“You’re insane…” Alice mumbled, her eyes glued shut and half of her face pressed into her pillow.

Tina shrugged, pulling on a jumper over her t-shirt. “I need the… relief. It’s been over a week.” Tina sighed, watching as Alice buried herself further into her covers.

“You’re insane…” Alice’s entire body had disappeared, becoming one with the bed.

Tina rolled her eyes and couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll be back in a couple hours.” She grabbed a small pile of clothes and walked into the living room, placing them on Alice’s desk, wincing at the faint smell of pickles and trying her best not to look at the left over pickle carnage. She found her purse and then frowned. She walked back to Alice’s bedroom.

“Hey Al, where are your keys?”

A muffled groan issued from the bed and the lump in the middle squirmed slightly. The covers pulled back just enough for Alice’s face to appear, her eyes still shut. “What do you need ‘em for?”

“To get back in later, Alice.” Tina shook her head slightly as Alice’s brow crinkled into a frown and then smoothed itself out.

“Kay. They’re on the… the bench… in the kitchen… I think…” Alice’s voice trailed off, her breathing evening out as she fell back to sleep.

“Thanks, I’ll only be a couple hours…” Tina whispered unnecessarily before she made her way to the kitchen. “Ah…” She murmured as she located the keys. She looked around the kitchen before timidly opening a cupboard door. “Hmmm…”

She walked back to Alice’s bedroom.

“Al? Sorry to wake you again… Do you have any bottles?”

Alice frowned again. “Bottles?” She groaned out sleepily.

“For water.” Tina started drumming her fingertips on the door frame.

“In the kitchen Tina. Bottles are kept in the ***** kitchen.”

Tina sighed. “Yes but where in the kitchen?”

Alice groaned. “The cupboard under the sink!” Alice rolled over and buried herself under the covers again. “Let me sleep!”

Tina grinned. “Thank you sweetie.”

She made her way back to the kitchen and opened the cupboard under the sink. “Ah ha.” She mumbled triumphantly finding a plastic bottle, rinsing it and filling it with water. She took it and the keys and placed them on Alice’s desk in the living room. Finding a towel in the bathroom, she added it to her small collection on the desk. She stood back, hands on her hips and surveyed the items. Hmm, she had a change of clothes and her purse, water and a towel and keys… something was missing though. What was it?

Tina clicked her fingers. “Uh huh…” She frowned as she looked around her.

“Hey Al?” Tina poked her head around Alice’s bedroom door again. “Al I need a bag…”

Alice didn’t move.

Tina raised her voice a little louder. “Alice, I need a bag and I don’t know where you keep them…”

Tina walked over to the side of the bed and surveyed the large lump in the middle. Her hand hovered over the middle of it for a few seconds before it delicately nudged it. “Alice? I need a bag…” The lump moved a little. Tina shrugged slightly and poked the lump again, a little less delicately than before. It moved again and she heard a groan. Tina bit her lip as her eyes twinkled evilly before she started repeatedly nudging the lump hard and fast.

The covers flew back suddenly causing Tina to jump a little.

“Alice, Tina wants a ***** bag!” Shane all but yelled before she threw the covers back over her own body, leaving Alice’s exposed.

Alice sat up, eyes still closed. “The hall closet!” She felt around her for the covers before yanking them over her and throwing herself back.

Tina grinned. “Thank you.”

She retrieved a bag, and checking that she had everything, walked to the front door and opened it. She paused before she left, thinking and shaking her head. She couldn’t do it, it was too evil and they were her friends.

She couldn’t do it.

Then she nodded, and walked as quietly as she could back into Alice’s bedroom. She reached toward the bed and gently tugged the covers toward her, revealing Alice and Shane’s sleeping faces. Tina looked at them, noting how peaceful and cute they looked in sleep, as if they were children again. The thought of children made her wince slightly, inside, her clucky-ness still strong and she tilted her head to the side as she watched her friends, her best friends, in their state of rest. She looked at Shane, curled up in the foetus position, her hair incredibly tussled and her nose whistling just the slightest bit each time she exhaled.

