A/N: As always, thanks for continuing to read, review and follow! I appreciate it. Sorry for the late post. Work is really picking up right now. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. I have a question for all of you at the end of this and would appreciate your help. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Bianca smiled as she watched Maura take Rafaela's hand, their fingers entwined instantly. "You're welcome. So, would you like to hear more of my thoughts on your situation?"

"Yes, please."

"I know you wanted to go public with your relationship on your own terms, and whoever this person is, well they're taking that decision out of your hands or trying to at least. If it were me, I wouldn't pay them."

"You wouldn't? Why?" Rafaela asked.

"Because even if you pay them, it won't be the end of this. It never is with people like this. They'll keep coming back and demanding more and more money. You'll never get rid of them because they will keep holding this over your heads. That's no way to live. Living under that constant threat is something that could eventually drive a wedge between the two of you."

"And that could ultimately destroy our relationship." Maura nodded understanding Bianca's point.

"Unfortunately, yes."

"What do you suggest we do? If we don't pay, they will publish the photos, and while I may be affected somewhat, Maura will be the one who suffers more fallout. I don't want that. She has already had to go to her boss and explain things."

"And I told you what Joe said. I explained that we were being blackmailed but that the photos aren't graphic. He's offered us his complete support. Even if they are published, I won't be embarrassed by them."

"But you will be all over social media."

"Ela, we've talked about this. That's going to happen whether someone exposes us or not. I'm tougher than you think."

Rafaela started to protest that she knew her girlfriend was tough, but Maura stopped her. "Let's hear what Bianca has in mind, okay?"

"Okay, but just so you know, I do know you are a very strong woman."

Bianca smiled at the interaction. "I think you need to take control back. Go public before they expose you. That way, you're back in control and doing this pretty much on your own terms again. Is it ideal? No, far from it, but they won't have any leverage over you because you beat them to the punch. Plus, you can expose their scheme at the same time. You're turning the tables on them."

Maura looked over at Rafaela, and the two pondered Bianca's logic. She certainly had some valid points. A knock on the door drew their attention.

"Come in."

Lisa popped her head inside. "Hi, Bianca. The boss is right behind me. She had to make a quick call."

"I was wondering where she was. You remember Rafaela and Maura."

"I do. It's nice to see you again. I wish it was under better circumstances though." Lisa said as she took a seat.

"Thank you."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

Marissa entered her wife's office and closed the door behind her. Normally, she would greet Bianca with a kiss, but the redhead was there in a professional capacity. The couple was very cognizant of their actions when that occurred. "Hello, everyone. I'm sorry for the delay, but I needed to get clarification on something that I believe will help us." Marissa took a seat next to Bianca and pulled out a legal pad and a pen. "So, what exactly is going on?"

"This morning, I received this at the Yacht Club." Rafaela pulled out the blackmail envelope.

As Lisa started to reach for it, Marissa stopped her. "Hold on, Lisa. Rafaela, to the best of your knowledge, who has touched this envelope and its contents besides you?"

"Maura, Bianca, and the front desk clerk. That's everyone that I know of."

"Okay. Would you please open it and place the contents on the table for me?"

Rafaela nodded and did as asked.

Maura was confused by the request. "Could I ask why you're having her do that?"

"I want to limit the number of people whose fingerprints will be on everything. Is that the original envelope?"

It was then that Bianca realized what her wife had in mind and wished she had thought of it herself.

"Yes, it is. Fingerprints?" Rafaela asked.

"I'll explain in just a minute." Marissa read the letter without touching it and saw that it was what she had pretty much expected based on Bianca's brief description from earlier. The redhead made a couple of notes and then looked at the photos. Fortunately, they weren't as bad as she thought they might be.

"Can you tell us where these were taken? Lisa asked.

"Well, these were taken at the Yacht Club." Maura then pointed to a couple of the other photos. "And these were taken while we were in my home."

"It looks like they maybe used a drone to take the first set."

"I think you're right, Lisa. The ones from the Yacht Club could've only been taken from above. The ones at your home …" Marissa's voice trailed off as she jotted something down.

Rafaela and Maura were about to say something when both Bianca and Lisa shook their heads to stop them. They knew this was part of Marissa's process and that she would finish telling them what she was thinking momentarily, which she did.

"Okay. I'm sure Bianca told you, and you already knew this yourselves, that this is blackmail."

"Yes."

Marissa looked at her wife and paused for a second. "If I had to guess, I'd say she gave you her thoughts on whether or not you should pay the blackmailer."

