Women's Murder Club : Sneak

TEASER: Maggie, the former love-of-her-life, the one who Bianca had wanted to marry, the one that had cheated on her and ruined everything, the one Bianca was still desperately in love with (and becoming increasingly bitter about it), was currently in an expensive suite with her daughter and her live-in lover, Bianca's ex of all people, having a perfectly cozy romantic evening. Merry F-king Christmas.

CHAPTERS

PROLOGUE & CHAPTER ONE

TWO | THREE | FOUR | FIVE

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When Bianca Montgomery knocked on their door at 6am in the morning, Maggie Stone couldn't resist a jolt of fear that her former best friend had had a panic attack or worse, a change of heart.

They were awake, and had been for a good two hours, thanks to an overly excited Miranda who, like her mother, had decided to pound on their bedroom door with the sort of overanxious spirit that only the Christmas season could bring.

As a doctor, Maggie was used to early morning hours; frantic calls on her cell phone and emergency operations didn't keep a 9-5 schedule, and the introduction of the puppy had brought with it a rather steady morning alarm, in the form of 'I have to pee' whining that Lena was still not used to.

Still, four AM was a little early even for them, particularly after the night they had, which had involved wrapping presents and almost too much talking. When the doorbell rang and the pounding started, Lena, who was the worst grump in the morning, was consoling herself with a cup of tea. Elf was blaring on the widescreen television, and Maggie was on the floor, blinking sleepy eyes and managing as much of a smile she could muster when she was yawning every other second, as Miranda showed off her new Prada Purse and forced the squirming puppy to wear a matching rhinestone collar. They were petty indulgences, and the poor girl in Maggie boggled at the idea that a 10 year old needed a five hundred dollar purse, but it was a different world now, and Miranda was a billionaire. Besides, Miranda made it clear that it was the thought that counted, as she stuffed Maggie's pound rescued mutt into the purse and squished him lovingly.

The pounding on the door had taken them all by surprise, and it had been Maggie who had opened it, confused, startled, and besotted when she beheld the image of a beautiful brunette in a Santa Hat and a wrinkled traveling suit, holding what looked like an absurd amount of bags and wearing the most brilliant smile she had ever seen.

"Bianca?" Well, that was stupid, because it was quite obviously Bianca, but the difference between the Bianca that stood in front of her compared to the Bianca she had seen the night before was astounding.

"Merry Christmas," Bianca breathed, and awkwardly and impulsively, reached forward and pressed a chaste kiss that burned on Maggie's cheek. "I know it's early," she continued, when Maggie only stared at her like a gaping fish. "But I … hope it's okay that I'm here."

"Mom?" Resisting the urge to press her palm to her flaming cheek, Maggie turned the knob and opened the door, just in time for Bianca's little Mini Me to burst past her, and straight into her mother's arms. "You're here!"

"Merry Christmas, baby!" Bianca repeated, bags dropping as she lifted the little girl in her arms, squeezing her with pure adulation. The image of the mother and daughter, so tightly entwined, caused a sudden ache inside her, and a tender smile came with it.

"What are you doing here?" Miranda's chatter was exciting, but it was a fair question, as Lena, eyes wide and stance awkward, came forward to stand by Maggie, seemingly now wide awake.

Bianca blinked, and as Miranda pressed her little hands against her cheek, finally glanced at the pair standing just inside the doorway.

"I’m sorry," she breathed, and Maggie's mouth opened, then closed. "I know I'm imposing. I just… it's Christmas. I needed to see my daughter."

"Bianca, of course you're not imposing." Lena, as always, was utterly formal and polite in situations where she felt out of her element, and to her credit, she looked completely graceful as she leaned around Maggie and opened the door wider. "We're just surprised, that's all."

"Yeah, that's… that's a good word for it," Maggie breathed, and she caught a guilty smile from Bianca in response.

"I know, I'm sorry," she responded, lowering a still chattering Miranda to the floor. "It's just… been a hell of a night."

