I realize now that the time has been incorrect, and I want to correct this inaccuracy. According to the film, the hearing for Carol would bein March or April, and it would have been at least a month since they last saw each other (according to the scene where Carol says "It's been over a month since she tried to call." So I'm guessing all this is happening actually in late February. Sorry for the misunderstanding :D From now on the date will take place then.

They took their seats to dinner, Carol next to Therese, Dannie next to Lance, and Abby and Genevieve at the ends of each table. It was a simple Sunday Roast, with individual plates covered in an array of gravy flooded meats, vegetables, and potatoes. Yet the aroma didn't overpower the tabletop etiquette that everyone abided by. There was little chatter as the meal commenced, and it felt like a much more formal occasion than it was meant to be.

"Shall we start?" Lance said while brandishing his fork and knife in each hand. He looked hungrily at the plate, and Abby and Genevieve looked hungrily at each other.

Carol, who was growing increasingly relaxed with a dry martini in her system, was trying to read the body language that Abby was giving. It seemed that something had happened with Genevieve before- something more than Abby had cared to mention. Therese was peacefully watching Dannie, preoccupied by his blatant crush on Lance. No one dared to start eating before Genevieve.

"Bon appetite!" She plunged her fork into her mashed potatoes, triggering the clinks of plates all around the table. For a few minutes, nothing could be heard except for chewing noises and sips of wine, but the lack of words didn't mean there was a lack of communication. Abby seemed to eat in slow motion, delicately handling each mouthful with a finesse that Carol had never seen. Therese noticed Carol watching Abby, and was wondering why she had such a fixation on her. She understood. She saw that Genevieve seemed to match her pace, as if they were having a silent battle of who could eat more elegantly. It made for rather good dinner entertainment. The two men were oblivious to the micro-motions between the women, heartily munching on the delicious food on their plates.

"Gen, this is really good." Dannie said politely, trying not to eat so fast. Lance, who looked and acted classy, was as messy an eater as a teenage boy after baseball practice.

"Oh, it was nothing." Therese saw how Genevieve was acting with a new kind of allure that she didn't see in her before. Certainly not earlier that week when she requested Therese over for dinner.

"Yes Genevieve, it is rather good. Do you cook often?" Abby spoke like no one else was in the room.

"I do."

At this point, Therese and Carol had yet to say anything at the dinner except for the habitual please and thank you's that came with being invited to a meal.

"So, Genevieve, I hear that you've asked Therese to take photos for the meetings that you help organize?" Carol, who was masterful in her abilities to carry a conversation, tried to create a flow of dialogue amidst all the odd tension in the air.

"Ah, yes." She spoke like she just whisked her head out of the clouds.

"I'm delighted we have a photographer on hand now. It'll do wonders for creating a more official feel."

"I'm very excited. When is the next meeting I should come to?" Therese chimed.

"I'm thinking sometime soon. We meet on the last Thursday of every month, and we just had one in January just a week ago. I'll keep you posted."

"Wonderful…I just-, I have no idea what to expect."

"You'll do fine. We just need a few group photos. We need to work very discretely. Those photos, though useful in function, can also serve as incriminating evidence to "out" people. You are going to become extremely key in the confidentiality aspects. But I trust that you're quite good at keeping secrets, aren't you?"

"Aren't we all?" Abby replied. This prompted a small laugh in everyone.

Lance, who had licked his plate clean, was wiping his mouth with a napkin. He seemed slightly bitter. Genevieve saw his discomfort at the topic.

"Sorry, Lance."

"No, it's fine. You're absolutely right." He looked directly at Therese.

"You have to be very careful. I suppose that Gen told you what happened to me."

"What?" Carol and Abby said together.

"Well, I made the mistake of telling someone who I thought was my friend…About…it." Dannie looked sympathetic

"It cost me my job and apartment." Carol, Abby, and Therese put down their forks. There was an awkward pause that seemed to lament the events that had befallen Lance. It was a situation that very potentially plagued every single person at the table, and the reality of that danger was etched all over Lance's face. Genevieve reached her hand over to his.

