Author's Notes – Thanks so much to everyone who had responded to the previous story. Because of all of you, I was inspired to post and continue this series. However, keep in mind that real-life hurdles may keep me from posting regularly. PLEASE REVIEW!
Disclaimer – I do not own any of the characters of AMC. They are the products of the very talented Agnes Nixon's creative mind and are daily brought to life from fiction to reality by the talented actresses and actors who play them
Warning – If the idea of two women in love with one another offends you, don't read any further. If this subject material does not offend you, then please continue on you're merry way
"Trials of Love"By Faithx5452
Part 1 – Rude AwakeningShe sits up, back supported by a pillow and her head tilted against the headboard. Her brunette hair is cascading down her exposed skin, but she pays no attention to it. No, her eyes were on the person lying beside her, peacefully asleep. Her eyes would always be for her companion only.
A year ago the scene had been different. The bed's two occupants had been tossed into an emotional tailspin when they woke after a drunken night in bed with one another. What had ensued afterwards had forever changed they're relationship and shaped the future of things to come.
Kendall had woken to the sounds of birds outside her window; she had opted to stay in bed to let Maggie continue to sleep. Knowing full well that once Maggie's internship at the PV Hospital began, any sleep Maggie would be able to get would be a miracle.
They had gotten reacquainted with one another after they're emotional fiasco last year and had a steady relationship. Though neither of them was quick to suggest or bring up the topic of making love, both of them still unsure of whether that topic was still a sore spot for the other.
They were still in the honeymoon stage of they're relationship. Flirtatious interactions during they're lunches together never ceased to amuse either of them, they're dates were always centered on getting to know the real person behind the face, and their telephone conversations would last hours.
But Kendall wasn't about to complain; she would be a fool to. She was in a relationship that every person dreams to be in and with a person that everyone would die to be with.
In the past month though, they had begun staying at each other's places. It had all began on a stormy night after one of they're dates and Kendall had been feeling not particularly interested in being left alone.
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"I had a good time tonight. And the free shower was an added bonus." Maggie joked, eyes darting to where it was pouring at in the courtyard of Kendall's condo.
"Stay with me." Kendall blurted out before she could stop herself.
"What?" Maggie looked at Kendall confused, wondering where that had come from.
"Can you stay here with me? I…it's the storm. It reminds me of…" Kendall trailed off, seeing in Maggie's eyes that she didn't have to continue.
Maggie frowned inwardly, cursing the day that Michael Cambias was born. Though he was dead, he hadn't left without leaving a firm grip of fear in the Kane women. Maggie wondered if any of them would be able to enjoy an actual storm without be reminded of that monster but she highly doubted it.
"Yeah, no problem." Maggie took Kendall's shaking hand, squeezing it comfortingly. No more words needed to be said; the understanding in Maggie's eyes was all Maggie needed to convey to Kendall.
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From then on they had switched from Kendall's condo to Maggie and Jamie's apartment. At first it had been on nights when Kendall couldn't bare to be alone with her insecurities and inner demons or when Maggie needed to know that there was someone in her life that wouldn't walk out on her.
Slowly they're sleepovers happened just because they didn't wanted the night to end.
And this morning was no different.
"Hey you…morning." Kendall greeted Maggie, smiling as Maggie stretched somewhat beside her. The shirt Maggie was wearing was a little small on her and it rode up her stomach, revealing her skin to Kendall who drank up the sight hungrily.
"Mmm, morning already?" It felt like they had just gone to sleep a few minutes ago.
"'Afraid so." Kendall suppressed a sigh, everything that had been going on in they're lives beginning to weigh down on her shoulders. Kendall had been so sure Miranda was being disguised as Bess, so sure in fact that she had caused a scene during the baby's Christening.
Unfortunately the results of a DNA test Dr Martin had taken prior to the incident had proved that Bess was indeed a Chandler. Though a part of Kendall still remained confident that Miranda wasn't lost. How she was going to prove this, she didn't know.
Then there was Greenlee and Ryan, the two had fled from Pine Valley and married one another. Kendall had dragged Simone along for the little wedding adventure, wanting to see for herself that Greenlee and Ryan were actually going to marry.
