Piper's brother Cal was taller than Alex expected him to be. If Alex had to guess she'd say he looked like his father, because he and Piper didn't look anything alike. He smiled when she stepped to the table and if Alex didn't know any better she'd have thought they were old friends. She actually did feel as if she knew the guy, during their time together Piper talked about him constantly. Apparently he was prone to odd ball behavior and half-baked theories. Piper even admitted that he'd gotten married during their grandmother's funeral. Alex had laughed when she'd heard that one, but having never been to fond of funerals she didn't see a problem with it. Piper to her credit didn't seem to care, according to her their grandmother would have gotten a kick out of it.

"Congratulations, I heard you got married," Alex said doing her best to sound friendly. She wasn't sure why Cal had wanted to get on her visitors list but him being Piper's brother made it impossible to say no. Not to mention she wasn't at all busy. Any break from routine was welcome.

Cal nodded with pride. "Yeah, finally decided it was time to settle down. Neri's actually here with me but they won't let her inside. There's some sort of mix-up with her paperwork."

Alex almost laughed. Mix-up with paperwork was seemingly code for couldn't pass the appropriate background check.

"Oh that's too bad. Tell her I said hello and congratulate her for me too."

Cal nodded still beaming with pride like a lighthouse. "I will, I will."

Alex didn't respond, she wasn't sure what this little meeting was about but she figured now was the time to get to it. Cal seemed like a nice enough guy but at the end of the day he was a Chapman, and from what she knew of Piper's family this meeting had ulterior motives.

"You're taller than I thought you'd be. And prettier." He shrugged. "I don't know what I expected but the way Piper talks about you I just expected somebody more." He seemed to give up and let the comment fade.

"Butch," Alex said answering for him.

Cal laughed. "Actually yeah. I expected somebody more butch. Drug dealers don't look like you back where I'm from."

"Distributor actually. I didn't actually sell the drugs. I just moved them from one place to another."

"Is that what my sister did?"

Piper was inside for conspiracy, which in cop talk meant she was probably guilty of stuff they didn't catch her for. Conspiracy was such a large umbrella almost anything could constitute it and the cops took advantage of that wholeheartedly. Piper had committed one crime, nearly ten years ago, yet here she was, locked up for conspiracy.

"Your sister carried 50 thousand dollars in drug money from one place to another. One time. Almost ten years ago."

Cal seemed to nod. Apparently he expected some other tale. Some non-edited version of the story Piper had already told him no doubt.

"That's what she said she did."

Alex gave him a confident nod. "That's what she did."

Alex could see Cal's face pondering, thinking, going over the inevitable question in his mind. Did she rat Piper out? She knew the question was coming. But the room was too full of inmates and family members, too many ears. She decided to beat him to the punch. If he asked the question somebody would overhear and the mere idea of him asking was enough to sink her reputation inside. It would make her a target and a victim. She couldn't have that. Not now.

"I know what you're going to ask me, and I have to ask you not to say it. Not here. Just you asking me is bad. But I can do you one better and say yes. Yes, it's true. I would love to explain to you why but I don't really have a good excuse. I'm a selfish bitch, and I was upset. That's why I did it. Do I regret it? Yes and no. Yes because it was mean and thoughtless. No, because it all worked out in the end and it brought us back together."

Cal's face had been thoughtful during her speech. She could see in his eyes that he was more interested than angry. He wasn't here to rake her over the coals or to yell and scream, he was just interested.

"Do you play Go Fish?"

Alex almost scoffed. It had been years since she'd played Go Fish. "Not in years."

Cal only nodded and pulled an old warped deck of Star Wars playing cards out of his breast pocket. "I got these when I was eight. I saved up two weeks of allowance, skipped school, and walked two miles to get them. I knew one day they'd be worth a lot of money and I told Piper that they'd send me to medical school so I could be a doctor," he laughed. "I know, a doctor. Never mind my grades were shit and I didn't think twice about skipping school to get my Star Wars on, but still, I had a plan."

