"Uh huh. Her." Tina nodded. "What did she say?"

Helena shrugged. "Can't remember." She slipped out of Tina's grasp, and went inside the house in search for coffee.

"Bitch." Tina muttered.

"Something along the lines of 'I never should have let you go'."

Tina turned, to where Bette was now approaching the front steps. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing you are." Bette said, taking note of the newspaper Helena had abandoned. She glanced at Tina. "Company?"

"Helena." Tina paused, then smiled weakly at Bette. "But you already knew that."

Bette sat down beside Tina. "Don't look so shocked. Deep down she does have a heart."

"What are you doing here?"

"You've asked me that." Bette reminded.

"Well..."

"Because you should know better." Bette stated firmly.

"Than?"

"Than to think I could love someone more than you." Bette said gently. "You're right, this all hurt, but..."

"What about Jodi?"

"There you go again, bringing her up when we're talking about us," Bette chided.

"Bette---"

"I'm not promising that it'll be like before, but that's what's going to make this interesting, right?"

"Bette, you have a girlfriend." Tina reminded.

"And?"

"And?" Tina repeated.

"If that's all you've got, you're doing a lousy job of pushing me away."

Tina reluctantly conceded that point. "I remember saying something about being on my own..."

"Plans change."

"Bette."

"T. I just flew in from New York to see you, and you're going to tell me no?"

"No, but---"

"Then what's the problem?" Bette asked.

"The part where I can break your heart in an instant?" Tina guessed. "Or how about your heart has Jodi's name all over it and you're doing this because of the same reasons I tried not to?"

"My heart?" Bette repeated. "The one that's still in your possession but you think you've rented out to Jodi?"

"That's incredibly callous of me," Tina pointed out, arguing against Bette's description of the issue. "And there's still the reasons why I didn't do what I really wanted."

"And those reasons are?"

"Like how we're so good at hurting each other. That we know each other so well that it's that easy to break each other. Or how about the part where we were just getting into the groove of being friends and---"

"And you're not not scaring me off so easily." Bette cut in. "Will you ever stop pulling away from me when I get too close?"

Tina looked down. "Bette, there's still so much to work through."

"I know." Bette agreed, nodding. "So the question is, if we do talk about it, do you believe we can work through it? Is there really an 'us' left to salvage?"

"Salvage," Tina repeated, bemused.

"You know what I mean."

Tina turned to Bette. "I'm not sure what I'll do if there isn't an 'us' anymore."

Bette smiled at her. "I feel the same way."

Tina returned her smile.

"And that's why I'm here. That's why I'm staying."

Tina glanced at her.

"That's why I'm choosing you."

The End.