You are my life

In-laws

(Piper's POV)

The whole way there, Alex was silent.
This meant two things.
She was plotting an escape or she was plotting what to do and say.
To be honest my money was on both.
Either way, plotting was what she was doing in that brilliant head of hers.
When we arrived, I literally had to drag her to the door.
"Alex come on would you quit being such a big baby! What happened to the ruthless, pragmatic drug dealer I fell in love with?" I ask her, getting slightly frustrated. When we were dating 11 years ago, all she wanted was to meet my family, she used to be in my ear about it all the time since I met her Mom and she wanted to 'meet the people who brought me into the world'. But now she was cowering behind me and pretty much begging me to go home.
"She fucked up too many times. Pipes, what if your family force us to separate? They hate me. If I lose you again I-" She starts to ramble but I cut her off, knocking the front door.
"Cheat?" I retort. Frustrated that I couldn't win with her. Ever.
At that she flashes me a glare when the door opens, containing my father in the threshold.
"Piper? I thought you went to Ohio to be with that Alex?" He asks.
From behind me I could hear Alex sigh, "Great. I'm 'that Alex'". So I elbow her to hush up. If she wanted my parents to like her she'd need to stop with the sarcasm.
"I did." I answer.
"So what happened? Did she hurt you again?" He asks, sighing and preparing himself to get angry, folding his arms.
"No, actually Dad, she asked me to properly marry her with her mother's ring last night and I said yes." Then I stand aside so finally Alex and my Dad were face to face.
They could now get to know each other or at least just put a face to someone they mutually disliked.
"Dad, Alex, Alex, Dad." I say in introduction.
Alex nervously offers her hand for him to shake which he takes reluctantly.
"Alex." Is all he says to her.
I give her eyes that tell her if she dares call him 'Bill', we might as well not have bothered coming. So she behaves.
"Mr Chapman." She says in return.
As my Dad was a man of reputation, he steps aside and offers that we come in, telling us that Mom, Cal and his family are here.
I could actually hear Alex gulp.

As we walk into the living area, my Mom says,
"Piper darling, you're home. Oh and who's this?" She asks when she sees Alex behind me.
"Mom. This, is Alex." I tell her.
At this, my mom looks taken aback and she flounders a bit before she speaks.
"Well, we meet at last Alex." She tells her.
"We do Mrs Chapman." Alex replies.
My Dad then follows with Cal, Neri and my niece.
I look at them all pleadingly and say,
"Could we all at least try to be nice? Alex asked me to properly marry her last night and I said yes so she's becoming part Chapman." I say, holding up my hand with the ring.
Cal smiles,
"I'm assuming you're Alex. Finally I can say hi to the woman my sister keeps talking about." He says and offers Alex his hand to shake.
She laughs and shakes it, saying,
"Alex Vause. Hi Cal."
My Dad was silently brooding with his hand to his mouth. He looked like he was in thought and not liking what he was thinking.
Then he says,
"Piper I hate to break it to you but if you two must get married, legally married, she will never be a Chapman."
Everyone turns to look at him as Alex looks at the ground. I had an understanding glare on my face. I knew he hated Alex and I understood why but he could've at least accepted or at least tried to accept that I love her. Despite everything she's done.
So I turn on him.
"If you can't accept the woman I love and forgive her LIKE I HAVE which is more important to our relationship, then we don't have anything more to say to each other Dad. Because I'm done arguing with you about her." I snap.
Alex's eyes go wide then she quickly intervenes. She obviously didn't want me, 'a Daddy's girl' (her words), to ruin my relationship with my father for her.
"Pipes stop. I love you and I'm not going to let you ruin your relationship with your father for me. I've ruined enough in your life." She tells me, standing in front of me to look me in the eyes, rubbing up and down both of my upper arms with each of her hands.
She knew this soothed me.
I look from her to my Dad and he is rendered speechless at seeing Alex be accountable for her actions and literally take the words out of his mouth.
So I turn back to him, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath before going for it.
I didn't care if my relationship with my father got ruined. He was the one who started to tear at its seams.
"Are you really telling me that you're going to be on your high horse now Daddy? What about when you cheated countless times on Mom? You CANNOT hold the same thing against Alex, I won't let you. At least Alex had a reason, what was yours? So if Alex can't be a Chapman then I'll be a Vause." I tell him.

Now Alex is the one to be rendered speechless. She looks like she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. Literally stunned. Unable to be anything but amazed at the firecracker that was her Piper standing up for her against my father. She can now see that I really have changed, changed for her.

Staring my father down, I can see that he knows his guilt and that he doesn't have a leg to stand on.
He sighs,
"Piper. I get that we all have our faults and make choices that deeply hurt the ones we love but seeing your little girl thrown in prison and repeatedly hurt by the woman who supposedly loves her is something I'm finding very hard to overlook and yes, forgive."
My whole family was now at a standstill so Alex nervously cuts in,
"Um, Mr Chapman, if I may?" She asks him.
He simply looks at her so she takes his lack of protest as a sign to continue.
"I know this may be hard to believe but your daughter is my life. I love her beyond words and can't express to you enough how sorry I am when I hurt her. I would do anything for her-"
She starts but he cuts her off.
"If you would do anything for her, you wouldn't continue to hurt her, you would let her go and you wouldn't be engaged or prison married or whatever it is you two are."
This is what Alex had been afraid of so I step forward to defend her but she stops me, continuing to address my Dad.
"I tried. I told her I wanted her to go and be happy and free of me but she didn't. She told me I was who made her happy. I too am finding that hard to believe but seeing all she has done for me recently, I'm starting to believe it more." She tells him, looking around at me and we exchange loving smiles.
Then she turns back around to my Dad and sighs, "If it helps, we can go for a drink tomorrow on me and I'll explain everything." She offers.
I smile from behind her and Dad stares at both of us for a while before agreeing.
I beam and go to hug him, squealing,
"Oh Daddy thank you!"
But he breaks the hug and says "I'm doing this for you. Not for you." He says pointing to me then Alex.
"I get that." Alex says.

Alex and I then go to leave because we didn't want to cause any more trouble but Dad stops us,
"Oh and Alex." He starts, making us turn around.
"You have good taste. Not only choosing my daughter but with engagement rings too. I'll give you that." He says.
Alex smiles and says "Thank you, it was my mother's."
Then we leave.