A/N: I hope everyone had a Happy New Year! I'm back at work and thankful for the short week to ease myself back into things. This means that I'll probably be back to my weekly updates now. Thank you as always for reading, following and reviewing! I really hope you're enjoying my take on our girls. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. I hope you enjoy this update!

/

Later that evening, Marissa and the kids were in the family room. The kids were working on their letters to Santa with AJ helping Gabby with her's. Marissa smiled at her son as she watched him carefully write down Gabby's requests. He was taking his little sister's request for help seriously and doing the best job he possibly could. For her part, the little girl was beaming at her big brother.

Bianca woke up in a darkened bedroom, groggy but feeling slightly better as the nausea had passed. She slowly sat up to get her bearings before attempting to stand. She opened the bedroom door and heard faint sounds coming from the family room. Bianca padded her way down the hall to join her family. "Hey."

Marissa smiled, relieved when she saw that Bianca looked a great deal better. "Hey, yourself. You look like you're feeling better."

Bianca nodded as she sat next to the redhead on the sofa. "I do."

Marissa felt Bianca's forehead. "Your fever feels like it's gone down. Let me get you something to drink."

"Hi, Mommy!" Gabby scrambled onto Bianca's lap.

"Hi, Mom. Are you really feeling better?" Miranda asked. The concern evident in her eyes as she hugged Bianca.

"Yes, I'm really feeling better. It looks like the three of you are feeling better too. What are you working on?"

"We're writing our letters to Santa. AJ's helping me with mine."

"He is, huh? Well, that is very nice of him. Thank you, AJ."

"He's the bestest big brother!" Gabby beamed as she climbed off Bianca's lap and went back to join him.

AJ blushed. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Bianca."

"Thanks again, AJ. Yes, Gabby, I agree. AJ is the best big brother."

Marissa returned and handed Bianca a glass of Sprite. The brunette moaned appreciatively as she sipped the cold drink slowly. The sugar and carbonation helped a lot.

"How long was I asleep?"

"You were out a couple of hours. I'd say you needed it. You could also probably use some more."

Bianca shook her head. "I wanted to spend time with everyone."

"Alright but only if you take it easy."

"I'll be good. I promise."

"I called Kendall earlier and told her you made it home. She was extremely relieved that you did what you had promised and came straight home after seeing her."

"I told her that I would." Bianca scowled.

"Well, she just wanted to be sure. You know, you can be a little stubborn sometimes especially when you don't want to bother someone." Marissa teased lightly before changing the subject. "So, where did you run into her?"

"Oh, I was just doing a little window shopping when we saw each other." Bianca saw the legal pad Marissa had been writing on when she came into the room. "What's that?"

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Oh, it's the Regan's. Mrs. Regan called while you were asleep. They want me to meet with them in New York this Friday to review the latest settlement offer."

"Why do you have to go to New York to do that?"

"The family is staying at their place in the city to celebrate the holidays. Beth has bronchitis, and her doctors are strongly encouraging bed rest for her so they want me to go there. It would just be for the day. I could catch a red-eye and get up there early, meet with them and be back home for dinner if I can time the flights right."

Bianca contemplated what Marissa said. "I have a better idea. I have to check on the Miranda Center branch there before the end of the year. I could just do it Friday, and we could fly up together."

"I like the way you think."

"Wait, I'm not done." Bianca lowered her voice, not wanting the kids to hear what she had in mind. She really didn't need to worry about that happening though because they had taken a break from their letters and turned their attention to the television. They were now fully engrossed on the screen as the opening for A Charlie Brown Christmas started. "Maybe, we could ask Kendall to watch the kids for the evening and spend the night there. We could do a little shopping and catch a play Friday night and fly back on Saturday."

Marissa grinned. "Okay, I take it back. I love the way you think. Do you think Kendall and Zach will be up for it?"

Bianca nodded. "Yep, I do, especially if I let it slip that we're looking for her Christmas present."

