A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I appreciate it! I'm sorry for not posting last week. I got sidetracked with the new story I posted which featured Bianca and Marissa. For those of you who read, reviewed, and followed Kegs & Eggs, thank you! I'm glad you liked it! It was meant as just a one-shot, but you never know when I might revisit them! This chapter picks up later the evening of their return from Shamokin. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

"Hey, can I interest you in some hot chocolate?"

Jo looked up and saw Marissa standing there with two mugs. "The Tasker family recipe? Do you really even need to ask? Of course you can."

Marissa handed one of the mugs over to her friend and joined her on the family room's sofa. It was late. The kids were in bed. Jessica was in her room reading, and Bianca was on the phone with a not so happy Erica. The diva had heard the women had returned from there overnight in Shamokin a little battered and bruised, and she was not amused, far from it. Upon receiving this information, Erica was on the hunt for her daughters. Unfortunately for Bianca, her mother got to her first. This left Marissa with some free time, and she decided to take advantage of it and talk to her friend. The two were due for a conversation, and what better way to have it than over hot chocolate. Normally, they might have had this discussion over a glass of wine or a cold beer, but the slight chill in the air and the abundance of alcohol they had consumed the previous evening made hot chocolate the drink of choice.

"Is Bianca still on the phone with Erica?"

"Yeah, and I think it could be while."

"I don't envy her. It was bad enough talking with my Mom. I can't imagine that conversation with Erica."

"It's not fun, trust me on that."

"I'll take your word for it." Jo grinned and held her mug up. "We still got it! We kicked ass and took names!"

Marissa laughed and clinked her mug against Jo's. "Hell yes we did! We still got it and showed them who was tougher. It was kind of like old times. Hey, thanks for having my back there."

"Anytime. You had mine there as well. Damn, I still can't get over how fun that was. I'm glad it wasn't like that when you were pregnant though. That could've been dangerous."

"I know."

Jo looked at her friend. "So, what's been going on around here? You said there was some stuff with JR again."

Marissa sighed. "Yeah, there was. It all centered around Adam's will. Let me tell you, the reading was ugly."

"Was JR sober?" Jo knew of the man's struggles with alcohol.

"He was. He actually told me later that he's been sober for a year."

"That's good to hear. Wait. You said he told you later. What's up with that?"

"Okay. At the reading of the will, to say he's wasn't happy with what was in it would be an understatement. Bianca and I were named administrators of the trust that Adam set up for AJ."

"I bet that went over like a lead balloon."

"Yeah, it did, and so did Adam's inheritance to me."

Jo raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

"Uh huh. I'll tell you about that in a few minutes. What else about the will? Let's see, Scott was left a sizeable chunk of money as well as being anointed CEO of Chandler."

"Yikes. You've told me how JR feels about Scott. That had to hurt."

"Oh yeah, it did. It wasn't the worst thing though according to JR. Adam put a stipulation on JR's inheritance. It requires him to undergo periodic drug and alcohol testing in order for him to receive funds."

"Whoa."

"Exactly. JR took it as a huge slap in the face."

"Is that how Adam meant it? From what you've told me in the past, their relationship was strained to say the least."

Marissa shook her head. "No, I really don't think he did. Adam spent a lot with AJ especially after he got sick, and it made him realize some of the mistakes he had made with JR as well as how JR's drinking was affecting AJ and JR's overall health. Adam was truly worried about him, about what would happen to JR if he continued down that destructive path."

"JR didn't see it that way though, did he?"

"Nope. He saw it as Adam trying to control him, trying to dictate his life. And while that may have been true in the past, I honestly don't think it was true this time."

"So given what you've told me about their history, I can see where JR would make that assumption, but he's also showing his lack of maturity and self-awareness. For an addict to have access to a large sum of money unchecked, it's dangerous. You've told me that he's fallen off the wagon before. If he doesn't have a strong support system, it could easily happen again. Having that much money along with that addiction could make him a target, an easy mark for someone to take advantage of. Taking all of that into account, I agree with you. I think Adam really was trying to help his son the best way he knew how."

"I don't know if JR will ever see it that way. I can't let myself worry too much about that though. My main concern in all of this is AJ. Bianca and I won't let JR pull him into any of his drama."

"What's JR done now?"

"After the will was read, he tracked us down at Krystal's. Kendall spotted him before we did and had, for lack of a better term, a heart to heart with him. When they finished, he left. Bianca and I didn't know what was going on at first. We just happened to see them talking across the street. Greenlee was playing lookout for Kendall and was supposed to distract us."

