Author's Note: This is PG or something. It has the B word in it. I'm not good with ratings. Another thing that should be known is that since Gwen's maiden name is Bennett and I didn't want to call Vanessa, Vanessa Cortlandt, I called her Bennett as well, so they are the Bennett family in general, because really there is too many last names between all of them. Haha.
"Amor Vincit Omnia"
Disclaimer: I do not own All My Children, it's dialogue, storylines or any of it's characters.
Chapter 2
"You can't stand by your own damn family. I'm not surprised. You were always such a disappointment. Always so worthless." Gwen slurred, stumbling forward a little. Maggie let out a rough laugh.
"How would you know how I am? You're such a sloppy drunk you don't remember you have kids half the time!" Maggie exclaimed only to be immediately slapped in the face.
Maggie jerked her head up in bed. She felt claustrophobic for a moment before realizing the weight keeping her on the bed was Bianca's head on her shoulder. Maggie took a deep breath to slow her racing heart and relaxed back on the bed. The dream scared her, made her heart pump powerfully and as her Mother always did, left her in a cold sweat. She could feel her tank top clinging to her skin and felt her legs kick against the confines of her pajama bottoms. She tried to let her senses reacquaint themselves with Bianca's presence, the sensation of the Egyptian cotton sheets beneath her and the knowledge that everything that mattered to her was right under this roof.
The nightmares of the people she once considered family had started when David came back to town a month ago, claiming he turned over a new leaf and pleading to reenter her life. She had once idolized David as an older brother and even semi-father figure. After he willing abandoned her with the rest of her family she realized he was just like the rest of the Bennetts. Maggie also realized she was no longer one of them. Maggie was a Montgomery-Stone now and the only connection she wished to keep with the doctor was his ex-wife Anna Devane and Anna's nephew, Aiden.
The rest of the hospital staff had begrudgingly accepted David back into the fold, at least where work matters were concerned. Maggie still refused to speak to him. She knew David. She knew how persuasive he could be. He could look her right in the eyes and say all the things she wanted to hear and stab her in the back again. It was how guys like David worked. She tried to warn Anna about him, but Anna still associated with him to "keep an eye on him." Maggie just hoped Anna did not get hurt in the process.
Maggie's heart finally stopped racing as it had been after the dream and she relaxed and tried to hold still and let sleep take her once more.
"Everything ok?" Bianca asked, half awake. Bianca moved in as close as she possibly could, wrapping her body around Maggie, bringing a smile out of her. It seemed Bianca always knew exactly what Maggie needed even when she was sleeping. Maggie wrapped her arms around her and accepted the comfort offered. She pressed a kiss to the semiconscious woman's head.
"Everything's fine baby. Just go back to sleep." Maggie murmured.
"Did you have another nightmare?" Bianca asked. Maggie nearly shuddered at the sensation of Bianca's lips unintentionally brushing against her skin as she spoke.
"Yeah. It's okay though. I just have this feeling... I have this weird feeling something big is coming." Maggie said, vaguely. Bianca lifted her head off of Maggie's shoulder and they locked eyes.
"Hey, you're really tense. Are you sure you're ok? Everything is totally fine. You're safe. I'm here and I won't let anything hurt you." Bianca said reassuringly. She reached up and cupped Maggie's face. Maggie leaned into the touch. "You're my everything. You and the girls are my everything."
"I know. I just don't want to go back to sleep." Maggie admitted. Bianca looked around the room and sat up a little, letting herself wake up.
"You're off work tomorrow?" Bianca asked.
"Yeah. I may get called in, but only if the on call doctors are incapacitated." Maggie said plainly.
"Well, in that case, I feel a bad 80's movie night coming on." Bianca said, flashing a mischievous smile. This caused Maggie to sit up as well, a grin spreading across her face.
"You're serious? Right now?" Maggie asked. Bianca nodded rapidly, sharing a laugh with her wife. Maggie just shook her head.
"You get the movies and I'll get the junk food." Bianca said, getting out of bed.
"Junk food too?" Maggie asked, taking the hand Bianca extended to get out of bed.
"Oh it's a must." Bianca said, with a straight face, before tossing her wife a wink.
"Whatever you say my love."