"Ah, bribery. It's always pretty effective."

"I'll call her tomorrow and arrange things."

"Only if you're feeling better. I'm not going to have you push yourself and get sicker." Marissa scolded mildly.

Bianca sighed. "Yeah, only if I'm feeling better which shouldn't be a problem with you taking such excellent care of me. Plus, I have a couple of days to recuperate." Bianca rested her head on Marissa's shoulder as her lover pulled a blanket up around her. Bianca closed her eyes drifting back to sleep to the strains of Christmas Time Is Here in the background.

/

Kendall was in her office the next day reviewing some storyboards for Fusion's next ad campaign. Greenlee was handling a meeting with some executives from Macy's who had flown in to discuss adding Fusion to their cosmetics department lineup. If the deal came through, it would be one hell of a coup for them. When her phone started ringing, she answered it without checking the caller id. "Kendall Slater."

"Good afternoon, Kendall."

The older brunette smiled upon hearing her sister's voice on the other end of line. "Good afternoon, Bianca. You sound much better than you did yesterday. How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling so much better. I think it was just a 24 hour bug. You'll be happy to know that Rissa took excellent care of me last night, and she even convinced me to sleep in a little before coming into the office."

"I'm glad you're feeling better, and I had no doubt whatsoever that Red would take good care of you. She's just as stubborn as you are so I knew she could handle you." Kendall smirked.

Bianca rolled her eyes hearing the smugness in her sister's voice. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you were right. Happy?"

"Yes, I am, very much so." Kendall chuckled.

"I was wondering if I could ask a favor of you, oh wise one?"

"Hmmm, that almost sounds sarcastic, but I'm in such a good mood that I'm going to take it as a sign of awe and respect. Ask away."

"Why are you in such a good mood?"

"We're on the verge of a very big deal with Macy's. I mean a huge deal, Binx."

"The one you telling me about Thanksgiving? That is, wow. That is fantastic news, Kendall! I'm proud of you and really happy for you and Greenlee!"

"Thanks! It's not final yet, but it's looking really good."

"I'll keep my fingers crossed."

"You and me both! So, what's the favor?"

"Well, Rissa has to go to New York on Friday to meet with a client who's stuck there, and I need to check on the Center's branch there. I was thinking I could do it on Friday as well and fly up with her."

"And you were also thinking that maybe you could make a weekend of it if you could only find someone willing to watch those mischievous kids of yours?"

Bianca laughed. "You know me too well. It would only be for one night. We'd come back Saturday afternoon. It would give us the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping, and just maybe your gift."

"Well, Tiffany's is there, and I do love that store." Kendall chuckled at the subtle bribe from her sister. It wasn't needed, and they both knew it. There really wasn't anything that the sisters wouldn't do for each other, and this favor wasn't a hardship at all. Kendall and Zach loved AJ, Miranda and Gabby, and they really were great kids. "I think we could watch the miscreants for one evening."

"Thanks, Kendall. I owe you. I need to call Rissa, let her know it's a go and make some reservations."

"You're welcome. Tell Red that I said 'hello' and that I want something big and sparkly as way of payment."

"You got it!"

/

A couple of days later.

The kids were having breakfast while their mothers finished getting everything ready for their trip.

"Now remember, Aunt Kendall will pick you up after school. You'll stop back here to pick up your overnight bags and then head over to their place."

Miranda looked at her mother patiently, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Got it, Mom. You know we've stayed with Aunt Kendall and Uncle Zach before."

Marissa had to turn her face to hide her amusement at Miranda's tone and expression. She was definitely a Kane woman through and through.

Bianca narrowed her gaze on her oldest daughter. She reminded her more and more of Kendall every day. "I know you have, Miss Smarty Pants." The kids giggled at Bianca's playful tone. "It's just that this trip is last minute and we had plans to go ice skating tonight. I hope you're not disappointed."

