"What 'really happened'?" Bonnie asked weakly. "What do you mean?"
"I know it wasn't a computer glitch, Bonnie." Joss walked around the side of the car and opened the passenger door for her.
The brunette slid into the car and buckled her belt as the younger woman closed the door. She thought rapidly as the Montanan walked around to the driver's door. I could insist that it was a computer error. But Joss seemed sure it wasn't. Still, perhaps a delaying tactic was in order, while she tried to get her mind in order.
"How do you know it wasn't a glitch?" She asked, as Joss settled into the driver's seat.
"... well it certainly wasn't from our conversation on the phone. Yer quite the actress." The rocket scientist sounded hurt by the deception. Bonnie felt a stab of guilt. Honesty is the best policy. One of these days I'll remember that.
"I'm sorry." The apology was heartfelt. "I just didn't want you to worry."
Joss nodded an acknowledgement as she pulled out of the parking lot. "Since I thought it was a computer issue, I called Wade ... he's Kim's webmaster, d'ya know him?"
"I know of him."
"Okay. Well, he has a bit of a crush on me -"
"Doesn't he know ... ?"
"That I'm gay? Yeah, he does. But we all want something we can't have, sometimes, you know?" Joss gave a sour chuckle, as if she found something darkly amusing about her own words.
Sounds like the theme tune for my high school years. "Yeah, I guess."
"Anyway, it makes things a bit awkward between us, so Wade and I don't talk much, but he's always said that if I needed anything, I should just ask." The Montanan paused. "I figured I'd never take him up on it, but then ya told me about the glitch. I figured he could maybe fix the issue for ya, and get ya on your flight. But when he looked at the records ..."
"He found out that there was no glitch." Bonnie sighed and leaned her head against the window. The glass was cold from the chilly December air, though the interior of the car was slowly warming. She considered what to say. It was true that honesty was the best policy, but complete disclosure might not be. Joss and Reba were obviously having issues, and the younger woman needed a friend she could trust, rather than to hear that Bonnie had been lying to her for six months. "I told you my parents paid for the tickets, right?"
"Yeah." Joss nodded.
"My father changed the booking to a departure that left last night, so when I turned up this morning I found out I'd missed my flight. His idea of a life lesson. What he gives, he can also take away."
"What?" The Montanan glanced across at her, confusion and distress. "Why would he do that?"
Bonnie chose her words with care. "We had a fight. My father doesn't like to be defied. So he gave me this little demonstration of his power over me."
Joss's opinion of Donato Rockwaller's demonstration was unprintable. "I should go up there and tell him to his face what I think of him." She seethed.
"I don't think that would help." Which was true. "The cause of the fight ... Andy's name came up in conversation, and I mentioned that he was marrying Eric. When my father found out Andy was gay, he ordered me not to attend the wedding." Which was also true, though far from the complete story. "I told him I was going, whether he liked it or not. He didn't."
"I guess he wouldn't care much for me, then."
Bonnie shook her head. "He'd tell you that you were going to burn in hell."
Joss was silent for a long time, then she shook her head. "I know Kim thought ya were a bitch on wheels in high school, but I think it's a miracle ya weren't worse. Yer dad's an asshole." She flushed. "Uh, no offense meant."
The older woman shrugged. "None taken." In truth, it did hurt to hear her father spoken of in such a way. It makes no sense, but I still care for him. She felt a moment of understanding for battered wives and girlfriends. Not that her father had ever struck her. His methods of abuse had been verbal, emotional and financial. But it was abuse nonetheless. And she'd accepted it for twenty-four years. Would have kept accepting it, if things hadn't happened the way they did. Perhaps being disowned is actually a good thing.
"You're not going to put up with him doing this, are you?" Joss demanded, her tone still angry and bewildered. But then, she and her father obviously had a great relationship. This must all seem very strange to her.
Bonnie shrugged. "Not much I can do about it, now. The booking was changed, and I missed the flight."
The Montanan shook her head. "I don't mean about the flight ... I mean, yer not going to just keep yer relationship going like nothing has changed? Ya can't let him treat you like this. Ya should ..." she cast around for ideas. "... I don't know, break off contact or something."
"I doubt my father would notice if I did." Bonnie omitted to mention that the decision on breaking contact had been taken out of her hands, in any case. "I'm going to get on with my life and go to the wedding. I'm not going to let him change how I live, any more. That's what matters."
The brunette fell silent, repeating the last two sentences in her mind. She'd spent her whole life trying to be the best daughter she could, but it was never going to satisfy her father. And that's not how I should be judging my worth, anyway. It really was time to stop living her life for him, and live it for herself.
It was long past time to make some changes in her life. Just what those changes would be was something she was going to have to think about, long and hard, when she got home.
Speaking of home. "So how are we getting back to Huntsville, anyway?"
"We're going to drive up to the space center." Joss indicated and changed lanes, her eyes not leaving the road.
"And then what? Hitch a ride on a rocket?"
Joss chuckled. "Cool plan, but no. The space center has a light aircraft. I called Uncle James and asked t' borrow it."
"And he said yes?"
"Actually, he said 'I can't just authorize the private use of center property, young lady'." Joss had her uncle's diction down pat.
"I really hope you persuaded him to change his mind. Prison orange is not my color." Bonnie was pleased when her deadpan comment prompted a genuine laugh from the younger woman.
"Don't worry, Grand Theft Airplane is not on my list o' things t' do today." Joss chuckled again. "I promised to come up again next month and do some presentations for the space center staff. Apparently I'm quite the poster girl for the astro-nerd community."
"What about your job with NASA?"
The younger woman shrugged. "I sent a text to Lou and asked him for some time off to come up here. I may have to do a couple of extra Moonchkin sessions or somethin' as a sweetener, but he said 'yes'."
"Oh Joss, you shouldn't have gone to all this trouble on my behalf."
"Of course I should." The Montanan snorted. "That's what friends do: look out fer each other."
"I guess." Bonnie reached across the car and gently squeezed Joss's forearm. "But I know you're dealing with stuff of your own, right now -"
"Nothing like what you're going through."
"... maybe, maybe not. I guess that depends what happened between you and Reba. Whatever that was, though ... it means a lot to me that you did all this."
"Yer welcome." There was a certain fierceness to Joss's tone. The younger woman glanced briefly at her, and Bonnie was surprised to see a sheen of tears in the hazel eyes. I guess she's hurting more than she's letting on. "I really mean that."
"Joss, honey ... if you need to talk about what happened with you and Reba, I'm here." Bonnie gave another gentle squeeze of the Montanan's forearm, then let go. "No pressure, though. If you don't want to, it's your choice."
"... I ... think I just need some time to process it." Joss glanced very briefly across at the brunette, then turned her eyes back to the road. "Reba and I ... we're over, and I feel like I was as much to blame as her. Maybe more. Please -" She forestalled Bonnie's instinctive interruption. "Let me finish. I just need some time to process what happened. I hope that's okay."
"Of course it's okay." Bonnie wanted to ask questions; wanted to demand an explanation; but she knew she would hurt Joss by doing so. "Whatever you need from me, you let me know, okay? I'm here for you. If you need a shoulder to cry on, or you want help trying to patch things up with Reba, I'm your woman."
Joss was silent for a long time. Then she nodded. "Thanks. It means a lot to me."
Author's Note: What happened with Joss and Reba's relationship? Like Bonnie, you'll have to wait to find out, though to be honest you probably won't have to wait too long. It may even be next chapter. Though it may not. I can't say for sure because I'm currently on my fourth version of the last scene in that chapter, and I'm still not happy with it.
On other topics, am I the only one who thinks "The Lying Game" is femslashtastic?