Kate quickly scanned the Jewel Box from the stage as Leon played the intro. She didn't see Betty. But, it was only her second song. She could still be coming. She hoped she was still coming. Kate's part started and she began to sing. She had gotten used to singing without Betty in the audience but having her there to sing to always made it easier.

Halfway through the song, Kate saw her round the corner from the front door. She looked sad, sadder than normal. She was holding a few slightly bunched papers in her hand. Her hat was pulled low on her face and she didn't look up at the stage. She went straight to the table that had been reserved for "Friends of Kate Andrews." Kate had told the bar to bring over a beer if a blonde arrived. It was there before Betty removed her hat and spread out the papers before her.

Three songs and half a beer later, Leon decided they would take a break. Betty glanced up from her papers to the stage, but only for a moment. Kate slowly walked over and sat across from her. The waiter dropped off her wine. Betty kept her eyes fixed on the table. Kate picked of one of the brochures. It was for a house, she thought it would be.

She smiled at the picture. It was a little white house, just like the one from the newsreel. That was always had Kate pictured Betty's dream house. She was permanently conflicted about her memories about the newsreel. The preparation and the filming was wonderful. And it was the first time she told her about her dream to get a house. She even invited her to live in it with her. Kate didn't understand why she liked that idea so much then, but she was almost certain she did now.

The newsreel itself was a disaster. Well, Kate couldn't see that at the time. She did now. She knew why Betty was nervous to be drawn into the spotlight and why she was so upset by the lies that director had told about her. Kate continued to see her as a hero through the whole process. She was even more of a hero now and everything was so much more disastrous.

Kate asked her about the house and her loan. Betty explained what had happened, but Kate could barely listen. Betty looked too sad and too broken. After the newsreel, Kate was, somehow, able to say the prefect thing and help her. Now she had no idea. So, she just pleaded for her to move back to the rooming house. Maybe she could think of something to do or say later if Betty would just live across the hall from her again. But, Betty told Kate what she already knew. She needed this house.

Kate was trying to think of a reply when the waiter dropped off a tray with a note. It just said "dinner?" on it. She peered around and saw who it was from. It was the man who had said he was her biggest fan. She had just used him for free wine. She already knew who was biggest fan was and she wasn't going to leave her alone. Not now, not ever again if she could help it.

***

Betty didn't tell anyone else about what had happened at the bank. She didn't feel like anyone else needed to know. She was embarrassed and mad. But, she told Kate because she wanted her to know. She didn't need anyone else knowing. So the next morning at the smoking area, Betty was quiet as Gladys was yammering on about something. Maybe a boy? Betty wasn't really paying attention. Carol was there and she seemed to hanging on every word Gladys said. Pearl was leaning against the wall beside Betty. She was reading a newspaper and Betty was looking over her shoulder, doing the same.

When she finally looked up, Kate and the other girls who took the streetcar from the boarding house had arrived. Kate smiled at everyone, but Betty noticed there seemed to be something more in the smile she gave her. She walked up and stood beside Betty. She grabbed the cigarette from her hand, took a drag and handed it back.

"Hi, Betty," she then said.

Betty almost laughed. She always found this bold version of Kate equally humorous and intoxicating. "Hey, Kate."

The bell rang and everyone started moving inside. Kate placed her hand on Betty's arm holding her back for a moment. Once everyone was up the ramp, Kate started walking and Betty followed.

"Thank you for coming last night," Kate said.

Betty blew out the last of her cigarette smoke. "Ain't no need to be thankin' me anymore, Kate. I'm always gonna be there."

Betty looked at Kate with a face that gave off so much love, it appeared all it kept was vulnerability. It made Kate forget how to speak for moment.

"I know that," Kate replied, once her voice started working again. "I just mean with everything that happened, with what the people at the bank said to you."

"I don't care what they said," Betty lied.

"I know you do," Kate said softly. "And what I'm trying to say is that it was brave of you to still come and tell me about it."

"I don't think I'm as brave you think I am," Betty told her.

"You are, but I know you are never going to admit it," Kate leaned in and kissed her on the cheek again, just as she did outside of the blue shift locker room.

Again that kiss on the cheek left Betty with a bounce in her step and a stupid grin on her face as walked the green shift line. She knew she must have looked like one of them ladies from those romantic movies Vera used to drag her to. She would have been disgusted at herself, if she wasn't so happy.

She was planning what she was going to wear to see Kate sing that night when Gladys came out of the office.

"Hey Betts, why don't we go for lunch? Eat with blue shift?" Gladys asked with a smirk and raised eyebrows.

"Let's do it, Princess," Betty replied happily.

They were the first ones in the canteen and they sat at one of the middle tables. They were greeted happily be multiple members of blue shift as they filed in. Everyone already seemed to be gathered around their table and even more so when Marco walked in with a letter from Vera.

Everyone crowded around and listened. They were all silent in a moment of bittersweet pride once Marco finished.

Oddly, it was Ivan's wife Helen who broke the silence by suggesting they all write back to Vera then and there.

Kate chimed in her thoughts on the group letter to Vera as she was already working on a personal one to send her. She needed to thank her. She had done so much to help her with confidence on stage. She had thanked her for that before, but she never felt like it could be enough. But, what she really wanted to thank her for was what she had done for Betty. Kate was standing a few people down the table from her but she could almost feel how happy Betty was. It was the first time Betty had truly looked happy since she returned and Kate knew Vera's letter had contributed to that.

Kate felt someone staring at her and looked toward the grills and met eyes with Ivan. He didn't try to hide his gaze. She walked over to him. She wasn't going to apologize to him. There was no need for that. But, she did want to be his friend. She had never really been friends with him. She had only ever been his girlfriend. She figured if she could become friends with him, just as Betty had been, they could both put dating him behind them and he could just be a friend of theirs.

He seemed up to the idea, Kate was a little surprised. She walked away from him, turning her eyes to Betty's after she pointed out the pen on the floor. Betty smiled at her and rounded her shoulders, as if she was overcome with excitement. Kate was preparing to respond as she watched Betty's elation turn to horror and then everything went dark.