A/N Thanks for those who messaged me regarding an update- it really helped motivate me to sit down and get this done. Apologies for the delay everyone. Slightly shorter chapter than usual- but that is because it will lead into future stuff.

….

Alex remains slumped tiredly on the small couch in her girlfriend's apartment, the palms of her hands pressed firmly to her closed eyes as she attempts to reign in the heavy sinking sensation that had been pooling around her stomach over the last few hours. Her cell phone remains rested upon her thigh, the lack of attempted communication from Piper causing her heart to race with the possibilities of just where she had run too and what may be going through her mind as she deals with the heavy blow of what had just occurred.

Her own calls to Piper had remained unanswered, the familiar sound of her the blonde's message bank greeting her upon each attempted call, her heart sinking each time. Alex was growing ever more concerned with each passing moment apart, the not knowing to where Piper had run to and how the blonde was reacting to the news of her suspension causing her deep distress.

The scuffing of Nicky's shoes along the hardwood floor causes Alex to raise her head and watch as the wild-haired woman paces anxiously back and forth in the silent room, her eyes focused upon her own phone that remains firmly grasped in her hand, her eyes practically having never left the small screen since the much concerned text from Piper's trainer about the events that had transpired in his office hours prior.

Throughout their long friendship, Nicky had grown accustomed to Piper simply taking off, splitting when the situation got too difficult to handle. Despite being used to this, Nicky never ceased to find herself in a state of worry, knowing that Piper tended not to make the best decisions when she was emotional. She had seen it happen many times before, Piper bailing when things got rough, only to have the blonde return in a state that was considered anything but okay. However, Nicky had seen a change within Piper since Alex and she can only hope it was enough to stop Piper doing something she would later regret.

"Nicky, I really think I should be out looking for her as well," Alex says, interrupting Nicky from her own thoughts, as the brunette stands from her seat upon the couch, her body too tense to remain sitting.

Nicky glances towards Alex, knowing her face was mirroring that of the brunette's, before running her hand through her own wild mane. Nicky had returned roughly half an hour earlier from her search for Piper, having told Alex to remain at the apartment is case she came home during her absence, something the brunette had attempted to refuse until finally wilting under Nicky's begging eyes.

Nicky knew that undoubtedly Piper's eventual return would be messy, that whatever state the girl would arrive in would further complicate an already difficult situation. Nicky had borne witness to an unfocused Piper, a Piper who lacked the drive to keep herself away from temptations that would cause her nothing but harm. Boxing, and then later on Alex, had allowed Piper to withdraw herself from that life, to find the needed stability that would provide her with the right headspace to avoid becoming entrapped within that world again, a world which Piper allowed herself to become surrounded by the wrong type of people who did nothing but drag her down into something she shouldn't be a part of.

"No, you are better off being here when she comes back, trust me. Lorna has still got a few more places left," Nicky murmurs, throwing herself into the chair as she watches Alex begin to pace the room, knowing the brunette was feeling as helpless as ever having been left to nothing but her own mind as both Nicky and Lorna searched places which Piper was familiar with and may possibly have run to.

Alex sighs heavily, never having felt more useless in her life, wanting nothing but to be able to have Piper in her arms, to provide comfort and reassurance for her girlfriend. "She had been doing so well," Alex mumbles walks back towards the couch and sinks into its leather, her fixating upon Nicky who remains seated in front of her.

"She would actually allow herself to talk about how she felt. She had begun to stop keeping things bottled up," Alex explains to Nicky, noting the significant change she had seen in Piper since they had met, the blonde no longer as distant with her emotions, choosing to actually allow herself to discuss things with Alex before they could consume her and disperse into nothing but troubled thoughts.

"It's her way of attempting to cope when it all becomes too much. She just runs. It's just the way her brain is wired" Nicky replies, knowing that this was Piper attempting to avoid the emotional situation at hand, as opposed to actually ignoring the people who acted as her support network. Nicky knew this was all a direct result of the way in which Piper grew up, the blonde's parents having forced her into an internal struggle with her emotions, a consequence of their behaviour towards her as a child.

Because of her childhood, Piper had grown accustomed to shutting people out, to use any means necessary as a way to ignore the deep pain the resided inside. She had become good at it, locking away the part of her that allowed herself to give in to her emotions, to acknowledge and subsequently deal with the feelings she felt. She had allowed herself to close off and bury them deep within, drowning them by the use of other means as long as it meant they wouldn't resurface.

"I know," Alex sighs, running a hand through her long, black hair. "I had always kinda just hoped I had done enough to change that though."

