A/N: I'm back! One of the great things about being off during the holidays is I have the time to focus a little more on this story and do some writing. I hope the holidays are treating you well, and that Santa (if you're a fan of the big guy in the red suit) was good to you. As always, thanks for the great reviews and reading and following this story! I really do hope you're enjoying reading it as much as I am in writing it.

Part of this chapter came about as a result of one of your reviews (that should tell you how much I enjoy hearing your thoughts on this). One of you lovely reviewers, I can't say who it is exactly because their review was anonymous, wondered if AJ got jealous sometimes. That got me to thinking. Now, some of my friends will tell you that's a good thing while others will say it can be dangerous. I'll leave it up to you to decide. Anyway, that comment got me to thinking and the result of said thinking is in this chapter. So to the anonymous reviewer who asked that question, thanks for the idea! I hope you like what I did with it. Now, this chapter picks up exactly where the last one left off. I hope you enjoy this update!

/

Kendall was taking an extended lunch to get a little Christmas shopping done. As she walked down the street, she spotted her sister outside a jewelry store. Hmmm, that's interesting. Something seems to have caught her eye. I wonder what it could be. Kendall slowly crept up behind her sister. "Whatcha looking at, Binx?"

Bianca jumped, completely startled by her sister's sudden appearance. "Kendall. You scared me."

The older brunette laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't help it. So, what are you looking at?" She peered over Bianca's shoulder to see what was in the window display that had caught her sister's attention. "Are those engagement rings? Oh my god, Binx! Are you going to propose to Marissa?! Is an engagement ring going to be her Christmas present? That's the big present you were hinting at during Thanksgiving, isn't it? Which one are you thinking about?"

"Would you please be quiet, Kendall?" Bianca pleaded with her sister as she pulled her away from the front of the store. "People are going to hear you."

"Don't you mean Marissa's going to hear me? Sorry. Sorry. I'm guessing you want it to be a surprise."

"Kendall."

"When are you going to do it?"

"Kendall."

"Are you going to do it Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?"

"Kendall."

"How are you going to do it?"

"Kendall."

"Are you going to get down on one knee?"

"Kendall!"

"What?"

"Would you please shut up?" Bianca started to hurry away from her sister.

Kendall quickly caught up with her. "I'm sorry, Binx. I'm just excited for you." The older brunette saw a look of distress on her sister's face and directed her to a nearby bench. "Let's sit down, Bianca. What's wrong? Come on and talk to me. You are thinking about proposing to Marissa, aren't you?"

Bianca sighed as she sat down next to her sister. "I'm thinking about it."

"That's great, isn't it? I mean after whatshername I didn't think you'd ever even consider the possibility of marriage again."

"That makes two of us." Bianca muttered.

"Have you and Marissa discussed getting married?"

"We've talked about it some. To be honest, we're both a little gun-shy. Let's face it. Our first marriages left a lot to be desired." Bianca smirked.

"Yeah, neither of you we're very smart in the partners you picked the first time around. It's not like I have a lot of room to talk though."

"True, but something good did come out of both of them. We have AJ and Gabby."

Kendall smiled. "Yeah, you do, and they are great kids just like Miranda."

"Yes, they are. It's just that both of our experiences left a sour taste in our mouths."

"Do you think she would say 'no'? Because knowing her like I do, I don't think you have to worry about that. Marissa is absolutely head over heels in love with you. What you have is for keeps."

Bianca smiled. "I think she'd say 'yes'"

"Trust me, she'll say 'yes'."

"I know what we have is forever. You know, I can't imagine my life without her. I see us growing old together, raising our kids and spoiling our grandkids."

"That sounds perfect. What's the problem?"

The younger sister shook her head slightly in an attempt to deny something was bothering her. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Bianca, you forget who you're talking to. I know you, and I can tell when something's bothering you, when something's weighing on your mind. What is it? You might as well tell me now because I'm just going to keep asking until you do."

Bianca sighed. Her sister was right. Kendall would keep on her until she finally cracked. Her sister was like a dog with a bone when she wanted to know something. "I don't know if it's the right time."

"I'm lost, Binx. You're going to have to help me out here. What do you mean that it might not be the right time?"

"When we picked up Marissa's new car …" Bianca paused. She wasn't looking forward to telling her sister about the incident. In her eyes, it really wasn't her finest moment. "When we picked up Marissa's new car, the receptionist was hitting on her."

Kendall tried to hide the smirk that was struggling to break out across her face. "Seriously? Are you sure?"

"Oh yeah, I'm sure. She was doing it basically right in front of me. She was shoving her chest in Marissa's face, and she kept grabbing her arm. She was giggling and fawning all over her, and I was right there! I mean, who does that?! What the hell kind of person does something like that?"

