A/N: Thank you as always for the great reviews. They mean a lot to me. Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I ran into a little bit of a writer's block. I hate those things. Luckily, I was able to get around it. I'm picking up this chapter just a little later the same night as the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

/

When the kids had asked her to stay to hear Marissa read their nightly bedtime story, Kendall had agreed. She had to admit that her curiosity was piqued having heard how entertaining the redhead was from her sister and their kids. The children quickly changed into their pajamas and hurried back downstairs to the family room so there was enough room for all six to sit comfortably. Gabby, still holding her new stuffed monkey, claimed her usual spot on Marissa's lap while AJ and Miranda settled on either side of her with Bianca sitting next to Miranda. The moods of both of the older children had improved greatly after opening up to their mothers. For Miranda though, it was as if a huge burden had been lifted from her, and being in between both women was just extra special for her tonight. The relief was evident to both women, and they were extremely grateful to see it. As for Bianca, not only was her position one in which she could provide that extra boost to Miranda, she was also within an easy arm's reach of Marissa. As Kendall observed the family sitting together on the sofa, she couldn't help but smile and send a silent thank you out to the universe for finally giving her little sister the happiness that was long overdue and that had eluded her for so long.

"I have to say that I'm impressed, Red. This crew told me that you were quite the storyteller, but I have to admit that I thought they were exaggerating. I have to say though that I don't think they did you justice. I always thought I had a way with a story, but you don't know how much I hate to admit this, you put me to shame. I don't hold a candle to you. Would you be interested in making a little extra money on the side? You could always come over to my place and read for the boys if you are." Kendall grinned.

Marissa chuckled softly, careful not to wake Gabby who was snuggled on her lap still clutching her stuffed monkey. The little girl had fallen asleep while Marissa was midway through the second of the two bedtime stories. "I'll keep that in mind for Christmas." The redhead looked down at the older children who were fighting sleep themselves. "It seems as if I'm on the verge of losing the majority of my audience."

"I think maybe it was the second story that Mimo insisted on you reading." Bianca smiled. "I think one was probably the limit."

Miranda perked up upon hearing her name and smiled brightly. She had been very pleased with her reasoning for hearing a second story. "We didn't get a story last night so you kinda owed us another one since we get a story every night."

Marissa looked at her son. "And you were no help to me at all, mister, taking Mimo's side like that."

AJ grinned and saw the amused look on his mother's face. "Sorry, mom, but Miranda's right. You owed us another story."

Bianca chuckled. "It sounds like Mimo was making a good case for, what do you call it? Oh yeah, breach of contract. That would be your influence, counselor."

Marissa saw the smirk on her girlfriend's face and couldn't hold back her smile. She arched an eyebrow and looked at Bianca and Miranda. "No more reading my law books, you two!" The redhead turned to Kendall. "See what I'm up against? I've got no backup here. Help me out, Curly."

Kendall laughed. "Sorry, Red, but you're on your own. I know better than to get in the middle of this. I've seen that look in their eyes before, and I'm not crossing them. Besides, if you weren't so entertaining maybe they wouldn't have a case."

"Fine, I see how it is. There will be no stories for the Slaters." Marissa smirked.

"That's too bad, Red. They would've loved story time with Aunt Marissa. Hey, there's something I'm curious about. I know you're a great lawyer. I've seen you in action. You have this great creative side to you though too. I have it on very good authority that you can sing. I've also witnessed first-hand tonight that you can dance and have pretty impressive storytelling capabilities. So, where'd all that stuff come from anyway?"

"You can either blame or thank my parents for all of that." Gabby started to stir. "I better get this one in bed before she wakes up."

Bianca nodded. "You're right. I'll help you. We'll be back so no plotting against us with Aunt Kendall." Marissa carried the sleeping Gabby upstairs with Bianca trailing closely behind.

Kendall turned serious. "Okay, you two, we need to talk. I know what's been going on with Amber."

Miranda and AJ looked at other with each making a face.

