Disclaimers: I own none of the characters. Wish I did, but I don't. Bianca, Maggie, Jonathan, Jamie and anyone else you see who bears a name of a character from All My Children belongs to AMC and ABC. I am just using them for my own amusement, creativity and most of all for fun. The storyline however, that I create in this story is mine.

Author's Note: This story, I have set to take place around winter time, which in effect is January 2005. I'm figuring it's a few months ahead of the story we are watching now on AMC. Bianca FINALLY has Miranda back and well… as for how she feels about Babe, I haven't exactly developed that part in my head but I'm sure as the story progresses, it'll write itself in. For now, let's just let things go with the flow. The story itself may start out slow, but keep with me and I promise you something good. [When have I not?]

I'll Stand By You

Oh, why you look so sad? The tears are in your eyes

Come on and come to me now

But don't, be ashamed to cry, let me see you through

'Cause I've been in the dark side too

When the night falls on you, and you don't know what to do

Nothing you confess, could make me love you less

She tossed and turned in bed, beads of sweat forming at her brow. Bianca turned over in her bed to look at Maggie. She could tell that Maggie was once again trapped in a dream, one that had been invading her sleep for the fifth consecutive night. Being the concerned person that she was, Bianca had approached Maggie, asking if everything was alright, trying not to completely allude that she was aware of the restless sleep she had been enduring. But Maggie being Maggie, chalked it up to being stressed out by final exams.

And being the girlfriend and confidante that Bianca was, she did not believe a word of that for one second. Something was definitely bothering Maggie and deep inside, Bianca knew it was serious.

Maggie was jerked out of her dream, sitting up and heaving what was made out to be a sigh of relief. She brought her hands to her face, rubbing her eyes and wiping the sweat from her forehead. Maggie turned to look at the time and noticed Bianca sitting up in her bed, looking at her with concern.

"Bad dream?" Bianca asked.

"Yeah," Maggie laid back down in her bed. "You could say that."

Bianca made her way towards Maggie's bed, sitting down, she eyed her with worry, "Maggie, it's the fifth night in a row that you've been waking up in the middle of the night from a dream. Are you sure everything is okay?"

Maggie looked up into Bianca's eyes. The room was dim except for the moonlight that managed to seep its way into the room. They were worried eyes at best, reading her own, wanting, searching, and having a need to know what was going on inside her own head. Maggie wanted so much to say something but couldn't. Not after everything that had happened between them and how they had finally found their way back to each other, she just couldn't ruin it all.

"Maggie, are you alright?" Bianca asked Maggie again, hoping beyond hope she'd open up.

"I'm fine," Maggie said as her reply. Two simple words which were a complete lie. She may have wanted Bianca to believe that for now but in reality, she wasn't fine. In fact, she was far from it and until she had the answers she needed, Maggie would never know what that feeling would be like again.

Bianca brought her hand to Maggie's face, brushing away some hair, "You know how I am. I just care about you."

"I know," Maggie nodded.

"If it will make you feel better, I can sleep right here next to you," Bianca offered. "Maybe it'll chase that bad dream you keep having away. I mean, only if you want me to that is," her voice stumbled through the words.

She shifted over in bed, making room for Bianca, smiling slightly, "Sure, I'd like that."

Bianca crawled into bed next to Maggie. She wrapped her arms around Maggie, holding her close. It was the subtlety of the gesture that made Maggie feel safe and that was just what Bianca was doing. She wanted to be the port in Maggie's storm, whatever it was; she just wanted to let Maggie know that there was nothing to feel alone about.

"Just sleep, I'm right here," were the last words Maggie heard before closing her eyes, stumbling back into sleep.

Bianca found it hard to sleep; her eyes were focused on Maggie's sleeping figure. She watched her breathe steadily, hoping whatever dream she had before was not continuing itself in her head. Perhaps the one thing that had Bianca bothered was the lost look on Maggie's face. Yet, this wasn't just any lost look, it was one of uncertainty and perhaps fear.

Fear of what though? Was there something Maggie was not telling her?

That question among many others, floated around Bianca's head. There was definitely something off about Maggie but for the life of her, Bianca could not figure out what it was. It baffled her seemingly so because Maggie was her best friend, her soul mate and they knew each other so well. They finished each other's thoughts often and quite possibly always knew what the other would say even before speaking.

Lately, that wasn't the case with the two of them. Bianca and Maggie's hearts may have found their way back to each other but there was still something missing.

All it took was one look into the deep brown eyes of Maggie Stone and Bianca could see it, a small uncertainty coupled with fear. And it was up to Bianca to get Maggie to open up, she needed for Maggie to set whatever truth was bothering her, free.

