She was bored. It had been her idea to go out to dinner tonight to celebrate, yet she was bored. Larry seemed to have been talking non stop since they had sat down and she didn't have the first clue what he was saying. She glanced at her watch.

"They are late!" She huffed.

"Piper, its Polly, of course she is late. Let me get you another drink and you can text her to see where she is."

Nodding Piper pulled out her phone. Damn Polly and her persistent tardiness. Larry was right, she shouldn't be surprised, but if she didn't hurry up Piper knew she would be too drunk to care before she even got there.

A blast of cold air, calls of "We're here!" had Piper smiling despite herself.

"Where have you been!" She laughed as she kissed her best friend and smiled at Pete, pointing to the bar where Larry was still waiting to get served.

"Sorry!" Polly grinned, "we got distracted." Her exaggerated wink and laugh told Piper more than she needed to know and she shook her head laughing.

"Larry wants to 'make a night of it'" Piper rolled her eyes, "you would think he had landed a full time job for The New York Times, not a one of article for Newsday!"

"Oh come on Piper, its his first article, it is pretty big. Why are you so pissed?"

"I'm bored Polly. Bored waiting for my life to start. Bored watching life happen for others and the thought of 'making a night of it' would be OK if we were talking drinking and a club, but he wants to have a meal then all go back to ours for drinks! I feel 40 and part of an old married couple no 26 and dating."

Polly sniggered. "Yes we are very grown up. Look Piper you are 'bored' because you are sulking. You should be happy for Larry he has worked hard for this. Your turn will come. Our turn. And when it does we will go to any club you want!"

"We're going to a club?" Pete's excited voice questioned as he placed the girls drinks on the table.

"No," Piper smiled, "tonight we eat, talk and celebrate Larry's success."

"That's boring!" Pete exclaimed earning a smirk from Piper and a frown from Polly. "Come on man. Lets take our girls clubbing!"

"Firstly," Polly said indignantly "we are women not 'your girls' and secondly maybe you should ask rather than decide for us."

Larry looked at Piper, "I thought you wanted to go to dinner, it was your idea! You said you were happy."

"I am!" Piper laughed, "it was Pete's suggestion."

"But Polly was saying you could go to any club you wanted when it was your turn… what did she mean?"

Piper glared at Polly. "I was just saying I felt frustrated at the lack of progress with PoPi's."

"Oh Piper," Larry pulled her into a hug. "You have that meeting at Barney's that's huge!"

Nodding while rolling her eyes at a grinning Polly behind Larry's back, she pulled away and said "OK lets eat I'm starving."

"Lets go to that new place," Pete suggested. Looking round he added, "its too quiet in here, the bar down the street has live music and serves food."

Larry shrugged, "Sure."

The bar was noisy and busy. Finding a table the group ordered drinks and food.

"This place is cool." Polly grinned as she sat next to Piper. Soon the two friends were drinking and laughing as they watched groups of men try to hit on women at the bar, then watched in open amusement as a table of women played what was obviously a very loud, rude drinking game.

"I miss those days." Piper smiled, a melancholy expression on her face.

Polly nodded "Sure we had fun at college, but this isn't so bad is it. No bad chat up lines and a guaranteed fuck when you get home."

Piper rolled her eyes. How could she explain to her friend that as much as she loved Larry it was the very security her friend spoke fondly of that piper hated most. She had loved the thrill of nights out drinking dancing and getting hit on in bars.

Soon Piper began to relax as she soaked up the relaxed atmosphere and light-hearted mood of the people around her.

"When PoPi's is established that's what I want us to do." Piper nodded towards a group of women out having fun. They were obviously work colleagues unwinding after a hard weeks work and Piper envied the relationships between them as they laughed and teased and enjoyed free time together.

"Oh yes!" Polly grinned. "This could be our Friday night bar! Just us girls!"

Piper, still watching the women had her envious thought interrupted by Larry's voice.

"Come dance with me." Larry grinned holding his hand out to Piper as she sat giggling next to Polly.

Grinning as her friend pushed her up, Piper held Larry's hand and let him lead her onto the dance floor where the music had slowed and the previous revellers, dancing to the rock music this bar favoured, had been replaced by swaying couples.

"I'm glad we did this." Larry smiled as they moved slowly together, "we should do it more often."

Piper nodded. She wasn't sure 'couples club nights' were her thing but even she couldn't deny she had had fun.

As the tempo of the music changed they were suddenly surrounded once more and laughing Piper began to move faster pulling Larry with her. Spinning in front of him she laughed as she saw both Pete and Polly recording his discomfort on their phones.

"Piper"… he half moaned half laughed.

She slithered up and down his body winking as she spun just out of his reach when he tried to hold her close. She missed dancing. Larry hated it and Piper knew it was only the beer and slow song that had made him brave tonight. Since Polly had hooked up with Pete their dancing days had stopped. Larry was right they should do it more often. Grinning as she saw Polly dragging Pete to join them she nodded at her friend as they began to circle the two men enjoying their unease as they made them the centre of attention. Another change of song had Piper 'whooping' and her and Polly falling into old familiar dance moves. Pete and Larry, sensing their chance, made a quick escape to the bar where they watched from a safe distance.

