It's a Love Hate Sort of Thing

Danielle was late, which was why she was currently speeding downtown in her beat up old Camaro. Hitting fifteen over the speed limit, Danielle shifted up after taking a sharp turn. She was lucky the cops weren't on her tail. "Shit..." She muttered softly, turning down the radio and pulling out her cell phone. Luckily, it wasn't her best friend calling her and informing her that they left without her, it was just her alarm reminding her that she should be at her best friends house at that very moment, and if she wasn't, hurry the fuck up. Thank goodness she wasn't very late, only about ten minutes thus far, and she was almost there, but being late at all bugged Dani a lot.

As she turned onto a more open road, a grin played about her lips. She loved going fast, and it was all the more better with her convertible Camaro, it was worth the three years of work she put into it. The wind blew through her long, dark hair while she hit the gas, pulling twenty over the speed limit as she drove into her best friend's neighborhood. Once she was a couple blocks from the house, she shifted down, bringing her car to the actual speed limit before she got into trouble. It wasn't long before she pulled into her best friend's driveway and parked her car.

"Sorry I'm late!" She announced, hopping out simply by jumping over the door. Dani ran a hand through her wind-blown hair, straightening it up a bit. Her dark eyes twinkled with excitement behind the aviator glasses she was wearing. Of course, she had a number of reasons to be excited, they were going to some exotic island, and one that she had never been to before. Dani loved travel, so any new trip excited her. "There was traffic while I was trying to get to the bank." Normally, Dani was a lot quieter around people, but around her best friend, she couldn't hide her ambitious side.

Dani was just as enthusiastic towards Emelia's parents and Brett, giving each of them a cheerful "Hello!" Dani considered herself lucky that the family... Well, almost all of the family. As Rowen spoke, Dani held back the urge to spit a witty comment back at the girl. She had promised Amelia that she wouldn't bicker with that annoying sister she had, which would be a lot harder said than done. At least she knew that while her best friend was off doing wedding-y type things, Dani was free to attack back at Rowen all she wanted. She was snapped from her thoughts as she heard Lia call out her name. The woman gave her classic Dani grin and placed her aviators on her head, relieving dark brown eyes that twinkled with a sense of mischief... but she would be good, for now.

Instead of focusing on her frustration with Rowen, Dani turned her focus back on Amelia. As she hugged her back, Dani extended her middle finger, making sure only Rowen would see it. "I'm still sorry though, I don't like holding up things, especially stuff like this." She said to Amelia, pulling away from the hug and straightening out her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle t-shirt. "Just let me get my bags outta my car, and we can get going." Dani turned and walked towards her baby-blue car, reaching into the back seat and pulling out a black canvas bag and a navy luggage bag. She walked over to the van and loaded her luggage into it before closing the doors to it. While doing so, she noticed a crushed cigarette on the pavement, to which she wrinkled her nose at, her black Converse kicking it out of sight.

Dani walked back over to Lia and Rowen and shoved her hands into the pockets of her worn out jeans. "All set."

Rowen's lips twitched into a faint smile when Dani flipped her off behind her sister's back, head shaking slightly. The girl had balls, that was for certain. Well. Haha, not quite true. She'd never have any sort of balls. Chuckling to herself, the black-haired girl moved to stand beside her sister. "Don't apologize," Amelia was saying, smiling brightly. "Mama and daddy are glad you're coming and so am I." Rowen thought it amusing that her sister did not mention her name. "We're right on schedule. Brett and his parents, the rest of the group, they'll be meeting us in Hawaii. He's excited, too, of course." She bit her lip, nervous as always about bringing Dani into the World of Catholics. Rowen knew why Amelia was worried, of course. Resting a hand lightly on her sister's shoulder, she watched the other woman load her things.

With a glance towards her parents - they were occupied with the van's driver at the moment - Rowen focused back on her sister's best friend. Amelia grinned at the other woman, gave her shoulder a quick squeeze before dancing over to join their parents. "Nice shirt, baby dyke," Rowen murmured when Amelia was out of earshot, a brow winging up. "Those crime fighting turtles will certainly make an impression on Brett's family." Reaching out, the dark-haired woman tugged the end of a sleeve. "So attractive, darling. Are you advertising, then? I'm sure the other lesbians will pick up on the signs easily enough."

