“Nice,” Alice said sarcastically and moved on, following the next bend
in the road, picking up the pace as much as she dared, considering the
fog now swirled around their ankles, making footing uncertain.

“Al?” Dana whispered, edging closer.

“Hmmmm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

Alice swiveled her head, taking note of the bemused look on Dana’s
face, barely visible in the dark.  “Sure, lover, ask away.”

“Ummmmm, the marbles.”

“Yeah?” Alice shot her a grin.

“Ummmmm, why did you…I mean, what were you planning on….”

Alice laughed for the first time since the lights went out.  “Training,” she grinned, with a spark of mischief in her eyes.

Dana pursed her lips, furrowed her brow as she pondered Alice’s answer
and tried to cipher just what she meant.  “I don’t think I….”

“Oh yeah,” Alice said enthusiastically.  I like to roll them
between my fingertips…” She leered at Dana.  “Strengthens my
fingers, sensitizes my touch, builds dexterity.”

Dana arched her brows and rolled her eyes.  “Welllllllll, all right,” she allowed, “but what use are they now?”

“Sheesh, Dana,” Alice sighed with exasperation, “don’t you ever watch
cop shows?”  She smacked the sock of marbles against her hand,
trying not to wince in pain.

“You really think you could smack somebody down with a sock of marbles?” Dana tried to hide the incredulity on her face.

“Sure!” Alice said.  “Don’t you remember the story of David and
Goliath.  One rock.  One.  That’s all it took.”

“Al,” Dana said in a patient voice, “that was a myth.”

“Yeah but…”

“And even if the story was true, I’m sure David’s rock was a bit bigger than a marble.”

“But…”

“AND you don’t have a slingshot,” Dana pointed out.

Alice swung the sack of marbles over her head.  “Well, I think it will do the job.”

Dana had a hard time imagining Alice hitting anyone but she decided to
let her lover have her moment of bravado.  “Ahhhh, well, maybe
you’re right,” she acquiesced with a small inconfident smile.

“Of course I am,” Alice said with just a hint of indignation, squared her shoulders and walked forward in the darkness.

Several more twists and turns and they were close to the intersecting
road they would follow to Helena’s house before Helena looked back
again, expecting to see Shane and Carmen behind her, and Bette
following at a safe but sullen distance.  She was only half
right.  Shane and Carmen were there; Bette was not.  She
stopped, grabbed Tina’s arm.  “I need to go back.”

“What?  Why?”  Tina’s brow knitted to a worried
expression.  She looked back over her shoulder and realized that
Bette wasn’t with them.  

Carmen and Shane followed their gazes, turned around.  The road
curved too sharply in too many places to see very far, but it was clear
that Bette was not in sight.  Shane gripped the tire iron and
wheeled around.

Helena reached out and gripped her shoulder.  “No.  I’ll
go.  You need to stay with the group.  You’re the only one
with a sensible weapon.  Marbles and a sock indeed!  What WAS
she thinking?”

Tina put her hands on Helena’s broad shoulders and whirled her around,
facing her down with a headshake.  “I’ll go.  This isn’t.”

“Yes,” Helena sighed softly.  “It is.  I have to do this, Tina.  It’s past time for it.”

“No,” Tina mouthed with shaky lips.

Helena nodded.  “Tina, if you go back for her, it will be the same
old thing.  She’ll expect you to make it better, and attack you
because you can’t.  Bette’s the only one who can make this any
different, and you can’t give her what she needs to do that.  I
can.”

“What’s that?” Tina asked softly, her old Carolina drawl slipping back into her voice.

“Anger,” Helena nodded solemnly.  “I can make her mad enough to stick it all the way through.”

“I don’t.”

Helena pressed her keys into Tina’s hand.  “You know the
way.  Just get them there safe.  We’ll be along shortly.”

“Both of you?”

“Both of us.”

“Promise?”

Helena carved an “X” across her chest.  “Cross my heart.”

“No dying, Helena,” Tina’s voice shook.  “Promise me that.  Nobody dies.”

Helena allowed her eyes to close, just for a moment.  “No dying,
Tina.”  She leaned down and kissed Tina lightly on the lips. 
“Now, go!’

“What’s going on back there,” Alice yelled out of the darkness.

“Bette got herself lost,” Tina yelled back.  “Helena’s going to go find her.”

Alice and Dana slid knowing glances toward either.  “Yeah. 
Right,” Alice said a little too loudly.  “Ok, well then, let’s
keep it moving.”

*****