A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I appreciate it. I didn't make a Saturday post, but I did make Sunday. Please check out the Author's Notes at the end. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Marissa walked into the kitchen and saw her wife standing there, and she didn't look happy, at all. "Bianca, what's wrong?"

"Brot just called. They were going to make the arrests involving Doug's case."

"Good. I know he'll be relieved once that's done."

"Yeah, I'm sure he will. Brot said something that I found very interesting. Would you care to tell me about the break-in at Doug's?"

Marissa winced hearing the tone in Bianca's voice. Her wife was definitely angry, and she knew she would be. Crap! Suck it up, Tasker. You knew this was going to happen when she found out. Own up to it. "I'm guessing Brot told you what happened."

"Not everything, no. He told me enough to know that you were at Doug's at possibly the same time that someone was trying to break in there, and apparently, you had insisted on being there. It was enough to know that you could have been hurt, or worse. That was all though. It seemed that he thought you had already told me everything that had happened. It's funny when you consider that I would've thought the same given that you knowingly put yourself in a dangerous situation."

"Could I please explain? Would you allow me that chance?"

Bianca stared at her wife for a moment before she relented and replied curtly. "Fine."

"Thank you. Could we sit?"

With a nod, Bianca agreed and followed Marissa to the kitchen table where both women took a seat.

Marissa took a steadying breath and began. "First, I'm sorry. I wanted you to hear what happened from me. Unfortunately, there really hasn't been a chance for me to tell you."

"Really? You couldn't take a minute to tell me?"

"No, not really. It's not a simple conversation. I couldn't tell you via a text. I didn't have a chance to call and talk, not with how fast things were happening. As for now, I just got home a few minutes ago. You tell me when I had the chance." Marissa was getting irritated and did her best to rein everything back in. "Look, I swear I was going to tell you as soon as I had the chance."

Bianca sighed. She knew Marissa was right about not having the opportunity to tell her earlier, and she really didn't have any reason to dispute her wife's claim that she had planned on telling her. No, the real problem was that Bianca was scared. Something could have happened to Marissa, and if it had, Bianca didn't know what she would do. It also seemed like Marissa had taken an unnecessary chance, and that had made Bianca angry. She was furious that her wife had been reckless. "Well, we've got the time now, don't we?"

"Yes, we do."

"So, would you care to enlighten me?"

"I'll tell you everything. Will you listen, please?"

Bianca nodded. "I will."

"Okay. I need to start at the beginning for any of this to make sense. This all started with a 911 call reporting a suspected impaired driver by the elementary school. The caller gave a description of the car as well as the license plate number. Brot was in the area and responded to the call. He saw the car in question and pulled it over. Doug was behind the wheel."

"What? I can't believe that Doug would be driving under the influence. Amber had just been in the car with him. Wait. That's when he called you, right?"

"Not quite at that point. Doug gave Brot permission to search his car. Hanging out of the pouch behind the driver's seat, Brot found a baggie filled with what was later identified as marijuana, Oxycontin, Percocet, and Vicodin. It was then that Brot conducted a field sobriety test which Doug passed. Something about the whole situation didn't feel right to Brot so he instructed Doug to drive to the police station with him following. When they got there, Brot explained things to Jesse. It didn't feel right to him either. He recognized Doug from their dealings with Tammy, knew he was a friend of ours, and told him that he should probably call me."

"I'm confused. You said that Doug passed the field sobriety test. So, how could he be driving like that?"

"That's a good question, and he wasn't. We'll get to that later. I talked to Doug, and we tried to sort things out, like how the drugs got in his car and who would want to set him up. I asked him about Tammy. At first, he didn't think she could do anything like that, but then, he realized that she still had a key to his car. While we were talking, he received an alert that someone was trying to break into his house. I immediately went and told Jesse."

"And that's when you insisted on going with them. Dammit, Marissa, why? You could have gotten hurt. Your job description doesn't entail you putting yourself in harm's way like that. That means you don't go on police runs."

