(This is just a sappy oneshot as there is a distinct lack of Faith/Gunn fics out there. I think they would make for a wonderful couple and Faith does bear a striking resemble to Bette Porter. Enjoy)
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…
"Guys, we need to talk", said Faith as she strutted purposefully into the tastefully decorated living room and flicked off the TV right in the middle of a re-run of Jeopardy.
"Hey, we were watching that", cried Bette in slight annoyance as after such a long day she needed to unwind with some trash TV and the comfort of her wife's jojoba scented hair wafting in her nostrils.
"Not any more. Ok Moms, before he gets here I want to go over the rules"
"Rules? You're giving us rules?", asked Tina from the comfy sofa where she was snuggled in tightly in the crook of her wife's arm.
"Hell yeah, after I brought Jan home that time I'm going to go through all that shit at school again", snorted Faith with cringing memory.
"But honey, we were right about him…he was a complete douche nozzle", scoffed Bette staring up her daughter.
"True, but you didn't have to go all Bettila The Hun on his ass", implored Faith with hands on her curved hips.
"Meaning what?", squawked back Bette not enjoying the latest nickname bestowed on her.
"You know exactly what I mean Ma, I'm amazed you didn't whip out a polygraph machine for him. So anyway, when Gunn gets here…"
"Gunn? His name is Gunn?", asked Bette feeling her motherly protective streak kick in.
"Yeah, I told you that already, besides it's his surname so it's not like he can….hey, stop changing the subject. Anyways, first rule, no baby photo albums, god I could've died when you showed them to Fred", snorted Faith still recoiling from the embarrassment of having her nerdy friend see pictures of Faith in her early years in a swirling froth of lacy dresses and pink onesies.
"Oh sweetie, Fred is a nice girl and I know she wouldn't tell anyone and…", said Tina with a giggle as she looked with disappointment into the empty tube of sour cream and onion Pringles.
"So not the point Mom, but rule number two – no telling of those stupid stories about Lil' Faithy and her funny ways.", said the surly teen firing of air quotes aplenty.
"What do you mean?", asked Tina as she stared up at her daughter. She could see so much of Bette in Faith and it wasn't just the riot of dark curling hair, the slight of her chin nor the bewitching eyes which could melt wrought iron but the firebrand stubborn streak she had inherited from her birth mother which drove Tina mad on many occasions.
As Tina licked the dark cranberry stain from her lips she wished once more she could have been the one to bring Faith into this world but with her inhospitable womb it had been Bette who had to bite the gestation bullet and have the anonymous donor plant his seed in her. The mood swings and bizarre food cravings had pushed their relationship to the limit but after the thirty six agonising hours they spent in the delivery room, both Bette and Tina knew it was worth it when they held their tiny baby girl for the first time.
"What do I mean? I know how much you love telling the story about me using the kitty litter tray, jesus, I can never look Aunt Helena in the face again after that!", said Faith with the faintest hint of a blush.
"I said I was sorry about that, but it was soooo cute", gushed Tina as she slipped from her wife's embrace, "You loved that cat so much and it was just adorable when you tried to copy her like that"
"I was four for god's sake! Ma, help me out here", whined Faith to Bette who fought to keep the smile tugging at her full lips.
"I'm sorry Firecracker, but when you tried eating her food too and hahahaha…and you…"
"Stop Moms!", snapped Faith with a furious blush, "This is exactly what I'm talking about, that was two years ago when you told 'em all that story and I'm still trying to live that slumber party down and now when Gunn gets here I don't want you saying anything like that 'cos I really like him and he's...", Faith trailed off when she realised she was rambling and giving away way too much information.
"As in like like?", asked Tina with a grin.
"Maaaaa, make her stop", said Faith looking to Bette for help.
"It's ok honey, we won't embarrass you in front of your friend", smiled Bette as she checked her phone for any messages.
"And another thing, no making out in front of him", added Faith to the verbal contract as she watched the recently waxed eyebrows of both her mothers arc in at jaunty angles.
"Why not? Since when have you been ashamed of having two mothers?", asked Tina slightly hurt.
"What? No, how many times have I got in shit at school for defending the fact that I got two Mom's, I meant – no making out in front of him… 'cos you're like really old and it's wicked gross"
"Thanks", snorted Bette.
