Erica checked her reflection in the mirror once more, confident that she looked as immaculate and magnificent as always. She straightened out a curl of her hair and then grasped her purse, all ready for dinner at her daughter's house.

She briskly pulled open her front door and then stopped; Kendall was standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Oh, no you don't" Kendall said sharply. "We need to talk!"

…

"What are you planning?" Kendall demanded; striding through the doorway passed her mother.

"I don't know what you mean." said Erica, turning on her heel as she followed her daughter's path into her apartment.

"Marissa!" said Kendall, "I'm talking about your sudden change of behaviour towards Marissa."

Erica sighed.

"Whatever I do I only have my daughter's best interest at heart!"

"Best interest!?" exclaimed Kendall, "Bianca has found someone she who loves her and takes care of her and has stood by her through so much! Admit it, you're are jealous that Bianca has someone else to confide in and you are looking for a way to meddle yourself back into her life. Well I'm telling you mom don't do it!"

"But she didn't though!" said Erica.

Her cryptic answer just confused Kendall.

"What?"

"She wasn't the Marissa who stood by my daughter!" said Erica. "You saw her at the trial and afterwards. She's different… she's changed. She has her memory back… which means she's a new person. Which means she remembers that she used to like men!"

"Is that it?" exclaimed Kendall incredulously. "Do you really think she's suddenly going to, what, switch teams again and go back to men?"

"Every woman Bianca has ever been with has cheated on her with a man! Every single one! I just think it would be better if she were to face the pain now before she gets too attached and gets her heart broken all over again!"

"That is…" gasped Kendall, starring at her mother in dismay as she tried to find a politer word that the first one that sprang to her lips; she couldn't. "I'm sorry mom… but that is crap! Bianca has never been happier. Those two are just perfect for each other! Marissa is not going to leave Bianca! Have you seen the two of them together, that's love! And… also… for the record, it wasn't always men, Maggie cheated on Bianca with another woman… and Reese left her for her work!"

"Yeah but Reese kissed you husband, remember, before they were even married? After that betrayal, as much you wanted it too, you knew it was never going to work out between them. I should have listened to my instinct back them and told her to stay away from Bianca! And Maggie! Don't get me started on Maggie. She was stringing my daughter along for years! Moving from one guy to the next, breaking Bianca's heart over and over again! And the first thing she does when she finally admits she has feelings for Bianca, she hops into someone else's bed just to make sure!"

"So Bianca has had bad luck with women!" said Kendall, not buying her mother's arguments. "So what? Look at your track record mom! Look at mine! Neither of us have got the happy ever after that Bianca's found with Marissa."

"You don't understand." said Erica. "I had my suspicions at Philadelphia, the way Marissa just disappeared that first day and left Bianca all alone..."

"She had to be checked out at the hospital!" Kendall exclaimed, but Erica wasn't listening.

"… And then I saw her, Marissa, at Krystal's with Scott. They were being really friendly!"

"Maybe because they're friends?" said Kendall, despairingly.

"But what if it's more?" said Erica. "Look at her mother, her father, Babe! She's from bad stock. That family is all about self-interest and damn anyone else's feelings. Now she's back to her old self Marissa will go exactly the same way, you mark my words. I don't want Bianca getting hurt."

"Mom, if you try and come between Bianca and Marissa, you will be the one doing the hurting!"

"I'm looking after my girl." said Erica stubbornly. "I swore when I woke up from the coma I was going to put my family first and that's what I'm going to do. Now I'm late for a dinner party!"

Erica picked up her purse again and headed for the door.

"Mom!" Kendal called after her, but Erica wasn't going to stay and listen to sense.

"Lock the door on your way out." Erica added as she marched away, leaving Kendall standing there, her fists balled in anger.

"Mom!" she called out again but Erica was gone.

Kendall snarled in frustration. How could her mother be so stupid?

...

…