“You’re unlike any politician I’ve ever met before,” mused Helena.  “You want the Peabody’s to back you, lieu of Hilary or anyone else for that matter?”

            “Yes,” said Amy, seeing Bette walking into The Planet.

            “Why?” asked Helena seriously.  “We could back Hilary, who is my pick, something much more solid…”

            “You’d rather have a dyke in office than a real one?” asked Amy. 

            “Fake dyke?” asked Bette having heard only the last snippet of conversation.

            “Long story,” said Amy, waving the comment off.  “Catching an early dinner?” asked Amy.

            “Take out, Jo went to take a nap, she’s tired…,” said Bette.  Amy eyed the very casual dress, the hair up in a ponytail, and snorted.  “What are you scoffing at?”

            “Nothing, I know all about Jo’s afternoon activity,” smiled Amy.  “The sun, it used to make her tired…,” said Amy softly.  “But that isn’t a problem anymore, is it.”

            Bette froze, feeling another hot pang of guilt riding into her, “She’s feeling worse, having trouble keeping her food down.”

            “This quickly?” asked Helena with genuine concern in her voice. 

            Bette nodded, “Have you two eaten yet?”

            Amy grimaced, and Helena answered, “No, we haven’t, why do you ask?”

            “Order out, come over to the house, the company might lift her spirits,” said Bette.  Her dark eyes meeting Amy’s, and Amy looked down at the table shyly. 

            “Do you mind?  If we go to Bette’s and talk shop there?” asked Helena.

            Amy shook her head, “No, that’s fine.”

            “Excellent, I’ll go place an order, how about an assortment of just about everything?  We can call Alice and Shane as well?” asked Helena.

            “That would be nice,” said Bette sitting down as Helena moved to place the order.  “Thanks.”

            Amy’s jaw worked in silence, folding the napkin in front of her, “You should be spending as much time with her alone as possible, not throwing dinner parties.”

            “I’m not, I’m surrounding her with friends,” shot back Bette.

            “With your friends,” Amy snapped back.

            “You’ll be there,” said Bette.  “Look, all I want is to fill her last moments with as many memories as possible.  If that means making nice with you, that’s fine by me, if it means climbing a mountain, so be it.  I don’t care, I just want her to…  god damn it…,” cursed Bette.

            “Die happy?  Is that what you were aiming for?  Let me tell you something,” said Amy, leaning closer to Bette.  “She isn’t going to be happy unless she’s alive, at any fucking cost, but there isn’t a price to pay for curing her.”

            Bette froze, Amy didn’t know about the vampire DNA at the school, would Amy inject Jo if she knew about it?  Bette thought about telling her, but then changed her mind almost instantly.  “You can come to the house if you’d like, if not, then that is your loss.  You’ve got an open invitation to my home, for as long as Jo lives.”  Bette stood, “Tell Helena to meet me there, if you don’t want to come that is completely up to you.”

            Amy watched her walk away, biting the inside of her cheek, wondering just how many more precious hours Jo really had left.