It's strange how paranoia can link up with reality now and then...

The raven-haired woman tossed back and forth between the linen duvet and their bedsheets, her body violently shaking. Her skin broke out in a cold sweat, leaving darkened spots on their grey sheets whenever they came in contact. Even in her sleep, she felt the panic rising in her chest. He knows where I am. her mind raced, intrusive thoughts taking over the fact of the matter; she was in bed, she was safe.

Piper had done her best to ensure their safety. Not only was the door to their building locked, but she had installed extra deadbolts on the door to their apartment, and several move on their bedroom door.  They didn't list a mailing address for Alex anywhere, and they gave a random address to Litchfield before signing her out.

With all the available precautions in place, Alex wasn't an idiot. Kubra had managed to get to her behind barbed wire fencing, high security, and around officers. She was not safe anywhere.

He knows how to find me.
Our building doesn't have security.
I killed one of his men.

Kubra had been on Alex's mind from the second she spoke up in court. Her subconscious even. She spent every second of the day in fear. Now that she was married, she worried for Piper too. Kubra wasn't above anything. People had been murdered in front of her face for something so minor as a mistake.

He knows where your wife is.
It's not safe here.

Not only had she betrayed Piper that day, but she had made quite a few other enemies as well. Most notably, she had crossed the head of an international drug cartel. Why the fuck had she been so stupid?

He can find you. the voice in her head continued, taunting her, as her body thrashed in her sleep. Her long black hair glued to her face with sweat.

"Al," Piper said immediately, shooting up in bed. She whipped the blanket off of her, and gently ran her hand down the side of her wife's shoulder. She placed another hand over Alex's heart, feeling it pound with such intensity. It was nearly audible to her at this point.

"Baby, it's just a dream." she cooed softly, as she gently picked stray pieces of matted hair off of her face one by one. "You're safe."

Fuck Alex thought, as her eyes startled open.

Her body was convulsing at this point. The woman had not been this panicked in her entire life. She pushed her sweaty hair out of her face and placed a hand over her own chest, trying to catch her breath. She sighed as she felt it move up and down with each fast paced inhale, a tangible sign of the panic she felt inside. Her eyes immediately traced the room, surveying it for any suspicious activity.

"Fuck, Piper." she made out, her voice cracking. Her words were barely intelligible due to how shaky her voice was. She felt as though her heart would pound out of her chest.

The woman just collapsed over, her head falling right into her wife's lap; against her soft thighs. A position like this would've normally turned her on; after all, Piper's thighs were her favorite. Immediately after hitting them, Alex's eyes welled up with tears, glazing over the emerald green iris', clouding her vision. The second Piper's hand rested on her back, the floodgates open. She collapsed into a pile of sobs, not even bothering to hold anything back. Piper was her safe place. Her only safe space.

While Piper's touch often made her feel safe, the words running through her mind did not cease. She felt herself calm under her wife's fingers, as they gently ran through her now wet hair. Tears mixed with snot streamed down her face, soaking the fabric of Piper's leggings. She had no room for embarrassment now, she was too hysterical to worry about that.

But what about Piper?
He could hurt Piper.
That's the worst way to hurt me.

Alex placed both hands over her ears to try and silence her thoughts. That was her worst nightmare; her greatest fear. Kubra had targeted people's families before to get back at them for crossing him, and she knew he wasn't above going after her wife. It would hurt her far more than if Kubra left her alive.

Sometimes, it made Alex want to leave her. As much as Piper was her world, her safety was so much more important.

"Kiss me." Alex said between sobs, trying to think of anything that would silence the roaring thoughts spiraling through her head, pulling her deeper and deeper into a panic.

Just as Piper leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her lips, per her wife's request, there was a pounding at the door. The sound of the aggressive knock boomed through the empty hallways, echoing throughout the building. It was angry, urgent.

"Hold that thought, babe." Piper said, scrunching up her face in confusion.

Alex shot up immediately, placing her hand over top of Piper's mouth, pressing down far too hard. Piper squirmed uncomfortably under her wife's heavy touch, her eyes growing wide.

"We were so fucking stupid." Alex made out in a whisper, using her free hand to wipe her tears. She bent down over Piper's body, giving her a warning look before moving her hand. "Don't talk."

Alex immediately swung her legs off of the bed and headed for the window, carefully drawing back the curtain to peer out. She kept herself hidden, not knowing who could be in view. This was not her first time dealing with something like this, unfortunately.

As panicked as she was, her natural instincts had kicked in. Gone were the tears, the need to be comforted. All that mattered was ensuring that they were safe; that Piper was safe.

"Reach in my nightstand, Pipes." she instructed, snapping her fingers to get her wife going. She knew that if in fact the person on the other side of their metal door was, in fact, sent by Kubra, that they didn't have a lot of time. A few deadbolts were not enough to stop him.

"Al, I know you had a nightmare, but I think you're being a little paranoid." the blonde said in a hushed voice, as she slid open the drawer. Her jaw dropped as she pulled out a pistol. Piper smoothed her fingers over it shakily, surprised at the fact that they'd had it this whole time. She knew that Alex has been terrified, but this was extreme even for her; especially after her parole violation had landed her back in litchfield for four years.

"Alex this is" she began, only to be cut off by shouting outside of their apartment door. Neither of them could make out what the voice had said, but the sharp tone implied that it wasn't a friendly face waiting to great them. They jumped at the harshness, Piper's body shivering.

Normally, Kubra liked to keep things on the down low, but he had now been betrayed, lied to, and one of his men had been murdered. Alex being in a high security prison stopped him temporarily, but someone needed to finish the job. Nothing would stop him. He was out for blood.

"Fuck," the woman mumbled under her breath, reaching to take the gun from Piper. "Paranoia?"