"First of all, I know damn well what my job entails. I didn't insist on going on whim or for a thrill. I went because I had to protect my client's rights. It was already established that someone had planted drugs in his car. Who's to say that they didn't do the same in his house? I couldn't take that chance. I had to go to make sure that it was a good search. Besides, I didn't go near the house until Jesse gave the all clear. While we waited for word, Brot was stationed outside our car, and Doug and I stayed inside the car. You may not believe this, but this wasn't something that I did lightly. I understood the risks, and more importantly, I knew Jesse would insist on doing exactly what he did before I told them I was going. There was no way he would let me go to an active crime scene and not make sure I was safe. The main reason for that was he knew you would hurt him if anything happened to me. He said it himself."

"He did?"

"Yeah, he did."

"Well, he's right. I would have." Bianca muttered.

Marissa sighed and shook her head. "I know you would have. The point is, I was safe the entire time, and I didn't take any unnecessary chances."

"But it seems like you did."

"I didn't though. I promise you that."

Before the couple could continue their conversation, they were interrupted by AJ.

"Is dinner ready yet?"

Bianca glanced over at her son. "Almost, Buddy. I just need to check on the garlic bread. Are you getting hungry?"

"Yeah, kinda."

"Okay. Why don't you go wash up and tell your sisters to as well. We should be good to go by the time you get back."

"What about Danny?"

"I'll get your brother. Come on. Go do what Mom said." Marissa said as she led AJ out of the kitchen. She paused at the door and turned back to her wife. "We'll finish this up later."

Bianca nodded. She was still a little upset but not as much as she had been. For now, their discussion had to be put on the backburner.

/

Things were tense during dinner between Bianca and Marissa, and it didn't go unnoticed by their children. The three older Tasker-Montgomery children exchanged glances, and it was silently agreed upon that Miranda would be their spokesperson.

"Are the two of you fighting?"

"No, Mimo. I wouldn't say that we are. Your Mom is just upset with me because of something I did earlier today."

Marissa glanced at Bianca who sighed. They would have to tell the kids what was going on anyway.

"There's no time like the present I guess." Bianca said.

"Okay." Marissa quickly thought about what to tell and not tell them. "Something happened today after Mr. Baldwin left school, and he needed my help dealing with it." She then gave a sanitized version of what happened, and when she was finished, Marissa told them she would answer any questions they had for her.

They obviously had several, but Miranda was focused on clearing things up between her mothers first. "So, Mom isn't happy that you went to their house."

"Yeah, something like that."

Miranda turned to her brunette mother. "But she had to go, Mom. He's her client, and Ma had to make sure that his rights were protected. It's kind of like when you go on visits to the homes of the people that the Center helps out. Ma doesn't like it because she's worried you could get hurt. So, you don't go by yourself. You have someone else go with you. Ma was doing the same thing, and there was police all around her. For you to be upset with her isn't really right. Is it?"

Marissa had to cover her mouth to hide the proud smile she had due to Miranda's defense.

Bianca sent her wife a quick glare that told her that it was in her best interest not to smile then. In that moment, Bianca dared anyone to tell her that Miranda wasn't just as much Marissa's daughter as she was hers. The girl's argument was something straight out of Marissa's playbook. She shook her head knowing that there was no way she could dispute what her daughter had said. Bianca didn't go on as many home visits as she used to, but she did still do them from time to time. When she did, Bianca did make sure she never went alone to the ones that were deemed to be riskier. Given that, how could she find Marissa at fault since she had done the same thing? "You're going to be one heck of a lawyer someday. It's not that I'm really mad at your Ma. I was very worried that something could have happened to her, and well, I could have reacted better." Bianca turned to her wife. "I'm sorry, Rissa. Will you forgive me?"

"Yes. I understand, and I most likely would have reacted the same way." The couple shared a look that said they would be talking about everything in more detail later.

