One Last Time [Vauseman Fanfic]

6: Only You

So I will not ask you
Why you were creeping,
In some sad way I already know.

Alex was woken from her peaceful sleep by a heavy object slamming into her face.
"Fuck!" she growled upon impact, rubbing the now sore spot. She looked around her and say nothing that could have hit her until her eyes landed on her cast, "Great..." She muttered to herself, she was literally beating herself up now.
Alex had had the cast on for a few days now and she was already furious with the encumbersome object that rested on her hand. Everyday tasks like having a shower were made five times harder than they needed to be and it also meant Alex had been restricted to only using one hand with Piper. All of the implications that thought brought made Alex smirk. She decided to get up and get dressed, yet another task made almost impossible as her arm got stuck in her thermal top about ten times.
"I can't wait to get you off of me," Alex growled down towards her useless hand.

Once Alex was dressed she settled down on her bunk and waited for Piper to wake up. She knew that Larry was visiting her for the first time since he had asked her to marry him and it was safe to say that neither woman was looking forward to it. Alex still wasn't sure why Piper had agreed to letting Larry visit her but as usual she was being stubborn and wouldn't listen to Alex's reasoning. Piper knew that Alex couldn't help but feel a little scared at the prospect of her seeing Larry again after everything that happened and Piper also knew that Alex was worried that Larry would find some way to bring Piper back to his way of thinking and that he would convince her to leave Alex for him. Again.
"Don't be ridiculous, I've made my choice and I'm sticking with it this time." Piper had said when Alex voiced her opinion on the matter. Alex had to contain the urge she felt to roll her eyes at that, they both knew how far Piper would go when it came to sticking with her choices and it was often not far at all. Still, there was nothing Alex could do about it so she just sucked it up and tried to decide what to do as she was still out of work for now.
Alex eventually got bored of waiting for Piper to wake up and so headed outside to the track, deciding to skip breakfast today. It wasn't a particularly warm or sunny day but it wasn't pissing it down with rain and so that was enough for her to stick around for now. Alex didn't enjoy running very much, it made her think of all the metaphorical running she had done over the past fifteen years. Piper had rolled her eyes and called her a pretentious idiot when Alex had told her that, but Alex new that she had understood. They had both been running from things for a long time, they had ran the most when they were together. Fucking their problems out rather than talking. One of the many mistakes that Alex did not regret all that much. It had played it's part in ending them in the end, but not as big a part as Alex herself had played.

Alex sighed and shoved her hands into the pockets of her grey hoodie, welcoming the warmth on her hands. She could hear the low rumble of thunder in the distance but she made no effort to move back inside. Not even when she felt the first drips of rain hit the top of her head did she move. Instead, she thought back to New York and her apartment and how at any other time she would have ran to the nearest shelter, take out her phone and locate the nearest coffee shop in which she would sit with a warm, black, coffee between her cold hands by the window and watch the drops of water cascade down the window. But alas, Alex was not in New York, she did not have a near shelter and she did not have her phone. There was no nearby coffee shop where she could sit in warmth with a coffee. So she just stood, and felt the rain fall. Litchfield wasn't too bad. It was even starting to feel like home. Alex couldn't help but think that thought had something to do with Piper's presence here, she shrugged it off. Preferring to remain in the bliss of the poetry her mind had made. Litchfield was home now, and it would be for a long time.

Alex walked back inside, her light grey hoodie turned dark from the water. her black hair falling limp down her back, leaving a trail of water behind her as she walked to the showers. She was undeniably cold now. Her teeth chattered as she took off her wet clothes and stepped into the shower, thinking now that it was a stupid idea to go and stand out in the rain for so long - the last thing she needed was to be sick and only have half an arm.
Before long it was visiting hours and Alex made her way to the window that looked into the room. She watched Piper sitting at her table, alone for now. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she watched the blonde fiddle with her hands and then her hair and then her uniform. She was nervous, understandably. Alex briefly wondered how Piper felt, knowing that she was about to talk to the person she had loved for so many years. Then Alex realised she already knew. She let out a small sigh and let her chin rest on the edge of the window as she watched. She had no visitors today and she hadn't had any for a while. She didn't particularly want them either, they were just reminders of the life she was missing out on behind the barbed wire and grey cement walls. She didn't need that kind of discouragement.
Eventually Larry walked into the room and Alex was immediately more alert. Her eyes stayed locked on Piper's face, she watched as the variety of emotions flickered across her face as she saw Larry and then hugged him. Piper seemed to avoid looking towards the window, she must have guessed Alex would be watching. Piper and Larry talked for a long while, whist she couldn't see Larry she could see Piper. She saw every laugh and smile she shared with the man. Every frown, grimace and sad nod. Eventually Piper looked up and locked eyes with Alex through the window. Alex kept her face neutral for a moment and then did her best reassuring smile. Piper smiled back, but it was sad. A sad smile. That was bad. Alex's mind raced and she dropped Piper's gaze. She walked back to her bunk; she didn't want to watch anymore.