"Amor Vincit Omnia"
Disclaimer: I do not own All My Children, its dialogue, storylines or any of its characters.
Chapter 19- "Free Falling"
Bianca rested in bed and willed herself to open her eyes. She loved waking up to see her kids, her friends and her family. Even when she had to work all day, she didn't mind waking up to her family.
However, with the antics of the last few weeks she was unbelievably exhausted. Every day was a new puzzle, a new argument, another rant from someone wronged, another person hurt. No amount of sleep was ever enough.
Bianca forced her eyes open and saw Maggie lying at her side, with her head sideways on the pillow. She was wonderfully and blissfully asleep. Dr. Frankie Hubbard had prescribed her some sleeping pills and she was under strict orders to stay away from work until she slept. Bianca was grateful. Maggie had been running herself ragged trying to take care of everyone and stay strong against her family.
Bianca knew her wife took a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders. She just wanted to take care of everyone all of the time. Bianca was mostly used to it and respected Maggie a lot for it. Unfortunately, she was worried something else was at work. Maggie was so consumed with disassociating herself with the Bennetts, Bianca thought there was more to it than hurt. Bianca was beginning to think that a part of Maggie still considered herself a Bennett and was blaming herself for everything they did.
It hurt Bianca to think about it. She still saw good in a lot of the Bennetts but Maggie was seeing the worst and thinking she was associating herself with that was something hard to process as Maggie was one of the best people she had ever known. Of course, Bianca knew nothing for sure. She had no proof anything like this was bothering Maggie at all besides the feeling she had in her gut and Maggie suddenly needing a pill just to sleep through the night.
"Stop watching me sleep, Bianca," Maggie said with a tired slur.
Bianca quickly sat up in bed and watched Maggie's eyes closely. She was definitely still asleep but never completely at rest.
Bianca leaned over and pressed a kiss to the side of Maggie's head. She had gotten paler lately. What happened to her happy bride with the almost orange tan? She would do anything to make her happy again.
Bianca leaned over and whispered into Maggie's ear. "Live through this and you won't look back, my love." She hoped Maggie could hear her if she was somehow able to feel her eyes on her in her sleep.
"Love you," Maggie mumbled sleepily.
Bianca smiled. A sweet talker even in her sleep. "Love you back."
Bianca rolled over and tossed off her covers so she could make her way to her daughters. She would let Maggie rest and figure things out later. She made a mental note to ask Dr. Hubbard about the side effects of the sleeping pills Maggie was on. It was all innocent now but talking in your sleep could be a very dangerous thing.
Leo pressed his boot against one of the wooden railings of the Miller's Falls bridge. The wood gave a little under his foot. It took him a long time for him to engineer that effect. It was an old place. Not very well kept up. No one would suspect a thing.
He turned his head toward his mother. He didn't smile and hoped she would write it off as trepidation for what he was about to do.
He hoped Greenlee got his last message to her before the news started reporting what was about to happen. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her any more pain.
He slowly backed up as much as he could. He felt for the railing behind him and was tempted to grab on for dear life. He wanted to grab branches, trees, even sawdust not to go but he knew he had to.
His mother wasn't patient and he didn't have much time. He blew her kiss because she was his mother and he was a gentleman. He fixed his eyes on the unstoppable rushing water of the falls and steeled himself. He gathered his courage and threw himself against the railing and into Miller's Falls.
"Palmer?" Bianca asked as she entered the Cortlandt Manor. She looked around curiously. The mansion was dark and there was a thin layer of dust covering the furniture. She noticed there was not a noise in the house. As she went further into the manor, the home only got darker, and Palmer still hadn't responded.
She walked through the mansion, trying to piece together a direction from memory. She slung her purse more securely over her shoulder and extended a hand to feel along the walls. Her hands reached out and felt bliss ribbon curtains. She recognized them as the lime green curtains that Opal hung inside the home and opened them. Natural light flooded everything but Bianca could still not see anyone in the house.
