Take her to sea, chapter 3

It’s been a long time since Bette Porter had felt charmed by a woman she barely knew. It’s been a long time since she found herself daydreaming about anything or anybody. She usually didn’t admit it. She couldn’t think about anything while on duty. A daydreaming captain was what cost her Nina.

Nina, her best friend. Almost like a sister. They had been to Seaworker school together. They shared so much. Bette had left her father’s house at the age of fifteen years old. Her rommate at school, the only girl except for her was Melina Stevens. Nina.

They spent their entire time together. Nina wanted to become a fishergirl. Bette wanted to Bette a trade seaworker. Nina had been the first Bette came out to. Bette had been the only one who knew what really happened in Nina’s childhood. Her drunk mother. Her abusive father. What she went through.

When they finally graduated, they went to Officer’s school together. They were students officers on the same boat, travelling from Saint-Malo France to Porsmouth England.

Nina who wanted more than anything to have a child and give him all the love she didn’t get as a kid. Nina who gave birth to Leeloo, 9 years ago, with Bette at her side, holding her hand.

Nina who disapeared in the sinking of the small fishing boat she was working on, trying to raise Nina while not totally leaving her dreams behind.

Nina who wanted Bette to raise her daughter if anything should happen to her.

Bette had taken care of Leeloo for 7 years now. Since the day she received that call, informing her that Nina was dead and that if she didn’t want to take care of Leeloo she would be sent to her Nina’s parents. She had jumped in a plane and began a new life with Leeloo. She took the job at a cruise ship captain, and she was taking care of Leeloo’s education, making sure she succeeded at all the tests that distance school was sending her.

Leeloo, her pride, Leeloo the greatest gift she had ever received but a price she had to pay. She lost her best friend, she lost her sister, she lost a part of herself and won another.

Leeloo called her Mama B while Nina was Mama Ni.

Bette was happy with her life as it was. She had a great job, with a great staff that loved her and Leeloo to pieces.

But right now she felt herself quite moved by the newest memeber of her staff. The beautiful blond Public Relation girl. She feared the worst when Helena sent her the the interview tapes for the job. After all, Helena was the one who hired that crazy Jenny woman who almost thrown a passenger overboard because he told her that he didn’t like the book she had published a few years before.

« At least he read it, she should have been happy, it must have taken himl a lot of courage » Bette thought.

She was suprising herself at thinking about the blond’s lips. The way she moved, when she was dancing the night before. The way she smiled when they talked before dinner. The way she, herself felt so at ease with this woman next to her at dinner. The way she didn’t take offense at Leeloo’s unexpected question.

She wondered about the hint of sadness she saw in Tina’s eyes when she saw Dana and Lara kissing. The way she brushed it off her face, as if it was a habbit.

She was defintely intrigued by Tina Kennard. Intrigued and charmed. Tina had waken something inside her she had long forgotten existed. Something in the lines of desire, romance.

She knew she couldn’t act on it. She was Tina’s boss and for the sake of their jobs they couldn’t get involved even if in some alternate universe, Tina was interested in her. But nonetheless, she was intrigued, and eager to learn more about Tina.