A/N: To my readers affected by the latest attacks in too many countries to name, you are in my thoughts. I have some friends celebrating their anniversary over in London and was beyond relieved when I saw their post on Facebook telling everyone that they were safe in their hotel at the time of the attacks.

Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I appreciate it. Sorry for not posting last week. Work has been a bear and long days have limited my writing time. I also went out with a friend to see a play which was really good. It was a nice break. I've also started firming up my vacation plans. I'm really looking forward to visiting Toronto.

This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Tammy rolled her eyes when she saw some of the patients who were gathered in the room. She wasn't anything like them, but she knew she would have to mimic their behaviors if she wanted to fool the doctor and get off. Tammy wandered over to a table where a woman with light brown hair was sitting.

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering if I could have a seat."

"Sure, knock yourself out."

"I'm Tammy Baldwin."

The other woman stared at Tammy for a minute before she finally spoke. "Annie Lavery." Annie put down the magazine she had been reading and decided to talk to the newcomer. She was bored, and it was either talk to this woman or risk the possibility of getting roped into Janet Dillon's art class. The woman was seriously obsessed with glitter, among many other things. Annie remembered when another patient got in between Janet and her glitter once. It was not pretty and never happened again. Wait. Tammy Baldwin. I know that name, and I know what she did. This could be interesting. "Welcome to Oak Haven."

"Thanks." Tammy smirked. "Lavery. Any relation to Ryan and Greenlee?"

"Ryan is my ex-husband. Emma is my daughter. Why? Are you friends with them?"

Tammy scoffed. "Hardly. My daughter goes to school with Emma. I can't stand Greenlee, her BFF Kendall, and that whole bunch, especially Bianca and Marissa."

Annie's ears perked up when she heard Emma's name quickly followed by Marissa's. The redhead was one of the reasons she was in Oak Haven. If Marissa had just left JR, Annie wouldn't have been forced to trap her in the attic. All right, maybe she shouldn't have damaged that gas pipe, but that's beside the point. When she found out that Marissa had switched sides and was now with Bianca, Annie couldn't help but laugh. She wished she could have seen JR's face when he found that out. That would have been perfect. JR thought he was god's gift to women. He had to have been so humiliated to lose the woman he was pursuing to another woman, especially Bianca Montgomery. She was the polar opposite of JR, and Annie knew that had to have cut him to the quick and made him question his manhood. You've got to love karma sometimes. Again, that all could have been avoided if JR would have just listened to her.

"What's so funny?" Tammy asked when she heard the other woman chuckle.

"Oh, nothing. Your daughter knows my daughter then? Are they friends?"

"Oh, I don't really know. I remember seeing her name on something. She has brown hair, right?"

"Actually no, she has blonde hair." Annie was beyond irritated when Tammy dismissed her and really tempted to rip every hair from the other woman's head. Somehow, she was able to restrain to herself because she didn't want to get in trouble. Losing her temper would result in Annie losing some if not all of her privileges, privileges that included letter from Emma. She determined that what she needed right now was more information on this woman. "So, why don't you like Bianca and Marissa?" While she considered her a bit of a goody two shoes, Annie didn't necessarily have a problem with Bianca. Marissa, obviously, was another story. So, she was curious as to what Tammy's problem was with the couple.

"Too many reasons to count. For one, there is the fact that they're both women and together. It's simply wrong, and goes against nature."

Annie looked at Tammy like she had two heads, but the other woman didn't notice because she was lost in her own world and ranting away. You have a problem because two women are together? You are in for a rude awakening if you're convicted and get sent to prison. I'm thinking it might be a good idea if you start watching 'Orange is the New Black'. It might prepare you, give you a few tips or pointers. And if you think that two women being together is worse than what you did, maybe you do belong here at Oak Haven.

"And it's their fault that I'm here."

"How so?" Annie asked as she struggled to find her way back into the conversation. She had zoned out while Tammy was ranting away.

"It all started because their kids couldn't handle some harmless jokes that my daughter made. Because of that, my Amber had to undergo counseling, which was a crock. All that did was turn her against me and cause problems with my husband. He filed for divorce, and Marissa helped him take my daughter away from me."