"Ma?"

"Yes, AJ."

"Why would Amber's mom do that to her dad?"

"I don't know. Maybe, she was just so angry that she just didn't think how this would affect Amber. Sometimes, people are like that. They can't see past their own pain and anger."

"Like dad." It wasn't a question. It was merely a statement of fact. AJ, unfortunately, was all too familiar with that kind of person. It was the main reason he currently had nothing at all to do with JR. AJ simply couldn't trust him after his repeated attempts to hurt Marissa all in the name of love for his son. Despite JR's claims, AJ didn't buy it for one second.

"Yeah, it would seem so."

"At least you were able to help her dad so it didn't work."

"With a lot of help from Brot, Jesse, and Mike."

"Can we call Amber and see how she's doing?" Miranda asked.

"I think we should wait to do that. Mr. Baldwin was going to talk to her tonight so I think it's best to leave them alone and let it just be the two of them. They have a lot to talk about, and it's going to be hard for both of them. I told him earlier that we would all be there for them whenever they need us. He thanked me and told me that he would call when they were ready. For now though, I really think they need some time to themselves. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I think so." Miranda nodded.

AJ nodded as well. "Amber's probably going to be feeling a lot of stuff. She's going to be really mad at her mom, and she's going to be embarrassed too."

"You're right, she is. I just don't get how her mom could do this."

Bianca shook her head. "I don't either, Mimo. Amber is really going to need some good friends."

"We'll be there for her, Mom." Miranda said.

AJ agreed with his sister. "We'll make sure nobody says anything to her at school." The boy continued before either mother could say anything else. "We'll tell somebody if we hear anyone bullying her."

"Thank you, AJ." Bianca smiled at her son.

The family continued their discussion for a few more minutes before the kids headed to the family room to watch some television. Their mothers figured they could use the break after the heavy conversation they had just had.

Danny started to fuss before the older kids left the room, and after a quick check, Marissa determined that he needed a new diaper.

"Somebody needs changed."

"I'll take care of Sparky, Ma." Miranda volunteered.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I got it. You stay here." Miranda took her little brother from Marissa and started making faces for him which had Danny giggle.

Both mothers knew it was their oldest daughter's not so subtle hint for them to talk.

"Thank you."

Miranda nodded in acknowledgement as she followed AJ and Gabby out of the kitchen leaving their mothers alone.

/

The couple remained silent for several minutes as they cleaned up from dinner. The tension was still present.

"Will you tell me the rest of the story? Do they know who her accomplice was?" Bianca asked, finally breaking the unbearable silence.

Marissa nodded as they both sat back down at the kitchen table. She hadn't gone into that level of detail earlier with the kids. "Of course. They were able to trace the cellphone used to make the calls to the drugstore just up from the school. The video from there shows Tammy buying some burner phones. She used a credit card to make the purchase. The manager from the drug store turned over the receipt for it, and it showed they were the same phones."

"Who made the calls? Was it the accomplice? You said you and Doug didn't recognize the caller but could tell it wasn't Tammy."

"The police reviewed the security footage from the coffee shop, and they saw a customer on her cellphone at the exact time the 911 call was made. Doug recognized her. She's a friend and co-worker of Tammy's. As soon as he saw her, it clicked. The voice belonged to her. Her name is Donna Salado."

"So, she convinced someone to help her with this twisted scheme? Wow. I don't even know why someone would agree to do something like that. What about the drugs, and what about the 911 that started everything?"