Again she looked toward her parents, making sure they weren't within hearing distance. It would break Amelia's heart if they discovered what her best friend was, if they told her she could no longer hang out with the woman. Despite being twenty-four, she would listen to what they told her. Rowen refused to be the one responsible for them finding out.

Dani's jaw clenched slightly at Rowen's comments, "Yeah, you know, I was planning on hitting on the flight attendant, try and get a free pack of peanuts or something." She rolled her eyes. "And don't worry, Babe, I have a change of nice hetro-looking clothes in my bag to change into before we land." Dani added in a mild self defense. She might not care for dressing up, but she was considerate enough to try and look decent for her best friend. She knew very well that it made Lia nervous, so she always tried her best to act as straight as possible around the right people. Not to mention, Catholics are scary people, she did not want to get on their bad side.

Dani glanced down at her shirt, what was wrong with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? Nothing. Sure, it seemed a little immature, but Dani really was a bit of a kid at heart. "Oh, surprised you touched me. Wouldn't wanna give you gay-germs." She commented after Rowen tugged her sleeve, "Sorry if this doesn't meet your dress code, I can take it off right here if that'd make you feel better." She glanced at Amelia, then to her parents before back at Rowen with a grin. "Don't tempt me, because you know I will." She dropped her hands down to the hem of her shirt, tugging at it threateningly. She really wouldn't simply because Amelia's parents weren't out of sight, but it was still tempting.

Great, they were already getting at each others necks before they even got to the airport, this was going to be a long trip. Dani just hoped that sometime during this vacation, she wouldn't have to deal with bickering or acting-nice when Amelia was around.

"I'm sure you wouldn't be getting... nuts... from the flight attendant," she replied easily, grinning. There was a flash of humor, if somewhat sarcastic in nature. "And the Tennesons are very rich, you know. The buttoned up shirts and pressed slacks type. The mother? Always wears a dress that goes to past the knees. Your shirt, however nice..." She studied said shirt with a smirk. "Will seem a little odd to them. Then again, so would your lifestyle, if they knew. Same goes for the Fitzgeralds, but you knew that. Mama and daddy wouldn't approve of their little girls being around one of 'that kind'." She smirked again, edged closer so that she could lean close to the other girl's ear.

"I know how tempted you are to try and seduce me, baby dyke, but keep your clothes on. We don't want the parents to throw you out of your free Hawaiian vacation, now, do we?" There was a pause as she leaned back again, smirked. "Then again... Maybe you should try, Danielle. If you do, I won't have to put up with you all vaca." She gripped the hem of the shirt as well, tugged it slightly upwards. Then with a laugh, she released it and moved back completely. "You wish." Rowen blew her a snarky kiss, sent a wink in her direction, then sauntered back to the limo that would take the family and Dani to the airport.

Okay, she was definitely breaking her sister's getting-along rule already. Of course, Lia hadn't witnessed any of that, so technically... Oh, well. Shrugging it off, she climbed into the back seat and poured herself a glass of wine. Alcohol would definitely help her get through this trip.

Dani rolled her eyes, she knew that Rowen wouldn't tell the Fitzgeralds or the Tennesons her little secret, but that didn't stop it from being any less annoying. "Yeah, do it." Dani said casually, noticing Mrs. Fitzgerald look over at them, yet wasn't in earshot, so she simply made it look like they were having a normal, friendly conversation. "But I can very well make it seem like you've been all over me the past year or two." She ruffled the younger girl's hair, "I'm sure they wouldn't like that, now would they?" She glanced back to see that Mrs. Fitzgerald was starting to climb into the limo, and Dani returned to her not-so-friendly conversation.

As Rowen leaned closer to her, Dani didn't even budge. She refused to be intimidated by a girl like her. At the comment about seducing Rowen, Dani let out a laugh. "You really would like me to, wouldn't you?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "But, I'll keep it on, just so I can drive you insane during your vacation getaway. I wouldn't want you to enjoy yourself, now would I?" She let go of her shirt, and it didn't phase her that Rowen had grabbed it, reacting to those sort of things was exactly what the younger wanted, and Dani wouldn't give that to her, ever. As Rowen blew a kiss at Dani, she put up two fingers and crossed them to make a 'x' shape and stuck her tongue out. She really was a kid at heart.