"I mean it, you break any of these rules or show me up in any way and I'm gonna go live with Aunt Dana", snorted Faith as she crossed her arms over her Sick Of It All t-shirt which clung to her developing body rather too tightly for Tina's comfort.
"No, you're certainly not", said Bette firmly, though she shared her daughter's stubborn streak she always relented when it came to Faith's happiness, though she did seem to over enjoy playing the 'stern mom' card.
"Oh come on, she's cool", whined the teen as she dropped her arms back down and stuffed her hands deep in the pockets of distressed black jeans which were excessively frayed and torn.
"I know, but she and Aunt Lara are having some troubles at the moment so they need some space"
"What kind of troubles?", asked Faith with a hint of worry.
"Money and that, but let's not change the subject again. This Gunn boy, you didn't meet him at a gig did you?", asked Tina remembering just three months ago when Faith had met a heavily pierced eighteen year old at a Walls Of Jericho gig. Both parents had put their foot down after meeting him and forbid Faith ever to see him again as they didn't trust a man that reeked of cheap whisky whose only source of income was selling blood. Though much arguing ensued Faith eventually relented at her mothers threatened to stop letting her band practice in their spacious and, more importantly, rent free rehearsal space often called their garage.
Bette and Tina had been struggling to loosen the apron strings with their daughter, they didn't want to become the overbearing and controlling mothers that they had themselves, but they couldn't let their strong willed sixteen year old go off the rails. It was tricky finding the right balance of letting Faith assert her independence whilst still imposing the boundaries she so obviously needed.
"No, I met him at work. He's the new delivery guy", shrugged Faith.
"Oh, what a career that is", mocked Bette with disdain.
"Hey, he's only seventeen...he's still in high school, what did you expect? A doctor or something?", snorted back Faith defensively.
Faith had been working at The Hyperion for four months and though a pizzeria was hardly the most interesting of jobs it still gave her some folding money as her parents were lessening her allowance every month as they wanted their daughter to learn the value of an honest buck. She didn't particularly enjoy having the creepy manager Mr Angelus stalking young girls all the time but after getting fired from her waitress job from the Country Club, a position which Lara had helped her get, Faith had no choice but to suck it up and find other employment. The orange t-shirts she had to wear did nothing for Faith's mood at work but at least she didn't have to wear a skirt and blouse like she did at the Country Club which reeked of power and privilege.
The sharp ringing of the doorbell surprised them all as Faith's breath caught in her amply growing chest and her face flushed a little as she knew who had arrived in his custom punctuality.
"Oh crap he's here", she said with a hint of panic, "Do I look ok, I mean he won't think that..."
Faith just caught herself in the middle of her girly panic as the twin smiles of her parents grew larger, though Faith was only wearing her t-shirt and favourite jeans it had still taken almost an hour to decide what to wear. She only had four dresses and three skirts, but she didn't want to seem too dressy, nor did Faith want to seem too casual. This was the prelude to what could be her first real date and wanted everything to be just so, she still flinched in embarrassment when she asked Gunn to come for dinner as her parents wouldn't let them date without meeting him properly.
"Are you ok, honey? Where's your inhaler?", asked Tina slightly worried about her daughters ragged breath.
"No, I'm cool", shrugged off the young girl who hated her reliance on medication.
As Faith glanced one last time in the mirror and wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans she went to answer the door.
"Our baby girl is growing up", said Bette sweetly with pride as the blossoming young woman her daughter was becoming.
"I heard that!", yelled Faith from the hallway as she opened the door to see the handsome young man smiling widely.
"Hey Faith", said Gunn as Faith smiled with uncharacteristic shyness.
"Hey…er, come on in", she replied feeling awkward and on show, much like she did when Tina made her enter all those beauty pageants as a child. Both Gunn and Faith stood by the front door trying desperately to wring some words from their head but even though they talked often at work this, being in a semi dating situation, seemed to confuse them.
"Hello there", said Tina as she came up behind the reticent stand off.
"Hi there Ma'am, I er….I got these for you…for your wife too", Gunn said as he held out a bunch of lilacs, he had felt embarrassed travelling on the bus through LA carrying them but he wanted to make a good first impression as there was something about Faith which was enchanting him to do so.
"Thankyou, that's so sweet. Faith, aren't you going to introduce us?", asked Bette as she wandered up beside them and gave a long sniff of the white lilies carefully avoiding the stamens as she was still wearing her Alexander McQueen suit.
