A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing and following! You all are the best! This week's installment is a little early. It's a holiday weekend here, and I'll be running around most of the day tomorrow. I didn't want you to have to wait for the update. Side note: As you all probably know, Pine Valley (yes, I know it's a fictional city) is located in Pennsylvania here in the states. A federal judge just struck down Pennsylvania's same sex marriage ban! Think life is imitating art? Anyway, I hope this reads okay. I had a cold the first part of the week. Being whacked out on cough medicine makes for interesting writing. I'm feeling much better now though. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

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Marissa's head turned around hearing the door open.

Bianca smiled nervously. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself."

"We need to talk."

Marissa nodded. "Yes. Yes, we do."

Bianca set the container down on the table and lifted the blanket up in offering for her wife. "It's getting cool out. I wasn't sure if you would want this."

It was then that Marissa felt the slight chill in the air. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the temperature drop. The redhead smiled softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." The brunette unfolded the blanket and helped her wife cover herself with it.

"Are you warm enough?" Marissa asked.

"I've got my jacket so I'm good. I brought you something else that might help keep you warm." Bianca handed the container to her wife and chewed on her bottom lip nervously as she watched her open it.

"You got me chili cheese fries with jalapeños." Marissa smiled again at her wife's peace offering. It was what she had planned to have at lunch, but those plans had been cast aside because of what had happened at the restaurant. Marissa realized she hadn't really eaten much at all since breakfast. Yes, she'd eaten some dinner earlier but not much. It had still been too hard for her to eat much because of how upset she had been. Smelling the chili had her stomach growling and her earlier craving kicked back in. "Thank you. These smell so good. Will you have some?"

Bianca nodded and took the seat next to her wife relieved she had accepted the small token of her apology. "You know I can't resist them. You can have the jalapeños though."

"I'll take them. You should try them though. It gives the fries a nice little kick, and you know me, I like spicy. I did marry a Kane woman after all."

"Yes, you did. Alright, I'll try it." Bianca took a bite and found she was pleasantly surprised. "This is really good. I'll only have a couple though. I know how much you love them."

"Told ya. You should listen to me more often."

Bianca sighed. "You're right. I should."

Hazel eyes locked with warm chocolate ones, and both women spoke at the same time.

"I'm sorry."

Bianca held up her hands. "Could I go first please, with no interruptions?"

Marissa wanted to protest but gave in seeing how much it to Bianca. "Okay. What I said about you listening to me? That didn't quite come out the way I meant it too."

"Thank you. I know you didn't mean it that way, but you're right. Rissa, I am so sorry. I should have listened to you and respected your wishes. You're everything to me, and I know you would never do anything to jeopardize our little one. I mean, you even let Lisa convince you to drink that health-thing she found. While it may be good for you and our little one, I gotta admit that it smells disgusting."

"Yeah, it tastes that way too at first."

"At first? You mean it tastes better over time?"

"That or it killed my taste buds. It's hard to say." Marissa quipped.

Bianca smiled at her wife's comment. "Okay, I know you don't need my permission on this, but you can stop drinking that if you want. I don't want you doing anything you don't want to. Your happiness means everything to me, and I'm sorry if I've made you feel like it doesn't."

"I did agree to drink it of my own free will, you know. You didn't twist my arm. I just didn't realize how gross it was going to be."

"But maybe some pressure from me didn't help, now did it? I'm just worried about you and our little one." Bianca paused. She knew she had to be honest and explain the overriding part of her fear. "I almost lost you last year. When I think about that, I … I … I just get scared, terrified. I remember you lying in that hospital bed and me wanting you to wake up so badly. Praying that you would, that you would be okay and that I'd made the right decisions when it came to how the doctors were going to treat you." Marissa took Bianca's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I don't ever want to go through that again. I don't think I could because I don't know what I would do if I lost you. I know this isn't the same as that, but I just can't help it sometimes. I also know how much you want this baby, and I just want to do everything I can to make sure every goes right, to have it be as perfect as possible because I want this for you more than anything. I want to make all of your dreams come true as much as I can. I think all of that combined to make me go overboard with my protectiveness. You are one of the strongest women, no individuals, I know. It's not you that I doubt, because I don't, not for a second. I doubt me."

"You? What would you doubt about yourself?"

"That I can be there for you like you need me to be. I know you're not some helpless invalid. It's just that I haven't been on this side before, and I feel useless and helpless sometimes. I don't know what I can do to make things easier for you and that's all I want to do."

"And my hormones haven't helped you with that."

Bianca winced. "I'm sorry about that too. I shouldn't have said that. You would think I would know better than to say something like that."