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"Josh." Erica let out a dramatic sigh. She did not like when she was not the center of
attention, but more than that she could not stand her children blatantly ignoring her. Josh stopped by at nine o' clock at night when Erica asked he come by at seven. Now it was two in the morning and she was still trying to get him to talk to her instead of watching television.
"Josh, I have been planning this dinner party for such a long time. Would it really kill you to just come over and spend a few hours with your family?"
"I have been trying to get this date with Amanda for a really long time too." Josh said, not looking his mother in the eye.
"I thought you said her name was Debbie." Erica said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms. Josh looked pensive a moment.
"Ok, you're right. I have wanted to go out with Debbie forever." Josh said. "She has nice... eyes." Josh continued with a smirk. Erica rolled her eyes at his attitude.
"Josh, when is the last time I asked you for anything? I have been trying my best to be respectful of your space lately. Even today when one of my chefs hurt his hand, I knew you were only a few miles away, but I did not bother you. I called the other doctor in our family and Maggie had to come all the way out here, just because I respect your privacy and freedom so much. Couldn't you please do this one thing for me? Can't you spend just one night with your family?" Erica pleaded, fixing a stare on her son. He tried to avoid her gaze, but she would not let him out of the house without hearing her out. Finally his shoulders sagged and he made eye contact.
"I guess I could make the effort. I know you would just talk about me if I wasn't there anyway." Josh said with a shrug.
"Thank you Josh." Erica said with a sigh of relief upon getting her way.
"I'm doing this for me, because I miss my siblings and nieces and nephews, so don't think your little guilt trip worked." Josh said wagging a finger at her. "Besides you and I both know you would have called Maggie anyway. She's your right hand lackey."
"She is not my lackey." Erica scoffed. Josh just laughed at her.
"At business parties you introduce her as your personal physician." Josh said. He turned to the side a bit and checked himself out in the mirror on the end table as Erica continued talking.
"Well, Jack is my personal attorney and Maggie is my personal doctor. If you have a
personal attorney and not a doctor, people just think you get sued all the time. It is not good for business and for heaven sakes Josh, what are you doing?" Erica asked, looking between him and his reflection.
"Just looking in the mirror. Why Erica, don't you think I look nice?" Josh asked. Erica winced at the use of her first name but quickly recovered.
"Of course. You're a Kane. I just don't see why your appearance matters so much at this hour of the night." Erica said.
"Says the woman still in full make up." Josh retorted. He made a final adjustment to his hair and headed for the door. "Anyway, I have plans."
"What plans?" Erica asked trailing behind him.
"Speaking of Maggie..." Josh said with an exaggerated sigh.
"We weren't talking about Maggie anymore, we changed the subject." Erica said. Josh still attempted to change the subject back to Maggie.
"I stopped at this market just outside of town and saw her there. She totally ignored me when I yelled hi." Josh complained. Erica shook her head in confusion.
"When does she have time to be at supermarkets outside of town? Anytime she isn't working she is at home." Erica said.
"Well she was there at seven." Josh said.
"No she wasn't. She was here at seven." Erica said shaking her head. Josh just shrugged.
"Well, you know they say everyone has a twin." Josh said. A look of disgust crossed Erica's face.
"She actually does. Did you know that?" Erica asked. Josh shook his head no.
"If I never see that little witch she calls a twin again it will be too soon." Erica snapped.
"Whatever you say Erica." Josh said. Without waiting for her to respond, he moved quickly to the front door. A hasty exit was needed.
Erica was too distracted to care. She found herself still fuming at the mere mention of Frankie Stone. 'I should have slapped her senseless when she had the chance.' Erica thought as the last night she saw Frankie Stone came to mind.
She would do everything in her power to prevent that little b**** from ever coming near Bianca and Maggie again. Never again would she let Frankie Stone hurt these two women.
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10 years ago...
"Please try to listen to me." Erica said, she took a breath and paused trying to regain control of this conversation. Everything was falling apart and it was all Frankie Stone's fault.
'All of this is just Frankie's fault. Just like always.' Erica thought ruefully. It was Frankie's fault that Bianca got to live out this lifestyle of hers. It was Frankie's fault that her relationship with her daughter was falling apart. It was Frankie's fault that right now they were having an argument about whether Erica ever really loved the most important person in the world to her. Her Bianca. Her baby.
