DISCLAIMER: All the characters and locations belong to Showtime and Ilene Chaiken. I am merely taking them out for a quick polish.
SERIES/SEQUEL: This is the first part of the WeHo Days series.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
WeHo Days
A Night at The Planet
By halfofone
Even though it was early by clubbing standards, the crowd was building up for one of those evenings of music that Kit insisted on holding every few months at the Planet, generating an uneasy mix of customers: there was the usual crowd of WeHo lesbians and gays, many of whom were more than a little overawed by the infinitely hipper crew of interlopers who had been drawn to the Planet by the promise of music cool enough to chill the smouldering LA night. Kit drowned out the protests from her manager Billy about the evening's entertainment, saying 'I know this isn't playin' to my 'core' 'audience' but damn at least occasionally they should listen to something decent'.
Three such musically-challenged lesbians sat back in their usual place, a quietish spot some way from the stage, and watched the swirl of people jockeying for space. The music hadn't started yet and it was still possible to hear yourself and more importantly to reach the bar but it looked like these three were taking no chances as a lineup of cocktail glasses already stood at attention shouldering their umbrellas and olive sticks.
One of the two brunettes at the table shifted to watch her companion. "Did you speak to Tina today?" she asked tentatively. Her accent marked her as not from around these parts by several thousand miles.
"Yeah," replied the other brunette at the table. She didn't take her dark eyes from the crowd.
"And..." persisted her companion.
"She is going to give me some visitation rights. No adoption but she is going to let Angelica stay with me sometimes."
The blonde woman who had been slouching opposite sat up, nearly knocking over her extravagantly tall cocktail and shrieked.
"Wow! Why didn't you tell me? Bette, that is just the greatest." Taking in the slight frown on her old friend's face Alice moderated her enthusiasm "Okay not so good about the adoption. But I mean...how? Last I heard Tina's lawyers were going to banish you from the western seaboard."
Bette's frown deepened. "You'll have to ask Helena."
Alice turned to stare at the Briton. "What? How? Have you got contacts in the Mafia that owe you big? Did you offer to pay Angie's college fees."
Helena was still watching Bette. The recently appointed Dean of Los Angeles Art School downed a vodka-martini in one. Helena took her gaze away and smiled warmly at Alice.
"I spoke to Tina. Reasoned with her."
Bette smiled too but it wasn't gentle or affectionate. It was bitter like prussic acid. "And of course she listened to you rather than talk to her partner of eight years."
Helena lost her own smile abruptly. "I'm her friend Bette and I am outside this. She is much more likely to listen to me - after all I didn't take her baby daughter on a road-trip that was suspiciously like a kidnapping."
"I did not fucking kidnap Angelica. I just needed time to think. And she's my daughter too remember. I had every right.."
"Do not say that to Tina!" Helena impatiently interrupted Bette's rant, "unless you want to unpick everything we have managed to stitch together from this mess. I'm going to the bar. Do you want anything?"
Both her companions accepted. The tall Briton pushed her way to the bar ignoring the dozens of eyes that swivelled to watch her graceful progress.
Alice turned in her chair and watched her too. "She's amazing."
"Why is she doing it?" growled Bette, her gaze also following Helena's slender form as it insinuated itself between the ill-assorted lezzies and gangstas.
"Whoa there sheriff!" exclaimed Alice turning back to face Bette. "Don't quibble with her motives Bette. She has just pulled your stubborn ass out of the biggest tar pit you have ever been in."
"I know it Alice," Bette sighed and some of the irritation had left her voice, "but I just can't quite believe it. She loathes me and you won't be surprised to know that I really don't like her either. I mean she is half the reason I am in this mess."
"I don't think so Bette. You and Tina were well on the way to relationship hell long before Helena showed up. You're re-writing history."
"Bullshit Al" said Bette unimpressed with Alice's reasoning. "Helena was on a mission. Not content with seducing and fucking my girlfriend, she pursued me into the CAC, persecuted me almost daily and then lost me my job. The financial strain didn't help us you know."
"You don't know for sure she had you fired and in any case she gave Tina a job thus neatly pulling you out of penury. It's not her fault that Tina couldn't stand being the bread-winner. I mean who knew?" Alice picked up a stray cocktail stick and began unconsciously stirring the contents of Bette's slippery nipple spoiling the beautiful arrangement of layers. Bette sighed and took the drink away from the fidgeting fingers. "Don't be too rough on her Bette, she took a hard hit over that woman she was with and then what with Peggy cutting her off."
"Now I'm supposed to feel sorry for her! Alice I tolerate Helena because, for some reason which I can't quite fathom, you and she are friends and she is obviously trying in her own overbearing way to fit in. That said I find it hard to trust her."
"Of course you're right in one way," Alice mused. "Helena seems like a different person from when we first knew her. Do you remember what an arrogant overbearing little shit she was?"
"Umm Alice," warned Bette.
"She's behind me isn't she," whimpered Alice, mortified.
"Darling Alice I am indeed behind you." Helena set the drinks on the table and then bent to kiss Alice on the neck. "Of course I'm still an arrogant overbearing little shit."
"I didn't mean..."
"I take it that Ms Porter distrusts my motives." Helena pushed her chair back and took her seat, leaning back on it to get a better view of both her companions. "It's not that complicated. I fight for my team and God help me, you two are on my team. What Tina was trying to do, taking away Angelica, was inexcusable, as of course was your behaviour Bette."
