Chapter 6

Before the night could get even more disastrous than the day had been, Ms. Claudette stood up from her chair, an active laptop on the desk. She was warmed in a blue jacket and a pair of black gloves. She had been watching in the corner of the room. Amazingly, no one had noticed her.

Young people. Ms. Claudette shook her head.

"You three girls need to sort things out with your tall girlfriend outside, and by that, I mean, out of here. We can't afford to ruin more rooms, understood?" Ms. Claudette warned.

Alex sighed in relief at the divine intervention. She glanced at Piper, but the blonde quickly looked away. She had only realized then that Fiona still had her arms around her. It couldn't have been jealousy, could it? She reminded herself that Piper was engaged, and that their past had meant nothing.

Quietly, Piper left. And Alex made no move to stop her, even though she'd been waiting for Piper to visit all day. She stood, watching the empty doorway. It felt so familiar-that emptiness in her heart. It wasn't supposed to be this way. They weren't supposed to fall in love. Alex was smart, but whenever the matter concerned Piper, she was rendered a clueless ingénue. Even years later, she still didn't know how to fix it, and it fucking frustrated her to no end.

Alex had put on a black coat over her hospital gown. Hands in the pockets, she leaned back against the brick wall behind the infirmary. She and Fiona had taken their little reunion outside as Ms. Claudette had commanded. The wind was cold, combined with the hectic day it had been, Alex had already lost the much-needed energy from last night's rest.

"I miss you. I thought I could do it without you, but no." Fiona shook her head, her eyes reddened. "Who's that girl?"

"Jessica Wedge, my old classmate. There's really nothing going on between us," Alex answered. For once, she was being honest. She didn't know why she should care what Fiona thought now, but for some reason, being back at Litchfield had made her feel different for the first time in years. She felt like she could just be her old self again, and not what the outside world had made her become.

"I meant the other blonde, who had just left. Your visitor. She looks familiar."

Alex sighed. "It doesn't matter. You better go now, Fiona, before they kick you out. People here aren't as friendly as they advertise on TV, you know."

"We should go. Kubra will find you here. This isn't the most creative place to hide, you gotta admit that."

Alex nodded tiredly. "Yeah, I know." But, in truth, she didn't know where else she could go.

Fiona moved closer to Alex, pulling her into her arms. Her embrace was strong, uncharacteristically needy. Perhaps, the woman was deeply scared. It did warm Alex's heart that Fiona had missed her. In her weak moment, it just felt nice to know that she was loved.

"Let's leave together. I don't want to be with anyone else. I miss you so much," Fiona whispered into Alex's ear.

Without much thought, Alex slumped against Fiona for comfort, her breathing a little shallow. She was usually the dominant one in a relationship, but every once in a while, her mask crumbled. Right now it felt as though her ship had just sunk, and she was lost at sea. To have a shoulder to lean on was much needed. "He'll find me. Maybe... maybe it should really end here," she murmured.

"Alex! Why are you talking like that!? I'm not gonna let him get you. No way. Come with me." Fiona tightened her embrace, and Alex found it hard to breathe.

"He wants me dead, so it's best that you stay away. It's for your own safety. We talked about this, Fiona."

"But I-"

"There's still time. I think that he isn't mad enough to raid Litchfield. Not yet anyway."

"But he will, sooner or later. He takes sick, deep revenge. He's merciless, you know him."

Alex pulled away from Fiona, needing some air. She pressed one hand over her right ribcage. It throbbed again. In fact, it hurt all over her body. She just needed a rest.

"Baby, are you all right? You look so pale. You haven't told me what happened." Fiona frowned. She studied Alex for a moment, and then glanced around. It was dark and deserted behind the infirmary.

Alex began to cough. "Just a... small accident. Don't worry—" The air was suddenly knocked out of her lungs when she felt a harsh grip around her neck. She was thrust back, her head rammed against the cold wall. She could hardly breathe now, and her eyes were seeing stars. She tried to push Fiona away, her legs kicking limply.

