A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing and following as always! It's appreciated. This is a shorter chapter. My writing time was cut into by a hellacious week at work coupled with an oh so lovely migraine. I wanted to add more to it, but if I did, I wouldn't be posting today. Those ideas will just have to go into the next chapter. We're picking up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

"Cory, Jo, Jessica, I give you the Dynamic Duo of Kendall Slater and Greenlee Lavery."

"Please have a seat. It's nice to finally meet you. Greenlee and I have really been looking forward to it."

"Yes, we have. Now, what can you tell us about Rocky that will embarrass her?"

Marissa rolled her eyes. This was going to be a long day, not that she was surprised one bit.

"Could they at least get something to drink, Greenlee?" Bianca sighed.

"I'm sorry. I forgot my manners. I was just so excited to get some dirt on Rocky. What would you like? We have pretty much everything."

"Some wine sounds lovely." Jo answered with her mother and Cory agreeing.

"Coming right up. Kendall?"

"I'm good. Thanks."

"What about you two?" Greenlee addressed Bianca and Marissa.

"You're going to have your hands full so I'll help." Bianca offered. "What would you like, Rissa?"

"How about some Sprite?" Marissa needed something carbonated but was going to stay away from the caffeine.

Bianca nodded, and while Greenlee got the out-of-town guests their drinks, Bianca got something for her and Marissa.

They rejoined the others to find Marissa looking around the room.

"The decorations are lovely. I see that you went for the more neutral baby colors." Marissa noted the colors of green, yellow and purple of the balloons and the various other decorations tastefully placed throughout the room.

"Considering that we don't know if Sparky is a boy or a girl, we decided it was best to opt for the gender neutral colors." Kendall volunteered.

"Are you going to find out the gender?" Marissa asked her sister-in-law.

"I think so. Zach and I have talked about it and think we would like to know in advance. Of course, that could change, but I don't think it will."

"Marissa and Bianca told us you were expecting. Congratulations!" Cory smiled.

"Thank you. This pregnancy is unexpected but definitely welcomed. How did the surprise go last night?"

Jo smiled. "Marissa was surprised to see Cory and me show up but Mom really got her."

"I have to give it to you, Jessica. That was sneaky. When Bianca told Kendall and me what you were planning, I have to tell you that we were impressed."

"Your reputation precedes you, Greenlee, and you also, Kendall. Bianca and Marissa told us some of the things you've done for them. So coming from you, I will take that as high praise."

Greenlee grinned. "I like you. We're going to get along really well. I can just tell it."

Kendall rolled her eyes. "What do you think of my nieces and nephew?"

"They are adorable. Gabby kept us entertained with all of her jokes."

"Sounds like you've got her seal of approval then if she was telling you jokes. It takes her a little while to warm up to people sometimes. It sounds like that wasn't a problem at all with the three of you though."

"She actually gave me some new material to try out on my son and students." Cory chuckled.

"It will be an improvement over your jokes." Jo smirked and ducked her friend's swat. "I noticed a couple of things about the older two. I felt like I was facing an interrogation by Miranda. She wasn't asking simple 'yes and no' questions. They were detailed. She's been hanging around this one too much, hasn't she?" Jo pointed to Marissa who simply grinned.

Bianca chuckled. "Yes, she's told us that she wants to be a lawyer like Rissa when she gets older. She's loves going into work with her Ma."

"They love it when she comes in. She's smart as all get out and just soaks everything up like a sponge. They know they can't get anything by her, and she's asked some questions that had them stop in their tracks and do some research. If being a lawyer is what she wants to do, I have no doubt that she'll be a good one." Marissa added proudly.

"AJ likes designing and building things, doesn't he? This morning when we were on our hike, he was telling us about plans for a clubhouse down by the pond."

Marissa smiled. "Yes, he has big plans for that come spring. And you're right, he loves all of that."

"He's very talented and has a good eye. He wants to do something with architecture when he gets older. AJ has no interest in business. I think he's gotten a glimpse of how toxic it's been for his father's side of the family and wants no part of it."

