A/N: Okay, I needed to add a little drama to the story. I'm borrowing from the original storyline again and altering it for my purposes. I thought Marissa needed a bigger role in the original one so I'm giving it to her here.

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Marissa was on her way to Krystal's for lunch hoping that Bianca would be meeting her there later. The two hadn't talked since Bianca left abruptly yesterday. She was upset because she felt Marissa was questioning her judgment. Reese was going to be in town and wanted to see the girls. It had been a while since she had contacted them, and Bianca was glad that her ex had finally decided to visit them. Miranda and Gabby missed her, and try as she might, she could not find the right words to explain why their other mother had not wanted to see them. Marissa sighed as she remembered the argument between the two of them.

"When will Reese be here?"

"In three days."

"Did she say why she decided to come to Pine Valley now?"

"No. What are you implying?"

"Nothing. I'm just wondering what brought on this sudden change of heart."

"She has every right to see them, Marissa."

"I'm not saying she doesn't, Bianca. I'm just …"

"She's not JR. She doesn't play games. You're letting your past with him cloud your judgment on this. This is completely different."

"That's not fair, Bianca, and I don't think I am. I'm just wondering why now. Why does she want to see them all of a sudden?"

"She's their mother. She should want to see them. I'm just glad she's come to her senses and is putting them ahead of any problems there are between the two of us. They miss her and want to see her."

"I understand all of that. I really do, and you're right. She should want to see them. They are amazing girls. It's just that something seems off here. First, she wants full custody. Then, she decides to drop it when she gets a big promotion. Now, out of the blue, she wants to see them again. I just have this feeling …"

"I'm not going to stop the girls from seeing her because you have a feeling that something is off. I won't keep them from her. She was a good mother."

"I'm not saying she wasn't. I would never dream of keeping a child from a parent without a good reason. Bianca, all I'm saying is that you should be careful. Don't go into this blind."

"I appreciate your concern, but we'll just have to agree to disagree on this. Look, I have to go."

"Talk to you later?"

Bianca didn't respond to my question, and she didn't answer my texts or calls later. She was upset, and I hate that I'm the one that caused that. I probably could have handled that better. Maybe she's right. Maybe my experience with JR is causing me to not see things clearly. I just can't shake this feeling that something bad is going to happen. Something that will cause Bianca and the girls to get hurt. I can't let that happen. I won't let that happen.

Marissa answered her cell. "Hi, Krystal. Slow down! I can't understand what you're saying. What's wrong?" She listened as her mother told her what was happening at the restaurant. "Okay. I'm almost there. I don't care what you have to do, but don't let them leave." Marissa shook her head. Damn it! I knew something wasn't right.

Five minutes later, Marissa parked her car in the loading zone in front of the restaurant. She didn't have time to look for a parking space. She almost knocked Kendall over as she ran into Krystal's. She was just in time to see a man trying to coax Miranda to come with him. She recognized the voice and accent. He was Reese's attorney. AJ was in between the man and a frightened Miranda. The two children had a death grip on each other's hands. Krystal was holding a crying Gabby while keeping a woman away from her.

"Get away from her! Krystal, take the kids to the backroom."

AJ looked up at his mother. "Everything's going to be okay now, Miranda. My mom's here, and she won't let anything happen to you or Gabby. Right, Mom?"

Marissa looked at her son and smiled. "That's right, buddy. Go with the girls and grandma."

The man spoke up. "But don't you girls want to see…"

Marissa glared at him. "Don't! Krystal, take them to the backroom, now."

Her mother nodded and left with the children.

Kendall recovered from her shock and turned to her sister's friend. "What's going on, Marissa? Who are these people? Why are they trying to take the girls?"

"Ah, you must be Marissa Tasker. Ms. Montgomery's attorney. I am…"

"I know who you are. I'm not sure who she is, Kendall, but this is Reese's lawyer."

"Her lawyer! I thought Reese was coming in a couple of days. What's going on?" Kendall's anger was starting to get the better of her.

Marissa turned to her. "Kendall, why don't you check on the girls, and let me handle this. I've got it. Trust me."

Kendall looked at Marissa. Her voice and demeanor were calm, but the look in eyes could be described as nothing short of furious. She knew that there was no way in hell Marissa was going to let anything happen to her sister's children. Kendall nodded, but she stayed exactly where she was.

