Fan Fiction
This story has been set to a rating of PG-13. Age verification is required to proceed.
LOCKDOWN Chapter 8: UNBURYING THE PAST – PART I
Login to add story to favorites
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)You need to be a registered member to rate this post.
Loading ...
Tina: “Bette, I can’t believe you still don’t get it…, Carrie has nothing to do with our… situation, because this comes from way back, long before we parted from each other, before the divorce.”
Bette: “okay, if it wasn’t Carrie, I guess it was me, that’s what you mean, right?”
Tina: “oh, please, don’t feel offended, Bette, you are not the one responsible for our breakdown…, it takes two to tango, I don’t think it was you or me alone; but I want to know why this happened and if you’re willing to do something about that, because I would really like to explore that possibility, to retrace our steps back in the past and find a new way…, and perhaps a better future.”
Bette: “of course I want the same, that’s why I asked you to have this conversation.”
Tina: “great, then, we both are ready for the ride.”
Bette: “sure, but to start, Tina, may you tell me, why did you leave me?”
Tina: “I had to do it, I found that big opportunity of being a TV producer to run my own show, to do what I’m good for in Toronto, and you wanted me to stay here, to give up my professional dreams, my personal space, each time we talked you were angry and asked me when I would finish what I was doing there, but then, I was just starting; and Bette, I knew you already had plans for our lives, indeed for your professional development and the future of our family; but, then you didn’t ask me what were my thoughts, my oppinion because your decisions were the ones that count, and had priority over everything else, but what about me…, and my professional dreams, they weren’t in those plans; the job ofer I received to go to work in Toronto jeopardized your schedule…, and it was you who said that we couldn’t keep having that life far away from each other…, Bette, it wasn’t easy for me, but I felt cornered, I had to choose and I did.”
Bette: “I see…, perhaps I expected too much from you; I thought you loved me enough to stay here with me.”
Tina: “Bette, you know very well it wasn’t about love, I loved and still love you very much; I could love nobody else like I have loved you, and I think I can never feel for anyone else what I felt and still feel for you; when I left you it wasn’t about love, it was about my development as a working woman, I needed my space, the same one I had to give up years ago in New York, I needed my professional life, my personal realization and it was hard for me that you didn’t understand it, you who supported women’s rights to pursue their goal, you, who always fought for what you wanted to be, you who always knew what you wanted to achieve…; okay, maybe it was my fault too…, I must recognize that most of my life I was too weak to pursue my dreams, I didn’t mature as early as you or as most women did in that matter… yeah, this was a late wake up in my life, and I was wrong hoping you would supported me, too late I realized that you wouldn’t do it, because you already had your own plans and I felt that instead of getting your support I was causing you distress and distraction from your goals, and I was suffering too, so I believed that staying away would be the best for us.”
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Well, this story is not what I expected…. These talks about Kelly’s constant pursuit of Bette and Tina knowing of the problems for years??? And the fact that Bette never discussed Jenny’s tape? This is somewhat of a surprise. And the fact that Tina was merely attracted to Carrie at the time of the divorce and Bette mentioned divorce first? Wow…. that is different. It seems that their fear of loss drove them apart. Of course, being on the backside of a career, I’m not sure that a pursuit of a career could possibly be worth the loss of a family. Finding one’s identity in one’s profession seems to be a societal norm leads to many broken relationships. It seems to be particularly true for those who are in the entertainment world where travel and long periods of absence are a part of the job description. So Tina had a choice – Bette or the job and she choose the job. Tragic really!.
I recall that the reason Bette and Tina moved to New York was because Tina had a job offer she really wanted and Bette had her part time position with Wentworth-Porter Gallery which could be managed from New York. So in order to make Bette’s life more palatable and get away from Kelly, Tina helps her find and accept a job in New York. Why would Bette keep all of this a secret? Why didn’t she go to Tina and ask for advise, devise a plan to get her away from Kelly? But she chooses to confide in Kit and continue this tortious job with Kelly. So if Kit had not told Tina, would she still be making her week long trips from New York to LA? Not a good situation for Bette Porter. She could have at least consulted with her friend and lawyer Joyce Wishnia as to her options with respect to her contract with Wentworth-Porter Gallery. Did Kelly have a copy of the tape or something? What would keep Bette in such a stressful, degrading job? Now that it is what 2 years since the divorce, why are she and Tina just now discussing this? Did Bette really believe that Tina would walk away? Well, looks like that the lack of conversation really did cause her to walk away.
