Dust Settling

It would have been disgraceful to leave Lena in such a despicable mess, but Brandon was getting restless. This was the reason Stef had called Charlie Dimon, or as he was called by all of his cop buddies, "C. Danger." He was Mike's best friend, and he was going to pick Mike up and take him somewhere, hell, anywhere besides right here, right now. There was a long lull of silence in the room, with Lena trying desperately to sort through the mess of her family. Zoe had graciously taking Brandon back to the beach, which was probably more of a benefit to her than to the little boy. The fact that she was emotionally crush was not loss on Stef, but neither was the fact that the girl didn't seem intent on believing anything that Rashida had said.

"Where's Mike?" Charlie asked standing over Stef. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even noticed Charlie coming in. Charlie was a short round man, with no hair at the top of his head and dark blue eyes.

"He's on the patio, getting some air," Stef answered. Charlie had never really liked Stef; she was too strong willed, even in the beginning and now with this whole "lesbian" thing, the sight of her sickened him.

Charlie looked around for a moment, "Not much of a party…" he noted looking at the elaborate decorations but the empty room. He smiled smugly and shrugged, "Well…where is the bitch you left Mike for?"

Stef was grateful that Brandon wasn't in the room. Mike and his friends had a reputation of being chauvinistic pigs, no pun intended, but Charlie had a way of outright offending most people. This fact made him happy, a reputation of meanness and spitefulness gave this idiot pride. He starred around the room until he finally landed on Lena and Rashida talking. Since they were the only two people in Stef's age range, he ran with his assumption. "Oh, and black too?" he questioned. "A black dyke…where do you find them Stef!" he laughed heartily as if he had just told a great joke.

Stef opened her mouth to say something, but Lena coming across the room stopped her. "Stef, is he here to pick up Mike?" she questioned innocently. "It's getting late and this night has been a bit much…"

"So you are the bitch that ruined my friend's marriage," Charlie asked with the same smug smile as before. "I didn't expect you to be black, but I should have assumed as much…as much as you people like to screw up lives…"

"Excuse me…" Lena said, shock registering intensely on her face.

Charlie put his hands in the air as if to surrender, "I'm not trying to offend…you are very beautiful you know…Perhaps you, Stef and me…" he began to laugh again. "I bet you two in bed…"

Before he had time to complete the statement Lena smacked the words out of his mouth. It was the first time Stef had seen Lena truly furious. "You bastard!" she spat in contempt.

Charlie rubbed his struck cheek and breathed in deeply. "I told Mike he must be insane, wanting you now Stef, after you've been with …" he looked at Lena and cringed, "But he insisted. He had to find you and Brandon today. He knows you and….this is going to try to shut him out of his son's life. But he or I won't let that happen, because you are revolting Stef…you and this new problem of yours!"

"Charlie you bastard! No one is going to keep Mike from Brandon if he behaves properly," Stef explained through gritted teeth.

"Behaves properly…coming from you, Stef?" Charlie threw his head back and laughed over dramatically. "If my wife had left me for another woman," he turned and looked at Lena, "I would have killed them both…there is nothing worse than when people don't know their places."

"What's going on here?" Dana asked making her way over. She had overheard bits and pieces of the conversation and what she was picking up on, was troubling to her.

"Mike's friend was giving us a run down on how things should work in the world," Lena said crossing her arms across her chest defiantly.

"Well then please, go on," Dana offered, patiently waiting for Charlie to continue.

Charlie was stunned for a moment, but shook this feeling off quickly. "I was just telling these two how disgusting they are…and now, trying to take Brandon from Mike."

"Disgusting for what?" Dana questioned as if she had no idea what he was talking about. "Oh…you mean being in love?" Dana answered her own question. "And when did Stef say she was going to keep Brandon from Mike? Not even when he crashed my daughter's party has Stef or Lena for that matter, been anything more than patient and caring for Mike. It's more than I would have been, but let's face it, I'm not as gracious as either of these women."

"That's why he had to come here…to make sure Stef didn't try any shit!" Charlie raised his voice. "He told me everything, you know," he said turning to Stef. "About fishing today and how you threatened him. He told me you were gonna take him…that's why I told him to hunt you down and get his son! If my wife was dragging my kids around people like you… Listen, just let me take Mike home and get the hell away from you all. Just remember this, Stef…you will never be hard to find…" he brushed past Stef and paused to whisper, "you weren't today…" He made his way to the patio and helped Mike up and then led him down the patio and around the side of the building.

"Is that the type of people you deal with every day?" Dana questioned holding her breath for a moment. She wanted to be harsher, but a person like Charlie wouldn't have understood harshness the way he understood cool indifference to his behavior.

Lena threaded Stef's fingers with her. "No, they aren't all like that," Stef admitted a bit embarrassed and a lot ashamed. "It's a mixed bag."

"It always is, honey," Dana said kindly. "Well, I should probably find your father, Lena."

"Mom…thank you," Lena said calmly. For all Dana Adam's fault, she was not a person to let anyone be marginalized by bigots.

"May I ask you a question, Dana?" Stef asked. Dana shrugged but waited, "Why is it so easy for you to accept that your daughters are gay?" It wasn't a question that Stef assume she would be asking anyone, especially her new girlfriend's mother, but it was what she wanted to know.

"It's not something I have to accept, honey. Lena and Taylor are gay like they have brown eyes and curly hair," she smiled for a second thinking about her beautiful daughters. "I never wanted my daughters to be ashamed of anything, so when Lena and later Taylor came to me and told me she was gay, I was proud of them. I'm always proud of them," a flash of sadness crossed her face and Dana turned away.

"Mom…" Lena said softly, but the words were already loss.