"So how did you end up here, and how are they responsible?"

"Because of them interfering with my life, I had to resort to what some may call drastic measures to get my daughter back. They're really the ones responsible. They drove me to it. If they just would've left me alone, I would be fine. I'd have my daughter, and I wouldn't be here."

"Uh huh. Why are you here in Oak Haven exactly?"

Tammy rolled her eyes and lowered her voice. "Can I trust you?"

Annie shrugged and decided to play along because she really was bored. Plus, Janet looked like she was really getting into her latest art project a little too much for her liking. Annie was sure she overheard Janet mention she was doing a portrait of her with her 'best friend Erica'. "Sure." As much as you can anyone else here. Now that I think about it, you probably shouldn't trust me. What do I care though? It's your funeral.

"It's part of my plan. My lawyer has me claiming diminished capacity at the time of the incident. We even got a doctor to agree with that diagnosis. He was so easy to fool. I'm here though because the D.A. wants me to see his doctor. I just have to fool this Dr. Russell, and then, I am home free. I'll be out on bail and can start working on getting my daughter back. I figure that by this time tomorrow, I'll be walking free."

"It sounds like you have it all worked out." Annie didn't have it in her to point out the many flaws in Tammy's grand plan. The other woman would have to learn on her own and it would have to be the hard way.

"Damn straight I do! So, you were married to Ryan? I'm guessing you know that bunch."

"I do." Annie had reached an uneasy truce with Ryan and Greenlee after her last escape from Oak Haven. She couldn't help but smile proudly at the number of times she had managed to escape the facility and was sure she had set a record. Unfortunately, the staff learned from each of those escapes and had beefed up security to its current level which made it difficult for another attempt. That led her to the truce with Ryan and Greenlee. Annie wouldn't make any more attempts, and they would let her write to Emma. Of course they would monitor what she wrote in those letters. It wasn't ideal, but Annie would take it, for now. That was until she came up with something better, something that benefitted her more. "Besides Ryan and Greenlee, I know Marissa the most. I'm not a fan."

Tammy was intrigued. "Why? What did she do?"

"She got in my way. I was involved with her ex, JR Chandler, and for some reason, he couldn't seem to let her go. I think she enjoyed that too, kind of stringing him along." Annie decided to leave out the part about assaulting Marissa and of course the time she tried to kill her. Tammy doesn't really need to know what I did. I still don't think I really did anything wrong though. When you think about it, Marissa kind of brought it on herself. If she would have just left JR, I wouldn't have been forced to do what I did. Of course Dr. Russell would disagree so I'll just keep all that to myself.

"I could see her doing that. She strikes me as that kind of person. I wouldn't be surprised if she's cheated on Bianca."

"Bianca? Are you talking about Bianca Montgomery? What about her? How do you know her?"

"Who the hell are you?" Tammy asked the woman who rudely interrupted her conversation with Annie.

"Are you getting an attitude with me?"

"No, Janet, she isn't. She just doesn't know you." Annie stepped in to calm Janet down because Tammy had no idea of who she was dealing with. Janet could flip out in a heartbeat, and god help them all if that happened. Annie didn't want any trouble right now. If there was any, it could end up hurting her, and that was all that Annie was really concerned about. So, she really wasn't doing this for Tammy. It was all about Annie.

"Oh, okay. I'm Janet Dillon. J Dill for short. Who are you? Would you like to join me for art therapy? It's very relaxing. You have to stay from the glitter though. That's mine."

"I'm Tammy Baldwin. I don't know that I have time for that, and I'm not really into arts and crafts."

"Why are you here?"

"She's here for a psych eval with Dr. Russell. She thinks she can get the doctor to sign off on her diminished capacity defense."

Janet smiled knowingly at Annie. She may be crazy, but she wasn't crazy enough to think she could fool Russell. "I see. So, what did you do? Oh wait! Tammy Baldwin! I know that name. You set up your ex-husband up with the drugs. Nice!"

"Thanks." Tammy wasn't quite sure what to make of the compliment, but she decided to go with it. Something was telling her not to argue with the other woman. If she had the chance, Tammy was going to have to google these to women to get their stories and find out exactly why they were in Oak Haven.

