Aura was wrong. She had to be wrong. Tegan needed Aura to be wrong, because if she wasn't wrong, then...Tegan didn't even want to entertain that thought. One thing Aura did get right was that Tegan needed to go check on Sara. She put out her own cigarette and went inside. Passing the table where she had left her keys, she noticed one single key was sitting there instead of her whole keyring. Aura had removed the key to the spare bedroom and taken the rest with her inside of Tegan's room. Trying the door quietly, she confirmed that she was locked out of her own bedroom. While Tegan could have easily stayed in the living room to avoid both women, Aura had emphasized that she wanted the sisters to talk to each other without even being awake.

Tegan took the remaining key and let herself into the guest room. Sara was curled up in a ball on the bed with her back to the door. Although she was perfectly still, Tegan knew there was no way that she was sleeping. Closing the door behind her, she cautiously went to the bed and sat facing the door.

"Sara?" Tegan didn't look at her sister as she spoke. "Can we talk?"

"I'm sorry, TeeTee." Sara's voice was as broken as her heart. She hadn't heard any of their conversation, but she knew that if Tegan was in here instead of with Aura, then that could only mean one thing. "It's all my fault. I'm so sorry. I can leave if you want. I should leave. I shouldn't be here if you can get her to come back." Sara tried to sit up, but Tegan whipped around and gripped her shoulder to keep her sitting.

"Come back?" Tegan watched the back of Sara's head as it lowered. "Sara, Aura didn't leave. She's jetlagged, so she locked herself in my room."

"Then I really should go." Sara tried to get up again, but the hand on her just held her down tighter.

"All your shit is still in there," Tegan reasoned. "She wants us to talk." Sara faced her sister with confusion filling her puffy, red eyes.

"What would she want us to talk about?" she asked. Tegan filled her in on the things Aura had said both in the bedroom and out on the balcony. They agreed out loud that Aura had to be wrong, as they had agreed so many times in the past.

It was dark out when Tegan woke up with a start. She and Sara had been so exhausted by the events of the day that they must have passed out without realizing it. They somehow managed to end up spooning with Tegan holding Sara, so she carefully peeled herself away from her sleeping sister. Her head was fuzzy, but it didn't throb so hard anymore as she quietly closed the door. The smell of coffee hit her as soon as she made it to the living room. Aura was awake. Tegan sheepishly peeked into the kitchen to see her at the stove while sipping a cup of the brew.

"Hey Tegan," Aura said without turning around. "Want some pancakes?" Tegan shook her head to herself. One of her favorite things about her girlfriend was that she always threw Tegan for a loop. She didn't think she would ever have Aura fully figured out, and that had enticed her since the beginning.

"Um, okay. I mean, I can make them. You're the guest," Tegan offered, not sure what to say. Aura paused for a moment.

"Oh," Aura said softly. "I am?"

"You are what?" Tegan asked, preparing for another loop.

"A guest." Aura shut off the burner before turning around. "Do you...do you want your k-key back?" Tears glistened in Aura's eyes as Tegan remembered what she had said when she had given her the key.

"No!" she almost shouted. "No. That's not what I mean. This is still your home as long as you want it to be."

"Okay." Aura nodded and chewed her bottom lip. "Tegan? Can you please kiss me? I've been here for hours and you hav – " Her words were cut off by Tegan's lips. Tegan tentatively raised her hand to palm Aura's cheek as she poured all the love she could into the kiss. They broke apart slowly, and Tegan felt a thumb wiping the tears she didn't realize were running down her face.

"I wasn't sure," Tegan whispered, opening her eyes. "I didn't think you'd want to kiss me." Aura cupped her face in both hands.

"I always." She gave Tegan a peck on the lips. "Want." Another peck. "To kiss." Peck. "You." By the end of the sentence, both women were giggling softly. Aura leaned in for another kiss, deepening it with a swipe of her tongue on Tegan's lip. Her hand slid to tangle in Tegan's hair as the other found her back. Tegan mimicked the movements as they let all of their emotions filter through their mouths. When they parted, they were both panting for air. "The...the pancakes are going to get cold."

They each got a plate and sat next to each other at the table while they ate. Small smiles and hopeful eyes were shared through the quiet meal as Tegan thought about how lucky she was to have Aura. The previous day went better than anything she had ever imagined. Over the years, she had tried to think of every possible scenario of someone walking in on her and Sara, but even the best ones were brutal in comparison to how Aura had reacted. Tegan put the empty dishes in the sink for later before wrapping her arms around Aura.

