L-Noir – Part 2

There was no love lost between herself and Shane, Al reflected as she rode home. Not that Shane knew she was behind the weird revenge incidents, because she didn’t. It was just that they were both tough as nails and tended to clash when they came in contact. It didn’t help that they occasionally competed for the same women. Neither did she hate Shane. She did the jobs for the money and the amusement, that was all. This one gave her pause, though. A bitch’s hair was sacrosanct. She ran her gloved hand through her own blond tresses and shuddered at the thought of being bald. For some women it was fine, but not for Shane and certainly not for Al.

The premiere was four days away, so she’d have a lot of work to do in order to fulfill this contract on time. She’d also need some help. Flipping a u-turn, she headed for Bette and Tina’s house.

Tina met Al at the door, having heard her friend’s bike long before the knock on the door. Giving Al a quick kiss on the cheek, Tina escorted her into the living room, where Bette sat reading in one corner of the couch. The mocha beauty marked her place in the book with a finger and looked up. "Hey, stranger," she greeted her with a wide smile. Tina sat back down where she had been before, snuggled into the crook of Bette’s arm. "Yeah, we haven’t seen you in forever," she contributed. "What’s up?"

Al shucked her leather jacket and carelessly tossed it on a convenient chair. She settled herself onto the love seat facing the couple, black engineer boots splayed out in front. Her usually tough features softened as she looked at her favorite couple. Though sometimes a bit too sappy for her tastes, the couple’s deep love for one another and their ability to actually create a family gave her hope. Maybe not for herself, but at least for the world in general. She was always grateful to be allowed to just share their space for a while. Not that she would ever tell them that. Well, maybe Tina, but never Bette.

Finally comfortable, she smirked and said, "I’ve got a job," giving particular weight to that last word.