Cookie had never been a subtle woman, so Anika wasn't surprised to find her leaning against the bedroom doorway wearing nothing but a smile on her face. "Good morning, Ms. Lyon," Anika greeted, fresh out of the shower from her morning run. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Don't act brand new with me, girl." Cookie strolled across the room and wrapped her arms around the woman she loved. "You look good, Ms. Calhoun," she purred, letting her fingers trace the soft, sensitive skin below Anika's navel.

"Thank you, Ms. Lyon. I'd look much better with my clothes on, you know."

Cookie ignored that suggestion. "You smell good, too, Ms. Calhoun," she said, nuzzling her face in the crook of Anika's neck.

"Thank you, Ms. Lyon. I try to bathe at least once a week."

"I must've got you on a good day." Anika giggled as Cookie kissed her all over her neck and shoulders. At times like these, Anika wished she could take a picture of the two of them together. The mirror gave Anika a perfect view of the two of them in their natural positions – Anika coy and wanting, Cookie determined and wanting. "Do you taste as good as you look?"

"Keep it up," Anika warned as Cookie nipped Anika's earlobe, "and you're going to swallow my earring."

"I'd rather swallow something else." Only a thin layer of lace protected Anika's ass from Cookie's firm smack. Anika squealed as Cookie tugged on Anika's underwear, pushing Anika on the bed. "Cookie, you know I have to meet Malcolm in couple of hours."

"I know." Wickedly, Cookie grabbed Anika by her ankles, dragging her all the way to the foot of the bed before going to her knees. They both knew that Anika wasn't going to put up much of a fight. There was only one way for Anika to react to such behavior: on her back, with her face titled towards heaven. "Oh, my God," Anika gasped just seconds into Cookie's morning feast. "Oh, my God! I can't-Cookie, just let me sit up-"

"Mmm-mmm," Cookie answered, her face firmly between Anika's thighs. That's when Anika's phone went off. "What the…no. Nooooo," Cookie moaned. "Don't answer that."

Anika reached for her phone and glanced at the screen. "Mmm, I have to. It's Malcolm."

"Malcolm?" Cookie snatched the phone from Anika's hand. "Malcolm? Anika can't come to the phone right now. She's getting some nookie from Cookie." She tossed the phone to the side. "Where were we?"

"Cookie!" Seconds later, the phone rang again. "Move…move!" Cookie grabbed for the phone, but Anika was faster. "Hey Malcolm…no, it's fine…you know how Cookie is…no! No, this is a good time."

"Liar!" Cookie yelled loud enough for Malcolm to hear. Anika waved her off as she left the room to talk in peace as Cookie sulked. It had been too long since Anika had been on top of her, working that nookie thang to the left and to the right. Yeah, I got somethin' for that ass, Boo Boo Kitty.

After what felt like forever, Anika came back into the room. Usually, she would have laughed or pushed Cookie down for such a silly display of ownership, but now she had a strange look her face. "Cookie…"

"Anika?" The look on Anika's face made Cookie nervous. "What's wrong, baby?" Anika's mouth began to move, but no words came out. Whatever Malcolm just told Anika had stunned her to the core. Cookie scrambled out of bed and crossed the room swiftly. "Anika, what happened?" Anika shook her head over and over, but still couldn't speak. "Did something happen to your family?" Still no answer, just a shake of the head. "Did something happen to my family?"

"Oscar," Anika finally managed to say.

"Oscar?" Cookie asked. "Who's Oscar?"

"No, Oscars." Still in a trance, Anika pointed to Cookie. "Best Original Song." She pointed back to herself. "Best Short Subject Documentary."

For a moment, Cookie and Anika were identical in their shock – first, for each other, then for themselves. Then it turned into exhilaration as Cookie and Anika let off twin shrieks and fell on top of each other, kissing in between their screams. 10 months. 10 long, grueling months of hard work and recovery and treatment and tears. Two steps forward and three steps back, month after month after month, but they'd made it through.

Anika might not have liked the nickname Kitten, but what else could Cookie think of when she came out of anesthesia and found Anika curled up next to her in her hospital bed, her head on Cookie's chest? It would become her default position for nearly a year. Cookie and Anika spent six weeks together while Cookie healed from her hysterectomy. With Cookie incapacitated and Anika on her home turf, Cookie could expound on her fears and her plans, and why she ran from Anika for so long. Anika held Cookie night after night, promising her that she needed nothing more than to be close to Cookie.

"All I care about is us beating this thing, Cookie," Anika told her tenderly, over and over. "We're in this together."

Once they came back to the United States, reality set in. Anika was now the CFO of Empire Enterprises as well as the primary caretaker of a woman with cervical cancer. While Lucious stepped back into the position of head of A&R, Cookie endured chemotherapy four days a week, three hours a day, and spent most of her spare time sleeping. She could barely sit up long enough to eat a meal, let alone sit through a meeting.

The treatment took away Cookie's cancer cells, her energy, her appetite, and eventually her hair. Yet, if anybody asked Cookie how she was feeling, she always said that everything was fine. Cookie's appetite was fine. Her sleeping pattern was fine. Her energy levels were fine. Her feelings were fine, even after the newest memes of her head on a stick or with flies buzzing all around her.