Maggie opened her eyes and was blinded by the bright sunlight that shone through the window of the apartment. It was still taking a bit of getting used to again on Maggie's part with how Bianca liked to sleep with the shades open. After all, Maggie hadn't lived with Bianca for a good part of the year so she developed her own living habits. But now that they were back to living together, she made it a point to readjust to Bianca's living habits.

She slowly peeled herself from Bianca's embrace and got out of bed. Her eyes took one quick glance at the clock, noticing she had just enough time to take a shower and be out of the apartment before Bianca's alarm would go off. With that thought in mind, Maggie went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. She let the clouds of steam fill the bathroom, enough that it would fog up the mirror so she could not see her own reflection anymore.

Maggie stood under the running water. She closed her eyes, letting the warm stream trickle down her face and her back. She breathed in the warmth and moisture of the air, as it relaxed her muscles and most of all her mind. These brief moments of being alone were what Maggie needed, a small escape from the outside world, from what was awaiting her on the other side of the bathroom door. From what was waiting for her outside of the apartment and most of all from what she was hiding from in her life, which was reality.

Unable to hide in the confines of a shower any longer, Maggie stepped out, put on her bathrobe and wrapped her hair in a towel. She looked up at the mirror, a sheet of moisture separating her from her own reflection. Wiping away that moisture, enough only to see her face, Maggie stared back at herself. She looked at her own reflection, her tired eyes and all. It was as clear as day that anyone could tell she hadn't been sleeping well lately and it was her eyes that said it all.

Maggie opened her drawer by the sink, her personal space in the bathroom. If there was one thing both girls drew the line at, it was the bathroom. Bianca and Maggie always respected each other when it came to personal space and their bathroom drawers were the most personal of all. A pact had been made between the girls that the one thing they could not share was whatever was stored in their drawers. It became sort of like their own medicine cabinet, being able to keep what they needed for bathroom use in their along with the trust that neither would ever look inside. That pact came with a small hitch however, and that was the only allowable excuse to look inside. The excuse being any that if any life threatening circumstances were to arise, then and only then may the other girl look inside.

Inside this drawer was quite possibly, the cause for all of Maggie's dreams.

Buried under all of her makeup, she pulled it out and looked at it. She blinked twice, making sure her eyes were still not deceiving her but still no luck. She held the object in her hands, thinking about the possibility and odds of it being right but still held out hope that maybe it was wrong.

After all, nothing is ever 100% correct, there is always that 99.9% chance of it being right leaving that .1% that it was wrong. Maggie of course was hoping for the latter rather than the former.

She slowly let out a sigh, placing what was in her hands back into her drawer, making sure it was buried under all of her makeup once again. She looked into the mirror once again. "Well, I guess today is it. Find out if it's for sure," Maggie spoke to herself, letting her hair down from the towel so she could dry it.

"What am I going to do if it is right?" were her last words before exiting the bathroom to get dressed.

Fully dressed, she walked into the adjoining room where Miranda lay in her crib fast asleep. Maggie gazed at the child for a moment, amazed at the innocence of the baby, wondering what kind of dream world the child was residing in at the moment.

Maggie sighed softly, reflecting back on the day Miranda was returned into Bianca's arms. After months and months of lies and betrayal by Babe, Krystal and even her own cousin David, she still found it hard to swallow at how the three of them had everyone fooled. To even think her own family, David, would do this to Bianca and her was unspeakable.

"Hey Miranda," Maggie whispered. "I hope you're sleeping well, dreaming those dreams that babies dream. I haven't had much sleep these past couple of nights. You see, I've been having these bad dreams and they just keep waking me up in the middle of the night. But you know, your mommy is sure good at one thing," Maggie smiled, thinking about Bianca and how she had always managed to console her. "She's good at making you feel better after waking up so suddenly. Yeah, she is. So don't ever be afraid to cry out for your mommy okay? She always knows how to make the hurt go away."

Maggie paused for a moment, her index finger caressing Miranda's soft cheek, "But somehow, my dreams aren't the kind she can save me from right now. Simply because the only person that can save me is myself."

Pulling up the baby blanket to Miranda's chest, Maggie leaned into the crib and kissed the darling child on the forehead. Closing the door to the nursery, Maggie grabbed her coat and bag, ready to start another day.

Maggie managed to slip out of the apartment, leaving Bianca still sound asleep in her bed. But her narrow escape would not go unnoticed as she ran into Jamie in the hallway.

"Hey Maggie. You're up early," Jamie slung his backpack onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, I have umm... I've got something to take care of before class," Maggie shrugged.

"Oh alright," Jamie eyed her suspiciously.

