Any dialogue inside arrows is French translated to English.

Disclaimer-All AMC characters are the property of ABC and the Disney Company. No harm is intended, this work of fiction is solely for reading enjoyment. Rating for this chapter drops back to PG-13 for some mild adult content and language.

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Missy, you know I love you...

Paris, France

Summer, 2005

Chapter 12 - Kendall's Timing Sucks

"Maggie. Maggie! Wake up!"

Maggie stirred, digging her head deeper under her pillow. The hand on her shoulder shaking her insistently, while warm and soft and attached to the delectable body of one Bianca Montgomery, was starting to piss her off a bit. "Dammit, Bianca," she mumbled, finally emerging into the morning light, "What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

"Ha, you wish," Bianca snapped. "Get up, we're supposed to pick Kendall up at the airport in an hour." She gave Maggie one more shake. "Besides, if I was trying to kill you with sex, you'd be dead by now."

"Mmm, but what a way to go," Maggie replied, watching as Bianca slid from the bed- clad only in Maggie's Rangers jersey- and headed for the bathroom. "Okay, now I get the whole jersey thing..."

"Stop staring at my ass," Bianca admonished, never turning to look at Maggie.

Maggie grinned, her eyes not once straying from their view until the door to the bathroom was shut. She sat for a moment, staring at the closed door, hoping Bianca would change her mind and return. Suddenly, Maggie smacked herself in the forehead. "Shit! I missed my morning run again!"

They made it to de Gaulle Airport just as Kendall's plane was landing at the private flights terminal. She had come on the Enchantment Jet because, even though they are business rivals, Erica would never keep her daughter from finding happiness. And if that happiness was away from Ethan and near where Kendall could report back on what was going on in Bianca's life, well, then, so much the better.

Kendall exited the jetway and saw Bianca, Maggie and Miranda waiting for her. Miranda was sitting happily in her stroller, clapping her hands and grinning at her Auntie Kendall. Bianca and Maggie were talking softly, heads close together, and they were holding hands and laughing. They looked extraordinarily happy.

I guess being in love and having incredible sex has been good for Binks, Kendall thought with a smile. Then she rolled her eyes. Well, duh, Hart. Especially the incredible sex part... "Hi, guys," she called as she approached.

Maggie smiled. "Hi, Ken-."

"Kendall!" Bianca exclaimed, dropping Maggie's hand and rushing to give her big sister a hug.

"Huh," Maggie muttered, looking down at her hand, wondering when it became the approximation of a hot potato. Then she saw the porter who had followed Kendall up the jetway, pulling her bags on a trolley. "Holy crap!"

Kendall and Bianca pulled apart at Maggie's exclamation and followed the direction of Maggie's gaze, taking in the mountain of luggage on the trolley. Bianca's eyes nearly bugged out of her head, but Kendall seemed to be honestly confused by Maggie's reaction.

"What?" the curly haired beauty asked.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Only Maggie seemed to notice the porter who had pulled the trolley up to the door had then quickly disappeared.

"Why?"

Maggie rolled her eyes. "Never mind." Then she grinned mischievously. "Just be prepared for anything."

At the car, Bianca and Kendall were fussing over Miranda, holding and chattering to the little girl, so Maggie was left to deal with the bags on her own. She popped the trunk on the Mercedes then started hauling the designer luggage into the cavernous space.

"Damn," she muttered, nearly dropping one suitcase on her foot. "This one must have a year's supply of Fusion cosmetics in it." Somehow she managed to lift the bag and drop it into the trunk. The car shuddered under the weight. Two smaller, but still heavy, bags followed it. "No, that's okay," she said to the other two women who where still chatting and cooing over the baby, and paying absolutely no attention to her, "I got it. Don't worry about it. No, no, I'll take care of it." When she managed to finally get the last suitcase into the trunk, the weighted thing almost pulled her in on top of it. Maggie scrambled to her feet quickly then noticed neither Bianca nor Kendall had never once looked her way. "No, I'm fine," she informed them, despite their complete lack of attention. "Don't worry about me."

