A/N:
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters.
Few things. I know I haven't mentioned where Piper and Alex lived but I've always thought it was still in New York, just somewhere small and isolated. In this chapter I've mentioned briefly in which town they lived and I'm sorry if there are some inaccuracies as I'm not from the US. If you notice any mistakes please feel free to call me out on it, I would really appreciate it. Thank you! =)
And here's an even longer chapter than the previous one. I'm sorry but I just really couldn't help it. Hopefully it makes up for not updating sooner. =))
22
"There is only one great mystery,
And I keep searching for the answer desperately...
Tell me, tell me baby, tell me please,
What did I ever do to make you fall for me?"
-o-o-o-
It was one of those days wherein Piper woke up with a huge grin on her face. She had a very pleasant dream, and apparently that dream was good enough to still affect her even after she's woken up. It had been so long since the last time this happened and she welcomed it with a huge smile and a hope that it was a sign for an upcoming good day.
So Piper started her day more blissful than usual, looking forward to whatever the day was about to bring her, even after Nicky had come by her house only to pester her with her usual nonsense but hilarious banters.
"Don't you really have anywhere else better to go to? And what are you doing up so early?" asked Piper as she ate her breakfast of bacon, eggs and pancakes. Nicky had of course joined her and was sitting just across her.
"I have to pick Lorna up in an hour," answered Nicky briefly, shoving food in her mouth like she was in a marathon. Piper looked at her with amusement on her face. "You're still not used to this?" she added with her mouth full, gesturing to herself.
Piper chuckled at Nicky's inquiry with a slight shake of her head. "I don't think I can ever get used to your... very strange behaviour. And you're not supposed talk with your mouth full like you're some animal or something."
"Oh, I didn't know animals speak," Nicky said getting another chuckle from Piper. Clearly, the blonde was having a great start of the day.
Suddenly, they heard three swift knocks on Piper's door. They both stopped moving at the same time as they looked at each other before looking at the door also at the same time.
"Are you expecting someone?" asked Nicky, knowing Piper never got any visitor, except for her, Lorna, and well, Alex. And since there was no chance that it would be Lorna behind that door, Nicky was half-expecting the surprise visitor to be Alex.
Piper may have been thinking the same thing as Nicky as her heart suddenly started beating faster than normal. She and Alex had a great time last night and if Piper was being honest, she was eager to see her again, not that she would ever say that out loud. But it was not even eight in the morning and if it was Alex who was making Piper a surprise visit, then Piper's eagerness about them seeing each other again may have just been tramped.
"No." She then stood up, and walked towards her door, her hands suddenly becoming clammy as nerves hit her. She then opened the door, expecting a certain tall raven-haired woman standing there but only to be disappointed when it was just a guy holding what seemed to be a thin, long box.
"Hi, are you Piper Chapman?" he asked as he read something on a paper he was holding.
"Yeah, how may I help you?" asked Piper back, confused as to who this guy was.
"I have a package for you," he then handed the small, and very light, package to Piper. "And can you just sign here please?" he added, holding out a pen and paper.
"I'm sorry, I didn't order anything." Piper answered reluctantly, still not taking the thing that the guy was handing her.
"I don't know, it said here to deliver this to you. If you can just sign here?" he asked again, obviously in a hurry.
Piper wanted to refuse but decided against it as curiosity won over her. She then took the package before signing the paper, the guy leaving immediately as soon as she did. Piper went back to her dining table examining the box she just received wondering what it was and who it was from.
"What the hell is that?"
"I have no idea."
"Come on, open it," Nicky said as she leaned towards Piper, looking as if she was even more excited about the unexpected delivery than Piper was.
Piper obliged as Nicky's excitement seemed to have reached her, too, opening the box carefully. She then gasped as she saw what was inside. It was one beautiful red rose, with a small note attached to it that says:
"Something to hopefully brighten up your day. A.V."
Piper couldn't help the blush that crept through her cheeks as she held the rose delicately. It was just a simple rose, with a simple note, and yet it felt so much more than that. Alex had always been sweet but she rarely showed that side of her and so when she did, it really meant a lot to Piper.
And the fact that this was the first thing she thought to do today even made Piper's chest fill with warmth. Suddenly, Piper wanted to see her even more.
"Whoah, I didn't know you had an admirer. Who's it from?" asked Nicky who did not see the note that came with it.
Piper smiled as she smelled the rose. She then looked at Nicky, with a huge grin still plastered on her face. "It's from Alex."
"Alex? Alex Vause?"
Piper furrowed her forehead at Nicky's question. "How many Alex do you think I know?"
"No. It's just that... Alex, really? One rose? I'm the one-rose-kind-of-gal. Alex is the one with all that grand gesture bullshit," Nicky exclaimed, taking the note from Piper and reading it. A small smirk formed on her lips as she read the note, her head involuntarily shaking. Who would have thought the great Alex Vause had it in her?
"Nicky, you're the no-rose-kind-of-gal," Piper corrected her, the smile still not leaving her face.
Nicky smirked with a nod, agreeing with Piper. "True." She then handed Piper back the note as she once again remembered her point. "But it's Alex. When she gives you just one rose, it's either she's losing her touch, or she has something bigger in store for you."
Piper knew what Nicky was talking about. Alex truly rarely showed her sweet side, but when she did, she was all out. And one rose was definitely not going all out in Alex's dictionary.