"He's told Bianca and me that he wants to change his name. He doesn't want to be a Chandler anymore."

"What?! When did he say that?" Kendall asked.

"A couple of weeks ago, after JR's latest stunt. Sorry, it's been busy lately, and we just didn't have the chance to tell you until now."

"Wow. I understand. What did you say? I mean, you had to be surprised."

"We were. We told him that we believed it would be a good idea if he took some time and thought about it. We would support him no matter what he decided though, but he really needed to think about it. It's a big decision and shouldn't be rushed into in the heat of the moment. We just don't want him to regret it later."

"I guess JR finally reached the tipping point with him, huh?"

Bianca nodded. "Yeah, I'm afraid he overheard JR ranting and saying some pretty ugly things about Marissa. It's probably the straw that finally broke the camel's back for him."

"Dipshit did that before I watched the kids that day, right?"

"Yes, he did, Greenlee. This all happened when we were doing that Skype session with him."

"I thought so. He wouldn't have been in one piece if he had done that in person with you."

Marissa chuckled. "You're right on that one. I have to tell you that it took Bianca a while to calm down."

"He's lucky he wasn't here." Bianca huffed. "I'm just glad you got a shot in, Greenlee."

"That was definitely my pleasure, and I was more than happy to do it."

Kendall decided it was time to change the subject. "So, what can you tell us about Red growing up? My sister only told us a couple of things when they got back from the reunion."

Jo and Cory looked at each other and shared a smile.

"Well, Marissa was always a bit of a daredevil and never backed down from dare." Cory began.

"It's true. Our senior year, she climbed to the top of the town's water tower and hung a banner for our senior class."

"Yeah, the guy who dared her is my husband. He honestly didn't think she'd do it. I told him she would, but Chris didn't listen and ended up losing $50 to her."

"It was easy money, just like taking candy from a baby. Plus, the three of us put it to good use." Marissa grinned.

"Exactly how many times did you climb that water tower?" Bianca asked.

"I think about five times."

Jessica shook her head. "You're lucky you didn't break your damn fool neck."

"After I slipped that first time, Dad thought it would be a good idea to teach me how to climb the right way."

"Your mother wanted to have his hide for doing that."

"She forgave him, eventually. She never could stay mad at him for too long. I think all the groveling he did helped too."

"That's very true."

"You're probably not too surprised by this, but Marissa doesn't back down from a fight either. It doesn't matter how big the other person is. There was this time in Political Science class …"

"Oh, I love this story, Jo." Cory noted excitedly.

"There was a petition of some sort going around school. It got to us when we were in Political Science. That day for class, we had our desks in a circle and the teacher wasn't there yet. The petition got to Marissa. She read it and passed it on without signing it. A few people later, it got to this guy named Mark. He was on the football team and was big. I think he was a linebacker or something like that. He said something, and when no one responded, he wadded it up, stomped up to the front of the room and threw it in the trash can. Marissa saw all of this and called him on it. She told him that he didn't have the right to do that. Mark then stomps back up, grabs the paper from trash can and stomps back over to her desk. He spreads the paper out and was like inches from her face when he asked if she was happy. Marissa, as calm as could be, said 'fuck you'."

"Seriously, Red? You were taking on a football player?"

"He didn't have the right to do what he was doing. I didn't agree with what the petition was about, but that didn't mean I could stop someone else from signing it. He sure as hell didn't have that right either."

"Here's what made it even better. Just as those words were leaving her mouth, the teacher came in and heard everything."

"No! How much time did you get in detention?" Greenlee smiled.

"She didn't get any. The teacher saw what was going on and figured Mark provoked her. He didn't say a word other than telling people to take their seats."

"I breathed a huge sigh of relief because I thought I was so busted."

"You were lucky. I still think Mark should have gotten in trouble though." Cory added.

"Speaking of luck, there was that time with the shopping cart."

