Things Change Chapter 323: Back to Shamokin - Part III, an all my children fanfic

A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I really appreciate it. I apologize for the delay in updating. Life and work have gotten in the way of writing. Thanks for staying with me! This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!

As Kendall took a drink, someone caught her eye. She lowered her voice and leaned in to ask Lisa, who was sitting next to her, a question. "Does that guy at the end of the bar look familiar to you? I could swear I've seen him a few times today. It's almost like he's following us. I just can't be sure though because there's so many people here today. I could be paranoid, but I really don't think I am."

Lisa glanced over her shoulder and managed to get a quick look at the man in question. It was enough of one however to confirm Kendall's suspicion. "You're right. I think he is following us. I'm pretty sure that I saw him a couple of times earlier myself, both here and in Pine Valley." Then, out of the corner of her eye, Lisa caught a glimpse of someone else, someone that she did know. That glimpse let her be able to reassure Kendall as well as herself. "Don't worry. We're okay."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There's someone else watching us and more importantly the other guy."

"What the hell? We have two people following us?"

"It looks like it. The second guy though, the one you didn't see, his name is Kevin, and he works for Mitch. That means that Marissa is aware of what's going on."

"So, what do we do?"

"Right now? Nothing. We can talk to Marissa later, but I wouldn't do anything right now to raise any suspicions. It's best not to let him know that we're on to him."

Kendall was silent for a moment. "If Marissa knows what's going on, do you think Bianca does? Because if she doesn't, she's going to mad as hell at Marissa for keeping something like this from her, and I'm not going to blame her one bit. This wouldn't be the first time you know."

Lisa nodded. She knew what Kendall was talking about. "You're right, and she would have every right to be. Honestly, I don't think Marissa would go there again and keep something like this from her. She definitely learned her lesson."

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm definitely going to talk to Marissa about that guy though as soon as I get a chance." Kendall wondered who or what was behind their 'stalker'.

Greenlee noticed the slight scowl on her best friend's face and slid into the seat next to her to see what was going on. "Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that, Kendall. I know that look. Something's going on."

Kendall sighed. With most people, she could mask her expression if something was bothering her. Greenlee, however, was not one of those people. The woman knew her better than almost anyone. "Okay, I need you to be extremely discreet and don't go looking right away when I tell you. Understand?"

Greenlee nodded. "I understand. What's up?"

"There's a guy at the bar that I'm pretty sure has been following us all day. I mentioned it to Lisa, and she recognized him from Pine Valley."

"Seriously?" Greenlee's eyes grew wide as she fought against every instinct to immediately turn around and search out the man that Kendall had just told her about.

"Yeah, seriously. Lisa, however, also recognized another guy from Pine Valley, but he works for Mitch."

Greenlee discreetly glanced towards the bar and found the man in question. "The guy in the red polo shirt, right?" At Kendall's nod, Greenlee continued. "Oh, you're right. I have seen him around today. Where's the other guy?"

"Lisa didn't point him out, and I don't recognize anyone else."

"Marissa has always said that Mitch has the best people working for him. I think that proves it."

"True."

"So, we're going to talk with Marissa about this, right?"

Kendall nodded. "As soon as we have a chance to get her alone."

Around 30 minutes later, Kendall and Greenlee saw their chance to get Marissa alone and grabbed it.

"Do you have a minute to talk?" Kendall asked.

"Yeah. What's up?"

"I'm not sure how to say this. So, I'm just going to put it out there. Did you know that there is someone following us?"

"And apparently, he's been spotted around in Pine Valley too." Greenlee added.

"What does he look like?"

The fact that Marissa didn't seem surprised did not go unnoticed by either of the other women. They didn't say anything about it at the moment however, and they described him to the redhead.

After providing the description, Kendall added some more information. "Lisa said there was someone named Kevin who works for Mitch here too."

Marissa nodded. She then caught Bianca's attention and motioned her over.

Bianca made her way over to the small group, curious about what her wife wanted. "What's going on?"

"Kendall and Greenlee noticed that we have company."

Bianca quirked an eyebrow. "Who? Kevin?"

