The Reign Of Vause

Alex's yoga and Christmas dinner

(Piper's POV)

Alex and I had been out of our romantic bubblebath for all of 10 minutes when the ache in my shoulder reappeared again. What a Christmas Day this was. Plus, I knew if I told Alex about my reoccurring pain she'd play her 'I told you so Pipes' card. Again. So I tried to hide it from her but she's Alex, she's gonna know within a second. She can sniff out bullshit like a bloodhound.
Alex was re-dressing herself in her yoga outfit. She was the flexible one, I was the runner. I couldn't run this time of year due to the snow. Alex doesn't and never used to go to yoga class, she always just stretched at home and it's always done the job for her.
I was sitting upright on the bed trying to hide my winces from my wife and I was successful for a while.
"Babe? Where's the best place for me to do this?" Alex asked me, referring to her yoga.
I twisted my mouth in thought then two places came to mind.
"Well, if you want a workout, the gym Dad installed down the hall or the library for quietness. Your choice Al." I said nonchalantly not realising that this would be an insane thought for Alex what with her being a millionaire-ess due to her old drug importing career.
"You had a gym and library in your house growing up?!" Alex asked incredulously.
I knew my face was wearing my naive, bambi expression when I answered,
"Yes" as if it was the most normal thing in the world because to me, it was. I stretched over to my nightstand as Alex was deciding and I winced. Unfortunately for me, she saw, which sucked because she looked so hot in those tight yoga clothes.
"I fucking knew it." She sighed, annoyed yet satisfied.
I decided I'd walk into her trap to see where this conversation would lead me. I had an idea where though. Me pouting on the bed cursing the wound on my shoulder and my fucking childhood bully while my gorgeous wife victoriously walked to whatever room she chose to exercise in. I nailed it with my presumption. That is exactly what happened.
"Knew what?" I asked.
"She hurt you and you're still hurt and me getting in that bathtub with you didn't do you any favours." She said in her annoyed and proud victorious voice, raising one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.
"Fine. I'll give in to two out of the three things you said in that sentence because you getting into a bathtub with me is always going to be in my favour." I confessed.
Keeping her eyebrow raised, she formed a smirk. That annoyingly sexy smirk. It annoyed me even more knowing she wouldn't touch me because of my pain and worse, not let me touch her. And I don't mean chaste touches or cuddles.
After a few seconds of silence with her smirking at me like that in that outfit I couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop that." I tell her.
"Stop what?" She asks, teasing me, knowing exactly what I meant.
I threw a pillow at her which she deflected,
"You fucking know what!" I laughed as she kept her smirk.
"Baaaaaaaaabe, just for once could you not be so sexy or care about hurting me? You in that outfit has already given me about fourteen dirty thoughts." I whine as I roll over to faceplant the remaining pillow. I could hear her chuckle behind me and walk towards me. I wasn't facing her so I couldn't get my fifteenth dirty thought so I felt her soft, velvet lips on my cheek as she murmured in my ear.
"Well if that ever happened I wouldn't be a good wife then would I? Now, how about you turn those thoughts into dreams. Sleep it off. The faster your pain goes away, the faster we can get back to our glorious sexcapades babe. Oh and use the ice pack, your surgeon told me it'd work when you were in hospital. I'll see you at dinner." She finished and kissed me once again but on the temple this time and left. I decided that sleep would be a great idea. I couldn't wait to give Alex her gift later. I hope she'll like it.

(Alex's POV)

I chose the gym down the hall from Piper's room. I opened the door slightly to peek in, wanting to check if there was anyone here, there wasn't so I walked to a spot that wasn't taken up by treadmills and various other exercising equipment and lay out my yoga mat. Piper always loved to run to keep fit and get in her zen. She liked yoga too actually. Sometimes we did it together. In our relationship, sex was frequent and our preferred method of choice when it came to vigorous and/or flexible activity and it always provides an overwhelming zen when you're wrapped in the arms of the one you love most in the world, showing them just how much you love them. I'd taken up solo yoga while I was with Piper 11 years ago but only used it as a last resort when I wasn't near her, like in the days when she was still a waitress and I hadn't convinced her to come with me yet, when I was away on business deals and she couldn't come with me. After Piper, I used it to keep fit every morning and to release sexual frustration through a different form of exercise because no fling after Piper ever came close to her and a girl has to keep fit somehow.
Now that Piper was hurt again thanks to her fucking childhood bully, here I was now.
I sat on my mat and filled my thoughts with my happy places to get into my zen as I stretched. I had more than one happy place because I'd been to every corner of the globe in my lifetime and every happy place included Piper. One thought was Piper and I together in Tahiti where she got her fish tattoo for me to represent our love and I decided to respond to her. Another was when Piper said she loved me too. Another was our pork chop story. Another when Piper asked me to marry her and one when we got married.
It had been about an hour when I was broken from my zen mid stretch by the sound of the door being opened by none other than Larry. I currently had my right leg stretched to the side, my left leg curled into my body as I touched the toes of my outstretched leg.
Larry was staring at me then said,
"Wow. No wonder Piper chose you over me."
I rolled my eyes and stopped stretching, getting up to roll my mat back up like Piper had done with me when she first got to prison and was mad at me. I turned my back on Larry as I rolled.
"Look, Alex, I wanted to apologise to you for that snowball fight earlier and hitting you in the fa-" He started but I rolled my eyes again, sighed and got up, cutting him off.
"I can handle it, but if you want to apologise, the person that needs an apology is Piper. She suffered that insufferable, squawking new fiancé of yours for years while she got bullied by her and now you bring her here only for Pipes to get pelted fucking hard on her wound by her and try to sleep it off on Christmas fucking Day! I hate bullies Larry and by you allowing this, it makes you one too. So, if you'll excuse me, I have to go help make dinner with my in-laws that were almost yours." I seethe, pushing past him to go change into a grey sweater and black jeans to help cook dinner with my new family.
As I walked back into Piper's room to change, I found her curled up in bed, above the covers as she lay on her side, her hands together palm to palm under her head, sound asleep. I leaned against the doorframe for a while just staring at her, smiling and falling more in love with her if that was even possible. Pulling myself away, I put my yoga mat back in my suitcase, changed into my sweater and jeans, applied subtle eyeliner with red lipstick to match, gave my sleeping Piper a lingering kiss on the temple then left to help make dinner preparations.