You’re Still Here

Bette woke up the next morning and heard sounds in the kitchen. She wondered down to find the girls sitting around the table and Paige with Tina at the oven.
“Morning.” She greeted as she wondered in. Tina turned around and smiled.
“Morning B.”
“Now, what smells so good?” Bette asked as she walked up and put her arms around both Paige and Tina’s shoulders.
“The usual; egg’s, bacon, toast, and hash browns. Breakfast of kings.” Paige replied.
“Where are the kids?” Bette asked softly to Tina.
“Upstairs still.” Tina replied as she turned around and leant against the counter.
“Would you come and get them with me? It’s easier for two people to wake them up. Usually Ruby comes by in the morning so, she is my child round up partner.” Bette asked timidly. Tina grinned and nodded.
“Lead the way partner.” Bette smiled and winked at Tina as she turned and walked up a flight of stairs directly to their left. Tina followed Bette up the steep stairs until they reached a landing. Bette opened the door and looked in. She stood stock still as Tina found herself right behind her. Tina peered in to see four beds pressed up against each other side by side and the four occupants caught in a tangle of sheets. Tina put her arm around Bette and rested her chin in Bette’s shoulder.
“I could get used to seeing this in the morning.” Tina said softly as she slowly walked forward. Bette was wondering if her ears had deceived her and almost believed that she did until she saw Tina crawl on the first bed to reach Annie.
“Baby girl.” Tina rubbed Annie’s shoulder and upper arm. Annie slowly awoke and looked sleepily up at Tina. From Tina’s point of vision she looked no older than fifteen when she was sleepy like this.
“Ben ore mints.” Came a low muffled voice on the other side of the large children made bed. Angie lifted her head from her brother’s arm which was substituted as her pillow.
“He said ten more minutes.” As Angie finished Bette grabbed the air horn off the bedside table next to the door and blew it. Tina jumped along with the kids and Melvin fell off the bed.
“Breakfast in ten people, out of bed!!!” Bette said before she walked forward and began smothering her kids in kisses before walking back downstairs with Tina.
“I always knew you would be a good mother.” Tina stated as she made her way to the table.
“Thank you, I have to say that if my children weren’t as independent as they were when they were younger, I would have gone insane.” Bette smiled jokingly. Tasha shook her head.
“Well try having a daughter who is the exactly replica of your wife,” Tasha said as she turned and looked at Bette. “Then imagine your wife is Alice.” She added quietly.
“We heard that!!” Alice and Sarah stated.
“You are so in the dog house.” Sarah stated. Bette smirked and patted Tasha’s shoulder.
“Morning all!!” The boys yelled as they entered the kitchen. The girls followed behind and Angelica went immediately to Sarah and smiled softly. Sarah looked at Angie for a moment and then pulled her into a tight hug.
“I missed you last night.” Angelica said softly as she kissed the side of Sarah’s neck softly. Sarah smiled. Breakfast was served and everyone sat around the table and ate, talked and shared stories.
“Are you serious?” Bette said as she looked from Tina to Angelica.
“She was only around 15 and these people were treating her like the new Michael Angelo.” Tina replied. Angelica blushed.
“I like to sculpt.” Sarah started laughing at the remembrance of another memory.
“Remember the time that chick sculpted you? Ass naked Angelica. God that was funny.” Sarah giggled. Angelica looked at Sarah with a miffed expression. Bette looked at Angelica questioningly.
“Some chick had a crush on me and made a nude sculpture of me.” Bette raised her eyebrows before her laugh echoed throughout the kitchen. Dane shook his head.
“Gross.” He said as he shoveled egg into his mouth. Angelica looked at him.
“What do you mean gross?! I’m a fine lookin’ woman.” Angelica said indignantly. Bette and Tina looked at each other.
“She gets her self esteem from you by the way.” Tina said under her breath so only Bette could hear.
“I know you are sis, but still, I do not want to think about my cute little sister that way.”
“I’m not cute.” Angelica pouted. Annie shook her head. The phone rang and Annie went to get it.
“Hello?… Ohhhh yeah, I’ll get him.” Annie set the phone down and went over to the table.
“Dannneeee, it’s your boyfriend.” Dane looked up and grinned.
“He’s not my boyfriend…. Yet.” Dane stated as he walked to the living room.
“Yet!” Bette said loudly at her sons retreating figure. Tina smiled.
“Dane’s gay?” She asked. Annie smiled.
“He gets it from mom. Just like the rest of us.” Annie stated. Bette grinned and looked at Tina. The girls were looking at each other. Melvin shook his head and stood up, lifting the back of his white muscle shirt to reveal a small tattoo of a heart shaped rainbow. Annie looked over at Sarah and winked with a smug smirk. Angelica grinned and put her arm around her sister.
“Have I told you I loved you lately? Please don’t steal my girlfriend.” Angie gave Annie the puppy eyes. Annie grinned.
“We’ll see.” Annie replied.
“Oooo feisty, I like that.” Sarah winked back at Annie. Angelica shook her head but Annie patted her back.
“Don’t worry honey, your girlfriend isn’t my type. I like tough women.” Sarah just smirked as Angie shook her head and rested her chin in her palm.
“I’m doomed.” Angie stated. Helena smiled and Papi smiled at Angie.
“Little do you know how tough I can be Annie.” Angie got up and took her plate to the sink where she washed it and headed back upstairs leaving the family back down stairs.
“I think I crossed the line.” Annie stated feeling saddened seeing Angelica’s darkened features.
“No, she’ll be fine,” Tina stated. “She’s very protective of Sarah.” Sarah nodded.
“I’m a big flirt. Angie’s gotten used to it.” Sarah comforted. This made Annie feel a little better but not much. Bette saw the look on Angie’s face and knew it well. Tina was flirtatious. She remembered feeling threatened. Angie stood at the bed with her uniform in front of her. She traced the green shirt with her finger before she put it on. Her dog tags clinked against one and other. She grabbed her green cargo’s and pulled them on, tucking her green t-shirt in her pants. She put on her belt and tightened it. Angie then pulled out an elastic and pulled her hair back into a tight pony tale. She got her boots from her bag and pulled them on. Tucking the ends of her pant legs into the black leather boots. She did them up tightly and looked in the mirror. Her uniform shielded her. She walked downstairs and Bette was surprised to see her in such attire. Sarah, Tina and Annie looked at Angie worriedly. Angie grabbed her coffee without making eye contact with anyone and drank the entire cup before placing it back down on the table and walking out the door.
“My daughter is in the army?” Bette asked Tina who looked back at her. Everyone got up from the table and almost ran to the door as they heard a banging sound. They stood on the porch in awe as they saw Cruzer and Angie walk side by side out of the barn. Angie hopped up onto Cruzer with no saddle, no reigns, no nothing. She sat on the horse and looked directly at her mother Bette. They made eye contact and Bette knew she needed her time. Bette walked off the step and unleashed Blaze from his post and took off the leather rope. She hopped on his back and he sauntered over to Cruzer. Bette looked at Angie and they turned around, not headed towards the town but heading in the completely opposite direction.
“HEYA!!!” Angie yelled as she began racing into dessert and uncertainty with Bette right beside her. Sarah stood there for a minute.
“This will be good for them.” She stated before she turned and wondered back into the house and up to her parent’s room. She found her uniform and got dressed. Tasha found her in their bedroom and walked in as her daughter was putting on her boots.
“We need to work out mom.”
“Are you calling me fat?” Tasha enquired.
“No, let me rephrase that, I need to work out.”
“Now that’s better.”
“We’ll go for a run.” Tasha nodded and began to dress.
Tina stood on the porch and shook her head. Just like her mother, so personal…
“You know, when I think about it, Angelica is a lot like Bette, and Sarah is a lot like you.” Alice stated. Helena, Shane, Paige and Papi all agreed silently.
“How so?” Tina asked quietly.
“Think about it T, remember when you used to flirt with us girls when you and Bette began dating?” Shane asked as she jumped up and sat on the side railing.
“You and Dana used to just go at it at The Planet.” Alice said laughingly.
“Yeah… so?” Tina asked softly.
“Bette used to get really upset and hurt by it. And you had no clue. She was so afraid of losing you, then she would square her shoulders and say she had to go back to work for something. And did you ever notice that she was always in her power suit?” Shane asked with a raised eyebrow. Tina did notice it now that she was thinking about it.
“You see T, Angie treats her uniform the same way Bette treated her suits. Their clothes protected them.”

