A/N: Thanks as always for continuing to read, review, and follow! It's appreciated. This chapter picks up the next day. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Bianca and Marissa opened the door to Shamokin Joe's the next morning and found the restaurant empty save for two people they recognized. The couple's walk from the Inn was much slower than it had been the night before due to the various aches and pains suffered from the previous evening's brawl. Luckily, Bianca had some ibuprofen which they both took first thing that morning. Hopefully, it would kick in shortly and help with the pain. The rest of the Pine Valley crew were still back at the Inn, but they would probably be joining the couple soon. Before everyone went their separate ways last night, plans had been made for them to meet back up at the restaurant for breakfast before heading home. Before they left Shamokin Joe's last night, Bianca and Marissa made plans to meet up with Terri and Sean before the others arrived. They wanted to catch up on things with their friends.

"Good morning, ladies. How are you doing today?" Terri asked.

"Good morning, Terri, Sean. Sore, definitely sore." Marissa said as she removed her sunglasses and revealed her black eye.

"Damn, Marissa. That's one hell of a shiner. How are the ribs?"

"Sore, everything's sore. Nothing's broken though."

Bianca pulled out a chair for her wife before taking her own seat. "Morning."

"How are you doing, Bianca? That's a nasty bruise on your cheek, and that lip is pretty swollen."

"Like Rissa, I'm sore, but nothing is broken."

"Ladies, if it will make you feel any better, you should see the other women. I stopped by the station to check on them before I came over here today, and damn if you all didn't do a number on them. They sure as hell deserved it too." Sean said.

"That actually does help some." Marissa smiled at the knowledge that their attackers were worse off than them.

Bianca nodded. "Yeah, it does. The place actually looks in pretty good shape. I'm really sorry about everything."

Terri waved her off. "Stop right there. This isn't your fault. You all didn't do anything wrong. It's all on Therese and her idiot friends, and her idiot brother Teddy."

"We still want to help out with paying for the damages." Marissa offered.

"No, that won't be necessary, but thank you for the offer. Bob's already made it clear that Therese, Teddy, and the rest of that crowd will be paying."

"He's pressing charges for damaging his property. I'm also charging them with disturbing the peace. If you want them charged with assault, I'd be more than happy to do that."

Bianca glanced at her wife.

"You know how I feel about it." Marissa stated. The two had discussed the matter earlier, and the redhead had made her feelings known.

"And you're right. Go ahead, Sean. Do it." Bianca had been reluctant at first, but she knew Marissa was right. The attack was unwarranted, and they needed to be punished for it. She did have one concern however. Bianca thought Therese and her friends might press charges of their own against those who helped the Pine Valley crew, like Frannie and Gil. Taking a page from Marissa's book, she came up with a plan to counteract that possibility. "I'll drop the charges though if they threaten charges against anyone on our side or anyone who helped us. We'll call it a draw."

Sean nodded. "Fair enough. I'll take care of it after I finish eating. They're not going anywhere right now anyway. You know, I seemed to have done something similar before where you all were concerned."

"I learn from the best." Bianca grinned at the redhead sitting next to her.

Marissa smiled proudly at her wife. "I can't take all the credit for that."

Terri laughed at the couple. They were something else. "Where's the rest of your crew?"

"Back at the Inn, but I'm sure they'll be here soon enough." Bianca said.

"Yeah, I have a feeling all of us are going to be moving a little on the slow side today." Marissa nodded in agreement. She turned to the police officer. "Okay, enough with the serious stuff. We want to see pictures of your daughter!"

"And we want to know her name!" Bianca added.

Sean grinned proudly and pulled out his cellphone. "Here she is, Bianca Lynn Bray! She is officially one week old today!"

Bianca and Marissa were surprised by the name. They had only received a quick message that Sean and his wife Heather had welcomed a little girl to their family. The baby's name had been withheld.

"Heather and I didn't want to tell you the name in a text or email. It just didn't seem right to us. We hope you're okay with the name. Heather and I wanted to name her after both of you because, well because if it wasn't for the two of you we wouldn't have her."

