Fan Fiction
This story has been set to a rating of PG-13. Age verification is required to proceed.
A Long Walk – 5
Bette looked at her. "That makes it much clearer now, doesn’t it?"
"What?"
"You want to know why I’m not dating anyone?"
Tina nodded.
"They might hurt me, the way you did."
"I don’t think that’s possible."
"No, it is," Bette corrected. "And I can’t let that happen."
Tina quietly regarded her.
"I don’t want them to last," Bette admitted. "I try to love them, to make it matter, but a part of me won’t let it happen."
"Why?"
"Because there’s no passion." Bette said conclusively. "I’m practically looking for a way out even before the relationship even starts."
Tina knew that even if Bette didn’t say it, she had done this to Bette. Even if it wasn’t completely true, she had a big part in this.
"I go out with women, and they come with a built-in expiry date." Bette continued.
"What do you mean?" Tina inquired, leading the way on the path.
"I mean, I meet them, and they interest me, but I get bored easily. It’s as if from the very beginning of the relationship, I don’t…." Bette let her voice trail off, not wanting to voice out something she’s always suspected about her actions, but never really said out loud. If women lasted, they might replace Tina. In her heart, in her soul.
Tina looked at her, concerned.
Bette lowered her gaze. "Then, I have these dreams."
"What dreams?"
"Oh," Bette took a deep breath, a small blush creeping into her cheeks. "Dreams."
Tina found the blush both adorable and disconcerting. Bette Porter never blushed, and this was an interesting development.
"I have these dreams, where I’m lying beside you, and we’re naked, and you’re pregnant with our child." Bette said quietly, her gaze still on the ground. "And I’m watching you sleep, I want so much to touch you but I know that when I do I’ll wake up, so I don’t."
Tina studied the woman whom her daughter would likely resemble when she grew up.
"But I touch you anyway." Bette admitted, smiling to herself. "I touch you, and I wake up."
Tina watched as Bette lifted her gaze, but avoided looking at Tina.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.

oh you tease…please do not just leve this here. i love your writing; glad Chandelier will be back soon, am hanging out. thanks for sharing your gift for sensitive storytelling.
1st!!! brb
ok 2nd, but anyway.. That was an awesome chapter!!! during the past few days(ok, not so few) I’ve been reading all of your stories and I must say, they are… AMAZING!!! The way you portrait B&T… This is the real deal, I say… Post soon!!!
OH COME ON NOW
this was great! was this the end?
im gonna have to go on record and say that you are probably queen of cliffhangers
The ‘dreams’ bit was so very touching. I wonder, after reading your posts, why ‘your’ icon doesn’t display reference to repeated recognition of your gift with words. Admittedly, I’m not sure how the whole thing works exactly but ‘3 Time’ sounds about right to me. Regardless, thank you tiff_duke for sharing.
tbc?
Another great one.
pls no dun leave us like tht its not nice to leave us in a cliffhangeru are sucha tease…u know you have us hooked on post soon will ya:)
This was so, so, so good.
I wonder how many ounces, or even pounds, they shed from that walk? I’m sure they wore themselves out and worked up a bit of a sweat.
Amazingly beautiful!!! They’ve found each other again and get not just a 2nd chance at love but a 2nd chance at 1st love. Thank you.
I am at a loss for words to describe how wonderful and luminous your storytelling is. Your dialogue is fucking amazing. IC should have you write for the show. It far outstrips the dialogue on TLW.
fucking fantastic!!!
Oh man. That was an awesome story. Glad Chandelier will be back, but I’m hoping this might make a return at some point. Guess I gotta go to rent a couple of movies to find out. Thanks.
My heart is beating wildly thinking of a way to wake Bette up so that she would not let Tina walk away agian. Luckily Bette put a stop to Tina leaving. I can not wait for the next chapter to hear what Bette’s response. You have a way of always leaving us hanging when it is Bette’s turn to say something.
Excellent, excellent, excellent. The ending is perfect.
I understand and can even appreciate why you ended the story the way you did, but I can’t help feel a bit cheated. And somehow, I felt the shoes were going to come back to tell part of the story, not literally…I know your five thing, but perhaps you can do a five, part two, clean things up a bit, like they moved back to LA and the friends reactions…stuff like that…well, as always, thank you for your time and effort in an excellent story!
I so love this story. Thank you Please Post Soon
leavin us here huh..? Dang. Always love readin your story,love it! This should be the b&t i always believe. way cool!
OH COME ON!!!!!!!!NO FAIR!!!!!!! Don’t leave us hangin :-(. This is one of the bestest stories i’v been followin.Ur one heck of a writer.
Ahhh *pure bliss voice* thank you
wow. that chapter was amazing. i was practically in tears reading Tina’s whole “I made you weak” speech. and then there was the borderline devastation when I thought they were gonna go their separate ways. and of course the sheer exhuberance from tina’s confession. man, you are gooooooood!!
Tiff,Tiff,Tiff. We could fill in the blanks, but what fun would there be in that. I cannot believe you got me on the edge of my chair again and left me hanging. Come on, we need a bit more on this, you know let us read it, please.
