Lena was so excited about her date with Stef. Now that she knew Stef had feelings for her, she wanted to pursue this relationship. She took over an hour getting ready and had even purchased a new dress for this special night. She looked at the clock and realized that Stef would be here in 10 minutes. 45 minutes later, Stef still hadn't shown up to pick her up and she hadn't heard from her. She called her twice and texted her too. Finally after another 30 minutes she got a text from Stef saying "Have to cancel tonight, sorry". Lena was so disappointed and a little confused. She texted Stef back asking her if everything was ok. She waited an hour and when Stef didn't respond, she finished the glass of wine she had started and went to bed.

Stef couldn't believe it. When she went to drop Brandon off, Mike was drunk and it was in the middle of the day. He asked her who she was going out with and when she said it was none of his business, he took a swing at her. Luckily, because he was drunk, he missed. Brandon began to cry asking his Mom what was wrong with Daddy. Stef took Brandon home and got him calmed down. She called her Dad asking him if he could take Brandon for the evening, but he said that he had plans. Trying to save her date with Lena, Stef tried a few more babysitters she had used in the past but no one was available. She texted the bad news to Lena and said that she would talk to her the next day.

Stef dropped Brandon off at her Dad's the following morning. Brandon was so glad to see his grandfather and knew that they would have a fun day together.

Stef called Lena and asked her to meet her at the Promenade. They decided on the diner for brunch. When Stef arrived, she recognized one of the couple's that was waiting for a table. It was one of the guys that worked at the station with her and she really didn't want to explain Lena to them. She almost turned around, but then she saw Lena waiting for her.

Lena approached Stef and stepped in to give her a hug. She was appalled when Stef took a step back and stuck out her hand for a handshake. She looked at Stef who avoided eye contact and mumbled, "it's good to see you again".

The hostess led them to their table and Stef was relieved to have a little privacy. She was just about to apologize to Lena when she heard, "Stef Foster, is that you".

"Jim, Bonnie, how are you too?"

"We're great, how are Mike and Brandon" they asked looking at Lena.

"Mike and Brandon are good. As a matter of fact Brandon is with my Dad today. This is my friend, Lena".

"Hi Lena, it's nice to meet you".

"Nice to meet you too" Lena said coldly.

The couple walked to their table and Stef turned to Lena, "I'm sorry about that". Jim works at the precinct with me".

"That's nice" Lena commented. She studied the menu and tried not to look at Stef. She was so angry right now. She knew that this whole lesbian thing was new to Stef, but was she that embarrassed to be with her. She decided to just get through this brunch.

They made small talk and Lena quickly finished her meal and said that she had to go, she had some work she needed to get done.

When they walked to the car, Stef leaned in to kiss Lena and Lena turned her head. Stef was confused. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? How about how you just treated me in front of your friends.

"What are you talking about" Stef questioned.

"You introduced me as your friend".

"You are my friend aren't you? Stef asked.

"Well, I thought that I was more than that to you"

"Oh honey, you know you mean the world to me, it's just that I'm not sure I'm ready to tell the world about you".

"I see. Well Stef, I can't do this. I'm all in this relationship, but obviously you aren't. Maybe you should call me when you decide you want to be with me 100%"

"Lena, I do want to be with you 100%". Stef pleaded.

"No you don't Stef. You are embarrassed about being with me. You aren't comfortable with this relationship and until you are, we can't be together". Lena jumped in her car and sped off.

Stef was dumbfounded. What had just happened? She was in more in love with Lena than she had ever been with anyone. She stood there for a moment and then decided that there was only one thing she could do to fix this. She called Mike and asked to meet him for coffee the next day.

That night, Lena decided to go out with Jenna and Kelly. While they were out, they ran into Gretchen. When Gretchen approached their table, Lena got a little excited. Would they be able to rekindle their romance? Gretchen asked Lena to dance and she said yes, even though Jenna and Kelly both glared at her. She had a little too much to drink, but decided she just wanted to have some fun. She danced with Gretchen for several songs, dancing closer after each one. Gretchen led Lena off the floor and to the back on the club where she took her in her arms and kissed her. For a moment Lena thought that maybe this was her future, maybe this is who she was meant to be with. She looked into Gretchen's eyes and told her she missed her. Gretchen said that she missed her too.

