Note: Hi fellow Minxaholics I guess we're all a little worried about this Eden Riegel news for the AMC reboot, I loved her in the original and hate that PP are making me feel torn….Ela there's nothing to be bloody torn about Minx is CBL and SG…ok Muse ok calm down….PP stands for Pompous Prats…Muse please….well they are what the hell they doing messing with the magic of Minx?…Smartie time Muse….give me the darn box one ain't gonna work tonight…sure have at it! Folks this be chapter ten please enjoy ;-)
Chapter Ten
Marissa was sound asleep her head resting upon Bianca's lap when her Blackberry began to ring rousing her from a lovely dream. She opened her eyes when Bianca shifted to reach for the device. The brunette's face registered alarm.
"Oh no, it's Scott."
Marissa came fully awake at the words.
"Since when did Scott calling me get that kind of reaction?"
A guilty embarrassed expression settled on the brunette's face.
"Since I forgot he and your colleagues were planning to surprise you in ConFusion this evening with a leaving party."
Marissa pursed her lips in an attempt to show displeasure but her eyes twinkled with mirth, Bianca smacked her playfully.
"Sweetie this is not good, they've all been down there waiting for you."
The lawyer smiled.
"It's not life and death baby, so I missed my own leaving do, it happens."
"You could go now, they're all probably still there."
Marissa reached for her Blackberry that was still ringing and answered it putting it on speaker.
"Hi Red what happened to our drinks at 6?"
Scott Chandler's chirpy voice filled the Great Room making Bianca cringe and Marissa sigh; Bianca had not been the only one to forget about plans with Scott.
"Scott I'm so sorry I forgot all about it."
"You sound half asleep, did I wake you?"
"Emm sort of."
"Oh please don't tell me I'm interrupting the love hour."
Bianca smirked at her blushing lover, her own discomfort forgotten.
"Hi Scott do you really think she would have answered the call if it was that hour?"
There was a groan from the other end of the phone that had both women smiling.
"Whoops sorry. Hi Bianca. I was wondering if I should wait any longer or just call it a night."
Marissa was too comfortable to consider moving even with brown eyes imploring her to.
"Sorry you'll have to call it a night I'm too comfy to go anywhere else but bed."
Scott groaned again making Bianca laugh.
"She meant to sleep Scott and I'm so sorry I forgot about this evenings arrangements."
"Hey no worries Kendall dropped in and told us about Miranda, hope she's okay. Oh and I knew Red meant sleep, my groan was for a wasted opportunity, it's going to cost me to get another night out. You've no idea what it's like having two girls to please."
The couple both smirked.
"Yeah we do, we have four."
Scott laughed.
"Good point, okay we'll take a rain check. Have a good evening ladies."
"You too buddy and apologise to everyone for me, I truly had no idea."
"Will do. I'm not sure Reg will accept it though, the man looks about ready to scream. I'm thinking things didn't end so well in MATTER there's a couple of obvious faces missing"
Bianca looked at her lover pointedly but Marissa ignored it.
"Tell Reggie I'll call him, now go enjoy your evening. Night Scott."
"You too. Bye."
The call disconnected and Marissa stretched out before sitting up. Bianca watched and waited but it seemed the lawyer wasn't ready to discuss her day.
"My turn to check Mimo. I could probably put the munchkin down too."
"Marissa…."
"Please baby I don't want to get into this now. I promise I will talk to you but not right now, I want to relax and enjoy my evening."
The couple looked at each other in silence, Marissa's eyes pleading and Bianca's worrying. The brunette give a minimal nod deciding it better to respect her lover's wishes.
"Lydia will fight bedtime. It's Friday and she likes to think that means she can stay up late even when her little eyes are telling her otherwise."
Marissa smiled, a mixture of relief and mischievousness spreading across her beautiful face.
"Takes after her Mom."
Bianca looked indignant.
"I do not fight sleep."
The redhead leaned back for a kiss before jumping to her feet.
"Sure you do, especially for the love hour."
Bianca pouted.
"That's different."
Marissa laughed.
"Now you sound like Gabby. Do you want anything from the kitchen?"
