A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I appreciate it. I'm back with an update! I've found that this story gives me a nice little break from Things Change sometimes, and that, in turn, helps me with it. Does that make any sense? Anyway. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Erica exited the elevator and strode into the offices of Fusion. The diva glanced around, and when she spotted her daughters, she immediately headed in their direction.

"Good afternoon."

"Hi, Mom." Bianca stood up from her desk and hugged her mother.

Kendall, who had been sitting by her sister reviewing some ad layouts, followed suit. "Hi, Mom. What are you doing here?"

"I can't simply stop by and see my daughters for no reason other than that?"

Bianca and Kendall glanced at each other and then back at Erica. "No, not really."

Erica rolled her eyes at her daughters' responses before she took a seat next to Bianca's desk. "Fine, we'll have it your way. I have a question and expect an answer to it."

The younger women both sighed and sat back down.

"What's the question?" Kendall asked.

"There is no need for that tone, Kendall." Erica admonished her oldest daughter who rolled her eyes. "Bianca."

"Mom?" Bianca had no idea what her mother would want to ask her.

"Why am I just finding out that you are dating someone?

"What?" It dawned on Bianca that her mother was talking about Marissa. The only place they had been was Krystal's, and there was only one person who could have seen them both times that they were together and would've outed them to Erica. That person happened to be her mother's best gal pal. "Opal."

"What about Opal?"

"I'm not dumb, Mom. Opal saw me with someone and told you. It's good to see that you trust me so much."

Kendall slowly sat back at the icy tone in her little sister's voice. Bianca was pissed. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it was best to stay out of her way. Now, her little sister was calling their mother out and preparing to go toe to toe with her, in Kendall's eyes, Bianca was in the right.

"What are you talking about? Of course I trust you."

"Not from where I'm sitting. If you did, you wouldn't have people spying on me and reporting back to you on my every movement."

"Don't be silly. Your every movement? No."

"Ah, but they are spying on me."

Erica couldn't find a way around her slip. "I love you, sweetheart, and worry about you."

"I love you too, Mom, but you seem to forget that I'm an adult. I'm fully capable of taking care of myself."

"I know that …"

"Do you? Do you really? Because when you have people spying on me, it tells me that you don't really think that. It tells me that you think you could do a better job of running my life. It tells me that you don't really trust me."

"You know that I do, but Reese …"

"I know all about Reese. I have the scars to remind me of her. I don't need you to throw my failed relationship in my face. You wonder why Kendall and I don't talk to you about certain things. It's because of things like this. You have people spy us, and then, you come in demanding answers because you feel that you've been wronged in some way. I know you do it because you care, but you have to back off. You have to let us breathe." Bianca stood up and gathered her things.

"Where are you going?" Erica demanded.

"I have a class tonight. I'm sure you can confirm that with one of your spies at PVU. I wouldn't be surprised you had one in my class. I'll see you tomorrow, Kendall." Bianca started to walk away, but stopped and turned back to face Erica. "Just so you know, I was planning on telling you about her, but we literally just met last night. I thought I'd get to know her a little better myself before I subjected her to an Erica Kane inquisition and have her possibly get scared off. Do me a favor. The next time you see Opal, tell her to butt out. Good night."

/

Erica sat with her mouth agape as the elevator door closed and Bianca disappeared. Kendall didn't say a word. She just sat there and picked up a piece of paper to make it look like she was reading it. If you asked her though, Kendall couldn't be more proud of her sister than she was at that moment.

"Do you agree with her?"

"Huh?"

"Do you agree with Bianca? Am I …"

"Being a little overbearing when it comes to us running our own lives? Yeah, you could say that."

"I wasn't going to say that, Kendall."

"Sorry."

Erica eyed her daughter. "No, you aren't."

"You're right. I'm not." Kendall grinned and put the paper down. "Look, Mom. You know we love you, and we know that you love us. Sometimes though, even though you mean well, you go a little too far, especially with Bianca. Yeah, Reese did a number on her, but Bianca has healed. She's finally let all that go."

"Really?"

Kendall nodded. "Yeah, really. She's happy. I don't know what all Opal's told you about Marissa."

"You've met her?"