Bette raise an eyebrow at the criticism.
"Didn't you and Winnie or, as you still refer to her, 'that Succubus', which actually seems to me to be more appropriate as a name for Tina now I that think about it...I may borrow it."
Helena snorted in her drink and Alice looked mystified. "Female demon who seduces men," whispered Helena aside. Bette ignored the interruption.
"Anyway didn't you sue each other for sole custody of Wilson and Jun Ying? What makes you the exception, or do our world's moral rules not apply to Peabodys?"
"Well as a 'fucking vampire and scourge of the universe', of course not," Helena agreed sweetly. Bette rolled her eyes. "Seriously I do regret my behaviour with Winnie but that's what I am trying to emphasise Bette. You're in the middle of a divorce and all the relationship shit is flying about; you can't see what is obvious to everyone else. Fighting for custody like two dogs over a bone is not going to work. You and Tina are going to have bring up Angelica with each other for at least another twenty years. My mother put an end to the fighting with Winnie. She did for me what I am trying to do for you. I know it's not perfect and that you wanted more but for the moment it has to be enough."
Bette looked down at her hands, defeated temporarily at least.
Alice was still wildly curious. "But I still don't see how you did it!," she demanded. "Tina was like a crazy lady just three days ago. I mean I thought she was going to pursue sole custody of me, Jenny and Shane too let alone Angie. She threatened I had to choose between seeing Bette or seeing her."
"I discussed some of her fears," Helena offered and then smirked when she saw Bette stiffen. Even now Porter obviously did not like the idea of anyone messing with her Tina. "Tina is as worried as you that she won't be able to meet Angelica's needs as a biracial child. Whatever you think of her Bette, she loves her daughter."
"I know that, but where does it leave me."
"Well at the moment you are the designated person to guide and protect Angelica from the cruelty and unfairness of this racially conscious world. Bette please try and be moderate; if you piss Tina off too badly then she is quite capable of going out and finding herself a nice black or biracial hunk to meet her baby's needs. So don't give her an excuse. Let everything calm down. Build co-operation. I convinced her that serving the papers was the result of a misunderstanding between you and your lawyers and that skipping out in the night with Angelica was a typical Bette Porter reaction to her threats - heartfelt and spontaneous were my words - overwrought and nutsoid were hers."
Bette downed another drink and then another.
Helena scrutinised her anxiously and then decided that was enough nagging.
"See Alice I am still arrogant and over-bearing. You're just used to me now." Looking around, Helena accidentally made eye-contact with a particularly large black man sporting a sharp white suit and enough gold jewellery that it constituted a suit of armour. He grinned at her and two fine gold front-teeth caught the light. Helena hurriedly looked away. "Alice, explain to me again why we came here tonight?"
Alice was staring at Helena with an expression akin to hero-worship. Not only did the big H stand up to Bette but she had slain the Tina-dragon. It took her a few seconds to latch onto what Helena was asking.
"To support Kit and to prowl. We are three fine single women and only the coolest hottest dykes come to Kit Porter's fabulous musical soirees!"
"I'm having a hard time seeing anything, much less prowling lesbians, amongst that wall of testosterone and bling," Bette observed.
"It'll be easier when people start dancing," Alice assured her, sounding too confident. "Just avoid anyone whose pants bulge."
"I can't wait," Helena murmured cynically. That got her a small shove from Alice which didn't seem to worry her unduly. "Not to worry Alice, I have always dreamt of becoming some gangster's moll," she added, deflecting Alice's ire with a charming grin.
A brief interlude in the conversation followed as all three women sipped their drinks and glanced about them. The crowd had become much denser and the noise heavier.
"Howya doing baby-girl?" Kit yelled bending down to wrap her arms around her sister and hugging hard. Bette twisted in her chair to return the hug and smiled affectionately up at her big sister.
"I'm doing okay Kit."
Both her companions noted that it was Bette's first real smile of the evening and envied Kit Porter's easy claim on her sister's love.
"Helena. Alice." Kit acknowledged them politely. "We are going to have some great music tonight," she exclaimed exuberantly, her eyes all lit up and dancing. Running a club was one thing and Kit enjoyed it but music was her passion.
"Lets hope you don't get raided by the police," Bette joked, though there was a hint of real concern in her voice. "Some of these guys look as though they might be closely acquainted with LA's finest."
"Don't you worry baby girl. These are my friends and they go nowhere without their lawyers." Kit laughed aloud. "We are well protected. And there won't be no-one troubling you three ladies tonight unless you want them to. My dear friend Aloysius has seen to that." Kit raised her fruit juice in salute to the big guy with the gold teeth who grinned and waved back at her.
"I did wonder how we managed to sit here for an hour and no-one came over."
"Worried you'd lost your touch?" her sister teased.
Bette shrugged and smiled weakly.
"Bette's had some good news today," Alice prompted. Kit looked expectantly at her sister whose smile had become forced.
"Tina is going to let me see Angelica. We haven't worked out the details yet." Bette's voice cracked a little. Kit knew to reassure her younger sister.
"That's good Bette. That's really good. At least you're talking." She put her arm around Bette's shoulders again while Alice and Helena both looked away; Bette's pain at the loss of her daughter was still raw.
