Clinton clutched her bag and knocked on Gretchen's door. She had managed to get into the building when a resident with a chipper Golden Retriever had held the lobby door open for her, thinking she was a resident.

She knocked again, still no answer. Clinton shook her head and pulled out her cell phone, trying her sister one last time. She had been trying to call her for days after her visit to the doctor.

After getting the voicemail she hung up and walked to the elevator thinking, "I drove out here for nothing." She needed someone to talk to and hoped Gretchen would stop being angry with her long enough to hear her out. She wanted to get a drink to go and calm her nerves, but she knew that wasn't wise in her condition.

She tapped her foot, waiting for the elevator, contemplating whether to stay in town for a little while longer, or even tell her mother about her news.

"No, forget it. Nevermind." She thought.

Suddenly the elevator doors glide open and she sees two women clutching at each other's nubile bodies and kissing passionately. One was slightly taller than her petite yet curvy counterpart.

"Whoa." Clinton said stepping back.

Gretchen and Moo broke apart and harbored shocked and embarrassed looks on their faces.

"Oh shit." Gretchen said as they stepped off of the elevator. "What are you doing here?"

Clinton looked back and forth between Gretchen and Muwesi not believing her eyes. "I wanna ask Moo the same thing."

"I always gave you what you wanted," Moo said, draping her arm around Gretchen. "But that's over now isn't it?" Clinton noticed that Gretchen seemed just as surprised as Clinton that Muwesi drew her in closer, but her countenance became one of arrogance as she crossed her arms across her chest and smirked at her sister.

"Sometimes I think that maybe I may be the older sister here." Clinton said, rolling her eyes.

"So we're a year and change apart. There's no real difference. Well? What do you want?"

"I wanted to talk to you, I've been blowing up every line of communication you have."

Gretchen just shrugged and gave a tiny sound of indifference, "Hmmph."

"Guess you've been too busy to get back to me?" Clinton said, staring Moo up and down. Her feelings and pride were bruised but she didn't want to show it. There were more important things in life to hurt over.

Moo kissed the smaller girl on the forehead.

"Oh," Clinton scoffed, "We're not even going to act like grownups today?"

"I asked you what you wanted but you seem to be stalling." Gretchen said, "so what is it?"

Clinton stared at her sister for a moment but then said, "Nevermind. I'll deal without you. It wouldn't be the first time."

Clinton excused herself past Moo, who was blocking the button on the elevator.

"Fine be that way," Gretchen said grabbing Moo's wrist, "Let's go baby. Some people can't handle it when they're not the center of my world."

Clinton turned on her heels as her sister walked away, "Oh I think I am. Otherwise this little thing," Clinton waggled a finger between the two of them, "that you think you have wouldn't be going on. Come on now? A 'let's fuck each other to get back at Clinton' party? I'm so glad I didn't get the invite." Clinton rolled her eyes as the doors opened up. As she stepped inside she heard, "You think you know everything Clinton! Well you don't!"

There was more that she didn't get to hear before the door closed.

"Oh well."

Little did she know that when she got back to the condo that another surprise would be waiting for her. When she opened the door to her home she found Kelly sitting on her couch, facing the door. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, "Oh my God, Kelly what the fu-"

"Technically it's my house too," he said holding up a set of keys. "I didn't know where you were so I had to do some research. You haven't been answering your cell."

Clinton cautiously stepped inside of the room, "I didn't know you were trying to reach me."

"You sure about that?"

"Why would I lie?" She said her chest still heaving from the shock he gave her, "And why are you here? You scared the shit out of me Kelly."

"Nice place," He said standing up, "not too big or too small for one person.maybe more." he began to walk around and Clinton watched him cautiously. She had read stories about women whose ex-husbands had snapped. Ordinarily she wasn't that paranoid, but her nerves were a jumbled mess and he was acting quite strange.

"If you think I'm living here with someone then you're wrong."

"I was gonna ask you about your little girlfriend. How's she doing?"

"Kelly what do you want?" She crossed her hands over her chest, afraid to sit or move or do anything.

"What, a husband can't stop by to see his wife? Oh but yeah, I'm a dead man to you right?" He snapped his fingers, "Dammit, I knew I should've put that obituary in the paper."

Clinton smiled despite herself hoping he didn't notice, "I don't know what you want Kelly but I wish you would call and leave a message before you show up. I know that legally you can get the keys to the place because we're still married, but we're separated and I would never come to the old house unannounced."

"Well most of your shit is still there so maybe you should." Kelly sucked his teeth, none of this was coming out the way he had wanted it. "Look, bump all of that. I gotta question for you."

Clinton's body relaxed some when his tone softened, "Okay, go ahead."

"I heard you went to the doctor recently."

Clinton tensed up, damn, how news had traveled fast.

"Did you go?"

