A/N: Thanks, as always, for reading, following and reviewing! I really do appreciate it. So, I didn't get to do a mid-week update like I thought I might be able to. I kind of got on a roll with this one, wasn't sure where to cut it off and didn't want to keep dragging this thread out for everyone. As a result, you get this mammoth chapter. Speaking of which, I feel I need to offer a bit of an explanation for the title of this chapter as well as the previous one to some readers who may not be familiar with a certain slogan here in the States. I'm paraphrasing a slogan that is used for Las Vegas. It's a city where pretty much anything goes. A slogan was adopted for them, and it's been pretty successful. It simply is "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Basically, nobody talks about anything embarrassing that they may have done there while visiting. I figured that would work for our merry band and their adventures. Hence, "What happens in Shamokin, stays in Shamokin." Now, there are two songs mentioned in this chapter. I don't own them. They are owned by the artists mentioned in reference to them.
There is a question I hope I can clear up for a guest reviewer. They don't see "Things Change" pop up in the menu with the other stories. Check the filters and make sure you're selecting "all" for the rating. It looks like the rating defaults to "K-T", and this has a rating of "M". If you select "all", you should see it then. I hope this helps you out.
That's enough from me for now. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
"Come on. One drink. You never know what you're missing if you don't give it a try."
"Trust me. I'm not missing a thing."
Todd reached for Marissa again.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you." Bianca appeared behind Todd, the tone of her voice stopping him.
The man turned and was met with a steely gaze that matched that of the voice warning him away from the redhead. The look made him hesitate briefly but backing down was out of the question because other patrons were now paying attention. "Well, you're not me." Todd moved towards Marissa.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll stop right now." Bianca's glare intensified as she stepped closer.
Todd scoffed, turned and lightly pushed Bianca away.
Marissa saw red and started to lunge towards the man but stopped she heard Bianca's voice.
Bianca had gathered herself together instantly and stepped in front of Marissa not a second after being pushed away by Todd. "No, Rissa. Stop. I got this."
"What the hell are you doing?" A blonde woman suddenly appeared and glared at Marissa. "Are you hitting on him? He's mine."
"You've got it all wrong. You can have him. I'm not interested in him at all."
"Oh please, I saw you. You were over here flirting with him. And just now, you were going to grab him."
Marissa held up her hands in protest. "First of all, I wasn't flirting with him. I was over here trying to pick out a song. He approached me. He was hitting on me. I don't want anything to do with him."
"What? Todd wouldn't do anything like that."
"Believe what you want, but that's what he did. As for grabbing him, yeah I was going to grab for him because he pushed her." Marissa gestured towards Bianca who was on high alert because of the other woman and how agitated she seemed.
"And why in the hell would he do something like that?"
Todd stood there smirking. In his mind, he saw two women fighting over him.
"Because he was hitting on me and she's my …"
The blonde didn't let Marissa finish. "You're a lying little slut."
She forcefully shoved Marissa who thankfully landed into Aya who was somehow able to keep them both upright. All hell broke loose in that moment. Bianca completely lost it. The combination of alcohol and having someone physically assault her pregnant fiancée pushed the normally composed brunette over the edge. She grabbed the blonde, spun her around and slugged the woman. Her fist landed squarely on the other woman's jaw and knocked her backwards. The woman charged Bianca, and the brunette's second punch landed with more force than the first and had the other woman landing on her ass.
While Bianca was dealing with the blonde, Todd made to grab the brunette but was stopped by Greenlee who jumped on his back. As he tried to shake her off, Kendall kneed him in the crotch for all she was worth sending him to the floor in a whimpering heap. The pair then went into full attack mode on him.
The blonde staggered to her feet and lunged towards Bianca for a second time. Bianca for her part was now preoccupied with checking to make sure Marissa was okay to see the attack coming. Others in her party did however, and the blonde was stopped short by Lisa, Stef and Jan who quickly formed a barrier between the woman and their friends.
Natalia used her law enforcement training to subdue another woman who came charging onto the scene and was headed straight towards Bianca.
"Let me go, you bitch! That other bitch hit my sister and nobody does that and lives to talk about it!"
In a calm voice learned from her police training, Natalia spoke to the woman. "I'm sorry but that's not going to happen."
Suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle had everyone freezing in their tracks.
All eyes turned to the source of the shrill sound, Terri. The server wore an amused look and was standing next to two police officers. The taller of the two turned to the server. "Thank you, Terri."
"My pleasure, Sean."
The officer assessed the situation. He first addressed Natalia. Judging by the hold she had the other woman in, he was pretty sure she was in law enforcement of some sort. "Am I safe in assuming you're a police officer or something along those lines?"
"You are. She was charging up here and was going to add to all of this. I simply stepped in."
"Sounds reasonable to me. You can let her go. Diane won't be causing any more problems tonight. Will you, Diane?"
The woman struggled. "That bitch hit Shelly. She has to pay."
"And knowing your sister like I do, I'm sure she was completely innocent."
The officer's sarcasm was not lost on Diane who finally stopped struggling. "Fine."
"Thank you. If you wouldn't mind, please have a seat, and we'll get your statement soon."
The woman huffed and angrily sat in the spot indicated by the officer once she was released by Natalia.
"I'm Officer Sean Bray, and this is Officer Dave Corder."
"I'm Natalia Fowler with the Pine Valley P.D. My ID is over at our table."
"I'll take a look at it later. Would you mind helping us out with her?" He pointed to the woman still kicking and clawing at Lisa, Stef and Jan as she attempted to get to Marissa and Bianca.
"No problem." Natalia understood the nature of the request. Male officers had to tread lightly sometimes when apprehending female suspects in order to avoid the appearance of impropriety. She quickly subdued the blonde.
"What the hell?! Sean, you can't let her do this to me!"
"It's either her or I can have Dave radio for Bernadette, and I have a feeling she's being nicer to you than Bernie would be. Now, are you going to calm down or are we going to have to call Bernie and cuff you?"
