Orange Is the New Black 1. Chapter 1

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Ok. Ok. I don't need another story but I'm just testing the waters with this one. So read and let me know what you think!

Thanks to the wonderful fig-aruna for everything! :)

* * *

_**HOT CHILD IN THE CITY**_

The blonde swore loudly underneath her breath as she tried to open the front door of her apartment with her hands full with brown grocery bags. She swore again, this time more loudly as she dropped one of the bags onto her foot at the same time as she lost the grip on her key.

It was then that her cell phone began to blare loudly from the contents of her messenger bag. The main chorus of "Hot Child in The City" filled her ears. She ignored it though as she tried to pick up the key. It was either just her mother calling her or Polly, her best friend. Both could wait though, she thought. It took her a few more tries before the blonde was successful in not only picking up the key but sliding it into the lock of the door and opening it. Pushing open the door further with her hip, Piper Chapman made her way inside with the groceries bags in her hands. She slammed the door close with her foot as she quickly made her way into the small studio apartment and plopped down the bags all at once onto the kitchen counter.

She wiped her brow with the back of her hand as a heavy sigh escaped from her chapped lips. It was a thousand degrees outside and a million inside her apartment. She couldn't believe how hot the city could get during the summer time. She was pretty sure that it never got this hot back home in Connecticut or New Hamptons. Piper Chapman had just moved to the city a week ago. Her parents had wanted her to wait until later on in the fall time to move. She had only gotten home after graduating from Smith just three weeks earlier. But the blonde had needed to do this.

She had been bursting to move to New York City since the age of eight when she had first taken a day trip there with her mom. She had fallen in love with the city that never sleeps and had made it her life mission to move there one day. As soon as graduation had hit, the blonde had been looking up apartments. After looking at a few, she decided on one that was located in the heart of Chinatown above a Dim-Sum restaurant. It wasn't exactly a Penthouse on Fifth Avenue or anything glamorous, but to a recent graduate like herself it was paradise. This was Piper's first ever place that she didn't have to share with anyone else. It was all her own.

And she loved every square inch of the crappy apartment. The rent was also cheap, which was a plus for her. She was currently jobless. Her parents had told her they would help her out with the first month's rent, but after that she was on her own. Piper had some money saved up from the odd job or two she had worked during the school year, plus all the money she had saved up the past two summers working at a summer camp, teaching art to kids.

So she wasn't completely broke.

But she did need to find a job soon. She couldn't face having to go back to her parents' house and their looks of 'we told you so' plastered on their faces. She couldn't have that. She needed to show not only them but everyone, really, that she could support herself and make it big in the city.

For you see, Piper just didn't just have a dream of moving to New York City. She also had a dream to become an artist. She had gone to Smith originally to pursue a degree in English Language and Literature, thinking she would later on get a job in publishing or something. But that soon fell through when she got introduced to the arts by her first year dorm-mate at the time, Nora. Nora had been doing her BFA and had convinced Piper one night to tag along to an open figurative class with her. The blonde had always enjoyed drawing and painting but had never called herself an artist or anything. But after that night, her mind-set had changed. She had fallen in love with the human figure and drawing it. She soon found herself registered for a few art classes. She had already had a full schedule by that point, but she didn't care. By her second year, she had switched her major from English to studio art. And then just to keep her parents' happy and to avoid letting her English credits go to waste, she completed a minor in it.

Once the blonde had unloaded her parcels, she opened the window slightly, allowing some fresh air into the small space. Another downside of living on her own: she didn't have AC. The apartment filled with the sounds from the streets below. She stood there for a second, looking out before turning her attention to the make-shift studio space that made up a good portion of her living space. She really missed her studio that she'd back at Smith. But studio spaces in the city were expensive, so working in her apartment would have to do for now. The space really just consisted of the corner of the apartment by the window. There was an easel propped against the wall, where a painting was already in the works. There was also a small table where Piper had her brushes, paints, and palette laying out on.

Piper studied the painting-in-progress for a second before tilting her long blonde hair forward and twisting it upwards into a messy knot. She then got to work on the painting.

_Danger in the shape of somethin' wild  
Stranger dressed in black, she's a hungry child_

Piper looked briefly over her shoulder towards where her messenger bag lay on her kitchen counter. She had forgotten to check who had called her last time. Whoever it had been was trying to get a hold of her, again.

_No one knows who she is or what her name is  
I don't know where she came from or what her game is_

The blonde debated between going to answer it and just continuing to paint as she stood there listening to the Pat Benatar song. She assumed it was just Polly. If it was her mother, she would have phoned the landline. It was mostly definitely Polly, she thought. She hadn't spoken her best friend in a couple of days. Which wasn't really that long, but the two girls were used to calling and talking to each other each day. Piper loved Polly. They had known each other forever. It was just that Piper felt like they were drifting apart. Especially now when all Polly seemed to talk about was her upcoming wedding.

_Hot child in the city  
Hot child in the city  
Runnin' wild and lookin' pretty  
Hot child in the city_

The song continued to play for a moment longer before going to voice mail. Piper sighed. She really should go and check who phoned her. But at the same time, she didn't want to. She figured she would do it later as she turned back to her painting.

* * *

Piper blew cold air on her latte as she sat outside of Starbucks and pored over the wanted ads in a newspaper that someone had left. It was a later on in the afternoon now. She had painted for a good few hours before deciding that she needed a break and a change of scenery for a bit.

She was desperate for anything.

She didn't care where she ended up working just as long as she got paid with money and still had time to work on her paintings.

She wasn't picky.

She took a quick sip from her latte, burning her tongue a bit as she reached for her bag and rummaged inside of it for a pen. Finding a Sharpie, Piper pulled off the cap with her teeth quickly then circled a job ad that looked promising. It was for some bar called Coyote, and they were looking for a waitress.

Piper had never waited a damn table in her life, but she figured it couldn't be that hard. She had been a hostess at a Red Lobster the summer before going off to college.

How different would being a waitress at a bar be?

Piper circled a few others ads, but she really thought the waitressing one would be her best bet. Plus it would get her some tips. The more money, the better.

The young blonde sat there outside the Starbucks for the rest of the afternoon. She slowly drank her latte as she people-watched and did some rough sketching in her sketchbook. She loved the city. She found it be such an inspiration. There were all different kinds of people here.

She loved it.

Her blue eyes were focused on a group of women seated on a bench across the street. There were three of them and all very different. They were talking and laughing loudly at something.

They were all beautiful, thought Piper to herself as she quickly turned to a blank page at the back of her sketch book and quickly began to draw the three women.

One had long dark hair that faded into turquoise at the tips. Piper couldn't make out the colour of her eyes, but she imagined that they either blue or green eyes behind those black-framed glasses she wore. Piper couldn't seem to take her eyes off of this one. She was captured by her sexiness. She was not only beautiful, but confident. There was just the way she seemed to hold herself that Piper was in awe of.

She allowed for her eyes to linger on the woman for a moment longer before turning to the other two women. These two were much shorter than the rockabilly one. One had a bushy mane of blonde hair that reminded Piper of a lion. The other woman had short brown hair that came just to her shoulders and wore bright red lipstick on her lips. The blonde and the brunette were seated very close to one another. They looked to be a couple of sorts, thought Piper as she continued to draw them. The blonde had her arm wrapped tightly around the brunette's waist.

It was an intimate gesture.

As Piper continued to watch and draw this trio of women, she couldn't help but think about her own best friend back home in Connecticut who she had yet to phone back. Polly had been her best friend since the age of eight, and she missed her terribly. She knew no one in the city. She had moved here alone. She had wanted to start her life and not wait around like Polly was. Polly, like Piper, was a recent graduate. But instead of moving out to the city with Piper like they had planned on doing when they were kids, Polly was getting married to her high school sweetheart, Pete. Piper was happy for her friend, but she couldn't see why Polly was settling. They had once had big dreams, but Piper seemed to be the only one fulfilling them now.

Polly still lived in the small town that they had grown up in. Polly was still dating her first boyfriend. She was even still working the same job as she had when she was sixteen, a receptionist at her dad's law firm.

Piper couldn't see her friend's reasoning for all this. She didn't understand how her best friend didn't crave change, crave a different life than the one she had in high school.

Piper fucking did.

The moment she had graduated from high school and gone off to Smith, she had cut all ties to her former life. She had broken up with her long-time boyfriend, Larry, and said goodbye to the teenaged Piper Chapman.

And now here she was, four years later, living her dream. She was living by herself in the big city. She was a practising artist. She might be broke at the moment and hadn't sold a piece of work yet.

But she was happy, and that was something.

As Piper continued studying the three women, she found herself wishing she was in on their joke. She wanted to be sitting with them on that bench, laughing. She wanted to know everything about each of them. They looked like the type of girls that didn't give a shit about anything or what others thought and knew how to have a good time.

They were the cool kids, and she wanted to be apart of their club.

Piper continued to sketch them and watch from afar before they got up and left. The rockabilly woman said something and punched the lion-maned one in the arm before waving goodbye and began to walk away while the other two left in the opposite direction. She watched as lion-mane and red-lips kissed before walking hand-in-hand down the street.

Piper stayed there for a second or two longer before closing her sketchbook and shoving it back into her bag. She then too left and headed towards home. The sun was just beginning to set over the urban landscape.

* * *

"Fuck!" cursed Piper as she raced down the hallway of the building and located the right room.

She was running late for the figurative class she'd signed up for at the YMCA. The blonde had gotten her timing wrong. She was still getting used to the vast subway routes that ran underneath the city and had gotten off on the wrong stop. She didn't have any money to get back on, so she had to walk. It had taken longer than she had thought it would.

Once she located the room, she quickly stepped inside. Everyone in the room looked up and over at her, and Piper felt her cheeks flush slightly in embarrassment at this. Her blue eyes swept across the faces in the room before landing on the instructor. She smiled apologetically at the small thin woman with short wispy blonde hair.

The instructor just smiled back at Piper before gesturing for her to take the last empty drawing bench in the room.

Piper nodded her head before quickly moving from the doorway to the bench and immediately began pulling out her supplies, a pad of newsprint, and charcoal. She straddled the bench and laid the pad down on the table of the bench, clipping it with a bulldog clip. She then angled the table so that its edges rested on her thighs and faced the small stage in the centre of the room where the model for this drawing session would be.

It was empty.

It looked like Piper wasn't as late as she thought she was. A sense of relief washed over her as she looked around the room at the others. They were in a circular formation around the stage.

Piper took this time to twist her long wavy blonde hair off of her face and into a messy knot at the back of her neck. She couldn't stand to draw with her hair in her face. As rummaged in her backpack for a hair tie, the front door opened again. She heard the instructor, who had a very squeaky voice, she noted, address the newcomer warmly. She couldn't make out what the other person had said, but she assumed this was the model, who let out a raspy chuckle.

The room was silent yet again as the model went off to the small changing room in the far corner of the room.

Piper looked down at the display on her phone for a moment, reading a text message that Polly had just sent. She quickly replied to it before turning off the ringer of her phone and throwing it back into her canvas messenger bag. Polly wanted to know why she hadn't called her back. Piper replied back that she would later on that night because she was busy at the moment.

Piper then looked up at the instructor, who was now standing in the middle of the room, addressing the class.

The instructor was a very tiny woman who introduced herself as Jones and began explaining how this class was a figurative drawing class for any level- from beginner to advanced. There would be no critiquing or such. Everyone was allowed to simply draw how they wanted.

She explained that the model would do two fifteen-minute poses, taking a break in between each of them. There would then be another break before the model did a longer pose, this time for forty-five minutes. They would first be starting off with a few two-minute poses just to get the drawing juices flowing.

Piper couldn't help but feel excited by this. She hadn't taken a figurative class since her third year of university. She was excited to get drawing again, especially back into the practise of drawing the figure as her work now mainly focused on large portraits.

Piper smiled as she caught the instructor's eye before looking up at the model, who was now standing in a pale blue kimono beside Jones.

"Everyone this is our lovely model for the night, Alex."