In a fit of Christmas spirit, Bianca had come bearing a bottle of wine from her penthouse collection, of the variety that made Lena, the resident sommelier, nearly choke. She also brought with her an array of fresh bread and cheeses, fruit from the market, and decadent assortment of pastries.

It wasn't the most American Christmas breakfast, but Maggie, having been in Paris almost ten years now, didn't feel that American anymore.

Miranda wore an adorably cheesy smile, indicative of just how much Bianca coming home meant to her. She looked absolutely thrilled, and barely ate a bite, preferring instead to call her best friend Emile on her cell phone and compare presents.

It left the three of them seated around the small kitchenette, and as a laughing Bianca, mouth full of bread, leaned toward Lena, responding to some joke Lena made in French, Maggie found everything around her quieting for one odd, harmonious moment.

She suddenly remembered a time when they were all much younger; in the infant stages of Bianca's pregnancy, and those rare moments Lena and Maggie put aside their obvious competition for Bianca and just allowed themselves to be.

The sudden imagery created a well of emotion to clog in her throat, and unprepared for it, Maggie blinked, sucking in a lungful of air.

Given their current situation, she had never imagined there would be such a moment ever again.

"Maggie?" Two sets of concerned eyes were looking at her, and Maggie managed the best smile she could in her sappy induced sentiment. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she managed, but her gravely voice gave her away, and embarrassed, she reached for another pastry, picking into the jam center. "So what did Erica say when she found out you decided not to come?"

It was an obvious attempt at distraction, but thankfully, all she got from Bianca was small, knowing smile, before her former best friend and lover reached for another crumb off the baguette.

"When I turned the plane around, I called Kendall and told her that I loved her very much, but I had to reexamine my priorities, and Mother was a big girl and she could handle herself."

With a satisfied shrug, Bianca paused, the chunk of bread against her lips. "She said, 'It's about god-damned time' and hung up on me."

In the short time that Bianca and Maggie had their too fast-too passionate-friendship wrecking romance, they had never shared a Christmas together.

Pine Valley had called the first time, taking Bianca and Miranda home to support her sister Kendall, who was in the throes of yet another Cane family scandal.

They hadn't lasted for the Christmas after that. Instead that Christmas had Maggie, alone in Paris, sleeping on Cecelia's sofa because she couldn't with a clean conscious sleep in Bianca's penthouse, obsessively watching news reports about the Satin Slayer in between sleepless nights, terrified that any minute another announcement would come down that it was Bianca or Kendall who had been struck down.

Maggie had never forgotten that time, but the years had passed, and while she never stopped regretting the choices she made, she had come to accept the fact that she had made them, and to accept the consequences.

The re-introduction of Miranda into her life had thrown both she and Lena into a curious sort of upheaval, and even now they were both struggling to find purchase, forced to remember how they used to relate to each other.

Bianca, aged ten years, remained poised and beautiful, but she had always been cold to Maggie. There existed between them a tangible shield, and to be honest, Maggie was almost glad for it. There were boundaries, lines drawn in concrete, and had Bianca been too glad to see her, too willing to allow her access to Miranda, Maggie's closed heart would have fractured too quickly.

Lena, always astute, had seen it. Then again, she had always been honest with Maggie. It was why they worked as well as they did.

On the cusp of that was this familiar Bianca, who talked about a weird night and a curious epiphany, so damned determined to be friendly and cordial and... sweet.

Shivering on the park bench, Maggie tried to warm her palms on her hot chocolate, and forced a smile on her lips as Bianca, cheeks flushed from the cold, came toward her, leaving Miranda and the puppy to play together on the grass.

"Mind if I sit?" Bianca asked, and Maggie nodded mutely, keeping her eyes focused on girl and dog. "It's too bad Lena couldn't be here," Bianca began after a moment.

Maggie smiled. "Yeah," she agreed, but shrugged in reaction. "It happens. The type of business she's in - hostile take over and what not - they don't take a Christmas break. It's kinda just... part of the deal."

