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Prologue Ethan Smith was miserable. It was the end of summer term and once again he had done little in his time, "Home". Home was a joke to his family. he didn't really have one. His dad always dumped him on his grandparents and took the first flight away to some exotic location while Ethan, "Got to know" his grandparents. He hadn't been to his, "Real" home in three years, ever since he started infant school at his expensive private boarding school. Don't get him wrong. He loved his grandparents immensely and they were good people. His problem was that he was so lonely. They lived on a huge estate in Lincolnshire, England. It was literally out in the middle of nowhere miles from major roads. It had several staff members but there was nobody his age. All of them either were single or had fully grown children. Being the son of an aristocrat had privileges but none of them mattered to Ethan, he just wanted to be normal. He wanted friends. He wanted family. That wasn't found on the estate. For all his money there was one certainty in his life, which was that his dad wasn't going to inherit the family title. He was the second son, his Uncle Nigel was the elder brother and already had an heir. Granted this heir had become a girl but she was still the heir until she officially renounces it because of her gender change. And to boot when his cousin became a girl his uncle had another son, one born just a few months before. His dad believed Nigel should be stripped of his titles and disinherited but that wasn't going to happen. Last fall his grandparents had mended fences with his uncle over his cousin's emergency gender change surgery and even invited him to bring his new wife, son, and daughter to visit. He had now a total of four cousins! And to boot two were getting married so he'd have another two in the future! The idea thrilled him. Finally there were more family members for him to get to know, even if only for a short period of time. He was so jealous of his cousin Nichole She wasn't Nicholas anymore, to him she never was. She had a loving family and parents who didn't shovel her off whenever she was an inconvenience to them. He thought she was brave and deserved love and affection not the derision and revulsion that his father heaped on her. She was willing to take abuse that nobody should endure just to be who she felt she needed to be. His Uncle Nigel was a good person as well. Seeing him as a parent always made him jealous of his own family. His mother loved him dearly and always kept him on the right path and taught him that people are people no matter how different they are. Sadly his father told him his mother was foolish and some people are better than others especially people like them, Nigel and Nichole. During school holidays and breaks he spent hours listening to his grandparents speak with his uncle and aunt. Ever since his youngest cousin was born they had spoken with them weekly, usually first thing in the morning Eastern US time. He had seen pictures of his cousins that his aunt and uncle had sent along and they were amazing. Bryan was handsome and Hannah was beautiful. Even Nigel Jr. was cute, he looked a lot like his uncle did when he was a baby. His father told him they were fools because his uncle forsook his birthright but he could see they weren't foolish, they loved one another and were happy to be together. He took that to mean that he allowed Nichole to become a girl so he just ignored his father's words. He learned a lot about his cousins and aunt. They were commoners, American commoners to be exact. His cousins had money in their own right but his aunt was a hard working person. His uncle had money of his own but chose to continue working as a nurse. His father mocked his work ethic but Ethan loved it. He wanted to make a difference in the world and from his grandparents' conversations he had saved several lives already, lives of kids younger than Ethan no less. That was a big difference, and that was something to be commended. His term ended in disaster. He did well in school but he was constantly tormented by the other students for no reason whatsoever. This was normal for them; he was an easy target and one that wouldn't fight back. His family was wealthy but somehow his father was somehow always short of funds. His grandparents paid for his education, in fact his father had to beg them to pay for it. Somehow the kids at school knew it and made that Ethan knew that they knew it. His school was prestigious and boring. As the son of the 2nd son of a titled person he was a nobody, something the school made sure he never lived it down. He was surrounded by heirs to all sorts of titles and despite being a lord himself he had no chance at inheriting the tile so students mocked him and made his life miserable. Friendship was out of the question, anyone who got close to him immediately regretted it and outside of required interaction due to school related activities there was nobody who he could talk to or play with. During sports he was the target for all contact sports and would often get injured due to rough play. He was a frequent visitor to the nurse, with severe bruises, scrapes, and gouges. The coaches encouraged tough play, ignoring the fact that only a few players were targeted. As long as the game was played, "Right" in their views the few targeted were ignored for the greater good of the game. But it as August and the school year was over. He was free to do as he pleased now. Driving through towns en route to the estate he saw kids out playing and enjoying the nice weather. He longed to have the chance to do that, to be with people his own age who were equals and who could act like normal people instead of rigid robots whose only purpose was to keep their titles alive and produce offspring. He wanted friends, real friends. Not people who are friendly with you so they can take advantage of their ties to you, but real honest to goodness friends. Despite all of this he was happy to be away from school and have the visit. He couldn't wait to meet his cousins, aunt, and uncle. He knew already that his cousin Hannah was a good person and liked to have fun as he heard her joking with his grandparents. His future cousin Paige was supposed to be just like her and Nichole was Nichole, she had only changed her gender on paper, not her sense of humor nor her interests in history and culture. His fun lasted until he learned that his father heard the news that his brother was returning home after four years away in disgrace. His father Harry decided that was a good week to return home and enjoy some, "Quality time" with his son and his own parents. His mother was trudged along, forced to leave their home in Suffolk to join them. This was going to be a full family gathering, but he suspected his father was up to no good. He never went home unless there was something to gain from it and never interacted with Ethan without reason. His reason was his uncle Nigel coming home. Something smelled funny and Ethan didn't like it. Chapter 1 It had been an eventful summer for the Smiths. Bryan and Hannah had just graduated high school with honors and certificates of gratitude from each of the departments for academic excellence. Bryan and his best friend/Hannah's fianc? both entered the National Guard and shuffled off to basic training in Missouri and wouldn't return home until early November. Soon after that Karen's older sister adopted two teen girls, became engaged and married the man responsible for their whole convoluted, whacky, and loving family coming together. Then she goes announced that she was pregnant, giving the family yet another new member and one that was due just before Nigel Jr.'s own first birthday. But to Karen the biggest move was the twins moving out of the Smith house. Their new cousin Iris handed over her former house for the four to live in while in college. It was similar to what Reed had done for his home with regards to David and Patrick Peterson and was greatly appreciated by the four. Bryan and Hannah were old enough and learned enough to survive on their own and insisted on giving her and Nigel their space so Nigel Jr. didn't have to endure five siblings squabbling under one roof. In truth the two couples were off to college and needed to show their independence but she knew they were too kind to tell her the truth. But as a mother she knew and she appreciated that they were doing it for more than just themselves, they were doing it for the whole family. Pete Orleans had grown to be a beloved son to her. He was the best friend that Bryan had always wanted, but sadly he had been unable to find. She was angered when his parents tossed him out on the street after he turned 18 but grateful that the family had come together to get him a room with Patrick and David with the two doing their best to ensure that the young man didn't slack off in his final quarter of his senior year. He didn't graduate with honors, but his education was paid for entirely by her brother John. All of the teens were getting the same benefit, they just don't know it yet. It was a perk of being part of their family. Bryan and Pete were joined at the hip. The two were inseparable and to be honest they were so likeminded that you didn't have to ask Pete Bryan's opinion on something, if Pete expressed it Bryan shared it. This was especially true of disciplining Nichole, where Pete would have to lay down the rules and Bryan enforced them. She still doesn't like that concept, she thought she could get away with things while being watched by Pete but that backfired quickly. She never again tried to manipulate him and Karen paid Pete a big reward for doing that. She had long since considered Paige Connors to be another daughter. She was the person who grounded Hannah whenever she went on a rampage, got her to see things clearly when she was too focused on one thing to notice others, and above all stood by her through thick and thin. Her falling in love with Bryan was just a bit of pure luck and done with the insistence of Jaimie but she shouldn't be surprised, the two were around each other so much Bryan barely noticed her as a girl as to him she was his second sister. Anne Connors and Karen got along great. They were initially friends through Valerie and John but once Paige was adopted by Anne things changed dramatically. Unbeknownst to her now three girls Anne needed her help and Karen gave it in droves. The stable Anne was breaking down under the pressure of her office and Karen kept her going, helping her talk herself through the troubles and know that she was going to be alright as the new supervisor. This job paid off when Reed and Kylie were in trouble and it has paid off several times over since then, as Karen's now brother-in-law Mark Sylvester was brought in and helped make more changes giving Anne a chance to be less hands-on calm down before she burned out. Nichole was becoming the anti-Hannah. Not that there was something wrong with that, it's just that Hannah was difficult at times and wasn't afraid to show her emotions especially when you were in the wrong and she was right. Nichole though was always, "Everyone else first", helping everyone else before doing things for herself. She learned long ago to put aside her pride to allow someone to take credit or work with people who may be difficult or not like you. She had to do that to survive, Hannah would not let anyone push her around and would speak up to ensure proper credit was given to proper people, even if she wasn't the one getting glanced over for credit. But that was Nichole. She had a hard life enduring constant abuse from people in her former school and her dad's hospital. Once she moved to the US and became her daughter things changed dramatically. She was a whole new person, literally and figuratively. Karen got to see the young woman who had an instant large family, support, and love blossom into a person who was the model for every child in school. Once parents got over their initial fears about having a transgender girl among their children they saw her as a person that their children should emulate. Of course her Nigel was the man of her dreams. She loved Ivan Morris and married him long ago but when he died he left a hole in her heart that had gone unfilled until she met Nigel. The two were thrown together during her vacation but the two clicked immediately and after a passionate affair the two had to admit they loved one another deeply. Of course her becoming pregnant wasn't exactly in the plans but she loved Nigel with all her heart and taking Nichole as her own daughter while he took the twins as his own children sealed their love forever. Nichole's attack changed the family drastically. Nichole was no longer the boy becoming a girl, she was now a girl in all ways except reproduction and that didn't matter. Her grandparents were informed and were horrified. Nigel's news that they were expecting sent them into a frenzy, the struggles that Nigel's support of Nichole had somehow vanished. Nigel told them it didn't matter one bit to him, he did not want the title that was due to him on his father's death and did not want his children to believe they were entitled to everything because of what their ancestors were given long ago. It took several back and forth phone calls until his parents saw that Nigel was not the entitled aristocrat they had tried to raise him to be, he was his own man. Further after speaking with Nichole and actually listening to her they saw the real girl that only Nigel had seen, one that just wanted to be herself and not someone others expected her to be. The two softened their stance on her, seeing that they were in error and she wasn't doing what she was doing for attention or as a flight of fancy. The family was supposed to go to England for Christmas but things changed as the family dynamic in Winnisimmet changed. They had gained Kylie, Reed, Willie, and Kennedy Pena as cousins and at the same time the instant friendship between Kylie and Nichole forced Nichole to have to stay and help Kylie. Nigel, Karen, Hannah, and Bryan opted to stay behind with her and put off the trip indefinitely. Karen had to explain why Kylie and Nichole were so close, with them understanding the gender issue part but not quite the whole adoption and familial relationship part. Thankfully Nigel's parents understood the need for them to be together all in one place, sending their regards and insisting on them visiting when it was convenient to the family. That turned out to be August, right around the Smiths' first anniversary and the anniversary of the attack on Nichole. Hannah wasn't too keen to return to a place that had tried hard to return Nichole to being Nicholas but she was obligated to visit her great uncle Walter and his wife Lilian, who just happened to be her distant cousin and only member of the Morris family still alive that they knew of. Paige centered her and told her it was needed, Nichole needed her by her side and Walter would appreciate the family visit. Paige of course wanted to go for selfish reasons, she always wanted to visit the United Kingdom and this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Nichole was upset that she would be separated from her friends for two weeks but Kylie insisted that she go. Kylie knew she was the reason Nichole didn't see her grandparents over Christmas and insisted she go if only to put their minds at ease over her. Margaret Douglas and Nancy Flynn, her other friends, were just as insistent even going so far as to pull the whole, "Show them you are who you really are" card on her. She hated to give in but her friends knew just how to manipulate her to get her to do what she needed to do. Nigel managed to get enough time off of work to get the trip finalized. He was due the vacation and it was a slow time with kids being extra careful so as to not get hurt and miss the rest of summer. Thankfully for him his bosses were also keen to see his family life settled as they knew Nigel needed this closure one way or another. The trip was booked. The six were heading to England. Karen's brother John paid for the trip as a way of forcing Hannah to go on the trip, she couldn't refuse him and she couldn't back away once Paige accepted on her behalf. Chapter 2 London was just as annoyingly crowded as Hannah had remembered. Paige amused Nichole in her constant head turning at seeing the different sights and sounds of the metropolis as they drove in from Heathrow Airport. Paige ignored her snickering, she loved what she was seeing and even more so she loved seeing places she had dreamed about seeing in person. Nigel drove on to their hotel, unlike the prior trip John splurged and got them booked into the Four Seasons in two suites. Karen objected but John ignored her request, insisting that they enjoy some luxury for once. Nigel actually agreed with John, knowing that his parents would ask where they stayed and would look down on them for staying in anything less than the poshest of places. He knew the Savoy and Dorchester weren't exactly kid-friendly so this was the next best thing for a family like theirs. They had two suites so the three girls were in their own suite with Nigel and Karen staying in another adjacent suite. They had an appointment to meet with Walter Gorman and his wife Lilian the next day but were free for the next couple of hours. There was little to do though, so the girls settled in and relieved their jetlag while enjoying the BBC and other British television channels. After an hour of the dry humor and witty comments the girls decided it was time to grill Nichole about her grandparents. This was different than when they were back home in Winnisimmet, they needed to know exactly what they were up against. Nichole was all too happy to explain that her grandparents were traditional, conservative, and posh. The way she said it made Hannah cringe, causing her to give Paige a knowing look. The look was one that shouted, "Trouble ahead." To her credit Paige countered with, "Perhaps they softened since you last met them." Nichole shook her head, insisting, "They don't change. They know when they can't win and will go about things differently. I am heir to the title yet I am not heir. I am female now, females can't inherit titles at least not the one grandfather has. Dad is the heir but things could have changed. Now that Nigel is born grandfather seems to have given new hope that dad will take up his birthright and take over the family estate and business affairs. Dad won't but he still holds out hope." Paige asked about her uncle. Nichole had tears in her eyes and simply said, "Don't ask. Please, I hope we never meet him while here. He made my life a living hell before Grandfather finally cut all ties to us. I don't think Grandfather or Grandmother ever knew how cruel he was to me but even so I don't think they would have done anything. I feel for my, sorry, our cousin Ethan. He has to live up to Uncle Harry's legacy and endure him in ways we will never understand. What the man has done to him God only knows. I just hope he hasn't turned him against me." Paige took this as an indication that they had better stop while they were behind. It was starting to make things clear that she loved her family and latched onto them so quickly because of the abuse her uncle heaped on her. But what he actually did they don't know and may never know. Nichole had reason to keep quiet, they hoped she would tell them more but that was all up to her. Nichole brightened when she told them, "My cousin is probably going to be there. He always gets sent to our grandparents' home whenever school wasn't in session. I hope he is more like his mom and not his dad. She is a nice lady and was sympathetic to me, insisting that I be true to myself and not what my uncle and grandparents wanted me to be. She didn't deserve Uncle Harry as a husband." She had tears in her eyes saying that. For once Hannah was at a loss for words. There was one person who she wanted to see, but knowing there was someone who was with her from the start was a completely different thing. Hannah asked why she didn't help her more to which Nichole cried, telling her, "Uncle Harry forbid it, threating to divorce her and ruin her. He even threatened to disown Ethan if she even considered the idea. She couldn't let that happen to Ethan so she gave in to him for Ethan's sake." This was more than the girls could handle for one night, they let it drop and would discuss it more as the time came. For now it was time for Nichole to turn in. Hannah and Paige quietly talked while Nichole fell asleep then slipped into the lounge area and told Nigel that Nichole told them about the family. Nigel gave them a soft, "She will tell you more, just don't press her. Harry was a complete prat and had us run out of our parents' home but what he did with Nichole when I wasn't there I shudder to think about. She never told me and I don't even want to venture a guess. When the time is right she will explain, until then just let her go about things normally and don't press." Hannah grew worried. This was alarming. Something happened four years before that caused Nichole to become utterly afraid of her uncle and caused the family to shun Nigel. The gender issue was big but there had to be more to it and Nichole was at the center of it. Until she was ready to talk there was no way Hannah or Paige could help, so the three just let things settle for now. In the morning Nigel confirmed with his parents that they would be in London for the weekend attending to some family matters before heading north. He didn't exactly explain nor did he feel the need to explain that he had to stop in for dinner with the Gormans, as the ambassador was insistent the family join them as guests. It was part of a standing agreement with them, they were the only family the Gormans had and it wouldn't be right to go and not see them at least once. As he is an heir to a peerage Nigel would have caused protocol problems if his father got involved in the dinner. He didn't want the Gormans to endure the fuss, especially since Nigel refused to use his title for anything. He was his own man and Nichole and Nigel Jr. would grow up being their own people and not rely on others for everything. His wife's family being the exception, they would not let you endure anything alone and would be by your side helping you but never leading you as his family insisted on doing. There was a fine line between guidance and support, the Finns supported you but let you do your own thing while his parents guided you to where they wanted you to go without you having a say in the matter. After the tense phone call and agreeing that they wouldn't be bothered the family went about their business for the day. Paige was going to get a condensed view of London with Nichole leading the way. Paige had a list of places she wanted to see and Nichole looked over the list and proudly declared, "Not going to happen in the time we have" getting a big chuckle from Hannah. They started off in the neighborhood, which conveniently had Hyde Park nearby as well as Buckingham Palace. Nigel had rented a van for the group to travel north but for London travel it was inconvenient, so it stayed parked in the hotel's lot while they took to the Tube to visit the sites. Paige didn't mind the walk, but Hannah grumbled about it being longer than she remembered. Thankfully the walk to Buckingham Palace wasn't so bad, and unlike last time they were there it was open to visit so Hannah could see something new and actually hold something historic over her uncle for once. Nichole just shrugged it off, but Paige grinned at Hannah's revelation. The tour was routine but intriguing to them, with Hannah glued to the portraits in the Picture Gallery while Paige marveled at the State Rooms. Nigel and Karen conveniently let Nichole lead them around. He hoped her good nature was able to overcome her inner demons that were long buried but coming to the surface. Nichole had been silent about the visit but he knew she wasn't happy with it especially if her uncle was going to make an appearance. Knowing him he probably would pop in just to spoil the family's enjoyment. Hopefully that didn't happen until they were already set to leave. After viewing the daily changing of the guards and lunch Nichole led them down to the river for the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey. The walking took a toll on them as Nichole moved them along at a swift pace while trying to get in as much as possible. Nichole knew the highlight would be seeing the inside of both the Lords Chamber and the Commons Chamber, two places that she knew her uncle John would want pictures of for his students. The tour was long yet interesting. Hannah kept her mouth shut and listened to what the tour guide said. Paige and Nichole knew Hannah was content, but Hannah would never acknowledge it. The tour of Westminster Abbey was just as it was the previous year, so they kept to the outside and strolled along the river taking pictures. Getting tired and needing to change for dinner the group opted to take the tube for two quick stops and a change of trains to their hotel. They could have walked but knowing that Nichole was going on pure adrenaline they opted for the easier trip. Paige was strangely silent as they got dressed. She felt odd wearing formal clothes on a vacation but Hannah assured her it was worth it. Walter didn't really care what they wore but her dad wanted to leave a good impression on the Gormans and their staff. Nigel didn't exactly explain why but he knew that his parents would inquire and would not be pleased to hear that they presented themselves to a dignitary looking like gutter trash, even if he was family to the Smiths more than his own parents were to them. Nigel drove to the embassy and parked in the VIP receiving area, turning the vehicle over to the security personnel for inspection and moving. They could have walked but Nigel felt more at ease driving there, again just in case his parents asked. And more importantly it may be Westminster but it's still a major city and after nightfall they made a tempting target for thieves. Walter and Lilian greeted them immediately after they passed through the metal detectors. They weren't surprised to have their presence known, you don't drive into a major embassy and park unless you are expected. Lilian immediately embraced Hannah and gave Nichole a big kiss. Paige stood back and let the two take the bulk of the attention but Walter embraced her, telling her sweetly, "You aren't getting away that easily." The two escorted the family up to their private quarters, talking with Nigel and Karen the whole way. Paige was again silent, this time in wonder as she was being treated like a VIP and member of the family. Hannah had to subtly whisper to her, "They really are family, my grandpa's best friend and my grandfather's cousin." Paige just nodded, the awe washing over again as assistants readied the dining room for the meal. She knew this already but she still had trouble believing it. Walter kept things informal and asked about Leslie and her new husband. Hannah said a quick, "Oops" which made Karen blush at realizing she had neglected to mention it to Walter when she told them they were travelling overseas to visit Nigel's family. Walter just laughed, revealing to her, "Hannah told me back in June, actually I think Bryan told me back in April when they started going out. He, Miles, and Michael had bets on when the two would finally stop dancing around and start getting serious. Make sure to tell him that he owes me a few dollars for winning the pool." Karen was mildly annoyed to be put on the spot by Walter but he just chuckled at her embarrassment. He wanted pictures which Hannah gladly showed. Hannah pointed out Iris and Rachel and then Bryan and Pete in full uniform. She had to explain the Joneses to him, but hearing their story caused a big laugh and smile with Lillian adding a quick, "Poor family never knew what hit them, but my sources say they made a big impact already." Hannah offered a quick, "Saved Sam's life, mended a long simmering family feud, got a few kids to start thinking for themselves to avoid the wrath of their big brothers." Walter chuckled and added, "I was going to say they sent ripples through the Kansas City region but that's even better." Lillian asked about Bryan and Pete which got both of their fianc?s to blush. Nichole shook her head and told them, "They are still in training and won't be done until November. They were given the day off to go to Aunt Leslie's wedding thanks to Christian asking on their behalf. They complained that the food stunk, their drill sergeants always complained about them no matter how well they did, and they barely slept." Walter chuckled, telling Nichole, "So things are still the same. I remember when I went through that and we had even less sleep than they did. Of course they are doing theirs during the hot summer months while I did mine in the spring in New Jersey." Lilian added, "You still found reason to complain, but Brent and Louis were there with you so at least you have that in common with the boys. Misery loves company." Nigel sat back and listened to his daughter and future daughter-in-law talk with the Gormans. He was glad they didn't ask about his family yet. Karen tried to keep things away from Nigel, steering things towards Walter's and Lilian's activities in the UK. Walter nodded at the subtle change, with Lilian telling about her efforts to help some of the underprivileged kids in the country and working with their social services to start helping more kids like Nichole. After dinner was finished the group retired to the living room where Walter finally broached his family visit. Nigel tried to turn away from it but Walter told him in a quick yet surprising tone, "I know your father is a marquess and you are his heir. This is neither a diplomatic visit nor should he care one bit about protocol on foreign soil, you are here as a guest of mine as family as you married someone who I proudly call my niece. If he has a problem with meeting with your wife's family he is even less of the man I suspect him to be." Nigel told him sharply, "My father isn't the problem, my brother is. He has been trying to force me out of the family for years and my return will spark him to try again. He will inform the proper people that I breached protocol in meeting with you and make trouble. And that is just the start, he will do much worse once he sees us in person." Walter snorted then told him, "Let him. I'll gladly tell her majesty that you, Lord Nigel Smith Earl of Boston and the future Marquess of Lincoln, are my family and I extended to you an invitation to come visit as family. You are not here on behalf of anyone but yourself, and as a free citizen you have the right to freely associate with people especially ones whom you are related. And as a citizen of the United States now you have more than enough reason to visit your country's duly appointed Ambassador to the Court of St. James'" Lilian added, "I know several high ranking peers including several members of the royal family, all of whom know about your brother and his antics. Your brother is the laughingstock of the peerage and his unsavory behavior is doing nothing but causing problems for your father. Oddly it hasn't directly backfired on your father so whatever your brother is doing he is hiding it well. Whatever he may try against you won't work, not one person would do anything about it especially not with many influential people secretly supporting you. Being family to us will immediately backfire on Harry." Walter asked about Nigel's plans for when they were up in Lincolnshire. Nichole told him, "We were going to Boston then Lincoln itself another day. Uncle John suggested some museums and we had a special request in Boston." Hannah rolled her eyes at it but admitted, "We couldn't go there without stopping for Uncle Paul, he asked us to stop at the fire station in the city." Lillian saw an opening and added, "Be sure to stop in New York, you can't go there without seeing the small village." Hannah groaned, with Paige nodding in agreement. Nigel told them, "There's really not much to see up there, so you might as well enjoy your drive. John wanted you to get out and see the midlands while you could, and the estate is extremely boring much of the time anyway." There was small talk for the next hour as Nigel Jr. slept. Eventually it was time to leave with Lillian telling them, "If you ever need help while here, don't hesitate to call us. Here is our private number, someone will directly connect us. If they refuse, they will be looking for a new job." She handed Hannah and Paige their private cell phone number, kissing and hugging each as she did. Hannah took that to mean that she expected Harry to cause trouble but her suspicions were already raised as it is. At the hotel Nichole told them, "Keep it with you at all times. I suggest even memorizing it because you never know what my uncle may do." Hannah nodded, telling her, "He will be there, if only to piss off your dad and upset you. Something is fishy about him and I don't like it. Hopefully we get in a full week before he pops up." There was nothing more to be said. Hannah had her suspicions and Paige started to come around to the idea that maybe Nichole's uncle was a bit shady. They all knew one thing, they hoped Ethan wasn't like his father because it would be an even tougher week if he was. Chapter 3 The three girls made plans for the day and set out to get as much done as they could. This time they had meticulous plans, going with a timely visit this day. They visited or rather saw up close the Eye, Tower Bridge, and 10 Downing Street the day before so the places left were museums. The first visit was the Tate Modern. The museum wasn't exactly the kind of museum they normally would visit but it was different and tested their intellectual limits. Getting that out of the way they stopped to take pictures on Millennium Bridge then on to St. Paul's Cathedral with its massive dome. The visit was on a Sunday so the dome was open for tours which they gladly took part in. The visit over they elected to go to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. This would take much of the afternoon and include lunch. The three enjoyed the paintings more than they thought with each finding ones they enjoyed that the others didn't. Hannah especially liked the museum, being the less artistic of the group she enjoyed their abilities to create beautiful images and was glad to see that the artists were many she remembered hearing about in her various art and history classes. Their final stop was Madame Tussaud's but they tired of the museum quickly. They were there for maybe a half hour before Nichole felt too uneasy to continue. They opted for the British Museum to see some of the things they missed the previous trip thanks to Mr. Essex's verbal assault on Nichole. Paige was just happy to visit the place and enjoyed having Nichole guide her through some of the exhibits they already saw so she wouldn't feel left out. A few attractions had changed so they were able to see some exhibits that weren't there last time. Paige adored the jewelry and gold exhibited as well as some of the ancient sculptures. She recognized several from their World History book, saying, "They don't do them justice." The ladies walked through the galleries and talked freely, getting little notice from anyone. Nichole appreciated the lack of notice, the previous trip was too stressful for her tastes. On the way out they did get stopped by one of the security people who asked if Nichole had been in the museum previously. She didn't want to lie and told him, "Last time I went my old teacher caused a scene and was arrested for causing trouble." The guard nodded, telling her, "We thought you looked familiar. We don't normally recognize non-regulars but you and the young lady next to you caught our eye. We just wanted to know if you were the same person." Hannah nodded, adding, "We are and we apologize for the trouble." He shook it off, just smiling and telling her, "It wasn't trouble, we had a good laugh over the guy getting into such trouble over nothing. You actually made for a good conversation for a long time, we don?t have visits as memorable as that especially from people who are supposed to be teachers." With that the three young ladies walked on, heading back to the hotel for dinner. Nigel and Karen were awaiting, the two having spent the day alone with Nigel Jr. Nichole tried to make a joke about what happened the last time they were alone together in London which got Hannah groaning , telling them, "I?m not changing anymore diapers if you end up with another souvenir from this visit." Of course this caused the two to nearly choke on their food. Paige herself snickered, but stopped as Karen?s embarrassment was apparent. Nigel cleared his throat then announced, "We weren?t doing what you think we were doing. We were busy talking with your grandparents, telling them what you three were up to, and arranging it so we could get to the estate without their interference. It took hours and a lot of wrangling. We managed to get them to give us the chance to drive up to the estate, but we are going to be there early so we can have a ?welcome? reception." Nichole rolled her eyes and translated it to Hannah and Paige, saying sharply, "They want to strut us in front of some people. We aren?t family, we are pieces of meat to them." Nigel tried to say something but Karen stopped him, softly telling him, "She needs time. Her last memories of her grandparents weren?t nice ones and you two had three tough years on your own, she just needs time." Hannah and Paige went after her. The two found her in their room crying on the bed, holding a picture of her dad and herself in their old flat. Hannah sat next to her and hugged her, telling her she was alright. Paige sat on her other side and did the same, the three embracing while Nichole stopped sobbing. When she was finally stopped crying Nichole told them, "Grandmother and grandfather yelled and screamed at dad for hours the last day. But neither of them knew what really happened or why. My uncle told my grandparents lies about me, telling them I tried to get Ethan to dress like me and believe he was a girl like me. Dad didn?t believe him but my grandparents took Uncle Harry?s side. Ethan tried to defend me but they refused to listen to him, telling him to be quiet while the adults spoke." Hannah knew there was a motivation for it so she asked softly, "Why? Why do that to you?" Nichole sniffled, drew a breath, and told her, "I overheard Uncle Harry talking with some people about selling the estate to some people. He took their money upfront and told them they could use the estate as he saw fit. He caught me listening and I told him ?you can?t do that, it?s grandfather?s land!? He told me off, calling me all sorts of names. When Ethan came with his mom and wanted to play with me Uncle Harry used that as an excuse to go after me. He would insult me, mock me, when we were alone he would toss me against the wall and say I stumbled and I was a clumsy oaf. Nobody believed me when I said it was him doing it." She had tears in her eyes again but held strong. She continue, "After a few months of this when I couldn?t handle being Nicholas any longer and my psychiatrist agreed that I should start becoming Nichole Uncle Harry went after me further, this time using my gender change as a reason. He lied about everything I ever did and even when I wasn?t around he had the maids claim I was doing things with Ethan against his will to make him think that he wanted to be like me. My grandparents believed Uncle Harry, he had Ethan say I was doing it to make him like me. I saw the marks on his back, they were like Kylie?s marks. Ethan was being hit like her, he lied because his dad hurt him making him do what he wanted even when he didn?t want to." Hannah stopped her from going any further. Hannah said with strong confidence, "Your uncle is a conniving weasel. He isn?t going to inherit the title, dad is. He knows this. So the only way around that is to use your gender change against dad. He turned your grandparents against dad, hoping to have dad disinherited so he can have everything for himself. You know the truth, you know too much. He will come back and he will start again, only this time he is facing three people you never want to upset- mom, dad, and me. Especially me. I don?t care about titles or inheritances, I only care about my sister and if he goes after you he has to get through me first." She looked up and saw Nigel listening with tears in his eyes. Nichole saw her father there and ran to the bathroom , but didn?t close the door before Paige joined her. Hannah told Nigel sharply, "If that man goes anywhere near her he will be leaving the estate in a body bag. I don?t care if he?s supposed to be family, he did something that can never be forgiven. Nichole needed family and he took them away from her." Nigel nodded in agreement. In their own suite Karen asked him, "Do you think he did what she claimed he did?" Nigel nodded, then told her, "He survives solely on the allowance from my parents. His so-called business never makes money and I don?t believe for a second that it?s legitimate. But the government hasn?t found anything on his business, and even if they did they haven?t tied it to my parents? estate or to him." Karen smiled as she stated, "They didn?t know what to look for, but our elder daughter does. She can find it, if your parents let her. In fact we have two people who can do it easily, three if Beverly is up to it." Nigel nodded silently at her idea. Reed and Miles would see something in the budget and bank statements that shouldn?t occur and would notice money going to the wrong accounts. The two teens were savants when it came to accounting and problem solving, the fact that Miles was sought after by all of the teens and some teachers and Reed already had a job with Beverly Bollinger was testament to that. Having them look into the accounts would be a no-brainer, if they could get access at all. It would be a long shot but Nigel knew his brother would do something to force the issue and he would bring it up directly with his parents so they would have to address it. The five fell asleep late, each with their minds occupied with what would happen the next day. Nigel knew he was going to have to confront his brother and his parents. He hoped that they will have had a good glimpse at the real Nichole and change their views on her fully. He hoped that his nephew Ethan wasn?t like his father and was able to make up his own mind about people. He felt for Ethan, there was no love in his family. Hopefully his sister could find the truth and leave before his brother?s illicit activities caught up to them. Karen texted Miles and Reed and told them to get ready for a plane trip. She then texted Kennedy and asked for her to arrange with John tickets for the two to fly to England. John was the last one to be texted, with John telling her Kennedy was going along as well. Three investigators, one who was good at problem solving, one who could look into the laws, and one who knew budgets, all three intent to help Nichole. Harry was in for a big surprise when he got there. Hannah wasn?t shocked as relieved when Miles and Reed texted her with news that they were coming to England. Paige shook her head at the news, with Nichole bluntly saying, "Grandmother and Grandfather won?t be happy." Hannah told her quickly, "If they find your uncle had defrauded the estate they will be. Aunt Kennedy will not let the man get away with it. Just in case we better have Jonas? contact information ready, I don?t want to have things happen without him in the background ensuring that we are protected from retaliation and in the clear legally." Nichole just shrugged. Her uncle was crafty and would know to cover his tracks. Paige smiled and told her, "He can?t cover everything and he doesn?t expect people to look for things that are expected and routine but not supposed to occur. He?s overconfident, which makes him liable to make mistakes. Reed can spot them and Miles can spot patterns nobody else can. He can run but he can?t hide, Reed and Miles will find out the truth." Chapter 4 The family woke up early the next morning to prepare for the four hour drive north. It was really three hours but Nigel wanted some wiggle room for traffic jams on the M11 out of London. If they were lucky they could arrive for tea and avoid the inquisition from the elder Smiths. Unfortunately Nigel knew this was going to happen anyway so it was best to just get it over with. The drive was easy for Nigel, but for Hannah she struggled. Once out of the metropolitan area she started to get anxious. An hour into the drive Nigel had to stop at the only services stop on the motorway and let her collect herself. Paige knew exactly what was happening and asked her, "Was it really that bad back then?" Hannah said tersely, "It was worse." Nichole asked what she was talking about to which Paige told her, "The scenery, it?s reminding her of four years ago in Missouri. It?s so similar." Nichole hugged her and told her softly, "You aren?t there, you are with family and you are stronger than any of those idiots." Hannah started to feel better but was still uneasy about it all. Nigel got them settled in after gassing up and buying a few drinks. They opted to drive via the A1 but had to go via the A14 first. Seeing where they were going and needing a break from the rural travel Nigel suggested a quick stop in Cambridge to stretch their legs and explore the city. It also meant they would be another hour or two later but after traveling for 90 minutes it was needed. Hannah was relieved to get out and enjoy the city. The place was a lot like Boston, or rather like its namesake in Massachusetts. She stopped in a tourist office and picked up a map and sought out the university?s colleges. The medieval and renaissance architecture as well as the academic architecture gave her a chance to focus on something else allowing her to relax and forget about the past. Nichole suggested a punt tour which Paige seconded forcing Hannah to go along. It was worth it, the three got to experience the city from the river. By the end of it Hannah was back to normal and ready for the two hour drive to the Smith family estate. Nigel and Karen saw the change in Hannah and suggested that she work out visits to the cities during their stay. Boston was definite but Lincoln was added as well. Nichole agreed with him, but cautioned Hannah that she would have to do a lot of the driving. She seemed alright with the idea, especially as it got them away from the countryside for a while even if only temporary. They got underway again after buying a few souvenirs for their Uncle John. The A14 wasn?t too bad but the M1 had traffic. The transition to the B roads was an odd experience but Hannah seemed to be ready for the countryside more than before. It was slow going but Nigel wasn?t about to rush things. After what should have been a three hour journey ended up turning into a six hour drive. They arrived a little after 3PM and were immediately greeted by a butler decked out in traditional suit, tie, and gloves. The man looked over the family and was visibly insulted by being in their presence. Nichole spotted the revulsion immediately and signaled her dad. Nigel didn?t bother trying to greet him, he told the man, "We are expected and cut with the formality. I know you have a strong dislike for ?commoners? thanks to your parents being ?in service?. Let me make this clear: these are my family and if you or any member of the staff is in any way insulting towards them you will be gone. I don?t care how long you have served the family, you will not insult, demean, or even gossip about my family. Do I make myself clear?" The butler gave a quick, "Yes my lord." Nichole knew he would break every one of those demands but the staff saw and heard the dressing down and word would spread that Nigel had returned and would not put up with any antics. Nigel nodded to one of the housekeepers who simply escorted them inside without a word. The butler looked at Nichole and was visibly sickened. Nigel told him quietly, "Yes she was Nicholas and if you or any member of the staff addresses her as anything other than Nichole I will follow through on my threat. I don?t care what my brother has on you or them, you will treat her with respect or you will be gone." The man apologized but Nigel knew he would make a mistake. He had a strong dislike for Nigel ever since he was little, preferring his younger brother to him. The man was an old school, "Toughest should lead" person and wasn?t afraid to make Nigel?s life miserable whenever he had the chance. Nichole becoming a girl was the thing that caused the most trouble between them and he never let Nigel go without showing his disgust. If Nigel was to be part of the family again the butler had to go, and it was going to be on Nigel?s terms that he left. The family was led to a dining room and greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Both were impeccably dressed, with Mrs. Smith in a long flowing dress and Mr. Smith in an expensive suit. The girls held back, waiting for Nigel to say something. Mr. Smith looked over at them and told them, "Come forward ladies, no need to be shy." Hannah and Paige went forward while Nichole slowly followed behind them. Mrs. Smith got up and walked over to Nichole, kneeling down to inspect the young girl. She looked her over, up and down. Nichole was extremely nervous and on the verge of shaking when Mrs. Smith stopped and hugged her. Hannah and Paige were still on guard but relaxed a little. Nigel took the easing to introduce them to his father with, "Mother, father, I introduce my lovely wife Karen, our son Nigel, daughter Hannah, and our future daughter-in-law Paige." Mr. Smith stood up and walked over to Karen and embraced her, then did the same to Hannah and Paige. Mr. Smith asked about Bryan. Nigel smiled as he announced, "He and Hannah?s fianc? Peter are in military training until November. They send their regards and apologies over not being able to come." Mr. Smith indicated for the group to sit down and eat as food was brought in. Paige and Hannah were reluctant to eat but Nichole indicated that they had to, if only to show they were not going to be intimidated by the aristocrats. The servants kept their distance, unsure about the guests. Things were quiet until Nigel Jr. woke up and demanded attention, giving an unwelcome smell to the room. One of the servants tried to take him away until Karen stopped her, informing her, "I?ll change him, that isn?t your job." As she went off Mr. Smith asked Nigel what that was all about to which Nigel bluntly said, "It?s not your servants? job to take care of our child. You might think it is but Nigel won?t be fed, changed, bathed, or put to sleep by anyone but us. The same goes for the other three, they are our responsibility not your servants?." Mr. Smith understood exactly what Nigel was saying. Nigel drew the line in the sand, the kids were not going to be pampered or pushed away as had been done for centuries before. Mrs. Smith had to stifle a laugh as her husband fought back words. She took the initiative and told Nigel, "We will abide by your wishes, you are their parent not us." After several minutes and a quick change of clothes Nigel Jr. was given his bottle and made his presence known to the two elders. He giggled at seeing them, putting on his best, "I?m a cute little baby" act for them. Mrs. Smith took an immediate liking to the little tyke, her face smiling brightly as she took him in her lap. Mr. Smith though looked a little annoyed until the baby indicated he wanted to see him up close, causing Mrs. Smith to pass him along. Nigel then held on tight, giggling at his grandfather and looking content with his surroundings. He staked his claim to them as family, as only a baby could do. With the meal over and the table cleared the family retired to a sitting room where Mr. Smith asked for the full story about what Nigel did since leaving. Mr. Smith still held onto Nigel Jr. with the little baby holding him just as tight. It was best to get the story out now with his father feeling fatherly than to tell him when he wasn?t in such a fatherly mood. Mrs. Smith tried to get him to hold off asking but Nigel thought it best to tell him everything and get it over with. She acquiesced, albeit reluctantly. Nigel began with the evening they were exiled from the estate saying, "The night you kicked us out we went to stay with friends. They let stay the night but informed us they were siding with you and we were not to contact them ever again. I tried to contact Nichole?s maternal grandparents but they were disgusted by what she needed to do so we were forced to seek shelter in London in a cheap flat. My job, the job I had worked so hard to earn, was transferred down there as you are one of the benefactors of the hospital and they said ?it is for the best not to anger our patron.? I found work with a hospital whose administrator saw fit to give me horrific hours and deny Nichole needed psychiatric counseling and medical services. Nichole?s new school was informed of her gender change and she was given a horrible reception to the point that they bullied her constantly, all egged on by the headmaster and one of the senior teachers." Mr. Smith sat silently, his face growing redder as Nigel went on. Mrs. Smith asked him to continue so he stated, "Over time we got used to the poverty. Nichole was able to find clothing from charity shops and fend for herself most afternoons while I worked as many shifts as possible to keep us fed and clothed. After three years we became entrenched in our routine until one day when we were attacked exiting The Tube, thankfully saved by a woman who would become my lovely wife and her family. She nursed me back to health while Nichole was being overseen by her brother and sister-in-law. The family took us in as one of their own, offering me a job, a place to live, and Nichole the support she needed to be who she needed to be. All of this was in the United States, but with little reason to stay here we chose to leave with them and start anew." Mrs. Smith asked him, "Why were they so accepting of Nichole?" Hannah blurted out, "Our cousin is like her. She had been living as a girl just as long as Nichole and through her our family has expanded immensely." Mrs. Smith looked at Hannah for an explanation, Paige told her, "Before Jaimie there was only eight of them, now there?s about 70 or so of us now." Mrs. Smith didn?t believe what they had just said. Hannah showed a picture of all of them together, taken by Louis Reagan at Leslie and Mark Sylvester?s wedding. Hannah explained, "It?s complicated. Our cousin and her friends are so strongly linked that all of our families grew close and became one big family with our Uncle John and Aunt Valerie at the center of it all. A lot of things have happened over the past four years that have brought the family together as one, almost all of which involved our uncle and aunt in some form or another." Mr. Smith tried to raise the issue about John being odd. Karen defended him saying, "The man never set out to be anything other than alone and by bad luck and chance he found a new life with a daughter, a wife, a son, and things snowballed from there." Mrs. Smith asked what he did for a living, Nigel smiled as he said, "He?s a schoolteacher by trade but a philanthropist by choice. He has donated or has endowed over ?50 million in a span of five years. He holds in his bank account alone close to ?200 million with another ?10 million tied up in trust funds for all of the children of the family." Mr. Smith asked, "Is this some kind of joke? How can one man have so much and be a humble civil servant? Surely you jest." Karen quickly defended her brother, brusquely saying, "His dream job is to teach, it?s the same reason Nigel is a nurse and Hannah and Paige are even attending college next month. They want to better themselves and their community. It was instilled in us by our parents and we are passing that ideal along to our children. John was lucky in obtaining his money initially but he is shrewd with his investing making the most of small transactions that yield positive returns and occasionally splurging on expensive things but only when it benefits the family." Karen looked directly at Mr. Smith and told him sharply, "You may look down on us as being commoners and gutter trash but there are a few of us who have money in our family. The thing is all except Paige and her sister Christina received it through suffering an indignity at the hands of other. They inherited theirs but suffered the indignity of having their parents steal from Christina to pay for their own lavish lifestyle. My own daughter had to put up with someone refusing to treat her injury because they ignored modern medical advances and thought they knew best. That person is in prison. Nichole suffered years of abuse after Nigel was tossed out of here and the two were awarded ?1 million each, but neither would accept a penny if it meant they would have to be anything other than themselves. Look down on us if you must, but we aren?t going to change who we are just for you or anyone else." Mrs. Smith had a big smile on her face. Her husband received a well needed dressing down by his new daughter-in-law. She told her husband sharply, "We tossed our eldest son and his child out and they almost died. Why? Do you even remember why you did that?" Mrs. Smith turned to Nigel and told him, "We made a huge mistake four years ago. Your father should never have listened to your brother. Ethan told us everything after his father left. He told us Nichole had never talked to him about him being a girl like her. He has hated what happened to you two and ever since he has been miserable around his father. Your father is too stubborn to admit he was wrong but I?m not. This foolishness has gone on long enough. You and your family are welcome here anytime. We have five grandchildren and we fully intend to know all of them." Nigel told her, "I can?t tell you how we will react to Harry but there will be a confrontation. It?s unavoidable. You heard his side but you need to hear Nichole?s side. She has carried the burden in silence for too long and you need to hear her out before we go any further." Chapter 5 Nichole looked at her father and drew a deep breath. Hannah and Paige were on either side of her holding her hands. Nichole looked at her grandparents then at her mother, who nodded telling her to go on. Nichole meekly said, "Four years ago Uncle Harry was meeting with some friends on the estate. Jeffries was with him serving him tea. Uncle Harry told the men ?I?ll get rid of my brother easily, I need you to give me more time. I?ll borrow against the estate, my idiotic parents won?t notice anything is missing nor will they realize it?s me who did it. They will blame a maid or my brother, even if I have to hide something in his room to get the blame on him.? Jeffries spotted me and pointed out that I heard everything. Uncle Harry chased after me but couldn?t keep up. Next time I saw him he was telling you that I was trying to get Ethan to become a girl like me. You yelled at me and tried to make me cut my hair and dress like a boy. When I ran to dad you and he had an argument and you tossed us out. Uncle Harry was laughing the whole time you and dad were arguing, telling Jeffries ?the freak did us a favor, with them gone we can move forward.? Dad?s story covered what happened after that, nobody wanted to help us because it would put them against you." Mrs. Smith looked at her husband who tried to hide his shame. She took him to task saying sharply, "You knew Harry was involved in shady dealings and you believed his every word? You lied to me! You told me you caught Ethan in a dress!" Mr. Smith countered by saying, "That was what Harry told me!" She scolded him for that. He tried to add, "Ethan confessed that she did do it." Mrs. Smith cut him off telling him sharply, "You saw what Harry did to him before he ?confessed?, the poor boy was beaten and would have confessed to being Jack the Ripper to get Harry to stop hurting him." Nigel told his parents bluntly, "I think you need to send Jeffries packing. His conduct is already antagonistic and I know he is standing with his ear to the door." Hannah swiftly opened the door with Jeffries falling onto the floor in a loud thud. The butler got up on his knees startled. Mrs. Smith told him, "Jeffries, I think you should gather your things." Mr. Smith tried to dissuade her but she was adamant. She told Jeffries, "I know more than you think I know. I know you and my son have been seen about on the property in places you had no business being at. The maids not under your influence have been keeping tabs on you for years and I have more than enough to justify your firing. What you helped my son do to your future lord and master is unforgivable. Your family would be disgusted and appalled by your behavior. You have until the end of the evening to leave, where you go is of no concern but your tenure here is finished." Mr. Smith looked on in shock at his wife?s behavior. She turned to him and produced a package of paper with copious notes. Mr. Smith read through the list and asked softly, "Why am I just finding out about this?" Mrs. Smith shook her head and told him, "It was best that we waited until there was hard evidence but Nichole?s story was exactly what the maids said happened. Under threat from Harry and knowing that he had Jeffries on his side they were forced to lie for him. Our son, Harry, is the one we should have sent away." Hannah grew bold and told them, "We believe that your estate might be in actual danger from Harry?s dealings. We arranged to have two trusted people investigate your books for you to find what he actually did." Karen smiled and told them, "Actually it?s three trusted people. Our nephew Miles, my cousin Kennedy, and her son Reed are coming in a few days to help. Kennedy does this kind of investigation for a living, Miles is able to find patterns, and Reed is experienced at bookkeeping and accounting. All three