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"You getting excited?" Alex asked, wiggling into the last available space in front of the crowded mirror in the washroom. She squeezed some toothpaste onto her toothbrush and glanced down at Nicky, raising her eyebrows as she regarded the younger girl with a knowing smile.

"Who could resist getting excited about the sight of you dressed in that towel," Nicky said coyly, looking Alex up from top to bottom with an appreciative eye. She shook her head and sighed, "such a waste though, since you decided to go celibate." Piper and Alex were still going strong, something that surprised Nicky who had expected Piper to flake out long before now. Piper hadn't though; she visited regularly and faithfully wrote Alex lengthy letters multiple times a week. The two had gotten engaged a few months ago on Alex's birthday, when Piper came for visitation and proposed right at the table. Nicky respected their relationship, but it didn't stop her from teasing and flirting with Alex from time to time. It was just their way, and it was harmless.

"I'm in a committed relationship," Alex reminded her with a smirk, her voice muffled from the toothbrush in it, "and you've certainly been keeping yourself busy without my help." She leaned over the sink and spit. Nicky twirled her eyeliner pencil between her fingertips and smiled wistfully. She had kept herself preoccupied with the ladies in the ever expanding prison population. One good thing about the overcrowding was that there was plenty of women to choose from. There had been nobody serious since Lorna, but Nicky wasn't looking for commitment, she only wanted to have a little harmless fun.

"Yeah, but I'm getting tired of the same old straight girls experimenting in prison scene," Nicky clicked her tongue and returned the pencil to her makeup bag, having already applied her trademark thick liner to her bottom lid. "Which is why my liberation from this dump could not come at a better time. I can't wait to hit the town and stay out all night with the hottest women I can find." Nicky opened her mouth and widened her eyes as she began applying a thick coat of mascara to her lashes.

"Yeah, right," Alex said sarcastically, "you and I both know you'll be snuggling up with mommy for a bedtime story as soon as the sun goes down tonight." She rinsed out her mouth and returned her toothbrush and toothpaste to her shower bag.

"Well, maybe I'll take it easy tonight," Nicky admitted, "I'll get settled in first, and then I'll hit town." She had never been bothered in the slightest by Alex's teasing her about Red. Being loved by Red was the best part about Nicky's life and it actually pleased her that their closeness was so obvious to her friends. She blinked in the mirror while waiting for her eye makeup to dry. "I wonder how weird it's going to be between us now that we'll both be outside the prison bubble," she said, ruffling her mane so as to give it even more volume. She paused and stared at her reflection in the mirror, her hand tangled in her hair, "I mean, I'm a different person in real life then I am in here."

"You mean you weren't a sweet little mama's girl in your pre-prison life?" Alex asked in mock surprise, turning to face Nicky while hiking up her towel. Nicky bit into her plump bottom lip and her fingers scratched into her scalp. Suddenly she looked so young and anxious. Nicky talked such a big game and acted confident, but every now and then she let her guard down and allowed Alex a glimpse of the scared little girl that was hidden inside of her. Nicky had been thinking about this day, and all that Red had promised her, for a long time. It always seemed too good to be true, but Nicky held onto that dream because she had never wanted anything more. Her mom had created a home for them, she had a loving family, and a fresh chance to make her life so much more than what it had been before. Everything was wonderful and her expectations had been raised so high, that Nicky feared disappointment was inevitable.

"One thing I never was before prison was a mama's girl," Nicky said releasing the secure grip she had on her hair. Avoiding Alex's eye, she gathered up her things and moved away from the sink. "You're forgetting that I grew up with a mom who sent me to overnight camp when I was three." She rolled her eyes dramatically as she waited for Alex to follow her, "I got pretty used to being by myself."

"Well, now you have Red," Alex said as they left the claustrophobic confines of the overcrowded bathroom and walked through the dormitory, "the mother who has been here to see you every single week, without fail, for this entire year." She looked down at Nicky whose lips had stretched into a slight smile at her words, and whose cheeks had pinkened with pleasure.