Hearing the trunk slam shut made Bianca look up. "Maggie? Do you need any help?"

"Get in the car," the blonde growled, sliding behind the wheel.

"What?" Bianca asked, bewildered. "What?!" She traded a look with Kendall, finally shrugging her shoulders at her sister. "Maggie," she whispered, as if that answered everything.

Kendall rolled her eyes. "You're like an old married couple already," she cracked, climbing into the back seat. "Who does the farting and scratching?"

"She does," Bianca and Maggie answered simultaneously.

When they arrived back at the apartment, Maggie parked the car, popped the trunk open, got Miranda out of the backseat and went upstairs, leaving Bianca and Kendall to deal with hauling in the luggage. Hey, it was only fair...

"Thanks for the help, Mags," Bianca snapped as they dragged the last bag into the entry hall.

"No sweat," Maggie retorted, moving for the den so she could put Miranda down on a blanket to play with some toys.

"Bite me," was Bianca's waspish reply as she and her sister followed after Maggie and the baby.

Finally, Maggie grinned. "No, because you seem to really like it when I do."

"Maggie!" Bianca turned three shades of red, motioning with her head to Kendall.

Kendall rolled her eyes. "Please," she said with a wave of her hand, "I am an adult, you know." She took a seat on the sofa and smiled smugly. "I think I know what's been going on here."

That made Maggie grin evilly. "I don't think you know what's been going on there," she said, pointing at the place where Kendall had seated herself.

Kendall gave her a curious look then it dawned on her. "Oh, gawd!" Like a fire had just been lit under her, she leapt off the sofa and moved to the over-stuffed chair and a half.

"And there," Maggie informed her.

Kendall jumped to her feet and headed for the doorway. "I'm going to my room."

"Or there," Bianca said softly, blushing a soft shade of pink.

Kendall spun around. "Is there one piece of furniture in this house you haven't had sex on?"

"You might want to stay in Erica's room," Maggie suggested.

Kendall screamed and headed upstairs. Miranda continued to nap on her blanket. Bianca smacked Maggie on the back of the head. Maggie just laughed.

Before Bianca could exit the room in search of her sister, though, Maggie caught her by the wrist, hauled her down on the sofa and kissed her. Bianca made a token effort to fight her off, but they both knew it wouldn't last long. That's where Kendall found them an hour later after she had unpacked some of her things. Still wrapped up in each other on the sofa, making out. They never even looked up when she entered the room.

"What are you, bunnies?" she groaned. "I'll tell Mother if you don't stop."

Invoking Erica's name was the equivalent of an ice bath and Bianca scrambled to her feet. The last thing she wanted was her mother on a plane to Paris, too…

They were all sitting on the balcony, enjoying a light snack and some wine as they talked. The afternoon was perfect, the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing through the trees along the street below. Only a few cotton candy clouds floated across the brilliant blue sky above.

"So, Kendall," Maggie said, sipping her wine. "When do we get to meet your mystery man?"

"Well, first of all, his name's Jean-Paul. Jean-Paul Abrami," Kendall replied with a small smile. "He wants to take us all to dinner tonight. Is that okay?"

Bianca exchanged knowing glances with Maggie. "I think we can swing that," she said with a smile. She knew Kendall was nervous and excited about them meeting Jean-Paul. "Martine was coming to watch Miranda anyway."

"He'll be here around eight."

"We'll be ready," Maggie assured her with a little smirk.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Kendall murmured. "There will be no necking, no goo-goo eyes and no innuendo, or you're both dead. You got that?"

"Got it."

"Sure."

Maggie glanced at Bianca and saw the brunette looking back at her. She smiled. Bianca smiled back. Man, I want to kiss her right now, Maggie thought, starting to lean in. Bianca was leaning in, as well.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Kendall shouted, startling the other two apart. "NO NECKING! NO GOO-GOO EYES!"

