A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting an update written and posted. The day job needed more focus this week, and it required more of my left brain. This caused a conflict with the right brain side needed for this. The result was a mini block. Anyway, I'm hoping that's gone until I get this wrapped up. Thanks again for the reviews! They helped me get through the block. That all being said. Sometimes, things don't go as planned, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hope you like this latest chapter.

/

Marissa checked herself in the mirror. She had raced home after work for a quick change. Her mind had been preoccupied since lunch. Why am I doing this again? How did I let Krystal talk me into this? I know how. I was thinking about Bianca and 'Sienna'. Who the hell is she anyway? Was there or could there be something between them? Bianca's in a great place in her life right now, and she's happy. I'd know if she wasn't. I don't want someone to come along and hurt her.

She had been obsessing over Bianca and Sienna all afternoon. So much so, that she wasn't able to get any work done when she got back to the office. Thank God, I didn't have anything urgent to do. Why is this bothering me so much? If she was being honest with herself (and she wasn't), Marissa knew the answer. It was gnawing at the back of her mind and had been for a while now. She was doing her damn best to ignore it. So far, she had been able to, but it was getting harder and harder to shut it out.

Wait! Kendall said they were meeting at Krystal's. What time? It was 6:00 or 6:30. Damn it! What time am I supposed to meet whatshisname? Is it Mark? No wait, Mike. Whatever. I don't remember. I'll just go over now and deal with it when I get there. Right now, I've got to check this 'Sienna' out. She made sure the sitter had her cell phone number and the number to Krystal's. Marissa gave AJ a kiss, promised him she would be back before bedtime and headed out.

/

Bianca was having a hard time concentrating. Thoughts of Marissa and Mike had been filling her head since lunch. Well, mainly it was thoughts of Marissa if she were to be honest with herself which she was still refusing to do.

I still don't understand what Krystal is thinking. Why would she set her daughter up on what amounts to a blind date with a complete stranger? Sure, she knows his aunt, but what the hell does that mean? Okay, it's not a 'date' date, but damn it! I just don't like it! Marissa is probably the happiest I've seen her in a long time, and I don't want some jackass to ruin that. Why did I let Kendall rope me into this meeting? It's because I kept thinking about her and 'Mike'.

Part of her knew deep down that she was being irrational and why, but she refused to acknowledge this fact. She couldn't allow herself to go there, yet. She's supposed to meet him at Krystal's. I could get there before my meeting and check him out. That's what a friend would do, right?

Bianca finished getting ready. She made sure the sitter had her contact information and kissed her girls. She promised to be back in time to read them each a story before they went to sleep. She was soon on her way to Krystal's.

/

When Krystal saw Marissa enter the restaurant early, she knew Kendall's carefully plan was in jeopardy. She hadn't been able to cancel with Mike, and his dinner with Marissa was a shaky plan B at best. She wished they'd had more time to work on it. Now, she was going to have to think fast to salvage any part of this plan. She could tell Marissa was distracted. No, it was more like agitated. Something was definitely on her mind, and whatever it was, was not making her happy. Why is she here so early? I know she's not anxious about meeting this guy. I wonder if Kendall really is on to something about her and Bianca.

"Hey, Marissa. You're here early."

"What? Oh yeah, the sitter got to the house early so I decided to head over. What time am I supposed to meet Mark?"

"It's Mike, and he's supposed to be here at 6:00."

"Right, Mike. Anyone else here yet?" Marissa's eyes scanned the room.

"Like who?"

"I don't know. Wasn't Bianca supposed to meet someone here for Kendall? I think her name is 'Sienna'."

"That's not until 6:30."

"Oh. I guess I'll just wait at a table for them, him to get here." She started to head to the table she shared daily with Bianca but stopped. For some reason, it just felt wrong to sit there with anyone else, almost like cheating. That's ridiculous. It's just a table, but I just can't do it. "Is there anywhere in particular you want me to sit, Krystal?"

"Why don't you sit over here? I'll be right back." Krystal had placed her at table in full view of the bar where she could be staked out for whatever might be happening. She couldn't remember the name Mike but could Sienna. She's definitely more interested in what's going on with Bianca tonight than with herself. The face she made when she said Sienna's name was priceless. I've never seen her like this, certainly not with JR. I'll be damned! She's actually jealous! I thought there was some sort of special connection between her and Bianca, but I wasn't positive like Kendall. This pretty much confirms it on Marissa's side, at least to me. I really need to get a hold of Kendall about the change in plans. Damn, that's Mike now.

As the man entered the restaurant, Krystal went to meet him and took him to the table. "Mike, this is my daughter Marissa. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Marissa struggled to regain her focus. Not want to be rude, she exchanged small talk with him. "Krystal tells me you're a graphic artist. That sounds interesting."

"Yeah, it can be, but I'm actually thinking of switching careers. I'm told you're a lawyer."

"Yes, I specialize in family law. I find it pretty rewarding. What career are you looking into?"

"Comedy. I've always wanted to be a standup comic. Tell me if you've heard this one. What do you call 100 lawyers chained to the bottom of the ocean?"

