[setsuna22]

Lena wiped the water from her face as she heard the doorbell ring. She buried her emotions just as she had trained herself to do all those years ago. This was just another day. She would deal with it like she had the day Yulia left.

When Lena came out of the bathroom Ivan was sitting on the sofa with Beeta. Both of them seemed too calm.

"Lena." Ivan smiled as she leaned over and gave her father-like figure a hug.

She had not seen him since the break-up and the Tatu team had split, Beeta going with Lena and Ivan with Yulia. "It is good to see you." She smiled back half-heartedly and stood up.

"We have a lot to discuss. Yulia come sit down." Everyone was surprised when Yulia did so obediently; too tired to argue over anything.

"What has happened, you being in the same city at the same time, is not accident and it was I who arranged it."

"What?" both Lena and Yulia screamed jumping up from their chairs.

"What the hell for?" Yulia snapped watching as Lena retreated away from the group behind the couch her arms hugging around herself as she looked at Beeta in disgust.

"Because this needs to end. Both of you are self destructive with out the other. Yulia you drink even more than I do, and have more woman in and out of your hotel room, it’s like a damned revolving door."

Yulia flushed and rounded on Ivan. "I'm not fifteen anymore Ivan. I can damn well do what I want with my life when I want!"

Ivan laughed. "I never could control either of you. You always did what you wanted when you wanted to. But Beeta and I have been with you both for almost eight years and we are not going to allow you to destroy yourselves."

"I'M NOT DESTROYING MYSELF!" Lena screamed, finally breaking under the crimination. "I have my life in control damn it! I was happy!"

Beeta snorted. "Lena, you barely live. You go on tour, you produce, you go home, and you start all over again. You are becoming so reclusive most people would think you were dead if you didn't come out with a new CD."

"So you planned this, to get us drunk and married to each other, in hopes of us just magically falling back into love?" Lena asked, her voice becoming as cold as ice.

Ivan and Beeta sighed. "No that wasn’t the plan, the plan was to get you two together again and force you to talk about what happened. What took place between you needs to be resolved. So even if you don't get back together, then at least you both have some closure."

Lena stood up brittle, she was shaking so hard with anger she was trembling. "I DON’T NEED TO RELIVE THAT PART OF HELL THANK YOU! I HAVE WHAT I WANT AND I HAVE THE LIFE I WANT. I DON'T LOVE YULIA. IT DIED A LONG TIME AGO. AND HOW DARE YOU THINK YOU CAN DO THIS TO ME WHEN I WAS ENGAGED!” She turned on Beeta. “YOU ARE FUCKING FIRED! AND I DON’T WANT TO SEE ANY OF YOU AGAIN. JUST STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!”

She grabbed her bag, walked out and slammed the door to the room. Partially running down the hallway, Lena managed to turn the corner before she broke into a sob. She wanted Yulia so badly she could taste it. But not like this. Never like this. Never again.

Yulia thudded onto the couch barely able to breath. Her chest was so tight, blocking off the oxygen, she felt as if she were going to pass out. Ivan and Beeta remained silent. Yulia looked more constricted as if someone was physically choking her.

"Who is she?" Yulia finally managed to push out between her pale bloodless lips. Beeta looked at Ivan who nodded.

"His name is Mark Wahlberg." Beeta said shortly. "He is an American actor."

Yulia felt her legs begin to tremble as she buried her face in her hands. She knew Lena would someday find someone new but to find out this way was...

"How long have they been together?"

Beeta rose from her chair and went to the bar to pour Yulia a glass of water.

"Off and on for five months."

Yulia nodded dully and stared at her feet. The words barely choking from her throat, "Does she love him?"

There was a long pause when Beeta handed Yulia the glass and sat down next to Ivan again.

She looked at Beeta. "Does she?” Yulia begged imploring again.

"No. She doesn’t care one way or the other. I think Mark is simply infatuated with her. They hardly know each other. He hasn’t even been to Lena's apartment or house. They always meet at some restaurant or club for lunch or dinner and then Mark makes her pose for a picture with the paparazzi."

Yulia's blue eyes shot to Ivan's. "I want to see the pictures Ivan."

Ivan didn't even deny the fact that he had hidden the pictures from Yulia. If he hadn't, God knows what would have happened. With Lena gone, Yulia goes into uncontrollable fits of rage that last hours, until she gets drunk or until her voice becomes too horse to scream anymore. And the longer they were separated, the more Yulia continued to slip.