He took a deep breath and began to shuffle through the cards. "Anyway I kept talking about how much they were gonna be worth one day and how I was gonna be rich. I guess Piper got annoyed because one day I came home from school and my Princess Leia Queen of Spades was missing. I searched high and low for the thing but I couldn't find it. I asked Piper about it and she looked me right in the eyes and told me that maybe it got blown up by the Death Star along with Alderaan." He began to deal the cards. "I know I wasn't ever going to go to medical school. College wasn't even for me, and truth be told I played with the damn things every day so they wouldn't have been worth much anyway. But even as a little kid Piper couldn't stand not having her way. Years later when she moved away for college my mother was cleaning her room, you know, getting rid of the old kid stuff she had stashed away. Hidden underneath her dresser my mother found three decks of Star Wars playing cards. Still in the plastic, never opened, vintage condition. Piper had hidden them there years ago, then I guess she forgot all about them. My mom mentioned it to me, said she'd tossed them in the trash so I drove over, dug them out and put them on EBay."

"No kidding, how much did you get?"

Cal smirked as he slid the cards across the table to her. "After selling all three, I got about a hundred grand."

Alex whistled. "Holy shit."

Cal nodded. "I used the money to buy my land and my trailer. My own slice of paradise. Moral of the story is, I love my sister, but fuck her, she had it coming."

Alex laughed. "Did you ever tell her?"

Cal nodded. "Of course. I told her she can have this old set if she wants it. Although it won't be worth much without Princess Leia. She just laughed. Then she said don't be surprised if she puts her own trailer on that land one day."

"That's our girl, selfish to the core." Alex wanted to be surprised but she wasn't. Piper was inherently Piper. She had never, and would never change. She was selfish and narcissistic and cruel to the point of heartlessness when she wanted to be but Alex wouldn't have it any other way.

He picked up his hand of cards and began to inspect them. "It wasn't until she got arrested for all this that she admitted to me that she'd stolen the damn things in the first place." He looked up at her over his cards. "What you did, don't think twice about it. Who knows what else she's pulled and gotten away with over the years. She's not Al Capone, but she's not Princess Di either. She's always been a schemer, we've always known it. My grandmother always said her brother was the same way. That's why Piper was her favorite, her brother ended up doing 15 years in Sing Sing for bookmaking. She loved him anyway, just like I love Piper anyway. Doesn't mean she isn't right where she belongs."

XOXO

Alex was attempting to be cagey. Her visit with Cal had put her in a great mood but when Piper asked what exactly had transpired between them Alex had only admitted to playing Go Fish and talking about Star Wars. It seemed a stupid thing to keep a secret but Alex was all about secrets.

"Why won't you just tell me? We don't keep secrets from each other, that was the rule. Inside we have to always be united."

Alex moved her red pawn forward four spaces on the Sorry game board, landing on the same spot as one of Piper's yellows and moved Piper's yellow pawn back to the starting position. She stared at the board as if confused about something before looking up at Piper distracted.

"I am. We played Go Fish and talked about Star Wars. He told me the story about the Princess Leia Queen of Spades and how you stole it so he wouldn't be able to go to medical school."

Across the room Leanne and her dim witted friend exited the room. Piper hadn't had one conversation with them since her fight with Doggett. Leanne, Alex's old bunk mate, hadn't even acknowledged her existence, which according to Alex was exactly how she wanted it. Of course they'd eventually have to talk because Alex was angling on getting her job back in the laundry. This was a problem for another day of course, as it stood right now Leanne was pretending as if they were complete strangers.

"I did not steal his dumb card. He lost it and blamed it on me. Did he tell you he owes me a hundred grand?"

Alex nodded, her attention still focused on the board. "He did. We talked Piper. We talked about my dad, and my mom. I told him about us and our life together. We talked. He's your brother, what do you think happened? Do you think I gave him a hand job under the table?"

Piper forced herself not to scowl. "It wouldn't be the first time two people who are supposed to care about me stabbed me in the back."

Alex pulled another card but instead of moving her own pawn moved Piper's.

"What do you care about Larry and Polly? Of course he fucked her Piper. You broke his heart, she's your best friend, its text book revenge. I feel sorry for her to tell you the truth. Maybe it's real, maybe it'll last for fifty years. But more than likely it won't. It's more likely he'll wake up in a year or two, or five, and realize loving her was all about getting back at you. Meanwhile you won't really give a shit about either of them anymore and he'll see he's actually the asshole you always thought he was."

