DISCLAIMER: All My Children is the property of ABC. No infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Perceptions
By Rudeboy
Chapter Eight
July 6th – 6:30 AM
Maggie's eyes popped open. Something wasn't right. It felt like maybe she'd overslept, but a glance at the clock told her she still had about fifteen minutes before she had to get up.
With such a short time left, she figured she might as well get up and get an early start on the day. She reached down to throw her covers back, but instead of finding the edge of her covers, she found an arm draped over her waist.
It was then she realized she could feel body heat against her back…against her legs…hot breath on her neck. She turned her head slowly to look over her shoulder and found a sleeping Bianca spooning her.
She smiled and turned her head back to face away. "Well," she thought "I don't have to get up quite yet."
July 6th – 6:34 AM
Bianca's eyes blinked open.
She blinked again.
She couldn't understand why all she was seeing was blondish hair in a ponytail. It was then she realized her arm was draped over someone's waist and she was spooning them.
When she tried to slowly pull her arm away, Maggie turned her head and looked over her shoulder at her. Bianca gave her a weak smile, feeling a sense of awkwardness wash over her. "Hi," she rasped out of her dry morning throat.
Maggie just continued to stare at her, and then turned her head back to face the other way. "We…we've got 10 more minutes before we have to get up."
Bianca was hesitant at first, but then thought that maybe she'd been premature in pulling away. She slowly leaned her weight back towards Maggie, letting her arm wrap around her again. She didn't feel any flinching, any recoiling, and took that to mean that her friend was comfortable with this physical closeness.
She smiled broadly and enjoyed this intimate moment….at least for the upcoming ten minutes.
July 6th – 6:45 AM
*bzzzt*
*bzzzt*
*bzzzt*
Maggie just stared at the infernal alarm clock, not really wanting to acknowledge it. She tried to shut it off with her mind, but alas, it didn't seem to have any effect.
She finally rolled forward slightly, not wishing to feel Bianca's arm snake away, but it did. She pouted slightly as she hit the off button. She felt Bianca's body weight shift in the bed and could tell she had rolled out and gotten up.
Bianca quickly put on her robe, cinched up the sash, and walked over to Miranda's crib to check on her. Bianca put her left hand on her upper thigh, leaned over and tucked hair behind her ear with her right hand. Miranda was awake and staring up, smiling at the sight of her mother. "Oh Munchkin, you're getting so big!" Bianca said as she lifted her growing daughter. "I think we're going to have to switch her to beds soon."
"Yeah, I'd been meaning to bring that up with you." Maggie said as she sat up and turned to sit on the edge of her bed. She put her arms above her head and stretched, various vertebrae in her back popping. "Oh man that felt good."
"Didn't sleep well?" Bianca asked, standing in front of her friend, swaying back and forth with Miranda.
"I don't know, I feel like I didn't move for a couple of hours….," her voice trailed off, both girls getting embarrassed little grins on their faces. "And with that, I think I'll go wash up first if you don't mind." Maggie said chuckling and trying not to meet Bianca's eyes.
"No problem, I'll spend some quality time with my daughter and start getting her ready to meet the world for the day."
Maggie stumbled off to the bathroom, flipped on the lights and closed the door. She turned around and leaned her back against the door and slid down just slightly. Her eyes closed and if she concentrated just hard enough, she could still feel Bianca's breath on the back of her neck. It was a feeling she didn't think if it happened every minute of every day that she would ever get her fill of it.
She shook her head. "Ok Stone," she thought, "let's get you put together to go out in the world today!" She stood up and turned to look in her mirror. "Oh lord…I better get a sand blaster." Even with her hair pulled back, there were hairs going every direction, bags under her eyes, and there was 'eye gook' in the corners of her eyes. "Oh yeah…I'm hot," she laughed.
July 6th – 7:00 AM
Maggie stepped out of the bathroom to tell Bianca she was done and found her holding Miranda in her lap, singing to her. Both of them looked content as Bianca slowly rocked back and forth, smiling happily, her eyes closed. Maggie felt almost like she had intruded on them, but they did need to get ready. "Bianca?"
Bianca opened her eyes and looked at her, retaining her smile. "All done?"
"Yeah…that was lovely by the way."
"What?" she asked as she stood up and started walking towards her smaller friend.
"You're singing," she responded as she took Miranda from Bianca's arms. "What was it?"
Bianca blushed slightly. "Greensleeves."
"Well it was quite nice…I mean, it doesn't measure up to my original songs of course," she said, taking a haughty air about her, "but it was ok."
