A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I really appreciate it. I apologize for the delay in updating. I did post an update for "Kegs & Eggs" in between posts for this story. Thanks for staying with me! This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

"Hey, Mitch. It's Al."

"Hey, Al. What do you have for me?"

"Marissa and her friend Jo went to the park for lunch. That guy followed them and took some pictures. From my angle, I couldn't see anything that could be used against them though. I did get a pretty good picture of him however, and it's on its way to you. You still don't have an idea of who he is or why he's following Marissa?"

"No, I can't find anything on him, and it's driving me nuts. Keep following him and see if you can get anything with his DNA or fingerprints on it. Above all, make sure he doesn't do anything to harm, Marissa. Her safety matters above all."

"I will. She's my first concern. I've got to tell you, I'm really glad Marissa spotted him last week and asked you to check into him."

"That makes two of us. She's smart and savvy. I don't know why people continue to underestimate her. Wait, I just got your text. Let me take a look at the picture." There was a pause as Mitch pulled up the text and studied the photo sent to him. "You're right. It is pretty good. I'll run it through some facial recognition programs and see if we come up with a match. Good work and keep me updated."

Mitch disconnected the call. If he could find out who was following Marissa, there was a good chance he could find out who hired them and why. While that was important, his first priority was keeping Marissa and her family safe. That was why he had his best people on this case. Mitch uploaded the photo and started the process to have it run against several facial recognition programs he had access to. With that done, he prepared a quick report to give Marissa.

/

Ellie greeted her boss when she returned to the office. "Hi, Marissa. Did you and Jo have a good lunch? Is she okay? I noticed she seemed a little off earlier."

"Yes, we did, and Jo is doing much better. She's going through some last-minute wedding issues."

"Oh no. I hope nothing too major."

"Eh. Unfortunately, yes. She has two major issues, wedding dress and venue, but we're on the case. There are some minor issues but nothing we can't handle."

"Whew! I'm glad to hear that. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"I will. Thanks. I know Jo would appreciate it as well. Okay. Anything for me?"

Ellie nodded. "Mitch called. He wants to talk to you as soon as possible."

Marissa's interest was definitely piqued when she heard that. "Could you get him on the line for me?"

"On it."

"Thanks." Marissa said and then headed into her office.

/

Not long after Marissa had returned to her office, there was a knock on her door. She glanced up and saw Mitch standing in the open doorway. "Hey, come on in, Mitch."

"Hi, Marissa. I hope it's okay to drop in. I was in the neighborhood when I got Ellie's call, so I thought we could talk in person."

"That works for me. Have a seat. Do you want something to drink?"

"No, I'm good. Thanks. So, I have a little update for you on your 'friend'."

"Is that what we're calling him now?" Marissa smirked. "What's up?"

"He followed you and Jo to the park today."

Marissa nodded. "I know. I caught a glimpse of him. He's not quite as stealthy as he thinks. Who was following him?"

"Al."

"I didn't see him. He's good."

"One of my best." It was left unspoken that that was why he was on this case. "Al saw him take some pictures of the two of you and call someone after. He wasn't close enough to get any details on that call."

Marissa leaned back in her chair. "You're thinking he was trying to catch something incriminating, don't you?"

Mitch nodded. She was quick. "Yes, I do. Was there anything?"

"Most likely something that could be construed that way. Jo was upset, and I was consoling her. She is one of my best friends after all."

"That would do it. At least you know. Forewarned is forearmed. Al was able to get a picture of him while he was focused on you. Is this the same guy you spotted last week?" Mitch handed her a photo of the mystery man that he had printed off.

Marissa studied the photo and nodded. "That's him. What about Bianca and the kids?"

"We haven't spotted anyone following them. It looks like you're the focus."

"I'm not exactly thrilled to be the focus, but I'm relieved as hell that no one is following them."

"I'm sure Bianca isn't thrilled either. If anything, I'm guessing she's hopping mad."

"You would be right." Marissa had briefly thought of withholding the information that she was being followed from Bianca, but that thought was quickly dismissed. She knew her wife would be furious when she found out about it, and Marissa knew that she would somehow find out about it. So, she was upfront with Bianca. That was a conversation that was anything but pleasant. In fact, it had led to an argument between the couple with Bianca worried about her wife's safety, and while Marissa was concerned, she wasn't as worried as Bianca. Marissa decided to call Mitch immediately, and the couple met with him to discuss security. A compromise was struck, and Mitch had operatives following the family to ensure their safety.

"I'm running this through some facial recognition programs, and I'm hoping to get a hit. I've also got the team on the lookout for anything he may leave behind with either his DNA or fingerprints. If he drops something, they'll find it."

"I know they will." Marissa saw the folder the detective was holding. "I'm assuming that's for me."

