Thank you so much to everyone who's responded to this so far, your responses have really made me smile! I've included a little more focus on Lorna and Nicky than initially intended this chapter, as per a request, so I hope it's okay!

As ever, thank you for reading and your comments are always gratefully received.

For one heart-stopping moment, Piper feels as though she is caught in the middle of a hurricane.

Alex's lips are firm and insistent against her own, and it takes Piper a moment to realise what she is supposed to be doing. And what she is supposed to be doing is not sitting there dumbly and probably giving off all the wrong impressions.

It doesn't feel the way any of her other first kisses have felt. It's not sweet or soft or gentle or any of the other clichés people use. The first touch is a thunderbolt, and as Piper kisses back, it swells to a storm, and she finds herself gripping awkwardly at the lapels of Alex's leather jacket, lest either of them blow away in the wind.

Alex's hands trace lightly around her neck, drifting to the back of Piper's head, fingers tangling between blonde hair.

The table between them is small – too small to be a useful surface, really – but it works as a slight barrier anyway, adding an element of jeopardy with its clutter of empty bottles and glasses and, all too soon, Alex pulls away.

The instinctive noise Piper makes at the loss of contact catches in her throat at the sight that meets her.

Alex is wearing a look that seems stuck in a strange space between smugness and surprise. Her cheeks are tinged faintly pink and her glasses are slightly askew. After a moment she adjusts them lazily, letting a self-satisfied smile bloom fully on her face.

Staring contentedly across the table at her, Piper is struck by the thought that this is her new favourite image of Alex Vause. She takes time to soak in the moment, to try and commit every single detail to memory, and it feels as though the world around them has slowed down, almost as if to accommodate the strange rush of feelings tracking through the back of Piper's mind.

The two of them watch each other like that, silent and smiling, until Alex's look gradually becomes more expectant and Piper realises that she is probably thinking back to her earlier admission that she's never done this – any of this – with another woman.

She isn't really sure what to say, however, so she just keeps on smiling, eventually leaning forward to kiss Alex again, quicker and more chaste than before, as though that makes the point for her.

It seems to do the trick, as the satisfied smile returns to Alex's face, and eventually she drifts over to the bar to buy them both another drink.

"I don't really want to cut the evening short, but I have an early start at work tomorrow, and they probably won't be too pleased with me if I turn up tired and completely useless. Are you okay about leaving this early?"

Piper isn't exactly keen to part, but she understands and she says as much, making Alex smile. They're not heading in remotely similar directions, so they call for separate cabs and while away the rest of their time with small-talk and sly, significant looks.

The rain has stopped by the time they step outside, but it's still cold and slightly blustery nonetheless, and Piper finds herself stepping instinctively closer to Alex as they wait for the taxis to arrive. After a few minutes of companionable silence, Alex twines her fingers between Piper's, her palm surprisingly warm in the chilly night air.

They stay like that, all cold cheeks and warm hands, until, just before Piper's taxi arrives, Alex drags her away from the edge of the sidewalk, out of the glare of the passing cars's headlights and into the very edge of the small side street beside the bar. It is lit halfway down by the windows of a few small restaurants, and Piper finds herself trapped between a cold brick wall and the pleasant weight of Alex's body, as she brings her lips against Piper's once more.

It's heady and somewhat clumsy as they make out in such an unexpected place (for Piper at least), One of Alex's arms winds gently around her neck, hand cradling the back of Piper's head, creating a blessed gap between her and the damp stone wall.

They break apart only when a car finally pulls up. It's Alex's cab, and she leaves Piper with a small, soft kiss before she climbs into the back of the car.

Piper's ride isn't long behind, and even though the driver probably thinks she's an idiot, she doesn't stop smiling the whole way home.

The night at the bar does nothing for Piper's concentration at work the next day, and, if anything, she's more distracted than the day before.

Luckily (for her), Polly's dinner was an unmitigated disaster and she is too busy telling Piper about all of the drama between her mother and her aunts to really notice that Piper seems to be walking around in something close to a daze.

"Oh, I scheduled a tour of that space I told you about by the way. It's at two this afternoon, if that works?"

"Yeah, sure."