"Seems a shame that she's stuck on a conference call when she could be seeing this," Bianca breathed.

"It's the same for a surgeon," Maggie admitted. "Honestly, holidays don't really mean much anymore. We celebrate when we can but... this is the first Christmas I've actually made a conscious effort to celebrate in a while."

Bianca shot her a look, and glanced away. "That's surprising," she began, sounded bothered. "You used to be crazy about Christmas."

A flicker of bittersweet emotion crossed over her lips, and Maggie's dark eyes glanced to meet hers. "It's been a long time, Bianca. A lot's changed."

There was a short pause, before she heard a quiet, "You're not kidding." Straightening, Bianca shook her head in wonderment. "Look at us, Maggie. We're... grown up. How did that happen?"

"I've spent some time last night remembering. We were just kids, Maggie. We didn't know what we were doing, and we were dealing with some pretty heavy stuff. And yet, we're here." Bianca glance fell upon Miranda, who had slipped on the slick grass and was now fighting with a playful pooch, giggling in triumph. "And look what we've got to show for it."

Her fingers twitched, and Maggie hissed in pain as hot liquid suddenly scalded her fingers.

"Bianca, what are you doing?" She jerked away from her touch, but kept her voice level, doing her best not to attract Miranda's attention. "Just last night you told me you weren't okay with her seeing me."

"Why?" Maggie asked, and it was an honest question. Bianca hadn't ever forgiven her, she had known that from the start, she could see it in the way Bianca looked at her, and that coldness had disappeared - but why?

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Bianca breathed, and Maggie blinked, oddly hurt by that.

A hesitant press against her fingers caused an unconscious shudder. "You know," she heard, in that achingly familiar voice. "You and Kendall... you were the only ones who ever told me the truth. Everyone else... they just told me what I wanted to hear. I want to be a good person - for Miranda's sake. For mine. And if I'm going to succeed, I think I need you and Lena in my life."

"You're being too nice, Bianca." Maggie's voice was flat, almost bitter. She resisted the urge to look at her former lover, instead raising the steaming cup of liquid to her lips to take a tentative sip. "It's always been a problem with you," she added, and a burst of nostalgia caused a searing slice of hurt.

She was surprised when she heard a chuckle beside her. "You know, I haven't heard that from anyone in a long time."

"You would know more than me," Maggie acknowledged. The Bianca she had recently run into again was definitely a harder woman than she remembered, more reminiscent of Erica Kane than the sweet Bianca she had known. But it was there, in flashes, in moments of conversation where she had forgotten about the past long enough to actually allow Maggie to see her. They were moments Maggie wanted to earn, but how much she wanted to earn them, was a little frightening.

"Maggie." A soft touch against her elbow forced dark eyes up to meet Bianca's. The gaze she got in return was kind. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy. There's a lot of history. With all of us."

A soft, beautiful blush rose on Bianca's cheek. "I don't know what I'm doing sometimes. It's scary to do it on my own. When it was the hardest I always you..." Maggie's gaze broke away from Bianca, and she pressed her lips together, determined not to remember. "You and Lena both helped me through the hardest time in my life, and it would be stupid of me to want to throw away an opportunity to have two of the people who were there for Miranda before she was even borne be in her life."

It was a remarkably generous statement, and unable to believe it, Maggie's eyes began to sting. Frustrated, she reached up with her cold hands, and hastily wiped the tears away.

"I broke your heart," she finally managed, the words ripped from her because she couldn't keep them inside any longer. She turned on the bench, and finally faced the woman she betrayed. "I hurt you."

Bianca visibly swallowed, and now those gorgeous eyes were shiny and round. "I know," she began, voice rough with emotion. "I hurt you too."

