Can't do it. Won't do it. I take back everything I said at the start of the last chapter. Evidently the intensity of the thousands and thousands of endless highway miles in my car worked very much like a convection oven and turned my brain into a bowl of mashed potatoes. But I'm home now. All better. Over it.

Not gonna. Not gonna throw JR into the pit of absolute darkness. Too much soapy psychosis for this girl and that storyline came to a screeching halt in my head almost as soon as I tried writing it. Ugh. Reese seems like a much more interesting avenue to explore for two reasons: one, I actually kind of liked the chick until she went all super bitch crazy and tried to – essentially – kidnap her own daughters. Super bitch times ten. Now all I want to see is the smackdown that Marissa will slap her with. Done and done. And second, we saw the folly 'twixt JR/Marissa/Bianca/AJ and the writers completely effed it up. I no longer have the energy to try to fix it. I'd like to sidle on over to the Montgomery plane of thought and give some long overdue attention to the two most delightful and overlooked girls on TV. Plus I still have the problem of one Ms. Erica Kane. Haven't forgotten – don't worry.

But I can't leave JR out in the cold and regardless of my abhorrence for him I find that I truly believe he's got a soft spot and at least an average sized heart in there somewhere so we're still tackling that issue for a tiny bit longer. Too much setup and now I'm having to backtrack so forgive me – it will get better in due time. I'm quite sick of writing drama and – much to my own chagrin – would much rather watch all the bright shiny Minx moments that make me use expletives that I would never use in public. The Minx Fever just does it to me – I take no responsibility for it.

So I'm sticking to my title and taking this story wherever the F I want it to go. Forget AMC and their bizarre drama/ending and forget Prospect Park who is – in my humble opinion – duly responsible for at least the senseless ending. Don't tell somebody to leave a cliffhanger and then drop the show. I may hate soaps but I can at least understand that a show that was on the air for 40 some-odd years deserves a hell of a lot better than that. But whatevs. That part's out of my hands.

Onward.

First Date… Almost

Bianca tried to get ahold of Marissa for the entire drive to Gabby's daycare, dialing her number repeatedly but each time she was answered with nothing but her voicemail. Just as she pulled into the circle loop to pick up her youngest daughter she had reached the point where she was going to just call Marissa's office but her cell phone dinged with a text message from the redhead.

"Got pulled into a meeting with new clients. Should be done by 5:15 but I'll still be a little late. Can you pick up Mimo and AJ for me? I'll make that up to you too… Everything okay?"

Despite the fact that she wouldn't be able to speak to her right away Bianca exhaled a sigh of relief, her mounting apprehension at not being able to reach her girlfriend finally dissipating. Not wanting to worry her while trying to land new clients she replied:

"Everything's fine. Just need to talk to you as soon as you can. I'm getting Gabby now and then I'll get Mimo and AJ. No worries. Love you."

To which Marissa quickly responded:

"K good thanks. I'll try to hurry out of here. See you at home soon. Love you back. Can't wait for date night ;)"

Bianca sighed and forced a smile at her daughter who was hurrying with her teacher toward her car, and as she opened the door to retrieve the little girl she thought Hmm… Let's hope we still get to date night.

/

"Hi mommy!"

"Hey Bianca!"

Miranda and AJ's greetings as they climbed into Bianca's car were sunny and cheerful, just the extra perk she was craving on top of Gabby's broken chatter to keep her mind away from fixating on JR's ominous early arrival.

"I thought my mom was picking us up today," AJ said as they buckled in, and Bianca grinned when she saw Miranda lean over and kiss her little sister's cheek in the rearview mirror.

"She wanted to but she's in a meeting that's taking a little bit so you got me instead," she replied, watching as Gabby returned a kiss to Miranda and then leaned around her to pat AJ's knee.

The boy smiled at her and then said to Bianca, "Well that's okay. Hey guess what happened at school today?"

"What happened?"