Rafaela and Maura glanced at each other before turning back to the lawyer. Their surprise at her accurate assessment was clearly evident. "Yes, she did."

"And she thinks that you shouldn't pay them because they won't stop even if you do."

"Yes, that's exactly what she said. How did you know that?" Rafaela asked.

"I know my wife. She's very smart, and she also happens to be right."

Bianca smiled at her wife. "Thank you."

Marissa winked at her favorite brunette before she continued. "Blackmailers don't just willingly stop after the first time. Once they have you on the hook, they'll keep you there and try to bleed you dry."

"You sound like you have some experience with this type of thing. I'm guessing you've maybe had some clients run into this?" Maura inquired.

"Unfortunately, yes." Marissa and Bianca glanced at each other and held a silent conversation. The redhead was leaving the decision up to her wife on how much, if anything, to reveal.

Bianca nodded. "We also have some personal experience because someone attempted to blackmail me."

Rafaela's eyebrows shot up with that revelation. "You? What could they possibly have to blackmail you with?"

"Well, they didn't have anything legitimate. They manufactured it. There was a reporter who, for some reason, thought scoring an interview with me would be her big break."

"She thought that because you don't give a lot of interviews, and contrary to what you think, you are a big deal and not just because of your mother." Marissa told her wife.

Bianca rolled her eyes not believing that last part. "Anyway, I declined her request, several times. She didn't take it very well and decided to resort to drastic measures. She photo-shopped intimate photos of herself and someone else, and replaced her partner's head with mine. If I didn't consent to the interview, not only would she send copies to Marissa but also release them to every outlet you can think of."

"What?!"

The brunette briefly recounted what had happened to a shocked Rafaela and Maura. Lisa had been informed of the events some time ago.

Maura leaned back in her seat. "I can't believe the nerve, the gall of that woman. All of that for a story?"

"And you never looked at the photographs, Marissa?" Rafaela asked.

"Nope. I never had any inclination to either for two very good reasons. One, I trust Bianca. I knew she wouldn't do something like that. Two, seeing them would have let that woman win, and there was not a chance in hell that I was going to let that happen."

"You know, I think I would have to do something more to her than just turn her into the police. It doesn't seem like enough. I'd want her to hurt more." Maura volunteered.

Rafaela raised an eyebrow at the doctor's statement. "I suppose it's true what they say about redheads and their tempers then."

Bianca chuckled. "It definitely can be, and Marissa did exactly what I think you had in mind, Maura."

"Oh?"

"I decked her and broke her nose. I have to tell you that it felt pretty damn good too." Marissa stated proudly.

"You didn't just break her nose, boss. She sent her flying into the swimming pool."

Maura looked at the younger lawyer. "You were there, Lisa?"

"No, I wasn't. Kendall and Greenlee were though, and Greenlee recorded it and showed it to me when we were in Shamokin for Bianca and Marissa's bachelorette party. I have to tell you that the video was awesome."

"I have to admit that I would like to see that." Rafaela chuckled.

Maura nodded. "Me too."

"I'm sure Greenlee would be more than happy to show it to you." Bianca shook her head just thinking about how happy Greenlee would be doing that.

"Yes, she would definitely love it. I can hear her laughing now." Marissa chuckled before turning serious. "The point of our story is that we know firsthand that it's best not to give in to blackmail."

"Bianca suggested that we try and take back control of this by going public before this person has a chance to do it for us." Rafaela explained.

"I think she's right. I also think you should report this to the police. This is a crime, and this person should face the consequences."

Maura then remembered Marissa's questions and handling of the letter and photographs from earlier. "That's why you were talking about fingerprints."

Marissa nodded. "Yes, it is."

Rafaela turned to her girlfriend. "What do you think?"

"I think Marissa is right. We should report this. They can't get away with this. I'm not just thinking about us. If we don't try and stop them, they could do this to someone else."

"You're right. I couldn't live with myself if that happens, and we didn't do anything." Rafaela turned to Marissa. "How should we proceed?"

"Well, I happen to know the District Attorney as well as the Chief of Police. You actually met the Chief yourself at Erica's wedding."

"I did?"

"Angie Hubbard's husband." Maura reminded her.

"Oh, I remember him now. So, you would call them?"

"Yes, we would definitely let them know. I have a couple of other ideas of what we can do. I know the owner of the Yacht Club. The Miranda Center holds its annual fundraiser there."