"Rissa and I are honored." Bianca was blown away and struggled to find the words. "Wow. This is amazing, but I hope, and I know Rissa does too, that you didn't feel obligated to do that."

Sean shook his head. "We didn't do it because we felt any sort of obligation. We did it because we wanted to. Becoming parents has always been a dream for Heather and me, and you helped make that dream come true for us. We'll always be grateful for that. Thank you."

"You're welcome. She's beautiful."

Marissa smiled as she looked at the picture of the newborn. "Bianca's right. She is beautiful. I bet she already has you wrapped around her little finger."

Terri laughed. "Oh, she does! Sean has already said she's not allowed to date until she's 30."

"If then." Sean scowled.

The three women simply smiled.

"How's Heather doing?" Marissa asked.

"She's doing great. Sleep would be nice for both of us though."

"It'll happen, eventually. It scared the hell out of me the first time Danny slept through the night though."

"From the pictures you sent me, I'd say he's a pretty dapper looking little guy. I hope you can make it to the christening and bring the kids. We'd love to meet them."

Bianca nodded. "We'd love to come, and I know the kids would be up for an adventure in Shamokin."

"Awesome! I'll send you an invitation. Oh, the reception will be back here."

"We're definitely coming then!" Marissa grinned.

"Just so you know, it will be a private reception. Hopefully, no brawls."

"Perfect. We definitely don't need one of them in front of the kids. Rissa and I have to figure out what we're going to tell them when we get home."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." Terri assured the women. "How about I get you some breakfast?"

"I'll just have the Shamokin Sunrise Special. Oh, and coffee, please. A large cup of coffee." Marissa said.

"I'll have the same."

"I'll go put your orders and get that coffee for you."

"Thank you!"

/

Jo and Rafaela, who had roomed together, were the next ones to show up. The doctor was sporting a black eye that rivaled Marissa's. Rafaela, on the other hand, looked like she had stepped off the cover of a magazine. No sooner had they taken their seats then Kendall and Greenlee showed up. Bruises were visible on them as well.

Greenlee eyed Rafaela. "How in the hell do you look so good? You were right in the middle of the action, and I saw you take a blow or two."

"You forget what I do for a living. I've become an expert with makeup. Trust me. I have battle scars just like you. I just was able to cover them up."

Jo nodded. "She's right. I saw her without the makeup. She's like a magician and has graciously agreed to help me tone this shiner down."

Kendall's head snapped to the model. The eldest Kane sister was no slouch when it came to makeup, but it seemed Rafaela could teach her a few things. "Rafaela, would you mind sharing your expertise?"

"I would be more than happy to help all of you. It's the least I can do. Last night was so much fun. I had the best time." Rafaela smiled brightly.

Marissa laughed at the model's reaction. "It was pretty fun. Sean told us the others look really bad."

Sean nodded. "They do."

That had Greenlee smile. "I do like hearing that. Couldn't happen to nicer people!"

The other members of the Pine Valley crew ambled into the restaurant and marveled at how good Rafaela looked. She offered her assistance to them as well, and they all took her up on it. They chatted away and decided more trips to Shamokin would definitely be in their future.

"Excuse me, ladies, and gentleman." A man said seeing the women and Bruce. "I hope you're enjoying yourselves and that everything tastes good."

They group recognized the man checking on them as the owner/manager of Shamokin Joe's.

"Good morning, Bob. Everything is great, as always." Bianca assured the man. Due to her lip being swollen, she was only able to manage a small smile.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'd just like to apologize again for what happened last night. I can't believe that happened again to all of you."

Kendall shook her head. "Bob, it's not your fault. You didn't have anything to do with what they did. You, Terri, and the rest of your staff have been nothing but great to us. As to why this happened again, I blame Greenlee." Kendall grinned at the petite brunette next to her.

"What the hell?!" Greenlee eyed her friend. "I think for once that I'm completely innocent."

