"Precisely. The Peabody heiress is bunking on my couch. Her shit’s all over the place."

Bette shook her head, letting the news sink in. "Wow. Full circle. First Tina was living on your couch and now Helena. Wait a minute. What about Tina’s job? Is the studio going to close or something?"

Alice shrugged. "I don’t know that yet. So far, no news. And I haven’t been in communication with your former better half."

Bette’s left eyebrow lifted at Alice’s words.

"Okay, former other half," Alice replied.

Bette nodded. "Better."

"So, I’m not sure where all that stands but Helena has to find herself a real job. There’s no way she can live out here for $1500 a month," said Alice.

"I’m sure Peggy knows that. I imagine she’s intent on teaching Helena a lesson. And I think it’s a lesson Helena needs to learn. I’m just not exactly sure this is the best way to teach her."

"Damn right. This is the type of situation that turns desperate women into call girls."

"Has she started looking for work?" Bette asked.

"Not yet. She’s pulling her resume and stuff together. I just hope she finds something sooner than later. I mean, I love the girl and all, but she’s got a lot of shit. And have I told you, it’s all over the place?"

Bette chuckled. "You may have mentioned it."

The friends talked a while longer and when their conversation came to a lull and their food plates were nearly empty, Bette asked, "Alice, how have you really been?"

The blonde sighed and looked down at the cold clumps of oatmeal in her bowl. "I’ve been better and I’ve been worse. Can I tell you something and have you not think I’m like a total jackass?"

Bette nodded and she met Alice’s watery eyes with her own. "It’s almost easier to lose her like this than it was the first time I lost her. Doesn’t that sound horrible?"

"Alice, it’s understandable. The first time you lost her, it was by her own choice. She ended your relationship and you were never able to get the closure you needed. You never understood why the two of you broke up and frankly, neither did the rest of us. But when the cancer took her, she had no control. There’s no mystery to why she’s gone."

Alice nodded. "That’s what I try to tell myself. But I still feel guilty for feeling this way."

Bette gave a smile that was warm and comforting. "Are you and Lara still…..?" she asked.

Alice shook her head. "That’s over. She’s leaving. Going back to France."

"Probably for the best," Bette replied.

"You’re right. But the sex was good," Alice replied, her left eyebrow raised.

The brunette chuckled. "Al, the sex was a therapy for you."

"It was still hot. I’m gonna miss that."

"I’m sure you will survive," said Bette.

Alice’s eyes clouded, "The only thing is that I feel like I need to do something for Dana, you know? She was only out of the closest for like a year and a half. Hell, even at her funeral her parents pretended she was straight. I just have this need to do something to honor her."

"What about a benefit for breast cancer? Something like that?" asked Bette.

"I’ve thought about that, but Dana was more than her cancer. She was amazing, Bette. She was this awesome tennis player. She was a great friend. A great lover. She was a daughter and a sister and a budding iconic lesbian athlete. She was so much more than the cancer," said Alice, her eyes now bright and shining with fond remembrance of her best friend.

"You’re right. Maybe you should tell her story? The story of Dana Fairbanks."

Alice nodded. "Maybe I could tell other stories, too. I’ve spent so much time talking about relationships. But it’s starting to bore me. All I can think about is Dana. About what I can do to make a difference."

Bette eyed her curiously. "Who are you?"

Alice smiled. "I’m a woman on a mission."