"Yeah. Just a check up. Everything fine. Is that what you wanted to know?" She said walking into the kitchen. He followed, "You really don't want me to know huh? So I'm really dead to you?" He leaned across the counter as she fixed herself some strawberry milk. She couldn't stop drinking it, miraculously out of all of the edible things in the universe, this was the only thing she could keep down.

"Do you want some?" She asked stirring her spoon into the milk, the red syrup at the bottom turning it into a pale pink.

"Clinton." He said in a warning voice.

"What?"

"I'm going to be apart of that baby's life. Dead to you or not."

She turned to face him, frowning.

"Yeah that's right.not gonna have him or her running around with two Moms."

"What are you talking about?" Clinton said laughing.

"Well you're laughing though. I'm not."

"Kelly, what in the world are you talking about? What kid?" She asked, attempting to play stupid.

"Don't act like you haven't been feeling sick and going to the doctor and thinking you're pregnant.and now you wanna be petty Clinton? Sheesh." He slammed his hand on the counter, "I thought you were gonna be mature, that we could work this shit out to the point where we can at least tolerate each other."

Clinton saw the concerned look in his eye, and her heart hurt when she told him this, but she had to, "Kelly. I'm not pregnant."

He stared at her for a while as if he almost didn't believe her, or at least didn't want to believe her.

"If you don't believe me you can go check the trash in the bathroom. There's a home test inside that reads 'Not Pregnant' in the clearest of letters."

He sort of shrugged one shoulder, "You sure you peed on the stick right? You know, did everything right?"

"Even if I didn't the doctor confirmed that I wasn't."

He licked his lips and ran a hand through his bristly hair, "Look you've been MIA for months. No one could find you. You get a place behind my back, don't tell me where you are."

"Was I supposed to?"

".who knows what other kinds of deception you're capable of."

Clinton began to laugh, almost feeling bad for him. It was like he wanted her to be a liar. "If I start rolling my eyes right now, I might not ever find them again. Those shits will be so far in the back of my head."

"Man, whatever."

"Fine then Kelly. You found me out. I faked that test and left it in the trash for you even though I had no idea you even remembered that I was breathing?"

"I heard you were going to try and go to New York. I mean it now. That's my child and I'll fight for him."

"So now it's a him?"

"Hopefully." Kelly shrugged.

"So now you wanna fight for someone huh?" She chuckled softly, feeling a rush of emotion hit her as strong as any bout of nausea she'd been having, "Guess that's what you do when you love someone. Guess it's why you didn't fight for me."

"If there is no baby then why did you go to the doctor? I know you've been having morning sickness.come on, I'm not stupid."

"Do I look pregnant stupid!" She said suddenly angry. He had no right to come in here and make her feel these emotions again, these helpless emotions. He scoped out her body as she held her arms wide open.

"I can't tell, you still wearing those big ass ugly assed hoodies." The truth was her face looked somewhat thinner, but he thought that maybe his mind was playing tricks on him.

"Kelly, don't ever come back here uninvited again. I'm going to change the locks and tell management that I'm running away from your abusive ass if you do. You don't need that kind of press do you?"

He squinted and began to back away, "What I need is a good divorce lawyer."

"Yeah?" Clinton said, wincing. "Well.good luck with that."

"Yep." He started to walk out of the apartment, "Only reason I came here is because I thought you were pregnant. I swear if you are." he said clenching a fist.

"You'll what?" Clinton said following behind him.

"You're not gonna run away with my baby Clinton." The expression on his face was serious and stern. Clinton was impressed that he cared so much about someone who she would've been a part of, someone who didn't even exist yet.

"So he does have a heart."

"Why would I run away with your baby? You know I'm not like that."

"I didn't think you were the type to cheat on me either.and let's not forget that whole lesbian thing shall we?"

"Oh sweet Kel, you know what they say when people assume things."

"That shit is tired Clinton," Kelly said opening the door and stepping outside, "I'm not into clich‚s real heavy. I'm into the truth."

Clinton gave a mock smile, "That sounds very cute coming from someone like you. Good night."

Clinton slammed the door in his face, sighing and dragging herself over to the couch. She was exhausted, frightened, bewildered, shaken up as well as plain old sick feeling. She was wondering if she should even share what the doctor had told her with anyone, angry with her father for starting the rumor mill rolling.



Moo seemed to always be in LA lately, and when she was here, she often made sure she saw Gretchen. Today she was meeting Gretchen at a game room in Santa Monica.

When she walked in she heard the sound of various buzzers, bells and male customers fawning and oohing and ahhing over graphics or some intricate fight move. The Dance Dance Revolution players were quite a sight as she walked past them. Finally, she saw a row of photo booths in the center of everything. Peeking underneath each of the curtains she finally saw a pair of ultra high black pumps with a metal studded heel and a thick ankle strap studded with round metal notches and closed with a shiny buckle as if there were actually a leather belt latched around the thin delicate ankle it enclosed.