"I got to get out of class for a little bit to go to the office because I got a call from daddy in Paris!" he informed her happily, and Bianca felt her eyes widen but quickly hid her instant anxiety as AJ's cheerful eyes were fixed on her in the rearview. "He sounded really happy too, and he said that he's going to be home tonight and that I don't have to go to school tomorrow so we can play together all day. How cool is that?"

"What?" Miranda asked him. "You didn't tell me you don't have to go to school tomorrow!"

"Well that's what my daddy said," AJ replied with another toothless grin. "He said that he missed me so much that he wants to spend a whole bunch of time with me."

"Is that all he said buddy?" Bianca asked cautiously, trying to keep the kids from hearing that she was having a hard time catching her breath.

"Yeah kinda," AJ told her offhandedly. "He was laughing a lot and sometimes it was hard to understand what he was saying but he said it was just cuz he was calling from so far away. Oh!" he bellowed, slapping a tiny hand against his forehead. "I was supposed to keep it a surprise! Daddy told me not to tell anybody because he wanted to surprise everybody so don't tell mommy okay? I forgot that part but maybe we can still keep the surprise for her – she loves surprises."

"Your dad asked you not to tell anybody he was coming back early?" Bianca asked, her heart dropping down into her stomach as the outline of JR's plan started coming into focus. "Did he say when he was going to be back?"

"He said he would come to Wildwind since that's where we're staying and that I should wait outside for him at seven o'clock," AJ informed her. "He wanted me to be outside so I could help him with the surprise."

"Did he ask you to wait outside alone?" Bianca went on, terrified that she already knew the answer.

AJ nodded his beautiful little blonde head. "Yeah. He said that if I was outside alone then we could surprise everybody together," he told her innocently. "Please don't tell mommy I ruined the surprise… I was really excited to do this because he sounded so much happier than when he left last weekend. I want everybody to be happy again. I can't believe I ruined it!"

"Hey don't worry about it buddy, I'm really glad you told me," Bianca tried to comfort him around the enormously painful lump in her throat. "I think it's wonderful that you were so excited to do something you thought would be nice."

AJ perked a little at this and luckily was scooped up in conversation with Miranda and Gabby about his "free day off" tomorrow while Bianca's fingers gripped painfully around the wheel and her cell phone, forcing steady breaths to keep her vision straight for her precious cargo but wanting desperately to drive straight to Marissa's office for help. But she knew that would only make the kids suspicious and AJ's exuberance at what he thought would be a pleasant arrival by his father was something she knew the boy should hold on to – if they could manage to get past the evening without deepening the crevice between father and son it would be an absolute miracle but she knew with complete certainty that that's what Marissa would want. So instead she focused intently on the road in front of her and strained to hear every word that AJ said for any new information, but by the time they pulled into Wildwind her legs were sore from tensing so much and she wanted nothing more than for Marissa to get back there as quickly as humanly possible.

/

Okay stop panicking, Bianca told herself firmly as she stood in the kitchen preparing dinner for the kids but she was having a hard time focusing on the chicken tenders she was grilling. AJ is fine. I can hear the kids clearly over the open intercom in the playroom upstairs. JR is not here. JR is not going to kidnap that little boy. I don't even know for sure if that's what he's planning.

But drunk JR is very different from sober JR, and hurt drunk self-pitying JR is downright dangerous, she reminded herself darkly, forcing down memories of her own to stay focused on the present situation. Marissa just needs to get here so I can talk about it with her instead of circling endlessly in my head. I'm just working myself up over what could turn out to be nothing…

But JR asked AJ to wait outside alone. And he told him not to tell anybody that he was coming home early. And it was hard to understand him because he was likely drunk off his ass. And he told AJ that he didn't have to go to school tomorrow. If those aren't indicators of a JR Chandler plan to get his way then I'm really a blind idiot.

Jesus Marissa – hurry up…

She checked the time on the stove again. 5:32 pm.