/

"So that's how you got that scar on your hip." Bianca shook her head, smiling at her wife's antics when she was younger.

"What did she tell you?" Jo asked.

"That it was some stupid stunt she pulled in high school and she'd rather not elaborate."

Marissa shrugged. "Well, it was a stupid stunt and definitely not one of my finer moments, B."

"You do realize that the two of you are going to have your hands full with Sparky, don't you?" Kendall smirked.

"Yeah, I know. I think you're going to have your hands full too, Curly."

Greenlee snickered, knowing both Marissa and Kendall were right. "What else can you tell us about Rocky?" The petite brunette loved all of the stories Jo and Cory were sharing.

"There was this one time …"

"Josephine Lorraine Shelton, stop picking on Marissa. You've told more than enough embarrassing stories about her."

"Thank you, Jessica." Marissa smiled at the older woman before turning to her friend and sticking her tongue out at her.

"You're welcome, baby. Now, why do you keep calling Marissa 'Rocky', Greenlee?"

"Because she has a mean right hook and sent this reporter who was trying to blackmail Bianca with some faked photographs flying into a swimming pool, broke the woman's nose. I have it on video. It's really good and kind of a greatest hits compilation."

Jo looked at her friend. "Bianca was right. You do have a thing about pools. Of course you didn't break anyone's nose back in Devon."

"She did something like that in Devon?!"

"It was completely justified, and the girl deserved a few more shots if you ask me." Cory defended her friend.

Jessica nodded. Both she and Marissa's parents had heard about the incident almost immediately after it had happened. "I'm not one for violence, but I certainly agree in that case. Now, what's this video you've been going on about, Greenlee? That's something I want to see."

Bianca snorted as her wife simply hung her head and sighed, resigned to being embarrassed even more.

Greenlee practically sprang from the sofa. "I'll go get my tablet, and we can hook it up to Kendall's TV so you can see it on a larger screen. Be right back."

Kendall chuckled at her friend's excitement and offered an explanation to the others. "She's done some editing to it so it now includes verbal smack downs on whatsherface."

"Whatsherface?"

"Bianca's ex. We don't like to say her name too much, kind of like Dipshit. Greenlee added some slow motion effects to it as well. I have to admit that it's pretty awesome. Oh, she also added some things Bianca has done as well. Unfortunately, we don't have any footage from Shamokin."

Cory looked at her friend. "What on earth were you doing in Shamokin?"

"Our bachelorette party got sidetracked there due to a broken down limo. You couldn't have used that footage anyway, Curly. We all took a vow, remember? Besides, Bianca wasn't the only one who landed some blows. I think everyone but me was pretty much in on the action."

"Why weren't you?"

"Sparky."

Jessica looked surprised. "Bianca?! She doesn't seem the type."

Marissa grinned. "She was defending my honor. Don't be deceived. My wife is a badass, trust me."

Bianca rolled her eyes. "I'd hardly say that."

"Oh, I disagree, Binx. I'm with Red on this."

"Speaking of Shamokin, Bianca and I heard from Sean."

"Who's Sean?" Although feeling a little lost, Jo was definitely curious.

"Marissa's buddy who also happens to be a pretty darn good cop. They bonded over what charges could be leveraged to clean up a little bit of a mess. How's he doing?" Greenlee offered as she rejoined the others and began hooking up her tablet to the TV.

"He's good. Actually, he's beyond good. He's going to be a dad!"

"His wife's pregnant?! That's great news." Kendall remembered hearing about the struggle he and his wife were having getting pregnant.

Bianca saw the lost looks on their guests' faces. "He and his wife were having a hard time conceiving. We gave him the name of Rissa's doctor in New York. She helped us so we thought we might be able to help them. Turns out, we were right. They're very excited and so is Terri. She's his sister."

Jo shook her head and smiled. Marissa always had a knack for making friends wherever she went. It seems that hadn't changed and that her wife had the same knack.

Greenlee grinned. She was extremely proud of her work on the video and couldn't wait to share it. "Alright, we're all hooked up and ready to go. Before we start, is everyone good on drinks?"