AJ shook his head. "We're not. We can go skating tomorrow. Besides, I get the chance to beat Uncle Zach in Mario Kart and Cars 2 again. That's always fun."

Marissa laughed at her son's confidence. "I'd watch it, Buddy. Word is that he's been practicing, and he said something about you going down this time."

AJ smirked and rolled his eyes not buying it for one minute. His Uncle Zach was going down. "Whatever."

"It's official. Your Aunt Kendall is definitely rubbing off on you. The smirk and eye roll move are classic Kendall." Bianca chuckled.

The boy grinned. He liked being compared to her.

"Okay, your bags are by the door, and yes, Gabby, Minx is there with them." Marissa smiled.

Gabby smiled brightly. "Thanks, Mommy!"

"You're welcome, Monkey! We'll call you tonight." Marissa checked the time. "It's time to head out, gang."

Bianca quickly loaded the dishwasher and cleaned up the mess from breakfast while Marissa loaded their bags in the trunk and helped the kids get settled in the car. After dropping off the kids at school and daycare, the couple headed to the airport to catch their flight.

/

The Regan's had a car waiting for them at JFK. Marissa's meeting with them was to take place as soon as she arrived. The car dropped Bianca off at the couple's hotel so she could check them in, and it then continued on to the Regan's penthouse. Marissa would meet up with Bianca at the branch office of the Miranda Center after her meeting was finished.

Bianca didn't have to be at the Center right away so she headed out to run an important errand. When her task was completed, she entered the Center's branch office. She had been there for maybe an hour when her cellphone rang.

"Hey, Kendall. Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine, Binx. There's nothing to worry about. I was actually looking for Marissa. I didn't call her directly because I know she had that meeting earlier. I wasn't sure when it would be over and didn't want to interrupt."

"Actually, she called not long ago. She expected the meeting to wrap up before noon and then she was going to head over here."

"Hmmm, that should work."

"Are you sure everything's okay?" Bianca asked. There was something in her sister's tone that had her a little concerned.

"Oh yeah, I'm just in need of her legal expertise. Something's come up with the negotiations with Macy's and our lead counsel is unavailable. Greenlee and I need to speak with someone that we trust on this, and Red is the first person that came to mind for both of us."

Bianca couldn't help but smile hearing the faith her sister had in Marissa. "Well, I know she'll be happy to help you and Greenlee with whatever you need. I'll have her call you as soon as I hear from her."

"Thanks, Binx. I appreciate it. I better get back with Greenlee. I'll talk to you soon."

After disconnecting the call with her sister, Bianca decided to send Marissa a text telling her about the conversation she just had with Kendall. She knew that her partner would have her phone off during the meeting but would turn it back on as soon as the meeting was over. Bianca had no doubt Marissa would respond immediately.

/

Marissa entered the Miranda Center and was impressed by what she saw. This was her first visit to the branch office, and Bianca had done her usual tremendous job in setting it up. Hazel eyes scanned the office space when she was greeted by the receptionist.

"Hello, I'm Hannah. Welcome to the Miranda Center. How can I help you?"

"Hi, Hannah. I'm Marissa Tasker, and I'm looking for Bianca Montgomery. I'm supposed to be meeting her here."

The young woman smiled recognizing the name immediately. "Oh, Ms. Tasker, it's a pleasure to meet you. Bianca is expecting you. She's meeting with the office manager right now and shouldn't be too much longer. She said to make sure we took good care of you until she's done. Is there anything you need?"

"Well, you can start by calling me Marissa. Is there someplace quiet I could use. I need to make a couple of calls and use your Wi-Fi, if I could?"

"Sure, that won't be a problem at all, Marissa. I've got just the thing for you. If you'll just follow me."

Marissa nodded and followed the younger woman to a small conference room.

"I think this should work for you."

"This is perfect. Thank you, Hannah." Marissa began to unpack her laptop.

"You're welcome. Is there anything else I can get you? Would you like something to drink?"

"I wouldn't mind some water if that's not too much trouble."