"What can I say? I'm loved," Nicky said, sounding much more confident than she felt. She plopped herself down on Alex's bunk as they walked into the cube. "Either that, or Red just misses being in prison," she joked, "because, even in here, I am way more fun then all three of her sons put together." There was a hint of resentment behind Nicky's joking. It had been very difficult for her to sit still inside while her brothers took Red out and had fun times all year long. Inwardly, Nicky had always been afraid that if Red enjoyed her family so much the way it was, she might forget why she had asked Nicky to become a part of it in the first place.

"Your humbleness astounds me," Alex said sarcastically, pulling her grey sweatshirt over her head. She put her glasses back on and gave Nicky a sisterly smile, "you're a brat, but I am going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too," Nicky admitted with a rueful smile. She was lying on her stomach and swinging her bent legs back and forth in the air. Alex had become the sister that Nicky had never had, and she knew that Alex felt the same way about her. They both had been only children, they both grew up feeling like they didn't fit in, and they both had something that the other one had desired. Alex had had a loving mother, but growing up poor she had often been treated as lesser than the rich snobby girls she went to school with. In contrast, Nicky had always had the best of everything, but her mother had rarely given her the time of day. They were two different sides of the same coin, and a realization like that bonded people through an intimate form of understanding. Nicky knew that she had found a friend for life in Alex Vause.

'You make the time pass by quicker," Alex told her generously. She pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants over her white cotton granny panties, and sat down on the bunk next to Nicky. "Now I don't know what I'm going to do for entertainment."

"It won't be much longer," Nicky said, sitting back up so that there was more room for both of them on the bed. "you can spend that time planning your wedding," Nicky laughed, "this place has been seriously lacking in the romance department ever since Lorna got out."

"You always hated when Lorna would gush about wedding plans," Alex pointed out, crossing her legs and punching Nicky playfully on the shoulder, "although I guess that's just because she wasn't making those plans with you."

"Yeah," Nicky scoffed, recalling the agony of listening to Lorna ramble on about the most minute details concerning a wedding that was never going to happen. Nicky knew that Lorna was delusional, but she had always hoped that eventually Lorna would figure things out and realize that her feelings for Nicky were what was real. It hadn't exactly worked out that way though. Despite the pain she still felt whenever her thoughts turned to Lorna, Nicky could not help but smile. She still adored that crazy girl. "Do you remember that wedding collage I made her that time for Secret Santa?" Nicky asked Alex heartily.

"I do," Alex said. She took off her glasses and began to clean the smeared glass on her shirt. "Didn't you draw yourself in the groom's place?" She chuckled in amusement, "talk about subtle, Nichols." She refrained from mentioning the touching that occurred beneath that collage, in the middle of the dormitory, in plain sight of the guard bubble, but both Nicky and Alex's thoughts turned there for a moment.

"Hey, I was just trying to let her know that she could still have the wedding, and the house, and the kids, without a man," Nicky said defensively, "Lorna got too caught up on the hetero part." She tried to keep her tone light, not wanting Alex to see how hurt she still was by how things had ended.

"What does that mean?" Alex asked in surprise, "that Miss. Nicky Nichols was actually considering settling down and living the white picket fence family life? Somehow I have a hard time picturing you in that role." Nicky still slept around with every woman she could get in this place, but it was clear that a part of her had never stopped pining for Lorna. Quite possibly Nicky tried to fill the void of Lorna with different women, even though it was never going to work.

"I wouldn't have minded it if it was with somebody I was in love with," Nicky said vaguely, although there was no room to question who that somebody would need to be. Usually Nicky tried to avoid thinking about Lorna, but the fact that she was getting out today had made her more than a little sentimental. It was bizarre to feel sentimental about five years in prison, but those years hadn't all been bad. Nicky couldn't say she was glad she had been locked up, but she was appreciative to Litchfield for the relationships she had formed there and for finally managing to stay clean. They hadn't been wasted years, by any means.

