Erica had to just nip into the office to check on the preparations for the winter Origana launch, and then she would be spending the rest of the day with Bianca.

As she walked into the office, Kendall was just leaving.

"Are you done for the day already?" Erica asked, surprised to see her.

Kendall gave her mother a fixed grin. It was the most appropriate comment she could have made considering the hour's she had put in that week, but Kendall let it pass. After all her mother had been taking care of Bianca, which was certainly a worthy cause.

"Actually." said Kendall breezily. "I'm not here. I'm just a figment of your imagination, dropping off a few files before disappearing completely."

"It's your day off?" Erica enquired her smile widening.

"It is…" said Kendal a cautious edge added to voice.

"Do you have plans?"

"Not really."

Erica's smile grew a little pleading.

"Then maybe you could join me in visiting Bianca. I've just got the fabric samples from Paris for the bridesmaid's dresses. I wanted to show her… It was going to be just the two of us today as Marissa is back at work… But you should come too and tell me what you think of the designs… Bianca's still not really up for talking to me much these days and I want her to get involved. It would do her good to have something positive to focus on during her recovery…"

Kendall held up her hands to stop he mother's words.

"Whoa… wait up! You want me to help you with Bianca?"

"Yeah."

A genuinely amused expression appeared on Kendall's lips.

"This must be a first." she said. "You needing my help with Bianca!"

"So will you come?"

"Sure." said Kendall. She hated seeing Bianca at odds with their mother… that was her job! "I wanted to check on my baby sister anyway." she concluded.

Erica actually looked relieved.

"I've still got a few things to do in the office." she said. "Will you wait?"

"I've got a few errands to run myself. We can meet up at the house… at what time?"

"Eleven?"

"Eleven o'clock it is." said Kendall. "I shall see you and Bianca then."

…

"I don't want to." said Bianca, moodily.

Her physiotherapist working under the name of Martin Rigby put a bottle of pills on the coffee table.

"They are just vitamins." he insisted. "I've use them with my clients in the past with good results. A balanced diet and vitamin intake means a good metabolism means a good recovery.

"I've got a very good metabolism thank you." said Bianca taking a long swig from her water bottle. They were taking a short break from her physio exercises. "I just can't face any more pills. They are finally reducing my dosage and I am almost back on my feet. I don't want to replace one pill for another. I still have to take five different pills every morning and three every night. That's enough for anyone to cope with."

"This isn't medication."

"I know." said Bianca, closing her eyes wearily. "But it's still a pill. Just understand that right now I can't face it."

"Okay." said Martin, putting the tablets back in his bag without further argument. Instead he clapped his hands and his whole expression changed as he got back to business. "Right! Well now you're rehydrated and rested, let's get on with our last exercises."

"Yay." cheered Bianca without enthusiasm.

…

As 'Martin' was leaving, Erica and Kendall arrived. Erica gave him a nod as he passed and he nodded back almost unperceivably. Kendall however did notice the exchange.

"Do you know him?" Kendall asked.

"Not really." lied Erica, smoothly. "But he's doing good things for Bianca."

They found Bianca sitting in the lounge, resting after her workout,

"Sorry I'm late?" Erica said, breezing in to kiss her cheek.

Bianca didn't pull back which was an improvement. Her smile widened when she noticed her sister.

"It's been a while." said Bianca as Kendall hugged her in turn.

"Works been insane… getting ready for Christmas… We're almost there." said Kendall in apology.

Bianca nodded in understanding.

"How were your exercises?" Erica asked, putting her bags down on the coffee table.

"Fine." said Bianca flatly.

"Do you need a hand to the shower?" Erica asked. Kendall's eyes widened. Had Erica been helping with that?

Bianca looked from Erica to her sister.

"Yes." she said, embarrassment pinking her cheeks. She was now able to use her crutches, although at the moment both her legs were braced, but she still needed a hand getting around.