Damn so amazing and emotional!!!!!!!
one more thing…was this the end for the whole story or just a chapter? maybe i misunderstood your comments but either way – wonderful story and great chapter
after watching the movies i can see why you ended this story here and it seems perfect but part of me still wishes for just one more chapter….and then one more and then maybe another because this is brilliant writing, i can’t stop praising your dialogs because their are the best…if this story seriously ended then i need Chandelier back as soon as possible to fill the void
OH REALLY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!, COME ON, get beyond this cliffie. I want Bette to pull her back and kiss her so hard her shoes fly off her feet, or she faints or something Please do that. It has to be something dramatic to overide or match that very heartfelt and emotional outburst she just gave to Bette. I LOVE THE WAY YOU TELL A STORY, especially this one. Please post soon, I must know what Bette does, and she had better the hell kiss Tina, so Tina will melt in her arms. This is what we have been waiting for. Pleaselet it happen. Thanks for the story. WE LOVE IT.
You are doing pretty darn good on this story my Friends. Tina seems to br coming around to the Tina we all love. Bette is still so in love with Tina it makes your heart hurt. QUEEN OF THE CLIFF HANGERS Thanks so much for posting
my friend passed me the two movies donkey months ago and they’ve been sitting on the shelf ever since. finally, i watched them two nights ago. largely due to the need to know/catch a hint of where you’ll be getting to for this story. i love the movies. and i think your ending (if i understood correctly what you meant) is perfect. sometimes it is more beautiful to imagine what it could be than to be explicitly presented. tiff_duke, in no ways am i saying i’m tired of your writing. like the next person, i can’t wait to see your next post grace my computer’s screen :) see you soon!
wait wait..ur not leavin it here r u
Wait a minute! (still digesting the ENDING)….(1 min past) OH MAN, you are good! Sometimes I like movies with the open ending, just like this one. Love the dialogue, love the style of your writing, They just brilliant. Cheers mate :)
Although I think this chapter is amazing, I somehow know Amazing doesn’t do this chapter, story or your writing justice. Please post soon!
Please – at least one more chapter! Wonderful story.
amazing as always.. but please don’t leave it there, my imagination’s not what it was and i need a few more chapters to really put the chapter together!! please please please.x.x.
OMG! Tiff you are going to give me a heartattack….I love how you have b & t reacting to each other.
OMG this cant be the end??? PLEASEEEEEEEEE! *does puppydogeyes*
Tiff, you have got to come back with this story, there is so much more that can be written, it has been a wonderful read, your Tina and Bette are just mmm, you write them so well. It would be even more amazing if you were to write a Tina and Bette beginning, you are so in sync with these two characters, mull it over, please! Thanks for taking the time and for sharing your stories.
I loved the ending.. You’re tiff_duke, sure we know what happens next.. ;) I’ll take anything from you as long as you’re writing B&T.. Thank you..
Thank you.
Love this story!! Really like were it’s going…. post soon!
Well, they sure covered a lot of ground in one walk, er, conversation.
Beautiful story and beautiful ending. There are conflicting parts within my heart to have it end there and parts that want this to go on and on and on. Looking forward to your next posting, whatever that is, Chandelier or another… Thanks.
I enjoyed the ambiguous ending – you gave us such a rich filling – it was a hopeful conclusion. Yay! to you.
this is so fucking romantic – and the part about the dreams was beautiful – and if you leave this hear I will come find you and it will be a Bette Porterish confrontation with lots and lots of expletives.
Consitantly wonderful!! Thanks!
Damn you! Damn you for that ending! It was great!!!!!!!!!! ….It’s obvious that neither of them will ever be content with anyone else. They were meant for each other. Thank you.
Amazing! wonderful! Tina love so much Bette and she is determined to recover the love of her life!
omg what were you thinking stopping there well shit this story is so awesome i love how B&T are talking and not fighting for the first time in a long time. plz keep going with this i cant wait for the next chapter thanx so much for the post
I love this ending and we all know Bette will always give them another chance as long as Tina wants. I like this Tina who could open up freely.
oh, come on! such a great chapter. i hate to get my hopes up for the next one! don’t want to be disappointed! loving this story, and glad to hear the other will return next week!
this is great! just great! i can’t wait to read more! you’re an amazing writer with skills! i love your stories, how they flow, the wittiness, how the characters just come together with such ease – i’m sitting here trying to find the words to express how much i enjoy reading your stories but they don’t do them justice! please continue to post and post again soon! =)
You can’t stop here now, you’re such a tease…..
Oh! you can´t leave this here….please post soon…
SO FREAKIN’ GOOD.
oh my god … excellent …
I just caught up with your writing after four months away from FF, and I have to say, your writing moves me. This might not sound like a complimentwhen I say it, but it is, I sometimes feel psysically ill when I read your stories.I feel all the emotions of T&B whenever you describe them, that is truly great writing. And it is always a bonus, when the story is getting B&T back together again in a credible way. So, thank you and keep up the happy endings:-)
I love all of your stories, and I’m kinda sad that we haven’t had an update from this story. I like the way it just flows. I hope you continue this story as well as Chandelier.
i musta read this story 10x and every time, it always give me the same exact feeling. mayn, i wish u did write a sequel but i also understand that leaving it alone is also what makes the story great. ah will u try to write another BT story, i love ur writings.
This story just blew me away. And reading it now, two years after season 5, just makes that hand grab poetically prescient. Brava, tiff_duke.