DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is no Xena stuff in the piece, except for the exceptional reminiscence of the two heroines to Xena and Gabrielle, which is intentional. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. This story is uber-Xena and was inspired by Bibbit's awesome story The Starry Sky, which you absolutely must read, and the movie Two Mothers for Zachary. There is some explicit subtext in this story, so, if this kind of stuff is illegal where you live, if you're under 18 or you find the notion of two women making love offensive, read at your own risk.

Two Halves
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Then.

Nina and Deenie were walking to school together and Nina listened to Deenie's excited chatter. The younger girl was a treasure to Nina. She had made her feel happy and she gave her dreams, something to think about, something that kept her going. She knew that Deenie admired her for being strong and tough, but she knew that the only reason she was tough was because it was the only way she knew how to protect herself emotionally. As for strong, not only physically, she was strong because of Deenie. Before she had met the girl, she was just tough and lost, but Deenie had given her the strength to endure, she had given her hope.

Some people found their friendship strange and even Deenie's parents were skeptical at first, but then they had accepted her and became in many ways her own parents. They were the ones she went to when she was sad and Deenie wasn't around and they even took her on vacation with them. Some of the school bullies had questioned their friendship and had insulted Deenie, but she put a stop to that, which made her even more unpopular with the headmistress than she already was.

The headmistress, who had long ago stopped calling her parents to school, realizing they weren't going to do anything about it, started calling Deenie's parents instead and that improved Nina's behavior a bit, because Nina was grateful for their being there for her and she didn’t want to cause trouble for them. But Deenie's parents were understanding and they listened to the headmistress and nodded and agreed. Then they took her out and asked her to give them their version. Nina did and she was surprised how she just couldn't make herself lie to them, even if it meant trouble for her. Deenie's parents never punished her or yelled at her and Nina wasn't sure whether that was because they were aware that they weren't her parents and thus felt that they didn't have the right to punish her, but Nina still tried to make it up to them for being nice to her.

As they walked down the street, Nina suddenly noticed that Bert, the school number one bully, had apparently taken interest in them. So far he had ignored them, but apparently not any more. Nina sighed, she didn't like to fight, even though she was good at it.

"Well, well, if it ain't the devil and the angel," he said, grinning, and his cronies did the same.

Nina sighed.

"What do you want, Bert?"

"You know, Nina, you really should be in my gang."

"If I were, you wouldn't be the leader anymore, Bert."

"Well why don't we find out?"

Nina rolled her eyes.

"I'm not in the mood, Bert."

"You mean you're scared. Chicken," Bert said and started to imitate a chicken.

Nina gave him a sharp look and he stopped abruptly. She smiled at that.

"No, I mean I'm not in the mood," she said calmly. "I'll let you know when I am. Now beat it, some of us have classes, you know."

Nina took Deenie's hand and moved past Bert and his gang.

"I'm so proud of you," Deenie said when they were out of Bert's hearing range. "Though I'm sure you could kick the crap out of Bert."

Nina looked at her and smiled.

"I already told you, Deenie, contrary to popular belief, I don't like to fight."

"Still, you could kick the crap out of him," Deenie insisted.

Nina grinned.

"Yeah, I could," she confirmed and Deenie beamed. "Now don't get so excited over that. And besides, I thought you don't like fighting."

"No, but I like watching you."

"Mhm."

They quickly passed the short distance they still had to the school.

"I'll see you later, Nina," Deenie said.

"Yeah. And behave, okay?"

Deenie looked at her friend, surprised.

"You're telling me how to behave?"

Nina grinned.

"You're the one who got so excited over a fight."

"Oh," Deenie remembered, blushing, and smiled. "I'll behave. I promise."

Nina laughed.

"Good. See you later."

Deenie left and Nina stared after her for a few moments before she went to her class.

After her classes were over, the headmistress called Nina into her office due to some complaint, but Nina proved that she was innocent. The headmistress eyed her suspiciously, but she had to admit that Nina's evidence was solid and she let her go.

Nina went to the park, where, she knew, Deenie would wait for her, like she always did when her classes ended before Nina's. As she walked down the path, she noticed the strange glances from the people she had passed. She ignored them at first, but when she saw some boys run away in the distance, she got a bad feeling and she quickened her pace.

Suddenly she saw an unmoving form lying in the dirt and her heart started to beat double time. She started to run and hoped that it wasn't Deenie, but her hopes were quickly shattered when she recognized the strawberry blond hair of her friend and her clothes.

"Deenie," she whispered when she got to her friend.

She kneeled and turned Deenie on her back. She put her head into her lap and caressed her.

"Deenie," she whispered again and tears started to well up in her eyes.

Deenie slowly opened her eyes and coughed.

"Who did this?" Nina asked.

"Bert," Deenie whispered and moaned.

"Don't worry, you're safe now," Nina said and caressed her friend. "You just close your eyes and relax, I'll take you home."

Deenie nodded and closed her eyes. Nina picked her up like she was a feather and carried her home.

"Mrs Hatcher! Mr Hatcher!" Nina called when she got to the house.

The door soon opened and through came a very concerned Mr Hatcher.

"What happened?" he asked.

"She was beaten by Bert," Nina said as she handed Deenie over to him.

Mr Hatcher took his daughter in.

"Deenie!" Mrs Hatcher cried when she saw her daughter cuddled up in her husband's arms and bleeding.

Mr Hatcher took Deenie to her room and Mrs Hatcher and Nina followed him. When Mr Hatcher gently laid Deenie on the bed, Mrs Hatcher quickly inspected her wounds, which were mostly bruises and some cuts. Then she quickly left to get the water, salve and bandages.

Mr Hatcher turned to Nina and wanted to ask her what had happened, but she stopped for a moment when he noticed that Nina was crying. He was surprised, because he had never seen Nina cry before. He put his hand on her shoulder and Nina jerked. Mr Hatcher noticed that she was feeling guilty. He smiled, trying to calm her. He knew that Nina would never do anything to hurt Deenie.

"What happened?" he asked.

Nina didn't immediately respond and she tried to calm down.

"I don't know. I was called to the headmistress after my classes and when she let me go, I went to the park, where I knew Deenie would wait for me. When I got there, she was lying on the ground, beaten. I picked her up and carried her home."

Nina took a deep breath.

"I see," Mr Hatcher said. "Thank you."

Nina looked at him, surprised, and he smiled at her.

"You said it was Bert?" he then asked.

Nina nodded.

"Deenie told me."

"Help me out, dear," Mrs Hatcher said when she returned.

Mr Hatcher moved to help his wife and Nina stared at her friend for a few moments. Then she took off her bag and turned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Mr Hatcher asked.

"Take care of Bert," Nina said, her eyes cold, and left.

"Be careful!" Mr Hatcher called after her, worried, knowing he couldn’t do anything to stop her.

He sighed and turned back to his daughter.

Nina stormed the school and looked around for Bert. He wasn't hard to find and he was apparently waiting for her.

"Are you in the mood now?" he asked her derisively and he and his cronies grinned.

Nina ignored them. She went straight to Bert and hit him in the face. Bert looked at her, astonished, and then doubled over after Nina kicked him in the groin.

"Hey!" one of the cronies said and moved to attack her.

Nina gave him a wild look and kicked him in the stomach. Then she moved on to the next boy and hit him in the face. The other three cronies finally reacted. Nina, however, didn't wait for their attack. She distributed punches and kicks all over Bert and his gang. She didn't care whom she hit or kicked, as long as it hurt the receiver. She was furious that she had let Deenie get hurt and she was furious that they dared to hurt her.

Bert and his gang were better fighters than other bullies, but they were still not match for Nina, especially when she was furious and she didn't even notice the punches and the kicks she received. She had no idea for how long she had been fighting when a voice suddenly thundered. Nina turned, giving the interrupter a wild look.

"What is going on?" the headmistress demanded.

Nina stared at her for a few moments and then glanced at Bert and his cronies, some of whom were lying on the floor, in pain. Then she looked back at the headmistress.

"They beat Deenie and I beat them," she said. "Case closed."

She marched past the surprised headmistress and went straight to Deenie.

"How is she?" she asked, worried, when she got to the house.

"Nina!" Mrs Hatcher said, concerned, when she saw how messy Nina looked. "What happened to you?"

Nina looked at her, confused, and then looked at herself.

"Oh." She looked up at Mrs Hatcher, embarrassed. "I beat up Bert and his gang," she said and looked down. "They won't dare to touch Deenie again," she added quietly.

