Wedding Bells Are Ringing

by mg78

Ch 16 now is up. Had to change it to M because of the violence and a lovemaking scene. On June 24, 2011, New York legalized gay marriage, Blair and Jo were there to witness the historic event. Now they plan to have a wedding and reflect back on the day they became a couple. One other pairing as well. Part of my LJ FoL fiction challenge. Sequel to "Joanna, I Love You" - On hiatus

14. It Sure Beats the Batcave

This is my longest chapter yet. Hopefully from this point on, the chapters will be shorter.

"Ready to be surprised, folks?" Blair asked with a sly smile on her face.

"Please, it's a bunker. It couldn't be that impressive," Cindy snarked, as she rolled her eyes.

Blair looked at Cindy with a smirk and punched in the code to open a small area next to the door. The area was only large enough to insert her hand. Everyone realized that it was a hand scanner designed to read a person's fingerprints, so only those who were approved could gain access to the entrance.

"Good God, Blair. You have this place protected like it's Fort Knox!" Natalie chided.

"Trust me, when you see the inside, you'll understand why the maximum security," she replied as she placed her hand on the scanner. Suddenly, the door opened and what they saw amazed them. Little did they know it was only the first floor - a waiting room if you will.

The room looked like the entrance to an art museum, complete with marble statues and masterful paintings. There was even a fountain with pure gold inlays. The sight was truly breathtaking, but, as elegant as the room was, it wasn't quite big enough to accomodate around 20 people, so it was rather crowded.

Despite the cramped quarters, it appeared that the place was enough to awe her friends. "Wow, Blair. I'm impressed," Nancy said.

"Hey, this is just the waiting room. Wait until you see the rest of the place." Blair pressed a button which emitted a dull buzzing sound.

"You have someone here?" Beverly Ann asked.

"Yep. I do have a housekeeper."

"Wouldn't that be a bunkerkeeper?" Natalie cornally jokes. There were groans from around the room. Blair didn't say a word, but rolled her eyes instead.

When the door opened, the person who greeted them took Mrs. G., Tootie, Natalie, and even a few others by surprise.

"Kelly Affinado?" Tootie exclaimed in shock.

"Oh, my God! Is that really you?" asked a stunned Mrs. G.

Back in 1983-1984, Kelly was a short, tomboyish brunette who frequently visited the gang and followed them around like a little brother . . . er, sister, but the woman who stood before them now had long hair and was wearing more woman-like clothing. She had traded in her jean jacket and tennis shoes for a pair of leggings tucked into knee high boots and a black and white striped knitted cardigan. She topped the look off with a wide-brimmed black felt hat and sunglasses, even though she was indoors. It was apparent that the 43-year-old woman was into the hipster style.

"Heya, Tootie!" exclaimed Kelly as she gave Tootie a hug. "How ya doing?" With Kelly's newfound fashion sense, it was clear that she was less street than she was in her past, but socialwise she was obviously still a work in progress.

"I wish I could say fine, but you know what's going on. I mean, you do have a TV down here, don't you?"

Kelly chuckled. "Of course there's a TV down here. There are many TVs down here. Would you really expect anything less from Blair?" Sensing the tension that existed between many of the people and noting that no one was really laughing at her attempt at a joke to lighten the mood she soberly continued. "Seriously though, I know what's been goin' on. I saw on MSNBC that you got fired from your show?"

Tootie dropped her head and responded, "Yeah, it sucks."

Kelly patted Tootie on the back and said, "Well, if it makes ya feel any better, each bedroom has its own TV so ya won't have to fight over the remote control. We also have cable. Hell, Time Warner really hooked Blair up. I guess it's a family thing, ya kno'?"

This time, everyone in the group laughed, especially Blair. "Well, it is one of the privileges of being a Warner." At that moment Blair commented, "Kelly, you're indoors now, you look silly with those sunglasses on in here. Take them off!"

"Okay," Kelly pouted. After she took her sunglasses off, she continued, "Anyway, we got cable, wifi, high-speed internet, an entertainment center, a workout area, a spa/sauna, and even a swimming pool!" Kelly chimed as she looked at the kids.

"A swimming pool,? Wow!" exclaimed Mark. "Can we go swimming, mom?" he asked excitedly as he bounced on his heels.

"Not until tomorrow. You all need to get some sleep," Nancy commanded.

"Aw, come on," pouted Mark.

"What did I tell you?" she unflinchingly responded as she placed her hands on her hips and gave her children "the mother stare."

Kelly bent down until she was eye level with the boy and said, "Hey, it's okay. It will be a lot more fun tomorrow because you will get to swim in the pool all day long."

"Yaaaaaaaaaaay!" screamed all of Nancy's kids, 12 and under, in unison.

"So, how did you even come by this place?" asked Cindy. "I mean… Darn!" Although Cindy was still irate at Blair, she was mindful to censor her language around the kids.

"Well, there's an interesting story behind this building. Back during the prohibition era of the 1920s, my grandfather, Judge Carlton Blair, decided to get into the illegal bootlegging business."

Natalie stopped her with her hand. "Wait a minute. Your grandfather was a judge, yet he got into bootlegging?"

"Well, he's also the same grandfather who joined the KKK," Tootie reminded her best friend with a distasteful look.

"Very true, Tootie," replied Blair as she hung her head in shame. "The ironic thing was that during the time, the KKK was against alcohol. However, my grandfather saw an opportunity to make a quick buck, and you know the motto of my family, "Money matters . . .do whatever it takes to get the green, no matter who you need to step over, or on, to get it."

"Cash rules everything around me. C.R.E.A.M. Get the money. Dollar dollar bill y'all," Natalie quoted from the Wu-Tang Clan's rap song C.R.E.A.M. Everybody began laughing while Blair gave Natalie that "You're silly" look.

After the laughter died down, Molly spoke up. "He was taking a real chance. Those guys in the KKK don't mess around. If they found out he was doing something that they didn't agree with, it could have been curtains."

"Yes, but they were benefiting from him as well. They needed the money just as much as he wanted it."

"But, Blair," said Sue Ann, "they could have gotten what they needed from him and then decided to go after his family."

"Well, that discrepancy just shows just what a self-serving, pompous, ass . . ." started Blair, but then, seeing the children, continued, ". . . cot wearing money grubber my grandfather could be." The correction that Blair made didn't go unnoticed by the group. Everyone knew what hard feelings she harbored for her grandfather, but at least she tried to watch her vocabulary around the children as well. "Anyhow, back to the story. He was importing liquor from Quebec and serving it in speakeasies throughout the eastern part of New York. . ." She paused for a second to look at the shocked faces that were looking at her before she continued. "He didn't only serve NYC, but also sold to the rest of Long Island, and as far up as Syracuse."

"So he was practically the sole supplier of alcohol to NY? I guess when everyone was getting sloshed, he was getting drunk on money and power," claimed Natalie.

"Isn't that just the Warner way," commented Kim as she rolled her eyes.

"Girls," exclaimed Mrs. G in a combined shout and whisper.

"Anyway," continued Blair as if she was never interrupted, "he needed a storage place to hold all the alcohol. Him and the mayor of Ithaca were college buddies, and they had an incomplete salt mine, so Judge Blair was able to make a deal with the mayor to make it a hidden storage facility for the liquor. From what I've heard, it took him three months to get it set up for the alcohol storage, and it was used as that until Prohibition ended."

"It's pretty bad knowing that the mayor and the judge were in cahoots," claimed Tootie.

"Yeah, politics at its finest," added Molly who was no stranger to crooks in positions of power. However, knowing that Blair's ancestors actively abused the judicial system and that Blair was okay with benefitting from it in the way of this place, just reignited the anger she had for the Warner clan. "You know, it's pretty funny that your family seemed to love to break the law, yet you end up with someone who is determined to uphold it. Seems sort of fishy to me."

Cindy added, "Yeah, the whole Warner tree seems to have a lot of rotten apples. They are no strangers to scandal and controversy."

Mrs G., who always tried to be the voice of reason, but may not have sensed the tension behind those words, just sighed and said, "I guess none of us should have been surprised by all this. Knowing Blair's family's reputation, we should have known that she'd be under constant scrutiny."

Blair just shook her head before continuing. "Afterwards, the space remained unused until World War II, when my uncle let the US Army used it for storing arms and ammunition. It was also a designated space for safety if the Germans or Japanese attacked. After the war, the building was left vacant again, and my grandfather gave it to his son, Uncle Brandon."

"Uncle Brandon? Do you mean the uncle who thought he could see into the future with his fake crystal?" Natalie remembered.

"Yeah, him. During the 50s, the whole Cold War scare happened. Uncle Brandon, being a total patriotic nut and totally anti-Communist, got caught up in it. So he decided to make it into a living quarters. He expanded it a little bit to three stories, and he made it into a luxury suite. In fact, after the divorce, he started living here more and more, cutting himself off from the rest of the world."

"Just like Howard Hughes?" asked Molly.

"Yeah, but Hughes wasn't as reclusive. My uncle stayed there until his death in 1996. After that, it was left abandoned again. It was then passed down to my cousin, Rachel, as part of her inheritance. However, since she was more of an outdoorsy person, she didn't do anything with it because she thought it was stupid. Then, when her company was about to go under because of the recession two years ago, she was willing to sell it to me for some much needed cash."

"When I first got it, it looked like a nightmare. The ceilings were covered with mole, everything was rusting or breaking down, and don't even mention the bathrooms," she informed them with a disgusted look on her face. It appeared as if she had just swallowed a lemon. "Oh my goodness, it was like the ones you see in prison movies. When I went to the bathroom on the third floor, a furry creature with big ears came out of the toilet and ran across the floor!"

A few of the women squealed at Blair's description. They knew how big the rodents could get in New York. They were about as bad as the rats in Washington, D.C. and other major cities, though the rats in D.C. walked on two feet and held federal government positions.

"Yeah, we laid a ton of rat traps around the place, and I invited some of the best exterminators in here like six times just to make sure all pests were gone. Not only did they find a few nests of rats in the walls, there were also huge spiders that had to be feeding on the insects that had taken residency in the building and pigeons roosting in some of the upper rooms. Aside from the animal crisis, which took some time to get under control, I had to update the building itself so it would be fit for occupancy. It took me a full year to expand it from three floors to five and do a complete renovation."

"So, what's the floor setup?" asked Beverly Ann.

"Well, this is the main floor and includes the living room, dining room, kitchen, powder room, and a sunroom . . ."

In response to the raised eyebrows and strange looks she was getting from everyone, Blair clarified, "in order to get yourself some Vitamin D and save yourself from going crazy."

