A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review and follow! I appreciate it. Also, thank you for the birthday wishes! The party was great, and I had a really good time. Being with friends when the Wildcats lost helped take the sting out some. I'm sorry for the late post, but I've been busy continuing my celebration. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Susan opened the door, and AJ, Miranda and Gabby darted inside, happy to be home. As had become their habit, the kids dropped their backpacks by the steps before greeting their baby brother. Danny smiled, kicked his legs and waved his arms. In his few weeks of existence, he recognized his brother and sisters and adored them. It was a feeling that was definitely mutual.

Marissa smiled as she observed the scene. She loved seeing her children interact. The redhead glanced at their babysitter. She was extremely grateful that she and Bianca had found someone so reliable and good with the children. It was evident that she loved them as much as they loved her.

"Hey, Susan."

"Hey, Marissa." Susan noted a change in the redhead's demeanor. She was definitely in a better mood then the one she had been in that morning.

"Hi, Ma."

"Hi, Mommy."

"Hello, minions. Did you all have a good day at school and learn something good?"

Miranda noticed it right away. Her redheaded mother was smiling, really smiling. It was something that she hadn't been doing that morning, and seeing that smile relieved Miranda more then she could say.

Gabby nodded. "Yep! I got an 'A' on my spelling test!"

"Way to go, Monkey!" Marissa held up a hand, and Gabby happily slapped it for a high-five.

"We did a really cool experiment in science class." AJ said excitedly.

"You did? Well, I can't wait to hear about it, Buddy. What about you, Mimo?"

"The teacher really liked my book report. I got an 'A' on it too."

"That just confirms what I've always known. My children are brilliant."

"I definitely agree with you, Rissa."

The kids whipped their heads around and raced over to greet Bianca as she made her way in from the kitchen to join their family.

"Mom!"

"Mommy!"

"Hey, guys. I can't tell you how proud I am of all of you." Bianca saw Susan and offered a smile. "Hi, Susan."

"Hi, Bianca."

The brunette's gaze found her wife's. "Hey."

"Hey. Thank you for the flowers. They're beautiful."

"I'm glad you like them."

"I don't like them. I love them and the card."

"Mom?"

"Yes, Mimo."

"Do you have to go back into work?"

"Nope. I'm done. In fact, I'm all done helping Greenlee out, and that means I'm back to my regular schedule and spending lots of time with you guys."

"Really, Mommy?"

"Really, Gabby. We're going to start by having dinner out tonight."

"At Grandma's?" AJ asked.

"Yep, and Aunt K, Erica, Greenlee and everybody else is going to meet us there."

"Yay!"

"That means you all have to start on your homework now. We're going to leave in a little over an hour." Marissa informed the kids.

They nodded and grabbed their backpacks before heading to the dining room to start on their homework.

Bianca, by this time, had picked up Danny and was cuddling with him. "Speaking of my sister, where is she?"

"Erica took her home not too long ago." Marissa turned to the babysitter. "Susan, I need to apologize for this morning. You were put in an awkward situation, and you shouldn't have been."

"We both need to apologize. I'm just as guilty as Rissa. I'm sorry. We shouldn't have put you in that position."

"It's fine, honestly. There's nothing to apologize for. Besides, I didn't hear anything. I'm just glad that the two of you seem to be better?"

Marissa smiled. "We are."

"Definitely. Could you do us a favor?" Bianca asked.

"Name it."

"Rissa, do you have that card handy?"

Marissa knew what her wife had in mind and nodded happily. "I do." The redhead pulled the card out along with a pen. "Oh, I did add an addendum to it."

Bianca read over what her wife had added and smiled before addressing their babysitter again. "Susan, would you mind witnessing this for us?"

"Okay?" Susan was a little confused as Bianca and Marissa signed the card. That confusion disappeared as soon as she read what was written on it. She chuckled and happily signed by a third 'x'.

Bianca glanced at her wife. "I trust that will meet the legal standard, Counselor?"

