Title: A Little Respect
Author: Misty Flores
Teaser: Pursuing a relationship with Aiden after discovering Bianca in bed with Babe, Maggie begins to question even her own self worth when she finds herself delving deeper into a baby kidnapping mystery, and an intense love triangle.
NOTE - The rest of this story is rated M for serious sexual situations between two female women. Did everyone read that? Okay. Moving on.
Oh yeah. And it gets way schmoopy.
Part Forty
well you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but you so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks and I'm tryin to get back
before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my bestest
and nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some
I won't hesitate no more, no more
it cannot wait I'm sure
there's no need to complicate
our time is short
this is our fate, I'm yours
-- I'm Yours, Jason Mraz
--
Warm, Maggie-weight covered her, soft, recovering pants spread moist hot breath against her collarbone, and slender hands tightened against her, blanketing her with a perfect form, molded against her like liquid.
Sighing raggedly, Bianca's eyes fluttered open, craning her neck to discover the stillness of the moments after their fevered coupling. Maggie's face was nestled between her breasts, hidden by a curtain of hair, and only now, as she let her head fall back, as fingers slid into the silken strands, carefully tucking them away from Maggie's face, did she realize that once again, she was on the floor.
"What?" Maggie asked weakly, head rising from her spot to look at her inquisitively, when Bianca began a low, gravely chuckle.
Hand rising to press lightly against her forehead, Bianca smiled demurely up at her lover, arching an eyebrow incredulously. "I'm just wondering if we're ever going to get to a bed."
Leg slipping between hers, Maggie studied her, a smirk giving away her sudden amusement. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said smugly, settling back against her comfortable perch. "I'm really quite comfortable."
Bianca nearly rolled her eyes, a swell of something close to exasperation surging up within her, taken over by a moment of tenderness when she carefully shifted her weight, forcing Maggie up slightly, enough to answer the sudden curiosity in Maggie's eyes by lifting her head and carefully planting a soft kiss against her lips.
Having permission to do so was still new, and the thrill at Maggie's immediately response caused an unconscious groan, as Maggie sighed breathlessly against her lips, head tilting, savoring Bianca's touch with an open mouth, hungrily accepting the luxury of the action.
Smooth legs moved restlessly against hers, and once again, Bianca felt the jolt of arousal between her legs, when Maggie ground slightly into her, causing the other girl to give a sudden whimper, plunge into her mouth with a possessive, slightly needy tongue.
Palms on the side of Maggie's face, Bianca broke the kiss with a teasing grin, inspecting the lusty, glazed face with a sudden well of joy and disbelief.
"Still comfy?" she asked, lips brushing mercilessly against Maggie's.
Licking swollen lips, Maggie arched a bemused eyebrow. "Are you being mean?"
Thumbing soft skin beneath her fingers, she just smiled. "I can be a lot meaner than that."
Seeing Maggie's reacting grin was a beautiful sight to behold, and Bianca thanked her own resolve for the opportunity for this, stolen moments that getting reamed by the Paris board would more than compensate for.
Flying away was hours away, and she pushed even thoughts of it away, an easy action, when Maggie's lips brushed against her again, smiling into her kiss, before pulling away and sitting up on Bianca's stomach, eyes turned dark with passion.
This time, Maggie let her touch, and Bianca took full opportunity, swallowing down her sudden emotion, the nervous, excited tingles and the large lump in her throat, to exhale raggedly, smooth hands under the dress already pooled around her waist, Maggie's thighs spread lewdly along either side of her. Moist heat was felt keenly against Bianca's tummy, and she bit her lip in reaction, spreading palms on velvety skin, inching up until she felt the delightful jolt that came from recognition of a thong.
Arching an eyebrow, Maggie eyed her playfully, winking. Laughing, Bianca tried to wink back, but found her own desire too overwhelming for that. Instead, she only slipped her hand out, ignoring Maggie's sudden frown to wrap hands around fabric, and tug meaningfully.