"I know it's soon but I really like it, and I think you will too, and the sooner we see it, the better chance we have at securing a lease, right?"

"Sure…"

There's a pause during which Piper wonders (but can't find the enthusiasm to care) if Polly is going to pick up on her demeanour, but then she suddenly remembers something else rude her aunt had said last night, and immediately launches into recounting the argument that had followed.

Once again, their morning is given over to administration rather than the much more fun task of actually making up any products, and Piper spends all her time trying to chase up news about their loan application with the bank. They're going to need the money soon if they want to sign a rent contract for the space Polly seems to have her mind set upon.

At around midday, as Piper sits on hold for what feels like the eightieth time in a couple of hours, her cell phone chirps out a sound that heralds a new text, and although her first thought is that it might be from Alex, Piper finds herself with a slightly cryptic (and slightly worrying) text from an unsaved number:

Nichols told me that you and Vause went out drinking last night. I want the details. Spill.

Frowning, Piper tracks through all the possible people this could be (and how they could have got her number) when her phone rings again, saving her the trouble.

It's Lorna, by the way.

A few seconds pass, followed by another message.

Lorna from yoga. I don't want to stay in suspense until next week.

Thinking hard, Piper vaguely remembers offering Lorna her number when she'd seemed interested in the kinds of products she and Polly were making for PoPi. They always needed a wide range of opinions on their different creations, and Piper decides she'd probably told Lorna to get in touch if she ever wanted a few free samples.

Smiling to herself, she fires off a quick reply.

Thank god, thought someone had been following me.

So, should I assume you two are talking again?

Expecting an imminent reply, Piper quickly turns her phone to silent and Morello doesn't disappoint. Within moments she responds: I want info on your relationship drama Chapman, not mine followed by enough emojis to leave Piper in no doubt that she's joking.

I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. Seem like a fair deal?

Piper hesitates for a moment before sending her response, wondering if it's too early to be discussing her and Alex with anyone else. After all, she's still no clearer on where this is all really heading, and telling anyone about what happened between them could jinx things.

But, in truth, she's been bursting out of her skin keeping this all to herself, and not being able to talk to anyone has been making her overthink things even more than usual. Besides, if Nicky knew that she and Alex were meeting up in the first place, it's likely she'd already know about the outcome of their night, meaning that she'd tell Lorna eventually.

Hardly daring to look, Piper quickly sends the text before she can change her mind.

It doesn't even take a minute, but days seem to pass as she waits for her screen to light up again. She wonders briefly if perhaps the hold music is starting to affect her.

Very fair. And tbh I could use someone to talk to as well. Do soap moguls get lunch breaks?

It hits Piper in that instant just how much she likes Lorna, even if she doesn't know her all that well. Chuckling, she sends Morello the address of a place near Polly's apartment, following it with the message: I'm not sure, you'd have to ask one :P. Whereabouts are you in the city, is this place too far?

Nope, not too far. See you in half an hour?

Piper confirms she'll be there, just as someone at the bank takes her off hold. It's almost startling to be met with a human voice down the phone as she rattles off a reference number that might just as well be her own mother's birthday, for all the times she's had to bring it to mind.

In the end, she's late meeting Morello, and finds her inside at a window seat, the pane of glass to her left cloudy on the inside, rain-spotted on the other.

"God I'm so sorry, I was on hold for ever. I come baring gifts though so you can't be too mad," she jokes handing over a few mini testers she'd grabbed from Polly's apartment before leaving. "Tell me what you think when you get round to using them."

Lorna seems pleased with the soaps and gels, and is as sweet as ever, dismissing Piper's repeated apologies for being so late.

However, for all her trademark amiability, Lorna is easily far less tactful than normal, barely waiting until they've ordered their food before demanding Piper cough up information about last night.

It's difficult, trying to put it all into words and Piper finds herself halting before she's even properly begun with the story.

"It's hard, you know," she eventually explains. "Trying to pinpoint exactly what's going on right now. I feel like I don't even properly know. Or maybe that's just me making things difficult, I don't know."