Nicky offers Alex a sympathetic smile, her heart hurting for the brunette who had become such a close friend, a confidant who she knew made her best friend the happiest she had ever been, internally thankful that they were introduced all that time ago. Alex had truly been Piper's saving grave, the person the blonde had been waiting for in order to ensure her life changed for the better. Before Alex, Nicky had always feared the worst for the future of the blonde, doing everything within her power to keep her from descending back into her old ways. Yet, because of Alex, Nicky found she had allowed herself not to worry as much, feeling as if the brunette was enough to keep Piper away from seeking out temptations. She now only hoped and prayed that this was indeed true.

…..

Throwing the small shot glass back, Piper grimaces as the vile tasting liquid burns her throat, before slamming the glass back down onto the wooden counter in front of her, raising her hand towards the bartender to signify she wanted another. The man shakes his head in disbelief, having lost count of the number of drinks he had provided for the blonde throughout the course of the last few hours, before wielding with a sigh and providing her with another given that she still at least appeared to be standing.

Piper grasps the glass firmly in her right hand, her left remaining rested against the counter of the bar she just had happened to stumble across in her search for hard liquor after the news of her suspension. Piper's feels the vibration of her cell phone through her jeans pocket once again, having silenced the device once it was obvious both Alex and Nicky had caught wind of what had happened during her meeting with John, unwilling, and now currently unable to given her inebriated state, to discuss anything with anyone despite knowing how selfish it appeared.

As soon as John had muttered the words of her suspension, Piper had needed an escape, to drink herself away from the reminder of what her actions and reactions had caused for herself, the reminder that perhaps she was no better than the man she had spent her whole life despising. Piper felt numb, unsure of what the events that had transpired over the last 24 hours meant for her, the thoughts of her once very focused future disappearing into a cloud of black smoke, as if her hopes and dreams never existed.

For the last few years, boxing had provided her a much needed outlet, something to fixate her time and mind upon to avoid crumbling like she once has before. It kept her focused, provided her the much needed drive to stay away from the bad things she had allowed herself to be consumed by in the past. Yet now, it was gone and Piper was left with a familiar emptiness she had felt only in her past and subsequently, the strong desire to block it out somehow.

Piper glances around the ever busying bar, her blue eyes flickering over the faceless people who surround her, knowing that the only familiar face she was actually wanting to see was not there, but rather with Nicky, obviously worried given the numerous missed calls she knew were displayed on her phones screen. Despite the blonde's want for her girlfriend, the need to drown the pain and fear that was growing inside after her realisation of what she had allowed herself to do was far greater.

Piper groans as she pushes herself from the stool, wobbling slightly before catching herself on the countertop in front of her, earning her a few questioning looks from those around her. The blonde begins to shuffle her way out of the bar, each step shaky and unsteady as she approaches the exit and makes her way into the cool night air, knowing that she at least needed to get herself home before the alcohol in her system became too much.

She pauses for a moment after she crosses the threshold of the door and takes in a shaky breath, feeling herself becoming hazier by the second as the liquid inside her begins to further warm her ever dulling senses. She shoves her hands into her jacket pockets before glancing to her left, a haze of smoke catching her attention, instantly drawing her in.

She studies the man behind the smoke cloud for a moment, an old familiar need to have the taste of a cigarette on her tongue beginning to arise from within as the smell begins to fill her senses. Piper hadn't smoked in years, giving it up in order the better perform within the ring, finding that it tended to hinder her body. However, Piper felt that none of that mattered now, she no longer had that focus to keep her away from such temptations she craved. Because of this she steps forward, in seek of something she had forbidden herself for so long.

She approaches the man and offers him a drunken smile and asks if she can have a cigarette, gesturing towards the packet in his hands eagerly, the need for one to be upon her lips growing with each waking moment. He concedes and gives her one, Piper pausing only so that he could light it for her before mumbling a thank you, turning on her heel and stumbling her way down the quiet street towards her own apartment, savouring each puff of the cigarette as she goes, hoping it now wont be her last.

….

Piper fumbles for the key in her pocket as she approaches the door to her apartment, her body swaying heavily under each intoxicated step, her mind numbly clouded by the haze of alcohol within her system. As she pulls her house key from her jacket pocket, Piper stumbles forward slightly into the door, her left shoulder connecting audibly with the surface, announcing her arrival to the anxious bodies which wait behind its confines.

Before Piper has the chance to use her own key, the door swings open, Piper stumbling forward only to be caught by a familiar set of arms before she has the chance to fall over the threshold, her girlfriend's scent unmistakable.

"Pipes?" Alex murmurs, her hands resting on each of the blonde's shoulders, holding her swaying body in place as her eyes dart over her girlfriend, searching for any harm that may have come to her in the hours they had been searching for her, the stench of alcohol and cigarette radiating through her senses causing the brunette to momentarily frown.

Oblivious to her girlfriends concerns, Piper pushes forwards and tightly wraps her arms around the brunette's waist, leaning into the brunette as she places a series of sloppy kisses along her neck as she allows her hands to begin to wander over the brunette's body. "Hi," Piper slurs as she continues her assault on Alex's neck and kisses up towards her jawline, needing to feel connected. She had done this in the past, used sex as a way of further combating the feelings that lie within, for the moment the alcohol not enough to take the hurt and disappointment in her self away.