"I'm sorry, Bianca." The words came out of her, words she had been waiting years to say, and even as Bianca hitched her breath and glanced away, Maggie couldn't stop them. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. You were my best friend in the whole world and I threw that way-"

"Listen, Maggie," Bianca began, arms crossed in front of her, rubbing her sides. "You have regrets about what happened. Hell, it's been so long I don't even know what happened. But I do know that I pressured you. We should have... we should have gone to therapy, I shouldn't have pushed you so far. It was the first thing I told myself I wouldn't do-"

"I know." Bianca's dark eyes flashed brilliantly, but just as the anger flared, the other woman made a visible effort to contain it. "But I've got my own regrets to live with, and my own consequences to face."

They fell silent for the moment, and Maggie's attention was again drawn to Miranda, who waved at her and continued her chase after the energetic puppy.

"I'm going to set up some time with a therapist, for me and Miranda," Bianca began after a moment. "To help her understand where she's coming from. To help us both figure out how to handle it together."

"That's great, Bianca." She smiled for emphasis, chest tight. "I mean it. That's a really great thing to do."

Bianca nodded, looking distant and slightly hesitant. "Yeah. You know, I'd like you both there. If you can make it."

"Bianca..." Maggie's chest tightened. "Don't you think that's... it might be a little soon for Lena."

Embarrassed, Bianca flushed. It was all so very polite, and so very formal, and it was Bianca of all people. Bianca, the love of her life, the woman who Maggie had led herself to believe hated her, and she was here now and saying so many things and...

"But I'll discuss it with her. And as long as you and Miranda want me there, I'll be there." She licked her lips, determined not to glance at Bianca's own reaction. "I can also recommend one if you're looking." She sucked in a breath, and soldiered on. "She... she's mine. Like you said," she continued when Bianca's brow rose in surprise. "I went through some heavy stuff. There was a lot of messed up things going on in my head. I needed to sort them out before I made any more mistakes."

"But you and Lena?" Maggie's face lifted in surprise, and found Bianca's façade dropped for a bit of aching disbelief. "Really, Maggie?"

It was so disgusted it was refreshing. Unable to help herself, Maggie found herself laughing. The wave of amusement appeared contagious, because suddenly Bianca was laughing too, palm pressing against her cheek, shaking her head in recrimination.

"Well, we both loved you, didn't we?" Maggie's smile was almost too affectionate. "I guess that counts for some good taste."

It was almost worth it, to see Bianca blush, to see her smile. It made her look years younger.

"That's... complete bullshit," Bianca breathed, and Maggie grinned, because Bianca was being honest, and she was being real, and that was more than Maggie had ever expected.

Alone in her penthouse, Bianca poured herself a glass of wine, and allowed herself to breathe.

Frankie's Christmas Miracle hadn't provided any overnight results. There were months of work ahead of her, and Bianca didn't feel like Ebenezer Scrooge, ready to take the world by storm as the newly benevolent Santa Clause.

There was still a tension inside of her that came from being in the presence of Maggie Stone. There was still that twinge of pain, that came from the knowledge that even if forgiveness had been given, blame had been parsed together and laid aside, she and Maggie would never have a happily ever after with commitment ceremonies and rings and 2.5 kids.

But there were new kinds of miracles, new kinds of goals, and different kinds of happiness.

"Mom?" A sleepy voice called to her, and turning, Bianca gazed up on her own little miracle, a sleepy vision in a t-shirt and shorts.

"Hey," she breathed, and opened her arms, allowing her daughter to plod over to her, and circle her arms around her waist. Giving her a fierce squeeze, she pressed a kiss upon her temple and whispered, "You shouldn't be walking around barefoot."

"God, you can't like... ever stop being a mom," Miranda grumbled, looking up at her with as much good-nature as a scolded ten-year-old could muster. "Can you?"

"I guess it happens when I love ya," she said, with a tender smile and a brush against Miranda's forehead. "You could have stayed with Maggie and Lena tonight," she added after a second. "You didn't have to come home with me."

Miranda shrugged, and flatly said, "It's Christmas. You can't be alone on Christmas."

It was such a sweet sentiment, Bianca nearly sobbed. "Thank you," she said, and then continued, "Are you sleepy?"

"Nah," Miranda rubbed her eyes in a direct contradiction. "I got all this candy in my stocking and I'm like... twitching. It's awesome."