But then again, Piper had seen the change in Alex ever since she came back and maybe this was part of it. And it didn't really matter to Piper. She found the gesture sweet and she appreciated it very much. "What, it's cute," she then said, feeling the need to defend Alex's action. This was special to Piper and she wanted Nicky to see that, no matter what that meant.
"Chapman, this is Vause. You find everything she does cute. She could probably piss in front of a hundred people and you'd still find her cute."
Piper couldn't help but chuckle at this because as odd as that may have sounded, it might actually be true. Absentmindedly, she brought the rose to her nose once again, its fragrance filling her nostrils causing a beautiful sensation that spread through her chest.
"You make me wanna throw up."
"Oh like you haven't been this... whatever with Lorna."
"It's acceptable for me to be this whatever with Lorna, because she's my girlfriend. What are you and Alex? I mean, technically you didn't even break up."
"Yeah, she just left and never came back for seven months. Yes, we're still very much together," answered Piper sarcastically. Usually, this statement would have come with some sort of pain in her chest, but surprisingly, it didn't. The only thing that bothered her was the fact that she and Alex were actually, really not together anymore.
"Obviously, that's changing sooner rather than later with your reaction to a single fucking rose."
Piper didn't say anything else, but found herself hoping that Nicky might be right. There were probably still a lot of things she needed to talk to Alex about but right now, she didn't seem like she was in a hurry to do any of that just yet.
Right now, she just wanted to enjoy this day that seemed to have just gotten a hundred times better.
-o-o-o-
"Nothing. Piper and I are nothing."
Alex was back at work very early on a Tuesday morning. She worked at one of the art galleries that Janis's owned as an Import and Export Supervisor, overlooking the import and export logistics of the gallery. This job had been offered to her by Janis when they met at one of her NA meetings (that Janis' husband was a part of) in Rhode Island, the place she found herself staying in when she took off. They eventually became friends leading to Janis's job offer which Alex immediately accepted.
Janis owned multiple art galleries in the country and right after she found out about Alex's previous job as heroin importer, she did not hesitate to offer the position to her, believing in Alex's ability to use those skills she had always been good with at a clean job. There had never been judgment from her, believing that people gotta do what they gotta do, probably one of the reasons why she and Alex hit it off as soon as they met.
At first, Alex worked at one of Janis' art galleries in Rhode Island. But when she told her about her plans of moving back to Aurora, New York, therefore needing to resign from her job, Janis just brushed her resignation off and offered her the same job at a nearer gallery from her town.
Alex did not need the job, she had money that could probably last her two entire lifetimes. But the thought of having to spend each of her days inside her house doing basically the same nothing was just not appealing to her anymore. So she accepted, and here she was.
"Oh fuck off. You're not nothing. You're at least something."
Even though Janis did not really need to visit all her galleries all the time, she still did so, wanting to see how everything was going herself. And when she found out about Alex missing work, which she had never done ever since she started with her job, she immediately decided to drop her a visit, not only because she was curious as to why she missed work, but also to finally meet the Piper that Alex had always talked about ever since they met.
"Well then I don't know what that is. Right now, I'm just hoping that she'd finally forgive me for what I did and then after that, I'm just gonna go with the flow."
"Do you still love her?"
Alex looked at Janis for a while, not speaking, before smiling and letting out a long sigh. "That's kind of something that's not ever going away."
Janise smiled at Alex's answer, having found herself so fascinated with Alex and Piper's story. She did not know what it was with her that Alex seemed to trust her enough to tell her everything, but she was glad that Alex did. It was rare for her to know someone who had that kind of love and it was a beautiful thing just to even be aware of.
"Okay, so you still love her. And she still loves you—"
Alex let out a hollow laugh at this. "After what I did? I don't think so."
"Alex, you did not see the way she looked at me when we saw each other. I swear if there weren't any people there, she would have probably skinned me alive. I'm telling you, she still loves you."
That thought gave Alex a flicker of hope that maybe, she and Piper could still work things out even after all the bullshit they have gone through. Coming back here had always been part of her plan. She only needed to get away until she was sure that she couldn't destroy Piper more than she had already done before. She also needed to fix herself and when she was confident enough to go back to Piper's life, to her old life, she did.
But one thing she had never been sure of was whether she wanted to be back in Piper's life in that way again, if she wanted them to get back together. She knew that it wasn't really her decision to make, that it was going to be Piper's from now on but ever since she saw her, she could no longer hide the fact that she still felt the same way she's always felt for Piper. She still loved her, as she knew she always would and no matter how much she would refuse to act on it, she just wasn't winning that fight.
She really wanted Piper back.
Alex knew that decision was still Piper's and if she decided that having her back was something that she didn't want anymore, Alex would totally understand. Not that it wouldn't hurt, because it would, a lot, but if it was what was gonna happen, then Alex only deserved it and nothing more.
But she could see the way Piper looked at her and she couldn't help but think, and hope, that there was still something there... maybe there was still a chance. So she decided not to give up so easily and at least do something about it.
Alex wanted to give Piper one rose more than the previous number of rose/s she'd send her every hour. And seeing that it was already past 11 o'clock, Piper had probably received her 15th rose for the day. It was probably too sappy for Alex's usual moves but if being sappy was what it was gonna take, then so be it. Lost in her thoughts, she did not notice that her phone had been buzzing at the top of her table.
