Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews, follows and favorites! I know this is a short one, but I've gotta have an interlude here. Trying to give you each perspective.

The phone woke Alex up in the morning. 'Fucking shit.' As she gently removed her arm from under Piper's head, the blonde stirred, affected by the loss of contact and warmth.

Alex grabbed the phone and walked nearly silently into the adjacent room of the suite just out of earshot of Piper. "Talk!" is the last thing Piper heard her say.

Piper groaned. Hearing the rest of the conversation was unnecessary, she knew what these phone calls meant. Usually Alex leaving for a day or longer. Sometimes she went with her on longer trips, but she was still alone most of the time.

'I wish she didn't have to pick up that phone. I wish she didn't do something this illegal for work. I wish she would have some sort of fallback to 'importing' drugs. I really just wish she would come back to bed.'

Piper reached for the edge of the sheet and pulled it over her head, trying to replace the warmth that left when Alex got up from the bed. She drifted back to sleep hoping to dream of something better than Alex having to leave again.

Alex hung up the phone. "Fuck." She said quietly to the empty room. 'Three! Three runs in a row. Jakarta, Myanmar and Turkey. This would be weeks of work. Weeks without Piper. Shit. How am I supposed to tell her this?'

Alex was starting to stress the details, but there was always a part of her that got a rush from a challenge like this. These runs would pull in serious money. Not that she needed it but the thrill of it all was really what excited Alex. 'I'm really fucking good at this.' She thought to herself.

She walked back to the bedroom where she put her phone back down on the nightstand and slid back into bed beside Piper.

Alex didn't want to wake the sleeping blonde up. She needed some time to think about what she was going to say. 'I love you so much and I'm leaving tomorrow. Yeah, that's great Alex. Hand her a fucking dove with one hand and flip her off with the other. Fucking balls.' She looked down at Piper's relaxed face, snoring lightly. She thought about how this would sadden Piper. 'Please don't wake up before I can figure this shit out.' She wrapped an arm around Piper as her mind ran through as many possible scenarios how this could play out.

Without waking, Piper pushed herself further back into Alex.

She dreamed of them moving back to the States and staying there. She would do something, even waitressing and Alex would have a great paying, legal job. Alex's huge loft apartment filled with friends that didn't run drugs or do them. They would throw great parties with great music and dance their asses off. Where she would always be playing house and 'doctor' with Alex after everyone had left.

Piper looked at Alex. 'I love you, Piper Chapman.' Alex's voice was like a wave of music washing over her.

'I love you!' Piper managed to say back as her voice cracked from the tears and the lump forming in her throat. Alex had finally said the only words that Piper wanted her to say.

They were happy. Safe. Surrounded by love.

As she dreamed of Alex popping open another bottle of champagne and running her tongue up the side of the bottle trying to catch the spillage; the room went black. Alex's perfect rockabilly outfit was replaced with a horrible outfit of bright orange. Her blue-tipped locks were hacked and her hair was limp and shorter. Her wrists were bound in handcuffs and ankles shackled. The smile slid off Alex's face and the bottle of champagne shattered on the floor.

Piper started to run toward Alex. A set of bars fell in between them. Separating them.

Piper threw herself against the bars and yelled at people she didn't know; couldn't see: 'No, this is wrong. This is all wrong! This can't be happening. Take them off! Please! Let her out! I SAID LET HER OUT!'

Alex looked over at the blonde. "What?"

She locked eyes with Alex through the bars. "This is your fault."

"Pipes."

"Don't. Just don't. I knew this would happen! Fuck you!" The tears were streaming down her face.

"Piper! Wake up!"

"What?"

Alex grabbed the blonde's flailing hands. "Piper! You're okay! You're okay. I'm right here. We're okay." She tried to repeat as many soothing statements as she could.

Piper blinked frantically for a few moments before realizing that it had all been a dream. She looked around the room. No black. No bars. She grabbed the sides of Alex's face and ran her eyes over her body.

No orange jumpsuit. No shackles. Blue tips.

"Pipes, are you okay? You were beating the shit out of me over here."

"I'm sorry." Piper immediately felt guilt and still felt the anger at Alex that she did in the dream. "I didn't...must have been a nightmare."

