Hostage of the Heart

Amicable Territory (Thirty-Five)

Please forgive me for this update taking so long (handing out brownies and glasses of milk) Know some of y'all were a bit miffed with the last chapter so crossing my fingers I don't hafta go into the witness protection program ;-)

Upon awakening, Piper noticed her bedmate watching her while resting on her side, cheek propped against her palm. Eyes taking a brief stroll, she also noticed Larisa had found and slipped into her robe. The fingers of a free hand waving at her, Piper waved back just two seconds before her eyes widened as she noticed how light it was in her bedroom. Hurriedly turning in the opposite direction, she checked the clock and mildly cursed, jumping from the bed. When asked what was wrong, she looked toward the other woman.

"I overslept!" Naked, she raced toward her dresser, pulled open the top drawer and began to search for a pair of underwear and a bra. Muttering something about it only being her second day and she was late, Piper grabbed a cornflower blue bra and panty set and was on her way to the bathroom when the path she traveled was blocked. Though politely as possible she asked Larisa to move, she refused. Piper groaned. "I'm already late. Please don't-"

"You're not late," Larisa patiently replied. "I called and spoke with your boss earlier. He already knew about what happened last night as the evening news covered it and he said for you to take as much time as you need, that your job will still be there because he views you as invaluable. That was his word-invaluable." Hands raised, she rested them on Piper's shoulders. "You're not going to work today. You need-"

Swallowing a glare, Piper shrugged her hands off. "Larisa, I don't mean to sound rude, but you have no idea what I need. I'm going to work. I need to work. The last thing I want is to sit around here all day with my thoughts."

"I wasn't going to suggest that you do." Reaching into a pocket on the robe, Larisa pulled out a folded sheet of paper, which she handed to Piper. "That's the name and contact information of an old friend of mine. She's a psychia..." She trailed off while watching Piper ball up the paper with one hand before tossing it on the floor. Brushing past her without a word, Piper headed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Sighing, Larisa followed, lightly knocking on the door and not surprised when she wasn't granted access. "Piper, will you please talk to me? Piper?" Knocking with a little more force, seconds later she heard the shower start. Sighs switching to growls, Larisa turned the knob, relieved she hadn't locked the door. Walking up to the bathtub, which would most likely give her nightmares for God knew how long, she yanked the shower curtain to the side, glaring in response to Piper's glare. "You need to talk to me."

A hand clenched around the soapy washcloth while its mate reached up to wrap around the shower rod, the two women face to face. "You need to give me some space, Larisa. Why don't you just leave since I'm so batshit crazy?"

"So you think everyone who spends time with a psychiatrist is batshit crazy?"

Not answering, Piper attempted to close the curtain yet Larisa refused to let that happen. Both pulling in opposite directions, the plastic curtain strained against the rings it was attached to. "That's your problem, Piper. You don't talk! You keep the bulk of your feelings bottled up until you explode and do something asinine like overdosing on sleeping pills and trying to drown yourself in a goddamned bathtub!"

Shower curtain released, Larisa took a couple steps backward while despising the tears threatening to approach. "My father suffered a fatal heart attack last night and then you turn around and try to fucking kill yourself as if that makes an ounce of sense." A rush of heat moving through her, Larisa waved her arms about while continuing to glare despite the falling tears. "I guess your method is to counter tragedy with even more tragedy.