A/N:

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters.

Would like to send a special shout out to the person who introduced me to the song quoted at the start, you rock! =) It's called I Do by Susie Suh by the way, in case you wanna listen to it. It's a beautiful song. =)

Anyway, here's another chapter. It's again a lot shorter than my usual chapters (possibly the shortest one yet) so I apologize for that. I also apologize for the lack of Vauseman + Nichorello day off flashback. I guess I really suck at fulfilling promises. =( But I just really thought it would be best to leave whatever happened that day to your imagination so there =)

Anyway, hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!

24

"I just wanna hold you when the going's tough,

I just wanna love you when you're not enough,

I just wanna give you all that I can give."

-o-o-o-

Alex was back at her house and she couldn't help but recall yesterday's events. It had been no doubt one of the most enjoyable days of her life, something she hadn't really experienced in so long. She loved spending the day with her friends and especially with Piper and she made a vow to herself that it wasn't gonna be the last one in another long period of time.

Suddenly her phone was ringing and when she saw who was calling, her face immediately lit up. She answered the call with a stupid grin on her face and if anyone was here right now, she'd be called a sap again. But truth be told, she didn't really give a crap anymore.

She was happy and that was all she cared about right now.

"Hey."

"Hi," Piper's voice was soft and sweet and Alex suddenly wondered why she decided that they slept at their own places the night before. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I was already up. I already miss you."

"Well, I wonder who decided to sleep apart last night."

"I know. I'm stupid. Can I come see you?" Alex could hear Piper chuckle at the other end of the line and she found herself smiling with her. It was a sound she would never get tired of.

"Al, you don't have to ask."

"Yeah, it's just that... you know. You might think I'm smothering you or something like that. I don't want to scare you away."

Alex was only half-joking but there was something in that statement that held so much weight. She didn't want to do anything that could drive Piper away. She's already almost lost her a lot of times and she just wasn't risking anything for that to happen again.

Even though she knew that Piper would not mind if they were together a lot. But she was scared for some other reasons, and those are the unknown which made them even scarier.

"There's nothing you can do that would scare me away. You're stuck with me forever, just so you know."

The word forever was a lot. It was something that would have sent Alex running if this was years ago. But the word came from Piper and somehow it didn't sound heavy at all. As a matter of fact, it sounded good to Alex, like it was something that just fit her and Piper perfectly.

"I'm not complaining," she said, genuinely. "I just hope you know what you're getting into."

"Oh believe me, I do know."

"And you're still not scared?"

"Are you kidding me, I love it. I love you."

"Why do you get so mushy so early in the morning?"

"Really? You couldn't have just, I don't know, told me you love me, too?"

"Bossy, I like it." Alex then said, chuckling slightly. "I love you, too, Princess."

"That's what I'm talking about!" Piper immediately responded back and Alex found herself shaking her head at how adorable her girlfriend was. She suddenly had the need to wrap her in her arms and squeeze her so tightly they'd end up glued together.

"God, you're adorable. Anyway, so I'll come see you before I go to work and then again at lunch and then I'd come pick you up so we could go home together. Is that all right?"

"Yes, sounds like a plan!" Piper agreed and she sounded so excited that Alex just couldn't wait to go see her. "Okay, I gotta get ready for work. I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah. Bye, I love you."

Piper paused a short while on the other end of the line before speaking. "I don't think I'd ever get tired of hearing you say those words," she then chuckled, mostly to herself.

"And I won't get tired saying it," Alex smiled to herself and when she realized just how stupid she might look at that moment, she cleared her throat. "Okay, too much mush in less than an hour. This is unacceptable. I gotta go, Chapman."

Piper then chuckled again, a little more loudly this time. "Oh, Al. You pretend that you're a hard ass but deep inside, you're really such a softie. I love you, too. Bye!"

And with that, Piper ended the call leaving Alex to think to herself that as terrifying as it had sounded to her, Piper may just have been right. And what made it even more terrifying? She was totally fine with it.