"I know you didn't want to worry your moms, but this was an awful lot for you to keep to yourselves. You don't have to deal with something like this, or anything else really, all on your own. You have a family to help you. That's what we're here for. So, if you think you can't talk to your moms for some reason, which you do know you can talk to them about anything, right?"

Both children nodded. "We know."

"Good. Now, if you don't think you can talk to them for whatever reason, you can always come to me, Uncle Zach, Greenlee, Jack, Tad or Krystal, or if you need to pull out the guns, Erica. Okay?"

The children nodded again and smiled. "Okay."

Miranda grinned. "Erica would really take care of them."

Kendall saw the glint in her niece's eyes. It was pure Kane and told her that a big part of Miranda would enjoy seeing that. So would Kendall. "Yes, she would, but your moms are more than able to take care of anything that comes their way. I've seen them both in action so you can trust me on that. I just want to make sure that you know you're not alone. We've got a big family, and we're there for each other, have each other's backs. Got it?"

AJ nodded and smiled. "Got it, Aunt Kendall!"

Miranda nodded with a smile of her own. "I got it too, Aunt Kendall!"

"Good! Now, Miranda, that was a very nice job of getting that extra story tonight …"

/

Bianca turned down Gabby's bed, and Marissa laid her down gently before tucking her in. Gabby stirred again and opened her eyes. A slight pout started to form on her face when she realized where she was. "I didn't get to hear the rest of the story."

The women sat down on the bed on either side of Gabby. Marissa smiled. "I know, monkey. I'll make you a deal. You stop fighting the sandman, and I'll finish up the story for you tomorrow."

"Just for me?"

"Yep, just for you. We'll do it tomorrow morning when it's just the three of us."

"That sounds pretty good to me, Gabby. What do you think?"

Gabby yawned and nodded sleepily. "Sounds good. Night, mommy. Love you."

Bianca gave her a gentle kiss. "Good night, baby. I love you too."

Gabby turned and settled further down, hugging her stuffed monkey tightly. "Thank you for my monkey. Will you help me come up with a name for him?"

Marissa smiled. "You're welcome, and I would be happy to."

Another big yawn escaped from Gabby as she closed her eyes. "Night. Love you too, mommy."

All it took was that one word to bring tears to the eyes of both women. Marissa kissed Gabby's forehead. "Good night, monkey. I love you too." They sat watching their youngest child sleep for several minutes before getting up.

Bianca slipped an arm around Marissa's waist as they walked into the hallway. "Are you okay, Rissa?"

A radiant smile crossed the redhead's face. "I'm more than okay, B. What about you? Are you okay with her calling me …"

"Stop it right there. I couldn't be happier with Gabby calling you mommy. To know that she loves you unconditionally is one of the best things in the world. You've never pushed or prodded her to call you that. She's deciding to do that all on her own. It's a title you have more than earned, and I love sharing it with you." Bianca pulled her close for a tender kiss.

Marissa sighed when they separated. "I guess we should get back downstairs to the others."

"Ah, those two other tiny terrors of our's. We don't want to leave them alone with Kendall too long. She just might start to corrupt them." Bianca laughed.

/

"And then your mom …"

"Kendall!"

"Oh hi, Binx. Did you get Gabby settled down?" Kendall glanced up and saw Marissa and Bianca coming into the family room.

"Yes, we did. I'm sure I don't want to know what you've been telling these two. I'll just remind you that I have stories of my own to share with Spike and Ian."

"Point taken! No stories about my sister. Sorry, guys, but you'll understand one day."

"What about Rissa?"

"Yeah, do you have any stories about mom?"

"Well, there is this one time …"

Bianca shook her head. "No stories about her either. What goes for me, goes for her."

Marissa grinned. "Thank you!"

"My pleasure!"

"Okay, no stories about any moms. So, Red, you were going to tell me how you became so creative."

"It's not that exciting of a story, and I'm sure you'll be bored."

"That isn't true. It's a very good story. Are you okay with telling it though?" Bianca smiled.

AJ looked at his mother. "Yeah, mom, tell us."

"I wanna know, Rissa." Miranda chimed in.

