to a hostage situation?" Piper murmured as she peppered Alex with kisses.

"You are. Are you going to try to escape? Do I need to restrain you?" Alex stroked her blonde hair as Piper continued kissing up to her neck.

"I've spent enough time in cuffs to last me a lifetime thanks. Do I need to call Polly to negotiate my release?"

"My demands are not negotiable."

"Oh really? I bet I can negotiate with you." Piper placed open mouthed kisses along her pulse so she was whispering close to her ear now.

"Nope. Even your dirty tactics won't work."

"That sounds like a challenge." Piper smiled against her neck and moved her hand over Alex's stomach.

"Nu-uh. Before you start negotiating, don't you want to hear my demands?" Alex stopped her hand from roaming any further over her body.

"OK, it seems I'm already a captive audience." Piper propped herself up on her elbow.

"Good point. OK. Number 1, you spend the day with me."

"I accept your terms."

"You haven't heard them all yet." Alex laughed.

"OK. I accept your term then. Go on."

"Second, you have breakfast with me. Wait! There's more…..Third, you let me buy you some fancy plates and stuff to replace the ones I broke last weekend."

"You don't have to do that. It was crappy stuff anyway and at least half of it was chipped. Seriously, you did me a favour. There was probably some freaky bacteria growing in those cracks. You like, saved my life or something." Piper grinned. "But yes to everything else."

"No deal. It's all or nothing babe."

"Are you working today?"

"Changing the subject. No, I'm not going to work. But I do need to do something for Poussey this afternoon if you want to help?"

"Was that the fourth demand?"

"Er, yes. My fifth being that I get to kiss you as often as I want all day. Deal?" Alex pulled her back on top of her and smothered her in kisses while Piper laughed hysterically.

XXXXX

They went out for breakfast at a diner close by Alex's apartment before heading over to the NY Logistics offices, where they called in to see Lorna and check she was managing OK.

"Hey Piper, I didn't know you were coming in!" Lorna hugged her tightly. "Where's Alex?"

"Oh she's here, she just stopped by the office downstairs first to see Poussey. How are you getting on?"

"It's fine, really. I was really starting to panic last week when we couldn't find any place for the stock. I'd gone through every place the real estate places came up with 10 times over when this one came up. Having that crew ready to go with the warehouse too has been a gift. I really don't think we would have made it if Alex hadn't worked her charms. She deserves a break after the hours she was putting in lately."

"Yeah, whether she will take one is another matter though right?" Piper smiled at Lorna, who was already aware of what a workaholic Alex was.

"Well you seem to have some charms of your own with her, maybe you could persuade her."

"Ha! I kept her out of Nicky's hair yesterday – and to be fair, that hair take some keeping away from. I'll try and do the same today for you. I think we're shopping for kitchen ware later, so we'll see…"

Lorna raised her eyebrows.

"No. Not like that. Kitchen ware for MY kitchen. In MY home. Alex has her own, that is staying in HER place."

"I didn't even say anything!"

"Your eyes did all of the talking. And I'm telling you, you're barking up the wrong tree."

"Who is barking up the wrong tree?" Alex came in twirling her car keys around her fingers.

"I am apparently."

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter about that. You came in here to be nosy about the contract, so get on with it and we can leave Lorna to get on with everything. I agreed to spend the day with you, not your work remember." Piper shot her a warning glance as she stepped into Alex's office to call Polly and check she was OK at the store.

XXXXX

"Alex I'm not exactly dressed for this."

"Rubbish."

"Is that supposed to be ironic?"

"You can just hold the doors open for me if you want. It won't take long."

"How the Hell have you volunteered to spend your day off moving all this crap? Can't she get a man in to do this?"

"And I thought you were a feminist." Alex rolled her eyes as she lifted the first rubble sack and walked over to the door where Piper was standing in her way, arms folded.

"You're a shitty assistant so far. Glamorous, but shitty." Alex kissed her on the cheek as she dropped the sack and took Piper's shoulders. "I owed Poussey a favour and she's working for me today. It's the least I can do to give her a dust free kitchen. You get shiny mugs, she gets her floor space back."

