As Tina sat opposite Alice, playing with her pancakes rather than eating them, the effect of Bette’s infidelity on her life hit her.  Life for her was never going to be the same ever again.  She was on her own now, and on her own she realised that she had no real ties to keep her in L.A. anymore except for painful memories of her seven years with Bette and Bette’s wounding betrayal.  Alice was Bette’s friend originally; Shane, Dana and Marina had all become part of the group through connections with either Alice or Bette.  Tina suddenly realised that within the group she had always simply been ‘Bette’s Tina’ or part of the ‘Bette & Tina’ phenomenon that the girls liked to hold up in such awe.  She didn’t have a job, a paying job that she could survive on now that she was alone anyway, and she no longer had a home.  Tina realised then that she’d have to leave L.A.  She couldn’t start again on her own in this city knowing that Bette was still around and making a new life with someone else.  She certainly couldn’t stand being around all the people and places that only reminded her of their relationship.

Alice was watching Tina, who seemed totally lost in her own thoughts, and was trying to figure out how to deal with this mess.  Should she try and get Tina to talk about it.  Should she tell Tina what Bette said on the phone?  Or should she just try to take Tina’s mind off things?  She was still rolling through the options in her head when Tina interrupted her thoughts.

“Hey, Al.do you think I could take that bath now?”

“Sure you can T!  I’ll go get you some towels and while you’re in the tub I’ll go grab some of your stuff from.”  Alice stopped short, unsure of what to say or how to broach the subject.

Tina smiled weakly, Alice‘s discomfort while she was on the phone earlier and her reaction now only compounded for Tina what she had to do.  She loved Alice and all the girls so much, they were her family and that’s why she couldn’t get in between them.  She didn’t want to make them choose but she couldn’t comprehend being here anymore, there was nothing left here.