The group began to laugh, but Blair jokingly admonished them.

"Hey, don't knock it. People have been known to get depressed and moody if they stay a long time underground."

"I guess that explains why zombies always seem to be angry when they rise," Natalie whispered to Tootie.

"Yeah. Like Blair when her beauty sleep is interrupted," snickered Tootie.

Blair just glared at her friends and continued. "The second floor is where all of the bedrooms are located. There are twelve guess rooms and two master bedrooms."

"Jesus, Blair. It's almost like a floor at the hotel," said Mrs. G. in awe.

"I bet the hotel mode is stuck in her," Molly quipped.

Blair simply shrugged. "I like to do things in style."

"Yeah, I bet everything fits your tastes, Blair," claimed Tootie with a smile on her face.

Picking up on the cue, Natalie commented, "Yeah, and I bet if, say Jo didn't like it, they'd be told they could simply go spend time in the garage," chuckled the reporter.

Blair remembered that time when her and Jo had the house to themselves and she took over all the decorating decisions. At that point, she did fit things to her personal style, but she had since learned to take others' suggestions into consideration. That said, the mention of Jo's name made Blair wince, but she attempted to hide her feelings as she continued to describe the floor plan to the group.

"On the third floor is the conference room where people can discuss business or other important matters, and on the fourth floor there's an entertainment center with computers, games, and practically anything you can imagine. Finally, on the fifth floor is an exercise room, which Jo insisted on having," she said as she flashed a look at Tootie and Natalie, "and swimming pool."

"It's a darn good thing that the pool is far away from you," Cindy retorted. Blair gave her a cold, hard stare.

Seeing that Blair and Cindy were about to jump at each other, Tootie asked a lingering question to break the tension. "But where does Kelly fit into this whole picture?" asked Tootie still dumbfounded at seeing a former face.

"Kelly was a housekeeper for a couple who lost their house in a fire. Since she lost her job and the couple lost their home, I decided to let her and the couple be the caretakers of the hideout."

"That's unusually nice of you, Blair," Kim said uncomfortably.

"Hey, I can be extremely nice. Remember, I'm the one who helped paid for your last rehab," Blair reminded her. Kim looked away in embarrassment.

"So is this place a private residency or is it an underground hotel?" asked Sue Ann as she was examining the place with wide eyes.

"It's really a private residency, but since we hardly use it, and it has a lot of bedrooms, it functions like a hotel when I'm not around. Every heard of AirBnB?"

Everybody shook their heads except for Natalie.

"Yeah, it's a service where instead of staying in a hotel, you get to stay at someone's house for cheaper."

"Correct. Well, this place functions like that, but it's for a higher-end clientele. The cost is $2,500 per night."

Shocked looks, utterances of "Oh, my God," and whistles were all over when Blair stated that.

"Oh, okay, I hope you didn't have to kick anyone out for us," Nancy said.

"No, the last client was here two weeks ago. It was for a singer named Justin Bieber. He had a concert around here."

"Justin Bieber! Oh, my God, Emily likes him!" Cindy exclaimed. Sue Ann shook her head in confirmation.

"Yeah, I heard his stuff before, and he's no different from other cute boy singers and groups like New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys," Blair shrugged. "Anyhow, enough of the history lesson. Let me get you guys something. Feel free to watch something. I'll go and see if the beds are ready for the kids."

Blair pulled out her cell and called someone. "Hey, Eric, are the beds ready yet? … Oh, okay, can you come over with Tracy and take the kids with you to the big room? …Great, see you in a bit."

"Is that the couple?" Molly asked

"Yes. They help out Kelly a lot."

"They sure do…" Bailey snide. Sister Meg had a disgusted look on her face, and Geri tried to restrain her giggles. Blair gave her younger sister a rather frigid glare. She quickly apologized.

"I'm sorry."

About two minutes later, the couple appeared. They looked to be in their mid-30s. Tracy was a rather voluptuous redhead and Eric was a rather buff blond with a goatee.

"Wow, so this is the troop that's fleeing away from the wolves?" Tracy joked.

"I would, if I was them," Eric replied.

"Everybody," Blair declared as she presented the two people with a sweep of her hand, much like Vanna White on The Wheel of Fortune, "this is the couple who assists Kelly with her duties - Eric and Tracy Gatling."

"Pleased to meet all of you, especially Sue Ann and Kim here," Eric said.

"Yeah, you two look better than your age," Tracy said while checking them both out.

Sue Ann was trying her best not to blush as she was checking out Tracy's curves. However, she was not the only one. Kim was also enthralled by Tracy's figure. Cindy noticed how Sue Ann was looking at the woman and was beginning to get very upset.

Eric saw the anger in Cindy's eyes and knew that he had to defuse the situation before it exploded. "Come on, kids," he said as he started herding the children away from the group. "Let's head to the elevator."

He lightly nudged his wife as his eyes suggested for her to accompany him. "Yes," said Tracy as she followed Eric, "though we might have to make a few trips since it holds no more than six people at a time."

"Elevator?! Jesus Christ Blair!" Beverly Ann exclaimed.

"Hey!" Sister Meg warned.

"Sorry for taking the Lord's name in vain, but Jesus, I mean geez!"

Sister Meg didn't try to correct her again and just looked away like nothing happened.

Mrs. Gaines-Garrett was tired and asked if she could come along, so she could get some rest. When the couple nodded she joined them.

A somewhat miffed Sue Ann asked Blair, "What the hell was that?"

Bailey, Sister Meg, and Geri looked the other way.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you guys that Eric and Tracy have an open marriage and they're into swinging."

"What?!" some of the women shouted.

Kim just grinned. "I know who I'll be hanging out with tonight."

"I don't think my kids need to be hearing this," Nancy said with a shocked look on her face.

"Mom, this is 2011."

"Correct, Gloria. And they're both bisexuals, so Tracy was probably checking Sue Ann and Kim out," Blair informed the group.

"Well, she sure has good taste," Kim joked. "Probably better than that other redheaded witch."

"Kim. Let go of Kelly. You can do a lot better than her. Trust me on that," Kelly A. told her with a distasteful look on her face. "She's nuthin' but trouble and pain. I should know. We were once a couple."

That took Kimberly and a lot of people by surprise. "Really?" asked Kim.

"Yep. We dated for two years, after Dina got sent to rehab, thanks to that redheaded witch, and before Ms. Meth Queen got busted. I regret everyday that I went out with her. She's a hottie, but she's also a hot mess. Ugh..." Kelly A. sneered at the end. "She thought she could convert me ta bein' a pure lesbian, but she was wrong on that."

Blair vouched for Kelly A. "She's not lying. They had a lot of problems."

"Too bad Blair didn't knock that stupid ginger's keister off!" Kelly A. spat. "I gotta admit, though, it was badass how Blair had her pinned," she snickered.

"Hey, watch it, we got kids here," Sister Meg chided. Kelly A. just rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Sister Prude, we've heard worse thing than that," said one of Nancy's older kids, who was waiting for the couple to pick them up.

"But that doesn't mean you should be hearing it. It also doesn't mean Kelly should be saying it."

Before any more tension could rise, Beverly Ann asked a question "Hey, Sister Meg, didn't Blair say there's a sunroom around here?"

"Yeah, let me show you. Of course the sun's not out, but it's still a nice room."

Sister Meg was more than happy to show Beverly Ann the room. A lot of people let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God she's gone," Kelly exhaled. Then she looked up the ceiling like she was looking up to God and said, "Yeah, I mean it, God. Let me live my life will ya? I don't need one of your salespeople ta tell me how." Then she turned her attention back to the group and scowled at Blair, "Why the hell did you bring Sister Hag with you?"

"It's Sister Meg, Kelly. At least show some respect to my sister," Blair scowled back.

Kelly felt ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"That's okay. I brought her here because of the same reason I brought all the others here - to get away from the media. Plus, she had no place to stay. She got kicked out of the covenant."

"Oh… But still, Blair. The last time she was here, she was critical of Eric and Tracy's lifestyle, to the point that Tracy told me she would have knocked her out. She takes boxin' classes now, ya know?"

"I know, and I can't blame her after the way Kelly D. beat her up before she left for Houston."

The video of her fight with Miko already showed how tough she was, but it also made most of the people in the group fear her even more.

"That's another thing, is that bitch comin' here? Because if she is, I'll -."

Blair quickly told her, "Look, Kelly, she's not here, so just focus on getting the guests settled in, okay?" Deep inside Blair was panicking and trying to think of how to avoid a confrontation with the two Kellys. She knew that if the couple get involved, it would be even worse.

"She's coming, isn't she?" Tootie whispered to Natalie.

"Mmm hmm," Natalie hummed back in confirmation.

Kelly A. softly nodded. "Okay, let me get the TV on at least."

"Please do," Blair replied.

There was so much going on. With Cindy, Kim, and Molly being angry with her, and with Kelly D. coming, she was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, yet somehow she was able to delicately keep it together.

Even though it was around 2 AM, Kelly turned the television on for the group. What was on for the most part, the local channels were broadcasting reruns of tonight's late-night talk shows. The TV did have cable, courtesy of Time Warner cable, who were good friends with Blair Warner.

The first channel showed Jay Leno doing one of his usual sketches.

"Well, today Japan can lay claim to two disasters - one in Fukushima and the other in Hawley, Pennsylvania."

Blair immediately changed the channel. "Lame has-been," she retorted.

The next channel was Jimmy Kimmel Live! In this one, he created the Lez-splosion crystalball, predicting the next wacky outcome.

"We go our next prediction. Vince McMahon will sign Blair Warner and Kelly Donovan to be the main event at Wrestlemania 28!"

The channel was quickly changed.

The next channel showed David Letterman and he was doing his usual Top 10 jokes. Not surprisingly, the top 10 was based on the "Lez-splosion" event.

"... #6 - Every two-bit comedian will now have a joke containing 'a drug dealer, a porn star, and a socialite went to a food court one day.'

#5 - From the same people who brought you Girls Gone Wild, they now offer Lesbians Gone Nuts!

#4 - When Miko Wakamatsu goes back to Japan, she will be offered the lead role in the new blockbuster movie 'Lezilla!'"

They quickly changed the channel.

"CNN reports that the women involved in the whole Blair Warner mishaps are hiding somewhere in Ithaca, New York. Sources say that they are in a luxurious underground bunker, owned by Blair Warner herself. Here's the latest footage we got, before they disappeared."

