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    “…the eternal rocks beneath…” Epilogue

    Story written on June 14, 2014 by BenMac.
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    57 votes, average: 4.88 out of 557 votes, average: 4.88 out of 557 votes, average: 4.88 out of 557 votes, average: 4.88 out of 557 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5 (57 votes, average: 4.88 out of 5)
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    Number of Comments: 66
    Words: 15094
    Story Shortlink: https://lesfan.com/?p=85897
    Author Notes:

    …and you know, old Sandy was on to something all along… Bette smiled and kicked at the cool water as her feet dangled in the creek. She had found a shaded spot and had waded over to a large boulder and perched on top of it to read the rest of Tina’s latest letter. These

    …and you know, old Sandy was on to something all along…

    Bette smiled and kicked at the cool water as her feet dangled in the creek. She had found a shaded spot and had waded over to a large boulder and perched on top of it to read the rest of Tina’s latest letter.

    These letters were priceless for Bette, each one a thick tome of Tina’s insights and wisdom, her experiences and reflections. Over the last year, Bette had followed Tina closely on her path to healing through these letters. It was true they did talk on the phone once a week for an hour, but even in their conversations, Tina was not as forthcoming as she was in these letters. Bette guessed writing gave Tina the distance she needed from her words, the time to reflect as she wrote, which conversation would not allow.

    …those herbs and powders he had me mix into my tea from way back when are part of a system of balancing I’ve been learning about here. I remember him telling me his father had been a healer back in India, but I didn’t know much more than that…

    Bette could have guessed what Tina would write next. She herself had investigated the very concept of ayurvedic medicine in the last year. It had drawn her interest like many new things had since she had been attending teachings and seminars at the Deer Park Monastery outside of San Diego. She had allowed herself at least one visit a month to the monastery to talk with Sister Nai Nhỏ and to attend the special events held for the public,working it around her studies in San Francisco and her time with her family in Los Angeles.

    …apparently like Sandy told me, I got too much fire in me. Appears I’m an air/fire constitution and when my fire burns too hot, it sends me spiraling. Makes since doesn’t it? Now I know why he recommended I drink the tea each night…

    Bette thought about the smells of the different ingredients in Tina’s “stinky tea” as she called it. Yes, she was now familiar with those herbs and substances. She had herself begun drinking a similar concoction in the evenings designed to stabilize her own fire element, but also to empower her earth and water element, her primary humor.

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    Comments

    2. You have a beautiful heart. Life itself is a miracle. Hope is a blessing. We have it all but often don’t see it in real life. Thru out the years I found wonderful story in here …inspiring thoughts, good thoughts. Life is meaningful when you want it to be. Thank you for your stories…

    3. Reading this story these past ten months has been like riding a ferris wheel. I’ve loved it, though, and I’m going to miss it, so much. And I had to reach for the Kleenex at the end, but it was a beautiful image to be left with.

      Thank you, BenMac, for the effort you’ve put in this story, and for sharing it with us. Take care.

    4. You’re a wise woman BenMac…and a good writer too.
      In these days where everyone feels like they’re entitled to everything, rejection and hardship is not taken upon with bravery and wisdom.
      I think that’s why many (not all) but many relationships end up with breakups/divorce. Ppl get “bored” and tired with each other and base every important decision on feelings which oftentimes are wavering.
      To love someone, the old fashioned kind, it takes a whole lot more than to just “feel” something all the time, it’s absolutely a decision and I suppose that’s not romantic enough for most ppl.

      I have enjoyed this story so much, I’ve cried and I’ve laughed. Maybe because your Bette and Tina were so realistically written. There were ppl we could meet in real life with real struggles and anguish and happiness and memories.

      I only wish you would have taken more time wrapping them up…it went too quickly…maybe it’s just hard for me to let this story go.