Piper found herself gawking at the model. It wasn't because she had just disrobed and stood naked in all her glory on the stage. The blonde wasn't shy about the human body. Four years of art school would change a person's views on nakedness. She was perfectly comfortable with having a beautiful naked woman stand in front of her.

She was gawking because she knew this Alex. Well, not personally. But she had seen her before. This Alex was the dark-haired, blue-tipped beauty from earlier that day. The one Piper had been marvelling at from across the street. The blonde found her cheeks flushing as she continued to sit there frozen, staring. Alex didn't have her glasses on, but Piper was sure it was the same woman. How many girls in New York had blue tips on their hair?

This had to be the same girl.

Piper found her heart pounding as she continued to allow her eye to drink in the beautiful work of art before her. Alex was hot, she thought. Usually models in figurative classes were older women with sagging breasts and extra weight around the waist. Alex's tits were on the bigger side, yes, but not saggy by any means. They were lush and perfect, thought Piper. And don't get her started on the rest of her body. Alex had one of those bodies depicted in classical paintings. She wasn't skinny, but she wasn't fat. She had curves in all the right places.

"It's okay to be timid at first," came a soft squeaky voice suddenly in her ear. Piper jumped, immediately looking away from Alex and over her shoulder at Jones.

"Sorry?" asked Piper towards her. She hadn't heard what she had just said.

"Jones looked down at Piper with her watery blue eyes. She smiled a gentle smile at her before repeating what she had just said. "It's okay to be timid at first. Just start off by drawing what you see."

Piper's eyes widened slowly as realization set in. Jones thought this was her first time in a figurative class. She thought she didn't now what she was doing. The blonde opened her mouth to set Jones straight but decided against it. She quickly closed her mouth and nodded her head in understanding.

"Okay, I'll try," she replied, smiling up at Jones.

Jones placed a hand on Piper's shoulder before moving onto the person seated next to Piper. She continued looking at her for a second before turning her gaze back over to Alex, who was in the middle of a pose.

Piper chewed on her lower lip as she picked up her piece of charcoal and waited for the next pose to begin.

* * *

"That's pretty good!"

"Uh?" Piper suddenly looked up from her drawing and towards the person hovering over the bench. A pair of green eyes met hers.

"I said that's pretty good!" laughed Alex in a raspy voice. Her green eyes gleamed with amusement down at Piper.

Piper found herself blushing underneath the other woman's gaze. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. She was taken aback by the sight before her. Alex was even more breath-taking up close.

Alex continued to smirk at Piper, who continued to stare at her in awe.

"What? Do I have something on my fucking face or something?" Alex asked in a joking manner.

Piper finally realized what she was doing and blushed again as she smiled apologetically at the other woman before averting her eyes. She then took this opportunity to look around the room and was a little startled to discover that the class had ended. She hadn't heard the class wrap up. It was just her and Alex. She had been too into her drawing.

"Oh," she stated as she rubbed the side of her face and looked back up at Alex, who was still looking at her with a smirk playing on her face.

"That's right, blondie, class is over," she stated.

"I should go," whispered Piper as she downcast her eyes and suddenly rose to her feet. She began packing up her drawing supplies and shoved them back into her messenger bag while Alex continued to stand there, watching her in amusement.

"What's the rush, kid?" asked Alex. Her raspy voice sounded like sex to Piper's ears.

The blonde didn't say anything in reply as she quickly unclipped her pad of paper and began to roll it up. She avoided the other woman's eye. She felt like such a fool at the moment underneath her gaze. Never before had she felt such an attraction to another person then she did at the moment with Alex.

This baffled the blonde.

This tall, beautiful woman standing before her was a complete stranger to her. She didn't even know Piper's name yet. However, the blonde wanted to know more about her. She wanted to know if she did any other modeling beside figurative classes. Where did she grow up? Where did she live? How old was she? The list went on and on. Piper wanted to know everything about this Alex woman.

But as much as she desired to know about her, Piper was shy to find out. "Well, I should be going..." Her voice trailed off as she once again got lost in beautiful blue-green eyes.

Alex just continued to smirk at Piper as she adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose. Piper could help but swoon at this little movement. It was the sexiest thing she had ever seen, she thought.

"It was nice meeting you...?"

"Piper! My name is Piper!" blurted out the blonde nervously.

Alex's smile deepened at this. She was clearly enjoying Piper's nervousness around her. "Piper," stated Alex, testing the name out on her tongue, "Piper. I like it."

"My name is Alex," the brunette then stuck her hand out in front of Piper to shake.

Piper nervously bit down on her lower lip as she looked from Alex's face down to her outstretched hand and back. She then shuffled the pad of paper to her other side before reaching out and placing her hand in Alex's. As skin touched skin, Piper felt a jolt of something course through her.

She didn't know what it was or how to describe it even. It was like she had been suddenly electrocuted or something. Her blue eyes flew up to Alex's face, seeing if she had felt it too.

Alex no longer had an amused expression on her face. There was something else there, thought Piper, she just wasn't sure what it was. Alex's green eyes continued to pierce deeply into Piper's. Time seemed to stand still at that moment as they continued to hold each other's hands.

"I hope to see you again, _Piper,_" whispered Alex as she pulled her hand away from Piper's and smiled. She then winked at the blonde as she continued to just stand there in utter shock, before walking out of the room.

Piper just stood there for a moment longer in the empty classroom, trying to regain feeling in her body before leaving herself.

* * *

Thanks for reading.

The next chapter won't be up until Rainstorms is finished, which to be honest is already kinda done...well on my computer it is. Three more chapters to go for that one.

Anyways, leave a review if you want more.

Julie


	2. Chapter 2

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Glad to hear that people enjoyed the first chapter. :)

Thanks, fig-aruna for being amazing like always and betaing this!

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It was the next day as Piper ventured out of her apartment in search of the bar, Coyote.

After asking a few people on the street, she had finally been able to locate where the bar was. Piper was a fit of nerves to say the least. Not only had she not gotten a very good night's sleep after her interaction with that Alex chick yesterday, but it had been also been a long while since she had applied for any sort of job. Her parents had always supported her during her years in college.

She didn't know what to expect really.

The blonde nervously bit down on her lower lip as she got off the subway and began to follow the directions that someone had graciously drawn out for her on a napkin. She normally would've just Google-mapped the bar, but she had no internet at her apartment, so she had to do things the old-fashioned way and relied on others for the information. She found her heart was beating rapidly with each step she took. She didn't know why she was so damn nervous. She was just merely going to hand in her resume.

That was it.

She wasn't going in for an interview or anything...

But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't keep the butterflies from fluttering in her stomach. She just couldn't shake the feeling that once she entered this bar that something big was going to happen to her. She didn't know exactly what or why. She was only applying to be a waitress, which was hardly life-changing...but it felt like it was going to be. Her life, she felt, was going to change, and hugely. She was both excited and nervous by this, for she didn't know if this change that she sensed was coming was good or bad. She was hoping that it would be for the good.

It was just past five as Piper looked up at the neon sign glowing in the afternoon light. It didn't look like much, she thought as she continued to study the front of the bar. It wasn't one of those chic uptown bars that she was always hearing about but was rather kind of grungy and run-down looking. It looked like any other bar in America. Her mother would hate it, she thought.

A small grin spread across her face at this. And that's why she loved it even more.

Piper continued to stand there looking at the exterior of the bar for a moment before heading inside.

It was now or never, she thought.

* * *

"Vause, where were you at last night?"

Alex Vause looked up from where she was opening a box and over to the much smaller woman standing before her. Nicky Nichols had her hands on her hips and was smirking at the tall brunette, which was not at all an uncommon expression for the bushy-haired blonde. She was always highly amused by most things, and this moment was no different as she crossed her arms over her chest and continued to look at Alex. "I was surprised to see Big Boo serving last night and not you."

Alex cocked an eyebrow. "What? I told you I was modeling for Jones's class again."

She studied Nicky's unwavering grin for a second longer before going back to unloading the box of alcohol at her feet.

"Your girl came looking for you," started Nicky, her brown eyes burning into Alex's back.

Alex almost dropped the two bottle of vodkas she held in her hands as she snapped her attention once again onto Nicky. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Her voice was filled with shocked outrage as she gawked at the other woman.

Nicky's smirk just deepened at this. "Nope. Wren came fucking by, looking for you last night."

Alex couldn't help but sigh at this. Wren was her ex-girlfriend and couldn't seem to get over the fact that it was over between the two of them. "That fucking bitch," she swore underneath her breath as she placed the two bottles onto the counter of the bar and bent down for two others.

"Yeah, Pornstache had to throw her out. She started a fight with Tricia," explained Nicky as she recalled the events last night. It had been a pretty busy night when Wren had decided to show up demanding to see Alex. The two of them had broken up over two weeks ago, and it had gone pretty badly.

"Well, if she shows her fucking face again tonight, I'll deal with it," Alex stated simply as she finished unpacking the box and went to get another one.

As the tall brunette headed into the back, the door to the bar opened and a pretty, young-looking blonde entered.

Nicky immediately turned around at this and looked over at the newcomer, who stood hovering in between the tables. Her eyes scanned over the blonde, checking her out. The woman had long wavy blonde hair that fell just below her shoulder, and she was wearing a tight pink v-neck t-shirt, a jean mini skirt, and white Vans. She looked like she was tourist of sorts, thought Nicky.

A hot tourist, though.

"Hey, Blondie!" cried out Nicky, drawing the newcomer's attention to her.

Piper immediately looked over to the woman standing behind the bar. She hadn't noticed her standing there, until now. Her blue eyes widened slightly as she recognized who this woman was. She had seen her just yesterday. She was lion-mane. A small smile crept across Piper's face at this.

"What's so funny, blondie?" Nicky asked with a quirked eyebrow, clearly amused by Piper.

Piper couldn't help but blush. She realized she must look crazy to this woman who didn't have a clue on who she was. "Nothing," replied Piper quickly as she tucked her hair behind her ears and took a small step towards the bar. "I was just wondering if you were hiring... I saw the wanted ad in the paper... for a waitress?"

Nicky, once again had that amused look plastered on her face as she continued to gawk at Piper. She then slowly came around the bar and towards Piper. She was much shorter than the newcomer was, but that didn't bother her. "We just put that in the ad. We are really looking for a dancer. Can you dance?"

Piper's forehead wrinkled in puzzlement at this. She didn't understand. "A dancer?! Like, a stripper?"

A deep, throaty chuckle was resounded from Nicky's throat at this. "Sure. If that's your speciality, blondie. Red's always talking about wanting to change things up around here. I'm sure she wouldn't mind adding a striptease to the program."

Piper could feel her cheeks flushing again at this. Was she being serious? she thought. What kinda place was this? It just looked like a normal bar to her as her eyes swiped over the interior of the room. It was filled with ten or so tables and five booths that ran along the far wall. There was a pool table and an old jukebox. There was no stage or anything like that, so she didn't know where this dancing would take place.

"I'm sorry. I think I have the wrong place," Piper murmured quickly as she began to turn on her heel to leave when she felt someone grab her wrist. She immediately turned to lock eyes with Nicky again.

"I'm just fucking with you, blondie," clarified Nicky as she dropped her hand from Piper's wrist and smiled widely at her. "We are looking for a waitress. But Red's the person you want to talk to. Let me get her." Nicky grinned at Piper before leaving her standing at the edge of the bar while she made her way into the back.

Piper just stood there dumbfounded, clenching her resume and the napkin in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening. That lion-mane worked here. She wondered if that meant that Alex worked here too?

Piper didn't have to wait very long to find out as Alex entered the room from the back, where the Nicky had just disappeared to.

Alex almost dropped the box of liquor she was carrying as she looked at Piper. Nicky had told her that there was a hot blonde that she needed to check out at the front, but she hadn't expected to know her already. A toothy grin spread across Alex's face as she locked eyes with Piper.

"Piper!" she spoke in that raspy voice of hers, caressing each syllable slowly against her tongue.