Marissa grinned. "It will. Everything is now official."

"I, Bianca Tasker-Montgomery, hereby give Marissa Tasker-Montgomery permission to smack some sense into me if she ever sees me losing focus on her or our family again. I hereby promise to do my level best every day to show her just how much I love her and how much she means to me."

At the bottom of the card, Marissa added a simple but heartfelt phrase. "The same holds true for me, always."

Susan smiled. They were definitely back. "I need to get going. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Susan, and thanks again for everything." Bianca called out from where she was sitting.

Marissa walked the babysitter to the door. "Thanks, Susan. Have a nice night."

"You too, and you're both very welcome."

/

While the couple had a few minutes alone, Marissa took a seat next to Bianca on the sofa.

"So, you're done helping Greenlee?"

"I am. I called her and told her and that I was sorry but I wouldn't be able to help anymore, that I needed to focus on my family and do what was right for us, what was right for me."

"How did she take it?"

"Actually, she took it pretty well. It turns out that Kendall called her this morning."

Marissa laughed. "Of course she did."

"She apologized also. I told her she didn't do anything wrong though. Greenlee said she talked to Rafaela's people and told them that I wasn't part of any deal, and if they tried to make it that way, there wouldn't be a deal. She'd walk away. They apologized and told her that they would get Rafaela to back off. They all think it would be a good deal for everyone, but Greenlee said it wouldn't happen if I wasn't comfortable with it. I told her that I was okay with it because I wasn't going to be dealing with her anymore. I also honestly think it would be great if they could get her, but like I said, it's going to be without me being involved. I just can't do it. I mean what I wrote on that card."

"Thank you for that by the way. It means a lot to me that you did that."

"Your addendum means a lot to me."

"Well, I mean it too. It's something we both need to work on, together."

Bianca nodded. "Together, always." It was then that something caught the brunette's eye. She craned her neck and could see something on the wall near the front door. Bianca needed to get a better look.

Marissa followed her wife's gaze and knew what she was attempting to catch a glimpse of. The reason she hadn't seen it before now was because they usually entered and exited their home through the garage. Marissa smiled and held her arms out for their son so Bianca could see what she had been working on.

Bianca handed Danny to her wife and walked over to view what had caught her attention. Her eyes grew wide at what she saw. On the wall was a perfectly drawn tree that clearly resembled the one on their wedding invitation, initials included. At the end of tree's branches were framed photographs of their family. They included the candid shot of her and Marissa at the zoo, the one that Kendall had snapped a few years ago and that the kids had given to the couple as a Christmas present right after they had confessed their feelings to each other. The couple's wedding picture was also there as well as photos of AJ, Miranda, Gabby and Danny. Bianca's eyes also found the picture Marissa had snapped of Erica, Kendall and Bianca that past Christmas. There was also a picture of Marissa with Jessica and Jo that had her smiling. The brunette took in the various photos before resting on the one that was by far and away her favorite. It was the one Jessica had taken for them of their family after they brought Danny home. Her eyes welled up with tears. This family tree was beautiful and looked even better than the example they had seen online a little over a month ago and fell in love with. They had planned to do it while Bianca was off right after Danny was born but simply didn't have the time.

"I can't believe you did this." Bianca turned to face her wife who was now standing next to her.

"You like it?"

"I love it. It's amazing. That's our tree! It even has our initials!"

Marissa smiled. "Yeah, I know the example we found didn't have them, but I couldn't help myself on that. I can't take all the credit though. While Kendall couldn't do any of the painting, she did help with picking out the photos and getting them in the frames. Erica helped me hang them up when I got back home earlier today. Both of them liked how this turned out so much that they're thinking of doing one themselves."

"Really? Well, that just goes to show that they have good taste, not as good as mine though. I do love this, Rissa. I can't believe you were putting all this work in, and I wasn't around to help. I can't tell you how sorry I am. I'm going to do everything I can to make it up to you. I'm going to be the best wife because that's what you deserve."

