Home

Title: Home

By bwpbard

WARNING: This story deals with spoilers and rumors about season two - and about Marina.

Shane returns to LA, bringing Marina and Lara with her.

This series started as an idea of several of the L Word characters meeting Marina for the first time, but the story developed into something else.

This part won't make much sense if you haven't read 'Meeting Marina part 4: Future.

Meeting Marina part 1: 'Awakening' and part 3 'Debt', will give a broader understanding of some of the aspects of 'Future' and 'Home', but it's not a necessity to read them.

Disclaimer: Don't own any of them.

Pairing: Marina/?

Rating: probably lesser than R

I might have taken some liberty with the canon - sorry for that.

Meeting Marina part 5

Part 1

To call a place 'home' was almost a foreign concept for her, but West Hollywood and especially The Planet were as close as she had gotten to that specific feeling for more years than she wished to count.

"You killed him to get out, didn't you?" Francesca smiled and kissed her cheek lightly. "I knew you would find a way to free yourself - again."

As she had done so many, many times in her life, she chose to stay silent. Words often brought troubles with them; silence often gave you an advantage, it made your opponent nervous and often it made them talk too much and provided you with useful information about a lot of things.

Francesca knew her so well and didn't expect an admission of the murder, instead she asked: "So, Marina, any plans?"

It was a strange feeling to be standing in her old house, facing a woman she never thought she would see again, and even thinking about making plans for a future she never thought she would have - not a future in LA, anyway.

"Maybe you could continue performing?" Francesca suggested. "I have some offers for you if you're interested."

"Francesca."

"No, Marina," Francesca raised her hands. "No price to pay. I'm helping you because I love you, whether you believe it or not. I love you as much as I can love another human being."

Marina nodded. She needed money - and Francesca always kept her word. She moved closer to the other woman and touched her face lightly with her fingertips. "Thank you."

Francesca swallowed. "You're welcome."

And then Marina paid her back the only way she knew how, not because she was obligated, but because she wanted to.

And she even enjoyed herself in the process.

******

In a way Shane considered herself 'homeless' -a wanderer bound by nothing and nobody, but over the years her friends became her 'home'. While her relationship, now turned deep friendship, with Carmen lasted she found a 'home' with her.

And now she was in bed with a former lover of a friend she loved dearly, and she had no idea how Dana would react when she found out that Shane had fucked Lara in Barcelona - and planned to continue doing so in LA.

Shane knew that Dana and Alice were happy together, but Dana had always carried a somewhat innocent torch when it came to her former lover.

At a time Shane had even dated both her and Alice, and even considered going back to Lara.

In the end Dana loved Alice too much to leave her behind, and everybody took a deep breath and thanked every higher power in the universe - Alice would have been devastated, probably even more than devastated, if Dana had left.

"Something wrong?" Mussed red hair and sleepy eyes peeked out from the covers.

Shane smiled and shook her head. "No, just thinking."

"About?" Lara wasn't easy to shake off.

"Marina being back and everything."

"And how Dana is going to react to this, right?" Lara's hands painted a very telling - and very erotic picture of what she meant.

Shane laughed. "Yeah, and that too."

"You say she's happy, Shane, in the end that's all that matters. She might freak a little - after all she IS Dana - but she loves you and will accept that what we had in the past is exactly that - the past."

Shane kissed Lara - within a heartbeat the kiss turned passionate, but Shane ended it way to soon. "I'm sorry," she husked. "I have to meet Marina."

"Marina." Lara hesitated, but then she caught Shane's eyes. "Are you in love with her?"

"What?!" The shock in Shane's voice was almost palpable. "I mean. what?!"

"You went through an awful lot to find her, didn't you? All those hours and all the money you must have spent. And I know you slept with her before we left Barcelona, so I think it's a fair question to ask. I want to know where I fit in all this."

(Background for Marina/Shane: Meeting Marina part 3: Debt)

******

Sometimes 'home' wasn't a place, but a person. For Bette Tina was 'home', a 'home' she nearly lost because of how unbelievably stupid she used to handle crises in her life. Now 'home' had expanded and included their daughter and the new son in Tina's womb.

