A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review and follow! I appreciate it. Sorry for the late update. I was almost done editing when my laptop decided to install some updates and rebooted on me with no freaking warning! As a result, I lost some of my changes and had to go back and proofread again when it finally came back up. I think I got everything, but I'm not 100% positive. Plus, it's late here, and I'm very tired. So, I apologize in advance if I missed something. Okay, I'm done venting/whining. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Greg laughed as AJ, Miranda and Gabby rushed towards him. "You weren't kidding when you said swarmed, were you, Bianca?" The man loved kids and was really good with them. Between his siblings, he had several nieces and nephews, and he was definitely the favorite uncle among all of them. His family joked that it was because he had never truly grown up. He countered that he related to children so well because he dealt with politics and politicians. To him, most politicians were worse than children maturity-wise any day of the week, and anyone not a politician would be hard pressed to disagree with him. As for Bianca and Marissa's kids, Greg had only met them one other time, but they hit it off right away. He found them to be smart, kind, and funny. In short, they were a lot like their mothers. AJ, Miranda and Gabby liked Greg because he joked with them and wasn't afraid to be silly. More importantly, he didn't talk down to them like some adults could. For that, Greg scored big points with them.

"Hey, gang. How's everything going?"

"Really good! Our clubhouse is almost done!" AJ reported happily.

"Yeah? I'll have to check it out before I go. What about you, Miranda?"

"I'm good. I'm going to help Ma with some research!"

"Well, I have no doubt that you'll do an awesome job. Got any new jokes for me, Gabby? I could really use some for my classes."

Gabby grinned. "Yep! A man walked into a bar. He forgot to duck!"

Greg burst out laughing. It was so bad that it was actually funny. "I love it! That's one I'm definitely going to use."

"After you tell Jo of course." Bianca smirked as she adjusted her hold on Danny.

"Of course! How are you, Bianca? Did you enjoy your lunch?"

"I did, very much so. My wife is extremely thoughtful, and it was a very nice surprise. Marissa and I talked when she got home. I think what you have in mind is an excellent idea, and I couldn't be happier. I also have some information for you that you should find pretty useful."

Greg smiled. He knew what Bianca was alluding to. "You do, huh? I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that, and I look forward to seeing what you have. Speaking of Marissa, where is she?"

"Right here." Marissa said as she joined the others. "I was just cleaning the chicken and getting the grill preheated. It should be good to go by the time the interview is finished airing."

"Are we gonna see you on TV, Mommy?" Gabby asked.

"No, I'm afraid not, Monkey. I was there when they did the interview, but this is all about Rafaela and Maura. I was just there to keep an eye on things." Marissa had been present to advise Rafaela and Maura on what questions they could answer per their agreement with Jesse and Mike. She also was there to offer moral support to the couple.

Bianca checked the time. "Everybody take a seat. It's going to start in just a minute."

/

Everyone settled down when the news anchor appeared back on the television screen after the commercial break and welcomed viewers to the next segment.

"WRCW's own Kelly Jacobs is here with an exclusive interview with one of modeling's hottest rising stars." The anchor turned to the reporter. "This is a fascinating story, Kelly."

"I have to agree, Rebecca." Kelly turned to face the camera. "Rafaela is known to many by only her first name, but as you're about to find out, there is a lot more to the international supermodel than meets the eye. Rafaela Alvaréz wasn't born into a glamorous life. Her family often struggled to make ends meet. Her life changed forever when she was discovered while on a field trip when she was high school. Now, Rafaela is known worldwide on the catwalks of Paris, Milan, New York, and now, Pine Valley. Residents here have seen her around town a great deal lately, and the main reason for that is because of a deal she signed recently with Fusion which is based in Pine Valley. Like I said earlier, there is more to this story."

The scene changed to a non-descript location, and Rafaela appeared on screen. Marissa was nowhere in sight.

"Where are you, Ma?" AJ asked.

"I'm over to Rafaela's right. You just can't see me because of the camera angle. Maura's there too. She's sitting next to me. You'll see her in a couple of minutes."

"Thank you for agreeing to talk with me today, Rafaela."

"You are welcome. I have to admit that I am a little nervous about this."

"There is nothing to be nervous about, just be yourself."

Rafaela smiled and glanced to her right. "Some very good friends have told me the same thing so I am going to follow everyone's advice."

"We have seen a lot you lately around Pine Valley."

"Yes, I originally came to town because of Fusion. They reached out to my representatives to discuss the possibility of working with them."

"You've recently signed that deal from what I've been told."

"I have. I love their new line, and have found the company's partners to be quite lovely and a pleasure to work with. I really like them. They are very smart and fun and have become friends."

