A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I appreciate it. I will apologize now for ending the chapter like I did, but I have a cold. I'm feeling a little whacked out on the cough medicine and am having a hard time focusing at the moment. I could've either added more and not posted today, or end it where I did and meet my usual posting day. I obviously chose to post today. This chapter picks up a couple of days after the last one. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Jessica was the first one to greet Jo when she arrived at Minx Manor that Friday. "Oh, I've missed you, baby girl. I know we talked, but it's just not the same as actually seeing you." Jessica hugged her daughter tightly for a minute before they finally separated.

"Hi, Mom. I've missed you too. Just think though, we'll be all moved into our new place in a couple of weeks, and then, we'll be tired of seeing each other."

"I'll take my chances with that. Did you have any problems on the drive down?"

"Nope. I timed it just right and avoided a lot of traffic. Oh, we're going to need to talk, young lady. What's this I hear about you staying out all night? Are we going to need to give you a curfew?"

There was only a slight blush on the older woman's face. She'd been prepared for her daughter's teasing and was more than ready to give as good as she got. "Need I remind you that I am a grown woman? Besides, I was with Caleb and sent a text to Marissa to let her know where I was so she wouldn't worry. We were having a nice time and weren't ready for it to end. Would you like me to tell you everything we did? I would be more than happy to. I'll be honest with you, it was more than nice. It was very, very good."

Jo stuck her fingers in her ears. "Nananananana. I can't hear you."

"Don't ask if you don't want to know, Josephine."

Marissa had tears in her eyes from laughing so hard at her friend's horrified expression. "You should know better by now, Jo. She's spent a lot of time with Kendall and Greenlee."

"And you too. Don't be acting like you're all innocent. I blame you too."

The redhead simply shrugged. "I can neither confirm nor deny any responsibility in your Mom sassing you back even though you deserve it."

Jo rolled her eyes. "Spoken like a lawyer."

The friends hugged, and then, Marissa went outside with Jo to help her bring her bags inside. By the time they returned, the kids rushed forward to greet their Aunt Jo. Bianca waited until the kids were done before she greeted the doctor.

"Hi, Jo. Good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Bianca." Her attention was quickly captured by Danny who was reaching for her. Jo happily took him from his brunette mother and began to smother him with kisses. "Hi, Danny. Wow, you're so big. All of you are."

"When are you moving here for good, Aunt Jo?" Miranda asked.

"A couple more weeks, just in time for Thanksgiving."

"Which the two of you and Greg are still coming here for, right?" Marissa wanted to double-check on the plan.

"Yep. I can't wait. Mom's stuffing is the absolute best!"

Marissa groaned at the memory of it. "It really is. Thank you again, Jessica, so much for agreeing to make it."

"You're welcome." Jessica chuckled.

"So, what's the final plan for tonight?" Jo asked as she sat down on the sofa with Danny.

"Things changed a little bit. That tends to happen when Kendall and Greenlee get involved." Bianca smirked.

"What did they come up with?"

Marissa grinned. The choice of location was inspired. "Three words. Overnight road trip."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. So, you'll need to throw together an overnight bag. Dress is definitely casual. Jeans are probably best."

"Okay. Where are we going? What about the kids?"

"Zach and Ryan are going to be watching the older kids. AJ, Miranda, and Gabby will be staying all night at Zach and Kendall's along with Spike, Ian, and Emma. As for the little ones, Jessica and Carol will watch Danny and Lexie here. They're going to be in grandma heaven." Bianca looked at Jessica, who was grinning from ear to ear, for that last part.

"Yes, we are, and we're going to spoil them rotten." Jessica added happily.

"You're in for it now." Jo laughed. "How's the kid switch-off going to go?"

"While Ryan stays behind to watch the Slater crew and Emma, Zach is dropping Kendall, Lexie, and Greenlee off here and then taking our oldest three back with him." Bianca answered.

"Where are we going?" Jo asked.

"We'll tell you in the limo once we're on the road." Marissa grinned.

"Limo? We're taking a limo?"

"Yep. This way we can all go together and not have to worry about driving ourselves in case anyone would like to partake of the limo's fully stocked bar."