Alex opened her eyes again. Her glasses had already fallen off, but she was more than certain that the person strangling her right now wasn't her girlfriend.

What the hell... Mendez…?

Standing at 248 cm., Mendez glowered down at Alex with his yellow, lizard-like eyes. His brownish skin was thick and scaly. His ears were large and pointy, his long tail wagging in curiosity. He was holding Alex up by the neck, her feet high above the ground. He stuck his black, long tongue out and licked the side of her face. "I've always wanted to do that." He smirked.

Alex growled in anger. George Mendez was one of Kubra's men. A nasty crew. He was powers absorber through deaths of his victims. His scaly, monster form was just one of his past victims' powers. And the fact that he could now fly only meant one thing.

Fiona… No!

Alex knew that she needed to fight. 'Alex Vause' would fight. But she wasn't even sure who she was anymore. She had lost her way little by little over the years since she had left Litchfield eight years ago. She had lost it just like Healy said. Desperate to prove Healy wrong, Alex searched within her, trying her damnedest to conjure her powers, but she felt nothing. Nothing but pain.

Mom. Alex called out as her consciousness was slipping away fast.

Piper wasn't sure what to make of her face the moment she barged into the temporary female ward and saw Alex in a certain redhead's embrace. It was totally unexpected. She had never seen the redhead around Litchfield before, but it didn't matter, did it? The moment she walked out of Alex's life four years ago, she had never expected Alex to wait for her-to still feel for her. Piper had moved on and found someone better, and it was only natural that Alex did too.

It really shouldn't have bothered Piper at all... except that it did. So much and so sudden that she was at a loss for words. It drilled a deep hole in her chest. She stiffened as she stood by the doorway, unsure how to react. She had come unprepared to give an excuse for the visit, and being momentarily speechless just made it worse. If only Alex would speak up-if she said anything at all, it might have helped Piper feel a little better. If Alex somehow awkwardly freed herself from the redhead's hold, it might have pulled Piper out of the quicksand of their past. Strangely, as definite as Piper had everything waited for her as soon as she was able to leave Litchfield, just one look at Alex could rattle her world. The piercing green gaze effortlessly mesmerized her, rocking her foundations and twisting all her reasons.

Piper cleared her throat when Ms. Claudette made her presence known. Alex looked relieved as if she had been waiting for some kind of intervention. What was there to explain? Piper turned to see an annoyed Jessica, and then a brooding look from the redhead. Slowly a train of thoughts entered her mind.

Oh, no... Piper refused to imagine things further. She caught Alex glancing at her, but ignored it. Before her imagination could run wilder than it already had, she turned on her heels and left.

Stalking across the yard towards the North Mansion, Piper continued to curse herself for having slipped this far down the Vause's evil slope. She reminded herself not to waste a second of sympathy on Alex again. Ever. She vowed to keep her distance from now on.

She doesn't deserve my time. Not at all. We're from two different worlds. Arms tight across her chest, Piper quickened her pace as if she couldn't get herself further away from the infirmary fast enough. But she still looks so ill. Involuntarily, Piper acknowledged that it was her fault.

"Dammit." Piper turned around and headed back towards the infirmary.

Piper admitted that it looked ridiculous that she had shown up unannounced, and then left without any explanation. What had she got to be afraid of? It was just Alex standing there with her girlfriend. It shouldn't bother her. However, Piper had never imagined the jealous look on Jessica's face. She had thought that the Fantastic Four hated everyone—anything from the South like they were leeches. But she should have expected anything when the matter concerned 'Alex Vause'.

