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More BAM goodness inside, please enjoy. Thanks for all the kind words, everyone, I'm happy you all are enjoying this little adventure!

Paris, France - September 2005

Oh, you're the best friend

That I ever had
I've been with you such a long time
You're my sunshine
And I want you to know
That my feelings are true
I really love you

-Queen You're My Best Friend

Chapter 13 - The Date, Redux

"Hey, Binks?"

"Hmm…"

"Do you ever wonder why you can't keep your hands off me?" Maggie asked softly, brushing her fingers slowly up and down Bianca's arm. It was early in the morning and they lay in bed together, wrapped in each others arms amid a tangle of sheets. The room was dark, cast in shadows from the overcast sky outside and raindrops gently beat against the windowpane. "I mean, really, Bianca, it's like you're sex crazy or something. I don't remember you ever being all over Lena like this."

Bianca hugged Maggie closer with an arm across her waist, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder. "First of all," she said, kissing Maggie's bare shoulder before pulling back to look in her eyes. "Please don't bring past… relationships into our bed, okay?"

Maggie grinned. "Okay."

"Thank you." She tucked some hair behind her ear then rested her chin on Maggie's shoulder. "Second, who can't keep whose hands off whom?"

"Huh?"

They both laughed. "Never mind," Bianca said softly. "Well, to answer your question, I think it might have something to do with getting one's hearts desire. You were all I ever wanted or needed. You were - you are- my hearts desire, Maggie." She seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, that and the fact that I have wanted to put my hands on you for so long that once I got the opportunity I knew I'd never want to stop."

That made Maggie grin. "Do tell, Ms. Montgomery," she said.

"Well..." Bianca's voice trailed off shyly. "Three and a half years of foreplay, Maggie…"

"So, you apparently had floodgate issues of your own."

Bianca shook her head a bit and rolled her eyes. "Honey, you have no idea..."

Now Maggie chuckled. "Tell me more."

"Oh, no, I'm not feeding your over-blown ego any more."

"Come on, Binks, tell me." Maggie gave Bianca her best pout. "Please? Please, please, pretty please?" she whined.

"Maagggieee," Bianca whined back. Thinking about how long she had loved and wanted - and dreamt, um, really dreamt, of – her best friend made her blush deep red and she was suddenly unable to meet Maggie's gaze. "Come on," she murmured.

"Oh, man," Maggie said in wonder as it completely dawned on her, "you really wanted me, didn't you? I mean, you really wanted me."

"Oh, God," Bianca groaned, rolling over onto her back, throwing one arm over her eyes. "I knew this was going to happen. I swear you are such a guy..."

"Hey, you're the one who called it 'great sex', not me." She grinned wolfishly. "Although it really is great sex. And I think I've got this whole performance anxiety thing licked, too." Bianca lowered her arm and gave Maggie a sideways look. "Okay, that came out totally wrong..."

Now it was Bianca's turn to grin. "Oh, no, I think it came out very, very right."

Maggie blushed fire engine red, causing Bianca to burst out laughing."So," Bianca said softly, pushing Maggie onto her back and gently leaning over her. "Are you going for a run this morning?"

"No, it's raining and I need to find a different work-out regimen for today. Why? Whatcha

got in mind?"

"I'm sure I can think of something..." Kissing Maggie deeply, Bianca pulled the sheets up over their heads, shutting them off from the outside world. She then proceeded to make long, slow, sweet love to her hearts desire.

Maggie's pillow was growling. She tried to ignore it, because, in spite of the growling, it was a warm, soft pillow and she was still weak from her morning 'work-out'. But the next growl actually lifted her head into the air.

"Whoa-!" She sat up quickly. Apparently, her pillow was Bianca's t-shirt clad belly and the growling was obviously hunger pangs. Maggie brushed her hair back out of her eyes and looked down at Bianca's beautiful face, peaceful in sleep. "Somebody worked up quite an appetite…"

"Mags?" Bianca asked sleepily, reaching up to pull Maggie back down again. "Don't go."

"I'm not going anywhere, honey," she replied, stretching out again at Bianca's side. She glanced at the clock on the night stand, it was only 7:45, still time to cuddle before the day truly began. She pulled Bianca into her embrace. "I'd stay here for the rest of my life if I could."

Bianca curled up in Maggie's arms, nuzzling as close as she could. "Now, that's an incredible bedside manner, Dr. Stone," she murmured.

"Only for you, Binks, only for you."