"Uh, I think someone's calling you," Janis' voice brought Alex back and she immediately answered the phone call without looking at who was calling. As Alex pressed the phone to her ear, Janis quietly excused herself and left Alex's office.
"You know," said the soft voice from the other end of the line, "I'm kind of starting to feel bad for the delivery guy."
Almost as soon as she recognized whose the voice was, Alex immediately smiled. "Yeah? And why's that?"
"Every time he comes back to me, he looks more and more like he wants to murder me."
Alex chuckled, the butterflies in her stomach feeling more and more like an entire zoo every passing second of hearing Piper's voice. "So let me be clear. He looks like he's about to murder you and yet you still feel bad for him? You're something else, you know that?"
It took a while before Piper said anything else and Alex could only hope that Piper mirrored her reaction at the other end of the line, smiling like an idiot as if this phone call had been the best thing that's happened to her today.
It was the best thing that has happened to her today.
"Hi," said Piper instead of answering what Alex had said before. "Thanks for the roses... and notes. They're... really nice. I mean, beautiful. They're beautiful."
"I would have delivered them to you myself if only I don't have work today. I hope it's not too much?"
"No, I love them. Although if you keep this up for another ten hours, I'd have 120 roses at the end of the day. And I don't think I have enough space in my apartment for that," Piper said jokingly, the light tone in her voice suggesting that she was actually smiling.
"Wow, I'm impressed, you're very good in Math. I like that in a woman. What else do I need to know about you?" Alex asked, only half-joking. She probably knew everything about Piper by now. But with the time that she was gone, and with how things had turned out for both of them, this felt like starting over again. She hoped that Piper thought that, too.
"Hm, well you just have to find that out yourself."
Alex chuckled and she could hear a soft chuckle from Piper's end as well.
"So, wait. You're not really sending me a hundred and twenty roses today, are you?"
Alex then again chuckled, as she probably always would the entire time she would be speaking to Piper. "Hm, well you just have to find that out yourself," she answered, mimicking Piper's previous answer.
"Huh, clever. But okay, if you really are not yet done with the roses, can you please send another guy next time? I don't wanna be murdered before I get my 120th rose."
Alex's smile widened at this, a sudden urge to see Piper growing inside her the more she could hear Piper talk and the more she imagined her cute dimples as she smiled. "Okay, I will make sure to do just that."
"Thanks, Alex," said Piper, her voice a lot softer. Alex could hear something else in her tone, something she was very familiar with, but she couldn't put a finger on it. It was familiar in a really good way, though, and it was all that really mattered to her. "Bye."
"Bye, Piper. I'll see you soon."
-o-o-o-
Alex kept the roses coming, along with her little notes which were sometimes sweet, others funny, but there were also those with sexual innuendos that Piper knew Alex just couldn't help. Every hour, Piper found herself waiting for the roses, more often than not hoping that it would be Alex who would bring them this time even though she knew that Alex was at work and couldn't really do that.
But Alex made sure to make up for her absence by giving Piper a call every now and then, and even thought it wasn't as good as seeing her in person, Piper enjoyed their conversations immensely that she didn't even realize it was already time for her to leave work.
She went home that day feeling lighter than she's ever felt, the exhaustion from work unfelt as all she could think about was Alex.
The next few days were almost the same, flowers still kept coming, but they stopped when Piper was able to convince Alex that there was no need for her to be giving her that many. It was during the fourth day after Alex started giving her the roses that Piper's finally seen her and it felt like she hasn't seen her in a long time that she didn't even care if her excitement at seeing her again was already too obvious.
"Hi," Alex said as Piper got out of Red's. She was holding a bouquet of flowers that didn't go unnoticed by Piper, all the while hoping that it was for her.
"Alex!" exclaimed Piper, a huge grin adorning her face. She was glad that Alex has caught her before she had gone home. Alex hasn't tried to come by her place and she knew she was only waiting for Piper to invite her herself. "What are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see you. I mean, I've been wanting to see you ever since Tuesday but I got swamped with work so I couldn't come by, I'm sorry." She then held out her hands as she gave Piper the flowers. "Here, I know it's probably not enough to make up for it, and you're probably tired of all the flowers I've been giving you but..." she left her words hanging and Piper found it so adorable that she just wanted to lean in and wrap her in a hug.
"It's all right. And these are beautiful, Alex. Thank you."
Piper was left speechless as she looked at Alex who looked back at her eagerly, their eyes meeting with such intensity it was hard to tear their gazes away from each other. Suddenly, Piper had this urge to kiss her, even just a small kiss on the cheek, anything just to feel Alex physically, because God had it been so long. But thankfully, she managed to control herself, managing to shake herself out of the trance that Alex seemed to be so good at pulling her to.
"Uhm, I was just headed home for dinner. Do you wanna... come over?" Piper didn't know where the courage came from but before she could even stop herself, the words were out of her mouth.
"I would love to. But, uh, I'm actually headed somewhere. I promised someone I'd come visit her often but I haven't done it in days so..."
"Oh," if Piper wanted to be subtle about the disappointment she felt at Alex's answer, she wasn't very successful. And she knew that Alex noticed from the smirk that formed on her lips. "I mean, okay, next time then."
"I was kind of hoping you'd come with me?"
