A/N: Thanks again, as always, for reading, following and reviewing this tale! It is and always will be appreciated! For this update, I was going to go one way during it but got sidetracked like I do sometimes, and I ended up moving some of the plans for it to the next chapter. I got nothing else to talk about here so I'll let you all get to it. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

The couple pulled into their garage, grabbed some bags and headed inside.

"Where do you think we should stash the kids' gifts?" Marissa asked. She turned to Bianca and noticed the brunette had paused in the doorway. "B, is something wrong?"

Bianca shook her head and smiled. "No, nothing's wrong. Everything's great. I love New York. It's a great city, one of my favorites, and you know how fun I had being there with you. There's just something about being here though. I just love being home more than anything."

Marissa set her bags down and walked over to her lover. She wrapped her arms around Bianca's waist and kissed her tenderly. "I do too."

With a contented sigh, Bianca gave Marissa a quick kiss and then answered her earlier question. "We should probably stash the kids' gifts in the closet in our office since it's got a lock on it."

"Good idea. Come on. Let's put this stuff away and go get the kids. The sooner we do that, the sooner I can make good on my promise."

Bianca grinned and grabbed her bags. "What are we waiting for?"

Marissa laughed as she followed Bianca.

/

"Looks like Greenlee's already here." Bianca noted as she unfastened her seatbelt when their car came to a stop in the driveway of Kendall and Zach's house.

"Good. We can take care of the contract right away then and not keep the kids out too late. Are you sure you're okay with us doing this tonight?" It was a question that Marissa had asked earlier while they were in the restaurant waiting for their flight to be called.

"I told you before that I'm sure. It's the best solution for everyone. This is a huge deal for them, and I know they're anxious to get everything signed. By taking care of it tonight, they'll be able to relax, take a breath and celebrate, and we'll be able to have tomorrow free with the kids. It's looking like it's going to be a busy day for us."

Marissa nodded as the couple walked, holding hands, to the front door of the Slater home. "We have to get a tree and start decorating it. And you know the kids are going to hold us to our promise of going ice skating. Miranda is really looking forward to it."

The door swung open just as Bianca was going to knock. An excited Gabby rushed forward and greeted them happily.

"Mommies!"

Marissa scooped up the little girl and gave her a big kiss. "Hey, Monkey! Did you miss us?"

"Uh huh! Did you miss me?"

"We missed you bunches and bunches!" Marissa gave Gabby another kiss and squeeze before handing their youngest to Bianca.

"Hi, Baby. Rissa's right. We missed you like crazy. Were you good for your Aunt Kendall and Uncle Zach?"

"Yep! I sure was!"

Bianca chuckled. "I'm sure you were. Where are AJ and Miranda?"

"Playing video games with Uncle Zach."

"Are they beating him again?" Marissa asked as she bent down to pick her briefcase back up.

"Yep, they are! Aunt K says he's never gonna learn."

"That's right, Gabby. He's not. You're Uncle Zach can be pretty stubborn sometimes and a glutton for punishment." Kendall laughed as she greeted her sister and Marissa. "Greenlee's in the kitchen. I thought we'd have a little more privacy in there, Red. Go see your kids and meet us in there. I'd like it if you were there too, Binx."

Bianca set Gabby down, and Kendall took their coats and hung them up while the couple went to see AJ and Miranda.

/

"Way to go, Miranda!" AJ and his sister shared a high-five.

"That's it! I give up. I don't know if I want to play against the two of you again."

Miranda looked at her uncle. "Come on, Uncle Zach. Don't say that. We like playing with you. We're sorry."

"Yeah, we're sorry, Uncle Zach. If you want, I can help you." AJ offered.

"AJ's a really good teacher. He helped me a lot."

Bianca and Marissa observed the scene and saw that Zach was struggling to keep a straight face.

Zach finally cracked. "I'm just pulling your legs. My ego is a little bruised, but I'll live. I really do think I'm going to have to start practicing more."

"Maybe Marissa can help you." Bianca smirked.

The kids turned and saw their mothers in the doorway and rushed over to greet them. "Mom!"

Zach raised an eyebrow and looked at his sister-in-law. "You're kidding, right?"

"As a matter fact, I'm not. Where do you think the kids picked up all those tricks?" Bianca's pride was evident.

Marissa shrugged. "What can I say? I've got mad skills."

"She's really good, Uncle Zach. Maybe she can help you." AJ grinned.

"We'll have to see about that. Right now, Bianca and I have to go talk to your Aunt Kendall and Greenlee. It shouldn't take us very long so you guys should probably start getting your things together."

"Okay, Rissa."

"Maybe Uncle Zach will play one more game with you. That is if his ego can handle it." Bianca smirked and ducked as a pillow was thrown her way by her brother-in-law.