There was a knock at the door a little after eight that evening and Kendall almost shrieked in surprise as her nerves got the better of her. She looked pleadingly at her sister.

"Okay, okay," Bianca said, taking pity on Kendall. "I'll get it."

With Maggie and Kendall right behind her, Bianca went to answer the door. When she swung it open, both she and Maggie were dumbstruck. Kendall grinned like a schoolgirl with her first crush.

There stood six feet two inches of devastatingly handsome Frenchman. Coal black hair, bright emerald green eyes beneath straight black eyebrows, olive complexion, shoulders a mile wide, a blindingly white smile and a set of dimples deeper than the ocean.

Holy crap, Bianca thought.

Jeezy Creezy, Maggie thought.

"Hi," Bianca said in greeting, reaching out a hand in introduction. "You must be Jean-Paul. I'm Kendall's sister, Bianca Montgomery, and this is my- this is Maggie Stone."

"Hi," Maggie said with a smile, holding out her hand to Jean-Paul, "I'm Bianca's partner, Maggie." Bianca's head snapped around at Maggie's words. "It's nice to meet you."

"Bianca, Maggie," Jean-Paul replied in a beautifully accented voice, accepting Maggie's hand and shaking it gently. "It's my pleasure."

"Please, come in."

"Merci." His eyes found Kendall. "Bon soire, Kendall."

Kendall blushed. "Bonne soire, Jean-Paul..."

While Kendall led Jean-Paul into the living room, Maggie looked at Bianca, who hadn't moved a muscle for well over a minute. The blonde gave her a 'what?' look, hoping she'd say something.

For Bianca's part, Maggie's words kept echoing in her head, introducing herself as her partner. "My 'partner'?" she managed to ask.

Maggie just grinned at her. "What? Too soon?"

"More like 'finally'."

"Well, I thought 'girlfriend' was too generic and 'lover' was probably a little more info than you wanted to give out." Maggie shrugged a shoulder. "Besides, we are, you know. Partners. We have been for a long time, though maybe not in that sense of the word."

"Have I told you today that I love you?"

Maggie grinned. "A couple times, I think. But a girl never gets tired of hearing it."

Bianca moved closer and kissed Maggie tenderly. "I love you, Mags."

"I love you, too, Binks."

"Stop it," Kendall's voice gently floated out to them.

Holding back giggles, the girls joined Kendall and Jean-Paul in the living room. Bianca smiled when she saw her sister and friend sitting on the sofa, talking softly. He certainly seemed as taken with Kendall as she was with him.

"How about a glass of wine before we go?" she asked them.

Kendall smiled. "That would be nice, Binks, thanks."

"Help me, Maggie." It wasn't a request, it was a command.

"Well?" Maggie asked when they entered the kitchen. She hopped up to sit on the counter and watched Bianca find a bottle of wine.

"He seems very nice," the brunette replied, picking out a nice Burgundy and handing the bottle and corkscrew to Maggie. "He certainly is good-looking."

"Huh, he's hot," Maggie corrected, her attention focused on working the corkscrew in the wine bottle. "And what about that sexy accent?"

Bianca gave Maggie a look. "Excuse me?"

The tone of her girlfriend's voice made the blonde smile as she pulled the cork from the bottle. "Jeez, B, just because I think he's hot doesn't mean I'm going to jump him the minute you look away. He's a very good looking guy, Kendall has great taste." She set the wine bottle aside. "And you thought I was insecure..."

"Do you regret it?" Bianca asked softly, suddenly feeling very unsure. She didn't know why she felt this way, Maggie had never given her any reason to doubt their love. Maybe it was a morbid curiosity, but she couldn't stop herself from asking. "Maggie?"

"Oh, God," Maggie groaned, dropping her head so her chin almost hit her chest. "Here we go."