      In conclusion: bravo

    5. I must admit that im way behind in my reading but i dont have to finish everything to realize how exceptionally beautiful this story is. Im sure im not the only one who will say this and i guess you’ve heard this a million times but you’re an amazing and brilliant writer and a true gem of this site and i feel honored that my little and humble story somehow inspired such a great writer like you. I’ve got nothing else to say but THANK YOU BENMAC!

      CHEERS!

    6. Thank you so much for this incredible story BenMac. It was a beautiful written story and captivated my interest instance. I looked forward to the updates like a crazy obsessed woman.

      I am married with the love of my life, she is amazing and a fighter, she also has a very troubled past and endured in her youth abuse, she is still trying to cope and like Tina and many others i believe she will make it.

      It’s a long way and difficult sometimes, but i would never trait my wife in for a “healthy” woman.

      Thank you again for this incredible story.

    7. Thank you so much for this story BenMac! I love everything you write, so I can’t wait to see what you have planned for future stories.. Hopefully less heartbreaking though! Thanks for putting in the time to keep us all entertained! :)

    8. I didn’t want to wake up, this morning, because I knew I was going to find the epilogue and I knew I was going to feel like I’m feeling right now: my throat aches and my eyes are about to blow up for the tears that are threatening to come out.

      You are amazing, this story is amazing and I will never be able to thank you enough for bringing us along with you on this wonderful journey. I cried, laughed, got angry, almost tried to break my laptop (yes) and yelled at it. You have the power to make us feel such strong emotions through your words, this is a great gift. And as I said before, you outdid yourself with this one. I will surely come back reading it again and again. This will always be on the list of my favorite books.

      I’m so happy they finally found their way home, individually and in the end they managed to build a home for the two of them together with their children. They finally managed to feed the seeds and create a wonderful forest of happiness, love, kindness, forgiveness… giving their children what, sadly, they didn’t have in their childhood.

      I totally agree with you. There’s no such a thing as ‘soul mate’, in my opinion. We are our own being and if that being is not whole it’s practically impossible to be able to fully love another individual. I think what’s important is to, at first, learn how to actually love. And I mean ‘love’ in all its forms… that kind of love that helps you to forgive and be compassionate. Once you learned to do those things you can love and let go of the obsession. Obsession blurs our vision, it makes you ‘mad’ and most of the times it gets ugly, even though you don’t mean it.
      I can speak from experience, loving a mental illed girl/woman is difficult, but you can’t burden them with it, it’s not their fault. I admit I often wanted to escape, telling myself, this is not my issue I can’t take it. But you know what? That’s because I wasn’t whole myself and I’m still not. Hence the “I don’t believe in the ‘you complete me’ thing”… that’s because you have to be whole and do it by yourself. Now, we both are trying to ‘fix’ ourselves, we let go of the ‘obsession’ that wasn’t doing anything but fueling our issues and now we’re the bestest of friends. Being there for each other when we have the opportunity, but taking our time when things get difficult and there’s the need to be by ourselves, without fearing the famous: “You don’t care about me!” sentence.

      I love the way you made Tina the vindication of Jenny, I hated how they pictured her struggling in the tv show… it was pretty mocking, not really fair to the ones that really struggle with this issue.
      And I love how you made this story the anti-Whutering Heights. There’s always hope in life, even when it seems to be late or impossible.

      So, yes, I love this great story because it opened a lot of new ways of thinking and it’s kind of therapeutic. Especially when it comes to trying to forgive your blood-relatives for things they can’t help.

      Okay, sorry I wrote too much. lol
      THANK YOU!

    9. Thank you so much for this story. I’m really sad it’s ending because I feel like I knew them and visited with them each week. I know that sounds crazy but you brought all of these characters to life. This was truly a powerful story. I hope you continue to grace us with your talent. This is one of those fan fiction classics that will stick with us. We will think back to this story, reread this story and love this story for a long time to come. Thanks again.

    10. Amazing story. I have followed your work from the beginning, but never commented. It wouldn’t feel right for me to end the story with tears in my eyes and not say thank you for your words.
      It was an amazing story, which touched me deeply.