"Yes. I met her at Krystal's last night. She seems really nice. Her parents are friends of Krystal's. Marissa is from Devon. She graduated at the top of her class from Harvard and is going to be working at Jack's firm. When Krystal needed help yesterday to deal with the St. Patrick's Day crowd, Marissa jumped right in to help, and she ended up working all day. She and Bianca clicked. Bianca sat at the bar, and the two of them talked all night while Marissa worked. When someone would come up and bother Bianca, Marissa got rid of them. What's best of all is what happened when JR showed up." Kendall saw the disgusted look at the mention of the man's name. "He was hitting on Marissa, but she was not interested in him. It was clear to everyone that she was only interested in Binx. When Bianca tried to help her out, JR went on the attack and started to mock and bully Bianca, like he usually does. Marissa shut him right down. She didn't want to hear anything he was going to say, and told he had to leave."

"She threw him out?"

"Yeah. He then started to threaten her, but she didn't budge. Krystal backed her up and said she would call Adam if he didn't leave."

"I have to admit that I'm impressed by what she did. And you say that Bianca likes her and this Marissa appears to like your sister as well?"

Kendall nodded with a smile. "Yeah, they definitely like each other. Mom, I haven't seen Bianca smile and laugh like that in so long. That spark is back. You saw how she was, how she fought back against you. There's no way Bianca would have done that a few of months ago."

Erica smiled as what Kendall had said sunk in. "And this Marissa, you like her?"

"I do. You know that if I thought for one second that something wasn't right with her, that I didn't trust her, I'd say and do something about it. There's also the fact that Krystal knows her and vouched for her. You know how Krystal feels about Bianca. Plus, she has to have good character for the firm to have hired her."

"I do. I also know how protective you are of your sister. I do reserve judgement, however, until I meet this young woman myself. In the meantime, how can I fix things with Bianca?"

Kendall chuckled. Her mother was going to hate what she was going to say next. "You know as well as I do what you need to do."

Erica sighed. "I have to apologize."

If there was one thing Erica Kane hated more than anything else, it was admitting that she was wrong. Kendall knew this, probably more so than anyone else with the exception of Bianca and Jack, but she also knew that the diva would do anything for her daughters. This included apologizing when she was wrong, and she definitely wrong this time. "Yes, you do. Give her about half an hour to calm down and get to PVU, and then send her a text because she really does have class tonight. Tell her you're sorry and that you'll call her later when she's home. When you do talk to her, arrange to meet up for lunch or dinner. You can have a nice long talk with her then …"

"While I'm eating my serving of crow." Erica finished for her daughter.

Kendall grinned. "Yeah. Look, you know as well as I do that Bianca will tell you about Marissa, eventually. This is all really new for her. They just met yesterday."

"And that's what has me concerned. I don't want her to rush into anything. She's been hurt enough."

"I know. I also know Bianca. Despite what you think, she is not one to rush into anything. If anything, after all that she's been through, she's gun shy, and with good reason. I could still kick Reese's ass for what she did to her."

"That certainly makes two of us. If she knows what is good for her, she will never show her face in this town again, and more importantly, never bother Bianca again."

"After the threat you made to her the last time she was around her, something tells me that she won't be back."

"You should know better, Kendall. That was not a threat. It was a promise, and one I fully intend to keep should she ever darken Bianca's doorstep again."

/

Bianca sighed as she plopped down on the sofa in her apartment. It had been a long day, but she was finally home. Her day did get off to a good start however due to her breakfast date with Marissa. That had helped her, more than she realized, get through her day. After spending time with Marissa, she had a full day at work and then class that evening with no break to speak of in between. If that wasn't enough, she also had the dust up with her mother earlier in the day. Erica did text her an apology and said she would call her later that evening once Bianca was home from class if that was alright with her. Bianca was almost positive that her mother had sent the text and phrased it the way she did instead of storming Pine Valley University's campus seeking her out at Kendall's urging. That would have been embarrassing and brought way too much attention to Bianca. For that, she would have to thank her sister. It was a well-known fact that the youngest Kane woman liked to keep a low profile and shied away from the spotlight, unlike her famous mother and sister. They thrived in it, and while she was no shrinking violet, Bianca didn't go out of her way to seek it out and the attention it brought with it.