"I found it," Moo muttered under her breath. She inconspicuosly entered the booth and closed the curtain. Inside she saw Gretchen giving a little wave as she stood pressed against one of the walls. She was wearing a tight white blouse with a pleated short heather gray skirt and a heavy looking black leather and metal studded belt which hung askew on her hips. Moo smiled, she looked just like a little schoolgirl with her high pigtails and bubble gum scented lip gloss slathered upon her mauve lips.

Gretchen blew a huge bubble and Moo stabbed it with her finger, popping it all over the girl's face. The pink gum went quickly back into Gretchen's mouth without sticking and she continued to pop and chew the gum, taunting Moo with her eyes. There didn't need to be words, not at this point in their affair.

For Moo, fucking Gretchen had been therapeutic. Oddly enough, it helped her get her mind off of the girl's sister. Getting lost in lust helped her to function, weaned her off of her dependency to sulk over Clinton. Ever since she had started this thing with Gretchen, she began to paint again, run more shows at her gallery, teach a couple of classes here and there. Her obsession with Clinton had now morphed into an unnatural one of sex with her sister. It wasn't that Gretchen was anything special-of course she was sexy and adventurous, always able to get Moo off even with the very little experience she'd had with women-but it was the fact that she was merely Clinton's sister which got her off for some reason. Maybe it was just knowing that Clinton could be angry or hurt that made her feel better, well at least that was the hook. What made her stay was the sexual high she got when she was with Gretchen. They were always putting themselves in the most precarious of situations, this being one of them.

Moo sat down on the bench in the photo booth, unzipping her pants to reveal what she and Gretchen had dubbed "Black Beauty", a thick ridged seven-inch long black dildo strapped to the harness under her pants. It was about two and a half inches thick, and would stretch Gretchen's little tight pussy to the maximum.

Gretchen straddled Moo's lap, entrapping her in the most engrossing kiss, their tongues playing with each other as they reached for each other's breasts through the thin material of their shirts.

As Moo kissed and nuzzled the tender skin of her lover's neck, she reached between her thick and toned thighs to feel her bare moist slit. She smiled to herself, "No panties.plus she's ready to cum."

Moo began stroking her dick and Gretchen got the hint. She kneeled on the floor, hoping no one would be paying attention to the legs and feet of people in the photo booths on the busy game floor. She began to suck Black Beauty with fervor, letting her saliva run down the rippling onyx shaft, making sure to look up into Moo's eyes seductively.

"Good little girl." Moo whispered, her hands now under her shirt, tweaking and rolling her own nipples. "Fuck.let me hit that ass now."

Gretchen stood up, trying hard to keep her balance in her high heels as she turned around and lifted up her short skirt, revealing her bare ass and bald swollen pussy.

Moo held the cock steady as Gretchen sat down on it, letting it slowly slide deep into her as she hissed. She balanced herself precariously, holding on to ridges on the walls flanking either side of them, not wanting to completely impale herself on the large dick.

She began to move up and down on the dick, her slick wetness sliding down its shaft. Moo looked over Gretchen's shoulders at the directions for taking pictures as she slowly and quietly slid up and down on the cock. She managed to grab a few dollar bills out of her pocket.

Realizing what the girl was doing, Gretchen snatched the money from her, and leaned forward to put it in the machine. During the whole time she still fucked the dildo, letting it slide in and out of her, stretching her walls.

As Gretchen fucked Moo, her pussy aching with pleasure and fullness, the camera began taking shots, and they saw every picture caught on a monitor inside of the booth. As each image of their lust-ridden faces was caught digitally, their breathing and pace quickened and intensified. The erotic imagery caught mostly from the chest up was at first nothing but the sexy little fuckfaces Gretchen had made, and the lust and thrill of it all which made Moo's face still yet intense.

Suddenly they were sort of standing up (as much as they could anyway) with Gretchen bent over as much as possible, her face practically smushed into the camera's lens as Moo fucked her pussy, slamming every inch into her hard. Gretchen knew she was supposed to be quiet, but she just couldn't. She could just feel a hard orgasm rising in her body waiting to render her a quivering mess.

Moo couldn't take it anymore. She sat down, pulling Gretchen along with her down hard on the long thick cock. Gretchen had to choke down a scream as the sudden pain and feeling of the cock-hitting bottom shocked her. But she was still quiet and obedient, trusting Moo all the while.

Moo reached into her pants and touched a tiny switch on her harness. This switch set off the tiny vibrator positioned on her own clit that gave very subtle light sensation until you pumped your pelvis against the harness which created a friction and direct contact with it-a more intense sensation. Being that Moo's clit was huge and fluffy, the vibrator instantly made direct contact with its tip. Moo moaned. The buzzing was light and subtle so she wouldn't come just yet.