"Oh, is that what you want?"
"That's what I want," she answered huskily, and Maggie's teasing grin nearly trembled, before the weight above her shifted and Maggie's mouth covered hers again, tongue dipping inside to find her own, an erotic, passionate kiss.
Over too quickly, Maggie pulled back, and with a ragged exhalation, she quickly began to jerk her dress up and over her head. Hands once against settling on her thighs, Bianca watched the short, jerky movements, the sudden reveal of the hot little thong against perfect skin, the flashes of a taught, toned stomach, and she bit her lip in anticipation.
Until the movements became awkward, and there was a frustrated grunt. "Uh... Bianca?"
Rising to her elbows, Bianca tried to croak her response. "Yeah?"
There was a small moment of silence, then a muffled, "I'm stuck."
She didn't mean to laugh. Really, she didn't. But it came naturally and easily, as Maggie huffed audibly.
"It's not funny!"
"Oh, honey-" Trying to muffle her giggles, she quickly rose, squeezing against Maggie's waist before Maggie toppled off her, still struggling with the elusive dress, hands trapped against her head. "Hold on, let me help-"
"I can't believe you're laughing-"
"I couldn't help it! Would you stop-" Tugging on the dress, she managed to keep Maggie still, reversing the dress and pulling it off like a wrapper off a straw.
Maggie emerged from her cocoon red-faced and a little annoyed, hair now plastered against her sort sweaty face.
And still beautiful. Hand already plastered to her mouth, an effort to cover the laughter, Bianca found her amusement dying instantly, when presented with the altogether incredibly desirable body of her best friend.
Maggie had chosen black for her ensemble, and the thong, covering only the most intimate parts of Maggie, the lacy bra, carefully holding together Maggie's cleavage like it was a treasure, and the beautiful, pissed off face, made her suddenly breathless.
Maggie, too embarrassed to realize Bianca's eyes were no longer on her face, was consumed with pulling off bangs, stuck to her cheeks. "I can't believe you laughed. I was trying to be sexy! Talk about a mood-killer!"
Bianca licked her lips, eyes roving over the body she suddenly wanted desperately to explore.
"I mean, really! Cause you know, I'm not nervous enough! And you laugh! God, Bianca-MMMPH!"
The assault had taken her by surprise, that was clear enough. Stunned, Maggie dropped back and nearly cracked her head on the wood behind her, saved only when Bianca's hand cupped the back of her head mid-tackle, taking the brunt of the impact as Bianca settled aggressively on top of her, plundering her mouth ravenously.
She kissed her thoroughly, lips moving so fiercely against Maggie's she ripped a moan from her before Maggie could quite catch up. Hands flayed against her until her lover finally seemed to get there, settling against her shoulders and drawing her in further, welcoming the weight to top of her with a sudden groan.
Releasing her for a sudden gasp, Bianca smiled down at her, hand releasing her prisoner's head to carefully smooth down a shoulder, curling against a bicep. "Still killed the mood?"
"Oh, shut up," Maggie muttered breathlessly.
Bianca grinned, dipping her head again, pressing a delicate kiss against the panting mouth before she moved gently off, dragging eyes from the face to the beautiful, beautiful body.
"God," she said raggedly, hand smoothing from the body to the breasts, skimming them lightly, before dragging fingernails lightly against the smooth tummy, and continuing their journey past the toned butt and smooth, beautiful legs.
Eyes lifted once again to connect with Maggie's, and the careful scrutiny, the small amount of fear that was present, forced her to carefully move up, gently lower her head and hold still, until Maggie lifted and captured her lips. Permission granted, Bianca let her hand roam, feeling the shudders underneath her when she spread her palm against her stomach, pressing in lightly.
"You're so beautiful," she whispered against the questing lips, breaking free to nibble along Maggie's jaw.