Bette and Angelica raced along and soon enough Angie felt relaxed. She began to slow down and Bette was right there beside her.
“How are you?” Bette asked as her daughter caught her breath.
“I’m okay.”
“Tell me what you are feeling,” Bette said strongly. “Because I know you are not just “okay”.” Angie looked at Bette and halted her horse.
“You know, sometimes I feel so close to Sarah, then I feel so afraid. I cannot lose this love, I am trying so hard to just make everything right. I’m trying to do everything so right but you know, what if she decides maybe she wants something else? What will I do then huh?” Angie was no angry again thinking about the situation. Bette looked at her daughter calmly.
“You feel like if you make one wrong move you’ll lose it all don’t you?” Angie looked at Bette surprised.
“Yes.”
“When me and your mother began seeing each other she used to flirt with my friends, and joked around about running away together. I felt like, if I wasn’t good enough for her that she would run away with someone and forget about me. But you know what? She never did. She stayed and loved me. It took a long time for me to get over the fact that she wasn’t going anywhere and she reassured me all the time that she wasn’t. Soon enough she was flirting with Auntie Shane and Auntie Alice and even Auntie Dana and I didn’t care. I was doing it even. I knew in my heart Tina wouldn’t leave me.” Angie looked at her mother with sad eyes.
“Why did you leave me…”

TBC….