"I know but it's been five weeks Kit...she'll forget me."
"She isn't going to forget her Mama B."
"She will if fucking Henry has anything to say about it."
"He doesn't," says Helena unexpectedly. "Henry is gone, back to the bourgeois 'burbs where he belongs. Apparently his bigotry was too much even for Tina. I think her exact words were 'I don't know where he gets off thinking he can reduce eight years of my life to a sad illness for which he is the only known cure'." Seeing what could be hope on Bette's face Helena added quickly "Don't get too excited Bette - she's still looking for a man." Bette lost the grin leaving only contempt twisting her fine features.
"I don't want her back. I wouldn't take Tina back under any circumstances that I can imagine. That ship sank to the bottom of the ocean when she fucked him in my house, with my daughter in the next room however it makes me fucking ecstatic to know that racist pig isn't anywhere near Angelica anymore." Brooding anger filled the expressive dark eyes as her strong hands gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles whitening. Alice and Helena glanced at each other. If someone didn't intervene soon Bette would be lost for the evening.
"Soooo Helena," Alice improvised, "how's poverty suiting you or is that not a new two thousand dollar suit I see before me?"
Helena winked. "Mummy may have cut me off but her idea of me living in poverty didn't extend to freezing my assets."
"Odd that," muttered Bette absently. "Peggy usually pays a great deal of attention to detail."
Helena suddenly looked less confident. Bette was right - Peggy Peabody didn't forget things or omit instructions despite her scatty billionairess routine.
"Has she said anything?"
"She wouldn't discuss you with me." Bette's dark expression hadn't changed though her tone said 'don't you know your own mother even that well'. Helena made a mental note to talk to her lawyer in the morning and scowled at Bette whose face was still fixed in a preoccupied daze.
Kit and Alice exchanged nervous glances. The atmosphere was spiralling downwards again and Kit had better places to be. Ignoring Alice's imploring face, clearly pleading not to be left alone with an ever more morose Bette and an aggressively anxious Helena, Kit excused herself: "Listen girls I have to go mix, see you later and enjoy yourselves." Alice shook her fist after the departing Diva.
"Thanks a lot Kit, just leave me with Mopey and Dopey and where the hell are Shane and Jenny when you need them?" she said aloud.
"What the hell are you talking about Alice?" snapped Helena torn from an unpleasant daydream involving nylon aprons and Chicky Chucky Nuggets. Bette didn't even look up.
"I'm talking about the fun we are not having," said Alice. She suddenly grasped the nearest hand from each of her companions. They both jumped but Alice held on tightly. "Lets just leave the misery at home where you know I can be miserable all alone. I mean hey I do miserable as well as the next person but just for tonight lets not. I propose that we drink to Bette's new job, Helena's new suit, my recently renewed singleness and to never having to go to another lezzie wedding as long as we live."
Alice raised her martini and waited. Helena was the first to crack.
"You're right Alice. I'm sorry." She lifted her glass in reply to the toast. "Come on Bette. Drink with us."
Bette stared at her, still obviously distracted. Slowly she came back to them and lifted her glass with her free hand.
"Okay. Alice, Helena, here's to our new lives and to hell with the past."
"To hell with the past," echoed Alice.
Three drinks sank quickly towards oblivion and they put their glasses back on the table. Bette stood, gestured at the empty glasses and the bar which was nearly clear. Alice and Helena nodded and Bette swept off to the bar to restock with martinis. Bette's drinking buddies were amused to note a sudden flocking of nearly every unattached lesbian in The Planet who considered themselves even remotely eligible. The previously empty bar area was soon adorned with women trying to arrange themselves in suitably engaging poses to catch the eye of the newly available Bette Porter. The woman herself looked rather irritated at having to negotiate her way through a bevy of women introducing themselves. The noise in the club had increased in volume and Helena leaned over to say in Alice's ear "Do you think Bette could do with a hand?" as the soon-to-be Dean of a prestigious art school was temporarily submerged in the pool of gay ladies.
"Nah. It's good for her to remember how she totally ruled the skool."
"She doesn't look too pleased," said Helena doubtfully watching Bette swimming back to their table through her shoals of admirers.
"Jesus! What is wrong with all these people?" Bette huffed as she set down three new vodka martinis.
"My you are rusty Porter," Alice mocked. "Was the time when you would have collected a dozen phone numbers in that crowd most of them on underwear."
"Alice I'm not twenty-five any more. I'm more than happy to leave the field open to you and Shane."
"Are you trying to tell me that not one of those women registered even slightly on the Porter meter of hotness."
"Give it up Alice."
"No. I want to know who you think is the hottest woman here."
Bette looked away and deliberately picked up her drink.
"Aw come on. Helena, you go first."
"You mean apart from you Alice?"
"Funny. Yes apart from me. Who, in your opinion, is the hottest woman in the Planet?"
"Bette."
"Come on Helena don't be such a pussy, give me an answer."
"I have. Bette is the hottest woman here," Helena stated firmly. Alice's mouth dropped open and Bette swivelled her head to stare at the Brit. Helena laughed at the two horror-struck faces. "I didn't say I wanted to shag her. Just that on an objective assessment, Bette is the most beautiful woman in the room."