Gretchen excused herself to the restroom and Lena returned to Jenna and Kelly. They both asked what she was doing. Lena said that she wasn't sure, but thought maybe she should try again with Gretchen. Jenna asked if she still had feelings for her and Lena responded, "to be honest, the whole time we were dancing, I was wishing she was Stef, but I can't have Stef, so I guess this is what I get".

Lena glanced over at Kelly and saw that she had a stunned expression on her face. When she looked over to see what she was looking at, she saw Gretchen back on the dance floor with some other woman, making out with her. Lena couldn't believe it. How on earth did she think she could trust Gretchen again.

"Figures, Gretchen will never change. Shame on me for thinking she would". Lena looked over at Gretchen and then turned to Jenna and Kelly, "Can we go, I'm not feeling well and I just need to get out of here".

Kelly responded, "Of course, let's go".

Lena said, "You two are my best friends, please remind me about this if I ever think about Gretchen again. Also, remind me to stay away from Stef. I just need to be alone for a while".

Kelly and Jenna looked at each other and both told Lena that they loved her and only wanted her to be happy.

When Lena got home, she was devastated. She realized that not being able to be with Stef so much more painful than not being with Gretchen. She thought she knew love when she was with Gretchen, but now knows that it wasn't love at all. She has feelings for Stef that she has never experienced before. If someone had told her months ago, that she would fall for a Cop with a son, Lena would have laughed in their face. At first thought, Stef wasn't her type at all. Maybe this was what true love was all about She and Stef hadn't been intimate, but she felt a connection with her that she had never had before. Lena realized that maybe Stef came into her life just to teach her that true love was out there, she just needed to find it.

The meeting with Mike had gone better than she thought. She had actually told him she was a lesbian. That was the first time she had said that word out loud and it felt good. She called a few of her friends and was surprised at how supportive they were. She knew the hardest thing was going to be talking to her Dad. When she went to pick up Brandon, she bribed him with some candy and sent him to the living room so she could talk to her Dad. She was kind of glad that Brandon was in the house as she knew her Dad couldn't get that mad.

When she left her Dad's house she smiled at Brandon in the back seat. She had a new energy and happiness that ran through her. After she tucked him in and kissed him goodnight she was excited to call Lena and tell her about her day. She was disappointed when Lena didn't answer the phone. She left a message and waited for Lena to call back. Stef fell asleep on the couch and woke up about midnight. She looked at her phone and was sad to see that Lena hadn't called her back. She decided right then that she would go see Lena tomorrow. She crawled into bed and fell asleep instantly.

When she woke up the next day, she felt different. She felt genuinely happy and wanted to share that with Lena. She got Brandon packed up and ready for school. She dropped Brandon at his class and walked back to the parking lot. She called Lena's office and begged her to come out to the parking lot for a moment.

Lena woke up Monday morning with a new resolve. She and Stef were over for good. She couldn't date someone that wasn't ok being a lesbian. She was sad but knew it was the right thing to do. She was now thankful that Stef had entered her life even if only to have learned from the experience of knowing her.

When her office phone rang, she picked it up without looking at the caller ID. When she heard Stef's voice she cringed. She couldn't believe she was in the parking lot. Fine, she would just have to tell her in person that she couldn't see her anymore. She hung up the phone and headed outside.

When she saw Stef, she almost lost her nerve, but knew it had to be done.

"I'm not doing this. I'm not. I'm not getting involved with a married woman. Woman like you, you are just passing through. But this is where I live Stef".

"I told Mike and I told my Dad and I told all my, well most of my friends that I'm gay. I even used the word lesbian. I told them that I met a woman that I can't live without. I belong with you Lena…that's if..."

"You had me at lesbian".

Stef took a step closer to Lena and took ahold of her arms and placed them on her own hips. She leaned in and locked eyes with Lena, their foreheads touching.

At the moment their lips touched, they both knew, this would be FOREVER.

A.N. That's the end. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm thinking of starting a new story from right after this moment. What do you think? Should I do it?