Bette sat herself beside Tina who was sat on the sofa in her room, she was sat away from Bette like she felt she couldn’t touch her. Bette looked at her a little unsure. she saw that Tina was playing with her wedding band. Her wife had lost a lot of weight recently and her ring was a little lose.

Sims walked in and smiled before sitting in the arm chair looking at the couple, seeing that Tina was trying to protect herself.

“Today is going to be tough, I warn you but we are going to talk and try and move forward.” Sims said.

Tina nodded,

“I’m ready,” Bette said slowly, Xavier was in the stroller beside her sleeping.

“Tina, tell me about Claire,”

At the mention of Claire’s name Tina tensed they hadn’t really spoken about her since she had committed suicide on their driveway.

“I…erm…” Tina took a deep breath, she was shaking. That was too much for Bette. She reached out and took Tina’s hand. Wrapping her fingers Tina’s small hand.

“I’m not your enemy,” Bette whispered. “I’m your wife, your lover and your best friend, I’m here to support you. I care.”

Again Tina nodded and moved slightly, she was loving the feeling of her wife’s hand in hers.

“Claire,” Tina took another deep breath, “She was my best friend from high school. I wasn’t a popular kid. I kept myself to myself. I mean my parents were abusive the last thing I wanted was to bring people home. Claire was there one day and we started talking. We must have been about fourteen. We decided to go to college and she followed me to LA, then my parents died. My mother was cheating, my father was drinking. I’d not spoken to them in months because they kept abusing me verbally for being gay. I was hiding that from Claire…I sold my first painting the week before we finished college. She joined a law firm and I bought the ranch. She would just turn up at the ranch and demand my attention when she was bored.” Tina’s voice was low as she spoke. “I thought it was normal, for friends just to turn up when they were bored. Then I meet Bette and everything change. Claire become violent. The night after I lost my virginity to Bette she burnt my house and studio to the ground.”