Faith just rolled her eyes comically as her Ma was always trying to impress on her the value of manners.
"Fine, this is Gunn. Gunn this is my Mom, Tina, and my Ma, Bette"
"Nice to meet you Gunn, so tell me what do…", Bette started.
"Mom, how long will dinner be?", interrupted Faith before her Ma's interrogation could begin, after Lindsay had nearly peed himself when Bette grilled him viciously Faith didn't want any repeats especially with the slyly handsome man who was now standing anxiously between the three women.
"About another ten minutes, Fai honey, why don't you show him your room?", said Tina understanding her daughter's distraction.
"Sure, c'mon dude", Faith smiled as she grabbed Gunn's hand and pulled him behind her down the hallway to her den of ardent chaos known as her bedroom.
"But keep your door open", Tina yelled after them making Faith roll her eyes once more. "And you behave, Bette", she said to her wife with a quick snap of the fingers.
"Me? What did I do?", said the brunette with a raised eyebrow.
"You know what I mean, don't embarrass her", said Tina as she dragged her wife into the kitchen handing her the placemats of a typically art nouveau design.
"As if I could"
"Oh really, what about when we went out for dinner to celebrate you getting tenure at the University and you nearly made that waiter cry when he complimented Faith on her dress? You know how hard it was to get to her wear one and he was not hitting on her…"
"Well that slinky black number was way too revealing for a fourteen year old", scoffed Bette as her taut defensive edge would seldom wilt when it came to her daughter.
"But there was no reason to blame Shane for that, you know how Faith looks up to her…oh can you get the beans, they're about to boil over", said Tina as their warm hearted bickering continued well out of earshot of Faith who stood in her room with hands thrust deeply in her pockets.
"Sorry about them", Faith said as she watched Gunn staring around the unsurprisingly chaotic bedroom which she would have to tidy as some point or else Tina wouldn't let her daughter go with her as next week it was the usual 'Bring Your Child To Work Day' at school. The previous year Faith had tagged along with her Ma and had to sit around for six hours as Bette lectured stoned students about obscure artists. But as Tina was producing another indie movie Faith couldn't wait to go with her Mom as she relished in the idea of being a runner, though it was a lowly position the teen thought it would be a cool way to spend the day, anything to get out of school really.
"No, it's cool", shrugged Gunn as he smiled at the signed Lakers jersey hanging on her wall, "They seem kinda uptight but that's what parents do, right?"
"True. So er…this is my room and….er…this is my stuff",", she said as her arm waved vaguely as the collection of comic books and cd's beneath which there was probably a bed, clothes lay scattered on the floor and the faded set lists and torn posters adorned her walls.
"Pretty cool, never heard of most of these bands", he said looking around taking in the leather knee boots and clothes held together with safety pins and band patches.
"Really? Well I guess I better start your education", Faith grinned as she threw some stuff to one side and found her stereo remote flicking it on as a raucous tune sprang forth from the speakers.
"Not bad I guess", Gunn shrugged back not having been exposed to much punk rock before.
"Not bad? You're shittin' me, this is The Distillers and they fuckin' rock", Faith defended as she tried to remember where she put the cd case, she tossed clothes and empty cans of Pepsi as she rummaged like a pig searching for punk rock truffles.
Finally finding the cover Faith let out a self-congratulatory yelp and span round to show Gunn the liner notes but her feet got tangled in her black denim jacket by the bed and she nearly careered headlong into her new TV. But Gunn's quick arms caught her flailing body and helped her back to her feet but not before the two young would-be lovers felt the rapid beating of each others hearts.
"Er...thanks". she said with a blush at her lack of walking ability.
"No problem", Gunn replied as she stood before him, her chest starting to thump harder as he brushed away a stray lock of hair so he could take in her beautiful eyes.
She licked her lips a little as she leaned in to his crooked nape, his own lips coming closer, slowly, their hands touching and their hot breath skimming over each other's skins.
"Dinners ready!", came the shout from Tina from the kitchen making Gunn and Faith jump apart in shock.
"Fuck sake", Faith snorted as the chance faded away. The chance to finally kiss someone she liked, sure she had kissed before, often and with numerous guys, and at Fred's slumber party a couple of girls who were hepped up on e-numbers, but Gunn was different. She really liked him, the way he would smile at her when he picked up deliveries from The Hyperion, the way she would make sure there was an extra pizza tucked away for him when they were both on the late shift. But after all their flirting and banter they hadn't yet kissed, well not properly, not in the way she wanted them to.