"You're not perfect, and neither am I. I don't expect you to be perfect. Hell, perfect is boring. B, I just need you to be you. That is the wife that I want. You, I just want you."

Bianca gave her wife the goofy grin that she loved in return. "I just want you too. There is no one else for me. If you ever start to think or feel otherwise, you need to tell me. You're right about us not being perfect. I know we're not, far from it, but to me, you are as close as it comes."

"You stole my line."

"Eh, doesn't make it not true."

"Mom."

"Ma."

"Time to help with homework." Marissa sighed.

"Yep. We'll talk more about this later." Bianca gave her wife a quick kiss.

Marissa nodded as she shifted Danny. "I agree. Now, let's go help our minions."

/

Bianca held open the door to Krystal's, and AJ, Miranda and Gabby hurried inside and immediately went to their family's table. Marissa, carrying Danny who was in his carrier, followed them inside with Bianca quickly catching up and walking in next to her wife.

Opal spotted the family first and couldn't resist making a beeline for them after making a quick detour to pick up a high chair for Danny's carrier to rest in. "How is my favorite family?"

"Hey, Opal. You better not let my sister hear you say that." Bianca greeted the older woman with a hug.

"Well, you're not supposed to tell her."

"I hate to break it to you, but I'm pretty sure she's going to find out. Bianca loves telling her stuff like that, and you should know that Kendall and her brood are joining us tonight." Marissa laughed as she settled the carrier in the high chair and started to remove Danny. She knew that Opal would be aching to hold him and so would Krystal as soon as she found out they were there.

"So are Mom, Uncle Jack and Greenlee and her family."

"Well, we better get another table over here then. Could I?"

Marissa chuckled as she handed Danny over. "Sure. You do know that you're going to have to give him up as soon as Krystal sees him, right?"

Opal rolled her eyes. "Yes, I know, but until then, I'm holding him. Let me get someone to move a table and some chairs over here and take your drink order. Danny can help me do that."

The couple just smiled as they took their seats, and let Opal take their youngest with her. Miranda had been watching her mothers like a hawk most of the evening, and the more she saw them interacting, the more relieved she was. She didn't like it when they fought even though it wasn't that often and she knew they still loved each other. Miranda just hated seeing them sad. Now though, she could see their smiles and could tell they were real ones and not forced.

A server came over and moved another table next to the family's along with some more chairs. She then gave the kids some crayons and activity sheets before taking their drink orders.

Marissa's gaze never truly left Danny. She had followed Opal's movements through the restaurant. It wasn't that she didn't trust the older woman. It was just that she couldn't help herself. He wasn't even two months old yet, and there were a lot of people around that she didn't know. To be honest, the only one she wouldn't be nervous about taking Danny around was Bianca, probably Erica and Kendall as well. Now taking the sight in of a pouting Opal, Marissa couldn't help but laugh.

Bianca followed her wife's gaze to see what she was laughing about. She saw that Krystal was now holding Danny. Bianca had caught a glimpse of Marissa tracking Opal's and now Krystal's movements. Truth be told, the brunette was pretty much doing the same thing.

"It didn't take long for Krystal to get Danny, did it?" Bianca smirked.

Marissa shook her head. She wasn't surprised at all. "No, it didn't."

/

"How are all of you this evening?" Krystal smiled as she walked over to the table and gently rocked her youngest grandson.

"Pretty good, and yourself? Bianca asked.

"I can't complain, especially with this little fellow and those other three cuties here, not to mention the two of you. He looks so much like his mama."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

Marissa chuckled. "Thank you both. You'll be seeing some other cute kids tonight too, maybe not as cute as these but still pretty cute."

"Opal mentioned that Kendall and Greenlee were coming with their broods. Is there a particular reason you all are getting together?"

Bianca shook her head. "Not really. It just all happened to work that way."