"Wait, you know about Kevin?" Greenlee asked.

"Yeah, he works for Mitch, and he said he was sending him along to keep an eye on us just in case."

"Not Kevin. They didn't know about him. Lisa spotted him, and that's probably only because she knows who he is."

"Who's following us then?"

"Take a discreet look over your right shoulder and towards the bar."

Bianca did as Marissa said and saw exactly who her wife was talking about. It became more obvious when he spilled his drink when he attempted to duck down in a failed attempt at being discovered. Bianca somehow managed to resist the urge of rolling her eyes. She turned back to the small group. "Ah, Ralph."

"What?! You know you're being following and the name of person following you?!" Kendall barely managed to keep her voice low.

Marissa shrugged. "We do. His name is Ralph Grismore and has a fairly long rap sheet."

Bianca nodded. "We also know who he works for."

Kendall's eyes grew wide at this revelation. "Seriously? Who?"

"Terrance Angleton."

"Why do I know that name?" Kendall thought for a moment before it came to her. "As in, Terrance Angleton the President of Llanview University?!"

"One in the same." Marissa answered.

"Wow. How do you know this Ralph guy works for him?" Greenlee asked.

"Mitch and his team. Ralph and another guy by the name of Travis Bell have been following me for a little while. Fortunately, neither one is very good at their jobs."

"Why are they following you?"

"Our best guess is that they're trying to get dirt on me so they can use it as leverage in the court case."

"For what?" Greenlee asked.

"Get me to convince clients to drop their case or throw the trial in some way."

Kendall shook her head, her revulsion clearly evident. "I can't even. That is just so disgusting. I mean, blackmailing you to betray the women who have put their trust in you to get them the justice that he has played a large part in denying them. His inaction allowed that monster's abuse to continue and caused even more girls and women to suffer."

Bianca could see her sister getting angrier by the second, and in her opinion, rightfully so. She had the same reaction when she first found out about Marissa being followed. It was only after the couple talked first between themselves and then with Mitch, who had assured them that he would have his best people on the case and protecting Marissa and their family, that Bianca had calmed down somewhat.

"How are you not more upset about this?" Kendall asked her sister.

"Oh, trust me, I was furious."

"Yeah, I can attest to that." Marissa winced remembering the knockdown drag-out fight the couple had had. They didn't fight very often, but when they did, they had some doozies with each giving as good as they got. When each had calmed down sufficiently, they were able to discuss things rationally and reach a compromise though. It was then that Mitch was brought in.

Bianca nodded, remembering the argument as well. It had been a long night, and even though they had been in the middle of that argument, they had both agreed that they would not go to bed until they had reached a compromise or at least a truce. "We got through it though."

"Yes, we did." Marissa kissed her wife's cheek.

"Rissa and I have taken certain precautions, and he won't get away with this. No one threatens my wife and family. No one. As for the victims, there is no way in hell Rissa is going to back down. Angleton has no idea who he is dealing with."

Greenlee chuckled. "No, he doesn't. What can we do? What should we do?"

"Honestly? There's not much we can do. Mitch has told us to act as if we don't suspect anything, don't let them know we're on to them. I trust Mitch to have our backs and keep us safe. We're staying aware of their presence though." Marissa paused and glanced over at her best friend. "What I really want right now however is to not let this take away anything from Jo. She's having a good time, and she deserves this. Can I count on you to help out with that?"

Kendall turned to Greenlee who nodded. "Of course you can." The dynamic duo silently agreed they would be watching out for the couple as well as Jo.

"Thanks. Now, I've promised Bianca that I would be singing tonight. So, I'm going to need a drink. Can I get you guys anything? B?"

"Surprise me." Bianca grinned and gave her wife a quick kiss.

"Yes! I can use drink. I'll come with you. What can I get you, Kendall?" Greenlee asked.

"I'm with Bianca. Surprise me."

"On it! Let's go, Rocky! What do you say, another round for everyone?" Greenlee suggested as she led the way to the bar.

"Sounds like a great idea." Marissa said as she followed the other woman.