Tina smiled, small but adoringly, as she turned her gaze to Alice. Alice was sprawled on her back, an arm over her forehead and her mouth hanging open. No, Tina couldn’t do it to them. She’d feel too bad, and they looked so cute. As Tina watched, Alice rolled over toward Shane, her mouth making the smallest sucking noises, and the arm that had been resting on her forehead, moving with her body in a wide arc, hovered in mid air for just a moment before crashing down onto Shane’s face.

Shane’s eyes flew open, and Tina decided in that moment that yes she could do it and this was the perfect moment. Tina, still holding onto the covers, tugged them back with all her might and threw them off the bed.

“***** *****…” Shane reached up and threw Alice’s arm off her face as she blearily watched Tina run out of the room giggling. “That’s FUCKED UP TINA.”

Alice frowned in her sleep, her feet kicking slightly. She groped around her, as if looking for something as Shane groaned and curled even further into a ball. Alice’s hand found Shane’s face and as she began to squeeze Shane’s nose Shane reached over and slapped her. Alice’s eyes opened and she jerked back, looking around her confused.

“Wha… *****… wha… Shane where did the blankets…” Alice rubbed her face.

“Tina threw them on the floor.” Shane mumbled.

“*****…” Alice sat up and yawned. She looked at her clock. “It’s ***** eight am.”

Shane grumbled and grabbed Alice’s pillow, putting it over her own head. Alice blinked lazily, and then stretched. She cocked her head to the side looking around her room. The morning light was hurting her eyes, and she surmised that four hours of sleep was not enough. She growled before dramatically swinging her legs off the bed and standing, swaying slightly. She stomped loudly over to where the covers lay strewn across the floor. She picked them up and crawling over Shane, deposited herself back onto the bed. She gave some of the blanket to Shane before grabbing her pillow off Shane’s head and falling back to sleep.

Tina was still giggling as she drove away.

______________________________

Dana stepped gingerly out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. Yesterday had been… terrible. She walked into her room and sighed. Today was a whole new day of confusion and she wasn’t sure why she’d gotten out of bed at all. She started to dry herself as she tried to remember the dreams she’d had the night before. Something to do with playing tennis… in a dress?… and Alice was somewhere in there and…

She paused, and frowned. A purple bunny rabbit?

She shook her head and went about getting dressed. She was going to eat something, and have a lot of coffee, and then… and then… and then work out. And maybe get a massage. And then she was going to go see Alice, and have a big talk with her. Sober. And she wasn’t going to leave Alice until she was satisfied.

Dana giggled slightly. Satisfied that she had a reason why Alice kissed her, of course. Not… satisfied in THAT way. Dana giggled again. Well, that could depend on how their conversation went… maybe they wouldn’t talk at all, maybe they’d just…

“AHH.” Dana shook her head. Alice was a friend. A FRIEND.

Well, at least that’s what she thought Alice was.

Deciding she’d eat after the work out, she grabbed her keys and work out bag and left her house.

______________________________

Jenny’s eyes opened warily as she heard a timid knocking at her door. She sat up slowly, shaking her head and stretching.

She walked groggily toward her door and opened it. Her hand instantly came up to shield her eyes against the sunlight before she saw who was standing there.

“Hi.”

Jenny smiled. “Hi Bette.”

Bette smiled slightly, looking a little hung over, and holding two coffee mugs in front of her. “I hope I didn’t wake you…?”

Jenny yawned, sheepishly covering her mouth and shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Did you want to come in? Are you okay?” Jenny moved to the side allowing Bette into her shack.

Bette walked in, eyebrows raising at the mess inside. “I’m okay. I thought you might need some coffee.” Bette held up one of the mugs and Jenny took it, grinning.