"Kendall was probably getting a little stir crazy not really being able to go anywhere." Marissa offered.

"True."

"How is she doing?"

"Pretty well. Rissa's been taking very good care of her."

"It's easy when Kendall's already doing everything that she can to make sure the baby is okay. She's got one week at the most. If she hasn't gone into labor by then, she'll be induced, and Bianca and I will have a beautiful niece."

Bianca smiled. "Yes, we will."

Danny started to fuss, and Marissa recognized the signs. "I'll take him. It's time for his dinner too."

Krystal nodded and did as requested.

Bianca looked at her wife. "Would you mind if I did it? I've missed doing that."

Marissa simply smiled warmly and handed over their son to his other mother. The redhead then retrieved a baby bottle from their diaper bag and handed it to Bianca.

Danny sighed contentedly and started feeding. It had been a little overwhelming being around all these people. Now, he was in his brunette mother's arms, and he felt safe and loved. Small hazel eyes looked around and found a matching pair that belonged to his redheaded mother. A small smile spread on his face when he saw her. Yeah, Danny knew he was definitely where he belonged. Hearing Bianca speaking to him softly, he glanced up and found warm chocolate eyes gazing down at him, and he smiled up at her too.

Discreetly, Marissa snapped a photo of Bianca and Danny with her cellphone before also recording a brief video of the two. The redhead then recorded the couple's three older children as they made funny faces for her as she did. For some time now, both she and Bianca would record snippets of their lives which were then downloaded onto a more permanent form of media. They couldn't help themselves and wanted to record these moments, capture them for posterity.

/

After Danny was finished with his bottle, Bianca checked his diaper. "Someone needs to be changed."

"Do you want me to …"

Bianca shook her head and stopped her wife. "I'll do it. You sit. We'll be back." Bianca slung the diaper back over a shoulder and headed off to the ladies' room carrying Danny.

The family had been so wrapped up with each other that they didn't notice that someone had been watching them.

/

Rafaela had been trying to keep herself occupied since she had left the Miranda Center earlier in the day. Liz and Ashley had been handling the negotiations over at Fusion, and the three were meeting to go over several items surrounding this deal. They had traded texts throughout the day and decided to meet at Krystal's. Rafaela had heard good things about the local restaurant as she had wandered through Pine Valley and wanted to check it out. Liz and Ashley readily agreed and also let their friend and client know they had something extremely important to discuss with her outside of the Fusion deal. Rafaela had managed to slip into the restaurant unnoticed several minutes ago and had spotted Bianca almost immediately. She had been seated at a table across the room from the family, but it was one that provided her with an unobstructed view of them. The model observed the family, and when she saw Bianca leave the table carrying a baby, Rafaela took the opportunity to cross the room and speak with a certain redhead.

/

"Do you like my picture, Mommy?"

"I do, very much. It's a very good picture of yourself."

"That's not me, Mommy. That's a monkey."

"Well, you're my monkey."

Gabby giggled as her redheaded mother tickled her.

"Excuse me."

Marissa glanced up and saw a tall, raven haired woman standing next to their table. She knew immediately and without a doubt who this woman was. "Hello."

Rafaela flashed one her most charming smiles. "Hello. You are Bianca's family, sim?"

AJ looked at his mother with a confused look. "Who's sim?"

Marissa glanced down at her son and smiled. "Sim means 'yes' in Portuguese which is what they speak in Brazil, Buddy." The redhead turned to the other woman. "Yes, we are, and you are Rafaela."

Miranda was instantly on alert hearing the other woman's name.

"I am." Rafaela nodded. "You know Portuguese?"

"Um pouco." Marissa glanced at her children who seemed fascinated by the fact that she knew another language. "That means 'a little'."

Rafaela was definitely impressed that the redhead knew a little of her native language.

/

A/N: I had a few things in mind for this chapter, but I had to pull them if I wanted to keep to my normal weekly update. Don't worry. They'll be in my next one. See you soon!