A/N: I'm back, a little sooner than I thought. It turns out that Mother Nature had other plans for me regarding my vacation this year. A storm went through exactly where I was planning on going and knocked out the power there resulting in no place to stay. This changed my vacation into a stay-cation. Oh well, what are you going to do?

This chapter picks up where I left off with the previous one. I feel obligated to give a warning. Sam's life over the last several months is mentioned, and some might consider it a trigger. This is done to explain why she's done what she has.

Thanks for the reviews! I really do appreciate them so please keep them coming! Hope you enjoy this update!

/

"Mom, are you okay?"

Bianca's head snapped over in the direction of Miranda's voice and saw the worried expression on her oldest daughter's face across the dinner table from her. "I'm fine, Mimo. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. You just seem kinda sad."

"Yeah, you kinda do, Bianca, and you aren't really eating your dinner." AJ added.

"You're quiet too, mom, and you keep looking over at Rissa's chair. Is everything okay with you guys?"

"Are you guys fighting?" AJ now wore the same worried expression that Miranda did. He remembered the fights his mom used to have with his dad.

"When will mommy be home?" Gabby asked, deciding to join the conversation after listening to her brother and sister question their mother.

Bianca looked around at her children, and for the second time that day, she wanted to kick herself. She thought she had been doing such a good job of keeping the inner turmoil she was going through from the kids, but once again, she was wrong. "You three are too smart for my own good."

Miranda smiled. "Rissa says that all the time."

"Yes, she does, and she's right." Bianca paused, thinking of how to answer each question. "I am a little sad because, well because I messed up. I did something that made Marissa mad."

"What'd you do?" Miranda asked.

"Well, I did something after I promised her that I wouldn't, and then, I asked her to help even though I knew it would be hard for her to do it."

"Why'd you do that, Bianca?"

"Well, buddy, I was trying to help someone, and even though I still believe I'm right in doing that, I went about it all wrong. I should have talked with Marissa first, been more open with her about it. Now, she's mad at me, and she has every right to be."

"Did you tell her you're sorry, mommy?"

"I started to, Gabby, but we got interrupted before I could really apologize to her. I haven't been able to talk with her since this happened."

"You have to make sure you tell her you're sorry, mom. Rissa will understand, and she'll forgive you."

"Oh, I plan on it as soon as I see her. You really think she'll forgive me, huh?"

"Yep, I do." Miranda answered confidently.

"You didn't mean to do it, right, Bianca?"

"No, AJ, I didn't. I would never knowingly hurt her or make her mad. The same goes for the three of you. I just messed up."

The young boy nodded thoughtfully. "Then, I think Miranda's right. Mom will forgive you because she loves you a lot and will be able to see that you're really sorry, and that you mean it. It'll be okay. It's not like the fights she used to have with my dad. He said he was sorry, but he really wasn't sometimes, and mom could tell. She knows you're not like him and wouldn't hurt her on purpose."

Bianca could believe how lucky she was to have such understanding, insightful and caring children. "Thank you, AJ."

"You're welcome."

"Now to answer your question, Gabby, I'm not exactly sure when she'll be home. Marissa is helping me out with something, and it could take her a while. When we did talk earlier though, she said she would definitely be home. If I know her, she'll try her best to get home as soon as she can."

All three smiled with that answer, relieved with her assurance.

"Do you feel better, mom?"

"Yes, I do, Miranda. Thank you. You know, you guys are kind of awesome."

The three children beamed in response. "We know!"

Bianca chuckled at their response and watch as the kids continued their dinner. Bianca still couldn't bring herself to eat, but she had told the kids the truth. They really did manage to make her feel better.

/

Marissa leaned forward. "You have to tell us who else was involved with the break-in, Sam. Are you willing to do that? Because unless you are, I won't be able to help you."

Sam looked at the redhead and could tell she wanted to help, but part of her was still too scared. "I don't wanna go back there."

"Go back where? The foster home you were living in?"

The girl nodded, unable to say more.

