Fan Fiction
This story has been set to a rating of PG. Age verification is required to proceed.
Keep the gallery or give it up?
Login to add story to favorites
(6 votes, average: 4.83 out of 5)You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
Kelly was served via messenger at her Malibu ‘Billionaire’s Beach’ mansion. Naturally she called her high-priced lawyer thinking she could buy her way out of the lawsuit, but the way the agreement was written money wasn’t factored in. The partner’s character, public conduct and business ethics was the collateral, all which Kelly had failed to uphold. Kelly’s inability to perform obligations and purposeful misconduct were just two situations that supported removing her.
Kelly’s lawyer had warned her against signing an agreement with such stringent morality and conduct clauses, but her ego wouldn’t allow the possibility that she couldn’t live up to them. In her mind they were inconsequential as she was sure Bette’s transgressions would overshadow hers once it was found out that she’d cheated on Tina again. But that didn’t happen. Her attempts had failed miserably, and she couldn’t defend against the charges. Kelly had no choice but to move on. She didn’t like living in Los Angeles, and without Bette there was nothing keeping her there. She conceded without a fight and gave up her equity in the company.
***
Workers were hired to clear out Kelly’s office and remove her private art collection which Bette abhorred. The five-year lease on the gallery space was renegotiated and within a few weeks the new sign displaying Porter-Bolen Arts was installed.
Kelly saved face with the media for the sudden termination of the partnership, claiming it was her decision. She said she’d grown bored with the limitations of owning a gallery. She wanted to try her hand at large scale installation art and was sponsoring Jodi Lerner and partnering with Gina Ferrer as curator.
Naturally the press wanted to make news of the fact that Kelly was joining forces with Bette’s jilted ex-girlfriend Jodi Lerner whose last installation was a personal affront called Core Value’s, and Gina Ferrer her long-time rival whom she’d beaten out of exhibits for years, most notably bringing Provocations to the CAC.
***
Learning about the collaboration between Kelly, Jodi, and Gina had Bette thinking if perhaps it wasn’t the first time for Jodi and Kelly. She picked up the phone and called Alex.
“Are you thinking that maybe they knew each other in New York before coming to Los Angeles?” Alex asked in wonderment.
“I have no idea but there is something I hadn’t considered.” Bette answered.
“What’s that?”
“The money Alex. Jodi had to have a benefactor to fund the Hammer installation. Core Values was a one-night event to honor the artist. The fact that Jodi chose to use the forum for a vindictive ‘woman scorned’ spectacle was petty and unconstructive. It was also risky for the museum to go along with it. My guess is someone with influence and by that, I mean money had to make it worth their while. If Kelly’s interest in investing in installation art is genuine, she would be familiar with Jodi Lerner as one of the leaders in that medium.”
“Which brings us back to the set-up.” Alex intones.
“Exactly. Kelly could have been Jodi’s backer for Core Values. Jodi gets her revenge and I’m forced to quit CU. Then out of the blue I run into my old college crush who happens to own a gallery in Los Angeles. She offers me a lucrative partnership; I’m sucked in and here we are. Bette Porter’s been played once again.”
“Bette that’s the last time I want to hear you say that. Remember even if you played into Kelly’s little seduction scheme it didn’t work. You came out the winner and we’re not done slaying dragons.”
Alex deployed one of the law firm’s investigators Doug Shepard to investigate any connection between Jodi and Kelly that would tie them to Core Values.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Bat,
It’s been a joy to travel with you on this creation on what happened with ol Kelly after she & Jenny tried to slay Bette with false innuendo that Bette was “once again” unfaithful toTina, when NOTHING of the sort was thought of nor carried out by our girl.
Bette has always ended up in deep do-do when she thinks she’s “in control” of a situation. Pretty much she doesnt know how to say “NO”. She hates cutting ties. From the jump, Tina has been the one to see thru pretty much any bodies shytt when it comes to someone who wants to jump Bette’s bones.
Tina is VERY AWARE that Bettes’ sexual vibes are picked up by male & female “radar” and she knows how to handle that. She knows that more often than not, Bette will UNDER-estimate the signals she is sending out and miss the “red flags of warning”.
I love your 1st page of this chapter. Bette owns up to her unwillingness to understand &heed Tina’s warnings and is willing to take extreme measures of getting out of the gallery business rather than have it cause division between her & Tina. Oh how I love Alex’s sober& prudent thinking. She really knows the law, and that Bette’s contract with Kelly is really setup to protect Bette’s investment & reputation.
And 3 wiskey shots & “hip-hip hurrah” that James faithfulness will be rewarded with the soon-to-be “Porter-Bolen Gallery”!!! Bette has come a LooonngggG way in realizing that other people are as gifted & talented, and responsible as she. And that her most trusted friends can and WILL make sound choices that will show their love/respect for her.
