After a few minutes, Tina asked teasingly, “Did the tunnel yield its secrets?”

She could feel Bette smile at first, but sensed slight tension pass through the brunette’s body.

“Did something happen, baby?”

After a few minutes, Bette finally answered, “Yes, T. But Jules and Tom helped me take care of it.”

“Jules and Tom?” Tina asked in surprise, knowing how keen Bette had been all throughout to protect her family and friends from the threats posed by what she’d been working on, but glad also that Bette had allowed two of their friends to help her out at this stage.

Bette shook her head and laughed ruefully, and then answered Tina, “Yeah. They caught up with me in the parking lot of the polo grounds and none-too-subtly told me that they were going to follow me wherever I went to.  So, they basically muscled me into the car Tom was driving … Matthew lent him this gorgeous supercar, so that we could all go together.”

“I’m glad they were with you, then.”

“Actually, in the end, so was I.”

Tina sat up, and turned around to face Bette. Another surprise.

“You seem to be changing your tune when it comes to some things, Bette,” she observed.

“I’ll explain when this is all over, but let me assure you I’m not changing my mind a whole lot,” Bette answered with a small smile at first, and then blew out a breath and rubbed her eyes tiredly.

A slightly peeved look crossed Tina’s face as she stood up from the tub. Bette barely caught it just as she submerged herself fully into the water.

While she was under water Tina had left the tub, and by the time Bette rose slowly to the surface, the blonde had a towel wrapped around her body.

Bette asked her while splashing her face with water, “What is it, T?”

“What’s what?” Tina answered, as she tried to pick up her bra and panties off of the floor with her toes.

With a sigh, Bette slowly stood up also, and then asked Tina over her shoulder while reaching for one of the bath towels folded in the ledge behind the tub, “You’re pissed about something.”

She wrapped the towel around her as she stepped out of the tub, and walked towards the shower.

Tina began drying out the ends of her hair that got wet while she’d been in the tub with Bette, as Bette manipulated the knobs of the rainshower.

Bette stuck her head out of the shower door to ask again, “T?”

Tina turned around and gave her a half-smile, “We can do this later after you get some sleep, baby. You’re slammed.  I haven’t seen you look this tired in a long, long time.”

She walked over to Bette to give her a quick kiss as Bette continued to eye her uncertainly. The rainshower was cascading down from the broad shower head, beckoning Bette.

“I’ll hold you until you fall asleep, honey,” Tina promised with a whisper, nudging the brunette gently back into the shower stall.

“Finish up in there. I’ll wait for you in bed.”

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