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

Thanks for everyone's reviews and support for this story. I know it's been like a month since I updated. I didn't mean to take so long just got sidetracked I guess with my other stories. A girl can only have so many storylines running through her mind at a time. Lol.

This involves that wonderful, yet short phone conversation between Alex and Piper.

Enjoy.

Alex didn't know why she was even bothering to put on eyeliner.

It wasn't like she had anyone to impress with it. She knew she wouldn't be going anywhere today. She wasn't going to be seeing anyone, but herself in the reflection of the mirror. She had no one to impress, but herself.

However, waking up and putting on eyeliner had become her routine. Just like in Litchfield, it made her feel a little saner. A little more like her old normal self before shit went down. She had been wearing eyeliner since she was fourteen. It was part of her image. Just like the black framed glasses she wore. She felt completely naked and not really herself without both of them.

It was crazy to think how much she depended on eyeliner. It was only make-up. Something completely artificial.

A fucking piece of vanity.

But like a thousand other women across the world, it made her feel beautiful and gave her that little bit of self confidence that nothing really else could.

It was her sense of normality in this screwed up life she was living. She had depended on it in prison and now she was depending on it again out in the real world. Of course this time she didn't have to cheek pills to trade later for it. Black eyeliner was much easier to get a hold of outside of prison walls.

She sighed as she finished off lining her left eye and lowered the pen. She just stood there for the longest time, studying her reflection. She had once known herself so well, but this person staring back at her, she felt she didn't know at all. Again, she felt that mess of black darkness looming in her mind that she couldn't get past. She knew she was suppose to be happy and thrilled that she was out. It was what all of them had wished and hoped for back in Litchfield.

Just to be fucking out in the real world, again. However, she was anything, but happy.

She felt her eyes rim with tears as this saddened though entered her mind. She felt her eyes close briefly as she tried to compose herself. She didn't want to break down. She hated how low and miserable she felt.

She just wanted to be fucking happy.

But she knew that wouldn't be happening for a while. Her life was too much of a shithole nowadays. If only she had someone she could talk to, then maybe she wouldn't feel so crappy.

Alex had tried talking to her aunt at the beginning, but as much as she tried to understand what she was going through, she just didn't get it. And don't even get her started on her fucking probation officer, who was suppose to be helping her. He didn't give a shit about her. He would probably love to send her back to Litchfield in a heartbeat if given the chance.

Snapping her eyes open, she pushed the sadness away. Her moment of self-pity was over, she thought to herself. Her face was a mask of determination and calmness as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

She needed to be strong.

Putting the cap back onto the pen of the eyeliner, she heard the ring of her cell phone going off in the kitchen. She cursed underneath her breath as she began to make her way out of the bathroom, twisting her hair into a knot at the base of her neck. She had no idea who was calling her but she assumed it was either just her aunt or some telemarketer. But every time the phone rang she couldn't help but think that it might be Piper. She had asked her time and time again in her letters for her to call her.

Alex looked briefly down at the caller display before answering it. She didn't recognize the number.

"An inmate from Litchfield Federal Prison is attempting to contact you. To accept this call, please press 1..." explained the automatic voice on the other line. She felt heart began to race as she heard this words. This is what she had been waiting for all these months. Piper was finally trying to get in touch with her.

A cold nervous sweat ran down her back as she quickly pressed one and brought the phone back up to her ear. She held her breath as she waited for Piper to say something.

"So in you're letter, you claim you tried to ask if I could get the same deal that you got..."

Alex almost rolled her eyes as she listened to Piper talk about the last letter she had sent her. She knew this wasn't going to be the happy lovey-dovey reunion she wanted it to be. Knowing Piper, like she did, the blonde was probably still pissed for how things had gone at the trial. And she couldn't blame her really. She would be pissed too if the tables were reversed.

She ran her hand along the edge of the kitchen counter before going to go lean against the archway of the room. She didn't really care if Piper was mad at her still. It just felt so good to hear her voice again. She had missed her, terribly.

"But, what you fail to explain is why after you coached me in exactly what to say in my testimony. You suddenly do an about-face and say the exact opposite thing."

"Do you want the long version or the short version?" asked Alex, cutting to the chase of the matter.

"I want the short version," stated Piper bluntly. "You have one minute."

She was a little taken back to hear this. She knew that making Piper forgive her would be hard and that Piper wouldn't come around easy to what Alex had done to her. However, she would have thought that the blonde would at least hear her out. She at least deserved a chance to explain her side of the story.