Faith flicked off the stereo and they walked back to the kitchen, her slouching form leading the way as Gunn's dark eyes flitted at the curious artwork adorning every wall. Though one wall still held a faded rectangle where a certain landscape by Leguilles was at the restorer after Faith had rammed a drumstick through it in anger after an argument filled rehearsal.
Tina and Bette were bringing in the plates and pouring out the sparkling grape juice for all of them as Gunn and Faith stepped around the simple mahogany table.
Gunn pulled out Faith's chair and after a moment of hesitation she sat down trying desperately not to blush under her parents wide smiles, she swore she could hear Tina give a quick but condescending 'Awwwww' at the small yet romantic gesture. Tina had a thing for the beauty and innocence of young love which directly offset the suspicious, almost paranoid, candour of her wife.
Faith, who usually had an opinion on something she needed to vent, fell strangely quiet after they said grace and just fidgeted with the silver napkin on her lap.
"So...Gunn...quite a violent name you have there", started Bette as they amiably passed around the bowls of food.
"Ma!", hissed Faith across the spread platter.
"No it's cool, my first name is Charles but only my Mom ever calls me that, Gunn's my surname, so it's not like I can change it or anything", he said back obviously having had this conversation before.
"So everyone calls you Gunn, even your teachers?", asked Tina as she offered the couscous to her daughter who, as ever, shook her head no.
"Yeah, I asked them to. Most call me Gunn, except Faith who occasionally calls me Chucky G", he smiled turning his head to the brunette girl.
"What? I thought it was cool, like a nod to NWA or something", she smiled back around a mouth of spinach.
"I getcha, but Dre was cooler", he said back as he tried to shift himself so Faith's parents couldn't see how under the table his inner leg was being stroked by Faith's foot which had slipped free of her low cut Cons, the hole in her stripy sock garrotting her big toe as she slid them up and down his strong and muscular calf.
"And what about school? What do you plan to do when you graduate?", Bette pressed once more like a territorial lion staking her pride before an aggressor.
"Well I want to go to UCLA, they have this program set up for kids from under privileged backgrounds. There's no way my Mom could afford to send me to Uni so it's kinda like a scholarship thing, I'm kinda interested in law, y'know help poor families being screwed over by big businesses and giant companies trying to force them from their homes and that", Gunn finished with a hint of bitterness.
"Have you experience that first hand?", asked Bette quietly impressed by his moral fortitude.
"Yeah, it was a long time ago but I still….y'know, and I got my sister to look out for and everything.", replied Gunn.
"Hang on, ya gonna be a lawyer, wearing a suit in some office?", said Faith as she imagined just how fine he would look in such attire.
"That's the plan, but things may change by then. So what about you? Are you still…", Gunn asked the young lady with the doe eyes.
"Beats me, I know Ma wants me to do some business school shit but it's like ages away. Y'never know, I might still become a wrestler on the indie circuit like Ms Chif or Christina Von Eerie or something", smirked Faith as though she loved the grappling arts witnessed in dreary gyms she knew how her parents looked down on wrestling.
"You're what?", choked Bette around a mouth of salmon as her eyes snapped open wide.
"Very funny, honey", said Tina smirking to her daughter.
"Heh, I bet you'd look great in all that tight lycra and getting all sweaty and…I mean…..er..", trailed off Gunn as though he could feel his heart stirring at such an idea, but the twin glares of Faith's parents melted him right to the spot.
"Young man, I think you had better cool your ardour", said Bette as her face became stony.
"Sorry…I-I didn't …well I…", stammered the undeniably attractive young man.
"Hey Mom, when you were clearing up in the lounge did you see my copy of The Rock 'cos I said I would lend it to Sierra", interrupted Faith as she wanted to veer the conversation away quickly before her Mom started to turn against Gunn.
"Oh god, not another big bang movie where everything explodes and the black guy dies within five minutes?", sighed Tina.
"Hey, I happen to like flicks like that. Gunn did y'see True Lies? I love that movie, it totally rocks", enthused Faith as she, without thinking, put her hand on his muscular thigh, "I got it for Xmas one year and have watched it so many times"
"Yeah, remind to thank your Aunt Alice for that again", sighed Tina as she so wanted her daughter to have an appreciation for art-house and meaningful films but having been dragged to so many opening nights held at dingy back alley theaters filled with pretentious and whimsical critics Faith had turned on them long ago, after her first taste of lowbrow big budget flicks she was hooked.