"You don't miss anything? Honestly?"

Maggie looked up, her eyes finding Bianca's and holding her gaze. "Like what?" she asked. "Body odor? Facial hair? Having to act impressed and amused when they show off their ability to pee their name in the snow?" That made Bianca laugh a little and Maggie smiled. "No, honey, I don't miss it. Honestly. After our little chat at the front door, I'd hoped you'd realize that by now. I'm not missing a thing."

The love and desire shining in Maggie's eyes was really all Bianca needed to see. She knew exactly how Maggie felt because she'd shown her often enough. Now Bianca felt foolish.

She moved in front of Maggie, stepping between her knees and leaning close. "Good," she whispered, her face in Maggie's neck. She started stringing kisses down Maggie's throat. "I don't want you to regret anything that's happened between us."

"The only thing I regret," Maggie whispered as she hooked her feet at the small of Bianca's back and slid her hands into chocolate brown hair to hold those lips to her throat, "is the fact that your sister and her friend are sitting on the sofa we christened just a couple of days ago. Because I'd really like a repeat performance on that particular piece of furniture."

Bianca pulled back to grin into Maggie's eyes. "Oh, yeah?" she asked, though she remembered that day fondly. Maggie had just come racing in to the apartment after a particularly good day at school that had left her giddy and extremely affectionate. Okay, giggly and overly handsy. Really handsy. Incredibly handsy. It ended up being a pretty good day for Bianca, too...

"Oh, yeah." Maggie ran her fingers through Bianca's hair, cupping the brunette's face in her hands. "I think we could manage our time a little more efficiently. And possibly the use of space."

"It's not my fault we fell off the sofa twice."

Maggie laughed. "You, my love, are exactly the reason we fell off the sofa twice." She kissed Bianca on the lips, then buried her face in Bianca's neck to kiss the tender skin there. "The third time was, I'll admit, my fault," she murmured.

Bianca leaned in, her hands resting on the Italian tile counter-top on either side of Maggie, pinning her in. "I think you're confused," she whispered, tilting her head to the side to allow Maggie better access. "We'll definitely have to try again so I can show you."

"Definitely." Then Maggie pulled back and smiled into Bianca's eyes. "Hey, I kinda like this. Sitting up here, I'm actually taller than you."

"Is that a good thing?"

"It is right now." And Maggie dipped her head, capturing Bianca's lips with her own. They took their time with the kiss, tasting and exploring each other like the young lovers they were. Maggie slipped her arms around Bianca's shoulders, pulling her closer, as she felt Bianca encircle her waist and hold her tight. "I love you, B," Maggie whispered as they came up for air momentarily.

"I love you, too, Mags."

They fell into each other again, kissing deeply, longingly. Time, as always, seemed to stop.

"Hey, guys," Kendall called, entering the kitchen. "Are you coming with the wine or- Aaaggh!! My eyes! My eyes!!"

After a long moment, Bianca and Maggie reluctantly pulled apart, Maggie never releasing Bianca from her arms. "Well," the little blonde said, her eyes still on Bianca's, "you had the first part right."

"Maggie!" Bianca exclaimed.

"What?" Maggie asked innocently. She quickly reached for the open wine and the glasses Bianca had gotten out, holding them out to Kendall. "Here. We'll be out soon."

"Yeah, right," Kendall replied. "We won't hold our breath."

"Well, you could stick around, you know. Maybe take a few notes. We're really getting very good at this making out stuff."

"Oh, God," Kendall groaned, blushing fire engine red. She grabbed the wine and the glasses, then beat a hasty retreat from the kitchen.

Bianca looked up at Maggie, seeing the smug grin on her face. "You did that on purpose."

"Well, hell yeah. She maybe ecstatic for you, B, but she still doesn't want to think about her kid sister making out or having sex. Do you want to think about Kendall having sex?" Bianca just shuddered. "Yeah, me, neither. There's not enough of her to hold onto."