"I'm going to find your father and head back to the hotel…it's been a long day…"

"She knows she's wrong about Taylor," Lena said watching her mother cross the room. "Now if I could just get Taylor to listen to her…once she's made up her mind, she's so difficult."

"What are you going to do with Rashida?" Stef questioned.

"I just CAN NOT with Rashida right now…" Lena huffed looking toward the ceiling. "It's just too much."

"I'm sorry, love…for making this day even a second more difficult."

"Stefanie, you're not doing anything," Lena promised. "Mike is afraid…afraid of losing you and losing his son…I'm not absolving him of his behaviors, but I don't think he's as horrible a person as he's acting. I don't think you would ever marry a monster."

"I love you so much, Lena," Stef said resting her head on Lena's. "I was thinking, that maybe I could go home and get Brandon ready for bed and then you could come spend the night with me. I know it's a lot to ask but…"

"Yes…I'll spend the night with you tonight," Lena responded quickly, not caring about the chaos that was swirling around her; just about her and Stef.

Brandon squealed as the water rushed through his toes and just above his tiny ankles. He looked over at Taylor and laughed as she squealed also from the warmth of the water on her feet. It was hard to watch her smile, be happy, when all that was running through Zoe's mind was the fact that she had kissed Rashida minutes earlier. But that didn't seem to register to Taylor as she lifted Brandon and swung him just above the splashing water. He swung above the water a few times and then allowed Taylor to put him down in the wet sand.

"It feels funny," he laughed stomping through the wet sand. He took off running and Taylor followed him slightly behind. Zoe raised her hands over her head and took a deep breath in, inhaling the cool salty air wafting off of the water. Brandon came back to her, and stopped in front of Zoe, almost out of breath.

"Zoe, you aren't having fun," his tiny lip dropped.

"But you and Taylor are having fun," Zoe managed to smile. "That's all that matters." Brandon thought about it for a moment and didn't seemed too pleased with the answer.

"Brandon…Brandon…" Stef called in the distance. He turned to his mother's voice and frowned.

"I think I gotta go," he told Zoe.

"Well, let me help you put shoes back on," Zoe offered smiling. She helped Brandon slide his tiny loafers on and as he turned to head back he stopped.

"Am I gonna see you tomorrow?" he asked to both Taylor and Zoe.

"I don't know, honey," Zoe answered as all three of them headed towards Stef.

"I hope so," Brandon said taking his mother's hand. "Bye," he turned and waved to Taylor and Zoe.

"Thanks again, Zoe," Stef said. "It was so nice meeting you both. I hope it's not the last time I'll get to see you two," she almost waited for a confirmation that it wouldn't be. "Well, have a good night…"

"As if that were still possible," Zoe mumbled. She waited until Brandon and Stef had left, before she rubbed her head roughly. "Did you kiss Rashida tonight?"

Taylor looked at her wife dumbfounded for a moment. "Rashida kissed me to prove a point…"

"And what point was that?" Zoe countered quickly.

Taylor, although feeling eternally frantic, never let it show. "I don't know with Rashida. She's selfish and egotistical…"

"And you are attracted to that…" it wasn't a question, just a distant comment into what her wife's preference were.

"What do you want me to say, Zoe?" Taylor asked softly.

Zoe shook her head as an answer. "I think I'm going to find us that hotel room."

"Without me?"

"I'll call you and leave your key at the front desk, baby," was her only answer.

"At least let me call you a cab…"

"I got it, Taylor. I just need some air and a little space for a little while. I'll call you in about an hour okay?"

Taylor slowly realized that it wasn't going to matter what she said either way. "Okay," she shrugged. Zoe went back inside to call for a cab and pick up her bag, and Taylor was left alone.

Taylor sighed, realizing that she could blame Rashida, her mother, or a number of other factors for the way her wife was feeling right now, but that wouldn't accomplish much. This was as much her fault…as a matter of fact, it was all her fault. Taylor had been open about her past, yes, but she had always made it seem as if Rashida was some prize that she would always convent, instead of just a silly schoolgirl crush that was fulfilled. What in the hell was she going to do; or say to her wife?

"Where's Zoe?" Lena questioned as she came to stand beside her sister.

Taylor glared sideways at her sister and tried to close her eyes to the tears that she felt forming there. "Do you ever feel like you were just unprepared for love?"

"No," Lena answered honestly. "And I highly doubt you are unprepared for it either, although you fight it."

"I wasn't fighting it this time, and I still think it alluded me," Taylor rationalized.

"You weren't? You had to know how things would turn out when you showed up to my birthday with a wife. A wife that you never told anyone about, like you were ashamed of her, or ashamed of us. That's just another way to fight it, Taylor. Why did you sleep with Rashida?"

"Because I was eighteen and horny…" she answered smugly.

Lena tried not to cringe, knowing that she wouldn't get through to her sister that way. "She was significantly older than you, lived on another coast and you considered that a relationship." Taylor rolled her eyes, but listened. "No one really gets to know you, do they Taylor?"

Taylor frowned at her sister, but then smiled devilishly. "That's very poor grammar, Lena." This was Taylor, someone willing to joke to hide her pain. When she saw that Lena remained serious, she shrugged. "It's easier that way."

"Does it feel easier right now?"

"No, it just feels like my heart is breaking," Taylor replied softly. "I can't lose her…" A chill ran across the beach and settled between the sisters. "Well, what are you doing the rest of the night?"

"Taking our parents to their hotel and then going by Stef's. Do you want a ride?"

Taylor pulled out her cell phone and looked at it. She didn't have anywhere to go and she didn't want to go anywhere near her mother right now. "Nah, I think I'm just going to walk along the beach for a while. Clear my mind up some…"

Lena wanted to protest, but Taylor was an adult. "Call me if you need me?"

"Okay." Taylor said heading in the opposite direction of her sister, but to nowhere in particular.