"Completely? Seriously? Have you ever been completely innocent?" Kendall smirked.

Greenlee rolled her eyes. "Fine. Mostly innocent, this time. Geesh."

"Ms. Alvaréz?"

Rafaela turned to the man. "Yes."

"We really have never had anyone famous in here before. I was wondering if I could take a picture with you and put it on our wall. I know bigger restaurants do something like that with celebrities. If you don't want to though, I completely understand. I …"

"I would be honored, Bob. Could I ask you a favor in return?"

"Of course. Anything."

"Would you also mind putting one up of our group?"

Bob smiled. "I'd be more than happy to do that. If it's alright with all of you?"

They all agreed, and several pictures were taken with Bob, Terri, and Sean. When everyone was finished with their breakfast, they said goodbye to their friends from Shamokin and promised they would be back again. It had actually been discussed to make this an annual trip. The group returned to the Inn to pack, touch up their makeup in an effort to tone down their bruises with Rafaela's expert help, and then headed home to Pine Valley.

/

A cheer erupted from the group as the limo turned down the driveway to Minx Manor. They had had a great time in Shamokin, but it was always good to get home. When the car came to a stop, Bruce hopped out and opened the door for them. He winced slightly at the movement due to Teddy attacking him from behind with a chair. The women piled out of the limo while Bruce went to the rear of the vehicle to unload their bags.

Bianca stopped him. "We can get them, Bruce. You need to take care of that shoulder."

Marissa joined her wife. "Bianca's right. When you get home, take some ibuprofen and ice it."

Bruce grinned. They didn't have to be concerned about him, but they were. He knew they felt responsible even though he had assured them they weren't. Everything Jimmy had told him about the couple was right. They were really nice, down to earth, caring, and fun. The whole group was. "I will. I'm off for a couple of days so I'll be good by the time I have to go back to work."

"Good."

The driver chuckled as he looked at the women. They had somehow made those cuts and bruises work for them, and they wore them like badges of honor. "I just have to tell you that I had the best time with all of you. Damn, it was fun."

"Yeah, it was. We'll keep you in mind for our next adventure." Kendall smiled.

"Please do!"

Greenlee handed him an envelope that contained his tip. It was sizeable and well earned. "Oh, this is for you. We'll definitely be giving you a glowing review to your boss."

"Thank you. I really appreciate it." Bruce stuffed the envelope into one of his jacket pockets without opening it. When he got home later and opened it, he would be floored by just how much they had given him. "You all have a nice day and take care of those bruises."

"Bye, Bruce!" The women waved as he drove away.

"Well, I thank you for including me on this adventure. It was amazing. I can't remember the last time I was in a fight like that." Rafaela said happily.

"Not that long ago for us. I'm sure we could arrange another one for you if you keep hanging out with us." Greenlee smirked.

"You were in a fight like that before?" Stef asked the model.

"Of course I have. I'm a model. You have no idea what it's like behind the scenes at photo shoots or fashion shows. Now, I'm going to go home to see Maura. I don't think it will take too much convincing to have her examine me and tend to my wounds. Having a girlfriend who is a doctor comes in very handy." Rafaela grinned.

"Ladies, one helluva time as always! See you Monday, boss!" Lisa said as she followed Rafaela to their cars.

"See you, and remember …"

Rafaela nodded. "I know. What happens in Shamokin …"

"Stays in Shamokin!" The other women called out in reply.

With the exception of Bianca, Marissa, Kendall, Greenlee, Jo, and Gail, the others headed to their cars to go home.

/

Carol was the first to notice something off with the women when they walked through the door and saw Kendall limping. "Kendall, what did you do?"

"Huh? Oh, I tripped and twisted my knee a little. It's not bad. I'll take something when I get home and put it up. It will be good as new in no time."

Jessica then examined her daughter and Marissa. She saw a slight discoloration around their eyes and then noticed Marissa wince as she picked up Danny. The redhead lowered herself slowly onto the sofa with her wife's help. Speaking of Bianca, her lip was definitely swollen, and there was some discoloration on her cheek as well. Jessica glanced at Carol and saw she was noting the injuries to her daughter-in-law and Greenlee.

