A Place To Call My Home

Chapter 10

A/N

There is a trigger warning for this chapter – violence and sexual abuse.

Don't expect me to cry

For all the reasons you had to die

Don't ever ask it of me

Alex knew the next few weeks would be tough, she'd need to pull some long nights to get back on top of things. She felt like Fahri just kept giving her more and more work, like he was testing her, and Alex knew failure wasn't an option. But she also wanted to make sure Piper knew she'd be working a lot, even though she didn't want to.

They had just gotten back from dinner out with Nicky when Alex decided she needed to get things off her chest, "Pipes, you know things have been kinda crazy with work lately. I just wanted to give you a heads up that I'll be working some pretty long hours in the next few weeks. There's so much going on and I've been given a lot to do."

Piper closed the fridge door and looked back at Alex with sadness in her eyes, "Okay."

That response made Alex feel even worse, "I wish I didn't have to. You know I love you Piper, all I want is to be with you, spend time with you. But I can't get away from this."

Piper nodded and walked over to Alex, slowly touching her hands. "I love you too, I just hate it when you're out all night."

Alex knew all too well how much Piper hated her recent work schedule, she looked relieved every time Alex walked back into the apartment after a long night out. Piper's state of mind made it all that much worse, she was still so up and down, and she kept putting off going to the house to get her things. And there was still the heroin use, which seemed to escalate any time Piper was on her own. Alex tried to encourage her to look for work, not because of money, but just to get her out of the apartment. Piper said she'd think about it, but that seemed like a stretch. Alex was willing to be patient with Piper, as patient as she needed to be. She knew what the blonde had been through, and Alex didn't want to push her into anything she wasn't ready for.

She couldn't help but hate it every time Piper asked for more heroin. Alex always gave her more when she asked for it, and Piper always insisted on giving her some money for it, even if it wasn't much. Alex hated it, none of it felt right. They still hadn't had the discussion on what they were to each other, but in Alex's mind they were a couple. They shared their lives and said I love you every day, and that was enough for Alex.

She wrapped her arms around Piper's waist from behind, slowly pulling her towards the lounge room, "I promise I'll make it up to you." Alex was relieved to feel Piper relax against her body, these were always her favourite parts of the day. The moments when it was just the two of them and there was nothing else to worry about. Piper turned around so she was facing Alex, gently pulling her in for a kiss before resting her head on Alex's chest.

"I love you so much Alex, you make me feel good about myself again."

Alex pulled Piper's face back up to hers and kissed her again, "I gotta get ready to go, but I'm taking you out tomorrow, anywhere you want." Alex could never get enough of how Piper smiled at her, she loved seeing her happy.

Another 20 minutes went by before she said goodbye to Piper and left the apartment. First she had a meeting with Fahri and then she needed to do a round of drop offs. It would be a long night, one that she wouldn't get through without some extra help. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver box where she kept her supply of uppers. She only ever took them to help her stay awake, and tonight she needed to be at her best.

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It was close to midnight and Piper was feeling restless, she wasn't expecting Alex to be home for a few more hours. She'd been trying to sleep, but she struggled to get any rest when Alex wasn't there. She missed being able to roll over and wrap herself around the brunette whenever she felt uneasy.