"What?"
"I think she'd want you to be there."
"Who?"
"You'll just have to come and find out, right?"
Piper chuckled at this but deep inside she wasn't sure if she wanted to see whoever it was that Alex was seeing. By the way Alex spoke about her, she seemed important to her and Piper couldn't help but feel a little jealous over it... okay maybe extremely jealous, but whatever.
Alex must have sensed Piper's reluctance so she added, "I'll cook your dinner afterwards if you come? Please?"
Piper's doubts about going with Alex were thrown out the window at that moment at the sight of Alex. She looked so adorable with her little pout, looking like a child waiting for her request to be granted. So even if Piper was probably going to regret it, she decided to go with Alex, hoping to any gods out there that this wouldn't completely go wrong.
The first thing she noticed was Alex's car. She hasn't seen it ever since she came back and maybe the reason was that it was different. Piper didn't know much about cars but she knew that it was a Mustang. She also knew how much Alex loved her old car and she wondered why she changed it.
She was supposed to ask her about it as they both got inside but was stopped dead when she noticed another set of bouquet of flowers in there. If Piper was jealous before, she was now confused and if she was really being honest, a little pissed off.
Was Alex seeing another woman? If she was, wouldn't it be a little fucked up that Alex would want her to meet that other woman? Just thinking about it, Piper found herself getting worked up in a dangerous kind of way, the famous Chapman temper about to announce its presence.
She didn't know what kind of game Alex was playing at but she was certain if this had indeed become just a game to her, Piper didn't want to be a part of any of it.
And yet, in the middle of her annoyance and irritation at the sudden turn of events, she found herself feeling some kind of loss. Honestly, she wasn't sure of what she wanted, she didn't know whether she wanted to work things out with Alex again. But she knew what she felt about her and she may not be ready to figure out what she wanted to do with it just yet, but she was also not ready to let Alex go.
But with what she might have just figured out, maybe it was time to do just that.
"Pipes?"
Piper didn't know how long her mind was gone but when Alex spoke, she was pulled back from her thoughts and she noticed that the car had already pulled into a stop.
"Are you okay? You've been really quiet," Alex asked, a look of concern evident on her face.
"Uh, yeah. Where are we?"
But instead of answering, Alex only looked out the window and there Piper saw where they were. And then it all made sense.
Why Alex had flowers. Why she seemed to speak about the other woman with such importance and love. Piper saw it, but refused to acknowledge it when she did. But now it made sense.
She was meeting Alex's Mom.
"Let's go?" Alex asked, and Piper could see how Alex's eyes were suddenly sparkling, the happiness in her radiating off of her body. Piper had not seen Alex this relaxed ever since she came back and now Piper felt bad for thinking all of those things she just did about her.
Fucking temper.
"Yeah!" Piper answered, leaving her own flowers on the car seat as Alex took the other one in her hands. They walked towards the cemetery together, shoulders brushing, the only contact they could manage, which was honestly more than enough at the moment.
Then they had stopped and Piper stood behind Alex as the taller woman dropped to her knees, setting the flowers in front of her mother's grave.
Once again, Piper found herself at loss on what to feel. In all those times she'd been with Alex, she'd never had the chance to see Diane. She'd only seen her in photos and there had been numerous times in which she asked Alex to go see her but Alex would just flat out refuse, sometimes even leading them to have a fight.
So she just let it go, and ever since, she'd been waiting for Alex to finale be able to have the courage to go see her Mom again.
And now she had and Piper suddenly had this overwhelmingly affection for her, and pride that Alex was finally able to deal with this part of her life. She watched Alex graze her fingers over the tombstone before standing back up, looking behind her at Piper.
"I promised her the last time I was here that I'd come visit regularly from then on but I've been swamped with work lately that I only got the chance today," Alex started, looking at her mother's tombstone as she spoke. "I hope it's okay that I brought you."
"Oh, Al," Piper said, wanting to reach out to Alex, to hold her in any way she could, but she wasn't sure if they were at that point just yet so she just settled on clutching the front of her own shirt for now. "I'm just... I'm really happy for you. I mean..." Piper paused, because Alex was looking at her, and she was smiling, an extremely beautiful smile that tugged at the very depths of Piper's whole existence. And she just felt so god damned happy because she knew how much Alex loved her mom and how hard it was for her to let her go.
"Yeah," Alex continued. "It's just... it was difficult for me to accept that she's really gone, you know? I felt like if I came back here, it would just hurt me even more because seeing this," she pointed at the tombstone again, "it would make it feel more real. That she already left me."
"But then I realized that one of the reasons why I couldn't face any of it before was because I wasn't letting her help me. Back when it was just the two of us, and things would get so shitty, which happened a lot, her mere presence was enough to make me feel that we were gonna get through it. So, I came here and yeah, it still worked. I feel like, something so fucking heavy was taken off my shoulders and now I feel a lot better."
Alex finished and her smile was wider than Piper has ever seen it. There was still a glint of sadness in her eyes but Piper hoped, knew, that eventually, it would go away.
"I'm sure she's really proud of you right now," Piper returned the smile before looking at the tombstone, too. "And I'm glad I finally met her. It's been way long overdue."
"I'm sorry," Alex said with a slight shake on her head. "It's about time I guess, for her to meet the person who's making me happy."