    11. BenMac, let me just say I applaud you on the remarkable story that you created, they way you took your readers through a journey of what love is. The struggles, tribulations, pain, abuse, sorrow, intimacy, time, hope, and more, all things that make up a story of absolute, exceptional brilliance. Wow no words can describe how I feel right now, my emotions are all over the place, even though it was a happy ending, it was a sad road there and for that you can’t help but think about what all it took to get them there. Tina’s bravery to want to overcome all her demons and trouble life is something most people would die to have but unfortunately some wasn’t so lucky who dealt with her same issues, Unlike some of these fanfics writers, and im not putting anyone down, but you actually took the characters and created a life, a world, outside of the L word but still kept to the theme of who these people are to each other, so much creativity, so much imagination, so much efforts and describing and bringing each one to life…I can go on and on and on damn! this was just truly superb, splendid, amazing, extraordinary!!!! I knew the end would come soon but you blew me away!! I cant begin to thank you for bringing this story to life, for shining light on these issues, for opening I p minds, to maybe helping someone somewhere out there with a issue that maybe is similar and giving them the strength to face life and show the same bravery that Tina had…Ben you are a one of a kind Genius!!!!!

    12. I’m still crying Benmac.
      Its history is simply powerful!
      You made ​​me laugh, cry and hate (I’m still crying).
      I followed her story from the first chapter, and was anxious
      waiting for a new posting.
      You got me out of anonymity, yes, I was one of the many anonymous readers,
      only I’m not mais.Hoje I must comment.
      As I said English is not my official language since I’m from Brazil.
      Sorry for my bad English.
      Love this story and I will read and read many times, I will laugh and cry several times ….
      Love bette and tina.
      A big hug!
      And thank you for so many emotions!!! …………

    13. BenMac, thank you for this amazing story and for sharing your writing brilliance with all of us. I loved this story from the start and you never disappointed. Your characters were so real that they will likely haunt me for some time to come. Every chapter you wrote had meaning and not in a “preachy” way. I cannot say enough about your talent. I feel you are an amazing person. I only hope your students appreciate you as much as we do on this site. I will miss this Bette and Tina as well as your writing over the summer, however, you deserve the break. I look forward to your next story (whatever it is).

    14. Like those who have commented before me, thank you for this beautiful and melancholic story of desire, love, growth, strength, compassion and forgiveness. Your words have touched me beyond description.

      My life partner has similar issues to this Tina but I would never dream of anyone else to share time with over the past two decades…still a work in progress and progress has been made together.

      Have a wonderful and well deserved break. Please come back to us this Fall!

    16. I knew that today, when I come up to the page and see the epilogue I will be mixed feelings. Now it is difficult to put into words what I feel and what I want to say to you, Benmac.

      the first and most important thing: THANK YOU!
      thank you for giving us this story because it was a gift, literally!
      so much feelings I have been through chapter by chapter: happiness, sadness, anger, compassion, understanding. and perhaps most importantly of all, it was! This story taught me to understand myself and others better. Every time I looked at myself and I started to change a bit …
      This was a wonderful story and bizots I’m sure that I will read again and again. I’ll miss these two wonderful women. every week was filled with expectation, because I knew the weekend will be a new update.
      you wrote an amazing ending, I read today tearfully.

      you have a wonderful summer, and I can’t wait to see you come back with a new wonderful story.(or an old story?) :)
      Thank you once again.

    18. Thank you, thank you, thank you, BenMac! What a page turner. You have written a great love story with our favorite characters, Bette and Tina. You made your characters come to life. I could almost feel the breeze in the treehouse, feel the damp ground on my feet by the reservoir and smell and taste the chocolate pie. For this , I am so grateful. You’re an amazing and awesome writer! Have a great summer…and come back with another captivating story. This one will go to my favorites so I can re-read it time and again….Hasta pronto..

