The Gathering 01.01 ~*~ The Beginning ~*~ Intro to
Samantha Leigh Vance

            The Planet, their gathering place of
old and today was like any other day. 
Except, today wasn’t really like every other day, it was a month after
all ***** had broken loose.  Tina
had discovered Bette was cheating on her.  Shane had
realized that love wasn’t enough.  Alice
had kissed Dana on the stoop of her house.  And that Marina
had declared her love to Jenny on an answering
machine. 

            No one had been to the
Planet in weeks, each of them picking up the scattered remains of their
lives.  No one sure as how to approach
each other.  No one was exactly
themselves anymore.

            Alice
sat at one of the tables outside quietly sipping her coffee; the repercussions
of having kissed Dana had yet to come to
life.  DanaAlice
had finally given up calling.  It was hard
for her to admit that she had any romantic feelings for a close friend like
Dana; but she’d put little thought into what she’d done, until she’d done
it.  Alice
had sat in her apartment, sullen and missing her best friend.  She’d had the company of Tina,
who’d run away from Bette after their debacle of
a break up.  Neither of the women were
sure of anything at the moment, much less comfortable talking about it.
refused to return her calls and

            Shane‘s
duplicity had been found out and she’d been in sort of hiding.  She’d become even more quiet and reserved
than before.  Keeping everyone at arms
length, even walking out of willing women’s bedrooms before the deed had been
done.  She’d told Alice
that feeling were for weak people.  He’d
been right of course, Cheri‘s husband, it wasn’t
easy to keep it in her pants, but she was learning how, and rather
quickly.  She was looking for a new place
to live, and work was scarce, at the moment anyway.

            Tina
had moved in with Alice
having found Bette with another woman.  She refused to speak of it, and refused speak
of Bette. 
It was as if they had never had a relationship.  Tina had been
working constantly at the Center, keeping herself busy.

            Bette
had become a recluse, and no one spoke with her, since she didn’t seem to want
to speak to them.  Bette
knew she’d been the betrayer, and had yet to be able to face any of them, much
less Tina. 
She had done one thing of good; she’d raised the money for Kit
to buy half of the Planet from Francesca, though she’d yet to
have raised the other half.  Once they
had the other half, Marina and Kit
would be full partners in the Planet.