"So, you were talking about Bianca Montgomery. What about her?"

"You know her?"

"Of course I do. Her mother, Erica, is a very dear friend of mine. I call her EK. Bianca has been through so much. A lesser person wouldn't be able to handle it and would be in here."

"What do you mean?" Tammy's curiosity was piqued.

"Why do you want to know?" Janet was on alert immediately, and her protectiveness of Bianca kicked in.

"I'm not really a fan of hers."

"Why?" Janet began contemplating ways of taking care of this woman.

"Well for starters, she's gay."

Janet was becoming agitated. "And your point?"

Before Tammy could put her foot in her mouth any further, Eric was back.

"It's time to go. Dr. Russell is ready for you."

"Okay. It was nice meeting the two of you. Maybe we can talk some more before I leave."

Once Tammy was gone, Janet turned to Annie. "I don't like her, and I don't trust her."

Annie rolled her eyes. She really wasn't surprised to hear that. "Why?"

"She doesn't like Bianca. I could tell she was going to say something bad about her. I don't like that."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do!" Janet took a cleansing breath. "I can't deal with this negativity. I'm going back to my art. I feel the need for glitter. You know, I don't know if glitter will be able to fix this. I'm definitely going to be doing yoga later. I feel like the corpse pose will center me. Will you be there?"

"Yeah, I will. The corpse is a little morbid, don't you think?"

"There is nothing wrong with that pose. It's perfectly natural. Besides, it's my favorite pose. I'm thinking of creating a new yoga pose, corpse in a freezer."

Annie raised an eyebrow when she heard Janet chuckle as she walked away. She could have sworn she heard Janet say something about Tammy and a freezer. There were times that Janet scared the hell out of her. It was hard to tell when she was serious and when she was joking. Annie sat back and thought about her conversation with Tammy. It raised a question for her. How much trouble did Annie want to cause Marissa? With what she knew, Annie could cause a hell of a lot of trouble, and that could be fun. On the other hand, she did care about AJ. He could have been her stepson. Last but certainly not least, there was Emma. Annie had to be careful about what she did because it could easily come back to bite her if Emma found out.

/

Tammy returned to the activity room after her first meeting with Dr. Russell. It ended up being her first meeting because someone else was having crisis. When the doctor cut her session short, she decided that it would be better if Tammy stayed overnight at Oak Haven. This way, they could meet first thing in the morning. Tammy supposed she could make it through one night there. When she thought about it, this might actually end up being a good thing. Now, she would have a chance to see if she could find out more about the banes of her existence, Bianca and Marissa. Tammy had a feeling there was more there, and she had an even stronger feeling that Annie knew what it was. She also thought that Janet knew something too, but Tammy decided that it was best for her sake if she stayed away from the other woman. Quite frankly, Janet scared her. As soon as she was able, Tammy was going to have to do some research on her and Annie too.

As soon as she saw Annie, Tammy made a beeline for her.

"You're still here?"

Tammy rolled her eyes. "Someone was having a crisis and took my time with Dr. Russell. Now, I have to stay overnight and meet with her tomorrow morning. This just gives me more time to plan. From what little time we spent together though, I think it went really well. She'll be a pushover, no problem. This gives us a chance to talk and get to know each other."

Annie didn't have to turn around to know that Janet was watching them. She could literally feel the glare from her. "So what? You want to braid each other's hair and tell ghost stories?"

Tammy laughed. "I thought we could swap stories about Pine Valley. I hadn't met you before so you must have been gone for a while. How long have you been in here?"

Yeah, I might just have to agree with 'Janet from another planet' on this.

/

Marissa glanced up when she heard a knock on her office door. She smiled when she saw who it was. "Mike, hey. It's good to see you."

"Good afternoon. Do you have a minute?"

"For you? I have a couple."

Mike laughed. "I feel special. I hope I'm not interrupting. I didn't see Ellie at her desk. I'm guessing she's at lunch."

"She is. I do let her away from there every once in a while."

"Yeah, I can see you cracking the whip." Mike knew better. He knew Marissa really cared about the people that worked for her, and they loved her.

"What can I do for you?"