"It is." Mitch handed over the folder. "It's pretty much a summary of what I've just told you." The ringing of his cellphone interrupted him from continuing. "Speak of devil, it's Al."

"Go ahead and take it. Would you mind putting him on speaker?"

"Not at all. Hi, Al. I'm here with Marissa, and I've got you on speaker."

"Hi, Al. I didn't see you this afternoon in the park."

"Hi, Marissa. I'm glad to hear that. You're not supposed to. Both of you are going to be happy to hear this. I got it. He was smoking and left his cigarette butt on the ground. As soon as he was out of sight, I snagged it. I'm on my way with it to your office, Mitch."

"Hot damn! Great work, Al. My gut is telling me that he's in a database somewhere. Between this and his picture, we're going to nail his ass."

"My gut is telling me the same thing."

"Al, you are the best. I agree with Mitch. Great work. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. Same goes for Bianca. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"I'll meet you at my office, Al." Mitch disconnected the call. "Do you have any questions for me?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, I don't. I know you're anxious to get back to the office to meet up with Al. I'm sure I'll be talking to you soon."

"You'll be the first person I call."

/

Bianca shook her head when Marissa finished recounting what had occurred earlier that day. "I don't like this at all, Rissa."

"I know you don't, and neither do I. It is what it is though until we figure out who's behind this."

"A part of me can't help but think JR is somehow involved. I can see him doing something like this."

Marissa nodded. "I know what you mean. He's the first person that comes to my mind too. I just don't know though. My gut is telling me there's someone else."

"Who?"

"That's what I can't figure out. Let's face it. I've pissed some people off over the years."

"We both have. They could be going through you to get to me, and I really hate thinking that."

"The same with me. Let's focus on the positive."

"Which is?"

"We've got his picture and his DNA. Mitch is running it through all of the databases that he has access to, and trust me, there are a lot of them. He has connections upon connections."

"Do I want to know?"

Marissa chuckled. "It's all on the up and up, I promise. Most are from his time with military intelligence."

"I'm so grateful he's on our side."

"Me too. He's got our backs."

"I know, and I trust him." Bianca released a breath. They were doing everything that they could at the moment about who was following Marissa, so she decided to focus on something else. She checked the time. "Jessica, Jo, and Greg will be here soon."

"We should check on the kids." The couple had ducked into their bedroom to change and have a private conversation about what Mitch had found. "On a brighter note, your Mom came through for Jo." Marissa said as the couple padded down the hallway.

"She's got a dress for her?!"

"You could say that. Erica has pulled in Vera Wang to design Jo's new dress. They've already talked, and Vera told Jo that she'll have designs for her tomorrow morning. Jo was a little leery at first because she was worried about the cost. Erica told her not to worry about it. The new dress was her gift to Jo. There are a lot people who wouldn't believe how generous your Mom really is."

"That's my Mom." Bianca said proudly.

"Jo called me in shock. It took a little convincing on my part, but I was able to get her to accept Erica's gift. Oh, it gets even better. Erica got a full refund on Jo's original dress."

"I'm not surprised, but who's doing the refund, the bridal shop or the dry cleaners?"

"Both. They're splitting the cost. Erica convinced them that it was in their best interest to settle. Personally, I think she scared the holy hell out of them, and neither wanted to be on the bad side of Erica Kane. It would not be smart or good for their businesses. I wish I could've listened to those calls."

Bianca laughed at her wife's reaction. Marissa and her Mom were fans of each other and loved seeing the other in action. "Yeah, I have to agree with you. I would've loved to have heard that myself."

The couple paused when they heard a knock on the door.

"You want to get that, and I'll get the kids?" Marissa asked.

"Sounds good."

They parted ways with Marissa heading to the backyard and Bianca to the front door.

/

When Bianca opened the door, she was immediately engulfed in a hug from Jo.

"Bianca, I can't thank you and Marissa enough. You both are lifesavers. Plus, your Mom is amazing! Vera Wang is designing my wedding dress! Never in a million would I have thought that would happen!"

Bianca laughed at Jo's excitement and waved their friends inside. "You're welcome, but there's no need to thank us. We're just glad we can help. As for my Mom, I agree."

"You have to help us come up with some way to thank her since she won't take anything for the dress."

"I'll see what I can come up with. Hi, Greg."

The man smiled and hugged Bianca. "I agree with everything Jo just said. What started off as an awful day has turned out pretty good."

"You're welcome. Hi, Jessica."

"Come here and let me hug you." Jessica said, and Bianca quickly complied with the request. "These two didn't tell me what was going on until a little bit ago. By the time they did, it seems that you, Marissa, and Erica had stepped in and saved the day. I know you said that we don't have to but thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Where's Marissa?" Jo asked.

"She's out back with the kids. Come on."

/

After dinner, the group decided to talk about the layout for the wedding and reception.