Lastly, I like that U’re exploring one of the questions we TLW fans have had and that is “what’s the connection btwn Jodi & Kelly”? Why are they buddies??? During the restroom scene at the Dance-A-Thon where Jodi revealed that “Kelly had told her” that Bette was “unfaithful” to Tina, we all were like WTF??? What was Kelly doing even talking to Jodi about “anything”??? So looking forward to how you write scene
Great comment, Dumplin. I agree that Alex is a terrific lawyer and a great new character. And yes x 100 to the question of how Jodie and Kelly know each other. That was a huge loose end at the end of TLW.
What I did wrong is not listen to Tina. She didn’t trust Kelly and warned me about making a snap decision, but I argued. I guess I was so eager to get back into the gallery business I got caught up and fell into her trap.”
“Babe, I just didn’t trust her around you and I was right about that, but I agree with Alex getting into the gallery business wasn’t a mistake. It’s what you love.” THIS response is Tina at her best!
1. Affectionate: “Babe” . . . .
2. Intuitive & tactful: I just didn’t TRUST HER around you . . .
3. Insightful and encouraging: I AGREE w/Alex. Getting into the gallery busi WASN’T a mistake. It’s WHAT you LOVE.
TINA understood that as long as Bette released her energy, passion, creativity & talents in a way that fulfilled and satisfied her heart/soul, Bette was also free to release the same toward her wife & children. The grass would NEVER be “greener on the other side of the fence”. She could then fulfill another life-passion and that was to be in a monogamous, intimate relationship.
DumplinT
Thank you so much for commenting and your insight into exactly what I had hoped to portray in this chapter. Both Bette and Tina are showing growth in their personal relationship and professional careers and balancing the family life. We know Bette has a tendency to overestimate herself and thinking she can control things, that are not in her control. She’s slowly learning the lesson of listening to others and accepting help and advise. I appreciate you taking the ride with me as I try to find justice for Bette for the Kelly thing. Take care and stay safe..
Thank you for these chapters. I look forward to see the rest !
HI izzie,
Thank you for reading and commenting. I’m working on the next chapter. Hope to post next week. Take care and stay safe.
Glad Kelly is out of the picture! Now let’s see if she had contact with Jodi before she came back to LA.
I love to see how Tina & Bette work together as spouses, they really mastered the communication tool.
The Porter-Bolen Gallery is a great idea, James is part of Bette and visa versa, they have such a long past and future as partners in the Gallery.
This story line is something i remember, it looks similar to something i have read before. But that happens more often because some stories are similar but different.
I look forward to the next chapter!
Bibi28
Thank you for reading and commenting. Yes, it’s familiar because I posted it before then took it down to revised it. Glad to be rid of the Kelly partnership in the gallery, and now James and Bette have a chance to make their dream come true. Bette and Tina are definitely on the same page now and looking forward to their new life in New York. We’ll see where the Jodi/Kelly storyline goes, I’m still working on figuring it out. Take care and stay safe.
Hi BAT2012
Sorry this comment is so epically long. I am catching up on my reading and find it easier to read the whole story and drop one comment rather than do it per chapter. Hope it’s not too annoying. :-)
So, I love this story because it was always ridiculous the way what happened with Marci was just dropped. The show always does this. It has no grasp of stakes. So this is an excellent point of departure from canon.
>>>“Because I’m not everyone else, and you made me a promise.” Tina answered simply.<<>>In that moment she’d shattered Tina’s long-standing belief system that she had to acquiesce to Bette’s needs and wants never expecting compromise.<<>>“One time she’d just been hitchhiking from Vegas with a couple of teenagers stoned out of their minds, but the other time she floated off in a raft boat in the Pacific Ocean and got picked up by a billionaire in his yacht and sailed off to Mexico.”<<<
This made me laugh out loud again… TLW was so soapy!
Clever twist on the meeting of Molly and Shane when Shane is buying a gift for B&T. And of course the demise of Shane’s trust in Jenny over the letter. It was always awkward, Shane’s loyalty to Jenny and so much of her (Jenny’s) behaviour was just resolved via her death, which left so many loose ends. It’s good to see these being addressed in a logical way, with an injection of both common sense and straight-up legal consequences.
I love that you have Bette making James a partner! That is so lovely, as he is such a loyal and supportive figure to her.
Okay, so now we’re on a cliffie…. Was there a conspiracy between Kelly and Jodie??? I think that’s very clever if there was. I’d have loved to see that on TLW.
Hope you can post an update at some point, but I’ll add this story to my favourites (now I worked out how to do that!) and hope to see more from you when you can.
Thanks, BAT20212! I enjoyed reading that very much
Largo
Hi again – something went a bit funny with my last comment. I think I used a character to distinguish quotes that Word Press doesn’t like! Anyway, I hope it still makes sense.
I meant to say that Tina’s line – that she’s not everyone else and B made her a promise – was really beautiful.
L