"I wonder what she's doing now," Alex said thoughtfully, she glanced at Nicky with a quizzical expression on her face, "do you have any plans to look her up now that you're getting out?" Nicky shrugged impassively, not wanting to admit that what Alex had just asked her had been the same question that Nicky had been asking herself for days. She still didn't have an answer.

"You only get one chance to break my heart," Nicky said bluntly, wiping her clammy hands on her pant legs. "I think Lorna made it crystal clear where we stand considering that she hasn't come back to visit me once since she got let out."

"She writes to you though," Alex reminded Nicky, "so she does still care." Lorna wrote Nicky nonsensical little drabbles every couple of weeks. She'd complain about her sister and her kids being too loud, write about the cute guys that had hit on her, and whatever other thoughts flew through her mind. Lorna always told Nicky that she missed her and loved her, but Nicky had never wanted to read too much into those lines. She did not want to get her heart broken again.

"There you are!" Gloria exclaimed, entering Alex's cube and giving Nicky a stern look, "were you just planning to hide out until it was time to go, or were you going to come find me and say a proper goodbye?" Gloria was holding two empty carboard boxes that she had gotten from the kitchen, and she watched in amusement as Nicky's eyes darted side to side like a naughty child.

"Oh, Gloria," Nicky said sweetly, "I didn't think you and I were the type for emotional farewells. Are you going to miss me that much? You called me a pain in your ass just yesterday." Nicky bent her legs and hugged them against her chest, rested her chin on them, and attempted to look the picture of innocence. Gloria wasn't buying it though.

"That's because you are a pain in the ass," Gloria said unapologetically, resting her black booted foot against the cement partition wall. "I was just by your cube, Nicky, and I noticed that you haven't even started packing up your things yet." She tilted her head and regarded Nicky with a searching look.

"I don't want any of it," Nicky said, looking up at Gloria and shaking her hand dismissively in the air, "I'm going to go shopping tomorrow. Marka already said she'd send me some money to buy everything I need." Nicky rested her head back on her knees lazily, as if that settled everything.

"I thought you weren't going to take her money?" Alex asked, elbowing Nicky in the ribs.

"Are you kidding?" Nicky said, turning her head to look sideways at Alex, "giving me money is the only redeeming quality that woman has. I won't have money of my own until I find a job, and I don't want Red to feel burdened to buy me stuff."

"What about Red's books and the photographs she left you?" Gloria asked, rocking herself forward slightly as she continued to try and balance on one foot, "you don't want to take those with you?"

"Actually, I was planning to leave them for you," Nicky said generously with a winning smile, "isn't that nice of me?"

"Oh Chica," Gloria shook her head, "I think you just want me to pack for you and that's not about to happen." She lowered her foot and straightened herself up, "March yourself over there and get everything cleaned up right now." She pointed across the hall at Nicky's bunk.

"Okay," Nicky said reluctantly, standing up and sighing loudly, as if what Gloria had just commanded was completely unreasonable. "Are you in that big a hurry to get rid of me?" she asked, as she walked by Gloria, "because I've still got lots of time. Those guards are so incompetent that I predict it will be nighttime before I get out of here."

"Healy told you ten this morning," Gloria said walking behind Nicky and still carrying the boxes that she had brought for packing, "and that's what time you told Red to be here for."

"I know," Nicky sighed, looking over her shoulder at Gloria, "I'm moving, okay?"

Nicky entered her cube and immediately stood on tiptoe to pull the crochet blanket and pillow set off of her bunk. Red had given them to Nicky when she had been released from prison. She had told Nicky that every night when she slept with them it would be like Red was giving her a hug. It had really helped when Nicky was having trouble sleeping or feeling particularly lonely. "Here, Gloria," she said, tossing them to Gloria, "they were Red's and I know she'd want you to have them now."