After a moment, Dani started to head towards the limo. She climbed in, admiring the interior while she chose a seat... as far away from Rowen as she could possibly get.

For the long hours the private jet flew across the ocean, Rowen remained asleep. A lot of wine had gone into her system pre-flight and so it had been relatively easy for her to drift to sleep minutes before the plane even lifted off. If she woke at all during the flight, it never lasted long. The moment she realized the plane was still in the air, she'd forced herself to sleep again. The family didn't seem to notice, but they kept their voices pitched low throughout the flight. At one point, Amelia mentioned to Dani that her sister didn't like flying or heights. "She'll sleep the entire way there. Then be fresh as a daisy when we land and get off the plane."

It proved to be true. As soon as the plane touched down and Margaret Fitzgerald woke her daughter, Rowen was up and chatting with her parents and sister. The warmth enveloped them, a drastic change from the air conditioned interior of the jet, as soon as the door opened and they climbed down the plane's stairs. It was like walking into a wall of warmth, but Rowen didn't mind. She was just glad to be on solid ground again. "Oh, look, Lia. Your fiance came to meet you." No sooner had the words escaped her then her older sister was giggling, running the feet left between them to toss herself into Brett's arms. The kiss was long, gentle, loving. Rowen smiled softly. It was good to see Lia happy.

"Finally we're here," she mumbled to herself. "Beach, here I come." Oh, the luxury of tropical locations and lots of money.

During the flight, Dani had stayed awake, busying herself with looking out the window, playing games, and chatting with Lia. She actually loved flying, and found it amusing that Rowen hated heights... She could use that to her advantage someday. The plane landed smoothly, and Dani had gotten changed into a light blue button up shirt and jeans that actually didn't have holes or grease on it. She didn't look half bad for someone trying to impress a group of rich Catholics.

When they got off, Dani sucked in a breath of the humid air and smiled. Ahh, Hawaii, blue skies, white sand, and clear waters...this was going to be great. She watched as Lia ran to Brett and smiled. Those two were really in love, and Dani was more than happy to see Lia with someone like him, she really deserved all the happiness she could get, in Dani's opinion. She looked over to see Rowen smiling at her sister... it looked like they other agreed on something, other than disagreeing.

"Enjoy the flight?" She questioned, walking up next to Rowen with a grin. "Next time you could just stay awake, it's rather pretty to look out the window and watch everything under you."

Rowen was fixing her dark, curling hair into a tail when Dani joined her, eyes flickering over her with obvious disdain. "You mean the miles and miles of nothing but ocean?" she queried, keeping her tone slightly dry. "No, thank you. Quite a boring trip. Water, water, more water. So dull. Besides, I quite enjoyed my nap. It meant I didn't have to pretend to want to talk with you." She secured the tail and dropped her hands back to her sides, pale eyes alert as she scanned them over the terminal's tarmac. "Shall we get moving, then?" She motioned to the family, the members of which were heading toward yet another limo. Their luggage would be delivered seperately to the hotel.

"What do you mean, not enough room?" Margaret was questioning the driver, a frown on her lips, when Rowen caught up to the rest. Apparently the Tennesons had not realized there was an extra person along with the family and the limo was short-seated by one. "Oh, dear... I'm so sorry, Dani. It seems we're a spot short. If you don't mind waiting at the airport, we'll send the car back for you as soon as we are dropped off." Maggie looked absolutely mortified with the situation. Obviously not being accomodated was not something the families were used to.

"Oh, I'll... I'll stay behind with her," Lia said with a small, regretful smile for her fiance. She and Brett had not seen each other in weeks and it was a fairly long ride to the hotel. No doubt agony being apart again for even an hour after seeing each other again. Rowen sighed to herself. Well, time to do her good sister deed of the day.

"Go ahead with Brett, Lia," she said, bending to peck her older sister on the cheek. "I'll stay behind with Danielle so that she isn't alone."

"Really? Oh, honey, you're the best." She tossed her arms around her sister, giving her a firm hug before switching to Dani. "I'm sorry, hon. Brett misunderstood. He didn't realize you were coming along today." She smiled, then stepped back and climbed into the limo. "See you in a couple of hours!" she called through the open window as the car pulled away.