Mrs Hatcher stared at her for a few moments and then smiled. Nina might be a wild child, but she was like a big sister to Deenie and she appreciated that.

"Deenie will be all right. Now come, let's get you cleaned up."

Nina obediently followed her to the bathroom where Mrs Hatcher took care of her bruises and cuts. Nina stood quietly, deep in her thoughts.

"Now that's much better," Mrs Hatcher declared after she was done, but Nina didn't respond. "What's wrong?"

"It's my fault," Nina said quietly.

"What is your fault?" Mrs Hatcher asked patiently.

"Deenie was beaten because of me," Nina explained quietly.

"What makes you say that?"

"We met Bert when we went to school this morning. He wanted a fight, but I refused. That's why he beat up Deenie."

Mrs Hatcher observed the guilt ridden Nina for a few moments. Then she took her chin and lifted it, but Nina refused to meet her eyes.

"Look at me, Nina," she said and Nina slowly raised her eyes. "I know you didn't want Deenie to get hurt and I know you would've prevented it if you could, but you can't protect her from the world. She's bound to get hurt sometime and I'm glad that you were there when she was. But she's okay now and that's all that matters."

"But…"

"No buts. Come, Deenie asked for you."

Nina's eyes lit up.

"She did?"

Mrs Hatcher smiled.

"Yes. Come."

Nina followed Mrs Hatcher to Deenie's room. She hesitated for a moment, but when Deenie opened her eyes and smiled, she ran to the bed and sat beside her. Mrs Hatcher smiled and left.

"How are you?" Nina then asked her friend.

"A bit sore."

Nina smiled for a moment and then looked down.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"About what?" Deenie asked, confused.

"You got beat up because of me. If I had beat him up before, he wouldn't have beaten you."

Deenie stared at Nina for a few moments, surprised. Then she took her hand.

"It's not your fault," she said. "You couldn't have known he was going to beat me just to get to you. You did right when you refused to fight."

Nina looked at her best friend, her only friend for that matter, and Deenie smiled at her. Nina smiled back shyly.

"Thanks," she said and looked down, embarrassed.

"Dad said you went back to school."

Nina looked up.

"Yeah."

"And?" Deenie asked, her eyes bright with expectation.

Nina shrugged.

"I kicked the crap out of them."

Deenie's eyes widened.

"All six?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. I guess that makes you the number one bully now," Deenie said and grinned.

Nina grinned back.

"Yeah, I guessed so."

They were quiet for a few moments.

"So, what did Mrs Iginla want?" Deenie then asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. I supposedly crashed the mirror in the girls' room, but I proved to her that I didn't."

"Oh."

"But I'm gonna be in trouble over Bert. Mrs Iginla came when we were still fighting."

"Oops."

Nina grinned.

"Yeah. She…" Nina paused as the phone rang. "Wanna bet it's Mrs Iginla?"

Deenie smiled.

"No."

They waited quietly for about a minute, when Mrs Hatcher finally came into the room. They both looked at her expectantly, Nina also anxiously. Mrs Hatcher smiled and chased away their fears.

"It was Mrs Iginla. She said you're in no trouble, because Bert confessed and there were also witnesses who confirmed that he and his friends beat up Deenie."

"But as I recall, she doesn't look too kindly on fighting, especially not in the middle of the school," Nina said, "nor am I her favorite person."

Mrs Hatcher smiled again.

"That may be true, but she also knows how much Deenie means to you and she understands. She said she will take care of the boys' parents, so you don't need to worry."

Nina and Deenie stared at her, surprised.

"She said that?" Deenie asked.

Mrs Hatcher smiled again.

"Yes, she did."

"Wow," Deenie said and looked at Nina, "I didn't know she could be so nice."

"Yeah," Nina agreed, still surprised.

"Have fun," Mrs Hatcher said with a smile and left.

"Wow, can you imagine? Mrs Iginla actually took my side," Nina said, excited.

"Of course."

"So," Nina said as she lay down beside Deenie, "how much longer will the renovating take?"

She was referring to the room next to Deenie's, which the Hatchers have been renovating for quite some time.

"Not long. They say they'll be done by tomorrow."

Nina lay on her back and thought.

"What's wrong?" Deenie asked, worried.

"Nothing."

Deenie pursed her lips, not believing her.

"Yeah, right. Come on, you know you can tell me."

Nina looked at her younger friend and smiled for a moment.

"Tomorrow's my birthday," she said and looked away.

"Yeah, so?"

"Nothing. I just wish Mom and Dad would get better."

"Oh. Yeah, that would be good," Deenie agreed.

They were quiet for a while.

"Today, I'll tell you a story," Nina finally broke the silence.

"You?" Deenie said, surprised and excited.

Nina smiled, embarrassed.

"Yeah."

She took a deep breath and started.

The next day passed without problems and Nina had a feeling that everyone was watching her with respect. But she didn't care about anyone's opinion but Deenie's. And that of Deenie's parents'. Surprisingly enough, Mrs Iginla didn't call her to the office and when they met in the hall, she actually winked at her. Nina couldn't believe it and she just stared at her, surprised, while Mrs Iginla smiled and passed by.

When they came home after school, Deenie's parents greeted them with a smile.

"Okay, Nina, close your eyes," Mr Hatcher said with a smile.

"Why?" Nina asked suspiciously.

"You'll see in a minute."

"Come on," Deenie said.

Nina looked at her and then closed her eyes. Deenie took her hand and guided her through the house, her parents right behind them.

"Okay, you may open them," Deenie said when they reached their destination.

Nina did and she looked around.

"Now what?" she asked, still looking around. "This is the room you've been renovating," she observed. "I don't recall a door there."

"We had it installed while you two were at school," Mrs Hatcher explained.

"Oh. So?" Nina still didn't understand.

"This is your room," Deenie explained, her eyes glowing.

"What?" Nina asked, confused and looked at her friend and then at Deenie's parents questioningly.

"She's right," Mr Hatcher said and produced a key from his pocket. "You spend so much time here that we thought you might as well have your own room. We had the door installed between your rooms so you can go from one room to another without waking the rest of the house." He smiled and offered Nina the keys. "And these are the keys to the house, in case you come here in the middle of the night."

Nina automatically took the keys, stared at them for a few moments and then looked back at Deenie's parents.

"That doesn't mean you have to stay here all the time," Mrs Hatcher said. "Just so you know that this room will always be here for you and so will we."

Nina stared at them for a few moments and then hugged them.

"Thank you," she whispered, trying to hold back the tears.

The Hatchers hugged her back and Nina sobbed for a few moments. When she let go of Deenie's parents, she looked at the floor, embarrassed, and wiped her eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with crying, Nina," Mr Hatcher said, "you won't be any less tough."

Nina looked at him and smiled shyly.

"Lunch will be in one hour," Mrs Hatcher said and then she and her husband left.

"I wish my parents were like that," Nina said when they were gone.

"Me too," Deenie agreed. "Come let's check out the room."

Nina looked around the room. Her very own room. Sure, she had a room at home, but it was nothing like this one. She tried to keep the room at home clean, but her parents, who were often stoned, kept messing it up. She didn't dare lock it up, not after the time when her dad knocked the door down and she then spent a whole month repairing it. But she still loved her parents, even though her mom was a junkie and her dad a drunk and he often got violent under the influence of alcohol. She was grateful to Deenie's parents for treating her so well and a bond developed between them as if they were her real parents.

"What do you think?" Deenie interrupted her reverie.

"What?"

"The room."

"Oh. It's great."

"What's wrong?" Deenie asked, noticing the strange tone in Nina's voice.

"I was just thinking of my parents."

"Oh."

"Listen, I'm getting paid today. As you know Mr Jarmai said he'd double my pay as I do twice as much as the others. But, since you do half the work, I'm gonna give you half my pay."

"No way," Deenie protested.

"Look, Deenie…"

"No, no, no. That money is for you and your family."

"But…"

"Not buts," Deenie said firmly and crossed her arms. "You need that money more than I do. And if I find out you hid it somewhere in my room like it was mine, I'll just take it to your parents."

Nina stared at her friend. She didn't find it fair that she should get paid double while Deenie didn't get anything. Sure, she needed the money, but that still didn't make it fair.

"Look, Nina, I'm your friend and friends help each other. I help you because I want to, not because I needed the money."