The receptionist smiled. "It's no trouble at all. I'll be right back, and I'll let Bianca know you're here."

"Thanks."

While Marissa waited for her laptop to boot up, she called Kendall and Greenlee.

"Kendall Slater."

"Hey, Kendall. It's Marissa. I made it to the Miranda Center and am just about online."

"Hey, Red. That's great. I'm emailing you the latest proposal right now. Thanks so much for this. Any input you could give us will be greatly appreciated."

"It's no problem. I'm online now. Let me take a look at it, and I'll call you right back."

/

The receptionist spotted Bianca and the office manager leaving her office. "Bianca."

"Hi, Hannah. What's up?"

"Marissa got here a little while ago. She needed a place to do some work so I set her up in conference room just down the hall."

"Thanks, Hannah. I appreciate you taking care of her for me." Bianca walked down the hallway to find Marissa. Having received a text from the redhead earlier, Bianca knew that Marissa had gotten in touch with Kendall and would need a space to review something for her sister and Greenlee. It was easy enough for Bianca to instruct the staff to arrange for whatever Marissa would need when she got there.

Bianca could hear Marissa's voice from outside a conference room and ducked her head inside

Marissa smiled seeing her partner and waved her inside while continuing her conversation. She had Kendall and Greenlee on speakerphone while she continued to make notes on her laptop. "Bianca just got here."

"Hey, Binx. Your girl is taking good care of us."

"I had no doubt that she would." Bianca's pride was just as evident in her voice as it was in her eyes.

"You really think it's possible, Marissa?" Greenlee asked.

"I do. From what you've sent me, your sales more than justify having your own counter. Granted, you're not as big Clinique or Lancôme, but you have name recognition and the sales figures to back you up. If they're as smart as I think they are, they'll go for this. You both win. This opens up a huge market for you and adds another highly profitable and popular brand to their line."

"How do you propose we go about this then, Marissa?" Kendall asked all business right now.

"Start off small but not too small. Obviously, you would want to open counters in the stores in Pennsylvania and a few of the surrounding states. I'd even see about having a counter here at the mother store on 34th Street."

"Could you hold on a second while Greenlee and I talk?"

"Sure. It'll give me a chance to catch up with Bianca."

Both lines were put on mute, and Bianca walked over to properly greet Marissa.

"How'd the meeting with the Regan's go?"

"It went pretty well. We significantly lowered the demand for child support in exchange for full custody, and he went for it. It's sad that it comes down to money sometimes, but the kids are so much better off with Beth than with him. She was more than willing to make that concession to keep them. Luckily, she has a good job and her family to help her." Marissa sighed. The negotiation had bothered her. She would never understand how a parent could take money over their children. Talking with Bianca always made her feel better and today was no exception. "Enough about that. This place is amazing. I'm very proud of you."

Bianca flashed her a goofy grin. They were simple words given so willingly to her but they meant so much. "Thank you. I can't take any of the credit though. We've got a good staff here."

"Yeah, you do. Who hired them though? Oh, that's right. You did! So, you get credit." Marissa leaned across the conference table and gave Bianca a quick kiss.

"Did you get something eat?"

"I grabbed a soft pretzel from a cart on my way over. What about you?"

"They ordered some sandwiches. I was just about to grab one. I'll get you something too. How's it going with Kendall and Greenlee?"

Marissa was about to answer when the duo in Pine Valley came back on the line.

"We have a big favor to ask you, Marissa. We know that you're supposed to be done with work for today, but we're hoping you would be willing to delay that for just a little while longer."

"What do you have in mind, Kendall?"

"Would you be willing to take part in a meeting we have with the Macy's executives in an hour? We'll give them our counter-proposal which is basically what we just talked about with you. Since our lawyer can't be there, we'd just feel better having someone there. We would owe you big time."

"Are you sure you want me there? You can't get someone else from the firm? This really isn't my specialty."

"We need someone there that we trust, and that's you, Marissa." Greenlee added.