Piper rolled her eyes and pulled her shirt over her head, so she didn't ruin it. "If I wreck this Smith tee, I will have to go back to Uni and do it all over again. That means reliving those experimental College years all over again. Remember that."

"I definitely will." Alex kissed her as she opened the door for her and followed her out with the first bag.

They were half way through the pile of rubble bags when Piper brought up the subject of the court case. It was starting to prey on her mind a little now that she had come to terms with it being real. Knowing she had another session with Sarah in the morning, she was thinking about whether her rape in prison would influence her effectiveness as a witness and she didn't want to jeopardise justice for the other women involved in the case.

"Alex?"

"Yeah." The brunette has just hauled a bag of rubble along the van floor and walked to pull Piper's bag from her at the door.

"The lawyer that helped you get off the drugs charges. Would he represent me in the court case against Darryl do you think? I mean, I don't know if I could even afford him. Maybe that should be my first question. You know, what, scratch that. I couldn't afford him anyway. If he was good enough to get you off prison AND keep your money, he won't be looking at someone who needs a payment plan. I'll check the local ads." Piper shrugged and was on her way back into the apartment for another bag when Alex caught her.

"Pipes. Did you want me to answer any of those questions or had you already decided what my answers would be?" Alex jogged to catch her up.

"I hadn't thought it through. Nevermind. Forget I said anything." She pushed through the door and started up the staircase.

"OK. First, you won't need a big fancy lawyer. You're a witness and victim here with strong evidence and you're part of a bigger case with other charges. Second, the guy I used specialises in crimes involving money, so he might not be best for you anyway. Third, how do you know how much anyone costs or whether they will help you if you don't even ask?"

"To answer your statements of assumption….First, not having a fancy lawyer and an apparently good case still ended up with me going to prison last time. Second, fair point. Third, if they wear a fancy suit and have a fancy office address, I don't need to ask about prices." Piper picked up the sweeping brush and started sweeping the dusty floor as Alex ran some hot water into a bucket to wipe it over afterwards.

"He might not be the best guy for the job, but his company has lots of different lawyers with specialities in different areas. I can call him and see who he recommends if you want me to?"

"Maybe I'll just ask my Dad if he knows anyone at the golf club…."

"OK, whatever." Alex rolled her eyes and added some detergent to the hot water, throwing a cloth into the soapy bucket.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Piper leaned on the brush, with one hand on her hip.

"It means you will do what you want regardless of any advice I give you, so I'm saying go ahead."

"I'm not going against your advice Alex. I just said I will talk to my Dad."

"And I said I'd call my Lawyer and see who he recommends. What's your Dad's recommendation going to be based on? The guy with the best handicap?" Alex knelt on the floor and sloshed the bucket of water down next to her before wringing the cloth out.

"I can choose whoever I want! I probably can't afford either recommendation anyway, so I don't know why we're even arguing about this." Piper threw the broom against the wall and tied the bag of dirt up to add to the van.

"You don't know how much they even cost yet!" Alex started wiping the floor with vigour.

"Jesus Christ! I don't need you to choose every company I do business with Alex, I am a grown up remember?"

"At what point have I forced my choices on you exactly?" Alex threw the cloth on the floor and glared at Piper now.

"John Peters was your choice." Piper folded her arms defiantly.

"You were worrying about sales and I suggested you could use a professional to help with marketing tactics! I didn't force you to do anything Piper!"

"You could have just left me to look through local companies and find one for myself." She shrugged, moving the bag to the door.

"You're seriously breaking my back with this because I was trying to HELP you?! Oh my God, are you for real?!"

"And now you're all pissy because I don't want to use your lawyer."

"You ASKED me remember?!"

"Yes, I asked you and then said I'd ask my Dad too. Just because I don't go with your option, you get all jealous about it."

"Now I'm JEALOUS? Because you asked if you could use my lawyer. I do not understand how your brain works sometimes." Alex shook her head and picked the cloth up to rinse it, turning back to finishing the job at Poussey's.

"And now you're avoiding the confrontation. Some things never change."

"I'm avoiding it because this is a completely fucking pointless argument that nobody is going to win."

"Because you can't get your own way."

"I'm not doing this with you Piper."

"Well, there's a whole new set of mugs and plates in the van if that's how you want to do it?"