"You wouldn't dare!"
Officer Bray simply returned her glare with one of his own that seemed to say 'try me'. That was enough to have the blonde stop struggling.
"Thank you, Shelly. Please have a seat next to your sister."
Officer Corder walked over to where Todd was crumpled on the floor. He took note of a man holding back two brunettes who looked to be aching to get their hands on him and not in a good way. With an amused look on his face, the officer crouched down next to the man. "How ya doing there, Todd?"
The man groaned. "Those bitches attacked me for no damn reason!"
Kendall rolled her eyes. "No reason! You were going after my sister!"
"I'm sure they did." The officer smirked. He then addressed Kendall and Greenlee. "If you promise not to attack him again, I'll ask this nice man to let you go. I have the distinct impression that he really is protecting Todd from you."
The comment was met with a round of laughter from the other patrons.
Kendall and Greenlee nodded and grinned. "Of course, Officer."
Greenlee turned. "You can let us go, Jimmy. We'll be good."
"Thank you. If you'll have a seat, we'll get with you shortly. Terri, would you get Todd some ice? I have a feeling he could use it."
Terri chuckled. "You got it, Dave."
/
While the officers were sorting out the others, Bianca was busy fussing over Marissa and making sure she wasn't hurt. "Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
Marissa smiled trying her best to calm and reassure Bianca. She knew her fiancée was ready to rip the blonde's head off in an instant if either Marissa or the baby were hurt. "I'm fine. I promise. Aya here made a nice landing spot for me. Thanks for that by the way."
Aya laughed. "Glad to help. I'm also glad you're okay."
Bianca glanced at her friend, the gratitude clearly evident in her eyes. "Thank you, Aya."
"You're welcome."
Marissa took Bianca's hand in her own and began examining it. "How's your hand? It looks a little swollen."
"It's okay." Bianca tried to shrug it off. "I'm more worried about you and …"
"I promise you that everything is okay. I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."
Bianca sighed before nodding. She knew that Marissa wouldn't take any chances when it came to the baby.
/
Terri returned and dropped a bag of ice squarely on Todd's crotch causing the man to curse while the server smirked.
"Excuse me, Terri. Could we please have some ice for Bianca's hand?"
Terri looked at the swollen hand and nodded. "Of course you can, Marissa. I'll be right back with some."
"Hey, I need some ice too!" Shelly demanded as she rubbed her jaw.
The server rolled her eyes, sympathy clearly lacking for the locals. "Whatever."
A man clearing his throat pulled Marissa and Bianca's attention from each other. "Are the two you alright?"
Marissa nodded. "I'm fine."
"I'm fine also, Officer. Thank you. I'm guessing you want to talk to me?"
Everyone started talking all at once with none making any sense.
The officer glanced at Terri who had returned. She let out another ear-piercing whistle.
"Thanks again, Terri. I would like to talk to you. Would you like a lawyer? I'm sure we can get one over here pretty quickly."
"That's not necessary. I'm an attorney. I'll be representing her as well as everyone else at that table."
"Very well." He held out his hand for the redhead to shake. "I'm Officer Sean Bray."
Marissa shook his hand. "I'm Marissa Tasker. Could we talk in private for a few minutes? I might be able to clear things up for you."
Todd, Shelly and Diane started to protest.
"Shut up before I haul the three of you in. I'm talking to her. Dave, keep an eye on them."
"You got it."
Terri handed a towel covered ice pack to Bianca who thanked her. She then dropped the other bag of ice on the table for Shelly.
Before following the officer, Marissa made sure Bianca was settled at the table with their friends and using the ice pack. She then looked at the entire group. "Don't make any statements or answer any questions about what happened without me present. Understood?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good. I'll be back in a few minutes. Kendall, please make sure Bianca keeps that ice on her hand."
/
Terri walked over to the table. "Can I get you all anything to drink? Maybe something non-alcoholic until you're done talking to the police?"
Kendall nodded. "That would be great, Terri. Thanks. Hey, could I ask you something?"
"Sure. What is it?"
"What gives with you and the three of them?"
Terri rolled her eyes. "Oh them. I know this is going to be a shock, but this isn't the first time something like this has happened with them. Sean, Dave and some of the other officers are always getting calls about them, if not here then at a couple of other places in town. Todd's a dog and a jackass. He hits on anything with a pulse."
"That is not true!" The blonde shouted from across the room.
"Yes, it is, Shelly, and you know it. He's hit on me and all of the other waitresses here."
"You're lying! Todd wouldn't do that."
"Yes, he would and yes, he has. I wouldn't make it up, and don't try and say that I was hitting on him. Trust me when I tell you that I'm not remotely interested in him. I'm happily married. Besides, I have way better taste than that. If it were up to me, I would've stopped him from coming in here a long time ago. He was on thin ice as it was when it came to Bob allowing him to come in here, and after tonight's little episode, Bob's already told me that he's going to ban him from this place permanently."
"Well, that redhead hit on him."
Terri rolled her eyes. "No, she didn't. You weren't here until a few minutes ago and didn't see what was really happening. Todd's been hitting on the poor woman all night, trying to buy her drinks, cornering her whenever she got up from her table, trying to get her to go off with him. I don't know how many times she told him 'no' because she's not interested in him."
Shelly scoffed. "Why wouldn't she be interested in him?"
The server sighed. Now, the woman was offended because Marissa didn't want him. "Unbelievable. Because she's engaged to this woman here, you idiot. They're getting married in two weeks."
"You're making all that up."
Terri rolled her eyes. "Why in the hell would I make that up? Diane, talk some sense into your sister. You need to tell her the truth about Todd because she deserves a whole hell of a lot better than him, and if she keeps up like this, someone's going to get seriously hurt or go to jail for a very long time because the cops are getting pretty damn tired of dealing with all of their drama." The server turned back to the Pine Valley crew who had been watching her exchange with the blonde with great intensity. "Could I ask you something?"