Piper couldn't argue with that. She expected this sort of bullshit from Larry, deep down underneath it all he wasn't the tortured saint he made himself out to be. He could be an incredibly selfish asshole at times. Polly on the other hand had broken her heart. Polly had been her best friend for more than fifteen years and her betrayal had hurt. In all the years she'd been with Pete Piper had never even considered sleeping with him. Even now that they were on the outs and Piper was mad at Polly she'd still never cross that line, ever. It wasn't about Larry, it was about not being able to trust her anymore.

"I don't care about them. I just want to know what you guys talked about." It was a lie, a bold faced lie but Alex didn't beat a dead horse and graciously changed the subject.

"Well I told you, we talked about everything. You, me, us, him, Star Wars, your grandmother's brother, the bookie. We got to know one another. If you and I are going to be together it's important that I have a relationship with at least one member of your family. Your parents aren't going out of their way to get to know me."

Piper finally relented. "Cal's great. He doesn't judge. It's great to have a brother like that. When I was on furlough he said he'd drive me to Mexico if I needed him to. Even though he said it would be stupid for me to run."

"God I still can't believe you got furlough. The entire prison thinks we've got all these moves because of shit like that. It makes us look like we got more juice than we actually do. This morning that girl Brook asked me if there was anything she could get for me."

Piper's face twisted into a frown. "Soso. That little bitch."

Alex rolled her eyes. "Not like that. She knows we're together. She's looking for protection. She can't find a wife. She wants to know if she can sit with us from now on. She said she would ask you but she's afraid you're going to try to sell her again."

Piper's frown faded. "God, one little misunderstanding and she can't let it go." Soso was being such a crybaby. She didn't even get hurt. Boo didn't touch her. It wasn't like she set the girl up to get gang raped in the shower or something.

Alex didn't bother responding. "I figured we owed her. But I told her she can't talk so much because you thought she was annoying. I think her feelings were hurt but she thinks you're a horrible person anyway."

Boo had said the same thing after that incident. 'You're a horrible person Chapman.' The words had stung at the time but Piper decided she wouldn't let it bother her. Not now. She was in prison and in prison she HAD to be a horrible person. Soso needed a bit of toughening up. She'd actually done the girl a favor. You didn't have any friends inside, if you were lucky you had a crew who would look out for you. Trust wasn't something you just gave away. The sooner the girl figured that out the better.

Alex pulled another card and moved another pawn across the board. She smiled from the result seemingly getting an acceptable result before looking up at Piper for approval. Her smile faded almost instantly, her eyes squinting behind her dark framed glasses.

Piper felt the chair beside her move then almost gasped as Gonzales wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She tried to pull away but the girl's arm only stiffened and pulled her closer. Her words echoed in Piper's head. 'You can be my new plaything. I'll treat you real good baby'. She shuddered.

Across the table Ramos made herself comfortable in the seat beside Alex. Piper watched as she folded her hands and placed them right on top of the board game, scattering pieces everywhere. Alex looked as if she wanted to say something but whatever it was she kept it to herself.

"Hey. We were playing that." Piper said doing her best to make her point without giving off the vibe that she intended to do ANYTHING about it. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with these girls.

Ramos ignored her and looked over at Alex with a slight smile. "You're in charge right? I mean when I'm talking I'm talking to YOU?"

Piper noticed the slight almost immediately. What did they think that she was just some lackey, or worse just Alex's piece of ass. That had been okay with Alex's boss Kubra and his friends but it wasn't okay here. She'd more than proven herself in here.

Alex must have sensed Piper's annoyance because she looked across the table at her and attempted to shut the slight down. "You're talking to both of us."

Ramos didn't budge. "That's what I figured. YOU'RE in charge."

Alex laughed nervously. "Whatever."

Still smarting over the slight Piper decided to take the initiative. "What do you want?"

Gonzales leaned into her and sniffed her hair causing Piper's heart to pound ferociously in her chest. The girl scared the hell out of her and if she decided one day that Piper belonged to her she couldn't imagine fighting her off. If the girl decided that Piper was her new bitch it would either be fight her off or submit and the chill that the girl sent down Piper's spine made fighting her impossible. She was terrified of her.

