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 second part of the WeHo Days series.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
WeHo Days
A Week in Limbo
By halfofone
== Early Sunday morning ==
Helena winced and held the phone away from her ear. When the noise subsided, she tentatively brought the handset back within speaking distance.
"I have to say I am impressed by your constitution Alice. A skinful and up and at 'em by 7.00am."
Helena grimaced as more invective whizzed down the wires. "I know...you're right. I should have kept my mouth shut. Is she very angry?" ... ... ... "Not angry - well that's good." ... ... ... "Oh but you are angry with me. Why are you angry Alice?" ... ... "I didn't tell you first!" Helena rolled her eyes and smiled as Alice continued to give her hell.
"Look Alice I was drunk and I didn't really mean it. Well I did..." Helena bit her lip as Alice jumped on her statement. She sighed. "No it is true...I just don't expect anything to come of it you know? I didn't mean to say anything." At the other end of the line Alice was getting critical. "For Chrissakes Alice can't I have a hopeless crush - I thought you were the expert." Helena's exasperation dissipated some of her good humour.
"Even I know that. It would never work; we're too alike; too controlling; nothing in common except Tina; far too much history; good as friends; better as enemies," Helena sing-songed until her head reminded her that it was too early and too painful for hushed whispers let alone sing-songing. "Look I'll meet you later. You can pull me apart then" ... ... "I don't know - brunch, lunch, later. I have to go. I need sleep and maybe a glass of water and a couple of aspirin." Helena shifted the phone to her other hand in hope that her head would hurt less if the sound came from the other side. It didn't work. Preoccupied with her own pain she was late in realising that Alice was angling for a visit.
"No you don't need to come round here," she exclaimed. A few more seconds of abuse and Helena resigned herself to her fate. "Okay...so you do need to come around here. Alright. Anything you say Alice just please give me another two hours in bed. Please."
== Late Monday morning ==
"Shane?" Alice bawled as if surprised that Shane should be answering her own cell. "Where are you? Do I even want to know?" ... ... ... ... "You mean that cool black chick you met the other night? You're still with her?" Alice checked her watch. Thirty-six hours. Had they been fucking all that time? Well whatever it was time to wrap it up now. Alice needed her.
"Listen Shane we have a situation, get your butt out of Mary Ann's bed and over to The Planet for lunch." Alice listened impatiently to the prevarication. "It is urgent. We have to talk." Alice rolled her eyes. "Bette and Helena of course! I cannot even believe I put them in the same sentence." Alice tapped her foot as Shane expressed her ignorance of what Alice was talking about. "Didn't you even notice?" Alice exclaimed annoyed by her sidekick's apparent indifference. "Whaddya mean it's cool. It's seriously uncool Shane. It's Bette and Helena."
"Yes I know it's one-sided...at the moment and I'm not leaving anything to chance. We have to lay plans for Saturday." ... ... ... ... "The beach! Family day? Remember?" Alice slapped her head. It was beyond her how any of the family had survived before they met her.
"Of course it is none of our business - what has that ever had to do with anything?" A murmured inquiry caused Alice to frown. She blinked. "I haven't heard from Lara, not even one lousy 'phone call. Stop trying to change the subject. I'll see you in fifteen."
== Tuesday evening ==
"Hi."
"No I'm not busy." Bette stared at the wall and tried to ignore the silence of her home.
She grimaced. "I wouldn't say it went well."
The grimace twisted painfully as her interlocutor pushed for more information.
"No, we are still on for Saturday. In fact your presence is required Helena or hasn't Tina told you yet?"
Bette's anger and grief leaked into her voice. She couldn't help it.
"She hasn't. Well let me explain. I can see Angelica but only in the presence of another approved adult. I am not allowed to keep her overnight nor take her out of the immediate area of West Hollywood. All outings must be agreed in advance and a schedule of movements provided. If required I am to return Angelica to Tina immediately." Bette's voice started to break. "I must not attempt to make her aware of me as anything other than a friend of her mother's. She is not to think of me as her other parent but as an aunt figure like Shane or Alice."
Bette listened to Helena rant for at least thirty seconds, her expression unchangingly sad and lost but it gave her time to recover a little composure so when she answered the teariness had gone from her voice.