Kendall nodded. "Sure."
"Is Marissa really a lawyer?"
"Yes, she is and a damn good one too." Bianca answered proudly as she matched glares with Shelly.
Terri eyed Bianca and grinned. "You pack a helluva wallop. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm a little surprised. You don't quite look like the type."
"No offense taken. When someone goes after my family, all bets are off. If she does anything like that again, she's going to get worse. That is a promise." Bianca made those last two statements loud enough for Shelly to hear and caused the other woman to shift uncomfortably.
"I believe that." Terri smiled as she walked away.
Stef shook her head and grinned. "Bianca is a badass."
"Tell me something I don't know." Aya smirked. She'd seen Bianca in action at the Miranda Center and had a really good idea of what she was capable of.
/
Shelly broke her gaze with Bianca's, unable to keep up the staring contest with the brunette. It was clear she was woefully overmatched. She turned to Diane. Her sister had continued to whisper to Shelly since Terri left. Diane realized the server was right about her needing to talk some sense into her sister.
/
Kendall watched Bianca carefully. Now that she had defeated the blonde's pitiful attempt at intimidation with a staring contest, Bianca's eyes were firmly rooted on Marissa who was engaged in conversation with the police officer. The redhead glanced their way briefly and smiled when her eyes met Bianca's who smiled in return without a thought. The officer nodded and wrote something down. Kendall wasn't really surprised by her sister's actions earlier. It was clear the man they now knew as 'Todd' had been hitting on Marissa for while so Bianca coming to her fiancée's aid in handling him when he crossed the line was more than expected. No, what surprised Kendall was the ferocity of Bianca's defense of Marissa when she was attacked by Shelly. Again, Kendall wasn't surprised that Bianca charged in and took care of the woman in no time flat. It was the growl that she would've sworn she'd heard coming from her sister that surprised her. Kendall had never heard her sister do anything like that before. There was something else going on besides a couple of drunken idiots getting way out of line. She couldn't quite figure out what it was exactly. Whatever the explanation was, she felt it was just beyond her grasp. Kendall's train of thought was broken by her best friend.
"Huh, I've never seen Marissa in action before."
"What do you mean?"
"I've never seen Marissa in full legal mode. I know we've joked about it and that she handled our deal with Macy's, but this is different. I've never seen her in full legal eagle mode as in handling the police. It's impressive to watch."
"You can't hear anything she's saying."
"I know, but I can read her body language. She's leading him where she wants to go and not the other way around. Like I said, impressive."
/
For her part, Bianca's focus was solely on Marissa. She was thankful that neither she nor the baby was hurt by those idiots. If something had happened to them, god help the ones responsible. Bianca wasn't sorry for what she'd done, but she hated that Marissa was having to deal with the aftermath of her actions. When Marissa glanced her way and smiled, Bianca couldn't help but follow suit. She felt herself calm down immediately. Bianca saw love in those hazel eyes and something else. She saw that glint in them that Marissa got when she was working on a case and had figured out how to solve a problem with it. It wasn't cockiness. It was confidence.
/
"Please have a seat, Ms. Tasker."
"Thank you, Officer Bray."
"Now, would you like to tell me what the heck happened here?"
Marissa smiled. "I'd be happy to. My friends and I were on our way to Philadelphia …"
"Excuse me for a minute. That wouldn't happen to be your limo across the road, would it?"
"As a matter of fact, it is. We rented it for the weekend."
"For what purpose?"
"For transportation for a bachelorette party. We were on our way from Pine Valley to Philadelphia when it broke down. We decided to wait it out here while our driver dealt with his dispatcher."
"Let me guess. The driver is the guy holding two of your group back from pummeling Todd into a bloody pulp."
"No comment on that last statement, but Jimmy is the driver and was standing between Todd and two of my clients, two defenseless women mind you."
Officer Bray chuckled. There was nothing defenseless about them, and both he and the lawyer knew it. "Okay. Who is the bachelorette party for?"
"Me and my fiancée." Marissa glanced over to the table and smiled the instant her eyes met Bianca's.
The officer's poker face slipped with this information, and he raised an eyebrow. That one glance told him a great deal. Todd didn't stand a chance in hell because it was as plain as the nose on his face that this couple was in love. "You're engaged to the woman with the ice pack on her hand?"
"Yes, I am. Her name is Bianca, and we're getting married in two weeks."
Officer Bray nodded. Something Terri had told him when he first arrived on the scene finally made sense to him now. "Congratulations."
"Thank you. We were having a pretty good time …"
"Until?"
"Every time I got up, Todd was hitting on me. He blocked my path several times and physically restrained me another, which could be considered assault if one looked closely at the legal interpretation."
The officer smiled having a good idea of where she was going with this. "True, like a police officer or a lawyer for example. They might read it like that."
Marissa grinned. She liked this guy. "Exactly. Now, let's talk hypotheticals."
"Okay, let's."
"Let's say a man grabbed a woman, and her fiancée saw this happening and rushed over to help her out. The man was insulting and pushed the fiancée. That would be another assault."
"Hypothetically? Yes, it definitely would."
"Of course it would. Now, another woman comes onto the scene and pushes the first woman. The fiancée sees this and hypothetically knocks the other woman on her ass."
Officer Bray couldn't help but laugh. He pictured Shelly being knocked down in such a manner and loved it. "Hypothetically, that might be something I wouldn't mind seeing. The fiancée, however, seems a little bit of a hothead and might do well with taking some time to cool off."
Marissa turned serious. "There were extenuating circumstances."
"Such as?"
"The first woman being pregnant and the fiancée not only worried about her but their unborn child."
The officer's eyebrows shot up quickly forgetting about hypotheticals upon hearing this news. "You're pregnant?"
"I am, but Bianca, myself and now you are the only ones here that know."
