After what felt like days later, when in reality it was barely an hour, the two brides were interrupted from their post sex cuddle by a loud knocking on the door.
"Just thought I'd let you know that the party is about to start and the brides are supposed to be having their first dance in ten minutes!" Nicky called through the door.
"We'll be right there," Alex replied but neither she nor Piper moved from their embrace in the centre of the bed.
Knowing her friends so well, Nicky opened the door and walked into the room. As predicted, she saw that the two of them hadn't moved and didn't look like they were planning to move any time soon.
"Nicky!" Piper cried and rolled closer to Alex so that Nicky wouldn't be able to see her chest.
"It's my house," Nicky said with a shrug. "I can enter any room I want." She then turned round to give the couple a little more privacy but didn't leave.
"We're the brides, we're allowed to be late," Alex said with a laugh. "It's not like they can have the first dance without us."
"It's so obvious what the two of you have been doing for the past hour. Do you really want to be the ones to explain to Piper's mother why you were late for the dance?" Nicky asked knowing that it was enough to set the ball rolling.
"We'll be there in five," Piper said quickly and she immediately jumped out of the bed, momentarily forgetting that Nicky was there. The other blonde had just happened to turn round to leave and was welcomed by the view of a very naked Piper.
Smirking, Nicky said, "You might want to sort your hair out too." Knowing not to comment out Piper's current situation, Nicky quickly left the room, chuckling to herself as she left.
"I'm never going to live that one down," Piper muttered as she looked around for her dress.
It took them just under ten minutes to redress and sort out their hair. As it was the night do, they were able to mess their hair up a little for more of a party feel. It slightly disguised the sex hair but if people knew the couple well enough, like Nicky, Lorna and Polly, they'd be able to see right through them. However, the brides didn't care.
When everything was ready, Alex held out her hand and Piper took it willingly. They walked back downstairs and saw that there were even more people there than the morning. Something that Piper hadn't actually expected. She saw the faces of her colleagues as well as many faces from her past. Some were slightly unpleasant as she remembered memories of drunken kisses from college but that didn't matter to her right now. She was still glowing from the fact it was her wedding day and she'd just had the best sex from her wife.
They walked into the room where the wedding had been held but everything was now different. The rows of chairs were gone and had been replaced with tables around the room. The curtain at the back wall had been removed to show a bar that was staffed and already, there were many people ordering drinks. With Nicky now owning her own bar, she was able to set it up so that she could get discounts and she also had some of her staff working here as she trusted them.
In the far corner, there was a DJ set up. He waved at the couple as they walked in and Piper recognised him immediately. It was Franko. It had been years since she'd seen him but it was great to see him again. He was the only person in the group of Alex's friend's that she'd actually got on with. It seemed that he'd also left the cartel, whether by choice or force or after imprisonment, and had become a DJ. The role suited him though; he was forever going on about music.
As Alex and Piper walked in, everyone turned to look at them, cheering happily. Alex nodded towards Franko and he turned down the music and picked up the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the first dance!" He announced and everyone moved off the makeshift dance floor in the middle of the room.
Piper smiled brightly and pulled Alex into the middle of the floor and waited for the song to start playing. She didn't know what song was going to be played but she just hoped that it was one that she liked.
The song that started to play was 'Never Let Me Go' by Lana Del Rey. It was a song that Piper had heard briefly on the radio but hadn't paid much attention to it but as she danced with Alex before all of their friends, she truly started appreciate it. It was so them. It even included being called kid which Alex had a huge habit of doing. Everything about that moment was simply perfect. She had her arms wrapped around Alex's neck with Alex's arms around her waist. In her arms, she was most content and comfortable and not to mention, incredibly safe.
As the song started to come to an end, Alex leant down and kissed Piper sweetly. "I love you," she whispered into the blonde's ear.
Piper shivered at feeling Alex's breath on her ears. Her eyes fluttered but she was able to keep looking at her wife. "I love you, too!"
