Their Forever

I Do ...... Again.

Alex scanned the crowd with emerald eyes; feeling them flood with tears. For the first time in a long time though, they weren't sad tears. The tears spilling over her waterline, threatening to ruin her mascara, were those of joy, of relief, release.

Finally, Alex could see everything she had ever wanted, yearned for, directly in front of her. Even things she hadn't realized she'd wanted.

Seated before her were hundreds of smiling faces, along with some very teary ones. Most of which she didn't know, but it was comforting nonetheless.

Alex had been alone for a long time, most of her life really; without a support system, without a family, and even without Piper.

The first few years were hard. Losing both of her people at once had come as quite the shock. The day Piper walked out, the day her mother died, had been the hardest day of her life; and she had experienced some pretty rough ones. From that point, Alex had expected to be alone forever. Or, for everyone she'd ever get attached to to wind up leaving.

Today signified that she'd have someone for the rest of her life. Alex Vause wasn't alone in the world, and she wouldn't have to be again.

Her mind trailed off as she waited for the music to start, continuing to study the crowd before her. There were plenty of new faces to take in, after all.

Right in the front, beside another open seat, was an empty space reserved for Diane, where her mother would have sat proudly, sobbing and smiling from ear to ear, to watch her baby get married. Around that spot were tons of Alex's favorite faces, her favorite felons, along with her russian mama with a fist full of kleenex, not holding a sob or sniffle back.

She couldn't help but let out a chuckle at Red, sobbing and mumbling in Russian although their wedding hadn't even begun.

Once the music started, Alex's gaze was fixed on the aisle. She drowned the entire word out, the people, the noise, even her own thoughts. All she wanted to see was her girl.

Although she had seen Piper in her dress already, seeing her before her, on her wedding day, broke her down to the core. Piper was about to be her wife; not her girlfriend, not her prison wife, but her legal, official, wife. The woman let the tears flow down her cheeks as the blonde made her way towards her, ignoring the fact that she was crying in front of so many complete strangers.

She didn't break easy, but Piper always made her come undone.

"Hi," Piper chuckled, squeezing Alex's hand in hers. She leaned in and wiped a tear away from her wife's cheek, before planting a soft kiss on her lips.

"Not yet!" Nicky chuckled, "Every time, huh?"

The women couldn't have imagined having their wedding officiated by anyone other than Nicole Nichols, who was properly certified, and had promised to keep things at least slightly formal. Pussy jokes and cornfield crack memories were off the table, at least for the ceremony.

"I love you." Piper mouthed, wiping away her own tears. Never before had she been so thankful for waterproof mascara, as she was a weeping mess, and streaking black trails would've rolled down her face by now.

Alex worked hard to focus on Nicky's words, on the ceremony, but all she could do was stare at Piper. She studied her face, her dress, the way their hands felt together. She would've never imagined ending up here, together, after all. Through all of it; the pain, the heartbreak, they had made it. Everything beside Piper was far in the distance; she was completely present in the moment, but only with her.

"Vause? Vows?" Nicky called out once more, snapping the raven haired woman back to reality.

"Right, sorry. Caught up in the moment." She stuttered out, pulling herself from her thoughts. She squeezed Piper's hand once more before letting it fall, and fishing a piece of paper from the pocket of her suit. The paper was crumbled, marked up. Words were crossed out, added in. It had taken Alex hours upon hours of writing to make sure she got it right, and it showed.