Tina sat outside, in the backyard, looking out onto the pool. It was early, not even 7am but she wanted to make the most of her last day in this house. She picked up yesterday’s copy of the LA Times. She looked at the headline and then up towards the date. The 3^rd of August 2006, almost nine years to the day that she had first met Bette at the gallery. How those years had flown by and now here she was saying goodbye to the place where she thought was home. Saying goodbye to the woman that she thought would be her home forever.

She silently wondered whether her daughter would hate her in years to come for taking her away from her other mother. Tina had promised herself that no matter what happened between her and Bette they would always put Angelica’s best interests first. The fallout from the incident at Shane and Carmen’s wedding had been nuclear, but somehow they had gotten past that. Funny how there should be so much clarity over their joint relationship with their daughter and yet the relationship between them was still so mired in confusion. Tina sighed deeply at the fact that still couldn’t work things out between them, and now she was leaving, giving up that hope.

A noise shattered her peace. She looked at the baby monitor silently pleading with Angelica to let her have a few more minutes to herself. No one was more surprised than Tina when the noise subsided and she was left to her own tranquillity again. Soon Bette would be up and maybe the recriminations would start all over again. Tina hoped that Bette would stay with Kit for the last few days but Bette was having none of it. She said that it was her house and she wasn’t leaving it for anyone, least of all Tina. The thing that Bette didn’t count on though was that, no matter how estranged they had become, Tina still knew her best and if there was one thing that Tina was sure of, it was that it was killing Bette to watch the process of her leaving. Just as it was killing Tina to do so.

There was movement from within the house. This could only mean one thing, Bette was up and ready to start the day. The day that neither of them thought would ever come. It was almost too difficult to bear. Tina got up from her chair and went inside. She found Bette in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee from the pot that Tina had brewed earlier. Tina looked at Bette and could see that she had already been crying this morning. Tina would have joined her only she thought that she had no tears left to cry. She was physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted from everything that they had gone through in the last few months, maybe even longer than that. Maybe from the day that she had moved back in with Bette. A move that she now considered to be a mistake, they should have taken their time. Talked to each other about the hurt that they had caused, not just assumed that it would all go away.

Bette looked up to find Tina watching her, like she had done so many times before. She managed a weak smile that Tina returned. What was left to say that could undo the mess that they found themselves in now? The links between them becoming weaker and weaker with every passing day. Tina inched forward, getting closer and closer to Bette. She so desperately wanted to hold Bette in her arms one last time. As she got nearer she could see Bette’s resolve weakening and when they were within touching distance Bette crumbled.

The tears poured from both of their eyes. This really was the final goodbye, no going back this time. Tina held on so tight, squeezing all the breath from Bette’s body but there were no complaints from the woman that she held. She just replied in kind, holding Tina so close there was nothing between them. The honesty in their movements betrayed the depth of feeling that there still was between these two women. While they stood there the thought that if it could be this good why did it all fall apart ran through both their minds. They stayed together like this for minutes, while time stood still. Eventually Tina pulled back and cradled Bette’s face in her hands. Her thumbs wiping away the tears. Then the moment was shattered by their daughter crying for her breakfast.

“Sorry.” said Tina, slightly embarrassed at the closeness that she had felt with Bette.

“It’s OK. I needed that, to know that you’re still here, in some way.”

“Bette, I’m always going to be in your life. Right now you probably think that’s a bad thing, but we have a beautiful daughter to raise. She’s our joint venture, remember?”

“Yeah, I remember, and right now she’s a hungry joint venture.” smiled Bette, breaking the tension of earlier.

“I should feed her.” said Tina, but not moving.

“Yeah, you should.”

“But…”

“I’m still going to be here when you get back.”

“Are you?”

“I’m taking Angelica for the day. I can’t go anywhere until she’s ready to go and that will never happen unless you feed her.”

“You should keep her tonight as well. Spend some quality time together.”

“Thank you. That means a lot to me.”

“I want her to see a lot of you.”

“I know, you tell me everyday.” smiled Bette, glad that Tina hadn’t forgotten her promise.

Tina walked back to her bedroom to where Angelica was crying for her. Tina picked her up and held her close, whispering soft, soothing words into her ear. Tina spoke to Angelica, telling her how much she loved her, asking for her forgiveness that she couldn’t make her relationship with Bette work. There was so much that Tina wanted to say, so much to tell to the young life that she was holding in her arms. Tina felt the tears begin to sting her eyes and it was then she knew that she should go back to Bette in the living room. She tried to convince herself that today was no time for tears, she had to fight that urge to fall apart as best that she could.

When Tina came back with Angelica Bette’s eyes lit up. The same way that they used to do for her. These days it was only Angelica that brought the smile to Bette’s eyes. Tina wondered how much damage she had done to this woman that only the sight of their daughter brought her any joy, and now she was even taking that away. Now there would never be a time when Bette would get to see Angelica every morning, just as she was waking up.

Tina passed Angelica over to Bette, knowing that this would be the last time that they would spend time in this house like this, with Tina still a permanent fixture. But if the truth were to be really told Tina hadn’t been a resident of this house for a long time. Maybe since the night of Provocations, but definitely since she had met Henry. Tina knew that it drove Bette mad that she would take Angelica when she was spending the night at Henry’s, but she didn’t stop doing it. Maybe it was the final punishment that Bette had to endure until the end.

“I can’t believe how beautiful she is.” whispered Bette in quiet amazement.

“She looks like you.”

“She has your eyes.” countered Bette.

“It’s good to know that something so beautiful came out of…” said Tina, trailing off, not being able to think of something to say that would sum up how she felt.

“Came out of what?”

“Us.” replied Tina, with a shrug.

“She’ll always be ours.”

“Yeah, she’ll always be the tie that binds.”

“Do you regret that?”