“2″
“TINA!” Bette screamed, jumping into the pool , where Tina laid under water, unconscious. Wrapping an arm around her wife as she pushed her feet, and paddled to the surface. She pulled Tina’s limp body on the edge, checking to see if Tina was breathing, she was not
“Baby?”. Bette frantically put her hands on below the collar bone, and thrust into her lungs. Suddenly Tina cough up some water, choking and gasping for air, she turned her head to the side, eyes closed, still not moving.
“Tina! Tina, can you hear me, baby!” Bette held her hands over her wife’s face.
“I’m sorry, T. I’m so ***** sorry…” She bolted through their house for the phone, dialed 911.
“911 emergency, how can we help you?” The operator asked.
” My- My wife! She fell in the pool And She’s not Moving!” she practically sobbed uncontrollably, “I think she hit her head!”
“Calm down, what’s your name, ma’am?”
“Bette,Bette Porter is my name..”
” Good, now I want you to calm down, Miss Porter, what is your street address?” Bette gave it to the operator.
” Good, Bette. An ambulance is already on the way. Now I want you to do something for me. Have you ever taken a resusitation or emergency class? that involves this particular situation?”
“Yeah, I took it, in High School.”
“Do you remember it? because I need you to check your wife’s breathing, to open up her air passages. Can you do that?”
“Yeah, yeah I think I can do that.” She breathed, calming down, wiping her stears from her hand.
“Good, now I want you to go to your wife, check to see if there is any hazards that may be harmful to her,broken glass or open electrical wires. Check to see if her air passages are open, and perform mouth-to mouth. Do you got that, Bette?”
“Yes.” Bette put the phone on the table and walked into the pool room. She knelt beside Tina’s lifeless body, and touched her face.
“I’m sorry.” She sobbed,” Please forgive me…”

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
…

“We’re home!” Shane said, parking the car, and got out of it. she walked in front of the old, run-down store known as “The Palace.”
” The Palace, m’Lady.” Bette smiled, and gestured at the old building.Tina blinked, then looked at Bette.
“Not much of a palace, is it?”
“It’s a weapons and ammunition store by day, and the C.A.C. headquarters by night. Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Bette stated. They walked through the door of the shop, Shane rang the bell.
“The password?” Said a female voice. Tina grimaced, knowing the password was incorrect.
“Shane Mutchutchon.” Bette leaned over the speaker phone.
“Bette Porter.” Shane smirked and said,
“I thought your name was Pootie-Dog?”
“***** You.”
“You two are a riot” the female voice spoke.
“Get in here.”
They heard the sound of the door automatically unlock, and stepped inside. They walked through a huge warehouse-like room, where they were greeted by the receptionist, a pale, dark-haired young woman, sitting behind the desk. Shane leaned over her desk, and winked.
“Hey, *****,” She husked, ” how’s about a kiss?”
The dark haired girl rolled her eyes.
“The only kiss from you would be me kissing my husband!” She snapped. Shane pulled back, pretending to be hurt.
“Ouch, Jenny,” Shane spoke,” If Marcus ever knew you were coming on to me…”
“Shut up, you *****.” Jenny glanced around to see another woman, unrecognizable to her.
“And this is..?” Jenny looked at Bette.
“You’re not taking in strays, are you? Because we kept Abraxys here, and-”
Bette cut her off,
“No, this is ‘Officer Christina Kennard, she’ll be working for us from now on.”
Tina held out her hand to Jenny, shaking it.
” Oh, officer Kennard, it’s an honor. I wasn’t sure you’d be joining us.”
Bette and Shane looked at each other.
“You knew?”
Jenny nodded, calmly.
“Yep, since SOMEBODY shut the power off…” Jenny trailed off. Bette scolded Shane, and who looked away, whistling a tune.
“And you!” She pointed at Bette.
“Me?”
“Yes you, I went to the bathroom this morning, and noticed you flooded the toilet!”
” Hey it started leaking. I think a pipe burst or somethin…. I’m not a plumber, ok? I thought I’d help!”
“You want my help, call a professional.”
“Fine! Fine!” Bette huffed, trying to change the subject.
” Still no word from Eric’s men yet. ” Bette said,
“He must be organizing something big.”
” No leads yet,” Jenny stated, ” which makes me wonder…
“It makes me wonder why the food hasn’t shown up yet! Where’s Marcus?” Shane asked.
” Sorry, Shane, Marcus and Lisa aren’t back yet. So we have to kill some time.”
Shane whined, “But I’m starving!”
“Yeah, I’ll bet your skinny ***** is!” Jenny snapped.
“Okay, you two, I’m getting a drink. Later.” Bette stated, putting on her leather jacket and car keys as she smiled at Tina.
” Be cautious,” She warned,” Those two get a little wild when liquor is involved!” And She left out the door.
“So what do we do?” Tina said, looking at Shane and Jenny.
“Cards?” Shane asked Jenny.
“Cards!”
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Tina sat at the table with Jenny and Shane, playing poker. Not much of a poker player, Tina lost more chips, leaving the most collected by Shane. Tina thought to bring up the subject about Bette as vaguely and cryptic as possible.
“So…where did Bette go?” Which Tina instantly grimaced, That came out so wrong! Real smooth, Kennard. Jenny looked up at Shane, then at Tina.
“What do I know? I KNOW I hate her, she broke my toilet!” she grumbled.
“No, you don’t.” Shane laughed, then smiled at Tina, a knowing smile.” Why do you want to know?”
“It’s nothing.” She sighed, nervously brushing her blonde hair out of her eyes and concentrated on the cards.
“D’you want to know about her past?”
“No…maybe…I dunno? Yeah.” she stammered, noticing the blush slowly rise to her cheeks. They looked at the blonde, noticing the blush and burst out laughing.
“Your totally sweet on her, aren’t ya?” Shane laughed.
“No! For chrissakes, I have a boyfriend!” Tina through the cards down, crossing her arms.
“Easy Tina, I’m just messin’ with ya, okay?” Shane took another swig of her bud light.
” Bette graduated at the top of her game, at the Philadelphia Police Academy. She was the if not most highly advanced tactical person in the department. She was given all the necessary medals given, and she helped start the C.A.C, our bounty hunting crew! Yep, in these days she was a force to be reckoned with.”
“Until Alice showed up.” Jenny finished, lowering her gaze. They shifted nervously as Tina piped up.
“Who’s Alice?”
“She was Bette’s true love, her partner who founded the C.A.C. She was her first,last, and forever.” Jenny stated, and sighed.
“She was such a poet, she’d write these little notes to Bette that were just beautiful. Wish I was a gifted writer as she. All I write turns out lists; grocery lists, shopping lists..” She babbled.

