Bette leaned her head up and kissed Tina again rolling them over on their sides.  She got up and began hunting her pants down. 

Tina sat up on the side of the bed confused by Bette’s actions.  Bette looked like she was going to put her pants back on and Tina felt like she was going to panic. 

TBC…

Meanwhile, back in the living room…

Everyone was on their mattresses.  Kit and Sheila were sleeping.  Shane was holding onto Alice, who was crying. 

“Shhh,” Shane whispered in Alice’s ear.  “I miss her to, Al and I meant what I said earlier, that is if you’ll let me.”

“I know you will, Shane,” Alice said sobbingly.  “It’s just that Dana was right about a lot of things.  I think she liked me all along and used that stupid gaydar thing as an excuse to get to know me a little more.  She didn’t love Lara the way she loved me.  I think she knew about the breast cancer before she went out with Lara and didn’t want to bring me thru her pain and aggravation.  After she pushed Lara away, she accepted me for what I stood for in her life.  Her last words were I love you.”  Alice started crying again.

“Shhh,” Shane whispered.  “I know it hurts.  No matter how long it’s been, it will always hurt.  I think you’re right about the gaydar thing.  I think she was trying to get to you by making you jealous about her going out with Lara.  When it didn’t work, she wanted you to go with her to come out to her parents, but then that didn’t work either.  Then when she met Tanya, you clicked.  There wasn’t a single thing about Tanya that you didn’t like, no one liked.  When Tanya proposed to Dana and got Dana’s parents to openly accept her for who she was, then you realized that you were losing the love of your life.  You were more than attracted to her, you were in love with your best friend.  I also think you were right about the breast cancer.  When Lara found the lump, Dana told her that it had been there for a long time, and that’s when Lara made her go to the doctor to have it checked out.  She really appreciated you for being there for her even though she was mean to you by pushing you away.  She really did love you.  I love you too.  I know in my heart that I will never get the love reciprocated from you that you had for Dana, but I do know that I can’t see myself living without you in my life.  I want us to be a monogamous couple.  I want to settle down with you.  What I did to Carmen was childish, immature, hurtful, and just wrong.  I wasn’t ready for a monogamous relationship then.  I was willing to try, but once I cheated on her and she cheated on me, there was that hostility factor that stood in the way of our trusting each other ever again, but when Dana died, I realized I didn’t want to die full of regrets.  To prove my love to Carmen, I asked her to marry me, but the way she answered me, I could tell she wanted to marry me regardless of my faults, and I couldn’t guarantee that I wouldn’t cheat on her again.  But then I had that dream that night about me dying, I called you and you helped me thru it.  I knew then and there that you were the one that I wanted to settle down with.”