"Thanks," said Gloria, sitting down on the bottom bunk, that used to belong to Red, and hugging the blanket and pillow to her chest. Alex sat down next to her and they both watched as Nicky plopped herself heavily on the floor in front of her locker and opened it up. "Let's see," she murmured, "Food. Do you want it all, Vause?"

"Sure," Alex said agreeably, and Nicky pulled out about a dozen packets of ramen noodles, bags of candy, and chips, and packed them into the largest box that Gloria had brought her.

"Why do you still have so much food if you knew you were getting out soon?" Gloria asked her, amazed by all the food that Nicky had been hoarding.

"I stocked up a long time ago," Nicky replied, "Just in case the commissary ran out of the things I liked. You expected me to eat that gross slop for every meal, so I needed to be prepared."

"You think I was going to scrounge around for ingredients to make you a separate meal from the rest of the prison population?" Gloria asked incredulously.

"Red did," Nicky retorted, as if that settled things. Red had always enjoyed spoiling Nicky, but Gloria was not quite as enabling. She had her own little ways of letting Nicky know she cared though, they both just enjoyed giving one another a hard time.

"You can have these too," Nicky said, handing Alex all of her cosmetics and the large bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and soap. "Now you won't need to buy from commissary for a long time."

"Thanks," said Alex, stacking her ramen noodles a little differently so that she could fit everything into the box together.

"Gloria, you can have my Tylenol," Nicky said generously, passing Gloria the pain medication.

"Oh, but I thought my headache was leaving," Gloria joked, ruffling Nicky's hair affectionately as she leaned forward to take the bottle from her.

"Funny," said Nicky sarcastically, ducking out of Gloria's reach with a protesting giggle, "do you want Red's books too?"

"Where the hell am I supposed to find room for all of those?" Gloria asked, picking up a volume and stroking the pages with her fingertips. Red had amassed a large collection while she had been locked up and Nicky had kept every one of them.

"I found room for them," Nicky shrugged, "and aren't you supposed to take an interest in your significant other's passions?" She grinned mischievously, "I bet it would really impress Red if you read all of her favourite books."

"Well this passion is written in Russian," Gloria replied, handing Nicky back the book she had been holding, "so I think you better take that back to your mama Russia. I'll keep the English ones, somebody will want to read them."

Once she had removed all of the books from her locker, Nicky pulled out the envelope that held all of the photographs that Red had left her. Nicky didn't have any pictures herself, she had no family memories of her own worth keeping, but she had enjoyed living vicariously through the stilled images of a young Red and her family. Nicky would close her eyes and imagine that she had been there too, that Red had been her mother then. "Here, Gloria, you can have these," she said generously, handing Gloria all but one of the photos, which she kept clutched in her hand.

"Thanks, Nicky," Gloria said taking the envelope for her, "so long as there aren't a ton of her and Dmitri together, I'll be good."

"There might be one or two," Nicky replied, "but if you really want to, you could just draw mustaches and funny glasses on him to make yourself feel better." Gloria gave Nicky a sardonic smile. Her stepdaughter was outrageous, but the past eleven months in this place together had brought them closer together than Gloria had ever imagined. She loved this girl.

"You're ridiculous," Alex laughed, "what picture is that you're keeping?" She poked at the back of the image in Nicky's hand, and Nicky swiftly pulled the picture away from Alex, her mouth twisting as she considered whether or not to share it with them. Deciding, Nicky turned the image around and both Alex and Gloria squinted at it.

"What's so special about that one?" Gloria asked, gently reaching out to touch the image of Yuri, Maxim, and Vasily grinning at the camera with their arms around each other. She smiled at the image of the boys whom she had only known as grown men, and then looked at Nicky with a questioning stare.