    20. I began this journey with the others oh so long ago, what can one say about a story that evokes more emotions than one can really say. Your talent and skills are above reproach you gave us joy and a chance to emote. When the story turned and our hearts were breaking we only had wait to realize that all was not forsaken. Thank you for this beautiful, loving and story that to me was ultimately about how one has to learn to forgive, heal and let go. I am still working on that, and this story had helped. I was a little sadden to know that this was the final chapter and of course it took a while to pull myself together after reading that Tina had died and Bette was walking that final path herself, but then when the kids joined their ashes, I was a goner. So guess the deers, they saw was a prediction of their future family. Much rest to you over the summer and look forward to seeing you back here in the fall. THANK YOU, AGAIN.

    21. Absolutly wonderful I have to say this is by far one of my favourite stories iv read on here and it takes something special to make me cry while reading and im so looking forward to what you bring next so thank you benmac.pps

    22. i`ve been following this story for awhile now. i actually didn`t read it right when you wrote and published it a year ago (i read like 10 chapters in less than a week. :P), but all the same i`ve been following it for a couple of months.

      it was soo gratifying and moving – it actually felt like it could be shown on television. it felt a little more true than the actually storylines on #TLW. (gasp!! i know!!! hehe.) great job again, BM!! i really look forward to what other stories you`ve got stored in that smart head of yours!!! (: Cheers!!!

    23. Wow! I’m playing my nose really made me mourn like a little girl …

      I’m usually a silent reader, but his story moved me a lot, when I read 1 chapter I could not stop reading, I had sleepless nights smiling, angry, sad and crying, his story leaves many lessons ……. I loved the end …. Bette and Tina were able to leave all the bad and commit for the rest of their lives.

      I also believe in love at first sight, in soul mates and I also believe that there may be a relationship that are involved and each other, ever comes up though it might keep it that way with my first love but then came a desepción that broke my heart into pieces, yet still think they can find the love of your life and be teammates for the rest of life.

      Thank you, you are a great writer, congratulations.

      His story is one of my favorites and was first in my top ten. =)

    24. you know Im a fan, if you some day publish a book Ill buy it… your stories all of them, are like new books that you cant stop reading but dont want to finish… you have a way of make me (us) feel the emotions of Bette and Tina, make me imagine them as they grew, you really are an amazing writer and I thank you for sharing with us….
      I still dont undertand this new site very much.., there are stories that cant find but yours I did everything to find it, now I have to find them and enterteing my self till you come back..
      blessings …

    25. Although, I have been a silent reader all this time, I just had to tell you what an amazing story this was to me. I could not wait every week for you to post. You used breathtaking precision to interweave these precious lives. Your writing is truly an inspiration,and I for one, will never forget this gift you have given us. Thank you.

    26. Hey BenMac

      Thank you for an epic story spanning over 25 years in the lives of these characters. I fell in love with 10 year old Tina and 13 year old Bette and it warmed my heart that you decided to reunite them in Athens where it all began. I loved the role reversals in the imagery of Bette dirty and barefooted and smelling like creek water and Tina dressed up in designer clothes all prissy and smelling of expensive perfume. Tina worrying about not having a swimsuit and Bette teasing her about swimming in the suit God gave her was a priceless exchange in showing how they had come full circle. How different their lives would have been had Bette returned to Athens every summer.

      Throughout the entire story with all the ups and downs; the tragedies and suffering it was in the moments when they reminisced and when their childhood minds, hearts and voices spoke that I felt they had a chance of making a life together. It was great that Miriam’s house and Tina’s treehouse stayed in the family and that Frankie played such an important role in the lives of their children and future generations.

      BenMac as you know from my comments and our conversations via PM in the early chapters I didn’t always agree with the paths you took on this journey. But you asked me to give it a chance and I am glad I stuck it out until the end. You brought them to their destination in a realistic way and I appreciate that you didn’t take shortcuts so it didn’t feel like a contrived TiBette happy ending.