Blair stood there in silence. CNN didn't say anything shocking to get her upset. Blair already knew that they would dig up that information. They showed the video of the two Warner Hotel buses going into the tunnel from a distance, since their news vans couldn't go beyond the gate.

She was just happy that she was able to get them away from the media, but she didn't totally take in the factor of those in the room with her.

"Thank you very much, Blair. You turned us into a national laughing stock," Molly derided. "Now my chances of getting a new job is next to nothing!"

"Yeah, all because of Blair's massive ego!" Cindy followed. "It already hurt our business. Our stock has gone down 5 points!"

"Not to mention that it has probably pushed my dad one step closer to death!" Kim spat. "Good job, idiot!"

One could cut the tension with a knife, and it looked like Blair was about to be dogpiled, but she was saved from an unlikely source - her younger sister.

"Hey! Stop it now! Blair is doing her best to help us get through this!" spat an angry Bailey. "She could have thrown you all under the bus, but, instead, she let you on the bus. She could have easily left you all out there and fend for yourselves against those vultures, but she decided to open up her hideout and help you guys. Be grateful that she's protecting us."

"Aww, look everyone," snickered Cindy, "Blair's letting her baby sister fight her battles now that her big, bad protector isn't here."

"First of all," shouted Bailey as she pointed her finger in Cindy's face, "I am NOT a baby. In fact, with all you guys whining and griping and fighting, I'd say I'm the most adult of the group. Second of all, Blair can handle things herself. She can totally take the fight to someone if she's not held back, just ask Kelly. Thirdly, she is being super gracious to you guys despite the snide remarks and verbal attacks."

"Yeah, we're grateful. Sure we're grateful. Grateful for all our lives being uprooted and disturbed and for what . . . some stupid, childish . . ."

"Oh, come on Kim. You know that each of you have just as much fault in all this as Blair. It's just that it's easier to point the finger at someone else than pointing it at yourself. Unless you're looking in a mirror that is."

"How is any of this our fault? We're the victims here, remember?" Molly chided.

"Yeah, it was Blair who had the temper tantrum at the wedding rehearsal, it was Blair who drove Jo away, and it was Blair who attacked Kelly," Cindy responded to back up Molly.

"So, instead of helping her through the situation, you're attacking her. Some friends you are. How would you women feel if this happened to you?"

All the girls looked away for a second as it seemed that Bailey's words were getting to them.

"Cindy, didn't she help you with your modeling career?"

Cindy sheepishly answered, "Yes…"

"Kim, didn't she pay for your rehab when your father couldn't get the money for you on time and you had to pay your lawyers for the custody case?"

Kim huffed, "Yeah."

"And, Molly, wasn't it Blair who helped you when your parents got a divorce while you guys were at Eastland?"

"Well, all the girls and Mrs. Garrett was there for me when that happened . . ."

"Oh, really? The way I heard it was that the girls had you lying to your parents because you wanted them to stay together and it was Blair who convinced you that it was better to be happy separated than being miserable together."

"I guess," mumbled the redhead.

"Molly…" shouted Bailey as she tried to prove her point.

"Oh, alright! She did, okay? She did."

"Well, then. The way I see it is that Blair has helped you all when you needed her the most, and now when she needs your help the most, you just want to turn your back on her. Who needs enemies when you have friends like you guys?"

Although Cindy, Kim, and Molly couldn't easily put their animosity toward Blair aside, they had to admit that the heiress did use whatever resources she had to try to help her friends. Heck, in high school she even used her connections with one of her mother's boyfriends - who happened to be a judge - to try to find Natalie's birth parents. Then there was the whole sending in Jo's scholarship application to keep her in school and graciously stepping aside to let Tootie become the fresh new face for Jonathan Dutton, going as far as volunteering as Tootie's fashion consultant. Granted, the man turned out to be more child pornographer than photographer, the fact was that Blair was willing to give up something she really wanted for her friend. Blair always seemed willing to help her friends however she could. Not to mention when she was willing to help Mrs. Garrett out when she lost her pension or when the girls discovered that Mrs. G had high blood pressure or when she was willing to stake out the rival shop who was stealing Mrs. G's customers. The list went on and on. Blair was willing to help out even when others didn't want or need it.

Finally, they relented.

"Well, did I make my point clear enough?" Bailey asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the group.

"Yeah…" the three agreed with a defeated tone. Bailey smiled and Blair flashed a small smile in return, but inside she was gleaming.

"Excuse us for a second," Blair said to the group and she and Bailey went to the dining room.

"Thank you so much!" Blair elated as she began hugging her sister.

"Okay, Blair, that's good enough. Now you can't say that I'm just the sarcastic little sister with snide comments."

Now that she got the group under control, they proceeded to watch more TV.

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Meanwhile, back in New Jersey, Roger was in his room, watching the latest footage from Fox News on the Warner Hotel buses. He had a big feeling that Nancy and his kids were in those buses.

He figured that he had to take action, but before he was began to make a lot of phone calls, he heard a knock on the door. He knew it could only be one person. He opened the door and saw a Margo with a huge smile on her face. She was wearing a French vanilla vest with matching slacks and a white blouse, and was holding a bottle of bourbon in her right hand.

"Margo, it's nice to see you."

"It's nice to see you as well. I brought your favorite," she said with a smile as she showed him the bourbon. Roger was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"I see. Well, come on in."

He moved out of her way and she flirtatiously sashayed into the room, and examined the architecture. It was beneath her, but she never expected much from anything in New Jersey.

"It's rather… quaint," she managed to say with a gulp. It was not too convincing, but it sounded like was at least trying. "Sorry it took me a while to get here, but it's been ages since I've been to Jersey. I always make it a rule never to set foot anywhere that Snooki Polazzi sets her foot on."

"I take it you're not a fan of Snooki or any of her shows - especially Jersey Shore."

"I hate the bitch and the show itself," she exclaimed with a look of distaste. "Imagine someone profiting off their life. Ugh, reality television . . . really. All of those people want nothing more than their 15 minutes of fame, and they have no real lives."

Margo's comment was meant to reflect Nancy since she did a television show, and she was hoping she could use that fact to get Roger to distance himself from his wife.

Roger smirked, for he agreed with her 100% on that one.

"Yeah, I thought it would work in our favor, like it has for the Duggars. I thought that the ratings and public exposure would give me the upper hand for re-elections. After all, families who display their personal lives in front of millions of people tend to have nothing to hide. The idea was to humanize me and make me appear personable for the general electorate. However, the whole thing has totally backfired on us."

"Well, you have to remember, you are running for the seat of Congress in New Jersey, not for the President of the United States, so you don't need the approval of every American," Margo stated.

"Yeah, that's true for now. However, in the future, like 2016, if Obama is re-elected for his second term and fulfills it, God help us if he does, then I would try my shot at the US presidency."

Margo's eye jumped at Roger's declaration. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, very," Roger replied firmly. However, he started to look down at his drink. "But I don't know if that's possible now."

Margo reached for his chin and turned his face toward her.

"Hey. You can't let Nancy and her stupid friends get to you or destroy your dreams."

"Yeah, but I really don't know what to do."

Using her left hand, Margo gently rubbed Roger's right shoulder. "Hey, don't think too much about her tonight. Enjoy the freedom you have at this moment."

Roger smirked, forgetting to realize that he didn't have to deal with Nancy or the kids.

He immediately smiled. "Yeah, you're right,"

Instantly, he saw a glimmer of passion in Margo's eyes. He wanted to take the time to kiss her, but Margo quickly changed the subject.

"You know," Margo said as she took a sip of the bourbon, "you should hold a press conference."

"Huh?" asked Roger. That made him feel like Margo just threw him a curve ball.

"Yeah, to talk about how much you want Nancy to come back for the kids' sake. That way, you end up looking like a sympathetic figure and, at the same time, we get to flush Nancy and her stupid friends out of the rabbit hole. That might give you a leg up in the 2016 elections."

Roger thought about it and grinned. "You're right. It would give me the upper hand and if I divorce her, then nobody would question it. She's already looking like a bad mother, so if we divorce, the general public would understand, if not, support me for my decision."

"Exactly, handsome," Margo sneakily, yet seductively, replied.

Roger and Margo took a sip of their bourbon, then Roger said, "Hey, thanks for coming over here tonight. I know how you feel about the area and I am sure you could have had many more important things to do."

Margo blushed on purpose to lead him on. "No problem. Don't belittle your problem. What you have on your hands is quite major, and I want to help you out as much as I can."

Then Margo let a part of her silky brown hair fall onto Roger's shoulders and down his neck, where the soft silkiness brushed against his skin. It came to rest right under his nose, close enough for him to get a scent. The aphrodisiac and delicate scent of the Lily of the Valley flower turned him on. Margo smiled slyly, knowing the effect it had on him.

With her left hand, she gently squeezed his right hand for comfort and support, but she knew her soft skin, thanks to her lotions and baths, would trigger another effect.

"You can't let this get to you. Nancy took you for granted."

"Yeah, she has…" He replied calmly, but he was burning up inside. His face didn't show it, but his eyes did, and Margo saw it. She slowly stroked it to comfort him again, and at the same time stoking the fire of frustration and rage that was consuming him, but it also doubled as a flirting technique. She felt it was better not to say anything, but to let her hand soothe him.

"I've been a faithful husband to her. I made sure there was a roof over our heads when Nancy was studying for her Ph D. in Psychology and Sociology."

"Two degrees that she ends up not using, right?" Margo said. It was more like a statement than a question.

"Yeah…" steamed Roger.

Margo looked at the time. It was 2:30 AM.

"I have to get going. Georgie gets up at five and he would be suspecting something if I don't arrive."

"I understand."

Margo got up from the couch and headed to the door. Like a dog on a leash, Roger followed.

"Can I walk you to your car? This is New Jersey after all."

Margo smiled, with a small touch of flirtation. "Thank you, but I'll be okay. I parked in the garage."

"Are you sure," he asked with a touch of concern in his voice.

"I'm fine. Just get yourself some sleep." As she stepped out to the hallway, she told him, "Have a good night, and don't let it get to you." She ended with a wink before she sashayed her way to the elevator. As she was walking, she didn't look back, but she knew that he was looking.

Finally, when she got in the elevator, she grinned like the Cheshire cat. "I got him just where I want him," she finished with a self-assuring chuckle.

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After Blair left because of the fallout in the main quarter, some of the group went to their bedrooms, while others hung around a little longer. Molly was one of them. She turned on the television and watched the whole rehearsal debacle unfold on TruTV, while a whole bunch of comedians made fun of the scene. After a while, she flicked off the TV and went downstairs to a small conference room where she plugged her laptop into the ethernet cable and started working.