have sworn to be entirely honest and open in what they find, if we are wrong then they will prove it." Mr. Smith was offended at the outsiders coming in. Mrs. Smith though was delighted. She looked over at her husband and bluntly told him, "These people are trying to save our heritage, they didn?t have to lift a finger but they are doing so for us. Nigel is trying to show us that these people are family. You should stop being a selfish jerk about it and accept that you are a grandfather of five and soon a great grandfather." Paige and Hannah?s faces both paled as she said that. Nichole snickered at their reaction, knowing her grandmother did so just to tease them. Mr. Smith finally relented and announced, "So be it. As my son has seen fit to adopt two people into the family we have to treat them as family." He turned to Hannah and asked her, "Why did Nigel adopt you? what did your father have to say about that?" Hannah didn?t miss a beat and told him, "He doesn?t have a say seeing to it that he has been dead for 17 years." Hannah waited for his reaction, and then added, "Mom and dad didn?t want to risk either Bryan, Nichole, or myself being placed into foster care should something happen to either of them. We saw what happened with mom?s boss?s family when his wife got sick and he hadn?t yet adopted her children. Mom and dad may be married but being a stepparent is different than being an actual parent. Bryan and I don?t care one bit about dad?s past, we were happy that mom found someone to love again and we were proud to have Nichole as our sister. He is our dad, mom is Nichole?s mom. Whether you like it or not we are Smiths. Even Pete and Paige are Smiths, Pete is taking your family name as his own giving up his own family name." Mr. Smith wanted to know more. Hannah shook her head and told him, "Pete?s family tossed him out after his 18th birthday. They have had a feud with Uncle John going back to when Uncle John was a little kid. They tolerated me but when Pete refused to break up with me after graduation and insisted on marrying me they tossed him out. He moved in with our cousins while waiting for his slot in basic training. When he finishes with that he and Bryan, Paige and myself are moving into our own home so mom and dad can have some peace and quiet with Nigel and Nichole. Pete gladly takes your name as his own, dad has been more of a father to him than his own and mom has loved him as a son." Mr. Smith laughed at that. Hannah?s passion impressed him. He gleefully announced, "As you are aware your father is heir to our family title and with it you and your brother are now Lord and Lady Smith. Your sister is now Lady Smith. Your younger brother is the new heir to the title, despite what your uncle may believe I am not going to strip your father of his rightful title. I never had any intention of doing so. Once my head cooled off I never went through with my threat. I never told your uncle about that so he still believes that he is getting everything. Seeing as Nigel ended up on his feet and doing the right thing for his daughter I would not in good conscience have allowed that stripping to have continued anyway. Harry is a lord but the only thing he is getting is his share of the family fortune and that is is. If your family members are able to prove fraud and embezzlement then he won?t get a penny." Nigel chose that moment to ask about Ethan. He looked concerned about the boy. Mrs. Smith told him, "He didn?t want to disturb your reunion. He?s in his room eating and likely entertaining himself." Hannah asked that they be excused to go get him, he didn?t deserve to be pushed away like that. Mr. Smith was going to take offense at this but seeing his wife?s bright smile he softened. He nodded and the three younger Smiths headed out in search of their cousin. Karen tried to apologize for their behavior by saying, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith I am sorry for Hannah?s lack of manners. Normally she wouldn?t be like that but she takes offense to excluding anyone for any reason especially family." Mrs. Smith refused it. She smiled as she said, "Please, call us mom and dad. It wouldn?t be right not to have our daughter-in-law call us anything else. She is right, he should have been here with us not hiding in the shadows." Mr. Smith nodded, telling Karen, "As you are now Nigel?s wife you are also entitled to be called Lady as well as Countess of Boston. I know it means little to you but it is part of his heritage and your young Nigel?s. We hope that you will use it sparingly and honor it." Karen said she would, adding, "I won?t deny Nigel his rightful heritage. We won?t move here though. Our home is in Winnisimmet, not here. When he comes of age he can take up residence here if he chooses but until then he will remain with us." Upstairs the maids gave the three younger Smiths odd looks as they walked through the house. Nichole led the way, explaining, "If I know the servants our bags are already in our rooms. Ethan is in his own room away from us." Sure enough tucked away from the regular guest rooms was Ethan?s permanent room. Nichole knocked on the door and waited for an answer. She turned the knob and opened the door, causing Ethan to become startled. He was nodding off in his bed with a book on his chest, Nichole smiled at him and announced, "Do you always fall asleep with your clothes on?" Ethan looked at her closely, trying to place the image with someone he knew. He gasped and asked, "Nichole? Is that you?" Nichole nodded and ran over to hug him, kissing his cheek. Ethan blushed deeply but hugged her back. Hannah looked at Paige who was smiling brightly. The two cousins were like old friends seeing one another for the first time in years. In reality it was true, but Ethan had been aware of Nichole?s new family for a year. Ethan stopped hugging and quietly asked, "Is it true? Are you really all girl now?" Nichole nodded, explaining, "I was never a boy, but thanks to someone trying to hurt our cousin Jaimie I was able to become all girl." Ethan hugged her again, telling her, "I?m jealous of you; you got away from here and all the things that you have to do as a lord. I hate it." Nichole told him to hold off for a bit and introduced Hannah and Paige. She was snarky as she said, "This is my sister Hannah and my future sister-in-law Paige. I don?t know why she?s marrying Bryan but someone has to do it." Ethan hugged them both, telling them, "I?ve heard a lot about you. That is I overheard a lot about you. Sorry that came out wrong but grandmother and grandfather don?t tell me anything and I?m expected to stay out of sight." The two hugged him back and told him to come downstairs, their parents wanted to see him. Nichole indicated to hold off. She asked him, "Does your father know we are here?" Ethan nodded, explaining, "Jeffries told him. He knows everything and has been telling him all that your parents told our grandparents. He listens in on their phone conversations while they think he is working." Nichole smiled as she announced, "Jeffries was fired for his role in what happened to dad and I. He?s gone, no longer employed and being tossed from the property." He smiled brightly at the news, Nichole added, "Dad and mom have some relatives coming to investigate the estate?s accounts so they will see if your father has been up to no good. If they find anything he will be disgraced and may go to prison." Ethan looked at her with fire in his eyes as he said, "Good! He deserves it for what he did to you and what he is doing to the estate." Hannah took this moment to offer, "We are going to do a lot while here, you are more than welcome to join us. It wouldn?t be right to go out and visit Boston and Lincoln without you." Ethan?s eyes brightened then tears flowed. They were including him in their activities, something he wanted more than anything. The boredom of the estate was going to be broken by his cousins and Ethan couldn?t be happier. The four headed downstairs to the sitting room to which Ethan was introduced to Karen. Karen hugged him, getting a warm smile from Ethan and an odd look from Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Nigel shook his head at his parents? reaction, bluntly stating, "Don?t seem so shocked, you know by now she knows how to handle children." The Smiths were understandably chastised and took it with good measure. Ethan took it as a chance to make mention of the fact that Hannah had offered to take him along with them during the week. Nigel watched as his parents were unsure about what to do, as Ethan?s eyes showed that he wanted them to say, "Yes" while they debated the wisdom of allowing their grandson to go with their granddaughters knowing his father was going to be outraged. Mr. Smith gave in and said a solemn, "Yes, he can go." Ethan?s face lit up as he turned to his aunt and uncle and thanked them. Ethan ran off with Nichole and the girls in tow. Karen stared at her nephew in awe, the boy?s demeanor changed quickly as soon as he heard the news. His reaction piqued her interest. Something was amiss with him that his grandparents weren?t aware of. Karen got bold and asked pointedly, "What does he do when he is staying with you?" The Smiths didn?t honestly know, with Mrs. Smith telling her, "He normally entertains himself. The staff keeps an eye on him to keep him out of trouble but other than that he does as he pleases." Karen asked further, "Who actually keeps an eye on him?" Mrs. Smith gasped as she realized her big mistake, she solemnly stated, "Jeffries did." Nigel realized what Karen was thinking and told his parents, "I think I know what she is getting at. The boy is bored and lonely. That?s why he was so eager to go with the girls, he doesn?t have anything to do while here and misses his family. And you had Jeffries watching him? The man has shown where his loyalties lay, he could care less about Ethan so long as Harry wasn?t affected. If anything, Ethan?s being here gave Harry good reason to stay away all the more and avoid your questions about the estate and his business." Mr. Smith acknowledged that they were right. Nigel saw through the whole Ethan mess without even needing further details. Karen went further, asking, "When was the last time Ethan was actually home with his parents?" Mrs. Smith had think deeply about that. Mr. Smith couldn?t honestly answer either. Nigel told them what he suspected, "Judging by the lack of an answer it was either last Christmas or the one before that. He?s been shifted between school and here so much he probably doesn?t even have any sense of a real home. This is probably the closest to home and it?s not really that." Karen looked saddened by that. Mrs. Smith asked her what was the matter to which Karen softly stated, "The poor boy doesn?t know love, family, or even friendship. You two are well intentioned but he misses his family especially his mother." Mrs. Smith pointed out that she is regular guest but Karen countered, "That?s just it, he lives here yet she is a guest. She passes through while he stays. He misses her, it?s why Ethan is latching onto the girls. The girls will keep him occupied but he needs his family." Chapter 6 Karen and Nigel excused themselves and took Nigel Jr. upstairs to retire for the night. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were unable to bring to words what Karen had told them. Their newest daughter-in-law had upended the family in a matter of minutes. She knew more about their grandson in a few seconds than they knew in eight years and worse she was right about her assumptions. Mrs. Smith sat down in shame. Mr. Smith tried to rationalize their treatment of Ethan but Mrs. Smith quietly told him, "We failed Ethan. First we failed Nigel now we failed Ethan." Mr. Smith shook his head at that, replying, "We were misled by our own foolish beliefs with Nigel, we should have made more of an effort with Ethan but there might still be a chance to change things. Harry needs to start acting like a father and not ignore his duties. Ethan may be boarding but there is no excuse not to have him home on school breaks." Upstairs in Ethan?s room the girls were helping him get ready for bed, or so that was the excuse so they could sit down and talk with him. The maids had everything prepared but were sent away by Hannah. One particular maid protested their being told what to do by them claiming only Mr. and Mrs. Smith could tell them what to do until the glare of the housekeeper and a stern, "Since you insist on insulting our guests I?ll say this once and only once. You are in the employ of the estate and LADY Hannah, LADY Nichole, and MRS. Smith as members of the family are the owners of the estate as well. Therefore you will listen to what they say when they say it without question, am I understood?" She then turned to Hannah and smiled, winking to indicate they could talk freely as she herself knew that what they had to discuss wasn?t for their ears. Sensing there was more going on than just helping put him to bed Ethan changed quickly in the bathroom. He may only be eight years old but he could tell when someone needed to have a serious discussion with him. When he came out Hannah and Paige were sitting on the bed waiting. Nichole took the initiative and asked him about what was really going on and asked that he not fudge the truth. Ethan smiled as he announced, "You know dad got your dad tossed out four years ago. Why he did it wasn?t clear but dad has been doing a lot of bad things with his company. He doesn?t think I know but I heard a lot of what they are dealing with and none of it is good. Heroin, cocaine, something called meth, and guns. Dad has been using his company as a way of laundering money and shipping some drugs into the country while exporting other drugs to the United States." The girls looked directly at each other and mouthed, "What the hell?" Ethan shed a tear at telling that, finally being able to tell someone what he knew letting the pressure relieve itself. He continued confessing further, "He had Jeffries funnel money from the estate into the company so he has no actual assets in the company, and should something happen the estate is not entirely in danger as only a small amount is lost. Since grandfather has to approve any huge amounts of spending dad claims the expenses are for staff and improvements of various projects which grandfather approves without checking." Hannah asked about his mother. Ethen shed more tears as he admitted, "Mom is very sick. She has been sick for the last two years. She tries to hide me from it but I know she isn?t doing well. Dad parades her around town like she is a toy and doesn?t let her see a normal doctor. She is continuously weakening so much that I don?t think she will last past next summer. If something happens to her I never want to see dad again, I can?t handle losing her knowing dad is responsible for causing it." Paige hugged him close. He needed comfort and they were the only ones who he seemed to want to open up to. Ethan sniffled and told them, "Please don?t tell grandfather, he wouldn?t believe me anyway." Nichole spoke up and told him, "Mom and dad will. Our Uncle Roland is just like your dad and mom dealt with him. They aren?t like the people you are used to over here, they will actually listen to what you have to say and more importantly believe you when you tell them the honest truth." Hannah admitted, "It?s true. We aren?t afraid to send a family member to prison. Our Uncle John went so far as to get Uncle Roland to admit to multiple crimes while awaiting being sent to prison on another crime. You aren?t alone in this, you have us now and we were taught family comes first. No matter what happens to your parents you won?t be on your own anymore, dad would never allow it and our uncle would never let mom leave you here all alone. Uncle John will insist that you stay with us when not in school." Ethan was mystified as to what she meant. Paige smiled as she told him, "Uncle John would make their mom ensure you were well taken care of by your mom and grandparents. If it meant your mom had to move in with them so they could help raise you while she recovered then so be it, and if he had to he?d pay to have you and your mom move to where your aunt and uncle could be there to help the two of you." Ethan had trouble realizing what she meant. Nichole translated for him saying, "She means no matter what, you and your mom are getting away from your dad." Ethan smiled as they left his room and got ready for bed. The three were serious; he just hoped that they were successful. The three went to their separate rooms and thought about the day?s events. Hannah was unsure about her new grandparents while Paige had no opinion, trying to reserve her judgement for when she had more information. She appreciated that they had taken a strong view of making up for their mistake and view Nichole as their granddaughter and accepted Hannah and Bryan as their newest grandchildren. They were better than her own grandparents, when her mother informed them that she was adopting Paige and Christina they scoffed at the idea. Given their previous disgust at their daughter supporting a, "Freak" it didn?t surprise nor upset her, she would rather not have them in her life if that was how they viewed her having a real mother. Several miles away, Harry Smith received a frantic phone call. Jeffries, the disgraced butler, was standing on the side of the road calling him. Normally Harry wouldn?t take his call this late at night but he was expecting news from him. Harry didn?t like it one bit. His eyes and ears in the estate house was out of the job and his parents now suspected him of wrongdoings. He had to come up with a plan quickly to justify his actions and make it sound reasonable. He hoped the little freak didn?t talk about what she had heard, and further that they hadn?t believed her. If they did he was in for a lot of trouble. Harry met Jeffries on a secluded lane and was filled in on everything. Jeffries was angered that he had been given no advanced warning of his brother?s arrival and received no help from Mr. Smith. He just went along with his wife?s decision. Harry asked him specifically what happened and only grew angrier as he heard they were not only back but his brother had adopted, had a new heir, and his new wife was not afraid to speak out of turn and above her status. And to boot her daughter was even more eager to go against norms and act on her own. They were trouble and needed to be dealt with. Jeffries had been able to get some information from the few on staff who would still talk to him and relayed that they were not even aristocratic Americans, they were peasants. Even worse they were nouveau riche, they had money but didn?t act like they were better than others. Harry could deal with the brats but the wife was another matter. It irked him that she had given her brother exactly what he needed to reclaim his place in the family as heir and worse- to cut him off. Add in that his own mother went against his father and got his father to do what she demanded was the worst. He was in serious trouble. He needed to disgrace them and he needed to do it fast. He needed dirt on them. Jeffries was unable to get anything further from his people, he?d have to get the information himself. He?d make an appearance and he?d press his brother?s buttons to get him to do something that would disgrace himself but further he?d have to use his final moles to get the staff to give up the dirt on the new Smiths. It was risky but he had no choice, not with Nigel around to ruin his longstanding plans. Harry called his wife and told her that they were heading to the family estate that weekend. Sammi Smith was no fool, if her husband was parading her off at the estate something was going on that required him to look like the aristocrat he believed himself to be. She was unwell and needed to get away for a while to recover her strength but he didn?t care, she had to go and if she even said one word against it she would regret it. Harry wasn?t afraid to beat his wife to let her know she was below his status. Sammi was tired. She knew she was sick and her friends were able to get her a lot of pain relievers and sleep medicines but she knew she needed actual medical care. She was hoping to finally take out papers for a divorce but her husband?s sudden announcement again killed that idea. She knew he had her under watch and anything like that would immediately cause her harm but it was a risk she needed to take, if only for Ethan?s sake. The boy was miserable and wanted her but his father kept him away from her. It was his way of keeping her in line, if she didn?t do as he wished she wouldn?t see Ethan. If she played the part of the loving wife in a happy marriage she could see him during his breaks. But with her illness she hadn?t been able to see him for a year and a half and she feared that her son believed that she had abandoned him. She hoped that whatever Harry had planned he wouldn?t do anything that would hurt their son. She didn?t care what happened to her, but Ethan mattered and if she had to play the part of the proud heiress to Harry?s dashing aristocrat she would do it for Ethan?s sake. The next morning was interesting for all involved. Hannah?s clothing went missing. Someone had entered her room and removed them without her hearing. The housekeeper put all maids to work finding them but kept a close eye on one. When they were found in the trash the maid who found them was pulled aside for questioning. She claimed that she mistook them for garbage. The maids who put away the guests? clothes all knew whose clothes they were and ratted on the guilty party quickly, trying to distance themselves from her. Hannah saw the anger on their faces as they saw what she had done and Hannah mouthed, "Thank you" to them. The guilty party happened to be the same maid that was upset that the three wouldn?t allow her to stay in the room while they talked with Ethan. It was clearly an act of retaliation and not some horrible mistake. Once she was singled out and her story was proven to be false she was sent before Mr. and Mrs. Smith for questioning. As it was no secret that maid and Jeffries were a romantic item the Smiths informed the entire staff that if anyone else did any form or retaliation for his firing in the future then all of them would be looking for new jobs. After the news about Jeffries being fired for his underhanded actions the staff knew they weren?t lying. They made their stand with Nigel and his family over Harry and his cohorts. The maid in question was told to find a new job by her immediate supervisor, the housekeeper. Mrs. Smith one-upped her and informed the maid that she would ensure that she would never find work in another household or any other service job again. Hannah?s clothes were handed off to be washed and she had to borrow an outfit from Paige. Hannah grumbled about her skirt and blouse choices, she rarely wore them, but she had no choice. She grabbed the most comfortable pairs she could find and dressed. At breakfast Nigel and Karen complimented her on her clothing to which she ignored. Nichole tried to make a joke of it but Hannah?s glare shut it down fast. When Ethan came down he didn?t say anything, and when Nichole again said something Ethan asked her, "What?s the big deal, some people just don?t like having their crotches exposed like that. It?s just a skirt, I don?t see you wearing one." His grandparents nearly choked on their food as he said that. Both stared at him looking for an answer. He rolled his eyes as he announced, "Before you jump to conclusions about me crossdressing or wanting to be a girl hear the truth first. Some of our classmates are Scottish so when they were teased about wearing their kilts they challenged us to try wearing them. I tried one on for a day and I didn?t like it. Then we had to put on a play and since we are an all- boys school a few of us had to dress as girls for the girl parts which meant skirts and dresses. I got stuck doing that and I hated it. So yes I had to wear one so I can understand her not liking them." Hannah beamed with pride at his defense. She gave him a big hug and whispered, "I owe you big, cousin." That one word, "Cousin" made his day. All he did was admit the truth and she showed she accepted him as family. Nichole meekly apologized as she saw Ethan?s bit of frustration. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were even more shocked at Ethan?s behavior. He was now showing concern for others and acting more like a young man than the meek, quiet little boy who they had come to know. In a span of just 16 hours the boy had aged remarkably, all in part due to his newest family members. Ethan ate quickly and excused himself, going up to his room before he had to endure any more scrutiny. Hannah didn?t miss a beat and informed her grandparents, "Nichole told us that his father caused a big fuss over his claims that Nichole trying to dress him like a girl. Well if I may be so bold, you don?t have much bigger proof that the man is a boldfaced liar than that. When he gets here he will come up with some other excuse to cause problems for dad and now mom and myself, so excuse me I need to get things in order before you toss us out after he returns." The Smiths didn?t know how to respond so Nichole saved them the trouble. She shook her head and announced, "Hannah is still angry about what Uncle Harry did so she is touchy about how you react. I suggest letting this go because she will go at Uncle Harry over his own ignorance of his son?s school activities. She is right though we need to plan for the week." Paige soon followed her as Karen and Nigel sat waiting for the Smiths to speak. Mr. Smith shook his head as he asked, "Does she always act up like that?" Karen was quick to defend Hannah, spitting out, "That wasn?t her acting up, that was her defending her cousin. She held back for your sake, if she was truly upset she would have had stronger words and cut deeper with them." Mrs. Smith had to calm her husband but he was adamant that she was hotheaded and brash. Nigel shook his head and told his father, "Yes she is, and she is damn well ready to fight for what is right. You know as well as I do that Harry lied and that you fell for it. You are just as stubborn as she is and what is more, you know you were wrong then. The old ways to her are ridiculous and entirely lost on her, her boldness comes from years of knowing nothing but family love and support both of which she is showing to her cousin. She is sticking up for her cousin when she has little reason to and to whom she barely knows yet she feels obligated to do so for his own sake." Mrs. Smith could barely contain her pride. Her son had told off his father, something nobody would ever dare do before. She asked Karen, "Does he always act like that?" Karen shook her head and told her the truth, "This is the first time he has ever had to correct someone about Hannah. Hannah has never needed it before. In our hometown people learned immediately not to underestimate her nor think of her as anything except the opinionated, strong willed, and vocal young lady that you saw. Those who did regretted it. The only time she has her tongue silenced is in class and even then she knows exactly who she can only hold back so long as the teacher is not abusing his or her authority over students." Up in his room Ethan was just coming to the realization that he corrected his grandparents and did so out of turn. And on top of that he defended his new cousin, something his father would strongly dislike if not outright abhor. Word would reach him of what he had done. He was in trouble, deep trouble, and he didn?t know what to do. Hannah knocked on his door and entered. She saw Ethan sitting at a desk, shaking from anxiety and fear. Hannah pulled him over to the bed and hugged him tightly, kissing his forehead. She told her softly, "They won?t do a thing to you, not if I have anything to say. You did the right thing and your grandparents have no reason to punish you." He shed a tear as he said, "It?s not them, it?s my dad. He will find out, he will take it out on me." Hannah looked him in the eyes and told him, "He will have to get through me first. He may be your dad but he doesn?t own you. You are your own person, you can defend anyone you want. You stood up for your family, even if it was against your family. You did so when you were in the right no less, that is something that should be applauded not punished. I won?t let him do any harm to you, I could care less what he does to me but I won?t let him harm you." Ethan hugged her back. Hannah told the eavesdropping Nichole and Paige to just enter and stop loitering. Ethan giggled at that and started to feel better. The two entered and gave him a hug as well, then set about making plans for the day with Ethan being asked his opinions on what to do. Ethan suggested that they use the day to get used to the estate. He knew the best places were and where they could go to have a few hours to themselves. He mentioned the horses which got Nichole smiling and Paige and Hannah confused. Ethan rolled his eyes at Nichole and asked her, "Did you forget to mention the horses?" Nichole shot back a quick, "I was too young to ride them the last time I was here." Ethan let out a quick, "Oops" which got the girls laughing as Hannah explained, "We were told, Nichole wasn?t listening when dad explained the estate." Ethan asked if they were going to ride them. Nichole looked at Hannah with wide, eager eyes to which Hannah shrugged, telling her, "I don?t know anything about horses except to watch where you step and stay downwind of them." Ethan snickered at that, while Nichole told him, "We live in the city, the nearest horses are in the zoo." Ethan told them with a big smile, "The groom can teach you, it?s part of his job." Nichole again looked at Hannah to which she nodded, but added, "You have to ask dad." She smiled and went downstairs while Ethan told them, "She sure missed a lot, can she at least swim?" Paige and Hannah both smiled and told him, "We can?t get her out of the water sometimes." Hannah added, "We live about two miles from the beach so we swam a lot during the summer. The only one who can?t swim are our youngest cousins Cat, DJ, and JD." Ethan then told them about the small lake and stream that was on the estate, he didn?t go there often but it was a good spot to swim. The girls said they needed swimsuits to which Ethan smiled and added, "You have to go to the city anyway, you could stop at a Tesco or Asda along the way." He had them there, he was right about them going to the city. Nichole came back up beaming. She proudly stated, "Dad said yes so long as we are careful. Oh and Ethan is in charge since he actually knows how to ride." Ethan?s eyes popped open wide at hearing that, but Hannah chuckled and told him, "Dad?s right. You have the experience and knowledge, we don?t. We can drive into town in a bit, you can give us the lowdown on some of the dos and don?ts on the way." Hannah agreed to that, with Paige actually whispering, "He?s crafty." Ethan suggested that Hannah change into jeans as she wouldn?t want to chafe in the wrong places. Nichole giggled as she said, "Wrong places" which prompted Hannah to grab Paige?s only other pair of jeans and rush into the bathroom to change. When they got back Ethan told them, "You really need jodhpurs and boots. They work best and are probably more comfortable than those. They might not be stylish back in your hometown but it?ll be better for you than those tight jeans and sneakers." Ethan led the three down to the stables, introducing the three to the staff working on the grounds by announcing, "These are my cousins Ladies Hannah, Paige, and Nichole." He seemed to know exactly who to introduce them to, with stops in the kitchen to meet the cook and her staff as well as the head gardener and games keeper. Nichole whispered to him, "Did you pick and choose who we were being introduced to?" He nodded, adding, "They are the ones truly in charge, dad technically oversees things and grandfather is the person in charge on paper but those people actually run things. And I know they are not happy with dad so knowing Uncle Nigel is back in the good graces of grandfather is going to help us out a lot. They are our biggest supporters, along with the housekeeper. Hopefully the new butler will be as well." The groomsman, Marion Paine, met them outside the stables. He was surprised that Ethan was there, but meeting Nichole, Paige, and Hannah he understood why. He went to work sizing them up for the right saddles, then adjusting the stirrups to fit their leg lengths. The reins took a bit of getting used to, with each girl having to learn how to hold them properly. When that was done he had them dismount to meet each horse individually and groom them a bit to get the horse to see them as a friend and not a threat. With that done Marion had them walk the horses out of the stalls and stable, stopping outside so they could be shown how to properly mount using the mounting block. Hannah was uncharacteristically quiet, while Paige was doing her best to focus on listening closely to Marion?s instructions. Nichole started to remember some of the lessons from when she was last at the estate and gleefully helped her sister up onto her horse much to her annoyance. The three took their time in learning what to do. Ethan acted more like an assistant instructor than their cousin, helping Paige while Hannah got personal attention from Marion himself. Nichole needed little help, she started to remember some of what her dad told her and after a bit she could walk with the horse easily with Marion sticking close enough to step in to help if need be. The three were at it for two hours before their backs and butts started to feel pain. Hannah and Paige had had enough and needed to head in so Ethan and Nichole followed behind. After dismounting and putting the saddles and helmets away then brushing the horses and giving them treats. Marion admitted to them, "That?s the most work I have done in years, normally Lord Ethan avoids the stables and your grandparents rarely get out to the stables. We usually just have schoolchildren and youth groups rent the horses for a day, the family just doesn?t use them much anymore." Hannah smiled as she said, "We will try to ride them a few more times while we are here, it?s the only chance we will have to do so until Christmas." Ethan smiled at hearing they were returning, while Nichole snickered at his response. Paige scolded her and whispered, "He doesn?t get to be with family often so he?s obviously happy to hear the news. Don?t spoil it for him by being a brat." The four had worked up a heavy sweat and smelled bad. They returned to the house and went directly to their showers, each taking their time and changing out of their smelly clothes. Hannah?s clothes had been washed and laid out in the dresser for her by the maids, with the housekeeper leaving a note of apology for her staff?s behavior. Hannah wrote a quick, "There is no need to apologize as you showed true loyalty to the family not to a disgruntled former employee." The four headed down for lunch and were greeted by Karen and Nigel snickering over their tanned and tired faces. Hannah grumbled, "If you think it?s funny why don?t you ride?" Karen then added, "I?ve ridden before and prefer not to do so again." Nigel?s eyebrow raised in surprise, Karen nodded, telling him, "The ponies at the fair. Once you have accidentally fallen in a few of their ?presents? you never want to ride one again." This sent Mr. and Mrs. Smith laughing as Nigel tried to figure out if she was joking or not. Hannah rolled her eyes and explained, "That was Uncle John, not you. And you were the one who pushed him into it." Chapter 7 Lunch led to more discussions about what they were going to do during the week. Hannah asked about the pond and stream which got both Mr. and Mrs. Smith looks of concern. Nigel smiled at a memory then told them, "All three are seasoned swimmers. Ethan wouldn?t have mentioned it if he didn?t want to spend some time there with the girls." Mrs. Smith announced, "He can?t swim" which Hannah countered with, "Then we will teach him. We have done it four times this summer already." Ethan?s face told them everything they needed to know, he was pleading with them to allow it. Mr. Smith looked at Nigel who added, "Both girls are CPR certified due to school rules and the stream?s current is nowhere near as strong as the normal waves they swim against at Kensington Beach. The old dock should still be in working order, we haven?t touched it since I passed my A-Levels." Mr. Smith allowed it, telling the girls, "Fine but in exchange I would like you three to get dressed up for an event tonight. My friends have been inquiring about you three and we wanted to show you off to them to curb any chance of rumors starting." Karen wasn?t sure she liked the idea but Hannah spoke saying simply, "We will do it for Ethan. We expected you were going to do something like this anyway. Just don?t get angry if we don?t act prim and proper the way you expect children of aristocrats to act, you know that isn?t our way. And if we don?t like the questioning or we are feeling out of our depth we reserve the right to leave and retire for the night regardless of how it looks to the guests." Mrs. Smith accepted on her husband?s behalf, curbing his own rebuttal with a stern look. She whispered to him, "They are not your children and you can?t force them to act like people they don?t want to be. They are agreeing to attend, that is all you need from them. Show that they exist and are staying here and that is it." He gave in and told them, "Take one of the maids with you into town, she knows where to get the right dresses. We will pay for the dresses, please don?t fight her over the choices." Hannah was going to refuses but Paige agreed on her behalf, mouthing, "Pick your battles", indicating that it was a lose-lose situation. Better to agree and get it over with than fight and delay the inevitable. Plus she already had won the right to leave early if she chose. Nichole asked who would be attending which got Mr. Smith to spew off a long list of people he thought they should meet. Nigel looked towards Karen and indicated it was all for show and no benefit to anyone but Mr. Smith. Nigel heard some names that caused him to grow infuriated, stating, "We get stabbed in the back by so-called friends and we are expected to ignore their actions? Thank you but I do not wish for them to be here. Make your choice, them or us because if they attend we won?t." He stormed off with Karen behind him, trying to calm him down and hope that he didn?t cause too much damage. Nichole told her grandparents, "Do you have any idea what they said to us when we asked for help? Two of them said they could care less what happened to me and hoped dad would get sent to prison for what he was allowing me to do. One said he refuses to be in the same county as us. Do they even know why you are throwing this gathering?" Mr. Smith tried to explain that they knew to which Mrs. Smith stated, "They are disinvited and we will make note to have them told exactly why." Mr. Smith tried to object, stating, "I can?t disinvite them, what about my standing? Do you know what will happen when word gets out? We won?t be invited to any event agin!" Mrs. Smith stood up, looked at her husband, and stated loudly, "I could care less about invitations. If that is the sort of people who are inviting us to events we are best let off the list and on our own. They are not to come, and when asked why you will be honest and tell the truth." Mr. Smith asked the names of the people Nigel wanted disinvited and with each he shuddered and tried to plead with his wife. She was adamant, listening closely as their butlers and personal assistants took the phone calls. After the last one was disinvited he asked, "Are you sure you want to commit social suicide?" She asked him confidently, "Is your social standing worth losing our son again? Are you content to having your second son ruin your legacy further?" Mr. Smith said a solemn, "No" as he slunk off to his personal office to lick his wounds. Mrs. Smith moved on to inform Nigel that those who acted less than honorably towards him and Nichole were disinvited, they stood by him and were gladly accepting the blow socially rather than risk losing their son again. He silently nodded as he laid down to rest, with Karen by his side. Nigel Jr. stirred and demanded attention which Mrs. Smith gave him, prompting Nigel to fall asleep from the anxiety. Karen got up and walked over to her mother-in-law, sitting down beside her as Nigel Jr. rested in his grandmother?s arms. Mrs. Smith admitted to her softly, "My husband is having more trouble than he realizes getting away from the old ways and seeing that he is harming his family in his pursuit of looking like a proper person. As much as he hates to admit it, this just isn?t him. Sadly the more he fights it the more he drives Nigel and Ethan away. Deep down he is a good man and wants what is best but it is hard to break decades of forced standards." Karen caught the words right, asking, "What do you mean by Ethan?" Mrs. Smith shook her head and could barely contain her contempt for her son?s behavior, explaining, "Ethan is more delicate than other boys. He is smaller and weaker, doesn?t like sports and spends much of his time holed up in his room alone. My husband has tried everything imaginable to get him to act sporty but whenever he tries he gets rebuffed. He doesn?t see that Ethan?s talents lay elsewhere. He?s smart and caring, he enjoys helping others. He is in so many ways like his uncle that it brought me to tears and at times caused me to unintentionally call him Nigel." Karen saw the problems now. Ethan brought memories of Nigel to them and the more he acted like his uncle the more he reminded them of the mistake they made in forcing him to leave. Karen took the initiative and asked, "What about Ethan?s feelings? You have seen what he is like when he is around the girls, having him in such isolation because he is stirring up bad feelings isn?t healthy for him and will only lead to trouble for him as he gets older. So what if he isn?t sporty, he can do great things with his mind. Would it be so wrong for him to aspire to be a doctor or a solicitor or a banker? He would make the family name just as strong as if he was an athlete." Mrs. Smith smiled at her forcing the issue. She shook her head and stated, "I understand what you mean about his feelings but they don?t matter one bit to his father or grandfather." Karen didn?t buy that and asked, "So he gets pushed aside, left to his own devices and trotted out when it?s convenient for one or the other? It?s no wonder he latched on, I hope your husband can see that he caused his own worst fears to be realized, what he is doing to Ethan is the same as he did to Nigel and only going to cause Ethan to push away or heaven forbid worse. I just hope he has the heart to ask for help from us before he does something horrible, I don?t care what his father thinks of Nichole or Nigel I won?t let him harm himself because of his father and grandfather refuse to see the person Ethan is." Mrs. Smith nodded in agreement, asking, "Would you take him in if something should happen to his parents?" Karen without hesitation boldly stated, "I could not turn him away. I would never be able to look either my brother or my sister or any of my nieces or nephews in the face again if I did. He will always have a loving home with us. He is family, no matter what his father may believe." Mrs. Smith lowered her voice and instructed her to follow her, leading her to her private study. Once inside and with the instructions to the maid that she was not to be disturbed and anything overheard was to be instantly forgotten and never revealed to another person. The maid quickly agreed and shooed a colleague away. Inside the room Mrs. Smith had Karen sit down as she told her, "Despite trying to keep her away from us my friends have kept me updated on her. Ethan?s mother Sammi is in poor health and I fear she won?t last much longer. Harry is a hardheaded man who insists that she is fine but he can?t see the physical side of things. I highly doubt it?s his stubbornness that is keeping her from a doctor but there is nothing I can do about that suspicion without talking wither her personally. Sadly for her she has been unable to divorce him as he keeps her a virtual prisoner and she lacks the will and energy to fight him directly." Looking down in shame she continued, "Harry uses Ethan as a pawn to keep her in line, which is why she hasn?t seen her son in over a year and a half. She has a sizable inheritance or her own and on her death it goes to Ethan. Until he reaches the age of maturity Harry controls it and I fear he will ravage it for his own dealings. I am no fool, your family will find out the truth and Harry will be imprisoned. He won?t last long in there, his own nasty business will see to it that he doesn?t last. But that doesn?t matter, what matters is Ethan." Karen sensed something major was coming. Mrs. Smith grew solemn and asked, "Should something happen to her I want you to take Ethan into your home. Raise him as your own. He will be with the only family who can help him grow to be the man he can be. My husband and I aren?t able to do that, but you and Nigel are." Karen thought it over and asked, "What about the inevitable adoption? He will want that so he can sever all ties to his father. Nigel is set on him receiving the title over Nigel Jr. If he is taken in and surely adopted by us what about his claim to the title?" She smiled at Karen?s honesty. She proudly admitted, "There are ways around the rules. There is precedent where he can receive the title as the eldest son if as an orphan he is taken in by his uncle and is a legitimate heir in his own right. There could be some distant relative who lays claim but it?ll be hard to prove and I know my husband has worked hard to ensure those claims are all but eliminated with facts." Karen nodded, saying, "Mrs. Smith, I?ll do it for Ethan." She chuckled at hearing her daughter-in-law call her that, insisting, "Please, call me mother. You have earned the right to call me that. I?ll inform my husband that you will address him as father as well." The two shared a quiet moment cementing their newly formed bond. Mrs. Smith knew she had made the right decision and when Sammi came for her forced visit she?d discuss the issue with her in depth. She knew Sammi would want Ethan to be taken care of by loving people and that meant Karen and Nigel, despite whatever reservations Harry had she knew above all else Sammi would insist. She now had to get it down on paper to ensure Harry didn?t have someone else take Ethan off their hands, especially someone who would gladly use him for personal gain. On the other end of the house Hannah and Paige worked with their appointed maid to plan the shopping trip. Ethan already had a proper suit and Karen had a formal dress that she had brought along just in case so it was only the three girls who needed dresses. Nigel had packed his own formal suit as well, but in the chaos of everything he neglected to tell the girls to do the same and even so he knew his parents would insist on buying them dresses that matched their specifications despite Hannah and Paige both having styles that matched his mother?s style, only with cheaper brands and no pretentious attitude about announcing the designer?s name. Their personal maid, Emma, was 18 years old like Hannah and Paige so she could understand them better than the other maids. Hannah and Paige treated her like a friend and not like a servant, listening to her suggestions about makeup styles and clothing choices for their trip to the city the following day. Her choices were hard to argue against and worked better than the girls thought. After setting out their clothing choices for the week Emma and the three girls set out to go shopping for the dresses. Ethan wanted to join them on the trip but Hannah realized it might not be a good idea to have him with them in the swimsuit or lingerie sections. Emma interjected and told them he needed a swimsuit as well so he should go, earning her a big smile to which she returned. Paige let out a chuckle at Emma?s action but she too had to agree that it was best that he try on the suits to get the right fit. During the drive they gleaned more information from Emma about her life. Emma was only working with the family to earn money to attend university, something both Paige and Hannah understood and were touched by. The other maids seemed to shun her for only working for herself but Hannah and Paige saw it as a benefit and deserved praise, earning even more appreciation from Emma. Ethan added a quick, "They aren?t so bad but they don?t care about you." Hannah caught his drift and added, "You are too personal for their tastes, you have a heart and feelings which they seem to lack. They are good people but you are going to be more than just a maid which upsets them." So they went on with Emma again feeling treated like a person rather than an employee, despite being paid to shop for and drive the ladies to get their dresses. Ethan was enjoying the trip, he was essentially a third wheel but he was there for a valid reason and in truth he just wanted to get out for a while. The drive took almost 45 minutes but it felt shorter with the three 18 year olds talking nonstop. They opted to visit Asda and Tescos first then take the time to get the dresses. The less time sitting about the house the less time they would have to let anxiety build up. Tescos didn?t have what they were looking for but thankfully the Asda did. It was tempting to stay and shop around but they were on a tight schedule as it was. While they were in the women?s section Ethan reminded them about the jodhpurs to which they were lucky to find some in their sizes. They were probably meant for people who casually rode like them but it was needed and it beat wearing the loose fitting jeans over and over again. Ethan found what he needed and with a little bit of help from Hannah and Paige he was all set. He did feel a little odd letting them help with the sizing but Nichole gleefully explained, "They usually help the three youngest boys with their swimsuits so it?s no big deal." Hannah added, "You learn what feels right and what seems to feel right. Get used to this feeling, if your next one doesn?t feel like this you could risk chafing certain things and from what Bryan whined about that is no fun at all." Ethan cringed at the thought which got them giggling. The three then went to find their swimsuits. Emma waited with Ethan who strolled around the store watching other kids and families shop. For him seeing people looking at clothes and seeing him as just another person was an eye-opening experience. He loved just blending into the background with nobody seeing him as anything but a kid with an older sister or cousin, which to him it felt like. Hannah, Paige, and Nichole were finished trying on the swimsuits and with great glee to Ethan. Nichole then handed him a bottle of sunscreen which he put into the trolley without asking what it was for. Hannah then grabbed a light white shirt which she stated, "This?ll help avoid a nasty burn. The sun isn?t too bright but we know too well that burns can and will happen." Ethan looked at her oddly to which Nichole whispered something that caused him to grow sickened and nod furiously, clutching the shirt tight. Their next stop was the one that was most important, the dress shop. Emma called ahead to let them know that the three ladies were coming and that they had little time to waste. She added that last part with force as she knew the staff would look down on Hannah, Paige, and Nichole for being, "Common." The funny thing about that was the three ladies had more money in their bank accounts than the store generated in a year and they actually had real assets, not assets tied directly to their merchandise or tied up in homes and businesses like the so- called aristocracy had. Inside the store Ethan sat at a chair off to the side to allow the three to go about their fittings fast and without his intrusion. Nichole saw his boredom and handed him her iPad, telling him, "Click on Junior?s name and when he comes on tell him I told you to talk with him." He was unsure what to do so he clicked on the Skype icon and then the name, "Junior". Within seconds a boy his age appeared on screen and asked who he was and where Nichole was. Ethan told him cautiously, "Nichole told me to tell you she said to talk with you. She?s getting fitted for a formal dress right now." Junior Kelley and another boy burst into laughter which caused Nichole to come over and tell them, "Just for that we aren?t bringing you back anything" which caused the boys to laugh harder as they saw her wearing a partially zipped, strapless power blue dress that was barely clinging to her chest. Ethan apologized to her. She rolled her eyes at as Junior told him, "She never wears dresses, we have only seen her wear two dresses since we met her." Beside Junior Neil Jones told Ethan, "Ignore Junior, he loves making fun of the girls whenever possible. He doesn?t know what a pain girls can be when they get revenge." The boys asked what the girls were up to which led to them asking him multiple questions about the trip causing Ethan to lose track of time as he answered them. It was the first time that he had had a conversation with boys his own age without being demeaned, insulted, or bullied. It was quite fun, the most fun he had had with other boys in his life. To them he was just another person albeit thousands of miles away and they enjoyed talking with him as well. Hannah and Paige were having trouble finding the right dress that fit their height and busts. The two were taller than average with full figures and busts. Most of the dresses were designed for rail thin or short women, Hannah and Paige were neither. One of the salespeople made a snide remark about them being, "Fat" which Hannah told her bluntly, "If by fat you mean not being anorexic or bulimic then yes. But given who you cater to it?s not a surprise you haven?t seen what a regular person actually looks like as I am sure many of your clients are one or both of those. But frankly you need to take a long look in the mirror because you are much larger than either of us by several dozen pounds, and unlike the two of us who have worked hard to stay in shape and tone our muscles you have more than a large paunch yourself and I highly doubt you are pregnant so there?s little excuse for insult our size when you are worse off than either of us." The woman was thoroughly rebuked but let out one last snide remark about common simpletons which caused Hannah to stop the fitting, get dressed, and leave in anger. Paige shook her head and told them bluntly, "You just insulted the daughter of Lord Nigel Smith, Earl of Boston and the granddaughter of the Marquess of Lincoln." Emma added, "I?ll have to inform the Marchioness that your business has become untenable and she will have to shop elsewhere. Just pray that she doesn?t drag other accounts away from your establishment when she sends her final payments." The staff thought she was bluffing to which Nichole told them, "Hannah is Lady Hannah Smith, her best friend and the one who informed you of your mistake is Paige Connors, the future Lady Bryan Smith. And I am Lady Nichole Smith, and as witness to your remarks is our cousin Lord Ethan Smith and two of my friends in the United States all of whom heard your remarks loud and clear." Nichole showed the iPad with Junior and Neil smiling, telling the staff, "Uncle Nigel will just love hearing that you called his daughter and daughter-in-law fat!" The group walked out to the car and burst into laughter as Nichole told them about the reaction to hearing just who they had insulted. Emma made a frantic phone call to the house with Mrs. Smith telling her, "You are right, I won?t deal with them again. And you were right to warn them as I?ll also let others know why I am doing that so they are losing more than just my account." Emma asked what they could do, with Mrs. Smith telling her, "Given the time, just go to Asda and find something suitable. To hell with impressions, if the girls like it then let them wear it. I?ll deal with my husband and set straight any insulting parties at the reception." They headed right for the Asda and it took them a short half hour to find the right dress for each of them. Hannah didn?t waste any time in saying sharply, "These designs look a lot better than the designer stuff that store had." Emma had to agree, they fit better and accentuated their beauty, making them appear much older than the 18 that they were. A half hour later and back at the house Mrs. Smith inspected their purchases and had to admit they were beautiful dresses and in classic, conservative cuts that were similar to what she would normally buy. Hannah tried to apologize for the delay and the troubles but her grandmother smiled and told her sharply, "That is no big loss, they aren?t the only shop around and they don?t deserve our business if they can?t hold their tongues or keep from insulting their customers." Ethan was still talking with the boys which caught her by surprise. When she asked who they were Nichole explained, "They are friends" but added, "It?s more complicated than that but that?s for another day. If you need to know about them the best way to describe them is that they share more in common with Ethan than age. Junior and Neil have gone through the same things in school that Ethan has although Junior had some other things happen that I don?t want to mention. You can ask mom about that." Paige overheard and announced, "Junior was physically and sexually assaulted by his teacher for being too girly. Neil?s old school used to allow students to openly abuse and bully smaller students and non- athletes with impunity. Both are regular boys who are just on the small side but whose family has late bloomers. Ethan is going to be the same way, he will be small for another couple of years then grow larger than his uncle but his dad and others don?t seem to see that." Mrs. Smith was both shocked and surprised at this. Nichole realized the can of worms that Paige had opened and told her the truth, "Ethan needed someone to talk with to keep himself busy in the shop and I knew that Neil and Junior were available. I trust them completely, they are going to talk back and forth with Ethan more often and hopefully he won?t be so lonely here." Mrs. Smith let a small smile break through and nodded in approval, this was what Ethan needed at this time and the girls knew enough about the boys to know if they would help or not. She only hoped that they weren?t put off by his being a lord. Chapter 8 The family dressed with Emma helping Hannah and Paige while Karen helped Nichole and Nigel helped Ethan. The girls wore their Finn Family traditional pendants while Paige and Hannah wore their engagement rings. The pendants caught the eye of Mrs. Smith who inquired about them and was told the digest version of the story by Nichole, "Our cousins started doing this as a way of showing they were all friends and eventually that the kids were part of the family. We never attend a formal function without it, and we aren?t about to. It?s one of the few traditions we have as a family." Nichole?s bold statement caught Mrs. Smith off guard but she had to admit they weren?t out of place with their dresses and in many ways accentuated them. Mr. Smith was going to say something about the jewelry but saw that his wife was closely inspecting the pendants before saying, "These are very expensive." Hannah nodded, telling her, "It?s from one of the top jewelers in the United States, but they gave our family a nice discount for purchasing so many of them." Mr. Smith asked the obvious, "How many were purchased?" Hannah thought for a minute as she said, "As of this past summer, 30. Sadly two of the recipients have moved away." Paige added, "You forgot Nichole and her friends." Hannah blushed then said, "OK then make that 37 with another two to be bought and given at Christmas for our newest family members." Karen corrected both of them by adding, "They already got theirs before they left Missouri, they wore them at Leslie?s wedding. And I know Jaimie well enough to know that she and the others are going to insist that Ethan be given on so it?ll be 40 of us with them. And before you ask, yes the boys have them as well. Theirs are similar but more masculine." Nigel saw his father?s disbelief to which he added, "We told you there were 70 or so members of the family, the kids did that tradition all on their own. It?s a small gesture showing they are accepted and one of them, although they have at times forgotten they are all together." Nichole added a swift, "That stunk but it worked out for the best in the end, for the four of them." Karen directed them away from the jewelry and the unwanted conversation about Iris and Rachel and towards the reason they were all dressed up. Mr. Smith inspected their dresses and saw nothing wrong with them. He was actually liking the design of them over the ones he had seen some of the younger daughters of friends and colleagues wear at previous events. He asked how much they had spent on them. Mrs. Smith smartly told him, "Less than you think they spent. Best not ask where they came from." He took that to mean they were expensive rather than cheap in price yet good in quality dresses from Asda. What he didn?t know wouldn?t hurt him and she doubted anyone would ever notice they weren?t designer dresses anyway. The time had come and the guests started to arrive. Nigel Jr. was well rested and awake, looking for attention from his mother and sisters, causing more than a few curious glances as his cries and fussiness were heard by the arriving invitees as he bounced around seeking someone to pick him up. Hannah picked him up and rocked him in her arms getting giggles and gassy burps from him before he settled down again, content to lounge around while the others fussed over one thing or another. Mr. Smith led the family into the lounge where all the guests had gathered. Mrs. Smith quickly made herself busy making