"All inmates are to stay inside, severe weather is coming. I repeat, all inmates stay inside until further notice."

Nicky hears the Litchfield intercom, muffled through the walls of Red's greenhouse. She knows that none of the CO's will find her there during the storm, God forbid their uniforms get wet from the rain. It's pouring out, and the frequent cracks of thunder sound like trees snapping.

She sits with her back against the wall, cigarette dangling from her lips as she watches raindrops race down the window. She inhales each drag as deep as she can, savoring the flavor and burn in her lungs. It's most content she's been in days. Ever since Red's been in the hospital from her encounter with Vee, Nicky has been anything but herself. She hasn't made any offensive remarks to anybody, and she's been sleeping and moping around all week.

Suddenly the door barges open and Morello rushes in, slamming it behind her.

"Jesus Christ kid, gimme a fuckin' heart attack why don't ya?!" Nicky says, startled from Lorna's entrance.

"Oh sorry Nick, I thought you might be in here. I snuck out to find you, I been worried." Lorna says with her hair soaked, and make up dripping down her face from the rain.

Nicky takes another drag of her cigarette.

"Did ya wanna talk about it? I hear Red's pretty banged up but-"

Nicky interrupts her, "Look, Red's Red. She'll get through anything. I don't wanna talk about it, just get your ass over here and sit with me. I'll even share my cigarette with you."

Lorna crouches down and leans against the wall Nicky has reserved, "Okay, but I don't smoke, you know that. Where'd ya get it anyway?"

Nicky talks as she's inhaling, "Luscheck. He told me I "looked like I needed one."" She bobs her head in attempt to mock Luscheck.

Lorna looked innocently at Nicky, she didn't know what to say. She'd never seen a Nicky who plays the serious face this long.

Finally words came to her, "I'm glad it's makin' ya feel better an all, but you know how unhealthy those can be right?"

"Yes, Lorna. I have injected poison into my veins before, made em' cut my heart open and everything. I'm really worried that this might affect my health." Nicky says sarcastically.

Finally, Lorna got a glimpse of old, sarcastic and witty Nicky. "I just worry about ya, I don't want ya ending up like Rosa, fightin' cancer everyday."

"Ay, whatever's out to get me will get me, erright? Besides, Luscheck has been all over me, I think he wants me to fuck him or something to get more cigarettes. Trust me, I fuckin' love these things, but I draw the line. " Nicky let's out a giggle followed by a cough. It's the first time she's laughed in days.

Lorna is so relieved to hear her joking around again, and she's wondering why it's such a sudden change.

"Y'know, there's healthier stress relievers around here too." Lorna suggests.

"Yeah? Like what?" Nicky smirks and takes the last drag of her cigarette before putting it out against the dirt covered floor.

"Drawin', reading, yoga, anything really."

"Oh really? Anything to loosen me up a bit?" Nicky puts her hand through her hair and looks down at Lorna.

Lorna knows exactly where this is going, and she doesn't plan to stop it.

"Like this?" Nicky smirks.

She leans over her and starts to pepper Lorna's neck with kisses. Lorna gives in, leaning into her wild haired lover. She can smell, and basically taste Nicky's cigarette, and even though she hates to smoke them, it's somehow turning her on even more.

Nicky now has Lorna on her back, as she's leaned over the top of her, biting her neck, and down her collar bones.

Lorna begins to take off her Litchfield shirt with the help of Nicky, exposing her tiny body.

Nicky's kneading and squeezing her breasts as she kisses down Lorna's stomach, quickly making the path to the waistband of Lorna's pants. She's sucking on her lower stomach, as her hands travel down to pull off her scrub like pants.

As Lorna's pants come off, Nicky makes no hesitation to please what's in front of her. She engulfs Lorna's already wet sex into her mouth, sucking and flicking her tongue over her clit. She looks up at Lorna, who's eyes are closing and rolling back in her head. Lorna has her hands on Nicky's head, riding her rhythms and adding even more pressure to Nicky's already forceful tongue.

A massive crack of thunder erupts just as Nicky slides her fingers into Lorna's opening, conveniently making it so nobody could hear her moan.

Nicky is literally fucking her stress away, curling her fingers in and out of Lorna. Each moan coming from her mouth makes Nicky feel better and better.