Beverly Ann went straight to bed, so did Nancy.

Blair went to her bedroom, but she couldn't sleep. She was missing Jo big time and the mention of her name earlier didn't help matters much. Blair knew that Natalie and Tootie were just trying to lighten the mood in spite of everything that was going on around them, but hearing Jo's name without her being there was just not right. Basically, Blair wasn't Blair without Jo. In an effort to take her mind off of things, she flipped on her television set and tried finding something interesting on TV.

After a while, Geri lightly knocked on Blair's door before entering the room. Seeing how distraught her cousin looked, Geri walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you missing Jo?"

"Like heck I am!" Blair shouted, then she started to break down. Geri hugged her while Blair weeped on her left shoulder.

"I just want my Joey back. She's my everything."

"Ahh, Blair, don't worry about it. You know it's a 99% chance that Jo's coming back tomorrow."

"But what about the other 1%? She could just leave me forever." After saying that, she broke down again.

"Knowing Jo, I seriously doubt that she would do that to you. She loves you too much, and I know she will be here. I wish I could say the same for Yvonne."

Now it was time for Geri to cry, as she was missing her other half.

The two weeping women hugged each other and used each other's shoulder to cry on. It was at that moment that Bailey walked in and saw them in such a state. She sighed and knew she had to help them out.

"Hey, what's the pity-party for and why wasn't I invited?" she joked.

Geri sniffed as she spoke. "Blair and I are missing our soulmates."

"Yeah, I can understand that. I would feel the same way if I didn't see Mark for a long time as well."

Blair, with her flushed face, looked at her sister. "I hope he doesn't run away if things go wrong."

"So far he hasn't. He's stuck right by my side, just like I know Jo will do for you," Bailey said.

"Yeah, but still. Why does she always resort to running away to solve her problems?"

There was that buzz again and Blair immediately got up.

"I'll get it."

"Isn't that Kelly's job?" Bailey asked.

"Yeah, but I told her to take the rest of the night off. Come with me."

She went upstairs with Geri and Bailey trailing close behind her. As Blair opened the door, in walked a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her mid-40s. The woman had medium caramel-brown skin with long, curly jet-black hair flowing down her back and an hourglass figure.

"Yvonne!" Geri shouted with unbridled joy. She quickly ran to the woman, almost knocking Bailey and Blair over in the process, and passionately hugged her lover. Amazingly, she didn't trip or fall over herself, due to her cerebral palsy. The embrace was followed by an equally passionate kiss.

"Mmm… That's a delightful way to say hi, no?" Yvonne joked in a sexy French accent.

"But how did you-" Geri was about to ask, but her lover immediately interrupted her.

"Mademoiselle here helped me," Yvonne said as she pointed to Blair.

Blair smiled. "I had a limo driver pick her up at Manhattan. It was worth it."

"Absolutely! I got to drink some great Burgundy wine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, watch NetFlix, and listen to some 80s Italo-disco and French New Wave music. It was magnifique!" said the grinning French woman.

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed the trip. Ours was not bad, considering the amount of tension on the bus." Blair glommed when she heard that. "But it was uneventful, for once."

Yvonne smirked and shook her head. "It has become a big mess, no?"

"You're not kidding..." Blair derided.

Tootie and Natalie came to see Yvonne.

"Hey Yvonne, how are you doing?" said Tootie.

"Good to see you again, Yvonne," Natalie said.

Since Geri was Andy's client, she and Yvonne had visited Tootie's place multiple times, and usually Natalie was there as well.

"It's great to see you two as usual. You two are always together, no?"

The two friends looked at each other before Natalie responded, "Yes, but we are not together together."

"Right," Tootie chimed in. "We're best buds."

"Soul sisters," Natalie added.

"I swear, you two must have been twins in your previous lives." Yvonne said.

"We are sisters from different misters," Natalie and Tootie replied in unison.

They all then broke into laughter.

Before they headed downstairs, Cindy and Sue Ann went to see who arrived.

"Is this Yvonne? The woman you told me about on the bus, Geri?" Sue Ann asked.

"Yep," she smiled proudly.

"This is she," Yvonne said proudly.

"Ooh la la. Got quite a catch there, Geri," Cindy stated while wiggling her eyebrows. "Geri's shown us pictures, but, damn, they do not do you any justice."

A charming smile appeared on Yvonne face while a small scowl formed on Sue Ann's.

"I'm glad a model like you think I'm beautiful. Especially one who's as beautiful as you are," she ended with a wink. That pointed compliment did not make Sue Ann feel any better.

At that moment, Kim arrived and quickly sized up the woman who was holding onto Geri's waist. Even though they've met before, she still likes what she sees, but she was wise enough not to go any further.

"Yvonne, Je suis bien content de te voir," said Kim in French. Translated it meant, "I'm very glad to see you."

"Pareil pour moi (Same here)," replied Yvonne.

"Pas autant que je le suis pour te voir avec plaisir (Not as much as I am gladly to see you)," Geri answered before giving her lover a tight hug.

"Geri vous a beaucoup manqué (Geri missed you very much)," Blair said.

"Vraiment? (Really?)" Yvonne responded.

While Yvonne, Geri, Kim, and Blair was in their own francophone world, the rest of the crew were looking at them in puzzlement. Blair recognized the confusion by the looks on her friend's faces and decided to bring it up.

"Si nous allons parler en français, faisons-le ailleurs (If we are going to talk in French, then let's do it somewhere else)," declared Blair.

"D'accord (I agree)," Yvonne replied. "Oops."

"How about we speak French a little later on, when all the English speakers are gone?" Kim suggested as she reverted back to English.

"Yeah. Don't want them to feel left out of our wonderful conversation," cracked Yvonne.

Eventually, they all congregated into the living room. Geri and Yvonne settled onto a two-seater, while everyone else found their own seats. Yvonne rested her head on Geri's left shoulder, and Yvonne's right hand and Geri's left hand entwined like a pair of boa constrictors wrapped around each other.

As soon as they got comfortable, the group started asking the exotic French woman questions.

"So, what part of France are you from? Because you don't look…" Sue Ann asked, trying to stay in the PC realm.

"Sue Ann…" Molly warned.

Yvonne chuckled a bit and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, the PC police won't come after you. I'm from Marseille, but my father is from Tahiti and my mother is from Corsica."

"Corsica?" Sue Ann inquired.

"Oui. It's a small island south of France and north of Sardinia, an Italian island."

"Remember the photo shoot I did over there back in '91?" Cindy reminded Sue Ann.

"Oh, yeah. I remember. The beaches were wonderful."

"So, Geri, how did you and Yvonne hooked up?" Cindy asked.

"Yeah, you two never told us the full story, besides Blair setting up a blind date and you two getting back together a few years later," Natalie said.

Geri blushed and smiled. "Yes, it's true. It was through Blair, who set up a blind date."

Blair smiled in return. "I had to make it up for the French teacher disaster."

"Yeah, instead of a French teacher, I got myself a French belle. I call that a trade-up," Geri replied as she smiled. Yvonne blushed as she nuzzled more into Geri's shoulder.

"See, it just goes to show that my middle name is Cupid. I'm the ultimate matchmaker."

"And match-breaker," Geri joked as she put her free hand over her mouth in an effort to stifle her laughter. Yvonne took her head off of Geri's shoulder and snickered. Everyone was laughing except for Blair, who first gave Geri that glare, but then began shaking her head and laughing with the rest of the group.

Yvonne then spoke up and said, "But believe it or not, Geri and I met earlier. It was when I was working as a cabaret singer for various clubs in NYC. When I was at Bespoken -"

"Hey, I remember that spot!" Natalie chimed in.

"Yeah, great spot, rest in peace," Yvonne replied with a slight sound of melancholy in her voice as she remembered the old venue. After a moment of silent reflection, she continued, "As I was saying, when I was at Bespoken, Geri was there as well to perform her stand up routine. I was in the dressing room when Geri walked in…"

(Flashback to 1990)

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know someone was in here," proclaimed Geri as she quickly turned her face away, but kept her eyes trained on the beautiful woman before her.

"No harm done. I am already dressed. I will just get my things and get out out of here," replied the French woman as she began to move around the comedian.

"No need," said Geri as she moved past Yvonne while secretly scanning her from head to toe. "I just want to look in the mirror and see if anything looks out of place. Gotta make sure cause those guys will kill you. Besides," chuckled Geri, "I want them laughing at my jokes and not my appearance."

Yvonne looked at Geri. "You look fine, actually," she stated as she glanced Geri up and down.

"Thanks," Geri answered with a smile.

Then Geri asked, "Are you the French singer this club got to perform tonight?"

"Oui." she smiled.

"Cool. My name's Geri? What's yours."

"Yvonne. Nice to meet you, Geri."

"Nice to meet you too."

"We looked at each other rather lovingly. I think I saw a bit of red in Yvonne's brown cheeks."

"You did, love. I was blushing."

"Hey, are you also a model?" Geri asked.

Yvonnet smirked. "No, but I get that a lot though."

"I'm not surprised," commented Geri as she took a longer look at the French woman. "A babe like you would succeed as a fashion model."

"Well, I did try modeling for a short time during college. I thought it was a quick way to make some money and some of my close friends said it'd be easy and I'd love it. They were so wrong. I hated it. It's so boring."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"Yeah, behind the glamour is the mundane," Yvonne commented. "Besides, being a singer still lets me show off a little," said Yvonne a little seductively with a sly smile on her face. "People still get to see my beauty, but also my musical talents and my dancing skills."

"I see. So how long have you been here?"

"In the states?"

"Yeah."

"For about a month. I'm here on a temporary work visa. I only got five more months to be here, so I have to make the best of it."

"I think you will, Yvonne."

"We looked into each other's eyes once again. There was that spark between us. I couldn't explain it, but it felt magical for a while, until our own silent moment was shattered by the club manager." Yvonne said.

"Yo, Tyler, where are ya? You're up!" shouted the club manager.

"... Oh, shit!"

Geri tried to move but she fell down.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Yvonne with concern in her voice as she leaned down.

"Well, I need some help walking."

"How come?"

"See, I have cerebral palsy. Thus, my coordination is bad. Think of me as the opposite of MC Hammer."

Yvonne laughed. "I hope so. He's a great dancer, but he's not the best looking guy in the world."

"Yeah, he's not the most handsome guy in the world, but he sure knows how to dance. I'm jealous of him."