The reason behind her approach to celebrity was actually quite simple. Bianca wanted people to like her for her and not because she was part of a famous family. So, she didn't advertise or draw unwanted attention to herself. Bianca had learned that lesson the hard way early on in life. People had befriended her just to capitalize on her family's celebrity and fame. Several times it had ended with them selling stories to the tabloids in an attempt to cash in on their connection. As a result, Bianca ended up getting burned badly. That's actually how she ended up being outed publicly. A supposed friend sold that bit of information to a tabloid after Bianca had confided to her that she was gay. That story had made headlines before Bianca had the chance to talk to some of her family and close friends. Thankfully, she had come out to Erica and Kendall prior to the story's publication. When it did come out, her mother was furious at the tabloid as well as the so-called friend. From that point on, Bianca was careful as to who she let close. That's what made what happened with Reese hurt even more. She had lowered her guard, opened her heart, and was betrayed by someone who claimed to love her.

Now, one would think that would make her jaded, but they would be wrong because it didn't. Even when she had declared to Kendall and Greenlee that she had sworn off love, part of Bianca never really gave up on it. She still had hope that one day she would find a love that would last. Bianca couldn't help but wonder if maybe that day was yesterday, when she met Marissa. She couldn't explain it, but there was just something about the redhead that made Bianca smile and fueled that hope. There was no denying they had shared an instant connection, and she wanted to see if there was more there. If there was, Bianca wanted to see where it could go. She didn't want to rush things though, and she hoped that Marissa would be okay with that pace.

As Bianca sat and pondered where she was currently, her stomach grumbled and reminded her that she hadn't had dinner. With a sigh, the brunette stood up and walked to the kitchen to see what she could throw together. A quick scan of her refrigerator revealed that she in fact had nothing. That's when she remembered that she hadn't been to the grocery store recently. Her big St. Patrick's Day plans had included a trip to the store to stock up. Instead, Kendall had convinced her to go out, not that she was complaining now about that decision because it led her to Marissa. She was pulled from her thoughts by a knock on her door.

Bianca walked over to the door and looked through the peephole. A smile broke out on her face when she saw who was on the other side. After a deep breath, she opened the door. "Hey."

Marissa's smile was just as bright as Bianca's. "Hey yourself. I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"No, not at all. Come on in. I was just thinking about dinner."

"Oh, so you haven't eaten yet?"

"No, and judging by the contents of my refrigerator, or more like the lack thereof, I won't be anytime soon. That is unless I go back out, and I really don't feel like doing that."

"Do you like Chinese?"

Bianca nodded. "Yeah, I do."

"Well, you're in luck! I come bearing Chinese food." Marissa grinned, and she held up a large paper bag.

"Seriously?" Bianca couldn't believe she didn't see the bag when she had let Marissa in. "I couldn't. That's your dinner."

"Yes, you can. I ordered extra. Seriously though, it's been a long day, and I just didn't feel like cooking. I also remembered that you had class tonight and had a feeling that you wouldn't get a chance to eat in between work and class. That can't happen. You need to take care of yourself. Now, I have to admit that I'm doing this for purely selfish reasons."

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "You are, huh? What are they?"

"Well, you can get sick if you don't take care of yourself. If that happens, you might not be up for our date tomorrow, and that would be a tragedy of epic proportions."

Bianca burst out laughing. "Oh really? A tragedy of epic proportions? You don't say?"

"Okay, maybe tragedy isn't the right word, but it would be really bad and make me very sad. It would probably crush me."

"Well, we can't have that, can we now?"

Marissa grinned. "Nope."

Bianca shook her head, clearly amused. The brunette glanced over to her dining table and saw that it was covered with some of her books and other documents she was using to help with research for a paper for her class. She turned back to the redhead. "Are you okay with eating in the living room?"

"Sure. I'm good with whatever works."

"Okay. Make yourself comfortable, and I'll grab some plates and something for us to drink. How does some red wine sound?"

"Sounds perfect." Marissa started to unload the takeout bag and placed the containers on the coffee table.

Bianca returned with plates, napkins, and some utensils before she made another trip to the kitchen for their wine and glasses. While the brunette poured the wine, Marissa opened the various containers and dished everything out after she checked with Bianca as to what she wanted. If anyone had seen the ease and effortlessness in how the couple worked together, they would not have believed they had only known each other for two days.

"Do you want chopsticks?"

"Definitely." Bianca said confidently. She was good at using them. The brunette took a set from Marissa and noted that the other pair was still sitting on the coffee table. "What about you?"