Anika could've told anybody who was listening that Cookie was lying. The more the treatment took from Cookie, the more Cookie withdrew from her friends and family, and especially Anika, who Cookie broke up Anika every three weeks or so, for a myriad of reasons. Cookie wanted Anika to move on. Cookie wanted Anika to leave her alone. Cookie wanted Anika to shut the hell up. Cookie was sick of the diets, sick of the chemo, and sick of the group therapy sessions that both Anika and Dr. Logan insisted she go to. She hated the lubricant that was now required for their sex life. She hated the dental dams that Anika had to use because the chemo medicine could be passed through oral sex. She hated having to change her sheets in the middle of the night because the early-onset menopause resulted in heavy night sweats. Most of all, Cookie hated that Anika endured all of these things without a complaint, along with Cookie's ever-worsening behavior. Did Anika have to be so...understanding? So kind? So patient? Why didn't Anika leave? It had to be coming, Cookie was sure. It was just a matter of when.

Might as well get it over with…

The first breakup caused a torrent of tears and screaming that rivaled their time in Suriname. It didn't drag on for two months, but Anika was halfway packed out of Cookie's house before Cookie begged her to come back. The second breakup resulted in a nasty fight that brought to mind their night before the Grammy Awards. Anika went to visit some of her sorority sisters in Chicago, while Maxine stayed with Cookie.

It's Lucious all over again, Maxine thought sadly. Just like with her ex-husband, Cookie was needling and worrying and pushing Anika until she would get fed up and leave her. But unlike Lucious, who couldn't live without Cookie, Anika would be fine without Cookie. At least Cookie wasn't going upside Anika's head and accusing her of cheating just yet. But Maxine knew that those accusations were coming, and they were coming soon. Already, Cookie was voicing concerns that Anika wasn't satisfied in the bedroom. "She's off in Chicago…and you know what, Aunt Maxine? I hope she is getting some. I know she's sick of my dry-ass, geriatric pussy…"

Maxine's heart ached for her sister's daughter. She was long past her menopausal years, but she still remembered the emotional toll it had taken on her body. But at least it had happened naturally and over time. With a radical hysterectomy, menopause hit Cookie all at once. "I just want her to be happy," Cookie cried, her head in Maxine's lap. "Why is she still here with me? Why won't she just leave?"

"Don't worry, Cookie," Maxine assured Cookie generously. "Keep treating Anika the way you treat her and you'll get what you want eventually." It was a chilling warning that hit home for Cookie. Just look up and see me gone.

When Anika called Cookie from Chicago and tentatively suggested that they try it again, Cookie quickly agreed. The truce lasted two weeks. A cap on a tube of lube fell off and spilled all over their bed. In another time, the two of them would've laughed it off. Now, it was just another mortifying reminder to Cookie that she'd been robbed of her womanhood, at least in her mind.

"I hope that one day, you'll stop punishing me for loving you, Cookie," was all Anika said that time, and she went to New Jersey to visit with Candace while Carol came to New York to take care of Cookie.

"I hope Anika kicks your ass when she gets back," Carol said, echoing the overall Holloway family viewpoint.

Anika didn't go that far, but she decided to follow Candace's advice for the next time Cookie blew up at her. "Ignore her," Candace suggested, and Anika did exactly that. "I'm not going anywhere, Cookie," Anika informed Cookie bluntly after one of Cookie's trademark meltdowns. "Do you understand? We're going to beat this thing, and we're going to do it together. Shut up and eat your soup."

Anika stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Minutes later, Cookie could hear Anika crying. She really means it, Cookie thought wondrously. It wasn't Cookie's cancer that was making Anika miserable; it was Cookie who was making Anika miserable. Cookie, who had promised Anika that she was going to work at becoming a better woman, was treating Anika even worse than she had when they worked at Empire together. "I've got to stop this," Cookie said out loud as Anika's crying went on and on. She ate her soup, found a one-on-one therapist in addition to her group therapy, and never broke up with Anika again.

While Cookie was undergoing chemo, Anika was contacting every sports publication and television show she could think of. Nobody was interested in Dickey's story. "What gives?" Anika wondered time and time again. The story of a man who spoke out against racism and sexism in the 1940s, and nobody cared? It was like he was being blackballed over again.

Quietly Cookie stepped in. Demanding to see the curator at the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame during a family visit, Cookie whipped out her checkbook and a pen. "My girl has been going on and on about this for months. I'm tired of hearing about it. How much will it take to get her the audience she wants?"

Anika bounded into the room the night Cookie flew back to New York, excited beyond belief. Cookie nodded and smiled as Anika went on and on about how it was about time that Dickey's accomplishments be acknowledged, and how all the hard work had been worth it. He would posthumously receive the Pride of Philadelphia Award and be inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. It was overdue, they both agreed.

When the Hall announced its expansion plan just two weeks later, Anika knew that all her hard work hadn't accomplished a damn thing. "You went behind my back!" she screamed while Cookie recoiled from Anika's verbal attack. "You couldn't just let me have this, could you?! You couldn't let me do this on my own!"

Cookie was unapologetic. "You've spent months trying to get people to listen to you, and they weren't interested. Now they are. Where's my soup?"