And what is really bad…. they are still not talking. They potentially both be very ill in the next few days. Who will care for them? Who will care for Angie? What are their plans should that happen?
I am glad to see this chapter, and I am still worried about Carrie and her antics. Tina does not need problems at this point in her life, but it sure looks like they are coming.
Thanks for the update…..please write more soon……
Totally agree with Martha and SG. Why the weak Bette and why so many plot changes? Bette did not want the divorce. Tina did. They moved to New York for Tina’s job. Why change all of that? Tina only liked Carrie? Kit is not dead? Bette has financial problems? What is the goal? Bette is fine financially. She always has been. A secret person is paying Kit’s medical bills? How humiliating for Bette. People keeping secrets from Bette? Helena involved? Tina has known all about Kelly? Bette tolerated being tortured by Kelly for a pay check and a reference? Bette is a rock star in the art world. That’s why Kelly wanted her name. This is not Bette Porter. Not at all what I was expecting. Very condescending to Bette. Tina walking around with too many secrets!! Not healthy or fair at all. Weaves a climate of complete mistrust. Oh you mean the video? Come on Tina, really? And the timeline is all messed up. They left LA for NYC at the end of the show. One final comment – and this is not just you – so tired of the lady slayer label. I feel this was invented back in the day by Alice. It type casts Bette very unfairly. Like the camp fire scene with the serial cheater label. It was wrong then. It’s still factually wrong, Bette broke it off with Alice when she met Tina. End of lady slayer story. Why would Tina know anything about Nadia? Why should she? Tina had nothing to do with Bette’s life during that time. Or the twink in NYC. How does a one night stand factor into this story at all in any way? Is Brenda going to enter the picture? Bette has never been promiscuous. Not in any way. She is an adult. But it seems every single person she has ever had sex with is fodder used to attack her character. Used against her. Weaken her. Bette is afraid of her reputation? Bette is cowering in fear? Come on. Point of fact she has no reputation – not in reality. It was manufactured by characters in the show: Alice and Jodi. Disgruntled exes. There was Candace. Period. Any other woman is private. Can we just let that be? Finally? Seems like a lot of piling on Bette and elevating Tina – and out of the blue. Do not like Tina right now. Sorry.
Hi Billy
I agree with you Bette is a rock star, in her public and working life she is a very accomplished woman and excellent museum director, a great dean at the university, an incredible good art dealer, a good politician. But in her personal emotional life, she is weak, let me give you some examples:
-With Candace, she was weak staying with her for months (you can see that because Tina was advanced pregnant when Bette told her on the planet that she had broken with Candace, an affair that she started when Tina didn’t show pregnancy).
-With the same Tina, when she had a miscarriage and Bette was the most affected at the point that she looked for comfort out of her partnership with Tina.
-With Nadia Karella when Bette just started to work as dean of arts at the University of California (that is one of the worst things that a university professor could do, it is terrible misconduct here in the US).
-When Jodi left Bette and she had to receive help from Tina to regain Jodi’s trust (Bette was unable to do that by herself).
-When she has to break with Jodi because she loved Tina, it took her days (perhaps weeks) to tell Jodi, and she never did until Jodi found out that Bette was doing something with Tina, and then it took the whole day to break with her.
In GQ:
-when she fell for a married woman (Felicity), something that Bette always said was very wrong.
-When she has to break with Felicity, it was Dani who practically pushed her to do that.
Bette has run for mayor and that cost money, not only from her supporters but from her own pocket, and Kit was already hospitalized, requiring special treatment, all her friends want to collaborate, but Kit has a business, and Helena (the business partner friend of Bette) offered to sell the business to get the money for Kit’s treatment, on that Bette accepted, so Helena is talking with the doctor about costs of Kit’s treatment because Bette has authorized her, remember now all of them are friends.