"Why don't I help?" said Kendall offering her arm. She'd already had experience nursing Bianca through a similar situation when she was first suffering with her paralysis. "Mom can rustle up some coffee." she said. "And we can have a quick catch up."

…

Kendall kept her back turned while Bianca was in the shower.

"So how are things really going with mom?" she asked speaking up to be heard over the running water.

"She's been helping." Bianca said cautiously, as if she didn't want to admit it. "She been doing more than I expected of her… but it's so easy to be sorry after the event."

"But she is sorry." Kendall pointed out.

"She has a lot to be sorry for." said Bianca firmly.

Just then the water turned off.

"I guess I need to find out what mom wants from me today." Bianca said, pushing open the cubical door from the stone seat in the shower.

"She's here to talk about bridesmaid's dresses." said Kendall, handing her sister a towel, her eye's still diverted. "It's one of the reason's I'm here."

"Well, I guess, it will give me something to tell the girls. They can't wait for the wedding."

"And you?"

Bianca looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I do want mom and Uncle Jack to get their happy ending. I do… As long as mom doesn't screw it up again."

"She can't be blamed what happened to her the last time."

"Oh. I think she can." said Bianca. "After the kidnapping she picked her movie career and her book over her family."

"And now she's picked her family." said Kendall.

"Don't I know it!" snapped Bianca. "Only it has to be the family she wants!"

"Hey." Kendall scolded in return. "You don't want to hold a grudge forever, trust me!"

From Kendall's disapproving look Bianca realised she had pushed it a bit too far. She sighed and her mood settled once more.

"I know." she said as her new answer.

Kendall took her cue from Bianca and helped her up.

"So to kind of change the subject… my new question is...do you know what you are wearing to the hen night next week?" asked Kendall as she led her sister through to the bedroom to dress.

…

Erica was waiting in anticipation in the parlour as Bianca and Kendall returned. She had laid out the fabric samples and the dress designs on the table and a pot of coffee was waiting on the side.

Kendall sat down dramatically. She was trying to keep up a positive front in order to act as a buffer between Bianca and their mother. She had no idea how tiring it could be to be the peace keeper of the group. It certainly wasn't her usual role. She wondered how Bianca could do it all the time.

Bianca lowered herself more gently with an assisting hand from her mother.

"I wanted to show you these." said Erica, finally taking her own seat and passing the dress designs to her daughters. "As you can see we've made some alterations so there are some differences between the adult and the children's dresses now…"

"And you are sure you want adult bridesmaids?" Bianca asked, looking at the design.

"I want to be surrounded by my girls." said Erica firmly.

"I like the cut." said Kendall, tracing the drape of the skirt in the picture. "It looks quite exotic."

"Just right for the tropical setting." said Erica. She gave Bianca a smile. "And you can see we've added pink for Gabby."

Bianca nodded. For the adult dresses there was a discrete hot pink corsage by the right shoulder and a highlight of hot pink chiffon in the layers of the green underskirt. The children's dresses where now all pink with the highlights in green. There was no denying that designs were very attractive.

"They are beautiful dresses." said Bianca handing the drawing back to her mother. "It will be a stunning day I'm sure."

"Do you have your dress design there too?" Kendall asked, curious about a corner of paper she noticed poking from the folder on the table.

Erica looked between her girls with a sheepish smile and then drew her dress design slowly from the folder. It was breath-taking. It kept the simplicity of the bridesmaid's dress design but was completely white with the bodice dotted with tiny flowers, the same pinks and greens as the bridesmaid's dresses.

"Oh, you'll look incredible." sighed Kendall.

"It's a magical dress." agreed Bianca, although she was annoyed at herself for being drawn in. After seeing the dresses she was almost looking forward to the wedding.

"I'm glad you like it." said Erica, giving her youngest daughter a relieved smile. She wasn't sure how much of Bianca's forgiving mood was to do with Kendall's presence, but it was a good thing to see. Slowly, but surely Bianca was letting her back in, but she wouldn't stop trying to make amends until she was sure Bianca had really forgiven her and they were a family once more.

…