Maxine and Jethro agreed with Cookie. "So what if it took money to do it?" Maxine soothed while Anika cried in her arms. "Baby, money under the table is what made this whole damn country. You're getting Daddy the recognition he deserves, and that's all that matters."

"I just wanted Uncle Dickey to be awards for his own merit, that's all," Anika said tearfully. "I feel like I let him down."

"Let him down?" Jethro asked. "Anika, Dickey Holloway is starting to be a household name. Did you know that there's some petition started to get Daddy nominated in the Negro League Hall of Fame?" Nobody ever knew why Dickey Holloway been banished for baseball - not even his children - and the rumors were too awful to be believed. Dickey slept with the owner's wife. Dickey was taking banned substances or scuffing the baseball or doing unnatural things with God knew who or what. But now, what was once a source of shame for the Holloway children was now a source of pride. "And there are a few Stars still alive, you know. They'll be at the induction ceremony. Maybe you could talk to them for an interview or something."

"Anika, you've got to forgive Cookie for this one," Maxine encouraged. "She meant well, baby. Cookie saw how upset you were, and she helped out the only way she knew how."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Cook gon' Cook," Anika said bitterly. You gotta let Cookie be Cookie, she reminded herself over and over. Sometimes, it was exhausting.

Still, Anika had to admit that getting Dickey's story out to the public was the end goal. By the night of the induction ceremony, all of Anika's bitterness had washed away. So what if they'd done it Cookie's way and not her way? Cookie's way had a powerful way of getting things done. Besides, this wasn't about Anika anymore. It was, in the words of the emcee on the night of Dickey's induction, "a chance to right a grievous wrong."

Watching Maxine and Jethro of tearfully speak of their father and the values he'd passed down to his children and grandchildren was the one of the proudest moments of Anika's life. Finally, Dickey Holloway's contributions to baseball – both as a player and as an ambassador of the sport - had been rightfully acknowledged in front of the world. She just hated that Cookie couldn't be there. When chemo treatments didn't produce the desired results, Cookie's treatment was switched from chemotherapy to radiotherapy, and Cookie was even more tired than ever. Still, Anika stayed, and Cookie no longer pushed her to go.

"The Pride of Philadelphia!" boomed John Sharp that night, a man who was almost as old as Dickey had been. As promised, John also had a couple of pictures, a couple of pieces of memorabilia, a couple of teammates that Anika could talk to, and a lot of stories to tell. Including Big Malcolm, there were four other members of the 1934 Stars championship team, along with a number of their children and grandchildren who were now reaching out to talk to Anika. With Ryan at her side, camera at the ready, Anika scanned pictures, tracked down every possible scrap of information, and flew all over the country.

At the same time, Empire announced the plans for launching a film production company. A short subject documentary would be a perfect project for the division that had made nothing but music videos and little mini-specials until now. Why not one on Uncle Dickey, the newly inducted Pride of Philadelphia? Anika disagreed. "Cookie," she lamented, "who is going to sit through a movie about a man nobody knows, other than us?" Even though the failure would largely be on Empire's shoulders, Anika was terrified that she would fall on her face. Dickey's family and some ancient baseball fans were one thing. The general public was something else entirely.

But Cookie's instincts for storytelling were just as spot-on as her ear for music. Relentlessly, she hammered Anika day and night, pushing until Anika finally agreed that yes, yes, yes, goddamn it, she would get all of her information and footage together and work with Ryan to produce what eventually became the Academy Award nominated documentary entitled Standing Alone: The Dickey Holloway Story. Even with a life-threatening illness, Cookie was going to be Cookie. Deep down, Anika wouldn't have it any other way.

"Well, well, well. Look who's glowing," Malcolm observed sarcastically as Anika entered the spacious Empire Enterprises performance hall, where Standing Alone would be presented for the first time to a public audience. "And look who's three hours late."

Anika waved a hand and gave Malcolm a friendly hug and kiss, knowing that Malcolm wouldn't begrudge her. She'd missed the rehearsal and the first run-through of the film, but they both knew Anika would be just fine when she got on stage. "How are Desiree and the girls?" she asked. As excited as everyone was about tonight, Malcolm and Desiree agreed that a four-year-old and a 14-month-old would be bored to tears on a night like this one.

"Everyone is fine. Still packing up for the move back here."{ Malcolm pursed his lips, trying to hide a smile. He looked like a little boy with a frog behind his back. "Can I tell you a secret?" he asked.

"Of course you can."

Malcolm beamed. "Dez is having a baby boy," he announced proudly. "We weren't planning on having any more kids, but...what can I say?"

"Congratulations, Malcolm!" Anika squealed, squeezing Malcolm's hands, then giving him a hug. "This day keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?"

Arm in arm and ignoring the flashing cameras from the paparazzi, Malcolm and Anika walked into the elevator together, and rode silently all the way up to the 13th floor. It was Cookie's old office, and one of the few places where they felt comfortable speaking freely. "Speaking of better," Malcolm said, "How is Cookie doing?"

