“Sure, yeah.” Bette swiped a hand across her forehead and slid the touch screen up.

Kit, it turned out, was actually able to cheer both women up, however temporarily. The Planet’s evening event was a massive Drag Show, and planning for it had taken all of Kit and Sunset’s efforts. Shane was with them both, having been adopted by a small troupe of drag queens.

“She sounds good.” Bette shook her head, bemused at her sister’s stories.

“She sounds as though she’s in love.” Helena said. “Now, salmon is poaching and a quick sort of dirty rice is simmering. Wine?”

“Yes. And thank you.” Bette replied. “I mean really, really, thank you.”

Helena paused and nodded slightly at the acknowledgement. She usually felt so cautious around Bette, but recent events had pretty much solved that problem.

One afternoon, perhaps two weeks previously, Helena had gone to Bette’s house for a swim. The rest of their friends had bailed on the afternoon and the two women had talked a lot of things out. Bette had started with the easiest and most recent questions. “Why didn’t you come to any of my parties with Jodi? And why didn’t you introduce Tina or I to that psycho you were dating at the time?” Helena had muttered her reply, “Ummmm…I don’t know. She…I mean the person I was seeing…made me feel small, I suppose. And I didn’t want you to see me that way.” The look on Bette’s face—something like compassion, mixed perhaps with a small dose of care—had eased many of Helena’s lingering worries.

Now Bette and Helena were far more comfortable spending time together on their own, but Helena still worried about shattering their fragile peace. She was fairly certain that they were becoming friends, but forecasts could always change.

They ate dinner in amicable silence and watched the sky change colors and then finally turn a darkened shade of blue.

“If you could be a comic book character, who would you be?” Bette asked, interrupting Helena’s internal AA meeting.  A bemused smile played on her lips.

Helena thought about it. “I don’t exactly read comic books. But I’ll choose that big blue guy. I saw the film…Ummmm…Watchmen.” She noted the slur in that last sentence and reached for the water. “Ummmm…I like what he said about Mars. Would life in its essence really be better with another pipeline, another shopping mall…”