A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review and follow! It's truly appreciated. Now, there was a question from mymariska I need to clear up regarding Gabby's age. I went back and read my author's notes from the chapter in question and saw that I was missing an important word from my comments, the word 'birthday'. That does make a difference. So, I'll try it again making sure I'm not missing that word. According to the show she was born in October. For purposes of having Gabby in kindergarten now, I'm moving her birthday from October to the July/August timeframe in order to make her five years old. Sorry about that, and I hope that clears up the confusion. Thanks for keeping me honest. This chapter is just something into my head and had to be written. I hope you like it. The bachelorette party will be getting started in the next chapter. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Two weeks later

Bianca was putting the finishing touches on her updates for the Center's 4th quarter budget when Jan buzzed her.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Bianca, but the school is on the line for you. It's something to do with Gabby."

"Thanks, Jan." Bianca immediately dropped what she was doing and picked up the phone. "This is Bianca Montgomery. Is Gabby alright?"

"Hello, Ms. Montgomery. It's Grace Benson. Gabby is okay. She hasn't been hurt, but she is very upset. It seems there was an incident in her class during show and tell, and the stuffed monkey she brought in for it was torn."

Bianca sighed. While she was extremely grateful that Gabby was physically okay, she hated that her little girl was upset. Gabby loved Minx and knew that if he was damaged that she would be almost inconsolable. "I'm on my way, Mrs. Benson."

"Should I call Ms. Tasker as well?"

"No, I'll call her later. She's in court right now."

"Very well. Please come to the main office when you get here."

"Thank you. I'll be there in a few minutes." Bianca disconnected the call, grabbed her purse and headed out. "Jan, I need to go and pick up Gabby."

"Is everything okay?"

"It seems there is a mini-crisis, but I think she'll be okay, at least I hope so. I'll call you later and check back in."

/

"Hello, Ms. Montgomery. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Gabby."

"Thank you, Mrs. Benson." Bianca followed the elderly woman into a quiet room where a staff member was sitting with Gabby trying her best to comfort her but not having much luck.

Gabby glanced up with tear-stained cheeks and saw her brunette mother. "Mommy!"

Bianca was across the room in no time flat and Gabby threw herself into her mother's arms.

"Hi, Sweetie. Mommy's here. Shhh, it will be okay." Bianca began rocking her daughter as her tiny body was wracked with her sobbing.

"I'll let Mrs. Weber know you're here." Mrs. Benson stated before she and the other staff member left them alone.

After several minutes, Gabby began to quiet down as she listened to her Mom hum what had, since Marissa entered their lives, become their family's song. It never failed to do the trick.

Bianca grabbed some tissues and began wiping the tears from Gabby's face before having her blow her nose. "Are you able to tell me what happened, Sweetie?"

Gabby shook her head and snuggled deeper into her mother's arms.

"Hello, Ms. Montgomery. I think I might be able to help you there."

"Mrs. Weber, please tell me what happened."

The teacher sat down and was relieved to see Gabby was doing better. "As you know, today was show and tell, and Gabby brought in her favorite stuffed animal."

Bianca nodded. "Minx, her stuffed monkey. Mrs. Benson said he was torn. What happened?"

"Well, he was quite the hit. All of the children loved him. Gabby was very proud of him and did a wonderful job of telling everyone how she got him and sharing him with the other students. I'm afraid one of them, however, was a little overzealous."

Gabby gazed up at Bianca. Her eyes started welling with tears again and her chin quivered. "Benjamin broke Minx, Mommy." The little girl hid her head back in her mother's chest.

Bianca gently soothed her daughter by gently rubbing her back.

"Benjamin grabbed him and tried to make him fly. Before I could stop him, the monkey, Minx, was torn. Honestly, I think he was trying to impress Gabby and got carried away. I know this probably doesn't help Gabby right now, but I truly believe it was an accident. Benjamin's almost as upset as Gabby. Another teacher is sitting with him while we wait for his parents to come get him. He wanted me to make sure that I told you how sorry he was." The teacher retrieved a bag and handed it over to Bianca. "I put Minx in here to prevent further damage. I can't tell you how sorry I am that this happened."