-o-o-o-

The day went by slowly for both Alex and Piper, and as much as they'd wanted to see each other, both their works just wouldn't let them.

Alex had to deal with an undelivered product and it took her almost the entire day to sort things out. The whole thing was a total stress and it just made her want the day to be over so much faster so she could go home and spend the rest of the night with her girlfriend.

Piper on the other hand was short of staff so she had to do some waitressing herself especially because the diner seemed to have more customers than usual that day. Overall, it was an exhausting day and she kept looking at the clock, wishing to any gods out there that it would run a little faster so she could finally be home to Alex.

When the time to go home came, Piper was tired to her bones she could barely feel her feet and open her eyes when she locked up the diner. But then right on cue, Alex's car parked in front of her and soon enough, they were walking towards each other with tired smiles on their faces.

"Hi. I'm tired," Piper immediately whined as soon as she saw Alex, but she really didn't need to say anything at all for her girlfriend to know that she was. She looked like she was willing to collapse on the road if that was the only way she could finally get her rest.

"Aw, poor baby," Alex pouted as Piper rested her head on Alex's shoulder, her fingers immediately finding hers so they could entwine them together. "Come on, let's get you home. I'm going to draw you a nice bath," Alex then said after kissing Piper at the side of her head.

"Hmm, you'll join me?" Piper hummed, her voice making vibrations at the crook of Alex's neck.

"Do you want me to join you?" Piper just nodded, snuggling even closer to Alex. They just stood there outside of Red's, standing close to each other, hands clasped together. "Okay then," Alex smiled, before she wrapped one arm around Piper's waist, pulling her even closer to her.

"Ugh, but you already showered."

"What? No, I haven't. I just came from work, Pipes."

"Then why do you smell so good?" Piper inhaled Alex's scent before finally letting go of one of Alex's hand so she could wrap both arms around her girlfriend's body. "You always smell so good. Me, I stink."

"Yeah? Lemme see." Alex then brought her nose closer to Piper's hair inhaling its scent. "Yeah, babe. You really do stink."

"See?!" Piper immediately disentangled herself from Alex, her voice high-pitched, her exhaustion evident on her face.

Alex chuckled loudly before pulling Piper back to her arms again as she kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sorry, I was kidding. You smell great, babe... like strawberries and vanilla. You smell like... you. It's good."

"Yeah?" Piper asked, snaking her arms around Alex again, this time a little bit tighter. She rested her head against her girlfriend's chest, feeling her tiredness leave her body as she felt the comfort Alex's presence was bringing her.

"Yeah," Alex smiled at Piper as the blonde looked up at her looking so damn beautiful despite the rough day she just had.

"And you're not just saying that to make me feel better?"

"Nope," Alex answered without missing a heartbeat. "I only speak the truth."

"Okay. I feel better now. Thank you." Piper lightly pressed a kiss on Alex's lips. "I love you."

Alex had heard that Piper say a thousand times and probably even more than that. But every time those words came out of her girlfriend's mouth directed at her, she still couldn't help the flutters in her stomach and the warmth that spread on her chest. "I love you, too. So, let's go?"

Piper only nodded, and arms locked together, they made their way to Alex's car, both of their exhaustion from the day's work suddenly forgotten.

-o-o-o-

Almost an hour later, both Alex and Piper were soaked in the former's bathtub, Piper sitting between Alex's legs, her back pressed against her girlfriend's front. Alex was running her fingers on Piper's hair while her other hand was holding a bottle of wine.

Piper, on the other hand, had her eyes closed just enjoying the comfort of the water and her girlfriend making soothing touches on her hair and skin. "So, how was your day?'

"It was okay. I missed you, though. I should probably just quit and spend every second watching you."

Piper chuckled as she felt Alex's lips on her shoulder. "All right, I'll quit work, too, so I can do the same." She was also running her fingers lightly against Alex's thigh and the feel of her girlfriend's skin against her was making her relaxed even more. "Hey, have you heard from Nicky or Lorna by the way?"

