Disclaimer- ABC and AMC own Bianca, Maggie, and Miranda. I proudly own the bartender
Credit for the name of the fic and I guess the fic itself goes to the oh soooo hott Kenny Chesney.
Maggie slammed the door to her and Bianca's Paris home. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had been living with Bianca in Paris for 6 months now. It had been the best 6 months of her life, but right now everything was going wrong. After the news of everything going on with Jonathan dying and Ryan going crazy over everything his brother did, Maggie's grades started dropping. Not that having to adjust to college in Paris wasn't hard enough already. On top of it all, her problems back in Pine Valley still haunted her. Not to mention her ever confusing feelings about Bianca. She had tried numerous times before to confess every single one of those feelings to Bianca with no such luck. Now, here she was, driving around the streets of Paris after just having had a huge fight with Bianca. With Maggie's grades slipping Bianca thought Maggie should spend less time with her and Miranda, and more time studying. Bianca had suggested a nanny to watch Miranda so Maggie would have all the time she needed. Maggie, shooting out a quick come back, accused Bianca of not trusting her. They had it out for a little while longer before Maggie gave up and just left. She was now driving around looking for any place that might be open. She saw a small neon sign on top of a tall pole. Finally, an open bar. She pulled up and went inside. Being as late as it was, there was absolutely no one around. She wasn't even sure the bartender was there until he made his way over to where she was sitting at the bar.
"What'll it be?" he asked
Maggie thought for a moment before replying "The good stuff."
Maggie could see tears forming in his eyes. Then, he looked dead at her and said "You can't find that here."
Maggie was confused. She looked at the bartender for a minute, then asked "What do you mean?"
"Well, the good stuff…it's hard to explain, but I'll try."
Maggie nodded her head. She was interested in what he was going to say.
"It's the feeling you get when you have that first long kiss on your second date. When you know you're in trouble when you walk in the door cause you can see the look of worry on your mama's face. Finally asking the love of your life to marry you, and you're so nervous and your hands are shaking so much that you drop the ring in the spaghetti plate. When you finally get married and you look over at your new wife with a smile on your face, cause she's beautiful even with rice in her hair. It's when you sit down to your first real meal together and she completely burned every bit of it. However, knowing you better get used to it cause she'll probably burn a lot of meals, you ask for seconds. Of course, you only do it so you won't have to see her cry. Yea, I'd have to say, that's the good stuff."
Maggie sat there a minute, thinking of everything the bartender had just told her. Knowing he must have been through an awful lot in his life to give her an explanation as deep as that. She saw him grab a carton of milk and pour a glass for himself. "I'll have some of that." Maggie said smiling
They sat there and talked for about an hour like they had known each other for years. As Maggie was looking around the bar she spotted a black and white picture of a pretty girl with bouffant hair. The bartender saw her looking at it and said "That's my Bonnie, taken bout a year after we wed. I spent 5 years in the bottle when the cancer took her from me. But I've been sober 3 years now, cause there's one thing stronger than the whiskey."
"What's that?" Maggie asked, expecting another long, deep answer. And that's exactly what she got.
"It was the sight of her holdin my baby girl. The way she adored that string of pearls. I hoped she would love them and I waited to give them to her the day that our youngest boy Earl married his high school love. And I'll never forget that new t-shirt saying 'I'm a grandpa'. That was one of my happiest days. Then bein right there with her as our time got small. Never leavin her side, and holdin her hand when the good Lord called her up. That kept me out of the bottle. Sweetie, that's the real good stuff."
"Wow. You sure have been through a lot, and are wise beyond your years." Maggie said sincerely.
"Yea, and it's taught me a lesson. So, who did you get into a fight with?"
Maggie thought for a minute on how she could define her relationship with Bianca. "Well, I guess you could call her my best friend."
"Just your best friend? Not many people respond that way when I ask that question. It's usually a girlfriend, boyfriend, wife, husband. You know, someone they adore and cherish more than anything."
