Note: Whoops to the swear word I'd forgotten about in chpt 9, be warned there's another one here. Are you guys still with me on this or have I ventured so far into Suspenseville that I've lost some of my travelling buddies? Hope not but I get it if you jump ship, okay maybe Suspensville is an island not a town or a town on an island….Ela stick to the point please…sorry…emm right well I'd understand if this is a little too intense…I get like that sometimes but my nearest and dearest will tell you that I always come back with fuzzy things….no not mold Muse shut up! Ya know I'm gona end this note now in the hope you'll realise I'm all about peace love and harmony….jez Ela 60s? You wana hit them with 60s slogans….Muse sod off!

Chapter Eleven

Home But Not Alone

When Kendall brought the girls and AJ home the house on Park and Crescent was awash with lights. Gabrielle looked out at it with a sad smile.

"It's like Lydia's home and turning all the lights on. Wonder if Ma forgot to turn them off this morning."

"Whose car is that?"

AJ didn't recognise the strange car parked up on the driveway but Miranda did and it brought a shadow of a smile to her face.

"It's Maggie's."

"Huh Maggie, do you think Mom invited her over for dinner?"

AJ and Gabrielle looked at each other both hoping the answer was yes because each wanted to get to know this new stranger in their lives, this new relative they hadn't known they had. Miranda shook her head.

"No she wouldn't do that unless Ma was here."

Kendall brought the car to a stop next to Maggie's and turned to her oldest niece.

"Why's that?"

Miranda waited for her sister and brother to get out before she answered her aunt.

"Because Mom would never do anything that might hurt Ma."

"Do you think Maggie's being here would hurt Marissa?"

Kendall watched as her niece smiled.

"No because Ma would do anything to make Mom happy."

/

Bianca watched as Marissa busied herself around the kitchen putting the finishing touches to the Bolognese dish that the kids loved so much. The brunette felt her stomach churn at the thought of food and turned away to help little Lydia set the table.

"Fouwa…..five….eight….eleven."

"Buttercup what happened to six and seven?"

Lydia looked at her empty hands then up at the place mats she'd just finishing placing around the table. There was more than a look of confusion on her face when she finally met her mother's gaze.

"Is not enough Mom?"

Bianca grinned at the impish look her daughter was giving her.

"It is enough Lydia but you jumped from five to eight and forgot all about six and seven."

"Eight eleven is enough."

Lydia's shrug had her parents and a watching Maggie laughing.

"Hi munchkin I think we might have some visitors."

The little girl turned on her heel and made for the kitchen door.

"Mimo! AJ! Gabby! Dinno time!"

Maggie's hands rushed to cover her ears as the little girl's voice bellowed around the kitchen and into the hallway where it was joined by squeals of delight.

/

David followed his wife to the kitchen hoping to hear what it was Maggie had said to Cara out by the car.

"David stalking me isn't going to get you anywhere."

The heart surgeon barked out a laugh at the absurdity of the words.

"I'd hardly call it stalking, we're married."

Cara turned around, her smile warm and eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Yes we are, how did that happen?"

David's face softened at the teasing words. He wrapped his arms around Cara's waist loving when she moved closer without being pulled in.

"I don't know. Sometimes I think it might all be a dream."

Cara grinned mischievously.

"I'll pinch you to prove that it isn't."

David laughed.

"A kiss would have the same effect."

"Ah but some kisses can be dreamlike."

David nodded.

"True especially yours but still I'll take the kiss over a pinch any day."

"Good to know."

Cara didn't move forward and David was a little too lost in just gazing at her.

"I'm really thinking this might take a pinch after all, you look lost in a dream."

David nodded.

"I am. I love you."

Cara melted and finally moved in to kiss her husband who momentarily forgot all of his questions and worries.

/

Dinner was a comical occasion when both Gabrielle and Lydia tagged team in their efforts to show Maggie Stone Dubois the Montgomery way to eat spaghetti. Bianca sat at the head of the table her gaze falling to Miranda who was watching her sisters antics with growing amusement. The teenager looked tired, a darkness beneath her huge brown eyes that Bianca had never noticed until now.

"Ma should Lydia be eating so much? What if she gets sick again?"

AJ's worried words reached both his parents; Marissa offered her son a reassuring smile.

"Pasta is the next step in foods for her AJ so it should be okay but even if it isn't there's a doctor in the house."