As soon as Piper mentioned Nicky, Alex started laughing that Piper could feel her body shake. "No, I haven't. I was trying to call Nicky earlier but she wasn't answering. I think she's still pissed at me."

"I'd be, too, if I was her. You caused her to have that fight with Lorna, you know."

"What, she said the game was boring. So I had to do something about it."

Alex again chuckled at the memory of the night before. The four of them were about to end their day but Piper had the idea of playing 20 questions so they did. Except they didn't even get to 20 questions when Nicky and Lorna started having a huge argument.

Alex knew that it was kind of her fault for revealing the fact that Nicky had slept with another woman even if she was already with Lorna. In Alex's defense, that no one, not even Piper apparently, would probably accept, Lorna was still with Christopher at that time, so she figured it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

But it was for Lorna and soon enough they were fighting in front of her and Piper (only to make up after about an hour... in a really loud way.) But that didn't make it easier for Nicky to forgive her, especially because Alex had given her so much shit for having seen Piper naked when she was just really trying to help.

So now, almost a whole day later, Nicky still hasn't talked to her.

"Something meaning telling Lorna that very thing she didn't want her to know?"

"Babe, if they're gonna be in that relationship forever, they have to be honest with each other."

"I know, but still, that was supposed to be Nicky's call."

"Oh believe me, I know Nicky like the back of my hand. She was never gonna admit that to Lorna. I actually just helped them, you know. If Lorna found this out way later, who knows how they were gonna deal with it. At least now, it's out there and they're still okay," Alex paused shortly before realizing something. "Why are you picking her side over mine anyway?"

"I'm not picking sides! Okay, maybe I'm picking hers just a tiny bit." Piper then retracted her first statement but not without emphasizing how tiny she meant by putting her thumb and forefinger so close together. "But that was really mean! I mean, Lorna almost stormed off."

Alex still couldn't help but laugh but then she was actually really starting to feel guilty. "Yeah, I guess that was kind of maybe the tiniest bit pretty shitty of me. I'll go see her tomorrow and apologize, okay?"

"Okay," Piper smiled as she looked up at Alex. The raven-haired then leaned down so she could kiss Piper softly, their lips meeting in the gentlest way.

They let silence engulf them for a short while, just enjoying their time together. But Alex knew Piper enough to know that she wasn't just being quiet for the sake of it. Her thoughts were too loud for Alex not to notice.

"Tell me what you're thinking."

Piper sighed before shifting her body so she could fit into Alex's arms better and also so she could look at her while she spoke. "Uh, do you think you can take a few days off work anytime soon?"

"Of course. Is this about you wanting to go see your mom?"

Piper just nodded as Alex squeezed her hand. "I just... I need to do it now before I change my mind again. It's just that... things are really going great in my life now. Red, Nicky, Lorna, my brothers... you. But I still feel like there's still something I need to do."

Alex nodded as she pressed another kiss at the top of Piper's head. "I'll be there with you, babe. Whatever you need to do... I'm not gonna leave you, okay?"

Piper found herself smiling at this, knowing that even though it would probably not be the easiest thing she'd have to do, especially since she maybe had to see her father, too, once she decided to go see her mom's grave, she knew Alex being there would make all of it a lot bearable. "Thank you."

"When are you planning to go?"

"Probably the day after tomorrow. I still have to tell Red I'd be taking a few days off. And kind of prepare myself. I don't even know what I'd have to do once I'm there."

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out together. It's you and me, all right?"

"Okay."

Alex wrapped her arms around Piper more tightly, telling her without words that she was always gonna be there from now on, no more leaving, no more running away. And with that, Piper realized that this thing she had to do may not be as hard as she thought it would be after all.

-o-o-o-

Even though she and Piper weren't leaving until the next day, Alex decided to already take the day off beforehand so she could settle all the things she and Piper needed to do before leaving.

Right after she had brought Piper to work, she immediately went to Nicky's place, knowing full well what she had to do but also aware that Nicky was gonna make her work for it. It had been like that with her and her best friend ever since, more often just really wanting to give each other shit than them really being mad at each other.