The redhead turned back to the man and woman. "Would you care to tell me what the hell you think you're doing here?"

"There's been a change in plans."

"A change in plans?"

"Yes, Ms. Williams will not be able to make it here for her visit."

"I see. Exactly what does that have to do with your being here?"

"My client asked us to come and bring the children home to Paris."

"They are home!" Kendall snapped.

"Kendall. I've got this. Neither my client nor myself were informed of this change of plans."

"Ms. Williams didn't think there would be a problem changing plans since the children are off school next week."

"Well, Ms. Williams was wrong. Ms. Montgomery is the custodial parent. Any final decisions concerning the children's well-being and any travel plans are made by her and her alone. She wouldn't dream of her children traveling out of the country without accompanying them herself, and she would never agree to have them go with strangers."

"But my client is their mother as well."

"Yes, she is, but my client has full custody in case you or your client forgot. They're not going anywhere with you."

"Their mother only wants to see them."

"Then, she can here to do it. I know what you're up to."

"I'm confused here, Marissa. Exactly, what is going on?" Kendall asked.

Marissa's eyes never left the man's face as she answered Kendall. "It seems that Reese has changed her mind again. I'm not sure why, but she has. Maybe it's some sort of power play. Maybe she wants Bianca back, and this is her twisted way of making that happen. I don't know. By having the children in her custody in France though, she has the edge in any possible custody dispute. The matter will have to go through their court system to be settled."

"I thought the issue of custody was settled."

"It is. Your sister has full custody. Reese agreed to that. Signed the papers too."

"My client simply wants to see her children."

"If that were the case, she wouldn't have sent you here two days before her scheduled visit. She would have contacted my client about 'a change in plans' and not set up some sort of surprise attack. You can tell your client that if she wants to see the girls that she can simply come here to do so, and if she does, it will be a supervised visit."

The man's phone rang, and he looked at the caller id. Marissa could tell by his expression who it was. She grabbed the phone and answered it.

"Reese. Hi, this is Marissa Tasker, Bianca's attorney. Yeah, today isn't going to turn out like you thought it would. Miranda and Gabby will be staying here, at home in Pine Valley. If you want to see them, you'll have to come here, and you won't be seeing them by yourself. You just lost that right with this little stunt of your's. The only reason I won't be bringing charges this time is because it would hurt Bianca and the girls too much. Try something like this again though, and being charged with custodial interference and attempted kidnapping, we'll be the least of your worries. Nice talking to you." She flipped the phone back to the man.

"You are not permitted to address my client like that. I should report you to your state's bar."

"Go ahead. Report me. I'll have you and your friend here arrested for attempted kidnapping." The contempt was evident in her voice, and the look on her face left no doubt that she was deadly serious.

The pair had no reply and left in a huff.

Kendall could see Marissa starting to shake. She placed an arm around her. "Are you okay?"

Marissa took a deep breath. "I will be. I just need a minute."

"Take your time. I'll go get the kids and tell them the coast is clear. You know, Bianca was about you. You are a pretty kick ass attorney."

Marissa smiled slightly at the compliment. "Thanks, but I don't feel so kick ass right now. Your sister is going to be upset."

"You're right, she will be. She was hoping to keep things nice between the two of them if Reese ever decided to get in touch with the girls again. This is going to be hard for her. Bianca told me you had a feeling something was off with this. It looks like you were right."

"Kendall, you don't know how much I wanted to be wrong."

"I think I do, and Bianca will know too. Let me get the kids."

By the time the children came racing out of the backroom, Marissa had calmed down enough to greet them with a smile.

AJ reached her first and hugged her. "I told you my mom would take care of things."

Miranda nodded and hugged Marissa. "Are they gone?"

"Yes, Sweetie. They're gone. The two of you aren't going anywhere. You and Gabby are safe."

"Rissa!" Gabby reached for Marissa. Her faced was stained with tears. She clung to Marissa's neck.

"It's alright, Baby. It's going to be alright. I promise. Why don't we all sit down. Krystal, could we maybe have some milk and cookies? Kendall, could you try Bianca again? Let her know everything is okay."

The women nodded and set off to complete their assignments.

Marissa held Gabby on her lap and put an arm around Miranda, holding her tightly to her side. AJ sat next to Miranda still holding her hand. Marissa started to hum the song her father sang to her when she was scared. It had the same calming effect on the children that it had on her.