Gonzales leaned into Piper and whispered in her ear. "You smell so good. Why do you waste your time with this one? Me and you can have some fun right?"

Piper shifted uncomfortably in her seat giving Gonzales a look out of the corner of her eye. Gonzales looked so calm and in control Piper felt like she wanted to run. It wasn't as if the girl were ugly. She was attractive but there was a predatory vibe that she sent off that made her absolutely creepy. Piper couldn't help but remember the way she'd recommended incredibly violent solutions to mundane problems in the prison newsletter.

"What do you guys want? We already have a deal, you don't have to keep threatening us every five minutes. It's getting tiresome." Piper could hear the annoyance in Alex's voice. She was getting angry.

"Don't worry. Flaca won't hurt her. She's super gentle." She looked across the table at Piper and met her eyes. "It only hurts at first."

Alex's face betrayed all her emotions but something inside Piper seemed to click. They were doing this on purpose. They were trying to throw Alex off her game. Ramos was working on Alex while it was Gonzales' job to keep her occupied with creepy sexual threats. What the hell did they want? They were here for a reason, this wasn't a social visit, or merely another opportunity to threaten them. They wanted something from them and figured Alex was the way to get it. For some reason they didn't want to speak to Piper.

Alex however played right into their hands. "Look. We haven't said anything. Nothing. To anybody. Why are you guys freaking out?"

Gonzales whispered softly into her ear again. "Maybe I been hearing things. Maybe I'm not convinced you can keep your mouth shut."

Piper could see Alex was going to break. They'd figured her out. The more they threatened Piper the more upset she got. That was what they were hoping for. These two were sneaky. Really fucking sneaky. It was no wonder nobody knew they were messing around with each other. They were a perfect team working in complete synchrony. Perfection.

Piper decided now was the time to turn the tables on them. She had to take away their advantage.

"Look." Piper whispered to Gonzales. "We think it's great that you two are in love with one another. We don't want to do anything to ruin that. We just want to HELP you."

Across the table Ramos scowled and Piper knew she'd hit the bull's-eye.

Alex saw it instantly and joined in on the assault. "Yeah, look, your secret is safe with us. We won't bother you guys, you guys don't bother us. It's a win-win."

Piper reloaded her barrels and blasted away. She looked at Gonzales with a smile. "I understand why you're so jumpy. Alex and I have spent a lot of time in Mexico. I know how your culture views stuff like this. I mean if any of your friends were to find out," she began to shake her head and threw in a frown for good measure.

Alex reloaded her gun and fired another round of her own. "It would be a disaster for you guys."

Ramos closed her eyes and sighed and Piper almost jumped out of her seat. Down she goes. Alex's veiled threat had been the knockout punch. If their friends found out they were toast, everyone at the table knew it.

Still so as not to create a permanent enemy Piper threw them a quick bone. If you knock an opponent down make sure he's down for good or you were in trouble because if he gets up he's going to get up angry. Piper knew these two would never stay down. They were too crafty and had too much to defend. If they regrouped and returned she and Alex wouldn't be able to stand up to them again.

"But lucky for you guys we're your friends. We're here to help you guys. So tell us what your concerns are and we can alleviate them."

Across from her Gonzales' body language shifted. She went from hard and cold to content and defensive. Another knock down.

"We want assurances," Ramos said quickly. Much too quickly for Gonzales' taste. Piper saw a flash of disappointment in the girl's face. The momentary flash told her everything she needed to know, she and Alex had won. Piper wouldn't give them a chance to turn the tables. She was intent on keeping them down. Across the table Alex had all but clasped both hands over her mouth so as not to break the momentum.

"We already gave you assurances. We had a deal. You guys delivered on your end and we're keeping quiet. As far as we knew everything was fine. Now if you're hearing rumors they aren't coming from us." She looked across the table at Alex for confirmation. Alex would never say anything, nothing. Piper knew she wasn't talking.

Alex quickly shook her head. "I haven't said a word. To anybody. We haven't even talked about it to each other after that first night."

Ramos looked as if she were going to explode. Beside her Gonzales sighed and shook her head, then laid it out for them straight.