“That’s sweet of you.” Jenny took a small sip, wincing at the heat.

“I wasn’t sure how you took it, but I figured you’d have milk and sugar here anyway.” Bette sipped from her own mug, feeling awkward.

“Oh it’s fine. I’m sorry about the mess… It’s uh, not usually like this…” Jenny gestured around her helplessly.

Bette smiled. “I wanted to thank you for last night. It’s strange that you’ve lived next door for so long and we’ve never… talked…”

Jenny nodded, looking into her mug, before glancing up at Bette. “I guess you seemed more like Tim’s friend, and I was… Tina’s.”

Bette sighed.

They both stood there, sipping from their coffee.

Jenny frowned. “I’m sorry there isn’t anywhere to sit.”

Bette shook her head. “It’s okay. I might, leave you to wake up properly.” She grinned.

Jenny smiled softly. “Okay. Maybe I’ll see you later today? To return the mug.” Jenny held up the mug in question.

Bette smiled self deprecatingly, and moved toward the door. “Well I doubt I’ll be going anywhere.”

Jenny nodded slowly, walking to the door after Bette. “Thank you for the coffee. It’s probably the nicest, and most thoughtful thing someone’s done for me in a long time.”

Bette turned to look at Jenny. “Well someone very wise once told me that friends are there for you to get drunk with when you’re feeling down, and to wake you up with coffee in the morning. Or something like that. I’ll see you later Jenny.” Bette smiled once more before starting to make her way back next door.

Jenny grinned, watching Bette leave. “Friend…” She said very softly. She took a gulp of her coffee, and then shut the door.

______________________________

Tina draped her towel over the cycling machine and climbed on. She set it for twenty minutes and began riding. This was what she needed, to exhaust her body and get into that zone of thinking where she, well, didn’t. The last few days, ***** the last week had been the most emotionally draining week of her life. Even more than when she’d lost the baby. Every time she thought of her baby boy her abdomen dropped, aching for what it once held, the pain still strong and she wondered if she’d ever get over it.

Probably not; losing someone you’d never met, someone that was a part of you, always left wondering what could’ve been.

***** Bette. What would it be like now, if she was still pregnant and Bette had done this to her? Would Bette have done this to her? Would the baby have been enough to keep Bette with her?

She didn’t want to think of this, her body settling into a rhythm with the machine, her mind running away from her and losing her in thought.

Things hadn’t been right between them. She understood this, she knew this. She’d ***** encouraged Bette to hire Can… that woman. And then that ***** had had the audacity to accept the job for the ***** place where she worked, knowing that she was ***** her partner.

Tina growled. Bette, her first, her last, her forever.

What was she going to do?

Bette had sang to her, in a room full of people, claiming to love her and implying she wanted her back. Without explanation. Without confirmation that it was over with the carpenter. Without any regard for the affect it would have on her. Tina sped up a little, her brow creasing in thought. Without apology for… that night.

How could the one person she’d loved the absolute most, the one person who felt like the other half of her, who left her aching from separation from her, who pledged her life to her, hurt her so utterly? Betray her so utterly?.

Could she find it within herself to forgive Bette? It had only been a week since the Provocations opening, and barely two days since the song, on a night she’d tried to be alive again only to have Bette come along and cause her to die that little bit more inside. She’d told Bette she couldn’t love her anymore. Was that true?

She felt like she couldn’t. She felt like she didn’t want to. But so much of her life had been invested in Bette, and Bette herself still epitomized perfection to her. Maybe not perfection ultimately, but perfection for her.

That’s why it hurt so much. She had never expected Bette to do this, and it felt like Bette had failed somehow. She was hurt, but maybe more than that she was disappointed. She was let down. By Bette… by herself. What was wrong with her? Couldn’t she see that this would happen? Couldn’t she have stopped it?

They had both failed.

But she would never have cheated. Never.

Tina kept riding, not noticing Dana get on the machine beside her.

“We haven’t done this in ages.”