"Oh come on now, Geri. Just because you can't dance doesn't mean he's better than you. You probably have a different type of talent than he does."

"That's true."

"Tyler, the crowd's waitin' fo' ya!" yelled the club manager.

Both women could hear the anger and irritation in his voice.

"I better get going," said Geri as she tried to get up.

"Here, let me help you out."

Yvonne held Geri by the waist as Geri grabbed for her cane.

They left the room and saw the club manager.

"There you are. Ya kno' I was lookin' fo' ya!" the club manager shouted.

"Sorry 'bout that. I was having some trouble with my balance again."

"I remember seeing the guilt on the club manager's face," Geri said.

"He looked like someone who got caught robbing candy from a baby, no?" Yvonne said. They both laughed afterwards.

Yvonne continued. "Look, I didn't mean it. I totally forgot about your situation," the manager replied more calmly.

"No worries. I'm ready to get out there!"

"Great! I'm get the crowds warmed up a bit."

The manager then left the women and went back out on stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we got ourselves a one-of-a-kind comedian. Geri Tyler."

I wished Geri good luck and I helped her to the stage. Then, I went back to my dressing room and finished getting myself prepared."

At that point, Geri took up the story. "After I finished my set, it was Yvonne's turn to perform. When she got up on stage and sang her French songs, I was mesmerized. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I was in a trance, which was only broken when my ride arrived and the driver came up to me and tapped me on my shoulder. When he told me that it was time to leave, I couldn't move . . . and not due to my CP. Yvonne had me frozen to the floor, like the many statues in France. I told my driver that I was going to stay until after the performance was over, but I left immediately after that. Yvonne and I didn't see each other again until a month later, when Blair visited me at home."

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"Hey, Geri, I got someone you should meet."

"Really, Blair. I don't know…"

"Oh, trust me, you'll like her."

"It's a girl you're pairing me up with?"

"Yeah. You told me the other day that you like women."

"True, but I wouldn't expect you to find someone that fast, especially one of the same sex!"

Blair grinned at me and said, "That's because I'm a gifted matchmaker."

"I rolled my eyes when she said that, but Blair just continued as if she didn't hear me," Geri chided a bit, looking at Blair.

"I did see you, but addressing it would be pointless. Besides, I owe you one for the whole Professor Suave fiasco," Blair commented.

"You sure did," Geri recalled. "I had to chuckle on that one because she rarely admits to owing people favors."

"Because I usually don't!" Blair protested.

"Whatever, Blair. You owe a lot of people favors, otherwise we wouldn't be here." Then Geri continued with the story. "As I was saying…"

"Yeah. Okay, Blair. I'm game."

"You are?" Blair asked her cousin with her eyebrow looking like it was trying to reach for the skies.

"Totally!"

"And just so that you don't feel totally uncomfortable, we'll make it a double date. Jo and I, and you and Yvonne."

"Yvonne? That's the same name of the sexy woman I told you about that I met at Bespoken."

"Well, I bet she's not a sexy as this one. Trust me, when you see her, your jaw will drop."

"We'll see, Blair," answered Geri with a roll of her eyes.

"When we arrived at La Maison, and after we were seated at our table, I began wondering how many sexy Yvonnes there could be out there. Then, when she entered, my jaw did drop."

With a pleased look on her face, Blair leaned over to Jo and whispered, "See, do I know my cousin or what?"

As Jo rolled her eyes, Geri's eyes were roaming over the French woman. It was obviously the same woman she met in Bespoken, but she assumed that she liked men. When Yvonne got to the seat, she proclaimed, "Hi, Geri."

Despite the slight accent in her voice, Blair clearly knew that the French woman had uttered her cousin's name.

"Wait, a minute. You two know each other?"

"Mais oui." Geri said.

"But how?" asked Blair a bit confused.

"I told you, Blair. This is the hot woman I met at Bespoken." Geri then turned her attention to Yvonne, "But I did not know that you were into women."

Yvonne simply shrugged. "Well, I am into some women. Into some men too. I am attracted to who I am attracted to, despite their gender."

"Oh," replied Geri while hanging her head for a moment.

"And," continued Yvonne, "I found you quite attractive at the club, but I was not sure that you liked women and I had to be careful making assumptions in America. These things aren't as acceptable here as it is in France, no?"

"Ha, you didn't catch me looking you up and down?"

Yvonne smiled. "I thought I caught you stealing glances, but I was not sure. I had my suspicions the minute we met, but I did not want to assume anything. Did you not see me stealing glances at you?" she finished with a smile.

It was Geri's time to smile. "I think I did. Just like you, I wasn't very sure myself."

Blair looked at Jo and mouthed, "I told you so!" Jo just rolled her eyes and huffed.

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"For the rest of the night, we talked about various things," declared Geri with a wide smile. "It was wonderful, and in my mind I had already decided on a 2nd, 3rd, and 4th date!" The group listened, enthralled by Geri and Yvonne's story.

"That's it, Geri? I was thinking about calling up U-Haul to move in with you! At that moment I was more than certain that you was it."

"Oh, my God… That lesbian U-Haul joke," Cindy groaned. The rest of group laughed more before Yvonne continued.

"We made it official two months later, but it didn't last long because my visa expired. I had to move back to France for a while, because of my visa expiring, and my job. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to come back until seven years later."

"It was a long seven years and a lot had changed during that time." Geri said.

"Oui. I mean, yes. When we meet again in 1997, Geri was seeing someone else and I had just broken up with my guy of three years three months earlier. It was a mutual breakup, but I think it was mainly because we were not meant to be together."

"Yeah, he wasn't the one for ya, Babe," Geri responded with a wink.

Yvonne lightly smacked her on the shoulder before continuing. "Anyway, I had to get away from France and everything. I knew that my future was in America . . ."

"Because I was in America," joked Geri in a whisper.

Yvonne just looked at Geri and shook her head. "Ahem, . . . and I knew that was where I needed to be. So, I got on the first available flight to New York City. Once we landed, I knew that Geri was the first person I wanted to contact. However, I had heard from a mutual friend that she was in another relationship. The news left me heartbroken, but I was hoping we could at least be friends. After all, I did not know many people in America."

"What Yvonne didn't know," interrupted Geri, "was that me and my partner at the time were having problems. He actually cheated on me and I cheated on him as payback."

"With another man or with a woman?" Sue Ann asked.

"Another man. My cousin, Michael," Tootie interjected with a smirk. A lot of jaws dropped at that revelation, but Geri simply grinned.

"Tootie's right. He would have been a more permanent option if this French belle didn't come back."

"See, Blair wasn't the only one who was making up for past mistakes. Nat was in a serious relationship at the time, as rare as that was back then, thus I didn't want to ruin it, so I told him that Geri was interested and ready to move on. I just didn't factor Yvonne into the equation."

Yvonne just smiled. "Sorry about that, Tootie, but my cherie wasn't meant for Michael," she ended as she flirtatiously nuzzled into her lover's neck.

Geri blushed, a very rosy red tint on her face, as she laughed. "I couldn't agree with you more."

After she finished blushing and laughing, she said, "I need to continue the story. That relationship wasn't meant to be. So, when I learned that Yvonne was back in the city and that she was single, I immediately broke off my relationship, and my affair, and began pursuing her again . . . ."

(Flashback to 1997)

"It was a typical night in early February. I was just settling in at my apartment near SoHo when I heard my doorbell ring. I wasn't expecting anybody - especially at that hour - so I just assumed it must be Blair or someone stopping by. However, I was not expecting who I saw on my stoop."

"I must have given you a surprise, no?" asked Yvonne coyly.

"No . . . I mean, yes," stuttered Geri while the others looked on.

"Anyway, I opened the door and there stood Yvonne. Although it had been seven years, she was as gorgeous as ever - aged beautifully like a fine French wine - but without the stinky cheese."

"French cheese doesn't stink," interjected Yvonne with a sour look on her face.

"Umm, Camembert cheese?" Geri asked.

"Okay, you got me there," Yvonne surrendered jokingly.

Geri went on. "She was wearing a mustard yellow sweater with black slacks and had that black choker that was popular in the 90s. She wasn't trying to dress sexy, but with that 90s style bob haircut that went real well with her thick curly hair, I nearly melted."

"Like your stinky cheese?" quipped Yvonne, throwing the comedian's joke back at her. Everyone laughed, while Geri just gave her that look.

Geri continued with the story. "So, Yvonne, welcome back."

"Merci beaucoup, Geri."

"We didn't say anything for a while because I guess there was a lot of tension between us. I don't think either one of us was sure that the attraction was still there for the other partner. Eventually, I ended up breaking the tension."

"Well, are you going to just stand there like a statue or are you going to come in? If you choose the former, you'd be better off being one in here instead of out there," I said. "Fewer pigeons."

"If there are pigeons in the hallway, then your apartment must have some serious problems."

"Remember, this is New York City. If there are rats who own the places, why not pigeons in the hallways?"

"You are not convincing me," she deadpanned.

"I just have to say, my place would have fewer problems and would look much better if you got your sexy self in here."

At that, Yvonne smirked then chuckled and came in.

"I see that you still haven't lost your sense of humor, no?" she said as she examined the place.

"I hope not. I wouldn't be able to afford this place if I did."

"I see. You seem to be doing well for yourself."

"Yeah my stand-up performances and my appearances in TV shows and movies sure pays the bills."

"Looks like you got everything you need, mon ami."

Geri looked her up and down before grabbing her waist and saying, "I do, now that you're here."

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"Ooooooo, this is getting good," interrupted Tootie. Natalie squealed along with her buddy.

"It didn't stay that way for long. I was thinking we were going to go in for a kiss, but Yvonne went and pushed her way out of my grasp."

"Well, mon amour, I was not sure it was the right time at that moment," Yvonne stated in a factual tone.

"You have a point. It was weird. We were together but apart. I know I wanted so bad to be with her, but her reaction told me she felt otherwise. I was afraid that the chance was long gone. It felt like we were in a circle."

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After breaking out of Geri's grasp, Yvonne walked over and sat down on the couch. Geri followed and took a seat in the chair.

"So, why are you here?" Geri asked.

"Well, I moved back to the city and I wanted to say hi."

"That's great, but why did you move to New York? Job? Money? Love?"

"When I said that, it looked like a bolt of lightning struck her."

"Yeah, love. And my heart brought me here."

"When she said that, I felt that a bolt of lightning struck me."

"I don't understand."

"Geri, I think I still love you, am in love with you."

"But . . . . then why did you break out of my embrace."

"Because it wasn't the perfect moment. It was a little too soon."