"Well shit," Rowen muttered, frowning across at Danielle.

Dani frowned at the idea of Lia staying behind just to be with her while she waited for the car to come back. She was about to suggest that she stayed behind alone so Lia could be with Brett, but Rowen had spoken up before she got a chance to. She hadn't interrupted, or even say anything until after the limo drove off. "Well isn't this just great?" She muttered, shoving her hands into her pockets with a sigh. "You know, I could've just been driven with the luggage, it'd be much more comfortable than waiting here with you." She commented. "Or I could've walked."

She shrugged it off though, heading towards the food court without even bothering to inform Rowen where she was headed. If she was going to be here for a while, she was going to get some food in her stomach. Dani was like a bottomless pit when it came to food, she was lucky she had a fast metabolism and ambition to stay active, otherwise she might be in trouble. She walked stopped when in the food court, glancing at the few restaurants they had there, not much to choose from, and it was all more than likely overpriced. She reached into her back pocket, pulling out an old leather wallet and opening it. Thirty six dollars and seventeen cents, that should do for a somewhat decent meal at an airport, right? Maybe if she was lucky, she could sneak in a drink, she definitely needed it.

"Oh, because I so wanted to volunteer for this heinous job," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. "I didn't do it for you, Danielle. I did it for Lia. She would have been embarrassed leaving you alone or letting you ride with the luggage. It's her wedding party. She gets to be appeased. Not like this would have been my first choice." She looked after the other woman as she wandered off through the airport towards the food, a sound of exasperation escaping her. Well, the hotel was a good forty-five minute drive from here, so she supposed they had time for lunch. Checking her watch, she walked slowly along after her sister's friend.

What else could she do, after all? She told Lia she would stick with the girl, so she would. Besides, fighting with her was better than sitting alone and bored waiting for the limo to return. "You realize there is about a million calories in anything you order here," she said as she came up beside her companion, eyes on the beaten up wallet the woman pulled out. Her smirk was not for the cash she pulled out, but for the wallet itself. "I'm surprised you don't weigh a million pounds, Danielle. Where do you put all of those cheeseburgers and french fries?"

She looked over the selections of airport food and fast food chain restaurants, node wrinkling with distaste. "Wouldn't you rather go to the sky view restaurant upstairs? There's a view of the ocean from there, and the food isn't layered with grease." Recalling the few bills tucked in that worn leather wallet, she shrugged. "I'll pay."

As Dani continued to scan the menus, Rowen had apparently walked up to her. "It's fine if you burn it all off, ever heard of being active?" She stated simply, her finger twitching slightly, "Okay, you need to stop calling me Danielle." She said after a moment. Dani honestly hated being called Danielle by anyone other than her aunt and a very select few, and Rowen was not part of that category. Although, immediately after saying it, she regretted it, now it was just another thing to add to the list of stuff Rowen knew that bugged her. Hell, she'd much rather be called dyke than Danielle by Rowen, which was honestly saying something.

After the suggestion of eating at a much finer restaurant, Dani paused for a moment in thought. She wasn't one for eating at fancy restaurants and whatnot, because in her opinion, she could cook the same food at home, but considering the situation, why not? "Sure, might as well since we're here. 'Though, nothing is wrong with a nice greasy burger every now and then. Oh, and I can pay for myself." She remarked, hating the idea of being paid for for really anything. If she had it her way, she would've paid for her trip here plus her hotel share. "I have my debit card, too."

She looked over at Rowen, shoving her wallet back into her pocket. "For a second there, it seemed like you were being nice to me." She commented, that damnable grin playing about her lips.

Rowen smirked in the other woman's direction, rolling her eyes. "Whatever you say, Danielle," she replied easily, deliberately using the full name as she'd been told not to. "And don't fool yourself. I'm just doing my sisterly duty. How would it look if I went to Sky View and left you to..." Her gaze flickered over the food court's options. "Burger King?" A laugh escaped, fingers combing through the long tail she'd pulled her hair into. "And there's no way I'm putting anything like that into my system. It's not like I'm asking you on a date." The idea appeared laughable to her. At least, she laughed again as she shook her head and headed for the escalator.