It all started a few hours earlier when Erica headed home from the Valley Inn in a horrible mood. The party she had just come from was dreadful and Erica was ashamed for it to be called an Enchantment party. It was incredibly boring and half empty. Erica wondered if Leo remembered to mail all the invitations, but that would require him and a third of her staff to show up, which they did not. Even Maggie Stone, who spent a week and a half camped outside the Enchantment offices begging for "any kind of job" did not show up.
Needless to say Erica was already in a bad mood when they hit a barricade of police cars. There was a robbery in progress and until they could assess the situation no cars were allowed through. So there Erica sat when she saw a figure climb out of the back window of the building the police just entered. She alerted her driver to go get the police and found the pepper spray in her purse. When she saw the person illuminated under a streetlight, she got out of the car to make sure her eyes were not playing tricks on her, but there she was clear as day. Frankie Stone running away with a bag of loot.
She was only a few feet away. Erica could have approached her and attacked her, but she did not want to upset Bianca anymore than she had to. Only a short time later the police informed her whoever was in the building stole various items, cash, and vandalized a picture of Erica in an incredibly lewd manner. It was at that point Erica informed them who their prime suspect was. The only problem was telling Bianca.
Bianca insisted Erica fabricated the charges to keep her and Frankie apart. Bianca was sure her girlfriend was not capable of those things. That led to the argument that was now still going on at a little after four in the morning. The argument Erica Kane never thought she would have. How could anyone ever think she did not love her daughter? Especially her own daughter.
"You have begged me to try and understand you." Erica started. "I am trying, believe me I am trying and I have told you many times I don't understand how you could have the same feelings about a woman that I have about a man." Bianca scoffed at her mother's statement and stopped her before she could go on.
"Spare me your tolerance mother. You never understand. You know what I understand? I love Frankie and she loves me." Bianca stated boldly. Erica stood shocked by the statement.
"She told you? She told you that she loves you?" Erica asked. She could not believe that she would. That little thief was just not capable.
"Well... no. She hasn't said those exact words, but the way she treats- the way she talks to me. She is sweet and wonderful. She makes me feel like anything is possible and that is why I am in love with her and she feels the same way. She does, I know it. She's the only one who does."
Erica was about to respond when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Barely a moment later the knock was followed by several more knocks, almost without pause.
Bianca and Erica exchanged a look before Erica spoke. "Just tell whoever it is, we're busy and we'll talk to them tomorrow." Erica said.
Bianca nodded, composing herself and wiping her tears away before opening the door. Erica's heart ached at the motion, but she wiped her own tears just in case.
Bianca opened the door and Maggie rushed through the threshold almost immediately. She seemed dazed and disheveled and her face was flushed. Erica had never seen Maggie so emotional, but she was too preoccupied with her situation with Bianca to care much.
"Maggie? What?" Bianca left the question open.
"I was outside for hours. I'm sorry. I just had nowhere else to go." Maggie said. She spoke as if she was in some kind of a trance. Erica took this time to watch Bianca. She could see Bianca had already forgot they were in the middle of an argument and was wrapped up in the world of one of the Stone twins.
"Maggie, what happened? What's wrong?" Bianca touched her arm in an effort to gain her attention, but Maggie was unresponsive. "Maggie?" Bianca tried again.
"I... They're gone. They're all gone." Maggie said as if she could not quite believe her own words.
"Who's gone? Where?" Bianca asked, trying to make sense of the situation.
"I'm sorry Maggie, but Bianca and I were in the middle of something." Erica stated. Bianca shot Erica a glare.
"Mom? Don't." Bianca ordered, before turning her attention back to Maggie.
"My family. No, not my family. I'm not their family anymore. Leo, David, Ben, Mom, Frankie, Aunt Vanessa." Maggie rattled off the list. "All gone."
"Gone where?" Bianca whispered.
Erica's heart ached at the note of fear in her daughter's voice. However, Erica remained hopeful that Bianca's relationship with Frankie was just a small crush that would fade with time. She was also hopeful that most of Pine Valley's most wanted was on their way out. Still, Erica
was afraid for her softhearted daughter. Afraid of how much more disappointment she could take in her young life. She wanted the Bennett family gone from Pine Valley, but not at the expense of her daughter's heart.
