A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I really appreciate it. This chapter picks up a few months after where the last one left off and revisits the storyline surrounding Tessa and the other gymnasts. I want to warn you upfront that this storyline could have some triggers because it does deal with a sensitive topic. Remember what work the Miranda Center does before proceeding. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

"I got a call from President Angleton." Tessa said.

"Wait. You're saying that Terrance Angleton, the president of Llanview University, called you?" Nora asked in disbelief. "Wow, he's got brass ones."

"Yeah, he did. I don't know how he got my number. I mean, I sure as hell didn't give it to him. I don't want to talk to him or anyone else there to be honest."

Marissa nodded. "I know. That's why I gave them my number and instructed them to contact me instead of you. Are you okay?" Marissa was not happy that Angleton had gone around her. She didn't want anyone upsetting any of her clients further.

"Yeah, I am."

"Okay. Good. What did he say?"

"He said he wanted to talk about what happened. He tried to tell me that I misunderstood what had occurred, what Landry did. I told him that I didn't misunderstand anything. I know damn well what happened. He said that I was wrong. That Landry is a doctor, and that he performed a medical procedure, pure and simple. I told him that while I might not be a doctor, I sure as hell knew that what Landry did was no medical procedure."

"Good for you. I'm sure he didn't like that." Nora said.

"That is an understatement. At first, he didn't say anything. I was starting to think he had hung up. Then, he said that I needed to be careful. That they had everything covered, and that there were certain risks involved if I continued with the lawsuit. That if I knew what was best for me, I should keep that in mind before proceeding further. He also said that I shouldn't tell you about the call. Then, he even went so far as to suggest I get another lawyer."

Marissa was pissed. "He threatened you. That son of a … Did he say anything else?"

"No, he didn't."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I am. I know he was trying to scare me, and I think he thought he actually did. He didn't though. The only thing he did was make me mad. I mean, what the hell?! I didn't misunderstand anything. What Landry did was wrong. It wasn't a medical procedure. That son of a bitch assaulted me. I don't want him to do this to anyone else. He needs to be stopped and go to prison. I want justice for me and for everyone else he abused. And the people that did nothing, that stood by and turned their heads after we begged them to help us, like Angleton, Coach Pritchard, and Turner? They need to face the consequences as well. Because of their inaction, Landry was able to keep doing what he did for years. That's just not right."

"Atta girl." Marissa said proudly. "I have an idea. Are you up for another conversation with Viki? Maybe let her know about Angleton's call?"

Nora chuckled. Angleton had no idea who he was dealing with. "Oh, remind me to never make you mad, Marissa."

Tessa smiled. "Yeah, I am. Let's call her. It's time to show them that I'm not afraid of them any longer."

"I couldn't agree with you more." Marissa said as she grabbed her cellphone to call the publisher of 'The Banner'.

/

"Hello, Marissa. How are you?"

"Hi, Viki. I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm very well. Thank you."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm here in my office with Nora and Tessa, and I'm going to put you on speaker. Tessa got a call earlier today that I think you might find interesting."

"Really? Okay."

Marissa hit the speaker button on her phone so that Nora and Tessa could talk with Viki as well.

"Hi, Viki."

"Hello, Nora. I didn't realize you were going to Pine Valley this week."

"A few things came up, and it was better to talk about them with Marissa in person."

"That makes sense. Hello, Tessa."

"Hello, Viki."

"Marissa said you received a call that I might find interesting?"

"Yes, I did. I received from Terrance Angleton this morning."

"The president of Llanview University. Well, that is very interesting."

Nora's cellphone rang, and she stepped away to answer it while the other women continued their conversation.