Bette is not humiliated for all the help to her sister.
Bette is not a lady slayer, I don’t like that title either, but Bette is a little weak emotionally, she needs to be comforted when she has personal problems, and most times is there when she ended in other women’s beds.
Now, Tina has many things to confess, she has been hiding other things, then comes the second part of the conversation.
Thank you for reading and commenting, Billy, take care.
P
Hi Martha, nice to read your comment.
If Bette would come to Tina and look for advice, and if she had continued supporting Tina, this last one would still be on business and working as a movie or TV producer; perhaps Bette would be working in a museum or at a university, Maybe they would have returned to Los Angeles to live there because they both had gotten job offers there. But it doesn’t happen in that way; because Tina left and they divorced and we can have a clue about what happened when Tina told Bette:
Tina: I’m just glad that you were able to create so much space for her
Bette: of course
Tina: (suckling)
Bette: what?
Tina: nothing, that doesn’t come natural to you
Bette: what are you saying
Tina: YOU COULD NEVER DO THAT FOR ME, you just… took up so much space
Bette: you know, as long as I can remember, I’ve been able to identify what I want and I’ve been willing to pursue it Do you think I should apologize for that?
Tina: I’m not asking you to apologize, BUT I DEFINITELY PUT YOUR CAREER FIRST, YOUR FEELINGS FIRST
Bette: I never ask you to do that
Tina: you didn’t have to, everything was in your timeline, on your terms
Bette: I don’t think that’s fair
Tina: (smiling) of course you don’t because you are never wrong
Bette: look around. I am wrong all the fucking time…
Well, apparently Bette took the lead of their family as a home provider, and Tina put all Bette’s needs and career first over her own.
How did this happen, nobody knows.
I am writing my point of view about what could happen.
Now, Bette is a strong woman in public, but she is emotionally weak, it might be because of her relationship with her father, the abandonment of her mother all of that, who knows.
One thing I could believe is a hidden truth. In a relationship when you hide something then you have to hide more things later, it may be something stupid but that’s enough to break relationships.
Why Bette didn’t talk? I still remember when (in OG) Kit told her about Tina and Jodi that she (Bette) should be careful with what she was doing and Bette always said, that she had everything under control; how could she say that she was having an affair with her ex and still in a public relationship with a colleague; well that Bette in OG is the same here in this story.
But, they are still talking, all the truth has to come out, not only Bette’s hidden things but also Tina’s hidden things.
Well, the next chapter is half-written I’ll try to post soon.
Thank you very much for your comment, always very important in my stories.
P
Thanks for the reply. Please. Please. Please. I really enjoy and appreciate your writing very much. I could sit and stew about this or share with you. So, for your consideration only and nothing more: Your truth can be perceived as judgment and assumption. I believe you have made judgments about Bette. I do not agree with those judgments. For example, I never agreed with the labeling of Bette as a serial cheater or a lady slayer. In any story. Bette simply did not behave that way. A reputation as a lady slayer based upon what? One quickie with Nadia? So what? She had every right. She was a free woman. Nadia was in Graduate School. More than an adult. Tina was with Henry. Bette losing her job at CU was ludicrous. She had a good law suit against Phyllis and Jodi. Jodi should have been fired. And Phyllis enabled a hostile work environment by allowing Preston and his gossip and Jodi and her insubordination to take over. A long term relationship with Jodi who was not into monogamy and had been cheating on her? With Amy. And – Remember – Bette cheated on Jodi with Tina to get back with Tina. Both equal. No more no less. I understand that some of where you are going with your story is your opinion and your interpretation of specific dialogue. And your assumption of what those words mean. And it is Tina saying those words. Not a full blown dialogue. Not a total give and take conversation. Seconds long. I could give you an entirely different take on those very same quoted words: Tina’s insecurity about leaving Bette? Justifying leaving her? Lashing out for the sake of lashing out? Are you still seeing that woman? What was that about? More than anger at Bette? The proverbial it’s all on your time line? Tina’s passive aggressive treatment of Bette. Or Tina is just plain wrong. Pick one. Bette left a newly remodeled home and moved to New York for Tina. And we have