"They didn't mention it." Maggie said sadly, regaining Erica's attention. "They're all gone now though. All the money, all the food, all our possessions are gone now. Now it's just me. It's just me and my books." Maggie laughed bitterly.
"Maggie, you're not making any sense." Bianca said. Erica noticed Bianca wavering and became concerned. Bianca was prone to fainting, but was also determined to find out what happened to her 'beloved.'
"They're gone. They left. They finally decided to blow this popsicle stand." Maggie snapped. "They left. They're going off to be all they can be or rather steal all they can steal."
"Everyone? Frankie?" Bianca asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"Frankie goes where her Mommy goes, B. You should know that by now. I'm sorry. I really am sorry." Maggie said, noticing the look on Bianca's face. She shook her head suddenly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for this. I shouldn't have come here. I should go."
Bianca grabbed Maggie by the shoulders, holding her in place.
"I- I don't. I just... You shouldn't have to see me right now. I mean Frankie just left you. I look just like her. It probably hurts you to see me. I don't want you to hurt because of me. Bianca, you shouldn't have to look at me." Maggie said, looking at her shoes.
Erica was surprised at Maggie's statement. Her whole world was falling apart and she was concerned about Bianca's feelings. Erica was pleased to know her instincts about Maggie were correct; she was different from her family and Erica had always liked her despite her best attempt not to.
"Hey." Bianca said. She put her finger under Maggie's chin and tilted her face up until Maggie finally looked in her eyes. "You and I are friends no matter what." Bianca smiled at her and Maggie managed a small smile in return.
"What would I do without you?" Maggie said weakly. Bianca sighed in relief.
"Now you said they took all your money and possessions?" Bianca asked. Maggie nodded.
"I think they were pretty sure I was gonna go with them. No matter how many times I said no. At least I think my cousins and my aunt thought that. I'm not so sure about my Mom and Frankie. Anyway, they grabbed what they wanted to keep and hocked everything else. They stopped paying the bills on our apartment. I just thought they were all talk. I didn't think they would go through with it." Maggie said, tears finally spilling over. "I didn't think they
would actually just go off to hurt people, to ruin people's lives, to steal from them."
"I can't believe..." Bianca started and stopped.
Erica could see the disbelief in Bianca's expression but she herself knew this day would come. Bianca had only lived in Pine Valley for a few years before her father got custody of her. She knew nothing about the Bennetts, Stones and DuPres, the things they had done and were capable of. It was Bianca's bad luck to be swept off her feet by Frankie the instant she returned. Even Erica had to admit, the Stones had plenty of charm, they always knew what to say and do and they had used that to their fullest advantage. Bianca was blinded by them, unable to see them for what they really were.
"I can't believe they would just leave you all alone like that." Bianca finally said.
"My Mother knows I can take care of myself." Maggie said quietly. "Or I could. I could at one point. I just don't know what to do right now."
"You'll stay here." Erica spoke up.
Maggie and Bianca looked at her with surprised expressions. She was sure they forgot she was still in the room.
"Erica- Ms. Kane, you don't have to." Maggie said.
Erica waved her hands in dismissal. "Nonsense. You will stay here. I will not stand by and let a child sleep in the streets."
"I'm not a child." Maggie stated. It was not particularly angrily, just stating a fact.
"You're in high school. You're also my daughter's friend. I watched you grow up Maggie and if you are expecting me to turn you away now, I'm afraid you're mistaken." Erica said, confidently. An expression crossed Bianca's face and Erica could have sworn it was pride.
"You can stay in the guest room." Erica said. She grabbed some sheets from the hall
closet and led the way to the guest room. She heard Bianca gently coax Maggie to follow her and Erica began to set up the room. She turned and saw Maggie standing awkwardly in the
doorway.
"Well, come on." Erica patted the bed.
Maggie somewhat hesitantly crawled towards the middle of the big bed and wrapped her arms around herself, her tiredness showing her in her face. Bianca climbed on one side, wrapping her arms around Maggie and held on tightly. For a minute, Erica was worried at the closeness she was seeing between her daughter and another woman but she quickly pushed the thought aside. Maggie needed comfort and they were going to give it to her the best they could.
Erica sat on the other end of the bed and reached to stroke Maggie's hair soothingly, "Don't worry, you're safe now. We'll take care of you."
Silently she cursed, 'God damn you, Frankie Stone.'