She'd been at the door for ten minutes, knocking repeatedly and shouting for Nicky when Nicky finally decided to open up for her. "I come bearing gifts," Alex immediately said as she stretched out her arms to give Nicky the bottle of Vodka she decided to bring to lure Nicky into forgiving her.

But Nicky just turned her back on her and went walking back inside her house, totally ignoring Alex, but leaving the door open anyway.

"Oh come on, Nick. Are you really still mad at me?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Nicky suddenly yelled, looking back at Alex. "You almost had Lorna break up with me!"

"We both know she's never going to do that. She left a man at the altar for you!"

"Really? That's your excuse? I get it that you were probably trying to get back at me for seeing your girlfriend naked, but that was just too much, man."

"Hey, I wasn't trying to get back at you. I honestly didn't think it would be that big of a deal, because admit it or not, she was still with Christopher at the time and that was in no way telling that you two were exclusive."

Nicky opened her mouth to talk, looking ready to protest but Alex cut her off.

"Which, of course, is not something that could justify what I did... even if, again, I really didn't think it would cause any fight." Nicky almost rolled her eyes at Alex still defending herself but kept quiet anyway. "So, I'm here to apologize... which you pretty much know is hard for me to do especially if it's to you." Alex paused, waiting for Nicky to answer but the shorter woman just stayed quiet. "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to do it," Alex then added, much more sincerely this time.

Nicky didn't immediately say anything but when she grasped the bottle that was on Alex's hand, a slow smirk forming on her lips, Alex knew she'd been forgiven. "I need free breakfast for the next week."

This time, it was Alex's turn to roll her eyes, but not without the chuckle that escaped her lips. "Of fucking course, you'd ask for that. So, I'm forgiven?"

"Yes, you asshole. Although I must say, that actually worked out in my favour because man, the makeup sex afterwards? Fucking gold."

"Fuck off, you think I didn't know? The entire New York could hear Lorna's screams. I think you guys traumatized Piper."

"What can I say?" Nicky then held up both her hands and looked at them proudly. "These babies work magic."

"First of all, please don't ever touch me with those hands again. And secondly, your free breakfasts have to wait a few days because Piper and I are leaving tomorrow."

"Oh, where are you going? You got inspired by Lorna and I's passionate love making that you decided to outdo me and fuck your girlfriend in some grand country or some other shit like that?"

"I wish. But no, I don't think there's gonna be any fucking that's gonna happen at where we're going. She's going back home. She finally decided to go see her mom, and probably dad, too."

"Holy shit, really? How's she doing right now?"

"She's been awfully quiet when I brought her to work earlier. It's not gonna be easy for her. But I think that once she gets past this, she's gonna feel a whole lot better. The memory of her mother is still kind of weighing her down and she just has to let go of that burden so she can truly be happy," Alex said solemnly, feeling a bit worried at what Piper must be thinking right now.

Nicky nodded in understanding, the concern on her face a few minutes ago turning into a genuine smile. "Good luck, kid. I'm proud of you both. You've come a long way."

"Yeah, well it wouldn't have happened for Piper if it wasn't for you. You were the one who helped her back to her feet, you know. And I just realized I still haven't properly thanked you for it."

"Ugh, save the sappiness for Chapman, Vause. You're gonna make me wanna vomit."

Alex chuckled before lightly shoving Nicky. "Seriously, thanks. There are a lot of times I wanna smash your head against a wall but this is one of the very few times I wanna wrap you in a bone-crushing hug."

Nicky quickly took a few steps away from Alex as she extended her arms forwards keeping her taller best friend, who was slowly approaching her, from moving closer. "I swear to fucking god, Vause, if you take another step—"

Alex then guffawed seeing Nicky's reaction before retreating from her, raising her hands upwards. "Oh, fuck off. Like I'd want to touch you when I can still hear your fucking moans in my head."

Nicky joined her laughter as she again showed off her hands to Alex. "Told you, magic."