Nina stared at Deenie for a few moments and then hugged her.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome. Now let go, I can't breathe."

"Oh. Sorry," Nina said and let her go.

Deenie smiled.

"Okay, let's do the homework."

In the evening, after she was done working for Mr Jarmai, Nina returned home. She carefully opened the door, not wanting to wake up her dad, in case he was drunk again. She had been shopping before she returned home and she went to the kitchen and started to put the food in the fridge and in the cupboards.

"Nina," her mother said, her skin, which became pale due to drug abuse, making her look as though she was dead.

Nina forced a smile.

"Hi, Mom."

Her mother came closer.

"Happy birthday, sweetie," she said and gave her a rose, which Nina figured was probably stolen from some neighbor's garden, but it still surprised her.

"Thanks, Mom," she said and hugged her.

She thought the embrace was going to be short, but her mother kept holding her, so Nina kept holding her as well.

"Look, Nina," her mother said when she let go of her, "I know I'm a lousy mother and that I was never there for you when you needed me, but I want you to know that I love you. I always have and I always will."

"Oh, Mom," Nina said and hugged her mother. "I love you too," she whispered.

"I have a surprise for you," her mother said when they broke the hug.

"What surprise?" Nina asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I've decided to get clean. I'm leaving in an hour."

Nina stared at her mother, her heart beating much faster.

"Are you serious?"

Her mother smiled.

"Yes."

"Oh, Mommy," Nina said, happy, and hugged her mother.

Her mother hugged her back and caressed her. Nina felt the tears welling up and she let them roll down her cheeks. Finally there was a chance that she would have a real family, like Deenie.

"Thanks, Mom," she whispered when they stopped hugging.

Her mother smiled and wiped Nina's tears. Nina, in turn, wiped her mother's.

"Does Dad know?" Nina then asked.

Her mother shook her head.

"No. I don't think he'll be too happy when he finds out that I'm gone. I'll leave him a note and you better spend the night somewhere else. Oh," she suddenly remembered, "where do you spend your time when you're not at home or at school?"

"I have a job. When I'm not working, I stay with Deenie."

"Deenie?"

"My best friend."

"Oh," her mother said, relieved. "I was afraid you might turn out a loser like me," she said and looked down, ashamed.

Nina was surprised. She took her mother's hand.

"Mom, you're not a loser."

Her mother looked up and smiled, grateful.

"Look, I still have one hour before the bus leaves. Why don't you tell me what you do?"

"You mean it?" Nina asked, excited.

Her mother smiled.

"Yes," she said and caressed her.

"Then let's go outside, I don't want to wake Dad."

Her mother nodded and followed her outside, holding her hand.

When her mother left, Nina returned home and waited for her father to wake up. When he did, she hid and waited to see what mood he was in. He was in a bad mood and Nina quickly left. She went to Deenie.

She almost rang the bell, but then she remembered that she had the key. She unlocked the door, entered and locked it up again. The Hatchers were just having dinner.

"Hi," she said as she entered.

"Hi," Deenie said, her face beaming. "You seem to be in a good mood," she observed.

Nina smiled.

"Yeah. My mom decided to get clean and she went to a clinic."

"Really?" Deenie asked, excited.

"Yes. Unfortunately my dad is not too happy about it and he's trashing the house."

"Oh. I'll help you clean up."

Nina smiled again.

"Thanks."

"Do you want to join us?" Mrs Hatcher asked.

"No, thank you, I already ate."

"Oh."

"I'll be in… my room," she said.

"Okay."

Nina went to her room and lay on her bed. She thought about her family and Deenie's and swore that if she ever had a family, it would be like Deenie's. She also thought about the future and her life since she had met Deenie. Before, she was hardly any better that the bullies and her grades were low, not because she wasn't capable but because she simply didn't care. She had no hopes, no dreams, but after she met Deenie, all that changed. Her behavior improved and her grades too and she started to dream again and hope for a better future. And now her mother decided to get clean and the future looked brighter.

Now.

Nina and Anna entered their hotel suite. They were tired, but happy, after spending most of the day at Disneyland. It was summer and time for summer vacations. Nina had meetings on most mornings, but she spent the rest of the days with her daughter and today, on the last day, she had taken her to Disneyland. Anna quickly ran to her room to undress and grab a shower. Nina smiled as she observed her, she sort of reminded her of another girl she once knew, Deenie, her best friend.

She had not seen Deenie in ten years and she had no idea where she was. She missed her laughter and her cheery presence. She sighed and went to her room to change. She slowly slipped out of her clothes and lay still on her bed for a minute. Then she got up and stretched. There was a knock on the door and she quickly put on a gown and went to the door.

"Yes…" she started, but stopped when she saw who was at the door. "Deenie," she said, happy to see her again, but something about her expression stopped her.

Deenie stared at her best friend for a few moments and Nina noticed that she was trembling.

"Come here," she said and spread her arms.

Deenie ran straight in and started to cry. Nina hugged her gently and caressed her, trying to soothe her. She had no idea what had happened to Deenie, but she knew it was something bad, because the joy that had always been there was gone. Nina sighed, sad.

"Mom…"

Nina opened her eyes and Deenie jerked. They stopped hugging and Nina looked at her daughter, surprised that she was already finished.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Em, I used up all the shampoo," Anna said, staring at Deenie, confused.

Nina smiled.

"No problem."

"Oh. Good."

"Anna, this is Deenie. She's my best friend," Nina proudly introduced her and Deenie looked at her, surprised and happy to hear that she was still her best friend. "Deenie, this is my daughter Anna."

"Hi," Anna said and waved her hand, smiling.

Deenie smiled back.

"Hello."

"Go get dressed, sweetie, you don't want to catch a cold."

Anna left and Nina turned to Deenie.

"It's been a long time," she said and smiled, but Deenie looked down. "Come in," she continued and closed the door.

When Deenie didn't move, Nina took her hand and took her into the main room. They sat on the sofa and Nina observed her friend for a while, but Deenie stared at the sofa.

"I missed you, Deenie," she then said, but Deenie still stared at the sofa. "Deenie," Nina said softly and lifted her chin. "Talk to me. Please."

Deenie's eyes met hers and she smiled. Deenie smiled back.

"What happened to you?" Nina asked.

Deenie sighed and looked away.

"You remember when my parents were murdered?" she asked quietly.

Nina nodded.

"Yes. The day before was the last time I saw you."

Deenie nodded.

"Yes." She paused. "I was shot as well, in the head, but I survived and ran away from him. When I woke up, I didn't know who I was. All I had was my clothes and some money, barely enough for a bus ticket. I wandered around the city for a couple of days, until Ricky took me in." She paused again and sobbed. "I thought he wanted to help me, but he was a pimp and he forced me to work for him as a hooker." She sobbed again and Nina took her hand and caressed it, but Deenie didn't look at her. "Three days ago, I saw you and your daughter drive by in a cab and I knew you were important, so I hired a cab and followed you. It took me two days to remember who you were and who I was."

Deenie stopped and Nina caressed her.

"Why didn't you come to me?" she asked.

Deenie bit her teeth and Nina understood, Deenie had been afraid and ashamed. She caressed her again.

"I'm still your best friend, Deenie, and you don't have to be ashamed."

Deenie didn't look up, so Nina hugged her and caressed her. Deenie suddenly hugged her back and started to cry again. Nina bit her teeth, furious at the person who destroyed her best friend's dreams.

Deenie cried herself to sleep and Nina then picked her up and carried her to the bed. She laid her down, took off her shoes and covered her. She caressed her and stared at her for a few moments and finally kissed her on the forehead.

When she got out of the room, Anna was already waiting for her.

"Mom?" she asked expectantly.

Nina smiled, took her hand and then went to the sofa. She took a deep breath.

"You're curious about Deenie?" she asked and Anna nodded. "Well, she is my best friend and she was for a long time my only friend. We met when I was in eight grade. I was a tomboy then, Mom was a junkie and Dad was a drunk. I wasn't exactly a troublemaker, but I was difficult to get along with. Then I met Deenie. She was so bright and full of joy. She gave me dreams and hope and her parents accepted me as their own, they even gave me my own room as I spent more time at their house than I did at home." She paused. "Two years after I married your father, someone murdered her parents and she disappeared. She told me she had lost her memory and wounded up as a hooker. When she saw me, she remembered who she was and she came to me. That's it."

Anna nodded thoughtfully.

"Will she come with us?" she asked after a few moments.

"I hope so."