When Kendall had seen it with her own eyes, a part of her…the old Kendall, finally found some sort of finality to seeing Ryan in another woman's arms.
What amazed Kendall wasn't the fact that Ryan could actually marry Greenlee, but that Maggie had trusted Kendall to go after Ryan.
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"Kendall? What's with the bags? Is there a sale at Bloomingdale's?" Maggie joked; eyeing the suitcases Kendall was hurriedly packing.
Stopping by the bed, Kendall looked at where Maggie stood in the doorway of her apartment. She had been in over drive since hearing of Greenlee and Ryan's intentions of getting married through Simone; she hadn't thought to call Maggie telling her of the prompt trip away from Pine Valley.
"Something's come up. I'm going to be gone for a few days." Kendall replied, not really wanting to elaborate. Knowing that she was wasting valuable time talking to Maggie about the details.
They had been dating steadily for a month, but they were still in the early stage of they're relationship where they didn't know whether they should feel obligated to tell the other where they were going.
Silence filled the air, both uncertain of what to say. Instead, Kendall went back to finish packing, she was expecting Simone to pick her up soon.
"I trust you." Maggie suddenly announced, not really sure why she had shared this tidbit but felt it needed to be said.
"And…whatever you have to do, wherever you're going."
"How can you put so much faith in me? You hardly know me." Kendall whispered, amazed at Maggie's capacity to trust.
When Kendall had first met the young woman, she couldn't believe Bianca had gotten through all the inner walls Maggie had put around her heart from letting anyone in. But as the months passed and it became clear that Maggie was staying in Pine Valley for good, Kendall began to see that once Maggie invited you into her world, her ability to trust that person would be never ending.
"What I already know is all I need." Maggie replied honestly. The two of them had made so much progress and she wasn't about to waste it by assuming the worst of Kendall. She wasn't going to be like every other person in Pine Valley.
"Thank you." Kendall whispered, touched beyond words.
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"This is nice." Maggie spoke softly, her voice filled with a sleepy content.
"What?" Kendall questioned as she was brought back to the present. Looking down at the blonde head was nuzzled in the crook of her shoulder. Kendall couldn't help but smile, having Maggie so close to her…it felt so right. How she had ever doubted loving Maggie…she surmised that she must have been insane.
"Waking up in you're arms…holding each other." Maggie squeezed Kendall gently for extra emphasis.
"It's nice." Maggie whispered.
"As compared to what?"
"My stuffed teddy back at the apartment."
"And how do I compare against you're teddy bear?"
"Believe me, he pales in comparison." Maggie leaned in, kissing Kendall softly.
The kiss soon began to get more passionate but a shrill ring broke them apart.
"Ungh, I thought we agreed to turn the phones off?" Maggie groaned, wondering if it was worth the energy to find something to throw at the damn clock.
"I guess I forgot about my cell phone." Kendall smiled apologetically, since the two of them started spending the nights at each other's places; they had made a rule to turn off all cellular and communicative devices.
Sitting up slightly, Maggie reached out with her left hand and steadied herself against the headboard. Her small lithe body effectively covering her much taller lover.
Kendall gasped, she had been going to reach for her phone when Maggie's tongue snuck out of the confines of Maggie's mouth and began making small circles on Kendall's neck.
Maggie was playing dirty, Maggie knew that Kendall's neck was one of her more weaker spots and right now was taking full advantage of that knowledge.
"Ignore it." Maggie mumbled, her talented tongue hoping to seduce Kendall away from the idea of answering her phone.
"Oh, I want to…" God only knew how tempted Kendall was to say 'to hell with it'.
"Good." Maggie mumbled into Kendall's neck, assuming she would come out victorious.
"But it may be one of the girls." Kendall pointed out, she wasn't expected in at Fusion for another hour but it wasn't unusual to be called in early for a crisis.
"Work later, play now." Maggie demanded cutely, noticing that the phone had stopped ringing. "See? Maybe they got the hint." Maggie suggested hopefully.
"It could have been important." Kendall pulled away, leaning back against the headboard with a sigh. Hoping that it wasn't another crisis or worse, Greenlee.
"Not as important as my snuggles." Maggie positioned herself in Kendall's arms, taking in the smell of Kendall's unique perfume. She was about to say something else when once again the insistent cell phone interrupted the silence.