"That was unexpected," Alice said, swigging from her drink. Helena threw her arm around Alice's shoulders and hugged her enthusiastically if sloppily.
"Ali, you did exclude yourself darling. You know I love you. You're my friend. My bestest friend. I think your my bestest friend ever."
Bette smirked. "Do I detect a little inebriation Helena dear?"
"Maybe. But I'm not too drunk to know that you are criminally and annoyingly gorgeous. You know who first told me you were gorgeous? My mother, your biggest fan. Gee Bette if she were twenty years younger she'd go gay for you. She told me that herself after you first met. 'Why can't you bring home a woman like that darling, beautiful, passionate and successful, instead of a parade of dishearteningly inadequate strays.'" Helena's imitation of her mother was pitch perfect.
"Bette has that effect on mothers," Alice agreed. "Lenore couldn't get over her. Kept asking if Bette really was my girlfriend or if I had hired her. She worked up this crazy fantasy that Bette was an unsuccessful actress working for an escort agency."
"I never knew you and Bette had dated."
"For six whole weeks until Bette decided to agree with my mother that a relationship with me was unthinkable."
"Alice it wasn't like that."
"It was exactly like that."
Bette shook her head but she had obviously been thinking about Helena's earlier disclosures. "So you knew of me before I came to see you about the Peabody grant."
"Yes," Helena replied tersely. She didn't seem to be going to elaborate. Bette's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"You didn't make that clear at the time."
"It didn't seem relevant."
"It seems relevant to me."
"Helena! Bette! To hell with the past! Remember? Jeez I don't know who is the biggest pain in the ass. Alright Bette it's your turn now we've picked up our jaws off the floor. Who do you think is the hottest woman here?"
Bette gave in and surveyed the room for a couple of seconds. "Over there by the door. Blonde just came in with a man."
"Damn right! Yep she's definitely sizzling and I don't know her."
Helena looked at the blonde critically. "She's straight."
"Are you sure?"
On cue the blonde draped her arms around her male companion.
"She's curious," Bette stated.
"How on earth can you know that?"
"Situational evidence."
Bette's companions did not seem any wiser.
"I don't think that two middle-class white people fresh from OC came here tonight for the music, so one of them wanted to see the inside of a lesbian club. Furthermore she looks nervous, so unless you believe she's hanging all over the boyfriend in order to protect him from the dangerous advances of a bunch of dykes then either she doesn't want to clue in Mr America that she's considering switch-hitting or she's afraid a big scary lesbian might call her bluff."
Helena laughed. "That is utterly preposterous! It's just as likely that hubby has persuaded her to come inside because he fantasises about having a threesome and thinks they might find a willing woman here."
Bette shook her head. "Would you like proof?"
"How much have you had to drink Porter?"
"Just enough Alice."
Bette removed her jacket, revealing her staggeringly beautiful arms and shoulders. She handed the jacket to Alice and stood up. As she did, the blonde across the room caught the movement and looked their way. Bette met the woman's glance and smiled. The unfortunate woman all but swooned. Her male friend appeared flustered too.
"Okay you've proved your point Sherlock," Helena admitted grudgingly but Bette didn't hear since she was already three steps away, zeroing in on the target. "You never know when to stop," murmured the Briton, watching Bette stalk her petrified prey. A muffled sob from beside her brought Helena's attention back to the table.
"This is all wrong," Alice whined, her eyes filling with tears. "It should be Tina. I can't watch this. It hurts." She clutched at Helena hiding her face against the Briton's shoulder, pressing into the perfectly tailored cloth.
Helena held her. "It's okay love, don't cry, especially not on the suit. You said yourself she had to get back on the horse."
"Yes but that doesn't mean she has to gallop off into the sunset with the first straight blonde to fall at her feet. It's all so fucked up: Dana, Shane, Bette and Tina, Me, all fucked up."
Helena was still watching Bette over the top of Alice's head. The confident sinuous advance abruptly stopped and Bette stood uncertainly, her hands clenching. Since there seemed to be no external reason for the halt, Helena concluded that Bette must be having second thoughts. Her deduction was apparently correct as Bette turned around on a dime and headed back towards the table.
"Hey Ali," Helena shook Alice gently and whispered in her ear. "You can stop grieving, Porter has returned to us." Alice lifted a teary face for a moment and then put it back on the Brit's shoulder.
"'m comfortable here," she slurred.
Helena smiled and kissed the top of Alice's head.
"A bad idea on so many levels" Bette muttered as she flopped back in her chair.
"Thanks."
"I don't mean you. That." She jerked her head in the direction of the now offended looking blonde woman. "The last person I need is another confused bisexual. Actually I am probably the last person she needs either."
"Probably. I might introduce myself later if she stays around though."
"Be my guest and thank you."
Helena raised her eyebrows in question.
"For helping me and for being a good friend to Alice. God knows she needs one."
"You think I helped you because of Alice."
"I can't think of another reason; by the way, hurt her and I'll come looking for you."
"I'm not going to hurt Alice."
"Tha's gooj to know," mumbled Alice. "I'm still here you guys." Her head lolled precariously on Helena's shoulder until the Briton shifted slightly to hold her more comfortably. Alice snorted happily and snuggled deeper.
"She's getting a crush on you," Bette mouthed almost silently.