Marissa scrunched her face and sighed. "I'm going to stick with a fork if that's okay. When it comes to using chopsticks, let's just say that it's best for everyone that I don't." The redhead saw the questioning look on Bianca's face and continued. "There was an incident the last time I attempted to use them, and I almost took someone's eye out as a result."

Bianca's first thought was how adorable Marissa looked when she scrunched her face up like she had just done. Her next thought was a cross between confusion and amusement. "Wait. You did what? How? And don't you dare say that you can't tell me because there is no way you can just leave it there."

"Yeah, I figured as much as soon as the words left my mouth. Some friends and I went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner one time. They knew how bad I was at using them, but they wouldn't let up. I mean, they were relentless. So, I finally gave up and said I would use them. I think I got some sauce on my fingers because when I went to use them to pick up some sweet and sour chicken, I lost my grip. One of the chopsticks slipped out of my hand and flew across the table and almost hit one of my friends in the eye. To the surprise of no one, they have never asked me to try them again. Of course, they still tease me about it to this day as only friends will do." Marissa could tell Bianca was doing her utmost not to burst out laughing. "Go ahead. It's alright. You can laugh. My ego was bruised, but I'm over it and can definitely see the humor in it."

The brunette couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Hearing Bianca's laugh was like music to Marissa's ears. She had never heard anything as beautiful, and the redhead promised herself that she would do whatever she could to hear it again and to bring that same joy to Bianca again.

Bianca wiped tears from her eyes as her laughter slowly subsided. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Marissa chuckled. "I get it. I really do. You'd be laughing even harder if you had seen my friend's face. Her eyes bugged out kind of like a cartoon character."

"I can only imagine. You know, I could teach you how use them if you'd like. I'm pretty good with them."

"I think I'm hopeless. A few others have tried and have failed miserably."

"Maybe you've just never had the right teacher."

The couple shared an intense gaze as Bianca's statement seemed to take on another meaning.

Marissa cleared her throat, but her voice was still raspy. "I wouldn't want to hurt you. I'd never forgive myself if I did."

Bianca could see the truth behind those words in the hazel eyes staring back at her. "I believe you. Oh, I have an idea! I'll be right back!"

There was definitely something mischievous in those chocolate eyes, but the redhead didn't have the chance to question it. Bianca had jumped up off the sofa and dashed down the hallway. The brunette returned no more than a minute or two later sporting a huge grin and ski goggles.

As hard as she tried, Marissa wasn't able to hold in her laughter as she gazed at the goofy grin on Bianca's face. "You are adorkable."

"Maybe. But I do have the proper eye protection to teach you."

"Shut up. I'll think about it. Now, please take those off. I miss seeing your eyes."

Bianca blushed and removed the goggles as requested.

"Much better." Marissa said softly.

"Thank you." Bianca bit her lip and then decided to change the subject. "Tell me about your day. You said it was a long one. Why is that?"

"After breakfast, I went back home and unpacked some more before I had to go into the office. Human Resources needed me to sign some papers. I ran into Caleb when I was there. We talked for a little bit. He's going to be my mentor."

"That's great. He seems a little gruff, but underneath it all, he's really sweet. Don't tell him I said that though."

"Your secret is safe with me. While we were talking, I told him that I was anxious to get started. He came up with what I think was a pretty awesome idea. He took me down to the legal aid clinic that the firm supports, and he showed me around. I'm going to spend part of my time working there."

"Really?"

"Yeah. There were so many people there that need legal advice, but they can't afford to go to a big firm. I can help them, and that's why I became a lawyer."

Bianca could see the passion Marissa had for both the law and for helping people in her eyes and also hear it in her voice. "That's wonderful. You'll do great, Counselor. I just know it."

"Thanks! We ended up spending more time there than either of us thought we would. When we were done, I came back home and unpacked some more and ran some errands which helped me get a little more familiar with Pine Valley. I asked around, and most of the people said this was the best Chinese place. We're they right?"

"They were. It's my favorite actually."

Marissa pumped her fist. "Yes!"

Bianca laughed at the redhead's response.

"So, you know about my day. Tell me about yours."

"I have to say that breakfast was definitely the highlight. That is until dinner."

"That's good to hear. The same goes for me. What about the middle?"

"Work was okay. Kendall cornered me and asked me about this morning. She called while I was getting ready to meet you. That's part of the reason I was late."