small talk with each guest trying to keep them occupied as they awaited their late arrivals. Nigel and Karen were trotted around behind Mr. Smith to be introduced to everyone much to their dismay but knowing it was absolutely important that he do that with them. Ethan and Nichole just blended into the background while Paige stood with Hannah who was holding Nigel encouraging him to go back to sleep. Hannah?s handling of Nigel Jr. caught several of the ladies by surprise and led to several comments about the, "Help" being allowed to be in their esteemed presence while awaiting the so-called guests of honor. Hannah ignored their comments, focusing on trying to get Nigel Jr. down for the night while keeping her own frustrations in check. Paige was doing her best to keep her mind occupied and away from the comments as well but even the normally calm and collected young woman was finding their constant insults over their being there tiring. She didn?t know her own breaking point but at the rate things were going she might find out soon. Nichole and Ethan had finally finished making their rounds with neither getting much if any attention from the attending guests. In a far corner of the lounge they compared their notes. Ethan had heard snide comments and insults regarding Paige and Hannah and their, "Being allowed" in the same room with the baby as the, "Guests" with both trying hard not to laugh at the assumptions about them. He solemnly added that there were many guests who were upset or insulted that Nigel was allowed to return and that Nichole was there let alone allowed to enter the Smiths? home. There were a few who planned to inform their grandfather that if he invited them again they would have to be barred from attending or they would not show up. Nichole?s notes were no better. There were many guests insulting Ethan for being there, not because he was Harry?s son but because he was just a little kid and kids didn?t belong at their functions. There were several joking about his status as a, "Nobody" in the family taking great pride in pointing it out especially as his father wasn?t there. There were more comments about his mom and dad?s relationship with several speculating that he wasn?t Harry?s real son which was why he was always there and never at his, "Real" home. Those weren?t even the worst comments. There were comments about Sammi being with anyone and everyone while Harry was away, some even saying she might have fathered Ethan with Nigel as he looks so similar to Nigel rather than Harry. Ethan shrugged all of that off. It was nothing new to him. The people attending routinely stab one another in the back to get ahead in their small social circle. They would turn on anyone if it meant they could look better in the eyes of the majority. The two shared the same idea as Hannah and Paige. He had no interest in social status and standing and neither did Nichole. The two made their way around the room interacting with some of the few friendly faces while awaiting Hannah?s return, Nigel Jr. finally falling asleep after a diaper change and bottle upstairs. Hannah?s entrance into the room again after putting Nigel Jr. down caused more heads to turn as someone finally asked why she was there with the same guest calling for the footman to remove her from the room. Hannah was fed up with the reception and bluntly told the guest, "I am sorry, but I am one of the guests of honor at this dinner party. I would hate for my grandfather to know that his granddaughter was removed from the room and thus unable to attend the gathering because one of his guests felt it was their duty to decide who could and could not attend without first notifying him or his wife." Hannah?s caustic response caused all talking to cease as the crowd awaited the response. Mr. Smith cleared his voice and loudly announced, "Please pardon the interruption by our ignorant guests but my granddaughter here is correct. I would like to know why it is that you insist on having her removed from the room. You will have to excuse her for allowing her mother and father to greet our fellow guests while she acted on her parents? wishes and took personal care of her young brother, Lord Nigel Smith Jr.. I am grateful that she was willing to sacrifice her time mixing among you to ensure that we had a quiet reception and her sibling received the needed care and attention before he retired for the night." Thoroughly humiliated the loudmouth guest took a seat in the side of the room as others laughed at his expense. Hannah needed a few minutes to compose herself and sought out Nichole and Ethan. The two were speechless, it was the first time they had seen their grandfather dress down a guest let alone one who both knew to be a friend of his. As she made her way over to the duo she was stopped by a familiar face. Hannah immediately hugged him then hugged the woman with him. Nichole and Paige made their way over and did the same, getting hugs in return. The sight made guests take notice as the three girls showed affection for the guest who did not seem in the least bit surprised at receiving it. Karen and Nigel made their way over and showed the same affection, with Karen finally asking, "What brings you to this fine estate, Uncle Walter?" Walter and Lilian Gorman both smiled as they announced, "We were invited by your father-in-law." Mr. and Mrs. Smith walked over and sought an explanation. Walter proudly stated, "Karen?s father was my oldest and dearest friend and my brother in all but name. I had the honor of walking her down the aisle exactly one year ago on this day when she married your son Nigel. Hannah and her twin brother are Lilian?s first cousins twice removed and her sole surviving relatives. They are family to us as are Nigel, Nigel Jr., and Nichole." The guests started to murmur and quietly speculate about the fact that the Americans were not only the guests of honor but they were related to a powerful and influential guest. Hannah calmed down a bit after seeing the Gormans and made her way around the room again, taking in the shocked expressions from the guests. Nichole tried her hardest to hide her contempt, they had turned coat and were acting respectful whereas a few minutes before they were openly insulting Hannah and Paige. She enjoyed watching them try to backpedal as she asked a few of them, "I do hope Uncle Walter doesn?t hear that you were mocking my sister and future sister-in-law again, he so hates when people act one way then act another when that person is out of earshot." Mr. Smith and Walter talked for a while about Nigel and Karen with the two listening with smiles and occasionally cringing at Walter?s joking and teasing. Walter showed Mr. Smith one of his prized possessions, a photo of Nigel and Karen at the altar with the three children, Walter, and Lillian. Mr. Smith was astonished to see that Walter was no liar, especially as Nigel had shown him a similar picture the night before. Lillian and Mrs. Smith talked about the kids, with Lillian sharing her belief that Karen was the perfect choice to help Ethan in the future. In fact she went so far as to suggest that he might want to come with them during his break instead of going to the estate which got Mrs. Smith quickly agreeing. Mrs. Smith smiled as she told her, "We had that same idea and we think the girls have already told Ethan something along those lines. It?ll require his parents approval but that won?t take much with my husband holding Harry?s purse strings." The dinner went on soon after with the guests seeing just how involved this was. Mrs. Smith had arranged it so the family was spread among the guests. The idea was there would be some interaction among the guests and the new family members but she knew it was probably a bad idea in hindsight but there was little she could do in time so she hoped things didn?t come entirely crashing down on them too early and Hannah didn?t make too many guests embarrass themselves. Hannah was among several titled men and their wives with each snubbing her and pretending she wasn?t there. She ate a bit but after the conversations turned to her and they acted as if she wasn?t there and purposely mocking her commoner beginnings. When they openly insulted Karen she had finally had enough. Hannah loudly stated to the offending gentlemen, "I apologize for ruining your evening enough so that you feel the need to insult me while sitting next to you. I know I may be just a ?poor pathetic commoner trying to be an aristocrat? but if you are what an the typical aristocrat then I am glad to not be one. Now if you will excuse me I need to check on my $2 million trust fund and $5 million bank account. I hope my uncle?s $250 million bank account is still doing fine as well. By the way, exactly how much do you have in your account? Somehow I highly doubt you have anywhere near as much as that especially not in any liquid form." She stormed out, with Paige, Hannah, and Ethan following close behind. The offending guest laughed at her claims, saying loudly, "That is some claim from a piece of common garbage, next you will tell me that uncle is also a commoner like her." Enraged Karen stood up and announced, "She is wrong. Her trust fund isn?t $2 million it?s actually just surpassed $3 million and her bank account has recently surpassed $6 million. And her uncle, my brother, saw his own account surpass $300 million and has spent more on charities in the past month than you have spent in your lifetime. Now if you excuse me I need to see to my family and ensure that my daughter doesn?t inform her uncle and my coworkers about your actions or those of several guests and cause your own investments and ?fortunes? to collapse. He has done so before when family was insulted and he will do so again." Mr. Smith ended the dinner at that point, with a loud, "You have no need to excuse yourself Karen. Hannah has every right to be offended by that man?s rude and crude behavior especially as he has no justification for such scathing remarks about either you or herself. I am just glad her brother was not here to hear those remarks or the gentleman would be out on his nose and likely suffering a broken arm and tailbone from the effort." Agreeing loudly, Walter interjected, "Never mind him, her fianc? would have gladly taken the gentleman to task for insulting his fianc? in such a manner. I understand Pete has a shorter fuse when it comes to people insulting his fianc? and has at times taken three men to hold him back from harming the offending party. The last one to do it hasn?t shown his face in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for fear of his retribution." This brought a bout of laughter as the man?s face showed both shock and shame, with Walter adding a quick, "And you can forget about your apologies, you can tell Harry that he is in over his head when he comes. He is picking a fight with the wrong family. Nigel isn?t the weakling without support, if he thinks he is going to bully Nigel into leaving or trick his father into abandoning his son again he is delusional. If he tries to go after Hannah, Nichole, Paige, or Ethan to get at Nigel he is going to face a fury that has no description short of ?apocalyptic?. And that is just from one person." Nigel cocked his head as Walter said that. Walter indicated that he?d explain later. The rest of the guests made their excuses and left, with several genuinely apologizing for their behavior but with several receiving cold nods from Mrs. Smith. Those people were essentially cut out of the social scene, the Smiths adding them to a list of people not allowed to attend their functions. Word would get around and they would find themselves finding it tougher to attend other functions as well. Mrs. Smith was not one to cross and her friends followed her lead. Up in her room Hannah was trying her hardest to get her anger in check. Nichole made a quick Skype to her uncle John and her cousins hoping that would work. Jaimie answered with Hannah seeing her friendly face and hearing her soothing voice and relaxing. Nichole explained what happened with Jaimie trying to come up with the right words and failing miserably. Karen entered and told her what happened with Jaimie adding, "It?s obvious what happened. That whole walkout was staged. He was trying to incite Hannah to do something and she did it in a way that backfired on him badly. He planned the whole thing from the start and had his friend do the dirtywork but he had no clue that Uncle Walter was related to you or let alone back you up fully. Whatever you do, watch out for that Harry. From now on keep on guard at all times and ensure that you have Jonas? number handy." Karen left after that with Jaimie and the girls talking. Ethan sat silently watching the girls until Jaimie finally asked, "Is Ethan just going to sit there watching us or is he going to say anything?" All three turned to Ethan who was shocked that she had noticed him. Ethan tried to quietly leave until Jaimie told him, "Don?t go. You don?t have to sit in silence while we talk. All of this involves you as much as it does them so you should take part in it." Ethan nodded, telling them the relationship of the loudmouth to his father. The two were school buds but both being 2nd sons they were forced together and have had each other?s back since school. By luck and a bad accident the man inherited his brother?s title allowing him to get into the social scene allowing Harry to be updated regarding the dealings of others in the circle especially his parents. Jaimie was taking notes and handed them off to her brother Miles who himself was sitting in silence just off screen. Hannah asked her how long he had been there getting a blush and quick, "Since he heard the call tones." Nichole giggled telling Ethan, "Guess you know now why you were put on the spot, Miles knew you had information. Jaimie never does something without a valid reason." Miles finally announced, "We need to see if there is a connection between the two beyond friendship. Something stinks about him going after you guys, it?s more than humiliation. This reeks of an inside job. So far it feels like he is trying to get your grandfather out of the social scene and causing strain on contacts. Reed needs to get a look at the books, Aunt Kennedy needs to look at the contracts. With you in the picture and Uncle Nigel in the good graces of his dad someone is losing out and it?s not just Harry." Ethan asked if he was the same Miles that was coming getting Jaimie to complain about him getting to go without her. Miles countered with a quick, "This is business, not pleasure. Do you think I WANT to fly out there for just two days and spend hours looking at numbers?" He then addressed Ethan adding, "And I was already confronted by Junior and Neil about seeing you, they are already eager to talk again whenever it?s possible. They loved the talk earlier." Jaimie was going to say something about the two but Miles added a quick, "They know about your situation and they are proud to talk with you anytime, they invoked the ?outcasts stick together? motto that dad likes to use sometimes." Hannah groaned and told him, "Remind them that there is a 5-hour time difference, that way they don?t keep him up all night." That got the others laughing until they realized she was serious. Ethan nodded in agreement with Miles smiling at the little correction. Outside the bedroom Karen was met by Mr. and Mrs. Smith and indicated to them to be silent. She slowly opened the door enough so they could see what was going on. The four were talking with Jaimie and Miles with Nichole doing most of the talking while Ethan occasionally adding a few words. Closing the door again and walking out of earshot Karen pointed out, "They are talking with their cousins Jaimie and Miles. Miles is one of the three coming over the weekend and Jaimie is the young lady who started our large family. She also happens to be a girl like Nichole was." The look on their face was both shock and surprise. Mr. Smith asked, "How is that possible? There is nothing about here that shows she was a boy." Karen shook her head telling him, "Four years of hormones started before the onset of male puberty after just losing her testicles following an assault." Mrs. Smith was going to ask about that to which Karen cut her off by softly saying, "It was done by a badly abused young boy whose father was nothing short of animalistic towards him for several years. He was saved from that same abuse by Jaimie herself and is now a top student, athlete, and role model for other abused children. He is also a close friend to all of the teens and a cousin of one of the boys Ethan has been talking with earlier." The Smiths were again gob smacked by something Karen had told them. Nigel, who was listening to them, added, "Scott is a good man and very protective of others. Knowing the girls especially Jaimie Ethan will meet him within a day of touching down in Boston. Just about all of the boys in the family are like him in some form or another, with only Richard being the closest to ?normal? among them." Mr. Smith asked what he meant to which Mrs. Smith admitted, "During half-term I was going to insist that Ethan go visit Nigel and Karen for the week." Karen added, "We thought it would benefit him to go somewhere different, being with family instead of holed up on the estate as usual." Mrs. Smith added, "He is already aware that we might do something like that and has made friends with two boys already, both of whom Karen and Nigel trust." Mr. Smith was outnumbered, he could only say, "Make sure his mother knows and more importantly agrees with it. I don?t want Harry getting any ideas about having Nigel tried for kidnapping him!" The four were walking towards the lounge but stopped at the room the kids were in. Hannah opened the door telling them, "We are done for the night so you don?t have to sneak around. Jaimie saw the door opening and closing so we know you saw and heard us." Karen swiftly told them, "I was only pointing out Jaimie and Miles, that?s all. We weren?t listening to what you were talking about. I just wanted your grandparents to see the two she is going to hear all about." Hannah didn?t quite buy it but agreed somewhat. She added, "Well Michael would have been in there too but he had practice tonight. And the twins are out with DJ doing some sort of ?mommy and me? class for toddlers." Ethan then asked about the half-term holiday week. He told them, "The boys know about it and Jaimie said it falls on a holiday, are you going to tell mother and father for me?" His eyes were pleading. Mr. Smith nodded, telling him softly, "Your aunt already mentioned it and your grandmother agreed. We will talk with your mother and settle any troubles before your father objects." Leaving to their own bedrooms Mr. Smith quietly told Karen, "That girl is a mind reader." Karen giggled telling him in return, "She probably looked up his school calendar while they were talking, that is if she didn?t look it up already. She is crafty and smart, but she also read his behavior and saw how much he wanted to go meet the boys. She sees in him something that almost all others miss, she sees a boy in need of someone who cares about him for him not because you pay them to or they get something out of it." Chapter 9 The family went to sleep knowing they had been bamboozled by Jaimie?s cunning manipulation. Karen and Nigel talked a short time about Jaimie?s little action and both agreed that they couldn?t give her full credit for that little action as it was actually Nichole?s whole plan. As much as she would deny it, the girl was the link between that afternoon?s chat and that night?s chat. In the morning Ethan and the girls had a full day planned. That morning they were going swimming and that afternoon they were walking around the estate to see the various sources of revenue for the family. Ethan was abuzz with excitement as the four youngsters ate their breakfast in silence while Nigel and Karen discussed their own plans for the day. Mrs. Smith had plans to have lunch with some friends, which Karen and Nigel were invited to come along with. Mr. Smith had business to take care of in Boston regarding the need for a new butler so Hannah was in charge for the day. This of course meant that Hannah was going to take pride in showing her power over the three others but in reality they were going to listen to her anyway. Ethan was quick to change into his swimsuit while Hannah, Paige, and Nichole took their time. After what seemed like hours to him the girls came out clad in skimpy bikinis while he was wearing a swim shirt. He complained that Nichole didn?t have one which Hannah quickly told her to put the one they bought for her on. She grumbled about them not wearing them which got Ethan giggling at her. Hannah ignored her but did tell her, "You can take it off when you are out of the water, otherwise leave it on." Ethan asked, "Are you going to lays out and tan? Mom usually does her tanning topless." Nichole giggled at that which got both Paige and Hannah blushing. They weren?t too keen on showing their breasts to anyone, even if it was their family?s land and especially not in front of the young Ethan. She softly mumbled, "No, we will keep them on. There are ways of getting a tan without showing off our breasts." Nichole added a quick, "They don?t like to show their boobs to anyone except Bryan and Pete." Both girls yelled at her causing her to run off laughing. Ethan tried to apologize but they admitted, "We only just turned 18 and there are a lot of perverts who hang out at the local beach so we don?t want to get into the habit of going without a top even if it?s on a private estate. It?s nothing against the culture over here, it?s just that we just don?t want to do it." Paige quickly agreed, adding, "And as much as we like you as a cousin, it still feels weird if you were to see us like that. You are a little too old to see us like that" Ethan let that last remark go and led the four to the small lake. Looking around Hannah had to admit it was pretty. Nichole complained about the different animals and vegetation clogging the water which Paige agreed with. It was pretty to sit by and watch the small animals but it wasn?t the best place to swim. Ethan didn?t see much wrong but told them, "The stream is bigger and has nothing in it but I didn?t want to worry about the current." Hannah just smiled and told him, "It?s alright, you were right to consider that. We had to teach you anyway but it?s best that you not have anything to cause distractions." Ethan guided them to the stream and showed them the small wharf. They laid their towels on it, then stripped out of their shorts and t- shirts. Without even thinking about it Ethan got a good look at Nichole?s flat bikini front, blushing at the sight of it. Nichole quietly told him, "It?s alright to look, you needed to see for yourself. Nothing there, just like my sister. Although looking at her, she probably should have shaved a little more." This got Hannah nearly choking on her water bottle as Paige burst into laughter and Ethan blushed deeply in embarrassment. Hannah simply did the only thing she could do, she tossed Nichole into the water. Paige followed quickly behind as did Hannah. Ethan was reluctant to join them, but the two older girls had their arms out to catch him encouraging him to jump to them. After a look at the pleading Nichole he jumped into their arms and was helped to the dock where he held on for dear life. Hannah worked with Ethan on his doggy paddle and floating on his back then moved on to treading water. When his confidence in the water grew she started to have him swim short distances from the dock to her. She kept increasing the distance until Ethan was swimming 25 yards on his own against the gentle current no less. When he finally realized he was swimming on his own he just kept going. The stream wasn?t too deep so both Hannah and Paige could easily stand on the bottom but it was up to Ethan?s neck so there was still a fear that he could sink in the wrong spot. Hannah kept assuring him that he was doing fine and all he had to do was keep moving so he didn?t lose focus. She kept telling him, "It?s all about muscle memory, the more you do it the less you have to think about it. Once you stop thinking you will never have to remember as your arms and legs will do all the work for you." Seeing some hesitancy in Ethan Hannah thought it was a good time to take a break so she told him they?d go at it again in the afternoon, after their walk around the estate. Ethan reluctantly agreed with the four climbing out and resting in the sun for a half hour to dry out and tan. Nichole again joked about their tanning which the two ignored while Ethan tried his hardest to keep from laughing. He wasn?t at the age where boobs were funny but seeing them play around with one another was. Their tanning over, the four walked back to the house and were greeted by an eager Emma who hung their suits up to air dry while they washed off a little before preparing for lunch. Emma listened to Ethan?s talk and was beaming with pride at his finally enjoying himself at the estate. When Nichole finally came out she added, "Just be glad it wasn?t mom teaching you, I heard what she did to Uncle John and it wasn?t nice. It was funny, but it wasn?t nice." Nichole ran before Hannah could whack her but the damage was done. Ethan asked what she was talking about but Hannah wouldn?t answer. Fearing he would be too scared to trust them Paige told him the truth. Karen taught John by getting fed up with him only swimming short distances in the shallow end of the pool by dropping him into the deep end of the swimming pool and forcing him to swim to her or be left stranded, clinging onto the wall for support. He cried for a while but gave up when his arms got tired and swam to her, seeing that he was being lazy and not listening to her. With that explanation Ethan was becoming calmer as he heard it; it wasn?t so much scary as cruel. He figured that was what siblings did to one another, it wasn?t much different than Hannah and Nichole teasing one another. When they caught up with Nichole he asked, "Did you really wet yourself waiting in line to change at the pool last month?" Nichole?s face went pale as Hannah burst into laughter. Paige quickly added, "That?s what you get for trying to scare him. You are even now, don?t do it again." She mumbled something indecipherable but the point was made, she wouldn?t do it again. They hadn?t realized they had been gone for three hours until they arrived at the house and saw it was close to 12:30. The four ate a quiet meal as the strain from the swimming took hold on them. Ethan?s happiness over doing things that were fun was apparent, the staff?s whispers and rumor mill was on high and word that the boy was enjoying himself more with his cousins than with his own parents or grandparents. It wasn?t so much that they were talking about his grandparents? neglect, rather the staff was upset that his father was the cause of him being left there and so much of his loneliness. As the kids were enjoying their lunch Mrs. Smith, Nigel, and Karen were out to lunch meeting with friends of Mrs. Smith. Karen gave her no assurances that she would be on her best behavior if they offended her and Mrs. Smith made no expectation that she should do that either. The two had an unspoken bond that was becoming apparent and to which Nigel was grateful, Karen needed someone who understood her and more importantly supported her actions. The lunch was in a posh restaurant that Karen felt was overpriced and the patrons? egos overinflated. Nigel looked around and saw some familiar faces, all of whom were staring at them and all of whom were about to gossip about the family. Mrs. Smith could care less about the other patrons, it was the few sitting around a private table on the patio that she was focused on. Around a table sat four women. Mrs. Smith had only invited two of them, with one specifically not being invited. The second was a pleasant surprise, which was about to turn interesting for their uninvited guest. Mrs. Smith addressed the two women with a kind, "Good afternoon ladies, my apologies but I was hoping to keep this between Mabel, Honoria, and myself." Turning to the unwanted party she smiled as she stated, "I do hope your husband is recovering from his verbal lashing last night. My husband and the ambassador were not too thrilled to have to have our granddaughter embarrass him so thoroughly in having to verbally come to her own defense. Surely he will have recovered from his utter embarrassment at making so many insulting remarks towards her and my daughter-in-law." The woman?s face went pale as she tried hard to find the exact words to say. Honoria, the older looking of the two women, asked exactly what happened as the other ladies would thoroughly enjoy the story. Mrs. Smith recalled the events with Honoria?s face getting angrier by the second. It took great strength to hold her tongue hearing the story but the part about both Hannah and Karen verbally setting the facts right caused her to chuckle. Mabel, the younger looking of the two just smiled and nodded. When Mrs. Smith finished her story Mabel added a swift, "I expect better from George than that but given who he associates with George has his own priorities. Perhaps during your time away from polite society you two can look a closer look at yourselves and what you are becoming. I would hate for his priorities to impact his future among the peers. Given that he himself wasn?t born with a title he should have felt some solace in that there was another person who had managed to achieve something so noble as an earldom and marquessdom." The woman stormed off, the message from Mabel was clear and she didn?t like it. Turning towards Karen Mabel asked about the baby who had now started to stir and look at the assembled ladies. He indicated that he wanted to get out and see everyone he was hearing which Karen obliged. Seeing the ladies Nigel Jr. cooed and giggled, flapping his arms around in glee. It was attention time for the little one and he was the new star. The two women were entertaining him and he was doing the same to them. Away from the table Nigel and his mother were talking with the other uninvited guest but this person wasn?t receiving the cold reception from them. Mrs. Smith solemnly asked, "When did you get into town?" Her reply was a swift, "This morning, your son said someone was pretending to be your other son. He thinks I?m going to play his little game and help him get the title but I?m through helping him out. He may be my nephew but the man has no sense of decency. He stretched family obligation too far." Turning to Nigel she told him sharply, "You look much better than four years ago and the woman clearly adores you. I can?t say I am pleased that you married a widow but the heart gets what the heart wants." Mrs. Smith showed the two to the table and sat down, with Nigel Jr. immediately trying to get attention from the new woman at the table. Mrs. Smith turned to Karen and introduced her to the three by stating, "It?s time you met these lovely ladies. The elder of our little group is Lady Honoria Beauchamp, the Countess of Hull. Next to her is Lady Mabel Winstead, the Baroness of Cambridge. And the young woman getting my lovely grandson?s attention is Lady Camille Young, the Viscountess of Braintree and my younger sister." Karen greeted each of them as, "My lady". Camille countered her with, "Don?t bother with the courtesy title, so long as you are married to my nephew I?m your aunt so please call me Aunt Camille." Turning to her sister, Camille asked, "Have you settled the issue yet?" Karen asked what that was to which Mrs. Smith replied, "Nichole was the heir to the title. Nigel Jr. would be next in line. I know neither of them is going to want the title so we need to figure this out before Harry gets wind. Camille has graciously offered to keep him out of the loop and distract him but we need to work quickly." Karen nodded, admitting, "She doesn?t want it and she isn?t eligible anymore anyway, and I can?t speak for my son but if he wants to take the title it?s his. Ethan deserves it but not through Harry. I would rather it go extinct than have Harry get the satisfaction of the title." Nigel nodded in agreement. Camille asked calmly, "Are you going to seek the use of your father?s subsidiary title for him? This would give him his own title and leave Harry on his own, a lord in name only." Karen asked for an explanation to which Nigel explained. Karen smiled at that, but her face turned to fear as she asked, "What happens if heaven forbid his mother passes on and we have to implement the plan we talked about?" Camille smiled as she announced, "You would still go through with it as it would make things simpler. You two would adopt him but the title would fall to him by default, as you are adopting within the family to protect a legitimate heir to the title in his own rite through his father. This of course centers on Harry being removed as his parent which won?t take much to do. What it really requires would be a royal warrant of precedent declaring him as the new heir instead of Nigel Jr." This was a big relief to which Karen smiled adding, "That would be both an insult and jab at the heart of Harry if it happens, but thankfully Ethan would be taken care of no matter what. That above all else is what really matters." Camille asked where the boy was to which Karen admitted, "Ethan is with my daughters and future daughter-in-law, they are teaching him to swim." Mrs. Smith asked if that was wise to which Nigel inserted, "They taught four kids this summer already, all younger than Ethan. And if I remember correctly his boarding school teaches them to swim but knowing those ogres he likely got ignored when he wasn?t as quick learning or as strong of a swimmer as the students." Camille held off asking the one question she really had, asking, "How has Nichole been since her change?" Nigel answered with a swift, "She was pleased to find people who went out of their way to help her, find the right doctors for her, and care for her when she recovered from her surgery." Camille asked him to explain to which Karen stated, "Nearly a year ago Nichole was stabbed trying to protect her older cousin from three attackers. The stab was to her leg and groin, causing her to need immediate surgery. The wound was so bad that the only viable option was to give her emergency genital surgery, so she is female now in all ways except she can?t have children." Camille?s faced was shock over hearing this for the first time while Honoria and Mabel knew the incident already so they were not moved. Karen then added, "My brother agonized for a week over the decision, but Nichole wouldn?t let anyone get upset on her behalf. She wasn?t supposed to have it happen for 10 years but there was no choice in the matter." Camille nodded softly, realizing that the information she had received was next to useless or outright false. Looking over to her sister Mrs. Smith told her softly, "Nichole is the happiest we have ever seen her and is making Ethan out to be a better man. The boy is enjoying his cousins. Harry?s claims about Nichole and Ethan were not only false but outrageous and comical. When he enquires about Ethan and Nichole be sure to tell him that the boy is doing his best to enjoy his short time with his cousins." Camille nodded again, knowing that Harry was going to put her in a difficult situation. She swore she?d keep the surgery a secret but couldn?t stop the staff or others from talking. The three ladies excused themselves soon after. Camille stated she would visit the house soon, sooner if Harry came unannounced. Karen stated she?d have Hannah on her best behavior which got Camille laughing and adding a quick, "She?s fiery, but she?s normally right. You have to give her credit for knowing what is right." Outside as they awaited the chauffeur?s return Karen asked if she trusted her sister enough to keep things quiet. Mrs. Smith smiled as she stated, "She is playing both sides. Her being here was no coincidence, it was thought that they could intimidate both of you but that didn?t happen. Mabel and Honoria are too strong willed and have their own views on people, my sister was left out because they dislike her only going for the ?winning? side. She won?t hesitate to tell him about Nichole and Ethan if he asks about the meeting. He will be in such a rush to hide things about himself while trying to get more dirt on Nigel and you that we will have him cornered. Your cousin and nephews are going to have their work cut out for them, but I trust they know what they are looking for." Karen quickly added, "I wouldn?t have called for their help if they weren?t the best of the best." Chapter 10 Back at the house the four youths finished lunch. The cook was happily cooking simple dishes for them; it gave her more time for dinner preparation and a bit of a rest. She was also pleased that the Smiths cut back on their menu to allow for the youngsters?, "Unsophisticated palate" but after taking some time to discus with them the food they were actually more sophisticated than the Smiths were! Chef would never tell the Smiths this secret. Hannah admitted that her uncle was always, "Trying new foods all the time" which the chef gleefully understood and added, "He?s a good man to do that for you." This led to Hannah, Paige, and Nichole talking about their Uncles Jorge and John, getting a big grin of appreciation from her over the three treating her like the skilled chef she was. Chef asked about the special dishes which Nichole jokingly told her about the constant failure of John to recreate Jorge?s dishes which the chef understood with empathy. She announced she would try the dish on Saturday, with Hannah calling her great aunt to ask for the recipe and then having the chef smartly alter a few things to compensate for locally obtainable items for ones she couldn?t get. It wouldn?t be the same but it would be good. Watching all of this in silence Ethan finally asked what it was all about. Nichole explained simply, "Our Great Uncle Jorge makes a dish that everyone eats at least once. Only one person has ever disliked it. It?s become a family tradition and shows Uncle Jorge accepts you as a friend of ours if not part of the family." Hannah added, "He usually only made it for special occasions." Paige added in, "The only person who disliked it was their Uncle Roland, who was exactly like your dad in so many ways." Ethan finally understood, adding a solemn, "You don?t have to go through the trouble" to which Hannah added, "It?s a nice gesture and even if doesn?t go over well it?s a sign from chef that our tastes are being considered. Grandmother and Grandfather don?t have to eat it, but it?s still a nice gesture by her. Plus you at least know going into your break what it?ll taste like, even if it?s not the same as the real thing. He won?t let you come all the way to Winnisimmet without being treated to a meal, in fact he will insist on it." With that they got changed into their swimsuits and started the walk around the estate. Stopping first off at the stables to see the horses and help walk them around outside the stable for some exercise. When the horses were back in their stalls being groomed by Marion they walked on to the backside of the estate where they walked along several trails, stopping for pictures and hearing Ethan talk about things he had seen and done on the trails. It wasn?t much and pretty boring to the girls but showed that Ethan had been through a lot of loneliness and isolation on the estate. The girls listened to him out of respect and understanding, it was the least they could do for him. He thanked them for letting him show them around, he knew they were bored stiff but were showing him they cared enough about him to listen to him. At the stream the four quickly got out of their cloths and jumped into the water. Ethan admitted to Hannah, "You are better than my instructor at school. He kept yelling at us to do better then stopped teaching us when we weren?t doing what he wanted fast enough. A lot of us just stopped trying and didn?t bother anymore. I liked swimming but not with him teaching us." Hannah shook her head and admitted, "I suspected as much. You are better than you think, you just need different kind of encouragement. The jocks do best with negative reinforcement; they like to fight back against what people tell them. But kids like you don?t, you need people to tell you that you are doing fine and help you make the needed adjustments and show you how it?s done so you can emulate them. When you go back you will be better than others and may surprise your teacher." He shook his had no, mumbling, "I am too much of a sissy for him. He will just find something else about me to use against me. I?m not worth the time or effort for him to teach. He spends more effort telling me how bad I am than telling us how to do things right." They let it drop at that. The four swam up and down the stream with Ethan getting better and not needing them to stay close. Eventually he didn?t bother to touch the bottom, staying almost exclusively with his knees bent and treading water on his own. He was swimming, not where the water was over his head, but he was swimming nonetheless. After a total of two hours they stopped and sunned themselves again. This time Hannah went without the straps of her bikini top, laying on her chest to tan her back. Ethan looked away and kept his head down letting the sun heat his back. Eventually without thinking Hannah and Paige turned over and sunned their chests, keeping their tops on but keeping the straps out of the way. Nichole asked to do the same which got a resounding, "No" from both Hannah and Paige and to which Ethan added, "It might be hard to explain to Uncle Nigel why you don?t have tan lines." Nichole reluctantly agreed, mumbling about the older girls being lucky. When the two older girls were done they gathered their things and left. Ethan didn?t bat an eye at seeing the girls topless for a couple of seconds as their tops came off as they quickly moved to adjust the straps and remembered there was a boy present. He and Nichole simply walked ahead as they rushed to get their tops and shirts on, both blushing deeply at their forgetfulness. After catching up Hannah told Nichole, "Don?t you dare tell dad we did that." Back at the house the four showered and changed, putting away their swimsuits to dry. Emma asked what they had planned for the next day to which Hannah smiled and said, "We are going to Boston." Ethan then asked a quick, "I thought you said you were from Boston? Are you going home tomorrow? Please don?t go!" Ethan was on the verge of tears. Hannah smiled and told him warmly, "We aren?t leaving. We are visiting your Boston, the one down the road." Emma didn?t get the joke, to which Nichole told her, "We are from the city next door to Boston so it?s just easier to say we are from Boston, our uncle wanted us to visit the city?s namesake and visit some places to take a few pictures." She understood now, snickering at the joke they were going to tell others. The group relaxed for a while as they awaited the adults? return. Ethan spent almost all of the time Skyping with his new friends Junior and Neil. Nichole, Paige, and Hannah let the three talk it out, Neil had actually started to turn into the leader of the three so he did most of the talking with the three exchanging jokes and discussing a lot of things that boys their age usually talk about. When the two had to go out Ethan decided to try to contact Jaimie. As the call connected Ethan was shocked to see two very young kids on the computer. The kids started giggling at seeing him and he frantically tried to end the call only to have them say, "Hi Ethan". Ethan didn?t know what to do and tried again to close the call but the kids pleaded with him not to. Nichole finally saw what was happening and loudly told the twins, "Does Aunt Valerie know you are fooling around on the computer, Cat? You know what happens when you do that." Ethan asked her to explain with Nichole telling him sharply, "That?s Cat and JD, Jaimie and Miles? little brother and sister. They are in trouble, they aren?t allowed to use the computers without someone there especially when someone is trying to Skype." As Nichole said that they heard someone shouting at the twins. A teen boy appeared and looked at who the twins were talking with, asking, "Who are you?" Off to the side Nichole snickered and gave him a quick, "Shouldn?t you be out with Courtney?" Ethan looked puzzled until he shot back, "Shouldn?t you be out hanging out at Buckingham Palace with the queen or drinking tea, Nichole?" Nichole rolled her eyes and flatly asked, "Where?s Miles and Jaimie, Michael? Ethan wanted to talk with them." Michael flatly replied, "They went out on dates, Richard to go somewhere with his parents this evening and Christina has to work tonight so they went out early." Nichole rolled her eyes and told Ethan, "That knucklehead is Michael, the constant jokester cousin and Jaimie and Miles? brother." Ethan apologized for disrupting him and closed out the call, asking simply, "Why is he upset? I didn?t mean to get them into trouble." Nichole snickered as she explained, "He got stuck babysitting the twins. He made the mistake of watching them upstairs in their play room instead of in entertainment room or the living room. There?s no computer in the living room but there is in the office next to their playroom. He went to use the bathroom and the two took advantage of your call." Hannah came in to ask what happened. Nichole explained leading to Hannah herself calling and speaking with the twins getting a somber, "We?re sorry" from them. The two did want to talk with Ethan, with Cat doing her best cute act. Paige insisted Ethan talk with them if only to get them distracted and easing Michael?s troubles. He was being overwhelmed by the two who knew they were in trouble anyway. A short time later Karen and Nigel checked in on them and had words with the twins over their breaking the rules causing them to hastily click off much to Michael?s amusement. Karen explained to Ethan exactly how the twins really were getting him laughing at Cat?s antics and making Paige joke, "She?s just like a younger version of her cousin Hannah" hit home harder. Over dinner the plans for the next day were unveiled with Emma again being asked to escort them, only this time it was due to the fact that Hannah and Paige would get lost trying to find the estate. Since they kept things tidy there wasn?t much to do after making the beds and changing the linens so it was really a day out with pay to her. The three explained the purpose already so she knew it was going to involve a few stops for touristy things and likely lunch in one of the small pubs along the way home. After dinner while they were relaxing in the lounge Nichole?s iPad sounded a Skype call with Nichole cringing at seeing the person on the other end. She handed off the iPad and immediately asked, "How much of a punishment did you give them?" John Finn simply added, "No park or TV for a week, earlier bedtimes. Michael was angry but it was more jealousy than anything. He wants to help but knows you don?t need a stock analyst there." Across the room Ethan quietly asked, "Who is that?" Hannah smiled as she announced, "That is our fabled Uncle John." Ethan?s eyes grew wide, the near legendary man that his cousins had raved about and the boys had told him so much about was talking with his aunt, in his presence no less. He was so in awe that he wasn?t listening closely to what he was actually saying, and the girls themselves were not paying attention either. Mr. and Mrs. Smith were listening closely as John told Karen the details for Kennedy, Miles, and Reed?s arrival on Friday, knowing the exact times and terminals. The man was all business as they hammered out the details with John unafraid to add, "Kennedy made some inquiries into Harry?s businesses through her office and had Mick and the guys checking with the feds. Just from our end he is bad news and has a nasty reputation including being suspected in several drug and weapons rings. If there is enough evidence to show that he is using the estate to funnel money the US is going to freeze his assets and ask the UK to initiate their own investigation. They have held off doing it just yet because of Kennedy?s trip but my gut tells me there could be more going on than they are saying. Mick assured them she?d be able to find more over here with the blessing of the Smiths than the investigators would find with a court order." Karen asked Mr. Smith if he was following along, Mr. Smith gave a meek, "I?ve heard everything. Can your people be trusted?" John added a poignant, "Mick is the most trustworthy and ethical agent in the Boston office with a strong track record with his agency. Mike and Alex are two of his best field agents with their own solid records with federal and state authorities. The DEA has a strong existing relationship with Mike and Alex and Kennedy?s husband Willie. They are about the best people possible to do this job for their agency." Mr. Smith silently was pleased, they were connected in all the right places. Karen told him to give Michael some time off from babysitting, Courtney was spending a lot of time with her new cousin so he needed a little freedom from the aggravation that the twins caused. She suggested having the girls do it for a few days to give Leslie some alone time with Mark. John laughed and agreed, with the twins showing the Smiths what they meant by that by fighting in the background. Mrs. Smith had to stifle a laugh as John signed off to take care of the fight. She could see why Karen was the way she was, the man was just as quick to defend his friends and family as he was to care for them. The man had more money than most of the people she knew but he was still a normal person deep down. Nigel finally broke the silence asking his father, "That clear up any misconceptions about the man?" Mr. Smith shook his head, asking, "Why does he do it? No maids or butler? Having his children caring for the other children?" Paige spoke up explaining, "Just because he has money doesn?t mean he has to flaunt it. He doesn?t need a servant to watch the kids when he has them clean up after themselves, dress themselves, setting out their own clothes- he?s teaching them independence and thinking for themselves. How are the kids supposed to teach their own children if they themselves can?t do it? Even Aunt Valerie does it, and she was born into a well off family. She wants them to do things on their own and only rely on help when help is actually needed." Mr. Smith asked for a clarification, Karen explained, "Her parents were partners in a high priced law firm so she was never for want but worked hard to earn a law degree while raising Michael on her own. She herself gave up a high paying job to care for the twins after they were born, deciding she wanted to be there for them instead of working at a job she didn?t need." Paige added, "Before you ask Michael was adopted by Uncle John as his own son. His own father refused to acknowledge him as his sown and used her and her parents to get a job. His adoption was same as Hannah and Bryan being adopted by their dad and Nichole by her mom. The only ones we have ever met who had your notion of acting like an aristocrat while having money were my birth parents and all that got them was sent to prison for two decades for robbing my sister?s trust fund blind and permanently losing custody of my sister and myself." Mr. Smith was thoroughly rebuked and felt the coldness in Paige?s statement. Mrs. Smith settled her husband with some kind words, "You have a lot to learn about people but you didn?t mean any offense. They know you are having trouble adjusting but you are trying to learn, that is all that matters." Hannah looked over to her mother who nodded, then blurted out, "Uncle John, mom, and Aunt Leslie know too well what it is like having nothing. They grew up with little extra money, with public assistance, and hand-me-down clothes. It wasn?t good and unless you tried hard to make something of yourself you get stuck in the endless loop of needing someone to help you. if that?s something unobtainable then so be it, but we are at least supposed to try." Mr. Smith nodded, adding a soft, "You can?t fault him for doing what is best even if it seems odd to us. He knows what he is doing and by all accounts he is excelling at it." They let it go and sat down to rest some more with Ethan and Nichole quietly playing games while Hannah and Paige studied Boston and the surrounding area. After the two youngsters started to nod off they were sent off with Paige and Hannah following behind. In the morning Nichole woke Hannah up with a leap onto the bed. If she wasn?t so tired she would have flung her off easily, instead she just groaned and stretched. Nichole just snickered and told her, "Breakfast is cooking so you better hurry. Emma will be here soon." After a quick shower and changing into her normal summer attire of shorts and a t-shirt Hannah went downstairs for breakfast. Nichole and Paige were dressed the same. Ethan though was dressed in slacks and a polo shirt, unsuitable for a day out sightseeing in the warm August sun. The girls told him it was best to wear something shorter which he reluctantly told them, "I don?t have anything shorter." The girls nodded, then told him, "We will get you some, you can switch out at the Asda." The three kissed the Smiths goodbye and told them, "We won?t be back for lunch, if we get into any trouble we will call." Karen shot back a quick, "Don?t hurt anyone, I?d hate to have to bail you out." This got a laugh from the three girls and Ethan with the Smiths looking concerned until they realized she was joking. Nigel whispered, "She is half joking, Hannah won?t hurt anyone unless provoked and there was no alternative. Her tongue does all the damage for her." The drive took a half hour, with another 15 minutes so Ethan could get some shorts and change. Most of that time Ethan and Nichole were playing games and Paige was looking up information about their destinations. Along the way Hannah asked Emma to pull over to the side of the road as she spotted a sign that was worth stopping for. Emma gave her an odd look but as Paige and Nichole walked out and saw it they both laughed. Ethan asked what was so funny to which all three said, "It?s New York!" Hannah joked, "No wonder they are such jerks to us- their Lincolnshire namesake is smaller than ours and younger!" Ethan still didn?t get the joke but Emma caught on, adding a quick, "I saw it on the telly once. It?s a rivalry thing, New York sports and Boston sports apparently. To us outsiders like us it?s hard to understand." Nichole shot back a quick, "Liverpool and Manchester United" which both seemed to now understand. Hannah asked how she knew that, she smiled and told her, "I looked it up online once, after Reyna said her uncle had to go to Liverpool for a couple of days. This was back when she was still in the rehab center." With that impromptu stop out of the way the group drove on to the city itself. They ended up stopping at the local fire station at the request of Paul Douglas. The firefighters were accommodating especially when Hannah gave them the gift from Paul, his department?s patch. Nichole posed with the crew with Hannah sending a picture off to Paul. Paul in turn sent back a similar picture with his men saluting and joking reply of, "They can keep her" sending Paige, Ethan, Hannah, and Emma into a fit of laughter. Nichole didn?t think it was funny though which caused them to laugh harder. Hannah spent a few minutes talking with them to get a sense of the job over in her city as it was so different than theirs. Nichole had to explain some things to Emma and Ethan which the two still didn?t understand regarding the discussion. Nichole simply added, "It?s no different than how the aristocrats act around one another, it?s mutual respect and understanding among people who do the same job. They might learn a thing or two from it and can say they met someone from that place if they ever see our city on the news." After departing with the crew very pleased to meet someone who could, "Speak their language" even if it required metric conversions of gallons to liters and feet to meters. Hannah giggled again at Paul?s joke which Nichole wasn?t happy about. Emma played referee with Hannah getting asked, "Would you really leave her there?" Hannah couldn?t answer which got Nichole laughing and thanking Emma, who herself had a smile at getting one over on Hannah. Paige was both stunned by Emma?s bravery and pleased to see Hannah get put in her place. Emma had earned more respect from her, she was bold along with caring. That personal bit out of the way the sightseeing began. The first stop was the Guildhall. To Ethan it seemed boring but seeing the three paying attention to the history of the place he took notice as well. Emma just politely walked with them, it was no interest to her but of big significance to them. After the visit they headed to St. Botolph?s Church,, "The Stump", for pictures and a tour of the impressive cathedral. Its significance was lost on Emma and Ethan until Hannah and Paige spotted the name, "Cotton" which caused her to smile as she told them who he was and why he was important. The pride in her voice was clear and they could not fault her for taking an interest in their history even if they didn?t. The third stop was Hussey Tower. There wasn?t much to see but the information would prove informative and useful to their uncle. After that they walked over to the 80 foot tall Maud Foster Windmill and took pictures of it both inside and out. The owners seemed eager to show off the structure when they heard it?ll be used to help show off equipment from that era to people thousands of miles away. Again John would be pleased, especially knowing it was accompanied by owners who were grateful for his interest. With that out of the way they headed northwest again, finished with Boston. Emma suggested that they stop off in a pub in Coningsby that she knew had good food and was alright for kids Ethan and Nichole?s ages. This would be a real English pub whose visit would cap off a good trip. Hannah and Paige agreed quickly. It might be a fun experience for them, and they could proudly say they had a legal drink even if they weren?t going to drink any alcohol. Chapter 11 The five drove on northwest with the town coming into sight in what seemed like no time. The pub was unspectacular but it was still an active pub with lots of people and few if any families. Emma knew the bartender and one of the waitresses so they were going to be treated well. They knew she worked for the Smiths so it was obvious they were their grandchildren and assumed they were not trying to call attention to themselves. The meal was good quality pub food with Ethan and Nichole eagerly digging into their bangers and mash while Hannah had fish and chips. Nichole tried to get Hannah to have some of the chicken curry that Paige was eating to which she vehemently told her, "No!" getting Paige to groan and explain the story behind it. This only provoked Ethan to laugh harder as Hannah sulked and claimed, "I?ll get you back for that one missy." As they were eating a couple of the local patrons saw the two young ladies without male escorts and tried to hit on Hannah and Paige. Both ignored it but the men were going at it multiple times. They tried several times to send drinks to the girls all of which were politely declined and sent back to the men. Hannah finally got fed up with the constant badgering of unwanted attention and held up both her hand and Hannah?s hand. She bluntly stated, "We are both engaged to large strapping men who would be here with us right now if not for the fact that they are in training with the United States Army. Despite being over 4,500 miles away we have no intention of straying from our engagements and do not appreciate your unwanted attention. Harass us again and we will retaliate by humiliating you in the worst possible way that will leave you hurting for years. That is not a threat, that is your only warning." The men didn?t take the hint and kept on after them, pestering them for drinks and company. As Hannah was about to say something a group of six men stood up and tapped the two Romeos on the shoulder, with angered looks they explained, "The lady said she doesn?t want the attention, so do us all a favor and please refrain from harassing visitors to our fine town." The men turned to face the men but backed down quickly as they saw the clothes were that of RAF ground crews. They were military; they didn?t want to tangle with military men in a military town. The men quickly backed away, trying in vain to apologize claiming they meant no harm. The airmen, which Emma pointed out as being from the nearby RAF Coningsby, were there by pure luck of the draw for their midday meal but thankfully they prevented Hannah from doing something that could have caused a lot of embarrassment for the men. Sitting down the airmen introduced themselves with Emma handling their introductions. The men were surprised at hearing the titles to which Hannah joked, "Not as surprising as it was to us." They talked a bit and Hannah paid for their meals as a token of goodwill and gratitude to them which their families were glad to accept. Hannah and Paige showed pictures of Bryan and Pete confirming that they weren?t lying about them being in the military. They did stumble trying to explain that they weren?t active duty, only training alongside regulars. The airmen took in the information about the National Guard, finally getting the image when they mentioned, "Those are the guys rushing into cities during disasters that you usually see on American TV shows. The regulars can?t be used like that unless it?s an extreme emergency, but our fianc?s and their fellow soldiers can." As they were leaving the airmen asked where they were heading and offered them a chance to see the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Museum, especially some of the not usually seen things by the regular public. Paige thought for a second then accepted, with her explaining to Hannah, "Uncle John wouldn?t be happy if you passed