"Oh." Alex moved pushed herself off of the wall and began to make her way into the living room of her apartment. "It's like that, huh?"

"No. My phone credit is running low," explained the blonde to her. Her voice was much softer and not as hostile sounding as it had been before.

Alex walked towards the window and picked up an almost empty wine glass from last night which rested on the sill of the window. "Look, Piper. I was facing more time than you. My lawyer told me that my testimony would put Cobra away, for sure! And that I could walk that same day."

"Congratulations. You're lawyer is a better lawyer than Larry's dad."

"No!" there was a sudden bitterness to Alex's voice. "No. He isn't. Cobra walked." Her lawyer sucked ass, she thought. Sure, he had been able to get her free, but now she was potentially in danger for her life.

"What?!"

Alex looked briefly towards the window before looking up at the ceiling, trying to calm herself as she thought about her former employer.

"There was a mistrial," she explained sadly. "Some dumbFUCK! Mishandled the evidence." The brunette kicked at the ground as the rage once again stirred in her stomach. She could tell by Piper's silence on the other end that she was shocked to hear this news.

"He's out!"

"So, I'm the only one who went to prison?" asked Piper.

Fuck, Piper, thought Alex to herself. Of course, Piper was making this about her and how she was the only one in prison. Ignoring the fact that she had just told her point blank basically that her life was in danger. "I tell you that Cobra's free after I testify against him and that's all you have to say!?"

She couldn't believe that Piper was choosing this moment of all moments to be fucking selfish.

"Well...like I mean," replied Piper, back tracking now. "They're protecting you, right?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh slightly in utter amusement at this. "Yeah. They're protecting me alright. There's around-the-clock surveillance."

With the wine glass still in her hand, she turned to face the window again. She looked briefly out of it, looking down at the van parked across the street. It was the same one that was always there. "And by that, I mean I see my probation officer once a week for twenty minutes."

"Oh my god..." whispered Piper as it finally clued in. "Alex...Alex. Are you serious? Where are you right now?"

Alex brought the wine glass up to her lips and drained the lukewarm white wine from the bottom of it. She didn't care if it was now even quite noon yet, she was in desperate need of something to take the sudden edge she was feeling off. "Queens," she murmured tiredly.

"You're in Queens! I was just there," spoke Piper.

Alex's brows immediatly fussed together in utter confusion at hearing this. How could she'd been in Queens? Litchfield is no where near the City, let along Queens. She placed the now empty wine glass onto the counter as she made her way back into the kitchen.

"What?" she cried in puzzlement.

"Never mind," replied Piper quickly, dismissing what she had said earlier. "I can't get into that right now. Alex. You shouldn't be in New York. Alex. You should be in fucking Nevada...or Argentina or something..." The blonde's voice was filled with worried as she rambled on about all the possible places that Alex should be right now other than where she was now in New York.

"It's fine," shrugged Alex like it was no big deal that people were stacking out her apartment. "Thomas Pinchin had New York for years. Queens isn't that bad. No one comes to visit. But there is pretty good Greek food." She knew it was a lame attempt at a joke but she didn't like darkness the conversation had taken.

"Besides...I'm not allowed to leave the fucking state," she added bitterly. "It's apart of my release." She couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly at she said this. So much for being free, she thought.

All of a sudden an automatic voice interrupted the call, saying that there was only 30 seconds remaining for the call.

"Oh. Shit!" cursed Piper.

"You couldn't have added more credit before calling me?" asked Alex angrily to her former girlfriend. "I need to talk to you."

Did Piper not see how important this was to her? Did she not fucking get that she needed her? Besides, there was something else she wanted to discuss with Piper, something that could be said in a letter or a phone call for that matter. She needed to see Piper.

"Well, I didn't plan ahead," hissed Piper in response.

"I need to talk to you in person. Can you get me on your visitation list?" Alex knew she might be grasping at straws here but it was worth asking she thought. The need to see the blonde was too overpowering not too.

"Well, I'll try. But Alex. Are you sure? Are you sure that you're safe?"

Alex couldn't help but look towards the living room window again at this. That wasn't something she could really answer with a straight answer. It was still something she was trying to figure out herself, if she was safe or not.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she lied, pushing the nerves away. She didn't want Piper to have to worry about her. "Just get me on your list and we can talk about it then."

"Okay!" She heard Piper say before the line went dead.

Alex sighed as she lowered the phone from her ear and looked down at the display for a second.

That phone call had been way too short, she thought to herself as she threw the phone onto the pillows of the couch.

Thanks for reading and leave a review if you would like.

Julie