"Supposed to distract you? Hmmm, sounds like Greenlee didn't do such a good job." Jo chuckled.

"Nope. It would appear that Bianca and I weren't very cooperative when it came to following their plans. A couple of days later, JR approached me in the parking lot at work. I had just gotten there and was getting Danny out of the car."

"What? He didn't do anything to you or Danny, did he?"

"No, he didn't." Marissa quickly assured her friend. "You know if he did try to do anything to Danny, you would have heard about it, if not on the news then definitely from your Mom. I didn't think he would, but I couldn't take any chances. I saw Lisa getting out of her car and asked her to take Danny inside to the daycare. It turns out that she ran into Caleb and told him about JR being there."

"Smart woman. I knew there was a reason I liked her. So, Caleb went outside?"

Marissa nodded. "Yes, he did, and he absolutely refused to leave when JR asked him to. Caleb takes great delight in annoying JR, getting under his skin. He's quite good at it. I could tell JR was pissed, but there was no way in hell that I was going to ask Caleb to leave. Again, I didn't think anything was going to happen, but I wasn't going to take any chances."

"Smart move for you. Have I told you how much I like Caleb?" Jo grinned.

"Maybe once or twice." Marissa chuckled. The redhead knew Jo was a fan of Caleb's. He made Jessica happy, happier than Jo remembered ever seeing her. Caleb also treated her Mom well, and he knew exactly just how special Jessica was. All of that had Jo firmly on Caleb's side. "Anyway, once JR realized that Caleb wasn't going anywhere, he got to the point of his visit. After the reading of the will, he was all set to contest pretty much the entire thing. He thought he should be in charge of AJ's trust because he felt he was the most qualified person for it. He also felt I shouldn't have received anything, and Scott should definitely not be CEO. JR felt that was his birthright, and that Scott was manipulating the entire situation for his own gain. Most of all, the stipulation regarding his drug and alcohol testing was way out of line and completely unnecessary in JR's mind."

"Of course. What happened next?"

"Well it seems that day outside of Krystal's, Kendall was actually able to do something that no one else had been able to, at least up to that point. She got through to him, for the most part at least. JR told me that the only part of the will he plans on contesting now is the part about drug and alcohol testing."

"Wow. He was letting the rest of it go?"

"Yeah, and he was leaving town, going back to California."

"That sounds too good to be true." Jo said suspiciously.

"It usually is. He had a letter for AJ and wanted me to give it to him. JR did say I could read it first."

"Well, that was big of him. Like you wouldn't want to check anything out that he sends AJ's way. I mean, he's proven himself so trustworthy in the past."

Marissa laughed at Jo's sarcastic comment. "Exactly! I'll give him half a credit for realizing I have more than enough probable cause to doubt his sincerity."

"So, what did it say?"

"JR apologized for making AJ uncomfortable at Adam's service. He said he didn't mean to, but since he felt that way himself, he guessed it probably came across in his interactions with everyone."

Jo rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I know. But wait, there's more! JR said he wanted to talk to AJ before he left but was hurt by a lot of the stuff surrounding the will and how Adam was still trying to run his life. It had gotten him upset, and he didn't want AJ to see him that way. JR said he was working hard on making himself better so that AJ could be proud of him. He finished up by saying that he hoped that one day the two of them could work side by side at Chandler and continue on with their family legacy."

"Wow. I don't even know where to start. Wait a minute. Yeah, I do. If that isn't a half-assed apology, I don't know what is." Jo scoffed. "JR's still not taking any responsibility for his actions. He's still shifting blame."

"And most importantly, he's still not listening to AJ. JR made it all about himself, yet again. It was what he wanted for the future with them working together at Chandler and reclaiming the 'Chandler birthright'. I can't even tell you how tired I am of hearing that broken record. What gets me the most is that he completely disregards what AJ wants time and time again. AJ is 11 years old. He doesn't have his future mapped out yet, and he doesn't have to. Bianca and I want AJ, Miranda, Gabby, and Danny to be kids, to enjoy their childhoods while they can. They'll have to deal with adult issues soon enough. Plus, there's the fact that AJ has told us that he doesn't want to work at Chandler. He's really interested in drawing and designing, and he has a really great eye and aptitude for it. Bianca and I are not going to force any of them to do something they don't want to do. We just want all of our children to be happy with whatever path they choose in life. Their happiness is what's most important to us."

Jo smiled. "You are such a good mom. You both are."

"I had really good examples, the best actually."

"You miss them." It wasn't a question, simply a statement of fact.