"Well, that's how I feel about Bianca. I'd do anything for her. I love her."
"Then friends is all you really wanna be?"
Well, no, not really, but…"
"Listen, if she loves you like I expect you love her, when you get home she'll be crying. She'll blame it all on herself. So when she says she's sorry, tell her you are too. Look into her eyes and see all of the love she has for you. Stay in that moment for a second and know that it's something you'll never forget. Tell her you love her like you just told me. Then you'll know what the good stuff feels like."
"And it's that easy, huh? I'll be as smart as you after that?"
"Not hardly, but you'll have put your heart out there to the person you love. "
Maggie looked into the eyes of the bartender, tears now forming in her own eyes. "Thanks." She got up to walk to the door. "You can expect me back sometime soon, so have that milk ready."
The bartender smiled at Maggie "Will do."
When Maggie got back home she stood at the door for a minute. She was finally going to tell Bianca everything. She wasn't going to let anything stop her this time. If there was ever a sign that she belonged with Bianca, her latest conversation was it. What are the odds that she would have found a bar with an English-speaking bartender anyways? Yep, it was definitely a sign. She opened the door and walked in. Bianca was sitting on the couch crying. 'Just like the bartender said.' Maggie thought to herself.
"Maggie! I'm so sorry! I never meant to make you leave like that! I do trust you. I trust you with my life. I'm sorry I made you feel any less."
Maggie stopped Bianca's rambling. "Hey, stop for a second." She sat down beside her on the couch. "It's my fault. I'm the one who's sorry. I understand why you want to get a nanny. My grades are dropping and I could use the extra time, I just didn't want to admit it."
Maggie and Bianca sat there for a minute looking into each other's eyes. 'Now I know what the bartender meant.' Maggie thought to herself. 'It's now or never.'
"Bianca, I have to tell you something."
"What is it Maggie? You know you can tell me anything."
Maggie took a deep breath. "I love you Bianca."
"I know Maggie, I love you too. Just tell me."
"No, I mean, I'm in love with you. I was in love with you long before we came to Paris and these past 6 months have made me realize that I could never live without you. I never want to know what it feels like to live without you."
"You'll never have to Maggie. I'm not going anywhere." Bianca took Maggie's hand and noticed she was shaking. "Maggie, you're shaking."
"I'm scared."
"Of what?"
"Losing you."
"You're not going to lose me. I'm the one who wanted you first, remember? You're not going to get rid of me that easily."
"I'm never going to get rid of you, period." Maggie left it at that, knowing she meant to death, not by choice leaving. There was a pause as both girls were taking it all in. "Um, Bianca?"
"Yea?"
"Can I kiss you?"
"I was wondering when you were going to." Bianca said smiling. And with that they leaned in for their first real kiss. It was everything they had hoped for and more. When air became a problem they both pulled back. Maggie rested her forehead on Bianca's. They looked into each other's eyes yet again, both thinking they could, without a doubt, get used to this.
"So, this is what it feels like. Now that I've actually felt a piece of it, I can honestly say the bartender wasn't exaggerating. He was completely right."
Bianca looked at Maggie confused. "What what feels like Maggie? Love?"
"No, the good stuff."
"Ok, and what is this about a bartender? Oh my gosh, please tell me you aren't drunk and you'll still remember this tomorrow." Bianca was now worried.
Maggie laughed. "No, I'm not drunk, and I'll definitely remember this tomorrow. What do you say we head to bed and I'll explain everything in the morning?"
Bianca thought for a minute. "Well, ok. As long as you promise to sleep with me tonight. I mean, not like that, I just mean like in the same bed."
"Wow, a nervous Bianca Montgomery. Now that's a first."
"Shut it Stone." Bianca's face turned red
"Ok, come on, I'll sleep with you." Maggie said smiling
They walked to the master bedroom, hand in hand, knowing that everything would finally be ok. No matter what was going on in Pine Valley, they had each other. And that was one thing they both knew would never change.
FIN