Pairing of Piper and Alex, it takes place at the immediate end of Season One. I own nothing.

Covering Up

Piper fell beside Tiffany in the cold snow. She was shaking from the sheer exhaustion that followed her rage. She blinked a few times and tried to focus. She had to get out of there...she had to get away from her. She stood and looked in the snow for the screwdriver. She didn't want to get caught with it. She heard Tiffany moan and nearly started crying with relief that she was alive. She found the screwdriver next to the bloody snow and picked it up. She threw it as hard as she could over the wall and in to the parking lot behind the kitchen. Then she bent and washed her hands in the cold snow. There was blood on her knuckles and it felt good to numb them. Piper moved to the crazy, bloody, Christmas Angel and picked up her sharp cross and placed it back in her hand. Then she returned the way she came and slipped back in to her seat in the Chapel. They were all singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer as a sing-a-long. She kept her bruised and bloodied hands in her jacket pockets. Once it was over, many people went down to congratulate the performers. She saw Alex below with Nicky, hugging Morello. She nodded and smiled at some of them but turned to leave and filed out with the rest of the crowd. She could hear Tiffany's friends asking where she had gone. She just kept her head down and walked back to her room.

Once there she took her hands out and looked at them more closely. She wasn't sure what she was going to do. Healy had seen here with Tiffany...Healy had walked away as if he didn't hear her. He had to have heard her and he had to have understood her life was in danger. She had a thought, a way to give herself some cover. She left her bunk with a purpose, remembering to keep her hands in her pocket. Piper knew there wasn't much time before they realized Tiffany was missing or she drug herself up out of the snow. She went straight for Alex. Nicky was there, as usual, and tried to head off the confrontation.

"She was really clear Chapman. Just get some Christmas Spirit and go back to your bunk, Alex is done with you. " Piper didn't even look at her. She faked to the left then darted to the right, moving past Nichols to come face to face with Alex.

"You are a piece of work. You fuck up my engagement by talking to Larry, then stand here all innocent. I hate you as much as I love you..and I hate myself for that. Merry Christmas. I left your present under your pillow. " She got close to her face and Alex looked at her with the strangest expression. She knew right away something was up...she knew right away something had happened to Piper and it was written all over her face.

"Fuck off and leave me alone. You chose, so get the fuck out!" Alex said before she pushed her glasses back down on her nose. Nicky grabbed her shoulder and Piper jerked her arm back with much more force than Nicky was expecting.

"Don't fuckin' touch me, Nichols. You have NO IDEA what it is like to have loved her since you were 22, so enjoy her...have at it. I don't.." she couldn't finish the sentence instead she walked towards the door to their Suburb dorm and started to pound the door with her hands. Bennett pulled her away and Morello, who was still in her costume, hurried over to take her from him before he restrained her or caled for assistance.

"It's all good, Officer. You know the Holidays and all...you know...brings out stress in people. Oh..hon your hands are bloody." Piper looked down and hoped she looked surprised. What did surprise her was Alex coming up and taking both of her violent bloody hands in hers.

"What the hell, Piper...you hurt.." she started but Bennett interrupted telling them all to go back to their bunks. He told Piper to come along with him and pulled her away from Alex.

"You can get your hands wrapped then come clean the door. I..have to write it up though." He said apologetically. She always liked him and was thankful he was the one that saw her beating the doors. She hoped it was enough for a cover up. She couldn't really stop shaking. Her mind kept wandering to Tiffany's face. Where had all that rage come from?

After her hands were wrapped by a nurse from Psych, she head back to her bunk for lights out. She was right in front of Alex's dorm area when the alarm went off. It was the same one they used with the screw driver. She saw others lay down on the floor, right before she bent her knees she saw Alex walking towards her. One of the guards ran from behind and knocked Alex's knees out from under her. Piper started to rush forward but felt Bennett's hand on her shoulder pushing her down as well. She assumed the position she had been taught to take, laying on her stomach, feet crossed, head down. She heard Alex cursing but knew she complied.

