Tina lifted her head to look at Bette. 

“But it was dark, T…what I was feeling, that is.  It brought me face to face with something, as we were being fired upon… I didn’t quite know what it was. I still don’t. And I wanted you to stay in the light, to stay away from this…thing,” Bette tried to explain. 

“What thing, Bette?,” Tina asked, her head still resting on her arms, now turned and looking at Bette. 

“Mortality, T…. until I figured out what and why and how I was reacting to it, I wanted to …um…protect you, I guess, from whatever it was that seemed dark to me,”  Bette assumed the reflective tone she’d had earlier. 

Tina considered her further. Maybe this was the bad ol’ self that Bette had to work on.  Most likely with Dan.  Just as Tina had worked with Dan about her issues, which were partially traced back to suppressed feelings that she’d had about her mom’s cheating, Bette clearly had to work with Dan on this dark sense of foreboding she was harboring. 

She raised her head, and reached her hand out.  Bette clasped it, and smiled ruefully.  “I didn’t mean to,” she repeated, as Tina scooted back and leaned against the plush headboard, just as Bette was. 

“I was afraid, T,” Bette said, bringing Tina’s hand to her lips, again. 

“Bette, I agree it’s a good idea to talk to Dan about what happened,” Tina answered, “I hope he’ll be able to help you.  Yes, we need to get on top of something like that quickly, baby.” 

But there was something more important she wanted for them to get on top of. 

She reminded Bette, “I’m here, Bette.  Tell me what I can do to help you.”  She paused, her heart melting at the sight of her clearly troubled wife.  “It sounds like it was traumatic, honey,” Tina continued, softly. 

The blonde stroked Bette’s arm, “I know you were trying to be protective, baby.  But we asked to be one, remember?  In our vows, that we just recited to each other again just now?  We sought to bind ourselves irrevocably to one another.  That means sharing, baby.  And trusting.” 

Bette was nodding, “I know…I know, T.” 

She drew a breath, and decided to open up further, “There’s something else, Tina.”