Bianca closed her eyes and made a mental note to call Maggie in the morning to discuss candy rationing. "Then how about you go put on some warm slippers and you sleep in my bed tonight and we watch 'The Santa Clause'?"

"Cool," Miranda replied, and Bianca laughed, the outburst so unexpected she helplessly crushed Miranda to her, suddenly shaking.

Sucking in a lungful of air, Bianca blinked wetly at her. "I'm fine," she managed. "Miranda... I'm not perfect. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I want you to know something - no matter what happens, or what has happened, you will always be my little girl, you will always be a blessing and I will love you with all of my heart."

"And if your mom, is acting like a jerk," Bianca continued, "You can tell her, okay?"

"What if my mom is talking in third person?" cracked the little wizard, and Bianca grinned despite herself.

Miranda smiled simply. "I know, Mom. I love you too." With the simple assurance that came with being young and knowing everything, Miranda pulled out of her arms and headed to her room. "Can we have popcorn?" she called out over her shoulder.

With an exhalation, she felt the tension in her shoulders bleed out, and in that single moment, Bianca realized that she was actually happy.

The statement came from eleven year old Miranda Montgomery on New Years Eve, who sat on the chair beside her mother's massive desk, swinging her feet like a five year old even though she was almost big enough to sit properly in it.

Dressed in a ridiculously overpriced dress, Bianca was at the moment rushing through a contract that required thirteen signatures, already massively late for a New Years Party thrown by Cambias that required her and her daughter's presence. Nevertheless, she found herself distracted, looking up to stare at her daughter quizzically.

Miranda snapped her gum loudly, and when Bianca arched an eyebrow, rolled her eyes and resumed chewing properly. "No, I just think she's lonely."

"Why would she be lonely?" Bianca asked, suddenly concerned. In the year that had passed since Frankie's Christmas miracle, an easy friendship had developed with her ex - not the best friends they once were, but with enough affection to manage Miranda with little tension and respect for where life had brought them.

"Because of Lena," Miranda continued, and reached into her mouth to pull out her gum, stretching it over her lap.

"Miranda, that's disgusting," Bianca drawled, but found herself stiffening at the words. "What's wrong with Lena?"

Miranda stuffed the gum back into her mouth and chewed again. "She moved out of the apartment." Miranda looked at her quizzically. "Mom, can gay people get divorced? Cause I tried to explain to my friends about Maggie, and Jean-Luc said if you weren't married you can't get divorced-"

"Honey, slow down." Bianca's pen fell to the desk, her paperwork forgotten. "Lena's moved out? When did this happen?"

Miranda shrugged. "This week, I think. Lena and Maggie called me and told me about it this morning. Does this make Lena like... my ex-step-mom or something? Cause I like her and all but I'm not ready to have like... three moms."

The statement, said so casually, set off a bomb in Bianca's insides. "Are you telling me that Lena and Maggie broke up?"

Miranda paused, and seemed finally understand her mother's distress. "Yeah," she said, and stopped chewing. "Lena moved out and they're broken up. She sounded okay about it but Maggie seemed really sad." She turned and slipped off the desk. "Instead of going to the party, can we go see her?"

The words were said on the veranda, where she and Maggie sat together on a bench, overlooking the night sky and the street below them, where they both watched Miranda below them, walking the massive mutt back and forth along the crowded walk.

Maggie's eyes were dry, but her voice was flat, devoid of spirit, and it was the resignation that concerned her.

Maggie smiled dryly, and nodded. "She was honest about it, at least. She said it hasn't been right for a while, and thinks it's better if we quit while we were ahead." Bianca bit her lip, unsure what to say to that. "She's going to call you," Maggie continued. "She wants to be a part of Miranda's life, if you're okay with that."

Maggie shrugged, breath coming out of her mouth in a steamy sigh. "Yeah, Bianca. She loves Miranda, and honestly, we don't hate each other. I guess that's how I know."