Marissa had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had been lucky on several counts. First, she counted her blessings that Roy and Lydia and Tasker had adopted her, and they were the amazing parents that they were to her. The alternative to them made her shudder. Second, she had been lucky that she had been old enough to have avoided the foster care system after she lost them. In her legal dealings, however, she was all too familiar with it now. There were some wonderful people that were a part of it, and they provided excellent care and loving homes for children in need of them. They were the ones like her parents. Those kids, well, those kids were the lucky ones. On the flip side however, she had heard the horror stories. Children were taken in as a way to supplement incomes, the families having received money from the state for taking them in, or they were used as a cheap source of labor and given no more than a bed and a meal for working their fingers to the bone. There were cases of abuse and neglect that would make a person's skin crawl and leave them wondering how someone could do anything like that to anyone, particularly a child. Looking at Sam and seeing the fear and pain in her eyes, it was evident that she had been one of the unfortunate ones. Something bad had happened in that home. How bad things were, Marissa didn't know yet, but she was determined to find out and put a stop to it. Sam had finally asked for help, and the redhead was damn well going to do what she could to make sure she got it and that she was safe. This wasn't just Bianca's cause now. It was Marissa's also.

"What happened there, Sam? If you can, I need you to tell me. I might be able to help and make sure it doesn't happen again and that you don't go back there. I just need you to tell me. I know it's hard to trust someone. I'm hoping you can let yourself trust me enough to be able to help you though."

"When I told the last social worker what happened it just made everything worse and got me into trouble with the Allen's."

"That's the name of your foster family, right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, that's them. I told the social worker what was going on. I was hoping she might be able fix things, stop what was happening, but it didn't fix anything. It made everything worse. I shoulda known better because I could tell she really didn't believe me. She said they had a lot of people that knew the Allen's, and no one had ever said anything bad about them. She said she had to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Allen, and after she did that, things got really bad because the only thing that it did was make them mad.

"Well, I'm not that social worker, and I'm listening. Please, tell me what happened."

The girl looked at Marissa nervously, weighing whether or not she should take the chance and tell her. The other woman she spoke with earlier, Bianca, reminded her a lot of her mom. The redhead reminded her of both her mom and dad. She wasn't letting her off the hook in the least little bit for what she did, but she was listening and talking to Sam not at her like a lot of adults tended to do. The brunette made her feel better, comforted her by just being there. That was exactly like her mom who had a way of making things seem better by just being there and listening. The redhead comforted her too, just differently. She wasn't excusing her for anything, and Sam knew Marissa would somehow make sure she made things up to Bianca. She wanted to anyway, but the redhead was going to make sure she did whether she had wanted to or not. Plus, she made it clear to her at first that she was helping because Bianca wanted her to. These were things that her dad definitely did. He was always doing things that her mom had asked him to. Some of the things he didn't like, but when he saw how much it meant to her, he did it. What Marissa did like her mom though was to somehow find that way to get through to her, to find a way to have things make sense. She also knew what it was like to lose her parents.

If was going to trust anyone, it was going to be these two women. She swallowed and took a deep breath. "The Allen's have two kids of their own, a son and a daughter. He's a year younger than me, and she's two years younger. When I first got there, they seemed like they were happy to have me there, and they were nice. After I was there for about a month, things started to change."

"What do you mean? Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."

Sam's voice was lowered to barely above a whisper, and her eyes started to glisten as she finally began the painful process of relating her experience in the Allen household. Marissa simply listened. It was heartbreaking for her to hear, and the story Sam told her confirmed her suspicions of the hell the girl had endured. It made her blood boil hearing everything this girl had gone through not just at the hands of the parents but of their children as well. Marissa somehow managed to find the strength to keep her emotions in check though, not giving anything away. The more she heard, the more the redhead was resolved to help her.

/

Jesse had been listening through intercom in the observation room. Marissa had given him permission to do so with the understanding that the instant she gave him the signal, the intercom would be turned off and any conversations between the lawyer and the girl would become private and subject to privilege. There was something about Marissa that had always impressed him, maybe it was her honesty and the way she handled the whole mess with JR, but watching her in action just now with Sam, that was something else. That only served to raise her up several more notches in his opinion. In the span of a few short hours, she had accomplished what he and his officers had been unable to for several days. Jesse had a feeling there was more to Sam's story and her involvement with the break-in. Now that she had opened up, he had no doubt that Marissa would be able to get the girl to cooperate. He was also thinking of ways to help the girl because he was going to do everything in his power to make sure she did not go back to that hellhole.