The song then came to an end and everyone clapped in celebration. Piper was about to pull out of Alex's embrace and leave the dance floor for a drink when another song came on. Then Nicky, Lorna, Poussey and Taystee all came onto the dance floor. At first, Piper had no idea what was going on but then everything clicked as, "My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard," was heard. Piper laughed loudly and started doing her and Alex's dance with the other four girls behind them shadowing their movements. It brought back thoughts of the prison, including the SHU, but at that current moment, it didn't matter to her because she was safe in the house of her friend with her friends, family and most importantly, her wife surrounding her. She and Alex were married and weren't ever going to be separated again.
The second song ended with a larger round of applause. Franko then put on a mixture of songs and others started to dance. Letting go of Alex's hand, Piper rushed over to Poussey and Taystee and dragged them over to the bar so she could speak with them.
"When did you get out?" She asked after asking them what they wanted to drink and ordering them as well as what she and Alex wanted to drink.
"I got out two months ago and P here got out four months ago," Taystee replied and took a drink out of her beer.
"Yeah, they finally let us go," Poussey added and took a drink out of her coke as she had given up alcohol too after the chaos it had caused in prison between her and Taystee. "My dad set up some work for us in an office. Taystee's doing finance and I'm basically a run around for the big bosses. It's not the greatest thing but we're getting by. We live together in New York."
"If I have any job vacancies, you're both welcome to work with me," Piper offered. She hated saying that people worked for her, even though they did.
"Oh yeah, what do you do?" Taystee asked.
"She owns Crawley's publisher," Alex replied, speaking in the conversation for the first time. "She's the big boss there."
"I'll have a look at what's going on when we get back from the honeymoon and I'll contact you and set everything up," Piper said.
"You're amazing!" Poussey cried and hugged Piper. She didn't mind the office job but she knew that her skills were leaning more towards books. Piper wasn't sure which department she could put them in but she knew that they'd been great assets to her business.
A group of girls then came running up to Piper as Alex's cousins came up to her. For the first time that day, the two were separated as Piper filled her college friends in about Alex and Alex discussed how she'd planned everything with her cousins. However, the entire time, they kept glancing at each other so that they wouldn't lose where the other one was.
Piper's friends then left as Carol walked over to her daughter. "Piper, can I have a word?"
Initially, Piper was quite worried but she quickly shook it off. "Of course." She then led her mother out of the room so that she'd be able to hear her properly as the music was incredibly loud. "What's up?"
"I'm sorry that I didn't accept Alex sooner," Carol said. "The fact that she arranged everything today secretly is so romantic. She didn't even need to ask you anything because she simply knows you that well. She even knows your dress size!"
"Well she does see my body every day and we share a wardrobe," Piper thought to herself. She didn't say it aloud but smiled at the thought. Carol laughed softly as if she'd heard what Piper had thought.
"I'm so happy for you, Piper," Carol continued as if that hadn't happened. "This is obviously not the path that I expected or wanted you to take but it makes you happy and at the end of the day, your happiness is the most important thing. Your father and I even yelled at Danny earlier because he was still complaining about her."
"Oh, Mom!" Piper laughed. "I bet Danny didn't like that."
"Danny didn't like what?" Someone asked. Piper looked up and saw Danny walking over to his mother and sister.
"The fact that your father and I yelled at you," Carol replied without a trace of guilt.
Danny looked as his mother and asked, "Mom, can you leave us please?"
Carol looked between her children but eventually she nodded and went back into the room to rejoin the party. However, it was clear that she wanted to stay and listen to what was about to go on.
It was silent between the siblings, something that wasn't usual. The two of them usually made conversation out of nothing just so they could talk to each other. They had a ridiculously close relationship as brother and sister and Piper hated the fact that her brother didn't approve of Alex but she also didn't care simultaneously. She loved Alex.
"Piper, I'm sorry," Danny finally said after the long silence. "I just care about you and I didn't want to see you hurt. I had no idea what was going on when you returned from Paris, you were so depressed and you wouldn't tell me anything. Then I finally learn that she was the reason you were so upset and I couldn't quite accept that she was now the person who was making you so incredibly happy. However, after seeing how happy she's made you today by arranging this, I finally accept her as my sister in law and I look forward to getting to know her more. I'm sorry, Peardrop, will you forgive me?"