Tina was jerked from her thoughts, her foot nearly slipping off the pedal as she looked beside her. She smiled, red faced and puffing, pushing her contemplations aside and grateful for the distraction. “Dana. How are you?”

Dana had set her machine and had started cycling. “Oh you know, confused and not entirely sure what the *****’s going on but still okay.” Dana grimaced slightly as she sped up.

Tina grinned. “We’re in the same boat then.”

Dana chuckled. “Yeah well I’m ready to jump ship… or something.”

Tina looked at Dana. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

Dana shook her head. “No, but I’m trying to be.”

Tina nodded, turning to look at her timer. She had five minutes left to go.

“How’s Alice?” Dana asked, staring resolutely in front of her.

Tina smirked. “Grumpy and cold, last time I saw her.” Dana’s eyebrows raised. “Oh, you didn’t check your messages this morning did you?” Tina bit her lip.

Dana shook her head. “No, I had like five but couldn’t bring myself to listen to them. I figured they’d be from Tonya and I just don’t… want to have to listen to that right now.”

Tina slowed her cycling now. “What happened with Tonya?”

Dana sighed, puffing from her exertion on the bike machine. “Kicked her out.”

This time it was Tina’s eyebrows that raised. “You did? Wow.”

Dana kept staring in front of her. “Well, it’s all a part of jumping ship. From the boat we’re in. You know. After this, I’m going to Alice’s.”

Tina slowed to a stop as the machine beeped at her. She breathed heavily, feeling a little tired but exhilarated. “You go girl. I should warn you though, Alice didn’t sleep much last night. She may not be, in the best of moods.”

Dana turned to look at Tina, a shocked look on her face. “She what? Did she, was she with someone?” Dana’s foot slipped off one of the pedals. “*****…”

“No, no. We just had a, stoned experience. Her and Shane and I were talking most of the night.” Tina grimaced as Dana’s face fell.

“Oh, you guys… without me…” Dana frowned, feeling stupid.

“No no, it wasn’t meant… we didn’t purposely not invite you. It was just, you know, one of those things…” *****, she hated to think she’d made Dana worse. “Listen, how about when you’re done here we’ll get breakfast together and then go back to Alice’s, together?”

Dana nodded slowly. “I’d, I’d like that.”

Tina hopped off the cycle machine, grabbed her towel and dabbed at the sweat on her face. “Okay good, I’m going to be on the rowing machine thing okay? When you’re ready, we can shower and get all un-stinky and then leave, okay sweetie?” Tina lightly touched Dana’s back.

Dana nodded, feeling a little better.

______________________________

Shane rolled onto her back and stretched. God, she felt like *****. Not enough sleep, and being whacked in the face, and just exhausted man. She shook her head a little as she opened her eyes and looked around Alice’s room. And now she was awake for some reason. And Alice… she turned her head to look at her friend… really wasn’t.

Alice lay on her back, wheezing slightly as she slept, but otherwise dead to the world.

Shane sat up and rubbed her face. She squinted at Alice, her own eyes not yet used to being so open, and cocked her head to the side. She poked Alice’s closest shoulder.

“Al…?”

Alice didn’t move, at all. Shane frowned. ***** this. She swung her legs off the bed and stood up. Actually, ***** that too. She fell back on the bed, making it bounce rather substantially. Alice still didn’t move, and Shane put her head in her hands.

“Up…” She mumbled. “Coffee… of some kind…” She sighed and stood again.

Five minutes later she stumbled into the kitchen toward the espresso maker. “I love you…” She directed at it, and screamed when she heard a voice behind her.

“I love you more…” Alice groaned out, pushing Shane out of the way and turning the machine on.

“You were dead man.” Shane murmured, opening a cupboard door and getting out two mugs. Alice watched her, shaking her head in the negative and reaching past Shane toward two jumbo sized plastic novelty cups Dana had once brought her back from Euro Disney World. Shane looked at the huge cups, before smiling appreciatively and putting the mugs back into the cupboard.

