When Bianca woke up she was in a large comfortable bed. The sun was streaming though the French doors, which lead out to a deck. She felt a pair of eyes on her. She looked to her left and saw Maggie standing there with a cup of coffee in her hand. "Hey."

"Hi." Bianca said sitting up in bed.

"Thought you might like this."

"Thanks." Bianca said reaching for the cup. "Ohh." She groaned stretching out her neck.

"Sore?"

"Yeah." Bianca said softly before taking a sip of her coffee. She looked around the room. "Where's Emily?"

Maggie smiled. "She woke up early so after breakfast Jamie took her down to the lake fishing with him."

Bianca tensed slightly. "Jamie?"

"Yeah, he's my best friend. If your worried about her you can look right off the deck and see them."

Bianca set her cup down and painfully got out of bed.

"Whoa. Here let me help you." Maggie said slipping her arm around Bianca's back.

The brunette was about to protest when she discovered how weak she really was. Bianca caught her breath when she looked out over the massive lake that reached out across the countryside. Sitting on an old worn bench was a young man and her daughter. Both had polls in their hands. Bianca smiled. "Looks like she is enjoying herself."

"Yeah. She wanted to go in by you this morning but when she saw Jamie with his fishing polls she quickly changed her agenda."

Bianca smiled, the lake began to almost spin as Bianca tried to gain her balance. She grabbed on tightly to Maggie.

"Are you okay?" the blond asked leading Bianca back to the bed.

"Yeah…I just got dizzy for a second."

"Your probably starving. When is the last time you had something to eat?"

"Umm…lunch yesterday."

Maggie nodded, standing from the bed. "Stay here I'm going to go get you some breakfast."

"No, really I'm…"

"AH, not one word, your not leaving this bed."

Bianca rolled her eyes trying not to smile. "Yes mother."

Maggie laughed as she left the room. "Not one muscle!" She called over her shoulder.

Bianca lay back in bed. She felt safe in a total strangers house. She had no idea where she was or how she got here, but she was happy.

"Get him in Yamie!" Emily squealed watching Jamie struggle with his poll.

"I'm trying." He said reeling as fast as he could. With one final pull a large mouth bass flopped up on the sandy shore.

Emily rushed over the fish. "Can we keep this one!" She asked excitedly.

Jamie smiled as he placed his poll down and got out his measuring tape. "Well let's see how big this one is. 14 inches he's a keeper."

Emily beamed. "I want to eat him tonight Yamie!"

Jamie laughed. "Sure, now lets just catch enough of the rest of us okay?"

Emily nodded her had vigorously as she picked her poll back up.

Maggie returned with and omelet and a class of orange juice. "Here you go."

"I feel like such a child. Your serving me and letting us stay in your house and you don't even know me."

Maggie smiled. "It no problem. I saw you needed help and I couldn't just leave you shivering in the cold all night could I?"

Bianca smiled as she took a bite of her food. "Oh my god. This is delicious."

"I would love to take credit of it, but I can't. Jamie's the cook around here."

Bianca smiled. "Remind me to thank him."

As Bianca ate Maggie studied her face. She had raccoon eyes and a swollen lip. Her neck was covered in handprints. She could only guess what was under the nightshirt and pants she had on.

Bianca finished her meal and laied back. "That was amazing."

Maggie smiled picking up the tray. "I'll be sure to thank him for you."

"Hey, I'm coming with you. I'll get Emily and go find a hotel. We can't stay here."

"Oh yes you can. You are going to stay in that bed all day."

"But…"

"No buts, you can stay with us until you get back on your feet."

"I can't just stay here."

"And why not?"

"I..I just can't."

"Not a good enough reason."

"But…"

"What did I just say? No buts."

Bianca crossed her arms. "Fine but I'm paying back for EVERYTHING, and I mean everything."

Maggie smiled. "Fine."

Bianca again looked around the large room. She spotted the bathroom in off of the one corner. "Am I allowed to venture into the bathroom?"

"Just be careful. If you want to shower I'll help…I don't mean that to sound kinky but I am a RN."

Bianca felt a blush run up from her chest. "Thank you." She whispered before slowly making her way to the bathroom.

A half an hour later Emily came running in holding a string of fish. "Mommy! Mommy!" Maggie looked up from the paper.

"Hey there what do you have?"

"Yamie says they're long mouth basses."