"That's very smart, and who doesn't like a fully stocked bar? Since you're not going to tell me where we're going yet, will you at least tell me who's going?"

Bianca nodded. "We can do that. The three of us, Kendall, Greenlee, Rafaela …"

"Maura?"

"She can't make it since she's on call."

"Bummer, but I understand. Anyone else?"

"Lisa, Stef, Gail, Jan, Aya, Randi, Natalia, and Madison."

Marissa continued. "Claudia couldn't make it because Andi's not feeling well, and it looks like Rob picked up whatever she has."

"I hate to hear that."

"Sofia can't make it because Rebecca has an opening at the gallery."

"That's exciting. I'll definitely have to stop by while I'm in town and check it out. I still can't believe I actually know Rebecca Dermott." Jo was a huge fan of the artist and was a total fangirl when she met her on a previous visit.

"We'll make plans to do that. Oh, Amanda won't be with us tonight either. She and Jake had something planned, and she couldn't get out of it." Bianca added with a knowing smile. Both she and Marissa knew that Jo was not Amanda's biggest fan. It dated back to when they first met at the couple's baby shower, and it hadn't improved much over the several months the doctor knew her. Marissa had told Bianca that a lot of it had to do with the fact that JR had cheated on her with Amanda while still trying to convince the redhead to reconcile with him. JR and Amanda shared the blame, but Amanda had been somewhat of friend of Marissa's at the time. The redhead had told Jo about what had happened between the two, and to the doctor, that broke a cardinal rule. You do not go after a friend's partner, no matter what. Not only had Amanda broken that rule, but she had hurt Marissa in the process. Marissa was Jo's best friend so for Amanda to do that was unforgiveable. This was something the redhead understood because she felt the same way. If someone hurt Jo, Marissa would not be able to forgive them.

Jo wasn't the least bit sorry to hear that. She tolerated the other woman because the others liked her well enough. The driving force behind that however was Jake. They all loved him as well as the rest of the Martin family. So for their sake, everyone tolerated Amanda. Jo knew Bianca and Marissa felt the same way that she did though. "Too bad."

Marissa laughed. "Uh huh. Let me take Sparky so you can go pack your bag. The others will start arriving soon."

The doctor handed Danny over and got up. "Okay. Do I have time to freshen up a bit?"

"Yeah, you do."

"I'll be back in a few minutes then."

/

Kendall, Zach, Lexie, and Greenlee arrived not long after, and Bianca quickly scooped up her niece. Marissa helped Zach put the kids' bags in his car. When they returned inside, AJ, Miranda, and Gabby hugged their mothers goodbye and hurried off to their uncle's car. They were looking forward to spending time with the other kids as well as Ryan and Zach. The men tended to let all of the kids get away with a great deal more than their mothers normally would. It wasn't a secret to the women though. They all knew it and let it go, to a point.

"So, these two won't tell me where we're going yet. Care to share?" Jo asked.

Greenlee shared a grin with Kendall and shook her head. "Nope. You'll find out once we're on the road. Relax, you'll have fun. Would we steer you wrong, Ruthie?"

Jo laughed. "That could be debatable."

"No one caught us, and I believe those two were very pleased with the results." Kendall gestured towards Bianca and Marissa.

"Extremely pleased." Marissa grinned.

Greenlee laughed at both the redhead's comment and Kendall's resulting eye roll. "That's why I like Rocky so much."

"It's kind of scary sometimes how much the two of you think alike, especially when it comes to torturing me. Anyway, Greenlee's right. You'll have fun."

"It sounds like we have a pretty fun crowd coming. So who picked where we're going?"

"The four of us. When we started talking about what we wanted to do tonight, this was the first place that came to mind for all of us." Bianca said.

A knock on the door interrupted them. Marissa stood and walked to see who had arrived. Gail and Carol Walker were smiling on the other side of the door.

"Hey. Come on in."

"We have a surprise." Carol moved to the side to reveal Sam.

"Surprise!"

Marissa laughed and hugged the teen. "This is a surprise. AJ, Miranda, and Gabby are going to be sad that they missed you."

"They're not still here?"

"No, they left with Zach not too long ago. You'll just have Danny and Lexie here tonight."

Sam grinned. "I'm sorry I missed them, but I think I can make do with those two."