"It's Red's favourite picture," Nicky explained, fingering the badly wrinkled photograph, "you can tell by how much more creased it is than the others. She told me that she took it on a day trip to Coney Island. It was just her and the boys, Dmitri didn't want to go so Red took them by herself. That's why there aren't any pictures of her from that day. She's not in that many pictures because nobody was ever with her to take them. She went on every single ride with the boys, even the ones she knew would make her sick, and you can just tell how happy the boys are. They're smiling at the camera like they really love the person behind it."

Nicky sniffled and wiped her misty eyes on her sleeve, "Jesus, why the f**k am I crying?" she laughed embarrassingly.

"It's a big day," Gloria said resting her hand on Nicky's shoulder, "a very good day, but also a very emotional one. It would be weirder if you weren't feeling anything." Nicky nodded and sniffed as she patted Gloria's hand.

"Now then," Gloria said brightly, removing the hand from Nicky's shoulder and peering into the almost empty safe, "is there anything besides that that you are taking?"

"Sure," Nicky said with a hearty laugh, pulling out a composition notebook from the nearly empty locker. "I can't believe I almost forgot about this," she told them gleefully.

"What is it?" asked Alex curiously, "your diary or something?"

"This," Nicky said brightly, holding the notebook straight up in front of her like it was the Holy Bible, "holds the details about every lady I was ever with in here," she laughed and turned the notebook around, opened it, and skimmed some of the pages, "five years worth of names."

"You have a f**k journal?" Alex asked incredulously, then she did a double take, "wait a second," she said skeptically, "am I in there?"

"Did you sleep with me?" Nicky asked, blinking innocently, as she tapped the white lined pages threateningly.

Alex made to grab for the book but Nicky clutched it to her chest and scampered out of Alex's reach. "I want to read what you wrote about me," Alex insisted.

"Which time?" Nicky chortled, opening the book once again, "the first time or the best time?"

"What was the best time?" Alex asked her.

"Oh, Jesus," Gloria rolled her eyes, "are we really going to take that walk down memory lane?"

"Don't sound so surprised, Gloria," said Nicky, matter-of-factly, "since it's pretty obvious that I'm not going to get the same epic goodbye that Red got on her last day here, all I have left are my memories." She gave Gloria a playful wink.

"What does that mean?" Alex asked in amusement, looking over at Gloria.

"Don't ask," said Gloria, squeezing the blanket in her arms even tighter.

"Don't be embarrassed!" Nicky told Gloria, "why wouldn't you want to talk about the passionate send off that you gave Red on her last night, Gloria?" she nodded at Alex, "it happened exactly where you're currently sitting, in fact, Al."

"Ew," said Alex, shifting uncomfortable on the mattress. The image of Red getting all hot on this bed with Gloria, was one that she could go a lifetime without.

"You think that's bad?" Nicky laughed, clearly enjoying herself, "I was in the bed with them when it happened."

"You were asleep," Gloria said defensively, which was the truth. Nicky had slept straight through the discreet and urgent lovemaking that had occurred beside her. She had only realized what had happened because of Red's lipstick marks all over Gloria, and for the fact that it was pretty easy to tell exactly how Red was feeling by the expression on her face.

"So, you admit it happened?" Nicky asked, leaning against the windowsill.

Gloria glanced at the clock on the wall by the guard station, "is it ten yet? It will be the first moment of peace I've had since I met you."

"You're going to miss me," Nicky insisted, bumping her notebook against her lap.

Gloria looked back at Nicky and nodded sadly, "you're right about that."

"It's not like we'll never see you, though," Alex said, tapping her fingers on the sides of the cardboard box in her lap, "aren't you going to be back here to visit for Christmas in like two days?"

"Yup," Nicky said, "and Red already said she's bringing Julio and Benny too."

"I'll believe that when I see it," Gloria scoffed, "I haven't seen Benny in months, and he rarely even takes my phone calls." She sighed and shook her head, as though she were attempting to rid herself of those thoughts. "So is that everything?" she asked Nicky, attempting to sound upbeat, "what else is in there?"

"Nothing," Nicky replied, "My clothes are all boxed up and the guard will come take them once I'm gone."