Maggie laughed out loud. "He does, does he?" She smiled up at her friend as he came though the door.

Jamie just smiled and shrugged before heading off to his room to change.

"Where's mom? I want to show her what I caught."

"She is up stares in the third bedroom. You run up and tell her I said it was okay if she comes down and sees these guys."

Emily took off with the stringer still in hand.

"Ohh no, no, no." Maggie said grabbing the fish. "I'll take these out to the picnic table to get them ready to cut up okay?"

"Okay Maggie." She exclaimed before climbing up the stares towards her mother's room.

Maggie was cutting off one of the fish's heads when Bianca stepped out side holding her daughter's hand. "I hear I have permission to be out of my room."

"Only this once." Maggie winked at her.

"Mommy! Look, over here." She said leading Bianca to where Maggie was. "I caught that one!" She said pointing to one of the slimy creatures.

"You did?"

"Jepp."

Bianca smiled, she reached down to pick Emily up. She cringed at the strain she felt. It was like someone was pulling all the muscles in her body out.

Maggie looked up from the fish when she heard Bianca groan. "Hey, why don't you sit down?"

Bianca nodded quickly sitting with Emily still in her arms. She looked down at her daughter; her eyes were beginning to get droopy. "Are you tired honey?"

"A little."

"Do you want to go watch TV until lunch?"

Emily looked up at her mother. "I really can?"

Bianca smiled weakly down at her daughter. Michael hated it when she watched TV. Only on rare instances when Michael was out did the 3 year old get to see it. "Sure honey."

"You won't tell daddy?" She whispered.

"No sweetheart." Bianca said looking down at her daughter. "Do you want me to come in with you?"

Emily shook her head. "I know the way." She said getting down off her mothers lap and running for the door.

Maggie smiled watching her go. "Cute kid."

Bianca turned her attention back to Maggie. "Thanks."

Maggie continued to scale the fish. "It isn't any of my business…but is your husband the one that beat you?"

Bianca bowed her head. She didn't even look at herself in the mirror this morning. She could only imagine how hideous she looked. "…Yeah." She said kicking the ground with her foot. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"I understand why you picked me up, but why not just drop me off at a hotel or a shelter why take me in?"

Maggie put down her knife and sat down. "I had a twin sister, she was in a situation much like yours. Only I didn't know until it was too late. Her husband said she was depressed and jumped out the window herself. But how do you get hand prints around your neck from jumping out of a window?"

"Oh god Maggie." Bianca whispered. She reached over and placed her hand over Maggie's.

Maggie looked up into Bianca's eyes. She felt the electricity flowing between them. It was unlike anything she had ever felt in her life. "When I found out what had really been happing I pressed changes. He's in jail now on a life sentence." They sat in silence for a while before Maggie spoke again. "Have you been checked out by a doctor?"

"No." Bianca said quickly.

"Maybe you should…your bruises are still really dark."

"No, I'm fine."

Maggie nodded. "Okay." After a few minutes Maggie spoke again. "I understand what its like to be on the run. If you need anything you can trust me okay?"

Bianca smiled. "Thanks Maggie." She looked down at their intertwined hands. "EW! Your getting fish guts all over me!"

Maggie laughed. "I am, am I?" She smiled bringing her other hand to Bianca's jeans and began to wipe of her hands.

"EW! No!' Bianca squealed standing up and moving towards the house.

Maggie grabbed Bianca from behind and wiped her hands down Bianca's chest to her legs. Both girls were laughing so hard they collapsed to the ground. Maggie felt Bianca's weight pressing down on her. She smiled up at the brunette who was still reeling in laughter. As soon as their eyes locked everything stopped. Maggie slowly ran her hand through Bianca's hair before gently pulling her face down to hers.

"What are you two doing?" Came a loud voice from inside the house.

Bianca and Maggie quickly separated. After a moment Bianca called back to Jamie, "She was trying to get me to eat raw fish!"

"I was not! I was trying to wipe dead fish on you, not make you eat it!"

"Same difference." Bianca said before breaking out in laughter again.

Jamie walked out on the patio and down to the back yard, he smiled at the banner between the two women. He stopped in front of the hysterical girls. "Hi I'm Jamie." He smiled holding out his hand.

"B-Bianca." She managed to get out before snorting, thus causing Maggie to fall to her knees in laughter. Jamie just smiled; he had a feeling his title as best friend would soon be replaced.