"Come on in then."

The three Walker women followed Marissa inside where they were greeted by everyone. Danny saw the latest arrivals and crawled over to them. The boy stopped at their feet and looked up at them with an irresistible grin that showed his dimples and the few teeth that had begun to make an appearance.

"Well, look at you, little man!" Sam scooped up the boy and started giving him raspberries which set off a giggling fit.

The rest of the women, most of whom carpooled, began to arrive not long after the Walkers. Rafaela was just as in the dark about their destination as Jo, and just like the doctor, she was told all would be revealed once they were on the road.

As the women chatted, there was a knock on the door. Greenlee checked the time and nodded. "I'll get it." She found their driver on the other side. "Right on time. You're off to a good start."

The man smiled. "Thank you, ma'am. I'm Bruce."

Greenlee shook her head. "Ma'am? Oh, Bruce, I'm really disappointed. We were off to such a good start."

Lisa joined the petite brunette and rolled her eyes. "Don't pay any attention to her, Bruce. She's more bark than bite. To be on the safe side though, it's probably best if you don't call anyone in our group that word."

"Uh … I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything. I …"

"Breathe, Bruce. Greenlee, be nice. Remember, he's driving us tonight, and could very well leave you stranded somewhere along the way."

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "Relax. We're good, but don't call me ma'am. I really don't like it. Just call me Greenlee."

"Okay. I'm sorry and will try to remember that." He took a deep breath. "Are you all ready to go?"

"We are. You know where we're going and how to get there, right?"

"Yes … I do. Let me just load all of your bags, and then, we can hit the road." Bruce said, thankful he had caught himself and didn't call her ma'am again, as he started gathering the group's luggage.

While the driver did that, the women began saying their goodbyes. It was a little easier for Marissa to leave Danny for a night this time. She knew he was in excellent hands.

"So, Lisa, how do you know Bruce?" Madison asked.

"And is there a reason Jimmy's not driving? The two of you are still together, right?" Aya inquired as she joined the two women.

"Jimmy and I are still going strong. When I told him what we were doing tonight, we both agreed it would be less awkward for both of us if he didn't join us this time. So, he took another job. I'll be glad when he can quit. The extra money is nice, but I'd rather have the time with him."

Madison nodded. "That makes sense about him not driving us. You're right about the time being more important. So Bruce?"

"They're buddies. Out of all of the other drivers there, he trusts Bruce the most and recommended him."

"And he told me to take extra special care of everyone tonight. He also told me that if I knew what was good for me, that nothing better happen to any of you, especially you, Lisa." Bruce added as he walked by with the last of the bags.

"I always did like Jimmy." Kendall said. "Did he mention anything to you about the possibility of the need for a pledge of secrecy?"

"Actually, he did."

"That's our boy." Greenlee grinned. "Any problems doing that?"

"As long as it's not illegal, then no."

"You shouldn't have to worry about that. We have a couple of lawyers and one of Pine Valley's finest. We're good."

"Then what happens tonight and tomorrow remains between us. Driver/client confidentially, if you will."

"Marissa, did you get that?" Greenlee asked.

"I did, and it will hold up anywhere." Marissa answered.

"Okay. The bags are all loaded."

Bianca clapped her hands together. "Let's get going then!"

/

Once the women were settled in the limousine and it was making its way up the driveway and away from Minx Manor, the bar was opened. Greenlee served as self-appointed bartender with Kendall as her assistant, and they were very generous with their pours.

Jo waited until everyone had a drink and then asked once more the question she had been trying to get an answer to for the last two hours. "Okay. Will someone please tell Rafaela and me where we're going tonight?"

"I suppose it's time. First, you both have to promise that what happens tonight and tomorrow will only be discussed amongst those in this group."

Rafaela couldn't tell if Kendall was being serious or not, but figured she would go along with it. "I promise."

"So do I."

"We are going to Shamokin!"

The rest of the women cheered and toasted. "Shamokin!"

"Why does that sound familiar?" Jo began to wrack her brain. She knew she had heard of the place before but couldn't remember when or where.

"Shamokin? I've never heard of it. Where is it? Is it fun there?" Rafaela asked.