The redhead smiled at Bianca. "I'm okay with it." She looked at the other three. "Okay, I'll tell you, but remember, I warned you. The short story is that I got it from my parents. The singing, dancing and storytelling, all of it, is all from them."

"You mean from Grandma Krystal or Grandma Lydia?" AJ asked.

"This would be your Grandma Lydia and Grandpa Roy." Marissa paused with a wistful look and shook her head. They would've loved to have been called grandma and grandpa. "Oh, they would have loved you guys and spoiled you rotten. They would've bragged about you to everyone. It wouldn't have just been to their friends either. They would've been stopping strangers on the street to talk about the three of you. They were the best parents, and they were always there for me. It didn't matter what or when or where. If I needed them, they were always there. I could always count on them." She paused briefly before continuing. "Now, they both loved to sing."

"Grandpa Roy gave you that song, right?"

"That's right, buddy, but my mom loved to sing too. She had the best voice. She was in our church choir and would be given solos all the time. I'd come home from school or playing and would hear her singing, and depending on what she was singing, I could tell what kind of mood she was in, if she was happy or sad. Both of them taught me a lot about music, to appreciate all kinds of it and that it can make you feel all kinds of different emotions. It can make you feel happy or sad, make you laugh or cry, make you think."

"Kinda like how your song helps me feel better and not afraid?"

"Exactly like that, Mimo. Sometimes, when I can't find the words to tell how …" Marissa heard Bianca and Kendall snicker. "That's enough from the peanut gallery."

"Sorry, Red, but I have yet to see you left speechless by anything. Is that even possible?"

"It's possible. It's just not something that happens all that often though."

Marissa smiled at Bianca. "You would know more than anyone else because you not only leave me speechless, but you also manage to take my breath away."

Bianca sighed happily and rewarded her girlfriend with her favorite grin. The two gazed at each other until Kendall cleared her throat drawing away the focus the couple had on each other and back to the rest of the group.

"Sorry. Where was I? Oh yeah, sometimes when I can't find the right words to express how I feel, I know I'll be able to find a song that will. Every once in a while when I was growing up, I would hear one of them singing to the other one. I always knew how they felt about each other. Now, dancing was just another extension of that. It's always been a good release. It's fun and a way to celebrate life. I remember waking up and hearing music playing downstairs. I'd sneak out of my room and would catch them dancing. That's when I saw them as more than just my parents. It was in those moments that they were just Roy and Lydia. It always made me happy. You see, it was in those unguarded moments that I could see exactly how much they loved each other. That was the kind of relationship and love that I wanted to have, and now, I do." Marissa smiled at Bianca who nodded and smiled just as brightly as the redhead.

Miranda and AJ grinned at each other remembering seeing the two of them dancing earlier. They saw how their moms looked at each other and knew exactly what Marissa was talking about. "What about the stories? Did they teach you that too?" Miranda asked.

"They did. First, my dad would tell the stories at night, but then, he started to have to travel some for work. Mom decided she had to step it up once she had to take over."

"He couldn't call you like you did with us?"

"Not really, AJ. It wasn't as easy to do back then. Not everybody had a cellphone. They weren't as common. Dad didn't have one. When he called home, he had to call from his hotel and that could be expensive depending where he was, and we didn't have a lot of money. When you travel, you're only given so much money for your trip, and they keep an eye on what you charge to your room. So, my dad had to watch what he did with what he was given."

"They didn't have cellphones?"

Marissa chuckled. "Not like they do today. Now, don't get me wrong. Mom did a good job telling the stories, but my dad made a production out of them. When he wasn't there, we both missed them, almost as much as we missed him. That's when she decided to change it up a little, and pretty soon, her stories matched my dad's. After that, she would volunteer reading to kids in the hospital or at the library. My dad would volunteer too, except he would sing and play the piano. He never sang my song though to those others. That song was special and was only for me and mom."

"They sound great, Red."

