Gabby screamed in the car all the way to the airport. She screamed all through customs. She screamed while they boarded the flight, under the disapproving glare of the other passengers. She screamed until her face was beetroot red.

Bianca was running out of the ways to try and calm her youngest daughter down. When she was this tired, Gabby showed her true stubborn Kane-ness. Bianca wasn't even sure her daughter knew what she was so upset about any more. She was screaming because she didn't know how to stop. She was now so worked up that she refused to settle. She certainly wasn't going to do the one thing that she really needed to do to make herself feel better – which was sleep!

Bianca sat beside her screaming daughter trying to ignore the irritated grumbles and dirty looks from the other first class passengers.

Marissa was sat on the opposite aisle beside Miranda. She gave Bianca a sympathetic smile.

Bianca looked down at her red faced daughter, she had a crazy plan. She just hoped it would work.

"Gabby." said Bianca at last. "You can scream all the way home if that is what you want… although I would be grateful if you didn't… But you have to answer one question first."

Gabby stopped her wails long enough to scowl at her mommy and took a deep breath to start screaming again.

Bianca dived into the moment of quiet with her question.

"Gabby, I know you see Marissa as Ariel and me as Belle. I was wondering which Disney Princess you are?"

Gabby opened her mouth and closed it again like a fish. That question was not what she was expecting. That was a question that needed thinking about.

Bianca gave her stunned daughter a smile.

"Do you know who I see you as?" she said.

Gabby, with a bewildered expression on her face, shook her head slowly.

"I think you are Aurora… Sleeping Beauty. Because you dance and sing all the time, just like her. You can't decide if you like pink or blue best. And when you close your eyes you really are beautiful."

Gabby gave her mommy a sceptical scowl.

"Close your eyes, I can prove it to you." said Bianca and then pulled out her camera from her purse. "Go on close your eyes."

Gabby did as she was told.

"Beautiful." she said taking a picture.

She showed it to Gabby.

"See you are a real Sleeping Beauty."

Gabby peered at the picture in the camera.

"Come on." said Bianca. "I want to take another picture, can you do that again? But first let's clean up your snotty face." She wiped over Gabby's face with a hankie from her purse. Gabby was interested enough in this exercises not to fuss.

"Maybe you can try to make it look like you are really asleep." Bianca suggested.

Gabby, made the effort to curl onto her side her two hands pressed together and tucked under her chin.

"Perfect." said Bianca, taking a picture, "Okay one more… wait a moment… one more… That's right… here we go…"

Bianca took about twenty pictures, all the time cajoling Gabby to keep on pretending to sleep and keep her eyes closed; reclining the chair in increments as she did so until Gabby was lying out flat.

Then she waited with baited breath until it became clear that her little girl was no longer pretending and was finally sleeping for real.

"How did you do that?" Marissa mouthed from across the aisle, "That's a miracle."

"She takes after my mother." Bianca whispered back, "It's an Erica Kane thing; she'll do anything for the camera."

She gave Marissa a confident smile although she was still a little surprised how well her trick had worked.

Both women were startled when a new moan came from Gabby's direction, but their little girl was simply finding a more comfortable position to sleep in. She ended up curled against her mommy's side her fist holding tightly to her jacket.

…

The rest of the flight was refreshingly peaceful. Gabby slept all the way home, only waking up as the plane was coming in to land. And when she did wake up she was her old self again, the cranky Gabby monster nowhere in sight.

…

When the plane landed there was a long pause before they were allowed to disembark. When Bianca stepped out onto the concourse, there was a police presence waiting for them.

Bianca gave Marissa a concerned look.

"What's happened?" Bianca asked, worried that something may have happened to her mom or Kendal.

Brot was the officer in charge and he gave her an apologetic smile.

"We are here for your safety." he said, "News of your arrival was leaked to the press. We need to get you out the back way."

"The press?" Marissa asked nervously.

Brot nodded.

"There is a large crowd outside the airport."

"How large a crowd?" Marissa asked.

If they listened they could hear the faint rumble of chanting in the distance.

"There are a few hundred people." said Brot, "Protestors and supporters."

"There are a few hundred people protesting me?" Marissa asked. She noticed AJ looking worried as well and put a comforting arm around his shoulder.

"We just need to take you through the back, there is a car waiting at the crew exit."

"And then we can go home?" Bianca asked.

"It may be safer to move you to a hotel, at least until the fervour has died down."

Bianca and Marissa shared a look.

"So much for letting our mothers handle this." said Bianca, "It sounds like they've stirred up a mob."

Reggie gave Bianca and Marissa a worried grin.

"Do you want us to collect your luggage?" he asked. "The crowds shouldn't bother us should they?"

Brot had a quiet consultation with his officers and it was agreed that Reggie and Camilla would be safe to leave by the main exit with the suitcases, although they were going to send a plain clothes office to accompany them just in case.

…

The sounds of chanting from outside were definitely getting louder. They passed a large window as they followed their police escort through the airport. From there they could see out to the front entrance. A few hundred was a modest estimate at the numbers. There were clearly two factions, both chanting and waving banners; those that supported JR and were opposed to gay mothers and the other supporting them and calling for AJ to stay with his moms. It was hard to tell which side was which though as both sides, bizarrely, were waving placards with pictures of AJ's smiling face. It was very unsettling for the kids.

Not wanting Gabby to start crying again, Marissa scooped her up into her arms and gave her a squoosh. At the same time AJ and Miranda gravitated closer to Bianca's side. Never had she been more frustrated with her crutches than at that moment, when all she wanted to do was take them by the hand and keep them safe. The two kids however found their own way of staying close, both reaching up and taking hold of her jacket sleeves, as they stopped by the window.

"I guess our normal life together is still on hold." said Marissa despondently, horrified by the sight. "I mean if it is like this now. What will it be like during the trial?"

Bianca stepped closer and smiled at Marissa with her daughter in her arms.

"I think we are a family and we can take whatever the world throws at us. Look what we have already survived; the shooting, the kidnapping …the curse of Paris. JRs trial is not going to be any different."

"Forever more." said Marissa with a smile.

"Forever more." replied Bianca.

"Forever more!" cried AJ, Miranda and Gabby, joining in as well.

Marissa smiled at her girlfriend.

"As long as we have each other." she said.

"And we always will." said Bianca leaning forward to place a small kiss in Marissa's cheek.

…

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Thank you readers for your support this year and your fabulous reviews that keep me going, I hope to see you all again in the New Year!

SPOILERS – in 2013 – The Inquirer strikes again, JR goes to trial and Erica still has a wedding to plan.

And then a very happy ending… eventually. (If my muse will ever let me stop!)