that up. It?s a once-in-a-lifetime chance." The group drove on with the airmen leading the way. At the base the group parked and the girls were introduced as, "Ladies Hannah and Nichole" and Ethan as, "Lord Ethan" and Paige as, "The future Lady Bryan Smith". Nichole was going to correct them about Paige but Hannah whispered, "It?s how they address people so just go with it. I read about it online." The visitor?s center was typical but the displays were impressive to them. In the hanger during the private tour the crew took great pride in showing off the planes with Hannah snapping away at all angles. Paige told them that they were going to be shown off to students in their hometown for years to come which the crew was exceptionally proud of. The crew even got together for a photo with Hannah?s urging, as it was only fitting as she knew John would appreciate the hard work and want to give them proper credit. Ethan found himself being enthralled by the airplanes, especially when several of the fighters took off and landed during their tour. It was the first time he showed an active interest in anything they had seen but it was something he thoroughly enjoyed. The others picked up on it with the crewmembers telling them, "The nearby Tattershal Castle is a good place to visit, I?m sure Ethan would enjoy it." Ethan was puzzled until they said, "It overlooks the field, it?s a great view and it?s about time that the fighters go off for some of their usual training drills." They thanked the crew and Hannah made a note to get the donation information for the museum and flight. She owed them and her uncle would want to help out as well. They did her a huge favor in saving her from the inebriated blockheads so deserved something to ensure they worked for years to come. Over at the castle after taking the obligatory pictures they went up top for pictures of the views. Once up there the view of the airfield was spectacular with a good view of the hangers, taxiways, and runway. Ethan was impressed and grinned widely, it made his day. No matter what happened for the rest of the week this was the highlight of his week. Knowing his father was typical jerk something like that was out of his league. Correction, anything like that was, "Beneath his station." It didn?t matter that many nobles went into the military, it wasn?t something a good noble did or so his father believed. Hannah could see his reaction and asked softly, "Are you interested in the planes or flying?" He meekly said, "Both, but I prefer the planes. They are just so interesting." Hannah put her arm around him knowing he needed a moment then announced, "You can learn to fix them or design them, and even fly them. You aren?t your father, you aren?t bound by greed and laziness to stay close to the estate. You have options and can do whatever you want to do." This made him feel better, he actually felt like someone cared about his interests more than just his bank account. Emma drove them back to the house with Ethan still smiling away. Looking at the time he sought out Neil and Junior getting Neil immediately with his sister Faith hovering around in the background. She was with another girl to whom Nichole giggled at and told him, "That?s our cousin Daisy, she and Faith are as close as Neil and Junior." Ethan said something which caused the girls to stop and rush over, dragging Neil away as they battered Ethan with questions. Neil begged them to leave him alone causing the girls to giggle while Ethan tried hard to answer them. Nichole had to step in and get them to back away and let them have their time, telling them, "You can ask him in person in October." They complained but walked away with Neil locking the door before they rushed back when they realized what she said. Ethan tried his hardest to focus but Neil thankfully kept him centered and his mind off his sister and Daisy?s butting-in. Ethan told him about seeing the airplanes and the fighters taking off and landing which Neil was overjoyed at hearing. He told Ethan about his dad taking him to an airshow before and seeing one of the top teams perform, the US Navy?s Blue Angels. The two went back and forth about the two until Junior arrived. Junior added in that he had only been to car shows. Nichole joked that they liked trains, planes, and automobiles which got Hannah and Paige groaning at the joke. The boys thought it was hilarious as Junior explained Neil?s love of trains which got the three going back and forth among one another about them. Nichole, Paige, and Hannah wisely left the three to do their own thing and enjoy the next hour. Downstairs in the lounge Karen and Nigel were just returning with the Smiths. Mr. Smith asked about their day and was given the digest version of events. He was a little concerned about the pub incident but he was told sweetly, "The airmen were good men whose wives were even more surprised than you are about their stepping in to help us. Emma is not to blame for anything, she took us to a place she knew and that she trusted but you can?t account for alcohol fueled foolishness by other patrons. The staff was excellent, Emma isn?t at fault." Now rebuked, Mr. Smith asked about Ethan?s behavior which prompted Paige to mention that he had not stopped talking with the boys since he got back and his showing interest in the planes especially seeing them take off and land. Mr. Smith was surprised at this behavior but Mrs. Smith smiled and pointed out that he had fancied himself an automobile buff when he was younger. He blushed and admitted, "At least he has good taste and sense of duty, can?t fault him for enjoying something vital to his heritage." Ethan came in as Mr. Smith finished his statement, with all eyes turning towards him as he entered. He quickly turned embarrassed and asked if he had done something wrong, but Nichole kindly mentioned, "We were only discussing what we did today." Ethan quickly apologized for having Daisy and Faith run off which got Karen to asked what happened and Nichole explaining making Ethan even more uncomfortable. Nigel tried his hardest but burst into laughter. Ethan looked over at him with shock but Nigel reassured him it wasn?t anything he had done, explaining, "The girls were jealous. Daisy is a little mischievous at times and probably timed her visit so she and Faith could see you. They probably also did it in a way that was sure to irk Nichole just for the fun of it. They know all about you either from Junior, Neil, or Jaimie so it was an act to get some attention from you." With that they moved on to other things. Nigel told about their trip to Lincoln and meeting with various people who were associated with the estate. The accountant and lawyer weren?t too happy to have Kennedy, Miles, and Reed looking at the books but Mr. Smith was adamant that they were going to find something and that it might save the two from trouble. Mr. Smith made his point even clearer by asking for copies of all relevant documents and files that they had been working with to compare with the originals, to ensure that they weren?t altered or falsely reported. The two explained that there was going to be a problem as Harry had the originals in the office and they only worked with what he reported. This was a big signal to the Smiths that their son was up to no good, which the accountant took to mean they were going to have a bigger problem. Mr. Smith shook his head and told him, "If they aren?t in my home office then Harry has a lot of explaining to do. If they were missing I?m going to the police and have them get a warrant to search his home and office." Mrs. Smith steered the discussion towards legal issues regarding the title. Their lawyer was not sure if it was possible to have Ethan put in line directly without Harry first getting it but Mrs. Smith asked that he put forth the request for a royal warrant of precedence to do just that. She added that they also seek the use of the long neglected second earldom for Ethan as his own title. This allowed him to be a lord in his own right and have him named as successor to Nigel rather than Nigel Jr. or Harry. The idea startled the lawyer who insisted on knowing why they were doing it, Mrs. Smith was blunt in saying, "Harry won?t last in prison, as much as I hate to bring myself to think of the idea he is going to die not long after he is imprisoned. He has himself involved with unsavory people who will retaliate. Sadly Sammi is ill and won?t last all that long. This is the least we can do for Ethan, it?s also a slap in the face of Harry that he deserves. We would have gladly done this for Harry years ago but he chose to go after his brother and usurp the lineage." She stopped for a second then smiled, telling him, "Draw up papers for a custody arrangement between Sammi, my husband, and myself so that Karen and Nigel are named as Ethan?s guardians. In addition draw up papers for Ethan?s adoption by Nigel and Karen. I?ll talk with Sammi to have the plans set but I need that paperwork pulled beforehand. Oh and draw up some divorce paperwork as well. She might as well go out a divorcee if it?s possible." After that tense meeting the four went to lunch with friends of Mr. Smith, all of whom had no contact with Harry and truthfully were only business friends with no interest in social life. They were good people but had little interest in the aristocracy. Mr. Smith showed off Nigel Jr. who had been quietly sitting in his carrier silently watching the adults talk. The friends were surprised that Mr. Smith was so proud of the little tyke, which got them joking amongst one another about him. It was a side of Mr. Smith that they rarely saw and enjoyed seeing. It was the real patriarch, not the posh aristocrat that they had gotten to know slowly. The men asked about Nigel and Karen?s work with Karen explaining Nigel?s importance to the hospital that had ballooned in less than a year while Nigel did his best to explain her job. Karen just shook her head and giggled, she had to butt in and explain the truth of her job then explained, "I am about a year from earning my bachelor?s degree so once that is finished I can obtain my license and start trading on my own." The men asked about her firm, with the men looking at one another at the recognition of it. One boasted, "Those two have made a huge impact, apparently one of them brought down a large firm by leaving with their biggest client?s account. They lost several others after that and had to merge with another firm to stay in the business." Karen tried her best to stay out of it but she had to correct them. Nigel told his parents, "Sit back and watch as you will enjoy this. This is more of the family at work." Karen drew a deep breath and flatly told them, "I know all about that, in fact it was my brother?s account that left the firm. What wasn?t told was the immediate supervisor overseeing the account had defrauded the company and violated the contract with my brother by illegally claiming trades that the actual trader had made as his own. In fact it was only found out when the man quit because the management wanted him to cut ties with his new and at the time very sick wife and alleged that she was a gold digger just after his money, and insulted her in the worst way possible- all because she was black and he was white. Hearing this my brother revoked his account, taking it with him and entrusting it in the man?s hands and helping him set up his own firm with a close and trusted friend who was already handling our children?s trust funds." Karen smiled then looked at the shocked looks on their faces. She then went further adding, "The worst thing about it all is the whole fraud was uncovered by my then 14 year old nephew, his son, who was looking over the transactions to just kill some time waiting for the meeting to end and caught the blatant theft. This was what really brought down the company, their own people costing them millions in fraud that they had to pay out in full and recover from the errant supervisors. My brother would have let the account stay with the managers fired for violating basic common decency but fraud and deception against his own account was unforgivable." Mr. Smith looked like he wasn?t at all surprised. He added a swift, "The man?s account is in the hundreds of millions of dollars, you can?t fault him for losing trust in them. And given what I know about him already it?s not out of character for him one bit. He is a man of honor and family and friends are important to him and the man who was insulted and defrauded was friends with him." The other men tried their best to hide their shock and amazement at the truth but Karen took it in stride. They moved on to other things leaving Karen?s revelation untouched. She impressed them deeply and at the end of the meal she had an offer to invest in some interests in the UK. Karen took down the information and had them contact her office so they would be able to work with Greta Nelson and James York directly. She might be in contact with them at times but they were the ones to do the hard work, she just did the meetings to groom potential clients until she could get the license to do business on her own. Nigel and Karen parted ways with Mr. and Mrs. Smith so they could enjoy the city, having driven in on their own rather than join the Smiths in their car. The two took in Lincoln Castle which Nigel took great pride in seeing Karen complaining that John should be there to do his own dirty work next time. She did take some pride in seeing a copy of the Magna Carta on display, which she knew John would never forgive her for missing a chance to photograph it. They spent some time looking at the Victorian prison inside the walls of the castle but it gave her a chill and made her think about her brother Roland which Nigel could sense was bothering her. She did enjoy seeing the city from the wall around the castle and even though she carried Nigel Jr. it was enjoyable. Heading down into the city they stopped to take pictures of Lincoln Cathedral and its spires. Nigel relayed the stories about the cathedral and World War II with Karen telling him, "Make sure John knows that stuff, you know he will want to regurgitate it for the students." Nigel tried to joke that it wasn?t going to happen until he saw Karen laughing at him telling him, "He just needs to know what he?s looking at, half the fun of these trips for him is the research." With the visit to the cathedral over they drove home to see the girls entertaining their grandparents with Ethan missing. It took her a second until she rolled her eyes at the fact that she should have known already where he was given the time. The family ate a quiet dinner after the recollection of their events ended. They retired to the lounge with Hannah and Paige looking over things to do the next day, trying to stay close knowing that Reed, Miles, and Kennedy were coming. Karen looked over to Nigel who had a sly grin on his face, but didn?t say anything. She of course knew what he had that they didn?t know, she just let him play around with them. Nigel suggested they go horseback riding again, as they had only done it once. Nichole was alright with the idea, but Ethan seemed a little reluctant. Nichole whispered to him, "You think you have it bad with some hard bounces on your balls, they have to do it with bras digging in and boobs bouncing around." Ethan giggled at that which Karen and Nigel tried their hardest to avert their own laughter as Hannah and Paige were oblivious to the joke. They went to bed earlier than normal with Nigel falling asleep fast. When the girls woke up and went down to breakfast they heard sounds coming from the dining room and immediately ran to the door almost tearing it off the hinges as they jumped into the arms of the three visitors. Hannah and Nichole especially were happy to see the friendly faces, with Nichole begging for answers about why they were there so early. Ethan followed the three girls down and stopped cold seeing the newcomers. He tried to back away until Miles told him, "Don?t run off Ethan, it was supposed to be a surprise for them. Plus Aunt Kennedy got the day off so we were able to get here earlier thanks to dad. We have a whole extra day to look over the files now." The three sat down to breakfast with Nigel and Karen. The Smiths came down and were surprised to see their guests were there early but understood immediately why they early and appreciated the trouble they went through to get there. Ethan kept his silence about the whole arrival, it was one thing to talk with someone online but it was another to meet them in person. After breakfast Mr. Smith showed them into the office and gave them the relevant passwords for the computer. Looking it over Reed spotted something that needed attention. He turned to Mr. Smith and asked, "Who has access to this computer?" Mr. Smith shot back a quick, "Just myself and Harry." Reed looked again at the files and told him, "I need to call in backup, there is more going on than you can see. He has hidden files that I can only assume have the full details." Karen looked at him in surprise, asking, "How is Rachel going to be able to help?" Reed smiled and blurted out, "She knows computers inside and out, she isn?t just a pretty face. Why do you think her father had her backup his computer all the time? She knows how to get inside a computer easily. She could remotely access the computer and unhide the files so we can examine them. It could be claimed that she is hacking the computer so she needs your permission to legally do it." Mr. Smith without hesitation stated, "Do it." Chapter 12 Looking at the time Reed sent a message to Rachel. He and Miles went to work looking over the paperwork and receipts, conducting a low tech audit and connecting purchases with their respective accounts. Kennedy looked over the contracts that were on file, with Mr. Smith bringing in the copies of the contracts the estate?s lawyer and accountant had given him the previous afternoon. Kennedy spotted some intriguing contracts. She asked Mr. Smith, "Do you always contract with foreign companies for services?" Mr. Smith snorted at the idea, then blurted out, "Our contracts are supposed to be local as part of revitalizing the economy." Kennedy shook her head and announced, "Your estate is contracting with two different companies for goods and services, one for toiletries and another for gardening supplies. I doubt very much either is legitimate. This is your first break. Cancel their contract as soon as possible, through legal channels." Mrs. Smith looked at her husband and both admitted, "Jeffries." Kennedy asked who he was to which they retold his role before being fired for bad conduct four days before. Looking at the contracts closer she saw Jeffries signed off on the deals, and asked, "Why was your butler handling accounts for the estate? Isn?t that the job of the manager?" Mr. Smith nodded, admitting, "That is supposed to be Harry?s job, it?s what he is paid for. I guess that explains why Jeffries didn?t like that Nigel was back. You have ensured that the contracts are null and void as they weren?t authorized nor have the right signatures." He turned to his wife and told her, "I think we need to contact our solicitor, this is getting serious." Kennedy went back over the contracts and spotted one for Jeffries listing him as, "Director of acquisitions". Harry had given Jeffries a job with larger pay, and never told the family. He was really working for Harry not the Smiths. Looking over the trust for the house Harry had no right to do that, the job had to be cleared first through his father and that hadn?t been done. This was their second break. Kennedy had to halt further investigations until she was in contact with the solicitor. She went over some of what Reed had found and what Miles could piece together. The two had found countless purchases from the same company but no receipts. They asked if the Smiths knew the company and both blurted out, "That?s Harry?s company." Kennedy asked why he would be selling something to the estate and neither could see any reason for it especially given there was nothing to buy from him. Kennedy surmised that he was using the estate to make his company look like it was legitimate by infusing money and making it look like a profit while actually hiding his real money from the government. His only actual sale to the estate was hot air, in the form of his own claims to his parents. She had seen it done before and each time it was someone who had unlimited access to accounts and only got caught when someone outside looked at the books. She summarized it by saying, "Keeping two sets of books" which Mr. Smith needed no translation for. He hung his head low, inwardly cursing himself for placing so much trust in his son despite his lack of experience. He fell for Harry?s trap too easily, he thought family honor would be enough to keep things going right but he saw now in black and white it was a huge mistake.. Reed added in, "The same thing happened with Rachel?s parents, they got away with the same scheme until she blew the whistle." Miles shook his head and said, "It?s the wrong comparison, she blew it to save Iris and Aunt Leslie?s lives. This is more like Christina?s birth parents ripping off her inheritance to pay for their lifestyle." Paige sharply added, "It?s exactly like that." The Smiths were unsure if they were joking or telling the truth. Nigel had to tell them, "They aren?t kidding; these people have been through a lot of private hells and come out on top. Every one of the families has endured trauma, deceit, neglect, or some other terrible act against them. I?ll tell you more about it later but best let them get back to work." Karen suggested Ethan and the three girls continue on with what they had planned, the three would be busy for a while. They could help later but they were just in the way at that time. Reluctantly the four made their way upstairs to change into their jodhpurs then down to the stables and greeted Marion, telling him they were going riding again. They spent much of their time going slow but eventually they worked up to a trot then a canter. Ethan tried his hardest to focus on keeping upright and didn?t enjoy the ride as much as the girls. Afterwards he freely admitted, "I?m not much of a horse rider, I keep thinking I?m going to fall off." Nichole shook her head and told him, "At least you weren?t focused on your groin like you were before." The four helped put the horses back into their stalls and groom them, with the horses seemingly enjoying making them work for it. They ended up falling a couple of times with the horses looking like they were enjoying the fun. Marion was doing his hardest to keep from laughing with Ethan wisely backing away to let Hannah and Paige do all the work. Walking back to the house Hannah groaned at feeling tired. Ethan told her, "Nichole said you two would have trouble because of your boobs and bras." Hannah and Paige both stopped in their tracks and glared at Nichole who ran ahead trying to avoid their wrath. All Ethan could do was say a meek, "Sorry" to them but both told him, "You didn?t say it, she did." When she was out or earshot Paige then burst into laughter as she quietly told him, "Joke?s on her, it?s only another two years before she starts to learn the ?fun? of having to wear one of these when she starts her hormones. And we heard her before and she is wrong though. We will save you the details about why she is wrong as you shouldn?t know about those things but the truth regarding us is it?s the saddle that is causing a bit of trouble. We are probably going to have some bruises on our butts from the saddles along with a little chafing on our legs." Ethan smiled at the admission, glad that they were being honest with him and he didn?t cause any real trouble for Nichole. Once inside the house they showered and changed, putting on new clothes and stopping in to see how the three were progressing. Kennedy just smiled and told them, "We found two more contracts that make no sense bringing the total up to four. One for the maid who was fired, one for the man who insulted you at the dinner, and one someone named Sammi Sinclair." Ethan shed a tear as he said, "That?s my mother?s maiden name. She doesn?t have any reason to get any money from the estate as she has her own money from her inheritance. Sammi isn?t even her real name, it?s a nickname." Kennedy nodded, telling him, "It?s likely he used her name without her permission and is using her to triple his pay. Your mom isn?t in trouble so long as we can prove it?s your dad?s doing." Ethan told her he had samples of her handwriting which Kennedy asked to see. He rushed back with several letters all containing signatures and none matching the one on the contract. She asked if he had any that his father sent which he nodded, showing her it and confirming that he had signed the contracts. This was the third strike against Harry, and one that was outright illegal. Ethan asked if his was in trouble. Kennedy nodded, telling him, "He committed a blatant act of fraud when he used your mom?s identity. Your grandparents are going to be upset over his use of your mom but you should be proud that you helped her." Mr. Smith came in at that moment and told him, "You did well, we could never be upset that you stood up for your family against someone harming it. This is the final straw, we will send for Harry to demand an explanation." Finally seeing the truth Nichole asked, "Can you do anything to prevent him from selling the land? That?s why he ran dad and myself off the first time, I overheard him talking with someone about doing that when he inherited the land." Mr. Smith told her sharply, "The land can?t be sold to anyone except the crown. It?s why I have to work hard to cultivate business deals, if we can?t sustain the land and ourselves it goes to the government. Harry is foolish if he thought his scheme would work. He took their money for nothing!" Mr. Smith?s words hung true, he showed Kennedy the title to the land. She had some trouble translating the Latin but Nigel did it for her. It was in black and white and what?s more, the land was only to be owned by the lord and never sold. Parts could be sold off but the house and large portions of the land around it were to be retained by the family or it reverted to the crown. This wasn?t the only news. Within the document was information about who can inherit the title. Ethan could realistically inherit as the eldest eligible child if he was adopted as he was a legitimate child of a deceased legitimate heir being adopted by a legitimate heir to keep the title within the family. Love and what was best for the child had nothing to do with it, it was purely a backdoor to avoid giving up the land but it worked in Ethan?s favor. Kennedy told him with a warm smile, "Your future is secure, your ancestors must have foreseen something like this happening." Nigel shook his head, admitting, "It?s been rarely used by other families but it does happen. Often it was due the sons being homosexual or sterile. Sadly it would mean Sammi and Harry pass on. With luck and proper medical care Sammi could get better." The computer pinged and Reed brought up the Skype and introduced the Smiths to Rachel. She asked why they didn?t take her along getting Karen and Nigel both embarrassed as she explained, "It?s alright, I?ll just forget to make sure your computer is secure when you go back." The two both blurted out, "You wouldn?t!" She burst into laughter and nonchalantly asked, "Did you really think I?d do that? That would put thousands in danger if I did. Besides mom is feeling a bit motherly so I needed the distraction from her smothering us." She then told them, "I?ll get to work, give me an hour to get in and out. I of course need your verbal consent as well as in writing, I don?t want the guilty parties to use my getting inside as reason to get away with the crimes." Mr. Smith jotted down a note, signed it, and faxed it to the Finn house and within minutes she had signed and returned it with Mr. Smith noting, "Valerie Finn" signed as well. Karen smiled to him explaining, "She wouldn?t let Rachel do something like this without ensuring it was legal first. I doubt it was Rachel?s idea to ask for that in the first place." The group left the room so she could work in peace. They saw the cursor moving around on the desktop so they knew she was in there. In another room Kennedy asked about Mr. Smith?s day job which he was proud to explain, "I have multiple investments in various different businesses, akin to what this Greta woman does. Much of the estate?s money comes from it with the rest coming from interest from the estate?s bank accounts. We do a swift business at the local markets from fruits and vegetables grown on our small farm that helps pay for part of the labor force as well." Kennedy nodded, then told him, "You had better double check your investments and ensure that Harry didn?t use your influence to invest in things you won?t like especially if he used the estate?s money to do so." He asked for a clarification to which she said, "Foreign businesses, unsavory products, houses. Some may be legitimate deals but many I suspect are just covers for his own involvement. He would have used your name but his money, with your liability if he reneges on a deal or it goes sour. We already know he used the estate, he probably used your influence as well to sway deals that he knew he couldn?t make otherwise." He excused himself and went off to his own private study to look over his files and to contact people. Reed and Miles took the time to walk with Ethan outside to get some information from him. Ethan told them about his dad?s activities and how people treated him in school, finding sympathetic ears from Reed and Miles. The two saw the opportunity and told him, "Were you told anything about us?" Ethan rehashed what he knew to which Miles told him, "There?s more. Daisy, Claire, Michael, Scott, Will, Reed, and myself have dads who were like your dad. Reed?s, Will?s and Scott?s dads were abusive, mine was a drug dealer, Michael?s tried to have Jaimie taken away from dad when he wanted to adopt her after her gender change was found out." Reed looked down and admitted, "And mine tried to kill Jaimie but ended up hurting Nichole instead when she tried to save Jaimie." Ethan looked up at him and asked solemnly, "Is that why your mom is with you?" Reed smiled and told him, "My real mom and dad are both in prison, they used to abuse my sister and I a lot so mom was sent to prison for that and dad was given a longer sentence in addition to his assault. Mom, the one you met, and dad adopted us three and a half months after the assault on Nichole. Our little brother was also adopted after the police found mom last June after she fled after Nichole?s assault." Ethan was floored. Miles put his arm around him and told him, "Then there is Claire and Daisy, their dad is our Uncle Roland and he did a lot of horrible things with drugs and ended up in prison including having my dad beaten causing him to die. He tried to have me kidnapped then gloated about doing it to dad before he realized he screwed up and tried to lie his way out of it. Aunt Kennedy was the one who connected him to the kidnapping attempts and suggested they go for a confession. She knows how to make the best of investigations and will ensure your dad is sent to prison for what he is doing to your family and the estate." Reed added, "The kids in school your school are snobs. You are actually better than any of them, you have a loving family who has members who are willing to fly across an ocean to help you out. Those snobs won?t earn a dime on their own, you are going to do great things if you let yourself. So you have a bad dad, I?ll guarantee you that a bunch of your classmates have the same they just don?t know it yet or won?t admit it. Not many if any of them have an aunt and uncle who are willing to care for you as their own, and I?m willing to bet that none of them have ones who have such weird relatives as Aunt Karen." She snorted at that. Ethan turned around to see Karen standing behind him smiling at the joke. She added a quick, "You and your sister fit the mold there, the gifted accountant and the little ray of sunshine that keeps Nichole from trouble." Karen asked if he had told Ethan about Kylie which both said, "That wasn?t for us to say." Karen nodded, but Ethan asked what they were talking about. Miles sat him down and told him, "Kylie is like Jaimie and Nichole, only she is still ?all male?. She is the most girly-girl you will ever see and loves every second of it." Reed added, "The irony of her is she is everything our birth parents hated but has real friends and family now that she didn?t have with them." Kennedy then came out and told him, "Since they told you then they need to tell you Reyna and I are as well." He looked up at Kennedy and didn?t believe her, insisting, "You are lying to me, you can?t be. You are prettier than my mom and aunt." Karen bit her tongue but Miles burst into laughter. Kennedy pulled him aside and told him about herself and asked that he not mention it to his grandparents as she didn?t want them to have an issue with it causing trouble for Reed and Miles and herself. He agreed, adding, "I still don?t believe you" to which she hugged him telling him, "That?s the greatest thing you can ever say." Reed showed a picture of Kylie which got the same reaction. Reed now had to stifle a laugh but Ethan was insistent, that they were pulling his leg. Nichole had come out and asked what was going on and admitted to him, "She really is, and she is the sweetest girl you will ever meet. Just don?t let her get started on ponies or unicorns or pink things." The time had passed quickly so the group returned to the office and found Rachel talking away with Nigel and Hannah. Reed immediately grew embarrassed and stepped out with the girls Rachel was talking to walking away laughing. Nichole had to whisper to Ethan, "That was his girlfriend Jessie." Rachel shook her head and told him, "You had bad timing, they were only coming up to give me a drink." Reed asked, "Why didn?t you just tell me you were going to call in Aunt Gabby?" Rachel rolled her eyes and told him, "I needed a second set of eyes to see if I had the right files. She went in from her own computer and verified exactly what I found." Mr. Smith asked what that was about, Karen told him quickly, "Gabby is a computer consultant who has experience in finding lost files, if I think she did is what she did then she found original emails, documents, and other things that Harry tried to hide that I didn?t think about." Rachel smiled and simply said, "We hit the jackpot." She pulled up a file and explained, "This is an email stream to and from Harry from four years ago from weeks before to just after Nichole and Uncle Nigel were tossed out and shows he was trying to sell the estate. It goes to show that he completed the sale and spent the money on his own company. Jeffries was involved from the start, and he was the man with all of the connections. Harry didn?t care what he did so long as Jeffries facilitated the deals." Mr. Smith read the words and was outraged. He was seen as being lazy and incompetent and assured to give the titles to Harry. The worst was they planned to frame Nigel, showing that they were going to discredit him and use Nichole?s gender change as the reason. The most concerning were the latest ones which Jeffries stated that Nigel was returning and Harry needed to find something to pin on Nigel to get him removed for good. The worst emails of them all were Jeffries and Harry talking about arranging an, "Accident" or, "Encounter" for Nigel to take him and Nichole out permanently. Jeffries gave the location as the Tube station that Nigel was attacked at, with the date being two days before his actual attack. The email was from a month before the attack. This meant only one thing to them, Harry and Jeffries planned the murder of Nigel and Nichole solely to get the estate. He was vague but there were further communications after the planning was finished about the, "Next step" which Nigel swore at. Mr. Smith asked what this all meant, Kennedy bluntly told him, "Your son was going to arrange for your untimely death in the future once he got rid of Nigel and Nichole. That was how he was going to get ahold of the estate. That was how he was going to sell it. He was going to kill you and make it look like an accident or natural causes. Nigel?s return changed things. The biggest irony of all is that his own attempt to kill Nigel ended up setting the groundwork for his return and saving your life stopping him from eve r getting the title and the land." Chapter 13 The news hit Mr. Smith hard. His own flesh and blood was almost a cold blooded murderer. He failed to kill Nigel and Nichole so the whole plan fell apart but it was still tough news to take. He had to sit down to get things settled. Rachel put on a bright smile as she announced, "We know how he is going to go after you guys now. He is going to use Nichole?s surgery to do it. He will find a way of, "Discovering" her surgery then inform the CPS and social services. He doesn?t care about the facts, he has somebody on the inside at the CPS to do it for him. All it matters if making you look bad and turning the other nobles and aristocracy against you so you have no choice but to disown Nigel." Mr. Smith swore loudly, "I?ll never do that to my son again! Never!" Rachel just nodded then told him, "They are in for a hard lesson there. Uncle John kept copies of the video online for something like this and will come in person to swear that they are not at fault and if someone is to be blamed and face punishment it?s him. Of course he won?t go alone, Judge Matthews and Uncle Richard are going along. They will be there on Wednesday." Nigel solemnly said, "We will get Nichole and Nigel Jr. to the embassy, and let Uncle Walter know the plan." Mr. Smith was silent but he saw the wisdom in it. Mrs. Smith told her, "You can tell them we will be awaiting them and if they need a place to stay for the night we will accommodate them." Rachel nodded, giving one final bit of information, "I?m going to create copies of the hard drive online so anything he deletes can be reinstalled. I am also going to keep watch with Aunt Gabby so anything he tries to do is observed by us. I suggest you do the same over there, Hannah should know how to do the backups already. And hide the paperwork and change the locks on the door. Only let him enter the office with you there, if he doesn?t have a key he has no excuse for being in the office without you. I?ll record everything in the office, just make sure you put a notice up that all actions inside are being recorded so there is no question that he was warned about his actions were being monitored." The Smiths were surprised at the level of thought that she had put into this. Karen thanked her to which she logged off but they could still see she had control of the computer from her end. If you didn?t know you would never see it. Exiting the office they broke for lunch. Kennedy and the boys were settled into guest rooms and got some needed rest while Ethan and the girls went back to the stream to swim. Two hours later they came back and found the three well rested and ready for more work. Ethan excused himself and went for the iPad to talk with the boys to which Miles alerted him, "Virgil and Kylie are with them so expect another round of 20 questions." He was surprised to see that Miles wasn?t kidding as he was met by the two as soon as he placed the call. Kylie was more respectful than the younger girls but still eager. She asked how her brother and mother were and then asked about him. Virgil sat quietly as she asked away. Ethan finally asked, "What?s the matter with him?" getting a quick, "He doesn?t have anything to say, he just wanted to see you and wait for Faith to come back from the dentist." Virgil nodded, with Ethan adding, "He?s been the best so far" causing Virgil to smile to which Nichole giggled and added, "Keep it up and you can start your own fan club." Ethan did his hardest to get around the inevitable but finally felt secure enough to ask Kylie, "Are you really like my cousin?" Kylie nodded, adding, "Except I make a cuter girl." That got Neil and Virgil laughing as Nichole tried to come up with an equally funny insult but instead let her have her joke. Ethan added, "You look very nice, you and your mother look a lot like mother and daughter even if you aren?t mother and daughter by birth." Nichole hugged him for that, as Kylie blushed and went off, tears of joy in her eyes over his statement." Neil just rolled his eyes and told him, "Now she is going to have a swelled head." The two talked for two more hours until it was time for Neil to go out with Junior. Nichole had a big grin as they walked into the office and waited for the inevitable questioning. She nonchalantly stated, "Ethan just made Kylie blush and run off with tears." He tried to back away as Nichole told the story. Kennedy just chuckled and told him, "Poor Willie is going to have to deal with her inflated ego for the rest of the weekend." Ethan watched as the two older boys worked hard at finding patterns in the accounts after Kennedy had found some more suspicious contracts. She told Ethan with smile, "We have at least four more bad contracts, none of which are legal." Miles finally found something, a definite pattern. Reed showed it as being a constant payment of ?20,000 split between them. One is definitely Jeffries, one is Harry, one is Sammi, and the last is unidentified and probably the coconspirator/person he is selling the estate to." Mr. Smith looked at the dates and amounts and it was consistent, ?5,000 each month to each account with two accounts being Harry?s own. His son was robbing him blind. He shook his head and asked, "When do we go to the crown prosecutor? This has to end." Mr. Smith arranged for a locksmith to come the next day to change the locks and put on a new password for the computer that night. He alerted his solicitor that he needed to amend his will to specifically remove his son Harry and give his share to his grandson. His son was cut out of the office and would be told on Monday that this was permanent. Harry was out of their life. The rest of the afternoon was spent piecing together their case for the CPS. Miles and Reed weren?t needed so both were sent along their way to see to the girls. Hannah suggested they get their runs in as they normally ran in the afternoon at home. Reed invited Ethan along so he wasn?t left out and could let the girls talk with their friends. Kylie had Nichole?s other friends wanting to speak with her so Ethan going with them meant Ethan wouldn?t have to endure constant questions about him from them. The run was long and different than what Ethan expected. Reed explained, "Cross country running is about endurance rather than speed. Sure you want to win but you don?t want to overexert yourself if you don?t have to." Miles explained, "You are used to sprinting; this is more about pacing and technique. It seems slower but over a longer distance you are burning less energy so you will eventually overcome the sprinters who fall back fighting for air when their energy is exhausted." Ethan had gotten used to running away from bullies at his school so he was fast but this was different, he was keeping pace and enjoying it. Both Miles and Reed told him, "We were used to the same kind of running for the same reasons as you." They told him about their pasts but this was different. This was them opening up and showing him that he could be something else, that he could be an athlete and not like the ones his school expected him to be. There were different kind of athletes and he found his niche. The run lasted a half hour and covered five miles. Their pace was quicker than Ethan realized and he was exhausted but enjoyed it. Hannah and Paige were in their rooms and noticed him coming back, asking him about the run. The two beamed with pride as he recalled the run with a big grin, the two were doing exactly as they expected and were boosting his confidence more. After showering and changing clothes the group settled in for dinner. Ethan was asked about the run again and he gladly retold about it. Mr. Smith inquired about the two which led to Kennedy explaining, "They are members of their school?s cross country team, with Reed being an accomplished track sprinter and Miles an accomplished football player." Nigel added, "American football, not worldwide football. Although he is a pretty good footballer as well, not Beckham or Rooney level but still quite well." Miles was adamant, "I?m not joining the soccer team Uncle Nigel, I have had enough contact for a lifetime. You know I turn down every offer to join any of the other teams but Reed was decent enough to ask out of desperation so they could still compete as a school team." Mr. Smith asked what that was about and was told about the injuries to Miles and he agreed with him on the sentiment, it wasn?t worth playing if his heart wasn?t in the game and only getting hurt. Plus sports were sports even if they weren?t glamorous, and Ethan was taking a liking to it which he had to agree were a great thing. After dinner Ethan again went to talk with Neil and Junior only this time he was met by the girls. Nichole only mouthed, "Oops" which he rolled his eyes at. Margaret Douglas and Nancy Flynn were nice enough to him and Margaret eagerly told him her dad loved what Hannah did for him at the fire station which he had to agree with. Nancy had to keep Kylie in line as she was pampering him with questions about her brother which Ethan laughed at as she was being the nosey little sister more than the pestering friend of his cousin. The girls signed off when it was almost time for him to go to sleep asking him to make sure Reed was in line. He heard Nancy say, "He?s cute" followed by giggles as they signed out leaving Ethan blushing. Nichole asked what happened and nearly doubled over in laughter as he told her. She then told him, "Nancy might have a crush on you" which got him blushing again. Paige and Hannah checked in on him and the two tried their hardest not to squee which he used as a sign to toss them out of his room for the night so he could go to bed. In the morning Ethan was awoken to the sounds of the girls talking and entering his room. They told him they were going swimming with Reed and Miles which he was happy to rush and change for. At breakfast Mr. Smith kept seeing the boy?s eagerness overtake the quiet meal which he was proud to see. Mrs. Smith had made mention that the more Ethan was around his cousin?s family the more he seemed to be himself and wasn?t miserable, lonely, or apathetic. He countered with, "He spends all his time in school or on the estate, until this past week he had no other relatives and he had no role models. He latched onto them for all the right reasons and I shudder to think about him after they depart next weekend." Down at the stream the boys were in the water quickly. Ethan jumped in faster than he had before with the girls staring on in disbelief. Hannah looked to Paige who whispered, "Trying to be like them". Nichole added a quick, "Someone he can actually look up to for once." The three jumped in the water after them and spent a good hour going back and forth up and down the stream, pulling one another underwater, splashing, and all around enjoying the time. As they were getting out Ethan asked, "Are you two going to sunbath topless again?" This caused Miles and Reed?s eyes to shoot open in surprise and the girls to give a quick, "No!" response. Ethan then burst into laughter as the girls saw he was joking. Nichole complained that he set them up to which Ethan nodded, telling her, "That?s for setting me up with the girls last night." Ethan then went on to explain that they had gotten their tans already, although he didn?t look at them when they did it. Miles nodded adding, "I don?t blame you, they aren?t much to look at either." That caused the three to run off from the girls as they chased after them. Back in the house the six showered and changed and sat down to lunch. Smelling the food Miles asked, "Tell me you didn?t." Nichole nodded, admitting, "The chef wanted to do something different." Reed asked, "Did she use Uncle John?s or Grandpa?s recipe?" Hannah smiled and announced, "Uncle Jorge?s" to which Reed and Miles both said, "Good!" Karen came into the dining room with Kennedy, and Nigel came in with the Smiths and immediately asked, "Whose idea was it to make the dish?" Hannah admitted solemnly, "Chef came up with the idea, she wanted to try something different for the weekend." Karen told the Smiths what was being made and apologized in advance if it wasn?t enjoyable but the others had gotten used to eating it. The food was served. The eight laughed while Ethan and Mr. and Mrs. Smith were perplexed about what they were laughing at. Karen told them, "It?s definitely not my brother?s version. Poor guy has tried for 20 years to make the dish and can?t get it right; chef has done an amazing job on her first try." Chef heard the words and had a big smile on her face as she finished the desserts. The maids helping with the serving shook their heads with smirks knowing that Karen had made her day. She did have one concern, that of the Smiths. If they didn?t like it she would have to quickly make an alternative dish. Mr. and Mrs. Smith dug into their food. It was a bit unnerving as it looked like nothing else they had seen before. The closest would be paella they had in Spain years ago but this was different. They were surprised at how it tasted, it looked like a typical rice dish but it was a little drier but flavorful. Mr. Smith was silent but his lack of facial expressions unnerved Karen and Nigel. Mrs. Smith herself was expressionless, focusing on eating and being polite. Eventually they finished and when the others looked at them for their response both were polite in saying, "It was good, different but good." The eight were relieved to hear it. Ethan was still silent, unsure what to make of it but showing the same noncommittal response. They took it to mean it was alright but different and being a kid different meant it took a while to get used to. Chef was relieved to hear their response. The meal finished and cleaned up chef gave the staff their lunches and had the same response from them. Karen slipped into the kitchen and asked the staff?s reaction to which chef gave her a big smile saying, "They liked it, it was also cheap and easy to make." Karen chuckled and told her, "That?s why it?s so popular, it?s one of the few items of their culture that the Latinos of our city could bring with them and recreate easily. Well easy for everyone except my brother. I?ll tell my uncle that they liked it, it?ll mean a lot to him that it was reacted to so well. And it isn?t the same but it?s not supposed to be, you can understand the small differences in preparing dishes each person brings when cooking." She fully agreed. Back in the office Kennedy had more work done on the files. She talked with Mick Jones and got a full investigation into Harry?s business in the US with Mike Daniels and Alex Vincent working with US Customs regarding shipments into and out of the country by Harry?s company. She then asked Beverly Bollinger to help with the accounting investigation to get a new set of eyes on the files to find anything Reed and Miles may have missed. Beverly was glad to do the work, and by luck had Beth Herman with her to help with some of the paperwork. When Karen came in she had to ask, "Is this a meeting of the ?new mothers club??" which got the three laughing. Mrs. Smith asked what she meant and was told, "Beth and Beverly just had babies, both boys, so with both Juniors it?s four moms with four babies five months old or younger." Mrs. Smith nodded in agreement, she asked, "Any more babies among the group?" Kennedy added, "Her sister Leslie and Sarah Jones are both expecting so it?ll grow." Karen shook her head saying, "Nine kids under the age of four...what were we thinking?" Beth added a quick, "What we were thinking isn?t to be mentioned in polite company" bringing the ladies into a bout of laughter. Heading out together Mrs. Smith asked softly, "Are they always like that?" Karen nodded, adding, "To be honest it?s like a sisterhood. It?s one of three we have, single parents, wives, and now new moms. It just so happens that my sister and I are in all three." She was asked to explain to which she said, "Leslie was officially a single mom officially for two and a half months before she got married. You met one of her two daughters, Rachel, already. Before that she fostered several of the kids that were part of our family and helped raise John and Roland then helped raise the twins. The ?new moms? is sort of an in-joke as we had four babies born in the span of four months even though one was a huge surprise to us all." The more she heard about the family the more interested she got. Karen was honest in telling her, "We stick together for one another. Our children are getting older so many of us are going to be more than just related by friendship, in a few years the kids will be together by marriage. Beverly?s son is dating my niece, her nephew is dating Jaimie. Kennedy?s son is dating Gabby Lawrence?s daughter, her older daughter is dating my nephew Michael. And of course Miles is dating Paige?s sister. That?s just the start. There?s 27 teenagers in total, with only three not dating anyone so far." The numbers were staggering. Karen nodded, explaining, "Only Reyna, Rachel, and Francesca are unattached. Every other teen is dating someone and to be honest they are deeply in love with one another. The kids grew up together and in the case of our niece Stacy and nephew Scott it was love at first sight. Nothing was arranged, the kids got together on their own through chance and friendship and in the case of Miles, Christina, Jessie, and Reed longstanding affection for one another." Reed corrected her, telling her, "That?s not entirely true, Jessica and Jenna arranged their dates. They didn?t fall for them until the beach confrontation. Rebecca told me about it last spring when the four were celebrating their two year anniversaries." Karen chuckled at that, the boy was right. Mrs. Smith asked what he meant, Reed shrugged and told her, "They were jealous of the other girls and our cousin Rebecca told them ?why not just get your own dates? and the two were selected. They were the only ones who had the guts to ask them out and after Rebecca confronted them about it they accepted." Kennedy came out from the office with a smile and pointed to several places Reed overlooked. Looking closer he groaned, Beverly had found links that he missed. Kennedy told him softly, "Don?t worry, you are still inexperienced and why it?s always good practice to have an outsider double check your work. You have the excuse of youth and inexperience, she?s a CPA and you are at best an apprentice." Kennedy then turned to Mrs. Smith and announced, "It?s official, money was found funneled into Harry?s account indirectly from an account taken out in Sammi?s name. He thought he covered his tracks but he was using the computer to make the transactions and keeping careful notes in the files. It?s clearly fraud. She gave me enough details to have the CPS and police open Harry?s books and search his business computers. He?s going down hard for this." There was little else they could do on their end. They secured the computer, the records, and the office. They spent the rest of the evening packing their few clothes and getting a good night?s rest. In the morning they were up early and driven south by Nigel. An hour after Nigel left the man who had caused the family grief for years finally made his long awaited appearance and the first words out of his mouth were, "Where?s my son." Chapter 14 Harry was not pleased to be there so soon. His wife was weak and looking quite frail that day, he knew his parents were going to question him about her health and he didn?t have a valid excuse to allay their questions yet. He demanded Ethan?s presence again to which the newly hired butler calmly asked, "And might I ask just who you are, sir?" Harry was floored by the audacity to be asked that question by the, "Help". They should know who they were talking with, he should have known who he was before he had to ask. Harry was infuriated as he saw several maids walking around pretending not to notice him. He loudly told the butler, "I am Lord Harold Smith, the next Marquis of Lincoln." The butler shook his head and told him, "I am sorry sir, but I know the Earl of Boston, the actual heir to the marquessdom and you are not him. If you would be so kind as to present me with your calling card and your reason for being here I will see if the master will see you." Again Harry was furious and demanded to be allowed in. Mr. Smith heard the commotion and came forward waiting for the right moment but savoring the dressing down Harry had been given by his new butler. The new man earned his respect for remaining calm and not being intimidated, his friends had been on the money when they told him to poach one of their footmen for the job. Excusing the butler with his thanks, winking at him to show it was alright and he approved his actions. Mr. Smith told Harry bluntly, "You are in no position to demand anything, Harold. Your mother and I will not accept this kind of behavior from you or anyone else. Shouting at the butler for doing his job and screaming at the top of your lungs like some child having a tantrum is unbecoming and won?t be tolerated. And you are not now nor will you ever be the Marquis of Lincoln so get that fantasy out of your head. We have to abide by the title?s warrant and you are not now nor have ever been the rightful heir to the title." He led Harry inside, directing his wife to take care of Sammi who clearly needed a seat whispering to her, "Call the doctor immediately." Inside the lounge Mr. Smith told Harry sharply, "Your brother has returned to us and is in good graces. And much to your mother and my enjoyment he has had a son and rightful heir so don?t even think about laying claim to the title because it is secured. Nigel Jr. is his heir, you are now the third in line. You can either accept this fact or you can endure humiliation but we are proud of Nigel and happy to know our legacy will remain intact." Turning to him he told him acidly, "Your brother has brought his family to stay for two weeks, they are leaving next Sunday. They have done wonderful things with your son, whom you have shown little interest in for nearly two years. He has grown to appreciate his cousins and idolizes them. Before you go running off screaming know this- he has grown up immensely in the past six days. He isn?t going to put up with your abuse anymore, you step out of line with him and you are never seeing him again. I?ll personally see to it that you receive a non- molestation order to never see Ethan again. Now please, sit down. We have a lot to talk about and little time to do so." Upstairs in a bedroom Mrs. Smith and a maid were settling Sammi in. Mrs. Smith was blunt in asking, "How long have you been like this?" Sammi meekly replied, "Close to two years. Harry hasn?t let me out on my own since he had a deal go bad. I begged to see a doctor but he wouldn?t let me." Mrs. Smith shook her head and handed her a piece of paper, telling her, "I know you have been trying to get away from him, well your in-laws have given me the drive to help you see to it." Sammi read the form and cried. She ask softly, "A divorce? Are you serious about this?" She nodded, telling her, "Harry can?t hurt you anymore. You need help and we aren?t going to let you out of here until you get it." She signed the form without reading it, knowing it wouldn?t matter to her. Even if she was penniless and out on the street she?d rather be there than with Harry. Karen came in with Nigel Jr. and sat with her mother-in-law as she told Sammi, "Karen had an idea that my husband and I strongly support. We believe that Ethan would benefit from being with Karen and Nigel. We want him to stay with them during breaks instead of staying here. The other half of it is should anything happen to you custody of Ethan would fall to them. He would have a loving home with family who cared about him." Sammi asked about Karen?s family, only to be told, "There?s 71 people who would gladly do anything for Ethan to ensure he was safe and happy. He has made friends already and there are several boys and girls who have gone through many similar experiences as he has at the same age. We want what is best for him, and he has told us he wants to do this." Sammi agreed fully, adding a soft, "I know I won?t last long, so please take him and raise him as your own son. I don?t care about titles, I just want my son to go to a loving home with people who will do the right thing for him not for themselves." She shed t ears as she said that, signing with the maids witnessing. Mrs. Smith called for a doctor as per her husband?s request, telling him exactly the problems. He asked that she go to the hospital so he could examine her in full, not wanting to make the trip and knowing she would need to go there for thorough testing. Emma was sent for and she drove them to the hospital, Sammi feeling relief that her husband couldn?t stop her, he didn?t even notice she was missing from the room after all. Downstairs Mrs. Smith handed her husband a note. He nodded then told his son, "I must regretfully inform you that your wife has filed for divorce and has gone to hospital for an immediate evaluation at the request of our family doctor. He believes strongly that there is a serious problem to the point of asking us to prepare her for a long stay." Harry was about to get up and stop her to which his father shouted, "Sit down this instant. She has already departed and the paperwork has been processed. Your solicitor was given your copy seconds ago. You can?t stop her, and if you show up and demand that she leave you will be taken in by the police for refusing necessary medical care to which under law is akin to spousal abuse. We have little doubt that you are going to face questioning from police about this later so best to save yourself the additional trouble." Harry