She braced her hands against the bench they sat on for balance, and lifted her hips up some, grinding into Gretchen's tight pussy.

"Ahhh, ohhh." Gretchen couldn't help moaning loudly. Moo didn't reprimand her, she was too caught up in the images on screen.

By now Gretchen's blouse was open and her titties had sprung free. Gretchen played with her nipples as Moo ground Black Beauty deep and hard into that tight pussy.

The whole erotic sight turned Moo on to no end, and her grinding was bring her close to climax, but she got tired of supporting both of their weight on her arms and sat back down again to let Gretchen take over.

Gretchen stayed on Moo, grinding and rolling her hips, making the most exquisite sexual facial expressions the woman had ever seen. Soon Gretchen's lips parted, her head tilted back and she pulled her nipples away from her chest as she came hard on Black Beauty, her juices sliding down the thick shaft.

"Keep on.don't stop." Moo said feeling the pressure of the vibrator on every down and sidestroke. She felt a tingle at the base of her spine until it spread up all the way into her head, lifting it away with her light and airy feeling orgasm, her pussy spasming gently.

Gretchen was the first one to leave, wondering if the few stares she'd gotten were because people knew what she was up to in there, or because of her sexy outfit and heels.

Moments later Moo left meeting Gretchen outside after cleaning up a little in the restroom. She saw Gretchen in her car looking into a compact mirror and patting something on her face with a round soft looking disc of cloth. She noticed that she was on the passenger side. She'd wanted Moo to drive.

Moo got into the driver's seat and wordlessly started the ignition, driving off.

After a few moments of driving around on local streets Gretchen asked, "Where are we going?"

Moo shrugged, "I don't really know. I was thinking we could go get something to eat real quick because I have to be somewhere at seven."

Gretchen squinted and turned to look at Moo with a questioning look, "Where do you have to be?"

"Why does it matter?"

"I just want to know. You seem to be busy every time we hook up nowadays."

"I come to do more in LA than just fuck you. I know it might be hard for you to understand this."

Gretchen went back to looking at herself in the mirror, squishing around her lips and turning them up to check them as well as her face for any flaws that she didn't catch with her powder. "Are you fucking other people?"

Moo stopped short at a light, glad that other people weren't behind her. The question caught her by surprise.

"Well?" Gretchen prodded.

"Does it make a difference?"

"I can handle the truth."

Moo hit the gas again, saying, "There's a Tex-Mex spot around here. They've got great mojitos. I sure am in the mood for one."

Gretchen snapped the compact close tucking it in her purse. Her face became sullen, pouty even.

"Well?" Moo said, noticing the girl's sudden silence but trying to skate around the issues behind it. "You want that? Or Chinese?"

"So you are fucking other chicks."

Moo sighed inwardly and continued to drive in silence. She decided to just take them to the Tex-Mex spot since it was nearby. After a couple of minutes she pulled into the parking lot and parked the car.

"Well, let's go," She said rising out of the car effortlessly. She noticed that Gretchen didn't follow. She peeked back in the car, "Gretchen, come on. Gretchen? Gretchen." she tried saying the girl's name in every pleading tone but she just sat there staring blankly ahead.

"Fuck." Moo said. She got back into the car and slammed the door. "You knew what this was.how this started."

"As a 'Why Not' fuck because we both felt that Clinton had screwed us over. Yeah."

"Don't you think you should give up this 'I hate my sister' shit and make up with her? I mean I sort of feel bad that you two aren't talking."

Gretchen frowned and slowly turned her head to stare at Moo incredulously, "Excuse me?"

"She didn't really do anything to you. I mean it's not like she stole you from me. She had me first."

"But you," Gretchen pointed, "you get to be the victim right?"

Moo looked away, focusing her sight on the dashboard.

"Like you didn't know what you had stepped into with her."

"You and I are different. You should've known better."

"Did I tell you that even though you should've known better enough to fuck with a straight married woman? No. So do NOT discount my feelings."

"What feelings? Huh?" Moo sucked her teeth, "All we do is fuck. We don't talk about shit but fucking, and when it's not about fucking it's about Clinton. And I'm sick and tired of that shit. Aren't you?"

"So you're telling me you moved on from her? Everything is all good huh? No more crying on my shoulder about how she hurt you? Now I'm the dumb one for being stuck on it?"

"What you and I do compares to nothing to what Clinton and I had." Moo said in an almost whisper. "I'm sorry if you can't handle the truth, but it is what it is."

Gretchen tried to choke back her tears, but the more she tried, the more she found that she couldn't fight them off. She kept her voice as even as it could as she said, "If you want to tell me the truth then fucking say it."

"Say what?"

"Say you're fucking someone else."

"Yes."