With long strides, Piper reached the third floor. She pushed open the doors to the temporary female ward, but was puzzled to find only Jessica, Daya, and a few other patients on the beds. Alex and her girlfriend apparently had already left. Piper paused for a moment, fidgety by the doorway. She hated all the thoughts that were rushing in her head at the moment. Where did Alex go? She wasn't well enough to be moving this much, was she? Was Alex serious with that redhead? What they could have been doing at the moment—

"They're probably downstairs. Ms. Claudette asked them to leave," Daya explained, while handing some pills to Jessica.

Piper let out a soft 'oh', trying her best to keep her face calm. Then there was that growl from Jessica again, and Piper stopped. She remembered how Jessica and her minions threatened her to stay away from Alex—to stay out of 'trouble'. Somehow, it seemed rather apparent to her now.

"They're in the backyard. It's how Alex likes it," Jessica said, smirking.

Piper raised a brow. Thanks, bitch. She had to admire Jessica for even trying to move a facial muscle, considering how painful it looked. "Thanks, Wedge," Piper said, turning to leave. In all honesty, she didn't want to imagine what Alex was doing. She just wanted to apologize for the damage she had done, and from now on, she would maintain their distance. The past was just a past. She had no wish to undo it, or correct it. She had a much better life now without Alex. Surely they would go separate ways.

Piper exited the main entrance, and turned around the corner of the building. She halted in her tracks when she heard an ongoing conversation.

"... maybe it should really end here."

One hand rested against the wall, Piper listened attentively. It was Alex's voice, but for some reason, it hurt just to hear how tired Alex was. 'Alex Vause' was supposed to be strong and beautiful. She was supposed to be water in a desert storm—the moon in the darkest night. But the light had disappeared. That fire Piper used to see in the green eyes had gone. Unlike the time they were still together, Alex had now looked defeated. Against all her reasons, Piper couldn't help but wonder what had happened during the four years they were apart. She wanted to know. She needed to know if she wasn't the only one who suffered.

Piper was shaken as thoughts of those years hung heavily on her mind. She wasn't strong enough to face it now. Larry had been a home to her—a safe place, and she wasn't equipped for something as wild and strange as Litchfield. The place had brought out more raw feelings than she had ever anticipated. Litchfield had made her feel different in many ways.

"Why are you talking like that!? I'm not gonna let him get you... Come with me."

"… It's best that you stay away. We talked about this, Fiona."

Piper froze, her fists clenched. Was Alex in some kind of danger? Who tried to harm Alex? Then she frowned when she heard a thud and a muffled cry. She turned at the corner and saw a large, lizard monster instead of Fiona, holding Alex up by the neck. The raven-haired woman appeared helpless in the deadly grasp.

Piper's eyes widened at the sight. "Alex!" Her cry caught the monster's attention. He turned to look at her, and then smiled.

"And I thought you look familiar. Now I see. Piper Chapman, the one that Vause hid away." Mendez let out a throaty laugh. "No more hiding, Chapman. I am going to take your life tonight!" he roared.

"Run—" Alex struggled in his grasp. "Run, Pipes! He kills to steal powers—" He shove her against the wall again, and pain shot through her whole.

"I'll kill you first then. Traitor," Mendez hissed. He arched his right arm back, his sharp claws ready.

"No!" Piper reached out both hands. Her powers sent both Alex and the lizard flying and crashing several meters away. Shit! Her control over her powers got really wonky today, unfortunately.

Piper ran to Alex, trying to pull Alex up. But the taller woman didn't fare well at all as she could barely sit up on her own. Blood was trickling down Alex's forehead, where she had hit the wall twice.

"Alex! Alex! Are you all right!?" Piper ran her hands all over Alex's face.

Alex winced. She had to grab Piper's wrists to stop the blonde's frantic hand movements. "I'm… ok... Piper, stop—"

"You're bleeding! Are you sure—"

At the lizard's roar, Alex turned to see him flying above them, his large wings fanned out. He dove down and snatched Piper with his claws, hooking at the base of her neck and her left ribcage.