Bianca nodded. "Her name is Evelyn Foster, and she is a wonderful woman. She donates everything for the fundraiser and refuses to take a penny for it."

"That's very generous of her."

"That's Evelyn." Marissa agreed. "I know she would want to know what's going on there. If we tell her, she could easily get us the footage from their security cameras. We just might see who delivered this on it. That will help the police. I also have one of the best private investigators around working for me. I'd like to get him in on this."

Rafaela looked at Maura who nodded. "Alright."

"Lisa, would you call Mitch for me?"

"You got it." Lisa pulled out her cellphone and stepped away to call the private investigator.

"Technically, the pool area at the Yacht Club is a public place."

"Technically?" Bianca asked.

"Anyone who is a registered guest there can use it. So, it's a gray area regarding privacy and the photos taken there. Maura's home however is another story. It's a private residence, and you have an expectation of privacy there. I'm thinking that in addition to the blackmail, we could also pursue charges of evasion of privacy when we find out who's behind this."

"If." Rafaela said resignedly.

"Not if, when. We will find who's responsible." Marissa stated forcibly to get her point across before turning to glance at her wife. "What else do you have in mind?"

"Finding them the right person to talk to."

"Kelly?"

Bianca nodded. "Yes."

"I'll leave you to that then, and I'll call Evelyn and then Jesse and Mike." Marissa walked to the other side of the office to make her calls.

/

"Who is Kelly?" Rafaela asked.

"Kelly Jacobs. She is a reporter I know, and more importantly, one that I trust. Remember the part I said about you taking control back?"

The two women nodded.

"I think you should do an interview with her where you go public with your relationship, and if Marissa and others are on board, tell her about the blackmail."

"We have all the control back then. I like it. I like it a lot. We turn the tables on them, and as they say, the hunter becomes the hunted. What do you think, Maura?" Rafaela could have easily made the decision herself, but this didn't affect just her. Maura was involved, and the model wanted her girlfriend's input on everything.

The doctor thought for a moment. It did have a certain appeal. "As long as it doesn't jeopardize the investigation, I'm good with it."

"That's why we need to check with Marissa before you do it."

"Do what, B?" Marissa asked as she rejoined the others.

"The interview with Kelly Jacobs. They like the idea of doing it, but don't want to jeopardize the investigation." Bianca explained.

"It won't, as long as we clear it with Mike and Jesse first. They said they can meet with you in two hours if both of you are free."

Rafaela and Maura glanced at each other and nodded before answering Marissa. "We are."

"Good. Now, we just need to find a place to meet with them. It's pretty safe to say that whoever is behind this is keeping an eye on you which means going to the police station or the D.A.'s office is out of the question because it could tip them off that you're not falling for their scheme."

"I don't think we should meet here either. It could draw too much attention to the Center, and the clients here don't need that. They are going through enough as it is. I don't want to add to it." Rafaela said.

"How about seeing if you can get one of the conference rooms at the Yacht Club? People go in and out of there all the time." Lisa suggested.

Marissa thought for a moment. "That's a good idea. There could be lots of reasons why Mike and Jesse could be there, and since Rafaela has a room …"

"It would be easy to explain why we would be there." Maura finished.

"Exactly. I'll call and arrange for the use of a conference room, and then, I'll call Jesse and Mike back with the details."

"Do you want me to call Kelly to see if she's interested in an interview?" Bianca asked. "I won't give her any specifics though."

Rafaela glanced at Maura. "Are you ready for that?"

The doctor took a deep breath and released it. "As ready as I'll ever be."

/

Soon, the group's plans were put in motion. Maura left first and headed to the Yacht Club. Rafaela left was a few minutes after her girlfriend, and the two would meet up in her room while waiting for the others. Marissa dropped Lisa back off at the office to take care of some things there for her before the redhead headed to the Yacht Club. Evelyn Foster had arranged for a suite for their meetings and had copies of the security footage made for both Marissa's investigator Mitch Reardon as well as the police. Jesse and Mike would arrive there separately as not to alert anyone watching. Bianca called Kelly and definitely piqued the reporter's curiosity. She agreed to head over to the Yacht Club to meet the model in a few hours and assured Bianca that she and her cameraman would be as discreet as possible. Knowing Marissa would be busy with everything surrounding this case, Bianca swung by the firm's daycare to pick up Danny before she picked up their other three kids from day camp. She told Marissa to take care of their friends and assured her wife that she and the kids would be fine until she got home.

