Next few weeks passed by in a blur of activity.

They dutifully attended individual therapy and couples therapy once a week. Bette worked and studied a lot. The interior renovations were almost completed at her law firm. Bette held a few more staff meetings where issues were fully addressed. Each employee was given an opportunity to ask whatever question so that it was loud and clear for everyone how the firm would function under Bette’s CEO leadership and Eva’s legal practice management.

Meanwhile, Tina continued to garden with Kate and searched the Internet for job opportunities. It turned out to be difficult for her to find a decent accounting position, because according to her new identity she had zero experience as an accountant. Under the name of Julia Pierce, she was an advertising specialist, which was a good option as well, but not as good as a prospect of coming back to accounting. On top of that, Tina didn’t know a thing about advertising.

”Another rejection,” Tina heaved a frustrated sigh at her laptop. She sat back and slumped in the chair, raising her weary gaze at Bette who had come home at a surprisingly earlier time than usual.

”What was the job?” Bette wondered nonchalantly, looking inside the refrigerator and examining the contents.

”Part-time assistant accountant at a packaging company,” Tina answered.

Popping a couple of olives in her mouth, Bette took out ham and cheese from the refrigerator. ”Why do you need that?” she asked, chewing the olives vigorously.

Tina lifted her eyebrows. ”Why do I need what?”

”A part-time job,” Bette replied lightly as she walked to a cupboard where she pulled out a loaf of bread.

”A part-time job is better than no job, don’t you think?”

Bette shrugged in an absent-minded way that annoyed Tina. ”As an assistant accountant? You deserve better.”

Tina frowned. ”Hey, I don’t expect to become head of an accounting department anytime soon. Frankly, I don’t even want to be in charge anymore. I’m fine being an assistant.”

”At a packaging company?” Bette asked then, her tone slightly belittling.

Tina glared at her dark-haired girlfriend who appeared in a rather happy mood despite the fact that Tina was obviously upset. ”What’s wrong with a packaging company?”

”Have you already decided when you’re leaving?” sounding slightly breathless, Molly wondered as she jogged beside Tina.

Tina glanced at the woman before turning her gaze to the jogging path ahead. Squinting against the bright sun rays, she replied, ”Not really.”

”Would be cool if you stayed a bit longer after the wedding and decided to spend Christmas with us,” Molly pointed out. ”Though I totally understand if you want to spend it with your family instead.”

After a moment of contemplation, Tina said, ”I really have no idea, Molls. It’s possible that I’ll stay a bit longer, but I don’t know.”

”How are things with Bette going?”

Tina shrugged. ”Nothing special. I mean, she either works or studies, so I don’t see her much.”

”Shane told me that Bette told her that you spend nights at her house.”

Smiling to herself, Tina suddenly realized how strongly Molly sometimes resembled Alice. It made Tina feel both irritated and warm inside.

”Yeah, I do. When she’s unoccupied. Which is not often,” the blonde clarified.

”Are you two having sex?”

”Molly!” Tina laughed out loud.

”What? It’s a normal question when you spend nights with your ex.”

”Well, I’ve told you that Bette and I are just friends. We sleep in separate bedrooms.”

Molly smirked. ”But friends don’t kiss friends on dance floors.”

”I can’t believe you!” Tina retorted incredulously.

Wagging her finger at Tina, Molly teased, ”That’s right. I saw you and Bette making out like two horny teenagers. Each of us saw, actually, but it seems like I’m the only one who’s calling you out on this.”

”But it happened several weeks ago and you’re calling me out just now?” Tina teased back.

”Better late than never!”

”Fine. We discussed it, Bette and I, and we concluded that it was a drunken mistake and never did it again.”

Following Tina’s explanation, Molly fell silent and Tina thought that her friend was convinced. They kept jogging.

”Do you want to have sex with her?”

”Jeez, Molly!” Tina snapped.

”What?! It’s a normal question!”

Rolling her eyes, the blonde said, ”You’re full of normal questions, I see.”