Piper just stood there frozen to the spot as she watched Alex place the alcohol onto the surface of the bar before coming towards her. Her heart suddenly began to race as she continued to gawk at the brunette. Again she couldn't believe what was happening. This was the very last thing she expected when she walked through the door just a few moments ago. She smiled nervously underneath Alex's gaze.

"What? No hi?" teased Alex as she adjusted her glasses on her nose and smirked at the blonde.

"Hi," whispered Piper shyly after finding her voice.

Alex's smirk deepened at this. She was just a mere foot away from Piper now, and her green eyes stared intensely into Piper's. She hardly knew anything about this blonde, but that didn't matter to her. Alex didn't need to know every little detail about someone to know whether she liked them or not. She felt an immediate attraction to this Piper girl. And she had a pretty good feeling that Piper felt the same way by the way she blushed and looked away shyly from her.

The two women stayed like this for a second before Alex reached for the paper in Piper's hand. She assumed it was her resume.

Piper blinked in surprise at this. "Do you own this place?" she asked as she self-consciously crossed her arms over her chest and watched Alex's eyes move across her resume.

Alex couldn't help but huff at this. "Hell no!" she replied as she looked up at Piper again. "This is Red's place. I'm just the fucking bartender," she said, gesturing to the shelf of various organized liquors behind her.

Piper nervously nodded her head in understanding at this. She bit her lower lip as she realized that Alex still held her resume in her hands.

"Piper Chapman," read Alex out loud. "A Smith grad..."

Piper blushed again at hearing her full name on Alex's lips.

"With excellent listening skills. Passionate about making diners feel good. Mmmhm, seems kinda dirty..." Alex cocked her eyebrows at Piper at this and continued to smirk at the blonde. "Safe, clean and careful when handling food and drink..."

Piper immediately snatched her resume away from Alex before she could mock her even further. Yes, the resume was filled with bullshit, but she really needed this job. Plus, everyone fibs a little on their resume, she thought defensively.

Alex couldn't help but let out a raspy chuckle at this. Her green eyes gleamed with mischief as they continued to peer over at Piper.

Neither woman said a word for a second as something passed between them.

"I like that in a woman," Alex's voice was a little lower now. Gone was the playfulness of her tone and replaced with something else. She liked Piper, she thought to herself as she continued to stare into those bright blue eyes of hers. And she wanted her to get to know her more.

Piper felt the back of her neck begin to sweat a little as she continued to get lost in those green eyes of Alex's. Never before had she felt so instinctually drawn and attracted to a person than she did at this moment with the woman. The blonde slowly licked her lips as she tried to think of how to respond.

But before she could, they were interrupted by Nicky and an older woman coming into the room.

"So! I hear you're looking for a job, blondie!" stated the older woman in a Russian accent.

Alex and Piper immediately turned their attention to the newcomers in the room. Piper nervously swallowed as she looked at the spiky-haired woman whom she could only assume was Red.

"Yes, I am," Piper answered, her voice coming out a little shaky at first. She was still trying to get over her encounter with Alex from just a mere moment ago. Piper could still feel Alex's eyes burning into her back, but she fought the urge to look back as she tried to lock her eyes on Red.

Red didn't say anything as her eyes swept over Piper from head to toe for a second before holding out her hand.

Piper hesitated at first, not exactly sure what Red meant by this gesture. It then dawned on her that the Russian wanted to see her resume, so she quickly handed it over.

A deafening silence fell over the room as Red read over the sheet in her hand. Unlike Alex, Red didn't read out loud from it or mock it in anyway, instead reading every word carefully and seriously. She didn't hire just anyone to work here. She had a special group of girls who worked for her. It was like family here. Everyone was carefully selected by her.

"You don't have much experience," stated Red as she peered at Piper over the rims of her glasses.

Piper nervously bit on her lower lip again at this. That was true. She didn't have much experience with waitressing. "I'm a fast learner," she stated in hopes of persuading Red to give her a job.

Red looked from Piper to the resume and back. She was a pretty girl she thought. The customers would like her. They always seemed to like fresh meat in the joint. She was quiet as she pondered this for a moment longer.

"Please. I really need the job..." Piper didn't usually beg, but it was true. She desperately needed this job. _Any_ job for that matter. Her blue eyes pierced into Red's, pleading with her silently to give her a chance, at least.

"O.K." stated the Russian woman as if reading Piper's thoughts.

"What?" asked Piper in shock.

"O.K.," stated Red again as she handed Piper back her resume. "I'll give you a chance, blondie. You start tomorrow night at 8."

Piper's face broke out into a wide smile at this. She was overcome with joy at hearing this news. "Thank You! Thank You!" she cried as she suddenly threw her arms around Red. "Thank. You. So. Much!"

The usually very serious Russian couldn't help but smile slightly at the blonde's reaction. Never before had someone been so happy to work for her. She patted Piper lightly on the back before pulling away.

"Don't be late," murmured Red, once again drawing a serious expression on her face.

"I won't. I won't," promised Piper quickly to Red. She wouldn't dare to be late, she thought. "Thank you again! You won't regret this!" She smiled again at Red before waving goodbye and rushing out of the bar.

The trio of women just stood there dumbfounded for a moment before reality once again came crashing down around them.

"What are you two staring at? Get back to work!" cried Red as she addressed Nicky and Alex. The Russian woman stared intently at them before heading towards the back and to her office.

Alex and Nicky watched her go before turning to each other and smirking.

"Well, things just got fucking interesting around here," Nicky commented as she wagged her eyebrows at Alex and grinned.

Alex couldn't help but nod her head in agreement. It would be fucking interesting to have Piper around now, she thought to herself as she brushed her hair off of her face. Red didn't like her staff dating each other, but there was no real rule about flirting, she thought. She would enjoy very much having Piper around. She was suddenly overcome with excitement to be working tomorrow night.

This wasn't something that Alex Vause was often used to feeling.

* * *

It was late at night as Piper lay out on the fire escape in nothing but boy-shorts and a loose tank top. It was humid out that night, and she couldn't sleep.

Not only was it too hot, but she couldn't seem to shut her mind off despite her trying to. She was so ecstatic at the moment knowing that not only had she gotten the job, but she was also going to see Alex tomorrow. She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling for the brunette. She wouldn't say it was a crush, necessarily, but it was an intense attraction of some sort. She had felt this before for guys but never for another girl, at least not that she could remember.

Sure, Piper had always found girls attractive in an aesthetic way, but what she was feeling for Alex was different, she mused. It was strong, whatever it was. Just thinking about it now gave her butterflies.

She couldn't help but grin as a warmth spread through her entire body.

To say she was looking forward tomorrow was an understatement.

She couldn't fucking wait for tomorrow night.

Just then her cell-phone began to go off, and her ear was filled with the familiar sounds of Hot Child in the City. Piper glanced at the display before answering it. It was her best friend, Polly, calling her.

"Hey," whispered Piper into the phone as she pressed it to her ear and sat up from her position on the cold iron flooring of the fire escape.

"Hey, stranger," replied back Polly.

"I know. I know. I forgot to phone you back last night. I'm sorry," apologized Piper as she rubbed the side of her face with her free hand. After returning home from the figurative class last night, she had forgotten to call Polly. She had been too flustered from her meeting with Alex.

"It's okay. I understand. You have this glamorous New York life now," Polly began with an undercurrent of sad bitterness.

"Pol, it's not like that. I've just been busy settling in and trying to find a job. Which I did by the way," Piper couldn't help but smile as she thought about this fact.

"Yeah?" Polly asked more perkily. "Where?"

"I'm the newest waitress at Coyote," Piper answered proudly.

"A bar?" Polly didn't sound too thrilled by this as Piper was. "I dunno... That doesn't sound very promising."

"What? I just need to make money. I'm not going to make a career out of it or anything like that."

"Yeah, I know. You're going to be a famous artist."

"God, you sound like my _fucking_ mom," Piper hated how much flack she was getting from both her mom and her best friend over going into the art field. "Plus you're one to talk. It's not like you have such a great career. You're a fucking receptionist."

Piper heard Polly's distinct sigh over the phone. She could perfectly picture her best friend rolling her eyes at her. This wasn't the first time that the old friends were having this discussion.

There was a moment of silence between the two of them before Polly changed the topic. "So have you met anyone yet?"

Piper felt her face once again turning up into a smile as she thought about Alex. She debated whether or not to tell her best friend about her. Polly wouldn't exactly flip out at Piper if she mentioned her. She just wasn't sure if she was ready to spill her feelings. It was still all new to her too. But she knew that she couldn't lie to Polly either.

"Well, there is someone," she replied slowly. "But I only just met them..."

* * *

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

Julie


	3. Chapter 3

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Enjoy!

* * *

Piper arrived back at Coyote promptly at eight o'clock the next night. She didn't want to arrive early, appearing too eager, but at the same time, she hadn't wanted to be late. Hence, arriving exactly on time.

However, her luck was looked like it was going to hit a wall as she was stopped at the entrance by the bouncer.

"Can I see some I.D., please," stated a tall guy with a seventies-style porn star moustache. His brown eyes blazed into Piper's as he blocked her entrance into the bar.

Piper frowned slightly as she tucked her hair behind her ear. "Excuse me?" she asked in confusion.

"I need to see some I.D., blondie!" stated the bodyguard, clearly not amused by Piper's dumb blonde act.

However, it wasn't an act. She really didn't understand why she had to show I.D. to get into the bar since she hadn't the first time she came there. She stood there staring at the guy for a minute before letting out a sigh and reaching into her purse for her I.D. She didn't really think this was necessary, but she guessed that he didn't know she worked here or, at least, was going to be working here. At the moment he just thought she was some underaged college student trying to sneak into a bar.

"Here," she stated as she handed over her driver license to Pornstache.

He didn't say anything as he snatched the I.D. from her and studied it hard for a moment before finally allowing her through.

"Thank you," spoke Piper as she took her I.D and walked quickly past him. She was most definitely going to be late now, she thought as she made her way into the bar, shoving her license back into her purse.

The bar was surprisingly quiet as Piper hovered at the entrance for a second, looking around the room before her eyes fell onto two figures seated by the bar. She then made her way across the room towards them.

"And there she is..." observed Nicky as she looked up at Piper.

"Right on time, blondie!" commented Red as she looked down at the gold watch she was wearing and then over at Piper. They had been waiting for her. She had told her to be here at eight, and here she was, exactly on time.

Piper just smiled shyly at this. She nervously tucked her blonde hair behind her ears as she continued to look between the two women. She couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Alex wasn't there with them.

"You can't wear that," stated the Russian simply as she gawked at the blonde and what she was wearing.

Piper's cheeks flushed slightly as she looked down at herself. She was wearing a black tank top, blue jeans, and white vans. She hadn't really known what to wear. She had just assumed that there was no dress-code since it was only a bar.

"Oh!" stated Piper as she looked back up at Red, who had jumped off the bar stool and was reaching for a pile of clothes resting on the surface of the bar.

"Here," stated Red as she shoved the pile of clothes into Piper's hands. "You can change in the back. Nicky will show you." The Russian then left the bar area and headed over to a table where a group of men were seated.

Piper clenched the clothes to her chest as she watched as the older woman walked away. She watched as Red tilted her head back and laughed loudly at something one of the men had said. Her eyes lingered there for a moment before shifting to the shorter woman with the wild hair of curls. She assumed that she was Nicky. She had met her yesterday but she hadn't caught her name.

"Hi, I'm Piper," she spoke warmly as she held out a hand towards her.

Nicky's brown eyes looked between Piper's hand and face before a smirking. "Name's Nicky!"

The two women then shook hands before Nicky gestured with her head for Piper to follow her to the back.

"Come on this way, blondie!"

Piper didn't say a word as she quickly followed the other woman to the back of the bar.

"You can change in here," explained Nicky as she gestured to a small room that looked to be more of a supply closet than a dressing room.

Piper hesitated as she took a step into the room and looked over her shoulder at Nicky, who was leaning against the doorframe, smirking at her.