And there it was again, the fluttering in Piper's stomach, the warmth that spread all over her chest, the blushing of her cheeks and the racing of her heart. She gave Alex a timid smile before taking one step closer to Diane. "C-can I?"
"Yeah," Alex said as she stepped to the side, letting Piper stand in front of her mom's tombstone.
"Hi, Mrs. Vause."
"Okay, just so you know, if you called her that again, you're gonna get your ass kicked."
Piper chuckled, and it just felt good laughing with Alex, like this was what they were meant to have been doing the last couple of however long they'd forgotten to do this. "I'm sorry. Diane," she then corrected herself. "Hi. I've been wanting to meet you since day one and now I'm glad I have."
She looked at Alex again, as if asking for reassurance that she's doing just fine. Alex gave her a nod and it was all she needed to continue. But this time, she started speaking in whisper, making sure that Alex wouldn't hear her.
"You have an amazing daughter. And I know that you want someone to look after her, and do all the things you used to do for her. I'm sorry, that I hadn't been there to do that in so long. But I swear, I'm here to do that now. And I really hope you'll let me. I'd take care of her, for you. I promise. And I'll come visit you again soon."
She then stepped back as she looked at Alex who gave her a questioning glance of whether she was done. Piper just nodded and Alex smiled yet again.
"We should go, Mom," Alex said as she shifted herself closer to Piper. "I still have to feed someone. I'll come back again soon."
And as Alex and Piper turned around to walk towards Alex's car, Piper reached for Alex's hand as she intertwined their fingers together. Alex looked at her with a surprised look, but Piper just smiled at her as she gave her hand a soft squeeze.
Piper still wasn't sure what to do with what she felt for Alex. But she knew what it was and it was about damn time she stopped fighting it.
-o-o-o-
"I mean, what's the fucking point of having to talk under the rain?!" Nicky half-yelled as she stretched her arm pointing towards the screen in front of her. "There's a fucking shed just a few steps away from you, people. What, do you need to have pneumonia to show how much you love each other?!"
Piper and Nicky were hanging out at Piper's apartment, something of a weekly habit, just the two of them watching films, eating or whatever it was that they felt like doing. Tonight was movie night, but Piper wasn't really paying much attention as her mind kept drifting to a certain someone who was probably spending her night alone, something that bothered her immensely.
At Piper's silence, which usually was supposed to be a disagreement at Nicky's view of things, Nicky finally snapped her head towards the blonde who had been uncharacteristically quiet all night. "Chapman, are you all right?"
"What?" Piper seemed to have finally noticed that Nicky was actually there with her, and sat upright before looking at her companion. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"You haven't said a word ever since this movie started, do you even know what's happening?" Piper opened her mouth to say something only to close it back again. "What's going on?"
"Do you remember when you told me you'd be with me through all of this until the very end of time?"
"Yes, I remember being a decent human being and telling you that," Nicky answered, still not sure where this conversation was supposed to be going.
"I will forever appreciate that. I really will. You know that, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Good," Piper nodded, still looking hesitant. "But I think you've done more than enough for me already." This time, Nicky had shifted her body as she finally started making sense of what Piper was saying. "I mean, I think I can take it from here now... on my own."
Nicky looked at Piper intensely, not saying anything for a while. "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"And this has nothing to do with a certain tall, hot ex-girlfriend of yours?"
Piper sighed, having been caught at what she was thinking. Ever since she and Alex went to see Diane, ever since Piper made a promise to her mom that she would be there to look out for her, she just could no longer remove the nagging feeling of need to be there for Alex.
Some people would probably find it insane, since technically she was the one who got left, so she was supposed to be the one who needed taking care of. But surprisingly, that didn't matter to Piper anymore. All she could think about right now was what was happening in the present and whatever the future was holding for her.
"I just... she's gone through all of this alone for months. I just want her to start feeling that now, she's not anymore." Nicky did not say anything and Piper misunderstood that as disappointment, so she added, "It's not like I'm disregarding you because Alex is already here. It's not like that, I swear. I just thought that maybe, it would be better for both of us, from now on, to do this... together."
But Nicky shook her head as she smiled at Piper. "I understand. You don't have to explain yourself," she then paused. "You're a good person, Chapman. That, and the fact that you're still head over heels in love with her."
Piper shoved Nicky lightly but didn't feel the need to deny what she just said. "Thanks Nicky. I owe you my life." She then wrapped one arm around Nicky and pulled her close to her before kissing the top of her head.
"And you also owe me beer. Come on, get your ass up and get me some." But Piper just chuckled as she looked at Nicky, a huge grin on her face. "Okay, Piper, you can say it. But I'm allowing you only this once."
This time, Piper's smile even widened as she spoke. "I love you, Nicky."
Nicky shook her head, but with a smile also plastered on her face. "Yeah, yeah. I love you, too... I guess."
-o-o-o-
Alex was on her way to her weekly NA meeting, preparing herself for another yet emotionally exhausting hour of her life, when she saw Piper hesitantly standing in front of her house. But her surprise immediately turned into joy at seeing the blonde again, and as Piper saw her walk towards her, she grinned widely, only to have Piper answer her with the same smile.
"Piper? What are you doing here?"
"I, uhm... you're going to the NA meeting, right?"
"Yeah. You are, too, right? Where's Nicky?" Alex asked as she looked around to look for a certain short, bushy-haired woman, only to find no one else around.