"You're amazing," she said, shaking her head in wonder.

"I know," Aura grinned and kissed Tegan again before a serious look came over her face. "But keep that in mind, because I still have more questions." Tegan nodded, hoping her luck would continue.

They stepped out onto the balcony and took their seats as Aura lit a cigarette. Tegan decided against having one unless the questions became too hard.

"So you're in this relationship, for real, right?" Aura started.

"Yes," Tegan answered, taking Aura's hand. "I love you. I want to be with you as long as you'll have me. And I'll tell you that every day if you want me to."

"I love you, too," Aura said. She took a drag and looked out over the street as she exhaled. "And I want you to remember that I want to be with you as long as it's real."

"What do you mean?" Tegan asked. Aura squeezed her hand, then let go to hold the cigarette pack toward her.

"Why do you sometimes play tonsil hockey with your sister?" Aura watched patiently as Tegan took a cigarette from the pack and lit it without making eye contact. Putting the pack down, she reached for Tegan's hand, lacing their fingers together. She watched patiently as Tegan's other hand trembled and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I'm sick." Tegan's words were so quiet that Aura would have missed it if she hadn't been staring at her.

"No, you're not," she breathed, shaking her head as her thumb stroked the back of Tegan's hand.

"Yes," Tegan hissed. "It's sick and it's wrong, so I'm sick and I'm wrong!" She tried to pull her hand away, but Aura clung tightly. Her own anxieties about the state of her relationship with Tegan had been set aside by Sara's words the day before, but seeing the woman she loved in so much pain made her physically ache inside her chest. Aura put her cigarette in the ashtray and took Tegan's to place next to hers.

"Come here." Aura pulled Tegan to sit sideways on her lap and hugged her close as Tegan sobbed into her neck. She gently rocked them as she hummed a familiar tune. "You'll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." Tegan only seemed to cry harder, so Aura placed a kiss to the top of her head and stroked her arm. She sighed and rested her cheek where her lips had been. "You love her, don't you?"

"I – I – I – I..." Tegan tried to speak.

"Breathe," Aura soothed and brought Tegan's face to her own. "Just breathe. You'll hyperventilate. Breathe with me." She inhaled and exhaled steadily, eyes locked on Tegan's. After a few moments, Tegan's chest rose and fell in a similar rhythm, only broken by the occasional shudder. Aura placed her lips on Tegan's then slowly pulled away. "Can you feel how much I love you?" Tegan nodded as Aura's thumbs brushed away her tears. "All of those bad words you're saying and thinking about yourself are what's 'wrong'." She kissed Tegan again. "I love you so much that sometimes I feel like if I don't kiss you, I'll burst. Do you feel like that about me sometimes?"

"Yes," Tegan said before finally initiating a kiss herself. "So much."

"Sometimes do you feel that way...about Sara?" Aura wiped the new tears that fell from Tegan's closed eyes. Tegan lowered her head and faced away.

"Yes," she choked. Still holding Tegan's face in her hands, Aura pulled her back for another kiss, letting this one deepen as Tegan whimpered into her mouth. When they broke apart, Aura laid Tegan's head on her chest and combed her fingers through Tegan's hair.

They didn't speak for a while, and Aura noticed Tegan's breathing had slowed. She glanced over and confirmed their cigarettes had long since burned out. With Tegan asleep, Aura let her thoughts wander. As much as Tegan had assured her that she wanted to remain in the relationship, a sliver had dug its way into the back of Aura's mind. She needed to know if their relationship was based on real feelings, or if she was somehow a cover or distraction for Tegan's heart. She knew she could make it through losing Tegan, or perhaps being given some condolence prize of second place in her heart, but she also knew that if it were to come to either of those, it would be at the barest definition of surviving. Quietly, she sang the words that her heart longed to tell the woman sleeping in her arms.

"The other night dear, as I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I awoke, dear, I was mistaken
So I hung my head and I cried.

I'll always love you and make you happy,
If you will only say the same.
But if you leave me and love another,
You'll regret it all some day:

You told me once, dear, you really loved me
And no one else could come between.
But now you've left me and love another;
You have shattered all of my dreams:

In all my dreams, dear, you seem to leave me
When I awake my poor heart pains.
So when you come back and make me happy
I'll forgive you dear, I'll take all the blame.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are gray
You'll never know dear, how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
."