Seeing Marina again brought the awful memories of that time in her life where everything exploded and she was about to lose it all.

"Marina."

"Bette."

Marina graced her with a smile warmer than she had expected and it made her feel less uncomfortable. "Welcome home," she said. "We have missed you."

Marina's smiled again, but said nothing.

"I've know," Bette hesitated. "I know you're having some . trouble. I just want you to know that if you need something. money or help in anyway, Tina and I would be glad to."

Marina stepped forward and kissed Bette lightly on the lips. "Thank you. It means a lot to me."

"I'm sorry about. how I. how I." Bette stuttered and flushed, so much out of character that she had to smile at herself.

Marina took her hand. "I am so happy for you, Bette. For a short time you forgot yourself and what really matters, but you pulled it together and made it right again. I hope I will be able to do the same."

Minutes later, when Marina was long gone, Bette still stood there, lips parted and thoughts travelling all those years back - to Barcelona -where a beautiful but troubled teenager had shown her that she was lying to herself. Those talented lips and hands had changed everything for her, and she should have been thankful for it - instead she had kept Marina at a distance, always careful with her, always suspicious, always judgemental about how Marina lived her life.

Her own downfall proved what a hypocrite she had been. Maybe now, years later, she could finally be the friend both of them deserved.

(Background for Marina/Bette: Meeting Marina part 1: Awakening).

Part 2

"Fuck!" To her friends this word had become her signature more any of the other words she used frequently. "Fuck. I have to go."

"What's wrong with her?" Tina asked, eyes followed the agitated Jenny as she left their house like something was on fire. She kissed Bette hallo and sat down beside her.

"What's not wrong with her?" Bette mumbled.

"What did you say, Bette?"

"I told her that Marina is back."

"Marina's is back?! How?! When?!"

And then Bette told Tina the whole story - or at least the highly censored G-rated version Shane had given her as an explanation for Marina's presence in LA.

"I can wait to see her," Tina said excitedly, tears formed in her eyes.

Bette's eyebrow crawled up her forehead. She had no idea that Marina being back would mean so much to Tina.

Tina's cheeks turned pink and she stuttered: "She was there for me. you know. THAT night. she really made me think about . stuff. and."

And Bette knew exactly what THAT night was. The night Tina left after finding out about Candace. Bette trembled. THAT night still lived and breathed between them like a scary relative you can't seem to get rid of - regardless of all the efforts you make.

Suddenly Bette felt warm arms surrounding her. "I love you," Tina whispered. "You're my first, last and forever."

"Still?" Bette hated being this insecure, but sometimes she couldn't believe her own luck, being here with Tina with their kid - soon to be two kids, when she had been so close to lose it all.

A different and terrifying scenario kept visiting her dreams. and sometimes during those nightmares, she woke - alone in bed, and thought that her family had been the dream. And it was not until her sobs brought Tina back in their bedroom, that she dared to believe again.

"Always," Tina answered with a kiss so sweet that Bette cried.

(Background for Marina/Tina: Meeting Marina part 2: Hurt).

******

"Fuck, fuck. Fuck!" Jenny couldn't comprehend seeing Marina again. Feelings she thought were long gone, soothed by countless of lovers and dulled by time, seemed to resurface and the mere thought of seeing the woman who opened up her world again.

And now Marina was back.

She had a good life now; a published writer, she had great friends and she never lacked dates when she wanted them.

And now Marina was back.

A Marina who had tried to kill herself, screaming Jenny's name, and then she disappeared, rumours had said that her family found a place for her in Europe where she could rest and get better.

And now Marina was back.

Like Jenny had no will of her own, her legs led her to The Planet. Maybe Marina didn't own the planet anymore, but Jenny was certain that the café would be the likeliest place to find her.

And Jenny had been right. A tall, exotic woman stood with Kit in the bar. She smiled and laughed the way only she could. It was like being back in time, the thrill of seeing that particular body, that face, those eyes and lips. overwhelmed her. She wanted to run and hide, maybe find a dark secluded place where she could write an essay about how to get over your ex or a poem about moving on, leaving the past behind.

Suddenly the tall frame in the bar turned around and dark eyes bored into Jenny.

Marina was back.

tbc