Bianca rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say dear."
They both froze, eyes locking, a look of shock turning to bemusement/embarrassment.
"Um…I think I'm going to get ready!" Bianca said, her voice having a nervous chuckle to it.
"Yeah…and…I'm… going to go get coffee!"
The girls both stepped in the same direction to go around each other…then to the other side…then one more time, both laughing too hard now. Bianca finally took a large step to the left and pointed towards the kitchen door. "Just go already!"
Maggie scurried off, her cheeks a deep crimson now, but she made it to the kitchen door and left the room hurriedly.
Bianca just shook her head and headed off towards the bathroom. "This is just getting tougher and tougher," she muttered to herself.
July 6th – 7:15 AM
Bianca walked in to the kitchen and discovered Guilia, already buzzing around fixing breakfast for everyone. Maggie was chatting with Patrick at the butcher block, and Miranda was drinking from her sippy cup. "Guilia! You don't have to do that!" Bianca admonished her house guest in French.
"She insisted," replied Patrick.
"I think its part of her never ending campaign to give me 'child bearing hips'." Maggie said with air quotes.
As if on cue, Guilia dropped bacon in to sizzling grease.
Bianca laughed. "Patrick, could you do me a favor and run up to my room and get the dry cleaning hanging on my closet door?"
"Of course," he replied as he got up and headed to go upstairs.
"So, we are going out today?" asked Maggie.
"Well, I am, I don't know if you have to." Bianca said, taking a seat at the butcher block.
"If you are, I am, I'm not letting you run through that madhouse downstairs by yourself."
"That may not be as much of a problem as you think." Bianca said with a sly smile.
"Why do I suddenly have a very bad feeling in my gut?" Maggie said, cocking her left eyebrow.
"Let's just say that being the daughter of a celebrity teaches you a thing or two."
Guilia walked over and set heaping plates of eggs in front of the girls. "Mangi! Mangi!"
Maggie hung her head. "I think I just felt an artery harden."
July 6th - 7:45 AM
"Can't move…heart blocked…" Maggie said. She was laying in her bed, feet flat on the floor, her hands clasped over her stomach, her eyes closed.
Bianca playfully kicked at Maggie's left leg as she walked back in the room from the kitchen. "Yes Aurélia…exactly that. Thanks, you're the best."
Maggie popped her left eye open. "Aurélia…at this hour?"
"Oh shut up you. You ready to go? We're leaving in exactly 30 minutes…I'm still not sure why you feel the need to go so badly."
"I told you," she sat up, "I'm not letting you go through those crazies alone." She stood up. "Oh my god…how does Guilia stay so thin? I feel like I have a boulder in my stomach."
Bianca laughed at her. "Come on, get ready. Patrick had one of the limo's brought in a few blocks from here, and when we're ready he'll pull up out front with it."
"What are we doing with Miranda?" Maggie asked, going through a dresser drawer.
"Guilia has today off from the hospital and offered to stay here with her."
"Great…Miranda will weigh as much as a teenager by the time we get home!" Maggie said with a chuckle as she pulled a pair of jeans out of a drawer. "Alright, I'm going to go change and I'll meet you in the kitchen…what?"
Bianca was eyeing the clothes in her hands. "What? Oh, nothing, I was just looking at what you picked out."
Maggie looked down at what she was holding. "Something wrong with it? Do they have stains?" She turned the clothes over in her hands, inspecting them.
"No, it's…well, now that we've been on the front page of newspapers, just…just don't be surprised if you start ending up in the fashion pages also, or if people start critiquing what you wear…"
Maggie stared at Bianca blankly. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Afraid not."
Maggie leaned back towards her dresser, sitting partially on the edge. Her arms dropped to her sides, clothes in each hand, a look of defeat crossing her face. "I just got done paying you back for the clothes you bought me when we first got here, and now…now I have to buy all new again?"
Bianca walked over and struck a similar position and put her right arm around Maggie's shoulders. "There's nothing wrong with your clothes, really, and you're reading too much in to this, you just need to be aware of it is all."
"I guess…" she sighed "would you mind if Patrick took me out shopping after we drop you off at work? I can probably squeeze some tops on to one of my credit cards."
"Maggie, honestly, you don't have to buy anything new! Just make sure you match, and remember flashes from cameras can turn a lot of clothes see-through."
"You know…leave it to me to not only finally discover I'm open to dating women, but having to date one that has etiquette rules!" she said with a chuckle.