"Bianca is on her way. She was at an offsite meeting, and her cell didn't have reception."

"How did she sound?"

"As well as you can expect. Is everyone okay here?"

"I think we're getting there. Could you do me a favor and move my car? I'm blocking the loading zone for Krystal, and I think she has a delivery coming soon. Maybe hang outside for a few minutes to make sure everything and everyone is okay."

Kendall got the hidden meaning behind the simple request. It would be a good idea to intercept Bianca and calm her down before seeing the girls. "I'd be happy to. I'll be right back."

Marissa nodded and resumed humming her song.

Kendall was walking back from moving Marissa's car when she saw Bianca running towards Krystal's. She caught up with her right before she entered the restaurant. "Bianca!"

"Kendall! Are the girls okay?"

"They're fine. They're with Marissa. Let's sit down for a minute, okay? You don't want them to see you like this."

"You're right. Tell me what happened."

Kendall related everything that had happened. Opal had been watching the girls but needed to run a last minute errand, and she had left them with Krystal who was already watching AJ. Once Reese's lawyer showed up, everything went to hell in a hand basket.

"I can't believe Reese. What the hell was she thinking? I wanted her to see the girls, to have a relationship with them. They missed her. Now, I just don't know. I can't trust her. To pull something like this! To try and take them without me knowing! To scare them like that!"

"I don't know what to tell you. All I know is that I'm glad Marissa was here. She was amazing."

"Oh, Kendall. I was mean to her yesterday. She tried to tell me, tried to warn me, that something wasn't right, but I wouldn't listen. I shut her down, ignored her when she tried to check on me last night. All she was doing was trying to protect me and the girls. She must hate me."

"Bianca, she doesn't hate you. She cares about you and the girls too much. Whose idea do you think it was to have me wait out here for you? She wanted to make sure you were okay before you saw the girls. That's not someone who hates you. That is someone who cares about you a great deal."

"I guess you're right."

"You know I am. Are you ready to see the girls?"

Bianca took a deep breath. "Yes. Let's go."

What Bianca saw when she entered the restaurant, both broke and healed her heart at the same time. She could tell the girls had been upset, but she could also tell that Marissa had taken care of her daughters better than anyone else could have. Miranda was leaning against her as Marissa held a protective arm around her oldest daughter. AJ was sitting on the other side of Miranda, holding her hand. Gabby was in Marissa's lap and snuggled tightly against her. Marissa was softly humming to them. Bianca didn't recognize the tune, but it had a calming effect on the children.

Marissa glanced up and saw Bianca. She whispered to Miranda who looked up and immediately saw her mother and ran to her.

Bianca held her oldest daughter. "Hi, Sweetie. Are you okay?"

"I think so. That man was scary, Mom, but Marissa made him go away."

Her daughter was trying so hard to be brave. "I'm glad she was here. She's been taking good care of you?"

Miranda nodded. "Yep. AJ's been helping too."

Bianca looked over at the little boy who was still standing guard over his friend. "Thank you, AJ." She kissed him on the cheek, and he blushed.

"You're welcome. Mom was really brave. I knew everything was going to okay when I saw her."

Bianca could only nod as Marissa made her way over to them. Gabby reached for her.

"Hi, Baby. Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"

Her youngest daughter nodded and snuggled into her.

Kendall is right. Marissa is amazing. I don't know what I'd do without her. She saved my daughters and me. I've never had anyone stand up for me like that. I've never had anyone protect my children like that. She could've been disbarred for what she said to Reese, but she did that without giving it a second thought for her career. Reese would never have done that. Bianca's voice broke as she whispered to Marissa. "Thank you. I can never thank you enough…"

"You're welcome. You don't owe me anything. Are you okay to get home?"

"We'll be fine. Marissa, I'm sorry…"

"Bianca, don't. It's fine. We're fine. Take your girls home." Marissa hugged her tightly. "Call me later if you want to talk." She knelt down and kissed Miranda on the top her head, gave her a hug and whispered, "Love you, Miranda."

"Love you, Marissa."

Gabby reached for her again. "Love you, Rissa."

"I love you too, Gabby." She handed the adorable little girl back to Bianca. "Come on, AJ. Let's go home."

Marissa again turned back to Bianca. "Take care of yourself. Call me. It doesn't matter what time, okay?"

Bianca nodded. "I will."