      They got together late in life but still were able to have a family and if my math is correct they were together as partners for over 60 years. I also liked that Bette also gave birth to a child and that they used Marcus as the donor for both their natural children.

      Helena, Jodi and even Peggy were a bit over the top for me in their goodness and selflessness. They had too much control and power over Bette’s well-being and livelihood but I appreciate their roles in helping Bette to rise to her potential and rediscover the woman I saw in that 13 year old girl.

      Trigger warning :-)
      My heart broke for Tina throughout this story in terms of how her mental health was treated by Miriam, Kit and the sheriff in the early years. All the enabling of the bad behaviors and not confronting her actions because of their misguided good intentions to protect her was more damaging than helpful. Her not getting the proper treatment because of Kit’s incompetence very likely exacerbated her condition throughout her teens and young adulthood. She grew to accept that she didn’t have to take responsibility or be accountable because she could always fall back on the excuse that she had a terrible childhood.

      I’m glad in the end that Tina recognized the depth of her own mental illness and sought the proper care to uncover what was at it’s core. She’d never taken the time to put her health before her career. It wasn’t until she herself wanted to get better that the therapy could work.

      Her years of therapy focused on her alcoholism and supposed obsession with Bette obviously wasn’t getting to the root of the problem. I believe it was easier to forgive her father because she got her ‘revenge’ on him while he was alive. He suffered not only physical disability but mental abuse at her hands after she crippled him in the car ‘accident’. He went to his grave knowing the damage he’d done to his daughter and whether he was remorseful or not he lived with it for years; her mother didn’t and the damage she caused by committing suicide and abandoning Tina had more of a lasting effect.

      ***

      Thank you BenMac for a thoughtful, inspiring, well-written execution of a sensitive storyline. Enjoy your time off. It’s well deserved.

    28. BenMac,

      I very much enjoyed this journey you led us through. I am thankful that both Bette and Tina sought healing and lived as partners the remainder of their lives. This was truly a story of love and acceptance. Thank you for sharing so much of your time and talent. I have enjoyed all of your stories posted on this site. Each is unique and shows strong women of character. I hope you have a wonderful summer and look forward to what you have in store this Fall.

    29. Ben Mac, thank you for this well thought out and thought provoking gem of a story. I don’t post comments often, but felt I had to let you know how much this story was appreciated! Thank you!

    31. When you first posted this story, I found it difficult to read . All the poverty and suffering of poor Tina and the wanton exploitation of Bette. I could not realistically see a happy ending for them. But a you begin to gather momentum about Miriam, Kit and Melvin as they tried to make a difference in both women’s lives, I saw the rainbow coming. Forgiveness of those who have wronged us, forgiveness of ourselves toward those we have wronged, forgiveness of our humanness is the one thing that can make all the problems easier to solve. Thank you for your devotion and dedication to this site. We as your readers give a heartfelt thank you. Enjoy the summer and peace be unto you.

    35. BenMac, I have just finished the third story you have written and I’m grateful for your ability to touch the magic of the ether and arrange the words just so to create these amazing stories. Each was so different than the next but were very powerful in the movies they created in my head. WOW! This last one touched upon an important subject that must be talked about if we are ever to really understand human behavior and improve upon it and survive. Mental Illness is all around us, alive and kicking. We can no longer ignore those that walk that path moment by moment daily. They are our friends, our family members.
      Thank you for this story and bringing two incredible women together thru many woven stories. We must all start from that place inside of us where we loving ourselves unconditionally before we can then turn and love others in the same way. We all come from stardust and connect to each other in ways we might never know or understand but that’s the magic of life.
      Thank you as I’m grateful for your talents to put words together in incredible stories.

    36. Thank you so much for this beautiful story. I looked forward to these chapters each week. I will be going through withdrawal for a while. You portrayed your characters with so much depth and honesty I feel like they are living people that I got to know. I will miss them.
      Enjoy your summer off. I will be looking forward to your next story in the fall.

