Better Together
Summary: This story pretends that there was no car accident involving Ana, Mariana and Jesus and instead focuses on Stef and Lena's problems.
Notes: There is sexual content, but nothing overly graphic.
Chapter 1
"Stef, your wife has been beating them off with a stick all night."
Stefanie Adams Foster looked up from her glass of white wine and over to her friend Beth. They were all celebrating their friends Jane and Paula's engagement at one of the more upscale bars located along the beach. Stef didn't really feel like coming, but they had been invited weeks ago. There was so much going on at home. There was also the bombshell Lena had dropped on her a few days ago.
Beth was leaned with her back against the bar, staring out into the crowd. Stef mimicked her and her eyes were immediately drawn to her wife. Lena looked beautiful and the black dress she was wearing fit her like a glove. The high heels she was wearing accentuated her already long legs.
"Seriously," Beth continued, "If my wife looked like a model, I would never leave her side in a place like this."
Stef smirked, but didn't say anything. They had met Beth a few years ago at one of Kelly and Jenna's get-togethers. Stef had immediately taken a liking to her after realizing that they both had the same naughty sense of humor and they had remained friends since.
Beth raised an eyebrow as she glanced at a silent Stef. "Wanna talk about it?" she asked, when the blonde made no move to go to her wife.
Stef trusted Beth, but she wasn't sure she should say anything. She chose to generalize instead. "We just have a lot on our plates right now with the twins' birth mom showing up pregnant and trying to make sure Callie's adoption goes through. It's been a rough few months," Stef explained before taking another sip of her wine.
It had been a while since Beth was able to catch up with Stef or Lena and, other than what she'd heard through the grapevine, she wasn't really sure what had been going on with them. "Well, this is perfect then," she smiled, trying to cheer her friend up. "You both can enjoy tonight while it lasts and deal with your problems in the morning."
Stef smiled and sat her glass on the bar. "You're right," she said as she straightened her dress. She realized that if Beth could pick up on the fact that she had barely spoken to her wife all night then others would, too. "I'll see you later," she said, squeezing her friend's hand.
Beth watched Stef make her way through the crowd and sighed. There was obviously more to the story, but she didn't want to pry. Whatever the problem was, she wished nothing but the best for Stef and Lena. She had never seen two people more in love and if Stef and Lena couldn't make it work then they were all doomed.
Lena watched as her wife made her way toward her and her heart sped up. They had barely spoken to each other over the last few days and what they had said wasn't very kind.
"Hi," she said softly as Stef got closer, surprised when she grabbed her hand.
"Let's go for a walk," Stef said before leading her outside.
Lena was nervous as they continued out to the patio. "What are we doing?" she finally asked as they found a quiet spot. She was disappointed when Stef let go of her hand.
"People were starting to notice that we weren't talking," Stef sighed as she stared out at the beach.
Lena's face fell. She thought maybe Stef was finally ready to discuss what happened. "So, you don't actually want to talk to me."
"Well, what do you expect, Lena? You kissed another woman!" Stef said as she turned around to face her wife.
"I didn't kiss her! She kissed me!" Lena defended.
"Well, you didn't stop her!" Stef yelled.
"I told you what happened," Lena said slowly, forcing herself to calm down. "Monte brought champaign to celebrate the grant…"
"Faculty drinking on a public school campus…yeah, that's professional," Stef said sarcastically as she turned back to the beach. "Be sure to tell Monte that she's doing a wonderful job as principal."
Lena stayed quiet, the sounds of the ocean and distant laughter the only noise. When she first told Stef about the kiss between her and Monte, she was heartbroken at the look of devastation on her wife's face. She felt so guilty and foolish for allowing herself to be caught in a situation that would jeopardize her marriage.
"You know, the day it happened, I was crying," Lena began, needing to explain everything to her wife whether she wanted to hear it or not.
Stef turned around and stared intently. Lena hadn't told her that part.
"I was telling Monte how worried I was about everything…the kids, adopting Ana's baby," Lena said, fighting the urge to cry again, "my marriage."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Stef asked softly, hurt, her eyes welling with tears.
Lena laughed humorlessly. "Do you know how many times I've tried, Stef? Either we're interrupted by the kids or you're off making some major decision about our family without me!" She knew Stef was angry, but she was angry, too.
"Right," Stef said, her anger flaring again. "So, once again, it's my fault. It's my fault you kissed Monte."