-o-o-o-

After hanging out with Nicky for quite some time, Alex proceeded to go back to Red's to visit her girlfriend. To her surprise, she wasn't there. "Where'd she go?" she asked one of the waitresses, who up until now she didn't know the name of. She was kind of regretting that now especially because she didn't know where Piper was and the girl seemed like she wasn't interested in talking to her at all.

"I have no idea."

"Do you at least know what time she left?" Alex asked, ignoring the fact that the girl just rolled her eyes at her. Gone were the days when every staff wouldn't want to be on her bad side because of Red. She guessed she'd lost that privilege when she left without saying anything at all.

"I don't know. I'm not tracking my boss' every move. That's what she needs to do with us."

Alex's patience was running out with this person but her worry for Piper's sudden disappearance was trumping her irritation so again, she chose to ignore the comment. She pinched the bridge of her nose as she sighed. "Is there anyone who might know when she left and where she might have gone?"

"Nope."

At that response, Alex turned her back, knowing just how close she was to strangling the girl. As soon as she reached outside, she immediately dialled Piper's phone, but her calls were going straight to voicemails. She then sent her a text asking where she was even though she really had little hope that she'd answer.

After her fifth try on reaching Piper, Alex decided to call Nicky. "Nick, is Piper there?"

"What? You just came here, Vause. No, she's not here. I though she's at Red's?"

"She's not. And I don't know where she is, she's not answering any of my calls."

"Have you tried going to her place?"

"No. Can you please go check? I'll go to my house in case she went there instead," Alex paused, trying to steady the fast beat of her heart. "Nicky, I'm worried. What if-"

"Hey, relax," Nicky immediately cut her off preventing her thoughts from going anywhere dangerous. "I'm sure she's fine, okay? I'll go look for her and I'll call you as soon as I do."

"Okay, thanks Nicky," Alex said as she ran her fingers through her hair. She knew there was something wrong with Piper the moment they woke up today. She barely spoke a word and would only say something if Alex asked her a question. She suddenly hated herself for not asking if anything was wrong.

Right after she ended her phone call with Nicky, she immediately went back home only to find it empty. Nicky had called her back soon after telling her that Piper wasn't at her own place, too. Alex's nerves were going crazy by that point but she tried to stay calm so she could think rationally, and be able to figure out where Piper must have gone.

She then proceeded to go to their lake but Piper was not there as well. She again tried calling Piper but her calls remain unanswered. After going to every possible place she'd think Piper would go to, only to find no Piper there, Alex could no longer ignore the worry that was seeping through every fibre of her being.

Looking up, she silently asked her Mom for help, going desperate because she had run out of places to look. But as she looked up, her eyes closed out of frustration, something clicked in her head, as if her mom really whispered something to her.

All of a sudden, she might have just realized where Piper must be at this exact moment.

-o-o-o-o-

"Hey..." Piper whispered softly as she tucked her legs under her, her shoulder hunched slightly feeling a bit defeated. "I know we never really knew each other, we don't... but I just really need to be here right now."

Piper sat looking at Diane's grave, wishing that being here would help even just the tiniest bit. She's been going back and forth with her decision to finally visit her mother and possibly her father, too, and she really didn't wanna have to change her mind just because she couldn't do it. She was just done running away.

"You don't know how badly I keep wishing that I'd met you, you know, so I could also know what it feels like to have a mom. It's hard having to grow up with a mother who would constantly make you feel like you don't deserve to be loved because you grow up believing that it's true."

Piper thought back to all those days she spent having to figure out what went wrong with her, on why her mother, parents, couldn't love her the way she wanted them to. Until she's finally come to the realization that maybe there wasn't anything wrong with her. Maybe it's them.

But it took her a long time before she's accepted that fact and the journey towards that end turned her into the person she was before she met Alex... a person who had the reflex of shutting everyone out just so they wouldn't have the ability to hurt her like her parents had done.

But Alex changed that. She helped her believe that she also deserved to love again... and also to be loved. So now, here she was, with the person who would probably sacrifice her own life just for her... a person who loved her too much Piper felt like she wouldn't need anyone else ever again.