"Pipes!" Horror filled the green eyes when the lizard ascended fast and let Piper freefall down to the infirmary's roof. From where Alex was, she couldn't see if Piper was still moving or not. The fall was pretty high, and the impact must have been nasty.

"Alex!" Jessica and Daya came out through the front door, rushing towards Alex.

"What happened!? We heard crashes!" Daya was out of breath.

"Alex, you're bleeding! What's going on here!?" Jessica grabbed Alex's arms, trying to steady the woman's swaying form. She looked around and spotted Alex's glasses some distance away. She let Daya help Alex while she went to retrieve the glasses.

"Explain yourself at once, Vause. What is happening here?" It was Ms. Claudette approaching, her voice stern and her stare intense.

Before Alex could respond, Jessica glanced up at the sky, her jaw dropped. The look had both Ms. Claudette and Daya turning to look up as well. The large lizard was zooming down at the roof again, the long tail wrapping around Piper's neck and pulling her up.

"Is that Chapman!?" Daya screamed in shock.

"Looks like it," Jessica grunted, momentarily ignoring her face pain. She shot ice balls at the lizard in an attempt to distract him, while trying not to hit the injured Piper. Although the lizard was huge, he was exceptionally fast, skillfully dodging Jessica's attacks.

Alex leaned against Daya, her breathing heavy. She felt a rush of rage building within her when Mendez slammed Piper down against the tiled roof again. Piper wasn't even moving now. There was no resistance from the blonde, and Alex's heart sank to the bottomless pitch of desperation. She was enraged with herself that she could only watch, powerless to help. She was pained to realize what a failure she had become. A failure to her mother, her mentor, Fiona... and now Piper.

Piper... Piper... God, Piper...

Pain flooded her senses. Her head ached like it was going to explode. Alex shut her eyes as her body began to shake. She clenched her fists. She wanted to let it out, but she was afraid. She was afraid of the monster inside—the one that she had learned to embrace, but failed her in the end.

Daya noted Alex's tremble, and turned to her in worry. "Vause—" But her voice was drowned by a bolt of lightning blasting down at the roof. Its explosive shock wave cracked the roof, tiles flying everywhere in broken bits and pieces. The force sent Mendez off the roof, plummeting to the ground. Piper fell from his grasp and hit the ground next to him.

The sight of Piper's still body only fanned Alex's fury. She pushed Daya out of her way, stalking across the yard towards the lizard. The moment Mendez got up to his knees, Alex reached forwards, and bolts of electric current shot through his mouth and eyes, effectively chaining him to his knees as if he was begging as he should be. If Mendez was screaming, no one heard him as violent waves of electric current deafened the whole area. It looked like Mendez was going to die a painful death tonight.

"That's enough, Vause!" Ms. Claudette warned.

Daya rushed to Piper and dragged her as far away from the lightning striker as much as possible.

"I said—" Ms. Claudette started, but Alex fiercely turned around and blasted a lightning bolt at her. The old lady would have been struck had not been a wall of ice blocking between her and Alex.

"Alex! Stop it! Have you gone mad!?" Jessica squealed when Alex turned to roar at her.

Alex couldn't stop now. It felt so natural to her—the powers she had embraced. It represented her. It consumed her. It was her. She produced more powers. Beautiful, blue electric currents licked at her fists, ready to be discharged. Her eyes were not even green anymore, but glossed in icy blue.

"Alex, no—" Jessica took a step back.

Before Alex could deliver the strike, a hand had reached out and softly touched her cheek, instantly dulling her. It was Ms. Claudette. The old lady had moved beside Alex, her right glove removed. The dangerous sight told Alex what to expect.

The electric currents simply vanished, her energy drained. Her mind became hazy, her focus lost. Then she began to shake. It felt as though air was sucked out of her lungs, and her skin was about to split, bones about to break. Her vision blurred, and her ears were numbed by the loud, desperate beating of her heart. Her knees finally gave in, and blackness devoured her.

Piper...

Hope this chap answered some of your questions :)