It was ten o'clock in the morning and Bianca Montgomery stood in her kitchen, eyes intently focused on an open carton of eggs laying on the counter. The woman selected one of the unfortunate white ovals and raised it so it was at eye-level.
Her enemy.
Bianca's nose curled into a menacing sneer as a look of sheer determination ran its way across her face. ''I will cook you,'' Bianca threatened the helpless egg as if she were an FBI agent towering over some troublesome teenager. In fact, if the egg wasn't an inanimate object, Bianca was sure that it would be cowering in fear. This thought seemed to comfort Bianca as she cracked the egg's shell against the edge of the counter and poured its content into a large bowl that she had set out earlier.
As she then proceeded to crack the rest of the eggs, Bianca continued talking. ''And I'll cook you good. No burning, no overdoing it. Mags and I will finally have a homecooked breakfast that doesn't consist of Tony the Tiger.''
Although she sincerely doubted so. The two best friends rarely shared a breakfast that didn't include a gallon of milk and a box of cereal. Maggie never got up early enough to cook breakfast, and if she did, she settled for cereal anyway. Bianca was a Kane woman; that fact alone should speak enough volume about her ability behind a stove. The Kane women weren't exactly graceful with the delicate art of cooking, and would be more subject to producing a heap of burned meat rather than an extravagant and lush meal.
However, this morning was different. And you want to know why? Of course you do. Because Bianca was determined. Confident, even. And whenever Bianca Montgomery is either determined, confident, or even both, pray your little heart out child, because nothing ever gets in her way. She's proved it time and time again, and wouldn't have any trouble doing so with a carton of eggs. Eggs, Bianca snickered. She can cook eggs. What could possibly go wrong? Completing the task of whipping the yolk, Bianca tossed the whipping tool into the sink and turned the bowl over while it was suspended over the pan, the liquid oozing slowly onto the surface. Yeah, she can cook eggs. Bianca picked up the spoon which previously rested on the counter and began weaving it through the yolk, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts.
Concurrently, there were other things she was determined and confident enough about. Things like Maggie, and things like Lena, but those things like Lena could wait. Maggie was her numero uno concern. What was up with her best friend? She needed to know, because otherwise, she wouldn't know how to help. Why was Maggie avoiding her? Why does Maggie rarely ever make eye contact with her anymore? Why did she smell cigarettes on her last night? Are her eggs on fire? Dearest Lord, her eggs are on fire.
Maggie was in the middle of a dream when an annoying buzzing interrupted her bliss. Groaning in her sleep, Maggie rolled over onto her stomach and placed the extra pillow over her head, hoping to block out whatever that irritating siren was. It didn't help, the buzzing becoming increasingly louder and forcing Maggie to come to the realization that her dream about becoming the Queen of England and ruling the world with an iron fist was indeed no more.
Rolling towards the edge of her bed, Maggie stood with an exhausted moan. The sheets were still tangled in a web around her ankles as she balanced precariously between standing upright and falling face first onto the floor. After a moment or two, Maggie managed to free herself of her restraints and stumble towards her bedroom door, the buzzing now becoming all too easy to recognize.
The smoke alarm.
''Bi-an-caaa,'' she moaned with exasperation. Throwing her bedroom door open without much effort, Maggie hung in the doorway, allowing herself to register the sight before her. Bianca, desperately waving her hands around in the smoke billowing out from the stovetop while a pan on said stovetop nursed a small fire.
Maggie decided to step in before the fire grew, but not without some grade-A scolding. ''Binks! How many times have I told you, no cooking when I'm not around!'' She managed to yell over the increasing smoke as she headed towards the sink, grabbing a clean cup from the right side and filling it up from the faucet on the left. Bianca continued to flail her arms about and shriek in a manner that only Miss Piggy would, thinking that this would somehow help the situation at hand. Needless to say, it didn't. Maggie nearly came close to getting her head smacked off and going deaf before she was able to douce the flames with the cup of water in hand.
After the flames had settled into a wheezing nothing, Bianca shot an innocent look in Maggie's direction. Surely her puppy dog eyes would get her out of trouble this time, as they have before. However, Maggie wasn't dumb. This happened so many times that she was able to pick her way through Bianca's tactics: the Pug eyes, the large pout that made her look more guilty than she already was. Maggie simply shook a finger in Bianca's direction.
''Nuh uh, little miss. Don't pull the lost dog act on me. You know what this means, don't you?''
Bianca stared at her, continuing her innocent scene, so Maggie continued. ''Dish duty for a week. Plus, that's like … what, the third pan this month? I'm gonna have to call Progressive and see if they cover kitchen utensils.''
The taller woman heaved out a dramatic sigh. ''Oh come on, Mags,'' Bianca said, putting Maggie's nickname into use in an attempt to ease the loss of her beloved pan. ''That pan was junk, anyway.''
Maggie feigned a look of hurt. ''How dare you! That pan cost so much, and you go and destroy it.''
''Mags, you bought it from K-Mart.''
''I'm missing your point.''