"Maggie!"

Maggie laughed. "Ah, I love the way you say my name."

"What? In exasperation?"

"Yep." She kissed Bianca quickly, then kissed her again, taking her time in exploration. Several long, slow moments later she pulled back, resting her forehead against the brunette's. "I love the French," she said softly.

"What?" Bianca chuckled. "What makes you say that all of a sudden?"

"Well, French toast, French fries. French kissing. Especially the French kissing. Man, that's really good stuff. I don't think we give the French enough credit for their great inventions."

Bianca laughed. "God, you're weird." She kissed Maggie soundly. "But I love you anyway."

"Lucky me."

"And don't you forget it."

Maggie smiled. "Not that you'd let me."

"Well, you got that right."

With another little smile, Maggie kissed Bianca on the cheek then pulled her into her arms again.

They held each other for a long time, Bianca's face buried in Maggie's neck, Maggie's chin resting on Bianca's shoulder. There was a warm, comfortable silence and they held the other close, their arms wrapped around each other, breathing in each others scent, their hands caressing gentle circles on the other's back.

Then Maggie spoke. "Man, you've got a great ass," she said, her eyes glued to that particular body part.

Bianca burst out laughing. "You really know how to kill a very romantic moment, you know that, Stone?" she said, leaning back to give Maggie a look.

Maggie favored her with the trademark crooked Stone grin. "It's a gift."

"You think?"

"Hey, at least I didn't nearly pass out."

Bianca rolled her eyes as she extricated herself from Maggie's hold and went about putting a cheese plate together to serve. "You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

Maggie laughed. "Nope."

"You'll get yours, Stone." Bianca grabbed the plate and headed for the door. "I promise you will get yours."

If possible, Maggie's grin stretched even wider. "And since I know how you are about promises, I can hardly wait."

As Bianca set the cheese plate on the coffee table, Kendall caught her eye. Her sister was discreetly brushing finger along her neck, near the juncture of her shoulder. Bianca slapped a hand over the spot on her own neck and smiled nervously.

"Excuse me," she managed to stutter. "I'll be right back." She shot Maggie a dirty look then headed for the stairs.

"So, Jean-Paul," Maggie said, starting to sit down.

"Maggie!" Bianca shouted from the upstairs hallway.

Poised in mid-sit, Maggie held up a finger. "I'll be right back," she said, then followed after Bianca. "Ooh, I think I'm in trouble…" she whispered to herself as she took the stairs two at a time. "Binks?"

"Get your ass in here," Bianca snarled from the bathroom.

"Now I know I'm in trouble." She stepped into the bathroom to see Bianca at the counter, the neck of her shirt pulled down to her shoulder, glaring into the mirror. "Yes, dear?" she asked with false cheer.

"Do you see this?" Bianca looked at Maggie through the reflection of the mirror, indicating the very large, very red mark on her neck. She started covering the lovebite with make-up. "I swear, Maggie, one more hickey and I'm cutting you off."

"Oh, you wanna compare hickeys?" Maggie retorted. She unbuttoned her shirt and started to pull it off. "If anyone should be cut off-."

"Don't!" Bianca exclaimed in terror. After catching a glimpse of Maggie's bare midriff, she held up her hands. "If you take off one more article of clothing, we won't be going out to dinner."

Maggie grinned. "Why, Bianca Montgomery, you horn dog!" She started laughing. "I've created a monster!"

"You go without for as long as I did then start having great sex and see how you react."

"Great sex? Really?"

"Oh, God," Bianca groaned. She left the bathroom. "I'm not listening."

Maggie followed closely. "Come on, Binks, tell me. Is it really great?"

Bianca stuck her fingers in her ears. "La la la la la la, I can't hear you," she sang.

"Bianca!" Maggie shouted.

Bianca spun around and got in Maggie's face. "You say one more word and I'll have Reggie ship Portia over next-day air."