"Uh, I asked her not to come. I was actually hoping to go with you?"
"What?"
"Would you like to go to the NA meeting with me?"
Alex smirked as she saw Piper's face fall slightly, probably because of how she had phrased her question. "Are you asking me out on a date? Coz NA meeting sounds really romantic," Alex chuckled as Piper's face turned crimson red.
The blonde then shook her head as she looked at Alex expectantly. "So?"
Alex nodded, the smile still not leaving her face. "Sure, yeah. I'd like to go to the NA meeting with you." Piper had beamed brightly at this, and all of a sudden, Alex wasn't dreading the meeting anymore.
Unsurprisingly, the meeting went so much better for Alex. For months, she's always found attending the meetings quite hard. Sure, it helped her in a lot of ways, but she still couldn't help but feel a little miserable every time she came, because being in there always reminded her of the past, of what she's been through, and of what Piper's been through.
She knew it would take time to be able to totally feel at ease at going through each meeting but when Piper asked if she wanted them to go together, somehow she felt that she was finally going to reach that point more quickly.
And it was proven to be true. Because with Piper beside her the whole time, she was suddenly feeling lighter, and listening to the other's stories suddenly became easier. And as she looked at Piper beside her, looking so relaxed and at ease, Alex knew that her road to recovery just became a hell lot smoother.
The meeting felt like it went a lot more quickly for Alex and soon enough, she found herself standing beside her car with Piper, both of them ready to leave. "Hey, do you wanna hang out for a while?"
"Hang out?" Piper asked, copying Alex's signature move as she raised her eyebrow at her. "Or are you asking me out on a date, albeit a very casual one?"
Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, you can call it that."
Piper huffed, but not without a small smile on her lips. "Asshole."
Alex chuckled as she waited for Piper's answer to her invitation. "So? There's this place on my way to work. They serve the best cheeseburgers and skinny fries and onion rings."
"Do they have milkshakes?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Okay, I'm in."
"What, the burgers and skinny fries and onion rings didn't do it for you?" Alex asked, her forehead burrowed in confusion.
"No," Piper answered as she shook her head. "You did." At this, Alex's face immediately lit up, a shit-eating grin replacing the previous look of confusion on her face. "Shut up and don't look so smug about it. Let's just go." Alex bit her lower lip as she forced herself not to laugh at Piper being so damn cute, before walking towards the driver's seat of her car. "Wait."
"What?" Alex asked, stopping on her tracks.
"Have you ever brought Ja-, anyone else there?"
"Anyone else meaning Janis?"
"Wha—no... I mean, anyone."
"Sure," Alex asked as she entered her car, waiting for Piper to come in. "And no, I've always gone there alone." Piper nodded and Alex found herself smiling as she started the engine, the day getting even better as it progressed.
A few minutes later, they found themselves sitting at the hood of Alex's car, enjoying their meal as they looked at the sight in front of them. They were at a quite high place, which gave them a beautiful view of the city ahead of them. All they could see were little lights and it looked magnificent, the sight even made more beautiful by the person sitting beside them.
Suddenly, Alex's phone buzzed and she quickly excused herself as she walked a few steps away from Piper, before answering the call of whoever was calling her. A few minutes later, she was back in front of Piper, putting her phone back inside the pocket of her jeans.
"That was Janis, she just called to say a few things about work."
Piper's temper immediately shot up, and she knew it was caused by that fucking jealousy again, but refused to really give it much thought. "Shouldn't Janis not be calling you when it's not working hours anymore?"
Alex instantly raised her eyebrow at Piper, realizing how many times Piper has mentioned Janis in the past couple of days. "Are you jealous of Janis?"
"I'm not jealous of Janis!" Piper yelled loudly, irritation immediately flashing across her face.
"Why are you yelling at me?"
"I'm not yelling at you. I'm just yelling near you," her voice has softened by now, but it still had an edge to it, making it even more enjoyable to listen to for Alex.
Alex nodded, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. "I see that this Piper temper is still here." She waited for Piper to say something back but the blonde just kept her mouth shut, only giving her a sigh as an answer. "You don't have to be jealous of Janis, Pipes."
"I am not—" Piper's voice was raised again but when she saw the smirk that immediately formed on Alex's lips, she stopped and breathed deeply, before speaking again, now with a much calmer tone, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "I am not jealous of Janis."
"Oh, okay," Alex agreed, biting the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing. Slowly, she walked towards Piper and settled herself between the blonde's legs. "Then you don't have to be not jealous of Janis, Pipes." She then cupped the blonde's face with both her hands and looked directly into her eyes. "I've told you before and I'm telling you again now, there's no one else. There'll never be anyone else."
Piper seemed to believe Alex at this as she gave her a shy smile before leaning into her touch. She shut her eyes briefly before taking a deep breath. Alex smiled back at her before Piper bowed, unable to stop herself from smiling widely as her heart beat faster.
When Alex let go of her face, Piper looked back up at her, deciding to change the topic. "Why did you change your car?"
"What?"
"Your car. You used to love your old car so much. One scratch and you'd have probably killed whoever did it. Why'd you change it?"
Alex seemed to contemplate of her answer as she walked backwards from Piper. She then went to sit beside Piper at the hood of her car, all the while being followed by Piper's gaze. "Maybe I just wanted change?" she answered, not really looking at the blonde who was still looking intently at her.