"Hey, chief. I've got that food for you."

"Thanks, Brot. I'll give them a few more minutes before seeing if they want something to eat."

"Did Marissa have any luck?"

"Yeah, she did. I think the hardest part is over. It turns out that we were right. That girl's been through a lot."

"That bad?"

"Yeah, pretty damn bad. Is the social worker gone?"

"She left a little while ago, and she wants you to call her when we're ready to have her move Sam."

"Well, I can tell you that won't be happening tonight. She's staying here in protective custody. I have a feeling her lawyer will be requesting that, and it's a request that I'm going to honor."

"Marissa's representing her?"

"It's not official yet, but I think it's just a matter of time before she is. The girl's going to need a good lawyer, and I can't think of a better one than the one that's in the room with her right now." Jesse saw Marissa glance in his direction through the two way mirror that separated the rooms. He nodded towards Brot who grabbed the bag of food and both headed towards the interrogation room.

Jesse knocked on the door and entered when he heard Marissa give her consent.

"Hey. I had Brot make a run to Krystal's since it's been a while since Sam's eaten. I'm hoping a burger and fries are alright?"

Marissa smiled and looked at the girl. "What do you think, Sam? Are you hungry? I personally know how good the burgers are at Krystal's."

The girl nodded. "Yeah, I am." She took the bag from Brot making sure to thank him.

"I wasn't sure of what you might want to drink so I thought I'd give you a choice from our vending machine." The officer held up two cans of soda, and the girl selected one thanking the officer again.

Marissa glanced at Jesse who nodded. "Why don't we take a little break, Sam? I'll let you eat while I talk to the chief for a few minutes. Will you be okay?"

The girl looked hesitant before Brot spoke up. "I'll stay with her until you get back."

"Is that okay with you, Sam? I'll just be a few minutes. I promise. I'll be back. We need to talk some more."

The girl nodded, and Marissa squeezed her arm before following Jesse out of the room.

"Would you like to talk in my office, maybe eat something? I had Brot get you something too."

Marissa shook her head. "Thanks, but I don't think I could keep anything down at this point. Would you mind if we went outside? I don't know about you, but I could really use some fresh air."

"That's a good idea."

The pair walked outside into the cool evening air and sat on a bench in front of the station. Neither said anything for several minutes as they processed everything they had heard earlier.

Jesse turned to observe the lawyer who appeared lost in thought. He could tell that she had been affected by Sam's story and was thinking ahead of how best to help her. "So, what are you thinking?"

"Is the social worker still around?"

"No, Brot said she left a while ago. She wants me to call her when we're ready to move Sam."

Marissa raised an eyebrow, silently asking the chief a question.

"I think it'll be too late for that to happen tonight. I think it's best for all concerned to have her stay here in our custody. She hasn't given us any other names yet, but someone in juvenile detention might think otherwise given the amount of time she's been here with us. That wouldn't be very safe for her."

Marissa nodded. "I agree. Her safety is an issue. Thank you."

"You're welcome. You believe her?"

"I do. You?"

"Yeah, me too."

"I'll be damned if she's going back to that family to be used as a punching bag for them again. That's over." Marissa stated.

"Any thoughts on your next move?"

"Actually yes, I have several."

"I'll help you anyway I can. Let me know what I can do."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. Could you get the assistant district attorney handling this case down here?"

"Sure, I'll be happy to. What do you have in mind?"

"I'm thinking of making a deal. When I go back inside to talk to Sam, I'm going to need you to turn off the intercom. My client and I will need some privacy."

"You got it. Anything else?"

"Do you think you'll be able to keep her here for a while until I can nail down some details?"

"I'm pretty sure I can. Paperwork sometimes manages to get lost, and even though this is not the biggest of jails, people sometimes get 'lost' here as well."

"Good to know." Marissa smirked. "Thanks. I can't think of anything else I need your help with right now, but I might tomorrow."

"The offer's good for as long as you need it. Let me go track down the assistant district attorney for you."

"Thanks again." Marissa checked the time. "I didn't realize it was this late. I need to make a couple of calls. I'll be back inside in a few minutes."