"Good," Gloria nodded approvingly, "that wasn't so hard, was it? And much better than waiting until the last minute." She glanced over at the clock again, "we've still got about an hour before they'll call you." She nodded at Alex, "why don't you go put your new stuff away and Nicky can help me carry all of my stuff?"

"Sure," said Alex, who could clearly understand that Gloria was requesting some time alone with Nicky before she left. The two of them had grown even closer in Red's absence, and Alex knew that letting Nicky go would be very difficult for Gloria.

Alex stood up and began walking towards her own bunk. "Meet us in the kitchen in a few minutes," Gloria said to Alex's retreating back, "I've made a treat that we can share before Nicky leaves."

"Okay," Alex agreed, looking back over her shoulder, "see you in ten." She walked into her own cube and dropped the box onto her bed.

"I don't think I can eat," said Nicky honestly. She felt like she had butterflies in her stomach. Freedom Day was finally here and Nicky could barely concentrate on anything besides her nerves and jubilation.

"You didn't have breakfast and I don't need Red accusing me of starving you if you pass out from hunger on your way out of the prison," Gloria replied, gathering up Red's blanket, pillow, and the photographs, "let's go."

Nicky picked up the box of books and trailed behind Gloria as they headed for Spanish Harlem. She dropped the box onto the bed and then sat down beside it, watching as Gloria opened her locker and started rearranging things so that everything would fit.

Gloria turned around and gave Nicky an expectant look as she held out her arm for some books. "Do you think you'll even read these?" Nicky asked her, as she handed Gloria a small stack of Red's books.

"Maybe," said Gloria clicking her tongue, "I'm going to have to find something to do to pass the time." It was the first insight Gloria had given to Nicky that she was not completely alright with the isolating circumstances she would face in a few hours. Aleida and Dayanara were long gone, Red had been released for nearly a year, Nicky was getting out today, and Gloria would be alone until summertime. She was respected and she had acquaintances inside, but there was nobody there anymore for her to love or be loved by. Nicky knew that she would be freaking out if she had been in the same position, but Gloria seemed composed and accepting of her reality. Nicky thought she was very brave.

"I'll come visit," Nicky told her, trying to sound comforting. She wanted Gloria to understand that she wasn't being forgotten, even if she was being left behind.

"Only if you want to," Gloria said with a funny sort of smile on her face, "you're going to be really busy, Nicky. This is your second chance at life now that you're clean, stable, and healthy. You need to focus on getting to work, maybe going to school. Whatever you need to do."

"Well I can do that and not abandon you," Nicky said defensively, "you have to admit that your life would be pretty hard to imagine without me in it now."

"I'll admit that," Gloria said, getting back to her feet, "you've been hanging off of my apron strings ever since Red left." She ran her fingers through her short hair.

"You never complained," Nicky insisted, from her spot on the bed, and Gloria smiled at her warmly.

"Let's go find Alex and head to the kitchen now," Gloria said, nodding her head towards the exit, "we've still got a little time." Nicky got up off of the bed and reached Gloria, their elbows touching as they walked side by side.

"You baked me cookies?" Nicky asked with a smile, when they entered the vacant kitchen and Gloria pulled out a plate of sugar cookies with candy baked into them. She had worked on them that morning, wanting to gift Nicky something before she sent her out into the world. As shitty as Gloria was feeling about her own circumstances right now, she was genuinely happy for Nicky, and she wanted to make sure that it was communicated.

"Mmm," Alex said biting into one, "these are so good. I'm almost glad you're leaving, Nicky, just so that I can eat like this."

"How much time do you have left, Alex?" Gloria asked, offering the plate to Nicky who took one. If Gloria had wanted to make her feel loved, she had succeeded. Beneath the stern and tough image, Gloria was a really nice person and it made Nicky sad that her son always gave her such a hard time. Nicky knew all about the woes with Benny because Red kept her regularly updated. It was such a shame that he had known about Gloria's new relationship for nearly a year, and was still so angry about it.