He cracked open his suit case and brought out several glossy magazine photos. Yulia jerked them from his fingers as she light up a cigarette; another habit that had started a few months after Lena had left. Yulia's fingers crunched the paper as she read the article "A new world for Lena Katina." There were two pictures, one of Lena and Mark coming out of the theater, with Lena looking stunning in a staples black evening gown and her hair piled on top of her head.

Yulia saw red when she looked at the next photo, of Mark kissing Lena passionately. She threw the pictures onto the floor and ground a booted foot onto Mark’s pretty face. She paused and looked closer at the picture.

“Oh, my God. He’s Marky Mark?” Yulia looked at Beeta in horror

“He doesn’t talk about it.” Beeta said with a laugh.

Ivan rolled his eyes. “He’s a ‘Serious Actor’ now.” He said doing the Nixon quotations with his hands in total disgust.

"Why doesn’t she wear an engagement ring?"

Beeta smiled a little smug. "Because he keeps saying he can’t find the right one. But if you ask me I think Mark is broker than broke and is hoping to get Lena to buy it for herself. He is a first class bastard. A gay looking one at that—or so my first impression of him was."

Yulia took another drag of the cigarette and let it out in a slow compressed breath of air between her lips. Her head was spinning as she sat down on the chair. Clutching her fingers into her wild hair.

"The question Yulia," Ivan said gently, "is do you still love Lena? Enough to try and win her back?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lena haphazardly shoved clothes into her expensive suitcase, not even bothering to look at what she was putting in it. She couldn't deal with this. She had tried so hard for two years to move on and recover. But Lena could never recover from the one person who knew her inside out. She closed her eyes as a single tear forced it's way from her eyes. She had to go home. She just needed to think. A divorce could be arranged in a few weeks and Mark would never know. God, she didn't even care what Mark thought she knew about his past just as he did about hers. He would just have to deal with it. The phone on the bedside table rang and Lena picked it up.

"Privet?"

"Lena?" Mark's soft voice shot down the line and Lena sighed. Not good timing.

"What is it Mark?"

"I’m in LA tonight, do you think you could come to town for a photo shoot?"

Lena sighed it was always a photo shoot, why not ever a movie? "I can't Mark, I’ve had too much to deal with today, and I leave for Russia at 5:00."

"But Lena I promised!" There was a plaintive whine to his voice that grated on her nerves.

"Nyet. I can't Mark. I'm sorry." she hung up the phone as he began to plead again. God! Would this day of hell never end?

Beeta came in through the door. Lena didn't look her in the eye as she un-ceremoniously dumped her clothes into another suitcase.

"Lena?"

"Don't fucking talk to me!" Lena said, her voice quivering with emotion.

"Well," Beeta went on "at least you have learned to express some emotion."

"Go to hell!" Lena felt her cheeks flush in anger as she went into the bathroom and gathered her toothbrush and hairbrush.

"Lena, you and Yulia are going home on the same plane. Ivan and I traded seats with Yulia and you, and you’re sitting with her."

Lena threw her brush against a wall, denting the delicate plaster molding. "I am not some fucking teenager anymore, I refuse to do this shit any longer; Tatu is dead!"

Beeta took a breath, "The tabloids in Russia know. Lena if you don't go home together, anything you and Yulia did as solo artists to accredit yourselves is going to be destroyed."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yulia buckled her seat belt and stared out the window. God, she had never been so nervous in her life. Ivan was in the front, leaning over the isle, looking out the door, awaiting Lena and Beeta. The plane was supposed to take off in less than five minutes.

Yulia pulled out a compact mirror and checked her reflection; pushing a stray lock of hair into place and making sure her lipstick was straight. She snapped the compact shut and shifted in her seat. She looked up when a shadow fell over her and Yulia felt her breath catch. Lena wore her long auburn tresses in two neat braids that ended down over her shoulders and a white tank top and black work out pants with white stripes down the side; she looked like she did two years ago when they flew to Japan. She wanted to tell her how amazing she looked, instead Lena just raised an eyebrow as Yulia stared, and then settled into the chair. Putting pillow behind her head she clicked her seat belt shut and promptly closed her eyes. Yulia looked at Lena and sighed. Well this was going to be a good trip. The plane started to lift off into the air and soon they were leaving the bright lights of Vegas behind.