Maggie made a small, needy whimper, and Bianca trembled at the sound, breathing her in, biting lightly at the spot on her neck she was currently occupied with, and lifting her lips, trailing against soft skin, latching to her collarbone as fingers nimbly pulled at the strapless bra cup, slipping beneath it to smooth over a hardening nipple. The tentative feel released a sudden groan, and Bianca shuddered with it, shoving aside fabric and palming it, rising with Maggie when her lover arched into her touch.
Heart racing, Bianca pressed another gentle kiss to the delicate collarbone, and moved intently further south. Both hands tugged at the bra, and Maggie, eyes half closed, arched up, just enough to slip fingers underneath, fumble and spring it free.
Hands moved back to cover what the fabric had before, and Maggie closed her eyes and sighed, pressing into her. With a thankful smile, Bianca kissed her again, hot lips sliding wetly against hers, and once again descended downwards, replacing her hand with her mouth, swiping her tongue reverently against the underside of the swell of flesh.
Maggie uttered her name almost painfully, and fingers tangled in her hair, palming her nape, urging her upwards, until Bianca's lips closed around the hard nub, moaning into the taste, sucking lightly.
Maggie groaned, a primal sound that made Bianca's hips twitch in reaction, as she explored the breast with infinite care, releasing the moist nipple only to breathlessly travel to the other peak, lips urgently closing around it, hands against Maggie's waist, pulling up into her mouth.
"Bianca..."
She murmured incoherently in response, too involved in her task, mouth opening wider, releasing another moan, feeling another arch.
Thighs wrapped around her, and the moist heat against her was distraction enough, desire and need enough to release the breast, placing another kiss against it, and the other, before pressing her mouth into Maggie's belly button, breathing in the smell of sex that was so damp and heady.
Hands caught around her shoulders, and only then, Bianca was distracted enough to look up, discover a wanton face, eyes nearly black in emotion, mouth open and heaving.
"I want to see you," Maggie whispered desperately. "Before you- I want to see you."
The lump that rose in her throat nearly undid her, and fervently, she nodded, reaching up to crash into Maggie's lips, breasts pressing against hers, another passionate kiss before they broke apart, long enough for Bianca to reach clumsily for her zipper. Maggie sat up with her, reaching behind her to bat her hands away, jerking at the expensive fabric and tugging it down so quickly it almost ripped.
Satin slid down her shoulders like liquid, and she kept careful watch, as Maggie pushed it down, letting Bianca pull arms out of holes, sit up to wriggle out of it.
"Oh my God..."
Trying to control her rapid breathing, Bianca let Maggie stare, watching as tentatively hands reached for her. Catching hold of one questing palm, Bianca laid a gentle kiss against it, smiling reassuringly.
Maggie's smile was crooked, but her touch became more sure, as Bianca bit her lip and kept still, as Maggie drew her hands lower, to finger her bra strap, gently tug it down the slope of her shoulder, until it hung uselessly at her side.
When lips descended on the bare shoulder, Bianca fought her moan, head rolling back in delicious pleasure, shuddering at the feel of a soft mouth pressing kissed along the sensitized skin.
"I love you," she whispered, and Maggie stilled against her, and then continued her journey with her mouth, suddenly more enthusiastic, more confident.
Reaching behind her, Bianca struggled, until she was able to release the clasps of her bra, and it loosened against the questing fingers.
Path faltering, she felt Maggie take in a ragged breath, and suddenly warm liquid heat descended upon her, making her tremble in response. She fought the urge to cover Maggie's head with her hands, press against her body, and instead pressed them against the floor, determined to let Maggie take her time, even as her hips arched and her teeth sunk into her bottom lip, when the flat of Maggie's tongue swiped against her nipple.
Teeth scraped at the tender flesh, and her eyes opened dizzily, to connect intensely with dark eyes, take in a beautiful face, sucking gently on her breast.
The sight, her Maggie, full of lust and love and everything in between, created such a fever pitch, and Bianca shuddered hopelessly, reaching down to drag the body up against her, giving into her need with a tongue plunging desperately into her lover's mouth.