"Ooh, crap, you win."

After Martine arrived to watch Miranda for the evening, the two couples went out for dinner. It was a chance for Bianca and Maggie to learn more about Jean-Paul and he about them. Kendall seemed to like him very much and Bianca hoped, for her sister's sake, that he was as good as he appeared to be.

Jean-Paul took them to Au Pied de Cochon for dinner. The restaurant, one of Paris' more famous brasseries, was located near the Louvre, just off the Rue de Rivoli and across from the St. Eustache church. Au Pied de Cochon translated from French means The Foot of the Pig, and their speciality was pig's feet, or trotters as they were referred to. While they all decided against the pig's mode of transportation as their meal, they did enjoy the other wonderful foods and friendly conversation.

As they were served coffee and desert, which included a French favorite, Duo de Babas au Rhum, a rich moist rum cake, Jean-Paul told the horror story of a blind date he had set his American cousin up on a few years before.

His cousin, Michelle, had been 18 and Jean-Paul thought she might have more fun with him and his friends than her parents, little sister and aunt. So he fixed her up with his friend Henri Richard, who had been 23 at the time.

"Did you go with them?" Bianca asked.

"Oui. But apparently, I was not enough of a chaperone. Tata Liliane and Tonton Sandy came along with us." Jean-Paul couldn't help but smile at the memory. "Henri borrowed his brother's brand new Mercedes for the date. We went out for a wonderful dinner at Leon de Bruxelles on the Champs Elysee then Henri thought we might go to a nightclub."

The nightclub, called Le Balajo, was in the Marais. The club had been around since 1936, with different types of dancing on different days. Saturday was disco night, while Sunday afternoon featured actual tea dances. Henri decided this would be a good place, since the Marais was not far from the restaurant and they could avoid most of the major streets on their way.

"You've driven in Paris, no?" Jean-Paul asked Maggie.

"Yes," Maggie replied. She motioned to Bianca. "She refuses to."

He laughed. "She is probably very wise. Have you driven the back streets?"

"Only a couple of times, and that was really by accident."

"Well, we French, we are a very daring people when we drive-."

"Tell me about it," Bianca muttered, shuddering at memories in the Place Charles de Gaulle and that Volkswagon Beetle.

"Our backstreets are no bigger than alleys. Cars parked along both sides, barely enough room to squeeze a Renault through. Well, Henri had his brother's brand new Mercedes, but this did not stop him."

Many Parisians didn't drive with their headlights on at night when traveling these backstreets. They drove with their parking lights and when they approached an intersection they flashed their brights and raced right on through the stop sign. This was their warning to any on-coming or cross traffic that they weren't stopping. Many an accident occurred this way, and too many near-misses to count. Small cars bouncing over cobblestones or broken, uneven pavement, drivers unconcerned with other vehicles, rear view mirrors nearly scraping each other as the car raced by. Toss in a bicyclist or a brave, yet foolish, pedestrian every now and then and it was a video game waiting to happen.

"This is very frightening if you are not used to it," Jean-Paul explained. "Sometimes, it's frightening even if you are used to it. It is very easy to get… disoriented. The car is bouncing, you are jumping in your seat and the parked cars are very close… My Tata.," Jean-Paul shook his head. "She did not do very well."

"Oh, no," Bianca whispered. Next to her, Maggie was trying not to laugh.

"I think I know where this is going," Kendall agreed.

Jean-Paul smiled. "Tata Liliane was sitting in the middle of the back seat, taking the worst of the bouncing. She suddenly did not feel so well. We were coming to another intersection and Henri flashed his lights, but some lights flashed just a moment before his did. There was someone else coming and they weren't going to stop, since they had signaled first. Tata Liliane was sweating, I can see this from the front seat. She is, I think, green?"