"Well, let me tell you, speaking from experience, no matter how much you may want to go without a bra, you probably shouldn't. I tried to go without once, and I was a fashion don't by the next morning."
"Great…learn something new everyday. Well, I'll keep all that in mind while shopping today."
"And I'm going to give you a Cambias corporate card to use, and no arguments. Consider it a spoil of war!'
"A war? We're at war now?"
"Yes, with the press." Bianca removed her arm from Maggie's shoulders, clasped her hands in front of her and looked down at them. "You know…you really haven't said how you're doing with all this."
"With what? The circus that is now our lives?"
"Yeah."
"Well…I'd be lying if I said I expected it. I mean…I knew there'd be obstacles and things to adjust to…like how people would look at us on a street if we were holding hands, or if we kissed in public."
"But, being outed on the front page of a tabloid and being called a gold digger?"
"Yeah, that one I didn't see coming so much." Maggie said, shaking her head back and forth while giggling.
Bianca chuckled too, but for the most part remained serious. "But…you're doing ok with it?"
Maggie tossed her clothes towards the bed and turned to face Bianca. "Look, I signed on for this, and sure, some of it I didn't expect, but how can you ever predict everything that'll pop up in any relationship?"
"I know, it's just so much in such a short amount of time, and I want to make sure you're ok."
The shorter girl turned Bianca to face her and took her hands in to hers. "As long as I have you and Miranda in my life, everything will always be ok. So stop worrying, cheer up," Maggie moved in closer, turning slightly so her right hip hit Bianca in her pelvis, "remember you just shared a bed with the greatest girl ever!"
Bianca looked up while keeping her head down and smiled. "You really are, you know that?"
"Of course I do!" Maggie looked skyward in a "ho-hum" fashion. Bianca leaned forward to give Maggie a kiss, but Maggie paused, squinted her eyes and stared at the kitchen door.
Bianca looked distraught. "What…what is it?" she looked over her own shoulder at the door.
"Shhh…this is going too well…which means HE will show up any second now."
Bianca rolled her eyes. "He's down with the limo already."
"Well…if you're sure…" Maggie leaned in hesitantly, still staring at the door. As she got closer to Bianca's lips, that all seemed to melt away, and they locked in a tender kiss.
There was a knock. "Bianca…Maggie…I had to come back for my jacket, I just wanted to tell you that…"
The door flew open, a 5' woman tackled a 6'3" man by going low and for the knees.
July 6th – 8:15 AM
"You made the call? Ok, it should just be a few minutes then, thanks Aurélia." Bianca clicked the call off, and lowered her phone to her side, tapping it against her leg.
Maggie stood there staring out the doors from a secluded spot near the elevator, watching the throng of photographers outside. She finally turned to Bianca. "So how are we going to do this?"
Bianca grinned. "We just wait another minute or two."
All of a sudden there was shouting, camera men running everywhere, much discussion in panicked French voices and then…nothing. All the paparazzi went running off, jumping in to cars and speeding away.
"Alright, now we go." Bianca said, and strode confidently towards the front doors of their building.
Just as they exited the doors, Patrick pulled up in a limo. He quickly got out and opened the back door for them. The girls jumped in and he shut the door behind them, then quickly returned to the front to drive them to the Cambias building.
Maggie twisted in her seat, looking around the windows as the limo pulled away. She glanced over at Bianca whom had a satisfied grin on her face. "So…are you going to tell me how you pulled that off?
"Well…let's just say they are on their way to a Cambias warehouse, which they believe is an orphanage for war refugee children, and that Madonna is there adopting a child."
Maggie stared at her. "I think I'm in awe."
Bianca laughed. "Well, it'll probably only work once, but by sending them to a Cambias property, they know it was us that did it, and that tells them we were trying to get out of the house. So it's almost as good as them seeing us."
Maggie turned around in her seat to face forward again and chuckled about the whole idea as Bianca got out her cell phone and started making calls. Sadly, if she had remained looking out the windows, she might have seen the older model Fiat Punto that pulled out two blocks behind them and followed them all the way to the office.
July 6th – 11:50 AM
"That'll be €987 Euros ma'am," the sales clerk said.
Maggie gulped and handed over the Cambias corporate card Bianca had given her earlier in the morning. The first thing that frightened her was she had probably not spent that much in an entire year on clothes before, and secondly, that was only four pairs of jeans and two tops. They were cute though.