“Yeah…” Alice yawned. “I was.” Shane raised her eyebrows. “But someone had to go and mention coffee…”

Shane shrugged, and then yawned. “Something woke me up… could’ve been your wheezing. Could’ve been the pickle stench…”

Alice groaned. “Don’t. Even. Mention. That. To me right now.” Alice picked up a spoon, and started hitting the espresso machine. “Go faster…”

“Where’d Tina go?” Shane scratched her stomach.

“To work out.” Alice hit the machine faster, swaying slightly as she did so, and glaring at it.

“She’s insane.”

“I know.” Alice muttered, grinning triumphantly as the machine gurgled into coffee-making action.

______________________________

Jenny knocked on Bette’s door, rocking on the balls of her feet as she waited for it to be answered.

Bette opened the door, and smiled at Jenny.

“Mug!” Jenny grinned, and held up the mug in front of her, as if in offering.

“Thank you.” Bette said and took the mug out of Jenny’s hands.

“No thank you for the coffee. Are you busy?”

Bette shook her head in the negative. “Painfully not actually.”

Jenny nodded. “Well, I have to go to work later this afternoon but do you want to have lunch? Or something?” Jenny bit her lip.

Bette’s eyebrows raised. “Uh, sure Jenny. Where’d you have in mind?”

“Well, I’m not sure really, you’d think after all this time I’d have places sussed out.”

“Sussed out?” Bette leaned against the door frame, amused.

Jenny grinned again. “Yes, sussed out. But look you know, I feel bad about last night. I don’t think I was much help, and I know how fucked up it feels and lonely, and how much friends mean in a time like this. You know before that Dinah Shore weekend I really was so lonely and just, fucked in the head. Looking for any human contact and…” Jenny frowned, gesturing wildly.

Bette held her hand up. “Jenny, Jenny I know. I really appreciate it but don’t feel you have to…”

“No, no I want to!” Jenny looked imploringly at Bette. “It’s really, really important to feel understood.”

Bette sighed, and then nodded.

_______________________________

Tina stuck the key into Alice’s door and opened it, walking inside. “I’m back!” She called out, setting the bag down and turned around looking for Dana who had mysteriously disappeared.

Alice ambled toward Tina, a cup in her hand larger than anything Tina had seen. Well, maybe not larger than the super size Mcdonald’s drink that she’d gotten once, and only once. God, she’d been in so much pain after she’d attempted to drink that. Shaking herself out of her revery, she grinned at Alice.

“Hey, how was the work out crazy lady?” Alice sipped from her drink, and shuddered before smiling.

“It was good. I brought someone home with me.” Tina smirked. Alice raised her eyebrows.

“Gee Tee, you moved on quickly…” Alice attempted to look past Tina and into the hallway.

Tina rolled her eyes. “Not for me, for you.”

Alice rolled her own eyes, and put her hands on her hips. “Look, I don’t need you to bring home random people for me just because I’m not ready to admit to a certain someone…”

“Dana!” Tina said suddenly, not wanting Dana, wherever the ***** she had gone, to overhear anything just yet. Their breakfast/brunch had been very interesting indeed.

Alice sighed again. “Yes, I know who I’m talking about…”

Tina shook her head again. “No, I brought home Dana you idiot.” Tina sighed and moved past Alice, who was now gaping like a goldfish, and made her way to the kitchen. “She’s in the hall somewhere… I think.” Tina called over her shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen.

Dana poked her head, rather sheepishly, around the door frame. “Hi.” She said softly.

Alice, still in shock, decided a large gulp of her coffee would be beneficial to her in that moment.

“Hey Dane.” Shane appeared from the kitchen, Tina having whispered excitedly who their guest was. Shane walked the length of the hall, passed Alice and reached out to Dana, drawing her into the apartment and giving her a hug.

Dana and Alice kept eye contact the whole time.