The jubilant mood between Anika and Malcolm faded. This was Anika's cue to say that everything was fine, except for the fact that it was Malcolm's job to study things, and he would see straight through her. "We won't know until tomorrow," Anika told Malcolm, still not able to believe it. This time, Anika and Cookie had enjoyed three months of post-chemo bliss before they got the dreaded phone call. The cancer cells had advanced to the upper part of Cookie's vagina. The first check-up after Cookie's radiotherapy treatments showed that no cancer cells had been detected, but the additional tests proved inconclusive. After yet another round of invasive, extensive testing, Anika and Cookie would soon learn whether the cancer was gone for good, or whether Cookie was just treading water.

Anika and Malcolm sat on the edge of Cookie's desk and looked down at a huge, brightly lit water fountain. "Cookie says…" Anika had to take a breath before she kept going. "She says that if the radiotherapy didn't remove the rest of the cancer cells, she's going to stop treatment."

"Wow." Malcolm was stunned. Cookie had told him that she was doing fine. If Cookie stopped receiving treatment for her illness, she would be dead in a year if she was lucky.

"You know…Malcolm, I know life isn't fair. We've known that since we were kids. But…" Anika clenched and unclenched her fists, then slammed her palms against the wall until her hands hurt too much to do it any more. "This isn't fair, Malcolm! It's not!" Anika protested, as if Malcolm could do anything about the matter. "The woman I love is dying, Malcolm. This isn't right!" That's when Anika remembered who she was talking to. "God, Malcolm. I'm sorry." Anika broke their hold and quickly wiped her eyes. "I don't even know what I'm saying. Complaining about life not being fair, to you, of all people..."

"It's okay." Ever the gentleman, Malcolm pulled out a handkerchief for Anika to wipe her eyes, waiting patiently while Anika pulled herself back together. "They say everything happens for a reason, but between you and me, I don't buy that. It's like...why did 9/11 have to happen, or Hurricane Katrina? Why does Cookie have cancer? Why did my family die for nothing, and why am I still here? I don't think there's anything wrong with asking, just as long as you're okay with the fact that you'll never know."

"Thanks, Malcolm. Thank you for understanding." Anika said gratefully. As they made their way back into the main concert hall, Anika asked, "Were you able to get the dedication to your grandfather in tonight's program?"

"You know I was," Malcolm grinned. "Thanks, Anika. I know you had a hand in that." Big Malcolm had lived just long enough to see his contribution to the documentary, with Malcolm acting as his translator. Malcolm was with his grandfather as they whispered the names of the dead over and over - Lillian, Cecile, Thomas, Sarah, Catherine - until Big Malcolm finally went to join them. In the elevator, Malcolm carefully dabbed at Anika's tears while Anika straightened Malcolm's tie. "And try not to worry too much about Cookie giving up on treatment, okay? Cookie would fight the sun if she thought it was rising too early. She's not going to let this beat her."

"I know, Malcolm." If anybody was up for a good fight, it was the Cookie Monster. "But everybody reaches their breaking point. What if this is Cookie's?"

"I doubt it." Malcolm smiled as the elevator doors opened and gestured to the other side of the room. "Look."

Anika looked. "Cookie!" Her debutante sponsor would have been mortified, but Anika half-walked, half-ran to Cookie, who laughed and stretched her arms out. "Cookie, you made it!"

"Mmmm. Hey, baby." Nobody would've blamed Cookie for taking staying home on one of her precious few free nights, but Cookie had opted to come with her family to see Anika's film. "I knew I had to make this one, since I didn't make it to the ceremony up in Philly. And you know I had to see my babies perform tonight."

Cookie's hand never left Anika's as they began to greet the others - Andre and Rhonda, Candace and her husband, David, Maxine and JJ, who was there in place of Uncle Jethro. "Aunt Max, you want a play a quick game of Whist before the movie starts?" Anika asked. "I have a deck of cards in my purse."

"Oh, uh-uh!" Candace cried, mortified. "Could y'all be any more ghetto?"

"Look around, Candace," Malcolm advised. Nearly everybody in the audience was black. "And somebody deal me in."

It was like old times, but better. Even when Jamal and Hakeem left to rehearse backstage, the trash talking and bragging was just as rowdy as those old house parties, back when Anika was merely "Cookie's friend." Amongst everyone, the spirit of Dickey Holloway blessed them all. "Awwww, humbug! Hum-bug!" JJ had a card in his hand, looking and sounding so much like his father. "Can't let a six walk!" JJ and Malcolm shouted together. But before JJ could take the bid, a small, perky young woman approached their table. "Ms. Holloway?"

Five heads turned. "Yes?" Maxine, Carol, Candace, Cookie and Anika said together, then laughed.

"I'm sorry," the young woman clarified with a smile. "Ms. Anika Holloway. We're ready to begin in about 20 minutes. We need you and Mr. DeVeaux to take your place so you can be mic'd."

Malcolm sighed, having been denied his moment of glory. "I guess we'll have to postpone this beatdown until later, JJ."

"G'on, boy," Maxine groused, not ready to concede that she and Anika had lost the last two games, and were on the verge of losing a third. "Go get 'em, niece," she said to Anika. "You represent my daddy right, just like you always do."

"You know I will." Anika rose and had to be hugged and kissed by everybody, saving Cookie for last. "Wish me luck," she whispered in Cookie's ear.