"We're good. Start it up!"

/

When the video stopped, Jo was left clapping her hands, and Cory was in tears from laughing. Jessica had an unreadable expression on her face before shaking her head in an attempt to avoid being overcome with emotion.

"You … you remind me so much of your mother."

"Really?"

Jessica nodded. She could honestly see her friend in the young woman before her. Jessica knew they weren't related by blood, but the similarities were there. Both shared the same spirit and fire, and it was undeniable. "Really. Lydia would be so proud of you. She would fight tooth and nail for her family and those she loved. And your father would be cheering you on."

"Thank you." Coming from Jessica, someone who knew her parents, those sentiments meant the world to Marissa.

The older woman cleared her throat. "You, Greenlee, did an excellent job with that."

"Mom's right. Where exactly were you when you recorded what happened with Marissa and the reporter?"

"I … uh … might have been strategically placed nearby."

Marissa laughed. "She was hidden in some shrubbery that was around the pool area. That wasn't the first time either."

Bianca couldn't help but also laugh as she remembered the day after Christmas when she and Marissa had finally gotten together and found Kendall and Greenlee hiding in the bushes outside Marissa's house spying on them. "It probably won't be the last either."

Kendall and Greenlee looked at each other and shrugged. Bianca was probably right.

Marissa sighed as she struggled slightly to her feet.

"You okay, Red?"

"Yes, Sparky's tap dancing on my bladder again. I'll be back."

"Oh, our other guests should be getting here soon." Kendall noted as she checked the time.

"I'll put this stuff away. I only bring out the video for special people." Greenlee smiled.

"Well, thank you. We really enjoyed it." Cory added.

"We really did. Hey, where should we put our gifts?" Jo asked.

Kendall stood and motioned for the others to follow her. "I'll show you."

/

"Hey, Alex. It looks like you have your hands full." Kendall quickly moved out of the way for Alex Walker to enter. The man was carrying a large item covered with a brightly colored blanket which perfectly matched the décor of Sparky's nursery.

"Hi, Kendall. It's not as heavy as it looks, but it is a little awkward. Make sure Marissa doesn't try to lift it though."

"You've got it. You can put it right over there." After pointing Alex in the direction of the ever growing stack of present, Kendall turned to the rest of the Walker clan. "Ladies, come on in. Let me take your coats, and please feel free to make yourselves at home."

After placing the family's main gift down in the specified location as instructed, Alex found Bianca and Marissa who were talking to Carol, Gail and Sam and hugged the couple. "Don't worry, I'm not staying. I'm just the delivery man. Congratulations. I'll see both of you and the kids next week for dinner."

"Thanks, Alex. We're looking forward to it."

"Thanks, and the kids are looking forward to it too. Bianca and I can't wait to try your 'world famous' chili and see how it really stacks up against the others we've had." Marissa grinned.

"I think you're really going to like it, if I do say so myself. Okay, I better go before I get blocked in. I'm going to be spending the rest of the day in my workshop, and I can't wait." Alex kissed his wife goodbye followed by his mother and then his daughter. "I'll see the three of you later. Sam, be careful driving home."

"I will. You too." Alex had driven over separately so he could transport the family's gift for the couple while Sam drove herself, Carol and Gail over in her car.

Alex chuckled as he headed out. "You got it."

/

"Oh, I want the three of you to meet some people." Marissa led the three women over to where Jessica, Jo and Cory were standing.

After introductions were made, Marissa continued. "Carol rented us our first home."

"Eventually, she did. I seem to recall that you weren't really a couple at that point. It was just you and AJ living there for a few months. Although, Carol saw a spark even before you did." Gail teased.

Bianca sighed. "You're right about that."

"I just call them like I see them see. It was pretty obvious." Carol smiled.

As the others chatted, Sam pulled Marissa aside. "Could we talk?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"You're still my lawyer, right?" Sam bit her lip waiting for Marissa to hopefully give her a positive response.