The feel of bare breasts against her own only weakened her faltering control, and she whimpered against the lips moving fiercely against hers.
"Maggie, I want to touch you," she pled, hands smoothing against the perfectly rounded ass, molding her lower body against Maggie's, thrusting involuntarily. Maggie groaned into her mouth, tongue mating with hers desperately.
"Please," Maggie whispered.
Bianca's heart jolted. Digging between flesh and thong, she jerked down the underwear, lips awkwardly still pressed against Maggie's as she divested her lover of the fragile, damp fabric, and slid fingers between slick folds.
She groaned, Maggie whimpered, and the kiss only grew more frenzied, when Bianca's drenched fingers moved intimately against her, and then slid inside.
--
She could feel the soft tufts of breath against damp curls, and it made her shudder, body still spasming from the aftershock of the mindblowing orgasm.
Wet fingers drew lazy circles across her hip, and Bianca's head shifted, pressing a gentle mouth against the inside of each thigh, before weakened hands urged her upwards, lips widening into a smile before falling into a lazy, recovering kiss.
The foreign taste was shocking, giving her pause, but it was drenched in Bianca, and so Maggie just shifted and kissed her deeper, licking the odd taste off Bianca's lips, murmuring into her mouth a wordless moan of reassurance, when Bianca stiffened against her reaction.
Lifting her head, Bianca's eyes were dark with concern, moist fingers carefully palming the side of her face, heartbreakingly tender and genuinely frightened. "Are you okay?"
The action, so tender, full of love, made her ache, and she just smiled, covering the pale slender hand with her own. "I think you might have killed me."
A silent beat, and a beautiful smile spread on perfect lips at the unexpected reaction, before mouths connected again, tenderly exploring each other lovingly now that the lust had once again been temporarily sated.
Firm breasts teased her own, and Maggie, body throbbing still in the aftermath, shuddered helplessly.
"Are you cold?" Bianca whispered, and even though Maggie shook her head, her lover pressed another loving kiss against her, rising. "Just give me a sec."
Five minutes later, Maggie was cocooned carefully in a familiar yellow blanket, on Bianca's makeshift bed, curled in her lover's arms.
Sighing, she closed her eyes, absorbed in her own comfort, when an alarming though spiked into her. Her eyes shot open.
"Bianca?"
Currently occupied with nuzzling against her nape, Bianca offered only a distracted, "Hmmm?"
"Where's Miranda?"
The almost panicked tone was met with silence, until a low, throaty chuckle came from the young mother. "She's fine, I promise. I left her in very good hands."
"Really?"
"Really." Squeezing gently, Bianca dropped a kiss against her shoulder. "Though, I really didn't give the world's best explanation when I dropped her off."
"Yeah?" A gentle swell of amusement rose within her. "You mean you didn't say, 'I'm sorry, but I have to go bang Maggie before I leave?'"
"Not in those exact words."
The joke, hidden in the words, created a sudden quiet, and Maggie bit her lip, eyes in front of her, curling Bianca's hands around her further. "Bianca?"
"Yeah."
"When are you leaving?"
She got silence, until she felt lips skimming her shoulder again, nuzzling into her throat, and Bianca's forehead fell against her ear, sighing. "I don't know. A few hours."
She had to admit, the lump that rose in her throat was hard to take. Hands covering Bianca's, she lifted them to her mouth, breathing in the hands that smelled of sex, that had been in the deepest part of her, touched her and loved her.
Bianca was still, nestled in behind her. "Maggie? We should probably talk."
She smiled almost bitterly. Bianca always wanted to talk. "Wha'd you want to talk about?" she whispered, almost monotone, lowering their entwined hands. "Sports? Fusion?"
"I was hoping maybe us."
Us. Maggie sighed audibly, and suddenly she began to shift, untangling Bianca's hold on her carefully until she was sitting up, forgetting her modestly to look down on the beautiful face.
