With everyone out of the house that left Bianca and Gabby alone together. It had been a long time since they had spent time just the two of them.
While Miranda and AJ were shopping for the feast Bianca had been making phone calls to ensure everything went smoothly for the launch party. Bianca had set herself up at the dining room table with a list and a phone, working to get everyone organised. Erica was prepared to welcome the invitees for a hot drink and snack at her apartment before they went to the waterfront to launch the boat. Transport was then arranged to get everyone to the White House for the feast. Krystal was bringing a dessert and Adam was bringing a bottle of special champagne to toast the launch.
At the same time Gabby was sat on Bianca's knee drawing pictures. Her youngest daughter was humming happily to herself as she drew. Although every so often she would interrupt to ask her mommy a question; all of which were rather probing.
"Mommy, is Ayesha coming to the party tomorrow?"
"Mommy, will you ever walk again?"
"Mommy, will there be dancing at the wedding?"
"Mommy, why is chocolate cake better than regular cake?"
"Mommy, when is Maggie giving me my bed back?"
"Mommy, why do birds have feathers and animals have fur?"
Bianca tried to answer all her questions the best she could.
"You know everything!" Gabby said happily.
"Not quite." Bianca said with a laugh.
…
Bianca was just finishing a call confirming the order of a sail boat cake ready for tomorrow.
"Mommy!" Gabby called again.
"What sweetie?" asked Bianca, putting down the phone, her calls all done.
"Do you like my picture? It's for AJ!"
Gabby had been trying again and again to draw a sail boat just like the way AJ had shown her. Now she was finally happy with her picture; she had even squeezed AJ on too just show it was his boat.
"He'll love it." said Bianca with a smile. At the same time she glanced at the clock.
"You've finished just in time," she added. "Tidy your crayons away, it's almost bedtime. If you're quick there might be time for a bedtime story before Miranda and AJ get home!"
Gabby quickly scrabbled to pack away her colouring pencils and tidy the drawing paper into a pile.
"Can I push on you?" she asked when she was done.
"You can try." said Bianca as Gabby scrambled from her lap. She smiled as her daughter grunted with effort while she tried to turn the wheelchair towards the door. Bianca grabbed the wheels and helped to steer. Then, slowly and unsteadily, Gabby pushed her mother towards the elevator.
"Can I push the buttons too?" Gabby asked a little breathlessly.
"Sure you can." said Bianca. She was putting all her energy into steering towards to lift doors. The biggest challenge was ahead; turning and reversing in before the doors closed.
…
Teeth cleaned, hair brushed, the room she now shared with her sister checked for closet monsters, Gabby was finally ready for bed.
"What story do you want tonight?" Bianca asked parking herself by Miranda's bookshelf.
"Can you make one up?" Gabby asked. "Tell me what happened to the Princess and the Blacksmith's daughter."
The Princess and the Blacksmith's daughter was a story the children had created about Bianca and Marissa a long time ago.
"What do you think happened to them?" Bianca asked, at a loss for inspiration.
"They live happily ever after of course… But can they get a bunny to be happy with too?" asked Gabby, her eyes wide with hope.
She then settled into her bed happy with the story parameters she had set for her mommy.
"Okay." Bianca sighed and sought inspiration from the titles on her daughter's bookshelf. Toad of Toad Hall and George's Marvellous Medicine popped out at her.
Parking her wheelchair by her daughter's bed Bianca began to weaved a story of the princess bringing the Blacksmith's daughter home to her kingdom. Approaching their borders however they were then shocked to discover that ogres had taken over the kingdom while the princess was away searching for her missing heart...
…
"…The ogres were eating all the food in the kingdom and the people were worried that soon they would start to eat the children. Luckily a little rabbit came and helped the princess and the blacksmith's daughter make a plan."
"Is it a talking bunny rabbit?" Gabby asked.
"No." said Bianca thinking for a moment. "But the Blacksmith's daughter is very good with animals and could tell what the rabbit wanted just by the way he twitched his nose."
Gabby seemed happy with that reply.
"…The princess's plan was to serve the ogres such a revolting feast they would be ill and leave the kingdom for good, starting with a cake with rabbit poop instead of raisins in it."
Gabby pulled a 'yucky' face at the thought of that.
Together Bianca and Gabby worked out all the most revolting things they could serve at the feast. Gabby, not really understanding the idea, suggested cabbage and pasta to go with Bianca's rotten rat pie, cockroach brittle, cowpats disguised as chocolate pudding and smelly old boots, boiled, hammered flat and served as steak.
"Ooh" cried Gabby, finally understanding the concept of revolting food. "We could get lots of wee-wee and put it in a bottle and call it lemonade..!"
There was a laugh from the doorway and Bianca turned to see Marissa standing there.
"I hope that's not a plan for tomorrow's feast!" she said.
Bianca laughed too.
"No it's just a story."
Marissa came in a kissed Bianca and Gabby.
"It must be a really great story," she added, looking pointedly at her watch, "Considering how late it is."
Bianca grabbed Marissa's wrist so she could see the time. It was after eight o'clock!
"Are the others back from shopping?" asked Bianca. She had no idea time had passed so quickly.
"Yeah, they are helping Reese and Maggie to unpack. Something must have happened because those two are now… talking… and our two aren't!"
"Oh… well I'm sure we'll get to full story at some point… And what about you? Did you find your wedding dress?"
"Maybe…" said Marissa coyly.
"Maybe?"
Bianca gave her fiancé an intrigued smile.
"Mommy, the story!" cried Gabby interrupting them. She was annoyed that this lot of talking was taking a lot longer than it should. If she wasn't careful her mommies would start kissing and them her mommy would never finish the story.
"I'm sorry." said Bianca. "Maybe we could finish it tomorrow, sweetie. It's well past your bedtime."
"No!" cried Gabby pouting with disappointment.
Marissa squeezed Bianca's shoulder.
"Don't be a meany. Finish the story. The weekend starts tomorrow…"
Bianca sighed and looked to her baby girl.
"Okay… I will finish the story if you promise not to be a Gabby-monster tomorrow and be all cross and grumpy."
"I promise." said Gabby.
After wishing Gabby goodnight, Marissa left mother and daughter together as Bianca continued her tale.
…
"…The princess and the Blacksmith's daughter, disguised as serving wenches, served their revolting feast to the ghastly ogres. The ogres ate greedily and noisily. Then, as expected, every one of the already green ogres turned an even sicklier shade of green and they were all horribly… revoltingly… disgustingly ill. The ogres fled the kingdom in all directions never to return."
"Were they really ill?"
"…Worse than when you're sea-sick!"
"Oooh." said Gabby in delight.
"All the people in the kingdom celebrated the princess's return and how she had chased away the ogres. They were even more delighted when she showed then her long lost crystal heart, now forever in safe-keeping of the Blacksmith's daughter. With the heart the princess's love returned to the kingdom and the land was soon restored from all the devastation left by the ogres. The princess was also grateful to the bunny rabbit who had given her the idea to defeat the ogres and he was allowed to live happily ever after with the princess and the blacksmith's daughter. The rabbit was given a garden in the palace full of grass and carrots, kept just for him and his family."
Gabby clapped and cheered at the happy ending.
"I like that the bunny rabbit got a happy ever after too." she said as she settled onto her pillow ready to sleep.
"I knew you would." said Bianca kissing her brow. "Goodnight little angel. Sleep tight… I'll make sure Miranda doesn't wake you when she comes to bed."
"I love you, mommy." Gabby muttered into her pillow. "You are the best mommy in the world!"
…