"You've made several friends since you first arrived."

"Yes, I have. When I first started modeling, I traveled a great deal and never really was able to make close friends. It is hard when you are moving around all of the time. I met and worked with many wonderful people, but I was just getting started. In addition to that, language was a barrier. I was just learning English. When you are constantly needing someone to translate for you, it can be difficult to form a close relationship."

"And now?"

"I am more established in my career, have become fluent in English, and have grown up. I am more ready and willing to work at relationships. This has allowed me to become more open and let people in to see the real me. As a result, I have made several good friends here in Pine Valley, ones that have changed my life in the best of ways." Rafaela glanced over to her right again and smiled. "I am comfortable with myself now and find myself wanting to put down roots."

"You want to settle down?"

"I do."

"With anyone in particular?"

Rafaela smiled shyly. "Possibly."

"You have a colorful romantic history."

The model sighed. "I know. I think a large part of that is due to my immaturity and not knowing myself and not finding the right person."

"So …."

"I have found someone that I am very comfortable with, but who, at the same time, also excites me. Someone I care about a great deal."

"They sound like someone special."

"She is very special." Rafaela smiled brightly.

When she first arrived, the reporter had quickly picked up on a vibe between Rafaela and the woman later identified as Maura Abbott. It was after that introduction that Kelly found out that her instincts had been spot on. When she found out that they were, in fact, a couple, Kelly didn't miss a beat or bat an eye. The reporter quickly surmised that that relationship was the reason behind this interview. She soon found out that was partially true. They informed her of the blackmail after Marissa first elicited a promise that it was off the record if Kelly didn't agree to a couple of ground rules. At first, Kelly wasn't sure she was willing to agree to restrictions surrounding her questions, but when Marissa explained there was an ongoing police investigation into it and then sweetened the deal with an exclusive when the blackmailer was caught, the reporter was on board.

"You seem very taken with her."

"I am."

"For someone in your profession to come out is not a common occurrence."

Rafaela nodded. "I realize that, but I cannot continue to live my life based on what others think. I did that for a long time, and as a result, I was not very happy. Hopefully, it will not hurt my career, but if it does, so be it. I have to live my life for me, and that is what I am finally doing."

"Has this caused a problem with your Fusion deal?"

"No, not at all. Kendall and Greenlee know of our relationship and are very supportive of us."

"Your girlfriend is actually here. Would she like to join us?" Kelly asked.

Rafaela glanced over and motioned for Maura to take the seat next to her. Once she was settled, Kelly began the questioning again.

"Welcome. Would you like to tell everyone a little about yourself?"

"Thank you. I'm Dr. Maura Abbott, and am on staff at Pine Valley Hospital."

"She is not giving herself enough credit." Rafaela protested.

"I think you're right. Dr. Abbott …"

"Please call me Maura."

Kelly nodded. "Maura. You are a widely respected OB/GYN. Your reputation precedes you. Many of your patients are those with high-risk pregnancies sent to you because of who you are."

Rafaela nudged her girlfriend. "I told you."

Maura chuckled. "Yes, you did. I love what I do."

"How did you two meet?" Kelly smiled at the couple. She could see their connection as well as their affection for each other.

"We met through a mutual friend." Maura offered the response she and Rafaela had agreed upon. In order to avoid what could be seen as a HIPAA violation by saying they met when Kendall was Maura's patient and Rafaela was visiting her, they decided that meeting through a mutual friend was the safest explanation. Besides, it was partially true. Kendall was now truly a friend of both women.

"The two of you come from the different worlds of modeling and medicine. Some adjustments may need to take place."

"True." Rafaela nodded. "But if something is worth it, you are willing to make whatever adjustments you need to. This is one of those times."

Maura smiled at her girlfriend. "I couldn't agree more."

"Why go public now?"

Rafaela sighed and glanced quickly over at Marissa. The lawyer nodded. "We had planned on going public soon, but things change. I suppose you could say our hand was forced."

"Meaning?"

"Someone threatened to expose our relationship."

"You were being blackmailed?"

"Yes, we were."

"It may have worked if either of us was embarrassed or ashamed of our relationship, but that's not the case, far from it." Maura added proudly.

"Exactly. We decided to, as you would say, beat them to the punch." Rafaela smiled.

"Good for you! Do you know who tried to do this?"