Bianca nodded. "I understand. Accidents happen."

"Gabby, I'm sorry about what happened today, and I hope you feel better. I'll see you tomorrow. Okay?"

"K." Gabby murmured, her face still pressed against Bianca's chest.

The school day had been close to being over when Bianca was called so she waited in the room with Gabby until just before the final bell before carrying her little girl to the car where they waited for Miranda and AJ.

As Gabby was being secured in her seat, she looked to her brunette mother. "Mommy?"

"What is it, Sweetie?"

"Is Mommy going to be mad at me?"

"Why would she be mad at you?"

"'Cause Minx is broke. She wasn't sure I should bring him, and now, and now, he, he's broke."

Bianca wiped away a tear that had escaped. "Gabby, there is no way that Mommy is going to be mad at or upset with you. What happened today was an accident, and she'll know that. Besides, you know that she loves you bunches and bunches, and there is nothing that will ever change that."

Gabby nodded. "I know. Will we be able to fix Minx?"

"We're going to try our very best. I don't want you to worry. Okay?"

"'K."

Bianca shut the car door and pulled out her phone. She sent a quick text to Marissa and silently hoped they would somehow be able to fix this for Gabby.

Rissa, I need you to come home as soon as you can. Something happened at school, and Gabby's upset. She's better now but really needs to see you. Love you, B

The brunette got in the car and honked when AJ and Miranda appeared a few minutes later. She got back out to greet her older children.

"Mom, why do you have Gabby already? We went to her room and her teacher told us you picked her up early." Miranda asked seeing her sister in the car.

"Something happened during show and tell. One of the other students was playing with Minx and accidentally ripped him. Gabby got really upset."

AJ was instantly on alert and in big brother mode. No one made his sister cried, either of them. "Who was it?"

Bianca smiled softly. "AJ, it was an accident. He's very upset too and has apologized repeatedly according to their teacher. He's a little boy and didn't mean for this to happen. I don't want you saying or doing anything to him. Understand?"

"But he made Gabby cry."

"And he's smaller than you and didn't mean it. Do you understand?"

AJ nodded. He didn't like it but knew his Mom wanted him to do this so he would. "Yes, Mom. I understand. I promise I won't do anything."

"Thank you. Miranda, I want you to promise the same thing."

It was a hard promise to make because she didn't like seeing her little sister upset, but Miranda knew she needed to do it for her Mom. "I promise too, Mom."

"Good. Please don't mention Minx to Gabby. She's finally calmed down, and she's worried that Rissa will be upset with her because he's damaged."

"Ma would never be upset with her about that." Miranda stated confidently.

"I know. I've told her that already, and your Ma will tell her the same thing when she gets home. I know deep down, Gabby knows that too, but with her being upset, she just can't see it right now. She will though. Okay, let's go home."

/

On the drive home, AJ and Miranda tried their best to get Gabby to smile. Neither was used to seeing her like this, and it really bothered them. Bianca had them start on their homework when they got home while Gabby went to her room and laid down with Bernie, the larger version of Minx. Max could tell something was wrong with the little girl and stayed with her.

Finally alone for a few minutes, Bianca headed back to the master bedroom and carefully took the stuffed monkey out of the bag. It was worse than she thought. His arm was almost entirely ripped off. She had picked up some sewing over the years such as sewing a button back on or making a quick stitch along a seam to fix a minor tear. This, however, was a repair job definitely above her skillset. She hoped Marissa would be able to fix it. Her fiancée had picked up sewing at a young age thanks to her mother. Lydia Tasker loved to sew and had taught her daughter well. In fact, Marissa still had her mother's sewing machine. She'd had to store it while married to JR because it did not fit into either the décor of the mansion or the pre-defined role of a Chandler wife. When she had moved out of the Chandler mansion and into her own home, the redhead was able to retrieve it from storage and put it to good use again. Now, the sewing machine had a place in their home. It wasn't used as much as Marissa would've like because of the lack of free time but that was the only reason.