Maggie's eyes shifted uncontrollably, glancing down at the hallway then back to Jamie, "I… I have to go." She began to move.

"Maggie wait."

"What?" she looked back.

Jamie saw Maggie's defensiveness and decided to back off, "Nothing, just drive safely. The first snow fell last night so the roads might be a little slick."

"Thanks," she replied before hurrying down the stairs, leaving Jamie in the hallway, bewildered look on his face.

Maggie sat in her chair, her leg tapping uncontrollably due in part to nervousness. She had tried to keep calm but with every waking thought cruising around in her mind, it was hard to keep her nerves in check.

For once in her life, she was early. Early for her appointment with Maria Grey, who she spoke to the day before about coming in. Maggie knew full well that Maria was not practicing in the specified field she needed to see someone in but somehow, going to Maria Grey seemed like her only option. Having the added benefit of knowing her was what pushed her to speak to Maria.

And so Maria agreed and saw Maggie, fulfilling her request without any question. It was least she could do for her, being as how she was a friend of Bianca's, whom she cared about very much.

Maggie's leg tapping continued incessantly, almost to a point that it even bothered her. Her eyes remained focused on her hands until Maria entered the room, sitting down behind her desk. She placed Maggie's file down and opened up the folder so that everything was laid out in front of her. Her eyes went from looking at the file and up at Maggie.

Maggie sat opposite of Maria, biting her bottom lip. "So, ummmm… did you get the test results back yet?" her voice was filled with apprehension and unsure ness.

"Yes, I had put a rush on it and received the results a few minutes ago. I wanted to go over them myself before I came in here to speak to you," Maria's face became filled with concern.

"Before you say anything, I just want to thank you for agreeing to see me," Maggie sat up in her chair. "I mean, I would have gone to David but well, you know him being my cousin and everything that's happened with Miranda and all. I'm still finding it hard to even tolerate the sight of him."

Maria closed the file and came over from behind her desk and sat next to Maggie. "No need to thank me," she took hold of Maggie's hands. "I know how hard this is for you and how you might be feeling a whole world of confused feelings but I glad you came to me."

Maggie's gaze shifted downward toward the floor. She couldn't hold any eye contact with Maria, knowing what her next words would be even before they were spoken. Her heart was beating so hard, it felt like it was about to leap out of her chest and her palms became sweaty.

"Think you can just tell me what the results are?"

Maria inhaled slowly, lifting Maggie's chin so that she could look into her eyes, "The results came back positive."

Maggie's gaze fell to the floor once again. She sighed and fell back in her chair, letting go of Maria's hands in the process.

"Maggie, I just want to tell you that since you came to me, I'm going to take you on as one of my patients now. Anything you say to me will remain confidential. No one will know, unless you say something."

With clenched fists, Maggie's eyes became filled with a combination of emotions. Anger, sorrow and fear filled her deep brown eyes, "Jonathan Lavery…"

"I'm sorry, what Maggie? What about Ryan's brother?" Maria asked.

Maggie looked up at Maria, "Nothing… Umm, thanks for… you know I don't even know what to say or do anymore." She buried her face in her hands, trying to hide the tears that had gathered in the corner of her eyes. "This just can't be possible," she said, wiping away the tears that had fallen and stood up.

"Maggie, if you need anything, you know you can always come to me," Maria reminded her.

"Thanks," she hugged Maria. "I have to go."

"If you need to talk, I'm here. You have time to think about it. But do come see me next week okay?"

"Alright" she replied.

"You're not alone in this. You have a lot of people who love you and will help you through this," Maria watched Maggie put on her coat.

Maggie picked up her bag and buttoned up. "I know," she smiled slightly before leaving Maria's office.

The frosty air nipped at Maggie's cheeks, yet somehow it didn't bother her one bit. Her mind hadn't stopped racing ever since she left Maria Grey's office. She made her way through the park, thoughts clouding in her head and what choices she had to make next. Her aimless walking soon ended when she arrived at the boathouse. Walking up the steps, she sat down on the bench and sighed.

"No way," she repeated over and over. "No way, no way, no way… this can't be possible."

Maggie buried her face in her hands, "How could I have been so stupid."

Sitting there alone, she contemplated the past couple of months, the choices she had made without even one second's thought about the consequences. Maggie's eyes filled with tears as she realized the mistakes she made.

She lifted her face from her hands and cast her gaze across the lake. "What am I going to do now? I can't believe this is happening to me," she said out loud, not having any idea that someone else had been listening to her.

"What can't you believe?" said a booming voice emerging from the bushes.

Maggie's eyes filled with anger at the sight before her. It took every ounce of self-restraint in her body not to leap at him.

"Jonathan…"