"An Inmate is missing! You will not move until she is found, " the guard ordered. Immediately, people started looking around. It was obvious soon that Tiffany was the one missing. She picked up her head a bit and looked across the threshold to wear Alex lay. She was in her shorts and long sleeve T-shirt that she wore to bed. She thought that Alex would get cold and wished she could give her the jacket she wore.

She remembered the beach on Vancouver Island. It was on a rare vacation trip they took after visiting New York. They stayed only three days, smoked some of the best pot she had ever tried and talked about literature. Alex had rented a beach house near Qualicum beach. Most of their time they spent in bed, but at night they would go out to eat and walk the beach. It was very relaxing and a balm for their relationship.

They were walking on the beach when she turned to Piper and asked " What literary character would you say I am most like?" They usually played this game with people around them when they got bored. Piper knew the answer because she had always thought the same response...but she wasn't sure she should say it. Alex was like moonlight on the water. Her smile was so lovely that Piper sometimes had to catch herself and remember to breathe. A breeze came in off the old Pacific Ocean and she had shivered. Alex unzipped her jacket and put it around her.

"Here, cover up, you never remember to bring your jacket because you like wearing mine. So what is your answer?" Alex asked as she leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Piper's gently.

"I have a few in mind, but I don't want to say." Piper answered as she got closer and shared the jacket.

"Aw, I didn't think you would." Alex responded with that amused tone she used when she pointed out she knew Piper better than she knew herself. It felt good next to her body, warm and inviting.

The sound of the all clear bell startled her from her memory. People were asking if they found the missing inmate and the guards all told them to be quiet. Bennett told her to get up and go to her bunk for check. She rose and looked over at Alex. She started to get up but the guard, Henton, put his boot on her back keeping her down.

"You need to examine the floor a bit more inmate. You were the last one down, should be the last one up. " his voice was cold and hateful. Piper started towards him to say something. Again, Bennett got in front of her.

"Listen to me Chapman. Go. To. Your. Bunk! She will be okay. You don't need any more trouble tonight." He said this as he steered her towards her dorm.

"But I have to clean up the blood from the door." she said as she stopped walking and turned. She could hear Alex ask to be let up and if he'd please stop pressing down on her back. Piper felt her adrenaline start to pump and the rage start to bubble. She heard Nicky and a few others start to mouth off to the other guards about what he was doing. They were told to shut the fuck up and then she heard Alex cry out in pain.

"She cleaned it for you while you were getting patched up." Bennett said as he blocked her path to the door again. Piper looked at him confused.

"Who did? Morello?" she asked him as she started to walk around him back towards the doorway and Alex. He grabbed her arm and jerked her back.

"No Vause. Now, if I have to tell you again, that is another SHOT. You could end up back in the SHU, inmate. So move it." His tone had changed and she knew he was at his limit. But she couldn't leave Alex to be abused under that bully's boot.

"I'm fine Piper, go on." she heard her say. Piper turned and walked towards the Ghetto dorm. She heard Bennett say " Let her up Henton or write her up for not getting down fast enough, I mean we all know how Kaputo loves trivial write ups."

She smiled a bit as she entered and wondered how long it would be before they came to take her to SHU over Tiffany. She sat down on her bunk after check and took off her boots. She was bone tired and it was a struggle to get in to her grey gown with her fingers stiff in the bandages. Hitting the door and been mostly dramatic but she had to connect with it to transfer the blood. She looked up at the ceiling as all the dorm lights went out. She should be terrified of what she did but all she could feel was relieved. She had fought and won. She lost herself to a rage that scared her but her tired mind wouldn't let her think about it now.

Alex touched her hands and cleaned up her blood. She smiled and whispered " Merry Christmas Piper" before she fell in to a deep winter sleep.

**maybe to be continued**