"How I know she's right, I guess." A spattering of pops filled the air and a sudden rush of color burst into the sky, the first firecracker of the New Year. "I want her to be happy. And this girl... she does. She makes her feel like... someone new I guess."

Maggie's smile was grim, bittersweet. "Lena was always honest with me, and about a year ago, she told me that the reasons she suspected I was with her, was because a) it was easy, and b), she was a link to a past I couldn't ever let go."

"Well, that's the thing," Maggie rested back against the bench, and looked up at the sky. "Lena was always right. I loved her, but..."

"But it was too easy." Maggie grimaced. "That sounds so unhealthy, but... as hard as it was with you... that was also passion and... what Lena and I had was good but..."

"But it didn't come close." Her voice hitched unexpectedly, and Maggie glanced over, locked eyes with her intensely.

"It wasn't fair to her. She's right. We needed to end it. This way we can at least stay friends."

Bianca didn't know how to feel. Her chest was tight beyond relief, and her palms were sweaty, and there was a distinct beating in her heart that made her breathless and panicked.

Maggie stayed silent, and then suddenly whispered, "Did you know I had the weirdest dream this Christmas?"

"I had ... it just... it was so real... Frankie came to see me, and..." Laughing oddly, Maggie brushed her bangs out of her eyes and shook her head in disbelief, "And called me a moron and told me I was going to get visited by three spirits."

"I know," Maggie continued, misinterpreting her reaction. "It sounds so crazy Dickens, right? But... the first guy was Jamie of all people, and he took me to all these places... I relived so much, Bianca."

With a throat clogged with emotion, it was all Bianca could do to utter a choked, "What did you see?"

The whimsical, faraway expression on Maggie's face was intoxicating. "I saw... Frankie and me as kids... and I saw you and me, meeting for the first time. I had to sit through the Champagne Incident, where I acted like a complete ass..."

"I saw us, Bianca. I saw everything we were, and everything we could have been..." Shining dark eyes gleamed at her. "And I saw myself... living in a lot of fear, because I'm afraid of feeling that again."

Reaching forward, she grabbed hold of a cold hand, intertwining their fingers fiercely.

Tears slipped down Maggie's cheeks, glittering in the moonlight. "You know I never stopped loving you, right?"

Mutely, she brushed a chilled knuckle along a soft cheek, wiping at the wetness.

Her blood was pounding in her ears, her heart ricocheted against her chest, and as the words were said, Bianca was afraid she would literally burst.

Miranda's voice was such a shock Bianca nearly pushed Maggie away. Glancing up, she felt a flush of heat overtake her, and putting her hands on her flaming cheeks, she gave her daughter a stern look.

"Miranda," she began, but found she had no real words, nor was she able to give up the fierce hold on Maggie's fingers. "Honey," she tried, searching for a statement to try and offset the completely embarrassing assumption.

Miranda narrowed her eyes at them. "If you guys get back together, I'm not gonna have to like, walk in on you guys being gross, are you? Cause one time Emile and I walked in on her dad totally macking on her Mom and it was totally gross."

At a loss, Bianca looked at Maggie for help. Unfortunately, the flustered doctor only shrugged back.

Miranda reached down to unclip the dog's collar, and eyed them again. "You're totally getting back together." She swiveled on her sneakers and headed back into the apartment, the dog trailing behind her. "Don't mess it up this time, or I'm telling Dr. Molyneux that you stunted my development. Happy New Year, you weirdoes."

Above them, the fireworks exploded, and cheers from balconies and the crowded streets below erupted in a deafening set of drunken cheers.

Alone again with Maggie, Bianca wondered if those fireworks in the sky weren't an outward manifestation of her sudden view of her unwritten future.

"Happy New Year, Maggie," she managed, and turned her head, to discover those same dark eyes that had loved her a decade earlier.

Scared shitless, she gave into her impulses and lowered her head, burying her mouth against Maggie's.

Leave it to Frankie, Bianca thought, as Maggie's lips parted, and her arms came up to encircle her shoulders, to send them out with a bang.

FIN

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