"Okay, here's the deal. We squared things between us but it put us in a bind. Now all of a sudden people are asking questions. They want to know what exactly we got that would require such a public display of gratitude."

Alex seemed to understand. "And you want us to what, come up with a story? Is that what this is about?"

Ramos dusted herself off and continued the fight.

"Fuck yeah. You owe us that. You're walking around like big shits meanwhile we have to dodge questions from everybody. We need you to end this by giving us something."

Gonzales softened the blow. "It doesn't have to be real. All it takes is a plausible story. Something that will end the questions and get people talking about something else."

"Yeah, I mean suppose there was a little business you wanted to get running inside, this would be a perfect starting point."

Alex's eyes widened with interest and Piper quickly shut her down.

"We're almost out of here. We don't need a business." She exhaled. "As a sign of good faith and for a promise to stop threatening us with violence we have a deal."

Alex made a face that said she wanted to press for more perks from the girl but Piper knew it was better to be done with this whole thing. Fighting with the girls was a mistake. They'd gotten lucky this time that they'd figured out their game plan. If they came back they wouldn't take any prisoners.

Ramos seemed happy with the deal and jumped to her feet quickly. "Good."

Gonzales finally let go of her shoulder and smiled. "We could have had so much fun together," she said in Spanish as she pulled away.

Hip to her game Piper laughed. "You two really are cute together you know."

Gonzales gave her a playful glare. "Just remember what I said."

Ramos had regained her footing and went back on the offensive escalating the situation from playful to threatening with very little effort.

"Flaca would like to avoid a trip to the SHU if at all possible. Honestly I thought we should just give you both a few good lock in socks across the head to keep you in line but she said you'd be reasonable." She looked at Alex with a menacing glare. "So how about it puta, you gonna be reasonable?"

Alex nodded. "Consider me the voice of reason."

Piper wanted to laugh but something about the situation didn't seem funny. Alex watched the girls leave, her eyes squinting with interest as she did. When Piper turned to the doorway she saw that Aleida Diaz had shown up at some point in the negotiations. She wondered how much of the meeting the woman had heard and felt her concern grow for the girls.

XOXO

"Those girls give me the fucking creeps. I don't know what you did but you took those bitches down Piper. I'm so proud of you," Alex said from her bunk. She wasn't a thrill seeker but next to heroin making a deal was the ultimate high. If she could do that all day she'd never feel the need to get high again.

"Those two are dangerous. Did you see how well they work together? Ramos was negotiating with you while Gonzales threw me off my game. Every time I opened my mouth she was all over me with creepy bullshit."

Alex shrugged. "You figured it out."

Piper shrugged. "We need to be rid of those two. Now. Did you see Diaz in the doorway? She's watching them like a hawk. They aren't kidding, they're catching heat from this. We need to help them."

Piper was such a drama queen but deep down Alex knew she was right. The Hispanic girls had made good on their part of the deal so she had to see do the same. At the very least to keep them from showing up and constantly giving her the creeps.

"Fine. We'll figure something out."

Piper finally smiled. "We make a pretty good team too you know."

Alex reached out and grabbed Piper by the hand. "I know. And we never did make it to the chapel the other night."

Piper pulled her by the wrist. "I'm not busy now."

Alex didn't fight her. "Let's go, it's not like we got someplace else to be."

XOXO

"What kind of shitty ass mother misses her daughter's first birthday?" Ramos said to Gonzales in Spanish as she slid the dinner tray in front of Alex. Gonzales frowned, ignoring Piper as she did the same. The entire cafeteria was at a standstill but unlike the first time it had happened the room was far from silent.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Mari. You made a mistake, and when we get out of here we'll throw her a big party with clowns and a pony and a giant birthday cake that says Happy Birthday Julianna on it. Just be strong now," Gonzales responded in Spanish.

Ramos nodded. "We can get her the pug. Kids love dogs."

Gonzales nodded. "We can totally get the pug. She even gets to name it."