Okay if the meeting ended at 5:15 then it would take her about twenty minutes to get from her office to here. But if the meeting didn't end at that time then…

"Hey love," came Marissa's soft voice from right behind her as arms slid smoothly around her waist and the redhead pressed a kiss on the back of Bianca's neck. She had been so preoccupied with her inner dialogue that she didn't hear Marissa sneak in and it startled her horribly as she jumped inside of her girlfriend's grasp. "Oops – sorry," Marissa chuckled as Bianca turned to face her. "I didn't mean to scare y… what's wrong?" Her eyebrows immediately furrowed as she took in the brunette's strained expression, her happy grin instantly morphing into concern. Bianca moved forward and wrapped the woman tightly in her arms, savoring the sensation of feeling much of her tension melt out of her limbs as Marissa held her closely in return. "What's the matter?" she asked again, trying to pull back to look into Bianca's eyes but she held her fast.

"We have a problem," she said quietly into Marissa's delicious red hair, feeling like she could cry at the massive relief that washed over her now that her girlfriend was there with her.

"What kind of problem?" Marissa asked, rubbing her back comfortingly.

And for just a brief moment Bianca wondered if she could even tell her, knowing the effect it would have on her enormous heart to hear what JR was apparently up to. She finally pulled away and gazed into her eyes, but before she spoke she leaned in for a tender kiss that she knew would only worry her further but she couldn't resist.

"Okay now you're kind of freaking me out," Marissa told her as she pulled away. "What's going on? What happened?"

"I tried to call you earlier but since you were in a meeting I didn't want to worry you," Bianca finally replied, leading them over to the breakfast nook so they could sit down. They took chairs right next to each other and held their hands together as Bianca searched for the right place to start.

"Worry me about what?" Marissa asked hesitantly, and Bianca squeezed her love's hands and braced herself.

"JR is on his way back to Pine Valley tonight," and she noticed Marissa's grip tighten at the mention of his name. "Evidently he called AJ at school today and told him to meet him outside alone later and not to tell anybody he would be here. He said he wanted it to be a 'surprise.' He also told AJ that he didn't have to go to school tomorrow so they could 'play together all day.' But Riss… he's drunk. He's been drunk every day since he got to Paris and from what AJ described earlier I'd say he was drunk when he called too. I don't know what he's planning but it sounds like…"

"He's trying to kidnap my son instead of face the reality of the situation," Marissa finished for her, her gorgeous eyes wide in shock but Bianca could clearly see the angry edge in them. "That's exactly what it sounds like to me. But how do you know all of this?"

"Well AJ accidently told me about JR's call when I picked the kids up from school," Bianca supplied. "I think he was so excited that he'd gotten out of class to take it that he forgot about JR asking him not to tell. And thank goodness really – if he hadn't then who knows what would have happened come seven o'clock."

"Nothing probably, because according to our plans AJ and the girls would have been at your sister's house," Marissa told her. "Most likely JR would have come here and found the place empty, or he might have even run into Caleb or Asher. But you said that he's getting drunk again – how do you know that? He's been getting drunk since he arrived in Paris?"

"Oh yeah…" Bianca began, suddenly remembering her conversation with Reese. Having become completely wrapped up in making sure AJ was safe as well as talking to Marissa she had completely forgotten the reason why she knew in the first place, and as she looked into her girlfriend's questioning eyes she wondered how she would react to the news that she'd been tipped off by her ex-wife. "Well that's another interesting twist actually," she charged forward. "Um – do you remember how JR got Reese a job designing the new Chandler offices over in Paris so she would drop the custody case?"

Marissa's hazel eyes immediately flashed with recognition and she sat back but didn't drop Bianca's hands, which made the brunette feel better. "Reese called you," she said quietly, and to Bianca's immense surprise her face didn't harden with jealousy or anger but instead fell quickly into concern and she leaned forward again and ran a hand lovingly along Bianca's cheek. "Are you okay?" she asked, and for a moment Bianca could do nothing but blink at her. "I mean I know you haven't heard from Reese since the divorce and I'm sure hearing from her out of the blue today – especially over something like this – might have brought up some… issues I guess? How did it go? Did she say anything about the girls?"