"No thanks."
"Be back in five."
/
Gabrielle's question had created several more within Chloe's frantic mind; what exactly did girlfriend mean? Was it just a friend that is a girl or was it everything Chloe would dearly love it to mean? And what did it mean that Miranda's friends weren't nice? Which friends was Gabrielle referring to? Chloe knew all of the brunette's circle some of them were her own friends. Why would Gabrielle not like them? Before Chloe could answer Gabrielle's quiet question or pose several of her own a voice interrupted their conversation.
"Hey are you guys done yet? We're putting on a movie cause someone is getting grumpy tired."
Miranda entered the kitchen with Lydia clinging to her leg.
"Am not tioud I wana hug."
The little girl's bottom lip was threatening to wobble.
"Lydia I can't lift you with my wrist in a wrap."
Lydia did not like the answer; tall people were for lifting her.
"How about I lift you?"
Chloe crossed to the doorway holding her hands out to the tired little girl. Lydia looked up at her in fascination.
"You won't dwop me?"
The blonde smiled.
"I promise to try not to."
Lydia stepped across to those waiting arms, her head dropping upon Chloe's shoulder when she was safely ensconced in the blonde's arm.
"Softy."
Chloe grinned at a teasing Miranda.
"Like you wouldn't be doing this if your arm was okay."
Miranda chuckled.
"Ok yeah I would. Come on let's get you onto the couch before the weight gets too much."
"Can I choose the movie?"
Gabrielle followed the trio to the den forgetting all about her question and deciding there was no better way to cheer up than watch a movie.
"Sure Gabby but no rabbit ones."
Chloe settled herself beside Miranda on the large comfy couch, little Lydia turned in her arms and slid down so that she was cuddled between the two teenagers. The blonde looked to Miranda in question
"Rabbits?"
Miranda eyed the little girl snuggled between them.
"Doesn't like them, it's a teeth thing."
Gabrielle selected a movie from the menu on screen then settled back into one of the recliners with a contented smile.
"Yeah so no rabbits right Lydia?"
"Wight."
Chloe sat there with the three sisters watching as the movie credits began to roll.
"Hey what y'all watching?"
Marissa's voice was low as she crept in to check on Miranda. The teenager give a now familiar eye roll.
"Ma I'm fine."
"Just checking. How's the munchkin?"
"I'm not tioud."
Lydia's slurred voice said otherwise.
"You sure you don't want to come cuddle with Mom and I?"
Lydia shook her head.
"We watching Shity Shity Bang Bang."
Chloe's face crinkled at the innocent words, her giggle threatening to escape. Marissa grinned at her knowingly.
"That's one of your Mom's favourites."
Gabrielle swung up off the recliner.
"I'll go get Mom too. We can all watch."
Marissa sank into the second recliner wondering if her youngest would come join her but Lydia made no notion of moving. Gabrielle came back and looked from her recliner to Marissa's, Bianca came in and looked at her middle daughter in question.
"Aren't you going to sit down sweetheart?"
Gabrielle smiled.
"You can have my seat Mom."
Bianca bent a kiss to her daughter's forehead.
"No thanks you go have it, I've got the perfect seat right here."
The brunette slid down onto Marissa's lap, the redhead manoeuvring so that both could sit comfortably whilst also snuggling.
"Perfect."
Marissa grinned into chestnut locks.
"My thoughts exactly."
"Husshh it's stawting."
Lydia had the final say as she too began to snuggle between her big sister and her new favourite hugger Chloe. The shy blonde looked around the room at the happy family part of her feeling like an intruder, the other part hoping that maybe one day when she wasn't so scared and wasn't so shy that she might find the courage to ask Miranda if maybe they could do something like this together.
/
Hours later Miranda Montgomery was a bundle of nervous, her stomach felt like a washing machine that was reaching its spin cycle. She was in her bathroom trying to change into her PJ's but the activity was proving difficult with her arm still strapped. Plus she couldn't focus not when her memory was flooded with images of Chloe beginning to change out in the bedroom. The blonde was so calm and cool about it all, she didn't even blink when Miranda handed her a spare pair of PJ's and a toothbrush; in fact if anything Chloe looked like she was in a daze and she was doing everything almost automatically. Miranda wished she could do the same but instead she was hiding in the bathroom unsure how she was going to pull this all off without blurting out her feelings. Frustration set in and Miranda yanked at the strap around her neck; the material pushed against her tender wrist eliciting a yelp of pain that brought tears to her eyes.