"What!?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow at the blonde. "There's nothing to be shy about, blondie. We all got tits and vaginas here."

Piper could feel the warmth return again to her cheeks as she continued to look at Nicky for a moment. The blonde usually wasn't this shy. She had no problem changing in front of other women at the gym and such, but when she had an audience like she did now, that made her squirm slightly.

"I'll be back in five," chuckled Nicky as she gave Piper her privacy.

Piper made sure that Nicky had indeed left before shutting the door behind her. She looked around the small room for a place where she could put her things while she changed but came up empty. There was no available surface anywhere. Every shelf was crammed full with supplies and random foodstuffs.

A sigh escaped from her lips as she dropped the uniform and her purse onto the floor and kicked off her shoes.

The blonde had her back to the door as she stood there barefoot and stripped off the tank top she was wearing. She folded the shirt before placing it down on the floor and bent over, reaching for the red t-shirt she had been given. As she did so, the door to the room opened.

Piper shrieked in surprise at hearing the door open and straightened her back immediately before turning to look over at the figure standing in the doorway. She didn't bother to cover herself, thinking it was just Nicky returning to bother her again. However, she was very wrong.

A pair of very familiar green eyes were piercing back at her.

"Hi," she whispered nervously to Alex.

Alex let out a raspy chuckle as she continued to look at Piper in amusement.

"_Helllooo_, Piper!" the dark-haired woman whistled as her eyes roamed up and down Piper's body. She liked what she saw very much. The blonde was wearing a pale pink bra pushed up her small breasts and put them on display nicely. Alex couldn't help but allow her eyes to linger there for a second longer before meeting Piper's eye. She smirked as she noted the pinkness in the blonde's cheeks.

"Don't be shy," she whispered as she came into the room and closed the door behind her.

Piper didn't say anything as she looked on at Alex for a second before once again reaching for the red t-shirt on the floor. She could feel the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, but she tried not the let her nerves show as she continued to get dressed.

As she pulled the shirt down over her head, she glanced briefly over her shoulder. She blushed again as she met Alex's eye, who was still smirking.

"What?" she asked, snapping a little.

Alex cocked an eyebrow at the blonde's sudden temper. "Nothing," she replied, trying to force the smile away from her face. Despite her efforts, her lips turned up into a smirk.

The two women continued to look at each other for a moment before Piper shyly looked away, suddenly realizing that Alex wasn't wearing a top. Her cheeks were flaming red as she turned her back to the brunette and bent over for the black skirt. She could feel Alex's eyes still burning into her face, but she didn't dare to look at her as she shimmied out of her jeans and quickly changed into the skirt. Piper couldn't help but be grateful that she had done her laundry the night before and was wearing a decent- looking pair of panties. She then shoved her white Vans back onto her feet and gathered up her clothes and purse before straightening her back and turning once again to face the closet's other occupant.

Alex adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose and smirked at Piper as she turned around to face her. The brunette was now dressed and wearing the same red t-shirt that had the word _Coyote_ written across the front of it in white printing.

"You can keep your purse and other personal belongings in the filing cabinet in Red's office," explained Alex, noting the items that Piper had clenched in her hands.

Piper found herself gawking at Alex's red lips and realized belatedly that she hadn't heard a single word the brunette had just said. "Sorry, what?" she asked as she forced her eyes onto Alex's.

A raspy chuckle released from Alex's mouth at this. "I was saying...follow me, kid." She looked at Piper with amusement for a moment longer before grabbing her own bag off of the floor and opening the door.

* * *

"So, blondie," began to explain Nicky.

"It's Piper," corrected Piper to the shorter woman, who was currently going through the layout of the bar with her.

"And this is the backroom. There isn't much to see here. Just supplies and shit," continued Nicky, ignoring what Piper had said. She was very aware of what her name was, but she was just having fun messing with her.

"So, what do you think so far, blondie?" asked Nicky as she turned to address the blonde.

"It's _Piper_! Piper Chapman!" Piper was trying not to let her annoyance show, but it wasn't starting to bug her that this Nicky person couldn't get her name right.

Nicky just looked on at Piper with amusement. "Yeah, I heard you, blondie! It's Piper. But I think I'm going to call you Chapman instead, though."

Piper gawked at Nicky in puzzlement. She didn't know if she was asking if it was okay to call by her last name or was merely stating it, not giving a _fuck_ what she thought? Piper was going to go with the latter on this one.

Nicky just chuckled at the look on Piper's face before gesturing for her to follow her back into the main area of the bar. The real lesson was about to begin.

The tour was over.

Piper let out a brief sigh and ran a hand through the back of her ponytail before following Nicky. She hadn't even been here for a full hour, and she was already getting mocked and teased. It was going to be a long night, she thought. Since it was a Wednesday night and pretty slow at the bar that night, she had been told to shadow Nicky, who was apparently a seasoned waitress.

* * *

"So when does something exciting happen?" asked Piper as she looked over at Nicky, who was now seated at the bar and doodling away on a notepad. There was only about an hour or so left before last call.

Nicky's wild mane of hair fell down her back as she suddenly snapped her head up and looked at Piper, who was standing behind the bar. "Oh, it's always exciting around here, Chapman."

Piper didn't know what to make of that as she looked away from the shorter woman to scan the room. There was only a handful of people scattered throughout the bar drinking, mostly older men, drinking alone. It was kinda depressing, thought Piper. She thought it would be a lot more fun working here, but she supposed it was probably just the middle of the week. Nicky had told her that their busiest days tended to be Thursday through Saturday.

Piper couldn't help but sigh as she placed her elbows onto the surface of the bar and rested her chin in her hands. She was bored to say the least. It was just her and Nicky at the moment. There had been another waitress working earlier, a Mercy, but she had left over an hour ago now. Even Red had already left, which Piper had been surprised by. She had thought surely that the Russian would have stayed until the last call at least, but the bar owner seemed to trust Nicky enough to close up. The two of them seemed to have some sort of mother-daughter relationship going on.

"Is that a tramp stamp, I see!?" asked Alex as she came up close behind Piper to touch her at her waist.

Piper jumped up at this, immediately turning around and pulling down her shirt which had risen up, displaying the tattoo she had gotten at nineteen.

"Come on," whispered Alex mischievously as she tried to get Piper to turn around again. "Let us see it."

"No!" cried out Piper as she tried to side-step Alex, who was suddenly towering over her.

"Why are you so fucking shy?" asked Alex with an amused look on her face, "I won't bite."

"No!" cried out Piper again, a smile appearing on her face as she continued to get lost in Alex's green eyes, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

The two women stayed like this for a moment, getting lost in the other's gaze. They were so close to one another at the moment.

Piper felt a surprising feeling of arousal come over her suddenly as Alex breathed down her neck and pressed her body slightly into her. Her mouth hung open as she continued to get lost in Alex's eyes. She desperately wanted for her to kiss her, she thought. This also surprised her. Never before had she felt such a strong attraction to another woman as she did at this very moment. She watched intensely as the brunette licked her lips as if reading her thoughts.

However, before anything could happen, their moment was interrupted by a customer coming up to the bar and ordering a drink. Alex immediately stepped away from Piper to address the customer.

Piper once again found her cheeks flushing as she looked down at her feet and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding in. She hated how flustered she felt at the moment. She rubbed the side of her face as she slowly turned and looked over at Nicky, who she noticed was looking rather smug.

"What?" asked Piper.

"Nothing, blondie!" replied Nicky, wagging her eyebrows suggestively at Piper. She could read the blonde like she was an open book, clearly seeing what was going on between her and Alex. Fuck, any one could, she thought. The sexual tension between them was thick. Even Mercy had commented on it earlier that night after Piper had nearly spilled a tray of drinks after Alex had touched the crook of her arm.

Alex's behaviour towards the blonde, on the other hand, didn't surprise Nicky at all. The brunette wasn't shy about her feelings. When she liked someone, she liked them, and she made sure that they knew it. And what she was doing with Piper was the same old trap. She was slowly weaving Piper into her web, and it was going to be damned interesting to see if the blonde would fly into it or not. Nicky couldn't quite tell yet if Piper was straight or not. She assumed she was straight, but how she was acting around Alex like a love-sick teenager was throwing off her radar a little. No matter how this played out between the two of them though, it was going to be _fucking_ entertaining. And Nicky for sure was going to have front rows seats, for she didn't want to miss a thing.

* * *

"Here," said Alex as she slid a shot across the bar to Piper.

Piper looked down at the shot glass before glancing up at Alex in puzzlement. "What's this?" she asked, gesturing to the glass.

"It's a fucking shot," replied Alex pointedly, noting out the obvious.

Piper rolled her eyes at Alex's wiseass comment. "I can see it's a _fucking _shot!"

Alex couldn't help but smirk at Piper cussing. It was the first time she was hearing the blonde swear, and she had to admit, it was kinda a turn-on. She liked her women dirty, and if they had a dirty mouth, even better.

"But what's it for?" continued to ask Piper, who was still confused about why she had been handed the drink. The bar was closed, and Piper had swept and cleaned the place, while Nicky and Alex were counting the till. They were just waiting for Nicky before locking up for the night.

"It's tequila. You drink it!"

Before she could comprehend what she was doing, Piper reached out and whacked Alex playfully on the arm. "Stop being a fucking wiseass! I know what it is. I wasn't fucking born yesterday! What I don't fucking understand is why you are giving it to me?"

Alex's eyes were dark with amusement at this. She didn't know whether to kiss Piper or reply with another snarky comment. However, as she debated on how to reply, Nicky came into the room.

"What's this? Are we doing shots?" asked Nicky as she looked between Piper and Alex. "And you didn't think to wait for _moi_, Vause?"

Alex just glared at Nicky. She was clearly not amused that Nicky had chosen this moment to come back into the room, especially when she had just had Piper eating out of her hand. She didn't let her unhappiness show for too long though as she glanced back over at Piper, reaching for another glass and filling it with tequila before sliding it over to Nicky. The brunette had already poured herself a shot when she had for Piper.

"I thought we should welcome Piper to the family," explained Alex as she lifted the shot glass into the air and looked between Nicky and Piper. "For surviving her first night!"

"The real test will come this weekend. Then we'll see how well Chapman really does," commented Nicky with a smirk as she glanced over at Piper.

"Thanks?" replied Piper, wondering if she should feel offended or not.

"Oh, I'm only messing with you, Chapman. You did okay tonight," continued Nicky. "Despite spilling a few drinks. You survived!"

Piper couldn't help but beam slightly with pride at this. She had survived her first shift at the bar. And yes, she had messed up a couple of orders and spilled more than one drink. But she was proud of herself for sticking it out.

"To Chapman!" cried Nicky as she lifted her glass.

"To Chapman!" echoed Alex as she glanced again over at Piper and winked. "Welcome to Coyote, kid!"

Piper smiled back at Alex before reaching for her own glass.

All three women clinked their glasses together before downing them in one fluid motion.

* * *

Alex and Piper stood awkwardly outside the bar as they watched Nicky lock the doors.

"Well, ladies, this has been fun, but I gotta get home to my girl!" stated Nicky as swirled the keys on her finger and smiled towards Alex and Piper.

"Say hi to Lorna for me!" replied Alex with a smile.

"Will do, Vause!" spoke the shorter woman towards Alex before turning to Piper. "Chapman!" Nicky bowed her head like she was wearing an invisible hat before turning and started walking down the street.

Piper watched her leave before looking over at Alex. "Well, I guess I'll head home too..." she whispered shyly as she looked over her shoulder before meeting the brunette's eyes again.

"Where do you live?" asked the taller woman as she adjusted her glasses.

Piper hesitated at first before telling Alex her address.

"That's fucking far," commented Alex as she continued to peer down at Piper.

"I can walk," Piper responded simply as she squared her shoulders and straightened her back. Yes, it was a long walk, but she wasn't scared to walk home by herself.

Alex frowned slightly at this. For some reason, the idea of Piper walking home alone at such a late hour bothered her. She knew what kind of creeps were out there at night.