"Just a little one," said Helena gently and ruffled the blonde hair eliciting a sleepy grunt. She added very quietly "I won't let it go too far. In any case I think Lara is the one for her once they have had some time apart. It's all too raw at the moment."
Bette shook her head. "Lara? That's a little too weird even for lesbians."
"Maybe...at least it'll give Alice plenty of material for her show. I didn't entirely help you because of Alice you know. I had other reasons. As I said Tina has no business to keep you from your daughter; less honourably I'll admit to wanting a little pay back for my own sake - Tina played us both last year; more importantly Bette, much as I hate to admit this, I misjudged you and wronged you and I owe you a lot more than just an apology."
Bette didn't look as though she was going to disagree with that statement. Helena sipped her martini.
"Can I ask you something Helena?"
"Of course."
"Why were you so set against me? You acted as though you wanted to ruin my life."
Helena took a deep breath before admitting "I did. I really did. I wanted to destroy you."
"Well I guess that's honest," Bette said, obviously shaken by the confession. Helena passed a hand through her dark hair as she looked into the distance past Bette.
"How did I hate thee. Let me count the ways. Do you really want me to count the ways Bette?"
"Go for it. It's always interesting to find out why someone whom I'd hardly met hated my guts enough to take everything away."
"My mother loved you."
"That's old."
"Agreed. But jealousy aside, I thought you were manipulating her, had manipulated her into giving you the Provocations exhibit. Do you remember Gina Ferrara?"
Bette inclined her head cautiously.
"Well Bette, Gina is an old friend of mine. We go way back."
"Oh."
"Let's say that Gina wasn't complimentary about your business dealings. Did you really sleep with an artist just to get her show away from Gina?"
Bette flinched and slowly chugged her drink before admitting the truth.
"Yeah I guess I did. It wasn't quite that simple - I really liked the woman. She was an amazing artist and very attractive..."
"And the next time Gina runs into you, you go behind her back and all but seduce my mother. Poor old Gina was left high and dry explaining to MOCA why their exhibition had been stolen from them."
Alice stirred from her resting place, "This is boring."
"Go back to sleep Alice," snapped Bette. Alice obliged, sinking deeper into Helena's shoulder.
"Okay Helena, I see why you might not trust me but does any of that merit actual hatred?"
Helena fiddles with the olive resting in her martini. She knows their conversation is about to get harder and meaner. She should stop but this confrontation is overdue.
"The first time we meet, you make an uninvited appointment to see me to indulge in some special pleading for your Peabody grant, though personal meetings with the Chair of the Foundation are not any part of the grant-giving procedures. You let me know that you're gay and have a partner and are about to have a child, none of which were remotely relevant to your case and as far as I was concerned, were blatant attempts at manipulating me as you had my mother."
"That wasn't my best..." Bette tried to interrupt defensively. Helena glared at her and continued fiercely.
"No your 'best' was going behind my back to my mother and trying to get her to influence the decision. For once the mad old bat supported me but that didn't change what you had tried to do. So far Bette all I could see was a scheming ruthless woman who had gained an inordinate amount of influence through back-stabbing. My opinion didn't change when I met Tina and discovered that you had been lying to me about your relationship and that you had cheated on her. On top of that you were so bumptious and possessive of Tina that I couldn't wait to knock you down."
Bette was silent though her dark eyes were angry and resentful. Helena's expression softened.
"However the real reason I hated you Bette had nothing to do with you at all."
Bette looked at her blankly.
"Your real offence was that you reminded me of my oh-so-fabulous ex." Helena's voice was soft and reluctant as she came to the climax of her explanation. "Winnie is probably the most accomplished and manipulative scheming bitch I have ever had the misfortune to encounter let alone have children with. She turned undermining me into an art form and at the point in time that I first met you, she was using everything in her considerable arsenal to separate me permanently from my children. She even went to see you didn't she? I had her followed twenty-four hours a day in case she tried to leave the country with the children and she approached almost everyone I knew or worked with, including my mother to see if she could employ them against me in the custody case."
Bette looked totally disbelieving. Her voice rose. "You brought me down as a way of getting even with Winnie? You have to be kidding me."
Helena kept her chin up though it was hard in the face of Bette's righteous fury. "I couldn't take revenge on Winnie because of Wilson and Jun Ying but I could give you crap and feel good about it because of what I thought you had done to Tina, Gina and my mother."
"Jesus."
"I can't change what I did Bette but I swear that I will do my best to assist you adopting Angelica or even getting Tina back if you ever decide that's what you want."
Bette was controlling herself with some difficulty. She gripped the sides of the chair, afraid of the damage she might inflict on the woman who had done so much to hurt her.
"Why, since you despise me so much, would you now want to help me at all. Why not just finish the fucking job?" she enquired in a voice dripping venom.
"Because I was wrong about you. What I said to Tina yesterday was true - you do things out of passion not calculation. You are sometimes unthinking and go after what you want without considering consequences but you're not deliberately manipulative and eventually I realised that your situation with Tina was not uncomplicated or one-sided. Tina is the subtle one."
"So now you feel sorry for me because I am a wrong-headed bull in a china shop," Bette ground out through gritted teeth. She was still keeping a firm grip on her chair as if afraid that if she let go she would go into orbit. Which may have been a true risk at least metaphorically speaking.