"How many? How long?"

"Quite a few, and for sometime," Moo shrugged.

"I thought you said I was helping you get over Clinton?"

"You are. I mean, the sex we have is incredible."

"But it's just about the sex right?" Gretchen nodded as a tear fell down her cheek. "Oh I see. I'm nothing but a piece of ass to you. I was never really special."

"When did I ever say you were?" After Moo had said it, she wished she could take the words back. Even Clinton wasn't this mean when she broke it off with her. Is this what Clinton went through? She looked at Gretchen's pretty face, she didn't want to hurt the girl, but she didn't love her. She didn't come to her out of love, and she wasn't going to stay out of love. Finally she began to realize something.

"I think I understand Clinton now." Moo said readjusting both of her hands on the wheel. "I came into this knowing full well what my intentions were. I just tried to be breezy and nonchalant so I wouldn't lose her, and I'd make her think that this was nothing too serious to commit to. But the truth is, I was hoping it would be more." she looked at Gretchen. "I'm sorry if you were hoping for more Gretchen. Maybe I should've stopped this thing before it even started. I keep, I mean we both keep saying Clinton should've done the same thing when we bitch and complain about her. But the truth is I can understand where she was coming from. I needed this so badly at the time that it started," She said putting her hand on Gretchen's thigh.

"But you don't need it anymore huh?" Gretchen scoffed, "Whatever." Moo reached on top of the dashboard where a box of tissue sat and pulled a couple of sheets out for the crying girl.

"Gretchen I don't know why you feel the way you feel about me. I don't even know what exactly you feel or if it's real.but maybe that's the way Clinton felt about me." She sat back and thought about what she just said.

"Great," Gretchen threw up her hands, "So Clinton comes out to be the 'right' one again? Even when she's doing wrong she trumps me. Damn." She said shaking her head. "It's always her."

"Are you sure it's always her?" Moo asked brushing a few locks out of her eyes, "Or is it just always about you?"

Gretchen looked at Moo, and knew that it was over. "Just drive back to your car. I know you have somewhere else to be."

When Gretchen got home she pulled off the high heels that she'd been wearing for hours and began to massage the balls of her feet. To her dismay her phone rang. She picked it up, it was her mother.

"Have you spoken to your sister lately?" Nora didn't realize the rivalry between Gretchen and Clinton. Gretchen had just always made up excuses of why she hardly spoke to Clinton.

"I keep telling you, she's not speaking to anyone and I'm not about to chase her around."

"Just try to call her or something."

"Mom?" Gretchen said sensing alarm in her mother's voice, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know. I've been calling her, Avery has been calling her. She won't talk to me. I'm really worried about her."

Gretchen's brows knitted together, "Why?"

"I have a bad feeling. Call it 'Mother's intuition'. She's not even speaking with Avery and."

"Didn't Kelly go see her awhile back?"

"No one's heard from her since. He went back but she moved. He's been looking for her too."

Gretchen rolled her eyes, "Does he really think that she's actually pregnant and hiding it or something? I mean Clinton has done some wild stuff over the last year, but she wouldn't dare do that."

"Well then what could it be? Her cell phone number still works but it goes to voicemail. At some point or another we've all tried calling her. Have you?"

Gretchen sighed and admitted, "No."

There was a silence on the line.

"Okay. I'll call her now."



Gretchen yawned, crediting her tiredness to jet lag as she waited outside on the patio area of the simple fast food restaurant. She was in a small town in Nevada not far from the California border. Her foot was tapping nervously. She was waiting for her sister, with whom she had spoken to on the phone just a night before. Clinton returned her phone call, and as soon as she heard the urgency in the girl's voice all the bitterness and hostility she had had toward her baby sister melted away and was replaced with fear. Pure unadulterated fear. Clinton had never completely shut everyone out before even when she did 'run' from her family. When she went to school in New York Gretchen knew it was to get away from her and Nora, but she had never severed all lines of communication, and she never would with Avery, their father.

She sat there, picking at a salad she had ordered and sipping lemonade that was much too sweet through a straw. She was shielded by a cloth patio umbrella from the hot Nevada sun as it simmered and set behind her. Finally, she saw her sister walk through the door, and she gasped.

Clinton had lost a lot of weight. She was wearing her lucky rugby polo that Gretchen had hated all of these years, and a pair of loose fitting khaki pants. She had a cap pulled tight over her face and the only obvious indicator of her gender was a pair of dangly silver earrings of tiny disks suspended in the air just a breath away from her shoulder. Her face, though covered mostly by the hat, looked sallow, and her eyes sad. Gretchen felt like crying for some reason. What the hell was going on here? As she stood to embrace her sister, her arms wrapping around the frail soft body which was once sturdy and toned, she realized at that moment that things had really changed in her family. Everyone was spread apart and broken away from each other and alone. She wanted to weep for the days of the past when Avery and Nora watched them unwrap their ostentatious presents under the Christmas tree. She'd even settle for just a few years ago when she and her sister at least lived in the same house and when her mother was somewhat happy with the so called family American dream she thought she was living out with August in Beverly Hills.