Marissa watched Jesse head back inside the station and pulled out her cellphone. She needed to let Bianca know where she was. Even though she was still somewhat mad at her, her anger had dissipated over the last several hours. Marissa knew her girlfriend would be worried about her, and she didn't want that. She also wanted to let someone at the firm know what was going on. Her specialty was family law, and she was now venturing into the realm of criminal law. In order for her to do a proper job of representing Sam, she wanted to run her current train of thought by someone with more experience in that area. Caleb was the first one to come to mind, and she decided to make the call to him first.

/

"I think you've got a good handle on everything, Marissa. It all hinges, however, on the girl talking. Do you think you can get her to cooperate?"

"I'm pretty sure I can, Caleb. You think the D.A. will bite on the deal?"

"If this group is responsible for the rash of break-ins that Jesse thinks they are, I think they'll bite. Will Bianca go along with it?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure she will since she did ask me to represent Sam. I'll go over all of that tomorrow morning with her. Which reminds me, I'll probably be in late. I don't have anything pressing though."

"If you don't make it in, don't worry about it. I have a feeling you're going to have your hands full."

"Thanks, Caleb, and thanks for letting me run this by you."

"Not a problem. Take care, and call me if you need anything else. Good night."

"Good night."

Marissa disconnected the call and dialed Bianca's cellphone. The kids would be in the middle of their baths right now, and she didn't want to interrupt that.

"Hi, this is Bianca. I can't take your call right now. Please leave a message, and I'll get back to you."

After the beep, Marissa began to speak. "Hey, it's me. I'm sorry I didn't call before now, but this is my first chance to take a break. I'm still at the police station, and from the looks of things, I'll be here a while longer. I'll be home as soon as I can. Don't wait up though. I know we've got a lot to talk to about, and there's something I need to run by you. It can wait until tomorrow though. There's no sense in both of us not getting any sleep. Tell the kids I love them, and give them a kiss for me. I love you, Bianca."

/

Kendall saw Marissa sitting on a bench in front of the police station. She smirked thinking of what she could tease her sister's girlfriend about, but something stopped her when she overheard what the redhead was saying. There was something in the tone of her voice coupled with what she'd said that raised Kendall's concern for her.

"Marissa, is everything okay?"

The redhead glanced up suddenly. "Hey, Kendall. Yeah, everything's … fine."

The older woman sat down next to Marissa. "Okay, I'm not buying that. Something's up. I couldn't help but overhear what I'm guessing was a voicemail for Bianca. I can tell just by looking at you that things aren't fine. What's going on with the two of you?"

"It's nothing, Kendall."

"Uh huh, I'm definitely not buying it now. Hey, I care about you. Yeah, I'm going to take my sister's side 9 times out 10."

Marissa raised an eyebrow.

Kendall rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm going to take my sister's side 9.9 times out of 10, but there's still that small chance that I might take someone else's. What's going on?"

"Let's just say that your sister put me in an awkward position earlier. She had her reasons for it, but I just wish she would've gone about it differently."

"Okaaaay. Does this have something to do with the reason you're sitting outside the police station at this hour and not home?"

"You know, Bianca's right about you. You're like a dog with a bone when you want to know something." Marissa smirked.

Kendall grinned. "Guilty as charged, counselor, but it's only when it involves people I care about."

"Yes, it's the reason I'm here helping someone that I didn't want to at first or hadn't planned on. It's turned out to be a lot more then I think even your sister could've imagined."

"Ah, I see." Kendall did indeed see what was going on. Despite everything that had happened to her over the years, her sister still somehow saw the good in people first and foremost and would do what she could to assist those in need of help. Marissa had some of the same tendencies as Bianca did when it came to helping people, but the redhead was more like Kendall when it came to viewing others. She tended to question first rather than just take things at their face value. It was just her nature to do so. There was no denying that Marissa was nice, but it had a bit of an edge to it sometimes. Kendall definitely identified with that edge and recognized it as a good thing when it came to protecting her sister from others as well as herself. Kendall took comfort in the knowledge that her sister was finally being appreciated, cared for and most importantly loved the way she should be, and she was grateful for it more than she would ever be able to say.

"Do you mind a little piece of unsolicited insight and/or advice?"