"She… um… she was more interested in finding out about why JR's been drinking," Bianca muttered, still completely thrown. "She asked about the girls once and then moved on to JR."

"What a bitch," Marissa mumbled angrily. "She finally takes the time to call you and instead of focusing on her daughters she's more wrapped up with snooping around about her boss? I can't believe her." And despite Marissa's blatant anger Bianca felt a smile stretch across her face as she watched, her heart swelling as she fell in love with the woman all over again. Marissa finally looked up at her and noticed her smile, concern turning into confusion as she grinned back. "What?" she asked, and Bianca was so utterly charmed by her cuteness that she leaned forward to kiss her deeply, something which the redhead was more than happy to oblige, and by the time they pulled away they were both smiling broadly again.

"You are the most incredible woman in the whole world," Bianca told her as she kissed her cheek.

"Well I'm happy to see that my ploys to trick you into believing that have worked," Marissa smirked.

"Oh I don't think tricks were necessary. You are outstanding. I just can't believe you sometimes."

"Why's that?"

"Well because of this right here," Bianca replied, removing her hands from Marissa's gorgeous face to return them to gripping her hands. "My ex-wife calls to tell me that your ex-husband has been drinking all week and is possibly planning to kidnap your son and your first reaction to hearing that she called is concern that I'm okay and anger that she didn't seem interested in the girls. You're amazing. I just can't get over it."

"Well it does piss me off that she didn't really ask about the girls," Marissa countered. "That woman called herself their mother and then just drops them for a job? A job where she's working for a drunken egotistical jackass? Yeah – yeah that really pisses me off."

"See?" Bianca challenged her lightly. "Amazing."

"Well gee thanks," Marissa replied as she pecked her lips, but her smile was quickly gone as she pulled back again and took a deep breath. "What are we going to do about this? What else did Reese say about JR?"

"Well she laid pretty heavily on the fact that he's been drunk pretty much constantly since arriving Monday morning," Bianca explained with a heavy sigh. "Apparently the board is very upset with his behavior and are asking a lot of questions which is why she called in the first place. Oh and she also mentioned that he threw a chair and shattered it after he stumbled over it in a drunken stupor."

"Oh my god…" Marissa whispered, clamping a hand over her mouth. "I can't believe he started drinking again. Is he really so upset about you and me that he's drowning himself in alcohol again? What about AJ? Is he not thinking about how that will affect his son? He's been so proud of his sobriety and it… it just doesn't make any sense. I really thought JR was stronger than that."

"Well in my experience with him he is until something doesn't go his way," Bianca told her apologetically, sorry to have to be the one to break this news to her. "After that he can turn very quickly into a man that nobody recognizes, usually fixating on self-pity and anger and blaming everyone around him but himself. He hates to lose and this is a prime example. He had himself pretty well convinced when he showed up in the park on Sunday that he was going to win you back again and when we pretty much slapped him with the news about us I'm sure it just pushed him over the edge."

"That still doesn't give him a reason to turn back to alcohol, and it certainly doesn't mean that he gets to try to take my son," Marissa said flatly. "I don't care why he's decided to ruin his life with booze again after working so hard to stay straight – he's not going to take my son."

"No he's not – we're not going to let him. We'll barricade ourselves in front of AJ night and day if we have to. The last thing that little boy needs is to see his dad like this."

Marissa was silent for a moment as she peered darkly out the bay window beside them. Finally she seemed to come to a decision. "You said AJ was supposed to meet JR outside at seven tonight?"

"Yeah that's what he told me. JR asked him to wait outside alone."

Marissa nodded and her nostrils flared in anger but she pushed past it. "Okay well then I say that we go ahead and send the kids to Kendall's – if there's anywhere else that I feel would be safe enough for AJ tonight it's with her. We'll need to fill her in on the situation so she'll be on the lookout just in case but I really don't want AJ around to see a showdown if there's going to be one. I'd like to keep this civil if at all possible, despite the fact that I'd really like to just punch him in that pretty nose of his." Bianca reached for her purse on the counter to get her cell phone but Marissa pulled her back. "Thank you," she said softly, lifting the brunette's hands to kiss the top of them. "Thank you so much."