And yet, Piper couldn't help but feel that something still didn't feel right.

"Alex loves me so much and sometimes I feel like I don't deserve it. And she doesn't deserve that... because she's doing everything for me and I feel like I'm coming up short in returning that to her. That's why I decided to finally go see my parents."

Piper shook her head at how long it took her to finally be able to do this. She hated how she let whatever it was that her parents had caused her to weigh her down her entire life.

"I've been running away from this for as long as I can remember. I've carried this weight on my shoulders all my life and I'm really, really tired. So maybe if I just learn to let this go, I'd finally be the person Alex really deserves."

Piper paused, as if waiting for Diane to say anything back. With everything that Alex had told her about her, Piper knew that she was an amazing person. And she knew that if they knew each other, they would have had an amazing relationship... which had made Piper suddenly sad knowing that it was something she'd never have.

"But I'm really scared. I've shut off any emotions when it comes to my parents and I don't know what would happen if I go back there. But I don't wanna back out because I wanna do this for Alex... I wanna do this for me."

Piper then looked up, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes. When she was able to compose herself, she looked back at the grave and smiled, imagining Diane really in front of her right now, doing the same thing. "So, if you have anything to say to me, some advice or something like that, I'd really appreciate it. Alex told me you're good at that."

Suddenly, Piper could feel someone move behind her until that person was already copying her position as she sat beside her. She looked at her and there Alex was, smiling at her like she was the most beautiful sight there was, and that smile tugged at her heart strings that she found herself immediately tucking herself closer to her girlfriend.

"I've been looking all over for you," Alex whispered after kissing her at her temple, her arm pulling her closer until there was no more space between them. "You made me so worried."

The guilt finally crawled up to Piper's chest for not having told Alex where she was. "I'm sorry, I should have told you," she paused, trying to think of something that could justify what she had just put her girlfriend through. "It's just that... I'm freaking out."

Alex rubbed her arm soothingly, and with that simple gesture, Piper's anxiety somehow started to subside. "Then you should have called me so we could have freaked out together."

Piper chuckled slightly as she leaned her head on Alex's shoulder, her fingers absentmindedly playing with the hem of her shirt. "I didn't wanna bother you."

"Pipes..." Alex started and Piper could sense a little disappointment in her tone. "You know you could never bother me. I'd rather know what's going on with you so I can help. I don't want you going through anything alone... not again."

Her last two words came out a whisper and Piper knew right then what she must be thinking. Immediately, Piper's guilt resurfaced and she suddenly felt so selfish for not at least telling Alex where she was going. So Piper lifted her head and pressed a soft kiss on Alex's jaw. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Alex then nodded and smiled at her before looking at the fresh flowers that lay on her mom's tombstone. "Are you okay?" Alex knew it was a stupid question. The fact that Piper was here sitting in front of her mother's grave clearly suggested that she was far from okay but her need to know whether Piper was okay seemed to already be like a second nature to her.

Piper then snaked her right arm around Alex's back, bringing her head back to lean on her girlfriend's shoulder. Together, they looked at Diane's grave, their free hands clasped shut together. "I am now."

Piper started to think why she came here in the first place, on why she chose to talk to someone who was in no way going to answer back instead of her girlfriend whom she knew would always do everything she could if she needed her.

And then she realized that even though she didn't really know for sure what she needed to do once she went to see her mother, she really didn't want to be told what she was supposed to do. She needed to come up with it on her own because this was hers to deal with in the first place and she wanted to finally put a close to it on her own as well.

That's why she chose someone who could maybe listen, just so she could let some things that were bothering her out of her chest, but not be able to say anything.

And she knew that if she chose to talk to Alex, she would just tell her that it was going to be okay, that everything would be fine. Piper would probably be grateful for that eventually. But as odd as it would have sounded to anyone else, she needed to be able to convince herself, on her own, that after whatever she'd decide to do, she was finally going to be able to let go.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. You were right... about your mom being able to make someone feel better just by her presence."