Anna smiled.

"Would you mind if I sat with her on the bus?" Nina asked.

Anna shook her head.

"No. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."

Nina smiled and caressed her daughter.

"Thank you."

Anna smiled back.

"I'm going to bed," she declared.

"Okay."

Anna left and Nina leaned back and thought about Deenie. She had been such a bright child, full of joy, dreams and hope, and then someone came along and destroyed her. She felt anger well up inside of her and she took a deep breath to calm down. Getting angry wouldn't help anyone right now. She sighed and decided to take a shower.

When she woke up in the morning, Nina saw that Deenie was still sleeping. She caressed the smaller woman, who was sleeping beside her, and quietly observed her for a while. Then she got up and dressed. She slipped out of the room and prepared everything and then returned to be there when Deenie woke up.

While she waited, Anna came to see whether she was still asleep. When she saw she wasn't, she left and returned after a while with a chair. She put it next to Nina's, sat down and waited. Nina smiled at her daughter's gesture and she caressed her.

When Deenie finally woke up, she though that she was with some client and she looked around, scared, but her fears quickly disappeared when she saw the two smiling faces of Nina and her daughter.

"Good morning," Nina said and got up.

Deenie smiled back and sat.

"Did you sleep well?" Nina asked and Deenie nodded.

"Yes."

"Why don't you undress and grab a shower? I'll prepare some clothes for you and then we'll go and have breakfast."

"I…" Deenie started, but Nina stopped her.

"No objections. You helped me when I was little, now it's my turn to help you." She turned to Anna. "I got new shampoo. Why don't you show Deenie where the towels and everything is."

"Sure," Anna said and approached the bed. "Come," she said, taking Deenie's hand.

Deenie stared at her for a few moments and then looked down. She got up, and followed Anna to the bathroom.

In the meantime, Nina checked her clothes and picked a suitable dress. Then she went to the bathroom, where Anna was telling Deenie about Disneyland. Nina smiled.

"Do you need help?" she asked Deenie.

"No."

"Did you pack?" Nina asked her daughter.

"Yes. I put my bags behind the sofa."

"Oh, okay. I'll go check around the suite, in case we forgot something."

"Okay," Anna said and continued with her story.

Nina smiled again and left.

Anna continued her story for a couple of minutes when she thought she heard sobs. She stopped and listened.

"Deenie?" she then asked, but Deenie didn't respond.

Anna slowly opened the door of the shower booth and peeked inside. She was surprised when she saw Deenie sitting in the corner, crying, while the water poured over her and muffled her sobs. Anna stepped in and shut down the water. Then she kneeled beside Deenie and hugged her. Deenie automatically hugged her back.

Deenie quickly stopped crying and wiped her eyes. They broke the hug and she looked at Anna, who smiled at her.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome," Anna said and got up.

Deenie also got up and Anna gave her a towel.

"Why did you cry?" Anna then asked.

Deenie looked away for a moment and then back at Anna.

"Because you remind me of what I used to be like."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Deenie smiled and caressed her.

"Don't be."

Anna smiled.

"You dry up and I'll get you the blow-dryer."

"Okay," Deenie said and Anna left.

"You're wet," her mother observed.

Anna looked down and saw that it was true.

"Oh. Deenie was crying and I hugged her. She said I reminded her of what she used to be like," she explained when her mother raised her eyebrows.

"I see."

"She's fine now, drying herself. I'm just gonna get the blow-dryer."

"You change your pants and I'll get the blow-dryer."

"Okay."

Anna took off her pants and then rummaged through her bags for a suitable replacement while Nina got the blow-dryer and went to the bathroom.

"Hi," she said and smiled, "got you the blow-dryer."

Deenie smiled back.

"Thanks."

"Why don't you dress first and then I'll dry your hair."

Deenie raised her eyebrows.

"You?"

Nina grinned.

"Don't worry, I learned. Come."

They went to Nina's room and Nina pointed at the clothes on the bed.

"I hope you like them."

"They're better that what I wore," Deenie said and dropped the towel.

Nina noticed that her strawberry blond friend still had a great figure, which was marred only by a couple of bruises. She frowned at herself for thinking about Deenie's figure. Sure, she knew that Deenie had a great figure, but why would that be important? She was confused.

After drying Deenie's hair, the three women went to the hotel restaurant for a breakfast. Deenie ate a lot and Nina smiled, she still had the same great appetite as when she was little. Then all three went out and waited for a cab as Deenie had happily agreed to go with them.

"There you are, bitch!" someone suddenly said and all three turned.

Deenie jerked at the voice and hid behind Nina, scared.

"Ricky," she whispered.

Nina looked at the man, furiously.

"Where the hell…" Ricky started and wanted to grab Deenie, but Nina grabbed his arm. "Who the fuck…" was all he managed to say in protest before Nina's fist connected with his jaw.

Then Nina was all over him, kicking him, hitting him, until he was lying on the ground. She was furious, because this was the man who was responsible for Deenie's misery, one of them, anyway, and she wanted him to pay. Anna stared at her mother, shocked, she had never seen her so angry before and it scared her a bit.

"Nina, stop," Deenie begged.

Nina looked at her and the anger disappeared for a moment. Then she looked back at Ricky and the anger returned. She grabbed his hair and lifted his head.

"If is ever see you again, I will kill you," she whispered loud enough only for him to hear.

Ricky stared at her, terrified by her murderous look and by the fact that she just beat him up like a kid. Nina then let go of the pimp and he dragged himself a couple of meters away from her before getting up and quickly leaving.

Nina turned back to Deenie and smiled, embarrassed.

"Sorry about that."

Deenie grinned back.

"I see you still know how to kick the crap out of people."

Nina grinned.

"Yeah," she said and looked at Anna, who was staring at her, confused, and her grin faded.

She had no idea what to say. Fortunately, the cab arrived and saved her from having to say anything, at least for a while. They went to the bus station, where Nina bought a ticket for Deenie.

Even though the bus ride was several hours long, none of them spoke a word, both of them thinking about the past and about the future. Deenie was ashamed of her past and she didn't know what the future held in store for her, but she was glad that Nina was there to help her out. Nina's thoughts were similar. She thought about what she could do to help Deenie, to bring back the joy that was once in her eyes.

Anna observed the two women for a while. She had noticed that Deenie meant a lot to her mother, probably as much as her father. And when she beat up that man, well, she had no idea her mother could fight, much less beat up a man larger that her. Any man in fact. Her mother had never talked about Deenie, but she had obviously missed her a lot, judging from her behavior, and Deenie obviously missed her mother too, in spite of the fact that she had lost her memory. When she looked again after a while, she noticed that they were holding hands, even though they weren't talking.

When they arrived to their home town hours later, they first went to Nina's house.

"Do you want to go home?" Nina asked after they dropped the bags.

"Home?" Deenie asked, confused.

"Yes. You know, where we grew up."

"Oh. It's still there?"

Nina smiled.

"Of course. I cleaned up after the police left and I kept it clean ever since."

"Oh. No, I don't want to go there. I don't think I can step into the house again, not after…" she trailed off and tears welled up in her eyes.

Nina put her arm around her.

"Hey, it's all right," she said and caressed her.

Deenie smiled sadly and took a deep breath.

"You can stay here for as long as you want," Nina said and smiled. "You can stay in the guest room or in mine, my bed is big enough for two."

"What about David?" Deenie asked.

"He died of cancer five years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

Nina smiled.

"It's okay."

"I'd like to stay with you."

"Okay. Come."

The two women left and Anna stared after them. She had noticed how gentle the exchange was and she understood why Deenie didn't want to stay alone. She also understood why her mother made Deenie feel safe, she was always there for her, she made her feel safe and loved and she was very understanding. She also never lied to her and Anna in turn never lied to her mother and if she did something wrong, she knew that the punishment would be appropriate and she accepted that.

"This is it," Nina said when they entered the bedroom. "You can use my clothes until we get yours. Half of the closets are empty, so we can put your clothes in them. Anna and I will go to your house in the afternoon to get your stuff. Do you want to come along?"

Deenie shook her head.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

Deenie nodded.

"I'm going to sell the house."

"Then you will have to go there and pick up all your stuff. And besides, we still have to go to the police and tell them that you're back. They will want to know what had happened that night and if you go back, you…"

"I know what had happened and who killed my parents!" Deenie cried.

"You do?" Nina asked, surprised.

