Bianca was deep in discussion with Jean-Claude about his ideas for the artwork he was collaborating with for the Miranda Centre Fund Raiser. She was rather proud of the number of international artists that had agreed to be part of the art exhibition. Jean-Claude was a renowned French photographer who Bianca had been very impressed with in Paris. He had flown in last night and Bianca had arranged the breakfast meeting at the Yacht club before he went on to see the exhibition space.

She was enjoying the chance to practice her French. She had been getting rusty with the only other French speaker being her children's nanny. As much as she hated to hear about Paris, the scene of so many heart breaks, she was enjoying the chance to escape into another culture, at least for a little while.

A waitress came over to offer a coffee refill. Bianca didn't look up right away but the lucky horseshoe bracelet on the waitress' wrist caught her attention and her heart stopped.

"Marissa!" she gasped.

Marissa almost dropped the coffee pot she was so surprised to see her.

Bianca caught her arm terrified that she might run away.

Marissa looked back at her, a bemused nervous expression on her face.

"Are you following me!" she stammered. "It's my first day on the job."

"I've been trying to talk to you all week." said Bianca.

Both women were speaking over each other.

Marissa looked embarrassed, and concentrated her gaze down at the coffee pot in her hands. Anything but look Bianca in the eye.

"Are you avoiding me?" asked Bianca, a sting in her heart at the thought.

"I didn't know what to say to you." said Marissa in a quiet voice.

"Why?" demanded Bianca, "What happened after the party?"

"Umm… JR gave me a video to watch. He said it would tell me all about you… I… I didn't even know you were gay!"

"A video." said Bianca, as the bottom dropped out of the world. "The video?"

Had JR given Marissa a copy of the sex tape he had tried to blackmail them with? Is that why Marissa had fled? Probably not the best way to discover you prefer the ladies; to have it all lay bare like that – literally.

The worse thought was that because of it Marissa had run back to JR!

…

Jean-Claude had obviously noticed the awkwardness of the moment.

"Forgive me. I'll leave you ladies to it." He said, getting up from his chair. "I will see you again tomorrow Miss Montgomery at the Miranda Centre."

Bianca gave him a smile and a nod, not yet quite able to form words.

"Um… Bianca."

Marissa drew Bianca's attention back to her and Bianca realised she still had a tight hold of Marissa's wrist.

"We need to talk about this." managed Bianca, as she released her grip.

Marissa looked self-consciously around the restaurant.

"Please just a moment." begged Bianca. Every nightmare she had ever had about rejection was coming back to her.

Marissa nodded and took the seat just vacated by Jean-Claude.

"I'm sorry." began Marissa. "It was such a shock. At first I couldn't work out what I was watching and then when I realised – oh god it was appalling. You on your back like that… and my mother!"

Bianca had been tuning out Marissa's words as she relived the scenario in her own head; the intimate moments of their first night together. Then Marissa's last words filtered in - Bianca froze.

"What..! That never..! What..?"

"I never dreamed that something like that could happen! You and my mother… and my sister."

"Wait, what video was this exactly?" Bianca asked thoroughly confused.

"I thought you knew." said Marissa, an equally confused expression on her face. "It was some True Life TV Movie kind of thing."

Bianca's whole brain began to back pedal; this was never about the sex tape. She was pleased that her mouth saved the moment even as her mind was struggling to keep up.

"Which one, there are three?" she heard herself saying. "There's 'Erica Kane's Daughter – A Coming Out Story', 'A Victim of Hate – The Bianca Montgomery Story' and 'For The Love of a Child – The Founding of the Miranda Centre'."

"The Miranda Centre one." said Marissa.

Bianca nodded, finally beginning to understand.

"The one that starts with the rape."

"Yes," said Marissa, looking at Bianca with wide, sad eyes. "And after that my mother and sister stole your child. I'm so ashamed. How can you even bare to speak to me!"

"It was never your fault." said Bianca reaching across the table to take Marissa's hand in hers, as a new sense of calmness descended on her.

"But my own mother! I couldn't even bear to look at her. How could she be so horrible to you? There aren't words."