was caught off guard by his father?s sudden backbone. Harry turned things around and demanded to speak with his son. Mr. Smith smiled and told him, "He?s out with his uncle and cousins. They are having lunch with some important people and you shan?t disturb them. When he returns we will see if he wishes to see you however if he says no then so be it." This was serious now. Ethan refusing to see his father was not good. Harry tried to play along and act like it was alright, asking how Nigel was doing. Mr. Smith smiled as he told him, "He?s a multimillionaire, married a woman who is a multimillionaire in her own rite, adopted two children who themselves are multimillionaires, and even Nichole herself is a multimillionaire. In fact there are multiple multimillionaires in their family." Mr. Smith then smiled and added, "His brother-in-law himself is worth over ?200 million, not counting trust funds and donation funds." Harry didn?t believe it for a second, scoffing at the idea. Mr. Smith calmly told him, "You don?t have to believe it, but it is true. In fact I didn?t believe it until I heard it myself from multiple reliable sources. But your friend should have told you that already, unless his embarrassment finally caused him to see you for what you are. Anyway Nigel married well, they are one of the richest families in the United States in terms of money and morals and who have taken a strong interest in their heritage." Harry was speechless. He could not counter any of what had been told to him. His lowly older brother, the pathetic weakling of a man who allowed his daughter to dress like a girl and become a freak, was loaded! Mr. Smith took great pride in seeing his vulture of a son struggling to comprehend the situation. Harry needed a break so he tried to go into the office. He used his keys but none of them worked. He asked his father about the office and saw his father giving him a stern expression, telling Harry, "I am pleased to announce that you are going to be relieved of your duties as overseer of the estate. We have decided to hire a person with much more experience and who will run the day to day operations so the butler doesn?t have to act like he controls the entire estate. We have plans for the estate and are going to need someone who knows what they are doing. As much as it pains me, I don?t believe you are that person. We will give you a small severance package but your own business should be able to sustain you in the life to which you are accustomed." Harrys tried to plead with him, claiming he had left some important files and property inside. Mr. Smith smiled and told him, "Everything that wasn?t owned or needed for the operation of the estate has been removed from the office. Nothing of yours was found." This was a lie as the important files were removed to his own safe which nobody had access to except him, but it was one that Harry could not refute without showing his dirty dealings. Harry asked about his files on the computer. Mr. Smith told him, "There was nothing on it except accounting files and some old emails. If there was anything that you saved that belonged to you sadly it isn?t on there. Perhaps we might be able to find it for you?" Harry was getting anxious now, his father was taking this seriously and going out of his way to keep him out of the office. They retired to the dining room for lunch and were served a different meal than normal. Harry asked about the food to which Mr. Smith smiled and told him, "We started to acquire a taste for some of the more generalized food thanks to your nieces. Sadly your mother and my doctor have taken up the cause and told me that they probably added several years onto my life. But to be truthful It?s quite good, chef does an amazing salad and soup." Karen called Mr. Smith during the meal with the results of the first round of tests. The results were worse than they thought, Sammi?s heart was failing. Her heart was damaged beyond repair and even with medication she only had a few more months to live. The poor woman was going to die. She was barely able to contain herself as she told him, "He should have gotten her treatment when she started feeling ill, he caused her to die!" Karen finally broke down after that. Mr. Smith softly agreed with her and hung up, unable to say more without tipping-off Harry. His son was a monster, every last ounce of restraint was going into keeping from saying or doing something to prevent Harry from leaving the country let alone the estate. After lunch Harry snuck away and again tried to get into the office, this time asking the maid for the key. The staff didn?t have a copy, only Mr. and Mrs. Smith did. Harry tried to bully them into giving it over but none of them paid him any attention and outright ignored him at the request of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Mr. Smith cleared his voice after the third attempt, to which Harry tried to act like nothing had happened and getting a brisk, "Right, well enough trying to enter the office and abusing the staff. How about we go downstairs to the billiard room for some brandy and a game?" This wasn?t a request; his voice was clear and intimidating. Harry was being told to do it. It was mid-afternoon Nigel returned with Ethan and the girls. Ethan saw his father?s car and stopped in his tracks. Nigel told him softly, "He won?t do anything with your grandparents here. We will stand with you against him." Ethan walked on with a new confidence and was ready for his father?s inevitable onslaught with his uncle and cousins by his side. Nigel led them inside, with Hannah and Paige on either side carrying Nigel Jr. and his baby bag and Nichole and Ethan bringing up the rear. The group stopped and greeted Mr. Smith. Harry took one look at them and commented, "Is this some kind of joke? What the hell are they wearing? They look like a bunch of gutter trash." Mr. Smith swiftly told him, "Be that as it may, those three ladies are worth more than you are so do save yourself some face and apologize this instant." Harry offered a false apology, then briskly pulled Ethan away, pulling his arm hard and twisting it to ensure pain. Much to Harry?s shock Ethan pulled back, telling his father, "I have an important appointment in my room. If you will excuse me I do not wish to speak with you at this time." Ethan walked away, grabbing his wrist in pain. Mr. Smith told Harry, "Do something like that again and I?ll personal knock your block off. I won?t allow any child hurt in my house, no matter what you claim is your right to do." Harry turned to his brother and was about to say something but his father stepped in to stop the attempted fight. He sternly told Harry, "I do believe it is time for you to retire until dinner." Harry was thoroughly rebuked and left, with Nigel prepared to counter whatever he had said. Nigel then told his father, "Did you catch that on video?" His father nodded, replaying the video from the carefully hidden camera. Mr. Smith was no fool and had brought him into the room on purpose knowing the girls would have to go through it and Harry wouldn?t resist doing something to provoke them. Ethan was the unfortunate victim in it but it worked out for the best as Harry was now on borrowed time legally. It also established that Ethan was resistant to his father?s influence, standing up for himself and capable of making decisions as to whether he chose to see his father or not. It was also establishing that Harry was not afraid to be abusive towards his son and willing to harm him for no good reason. Mr. Smith and Nigel kept to themselves downstairs and waiting for Harry?s next move. He didn?t make it until after dinner when Karen returned but without Sammi. Karen pulled Ethan aside and gave him the good news and the bad news. He burst into tears at hearing about his mother?s worsening health but was happy to know that she was getting away from his dad. Harry of course had something to say about the crying. Karen turned around and swiftly and methodically told Harry, "You purposely locked your wife up in her own home for two years, kept her from seeing a doctor, dragged her several hundred kilometers from home on whims whenever it suited you. You are killing her and you have the balls to complain that your eight year old son is grieving over the inevitable loss of his mother? What the hell is wrong with you? You may be your father?s son but you are nothing like your brother or your father. Your name may be Smith but you don?t act like one." Harry had finally heard enough and went after Karen. Nichole stood in his way to block him, he grabbed at her to get her out of the way but instead grabbed her shorts, pulling them down and revealing to the others her private parts. Mr. Smith pulled him back and told him forcefully, "Leave this is instance. You are no longer welcome here. Ethan will remain here and we will be seeking a non-molestation order against you on Sammi and Ethan?s behalf. To save you the trouble all access to the estate?s accounts are frozen, all passwords and pins changed, and the CPS are being notified of your actions towards Nichole and Ethan. You are officially cast out of the family, disowned and disinherited. You are on your own now." To emphasize this he showed Harry his will and legal documents removing him from everything. Harry got up and left in disgrace. Ethan reentered telling them, "Rachel has the whole thing and is making copies for all who need them." He turned to Nichole who was still in shock but now fully clothed and hugged her, knowing she didn?t mean to jump in the way or have her privates shown to her grandparents. They in turn were more upset that Harry would be stupid enough to harm her let alone go after Karen. For Harry it was utter humiliation. He tried to ask for help from his friends to get some kind of backlash against his parents but George muddied the waters after his niece and sister-in-law humiliated him in front of the assembled guests at the dinner part. His only confidant was Jeffries but his was a business partner not a friend. Harry could only rationalize it as his brother acting against him, not seeing that it was all his own creation or his own fault. He drove into town and waited until well after dark before heading back to the estate, entering the house through the service entrance. He quietly walked up to the office and forced the door open, breaking the lock in the process. Harry didn?t notice but the computer?s camera was pointed directly at him and beeped with someone on the other end saying, "There?s nothing in the office Harry, but in addition to the spousal and child abuse and assault charges against you for what you did to Sammi, Nichole, and Ethan there are now going to be breaking and entering charges added. By the way this room and the hallway are recording 24/7 and all of the kind words you had with the staff earlier in the day were recorded so enjoy your time as the police were notified and are arriving shortly." Mr. Smith appeared, telling the person on the computer, "Thank you for that Rachel. We will be sure to copy the videos and hand them over to the police." Minutes later lights were flashing outside as two uniformed officers from the Lincolnshire Constabulary entered and placed Harry under arrest. He was screaming at his parents and cursing Nichole and Nigel as the officers cautioned him. After refusing to stop and fighting both officers he found himself on the business end of baton to the knee as he tried to kick one of the officers. Mr. Smith told the officers, "Hours ago our son was told to leave and that he was no longer welcome here. I signed and filed the official paperwork removing him from the estate management and from the family trust. He had no right to be here and certainly had not right to enter this room. Nothing was stolen but he tried to find some important files pertaining to the running of the estate. We have those safely housed elsewhere and submitted copies of those to the CPS and your detectives for further investigation." The officers took the statement including that of Ethan and Nichole and reviewed the videos of both incidents. They nodded and went off, telling them, "Expect trouble regarding your granddaughter. We know her birth gender but whatever the circumstances of the surgery your son will claim she was mutilated and your son and daughter-in-law will be in trouble. Even if he knows the truth he has nothing to lose and it?ll be the easiest way to get revenge." Mr. Smith agreed. Mrs. Smith told him softly, "I?ll leave and take Ethan, Nigel Jr., and Nichole to the embassy. They can?t get them there and Walter is already expecting them. He planned their arrival before the six arrived in the country." Mr. Smith nodded, telling Nigel, "Expect officers to come in the morning, so best to get a good night?s rest. I?ll call John and tell him to come tomorrow. Things are going to be very rocky very shortly." Just before 7 AM Mrs. Smith packed Nichole, Nigel Jr., and Ethan into the estate?s car. Emma would drive them there and remain to receive John, Judge Matthews, and Dr. Samuels. Soon after they left social services arrived to take the children away. Mr. Smith smiled as he told them, "My wife has gone with them to visit Nichole and Nigel Jr.?s great uncle." When asked where he was Mr. Smith proudly stated, "To the United States Embassy. They plan to spend a day or two with family before returning." The officers with them burst into laughter as the social workers tried to figure out what to do. Mr. Smith told them flatly, "Ambassador Gorman and his wife are expecting them and will arrive this afternoon. The children will not leave the embassy until my son and daughter-in- law are cleared of any charges. Any attempt to remove them will fail, the ambassador is well aware of the claims and has full knowledge of the actual events. They will not be leaving with you and any attempts to remove them through less than legal means or under false pretenses will be detrimental to your careers and your freedom. That is not a threat that is a promise. Oh and please remember that the embassy is sovereign territory of the United States so threats against them won?t work and I am sure you are going to find out why after your first attempts fail." The officers took Nigel and Karen into custody, with Hannah and Paige staying back at the request of them. Hannah told them that she was calling in the big gun to which Mr. Smith nodded. When the officers asked who she was talking about Mr. Smith explained, "She?s calling a close family friend, one Jonas Bloomfield. I pray you have looked closely at the accuser because he is about to be shown for what he truly is within a matter of hours. I pray you did a thorough investigation of my other son before accepting his accusations as fact because if not you will regret not doing so and will only have your own activities scrutinized." Down in London Walter greeted Mrs. Smith warmly and escorted the kids inside. Emma was amazed at the treatment she was given, Lillian made her feel like a friend more than a servant. She assured Emma, "You are a guest here, even if you are working for the Smiths you are a guest for the next few hours." The real fun started within a half hour as officials from social services tried to bully their way into the embassy only to be met with security laughing them off. The head of the Marine detachment tried his hardest to contain his laughter as the Diplomatic Security Service officers tried to explain that the people did not understand, "Sovereign territory." Every time they tried to barge past the officers they were rebuffed with the explanation, "This is sovereign territory of the United States. You have no jurisdiction here." After the fourth attempt and claims that they would bring police the Marine kindly told them, "Please by all means do so, it?ll save us the trouble of having to call them ourselves. Now if you will excuse us you are disturbing people who are here for legitimate reasons." A short time later a representative from higher up came and demanded to speak with the ambassador. The staff looked at the credentials, then kindly told him, "Sorry but Ambassador Gorman is entertaining family at this time and unable to have visitors." The man was insulted and demanded to meet with the ambassador, one of the lowly assistants took him inside, sat him in an office, waited a few minutes, then replied, "Mr. Ambassador has kindly stated that he is busy entertaining guests and will not meet with you. Further he has instructed us to tell you that a formal complaint has been filed with your office to which you will be receiving a phone call shortly. Good day sir." Police arrived and as the social workers again tried to force their way in. They moved aside to let the officers do their work but instead the officers turned around and placed them in handcuffs telling them, "You were warned multiple times to leave and we have received several official complaints. We have no choice but to place you under arrest for breach of peace and warn you to stay away from the embassy." Up in Lincolnshire Karen and Nigel were being booked by the police. The detective inspectors were trying to speak with them as they were booked hoping to get something against them. Nigel and Karen both stated they wished to speak with their lawyer and would refuse to answer any questions until they had done so. The officers kept at it with both repeating the same speech over and over again. After an hour Nigel and Karen were taken to interrogation rooms. Both continued their speeches and both refused to answer questions. The detectives were growing angry and threatened them but neither budged. They finally lost their cool and struck Nigel across the face while in another room one punched Karen in the ribs. This was repeated several times with the detectives demanding that they answer questions. After an hour this was having no effect. But there was trouble. Jonas and his colleagues had arrived and had viewed the interrogations, seeing the assaults in full. All three associates turned to the officer in charge and proudly stated, "We wish to bring assault charges against the detectives and demand that you release our clients from custody immediately." The officer refused to which Jonas stated, "So be it." Jonas made a phone call and within minutes the phone rang. The officer in charge grew pale, turned to his subordinates, and told several other officers, "Place the detectives under arrest for assault." He turned to the solicitors and asked, "How did you do that?" Jonas bluntly stated, "That is none of your business, but expect visits form the CPS shortly. And expect to find new detectives as those officers are going to be out of the job." Karen and Nigel were shown inside and told they were being released but would be required to show up to court later. Jonas stated, "I am taking them to the hospital and will be filing suit against the department for assault and wrongful arrest. You will find that the man who made the claims for which you have falsely arrested my clients is now in custody and is being remanded to prison at the request of Her Majesty?s Customs. He was also charged with breaking and entering and assault on two young children so before you rush to judgements regarding alleged criminals consider the source of the claims first." Jonas drove Karen and Nigel to the hospital and both were checked out. They were badly bruised with Karen receiving a fractured rib and Nigel receiving a busted lip and had several teeth loosened. Jonas? colleagues secured the videos by acquiring several copies before the officers could delete them. One was caught in the process and had additional tampering charges added to the assault charges. As he was being hauled away he accidentally let slip, "Wait until Harry gets them" which the colleague stated to the officers, "Now you can expect an official review of your department because your colleague there just indicated he knew the man who made the claims against our client, which means he knew all along the charges were false." The afternoon was a busy one at the Smith household once Nigel and Karen were back. John?s plane touched down at Heathrow Airport and the three were whisked away to the US Embassy. Walter greeted them warmly as the three entered and were met by an enthusiastic Nichole. John looked down at the worried Ethan and smiled, assuring him, "Your dad messed with the wrong family. You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us." Chapter 15 Ethan looked up at John to see if he was joking. John had a serious expression and told him warmly, "We drive north tonight, but you three stay here. If you leave you will be taken into foster care. They can?t touch you in here, outside they can. You are going to be alright, your father can?t threaten or hurt you from where he is staying. Karen and Nigel are already out of custody and tomorrow things are being set right." John left it at that as Nichole came over to comfort Ethan. Lillian spoke with them briefly before the three left with Mrs. Smith and Emma. She sat down with Ethan and assured him, "The police have been told off for believing the claims of a criminal without evidence. Social services are under review and they are in for a shock. John isn?t fooling around, they are the three people who are going to get your aunt and uncle freed. Judge Matthews oversaw the arraignment of the Clarences, Dr. Matthew oversaw the initial treatment of Nichole, and John signed the orders allowing for her surgery. Those three are beyond reproach and have stellar reputations. Anyone who has a problem with them are going to be shown for what they truly are." Listening to this Ethan asked, "Why are they so good?" Nichole chimed in, "Judge Matthews believes in justice and rule of law. Uncle Richard cares about everyone no matter who or what they ar. Uncle John has seen the best and worst of people and tries to do what is right for everyone. All three are good at what they do and combined they are a solid team." Three hours later Emma pulled into the estate. John was greeted with a big hug from Hannah and Paige as Mr. Smith waited for them to stop before introducing himself. John greeted him warmly then asked about the bruising to which Jonas told about the assaults in the police station. Judge Matthews asked if they had told Walter yet to which they nodded, adding, "He made sure the CPS didn?t allow the police to sweep the assaults under the rug. He also had the chief constable made aware that there would be a formal complaint regarding the care of citizens placed under arrest and who properly invoked their rights." They let the matter rest and headed inside for dinner. Karen asked about the kids to which John recalled their mood and feelings. He was concerned about Ethan, this was going to have a long lasting impact on him. Mr. Smith noted this and told them, "I?ll have an eye kept on him at school. I?m more concerned with the fact that he returns after everyone departs. It won?t be the same for him afterward." John asked about Sammi and was told the bad news, she wasn?t suitable for a heart transplant and worse she wasn?t going to be healthy enough to be without 24/7 care. She was going to move to a hospice in a few days, once her clothing was removed from her home in Suffolk. John turned to Karen who nodded, Karen announcing, "We can?t leave her alone. I?ll stay with her until this is done." Nigel agreed with her, she needed people around her to make her as comfortable as possible. Emma was drafted to help look after Nigel Jr. while Karen was with Sammi. The Smiths did not object and were pleasantly surprised by the news to which John told them, "She had no intention of leaving Sammi by herself, she needs familiar people and you have an estate to run." In the morning the group ate and headed off to the Magistrates? Court with an air of trepidation as each were focused on the possible outcomes. Judge Matthews was seeing things from the other side of the bench and would have to endure the same anxiety that so many before had suffered with him on the bench. He was in a foreign country with people he greatly respected and whom he had gotten frequently involved with as a professional and for the first time he felt like he was using his position to make a real impact, even if it was a forcing of change in the mishandling of justice. Jonas Bloomfield and his associates met the group outside the court. Since it was a charge of assault against a minor there would be a closed court. The judge was made aware of the assaults against them and that there were witnesses who were there to get the charges tossed out. There was no indication as to whether the judge would allow them to speak but he was also told that there would be complaints filed by the United States Embassy against the courts on Nigel and Karen?s behalf. The group entered the courtroom and Karen and Nigel were placed in handcuffs and taken before the judge to stand. A commotion was heard outside and several officers came in followed by several men in suits and ties with earpieces and hidden guns. Among them was a man in a suit who made his way to Karen and Nigel, hugging both and offering his luck. Walter didn?t normally do this kind of spectacle but for that day it was needed. He was there on official business and Harry was a shady person so the protection was needed. The judge started the proceedings with Nigel and Karen being told the charges brought against them. Nigel and Karen both stated they refuted the charges as the court had no jurisdiction over the alleged crime as it occurred in the United States, giving the exact place and time of the crime. They then went on to state, "Our claims are backed up by three individuals who the courts must hear. They are eye witnesses to the alleged crime." The judge expected as such and let them speak. Judge Matthews stood up and stated who he was and why he was there. He announced, "I was the Winnisimmet District Court judge originally assigned to arraign the men responsible for the assault on Miss Smith and briefed the judge who took over. Due to personal connection to the case as the person who officiated Mr. and Mrs. Smith?s wedding the week before I recused myself. I am fully aware of the circumstances and outcome as well as the legal implications of the alleged crime and state that it was not a crime in neither the Commonwealth of Massachusetts nor the United States of America." Dr. Samuels came forward and stated who he was and why he was there. He announced, "I was the on-duty doctor at New England Children?s Hospital and treated Nichole?s wounds. There was little we little we could do without immediate surgery. The only other option would have left her with no genitals at all leaving her as a sexless person. After consulting with her psychiatrist and an experienced surgeon we recommended full genital reassignment surgery." The two nodded to John who stood up and announced, "I?m John Finn. I am Nichole?s maternal uncle. The wound that Nichole received came from when she stepped in front of a man intent on killing my daughter, her cousin Jaimie, and was the first relative to arrive at the hospital. I was the one approached to make the decision regarding surgery. She was in a bad way as the knife cut in such a way that there was nothing that could be done to salvage the penis. The options were to have everything removed or the go forward with SRS to create a vagina. For the sake of her mental health and wellbeing I chose the second option." John looked directly at the judge and announced, "My sister and brother-in-law were unable to make the decision at that time, I made it on their behalf. I did it with full knowledge about what was going to be done and done with the blessing of the hospital?s psychiatrist whose opinion I fully trust. My sister and brother-in-law are not at fault and they have committed no crime. You look as if you don?t believe any of what we have said so I?ll go out and say that it was in the media, a simple google search of the name ?Kevin Clarence? and ?assault? will show we are speaking the truth regarding the assault. Further we have evidence- seeing the men coming at he my daughter recorded the assault and unfortunately the bloody aftermath as she tried to stop the bleeding saving Nichole?s life in the process." The judge asked what he was talking about and was handed a DVD. John stated bluntly, "Before you do anything regarding the case, just watch it. Watch it and see for yourself that the claims are true." The prosecution tried to object until Jonas stated, "This is actual and accepted evidence, taken by the victim of a crime and cleared by courts in the United States. My clients have a right to present evidence to clear their names; it is not our fault that you were duped into believing it was a sex change that occurred outside the realm of legal and ethical standards by Mr. Harold Smith. He knew all along exactly what happened, we know his aunt told him what Ms. Smith had endured before he came and we know he was told by multiple people overhearing a conversation between his mother and aunt regarding said assault. We have her statement that on the previous Friday she told him about the assault exactly one year ago today. He lied to you and in your haste to railroad the Smiths to get a quick conviction you ignored their rights." The judge called a short recess to watch the video. He returned 10 minutes later with hands shaking and announcing, "There is no doubt that this was a brutal assault and that Ms. Smith was badly injured. The fact that I saw inner parts of the male anatomy that I never want to see again is enough for me to declare all charges against Mr. and Mrs. Smith to be vacated and the CPS to review their policies and procedures for investigating crimes against minors especially when it comes to tips from people who are already in custody for crimes against the same person. Further I order that a formal and thorough public apology be carried out as soon as possible and without haste." Turning to John the judge stated, "Mr. Finn you need not have appeared today." John countered with, "I did, because if I did not my nephew and niece would not be able to leave the embassy for they would have been removed from their grandparents? care by force by social services. Multiple attemps have already been made to obtain them through force at the US Embassy, if not for their security they would have succeeded. I ask that the court order the secession of the investigation into my sister and brother-in-law and the forced removal of Nichole and Nigel Jr. by social services so they can return to their parents." Walter stepped forward and told the judge, "The United States government hereby demands the same of your social services. We filed formal complaints over your CPS attempting to prosecute Mr. and Mrs. Smith for crimes that did not occur in your country and for which the actual perpetrator of the crime has been imprisoned. We further that an investigation be undertaken into the CPS for the blatant ignoring of Mr. and Mrs. Smith?s rights as we believe they have at least one person who is under the employ of Harry Smith." The judge asked on what basis does he do so which Walther smiled and stated, "As a witness to the aftermath of Nichole?s assault and as a person with full knowledge of the court case against the Clarence men. We, my wife and I, were personally at her bedside helping her during her recovery and sat in the courtroom as the Clarences were sentenced to prison. This case was a farce from the start as the men responsible are already in prison rotting for their crimes. Further this case is before you on a Tuesday, the claimed discovery of her so-called mutilation was on Sunday. It was impossible to do any sort of actual investigation in one single day especially with so much information readily available and a five hour time delay." The judge wrote an order and demanded that the investigation into the CPS. The prosecutor objected to which the judge stated, "It is not my fault that your relationship with Mr. Smith is about to be exposed. I may not be young but I am not foolish, you knew what you were doing yet you did it anyway." He then asked for the awaiting social services workers to come into the courtroom. He looked them down and stated loudly, "You are hereby ordered to cease all attempts to take Nichole and Nigel Smith, Jr. into custody. Any further attempts by you will be seen as a breach of court order and will result in arrest. This is not a request, this is an order. You have exactly five minutes to make your necessary phone calls and have your people removed from the US Embassy and the Smith household before I personally call your bosses and have you sacked." The assigned social workers rushed to comply. Walter waited and 10 minutes later he stated, "Lillian called to tell us the social workers were in a scuffle outside the embassy as they tried one last attempt to take the kids. Two are charged with assault and the officer in charge was told that they will be charged with violated the judge?s order as well. She is driving up shortly with the kids. She added that Nigel Jr. was out of diapers." Karen shed a tear of joy as he said that, adding a sweet, "We will get some more." Karen and Nigel walked out in triumph. Mr. and Mrs. Smith made inquiries regarding their son and were told bluntly, "He?s being held, that?s all we can say at this time." Jonas and his colleagues made inquiries of their own and told them, "He?s being held in a nearby prison pending his own charges, the newest being perjury." The two just nodded and bid their farewells, with Hannah telling Jonas, "Bill me for this, my aunt is expecting the invoice soon." Jonas knew not to argue with the fiery teen and just nodded in agreement. The news for Harry was bleak. His court appointed solicitor was uninterested in his status or attitude. He wanted to help but Harry was making his job impossible. The solicitor laid out the cases against him and announced solemnly, "Your best bet is to plead guilty and beg for mercy. There is little chance of you ever leaving here alive with the number of crimes they have you for. You won?t survive the general population much longer, you need to get those assault charges removed take the tax and money laundering charges so you go to a less secure and safer prison." After his meeting Harry was confronted by several people he knew. The words, "Oh shit" were barely out of his mouth before he was stabbed multiple times between his ribs. The men coldly told him, "Our bank accounts were raided by the government; they got everything thanks to you. Enjoy you last few minutes of life." Harry looked at the men and uttered his final words, "Fucking Nigel wins again." Harry was dead in seconds. The men walked away, knowing they were screwed but they had their vengeance against the man who caused them to end up in prison. The scene was witnessed by guards who took them into custody and put them in isolation but weren?t charging them with murder. They didn?t stop the murder of Harry and coincidentally the murder weapon disappeared, the guards having been bribed to look the other way and remove the evidence leaving Harry?s murder unsolved. The news reached the Smiths quickly. Mr. Smith shook his head and shed a tear. As much as he hated what his son had done he still loved him. Losing him was a tragedy, one that Ethan didn?t need. Pulling himself together he broke the news to the others only to get a solemn, "What can be done for him?" from the family. Mr. Smith didn?t rightly know, but told them he?d coordinate efforts as soon as possible. Only the family would attend the funeral, anyone else was likely to be coconspirators or people trying to collect Harry?s debts. Mr. Smith was not going to allow that. When Nichole, Nigel Jr., and Ethan arrived that afternoon they broke the news to Ethan. Ethan wasn?t moved, only softly saying, "He can?t hurt us anymore." Karen pulled him into a hug but he pushed away, saying, "He doesn?t deserve your grief. He wouldn?t shed a tear for any of us, you shouldn?t do that for him." Up in his room and alone Ethan broke down. His brave fa?ade broke down. He was essentially an orphan now. His mother was going to die and his father was dead already. Karen and Nigel entered and pulled him into a deep embrace, telling him, "He may have been terrible but he was still your father. Deep down there was some love, just as we know you love him." He softly sobbed, "I?m alone now." Nigel quickly told him, "You are not alone, you have us. You have your grandparents. You will never be alone again. We told you before we are family and you are part of it no matter what." Downstairs Judge Matthews and Mrs. Smith were deep into conversation. She was getting a good look at the family from someone who had to remain outside for his own professional sake. She loved what she was hearing, especially the constant outwitting of people who would do the family harm. Judge Matthews loved pointing out, "They keep getting underestimated, the only one who ever put up a fight was someone they had no choice but to bow down to and that ended with the man being removed from the bench for ignoring and abusing the laws. And the funny thing about that is the man who led the charge isn?t actually part of the family, he remains just a friend of Valerie?s for the sake of the kids.harge isn' having been bribed to look the other way and remove the evidence leavi" Dr. Samuels and Mr. Smith were having an equally interesting discussion. Being the resident pediatrician for the large family he had all of the insight into the family and was proud to admit without revealing anything confidential that Nichole was the most normal of all of the kids despite her three years of poverty with her father. Mr. Smith was in disbelief until he pointed out Kylie?s and Nancy?s parental situations bringing the whole dynamic into a different perspective. He himself being the most normal of the family members Dr. Samuels regaled him with tales of the guys and their actions which Mr. Smith enjoyed hearing. John was the constant butt of jokes with him gladly making himself out to be the recipient on behalf of the others, often at times when they needed something to lift their spirits. Seeing the man at work and hearing him he could easily see why people enjoyed him as a person. Dr. Samuels then revealed an age-old secret, John was the most unstable of the family. He cared a lot about the family and had broken down multiple times over the family?s struggles especially when it came to the kids being hurt. Mr. Smith looked over at the man as he and the girls were talking animatedly and couldn?t believe he was like that. Dr. Samuels solemnly told him, "He has had constant issues with anxiety and hates above else to see family hurt. He broke down both times when Jaimie was hurt, when Miles ran off, when Nichole was assaulted, and when Reyna was kidnapped. We know when to keep him out of things for his own good but this is one time he had to be there for the family." Mr. Smith was left speechless. John added, "You forgot that I told Valerie to leave when Jaimie?s transition was revealed or that I tendered my resignation to the school when the Clarences tried to have me arrested for inappropriate behavior with Hannah." Dr. Samuels smiled and told him, "She refused to leave and you know there was a near riot by the teachers over your resignation so neither were good examples." Mr. Smith looked at him like he was joking to which Hannah added, "Well he doesn?t want to remember the thing that brought Pete and I together. It was his little beloved niece finding the man of her dreams." John snorted as Dr. Samuels burst into laughter alongside Mr. Smith. John?s face was in a state of humiliation but it was what Dr. Samuels had previously told him. The three guests spent the night before leaving early the next morning. John gave Ethan a deep hug and told him he was welcome anytime. Ethan?s absence from his nightly chats was noticed by the boys and it took Nichole explaining what happened to stop them from disturbing him. Neither had the heart to talk after hearing the news anyway, they felt bad that they couldn?t help him. Mr. Smith worked with the prison and CPS to free Harry?s body and sort out the legalities. Harry?s trust fund was found to have long been exhausted and his business was frozen by the government. A will was on file and Ethan was named as the sole heir with Sammi getting nothing but given the situation that didn?t matter to her. There was nothing to inherit, anything in the business was likely bought with estate money so it was of no use to Ethan and Sammi anyway. Their house was actually owned by the estate, he had managed to buy it without anyone knowing so they had the full legal right to start the process of selling it. The family made the trip south to close out the house in Suffolk, spending much of Wednesday there and staying overnight in a hotel. Nichole, Ethan, Paige, and Hannah stayed in the house so they could help Ethan with his things. Hannah enjoyed being in charge of the house for the night immensely although Nichole complained about it. Ethan and Sammi?s possessions were boxed up and put into an awaiting truck. Harry?s things were donated to charity. There wasn?t much overall that was worth taking so much of it was donated. Ethan was glad to leave the house for the final time, shedding a single tear and announcing, "This was never home." After dealing with the house they were taken to Harry?s business and closed out all accounts, liquidating whatever there was inside that could be sold. The CPS and Revenue and Customs officials were given any files and ensured that nothing of legal value to their cases was taken by the family. The lease was terminated with the landlord all too pleased to be rid of a man he saw as being, "A jerk". Back north that evening Ethan asked to see his mother. She was weak but happy to see him. She told him about her troubles and asked him to be strong for her. She knew his father was dead so it was nothing to hold him back from being the man he needed to be. Ethan broke down and cried, to which Sammi did the same. She told him she loved him and asked that he not see her too often, she didn?t want his memories of her to be of her withering away in a bed. Ethan seemed to regain his composure and felt better the next day. His father was to be cremated and his ashes scattered but the ceremony was small with only the Smiths in attendance. Camille came as well, but the frosty reception she received from the children showed they knew she was only there to gather information or something else. After the reception Ethan boldly asked Camille, "Why did you come? You could have been there for Aunt Karen and Uncle Nigel but you ignored the court proceedings. Why are you really here?" Camille was offended by his questions but Mrs. Smith smiled and asked her sister, "He has a point, why are you really here? How much did Harry borrow from you because whatever he borrowed you won?t receive a penny from any of us." Camille?s face grew red with anger. She announced, "I?ll sue the lot of you, I have a contract with him." Mr. Smith told her sharply, "No you don?t. Whatever you loaned him wasn?t registered with the estate nor was any contract found among Harry?s personal files. Not one mention of owing you a penny. We are afraid that whatever you gave Harry it was a gift and you aren?t owed a penny from his estate. Now if you would so kindly exit as you are causing my grandson discomfort in his day of grief." Camille was escorted out by Hannah and Paige, the two gripping her arms as they swiftly walked her out. Camille yelled back, "You will regret this" to which Hannah quietly told her, "Don?t bother, it?s recorded. You threatened the family because they would not repay a loan that they have no record of ever giving you, done by a man who is no longer with them, and attempting to obtain it on the day of his funeral. I doubt many people will back you up hearing this. And the last thing you want to do is threaten my family. You may technically be my great aunt but to me you are just some freeloader trying to make a buck off my cousin, a child no less. Just be glad we were gentle on you instead of showing your so-called friends how much of a weasel you truly are." She looked over at Hannah who had a fury in her eyes and stern look on her face. She then turned to Paige who had the same look, but added a subtle, "Please try something, Hannah has been itching to relieve some of the built up stress all week. She doesn?t get to break bones too often but it?s been a while since she did." Camille wet her pants in fear. She rushed to the awaiting care and begged the driver to go. The driver looked at the lovely young ladies with deadly glares and agreed that it was best to get out of there before Lady Camille said something to bring their wrath upon her. Chapter 16 Camille drove off in fear, the girls looking at the Smiths and explained to them, "We meant what we said. It?s neither the time nor the place for that garbage. Sorry for causing family issues with her but it?s common decency to put that aside business for the sake of a child. The last thing he needs is to be reminded that his father was into unsavory things among family again." Ethan just smiled and hugged them, as Mr. Smith told both, "There is nothing to apologize for, you did the right thing. Camille won?t show her face for a long time and she won?t dare try to recover any money Harry borrowed from her. She knew full well what she was doing when she loaned it, she was hoping that we were foolish enough to repay for him." The family retired to the house with Ethan seeking out the boys. Karen took the other three to meet Sammi in the hopes that she would enjoy their company and keep her mind occupied. Arriving at the hospital she was eager to meet her nieces and little nephew, thankful for Karen?s thoughtfulness and brightening her day. Taking one long look at Nichole she could only muster, "You are beautiful" as she saw her. Nichole burst into tears and hugged her, telling her, "Thank you". She told Sammi softly, "I am glad Ethan takes after you. He looks so much like you." Sammi in turn cried hearing that, it was the greatest compliment she could have given Sammi. It was a jab at Harry but it was the honest truth, coming from the heart and with love. The family talked among themselves until it was time for them to leave, with Sammi asking the girls to keep a close eye on Ethan when he moves in with them. Nichole tried to counter saying, "That won?t happen, you will get better." Sammi knew that her days were numbered and told her, "I?m only going to last two months at most, so please do as I say." All three agreed with Karen doing the same. She added a soft, "He is delicate but I know he will grow to be like his uncle, let him explore his options and not settle on something that he thinks you will want him to do." Karen shed a tear and proudly told her, "We suspect we know already what he might like to do and Hannah has assured him he can do it if he wants to." Things settled down for the rest of the week. The kids enjoyed the stream and rode the horses each day. With each ride they were going faster, going a full gallop and getting the hang of riding the massive beasts by Saturday. Ethan was actually doing better once he stopped thinking about falling off his horse with Nichole joking that he was a natural jockey. Ethan countered, "I prefer a car but it?s not such a bad way to get around." The family saw to it to keep busy. Nigel and Karen drove down to Boston to visit some of the sites there and enjoy some time away from the kids. Nigel Jr. stayed with Mrs. Smith as she wanted to enjoy the little one and give her son some personal time with his wife. The two managed to stop off at a museum Nigel heard about and figured Junior would enjoy. The Bubble Car Museum was just as its name implied, with the cars being various kinds of small cars all with unique designs. It was comical to Karen who quipped, "It?s bringing back memories of Steve Urkel and his car" necessitating an explanation and getting a, "Did I do that?" from Nigel which was returned by a groan as she knew he was playing her for a fool. The four youths decided to hit Lincoln. The first trip was to visit the major sites that Karen and Nigel had visited. They added their own stops, with one being the Imagination Station so the kids could interact with other kids their own age. Ethan and the other kids were great together but he held back knowing that if he got too close the truth of who he was would get out and things could get out of control. Thanks to the help of Mr. Smith and the urging of Sammi the girls took him to the Lancaster Aviation Heritage Centre for another up-close look at planes. When they arrived they told him he could actually get inside the Lancaster bomber as it taxied to and from the hangar. Ethan of course was ecstatic and smiled the whole day as Nichole and Hannah took pictures while Paige and he went for the ride. This was the biggest thrill he had ever had, it wasn?t like flying in a regular airplane, this was more thrilling and made him feel like part of history. Finally the time came for the Smiths to depart. They made one final stop before driving to the airport, stopping in to tearfully kiss Sammi goodbye. Karen of course stayed behind to help Sammi with Nigel Jr. going with his dad. The family reluctantly parted with Emma driving Karen back north, the two talking the whole time as she tried not to think about the situation. Ethan had left that day as well. His school, in Nottinghamshire, was aware of his situation and took little interest in it. He was a student of no real standing so his father?s death and mother?s ill health was nothing to them. It didn?t matter than his grandparents had insisted on someone looking after his health and wellbeing. Ethan was a nobody, they could care less about the boy?s needs. Once their check cleared the headmaster quietly told his secretary to ignore the Smiths? request as it was pointless to do that for someone who wasn?t going to help the school in the future. Ethan reported as ordered after the Smiths? chauffeur dropped him off and took to his room for solitude. There was little for him to do so he went about reading. He didn?t have a laptop or iPad so he couldn?t talk with Neil or Junior so he was instead forced to read yet again. In the afternoon after the midday meal some of his fellow classmates noticed he was back and asked about his break. He didn?t feel like telling the full story so he only admitted, "I met my new aunt and cousins." This answer caused a stir. The teasing immediately started about him being the, "Son of the second son" all over again. Ethan drowned it out but every time Ethan showed his face the kids would take their jabs at him. It was what they did best and it was nothing that they hadn?t done before. It took two days before the news hit that his father was a criminal and was murdered in prison. Then the news that he tried to set his aunt and uncle, the future marquess and marchioness, up for a crime that happened in the United States and that his cousin Nichole was once a boy who had undergone a sex change, hit. That was when things went from bad to worse for him. Regular classes had begun and the students constantly disrupted the classes. He wasn?t at fault yet the jokes and comments flew fast and furious daily. His teachers took little heed and insisted on blaming him and sent him daily to the headmaster for discipline for disrupting their classes. Ethan pleaded his case but the headmaster ignored him, insisting that it was his own fault for inciting the constant disruptions. It didn?t help that the guilty parties were all titled individuals, even if they were viscounts, barons, and baronets. Again titles mattered, not facts. The headmaster refused to believe anything he said and despite witnesses complaining about the students and informing the headmaster that they were complaining directly to their parents he refused to discipline anyone except Ethan. He had to constantly wash chalkboards and restock the library as punishments while his tormentors got off scot-free. He did his punishments without complaint, knowing if he said anything it would lead to harsher penalties. It was easier to just accept them and move on. It was a fact of life. He knew deep down that his headmaster wanted him gone and the only reason he wasn?t expelled on trumped up charges was that his grandparents would fight him legally and take down the school if he did. Sports proved no better for Ethan. He was a stronger swimmer than his classmates but his small size meant the sports teacher ignored him yet again. He was faster than the others in his grade, thanks to all of the time going against the current. This didn?t matter one iota as the teacher refused to acknowledge Ethan on any level regardless of how well he did. Even when he was out running he didn?t get noticed and was constantly berated for screwing up in football, rugby, and any other sport he tried. His school didn?t offer any running sports so his abilities were wasted and unnoticed. He tried to ask to run on his own but was scoffed at and berated for coming up with such a ridiculous idea. When several other students asked to do the same his teacher sent Ethan off for causing a disruption leading to more punishment. By the start of the third week things got even worse for Ethan. He had reached his breaking point and decided to finally fight back. His comments hit the jerks hard, causing them to stumble for the right words to counter his biting wit. The teachers were surprised that the meek boy had found the energy to fight but disciplined him regardless. The truly guilty parties were again let to do as they saw fit while the victim was punished. The headmaster was now openly threatening Ethan over his actions. Ethan saw no end to it and shouted back, "Do you even plan to do anything about the other students or are you going to continue allowing them to do whatever the hell they please? This isn?t a school, it?s a bloody borstal!" That earned Ethan a hard strike across the face. Ethan just smiled as he looked up to see Karen and his grandparents standing in the doorway. The boy timed his response perfectly, hearing them coming through the door. Mr. Smith loudly shouted at the headmaster, "Is that how you treat students here? Bully them until you can hit them? And for what reason may I ask, for defending themselves from verbal torment by their classmates?" The headmaster tried to say something but Karen replayed the video she had taken. Mr. Smith shouted, "The governors will hear about this, and you can damn sure expect all financial resources of my family to be revoked from this school. We will have nothing further to do with this school. Six generations attending this school just ended." Karen then stepped forward and asked if he was alright. Ethan retold the events of the past few weeks with Karen grown furious by the second. She stood up and asked the headmaster, "Is this how you run your school? Allow students to abuse other students because they lack certain titles? Do you even know anything about Ethan?" Ethan knew she was up to something. Knowing he now had nothing to lose the headmaster smiled and stated, "His father is a criminal and his mother is a promiscuous whore." Mr. Smith proudly stated, "Yes his father was a criminal but his mother was no such thing and for that you will receive a lawsuit on Ethan?s behalf against your school. I wasn?t going to do that but since you insist in insulting my poor daughter-in- law after her untimely passing you leave me no choice." Karen nodded then added, "And this might be news to you but Ethan is not just Lord Ethan Smith, he is the new Earl of Frampton." She turned to Ethan and smiled, "Her majesty has granted him the title as a service for helping in breaking an international smuggling ring. So unless I am mistaken he is the highest ranking noble here. I can guarantee you that there won?t be another earl or rather future marquesses in your school again once word gets around about how you treated one of the peers." The headmaster tried to claim otherwise but Mr. Smith showed him the document, watching as his face dropped. The headmaster demanded to know why they were there to which Mrs. Smith told him, "We were asked to come by Ethan who expressed extreme dissatisfaction with your school and asked to return home and transfer to a different school. We agreed to visit to see if this was justified sadly it was worse than he described. Unfortunately the timing could not have been worse for you as this morning it turned into a different visit, as of this morning his mother Lady Smith passed on leaving Ethan in the care of Lady Smith and her husband Nigel, Earl of Boston and future Marquess of Lincoln." Karen turned to Ethan and asked solemnly, "Your mother has passed on. She wanted you to know that she wished you were by her side but you needed to be away for your own benefit." Karen then turned to the headmaster and told him sharply, "I don?t know about your country but in mine we have people who would have been in contact with children in Ethan?s state and so far I have seen no such efforts on your part despite knowing the full depth of his family?s troubles. I?ll be taking him with me to a place where he can get the kind of care and comfort he needs, not constant abuse and harassment." Mr. Smith told her that he had made arrangements and demanded to know why they were not followed. The headmaster told him, "This is a school, we are supposed to teach not coddle." Mr. Smith countered with, "You coddled them alright, you coddled the ignorant jocks while tormenting the innocent and endangered. I?ll have social services in to visit the school as my future granddaughter-in-law?s mother expressed this very concern about your school. Perhaps with official review this school might reform into more than a breeding ground for future criminals." With that they left, the headmaster trying to put out the fires that the loud conversation had caused. The secretary had already been on the phone with the governors and told him, "You have a meeting in 10 minutes. Mr. Smith?s chauffeur had already called the board before they arrived. The meeting should be no surprise and from the gist of their wording you need to be out of the building and off the premises by sundown. You aren?t being allowed to resign, they are outright sacking you without severance. You violated your contract with the school." His world had been sunk and no thanks to Ethan Smith. Outside Ethan asked, "When are we going home?" Karen said, "Right now" to which Ethan said, "Not the estate, your home." Karen smiled and told him, "In a couple of days. We have to properly inform the right people and settle her will. The girls don?t know yet so it?ll be a surprise." At the estate Ethan asked about the school. Karen smiled as she knelt down and told him, "My friend Yvette is the principal. She has agreed to place you in the same class as Neil and Junior. Nichole and the girls had Mr. King as a teacher and loved him. He?s a good person, and will be sympathetic to your plight. Just give it some time to adjust as our American education system is very different than yours." The notices were made to Sammi?s relatives but there were none to contact as far as the family knew. There were inquiries from Sammi?s few friends about Ethan and his wellbeing to which Karen was truthful. None really wanted to take him in, it was just being polite to ask out of respect to Sammi?s memory. She was cremated and her ashes interred next to Harry?s in the family?s crypt. Ethan cried throughout the ceremony, relying on Karen for strength. When it was over he asked for some time alone and wept in his room, feeling relieved and sad at his mother finally being at peace even if she should never have had to die in the first place. The next morning they gathered Ethan?s clothes and personal items and kissed the Smiths goodbye. Emma drove them to the airport before she gave Ethan a tearful kiss goodbye. Karen gave her a deep hug and told her quietly, "Mr. Smith has something for you in the office. My brother insisted on giving it to you so please don?t refuse it." Once she was back in Lincolnshire Mr. Smith sat Emma down and told her the news, she was left a special gift. She was given a full scholarship from John Finn as thanks for all of the hard work she had done in being with Hannah and Paige during their trip. Also included was money for housing paid by Jaimie, Michael, and Miles Finn. Reading the contents she shed tears of joy, her entire education was paid for by a man she had met briefly and her flat paid for by three younger people she didn?t have the pleasure of meeting. Mr. Smith smiled as he announced, "Your placement was secure, you can attend the next term if you want. We were hoping that you?d stay on so you could add to your bank account so you would have a good start after you earn your degree." Emma cried again, she proudly said, "I promised you a year of service and I am going to do a full year." On the plane Karen went over what was going to happen when they arrived. Since it was the morning fight they were going to arrive in the early afternoon local time. She smiled as she told him, "The kids will get out a half hour after we arrive so they will have no idea that we are going to be there." The flight arrived on time and they picked up their suitcases with ease. The two were met at the carousel by someone who seemed to know Karen, who had the two kids he recognized as Cat and JD. The two twins were hugging Karen deeply. Karen turned and told Ethan, "Come over, they won?t bite. At least JD won?t. I don?t know about Cat." Cat glared at her for that joke but smirked at Ethan causing some unease in him. Ethan was reluctant until the woman pulled him close and hugged him. Ethan didn?t know what to say, so Karen announced, "Valerie at least give him chance to breathe." Karen smiled and announced, "This is Valerie, she?s John?s wife and these two you already know are Thing 1 and Thing 2, JD and Cat." The twins gave her angry looks as Ethan started to laugh. Cat looked him over and turned away which caused JD to grab onto him tightly. Karen announced sweetly, "You meet her approval but not high enough to get attention from her, JD though likes you. Don?t feel bad about Cat, she only likes a few people and