"No need to thank me Riss," Bianca told her as she kissed her forehead. "You made sure I got to keep my girls and I'm going to make sure that you keep your son. We're in this together, got it?"

Marissa nodded and smiled weakly. "Got it." Bianca kissed her gently and then got up to get her phone and as she dug around in her bag Marissa heaved a sad sigh. "I guess this is going to ruin date night."

Bianca stopped her search and turned back around. "Well – maybe this date night," she said as she reseated herself in front of her girlfriend, a crooked grin glowing on her face. "But trust me – there will be many more opportunities. I just hope that you didn't go too out of your way since it's evidently not going to pan out. Real life happens."

"I know," Marissa agreed gloomily, trying to match the brunette's grin but failing as she was forced to release the incredible excitement she'd had about the evening and instead having to focus on the terror of what JR might be trying to do. "We'll do it soon. As soon as we settle back down from whatever JR's next stunt is then we'll make it happen."

"Exactly," Bianca assured her. "Tonight the only thing that's important is making sure that AJ stays safe."

"Is he excited about his dad coming home?" Marissa asked, and Bianca nodded slowly.

"He's really excited. He actually asked me not to tell you because he thought that you would be happy about the 'surprise.' He said that he thought JR sounded happier than when he left, although he didn't quite understand that it was probably because he was wasted."

"I don't want AJ to know that JR's getting drunk again," Marissa said firmly, shaking her head. "I want him to hold on to the image of his dad that he has now. I don't want this to ruin their relationship and I just hope that JR finally pulls his head out of his ass long enough to realize that you and I falling in love has nothing to do with him and that it's not a personal attack. I want to get back to the easy joint-custody arrangement we had before, for AJ's sake and mine. I don't want my son to grow up with a drunk or homophobic father, both of which I know deep down are not really who JR is. He's better than this."

"You know one of the things I love the most about you is your ability to always believe the best in people," Bianca told her kindly, brushing a hand tenderly through her hair and Marissa hummed contentedly. "And I want to believe that of JR too. I really do believe it actually. He's not the homophobe he turned into briefly on Sunday – that was just the notorious Chandler anger coming out and homophobic taunts just fueled the fury. But he knows better and he's taught AJ better. You both have and I think that eventually JR will remember that. I really think the biggest issue we have now is getting him sober again. There's nothing more dangerous than JR when he's drunk because he quits thinking clearly. Do you think that sober JR would actually plot to kidnap his own son?"

Marissa shook her head. "That's exactly my point. This whole thing is so incredibly out there that I really don't know whether I should believe it or not."

"Well I think the only thing we can do now is feed the kids and get them to Kendall's," Bianca offered. "Then we'll just have to wait and see what happens when JR shows up."

"What are we going to tell AJ?" Marissa questioned. "If he's excited about his dad coming and getting to surprise me I don't want to just crush that and I certainly don't want to tell him the real reason why he's not going to get to see him."

Bianca thought for a minute before replying. "Well – since he asked me not to tell you then we'll go along with that. I'll just tell him that JR called and that he got stuck in Paris another night. That will have to be good enough and that way AJ can still hope that he's going to get to see him tomorrow."

"And what if JR's still too drunk for that?" Marissa asked quietly, her eyes dropping down to the floor. "What if he's still angry and drunk and we can't do anything to bring him back right away? If we can't talk sense into him then I'll do everything I can to keep AJ from seeing his dad on this downward spiral. That perfect little boy doesn't deserve to see his dad fall apart, whatever the reason."

Bianca nodded slowly, formulating a plan in her mind. She lifted the redhead's face back up and smiled reassuringly as she held up her cell phone. "Well then I guess we're just going to have to make sure that we do talk sense into him, and I think that might require a little backup."