nothing to fill in the ten year time gap other than these few bits of ambiguous one sided dialogue. Again – Bette did not ask for the divorce and Kit is dead and Tina is marrying Carrie. Yet you have chosen to discard these facts and have based your story on bits and pieces of dialogue. You are molding and shaping and bending and changing. I do not happen to see Bette as weak. You seem to want to mold her into being a weak person. Bette ran for Mayor!!! We don’t know what it cost her monetarily. Could have been political donations. It’s an unknown. That Bette is not stupid is known. She would not risk everything. Bette owned part of the Planet. She owned art. She had known assets. And remember – Kit was very hard on Bette. That is 100 percent borne out in the OG. At the Pink Ride Kit condemned Bette for wanting to go back to Tina while at the wrap party a drew days later she swooned and said they had always belonged together. This is what the fans dealt with. Sticking with the Pink Ride- Alice verbally attacked Bette for being a cheater with no back up from the others. It was based on her own hurt feelings. Nothing more. Terrible inconsistent writing. Bette is not weak. Bette loves Tina beyond measure. There is a difference. Bette moved to New York for Tina’s job. This is known. Bette had a job with Kelly. Why do you give Bette financial and harassment problems? Based on what? Assumptions. I really like your story a lot – it is only this portion of this chapter. I guess I am thinking that making assumptions and changing canon and resorting to apparently tends to also make stories break down. Tina only liking Carrie is a huge change. Bette asking for the divorce simply does not work. Kit being alive? Why? Lastly, it is not fair to diminish Tina’s actions while increasing Bettes reactions. Hope this makes sense. Circular file is more than acceptable. Stay safe.
Billy, I never thought that Bette was a serial cheater, I always thought she was emotionally weak, and that led to other things that people interpreted as cheating, well maybe at some point something looked up as cheating, No, for me definitely she wasn’t a cheater, I may say she perhaps was something like an abused child, but I don’t wanna talk about those psychological details.
Tina has made many mistakes, like many women, trying to find someone strong to take her out of her fears, especially when she felt more vulnerable.
I won’t dismiss anybody, but I think I must understand what we are.
P
P…..
If Kit is not dead, I am assuming that you are changing the canons of the story. I just do not know which ones until they are revealed in the story. Therefore, I do not know if the above referenced conversation happened or not. Also I view this as an emotional response put out by Tina to defend her actions – why she left and why she didn’t attend Kit’s funeral. Since it was such an emotional outburst, I do not accept this as the truth. Only her rationalization of her own behavior. If there were some follow-up conversation in which Bette said “Hey, you’re right, I did all those things and I don’t blame you for leaving. I would have left too.” Then I would accept that they agreed on what broke them up. But Tina has a history of doing things and saying things and then coming back and saying – I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. Was that the case here? Besides, that conversation is not in your story, so I simply cannot assume it happened. Based on your story, this is the first time they are sitting down to talk about what happened…. In fact it appears to be the first time they are talking about a lot of things – Kelly, why Tina left, motivation for getting a divorce.
Generally speaking, when a story varies from cannon significantly as in Kit is still alive, well then I look to it as a stand alone story. If its not in the story, as far as I am concerned, it did not happen. I cannot know what a writer intends until it is revealed in the story. If the story is based upon cannon, they they must observe and be true to that cannon. However, we the readers do not always have the same perception of the character or events in the same manner even if writer is following cannon.
Thank you for your response.
Martha, I posted in Lockdown – Chapter 3 – closure or what…? I posted in the author’s notes: “I can’t accept the death of Kit Porter, so in this story, she isn’t dead.”
It is not in this chapter that she resurrected.
I don’t follow the cannons of the show; I only analyze the conversations and the patterns of the TV story,
I am sorry, I am not good to follow the shows and their scenes as they are. I like to analyze them and bring alternative outcomes, but I realize that most of you think I am writing the show; I am sorry again, I’m not; I am writing an alternative story using the patterns of the show and their characters.