"Ah, yes. Well, the 911 was obviously bogus. Doug mentioned something about Tammy's mom having a hip replacement recently. He also knew that Tammy had had some dental work done last year and had been given some painkillers for afterwards. While he couldn't remember exactly what they were, Doug did know that she didn't take many of them and had some left as a result. The search of the Baldwin house didn't find any drugs there other than an antibiotic and over the counter medication. When they heard all of that, Jesse and Brot both had a hunch about where the drugs found in Doug's car might have come from so they decided to follow up on it. Here's where having the District Attorney on hand helped more than you can believe. Mike made a quick call to a judge and was able to get several warrants that aided the police investigation. While they were at the drug store and with the warrant in hand, Jesse had the pharmacist check to see if any prescriptions had been filled recently for Tammy, her mother, and Donna Salado."

"And?"

"All three had had prescriptions filled there."

"Do they think Tammy's mom was in on this? I thought she got along with Doug."

"She does. According to Doug, she hadn't had any contact with Tammy since the hostage situation. Brot went over to talk to her. Mrs. Woods, Tammy's mom, told him that Tammy had actually visited her last week. She had been surprised to see her daughter because Tammy had disowned them because they had supported Doug regarding custody of Amber. Brot asked about the visit and found that Tammy had only stayed for a few minutes, and she hasn't been back since. While she was there, Tammy had used the restroom. Brot then asked if Mrs. Woods had noticed anything else that was odd about the visit. She told him that she had been prescribed oxy as a result of her hip replacement, and she had been very careful about taking it because she didn't want to become addicted to it. That's pretty much want I did when I was given it for my knee."

Bianca nodded. Opioids could be highly addictive, and Marissa just didn't want to risk it, especially not if she could handle the pain. "I remember. You only took a couple of them before you switched over to Tylenol, and we disposed of the rest of them."

"Yep. Mrs. Woods noticed that the number of pills she had remaining was off after Tammy's visit."

"That can't be a coincidence."

"I agree."

"So, Tammy took some of her mom's pills to set up Doug?"

"It appears so, especially when the number of pills Mrs. Woods was missing matched the number they found in Doug's car. As to the other pills, Tammy had been prescribed Vicodin, and her accomplice had been given Percocet. The police aren't sure where the marijuana came from, and they don't really think that they'll be able to find that out. At that point, Mike said that didn't matter, and they had more than enough to arrest Tammy and Donna. The hope is that they can get Donna to flip on Tammy. If they can do that, then they will start to work on Tammy. Ideally, they would like her to confess to avoid a trial."

"A trial and all the publicity that would come with it would be so hard on Amber."

"I know. Hopefully, Tammy will realize that and agree to a deal. Doug's willing to have Mike offer one for his daughter's sake. There's really no way to avoid any of this getting out, but hopefully, a deal will lessen the impact."

"Rissa, about before, I really am sorry. I was just so scared."

Marissa could see the remorse in her wife's eyes. "I know, and I understand. I promise that I was going to tell you. There really wasn't any time to do that."

"I believe you, and I shouldn't have doubted you. I let my fear of you getting hurt override my head. I …"

Before Bianca could continue, she was interrupted by the ringing of Marissa's cellphone.

Marissa glanced at the display to see who was calling. "It's Mike. I need to take this."

"It's okay. Go ahead and take it. I'll go check on the kids." Bianca went to the family room to give Marissa some privacy.

"Hi, Mike. What's up?"

"Hello, Marissa. I have news. We've picked up both Tammy and Donna."

"That's good."

"What I'm going to tell you next is even better. We've kept them separate and decided to talk to Donna first since we thought that she was probably the weak link in this plot. It turns out that we were right. As soon as we started talking to her, we couldn't shut her up. She told us everything. Don't worry, she was read her rights before she confessed so we don't have to worry about her confession getting thrown out. It's pretty much what we thought. This whole thing was Tammy's idea. It was revenge, pure and simple. Tammy did it to get back at Doug."

"A full confession is always good to have. Did she say how Tammy came up with this twisted plan?"

"She did. Do you remember hearing about a case out in Irvine, California that involved Kelli Peters and Kent and Jill Easter?"

"The names aren't ringing any bells."

"Maybe this will. Kelli Peters was the PTA mom that the Easters framed in pretty much the same way that Tammy tried to frame Doug."