All eyes turned to Maggie who was busy trying to curl her spaghetti round the fork the way Lydia had shown her.

"You nearly got it but just a little more next time. Then you'll be there."

Bianca's face broke into a happy smile at her daughter's words; it was how Marissa spoke, the way she would always offer encouragement no matter what the outcome.

Maggie hadn't the heart to tell the Montgomery girls that she knew exactly how to twist spaghetti around a fork nor had she the heart to tell their parents that she'd had dinner already; instead she just offered Gabrielle a bright smile.

"Thanks I'll remember that."

Lydia nodded her enthusiasm.

"It's powtant to wemembow to always be hopful."

Marissa and Bianca glanced at each other both women trying hard not to laugh at Lydia's words.

"I think you mean hopeful Lydia."

Lydia gave Miranda her customary shrug.

"Hopeeful."

Miranda grinned at her baby sister who turned back to Maggie.

"Is you hopeeful?"

Maggie's face softened at the innocent question; she looked around only then catching the gazes the family were all giving her. Cara's words came back to the doctor; maybe the Mexican was right, maybe Maggie did have some people who could help. But did she want that help? Maggie couldn't really say for sure that she did. When the doctor turned back to Lydia there was an earnest expression on the little girl's face as she waited for an answer; the best Maggie could give was a nod.

/

"Reggie about what you said earlier."

Reggie glanced across the table at Marie.

"Huh?"

"About losing me."

The lawyer's eyes dimmed.

"Oh em yeah I just I guess sometimes it hits me that we're only human, no of us are immortal and I guess I got a little maudlin on it."

Marie pursed her lips, Reggie wasn't being entirely truthful, his eyes kept darting away from her gaze too often which was a sure sign he was hiding something from her.

"Reggie…."

"I can't Marie, I wana but I can't. I made a promise and ethically I need to keep it, it's the least I can do for them at this stage."

Marie's worry for her husband deepened.

"So this isn't about the job this is someone you care about."

Reggie's dark eyes pleaded with his wife.

"Babe this isn't what you think and I promise we'll talk about it when the time is right. I know you're worried but I'm okay, I'll be okay and hopefully so will they."

Marie pondered the words reading again between the lines her husband had never been very good at drawing. Reggie was sometimes too honest for his own good.

"Is there anything I can do to help them?"

Reggie smiled.

"Maybe, who knows what lies ahead."

/

After dinner AJ and Miranda let Maggie help them clean up as Gabrielle followed her parents upstairs to put a sleepy Lydia to bed.

"So she's home for good?"

Maggie nodded at Miranda.

"As long as Lydia has no problem with eating then yeah she's home for good."

AJ turned to the doctor.

"I thought Ma said you needed to wait for 24hrs."

Maggie nodded again.

"I'm waiting."

Miranda and AJ looked at each other in confusion.

"You mean you're waiting here?"

Marissa chose that moment to re-enter the room.

"Yes Maggie's waiting here and that shouldn't mean she has to share your chores. Can I get you a drink Maggie?"

The doctor turned from helping AJ dry dishes.

"What's on offer?"

Marissa's shrug had Maggie grinning.

"So that's where it comes from?"

The redhead looked at her guest in confusion.

"Sorry?"

"The shrug, Lydia's shrug it's very distinctive. I've been watching the kids to see which of them she got it from but it's her Mama that does it."

The lawyer shrugged again and laughed at Maggie's proud look.

"We've got hot drinks, cold drinks, alcoholic drinks, herbal drinks. You name it Bianca has found a place to buy it."

"What about peppermint tea?"

Marissa nodded.

"I'll get it Ma, do you want one too?"

"No thanks Miranda I think I'll have a cappuccino instead."

"Coming right up, if madams would care to have a seat in the den your beverages will be with you shortly."

AJ's British twang had all three females grinning at him.

/

The den was a bright room full of character, Maggie sat looking at the framed photos that adorned the walls. There was Kendall, Zach and their boys, Ryan, Greenlee and Emma, Scott, Madison and Paris and then Reggie and Marie with Jack and Erica. There were others that Maggie didn't recognise and she stared at them in silence wondering why she thought she should.

"Bianca's brother Sean and his partner Kerry with their twins Jackie and Travis. The other is her sister Molly with her husband Troy."

Marissa's explanation had Maggie wondering where Bianca's stepmother was.

"No Barbara?"

