Author's Notes: 1.) There are going to be some minor time jumps in this story so that I can fit it all in, but I hope it's not too jarring for the reader. 2.) The reason this story wasn't showing up on the main page is because I changed the rating to M for Mature. Those stories are apparently hidden, so I changed it back to T for Teen, but I'll be sure to capture the proper rating at the top of each page of a new chapter.

This chapter is rated T.

The holidays came and went, and Piper was semi-forced to go to the Bahamas with her family for Christmas. She hated almost every moment of it, other than spending time with her brother. He was growing into his own, and unlike when they fought as children, they now appreciated each other if for no other reason than providing companionship when their parents fought or left the kids behind to go to some extravagant dinner.

Unlike the first four months when Piper was at Smith, Alex felt like they were in more of a routine by the time February rolled around. They talked every day and even wrote letters and cards on occasion. Alex still missed Piper more than she ever thought possible, but between grad school and her internship, she kept very busy.

Travel between her mom's house and Manhattan had gotten to a point that was unbearable—Alex was late for work twice due to delays on the train, and she fell asleep one night and missed her stop to get off in Purchase. That cost her another hour of trying to get a train back home at one in the morning.

Alex decided to take out a small loan to pay for a studio apartment in Harlem, six blocks from Columbia and two Subway stops from her internship. It wasn't much—400 square feet on the third floor of an old, 1950s brownstone, but it was hers. Rent was $2,000 a month, and Alex knew that was an absurd amount, but she couldn't keep up the commute that she'd done for a year and a half. Besides, she was three months from graduating from her Master's program, and she figured she'd get a job in the city anyway, so living there would make it easier for her to get to and from interviews (if she didn't land a job at Peter Lang Publishing.)

Piper took the train into the city the weekend after Alex moved in to check out her new digs.

"Hey, babe," Alex greeted the blonde with a smack on the lips. "Welcome to my little place. Little being the operative word."

"It's cute," Piper said as she walked inside, not letting go of Alex's hand. "You need some furniture, but the space has potential."

She hadn't bought more than a bed and a small bistro table with two folding chairs. There wasn't even a sofa or an armchair in the space.

"It'll do for now." She swiped Piper's hair aside and kissed her on the neck. "There's a bed."

Piper turned and wrapped her arms around her lover. "Since when do we need a bed?"

"True," Alex admitted, kissing her more properly.

They ended up making love on the floor for the next 30 minutes, both laughing at their position when they were done.

"We were so close," Piper commented, resting her arm on the mattress to her right.

"It's like we don't want to be comfortable," the brunette chuckled, lifting herself up so that she was at eye level with Piper.

"What's that about?" Piper smiled, tracing a finger down Alex's cheek. "Maybe we're both sadists."

"I don't care where we are," Alex commented between kisses. "As long as you're next to me."

"Or inside of you?" The blonde kissed her lover's ear and smirked.

"Preferably inside of me."

They couldn't stop themselves from one more round of sex, this time using more fingers than tongues.

At 9 p.m. Alex heard Piper's stomach growl. "You hungry?"

"I haven't eaten since, like, 11 o'clock this morning."

"You just ate me. Am I not enough?" Alex asked with mock exasperation.

Piper smiled. "I haven't eaten you in an hour, and besides, there's a startling lack of protein in lady juice, so yes, I'm hungry."

Alex returned the smile. "Let's go out. Pizza sound good?"

Piper took Alex's proffered hand and stood. "Pizza sounds great."

The women walked down the street, eating a slice of cheese pizza along the way. It was frigid in the city, but neither woman seemed to mind. Alex took her girlfriend through the Columbia campus and pointed out the two buildings were she had classes this term.

"I remember that building over there," Piper pointed. "That's where you took me to your class when I was a senior."

"Hamilton? Yes." Alex smiled. "You were so wide-eyed and bushy-tailed."

"I was not!" She slapped Alex's arm, and then sobered. "I was falling in love with you."

Alex reached out to kiss her on the side of the head. "I know."

"That's kind of hot." She grabbed her girlfriend's hand as they proceeded down College Walk.

"What?"

"That we were attracted to each other when you were my teacher," Piper confessed.

"It might seem hot now, but it was dangerous." Alex adjusted her glasses with her free hand. "If we would have gotten caught, I could be in jail right now."

"But we hadn't done anything at that point," she responded with a shrug.

"Doesn't matter. Perception is everything, Pipes." She drug Piper around a corner. "I'm glad we didn't get caught, and I'm also glad we waited."

Piper's back hit the brick wall, and she raised her hands to capture Alex's face before reaching out to kiss her. "Me, too."

They ended up walking to the diner that was featured in the TV show, Seinfeld, and had a cup of coffee and a piece of boysenberry pie. They talked about Alex's grad school classes, Piper's undergrad classes, and what the summer might look like for both of them.

"I can't wait to be finished with grad school," Alex said around a bit of pie. "I need to make some decent money."

"Do you think your internship will turn into a job?" Piper asked, sipping coffee.

Alex shrugged. "It might, but I'm not going to rest on my heels. I sent five or six resumes to other publishing houses."

"I'm trying to get an internship this summer," Piper announced.

"Really? You didn't tell me that."

She nodded. "My father has connections at a few communications firms. We'll see."

Alex raised her eyebrows. "In the city?"

"Yeah, but nothing is definite." Piper dropped her fork on the table. "I'm full."

She smiled. "You should be—two slices of pizza and pie a la mode."

She rubbed her belly. "I'll have to go for a run in the morning."