Deenie nodded and started to cry. Nina hugged her and caressed her.

"It was Bert," Deenie said.

"What!?" Nina said, shocked, and let go of Deenie. "Bert?"

Nina sat on the bed, shocked. She felt guilty for the death of Deenie's family.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Deenie stared at her, confused, for a few moments and then realized what was bothering her friend. She sat beside her and took her hand.

"It's not your fault," she said.

"But…"

"It's not your fault, Nina," Deenie repeated.

The two friends stared at each other for a few moments and then Nina hugged Deenie and a couple of tears slid down her cheeks.

"Anyway," Nina said when they stopped hugging, "you don't have to worry about Bert, he's dead. He died in a shoot-out a couple of years ago," she explained after Deenie looked at her, surprised.

Deenie took a deep breath, relieved.

"Can we go to the police on Monday?" she asked.

Nina smiled.

"Sure. Now, let me show you around the house first, so you'll know where everything is."

"Okay."

In the afternoon, they all went to Deenie's house, Nina managing to convince Deenie to come as well.

"Anna, this is where we grew up," Nina said when they got to the house.

"You lived here?"

"Well, not officially, but I spent most of my time here and I often slept here."

"Oh."

Nina looked at Deenie, who was staring at the house, scared. She took her hand.

"Come, we'll go in together," she said.

They entered the house and Deenie looked around anxiously.

"It's safe," Nina said and gently squeezed her arm.

Deenie nodded.

"It's so clean."

"I clean up every couple of months."

"Oh."

"Everything is as it was, except my stuff."

They went to Deenie's room. Deenie looked around and tears came into her eyes as she remembered all the good times she and Nina had spent in that room. Then she went to the door that led to Nina's room and looked in. She took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she left her room and went to her parents' bedroom. Nina was right behind her. She slowly approached the door and opened them even more slowly. She stepped through and looked around. The room was clean and there were no signs of violence, but Deenie remembered what the room looked like before and she ran out. Nina ran after her.

Deenie went out of the house and Nina followed her. When Deenie finally stopped, she started to cry. Nina hugged her and held her until she stopped.

"Are you okay?" Nina asked when Deenie stopped crying.

Deenie nodded.

"Yes. Thank you."

Nina smiled and wiped Deenie's tears.

"Tell you what, Anna and I will take care of your parents' room and you take care of the rest. Okay?"

Deenie nodded.

"Good. Come, let's get the boxes."

They got the boxes and started to pack Deenie's stuff. There was still a car in the garage and since Deenie knew how to drive, the transport proceeded faster, but it still took them the rest of the day and the whole of Sunday. Anna drove with her mother for the rest of the Saturday and listened to her mother talk about her youth and the time she had spend with Deenie. Nina didn't say much about her own family, but she talked about Deenie's a lot. She told her daughter how lost she was before she had met Deenie, who had given her dreams and hope. She told her how Deenie had followed her around, even though she didn't want her around at first. She told her how full of joy and dreams Deenie was and how she could always go to her if she had a problem. She told Anna of Deenie's parents and how they took care of her as if she was their own child. She told her how she had often sneaked into the house when she ran away from home and how she felt cared for when she was with Deenie. She told her how Mrs Hatcher finally told her that she didn't need to sneak in and that she was always welcome to come, even in the middle of the night. She told her how they had finally given her her own room and a key. She told her that even though she loved her parents, it was Deenie's parents who raised her and who were there for her. She told her how Mrs Iginla, the headmistress, stopped calling her parents and started calling Deenie's whenever she was in trouble and how bad she felt for causing them trouble. She told her of all the great time she had spent with Deenie. Anna realized that her mother cared greatly for the other woman.

On Sunday, Anna decided to drive with Deenie. Deenie wasn't too talkative at first, but Anna soon got her to open up and start telling her about her youth. Deenie told Anna how Nina was so distant at first and how she admired her for being so strong and tough. She told her how Nina refused to have her around, but how she slowly opened up and they became best friends. She told her how many people thought their friendship was strange, Nina being several years older, but how they didn't care about it. She told her how Nina kicked the crap out of school bullies who dared to threaten her. She also told her how happy Nina was when her mother decided to get clean and how hurt she was when she died of overdose several months later. She told her that Nina's father blamed Nina for his wife's death and that he beat her up. She told her that Nina slept in her bed for the next months, even though she had her own room, and how she often cried. She also told her that Nina cried when her father died of cirrhosis of the liver two years later and how her parents were always there for Nina. Then she told her how happy Nina was when she met David, Anna's father, and what a beautiful bride she was. When she stopped, Anna noticed that her face became sad and she realized that her parents were killed then. She put her hand over Deenie's. Deenie looked at her and Anna smiled at her. Anna knew now that Deenie cared as deeply for her mother as her mother did for her. She also realized that her mother was Deenie's idol and vice versa. She smiled at that, two women, so different and yet like they were two sides of the same coin. She also understood now why her mother cared for Deenie, she had seen the joy and excitement in her eyes when she talked of the past, and she just couldn't help but like the woman.

On Monday, Nina took Deenie to the police.

"Nina… Deenie?"

The two women turned.

"Hello, Sakis," Nina said and Deenie immediately stepped behind her. "It's okay, Deenie, he's a good guy now." She turned back to the ex-bully. "We're here to give statements on the murder of her parents."

"Sure, this way."

They followed Sakis to a room.

All through the procedure, Nina held Deenie's hand. It was quickly over, Nina had a feeling that thanks to Sakis, and they returned home.

"I still can't believe it," Deenie said when they got home. "Sakis is a cop?"

"Yeah, hard to believe, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I'm glad though, he could have become a gangster."

"Yeah."

"Mommy," Anna came to her in a bad mood.

"What is it, sweetie?" Nina asked, concerned.

"Grandpa called. He asked when I'm coming around."

"Oh."

"They still haven't accepted you?" Deenie asked, noticing how Nina's mood worsened.

"No," Nina shook her head.

"I told him I'm not coming," Anna said.

"What?" Nina said, surprised.

"Mommy, I don't wanna go. They're so… so… uptight. They never laugh and all they do is criticize and quote the Bible, but they never do anything like in the Bible."

Nina sighed.

"Then you won't go."

"Thanks, Mommy," Anna said and hugged her.

"I better take care of it immediately," Nina said, went to the phone and dialed the number. "Hi, this is Nina," she said and immediately removed the receiver from her ear as the voice on the other side verbally attacked her. "No… No, I didn't tell her anything… No, she chose herself… No… Listen, if she doesn't want to visit you, then I won't force her…" She listened for a few moments longer and then put down the receiver. "Anna, you don't ever have to visit them again," she said.

"Yes!" Anna said, happy, and clasped her hands.

Nina and Deenie smiled.

"How was at the police station?" Anna then asked.

"Fine. We gave our statements and they let us go."

"Will you need to go there again?"

"No."

"Good. Oh, Ngila invited me to go camping with her and her family next weekend. Can I?"

Nina smiled.

"Sure. Let me know when you're packed, so we'll look it through. I'll call her mother later."

"Okay," Anna said, happy, and ran to her room.

"She's such a sweet child," Deenie said thoughtfully.

"Yes," Nina agreed with a smile. "Like you were."

Deenie looked at her, surprised, and blushed.

"Yeah, right."

Nina laughed.

"I'll go and make us lunch."

"Will you teach me how to cook?" Deenie quickly asked.

"Sure," Nina said. "Come."

The next day, Deenie was struggling to make lunch. Nina had already prepared everything, so all she had to do was to heat it up, but it still caused her a bit of a problem because she wasn't used to it. Still, she finally succeeded and hoped that it would be as tasty is it was supposed to be. She checked the time again and noticed that Anna should have come home already. She looked out the window, but she didn't see Anna. She considered what to do and then decided to call Nina.

That made things worse and Nina, who was already on her way home, said she would call around. Deenie returned to the kitchen and looked through the window. She was relieved when she noticed Anna, but the concern immediately returned when she noticed a gang of tough looking young men. She gulped and looked around for a weapon. She noticed a frying pan in the sink and took it. Fortunately, it was clean. Armed with it, she went out.

"Hey, leave her alone!" she called as she approached.

The gang looked at her and laughed.

"Or what?" their leader asked.

"Or we'll find out whether your skull is harder than this iron frying pan," Deenie said and waved the frying pan while Anna hid behind her and took her hand.

"My, aren't you a feisty one."

"Hey, John, cops."

