Reese drove Marissa and Opal back for the wake at Krystal's.

"Did you sort everything out with your mother?" Reese asked Marissa.

"I think so." said Marissa.

"So what we need to do now is get you back to the kids and give them the good news."

"Too right." said Marissa patting her purse that held Bianca's letters.

Opal was quiet in the back seat. She was positively glowing as her mind filled with the prospect of restarting Glamorama. There was an empty shop in town that she had noticed, plenty of room for four hair dressing stations and a nail bar… The idea of restarting her beauty empire excited her more than she ever suspected it would.

…

Krystal's was full of friends and family and Marissa had to push her way through to reach the booth where AJ and Miranda sat slurping hot chocolate with Maggie.

"Where's your sister?" Marissa asked, "I have news for you all."

AJ wiped off his chocolate moustache.

"She's with Camilla and Ayesha."

"Okay." said Marissa putting her purse down on the table. "Don't move; I'll be right back."

Marissa scanned the room for Camilla and spotting her coming from the rest room with Ayesha in her arms.

Marissa hurried over to her.

"Is Gabby with you?" Marissa asked.

"I left her sitting with Randi and Amanda."

Marissa could see Randi and Amanda in the corner.

"Where's Gabby?" Marissa asked when she got to their table.

Amanda looked around confused.

"Gabby?"

"We're we supposed to be watching her?" Randi asked. "I didn't know!"

Now Marissa scanned the crowd a little more desperately but there was no sign of Gabby.

"She can't have gone far." Reese said who had been following Marissa on her search.

Marissa was too worried to think straight. She climbed up onto the table and waved her hands in the air.

"Sorry, Can we have some quiet please… Quiet please!"

The rumble of conversation ended and every one turned in her direction.

"Hi, we are looking for a little girl in a pink dress and white cardigan. Gabby, Gabby can you hear me?"

There was a mumble of conversation as people looked around them, but Gabby was not in the room.

"Gabby!" Marissa cried more alarmed. She jumped from the table and headed for the pile of coats by the door. She could see AJ and Miranda's in the heap but Gabby's little red coat wasn't there.

"She wouldn't have gone outside, would she?" Reese asked as Marissa pulled her own jacket on.

"I don't know." said Marissa. "I'll just have quick look up the street. You keep searching here."

"Sure." said Reese. Camilla, Amanda, Randi, Tad and Stuart also joined them at the door.

"Do want one of us to come with you?" Tad asked.

"If someone could look round the back?" said Marissa her mind on overdrive on all the possible hiding places. "And…"

"We're on it." said Camilla interrupting her.

Tad and Reese were already pulling on their coats.

The snow the weathermen were expecting was starting to fall.

"I'm going to check the highway." said Marissa heading out to road.

"We'll check the parking lot!" Tad called after her. "She might have gotten excited by the snow."

Marissa wasn't so sure about that. Gabby always struck her as more sensible than to go out on her own, especially as it was starting to get dark. But where was she?

The wind was driving the snow into her face as she got to the street. Marissa looked left, but could only see traffic. She looked right and there far in the distance was a little girl in a little red coat walking purposely away.

"GABBY!" Marissa all but screamed. She ran faster than she had ever run in her life; her heart racing in newfound relief. "Gabby! Wait, Gabby! STOP!"

When Gabby finally heard her the little girl stopped and turned round.

A car pulled in beside Gabby just as Marissa reached her. Marissa didn't really register the vehicle though; she simply collapsed onto her knees in front of her little girl and pulled her into her arms.

"Don't you ever, ever, do that again!" Marissa gasped, out of breath. "What were you thinking?"

"Mama, you're squashing me!" Gabby whined.

"Sorry sweetie." said Marissa pulling away a little but not letting go.

The door of the car beside them opened, that was when Marissa realised it was a cop car.

"Ma'am is that your child?" the officer asked.

"Yeah." said Marissa, "Yeah she is." But honesty made her add. "Or she soon will be."

The cop frowned and got out of his car.

"So, is she your child or isn't she?"

Marissa blinked.

"I'm sort of her guardian."

The cop sighed.

"Do you have ID?"

Marissa looked back down the street, her purse was still on the table with Miranda and AJ.

"We are just at Krystal's. They'll vouch for me there."

"I'm sure they will, but I can't let you take the child."