Helena shook her head and smiled tentatively, "I came to realise why your friends love you and even why my mother loves you."
"Strangely Helena I don't give a shit what you think of me."
The Briton looked away discouraged. "I know. Why should you. But I am going to tell you anyway because I may never get up the courage again. The funny thing is everyone assumes that because I went after Tina, she was 'my type' - actually she was a break from the norm."
"Actually I thought it was because you had a fetish for pregnant women."
Helena's lips twitched. "Maybe...I do find pregnant women very attractive. My fetishes aside, Dylan Moreland, as painfully bad as that turned out, was definitely 'my type' - passionate, carelessly brave, unorthodox, maybe a little buccaneering." As she enumerated Dylan's qualities, Helena held Bette's gaze. The Briton's normally cool gray eyes betrayed an unexpected vulnerability and what might easily be fear. "Tina is not the kind of woman I normally fall in love with Bette." Helena took a deep breath. "You are."
There followed a pause so pregnant that a family of four could have been conceived, born and graduated high school and be well on the way to producing grandchildren, a pause during which time Helena struggled between regret and relief and Bette struggled to understand anything. A struggle with which she received help from an unexpected quarter.
"Helena's got the hots for Bette. Ha Ha Ha! That's funny," Dormouse Alice suddenly said aloud and then went straight back to sleep.
Helena laughed too, slightly hysterically, before choking out, "My God it's the chorus from a bloody Greek tragedy."
Bette was not amused. Helena did her best not to cringe and fortunately, just as Bette seemed to be have worked up enough steam to speak, Helena was saved from imminent verbal incineration by the band on the stage kicking off its set with a loud flourish of saxophones. Frustrated, Bette brought her fist down sharply on the table setting off a sequence of tiny tsunamis in the line of unfinished drinks. Helena jumped.
Alice's head jerked up, displaced by Helena's movement.
"Fuck that's loud!" she hollered to no-one in particular. "Don't they know there are people trying to sleep here." Unaware of the tension, Alice sat-up, stretched, rolled her head to try and pop the kinks out and then looked around at her companions. Next to her Helena was gently rubbing her arm to restart the circulation. On the other side Bette was staring at the English woman with undisguised loathing but that was fairly normal.
"I had the weirdest dream," Alice bellowed. "You and Helena were yaddering on, boring stuff, and then she told you she wanted you. Can you believe that?"
Alice took in Bette's volcanic demeanour and Helena's absolute discomfort. "No way!" she exclaimed. When neither Bette nor Helena responded Alice shouted "Come on guys what's going on?" The music had gotten a little quieter so several people looked their way wondering why the blonde was yelling.
Helena stood up to escape. She raised her voice to be heard over the thudding rhythm.
"I have to go. I'll ask my lawyer to call you Bette to talk strategy."
"I don't need your help and I don't want to pay the price that you clearly believe you can exact for that help Helena. Given a choice, I'd rather fuck Tina's man-toy if that's what it takes."
Helena paled and Alice gave a gasp of outrage.
"Bette! For fuck's sake! And you so do need her help." Alice prodded Bette painfully in the side. Bette winced and her scowl deepened. "Angelica?" Alice reminded her. Bette blinked and Helena saw the yawning breach appear in the Porter defences.
"I'm sorry I said anything to embarrass you and honestly I won't expect your gratitude Bette, just let me do this for you. You don't have to speak to me or see me or anything. You only have to talk to my lawyer." The Briton felt quite proud of herself for keeping her calm and neither running away or losing her temper.
Bette stared up at the woman standing in front of her. How could the person she had once hated more than any other be the one who now seemed to be her only chance of keeping contact with the person she loved more than any other? Bette could see Alice making throat-cutting gestures out of the corner of her eye. Bette slumped back in her chair.
"Fine" was all she said, barely audibly. Concern washed over Helena's face. She'd rather have Bette shout at her than look so defeated.
"I'm not trying to beat you or gain some advantage."
"You would hardly have to try, I am beaten Helena, or are you going to pretend that you hadn't noticed. You must feel really powerful, now that all you have to do to get my total attention is dangle in front of me the tiniest of chances that I might keep some contact with my daughter, no matter how small."
Helena was hurt and increasingly offended by Bette continuing to imply that she was going to demand some kind of reward for her endeavours instead of having put her feelings on the line with no expectation of anything.
"You may indeed be beaten but not by me. I think you're confusing me with Tina." Helena made to leave but was prevented by Alice grabbing her hand tightly.
"Don't go," the blonde demanded plaintively, "You promised to stay with me tonight." Helena glanced at Bette.
"I'd better Alice. I don't think I can stay."
"I'll go," said Bette gruffly and started to stand.
"Just sit the fuck down. Both of you!" screeched Alice loudly, catching her companions by surprise. She glared at Helena and then at Bette. "Remember me? Well this evening was supposed to be about me. You know 'Lets take out poor old Alice, entertain her, make her laugh, get her drunk, take her mind off being left again even if it was only by the pity fuck.' Fucking alpha drama queens! You're totally making me want to vomit and I've had enough to drink to carry through on that promise so get over yourselves and finish your drinks. You can work out some kind of power sharing peace accord thingy later, after you've taken me home and tucked me up in bed."