Piper watched them walk away before giving Alex a look. Alex was picking through her food oblivious to the conversation that she'd just missed. Since they'd been together the two of them had made plans on how life would be once they got released. Alex insisted they skip town immediately so Kubra couldn't find her, Piper wasn't so sure but if push came to shove she'd run if Alex asked. They'd come up with an entire plan, a complete life. From the looks of it Ramos and Gonzales had done the same. They wanted what everyone wanted. A life, a family, and a dog. It didn't seem like much to ask for.

"I know what we give them."

Alex gave her a curious look but didn't ask any questions. "Just tell me what you want me to say."

XOXO

The recreation room went silent when Alex stepped inside. The entire Spanish crew was inside playing dominoes. From the looks of things they were having some sort of tournament and Alex's first instinct was to ask to join. But she knew better. If they wanted her to play they'd have asked her to play. For her to ask to join would only be setting herself up for an insult. It would only make her look weak. If she wanted to play she'd have to find someone else to play with.

"You got a minute Ramos?" Alex asked. The room seemed to stop and stare at her when she asked and she felt the need to run.

Ramos didn't respond right away. Alex watched her face free itself from emotion. Ramos was stuck, she didn't know what to say. Luckily Gonzales stepped in to save her. Piper was right. They were a well-oiled machine.

"Is it done? Or are you here to make more excuses?" Gonzales asked.

Alex seized the moment to put this show to bed for good. She doubted Piper's plan but she knew better than to fight her. Piper had a way of getting her to do her bidding and Alex couldn't hold up to her constant badgering. Besides Piper had set this deal up, if it went bad it was her fault. She thought it best to just do as she was told.

"You're the one who wanted a fucking clown. How am I supposed to find a damn clown from in here Gonzales?"

Ramos' eyes widened but Gonzales didn't flinch. She was as cold as ice. "I don't care you said you could."

Alex waved the comment off with her hand. "Well it's done. Ramos call your daughter and ask her if mommy sent her a clown and a birthday cake."

The results were instant. Across the room someone gasped and Alex could see the collective hearts in the room melt. "You sent your baby a clown? Aw, that's so sweet."

Ramos got with the program and gave Alex a glare. "I don't know. Maybe. This bitch could be lying."

The entire room seemed to glare at her again.

"Hey if her daughter didn't get her clown we're gonna beat your ass," The older of the two Diaz's said with hatred in her voice. Alex wasn't sure what's she'd done to HER but decided to stay away from her from now on.

She raised her hands in surrender. "She got it. My word is good."

"It better be or we want twice our money back," Gonzales added for emphasis.

Mendoza, the kitchen boss, sneered in her direction. "And we don't feed you or Chapman for two weeks. Breakfast or dinner since you didn't come through."

Deciding to quit while she was ahead and comfortable the girls could handle things from here she made a phone with her hands and turned to exit the room. "Call home and confirm. Find me if there was a problem and we'll make it right."

Alex disappeared into the hall and decided from now on despite her faults that she should listen to Piper. She may be a complete mess on the outside but inside she had the place pretty well figured out. She may get on people's nerves every once in a while but she somehow always seemed to land on her feet. It was such a part of life that the other girls stopped assuming she was blowing the guards for favors and started assuming she knew things they didn't about getting along. It didn't hurt that rumors were starting to spread that her last trip to the SHU involved her bringing down Assistant Warden Figueroa.

Alex knew Piper didn't walk on water and most days flew by the seat of her pants but none of that mattered inside. Inside she got things done. Inside Piper Chapman was somebody. She could finagle Furlough from the guards, bring down a warden, nearly kill another inmate and just keep on ticking. She'd told Alex a few days ago that she would take care of them inside and Alex was confident she would and could. From here on out she wouldn't doubt her words. On the outside Alex could turn water into wine. Inside Piper could. They were a perfect team. Yin and Yang.

Wow. I didn't know how extremely difficult this was going to be when I started it. I wrote the other story on a whim: Algo como el Amor (Something like love), I love Flaca and Maritza together, but it came smoothly. This story was much more difficult. Having to match the scenes and recapture the dialogs and body language and explain behaviors from two different points of views. Crazy difficult. Go figure. Still it was fun, if you've read my other stories you know I like to do something different every once in a while so I'm always up for the challenge. Keep your eyes open for me and I'll return soon. ~Empty Pen~