"May I ask why?"
"I'm only in my third month, and we're being …"
"I get it. When my sister was pregnant, she didn't say anything until after her first trimester. I asked Terri why and she said she didn't want to jinx anything because too many things could happen during that time. She just wanted to be careful."
"Precisely. We plan on telling everyone after the wedding. Terri's your sister, huh?"
The officer grinned. "Yep, she's my big sister."
Marissa shook her head and smiled. She could see the resemblance now.
"Are you okay? Is the baby okay?" The officer was definitely concerned.
"We are. Luckily, I was pushed into a friend who managed to keep us both from falling."
"I'm really glad to hear that. Given those circumstances, I would say your fiancée's actions were more than justified, hypothetically speaking."
"Of course."
"What about those other two?"
"Bianca's sister and cousin witnessed Todd's assault on her. Hypothetically, one might argue that they would be coming to her defense."
"I can see that."
"So, we would have two assault charges against both Todd and Shelly; Todd for assaulting two women."
"Never looks good."
"And Shelly for assaulting a pregnant woman."
"Looks even worse."
"My thoughts exactly. I would like to keep the pregnancy quiet until after the wedding but will make the announcement before then if necessary."
"I understand. I'm guessing you have some sort of deal in mind because those two are squawking about pressing charges."
"Yeah, I know. It's simple really. If they don't press charges, we won't press charges. The only things bruised are a face, some knuckles and pride. Well, Todd might have something else bruised, but I'd rather not think about it."
Officer Bray was relieved the lawyer had offered up a way out of this mess for them. The more he talked with Marissa, the more he liked her. She seemed really nice, and he couldn't help but feel she definitely didn't deserve any of the drama that had occurred tonight. If her fiancée was anything like her, she didn't either. He took the lifeline the lawyer offered and held on. He would find a way to make it work. "That sounds more than reasonable to me. Your story matches what Terri and a few others have told me about what Todd and Shelly did tonight. They'll probably try and make a fuss but both of them have a history in this town. I think I can get them to see reason and agree. Are you sure you're okay?"
Marissa nodded. "I'm sure."
"Good. So what about your car?"
"They can't get us a new one until tomorrow morning. We're going to stay overnight at the inn."
The officer nodded. "I think that takes care of everything then. I do have one more question though. It's personal if you don't mind."
"What is it?"
"My wife and I have been trying for a while to get pregnant with no luck. We were thinking of looking into fertility clinics. Given your situation …"
Marissa smiled. "You thought I might know of a place?"
"Yeah. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
"I don't mind. We went to a clinic in New York. Pine Valley is small by comparison, and we didn't want everybody to know what we were doing. You know how small towns can be."
"God, do I ever. You can't keep a secret to save your life. It's okay, but something like this is just really personal. I'd rather not have them all up in our business."
Marissa laughed. "Exactly. That's why we kept everything private. I tell you what. Do you have a card with your email address? I can send you a lot of information when I get home."
Officer Bray smiled. "I sure do. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."
Marissa took the card and smiled. "I'm glad to help. Good luck."
"Thank you. Alright, we better get back over there."
/
Gail nudged Jan. "Here they come. I wonder what's going to happen. Marissa's got her lawyer face on."
"I've seen that face before. Any ideas, Lisa?"
"Nope. She's got a great poker face. It's really hard for me to tell sometimes when she's bluffing."
/
Marissa immediately went to Bianca's side and examined her hand again.
"Ladies, you are free to go, or I actually guess I should say stay. From what Ms. Tasker tells me, you'll be staying the night."
The table immediately sighed in relief.
"What?! How in the hell is that right?! They assaulted me. They hurt the boys." Todd whined and gestured to his crotch which still had an ice pack pressed against it.
"I want to press charges."
"I don't think you should, Shelly. I don't think it's a good idea."
"You should listen to your sister." Officer Bray offered.
"No! They assaulted me and Todd. I want to press charges. Besides, I've got everyone here as witnesses." Shelly smirked and sat back confidently.
"Fine, let's ask them." Officer Bray turned to the restaurant's patrons who had been watching the evening's unexpected events with great amusement. It was one of the more exciting and memorable nights in the small town. They had definitely been entertained. "Who saw what happened?"
Hands shot up all around the restaurant.
"Gil, what happened?"
An older man stood up. "Well, those ladies were celebrating two of them getting married."
"How in the hell do you know that?" Shelly asked indignantly.
Gil rolled his eyes. "We asked Terri what was going on, and she told us. Anyway, they were having a good time and entertained everyone with their singing. A few of them have really good voices. Todd was hitting on the redhead all night. Everybody could see she wasn't interested, but he's an idiot and wouldn't take 'no' for answer. He went to grab her and the brunette there, her fiancée, went to stop him. He pushed her." Gil looked at Todd and shook his head. "You don't ever lay your hands on a woman like that. Some of us we're on our way over to help when Shelly came in and pushed the redhead. Everything broke loose then." He pointed to Kendall and Greenlee and smiled. "Those two over there jumped in and whooped Todd's sorry ass but good. Nice job by the way, ladies."
Kendall and Greenlee grinned in response to the praise.
Officer Bray struggled to keep a straight face. "So, I'm hearing that Todd and Shelly started everything and these women were simply protecting themselves and each other. Is that about right?"
Affirmative answers were given by the patrons.
"Wait a damn minute! That's not right!"
"Shelly, I've got a roomful of witnesses that say otherwise. Now, Ms. Tasker has graciously offered to not press charges if you agree to do the same. I'm guessing that is okay with her clients?"
The Pine Valley crew smiled and nodded.
Greenlee spoke for the group. "That's more than okay with us. We are happy to place ourselves in Marissa's more than capable hands."
Marissa smiled and nodded. "Thank you."
"What's it going to be, Shelly?"
The woman glared around the room.
"Take the deal, Shelly." Her sister pleaded.