"You're leaving in a few hours. Do you really want to spend that time talking?" she whispered, grabbing hold of a delicate palm to wrap fingers gently around it.
Bianca looked hesitant, as Maggie lifted it, tenderly biting one knuckle, then another, and then the tips of her fingers, before pressing a kiss against them.
"Maggie, I just..." Bianca smiled weakly, and she sat up with her, rubbing her palm along her neck, bringing the blanket up with her. "This is so new, and Paris..."
An odd knot in her stomach made it hard not to react. "You still have to go, right?"
Bianca licked her lips, eyeing her carefully. "And you still have to stay."
She sighed, tension tightening inside of her, as she looked at her new lover, her new apartment, her new life. It was all so new and still...
"I'm still not ready for Paris, Bianca." She met her eyes, the fear rising suddenly, suddenly on the verge of panic if Bianca decided that simply wasn't good enough.
But Bianca only looked at her with a carefully closed expression, before brown eyes watered and a crooked smile emerged, head lowering to kiss her softly. "Okay," she said gruffly, bringing with her a sudden sigh of relief. "But be warned, you're going to get bombarded with emails and pictures and I'm going to be here at least twice a month. You'll get sicker of me than if I had actually stayed."
Maggie breathed in raggedly, eyes closing to press her forehead against Bianca's, the reality of the situation suddenly dawning upon her. "I'm going to miss you, Bianca."
"I love you, Maggie." Lips pressed against her eyebrow. "I love you so much."
Moving back, Maggie stared into the face of the woman she loved. Naked and covered only in a blanket, Maggie never had been so acutely aware of her nakedness, and never had she been so uncaring.
Tangled in the blanket with her was a woman who was both her greatest fear and her greatest security, and presented before them was still yet another obstacle, coming after their brief respite.
And still, Maggie found herself unafraid of it, almost grateful for it.
She didn't care to dwell on the reason behind it. Instead, she was reminded of the ticking clock when the look in Bianca's eyes grew urgent, and carefully, Maggie fitted her lips to her lovers, engaging in an intimate caress.
She would make love to Bianca before she would leave. She would taste her and tease her and touch her, and rip wordless sounds of desires from those perfect lips. She would brand her mark on her with her fingers and her mouth, and she would feel that perfect body arch beneath her, explore the sensation of slick wetness, immeasurable heat, velvety folds that surrounded her fingers and then her lips, her tongue.
She would cement that image inside of her and she would pledge to love Bianca forever.
When she would kiss Bianca goodbye, she would be the one to reassure her partner that it would be okay, to bring the taller girl's head down and kiss her thoroughly, unspoken promises that she gave and received sincerely.
It was new and different and scary and safe, nothing new when it came to Bianca.
But when Bianca finally left her, after hours of lovemaking and another tearful, optimistic goodbye, Maggie let her go with simmering hope.
The future was indecisive and frightening, but Maggie found herself unreasonably sure, she and Bianca would make it.
That hope was everything.
--
The moments after Bianca had left were too quiet.
Hair wet from the shower they had taken together, Maggie sat on the couch, fingering the blanket that had wrapped around them both just an hour earlier.
Making love with Bianca had been more intimate than anything she had experienced, and her mind and body still quivered in the aftermath, ragged breathing making it all that harder, as she thumbed the material, and knew it would be weeks before she could feel it again.
A moment of weakness gave into the fear, as she sucked in a lungful of air, a wave of regret sliding over her as she already missed the sensation of her lover's arms around her.
Alone in the big apartment, Maggie swallowed and wondered in a burst of panic, if she had made a mistake.
Her cell phone rang, knocking her out of her emotion, and swallowing down her fear with a shudder, she licked her lips and found her purse, digging inside for it.
Flipping it open, she breathed into it her greeting. "Hello."
"Where are you?"
Blinking, she sat up. "Jamie?"
