“Piezsecki” she said into the handset.

“Alice? Can you come pick me up from my place? There’s no sense in driving if we’re both going to the same place.”

“Dana! I am NOT here at your beck and fucking call, you know. Can’t Lara take you over?” She hissed Lara’s name, but turned her car around in the direction of Dana’s house anyway.

“Jeez, what’s she done to you?” She heard Dana ask, “And Al, turn the radio down? I can barely hear you over that thing. Do you have to have it so loud?”

“I like to hear it.” Alice replied, adjusting the volume, casually ignoring the first portion of Dana’s questioning.

“Yeah, well the rest of WeHo don’t want to.”

“If you want me to pick you up, you’re going the wrong way about it, sunshine.” Alice said, coolly. Having arrived at Dana’s house, she could see the brunette sat waiting on her top step, cell phone pushed to her ear. She decided to make her friend wait a little longer before announcing her presence.

“Alice, please? I’ll owe you a favour.” Dana said, naively.

“Hmm.. you’ll do anything I want?” Alice grinned.

“Anything. Within reason. I am not going topless into a Santa booth at Christmas or anything like what you made Shane do” Dana said, fearing slightly what Alice would make her do.

“Oh, come on! Would I be that cruel?” Alice’s grin was mischievously wide as she recalled the time she made Shane strip off in front of Old Saint Nick. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll make sure it’s a good one.”

Dana reluctantly agreed, but only if Alice came to get her right this instant. Hearing Dana’s terms, she jumped out of her car and crossed the street to her friend, still holding the phone to her ear. She stood before her and said,

“Hmm.. Ok. Let’s go.”

Dana’s face fell as she realised Alice had been there for a while. She’d agreed to Alice’s ‘anything’. She was in for a treat, she thought with venom.

* * * * *

“You don’t have to be gay to be attracted to a woman, Tina.” Bette reassured her.

Bette’s heart was thumping. Tina had just admitted she’d felt something in the time she had spent in Bette’s company. Bette wanted to take both of her hands and squeeze them tight, revealing everything she’d felt that day too.

But seeing the fear in Tina’s expression; the anxiety and the insecurity, Bette couldn’t bring herself to scare her any further. It seemed all she could do is reassure her.

“Tina, look at me” She whispered gently. “You don’t need to label yourself right now. You don’t need to be gay or straight. It’s like Shane is forever telling us, ‘Sexuality is fluid’” She smiled. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you. Heaven forbid, you look frightened enough already.” Bette joked and Tina smiled before Bette continued, “But just so you know, I feel it too. You’re not alone. I am gay.. And even I haven’t felt this before.”