"Maybe." Alex could see Piper shake her head from the corner of her eyes. "But not your car. No. What happened?"
Alex looked briefly at Piper before looking straight ahead again. "Nothing, Piper."
"There's something you're not telling me. What is it, Alex?" Piper insisted, causing Alex to sigh.
"Pipes..." Alex looked back at Piper again, and this time, she held her stare.
"Alex."
Again, Alex let out a deep sigh, knowing Piper wasn't letting this go. "I got into an accident," she said softly, hoping that Piper hadn't heard her.
"What?!"
"It's nothing serious—"
But Piper cut her off, her tone laced with confusion and worry. "Alex, you're one of the safest drivers I know. Yes, sometimes crazy... but safe. What the hell happened?"
"Pipes, it was—" Once again, Alex tried to get out of this, not really wanting Piper to know what happened and make a big deal out of it. But Piper gave her that 'You're-not-getting-out-of-this-look' and she knew there was no way she was winning this one. "I was drunk—"
But Piper had not let her finish again, even shifting her body so she could look at Alex fully. "You were what?" Piper was outraged and Alex knew it. "What the fuck, Alex? Why would you drunk drive? You are fucking smarter than that!"
Alex knew Piper was mad now and she wanted to calm her down but she knew there was no other way but to tell her the truth. "It wasn't an easy time, Pipes. I wasn't... I wasn't thinking and I—" She shook her head as she ran her fingers through her hair. "It wasn't easy."
For a while, Piper just looked at her. But then she suddenly turned her head away from her, leaving Alex to look at the back of her head. "Piper... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you." But Piper stayed quiet, her back still facing Alex. "Hey."
Alex had stood up by now, walking towards Piper. She then went to the other side of the car so she could see Piper's face, but Piper only bowed, still refusing to look at Alex. "Pipes, the car was a wreck, yes... but nothing serious happened to me. I was fine."
Finally, she was able to hold Piper's face and guided it to look at her and she felt her chest hurt at the sight. Piper had tears in her eyes. "Hey..." Alex said, worry immediately settling on her stomach. Piper had looked down once again, and Alex felt her chest tighten. "Fuck. Babe, please look at me."
But instead of looking at her, Piper's shoulders started shaking as she buried her head against Alex's chest. She was crying, sobs wracking her whole body, and she suddenly held on to the collar of Alex's shirt, seemingly needing something to hold onto so she could stop her body from shaking.
Alex found herself speechless, the sudden turn of events surprising her immensely as pain shot through her at the sight of Piper. She then wrapped her arms around her, not knowing what to really say, her mind going blank as all she could grasp at the moment was that she had made Piper cry again.
"I was so mad at you..." Piper started speaking, her voice muffled as her face was still pressed against Alex. "I was so fucking mad that I hadn't even realized that you were going through the same thing, too. And you were alone. You were going through all of it alone and I spent all those times hating you." Alex tightened her embrace, every word coming out from Piper's mouth feeling like a knife piercing through her skin. "I'm sorry, Alex. I'm so fucking sorry for all of it."
"Piper..." Alex finally said, her voice cracking as she felt her own eyes burn. "None of it was your fault. It wasn't your fault."
Alex knew she was probably already hurting Piper but she hugged her even tighter, her lips pressing onto the top of Piper's head. For a while, Piper didn't move, except for her body which was still being shaken by her sobs.
But then suddenly, she lifted her head slightly as Alex felt her lips press softly against her jaw. Alex's whole body went rigid, not expecting the action from Piper. But the blonde kept going, her lips suddenly travelling lightly towards Alex's cheek, the soft brush of it sending shivers down Alex's spine.
Piper again stopped moving, her lips now pressing a little harder, but still gently, onto Alex's cheek and it was then that Alex decided to move, too, her face leaning sideways slightly so she could meet Piper's face as well. And as she did so, her lips found Piper's and their mouths pressed against each other, for a while none of them daring to move.
But then Piper moved, not to pull herself away from Alex, but to properly place her lips against the raven-haired, and soon enough, it wasn't just lips brushing lightly against each other anymore. Alex found herself opening her mouth as Piper bit on her lower lip, Piper immediately matching the intensity of the kiss.
Moans came out, and Alex wasn't sure if it came from her own mouth or from Piper's, as their tongues met, not battling for dominance but just wanting to feel each other in a way they've never had in a really long time. Piper clutched even more tightly at Alex's shirt, as Alex's hands travelled upwards to grasp Piper's hair, putting it in place afraid that she would pull away.
But instead of pulling away, Piper only deepened the kiss, desperation mixing with passion, fiery heat meeting wanton pleasure, want turning into a need. "Alex," she whispered between heavy breaths, still not pulling her lips away from Alex's.
"Yeah," Alex answered, her breathing labored as she tried to feel more of Piper.
"Take me home," Piper's voice was filled with something Alex hasn't heard in as long as she could remember, and ignited the fire inside her that hasn't been awoken ever since she lost Piper. The blonde took Alex's mouth into hers again, every kiss getting even deeper as heat spread all throughout Alex's whole being. "Please take me home."