"About three months," Alex answered. She took another nibble of cookie and looked up, "every time I talk to Piper lately she's describing these apartments to me. She's on the hunt for a place for us, even though I keep telling her to wait until I'm out."

"She's excited," Gloria smiled, leaning back and resting her elbows on the counter, "she can't wait to start her life with you."

"I think it's more to do with her losing her mind staying with her parents," Alex said, sounding amused, "they're driving her nuts, but I don't want her moving out until I can pick the place with her. I'm going to have to live there too."

"Nichols," called Officer Dixon, stepping into the kitchen where the three women were huddled together, "train's pulling out of the station, let's move!"

"F**k, it's not even ten yet," Nicky said, placing her nibbled on cookie down on the countertop. It had made her happy that Gloria had baked something especially for her, but Nicky had been right when she had said that she couldn't eat a bite. She hoped that wouldn't hurt Gloria's feelings.

"Even better," Alex said, "you get a half an hour less time served than you thought." She ate the last bit of her cookie and brushed the crumbs off of her clothing.

"It's okay, Nicky," Gloria smiled encouragingly, "Red is going to be right outside that door waiting for you." She walked towards the girl and, resting her hand on Nicky's arm, leaned forward so that her chin was on Nicky's shoulder. A light, but meaningful hug.

"I know it's okay," Nicky said smoothly, nodding her head as she twisted a strand of hair around her finger, "I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about the two of you maintaining morale in this place without your little ray of sunshine."

"Okay, when have either of us ever referred to you as a ray of sunshine?" Alex said sarcastically, "you are the crankiest morning person in the place."

"Your eyes beneath those striking spectacles say it every time you look at me," Nicky grinned, as she followed the CO down the hall to the admittance room where they would process her out. Alex and Gloria walked on either side of her, being Nicky's pillars of support, even if Nicky maintained she wasn't worried.

"Now don't do anything stupid, you hear?" Gloria said, wrapping Nicky in her arms outside the door, "I want to get lots of good reports from Red about how you're killing it out there."

"I'll behave," Nicky promised her. She kissed Gloria's cheek and then looked up at Alex. "Come here, Vause," she teased, laughing so that she wouldn't cry. They both hugged, "your friendship has meant everything to me," Nicky whispered, "I can't wait to watch you get married to the girl of your dreams!"

"That reminds me," Alex laughed, "I was going to wait to ask you this, but…." She smiled whimsically at Nicky, "will you be my maid of honour?"

"Seriously?" Nicky asked in surprise, her mouth gaping open in astonishment.

"No, I'm lying," Alex said sarcastically, she brushed her hair back and looked at Nicky expectantly, "what do you think?"

"I'm honoured to be a person of honour," Nicky said, wrapping her arms around Alex's shoulders and giving her friend another squeeze. "Just don't force me into some mother f**king ugly dress, or go all bridezilla on me and it should be fun."

"I think Piper's more the bridezilla type than me," Alex said, "she has a vision," she sighed dramatically and raised her eyebrows.

"Probably," Nicky agreed, she turned to look at Gloria who was watching the exchange with a happy smile, "what about you Gloria?" she asked.

"What about me what?" asked Gloria, wrapping her arms around herself as though she were giving herself a hug.

"Who do you think, between you and Red, would be the most bridezilla?" Nicky asked her, eagerly.

"Don't know, don't care," Gloria replied, with a huff, "it's never going to happen."

"Never say never," Alex said with a knowing smile.

"Personally, I'd have to say Red," Nicky continued, "and I say this as a person who loves that woman very much, but she'd be an absolute nightmare." She looked back at Alex, "can you imagine being the caterers of that wedding? They'd probably fake their own deaths just to get out of it once they realized how impossible she'd be."

"Let's go," Dixon said, who had been leaning again the wall and watching their goodbyes impatiently. They had gone on long enough and he was ready to get this part of his job over with and go sit down somewhere.