"Ah, it's what I can do for you. I come bearing news."

"About Tammy?"

"You know me well. I talked to Dr. Russell at Oak Haven not too long ago and thought you might want an update."

"Definitely! What happened?"

"Well, they ended up keeping Tammy overnight."

"Why?"

"Dr. Russell had a patient that was in crisis and that ended up delaying her examination. She wanted to take her time with Tammy so she arranged to keep her overnight to do a thorough evaluation."

"That makes sense."

"I agree. Do you want the long version or the short version?"

"Both. Short version first though. Do you want something to drink?"

"I'll take some water if it's no trouble."

"No trouble at all." Marissa nodded and grabbed two bottles of water from the mini fridge in her office. She handed one to Mike before sitting back down and taking a sip from her bottle. "I'm ready."

Mike chuckled. "You're comfortable?"

"Yep. Go ahead."

"Short version. So, it was pretty much what we thought. Dr. Russell determined that Ms. Baldwin is currently sane, and more importantly, she was sane at the time of the incident. She knew right from wrong and could have stopped the events from occurring at any time."

"So, you have a draw on expert opinions. It comes down to credibility then. What about their doctor?"

Mike smiled at Marissa's quick assessment. He really would love to have her working in the DA's office. "Not nearly as credible or as respected as Russell, and he has a shaky track record when it comes to court. I'll go after that. The good news for now though is that Tammy's is back in her cell and not going anywhere for the time being."

"That is very good news, and I know that Doug will be relieved to hear that. Just so you know, I trust you on this."

"Thanks. That means a lot."

"So, long version?"

"Long version. I talked to the two officers who transported Tammy to and from Oak Haven. From what they told me, they earned their pay. Tammy talked, complained, ranted, you name it, the entire ride. They were relieved when they didn't have to bring her back the same night. It gave them a little more time to brace themselves for the trip back. They ended up having a couple of drinks when their shift was over after both trips. Sounds like they really earned them too. When Tammy got there, Dr. Russell was with another patient, and she had the orderly take Tammy to the activity room. She had him keep an eye on Tammy, discreetly. Russell didn't want her to know she was under observation. The orderly saw Tammy watching the other patients and saw her trying to mimic some of their actions. It was obvious to him that she was practicing for her exam with Russell. Tammy tried her best to fool her, but Russell wasn't buying what Tammy was selling. She's been doing this for a long time and has seen pretty much every trick in the book. It was easy for Russell to tell that Tammy was faking, especially when she slipped up a few times."

"Smart of the doctor to do that."

"Definitely. There is something else Russell told me, and I think you should know about it."

Marissa could see the concern on Mike's face. "Okay. What is it?"

"While Tammy was in the activity room, she was talking to a couple of patients. One of them was Janet Dillon."

"I've never met her, but do know the name. She has a history with Erica and Bianca."

"Yes, and Janet told Dr. Russell about that. She also told her that she didn't like or trust Tammy."

Marissa had a feeling that she knew who the other patient was. "Was the other patient Annie Lavery by chance?"

Mike nodded. "Yes, it was. I know you have a history with her."

"You might say that. She had an affair with JR when we were married and then again after we were divorced but were contemplating reconciliation. I claim temporary insanity during the entire JR phase. The only good thing that came out of my time with JR was AJ. I wouldn't have him without JR, and I can't imagine my life without AJ." Marissa smiled as she thought of her oldest son. She quickly shifted back to Annie. "Oh and then there is the fact that Annie assaulted me and tried to kill me. Good times."

Picking up on the sarcastic tone in her last statement, Mike chuckled. "I guess that means you and Annie aren't besties then?"

"Afraid not. Although I did briefly consider asking her to be my matron of honor when I married Bianca, but I soon realized that she couldn't do it because she was locked up in Oak Haven for the whole attempted murder thing."

Mike laughed. He had to admit that he really liked Marissa's sense of humor. More importantly, he admired her refusal to be a victim. Mike knew that both Marissa and Bianca were a great deal tougher than most gave them credit for.

"So, Annie and Tammy were talking? Any clues as to what they were talking about or do I know that too?"