"Let me walk with you," said the brunette after a moment of silence.

Piper's blue eyes widened slightly in surprise at this. "You don't have to..." she began but was cut-off by the brunette.

"I'm going to walk you home whether you like it or not. The city isn't fucking safe at night, especially where you are heading to. I'm walking you fucking home!" stated Alex as she pushed her glasses off of her face and up onto her head and continued to peer intensely down at Piper.

Piper let out a sigh, knowing there was no point in arguing with the older woman. "Okay," she replied. "Follow me."

The two of them walked in silence for a few blocks, both too wrapped up in their own thoughts to make small talk. Piper's insides were screaming with excitement and nerves over Alex walking with her. She knew it was just a friendly gesture, but she couldn't help but squirm with happiness over the fact that Alex felt the need to protect her in some way and that she was _even _concerned with her safety.

"So, when did you move here?" asked Alex, breaking the silence and glancing over at Piper.

Piper couldn't help but smile sheepishly at this. "It's that obvious that I'm new here, isn't it?"

"Just a little," responded Alex with a grin appearing on her face. It wasn't hard to tell the natives from newbies, and Piper was definitely a newbie.

Piper's smile deepened as she continued to look at Alex before glancing down the street. "I've only been here for three weeks or so," she explained. "I moved here by myself. My parent's flipped when they heard I wanted to move to New York and start my career as an artist."

Alex couldn't help but be impressed by this. It took a lot of guts to move to a new city where you didn't know anyone, thought the brunette as she continued to look at the blonde.

"I know that sounds so cliché. Moving to New York City to be an artist, but it's the truth. Plus, I have always wanted to move here since I was a kid. And now seemed like the perfect time, so..." rambled Piper. She didn't know why she was detailing her life goals to Alex, who was still a complete stranger to her. But she was nervous and she tended to talk a lot when she was nervous. At the same time though, she felt comfortable enough around Alex for some reason to tell her all this. "And you probably don't give a shit about any of this..."

"No, no it's fine," Alex responded, reassuring Piper she didn't mind hearing all this. "That's kinda why I moved to the city too."

"To be an artist?!" Piper couldn't help but sound a little surprised by this.

Alex let out a raspy laugh. "Not an artist. But I moved to the city with a dream to find my dad. He is..._was_ a drummer in a band."

"I'm sorry to hear that," whispered Piper, who had stopped walking suddenly and was looking at the brunette with sympathy.

Alex cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "Sorry about what? He isn't dead or anything. He is plenty much alive...that I know of. I haven't kept in touch since that one meeting with him."

"Oh!" whispered Piper in realization.

Alex couldn't help but chuckle in amusement at this.

The two women continued to stand there on the sidewalk looking at each other for a moment longer before Alex tilted her head. "Come on, kid," she whispered, indicating to Piper that she should keep on walking.

Piper blushed slightly before continuing to walk.

"So where are you from?" asked Piper.

"Watchung, New Jersey!" replied Alex with pride. Even though she had pretty much hated where she had grown up as a kid, she was still proud of her roots as a Jersey girl.

"Never heard of it," whispered Piper with a slight gleam in her eye.

Alex let out a raspy chuckle at this. "Where's home for you?"

"Hartford, Connecticut."

Alex nodded her head in understanding at this. She could tell that Piper was from some New England state. She had that preppy, WASPy thing going on.

The two of them walked a few more blocks before Piper stopped abruptly in front of a Chinese restaurant. "Well, this is me," she murmured as she looked up to the second floor, where she had left a light on.

"You live above a fucking Chinese restaurant?!" stated Alex as she smirked at Piper, in the light casting down from the window.

"Shut up! It was the only thing I could afford. And it's not that bad," she explained, pretending to be offended by Alex's comment but still found herself grinning. "If you don't mind the smell of fried chicken."

Alex laughed in reply.

"Well..." whispered Piper. "Good night."

"Good night, kid!" whispered Alex as her eyes looked deeply into Piper's.

For a moment Piper thought that Alex would kiss her by the way she was suddenly leaning in to her. But she didn't.

The moment that Piper had thought had been there was gone in a flash as Alex took a step back from her and grinned, winking before beginning her own trip home. Piper just stood there for a second, clenching her clothes in her hand, watching as Alex left in the direction they had just come from. She waited until Alex turned the corner before reaching for her keys and opening the door to the stairwell.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review letting me know if I should continue or not? I'm kinda considering pulling this story. I have an idea on where I want this to go but... it just seems so similar to a few other fics out there already...I dunno. What do you guys think?

Julie


	4. Chapter 4

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Omg! Have I told you that I have the best readers, ever!? You guys seriously rock! I was so overwhelmed by all the kind words y'all left in the reviews! :)

It really means a lot that people here believe in my writing and want to see this story to continue. It gave me the lift that I needed to write this chapter! So thank you all so much!

Enjoy!

* * *

Piper couldn't help but squeal as she closed the apartment door behind her and hugged herself. She was smiling like an idiot, but she didn't care. She was just so fucking happy at the moment.

And she had no real idea why.

Nothing had really happened between her and Alex. She had just walked her home in a friendly manner. That was it! But she couldn't help but feel like it had been more. Especially when she thought back to how Alex had leaned into her at her stoop. She could feel the warmth in her cheeks return as she thought about how those green eyes had gleamed at her underneath the dull light cascading from her window.

She once again grinned like an idiot as her pulse picked up and butterflies once again fluttered in the pit of her stomach. The blonde continued to think about Alex and her first day on the job as she moved further into the apartment. She dropped her purse and the pile of clothes onto her kitchen counter before making her way to her tiny bedroom. She stripped off her uniform as she went, not caring if she made a mess. Just one of the benefits of living alone. She didn't have to worry about picking up after herself.

Piper stood in the middle of the bedroom in just her underwear as her eyes fell onto the unmade bed. She knew she should probably go to sleep as it was late, but she was wide awake. She felt a surge of energy coursing through her body. She was too wired-up to sleep.

Letting out a sigh, she ran a hand through her ponytail and turned her attention out to the bedroom window.

She stood like this for a moment before clapping her hands loudly together and once again smiling.

She then began to rummage noisily through the chest of drawers that took up a good portion of the bedroom and pulled out a faded white t-shirt that had her high school logo plastered on the front of it. She pulled the shirt over her head before putting on a pair of drawstring shorts.

Piper chewed on her thumbnail as she made her way back into the living room, flicking on the remaining lights of the room before reaching for the pink iPod Nano that she had nestled in the dock. She ran her thumb along the dial, scrolling through her playlist before coming across the song she had been looking for. She hit play before putting the iPod back into the dock, music suddenly filling the apartment.

She shook her hips to the loud bass of the song for a moment before making her way over to the easel that stood erected in the corner of the room. She was suddenly overcome with the desire to paint. She already had a painting in progress resting on the easel, but she took the large canvas down and placed it gently to the side before reaching for a smaller wooden panel. She kept a few smaller panels and canvases on hand for studies and times like these when she wanted to start something new.

She continued to bop her head to the music as she slumped herself down onto the stool and began to paint. She wasn't really thinking about anything as she allowed the brush to glide along the rough surface of the un-primed panel, streaking it with a rich blue line of wet paint. Her body vibrated with excitement as it did every time she started a new piece of work. It was hard to describe, but she got such adrenaline rush when she painted. It was weird in a way she thought, but painting was like her gateway drug.

* * *

"Blondie, get the _fuck_ out of my way!"

"It's _Piper_," she whispered as the shorter, bleach-blond girl roughly nudged her way past her. Piper couldn't help but sigh as she watched the younger woman walk away and over to one of the tables.

It was the next night, Thursday, and Piper's second shift at Coyote. Unlike yesterday, the place was jam-packed with people. The staff was stretched thin, forcing Piper to serve on her own instead of shadowing Nicky. It wasn't even half-way through her shift yet, and she already felt like crying. Not only had she screwed up a couple of orders, but she'd fucked up a few drinks as well. This waitressing thing wasn't nearly as easy as she had thought it would be.

She had met some of the other staff that night. There was Tricia, the young blonde with the weird neck tattoo who had just walked past her. Then there was Miss Claudette, a middle-aged black woman with a French-Haitian accent. She worked in the kitchen with a woman named Norma, who Piper learned doesn't talk, _ever_. There was also another bartender working tonight, alongside Alex, a Big Boo. She was a big, beefy woman with a partly shaven head.

Piper felt tears sting her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. _Pull yourself together_, she told herself. She couldn't afford to lose it. She was determined to show all of them that she wasn't some yuppy, especially Tricia who had been barking up her ass all night.

She could do this.

She was determined to succeed.

She let out a deep breath before she heard the sound of a bell going off. Her order was up. She quickly grabbed her tray from the bar and walked over to the small serving window that looked into the kitchen. The warm hazel eyes of Norma greeted her over the counter. She gave her a small grin before pushing the plate of cheesy nachos towards Piper.

Piper returned the smile as she took the hot plate, being careful not to burn her hand as she placed it on the tray. She then slowly turned her back to the window and looked out at the crowded atmosphere of the bar. She swallowed over the sudden lump in her throat before slowly beginning to walk, carefully balancing the tray in her hands.

"Slow and steady wins the race, Chapman!" joked Nicky as she passed her on the way to the service window where a new order was waiting for her.

Piper rolled her eyes at Nicky's jab at her. "Fuck off!"

She heard the bushy-haired woman's booming laughter behind her, but she didn't dare turn to see what facial expression Nicky was wearing as she continued to slowly make her way through the crowd and towards her table. She could do this, she thought as she concentrated on the narrow space between the tables. Just one step at a time, she thought to herself.

One step at a time.

One _fucking_ step at a time...

However, as Piper was just a foot away from the table, someone suddenly knocked into her shoulder. The impact took her by surprise, and she took a fumbling step to the side before dropping the entire tray onto the floor.

"Fuck!" Piper swore as stared down at the front of her shirt which was now covered in hot, melted cheese. She could feel the warmth of it burning into her skin through the thin material of her uniform shirt. Her eyes once again filled with tears, but she didn't let them fall as she quickly picked up the fallen tray and plate of nachos. It wasn't until then that she looked over to the person who had just collided with her.

"Sorry, blondie," replied a not-especially-sorry-looking Tricia. The two women held each other's gazes for a second before Piper stormed away. She could feel the tears burning the back of her eyes, but she once again fought the urge to cry as she made her way back to the service window.

"I need another _fucking_ plate of nachos!" she cried as she stuck her head into the window and impatiently rung the bell. She wasn't supposed to touch the bell, but she didn't care. She just wanted her nachos.

Miss Claudette looked up from the stove and over at Piper. Her eyes were small and narrow as they spied Piper coldly. "You will have to wait, child! I've got other orders to fill first!"

"But..." Piper's voice trailed off as she gave up. She just sadly nodded her head before looking away from Miss Claudette. She was so wired up at this moment with emotions. A part of her was embarrassed for dropping the nachos. Another part was fucking pissed off at that Tricia girl. For some reason, she had it out for her. She didn't know why. Piper had been perfectly nice to her, she thought. Rubbing the side of her face, Piper placed the tray as well as the empty plate onto the bar, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh.

"I'll wait for your nachos," came a voice from behind her. Piper immediately looked up at this and over to Nicky, who for once wasn't wearing a smug look of sorts on her face.

"Go take fifteen, Chapman," said Nicky simply as she placed a hand on Piper's shoulder. "Go clean yourself up." The other's woman voice was gentle and kind towards Piper.

Piper opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, she felt Nicky pushing her towards the back. "I'll cover for you," whispered Nicky into her ear, once again reassuring her.

Piper just looked at Nicky for a moment longer before nodding and making her way to the back. She walked past the kitchen, storage room, and past Red's office towards the small staff washroom.