It was a nice restaurant. Rowen gave her name and requested a seat with a view. The Fitzgerald name had influence even here, it seemed. Probably because her family owned a chain of hotels, located even here on the island. They were settled at a table along a fully glass windowed wall. The curved seating area was located in a tower and out the window, the ocean could be seen in the semi-distance, crashing into the sand. It couldn't be heard from here. Not through the soundproof glass and from this distance. Still, the view was lovely.

"Suitable," Rowen decided almost amicably, lifting her menu for a quick study. "Mmm, now see, Danielle." She said the name with a quick flicker of her gaze upwards, another cool smile. "This is real food."

Dani's jaw tightened slightly at being called Danielle, again. She'd have to get used to it, that's all. Once it didn't bug her, she was pretty sure that Rowen might stop... hopefully. It almost bugged her that the other woman seemed so used to living a rich life. It wasn't that she was jealous, oh no, Dani loved her life the way it was, but the fact that Rowen labeled the restaurant only as 'suitable', it had an amazing view of the ocean from a distance, it was very clean, and nice. The twenty-three year old didn't let that get to her though, Rowen could think whatever she wanted to about the damn place, Dani wouldn't really care. She was just hungry at the moment.

"Yeah, real expensive food." Dani rolled her eyes, scanning through the menu. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but the menu did look mighty tasty. She was tempted to just buy everything on it; she could probably eat it all too, which was the sad part. After a little while, she decided to go with a salad and rare steak, simple and fairly easy. Dani put down her menu and looked out the window, she smiled at the view before turning back to Rowen.

"Isn't this view so nice? We're so high up, too." She commented, wondering just how afraid of heights Rowen was. This could be a fun lunch, after all.

Rowen kept her gaze carefully away from the windowed wall. As long as she looked out, not down, she was fine. And it wasn't like they were flying or anything. They were on solid ground. As long as she didn't look down, she could manage it. When the waitress arrived, she place an order for wine and a salad, waiting for Dani to order before she settled back in her chair. "View's nice," she agreed without looking towards the windows. "I'd rather be on the beach than looking at it through a window, though. Can't wait to get to the hotel. Dad built it right on the beach, you know. It's gorgeous."

She paused, frowned. Too nice. She was being too nice, almost naturally. That wouldn't sit well. Especially with the brunette rubbing the height in her face. Lia must have slipped on that, she thought. Jaw clenching, Rowen looked across at her companion. "You and Lia have been friends for, what? Thirteen years now? And I still don't like you. I don't know what it is, Danielle, but you bother me. We bother each other."

The wine arrived and she waved away the waitress' offer for a taste test. She knew how the wine tasted and didn't need the flashy presentation. "So. How do baby dykes spend their days? Did you ever crush on Lia?" The idea had her smirking again.

Along with her food, Dani had just ordered a beer. Wine was too flashy and fruity for her liking. If she wanted something fruity, she'd eat a mango. "I wouldn't expect it to be anything less than gorgeous." She said with a shrug, noticing how Rowen seemed to refuse to look out the window. She grinned, yes, this was going to be very fun later on.

At the change of subject, Dani just went with the flow of it. "Yeah...something like that." She nodded as Rowen asked how long her and Lia had been friends. It was actually fourteen years, but she wasn't in the mood to correct the other, as shocking as that might seem. Dani let out a laugh at what she had said next. "Hard to believe, ne? And I doubt you'll ever stop bothering me." The waitress had come, and had given Dani her beer, she flashed a grin, thanking the waitress with a nod. She made sure to check the waitress out as she turned away to go serve other customers, not so much because she was actually interested, more because she would hope her lesbian-ness would irritate Rowen.

As the other asked if Dani had ever crushed on Lia, she let out another laugh. "Nahh, I never thought of her that way. It's just...weird." She shook her head. "Why are you so interested in a lesbian's love life, young one?"

Rowen wrinkled her nose when the other woman noticably checked out the waitress, shifting uncomfortably in her seat. How awkward. And rude! The waitress didn't want some baby dyke checking her out, certainly. She doubted the woman wanted anyone checking her out when she was working. Besides, how would that ever work? Two women together. What an odd thing. They didn't have anything to stick anywhere. So how did they..... Ugh. Why was she thinking about this? Gross.