"Would it matter if I said I did?" Marissa smirked.

Kendall chuckled. "Not really. I'd give it to you anyway. I can assure you that whatever's going on with the two of you right now is bothering my sister as much as it is you. Whatever she may have done? She's being ten times harder on herself than you ever could be with her. So, try and keep that in mind when you talk with her again, okay? And also, don't let too much time pass before you talk with her."

Marissa nodded, knowing that Kendall was probably right. Bianca had a tendency to be harder on herself than anyone else. "I will. Look, I better get back inside, or I'm going to be here all night." Marissa got up and started towards the door.

"I won't keep you. And just so you know, I'm here if you ever want to talk."

"Thanks. I appreciate it, and thanks for the unsolicited insight and advice. Don't worry. Bianca and I will work everything out. I may not be thrilled with what she did, but I love her too much to let it get in our way."

"I believe you, Red. Good luck with whatever you've got going on in there."

Kendall watched Marissa head inside. She didn't doubt that the couple would work it out. They loved each other too much not to, and they were perfect for each other. That didn't mean she wasn't going to get to the bottom of what was going on with them and try and help. Yeah, she was definitely going to see her sister tomorrow and talk to her.

/

"You guys pick out a book, and I'll be right back in to read it. I just need to check on something." Bianca entered her and Marissa's bedroom and located her cellphone on the nightstand on her side of the bed. She picked up the device and saw that she had a missed call and a voicemail. I was afraid of that. Please let it be Marissa.

Bianca connected to her voicemail and was flooded with relief when she heard Marissa's voice. The brunette listened to her girlfriend's message. Marissa sounded exhausted, and Bianca could hear the strain in her voice. The brunette had suspected there was more behind Sam's actions, and judging by the tone in Marissa's voice, she'd been right. Now, her girlfriend was dealing with the aftermath of whatever revelations Sam had imparted to her, and Bianca couldn't help but feel guilty that her actions were responsible for that. She's coming home. Okay, I didn't really think that she wouldn't be coming home, but God, I'm so glad to hear her say it. Well that and that she loves me, and yeah, I knew she still loved me. She just didn't like me too much earlier. Couldn't really blame her for that. She doesn't sound quite as mad with me. She's right. We still do have to talk. Marissa may not want me to stay up waiting for her, but I'll be damned if I'm not. I have to let her know how sorry I am for what I did or actually what I didn't do.

"Mom, are you coming?"

Bianca saw Miranda standing in the doorway. "Yes, of course I'm coming." She sent a quick text to Marissa before following her oldest daughter back into the girls' room. "Just got your message. Get home safe. I'll be waiting no matter how late. I love you, Marissa."

When she entered the room, she found AJ and Gabby waiting for her along with Miranda. "I just got a message from Marissa. She's still working on that thing for me, and will be home as soon as she can. She wanted me to tell that she loves you and give you each a kiss for her." Bianca gave each child a kiss before settling down on Miranda's bed surrounded by the kids to start the evening's bedtime story.

/

"Hey, Sam. You feeling better?" Marissa asked as she re-entered the interrogation room.

"You, you came back."

The surprise in the girl's voice was evident and pulled on Marissa's heartstrings. "I told you I was. So, was I right about the burger?"

"Yeah, it was really good."

"I'm glad to hear it. Okay, we still have a lot to talk about. Are you ready to get started again?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"As you probably figured out, you're in some trouble."

"Yeah, I know."

"When people get in the kind of trouble that you're in, they hire a lawyer to help them out."

"I don't know any lawyers."

"Actually, you do. I told you earlier that I was lawyer, remember?"

Sam nodded, remembering their earlier conversation.

"Would you like for me to represent to you, help you sort this trouble out?"

"Lawyers are expensive, and I don't have any money."

"Sometimes, we take cases pro bono which means we work on them without getting paid. It's something we do for people when they need a lawyer but can't afford one. What do you think?"

Sam shook her head. "I don't want any charity."

"It's not charity. Remember what else I told you earlier? Someone offered to help me, and I let them because I finally realized that no matter what I'd been saying to the contrary, I couldn't do it on my own. I needed help, and once I admitted that to myself, I was finally able to start healing and stop hurting as much. That's what this offer is. It's me helping you the best way I know how. So what'd you say? Do you want me to represent you?"