Marissa cringed inside. You have got to be kidding me! She smiled. "I don't know."

"A good start! What do you get when you…"

Seriously? He's doing his routine, and it's all bad lawyer jokes! He just asked me if I was a lawyer. What the hell?

After a few more minutes of bad jokes, he knocked over the glass of red wine their server had just placed in front of her.

"Sorry! I get a little carried away once I get going in my routine."

"It's fine. I'll see if I can put something on this." Thank God! How long can I hide out in the ladies room? Krystal so owes me for this! She glanced up at the clock and realized Bianca would be there soon. So much for hiding out. She did her best at reducing the stain as quickly as possible.

When she returned to the dining area, she scanned the room again and still no Bianca. She headed over to her table. Mike got up to pull out her chair. As he was doing so, Bianca entered.

The brunette immediately spotted Marissa and her 'date'. He was nice looking she supposed. He was holding Marissa's chair out for her so that was something. Bianca was so distracted by the scene playing out before her that she didn't see the chair right in front of her before it was too late. Her knee hit squarely on the corner of it causing her to wince slightly. She looked around quickly to see if anyone else had seen what she had done. That's when she saw Marissa starting to get up from her table with a concerned look on her face. Bianca blushed and waved the redhead off. She shrugged and smiled.

A conversation played out between them across the room without a word being spoken.

'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine, just kind of a klutz.'

'You sure?'

'Yeah, my pride is hurt worse than my knee.'

'Well, you sure know how to make an entrance!' Marissa smiled and managed to hold in a laugh.

The brunette returned the smile. 'I try!'

Bianca looked around at her seating options and found a table that provided the best view of Marissa's table.

Krystal made her way over to Bianca's table. She decided not to mention her entrance after seeing what had passed between her and Marissa. That was amazing! I wouldn't have believed what I just saw happen if I hadn't seen it. "Good evening, Bianca. No sightings of your guest yet."

"My what? Oh yeah, her. That's fine. So, that's 'Mike'. How do you think it's going?"

Krystal raised an eyebrow, and she noted that Bianca's eyes hadn't left Marissa's table and the expression on her face when she said Mike's name. Same exact reaction as Marissa's. Wow, I can't believe these two. "It's hard to tell. What would you like to drink?" She took her order and headed off to call Kendall.

Kendall answered on the first ring. "How's it going?"

"Well, plan A is shot all to hell. Marissa got here early, and Mike showed up. I couldn't get a hold of him earlier to stop him."

"I've got more bad news for you. I haven't been able to get a hold of Greenlee so Sienna is most likely headed your way."

"Great. Well, Bianca's already here."

"Already?"

"Yep, she got here a few minutes ago, and you wouldn't believe… Wait a minute. I think Sienna just got here. I gotta go."

"Keep me posted."

Sienna recognized Bianca right away and headed to her table. It took some effort, but Bianca was able to focus on her own conversation. The women exchanged little small talk since Bianca only wanted to discuss business. I just want to get this over with. I can't tell if Marissa is interested in him or not. I think she seems a little annoyed.

Marissa saw Sienna enter and instantly disliked the woman. It didn't matter that she hadn't actually met the woman. She always thought she was a good judge of character and believed in first impressions. With the exception of JR, she had an excellent track record. I just know something's off with her. She's definitely not Bianca's type and definitely not good enough for her. What did Mark just say? Oh, it was just another bad joke. Marissa had, by this time, managed to tune him out for the most part. She would smile whenever there was a pause knowing that the awful punchline was coming. I wish I could hear what they're saying. Bianca looks a little irritated.

Bianca had managed to finish up her business quickly but had been so distracted that she didn't realize the conversation had shifted. She found herself asking the other woman why she chose to practice corporate law.

"I find that's where all of the action is. It takes a special aptitude to handle the pressure and details. I could never practice something like say family law. I just can't imagine going into that emotional minefield or listening to others' problems all day." She looked down and sent another text.

She's texting again. She's been doing a lot. We actually had to stop our earlier discussion so she could finish a text, and she didn't even apologize, just held up a hand to put me on pause. She can't imagine listening to others' problems? You're helping them by just listening. That's what I do every day, what we do every day at the center. I know she knows about my connection to the center, and how can you not want to help others?

Krystal stopped to take a quick break and see what was happening with her daughter and Bianca. She'd been checking on them throughout the evening and had to admit this had been more interesting than her favorite so called reality show. It was obvious to her that both were jealous of the other's 'dates'. What she saw next caused her to choke on the drink she had just taken.