She closed the door firmly behind her before finally allowing the sob she had been holding to escape from her lips. Tears streamed down her face as she slid down the door to the floor. She brought her knees up to her chest and hugged herself. She hated how much of a failure she felt at the moment. She hated how sensitive she was being over some stupid nachos. She was usually stronger than this. She might be a WASP, but she was known to have a temper. She continued to cry for a few moments before forcing herself to her feet.

She quickly wiped at the tears that stained her cheeks before turning on the faucet of the sink. She didn't dare look at her appearance in the mirror as she splashed cold water onto her face. She was determined to be stronger when she went back out there. She wouldn't let this Tricia get to her, whatever the fuck her game was. The water was ice-cold, but she ignored the protest of her skin as she continued to splash her face.

She dried her face with a wad of toilet paper before bringing her attention to her uniform shirt. She peeled most of the cheese off with her fingers before flushing it down the toilet. It didn't look so bad now as she looked down at the leftover grease residue. She tried to rinse some of it off, but the stain had already set into the fabric. She would have to either wash it a couple of times in the laundry or ask Red for a new shirt.

Letting out another sigh, she tucked the shirt back into the skirt before heading back outside. She didn't bother to look at her reflection. She assumed she looked like how she felt, like shit.

As Piper was emerging from the bathroom, she ran straight into Alex.

"Oh! I'm sorry," she whispered as she took a step back from Alex and nervously looked up at her face, chewing on her lower lip nervously.

Alex just smirked at Piper in response. However, it soon faded as she noted the sudden tears welling up in the blonde's eyes. She hadn't seen Piper's earlier collision with Tricia.

"Hey," she whispered as she tilted her head to the side and continued to look at Piper with concern. "Are you okay?"

Piper tore her eyes away from Alex and exhaled deeply through her nose. She brought a hand up to her mouth as she desperately tried to stifle a sob. She rapidly blinked her eyes as she once again tried to compose herself. She felt Alex's hand on her arm, but she didn't dare turn to look at her.

The two women stayed liked this for a moment before Alex's hand traveled down the blonde's arm and took her hand into her own. Piper slowly found herself being led out the back door of the bar and into a darkened alleyway.

Despite feeling like a failure, Piper couldn't stop her heart from racing as she felt the softness of Alex's hand against her own. She could feel the back of her neck begin to sweat as she glanced over at Alex.

The brunette just smirked at Piper before dropping her hand and reaching into the back pocket of her jeans and producing a pack of cigarettes.

"What are we doing out here?" asked Piper as she wrapped her arms nervously around her stomach as if a sudden chill had come over her.

"Fresh air," replied Alex as she cocked an eyebrow and lit a cigarette.

Piper didn't say anything as she watched Alex take a long drag from the cigarette before blowing out a ring of smoke. She had never been a fan of smoking, but seeing Alex lean against the brown stone of the bar and take another drag, she had to admit it was probably the sexiest thing she had ever witnessed.

Alex smiled as she noted Piper watching her. "Do you want one?" she asked in that low raspy voice of hers.

Piper couldn't help but be a little taken aback by this. She felt her cheeks flushing under Alex's gaze. The blonde immediately shook her head and murmured a soft no. The last time she had smoked a cigarette had been back in grade nine. She and Polly had been curious to know what it was like. They had stolen a pack from Polly's mom and snuck up to the second floor bathroom to smoke them. Piper had choked immediately on the smoke as it got lodged in her throat. There was no way she was going to make a bigger fool of herself than she'd already had in front of Alex.

Alex held Piper's eye for a moment longer before looking away briefly.

An awkward silence fell between the two women as Alex finished off her cigarette with Piper just standing there, trying not to self-combust. Her body was still coursing with energy from when Alex had held her hand.

* * *

"Last call!" cried out Red to the few people lingering in the bar.

It amazed Piper how the bar had gone from being filled to the max to now being dead in just half-an-hour. Everyone had just poofed out of thin air or something, it seemed. She chewed on her bottom lip as she looked over at Red who had turned her attention back to the table she was wiping down.

It was just her, Alex, Nicky, and Red left. Tricia had left with Mercy, who had also been working that night. She was surprised to find out that they were a couple. She had been under the impression that they weren't allowed to date each other or so Red had told her. However, it seemed like that rule had been bent for them or Red was just choosing to ignore it.

Piper didn't really care though. She had no intention on dating anyone at the bar...well, that was a lie. She knew if a certain tall brunette with blue tips asked her out, she would most definitely fall on her feet to say yes. However, she didn't expect that to happen any time soon. Alex seemed to be distant with her today. Yes, she had held her hand, but that was it. The brunette seemed to be tense about something. Piper didn't think it had anything really to do with her but more to do with how busy it had been at the bar. Everyone was a little on edge tonight, it seemed, she thought to herself.

As she moved to the next table to wipe it down, she saw the last few people shuffle out of the bar. She then heard someone yell out to Pornstache, who Piper had learned was the creepy bouncer guy she had encountered yesterday, to lock the door.

The bar was silent except for the occasional laugh from Red and Nicky who were joking about something. Piper wasn't paying much attention to them as she continued to move around the room, wiping down the tables and putting the chairs up. As she finished wiping down the last table, she moved to the bar.

Alex, who was in the middle of rearranging liquor bottles, locked eyes with Piper and winked.

Piper could feel her cheeks flushing as she quickly down-cast her eyes and began to throw all her attention onto a discoloured spot in the wood. The stain had probably been there for years, but that didn't stop the blonde as she scrubbed vigorously at it with her dish towel.

Alex couldn't help but smirk slightly as Piper's forehead wrinkled slightly in concentration. She was so damn cute, she thought to herself as she continued to stand there watching her for a second before going back to her own work.

She had to remain casual around the blonde. Red was still here, she told herself. She had to keep the flirting to a minimum. She knew that Red wouldn't be too upset if she did start dating Piper. Everyone knew that Mercy and Tricia were a couple, even if they never said it out loud. And before that, Mercy had gone out with Big Boo. It was how Mercy had gotten the job at the bar in the first place, through Big Boo. However, it wasn't a risk that Alex was willing to take, no matter how strong of an attraction she felt towards Piper.

She needed this job, plain and simple.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please review!

Julie


	5. Chapter 5

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

* * *

Piper was home asleep, trying to catch up on some needed rest when her cell phone went off beside her head.

_Danger in the shape of somethin' wild  
Stranger dressed in black, she's a hungry child_

She murmured slightly as the familiar tune rang loudly in her ear.

_No one knows who she is or what her name is  
I don't know where she came from or what her game is_

Her blue eyes fluttered open slowly and looked at the display of the phone. She didn't recognize the number that was calling. Letting out a sigh, she turned onto her other side and went back to bed, ignoring the call. It was only 10pm, but she was exhausted. She had just finished her first week at Coyote. It was Sunday, and she wasn't due back to the bar until Tuesday.

_Hot child in the city  
Hot child in the city  
Runnin' wild and lookin' pretty  
Hot child in the city_

The phone continued to ring before finally going to voicemail. Piper snuggled closer up to her pillow, pulling it underneath her head as a comforting silence fell upon the room. She was close to drifting off to sleep when her phone went off again beside her head a mere moment later. The blonde swore as she rolled onto her back and once again eyed the phone. Her eyes were half-closed as she reached for the phone and answered it, not bothering to look at the display.

"Hello?" she answered in a sleepy voice.

"Are you fucking sleeping?" asked a familiar voice on the other end. "Oh. My. God. She's fucking sleeping!" she heard the person say to someone off in the distant.

"Nicky?!" murmured Piper as she slowly sat up in the bed. She was surprised that Nicky was phoning her. She hadn't even known that she'd had her number.

"The one and only!" stated Nicky, smugly.

Piper let out a deep breath and rubbed her left eye as she waited for Nicky to explain why she was calling her.

"I'm assuming you were catching up on Z's just then, but I'm phoning you to get that small ass of yours out of bed!"

"Why?" asked Piper in confusion. For a second she thought that Nicky was phoning her to come into work. "Are you at the bar?"

She heard laughter in the background as Nicky replied, "No, I'm not."

The sound of that raspy chuckle sent an immediate chill down her spine. She knew that laugh all too well. A smile spread across her face as she was suddenly awake. Before Piper could reply to this, there was a murmur of voices on the other line, and a new voice came on.

"Come on, Chapman! Put on something sexy, and get your ass down here!"

Piper's stomach somersaulted at hearing Alex's voice.

"Wait! What?"

"You heard me! Put something hot on, and get your ass down here!"

"Down where?" asked Piper in confusion as she slowly climbed out the bed and went to go look out her bedroom window. "The bar?"

"No! WE already told you! We aren't at the fucking bar! We're outside your apartment!" cried Alex into the phone.

Piper was in disbelief at hearing this. Alex was outside her apartment...Alex was here. Now! Fuck, swore Piper to herself as she continued to look out her bedroom window which just looked out onto the building next door.

"GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE! OR ELSE!" cried Alex with laughter in her voice.

"Ok... Ok," replied Piper stupidly before hanging up the phone.

She just stood there in a daze for a moment looking out the window before snapping into action. She threw the phone onto her bed and turned immediately to her closet. She had no idea on where she was going or what she was supposed to be dressing "sexy" for. She hadn't thought to ask. She had been too hung up on the fact that Alex was outside her apartment. That she even remembered where she lived.

That shouldn't be a big surprise though. Alex had made sure to walk Piper home each night after work that week.

After rummaging through her closet a bit for something "sexy" or "hot" to wear, she went for her staple going-out outfit. It wasn't a little black dress but close to it. Piper spied herself in a black leather mini-skirt and a white silk cami in the mirror. The shirt dipped slow in the back and front, making it almost impossible to wear a bra with it. It was a good thing she had small boobs.

After quickly getting dressed and shoving a pair of black strappy stilettos onto her feet, Piper moved into her bathroom, where she tried to do something with her hair. It was disheveled-looking. Letting out a sigh, she just quickly brushed it out and sprayed it with a salt spray, in hopes of giving it a more of a beach-wave appearance. She kept her make-up simple by just lining her upper and lower lash line with a black kohl pencil, making her blue eyes pop a little. She finished off the look with mascara, some concealer and lip-gloss. It wasn't the best make-up job she had ever done, but it was pretty good considering just ten minutes ago she had been fast asleep. She did a quick once-over of herself before leaving the bathroom and heading out the door.

* * *

The air was humid and hot as Alex and Nicky stood on the sidewalk waiting for Piper to come down.

Alex was never one to get nervous around girls, but she found her heart pounding against her chest cavity and an unnerving feeling stir in the pit of her stomach. She was trying to appear cool but knew by the way that Nicky kept on glancing at her that she was failing slightly.

She sucked on her teeth when her attention suddenly shifted towards the door as Piper emerged from it. Alex had dated gorgeous women in the past, but there was just something about Piper that put them all to shame. She hadn't quite figured out what it was though. Yes, Piper was hot, but there was something more than just her physical appearance that attracted Alex to her.

"Well. Well. Well. Look at you," cooed Nicky as Piper emerged from the stairwell and out onto the sidewalk.

Piper smiled shyly as she glanced quickly between Nicky and Alex before turning her back and locking the door. She could feel her heart racing with nerves and anticipation on what the night would hold.

Alex once again allowed her eyes to travel over Piper's body as the blonde moved to lock her door. Alex had seen Piper's body before in all its glory over the past week, but seeing her dressed up in that micro-mini skirt made her toned legs seem like they went on forever. Again, she felt something stir within her. She had promised herself that she wouldn't make a move on Piper. If Piper didn't work at the bar and was just a student in Jones's class, then she would had made her feelings known long ago. But it wasn't that easy. Piper was her coworker, and she didn't want to scare her away. Yes, she could tell that Piper had feelings for her, or at least she thought she did by the way she looked at her when she thought she wouldn't notice. But Alex did.

"So where are we going?" asked Piper as she drew Alex out of her thoughts. The blonde was addressing Nicky, but Alex noted the slight shift of her eyes to her.

"Well, a friend of ours is having a little party of sorts, and we thought you should come along," explained Nicky to Piper. It was really only half of the truth. It had been Alex's idea to invite Piper out, saying she was new to the city and should be shown a good time.