Alex grabbed her hand across the table and arched one eyebrow. "I know of another way to burn calories."

Piper bit her lower lip. "That sounds like much more fun than jogging."

They ended up walking in West Central Park and down Amsterdam Avenue until 4 a.m. There was never a time when they ran out of things to discuss, and time flew in hours rather than minutes.

"The sun is going to rise soon," Alex said as they held hands near 125th Street.

Piper yawned. "We should go back to your apartment."

"Let's watch the sunrise." She pulled Piper towards a Subway stop. "Come on."

"Can't we watch it from here?" Piper complained.

"No, idiot. The sun rises in the East."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Really? That's news to me."

Ignoring her, Alex said, "I know the perfect spot."

They took the Subway to the end of the line, getting off at Lexington Avenue and walking four blocks to the Harlem River. Alex drug Piper to a bench overlooking the river and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend as they watched the sunrise. She was reminded of the time they first held hands as they watched the sunset over the valley at Gateway. It was then when Alex knew that Piper would one day capture her soul.

"I'll never get tired of looking at you," Piper blinked sleepily.

"We're watching the fucking sunrise, and you're looking at me?" Alex laughed.

Piper didn't respond; she simply kissed her lover on the cheek, and then rested her head on her shoulder.

Summer was just around the corner, and Alex was two weeks away from graduating with her Master's in English Literature. She went on two interviews at other publishing houses, but Peter Lang Publishing offered her a full time gig with the promise of allowing her to contribute to the newest edition of a high school English textbook within the next year if things worked out.

Two days before Alex's graduation, Piper called on her last day of classes at Smith.

"What do you think about living together this summer?"

"I like the idea of that, Pipes, but the practicality might need some finesse," Alex replied. "I live in a studio, remember?"

"I got an internship in the city," Piper announced with glee.

"That's great, babe! Where?"

"It wasn't through one of my dad's leads, actually," the blonde began. "Poussey's aunt was looking for an intern in the Barnard College publications office. I turned in my resume, had a phone interview, and found out today that I got it! It's unpaid, but I don't really need the income."

"Good job, Pipes! You realize that Barnard is right across the street from Columbia."

"Yeah, but you're done with school now," she said with a hint of sadness.

"I live six blocks away," Alex replied. "So yeah, you can stay with me this summer. It'll just be tight quarters."

"I can't wait." She could hear Piper's smile through the phone. "And I'll see you in two days."

"Two days."

"Can you believe this kid?" Diane bumped her shoulder against Piper's at the Columbia graduation ceremony.

"Actually, I can," the blonde replied with a toothy grin. "Alex is the smartest person I know."

"Me, too," Diane beamed.

After the ceremony, the women went to dinner at a steakhouse on the Upper West Side. Alex insisted upon paying for the meal, since she was now making $40,000 a year. Granted, her job hadn't started yet, but she was proud to put the tab on her credit card.

"So, hon, tell me about your first year at Smith," Diane asked around a bite of beef Wellington.

"It was good," the blonde responded, not looking up from her plate. "I missed this one way too much." She nodded her head towards Alex.

Alex rolled her eyes. "A year is already under your belt; we only have three more to go."

"That's a long time," Piper said, swirling her creamed spinach around.

"Not if you consider a lifetime together," Diane commented.

Alex put her hand on her lover's thigh under the table and squeezed hard when she heard her mother's comment. She and Piper hadn't talked about the future in that way. She wanted to think that their relationship would stand the test of time, but words weren't spoken about anything past that summer.

"Shit, did I cross a line?" Diane dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. "Two martinis and my mouth is like a fucking motor boat!"

Piper put her hand on Diane's forearm. "It's ok, and you're right."

Diane grinned like a proud peacock.

"Actually," the blonde began. "This is probably a good time to bring up something I've been meaning to tell you." She looked at Alex, who set down her glass of wine. "I'm considering transferring next fall."

Alex couldn't hide her shock. "What?"

"I applied to Barnard, Columbia, NYU, and Fordham," she explained, still looking at Alex. "I don't want to be so far away from you."

"Piper, this is your education we're talking about." Alex removed her hand from her girlfriend's leg. "You can't just pick up and move."

"I'm not picking up and moving," she said. "I'm considering a transfer to one of several top-notch colleges. I thought you'd be happy about that."

Diane watched the women with what appeared to be eager anticipation.

"Nothing would make me happier than having you in the city," Alex stated. "But I don't want you to leave a phenomenal school just to be closer to me."

"I'd be attending a different phenomenal school," she protested. "Unless you think us living together or at least being near each other is too much."

Alex turned her body fully to Piper and lifted her hand to her lips. "I want to be with you, Piper…I just don't want you to do something that you might regret."

Piper leaned in and let her fingertips skim her girlfriend's cheek. "I won't regret anything that has to do with being with you."

Diane's hands flew her mouth as if she was fully participating in this romantic moment. "I never had a love like this," she paused and looked at her daughter. "And don't tell me not to butt in, kid. I'm your mother, and I want to see you happy. Piper makes you happy, and the two of you together makes me fucking happy. Deal with it!"

Piper laughed, and Alex couldn't contain her giddiness and let out a loud snort. She put her arm around Piper's shoulders and drew her in for a kiss.

Diane lifted her martini and toasted. "To being happy!"

"To being fucking happy," Piper teased as she clinked glasses with her lover and her mom.

"You make me so fucking happy," Alex whispered into her girlfriend's ear.

That earned her a sincere kiss that was probably not fit for public viewing.

It wasn't the first time Diane Vause had to clear her throat, but each time she did so, a smile was plastered on her face.