"Oh wait! That's where you all went for the bachelorette party."

The women all smiled and nodded.

"Yep. As for fun, we had a good time." Greenlee then began to give Rafaela a little background. "We ended up there by accident. Kendall and I had a great weekend planned for to celebrate Bianca and Marissa's upcoming wedding. We were going to Philadelphia, stay at the Ritz-Carlton, go to Verve ..."

"I've been to Verve, and I had a very, very good time." Rafaela recalled fondly.

Greenlee sighed wistfully. "We've heard it was fun. We also were going to a five star restaurant and then pamper ourselves with a day at a spa."

"That sounds lovely. You ended up in Shamokin though?"

"Ah, that's where the story starts. We rented a limo, like this one, to take us there and given a driver by the name of Jimmy Roberts."

"To Jimmy!" Aya raised her glass and winked at Lisa.

The other women toasted their former driver as well. "Jimmy!"

"Aren't you dating a guy named Jimmy?" Jo asked Lisa.

The young lawyer grinned. "Yep! Same guy!"

"It was a really good weekend for her." Aya smirked.

"Well, we didn't do anything that weekend other than just exchange numbers, but it was definitely the start of something really good." Lisa said as she clinked glasses with Aya again for another drink.

"Anyway, the limo broke down in Shamokin. Given the situation, we ended up just staying there."

"It's a special place. It's where I was in my first barroom brawl." Stef grinned.

"What?!" Rafaela and Jo asked in unison. Neither could believe what the teacher had just said.

"We can tell the two of you since you've been sworn to secrecy about Shamokin." Randi stated simply.

"Bianca decked a woman." Jan said proudly.

"To Bianca decking Shelly!"

"Badass Bianca!"

Everyone drank.

"Wait? So, what happened? Bianca, you don't seem like the type to start a fight." Rafaela said.

"She isn't, but she can sure as hell finish one!" Marissa said proudly and gave Bianca a quick kiss.

When the couple separated, Bianca picked up the story. "This woman, Shelly, thought that Rissa was hitting on her boyfriend and pushed her. This was when she was pregnant."

"Oh hell no!" Jo said angrily.

"Yeah, I know! Thankfully, Aya was there to literally catch her. So, I took Shelly down."

Marissa's pride was still on display. "With one punch, mind you. You don't mess with Badass Bianca."

"Badass Bianca!" Someone shouted and more drinking ensued.

"I wasn't the only one who was badass. Kendall and Greenlee took down Todd."

"Badass Kendall and Badass Greenlee!"

"Who's Todd?" Jo asked.

"Shelly's boyfriend."

"Oh, the guy you were supposedly hitting on."

Marissa nodded. "Yep. He'd been hitting on me all night and wouldn't take no for an answer."

"So, Kendall and Greenlee?"

"Jumped him when he started to go after Bianca for decking Shelly. He could barely walk when they were done with him. I think it's debatable whether or not he'll be able to father any children." Bianca said proudly and toasted the Dynamic Duo.

"Todd and Shelly sound like a lovely couple." Rafaela added sarcastically.

"Very true. Oh, and then there's Natalia."

"Badass Natalia!"

The police officer raised her glass and drank. "Just doing my job. I really enjoyed it though."

"Shelly's sister wanted to join the party, and Natalia subdued her in no time flat." Randi finished.

"Impressive. What about the police? Did they come?" Jo asked.

"They did, and that's where my badass boss comes in." Lisa grinned.

"Badass Marissa!"

The young lawyer continued. "Other than Bianca, no one else knew Marissa was pregnant."

"We wanted to keep it quiet until after the wedding." Bianca defended.

"Marissa was the only sober one, other than Jimmy that is, and she stepped in and handled everything with the police."

"Officers Sean Bray and Dave Corder. Very nice men, good police officers. Sean was more than understanding when I told him of the extenuating circumstances of my pregnancy and Bianca protecting me and our baby." Marissa then went on to explain her discussion with Sean Bray and the deal they struck.

"All I can say is, I can't wait to see this place." Rafaela said with a smile.

Jo nodded and raised her glass. "Me too. To Shamokin!"

As the limo continued on its way, the other women raised their glasses and joined Jo in her toast. "Shamokin!"