The music now had a retro feel. Larry grinned from the safety of a bar stool as he watched Piper, surrounded by equally drunk women, shout out the lyrics to a familiar female anthem.

"They look hot!" Pete grinned. "Much hotter than you did out there!"

Larry grinned, "don't think I didn't see you recording on your phone, if that appears online I will make sure Polly gets copied in to all those porn emails you send me."

"Who do you think I get them from!" Pete sniggered, "don't know about your girl man but mine loves it dirty!"

Larry shook his head. Then grinned when he saw Piper walking towards them. She grabbed his beer taking a mouthful then kissed him and said "Come dance with me again. Please."

Unable to resist her big blue eyes and pretty smile Larry let himself be dragged on to the dance floor once more. When he saw her like this, having fun, laughing and looking so happy Larry felt the overwhelming urge to just hug her. Relieved when the music slowed once more he pulled her close swaying gently his whispered "I love you Piper Chapman!"

She pulled her head off his shoulder to look at him. "I know you do" she grinned, "you wouldn't be here dancing with me otherwise."

Suddenly serious Larry pulled back and stared at his girlfriend. "I mean it Piper, I really love you." Then without warning he dropped to one knee and said "marry me Piper."

Mouth open as she stared first down at the kneeling Larry then across to the bar to see if Polly was witnessing this she remained silent.

"Piper?" Larry looked a little uncomfortable and more than a little self conscious.

"Answer him blondie!" shouted a voice from a nearby table followed by laughs and more shouts of encouragement.

"Piper?" Larry asked again.

Nodding Piper began to smile. "yes!"

Larry stood and swung her round kissing her. As he put her down they were surrounded by their friends holding champagne. Excellent Pete grinned another reason to drink. Returning to the table they had earlier left Piper quickly finished the champagne and reached for the bottle to refill her glass.

"Steady on," Larry admonished lightly, "I don't want to have to carry you home."

Piper heard someone snigger as they walked past commenting, "See the moaning has started already and she only said yes 10 minutes ago."

Piper spun to see who had made the comment but other than the backs of two women from the group she had been watching earlier she could not see anyone close enough. Putting her glass down reluctantly, knowing Larry was right and she had had far more to drink than she ever normally would, she excused herself and made her way towards the bathroom.

On entering she saw 2 of the 3 cubicles were occupied. Entering the third she went in, locked the door and sat on the closed toilet seat. Taking a deep breath she let the relative peace of the bathroom wash over her for a second before her eyes pooped open at the conversation now taking place at the wash basins.

"I mean did you see him. So needy. Why would you commit to that?" Commented the first slightly slurred voice.

"Yeah," a deeper voice, yet decidedly more sober voice agreed. "I was watching her all evening, I mean she was hot right, but she looked trapped. She looked like she wanted to escape. Yet she said yes. The kid may have been cute, but she must have shit for brains!"

She heard them sniggering as they exited. Almost glues to her seat in shock at the words she had overheard Piper was only pulled out of her trance by Polly's voice.

"Piper? You in here?"

Exiting piper looked at her friend. "Have I made a mistake Polly? Was saying yes a mistake?"

"Do you love him?" Polly asked seeing just how serious her friend was.

"Yes." Piper nodded. She knew it was not an all consuming passion, but she did love Larry.

"Then no, you haven't made a mistake." Polly smiled. "Come on lets get you home. Remember what I said, us girls are onto a sure thing tonight!"

Piper woke with a start. Glancing across at Larry she was relieved to see she hadn't woken him. Getting carefully out of bed she made her way to the kitchen. She needed water.

Sat now in the peace and quiet of the darken kitchen Piper reflected on the previous evening. They had got home and Larry had been more affectionate than normal. Piper knew she was drunk but the words of the women kept going round in her head. She was not 'a kid' she was 26 for Christ's sake, and did not have shit for brains! Larry was lovely, he loved and cared for her so how did that make it a mistake. But as he had kissed her and his hands moved to caress her breast she pulled away. "Larry I cant. My head… I feel sick…" dashing to the bathroom Piper rested her pounding head against the cool bathroom tiles. What had she done?

The dream that had awoken her hadn't helped. She had dreamt she was out with friends laughing, joking and watching the proposal scene unfold before her. She knew she would have agreed with those women, in fact she could hear herself saying the same words herself not so very long ago. Finishing her water she made her way back to the bedroom.

It was the alcohol hazing her judgement. She was sure tomorrow she would feel better. Being able to finally please her mother and announce her engagement, being able to look for wedding dresses and plan the reception, it was what she had always dreamed about after all.

The doubt nagged at her brain as she drifted back to sleep. If it was what she had always wanted why did it feel so very wrong.

A/N: OK, this is chapter 1 of a story that is non prison but will feature the characters in various roles. It will start as rated 'T' but I have every intention of it becoming 'M'! I look forward to hearing what you think ;-)