Yet with Piper’s gentle affection and the real sense of forgiveness the two seem to be extending towards each other this season, the couple falls in to the comfortable rhythm of attempting to do their best to sit out the madness that is the prison riot and build a makeshift “home” with tarps and bric-a-brac out in the prison yard.

Episode 10 culminates sweetly for the relationship with a somewhat shocking marriage proposal from Piper. The riot has caused her to re-evaluate her life priorities and she realizes that for the first time in her life she is afraid of dying because she doesn’t want to leave Alex. She wants to stay around because of Alex. On her knees in a make-shift prison bunker with tears streaming down her face, Piper tells Alex what she has taught her about the pain of loving and living, and asks if Alex will be her partner for life. After some hesitation and a little snark, Alex says the only thing she can to the love of her life: yes!

While Piper and Alex leave the season on a high note, their relationship is only one small piece in a much larger, more dangerous story. The finale leaves the fate of Piper, Alex, and 8 more of their fellow inmates entirely up in the air. Will they ever get their happy ever after?