“Your mother would assault mine with fruit?” asked Helena, for some
reason finding herself strangely appalled at the idea. “That isn’t at
all sporting!”

“Death match, Helena, hello,” said Alice in satisfied tones, peering up
at the other woman. “Whatever it takes to survive and I can tell you
now, my mom fights dirty. I’ve overheard her making personal phone
calls to tabloids when she wants to nix other actresses chances of
getting a role she’s trying out for. Hollywood has killed any moral
fiber that woman had in her body. Not that there was much to start
with,” Alice commented wryly.

“And my mother is a paragon of virtue?” asked Helena incredulously,
scoffing at the mere thought. “If your mother should attempt to bean
mine on the head with that coconut, I can already perfectly envision
her response. She would bite your mother in the most fleshy part of her
abdomen to then toss her off into the sea, hoping the blood she drew
from the bite would attract a school of sharks who would complete her
work for her with their razor sharp teeth.”

“What’s with you and sharks?” Alice questioned, recalling how the
heiress had also mentioned them earlier in the evening in regards to Leather Pants Girl.

Blushing slightly, Helena coughed and looking off to one side, she
muttered, “Wilson and Jun Ying enjoy watching the Discovery Channel and
Shark Week is by far their favorite.”

Helena felt a soft tug at her shirt collar and looking down into
Alice’s brown eyes, she saw nothing but acceptance and genuine care
reflected there. Something that made her throat tighten and her eyes
water, although she wasn’t quite sure why. It wasn’t as if Alice had
asked anything truly emotional, like she had in questioning her
popularity in school, and those years had been a painful experience to
say the least. She had only asked about sharks and her knowledge of
them and she replied it was because of her children. Maybe it was
because watching Shark Week wasn’t something that suited what many
people thought of who she should be and somehow, though she hated the
assumptions people made of her, she had become used to them. Perhaps
even comfortable in them and when she had to step out of that role they
created for her it left her scared and altogether vulnerable because it
let them see her for who she truly was. And she had just done that now
with Alice and though she believed the blonde was different than all
the others, part of her feared she would ignore that small hint. That
tiny sign she would give to the world in hopes they would notice it and
finally see.

Finally see Helena and not Helena Peabody.

Curling her hand upward to lightly rest at Helena’s neck and pulling
herself slowly upward, Alice hugged the British woman to her and
murmured in her ear, “I have Shark Week on Tivo.”

Laughing in honest disbelief and incredible joy, Helena returned the
hug and Alice sighed, melting into her. Which is how they stayed for
several minutes, holding one another and not saying a word and not
feeling the slightest need to. Leaving behind the debate of whose
mother would survive a desert island death match for another day.

To be continued…