Krystal's Bistro was still packed. While Bianca waited for Marissa's return, Reggie was filling her in on his plan to return to Pine Valley and his hunt for a job and a place to stay.

"Muriel was saying we need a new caretaker at the Miranda centre, now Howard is retiring." said Bianca, "I can get you an application form if you like? It isn't much…"

"It's something." said Reggie positively, "Thanks."

"We also have a crèche service at the centre, if you are worried about Ayesha's childcare. It's open to all employees and volunteers."

Reggie grinned.

"Well I take it Camilla is staying too?" added Bianca

"Yes." said Reggie. "We are going to make a go of it here."

"Well I'm very happy for you both. And I'm sure Uncle Jack will be happy to have you home."

"Yes I will." said Jackson, with a fatherly hand in Reggie's shoulder, "You've been sorely missed."

...

Bianca was distracted from the conversation by a flash of red hair in the crowd by the bar, was Marissa coming back? But then the person disappeared again.

Jackson noticed Bianca's sudden preoccupied look.

"Are you waiting for someone?" he asked.

"I'm actually here on a date. Marissa went to order food. She's been gone an awfully long time."

"Is someone taking my name in vain?" said a familiar voice.

Marissa squeezed through the customers to get back to the table.

"I was beginning to think I'd need to send out a search party." Bianca joked lightly.

"Another few minutes in that crush and I'd have been glad of the rescue."

A smile passed between Bianca and Marissa and Jackson realised he and Reggie should make themselves scarce.

"We'll leave you to it." said Jackson making a move to stand. "Bianca, come and find me when you are off to the hospital, we can go together."

"No stay." said Marissa, putting a restraining hand on his shoulder before he could get up. "I had a word with Opal. I've got us another table for our date, slightly more private."

Marissa offered an arm to Bianca.

"If m'lady would care to accompany me?"

"M'lady, is it?" said Bianca taking Marissa's proffered elbow, "Sound's posh."

"Oh it is." said Marissa, laughing as she spoke.

She led Bianca on a path through the crowd at the bar towards the kitchen.

…

Marissa took Bianca through the kitchen and into a side door.

"Here we are," said Marissa, "An intimate table for two in a private room."

"It's the stock room." said Bianca surprise in her voice, although she still had a smile on her lips.

Marissa had made a great deal of effort setting up a table between the shelves of tins and bottles. Their dinner was waiting for then on a checked tablecloth, two chicken salads and two tall glasses of ice tea. There was even a candle and a red rose in a vase.

"How? When?" stammered Bianca, blown away by the romantic gesture.

"Is it okay?" Marissa asked, "I just wanted to take you somewhere more private."

"It's wonderful." said Bianca.

Both women shared a loving look. Bianca closed the gap between them and gave Marissa a tender kiss.

…

Marissa pulled the seat out for Bianca. The chairs were mismatched and it was rather cramped in such a tight space.

"It's certainly intimate." said Bianca.

"It just nice to get you all to myself." said Marissa, leaning forward to plant a small kiss on Bianca's cheek.

Marissa squeezed into her own chair and picked up her fork.

"Well dig in, only the best for my girl. Chicken salad with Opal's special dressing, and I have ordered chocolate cake for dessert."

"Perfect." said Bianca, tucking into her dinner with gusto. She had already missed a meal, which was bad for her routine and meant she was late taking her midday pills.

Bianca had demolished over half of her salad before she caught Marissa watching her.

"Is it good?" asked Marissa, teasing slightly.

"It's very good." said Bianca, between chews, "Sorry, I was hungry."

"You don't have to apologise."

"Yes, but this is a date we should be talking and sipping wine and flirting shamelessly."

"Well as long as you don't mind substituting wine for ice tea we can do precisely that."

Bianca laughed and they chinked their ice tea glasses together.

"To us!" toasted Bianca.

"To us!"

"So what do you want to talk about?" Bianca asked, taking a sip of her ice tea.

Marissa stared at Bianca for a long moment.

"When did you know you were in love with me?"

Bianca almost choked at the unexpected question. When she got her breath back she laughed.

"Nothing like starting on the easy questions." she joked.

Marissa was watching her still, with an earnest expression on her face. Bianca realised that this was a serious question and Marissa deserved an honest answer.

"I think I have always had feelings for you. You have been a good friend to me. I didn't realise how close we were really getting until someone pointed it out to me…"

"Someone pointed it out?"

"JR arranged a double date. A blind date for me with a woman named Louise from Chandler's finance department; although it was really a blatant attempt for him to get closer to you by pretending to help me. A short way into the night Louise made the observation that I was clearly more interested in you and I realised she was right. She left and then I left. It was suddenly very awkward, you were my straight best friend, and you didn't think of me in that way."

"So when did I realise?"

"You always said that deep down you always knew there was something more between us than just friendship. I think the defining moment was when Ricky held us hostage in that closet. You were incredible. I was a wreck, Ricky attacked me and suddenly I was back in the past and Michael Cambias was hurting me once more. But you wouldn't let me give up, wouldn't let me be afraid, and it must have been just as bad for you after what Annie did. I guess we were there for each other; we got ourselves out of that bad situation together. After that I couldn't deny my true feelings for you, and it took a lot of self-control to stop myself saying or doing something inappropriate. I think you noticed, but you were too afraid to admit the chance that we could mean more to each other."

"I was afraid."

"Until that moment, you never considered yourself gay. When I told you how I felt you had a mini freak out."

Bianca smiled at the memory. The final straw had been at the hotel by the lakes. When Marissa had stretched out on the bed beside her and sighed, her hand perched provocatively to her shoulder, her skirt pulling up just a fraction revealing more smooth thigh, her dress gaping slightly at the neck revealing a little more cleavage. The moment seemed insanely erotic at the time, but that might just have been down to her own frustrated libido. Bianca hadn't known where to look or what to think. She just couldn't bear it a second more, she had to say something...

"I freaked out?" asked Marissa, pulling Bianca out of her memories.

"You ran back to JR." said Bianca, uncomfortably. "It took him being a jackass and you getting incredibly jealous of me going on a date with another woman to make you accept the truth."

"Then I was an idiot" said Marissa, finding it hard to believe she ever had a moments doubt about her feelings for Bianca. "From my perspective I felt a connection almost as soon as I met you, if you ignore me completely blanking you at the pool on our first encounter." she added awkwardly, "As soon as I knew you loved me, I just knew if I followed my heart I'd be happy. My heart is yours and being with you makes me happy."

"I feel the same."

Bianca reached across the table and took Marissa hand.

"So." said Bianca after a moment.

"So?" repeated Marissa a broad grin spreading across her face.

"So… are you going to eat that last tomato?"

…