"She's right, Red. We do. Look, we know you and Bianca have plans this evening. We should be done well before then."

"Give us a second." Bianca put the phone on mute. "Don't worry about me. You can do this."

"I don't mind doing this for them at all. I just don't want to screw this up for them. It's a huge deal."

"Yes, it is, but you heard them. They trust you, and they wouldn't have asked if they didn't. Believe me, you can do this. I have every faith in you." Bianca gave Marissa a tender kiss.

With new found confidence, Marissa took the phone off mute. "I'm in. Where do you need me?"

"Thank you, Marissa!" Kendall gave the redhead the necessary details while Bianca retrieved the documents that Marissa had printed off for the meeting.

"We'll talk to you soon, Marissa, and thanks again." Greenlee added gratefully before disconnecting the call.

"I'll have to take a rain check on that sandwich, B."

The couple walked outside and hailed a cab. Bianca gave Marissa a quick kiss for luck before opening the door on the taxi for her. "Go get 'em. I love you."

"I love you too. I'll call as soon as I'm done. Oh, don't you forget to eat something."

/

A few hours later, Bianca found herself walking into the Macy's on 34th Street. She did love this store, especially at Christmas. She was usually lucky enough to get one trip in to the store every year. She loved the window displays and was always amazed by the creativity of the designers. Her favorite was from a few years ago when they used the movie A Miracle on 34th Street as its theme. As instructed by Marissa's text, she headed up to the 8th floor. Bianca found Marissa waiting for her with a huge grin on her face in front of Santaland.

After being greeted with a quick kiss, Bianca's curiosity got the best of her. "I have a couple of questions."

"Ask away!"

"How did the meeting go? By the way you're smiling, I would say it pretty good."

"You would be correct. It went great. This was the first time that I've actually seen the Dynamic Duo in action business-wise. They are impressive. It was a video conference, and they had everything laid out from charts to graphs to numbers. To make a long story short, you will be able to find Fusion cosmetics at Macy's starting next spring."

"Seriously? That is fantastic news! They have to be over the moon!"

"They were pretty darn happy when I talked with them after the meeting. They'll sign the contracts tomorrow when we pick up the kids which, by the way, will be a little later since they are sending the Fusion jet to pick us up tomorrow. I told them it wasn't necessary, but they insisted. They wanted to give us a couple of more hours here to make up for the lost time today."

"Well, you're right. They didn't need to do that, but I won't turn down the chance to get some shopping done. That makes the trip to FAO Schwartz even more exciting since we won't have to worry about getting things home."

Marissa laughed. "That's exactly what I was thinking! Next question?"

"Why are we outside Santaland?"

"Well, we're at Macy's. It's Christmas, and I've always wanted to visit Santaland."

Bianca laughed at the excitement in her lover's eyes. "You have, huh?"

"Yeah, I have. Ever since I saw A Miracle on 34th Street, the original one in black and white with Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn, I've want to come here, see the display and visit Santa, so basically I've wanted to see it all my life."

Bianca held out her arm which Marissa happily took. "Let's go see Santa! I'll make sure to tell him that you've been very good this year."

/

"Okay, we absolutely have to bring the kids here next year. They'd love it."

"Yeah, they would so you can count me in. So, how are we going to explain these pictures to the kids? And before you even ask, yes, they will see them because your's is just too perfect and I love this one of the both of us with Santa." Bianca smiled.

"First of all, I agree with you on the pictures. You forgot, however, to mention yours as well. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen a bad picture of you."

Bianca snorted. "Oh trust me, there are some very bad ones out there, mostly school pictures."

"I seriously doubt that. Back to your original question, we could just tell them that we ran into him while we were here, and he asked for an update on them."

"Ooh, I like that. You think pretty quick on your feet there, Tasker."