"Don't do it, Shelly. They started it. They're lying."
Diane turned and snapped. "Shut the hell up, Todd. You can't tell me that everyone in this room is lying except for you. This is all your fault."
Shelly huffed. "Fine. I won't press charges. I want to get out of here."
"If you won't press charges …"
"Yeah before you even go there, Todd, I should probably point out that you grabbed one woman and pushed another which constitutes assault. Judges and juries really look down on that. Also, you got beat up by a couple of women. You press charges, that's going to come out. When the other guys in lockup hear that, I'll just say it will make things mighty interesting for you." Officer Bray knew it was going to come out anyway. It was a small town and news travelled fast. He wouldn't be surprised if most everyone in Shamokin already knew about what happened.
Todd paled at the police officer's implication and mumbled. "Fine. I'm going home."
"I think Dave and I will make sure you all get home safely, okay? You can pick up your cars tomorrow after you've sobered up. Dave, will you take them to the squad car?"
"No problem, Sean. Come on, folks." Officer Corder nodded and led the others away with Shelly and Todd already starting to snipe at each other. Todd was also walking rather awkwardly.
As he watched the man walk away, Officer Bray couldn't help but think Todd was walking like he had just gotten off of a horse that he had ridden for a very long time, and his pain and discomfort were obvious. Officer Bray smiled to himself thinking that if he'd ask the women seated at the table beside him they would say he'd gotten off easy. He'd have to agree with them on that point. The officer nodded to the Pine Valley crew. "Ladies, on behalf of the town, I apologize for any inconvenience and hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here. Ms. Tasker, it was a pleasure."
Marissa nodded. "Officer, yes it was. Thank you for your help and understanding."
"Terri, I'll see you Sunday at Mom and Dad's." Sean then shook the manager's hand. "Bob, call again if you need anything."
"Thanks, Sean. I appreciate the help as always." The manager looked at the women. "I would like to apologize for everything that happened tonight. I'm really sorry. Don't worry about the bill. It's taken care of."
Kendall shook her head. "It's not necessary. You're not responsible for those idiots."
"Still, I insist. I don't want you all to leave Shamokin with a bad taste in your mouth about us. I hope you can enjoy the rest of your evening." He turned to Bianca and Marissa. "And you two, I hope you have a long and happy life together."
"Thank you." The couple smiled.
After the manager walked away, the Pine Valley crew looked at each other in stunned silence trying to sort everything out.
Lisa looked at Marissa. "So, Terri is related to the one officer?"
"Yep, she's his sister. She told him everything that happened. We couldn't have asked for a better witness."
"So, he knew what happened before you talked to him?"
"He did, but I cleared up a few small details for him. I could tell he seemed reasonable and really didn't want to press charges. I gave him an out with the deal." Marissa looked at Bianca. She could see the conflicting emotions in warm chocolate eyes. "Are you okay?"
The brunette was about to answer when Marissa stopped her. She wanted to have this conversation in private.
"Let's get some fresh air.
Bianca nodded. "I'd like that." She turned to her sister. "We'll be back in a few minutes."
Kendall couldn't help but agree. The couple needed to talk. "We'll be here. Hey, Terri."
The server popped over to their table. "What's up?"
"I'd like to buy a round of drinks for the house, and make sure I get the bill for it."
Terri chuckled. "You got it. If this crowd didn't love you before, they will now."
Greenlee watched as Bianca and Marissa walked outside. "Are they okay?"
Kendall nodded. "I think so. They just need some time alone to talk. They really haven't had much of a chance since all of this happened."
"True. Your sister has a helluva punch."
"Yes, she does, doesn't she?" Kendall grinned proudly. "And Red was something else too."
Greenlee laughed. "Yes, she was. I knew having another lawyer in this family would be a good idea. Who'd have thunk that Bianca that would need it? Us? Sure, it's a given. Not so much with Bianca."
"I know, but those jackasses deserved everything they got and more."
"Amen." Greenlee raised her shot glass and clinked it against Kendall's before the two downed their drinks.
/
As soon as they stepped outside, Marissa pulled Bianca to her and captured her lips. When they separated, Bianca smiled. "I really needed that."
"You and me both. And yes, I'm fine and so is our little one. How are you?"
Bianca took a deep breath and placed her uninjured hand gently on Marissa's belly. "I'm okay now that I know the two of you are okay."
Marissa placed her own hand on top of Bianca's. "You were amazing in there. Not only did you handle Todd, but you really handled Shelly."
The anger Bianca had felt over the entire incident that occurred and those responsible for it flashed across her face. "Those jackasses. What the hell was he thinking? You told him 'no' repeatedly, and he still kept pawing at you. I wanted to rip his hands off."
"Tell me about it. When I saw him push you, I couldn't see straight. The only thing that stopped me from going after him was you literally standing in between us. I honestly don't know how you moved that quickly. And then Shelly showed up."
Bianca growled. "How dare she call you those things? What right does she have? She doesn't know you, and it's obvious she doesn't know him. What a pig. And when she pushed you, I was so scared, Rissa. I was afraid that she'd hurt you or little one. Then, I was so damn angry. I just lost it. Damn if it didn't feel good when I hit her."
"Now you know how I felt about Carmen."
Bianca chuckled at the memory of Marissa slugging that reporter and sending her into the Pine Valley Inn's pool. "Yeah, I do. Anyone that hurts you has to deal with me."
"Ditto." Marissa lifted Bianca's injured hand and gently kissed the bruised knuckles one at a time. "How's your hand?"
Warm chocolate eyes darkened with the combination of Marissa's lowered voice and the feeling of soft lips on her skin. "It's a little better, now. You know, I think I might've done something to my shoulder when I threw that one punch."
Marissa grinned as she took Bianca's none too subtle hint. "Well maybe I can do something about that." She pulled Bianca closer and softly kissed her fiancée's shoulder. She smiled as Bianca sighed happily and tilted her head. Again, Marissa took the hint. "Is your neck a little sore too?"