"No need," Cookie said confidently. "I'm so proud of you, Kitten." She gave Anika a peck on the lips. "Malcolm, I know your wife ain't here, so don't go stealing my wife. I saw you two on TMZ a little while ago, holed up in some damn elevator."

"I promise nothing, Cookie," Malcolm said. "But let's do one last toast before me and Anika run away to Boston together." Over the laughter and teasing, Malcolm raised his water glass high. "To Dickey."

"And Dutch," Anika added, and gave Malcolm's hand a squeeze.

Malcolm nodded & swallowed the lump in his throat. "To Dickey and Dutch," he announced, just as proud as Anika was.

"To Dickey and Dutch!" cheered the Lyon-Holloway clan. Malcolm offered his arm to Anika, and the two of followed the young woman down the stairs to celebrate Dickey's legacy once again. No matter how many times they did it, it would never, ever get old.

Anika never got her 20-foot high billboard. Cookie's marriage proposal came in a large manila envelope instead. "You're changing your name back to Holloway?" Anika asked, flipping through the formal papers that would alter her Social Security card, her driver's license, and other forms of identification.

"Kind of. I'm keeping Lyon because it's my business name," Cookie said, her eyes closed. She'd finally finished her last round of radiotherapy. "And it's my sons' name. I think they'd be real hurt if I got rid of it completely. So I'm gonna be Loretha Lyon Holloway now."

"I like it. But why now?" Cookie had had years to go back to her maiden name, and there was nothing down the pipeline that would require such a thing.

"I knew you'd never want to be a Lyon," she answered. "And you know how my family feels about you. So…"

Anika's heart began to pound. What Cookie was implying was so far off Anika's radar that she'd never even considered it before. "Cookie, are you…"

Cookie opened her eyes and smiled. She was 20 pounds lighter, all but completely bald and retired from the music industry good. Still, Anika stayed. "Will you marry me?"

Since Cookie's first marriage had been a shotgun wedding, she acquiesced to Anika's wishes for a traditional white wedding, although Anika refused to wear a wedding dress. "I had my fill of fancy dresses back in my debutante days," Anika informed her wife-to-be, opting for a simple, yet stylish white suit.

It felt wonderful to be surrounded by so many people who loved them. Hakeem gave his mother away. Andre, having just finished his requirements to be a junior minister, performed the wedding ceremony. Taraji made for a wriggly little flower girl who loved to chase the ring bearer - Elle's grandson, Carter – and Lillian munched happily on the rose petals in her big sister's basket until Becky noticed and had to hide it. Elle had replaced Lucious on guitar, a number of Empire artists were providing entertainment, and Malcolm graciously stepped in for the no-show drummer. He was a left-handed drummer on a right-handed kit, but he still blew everybody away. "Where was he," Andre gasped, "when we needed a drummer for Tiana's first album!?"

It went without saying that Jamal would play piano and sing during his Cookie and Anika's dance. Anika had chosen one hell of a song, too: "All This Love" by DeBarge. Jamal was nervous at the thought of singing such a classic song, but he sounded terrific from the very first note.

I had some problems
And no one could seem to solve them
But you found the answer
You told me to take this chance…

Secretly, Anika never thought she and Cookie would actually make it down the aisle. The two of them wore no rings, made no announcement to the public and had only decided to move Anika to Cookie's house because while Cookie had moved all her things out of Anika's home, Anika never did the same. Now, not only was Cookie her wife, but Anika was a full-fledged Holloway now. How could she be anything but happy?

And all this love is waiting for you
My baby, my darling
And all this love is waiting for you…

Anika lifted her arm and allowed Cookie to twirl underneath. She'd secretly practiced this move with Rhonda until they finally got it right. Now was the big moment. Please work, please work, please work…

It was Motown perfect. Cookie turned around just in time to see El DeBarge, sister Bunny and brothers Mark and Randy - bass included - gliding on the stage. With the exception of the eternally incarcerated James, now replaced by Jamal, Anika had arranged for the reunion of the legendary group DeBarge to sing at their wedding. Cookie screamed and jumped up and down until she broke a heel. "How did you-?!" How did Anika pull this off? How did she do this without Cookie knowing? How did Anika even know that Cookie would've left her husband and kids for El DeBarge, now giving a master class in falsetto notes?

"I learned from the best," Anika said, holding Cookie close as they continued their wedding dance. Anika had pulled off the reunion, Cookie Lyon style – with money. Lots of money. "Say-a-a-a-ay…say you love me," Anika crooned in her new wife's ear.

DeBarge was only hired to sing three songs – All This Love, Queen of My Heart, and I Like It. The last song featured El, Randy and Jamal trading the leads, though Jamal had the good sense to leave the high notes to the masters. The feedback from the wedding crowd rivaled any performance of any entertainers in the history of Empire Enterprises. "More! More! More!" The family looked surprised and nervous at such a warm, welcoming reception. After a quick conference with his brothers and sister, El turned to Cookie and Anika. "Is it okay if we sing a little bit more?" he asked, humbled by the love in the room for his family.

"You can sing all night!" Anika invited. She'd paid them enough money to sing for five years straight.

El turned to Malcolm. "Do you know Time Will Reveal?" Malcolm nodded. "Okay, let's do it!"

