A/N: I made it through the first week back to work and am slowly getting myself back onto a schedule. I hope the first full week of January finds you all well.
If you'll excuse me for a moment, I hadn't planned on this, but I feel the need to write this next part. Thanks is advance for bearing with me. My heart goes out to my readers in France. What happened there this week was horrific and is simply something that should not have happened there or anywhere. Freedom of speech is among the most cherished of freedoms that we have, and it cannot and will not be silenced by radicals of any group. Je Suis Charlie.
Thanks as always for reading, reviewing and following! It is greatly appreciated. Quick note on a question from .10. Yes, the David drama is over, at least for now. I can't promise that I won't come up with something else surrounding him in the future, but for now, it's done. I'll let you all get to the story now. We are going forward in time a week from the last chapter. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
AJ opened the door with a huge grin on his face. "Welcome to Minx Manor, home of the Tasker-Montgomery family!"
Jessica and Jo laughed at the enthusiastic greeting. The boy's happiness was clearly evident and expected. When Marissa had called them last weekend to tell them about the surprise the kids had managed to pull off, they could tell the redhead was thrilled beyond words, the emotion in her voice was on full display and with good reason.
"If it isn't the mastermind himself! Hello, AJ!" Jessica knelt down and hugged the boy tightly.
"Hi, Jessica. Hi, Jo."
"AJ, give me some." Jo held her hand up for a high five which the boy happily returned. "Really nice job on that surprise for your Moms."
"Thanks! They were really surprised. The judge said Miranda did a good job telling her what we did." AJ smiled proudly.
"I'm sure she did."
"Did you know it was Gabby's idea to ask Caleb to help us?"
Jo glanced quickly at her mother who did her best to conceal a smile at the mention of the man's name. "I didn't. I bet he was surprised to hear from you."
"You have no idea. I have to say though that I'm very honored they trusted me that much." Caleb smiled as he joined the three. With a hand on AJ's shoulder, the lawyer greeted the mother and daughter. There was a particular twinkle in his eye when he saw the older woman. "Jo, Jessica, it's good to see you. I'm glad the two of you could make it."
"It's good to see you too, Caleb." Jessica nodded at the lawyer.
Jo smiled as she saw a slight blush creep across her mother's face. "Yes, it's very good to see you, Caleb. When Marissa called and told us what happened, we had to be here to help celebrate. Speaking of our favorite redhead, where are her and Bianca and the other two members of this happy family?"
"The Moms are in the kitchen getting stuff ready, and Miranda and Gabby are downstairs getting Max settled before everybody gets here." AJ offered.
Jessica snapped to attention. "Well, we should see if your Moms need any help." She glanced at Caleb. "We'll catch up later?"
"Definitely."
/
"I'm fine. I don't need to sit down. I want to help. You need the help. It's too much for you to do all by yourself."
"Good. Reinforcements." Bianca said when she saw Jessica and Jo come into the kitchen. "Maybe you can help me convince Rissa to sit down and take it easy. She's been on her feet all day."
Marissa rolled her eyes. "She's exaggerating. I'm fine. It's good to see both of you, and we're glad you could make it."
"We wouldn't miss it. Exactly how far along are you now, Marissa?" Jessica asked.
"Oh for …" Marissa huffed at the not so subtle remark. Jessica knew exactly how far along she was. The older woman had a knack for making a point without really going out of her way to make a point. "Fine, I'll sit down for a minute, but I'm still helping. I can finish up the vegetable tray while I'm sitting." She turned to her wife. "Okay?"
Bianca smiled. "Thank you."
Marissa sighed as she sat down. She hated to admit it, but it did feel good to get off her feet. Just shy of nine months pregnant, Marissa found, at this point, her ankles liked to swell when she hadn't even been on feet very long at all.
As Bianca brought over the vegetables and platter for Marissa to work on, she heard the sigh her wife made as she sat down. The brunette didn't say it but shot her a look that was pure 'I told you so'.
Marissa scowled slightly while Jessica and Jo just laughed.
"What can we do to help?" Jessica offered.
"Jo, why don't you help Rissa, and Jessica, you can help me if you want?"
The mother and daughter nodded and got to work.
"So the two of you had no idea what the kids were up to?" Jo asked.
Bianca shook her head. "None. We could tell they were up to something, but we could not have imagined that in our wildest dreams. For them to have done all of that, I … I still can't believe it."
"Bianca's right. They just blew us away."
"What inspired them?"
"It was Sam. Rissa helped with her adoption a few months ago, and then at our shower, Sam approached her about changing her name and adding Walker to it. After JR's latest stunt, AJ told us that he didn't want to be a Chandler anymore. We told him to take some time and think about it."