One of the reasons I’m doing that is to have my peace about the catastrophic TIBETTE events in Season I of GQ.
The other is because I don’t like Marja and her people’s production, scripts, and edition of the show. To my is challenging to find an alternative outcome to their story.
Of course, nobody knows what a writer is going to put in their stories. Each writer has a very different point of view.
Thank you again for your comments, they are very enlightening for me.
P
Thanks for posting, like the way the flashbacks move the story.
Don’t like how weak Bette appears and interested to see how the story develops.
Please post again soon.
Stay safe
SG
Hi, my friend, happy to read your comment.
Yes, I think Bette is weak, not as a public figure or in her job, I think she is emotionally weak, of course, we don’t like that, she was supposed to mature at the end of OG; but she comes here to GQ, with some of the emotional weakness she already had surmounted 10 years ago (I hate Marja for that).
Thank you very much for your comment. I hope I will post soon
P
Slept on it and sadly discovered this is NOT a dream. Trying to make sense of this. Have been imagining our Tina in the clutches of Betty Rubble. Think I had night terrors, Rereading some recent chapters. Self soothing.
I’d be pissed if someone was talking about my family’s healthcare and financial obligations. It’s a HIPPA (Health Insurance and Accountability Act) violation and a $10,000 fine. HIPPA is a federal law.
I’m worried about the chaos Carrie will cause. I hope they served Carrie a restraining order too. She’s dangerous.
When did Bette lose her strength and fight? Bette and Tina never seem to talk and come to a comprise about personal and professional growth. Sad really.
Hi, Deanna:
I agree with you, but here it wasn’t any violations, Helena is a business partner and Bette already authorized her to sell Kit’s part on those businesses to pay for the expensive treatment.
Look, medical bills out of your insurances are very very expensive, I’m telling you by experience,
Carrie is dangerous I concord.
Bette is strong when is about her job and her public image, but emotionally she is a little weak and Tina is the love of her life as she is the love of Tina, why they didn’t talk? In my mind, they did it after we moved to New York, in my parallel story that I already threw in the trash, they were fine and happy fighting together to help others.
But this is another story, for which I want to find an explanation, and I think this is a possible scenario, in which I won’t accept is the death of Kit.
Thank you very much for your comment, I’ll post soon.
P
Hi proteonomics,
Great to see a update from you! Sorry to hear you are so busy.
I am not sure what to write and after reading Martha’s and Billy’s comment i must admit i agree with them.
It surprised me Bette was the one who mentioned divorce as first and it pains me that Tina choose her career instead to stay, i understand her wish to take that oppertunity but leaving her family over it, especially when Bette agreed to move with her to NY after she got that job offer ten years ago.
It is one big mess and the biggest reason is communication on both sides, and i do feel Tina blames Bette to much while Tina played a big part in it too. When she heard from Kit what happened with Bette everytime she got to LA, she could have sit Bette down, she knew that Bette would be scared and thought Tina would walk away when she knew the truth about Kelly. Both made mistakes and blaming each other is not the way to solve it.
I don’t like this Tina, i said it before, it is hard to warm up to her. And i agree, this Bette seems so weak.
I know you try to fill the holes that GenQ left us with and i admire you for that, but i find it sometimes hard to believe that this is what broke them up. Let’s blame the writers from the show!
Although I have questions or comments about how you tell this story, I would like to know how this ends !!!
Take care of yourself and stay save and healthy!
It gives me no pleasure to feel this way. I really like this story. But I cannot make sense of the portion of the chapter that deals with the Bette and Tina relationship. I blame the series writers as well. And I cannot warm to this Tina either. Plus Bette was never weak. She ran for Mayor!!! Bette didn’t ask for the divorce. Tina did not attend the funeral as she needed space. If Bette had asked for the divorce Tina should have been able to attend the funeral. And Bette would not have chastised her for not attending. Saying I thought you were my family. Telling Shane that Tina had fallen in love with someone else. Having Kit alive and Tina only liking Carrie – taking out major plot points – and changing the story – is I am sad to say a real house of cards. Be safe!