"Gah! That's it…we're throwing out all electronic devices out next time." Maggie announced, covering her head with a pillow in order to block out the annoying sound but to no avail.
"Don't be silly, you know you can't live without you're cell phone just as much as me."
"True, but this is ridiculous…this is our time." Maggie found to her horror that she was on the verge to whining. Before she knew what was happening, she was sure she would start jumping up and done.
Peeking out from under the pillow, Maggie frowned as she saw her girlfriend reach for her cell phone from the bureau.
"That's it, no more snuggles for you…indefinitely." Maggie decided, attempting to scowl at Kendall who reached for her cell phone.
"I'd like to see you pull that one off." Kendall challenged, knowing that Maggie could never go through with it. While Kendall's weakness was companionship, Maggie's was the constant reminder that she had someone to hold onto. In a way, they were each other's safety nets.
Maggie's response was to stick her tongue out at Kendall, who only raised a suggestive eyebrow.
"Who is it?" Maggie's curiosity got the best of her.
"I have to answer it first before I can tell, silly." Kendall admonished playfully.
Unsure of how to reply to that one, Maggie went back to burying herself under the pillow, the action reminding Kendall of an ostrich sticking they're head under the ground.
"Hello?" Kendall greeted whoever was on the other line sleepily, an amused grin tugging at her lips at the sight of Maggie.
"Kendall?" The distinct voice of her younger sister, Bianca Montgomery, asked.
"Bianca? What…it's 5am on a Saturday…my only Saturday off." Kendall pointed out a little bit grumpily. Ever since Ryan got control of Fusion he had gotten on a bit of a high horse, feeling that he could decide when Kendall could or couldn't have days off.
"I know, I'm sorry but I wouldn't have called if it wasn't important." On the other end of the phone, Bianca stood in her mother's apartment fiddling with the telephone cord. Her eyes however were focused on the newspaper that lay sitting on the coffee table. Coffee stains marred the front page, indicating that someone else had read the paper before Bianca and hadn't responded well to what they read.
"True…so what's so important that you had to wake me up at this ungodly hour?" Kendall sat up a little straighter, her back turned to Maggie so she could focus on what her little sister was saying.
"Have you read the morning paper?"
Kendall stared at the phone in confusion for a moment, wondering if Bianca had been sampling a bit of Erica's wine collection.
"Bianca, honey…it's 5am. I'm sleeping in, why would I read the paper when I could be sleeping?" Kendall asked slowly, her tone was the kind that you would use when explaining something to a small child who couldn't comprehend big sentences.
"Then it's probably best that you haven't." Bianca spoke half relieved, half dreading that she would have to break the news to Kendall.
"Bianca, just tell me what it is!" Kendall demanded, her patience running thin given the hour and lack of quality time with Maggie being cut short due to Bianca's phone call.
"We made front page news…only this time, the main story is Maggie and you."
"Wait, you're making no sense Bianca. What are you talking about?" Kendall needed clarification.
"Someone saw Maggie and you on one of you're dates. You two made tabloid fodder."
"Oh god." Kendall whispered, the reality of Bianca's words beginning to sink in.
"It's pretty bad Kendall, what they wrote. I don't think you want Maggie to read it."
"Does Erica…?"
"I think someone read this before me, yes."
"Oh god."
"I've been trying to call Maggie all morning but I can't find her. Do you know where she is?"
Blinking, Kendall nodded even though it was pointless since Bianca couldn't see the movement from the other side of the line.
"Yes, she's here with me. I'll tell her. And Bianca? Thank you." Closing her cell phone, Kendall placed it back on the bureau and let out a shuddering breath. What seemed like a perfect morning had suddenly gone to hell, thanks to yet another reporter.
Knowing she shouldn't put it off any longer, Kendall turned around to face Maggie who was now looking at her, her pillow had been discarded as soon as the conversation had begun.
"What is it?" Maggie asked, concern etched all over her face as she propped herself up by leaning on her arm so she could face Kendall.
Whoever it was on the other line and whatever they had said had shaken Kendall considerably.
Taking a deep breath, Kendall tried her best to stay calm despite the onslaught of emotions she felt after Bianca's bad news.
"We have a problem."
To be continued…