Bianca had told Patrick to take her to the row of boutiques just down the street from the Cambias building, and he was not allowed to bring her back to the office until she had spent an obscene amount of money. She was also not allowed to go home…say she was tired…feign sickness…pretend to be injured…say 'look over there!' and run…
She signed the receipt, collected her bags, and walked outside to where Patrick stood waiting, talking on his mobile.
"No ma'am, I would not yet qualify the amount she has spent as 'obscene', though she does have several bags."
Maggie rolled her eyes and shouted at the phone, "Give me time would ya! I'm working on it!"
Patrick smiled at her. "She says she's happy to hear you're getting in to it, but you still can't come back yet."
"Fine," she grunted.
Patrick laughed and told Bianca he'd call her later with an update. "Ready for the next store?"
Maggie looked around and got a devious grin on her face. "Yeah…that one," she said, pointing.
Patrick followed her finger and cursed. "I think I'll take these bags to the car while you browse the lingerie shop." He picked up the bags and fixed her with a stern look. "I trust you won't run off."
She laughed. "Yes Patrick, I promise, now scoot, I'll only be a few minutes." She watched him walk away, and then she went in to the shop as promised. She had to admit it was more just to annoy him, but now that she was in there, they did have some awfully pretty things.
A sales clerk walked over and started speaking to her in French, she did her best to tell them she didn't speak French. "My apologies….how may I help you?"
"I'm just browsing for now, thank you."
"Someone…special, you wish to entice?"
Maggie felt flush. "Good question actually." She folded her arms across her chest, and looked down at the plush carpeting of the shop, giving it a quick kick with the tip of her pointed shoes. "Maybe…not quite yet."
"Ah, well anything you need for an evening out then?"
"Actually, now that you mention it, I just got a dress for an evening out, and I need some higher cut panties if you have anything."
The sales girl smile and patted her on the right shoulder in a condescending. 'do we look like we sell car parts here?" way. "Of course we do ma'am, just follow me."
Over the next twenty minutes, the sales girl helped her choose new undergarments, and as she was holding up a pair to examine them, she turned towards the front of the store, and spotted a man looking through the large display window….it appeared it was Guy Kachel photographing her through the window.
The sales girl saw Maggie's face go white, and she followed her stare to see what she was looking at. Spotting the man with the camera, she quickly walked over and dropped the shades so he could no longer take pictures of her. "I am sorry ma'am, you know how tourists can be sometimes."
Maggie snapped out of her shock. "Yes….of course," she agreed. It couldn't have possibly been him could it? "I think I'll just take what I have here." She handed the garments to the sales girl and followed her to the counter.
As the girl ran the garments through the computer, she kept looking at Maggie and cocking her head from one side, and then to the other, but never said anything. ""That'll be €217 Euros ma'am." Maggie handed her the charge card and it was then the girl put two and two together. "Cambias…I thought I recognized you, you were the woman in the papers the other day with the head of Cambias Industries!"
Maggie felt like crawling in a hole. "Yeah…that was me."
The sales girl looked at the window, realizing more aspects of what just happened. "Oh no…that was a paparazzi wasn't it?"
"I think so, I'm not sure," Maggie said sheepishly.
Tearing the receipt from the charge card printer, she placed it in front of Maggie. "I am so sorry, if I had realized who you were when you first walked in, I would have put the shade down immediately."
Maggie's eyebrows knitted together as she signed the slip and handed it back. "First of all, I'm no body special, secondly, why would you do that?"
"We do that all the time for the celebrities who come in here. The paparazzi love to take pictures of celebrities buying sexy little things." She bagged up the purchases and handed them to Maggie.
"Great…now I can't even shop without worrying about things…is nothing sacred?"
The sales girl laughed and escorted her to the door. "Please come again, and I promise we won't forget who you are next time," she said with a wink.
Maggie walked outside, gave a quick glance around and saw no sign of Patrick, but the man from the window was there…and he was wearing a leather coat. There was no doubt in her mind now it was Guy Kachel. She set her jaw and decided to walk back to where Patrick had left her earlier, but sadly it meant walking right past the parasite with a camera.
"Ah, Ms. Stone, how accommodating of you, deciding it is best to work with me I see." Guy raised his camera and started taking pictures of her. I am sure by now you've heard all about me…" he continued to snap photos "but there is so much yet to learn about you. Tell me, you just left one of the most famous lingerie shops in the city, perhaps you bought something new to entice Ms. Montgomery out of more of her money?"
There was a little alley cut between two buildings, the type you pay no attention to that are used by delivery trucks day in and day out. Maggie stepped off the curb, still refusing to look anywhere but straight ahead, Guy was now to her side, continuing to shoot pictures, and ask inappropriate questions.