"Oh that reminds me, is Alice going to be back from vacation in time for the party?", said Bette, now distracted, as she refilled her glass wishing she had decided to go for wine but after last New Years when Faith had sneaked off with a bottle, the two women only ever bought alcohol now when necessary or entertaining. Cleaning up her vomit from their pool was not how Bette and Tina had envisioned spending the first day of the year as their daughter lay in a heap of Tylenol infused sorrow.
"Party?", said Gunn feigning interest in the conversation.
"Yes, it's our anniversary and we always have a party. This year we're having a black tie affair", said Tina smiling as she took her wife's hand and planted a soft kiss on it.
"Sounds nice", he said blankly.
"Yeah right", snorted Faith not wanting to endure yet another night of up-do's and wearing heels but she saw the opportunity to use it to her benefit, "Actually, it will be a lovely night won't it Mom's? All your friends having a good time with their other halves…except me…on my own…in a corner….all sad and alone…"
"Alright Faith, what are you getting at?", asked Tina seeing through her feeble ruse immediately.
"Well can Gunn come? I mean, otherwise I'm just gonna be sitting in the kitchen on my own….or I'll be talking to Aunt Shane about her trip to Tijuana…."
"No!", stepped in Bette knowing what the full tale entailed, seeing how her daughter admired Shane she didn't want the image of tequila and handcuffs to be implanted in Faith's mind.
"But why not? I'm sure she…"
"Ok, Gunn can come if he wants", said Bette retreating.
"Cool, thanks Ma", smiled Faith with a strangely perky jiggle of the head.
"Hang on, I never said I…", butted in Gunn not liking his social calendar being organized without his consent.
"Oh sorry, do you wanna come? I know it's just gonna be a load of old women…", said Faith as she lost herself in the breadth of Gunn's warm smile.
"Hey", quipped Bette and Tina in perfect synchronicity.
"Whatever, come on dude. Will you come…for me?", said Faith with a mettle crumbling pout.
"I…yeah ok, sure", he said back in willing defeat.
Bette and Tine smiled at each other and saw how her daughter had already wrapped Gunn around her little finger and couldn't help but feel a certain warmth to the young man.
Dinner carried on in a jovial, but trivial, fashion and after a couple of hours and the dessert finished Gunn checked his watch announcing he had to go.
"I'm just gonna go see him off", said Faith as she and Gunn got up to head to the door.
"Ok, sweetie. We'll clear up, nice meeting you Gunn", said Tina as she started to collect plates and throwing the cutlery on them with a sharp clang hoping she didn't chip another one of her Dresden collection.
"You too Ma'am", he said with a warm smile as he felt Faith take his hand leading him away.
"Please, call me Tina"
"Ok, well thanks Tina….you too Bette"
"You're welcome", said Bette as she came up behind her wife and hugged her gently watching the two young lovebirds stand awkwardly as if under closest scrutiny before Faith rolled her eyes and stepped out on to the front porch with her beau in order to wrench just a sliver of privacy for themselves.
"So"
"So", replied Faith staring at her feet, before Gunn put his fingers to her chin and gently raised it until their gazes clashed.
He smiled as he drowned in the soft beauty of her eyes, he took a deep breath, as did she, and he pressed his lips to hers. The kiss deepened as he let his hands slither round her waist and drew her in closer, Faith's arms slipped up and circled his neck. They swum in the fledgling inklings of love as lips parted and probing tongues slithered forth, massaging each other's warm and moist tongues.
"So…ya wanna be my guy?", asked Faith as the kiss broke apart for air.
"Hell yeah"
"Cool", smirked back Faith revelling in his firm yet tender embrace.
"T, leave them alone", said Bette as she pulled her wife away from the window. Tina couldn't help but peek out from behind the curtains and gave a sweet sigh seeing her baby girl had taken the first step to an actual romance, though she was on the verge of womanhood, in the eyes of her parents, she would always be the sweet little girl who cried watching The Little Mermaid and spent every Xmas lying in wait for Santa.