As Marissa listened while Tessa relayed what happened to Viki, she fired off a quick text to Lisa to check with their other clients to see if they had been contacted by LU's president as well. She had a feeling that if they hadn't yet, that they might soon enough. After she received Lisa's reply that she would get right on it, Marissa turned her attention back to the conversation taking place in her office. She was extremely proud of Tessa as well as all of her other clients involved with this case. Not only had they been assaulted by Landry, but they were also victims of a smear campaign being conducted by 'The Intruder'. It seemed that Dorian Lord was hellbent on dragging their characters through the mud. Marissa had her suspicions but hadn't voiced them yet. She needed proof. So, she had Mitch investigating Dorian. She hoped he would be able to find something soon. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind when an excited Mitch appeared at her office door. The investigator motioned for her to come over, and Marissa excused herself and followed him out of her office.

/

"What's up, Mitch? You look like you have something good to tell me."

"That's because I do, Marissa." Mitch grinned. He pulled a piece of paper out of a folder and handed it over to her.

As Marissa read the paper, her eyes grew wide. "Wow. I can't believe it. You were right. This is good."

"But this is even better." Mitch handed her something else to read.

"Oh my god! You weren't kidding, Mitch! This is a game changer. Come with me. There are some people that are going to want to know this."

Marissa went back into her office with the investigator right behind her.

/

"Thank you!" Marissa said as Bianca handed her a glass of wine. After she closed the cover on the grill, the redhead took an appreciative sip and then joined her wife at the patio table.

"You're welcome. How much longer?"

"The ribs need a little more time before I can put the sauce on them."

Bianca nodded and took a sip of wine. She smiled as she glanced at the kids as they played in the backyard. AJ, Miranda, and Gabby were really good with Danny, and he adored them. Bianca turned back to Marissa and saw the same smile on her face. It was a lovely evening outside, and they had decided to grill out. Marissa handled the grilling while Bianca prepped the remainder of their meal. Now, they had a few minutes to themselves to catch up on their days, and Bianca was curious to hear more about her wife's meeting with Nora earlier in the day.

"So, tell me what happened."

Marissa turned her attention back to her wife. "Where did I leave off?"

"Tessa stopped by your office to tell you about the call she got from Angleton."

"Okay. We decided to call Viki and tell her about it. I figured that was a story she would be interested in. She was."

Bianca chuckled. "Of course she was."

"While Tessa was talking to Viki, Nora got a call from someone. I didn't know what it was about then, but she told us about it when we were sharing again. In the meantime, Mitch stopped by to give me a report."

"Something good I hope."

"He always seems to have something good for me, and today was no exception. He found an email chain between President Angleton and Coach Pritchard. They were discussing Tessa. The two of them came up with a strategy to deal with her."

"To deal with her? Wow. Why her in particular? Is it because she was the first one to come forward and go on the record?" Bianca asked.

"Did I ever tell you how smart you are?"

Bianca smiled and leaned over to give Marissa a quick kiss. "Yes, you have. In fact, you tell me all the time."

"Well, that's because you are. That's exactly why they are targeting her, and make no mistake about it, they are targeting her. Their strategy is to promote the idea that Tessa received a kickback from 'The Banner' for being the first woman to speak out publicly."

"Seriously? You have got to be kidding me."

"I wish I was, but unfortunately, I'm not."

"Who in their right mind would believe that? Oh wait, let me take a wild guess. Dorian."

"Yep. None other. They cited her by name in their email. Which leads me to the other part of Mitch's report. You know how I've been wondering why Dorian has been going after the girls?"

Bianca nodded. "Yeah, some of the editorials that she's written have been downright vicious."

"Exactly. So, I had Mitch check into it, see if there was something else going on other than Dorian trying to one up Viki."

"Did he find anything?"

"Yes, he did." Marissa checked on the ribs. They were almost ready to sauce. Once that was done, she would put a hot dog on for Danny. "It seems Dorian has been buying a large number of shares of 'The Intruder'. It raised a flag for him, and he did a little more digging as to why Dorian would be doing that since she was the owner. Dorian made some bad investments and suffered some pretty big losses as a result. To cover them, she sold a large portion of her shares in 'The Intruder' and was no longer the majority shareholder."

"Really? I know Dorian, and that had to be a big blow to her. She loves power and being in control. To have to report to someone else, it would drive her nuts. Especially, when she sees Viki running 'The Banner' without having to report to anyone else and doing it successfully. She hates Viki's success. Scratch that. Dorian just hates Viki."