"Good." In seconds, Bianca was asleep again.

"Besides, I don't think I have any strength in my legs right now, so I couldn't get up even if I wanted to…" The memory made Maggie grin.

Still smiling, Maggie lay quietly for several moments, thinking about how this was, in her opinion, the best part of the day. Starting each morning by waking up by being held closely in Bianca's arms, or with Bianca wrapped gently in hers.

Of course, there had been several days when waking in each others arms would have required a level of contortionism that had yet to be seen, even by the finest circus performers. One day, Maggie woke up clinging to the edge of the mattress with Bianca's feet planted firmly in her back, the brunette's dark head hanging off the other side of the bed.

Another time, Maggie woke up to find Bianca curled up in a ball at the foot of the bed, her head on a pillow that covered Maggie's knees, arms wrapped around Maggie's legs. And, of course, the morning when Maggie had found herself with her head at the end of the bed, Bianca's feet in her face, only to discover Bianca in the same position at the head of the bed, Maggie's feet in Bianca's face. They rolled away from each other so quickly that Maggie fell off the bed, while Bianca cracked her funny bone on the night stand and knocked the lamp to the floor. They had laughed for a good 15 minutes while Bianca rubbed her elbow and Maggie picked up broken lamp shards from the carpet.

When Maggie awoke again, almost 2 hours later, Bianca was curled up on her side, the duvet cover and sheets wrapped snugly around her. Maggie lay on the edge of the bed, without a scrap of bed linens to cover her. She was lucky she still had a pillow beneath her head. From beneath the pile of covers beside her, she could hear a dainty little snore.

Maggie could only grin. When did loving Bianca get so damned easy, she thought. And why did I make it so hard for so long?

Crawling out of bed, Maggie quickly got cleaned up then went to check on Miranda. The baby was standing at the railing of her crib, grinning at Maggie. "'Aggie!" she shrieked, bouncing up and down. "Momma!"

"Okay, baby, let's get cleaned up and go see Mommy." After changing and dressing Miranda for the day, Maggie slipped back into the bedroom, but Bianca was still sound asleep. "Sorry, Munchkin, looks like Mommy's still sleepy. Let's go make breakfast, okay? Cheerios work for you?"

"Momma," Miranda chattered, reaching out to her mother.

"Okay, baby," Maggie whispered, moving closer to the bed. She leaned over Bianca so the baby could give her mother a kiss. "Give Mommy a kiss then we'll let her sleep a little longer."

Miranda placed a sloppy kiss on Bianca's cheek, giggling as Maggie hauled her up higher on her hip. On impulse, Maggie bent down and pressed a kiss to the sleeping brunette's lips, lingering for a moment. With Miranda giggling in her arms, Maggie headed to the kitchen to start breakfast.

Bianca slowly rolled onto her back, coming awake from the most wonderful dream. Sweet kisses from her sweet girls. Pulling the covers back over her head, she snuggled down for a

moment, the brightest of smiles lighting her face.

In the kitchen, Maggie deposited Miranda in her high chair, gave her a bowlful of Cheerios and a sippee cup of juice, then set about making breakfast.

"Pancakes, bacon and eggs," Maggie said to the baby. "The Breakfast of Champions." Miranda giggled. "I knew you'd agree."

Before she'd finished scrambling the eggs, the kitchen door swung open. Bianca shuffled in, still looking half asleep. She pressed a kiss to Miranda's head, smiling and tickling her baby girl for a moment, then proceeded to Maggie. She wrapped her arms around Maggie's waist from behind and pressed her face to Maggie's neck.

Chuckling, Maggie put her hand over Bianca's where they were clasped at her waist. "When did you become the lazy ass and I became the morning person?" she asked, feeling Bianca's lips on her neck.

Bianca grinned against Maggie's skin. "I think it happened when we discovered how good making love could be. Messed our personalities all up…"

Maggie nodded her head. "Yeah, that sounds about right." Turning around, she pulled Bianca into her arms and held her close for a long moment. "Time for breakfast, Binks, or nothing will get accomplished today."

"Sounds good to me," Bianca murmured against Maggie's neck, trying to pull the blonde in closer.

"Oh, no, no, no," Maggie admonished, wiggling out of Bianca's embrace. "You have a board meeting in 2 hours and I have a class this afternoon. Kendall's watching the Munchkin because I also have to pick up the cat at the vet."

"The cat." Bianca shook her head. "I can't believe I let you talk me into keeping that little furball."

