Tina stared morosely into her cup, slowly stirring her straw around and around.

Alice sighed. “You’re not having fun.”

Tina looked up, startled out of her trance like state. “No, no Al I’m… No, this is fine.” She shrugged, frowning slightly and leaned back. “This is good for me.” She nodded. “Yeah, this is what I need.”

A girl wailed into the microphone on the stage in front of them, unsuccessfully keeping the beat with her hips, voice or the random jerking of her arms.

Alice raised her eyebrows, and then sighed again. “I don’t think this is what anyone needs. God what was i thinking, she’s terrible! ***** karaoke Tina, ***** karaoke night!” Alice let out an ‘Ugh’ of disgust and leaned back heavily into her chair.

Tina looked at the girl on the stage with sympathy. “Hey, at least she’s trying right?”

“More like drunk.” Alice was viciously ripping up a coaster and throwing the pieces into her empty cup.

Tina watched her. “You know, I read somewhere that ripping things is a sign of sexual frustration.”

“Or psychosis.” Shane slumped into one of the many available chairs surrounding Alice and Tina’s table. Alice grabbed another coaster to start ripping into.

“How are you Shane?” Tina said, still hypnotized by Alice’s attack on the coasters.

“It doesn’t matter.” Shane seemed utterly transfixed as well, all three of them just staring at the little coaster getting littler and littler.

“Of course it matters.” Tina wrenched her gaze from Alice momentarily to give Shane a ‘look’ before her eyes darted back to the coaster destruction.

Shane shrugged. “Well I’m not ripping up coasters.”

“Destruction is a form of creation.” Alice muttered, frowning.

“Yeah, it creates a mess Al. That’s all.” Shane sighed.

Alice threw the coaster onto the table. “Fine, I’ll stop. *****.”

They all sighed.

“We’re a mess.” Tina said quietly, disappearing into her thoughts. “We’ve created a mess from our own destructive relationships.”

“Oh God Tina, don’t. Don’t get all deep on me, I can’t handle it.” Alice let out a sudden groaning growl. “I ***** kissed her!”

Tina let out a small smile, Alice distracting her momentarily from her memories. “Yes, you did.”

“She kissed you back though, right Al?” Shane cocked her head to the side.

“Yes.” Alice nodded. “She really,” She grinned. “Really did.” She threw her hands up. “And that’s the ***** problem! She’s Dana. Day. Na. I mean great that she kissed me back at least right? But, but I could handle her not kissing me back you know? I could handle her rejecting it, I… I could. But she kissed me back.” Alice threw her hands up, looking utterly distressed.

Tina nodded knowingly. “It opens up a whole new world doesn’t it? It…” She winced slightly, took a deep breathe and kept talking. “When Bette… when she kissed me. The first time, it, it was so confusing because I felt like I, like later, I could blame her you know? Except that I kissed her back then, I kissed her back and I opened myself up and I let her in.” Tina looked up quickly, her eyes watering. She took a shuddering breath. “It changes everything.” She whispered.

“Oh God, Tina… I’m sorry…” Alice leaned forward, stretching her arm out and grabbing Tina’s hand. “I didn’t mean to…”

Tina shook her head, wiped her eyes with the hand that Alice wasn’t holding and smiled, very slightly. “No, it’s okay…”

Shane watched her friends. Everything seemed so fucked up, so fucked up for everyone. This wasn’t one problem they could all try and solve together, not one person in agony over some ultimately trivial thing. She thought back to Bette and Tina’s sperm donor party; the undercover Is-the-sous-chef-***** mission; even the intervention, that albeit was more inside their group than the others, but still had them all working together. Together.

She watched Alice and Tina, holding hands but still looking so apart. She noted herself, sitting back and not involved. There was no together right now, there was no working together. There was just no together full stop.

“Just, just try and remember she’s probably going through the same thing right now, Al, okay?” Tina squeezed Alice’s hand before quickly letting go and wiping her eyes again.