Maggie held back a chuckle. "Oh, man…"

"Henri decides he is going to beat the other car to the intersection. Michelle, I think, is no longer impressed with her date, Tonton Sandy is holding Tata Liliane's hand, trying to keep her calm. Henri is pressing harder on the gas." Jean-Paul shook his head. "Suddenly, Henri thinks he will not win the race, so he slams on the brakes. Then he decides he will win, so he hits the gas. My Tata is sitting in the backseat looking sicker by the minute, I can hear her saying she was going to be sick. She said it over and over. I tried to urge Henri to stop, but he seemed to want to win this race."

"Did he?" Kendall asked.

"Just," Jean-Paul assured her. "The other car missed us by a millimeter. Unfortunately, we hit a very hard bump at that moment." He laughed suddenly. "My poor Tata, that was too much for her. But, God bless her, she did not want to be sick in the brand new Mercedes. Now, she was in the middle of the back seat, remember, but there was no stopping what was about to happen."

"What?" Bianca asked. "What happened?"

Jean-Paul shrugged. "She did the only thing she could think of. Opened her purse, emptied it out onto the floor of the car and got sick in her Louis Vuitton."

Maggie and Bianca burst out laughing. Kendall looked horrified. "She ruined a Vuitton?" She shook her head. "Sorry, between a Mercedes and Vuitton, the Mercedes loses. Don't mess with accessories…"

"Needless to say, the date was now over," Jean-Paul told them. "Unfortunately, my Aunt and cousins live in Avon, which is not far from Fontainebleau. It was a very long drive back. All the windows were down and, I am ashamed to admit, I spent much of the drive with my head out the window." He grinned as he remembered the drive back to Avon, his head stuck out the car window while he occasionally would ask 'Ça va, Tata? Ça va?' He smiled at Kendall. "Despite what you say, Chérie, both the Mercedes and the Vuitton were ruined."

"Oh, no," Maggie murmured.

"Ah, oui," Jean-Paul replied. "Henri's brother sold it a month later. He was never the same again." He laughed again. "I'm not sure Michelle has ever gotten over the embarrassment, either."

They laughed and Bianca decided at that moment, she really liked Jean-Paul and thought he would be very good for Kendall. Maybe he could help her past the heartache Ethan had inflicted with his actions.

Over the next couple of days, Bianca and Maggie saw very little of Kendall as she spent a lot of her time with Jean-Paul. He took her all over Paris, showering her with affection, attention and gifts. Bianca reported back to Erica of Kendall's returning confidence, her laughter and her self-esteem, which made La Kane smile. Maybe Ethan hadn't destroyed her, after all.

Kendall reported back to Erica of Bianca and Maggie's ever-growing relationship and recent revelations (but not the having a lot of sex part) of togetherness and that made La Kane cry. Her girls were going to be okay.

Eventually Maggie finally got up in time to take a morning run, managing to slip out before Bianca could wake up, pin her down and change her mind. The woman really was insatiable, but Maggie didn't mind at all, since she seemed to feel the same way. She couldn't help but grin as she thought about the time they spent together, wrapped up in their own little world, late at night or early in the morning, when Miranda was napping or out with Martine. Man, what had she waited so long for?

Well, if she'd known then what she knew now, Bianca would have had to beat her off with a stick. Maggie laughed as she ran.

As she came jogging back down Avenue de Malakoff toward Avenue Foch, she saw a group of young children gathered around a bush, crouching down and peering inside. She slowed down as she neared them.

Deciding to give her rudimentary French a try, she stopped running and walked up to them. " What's going on here? " she asked as she approached.

" There are kittens, " one girl replied, pointing into the bush. " Three of them, I think. "

" Let me see. " Kneeling down by the bush, Maggie peered into the leaves. Sure enough, there were three small grey and white kittens huddling together near the base of the shrub. They mewed pitifully and Maggie felt her heart break at the sound. Then the light bulb popped on over her head. "Miranda needs a cat," she said to herself.