“How are things?” Shane inquired, grinning as she pulled back from the hug.

“Oh, you know. They’re… different.” Dana grinned sheepishly, taking her eyes off of Alice and looking at Shane.

Shane turned and looked at Alice with a ***** eating grin on her face. “Is that so?” She asked rhetorically, her arm still around Dana.

Alice glared at Shane, as Shane kicked the door shut with her foot and led Dana past Alice and into the living room. Dana gave Alice one ***** of a confused look as she passed her.

Alice sighed, drank more of her coffee and wished to any higher beings, any of them anywhere, for caffeine poisoning if just to get her out of this situation. “*****…” She muttered. “*****.”

“What the ***** happened in here?” Dana looked at Alice’s living room in shock. There were greenish stains all over the carpet, and random pickles strewn everywhere including one near the… upturned couch?… that looked as if it had been squished purposely into the carpet.

Shane waved her hand. “It’s a long story. What we want to know is what’s been happening to you?”

Dana gazed distractedly around the living room. “But it… smells…”

Shane led her into the kitchen. “It’ll be cleaned later…” She pulled herself onto one of the kitchen bench tops. “Alice, get in here!”

Tina was leaning beside Shane, trying to muffle her laughter with the back of her hand.

Dana stood across from them. She frowned, confused.

Alice shuffled into the kitchen, glaring at Shane and Tina and avoiding looking at Dana.

Shane looked expectantly at Dana. “So, what’s different there Dana?”

Tina looked thoughtful for a moment, before grabbing Shane’s arm and tugging her off the bench top. “Actually, can you help me… um… unpack my bag Shane?” Tina moved them both toward the living room.

Alice’s glare intensified, as she shook her head ‘no’ desperately at them.

“Sure Tina… I can do that…” Shane winked at Dana before the two of them left Alice and Dana alone in the kitchen.

“That wasn’t obvious…” Dana rolled her eyes, and then looked at Alice nervously. She’d confessed to Tina the confusion she was feeling, the helplessness, and felt sure Tina had purposely left them alone so Dana could confront Alice about it. Which wasn’t really fair, especially making it so obvious that she wanted to be alone with Alice. This wasn’t fair at all, actually, and a lot harder than she’d imagined. She bit her lip, lost in thought.

Tina and Shane were evil, that’s all it came down to. Alice sipped from her coffee cup again. They were evil evil ***** who ruined her living room and then left her in a compromising position with someone she’d only recently admitted, to herself and to some of the world, that she was in love with. They sucked. She looked at Dana, who was biting her lip and looking at the floor. God, Dana was just so cute, and yet so hot at the same time. And a lot of people couldn’t pull both of those off either…

“How are you?” Alice asked suddenly, surprising herself as well as Dana.

“I’m…” Dana looked tormented for just a moment before everything came pouring out. “I broke up with Tonya and ran into Lara and miss you so much and feel so lonely and I had weird dreams last night and my agent called me the other day and wants me to go on this college tour thing and I don’t want to do that but I should you know, and God I just miss you so much and it’s only been a week but it feels like forever and I’m sorry I left so suddenly the other night but all these thoughts about Mr. P…” Dana had moved steadily toward Alice, and was gesturing madly. “… and you and you’re my best friend and I don’t want to ever lose you and I just, I just can’t lose you Alice and I feel like I have because I can’t call you, well I can, but you know I feel like I can’t and…”

Alice set her gigantic cup onto the bench and taking a deep breath, reached for Dana and pulled her into a hug. “Shhhh, just slow down there Dane.”

Dana wrapped her arms tightly around Alice, her eyes squeezing shut and allowing herself to get lost in the warmth and comfort from her friend. Alice sunk into Dana’s body wondering why it suddenly just felt so good to hold her, to hold Dana.