John looked.

"Damn," he said and turned back to Deenie. "See ya," he said and winked.

He and his gang left and Deenie looked at the police car.

"Everything okay, Ma'am?" one of the police officers asked through the window when the car stopped.

"Yes, thank you."

"Hey, aren't you Deenie?" the other officer asked.

"Yes," Deenie said, surprised.

"Nice to have you back."

"Thank you."

"Uh-oh," Anna said.

"What is it?" Deenie asked and followed her look. "Who are they?" she asked when she saw two older people, a man and a woman, approach.

"My grandparents."

"Oh."

They waited until the grandparents came closer and Anna tried to hide behind Deenie.

"Anna, we want to speak with you," the grandfather said.

Deenie turned to Anna.

"Do you want to talk to them?"

Anna shook her head and Deenie turned back to the grandparents.

"She doesn't want to talk to you," she said.

"Who are you?" the grandmother asked.

"Deenie. I'm a friend of Anna's mother and I take care of her while she's at work."

"Well, we are her grandparents and we want to speak to her."

"Sorry, but she doesn't want to speak to you."

"What?!" the grandfather said, upset.

"Come, Anna, lunch is ready."

"Wait! We came here to talk to Anna and we will."

"Then you will have to wait until Nina returns."

"Listen, woman, this is our granddaughter!"

"Is there a problem, Deenie?" one of the officers asked, who had not yet driven away.

"Yes, officer," the grandfather said. "This woman is prohibiting us from speaking to our granddaughter."

"Is that true?" the officer asked Deenie.

"No. Anna doesn't want to talk to them and as you can see, she is afraid of them. And until her mother comes home, I will take care of her."

"You are not family!" the grandmother said.

"That doesn't mean I don't care for Anna. If she doesn't want to talk to you, then she doesn't have to, period."

"Look, woman, Anna is our granddaughter…" the grandfather started.

"Mommy!" Anna called and ran toward the car that just arrived.

"That is her mother," Deenie said.

The police officer nodded and the car drove away. Deenie passed the upset grandparents and went to Nina. The grandparents followed her.

"Hi," Deenie greeted Nina with a smile.

"Hi."

Anna saw that her grandparents were following Deenie and she hid behind her mother.

"Nina!" the grandfather called angrily. "This woman didn't let us talk to Anna."

"Is that true?" Nina asked.

Deenie shrugged.

"Not exactly. They wanted to talk to Anna, but she didn't want to talk to them and I told them so. They seem to take that as a prohibition."

"Thought so," Nina said and turned to her parents-in-law. "Look, if Anna doesn't want to talk to you, she doesn't have to and I will not force her."

The grandparents were outraged.

"You set her against us!" the grandmother claimed.

"No, I didn't. As a matter of fact, the only reason she visited you as often as she did was because I told her she should get to know you." She shrugged. "I guess she did."

"You slut! You…"

"Hey! Watch your mouth, lady!" Deenie said and the woman looked at her, surprised.

"Ignore them, Deenie," Nina said, putting her hand on Deenie's shoulder. "Come, let's go inside."

They went into the house, leaving the two grandparents behind.

"Now I understand why you don't like them," Deenie said when Nina closed the door behind them.

Nina smiled sadly.

"Yeah. So, what's with the frying pan?" she asked and nodded at the pan.

"Oh," Deenie remembered the pan and looked at it. "Right after I called you, I spotted Anna through the kitchen window. Some gang harassed her, so I took the frying pan and went outside. Fortunately, the cops came by."

"Really? Thank you."

Deenie smiled.

"You don't need to thank me, you know that."

Nina smiled back.

"Yeah. Still, thank you."

"Any time."

The door bell rang and Nina rolled her eyes, but she opened the door anyway.

"Nina, we demand to speak to Anna."

"I told you, she doesn't want to speak to you."

"Because you set her against us!"

"No, she didn't," Anna said as she nudged herself past her mother, "you did."

"What?!" both grandparents exclaimed in unison, outraged.

"You are mean. Nothing I do ever pleases you and you keep saying that I'm a bad girl. I'm not!"

"Is that true?" Nina demanded.

"What?" the grandmother asked, confused.

"That you kept saying she is a bad girl."

"Yes, because she is."

"No, she isn't! Now get off my property!" Nina said angrily and slammed the door right in their faces. "You are not a bad girl, Anna," she then told her daughter and caressed her.

Anna smiled.

"I know that, Mommy."

Nina's anger dissipated and she smiled.

"Good. Never forget that."

"I won't."

"Oh, shit," Deenie suddenly remembered the lunch and ran into the kitchen.

Nina and Anna followed her.

"Everything okay?" Nina asked.

"Yeah, barely. I hope this tastes as good as it looks."

"I'm sure it does."

"Yeah, well, we'll see. You two go change your clothes while I prepare the table."

Anna came home early from school several days later. She knew that Deenie was at home, but she didn't know where she was. She checked the rooms and finally found her in the bedroom, which Deenie and Nina shared.

"Deenie?" she asked as she looked through the door.

Deenie jerked and sat up.

"Anna?" she asked, surprised. "You're early."

"Yeah. Mr Shaara was ill and there was no replacement, so they let us go."

"Oh." Deenie put away the picture which had been resting on her chest, and put it back on the nightstand. "So, you hungry?"

Anna shook her head.

"No. I'll go make my homework."

Deenie smiled and got up.

"Okay."

Anna went to her room. She changed and then started to do her homework. She didn't have much of it, but it took longer than usually because she kept thinking about Deenie and her relationship with her mother. She knew that they had been best friends when they were little and she knew that they still shared that bond, but she also wondered if that bond had became deeper. She had noticed how Deenie looked at her mother and how her eyes glittered every time they were together. She had mostly been observing Deenie for the past few weeks, but she had also noticed the way her mother looked at Deenie. And then there was the scene from the bedroom which she had just seen, Deenie holding the picture of the two of them. She decided to find out. She let go of the homework and went to the kitchen.

"Hey," Deenie said with a smile when Anna entered. "You hungry?"

Anna shook her head.

"No." She hesitated for a moment, not quite sure if she should ask Deenie or not. "Do you love Mommy?" she asked, deciding that she should.

"What?" Deenie asked, astonished, and blushed. "What… What do you mean?" she asked and looked away.

"I noticed how you look at her, like Daddy did. And I also noticed how excited you are when you two are together."

Deenie's blush became even deeper.

"I… Eh… I," she paused and gulped.

She took a deep breath and thought about Anna's words, which had completely surprised her. Did she love Nina? She looked at Anna, who was patiently waiting for an answer.

"Would that bother you?" she asked and gulped, not quite sure what answer she hoped to hear.

Anna gave her a confused look.

"Why?" she asked.

Deenie was confused.

"Well, er, you know, two women, together?"

"You mean lesbians?"

Deenie blushed again.

"Well, yeah, sort of."

Anna shook her head.

"I don't mind, as long as it makes Mommy happy," she said and smiled.

Deenie smiled back, relieved.

"So, do you?" Anna asked again.

"What? Oh." Deenie thought. "I don't know. I mean we were best friends. I mean, I've been with…" She stopped with a blush. "I mean… I don't know. I feel drawn to her and she makes me feel safe. It's like when we were little, only stronger. Much stronger." She sighed. "I don't know."

Deenie smiled and took her hand.

"I haven't seen Mommy so happy since Daddy died. Thank you."

Deenie was surprised and moved. She hugged the girl.

"Thank you," she whispered as a couple of tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Well, anyway," Anna said when they stopped hugging, "if you two decide you love each other, I don't mind."

Deenie smiled and caressed her.

"You're one hell of a kid, Anna," she said.

Anna smiled.

"Well, I gotta go finish my homework."

"Sure," Deenie said and Anna left.

Deenie stared at the door and thought about the conversation. It surprised her at first and made her feel uncomfortable, but she was glad Anna brought it up, it had made her face her own feelings she sometimes simply refused to accept. But now she had to and she felt as though a heavy load was lifted off her chest. Even though she still wasn't absolutely sure of her feelings, she was now determined to do some soul searching and find out whether she loved Nina or not.

It was afternoon several days later and Deenie had to go to the shop to get some supplies they needed. Anna noticed how her mother stared through the window after Deenie. She had paid more attention to her mother's behavior since her talk with Deenie, but she also noticed that Deenie often stared at her mother now and obviously thought about her feelings. Deenie was obviously trying to sort out her feelings and Anna decided that it was time to ask her mother the same question she had asked Deenie.

