Their Forever

Family Reunion

Just before being shut down, MCC, now PolyCon, had kept it up with the early releases. It seemed like they were shipping people out of there faster than they were bringing them in. Short term non-violent offenders didn't make them as much money, so those were the inmates they'd been pushing out the fastest. Inmates with non-violent drug offenses were being replaced with murderers and rapists. It was a win-win for everyone, especially Lorna Morello. She had been out of prison for nearly 3 years at this point, but the love of her life was trapped inside. No, not Vince Muccio. It hadn't taken long after the kickball game for Lorna to forget about him altogether. The fear that Nicky was going out to fight to protect Lorna from being found really stole her heart, and terrified her at the same time. She was afraid something would happen to Nicky before she finally had the chance to admit to her how she actually felt about her. She was madly in love with Nicky Nichols. She had been for years at his point, but the thought of a non traditional life had scared her to death. Still, the second Nicky came back to her, as she was being wheeled out of the prison on a gurney, she let it all out. The two had been through everything together. They were inseparable. Now, they'd been separated for years. Lorna managed to keep herself together somehow, while raising a baby, but she was lost without her. Nicky was what kept her together. She kept her sane.

"Let's go, let's go." Piper said, practically trashing the apartment in search of their keys. It was already 4:30pm, and they needed to leave. Piper Chapman was never late. "I mean it, Al. How long does it take to get ready?" She asked, groaning in aggravation.  Alex slid in behind her and wrapped her arms around her wife's waist, before planting a kiss on her neck. "Ease up, Pipes. Would ya?" She chuckled, as Piper playfully swatted her ass. "Risky move." Piper rolled her eyes and kissed her lips, before going back to her frantic search. She let out a sigh of relief when she finally found them on the couch. "Al, we have a key hook for a reason." She began, Alex mocking her. "This isn't a joke. Do you want Red to kick our asses?"

Galina Reznikov had been out of prison for a few months now. The entire cover up for the riot and the murder of Desi Piscatella had finally been uncovered by Joe Caputo, which meant that slowly but surely the former Litchfield Minimum inmates were being released, most of their charges being dropped altogether. Suddenly, it felt like the whole family was going to finally be back together. They'd never imagined after the riot being able to leave litchfield, or being together as a family again. Obviously, there was no better time to get the family back together than Red's baby finally coming home to her.

"You're late." Red said simply, her Russian accent thicker and deeper than usual. "My malishkas." She said, cracking a smirk. She wrapped her arms around both girls and pulled them in for a tight hug. There was nothing she'd ever wanted more than to have all of her kids together and safe. Sometimes, it felt like those girls were more her children than her boys had ever been. There was something so special, so different about her relationship with them. As much as she loved all of them, Nicky was a completely different story altogether. There was no doubt in her mind even for a second that Nicky was her daughter. Being her own flesh and blood couldn't have made her love her more even. That girl was her everything. Being separated by cell blocks inside max, and then for now 3 months outside of prison, was the most difficult thing in the entire world for her. She'd worked it out with Caputo to keep her girl safe while she was gone. The fear of not being able to do anything for her was one of the worst feelings Red had ever experienced. Finally though, her baby was coming home. "There's work to be done." Red ordered, as she finally let the pair go from their embrace. She'd squeezed them so tight that they could barely breathe. "My Nicky is going to be here any second." Alex glanced around the room and let out a chuckle. It definitely didn't look like there was work to be done. The table was set with what seemed like 100 gorgeous russian dishes, and the counter was lined with pastries and a welcome home cake. Red always cooked like she was cooking for 600, rather than the 6 of them. That's why her role as prison chef had come so easily. "Uh, Red?" Alex chuckled, earning her a warning glare from her wife. At least Piper knew better than to get sassy with Red. "It doesn't seem like there's anything to be done. You've done way more than enough."

Before Red could respond, the door to her house busted open. Through the door walked Lorna, her son Lorenzo, and lastly, Nicky Nichols. Red brought her hands up to her face and let out a dramatic gasp, before tossing her hands up in the air. This meant the absolute world to her. Nicky had been dealt a shitty hand in life, like the shittiest of hands, and while Red had tried her best to take care of her in prison, she could only do so much. Now, Red would go to the ends of the earth to protect her babygirl. Nicky had a mother finally, and a mother who would care for her. "What? Did ya miss me?" Nicky chuckled, holding her arms out to the side. Red barely gave her the chance to finish walking through the door before pulling her up into her arms as tight as she could. She repeatedly kissed Nicky's head over and over again, softly whispering things to her in Russian. Nicky barely ever knew what they meant, but they were comforting. "I missed you too, ma." She smiled, planting a kiss on Red's cheek. "Well girls." Red began, a giant grin across her face. "You're home now."

The 6 sat around the table, wine glasses raised in the air. At the head of the table was Red, standing in front of all her children. "To making your own family. To my beautiful girls. To my Nicky. I'll love you forever." Red said, before clinking glasses with her babies. This was better than anything she could've imagined. All of her girls were safe, healthy, and happy. They were all gathered around a table filled with delicious Russian food that she'd been able to cook with fresh ingredients. No guards yelling, and she could hug and kiss them as much as she wanted. There was nothing in the world that could've made her happier. Plus, she'd added in a new little love as well. Red wasn't close with her biological grandchildren, but Lorna had brought little Lorenzo to see her once a week from the time she got out. Now 4 years old, she had a wonderful relationship with him. They were all official family now. For Lorenzo, that was who was sat around this table; auntie Alex, auntie piper, his babushka, and his moms; Nicky and Lorna. "Ma? You goin' soft on me?" Nicky chuckled, scrunching up her face at the thought. This resulted in a swift smack to the back of her head from Red. Nicky rolled her eyes and smiled. "Watch it, Nick." Alex chuckled, "She's feisty today." Alex got flicked for that one. "Can't you girls ever behave?" Red shook her head. Their entire night was filled with more love than anyone could handle and laughing so hard that their faces hurt. This was family.