"So, ummm, you said you came back . . . for me?"

"Why, but of course."

Geri got up from her seat and walked towards the window, which overlooked the SoHo neighborhood. "Honestly, I thought you stopped thinking about me over the years. I saw in the French gossip magazines when you got into your last relationship, and I thought I was old news."

"No, my love. I didn't stop thinking about you. I thought you stopped thinking about me."

Geri turned around and looked at Yvonne. "I could never stop thinking of you, Yvonne."

"But I never heard from you again. I figured you had found someone else."

"I'm sorry. I should have sent you an email or something," Geri said, looking down as she was feeling a bit ashamed.

"How could you? I just got an email account four months ago."

"Oh…" Geri responded. "Still, I should have tried harder to contact you somehow. I apologize. Not a very good girlfriend . . . or friend for that matter."

Yvonne looked into Geri's eyes, assuring her with her soft dark-brown eyes. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Geri. It happens when people separate due to long distances."

At that comment, Geri walked over to the couch. After a look of assurance from Yvonne, she sat down next to the woman she loved. The tension between them was high. Their eyes were telling each other how much they wanted each other. The attraction between them was as thick and heavenly as condensed milk.

"Now that we're in the same area, let's start loving each other again because I don't want anyone else but you," Yvonne requested.

"Fair enough. But I need to tell you straight from my heart, Je t'aime," Geri said.

"Je t'aime aussi."

"I leaned in, hoping that Yvonne wouldn't move away from me again. This time, she leaned in toward me."

"Now's the right time," whispered the French woman.

"Then we started kissing each other tenderly, then it turned passionately. We were making up years of not being together. It was so riveting, I still remember it like it was yesterday.

Then Yvonne said, "During our making out, I remember Geri saying, 'I'm not letting you go, this time.'"

"I don't want you to let me go, because you belong to me, no?"

Geri just grinned, "I sure do. Forever"

"Then we continued our kissing," Geri ended.

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"We kept it up for a while. We didn't want to each other go that night as the passion transferred to the bedroom. Right then and there, we became a couple," Yvonne said with a blissful smile as she closed her eyes, reminiscing about that magical moment they had.

"And we've been a couple ever since," Geri gleamed and Yvonne nodded her head in confirmation.

"Aah, that's such a sweet and romantic story!" Tootie gushed.

"Yeah, especially the makeout part," Natalie snickered. The two were acting like they were in Eastland again.

"You two will never grow up, will you?" asked Geri jokingly.

"Hey, we weren't the ones going at it like two high school kids," replied Natalie.

"Oh, but practice makes perfect," said Yvonne with a smile as she grabbed Geri's face and gave her a huge kiss.

"Okay, Toot, it's time we get outta here before they start taking the kissing to France," commanded Natalie as she grabbed her friend's arm and began dragging her out of the room.

On the way out, Geri and Yvonne could hear Tootie exclaiming, "How romantic." The rest of the group stayed with Geri and Yvonne, continuing their conversation with the couple.

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A little later, Kim left the living room and went downstairs to the entertainment room. She wasn't quite ready for bed yet, but she also didn't want to hear anymore from the loving couple. It wasn't that she was not happy for Geri and Yvonne, but something just bothered her and made her feel a pang of jealousy toward the couple. So, Kim figured that she would find something to occupy her time and get her mind off of relationships and all that sort of thing. All the talk about love and relationships did was remind her of Kelly Donovan. Although she didn't want to admit it, in her mind she knew that she wanted Kelly badly, and she was sure that, deep down, Kelly wanted her just as much. However, it was frustrating that Kelly was resisting the obvious connection due to what Kim considered a rather trivial problem. Though she had been down this road before with lesbians, it was different with Kelly for some reason. The feelings Kim had for Kelly was stronger, but so was Kelly's resistance and protests.

It didn't dawn on Kim that she was doing the exact opposite of what she wanted to do - escape the thoughts of love and relationships. She really needed to find something to take her mind off of Kelly D. At that moment, she realized that Tracy, Eric, and Kelly A. were there, conversing with each other. Kim decided to join in, in an effort to escape her thoughts.

"Hey, whatcha guys talkin' about?" she asked curiously.

The trio turned and looked at her. "Nothing much," replied Eric as he sized Kim up.

"So, we heard that you were into swinging," said Tracy as she eyed Kim up and down. "You know, with you being a former porn star, I bet you have had some wild experiences. I mean, you were in some very risque films, and you can't do some of those scenes without some, ummm, experimenting," she added while lifting her eyebrow.

At first, Kim kind of looked away because she didn't know how they couple would take her past. She hoped that they would not be put off by what she was rumored to do, and what she actually did during her years as a porn star.

"Don't be shy," commented Tracy as she noticed the slight change in demeanor. "Some of my friends back in LA told me that they had some very fun times with you." Eric was next to Tracy, grinning.

Happy at the reassurance she seemed to be getting from the couple, Kim replied with a giggle, "Yeah, I had my share of threesomes, foursomes, and my favorite, orgies."

"Ooooo, we love orgies," Eric said while Tracy nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, and we were thinking that with us and Kelly, we could have some foursome fun, especially with someone as cute as you."

At first, Kim started at the name, but then she realized that the couple was referring to Kelly A. Usually at a time like this Kim would already be naked and ready for action, but for some reason she couldn't do it. Something in her heart stopped her and that something was Kelly D. Kim still had strong feelings for her and, deep down, she knew that they still had a chance. She really felt that Kelly D. was the one. After hearing how much Kelly D. hated Kelly A. and the couple, Kim concluded that joining in the couple and Kelly A.'s orgy would definitely hurt things more than help. She didn't want to cause any conflict of interest or create any reason for Kelly D. to hate her more than she already did. Yet, was Kelly D. worth it? Was she worth it so much to pass up an orgy? Deep inside her heart she was saying yes, Kelly D., with all her flaws, was that one-in-a-billion for Kim. Kelly D. was going to be very special for Kim. As good as sex is to Kim, love is even better.

After weighing the pros and cons, Kim politely declined. "No, I can't, but thanks for the offer."

Tracy shrugged and said, "No problem. You know where to find us when you change your mind."

Kim got up and went to her room. She went to sleep, thinking about Kelly D. all night long.

After she left, Eric asked Tracy and Kelly A., "What the hell does Kim sees in Kelly? The redhead Kelly, I mean," he added as he glanced at Kelly A. "She's cute and has a nice body, but that's it. She's rather trashy and ghetto."

Kelly A. replied, "Kelly has a certain charm to her that's hard to pinpoint. I fell for her once, memba? I don't know what Kel did ta her, but Kim will regret it, just like I did."

Tracy said, "Yeah. I'm glad we got you out of that trainwreck."

Kelly A. then smiled. "So do I. Hey, let's go to our rooms and have some fun."

The couple smiled at Kelly A. and nodded, then headed straight to their master bedroom.

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When Cindy and Sue Ann went to bed, they didn't say anything for a while, until Sue Ann mentioned something.

"Cindy, this is silly," she said in the dark.

"What's silly?"

"How we're acting. Getting angry with Blair and, what's worse, getting jealous of each other."

"For the first part, remember, we're here because of her, but for the second part, you're right. We've been together for over thirty years and, if we wanted to split and date other people, we would have done that a long time ago," Cindy noted.

"True, but just because we're in this situation doesn't give you or me the right to act like a bunch of nasty bitches. We need to stop badgering Blair over this whole mess. She's doing the best that she can, and she's pretty much holding out the olive branch to us, especially you."

"Yeah, you're right."

"And also, there's no need to get upset when people find us attractive. We're two good looking people. Cindy, you're a model for God's sake."

"I agree, but that also goes if we find other people attractive. Sure, I think Yvonne is hot, but as long I don't try to pursue her, or keep on talking about it, then it should be okay. I know you were sizing up Tracy as well."

There was a blush on Sue Ann's face that Cindy couldn't see in the dark room.

"Yeah, you're right. We've been acting like fools."

"We are, Sue Ann, but let's not lose sleep over it. Let's just go to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight, Cindy."

"Goodnight, Sue Ann."

They went to bed their usual way, embracing each other.

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In Tootie's bedroom, Natalie and Tootie were talking about the recent events.

"I'm thankful that the day is over. There was so much drama today, it could fill two weeks of my show!"

Natalie chuckled. "Yeah, there's so much gay drama going on around here."

Tootie thought for a bit. "It's weird that we are the minority here, and I'm not talking about race or religion, but sexuality. There are more gay women here than on The L Word and a Xena Warrior Princess convention combined!"

"Yeah, now I see how they feel being the minority. Having to hear nothing but straight relationships all the time. Even with all the tension going on, they don't seem to be as reserved as they usually are in pubic when it comes to the cuddling, kissing, and other types of PDA."

"True. But it does make me think about the stuff we take for granted."

"Like what, Tootie?"

"Like marriage."

"That's so true, Tootie. I guess they feel a bit of freedom here." Then a question popped into Natalie's head. "So, Tootie, what did you think about Geri's French dish?"

"She has not changed one bit. If I didn't know her already, I would have thought that she was another member of the staff here. I would be waiting for her to break out the whole costume and everything."

"You can't stereotype people like that, Tootie. You of anyone should know better than that."

"Hey, girl, with all our crazy friends, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if she did have one of those kinky French maid outfits stashed away somewhere."

"Tootie!" admonished Natalie with a shocked look on her face.

The younger girl just continued as if she didn't hear her friend. "In fact, I bet she knows how to kiss only how French woman can."

"Watch your mouth young lady," shouted Natalie.

"Oh, Nat. I'm not the same little girl in pigtails and braces who used to roll around on skates."

"Still, girl. I'm shocked. You sound a lot like me."

"You shouldn't be so surprised, Nat. Look at what's on my talk show. Or have you not been watching like you promised?" asked Tootie as she sat up, put her hands on her hips, and pouted.

Natalie quickly defended. "Of course I watch your show, Tootie. It's just those comments are something I'd say."

"I guess that's my fault hanging around you too much," Tootie shrugged.

Both girls began laughing.

"Seriously though, one more person to add to this whole boiling pot. I'm not sure how that's going to work."

"Yeah and did you see the looks Sue Ann was giving Yvonne as Cindy was eyeballing her?" asked Tootie with a whistle.

"Yeah, but don't forget that Cindy was about to kill Sue Ann for her eyeballing that curvy redhead Tracy."

They both giggled after that.

"Yeah, and speaking of Tracy, what about Kelly A. and the couple who works here. Geesh, there are so many sparks flying, I feel like I'm in a fireworks factory."