"Every day. I wish Mom and Dad could have met Bianca and the kids. They would've loved them and vice versa."

"That's very true. It definitely would've been a mutual admiration society."

"The thing is, if Mom and Dad were alive, I most likely wouldn't be here. There would've been no reason for Krystal to try and find me, and that means I would've never met AJ and adopted him. There's no way I would have ever met Bianca, fallen in love with her, adopted Miranda and Gabby, and had Danny."

"You could say that your biggest loss led to your biggest gain."

"Yeah. I like to think that Mom and Dad helped lead me here though. They helped me find the family I always dreamed of having." Marissa said softly.

Jo nodded. "I like that, and I think you're right. Your folks would definitely do that." While she had lost her father, Jo still had her mother. Marissa wasn't as lucky. She had lost both of her parents, and when that had happened, she had been left alone. Jo hated that they had lost touch with each other for several years and vowed that would never happen again. The doctor was so happy that her friend had found the happiness that she deserved, that she had found Bianca. They really were made for each other. "So, what did you and Bianca decide? Did you show the letter to AJ?"

"After Bianca and I discussed it, we decided to tell him about the letter. We had a private conversation with AJ and told him JR stopped by my office and dropped off the letter for him before heading back to California. AJ didn't really seem bothered by the fact that JR left without saying goodbye. He seemed relieved more than anything else because he didn't have to deal with him. AJ told us that his stomach feels like it's in knots whenever he has to deal with JR. When we heard that, Bianca and I told him that he didn't have to read the letter if he didn't want to. AJ thought about it and decided to just get it over with. He didn't want it hanging over his head. He asked us to stay while he read it which we did. AJ rolled his eyes a few times while he read it. He took it pretty well for the most part. He did ask why JR …"

"Was such a huge dipshit?" Jo smirked.

Marissa laughed. "No, but I won't be surprised when he does ask that one day. AJ asked why JR was like he was. He said JR just doesn't get that AJ doesn't want to be like him. When AJ looks at Chandler, all he sees is pretty much how miserable it's made everyone in his family. It's like the power goes to their heads, and he doesn't want any part of that. AJ wanted to know what good is having that much power if you don't do any good with it and it does nothing but make you unhappy."

"You have one hell of a smart son."

"I know. I just wish Bianca and I could've come up with an answer for him. We talked some more, and he told us he was worried about Scott since he was taking over Chandler. He's afraid he'll turn into JR."

"Oh. When you think about it, I can see where AJ would make that connection."

"Yeah, that was exactly what we thought. We told him Scott was different, that he had Stuart and Madison to keep him on track. Plus, we would help keep an eye on him as well. AJ seemed okay when we told him that. It's sad that he was glad he wouldn't have to deal with JR for a while, but that's all on JR. He doesn't know what he's missing."

"That's very true. Did you tell AJ about the trust fund?"

"We did but at a very high level. It's a lot for him to grasp at his age no matter how smart he is. When he's older, we'll go more in depth with him. Which reminds me, I wanted to tell you about that. The trust fund is for twenty-five million dollars."

"Wow. I get why you don't want to go into the details with AJ quite yet. An adult would have a hard time wrapping their head around an amount like that so I can only imagine how hard it would be for a child. How are you doing with that?"

Marissa sighed. "Okay, I guess. It really helps having Bianca. She's overseen the trusts for Miranda and Gabby for years, quite successfully I might add. There were a couple of other surprises in the will. Adam left the Miranda Center five million dollars."

"That was extremely generous of him."

"I know, and unfortunately, they can always use the money. Once the will goes through probate, Bianca will sit down with her team and determine how to portion it out to the areas most in need."

"I'm sure she was surprised, but it has to be a godsend to her."

"It is."

"So what was the other surprise?"

"Adam's bequest to me. He left me one million dollars."

Jo had just taken a drink of her hot chocolate when Marissa answered her question. The response had the doctor choking. "Seriously?!"

Marissa nodded and patted her friend on the back. "Yep."

"Wow. Give a girl some warning next time before dropping a bomb like that. Damn. Did he say why? Are there any strings attached?"

"He said he liked me and just wanted to do it. Bianca thinks it was his way of apologizing for some of the things that JR's done. There is one string attached. I have to spend some of it on something fun."

Jo laughed. "Ah, it would seem that he knew you, huh? Yeah, he knew you would want to put it in savings or invest it."

Marissa rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"Seriously, Marissa, that is amazing. You're still a little shocked by all of it though, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I am. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would have that much money. I make damn good money as a partner at the firm, but this? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it."