Gently reaching into the bush, Maggie extracted the three kittens one at a time. They were tiny little things, probably no more than eight or 10 weeks old, skittish and scared. The little girl who had spoken to Maggie took the first one, cradling the tiny thing close to her chest.

" I'm keeping it, " she said firmly. " This one is mine. " The kitten meowed and snuggled close, a done deal.

The next kitten went quickly to another little girl and she and her brother took off for home once the kitten was freed. The other kids scattered, too, leaving Maggie sitting on the sidewalk with the last crying kitten in her hands. Stroking the little thing on the head, she spoke in a soothing voice and cradled it against her chest, hoping her heartbeat would calm the animal down. Suddenly, the kitten yawned, nuzzled the top of its head against Maggie's shoulder and began to purr.

"Okay," she whispered. "We're keeping this one."

Climbing gingerly to her feet so as not to disturb the cat, Maggie hurried the rest of the way home, hoping to get the animal inside before Bianca found out. It was sneaky, she knew, but if the kitten and Miranda had a chance to bond before Bianca found out, there would be no way she could take the pet away from her daughter. Maggie grinned at her deviousness. She might have to put up with the cold shoulder for a time, but knowing Bianca, it wouldn't last long. A few puppy dog eyes, a few touches and that would fly right out the window...

It didn't turn out that way.

Taking the elevator instead of the stairs, Maggie hurried into the apartment, slipping quickly into the kitchen. She started the coffee, then searched the cabinets for a can of tuna. The kitten was asleep in her arms and just as she pulled the tuna from the shelf, the kitchen door swung open.

"Maggie." It was Bianca and it was a statement, not a question or a greeting.

Maggie made a face, but kept her back to Bianca. "Yes?"

"What do you have in your hands?"

"Um, nothing?"

"Maggie." There it was, that same tone of voice. "You have a cat, don't you?"

Maggie spun around. "How do you do that?! Cripes, you were upstairs! I'll bet you knew before I got in the front door! How the hell did you know?"

Bianca shrugged. "I'm a mother. It comes naturally." Slowly, she came forward, looking at the little ball of fur in Maggie's arms. "Oh, God." Gently, she reached out and stroked the kitten's head. "Damn it, Mary Margaret."

"Can we keep it, B? Please? Miranda will love it."

"Yeah, probably as much as you. You sound like a 6-year old."

Maggie smiled a little sheepishly. "Frankie and I never had a pet when we were kids. We always wanted one, but Mom would always say no." She grinned at the memory. "Frankie wanted a dog, a big dog. I wanted a cat. We could never agree."

Bianca couldn't help but smile. "I used to want a cat, too," she said softly. "We had two dogs

in Seattle, but no cats. Barbara is allergic. I think that made me want a cat more, because we just couldn't have one."

"We can have this one, Bianca. This little fur-ball can grow up with Miranda. What do you say?" Maggie gave Bianca her best puppy dog eyes, a little pout on her lips. "Please?"

"God, you're pathetic," Bianca whispered. She took the kitten from Maggie's hold, cuddling it close under her chin. "Okay."

Maggie almost squealed in delight. "Okay?"

Bianca nodded. "Okay."

"Yay!" Maggie grabbed Bianca's face in her hands and pressed a hard kiss to her mouth. Their lips clung together for a moment, then Maggie pulled back. "Oh, hell," she whispered.

Quickly taking the kitten from Bianca's grasp, Maggie set it on the floor then straightened up and kissed Bianca again, pressing her back against the counter. Bianca returned the kiss, sliding her hands into Maggie's hair to hold her close. Maggie wrapped her arms around Bianca's waist and leaned in to the kiss, feeling lips part beneath hers so she could deepen the kiss, which she quickly did. They were completely unaware of the world around them.

So they didn't hear Kendall when she entered the kitchen moments later, nor when she spun on her heel almost immediately and exited just as quickly as she'd entered.

"Oh. My. God!"

Well, if they heard that, they ignored it...

TBC-