"I just hope one of those sparks don't ignite a powder keg. I'm hoping everyone can just watch their emotions and keep them in check. We got Bailey, of all people, to thank for suppressing the explosion today. I just hope we can keep it up."

"Me too, Tootie. Me too."

"But I'm afraid that the the biggest igniter is going to arrive tomorrow. I have a feeling that a keg is bound to be lit by a fiery redhead from the Bronx named Kelly D."

A worried look crossed on Natalie's face. "I just hope we can extinguish it before it gets out of control. To do that, we best be getting some sleep. We'll need our strength tomorrow, Soul Sister."

"You're not kidding. Have a good night, Natalie."

"You too."

Natalie got off the bed and went to her bedroom to get a good night's sleep.

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It was late in the morning the next day, and both Jo and Kelly were still in jail. The police arranged for a truck to carry Jo's bike and Natalie's Lexus that Kelly borrowed to their destination. Kelly was sitting there in the bed, doing nothing. Jo took notice.

"What are you doing, Kel?"

"I don't know whether I had a dream or a nightmare."

Jo really had a puzzled look on her face when Kelly said that.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, the dream was that I was in a dark alley, n' someone was followin' me. He or she was wearin' a grey hood and had his or her face covered. So I picked up a trash can and shouted 'Come any closer and I'll knock ya out!'. Then the person took off the hood and it was Kimberly."

Jo looked on and said "Interesting…"

"Then she said 'Kelly, why are you doing this? Can't you see that I love you, and that you love me?' I responded with 'I couldn't love a person like you.' Instead, she came up closer, to the point that she was like half a foot 'way from me. Then she said, 'Can you honestly say that you don't love me?" I said to her. "I couldn't love a filthy, flaky cockroach like you, ya gate-swingin' slut! People like you I'm gonna -". Then she grabbed my head and drew her face close to her. Instantly, we kissed. It was the type of kiss that sent shockwave all ovah my body. It was wonderful, and I didn't want it to end. Then the phone alarm went off."

"You know what that means, Kel?"

"That the beds and pillows here suck so much, they give you nightmares?" wisecracked Kelly. Jo knew that Kelly knew what it meant, but she didn't want to admit it.

"No. It means that Kimberly is the one for you. What does it matta' that she likes men? Kim feels the same way fo' you," Jo emphasized by pointing her right index finger right at Kelly, "and that she won't leave you for anybody, man or woman."

"That's a bunch of horseshit," Kelly sneered.

"No, what's horseshit is your biphobia. This is gettin' ridiculous, Kel. You need ta -."

Then the guard came to the cell and told them, "Get yourselves ready, we're in the process of getting you two out of here."

Kelly let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God. I didn't know how long I could bear to be in a cell."

The guard chuckled. "Don't worry. It won't be too long. Just get yourselves ready." Then he left.

Kelly quickly changed the subject that was greatly uncomfortable to her. "I can't say that I'm gonna miss this place. I didn't like it the first few times I've been in jail, and I don't like it now. Even if ya pay me, I won't be steppin' inside one evah again."

Jo chuckled. "At least you get to leave today."

"Yeah, Hallelujah! And I get to go back to Houston two days from now. I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to leavin' my hometown. I don't even wanna be here for the next 100 years!"

Kelly's cell rang and she answered. "Hello? ...This is she."

She didn't say anything for a while. She just listened as her face began to fall.

"Wha' do ya mean I ruined yo' reputation? What reputation do ya even have? You guys are a telemarketing company fo' cryin' out loud!"

"Kel, is everything okay?" Jo asked. Kelly signalled for Jo to wait a moment.

"Afta' all the hard work an' dedication I put in this job, you gonna dump me like that 'cuz of those videos? ...Ya know what? Fuck you all and goodbye!" Kelly spat as she slammed the phone once again. This time the phone flew up in the air and landed on the bed after a few tumbles.

Jo came over to her friend. "So they fired you?"

"Yeah…" She sat down and cried again just like last night. Jo sat next to her and comforted her.

"Look, Kel. I'll help ya get yourself situated after all this is ovah. Okay?"

But Kelly didn't say anything, she just cried some more.

It was around this time that Blair called Jo from her bedroom. Jo looked at her cell and saw Blair's number. She knew she had to pick up this time, but she first took a deep breath before answering.

"Hello?"she answered as she held back her tears.

"Jo!" Blair elated.

"Hiya, Blair," she said calmly, though deep down inside she was jumping for joy as well.

"I miss you so much," Blair said as she started to weep. "I am so sorry for everything. I just want you back. I'll do anything to have you back. You don't know how much it hurts not having you around."

"Actually, I do. I really do. I miss you a lot too, Blair. I really felt lonely when I went to bed," Jo replied as she started to tear up. "Look, we can talk more when we get to the place. I'm dealing with a terrible situation here. Kelly just lost her job." She looked to the left and saw Kelly sobbing uncontrollably as she covered her face with her hands.

That made Blair even more upset. She knew she was the reason Kelly lost her job.

Blair continued, "Oh, speaking of Kelly, you can't tell her that Kim and the other Kelly is here."

"What? Are ya serious, Blair? I think she should know what she's gettin' into."

"No, that's not a good idea. Kelly is quite thick and stubborn."

"She might be stubborn, Blair, but we can't have her unknowingly entering what could be a hornet's nest. What, do ya want another incident on your hands?"

"Listen, Jo. I have a plan to keep them separated until the time is right to let them know."

"Ya think ya can keep them separated forever?"

"Just trust me, Jo. Don't tell Kelly."

Against her better judgement, Jo agreed to keep it a secret . . . for now.

Luckily for Jo, Kelly didn't hear any of the conversation due to her weeping.

Just then, the guard then called them. "Polniaczek, Donovan. It's time."

"Look, I'll talk to you later, okay? We're leaving now."

"Okay, please call back."

"Will do. Bye sweetie."

"Bye."

As soon as they were released, they were taken to a police car. A big truck was behind them, and it held the Lexus Natalie loaned Kelly and Jo's motorcycle. Jo told them to take them to Ithaca.

"Ithaca?" Kelly questioned.

"Yeah, the place where we are going to hide out for a while is in Ithaca."

"All the way up there? Maybe we can get some delicious apples while we're there."

Jo didn't say anything but just smiled.

Curious, Kelly decided to Google Ithaca and the building Jo was talking about on her phone. She was not familiar with the area and wanted to find out what she was getting herself into. When she typed in the name, a link to a CNN article appeared as on of the first hits. Fearing that the media knew the location, and just getting the news about her job, Kelly was not looking forward to entering a chaotic scene again. She already had enough bad exposure from the press to last her a lifetime, so she wanted to at least prepare herself. So, she clicked on the link which directed her to CNN's website. As she was looking at the article, it said that Blair Warner and her friends were in a secret location in Ithaca. The website listed the names of the people they suspected to be with Blair in the hideout, and Kimberly Drummond's name appeared. Kelly put two and two together.

"God dammit," she muttered.

"Is sumthin' wrong, Kelly?"

Kelly quickly hid her phone from Jo and responded, "No, Jo. Nothing's wrong."

However, that was far from the truth, as Kelly was getting very nervous inside, but was trying not to show it. For the rest of the trip, Kelly didn't say much, for she didn't want to bring it up to Jo, and she didn't want Jo to know how nervous she was.

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It was late-morning at the hideout and, thanks to Bailey, there was peace in the place. Molly, Blair, Mrs. G., and a few others were watching CNN and they were talking about the "lez-splosion incidents."

"I think the events caused by Blair Warner, Jo Polniaczek, Molly Parker, Kimberly Drummond, Miko Wakamatsu, and Kelly Donovan can hurt progress towards a nationwide gay marriage," said one panel guest.

"I hope it does and shows what a shame it is!" said a right-wing panel guest. "A lot of these gays and lesbians are not fit for marriage and these recent events prove exactly why."

Then they showed a segment where a reporter interviewed random people on the streets about the topic.

"As a gay man, I'm very scared that this could hurt all the progress we have made to get gay marriage nationally recognized and legalized. I must say that I believe that none of these women represent the gay community in any shape or form."

"I hope it shows that marriage was, is, and always will be meant for Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve or Adele and Eve." Then the guy continued. "Maybe companies can stop giving benefits to gay couples and they go back to the closets where they belong."

"I think this whole thing has been blown out of proportion," said a woman. "Would people use this as an excuse to stop straight marriages if these women were straight? No."

Blair couldn't watch anymore of it, so she changed the channel.

"Come on, Blair. You didn't have to change the channel," Molly complained.

However, Blair ignored her. When she changed the channel, she saw on BBC International that the Japanese ambassador was apologizing for Miko's actions, saying that they didn't reflect the ideals of Japan and its people.

Now Blair threw the remote on the couch and covered her face in shame.

Eric and Tracy tried to comfort Blair.

"Blair, screw what those losers have to say. They don't live your life, you do."

"But you don't understand," Blair moped.

"We do, kind of," Tracy retorted. "We know that you're very conscious of your image, but sometimes you just need to learn how to not give a shit."

Blair thought about it for a bit. "You may be right."

Then the alarms on their watches went off.

"Honey, it time to check the air filters," Tracy reminded her husband as they got up.

"Yeah, let's get going."

As soon as they left, Molly asked Blair a question.

"So, what exactly does that couple do here, Blair?"

"Yeah, you didn't mention their roles around here," Mrs G. added.

"They maintain the place" Blair simply stated.

"But doesn't Kelly do that?" Molly asked.

"No. I mean they're the ones who do the electrical and mechanical maintenance around here. Tracy's an electrical engineer and Eric's a biochemist. They help keep the air conditioning, airflow, water flow, etc. working. They also do the plumbing, fix elevators, and all of the other mechanical stuff that I still don't quite understand. I'm getting better thanks to Jo, but . . ." At the mention of her partner's name, Blair sniffed and just continued. "I couldn't have had the place built the way it is if it wasn't for them. Also, two additional rooms are created just for them. One is a going to be a control center for them to control the house. They would be able to use the camera to watch the area, except the bedrooms of course. They would also be able to monitor the lights in the house, control the pool and sauna temperature, making sure the air from up there comes down so that we won't burn up, etc."

"That sounds pretty impressive," Molly uttered with a whistle. "So, what's the other room going to be?"

"Their own playground for them, Kelly A., and their friends…"

"...Say no more…" Molly responded. It doesn't take too much imagination to figure out what Blair meant, but it was something Molly didn't want to imagine too much anyway. Mrs.G. didn't say anything, but her face turned pale and her eyes got wide, which said a lot.