All Maggie cared about now was where Patrick was. She needed to get out of here like ten minutes ago and get away from Guy. Suddenly she noticed there was no voice anymore. Maggie finally gave in and looked around as she stepped up on to the curb past the alley. Guy was no where in sight. It was then she heard what sounded like a scuffle coming from the alley way. She peaked around the corner, and saw Guy being dragged off by his camera strap, which was now high around his neck and choking him.
Maggie stepped in to the alley just in time to see Guy get thrown against a wall and for her to finally see it was Patrick who had dragged the man off. Maggie ran over to Patrick's side and she saw something in his face she had never seen before…pure, unguarded, hatred.
"You miserable little swine!" Patrick took one giant stride across the alley and got directly in Guy's face. "It was one thing when you went after Alexander all those years, back then you were just a nuisance! But now…now there is an innocent child involved in this!"
Guy didn't look scared, his eyes were too cold for that. "A Cambias child Patrick."
"A child of a rape!" Patrick bellowed back. "Your vendetta against this company is over Guy! It ended when Alexander died, leave these women alone!"
"Alexander dying didn't change anything Patrick." Guy was now straightening out his jacket and standing himself more upright. "All Alexander's death did was change the players in the game. Cambias is a plague, it always has been, always will be, all that changes is the face on the corporate report as to who the CEO is."
"You really are going to blame your misfortune on these women Guy?" Patrick's volume was coming down, but the tone was still as deadly. "Alexander cheated your family, I don't argue that, but this is a whole new regime Guy. These are young women, trying to do good in the world, my god man, haven't you heard about the Miranda Center and the good it's doing?"
"A drop of good in an ocean of lies and deceit Patrick."
Maggie finally stepped up. Patrick did a double take as if he hadn't even noticed when she ran up. "I would suggest you watch what you say when it comes to anything involving Miranda."
"Or what little girl? You'll have your girlfriend sic another thug like Patrick on me?"
Patrick's fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. Maggie placed a hand on his arm, letting him know it was her turn. She stepped forward, her eyes locked with Guy's and her jaw was set rigid. "Bianca and I have been through more crap than you could ever comprehend, and we have never needed anyone to fight our battles. You mention Miranda ever again, you ever take another picture of her, and I will personally make you wish you had never been born."
Guy sneered. "Big talk for such a little thing…have to protect that gold mine you found eh? You must have been angry when you saw all the work your sister and you had done being ruined by that Lena Kundera showing up and pulling the exact same scam."
Maggie's eyes remained fixed with his, betraying no hint of how she was taking his words.
"Tell me, did your sister and you agree on this whole gay thing before hand, or was that done on the fly?"
Patrick stepped forward to get between Guy and Maggie, but he was too slow. All he ended up was hearing the sickening crunching sound of a nose breaking, and his jacket got hit with some of the blood that escaped from the contact.
Guy threw his hands up to cover his nose, blood seeping out from between his fingers, he crumpled to the ground, calling Maggie some very colorful words in French.
Maggie was hopping around on one foot, shaking out her right hand and repeatedly saying "Ow! Ow! Ow! Dear flippin' God Ow!"
Patrick tried to contain his smile, but was finding it nearly impossible. He squatted down in front of Guy, calmly got his mobile phone from his inner jacket pocket and called for an ambulance. After he finished the call, he pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping the blood off himself.
"Do you think…calling me…an ambulance….will stop me…from…suing….the little bitch?" Guy asked between labored breaths.
Patrick smiled. "What makes you think it's for you?" Patrick looked over his shoulder at Maggie who was still hugging her hand to herself, but refusing to cry. He looked back at Guy. "Looks like she may have broken her hand, she needs to have that looked at." He leaned forward, grabbed Guy's camera, and popped out the memory card, and stashed it in a suit pocket.
"You can't…take that…"
"Oh but I did," Patrick replied, setting the camera on the ground next to Guy.
"I'm…going…to sue….all of you."
Patrick stood up and straightened out the front of his pants. "No you aren't, because if you do, I'll go to the police with the evidence I have on you for identity theft."
"Identity…theft?" Guy asked, trying not to look puzzled since that would hurt.
"When you rented that apartment across from Ms. Montgomery's, you signed with a false name and used a fake ID. Now that Cambias Industries owns that building, we have those documents. You sue Ms. Stone for what just happened, we turn you over to the police and you go to prison."
"How…typically…Cambias….of you."