JD loves everyone." Karen looked at the time and told them they had to go if they were going to meet up with the kids. Valerie drove them to the school and parked with Cat and JD rushing out to go to the play area. Karen had him hold back so Ethan wasn?t seen and introduced him to several of the parents outside. The one that took the biggest interest was William Kelley, who rolled his eyes at seeing Ethan in the flesh. He commented, "The boys are going to scream at the top of their lungs at seeing him. You could have warned us, I would have brought ear protection." Karen nodded, adding, "They knew he was coming, just not so soon." The bell rang and the kids were released en-masse. Ethan watched as hundreds of kids streamed by then saw the two he was most interested in. Karen whispered, "Stay behind me." Ethan nodded and hid. The boys came over and asked when Karen got back. She tried to lie while William asked them about their day. The two were distracted for several minutes as the girls came out and saw Karen talking. They made their way over as well and had the same questions for Karen. Fielding their questions for a few minutes Karen asked, "Do you want your present?" The girls and boys all said a joint, "Yes!" to which Ethan stepped out from behind her. Nichole rushed forward and hugged him deeply, in tears as she did so. She quietly asked, "When did she pass?" Ethan softly replied, "Four days ago." She shed some more tears as they walked on. The boys told the girls to stay back, it wasn?t their place to disturb them. Kylie asked what was going on to which Junior said, "His mom died on Monday, that?s why he?s here with his aunt and uncle. He?s going to live with them from now on." the others backed away after hearing that, the boys stayed close as Nichole finished her tears and broke the hug. The boys embraced, bursting into smiles as they did so. The girls were miffed that he was showing them that kind of affect to which Karen laughed, telling them, "You do the same thing all the time, it?s about time they had a chance to show friendship to someone like you do." Karen told Ethan she needed to fill out some paperwork in the office so he followed her, with the boys in tow. The girls waited outside at Nichole?s order. The boys showed him around the school as they took the long walk to the office, stopping at key spots so they could explain things to him so he?d be ready for school. In the office Karen was greeted by Yvette Prince and her secretary. The two embraced then Ethan was introduced formally. Ms. Prince was impressed by his manners and asked if he had been told about the school yet. Ethan silently nodded, intimidated by the person of authority and used to being yelled at and abused by his headmaster in the past. Yvette asked about his old school to which Ethan tried to say something only to stop and shed a tear. Karen explained for him, telling her, "The usual ?jocks are only ones who matter? only add in titles and money to the mix." Yvette?s eyebrow raised at the word, "Titles" to which Karen smiled and explained, "Peers like barons, earls, viscounts, dukes, marquesses, baronets. To us they don?t matter but to the Brits they carry a lot of weight and history. His dad wasn?t going to inherit the family title so that was used as a way of bullying him." Ethan nodded silently again. Karen smiled then told her the big news, "Before he left though we weren?t able to hold his official ceremony granting him his own peerage as the Earl of Frampton, but he is an actual titled aristocrat, an earl." Ethan added, "Mom is the Countess of Boston" which got the boys all nodding adding, "It?s true Ms. Prince." Yvette shook her head and smiled, telling her, "We always joked about being princesses when we were older. I guess you got the next best thing." Ethan nodded, telling her, "Grandfather knows the royals, he isn?t impressed with them anyway. She is lucky to avoid their dramas." This caused the others to laugh as Karen and Yvette finished with the paperwork. Mr. King was confirmed to be his new teacher and he was starting that Monday. Ethan asked about their uniforms which caused Yvette to snort and the boys to boy say, "Don?t give her any ideas!" Karen had to kneel down and explain softly, "There aren?t any. There?s a dress code but the kids don?t have a uniform like schools in other countries." Outside the girls asked what happened. Ethan explained he was going to school on Monday and that was it. The group dispersed as the girls went to Margaret?s house and the boys to the Smith home. Ethan was settled into Bryan?s old room and allowed to rest while a late lunch was prepared for him. Junior and Neil helped him unpack, commenting on his clothes. Ethan just shrugged, telling them, "I didn?t have many normal clothes like you wear, just the shorts and t-shirt Hannah bought me. I only went between school and my grandparents? estate for the last few years." Karen added a quick, "That?s going to change tomorrow, you are going shopping for regular clothes. You need to dress for the weather here, it?s colder than the weather you get in England." There was a lack of clothes for Ethan, he had a few outfits but most were issued by his old school so they carried the crest and school colors. The few that didn?t were basic polo or rugby shirts and slacks. He needed jeans and t- shirts to fit in and be comfortable. After eating the boys went outside with Karen to go for a short walk. They were met by other boys that Neil and Junior knew which caused Ethan some fear as this was the first encounter with boys his own age who didn?t know who he was. Junior and Neil introduced Ethan to them. Hearing his voice the boys promptly asked where he was going to school, Karen smiled as she said, "I put him in the worst class in your school, Mr. King?s class." Ethan kept a straight face as she said that, while Junior and Neil were joined by boys in a quick, "Hey!" causing Ethan to burst into laughter. The boys walked off, telling them, "We?ll see you on Monday". Ethan looked over to Neil and Junior who both nodded indicating that it was alright, those boys weren?t threats. Karen walked them around the neighborhood, carefully avoiding certain streets while steering them in a general circle. Junior saw that she was keeping them from the street the Finns lived on so he asked quietly, "Aren?t you going to introduce him to your brother and sister?" Karen nodded, but added, "Tomorrow. He needs some rest and relaxation tonight. Don?t worry, you will have plenty of time tomorrow. You two are going to help him shop for school clothes. That is if I can get him away from Jaimie and the girls." Chapter 17 Back at the Smith home Karen texted Hannah and told her to come over immediately. It was just under 10 minutes and Hannah came rushing in with Paige in tow followed closely by her sisters and mother. The girls looked frantic and asked what was going on. Karen asked them to calm down, they didn?t want to upset their guest. Paige finally realized what was happening and softly asked, "Where is he?" Ethan stepped out then and before he could say anything Hannah had him wrapped in a deep embrace, tears flowing down her face. The only words out of her mouth were, "When?" to which Ethan replied, "Monday morning." She hugged him tighter, kissing his forehead as she did. Paige asked about the service to which Ethan smiled and recalled bringing quiet, "That?s so sad." Anne Connors and her daughters Jenna and Christina were puzzled about what was going on. Hannah explained, "Ethan?s mom just died so mom and dad are fulfilling her wishes by taking Ethan in." Anne asked next, "Do you have it all legalized? I?d hate for a repeat of last year." Karen nodded, showing the documents from social services with the legal documents Sammi signed granting her and Nigel full custody of Ethan. Anne looked closely at the documents and stopped dead. She solemnly asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Karen nodded, explaining, "He already used the ?m? word in front of Yvette. The boys didn?t notice it though." Jenna asked what she was talking about which Paige told her, "His mother gave her blessing to adopt him as her own son. He called her mom in school." Hannah held him tight again, kissing his forehead again making him blush. Wisely the boys kept quiet about all of this. Paige turned to them and told them, "You better back him up on this. He had a horrible time in school before, he doesn?t need it happening again." Both agreed fully, adding, "He is doing OK so far, but he hasn?t met the bigger boys." Anne asked what Paige meant by the tough time in school. Ethan explained what they did to him and why getting Anne to exclaim, "And they call themselves a school? It?s nothing but a breeding ground for pompous asses." The boys burst into laughter but Ethan added, "That?s about right. All that matters is what your title is not what you know." Karen added a swift, "And you ended up being the highest titled person there making them all look ridiculous for their actions." Turning to Anne shaded a solemn, "I did what you suggested and contacted their social services about the school and got an investigation started. Hopefully they find some dirt on the school and force changes." As they were leaving Ethan asked Christina if she was Miles? girlfriend. She asked why to which he added, "He didn?t stop talking about you when he was at the estate. He complained that Reed got to see Jessie but he didn?t get to see you." Christina chuckled and added, "Good, I didn?t want him forgetting lowly little me while rubbing elbows with aristocrats." Ethan just laughed it off as the others left. Hannah gave him a soft, "She needed that, she was concerned about him over there. Some girls were putting things in her head about a trip like that so you set her mind at ease." The boys settled down in front of the TV and watched some of their favorite shows to which Ethan started to get the hang of after a bit. It was the usual Nickelodeon shows, slapstick comedy with outrageous central characters and the poor unfortunate straight man being reluctantly dragged into the plot. It was good clean fun, once you realized it wasn?t meant to be educational in any way. Karen had to force the boys to stop watching and enjoy dinner. They didn?t have to be forced too hard, it was pizza. Ethan looked at it oddly, he clearly had never had it before. Junior had to coax him into eating it, with Karen assuring him, "It?s one of the few foods that people can agree on liking. They may not agree on the toppings but they at least agree that they like pizza in general." Neil snickered at that. He told him, "My uncle used to hate pizza, he wouldn?t touch the stuff." Junior rolled his eyes and added, "And we all know what happened to him." Neil looked at Ethan and had to explain, "He is in prison." Ethan asked what for to which Neil stated, "He tried to have Jaimie removed from Uncle John?s care before she was adopted by fooling around with the evidence. Uncle John fought back and won." Ethan looked at Karen who just nodded adding, "It?s a long story, but the gist of it is he was like your dad ethically." Ethan added a solemn, "Why did he do it?" Neil rolled his eyes and told him, "He did it for the money and power but in Jaimie?s case he did it for revenge for Aunt Valerie falling in love with Uncle John. He is Michael?s real father, but Michael refuses to call him that. Uncle John is the only father he ever knew and is the best father you will ever meet. Your Uncle Nigel is a good father as well but all of the dads look up to Uncle John." Junior added, "Dad said he used the fury over Jaimie?s transition to being a girl to mask his other crimes, but he didn?t think Uncle John would be smart enough to make copies of everything." Karen added a soft, "That?s why he went all the way to England for us, he didn?t want us to endure the same trouble. Harry got away with it once but this time he met the one person he couldn?t beat." Ethan understood now, smiling at it. He liked John more as the more he heard about him. He was a good person when he met him but now was different, now it all made sense. As they were eating the door opened and Nigel came in with Nigel Jr. He said a quick, "Hello boys" then kissed Karen, not making any reference to Ethan now being there. When he sat down he asked, "How was the trip? Did you get him signed up?" Karen nodded as Ethan and the boys finished eating in silence. Nigel didn?t an issue of him now being there or why, Ethan was glad he didn?t. After dinner the boys were driven home with both eagerly avoiding Faith who tried to rush the car to greet Ethan. Neil had to hold her off, telling her, "He is tired and is going to bed, you will see him tomorrow. He knows you are going to demand to see him so give him a chance to unwind before pouncing on him." She wasn?t happy but gave in, with Neil trying hard to contain his relief at her holding off. His parents tried to contain their pride but when they were inside he told them, "He?s staying permanently." They asked why to which he solemnly told them, "His school sucked, his mom died, his dad was murdered in prison, his dad?s whole life was criminal, and his grandparents are too old and too busy to care for him." Seeing Neil on the verge of tears Mick and his wife Sarah just hugged him and told him, "We will keep Faith in line." Neil countered with, "She is going to do what she wants to do." In the morning Ethan woke up to Nichole knocking on the door. He took a few minutes to realize he wasn?t at the estate or in the dormitories at the school. No, he was staying in his uncle?s home in Winnisimmet, Massachusetts. Ethan opened the door to see Nichole clad in her nightgown and slippers. She told him swiftly, "Breakfast is in 15 minutes." Ethan got up and headed to the bathroom, not thinking about anything beyond getting the business done and brushing his teeth. He didn?t notice the smaller size of the house nor the bathroom nor his bedroom, he just noticed that Nichole?s clothes were all over the place in their shared bathroom. When he came into the dining room and sat down he was directed to the kitchen and sat down next to Nichole. Karen calmly told him, "My sister is coming over in a short time to take us shopping. The bad news is my nieces are coming too. All five of them are coming." Nigel nearly choked on his coffee when she said that. Karen shook her head and admitted, "You knew Jaimie wasn?t going to give up this chance. Claire wanted in as well and Daisy refused to stay home. The only one with any sense not to go is Cat." Nigel shook his head and announced, "At least Kylie, Stacy, and Rebecca aren?t demanding to go." Karen blushed and added, "They wanted to go but Jaimie convinced them not to." Ethan finished eating and went up to change. Nichole asked him what was with him saying, "Mom" in school which he blushed and told her, "I didn?t know I said it." Nichole hugged him and told him, "Aunt Sammie knew you would want to be adoptedso it?s alright with everyone. Aunt Valerie is doing the paperwork for you this afternoon if I know her right. That covers this country in case something happens with the paperwork in England." Ethan hugged her back and kissed her, saying, "Thanks, sis" brining a tear to her eyes. The two parted ways as Ethan got dressed. The he grabbed the non-school crested clothing he had, a polo shirt with tan slacks, and rushed downstairs to wait his new aunt. Nichole looked at his clothing and shook her head, softly saying, "Thank goodness the boys know what to get." In the kitchen Karen and Nigel were talking and Karen asked, "Are you alright with him becoming our son? I know you and Harry had problems but I want Ethan to move past Harry?s looming shadow." Nigel nodded, telling her, "We agreed to honor Sammi?s wishes. I can?t rightly refuse to make him my own son after agreeing to her wishes. I hope Nigel grows to be half the man he is becoming." Karen kissed him, telling him, "He is our son now, your parents have their future secure in him and he gets to grow up to be the man he needs to be not what people think he should be." Nichole grabbed him as the two walked in, hugging Nigel and Karen as they did. Karen asked what he heard to which he told her, "Everything." Nigel shook his head and asked him softly, "Is this what you want?" Ethan nodded, telling him honestly, "It?s all I wanted for the past year. I have been jealous of Nichole ever since you contacted grandmother and grandfather about her. I knew mom wasn?t in good health and wasn?t going to last and I knew dad would eventually get himself killed. I hoped you would take me in." He burst into tears admitting that. It was his long held desire, one that nobody else knew. Nigel hugged him and told him, "We are happy to have you as our son. Your aunt already started the paperwork before she left but I?ll tell your grandparents that you know and want to make it official." Nigel called his parents, getting his father and explaining the news. He wasn?t exactly sure how to react until his wife told him, "The boy wanted this for a while, he knew everything before any of us did. He wants it, his mother wanted it, Karen and Nigel want it, and I want it. He stays in the family with people who can love him, just be happy for him." Mr. Smith gave his blessing, explaining, "You already had the legalities worked out, we will work out the details with the solicitors shortly." Mother and father soon let their new son go. Leslie had arrived with the Finn ladies causing all sorts of noise making Mrs. Smith chuckle at the chaos before Karen ended the phone call. Nichole had to herd them away from Ethan as they waited for Junior and Neil to come to which they quickly got in the minivans and left. Neil and Junior were talkative in the minivan. Faith was grumpy about missing the shopping to which her parents had to find something to do with her to keep her out of trouble. She had to settle for a day with her aunt Greta and Uncle Quentin until the boys came back later. At the Walmart Ethan was steered towards the boys section and had multiple shirts, jeans, t-shirts, and sweatshirts handed to him. Ethan was asked what he liked and what he didn?t like, the boy stared at them in disbelief unsure what to say or do. Neil and Junior picked through the clothes and found some that were, "Ugly" to them, getting a few, "But it?s cute" replies from Karen and Leslie but snickers from Jaimie, Iris, Claire, Daisy, Rachel, and Nichole. The six girls agreed with the boys, it wasn?t his style. He was too old for the Disney and Nickelodeon kiddie shirts but too young for the flashy shirts the teens wore. He settled for some normal, unadorned t- shirts and button shirts, similar to what Neil and Junior wore. The girls tried to joke that they were dressing the same to which Junior snickered, "We can?t help having similar good taste." This set the girls off laughing, as Leslie whispered, "That?s a first, he?s never done that before." Karen countered, "He never had reason to. It?s amazing what protecting a friend can do for your confidence." The girls led Ethan to the bedding section to let him pick out his own sheets, blankets, and pillows. He went with dark blue and white sheets, matching what Neil and Junior had in their bedrooms getting the girls to groan again about the three being so similar. Ethan just shrugged, telling them, "I don?t like the lighter colors, these feel nicer and look nicer." Nichole added, "These also don?t have flowers or other things, they are too girly." Ethan added a quick, "That too, they are too girly even for me." Nichole added a soft, "Doesn?t matter to us if you were girly." Ethan shook his head, telling her, "I know, but I still have to say what I thought. I don?t want them thinking I am doing everything to be like Neil and Junior. I haven?t been in their rooms so I wouldn?t know what they have, I just want what I like and I like that color and feel." Jaimie and the girls walked away quietly, whispering, "No more joking around, he is starting to break down." The girls saw his hands shaking and agreed. They went to a different department to look over clothes while Karen and Leslie helped Ethan. Daisy remained, going with the boys but not saying anything about what Ethan was choosing. She added a few thoughts but remained quiet, letting the boys choose everything. Karen steered the boys towards the electronics section. She looked things over and announced, "We are going to Best Buy next. I don?t like what they have here." The girls came around just then and asked if they were done to which Karen nodded and paid. At Best Buy the girls stayed back and let the boys pick out an iPhone, laptop and iPad for Ethan. Then they added a small TV and much to their surprise, a video game system. Ethan asked what it was for, Nichole just smiled and told him, "Dad said you needed something that wasn?t school related and the boys already have the same. I think he wanted one for himself but didn?t want to look like a kid playing it." The boys burst into laughter but Jaimie added, "It?s true, he plays Michael and Rebecca all the time. Too bad he always loses." The girls weren?t too upset at the diversion after seeing Neil and Junior talking so vividly with Ethan about things. At the house they helped him set up his bedroom, working with him to make things look different to suit his tastes. Claire snidely commented, "Bryan didn?t know how to decorate" to which Rachel snorted adding, "Your room isn?t all that different" getting the girls laughing as Ethan wisely stayed silent. When they were finished Rachel set up Ethan?s laptop, making it so that only certain people had access to certain features and ensuring that the nanny software was working on it so he didn?t go where he shouldn?t go online. Downstairs Nigel was trying to set up the video game system with Neil and Junior. Daisy watched them closely then told them they were doing it wrong. She walked over, took the HDMI cord, power cord, and controller cables away from them and took 30 seconds to put them in the right slots on the system and TV. The boys looked at her in astonishment while Nigel complained. Daisy shook her head and told him, "I read the instructions. It was easy, you just made it harder than it had to be." The girls came in just in time to hear her remark and couldn?t help laughing at it. Daisy rolled her eyes and complained, "Men" getting more laughs from the girls as Ethan warmly said, "Don?t lump me in with them, I was in the other room." Daisy nodded, adding, "OK some men" getting more laughs. Daisy got up and walked outside with Ethan. She told the others to stay away for a bit. She sat him on the stairs and solemnly told him, "You are taking your mom?s death better than anyone else." Ethan shook his head, admitting, "I knew she was dying many months before anyone else knew. I?m not as clueless as people think I am, I could see she was weakening and looking frail even in pictures dad took of her." Daisy lowered her head in shame and told him, "It?s nice to have another member of the family who knows the pain of losing their mom like that." Ethan asked what she meant, getting a somber, "My mom died of a drug overdose two years ago. I was put on a bus and sent to find my sister. You know about my dad already." Ethan asked why she was different than the others, she raised her head up and told him softly, "They don?t really understand. They lost their mom or dad but they either still had their other parent. I didn?t have anyone. They think I was too young to know what was going on but I knew." Ethan hugged her. He didn?t know why but he hugged her. He softly told Daisy, "You had it worse, I had a home I just hated it. I have grandparents even if they are too busy to know I exist. You didn?t have anything. You were lucky though. You found the best family possible." She stopped and hugged him deeply. Ethan just hugged her back, Daisy telling softly, "Thanks for that." He added a softer, "You needed it more than I did." Chapter 18 The two sat outside silently until the others noticed they were still there. Claire was going to say something until Karen signaled her to stop, letting Ethan and Daisy have their moment together. She could tell something was bothering Daisy just by the fact that she wasn?t her usual upbeat and happy self so whatever they were discussing was deep and didn?t need her sister?s interruption. It took her a few minutes but it occurred to her. Inside she told the four cousins, "Think about this really slowly. Daisy has been here almost two years and hasn?t shown any emotion about losing her mom, and then Ethan comes into our lives permanently having just lost his days ago. Jaimie is the only other person who lost both parents, but Daisy lost hers young and kept quiet this whole time. Despite her maturity she is still a six year old girl who is as sensitive as any of you. If you go out there and start cracking jokes she will close up again. She needs this more than you think. Leave them and let them come to you." Jaimie asked, "What about me?" Karen instinctively told her, "We haven?t had a chance to let you talk with him yet, Daisy did what we were going to have you do. Wait a few minutes then head outside and sit with them, she will know why you are doing it and won?t complain. Claire, Rachel, and Iris though will only make her stop. She knows you three love her but this is something you won?t understand." Jaimie nodded as the others sat, scolded and thinking about things they hadn?t wanted to consider. Inside their heads Rachel and Iris counted their blessings. They had had relatives die but neither had lost a parent. Sure they were adopted but their parents were in prison, not dead. They could not understand what was going through the minds of either younger kid. Claire though felt remorse. She was the older sister, she should have known that Daisy wasn?t over what happened to her mom yet. It took her nearly seven years to come to terms with her dad?s death, Daisy though had only two. She swore she would talk with Daisy more, she only had two full years with her so she needed to make them count. Jaimie did just what Karen told her to do, going outside and sitting between the two and putting her arms around both. Daisy asked what she was doing there, Jaimie didn?t lie and told her, "Aunt Karen wanted me to speak with Ethan but you did it for me. This whole ?losing parents? club sucks. The only good thing is you found Aunt Lilly, I found mom and dad, and Ethan has Aunt Karen and Uncle Nigel. I know you are acting like it?s not bothering you but I saw your room and you don?t even have a picture of your mom up. If you keep it in Aunt Karen and Uncle Nigel are going to make you talk with Dr. Dane. The same goes for you, Daisy. You need to talk with Claire and Aunt Lilly. You have had it the worst, you lost your mom and was dumped into our lives but had the horror of finding your true dad and what he really was. Neither will make fun of you, they know you need to talk and if need be they will make you take a trip out to say your goodbyes. Mom might help you bring her here so she can at least rest in peace close to you."" Daisy nodded, telling him, "I hate it but Jaimie is right. Let it out, don?t hold it in. If you don?t you will end up crying when you don?t want to like school and the boys will eat you alive." Jaimie added a soft, "Don?t worry about the girls or your friends. They won?t make fun of you , not if they know what is good for them." That last part was more for her three cousins, but it was Nichole who came out to ask, "Mom wanted to know if are you done yet? Aunt Valerie is waiting for us. She doesn?t want you to rush but you know how the others can be." The boys came out behind her and asked the same, it was time to go and Ethan didn?t want to dwell on the grief any longer. Daisy gave him one more deep hug and kiss before going inside again, with Jaimie going silently. The girls didn?t say anything and Neil only said, "Aunt Valerie said the twins are being pains so expect Cat to throw something at you for attention." Ethan snickered, glad that Neil had the heart to joke, but Junior corrected him adding, "He?s not kidding; she likes to throw things at people to get attention especially if JD is giving it to you. She nearly got dad in the head last week for not letting her play with his laptop." The group drove over in the two minivans and parked. Ethan was the last out and could feel all eyes on him as he exited. The twins rushed up to him, dragging him along telling him, "Come on let?s play". The force they had on his arms meant he couldn?t refuse, Cat and JD had too strong of a grip to let him. In the Finn home Ethan was sat down in the entertainment room while the other boys kept close to him. The two knew better than to disturb Cat and JD but were fine just sitting and relaxing as the two kept themselves entertained trying to keep Ethan?s attention. After about 15 minutes of this Ethan asked if they were satisfied. Cat nodded, JD wasn?t finished getting attention so he stuck by Ethan?s side as they went upstairs to seek out Karen and Nigel. Neil led him to the dining room where the others were sitting, waiting for them to say something to Ethan. None did, just going about their business and giving him a chance to unwind. The three sat in the living room and watched TV with Daisy who put her head on his shoulder indicating he was doing fine. After a bit the front door opened and Michael came in with his girlfriend, the two kissing deeply as they entered. Daisy groaned and told them to knock it off which the boys snickered at. Michael glared at her but seeing Ethan he didn?t say what he wanted to say, only telling her, "We didn?t think you were back yet." Coming in from the dining room his mother asked swiftly, "And just were you planning on doing while we weren?t here?" Michael nearly fainted and Courtney blushed as she eeked out a quiet, "Nothing, just kiss and leave." Valerie nodded, telling them, "Maybe next time you will choose your words better, Michael. Being alone with one another is a privilege not a right." Ethan asked what was going on to which Daisy whispered, "It sounded like they intended to have sex so Aunt Valerie called them on it. They wouldn?t do that but she made it clear that was what it sounded like." Ethan blushed, unsure what to say to which Daisy groaned, "You will understand when you are older, I have to hear it all the time about Claire and Will being alone. I love them but they sometimes only stop kissing so they can breathe." Valerie announced dinner was ready which brought the kids and teens into the dining room. John came in with Miles and Christina and the man who introduced himself as Mark bringing the whole contingent there for dinner. Ethan ate in silence then helped JD eat his food making Cat try to fling her food at them causing her to get into trouble. Ethan just ignored it, figuring that was what Neil was talking about before. JD smiled at him for helping him, hugging him as they got up from the table. After dinner the teens went to their rooms while the boys relaxed. John asked about school and Valerie about the shopping to which Ethan quietly answered. Mark was busy examining him and asked to speak with Karen and Nigel in private. Ethan knew he was talking about him but expected it anyway. When they came back in Mark asked to speak with him. In the quiet of the office he sat Ethan down and calmly explained, "I?m your aunt?s brother-in-law, but I am also a social worker and I have my concerns about you. I know you have been through a lot this past week but you have been acting strong. I don?t think that is the best idea, I think you need to talk with someone about this." Ethan quickly told him, "Daisy and Jaimie said that Aunt Karen would do the same thing." Mark nodded, adding, "They would know best. Since I have to give a statement on your aunt?s behalf regarding the adoption I wanted to ensure that you were being fully taken care of. You need counselling and some time to grow into being here. The boys are doing a great job with you but you need professional help. I won?t stand against your adoption but I want to make certain that it?s the absolute best for you." Ethan reluctantly agreed. Going downstairs Mark announced, "Call Dr. Dane on Monday and set up an appointment." John asked, "Is it necessary?" to which Mark countered, "Yes, it is. He needs it whether he will admit it or not. It?ll be best to have a statement in his favor as well to document his prior abuse from his school and his father." Mark left with Leslie, Iris, and Rachel. The twins came in looking for attention and dragged Ethan away again. When he was out of earshot Karen told them, "It?s more than just helping Ethan but we agree that he needs to talk with a professional. Mark thinks there will be a challenge to the adoption by Ethan?s maternal family. It?ll be about getting his money not about Ethan. He wanted to ensure that he is well taken care of and that there was no excuse for removing him from his designated caretakers. He knows Ethan is reluctant to talk but he feels it?s best to have him talk no matter what." Valerie was shocked but John wasn?t. He asked, "Has there been any inquiry by them about Ethan?" Nigel nodded, explaining, "His great aunt sent one, as did two supposed cousins. His great aunt is old and infirm and unable to physically care for him. Both cousins were supposedly long estranged from the family, and I suspect that one if not both were involved with Jeffries." John countered with, "Do they have any reason to fight?" Nigel snorted, explaining, "Several million reasons, all in the bank. His mother left everything to him as her sole heir, it?s entirely his and not held in trust." John smiled a sly, knowing smile to which Karen added, "That just changed!" Ethan was upstairs but the twins showed him how to use the baby monitor to listen to them. The two were only three years old but they knew how to imitate what the adults did. He told the two, "I don?t think I?m going to be around you much longer." Cat told him, "No. Daddy fix this. You heard him." Michael entered, catching them by surprise saying, "He will make it so your inheritance is put into a trust fund that you can?t touch until you are 21. He did that with all of us. Even if they should by some miracle win custody of you they won?t take a penny from your account without going to jail. It?s your money and you won?t need it until then. Your grandparents pay for your education and if it was needed they would pay for your medical care so there is no reason whatsoever to access the fund." Ethan asked, "Why?" Michael smirked adding, "It?s what he does." Ethan corrected him asking, "No why tell me?" Michael again smirked, shaking his head as he said, "It?s what family does. You needed to know." Michael walked away without saying another word. He told Cat solemnly, "I don?t think he likes me." He heard a sweet, "He likes you. Michael just doesn?t show emotion well. And he keeps finding any reason to stay out of the house when the twins are awake." Ethan turned around to see Courtney leaning against the doorway, looking like an angel to Ethan. She sat next to Ethan on the floor, letting Cat climb into her lap. Courtney asked why he thought Michael didn?t like him to which he mumbled, "He got upset over the twins using the computer and talking with me and he stays away whenever I?m around. And the way he looks at me he looks like he doesn?t like me being here." She smiled and patted his shoulder. She shook her head and giggled, explaining, "He was upset that I had to cancel to go help set up some baby furniture with my mom and he didn?t think to put the twins downstairs. He wanted to get some last minute private time in before he becomes too sore from football to go out. He talked with Reed extensively before Reed went to help your grandparents, it was his idea to have Aunt Kennedy look at the contracts for the estate. He doesn?t show it but he does care, he just doesn?t see that sometimes it can be misinterpreted as him being upset at someone. He did it with Reed and with Miles. He?ll come around to showing you he cares, just wait and see." Cat had fallen asleep so Ethan helped Courtney bring her to the twins? bedroom. JD climbed up into his bed and hugged Ethan goodnight then fell asleep as well. Courtney just shook her head and smiled, it was a rarity that he went down without a fight or without Miles putting him to bed. The two walked downstairs to the awaiting adults, with Courtney announcing, "The twins are asleep." Valerie asked, "You didn?t knock them out with the hammer, did you?" Courtney just smiled and said, "Not this time", getting the others to laugh. She told the truth, "Cat fell asleep in my lap and JD put himself to sleep." All eyes turned to Ethan, Courtney nodded without saying a word. It all but confirmed that JD adored Ethan, more so than anyone else except Miles. Looking at the time then at the boys it was time to go. Karen said her goodbyes while Courtney gave Ethan a big kiss on the cheek. The boys snickered at him to which she did the same to them getting blushes from them getting a laugh from the four adults. Back at the Smith home after dropping off Junior and Neil Karen asked how he felt about his mother?s family. Ethan wasted no time in telling her, "Cat showed me how to listen to what you were talking about. I know what you are asking and Michael told me what his dad is going to do for me. They never cared about me when mom was alive, they only want me now because they can spend my money. They acted like I didn?t exist, why should I want to live with them? So what if I am away from my country living with people I barely know, I know you five better than any other person." He started bawling now. He could no longer hold in his pain and suffering. Karen held him tight, letting him cry into his shoulder. He whimpered, "I?m alone. Nobody wants me for me, all of you want me for what I have." He ran off to his room, closing the door tightly behind him. She couldn?t help but cry at that accusation. Even if he didn?t really mean it the words had some bit of belief behind them. After 10 minutes Nichole knocked on Ethan?s door. He told her to go away but she insisted. He opened and let her in, hugging him as he closed the door again. Nichole started crying as well, telling him, "Mom doesn?t want your money. Mom just wants you to be safe and happy. If that?s how you feel about her and dad she will call Grandmother and Grandfather and have them collect you so you don?t have to feel that they want you for what you have." He sank to the floor and told her, "I didn?t mean it." Nichole countered with, "Yes you did. You wouldn?t have said it if you didn?t have that feeling. Mom is hurt and dad is afraid that if you go with our grandparents we will lose you to your mom?s family and never see you again." Ethan tried to hold off but more tears flowed. He admitted, "I don?t want people thinking they can use me for money." Nichole shook her head and told him, "Nobody here does. Neil and Junior adore you. Nancy has a crush on you. Margaret framed the picture of us at the fire station. Daisy is acting different since you talked with her. Not one of them cares one bit about money, they care about you. They like you for you. They love you. We love you." He could only ask, "Why?" Nichole rolled her eyes and told him, "Did you think that they would have spent hours talking with you without ever meeting you if they didn?t like you? They started talking with you because I asked them to but they continued doing it because they like you. You three boys like the same things, especially anything with an engine. You like the same shows, the same video games, the same apps. Margaret and Nancy like that you listen to them not treat them like little sisters like the teens do. And Daisy sees the same hurt boy that we all see only she sees herself. She wants you to feel better and through you we know she will feel better." He hugged her again, this time crying into her shoulder. When he broke the hug he softly mumbled, "I miss her." Nichole softly added, "I miss her too. You deserved more time with her, you should have been with her but she loved you too much to let you see her dying. You are her biggest gift and so long as you are happy she will always live on. She wanted you to be here, grandmother and grandfather want you to be here, mom, dad, Hannah, Bryan, and I want you to be here." The two hugged again until Nichole broke it to go to her own room to sleep. Ethan unlocked the door, knowing his aunt and uncle were going to check in on him. Sure enough after Nichole left the two knocked and entered to which Ethan jumped up and hugged Karen, sobbing into her shoulder telling her, "I?m sorry, I didn?t mean it. I don?t want to go with them I want to stay here with you." Karen kissed his forehead and told him, "I know sweetie, I wanted you to get it out of your system. It?s not healthy for you to keep your feelings in, especially these deep ones. We love you and only want what is best but if you feel we only want you for your inheritance we will abide by your wishes." He nodded, telling her, "I want to stay, I don?t want the money. They can have it, I just want you and Hannah and Nichole and dad." Karen looked at Nigel who told him softly, "We want you here too, son." Chapter 19 Ethan drifted off to sleep after Nigel?s words of encouragement. In the morning Nigel called his parents to tell them to get on the barrister to get onto the case. His urgency prompted them to ask why to which he tearfully told them about Ethan?s breaking down over the news that there had been inquiries regarding him. Mr. Smith, who had remained silent until that point, loudly told him, "I?ll spend every last penny to keep them away from him if I have to." Karen kept Ethan away from the room and busy preparing breakfast with Nichole. She could hear Nigel talking and told Ethan, "Your grandparents are about to get the right people on the job." Ethan just nodded, not wanting to say the wrong thing. Nichole though added, "Don?t tell Hannah, she will waste her own money paying someone to do it." Hannah appeared as if on cue asking, "Tell me what?" Paige, Jenna, and Christina were right behind her as the four sat in the living room waiting for an answer. Nichole told her sharply, "Nothing that concerns you" indicating that it was best not to go further. Ethan though didn?t have the heart to lie and told her bluntly, "My mom?s family is trying to get me to get at my inheritance." Both shocked and angered Hannah yelled, "And you thought you could keep this from me? Why?" Nichole told her just as loudly, "This is why! You are getting angry over something you can?t stop. All you are going to do is waste your money trying to do it. They are going to have to have a solid reason why they should be given him and they don?t have one. Uncle Mark is already helping out, he doesn?t need you to go off halfcocked and making things worse for mom and dad and Ethan." Paige tried to calm Hannah down while Jenna and Christina tried to calm Nichole. Ethan though was the one most upset and fled to his room. Jenna went after him to calm him down but only found him crying into his pillow. She sat with him as he sobbed silently, waiting for him to gather himself before saying something. Jenna finally told him, "Hannah is irrational, impatient, and uncontrollable but she loves you. Nichole tries her hardest to not act that way but deep down is the same as her. The two just want what is best for you even if they forget you are right there with them as they talk about you. They get so focused on trying to help that they lose focus on what matters most. Maybe I am lucky in that I don?t know Hannah as well as my sisters but I know she would gladly spend every penny of her money to help you. They are going to argue but Hannah is set on helping you and Nichole is going to try to dissuade her but what matters most is what you want. This was going to happen no matter what, you shouldn?t be upset over this, it?s not your fault and it isn?t even close to being the first time they have argued. It?s what sisters do best especially over something each deeply loves." Ethan asked her why she was so wise, causing her to nearly faint at the statement. She smiled and admitted, "Don?t let mom or my sisters hear that, I have a reputation to uphold. I guess I have known Jaimie too long, eventually I start sounding and acting like her." Ethan giggled at the joke, which was exactly what Jenna wanted him to do. She held her hand out for him to come with her to which he did, following her downstairs as the others waited for him in silence. Hannah was going to say something but Jenna put her hand up, telling her, "Let it go. He knows you mean well but he doesn?t want it so let it go." She was going to say something but Paige?s hand on her shoulder stopped her, she knew when she was beaten. The family sat down to breakfast while Hannah stewed in her own thoughts. She hated holding her tongue and especially hated being told not to help someone she cared about. After breakfast Ethan pulled her into his room, closed the door, and hugged her. He quietly told her, "Please don?t do anything. Let mom and dad handle it for me. I know you want to help but it isn?t your place to do so." Hannah hugged him back, kissing his head and saying, "I just want to protect you." He countered with, "I know, and I love you for it. But please let mom and dad handle it." Hannah tearfully agreed, she didn?t have the heart to ignore his request especially one so pleading. After their waterworks were out of the way Karen drove Ethan to the Jones home so he could spend time with Neil and Junior. Hannah and the girls stayed behind with Nigel and Nigel Jr. while Nichole went with Kylie. Neil greeted them at the door and ushered Ethan inside, barely giving him a chance to say a word before closing the door. Karen didn?t take offense, she expected something like that as she noticed Greta and Quentin parked alongside her. Seeing Karen Faith ran inside at full speed. The three could hear her yelling for Ethan from outside, the poor boy was in for an earful from her for hiding out the last day and a half. Sarah and Mick came outside looking at Karen who immediately offered her apologies to which Greta added, "I should have told you to have earplugs ready." Mick just shook his head in disbelief. This was a first for Faith, she never acted out like that before especially not for a boy. Sarah got them focused on Ethan for a minute asking about what was going on with him. Karen looked at Greta and Quentin then told them, "His mother asked that Nigel and I adopt him as our own and he has told us he wants that as well. But we are facing complaints from his mother?s family over custody of him so we may have to return to England for a hearing if not two." Greta asked, "Are Bryan, Hannah, and Nichole alright with this?" Karen drew a deep breath before telling her, "Both girls are perfectly fine with our adopting him and are treating him like a brother already. I haven?t had the chance to tell Bryan yet. It?s just that Hannah is intent on helping him fight against his maternal family which is the real problem." Mick asked what the fight was about to which Karen spit out, "His inheritance." She looked down and with venom admitted, "They only want custody of him to get their hands on his inheritance. But thankfully Ethan is going to ask to have it put into a trust fund so nobody can touch it until he turns 21." Greta nodded, adding, "Turning it from a simple trust into a protected trust, all I need is his signature and his lawyer?s signature so it can be created." Karen smiled and told her, "John was ahead of you on that, he is going to call Ricardo Rodriguez on Monday to get him to explain things to Ethan and countersign with him." Sarah was looking confused and asked, "Why the need for the trust at all?" Greta answered with, "To keep greedy fingers out of the account. John has been adamant that the kids have them and seeing what Christina?s birth parents did with hers before she became involved with us it?s more than justified. This smells like a repeat of that, only with Ethan they have access to the estate and house so they could also live the high life on Lord and Lady Smith?s dime." Ever the investigator Mick smelled funny business. He asked pointedly, "Why now, how did they even know about the inheritance?" Karen had to think, then said swiftly, "The butler did it." The four looked at her as if she was joking but she nodded, saying, "The former butler, fired the day we arrived for his misconduct, did it. He and Harry were in it together so Harry had to have told him about his wife?s own trust fund and thus Ethan?s inheritance. Harry was waiting for Sammi to die so he could get his own hands on Ethan?s money but our arrival changed that." Mick was on the scent and told them, "I don?t think the whole Harry mess is over. Keep your eyes open and ears to the ground, something smells rotten here. Our investigation is still ongoing, even with Harry dead things aren?t over with yet. This butler fellow might be our big break." Scott and Jessica Nelson came walking up just in time to hear Mick?s statement and asked, "What smells rotten?" Mick was honest and told them, "Ethan?s mother?s family is trying to get custody of him from Karen and Nigel." Scott was immediately angered while Jessica puzzled. Scott turned and blurted out, "They are looking for money." Mick added, "Maybe more than that, his father was involved in a lot of shady businesses so it could be kidnapping and revenge as well." Scott told them all, "Do not even think of taking him back. If they want him that bad they can go before the judges and explain why they want him. If they really had their concerns they should have to state them, taking him back will only lead to him getting taken away and not by his so-called family." Scott walked inside with Jessica following behind him. Mick just smiled, turning to Quentin and saying, "That boy is definitely a Myers" to which Quentin added, "I don?t even want to know what would happen if the six of them got angry together." Greta and Sarah both gave him dirty looks while Karen burst into a hearty laugh, adding a soft, "It?s true, sorry Greta, Sarah, but it?s true. It?s one thing all six of you share that Quentin and Mick don?t. Fiery tempers but big hearts, it?s why Scott?s a good brother and cousin and you two are good mothers." Upstairs Scott and Jessica sought out Ethan. Faith was cuddling up next to him trying to get his attention as he played with Neil?s video game system. Scott asked to speak with Ethan getting complaints from Faith but a big, "Thank you" from Ethan. Jessica softly told her, "It?s important, you can show your affection later." Faith blushed and stopped, knowing best not to argue when Jessica requested something. Her disappointed look that she gave you if you ignored a request was enough to cut deep into you and she had already felt that cut once and hated it. Scott went into the office and sat him down. He asked softly, "Are you sure you want to become Uncle Nigel and Aunt Karen?s son?" Ethan nodded silently to which Scott told him, "Good, I didn?t want to be the only nephew adopted by my aunt and uncle." He went on to tell Ethan about his own story and how he knew what he was feeling. He added, "I don?t have people going after my inheritance but I did have to worry that my dad would get me back. Mom and dad adopted me out of love and to protect me from my father just as Aunt Karen and Uncle Nigel are doing for you." Ethan didn?t know what to say so Scott said it for him, "People are going to tell you what you think you want and do what they feel like doing. You have to make them listen to you. Speak up for yourself. You are your own man, you have a right to say what you want. Aunt Karen and Uncle Nigel know you want to stay with them but you have to tell the judges that, both in the US and the UK. Ricardo is a good man and will listen to you, and the man your grandparents are going to hire had better listen to you as well. If he doesn?t, your Aunt Lillian will ensure that he pays the price for ignoring her relative." He smiled at that last statement getting a similar one from Ethan. Jessica asked about how he was feeling getting a quiet, "I?m scared. I don?t want to lose mom and dad, I don?t want to go back to England, and I don?t want to be with people who only see me as a bank account." Jessica hugged him, followed by Scott. She kissed his forehead and told him, "That will never happen, hell will freeze over before our family allows that to happen. We care too much about you to let that happen." The three embraced for several minutes before Jessica directed them downstairs and an eager Faith. Faith wasn?t pleased to lose Ethan to Jessica and Scott. Scott had to tell her flatly, "Back off of him, he?s not a doll. Keep treating him like one and he won?t come by to play." She pouted but Ethan hugged her then sat down next to Neil to continue playing their game. Neil patiently awaited his return, knowing full well what his cousins were doing upstairs and knowing that Ethan wanted to put it all behind him. He was also used to ignoring Faith at times when she demanded attention, something he would have to teach to Ethan since it would be a only a few more months before Nigel Jr. started to crawl and annoy him like Faith does. The afternoon passed quickly and it was time to go home. Faith didn?t want Ethan to go but he needed rest for the big day on Monday. Scott and Jessica had to distract her so Neil could say his goodbyes and see Ethan off, hugging Karen in the process. He didn?t say much all day knowing that everyone else but him had something to say to Ethan and what he did have to say didn?t require words, only actions. Neil was observant like his father and could see that his cousins had everything well in hand, he just had to give Ethan the wanted distraction. After dinner Ethan went to bed early to rest up for school. Nichole helped him pick out clothes for the next day and had his school supplies and backpack waiting. She hugged him deeply, telling him, "It?ll be easier than you think. Mr. King is a great teacher and Ms. Prince will stomp out any troublemakers. I?ll be there for you as well." He hugged her back thanking he for being there for him. Ethan didn?t need the encouragement but he felt better anyway. He drifted off with a smile on his face, for the first time he was eager to attend school. His day started off bad but it got better the day went on. He knew his family and friends were with him and those who weren?t family by blood were with him as well. In the morning Nichole woke him up and got him dressed. It felt odd to not have to wear a uniform especially a polo shirt and slacks. Wearing a t-shirt and jeans felt odd but right. He fussed with his hair for a few minutes before giving up, he was going to ask for a haircut like Junior and Neil had as soon as possible. Downstairs Karen was waiting with his breakfast. He ate it quickly, eager to get to school and get the introductions over with. Nigel was finished with his breakfast and left for work, kissing the two kids before leaving. It was the first chance he had at seeing a dad off and it felt amazing, like a dream fulfilled. It was so normal that even though they were all millionaires it felt like they were a typical family. At the school Ethan met with Ms. Prince who showed him in to his classroom where Mr. King was already waiting. The man was tall and had long hair, he wore a pair of jeans and a button down shirt as well as a bright smile. He was unlike the suited teachers he had known at the boarding school in Nottinghamshire, he looked like he was more likely to joke with you than teach you. Ms. Prince made her introduction telling him, "Ethan Smith will be joining you today. He just moved here from England so may have to get a little help in spelling things differently. I trust you will treat him right?" Mr. King looked up and asked, "Any relation to Nichole Smith?" Ethan smiled, telling him, "She?s my cousin, soon to be my sister." Mr. King was puzzled and asked what he meant to which Ethan told him, "Uncle Nigel and Aunt Karen took me in after my mom died and are honoring her request by making me their son." Mr. King just nodded, telling him, "I?ll take the same care with you as I did with her. You don?t have the two months of preparation to get used to our style of learning that she had so things may be a bit odd at first. I?ll give you some leeway but please have her help you if you are struggling." Junior and Neil came in looking for Ethan surprising Mr. King and Ms. Prince. The two were asked what was going on to which Junior said, "We didn?t see Ethan outside so we went to look for him." Mr. King asked them how they knew Ethan, Ethan told them, "We met when Nichole came to stay with our grandparents in August, she set it up so we could talk online." Neil added a joking, "They were dress shopping" getting Junior to giggle while Ms. Prince stifled a laugh as Ethan blushed over the memory. Mr. King thought for a minute that laughed asking, "Is he the same friend you two were always talking about?" Both nodded, to which Mr. King admitted, "I thought they made you up. I honestly thought they were lying to the other students. They don?t normally interact with their classmates so we thought it might have been something they made up to stop talk about them." Mr. King led him to his seat, which due to a student moving away suddenly just happened to be between the two boys. He warned them, "I don?t want you three goofing off and not paying attention. I expect you three to act like the good students I know you to be." The three solemnly said, "Yes sir" as they settled in waiting for the bell to ring. Five minutes later there was a rush into the classroom as the students filled in. They all stared at the new kid sitting between the two best buddies. As the last student came in Mr. King announced, "Class we have a new student. He just moved her all the way from England. Please give him a little leeway in saying and writing things as it?s as much a new culture as it is a new country to him." Ethan was invited to speak so he started off by saying, "I?m from Lincolnshire. My grandparents own a large estate there that has been in the family hands for centuries. My cousin, soon to be my sister, was in Mr. King?s class last year so I heard how he teaches. I went to a private boarding school that makes this school feel like paradise so you should be glad to have teachers and principals who are nice to you and care about you." Ethan expected questions so he answered them as they came. One girl asked, "Are you rich?" Ethan meekly said, "Yes and no, our family works as hard as any other family even though we own a large estate. It costs a lot of money to run one." Another asked, "Are you royalty?" Ethan said, "No but my grandfather, uncle soon to be my father, and myself have our own titles." Mr. King asked him to clarify, Ethan proudly said, "My grandfather is The Marquess of Lincoln, my uncle is Earl of Boston and the future Marquess of Lincoln, and I was recently given the title of The Earl of Frampton by the queen." One of the kids caught on to what he said and asked, "What do you mean ?soon to be father??" Ethan looked at the boys who nodded so he admitted, "My father died in August and my mother passed away last Monday so I am being adopted by my uncle and aunt at my mother?s request. My new father being the heir and being his son through his brother means I am going to be the Marquess someday if I want to." One of the kids said he was lying to which Mr. King announced, "He?s telling the truth. His soon to be older sister was in my class last year and told me about his family including the titles. He is a real life English lord although she said she herself didn?t have a title." Ethan interjected with, "She was to be the future marquess but when she became a girl she lost the right to title but she is still Lady Nichole. Her sister Nichole is also a lady and her brother Bryan is a lord, even though both are born and raised in the United States." One student asked if he had met the royal family to which Ethan groaned, "I did but it was a dinner I wish to forget. It was long and boring and the duke and duchess were so arrogant that I asked to leave early. We were supposed to have a ceremony for the bestowing of my title by the queen but my mom?s sudden passing cancelled that ceremony." Mr. King saw an opportunity and used some of what he said to show the country on a map and pointed out where he lived. He smiled and told Ethan, "You couldn?t have timed it better; we were going into the Pilgrims. I understand they were from that area of your country." Ethan smiled and said, "We took some pictures of the city while we were there" then uploaded them for the class. Mr. King was pleased, even thanking him for showing some of the places that would be talked about. It was a good feeling for Ethan, he felt appreciated and respected. It was so different; he couldn?t help but feel like he finally belonged somewhere. He had found his place in school. Chapter 20 School went well until lunchtime. The news that Ethan was rich and foreign got around fast. Three fifth graders looked him over and announced, "He isn?t special, he?s just another shrimp." Ethan was quickly pulled up out of his seat and out the door. Junior and Neil were in hot pursuit followed by Nichole, Nancy, Margaret, and Kylie. The three older boys stopped around a corner from the cafeteria where two grabbed Ethan by the arms and the third tried to pull down his pants. Fearing that they were going to humiliate him or worse Ethan squirmed then kicked the one going for his pants in the face. He kicked hard enough to bust his lip and causing his nose to bleed. The two on his arms pulled them taut only to have Junior and Neil come up behind them and kick out their knees causing both to drop to the floor in pain. Ethan?s arms were hurting from the exertion but he was otherwise OK. Ms. Prince watched the three boys drag Ethan off but was out of sight before she could reach them. She followed Nichole and the girls after them arriving just in time to catch the boy attempt to remove Ethan?s pants then the subsequent kicks from the three younger boys. She ushered the girls to go back to the cafeteria while two more teachers came in trying to find out what was going on. Ms. Prince moved Junior