Bianca surveyed the damage again. This would have to be repaired, if it could be, by hand. The brunette placed the monkey on their bed and retrieved Marissa's sewing basket, another remnant of her childhood from Lydia. She placed that on the bed next to the monkey. Bianca then retrieved her laptop and went to the FAO Schwartz website to begin the search for a replacement if needed. She knew a new one could never fully replace Minx. It might help though and lessen the hurt, and at that moment, she was at a loss of what else to do.

/

Marissa read Bianca's text as she was leaving the courthouse. Reading that Gabby was upset had the redhead first sending a text to Bianca letting her know she was on her way home and then placing a call to her office right away. She informed her paralegal Lisa that she was going home early. The redhead immediately found her car and headed home.

Twenty minutes later, Marissa was pulling into the garage. She was greeted by AJ and Miranda who were sitting in the kitchen doing their homework.

"Hey, guys."

"Hi, Ma."

"Where's your Mom?"

"She's back in your guys' bedroom." Miranda answered.

"Where's Gabby?"

"Upstairs in her room. Mom's checked on her a couple of times and said she's better."

"Thank you, Mimo. How are you the two of you doing?"

AJ shrugged. "We're okay. We don't it like though when Gabby's upset."

"I know, Buddy. Your Mom and I don't either. We don't like it when any of you are upset. Let me go see what I can do."

/

"Hey."

Bianca glanced up from her laptop and smiled. "Hey."

The couple exchanged a quick kiss. As Marissa kicked off her heels, she spotted Minx lying on the bed.

"What happened?"

"Do you remember Benjamin?"

"The little boy in Gabby's class, right?"

"Yeah, it seems he got a little too carried away during show and tell in trying to impress Gabby and Minx paid the price. I went and picked her up after the school called. Rissa, I don't know that I've ever seen her that upset. She's also afraid that you'll be mad at her because of this."

"Why on earth would I be mad at her? This isn't her fault." Marissa was examining the damage.

"I've told her that, and I think she knows it too. She just doesn't want you to be disappointed in her. She's calmed down a lot from earlier."

"Let me go see her."

"Do you think you can fix him?" Bianca asked hopefully.

"Maybe, but Benjamin sure did a number on him. Okay, Gabby first and then Minx."

/

Marissa knocked softly on the door to Gabby's room before entering. Gabby was lying on top of Bernie with Max right by her side.

The little girl glanced up and saw her redheaded mother. Her eyes were still red and puffy from earlier. "Mommy."

Marissa immediately scooped her daughter up, kissed her and hugged her tightly. "Hey, Monkey. I heard you had a bad day."

Gabby nodded. "Minx got broke, Mommy. I'm sorry."

"Oh, Gabby, there's nothing for you to be sorry about. Your Mommy told me what happened. It was an accident. You couldn't help it."

"You're not mad at me?"

"No, of course I'm not, and I'm not disappointed in you either. Why would I be? This was an accident, and you didn't do anything wrong. Benjamin just got a little too excited. He didn't mean for this to happen. What I really don't like is seeing you so upset."

"But he broke Minx, Mommy. I don't like him."

"Monkey, he didn't mean to. It was an accident and those things happen sometimes."

Gabby scowled still not convinced of the boy's innocence. She then looked hopefully at her mother. "Will you be able to fix him, Mommy?"

Marissa looked into the big brown eyes of her daughter. They reflected so much faith and trust in her. The redhead only hoped she could live up to it and not let her down. "I'm going to try my very best."

"Mommy said the same thing."

"Well, she's very smart. Let me go see what I can do."

"'K." Gabby smiled softly as her mother kissed her again before setting her back down and left.

/

Bianca spent the next hour keeping Gabby occupied while Marissa worked. The brunette had gotten Gabby out of her room and slowly but surely smiling a little bit, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, at least not yet. She was now outside playing with Max along with AJ and Miranda. Bianca had started dinner during this time as well and decided to take a quick break to check on Marissa's progress. The redhead had changed her clothes and started on the repairs for Minx immediately after talking with Gabby. The brunette padded down the hallway to their bedroom and found Marissa settled on their bed with glasses perched on her nose and a look of complete concentration on her face. After one last stitch, the redhead was carefully examining her work.