Bianca nodded as she suppressed a moan at the gentle and loving touch of Marissa's lips pressed softly against her flesh. "A little bit, yeah."
Soft lips trailed along the shoulder and up Bianca's neck before their lips crashed together.
"Hey, is everything okay out here? Oh, sorry." Greenlee grinned as she interrupted the couple.
Marissa glared at Greenlee. "I somehow doubt that. What can we do for you?"
"Kendall asked me to check on the two of you, see if you're okay. You've been out here a while. I guess I know why."
Bianca rolled her eyes at the smirk on Greenlee's face. "We're fine."
"I can see that you are. How's your hand doing? Was Marissa kissing it and making it feel better? Although, she really wasn't kissing your hand now was she? Interesting technique."
"Shut up, Greenlee."
The shorter brunette simply laughed. "I'm afraid you're going to have to keep it in your pants a little longer, Rocky. We have more celebrating to do. There are a lot of people inside that want to congratulate you, not only on your impending nuptials but your knock out tonight of Shelly and Todd."
"You and my sister actually took down Todd. Thanks for that by the way."
"It was our pleasure."
"I don't think Todd or his 'boys' will forget either of you anytime soon. I also don't think he's going to be walking right for quite a while." Marissa smirked.
"We do what we can." Greenlee turned serious. "Kendall wanted to make sure you were alright, that you weren't kicking yourself or doubting that what you did was the right thing."
Bianca rolled her eyes again. "She didn't want me overthinking things, getting all 'Bianca' on her, huh?"
Marissa laughed while Greenlee grinned. "Something like that, yeah."
"Well, you'll both be happy to know that that's not going to happen. I don't regret what I did. Do I want the kids to know? No, I don't, but I don't regret what I did. They deserved it and more."
"That's very good to hear. Both of us really hope this hasn't put too much of a damper on the evening for you."
"Nope, it hasn't, and I'm not going to let it." Bianca gave a cheeky grin. "Marissa was doing a very good job helping me with that before you came out here."
Marissa grinned. "You seriously need to work on your timing."
Greenlee raised an eyebrow. "Really? If you ask me, I'd say my timing was excellent. You see if I didn't come out when I did, I think the two of you would've been giving Shamokin another show, and your buddy, Officer Bray, would've had to pay another visit here."
The couple laughed. They weren't quite to that point, but they were both very glad they had their own room tonight because it did leave them wanting more.
As if she could read their minds, Greenlee rolled her eyes. "Alright, let's get back to the party. I have to stop your sister from bankrupting us."
Bianca needed to know what Greenlee was talking about. "What's Kendall doing now?"
"Buying several rounds of drinks for the entire restaurant. Me having to rein her in is making me the responsible one. You know I don't like that. Plus, my buzz is starting to wear off."
"We're aware of your aversion of being the responsible one, and we can't have that or your buzz wearing off." Marissa grinned.
"Exactly! Thank you! Besides, Handsy Montgomery here needs a few more drinks."
Bianca was a little confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh please, you think I don't see how you get when you've been drinking? You get all handsy with this one."
"I'm not complaining about it. I love Handsy Montgomery. In fact, the next round is on me." Marissa waggled her eyebrows causing Bianca to snort.
"Alright, let's stop my sister from bankrupting you. Besides, I think Rissa owes me another song."
The three entered the restaurant and found Terri right away.
"Terri, the next round's on me." Marissa's offer received a loud cheer from the patrons, many of whom came up to congratulate and wish the couple well.
/
The karaoke machine was fired back up and everyone, including the Pine Valley crew, signed up again. Marissa serenaded Bianca with a rendition of Elvis Presley's 'Can't Help Falling in Love' that had many smiling at the couple. Some had even gotten up to dance. The song also left Bianca with the goofiest of grins.
"Marissa is so getting lucky tonight."
Kendall smacked her friend. "That's my sister you're talking about in case you forgot, and yeah, I know she is."
Randi spotted a lone scrap of paper on the table and remembered there was one song left from their first round. She snagged it and chuckled when she read it. She handed it to Bianca who had just finished giving a Marissa a preliminary thank you for her song. "We forgot one from earlier."
After reading it, Bianca showed it to Marissa who grinned wickedly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I believe I am."
A vote was taken while certain members of their party were distracted with the results being unanimous.
"Hey, Kendall."
"What's up, Binx?"
"There's one more song that needs to be sung from earlier. We all think it'd be perfect for you and Greenlee."
Even though she'd had a lot to drink, Kendall was immediately on alert. Something was definitely amiss. She nudged Greenlee who had caught back up with her drink-wise in no time flat. "What's up?"
"They have a song they want us to sing." Kendall eyed the couple suspiciously while they feigned innocence. She took the paper and read. "Nope, no way, not a chance in hell."
"What's the song?" Greenlee read and followed her friend's lead. "Ain't no way in hell."
"Come on, Kendall. Do it for me, please." Bianca adopted her best puppy dog eyes."
"And me." Marissa followed suit.
Greenlee looked at the couple. "Why us?"
Aya, who wasn't feeling any pain, grinned. "We took a vote and it was unaniminmous. Wait, that's not right. It was unaniminous. Screw it. We all voted for it."
"But why us?"
"Because the height difference is just about right between you two and the people who sang the song." Randi giggled.
"And …"
"If you say I look like him, you're going down, Natalia. I don't care if you're a cop or not."
The group erupted in laughter at Greenlee's glare and threat.
Kendall rolled her eyes and handed a glass to Greenlee. "Come on. Let's get this over with."
The women downed the shots and quickly followed them with a second one. Kendall then pulled Greenlee to her feet. "Come on, Sonny."
"Why am I Sonny?"
"Well, you certainly can't pull off Cher."
"And why the hell not?"