From what Carol could see, Gail had a small cut along her jawline and seemed to favoring her left side. Greenlee's wrist had an elastic bandage wrapped around it, and she had some discoloration around one of her eyes.

"So, does anyone want to tell us what happened?" Jessica asked.

"What do you mean, Mom? Nothing happened."

"Really? That's what you want to go with? I see the cuts, bruises, and black eyes. There is no way those came from running into a door or whatever, and I'm pretty sure Kendall didn't twist her knee by tripping."

"Mom …"

"Don't take that tone with me, Josephine Lorraine Shelton, and the same goes for you, Marissa Lynn Tasker-Montgomery."

"I didn't say anything."

"You were thinking it though."

Greenlee started to laugh. "It's never good when the middle names are used."

Jessica eyed the petite brunette. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you, Greenlee. Do you want to tell me what you did to your wrist, or do you want to give a lame excuse like Kendall did?"

"I … I'm just going to text Ryan and see if Zach is on his way." Greenlee folded under Jessica's gaze. Damn if the woman didn't have that intimidating and piercing motherly look perfected. Her own mother had never really intimidated her that much, but Jessica was another story. Maybe she would ask her for pointers on that look and use it in a few years on Emma or perhaps another child if everything worked out. In the meantime, Greenlee pulled out her phone and typed out a text.

Carol did her best not to laugh at the roomful of grown women shifting around nervously like teenagers afraid someone was going to call their mothers on them. She saw Gail doing her best not to bring any attention to herself and knew she was going to have fun with her daughter-in-law when they got home.

Marissa was amused by the entire exchange and couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"And what's so funny?" Jessica asked.

"What's not? If you think we look bad, you should see the ones who started it." Officer Dave Corder had managed to discreetly snap a few photos of Therese and her gang and sent them to Marissa after receiving her promise that they would go no further than her cellphone. With the promise made, the photos had been sent and were viewed on Marissa's cellphone on the drive back from Shamokin. The other women did in fact look much worse than the Pine Valley crew which proved they were definitely on the losing end of the brawl.

Kendall, Greenlee, Bianca, Gail, and Jo all grinned with pride at the redhead's statement.

"We pretty much kicked their asses." Jo smirked. Seeing her mother's glare, the doctor simply shrugged. "What? We did."

"We can't tell you exactly what happened, Jessica. Other people are involved, and we all gave our word to not say anything." Marissa explained.

Jessica shook her head. She knew Jo and Marissa were extremely loyal and considered their word as their bond. In the time she had known the other women, she had found it was pretty much the same with them. "What are you going to tell the kids? I mean, you're going to have to tell them something when they see those bruises, and you know as well as I do that Miranda will grill you."

Bianca grinned. "Miranda is pretty much like her Ma when it comes to that."

"How am I like Ma?" Miranda asked as she walked into the house with her brother, sister, and uncle trailing behind her. "Mom? Ma? What happened? Were you in an accident? Are you okay?"

The phrase 'I told you so' hung in the air, but it remained unspoken.

"Kendall?" Zach's concern was evident in his voice as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

"I'm fine, I promise." Kendall shifted Lexie in her lap.

Marissa sighed and glanced at Bianca. The two had discussed what to tell the kids and decided to tell them what happened to a degree. "Come sit here." Marissa patted the space next to her as Bianca shifted over to make room for the kids.

"First of all, we're all okay." Bianca assured the kids.

"Really?" AJ asked skeptically.

"Really."

"What happened?" Miranda asked.

Gail and Carol glanced at each other and knew they were thinking the same thing. This was a discussion the family needed to have without them. "Carol and I are going to head out. Thanks for a fun night."

"Thanks for helping watch the kids." Kendall said gratefully.

"Oh, it was my pleasure." Carol smiled as she followed her daughter-in-law out.

"Well, Mimo, there were some women who were jealous of us …"

"Why?"