"They really were. They helped a lot of people, had a lot of friends. If anyone needed anything, they knew that Roy and Lydia Tasker would be there to help. They always stood up for what they believed in, never backed down from a fight and were always there for family and friends. They couldn't stand people who took advantage of others or bullied them. I learned all of that from them, how important it was to help others, stand up for what you believe in and yourself, and to be true to who you are. I learned the importance of family and friends. I saw everything they did and how much it meant to people. I wanted to come up with my own way to help. I thought about that for a long time, about what I could do. One day, it hit me. I decided I wanted to be a lawyer. You see, some of the people that they helped, or tried to, needed but couldn't afford a lawyer. Then, there were others who could afford one but ended up getting a lousy one, someone who didn't know what they were doing or just didn't care. They didn't do a good job. They just wanted the money. Those were the ones that really bothered my parents. I decided that I would become a lawyer they could be proud of, one that I could be proud of."

"You did. You became just that. They would be very proud of you, Rissa." Bianca smiled.

"Thank you. I'd like to think they would be. When I told them what I wanted to do, dad asked me if I was sure that's what I wanted to do with my life. He told me it would be hard work and wouldn't be easy sometimes, and he was right about that. He also wanted me to be sure that I was doing it for me and not because I thought it was something that I thought him and mom wanted me to do. He knew if I was doing it for them and not myself that I wouldn't really be happy. I thought about it, and it was what I really wanted to do. I told him that, and he was as proud as he could be. He would introduce me to any and every one as 'my daughter, the future, brilliant lawyer'." Marissa smiled at the memory.

Bianca reached over the children sitting in between them and softly caressed the redhead's cheek. Marissa saw the concern in her eyes. Bianca knew it was hard sometimes for her girlfriend to talk about her parents to others, and she wanted to make sure she was okay. Marissa smiled and gave her a wink to let her know she was alright.

Kendall witnessed what happened between the couple and smiled. She had never heard Marissa really discuss her childhood and her parents before, but it was clear to her that her sister had. She also knew Bianca was the reason that Marissa was opening up about them. The love and concern between the two warmed her heart. She also now had a very good insight into why Marissa was who she was. "Well, it seems to me that you are an awful lot like them, and Bianca's right. They would be very proud of you, Marissa."

"Thank you, Kendall. I appreciate that. They would've liked you. My dad had the same twisted sense of humor that runs in this family."

"Us twisted? I don't know what you're talking about, Red." Kendall smirked.

"Right, I'm sure you don't."

"What about your mom?"

"She had a good sense of humor, but it wasn't as twisted or as goofy as dad's. She was the definitely the optimist in the family, always saw the good in people first, tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. The one thing you didn't do though was say something about her family. That was a line you did not cross if you knew what was good for you. There was a girl in our neighborhood who decided to pick on me for one reason or the other when I was about Gabby's age, and the girl was a couple of years older than me. Her mother wouldn't acknowledge that it was wrong or that it should stop. Mom had a little one on one with the woman. I don't know what she said. She never would tell me. I only know that the girl never bothered me again, and the woman avoided mom at all costs."

"I definitely would've liked them." Kendall checked the time. "It's getting late, and I better get home. Zach and the boys will be getting back soon. Welcome home, Red, and thanks for letting me crash your family night."

"I'm glad you could stay, Curly. I had a good time."

"I did too. I'll see you all later." Kendall walked with her sister to the door. "Good night, Binx, and thanks for letting me stay."

"Good night, Kendall, and you're welcome. Thank you again for getting Marissa home early and for watching the kids. I owe you."

"Any time, and let me know if you need any help with, as Red called them, dumb and dumber. See you later."

Bianca locked the door behind her sister and walked back into the family room. She looked at AJ and Miranda and saw they were fighting a losing battle with sleep. Her eyes met Marissa's. "We need to get these two to bed."

"We're not tired, mom."

"You heard your mom, Miranda. It's way past your and AJ's bedtime. Let's go. You too, buddy."

AJ was going to protest but decided against it when he saw the look on his mom's face. He nodded and headed upstairs next to Miranda with their moms following behind.