Meanwhile, Geri and Yvonne was with Cindy, Sue Ann and Kim in the sunroom, while Nancy was homeschooling the kids in the large conference room. Beverly Ann and Sister Meg were swimming in the pool, and Bailey was in the game room playing Ms. Pac Man on an arcade machine that can host thousands of games thanks to the Mame emulator.

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It took them two and a half hours to get there, but Jo and Kelly finally arrived. The buzzer was rung, and it was rather loud inside the place.

"I'll get it," Kelly A. said, but Blair stopped her.

"No, I'll get it. Why don't you go to the entertainment center and check up on Kim and Nancy. I don't know if they can handle all those kids by themselves."

"Sure thing," Kelly A. agreed as she went to the elevator.

After Blair saw Kelly A. get in the elevator, she opened the door to let Jo and Kelly in. Immediately, she pushed Kelly D. away and grabbed Jo like her life depended on it, which it kind of did.

"Jo! You're back," Blair shouted. Tears were running down her face like Niagra Falls. Jo was no better, as she was crying, happy to have the love of her life back.

"Yes, Princess, I'm back."

The minute she hugged Jo, it turned into a long embrace that got them lost in their own world, and unaware of their environment for a while. Blair felt complete once again, and so did Jo. Neither wanted to let go of the other. It was a reunion of two pieces of a broken heart joining back together as one. The celebration would have continued unabated if it wasn't for a particular redhead...

Kelly D., on the other hand, wasn't so happy. "Damn, Ms. Elitist, you could have at least said 'excuse me!'"

Blair pulled away and addressed Kelly D, ignoring her insult. "I'm sorry about that."

"Yeah, you should be. There's a lotta things you should be sorry about."

Jo quickly stepped in between them. "Kel! This is not the time."

Blair quickly paused Jo with her hand. "No, Jo. Let me deal with this."

Jo looked at her and saw conviction and forgiveness in her eyes. She stepped aside and Blair stepped up to an angry and miffed Kelly D.

"Kelly, I just want to tell you that I am deeply sorry for how I acted towards you in the rehearsal and how I attacked you at the food court."

But Kelly wasn't so quick to forgive. "This is not the first time you've done dis to me, Blair. How will I know you won't do this to me again in the future? Cuz of your actions, my life has been a fuckin' livin' hell!"

All of Kelly D.'s shouting got everybody on the first floor rushing into the living room.

"I'm not going to make big and sweeping promises, like I usually do. What I would do on my end is to show you the respect you deserve."

Kelly D. sneered at her. "I dunno. I don't believe ya, ya spoiled snob!"

Jo had heard enough, so she stepped in. "Look, Kel. Give Blair a chance, will ya? At least do it for me."

"And I'll help you get a job here in NYC," Blair pleaded. "I owe you that much."

Blair's offer just seemed to infuriate Kelly more. "I don't want anything from you, ya scumbag witch!" she spat. "It's bad enough that we have to breath the same air." Blair was quite hurt by Kelly's words, but she did her best not to show it.

Jo quickly intervened. "Look, let's talk about it in another room."

"Fine. I'm still mad at Blair, but if it will get me away from her, than I'm willing to go to another room."

Jo took her into the powder room where Blair kept all her cosmetics and beauty products. It was somewhat Blair's sanctuary, so it was ironic that Jo chose that particular room to have a heart to heart with her friend.

"Kel, you need to let it go!"

"Why! That woman ruined my life. I'm a laughin' stock and I no longer have a job because of her. Let me tell you right to your face, I don't like Blair one bit! I don't know how you can stand her!"

"I've had plenty of practice. Besides, there's another part to Blair that lies below the surface."

"Sumthin' bettah?" Kelly sneered. "'Cuz all she is on the surface is a superficial bitch who tries to look good to everyone. That offer to help me get a job meant nuthin.' She was just frontin' for everyone so she'd look like some sort of saint or sumthin'."

"Kel, she's tryin'," pleaded Jo.

"She's tryin' all right . . . tryin' my patience. I don't give a fuck if she's tryin'!"

"Look, give Blair a break, will ya?!" Jo shouted back.

"Oh, I'll give her a break all right . . . break her scrawny neck or knock her teeth out."

The threat of bodily harm to her partner infuriated Jo and she couldn't hold back anymore. Jo knew better than to take Kelly's threat lightly. The incident at the engagement party was still fresh in her mind. "Remember one thing, Kel, Blair owns this place, and if all you're going to do is cause trouble and make her life and everybody lives in here miserable, because I know you Kel, then you're making my life miserable, and if that happens, then you will see your way out, capiche? You will have to deal with the media yourself with no job and, frankly, no friends to back you up."

Kelly just stood there in silence. Sure, she had some friends back in Houston, and even a few former lovers there, but none of them would be able to help her out in New York.

"Blair is doing everything in her power to help you out. You don't want to burn the bridge of a socialite who has tons of connections, now do you?"

"Like she'll ever use any of them to help me."

"Whether ya want to believe it or not, Blair tends to stand by her word. She doesn't offer things she doesn't intend on delivering."

"But for me?"

"Even for you. You and I are tight and she'll help my friends if I ask."

"So, she wouldn't do it because she's wrong."

"Kel, Blair doesn't normally admit guilt. Just think of it as saying she was wrong and caused your problems so is trying to make amends. I don't think you guys will ever be sitting down to afternoon tea together, but at least you can agree to disagree."

"I guess I can do it for you, Jo, but if she crosses me, I swear . . ."

"She won't," interrupted Jo. "I promise, and you know my word is good."

"It bettah be," sneered Kelly.

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They left the powder room and headed back to the main quarters. Blair was sitting on a couch, reading a lesbian novel that she got for Jo.

Kel came up to Blair and said. "Blair, I know you wanna talk to me, so let's talk."

Blair looked up to Kelly and said "Okay, please hear me out. I know you have every right to be upset with me, but let me help you out. It's my fault you lost your job and I want to make it up to you."

"Listen, Blondie, you don't like me, and I don't like you, so let's not pretend. That said, I don't fully blame you for everything that's happened, but I did lose my job over this stupid mess, because you're such a stupid, little -"

"Kel! This is my only warning to you!" said an angry and stern Jo. Kel quickly shut up.

"Thanks Jo, but I'm fine here," Blair said. She continued. "I know, Kelly, and I take responsibility for my part in it. Believe me, I have a few connections and a strings I can pull to get you a better job than you had."

"Look, I don't . . ."

"You don't have to say it. I know you probably don't want to feel beholden to me, but you won't be. You will have to rely on your talents and skills to keep the job. I can just get you in the right doors."

"But then I'll owe you, right?" asked Kelly.

"Kel," Jo interrupted as she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, "a wise woman once told me, 'You owe the gas company. You owe Bloomingdales. You don't owe your friends' or your friends' life partners," she ended as she winked at Blair.

"You're right, Jo. So, truce?" asked Kelly as she put out her hand.

"Truce," replied Blair as she attempted to shake Kelly's hand. At first Kel looked at Blair's hand in disgust as she was about to refuse her offer, until Jo gave her a chillingly cold glare to her. Immediately, she shook Blair's hand.

At least one explosion was halted . . . for now.

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It seemed that a sense of peace had descended upon the group, but it was not meant to last. After Blair and Kelly D. had made amends, the former decided that it would be best not to mention Kelly A. just yet. Blair knew about the Kellys' tumultuous past, and she wasn't ready to bring those two forces together yet. Not when she had just made amends with Kelly D. So, Blair had made it a point to keep the two as far away from each other as possible. However, Blair could not be everywhere at all times, so it was only a matter of time that the two Kellys would come face to face.

Blair had excused herself to use the bathroom, while Jo, Kelly D., and Cindy were watching a Yankee game on the living room TV.

"Damn, Colon's got no game this year," Jo complained.

"Yeah, Girardi outta send him back down to AAA. Dude's ruining any chances the Yanks have at making the Series this year. Geesh," Kelly derided, as she shook her head in frustration.

"I agree. I mean, losing to the fuckin' Orioles . . . at home? Bush league. Shit."

"It's all good, Jo. The Yanks always bounce back," Kelly consoled.

Cindy snickered. The two New Yorkers looked at the Los Angeles girl with a bit of contempt.

"So, how are the Dodgers doing, Cindy?" Kelly inquired. "We gave ya Donny Baseball as a manager and ya team still can't win."

"The season ain't over, Kelly. The Dodgers can still pull it off."

Now it was Jo and Kelly's turn to laugh.

"Yeah, right," snickered Jo. "That'd be a true Field of Dreams."

"Right, build a decent team and the fans will come," added Kelly. "Nah, we're talkin' real life, not Angels in the Outfield."

"Awww, shut up and watch your team blow another game," retorted Cindy.

While Jo, Cindy, and Kelly D. were watching the game, Kelly A. had come up to grab some paper towels from the kitchen. Blair thought she heard the sound of the elevator from the bathroom, but she just shrugged it off. Besides, she'd be out in just a minute anyway, so no worries . . . or so she thought.

The game had just reached the 7th inning stretch and Kelly D. decided that she needed to grab something to eat.

"Hey, Jo, Cindy, I'm gonna go get me a bite to eat. Want something?"

"You mean other than a competent bullpen?" Jo sulked.

"You'd be looking for years, especially after Rivera is gone," whispered Cindy under her breath.

"I mean something to eat," corrected Kelly as she glared at Cindy before turning back to look at Jo. "I can't do miracles."

"Nah."

"No, thanks," chimed in Cindy.

"Ha, you're a Dodgers fan, ya gotta fend for yourself," Kelly shot with a smirk. "Ummm, so, where's the kitchen anyway?" asked Kelly D. as she got up and looked first to her left and then to her right.

"You could just wait for Blair. She'd get you something. She does for me when the game's on," laughed Jo.

"I'm sure ya got the wife well trained," joked Kelly D. "but I can do things for myself. So . . . ."

"There are some Doritos and Cheetos in the pantry. Plus, there are some Icehouse brew in the fridge," Jo pointed out while her eyeballs were glued to the TV screen.

"Sweet. Thanks."

When Kelly D. got to the kitchen she saw a faintly familiar figure. Granted, she could only see the person from the back, but there was something that just seemed recognizable, though she couldn't quite place it. Then, all of a sudden the person turned and the two Kellys came face to face. Both Kellys were shocked, but soon that shock subdued and transformed into rage. At that moment, the war began . . .

End of Chapter 14.