"Oh, wait! I remember that now. The Easters thought Kelli Peters said something about their son, but it wasn't really what they thought. It didn't matter to them though. The damage was done, and they went after her big time."

"That's them. Fortunately for Mr. Baldwin, his ex-wife had the same luck that the Easters did."

"Wow. I don't even know what to say."

"That's a first!" Mike teased.

"Shut it, Jensen. What's your next step?"

"I'm letting Tammy and her lawyer talk and cool their heels for a bit. She doesn't know that we have Donna in custody or that she has confessed and thrown her under the bus. I'm waiting to tell her that."

"This is your favorite part."

"You know me too well."

"I do, and don't you forget it. Did Donna say why she agreed to help Tammy?"

"Tammy talked her into it. She made up all of these stories about Doug and him making her life miserable. Donna bought into it, at first. As time went on, things seemed off to her. It was too late by then. She was already knee deep in it, and Tammy let her know it. Tammy told her that if she went down, she was taking Donna with her. Okay, I'm going to go and take a little break before I talk to Tammy. I'll call you with another update later. Are you going to call Doug now?"

"I'm going to send him a quick text. He was going to talk to Amber after they had dinner. I think the less interruptions they have tonight, the better."

"I think you're right about that."

"Thanks, Mike. You, Jesse, Brot, and the rest of the police were amazing today."

"You're welcome, and you weren't so bad yourself, Marissa. Talk to you later."

/

After Marissa texted Doug with an update, she joined her family. The rest of the evening was quiet for the most part. AJ and Miranda would ask her a question every now and then while Gabby just took everything in. Mike sent Marissa a text letting her know that Tammy was still hanging tough and hadn't confessed yet. It was too late for her to be arraigned that evening so she would be spending the night in jail. Marissa had to admit that that news did not break her heart. Another text was sent to Doug to give him the latest. After that last text was sent, no other calls were received so the focus was on the family.

Once the kids were in bed, the couple made sure everything was locked up before heading to their bedroom.

"How did it go with your Mom and Vikki?"

"It went really well. There were only a couple of flare ups. Nothing that I couldn't handle though. They gave me their notes for you to draw up a contract for them." Bianca said.

Marissa was pleasantly surprised to hear it had gone better than the couple thought it would. "Really? That's great! Where are the notes? I'll take a look at them."

Bianca shook her head. "I'll give them to you tomorrow. Mom and Vikki can wait. You have worked enough for today and taken care of others all day long. Now, it's time for someone, namely me, to take care of you. I want to make it up to you for earlier as well. I really am sorry, and I do understand why you did what you did."

"Miranda really set you straight, didn't she?" Marissa chuckled.

"Ugh! Yes, she did. That argument that she gave was pure you. She's definitely your daughter."

"Yeah, she is." Marissa said softly. Hearing that was one of the best compliments that she would ever receive. "What you said stung a little, but I know it was because you love me."

"I do. I love you so much. Don't ever doubt that."

"I never do. I love you too. Don't you ever doubt that."

"I won't. Now, Counselor, I have some making up to do." Bianca grinned wickedly as she pushed Marissa onto the bed.

Marissa laughed as Bianca straddled her. "There's not a chance in hell that you'll hear me complain about that."

/

A/N: As I stated a couple of chapters ago, this storyline was based on a real life case. If you're curious, google either Kelli Peters, Kent Easter or Jill Easter. It's really twisted, but thankfully, it had a good outcome for Kelli Peters. Now, my boss is coming into town this week, and my group will be getting together for dinner two nights. I tell you this because that's going to cut into my writing time. So, I'm not sure if I will be able to post an update next weekend. I'll try my best, but no promises. That being said, I think I'll be updating Kegs & Eggs next. I was talking to a friend about a recent date she had gone on, and it gave me an idea. Time for me to go to bed. See you soon!