BETTES SIDE

It had been almost two months since Tina had called Bette that day at her office. In these past weeks Bette had really begun to re-prioritize her life. The first thing she did when she hung up with Tina that day was try and figure out what she wanted. She knew Tinas remark about needing to be sure that this was what Bette wanted was something she could not ignore. She loved Tina and she knew that if she was going to get her back she needed to do some work on herself first and the relationship would follow.

Bette decided that she had to take drastic measures to turn her life around so she chose to try therapy again. At first she was doubtful but when Bette found a wonderful psychologist named Dr. Clark she began seeing her twice a week. The first week of therapy was hard because Bette was so confused and didnt know if this was the way to solve her problems, but it seemed to be helping. As the weeks went by she was able to open up more and more to Dr. Clark and together they were able to address some of Bettes questions about herself and why she is the way she is. The most challenging aspect of therapy for Bette was letting her guard down but if thats what it would take to see herself and see what Tina saw in her then she was willing to do it. Bette knew that the change wouldnt happen overnight, but she felt like she was growing and beginning to make small steps towards becoming a better person, a person that Tina would want in her life again.

In between therapy sessions, Kit provided some counseling of her own, helping Bette see the consequences of her actions and how they affected Tina. Kit was never harsh or mean towards Bette, just straightforward and honest. It was exactly what Bette needed to help keep her motivated towards changing so that she could have another chance with Tina.

Bette had also begun to slowly come out of isolation and have contact with her friends again. Alice had been the most upfront about thinking what she did was *****, but then she also had been the most supportive in reassuring Bette that Tina just needed some time and eventually they would find their way back to each other. Shane had been more withholding about her emotions, but Bette could see that Shane was torn about what had happened since she had been in the same situation herself not too long ago. Dana was innocent as ever and just tried to be supportive to both Tina and Bette without ending up in the middle. As nice as everyone was being, Bette knew that they all hated her a little on the inside and they were just another reminder about the life she had torn apart in one fleeting moment.

Every day that passed Bette wanted to call Tina and see how she was doing but in the beginning she just couldnt will herself to pick up the phone and do it. She let almost two weeks go by after their last conversation before she tried calling Tina. She didnt get an answer so she just left a message saying that she hoped things were going well and that she loved her. This became a daily routine and Bette wondered if Tina even listened to the messages or deleted them as soon as she heard Bettes voice.

After about a week of leaving messages Tina finally called back. They spoke briefly and the conversation was almost too polite and superficial, but Bette knew that Tina needed to go slow and if this was how it was going to be then she would just have to make do. Even if Bette talked to Tina that day she would still call sometime later and leave a message just like she had been doing the prior weeks. Bette knew that it was little things like this that would make Tina see how much shes changed. They started talking every other day but each conversation would only last about ten minutes or so. After about a month Bette felt like she was ready to face Tina so she asked if they could meet for coffee or lunch or anything, but Tina had declined. Tina was simply not ready to let Bette back in her life completely.

It was about two and a half months after The Night that Bette decided to stop by the Planet for coffee. She had avoided going there at all costs because she didnt want to run into Tina and get into a fight, and she also wanted to simply give Tina her space. When Bette walked in she immediately looked towards their usual table and she saw Alice, Dana, Kit and Ivan sitting there. Tina was nowhere in sight but Bette saw her purse sitting on the table. Oh well shes probably in the bathroom. Either that or she saw me coming and didnt want to see me, thought Bette. She put a fake smile on her face and walked over to the table and said hi to everyone, but they were being unusually quiet and kind of looking at her sympathetically. Bette decided she didnt want to be there so she got her morning coffee from Marina, said goodbye to her friends and walked out to her car. When she turned the corner where her car was parked she stopped dead in her tracks.

There, leaning against her car was Tina.

TINAS SIDE

Two months had gone by since Tina called Bette and these few months were as painful as they were exciting for Tina. So much had happened in such a short amount of time that Tina felt like a completely new person. She had finished the project with Oscar and she had gotten a very generous offer from a well known corporation to head up a development team located in downtown LA. With her new source of income she was able to find a town-home near Danas house and within a few weeks she had completely moved in. With a new job and a new house she also had a new found sense of independence and freedom.

The first night she stayed at her new place Alice had insisted that she bring Shane and Dana over and they celebrate. Tina agreed because she truly enjoyed their company and truth be told she didnt want to be alone that night. The only thing missing was Bette and Tina was saddened by this thought.

Living by herself gave Tina a lot of time alone at night to think and she had passed many hours reflecting on her life and trying to do a little soul searching of her own. She realized more than anything that she loved Bette and that she missed her very much. Tina could never forget about what Bette did to her, but she knew that deep down in her heart she would be able to forgive her. Tina often wondered about Bette and how she was doing but she could never bring herself to call Bette. This time Bette had to come to her. She had to know that Bette had changed at least a little and was willing to compromise and work on their relationship.

Bette had been calling her for the past week and leaving her messages and these never went unnoticed by Tina. Secretly, she found comfort in knowing that she was constantly on Bettes mind and she looked forward to hearing them. She finally decided to call Bette back and when she actually talked to her she was surprised to see how much Bette has changed. Bette was not forceful or aggressive with her, instead she was very caring and very attentive to whatever Tina was saying. If Tina told her about something important Bette would always remember to ask about it the next time they talked. Tina didnt remember a time in the past when Bette was so attentive to her and so responsive to their conversations.

Bette finally asked her to dinner one day as they were talking, but Tina was not ready to see Bette yet. She thought Bette would get frustrated with her and demand that she get to see her but instead Bette simply said, Its okay Tina. I can wait. I would wait forever. Tina had been getting other invitations to dinner from people she knew before who had heard about the breakup, but she always graciously declined saying that she was not ready to date anyone yet. It felt good knowing that she was still desired by other people, but right now the only person she wanted to want her was Bette.

From their conversations, Tina could tell that Bette was miserable and this hurt knowing that she was the reason that Bette was miserable. She wanted so badly to take away the pain and go back to the way things were before all the madness happened, but Tina knew that they were beyond that. They either had to move forward together or she would be lost in the world of BetteandTina again. Tina wanted nothing more than to have Bette in her life again and every day that passed only made things worse. She would find herself waking up in the middle of the night reaching for Bette only to find that she was not in their bed. She was at her new place. Alone. Tina was hopeful that her and Bette would be back together but the only question was when.

One Friday morning before work Tina was at the Planet with the gang as usual when she looked up and saw Bette walk by the window. She knew Bette was coming inside and didnt want their first encounter to be in front of everyone. She got up saying that she had to go to the bathroom, but at the last second snuck outside and decided to wait for Bette by her car.

After about ten minutes Bette rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Tina smiled at first but at the sight of Bette tears welled up in Tinas eyes as she realized just how much she missed Bette and how badly she wanted nothing more than to be in her arms again. They were standing about ten feet apart and after a few seconds of silence Bette finally broke it.

Hi Tina.