"Another dance?" Anika asked Cookie. "Or should I just get you a chair before you pass out?" Cookie managed to remain standing out of sheer will alone. She let out a tiny fangirl squeal from time to time, but Anika's hold on her waist was nice and firm as she sang along with the group.

I know just how you feel
But this time, love's for real
In time, it will reveal
The special love that's deep inside of us
Will all reveal in time...

Thanks to a couple of Instagram clips uploaded by Hakeem during the wedding, #DeBargeIsBack was the top trending topic on Twitter, even above #BooBooCookie. By the time everyone was dancing to the rhythm of the night, Cookie had two sensational ideas. One, she planned to hire Malcolm as Empire's permanent session drummer. Two, she was going to sign DeBarge to the Empire label. Cookie might have been retired, but her ear was still golden.

Tonight's showing of Stand Alone was not for Hollywood bigwigs or celebrates. Tonight was the night for young people, overwhelmingly African-American, to view a movie about a proud black man who stood for equality for all disenfranchised people, not just his own. Originally, only a few baseball teams from inner-city schools were invited, and Anika rented out a small community center. But as the buzz grew bigger, more and more schools began to call. Did the athletes have to be black? What about female athletes? Was the event only for students at the impoverished schools? It got to be such a huge event that Empire was forced to come up with a lottery system - 10 girls and 10 boys from every school that signed up, which turned out to be nearly every middle school and high school in New York City. Now, 7,500 people were ready to view Dickey's story.

Everybody knew that Oscar buzz didn't translate to a successful film, and even though the Dickey Holloway biography held a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Anika still worried. "Don't be," Malcolm told her. It was his job to study things, so while Anika watched the film, Malcolm watched the crowd. "They love it. Just you watch." When the lights came on, the majority-black, majority-teen audience gave such roaring applause that the ground shook under Anika's feet. "Told you," Malcolm said with a wink. "Now, let's get back on that stage and get the music going."

The young crowd knew little about DeBarge – now named DeBarge featuring Jamal Lyon – but they loved "Stand Alone" so much that the group performed it two more times. The crowd also loved the new music Jamal had been working on with El, who had become Jamal's mentor and vocal coach. Lucious would've been grumbling about the free concert his artists were giving, which was just one more reason why Anika was glad he hadn't come. Tonight was all about love and giving back to the community.

"Ms. Holloway?" the perky girl from earlier asked Anika. "Could we get a picture of the all of the songwriters before your sons go back onstage?"

"Lucious isn't here," Anika answered, "but El and Bunny are." Like back in the old days, Bunny and El were DeBarge's primary songwriters. They shared the Oscar nomination for "Stand Alone" with Cookie and Lucious. "And Cookie…" Wait, where's Cookie? "Hakeem!" Anika called as the Lyon brothers came backstage with the DeBarges. "Where's your mother?"

"Anika." Andre pulled Anika to the side and lowered his voice. "Mom said she was getting tired. Malcolm took her home."

Andre's tone of voice gave his words a much deeper meaning. "Oh, no." Not here, not tonight, not in front of all these people… Bladder control problems weren't uncommon among women who had radical hysterectomies, and they were usually temporary. But the problem still humiliated Cookie, who obsessively checked her outfits several times a day for the slightest bulge or the faintest crackle of cloth. If Cookie chose a night like tonight to go without for the sake of fashion…"Was she wearing anything? You know, for protection?"

"I'm sure she was, Anika," Andre assured. "Look, don't make a big deal out of this. Mom didn't want to take the spotlight off you tonight, that's all. If you leave, you know her sisters are going to start asking questions. Stay for a little while longer, okay?"

It's about how Cookie feels, not me, Anika reminded herself, as she had so many times over the course of a year. If Cookie wanted Anika to be with her right now, she wouldn't asked Malcolm to take her home. And unlike Lucious, who would use a vulnerable moment like this one to weasel his way back into Cookie's good graces, Anika trusted Malcolm with Cookie's life. "Okay," Anika sighed. "Say, does Rhonda know how to play Bid Whist?"

Cookie was almost asleep when Anika came into the bedroom, some two hours later. Cookie was surprised when Anika didn't come home right away, but Anika had stayed gone just long enough for Cookie to begin to miss her, yet not long enough to feel worried or lonely. "How did everything go?"

"It went well." Anika began to undress and went to run a hot bath. "Andre said you came home because you were tired. Are you feeling okay?"

It was a loaded question. "Yeah." That meant that Cookie was wearing the proper undergarments and made it out of the center unnoticed. "I peed on myself tonight," she admitted, looking everywhere in the room but Anika. "I'm sorry."

Anika sat on the bed next to Cookie and wrapped her in a hug. She knew how hard telling Anika such a thing was for Cookie. But Cookie was still on her mission to be a better woman for Anika as well as for herself. "I'm so happy that you came to support me tonight, Cookie. Thank you."

"You're welcome. And if you want some support in that bathtub, Ms. Calhoun…" Cookie added with a wink.

