And then he’d casually taken the tongs from Bette, who’d continued to regard him with awe. Tina knew Bette was trying to disguise it, but the brunette looked like she’d found the genius who could build what she wanted. He’d given Bette a quick grin and then flipped one of the steaks, “I think Tina wanted hers to be medium well, and this one looks like it’s getting there, don’t you think?”

A week earlier when it came to the discussion about the prospective trip to Hawaii, Bette had half-expected Tina to argue long and hard with Bette.  Instead, the blonde had surprised Bette by only asking a few questions.

“You’ve found something?” Tina had asked.

“Yes,” Bette had answered briefly, but hadn’t elaborated.

“Dave going with you?”

The brunette had nodded, but had said nothing further, again.

“I know that Marissa and Jules and Diane may have you on speed-dial for emergencies while I’m away, baby,” Bette said loudly now from the bathroom as she finished packing her toiletries. “But I hope you have Logan, Mark, and others on speed-dial yourself?”

“I do, Bette, don’t worry,” Tina responded. “Besides, I called Shane and invited her to stay here in our place while she works in New York over the next two weeks. So I won’t be by myself here, you know.”

Bette left the bathroom and tossed her toiletry bag into her open luggage. She exclaimed, “I was hoping that her plan to switch out her monthly schedule to allow her to stay in New York longer would work!”

Tina smiled, and leaned back again on the headboard. “Yeah. So I called her right away to invite her over as soon as I heard about it from Kit.”

Bette smiled. “Such a relief to know she’ll be here with you, T.”

“Yes … and I’ve kept her up to date with things that have been happening to our friends here. Shane’s really concerned about Diane, so I think she’ll be spending a lot of time over at the West Village, visiting with Jules and Diane. But she’ll be here to join me for dinner every night, she said,” Tina answered.

Bette nodded, “Well, that’s understandable. Diane became a close friend of hers when she started in that salon; I think she was close to Jules, too, for a while.”

Tina gave her a quick smile, “So … do keep your focus out there in Hawaii, Bette. We’ll be ok, here, really.”

Bette gave her an uncertain smile. Tina observed her and then swung her legs over the side of the bed. She stood up slowly and then walked over to Bette. She grasped her wife gently by the shoulders.

“More than ever, you’ll need all your energy to not only focus on this complex thing you’re doing but also to watch your surroundings, baby. You’re taking the next leg of this journey without much of a back-up, remember? None of us from here will be with you this time, and with Tom still recovering from the effects of the poison he was given steady dosages of…”

Bette stepped closer and gave Tina a tight hug. Tina was being so good at being strong in front of her. But she knew the blonde was deathly worried. Bette whispered, “I promised you I won’t be taking risks that I won’t need to, baby. As I told you, I’ll take five from what I’m doing, find a quiet place, and dial things down before I make any significant decisions.”

“I’m aware that there’s still an element of danger out there, and at the same time, a lot riding is on what I do from now on…”

Tina cut in softly, “Not the least being the son we’re expecting, right?”

Bette tightened her hug, smiled, and then kissed Tina’s hair, “No. Not the least of whom is my wife … my wife who is carrying our son … and caring for our daughter who is at the center of our lives.”

She began to tear up.   Tina rubbed her hands up and down Bette’s back, and then, after a few minutes, loosened her embrace, and said quietly but in a firm voice, “now you have to finish packing, baby. Dave will be here really soon, and shortly after he gets here, you’ll both have to leave for the airport, right?”

Bette sighed and stepped back, rubbing her eyes with her fingers.

She gave Tina a quick kiss and resumed packing.

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