Piper didn't miss the old nickname her brother had given her from when they were kids. Just hearing that made her smile. Rushing forward, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "Of course I forgive you, Dandruff," she replied before pulling back. "I hated the fact you didn't like her but I'm so glad that you can see how truly wonderful she is."
"How wonderful who is?" Alex asked as she walked out of the room. She'd seen Piper follow her mother out and got a little worried when Carol had returned without Piper. Carol had quickly assured her new daughter in law that Piper was simply talking to Danny. Alex had waited a few moments to give the two some privacy before going out to be reunited with her wife again.
"How wonderful you are," Piper replied with a smile, automatically she linked hands with Alex. It was second nature to her now.
"Alex, I'm sorry for being a dick," Danny said bluntly. "I see now that you and my sister are made for each other. I hope you'll forgive me."
"Approaching fatherhood has made you soft, hasn't it?" Alex asked with a slight smirk. She laughed when Danny nodded. "You're my brother in law, of course I forgive you." She held out her hand for him to shake but Danny knocked it aside and hugged her.
"Shaking hands is too formal when you're family," he said with a shrug and Piper couldn't have been prouder of her brother at that moment.
"Let's go back to the party," Piper suggested and the three of them returned.
For the next part of the night, Piper made sure to spend time with Cal, Neri and baby Fern before they retired to bed, as Nicky had let everyone who needed it stay at the house. There were enough rooms to for everyone to be in a separate room almost. She also spent part of the evening with Finn. There was now a part of her thinking about starting a family with Alex as they were finally married.
When Polly and Neri had gone to put the babies to bed, Neri was going to stay with them, Alex thought it was finally time for Piper to meet her family. She wasn't ridiculously close with them, she'd only ever been close with her mom, but she still saw them when she could. It had been a while since she'd seen them but she'd been busy planning the wedding so they let her off for it.
Diane was the middle child of three sisters. Her older sister was called Catherine and the youngest was Beatrice. They both were much more successful than Diane had been and though they offered Diane as much help as she needed, she was too proud to ever ask for help, a trait that Alex had gotten off her mother. Catherine had two sons, Jack and Liam who Alex got on rather well with. When she'd realised that was she was gay, the three of them would just talk about girls. It was rather fun. Beatrice had three daughters, Phoebe, Jenna and Gabrielle. Alex had a decent friendship with them but as she'd always been a little different, she wasn't the closest with them. It was Catherine who had broken the news to Alex regarding her mother's death.
Alex's family members had stuck in a group all day except when the cousins went to congratulate Alex on the wedding. Realising that Piper hadn't actually met her family, only Jack when they were in Paris as he was working in the city at that point, she decided that now was the time.
"Pipes, come meet my family," Alex said and pulled her away from discussing Finn with Polly as she'd just returned from putting him in bed.
"Okay," Piper replied nervously. She felt Alex's reassuring squeeze on her hand and instantly felt a little better but the nerves were still there.
"Auntie Tris, Auntie Cath, this is my wife, Piper," Alex announced.
It was the first time that Piper had truly looked at Alex's aunts. She had only met Diane once but she could see the resemblance in the sisters. Beatrice also had dark hair but her eyes were hazel rather than green. Catherine had the green eyes but her hair was much lighter. Piper wasn't sure whether it was dyed or natural.
"Hello, it's so wonderful to finally meet you," Piper said and held her hand out.
"It's lovely to meet you too, Piper," Catherine said.
Just like Danny had done early, she pushed Piper's hand out of the way and hugged her. Piper then found herself being hugged by each person of Alex's family and they introduced themselves one by one. Of course she recognised Jack.
"It's good to see you again, Jack," Piper said.
"Yeah, just no running away this time, yeah?" He joked but you could see in his eyes that he was being deadly serious. He had no idea that Alex had taken drugs to get over Piper but he knew that she'd been in a terrible state after she'd left.
"I'm here to stay," Piper assured him. "She put the ring on me so I can't even if I wanted to."