From across the table, Lorna shakes her head, smiling kindly. "No, not really. I've been there." She leans forward slightly and drops her voice so that no-one sitting nearby can hear. "It's not like I'd ever really done…you know. The whole dating girls thing before Nichols, and I'm guessing you're kind of the same."

Piper heaves out a sigh of relief, glad that Lorna understands. "Yes. Yes, exactly. That's exactly it."

"And to hear either of them tell it, it's totally the same deal – getting into a relationship with a woman." Lorna's smile is now far more wry and knowing than before. "And on a base level, yeah it totally is. If you love someone, then you love 'em and that's all there is to it. But if you've never been there before, you're always gonna be doubting things. Yourself, mostly if my experience is anything to go by. Like, am I saying the right thing? Doing the right thing? Am I reading the signals right? I understand where you're at right now."

Still bubbling with relief, Piper is quick to reply. "Right? And that's the case too just with seeing a new person. I think the whole thing at the moment is this real mix of excitement and uncertainty, I'm just not sure which is winning out in my mind at the moment."

They let the silence hang between them for a moment, growing ever more comfortable and warm, before Piper notices a mischievous glint in Lorna's eye.

"But you guys totally kissed last night, right?"

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to Chapman, it's written all over your face."

Holding up her hands and grinning, Piper gives in and finally starts speaking.

Their food arrives by the time Piper finishes talking about her night with Alex. Lorna spends her time nodding and offering the odd non-committal comment here or there. But Piper is most keen to hear how Lorna's situation compares or, likely, doesn't compare at all.

"Come on," she says lightly, unfolding the napkin around her cutlery. "I kept up my end of the deal, now it's your turn. I want to know how all this infamous Nicky and Lorna drama really started."

"Oh God. Well, let's just say that things between me and Nichols have always been kind of complicated." Morello pauses, blowing on a spoonful of soup before continuing. "So, you said the whole liking girls thing wasn't new to you but dating them was, right?"

Piper nods, picking through her side salad.

"Well for me, both things were totally new. I don't even know if I do like girls. I just liked Nichols and – " she pauses abruptly, face twisted in indecision. "Okay, I still do. Like Nichols, that is. But seriously Chapman, that can't go no further because I'm trying be…aloof at the moment and it's difficult enough as it is."

Lorna is so serious, and clearly working so hard to be cold and distant with Nicky, that it's tough for Piper not to smile fondly as she solemnly promises that the whole conversation was going to stay between them.

"Okay, so here's what happened…"

Lorna launches into an explanation of their first meeting, at a bar where some guy called Christopher (Lorna doesn't explain who he is, just immediately mentions his name) liked to play with his band.

"Nichols came up to me, said hi and offered to buy me a drink. I didn't think nothing of it at first, and I was kinda broke and appreciated the gesture, so I let her. And we talked all night and we got on really well and nothing happened except we switched numbers. But the next time we hung out Nichols told me she liked me but that she knew I hadn't realised she'd been coming onto me at the bar. She asked if I liked girls and I told her I'd never thought about it, but I didn't think so. In the end, I asked if she would ever be okay with just friends and she said yes, even though I insisted it'd be okay if she didn't want to do that. Anyway, I assumed everything was okay, which was stupid of me, I guess."

Listening hard, Piper makes a sympathetic sound in her throat at the look on Lorna's face.

"And I liked that guy Christopher, and she was real supportive when he kinda turned out to be an asshole even though I think deep down I knew she was upset that I was so hung up on him. But to be honest it was always kinda awkward for me, knowing that she was hung up on me." She stops to stir her soup and eat a little, asking Piper if she's following.

"I am…I think," she jokes, coaxing a quiet laugh from Morello.

"Yeah, it's all pretty fucked up. Anyway, one night, me and Nichols went out drinking – Vause was there too – and you can guess where it all ended up. Except, the next morning, it felt totally normal and natural to me and when I told Nichols that, she seemed happy and for a while things just went from there. But I guess she knew somehow that I was still hung up on Christopher too, and after a while it started to bother her and…here we are."

"Are you? Still hung up on him?"