”Oh come on… If you want her in a sexual way, then why not act on it?”

”Because we are FRIENDS!”

”So what happened in LA anyway?”

Bette tensed at Tina’s question and was thankful that the blonde didn’t see her reaction. Tina had her eyes closed while she basked in the glorious sunshine. Bette wondered why Tina would want to ruin their pleasant mood to talk about the much unpleasant past.

They were spending the day together, swaying and rocking peacefully in their rented rowboat in the middle of a lake. Bette looked at the oars dangling idly from the oarlocks, which created a steady, somewhat relaxing rumbling sound. She kneaded the back of her neck with unspoken discomfort Tina’s question evoked as she contemplated her response.

Tina shifted her head against the pillow slightly, but didn’t open her eyes yet as she lay on the boat’s wooden floor. ”You don’t have to answer. Sorry.”

”No, no, it’s…” Bette hurried to dissolve Tina’s worries, although wishing she could just agree and not answer. She felt bad rejecting Tina’s curiosity. ”…It’s fine.”

”I mean… I’m asking because I remember you promised to tell me once you came to New Zealand about what happened in LA. But it’s okay if you don’t want to tell me anymore. I understand,” Tina proceeded to explain in a nonchalant manner.

”Yes, I remember my promise, so I’ll tell you,” Bette reaffirmed gently, yet a bit half-heartedly.

There was a moment of silence.

”Okay,” Tina said then, her tone indifferent as if she was no longer interested but forced to listen.

”Well…” Bette began with a sigh. ”That night when I was supposed to come home to you from Ayola’s place, I was captured by someone. Remember I told you that I felt like someone was following me around town? I thought I was just paranoid, but it turned out to be true. It turned out to be Helena.”

Tina opened her eyes and stared at the brunette.

”She wanted me to work for her,” Bette added.

Tina was frowning. ”Work for her? I thought she worked for the DEA?”

”She was a double agent. She was serving as a DEA undercover agent and at the same time was working for a major criminal organization.”

Shaking her head, Tina looked away with disdain.

”That night she threatened me to harm you and put me back to prison if I didn’t agree to work for her,” Bette continued. ”I needed to make sure you were out of her reach, so I decided to send you away to New Zealand.”

Bette admired the beautiful scenery before her as she sat on a bench at the small park in Auckland. The bench stood under a large oak tree and was facing the lake. The look in Bette’s eyes grew introspective as she began to notice how everything seemed to be different to her now. Although it had been quite some time since she had enjoyed herself like this at any park, she realized that her surroundings appeared brighter now. She found herself savoring the tranquility of the afternoon and marveling at the many things that she realized she had never paid attention to in the past, having been too troubled by her endless problems to just lose herself in the beauty of nature. The scent of green in the air coupled with the sounds of chirping birds made Bette long for peace she had never had, although was just beginning to experience it. Nowadays, her life had settled into a more stable pattern than at any time during the last fifteen years. Now, with day-to-day rhythms established, she had become more accepting of the value of therapy in helping her cope and stay well. She finally had time, energy and resources to move on to the next stage of her life.

Bette had arrived at the park half an hour earlier than Tina had specified. The blonde had texted her in the morning, saying when and where she could meet her to talk. Bette was thankful that Tina hadn’t delayed this conversation any longer. She concluded that Tina also wanted this to be done with and needed some things to be clarified once and for all. Bette knew she owned Tina an explanation, and this time she would be open to talk about anything Tina was willing to talk.

Out of the corner of her eye Bette caught the movement. She turned her head and saw Tina approaching at an unhurried pace. She was wearing sunglasses again, although it wasn’t sunny.

”Hi,” Tina said.

Bette watched her as she greeted back, ”Hi.”

Taking a seat on the bench beside Bette, but not too close to her, Tina let out a soft sigh. For a few seconds they stared elsewhere in silence. Bette then glanced at Tina, her gaze gentle and considering. There was a pause after she turned away to look ahead again before Tina glanced at her too and studied her profile for a moment. She turned away then.