"Apparently, that's exactly what he did." Marissa chuckled. "He mentioned something to the girls, and they decided to talk with Sam since she was going through all of this. She was open and honest with them. When they were done talking with her, they discussed it amongst themselves and made their decision. Miranda figured they would need a lawyer, and Gabby suggested Caleb since he's been my lawyer. So, they called him."
"Caleb knew Rissa's last case before maternity leave was Sam's name change." Bianca continued. "The kids were really wanting to surprise with this. So with their permission, Caleb checked with Sam to see if she was okay with sharing her day. She was completely onboard and loved the idea. She was even happier that she could be there and be part of the surprise. Caleb then called Judge Kagan and explained everything to her. She was happy to help too and rearranged some things to get this on her docket. The kids really wanted Mom, Kendall, Greenlee and Uncle Jack there so they told them. When they found out what was happening, they jumped at the chance, but Uncle Jack got pulled into court for another client and couldn't make it. Susan is family and got pulled in early on as a go-between with Caleb and the kids."
"I have to tell you that your kids are impressive as all get out." Jo stated.
"Don't we know it. Talk about impressive, you should have seen Miranda on the stand when she went over everything."
Bianca smiled at her wife. "What do you expect? After all, she's been learning from the best, you. So, I have no doubt that she will be a great lawyer someday just like her Ma."
Marissa simply grinned back. Bianca's faith in her was unending and meant more to her than words could ever say. It was something she had never had with any other partner. With her parents? Yes, she had it from them, but having it from your parents and having it from your partner are two entirely different things. "You know she'll be great no matter what she chooses to do, and if you ask me, it's because she is so much like you."
Jessica chuckled at the couple. They really were so perfect for each other. Her curiosity got the better of her. There were a couple of things she wanted to know. "How has everyone reacted to the name changes?"
"Scott and Stuart have taken it pretty well and understand why AJ wanted to do it. That doesn't surprise me though. They're both sweet and just good people, especially Stuart. There's not a mean bone in his body, and you'll never meet a kinder or gentler soul."
"Bianca's right. The difference between Stuart and Adam is like night and day. As to the other Chandler men, we haven't heard anything from JR since he left town again so we don't know if he even knows about it. I have no doubt he'll be less than thrilled, but it's AJ's choice. JR lost any rights that he had by his own actions. He hurt AJ, and that's something that won't ever happen again. As for Adam, he wasn't happy about it as anyone would expect and came over to discuss it. He started to get a little heated, and Bianca shut him down cold. Let me tell you, it was something to see. I don't even think Erica could have shut him down like my wife did." Marissa grinned proudly.
"No one talks to my wife like that." Bianca stated forcefully.
"Ditto." Marissa winked, and the brunette relaxed. "Adam seems better now, more accepting at least, because Brooke, that's his wife, has been working on him. She somehow manages to bring out the best in him."
"That's good for AJ. What about your ex-wife? Reese?"
Bianca nodded. "Yes, that's her. The girls haven't heard from her in a while so I'm almost positive that she doesn't know, and like JR, she lost her rights because of her own actions. And also like JR, she hurt them, and that's something that won't ever happen again."
"I have no doubt about that. Have you heard from David?"
Marissa shook her head. "No. I was pretty clear that I don't want anything to do with him right now, if ever again."
"Are you okay about that?" Jessica's concern was evident.
"I am. While I would like to have some sort of relationship with him, it's something that's not going to happen, not until he changes. David craves power, glory, and praise and views himself as a god. He thinks the world revolves around him, and we are his puppets, purely here for his amusement and to serve him. He needs to learn that's simply not the case, and until he does, there is no room for him in our lives. That is something I'm more than alright with."
"That's because you know what's truly important."
"I do. It's my family. That's something my Mom and Dad taught me, and it's only been reinforced by having Bianca in my life."
Bianca stopped what she was working on, walked over to her wife, and rewarded Marissa with a loving kiss. "You do have a way with words, Counselor."
Marissa grinned. "What can I say? It's easy when I'm talking about you."
"Wow, you really are good. You got game, girl!" Jo laughed.
The couple rolled their eyes at the teasing.
Bianca walked back to the counter. "You're almost as bad as my sister and Greenlee."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Oh, you should've seen the looks between Mom and Caleb. Mom actually blushed!"
"Jo." Jessica warned.
"On the way down here, she kept wondering whether he was going to be here or not."
"Josephine Lorraine!"