"It shouldn't be like this.she shouldn't be like this" Gretchen said to herself sitting down across from her sister.

"I ordered you the chili cheese fries," Gretchen said. "You always loved those."

She noticed how her sister looked at the food as if it were her worst nightmare. She didn't realize that the smell bothered her, "I'm not really that hungry." She pushed the food away from her as far as possible without sliding it off of the table.

"So why'd you meet me here?"

"It's close to the clinic and I didn't want to meet you somewhere I had to travel far to."

Gretchen squinted her eyes, "Clinic? Wh-what's going on Clinton?" She said her voice taking on a panicked tone.

Clinton grabbed her sister's hand, "I need you to relax Gretch. Please. For me?"

Gretchen took a deep breath, preparing herself to hear something that she didn't want to hear. "It can't be that you're pregnant. I mean you're as almost as skinny as I am."

"Yeah," Clinton shrugged, "I thought I'd look good if I were your weight. Turns out I'm just a really disgusting sack of crap." she laughed and noticed that her sister didn't find it amusing.

"Okay, I'll get down to it," Clinton said, "I'm sick."

Gretchen gripped her sister's hand tighter, "I don't understand."

Clinton lifted the baseball cap on her head to reveal a nearly bald head. She could tell it had been cut low, almost like a little boy's, but there were some patchy and thinning spots.

Gretchen gasped, "Oh my God."

"I have leukemia."

The words hit Gretchen like a ton of bricks. The world around her didn't make sense anymore. With one hand still holding her sister's she brought the other to her face and sobbed, "No.uh uh." She shook her head no, "You gotta get a second opinion."

"Second, third, fourth. I've had them all." Clinton said rubbing her sister's hand with her thumb softly, "And now I'm here getting some of the best treatment in the country," She smiled, "No one cares about Sleepyton, Nevada. No one even knows about it. But it's the HQ of the Hutchinson Cancer Center. And I think that everything will be alright."

"How could you?" Gretchen spat out, "You are a selfish bitch."

Clinton laughed nervously, "I guess even cancer won't get me off of your shit list huh?"

Gretchen looked at her sister's face. It was still beautiful, just tired, and a little less full than before. The short hair actually showed off more of her features. She noticed that her eyebrows and once long lashes were now kind of sparse. She reached over and touched Clinton's cheek, "I'm sorry. I'm just mad and I don't know who to be mad with."

"I can take it. If I can take chemo I can take anything." Clinton said pointing to Gretchen's drink, "Can I have some of your lemonade? I'm so thirsty."

Gretchen slid the drink over to her sister, watching her slurp it down. "Why didn't you tell anyone? You thought we hated you that bad?"

"Actually." Clinton said letting up on the drink she was practically attacking, "I didn't think you hated me that bad. I just didn't want you feeling sorry for me. I didn't want to make things more complicated than they were. I didn't want to worry any of you to death either."

"So what if you died out here alone Clinton?"

The younger sister shrugged, "Sometimes you have to do things on your own. I found out that Nora was right. I wasn't living life for myself. I was hiding from it. Now I have to fight hard just to live, period." Clinton licked her lips, "Just don't tell her I thought she was right okay? She'd never let me live it down. In fact don't tell her anything."

"Clinton!"

"I'm serious."

"No!"

"Please."

"No."

"Please." She held her sister's hands in her own, "I think I can do this on my own, and once everything is all better then."

"No!" Gretchen slammed her hand down on the table, "You're not going to do this alone!" Her eyes shimmered with wetness. "To be quite honest, I know that you can't."

"How could you say that?"

"Look at you.I can see it in your eyes." She sniffed. "Don't try to fool me. You came out here to die."

"What?" Clinton scoffed, "Come on now."

"Tell me that this whole 'I'm going to beat this on my own' thing is not just a front. Tell me you didn't give up on life Clinton?"

Now, Clinton's eyes didn't smile any longer. The corners of her lips tucked downward and she said, "Honestly?"

"I want the truth."

"Sometimes I don't even want to live anymore."

Gretchen felt her heart breaking, her stomach dropping to her knees.

"But I know," Clinton continued, "That I at least have to try."

Gretchen tried to gain her composure as she looked at her little sister. "Well then," She sat up straighter, "I'm glad you at least know that because you really have no other choice."

Clinton looked up at her sister curiously as she put back on her cap.

"Is this the best place to get care Clinton? Or just the most obscure place for you to hide in?"

"It's a pretty great. I've done my research. But you're kind of right. I can't do this around anyone I know."