Marissa shook her head. "You know, I have to tell you that I'm glad that I've never met Dorian Lord."

"Count yourself lucky. It's not a pleasant experience."

"I'll happily take your word for it. Anyway, Mitch decided to follow the money. He found several large bank transfers between Angleton and Dorian. Wait, let me correct that statement. The transfers were between Llanview University and 'The Intruder'. We're not sure if the Board of Regents knows and has approved those transfers however. The same can be said about the board of directors for 'The Intruder'. The trail is a little muddy."

"Knowing you, Counselor, you have an idea to clear that up."

"You would be right. After talking with Viki and Nora, we all agreed that it would be better to bring someone from the outside to help investigate and bring any impropriety on Dorian's side to light to avoid any potential conflict of interest."

Bianca knew exactly what her wife was talking about. "Because of Viki and Dorian's history."

"Yes. So, I contacted Marilyn Lowe, and we all had a nice long conference call. 'Pine Valley Now' will be working on an investigative piece in conjunction with 'The Banner' focusing on Angleton, Pritchard, and Turner and what they knew along with what they did and didn't do. Tomorrow morning, the Board of Regents will be getting requests for interviews. It's time to put them on the hot seat and see if they know what's been going on there or if they've turned a blind eye to everything."

"Oh, Marilyn is perfect for this. Her reputation is beyond reproach." Bianca smiled. Marilyn Lowe was the editor in chief of 'Pine Valley Now', and she had worked with them on the 'Carmen' situation a few years prior. "What about Mitch?"

"In addition to helping me build my class action suit, he will be providing Marilyn and Viki guidance, letting them know where to look, what rocks to look under. Mitch will also be helping Nora's office as well as the Llanview Police Department. When all of this is done, he's getting a raise and a really nice bonus because he has definitely earned it."

"It sounds like it. Was his hunch right about someone investigating your clients?" Bianca asked.

Marissa nodded. "Yes, it was. They didn't find anything because there wasn't anything to find. Not that we were surprised by that."

"There was a lot going on today."

"That's not all. Nora got a call from a friend at the U.S. Attorney General's Office in Philadelphia. She was giving her a heads up to watch the news tomorrow morning."

"Why? What's happening tomorrow?"

Marissa lowered her voice so the kids wouldn't overhear this part just yet. "They will be filing charges against Landry for multiple counts of possession and distribution of child pornography."

"How did they get involved?"

"It turns out the FBI was investigating a child pornography ring and stumbled upon Landry's name just after Bo arrested him. They've been working with the LPD ever since. Because of the scope of what they found, the FBI took over the lead in investigating that aspect."

"Will that affect Nora's case involving the gymnasts?"

"No, it won't, at least not adversely. If anything, I think it will give Nora more resources to help with her investigation."

"What about your class action suit?"

"It could bolster it."

"Have you talked to your clients?"

"Yes, we spent the afternoon contacting them and giving them the heads up in addition to checking to see if they had been contacted by Angleton or anyone else at the university. They've gone through enough already. The last thing I want is for them to be surprised by something like this if I can help it. Lisa will be going to Llanview tomorrow to request a restraining order against Angleton, Pritchard, Turner, members of the Board of Regents. You get the idea."

Bianca nodded and squeezed her wife's hand. "I do, and I know how protective you are of the girls. They're lucky to have you in their corner."

"The same goes for you. Tessa told me that everyone at the Center, and you in particular, have helped her tremendously. She also told me that the other girls feel the same. They don't feel like victims as much and no one there looks at them with pity. It means so much to them."

"I'm glad we can help them. I know how important that is."

This time, Marissa squeezed her wife's hand in support. "I am so proud of you and the work that you do. I don't think I tell you that nearly enough."

"You do. Trust me. You do. That is something I never doubt."

The couple sat quietly for a few minutes, simply enjoying being together, before they finished preparing dinner. When everything was ready, the kids washed up, and everyone sat down to eat and talk about their upcoming vacation.