"No, we do not. We are choosing to focus on ourselves and not on them. They are not important to us." It had been decided earlier in talks with Jesse and Mike that the couple could mention the blackmail but not the police investigation. The hope was to remove the immediate threat hanging over Rafaela's and Maura's heads while at the same time lull the blackmailer somewhat. Even though the plot was exposed, no one knew who was behind it so the person or persons behind the plot were still safe. That wasn't entirely true now. Marissa had received a call from Jesse right before the interview that they had identified the man who dropped off the photos at the front desk, and he was now being searched for by the police. That piece of information was not being made public at this time for obvious reasons.

"What are your plans now? Will we see more of Rafaela around Pine Valley?"

"Yes, you definitely will."

"It's become home to you then?"

"As I have gotten older, I remember something my Avó, my grandmother, said to me. She told me that home is not just a physical place. A person can be your home as well." Rafaela turned to Maura and squeezed her hand. "I believe I have found my home."

Maura smiled brightly in reply. "I believe I have too."

/

When the interview was over, Bianca glanced at her wife. "I think they did a good job. What do you think, Rissa?"

"I'm pretty pleased with it. We'll talk later about a few other things." Marissa was mindful of little ears being present and watched what she was saying. "Okay, I'm going to get the chicken on the grill because I'm sure our minions are starving."

The kids giggled and nodded in agreement.

"I'll be out to help in a minute, Rissa. That is unless Greg wants to help with the grilling."

Greg laughed. "Is my grill envy that obvious?"

"Just a little." Bianca smiled. "Let me just grab that information for you first, Greg."

"Oh yeah, thank you! I'll be right behind you, Marissa."

The redhead nodded and was followed outside by the couple's three older children and Max.

Greg held Danny and kept the little boy entertained while Bianca went back to retrieve the information on the salesclerk from Tiffany's.

When she returned, Bianca handed him the requested information. "Her name is Laura Carter, and she is very good. I think you'll really like her. Make sure you mention our names." Seeing the question in Greg's eyes, she continued. "I got something from there for Rissa after she had that little guy. Laura helped me. She also helped Rissa pick something out for me earlier this year for my birthday."

"All right, that's definitely good enough for me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of you help with this. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Rissa and I are happy to help."

"Mom."

Bianca glanced up and saw AJ. "What is it, Buddy?"

"Ma asked me to get Greg for her. She just got a call from Jessica and is on the phone with her now."

Bianca and Greg looked at each other, neither exactly sure of what was going on.

The brunette took Danny from Greg. "You better get out there."

/

"Hold on one second, Jessica." Marissa eyed Greg when he joined her outside. "I need to turn the chicken." The redhead muted the line, and after making sure it was really muted, looked at Greg. "You were spotted by Caleb earlier. He mentioned it to Jessica, and she's practically grilling me on it since Jo isn't available for her to interrogate because she's with a patient. Are you good if I tell her you're here for a conference?"

"It's as good of an excuse as any. I better text Jo and give her the lowdown." Greg pulled out his cellphone and began typing out a message to his girlfriend.

Marissa took the call off mute. "I'm back. Sorry about that, Jessica. So Greg. He mentioned a conference of some sort when he called and said he would be town. We thought it would be fun to meet up. Plus, it gave me the chance to ask about his intentions towards Jo. I softened him up by taking him to lunch at the Bistro." Marissa laughed when Jessica asked a question. "Yes, of course we invited him over for dinner. In fact, he's eyeing our grill as we speak. I'm just glad he didn't drive down here, or I'd be worried about him trying to pack it up and take it with him."

"Hmmm, I never thought of that. I'm going to have to keep that in mind for the next time I'm in town. Thanks for the idea." Greg grinned.

"Great." Marissa rolled her eyes. "Jessica, he's thinking of taking my grill."

Jessica chuckled. "Put him on the phone, and I'll take care of him, baby."

Marissa grinned and held out the cellphone. "Ha! She wants to talk to you. You're in trouble!" The last sentence was said in a sing-song voice.

"Fine." Greg glared at the redhead playfully and then he winked at her. Marissa was very good at distracting Jessica. "Hi, Jessica."

"Gregory, I want you to behave yourself and stop tormenting Marissa."

"Yes, ma'am." Greg mumbled. He knew better than to argue with the woman.

"Now, why are you in Pine Valley?" Jessica couldn't help but be suspicious by this surprise trip. She wondered if this had anything to do with the whispered conversations that had been going on between Greg and Jo recently. There was something going on, and she wanted to know what it was.

"Oh, you know how the dean has basically made me his whipping boy lately?"

"I do."

"Well, he asked me to cover this conference for him at the last minute. The only good part about it was that it was here, and I could see Marissa, Bianca and the kids. Oh, Marissa, I almost forgot. I ran into someone today on the PVU campus who said they knew you. It was a history professor by the name of Rob Stein."