/

Seven o'clock crawled closer far too slowly and yet much too fast for either woman's liking. They fed the kids and after they finished Marissa discretely ushered Miranda and Gabby back into the living room while Bianca stayed back with AJ, asking if he'd mind to help her with the small amount of dishes. As soon as the others were safely out of earshot she turned to the boy though and knelt down to look him in the eye.

"Hey buddy I wanted to wait until your mom was out of the room since you didn't want to tell her about your dad's visit tonight," she started, and AJ grinned and glanced back through the open doorway to make sure that Marissa and the girls were a safe distance away, "but I needed to let you know that he called a little while ago while you were upstairs with Mimo and Gabby."

"Did he say what time he would be here?" AJ whispered, and Bianca's heart cracked at his ever-present excitement.

"He uh… he's not going to be able to make it," she told him, and the little boy's shoulders fell at her words. "He says he's really really sorry to disappoint you but that he's just not quite done with his work yet. He should be home tomorrow like he planned though." AJ stayed silent and looked down at his shoelaces, and Bianca reached over and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Are you okay buddy? I know you were excited to see your dad…"

"It isn't that," AJ started quietly. "I was excited that my daddy said he was coming back early because he wanted to surprise you and mommy. He said that he was going to make it better after the fight in the park last weekend. I was happy that he's going to quit being mean to you and her and that he was going to apologize because I love you and I love my mommy and I want my daddy to be nice to you."

It took Bianca a second to collect herself after AJ's heart wrenching speech and she worked very hard to stop the swell of tears from reaching her eyes. "JR… ahem… your dad said he was going to apologize?"

"Well no – not exactly," AJ replied, finally looking up at her again. "He just said he was going to make it right. And I want him to make it better – I don't want you and mommy to be mad at him anymore and I want him to quit being mean. It's not fair because you and mommy weren't mean to him first – you're never mean."

"We're not mad at him buddy," Bianca assured him, unable to resist pulling the boy into a gentle hug as she searched her brain for the right words to make him feel better even if it meant lying out her ass. "Your dad just got upset last weekend and…"

"But he said that my mommy wasn't my mommy anymore," AJ said into her hair as his arms gripped more firmly around her neck, and Bianca knew instantly that he was more scared than any of them had realized so she tightened her grip as well. "That was scary when he said that. He's not going to take me away from my mommy is he?"

"No AJ," Bianca choked out. "Your dad loves you and he just said that because he was angry at your mom and me. Your mom will always be in your life – I promise."

AJ pulled away and looked at her with tears gathering in the corners of his eyes which he quickly wiped away. "I don't want to go back to my daddy if he's going to keep yelling and being mean," he confessed. "I hoped that when he came tonight that everything would be okay again."

Bianca pulled him back in. "Your dad is going to be just fine buddy, I know it. He sounded to me like he was happier too and so I think tomorrow everything will be better."

AJ nodded against her shoulder. "You promise?"

And with that Bianca couldn't find it in her to further the lies, unsure if any of the ones she'd told already would come back to bite her. She pulled away and peered intently into his hopeful green eyes. "Buddy I can't promise anything like that but what I can do is assure you that your mom and I are going to do everything in our power to make sure that your dad's okay. We don't him to be mean or angry anymore either and I know how much he loves you and wants to see you. So that's what we're going to do – we're going to look out for him and for each other, no matter what."

"Because we're a family?" AJ asked, and Bianca's tears finally broke free as she nodded.

"Exactly. Because we're a family."

AJ smiled brightly at that. "Hey what if we make sure daddy knows that he's a part of our family too?" he suggested buoyantly. "Maybe if he sees how happy we all are together and if he's a part of it then it will help him to not be mad anymore!"

"That's a good idea buddy," Bianca replied, mentally going over the likelihood of it working and quickly thinking Yeah right.

"Really? Because how could anybody not be happy if they're a part of our family? Our family rocks!"

"Yeah – our family rocks!" Bianca agreed heartily as she stood again, and AJ zoomed forward and hugged her around the waist and she kissed the top of his head.