She mentally shook herself out of that train of thought. That's what she got for sticking around the lesbian for too long, she supposed. "Young one?" she echoed with a frown. There were few times she remembered she was younger than the other woman. Only when Dani or Lia reminded her, in fact. "You're only a year older than me. Danielle." A smirk. "And I'm not interested in a lesbian's love life. I'm more interested in knowing if this lesbian ever crushed on my older sister. I just think it would be interesting knowing something like that. Lia's never even thought of being gay."

She lifted a shoulder, adding "Neither of us ever would." In all honesty, Padrick and Margaret Fitzgerald wouldn't very much like it if their children were gay. Likely they'd be disowned, in fact. Or trained out of it. And why was she thinking of this now? It didn't matter. Lia wasn't gay, and neither was she. "Does your aunt know?"

"A year older is still older." Dani pointed out, taking a sip of her beer. "Lia had no reason to question herself." She said, knowing very well that Lia had never questioned her sexuality, which was understandable, because she was obviously straight. Dani could tell that much from a mile away, but she didn't comment about Rowen's straightness, purposely of course. Just another one of those little things she did to be mean without actually doing anything.

She noticed how Rowen had worded that statement, and felt an urge to correct the younger. "It's not something you think of doing, it's not exactly a choice, you know." If Dani had the choice, she'd probably be straight, life is just easier for a straight person. Having the ability to get married anywhere, not shunned by a large population of the country (or even the world, in that case), and not having to worry about finding a girl who actually likes girls too... such things were a pain, and did make life stressful for the average gay person, including Dani.

She shook her head, getting rid of the negative thoughts, she liked liking girls, and nothing would change that, even if it did have it's cons. "My aunt?" She asked, smiling when she thought about the woman, "Yeah...She knows. Still loves me, too." Truth of the matter, when Dani had come out to her aunt, the woman's reaction was something on the lines of 'About time! I've been waiting for you to come out of the closet for a few years now!' It was an amusing conversation, that was for sure.

"Not a choice?" she repeated, brow furrowed. "Well, of course it's a choice. Children aren't born gay. I'm sure you didn't know from birth that you were going to grow up and go after women." That couldn't be how it worked. If Dani so chose, she could find a man and be happily married, as Lia was going to be soon. As Rowen would be, as soon as she found the right guy. It was Dani who decided she would only love women, right? Dani's choice to be a lesbian. Rowen theorized that she was so used to that mindset, she no longer allowed herself to see men as attractive.

But whatever. If the - slightly - older woman wanted to believe she truly was gay, Rowen wouldn't correct her. Not up to her, really. So, she listened as Dani spoke those few words about her aunt. The frown she wore was small, thoughtful. As if she was truly thinking over the words. Her aunt accepted her? How odd. She knew people did, of course, but... Well. Whatever. "My parents would kill me if I ever told them I was gay," she said with a small laugh. It was ridiculous. She never would, of course. Because she wasn't. But still.

"What a life you lead, Danielle. You're lucky your aunt didn't completely hate you for it."

Dani chuckled softly, bringing a hand to her temple and rubbing it. "Man, you are dense..." She said, "Of course I didn't know it as a kid, because you're always taught that boys like girls, and girls like boys, you don't know any better. But when you think about it, I never liked boys growing up, even when I got into middle school. Hell, I even tried dating boys, it was absolutely repulsing." Dani laughed, scratching the back of her head; she was surprised she was talking so openly with Rowen about this. "Really, I tried being straight. It's not a choice."

She was slightly amused by how simple Rowen thought it was, when in reality, it really was not. Dani listened to Rowen, nodding slightly. She knew she was lucky that her aunt accepted her, for all she knew, she could have been thrown out onto the streets or back into an orphanage. A small frown played about her lips as she thought of what it'd be like trying to come out to parents like Lia and Rowen's.

Dani shook her head as she rid the idea of imagining what a Catholic punishment for being gay would be like, and brought herself back into the conversation. "You just called yourself gay." She smirked.