After a quick lay over in L.A long enough to get fuel they were back in the air.

~ Four hours into the flight ~

Yulia was nudged out of her sleep, and she looked down in surprise, as Lena's head dropped onto her shoulder; the weight of her head a once familiar pressure. Some of the long twisted curls dragged into her face as she breathed evenly, Yulia gently brushed them away and shivered as she looked into the face that owned her soul. She couldn't help herself as her hands brushed down Lena's shoulder and to her hip where she pulled Lena a little closer. Yulia pressed her forehead against Lena and closed her eyes. Feeling her breathing even to match hers. When she opened her eyes again dark stormy-gray orbs stared back at her. Neither one pulled away or reacted. Lena's hand moved to Yulia's hands were it rested on her hip and pushed to the waistband of her pants. As her dark eyes fluttered shut and she kissed Yulia.

Yulia felt as if she were in a dream world as she swallowed a soft moan returning the mind-blowing kiss. Her mind was in chaos. Thankful. In wonderment at the fact that it was really happening again after two years, that burning need and that fire that lived in Lena burned through her body again.

No one was awake on the almost empty plane but them, as Lena tilted back in her chair spreading her legs wider as she tangled her fingers through the dark hair of Yulia's head pulling her closer, the familiar gentle hands stroked her face and neck, and down the smooth line of her back. Yulia shoved the armrest out of the way as her hand lifted the edge of Lena's shirt and rubbed across the smooth expanse of her pale stomach. Her mouth broke away from Lena’s and kissed her sensitive skin. Her stomach muscles clenching under Yulia's tan fingers. The contrast so differed; it made Yulia's heart pound. They were supposed to fit together like this.

Lena pushed back further in the chair, her legs straining against the floor as Yulia's hand slid into the pants and stroked the material of her tiny black briefs. Lena gave a deep gasp; the one Yulia knew so well; the one that always drove her wild. Something darkened in her eyes as she rose up and kissed Lena fully on the mouth, her tongue pushing into Lena's mouth and swallowing the next gasps. Lena's finger nails bit savagely into Yulia's bare shoulders as she teased her. Her thumb stroking at the edge of the black panties, pushing under the fabric, connecting with skin only to withdraw and start again. Lena gave another moan and pushed Yulia's hand. Her dark eyes opening to meet Yulia's, pleading, as she couldn't take anymore.

Yulia slid her hand between the materials, running her fingers back and forth, feeling the heat gather upon them as Lena was lifted off the seat, straining. Yulia practically straddled Lena's waist, making no noise whatsoever as she clamped a hand over Lena's mouth and, in Russian, whispered harshly into Yulia's ear.

"I can’t take it anymore, please."

Yulia didn't say anything as she drew her hands across Lena's pants, almost trailing across the waistband. Lena dug her nails deeper into Yulia, almost drawing blood. Her head was buried into the cushion of the chair while her head frantically moved from side to side. Lena dragged Yulia closed biting her neck.

"Yulika! Please!"

When Lena called her by her nickname—the one only Lena called her—it pushed her sanity over the edge as she slipped a hand under Lena's hips and, with her other fingers, slid into her body. Yulia almost lost control, feeling the tightness clench around her. Lena's hips jerked twice and she buried her head against Yulia's neck, strangling her screams. Yulia's hand jerked back in ecstasy, feeling as if she were in some dream world as she watched Lena, her eyes becoming glazed over and her features softening; Yulia drove her mindless.

"Oh God, Lena." Yulia breathed against her face. While one hand braced her hip, the other tangled into Lena's hair, twisting to cause Lena's body to tremble. In response her hips rocked against Yulia's who pinned her to the seat. She was beyond caring about the noise that they made or what their future was. She felt emotions blind her as her legs clenched and Yulia bit down on her neck as she erupted, her body jerking against Yulia.

Both of them felt alive. For the first time in two years, they had been brought back from the dead. Lena's hands circled Yulia's waist as the last long earth-shattering tremor broke her barriers down. Lena gasped against Yulia's neck as she combed her fingers through her long hair. The fire that had been with them two years ago was burning—stronger this time. Yulia didn't move as she pressed against Lena. Neither of them knew if this all-consuming fire would take them over and destroy their lives, but then again "living" the way they had been for these past two years was no longer an option.