/

Miranda was currently helping Bianca with dinner when she quizzed Bianca on her redheaded mother's absence. "When will Ma be home, Mom? Is she working?"

"I'm afraid she is working and probably won't be home for at least another few hours. She's helping Rafaela and Maura with something very important." Bianca saw the dejected look on her daughter's face. "What's wrong, Mimo?"

"I was just hoping I could spend some time with her. We haven't really been able to in a while because of work or Gabby being sick, and I'm not mad at Gabby 'cause she was really hurt. I love her and was really scared."

"It's just that you want to spend some time with your Ma."

Miranda nodded. "I had a really good time when we were making Danny's blanket. It was really fun. I just miss her."

Bianca sighed. They had been busy lately, Marissa especially. Her wife had to spend more time with Danny when she was breast feeding. While they had switched him to bottles over a month ago, Marissa still did need to spend some time in private pumping. That would end soon because they had started to switch him over to formula and would be moving him to solids soon. All of that took time away from the others though, and Miranda was obviously feeling the effects of that now. It also didn't help that Marissa was back to her regular work schedule after being home for two months for her maternity leave. Bianca knew her wife was bothered about the time away from the kids, and she also knew she would be discussing all of this tonight with Marissa.

"I know she misses spending time with you too. Don't be mad at her though. It's kind of my fault she's not here tonight. I was the one who called her to get her help."

"You did?"

"I did. Rafaela came to see me today with a big problem and really needed my help with it. I knew I couldn't do it all by myself so I called your Ma. She's really good at giving the kind of help that Rafaela and Maura needed. Because I asked and because they're friends, she agreed to help them. Otherwise, she'd be here. Okay?"

Miranda looked at her Mom and could tell she was telling the truth. Deep down, the girl knew her redheaded mother would be home if she could. She also knew it really wasn't her Ma's fault that she felt this way. Even after all this time, Miranda still could feel the sting of Reese never being around, but that was different than what was going on now. Her Ma wasn't able to spend time with her because of her little brother and sister needing her, and her Mom said she was helping a friend. Both of her mothers had taught them the importance of helping friends when they needed it. "Okay."

Bianca hugged her daughter. "I tell you what. Why don't you go pick out a movie for us to watch after dinner? You can pick the bedtime story for tonight too."

"Okay." Miranda smiled and headed to the family room.

/

Max lifted and cocked his head before barking. Bianca glanced out the front window and saw her wife's car pulling around the side of the house towards the garage. The kids were engrossed in the movie and naturally didn't hear anything. Bianca shook her head and got up to go greet her wife.

"Hey."

Marissa dropped her purse, keys and briefcase on a counter. "Hey."

"You look exhausted." Bianca wrapped her arms around her wife and received a contented sigh in reply.

"I am, but I'm so much better now. I really needed that." Marissa pulled back with a smile before leaning in for a loving kiss. "I needed that even more."

"Me too. Are you hungry?"

"Starving. Rafaela and Maura offered to take me out to dinner, but I just wanted to get home."

"I saved you a plate. I'll warm it up."

"Thank you. I'm going to go see the kids."

"I hate to lay this on you now, but we need to talk later."

Marissa paused. "About?"

"Miranda."

"Is she alright?"

"She misses her Ma. We were talking earlier."

"She really said that?"

"Yeah, she did."

"Dammit."

Bianca took her wife's hands in her own. "Hey, this isn't all on you. I'm a big part of this too. Got it?"

Marissa sighed. "Got it. Okay, let me go see them, and we'll talk later when they're in bed to figure something out." She really needed to pump, but Miranda needed her so she would put that on hold for now and deal with the discomfort for a bit longer.

/

When Marissa didn't return to the kitchen for her dinner, Bianca went to see what was keeping her even though the brunette had a good idea of what it was. When she poked her head into the family room, Bianca found Marissa on the floor with Danny situated between her legs babbling happily as he looked up at his redheaded mother. AJ was sprawled on the floor with Max right next to him. Gabby and Miranda were curled up on either side of Marissa who had an arm around both. While Gabby was still watching the movie, Miranda was having a quiet conversation with Marissa. Bianca couldn't help but smile before heading back into the kitchen to get her wife's dinner. She would be eating in the family room that evening because there was no way Bianca was going to disrupt what was going on between Marissa and Miranda.

/

A/N: So, here's what I need from you. Do you have any ideas of fun things Miranda and her Moms could do together? I appreciate the help! See you soon!