"Okay," whispered Piper as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear and shifted her eyes once again towards Alex. "Cool."

Alex adjusted her glasses and smiled at Piper in response. "Hey."

Piper felt the heat in her cheeks as she dropped her gaze for a moment and smiled at Alex.

"Hey," she whispered back.

* * *

Piper walked slowly behind Nicky and Alex as they walked down the street towards the house party. They had just gotten off the subway and were now in Brooklyn somewhere. Piper had never been here before as she looked back and forth between the row houses that lined both sides of the street.

They continued to walk for a few moments before stopping in front of a brownstone.

"This is it!" declared Nicky.

Piper looked over to the house that Nicky was gesturing to. There were a few people mingling outside of it. The front door was open, and music was blasting loudly from inside and out onto the sidewalk.

"Cool," murmured Piper as she smiled stiffly at Nicky and Alex. She didn't want to appear as any sort of party pooper or anything, but she really was missing her bed at the moment. The blonde was always up for a good time. It was just that she wasn't feeling up to a house party at the moment. But she remained silent on the matter, seeing as she was already here. She might as well enjoy herself for a bit. Plus this night could mean something she thought as her attention drifted to Alex, who was walking just slightly ahead of her up towards the house.

Piper found herself rooted to the spot as Alex turned around to look at her, flashing that sexy smile of hers.

"Come on, kid!"

Piper grinned back in response before beginning to run as best as she could in the heels she was wearing up the stairs and towards the front door.

* * *

The music blared around Piper in the dingy room. The air was thick with the scent of weed.

It was giving her a headache. The sweet, sickly scent was usually something she could tolerate as she had gotten to used to the scent while attending Smith and just being in the vicinity of her little brother Cal's room whenever she went back home to visit. However, tonight she was struggling. The smell was too overpowering for her at the moment. It was making her a little nauseated. She didn't know if it had anything to do with the mixture of alcohol she had drunk tonight on an empty stomach, but it was all a little too overwhelming for her to handle.

Piper continued to stand against the wall by herself, cradling the now lukewarm beer in her hand as she looked through the smoke in the room at the scene before her. There was Nicky with her girlfriend, who had shown up a little later on. Piper had found out her name was Lorna. She was a sweet little Italian girl from Queens. The two of them were seated intimately together on the ugly brown couch that was taking up a good portion of the room. Next to them were two young Latina girls who where passing a bong between each other. The blonde had been introduced to them earlier, but she couldn't quite remember their names. She was pretty sure one of them was named Flaca or something like that. They both had very heavy eye make-up on, but Piper sensed that they were only a few years younger than she was.

Then seated on the floor was another young Latina girl named Daya. She was good friends with Nicky, and this was her house. She was Piper's age. The two of them had a pleasant conversation earlier about art. Daya had told Piper all about her love of Manga and Japanese-styled art. Seated beside Daya was her boyfriend, John, or so she had been introduced to him, but it seemed like everyone else called him Bennett. Piper had only talked to him briefly. He seemed nice though.

All six of them were stoned out of their minds. There were a few others in the room besides them, but Piper hadn't made an effort to introduce herself. Everyone was too lost in their own worlds to notice her standing there alone.

A sigh escaped from her lips before she chugged the remainder of the beer down before discarding the now empty bottle onto the nearby table. She wiped her brow with the back of her hand as she slipped out of the room. The rest of the house was fairly quiet except for the booming laughter of Big Boo coming from the kitchen as Piper made her way into the hallway and began to make her way up the staircase. She didn't know where she was headed, just that she needed some fresh air.

The house was very hot and sticky to her.

She had no idea what the time was or how long it had been since Nicky and Alex had invited her out as she continued to climb the stairs to the second level of the house. Piper had never been in a row house before, but she figured that it had multiple levels, one of which would lead to some sort of balcony.

After reaching the second story landing, Piper looked around briefly before continuing her way up the stairs.

This led the blonde to a small loft, which she figured was the attic. There were a few cardboard boxes scattered around the room. It was dark, except for the strip of light that was pouring in through the open French doors at the other end of the room.

Piper then slowly began to walk barefoot across the old wooden floors of the room towards the French doors, which led out to a small balcony. She had discarded her stilettos a long time ago.

She didn't notice the person seated on the plastic crate at first as she stepped out onto the balcony.

"Hey," whispered Alex as she blew a ring of smoke out from her lips and looked up at Piper as the blonde stepped out onto the balcony.

Piper was a little taken aback to be seeing the brunette, looking more beautiful than ever, she noted in the pale glow of the moon.

"Hey," she whispered back.

Their eyes lingered on each others' faces for a moment before Piper looked away shyly and out onto the urban landscape stretched out before her. It was breathtaking, she thought. She never thought she would fall in love once again with the City, but she had. She loved it here.

"You having a good time?" asked Alex as she broke the silence and extinguished her cigarette on the cement flooring of the balcony.

"Uh?" murmured Piper as she came out of her thoughts and turned to look over at Alex again.

Aleck chuckled in response to Piper. "I asked if you were having a good time."

Piper opened her mouth to say, yes, she was, but something else came out instead. She had always suffered from some sort of foot-in-mouth disease, and it was always worse when she was drunk like she was now. "You know what...no, I'm not having a good time! The music blaring downstairs sucks. Everyone is just getting fucking high, and I'm exhausted and drunk and fucking starving!"

Alex just grinned and chuckled at Piper as she continued to rant. She knew this wasn't Piper's usual scene, and it wasn't really hers either to be honest. It had been, she supposed, five years ago, but now that she was nearing her 26th birthday, not so much anymore. But despite not wanting to get plastered or stoned out of her mind, she continued to come to these lame-ass parties because of Nicky. And yeah, the first few hours weren't so bad but somewhat fun when everyone was still a little sober and not completely stoned yet. But then that would soon fade away when everyone got a little too drunk and high, and it became pathetic to watch for her.

That's usually when Alex came out here to smoke and be by herself for a bit.

That was probably whey she had invited Piper to come - to keep her company or something like that. And she was very happy now that the blonde was here with her now. She continued to stand there watching and listening to Piper as she drunkenly rambled on before interrupting her.

"You're cute when you rant," noted Alex boldly as she pushed her glasses up on top of her head and stood up at the same time. "Like, you're always cute, but you're really fucking cute when you rant like that...You get this little crease between your eyebrows. So fucking cute, like one of those dogs...a pug!"

Piper's cheeks were flaming red by this point as she listened to Alex talk. Not only was it from the alcohol but also from the way Alex was talking about how cute she was. She hadn't meant to go on a rant like she had, but she tended to have a temper and again when she was drunk, so it really wasn't any surprise that all of this was coming out of her now.

"What?" asked Alex, who was now standing very close to Piper on the balcony. Their faces were just mere inches a part now as Alex leaned over the railing and stared intensely down at Piper. "It's the fucking truth."

Piper looked away from Alex and chewed on the inside of her cheek. Her heart was racing as a cool breeze suddenly touched her very warm skin. She could feel Alex's breath on her shoulder as they continued to stand close together, but she didn't dare to look at her.

She was way too nervous.

"I like you."

Alex's words hung heavily in the air. It was a simple, yet very bold statement she had just made. Alex had told herself she wasn't going to make a move, that she wasn't going to risk her job, but all that seemed to go out the window as she continued to look at Piper in the pale moonlight.

She was beautiful, she thought. From her sun-kissed face with its freckle-dusted cheeks and nose to those dark expressive eyebrows that framed her bright blue eyes that always filled Alex's dreams at night. And then there was those perfect pink pouty lips of hers, which were so fucking shiny and delicious-looking to Alex at the moment.

"I like you," whispered Alex again as she leaned her face closer to Piper's. Her green eyes searched her face before letting out a deep breath. It was now or never, she thought as she lifted a hand up to the side of Piper's face and cupped it.

Piper's blue eyes immediately looked up and locked on Alex's at this. There was an expression of surprise and fear playing on her face.

Alex smiled reassuringly at the blonde, gently running the pad of her thumb along her chin before touching her lips softly to hers.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please review!

Julie


	6. Chapter 6

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Okay this chapter is on the shorter side. Just don't know what to do anymore with this story.

* * *

Piper stood frozen to the spot, her back pressing up against the railing of the balcony as her hands hung limp in midair. She wasn't sure where to put them exactly. She was afraid to reach out and touch Alex as her lips continued to press softly into hers. Her heart was beating like a jackhammer, and every nerve in her body seemed to be alive and alert at this moment. Her drunken exhaustion was suddenly gone as if someone had just shaken her violently awake.

She felt very sober at the moment.

Her eyes were closed as Alex's touch continued to take her over. It took her a good moment to get over the initial shock of what Alex was doing before she was kissing her back. She couldn't believe how soft Alex's lips felt against her own. She had drunkenly kissed Polly one time on a dare in high school, but other than that she had only kissed men.

Kissing Alex, however, was nothing like any of those previous experiences.

Alex's hands continued to cup the side of Piper's chin, pulling her mouth close to hers as her tongue suddenly parted open the blonde's lips. She sucked softly on the bottom one before running her tongue along the edge of her teeth. She tasted like honey in some odd way, thought Alex to herself. She could taste the beer on her lips, but there was also something else there...a sweetness...?

Whatever it _fucking_ was, Alex couldn't get enough of it.

She knew that kissing Piper would be good. She had dreamt about it enough over the past week...something she had never done before. Alex didn't fantasize much. She was more of a doer, she just went after what she wanted and usually succeeded...Heh. Who the hell was she kidding, she _always_ succeeded.

But with Piper, she found herself acting differently. She didn't want to rush it with her.

But there was only so long a girl like Alex could hold out before making her kill. She was tired of this cat and mouse game that she and Piper had been playing all week.

The cat was hungry, _very_ hungry, and she was going to get that mouse.

Piper's mind was racing as she tried to get her mouth to work properly. She felt like it was her first kiss all over again. She was scared of kissing Alex back in a way, worried that she would do it wrong or something. She wasn't exactly sure...she just didn't want Alex to feel disappointed... But with the way she was struggling now, Alex probably already fucking felt that, she thought miserably to herself. God, when had kissing become so _fucking_ hard!?

She felt like such a slobbery drunken mess as she continued to stand there kissing Alex.

The kiss went on for a few moments longer before Alex pulled away and smirked at Piper.

Piper looked up at her briefly before casting her eyes down to the floor. She could feel the heat in her cheeks as a wave of embarrassment came over her. She was still unsure of the kiss. Well, the kiss in general had been good...really good. Alex had done her part brilliantly, she thought. She just wasn't sure about her performance in it.

"Why do you do that?" asked Alex as a moment had passed. Her voice was soft and low as she continued to peer at the blonde with curiosity.

"Do what?" replied Piper as she forced herself to look back up at Alex.

"Look away like that? I can never hold your gaze for more than a fucking second or two before you look away..."

Piper felt the heat in her cheeks once again return. She chewed on her bottom lip as she fought the urge to look away. They were both silent for a second as Piper tried to find the best way to describe what Alex did to her body when under that smouldering gaze of hers.

"You make me nervous..." she whispered, shyly at the brunette. She felt so embarrassed at this moment telling Alex this. Alex must think she was some complete idiot or something. Some stupid yuppy who has no experience, she thought to herself.

Alex just stared at Piper blankly before her face broke out into a smirk.

"I make you nervous?!"

Piper nodded her head in reply. She didn't have the guts to speak.

"How do I make you nervous?" asked Alex as she titled her head to the side and continued to pierce her eyes into Piper's. "Like is it a good nervous or a bad nervous?"

She was merely teasing the blonde, but there was a general interest in her question. She didn't want Piper to feel uncomfortable around her.

"It's a good nervous..." whispered Piper. It was a _very_ good nervous, she thought when she was around Alex.

The smirk once again returned to Alex's face at this. She was happy to hear that Piper wasn't uncomfortable around her. That was the last thing she wanted for the blonde to feel around her.

