onlythisme·:
It’s difficult to do anything more than laugh at this point. It wasn’t often that Piper Chapman was lost for words but this was one of those rare moments. It just seemed so surreal and almost too good to be true. “Sarcasm has always been your go to. I would be sad if this place took that away from you.” Alex’s quips could be brutal but her wit was hard to match. Despite frequently being on the receiving end she still loved to watch such wit in action. However, she’s more than happy to get out of there before anyone finds her fire comment to be threatening and drag her back inside.
Piper is just as excited to get in the car as it was to get out. It means that she gets to take Alex away from this place and that this shithole would never be a part of their lives again. As she pulls away, Litchfield shrinks more and more in the rear view mirror until finally it’s view is blocked by the treeline. The drive feels nostalgic this time similar to when Cal had picked her up. Now she was doing the picking up with the love of her life in the passenger seat and nothing but a bright future ahead of them. Piper is quick to take Alex’s hand in hers and thread their fingers together. Such a small touch but still a luxury she hasn’t been able to enjoy in a long time.
She’s focused on the road though steals quick glances at the other woman from time to time. Truthfully she’s having a hard time believing this is actually happening. There had been years to prepare for this but now that it was actually here she found herself at an impasse as if she’d had no time at all to think about it. “What?” The memory is a good one and yet simple. “Cal took me to dinner and then to Carol’s and when I got home I took an obscenely long bubble bath. She checked in at least twice to make sure I hadn’t fallen asleep.” Despite a tumultuous relationship with Carol, she had let Piper stay long enough to get a job and get back on her feet.
“What’s the first thing you want to do?” Stopped at a red light, she looks over to Alex with a genuine smile and heart eyes as big as ever. It still didn’t feel real and she had to keep reminding herself that this was no dream or fantasy. This was now a reality and the beginning of the rest of their lives together.
there’s no denying the feeling of pure joy that settles over alex the farther away they drive. it’s not lost on her that if she were doing this without piper it would be incomplete. it’s as if they’re putting all the misery of the last few years in the rearview together and getting another chance to write their future. she isn’t sure she believes in fate, but sitting with piper’s hand entwined in her own has ways of making her change her mind. as the other woman describes her experience of coming home, alex closes her eyes for just a second to picture it, a complacent smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “ohh, with carol’s good bubbles? she really has come around.”
when the question is directed back to her, alex considers her words for a moment. that was a loaded question. she wanted to sleep for three days straight in a real bed. she wanted to drink an entire bottle of whiskey and watch the sun come up over manhattan. there were so many possibilities running through her mind, but she finally settles on one while the car is still stopped at the light. “this,” she offers, bringing her hand up and curling her fingers tenderly around piper’s jaw. leaning across the center console, she brings their lips together in another kiss – this one deeper, passionate, kissing piper the way she couldn’t in front of a crowd of curious eyes. every emotion is poured into it and she doesn’t stop until the car behind them honks. the light had turned green, and alex fights the urge to roll the window down and shoot the car behind them her middle finger for interrupting the moment.
settling back in her seat, she finally shrugs. “that was number one. number two is bribing you to buy me a big, juicy, artery clogging cheeseburger.” raising her hands for emphasis, alex sizes the burger in question out to about the size of her head. “that kinda went along with number one.”
“I didn’t even have to ask if I could use them. She just... gave ‘em to me.” Carol had been surprisingly good to Piper after getting out. The biggest part was of course letting her stay there while she found her footing once more. It was a huge help and there hadn’t been that many quarrels either. The occasional snarky comment slipped out but it seemed more accidental than intentional most of the time. It was a welcome change. Not that her mother was now her favorite person, but she wasn’t classified as a raging bitch anymore. “Carol even asked about you. How you were whenever I would visit. It’s like she almost cared. It was incredible, Alex. I think she’s had a change of heart.”
She’s eager for an answer and ready to take Alex out for her first night of freedom. It’s an unforgettable feeling and she wants to make this night a good one. Alex has always been full of surprises and the kiss is just another one as it takes Piper’s eyes off the road. There’s no objection to it at all. That same passion that has been dormant for years is shown as she returns the kiss, not wanting to break away but she has to as the honking grows louder. It doesn’t stop Piper from smiling endlessly at her as she finally starts to drive again.
“You didn’t have to bribe me you know. I would have bought you dinner still. But that definitely helped you out.” She’s unable to keep from smiling before finally pulling into the parking lot of a brewery near her place. It’s somewhere she’s spent more nights than she would admit to but it’s a place of comfort now. “This place has really good food and pool tables. I might be able to beat you now.”