"I'm sure you would guess correctly. The orderly overheard your name but that's it. Janet told Russell that Tammy was asking about Bianca. She said she didn't give her anything, but she couldn't say the same for Annie."

"Yeah, it depends on what day of the week and how bored Annie is as to whether or not she would talk about us." Marissa sighed. "I really don't like this. Do you know how much time they had to talk?"

"Not a lot from what I'm told, but …"

Marissa nodded. "I know. It doesn't take a lot. I'm going to have to talk to Bianca. Anything else?"

"No. I just want you to know that I'm keeping an eye on Tammy. I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure she stays behind bars for a while."

"Thank you. I have every faith in you."

/

Marissa was lost in thought after Mike left. She couldn't help but be concerned that Tammy and Annie had been talking. Marissa knew she would have to tell Bianca and was trying to think of the best way to do that when a knock on her door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Hey, Brian."

"Hey, Marissa. Do you have a minute?"

"Sure. Come on in."

As soon as Brian sat down, he could tell something was on the redhead's mind. "Everything okay?"

"I'm not sure. They took Tammy to Oak Haven for a psych eval. While she was there, she ran into Annie."

"I know that name. Wait! Annie Lavery Chandler or whatever she's going by now? JR's mistress? The …"

"The one who tried to kill me? That would be her."

"That can't be good."

"Nope. Mike is keeping a close eye on things, and Tammy was only there a few hours before going back to her jail cell."

"Does Bianca know?"

"Not yet. I'm going to tell her tonight when I get home."

Brian shook his head. "Damn. Let me know if I can do anything?"

"Thanks. I will."

"How about some good news?"

"I'll take it! What do you got?"

Brian grinned. "Stef is pregnant!"

"What?! That is fantastic news! Congratulations!" Marissa walked around the desk and hugged her friend.

"Thanks!"

"How's Stef doing? When is she due?" Marissa knew the couple had been trying for a little while. They didn't want Jamie to be an only child, and they also didn't want a big age gap between their kids.

"Pretty good. She's due at the beginning of June."

"Ah, she'll have summer break to be with the baby."

"Yep. We were hoping it would work out this way. She'll be able to finish up the school year and have two solid months off."

"Have you told Jamie yet?"

"Not yet. We figure we'll tell him soon though. Stef is just now starting to show a little."

Marissa smiled. "Jamie's going to be a great big brother. He's really good with Danny."

"Yeah, we think so too. You're the first person we've told."

"I'm honored."

"And before you ask, you can tell Bianca."

"Thanks. I won't say anything to anyone else. Is it safe to assume that you'll be wanting some time off in June?"

"Yeah, it is. Unless that's going to be a problem."

"Really? You're seriously asking me that? Give me a break. Of course it won't be a problem. When we get closer to the due date, we'll go over the cases you're working on and make sure everything is covered. You will be under strict orders to not think about this place and just focus on your family. Got it?"

Brian laughed. "Got it. Thanks. You get the first cigar!"

"Thank you! Give Stef my best when you get home tonight, and tell her I'll give her a call."

"Will do. I'm really glad we have the daycare center here. It's been so nice having it for Jamie. With the new baby, it will be even better."

"And the new baby will have both Jamie and Danny looking out for them and showing them the ropes."

"I don't think that the daycare center will ever be the same."

Marissa laughed. "That could very well be true."

"Okay. I better get back to work. I don't want my boss thinking that I'm slacking."

"Yeah, I've heard things about her." Marissa smirked. "Congratulations again. We'll have to plan another dinner soon. Give you and Stef a little break before the new baby gets here."

"Thanks. That sounds great. I'll check with Stef."

"And I'll check with Bianca. Okay. I better get back to work myself before Ellie comes in and yells at me for slacking."

Brian smiled. "We don't want that. I'll see you later, and thanks again."

"You're welcome."

As Brian was leaving, he was met by Ellie who was on her way in, carrying several files.

"Hi, Brian."

"Hi, Ellie." Brian glanced over his shoulder back at Marissa and grinned before he turned back to the secretary. "She's all yours."

Marissa chuckled. "What's up, Ellie?"

"I have those briefs printed and ready for your signature."

"Thank you."