Miranda was taking deep breaths trying to will both the pain and tears away when she heard the faint knock upon the bathroom door. Her young heart seemed to still in her chest, even her breathing had faltered to a stop.
"M are you okay in there?"
The young brunette tried to respond, to say something, anything that would make Chloe move away from the door but it seemed she had lost control of her vocal cords.
"M? Is something wrong? Should I get your parents?"
Miranda opened her mouth to speak but what was there to say? She couldn't lie and tell Chloe that things were fine when they weren't and she couldn't very tell her friend the truth. The door handle turned.
"M don't be mad at me but I'm coming in, I need to know you're okay?"
Chloe's face edged round the thick door, her blue eyes full of worry as she stared in at her mute friend. Miranda stood there fully dressed, a lone tear making its way down her pale cheek. When the blonde stepped forward Miranda almost lost the will to remain standing. Chloe reached out steadying her pale friend.
"I think you need to sit down."
Miranda thought that thinking might be beyond her especially when she was presented with the sight of Chloe Maguire in her pink touchdown pyjama bottoms and white sleep tank. It took her several seconds to train her eyes not to look anywhere but at Chloe's face. And that wasn't helping much because the blonde had that cutesy frown that always made Miranda want to reach out and touch her lips. Oh God.
"M you're really really pale I think I should go get your Mom."
The words found their way through the fog in Miranda's mind; if she was pale then her mother would worry which would mean more than just the regular two hour checks she was currently having to endure.
"No! No don't do that."
/
Marissa tucked her sleeping daughter in and placed a tender kiss upon Lydia's forehead. Across the room Gabrielle had yet to get into bed, she had been stalling since they had all come upstairs fifteen minutes ago, first with brushing her teeth, then changing and now it was rearranging the dolls that sat next to the bed in a large antique rocker. Marissa got up and crossed the room to the anxious ten year old putting gentle hands upon Gabrielle's shoulders and turning her towards the bed.
"Come on Gabby it's time you were dreaming Barbie dreams."
Gabrielle give a reluctant sigh before climbing in and letting Marissa pull up the covers. The redhead sat down on the bedside and stared down into deep brown eyes.
"So what is tonight's question?"
The young girl wrinkled her nose in thought before shaking her head slowly.
"I don't have one."
There were two reasons why Gabrielle Montgomery would break her night time ritual of asking a question, one if she was too tired and two if something was troubling her. Brown eyes were too bright for it to be tiredness so Marissa knew it had to be the latter.
"Ok then how about I ask a question?"
Gabrielle bit her lip telling Marissa for sure that something was wrong.
"Umm ok."
"Would you mind if I come swimming with you tomorrow?"
The young girl's face broke into a happy smile.
"Sure Ma that would be cool. We can have a race."
"Yes we can but Lydia will probably win."
Gabrielle giggled. Little Lydia Montgomery had mastered the art of distracting her family members while she splashed away from them.
"Yeah probably."
Marissa kissed Gabrielle's forehead.
"You go to sleep honey and dream happy dreams because tomorrow is a new day with new fun to be had."
The girl closed her eyes, a smile climbing upon her young face.
"Goodnight Ma."
"Night honey."
/
Bianca was downstairs in the kitchen pouring a cup of cocoa when Marissa joined her.
"Ok there is definitely something going on with Gabby. She didn't have a question for me, she always has a question."
The brunette sat the mug of cocoa on the table next to her frazzled lover and made to pour another.
"We'll talk to her tomorrow."
Marissa stared up at her lover.
"So it's not just me?"
Bianca shook her head.
"No it's not and it obviously has nothing to do with being shy around Chloe because she was fine with her when they were saying goodnight. It must be that teacher."
The redhead's face hardened.
"No one bullies my girls and gets away with it."