Alex smiled happily, feeling a bit proud that despite her mother's physical presence, she was still able to do the things she used to do with her before. And she was even happier that she was able to do that now with Piper. "Yeah, she does that... really well." Piper smiled with her and Alex felt a sense of relief that Piper may just be okay after all. "So, we're good? I don't have to lock you in your room tonight just so I'm sure that you're gonna be okay?"

"You're hot when you act all motherly on me."

"Okay, I love you. But that's really fucked up."

Alex could feel Piper's chuckles against her shoulder and it caused a good kind of warmth that settled on her chest at feeling this. And with this, Alex knew that she could go through hell and back for Piper, if only it meant having to hear Piper's laugh over and over again because that sound was something worth every pain she'd have to go through if she had to.

"Al, I think we should go home," Piper then whispered, Alex's arms still wrapped around her. She could hear Alex's faint answer of Okay, but Piper stayed still, knowing full well that in all honestly, she didn't need to move at all to be home.

Because right here, in Alex's arms, was exactly where home was, and would always be, for her.

-o-o-o-

SHOUTOUTS:

Budda1127, Yeah, jealous Alex is hot indeed. But she's always hot anyway. Haha! You're welcome for the update, you guys deserve this. Thank you so much for those kind words, I'm glad you loved the previous chapter. =)

Guest (doesn't matter how long I update), Thank you! It means so much to me that you think every update of this story is worth the wait. And that was such a wonderful review, thank you so much! =)

Guest (absolutely loved this chapter), I'm really happy to know that. Thank you! =)

Guest (awwww vauseman), I love those silly saps, too. Thank you! =)

Guest (loved it), I'm glad. Thank you! =)

Guest (you're my fave), Thank you so much, I really appreciate that! =) And I'm glad I could make you proud by being able to update. Haha. And about the replying part, it's really just my way of saying thank you because you all are so kind to me as well. But thank you for saying that. Anyway, I'm back! Hope you enjoy this chapter. =)

ManveerlovesVauseman, Yeah, I think everyone loves jealous Vauseman. I totally do! And I'm glad you find that Nicky seeing Piper naked bit funny. Thank you! =)

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vausemanoitnb, Aw, that was really sweet for you to say, thank you! But I would never do that to you guys. As much as possible, I don't like to keep you waiting for so long but glad to know you're willing to wait for every chapter I post patiently. Thanks! And I totally agree, everyone loves happy Vauseman. =))

amciotola1, Yes! I'm glad that they're official again, too. Haha. Thank you for leaving a review. =))

WB79, Thank you and yes, Vauseman is really cute when they want to. I just hope they show us more cute Vauseman in season 4. Haha. =))

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Sheri, Yey! Thanks, I'm happy you loved it. And I'm glad you think that part was your favourite because I loved writing it. Haha. =)

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FFChik, FINALLY! You've all waited long enough so I figured it's about time. Haha. Thank you for that review, I'm really glad you loved the previous chapter. =)

Guest (do you remember), I was definitely thinking of that part while writing the lake scene on the last chapter. It's fun to see how long they've come and I'm glad you guys see it, too. And oh my god your review made me laugh especially the last part haha. So thanks for that! =))

oitnbaddict (who reviewed as Guest haha), Hey there, I think I've replied to this review through PM but I'm gonna say it here again, screw responsibilities indeed! Haha. Thanks for another wonderful review and hope you like this one as well. =)

sweetlikevanillais, Aw, thank you! I'm glad you loved it! You're very much welcome and thanks for the review as well. =)

vausegasm, I think I totally know what you mean, this was made especially for some people who I'm aware love smut (ehem!) And wow, thank you for the A plus plus plus plus rating, that's too much of a compliment but I'll accept it coming from you. Haha. So thank you! =))

cutevauseman, Thank you so much! =)

jomichael, Hi there! I know I've just replied to you through PM but thanks again! Haha. You really don't have to leave a review here anymore because we already talk through PM anyway but you still do so thank you very much. I really appreciate that. =)