There was a moment of shocked silence as she stared across the table at Dani. Her mouth opened as if she might speak, closed again when words failed her. Again she opened her mouth, a sound of shock escaping. "I did no such thing!" she managed at last. "I just meant that if I were gay - which I most certainly am not - my parents would not like it." Shaking her head, the black-haired woman took up her glass of wine and sipped slowly. She hadn't said that. Not even close. Annoyed all over again (oh yes, that's why she didn't like Dani), Rowen set her glass down.

Just then, the waitress set their salads down in front of them. Rowen snapped her gaze up to the woman's stoic face, wondering just how much she'd overheard. Not that it mattered. It was a random waitress in an airport, and the woman's opinion didn't matter to her. And still, she wondered if the girl had overheard even a part of that conversation. "I did not," she muttered again, glaring across at her table companion.

"Umm... Enjoy your meal," the waitress said cautiously, casting her gaze nervously down at the black-haired woman who was now sulking over her wine. "Your lunch should, um... Be out shortly."

Dani's grin grew as she held back the snicker that was threatening to escape her throat. This was just amusing, Rowen seemed extremely defensive about the entire subject. "Well, you know what they say...Homophobic people have a higher rate of being gay." She heard that somewhere, wasn't sure how true it was, but that didn't matter at the moment. "Look, really, it is a lot easier once you accept it." She teased on. It wasn't that Dani actually thought Rowen was gay, in fact, she was positive Rowen was straight, but it wasn't like she couldn't pick on the poor girl.

As the waitress came by, Dani decided to keep quiet on the teasing. There was a fine line between teasing and just plain being a bitch. Dani looked down at her salad, her stomach practically growling. "Thank you very much." She did catch that the waitress seemed nervous as she looked at Rowen. "Oh, don't worry about her," she smiled sweetly to the waitress.

Dani looked over at Rowen with that innocent smile of hers before returning her gaze over to the waitress, "She just has jet lag. Nothing to fret over."

Rowen nearly snapped at that, eyes flashing dangerously. But then, it seemed like a good enough excuse to latch on to. So she smiled apologetically at the waitress and made some sound of agreement. "I... see," the woman said pleasantly, flashing a quick, professional smile. If she was still somewhat nervous, it didn't show as much. She looked between the two women for a second before bobbing her head and heading to the kitchen again.

"You're ridiculous," she said to Dani as soon as the waitress was gone again. "And I admit, you know which buttons to press. But I won't let you get a rise out of me again." She even paired the statement with a smile, lifting her glass in salute before drinking again. "So you think you didn't have a choice about it. I think you're full of shit. And you know what? I don't really care. I'm just making conversation. Your turn to pick a topic. Or we can not talk at all. That works, too."

She forked up a bite of her salad, discovering she really was very hungry. A good suggestion, food. She sometimes forgot her stomach needed it.

Dani just started to pick at her salad, munching on it happily. She enjoyed getting a rise out of Rowen, it brought happiness to her little heart. She contemplated dragging on the whole topic of the idea of Rowen being gay, but decided against it and took a large bite of salad... Good stuff, even better than Burger King, she silently admitted to herself.

But now it was her turn to change the subject, "Hmm..." She pondered, letting the tip of her fork rest on her lips for a moment before deciding. "Well, as much as I know you'd love to learn more about lesbian-ism, let's talk about your straight...boring life now." Dani brought the bottle of beer to her lips, taking another sip as she continued. "Got a boyfriend? ...Have you even had sex yet?" She wondered aloud. Now that Rowen prodded into her personal life a bit, it was her turn to do the same back.

The woman lifted a brow, head tilting thoughtfully. To answer or not to answer, that was the question. Well, to be fair, the other woman had answered her questions. It wouldn't kill her to answer in turn. "No," she said with a shrug. "And no. For several reasons. One." Rowen held up a single finger, smiled. "Can you imagine what parents such as mine would say if they discovered I had sex outside of marriage? We're Catholic, remember. My parents are... very Catholic. They wouldn't approve. Even if I were engaged to the man, they wouldn't approve fully. Amelia is a virgin as well. Though I'm sure you knew that."