Marissa grinned as they made their way through the crowds back to their hotel. "I have to, Montgomery. As a lawyer, you never know what's going to happen with a case so you have to be ready for whatever the opposing counsel may throw your way. That particular skill has come in quite handy with your family. I've lost track of the number of times your mom has shown up unannounced at my office. The woman loves her sneak attacks. She loves trying to throw someone off their game."

Bianca saw the amusement in those beautiful hazel eyes. "And you are more than up for the challenge. I know you love being able to frustrate her some in those efforts so don't deny it. I can see it in your eyes. It all started as an honest attempt by her to catch you off guard as a way to prove that your intentions were true. Once she was satisfied that they were, it seems like she's stepped it up, and now, it's almost like it's some sort of game between the two of you, one that you both love."

"I will neither agree nor disagree with your assessment. I will only say that if what you say about it being a game of some sort is true that I'm winning."

Bianca snorted again when she saw the smirk on Marissa's face. For so long, she had struggled to find someone her family would accept and love as much as she did. She finally found that person in Marissa. She was not only was the love of Bianca's life, but her family, her entire family, absolutely adored the redhead. "I know you're exhausted from all of the running around you've been doing today, and I know you've got to be starving as well. Why don't we skip the play and grab an early dinner?"

Marissa shook her head. "I'm fine. The snack we had while we were waiting in line for Santa was more than enough to take care of me for a few hours. I've got my second wind now too so I'm good to go. I know how much you want to see Wicked, and that you were disappointed when we missed it our last trip here and had to settle on seeing something else."

The couple walked through the lobby of their hotel to the elevators.

"Yeah, I want to see it, but it's not worth it if you're too tired to enjoy it as well." Bianca said as they stepped onto the elevator and moved towards the back of the car.

"Bianca, I promise you that I'm good. This city definitely has this energy about it, and you can't help but tap into it. That's what I've done. So, I'm not taking no for an answer. We're going. You went to see Santa Claus with me, and now, I'm going to see the Wicked Witch of the West with you." Marissa finished with a quick kiss.

Bianca chuckled as the elevator doors closed. "If that's not the oddest argument you've ever used to make a point, I don't know what is."

/

"Basically then, The Wizard of Oz had it all wrong."

Marissa grinned. "Yep, Elphaba wasn't really a wicked witch. She was just misunderstood. It was the whole green thing."

"I guess she just needed a kickass lawyer like you around to defend her. It would've saved her a whole lot of grief, huh?" Bianca grinned.

Marissa laughed. "You've got a point. Aren't you glad you we went?"

"Definitely! Now, I owe you dinner. Don't tell me you're fine because I can hear your stomach growling."

"I'm surprised you can hear it over your's." Marissa smirked as they got into a cab. "Where are we going?"

Bianca smiled brightly. "It's a surprise. I will only tell you that I booked us the best table in the city. We just need to stop back at the hotel first."

/

The couple walked down the hall to their room. Bianca inserted the keycard into the door to unlock it and opened the door for her lover.

Marissa was speechless as she entered the room. An intimate table for two had been set up in the room by the window and overlooking the city. Candles were lit around the room which was filled with roses while music played softly in the background. "Oh my god, Bianca! When did you arrange this?"

"I made a call to the concierge during intermission and asked him to set this up for us. Do you like it?"

Marissa slowly walked over to Bianca and gazed into warm chocolate eyes as she wrapped her arms around her lover's waist. "No, I don't like it. I love it, and I love you. This is by far one of the most romantic and thoughtful things anyone has ever done for me. You are amazing."

"I love you too. I just wanted to do something special for you. I'm also being a little selfish. I didn't want to share you with anyone else today."

"You can be selfish with me any time you want." Marissa placed a loving kiss on Bianca's soft lips.

The growling of their stomachs caused them to separate in a fit of giggles.

"Okay, dinner first." Bianca smiled as she gave Marissa a quick kiss and pulled a chair at the table out for her lover.

Marissa flashed a wicked grin as Bianca took the seat opposite her. There was no mistaking the meaning of her next words. "And then dessert."