/

"Here she is, the woman of the hour!" Greenlee jumped up and hugged the redhead. "I can't tell you how much we appreciate your help with this deal. I'm not kidding when I say we couldn't have gotten it done without you. Thank you."

"I'm not sure about that, but you're welcome. I was happy to help. With everything that you and Kendall have done for us, it's the very least I can do."

"We're going to have to agree to disagree on that, Red. You went above and beyond for us. You gave up the better part of your weekend for us."

Marissa grinned and glanced at Bianca who matched the redhead's expression. "Oh, I wouldn't say it was the better part of my weekend."

Greenlee caught the exchange between the couple and chuckled. "I take it the two of you took full advantage of having a later departure. See, Kendall, I told you sending the jet to pick them up was a good idea."

Kendall shook her head. "I'm not having this conversation."

"Sorry, Curly. Why don't we go over the contract?"

Bianca nodded. "Good idea. I'm curious to hear more of the details. Marissa only shared some of them with me."

Marissa reached into her briefcase and pulled out the contract along with three copies and her glasses. She started to put them on but stopped when she saw the grin on Bianca's face. The redhead slipped them back into their case and smirked at her lover. The pout on Bianca's face was priceless and caused Marissa to laugh and give her a quick kiss. Kendall and Greenlee found the exchange between the couple curious but didn't press for an explanation even though Greenlee was dying to know the exact reason behind it.

Kendall cleared her throat drawing Marissa's attention away from Bianca.

"Sorry about that. Let's get to work." Marissa said as she shifted into lawyer mode. The details were reviewed and questions asked and answered. Before too long, Kendall and Greenlee signed the contract with Bianca adding her signature as a witness.

"Congratulations! I'll file the contract with the court first thing Monday morning, and messenger a copy to Macy's. These are your copies. I'll keep one on file with the firm as well." Marissa placed the documents back in her briefcase.

"Thank you again, Marissa. Are you sure we can't convince you to take Fusion on as a fulltime client?" Kendall smiled as she hugged the redhead.

Greenlee followed suit in thanking the lawyer. "We can make it worth your while."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm very happy with what I'm doing."

"Are you sure we can't change your mind? What do you think, Bianca?" Greenlee looked towards the younger brunette.

Bianca shook her head. "While I have no doubt Marissa will succeed in whatever she tries, this is her decision. I'll support her with whatever she decides, as long as she's happy."

Marissa smiled softly at her lover. "Thank you."

"Okay, Red, but if you ever change your mind and want to branch out into something different than family law, make sure you let us know."

"Keep it in mind. We'll definitely have a spot for you." Greenlee nodded.

"Thanks." Marissa smiled, grateful for the offer, before turning to Bianca. "We should probably get going. It's way past the kids' bedtimes."

"You're right. We should. With us out of here, you can get Spike and Ian to bed too."

"True. There's no way they were going to bed with their cousins here."

"I've got a great idea! We really need to celebrate this deal. You know, do it up right. So, I'm thinking that next Friday we get babysitters and we have a couple's night out, Ryan and me, Kendall and Zach, and the two of you. We'll get a limo and hit the town. You just need to find a babysitter for your kids. We'll take care of everything else. It's our treat."

The couple looked at each other and shared a smile. "It sounds like a great idea. I'll call Susan tomorrow and see if she's available. Alright, let's get the kids and head home."

/

For the second time that day, Marissa pulled into the garage. She glanced in the rear-view mirror and smiled softly. Gabby was slumped over in her booster seat clutching her stuffed monkey and sound asleep. "I'll take care of Gabby if you'll take AJ and Miranda.

Bianca glanced back at the youngest member in the family. How she was able to get in those positions while buckled securely in her seat and sleep soundly was beyond her. "Deal." She turned and whispered to the older two children. "Let's go, guys. You can get your baths tomorrow. Let's be as quiet as we can. We don't want to wake your sister."

Marissa gently removed Gabby from her seat and carried her inside and up to her room. She changed her into her pajamas and settled her back onto her bed, tucking her and Minx in. The redhead brushed a lock of hair from her face and softly kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Monkey. I love you."

Gabby mumbled a reply and grabbed Minx as she snuggled under her covers.

/

"Did you and Mom have a good time in New York, Bianca?"

"We sure did, Buddy, but we really missed the three of you."

"We missed you too. It's fun staying with Aunt Kendall and Uncle Zach, but I like being home best of all."

"Me too!"

AJ yawned as he climbed onto his bed and under his covers.

"Get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow."

The boy nodded already half asleep. "Okay. Goodnight, Mom. I'm glad you guys are home. Love you."