Maggie laughed. "You fell in love with that 'little furball' as quickly as I did. And the thing really seems to love Miranda. She stands guard over her, have you noticed that?"

"Yeah, I've noticed." Bianca grinned at Maggie, brushing a stray lock of blonde hair behind her girlfriend's ear. "You think maybe we could name the cat someday?"

"Come on, B," Maggie replied, rolling her eyes. "You don't just look at a cat and say, hey, I think I'll call it Fluffy, or Mr. Whiskers. You need to wait and see what kind of personality the cat has then you name it." Finally managing to free herself from Bianca's arms, reluctantly enough, she fixed the brunette a plate and set it on the table. "Eat. You need to regain your strength."

"Yeah, who knew you'd be insatiable, too."

Maggie grinned as she joined Bianca at the table, pouring syrup on her pancakes. "It's called compatibility, B. That whole made for each other stuff, you know?"

"Yeah, it has nothing to do with the fact that you're like a teenage boy with raging hormones 24/7."

"Right back at ya, Binks." She attacked her pancakes with fervor. "Mmm, man, that's good," she groaned, savoring each bite.

"Wow," Bianca murmured. "Where have I heard that before?" She grinned at Maggie with a devilish sparkle in her eyes. "Oh, yeah, just last night, if I recall correctly. Several times."

"Bianca!" Maggie turned 3 shades of red. "I have never heard you talk like that before in my life!"

Bianca grinned down at her plate. "I've never been getting laid on a regular basis before, either," she informed the blonde.

Maggie just looked at Bianca, surprised at how candid and daring she was being. The brunette had never struck Maggie as the type to tease with innuendo and double entendre with regards to sex, especially when it concerned her own sex life. Before they had gotten serious, Bianca had weighed her comments to Maggie closely, becoming embarrassed when she said something even remotely suggestive. It was hard to imagine, yet quite exciting at the same time, to find out that Bianca Montgomery was a bit of a bad girl. Apparently, she had a dirty little mind...

Bianca was enjoying this new-found independence as well. Living her life in the shadow of the great Erica Kane had meant showing decorum and restraint. Her mother was flamboyant and out there enough for the both of them. While being the epitome of grace and elegance, Bianca longed to let loose a little bit, live life to the fullest, enjoy the rewards and spoils of loving and being loved. Now, away from the spotlight she had lived in back in the United States, she was able to do just that. And she found that she really liked it. She obviously had an untapped devilish streak that made her a little bad. And, man, she was really liking it...

Besides, teasing Maggie was just plain fun, because she knew that there would be wonderful teasing in return.

After eating in silence for a few moments, with little sounds of delight from Maggie that reminded Bianca too much of the previous night, Maggie spoke up.

"There aren't a lot of things I miss about Pine Valley," she began, "but sometimes I really do miss the food."

Thank God she finally spoke, Bianca thought, releasing a breath and snapping out of her memories. Our child is in the room and it wouldn't do for her to see what I was just thinking about doing. "Oh, yeah?" She cleared her throat and tried again. "Like what?"

Maggie grinned a little knowingly, but let it slide. "BJ's nachos for one. And barbeque, I really miss barbeque. Food you can eat with your hands, ribs and stuff."

"It's been so long since we've had BJ's nachos," Bianca agreed. "I do miss the nachos with extra hot sauce."

"Fire up the jet, baby, we can fly back to PV and get an order to go."

Bianca laughed, but an idea formed in the back of her head. This might be fun. Especially the 'using your hands' part...

With only a few minor distractions (something to do with Maggie and a shower "It's called water conservation, B," she had said in all seriousness. "The French are very big on water conservation."), Bianca managed to prepare for her board meeting and get out of the apartment on time. Maggie followed an hour later for class, leaving Kendall and Miranda in the den watching The Little Mermaid on the big screen. Kendall and Jean-Paul had been spending a lot of time together, but a business trip had taken him out of town for a few days, leaving Kendall plenty of time to spend with her niece, which she enjoyed greatly.

Luckily for Maggie, the trip on the Metro gave her enough time to catch her breath so she could get through her lecture without daydreaming or drooling. Okay, the drooling she was able to control. The daydreaming? Not so much...

