In the Bistro Ronald hurried forward to block Reese's entrance.

"Not today… you must leave." he exclaimed, attempting to cut off her view of the table behind him where Marissa and Bianca were sitting.

Bianca leaped to her feet to stop him but almost fell flat on her face; she would have if Marissa hadn't dived forward to catch her.

All this commotion was more than enough to draw Reese's attention.

"Bianca!" she gasped, side stepping Ronald's waving hands.

"Reese." said Bianca, staring nervously at her ex-wife while Marissa was awkwardly holding her up.

Marissa finally helped Bianca settle on her chair as Reese walked slowly forward, her eyes lingering for a long moment on Marissa before turning back to Bianca.

"You should have told me you were in Paris." Reese said, her voice a little breathless. She was staring at Bianca like a thirsty man stares at a glass of water. "I didn't think you'd come back."

"I thought you were in Chamonix."

"I was until a week ago." said Reese. "You… you look amazing!"

Bianca licked her lips, they had gotten uncomfortable dry. Seeing Reese… it was harder than seeing Maggie. The wounds were still too fresh.

"How are our girls?" Reese asked a small smile pulling at the corner of her lip.

Bianca turned her head to look out of the window. It was a stab in the heart, the reminder that this woman had tried to take away her daughters.

"I don't want to talk to you about my children." she said abruptly.

Marissa took a protective step in front of Bianca.

"I think you should go." she said firmly.

Reese turned to stare at her once more.

"And who are you?"

"Marissa Tasker." she said, glaring back at the woman who broke Bianca's heart. "I know who you are!"

"Why do I know that name?" Reese asked, her brow furrowed as she searched her memory for answers.

Bianca turned back to her ex-wife.

"She was my divorce lawyer!" she said sharply.

She looked from Marissa to Bianca again.

"Why are you here with your lawyer… are you planning to take the house." she asked, confused.

"I want nothing more to do with you!" snapped Bianca. "I certainly don't want the house!" She struggled back to her feet again so she could stare at Reese eye to eye. "You tried to take everything from me!"

Marissa offered her arm to Bianca for support and Bianca took it gratefully, although her eyes never left Reese.

"You took everything from me!" retorted Reese, failing to notice how unsteady Bianca was on her feet. "You left and you never came back!"

"How could you tell the difference?" Bianca replied sharply, "You were never here! I did everything I could to make us work… but there was nothing left to work!"

Reese stared at Bianca with sorrowful eyes.

"I still love you." she said quietly.

"No." said Bianca. "If you loved me you wouldn't have tried to take my girls from me… not my Miranda."

"I thought it would make you come back to Paris." pleaded Reese, desperation in her eyes. "I thought it would give me a chance to fix what I broke… and I know I broke us; I know that was my fault!"

Bianca shook her head.

"I've moved on." said Bianca; she slid her arm around Marissa's waist.

Marissa turned to Bianca and gave her a small smile.

Reese scowled at the sight.

"You've moved on to your lawyer?"

"I am in love with a woman, who I know loves me with all her heart and who's priorities match my own. Someone who knows that family always comes first!"

Reese had tears in her eyes.

"Are you saying I didn't love my girls?"

Bianca's heart softened slightly at the sight of her sorrow.

"I know you loved them…" she said softly. "But you loved work more. In the end we spent more time without you than with you."

"I know." said Reese sadly. "But I miss the girls. Did Miranda get her birthday card? Did she like the book I sent?"

Bianca sighed, surrendering to her kinder instincts.

"She loved the book." said Bianca. "It's now one of her favourites."

"And is Gabby still having nightmares?"

"We still have to check the room for monsters every bedtime but there are no more nightmares."

"That's good." said Reese slowly, she hadn't missed the word 'we'.

Reese looked so dejected, glancing from the table and back to Bianca and Marissa.

"I'm sorry." she said finally, making a move to leave. "I… I don't want to spoil your meal…"

At the sight of Reese's defeated expression, Bianca found her anger had fizzled out. She looked briefly to Marissa. Her girlfriend seemed to read the exact thought in her head and gave her a discrete nod of approval.

"Reese," said Bianca, after taking a deep breath. "I know you didn't have a proper goodbye. The kids will be in Paris tomorrow. We are planning to do a little sightseeing. If you come to our hotel for nine you could spend the day with the girls."

Reese blinked, surprised by Bianca's sudden change of heart.

"Tomorrow?"

"Unless you have a business…" began Bianca, coldness returning to her tone.

"No, no…" cried Reese interrupting her. "Tomorrow! I'll be there!"

"Okay." said Bianca. "I'll give you our address."

She sat back down and after borrowing a pen from Ronald, who had been watching the exchange in uncharacteristic silence, she wrote the name of their hotel on a napkin and handed it to Reese.

"Please don't disappoint them." said Bianca, her eyes firmly meeting Reese's gaze.

"I'll be there." said Reese. "Thank you… I'll be there tomorrow!"

She gave Marissa a brief nod of farewell, and retreated from the Bistro.

"That was a very kind thing you did." said Marissa, retaking her seat across from Bianca.

"I know she loves those girls." said Bianca. "And I know they'd like to see her."

Marissa smiled, reaching over to take Bianca's hand.

"And you have proven once more what an incredible woman you are. I love you."

"I love you more." sighed Bianca.

"Hmm." said Marissa, leaning across the table to steal a kiss. "However much you love me I will always love you so much more."

Bianca grinned, as she stole a second kiss in return.

"I thought we had already established such a thing was impossible!"

…