Bianca paused briefly wondering if she had heard him right. A tear escaped and was quickly wiped away. "Goodnight, AJ. I love you too." Bianca turned off the light and headed over to Miranda's room.

/

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, Sweetie. How's my girl? Did you have fun with Aunt Kendall and Uncle Zach?"

Miranda nodded. "Yeah, I did. Aunt K and me talked."

"You did, huh? What about?"

"I told her I was thinking about talking to Amber."

"And what did she say?"

"She asked what you and Rissa thought so I told her what you told me. She said you were right and that I'm a good judge of character. She also told me to tell her if Amber did anything to me again. If she did, she'd help you and Rissa kick her butt."

Bianca laughed. "Hopefully, nothing like that will happen, but I'll keep it in mind. I'm glad you can talk to Kendall. She's always going to be there for you."

Miranda nodded. "I know. Just like you and Rissa will."

"Exactly. Time to go sleep now. We've got a big day planned tomorrow. We're going to get our tree, decorate it and then go skating."

Miranda grinned. "That's gonna be fun. Will Rissa's knee be okay?"

"My knee will be just fine." Marissa answered as she joined the two brunettes.

Bianca smiled. "Take my seat. I'll go say goodnight to Gabby." She bent down and kissed Miranda. "Goodnight, Mimo. I love you."

"Night, Mom. Love you too."

Bianca passed Marissa and whispered. "I'll see you downstairs."

The redhead grinned in reply. "See you downstairs." Marissa sat on Miranda's bed. "Why are you still awake? Your brother and sister are passed out."

Miranda shrugged. "Mom and me were talking. Are you sure your knee will be okay? We don't have to go skating if it's not."

"My knee is just fine. I'm not going to do anything that would hurt it, and you know your Mom won't let me do anything to hurt it."

Miranda giggled. "Yeah, you're right. She won't."

"And even if I couldn't skate, we can still go. I'll have fun watching you guys. I'm good with us just being together. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Good, but thank you for thinking about me. It means so much to me. Now, you need to go to sleep because tomorrow's going to be very busy."

"Night, Rissa. Love you."

"Goodnight, Miranda. I love you too." Marissa kissed Miranda and turned off the light before heading downstairs to make good on her promise to Bianca.

/

"Well if it isn't my favorite family!"

"Hey, Krystal." Marissa greeted her mother warmly as she and Bianca helped the kids remove their coats before they settled down at their table.

"What have all of you been up to this fine day?" Krystal asked as she noted the rosy cheeks and beaming smiles of the Tasker-Montgomery clan.

"We were ice skating, Grandma, and it was so cool! You should've seen Miranda! She was jumping and spinning. She was the best one out there." AJ stated proudly.

"She was! When I'm bigger, she said she's gonna teach me!" Gabby added, her excitement written all over her face.

Miranda blushed at the praise she was receiving from her brother and sister.

"So, are we going to be watching you in the Olympics someday?"

"Nah, I'm not nearly as good as them, and AJ and Gabby are just being really nice. I just like doing it for fun."

"Don't listen to her, Krystal. She's being modest. She's every bit as good as AJ and Gabby say and then some." Bianca kissed her oldest daughter proudly.

"You won't get argument from me on that. She's a natural and was absolutely amazing. I'm tired from just watching her."

"Should you be ice skating, Marissa? Your knee is still healing." Krystal eyed her daughter.

"I'm fine. I wasn't doing any jumps or spins. I left that up to Miranda. I took my time and went around the rink slowly."

"She means her and Bianca skated together and held hands a lot." AJ laughed.

"I can't think of a better way to skate. You'll know what I'm talking about one day when you meet someone special. Do me a favor though and don't let that happen for a long time." Marissa winked at her son.

AJ rolled his eyes. "Grown-ups always say stuff like that."

Bianca laughed. "I heard that all the time too growing up, and it really never made any to me either until I met Marissa. One day, it'll make sense to you."

"Whatever."

Krystal chuckled. "So, no Olympics for Miranda even though it sounds like you skated circles around everyone else."

"Nope, I'm gonna be something else when I grow up. I'm gonna be a lawyer."

"She'll be great at that too. She's a natural at finding loopholes like nobody else. Trust me on that." Marissa smirked.

Miranda giggled.

"What can I get you?"

Marissa glanced around the table and asked. "How about five hot chocolates to start?"

"With whipped cream, Mommy?"

"Is there any other way to have it?"

Gabby shook her head. "Nope!"

The family gave Krystal the rest of their orders. "Five hot chocolates with whipped cream coming up. I'll get these orders put in."

"Thanks, Krystal."

Gabby tugged on Bianca's arm and whispered. "Mommy, I gotta go potty."

"Okay, let's go. We'll be right back."

