Reggie came to take the kids to school, in a rehearsal of his role to come, bodyguard as well as nanny. It had been planned for Reggie to move into the pool house with Camilla that weekend but with the craziness going on they agreed to postpone for a couple of weeks for the media mania to die down.

Marissa and Bianca sadly waved off their kids; Bianca's arm around Marissa's waist as the car drove through the police barrier at their main gate. Cameras were pointing in their direction, reporters shouting like hyena's for a statement or a quote. If only there was a way to save their childen from this nasty business.

…

With the children no longer in earshot, Marissa and Bianca led Erica and Krystal to the parlour where they could have a proper conversation about how they were going to deal with the press.

"You said you had some ideas for positive publicity." asked Erica as she took a seat beside her daughter.

"Hello magazine is coming here in two weeks time to do a photo-spread of the house." explained Bianca. "It will give us a chance to show the world our family and our home. Ellen also wanted to interview me but the dates clashed, so it won't be happening until after the trial…"

"You need to do more than that." said Krystal sadly. "Or this is going to be a blood bath."

Krystal spread the papers she had brought with her out on the coffee table. Unlike the story yesterday, they were divided into different groups, where the media had moved on to find a new angle for the story.

There were the tabloids still in Carol Robinson's pocket, stressing the injustice of Marissa keeping a unwell JR from his son. A smaller number in this group of papers, were focused on the rights of adopted parents over biological ones using Marissa as an example – stressing a double standard in how she fought so hard to help Bianca keep her children from their adopted mother but not giving JR a chance to be a father to his son. Some articles even hinted that Marissa used her position as her lawyer to take advantage of a vulnerable Bianca after her divorce in order to get her hands on her fortune.

Another group of papers chose to focus on the morals of gay parenthood and its effect on the child. One or two were well balanced articles that came out in their favour but others were bigoted and misogynistic to a sicking degree.

Then in the minority were articles examining JR and the fact, oddly missing on a number of articles, that he was going to trial for the attempted murder of Marissa Tasker. One story stood apart from the others, reporting JRs behaviour running up to the Chandler shooting; his drinking, violent outburst, and homophobic behaviour towards Marissa and Bianca. Questioning the welfare of a child in that hate-filled environment.

"I told you I had connections." said Krystal, touching the last of the papers Marissa and Bianca were looking at. "All the reporters hanging around Krystal's this past year I've made few friends. All told most reporters are only doing what their editors ask of them and they know what they are writing is nonsense, but I found a few brave ones who were more than willing to tell the truth.

"And the truth is what we have to build on." agreed Erica.

Bianca didn't look convinced; she picked up a thinly veiled homophobic rant in the editorial section of one of the papers.

"I just don't want to give them anymore fuel they can to twist to their own ends." she said. "Not when our kids are being drawn into the middle of this mess."

"Honey the truth is undeniable." said Krystal, she picked up a couple of articles and passed them to Bianca to see. "The statement made by the kid's headmistress yesterday at that press conference changed the way some of the television media is covering the story and the papers will soon have to follow their lead. Not saying anything will only give them free reign to say what they want."

"But I don't want to sink down to JR's level." protested Bianca.

"Sometimes you have to fight dirty." said Krystal.

"I just want to wait for it to blow over. I worry the more we say the more they will twist it." she said. Bianca looked across to Marissa. Her girlfriend was frowning at one article in particular, the one that still labelled her as a gold digger. "What do you want to do?"

Marissa, who had been quiet for a while met Bianca's gaze.

"I want to fight back." she said angrily. "We can't let them get away saying this garbage about us!"

Bianca sighed, she wasn't one for confrontation.

But Marissa hadn't finished speaking.

"But I also don't want our children caught up in this. AJ is already having nightmares and there is still the trial to worry about. In fact I wish we could get them as far away from this as possible."

"Maybe you should." said Erica.

"I thought you wanted us to fight back." said Bianca.

"I do." said Erica, "But…" her eyes turned to Bianca. "… I also know what the price of putting this type of pressure on your children can be."

Erica still held herself to blame for the pressures that led to Bianca's childhood anorexia. The sight of AJ not wanting to finish his breakfast this morning had brought it all back.

Krystal was looking down at Mrs Wilson's statement again.

"Maybe you don't need to be the ones to speak out." she said, thoughtfully. She looked across at Erica. "Let us be your advocates."

Erica looked back at Krystal, usually she found it a struggle to be in the same room as the woman but it seems that they had found a neutral ground for once; both of them desperate to protect their daughters and their family.

"You would do that?" Bianca asked quietly, her eyes fixed on her mother.

Erica gave Krystal a small smile.

"I would." she said. "We can manage a press conference or two… and I'm sure we won't be the only ones to speak out."

"Sure." said Krystal, "Scott has mentioned wanting to speak for you, and if we can get Adam to make a statement…"

"Yes." said Erica, the cogs turning in her head, "I'm sure we can get half the town speaking on your behalf… and as much as I hate what they did with my life story in that film, it has put us Kane women in the spotlight. We can to use that to our advantage. We just need to tell your story, get the truth out there; they will listen!"

Bianca and Marissa's eyes met, it was a solution.

"But what about AJ and the girls…" Marissa asked, "This press barrage isn't going away any time soon."

"Then we do what you suggested. We take them away for a while. Take them somewhere the press can't get to us and where we can all escape." said Bianca.

"Like where?" asked Marissa, she could see Bianca had an idea.

"We have talked a lot about Disneyland." said Bianca with a small smile.

"Won't the press just follow us there?"

"I was thinking about Disneyland, Paris…"

"Paris." said Marissa slowly.

Bianca grinned.

"Paris." she echoed, "Let them try to follow us all the way out there."

"Then its settled." said Erica, "Krystal and I will deal with the press and you take your kids far away from this madness."

…