"Oh, Claudia's husband. Claudia works at the firm and is on my team. Rob is a really nice guy and wicked smart." The mention of the other man gave Marissa an idea for later.

"He seemed like he was nice. Sorry, Jessica. That had totally slipped my mind until now. The other fortunate thing is that it's only for two days."

"That's fine. I'll let you go. Enjoy your dinner and play nice." Something was still telling her they were up to something, but she could tell she wasn't going to get anything out of them.

Greg laughed. "Yes, ma'am. I will. I'll see you tomorrow." He handed the cellphone back to Marissa.

"I'm back, Jessica. "Oh, the interview with Rafaela and Maura just aired here. You should be able to see it online shortly."

"Oh good! How did they do, and more importantly, how are they doing?"

"I think they did really well. As for how they are doing, I think they are doing a great deal better now than they were yesterday. Yes, they still feel like they were violated, which they were, but doing this interview has helped them feel like they are getting some of their control over the situation back."

"I am so glad to hear that. I just don't understand people sometimes."

"You and me both, Jessica. You and me both. Oh, Bianca wants to say 'hi', and I need to check on the barbeque sauce."

"Your Dad's sauce?"

"You know it! I'll make some for you the next time you're in town. I'll talk to you soon. Love you."

"I love you too."

Marissa handed the cellphone to Bianca before focusing on the pot on the grill's side burner.

"Hi, Jessica."

"Hello, Bianca. It sounds like you have your hands full there tonight. The older children aren't giving you too hard of a time, are they?"

Bianca laughed knowing her friend was referring to Marissa and Greg. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Good. Thank you for having Greg over."

"There's no need to thank us. We're happy to have him here. Besides, the kids are crazy about him and think he's really cool."

"Well, I know he's crazy about them."

"Oh, I probably should apologize in advance for the jokes he will inevitably be telling you and Jo."

"Gabby?"

"Yep. Our little comedienne has struck again. Although to be fair, Greg did ask her."

Jessica chuckled. "Oh, I don't blame her one bit. I know exactly who's to blame there. I'll warn Jo tonight. I wanted to ask if I could stay with you and Marissa next week. I'm planning on coming to town for a few days. If it's not all right, I completely understand and can get a room at the Yacht Club or someplace else."

"You know that you don't have to ask. Of course you can. We would love to have you here, and the kids will be thrilled. What day do you think you'll get here? I'll make sure your room is ready."

"Thank you so much. How does Wednesday sound? I would probably leave Sunday morning."

"Sounds perfect. I'll tell Rissa. She'll be very happy. I'm sure Caleb will be as well."

"He said he was looking forward to it." Jessica sighed. "Caleb asked if I wanted to stay with him, but I just … I just don't feel right about it, not yet at least. I don't know how it would look. I know that I'm probably being silly, but I just can't help it."

Bianca stopped the rambling woman. "Jessica, it's not silly if that's how you feel. What did Caleb say?"

"He said that he understood and respected my wishes."

"Well, there you go."

"I suppose." Jessica sighed, not fully convinced.

Bianca could sense the older woman's hesitance. "Have you talked to Jo about this?"

"I feel a little odd talking to her about something like this. I have no doubt she would be extremely uncomfortable about the subject matter."

"What about Rissa?"

"I was going to talk to her about it tonight, but I got sidetracked when I found out Greg was there."

"If you want to talk to her about this now, I can go get her. She won't mind."

"No, I don't want to disturb your plans for the evening, and I know your dinner is probably almost ready. I'll talk to her when I get into town next week."

"Okay, if you're sure."

"I am. Thank you for listening."

"Any time."

"All right. I'll let you go and will see you in a few days. Give everyone a kiss for me."

"I will. I look forward to seeing you next Wednesday."

Bianca disconnected the call and glanced at Marissa who was laughing as she attempted to block Greg from getting to the grill. The brunette shook her head and chuckled as she watched their antics.

Marissa seemed to sense Bianca's eyes on her and looked over at her wife, cocking her head in question. Bianca walked over to her.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. We'll need to talk later though. Don't worry. There's nothing to be concerned about."

"Okay. I have something I want to talk to you about later too."

Bianca nodded. "Oh, Jessica's coming to town Wednesday and asked to stay with us. I told her she could."

"Yeah, definitely. She doesn't have to ask."

"That's what I told her."

"Jessica's coming here? Did she say whether or not Jo knew?" Greg asked.

"She didn't say. I'm sure she'll know tonight if she doesn't yet." Bianca said. She glanced at her wife. "Is the chicken done?"

"Yep. We just need to round up our minions and get everything plated."