Lorna shrugs, fiddling with the handle of her coffee cup. "Not really. Not to the point I don't wanna be with Nichols I don't think. It's just because we never dated, but for a while I liked him so much – I guess I don't really know how to process it quickly enough. And I think Nichols felt that maybe I wasn't as into being with her as I was, which is fair enough. It must be tough. To be with someone who, for the first however many weeks you knew them, said they weren't into girls at all. So yeah, I dunno if any of that is ever gonna be fixable," she concludes with a slight laugh, tone half-genuinely amused, half-defeated.

Piper thinks for a long while before speaking.

"Maybe the two of you could try and hang out just as friends? Make an agreement to meet each other in the middle for a while and see what happens. It just kind of sounds as though this whole relationship drama has always been hanging over your heads, either on Nicky's side, your side or both. You guys have never had a chance to just be around each other without one of you stressing about something."

Lorna appears to consider this deeply. "I never really thought of it like that. I might put that to her, thanks Chapman." She holds Piper's gaze, a brief, grateful smile punctuating her thoughtful expression for just a moment.

Smiling back, Piper tries to be encouraging. "Maybe that'll help," she says softly.

At that, Lorna pauses with her spoon halfway to her soup, the pensive look on her face slipping into something much more melancholy. She huffs out a humourless laugh between pursed lips, propping her head in her hand and looking over at Piper sadly.

"Look at us Chapman. Both of us over our heads in stuff we barely understand."

Something in Lorna's tone dislodges a heavy weight in Piper's chest that she'd barely registered since yesterday afternoon. Suddenly she starts to feel just as she had while she'd been waiting for Alex to text, and begins to wonder if maybe Alex not being interested had been the real source of her worry after all.

"What do you mean?" Piper doesn't think she really wants to know the answer to this question. Of course, she's well aware of the general implication Lorna is making, but senses there's a more specific meaning running beneath her words.

Morello draws a deep breath in the way of a person who's about to say something significant.

"Chapman, just think about how you met her. The context of it all. She was at an AA meeting." Lorna eyes widen as she realises how she might sound. "Which, shit, don't get me wrong I'm not being judgemental I mean, I'm in no position to judge and I wouldn't anyway. We all got our problems and besides, recovery is infinitely better than the alternative. But I'm just saying. She's got a past – not that I really know much about it. And sure, okay, we all have one of those but...I just mean, caution isn't always a bad thing, y'know?" She flashes Piper a look that's so sad it makes her stomach twist.

"All I'm saying, is that you two seem good for each other, and I don't think you wanna end up getting burnt like me and Nichols are right now."

"So wait, hang on," Piper asks suddenly, trying to backtrack. "Both Nicky and Alex go to AA – that's how they know each other, right?" The question seems to startle Lorna, who has to work to hide a dark expression that flashes, unbidden, across her face.

"Oh I dunno about that," she replies, far too quickly and in a way that implies please don't make me talk about this. "You'd really have to ask Vause about that."

After that, neither have much time before they have to return to work and they change the subject, both apparently privately determined to end their time together on something much brighter and happier.

Eventually they split the bill and head in opposite directions at the door, parting with an agreement that they should meet up more often. And, as Piper walks the few blocks back to Polly's apartment building, where she's waiting outside to drive them to the shop viewing, she decides that it's getting too difficult to keep up with all the secrecy of her current situation.

So, taking it one step at a time, she chooses to tell Polly that she met Lorna for lunch, but still neglects to mention the main reason why they'd made the arrangement.

She promises herself, with much more resolve than ever before, that she's going to talk to Polly soon, just as soon as she knows what's really going on with Alex. Lorna has given her a lot to think about, and as she climbs into Polly's car, the first few glimmers of worry begin to flutter in her stomach. For the first time, she starts to wonder if she's being naïve and rushing into everything as, all the while, she wilfully neglects to consider the circumstances under which she first encountered Alex Vause.

Whatever the reality surrounding Alex, however, she appears to have a perfect sense of timing, or of irony, as she chooses that precise minute to text Piper.

Keep thinking about how much I enjoyed last, want to meet again? How's tomorrow night for you? x

The thing is, after years of familial precedent, Piper is really rather good at avoiding difficult questions.

I enjoyed last night too, I'd love to see you again tomorrow :)