Crossing her legs, one sliding over the knee of the other, Rowen smiled. "And two." Another finger flicked up. "I've not been interested in any of my past exploits enough to go all the way with them. Could I have? Most certainly. Men like sex, and men like me. Would I have?" Rowen lifted her glass, sipped the wine thoughtfully. "If the right guy came along, probably. I'm not as Catholic as my parents." A smirk was sent across the table at her companion again. "Obviously, as I'm eating with you."

Dani was somewhat surprised that the other answered her questions. "Well, Lia is a virgin, because...well, she's Lia." Dani laughed lightly. "You, on the other hand..." she eyed Rowen, "I'm somewhat shocked. I figured you would've lost it by now." At least Dani was honest. The woman took a sip of her beer, shrugging. "I'm pretty sure nobody is more Catholic than your parents." She added teasingly, not that she believed it was true, but whatever.

Dani put an elbow up on the table, resting her head on her hand. Her other hand played with her fork, spinning it between her fingers. She had already finished off her salad; the girl could be a vacuum at times when it came to food. "Ooh...eating with a gay kid...you're going to Hell." She rolled her eyes at the idea of that. "But, on the bright side, I heard it's warmer down there." Dani grinned, setting down the fork and taking another sip of beer.

"I'm glad I seem the sleeping around type to you," she said wryly, rolling her eyes. Honestly, it didn't surprise her that Dani would think that of her. They didn't exactly see each other in a non-judgemental way. There had been plenty of opportunity for her to have sex. She was hardly a prude, and she wouldn't classify herself as innocent or naive just because she hadn't slept with a man. She'd done other things, and she'd enjoyed it. Sex just.... hadn't appealed to her. Not any of the times she could have had it. Perhaps that was because she was... selective. Picky. She wanted her first time to be perfect. Not that she'd share that part with Dani. Some things were private.

"Warmer? I think Hawaii's warm enough for me." Rowen laughed, set aside her half-eaten salad after another minute or so. "Though no doubt God will tattle on me the next time he speaks with my mother." Head tilting, she leaned back in her seat and studied her companion. "Are you looking forward to a beach vacation, Danielle?" she asked lightly. "Hawaii is the place to be for that kind of thing. It's going to be a very interesting trip."

Dani didn't actually mean that she thought Rowen was the sleeping around type, but she didn't bother to say any different, otherwise she might come off as nice or something. It was weird enough that they were having a somewhat normal conversation. She herself had already had sex, with another female, of course. Dani was no Catholic, nor exactly what one would call a 'good kid', that was for sure, but she also didn't sleep around with people either, that just wasn't her style. She pondered for a moment, wondering why Rowen hadn't gone all the way yet, but quickly pushed that out of her head. Thinking about Rowen and sex at the same time was just plain wrong.

"If God told your mother everything, I'd be long gone from your life." Dani pointed out, surely he'd inform her about her daughter's best friend." She laughed, getting a mental image of Mrs. Fitzgerald in the middle of a church and finding out that information. It was quite funny...and also pretty scary. The woman didn't want to think of what would happen. "Of course I'm looking forward to it." Dani said, continuing with the flow of conversation. "I love the beach, so many things that you can do there."

Rowen chuckled and shook her head. She, too, pictured Margaret Fitzgerald finding out from the big G that her daughter's best friend was a lesbian. She'd certainly be just a bit frightening to witness after such a discovery. No, Maggie was not to find out. The moment she did, Danielle would be shunned from their life. It didn't matter that she was thought of as a third child in their household or that it would absolutely kill Lia not to have her. If she were viewed as a 'bad influence' on their children, she'd be gone. So Rowen wouldn't mention it. For Lia's sake, of course.

"Hawaii is beautiful. You ought to go scuba diving. I plan on it the first thing tomorrow morning. The ocean at dawn is..." She trailed off, her smile soft and dreamy. If there was one thing she loved more than any other, it was the ocean. She seemed to realize then the weakness she showed there and firmed her smile. "Well. It's really very pretty."

"Your lunch, ladies." Cheerful, the waitress set the meals before each woman in turn. Her smile was warm, and if Rowen hadn't missed her mark, a tad flirty when her gaze shifted over to Dani. "Enjoy. Let me know if you need... anything."

The black-haired woman gave a small snort of disbelief, rolling her eyes a bit as she leaned forward to start her meal.