Helena's sense of humour got the better of her. "I don't think you can complain about the entertainment Ali."
Alice continued to look fierce and needy at one and the same time. Helena could never resist a damsel in distress so she slowly sat down. Bette subsided back into her seat too.
"Better," said Alice, feeling an unusual sense of power, until she suddenly realised that having tamed the lionesses she was now going to have to actually talk to them and the signs for a pleasant evening were not propitious. She said a silent prayer that Shane or Jenny or even that dick-head Max might turn up. Her silent prayer was followed by a longer period of silence during which a more devout person than Alice could have read a couple of the gospels and got around to some fairly serious study of the Old Testament, though the blonde did feel as sober as any minister of religion, a condition in which she did not wish to remain. Alice chugged her drink.
"This is nice," she uttered limply. "Perhaps I should get us some more drinks."
"No! I'll go," said Helena and Bette together, both starting to rise to their feet.
They both sank back when Alice insisted with as much firmness as she was capable "No. I...umm...want to go to the bathroom anyway. Try not to kill each other, I mean especially Bette since I don't suppose Helena... just don't kill Helena until I get back," she instructed faintly.
"Why? Do you want to watch?" growled Bette.
Alice fled the scene towards the safety of the bathroom.
"Coward," Bette hurled after the scuttling Alice at the same time as Helena said quite clearly "Wimp!" Alice ignored their epithets.
"That's Alice, big mouth, no follow-through," Bette said moodily, staring after her.
"Sometimes but she's also funny, sweet and wonderful. She's reckless too. I mean not many people would 'rescue' their best friend's ashes. She's easy to love."
Bette's face softened in agreement.
Helena added cautiously "Hard to believe you two ever dated though."
"Why?" Bette asked without raising her voice, though she managed to imbue the monosyllable with a touch of contempt.
"She seems a little frivolous for you."
"So? Flaky bisexual blondes are my thing. Apparently."
"Is that really true. Tina doesn't appear to be flaky," Helena wondered aloud. When Bette said nothing but just gazed at her from pained dark eyes, the Briton added gently "I suppose she has her moments."
Bette took another sip of her rapidly diminishing martini before saying sharply "You know what I cannot understand and I don't think I ever will. I don't know why she took me back when she clearly didn't love me anymore. Was it just so she'd have a home for Angelica? Was I just the best option she had at the time?"
Helena shook her head firmly. "No, she loved you. After all if the only thing she wanted was security, she could have chosen me and my millions." The Briton grinned self-deprecatingly and then said "She still loves you I think."
Bette uttered a sound of disbelief.
"Somehow Ms Peabody I find that hard to believe."
"Do you mind if I offer a possible theory about you and Tina - strictly amateur psychology of course - I have thought a lot about this over the last eighteen months...from several points of view."
"Including Alice's no doubt."
"She may have supplied some background colour."
"Go on then. Go for it. Enlighten me."
"Tina is angry with you."
Bette laughed sarcastically, "I think I got that Helena."
"No I don't just mean the sort of angry that comes when one partner cheats on another though that is devastating enough. She changed her life for you, chose the harder path, gave up the world, or at least her expectations of it, for love if you like. You didn't just cheat Bette, you threw her willing sacrifice back at her."
"That is not the first time I've heard this Helena, not least from Tina."
"Yes but I think her fling with me after you separated was an attempt to prove to herself that she had not changed her whole life simply for you, that she had made a real choice to be gay but instead she discovered that you really were the reason. She loved you, not women. She really had no choice but to take you back."
"She had choices. She could have gone back to men or stayed on her own. She is not that passive..."
"She is pretty accepting and she was still in love with you - she had to fall out of love first. She needed to take you back and find you wanting so she could move on."
"What the hell are you saying? That she took me back so she could dump me? Tina isn't like that."
"Not consciously maybe but falling out of love with you was surprisingly easy once she managed to be disappointed by everything you did or said. You weren't the same powerful woman she had loved: you needed looking after, to be supported. You weren't fulfilling the rest of your unwritten contract: that you would both effectively live your lives like a straight couple with you firmly in the male role. I expect she thought you would swing back into action for her, allowing her to look after Angelica which was her dream wasn't it? Instead she was responsible for the family support and you stayed at home with the baby."
"My fault in other words." Bette looked close to tears. Helena started to take her hand.
"Hi," said a cool deep voice interrupting their conversation. Both women drew back quickly, they had been leaning into each other to hear over the music. "Am I interrupting?"
"Shane," said Bette with obvious pleasure, her smile not quite disguising the tell-tale wetness in her eyes. "No, I'm glad you're here - Helena is just expounding her dubious theories on why Tina has returned to men. Apparently Tina and I were engaged in some kind of butch/femme role play and I wasn't butch enough."
"I didn't put it quite like that. You were playing a role that you hadn't even acknowledged and didn't really want and were not as fact as comfortable in as you might have appeared to a straight woman like Tina. I don't expect either of you had ever discussed your relationship in terms of the roles you played; it's not the sort of arrangement that two sophisticated twenty-first century lesbians would admit to is it? You may not have married because it looked to be aping the straight world, yet in every other respect you could have been the ultimate heterosexual couple."
Bette wasn't impressed.
"Psycho-babble" she said dismissively.
"I think not - thousands of dollars spent on therapy and fucking my psychiatrist - a little wisdom must have rubbed off."