Marissa shook her head. "I didn't say that to throw it in your face. I said it because it's true. My hormones do get the best of me sometimes so I know I haven't made it easy on you. It's gotta be hard for you to walk on eggshells around me."

"I've been there and understand. I promise that I'll do a better job with that. I'm going to be more understanding about what you're doing for Sam too. She needs you right now, and if that means you putting in some longer hours, then so be it. I'm good with it. And you were right, you did start helping her because of me. There's no way I could ask you to stop, not now when she needs you more than ever. I didn't mean to imply that you are anything like Reese because you're not, and I'm sorry that if you thought that I did. I know that without a single doubt that you are nothing like her. Trust me. There is no comparison between the two of you. You have always put our family first, always. I will try my damnedest to never do that to you again."

"I did overreact a little on that."

Bianca shook her head. "You were right to, and it's perfectly understandable."

"Is it my turn yet?"

"Not yet. I owe you one final apology, and it's a really, really big one." Bianca gave her a sheepish look. "You were right about Brittney."

Marissa eyed her wife. "What happened? Did she try something?"

"Before I tell you, please let me get it all out and just listen without getting too upset. Please?"

The redhead sighed. She had a feeling she wasn't going to like this, but she agreed. "Okay. I promise. I'll do my best."

"Thank you. Yeah, she tried, but I stopped it and set her straight. I made it clear in no uncertain terms that I love you and only you."

"Would you like to share some details of what she did?"

Bianca sighed. She knew she was going to be asked for details, and given everything that had happened, she owed her wife that much. "I started thinking about what you had said when she got to the restaurant, and well, you were right. She really does touch my arm a lot. I just didn't notice it until tonight. There's more. She suggested we could go someplace more discreet the next time we met up."

Marissa clenched her jaw. "Are you kidding me?! What the hell, Bianca?!"

"I know. Trust me, I know. Please let me finish."

"Fine."

"It seems she's curious." She could tell by her wife's expression that she understood what Bianca was alluding to. "Yeah, that kind of curious. She has a cousin who is gay, and her and her wife have an open relationship. They also have a circle of friends that are the same way, and so, they all share partners. She thought that was normal behavior for gay couples to share."

"Wow. I can't even …" Marissa found it hard to believe the girl was that naïve and clueless.

"Yeah. I told her that I wasn't interested in her and didn't see her that way. I'm definitely not going to be someone's experiment or be used to satisfy their curiosity. If she wants to figure out her sexuality, it's going to be without me. More importantly, I reminded her again that I am happily married. I also made it clear to her, in no uncertain terms, that I don't want anyone else. I only want my wife. I only want you. Our project is almost done, and it's the last one. We're going to finish it separately. She's going to work on her piece of it and send it to me when she's done. Then, I'll put it together with mine and send it back to her to review it before we turn it in. We won't have to deal with out hardly at all that way. Look, I can't tell enough how sorry I am. I honestly didn't see it. She's 10 years younger than me. I'm married with kids. I mean when you think about it, we have nothing in common."

Marissa shook her head. Sometimes, it amazed her how her wife couldn't see how truly incredible she was. "Bianca, you're smart, funny, kind, loving and as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside. I can't believe you don't see that. It doesn't surprise me when someone is interested in you, and you give me a hard time about that."

"I know I do, but it's because you don't see how remarkable and beautiful you are."

"That's how I see you, and it doesn't matter to me what anyone else thinks about me. Their opinions mean squat to me."

"That makes two of us. I don't care how anyone else looks at me because I'm not looking at them. I'm only looking at you."

Marissa shook her head at the somewhat cheesy line, but she could easily see the truth behind the words. "Good answer. My turn now?"

"One final thing. I'm not perfect. We both know that. I promise I'll try and do better though. I give you my word on that. Okay. Now, I'm done."

"I know you're not perfect, B. Neither am I, far from it. I think life would be pretty boring if we were."

Bianca snorted. "Yes, it would."

"I don't want boring. I want you. I knew what I was signing up for when we got together. You are a Kane woman after all. It's been widely established that all of you can definitely be quite the handfuls, and I know I've said this before and meant it when I did. I'm more than happy with mine. I think I just forgot how protective the Kane women are when it comes to family."

"Yeah, we do tend to do that." Bianca smiled sheepishly.