Later that afternoon at Cambias Industries, Bianca threw herself into the leather chair behind her desk, grateful the board meeting was finally over. She was going to kill Bertrand one of these days. That is if he didn't succeed in doing her in first. Thinking of the blowhard Frenchman made her smile, though. It was after the board meeting when he first displayed his true colors that Bianca found Maggie waiting for her at home with nothing on but her Rangers jersey. Bianca had actually thought about framing that jersey, but then she wouldn't get the joy of seeing Maggie wearing it anymore. And that was totally unacceptable.

Smiling to herself at the vision now firmly planted in her mind, Bianca picked up the phone, quickly dialing Erica and Jack's penthouse. She knew her mother would help her out with her little plan.

Twenty minutes later:

"Thanks for everything, Mom. I really appreciate it... No, Maggie has no idea... Yes, I'll tell her you said hello... No, I won't tell her that you don't mind that we're sleeping together!... Mother! Oh, my God, you didn't just say that, did you?!... Well, yes, as a matter of fact..." Bianca blushed violently, put her hand to her forehead and choked when she tried to speak. "Mom, I have to go... Yes, I'll talk to you soon... Give Uncle Jack, Reggie and Lily my love... I love you, too. Bye." Face still flaming, Bianca hung up the phone, fanning herself with her hand. "When the hell did Erica Kane become so open-minded?" Bianca whispered in awe. "I hope that's not a sign that the apocalypse is upon us..."

Quickly logging onto the Internet, Bianca searched a couple of websites, made some purchases and logged off. She wanted to get home as quickly as possible to see Maggie. Unbelievably because of something her mother said.

After her lecture, Maggie joined several of her American and British classmates for coffee at a café in the Marais, across the Seine from the University. The district was a good distance away from her and Bianca's place, but she was enjoying meeting her new classmates, talking about the school, classes and the city. The weather had taken an upward turn and the now-shining sun had created a beautiful Parisian fall day.

The café they decided upon sat on the corner of Boulevard Henri IV where the Bastille had actually stood before it was stormed by angry citizens and torn down during the French Revolution in 1789. The site where one of its towers had stood was outlined in the street in front of the café by different colored paving stones. As traffic whizzed by, drivers oblivious to the history their cars passed over, the group discussed the lecture, their origins and what brought them to study at Pierre et Marie Curie University.

"What about you, Maggie?" Cody asked. He was a tall skinny kid from Oklahoma with straw colored hair and a mile-wide grin. "What brings y'all to Paris?"

Maggie gave him a look. "Did you just say 'y'all'?" Everyone chuckled. She paused for a moment, contemplating her coffee. "Well, honestly, my best friend was moving here and I just couldn't imagine being back home without her. I guess I couldn't let her go."

"You moved half way around the world just to be close to your best friend?" Kathleen, a slender redhead from Edinburgh, Scotland, asked. Her Scottish lilt was filled with fascination. "Left your home, family and friends behind? That's incredible."

"Actually," Maggie said, smiling a little ruefully, her minds-eye wandering back in time, "we'd both had a really bad year and needed to get away from there. Fresh start and all that, you know?" Now, her smile became genuine. "Besides, Bianca is my home and my family. And now she's more than my best friend, it just took us getting out of town for me to figure that out." She glanced up to see the others all just looking at her, different levels of confusion on each of their faces. "She's my girlfriend," she explained. "My partner."

"You're gay?!" Cody blurted out.

Maggie thought about that for a minute, then gave Cody that trademark Stone grin. "Apparently I am where Bianca's concerned." She paused just a moment. "And she certainly hasn't been complaining."

A couple of the others laughed at that and the conversation moved on. After another cup of coffee and a little more talk, the group began to break up. Maggie glanced at her watch and she saw she had another hour or two before Bianca would be home, so she thought she might walk around the Marais before catching the Metro back.

She spent some time wandering down The Passages, narrow alleyways off the main streets where avant garde artists had incredible workshops. She visited the home of Victor Hugo where he was living when he wrote the majority of Les Miserables; and bought a couple of books at Albion, an English-language bookstore. She discovered some of the best bakeries in Paris throughout the district and ended up buying a large bag of treats to take home.

On her way back toward Place de la Bastille to catch the Metro, Maggie found herself in the Jewish Quarter. There she found an old fashioned Jewish deli, Jo Goldenberg, where they actually served chicken soup and potato latkes. Passing a jewelry store, she glanced in a display window and, spotting something, came to a stop. A sign in the front read "English Spoken Here". Throwing caution to the wind, Maggie pulled open the door and entered.

