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Weho Days - part 1 - A Night at The Planet by halfofone
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Page 6
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" As she enumerated Dylan's qualities, Helena held Bette's gaze. The Briton's normally cool gray eyes betrayed an unexpected vulnerability and what might easily be fear. "Tina is not the kind of woman I normally fall in love with Bette." Helena took a deep breath. "You are."
There followed a pause so pregnant that a family of four could have been conceived, born and graduated high school and be well on the way to producing grandchildren, a pause during which time Helena struggled between regret and relief and Bette struggled to understand anything. A struggle with which she received help from an unexpected quarter.
"Helena's got the hots for Bette. Ha Ha Ha! That's funny," Dormouse Alice suddenly said aloud and then went straight back to sleep.
Helena laughed too, slightly hysterically, before choking out, "My God it's the chorus from a bloody Greek tragedy."
Bette was not amused. Helena did her best not to cringe and fortunately just as Bette seemed to be have worked up enough steam to speak, the band on the stage kicked off its set with a loud flourish of saxophones. Frustrated, Bette brought her fist down sharply on the table setting off a sequence of tiny tsunamis in the line of unfinished drinks. Helena jumped.
Alice's head jerked up, displaced by Helena's movement.
"Fuck that's loud!" she hollered to no-one in particular. "Don't they know there are people trying to sleep here." Unaware of the tension, Alice sat-up, stretched, rolled her head to try and pop the kinks out and then looked around at her companions. Next to her Helena was gently rubbing her arm to restart the circulation. On the other side Bette was staring at the Englishwoman with undisguised loathing but that was fairly normal.
"I had the weirdest dream," Alice bellowed. "You and Helena were yaddering on, boring stuff, and then she told you she wanted you. Can you believe that?"
Alice grinned at each of them and looked again. She took in Bette's volcanic demeanour and Helena's absolute discomfort. "No way!" she exclaimed. When neither Bette nor Helena responded Alice shouted "Come on guys what's going on?" The music had gotten a little quieter so several people looked their way wondering why the blonde was yelling.
Helena stood up to escape. She raised her voice to be heard over the thudding rhythm.
"I have to go. Bette, I'll ask my lawyer to call you to talk strategy."
"I don't need your help and I don't want to pay the price that you clearly believe you can exact for that help Helena. Given a choice, I'd rather fuck Tina's man-toy if that's what it takes."
Helena paled and Alice gave a gasp of outrage.
"Bette! For fuck's sake! And you so do need her help." Alice prodded Bette painfully in the side. Bette winced and her scowl deepened. "Angelica?" Alice reminded her. Bette blinked and Helena saw a yawning breach appear in the Porter defences. For one long moment the Briton fought an impulse to exploit that weakness. She took a step back and apologised instead.
"I'm sorry I said anything to embarrass you and honestly I won't expect your gratitude Bette; just let me do this for you. You don't have to speak to me or see me or anything. You only have to talk to my lawyer." The Briton felt quite proud of herself for keeping her calm and neither running away or losing her temper.
Bette stared impotently up at the woman standing before her. How could the person she had once hated more than any other be the one who now seemed to be her only chance of keeping contact with the person she loved more than any other? Bette could see Alice making throat-cutting gestures out of the corner of her eye. Bette slumped back in her chair.
"Fine" was all she said, barely audibly. Concern washed over Helena's face. She'd rather have Bette shout at her than look so defeated.
"I'm not trying to beat you or gain some advantage."
"You would hardly have to try, I am beaten Helena, or are you going to pretend that you hadn't noticed. You must feel really powerful, now that all you have to do to get my total attention is dangle in front of me the tiniest of chances that I might keep some contact with my daughter, no matter how small."
Helena was hurt and offended again by Bette continuing to imply that she was going to demand some kind of reward for her endeavours instead of having put her feelings on the line with no expectation of anything.
"You may indeed be beaten but not by me. I think you're confusing me with Tina." Helena made to leave but was prevented by Alice grabbing her hand tightly.
"Don't go," the blonde demanded plaintively, "You promised to stay with me tonight." Helena glanced at Bette.
"I'd better Alice. I don't think I can stay."
"I'll go," said Bette gruffly and started to stand.
"Just sit the fuck down. Both of you!" screeched Alice loudly, catching her companions by surprise. She glared at Helena and then at Bette. "Remember me? Well this evening was supposed to be about me. You know 'Lets take out poor old Alice, entertain her, make her laugh, get her drunk, take her mind off being left again even if it was only by the pity fuck.' Fucking alpha drama queens! You're totally making me want to vomit and I've had enough to drink to carry through on that promise so get over yourselves and finish your drinks. You can work out some kind of power sharing peace accord thingy later, after you've taken me home and tucked me up in bed."
Helena's sense of humour got the better of her. "I don't think you can complain about the entertainment Ali."
Alice continued to look fierce and needy at one and the same time. Helena could never resist a damsel in distress so she slowly sat down. Bette subsided back into her seat too.
"Better," said Alice, feeling an unusual sense of power, until she suddenly realised that having tamed the lionesses she was now going to have to actually talk to them and the signs for a pleasant evening were not propitious. She said a silent prayer that Shane or Jenny or even that dick-head Max might turn up. Her silent prayer was followed by a longer period of silence during which a more devout person than Alice could have read a couple of the gospels and got around to some fairly serious study of the Old Testament. On the other hand the blonde did feel as uncomfortably sober as any teetotal minister of religion, a condition in which she did not wish to remain. Alice chugged her drink.
"This is nice," she uttered limply. "Perhaps I should get us some more drinks."
"No! I'll go," said Helena and Bette together, both starting to rise to their feet.
They both sank back when Alice insisted with as much firmness as she was capable "No. I...umm...
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