Alice nodded, looked down quickly and opened her mouth wondering if she should really be saying what she was about to say, knowing that she couldn’t stop herself anyway. “I could say the same thing to you.” Alice said quietly.

Tina shook her head. “I know… I, don’t want to care though, right now okay? I just don’t.”

“That makes the two of us.” Shane said quietly, leaning onto the table and resting her head on her arms.

“Fine. Fine. Majority rules. I need more alcohol.” Alice stood up, questioning the other two with her eyebrows. Tina nodded, and Shane mumbled something vaguely resembling ‘Beer’.

Alice wended her way through the crowd and disappeared.

Dana suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took Alice’s seat. Tina blinked in surprise.

“Okay, okay I know that like all of this stuff is happening right now.”

Shane looked up startled, muttering “Dana?”

“Yeah yeah I know.” Dana waved her hand. “Okay I am freaking out, okay? I’m really freaking out and I need help and I don’t know…” She jumped suddenly as a blonde woman walked past the table.

Shane lent forward. “Dana, Dane, calm down.”

Tina raised her eyebrow. “How long have you been here?”

Dana waved her hand again. “A couple hours, I don’t know. I just need to talk to you guys before she gets back.”

Tina nodded, amused. Shane smirked slightly.

“I don’t know what to do, okay? I don’t know what to do! Has she, has she told you what hap…”

“Alice kissed you.” Tina folded her arms over her chest. Shane smiled.

“Yes!” Dana’s hands flew up over her head, mirroring Alice’s earlier action almost perfectly. Shane and Tina looked at each other quickly, both noticing the resemblance of the action. “And Tonya’s breathing down my neck about the wedding, and they want me to do this college speech tour thing and I hate speaking!” Dana’s face was starting to crumple in despair. “And you guys.” She looked at Tina. “And you.” She looked at Shane. “And the whole world is just falling apart and I’ve lost my best friend and I can’t talk to anyone and I just…” Dana’s breath hitched. “I just feel so alone.”

Tina reached across the table and grabbed Dana’s hand. “Dana you’re not alone okay?”

Shane nodded her head. “Totally Dane, don’t even think that.”

“Okay so I totally don’t even know what beer you drink, since it’s digusting anyway, but I got you a Hein…” Alice stopped mid-sentence and mid-step, gawking at Dana.

Dana looked like her heart had stopped, her face paling and her eyes bugging out of her head.

Before anyone could say anything however, a tentative and yet familiar voice came through the speakers, from the microphone on the stage.

“Um, hi. I don’t usually do this. In public. Or really at all…”

Tina’s mouth dropped open as she looked at the person on the stage. Even Alice and Dana looked away from each other, looking at the stage.

“Well ***** me…” Shane said quietly.

“…but lately I’ve just, I’ve been ***** things up and the woman that I love more than anything else won’t speak to me…”

By now most of The Planet patrons were looking at the stage, a collective ‘Awww’ resounding at the last few words.

Bette nodded her head, her eyes fearful. She wore a suit, but it was slightly crumpled, the top few buttons of her shirt open and her hands playing with the microphone stand. “… and I made her a promise once, I made her a lot of promises actually, promises I’ve broken…” Her voice broke slightly on the last word.

“Is she gonna…” Alice said quietly, disbelieving, sitting down next to Shane and resting the forgotten drinks on the table.

“She’s gonna.” Shane said, in shock yet her voice held the slightest tinge of admiration.

“Oh God…” Tina was torn, seeing Bette on stage made her want to run to her, and either save her from possible embarrassment, or slap her for daring to remind her of her existence at all, to watching and finding out if she would in fact go through with this.

“.. but this one, this one promise… is…” Bette sniffled, looking as if she was going to break down. She shook her head, shaking it off and pulling herself together. “I won’t break this one. I won’t ever break another promise to you Tee.” She stepped back, closed her eyes and nodded. A soft piano came wafting from the speakers, as Bette stepped back to the microphone, and began to sing.