When Maggie got home after picking up the cat from the vet's office, it was later than she had expected. Of course, spending a large bit of your savings on a symbol of your undying love and devotion took time. Now she needed to find the right time to give it to Bianca. God, she hoped she wasn't making a huge mistake...

"Bianca? Kendall?" she called out. "Anybody home?"

Bianca looked pleadingly at her sister. "Come on, Kendall," she said. "When everything gets here I'm really going to need your help."

"Oh, yeah," Kendall replied, rolling her eyes. "Because the two of us in the kitchen is such a smart idea..."

"We're in here right now and everything's okay"

"We're just sitting at the table, Binks. Not a whole lot of danger involved here." Kendall shook her head. "Turn the gas on and – Kaboom!"

"Please? Maggie went to so much trouble when she took me out for our first date. I need to do something special for her."

Now Kendall gave her kid sister a look. "Have you thought about something in the bedroom?"

In spite of herself, Bianca blushed. She pushed some hair behind her ear and avoided Kendall's gaze. "Well," she mumbled, "that was going to be part of the dessert..."

Quickly, Kendall held up a hand. "Okay, more than I needed to know!"

"Well, you asked!"

"Bianca, if you're wanting to do something special for Maggie for your date, I don't think you and me cooking is what you're looking for. You and me in a kitchen? We could conceivably blow up this end of the building."

"At least think about it, Kendall. Please?"

Kendall rolled her eyes again, but couldn't resist giving Bianca a smile. "Okay. I'll think about it. I'll probably be thinking about it long after I've called the local fire department to come put out the blaze..."

They heard the front door open. "Bianca? Kendall?" Maggie's voice called out. "Anybody home?"

"We're in the kitchen!" Bianca yelled back.

"The kitchen," Maggie murmured. "Yeah, that's the first room I'd look for Bianca in..."

Kendall snuck out of the room and went upstairs before Maggie appeared, giving the girls some time alone. Maggie let the kitten out of the pet carrier, then hurried to the kitchen to find Bianca.

"Hey, sweetie," she said, finding the brunette at the kitchen table with a Diet Coke in front of her. She gave her a quick kiss before setting the bag of pastries on the counter. "How was your day?"

Bianca sighed. "Okay, I guess. I think Bertrand is trying to overthrow the board. And if he says one more thing about my age and my looks in a meeting, I'll be tempted to go postal on his ass."

Maggie tried and failed to suppress a grin. "Honey, I need to teach you how to talk tough and actually sound like you mean it." She got a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and hopped up to sit on the counter. "That angelic voice isn't very intimidating."

"Trust me, Mags, I can be very intimidating when I want to." Oh, yeah, she could be very intimidating when the situation called for it. She got up and sauntered over to where Maggie was sitting. "Want to see?"

"Please," Maggie replied with a sly wink. "Show me-." It was then she noticed Bianca had on her Rangers jersey- again- with a pair of tight-fitting black jeans. "Why are you wearing my jersey all of a sudden? Not that it doesn't look... great on you, but you really don't strike me as the hockey jersey type."

Bianca shrugged. "It smells like you," she said, stepping between Maggie's knees and settling her hands on the blonde's hips.

Maggie gave Bianca a crooked grin. "Are you saying it needs to be washed?"

"Not at all," Bianca whispered, leaning closer. She brushed her lips, feather-soft, against Maggie's. "I like that it smells like you. It's like I've got you with me all the time."

Brushing a lock of hair off Bianca's forehead, Maggie leaned in and kissed her tenderly. "I think it's really romantic that you've got a jones for my jersey."

She barely got the words out of her mouth before Bianca kissed her again. Before Maggie was able to deepen the kiss, Bianca leaned back a hairs breadth. "How was your day?" she asked breathlessly.

"Who cares...," Maggie replied, pulling Bianca into her arms and kissing her for all she was worth.

The kiss quickly escalated from heated to mind-erasing in 1.2 seconds. Bianca tightened her arms around Maggie's waist, pulling her closer as they kissed. Maggie parted her lips in invitation and Bianca eagerly accepted, her tongue seeking and finding Maggie's. The room suddenly got very warm.

Suddenly, the door swung open. "Dear GOD, get a room!" Kendall exclaimed, shaking her head. The girls quickly pulled apart, Bianca hiding her face in Maggie's neck. "What is it with you two and the kitchen?!" She got a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and stalked out. "Five freakin' bedrooms and you're always making out in the kitchen."