"Maybe she didn't know you were together?"

Bianca shot her a look that said she wasn't buying that. "She knew, trust me. She just didn't give a damn!"

"What did Marissa do? Did she even know what was going on? You said yourself that she doesn't usually pick up on stuff like that."

"Yeah, that's true. She normally doesn't, but she did this time though. That should tell you how blatant it was. What that …"

"Tramp, trollop, bimbo, hussy, harlot, strumpet, bitch, slut, whore? Any of those work for you? I can come up with some other names for you if you want." Kendall smirked.

Bianca muttered. "Those all work if you ask me."

It really was becoming impossible for Kendall to disguise her amusement at seeing her sister like this. She couldn't recall Bianca ever being this jealous before. "So, what did Marissa do?"

"She tried to be as nice as she could, but ended up telling her she wasn't interested since she was involved with me and that she knew that the receptionist knew it."

"Red called her out on what she was doing? Good for her. God, I do like that woman!"

Bianca smiled at the memory of what Marissa told her. "Yeah, she did."

Kendall could tell her sister was holding something back, something that she wasn't necessarily proud of. "There's more to the story though, isn't there? What did you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Binx. You already said you saw what the bimbo was doing. What did you do?"

Bianca scowled. "I gave her what Marissa calls the 'Kane death glare' and knockedhercoffeeoveronher."

Her sister spoke so low and fast that Kendall couldn't quite make out what she had said. "What? I couldn't quite make out what you said after you giving her the Kane death glare."

Bianca sighed. "I knocked her coffee over on her on my way out. She's lucky that's all I did. I wanted to rip her head off and shove it up her ..." Bianca saw her sister grinning, clearly amused. "It's not funny, Kendall. I'm not proud of what I did."

"Actually, yeah it kind of is. You got jealous, Binx, and it sounds like you had every right. It also shows that you're human and wonderfully flawed just like the rest of us."

"I never said I wasn't. I never said I was perfect."

"I know you haven't. That's all on us. We can't help but put you up on some kind of pedestal sometimes because of your extraordinary goodness, kindness and capacity to forgive. Marissa is different though, isn't she? She's never done that with you."

Bianca shook her head. "No, she hasn't. She's always seen me, the whole me, and loved me flaws and all."

"Then I still don't see the problem."

"I don't want her to think I'm doing this because of that incident, that I'm doing this to mark her as mine, to lay claim to her. I want her to know that I'm doing it because it's what I want more than anything. I want it to be perfect. I want it to be the right time and the right place."

Kendall smiled ruefully. "I hate to break this to you, Binx, but she already is marked as yours and that's without the benefit of a ring of any kind." Kendall saw the confusion on her sister's face. "All you have to do is smile at her or merely glance her way or just brush up against her, and anyone with a half a brain can see she belongs with you and to you. I mean that in the best possible way. The same goes for you too. You belong to her. It's clear to anyone who can get out of their own way and can take a step back and just look at the two of you. As for wanting it to be perfect and the right time and place, it will be perfect for her whenever you do it. It will be the right time and the right place no matter when and where you do it. The when, where and how don't matter. What matters is the why, and that's because you love her with everything that you are and with everything that you have and want everyone to know it. Marissa will know that because she knows you and feels exactly the same way about you."

Bianca wiped away the tear that escaped. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. So, are you going to ask her at Christmas?"

Bianca thought for a minute before shaking her head. "No, I'm not."

"But …"

The younger brunette held up her hand to stop her sister's protest. "I'm not going to ask her at Christmas. I want this Christmas to be about the kids. They've had a rough year and deserve this day to be about them. When I propose, I want it to just be about us, just between the two of us and no one else."

Kendall smiled softly. "I suppose I can understand that. So, can I ask when that might be?"

"Soon, very soon. I have to get the ring first."

Kendall laughed. "While a ring is not vital for it, it is an important part of the proposal. Did you spot any prospects in that store?"

"No, I didn't, not in there. None of them struck me as being right for Marissa, but I have a very good idea now of what I want and where to get it."

"Well if you need any help at all, just let me know."

"Thanks, I will."

"Alright, how about we go to Krystal's for lunch? I'm sure a certain redhead will be there waiting for you." Kendall smirked.

"Marissa's working from home today. The kids weren't feeling well when they got up. They picked up that stomach bug that's been going around school."

"I'm sorry to hear that. The boys have managed to steer clear of it so far, knock wood. How about you let me buy you lunch then?"

"I think I'm going to have to pass, Kendall. I'm not very hungry."

A look of concern crossed the older sister's face. "Are you alright, Binx? You're starting to look a little green. Do you think you picked up what the kids have?"