"And that's fine, as long as it's within reason, and you remember I'm part of this and get a say it all of it too. You and the kids are everything to me. I won't do anything to put any of you or the life that we have at risk. I've been sitting here thinking. I know you were being overprotective of me because you love me and aren't trying to control me like JR. I'm sorry if you thought I was comparing you to him because nothing could be further from the truth. It was all about power and control with him. With you, it's about love, plain and simple, and I love you for loving me so much and wanting everything to be perfect for me. I appreciate it more than you know, but I'm afraid that's not possible. Nothing is perfect, especially in Pine Valley. Let's go with as close as we can within reason."

"I think I can do that."

"I also know this is new not just for me but for you too. That being said, I gotta be honest, you were starting to drive me a little nuts. If I see that happening again, I won't keep it inside, and I won't hesitate to let you know."

"I don't doubt that for a minute, and I want you to."

"We'll muddle our way through this together. We're a team and a damn good one at that. Deal?" Marissa held out her hand.

Bianca took the offered hand, and the two shook. "Deal, and we are a damn good team, the best."

"I didn't realize how scared you were and that you were thinking about last year. I wish you would've told me earlier. We could've talked about it and worked through it together. Maybe, we could've saved ourselves some grief."

"I realize that now."

"It explains some things. I can't guarantee that nothing is going to happen to me, but I won't do anything to put myself in harm's way. I promise."

"Thank you."

"I think that's something we're both guilty of, the not talking to each other about what's scaring us lately." Marissa admitted.

"What's scaring you, Rissa? Is it about the baby?"

"A little. I want our little one to be healthy, and I want to do my best to help that happen. To be honest, there's more. It's Sam's case. I don't want to let her or the Walkers down. I can't let them down. They're so happy together as a family, and Sam has thrived with them. When I think that she could be thrown back into a similar situation like she was in before, I just can't let that happen. I'm afraid that if I screw this up that's exactly what's going to happen."

"That's why you've been working so much." It wasn't a question because Bianca knew the answer.

"Yes. What if my best isn't good enough?"

"I wish I could tell you that everything will work out, but I can't. There are no guarantees. I know you though and have faith in you. You are good enough. You'll find some way to help them, and I will be there to help you however I can. You aren't doing this alone, and you don't have to shoulder all of this yourself. You've got a great team. Trust them to do their jobs."

Marissa chuckled. "That sounds vaguely familiar."

"It should because it was very good advice given to me by a wise woman when I was trying to do too much all by myself."

"I'm not sure how wise she is."

Bianca eyed the redhead. "Don't talk about my wife like that."

"Sorry. Thank you for that." Marissa turned serious. "You know I really am sorry. You're right. I have been working a lot lately, and I promise that I will do a better job delegating to Claudia and Lisa. They are extremely capable, and I trust them to do a good job. But …"

"You're still lead on her case. I know and understand and would expect no less. She is family after all."

"Yes, she is. I'm also sorry for how I've been acting. My hormones are a little out of whack, and I'm trying to control them. It's just …"

"Really hard to. Trust me, I understand. Sometimes, you can't control them. We'll get through it, okay?"

"Okay. If I start acting like a crazy bitch though, let me know."

"I'll try and phrase it better than that though, be more diplomatic." Bianca gave a wry smile.

"Probably a good idea. There's one more thing. I took it out on you and shouldn't have. It was wrong, and I'm sorry."

"What is it?"

"Krystal."

That confirmed Bianca's suspicions. She had a feeling this had been eating away at Marissa and knew that she needed to vent. So, she kept quiet and let her get it all out.

"What she said earlier? It really bothered me and brought up a lot of old feelings. I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it and wasn't thinking, but damn, Bianca, she treated me like I was a child, like she was scolding me. I haven't been a child for quite some time, and I don't need her to try and raise me now. It's too late for that. She gave up that right when she sold me. Lydia Tasker is my Mom and Roy Tasker is my Dad. They raised me, taught me right from wrong, and I think they did a good job."

"They did a damn good job."

"When she mentioned Babe and what she used to do for her when she was sick, it just opened up an old wound. I guess it's always going to be there, and me being more emotional right now doesn't help, but still. Do you know how that made me feel? Basically, she chose to keep Babe, the perfect blonde haired, blue eyed girl while I was like the runt of the litter that she threw away. Actually, no, she didn't throw me out. She sold me so she could support herself and Babe, the daughter she decided to keep. I don't think I will ever completely understand that. You know what? I don't want to. I don't want to understand that type of thinking. Sometimes, it just makes me feel like I wasn't good enough for her to keep or to bother with, and I hate feeling that way. Yes, I know how lucky, how blessed I was to have my Mom and Dad pick me, choose me, want me, love me. They would be allowed to scold me because they earned that right. It's not hers. Does that make sense? Do you understand?"