Maggie looked in Bianca's eyes, the two of them fighting back laughter. "I'm gonna get a bell to put around her neck."

"I think I'd like to have a little talk with Jean-Paul," Bianca replied. "What is that boy doing wrong?"

"Maybe he's not doing it wrong, maybe he's just not doing it enough."

"No! No!" Bianca exclaimed, screwing her eyes shut tight. "Not a visual I want in my head!" She pulled back and waved her arms. "Get it out! Get it out!"

Maggie giggled. "I love you, B," she said, catching Bianca's hands and pulling her in for a hug.

"I love you, too, Mary Margaret," Bianca replied, hugging Maggie tight.

"You're the only one who can get away with calling me that, you know."

Bianca smiled, pressing another kiss to Maggie's lips. "Yeah, I know." She smiled. "Hey, you busy this Saturday?"

Maggie gave her an odd look. "Not that I know of. Are you?"

"Only if you'll agree to go out with me."

"Like on a date?" Bianca nodded. "Well, hell, it's about time! I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to ask me out."

Bianca's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

"Well, jeezy creezy, Binks, I took you out a long time ago. Don't you think you could have reciprocated by now?"

"I think you've gotten something a little bit better than a payback date over the last month or so, don't you?"

Maggie's brow knitted in confusion. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You keep acting like that and you really won't know what I'm talking about."

"Ha. Like you could go without any longer than I could."

"You wanna find out?"

Maggie checked her watch. "I give you 15 minutes."

"Please," Bianca retorted. "The over/under on Maggie Stone is 5 minutes."

"'Over/under'," Maggie laughed. "That's good. Two of your favorite positions-."

Kendall had pushed open the kitchen door right then, but simply turned on her heel and left. "Shit," they could hear her muttering.

"Man, her timing really sucks."

On Thursday, Erica called Bianca to let her know that she had received everything that Bianca needed and requested for the date Saturday night. It would be sent out on the Cambias jet Friday so that Bianca would have it in time to set up and surprise Maggie. Bianca thanked her mother and promised to tell her how the date turned out when she had the time. Her fingers were crossed when she made the promise, because she certainly wasn't about to share any information if the date ended the way she hoped.

Saturday morning, while Maggie was out for her morning run, several packages were delivered direct from the airport. Bianca hurried them into the kitchen, putting things away before Maggie returned. She read each instruction sheet 4 times, not wanting to ruin anything about this surprise. Tomorrow she could burn the toast, but there would be no screw-ups tonight.

When Maggie ran out at lunchtime to run a few errands, Bianca got some smaller things prepared. She was rather pleased with herself that, as near as she could tell, things tasted right and she didn't appear to have food poisoning after taste-testing a couple dishes. After getting the smaller things done, she ran into the den and repositioned the furniture to leave them plenty of floor space. Then she laid down a large blanket with several pillows, set up candles around the room and filled the CD player's carousel with five discs.

Bianca told Maggie to dress casually for their date, which would start in the afternoon before winding up back in the apartment for the evening. While Maggie was getting ready, Bianca and Kendall were in the kitchen… arguing.

"Don't start this until after we leave," Bianca ordered, pointing at the large container.

"Binks, there is something so wrong with this. I mean, me in a kitchen, really!"

"Oh, come on, Kendall." She held out a sheet of paper. "Look, there are instructions right here. How hard is this? You're a grown woman, suck it up!"

Kendall gave her little sister a look. "'Suck it up'?"

"Yes, suck it up. You run an international cosmetics company, you can't heat up a few things in the oven?"

The curly-haired beauty held out a hand, palm up. "Businesswoman." She held out the other hand the same way. "Short-order cook." She weighed the two. "Hmm, do you see the discrepancy here?"

Bianca glared at her sister. "I've already done most of it, Kendall. Just do these last few things and I promise you won't catch us making out in here ever again."

Kendall jumped on that. "Oh, kiddo, you've got a deal."

The driver Bianca requested arrived at 4:30 as scheduled, so Bianca, dressed casually in jeans and top with a short jacket, went up to the bedroom. Swallowing hard, she knocked on the door.

When the door didn't swing open immediately, Bianca panicked. Then she heard Maggie rushing around inside, muttering to herself about her hair, her shoes, did she look fat? It made Bianca grin that cool, calm and collected Maggie was a little stressed over this date.