"Seriously? Let's go with the obvious. You're not tall enough."
Greenlee huffed her way to the way but only after eyeing the table. "I'm not forgetting this."
The pair then performed a very memorable rendition of Sonny and Cher's 'I Got You, Babe' which had the entire restaurant roaring.
/
The restaurant had stayed open late that night due to the fact that no one, including the staff, wanted the night to end. It would go down as one of the town's most memorable evenings. The Pine Valley crew made their way to the Shamokin Inn after settling up their tab for the drinks purchased for their newfound friends and leaving an extremely generous tip for Terri.
Overnight bags were retrieved from the limo on the way to the inn. After they checked in, rooms were divvied up. Jimmy had his own room. Bianca and Marissa had their own room. Everyone else just grabbed keys and ended up with whomever. Those that weren't familiar with some were definitely friends by the end of the night so it didn't really matter who they roomed with. Given that they had an odd number of people, a rollaway was needed for one of the rooms. Lisa volunteered to take it. She was just happy she was going to be able to lie down soon. Goodnights were made, and they all stumbled to their rooms.
Kendall and Greenlee ended up sharing a room and were next to Bianca and Marissa's.
"Goodnight, ladies. Don't do anything we wouldn't do." Greenlee smirked.
"Well, that leaves it wide open, now doesn't it?" Marissa joked.
"Don't do anything we would." Bianca giggled.
Marissa burst out laughing as she pushed Bianca into their room and left a stunned Kendall and Greenlee in the hallway. Neither could believe she had said what she did.
"She did not say what I think she did, did she?" Greenlee asked.
"I think she did. Just remember, you have your own bed."
Greenlee rolled her eyes. "Like you could handle this."
Kendall laughed. "Whatever makes you feel better."
/
Bianca had Marissa pressed up against the door as soon as it was closed and the locks set. The redhead knew damn well that her fiancée wasn't quite as drunk as the others had thought she was. No, she definitely wasn't, and she knew exactly what she was doing. Bianca had begun to formulate a plan for the second half of their evening immediately after they had kissed outside the restaurant, and Marissa was a more than willing participant.
Marissa had wanted to tease Bianca about her quip to Greenlee, to tell her how proud she was of her for the restraint she showed earlier with Todd and Shelly because Marissa knew without a doubt that Bianca had showed extreme restraint with them, to tell her about the conversation she'd had with the police officer. Marissa found she just couldn't. Bianca's insistent lips had all rational thought quickly fleeing from her mind. The only things she could think of now were the feelings and sensations Bianca's lips and hands were evoking. Yeah, that could all be discussed tomorrow. Overnight bags had been long forgotten and left by the door. Clothes were quickly discarded as they moved as one across the room. The couple tumbled onto the bed, their bodies melding together as they lost themselves in each other.
/
"Good morning, ladies."
Marissa smiled brightly as she and Bianca entered the restaurant hand in hand. "Good morning, Terri. I'm a little surprised to see you here this early after working so late last night."
"Rissa's right. You have to be exhausted." Bianca added.
"I'm a little tired, but Bob asked if I could come in early today. He had a feeling we might have a larger than normal crowd this morning. It seems we have a group of visitors in town. Speaking of, where's the rest of your crew?"
Bianca grinned. "They're back at the inn. Some are moving a little slow this morning."
Terri chuckled. "I expect they would be. Let's get the two of you settled and something to drink." The server led them to a table and continued to chat with the couple. "I'll tell Bob to work on his hangover remedy for them. It's full proof, works every time. I have to say this is a first. Usually the guests of honor for a bachelor or bachelorette party are among the last to arrive, not the first. They're also pretty much worse for wear. You two look great and like you're raring to go."
"Well, it helps that I didn't drink at all, and Bianca didn't drink nearly as much as some as the others."
"That would explain it. How's your hand?"
"It's okay, a little sore but I'll survive."
"Good. If it helps any, I'm pretty sure Todd and Shelly are a lot worse off this morning. It serves them right if you ask me. Can I get you both some coffee, tea, something else?"
"Coffee would be wonderful." Marissa smiled gratefully. While she hadn't been drinking, it had been a late night for both she and Bianca after they gotten back to their room, and she could use the caffeine. Because of the baby, Marissa had to cut back on caffeine, but her doctor had said she could still have one cup of coffee a day. It was definitely needed today.
"I'll be right back."
Bianca's eyes grew wide as she read the menu. "They have chocolate chip pancakes."
Marissa laughed. "I guess I know what you're getting."
"Yep, and I'm starving. I worked up quite the appetite last night."
"That makes two of us. The western omelet sounds good to me."
"Ewww, how can you guys talk about food?" Lisa asked as she, Stef, Gail, Jan and Aya joined the couple.
"Seriously, I really don't want to think about food. Caffeine, however, is another story." Aya added as she carefully took a seat.
"How do you not have a hangover, Bianca? You were drinking pretty much last night." Stef asked.
Bianca stifled a laugh at the condition of the other women. "I took some aspirin and hydrated last night. I also didn't drink as much as you guys."
Jan groaned and laid her head down on the table.
Marissa had a hard time not laughing. "Terri told us that Bob has a guaranteed hangover cure. She was going to have him make up a batch for everyone."
"Make up a batch of what?" Kendall slowly made her way into the restaurant. She and Greenlee both wore dark sunglasses and left them on as they sat down.
"A hangover cure." Bianca bit her lip. It was getting harder and harder not to laugh as more and more of their group joined them and their pitiful conditions became known.
"Oh god, I hope so." Greenlee groaned.
"Good morning, ladies." Terri smiled as she placed steaming mugs of coffee in front of Bianca and Marissa.
"Terri, I really like you, but you're talking way too loud. Could you speak a little more quietly, please?" Natalia pleaded.
"Sorry. I'll do my best. I see we're only missing a couple of you."
"Jimmy was on the phone with his dispatcher. He'll be here soon." Kendall offered.
