Tina kept Alice‘s hand on her stomach as she shook her head. She emphatically replied, ‘No.’ This only confused Alice more. Her mouth still hanging open she wanted to speak again but Tina spoke before she could, ‘But I was. We were going to have a baby.’ Tears started to form in her eyes again. She wiped them away with her other hand. ‘And when we lost him I promised to myself that I would never let Bette go through that much pain again -’

‘Yeah well I think you should’ve got Bette to make that promise.’ Alice‘s words came out harsh but Tina knew she was simply trying to understand what had been a very confusing series of revelations for all of them. She continued gently, ‘Alice. I promised that I wouldn’t do anything to hurt her, and I’ve already broken that promise. So I need you to promise me that you won’t tell anyone, especially Bette, that you know what happened.’

They waited as Alice pondered her response. As much as she wanted to talk to Bette about what happened in the hope that maybe they could help each other understand and find a way to get her back with her wife Alice found herself nodding. She sniffed away her own tears which were starting to form, she looked down at Tina. ‘If I promise, can I have my hand back?’

Tina’s smile beamed as she let go of Alice‘s hand and wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. Kit looked at the two of them and smiled. She took a box of tissues and offered it to Tina and Alice as they broke the embrace. Tina smiled and took one from the box. She was sure that she had single-handedly financed the tissue business for the next year with the amount she had gone through the last few days.

She dabbed under her eyes to mop up any remaining tears as Alice took a tissue from the box. She blew into it and turned to look at Tina. ‘Next time T, easy on the melodrama,’ she said pointing to Tina’s stomach. Tina smiled back in return giving the smallest of nods. Kit stands as Tina gets up from her position, ‘So, what now?’

Bette walked up the steps of the house. She had been to the take out place to pick up dinner on her way home from the CAC and was exhausted. There were so many messages to return, it seemed everyone in the art world had wanted to talk to her. She had accepted Peggy’s generous offer to host a dinner in her honour next week and had spent most of the day trying to arrange a day that suited them both. In between that she had meetings with Franklin and the security firm she had hired to keep out the unrelenting protestors. She was thoroughly exhausted.

She could see that the lights in the kitchen were on but it would not have surprised her if Kit was there or she had in fact left the lights on by accident herself. She turned the key and opened the door waiting for Kit to greet her if in fact she was there. She looked up. The bag of take away fell to the floor as she recognised who it was.

She was sat at the kitchen table, her hands cupping a glass of water. Her head turned when she heard the door open. Her heart falling into her stomach and jumping into her throat at the same time at the sight of her. She pushed herself away from the table and stood up and turned to face her.

Not knowing what to say she was reminded of Alice‘s opening line and couldn’t find any other adequate words. She took a breath and gulped down her fear, ‘Hey Bette.’

‘Tina.’