Marissa raised an eyebrow. "Part of the reason. What was the other part?"

"I was nervous and had a hard time picking out something to wear."

"Well, if you ask me, you definitely picked the right outfit. And for what it's worth, I was really nervous too."

"It's worth a lot, and thank you. Anyway, having met Kendall, I'm sure you have a little bit of an idea of what she's like when she wants to know something. I'll put it like this. She's like your friends, relentless."

"Yeah, I got that impression. What did you tell her?"

"I told her that I had met you for breakfast, and she asked if it was a date. I told her it was. She was happy about that. Kendall likes you. You made a great impression on her, Counselor."

"I'm very happy to hear that, Doc. I like her too, and Greenlee."

"I'm not a doctor."

"Yet. You're not a doctor yet. You will be, and you're going to be a really good one."

Bianca grinned. She couldn't remember the last time someone outside of her family had expressed such faith in her. It was definitely an incredible feeling. "I told her about us going out tomorrow night."

"And what did you tell her about that?"

"Nice try, Counselor, but I'm not telling you."

Marissa scowled playfully. "Fine. You can't blame a girl for trying."

"No, you can't. Anyway, things were going pretty good until …"

"Until?"

"Our Mom showed up, and she was demanding answers."

"About what?"

"You."

"Me?"

"She wanted to know why I hadn't told her about you yet."

"I'm confused. If you hadn't told her about me, then how did she know?"

"Opal told her. As Opal puts it, Mom is her best gal pal. She's also one of the biggest gossips in town. You distracted me so much that I forgot all of that."

"I distracted you that much, huh?" Marissa grinned.

Bianca rolled her eyes. "You're getting awfully cocky, Counselor."

"Sorry, kinda. So, what happened next with your Mom?"

"I lost it and blew up at her. I told I'd had enough. I was tired of her having people spy on me. I told her to tell Opal to butt out and mind her own business. Look, I know my Mom loves me, and I don't know if I could've gotten through what happened with my ex without her and Kendall. It's just that she's so overprotective. Sometimes, it's to the point where I feel like I'm being smothered, and I can't breathe. I want her to realize that I'm adult and perfectly capable of taking care of myself. Yes, I've made mistakes, but who hasn't? Lord knows that she has. It just gets old, and I'm so tired of it. I want her to stop trying to control my life. It's my life after all and not hers."

Marissa simply nodded and listened as Bianca vented her frustration for a few minutes.

Bianca stopped and glanced at Marissa. "I'm sorry. This probably is not the kind of conversation you thought we would be having tonight."

"It's okay. I get it, and I don't mind. If you need to, vent away. I'm more than happy to listen, and hopefully, I can help by doing so."

"I appreciate that. I really do. I'm sure it sounds like I'm a whiny, spoiled little rich girl."

"It doesn't seem like that at all to me. You're probably one of the most down to earth people I know. I do understand where you're coming from to some degree. Devon is a small town, and everybody knows everybody else's business. I couldn't do anything sometimes without my parents finding out about it before I got home. Do you want some advice?"

"Yes, I do."

"Well, the one thing I got from what you were saying is that your Mom loves you, and you love her. That's plain as day. You obviously know her better than I do, but I don't think she's trying to control you. I just think she's trying to protect, but she's going about it the wrong way. Now for the advice. Talk with her. Don't yell even though you may want to and have every right to. Just talk with her. Tell her how you feel. Tell her what you just told me. Eventually, it'll get through to her."

"You're mighty optimistic there, Counselor. Why is that? Personal experience?" Bianca teased lightly.

Marissa paused. "Yeah, you could say that. There's something I should tell you. I should have told you earlier, but I wanted to get to know you a little more before I did. I'll explain everything and answer any questions that you might have. Okay?"

Bianca nodded. She was slightly concerned by what Marissa said. "Okay. What is it?"

"I have a twin sister."

/

A/N: The idea of Marissa having a twin sister in this story just came to me today. Her name will not be Babe, and she will not bear any resemblance to her. Remember, Marissa is Roy and Lydia's biological daughter in this story. I need your help with something though. I'm torn between two names for her. I'm thinking either Melissa (Mel for short) or Fiona (Fi for short). Melissa because parents tend to give twins similar names. As for Fiona, I just kind of like the name. Let me know your thoughts, please. See you soon!