Bianca laughed, enveloping her friend into a hug. ''Okay, okay,'' she said, pulling back from Maggie, but keeping her hands on the shorter woman's forearms. ''I'm sorry, Maggie. I know that you're going to need time to get over this tragedy, but please. Find it in your heart to forgive me?''
Maggie pretended to consider her friend's request, before throwing her arms up in mock annoyance. ''Fine. I'll let this one slip. But I swear, B. Next time I walk into our kitchen and the stove is on fire, I'm so calling the police on you.''
And with that, the shorter woman collapsed into one of the dining table's chairs as if she had just run the twenty mile marathon. Bianca laughed again, taking the seat across from Maggie. It was a few moments later until one of them finally spoke up, said one being Bianca with the ever so popular question, ''What's up?''
Maggie, who had been previously lost in her own thoughts about Bianca and the price of frying pans, looked up. ''I just woke up and walked into World War II. You?''
A smile didn't fail Bianca, who smacked her friend's arm playfully. ''Oh, you know. Burning stuff. The usual.''
''Don't I know it.''
Yet another silence fell upon the two best friends. Whether it was a comfortable silence or an uncomfortable one, the both of them weren't all too sure. Both were swimming in their own thoughts, and both were too hesitant to spark up the next small conversation. Bianca had quickly gone back to thinking about the night before, and how Maggie had become unconsiderably out of it the past few weeks. She couldn't help but think it had to do with her and her relationship with Lena; afterall, it shouldn't be all too suprising for her to come to such a conclusion. Maggie had been ditching her more so than she ever had before, making up an excuse each and every single time Bianca invited her to join Lena and herself for lunch. And even sans Lena. She wanted so badly to pull Maggie aside and tell her that no matter what happens with Lena, that she was and will always be her best friend.
She had a feeling that the problem was much more deeper than that, though.
On the other side of the table, Maggie was having trouble making sense of her own thoughts. One side of her was screaming at her, telling her that she was an idiot for not confessing her feelings to Bianca earlier. Now look what you did, you idiot. You lost the girl to some Polish woman with bad breath. Awesome job, Stone. You're a real winner. And then, the other side of her was congratulating her. Because, somehow, in some odd and twisted kind of way, this part of her was making her believe that Lena would only bring the two of them closer. This part of her was making her believe that Bianca would finally come to her senses and realize that she doesn't belong with Lena, but with her. And, most importantly, this part of her was making her believe that yeah, she was in love with Bianca.
Or, at least, totally in like with her. And on top of all that, she was still wondering how much money another pan would cost.
Coming to the realization that they had now been sitting mute for a few minutes, Bianca decided to speak up again. ''So, what are your plans for today?''
''Huh?'' Maggie once more looked up from the tabletop, torn away from her thoughts. Registering Bianca's question, she shrugged, grabbing the box of Cocoa Puffs which had been set out the morning before. ''Don't think I have any. Why? Scheming against me?''
Bianca smirked as she watched Maggie struggle to open the cereal. ''Nah. I was thinking, maybe we could hang out.'' She grabbed the box from the shorter woman and opened the top, before handing it back to Maggie. ''Like the old times.''
Maggie smiled her thanks in Bianca's direction, dumping some of the chocolate cereal into one of the bowls on the table. ''Jesus Binks, you make it sound like we're in our fifties,'' she grinned, retrieving the milk gallon from the fridge and shutting the door with her foot. ''But hey, it sounds like a plan to me.''
''Great,'' Bianca replied, folding her legs in the chair. She continued to watch Maggie, who was now digging into the moist cereal as if she hadn't eaten for days. She decided that her questions could wait for a later time in the day, right now she needed to focus on having a good time with her best friend. ''I was thinking the park. Picnic or something. What do you say?''
Maggie looked up, chewing the cereal in her mouth before answering. ''Let's do it.''
Meanwhile, on the other side of Pine Valley, an abnormally tall woman with a crooked nose sat behind a large desk, engrossed in a phone conversation. She held the reciever to her ear while throwing darts at a dart board which hung on the wall, in true villain fashion. Now all she needed was a cape.
''Did you get it?'' The woman asked, flinching when one of the darts accidentally hit the wall instead of the board.
''I got it,'' the voice on the other end of the line replied. This voice was more masculine, but still had a little squeak to it, as if it were nervous.
''The right amount?''
''The right amount.''
''And you remember where you're going to drop it off?''
''I remember where I'm going to drop it off.''
''Can you say anything other than restating my questions?''
''I can say anything other than restat-- hey.''
''I'm warning you right now, AC. If you're late, you're gone. Understood?''
The already squeaky voice seemed to quiver even more. ''Understood.''
''You're doing it again.''
''What?''
''Restating my questions.''
''Sorry.''
''Huh. I'll see you there.''
And with that, the abnormally tall woman with the crooked nose hung up the phone, and proceeded to throw a dart square into its intended target. A small but equally evil laugh bubbled out of her lips as she stood up from her leather chair, eyeing the dart board with triumph.
''Goodbye, Maggie.''