"No, how typically protective of me," Patrick said as he walked over to Maggie and tried to examine her hand. She hesitantly let him take it in to his own, and look at it.
The ambulance sirens could be heard approaching from the opposite end of the alley. "You're in luck Guy, it appears her hand is only bruised, you can have the ambulance after all, Cambias Industries will pay for your hospital visit."
"Like…I would take…money…from…them…"
"Suit yourself." Patrick took Maggie by the shoulders and turned her to walk back the way they had come. "Remember Guy…you go after Maggie, I go to the police, your choice."
The ambulance pulled up to Guy, and the attendants jumped out to examine him, just as Patrick and Maggie turned out of the alley and back on the main sidewalk, Maggie clutching her right hand to her chest. "Patrick?" she asked weakly.
"Yes?"
"Do you think Bianca will let me stop shopping for the day now?"
"I don't know…she was pretty clear about no excuses." Patrick couldn't keep a straight face and put his arm around her shoulders, lightly pulling her in for a squeeze. "I think she might be understanding of this one. Come on, there's a health facility back at the office building, they can wrap your hand for you." He took her bag from the lingerie shop from her, and tried to carry it with as much manly flair as he could muster.
July 6th – 10:00 PM
"Bianca, my legs aren't broken, I could have gotten to the kitchen for a glass of water you know!" she said as Bianca came back in the den with a glass.
"I know, I just want you to rest though."
Maggie was slouched on the couch, her feet on the coffee table, her bandaged hand resting across her stomach. "Fine, fine." She tried to push herself up so she could drink her water, and that was when Bianca produced a bendy straw, plunked it in the water and held the glass for her to drink from it. Maggie looked up at her. "You have got to be kidding me."
"Nope, drink."
Maggie took the straw between her lips and took a couple sips, the entire time looking up at Bianca through her eyelashes. "Thanks," she said as she pulled her head back.
"You're welcome." Bianca sat down on the couch, keeping the glass in her hand, and unpaused the movie they were watching.
After several minutes of silence, Maggie finally spoke up. "Bianca…can I ask you something?"
Bianca paused the movie again and turned so she could look more directly at Maggie. "Of course."
Maggie looked down at her hand so as not to meet the taller girl's eyes. "Are you…are you disappointed in me?"
Bianca's eyebrows threatened to touch in the middle of her forehead she was so confused. "Disappointed? Why in the world would I be disappointed in you?"
"Because I punched Guy."
"Oh my god…" Bianca cleared her throat. "Ok, no, I don't think violence solves anything, but…well…sometimes it feels damn good."
Maggie cracked a lopsided smile. "Would this qualify as one of those times?"
"My only regret is I wasn't there to see it."
Maggie chuckled. "I'm glad you weren't, I hopped around moaning like a little school girl from the pain afterwards. They always make it look so easy in the movies, but damn, that hurt!"
"Really?" Bianca got a mischievous grin on her face and leaned down to Maggie's hand and kissed it as lightly as she could. "Does that feel better."
"A little, but…you know, I think vibrations traveled though out my body…parts of it are numb."
Bianca faked a concerned look. "Really? I'm so sorry! Any place in particular?"
Maggie pouted. "Yes. My lips are numb."
"Oh well…let me see if I can make them feel any better for you."
Bianca leaned forward and planted a very light kiss on her lips. "Better?" she asked, hovering only a few inches away.
"Mmmmm not quite, I think you better try again…and really put your back in to it."
Both girls chuckled for a second, and then Bianca leaned in again, planting the deepest kiss she had ever given Maggie on those numb lips. It went on for several seconds before she finally broke away.
"Better?"
"Getting there, but…"
"But what?"
"I keep expecting Patrick to walk in."
Bianca laughed at her. "You know he went home once the tinters finished the windows…no one's here except you, me and Miranda, and she's asleep."
"Well then….I think I need more medicine Nurse Montgomery." Maggie said with a huge grin.
Bianca complied, leaning in, and kissing her deeply…
Across Paris, Patrick remembered something he needed to call and ask Bianca. After a very short conversation, he learned that the next day he would first be having a phone inserted in to a part of his body that a phone should never go, and then he would be having surgery to have said phone removed….minus anesthetic.
The End
Yes, I'm coming back in the not too distant future, like a week or two, the normal pause between chapters.
The next story arc is entitled "Flight" and is structured slightly differently than my previous arcs. This will also allow it to run much longer than the previous arcs and my current plans is it covers a year of BAM time. See you all then!