"Ok, but our baby….", said Tina as she opened the cutlery drawer to remove the silver photo frame bearing Faith had hidden once more. It bore her favourite picture of Faith, she was no more than seven years old in the photograph where she was wearing her girls scouts uniform and smiling through her chocolate smeared mouth, her two front teeth missing, where she had eaten all the cookies she was meant to sell.
"I know, she's all grown up now. But he does seem nice", said Bette pulling her love into the kitchen and turning the faucet in the sink.
"Yes, he does. Did you see him pull out Faith's chair? That was so sweet", said Tina like a giddy teen.
"Not sure if he was just trying to impress us or if he really is that much of a gentleman, but I guess we'll see soon enough"
"Yeah, but we better keep an eye on them at the party and make sure they don't sneak off to her room."
"Ok, I'll get the screwdriver and take it off again", smirked Bette as she knew well the look of frustrated bemusement her daughter would launch at them upon seeing her door missing once more.
"But not yet, this Gunn guy may be good for her, anything to stop her from plying our friends with wine and getting them to spill our secrets….again", said Tina with a shiver recalling how Alice had told Faith, in excruciating detail, about how she had walked in on her parents who were playing with a gallon of vanilla ice cream and a Twister mat.
"You know, I think she hangs around with Shane too often, she's beginning to influence her a bit too much"
"What's wrong now? You think we should uninvite her?"
"No, I love Shane you know that, but she does fuck anything with tits", sighed Bette as she tried to find a dry tea towel.
"You think she'd actually try it on with Faithy?"
"Hell no, she wouldn't dare or else I would rip off her head and make her carry it around in a bag", snorted Bette slamming the microwave door shut.
"Exactly, besides that, Shane has watched Faith grow up, everyone has a cool Aunt and Shane is hers", reasoned Tina with a wry grin.
"Wish it could be Dana though, she's more a level headed and that. At this rate we'll never get Faith into college, but if this Gunn boy is as good as he seems, well I think maybe we have a little leverage on her. But then again, we don't want falling too much for him as she's still our baby"
"Pfft, if it was up to you, you'd have her in a chastity belt until she was thirty", smirked Tina as she ran a hand over her wife's sweet derriere.
"Is that so bad?", shrugged Bette jokily, though the sentiment of protection was real.
"Yes, she's not our little girl anymore, honey. She's almost a woman now and we have to respect that"
"I know, but still", Bette replied as she would always see Faith as her little pre-schooler with the patch over one eye and the grazed knees from climbing trees after skipping Sunday School again.
"She's not going to have sex with him right now is she? We raised her properly and even if she did, she's smart enough to take precautions, we have to loosen the reins a little or else she'll just snap back and fuck everything that moves. Teenage rebellion and all that, you remember how it was don't you?", asked the blonde woman lightly.
"I guess so, but I still think we should have a long talk with her about responsibility and relationships and….sex", Bette said with a shiver.
"I know, I always hoped this day would never come but you can never too educated about it"
"But what do I know about straight sex? I think the ball's in your park about that, baby", said Bette with a smile, happy to dodge that particular bullet.
"Gee thanks", said Tina sarcastically, "But we…I mean I should do it soon, after all, she's got that whole Porter gene thing going on so she's going to be a hottie and get an awful lot of attention"
"Looks like I'm going to be the one to chase the guys off with a tire iron then?", joked Bette, as she would more likely to use a marble sculpture to batter anyone who hurt her beloved daughter.
"Oh please, when she does lose her virginity to someone I imagine you're going to force the boy through an industrial thresher and spread his remains across three counties"
"I was thinking more like five", Better smirked back, her jokes when it came to her daughter always had a violent motif as she was fiercely overprotective over Faith which had caused many an argument between them as the young teen did feel stifled by her Ma at times.
"Oh please. But it's so sweet that she actually likes this boy, Gunn. I told you sending her to a normal school would open her up"
"I still think Faith would get much better schooling at Westbrook Academy, I know it's expensive but she deserves nothing but the best y'know", replied Bette as gave up trying to get the garbage disposal to work.
"I know, but can you imagine the arguments we'd have with Faith every single morning 'I'm not wearing that fucking tie', 'I'm not wearing that stupid fucking blazer and if you think I'm gonna wear that tartan skirt you can get fucked', then we have the hour drive there and back everyday. Baby, it's not worth all the hassle"
"Maybe we should have a word with her about all the swearing?"
"And just where do you think she gets that from", said Tina with mocking tones.