“You’ll never lose me…” Alice whispered, though feeling slightly sick to her stomach. There was just, no way she could ever tell Dana how she really felt. Ever. It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair. Dana was dealing with enough, and she needed a friend. Not a lover…

Alice pulled back from the hug suddenly. “Wait, you ran into Lara?”

Dana kept her arms around Alice’s waist, not willing to let go just yet. She looked at Alice’s face, her lips and her nose and her forehead and her chin and her lips and her hair. Her eyes. “Yeah I did.”

Alice pulled back further, disengaging her and Dana’s bodies completely. “How? Where? When? You saw Lara?” The last person in the ***** world she needed in Dana’s life right now. Other than Tonya The She ***** From *****. “Oh my God, you broke up with Tonya?”

Dana nodded. “Yes and yes.”

Alice just looked shocked.

Dana nodded again. “I know.” Dana took a deep breath. “Confused as all ***** right now. Can I…?” She opened her arms.

Alice smiled sadly and stepped into Dana’s embrace. Dana rested her head on Alice’s shoulder and Alice reached up to stroke Dana’s hair. Dana sighed contentedly.

Alice closed her eyes painfully before opening her mouth to speak. “I’m sorry if I confused you further…” She murmured, resting her head against Dana’s. Dana went to pull away from the hug but Alice held her tighter, and Dana took the hint not to move. “I just…” Alice sighed. “I just couldn’t let you marry her you know… I had to stop it somehow… and I kissed you because…” Alice winced, but continued. “… because I knew it would be the only way to convince you that she was wrong for you.”

Dana sighed. She ran her hands up and down Alice’s back, feeling her shudder slightly from it. “Is that really the reason?” She asked softly.

Alice’s eyes had closed as soon as Dana’s hands had started moving. Dana’s fingers were now tracing light swirls along her back and she’d be damned if it wasn’t one of the most sensual things she’d experienced. God she was pathetically in love. Pathetically.

Alice pulled away again. She opened her eyes and looked at Dana who was gazing at her openly, intensely. Alice swallowed. “Yes.” She said quietly.

Dana looked… almost disappointed?… for a fraction of a second before nodding and stepping away from Alice. “Okay.” She said. She looked into the distance for a second, before smiling very slightly and looking back into Alice’s eyes. “Okay.”

Tina and Shane, who had been listening somewhat guiltily just outside the kitchen door, thought it best that they intercepted at that moment. Tina walked in, smiling brightly. “You guys want to go to lunch?”

Shane, just behind her, jumped in. “Yeah, I’m starved you guys.”

Alice had turned around, and was staring into her coffee cup.

Dana jumped a little, and looked at Tina as if she was mad. “We just ate.”

Tina frowned for a second. “That’s right… but uh, I could go for… more?”

Shane rolled her eyes. “Well Alice and I haven’t eaten so…”

Alice remained quiet. She wasn’t going to cry. She hadn’t cried in… a long time. Now was not the time to start again.

Shane clapped her hands together. “Al? Do you want to go out?”

Alice sighed. “Sure…” She said quietly.

Dana just shrugged. “Okay. I guess I could go for a juice or something.”

“Great. Well let’s go.” Tina looked at Shane, and Shane sighed quietly, gesturing with her head just slightly toward the living room. Tina understood, and reached toward Dana, taking her by the arm and half dragging her toward it.

“Shouldn’t you guys clean up first?” Dana asked as she was being dragged toward the front door.

“Oh we’re going to call someone in to clean the carpet later. I think.” Tina answered her, retrieving her purse and keys.

“You okay Al?” Shane asked quietly, walking up behind Alice and reaching out toward her shoulder.

Alice let herself be turned around, and looked dejectedly at Shane. “Love sucks.” She said quietly, trying to chuckle but making more of a mewling noise.

Shane put her arm around Alice. “Yeah, yeah it does.” She led Alice away from the kitchen, away from the living room, and away from what had just transpired between her and Dana. “It has a way of working itself out though.”

Alice just sighed, “We’ll see.”