“I don’t believe in an interventionist God
But I know, darling, that you do…”

“Oh my God.” Alice said quietly. “She never sings. Ever.”

Tina was numb, transfixed.

“If I did I would kneel down and ask him
Not to intervene when it came to you…”

Bette’s voice was a little shaky, her eyes remained closed as everyone just watched her.

“Not to touch a hair on your head
Leave you as you are
And if he felt he had to direct you
Then direct you into my arms…”

Tears spilled from Tina’s eyes, though she didn’t seem to notice them. Shane carefully put her hands on Tina’s shoulders, comfortingly rubbing them.

“Into my arms, Oh Lord
Into my arms, Oh Lord
Into my arms, Oh Lord
Into my arms…”

Bette’s voice broke. She gripped the microphone stand, but didn’t open her eyes.

“And I don’t believe in the existence of angels
But looking at you I wonder if that’s true…”

Dana looked at Alice quickly, Alice meeting her eyes. They stared at one another for a few moments, before quickly looking back at Bette.

“But if I did I would summon them together
And ask them to watch over you…”

Shane brought one of her hands up to her face, marveling at the lone tear that was tracking down her cheek.

“To each burn a candle for you
To make bright and clear your path
And to walk, like Christ, in grace and love
And guide you into my arms…”

Bette’s voice broke again, and she had to stop, gather herself together missing her cue for the chorus. She opened her eyes for the first time since the song started, looking straight up above her head as tears spilled over from her eyes. She ignored them.

“…Into my arms, Oh Lord
Into my arms…”

She was struggling, she knew it. Her voice was barely obeying her, she had to stop. This was all too much. She looked quickly at the crowd, seeing a sea of sympathetic expectant faces. She was about to pull away from the microphone, the stage, the song, everything… When she saw Tina. Tina staring at her, Tina crying, Tina sitting there, a part of her audience. Tina…

“But I believe in Love
And I know that you do too
And I believe in some kind of path
That we can walk down, me and you…”

Dana looked at Alice again, and found Alice already staring at her. Alice smiled, very small. Dana looked down, then looked back at Alice and smiled too.

Bette stared into Tina’s eyes, burning the song into them, her voice suddenly strong again. People in the audience began turning around, searching for the woman their singer was suddenly singing to.

“So keep your candles burning
Make your journey bright and pure
That you’ll keep returning
Always and evermore…”

Tina stared back at Bette, her mind a whirlwind of thought and emotion yet her face strangely immobile save for the tears that were tracking across her cheeks, dripping onto her shirt and disappearing.

“Into my arms, Oh Lord
Into my arms, Oh Lord
Into my arms, Oh Lord
Into my arms…”

The piano faded along with Bette’s voice, as cheers went up through the crowd always appreciative of broken hearts and real live romance. Bette and Tina’s eyes remained locked. Shane looked between the two, Alice and Dana remained smiling at each other oblivious of anything else.

Tina stood suddenly, the chair scraping in the lull between the crowd cheering and Kit’s fill in for the night stepping awkwardly to the microphone to announce the next performer.

“Tina…” Bette said, still at the microphone as Tina hurriedly left The Planet. She stepped off the stage, pushing her way through random members of the audience intent on wishing her luck. She eventually made it outside, Tina just standing there with her eyes closed, bathed in moonlight.

“Should one of us go after her?” Dana said distractedly, still looking at Alice but seeing Tina leave in her peripheral vision.

“You know, I think that would be a bad idea…” Shane said, thoughtfully.

Alice blushed slightly, looking away from Dana and taking in her surroundings again. “Yeah, yeah you’re right. They need to be alone.”

Dana nodded slowly. “Yeah, they need to talk about… everything…”

“Figure things out… you know…” Alice nodded too.

“Find out what they want… from each other…” Dana bit her lip.