"Well?"

Marissa glanced up quickly before resuming her inspection. "I think I got it. Would you take a look and let me know?"

Bianca walked over, took the stuffed animal from her fiancée and checked it out. "Rissa, this is amazing. I can't even tell where it was ripped. You did an incredible job. Gabby's going to be thrilled to death."

Marissa sighed in relief. "I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that. It's a big relief. You're sure though?"

"I'm positive. It's perfect and better than new. That makes two of us that are relieved. I went to the store's website earlier and couldn't find him there anymore. I was getting ready to hit eBay and see if I could track him down that way. That was looking kind of daunting."

"If anybody could do it though, it would be you. You do have a black belt in shopping." Marissa teased as she remembered Bianca's boast from a few years ago. It was one that she proved correct when helping Marissa furnish her new home after moving out of the Chandler mansion and then Tad's house after that.

Bianca smiled at the shared memory. "Why yes I do! Come on." Bianca held out her hand to help Marissa up. "Let's go give this to her."

/

"Gabby, could you come in here please?" Bianca called outside to Gabby.

The youngest family member ran into the house. When she saw Marissa with her hands behind her back, she stopped. "Mommy, is Minx okay? Were you able to fix him?"

Marissa smiled and knelt down in front of her little girl. She pulled the monkey out from behind her back. "You tell me."

Gabby's eyes lit up as she carefully took her beloved stuffed animal from her redheaded mother. He was all in one piece. His arm was securely attached again. He was whole and better than ever. "You fixed him, Mommy! Thank you!" Gabby threw her arms around Marissa's neck and hugged her for all she was worth.

"You're welcome, Monkey."

Gabby then ran over to Bianca and showed her Minx. "Mommy fixed him!"

"Yes, she did. Do you feel better now, Sweetie?"

Gabby nodded. "Uh huh." She then hugged Bianca just as she did Marissa. "Thank you, Mommy."

"I didn't do anything."

"You helped me feel better."

"You're welcome, Sweetie. I'm glad that I could. Now, we need to have a little talk about tomorrow."

"What about tomorrow, Mommy?"

Bianca stood and took a seat at the kitchen table. She pulled Gabby onto her lap. Marissa was leaning against the kitchen counter right behind them. The couple had talked about what they would tell Gabby next. "I know you're upset with Benjamin."

Gabby scowled. "He broke Minx."

"It was an accident, Gabby. He didn't mean to do it. Mrs. Weber told me he was very upset about what happened."

"He was?"

Bianca nodded. "Yes, he was. Tomorrow, if he tries to apologize, Rissa and I want you to try and be nice to him. We know you're upset with him, but he was very sorry. Do you remember how you felt when you ripped AJ's drawing?"

Gabby nodded solemnly. She hadn't been paying attention and accidentally tore the drawing AJ had worked so hard on. He'd been upset with her but did forgive her after a little while. "I didn't mean to, Mommy. It was an accident."

"I know. AJ was upset though, but he accepted your apology when he saw how sorry you were and that you didn't mean to do it, didn't he?"

"Uh huh."

"So, Rissa and I want you to do the same thing tomorrow with Benjamin, okay?"

Gabby looked from Bianca to Marissa.

"It's the right thing to do, Gabby." Marissa noted completely backing Bianca up on this point.

The little girl nodded. "I'll try, Mommies."

Bianca smiled proudly at her youngest. "Good. That's all we can ask. Okay, would you please get AJ and Miranda and ask them to come in and wash up? Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Okay, Mommy." Gabby hopped off of Bianca's lap. With Minx clutched tightly to her, she skipped outside with a huge smile on her face.

Marissa smiled. "You were great with her as always."

"Thanks. It always helps knowing you have my back. Hopefully, she'll remember our little talk tomorrow."

"Well, we'll go with her to school to make sure things go smoothly."

/

The next morning, Bianca and Marissa accompanied Gabby to her classroom. Mrs. Weber greeted them with a smile.

