Bette sat behind the wheel of her car for a few minutes, taking some time to compose herself before she started the engine. What she had said to Helena was true. She had so many thoughts running through her head, she didn't know what to think first.

She heard the ringing of her cell phone in the console of the car. She had forgotten to turn it off last night. She glanced at the caller id before answering.

"Bette Porter," she answered.

"Ms. Porter, it's Marian Travis at MOCA."

"Good morning Ms. Travis," Bette replied.

"I'm terribly sorry to have to postpone our meeting, but two of the board members have had to request an alternate time," she explained. "We will do everything to accommodate your schedule though. We know you must be looking at a number of different options at this point, and we would like to have the chance to impress you with the opportunity that's available here."

Bette was quite startled at how the job was being framed. She was under the impression she was being interviewed to see if she could impress them, but now it appeared they were hoping to make the job so appealing that she couldn't turn it down.

"Do you have a potential time in mind already?" Bette asked, fully aware of just how clear her schedule was.

The assistant to the Chairman of the Board of MOCA gave Bette three times that were available, one for Friday and two during the following week.

"Let me check my schedule, if you could just hold for a moment," Bette said. She held the phone to her chest for what she perceived to be a reasonable amount of time before returning to speak.

"I'm afraid next week will be really difficult for me, but I'll be able to shuffle a few things around to make the Friday time," she replied. In fact, she just wanted to get something secured, and had no interest in waiting until next week before meeting with them.

She disconnected the call and then considered the likelihood that there would be messages waiting for her. She was not mistaken in her assumption. All three were from Tina.

"Please call me when you get this message."

"Bette, you know it's not about you. We have to talk. Don't shut me out."

"You're obviously not coming home tonight. I'm trying not to be worried. It's not what you think."

Bette was angry and sad simultaneously upon hearing Tina's voice. Her anger won out.

"If it's not what I think then what the fuck is it?" she asked aloud. She banged her hands on the steering wheel of the car, and finally reached to turn the key in the ignition. She had to talk to Tina.

********************

Bette walked in the front door to see Tina nursing Angelica in the living room.

Tina's eyes were red and her face was drawn.

Bette sat down, crossed her legs and then did the same with her arms before she felt composed enough to attempt to speak.

"So I guess it's my turn to find a spare bed somewhere in the house," Bette said. "Or better yet, maybe your apartment is still available."

"Bette all I did was try to talk to you last night and you assumed I was suggesting splitting up permanently," Tina said. "I'm just so confused right now. I think it would be best if we separated, so that I could figure out what it is I want."

"I think you made it clear what you want if you've been having an affair with someone else, let alone a man," Bette said quietly.

"I didn't plan for this to happen," Tina tried to defend herself.

"Neither did I, but I've been prostrating myself to you for months in apology, and my efforts have been for nothing," Bette said. "Is your affair a payback?"

"I'm attracted to him," Tina said. She didn't think there was anyway to make this easy on either of them. I'm just having all these feelings that I don't know how to handle."

"Who is it," Bette asked.

"No one you know," Tina replied.

"Great. A stranger. That makes it an easier pill to swallow."

"He's not a stranger to me," Tina said as she lifted the baby up over her shoulder to be burped after she was done nursing.

"Do you think we can stay in the same house?"

"We're both her parents now. I don't want to be apart from her and I'm not going to take her away from you either," Tina said "I'll move into the nursery. You can have the master bedroom."

"I can't believe we're going through this again," Bette said, having lost some of her bravado as the conversation wore on. "I won't be able to tolerate seeing you with someone else as you're 'figuring out' your feelings."

"This house is our house," Tina said. "I wouldn't bring anyone here without your knowledge and consent."

"Neither will I," Bette promised. "Our first priority should be Angelica."

Tina hesitated to make her next suggestion, but she wanted to know what some of the rules were going to be.

"You seem to be tolerating Helena more these days, is it okay if she's here occasionally?"

Bette paused at this request. Giving such permission might put Helena in an awkward position. But if she said no, Tina would assume she was denying it just to spite her.

"Never mind; forget I asked," Tina mistook Bette's pause for the pre-cursor to a lost temper.

"No, actually if you want Helena here for some reason, that's fine," Bette said. "If both you and Alice are spending time with her, it's absurd for me to try to avoid her everywhere I go."

"Thank you Bette," Tina said sincerely.

"I'm so frustrated with how angry you still are at me," Bette said. "Knowing you've been having these thoughts makes it seem as though it hasn't been all about me."

"Let's not debate blame," Tina replied. "I'm willing to take my share of it too you know."

"We might be destined to parent this child together, and not have a relationship."

"I'm trying to do what's best for everyone," Tina replied. "I'm not trying to be selfish even though it seems like this is all about me."

"I have some feelings of my own to sort out," Bette said. "I might not be available when and if you decide you are."

************

Bette was driving by the Planet when she saw what she assumed was Alice's car in the parking lot. She pulled in and quickly made her way inside.

"Bette, what are you doing here?" Alice said as she looked up. "I thought you had a meeting at MOCA today."

"It's been rescheduled for Friday," Bette replied. "Do you know what's going on with Tina?"

"She called me and yeah, we talked," Alice replied. "How are you doing? How's it going to be to still live under the same roof?"

"I want to be close to Angelica, and that's the only option," Bette said. "It's not as though I can start renting the house next door.