"Is that why you moved in with JR?"

"I didn't know where else to go… I could hardly ask you given the circumstance."

Bianca took a deep breath.

"That film isn't really what happened you know. There was only a little bit of truth in the plot and a whole lot of dramatic licence."

Marissa looked back at Bianca, and added her second hand to the one that Bianca clasped within her own.

"So the rape?" Marissa asked quietly.

Bianca steadied her nerve, she was going back over a part of her life that had left deep emotional scars, but she had sworn to tell Marissa the whole truth so that is what she must do.

"I was raped." said Bianca, "And I became pregnant with Miranda. Babe and I both had our children in the middle of the worst floods in Pine Valley history and after a helicopter crash I was told that my daughter was dead. But the film lies. Krystal didn't take Miranda because she was some homophobic megalomaniac who though lesbians shouldn't raise children and Babe and Krystal didn't sell AJ out of spite to JR. There was a mix up with the babies but at first we were all victims of one man's twisted revenge. Krystal found out the truth and persuaded David to fake a paternity test because she didn't want her daughter to lose a child she thought of as her own. And when Babe did find out… she did try in the most misguided way possible to let me be a part of my daughter's life. It was a very hard thing to forgive. Knowing that people you thought cared about you would let you believe your child had washed away down a river, with no body to bury, no proof that they were even alive." Bianca was close to tears as she remembers those terrible months of mourning. "But I focus on all the good that came from it - Miranda, my beautiful daughter and all the good works that are done throughout the world because of the Miranda Centre."

"But even if the film exaggerated, they still stole your child."

"Yes. But I know that Krystal acted out of love for her daughter and Babe acted out of love for AJ and fear of JR. Even JR acted out of love for a child he believed to be his daughter."

"But Babe stole his son as well!"

"Babe loved AJ and she knew JR would try to take him from her. He had already drugged her and tried to force her into divorce in order to gain sole custody of Miranda."

"JR did all that?" asked Marissa. "People warned me I should be careful around him."

"He can be a nice guy when he tries but when he doesn't get what he wants, that's when he gets dangerous."

Marissa's brow scrunched up as she had a thought. Bianca smiled at the familiarity of that cute expression.

"So the film's ending with you in a coma and your mother bringing in Miranda and you waking up..?"

Bianca cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

"That really happened."

"So my mother really pushed you off a cliff!" exclaimed Marissa her jaw dropping.

"It was actually a hotel balcony – and that honour belongs to JR… the pushing part. Although I'm not sure it was intentional, things were pretty heated between us at the time."

Marissa nodded her head.

"But it happened." she said. "How can you be talking to me?"

"Because it was not your fault," said Bianca once more, "And because I really care about you. And I don't want you to blame your mother either. We all do stupid things for love, myself included, and although I will never understand why they did it – I know I can forgive them because life is too short and too precious to hold a grudge."

Marissa looked up a Bianca and smiled.

They sat gazing at each other for the longest time.

The moment was broken by a less than discrete cough.

Both women looked around. The hotel restaurant had been filling up while they were talking and one disgruntled looking man was pointedly nursing his coffee cup.

"Oh god I'm supposed to be working." gasped Marissa, quickly hoping to her feet.

Bianca wouldn't release her hold on Marissa's hand.

"Marissa. There is more I need to say to you. There is more I need to tell you."

"My shift finishes at three." said Marissa, as she picked up the coffee pot. "Can we meet then? There are things I guess I need to ask you as well."

"I have to go to the hospital, they are moving mom this afternoon." said Bianca "Can we meet at 4 o'clock instead?"

"I don't see why not." said Marissa curiosity burning in her eyes. "Where?"

"In the park; there is a bench under the trees by the carp pond…"

"I think I know where you mean." said Marissa. The disgruntled customer gave another irritated cough. "Now I really have to get back to waitressing."

Bianca reluctantly released her hand.

As Marissa went back to work; Bianca sighed and rested her head in her hands. She now had to plan her next step – telling Marissa everything in a hope that she still felt the same.

…

Sorry for the video red herring – I hope it kept you guessing. :)