Bianca sighed. "Now that you mention it, I'm not feeling all that great. I guess I was so focused on other things that I didn't think about it."

"Okay, you're going home, and I'm taking you."

"I've got my car, Kendall. Plus, I've got things I need to take care of back at the office."

Kendall shook her head. Her sister was stubborn. "Look, if you've got that bug, you're just going to spread it around the office and get everyone there sick. You need to take care of yourself. Besides, I'll call Marissa and tell her you're sick. You know that Red won't be happy with you when she finds out that you're not feeling well and going back to work."

Bianca scowled at her sister. "You would rat me out, wouldn't you?"

"In this case, I would. I just want you to take care of yourself or let Red take care of you."

"You know that you don't play nice sometimes, right? Fine, I'll call the office and tell them I'm going home for the day."

"Good. Now, I want you to call me when you get home so I know you got there safely."

"And that I actually went home." Bianca smirked.

"That too." Kendall grinned.

/

Marissa was reading through a deposition in the home office that she and Bianca shared. She had left the door open so she could hear if any of the kids needed her. It was almost time for her to check on them again. They seemed to have gotten through the worst of the stomach bug and had been resting quietly for a couple of hours. She hoped they would be willing to try and eat a little something and be able to keep a little of it down. Marissa glanced up hearing a light knock on the door frame.

"Hey, Buddy. Is everything alright? Do you need something?" Marissa took her glasses off and set them on the desk as she motioned her son inside.

"Hi, Mom. I don't want to bother you."

"AJ, you never bother me. Come here."

The boy slowly made his way over to his mother. Marissa pulled him onto her lap and felt for a fever. She sighed in relief not feeling one and noted that his color looked much better. She also realized that she wouldn't be able to do this much longer. He was growing so fast. "Well, you look a little better. How do you feel?"

"I feel a lot better. I just couldn't sleep anymore. I looked and Miranda and Gabby are still asleep."

"You checked on them?" Marissa smiled at her son's thoughtfulness.

The boy nodded. "Uh huh."

"Thank you, Buddy. That was very thoughtful of you. You're a great brother and an even better son. You know that, right?"

AJ shrugged. "I dunno."

"Is something wrong?"

"I don't feel like I am sometimes."

"Why's that?" Marissa saw that her son was holding back. Something was bothering him, weighing on him. "AJ, you know you can tell me anything, don't you?"

"I know, but I don't think you'll like me if I do this time."

"AJ, you know how much I love you, right?"

The boy nodded. "Inside out and upside down."

"That's right, and there is nothing you can tell me that will ever change how I feel about you. Talk to me, please. I might just be able to fix it if you tell me what's wrong."

"Sometimes, I get upset with Gabby. I love her and Miranda a lot, but sometimes, I get mad and think you like her more than me."

Marissa sat back and let his words sink in. She suddenly realized why he might feel that way. "Like when I spend maybe a little more time with her like I did at the zoo?"

AJ nodded.

"I'm sorry, AJ."

The boy looked confused. He wasn't expecting her to apologize. "Why are you sorry, Mom?"

"I'm sorry for not seeing why you might feel that way or think something like that. I don't want you to ever feel that way. I love you, and I love Miranda and Gabby too. I love you all the same, and there's nothing I wouldn't do for any of you. Sometimes, because Gabby is little, she needs a little extra attention, like she did at the zoo. She was a little scared of Santa."

"Why? It was Santa. He's the best."

"Yes, he is, but sometimes, little ones can find him a little scary. He's wearing a big red suit. He's got that big white beard and that deep voice. They're not used to that. Plus, Gabby's a little shy around people when she first meets them. It takes her a little time to warm up to them. Bianca and I didn't want her to be scared and do something she wasn't ready for. We were trying to make her feel better."

"She ended up talking to him an awful lot."

"Yes, she did. Do you want to know why?"

AJ nodded. "Uh huh."

"It was because of you and Miranda. She watched you and saw how brave you were talking to him, that you weren't scared of him. That's why she could talk to him. You set such a good example for her. She wanted to be like you and make you proud."

AJ's widened. "Really?"

"Really. That's what makes you such a great big brother."

"So, you don't like her better than me." It was more a statement than a question this time as he was slowly beginning to understand.

"No, I don't. Let me ask you something. Do you love Bianca?"

"Uh huh! She's great. She's really nice and funny and smart. She makes you happy and laugh a lot, and she always makes time for me like you do."

"Do you like spending time with her?"

"Yeah, I really do. Bianca always talks to me and listens to me, just like you do. She treats me just like Miranda and Gabby, and she loves me a lot. Bianca's just like you, Mom. I love her just as much as I love you." The meaning behind his last statement finally dawned on him, and he scrunched his face. He got what his mom was telling him. He could love Bianca and his mom equally just like his mom could love him and Miranda and Gabby equally. She was sneaky sometimes in getting him to understand things. "I get it."