She knew that Petey had moved out of the country so Palmer was living alone. However, he had a staff. She couldn't imagine where they could all be. She decided to call out to him again, this time with more panic in her voice. "Palmer?"
"Bianca, is that you?" Palmer's raspy voice croaked from somewhere down the hallway.
Bianca let out a breath of relief at hearing his voice and began to head toward him once she could better see the home. She finally saw another lit room and entered. She saw Palmer sitting on a couch with a paper in his hand. He seemed well groomed and in a suit so she knew he was okay but that did not explain where everyone else was.
"Hey, I'm sorry I've been out of touch for the last few days," Bianca said as she took off her purse and took a seat next to him.
Palmer set aside his paper next to him on the couch. He then rested his hand over Bianca's and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as he smiled at her. "You have nothing to worry about, darling. I understand everything. How's your mother?"
Bianca took a deep breath and relaxed. That was at least one thing that was going well. "She's doing well. I hear she's making death threats already which is a frightening and wonderful thing."
Palmer let out a laugh as he turned away from her. It was like he could see Erica's antics play out before his eyes. He had seen enough of them to guess what they looked like. However, his laughter soon turned to a fit of coughing that would not stop. Bianca instantly began rubbing his back in hopes of being able to soothe him.
He gently moved her aside and leaned forward. He held up a finger to signal her to wait and eventually his coughing subsided. He straightened his tie but his voice was a little raw as he spoke. "Don't you worry about me. I'm an old man but there's still some fight left in me. I got some good news for you."
Bianca was reluctant to let it go but she could let him relax before bringing dreariness into the only lit room of the mansion. She crossed her legs and faced him a little more on the couch. "Good news? What is it?"
Palmer winked at her. "More than a little good news." He reached over to the table next to him and grabbed some papers and a folder. He handed the folder to Bianca and watched her face as she opened it.
She thumbed through the folder and recognized the contracts. Things had been so hectic over the last few days she had forgotten all about them. Her face lit up as she turned back to Palmer. "The merger went through."
"Cortlandt Electronics and Cambias Industries are officially one company," Palmer said as he looked out into the distance at all the photos of his children and family that lined the walls. "I always hoped to keep Cortlandt in the family or at least giving it to your mother but I don't know that any of my children are in a place to take over Cortlandt anytime soon. They have their own plans." He stopped and felt his heart which made Bianca nervous just thinking about it. "With my health scares lately I've had to think of the future. You've done so well with your business. I'm so proud of you, Bianca."
He wrapped an arm around her and hugged her then and she leaned into the embrace before moving her head to see him. She wanted to make sure she was looking into his eyes as she promised him something. "You can trust me, Palmer. If any of your kids ever want part in the company, I'll let them in. It's going to stay around for a long time. I promise you that."
He pulled away with a mock frown perched on his lips as he eyed Bianca. "Well, I don't plan on leaving this company for awhile, girl. I'm going to hang on until the day I die and that's a long time off."
"Well, I know that," Bianca said teasingly as they both laughed together. Bianca's eyes were drawn back to the papers that were still in Palmer's hand. She pointed to them and he followed her cue.
Palmer's smile widened as he remembered the next bit of news he was about to tell her. He handed the papers over to Bianca and tapped where his name was printed on them. "I knew Vanessa would try to buy up property in town so I beat her to some. I am the new owner of Wildwind."
Bianca knew the building had been unoccupied for a long time despite it's beauty. Bianca had been part of renovations to keep it up since she was so fond of the home and all it had to offer. She was surprised she hadn't thought of the Bennett's need for residence either. Where were they staying?
"So, you've bought it even though you're going to stay here at the manor?" Bianca asked as she handed the papers back to the white haired man.
He straightened them out and placed them back on the coffee table before folding his hands back in his lap. "I just don't want her to have it. One of my children can have it if they ever move back. In fact, you and Maggie can have it for now to visit your mother in her time of need."