Marissa laughed. "Well, Caleb was wondering the same thing about her. In fact, he got here early, and he's never early for things like this. If you ask me, he was wanting to see her."
"He … he … he asked about me?!" Jessica was truly flustered.
"Uh huh. Ask Bianca if you don't believe me."
Bianca smiled. "It's true."
"So, Jessica, the question is, why are you in here with us when he's out there?"
"I … I … I'm helping you."
"We've got it under control, Jessica. Why don't you go have some fun?" Marissa encouraged her friend.
"Go for it, Mom. You deserve this." Jo stated with conviction.
Jessica wasn't quite sure for a moment, but seeing the encouraging smiles and nods from the other three, particularly her daughter, she wiped her hands on a dish towel and took a deep breath before heading into the family room.
Jo shared a high-five with her best friend. "I'm glad she's taking this chance. She really does deserve to be happy."
/
"So, this is where the party is."
"Kendall, it's good to see you again."
"Hey, Jo. It's good to see you too." Kendall gave her sister a hug. "Binx, how are you?"
"I'm good. How about you?"
"Hanging in there. Red?"
"Same as you, Curly."
"Alright, I'm here to offer my services. What can I do to help?"
"Why don't you help Marissa?"
Kendall eyed her sister and then her sister-in-law. Marissa was sitting at the table, shaking her head. "Red."
"Curly, you might as well just come over here and sit down. Resistance is futile when she's like this." Marissa smirked.
Bianca stuck her tongue out at her wife causing the other women to laugh.
"Oh, Bianca, really? Your tongue out while you're looking at Marissa? You really do make it way too easy for me sometimes." Greenlee smirked evilly as she joined them.
"Lalalalalala." Kendall covered her ears with her hands. "I'm not listening to this, and you can't make me."
Marissa and Jo cracked up while Bianca rolled her eyes and threw a dish towel at the petite brunette.
"What? Was is it something I said?" Greenlee feigned innocence, a condition that no one bought for a single second.
Marissa decided to step in and save Greenlee from herself. "Where are Zach, Ryan and the kids?"
"Zach and Ryan have commandeered the TV to watch a game that's on."
"The kids are downstairs in the playroom along with all of yours." Kendall added. "We did see something interesting though when we arrived. We saw your Mom, Jo. She had the biggest smile on her face."
"So did Caleb. They were putting on their coats to go take a walk." Greenlee smiled.
Jo chuckled. "That didn't take long once she made her mind up. I'm glad they're spending some time together again."
"Again?!" Kendall and Greenlee asked at the same time.
"Yeah, they had a lunch date when she was here the other week."
"Don't let Jessica hear you say it was a date. Remember, she was very insistent that it was not a date. It was so a date though." Marissa grinned, and Jo snickered.
"Wait. Exactly how long has this been going on?" Kendall asked.
"And more importantly, how did we not know this?" Greenlee added.
"Well, there's definitely been some sparks between them since they first met. She talked about him some when we got back home after they first met. I don't even know the last time she did something like that. Unfortunately, Mom's been really busy after this last visit so I don't think they've talked that much since their date that wasn't a date. Plus, she's a little nervous. It's been a while since she's shown interest in someone like she has with Caleb."
"Well, Caleb's a really good guy." Kendall assured Jo.
"Marissa and Bianca have assured me of that, and I know Marissa would step in if he wasn't. I have to tell you that it's nice to see that sparkle back in her eyes."
"It really is. She's been through a lot and deserves to be happy." Marissa nodded before something outside caught her eye causing her to smile. "Jo, take a look outside."
A smile broke across Jo's face as she spied her Mom and Caleb walking arm in arm, laughing. Marissa squeezed her friend's hand. Jo couldn't say anything. She was too choked up. It had been way too long since she had seen Jessica like that, and she couldn't even begin to describe how much that meant to her.
/
A short while later, most of the family's guests had arrived. Everyone was having a good time and enjoying themselves.
Bianca had noticed her wife scowling and shifting in her seat so she made her way over to her. "Rissa, are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm just a little uncomfortable, and my heartburn has been bothering me some. I'm good."
"Are you sure?"
"I'm positive. Don't worry."
"Okay." Bianca wasn't 100% sure that Marissa was feeling as good as she was saying but decided to let it go for now. She turned to her sister who was seated next to the redhead. "We didn't get a chance to talk more about this earlier. How's it going with Dr. Chambers?"
"It's going pretty good. I like her a lot. I can't tell you how glad I am that I don't have to deal with David."
Bianca and Marissa glanced at each other but remained quiet.
Kendall continued. "I can't thank you enough, Jo, for basically finding her."
