Much like Raquel, Hollie snores. I'm not sure when that started, since it had been a few years since she had slept in the same bed as me, but I really appreciated it. That was because the snoring allowed me to wake up early the next morning and open my eyes to see Zee's warm brown eyes staring back at me as her arms held me gently so as to not hurt my aching back. When she saw my eyelids flutter open, she broke into a smile, and leaned in for a lovely good morning kiss, dragon breath be damned. Honestly, after the events of the previous night, that was exactly what I needed to start my day.

Her hand cupped my cheek gently, and she used her thumb to wipe away a tear that I didn't even feel leak from my eye. "Good morning, beautiful. Are you okay?" she asked in a soft whisper.

Was I? Honestly, I didn't know. A man that I'd known for almost all of my life, who I had once trusted and loved enough to make two wonderful children with, had broken into my house and attacked me in my own bed in some bizarre drunken episode to reclaim a family that he'd never truly had. I didn't think I could be okay after that, and yet all the love and support that I had received from my family and Zee got me through the night. It still didn't change what had happened though, and I didn't know what I'd even have to do next, or how I'd get through the next few days and weeks.

I just shook my head, trying not to move too much and wake up Hollie. "No, I'm not doing well. I don't even know how to feel, or what to do next," I said in a soft whisper.

She leaned in, kissing my forehead, then my nose, and finally my lips. "Stay right here. Roll over and snuggle up with that snoring bear, and I'll make you some food, okay?"

"You cook?" I asked in surprise, and got a nod in reply. Zee was getting all kinds of gold stars this weekend. "That would be a pretty perfect way to start the day after last night."

"Then let me get that started. You just rest, and I'll take care of the rest." Zee gave me one more kiss, this one more lingering, and then scooted out of bed. I was crying again when she left, but this time the tears were happy ones. Could I truly hope that I'd found someone that I could really be with? Her actions this morning had been exactly what I needed and had made me feel better in a matter of minutes. The best part, it was a much more tender intimacy than our usual love making, which wasn't something we'd had a chance to explore yet, and I loved it. I wanted more. I craved more. I needed to be held by her some more.

I rolled over, draping my arm over Hollie's slumbering form, and she snorted once before rolling into me. I couldn't help but giggle at my daughter, and I just held her to me, grateful for her warmth. I felt a wet little nose on my hand and looked over Hollie's body to see Karma and Swiftie rearranging themselves. I hadn't even realized they had joined us, but I should have expected it. They helped me feel good too, and I was happy to give them a few pets before they curled back up and went to sleep. With their example, I did the same and dozed off once more.

I was woken up some time later by Zee, Gracie and Jashanna bringing Hollie and I breakfast. Well, more like a whole feast because the five of us ended up sitting on the bed while eating pancakes. Yes, it was just what the doctor ordered.

"I checked on Raquel," Jashanna informed me. "No puke in my room, but she's still out of it. We left her some pancakes on the stove too."

"She had a few nights like that on campus too, I just never saw it firsthand," Zee admitted while Hollie and I struggled into wakefulness with the tea and coffee they'd provided. Karma and Swiftie were both sniffing around to see if any of the food was edible for kitties, but they gave up when they realized it wasn't. Had there been bacon, it might have been messy though!

I'd been hugged by everyone when they came in, but so far none of them had talked about the previous night, which I could understand. Honestly, as weird as it seemed the whole event was over in under a minute, and yet the terror and hopelessness persisted. Nobody had ever attacked me like that, and I never wanted it to happen again. The fact that it was Elliot, of all people, made it worse. There was no way I could ever thank Zee enough for getting him off me!

"Mom, I don't have to do visits with him anymore, do I?" Gracie asked me with a quaver in her voice. "I'd be too afraid to see him now." She couldn't even say his name, and I couldn't blame her.

"No, honey. I'll talk to Monique and get a motion filed to stop all visitation rights. It will be a long time before any of us see him again." I might have to be a witness in a court case, since he'd certainly be prosecuted, but the girls wouldn't have to deal with that. I'd also have to make sure that anything that happened at work was clear cut with HR and legal because I was going to fire his ass too. There was no way I could trust him near any other employees or clients again.

"I know I'm not going to see him, that's for sure," Hollie snorted in agreement. "I'm gonna get me some of those brass knuckles like Zee has, those things worked great!"

"Oh yeah," Zee agreed. "They've got me out of a few scrapes before. I'll help you pick some out."

Hollie gave her a little fist bump, and I saw Gracie and Jashanna exchanging little nudges too. They didn't know my plan for making things official around Thanksgiving, but I could tell they saw me noticing that exchange with a smile.

