Here's Where We Get Off

Whole

quick spoiler warning!
the events in this fic are based off of a leaked call sheet for the final episode of orange. while most ideas are my own, the theme and some minor events are the same.

Piper pulled into the circular driveway of her parent's house, completely unaware of what was about to happen. Something inside of her was nervous; afraid as though she were a small child waiting in her room for her father to come home.

The Chapmans had always presented as this picture perfect all american family on the outside, while underneath it all they had a great deal of toxicity. This was the reason that the blonde spent the entire drive up gripping the steering wheel as tightly as she could, nearly tight enough to cause blisters, simply to keep her hands from shaking.

While Piper's parents did check in with her now and again since she'd been granted early release from Litchfield, their conversations never went well. She had been to their house once since then, and it was only for Christmas dinner. They lived their lives pretty much apart from each other, which was healthiest for Piper anyway

Needless to say, receiving a call from her father, Bill, came as quite the shock to Piper. He hadn't given many details, and was rather blunt, simply telling her that she needed to come over at 2pm sharp. While Piper would have rather been doing anything else, she decided to comply.

Their relationship was particularly strained. It had been that way since daddy's little girl had transformed from a practical heterosexual lady to a queer felon right before his eyes. While nothing about Piper had actually changed, just what he knew, he had been the furthest thing from accepting.

With no idea what he could've possibly wanted, and no clue what kind of trouble she could be in, Piper reluctantly moved her shifter to park, and reclined back into her seat. She fished around in her bag for her supply of xanax, another thing her parents hadn't been particularly happy about. She fumbled with the child proof cap under her trembling fingers, growing agitated as she struggled to pry the top off.

"Fuck" Piper groaned, as she turned it as hard as she could. Finally, the stubborn bottle opened, sending dozens of tiny white pills flying across her car. "Jesus Christ!" she shouted, scrambling to retrieve them.

"What's up, Pipes?" Cal chuckled, tapping his knuckles against her window. "I walk in on some weird drug thing?"

Piper rolled down the passenger window, and shot him a glare. Her blonde locks hung down in front of her face, which was now practically red due to the frustration. "If you mention this at all, I will ring your neck." she threatened, sweeping the tangled strands back behind her ear.

She placed a final pill back into the bottle, and another directly into her mouth. "I mean it," she began, as she took a swig from her water bottle. She swallowed hard and shook her head. "I don't even know why i'm here, and I don't want to add on anything else."

Piper turned her keys in the ignition, pulling them out and slipping them into her very cluttered purse. While she liked to be organized, her head was far too cluttered for that right now.

"Who's here?" she asked, scrunching up her face at the red ford focus in their driveway. The woman raised a brow towards Cal, who wasn't quite sure either.

As she made her way to the door, the woman was immediately greeted by her father, who slipped out onto their front steps immediately. He held the door handle tightly behind him, preventing his daughter from making her way inside. "Hey, pumpkin." he said, nearly beaming. "Look, before you get mad-"

"What did you do?" Piper asked, crossing her arms defensively across her chest. Bill wasn't entirely warm towards his daughter anymore, and she hadn't been called pumpkin in quite some time. Whatever it was, she could tell immediately that she wouldn't be happy.

"Hear me out, okay?" Bill sighed, running his hand back through his almost entirely grey hair. He blamed his greys on Piper, stating that with all the stress he was lucky he wasn't bald. "A coworker of mine has a daughter, who just so happens to be single, and also gay.." he began, before Piper put up her hand for him to stop.

Hearing her father suggest a woman for her was heartwarming, considering the fact that he was extremely homophobic. While she wanted his acceptance, this wasn't how she'd expected it. "Dad, i'm married." Piper said simply, flashing her hand. She wiggled her fingers to show off the placeholder ring Alex has given her. It was nothing really, but it was sentimental.

"Pumpkin, I know that," Bill groaned, "a prison wedding isn't a real wedding, and with all that Alex has put you through, I just think it would be nice to go out with someone new. Take dating for a spin."

"I love Alex." Piper repeated, an eyebrow raised. "I'm willing to get over that."

"Piper," Bill said, his voice getting firmer. He was no longer going to play friendly. Not only did Piper being gay upset him, but it angered him more that she was with a registered felon who had torn apart their lives. "You need to be with someone whole, not Alex."

"Fuck you!" Piper spit out angrily, turning to head for the car. She didn't care to see who Bill had inside waiting for her. She had a wife whom she loved more than anything, despite the hard times, and she wasn't interested in anyone else. Piper looked back only to give him the finger, a move that shocked even herself. She was full of rage, her blood boiling. She didn't give a fuck anymore. She was either going to be accepted, or she was done.

As she pulled out of the driveway, the idea toyed with her mind. She and Alex had been apart for some time, hardly any communication. Life for Alex inside of prison was very different to how Piper's life was going now.

In four years, would they even be right for each other anymore? Could they ever have a healthy relationship?