    37. Dear BenMac,

      It’s been 1 week since I read the last installment of this epic tale. It has taken nearly as long for me to digest all of the emotions you’ve evoked. Never has a piece of literature affected in the same depth as Eternal Rocks Beneath. Never have I experienced the roller coaster of emotions this journey has taken me on outside of the real world. Never has any work of fiction caused me to cry, to weep, to sob. Tears of joy and tears of mourning.

      ERB is easily the best fiction I’ve ever read. You keep outdoing yourself, lady! How will I ever get through summer without my weekly fix? I’m feigning already, haha! Anxiously awaiting your return in the fall. Have a fantastic summer my friend!

    38. I am at a loss of words to express how much this story has meant to me and how I looked forward to each installment. When Friday came each week I started looking for the update. I had to remind myself yesterday and today that the story ended.

      BenMac, as so many others have said, thank you for your dedication to this story and other stories that you have shared, your love, understanding and compassion for the characters and for your gifts as a storyteller. This story has truly enriched my life and I look forward to reading it again (and again) to extract all of the pearls of wisdom that you included throughout each chapter.

    39. Hi BenMac, Sorry it’s taken me so long to leave a reply. I’m still getting over the first weekend without a chapter from you. I unlike you, am not a very writer. I’ve spent the past week trying to figure out what I’d say to you and I still haven’t come up with anything that would explain how I really feel about this story. The words just don’t come easy to me. SO….I’ll just say this…I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a story as much as this one. All the ups and downs, twists and turns. WOW…you had me laughing out loud as well as crying at times. The sign of a great writer. :) I can truly say I didn’t know what to do this weekend without a post from you. I felt like I really knew the people in the story and I really cared about their well being. Thank you so much for such a beautiful story. I hope you enjoy your time off and enjoy reading and relaxing some this summer. I do hope you come back soon with another tale of Bette and Tina to share with us. Thanks again! :)

    40. This story made me cry.. laugh.. anxious.. hate.. but I enjoyed reading it.

      Thank you so much BenMac for sharing your talent. Thanks for your time and effort, for entertaining us for the past 10 months and for giving us a happy ending.

      Hope to hear from you again with another amazing story.

      Have a wonderful break!

    41. I could only catch up with the last chapters now, and it was just as amazing as I expected. I love how everything came full circle, there was even a repetition of the dialogue between Tina and Miriam in little Frankie’s and Bette’s fairwell to Tina. The symbolisms sorrounding the deer are very powerful as well, and so is Bette and Tina’s full journey. This is a beautiful tale of love, friendship, loyalty and self-discovery, one that can enlighten each one of us. Thank you very much for dedicating so much of your time to write on this site, I feel like we can all draw strength and uplifting values from reading your stories. I’ll be looking forward to reading anything you write!

      • In remembering Emily Bronte today, her birthday – I just wanted to thank you once again for your wonderful stories. This one was told with warmth and tenderness that made myself as a reader feel almost as though I shared their struggles. You dealt with lots of the often untold problems that face so many; sexual abuse, child abuse, depression, alcoholism and a myriad of others. Once again – BRAVO!
        Looking forward to your next story.

    42. Hi Ben Mac,

      I might be a little late read up your this very heartwrenching yet awesomely wonderful story but better late than never right?

      I was reading other’s stories when in the comments section, one commentor commented about how good “..the eternal rocks beneath..” and so i quickly digged out the story n marked it for me to read later. N now here i am in the very last comments section, exactly a week after i marked the story.

      I didn’t know what to say. It’s a mixed of emotions through out the journey of reading this story until the very last sentence. You wrote it, pulled it together that made the story very surreal i can feel myself very indulged into it. Sorry to say it has been a week of disturbing to me because of your story. Haha. But i still found it lovable to even thought of giving it second reading n probably more! (but the story really is very long! Hehe)

      I just want to extends my appreciation to you for writing this such wonderful and inspiring story. Yes inspiring. I believe not just me, but other readers would have been thinking of the same.

