Chapter Text
Femmedreams: An L Word Fanfiction
[Author's Note: I don't own Ilene Chaiken or any of her characters or ideas. Other than that, this is all me baby.]
[Forward- This takes place after Season 3. Shane & Carmen are broken up. Bette didn't kidnap Angelica. Helena is slowly running out of money... Jenny is sort of involved with Max. Oh. And Marina is back in town. ;)]
Part 1
Alice sipped her frappa-whatever-the-Hell and leaned over the table flipping through the glossy-paged fashion magazine laid in front of her. To her right, Shane, obvious apathy washing her face, sat with her chin in her hand and looked over Alice's shoulder.
"Like anyone would actually wear that," she murmured when Alice paused on a page.
Alice glanced up. "I like it. It's bubbly. Just because all of your worlds are all dull and gray doesn't mean I can't wear rainbow attire."
"Dull, gray and POOR," Helena chimed in, hunched in her chair, passionlessly stirring her beverage with a thin black straw. "Where we're cut off from our family's money supply, and are slowly dwindling down the remaining cut-off funds..While our suddenly gay mother runs off and leaves us so we can be homeless as well."
Jennifer Shecter laid her head down on her pale arms. "Thus spoke Helena Peabody. We're all miserable."
"Well," Alice replied. "I'm experiencing a new reason to be happy. I'm single, I'm free and Dana would have wanted me to move on."
Shane nodded. "Good for you Al, and I mean it."
"Aren't you with Max?" Alice asked Jenny.
Jenny let out a melodramatic sigh. "I don't think so. He's so moody. And now I'm questioning whether we were ever actually together."
"Romance fucking sucks," Shane sympathized. "Sorry Jen."
She shrugged. "I have new reasons to write tragedies now. How about you Alice, by the way? Didn't you have something going on with Lara?"
"Lara Perkins?" Bette interjected looking up from her previously uninterrupted stare at the table.
"You know, Jenny's right," Helena argreed. "You two have been awfully snug, haven't you?"
"Well," Alice laughed. "We were sleeping together. But not anymore. Neither of us...Well we were grieving. Lara's going back to France to finish her classes and I'm going to get back to my life."
"I wish I was that cheeky," Helena mused and took a sip of her tea.
Alice positioned her glasses as she looked at her new best friend. "You'll find someone."
"I seriously doubt it."
The door opened then and a slender blond strolled in, her hair collected into a chignon at the back of her neck, and a form fitting black silk dress stretched over her body.
"Okay, who is that?" Alice asked the group, obviously interested. Her intentions to show how well she was coping was making her over zealous.
Shane looked up, but interested plagued her trouble face. "She's new. I don't know her."
Bette followed their gazes. "I'm so over blonds."
Helena nodded. "Me too. Actually I'm over lesbians. Women, really. I'm going celibate."
Jenny scoffed. "Celibacy? Do you think that's wise? You'll end up killing yourself after a week of not fucking anyone."
"The Princess of Darkness has a point," Bette replied. "I really can't see you celibate."
Helena sighed. "Yes. I know."
The coffee shop door swung open once again and a second woman, tall, fit and proud sauntered up to the blond. Her hair was a collection of ebony curls and her skin tanned caramel. Helena watched her walk.
"Okay nevermind the blond. Who is she?"
The group turned their attention to the newest customer and Jenny gasped. "Oh my FUCKING God. I would know that ass anywhere."
Bette stood up. "Shit."
Alice hopped up from her chair. "Marina!"
The dark-haired woman turned around and her eyes lit up, bringing further beauty into her exquisitely divine face. "Alice! Hello!" Her eyes scanned the table as she approached. "Shane! Bette!" She stopped on one familiar face. "Hello Jenny."
The smaller woman, a mess of black locks and thick eyelashes stared with complete disbelief at her former lover. "Hello Marina."
"It's so wonderful to see all of you," Marina said hugging Alice, then Shane and finally Bette. "My deepest sympathies about Dana. She was a wonderful friend."
Bette nodded solemnly. "Yes."
"Where's Kit?"
"On a date."
"Ooh, a date? Who's the lucky man?"
"His name is Angus," Alice told her. "He's Bette and Tina's manny. Or was. When Bette and Tina were...Well, you know, Bette'n'Tina."
"I'm very sorry to hear about that as well."
Bette looked like she was about to say something, but she resisted the urge. Jenny continued to stare at Marina until flustered, she stood and escaped from the table and made her way to the restroom. No one noticed save for Marina who glanced after her quickly and then just as quickly turned back to the table.
"So how about you?" Bette pried, "You didn't tell me that you were coming back."
"Surprise!"
"I'm obviously missing something," Helena said then, "You all know each other but I'm positive that we've never met before."
"Marina used to own The Planet," Alice shrugged, "She dated Jenny. And then, uh, moved to Rome."
"Ah."
Marina extended her hand. "Marina Ferrer."
Helena touched it accordingly. "It's very nice to meet you."
Marina nodded. "I believe Bette's mentioned you a time or two."
Helena glances at Bette.
"You slept with Tina," Marina said.
The British woman sighed. "Can we ever get past that?"
The blond from earlier strolled up and put her arm around Marina's shoulder, straining slightly to do so as Marina stood several inches taller than her.
"And this is my friend from Italy."
"Verena Nerine," she said, her German accent thick but feminine. "Marina has told me many things about you all." She held a minty frappacino in one hand and sipped from it languidly. "You must be Bette, the worldly art expert. And you're Shane, the rockstar. And you're Alice." Verena smiled. "The spunky blond."