” Jenny, what about Alice? What happened to her?” Tina said, cutting off the dark haired girl.
” When Bette was out of the city doing another run-of-the-mill mission, Alice was attacked, only to return home to be shot and drown in the pool. No one knows who killed her, and this devastated Bette to no end. It changed her, where once she was enthusiastic and happy about life, now she can’t handle keeping most of her relationships together, just sleeps with any random woman she can come across on, then taking off the next day.”
“AA-And what’s wrong with that?”
“You’re a jerk, Shane.”
Tina frowned, thinking about Bette.
“God, how horrible her life must be. Living every day and waking up, realizing that the love of your life is dead?”

Jenny wiped her tears, who had fallen past her cheeks. Tina looked deep in her eyes, concerned.
“I’m sorry, Jenny, I-” She said trying to console her, but Jenny shook her head.
“Don’t be, it’s in the past, but maybe you should talk to Bette, cuz I’m worried about her, it’s eating her up inside, all that hate. She doesn’t want us to let her in. She needs a friend, Tina. And I can tell you are a good, honest person just by looking at you. That’s what your father was telling me.”
“Yeah, why don’t you talk to her, Tina,” Shane joked, ” you can talk all night, and have slumber parties and have pillow fights in your lingerie!”
Shane giggled, before Jenny socked Shane’s elbow.
“Ow, *****.”
Tina threw her cards up, having enough of this.
“All right! God, enough!” I’ll talk to her but I’m not gonna flirt with her, I’m straight! Okay? I have a boyfriend! A Man! Got it? I don’t care if she is agonizingly beautiful…” she yelled, stomping out of the room.
Jenny looked at Shane, trying to hold back a giggle.
“You are so *****, you know that?” Jenny scolded her, giggling.
“You’re right, so *****.”
“And horny!”
“AAND Horny! Was it somethin I said that got her pissed?” Jenny looked at her, with an obvious ‘ uh, yeah, you think, Shane?’ but she smiled and sang,
“Somebody’s got cru-ush on be-ette!”
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Tina walked outside the back yard of the store, shuddering at the cool night air. She tugged at Tim’s suit, and looked up at the morning horizon. scanning toward the yard, she noticed Bette sitting on a patio chair, having a smoke. Tina walked up to her.
” Hey,” She said, “You back already?”
Bette looked up at her, taking a drag of her cigarette.
” Hey. Yeah, just needed to clear my thoughts, I was getting confused.”
Confusion?” The blonde said, sitting on the ground beside her.
” Confused of what?”
Bette flicked the butt away.
” Of you. And why my father has to involve you in my problems.”
“Bette,” Tina touched her arm tenderly, but she pulled it away, flinching.
“I have to obey what he wishes.” Bette got up off the chair, shaking her head.
“No, you don’t. Did he offer you money, to take this job?”
“No, I don’t want the money.”
“Then what?”
Tina sighed, looking up at the rising sun.
“I needed the excitement, I needed to know that I’m doing a good deed, and that I’m making a difference.”
She smiled, up at the sky.
“It’s beautiful, the sunrise, I mean. Looking up at it, thinking your totally insignificant. Totally beautiful.” She beamed. Bette studied the blonde for a few moments, then kneeled down and kissed her quickly on the cheek.
“Good Morning.” She said, and walked out of the yard, leaving Tina stunned.
‘What’s happening to me? Tina thought, ‘ Am I just panicking? Is this about my job? About Tim? Am I falling out of love?’
TBC