Miranda, AJ and Marissa continued to talk about their skating adventure when Miranda heard her name. She glanced up and smiled seeing a friend. "It's my friend Mackenzie. Can I go say 'hi'?"

"So that's Mackenzie. Sure, Sweetie. You can go talk to her for a few minutes." Marissa watched as Miranda hurried over to her friend's table. Mackenzie's family had moved to Pine Valley just a few weeks ago, and Marissa hadn't had the chance yet to meet the girl. Bianca had met her, however, when she was picking up the kids from school and reported that the girl was very sweet. Miranda, for her part, liked the girl and took her under her wing. Something of which came as no surprise to either woman. It was just part of her nature.

Marissa kept an eye on Miranda while she and AJ continued to talk and her son began drawing a picture on the paper Krystal had given him. The redhead saw a woman whom she assumed was Mackenzie's mother approach the table.

"Hi, you must be Miranda's other mom. I'm Mackenzie's mom, Cindi Moore." The woman held out her hand.

Marissa smiled and shook the woman's hand. "That would be me! Hi, Cindi. I'm Marissa Tasker. It's funny how we don't really have our own names anymore, isn't it?"

Cindi laughed. "You're right. We really don't."

"You've met AJ before, haven't you?"

The boy looked up from his sketch and smiled. "Hi, Mrs. Moore."

"Hi, AJ. Yes, I have, briefly. No one was able to get in a word in edgewise with the girls jabbering away. Is Bianca around? Miranda said she was here."

"Yes, she is. Our youngest Gabby needed her help."

"Ah, say no more."

"Please have a seat. Am I safe in assuming that is Mackenzie's dad?"

Cindi sat down and nodded. "Yes, that is my husband, Jim."

The man glanced up and waved to his wife and Marissa.

"According to Miranda, you're a lawyer. Wait, to quote her, 'my Mom Marissa is the best lawyer in the whole world'. Those were her exact words."

Marissa mentally filed away the revelation that Miranda had referred to her as her mom, a first to her knowledge, to think about later and chuckled. "I think she's exaggerating about me being the best in whole world. So, what do you and your husband do?"

"I'm a teacher, middle school. Right now, I'm subbing until the next school year starts and then I'll be full time."

"Wow, you're really brave."

Cindi laughed. "That or a little crazy. Jim is in IT over at Cortlandt."

"How do you like Pine Valley? Are you settling in okay?"

"We are. I like it a lot. Everyone is really nice. I have to tell you that Miranda is an absolute doll. Not that you could tell from the way she is right now, but Mackenzie is shy. When I picked her up after her first day at school, she couldn't stop talking about Miranda. It was like she sensed Mackenzie was nervous, and Miranda stepped up and took her under her wing. She started talking to her during recess, had lunch with her and showed her around school. She made Mackenzie feel right at home. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."

"I'm not really surprised that she did all of that, but it's nice to hear. What would you think of setting up a play date between the two of them?"

"I think that is a great idea."

While the women exchanged phone numbers, the girls made their way over to the table.

Marissa smiled and greeted Miranda's friend. "Hi, Mackenzie."

"Hi, Mrs. Montgomery. Hi, AJ."

Marissa couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. There was no denying she loved the sound of what the girl called her so she chose not to correct her. It really wasn't a big deal being called by the wrong name. Some of AJ's friends still called her Mrs. Chandler so it was a natural assumption on the girl's part that she would have the same last name as Miranda and nothing was meant by it. Still, Marissa had to admit it just sounded right.

"Your mom and I were just talking about the two of you have a play date." Marissa suggested.

Miranda grinned. "That would be awesome!"

Mackenzie nodded. "Really, Mom? I'd like that a lot."

Cindi smiled. "Really. Oh, hi Bianca. Hi, Gabby."

Marissa turned slightly to the side and saw Bianca and Gabby returning. The redhead noted a goofy grin on her lover's face. She really wasn't sure why it was there, but damn if she didn't love it.

Gabby climbed on Marissa's lap and buried her head in the redhead's neck, having gotten shy around the newcomers.

Bianca had heard Mackenzie address Marissa as Mrs. Montgomery. It did have a heck of a nice ring to it. Bianca, more importantly, had seen her lover's response to hearing it. That grin told the brunette so much. "Hi, Cindi, and hello, Mackenzie. Did I hear something about a play date?"

"You did, and the girls seem all for it." Marissa stroked Gabby's back.

Cindi saw the server coming their way. "Looks like your food is here, and we need to get back to our table." The Moore's headed back to their table after promises of checking schedules were given and received with the intention of setting up a time for the girls to get together.

The Tasker-Montgomery's finished their lunch and headed off in search of a Christmas tree.