After Marissa and Greenlee placed their drink orders, they decided to duck into the ladies' room while they were being made. Ralph Grismore had kept close tabs on the lawyer ever since they had left Pine Valley. He had just started working for Alton Langer the week before and was on his first assignment for the private detective. From what he was able to piece together, Langer had just taken over a case involving the lawyer and the President of Llanview University. Another private detective by the name of Travis Bell had worked on the case but had recently stopped due to some type of disagreement with Angleton. It made no difference to him because a job was job. This weekend, his job was to get incriminating evidence on the lawyer through 'whatever means were necessary' according to Angleton. To that end, the university president had given him something to put in the lawyer's drink and let things take off from there. This was the first chance he had all day to accomplish this task and decided to go for it.

Ralph watched as the bartender placed the drinks on top of the bar and then turn away to work on another order. When he was sure no one was watching, he made his move. Ralph had just started to move away when he felt a hand put a vice-like grip on his shoulder and forced him to sit back down.

"Hi, Ralph. Want to tell me what you put in the drinks?" Kevin Valdez cut straight to the point. There was no beating around the bush for him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't do anything. How do you know my name?"

"Oh, you see, that's where you're wrong. And I know many things about you."

"You can't prove anything."

"Again, that's where you're wrong. The bartender saw you. I saw you. The police officer saw you."

"Police officer? What police officer?"

"He means me." Officer Dave Corder said as he appeared next to Kevin. Dave turned to Bob Fields who was standing behind the bar. "Cameras are working, right?"

Bob nodded. "Yeah. I was able to monitor the feed from my cellphone. I got everything."

"What the hell does the bartender know?"

Dave shook his head. "Bob's not just the bartender. He's the owner. So yeah, he knows. Do you have something we can put those drinks in, Bob? We're going to need to get them tested so we can find out exactly what Ralph put in them. The State Attorney General is going to want to know and so is the Special Prosecutor."

"What?! The State … Special prosecutor …"

"State Attorney General for Pennsylvania and a Special Prosecutor. Yeah, you are in some big trouble, Ralph."

Kevin nodded. "Officer Corder is right. I mean, you are in major trouble. You, Ralph, are looking at some serious time in prison. Hey, Dave, have you met the Special Prosecutor?"

"Nora Buchanan? No, I haven't. I've heard good things about her though. Her husband is Bo Buchanan, the Chief of Police over in Llanview."

"Yeah, I heard that. Did you know that she's good friends with Marissa and Bianca?"

"I didn't." Dave grinned at Ralph. "Trying to drug a close friend of the Special Prosecutor? That does not bode well for you."

Ralph was at a loss for words. This was supposed to be a simple assignment. Slip the redhead something in her drink, record what happens after, and send it on for a nice payout. Nobody told him why they wanted him to do it, and he didn't ask. They also didn't mention that the redhead had connections, big time connections. Now? It was all coming back to bite him in the ass. There was no way in hell that Ralph was going down for this by himself. He was going to get a deal and take others down with him.

"I want a deal."

Dave smiled. "Music to my ears. Let's go down to the police station so we can talk in private. Are you going to go quietly, or do I have to cuff you? I'd rather not because I don't want to cause a scene at the Chief's party, but I promise you that I won't hesitate to use force if you give me any problems."

"No, I'll go quietly." The officer was twice his size.

"It seems like you have everything under control, but why don't I come with you? I can give you my statement."

Dave nodded, grateful for the offer of backup. "Sounds good, but what about Marissa and her group? You know, in case someone else tries something."

"There's nobody else. It's just me." Ralph offered.

"That's good to hear." Kevin said. He hadn't picked up anyone else following the group, but he wasn't taking Ralph's word for it or any other chances. His partner was there and was more than capable of keeping an eye on things until he got back. "Ben will keep an eye on them. Give me a second, and I'll let him know what's going on."

"There's another one?! Damn, they're good." Ralph said stunned. He glanced around and realized that he had already lost track of Kevin. He knew he never stood a chance.

"Yeah, they are." Dave chuckled.

"Here you go, Dave." Bob handed over the package containing the spiked drinks.