"Even our family?"

"I've been the cause of too much stress Gretchen. I'm not trying to cause anymore. I mean literally, I can't take it. Just the thought makes me ill."

"Well then I'm going to make you sick."

"What?"

"If this is where you want to be, I'll be here too."

Clinton shook her head no and stared at her sister quietly for a while, trying to let what she said sink in. "But what about your job? And your apartment?" Clinton said, "No, I can't let you."

"Either you deal with me or I'm telling."

Clinton's jaw dropped open, "You tattletale."

"And damned proud of it."

Within two weeks Gretchen had moved to Nevada and she and Clinton found a small house to rent in a very rural part of town that was only a fifteen-minute drive away from the clinic. Gretchen had took a leave of absence from her job and as hard as it was, lied to her mother about where Clinton really was. She told them that her job had sent her to Paris for a few months and that she'd spoken to Clinton but the girl still wouldn't reveal her whereabouts. However, Gretchen managed to convince her that everything was fine.

With Gretchen there to take care of her, helping her to dress and bathe her weary body, driving her to her appointments and support group sessions, Clinton was doing better than expected. Though she was on only nutritional supplements (not being able to keep food down) and was habitually tired and nauseous, Clinton seemed to gain at least enough weight back to make her look like some semblance of her former self. One day while helping Clinton dress in the morning Gretchen said, "Hey, I think your hair is growing back."

Clinton's hair was filling in again, this included her eyebrows and eyelashes. Her hair was still soft and fine, downy even, almost the consistency of a newborn's (the doctors saying that sometimes this was a normal reaction to chemotherapy when the hair grew back) but filling into tiny soft curls that cropped around her skull.

"It's kind of cute," Gretchen said, as she sat down on the front porch during a lazy summer evening, her younger sister perched between her legs. She used the soft small powder green brush with soft white bristles to brush her sister's hair. It was the kind of hairbrush used on babies. "Your hair will thicken up soon though," Gretchen said as she rubbed the mixture of shea butter and coconut oil that she had concocted herself onto her own hands and then over Clinton's hair and scalp, massaging the moisture in with the balls of her fingers.

"Yeah, it's only hair." Clinton said not really caring if the pretty, thick and long naturally spirally hair she once took for granted by straightening every chance she got ever came back. All she cared about was going into (and staying in) remission. She was just excited that she had been feeling way better than she had in months. Feeling her sister's hands massage her scalp she knew that the only reason her eyes shone bright again was because of her. Her chemo was almost going to be over and she prayed that she wouldn't need another cycle of it.

"I want to live. Even with my broken heart.I want to live for her.

"Well you're doing pretty well for a person who didn't even do well in the first place."

"Yeah, I was bugging."

"I know," Gretchen said still gently brushing her hair, "I never asked you why you felt that way because, well, I guess I just never wanted to get into that." Gretchen said, "but does this have anything to do with Kelly?"

Clinton looked out into the quiet empty street sighing, "You know me better than you thought you did."

"Yep."

"But it wasn't just him, it was everything.you know.I know you do."

Clinton didn't even have to say anything else because Gretchen knew exactly what she was talking about. "I told you that you make people love you Clinton Wilson. No matter what, no one's going to give up on you. Even Mom has been coming to her senses."

"How are she and August?"

"Doing way better," Gretchen said as she handed her sister a mirror.

Clinton looked at the thin silky downy hair of wispy curls clutching to her head, seeing that her cheeks were a little bit redder now and her eyes brighter. Gretchen teased her with a slow whistling sound.

"You're doing great. Don't you think we should tell them?"

"Don't want to jinx it."

"But at least talk to Daddy, you know he misses you."

"I know, but I can't bear it. He wanted a grandkid, I got him a kid with cancer."

"You act like it's your fault."

Clinton rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah, it's what they always say in therapy, 'it's not your fault'." She waved a hand dismissively even though she knew her group therapy sessions were helping her to cope.

"What else do they say? That you need to face your fears right?"

"I don't know Gretchen."

"Well I do."

"Give me some more time okay?" She tilted her head up looking up into her sister's face. Gretchen gave in, "Fine then, but I think there are some things you should settle with certain people."

Clinton stood up, trying to balance herself, "Hey guess what?"

Gretchen gave her a curious look as she waited for a response.

"I think I may actually be hungry. I mean like really hungry. Like not throw up all over the place hungry." when she jammed her hands into her pocket she looked like a little girl. Gretchen wondered if this whole business was just a red herring to take them off of the subject at hand, "Okay." a slow smile spread across her face as she hoped that her sister's hunger would be real, "Let's get you something to eat.



When Kelly walked into her office, Trisha was beaming. He thought this was odd since she had a bit of an attitude ever since he had decided to stop sleeping with her. Though he had just wanted to stop sleeping with her (or anyone for that matter) she rationalized it as just giving him space. He knew better though.