When Maggie finally opened the door, Bianca just smiled wider. The tiny girl who wore the funky clothes was back. Deranged Jonathan and his attempts to get Maggie to wear the clothes he deemed appropriate was gone. Maggie had always had her own style and Jonathan had tried hard to purge her of that style, putting her in clothes that weren't Maggie at all. Slowly, since she and Bianca arrived in Paris, the girl who loved putting together interesting outfits had re-emerged. Tonight was no exception. A deep v-necked white tank, bright yellow waist length jacket and black jeans. Only Maggie could get away with that jacket, Bianca thought.

"Hi," Maggie chirped, sounding a little nervous.

"Hi. You look great."

"Thanks. So do you."

Bianca smiled. "Thanks. Ready for a little jazz?"

"Jazz?" Maggie asked. Really?"

"Yes, down at Le Bilboquet. I thought we could go listen to some jazz then I have something planned for us here later."

"Sounds great."

Bianca held out her hand. "Let's go."

Maggie took Bianca's hand and they left. The driver was waiting for them at the door with another Mercedes E500, and they slid into the back seat. After a scenic drive by the Trocadero and along the Seine, past the Tuileries and the Louvre, their driver took them to St.-Germain-des-Pres.

He pulled to a stop outside the jazz club Le Bilboquet. The art-deco style club opened in 1947 and over the years had featured the greatest players in the history of jazz, including Miles Davis and the great Billie Holiday. They followed hostess to a reserved table just off the stage, Bianca still holding on to Maggie's hand. A bottle of red wine and some appetizers awaited them. A local trio played standards for two hours while club patrons watched, talked and listened. Maggie and Bianca sat close together, talking softly over the music, drinking wine and enjoying the incredible atmosphere.

Later they walked through St.-Germain-des Pres, arm in arm, looking in store windows, talking about the fashions they saw, the jewels that glittered in display cases, the people they passed. They got two coffees and sat for a while before continuing on their walk.

"Here," Bianca said, stopping in front of a store. "We need to go in here."

Maggie looked up at the sign. "Christian Constant. Ooh, I've heard of this place! This is supposed to be the best chocolatier in town!"

"Yeah. Let's get a few things for later."

"Later?"

Bianca gave Maggie a smoldering look. "Yeah. Later."

Maggie grinned. "After you," she said, opening the door

"Oh, thank you." Bianca giggled, as did Maggie.

"You're welcome."

After buying a selection of chocolate truffles, filled chocolates and ganache, they exited the shop and went back to find their car. The driver, Etienne, drove them back to the apartment, wishing them a good evening before returning the car to Cambias.

In the elevator, Bianca did something she'd never, ever done before in her life. She pinned her date into the corner, slid her arms around her waist and kissed her. Kissed her deeply, lovingly and a little seductively. Maggie's arms slipped around Bianca's neck as she returned the kiss and, once again, they were in full-on make-out mode. Neither heard the elevator doors open, nor the gentle clearing of a throat from the hallway.

"Ahem!" Kendall exclaimed, startling the girls apart.

"Hello, Kendall," Maggie said sheepishly, while Bianca buried her face in Maggie's hair. "Jean-Paul."

"Oh, God," Bianca murmured in Maggie's ear. "That's embarrassing…"

"Good evening, ladies," Jean-Paul said with a smile. "Did you have fun at Le Bilboquet?"

Regaining her composure, Bianca turned around. "Oh, yes, it was wonderful." She smiled down at her daughter who was happily ensconced in the stroller Kendall pushed. "Hi, baby girl."

"Momma!" Miranda squealed. "Momma, 'aggie!"

"Well," Kendall said, "we're going out for some gateau and glace. See you two later."

"Not if I'm lucky," Maggie said under her breath as she and Bianca stepped out of the elevator.

"I heard that, Maggie Stone," Kendall replied as the elevator doors closed. When Maggie looked back, Kendall tossed her a wink.

Bianca pulled Maggie toward the apartment. "Come on, there's more."

"Really?"

"Yeah." Once in the door, they could both smell the wonderful aroma of good old American barbeque. And something else. Something familiar. "Oh, wow…"

"Bianca, what did you do?" That scent brought back memories, but Maggie couldn't quite put a finger on from where.

"Go change," Bianca said, instead of answering Maggie's question. "Put on a t-shirt or something. We're having a picnic."

"A what?"

"A picnic. Go on or everything will get cold."