"Thanks, Bob." The officer had been keeping an eye on the other man as he packaged the drinks in order to preserve the chain of evidence.

Kevin reappeared just as quickly as he had disappeared. "Done. Ben's going to give Marissa the all clear and let her know to check in with you tomorrow."

Dave nodded. "Sounds good. I'll text Sean in a bit. In the meantime, Ralph, you have the right to remain silent." As the three men left Shamokin Joe's, the officer quietly read Ralph his Miranda Rights.

Greenlee watched as Marissa read a text that she had just received. She knew something was going on. "Okay, Marissa, what's up? You and I both know neither of us needed to go to the restroom."

Marissa glanced up at her friend and knew it was time to come clean. "You're right. I got a signal from Kevin to step away from the bar."

"Why?"

"It was the best opportunity to set the trap for the guy following us to try something."

"Oh. Did it work?"

"Yeah, it did. He put something in our drinks. Bob got it on tape. Dave Corder and Kevin both witnessed it. Ralph, he's the guy who did it, is on his way to the police station with them and wanting to talk."

"Wow. That's why we left our drinks unattended. Something we would never do at a bar."

"Exactly."

"So, we're in the clear?"

"Kevin thinks that we are, but Ben is still here, just in case."

"Good. Wait! Ben? Who's Ben?"

"Kevin's partner."

"Wow. There was someone else following us? I had no idea. He's good."

Marissa nodded. "He really is. Ready to get out of here? It's almost time for me to hit the stage."

"Yeah, I am. I could really use a drink or three." Greenlee shook her head as she tried to wrap her head around what had happened. "You're telling Bianca, right?"

"Yes, I am. You can tell Kendall if you want. The only one I don't want to know tonight is Jo. I don't want to ruin her night."

"I agree. Okay. Time to get some drinks. You're buying."

Marissa laughed as she followed Greenlee back to the bar. "It's the least I can do."

Even though she wasn't working that night, Terri still took over announcing the performers for the karaoke competition. She grinned when she saw who the next contestant was. Terri had been looking forward to this performance all night.

"Okay. Everyone put your hands together for our next contestant, Marissa Tasker-Montgomery! With backup by Jo Shelton and Cory Jacobs!"

The crowd went wild when they heard their adopted citizen's name. They loved hearing her sing.

Marissa downed the rest of her drink and gave Bianca a kiss before she headed to the stage with Jo and Cory trailing closely behind.

The trio each picked up a microphone, took a deep breath, looked at each other, and smiled. They were as ready as they were going to be. Marissa signaled to Terri who started the music she had selected earlier.

"I think you all know who this is for!" With that, Marissa winked at Bianca and started to sing with Jo and Cory providing backup vocals along with a few dance moves they had thrown together earlier.

Don't even want the attention
But yeah, that's all that she's getting
Her song is on, and she's spinning around, yeah

She got me drunk like Corona
Heart racing like it's Daytona
Ooh, I'm in Heaven I swear right now
And those eyes can hypnotize
Was designed to blow my mind

Look what God gave her, how perfect He made her
She walks in the room, it's like He answered my prayers
The way that she moves, how could anybody blame her?
I know she's got haters, but it ain't her fault, nah
Look what God gave her

It's like I heard angels singing
Like she came down from the ceiling
When she walked in here this evening, I thought, yeah
That girl, one in seven billion
Got everyone in here feeling
Like there's a fire in this building, so hot

Got a smile on her angel face
I know I'll never lose my faith

Got that look in her eyes
Swear she fell right out the sky
Yeah, I think I've seen the light
Every kiss, I could die
It's like the Heavens opened wide
Man, I swear I've seen the light, oh

Ooh, look what God
Look what God gave her
Oh, look what God gave her

A/N: I decided to end the chapter here because I felt bad about not posting something for so long and wanted to get something up this weekend. I don't own "Look What God Gave Her". That's all Thomas Rhett. I really like it though and can just picture Marissa singing it to Bianca. There will be another song in the next chapter. It's a fun one, and I think you'll like it. It's going to be a group one, and I can see them all singing it! We'll get a little more into Ralph's failed mission/assignment as well. See you soon!