Anika could hardly believe it. Sex twice in the same day? There were times when the two didn't have sex twice in the same month. Between the now-necessary lubricant, the early-onset menopause and Cookie's fear that she would urinate on herself or Anika, Cookie's self-consciousness about her body had morphed into self-loathing. But with Cookie's therapy group, an array of sex toys and the occasional female-friendly porn flick ("There's porn on the internet?" Cookie asked innocently), the two of them managed to make it work. "I would love some support in the bathtub, Ms. Lyon."

Because of Cookie's medications and overall exhaustion, Anika was largely limited to heavy petting, skilled finger work and toys with a very low vibration setting. Still, their lovemaking was very intimate and exciting, and Anika enjoyed it as much as Cookie. "You gonna come for me, Cookie?" Anika asked seductively, watching her slick fingers disappear and reappear as Cookie's hips rocked back and forth. "You gonna come for your Kitten? Hmm?"

"Yes...ooh, I'm gonna…right there – oh, God! I'm coming, Anika!" Anika loved to watch Cookie have an orgasm, and she held Cookie until she finally came down from her high. Moments later, Anika was gasping and gripping the bed sheets as Cookie worked her magic with her fingers and tongue. They would probably never go back to their strap-on anywhere-but-the-bedroom kind of sex, but they'd come a long way from the days when Anika couldn't even touch Cookie from the waist down. "Yes! Yes! Oh, I love you, Cookie!"

Bliss-filled and satisfied, Anika was nearly asleep when she remembered something. Damn! As carefully as she could, Anika untangled herself from Cookie's arms as carefully as she could, but the minute her feet touched the floor, Cookie woke up. "You forgot your affirmations?" she asked over her shoulder.

"Guilty." Anika kissed Cookie on her cheek. "I'll be back up here in a minute."

The affirmations were Desiree's suggestion, which came from a therapist that Desiree began to see when the love of her life didn't want to raise an autistic child. Each day, Cookie and Anika were to write five things that they were grateful for, no matter how small. Cookie wrote sporadically, but Anika never forgot to write hers. Those five things she wrote about every day were sometimes the only things Anika had to cling to when things got so dark that she could only bite down on a pillow and scream. And who knew what the future held?

There was no pen in the lamp stand or on the counter. Anika rummaged around the living room and kitchen, to no avail. She would have to go back upstairs unless Cookie had one in her purse, which she did. Tucked outside of the pen cap was a little white card with her name on the back. Anika turned it over, read it and became so dizzy that she nearly fainted. It was the number of a divorce attorney.

"Anika?"

When Cookie learned that her cancer had spread even after her hysterectomy and chemotherapy, she informed Anika that if Anika did not file for divorce should Cookie become terminally ill, Cookie would file for one. "I won't file, Cookie," Anika promised. "And my hand to God, Cookie, I'll fight you every step of the way if you try to divorce me."

"What, until I die?" Cookie asked irritably. "Will you be happy then?"

Devastated, Anika had to acquiesce the fact that fighting Cookie during that time would probably kill her. "Just don't do me like Lucious did you," Anika pleaded. "Please tell me first. Don't let me find out in the mail, Cookie."

"Anika?"

Cookie promised that she would, but here Anika was with a card to a divorce lawyer with her name on it. For God's sake, we've only been married for five weeks! Was Cookie tired of their marriage already? Or was there something that Cookie knew that Anika didn't know, like back when she was first diagnosed? How could she do this to me?

"ANIKA!"

Even with a shattered heart, Anika maintained her perfect debutante poise, walking back upstairs by autopilot. "Yes, Cookie?" Only the tight fist containing the pen, gripped like a knife, gave Anika's emotions away. You promised, Cookie, you promised...

"I just remembered." Cookie sat up, still lost in the afterglow from their lovemaking. "This guy came up to me when I was leaving and told me he has some stuff that you might want to take a look at. His cousin or somebody was in the Negro Leagues – I think he played a few games against Dickey. I didn't want to give him your number, so I took his card and told him you'd give him a call if you were interested." She smiled apologetically. "I know I shouldn't have done that, but I was in a hurry 'cause…y'know." Cookie gestured to her pelvic area.

"His card? Like a business card?"

"Right. Some hotshot divorce lawyer. Dude talked my ear off, so be ready." Cookie yawned. "Be sure to grab that card of my purse while you're down there, okay? I don't want to forget in the morning and throw it away." Cookie pulled the covers back over her head before Anika made her way downstairs and slid to the ground, weeping with relief.

Much to Cookie's annoyance, Anika wrote her affirmations in Swedish. Sometimes, Anika had to strain herself to find five things to be grateful for, but she did it every night. On nights like this, however, Anika had to narrow them down.

1. This morning & tonight - WOW! Nothing more to be said about that in any language.
2. Malcolm & Dez – new baby in New York! After rejecting Cookie's offer ("I don't want Lucious Lyon signing my checks" Malcolm balked), Lucious called Malcolm to reason with him."You have a God-given talent, Malcolm," Lucious encouraged, "and you could be making twice as much money in just a few hours & spend more time with your family. But go ahead and be a fool if you want to." Malcolm seethed for days, but he had to admit that Lucious was right. As soon as school let out, the DeVeauxs were moving to New York.
3. Oscar noms! #TeamHolloway Everybody knew that "Stand Alone" was going to win Best Original Song, but the documentary was a long shot. Anika didn't dare to think about it, though. It's just an honor to be nominated, she'd said over and over at the movie premiere. Anika never realized how true that was until now.
4. NLHOF? The petitioning for Dickey's stats to be reviewed so he could possibly be inducted into the Negro League Hall of Fame was picking up serious steam. Anika would gladly trade in her Grammy, her Oscar nod and anything else she could to see Dickey take his rightful place in the Hall.