Our peaceful little breakfast was interrupted by Raquel, who burst into the room with the plate of pancakes that had been left for her, shoveling pieces into her mouth like a starved shark. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair looked like a tangled mess, and I could still smell the alcohol on her. "Thanks for the food. I could eat like another plate of them. You would not believe the night I had!" she groaned. "I'm so hungover!"

We just stared at her, and I could see Zee curling her hand into a fist. I quickly rubbed her lower back while everyone stared at Raquel, and she calmed down a little. "Good morning Raquel. I hope you're feeling better soon."

"Me too!" she mumbled around a mouthful of pancakes. "We have to bolt, girls. I still have homework to do before class tomorrow! Let's get a move on!"

"You can go ahead," Hollie told her quickly. "We'll take my car back later, so you can leave as soon as you're ready."

Raquel didn't even pause to think about it. "Cool. I'll see you later then!" She turned around, left the dirty plate on my dresser, and walked away.

I just shook my head before glancing at Hollie. "She's not coming back, right?"

"No way," Hollie agreed. "I'm so sorry we even brought her."

"Honestly, I'd kick her out of our suite if we could, but that isn't up to us." Zee stabbed her pancake a little harder than necessary, then popped it into her mouth. "Luckily, Hollie only has the rest of this year left with her, and then maybe she'll get better roomies next year. Denique is already great, so you could request to be with her again."

"It might be better to just get you an apartment," I noted. "Then you know who you're going to be with. If Denique wants to stay with you, then you're all set, otherwise maybe you find a few other friends that you'd want to live with."

"Too bad Zee is graduating," Hollie grumbled. "She's the best roommate."

"Okay, stop!" Jashanna finally said in a huff. "Are we not going to discuss last night?" She turned to look at me with concern in her eyes. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt? I was barely awake, and I don't remember much."

I nodded, putting my plate aside and pulling her into my lap. "I'm okay. My back and neck are pretty sore, but Zee got him off me so quickly that he didn't have a chance to do anything else."

"So, why was he naked?" Gracie asked nervously. "Did he..."

"No, he didn't." I assured her, reaching over and holding her hand. "I think he was going to try, but it never happened."

"Zee, thanks for saving our mom." Hollie crawled over and tackled Zee into a hug. "We owe you!"

"It was my pleasure," assured Zee. "Your mom is amazing, and I would have done anything for her."

"Now I'm even more glad I picked you for the internship. That quick action will bode well for your future. Seriously, Zee, Thank you. I never felt fear like that before, and then suddenly you were there." I wanted to pull her into a hug but hesitated to show that kind of affection. I guess she had no worries though, and moved over and pulled me into a tighter hug, but only around my shoulders so that my back was still not squeezed.

"Zee, just kiss her, you know you want to," Hollie said with a small smile.

Gracie and Jashanna both gasped, while Zee and I whipped our heads to look at my eldest daughter. "What did you say?" I asked breathlessly.

"Oh, come on mom. When I got down here last night, you had the scented candles lit, and romantic music going, and a naked guy was bleeding on the floor while a pissed off Zee was standing over him. It was pretty obvious that the candles and music weren't for him, so I know the setup had to be for Zee. I might be a little late catching on, but how could I have a problem with it after what she did to save you?"

"I... I..." I obviously stammered. "That wasn't exactly the way I wanted to break things to you. It's all pretty new. I met her on the way back from dropping you off, and then suddenly she's here as your roomie, and so now we're seeing where things might go."

"Wait!" Hollie screamed while turning to Zee. "She was the hot babe you spent the night with in the hotel in the rain storm?"

Zee grimaced, looking at me apologetically. "I might have mentioned that night, I'm sorry. I never thought I'd see you again. But I didn't go into detail!"

"Thank God!" Hollie fake gagged, and both Gracie and Jashanna broke into hysterical giggles. "And how did you two know?"

"She told us about the hot Cuban named Zee she met after her trip to move you on campus. Then, when we talked to you right before school started, you told us about your roommates, including the hot Cuban one named Zee, and we figured it out from there. We didn't tell mom though, we just told you to bring Zee to the party so we could set them up." Gracie finally explained how they knew, and it all made sense as to how they were ready to film.

"We have them on video seeing each other again though, they're adorable," Jashanna added.

I just groaned in embarrassment, glad for the distraction of the memories of last night. "Okay, okay, are we all going to be freaking out if I start dating Zee?

Hollie shook her head. "No. I mean, it might be an adjustment, but I think it will be a good one. Just don't make me call her mommy."

Jashanna snorted louder than ever, and Zee tried to cover her mouth, to no avail. "Don't worry, that's what Zee calls mom!"

Yeah, it was going to be a better day.