Shane raised her eyebrow. “Well that’s my cue to leave I guess…”

Alice looked up at Shane as Shane stood. “Oh God, I’m sorry Shane…” But Shane waved her off.

“It’s cool guys, I understand.”

“Call me later?” Alice said grabbing Shane’s hand briefly, squeezing and letting go.

Shane smiled. “I will Al.”

Dana looked a little guilty. “I’m sorry Shane…”

“No really guys, just figure things out okay? And don’t kill each other.” She smirked, before turning on her heel and disappearing into the crowd.

Alice and Dana looked at each other uncomfortably.

“Tee…?” Bette said softly, wanting to touch Tina but not knowing how welcome or unwelcome that might be.

Tina stayed quiet, but opened her eyes and looked thoughtfully at Bette. She didn’t smile, she didn’t frown either and Bette took that as a good sign.

“Tee, are you…” Bette stepped forward, instinctually reaching out to Tina. Tina flinched.

“How dare you.” Tina said softly.

Bette looked as if she’d been slapped. She stepped back, arms falling to their sides.

“How dare you do that to me.” Tina’s voice was so calm, so controlled. Bette was a walking mess, her face crumpling.

“I.. I love…”

“Don’t!” Tina put her hand up, stopping Bette from saying anything further. “Don’t you sing me that ***** song, in front of a room full of ***** people… Don’t you ***** tell me that you love me because you have no right!” Tina’s voice was getting louder and louder, she stepped towards Bette forcing Bette to step backwards. Tina’s control seemed to have left the building as her face contorted into a mixture of fury, indignation and disbelief.

“Tee…” Bette’s voice was meek.

“No! Don’t even speak right now.” Tina turned to walk away, before turning back to face Bette. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done to me? Do you?!”

“I’m so sorry…” Bette was crying, though trying desperately to hold it in.

“You FUCKED another woman! Then you FUCKED me! You broke me Bette! You broke everything I thought was stable, and good, and true and GODDAMNIT the first night I allow myself to try and regain that…” She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry in front of Bette, not now, not again. “You show up and you…” Her voice broke. “You sing that ***** song…” Tina closed her eyes, sobbing and not able to help it.

Bette looked desperate. “I told you I would… Remember, I told…”

“You’ve told me so many things Bette… So many things…” Tina managed to compose herself. Shaking her head regretfully. “I can’t do this.”

“Do what, Tina, do what.” Bette reached for her.

“I can’t love you anymore, Bette. It’s too hard.” The fury had vanished from Tina, leaving her with nothing but outright misery.

“Oh God no don’t say that…” Bette looked, again, as if she’d been slapped.

Tina just shook her head, and began walking away.

Bette stood still, breathing very quickly, watching her walk away. This wasn’t how it was meant to happen. This wasn’t how it was meant to be.

Shane stepped delicately out of The Planet, and reached out to Bette. “Are you okay?” She said softly.

“How much did you see?” Bette asked, still staring after Tina though she couldn’t see her anymore.

“Enough. I was going to wait till you were both gone…” Shane shrugged, though the movement was lost on Bette.

“Shane?”

“Yeah?”

“Will you stay with me?” Bette began to cry as she turned to Shane, utterly destroyed.

“Oh hey yeah, of course.” Shane said softly as Bette fell into her arms. “Of course. We can get drunk and cry over our fucked up love lives together? Okay?” Shane pulled back, looking up into Bette’s down turned face.

Bette nodded. “You’re not angry with me?”

Shane raised her eyebrow. “It’s not my place.” She shrugged. “Besides you two will get back together, I know you will. ***** just happens sometimes you know? But Bette… sometimes ***** has to happen or you forget what’s beautiful. If the ***** wasn’t there, the beauty wouldn’t be recognisable.”

Bette looked back towards the direction Tina had disappeared into, before turning around and walking, with Shane, in the opposite direction.

“Alice was right, you know, you are Yoda.”