Anika never wrote the fifth affirmation until morning. "You cold?" Cookie asked when Anika came back upstairs and climbed back into bed. "Your body is shaking."

"Thought I heard something downstairs," Anika lied. Writing her affirmations always made Anika feel much better, but she still saw that little white card.

Cookie reached over and turned the lamp back on. She wasn't buying it, and redness in Anika's eyes combined with her hoarse voice confirmed Cookie's hunch. "What's wrong, Anika?"

There was no use trying to be calm anymore. "I'm scared, Cookie," Anika confessed. "About tomorrow."

"Ah. I see." Cookie had long made her peace with the situation. The hysterectomy hadn't stopped the cancer from spreading, and neither did the chemotherapy. Maybe the radiotherapy had caught it all, maybe not. All Cookie could do was make the best of her time while she was still here.

"Cookie…" Anika took a few deep breaths before plunging on. "Look, I know I'm not the one going through all this treatment. And I wouldn't want you to do anything you don't want to do."

"Anika-" Cookie began, having made up her mind about tomorrow's visit and its repercussions.

"But are you really going to stop getting treatment if the radiotherapy didn't work?" Anika's voice became higher, her words faster.

"Anika-"

"17 years in prison, Cookie!" Anika's eyes filled with tears. "You fought that! But you won't fight this? You just going to leave me?"

"Anika!" Cookie had already endured one pep talk from Malcolm, which was half encouraging ("you've been through worse than this and survived") and half bullying ("never thought I'd see the day Cookie Holloway was scared of something"). She had no intentions of sitting through a second one. "If the radiotherapy didn't work and the doctors have another way of dealing with this thing, I'll do it." Cookie pulled Anika into her arms. "And I'm never going to leave you, because you never left me. Not even when I tried to make you leave."

Anika wasn't convinced. The words were just a little too slick, as if Cookie had been practicing them over the past couple of hours. "Promise me, Cookie," Anika said, sitting up and looking Cookie straight in the eye. "Right now. No refusing treatment, no divorces, nothing. I stay by your side until the end."

Although it was a little too slowly for Anika's tastes, Cookie nodded. "I promise, Kitten. You have my word as a Holloway." Anika could see in her wife's eyes that Cookie wasn't lying. She hugged Cookie long and hard, and Cookie kissed her temple. "Now go to sleep, okay? I love you, Anika."

"I love you, too, Cookie. Good night."

"Good night, Kitten."

Anika tried to sleep, but her mind was racing. There was too much good news to digest, and nobody to digest it with. Anika waited until she was sure Cookie was asleep, then snuck back downstairs. For the first time ever, Anika would break her tradition of waiting until morning to write her final affirmation.

Anika pulled her diary back out and flipped to the page she'd just written on, smiling as she'd read over the words. The documentary, the beautiful song by her beautiful wife's beautiful sons, Malcolm and Desiree's baby boy, the celebration of Dickey's memory – God, Anika hoped that Dickey and Dutch were looking down from heaven and smiling!

"Anika!" Cookie was looking down from the bedroom and definitely not smiling. Anika hadn't even been downstairs for two minutes, and here Cookie was hollering like Anika breaking curfew. "Yes, Mother?" she called sarcastically.

"How much shit are you affirming tonight?" Cookie demanded from their bedroom. "You know a bitch like me needs her beauty sleep. Hurry up!"

"Okay, okay!" Giggling, Anika quickly scrawled the exact same sentence that she wrote every single day, word for word, as her fifth and final affirmation: Cookie är fortfarande här, och hon älskar mig fortfarande. Anika kissed the pages of her diary, closed it and put it away, then dashed up the stairs to a pouting Cookie. "You get out of this bed one more time and I'ma spank you," she threatened playfully.

Anika leaned over and lifted Cookie's chin. "Say 'I promise.'"

"Keep it up and I will." Cookie playfully bit Anika's finger.

The two of them were still laughing when Cookie turned off the lights. I must be out of my mind, Anika thought as she snuggled close to her wife with a smile on her face. Leave her? Divorce her? Cookie could barely sleep without Anika next to her. More importantly, Cookie had given Anika her word. If Cookie said that she would continue treatment, Cookie would continue treatment. Anika had no doubt of that.

Anika had no idea what was going to happen when they went to see the doctor. Maybe Dr. Logan would say that the last of Cookie's cancer cells were gone. Maybe it would be another round of chemotherapy. Maybe – and Anika had to accept this in her heart – maybe the cancer was too far gone, and Anika's role in Cookie's life would be to minimize her suffering until she eventually succumbed to the disease. But no matter what the doctors said tomorrow, Anika knew that as long as Cookie and she both lived, Anika's fifth affirmation – the exact same sentence that she wrote every single day, word for word - would never change.

Cookie is still here, and she still loves me.

END