Bianca squeezed Marissa's hand. "It does, and I do. It's perfectly understandable. You have every right to feel that way, and I'm sorry. I didn't tell her to talk to the staff, but I didn't stop her. I should have, and I can never apologize enough for that. The one thing you really need to know is that you are more than good enough. Don't ever think that you aren't. I can't explain why she did what she did, but I know she does regret it. I also know that doesn't help sometimes though. Her loss was your Mom and Dad's gain. They loved you and wanted you so much. I remember your home movies, and from what I saw, you completed their family and made them so happy. You were their world, Rissa. For them, you were more than enough. For me and the kids, you are more than enough. Don't ever forget that or ever doubt it."

Hazel eyes glistened with tears. "I won't. Thank you. You're more than enough for me, more than I could ever want or hope for."

"Are we okay?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah, we are. What do you think?"

"Definitely which is good because I really need to kiss you now."

Marissa smiled. "I think I can make that happen."

The couple shared a loving kiss, and the earlier tension between them faded away as they melted into each other. Both were smiling brightly when they separated.

"I promise that I'll do a better job of listening and pull back my overprotective Kane side. I was thinking too that maybe we take a break from Krystal's for a few days."

"That's probably a good idea. I'm in no condition to deal with her right now. Since we're making some more promises, I'm really going to keep an eye on how much I'm working and make sure I get enough rest. That little burst of energy I had, well, it's faded some. I was thinking while I was waiting for you to get home that I could use a day off. I know the weekend is coming up, but the kids are here keeping us busy. I'm talking about a day to either do nothing or whatever feels fun. Basically, a day to play hooky. So, I'm going to take tomorrow off." Marissa checked the time. "Well, I guess it's more like today now."

"I like it and think it's a great idea."

"Would you want to play hooky with me?" Marissa waggled her eyebrows.

Bianca grinned. "I would love to play hooky with you. We should get to bed. Because while we may be off, the kids aren't, and we still have to get them ready for school. I also don't know about you, but I'm exhausted. This has been a long day."

"Yes, it has, and I'm really glad it's over."

Marissa stood and held her hand out for Bianca which the brunette happily took before grabbing the blanket with her other hand. Max followed the couple inside and trotted into the family room to settle on his bed. After locking up, the couple padded down the hallway to their bedroom. Both settled into bed after changing into their pajamas. They would love nothing better at that moment than to make love, but the day had taken an emotional toll on both of them. If they did something now, neither would fully enjoy it, and both Bianca and Marissa loved nothing more than to give pleasure to the other. They knew there would be time, most likely tomorrow.

"So, anything in particular you want to do tomorrow?" Bianca asked after turning off the light and facing her wife again.

"Well, we have to take the kids to school. After we do that, we could come back here and take a nap."

"I do like how you think. Anything else besides napping?"

"We could maybe go shopping if you're not too tired. I noticed earlier that my jeans were getting a little ti …"

Bianca grew concerned seeing her wife's expression change suddenly. "Rissa? Is something wrong?"

Marissa said nothing. It was like she was frozen with her focus somewhere else. Hazel eyes began to grow wide as a blinding smile spread across her face. "Give me your hand, B! Give me your hand!"

"Rissa, you're scaring me."

"Just give me your hand, B."

Bianca relented and did as asked. Marissa placed her wife's hand on her belly. The brunette finally understood her wife's excitement. Neither woman said anything for a few beats. Their focus was firmly on Marissa's belly. Suddenly, Bianca's head snapped up. Her gaze met Marissa's, and their smiles lit up the darkened room.

"Is that what I think it is, B?" Marissa wasn't completely sure since this was the first time she felt movement, but she was hopeful her instincts were right.

"Oh my gosh, it is! Our little one is kicking, Rissa!" Bianca kissed her wife tenderly before lifting the top of Marissa's pajamas and kissing her belly. "Hi, little one. This is the best surprise for your Mama and me."

Marissa laughed as their baby kicked in response to Bianca's voice.

The goofy grin that the redhead loved so much appeared on her wife's face before she kissed Marissa's belly again and continued to talk to their little one. Bianca rested her head on her wife's belly while Marissa stroked silken chocolate locks. A look of wonder was on the redhead's face. She had never felt anything as amazing, as incredible as she was feeling now. Feeling their little one move inside her was simply indescribable, and she knew she would cherish this moment for the rest of her life. To share this moment with Bianca made it perfect.

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A/N: Now, I could have kept writing and added more to this chapter. If I did that though, I wouldn't have been able to update until Sunday or Monday. So, I decided to split this up. I hope you're all good with that. See you soon!