"It's nearly midnight, Maggie! Where the hell are you! You have me worried sick!"
Rolling her eyes, she slumped down against the sofa. "I'm sorry, mother. I didn't realize I had missed curfew."
"Yeah, joke all you want. Meanwhile, you have me worried sick. And that Jonathan guy came by looking for you - Maggie, I hate him."
She smiled grimly. "Do you?"
"HATE.HIM. Only person that annoys me more is Miss Uppity 'I'm not British But I Am' Devane. Your taste in friends has severely degenerated."
"I know," she quipped. "I'm still hanging out with you, aren't I?"
"Oh, har. Har."
Her phone buzzed, and she ignored Jamie's rant to look at the caller ID. Sure enough. Lifting it to her head, she quipped, "Jamie? Love to talk, but I gotta switch over. It's your girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend. Where the hell are you?"
"Long story, I'll explain later-"
"No, Maggie-"
She cut him off with a snap, rolling over to the other call. "Yes?"
"Is it really true that Aiden drove you to the airport to have a tearful confrontation with Bianca and you admitted you love her and now you're living in her apartment?"
Maggie blinked. Sighing, she slumped back on the couch. "Okay, not a long story. Hi, Robin."
"Hi yourself." Maggie found an unwelcome smile rising onto her lips. "It's true? We have to move you again?"
"You're welcome to express your distaste any time," she answered dryly. "And so happy to hear you're thinking of yourself in all this."
"I am not. I'm happy for you." The tone was slightly grudging. "She's pretty. In the girly kinda way."
Maggie's smile widened, and softened, suddenly saddened. "How's Aiden?"
A pause, and then, "He's quiet. And sad. But I think, after all this, he's really gonna be okay."
She blinked back sudden tears, nodding fiercely. "Yeah..."
"Hey, mom wants to know if you want to do breakfast with her on Saturday."
Her smile grew, trembling. "I would love to."
Loud thuds on her apartment door jerked her out of the conversation. "MAGGIE!"
She blinked, surprised, phone lowering. "Yes?"
"Open the door! It's Kendall!"
Feeling oddly like she was being bombarded, Maggie rose slightly, staring inquisitively at the door. "Kendall! How'd you know I was here?"
"Who the hell babysat Miranda while you and Bianca were over here getting laid!" Kendall shouted, and Maggie winced, suddenly aware her new neighbors had gotten way more information than they needed to know. "Open up! I need to talk to you!"
Lifting the phone back up, she was already moving. "Robin, I gotta go-"
"You got laid!-"
Shutting the phone off, Maggie jerked the door open, ready to confront Bianca's diva sister when the woman just swept right by her, nearly toppling her over.
"Ethan stopped construction on the Miranda Center," Kendall breathed, red-faced and clutching her purse like a security blanket. "He lied to me, Maggie. He told me he wouldn't ever stop it, and Zach Slater said it, and Ethan admitted it. He admitted that's what he did!"
Mind swimming, Maggie stared, open-mouthed, at the frustrated Kane woman.
"Well!" Kendall snapped, hands moving erratically. "Say something!"
Blinking, Maggie bit her bottom lip, and closed the door, trying to actually gather her swimming thoughts. "Uh... okay. Kendall, why are you telling me this?"
Caught offguard, Kendall looked suddenly fragile. "What do you mean?"
Running fingers through her still wet hair, Maggie offered a frustrated shrug. "Well, you know... we're not exactly... I don't know what we are!"
Kendall shifted on her heel. "You're my sister's girlfriend now, aren't you?"
The phrasing was new, and it still shocked her, the casual way it had been said, the earnest look in Kendall's eyes, and the way it stopped up something in Maggie's throat.
Sucking in a lungful of air, she licked her lips, and finally blew it out. "Yeah," she admitted. "I am."
"Okay, then," Kendall said, as if that answered everything.
And maybe it did. Standing in Bianca's doorway, Maggie took in a side of Kendall she had never seen before; scared and unsure, distraught and worried, and it occurred to her what Kendall was doing.