"It's good to see you smiling again, Gabby."

"My Mommy fixed Minx." Gabby smiled proudly up at Marissa.

"She did? That's really good. Way to go, Mommy."

Gabby's smile disappeared when she spotted Benjamin across the room with his parents. The little boy smiled tentatively, but Gabby gave him a pint-sized version of the Kane death glare. Benjamin immediately hid behind his mother's legs. The woman looked down at him and began speaking quietly with her son.

Bianca saw what happened and knelt down next to her daughter while Marissa walked across the room to speak with the boy and his parents.

"What did we talk about yesterday?"

"But he broke Minx."

"Gabrielle Amelia Montgomery, what did we talk about yesterday?"

Gabby swallowed. She knew whenever either of her mothers called by her full name that she'd done something wrong. "That I would try and be nice if he said he was sorry."

"That's right, and you giving him that look before he even has a chance to say anything isn't really trying now, is it?"

"No, I guess not."

"It's not. Do you remember Amber?"

Gabby nodded. "Uh huh. She's Miranda's friend."

"She is now, but Amber was mean to Miranda and AJ last year. When she realized what she was doing was wrong, she apologized. They saw how sorry she was and forgave her."

"Okay, Mommy. I'll try and do better."

"Thank you."

Marissa returned with Benjamin and his parents. "Everything okay?"

Bianca nodded. "Yes, it is. Hi, I'm Bianca, Gabby's other Mom."

"Hi, I'm Connie and this is my husband Andy, otherwise known as Benjamin's mom and dad. Benjamin, did you have something to say to Gabby?"

The little boy nodded and held out a yellow daisy. "I'm sorry, Gabby. I didn't mean to hurt Minx or you or make you cry. I thought he was really cool. I'm really, really sorry."

Gabby looked at the little boy. His big brown eyes were starting to fill with tears, and she knew that her Mommies were right. He was sorry. She took the flower and nodded slightly. "Okay. It's alright. Minx is all better now. My Mommy was able to fix him."

Benjamin's eyes widened. "She did?"

"Yep!"

"So, you really forgive me?"

"I forgive you."

Benjamin smiled brightly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank you for the flower."

Bianca smiled at the boy. "That was very nice of you, Benjamin. Gabby, why don't you put that in your cubby to keep it safe?"

"Okay, Mommy."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. Could I sit next to you in the reading circle?"

Gabby thought about it for a minute and then shrugged. "Okay."

Five very relieved adults watched them walk away.

"You have an amazing little girl there." Andy acknowledged.

Marissa smiled. "Yes, we do. She's a lot like her Mom."

Bianca shook her head and blushed slightly. "We're both very proud of her. We could tell that Benjamin didn't mean to do anything wrong. That was very sweet of him to give her a flower."

"Well, if you haven't guessed, I think he likes Gabby, and he made himself sick last night because he was so upset that what he did hurt her." Connie said. "As I told Marissa before, we're very sorry about what happened. We talked with Benjamin last night, and he knows that he needs to control himself more, to watch what he does."

"I'm very glad this crisis was handled fairly easily." Bianca looked at Marissa. "We should get going."

Andy checked his watch. "We should too. It was nice meeting you. Hopefully next time, it will be under better circumstances."

"Yes, hopefully it will be."

Bianca and Marissa paused briefly on the other side of the now closed door and looked through the door's window.

"She really is an amazing little girl."

Gabby and Benjamin were sitting next to each other. A little girl on her other side whispered something to Gabby that made her giggle. Benjamin simply just looked at Gabby and smiled.

"Yeah, she really is. I have to say that yet again, it looks like someone has fallen victim to a Kane woman's charms. Poor kid never stood a chance. I know exactly how he feels." Marissa grinned.

Bianca laughed so hard she snorted at her fiancée's response.

"See, right there. Once you did that, I was a goner, done for, toast, utterly defenseless …"

Bianca laughed even harder as they made their way to the car. "You're impossible."

Marissa grinned even wider. "Yep, but you wouldn't have me any other way."

"No, I definitely would not."