Miranda carefully carried her music box into her room, looking for the perfect place to put it while Marissa and Bianca took AJ into his room. When he was settled into bed, the women sat next to him. "I'm glad your home, mom. I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too, buddy. I'm glad you were there for Miranda. I'm proud of you for doing that, and like Bianca told you earlier, you're not in any trouble. If something like this happens again though, I want you to come to me or Bianca, and let us know. Okay?"

"Okay, mom, I will. What are you going to do?"

"You don't need worry about that, buddy. Your mom and I are going to take care of it." Bianca smiled.

AJ grinned. "Like Grandma Lydia when you were little?"

Marissa smiled. "Just like Grandma Lydia."

"Good because Miranda's a great sister and so is Gabby. I don't like it when they're sad."

"Neither do we. Bianca and I are going to do our best to make sure that doesn't happen. Okay?"

"Okay!"

"Good night, buddy. I love you."

"Love you too, mom. Love you too, Bianca. Night."

"I love you too. Good night, buddy."

AJ yawned and turned on his side and drifted off to sleep.

The couple paused outside of the girls' bedroom. "You ready, B?"

Bianca nodded. "I am. Let's talk to her."

Miranda was sitting in bed waiting for them. Gabby was sprawled across her bed sound asleep. Marissa smiled and crossed the room. As she got Gabby resettled in her bed and covered her back up, Bianca sat down next to Miranda. Marissa joined them a minute a later.

"I guess you two have talked, huh mom?"

"Marissa and I have talked a little about what's been happening, but we haven't had a chance to discuss it fully yet. First, I need you to be honest with us. How are you really doing?"

"Well, I think I'm okay. I'm better now after talking with Rissa. What Amber was saying was starting to bother me a little. It wasn't because I thought it was true, cause I don't! I know Marissa would never leave us like that or hurt us like that." Miranda turned to look squarely at the redhead. "I trust you, Rissa. I know you're not like the others. I know you're never going to leave us. I know how much you love mom and me and Gabby. I know we're family, and we're always be gonna be one."

Marissa grinned. "You're right on all counts, and I'm glad you know it. You, Gabby, AJ and your mom mean everything to me, and I don't want you to ever doubt or forget that."

Miranda smiled. "I won't!"

Bianca brushed a lock of hair from her daughter's face, relieved to see how sure she was in her belief in Marissa. "If you know all of that, what bothered you about what Amber was saying?"

"Amber was just so mean about what she said. It made me mad, but then she started saying that stuff about AJ. I really didn't like that. He's always been there when I need him, and I didn't want her to say that stuff to him and hurt him. He's the best brother in the world, and I didn't want him upset. It's not his fault what his dad did."

"I'm glad you think that about him, and you're right. He has been there for all of us. He's also not to blame for anything his dad has done. He's really nothing like him."

"No, he's not. He's like his mom Rissa!" Miranda smiled, turning back to the redhead.

Marissa smiled and kissed the top of Miranda's head. "Thank you, Mimo. That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me."

Bianca smiled. "You're right. He is just like his mom. That was very brave of you to do that, and I'm proud of you for doing it. We both are. Why didn't you tell us what was going on though?"

Miranda made a face. "I thought I could take care of it by myself. AJ was helping me at first, but then she started saying stuff about him to me. Since Marissa wasn't home, you were doing a lot of stuff to take care of us. And those bad people broke into your office, and I knew you were worried about that and working hard to get things fixed. I knew how much you missed Marissa too because you weren't sleeping like you do when she's here. I didn't want you to worry about anything else. I didn't tell Marissa cause I knew she'd get worried cause she wasn't here, and I knew what she was doing at her conference was important. I figured if she knew, she'd leave early, and I didn't want her to get into any trouble if she did that. By the time things got really bad, I thought I might be in trouble for not saying something sooner."

The women looked at each other and sighed. Miranda was so young but was well beyond her years. She had been carrying what had to feel like the weight of the world on her small shoulders out of love, loyalty and the need to protect those she loved.

Bianca stroked her daughter's cheek. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Marissa says I'm just like you. She says I'm a 'mini-Bianca'." Miranda said with pride.