"We're here for you. I'm here for you." Dannie, who was in a state of blunder, clumsily grabbed his wine glass and proposed a toast.

"To Lance!" Everyone else reacted the same.

"To Lance! There's not a finer fellow I know." Genevieve added.

"Hear hear!" They took sullen sips, but Lance seemed to cheer up a bit.

"Now, who wants pie?" Lance definitely livened up at these words, and went to retrieve it from the kitchen. Dannie tailed after him with the finished plates. Carol got up to excuse herself to the powder room, Therese accompanying her. Abby and Genevieve were left alone.

"And then there were 2." Genevieve said.

"I didn't think that you knew Therese. What a coincidence."

"I'll say. I was hoping I might see you again. But one never knows with the parties that the Sullivan's throw. Such a hodge-podge of people from all walks of life."

"You never know. You will something enough, and fate starts throwing you a bone." Abby grinned, and Genevieve took another pensive swig from her glass. The words exchanged, through few, seemed to have several different connotations behind them. Abby felt her cheeks grow red with alcohol and another sensation that had nothing to do with the wine.

"Why don't you give me a call sometime? When there are…" Genevieve looked around the table to check that no one was returning.

"…less people around." She winked at Abby.

"Gladly." Genevieve walked over to Abby's end of the table and slipped her a tiny piece of paper into her hand, as if it had been ready to be given all this time. Their fingers touched briefly against each other in the transaction, and Abby didn't dare look directly into Genevieve's eyes. She thought about Mary. She put the red head away from her mind.

Everyone was back in their seats. There was a wholesome apple pie that had been sitting in the oven all this time. Genevieve served Lance, then the rest of the guests.

Though she had claimed to Therese that she wanted to know all about Carol and how they met, it seemed an unimportant topic now that Abby was here. But she seemed to notice this, and caught herself, perhaps realizing that she knew herself to be a better hostess than this. Little did she realize that everyone wasn't paying attention to her hostess duties at all. Everyone seemed to be paired off in their own realms of attraction. Dannie said very little, besides laughing hysterically at everything Lance said. Therese and Carol, whose attempts at being discrete had failed, were holding hands underneath the table. Abby had realized because she knew that Carol wasn't left handed, and their one-handedness throughout dinner meant they might as well have help hands openly on top of the table.

She supposed it was the best-case scenario if she wanted to focus on Abby. Her presence here was random, like sudden rainfall during a drought she didn't even realize was there. She tried her best to make a intelligent impression, discussing current issues and participation in activist groups, taking Abby's fascinated silence as an indication of success. She peered at Carol in passing, pierced by a pair grey eyes that seemed to be analyzing her very thoughts. There was a knowing look about them, and Genevieve suddenly felt stiff. Carol then looked over to Abby, who tried to conceal a mischievous look from her by focusing on her pie. They had a silent conversation only long-time best friends have, and Genevieve looked back and forth between them in attempts to decipher the subtle movements of facial expression. Therese, who was used to this, smiled as she watched Genevieve's eyes dart forward and back.

The Sunday dinner ended rather early- the end of every weekend always meant the start of the depressing weekdays. Everyone had to get up early for work the next day. The meal, while enjoyable, had been as uncomfortable as it was interesting. Dannie offered Abby a ride, and was given a kiss on the cheek by Lance. Carol and Therese left together in their car first, watching a prolonged good-bye between Abby and Genevieve. There was an intense handshake between them; Carol saw them still holding hands even as she drove away from the house. Therese was first to point it out.

"Who would've known that Abby and Genevieve-"

"I'm surprised that she didn't tell me about it." There was a definite hint of disappointment. Carol knew everything about Abby. Or so she thought. The electricity between them was palpable, but she supposed this was merely because they were allowed to be open about it. First the redhead, now this? Therese gave her a peck.

"I'm sure she's going to call you later tonight. She always does." Abby made a routine call to Carol's in the night, usually a few hours before she went to bed.

"If she doesn't, then I have something I want to tell you instead." At this, Carol gripped the steering wheel tighter, threw a naughty look at Therese, and winked.