"Mommy," she said and Nina turned.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Do you love Deenie?"

Nina was astonished and she blushed.

"Wh… What?" She gulped. "What do you mean?"

"I noticed you look at her just like you looked at Daddy and I haven't seen you so happy since Daddy died."

Nina gulped again and her blush became deeper.

"I…" She paused and gulped again. "Would that bother you?" she asked instead of answering the question.

Anna smiled and shook her head.

"No. As long as you're happy, I don't mind."

Nina smiled and caressed her daughter.

"I love you, sweetie."

"I love you too, Mommy," Anna said and they hugged. "So, do you?" she asked when they broke the hug.

Nina thought. She knew her daughter was right and she secretly wondered about it herself.

"I don't know," she said. "I think so. I mean, we were best friends for a long time and it's because of her and her family that I am what I am today, but what I feel now is almost as deep as what I felt for you father, if not even deeper. I mean…" she quickly wanted to explain, but Anna interrupted her.

"I understand, Mommy, and I don't mind."

Nina caressed her daughter, proud. She took a deep breath and thought about what to say.

"I think Deenie loves you," Anna said, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" Nina asked, surprised. "How do you know?"

Anna smiled.

"I noticed the way she looks at you and how she reacts when you're together and then I asked her."

"You asked her?" Nina said, surprised.

Anna nodded.

"Mhm."

"And she said yes?" Nina asked after a moment of hesitation.

"She said she wasn't sure, but I noticed that she did a lot of thinking the past couple of days."

"Oh."

"Well, anyway, if you two decide you love each other, I don't mind."

Nina smiled and caressed her daughter.

"I'm so proud of you, sweetie. I love you."

Anna smiled.

"I love you too, Mommy."

A few days later, after some heavy duty thinking, Nina decided to talk to Deenie, but Deenie was faster.

"Em, Nina," she said when Nina got out of the kitchen.

"Yes?" Nina asked and looked at Deenie, who was sitting on a couch.

"I need to talk to you."

Nina took a deep breath.

"Yeah, I need to talk to you too," she said, went to the couch and sat down.

Deenie smiled nervously, blushing.

"Em, I had an interesting conversation with Anna last week," she said.

Nina nodded.

"I know, she told me."

Deenie blushed.

"She did?"

Nina nodded.

"Yeah, right after we had the same conversation. As a matter of fact, I wanted to talk to you about it today."

"You did?"

"Yes."

They were quiet for a while, both thinking about what to say.

"You know," Deenie spoke first, "life with Ricky was the only life I knew since I lost my family. He took care of me, provided food and shelter. He was a bastard and he raped me occasionally, but I was too scared to run away." She paused. "He sold me to men and women. Women were generally nicer than men, but there were a couple of bitches. Some of the men were nice too and they and most of the women were the only times that I didn't feel like a piece of trash." She smiled as she remembered a nice moment. "One of the women once took me out to dinner and everything and when she noticed that I didn't want to make love to her, she paid for the room and stayed with me, but she didn't touch me. That was the nicest thing anyone had done for me for a long time." She paused again. "I mean, I'm not new to making love to a woman, but I've never felt like this before, not for a man nor a woman. I knew there was a bond, a strong bond, between us when we were little, hell, you were my hero, my idol, but now it's like that bond became even stronger. I feel drawn to you and I can't explain why. You make me feel safe and loved and… I don't know, I love you."

Nina quietly listened to Deenie's confession and she was moved.

"You are not a piece of trash, Deenie," she said, "you could never be, no matter what. If it weren't for you and your family, I might have ended up like Bert." She paused. "You gave me back hope and you taught me how to dream." She smiled. "You were my idol and I wished I could be like you. It wasn't because of money but because of the light in your eyes and because with you I always felt cared for and loved. And when David came, he opened up a whole new world for me." She paused. "Ever since he died I had felt empty, but when you came back into my life, that emptiness was gone. At first I thought that it was just the bond between us, but I soon realized that it was more. I was reluctant to accept it at first, but it just wouldn't go away." She paused again. "I love you too, Deenie."

They stared at each other for a while, their hands slowly approaching until they touched. They kept staring at each other for a little more and then Deenie slowly started to lean her head closer to Nina's. Nina hesitated for a while and then pulled back a bit.

"I'm not ready," she said quietly and Deenie nodded, lowering her head.

Nina observed her best friend, and now lover, for a while.

"Look, I know you… I mean… Well, I don't want you to think that you have to let me make love to you in order for me to keep loving you. You don't. But I'm new at this and I'm not ready yet."

Deenie nodded and smiled.

"I understand."

They were quiet for a while.

"Would you like to make love to me?" Nina then asked.

Deenie though, surprised. She had never thought about it before tonight. Sure, she thought about the two of them as lovers, but never of them making love.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I mean, I made love to women before, but I never thought about us making love."

"Oh."

Deenie smiled.

"I guess we have to do some more thinking."

Nina smiled back.

"Yeah."

"Mommy!" Anna's called interrupted their discussion. "Mom…" Anna stopped when she saw her mother and Deenie hold hands and smiled. "Oh."

Both women smiled back.

"What is it, sweetie?" Nina asked.

"Oh," Anna suddenly remembered why she came. "Eh, can Mrinalini sleep over?"

"Sure."

"Great!" Anna said and turned to her friend. "Come, let's go get your stuff."

A few moments later both girls were gone.

"I guess we need to prepare more food," Deenie said.

"Yeah."

Several days later, when they were preparing lunch, Deenie spoke.

"Nina?"

"Yes?"

"Em, well, I don't want you to think that I'm offering myself to you, but I just want you to know that when and if you are ready, I am ready too."

Nina stared at her friend, surprised, and then smiled.

"Okay," she said.

They returned to cooking, but Nina kept thinking about the two of them making love. She glanced at Deenie occasionally and couldn't help herself from admiring Deenie's body. She sure was beautiful. She realized that she wasn't averse to making love to Deenie, she was just nervous as hell because she had never done anything like that before. Her fantasy soon ran wild and she went to the bathroom to cool herself.

When she got back, she bumped into Deenie.

"Sorry," she said.

They stared at one another for a few moments and then Nina leaned in for a kiss. Deenie smiled and reciprocated. They both hesitated for a moment when their lips were only millimeters apart and then they kissed. It was only a surface kiss at first, but it slowly developed into a more passionate kiss.

"Wow," Nina said when they stopped kissing.

Deenie smiled, blushing.

"Yeah, wow," she agreed.

"We should do this more often," Nina said and blushed.

"As often as you want," Deenie said and caressed her.

Nina caught her hand and held it pressed to her cheek for a few moments before kissing it and letting go of it. She hesitated for a moment.

"Em, we could try it tonight," she then said.

"Are you sure?" Deenie said, surprised.

Nina nodded.

"We can take it slowly."

Deenie nodded, smiling.

"We will," she said and Nina smiled as well, excited. "Em, I gotta go to the bathroom."

Nina chuckled and stepped aside.

"I love you, Deenie," she said.

Deenie stopped and looked at her, smiling.

"I love you too, Nina," she said.

She hesitated for a few moments and then ran to the bathroom.

Nina stared after her, glad that the light was back in Deenie's eyes.

"Hi, Mommy," Anna said when Deenie came to the meeting a couple of weeks later, which Mrs Iginla had called because of something Anna did.

Deenie smiled and hugged her daughter.

"Hello, sweetie."

"Deenie?" Mrs Iginla said, confused.

"Hello, Mrs Iginla," Deenie said with a smile.

"I thought Anna was Nina's daughter."

"She is," Deenie confirmed. "But she couldn't make it, so I came."

"I see."

"So, what did you do?" Deenie asked Anna, noticing that there were also a boy and his parents present.

"Timmy said bad things about you and Mommy and I hit him."

"I see." She glanced at Timmy. "He is still young and he doesn't understand. You should have tried to explain or tell him to ask his parents."

"Yes, Mommy."

Deenie caressed her and then looked at Timmy.

"You have a classmate named Mrinalini, right?"

Timmy glanced at his parents and then nodded.

"I don't suppose you make fun of her because her parents are Indian, do you?"

Timmy glanced at his parents again, confused, and then shook his head.

"Why not? They are different too." She paused for a moment. "No two people are alike, so you can't just say that someone is not normal, they are just different. If you were living in Africa for example, you would be different from everybody else. How would you feel if they called you bad names just because you were different?"