Marissa was shifting in her seat for yet another look at Bianca's table when she saw Sienna touch Bianca's hand causing the redhead to nearly fall out of her chair. Did she just grab Bianca's hand? What the hell is she doing? You need to back way the hell off and get your hands off of her! I don't want you or anyone else touching her! Suppressed truths came rushing to the surface. Why had she been acting like she was? It was because she was jealous. It was as simple as that. Why was she jealous though? Bianca was just her friend, right? The answer to that question took the air right out of her. Wrong. Bianca is more than just my friend. Oh my God! I'm in love with Bianca! I can't be though. She's a woman. She's also the most amazing person I've ever known in my entire life. She's beautiful, intelligent, funny, kind, loving, caring, strong and her eyes. My God, I get lost looking in them. What's that saying? Eyes are the windows to a person's soul. In her case, truer words were never spoken. Bianca is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. How couldn't I see this earlier? Marissa felt a tidal wave of emotions crashing down on her and knew she had to get out of the restaurant just to breathe, let alone to be able to understand what she was feeling. She desperately wanted to run out of there, but she knew if she did that Bianca would follow her. She couldn't face her just yet, not until she had time to think. Focus. Try to breathe. Good. Now, think. How can I get out of here without causing a scene and ripping Sienna's arm off? Okay, that's not helping. Breathe. I need an excuse. When she felt she was finally able to compose herself enough, she made the excuse of needing to get home to help her son with a school project. Mike said he understood and got up to walk her to her car. She was able to stop him at the door to Krystal's assuring him that she would be fine.

Bianca saw Marissa get up to leave and wondered if something was wrong. At least, that's all she was thinking until she saw Mike put his hand on Marissa's back. Just what the hell is he doing? You really need to get your hands off of her and step away from her before I do it for you! Where the hell did that come from? Oh my God! I'm jealous! In that instant, Bianca could no longer hold back the feelings she had been denying for months. I'm in love with Marissa! No! I've done it again! I've fallen in love with my straight best friend. How did I let this happen? I was being so careful this time. Why? Because you can't pick and choose who you fall in love with. Because it doesn't matter how careful you think you are, the heart wants what the heart wants. Because it's Marissa, and there is no way I could not fall in love with her. I need to get out of here! Bianca could feel the wall she had carefully constructed around her heart starting to crumble. She excused herself saying she needed to get home to her daughters and left Sienna behind in mid conversation. She couldn't think of anything else other than getting out of there. She needed to think, and that wasn't going to happen here.

Krystal watched the whole scene play out and could only stand there in shock. She was absolutely amazed by what she just witnessed.

/

Bianca was able to focus enough to get home safely. Seeing her daughters allowed her to push what she was feeling aside temporarily. She read them each a story, tucked them in and kissed them goodnight. When she was finally alone in the safety of her bedroom, everything started to hit her, and the wall around her heart came crashing down. I'm in love Marissa! I can't believe this is happening again. She took a breath and tried to think. When did this start? She smiled as she thought of all of the time she spent with Marissa, everything they had been through together. She couldn't pick an exact date. It was impossible. She only knew that she couldn't remember when she wasn't in love with her. Bianca realized it would've been impossible to not fall in love with Marissa. She thought of her smile and how it lit up the room. How Marissa had there beside her through the divorce and all of the ugliness with Reese. How she protected Miranda and Gabby without any thought as to how that action could affect her. How she had been there for Bianca when she was sick. How she made her laugh and made everything seem even better by just being there. How she was always there whenever she needed her. How she made her feel. Bianca could see it all so clearly now. She felt her heart beat faster just thinking about Marissa. The happiness she had allowed herself to feel was soon replaced by doubt and fear. Marissa is straight. She couldn't possibly feel the same way about me that I do about her. I'm setting myself up to be hurt again. I can't let how I feel about her affect our friendship. She's too important to me to not have her in my life somehow. A small part of her brain, however, was listening to her heart. It was telling her that maybe, just maybe, this time was different. That Marissa was different. What am I going to do?

/

Thinking of AJ allowed Marissa to concentrate on the road enough to make it home in one piece. She smiled as she watched him drift off to sleep after reading with him. It gave her a brief escape from her epiphany at Krystal's. As she closed her bedroom door, she was flooded by feelings and thoughts of Bianca. She had never felt this way about anyone before, and she was terrified. What did this all mean? What did this make her? Suddenly, it was as if a light clicked on for her. It didn't make her anything other than a woman in love. She was still the same person she was this morning. No, wait. There was a difference. She finally listened to heart. She finally acknowledged what it had been trying to tell her for months. I'm in love with Bianca! Yes, she was a woman, but that didn't matter to her. She was simply Bianca, and labels didn't apply. She only saw the most incredible person she had ever known. Marissa smiled as she thought about Bianca. She couldn't remember a time when she wasn't in love with her. Why had it taken her so long to see what had been in front of her this entire time? Bianca had been there for her through all of the drama with JR. She refused to help him trick her into something she didn't want. She actually listened to her and understood her. She was there for her when she made the big step to get this home for her and AJ. She was there for her when she went back to Devon to visit her parents. Bianca was able to see how hard it was going to be for her and put everything else aside to be there for her, and she didn't even have to ask. Bianca just knew she needed her. She wondered what her parents would say about her being in love with Bianca. Well, they'd be surprised like she was, but Marissa somehow knew that they would be okay with it as long as she was happy. That's all they ever wanted for her. What about Bianca? She's been hurt by so many others in the past. If I could, I'd kick every single one of their asses. Could Bianca get past all of that and take a chance with me? I can't lose her. Even if we just remain friends, I'll be okay as long as she's still in my life. Oh God, what am I going to do?