After everything that has happened he's had time to think, especially about what his father told him about being a man and taking responsibility for his actions. For weeks he had been pouring over his playing footage, mentally note taking on things he could do to better his performance. That led to analyzing his other team members, their plays. He began to do research on the internet about commentary that others have made about his and his team's playing style. He's had conversations with his coach about next season, not thinking that Dallas would even come through. He's spoken with Manning, the team's head QB, about what they could do to better the team. With the lack of anything better to do (including Trisha) Kelly began to take an interest in football again. Surprisingly, he actually began to like it again. But that was an understatement. As a welcome distraction and a sport that he was literally born to compete in, football was saving his life.

"Come in, sit down Kelly."

Kelly sat down in front of her desk as she pushed some papers toward him.

He flipped through them and asked, "Is this what I think it is?"

She just smiled and rested her chin on her hands.

"Wow," he said looking at the offer Dallas was putting on the table. "I guess you weren't full of shit."

"I always give you what you want. Don't I Kelly?"

He tried to ignore the sexual undertones in her voice. Instead her wondered whether he really wanted this or not. Though his father assured him that his decision wouldn't detract from his own feelings of love and respect for his son he knew it would make him happy. And he also knew that the contract for Dallas was a pretty damned good offer.

Go to Dallas? What else did he have to lose? There was nothing else going on in his life. If he played out the six seasons offered in the contract and invested and saved his money wisely, he wouldn't have to worry about playing again for the rest of his life unless he really wanted to. But did he want to?

He continued to pour over the contract even though he had damned near made up his mind.

"Honey," she said touching his hand, "You know its air tight if I'm bringing it to you."

He looked up to find her entrancing chocolate brown eyes drinking him in, "Your head was in the game Calvert?"

"Yes sir."

"So where do I sign?"

"Hold on," Trisha said holding up the palm of her hand, "There's just one thing you have to take care of."

"What?"

"Your marriage. Do you want to start this new deal with that still in limbo? You're about to triple your worth. You want her to be entitled to half of that?"

He hadn't thought about Clinton, "That's right, I forgot. I'm still married."

"If you sign that contract right before you get divorced, she'll be entitled to half of your estate. You know how California divorce law is."

He didn't want to think about numbers or money or trying to hide his worth from Clinton. It was an ugly thing that he'd heard about that happened to other people. Not him.

"What's the big deal?" Kelly said, "Besides why do you care it's not your money? You're still gonna get your cut."

"I'm looking out for you. Besides I don't think that what she's doing is fair to you."

"What is she doing?" Clinton asked leaning forward, "No one knows where she's at. So how am I going to divorce her?"

Trisha leaned forward too, "What if I told you that I know where she is?"

"What?" Kelly said, truly astounded, "You do? Why didn't you tell me.how?"

"Kelly, if you hadn't been so lazy you could've gotten yourself a private investigator. And I did. I got the best."

"But I.I checked around and."

"She's using an assumed name now."

Kelly sat back, floored at this information. He had put Clinton out of his mind for months, not wanting to even think about how she had left. He looked for her a little while just to be sure that she hadn't had his baby and kept the information from him. But he had turned up nothing.

"Assumed name or not, she's hard to find."

"Wrong. She's sticks out like a sore thumb in Sleepy ton, Nevada." Trisha said with a smug look on her face.

"What the fuck is she doing there?"

"I'll tell you what. Spending the money that you haven't even been paying attention to with someone else." She opened a folder on her desk and pulled out a photo.

Clinton was seen getting into a car. Though it was obvious that the person in the driver's side was a female, this companion's of Clinton's was hard to see in the picture since it had shown Clinton getting into the passenger's side. The girl with her wore shades and a hat in each of the photos shown of them in the car.

"This can't be Clinton." Kelly said, "Look she's too skinny. Her hair is short. Like a boy's.her face even looks different."

"I think she got a little butch makeover." Trisha said shrugging, "It's sad. She's spending tons of money a month according to bank statements. Maybe she's spending money on her new girlfriend."

A knot formed in Kelly's stomach. A lot of what she was saying didn't make any sense when he thought about the situation, but Kelly wasn't thinking at that moment. He was just trying not to show pain. He cleared his throat and said, "Was this the best you could do? These pics are sucky as hell."

"I can get some papers drawn up by the end of the day. Then I can get someone to go serve them to her by tomorrow.they'll make sure she signs." Trisha said, her own motives for this unclear to Kelly, who was just too busy thinking about everything he was just confronted with.

"No I'll go. I'll make her sign myself."

Inside Trisha was delighted but she had no idea that this was no longer about money and divorce to him. This was about one final confrontation. One final showdown.

"I'll book you a flight right now," Trisha said picking up the phone.