"I blame Papi, we should never have got her to babysit that time. She is so not a good influence on an impressionable nine year old", said Bette with a tinge of regret. Coming home to find her daughter being taught how to belly dance was definitely not the vision they had expected after yet another gala opening.
"Really? I blame you, when you're on the phone to the Dean you're always 'fuck this' and 'fuck that'", retorted Tina.
"Good point, sorry, I'll try to tone it down a bit sweetie. But I think going to public school doesn't help, but if she did go to somewhere like Lake Park we could avoid the fights and the traffic if she stayed and..."
"No way, Bette. We talked about this, its one thing to send her to a good school but there's no way I'm sending our daughter off to boarding school, I couldn't bear to be apart from her like that"
"Neither could I, I just want her to get the best education she can"
"So do I, but she seems happy at her new school, I know PS 110 isn't the best around but she's actually happy there. You know how hard it is for her to fit in anywhere, so why mess with it", reasoned Tina.
"I...I guess you're right. I still want her to do better though"
"Like I don't?"
"That's not what I'm saying, but she is falling behind in math and history, I thought those would be strong subjects for her seeing how much we coached her back in elementary school", said Bette without ever telling her wife how she one day dreamed of getting Faith on the honor roll. Once puberty kicked Bette realised that such a dream would never be fulfilled.
"That may have been the problem, we never allowed her the room to grow as an actual person and not just a good grade machine. But I know what you mean, maybe some outside tutoring wouldn't go amiss"
"We could ask Alice, she was always strong at math and such"
"Nah, Faith and her always seem to piss about too much and end up in trouble. Remember the incident at Denny's?", said Tina with a crooked eyebrow.
"Oh yeah, how could I forget that one. What about Kit? Running The Planet needs good numeracy"
"Good idea, I'll call her later…..what is it honey?", asked Tina seeing the sudden faraway stare of her wife.
"It just…..it seems like only yesterday we were running our little Faithy to piano recital and ballet class", said Bette with a hint of sadness.
"They didn't last long did they?"
"No they didn't. I mean, what kind of eight year old would skip out on class and go to the amusement arcade anyway? I want her to be exposed to as much culture as we can but maybe we shouldn't have forced them on her", shrugged Bette.
"You know how hard it is to get her to do something she doesn't like, remember Dana's wedding? That whole stroppy flower girl thing was such a nightmare, I never thought a five year old could punch so hard"
"But it's not like Angus needed to use his balls anymore is it?", smiled Bette recalling his vasectomy well after Kit's vow to have no more children.
"Good point but…..", started Tina but her words were cut off by the sound of the front door slamming and her daughter coming back humming some obscure punk rock melody.
Faith bounded back into the kitchen smiling like her face had split open trying to fluff down her hair where Gunn has run his fingers through it passionately before he left to catch the last bus.
"So?", asked Faith as she perched on the edge of the kitchen counter.
"So what? Off", replied Tina hiding her smirk as she flicked the damp tea towel at her daughters butt making her climb back down with a roll of the eyes.
"So what did you think of Gunn?", said the young girl biting her lip hoping that he met with their approval as she really liked this guy and wanted to actually date him.
"Well..."
"Well what? He was polite and cool and everything you wanted him to be, what more does he have to do to show you he isn't an asshole?", said Faith with an overlong gesture of the arms.
"It's not that, he does seem like a nice boy. But actually dating him? Well….."
"Oh come on...Mommy", she pleaded in the slight whine that she always used when she wanted to get her way. Her lower lip jutted out and she fluttered her eyes sadly in a Bambi-esque style.
"Oh don't pout honey, we were just teasing. But we do like him, he seems like he's got his head screwed on right, so what we're saying is..."
"We approve", added Bette forcing herself to come to terms with her daughter being on the cusp of adulthood.
"Cool, thanks Moms", she squealed and hugged them both. Though at school she acted like the bad ass rebel, at home, in the loving care of her doting parents, she still acted like the insecure little girl who was slowly blossoming into a strong young woman. But Faith still loved to snuggle with her parents on the couch as they shared a bog bowl of popcorn while they watched cheesy romance movies on a Sunday night.
"So when can I go out with him? I was thinking Friday 'cos the fun fair has re-opened down on Pier seven"
"Alright. But he picks you up from here and brings you home by ten", said Bette ever the stern mother hen not wanting to let her off the leash too much.
