Well I'm back from watching Trevor the tear-away.
So thank you for the reviews last week as alway, I love hearing from you all! To the person wondering about Marissa's memory I intend to cover that in part this week.
SPOILERS - this week - Marissa and AJ are still in the news, but Erica has a plan and Krystal has a plan... can they work together?
...
When the time came to collect the kids from school, they needed a police guard to get through the wall of baying press. Marissa and Bianca went together, partly to put up a united front against the press onslaught and partly to give Miranda, Gabby and especially AJ the reassurance that they were all in this together.
"Why are there so many cameras?" Gabby asked as AJ and Miranda climbed into the car either side of her.
"Because JR is going to trial soon and the press is interested in how it will affect us." said Bianca.
"Daddy." said AJ worry etched on his face. "Could daddy be coming out of hospital soon, because I don't want to see him!"
Marissa turned back from the driver's seat.
"Honey, you don't have to if you don't want to."
They had to wait a couple more minutes for the police to clear a route for the car, the kids left frightened by the cameras shoved up against the windows. Bianca did her best to reassure them, trying to make a game of it; but even she was finding it alarming and she had been dealing with the press all her life.
When they got back to the house the ring of media vans were almost as bad and the police were required again to clear a route to the drive.
Marissa and Bianca hurried the kids inside as quickly as possible. The third night in their new home and they were suddenly prisoners.
…
The outcome of the media frenzy was the need for a family meeting. A first for the Montgomery-Tasker-Chandler household; and how Marissa and Bianca wished it was under better circumstances.
They settled in the den.
Gabby climbed into Marissa's lap while Miranda and AJ were drawn to their mother's sides.
"You must have a lot of questions about today." said Bianca with a sad smile. "And we are going to try and answer them the best we can."
"But first I guess we need to explain what is going on." said Marissa.
She put one of the newspapers on the table so the kids could see her picture on the cover.
"Now JR is going to be going to trial soon because of what happened at the party at the Chandler Mansion." explained Marissa. "He has got himself a very clever lawyer who is going to try and prove that he is innocent because that is her job. But his lawyer thinks the best way to do that is to discredit me and make it look like I am hurting JR, instead of how he tried to hurt me."
"But you didn't hurt him." said AJ.
Marissa smiled at her son and stroked his cheek.
"Yes I did." said Marissa, "He believes that I took you away from him."
"But I don't want to see him." exclaimed AJ.
"We know." said Bianca giving him a reassuring smile.
"But why were the cameramen taking our picture?" Miranda asked.
"Because they are interested in our family." said Bianca, hugging her daughter against her side.
"…Because we're different?" finished Miranda, bringing Bianca back to a conversation the two of them had had a long time ago.
"Yes, because we are different." said Bianca. "But we love each other and that love is going to help us face the nosy parkers who want to snoop into our lives. Together we are going to show up the lies they are telling in the newspapers."
"Mommy." asked AJ, worry on his face. "Is this my fault?"
"No." said Marissa instantly. "You have done nothing wrong… nothing… do you understand."
Marissa tried to keep the anxiety she was feeling from here face, so AJ couldn't see how much this was hurting her, but Bianca knew. Bianca always seemed to know her heart.
Bianca smiled and took on a chirpier persona.
"Do you know what I think we need to do." she said, trying her hardest to lift the mood. "I think we need to remember what makes us a family… I will go first… We are a family because we all look out for each other…"
Marissa nodded trying her best to follow Bianca's lead.
"I have an obvious one." she said, trying to keep her tone light. "We are a family because we all love each other."
Miranda gave AJ a reassuring grin.
"We are a family because we are birthday-twins and best friends."
"We are a family because we have a big house." said Gabby, not really understanding the question but wanting to join in.
AJ though for a moment,
"We are a family because we belong together." he said finally.
"Yes we do." said Marissa giving her son a hug. "And whenever people start saying mean things about us we need to remember all of those things. Because more than anything else we are a family and cruel words and bigoted opinions are not going to change that!"
Marissa and Bianca's eyes met over the top of AJ's head.
Bianca nodded her head and smiled.
"So," said Bianca slowly, addressing the kids, "Is there anything you want to ask?"
AJ sat up from his mother's arms and bit his lip nervously, something clearly on his mind.
"Mom." he said slowly, staring forlornly into Marissa's eyes. "Can I have some ice-cream?"
Marissa almost laughed at the innocence of the question and her mind skipped back briefly to another moment when AJ had asked the exact same thing. Back when she had worried herself almost sick about telling AJ about her and Bianca being together. And when she did tell him all AJ had wanted to know was if she was happy and if he could have some ice cream.
Marissa smiled at AJ's words and at the new memory; her little boy was clearly tougher than she knew.
"We will have have dinner first, but then I think we all deserve some ice cream." she said with a grin.
…