"We were having fun, and other people were paying attention to us. They didn't like it."

"No, they didn't, and they decided they wanted to stop it. Unfortunately, your Mom was the closest to them, and they tried to hurt her."

"You stopped them, didn't you?" Miranda already knew the answer.

"I did my best to. I promised you a long time ago that I wouldn't let anyone hurt her, and I'm always going to do whatever I can to keep that promise. There were a lot of them though so I had needed some help." Marissa said.

The kids' jaws hung open hearing that someone attacked their Mom. The three of them were left wondering whether or not these people nuts. Obviously, they didn't have any clue who their Ma was and what she would do to anyone who hurt their Mom. No one, and they meant absolutely no one, hurt their Mom and got away unscathed. They knew their redheaded mother would rain down fire on anyone doing so, and the same was true if someone hurt their Ma. No one would remain standing if their Mom had anything to say about it, and they knew she would make sure she did.

"That's where your aunts come in, along with our other friends that were there." Bianca added.

"You were all in a fight then?" Gabby asked.

"We were, but we didn't start it." Marissa paused. "Do you remember what I told you my Dad always said about fights?"

AJ nodded. "Never start one, but if someone else does, make sure you finish it."

Jessica smiled. That was exactly what Roy always said, and Lydia agreed with him.

Marissa nodded. "Exactly, and that's what happened. We weren't looking for a fight. Those other women were though so they started one with us. We defended ourselves and finished it."

The kids took this information in and accepted it. Their mothers helped people, went out of their way to help others actually. So, they knew they wouldn't start a fight.

Zach glanced at his wife and nodded proudly. "You ready to go home?"

"Yeah, I am. I really want to see the boys."

"And I want to see Emma and Ryan." Greenlee added. "Always an adventure, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Lunch on Monday?"

"You're on." Bianca said and hugged her sister. "Before you ask, I'm not saying anything to Mom."

"Yeah, me either. See ya, Binx. Bye, Red, Jo, Jessica."

"Bye, Kendall. Bye, Greenlee. See you Monday. Thanks for watching our minions, Zach."

"No problem. Maybe one of these days I'll be able to beat them at one of the video games."

Marissa laughed. "Doubtful, but you never know. I'll let you know if it ever happens here."

"And make sure you tell me you what you did." Zach laughed and followed Kendall and Greenlee, who was carrying Lexie, out.

Bianca turned back to Miranda, AJ, and Gabby. "Do you have any other questions for us?"

The kids looked at each other and then shook their heads.

"Okay. If you do, just ask us. Why don't you take your things up to your rooms? I don't know about you, Rissa, but I don't really feel like cooking tonight."

"Me either. You know what sounds good?"

"Pizza from Pasquale's?"

"Yep. What do you think, minions?"

"Yeah! Could we maybe do a movie too?" AJ asked.

"I think that could be arranged. Go take your things up like your Mom asked, and we're going to do the same. We'll meet you back here."

The kids hurried upstairs, and their mothers laughed watching them.

"I'm sorry if I was a little abrupt earlier." Jessica said contritely. "I was just …"

"Worried? Concerned? A little freaked out seeing the bruises?" Marissa said with an amused grin.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Yes, all of the above."

"It's okay. Don't worry about it. We get it and understand."

"Thank you. Carol and I made cookies yesterday. They could be dessert."

Jo smiled brightly. "Are you kidding me? That would be awesome!"

Marissa nodded. "What she said!"

Bianca laughed. "It seems we have a house full of kids, Jessica."

"Yeah, and they're all pretty cute. I could take Danny for you if you and Marissa want to change."

"Thank you. That would be appreciated. After last night, I'm looking forward to kind of a quiet evening."

"Do I get to find out what happened?"

Jo shook her head. "Nope. Sorry, Mom, but what happens in Shamokin, stays in Shamokin."

Marissa, Bianca, and Jo shared fist bumps before heading their separate ways.

Jessica chuckled and looked at Danny. "Yeah, they never grow up completely."