"Thanks Bianca – you're the best."

"No AJ you're the best," she told him. "Now what would you say to going over to Kendall's to play with Spike and Ian and the girls for the night? Your mommy and I are going to go on a date."

AJ's nose scrunched. "A date?" he asked, mulling over the word for a bit. "I guess that's something that you're going to do now that you're a couple huh?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much what that means," Bianca laughed. "Is that a problem?"

"No… it's just I was kind of hoping for all of us to hang out in the fort tonight. You know – as a family. But going to Kendall's will be fun too. Can I take my monster truck so I can play with Spike?"

"Absolutely. Go ahead and run upstairs and get it while I go get the girls ready."

And with that AJ darted up the kitchen stairwell and Bianca was left alone in the silence of the kitchen.

/

"You do realize though," Bianca was saying to Marissa as the two of them drove back to Wildwind after dropping the kids at Kendall's, "that if JR hadn't been on his way back here and date night was going to be a go that I would have ditched you the second that AJ suggested a family night in the fort right? Because something about that little boy's crooked grin is literally impossible to say no to."

"Oh please," Marissa scoffed as she waved a hand. "I would have ditched you before you would have even had the chance. No one knows that kid's persuasive powers better than I do."

"Well that will also have to be on the agenda sometime soon," Bianca smiled at her, and Marissa reached for her hand across the center console and winked at her.

"Absolutely," she agreed. "But – you know… maybe we'll set that up after date night."

"Agreed," Bianca said happily, forcing her eyes to stay on the road instead of drifting over to the redhead and the pair drove the rest of the way in silence, both content to simply be there together holding hands and knowing that whatever JR's arrival would bring might kill their mood but never their connection.

/

6:56, Bianca silently checked her watch before peeking out from her hiding place. I'm still not sure this whole hiding thing isn't overkill, she thought as she held the bushes back so she could see out, glancing across the driveway where she saw Marissa doing the same thing from her place behind some shrubs and they smiled at one another as Bianca took a deep breath. She and Marissa had discussed their plan and agreed that they should keep their presence unknown to JR so he wouldn't spook and run away. But without AJ there as bait Bianca still wasn't sure that the man wouldn't bolt at the first sign of something amiss; she only hoped that he would snoop around for his son and put enough distance between him and his car that they could stop him from getting away.

Oh Jesus I really hope he's not driving, she went on darkly, her eyes trained on the opened gate at the bottom of the drive. If he's still drunk – which more than likely will be the case – then let's hope he gets here at all.

From across the driveway Marissa checked her cell phone for the time and her stomach flip-flopped as she watched it turn to seven o'clock. Her head jolted up again and she squinted down the darkened drive, working to steady her breathing and tame her tumultuous stomach, neither of which was working too well. She glanced over to where Bianca was hiding and felt a little of her anxiety subside at the all too striking picture of her girlfriend's concentrated face, and once again she exhaled a sad sigh that this nonsense had spoiled their date.

I'm going to kick that lousy slime bag right in the nuts with the point of my heels, she thought savagely, her anger flaring again at the mental image of what she expected to see once JR finally showed up. That way he won't be able to have any more kids who he can disappoint with homophobia and drinking and anger. I can't believe I was ever in love with that man. Well I'm certainly more in love with Bianca than I ever was with him, so that's something…

That's everything actually, she sighed as she continued to allow her eyes to drift over to Bianca, who looked both stunning and adorable with her hair askew from the bush she was hiding in and her eyebrows furrowed in intense concentration. She literally dropped everything to take care of me today and on top of that she evidently forgot about getting the call from Reese. Well – after this whole thing is over I might just have a few choice words for that woman. I'll take care of the woman I love as well as the daughters that witch abandoned. There is no greater dishonor or shame in doing something so horrendous, and for a job? Bullshit. It's utter and total bullshit.