Shane was still feeling uncomfortable at the mere mention of marriage.
"I don't know Hel. People and relationships are not easy to figure. Bette's a strong woman but I've never saw her as butch."
"I did," chimed in Alice. She placed three drinks on the table before flopping down in her chair and addressing Shane. "Thank God you're here at last. You can help me stop the top dogs from peeing on the furniture."
"Lovely image Alice," Helena complained. She finished the remains of her current drink, and looked around with an evil glint. "Don't tell me neither of you have ever wondered why Bette cheated?"
"You're drunk," Alice asserted calmly.
"Very," Helena agreed. "But I stick by what I said, whatever it was. Umm...I know...the question before the house is 'Why did Bette cheat on Tina, the love of her life?'"
"She's a horn-dog," Alice said simply, also drunk enough to be fearless.
"Alice!" exclaimed Bette.
"What? You told me yourself that you just couldn't help it. It was all about the sex."
"Alice!" yelled Shane. Alice subsided slightly under the outraged disapproval of her dearest friends.
"What was Candace like?" asked Helena, genuinely curious and wanting to stir things up at the same time.
"Now she was butch," Alice said with emphasis and winked broadly at Helena and then at Shane. At which point she seemed to get confused and then winked at a total stranger who was walking past. He winked back. "He's cute," she called out happily.
"Candace was not butch," Bette contradicted firmly if slightly too late. Her voice had become very precise - a sure sign that Bette Porter was feeling her martini. "She was cute too."
Her three companions all noted the slightly wistful voice. Alice made a face.
"I couldn't see the cuteness but she was butch, a really butchy butch in her overalls and sawdust."
Bette smiled slowly remembering. "She could be butch when it was called for but she cleaned up real good too. She was so confident and capable and she always knew what she wanted."
"Yeah right. We all know what she wanted." Alice said scornfully though her eyes were threatening to bug out. Bette had never discussed Candace.
"She gave me every chance to walk away Alice. I was totally to blame and I won't pretend that somehow I was seduced by an evil temptress. It was all my fault."
Helena cocked a quizzical eyebrow at Shane who shrugged. Bette was getting maudlin.
"Was she good in bed?" Akice blurted out and then immediately withdrew the question. "Sorry, stupid question. You fucked her for six weeks. She must have been good."
"Did you love her?" Shane asked while gazing into her drink seemingly dreading the answer.
"No!" Bette half chortled as though disbelieving that anyone could ask her that question.
"So it was all about the sex then," Helena suggested quietly watching Bette's face. A shadow of confusion marred the beautiful face but Bette didn't contradict her. Any opportunity to press the issue was lost when Jenny rolled up, Max in tow. They had been arguing. It was obvious from their tight unsmiling faces, lack of greetings and careful choices of seating on opposite sides of the small table necessitating everyone shuffling their chairs to accommodate the new arrivals.
"Oh great," groaned Alice undiplomatically. "What is wrong with you two?"
"I'm sorry everyone," said Jenny coldly. "This person insisted on coming with me and not taking himself out of my life forever. I have nothing to say to him but you can tell him that I do not want those drunken animals he calls friends in our home again."
"Shut the fuck up," Max exploded.
Shane took her usual role of peacemaker and restrained Max with a hand on the shoulder. "Cool it guys. Max, help me get some more drinks."
Bette was now sitting close beside Helena. She was watching the bickering facsimile of a straight couple with a sad puzzled look on her face. She leaned over and murmured quietly in the Briton's ear "Why would Tina want that?"
"Don't ask me darling," Helena replied, shrugging her elegant shoulders. "All that role-playing would kill me. Now if you'll excuse me I think it's time I introduced myself to that unfortunate blonde that you abandoned."
She stood up and straightened her clothes. Bette looked up at her.
"I see your recently professed attraction for me was time-limited," she drawled cynically.
Helena glanced down and smiled lovingly. "Not at all but firstly I promised you to keep out of your way and secondly I have been sitting in close proximity to you for a couple of hours which was very enjoyable but ultimately frustrating. I am only human Bette. I'll call you in a few days to see how it goes with Angelica."
Bette smiled and this time it was the full genuine Bette Porter smile - a very sweet, slightly drunken dazzling smile. Helena swallowed and placed her hand against the wall. Bette was explaining something.
"I may get her Saturday for two hours if we can work it out. I'm going to take her to the beach."
"That's great. As I said I'll call. Bye."
Helena had to squeeze between the adjacent wall and Bette's chair to get out. She was stopped by Bette's arm barring the way.
"Do you have your children this weekend?"
Helena nodded, suddenly hopeful about where this might be going.
"Would you like to come to the beach with us? We could make it a family day, perhaps ask Shane and Alice. They could help with the child minding, swimming, sand-castles and so forth."
"I'd like that very much."
"Good. See you then."
Helena said her goodbyes to the rest of the table, assured Alice that Bette would see her home and then made her way towards the table where the hot blonde was still sitting. She caught the woman's eye. Smiling, Helena allowed her eyes to stray over the woman, checking her out. She was on the final approach when she suddenly felt all wrong, knowing that Bette was watching her. She smiled regretfully at the blonde who looked confused and then annoyed as Helena passed her by heading for the exit.
The End