      You inspires us to look for our ownself, to look for our strength despite the gravel beneaths us, the rocky road aheads us. You inspires us to be the one a friend a lover a family could asked for. You inspires us to be us!

      Despite a lot of hystorical records and places linkaging with the story by which i’m not familiar with, given that i’m not from states nor europe, i found it very brilliant of you to have been able to link those one with another. Now im begins to think were u born in the same year as Bette? or were you taking hystorical study in you college or were you a study geek who all she does is reading all those hystorical things? Lol.

      Ben Mac. You are a truly gift. As u have written in the story of yours, you are a messenger;

      “That’s your message, the message you must always speak..And your work also gives a message of joy”

      Thank you for the very inspiring story and all the messages inside.

    43. I have read hundreds of stories on this site and this one is my favorite. I could not stop reading. You brought these characters to life in such a unique setting and I loved it. I felt the emotions in your story and it brought tears to my eyes. Such a thoroughly wonderfully story with great character development. Thank you so much for posting!!

    44. Wow this was an amazing piece . I have to admit I almost stopped half way when they parted the second time as teens. The trouble they had in each of their lives was gut wrenching. Their lives were so sad and I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue…in order to go on I had to see the end even though I knew they would be together I still had to give my mind the reassurance. And I was right even though the end was somewhat sad also but they were together. It was enough for me to finish…I guess you could say I don’t do sad well…This was very nicely written and I love them as children. It was a very different Bette and Tina…I loved it very much. Thank you.

    48. How I have not read this story before astounds me, but I feel like things come into our lives for a reason. This is by far the most emotional, heartbreaking and rewarding story I have ever read. The attention to foreshadowing and events alike are simply remarkable. I have not only laughed and cried like a baby reading your words but I also related similar themes back to my own life.

      I feel forever changed by this story and I can’t begin to tell you what an incredible writer that you really are. From the very first chapter I sequestered myself because I couldn’t stop reading these words. But now as I’m finally able to breathe (haha!), I just wanted to say Thank You for the taking the time years ago to write and finish this amazing story. And how this isn’t a novel already I will never truly know.

    49. I’ve read this story so many times through the years and I must say this is the BEST story I’ve read on both sites. It woud be such a hit in the film industry ! So grateful to read all your stories.

    50. I’ve spent the last week reading this story for the first time. I’ve lost a lot of sleep over this, trying to read as fast as I could so I know what happened to these versions of Bette and Tina. I have to say that the is probably the best work of fanfiction I’ve ever read. I think I liked your version of these characters better than the originals. I fell in love with their story and their joined journey. I’ve finish reading the epilogue 2 days ago and the story is still very much in my mind, a proof of how good a story it is. I don’t have many words to describe how I felt while reading, but I just couldn’t stop reading this, day and night (I may have mildly neglected my children during this week…). Just wanted to say thank you for writing and sharing this story. It is magnificent ????

      • Just stumbled upon this story this week as well and also lost sleep because I could not put it down. It is the most beautiful story I’ve ever read. So well developed, amazing journey of our beloved L word characters. Planning to read it again.

        BenMac, I don’t know if you’re still on this site but I hope you are. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! You are an amazing writer.

    51. Dear BenMac I’ve just written a long PM to you thanking you for this wonderful story (which I’ve now read three times starting out in 2013), but it got lost in the ether! I’m in awe of your story telling and the sense of humanity within. I laugh and cry more than with any other story and have paused at page 33 of the Epilogue because I know I will be crying bucket loads. Hand me the tissues please!
      Thank you, thank you.

    53. It’s been a long time since I read a novel without sleeping and eating. It’s better than the original TLW. It’s so wonderful and a masterpiece! Looking forward to adapting it into a movie or TV series!

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