The Inevitability Of Us

DISCLAIMER:

Orange Is The New Black and all its characters are property of Netflix. The author implies no ownership of these characters, and they are used in the story without permission solely for entertainment and not for profit.

Chapter 1

Piper

"Why do you always feel so inevitable to me?"

Not a day goes by that Piper does not repeat that question to herself or think about Alex. Sitting at her desk in her office in her and Polly's flagship store in New York City she could not focus on the contract she was reviewing. As it happened too often, she was tired from putting long hours with her company Popi, conference calls, and traveling to new cities where Popi products would be sold. It was the tiredness and time by herself that always seemed to lead of thoughts of Alex, their past together, and in the quiet moments while lying in bed at night or while sitting in an airport or on a plane that she allowed herself to think about what the future might look like if she and Alex were together.

If she could go back to the day in the library in Litchfield where she told Alex she picked Larry over her, Piper would-in a heartbeat. Knowing what she did now, and how her life was forever changed that day, she knew without hesitation she would take all those words back. She would have, and should have chose Alex. Alex knew the real her, the real her inside and outside of prison. Alex had seen her at her best and worst and still wanted to be with her. No one, not Larry, her family, or the women in Litchfield knew the depth of her and Alex's relationship. It wasn't until she lost Alex for good on that fateful day in the library, that she understood just how much Alex really meant to her.

After the confrontation with Pennsatucky, Piper found herself stuck in SHU for a month. While she sat in that hell hole, as her injuries healed, she did a lot of thinking and reflecting. While she couldn't believe the amount of rage that was pent up inside her that she had loosed on Tiffany and had caused her serious physical injury, she could now believe that women do what they have to do to survive prison. She felt she had no choice to defend herself, especially after Healy turned his back on her and allowed the confrontation with Dogget to happen.

When the proverbial dust settled, all the reports were written up, video surveillance of the incident were reviewed it was determined that Piper was indeed acting in self-defense. No time was added to her sentence but she would do a month in the hole for breaking prison rules. Pennsatucky was charged and found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon. Healy was fired for turning his back on the situation that almost cost Piper her life.

After she was back in camp, she tried to talk to Alex but her ex-girlfriend wanted nothing to do with her. Nicky and Morello were shielding her. Piper knew she had broken Alex's heart again and the girls were doing what any good friends would do, protecting their friend. She tried to talk to Alex any way she could, she even tried cornering Alex in the shower block. Alex just shook her head no and pushed past her. Piper was pretty sure that she saw tears in Alex's eyes, but she knew Alex, once she decided on something, she stuck to it.

Piper did the rest of her time with her head down. She stuck to running, yoga, and reading. She had corresponded with Larry by letter but never by phone or with a visit. In her letters him she was no longer on speaking terms with Alex, which seemed to appease Larry.

The day before she was leaving the girls threw her a goodbye party. The signs and streamers made her cry. These women had become her 'family' and she was going to miss some of them. Throughout the whole party she kept an eye out for Alex to stop by. She saw Alex stop briefly in the doorway of the TV room on her way back from the bathroom. As soon as she caught Alex's eye, the taller woman hurried past.

That night lying in her bunk, Piper thought about the past 15 months. She thought she knew what prison was going to be like by reading all the books before surrendering. Sure, prison was not where she wanted to be, was not an easy place to navigate, and you were constantly on high alert, but she had met women here that she never would have encountered on the outs. Women from all walks of life, every woman's situation was different despite all the stereotypes she had heard.

She had committed a crime and she was there to pay her penance, she understood that now. Prison had changed her. As she lay there she knew she was a better person after her time in Litchfield. Her eyes were wide open, not only to the social problems that faced women before, during, and after prison, but she was now conscious of whom she was as a person, all of herself, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Prison had also brought Alex back into her life. As angry as she was about being there, and finding out that Alex was the one that turned her into the feds, she realized that what she and Alex had was a real connection. Seeing Alex again brought all those feelings back. When she and her ex-lover were together in the middle of that god forsaken prison, the world fell away, and all that mattered was them. But there she was, lying on her cold bunk alone.

She had successfully pushed away the one person that truly understood her and loved her in spite of all her flaws. She decided that she would attempt to get through to Alex one more time before she left. She knew that her life wouldn't be the same without Alex Vause.

The next morning she wrote down her address on a piece of paper and stuck it in her pocket. She bid her time as the women ate breakfast. She watched the women leave the cafeteria and knew that her only opportunity to try and talk to Alex would be when she was leaving breakfast. The taller woman was talking with Nicky as she walked out of the cafeteria. As soon as Alex saw her she tried to go another way. Piper ran up to her and stopped her from going.

"Alex, I'm truly for sorry for everything I put you through. I know I hurt you, again. You're the only person that knows the real me. I love you Alex. Please, you have to believe me."

Alex pushed past her but she grabbed the taller woman's hand and forced the piece of paper with her address on it into her hand.

"Write me, I promise to write you back. I love you Alex Vause." She said with desperation in her voice.

Alex walked around the corner and out of her life.