"Ten? Are you shittin' me? It's a Friday night and, oh yeah, I'm not fuckin' five years old Ma", snipped Faith in reply.
"Faith Marie Porter, do you really want to push us? As we could make it nine", said her Ma with hands on her well rounded hips.
"No, ten's fine", said Faith suddenly panicking that it could get worse.
"Good, oh that reminds me, have you picked out your dress yet? Our party isn't that far off now"
"Mooooom", she whined back.
"Don't 'Mom' me Faith, all we asked is for one night where you dress like a lady. You still have those black heels Aunt Carmen got you for Christmas don't you?", said Tina as she cocked her head.
"Well yeah, I still think she should've gone with Aunt Shane's idea and got me some leather pants", Faith huffed remembering the false smiles she had worn last year as the black glossy shoes tumbled from the beribboned box. She sat by the Christmas tree and feigned excitement not wanting to make her mother's hangovers even worse, but once she opened the leather jacket from her Aunt Alice the disappointment of the shoes was soon forgotten. Faith secretly loved how Alice and Shane always seemed to fight over who was her coolest Aunt, always trying to find presents she would like best much to the consternation of her parents.
"No!", said Bette as her foot went firmly down. "First it'll be leather pants and who knows what would be next. Smoking? A tattoo? Oh no"
"Fine, I'll go shopping on Saturday, Fred said she wanted to get some shit for school anyway. I might need an advance on my allowance though", singsonged Faith with a cheeky smirk.
"Why? You only got it last week? And what about your wages from work", asked Tina as she wiped the wine glasses dry before handing them to Faith to put away.
Bette and Tina liked Fred, she was a sensible and intelligent girl and was a good influence on their daughter who could be headstrong and impulsive, a twin attack which had fuelled their wrinkles and bags around their eyes more than anything.
"Well, pay day isn't for another way and besides...let's just say that Red Bull and eBay are so not a good combo", Faith smiled back regretting the impulse purchases of Japanese imports.
"Oh Faith, when are you going to learn to manage your money", sighed Bette, ever the worrier about finances.
"Hey, I'm sixteen, it ain't like I'm saving for my pension or something"
"It's not"
"What?"
"It's not like I'm saving for my pension", corrected Bette ever the stickler for grammar, when it suited her at least.
"Whatever, so we done here?", asked Faith watching Tina wash down the sink and Bette fold away the tea towel and glance around the tidied kitchen.
"I think so, honey", said Tina with a smile, "I think it's time for bed young lady, you have to get up early for basketball practice remember"
"Oh crap, I forgot", said Faith as she slapped her head. Now she was on the school team she really was starting to enjoy being part of something, being co-captain was a surprise but she did have some serious skills mainly thanks to her mothers friends who she played with every Sunday and even came to her games. Whenever an entire section of her extended family, most of whom were regulars to The Planet, were in the stands shouting their support for her, Faith couldn't help but play her ass off.
"Ok then honey, g'night", said Tina as she leant her cheek out for her daughter to kiss.
"Night Mom, night Ma", she said as Faith kissed her other mother too.
"Night sweetheart", replied Bette softly.
As Faith skipped off she stopped for a minute at the end of the passageway and turned back to her parents.
"You guys….you do like Gunn, right?"
"Yes honey, we honestly do", said Tina with sincerity echoing in her words.
"For reals?"
"Yes, for reals", smirked Bette aping her daughters butchery of language.
"Please don't talk like that, Ma….but cool, and thanks…..for everything", she said before running down the hall for a night of sweet and excited dreams about a certain young man and his firm lips.
Tina couldn't stop her heart from melting a little more seeing her daughter blossoming like this, turning round she saw her wife wipe a stray tear from her cheek and they slipped into an easy embrace.
They knew after all the years of tantrums and tears, of laughter and games, they had raised a wonderful girl who was a credit to them. And they loved her so much. As she did they.
Bette and Tina needed no words as they slid into each others arms and kissed softly, but as their tongues duelled for supremacy, a sudden and insatiable lust overtook them as the blonde woman lay back on the table letting her wife slide her dress up her soft thighs. Bette's hands, well skilled in every aspect, slid further up and snagged the thin slip of satin cupping Tina's nether regions which was slick with a growing want.
"Guys…..I can hear you!", came the cry of Faith from her bedroom as she slammed the door and buried her head under the pillow…..once more.