"Nick-Nicky"

Lorna's going over the edge, trying to tell Nicky she's coming with broken words and gasping moans, and Nicky doesn't stop her pace whatsoever. She can feel Lorna tightening around her fingers, and finally her body nearly collapses, as Nicky slows her movements to bring her down slowly, gently.

Nicky looks up at her steamy, teary eyed "lover". They've never been romantically involved, it was always sex. Nothing more, nothing less.

Lorna is still in a euphoric state, her breathing still irregular. Nicky has a huge grin on her face, and out of nowhere, she goes up and plants a forceful kiss against Lorna's cherry red lips. She's holding her face, absorbing every touch.

Finally, they've released each other, Lorna is leaned up on her forearms, still on the floor, in dead stare at Nicky's gloomy hazeling eyes.

"Wha- what was that?" Lorna asks quietly, like a child.

"I'm not sure. I'm just glad you're the only one in this wild, depressing fucking prison to make me smile."

Lorna smiles, but she's unsure about her feelings towards Nicky.

"You make me smile too Nick, but I just gotta focus on Christopher for now. I'm sorry. I think we need to stop this for now, I'm just- I'm sorry." She's frantically putting her clothes back on, as Nicky watches, feeling rejected and humiliated.

Nicky gets up and swings her head, "and this is exactly why I never do this shit." She walks out into the storm, heading back inside to her bunk.

Lorna sits there, shakily listening to the thunder, completely regretful of what she just said. The whole point of coming here was to make her feel better.

Nicky lays in her bunk, thinking about how her life has gone to complete shit in the past week. She's starting to wish that she never gave Red that bag of heroin.

"Heroin was the best girlfriend I ever had." She remembers hearing Alex say those words in AA, and to this day she can't think of a more truthful statement. She wants the warmth around her body, the euphoric state, no anxiety, just floating peace. She's restless, heartbroken, and depressed. What else does she have? No Red, no Lorna, no heroin. Who's she going to go to now? Chapman? Yeah, like her self absorbed self would even consider thinking about how someone else feels.

Alex is walking around, and she peeps into Nicky's cube, "Hey, you seen Piper anywhere?"

Nicky rolls her eyes. "No fuckin' clue. Maybe she left you again for Larry. Maybe she's busy planning her wedding while she lets you fuck her to get her by. I dunno."

Alex sits next to her, "What the fuck Nichols? What's gotten into you? Red's going to be okay, don't go taking this shit out on me or Piper. We did nothing."

Nicky sits up, fast enough to get light headed. Her voice is shaking, "Y'know, what if it's not about Red? What if it's about everything in this fucking place. I give every good inch of my scarred, half dead fucking heart to these people. I'm only good for making you cum too, right?" She starts to cry, hands in her face and leaned over her knees. Alex see's that she's clearly broken down.

"Oh my god, Nick, look at me. Look at me." Nicky's now teary, blood shot eyes look up at Alex, barley able to keep eye contact. "You are one of the only genuine people in here who live every fucking day with the heart to see other people happy. You've been the reason I can laugh in all this hell around me. We need you Nick, and shits going bad, yeah, but when isn't it? We're all going to die anyway. Make your time alive worth it. You haven't been through it all for nothing."

Nicky is rocking back and forth, now trying not to cry. She says nothing.

Alex now has her in her embrace, rocking with her. "You're amazing kid. You're worth more than anybody."

Nicky looks at Alex, "I'm just so fucked up lately. I don't wanna do this anymore Vause, I fucking don't."

Alex is now holding Nicky into her stare, making it clear that she is dead serious. "You don't have a choice. Things will change. I don't know what the fuck is up with you and Morello, but that'll change too, alright?!" Her straight face breaks, and she's got a smirk coming out the side of her mouth. "And yes, you are amazing at making people cum. One of the best."

Nicky finally cracks a smile, wiping her face with her sleeves, and gives Alex a hug.

"Heyheyhey, no copping a feel, I'm not a single girl anymore." Alex jokes.

"Ay, thanks Vause, don't mention this shit to anybody. I'm supposed to be invincible, remember?"

"You got it." Alex smiles and walks out of her cube.