"Piper," Alex says seriously as she pulls back and brings her hands to cup the blonde's face, the look of worry still lacing her eyes as she gently tilts Piper's head so her own eyes meet blue as attempts to pull her girlfriend to focus. "You okay?" Alex murmurs as she stares intently into Piper's eyes.

Piper struggles as attempts to focus upon what Alex is saying, the words that fall from the brunette's mouth unclear, the world that surrounds her nothing but a haze as the liquid gold flows through her system. The blonde remains unaware of her girlfriend's concerns throughout the day, the brunette sighing as she gently kicks the front door shut and guides Piper down the small hallway and to the kitchen, all the while steading the blonde as she stumbles repeatedly over nothing.

Alex gently pushes Piper to lean against the counter top of the kitchen, her gaze fixated upwards, green eyes connecting with a concerned Nicky, who is leant against the opposite side of the kitchen counter, her eyes asking a silent question which the brunette is honestly not sure the answer to.

"I'll just go text Lorna," Nicky murmurs, deciding perhaps it was best to not crowd Piper, trusting that now the blonde was home Alex would hopefully be able to handle the aftermath. Nicky had watched as Alex became the one person Piper would relent to, the one person she could confide in, something the woman was so thankful for.

The brunette responds with the nod of her head as she collects a glass from the sink and fills it with water from the tap as Piper rests against the counter, the intense smell of smoke and alcohol filling the air within the apartment, it all too obvious now how Piper's night had ended.

Piper groans slightly as Alex hands her the glass of water, commanding her to drink it, her tone serious enough that even a completely drunken Piper knew to comply. The blonde drains the contents of the glass quickly as Alex comes to stand in front of her, gently pinning her upright with her own body, her long, pale arms coming to protectively wrap around Piper's torso, hands resting at the small of her back, securing her in place.

"Babe, you okay?" Alex asks again, her eyes searching for some confirmation, as if needing to hear the reassuring words from Piper's mouth.

The brunette stares intently at Piper, subtly searching the blonde's eyes for a sign that this was more than just copious amounts of alcohol, that she hadn't sort other means to drown the pain she knew her suspension had brought upon. The blonde remains silent, her face contorted in a way that tells Alex she would not be remembering this in the morning, that perhaps this was all best to be dealt with in the morning, knowing that Piper had already begun to drift towards the need to sleep.

Alex sighs before pulling the blonde into an embrace, placing a kiss upon her forehead, smiling slightly as she feels Piper nuzzle into her neck, the thought that even in her drunken state Piper still would seek out her warmth and touch making Alex's heart swell. Piper had not been an affectionate person before Alex, however the brunette had awoken a desire to seek out her touch, the blonde finding it was the only thing that provided her comfort. As she had entered the house Piper had the intention of further drowning her fears with sex, yet Piper felt herself being drawn to simply finding comfort in Alex's concerned touch, even in her haze.

Alex keeps Piper locked in a warm embrace for a while before pulling away and lightly guiding the blonde towards her own bedroom, the brunette feeling Piper beginning to sink into sleep as they go. She gently undresses Piper, leaving her clad in only her underwear before gently directing her into the bed, the blonde instantly settling into the comfort of her bed, face instantly sinking into the pillow below.

Alex steps back, intending to let Piper sleep it off and tackle the repercussions in the morning, planning on joining the blonde in bed after she talks with a still concerned Nicky before her thoughts are interrupted by a familiar touch, snapping her focus back towards the woman in front of her.

"No, stay," Piper mumbles as her hand gently catches Alex's wrist, her voice filled, even on the cusp of sleep, with enough need that it makes Alex's breath catch.

The brunette slides under the covers, not bothering to discard of her own clothing and gently pulls the near sleeping Piper impossibly closer, as if hoping that her warm embrace would be enough to keep Piper's demons at bay. Alex leans forward slightly and places a tender kiss on the blonde's forehead, her lips lingering as she closes her eyes and takes in the familiar aroma that is Piper's shampoo before pulling away and studying Piper's soft features as she begins to succumb to an intoxicated filled sleep.

Raising her left arm, Alex gently brushes her thumb across the blonde's lips, wanting nothing more than to see the smile she had grown to love so much form upon them, but knowing, given recent events, that is could be a while before she does. For Alex knew an emotional storm was brewing and she could only hope that Piper was strong enough the fight through it.

…

A/N

A certain old 'friend' should be appearing very soon, so let the drama begin. As always, reviews are always welcome and many thanks for the follows/favs.

To anyone interested, I have begun a new fic (Vauseman Therapist/Patient AU) that you might like. So feel free to check that out.

Until next time,

Mrosse38