"What?" Marissa gasped. She stood up holding Gabby to her side. "Look I'm a lawyer…"

"Then you will understand why I can't let you take her."

"Steve...?" the other cop called from inside the car.

"I've got it." said Officer Steve. Ignoring Marissa he knelt beside Gabby. "Where's your mommy and daddy, angel?" he asked.

"I don't have a daddy and mommy is in heaven." said Gabby, ducking shyly behind Marissa's leg.

"Her mother's funeral was today." explained Marissa. "We were at the wake at Krystal's when Gabby ran off. I still don't know why she ran off."

"You were at a funeral?" said the cop doubtfully.

Marissa looked down; her bright floral dress was showing underneath her brown coat.

"It was on the news?" gasped Marissa. "Her mother was Bianca Montgomery… daughter of Erica Kane!"

"Steve..!" The other cop called again, clearly not wanting to get involved. Officer Steve paid no heed to his colleagues protest.

"That's all very well but my hands are tied. I think we're going to have to sort this out at the precinct."

"No we don't." exclaimed Marissa. She tried to find something that would help her out of this uncomfortable situation. "Look, this is ridiculous; my mother is dating your chief of police for heaven sake..!"

The officious cop didn't like the threat in her words.

"What do you mean by that?" he demanded.

"Nothing!" exclaimed Marissa, backing down. "Nothing, I'm just trying to say that I'm a trustworthy person… and she's my little girl."

"But you just told me she wasn't."

Marissa groaned in frustration.

"Get in the car." said the cop opening the passenger door.

Marisa looked genuinely surprised.

"You're arresting me?"

"Don't try me." warned the cop. "We are going to sort this out at the station. If you are telling the truth it won't take long."

…

Marissa sat on the hard wooden bench at the police station, sick with worry, while Gabby was elsewhere with someone from Social Services.

There was a sudden bustle at the door as Reese, Opal, Krystal, Tad, Miranda and AJ arrived all together.

"We were so worried until you called!" Krystal exclaimed giving her daughter a hug. "You just vanished."

"Just like Gabby." Marissa muttered.

"They had no right keeping her from you." Krystal exclaimed.

"Of course they did." said Marissa sadly. "I'm not her mother yet."

"Yes you are!" cried Miranda as she and AJ ran up for a hug too.

Meanwhile Tad and Reese were at the desk asking to be seen.

"I want you to release my daughter." said Reese.

"Are you the mother?" the officer asked.

"I am." said Reese producing a copy of her adoption papers as proof. They'd had to turn Bianca and Marissa's office upside-down to find them amongst Bianca's papers.

Eventually a tearful and confused Gabby emerged with a drab suited woman from Social Services. The first thing the little girl did when reunited with her family was run to Marissa's arms.

…

When they finally left the police station Marissa and the kids all climbed into Reese's car.

"What I don't understand." Marissa sighed, addressing little Gabby as she fastened her into her booster seat. "Where did you think you were going?"

Gabby's bottom lip wobbled as she held back her tears.

"I put Mrs Bunny with the other toys and flowers left for mommy and Ew-ica. Then I thought she'd get cold and lonely so I wanted her back."

Marissa shook her head. She squeezed Gabby's knee to make sure she got her attention.

"You never do that again, you hear me? You can't just go off on your own! Anything could have happened to you!"

"Mommy's angel was with me." said Gabby through her sobs.

"Oh sweetheart!" said Marissa, kissing her brow and giving her a hug. "Wherever you mommy is all she can do for you is pray and love you. She couldn't have stopped you from getting hurt. Promise me you won't do that again. Promise me you won't go off alone."

"I promise." said Gabby quietly.

Once she was sure the kids were all strapped in securely Marissa got into the front seat of the car feeling totally drained. She turned to Reese.

"It looks like we'll need to take a detour by the chapel to rescue Mrs Bunny."

Reese nodded and looked round to kids in the back.

"One more stop before we get you home to bed then." said Reese giving them a grin. "It's been quite a day."

Then Reese handed over Marissa's purse.

"You left this behind. I figured you might want it back."

"Thank you."

Marissa sighed as she remembered the letters inside. It would be too much for the kids to give them their letters after the night they'd just had, she would have to wait for tomorrow. Her own letter though she would read tonight as soon as she got to bed.

…