It seemed that in desperation, in need for her sister, Kendall had dubbed Maggie her surrogate.
"So I've been drafted," she muttered, and when Kendall shot her an odd look, she only shook her head in response.
"Maggie!"
"Okay, hold on." Moving forward, Maggie sat down on the lush couch, pulling the sacred yellow blanket aside and making room for Kendall, patting the space beside her. "Let's start over, from the beginning."
Although uneasy, after a minute, Kendall did.
She told some story about what happened at Ethan's office, about Ethan's father, Zach Slater, who had decided to challenge Kendall's boyfriend for his right to the Cambias fortune, about how Zach had revealed that Ethan had stopped construction on the Miranda center, and how Ethan had promised her it was only for a few weeks.
The importance of that center was significant, and Maggie understood it. She listened and talked, and did everything she was supposed to, filling in for her Bianca, and as she let Kendall rant, she found herself smiling oddly, shaking her head.
Life in Pine Valley, always went on, and it seemed, it was taking her with it.
"What's so FUNNY!"
Shaken out of her sudden drift, Maggie coughed raggedly. "Nothing, go on."
--
EPILOGUE
Their relationship wasn't defined by the distance between them. Not with email and teleconferencing, text messaging and phone calls that happened almost every night.
In some ways, she was closer to Maggie than before, but her physical need to be with her lover drove her back to Pine Valley more often than what she expected, and after concern for Miranda and her disrupting sleep schedule became a factor, monthly or bimonthly visits, dependant on Maggie's intense school schedule, to Paris became a regular occurrence.
Her daughter had grown significantly bigger, and Bianca shifted the baby on her hip, staring at her nervously as she once again arranged the ruffled dress.
Every visit filled her with jitters, and she never understood why. There was always anxiety, until Maggie stepped off that plane, and suddenly relief would come, when Bianca was able to kiss those lips, hold onto her tightly and wish she would never leave.
They would make love and have dinner and talk, and Maggie would always spend as much time with Miranda as she could, telling Bianca about all the Pine Valley gossip. Some of it filled her with laughter and wondering shakes of her head, others filled her with unease.
But that was Pine Valley, and while Bianca ached for her girlfriend and her family in her old town, Miranda grew up happy and healthy, without the drama that had soured her first few months.
Paris was becoming home.
Bianca would never call it that, not until Maggie was here to stay.
Still, she curled her arm around her daughter and watched the terminal with an excited smile, heart in her throat, waiting for the rush of euphoria that came with the moment a familiar blonde with darkened streaks walked through.
For now, it was enough.
Looking up, she sucked in her breath and felt her heart jolt in her chest, when she spotted her, and squeezed Miranda tighter in response.
"Look, Miranda!" she whispered, eyes suddenly moist. "It's Maggie!"
As if she had super hearing, Maggie turned her head, and spotted them both. A beautiful smile morphed into a blinding one, and Bianca waited with a smile and a suddenly giggly Miranda, watching as the love of her life came to her, weaving through the crowds with a look of adoration and joy.
A few steps away, Maggie stopped, smile widened.
Laughing, Bianca shook her head in bemusement. "What are you doing?"
"Capturing the moment," she whispered gruffly, winking. "You both look beautiful." Bianca laughed, a trembling sound, as her girlfriend finally moved the last few feet, to stare into intense brown eyes. "Hi."
"Hi," she whispered back, and then Maggie stepped into her embrace, rising up to capture her lips in a hungry, passionate kiss, breaking free only to hold on tightly to both mother and daughter.
When she pulled back, Maggie had tears in her eyes.
"I missed you."
Bianca swallowed, and pulled her in tighter, tilting her head against hers, reveling in the moment. "I missed you too."
FIN
40 chapters later, we're done. Thanks so much for sticking with me. It's so appreciated. I hope you enjoyed the ride. :)