Marina motioned to her friend. "The other spunky blond."
Helena leaned over to Bette. "She dated Jenny?"
"She broke up their marriage."
Helena raised her eyebrows. "That's her?"
Bette nodded. "That's her."
"You know," Marina said then, worried, "Someone should check on Jenny. Is she alright?"
"Naturally she's kind of surprised to see you," Bette explained, "We all are. You still haven't told us what it is you are doing here."
"I'm a costume designer," Marina said. "After my husband died I opened a costume company with some of the money he left me."
"She was married when she dated Jenny?" Helena whispered to Alice.
"And dating another woman."
"Ah."
"Verena is a budding new actress come to star in a film in the state," Marina gushed. "A remake of Wide Sargasso Sea. She plays Antoinette. I'm doing her wardrobe."
"Wasn't Antoinette Italian?" Helena asked, leaning forward.
"My mother is half Italian but my father is German and I lived most of my life with him."
Helena shrugged. "Well welcome to America."
Verena smiled.
"I'm going to check on Jenny now," Marina said. She strolled off to the bathroom and opened the door, surprised to see the renovated sinks and bathroom stalls. Prior to her departure, the stalls had been dark blue and unisexual. The change was much more stylish. "Jenny," she called, her heels tapping on the tiled floor. "Are you in here?"
Jenny came out of the last stall and stood, her arms crossed over her chest. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"In this bathroom?" Marina replied, innocently.
"No not in this bathroom. In this building. In this town. In this fucking country."
"Well, you ran out too soon to hear my explanation."
"I'm listening now."
Marina licked her lips. "I'm a costume designer. I'm here with Verena Nerine. An actress."
"Your girlfriend?"
"No. I'm here with her as a friend and business partner. I'm here to reclaim my house and to spend time in Los Angeles with my Los Angeles friends."
Jenny blinked. "I'm dating a transexual."
Marina swallowed. "Okay."
"He's not here right now because he has a job. He's very successful. He's a computer consultant at one of the biggest technology companies in California."
"That's wonderful Jenny."
Jenny bit her lip. "Marina, you don't understand what seeing you after two fucking years is doing to me."
"I didn't think you came in here to actually use the restroom," Marina replied, evenly.
"No. I came in here to get a hold of myself. Shit. Couldn't you have at least given me some warning?"
"I need to warn you before I come within a mile of you?" Marina asked, leaning her head to one side, regarding the woman with interest.
"It would be nice."
"It's nice to see you Jenny."
"Well." She nodded. "Well don't you even think about playing your little mind games on me. I'm not into that anymore. I'm much more mature now and... And I'm not just going to do whatever the Hell you want me to because you're fucking sexy and you know it."
Marina gave the woman a composed look. "I came in here to check on you in a completely platonic way."
Jenny looked unconvinced. "Completely platonic? Dammit Marina. Did you have to come back to L.A.? Really?" She looked down and then, surprising even herself, she erupted into tears. Marina crossed the small room and put her hands on Jenny's shoulders and made an attempt to pull her against her chest, into a stabilizing hug. Jenny resisted and barreled out of the bathroom and out of the coffee shop, leaving Marina stunned, staring after her.
Meanwhile Helena witnessed the upset writer leave and turned to Bette. "I'm guessing that didn't go well."
Bette said, "I'm not interfering this time."
Helena looked to Shane who had fallen back into her catatonic state, and Alice who chatted with Verena. She stood. "Excuse me." She entered the bathroom and found Marina, momentarily frozen in place.
"Are you alright?"
Marina looked up, as if coming out of a trance. "I'm fine. I'm not sure about Jenny, however."
"Yes, she did look a bit upset."
Marina nodded.
"I'm sorry if I'm overstepped my boundaries here, but Bette told me that you and Jenny used to date?"
"Not date exactly."
"Well, you know. Using the term loosely."
"Mmm. Well, using the term loosely, we used to date."
"She's with Moira now," Helena said. "Oh, I mean Max."
"The transexual."
"Yes."
"I'm not trying to reclaim her."
"Oh. Oh... I didn't mean to say.."
"Jenny's life is not connected with mine anymore. But it's alright. I'm truthfully very happy to see her happy."
Helena cleared her throat. "Aren't you with the actress that came with you?"
"No."
"Oh."
"I believe Bette told me you were with a documentary writer."
Helena's heart jumped into her throat. Dylan was still a sensitive subject. She kept control of herself. "Not any longer."
"Oh. I'm sorry. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I assure you, I'm fine."
Marina smiled politely. "Let's rejoin our friends, shall we?"
The two left the bathroom and took seats around the table. Bette and Shane, although both looked rather upset and blah, had joined in with Alice and Verena's discussion. The topic they discussed was coffee flavors. Shane kept asking what they were talking about with the flavoring and Bette told them that it really took away from the reality of the drink if anything was added. Verena was very obviously flirting with Alice and Alice was playing into it. Together they defended their coffee beverages.
Marina looked to Helena who had slid back into her chair. "I don't drink much coffee."
"Me either," Helena agreed. "I'm more of a tea person."
Marina picked up a pack of sugar and toyed with it between her fingers.
"I'm throwing a party tonight," Helena told her. "At my house, while I still own it at least. Everyone will be there. I'd love if you and Verena showed up."
Marina smiled. Instantly she thought of Jenny. Did everyone include Jenny? "Thank you," she responded. "I'd love to come." She leaned back in her chair and tried to get Jenny's panicked, upset look out of her mind.
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