Palmer knew that Erica and Jackson had a big enough home to accommodate any of their visiting children and relatives. Bianca suspected the old man just wanted her and her family to live closer. She hadn't been able to visit in the few weeks since the Bennett family came into town. She resolved to visit him more often, without work or the kids as an excuse.
"I'll keep that in mind," Bianca promised. "In fact, I'll come back tomorrow night after work. You can give me the keys and we'll see it together."
"It's a date," Palmer promised.
He and Bianca continued to plan business and talk about a variety of things. They were so lost in talk of Erica and Anna's hospital stays and whether or not Palmer would finally manage to win back Opal this time, they did not look toward the window. They did not see who was watching and listening.
The doorbell of the Montgomery-Stone household chimed and Maggie was glad for the reprieve. She didn't know how she could handle any of her major problems if she couldn't even explain to Miranda that Gabrielle didn't maliciously bite Teddy the Bear on the ear.
She nearly tripped over several toys both hard and soft on the five foot walk to the door. She was sure Bianca would kill her for the mess she made when she got home but that was a problem for later.
Maggie swung open the door and saw Natalia Hubbard standing outside, once again not in a police uniform. She was wearing a pale blue blouse and jeans. Despite her smile she radiated agitation. Maggie decided to handle the situation calmly and see what happened.
"Morning officer. Did you want more help on that case?" Maggie said as she waved Natalia inside.
Natalia peaked in and spotted the kids over on the couch. She waved at them and spoke in a quiet tone as she faced Maggie. "Well, there's something new all right. I'm not only off the case, I'm being transferred to Philadelphia."
Maggie blinked and pursed to lips. She tried never to have huge unpleasant reactions to things in front of her children. She closed the door and looked back toward the kids. She saw Miranda slowly handing Mr. Bear back to Gabrielle and took the moment of distraction to hiss, "what?"
"Well, you know my dad is acting chief of police while Anna is in the hospital?" Natalia asked as she put her hand on her hip. At Maggie's nod, she continued. "Well, I think your aunt is thinning out the heard further, starting with me since I'm his daughter. She's having PI's follow us. She found out I kissed Brot under the mistletoe at a Christmas party. She used it to prove we were having a secret affair and gave it to one of the higher ups."
Maggie closed her eyes and rubbed her hand over her face in an attempt to massage away the pressure in her head. How many lives were going to get ruined by her family? Her friend was going to move to another city away from her friends and family. It wasn't that bad of a fate but Natalia had never even heard of the Bennetts before they arrived. She was just a person getting kicked out of Pine Valley for the sole reason that she was one of the good guys. It was a scary forecast of was going to happen.
Maggie opened her arms and pulled Natalia in a hug. "Man, I'm sorry."
Natalia tapped Maggie on the back a few times before releasing her. Natalia straightened her clothes once she left the hug and tried to look away to keep herself together. She was trying hard to remain stoic in the face of being taken down so easily. She turned back to Maggie with a lazy smile on her face and Maggie noticed the redness in her eyes. She had been crying. "I'm leaving tomorrow. My goodbye party is at BJ's if you want to stop by."
They were interrupted as Bianca arrived home with her hair blowing in the breeze. She waved to Natalia as she quickly entered and shut the door. She let out a breath before putting on a cheering smile and moving to face Natalia. "Hey you. It's crazy out there, huh?"
"Yeah," Natalia said as she hugged her so Bianca could not see the grimace that was revealed to Maggie. Maggie remembered when her family first left and she had to go around explaining how she had been left behind. Now, thanks to that same family Natalia had to go around town and explain she was leaving.
Maggie tapped Natalia on the shoulder as she and Bianca pulled apart from the hug. "Listen, I'll explain everything to Bianca and of course I'll be there tomorrow. You take care."