Bianca saw the smile that Marissa was trying to hide, and chuckled while she shook her head. "More than I'd like to admit." She turned serious. "Let's get a few things straight. Actually, since I'm sure Marissa has already said some if not all of this, let's reinforce a few things. Neither you nor AJ are in trouble for any of this. You are not responsible for the things Amber is saying. Understand?"

Miranda nodded. "I understand."

"Good. You, Gabby and AJ are the three most important people in the world to Marissa and me. There's nothing or no one we love more than you. That means that no matter where we are or what we are doing, you all come first. Anything else is nowhere close to being as important or meaning as much to us as you, and we'll deal with whatever else may be going on after we take care of you and know that you are alright. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Now, I know you think you have to protect me because of the things that have happened in the past, and I love so much for that. You don't have to though. I'm pretty tough and can handle a lot more than people give me credit for. What I can't handle, I have Marissa to help me with now. You know what she's like. She's more than ready, willing and able to take on anybody who messes with me or you guys."

"I know. Aunt Kendall and Greenlee were talking. They said if they are ever if a fight they want Red, I mean Marissa, to be on their side." Miranda grinned.

Both women chuckled. "They did, huh? Well, I want them on my side too. What else did they say?" Marissa asked.

"They said you handed whatshername her …" Miranda gave them sheepish grin. "I don't think I'm supposed to say that other word."

Marissa quirked an eyebrow and quickly hid a smirk while Bianca did her best to keep a straight face seeing her girlfriend's reaction. "No, you're not. I'm going to have to talk to my sister and cousin."

"Don't be mad at them, mom. They were whispering and stopped talking as soon as they saw me. Who's whatshername and what'd she do?"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that. They were right about Marissa taking care of her though. I'm not mad at Greenlee and Aunt Kendall. Okay, that's enough about them. The point of what I was saying is that you don't have to worry about me as much or try and protect me as much. If something like this ever happens again, I need you to promise me that you'll tell us and not keep it from us. You're not alone. You've got us."

Miranda smiled. "I promise."

"I can't tell you how happy I am to see you smile. I've missed that. Alright, Marissa and I are going to take care of this."

"What are you going to do?"

"Marissa and I are going to talk and figure something out. The important thing is that we're going to make sure this stops. Amber is not going to bother you, AJ or anyone else any more. I don't want you to worry about it. Okay?"

"Okay, I won't, mom. Thanks and I'm sorry I didn't tell you and Marissa sooner."

"That's okay. We know now, and because we do, we can do something about it."

Marissa looked at Miranda. "She's right, you know."

"Yeah, she's right a lot." She turned to Bianca. "Marissa told me a lot of the same stuff earlier, mom."

"I figured she did. She's right a lot of the time too."

"Yep, she is." Miranda yawned.

"Okay, time for you to go to sleep."

Miranda nodded and crawled further under her covers. "Rissa, did you see where I put my music box?" She pointed to the top of the bookcase.

"I did, and I think it looks perfect there. I'm glad you like it."

"I love it. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'm glad you're home, Rissa. I missed you. Thanks for making me feel better. Love you. Night."

Marissa kissed her good night. "I missed you too. I'm glad I could help. I love you too. Good night, Mimo."

"Night, mom. I really do feel better now that I talked to you and Rissa. Thank you. I promise to talk to you guys about stuff like this from now on. Love you."

"Good night, Mimo. I'm glad you're feeling better, and that you know you can talk to us about anything. We will always be there for you. I love you too." Bianca kissed her daughter good night.

Miranda nodded and smiled as she closed her eyes. She was soon fast asleep.

The women got up carefully and quietly left the room. Once in the hallway, Bianca looked at Marissa. "I'll get the lights downstairs and meet you in our room."

"I'll see you there." Marissa quickly changed into her pajamas and pulled out her laptop. She had an idea and needed to do some research.

When Bianca got to their bedroom, she saw Marissa biting her lip in concentration and making notes on a legal pad. The brunette closed the bedroom door behind her and ducked into the bathroom and changed into her pajamas.

Marissa glanced up when her girlfriend came back into the room. Bianca sat down next to the redhead. "Do you want to start, or do you want me to?"