Just like me crouching behind this rose bush waiting for my drunk ex-husband to show up so we can ambush him. Jesus my life is such a soap opera…

And then she heard a faint crunch from down the drive and she ripped her eyes from Bianca to the open gate. A car was inching through incredibly slowly, a black Jaguar with tinted windows and the headlights off, and Marissa's breath caught painfully as she watched it wind its way up the drive. She slinked back as far as she could without losing sight of the car and instinctively glanced back at Bianca, now barely visible behind the bush but their eyes met and Marissa tried to smile reassuringly but her lips were suddenly dried shut and she had to turn away.

After what felt like an eternity the Jaguar finally pulled over to the far side of the driveway in front of the garage and the engine died, and Marissa waited with a chest full of stale held breath and her eyes began to water from keeping them open so long, but it was an agonizingly long wait – at least three minutes – before the driver's door finally opened. Marissa saw the black leather loafer and immediately recognized it as JR's, her skin crawling as his disheveled blonde hair appeared above the door and he stumbled out, his black trench coat flying open revealing a black button-down and black slacks.

Oh really nice JR, Marissa fumed, resisting the urge to charge forward right then. Dress all in black and drive your black car with the lights turned off so no one will see you. I can't fucking believe it…

JR staggered clumsily away from the car but left the door open, the light from the cabin the only thing illuminating his way and it cast the long shadow of his awkward outline in the direction of where Marissa stood hidden and it was immediately clear that he had obviously drained a bottle of whiskey before coming and the thought of him stumbling forward with the expectation of greeting their son and possibly driving away with him ignited an inferno of blazing fury in Marissa's chest, whose hands started to shake as she clamped her jaw so tightly closed that she could hear the blood rushing in her ears.

"AJ?" JR slurred quietly, tottering around the front walk in search of the boy. "Hey buddy where are you?"

He turned slowly around and glanced back at the car, and Marissa caught Bianca's eye and nodded. Both women stood.

"AJ's not here," Marissa said as evenly as her anger would allow as she stepped out onto the pavement, and JR whipped around so quickly that he nearly toppled over in his drunken stupor. He regained his balance though and his gaze connected with his ex-wife's, but before she had a chance to stop him he had whirled around again and took off back toward his car but Bianca had beat him there. The driver's door slammed shut as she placed herself between the charging drunkard and the car, and JR was only barely able to stop himself and once again nearly fell over with the effort.

"Nice to see you actually made it here considering the copious amount of Jack Daniels' you undoubtedly indulged in earlier," the brunette told him pointedly with her arms crossed in front of her chest. JR turned back toward Marissa who was advancing on him, wishing suddenly that she'd thought to bring a baseball bat along with her.

"I'm not drunk," JR tried futilely, his words so garbled together and they could barely understand him. "I'm just here to see my son. Where's AJ?"

"AJ's not here," Marissa repeated, stopping herself a mere five feet in front of the man. "There's no way in hell I'm going to allow him to see his father in such a pathetic state. How dare you do this to him. Again."

"Me?" JR roared, taking a step forward but Marissa didn't falter; she held her ground. "I'm not the one who just tore apart our family! I'm not the one who decided to run out on what that kid deserves!"

"AJ deserves a stable loving home JR, and that's exactly what I plan on giving him," Marissa countered, working to keep her own voice down. "You on the other hand? Do you think that showing up like this, wasted off your ass and barely able to stay on your own two feet, is better than what I'm doing for him?"

JR exhaled slowly and closed the distance between them until they were mere inches apart, clearly trying to intimidate the redhead but she was too hyped up on her righteous feeding anger to back down. "Where is my son?" he demanded quietly, and Marissa nearly gagged at the cloud of whiskey that erupted from his mouth. "You are not going to keep my son away from me."

"No but I might," came a booming voice from behind them, and JR's eyes shot up to the front door where Tad Martin had just appeared. From the darkened doorway behind him stepped Scott Chandler, Ryan Lavery, and Krystal Carey, who all marched forward and flanked Tad's shoulders with matching determined scowls. "Marissa might want to keep you in AJ's life but I promise you JR – if you start this again and if you keep it up then she will most certainly be the least of your problems."