"While you're doing pictures after the ceremony, we can remove the chairs the guests were sitting in for it and set the rest of the area up for the reception. We've talked to Kendall and Greenlee, and they're onboard with whatever you need them to do. That includes Zach and Ryan. Oh, Rafaela and Maura, Aya and Jan, Lisa, and several others have volunteered as well. We've got a whole crew for you." Bianca said.

Greg shook his head. He was floored by everyone's generosity. "That's amazing. Jo, Jessica, and I have been making calls and have everything switched over from the church to here. Oh, and we called the printer that Kendall and Greenlee use. Updated invitations will be going out tomorrow."

"That's great. I talked to Cory and Chris, and they're coming in earlier to help out."

"You think of everything, Rissa." Jo paused and bit her lip nervously. "I have one last favor to ask you, and it's a big one."

"Ask away."

"Would you do us the honor of singing the song for our first dance? The DJ has the song, but we would really like to dance to someone singing it live. And you have an amazing voice. It would just make it perfect. We checked with the DJ, and he has the track with just the music. He can send it over to you for you to practice. We would just love it so much if you would sing."

"If you're sure …"

"Oh, we're positive."

"Okay, I'll do it."

Jo jumped out of her chair and hugged her friend tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are the best!"

"True. I am pretty amazing." Marissa joked.

"Ah, you joke, but you really are." Jo said sincerely.

"Thank you. Wait until you hear what Bianca has come up with for you." Marissa grinned as the attention shifted to her wife.

Bianca returned the grin. "We're going back to Shamokin!"

"Oh my god! Yes! That is perfect!" Jo exclaimed.

Jessica laughed as she remembered the shape the group was in when it returned from there the last time. Bianca had called her earlier that day to run the idea by her. No sooner had the words left the younger woman's mouth than Jessica volunteered to watch the kids. It was an offer that Bianca happily accepted. "Just make sure you all come back in one piece."

Greg looked around at the others clearly confused. "Do I want to know?"

"We can't tell you, honey." Jo raised her glass. "What happens in Shamokin …"

"Stays in Shamokin!" Marissa and Bianca finished with a laugh as they clinked their glasses to Jo's.

/

"Cory! I've missed you!" Marissa opened the door to welcome her friend and hugged her.

"Marissa! I've missed you too!" The teacher smiled brightly. She had missed her friend. They talked regularly, but it paled in comparison to actually seeing her in person. "Is Jo here yet?"

"Not yet. She should be here soon. Let's get you set up in the guest room and catch up."

Bianca had suggested that Cory come in the day prior to the trip to Shamokin so the friends could talk before everyone else gathered at Minx Manor and hit the road. Naturally, she and Marissa insisted that Cory stay at Minx Manor instead of a hotel. When Jo heard Bianca's idea about the three friends spending the day before the trip together, she was onboard and was staying over that night as well, again at the insistence of Bianca and Marissa. The three friends had been looking forward to it and felt like kids again when they would have sleepovers at each other's homes.

"Where are Bianca and the kids?"

"They went to pick up dinner not too long ago."

"Remind me to thank to Bianca for her brilliant idea!"

"I will. I may be biased, but I think my wife is pretty incredible."

"You won't get any argument from me. How's Jo?" Cory had been concerned about her friend when Marissa had called her about the things going wrong with the wedding.

"Much better, especially now that she has her wedding dress in her possession. Well, it's not at her place. It's actually here because she was afraid Greg would stumble upon it, and she doesn't want him to see it before the wedding."

"The dress is here?! I have to see it."

"You're going to have to wait until Jo gets here."

"I will. She should be the one to show me. I'm just so glad that's been taken care of. I still can't get over Erica stepping in like that. According to the tabloids, your mother-in-law has quite reputation and most of it is not good. They just don't know her."

"No, they don't. Not the real her at least. Erica is no saint, and she'll be the first to admit it along with Bianca and Kendall. And to a point, some of that reputation is deserved, but it's vastly outweighed by the good she does. The public just doesn't see a lot of it. Unfortunately, strong women are still perceived as being a bitch sometimes. Erica is a prime example of that."

"True. A man in her position would be admired and praised. I can't tell you how much I hate that double standard. Anyway, that was very generous of Erica. I can only imagine Jo's reaction to having a designer wedding dress."

"She was a little reluctant at first to accept the dress, but she finally did. She looks absolutely stunning."

"I have no doubt about that. And you and Bianca are hosting another wedding here. Talk about generous."

Marissa shrugged. "It's what you do for family. I'd do the same for you, and I know that you would do the same thing for her and me."

Cory nodded and smiled. "You're right. I would, and right back at you. You know that if you ever need anything, I'm only a call away."

Their conversation was interrupted when they heard Gabby calling out for Marissa.

"Come on. Let's go. I know the kids are dying to see you."

"I'm just as anxious to see them."