"What do you get?"

"I shouldn't be jealous of the girls because you can and do love us all the same, just like I love you and Bianca the same."

Marissa smiled. "Good. I knew you could figure it out. I promise that I will do my best to make sure you don't feel that way again, but I need you to promise me that if you ever feel that way, you'll talk to me about it. You promise?"

"I promise."

"Do you feel better?"

AJ nodded. "Uh huh. You always make me feel better."

"Good. I'm glad I do. You always make me feel better too."

"I do?"

"Yep, you sure do. I am the luckiest Mom in the world to have such a great son."

AJ grinned and hugged his Mom. "I'm lucky too, Mom." The pair sat like that for several minutes with Marissa gently rocking AJ and humming to him. A short while later, the boy's stomach began to growl.

"Are you getting hungry, Buddy?"

"Yeah, a little."

"How about we try a little soup and see how you do with that?"

AJ nodded and scrambled off Marissa's lap. The two walked hand in hand to the kitchen and the boy settled himself at the kitchen counter. Mother and son continued to talk as Marissa warmed up the soup. AJ was not only feeling better from the virus but from having talked with his mom. Marissa ladled out some soup for him and went to check on the girls.

While she was upstairs, AJ heard the garage door open, and a couple of minutes later, he saw Bianca enter the house.

"Hey, Bianca." AJ greeted the brunette with a smile.

"Hey, Buddy." Bianca gave him a weak smile in return. "Are you feeling better?"

"Uh huh. Mom's been taking really good care of all of us." AJ noticed that her smile wasn't as bright as it usually was and that she looked like she wasn't feeling good. "Are you feeling okay, Bianca?"

"I'm very glad to hear that. I'm okay. I'm just a little tired. Where's your mom?"

"She's checking on Miranda and Gabby to see if they might wanna eat something. Don't worry. Mom told me to take my time with the soup."

"Your mom's right. You need to take it slow. I'm going to go change and see if your mom needs any help."

"Okay, Bianca. Hope you feel better."

"Thanks, AJ."

/

Bianca found a pair of sweats and a t-shirt to change into and was sitting on the bed trying to find the energy to get up when Marissa joined her in their bedroom.

"Hey, AJ said you were home." The instant Marissa saw Bianca, she knew her partner wasn't feeling well and that she had picked up the stomach virus from the kids. "You're sick."

"No, I'm not. I'm just tired. How are the girls? Do you need any help with them?"

"The girls are fine. They're having a little soup with AJ in the kitchen. Don't tell me you're not sick. You're home in the middle of day which is something you never do, you're white as a ghost, you look like you're about to fall over and you have a fever. AJ even said you didn't look like you felt good."

"I'm fine." Bianca started to get up.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I was going to say 'hi' to the girls and see how they're feeling."

"I'm sorry, but no, you're not. The only place you're going right now is to bed, and I don't want any arguments about it because it doesn't matter what you say. I'm not changing my mind. You can check on them after you get some sleep. Now, I want you to get in bed and let me take care of you, please."

Bianca finally relented. She just didn't have the strength to put up a fight especially when it was one that she knew would lose eventually. She did like having Marissa there to fuss over her. As she crawled into bed, Marissa gathered her clothes. "You'll do anything to get me in bed and take advantage of me."

Marissa pulled the covers up around a now shivering Bianca. The redhead smiled softly. "Guilty as charged. I'm going to see if the kids need anything else right now. You get some sleep, and I'll be back to check on you. If you're good, I promise I'll take advantage of you when you're feeling better." Marissa kissed her forehead.

"I'm holding you to that." Bianca nodded and murmured. She was just about asleep when she remembered something. "I need my phone"

"Why?"

"I promised Kendall I would call her when I got home."

"I'll call her and let her know. Get some sleep now. I love you." Marissa kissed Bianca's cheek before turning off the light.

"I love you too." As Marissa closed the door, Bianca lay back down and sighed as she snuggled under the covers drifting off to sleep. Even though she was exhausted and felt awful, she couldn't help a small smile from forming as one thought drifted through her mind. Oh yeah, I'm going to marry her someday.

/

A/N: I'm a horrible person sometimes, aren't I? I'm telling you that it's that evil side. She's really hard to keep under control sometimes. I try, but she just gets out and makes me do things like hold off on things like a proposal. Anyway, I hope you're not too disappointed by what I decided. There are just lots of Christmas proposals, and I wanted theirs to be a little different. To quote Bianca, it will happen "soon". I'm not going to say when though. There will be more Christmas fun in the next update! Until then, Happy New Year!