"I can imagine. Any idea of what you're going to do to meet the 'fun' requirement?"

"Not yet. I'm open to suggestions."

"I'll keep that in mind. I think I'm safe in assuming that JR wasn't happy with any of that."

"Yeah, that'd be a pretty safe bet. That's where Kendall comes it."

"That must have been one hell of a conversation." Jo shook her head. "You've had a lot going on lately."

"Yep. So, what's new with you? Don't tell me nothing because I know you. There's definitely something on your mind. Spill."

Jo chuckled. "I could never hide anything from you, could I?"

Marissa shook her head. "Nope."

"It's Greg." Jo struggled to find the right words. "I think he's holding back, keeping something from me."

"What do you mean? Has he said something? Done something?"

"Not really. It's just this feeling I get. He's been working a lot. This semester is almost over, and next one is his last there. The dean is making his life hell right now too. He's not happy at all about Greg leaving so he's doing his best to make him miserable, and I think he's succeeding. When we're together, Greg just seems like his mind is somewhere else, like he's preoccupied with something. Maybe he's thinking about work, but part of me wonders if he's regretting this move. It's big, and he's leaving his family and his job and …"

"You're his family too, Jo. Don't ever forget that."

Jo sighed. "You're right, but I'm starting to wonder if he wants to move here, move forward."

"Have you talked to him about any of this, about how you're feeling."

"Every time I try, something comes up, and we have to put the conversation on hold. I love Greg, more than I thought possible. I just don't know what to do, Rissa."

Marissa pulled Jo close to her, and the doctor rested her head on her best friend's shoulder. The redhead knew that sometimes the best thing you could do for a friend was to just listen, and this was one of those times. She let Jo get it all out, her hopes, her fears, all of it. As she listened, Marissa also thought about what she knew. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Greg loved Jo, but something was obviously going on with him. Whatever it was, it was causing her best friend pain, and Marissa was not about to stand by and allow that to happen without doing anything. She was going to have a talk with Greg and get to the bottom of this.

The friends talked for a while longer, and Jo honestly felt better by the end of their conversation. She hadn't realized how much she had been keeping inside, and it was a huge relief to get it all out. While she could have gone to her mother, it was actually Marissa that she needed more this time. Jo knew that Marissa was right about her needing to talk to Greg about all of this, and she promised she would. Both women were exhausted by the time they finished. The lack of sleep from the previous evening and the emotionally draining conversation were quickly catching up with them and had them both desperately in need of sleep. They shared a hug as they called it a night and then headed off to their beds.

/

Everyone slept in the next morning. They had nowhere to go and nothing planned so why not sleep late. They could all certainly use the rest. When Bianca started to wake, she smiled when she felt her wife's presence next to her. By the time Marissa had gotten to bed the previous evening, Bianca was asleep so she didn't know exactly what time her wife had gone to sleep. Bianca slowly turned over so as not to wake Marissa and gazed lovingly at the slumbering redhead.

"You're doing it again." Marissa said with her eyes still closed a few minutes later.

Bianca chuckled. "It's a habit I can't seem to break, one I'm not willing to break."

Marissa opened her eyes and found her wife's smiling face awaiting her. "Morning."

"Morning." Bianca leaned in and kissed her wife. "What time did you get to bed? I tried to stay up, but …"

"Don't worry about it. I'm glad you went to sleep. I'm not sure on the time. It was late though. How did it go with your Mom?"

Bianca rolled her eyes. "As well as can be expected, I suppose. She was out and ran into Madison and Scott."

"Ah, so that's what tipped her off."

"Yep. I didn't go into any details because Shamokin is our thing, and we all want to keep it that way. She mainly was worried that we might be seriously hurt. I assured her that we were all fine and not responsible in any way for what happened. Mom didn't think we were responsible to begin with so she wasn't worried about that. After we talked, I could tell she was relieved. I won't be surprised if she shows up sometime today though to assess our injuries. So, how did it go with Jo?" Bianca knew how much Marissa wanted to talk to her friend about things. The two had the same background and understood each other in a way that no one else really could.

"Good. We had a really good talk. I told Jo all about the will and the letter."

"Any thoughts from her?"

"She thinks we were right. When we were done talking about that, we moved onto her."

"So you were right. There was something going on with her."

Marissa nodded. "Yep. She thinks something is going on with Greg. She said he seems distracted, and it's got her worried."

"I hate hearing that. Any thoughts on what you can do to help?"

"Yeah. I need to have a conversation with Greg and see what is going on with him."