Randi nodded but winced immediately. "That wasn't a good idea. Madison and Amanda were going to be here soon I think. They were in really bad shape."
Terri shared an amused look with Bianca and Marissa. "How about I bring you all some coffee and Bob's cure?"
"If it'll stop my head from wanting to split open, I'll take it." Kendall muttered.
"I'll be right back."
Greenlee lowered her sunglasses a fraction and glared at the couple. "The two of you seem particularly chipper this morning. No hangover, Bianca?"
"Nope. Rissa took very good care of me last night."
"I bet she did."
Kendall groaned. "I really didn't that imagine in my head this morning."
"Sorry." Marissa smiled brightly.
"No, you're not."
"You're right, I'm not."
Terri returned with coffee and glasses containing a light brown liquid. "Okay, drink the coffee after you drink the other stuff. You'll be feeling a lot better in about 10 minutes."
Gail eyed the glass suspiciously. "What's in here?"
"You don't want to know."
"You're sure this works?" Lisa asked.
"It works every time. I promise."
"What the hell? I doubt it can make me feel worse than I already do." Aya shrugged and downed the concoction.
The others watched her as she shivered slightly and then took a swig of coffee.
"Well?" Natalia asked.
"It doesn't taste that bad. I can tell why you said to drink the coffee afterwards though. It helps with the aftertaste."
"That's the only problem with it. Bob's tried to fix that, but it usually makes it less effective when dealing with the hangover. It's a tradeoff."
One by one, the others drank the remedy followed quickly by their coffee.
"I'll bring some of our homemade biscuits over while you get your appetites back. Plus, they'll tide Bianca and Marissa over until you're ready."
"Thanks, Terri."
/
After 10 minutes, the group felt better.
"I'll be damned. It really works." Randi's surprise was clear at the revelation.
Lisa nodded. "It really does. I'm actually kinda hungry."
"Thank god. These biscuits are good, but I need something more to eat." Marissa sighed gratefully.
Terri returned. "How are we doing?"
"This stuff is amazing. Bob really needs to consider bottling this and selling it." Greenlee smiled as she felt ready enough to remove her sunglasses.
Kendall nodded as she ventured dealing with the morning light without shading her eyes as well. "She's right. This stuff is great. I think we're ready to order." She glanced up and saw Jimmy enter and waved him over. "Perfect timing, Jimmy. We're about to order."
"Oh great, I'm starving."
"You didn't happen to see Madison and Amanda, did you?" Randi asked.
"They were walking really slowly in this direction."
"I'll take your orders and bring some more coffee over along with two hangover cures for them."
"Sounds perfect." Bianca agreed and gave Terri her order.
/
Madison and Amanda stumbled into the restaurant just as Terri was returning with refills. They were met with knowing smiles from the others.
"How are you all in such good shape?" Madison asked.
Natalia handed her a glass. "Drink this and then some coffee. You'll feel better. Trust me."
The friends did as instructed, wanting nothing more than to stop their heads from pounding and an end to their nausea. Soon enough, they were feeling better like the others.
"So, Jimmy, what's the word?"
"A new car will be here in about two hours. If you want, I can still drive you into Philadelphia."
Greenlee thought for a moment. "We'll still miss our appointments at the spa."
Marissa shook her head. "We don't need to do that. We can check out some of the shops here and take our time getting back home."
"We can stop for a late lunch along the way." Bianca added.
"Are you sure, Binx?"
"Yeah, we are. If we go to Philadelphia, we'll pretty much have to turn around as soon as we get there. Where's the fun in that?"
"Exactly. Plus, even though you're all feeling better right now, you probably don't want to push it too much." Marissa finished.
Kendall nodded. "If that's what you want, that's what we'll do."
/
As the group ate, they chatted about the previous night's events.
Lisa pulled out her cellphone and pulled up a picture on it. "I have a question. Who is this guy, and why am I in a picture with him?"
Marissa laughed at her friend's confusion. "That would be Gil. You became good buddies after he stood up and gave his version of what happened to Officer Bray."
"Oh, I remember him now, nice guy, reminded me of one of my uncles."
"The two of you teamed up together for a drinking contest."
"Seriously? How'd we do?"
"You kicked everybody's ass."
The younger woman grinned proudly. "Cool!"
"So, it was kinda like Bianca kicking that other chick's ass?" Aya smirked.
"Pretty much." Marissa grinned.
"Bianca, I said it before, and I'll say it again. You are a badass." Stef raised her glass in the brunette's direction.
"Thanks. I have my moments. All of you aren't so bad yourselves. You all were right there."
"I can mark getting in a bar fight off my bucket list." Jan smirked.
The others laughed and nodded in agreement. Other pictures were found on different cellphones and holes filled in by Marissa, Bianca and Terri. Some of the stories and pictures were fairly embarrassing. Terri also had gotten a video of the brawl sent to her from one of her friends which was shared with the group.
Kendall fished out a business card from her purse and gave it to the server. "Terri, you have got to send that to me. Don't worry, everybody. I remember the oath we took last night. This will just be shared among us."
"I'll be happy to send it to you, Kendall. I also have videos of several of your performances. I'll send those along too."
"If I could, I'd like to propose a toast on behalf of Bianca and myself." Marissa, who had switched over to orange juice after finishing her coffee, raised her glass.
"Go for it, Rocky." Greenlee grinned.
"To all of you and particularly Kendall and Greenlee for giving us the best bachelorette party, ever."
Bianca nodded happily. "Definitely. Thank you all."
"We were all glad to do it." Kendall raised her coffee cup again. "I'd like to propose a toast of my own. To Bianca and Marissa, may you have a long, happy and adventurous life together."
"Here, here."
"To Bianca and Marissa!"
"To Minx!" Greenlee grinned. "And remember everyone, what happens in Shamokin…"
The group laughed and finished the toast. "Stays in Shamokin!"