Alice had never felt this angry in her entire life. For those who knew Alices mother, Lenore, this would seem completely unimaginable, but it was true. Her anger was such that she couldnt form words! For those who knew Alice this, again, would seem pretty unlikely. Words were her thing. She was a reporter, afterall, and since she could remember, words had been her safety net and her defense mechanism. When she wanted something, she talked you into it. When everything seemed wrong, her words made people smile. And when she was angry, her words could destroy you. The fact that language seemed to desert her in such a time of need made Alice even more angry, if that was even possible at this point.

The blonde reporter seethed through lunch at The Planet, barely touching her food. She kept her head down, her messy blonde hair obscuring her face. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the edge of the table. Somewhere in the haze of rage, Alice knew that Tinas eyes were drifting to her. Alice also knew that she needed to calm down, that she was scaring the pregnant woman, but her body would not unclench. She was overwhelmed by the feeling that if she let go of the table-if she let go of her anger-she might lose herself completely and end up shooting across the restaurant like a champagne cork!

Tina, always one to try to keep things running smoothly, tried desperately to keep up a conversation with the tables third occupant, Alices longtime friend and brand new girlfriend, Dana Fairbanks. She deliberately lead Dana into an area that she would be comfortable talking about extensively-that being the tennis stars new training regimen. Still, whenever Dana seemed distracted, the good-natured mama-to-be couldnt resist throwing worried glances in the direction of the uncharacteristically silent Alice. ‘This is BAD,’ Tinas inner-monologue repeated every few minutes.

A friendly outing at their favorite caf had left the three women in several awkward positions. Tina could still see Helena flirting with her newest plaything across the restaurant; Dana had just made a dinner date with Lara-an ex-girlfriend with whom there had been absolutely no closure; and Alice sat paralyzed with jealousy and anger that her dark-haired lover had accepted Laras proposal with barely a glance in the reporters direction. Dana was now avoiding any eye contact with Alice and focusing solely on Tina. Her fingers drumming incessantly on the table and her rambling diatribe on the benefits of various exercise equipment were good indicators of Danas nervousness. All in all, Tinas plan to enjoy some good food and catch up with the new couple was a terrible flop.

As soon as the checks were paid, Alice forced herself to release her grip on the table top and made a bee-line for the door. Dana stuttered an apology to Tina and started after her girlfriend only to be distracted by a happy voice calling out from the kitchen door.

Ill see you Saturday, Dana, Lara shouted, flashing the tennis player a brilliant smile. I cant wait, she added with a little wink that was so very Lara, Danas mouth dried up.

Um…yeah. I, it was…

Tina shook her head at the scene and hurried out to find Alice. When she reached the parking lot, she noticed that the small blonde was doubled over by Tinas vehicle and appeared to hyperventilating. Reminding herself that she was due any day now and needed to limit her stress, Tina forced herself to walk at a reasonable pace, eventually arriving at Alices side. She rubbed the younger girls back for a few seconds and Alice seemed to calm down.

Its alright, honey. I know that was awkward, but I think youre overreacting a bit, cautioned Tina.

Alice looked up at her friend with slightly watery eyes and Tina thought she felt her heart break just a little.

Will you take me with you? Alice pleaded. To your apartment, the Center, wherever you need to be, just please can I go with you?

Tina bit her lip. This was worse than she imagined. She had never seen Alice so insecure. And at that point Tina realized something that Alice hadnt quite figured out yet-the reporter wasnt just angry, she was also completely terrified. Surely the quirky blonde didnt think that Dana was going to hop into bed with Lara without even discussing her feelings with Alice first! ‘Why not? Bette did.’

There was that bitter little voice, again. The last few months had been good for Tina. She really felt that she was making progress. She was doing good work at the center, had her own apartment, and seemed to be getting over the pain and anger that plagued the end of her marriage to Bette. Still, she found that nagging little voice in her head reared up when she least expected it. The voice was cold, and mean, and not at all the type of thing Tina enjoyed having running around her brain at moments like this. She wrapped her arm around Alice and sighed.

Of course, sweetie. You know Im always here for you. What about Dana, though? Didnt you come together?

Alice looked over at the tennis players Subaru and explained, Dana drove, so Im off the hook. Turning her attention toward the door of the caf, Alice saw Dana standing half-in and half-out waving goodbye to someone. Anyway, shes obviously been kept at The Planet by some unseen force, she added sarcastically and with a sense of satisfaction that her words had returned to her.


The two climbed into Tinas car, ignoring a belated cry from Dana for Alice to wait. Not wanting a scene in the middle of the road, Tina quickly maneuvered into traffic and sped away. Dana was left standing on the walk with a stricken expression and a whole heap of confusing emotions. Sadly, she crossed to her Subaru and decided to make a lonely journey to her house-a building she had seen little of since breaking up with Tonya.

TBC