While Maggie went upstairs to change, Bianca rushed into the den to see how things had turned out. To her immense relief, it didn't appear that Kendall had burned anything and she'd even gone to the trouble of lighting the candles Bianca had set up earlier. She quickly changed into the t-shirt she had left in the den earlier and hit the 'Play' button on the CD player. Etta James filled the room.

"What the-," came Maggie's amazed voice from the doorway. "Bianca." She walked into the room and turned around. Candles, music, a dozen white roses and a slab of ribs. In the middle of the blanket on the floor was a huge plate of BJ's nachos (made with the recipe Erica had procured for Bianca), with extra hot sauce. Everything she had been missing from back home, barbeque and nachos. Maggie was sure this had not been a simple task. "This is incredible. Are those BJ's nachos!?"

"You like it?"

Instead of answering, Maggie moved toward Bianca, intent on getting her in her arms and kissing her soundly. Unfortunately, her feet got tangled in the blanket and she tumbled unceremoniously to the floor with a hard thud, only to then flounder in the pillows. Bianca tried her best to hold in a laugh, but just couldn't do it. Suddenly, they were both laughing.

"Well, Binks," Maggie said, fighting her way out of the pillow nest. "It looks like I fell for you all over again."

"The Russian judge only gave you a 7.5 for that landing," Bianca laughed. "God, I love you, Maggie Stone."

Maggie fought off a couple of pillows. "I love you, too, Bianca. Get me the hell out of here."

Still laughing, Bianca helped Maggie into a sitting position then relaxed by her side. Maggie quickly pushed Bianca down and leaned over her, catching her lips in a gentle yet heated kiss. Before things got carried away, they ended the kiss and curled up on the pillows beside each other. They ate BJ's nachos with extra hot sauce and pork spare ribs and burnt ends from Jack Stack Barbeque in Kansas City, all washed down with Fischer LaBelle Amber Ale.

They talked and laughed while they ate their meal. Almost every sentence started with 'do you remember the time we' did this or 'how about the day you and I' did that. In between, they picked at the nachos, got messy with the ribs (but that's another story) and sipped their beer. Outside the apartment, framed in the window, the Eiffel Tower lit up the night sky. Inside, it was easy to imagine that they were in the park in Pine Valley on a warm summer day, just having a picnic.

"How did you pull this off, B?" Maggie asked later after they had cleaned up what was left of their meal. They were laying in each others arms on the blanket, music playing softly in the background, candlelight flickering throughout the room. "Those nachos didn't come straight from BJ's."

"No, I'll admit I had a little help from my mom. She got me the recipe and sent me over a bottle of their special hot sauce. I ordered the ribs and stuff on-line and had it shipped to Enchantment. Then Mom put it on the Cambias jet and it all got here this morning."

Maggie rolled onto her side, resting her head in her hand. "Are you telling me you actually cooked?" Maggie's free hand found its way to Bianca's belly, rubbing gently like she used to do when Miranda still resided there. "And didn't burn down the kitchen?"

"Oh, ha ha." Bianca paused, resting a hand over Maggie's. "Um, speaking of the kitchen…"

Later that night, well after Kendall and Miranda had returned and the baby was in bed, after making love and talking and making love some more, the girls lay quietly in the dark, wrapped in a tangle of arms, legs and sheets. The empty box of chocolates lay on the night stand beside the bed, along with an empty split of champagne.

Bianca nuzzled her face into Maggie's neck, her favorite place in the world, breathing in the scent that was uniquely Maggie. Maggie pulled Bianca closer and pressed a kiss to her temple, enjoying the feel of Bianca's hair on her skin. It was at that moment in time that Maggie knew the rings she'd found in the Jewish Quarter were not a mistake.

Maggie felt Bianca's lips on her neck. "Uh, B?"

Bianca grinned. "Yeah?"

"No hickeys."

"Oh, man, you're no fun." Bianca pulled back to smile into Maggie's eyes.

Maggie grinned back. "I doubt you were thinking that earlier."

"Ha," Bianca cracked, pushing Maggie onto her back and gently leaning over her. "I doubt I was capable of thinking anything earlier."

There was silence for a moment, then Maggie gently brushed Bianca's cheek with her fingertips. "Tonight was wonderful," she said softly. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Bianca murmured. "Next one's on you."

"Deal," Maggie replied, reaching up to press her lips to Bianca's.

"Hey, you wanna know something?"

"What?"

"I said I don't put out on the first date," Bianca whispered, brushing Maggie's hair back off her forehead. "But I apparently do on the second..."

TBC-