The End or The Beginning?One by one they followed The Poisoner into the darkness of the castle entryway, the light from behind them put […]

The Past Like A SplinterOutside by the gate to the garden, Tina set up a large beach umbrella to shade Yaya, adding an extra chair for […]

Past and PresentJerry picked them up at the airport, somehow fitting in with the elusive landing area a private jet commanded, throwing a […]

Saying Hello while saying goodbyeThe pull-down ladder to the attic dropped with a finality, a creaky groan, matching how Bette felt […]

Calming the Storm WithinHuddled in her long black coat, Bette stood at the rail at the top of her ship, on the Captain’s deck. Alone, f […]

Valentines DayTina never really bought into the idea of Valentines Day. Too sappy, too forced, too commercialized. A made-up holiday. A […]

”You have got to be fucking kidding me!!”

Tina didn’t even really hear what Angie was saying, it didn’t register initially because every nerve cell in her body and every thought in her head was on Bette. […]

The light from the full moon shone through the bedroom window, shining gently on the sleeping form on the bed, covering her in softness, nighttime, whispers. It cast just enough light to turn black into blue, […]

The morning after their wedding night came softly, on tiptoes, the clouds covering enough of the rising sun to mute the light, wrapping the water in a blanket. Had they been up on the captain’s deck, they would h […]

The King stood with his arms outstretched on either side of his small, frail body, palms facing the ceiling as his seamstress finished pinning the hem of his pants. His cough was gone, his energy returned, and he […]

And so it was that Tina answered the knock on the door, receiving news from their guard, bringing happiness to her captain after waking her with kisses and gentle touches. It took a minute, Bette under a smog of […]

Since they were up all night, they got a later flight the next day, Tina finally leaving the Toronto apartment behind. The few possessions she wanted would be picked up and mailed to her in the days to come. It […]

Bette stood patiently, arms out wide as Tina stood in front of her with the straps for her knives. The boat rocked under their feet, closing the final leg of their long trip, entering the harbor before docking. […]

From Chapter two –

The stewardess brought them each a glass of chilled champagne, and Tina looked at Bette before taking her sip, unsure if this was celebratory or just a nice perk of traveling first class. B […]

Tina watched from the kitchen window over the sink as Bette did yoga by the pool. Packing the last of the kitchen supplies, she already had the boxes sealed and ready to be loaded when the moving truck came in the […]

”By order of His Majesty, King Christopher, Son of Charles IV and First of His Name…This Decree Hereby Summons Captain Elizabeth Porter to the Royal Court…. You are Hereby Commanded to appear In Person… before […]

Tina flashed her passport and boarding pass at the agent at the entrance to airport security. She sighed heavily, watching as he exit stamped “Singapore” on a new page, handing her boarding pass back to her wit […]

Waking, Tina stretched, wiggling her toes deeper under the blankets, the familiar smell of Bette’s laundry detergent filling her nose. It smelled like home. Carrie was allergic to the scented detergent, so Tina s […]

Cold rain continued to fall without reprieve. Unrelenting, merciless in it’s intent to turn the ship into a water logged vessel of pure misery. Every inch of the ship was soaked, saturated to the point where the w […]

“Babe? Bette? Babe? Where… oh, there you are. I can’t get the breast pump to work and I left the other one at work. I’ll have to nurse before we can go… is that ok? What are you doing?”

Bette’s head popped o […]