-o-o-o-
SHOUTOUTS:
vausemanoitnb, Thank you so much. Here's the new update, and I hope you love it! =)
izzielg, Yes, a matter of time indeed. And I'm really sorry I couldn't update sooner. Hopefully this chapter makes up for that. =)
WB79, Yes, I'm glad you thought those things about Cal, Danny, and Nicky! That was such a wonderful review and I don't think I've thanked you enough. =)
BL-is-love, Thank you, I'm really happy to know your thoughts about the previous chapter. Your review totally put a smile on my face. =)
valevauseman, You're back! Haha thank you, glad to know that you've still stuck with this story. It really means a lot. I'm sorry it took quite a while for happy Vauseman to show up but here they are! =)
amciotola1, I totally agree! Baby steps indeed. Slowly but surely, yeah? Thank you for the review it was great! =)
RJVause, Yes, hope still exists for our Vauseman right here. And it's really amazing to know that you've enjoyed every word on the previous chapter. Hopefully it turns out to be the same for this one. Thank you! =)
Budda1127, Wow thank you for that review, it was beautiful. I'm happy to know that you agree with how I took things with this Vauseman. =))
Guest (really loved the previous chapter), And jealous Piper is also so much fun to write! I'm glad you agree. Thank you for such a cute review. =)
Guest (great update!), Here's the update and now you know how things turned out for them! =) And don't worry about Janis, she's really nothing to worry about. Just someone I needed for Piper to show her jealous side but she's not gonna cause trouble. =)
ManveerlovesVauseman, Thank you so much! I'm glad to know the bits you loved about the previous chapter. Hopefully, you'd like this chapter as well. =)
RANVEER, I'm really glad to know that you loved every bit of my previous update. So thank you so much, and here's more. Hope you like it just as much. =)
Marauder-Lu, I think so, too! Haha. And I think you've been waiting for a cute chapter long enough so hopefully it was worth the wait. Thank you, that was a really wonderful review. =)
Kojojo, I hope your heart doesn't explode! Haha. Thank you and I totally agree, no one can resist a sick Alex. =)
klaudiasurg, Thank you, and don't worry I really have no intentions of putting another person between them. Stella has annoyed me enough and I am not going to do the same thing here. Haha! =)
VonZeppy, I'm glad you think so! This is an even longer chapter so hopefully you like it just as much. =)
Cyri, Haha, that is really sweet of you to say! I'm sorry that I still haven't been able to post twice a week. I'd really like to, especially after all the wonderful reviews I've been getting but time wouldn't just allow me to do so. But thank you for that review! =)
FFChik, Wow, I'm glad you think so. I've always been hesitant to post an even longer chapter than what I'm used to but you guys seem to like it. =) Thank you for another awesome review.
Sue, Thank you! But I'm surprised that you can't stand Nicky. I'm sorry if I've made her annoying to you. Haha. =)
elliellie1, And things are finally on their way to the beautiful Vauseman being endgame. Haha! Alex and Piper still have things to talk about and it'll happen in the future chapters. Thank you for such kind words. =)
ejm137, Yes, Nicky always to the rescue. =) And I'm glad you like that they're taking things slowly but I think they've been slow enough already hence the chapter. Hope you like it! =)
Guest (thinking of putting a nick name), Any review will always be worth it to me. And I'd really love to put a name on such a wonderful person. Thank you so much for that review, it was awesome. And I hope you have a great weekend as well! =)
Guest (amazing), Thank you so much! You're the amazing one. =)
Guest (awwwww), Thank you! I'm really glad that you love my version of Vauseman, You are lovely! =)
Guest (this is going so well), Yes, once again, the light at the end of the tunnel is finally showing. Thank you for such wonderful review! =)
Lily, Thank you and I'm sorry if the updates are not coming sooner than you'd probably like. =))
Vausemaniac, Yes! I think they've been waiting for happy Vauseman in this story for so long. Again, you're always welcome for the shout out. And worry not, I am not planning to put someone in the middle of them as I truly hated it when it happened in season 3. Thank you as well for another great review! =)
oitnbaddict, Hey new username! Haha. I'm glad to have fulfilled one of wishes even though I really did not elaborate much on it. And I totally agree about jealous Piper, I love writing her, too. Thanks again for such wonderful review. You are the cute one, my friend! =)
huggerguest, Thank you so much! It was kind of difficult for me to write light Vauseman and I'm glad that you seem to have liked it. And don't worry, Janis is nothing to be worried about. =)
jomichael03, Hey there, good friend! Thank you for still leaving reviews even though we're already talking through PMs. You are such a wonderful person and I'm glad I met you through this site. =)
schillingarmy, Jealous Piper is always fun to write, yes. And hopefully, this chapter satisfied you seeing as you've been wanting them to get back together already. Haha. =)
Guest (bear hug), Thank you for that bear hug and stroke of hair I want to stay in your arms forever. Haha! Returning the hug with extra kisses! Xoxo =))
LizzLaylor, I'm guessing you're the same guest who expressed your annoyance towards my italics? Haha. I'm sorry, I just really needed to put emphasis on some words and I'm sorry if they annoyed you. But thank you, though, for the other review! Putting my story in your top five means a lot knowing that a lot of fics are so good in this site. That's really nice of you to say. =))
Sheri, Yesss indeed! =)
Guest (Nice chapter), Thank you! I just thought it would be quite unrealistic for them to jump into things immediately after what they've gone through and I'm glad that you seem to agree with me. =)