"There's no need to thank me. I really didn't do much, and I'm just glad I could help."
"Oh, I didn't get a chance to tell all of you the latest, and before you complain, Kendall, I just found this out today."
Kendall chuckled. "As long as you just found out, Greenlee, I'll forgive you, this time. So, what is it?"
"It's about David. He's been suspended from the hospital for six months. It was all very hush-hush so I don't know exactly what he did. Whatever it was though, he had to have ticked somebody off who was connected big time because I heard it was done through an emergency board meeting. In addition to all of that, the state medical board is reviewing his license, again."
The younger women all glanced in Erica's direction. The diva was standing on the other side of the room laughing at something being said by Jack. Each of the younger women suspected that if anyone had the connections to bring the arrogant doctor down a few pegs, it was definitely her. In particular, it had Marissa and Bianca wondering why she might have done that.
"Have you heard anything from him, Marissa?" Kendall asked.
The redhead was startled by the question. "No, I haven't talked to him since just after AJ's and Miranda's birthday party."
"I have to say I'm not really surprised this is happening." Bianca added.
Greenlee nodded. "Yeah, me either. If you ask me, karma is paying David a long overdue visit and making him its bitch."
"One can only hope." Kendall studied her sister and sister-in-law. She couldn't help but think they knew something, but they weren't going to talk.
"Mommy! It's snowing!" Gabby squealed excitedly as she looked out the front window. She was immediately joined by all of the other kids.
"Wow, I thought it was supposed to be spring. It is the beginning of April after all." Jack noted as he looked out at the falling snow.
"We have gotten snow in April before. I think we were spoiled by the mild winter." Caleb added.
Jessica glanced outside as well. "At least it's not snowing very heavy right now."
Marissa shifted uncomfortably again.
Bianca noticed the look on her wife's face. "Are you sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I should've had a smaller piece of chocolate cake, but I couldn't help myself. It was really good, and Sparky enjoyed it." Marissa smiled weakly. "I'm okay. I'll get some Sprite and that should fix me right up." She gave Bianca a quick kiss before heading to the kitchen.
"Is Red okay?" Kendall asked seeing the concern in her sister's eyes.
"Yeah, she's got some heartburn."
"I haven't hit that part too badly yet. I have to tell you that I'm not looking forward to it again." Kendall looked over at Caleb and Jessica. "They haven't left each other's side all night."
"So I've noticed." Jo chuckled as she watched her mother and the lawyer. There was no denying a definite connection existed between the two.
/
Bianca sighed as she joined Marissa and Jo on the sofa. Jessica smiled as she sat in a nearby armchair. Everyone was gone, the kids were in bed, and the couple finally had a chance to rest. The four of them had picked up from the party for the most part.
"I know we should finish cleaning up now, but I am wiped out." Bianca admitted.
"You know what? It can wait until tomorrow. Right now, I just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep. You know the kids will be up early and want to play in the snow." Marissa said with a yawn.
"Well the snow has definitely picked up. It's good everyone left before the roads get too bad. I wouldn't want to be worrying about them driving out there." Jessica noted.
"Especially Caleb." Jo smirked.
Jessica blushed. "I don't know what you're talking, Josephine."
"Mom, I saw how you looked at each other. It's alright. I'm happy for you, really."
"Thank you, Jo." Jessica wasn't quite prepared for this conversation so she changed the topic. "I think I'm going to go to bed now."
"That's a good idea. I have to tell you that I'm looking forward to playing in the snow with the kids tomorrow. Goodnight."
Jo and Jessica headed off to their guest rooms while Bianca and Marissa locked up.
/
Bianca was sitting in the couple's bed with her back pressed against the headboard, the lower half of her body under the covers. She had to admit she was exhausted. It had been fun having family and friends over to celebrate the adoptions and name changes, but it was a lot of work doing so. They had to clean the house before everyone came over, get all of the food ready and everything set up, and after everything was over, they needed to put everything away and clean up again. It left her worn out, and if she felt that way, she knew her wife did.
Marissa exited the bathroom with a mixture of emotions playing across her face.
"Rissa, is everything okay? Something's wrong. I can tell. What is it?" Bianca's anxiety over her wife reached an all-time high. Little things she had observed all day caused it to build, and now, seeing Marissa's expression, it was pushed over the edge.
"Bianca, I … I … I'm not sure, but I … I … I think it's time."
/
A/N: Mwhahahahahaha! Before you ask, yeah, I had to leave it there. My evil side made me. You've got to admit that it's one of my nicer cliffhangers though. See you soon!