"That's what I said but apparently negotiation is off the agenda." Bette closed her eyes. "I don't know if I can Helena or if I can accept these terms - it's going to hurt too much. What if she won't change her mind." ... ... ... ... "Perhaps I should just leave fucking LA and try and forget." ... ... ... ... "Yes I am on my own here."
Bette was tired - she really didn't need the interference no matter how well-meaning. She guessed what was coming next. "I appreciate the offer but I don't want any company tonight," she answered the kindly meant words coldly and firmly. "I'm not going to hurt myself but I can't extend that promise to anyone else tonight. Leave me be. I have to think about what I am going to do."
== Wednesday morning ==
"Helena where are you? We have a meeting in thirty minutes with that guy from Warner's who might fund the Loach project." Tina anxiously tapped the keys on her blackberry. She sighed resignedly. "Okay. Okay. I know the traffic is mad today. At least you're coming in..." ... ... ... ... "Yeah I have spoken to Bette. I didn't know you and Bette communicated?" Tina's face became cautious. "Yes I did tell her that," she confirmed trying not to feel ashamed. "Helena I'm just trying to protect my daughter..." ... ... ... ... "I'm not doing this to hurt Bette but I don't trust her not to pull another stunt and go off with Angie whenever it suits her. She has to know the boundaries." ... ... ... ... Tina lost her temper. "She is not Angelica's mother. I am."
"Well I've change my mind." ... ... ... ... "I'm not treating her like a criminal or a paedophile Helena. I've taken a lawyer's advice about this and he thinks that I'm being more than reasonable." ... ... ... ... "Henry suggested him."
Her eyes widened as she listened to Helena's honestly expressed opinion of her recent boyfriend. "Wow! You really didn't like Henry."
"I know you feel strongly about the rights of gay parents Helena but..." ... ... ... ... "What do you mean?" Tina sounded a little less certain. "We're not going to court Helena. Bette promised me..." ... ... ... ... "I can't talk about this on the phone." She cut off the call and sat staring at the handset.
== Thursday Afternoon ==
"Helena, dear. Let me get this straight. You want me to close your film studio and make everyone redundant." Peggy Peabody impatiently shifted her wriggling lap-dog onto her hip as she listened to her daughter. "Yes I am well aware that I own your little venture. The idea with which I am having difficulty is that you wish to be made unemployed. You do understand that in your present circumstances, you would have to get a real job." ... ... ... ... "I could just sack you," Peggy commented drily hearing her daughter's convoluted reasoning. "Helena I am not a fool. Would this sudden whim be related in any way to your recent request to Alan Liebermann to provide some advice or assistance to Bette Porter."
"Helena? Are you still there?"
"Oh, you are. Apart from your apparently undiminished desire to interfere in the life of Ms Porter, is your decision fair to your employees? They are not simply pawns you can push about on a chess-board." ... ... ... ... "That is true and I am pleased to see that you have at least discussed it with your finance people. As you wish darling. Now I must dash - I too have a fabulous woman to spoil."
== Friday Morning ==
"Tina calm down. This is not the end of the world." ... ... ... ... "You'll get another job and another house." ... ... ... "What about Helena?" ... ... "She's homeless too." That seemed out of whack to Shane but she let it go. "Well you could stay here but it's pretty crowded and I don't suppose you would want to for very long." ... ... ... "Well then talk to Bette. She isn't going to let Angelica live in a hotel room or on someone's couch." Shane was patient because she understood how fragile her friends were, even those who kidded themselves that they were in control.
"Of course she'll speak to you. She loves Angel more than life." ... ... "I'm not getting at you Tina. It's simply true."
Shane listened to Tina and for the hundredth time concluded that she had been right to let Carmen go. If people like Bette and Tina ended up doing this to each other, what hope was there for anyone else.
"Tina the last few months have been crazy. I don't think any of us are acting like our normal selves. You know, just give peace a chance." ... ... ... ... "I'll speak to Bette if it helps, explain what's happened," Shane offered quietly, "I'm seeing her tomorrow at the beach."... ... ... ... "Yeah we're having a 'family' day out. I think everyone has been asked. Even Max though Alice was bummed about that."
There was silence on the other end of the line as Shane realised that of course not everyone had been invited.
The End