Catherine then asked Piper what she did for a living and the conversations sprouted from there. It turned out that Beatrice was also a writer and had had one of her books published by Piper's firm but she hadn't known who she was as Beatrice obviously had a different surname to Alex with being married. Piper assured her that she would keep an eye out for her name so that she could make sure to assign her the best editor she had, which would probably be Zoe.
Talking about Zoe, Piper hadn't seen her other two bridesmaids since the actual wedding as the two of them had been sitting on a table with some of Piper's friends during the meal and Alex had stolen Piper after it. She glanced around the room and saw them sitting in a corner along with Nicky and Lorna. At first, Piper thought it was quite odd that it was the four of them sitting together but then she remembered that Lorna and Zoe worked together so they had that in common. They also had the fact that they were also good friends with both Piper and Alex.
After excusing herself from Alex's family, Piper headed over there smiling as she went because Alex immediately stood with her and followed her to their friends. Piper sat with them and again, the brides were congratulated.
"It's your turn next," Piper said to Zoe and Grace.
"We were just talking about that actually," Zoe replied with a smile. "I was thinking of having a late summer wedding and Grace was agreeing. We were just discussing our plans with Lorna and Nicky."
"That'll be awesome!" Piper said with a smile.
She was just about to ask for more details when Nicky elbowed Alex and whispered to her. Piper looked at her with a puzzled expression before Alex whispered, "Come with me," into her ear and pulled her away from her friends. She barely got time to say goodbye before she was being dragged away.
"Where are we going?" Piper asked. As much as she loved the fact that Alex had planned everything, she was getting a little tired of being dragged places.
"We're getting changed," Alex replied leading Piper to the room next to where they were earlier. In there, there was a change of clothes for the pair of them.
They both undressed but for once, they managed to keep their hands to themselves as Piper realised that Alex was rushing slightly as she swapped her long green dress for a shorter black one. For Piper, she changed out of her ivory dress and got into a pale purple one.
When they were both changed, Alex clasped Piper's hand and led her downstairs. As they got to the top of the stairs, everyone had come out of the main room and was stood waiting for them. There were cheers as they walked down the stairs. Everyone parted to let them through to the front door where Nicky, Lorna, Polly and Piper's parents were stood along with two suitcases.
"Have fun in Madrid!" Lorna cried and hugged the brides tightly. The two were then passed round the group being hugged tightly.
"We'll miss you!" Piper replied and was about to take one of the bags when her mother caught her attention.
"Before you go, your father and I wanted to wish you a very happy thirty-fifth birthday," Carol said and she held out a small box.
"Mom!" Piper gasped after she'd opened it. In the box there was a locket similar to what she'd seen her mother wear almost every day when she was younger. It was practically identical but looked much newer. It was a little fiddly but she managed to open it and on the back of the cover it said P & A and the day's date and on the other there was a picture of her and Alex that was taken not too long ago. Somehow, they'd managed to get a picture of them. Piper presumed that her mother had gotten her father to organise it with Alex.
"It's tradition in my family that when your daughter gets married, they get a locket like this," Carol replied. "Now, have fun on your honeymoon. I love you, Piper."
Piper then hugged her mother again and whispered, "I love you, too," before hugging her father, thanking them for the gift. She then took hold of Alex's hand. Turning round, she waved to all their friends before she took the handle of the suitcase and left the house with her wife.
Despite everything that had happened to Piper and Alex throughout their lives, they were finally able to just be Alex and Piper. No one was there to judge or criticize them anymore. Alex no longer worked in the dangerous drug cartel and both she and Piper had jobs that they loved. More importantly, they both had each other. After years of struggles, they were finally together and married. No one would be able to deny that.
As Piper stepped outside, following her wife to the car that was waiting for them, she realised that there is always going to be one person that you'll want to spend the rest of your life with. It doesn't matter what happens because you know you'll always want and love them. For Piper, Alex Vause was her person and she knew that she was never going to let her go again.
There we go guys, this is the end to my story. I had initially planned to make it longer but my schedule just won't allow it. I'll consider doing a sequel if I get enough interest but I may just do one anyway because I don't quite think I'm ready to let these two go yet but it won't be for a very long time.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favourited or followed this story, your support has been amazing and it made me want to write more. You're all amazing and I love you.
Emss x