I'll fight your fight

Just stop

"How's everything Jema?"  Jasmine asked her the night before the conference ends.

"Everything's well. I knew people that needs to be knowing and reconnected with powerful people that can help us in the future." Jema answered. "Oh and I talked to Mr. Cho, and asked if they..."

"Please tell me you have at least go out to enjoy your stay there."

She chuckled. "I am enjoying, don't worry about me. But I talked to Mr. Cho...."

"Babe, that's very good to hear that you are enjoying, because I have to tell you something."

"What?" Jema asked and stopped halfway her dinner.

"Actually, I shouldn't be the one saying you this." Jasmine said on the other line. "It's not my position but, they're planning to expand worldwide. Philippines is one target."

"And..."

"They want you there. Facilitate and everything."

"Uhm... I talked to Mr. Cho..."

"And?"

"I actually didn't get a good answer from him."

"Answer?"

"I asked to give the partnership to Regine."

"Why.... would... you do that?!" Jasmine asked with an angry and confused tone.

"She deserves it."

"You deserved it more! Jema, your whole life, you're a lawyer. And you're very good at your job, and I'm sorry to say this, Regine is... not."

As a matter of fact, Jasmine is right.

The line was quiet for a minute. "They'll talk to you when you get back." Jasmine broke the silence.

"I... can't."

Jasmine sigh because she's getting tired trying to convince her girlfriend that she IS the best for the position. "That's going to be your decision."

Jema stood up. "I mean I shouldn't. Right?"

The line was silent.

"Babe?" Jema asked Jasmine.

"I can't make that decision for you." Jasmine said.

Jema sighed. "I mean... If I accept, Regine will break her heart, and she's not going to talk to me. And on the other hand, I'll be moving. Here. In the Philippines. I'm going back to a full circle."

"They'll talk to you once you get back. But for now, tomorrow is your last day. I suggest you put everything that we talked about and try to enjoy your last day."

"I guess."

"But don't enjoy too much. I mean, Deanna is still there." She said jokingly and try to chuckle. But in reality, she's nervous.

Nervous and afraid that maybe, with a slight chance, they get bumped to each other and get back their sparks.

Jema smiled and continued and her dinner.

---

"You're a bit early for the last day of the conference tomorrow?" Bea said as she saw Deanna still working on her laptop, typing.

"I'm not going to attend tomorrow."

"Uhm, I'm gonna pretend you didn't said that to me. I'm your boss and I'm saying that you are attending."

Deanna stopped typing and looked at Bea.

"What's happening?" Bea asked.

Deanna leaned back to her chair and crossed her arms. "Why did you hire me?"

Bea frowned at her friend. "You have the credentials."

"Credentials? Really? Does being a convicted felon include those credentials?"

"Where's this coming from?" Bea asked with confusion.

"You weren't there."

"Where?" Bea sat in front of Deanna's table.

"The look on the face, of those lawyers." Deanna shook her head. "The look of judgement they gave me. Like.. I'm going to kill them. Like I wasn't proved innocent by Jema. The Jema Galanza, one of the most respected lawyer of our generation."

"I hired you because I believe in you. You're like another me. Just... a little late." Bea joked.

Deanna smiled. A reassured smile.

"Listen, they can look whatever they want. However they want. Just don't make that defeat you."

Deanna looked at Bea. "Defeat? What are you talking about? It motivated me. That's why I'm reopening my case."

"What?!" Bea exclaimed.

"I need to prove myself that I was just in the wrong place, with the wrong people. That Maddie was a mastermind of all that happened to me. That the gun that was retrieved, I didn't know and I haven't touched anything of that."

"Wait..."

"And yes that means, we need Jema again." Deanna got back to her laptop and started typing. "And you're doing that for me."

"You're... I'm what?!"

"You are going to send an email to Jema, saying we need to reopen the case and to prove me innocent much more."

Bea squinted at her, trying to read her. Waiting for the laugh as she was saying the joke but when Deanna twisted her laptop and showed a constructed email with her name on the bottom part. She gave in. "Okay." Bea said and stood up. "But you're going home now, because you're attending the conference tomorrow. And it's not a negotiation."

---

"And we would like to thank all of the sponsors of this event. This concludes our conference. Thank you all for participating, and see you all in court." A loud applause roared.

Deanna stood up from her seat and excitedly went for the door. She was glued to her phone the whole program coordinating with Jia and Alyssa with whatever that is needed for her case.

She was yawning and walking towards the exit when she bumped into someone and a hot coffee rushed down towards her crotch.

She gasped a huge amount of air as she tried to pull her clothing away from her skin.

"Son of a..." She stopped midway when she realized who is it. "Wha..."

"I'm so sorry." Jema reached in her bag and pulled out a tissue and dabbed it into Deanna's clothes making the latter scream more as the hot clothe as sticking into her skin. "Oh shit, I'm sorry."

But Jema didn't stop dabbing so Deanna, grabbed her wrist with her eyes wide open because of the pain. "Stop." Deanna said with slight aggression as the other one won't stop dabbing her in the chest. "Just... stop."

Jema was lost of words.

The slight chance that her girlfriend said.

There it was.

She almost missed it.

And it made her heart skip a beat.

"Deanna..."