The history between Barbara Montgomery and Bianca had been fraught with tension after Bianca came out to her stepmother; Barbara had not reacted well and it had left its mark on their relationship.

"She passed away a few years back."

"Oh."

Maggie took in all the pictures again and wondered at the absence of the Haywards and Careys.

"And where's your family?"

Marissa pointed all around her making Maggie smile.

"Sorry that was a little forward of me."

"One half of my family is your family too. They're in the Great Room, would you like to see?"

When Maggie nodded Marissa got to her feet guiding them down into the Great Room. On either side of the grand fireplace there were two huge family portraits, one of the family with the Haywards and Martins and the other with all the Kanes and Montgomerys.

"Whoah how did you manage to get David and the Martins all standing in the same room?"

"I would say Photoshop but I'd be lying."

Maggie sniggered at the redhead's joke.

"Dad isn't the man he used to be, the shooting and becoming a father again really changed him."

After meeting young Leon Maggie could easily understand how having him could change a man like David but the shooting was news to her.

"Shooting?"

Marissa nodded.

"JR tried to kill me."

"What?"

Maggie's shock had Marissa's hand self-consciously moving to the scar on her arm.

"He was drunk and missed anything vital."

Why hadn't Miranda told Maggie?

"When was this?"

"Bout seven and a half years ago."

A rough calculation soon had the doctor realising that Miranda would only have been seven probably too young to understand or be told what had really happened.

"He's still alive?"

"Barely. The theory is that he slipped and accidentally shot himself in the head. He's in a coma."

"Jesus doesn't anything ever go smoothly in Pine Valley?"

The lawyer smiled

"We've had a pretty smooth run of it up until last week."

"And now?"

The redhead did that same shrug that reminded Maggie of the adorable little girl she had been treating since her return to Pine Valley.

"You have a lovely family."

Marissa smiled.

"I do but then by the same admission so do you."

Maggie met the gaze and seen the offer in it.

"Was it Jackson or Reggie?"

Marissa frowned.

"Pardon?"

"Who told you? I can see that you know, I could see it the moment I entered that hospital room earlier. Was it Reggie or Jackson?"

"Neither."

"Erica?"

Marissa's eyes widened.

"Erica knows?"

The doctor snorted.

"So it obviously wasn't her, that can only leave Susan."

Marissa didn't respond, she couldn't even if she wanted to.

"Have you told Bianca?"

The lawyer shook her head.

"Please don't."

Marissa didn't have to think too long about the request, Bianca was suffering enough without the added burden of knowing Maggie's secret. But just how long could either of them hope to keep it from the brunette? If Bernard Michaels persisted in his efforts to deny any fault in his divorce hearing then they would have no option but to name Maggie and once that happened Pine Valley Bulletin would be all over it like a rash.

"I won't but you have to realise that if you take the stand tomorrow then there are some journalists who will make it their business to connect the dots. Once they do the news is going to be all over Pine Valley."

"That's tomorrow, tonight there is Bianca and Miranda nothing else."

Marissa decided in that moment that she wanted very much to call her cousin her friend.

/

"Come on Mimo I thought you'd be happier to have your parents all under one roof."

AJ didn't think about his words nor did he see the expression that crossed his best friend's face, he was too busy preparing the drinks for his mother and their guest. Miranda paled, her eyes growing wide with disbelief.

"My parents? What's that supposed to mean?"

The teenager's tone was caustic and AJ suddenly realised he'd stepped on another minefield.

"Nothing I …just… you know, it's Maggie thee Maggie. Wasn't she like the equivalent of your Dad?"

AJ watched in stunned silence as Miranda threw the tea towel at him, her voice absolutely livid when she spoke again.

"I don't need a fucking Dad so just shut up AJ."

/

Bianca was between the den and kitchen when she heard her daughter raise her voice to AJ. Miranda did not shout and she most definitely did not swear, hearing both startled her mother into action.

"Miranda Mona Montgomery."

The two teenagers turned both showing guilty expressions; Miranda's eyes were glistening.

"AJ can you please give Miranda and I a moment?"

AJ tried to catch Miranda's eye as he made to leave the kitchen but the young brunette was more concerned with the look in her mother's; Bianca approached her with measured steps.

"Mom I'm sorry I didn't mean to lose it with AJ he just…."

When Bianca opened her arms and enveloped Miranda in a tight hug the teenager couldn't hold her tears at bay.