"This is hardly the same," Timmy's mother said.

"Is it?" She glanced at her husband. "Do you and your husband love each other?" she then asked.

The woman and her husband looked at each other, surprised.

"Of course," the woman said.

"Well, her mother and I love each other." She considered for a moment. "Suppose one of you was black. I don't think you would like if someone was giving Timmy a hard time just because one of you would be black?"

Timmy's parents looked at each other and Deenie looked at Timmy, who looked down.

"I guess not," Timmy's mother said.

"And if you think our behavior might be a bad influence, let me assure you that we don't do anything you yourselves don't do in front of Timmy," Deenie added.

There was a short pause.

"I'm sorry, Timmy," Anna then apologized, "I shouldn't have hit you."

Deenie smiled and Timmy's parents looked at her, surprised. They were even more surprised when their son spoke.

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have made fun of your moms."

Anna smiled and Timmy smiled back.

Deenie looked at Mrs Iginla.

"Is that all?"

Mrs Iginla smiled.

"I believe so. Mrs Johnson?"

Timmy's mother looked at her.

"No, I believe that's all," she said, still thinking about what Deenie had said, and then looked at her husband. "Sam?"

"No, that would be all."

"Then good day to you all," Mrs Iginla said and got up.

Deenie took Anna's hand.

"Come, let's go home."

"Hi," Deenie greeted her lover when Nina came home.

"Hi," Nina said and they kissed.

"Hi, Mommy," Anna said.

"Hello, sweetie. I hear you had some problems at school."

Anna nodded.

"Timmy said some nasty things about you and Mommy and I hit him," she said.

"I see. I hope you know you shouldn't have."

Anna nodded.

"Mommy explained things to Timmy and his parents and we apologized to one another."

"Good. And what will you do he next time someone says something nasty about us?"

Anna smiled mischievously.

"I'll tell him the same thing Mommy told Timmy's parents."

Deenie laughed and Nina smiled.

"Good," Nina said, "then that's settled."

"What's wrong?" Nina asked when she got home a couple of days later and saw that Deenie was nervous.

Deenie didn't respond and she quietly gave her an envelope. Nina looked at it and saw it was from court. She opened it and read it.

"Is it what I think it is?" Deenie asked, when she noticed how Nina paled as she read the letter.

Nina nodded and gave the letter to Deenie, who read it.

"Bastards," Nina said.

"Unfit mother!" Deenie said as she read. "If anyone's unfit, it's them."

Nina hugged Deenie and Deenie hugged her back.

"I think the father of one of my colleagues is a lawyer," Nina said. "I'll go call him."

"What about Anna?"

Nina sighed.

"We'll tell her after I see if I can get us a lawyer."

Deenie nodded and Nina went upstairs.

"Any luck?" Deenie asked when Nina came back.

Nina nodded.

"Yes. I invited Mr Qiaomu over for tomorrow."

Deenie sighed.

"Let's go tell Anna."

After several exhausting months, Nina and Deenie were getting desperate. A judge had assigned Anna to David's parents, but the girl refused to stay there and she kept running home to her mothers, which caused even more problems.

"I think we should run away," Nina said after the Spears took the crying Anna away again.

Deenie looked at her, surprised, and stopped sobbing.

"What? Where?"

"Canada."

Deenie thought for a moment and then nodded.

"I'll see if I can find us a place there."

Nina nodded.

"We'll wait for another hearing. If they assign her to… them again, we're outta here."

Deenie smiled and hugged her. Nina hugged her back.

"I just found out that Judge Primeau is presiding," Mr Qiaomu said when they came to court for another hearing.

"Is that bad?" Nina asked, noticing the serious look on their lawyer's face.

"It might be. She's known to be very strict, but also just. She's also known to lead the process the way she sees fit. I think that if we go on the way we did before, we will probably win. But I'm not making any promises here."

Nina nodded and Deenie gently squeezed her hand.

"Come, let's go in."

They entered the court room and went to their table.

"Mommy!" Anna called when she saw them.

She wanted to run to them, but her grandfather held her hand. She tried to break the grip and she even kicked him, but the man didn't let go.

"Anna, calm down," Nina said on the verge of tears. "Please, honey."

Anna stopped trying to break the grip and nodded with tears in her eyes. Her grandfather forced her to sit on a chair and then he and his wife gave her an earful on what a bad girl she was. Anna, however, simply covered her ears and ignored them.

"Everybody rise!" the bailiff said and everybody got up. "The court is now in session. Honorable Judge Satori Primeau presiding."

Judge Primeau went to her desk and sat.

"Be seated," the bailiff said as the Judge looked around the court room.

While she waited for everybody to sit and stop moving, she took a closer look of Anna's grandparents, Anna and then Nina and Deenie. She lifted her eyebrows when se saw Deenie and she checked her notes.

"Ms Hatcher, what are you doing there?" she then asked.

Deenie looked at Mr Qiaomu, who nodded. Deenie got up.

"Well, Your Honor, Nina is accused of being an unfit mother only because of her relationship with me. So it seems to me that what is actually on trial here is our relationship and that also includes me."

Judge Primeau considered her words for a few moments and then nodded.

"I'll allow it," she said and looked at the lawyers. "I want the witnesses questioned separately and I want them all questioned today. Bailiff, escort Mr and Mrs Spears into an empty room and Mrs Spears and Ms Hatcher into another. Then also take out other witnesses. I want the child to testify first."

The bailiff moved and did as he was told. Judge Primeau observed the reactions of the grandparents, of Anna and of Nina and Deenie and it only confirmed the observations she had made from the records.

It was a long day and Nina and Deenie were both concerned. Anna spent most of the day with a psychiatrist, who observed her and then testified. Finally, it was late in the afternoon, the Judge called everyone in.

Judge Primeau observed everybody as they sat down. She noticed how confident the Spears were and how afraid Nina, Deenie and Anna were. When everyone was finally quiet, she kept observing them for a few moments. Then she spoke.

"I can't believe this actually got to Court," she said. "Quite frankly, it is a disgrace. Mr and Mrs Spears, you claim that Mrs Spears, your daughter-in-law, is an unfit mother. I have heard a lot of arguments today, but absolutely none that would prove that. You say you're Catholic. Well, so am I and I know a little bit about the Bible. As a matter of fact, I noticed that you used a few quotations from it during the hearing. They, quite frankly, show that you did not grasp the essence of the Bible. But, this is not the Inquisition, so let's put the religious questions aside. For now." She paused for a moment. "Now, you claim, and that seems to be your number one point, that Mrs Spears is an unfit mother because she is a lesbian. But what I and the rest of the people here saw today was that Mrs Spears is indeed a very capable mother and that Anna is a wonderful child. Quite frankly, I will be very glad if my daughter turns out at least half as well as Anna did. You, however, didn't speak a single good word on Anna's behalf, as a matter of fact, you kept criticizing her for, what I noticed, no decent parent would bother getting upset about. On the other hand, I noticed that Ms Hatcher loves her like she was her own. And indeed, we have heard Anna call her Mommy. Now, you seem to be afraid that she might become a lesbian too, but Anna has told us that she has a boyfriend, if you can call your teenage sympathy that. And let's not forget that Anna had ran away from you several times because she can't stand you." She paused again for a moment. "Now back to those religious questions. I have noticed that some people who consider themselves very religious are in fact a bunch of hypocrites. They keep quoting the Bible, but they never grasped that Jesus preached love, not hate. If life is precious, love is even more, even if it is between two women or two men." She made another pause and took a deep breath. "I have come to the conclusion that Mrs Spears, Ms Hatcher and their daughter are a family and should not be separated just because someone thinks that their love is worth less than a love between a man and a woman. Therefore, I have decided that Anna be returned to her mothers. As for you, Mr and Mrs Spears, I forbid you any contact with your grandchild, unless she decides otherwise. Case closed," she said and banged her hammer.

"All rise!" the bailiff ordered and everybody got up as the judge left.

"Anna!" Nina and Deenie called and went to her.

"Can I stay with you?" Anna asked.

"Yes, sweetie."

Judge Primeau, opened her door a bit and watched as the two women hugged their daughter. Yep, being a judge on such cases made it all worthwhile. She smiled and closed the door.

"Can we go home now?" Anna asked when they stopped hugging.

"Yes, sweetie, we can. And you don't ever have to go to your grandparents again."

The End