"Wanna talk about it? Or we can continue this wrestling match? But I'm making a rule: everyone's gotta be naked." Alex gave Piper a smirk and a wink trying to alleviate Piper's stress.

Piper couldn't bring herself to smile back. Not yet. She hadn't had the time to process everything from her dream.

"I think...I think I'm just going to shower. I need to relax a little bit."

"Oh. Okay. I'll guess I'll order us some breakfast?" Alex tried to keep a neutral face as she watched Piper make her way to the bathroom.

"Sounds good." Alex heard her say as the bathroom door closed and the water turned on.

'Well, we're off to a good start this morning.' Alex thought to herself as she picked up the hotel phone.

"Morning, Villa 9. Breakfast, yes. Scrambled. Whole Wheat with bacon. Make it two of them. Coffee. Grapefruit. Thanks." Alex hung up and started pacing.

'Okay Alex. Get your shit together. Do you start with the fact that you're going to have to make a huge fucking trip? Or do you start with telling her how you really feel? Better yet, why don't you tell her that you heard her say 'this is your fault' when she was dreaming? How wonderful. You're causing her fucking nightmares now. As if sending her into panic mode for a few days after Brussels wasn't enough. Fuck me.'

Alex ran her hands through her hair a few times and sat down on the edge of the bed.

'Start with breakfast. Ask about the dream. Tell her you love her. Tell her about the jobs. Not going to work. Start with her about the jobs. She'll get pissed. Deflect. Ask her about the dream. She won't tell you cause she's pissed. If she hasn't stormed out or thrown something. Tell her you love her. Nope. Breakfast. I love you. Dream. I love you. Jobs. I love you. Motherfuck. Planning moves for millions of dollars and drugs isn't this fucking stressing. I love you. The rest can wait. Sort of. Not really. Fuck it.'

There was a knock on the villa door. Alex stood up and opened it. The cart made a grating metal sound. Alex winced. She tipped the porter and locked the door behind him. The water was still running in the shower.

Piper let the water run over her as if it could cleanse everything wrong with her life. She could have sworn that it was real. It could be real. A completely plausible glimpse into the future with Alex Vause. 'Prison. I can't go to prison! I can't. I can't do this anymore. I can't just be sitting here waiting for her to leave and come back with no promise that she'll return. No guarantee that she'll be safe. Fucking drugs. Fucking mules. Fucking Fahri. I'm always second to them all. I'm done with this. I should go back home. Polly would never forget remind me everyday that she told me what a shit idea this was. What am I going to do back in the States? Work again as a waitress? Kill me. Actually, fuck it, I could do with some fucking stability for once. I need to tell her that it's me or the job. I just wish I had some clue that there's a chance that she would chose me.'

There was a knock on the bathroom door. "Pipes? Breakfast is here. Whenever." Alex's voice echoed into the huge bathroom.

"Be right out." Piper answered behind the shield of the foggy glass doors.

When she was finished she stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a robe and her hair in a towel. She took a glance in the half-fogged mirror. "You need to be selfish this time. You need guarantees. You can't constantly live on the edge of free-falling and nesting. Give her the ultimatum.' Piper sighed. She felt a sinking pit start to grow in her stomach and took it as a sign this wasn't going to end well. With an adjustment of her robe, walked out to Alex who had set up breakfast on the table on the balcony.

Alex turned to see Piper walking out in nothing but a robe and towel around her hair. 'Fuck, she's gorgeous. Don't think about that right now. Stick to the plan, Shithead. Discussion. First, just act naturally. What the fuck does that even mean?'

"I hope eggs and bacon are okay. I've slaved over the stove all morning for this." Alex said giving Piper a wink. 'Yes, break the tension.' She managed to lighten up on her face a bit, trying her hardest not to give anything away.

Piper looked at all the food on the table, dropped her smile a little. "Looks great, Al." She really wasn't hungry, but knew the brunette would press the issue if she didn't eat.

They both started to eat the meal, sitting in a silence that wasn't so comfortable. Neither really knew how to approach the subjects that they had dodged for so long now.

Alex stared at Piper for a few moments, trying to steel her nerves. 'Since when do I get fucking nervous? I make people nervous. I've been fucking girls since I grew a pair of tits. Balls up goddamn it.'

And with a deep breath in, Alex began.