"You're leaving? Sorry, I missed seeing you. Tell your parents I'm sorry I missed dinner last week." Bianca said as she walked toward her kids. She placed a kiss on Gabrielle's head where she lay in her blue and green bouncer seat. She placed another kiss on Miranda's head and lifted her off the ground.
"I will," Natalia said before turning to Maggie. She softly punched Maggie in the arm as a thank you before waving goodbye to the girls. "I'll see you."
"Bye bye," Miranda said with the tiniest of waves as Bianca did her best to lift her throughout the room like she was Supergirl. Maggie had no idea when her wife had time to work out enough to lift their child but she was nevertheless impressed.
Natalia let herself out the door and Maggie locked it behind her. Maggie took a moment and watched Miranda wiggle her fingers like she could feel the air between them as Bianca swept her through the air of the livingroom. She didn't know when Miranda would be too old for it but Maggie was happy to let her enjoy it while she did. She loved that her daughter could feel like a superhero in her mother's arms.
When Bianca and Maggie's eyes met Maggie motioned for Bianca to follow her to the kitchen. Supergirl Miranda came in for a smooth landing as Bianca set her down on the couch and kissed her head once again before walking to Maggie.
"What's up?" Bianca asked in a whisper as she got closer to Maggie.
Maggie wasted no time in venting her frustration for her friend. "Vanessa somehow managed to get Natalia transferred to another police department."
"Where? What? How? When? Why?" Bianca asked all in one breath as she reached Maggie. Her nostrils were already flaring. Bianca always found a way to rise to the occasion for her friends.
Maggie smiled and took her wife's hand. Just seeing her and talking to her already made her feel a little better. "She's sending her away in what Natalia thinks is a plan to thin out the police force."
Bianca's eyes left Maggie and they began moving back and forth as if she was seeing pieces of a puzzle that appeared only to her. Her lips began to turn up in a small half smile but she did not look happy, only satisfied.
She finally let her eyes rest on Maggie again and bit her lip before speaking. "Well, that explains a lot actually."
Maggie raised both eyebrows at once. She was amazed after knowing each other their whole lives, Bianca could still absolutely surprise her. "What exactly happened at Palmer's? Did he get you in trouble?"
Bianca rolled her eyes. She swore she was becoming more like Maggie every day in her mannerisms. It reminded her of dogs that start to look like their owners after awhile and that comparison made her uneasy.
"No, Leo just faked his death by throwing himself over Miller's Falls but sent a text to Greenlee saying he's okay but can't come out of hiding. He said so little we assumed Vanessa was pulling the strings. I'm guessing this is Vanessa trying to send the police on wild goose chases so there are less people around to catch her committing a crime. The question is what is the big crime she's committing? Bigger than faking your own death?" Bianca said as she looked over her shoulder at the kids to make sure Miranda didn't hear anything and that she wasn't trying to steal her sister's toys.
Maggie couldn't believe it. Her family had only been in town for a few weeks and already Vanessa was dismantling the police department. She was doing Leo's faked death very early. That must have meant she needed time to get away with something.
It took Maggie's mind back to the carjacking that ended with what turned out to be an infected tattoo. That was a fast crime and took place in between a phone call ending abruptly and an ambulance being called. If that crime took less than an hour, what would be big enough that Vanessa would need a distraction?
There was also the fact that the carjacking was odd and oddly specific. It just so happened that Natalia, who was the officer on the case and the only one to lay eyes on it, was leaving. It would end up at the bottom of the pile. It also happened after the Bennetts came back to town. She couldn't blame every crime in the world on them but could it have been a test run for something? Or another performance? If there was one thing her aunt loved, it was putting on a show.
Maggie couldn't think of it anymore. What she did know was that Vanessa was crazy but obsessively planned things down to the last detail. Anyone who ruined her plans tended to pay dearly. So, if Vanessa was orchestrating something that meant a plan was already in motion. They had to figure out what she was going to do next.