"I'm not saying this to blame you! I'm saying this because if we don't get it figured out, it's only going to get worse," Lena said, frustrated by her wife's failure to understand that something needed to change.
Stef sighed and looked around to see that the patio was becoming more and more crowded. "We need to get home," she said, not wanting to discuss it anymore, especially not in a public place where all of their friends could hear.
Lena took a deep breath and fought the urge to break down. She didn't want to be at the party any more than Stef did, but the thought of going home and pretending like everything was okay for the sake of the children sounded exhausting.
Later that night, Lena was in the bedroom changing her clothes and thinking about the conversation she and Stef had on the balcony. They said goodbye to Paula and Jane and few other friends before heading to the car for a silent trip home.
When they arrived, Mariana and Jesus were in the living room, watching television and talking with Ana. From the looks of it, they were all enjoying themselves. Stef had gone to check on the rest of their children while Lena chatted with the twins for a moment.
Her eyes had drifted down to Ana's very pregnant stomach and she couldn't help but think of Frankie. Ana's presence was painful for her and she didn't think Stef even noticed.
The next morning, Lena woke up late and made her way downstairs to find Stef sitting at the kitchen table alone, reading the paper.
"Good morning," Lena said softly as she looked around to see what was left for breakfast. She helped herself to a cold piece of bacon and a cup of coffee.
"Morning," Stef said softly as she watched her wife over the top of the paper.
"Where is everyone today?"
Stef laid the paper down and took her glasses off. "Brandon's hanging out with Mike. Ana needed to go run a few errands and the twins decided to help her. Jude and Callie decided to spend some time together at the mall." Lena nodded and Stef continued to watch her. She knew they needed to really talk and, with the house empty, there was no excuse not to.
"Don't forget, my mom will be here Tuesday," Lena said as she stared down into her coffee.
Stef had completely forgotten. "Um, my mom called this morning. She'll be here tomorrow."
Lena raised an eyebrow. That's just what they needed, two critical, busy body mothers to join in the chaos. "I'll be out of town this week," Lena reminded. There was a conference in L.A. for her job.
"That's right," Stef said as she rubbed her eyes. "Is there any way you can get out of it? It's pretty horrible timing," she said with a small smile attempting to keep the conversation light.
"Actually," Lena began softly, "I think it might be a good thing." She looked at her wife.
"What do you mean?" Stef asked confused. "There's so much going on right now with the kids and Ana…"
"But our moms will be here to help out," Lena said. "There's really not much we can do until the baby comes." She glanced at Stef before speaking again. "I think maybe we both need some time…just to think about things."
Stef couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You think we need a separation?" she asked, her heart pounding.
Lena sighed at her wife's tendency to overreact. "Stef, it's only for a week. I'll be back on Friday."
Stef huffed. "Lena, couples only separate when they're thinking about splitting up. I should know. I've been through it before," she said as she stood up from the table and paced over to the sink before turning around to face Lena again.
Lena shook her head and quickly squashed her wife's fears. "Stef, I love you more than anything in this world," she said as her eyes welled with tears. "But being here with Ana…it breaks my heart seeing her every day."
Stef felt awful as she watched the tears fall down her wife's face.
"I understand why you brought her here…I do…but…seeing her only reminds me of the baby I never got to hold or kiss," Lena sniffled. "I just need some time to get used to the idea of being around her every day."
"Maybe…maybe I can figure out someplace else for her to stay," Stef said softly as she moved closer to Lena, desperate to try and fix the situation. Now it was her turn to feel guilty. She remembered how much it upset Lena, knowing that Ana would get another chance at having a child when she had given up the first two. She should have been more sensitive.
"No," Lena said, shaking her head and wiping her tears. "It's, too, late. The twins wouldn't understand why we would ask her to leave and this whole situation has been confusing enough for everyone." She stood from the table and walked her coffee cup to the kitchen sink. "I'll be fine, Stef. This trip will just give me a chance to be alone and clear my mind."
Stef watched Lena make her way out of the kitchen and she couldn't help the feeling of alarm that came over her. She and Lena had built something so special and the thought of it falling apart was dreadful. Not for the first time did she wonder if adopting Ana's baby was really the right thing. She and Lena both seemed to have a calling in life to help others, especially children, but at what cost to themselves and their marriage?
To be continued...