The two women continued to stare at each other before Alex reached out and caressed the side of Piper's face.

"You make me nervous too," she whispered as she inched her face closer to Piper's.

Piper couldn't help but be a little taken aback by this. "I do?!"

Alex was one of the most confident people she had ever encountered. Not in a million years would she have thought that Alex would get nervous about anything, let alone about _her_...!?

Alex let out a raspy chuckle at the blonde's reaction. "Yeah...you do, kid!"

The brunette didn't usually admit things like this, but she found Piper was different. She wanted to tell her everything from her hopes and dreams to her darkest insecurities. The walls that she long ago put up around herself, to protect herself from others were slowly starting to come down the longer she was around Piper.

There was a moment of silence between the two women as they continued to look deeply at one another.

"I like you," blurted out Piper suddenly. She hadn't planned on telling Alex her feelings for her...especially when she couldn't make sense of them herself. However, Alex had been honest with her. She wanted to make sure that Alex knew she returned her feelings, too.

"You like me?" Alex was just teasing her now, but she also just liked to hear her say those words to her.

Piper felt her cheeks flush again, but she didn't look away. She continued to hold Alex's gaze as a small smile appeared on her face. She suddenly felt very relaxed and calm as she once again opened her mouth to speak. "Yeah, I like you!"

Alex wrapped her arm around Piper's waist and held her close to her. Her green eyes were dark with lust, gone was the amusement from earlier. She was done teasing the blonde for now as she continued to look at her. She licked her lips slowly in a seductive manner.

"I'm going to fucking kiss you again..."

And before Piper could reply, Alex's wet lips were pressing hard against her own in a passionate kiss.

* * *

Thanks for reading and please leave a review!

Julie


	7. Chapter 7

Do not own Orange Is the New Black or any of the characters.

Okay so this is another somewhat short chapter but considering the response on the last chapter, I know you guys won't mind! ;-P I promise to make future chapters longer. I do have some sort of plan or thought on where I want this story to go...so yayy!"

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement to continue on the last chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

Piper could feel her arousal building as Alex's wicked tongue continued to explore the depths of her mouth.

Her heart was racing as Alex's hands suddenly began to travel up the back of her shirt. A mixture of nerves and excitement stirred in her stomach at feeling the pads of supple fingers caress her flesh. The blonde was trying to concentrate on what her own mouth and hands were doing, but she was finding it extremely difficult at the moment as Alex's hands crept inch by inch up her back.

She hated how nervous she was at the moment. And it wasn't because of Alex and what she was doing. What she was doing felt wonderful to her. It was more of a fear of not knowing _what_ to do. She once again felt lost on how to proceed with things.

Yes, she liked Alex, very much. It had been a while since she felt such an attraction to someone like she did when she was around the brunette. It was just that Piper had never been with a woman before. And that made her nervous. She didn't want to appear naive and virginal in front of Alex, who she could assume was very experienced in that department...

She was also afraid that Alex would get bored of her.

That Alex was only in it for the chase and that after she succeeded with her...that she would just toss her to the side. Piper had experienced that before with one of the guys she dated while at Smith. That hadn't been a fun experience. And she was determined not to be someone's plaything ever again, no matter how hot they were. She wouldn't allow herself to be walked over.

Her mind continued to swirl with thoughts as Alex suddenly slid her hands from out of shirt and returned them back to her waist.

Piper felt her body relax slightly for a second before the panic returned.

Alex now had her mouth torn away from Piper's and was kissing the side of her neck.

The blonde usually loved to have her neck kissed, and she was trying to enjoy it, but she could feel the nerves bubbling in her stomach. It was all of the sudden too much for her. It was going way too fast for her to handle. If things continued to escalate like this for them...it was only going to end in one way...

Don't get her wrong, Piper loved sex. And she was sure that Alex was great in the sack.

It was something she wanted, the sex...it was just that she was feeling a little shy about it. She had never been with a woman before, and she would be lying if she said it didn't scare the shit out of her.

That probably explained why she was finding it a little difficult now to breathe as Alex pressed her up against the brick of the house, her shoulder blades digging painfully into the wall.

Alex had her knee nudged between Piper's legs, pressing their bodies closer together than they already were. Piper's eyes were wide open as Alex's mouth continued to suck on the delicate skin of her collar bone. She was trying to get herself to calm down and not to have a panic attack. But she was struggling to compose herself. She could feel her insides twisting as a sickening feeling suddenly came over her. She shouldn't have drunk so much on an empty stomach... It was definitely not doing her any good now. Her vision blurred for a second as she took a deep breath.

Despite the humid night air, a cold chill ran down her back.

She was going to puke, she thought, as she felt the bile rise in her throat.

Her hands, which had been barely touching Alex's waist up until this point, suddenly flew to Alex's shoulders and pushed on her.

Alex had stopped kissing Piper's neck and looked up at the blonde. Her expression was a look of confusion before setting into a hard line of worry.

"Are you okay?" she asked noting the look of distress on the blonde's face.

"I'm going to puke," stated Piper simply as she met Alex's eye for a second before bolting away from the wall and over the railing. She could taste the bitter taste of the bile as it rose from her throat and came out of her mouth.

She closed her eyes as she continued to be sick over the railing. She felt Alex come up behind her and pull back her hair, but she didn't dare look back at her. Alex would definitely think she was some sort of baby now. One who didn't know how to kiss and couldn't hold her alcohol.

Piper continued to be sick for another moment or two before it faded into dry heaving. There was nothing else in her stomach to puke up.

"Are you okay?" asked Alex as she peered over Piper. She was still holding the blonde's hair.

Piper didn't say anything as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and once again tried to compose herself. She had never been so embarrassed before in her life than she was at this moment. She felt her cheeks flush as another wave of nausea washed over her. She didn't think she would be sick again, but at the same time she couldn't be for sure.

"Are you okay?"

Piper just shook her head as she felt the tears sting the back of her eyes. She felt Alex stroking her hair, but she pushed her away. She didn't want to be consoled at the moment.

"Please don't," she whispered as she took a step away from Alex and finally met her eye.

Alex looked on at Piper with confusion at this. She didn't understand why Piper was pushing her away all of a sudden. She cocked an eyebrow as she continued study the blonde. They had been having fun. She couldn't understand what had gone wrong for Piper to push her away like she was now.

"Come on, kid, you can talk to me..." said Alex as she tried to reach out for Piper again. She didn't want Piper to be scared of her. She wanted Piper to talk to her. To feel comfortable around her.

Piper again pushed Alex away. "I should go," she whispered as she tore her eyes away from Alex and looked down at her feet.

Alex frowned at hearing this. This was the last thing she wanted. She didn't want Piper to leave. She wanted her to stay, she thought as she continued to look at the blonde.

"I should go," murmured Piper again before she got the courage to actually do so.

Alex called out after her, but she knew it would do no good. The blonde bolted from the balcony and headed back through the room to the staircase.

* * *

Piper was gently awoken by the sound of a car alarm going off outside the bedroom window.

She stirred slightly in the bed as her eyes fluttered open and a loud yawn escaped from her chapped lips. She stretched her long limbs like a cat before her eyes searched around the mess of her bedroom. There was a brief moment when she had no memories of last night. Her mind was a blissful blank slate for a second before it all came flooding right back to her.

She groaned as it all came back, and an uneasy feeling washed over her. She wished it had all been a bad dream, but she knew it hadn't been.

It was her reality now.

Last night seemed so far away now to her as she continued to lie in bed, thinking about everything. From the call from Nicky to getting wasted at the house party to Alex admitting that she liked her and then the kiss...

She touched her lips as she remembered how good Alex's mouth had felt against her own. It had been one hell of a kiss, or, correction, kisses. They had kissed multiple times. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment as she remembered what had happened next, after those two great kisses they had shared. She hated how she had gotten sick like that in front of Alex. She knew that it wasn't the actual kiss which had made her puke.

But she was worried that Alex thought it was. She probably thought she was some fucking prude now or something. Why did these things fucking happen to her? Why couldn't she just act fucking normal for once and not freak out like she had? Everything had been going so fucking well up until that moment when her body had decided to have a mind of its own.

"Fuck!" she swore.

She wouldn't be able to face Alex now.

Piper rubbed her eyes as she stared at her wrinkled clothes from last night. She had been too exhausted when she got home to change out of her clothes, let alone wash off her make-up. She sighed as she lay back onto the pillows and closed her eyes. She could feel a headache coming on.

At least she didn't have to go into work today, she thought. The only thing she had on her agenda for today was her drawing class which wasn't until later on that night. She planned on spending the rest of the day until then in bed.

But she knew she wouldn't be getting much relaxation done though really. Even know she wouldn't be going to work there was still a pretty good chance she would be seeing Alex today. She assume that she was the regular model for the drawing class. At Smith, in each of her figurative classes she took, they would have a different model each class. But since this was just a open-figurative class and one just at the Y, she assumed they just had one model. She could be wrong on this fact, though.

Of course, she wouldn't figure this out until later on tonight, so until then she would be a fit of nerves that she would have to see Alex again. And not only Alex but Alex in the nude!

God, she was such an artist cliché- falling for the nude model of her drawing class.

* * *

The morning sun was bright as it poured in through the window and onto the bed. Alex moaned as she turned onto her side and covered her head with the pillow. She wasn't in the mood to get up yet.

It wasn't that it was early.

It would be afternoon in less than a hour. It was more of the fact that her head was pounding from last night. She hadn't drank that much, not anymore than she usually did, but she hadn't gotten much sleep either. After Piper had left her, she had headed home herself. She hadn't felt so rejected like that since high school.

And it wasn't really rejection she had felt from Piper. She was more upset with herself for allowing things to go as far as they had with the blonde. She had gotten carried away with things after Piper had told her she liked her. She hadn't been thinking, she thought. She should have slowed things down between them. She just really, _really_ liked Piper.

But she knew that Piper wasn't like the rest of the girls she had dated in the past. The blonde was different. Not just because Alex assumed that Piper was straight. She had been with plenty of straight girls before. But there was just something about the blonde that made Alex want to take things slowly and not just hook up with her.

Alex wanted more with Piper.

But she knew that wouldn't be happening now with the way things had ended between them last night. Not only had the poor girl puked, but she had ran away from her too. Alex knew that Piper had probably felt embarrassed about being sick, and that's why she had bolted like she had. But another part of Alex couldn't help but think it had to do with something of her too.

She couldn't help but think that she might have taken advantage of the blonde in a way.

That had been the last thing she had wanted to happen. She hadn't meant for Piper to feel uncomfortable. She had just wanted to be with her.

"FUCK!" she swore as she suddenly threw the pillow across the room. Why couldn't things go right for her? she wondered bitterly.

Alex was always pretty lucky in the love department. There had only been one or two times when she had been completely rejected and had her heart broken. Since then, she had always made sure to be one step ahead in whatever relationship she was in.

She was always the one breaking hearts, not the other way around.

But again, this time was going to be different, she thought. Alex might have been the one to make the first move with Piper, but she had already known that Piper was different. That the blonde was going to have some invisible control over her whether she liked it or not. The blonde already had control over her.

Normally, if a girl had run away from her like Piper had, she would just shrug it off and say it was her own damn loss, not hers. But she didn't want to just shrug Piper off. She really wanted to make this work with her.

She wanted to show Piper that she didn't just think of her as another notch on her belt like her previous relationships.

Alex just hoped it wasn't too late to repair the damage.

But she would hopefully be seeing Piper later on that night at the drawing class. Jones had called her the other day to model for her again. There was suppose to be another model, so that Alex did every other class. However, the model, Cindy had bailed on her or something. So now, she was modeling each Monday night class for her. Which she didn't mind, really. She enjoyed modeling. It was a nice change from the fast path of the bar. Plus, it didn't pay so bad either for just having her stand in her birthday suite for a butch of strangers.

Well, one of them wasn't a stranger anymore, she thought as Piper's image once again flooded her mind.

* * *

Thanks for reading and don't forget to review!

Julie


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