Hi, my friend
I understand the points of view of all of you,
I thought it was appropriate for Bette to be the first to mention divorce because it hurt her feelings and pride that Tina tells her about being attracted by another woman. Now, why Tina did that? That will be in the next chapter (now I’m not sure of anything).
I’m not surprised that Tina chose to leave her family after dedicating the last 8 years to take care of her child and her wife (as a housewife) by giving up her career as a producer, because she put everybody else needs in the first place. What bothers me is that she did it when Angie was still in high school, she could wait a couple of years, of course, the opportunity that she had was very important.
Now, if I remember in OG, Tina came from New York Telling Bette that she had an offer to work there and it was Bette who told her to accept it, Bette also told Kit in season 6 episode 8:
‘I’m so ready to get out of here, I’m so tired of everyone being all up in everybody else’s business… I want Jenny Schecter to mind her own fucking business…’
The way I see, Bette was ready to leave L.A. because of all that happened here (Jenny’s video, Kelly telling Jodi that Bette has cheated on Tina with her) she wanted to go to New York not (or not only) for Tina’s job, but for herself.
I don’t think Tina blames Bette, I think Tina blames herself for most things that happened. Nobody told her to resign from her job, but she did; nobody told her to put Bette’s needs in the first place, but she did. Why Tina did all that? Love? Wanted to be a martyr? Tina should talk about that.
The moral of the fable = If Tina gave up her dreams for her wife that is her problem, to the hell with her, right? She has nothing to blame on Bette? Even when it sounds unfair, it is what it is. Don’t do any for the person that you love if you expect retribution.
Yes, Tina played a big part in this mess.
Bette is emotionally weak, I concord.
I would like to know how this story may end too.
Thank you, my friend, for your comments, your loyalty, and your support.
.P
Where do you get that Tina quit her job? That is nowhere in the series. She did not give up her dreams. Carrie came about after the divorce. Martha is correct, You are mixing canon with your own thoughts. Bette did not ask for a divorce. These events did not happen.
Billy:
You are totally right, Almost all that is written in this story is not in the show.
What is in not my thoughts is what comes from the show, and it is what I use to write this story.
What comes from the shows is:
All OG, the 6 seasons,
Then TIBETTE goes through a dark tunnel and landed in GQ
From a happy couple with a daughter in OG show now we have a divorced TIBETTE and a grown Angie.
What happened in the dark tunnel? Nobody knows.
I don’t know, so, I write this story to imagine what could happen. Most of this written here is not in the show but I am using what happened in the show, the dialogs, and the canon to create this story,
What is written here is my version of what could happen.
Where did I get that Tina left her job for Bette?
That occurred to me from the short conversation between Tina and Bette in Bette’s kitchen in Season 1 episode 6 of GQ. and In the fact that they are no longer in New York but in L.A. and Tina is in Canada.
In chapter 3 of this story, I did a modification with respect to the show (I explain that in Author’s note), I assumed that Kit didn’t die in an accident, I assumed that she had an overdose and is hospitalized in a coma.
If two days ago they announced that Carrie is a lawyer, as it is in my story is a coincidence. I put Carrie as a lawyer after making a small survey on FB; however, the Carrie in my story for sure will be totally different than the one in the show.
I am so sorry if you all thought I was writing the show. No, I’m not, I don’t like GQ, I watched only what I was interested in, which is TIBETTE, I’m very mad about what they did with TIBETTE, I have hopes that things would change if we keep pushing for that in social media.
Thank you, Billy, for your questions, now I can see the confusion about this story on many of you.
P
Totally got it! Thank Martha. She cleared my cob webs. Write on my lady!! It’s your story,
Hey P,
Thanks for the update.
Gotta say though that it is a bit confusing. Lots going on & a bit out of character for both Bette & Tina as we know them.
Am looking forward to see what comes next & can they fix this.
Stay safe.
Collins
Hi, my friend:
Yes, it looks like there is a bit of confusion,
Let’s see if things could get clear soon.
Thanks for your comment.
P