"Alright, man, I'm coming," Nicky said, turning to follow Dixon out the door. She looked over her shoulder and waved cheerfully back at Alex and Gloria, "see you later! Love you!" She walked away pleased with herself for not becoming a blubbering mess as she left. It was hard to say goodbye, but it was even harder to be the ones left behind. Nicky knew that from experience.

When they walked into the processing room, McCullough took over for Dixon, escorting Nicky into a private room for a strip search. Nicky silently prayed that this would be the last time in her life that she would ever have to go through this humiliating and degrading process.

"Sign here," Dixon ordered, when Nicky reappeared, dressed in faded jeans and a maroon sweater, both much too big for her. While McCullough had done the strip search, Dixon had organized a large pile of forms that Nicky apparently had to work through before they would let her leave. Nicky walked up to the counter and accepted the pen that Dixon handed her. Of course, nothing could ever be as simple as them simply opening the door and kicking her out.

"So, you going to miss me?" Nicky asked jokingly, as she began to messily sign her name. She stole a glance up at Dixon who was regarding her with an impassive expression and did not answer. "That's okay," Nicky told him, passing him the pen once she had signed her name on all of the forms, "I don't think I'm going to miss you either."

"I need to take your fingerprints before you get out, inmate" Dixon said, grabbing Nicky's hand and forcing her fingers onto the pad of ink.

"You won't be able to call me that in a few minutes," Nicky told him enthusiastically, as he dabbed each of the fingers of her left hand onto the papers, and then proceeded to do the same with her right.

"I won't have to talk to you ever again in a few minutes," Dixon replied, releasing Nicky's hand once he had finished taking her prints.

"That's not true," Nicky said cheerfully, "I'll be back for a visit in two days, Healy already got my name on the lists and everything. So, if you were planning to get me a Christmas present, there's still time."

"You haven't gotten enough of this place?" Dixon asked. He handed Nicky a wet nap so that she could clean the ink off of her fingers.

"It's sort of become my home away from home," Nicky replied, as she walked towards the door, Dixon following.

"So, I can leave?" Nicky looked back at him hesitantly, "just like that?"

"Just like that," answered Dixon, "don't let the door hit you on your way out."

"See you man!" Nicky saluted sarcastically. She walked out the front doors of the prison to freedom, her heart pounding in her chest. Every pore in her body currently felt like it was on fire but she still felt excited. She had just been given her life back.

"Nicky!" Red exclaimed, jumping out of the idling car and rushing towards her with her arms outstretched. Nicky's face broke into a huge grin as she spotted her mother, "oh my god!" Red gasped, the air so cold that Nicky could see her breath. Red wrapped her arms around Nicky tightly and rocked her on the spot. Red smoothed the hair back from Nicky's face and looked her over carefully. "Are you okay?" Red asked her, frowning slightly.

"Of course, I'm okay," Nicky said, looking back at Red and smiling serenely, "it's great to see you, mom." Red's eyes were sparkling and all of Nicky's doubts went away as she basked in the love that she could feel radiating off of her mother in abundance. A warmth spread through Nicky's body and she leaned forward to kiss her mother's crimson hair, "Can we go home now, mom?"

"Let's go home," Red said, stroking Nicky's cheek with her thumb. Red had wanted to be able to say those words to Nicky for so long and now the day had finally arrived. With their arms wrapped around one another, Red and Nicky began to walk toward the waiting car.

Red let go of Nicky only when they reached the car and had to get in. She sat down in the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt, while Nicky mirrored her movements almost exactly. Red placed her hand on the shifter and paused when she felt Nicky's hand encase her own and squeeze.

"I'm so glad to see you," Red said fervently, her accent thick with emotion. She looked up at Nicky, her eyes shining with the love that Nicky had grown to depend on for everything. "Are you happy?" she asked, her breath catching in her throat.

"You are my happy," Nicky said shyly.