Sam thought for a minute and finally nodded. "Yes, ma'am, I do."

"Alright, you've got yourself a lawyer. First thing as your lawyer, I'm going to advise you to cooperate with the police. That means, we tell them the names of the others involved in the break-in. If we do that, we can work on a better deal for you."

The girl shook her head. "No! I'm not gonna do that!"

"Sam, if you think they're your friends, they're not. A friend wouldn't let you to take the heat for this all by yourself. They'd step up."

"You don't understand. They helped me."

Things fell into place for Marissa. She understood why the girl wasn't talking. "They helped you when you ran away from the Allen's when you were sent back to live them, didn't they?"

"Yeah, they got me a place to sleep and got me some food."

"Did they ask for anything in return?"

"Wh, what do you mean?"

"Did you have to do anything for them as a way to pay them back for helping you?"

"Maybe."

"Was it something that you didn't think was right?"

"I, I guess so."

"Here's the thing. A friend, a real friend, wouldn't make you do something that's wrong, something that goes against what you believe in, something that goes against what you were taught. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, like something that my parents wouldn't want me to do." Sam replied flatly.

"Exactly."

"I still can't tell."

Marissa saw the fear in the girl's eyes. "They threatened you if you talked, didn't they?"

Sam gave her a small nod in reply. "I saw what they did to some other people that got them mad. I don't want that to happen to me."

"I don't either. I think I have a way to keep you safe. To be able to do that though, I need to know who else was involved."

"Why?"

"If I have that information, I can make a deal with the district attorney. That deal would keep you from going back to the Allen's, keep you out of juvenile detention, and find you a safe place to live."

"You could do all that?"

"I'm pretty sure I can. It doesn't mean that you're going to get off scot-free. You are responsible for some damage so you're going to need to make that up. I have an idea about that too. It's going to mean some hard work on your end. But to get all that …"

"I have to give them something. I have to do the right thing."

"Yeah, you do."

"Will you be there?"

"Yes, I will. I'm pretty sure Bianca will be too. I'm going to need her help with a couple of things I have in mind."

"I like her. She's really nice. I'm sorry for what I did."

"I know. Yeah, she's definitely a special person."

The two sat in silence for several minutes while Sam mulled everything over.

"Okay, I'll do it. I wanna make things right. My mom and dad would want me to."

"It's the right decision, and your mom and dad would be proud of you for making it. Who are the others?"

/

"Chief Hubbard, I hear you have some good news for me regarding the break-in at the Miranda Center."

Jesse turned and greeted the assistant district attorney. "Mr. Taylor, I believe I do."

The lawyer peered through the two way mirror and into the interrogation room. "Is that the girl?"

"It is."

"Who's that with her?"

"That would be Marissa Tasker, her lawyer."

"The name's vaguely familiar."

"She works with Jackson Montgomery and Caleb Cortland."

"Okay, I got it now. She doesn't handle criminal cases."

"No, she doesn't, but if I were you, I wouldn't underestimate the woman. That would be a big mistake."

The lawyer smiled. "Thanks for the warning, but I'm pretty sure I can handle her. I mean, we are playing on my turf."

The redhead joined the men outside the room.

"Marissa Tasker, this is Pete Taylor. He's handling the case for the D.A.'s office."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Tasker."

Marissa shook the other lawyer's hand. "Mr. Taylor, I wish this were under different circumstances."

"So, do you have some information for me?"

"I might, but it's going to cost you, Mr. Taylor."

"I really don't see you having much room to negotiate here."

Jesse shook his head, trying to hide his smirk. I warned you.

"Oh, I think you're wrong." Marissa smiled.

"Really? How so?"

"My client will make an awfully sympathetic defendant. She lost both of her parents last year, was abused by the foster family in whose care she was placed not once but twice and social services didn't follow up on her complaint of the abuse. There's also the fact that I'm pretty sure that you won't have the complete cooperation of the Miranda Center."

"Why wouldn't I have their cooperation?"

"Bianca Montgomery, the woman who runs the Center …"

"I know who she is."

Marissa smiled. "I'm glad to hear that. Bianca is the one who asked me to represent Sam."