and Neil out of the way telling them to wait nearby. She examined Ethan and told the boys to the nurse to check on his arms. The three offenders were writhing in pain demanding that the three boys get suspended to which Ms. Prince announced, "I think suspension is the least of your worries gentlemen. This is a major assault, to which you three were the offenders. I witnessed it myself, what you intended to do to Ethan once you had his pants down I don?t want to know but be grateful you were stopped by him before you did otherwise this would be a serious crime. You each have one month of suspension then one month of in-school suspension." Ms. Prince escorted them to the office and called their parents. A half hour later their parents were told that they were suspended and the circumstances of why. Looking over their boys the parents demanded to see the boys who assaulted their sons to which Neil, Junior, and Ethan were sent for. As the three entered the office the parents asked if this was some kind of joke. Ms. Prince assured them, "I was witness to the whole incident. Your sons dragged Ethan out of the cafeteria, pinning his arms behind him, and attempted to remove his pants. In doing so Ethan defended himself by kicking resulting in the bruised and bloodied appearance of one of the boys. With his arms pinned back Ethan was only able to kick so Neil and William here kicked out your sons? knees to release Ethan?s arms. This was an act of self-defense and defense of an innocent and in-danger student." Ethan showed the bruises on his arms, there was no denying he was being held tight. Ms. Prince continued, "These two, his friends, were defending their friend from certain injury whereas your sons were physically assaulting a smaller boy for no reason whatsoever." One of the parents stated, "I?ll sue" to which the door opened and Valerie stated, "On what grounds? Being injured as a result of committing a crime? Your sons are lucky they aren?t being arrested and you are extremely lucky they aren?t being expelled for their actions. This school has a zero tolerance policy regarding bullying and thankfully I have agreed to allow them to continue to attend school here rather than forcing the issue resulting in their immediate expulsion and being forced to attend an alternative school." Ms. Prince nodded to Valerie and stated, "The deal that you have little choice but to sign is that your sons are suspended for two months, one from school and one in-school. If they do anything for the rest of the year they will be expelled. Do I make myself clear?" The parents reluctantly agreed to the suspensions and signed the agreements, taking their sons home. Ethan had his bruises photographed for the record and the three returned to class. Valerie shook her head saying, "Mr. King texted me that there was trouble so I came quickly. I didn?t expect someone would try something so soon." Ms. Prince nodded, exclaiming, "We try to stomp out bullying but sometimes you just can?t stomp it out completely. I hope the fact that the three of them took down the three larger boys works in their favor and people leave them alone." In class Mr. King let things go and continued teaching. The boys? return wasn?t acknowledged beyond a nod and quick, "I?ll tell you later" as he continued where he left off before they came in, much to the relief of the boys. After school ended and Mr. King told them what they had missed the boys were peppered with questions from their classmates about what happened. Ethan told the truth, not wanting rumors to fly. Junior and Neil backed him up reiterating the same story. When Nichole and the girls joined them outside Nancy seemed to swoon over Ethan. He didn?t pick up on it, only noticing that Kylie seemed annoyed and Margaret amused. Their classmates stopped pestering them when they saw Nichole, Ethan calmly said, "I need the pictures you, Hannah, and Paige took in Boston." She nodded, adding, "Mr. King told me already. I?ll see if we still have the brochures." The seven walked out together, whispers started going which concerned Ethan. Nichole whispered, "They know we are going to be brother and sister, they are talking about Nancy?s crush on you." Nancy stopped dead in her tracks and tried to say something but Kylie groaned, "You can stop faking it, the only one who doesn?t see your crush is Ethan." Ethan blushed and told Nancy, "Thank you but I am too young for girls, maybe in a couple of years that might change. I do like you as a person, you aren?t as cranky as Kylie." That got the girls laughing as Kylie tried to think of something to say. Nichole proudly said, "Sorry, but it?s true." Nancy?s father Todd Flynn was waiting with the other parents for his daughter. Kylie was still steaming over Ethan?s joke while Nancy was still red faced over Ethan finding out about her crush. He looked closely at Ethan and shook his head, muttering to himself, "She?s too young for boys." William Kelley Sr. was standing next to him and quietly told him, "He?s too young for girls, but it doesn?t stop puppy love." Rachel Douglas was trying her hardest to contain her laughter as the group came closer, but she too had to admit he was going to be a looker when he got older. He was a lot like his uncle and despite being happily married she had to admit Nigel was a good looking man. It wasn?t a shock that the girls would find him cute even if he was a year younger than them. Valerie introduced Ethan to Todd, Rachel and William, enjoying Ethan squirm under Todd?s fatherly glare. It was sweet to see as he got his first taste of the inevitable maturity that his daughter was going to go through. Nancy had to tell him to stop which Rachel and William both snickered at, leading to Nancy to practically drag her father away from the group. Kylie grumpily told her, "If she gets any more googly-eyed around him Mr. Flynn is going to put her in a convent." Valerie snickered but added, "Just wait until you have your first crush, you will be acting the same way." The twins were playing the tot lot nearby and refused to leave. Ethan had to go in and get them causing them to rush to the minivan dragging Ethan with them. Nichole just rolled her eyes at them, telling Valerie, "These two are almost as bad as Faith." Valerie added, "No, they are worse. You can?t escape those two no matter how hard you try, at least with Faith you can get Daisy or Virgil to distract her. They already broke Jaimie, Michael, John, and Miles and poor DJ won?t try to go against them." At the house Valerie told the two they had to do their homework. Ethan didn?t say a word and opened his books as soon as he sat down in the dining room. Nichole though tried to fight it, pleading for a chance to unwind first. Ethan was finished well before Nichole finished her pleading causing her to complain but rush through her homework. Valerie asked why he was finished so quickly to which he quietly told her, "We were severely punished if we missed any homework so we had to spent two hours after classes ended working on it. Anyone caught not working were punished severely. First offense was detention, second was a paddling, third offense was a caning. It didn?t matter if there was nothing to work on, you had to do something." Valerie grew quiet considering what he had said. She softly told him, "You don?t have to rush into your homework, just complete it. You can take breaks, in fact it?s needed if you want to do it right. Working that long is bad for you, you need to do something creative to get your mind jumpstarted and help learn more." Ethan smiled hearing that, saying, "I wish we had more people like you teaching us." Valerie snickered then told him, "I read John?s education books frequently when it gets quiet around here. The twins are pretty quiet midmorning and I can?t stand the talk shows on TV so I try to understand John?s mindset and picked up a few tricks. You are actually the first person on which I have ever used that that information." Ethan asked, "Why aren?t you working? Doesn?t Aunt Leslie own a daycare center?" Valerie nodded adding, "My sister Melanie co-owns it with her but I wanted to spend time at home with the twins. Next fall they are going to pre-kindergarten so I?ll find something to do then. I may even go work with them as a teacher?s aide in addition to my legal consultations. I don?t really need to work, I love spending time with the kids." When Nichole finished she asked what they were talking about. Ethan told her about the forced homework time and the consequences. All she could do was say, "That?s about one of the few things I am glad my school back in London didn?t do. Even with Mr. Essex?s abuse they never had that kind of discipline regarding school work. Then again we went home after school anyway so it would be impossible to enforce." Karen arrived to take the two back home an hour later. Ethan asked where Jaimie, Michael, and Miles were getting smiles from the two as they said, "Practice." Ethan asked what they meant to which Valerie explained, "You know Miles is on the cross country team with Reed, well Michael is on the football team and Jaimie is a cheerleader. They have a game on Friday night if you want to go." Ethan looked eagerly at Karen who nodded, adding, "Might as well meet the rest of the family but be warned- the girls will be showing you off to everyone." Ethan asked what she meant with Karen telling him, "Jaimie will be showing you off to her teammates while Iris will be showing you off to hers. Most of the cheerleading team is part of the family, you still haven?t met Stacy, Reyna, Sam, or Francesca. My niece Rebecca and Courtney?s sister Jessie are on the volleyball team with Iris so they will be eager to meet you as well." Valerie added, "Michael and Scott will probably show you off to the football team as Bryan?s new little brother so you will end up meeting Richard, Will, Eric, and George. Plus the other parents will be there as well. The only ones not going are Pete and Bryan." Ethan looked as if he was having trouble processing the information. Karen nodded, telling him, "You knew the family was big, that?s not even counting Reed and Kylie?s dad Willie and Margaret?s dad Paul. We will let everyone know ahead of time to not crowd you and give you a chance to get away if you are feeling crowded. The twins and DJ are probably going to want to go to the park so it?ll give you an excuse to get away if things get too crowded." Karen led Ethan and Nichole out, taking a second to hug and kiss the twins before leaving. Ethan said hello to the playing Faith who smiled at him but was busy playing with chalk in the neighbor?s driveway. Karen keenly pointed out, "That young man if you remember is Virgil, her little buddy. He spent the weekend with his grandparents so wasn?t around to keep Faith?s attention which was why she was so eager to keep you close." Driving home Ethan and Nichole unwound as she awaited the inevitable gossip fest from the girls. Kylie had an appointment with her psychiatrist Dr. Eliza while Margaret and Nancy went to ballet. Ethan asked her why she didn?t do ballet getting a sneer and simple, "I tried it for a short time but didn?t like it. I don?t care for the tough practices, heavy stretching, or constant forward thinking." Karen butted in with, "She doesn?t have the coordination, she kept tripping and falling. She tried which was all the girls wanted from her. She does help them stretch and practice at home but it isn?t really her thing." Ethan nodded, being a failure at something was one of the few things he knew well. The next day in school Ethan was the center of attention as word reached around the school that the three boys got the three worst students suspended. They were seen as being heroes even if none of them would admit to being one. Mr. King kept gossip to next to nothing and kept the class focused but at lunch all eyes were on the three boys. It wasn?t every day that three of the smallest kids in their grade take out the three biggest kids in school. The boys kept going as they normally did, not giving any attention to the looks. After three days of ignoring the talk and looks kids moved on to other things, seeking new people to gossip about. It also helped that Neil?s father?s job with the ATF was casually mentioned by Margaret, causing more than a few to back off of their criticism of the boys. The end of the week meant the boys were eager to get home and get their homework over with so they could have two days of freedom. All three were happy that each other was going to attend the football game, with Neil?s dad acting as a coach and Junior?s dad covering it for the local and regional newspapers. Ethan was going to have his first taste of the sport, Neil complained, "There?s not many people there" to which Junior added, "Most of the people there are part of the family, so expect a lot of people meeting you." Ethan complained, "Mom warned me about that already." The boys were anxious as Karen drove them to her house. She enjoyed seeing the three rush to finish their homework, knowing the two were being influenced by Ethan. Nichole complained that they were making her look bad but did her homework alongside them as well. After an early dinner the five along with Nigel Jr. drove to the stadium for the game. Valerie and Leslie were already waiting with John and Mark. Iris was close by with several other girls, signaling for Ethan to come over. He reluctantly let her introduce him to her teammates, with Rebecca and Jessie hugging him. Ethan slunk away, embarrassed but knowing that he had to endure it for Iris? sake. Mark made note of his embarrassment and suggested they go easy on the introductions, he could only endure so much. Ethan said he was alright, just not used to strangers hugging him. John added a quick, "The three are family, but they did know more about you than you did about them." The adults walked into the stadium with Ethan, Nichole staying with her cousins to await the girls. John did all of the introductions, first to Louis Reagan then to Jake Bollinger. Ethan asked, "Are you related to Beverly?" getting a smile and quick, "She?s my wife." He blushed but Jake told him, "She spoke highly about you, she was happy to have had the break from the baby and get back to work even if only for a couple of hours." John moved on again, nodding to a few people who then waiting outside the door to the locker room. He motioned Ethan to follow him inside, talking with Mick and three men he didn?t know. John introduced them as Alex Vincent, Mike Daniels, and Sean Berretta. He shook their hands and stood silently as the team started streaming in to change. As the last players walked in he heard several asking who he was. One was louder than the others, asking bluntly, "What?s that shrimp doing in here?" Ethan stepped back, close to John who held his shoulder. Michael walked over to the offending player and loudly proclaimed, "He?s my cousin. He?s also the one who knocked three teeth out of your brother?s mouth on Monday, the same brother who was told to back off from messing with smaller kids over the summer. Twice." Scott asked him, "Is that true?" Michael added, "Kylie told me, his friends held his arms while he tried ripping Ethan?s pants off for some reason so Ethan kicked him clean in the mouth busting his lip and knocking out three teeth." This caused the teammates to demand to know what the hell was going on to which the player told them, "My brother said he was kicked in the face by his classmate." Michael laughed, telling him, "Your fifth grade brother was kicked in the face by a third grader half his size as two of your brother?s friends held this third grader?s arms back. My mom said they are lucky they aren?t in jail over it." The team backed away from the loudmouth. They knew he was done for with the team. Sean told the player to hit the showers, he wasn?t playing for a while. The player argued, "Why am I being kicked off, it?s that little brat that doesn?t belong in here." Sean told him louder, "This young man is here because I said he could be, at the request of his family. I had hoped he might learn a thing or two about the game by watching it next to his new uncle but the only thing learned so far is some players have big mouths and small brains." He left in anger, vowing to get his revenge. He said in front of the wrong people as he walked right into Jake Bollinger who told him, "Revenge how? Please explain because Chief Pena here would love to hear it." Willie was standing next to him and asked him to reiterate what he just said. The player ran off in fear, apologizing as he burst into tears form the fear of his own stupidity. Michael looked around at the stunned players. Scott nodded to which Michael announced, "If any of you think you are going to say something else know this first- Ethan is becoming Bryan Smith?s younger brother. That means he is family. The last thing you want is any of the girls on you about acting like a jerk to a little kid especially one they are related to." The message hit hard as Eric, George, Richard, Will, and Scott were asked if it was true. Scott gave the same, "It?s 100% true" response bringing more fear to the players? faces. They feared one thing only, the female Finns. Hannah?s influence reigned supreme even after graduation, but Jenna, Jessica, Christina, Courtney, Claire, Stacy, and Jaimie had the single biggest influence over the school after Jake and John. Crossing them was social suicide. They weren?t like the usual ruling students, they didn?t reign rather their opinions held more sway than any other students? opinions. Ethan asked to leave, he didn?t want to cause any more trouble. John finished his conversation and nodded to Sean Berretta, explaining to Ethan as they left, "I didn?t think that this would happen. I?m sorry." Ethan shrugged, telling him, "You meant well, it?s not your fault others can?t tell the truth or need to demean others." John smiled at him, adding, "I know you went through hell and are used to abuse but you don?t have to take it. This isn?t that snooty school, you have the right to complain. It?s covered under the Bill of Rights." Ethan giggled saying, "It doesn?t say that exactly but thanks for the encouragement." John and Jake walked together with Ethan towards the girls. Jaimie immediate stopped what she was doing and came over, causing Stacy, Jenna, Jessica, Courtney, Christina, Claire, Rachel, Reyna, Sam, and Francesca to come over as well. Ethan felt intimidated by the number of girls around him. John signaled to hold back, as Jaimie gave him a big hug. The girls started looking Ethan over, saying how cute he was and how much he looked like Nichole. Ethan blushed deeply, while Jaimie explained that he was becoming Karen and Nigel?s son. Sam joked, "No wonder Faith hasn?t been around as much, she finally found someone else to torment." The girls asked what happened in the locker room to which John retold the story and the girls added, "He blew it with the girls, nobody will touch him now. We don?t have to do a thing, with so many others around to see it word will get around on its own. Nobody will touch him until graduation if he ever reaches it." The girls had to get back to their stretches so Ethan walked with John to the stands, finding the parents sitting together talking. Ethan sat beside Neil and Junior, quietly watching the football team?s warmups. Neil explained who was doing what and why, helping Ethan learn the game while Junior pointed out some of what the other team was doing. Karen and Nigel found Ethan and walked with him to meet the parents he hadn?t met. The first people were Lilly Peterson and her sons David and Patrick, Daisy and Claire?s mother and brothers. The guys were focused on their conversation that they didn?t say anything beyond, "Hello". Next were the Yorks, Sam and Virgil?s parents. This was followed by Gabby Lawrence, Courtney and Jessie?s mom, and Beverly Bollinger and baby Jack, Will?s mother and Jake?s wife. The latter two he just smiled and nodded to as they continued talking knowing that he didn?t actually want to speak. Ethan was a bit weirded out by so many people being interconnected. Karen gave him a minute then introduced him to Ben and Beth Herman and their baby Benny, Wendy and Belle White-Clark who are Francesca?s mothers, Lupe Toro who is Reyna?s mother, and finally Olivia Samuels who is Richard?s mother and Dr. Samuels? wife. The only ones not there was Dr. Samuels and Sarah Jones, the two worked that night so were missing the game. Belle and Wendy kindly let Ethan sit, knowing he needed a break. The boys were close by itching to get their own time with Ethan once the game started. Olivia though reigned and had him sit and relax, telling him, "You need a break and the boys can wait." Karen did the same, as Nigel Jr. fussed and wanted to lay in a different position. Beth and Ben were the only ones who didn?t take an interest in Ethan, the two new parents just accepted it as part of being friends with the large family. Ethan felt relieved to not have to be the attraction anymore but knew that he had to go back and face the questioning from others shortly. After the first quarter Ethan asked to go to the bathroom. Nigel Jr. took that time to stir and show he needed a diaper change which prompted the other babies to stir forcing the other mothers to join them. Neil and Junior followed behind, having the same idea and wanting to finally get to hang with Ethan now that the parents had gotten their introduction. Inside Ethan took his time, knowing that Nigel was going to take a few minutes to change and there was probably a line for the women?s room. As the three boys exited they were greeted by a man claiming to be from the press and asking if Ethan was the English lord who was slumming it as a commoner in the United States. Ethan tried to find a way to answer the question but before he could Karen stated, "Step away from him this instant. I neither signed nor approved any releases for him to be interviewed by any member of the media on school grounds, especially by someone who has not shown to actually be part of the media." Kennedy greeted the man with and smiled and quick, "Do you always question children without the consent of their parent or guardian on school grounds? You are aware that it is both illegal and against all standard journalistic practices to do so. That is if you are even a reporter at all. You are lucky that the boys didn?t scream for help or you would be in handcuffs." The man tried to plead that he was doing his job to which William Kelley announced, "He isn?t a member of the media. He would have presented his credentials to her when confronted. The man is a fake." The man protested but William showed his own identification and stated, "I would have been informed by one of the newspapers that you were operating here as I freelance with both papers and each of the regionals. Only I am working this city and only I am working this game. Who are you really and what are you actually doing here?" Willie was alerted and the man taken by officers for questioning. A quick identification check came back that the man was a private investigator hired by an English merchant looking for his lost nephew. The man was legitimate investigator, but the officers were aware of his reputation and his being unethical in his methods. The story from his employer was bogus, something that greatly concerned Willie. Kennedy and Karen knew exactly what was going on but held off saying anything in the man?s presence lest it get back to his employer. Seeing himself looking down the long arm of the law and an investigation into his own casework he cooperated, giving up details of the person who hired him. The man was based out of Lincolnshire, sending red flags up about Harry?s former associates and worse- Jeffries. He freely admitted that he had no clue who he was actually looking for, he was only told the city and the family. Ethan?s accent caused him to focus on him and corner him for questioning. Karen kept Ethan in the dark about what really happened, thankfully William was kind enough to explain to Ethan what should have happened to him but neglecting to tell him the full story. He was relieved but he had a nagging suspicion that there was more to it. William worked his magic and assured him he was fine and that the man was advised about the rules and given a warning so he let it go. The boys did him a favor and got him to go with them to the park connected to the stadium, allowing him to unwind some. Cat and JD were already in there, begging Valerie to go after seeing the boys get up. The new moms followed suit, enjoying the calm over the crowd so the boys could go back to sleep easily. Beth asked what happened outside the bathroom getting a weird look from Valerie. Kennedy admitted the truth getting a gasp from Beth but a nod and quick, "It?s Jeffries" form Valerie. Beth asked about the full story, getting the digested version but fully factual. She felt for Ethan, seeing the boy go through a lot of pain and suffering in such a short period of time and now having that man trying to cause trouble for him yet again. Beverly offered the biggest distraction, offering, "When you do go, why don?t Nichole and Ethan stay with Olivia. She has been feeling terrible with the five of us pregnant and having kids and Kennedy having baby Willie fall into her hands." Karen asked about Richard?s reaction to which she smiled and proudly said, "He has softened a lot seeing her interact with Jack. He knows Olivia can?t have any more children so he will accept that he needs to let her do this for her own sake." Unbeknownst to the adults the boys listened to their conversation. Ethan felt bad but Junior softly told him, "Richard has actually talked with his dad about them taking in a kid. It?s supposed to be a surprise to Mrs. Samuels but your mom and dad having to go to England to fight for custody of you is giving them an early chance to show he is OK being a big brother." Ethan felt relieved. He was hoping that it wasn?t going to be a problem but the thought of staying with a family he didn?t really know scared him. Chapter 21 The game ended and the families parted ways. The Toros invited Ethan over the next day to give him a bit of a break from the family, which he reluctantly accepted. Karen asked what they had in mind to which Reyna smiled and said, "Uncle Miguel is coming by with some teammates, he wanted to meet Ethan." Karen snickered, Ethan asked what?s so funny to which Karen added, "His teammates are from all over the country and Caribbean. You will be a big shock to them." Ethan smiled at that. It was one thing to meet a bunch of eager people but it was another to be a regular person. Reyna added, "I?m just kidding about the introduction, it?s just a few of the players. They have done it a few times, now that the season is winding down they have the day off so mom wanted to treat them to a decent meal with regular folks." This made him feel better, he wanted to socialize not put him on a pedestal. Reyna added, "Francesca and her moms will be there, as will Dr. and Mrs. Samuels. I don?t know about Richard and Jaimie but they could be. They are our neighbors so it?s only polite to invite them." Ethan nodded in approval, it was benign and he could use the distraction especially since Faith was going to go looking for him for constant attention. The next morning Junior and Neil came over early. The three played for a couple of hours before it was time to leave for the cookout at the Toro home. The boys were fine with that, they got their fix and both had plans for that afternoon with Neil?s mother and aunt. Faith was whiney as usual, she was hoping to spend time with Ethan but the boy just wasn?t interested in putting up with her. Sarah had to take her aside and explain again that she had to accept that boys his age often times didn?t play with girls her age and she needed to accept that he had other plans. She cried and complained but she accepted it. Ethan felt bad but Karen explained, "She is very strong willed and this is the first time that she has to accept that she is younger than her brother and that there are times when she can?t be the center of attention. You are handling her well, you shouldn?t feel bad that she is having trouble accepting the truth." He admitted, "I like her, she?s a good girl but she is so possessive. I don?t mind her but I want to play with Neil and Junior more." Karen smiled and hugged him, he was a good person and it was hard to see someone in tears because of him. At the Toro home Ethan was immediately introduced to Miguel. Ethan felt intimidated by the tall, muscular man but Reyna proudly told him, "He?s a big pussy cat. He looks tough but he is just as sensitive as anyone." Miguel bushed as she hugged him, showing Ethan exactly what she meant. Miguel introduced Ethan to his six teammates who were attending. Three were well mannered young men from the southern US with subtle drawls. Two were from the Dominican Republic with heavy accents but polite. The third was from Bermuda and seemed to recognize Ethan. The Bermudan asked, "Are you the kid who brought down a criminal network and was taken in by his uncle?s family?" Ethan nearly choked on his soda at hearing that. Miguel asked pointedly, "Where did you hear that?" His teammate showed them a newspaper article written in the UK that all but gave away Ethan. What was missing was where he had gone. The paper alluded to him being kidnapped or brainwashed or worse. Ethan grew scared but the player simply told him, "It?s a load of hogwash. They will say anything to sell a paper." He winked at Ethan, he knew but wasn?t going to say anything. Miguel changed things up and the seven talked other sports and anything else. Ethan knew they were professional athletes so hearing them talk about sports they didn?t play was intriguing. He sat and listened with intrigue especially when Miguel talked football with them. Miguel surprised him by telling him, "We had to do a promotional campaign in England on behalf of the team and its owners so we visited your area for a day." Ethan recalled some news blurb about it, asking, "Didn?t your team get lost somewhere trying to find the motorway?" The six burst into laughter as Miguel blushed, the six telling him that it was Miguel?s bus that got lost heading down a B-road while theirs went on the right A-road. Francesca and Reyna talked with him for a bit after that. Ethan asked about her dad which he didn?t mean to. Reyna smiled as she told him about him dying in a car crash when she was eight. She smiled and told him, "That?s what, six of us now who lost parents at this age?" Francesca recalled the list, Jaimie, Miles, Reyna, Scott, and Claire, now him. The two looked gloomy until Francesca told them, "It?s part of who you are, it stinks but from it greater things happened." Reyna couldn?t believe her ears, but Francesca joked, "I?m more than just a pretty face." Ethan blurted out, "Very pretty" without thinking about it. Francesca let it go, slyly smiling at him. Reyna did notice it and teased him, saying, "You have been here a week and you already have your first crush." Ethan blushed again, but Francesca came back with, "Are you jealous that he has good taste or that you still haven?t found the right boy?" That hit Reyna hard to which both girls burst into laughter. The Samuels made their appearance with Miguel giving them hugs and handshakes. Richard was congratulated on the big win, with Miguel talking football with him much to the amusement of the teammates. They joked that if he kept that up he might find some offseason employment with the New England Patriots. Richard countered, "It could be worse, he could be working with the New York Jets!" sending the group into a loud laugh. Ethan had no idea what they were talking about so Reyna explained, "The Patriots are the local football team, the Jets are on of their rivals" getting an understanding nod from Ethan. He never understood sports rivalries but understood the intent perfectly. It made Hannah?s joke when they stopped in the village all the more apt and funny. Richard made his way over to him and properly introduced himself. The girls took their leave and walked off to check on their parents. Richard sat him down and told him, "Aunt Beverly is arranging it so mom is going to babysit you and Nichole while your aunt and uncle have their custody hearing in England. Dad has scheduled you for a talk with Dr. Dane to help show you should remain with them as their son." Ethan didn?t waste time and asked, "Are you alright with Nichole and I staying with your family?" Richard drew a deep breath and admitted, "I was wrong when I acted out regarding Rachel. Mom needs this, if it goes well dad intends to try again to host a foster child. They have more love to give now that I am getting older. Mom needs to give love to people and it?s the only way we can think of that she can do it. I don?t mind you staying, you need people who can?t be refused by the court as influencing you and your decisions and dad is the best person among the family who aren?t directly related to Aunt Karen. I don?t mind you staying, just don?t let Jaimie influence you too much. She?s beautiful but she is also crafty" He winked at that, but Ethan knew he was going to be alright. Ethan and Richard talked for an hour while Lupe, Wendy, and Belle talked with Karen. Wendy and Belle were the first to smile and show awe at seeing Richard talk with Ethan, with neither showing signs of hesitation. Belle pointed out that he looked almost brotherly towards him getting the others to smile. Olivia walked over and was told to watch Richard and Ethan. She asked what was going on to which Lupe told her with a smile, "Your boys are giving you a little gift soon, that?s just a preview." She watched as Richard was doing his best to talk with Ethan and listen to him. She softly asked, "What are they really doing." Karen admitted to her, "We are going to have to go to England so Richard and Richard thought it best to let Ethan and Nichole stay with you three during the trip. They are treating it as a trial run before your husband puts you two on the list to foster a child again." Her eyes welled up with tears. Richard was making up for his mistakes with Rachel and her husband was opening up their home to someone who needed them. She walked over to Richard and sat next to him, hugging and kissing him. He asked quietly, "They told you?" She nodded, adding, "You are a good son, I am proud of you for doing this." He shook his head, telling her, "If I was a good son I wouldn?t have done what I did with Rachel." Ethan told him pointedly, "She thought you gave her a bigger gift in having her moved to Leslie, she loves it there." He shook his head, telling him, "It still doesn?t make up for what I did." Olivia hugged him tight again telling him, "Nothing could but you made the effort to make amends. The girls are right, her being with Leslie was for the best and it?ll make another person?s life better soon." Miguel and Richard Sr. were talking but stopped seeing Richard and Olivia?s display. Miguel had a sly grin and asked, "You two are finally going to do it?" Richard Sr. nodded, telling him, "It?s only for a few days, but it?ll get Richard used to having a younger person in the house permanently." Miguel grinned, telling him, "She needs it. I know the look in her eyes, I saw it in Lupe?s eyes when she was pregnant. You two have love to give, and you have given so much to so many it?s time you could receive it back and from someone who needs it." The players were perplexed until Miguel told them, "Little man there is about to be adopted by his aunt and uncle. His mother?s family is trying to get him for his money so they are going to fight for him. Richard here volunteered to take him and his future sister in while they are away." The players nodded, knowing best to keep quiet over something so emotional. One did add, "Hope they can afford that fight" to which Miguel grinned and told them, "They can afford it, but I doubt the other side can. They don?t know what they are going up against, but it won?t be some pushover. They have deep pockets and heavy firepower; you don?t mess with a member of Karen?s family unless you enjoy humiliation and pain." The cookout broke up and Miguel and the players left, with Reyna getting hugs and kisses from all of them. Ethan was pleased to be allowed to help clean up, helping Reyna with the garbage. The two were joined by Richard and Francesca as they carried bags to the barrels. Francesca was the first to speak, telling Ethan, "If you thought that was interesting just wait until Rebecca?s parents want you for a bit." Reyna groaned at that, telling her, "They aren?t bad, don?t scare him before he gets to meet them." Richard admitted, "Stacy and Rebecca aren?t bad; it?s DJ who will want your full attention." Ethan asked, "Is he worse than Cat or Faith?" getting raised eyebrows and honest, "No" answers. He smiled and told them, "Then it won?t be so bad. Cat is too forceful and Faith won?t leave me alone." Richard just smiled, telling him, "He?s a good little kid, he knows when to leave you alone. He?s also incredibly cute so don?t let his pleading looks fool you, he can turn on the charm easily." Listening not far away Lupe had to stifle a laugh. Belle and Wendy were barely containing their own laughter but Karen was the one that laughed. Olivia had to admit that Richard was doing his best to be a big brother towards Ethan. Belle and Wendy saw the same look in Francesca but it was tempered with compassion. She didn?t want a little brother or sister, she admitted she just liked the little kids. Her friends were all the family she needed and their siblings were just like younger brothers and sisters to her. Karen caught the same look but knew Francesca?s feelings about siblings, to which she asked if Francesca had thought about babysitting to earn some money of her own. As big as their family had grown none of the parents had used the kids in that way. Wendy and Belle nodded in agreement, as Lupe added, "Leslie and Melanie were considering using her on the weekends during winter, so it?ll give her a little bit of experience." Belle and Wendy were caught off guard by that, but Karen added a swift, "She really is good with Cat and JD, and has helped with Willie when Kennedy was busy." Francesca?s eyes lit up when she was asked to babysit. Her mothers both nodded in agreement while Richard and Reyna shared knowing glances. Ethan knew it was because of him that she was being hired but didn?t feel all that much bothered by it, which Reyna whispered to Richard as, "He gets to be with his crush without parents" getting a snicker and smiled from Richard. On the way home Karen stopped off at the Joneses to see Sarah. Ethan was immediately enveloped by Faith who hugged him tight. Ethan sat her down and told her, "You need to stop. I know you care about me but you need to stop. I don?t want you to keep clinging onto me whenever I come over. If you can?t do that then I don?t want to come around anymore." Faith burst into tears. Ethan got up and sat in the minivan to wait for Karen. He knew he was going to get scolded or worse but he needed to tell her that. Karen came out and asked for an explanation, Ethan sorrowfully told her, "I can?t do this anymore. She won?t stop hounding me for attention. This isn?t like Cat, she just won?t stop it no matter what I say." He expected her to yell at him. She instead calmly told him, "You aren?t in trouble, she was told countless times to stop. We are going to talk with her to get the real reason why she won?t stop clinging to you but it might be best to ask her yourself." Ethan looked down in shame, telling her, "Tomorrow. Right now I just want to go home and be alone." Faith looked out the window in tears. Neil avoided her, knowing he was going to be blamed by her for Ethan telling her to stop. Sarah let her cry herself out, while Mick assessed the situation and agreed with Karen that she needed to explain why she was so clingy. He had his suspicions but she needed to explain it herself. It didn?t take long before the girls heard what he did. At home Nichole confronted him about Faith. Ethan brushed her off wanting to be alone but Nichole forced the issue. Ethan calmly told her, "I don?t like people trying to act like they care about me when all they want is something from me. She isn?t being honest, I don?t want people around me who can?t be truthful." Nichole asked what he meant. Ethan drew a breath and told her, "The rest of the time she cares about others but when I am around she gets close to me. It?s not because she likes me, it?s because of something else. Whatever her reason is it isn?t working, it just makes me want to stay away from her. She is my friend?s sister, I like her but I don?t like what she does. The girls can think I am jerk for pushing her away and telling her to leave me alone but I don?t want that from someone, I just want people who like me for me." Nichole hugged him deeply. Ethan burst into tears telling her that, his anxiety and fears finally coming out again. Nichole softly assured him, "They just wanted to know why you did it. She was told to leave you alone and ignored it. I think she and Daisy have been talking about you and Daisy said something she probably shouldn?t have to her, something Daisy overheard Aunt Lilly and Claire talking about." Ethan nodded, saying, "Me." Later on Sarah called to check in on Ethan. Karen told her that he felt bad about doing that to Faith but Sarah sighed, telling her, "She and Daisy are under the impression that they could lose Ethan so she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible." Karen sighed herself, telling Sarah, "It?s the truth. Daisy overheard us talking about it last Saturday and parroted it to Faith. We expect a court hearing to take place in the near future. What was expected to happen is finally happening." Sarah put Mick on who asked, "We talked about this before but do you finally know who they are?" Karen nodded, telling him, "Two distant cousins. One looks legitimate while the other is too distant and clearly not interested in him only his money. A third was discounted due to old age." Mick asked for specifics as Ethan was a witness to his father?s business ventures and the US had an active investigation. Karen gave the name of the petitioners with their alleged relationships to Sammi. He told her, "I?ll have these names investigated. I doubt the Brits did the same. I think something is fishy about the whole thing and with Harry gone the prime suspect is Jeffries. He is out on bail, but has disappeared from public view." Karen added, "You had the same hunch we did. I?ll have my in-laws have someone check them out, this and the private investigator at the game makes me fear that Ethan will be sought after by Jeffries in the near future." Mick added one other thing before signing off, telling her, "If all else fails and the judge is a total idiot we can get a court order to prevent the removal. He is a key witness to our case, if he goes back we will never get a chance to talk to him. It?s a bold move but given all of the arrangements that were made by his mother the judge should easily side with us. It?ll only be temporary but it?ll buy you time to appeal and give your investigators time to work." Karen didn?t hesitate to tell him, "If we lose, file it immediately." Chapter 22 Sarah and Faith came over the next day so Faith and Ethan could talk. Ethan sat her down in his room and asked her pointedly, "Why are you always trying to be around me?" Faith lowered her head in shame and told him barely above a whisper, "I don?t want to lose you. Neil loves you and he never had any friends before especially one like you. He has Junior but without you they aren?t the same. Daisy said your mom?s family might get you from your new mom and dad and I don?t want Neil to see you go. He will be so sad and things will be just like Missouri again." She was in tears now. He could see her point, despite only knowing him for a short time he loved Neil and Junior like brothers. The three were the best of friends and things have been the best they have ever been for him. He hugged her, assuring her, "I am not leaving. I won?t go with them. They never wanted anything to do with me before I became rich, they think they can get my money through me. I won?t let them, I would rather run away than go with them." He now started crying. Faith hit a sore spot that had been festering in him, one that needed touching so he could release the built up anger. The two hugged for several minutes before she got up. He told her calmly, "You didn?t have to do that. I didn?t mean to sound mean to you but if you just let Neil and I play on our own and let me go to you it?ll be better." She softly said, "OK, I?m sorry." He hugged her again, making her know that it was over. The two walked downstairs to which Faith asked to go home. Ethan joined them, spending time with Faith while Junior and Neil did their own thing. They didn?t need to know why he was playing with her, it was what he needed to do so they were supportive of it. Karen and Nigel had a quiet Sunday as both kids were out with friends. The two awaited word form Mick or his parents regarding the investigation. Until then they enjoyed the solitude, as even Nigel Jr. was quiet for once. The quiet didn?t last long. Just after noon Winnisimmet time the Smiths called to tell them that the fight was on. The three had to appear in court on in a week. Karen told them that Ethan was not travelling for fear of his safety and would have Ricardo representing him in the United States if need be. He didn?t need to be there, there was no reason for him to lose three days school for the nonsense. The Smiths agreed fully, and had told their solicitor to notify the judge that his education came first and that should they lose they would appeal to higher authorities immediately. They also sought an explanation as to why Sammi?s wishes were being ignored, which would require a good explanation from the so-called family members. The judges would have to ignore several legal hurdles to accept the justification. According to their solicitor Ethan was as good as theirs. Ethan was told that they were going to have to go to England soon. He pleaded to stay which they smiled at, telling him, "You don?t have to go, you are going to stay with the Samuels family. I am sure you already knew that. If you feel like you need to leave, Valerie and John are there to help you but there shouldn?t be a problem." Ethan smiled and nodded, knowing the full scope of what she was really doing and happy to take a greater role in things than just staying with family. During the next day Ethan was quiet and solemn. Mr. King had to sit him down and ask him what was bothering him. He softly told him, "Mom and dad have to go to England to fight my birth mother?s family over me." Mr. King patted his shoulder, telling him proudly, "You don?t have anything to worry about, your family has some of the best legal minds I have ever seen and know how to find the right words to sway people. If your mom is even half as good as her brother at arguing she is going to win hands down." Ms. Prince came in and asked to speak with Ethan, telling him, "You have an appointment after school with someone from social services. Neither you nor your family is not in any trouble, it?s simply a visit at the request of Anne Connors and Mark Sylvester. They wanted you to have as much support as possible so called in a colleague to conduct an interview with you to give an unbiased opinion. It?s going to be added to both Mr. King?s statement and my own as support for your parents retaining custody of you." Ethan asked when the interview would be, to which Ms. Prince smiled and said, "This afternoon." Mr. King went easy on the kids that day, knowing that the three boys were focused on something more important. The other students were happy for the reprieve, even if they suspected there was an ulterior motive. None of them seemed to notice the trio wasn?t their usual selves either, but during lunch the girls kept them close and tried to keep their spirits up. The meeting took place in a conference room in the school. Ricardo Rodriguez was there, acting as Ethan?s advocate in case questions got out of line. Ricardo introduced himself and the social worker, who called herself Zoe. She explained that she was called in as a special favor by Anne Connors and Mark Sylvester so that they could have a proper evaluation of Ethan?s situation without claims of nepotism due to Paige and Leslie?s relationships to them. Zoe started off by asking what Ethan knew about Sammi?s family. He told about the few visits he had with them, how none of them cared much about him only his father and his money. He explained that his father was often asked to help fund one project or another that her family had and when the money he had available dried up they stopped all contact with him. Zoe asked why it dried up, to which Ethan told her, "Dad made a bad investment, or so he claimed. I knew it was really that one of his shipments was seized by customs and he had to write off the load." Zoe asked what his job was, Ethan sighed and told her, "He was a criminal. His official job was operator of an import and export company but he exported and imported guns and drugs. He used our family?s money to make investments in shipping companies then used those to get goods into and out of the country. He wasted away his entire trust fund and used our family estate to fund his business." Zoe was writing down notes furiously. Ricardo encouraged him to tell about the real issues. Ethan told her, "Mom?s family cut off all ties four years ago, right after dad went broke. I actually only met them a couple of times in person and none since dad lost all of his money. This is the same time that dad started to go after Nichole and Uncle Nigel causing them to be cast out for four years." Zoe asked if it was connected to which he stated, "It?s directly connected. Nichole watched a business deal that involved illegally selling the estate, Nichole called dad on it so he started telling lies to the family about her dressing me as a girl when she had never done such a thing to get them run out. The rumors reached mom?s family and they said they didn?t want a ?poof? or ?queer? in their family. They told Nichole?s mother?s family as well, making grandmother and grandfather to get upset causing them to run out Nichole and Uncle Nigel. It was only until after they visited in August that my grandparents learned the whole story and Nichole and I told them the awful truth. What is more mom never received a visit once she was in hospital even though they knew she was sick and dying. They could have seen her but ignored her." Zoe was sensing that there was a lot of anger and bitterness towards the family. At the same time the fact that they had shown that they wanted nothing to do with him over a rumor showed they were not coming forward with his interests in mind. The timing was too coincidental to be a change of heart, if they held such strong feelings before they may end up being the worst thing to happen to him if he espouses views that contradict theirs. Zoe asked about his current family, to which he smiled. He told her, "I have never felt so loved and accepted. Uncle Nigel and Aunt Karen treat me like I am their own son and I love them like my own mom and dad. They started doing that even before mom died. They have shown an actual interest in me, listening to what I have to say and asking my opinion on things that involve me. They treat me like a person, not some object. They actually treat me like I am part of the family not just a way of showing off for friends." Zoe asked about the money, Ethan laughed, telling her, "They don?t need one penny of my money. Nor do they don?t want it, they would rather earn money honestly. In fact they have their own money, each of them have several million dollars of their own money. They encouraged me to put the money away for the future so that I could have it when I was old enough to appreciate it. I love them for it. I don?t want the money either, and I gladly put it away in a fund so I wouldn?t be able to touch it until I am 21 but even then I don?t really want to use it." Zoe looked over to Ricardo who told her, "He heard what his cousins had done with their own money and he wanted to do the same so he asked to have an untouchable trust fund created on his behalf with his inheritance. He has the paperwork to get it started so that he can?t touch a penny in it until he turns 21. He has his own trust fund already from Karen?s brother that was given to all of the kids in their extended family, the interest on that alone is more than enough to pay for all of his needs for the year such as clothing and entertainment. Anything extra from the interest ends up going back into the fund to expand it." Zoe wrote more notes furiously, but added, "He assumes that the money is the main reason for the family members asking for custody of him." Ricardo pointedly said, "As he said until he came into it through his mother and father dying they made no effort to get to know him or even visit him nor invite him to visit. He may be eight years old but he is wise enough to see when people aren?t being truthful about their motives. He believes that his family will immediately lose interest in him once they have control of him and his trust fund. That is if they actually are his family in the first place." Zoe asked what he meant. Ricardo smiled as he stated, "Due to his father?s shady activities we thought it best to investigating the family members to ensure that they are who they claim to be. We have a belief that they aren?t actually family but are in fact associates of his father, Harry Smith. Several law enforcement agencies are in agreement with us about the need to ensure that the family is actual family as Ethan is a key witness for them." Zoe smiled and told him, "I?ll be sure to add that we will refuse to release him from the care of Nigel and Karen until this is resolved. This is an extremely valid point and should be proven beyond a shadow of doubt." Zoe wrapped the interview up by telling them, "It is my professional opinion that you are in fact in the best possible place. After talking with Ms. Prince and Mr. King I believe that Karen Smith is a good fit for you as a mother and guardian. Nigel Smith is your immediate next- of-kin and a full blood relative and therefore has the strongest claim to have custody of you. This is beside the point as your mother?s written agreement is on record with the courts and approved by social services in England therefor we believe that there is little reason ethically and legally to remove you from their care." Ricardo smirked and asked the basis for her decision so he could note it for the judges. She nodded saying, "I am basing my opinion on discussions with my colleagues, as well as Mr. King, Ms. Prince, and our legal counsel. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts stands behind your aunt and uncle as your guardians. That was even before speaking with you. After you brought it to my attention I will ask that the court issue an injunction that until your relatives can prove they are who they say they are that the Commonwealth refuse to allow you to be removed from your aunt and uncle?s care without a court order, and I?ll add this will be a state or federal court order not an English one." Ricardo added a quick, "Ambassador Gorman is aware of the situation and will file a complaint on Ethan?s behalf with Her Majesty?s government regarding the situation and will seek a review of the case from higher courts if necessary." Ethan rushed over to hug her. It was the best news he could have been given. Zoe hugged him back, her training knowing full well that the emotions were dammed up and needed release. She added a soft, "I am going to recommend that you have a meeting with a psychologist so you are backed medically. I am certain that your family will claim some sort of abuse based on your cousin?s gender change. It?s pure garbage but it?s best to have it happen soon." Ricardo told her, "Funny that you should mention that, that?s his next stop. Mark had the same suggestion after meeting him the first time so we have an appointment with a psychologist shortly." Ethan walked out with Ricardo. Karen was silently waiting with Nichole, both showing signs of nervousness about the outcome. Ethan was all smiles, telling them, "She said you are the best person for me and that I need to see a psychologist to bolster your position." Karen nodded, ushering him into the minivan to head away. At the hospital Karen made her way up to the mental health offices. Karen and Nichole said hello to many people along the way with Ethan being greeted with smiles. He asked why everyone was saying hello to which Nichole giggled, then told him, "Dad works here, there?s very few who don?t know who we are. He is beloved by all the nurses and mom is friendly with many of the doctors and nurses." Inside the offices Nichole chatted with the receptionist as Karen finished the necessary paperwork. She was greeted by a tall woman who asked, "What are you doing here today, your appointment isn?t for a couple of more days?" Nichole explained to Ethan, "Dr. Eliza is my psychiatrist." Nichole told Dr. Eliza, "Mom and dad are going to a hearing on whether they can keep Ethan or whether his mom?s family takes him away. Uncle Mark and Ethan?s social worker suggested that he see Dr. Dane for an evaluation to help say that he should stay with us." Dr. Eliza grew solemn, knowing that this was a tough thing for both. She told them, "I?d like to speak with you as well, as it?ll help fill in a few things that I need to know about Nichole. I also don?t want any false claims being lodged against Dr. Dane either, it?ll be tougher to refute two different mental health professionals who have evaluated the same patient. My own interest is easily justified as your name has come up in several conversations among patients and your impact on them has been positive." Ethan nodded, telling her, "Thank you." Dr. Dane came out and greeted Ethan. Inside his office he told him that he was aware of Ethan?s situation and was going to assist as best he could. He asked the expected questions about Ethan?s family life before and after his parents? deaths. He focused closely on the school life more than Ethan expected. Ethan answered fully and honestly, giving Dr. Dane a full picture of his school life in the past few years. Dr. Dane smiled at his suspicion and stated, "I believe it is in the best interest of you to not return to school in the United Kingdom. When you are enrolled the new school will look at your records from your old school and get a bad impression about you. I also suspect that many of the schools are going to be the same as your old school only this time your parents will be used against you. Any place where your status is more important than your wellbeing is a terrible place for a child and it is my belief that being in a school with people you know and who you know care about you is more important than keeping up appearances despite the culture class and handicaps." Dr. Dane then went on to talk about his family, particularly Karen and Nigel. Ethan smiled at the things they had done together, especially Hannah, Paige, Nichole, and himself. Dr. Dane got the emotional connection they all had made with one another, from Hannah?s leadership to Paige?s empathy to Nichole?s protection. His expressions told Dr. Dane everything that he needed to hear, his cousins were people who truly cared about him and wanted to be part of his life as opposed to just having him be there. He knew about Paige and Hannah through Reed and Miles so Ethan talking fondly about them was right in line with how he had expected them to be thought of by someone who was family to them. Dr. Dane ended the questioning with a strong question, "Why do you want to stay with your aunt and uncle?" Ethan drew a cleansing breath and stated whole heartedly, "They are the only family I have truly had. In the short two months that I have known them they have been closer to me than anybody has been in my prior eight years. They treat me like a person, showed me love and affection, and genuinely care about me." Dr. Dane concluded the session with a quiet, "That?s exactly what I am saying in my report. It would be cruel and against all ethical reasoning to allow you to be taken away from Karen and Nigel Smith. Your maternal family does not have your best interests at heart, but Nigel and Karen do." Outside Dr. Eliza switched off with Dr. Dane. Ethan sat down and immediately told her, "I know you are aware that my father was the one who got Nichole and Uncle Nigel run off. He lied to my grandparents about what Nichole and I were doing in private. We only talked about my father?s activities, he knew full well that we were aware of what he was doing. Mom and I were aware that she was starting to live as a girl and we wanted to help her but dad wanted her gone. He lied to everyone, using me to get what he needed." Dr. Eliza waited for him to settle down then asked about contact after they were forced to leave. Ethan shed a tear as he told her, "Dad found a letter mom had written and hit her. Mom tried to leave but he told her that he would ruin her worse than he had ruined Uncle Nigel. He threatened to have me sent away to the farthest reaches of Scotland and banned from seeing her. Mom had to stop, she didn?t want to lose me. She always regretted not standing up to him but she feared for me more." Dr. Eliza was seeing more into the boy?s past than she had thought. She asked about his mother?s family to which he retold what he had told Zoe the social worker and Dr. Dane. She agreed with their suspicions about it being a money grab but went further to explain to him, "You are a positive influence on your cousin and her friends. You have made two real friends and your new family has shown itself to be accepting of your situation with dignity and respect. They are best suited to help you heal the mental abuse that was intentionally and unintentionally done to you. It is also my opinion that should you be forced to leave to be with your mother?s family that you will have a negative impact on the lives of all of your cousin and her friends, your two friends, and your aunt and her brother and sister. You haven?t just found family, you have found a true home. You belong here, and if need be we will stand in court to state on your behalf that removing you would be foolish." Dr. Eliza smiled as she said that. He truly had an impact on the girls. Kylie and Nichole alone had shown improvement socially and Kylie had learned some restraint in her quest for femininity as she was seeing her friend Nancy act around Ethan. Nichole was blossoming into a social butterfly, learning that she was able to be the big sister she already was as well as the confidant for her friends. Jaimie was seeing that she could help others just by being there for them and not have to always be in front. And even though she was fully female Sam was still having doubts about herself, hearing about Ethan and his struggles caused her to take a step back and evaluate her own life and see that she was blessed with a beautiful girlfriend who loved her for herself, parents who unconditionally supported her, and a brother who worshiped her. All of them were directly impacted by Ethan. To have him be forced to leave would damage the lives of all of them. Chapter 23 Ethan left with two glowing reports working in his favor from experts in their field with impeccable records that no lawyer could refute. The ride home was done in silence as Ethan focused on his homework and Karen on the road. Nichole was busy texting, telling everyone that they had triple support, with more still to come. The rest of the week went along with Karen and Nigel preparing for the trip. Nigel had to work extra shifts so he was barely home, and had to resort to sleeping in the hospital to get rest. His plight was taken with great sympathy by the other nurses, all of whom were pulling for him and gladly traded extra shifts. The hospital itself gave him a week sabbatical, with extensions if need be. He was going to have to do a lot of extra shifts afterward to allow for better vacations for his colleagues but he would gladly stay home during the worst weeks if it meant Ethan would get to stay with them. If need be he was willing to give it all up but that was a last resort. Karen herself shifted her workload around to allow for the trip. Thankfully her meetings were to be held in England with her father-in- law as the facilitator for the accounts. His friends had done their homework and saw an opportunity in the rough with Karen?s firm. Even if she wasn?t the trader on paper her hard work was well worth the costs of meeting her in person in England and later by phone with James York or Greta Nelson. Friday morning Ethan was a bundle of nerves as his aunt and uncle saw him off to school. They then headed with Nigel Jr. to the airport to get their flight to Heathrow. At the airport Emma met them and drove them on to the estate, not bothering to stop along the way. She was dour, knowing that they were back for Sammi?s family?s money grab. She cared about Ethan, knowing full well that he was going to be put through the wringer to get every penny from him before they shoved him away in a boarding school- at his grandparents? expense no less. Nigel felt for Emma, she knew Ethan better than anyone and was the only member of the staff to treat him like an adult and listen to him when he needed someone to talk with. It was why she was assigned to help Hannah and Nichole when they were there, she had the best rapport with Ethan and could smooth things over in case they got rough which thankfully never happened. When the four arrived at the estate the Smiths were upset. They showed Nigel the news causing him to curse out loud. Sammi?s family claimed that Sammi?s agreement was null and void due to her illness. They were going to have to prove that she was lucid and not coerced into what she was signing. Karen laughed it off, telling them, "She thought about that possibility so she had the doctors countersign along with the hospital?s legal representatives. It?s about as ironclad as you can get." Nigel pointed out other key issues which they did have trouble with. They were claiming that he was receiving an inferior education, claiming the move is traumatic and he should remain in his home country where he can be around, "People like him." Karen took this to mean, "Rich people" to which Nigel added, "They want to act like they are aristocrats by using him." The biggest issue was the claim that they were using him for his money, which all scoffed at as they were the ones doing so. Karen countered each claim. She had Drs. Eliza and Dane?s and Zoe?s reports about the schooling and they had hard evidence that he was being abused at his old school. They had their own money so they had no reason to go for Ethan?s. Their claim about being around, "People like him" was countered in that they themselves were just like Karen in that they were, "Commoners" with no money and unless they were somehow coming into money on their own it was Ethan?s money they were going to use to live a life he was accustomed to. Karen and Nigel ate a late dinner then went to sleep, knowing the next day was going to be taxing on them. Mr. Smith told them that the investigator was working hard but wouldn?t have a full report until after the hearing so they were on their own. Nigel countered that they had their own people working who would be as thorough but had legal resources behind them. The bad news was Mick wasn?t expecting them to have a breakthrough before the hearing either. It was a tough situation but they had a lot working for them and hired Jonas to represent them. They were keeping Walter and Lillian in the wings, they didn?t want to bring the UK government into it unless they had to. Meanwhile back in Winnisimmet Olivia picked up Nichole and Ethan from school. She was pleased to be able to do so, having not done it in four years thanks to Michael and Jaimie coming into their lives. Mr. King and Ms. Prince were happy to see her and could tell just by her smile that she was enjoying being a mother to the kids while Karen was away. The two talked with her animatedly while Nichole and Ethan smiled, sharing knowing glances that it was starting to show that she could still do the mothering routine. At her house Olivia had the kids do their homework which Nichole grumbled at but Ethan gladly did. She had to fight a giggle as the two were so set in their ways that even with influence on one another they were their own people, Nichole the procrastinator who excelled while Ethan was the type to get everything out of the way so he could focus on what needed to be done. The three went to the football game after an early dinner, with Ethan and the boys playing while Olivia and her sister chatted away. Nichole stuck close to the girls who were themselves keeping close to the older girls, jokingly playing around imitating their moves before the game and during halftime. The girls tried their hardest to keep her mind on things but she still felt bad about not being by her parent?s side when they go in front of the judge. Jaimie pulled her aside and asked what was going on. Listening to her griping about being there Jaimie told her sharply, "They know you are best kept here to help Ethan, so be the big sister you know you are and focus on what needs to be done not what you could be doing." It was all the encouragement she needed as Nichole and the girls went to seek out the boys. Olivia was keeping her distance but had eyes on Ethan and Nichole. She and Beverly talked about her babysitting for Karen and Nigel which Olivia glowed at describing. Beverly had a twinkle in her eye, which Olivia told her, "You guys are real manipulators, but thank you. I do hope this weekend proves to be fruitful, if Richard can accept having others receive our love we have no reason to not go forward with fostering." Beverly just nodded, letting her sister have her moment of revelation. The game went fast. Valerie and John popped in to talk for a few minutes when the twins needed a play break and were kept abreast of what Olivia had planned for the week. The two just nodded as Olivia only told them she was dropping them off at school and picking them up, letting them know she was keeping them away on purpose. Valerie added that Jaimie was going to be busy all weekend so Richard was going to be home Saturday and Sunday which Olivia just smiled at and nodded. She may not be able to help out Ethan but she was able to help out Olivia with the other reason for Ethan and Nichole staying with her. After waiting for Richard to change and shower, at Olivia?s insistence, the five drove to the Samuels home. Richard didn?t say anything during the drive, feeling tired and sore and wanting to just rest. Ethan helped get his room ready and left him alone to sleep. Nichole giggled that he was acting more like a maid than a guest to which Ethan told her, "I am just trying to help, you should see how bruised he is. It?s a miracle he can move his arms around." Richard had a big smile on his face, the little man was protecting him without having to need to. Nichole apologized and went to her room, letting Ethan finish and go to his. Olivia and Richard Sr. just watched silently, Richard was letting the two do what they needed to do without interfering, and looked like he was enjoying it. When the two were finally asleep he crept out for some ibuprofen and told his parents that he never said anything about the bruises, Ethan seemed to know. Both nodded, explaining, "You have a limp and your arms are deep red and purple in places. He didn?t have to be told, he could see for himself that you were in pain. Nichole though obviously didn?t." Richard smirked at that, but added, "I think he knows the signs of being battered by blunt objects a little too much, Jaimie told me about that school and what they did for discipline." His voice was somber but he was right, Ethan knew the feeling all too well. His came because of a sport, Ethan?s came because of false ideas of masculinity and education. In the morning Nichole and Ethan helped prepare breakfast. Richard was still sore and his bruises were now starting to show clearly. Ethan asked him quietly why he put up with being hurt so much to which Richard told him, "I love the game and it comes with playing my position. It?s hard to be the quarterback without getting tackled hard." Ethan told him, "I hope you aren?t playing this after school, you are going to get hurt badly." Ethan got up and left. Richard signaled his parents to stay put, this was something he needed to do on his own. In his room Ethan was curled in the fetal position laying on bed. Richard softly told him, "You are right to be concerned about me but wrong as well. There is a line between playing the game and using it to be a bully. What your school did was unacceptable no matter who the students are. My teammates endure the same punishments each play, some more so that I do. Scott has more bruises than I do, as do Michael and Eric. What separates us from those idiots at your school is the other players aren?t? trying to hurt us, they are trying to defeat us. And we are trying to do the same to their team." Ethan?s only response was a soft, "Why?" Richard had to think, then quietly admitted, "I like the strategy, the way we all come together despite some of us not liking each other off the field. We are one, it doesn?t matter who we are once we put on our jerseys we are all Infernos." Ethan sniffled and told him, "Our team sports were all people trying to be the best. They only beat other schools that played like us, whenever they faced a school that played the game right the coach complained but they ignored them. We always got beaten." Richard smiled and told him, "That about sums up why your old school is a joke and your new school, your new friends, your new classmates are better in all ways. Even with bullies the kids know that they represent their city and their school not themselves." Ethan quietly asked, "Why are you telling me this?" Richard smiled and told him, "You are my cousin, figuratively and in a few years literally. You care about me even if you have no reason to. I can?t see you upset over me, it doesn?t sit well with who you are as a person." Ethan hugged him, drying his eyes and letting his anxiety go. Richard took his hand and directed him downstairs to the kitchen letting him finish breakfast. Nichole waited for him to finish, asking what they were going to do that day. Olivia announced, "Dan and Melanie are hosting us for dinner but until then there?s nothing planned." Nichole called Kylie and planned something with her. Ethan though knew Junior and Neil were out with Junior?s grandmother, unfortunately her truck couldn?t fit the three boys together so he was staying behind. He asked if Faith wanted to do something, getting a surprising no from her. Daisy and she were going out with a mutual school friend meaning Ethan was at a loss for what to do. Richard grinned then phoned Reed and Miles. The two were going running that morning and Ethan would be a good companion for them. Olivia nodded in agreement, with Richard Sr. giving his blessing provided the three stretched first. Richard joined them, not having plans either and wanting to keep close to Ethan. It turned out Eric, George, and Michael were running as well. The seven boys drove to Navy Hill Park, parked, then stretched then went over the route with Ethan. All seven had phones handy and all were going to keep the same pace. On the way they got a call from Will and Scott who wanted to meet up after they were finished leading to an impromptu guy?s day. Ethan kept up with them, even gaining speed and overtaking them at points. Reed and Miles were pleased that he remembered a lot of what they told him about running. The two got the other four to keep up with them through some gently coaxing and a few jokes. After an hour of running and roughly 10 miles they stopped, relaxing on concrete pier watching the boat traffic float by. Scott and Will walked over and the nine guys just hung out relaxing. Ethan meekly asked if they did this often getting a laugh and a quick, "Not as often as we should. We are normally out with the girls or working." Looking at their watches Eric and George had to leave for work at the sporting goods chain, while Scott had to work at the supermarket. Will admitted that he had the day off from the movie theater while Richard told him he didn?t have a job yet but probably should. Ethan realized that Michael and Reed didn?t need jobs, but the others did. They were all regular people even though they had money or didn?t have money. Richard could tell what he was thinking and admitted, "Mom and dad have a decent amount of money but they want me to learn what it means to earn money. Scott?s and Will?s parents are the same way. They want us to earn our keep, even if we struggle we are learning what it means to earn a buck." Ethan added a hearty, "I?m glad, the people I went to school with would call you fools and mock you for being normal. But they aren?t good people, you are." Michael told him, "Just because you have money does not mean you are automatically better than everyone." Reed added, "It takes having nothing to appreciate having everything." Ethan added further, "All the money in the world doesn?t buy you a decent personality" getting the others to laugh and agree. After a half hour just sitting and watching the ships the group broke up, with Richard driving alone with Ethan. Parking close by the house Richard asked pointedly, "Why are you so against money?" Ethan looked down and told him, "I have seen what it does to too many people. My dad was obsessed with it, always looking to earn more. When he lost money he would get angry and break things, when he made money he would start looking to make more." Richard solemnly admitted, "I am glad that you learned the truth about it before it was too late." In the house Olivia and Richard Sr. watched the two talk before coming in. She saw that they were looking down but didn?t ask what happened. Richard though calmed her nerves, telling her, "I asked him a tough question and he answered honestly. He?s alright, he?s only remembering something I don?t blame him for wanting to forget." The two showered and prepared for dinner with the Lopezes. Ethan was a little intimidated by what Richard told him about Dan especially his overreaction to boys dating his daughters. Richard assured him that it was all bluster and he didn?t mean it but it was something that Ethan took heed with regardless. At the Lopez home Ethan was immediately embraced by Stacy and Rebecca, who ushered him inside and away from the adults. DJ saw an opening and wanted attention, begging to be picked up. Ethan made the mistake of doing just that, allowing him to latch on and refuse to let go. The girls tried their hardest to keep from laughing but he staked his claim to Ethan for the night. Dinner was mostly back and forth talk among the adults as they talked about the upcoming holiday weekend parade. When he was asked about it Ethan had no idea what they were talking about getting surprised looks from the girls. Olivia came to is defense telling them Karen and Nigel had more important things to worry about causing them to drop the subject quickly. DJ and Ethan finished before the others so Ethan took him over to play while the teens and adults talked. DJ was eager to show off his toys and have a new person play with him and Ethan was pleased to have a little kid who wasn?t bossy kill some time. After a half hour DJ asked to be picked up to which Ethan obliged resulting in DJ falling asleep in his arms with DJ?s arms wrapped around his neck. He was pinned, only able to sit down on a couch to keep from falling over hurting the both of them. Ethan had to learn the hard way that it you don?t pick up DJ after dinner or he falls asleep in your arms. The girls walked in to check on them only to see DJ fast asleep and Ethan pinned, pleading for help. Stacy and Rebecca tried to remove DJ?s hands but they were unsuccessful, prompting Dan and Melanie to give it a go. Neither were successful. The only options were for DJ to come with Olivia and Ethan or for Ethan to stay, to which Ethan said he?d stay. Olivia gave her blessing, Ethan didn?t seem to mind having to stay as much as she had thought he would. Dan and Melanie assured her that he?d be fine as she got in the car and drove off. At the house she had to explain to Nichole what happened to which Richard and his father told her. Nichole asked, "Didn?t anyone warn him?" getting a quick, "We forgot" from her. Nichole just shrugged, it was nothing unusual and he had to get used to the Lopezes sometime. The girls sat and watched TV with Ethan until he fell asleep, knowing to keep their comments to themselves while he was there. Ethan though was fine, DJ wasn?t that big so he only had to adjust his position to get used to the weight. Stacy got him pillows and a blanket while Rebecca got him a drink, the two feeling partly responsible for DJ manipulating Ethan so easily. Stacy finally broke the silence and asked about Scott. Rebecca rolled her eyes explaining, "He didn?t tell her what you guys did today so she wants gossip. Will and the others didn?t? say anything either." Ethan just smiled and told her the truth, "They just talked about anything except girls or school. He kept them from talking about me or you girls." Rebecca snorted and said, "Was he wearing his suit of armor when he did that?" Ethan countered with, "He has a suit too? I wanted to bring mine but Aunt Karen wouldn?t let me take it on the plane." That caused both girls to look at him in disbelief with Rebecca saying, "You must be joking." He smiled and laughed, telling them, "I am. My grandfather owns several sets but all are in museums." The two groaned at being made fun of but Rebecca had earned her reprimand for joking about Scott. Stacy then asked Rebecca if she and Thomas were still going out the following afternoon getting a blush as Ethan asked who he was. Rebecca meekly replied, "My boyfriend." Ethan asked why she was so embarrassed by him when she teased Stacy about her having a boyfriend getting a deeper blush from her as she tried to figure out an answer. Stacy told him softly, "The two have been together for over two years but still won?t accept that they are perfect for one another." He admitted to them, "He would be foolish to give up a pretty girl for anyone else, especially one that has so many people helping her." Rebecca kissed his cheek while Stacy joked, "Pretty? Are you already moving on from Francesca?" That sent Ethan into another blushing fit as both girls giggled and Rebecca added, "Reyna said he followed her around like a puppy" to which Ethan shot back, "I think I should have gone with Mrs. Samuels" as he tried to hide his face in shame. The next morning Ethan woke up as DJ stirred. He released his grip, moving off Ethan allowing him to get up and rush to the bathroom. DJ was wide eyed and smiling as Ethan came out, not knowing how much of a pain in his back he had given Ethan from sleeping awkwardly. He was only two and a half years old, so he couldn?t really be faulted for that. He was friendly and just wanted attention, which he was glad to give him. Ethan knew from the squishy feeling as he jumped off Ethan that DJ needed a diaper so the little boy took him to where they could find some. He didn?t fight the diaper change as Nigel Jr. usually did, he let Ethan put it on and wipe and get it over with. When he finished he and DJ played until Melanie and Dan woke up and DJ could be fed. The girls were up first though and fed the two kids. Stacy looked down at the diaper and nodded silently, fixing it so it didn?t fall off and telling Ethan, "You didn?t have to do that." Ethan countered with, "Maybe, but he needed it changed and I didn?t want to wake your parents up to do it." The four ate their breakfast with DJ trying his hardest to eat like Ethan. Dan and Melanie came down for their breakfast and stood back watching DJ holding his spoon normal and putting his cereal into his mouth instead of on his shirt. The two came into the kitchen and made their breakfasts not making any comments about DJ or Ethan but seeing DJ keeping an eye on him and trying hard to imitate his movements even with them there. After breakfast and giving DJ a bath Melanie and Dan drove Ethan to the Samuels home so he could shower and change clothes. Melanie was practically delighted in telling Olivia what DJ was doing at breakfast especially as he only imitates Cat and her antics. Olivia asked about before that getting a smile and quick, "He changes diapers too." Richard tried his hardest to stay out of it but eventually told Ethan, "Aunt Melanie is pretty happy about what you did with DJ." Ethan shrugged it off, telling him, "I didn?t do anything; all I did was change his diaper to give them some more time to sleep. Whatever he was doing at breakfast was his own thing I didn?t have anything to do with it." Richard countered with, "You treated him like a big boy, not a baby. You didn?t correct him or feed him yourself. For all their love the girls forget that he?s not a baby anymore and still feed him and play with him like one." After his shower Ethan went downstairs and listened as the adults chatted away. Eventually Richard and he went into the yard to sit. Reyna came out with Francesca and joined them, the four just enjoying the calm before the storm. Reyna joked about being the only boy to spend the night over a girl?s house which got a quick, "You try sleeping with a 30 pound weigh hanging from your neck" prompting the other two to laugh hard at his turnaround. Richard proudly told her, "Michael was the first as he slept over Uncle John?s house before he married Aunt Valerie, but since they were becoming siblings that doesn?t count." The girls laughed at that but it was the truth. Ethan was just glad it wasn?t focused on him anymore. Nichole came back from her day out with Margaret and Nancy with Ethan blushing as he was handed a present from the girls. It was a small stuffed toy shaped like a plane, which Margaret pointed out was picked out by Nancy. He kissed her on the cheek for getting it, he loved it. She blushed deeply and had to run off before either girl said anything about it prompting the older girls to note the two were sharing some similar deep caring about one another. Chapter 24 Dinner was early as the kids needed to get to sleep early for the hearing. Richard kept quiet much of the day after the girls left knowing that Ethan and Nichole were in no mood to talk. After the kids were asleep he told his parents that none of the kids or teens were sleeping much that night, they were more upset than Ethan and Nichole over the situation. Jaimie had already talked with Kennedy about the possibility of a quick snatch by the UK government people and had Todd Flynn helping ensure they never made it inside the courthouse. The two kids were up at 4 AM with Olivia begrudgingly taking them to Boston for the session. They expected that they would be there for three hours, a fourth if needed but no longer than that. Ms. Prince was allowing them to come in late if they had to but told them they would be excused from school if they weren?t feeling able to attend knowing that this was more important than anything they would miss out on in school. She knew they would be physically exhausted from the hearing so it was a futile effort to go to school. Neither would want to miss it, there was little chance of Ethan being snatched up in school than at Olivia?s house. Ricardo had set up a joint session in the Superior Court building with Kennedy and her colleagues, some of whom had suspicions that this was more than just a custody hearing. She of course was forced to recuse herself from the investigation due to personal involvement in the case through Karen and Nigel, but she was assisting in coordinating resources together. Mick and his team were there as well, as Alex and Mike were following up on hunches that there could be people shipping items to and from the US within hours of taking control of Ethan and his bank account. They were already seeing activity but couldn?t place it as being related to the hearing just yet. Mick suspected that the men involved in the hearing were directly connected to the operation so at the very least they will have faces and names to go along with suspected activities. The court officers and clerks of both sides were there on special duty as it was a major case involving millions in currency. The Suffolk County Superior Court judge was doing the hearing as a special favor to her majesty and anything said in the United States would be held against the person in the United Kingdom and vice versa. Ethan?s presence was noted and stated that he was there and when he left for school his advocate was acting on his behalf and therefor still present. The judge chairman in the United Kingdom wasn?t happy but Jonas Bloomfield stated that he would appeal any ruling against the Smiths on the basis of hardship on the child due to the forced transatlantic flights. Considering that it was supposed to be about the best interests of Ethan Jonas? threat loomed large. The solicitor for the supposed family members claimed outrage and demanded a summary judgement in their favor. He was quickly overruled by the judge chairman. He asked that Ethan present himself for the record to which he did. The witnesses on the United States side were told to present themselves and their reason for being there. Nichole was the only actual family member there and was acting as both his family and representative of the whole of Karen?s family. Mick, Alex, and Mike stated they were actively investigating into Ethan?s father?s business and were there as observers only. Olivia identified herself as Ethan?s temporary guardian while Nigel and Karen were in England with the stated reason as the closest to family who were able to carry out the court?s wishes if the court ruling went against Karen and Nigel. Kennedy stated she was related to Karen but that she was there in her role as facilitator for the proceedings on behalf of the state. She then stated, "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has come to its own conclusion regarding the custody of Ethan based on the same evidence that Ricardo will be presenting on Ethan?s behalf. It is the belief that until such time as his relatives can prove who they are that whatever the ruling of her majesty?s court is the ruling of our court will be enforced by our court officials until such time as her majesty?s government is able to ask a court in person in Suffolk County or United States federal court to change their ruling. We are abiding by our own court?s jurisdiction alone and will not turn over Ethan without proper procedures followed. So on behalf of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we do hereby state that Ethan Smith is to remain in the United States." The judges made note of the summary ruling to which Jonas stated, "We are also adding into our appeal that this hearing is rushed and the United States courts have Ethan?s best interests in mind in ruling on his behalf before the hearing. Further we will also contend that any action taken against the Smiths due to the court?s ruling is taken with prejudice and thus ignoring proper judicial procedure." Jonas had added more fuel to the fire and the judges looked angered and upset to which he added, "Your honors can be upset if you choose but we have no control over what is done in another country and as judges you should be above such petty actions." Ricardo let Jonas? ploy sink in then as that the people on the other side were asked to identify themselves. Ricardo stated that they had revealed who they were the Smiths should know who they were actually facing as well. The judges smirked at his brashness but agreed fully and ordered them to identify themselves to the court. The solicitor objected but it was overruled so one by one the people in attendance stated who they were. Nichole heard one voice and shivered at the memory. She wrote down the name and who that person really was to which Ricardo raised an eyebrow and nodded. Ethan saw what she was doing and wrote a similar note, which brought a smile to Ricardo?s face. He was the same person but each knew the person for different reasons, both of which connected. They had him cornered before he had even had a chance to defend himself. The judged stated, "We know that the recently deceased Mrs. Smith created a will that granted custody of young Mr. Smith to his aunt and uncle. That has been disputed and we are of the belief that as she died so soon after it was signed that it was not in her best state of mind at the time. It is unusual to ignore a dying wish but given that this is a sensitive case we have to weigh all options and feel that Mrs. Smith?s wishes might not be in Mr. Smith?s best interests. You are free to appeal if you choose but we will hear all evidence first." Jonas added a terse, "Your honors will note that the will was signed and witnessed by multiple doctors and legal counsel for the hospital. You will note that each has chosen to appear in court on Mr. and Mrs. Smith?s defense. You will note that it is against decades of judicial precedent to rule against the will and that every proper procedure was filed in creating and updating it. Your honors have given us now grounds to not only appeal but strike down your ruling on three points. First the fact that Ethan is with his legitimate next of kin in that his paternal uncle. Second is that you have ignored proper background check into the appealing parties. Third is the ignoring of a valid will outlining the exact custody arrangements. This has gone past being a court hearing, it is borderline farcical." The judges ignored Jonas? rant. Looking over the reports the judge chairman stated, "We have read the reports submitted to us by Mr. Smith?s psychologist, a psychiatrist, and a social worker who each had examined Ethan Smith in regards to his health and wellbeing. They have come to the same agreement that it is in their professional beliefs that Ethan should remain with his aunt and uncle in the United States. We also have read the reports by the headmistress and teacher of Ethan and while we are pleased to see that he is doing well by their standards we are not pleased that he was withdrawn by his family from an esteemed school." Ricardo stated to them, "Are your honors aware of the particular circumstances for his removal from the school by his family?" They stated they weren?t so he filled them in and told them that they had evidence and a court case against the school on his behalf. He then produced a report by social services giving their conclusions about the school?s actions towards students. After taking several moments to confer they revised their opinion on the education matter with, "Seeing as there was rampant abuse we agree that he is in a better environment and withdraw our earlier statement about his education." After winning this first direct volley Ricardo stated, "Your honors, if it may please the court I?d like to know exactly why the so-called family members of Mrs. Smith are seeking custody of my client." This caught the solicitor off guard but he answered for his clients. Ricardo shook his head, saying, "That is all well and good but I believe my client has a right to hear this direct from his so-called family. It is my understanding that members of Mrs. Smith?s family have had absolutely zero contact with him in four years so all of a sudden after the death of Mrs. Smith they come out of the woodwork and demand to have custody of him. My client wants to know why and as his future is in the balance he deserves an answer straight form them." The judges agreed, telling them, "Please answer the question yourself." The first one stated, "Sammi never made an effort to visit us. Once she was with Harry she lost all interest in her family. We tried contacting her multiple times but she never answered. We hoped that we could make amends with Ethan and be the family he needs. Here in England, not in the United States." Ricardo had them. He asked, "And just why is it your belief that he would be better off in England?" The man smiled and said, "He needs to be around his own kind. Those with wealth and titles. He is an English lord, not some Yankee nobody." Ethan loudly told the judges, "Uncle Nigel and Aunt Karen are in fact titled, they are Earl and Countess of Boston and the future Marquess and Marchioness of Lincoln. They have money of their own as do most of Aunt Karen?s family." The judges noted this and asked for confirmation. Ethan boldly stated, "Aunt Karen earned over $1 million last year from her work as a coordinator of accounts for a money broker. Uncle Nigel has money from lawsuits against his hospital and against the Lincolnshire Constabulary. My cousins and most of their cousins have their own money through inheritances and lawsuits. Just because they don?t have nor want titles does not mean they aren?t well off." Ricardo then asked the important, "Given that it is established that his aunt and uncle are independently wealthy, what would you have done with his inheritance once he was in your custody?" There was a bit of hesitation but he stated, "Allow him to live the live he has become accustomed to, not some slob in a small house in the middle of nowhere." Ethan smiled and told the judge, "There is no inheritance until I turn 21. My advocate and I had it changed to a secure trust fund last week. I am only able to access the funds in an extreme emergency but will receive the interest as a separate payment so the entire trust will only ever be about ?120,000" Ricardo asked, "Hearing that the trust fund is inaccessible exactly how could he live the life he was accustomed to? Are you going to spend the millions that requires now that the money is locked away safely for the next 13 years?" The man?s face clenched tightly as he grew angry. He couldn?t honestly answer the question. Ricardo then went for the throat and asked, "Just what do you do for a living? We have heard that Lady Smith is a coordinator of accounts for a money broker and we can establish that Lord Smith is a highly respected pediatric nurse. You seem intent on claiming that Lord and Lady Smith aren?t good enough because they live in the United States yet what exactly is your employment?" This was a direct hit. The man struggled to come up with an answer. The judge chairman stated, "Answer the question." The man tried to say, "I work in shipping" to which Ricardo asked, "What exactly do you do and who is your employer." He tried to lie and say, "I?m self-employed" to with Jonas told the judges, "We have evidence that this man is an imposter, he is not family to Mrs. Smith and in fact is a business partner of the late Harry Smith. He has no rightful claim to the custody of Ethan Smith as he is neither a family member nor even a relative. He has lied to the court and therefor has no right to claim any custody of Ethan Smith." The judges reviewed the evidence that Jonas had submitted and reached an agreement. The judge chairman ordered the man arrested on perjury for filing false claims and lying under oath. The man fought the court officers but gave in when he was cornered by three with no escape. The second man came forward and was asked the same questions. He tried to claim he was Sammi?s cousin to which Ethan stated, "I asked grandmother?s maid Emma to look into my mom?s files and found that mom was an only child, an adopted one at that. Her parents were themselves only children who had few cousins only a few of which I have met and this man is not one of them. Does he even know what mom?s name is? What was her actual legal name?" The man quickly said, "Samantha" to which Ethan smiled and said, "Not even close. Sammi was her nickname. Her real name was Karen Elise Young, later Karen Elise Smith. Sammi was her nickname given to her in school." Nichole pointed out, "This man is also an associate of Harry Smith. His interest is entirely in getting control of our family?s estate. Uncle Harry illegally sold him the land but that was voided by Grandfather. If you give him custody of Ethan he will surely murder him for not giving him his trust fund. I don?t know why you choose to continue this hearing knowing that there was little investigation into their true backgrounds but this man is only going to harm Ethan." The man swore and lashed out at Nigel and Karen. The judges had him arrested and stated, "Seeing to it that there are no actual next of kin for the former Mrs. Smith we award full custody to Lord and Lady Smith and as Mrs. Smith had expressed her interests we are in agreement that adoption should proceed immediately without hesitation." The judges left it in the hands of the proper authorities but Jonas loudly added the notation that the United States officials should be taken into consideration strongly in the process. They left with the parting words, "This case isn?t over by any means, be careful and keep on your toes." Ethan didn?t respond, but the people in the US courtroom did stating, "We will have him under watch." Ricardo cut the feed as they left. The whole hearing had taken just under 90 minutes. Nigel texted immediately to say Jonas filed the paperwork and would fax the paperwork for Ethan?s signature over shortly. They arrived at his office and signed the paperwork, with Ricardo explaining everything with Olivia and Kennedy watching closely as observers. With that the paperwork on their end was done, all they needed to do was wait for Karen and Nigel. Ethan, Nichole, and Olivia went to breakfast while Kennedy went right to work. They knew the faces and their investigation would find more connections to the men. By the time they reached the office her coworkers had been alerted that both came back positive as suspects in their investigation so attempted kidnapping was strongly considered. They just needed the ringleader, the man they knew was the real brains of the business. They had a face but not a name. Jeffries was involved but they couldn?t pin him down yet, she strongly suspected it was him but they lacked evidence. They didn?t know where he was or what he was up to which greatly concerned her. He had to have been behind the custody hearing and bankrolled the people. Now that he lost so badly and his people were in custody he was going to get desperate and Ethan was going to be targeted. She wished she had more to go on but it was now in the hands of her investigators. Mick and his team fared no better. They had prints and they had images from the UK investigation but no names. They caught a break with the hearing as they connected the two men to the business and had their prints on file with the newest charge coming up in the database once they were booked as a confirmation that they had the right people. Like Kennedy and her team they were missing the ringleader. He had his suspicions that it was Jeffries but he just didn?t have the probable cause yet to go after him. He knew Jeffries was out there biding his time but they didn?t know when or where he would strike Ethan. He didn?t have the resources to keep Ethan under constant surveillance but did have some ways of making it so Ethan could be safe. It was risky but it was better than doing nothing. After a quick breakfast Ethan, Nichole, and Olivia returned home and changed for school. Dropping them off the kids were met by Willie and several officers, all of whom were introduced to Ethan and told to keep their eyes on him at all times outside. The boys and girls were told the same, with Neil, Nancy, and Kylie being told to use their dads? training. Margaret joked, "It must be a perk of being a cop?s kid" which all three said, "Yep!" to. Kylie and Neil shared glances at one another that wasn?t caught by Ethan or the others. Mick?s plan was in motion but he hoped it didn?t have to be utilized. The seven went inside school and walked Ethan to class, making it seem like a parade. Mr. King was told about the morning?s events getting Ethan a big, "Congratulations" but then told, "It isn?t over yet, it?s suspected that someone will try something to get him." Mr. King nodded, then alerted Ms. Prince who in turn alerted all staff about the possibility of strangers coming to the school. This was parroted to the other three schools with the note to keep it on the sly and not alert students of something amiss. During the day things went along as normal. Ethan was kept busy by Mr. King which the others took to mean he was in trouble but Mr. King calmly told them, "It?s quite the contrary, it was an eventful morning for him as he now has a new mother and father. His aunt and uncle were given the blessing by Her Majesty?s Courts to retain Ethan and adopt him as their own for which he had to attend a hearing very early this morning while all of you were still asleep. It?s amazing he is still able to function at this time due to the stress and lack of sleep and stress but I suspect that the fact that his old country is five hours ahead of us locally it is simply resetting to his normal body clock." The teasing stopped immediately, that was a big thing and nobody could fault him for needing to have something to do. By recess things were back to normal. Out on the playground the kids stayed close to Ethan. Despite all of their precautions he was still uneasy. He saw something that sent chills down his spine, hovering off to the far side out of view of the cameras was something that seemed odd and out of place. He pointed to Nichole who saw him as well who darted off with Margaret and Junior to get a teacher?s attention. Before either of them could do anything Ethan, Kylie, Nancy, and Neil were snatched away by three men. The four fought but the men had crushing grips. Kylie managed to get her phone out and dial blindly, hitting 911 so the whole abduction was being recorded. She was fast in her action and the call was expected by the State Police, Mick?s contingency plan was immediately put in motion and all available agents and troopers were called in to help. The four were thrown inside a van and driven off at top speed making a loud screeching noise as the tires burned into the pavement. The men openly talked about the abduction and proudly said, "Jeffries will pay us a fortune for snatching him so easily." The kids fought hard but it was too much. As the van stopped they were ushered out, Ethan kicked one in the groin and elbowed another in the sternum. This gave him a big enough gap to run full speed away, running down a side street then using his learned cross country running techniques quickly outrun the pursuers. He saw the other three fighting to get away but he couldn?t help the, he had to keep running. He stopped running at the Samuels house. He rushed inside only to be greeted by the one thing he didn?t want to see, the face of Jeffries. Ethan fiddled with his phone in his pocket then asked, "What are you doing here? How did you get into the country? You should know by now people are looking for me." Jeffries just smirked as he proudly said, "Did you really think you would get away from us just by getting your pathetic uncle and gutter trash aunt to convince three idiots that they are better than everyone else? You are more foolish than your father was. You are lucky I didn?t take you out like I took him out in the prison." He grabbed Ethan?s phone, seemingly destroyed it, then told him, "We are going for a little ride. You are going to sign over all of your inheritance money to me and I?ll spare your life. Try anything and you will regret it. I may be in the US but that doesn?t mean I can?t get your aunt and uncle and little cousin to have an ?accident?." Ethan gave in. He had no choice. He went with Jeffries to wherever he was going. Chapter 25 Ethan thankfully recorded the conversation with Jeffries. And despite the smashed screen his phone was still on and recording everything. Olivia came home and found the phone on the floor and recognized it immediately. Knowing something was amiss she called Willie and told him what happened. She told him about the phone to which he told her to stay put, let his team handle it, and await further information. She was on the verge of tears, but she followed his instructions. The team arrived and went about photographing then dusting the phone for prints. Two sets came up, both were lifted and on closer inspection they saw it was still on and running an app. They immediately downloaded the data and listened to the voices, hearing Jeffries and Ethan talking. Jeffries confessed to murdering Harry Smith in England and was threatening Ethan and forcing him to go with him. It was a clear kidnapping. Alerts went out for Ethan and the now confirmed Jeffries. Jeffries drove around in circles trying to disorient Ethan and shake off any tails that could have followed him. It didn?t work as Ethan knew the surrounding cities now well enough now to know where he was. After what seemed like an hour but was only 15 minutes he met up with his henchmen. It was the same place he had run from, they hadn?t moved one bit. The two met up with the three would-be kidnappers who still had Kylie, Neil, and Nancy. The three henchmen sported large bruises from Ethan?s trying to get away. None of three kids were blaming Ethan for what happened as they heard he was the real target, they just kept quiet and awaited their inevitable rescue. Jeffries looked at the three men and cursed, screaming, "You idiots took four kids? You were only supposed to grab the Smith kids! You missed the freak! This place will be crawling with cops!" He grabbed Ethan and pulled him into another car, then headed out quickly. Ethan mouthed to the other three, "Airport" before he was tossed inside letting them know where they were heading. Less than two minutes after Ethan and Jeffries left, the building was swarmed by state police troopers and federal agents. Thankfully for them Kylie?s phone had remained on the whole time giving them both confessions and a location for the three missing kids. The Winnisimmet officers were there right away and had the place under surveillance but couldn?t identify who was in the car that left, only getting the necessary information. The state troopers took some time to get mobilized, but this was too large of a job for the locals. Mick?s plan took longer than expected but the surveillance team did a thorough job and the thugs were identified immediately from the descriptions. The feds sent in their own contingent to work with the local team and had Jeffries followed for a bit until he took a quick exit in heavy traffic losing the tail and causing them to double back towards the three kids. As the law enforcement officers approached Kylie pointed out to the thugs, "I hope you fools realize that this isn?t the United Kingdom, every officer, federal agent, and trooper outside is trained in handguns and most are former military who are also trained in the use of assault rifles. The men here are the best of the best. Please don?t make them shoot you, they won?t hesitate to do so to protect us. They could care less about you and won?t hesitate to shoot you to protect us if necessary but they?d prefer not to. The last time a member of our family was kidnapped the two men ended up being taken out by snipers who from the way the windows around here are laid out already have you in their crosshairs." Looking out the windows and seeing that she wasn?t bluffing about the weaponry the thugs gave up easily, not being used to so many cops with guns. Kylie?s bluff worked, she hated to make fun of Ethan?s country but it was a matter of life and death. After what happened to the men who kidnapped Reyna she didn?t want the same to happen to these guys. She knew they were just hired goons without much in the terms of brainpower, Jeffries was the one that needed a long prison sentence and those men would be the ones to ensure he got it. Kylie shut off the phone, smiling at the thugs as she did so. They swore at her only to be dragged to an awaiting cruiser with some harsh words about use of such foul language in front of children. They saw the pissed off look in the troopers? eyes and shut up immediately, vividly recalling Kylie?s harsh warning about their use of guns. The troopers let slip, "Not smart taking cops? kids" which only made them all the more scared for their lives. The scare tactic was a bluff but the troopers heard Kylie?s speech and exactly what she was trying to do. The three kids were sat down in an awaiting cruiser and asked where Ethan had gone to. All three said, "To the airport." Kylie told them, "It?s either Logan Airport or Hanscom Field. That Jeffries guy is trying to get out of the country fast. He knows that you know who he is by now and are going to be looking for him." The troopers radioed then relayed the description of Jeffries then had Ethan?s picture forwarded to Troop F for distribution to all troopers and officers inside the airports. Despite the urgency and rush to get the pictures out it turned out that the pictures weren?t necessary. One of the troopers assigned to Troop F was a still fresh from the academy David Peterson. Despite only seeing him twice he caught sight of Ethan as soon as he came through the TSA checkpoint. A call went out to be on the lookout for a boy matching his description then giving the name of Ethan which confirmed his suspicions. Something was clearly amiss and he had to act. David radioed a positive identification at his location and asked for all available officers and troopers to respond. The nearest troopers were several minutes away at an adjacent terminal or driving through heavy traffic to the terminal. David got lucky as two US Customs officers were close and heard the call about Ethan over their own frequency, coming over to David?s position as his confirmation call went out. He explained quickly, "We have a young kidnapping victim about to board plane to Europe. He goes by the name of Ethan Smith. He is travelling on false papers and is here under duress. The man with him is the suspected kidnapper. He has neither the right to travel with him nor is he any sort of relative of the boy. The suspect is likely armed and dangerous and has already shown to be willing to kill." The two officers had him step back a second so they could confront Jeffries without him suspecting something was amiss. David nodded then acted like he was doing his routine patrol while keeping an eye on the officers, ready to react if Jeffries tried anything. The two officers acted as if they were doing a routine inspection of his belongings asking to see into his carryon bag, Jeffries at first tried to ignore them but they made their presence known causing a stir from the crowd which Jeffries didn?t like. The first officer pulled Ethan aside explaining, "We will need to ask him some questions while your bag is inspected." As Jeffries tried to resist the officer with Jeffries strongly told him, "Under federal law failure to comply with orders issued by customs officials can and will banishment from flying today and further investigation of you and your property." Jeffries again tried to protests but saw little choice but to comply if his plans were going to follow through. The second officer pulled Ethan back away from Jeffries? reach explaining, "We will keep an eye on him for you as he doesn?t have any baggage to inspect." He escorted Ethan to a seat nearby and asked, "Are you with that man willingly?" Ethan quietly told the officer, "That man is forcing me to fly with him out of the country against my will. He is not any relative of mine and is forcing me to fly with him to England under threat of death to myself and my family." This was all he needed to hear and told Ethan, "Wait here, help is on the way" to which he pointed to David and other flashing blue lights of the approaching state troopers. Ethan smiled upon seeing David which the officer took to mean Ethan was alright. The officer nodded to his colleague while Jeffries wasn?t looking signaling to go ahead with the arrest. He took his handcuffs out, placing them on Jeffries announcing, "You are hereby under arrest for kidnapping." The second officer read Jeffries his Miranda Rights and finally told him, "Welcome to Boston, enjoy your stay." David came over to assist, telling Jeffries, "You and your guys really didn?t do your homework on our family, did you? You thoroughly messed with the wrong family." Turning to Ethan he asked, "Are you alright, cousin?" Ethan smiled and told him, while looking directly at Jeffries,, "Just fine David" as David led him off to the side and out of reach of Jeffries heaven forbid he should break loose of his cuffs. The arrest was a quick success. To make things better they had a surprise in finding two ceramic knives on Jeffries. David smiled telling him, "You just went from a serious state crime to a serious federal crime. It was bad enough lying about who you were on the flight manifest to enter and leave the country but this is about as bad as you can get. If you are ever released from prison in the US you will be swimming to England." Jeffries told him to stuff it, he was getting out soon. David just smiled and told him, "How exactly are you going to do that? You are a known danger, a serious flight risk, facing serious charges in multiple jurisdictions, and have confessed to murder and intent to murder. There will be a special cell waiting for you in Nashua Street as well as Cedar Junction." Jeffries tried to fight him believing he could escape but then saw a dozen troopers and other officers coming at him from all sides, and hearing about weapons all of them had their handguns drawn and many with M4 assault rifles at the ready. He had nowhere to run and was disarmed. Jeffries gave in, letting David drag him away. The arrogant man had nothing to fight with and no backup nor support and more importantly no money to bribe people. He sadly gave in, looking all the more pathetic as he was dragged away. Ethan was taken to a private room while Olivia and Valerie were called. Seeing a bunch of texts from his sisters and cousins David alerted his sergeant and lieutenant that at that moment he was the next of kin but his aunt and Ethan?s appointed caretaker were on the way to collect him. He further explained what was going on in Winnisimmet and how it related to the arrest in the terminal. Ethan was released to Valerie and Olivia?s care and allowed to leave, with David being given a big hug from Ethan before he left. David just smiled and admitted, "This beats standing around for eight hours just directing lost travelers to the right terminal. I just hope it doesn?t happen too often that was a bit too intense for my liking." Back at the Finn home Ethan was reunited with Nichole, Kylie, Neil, and Nancy. The three hugged him deeply and Nancy gave him a big kiss on the lips, sending him gasping for breath in embarrassment. She was so overcome with emotion and embarrassment that she had to excuse herself so she could regain her composure, while Kylie and Nichole were speechless. Neil simply told them, "Mention that to anyone else and you will regret it." His eyes showed he was serious, both nodded and told him they didn?t see anything. The kids settled down when the twins came in looking to see what was going on. Ethan was grabbed by JD while Nichole was grabbed by Cat. Nichole told him pointedly, "If she hadn?t been constantly with me since she first met me last year I swear they were doing this on purpose." Cat gave her a funny look to which Ethan caught and smiled, adding, "They are, she claimed you and he claimed me." Cat nodded, hugged him and kissed his cheek, then went back to Nichole giving him a smile as she did. JD just shrugged and hugged him deeply as well. Nigel and Karen were texting furiously throughout the day and finally stopped when Ethan was found safe. The two knew that it was finally over, Jeffries was the last part of Harry?s business that needed shutting down and he wasn?t leaving the US for a long time. His people in custody learned exactly who they had snatched and quickly turned on him as they were all facing kidnapping charges and were in deeper trouble as Nancy?s name was tossed around during their processing at the Nashua Street Jail. The deputies let the three know exactly how they felt about people who abducted children especially ones of their brothers? kids which caused the three to beg for plea bargains to avoid their wrath. At their arraignments Judge Matthews just shook his head at the charges. He remanded them without bail, with the men pleading guilty to all charges in the hopes of leniency. Taylor Gault, the prosecutor assigned to the case, accepted the guilty charge and told Judge Matthews, "We will work with the defendants to ensure they receive a fair sentence commiserate with the value of their testimony." Judge Matthews wasn?t pleased but it saved the courts time and money but it would also mean the real brains was sent to prison. The following morning over in England the ruckus caused by the kidnappings caused a family court judge, one of the members of the hearing the previous day, to issue an emergency order granting Nigel and Karen a full and expedited adoption of Ethan. There was no justifiable reason for delaying, they had everything in their favor on record already and it cleared the schedule for other cases to be heard. There was a danger to Ethan and unless the adoption was finalized it remained. He chose to just get it over with for Ethan?s benefit. Nigel and Karen were on the next flight back to Boston. Mrs. Smith did the honors of driving the two south as she was seeing to the former Smith home in Suffolk?s evaluation and removal of all items that were pilfered from the estate by Harry without the notice or consent of her or her husband. She kissed both goodbye, promising to have all nine of them over for Christmas. They gladly told her, "We were already planning to come visit you then" which she shed a tear over. That evening they touched down in Boston and were greeted by John and Valerie. Neither had told Olivia, Nichole, or Ethan that they were coming back. The five drove quickly to the Samuels home where Nigel rang the doorbell and was greeted by Nichole and Ethan, both bursting into tears as they hugged him. Ethan pulled them inside, continuing to hug them deeply. He asked what they were doing back so soon to which Nigel pulled out a piece of paper from a folder and handed it to him. Ethan read it and burst into tears, showing it to Nichole who did the same. Ethan softly asked, "Is it over?" Nigel nodded, telling him, "It?s over, you are now officially and legally our son." Olivia gathered up their belongings and helped load the car. Karen hugged her for all the work she had done for them, but Olivia told her best, "Don?t thank me, I would have done the same for anyone else. Richard and I put our names in for foster care again with Richard?s blessing. I wouldn?t have had the nerve to try again if the kids hadn?t been such good children. Thank you for arranging it, you are a great sister." The family left, heading to the Finn home and the inevitable onslaught of family. Ethan was first out, followed by Nichole. Leslie asked what was going on to which Ethan showed the paperwork getting a big hug and kiss from Iris and Rachel while Leslie solemnly asked, "Who is going to tell Uncle Jorge and Aunt Victoria? I don?t think he can handle anymore shocks today." Everyone but Ethan laughed, Nichole had to tell him, "Saturday you are going to have to meet them for dinner. Whatever you do don?t take seconds or refuse Uncle Jorge?s request for you to sit and eat." Ethan seemed scared by that but Leslie assured him, "It?s the same warning everyone gets, he?s a good man but a bit quirky." Ethan thought for a second, adding, "How is he and different than any of you?" getting a bigger laugh from the kids and teens. The twins were begging for attention but Ethan ignored them, opting instead for DJ who actually wanted to show love to him. Cat and JD said a few not-so-nice things to DJ resulting in punishment but DJ didn?t react. He calmly hugged Ethan, begging to be picked up. Ethan wisely handed him off to Dan who walked him inside, it was just about his bedtime and he didn?t realize he was falling asleep but Ethan remembered not to pick him up after dinner or he would have a DJ necklace again. Karen asked how he knew what to do, Ethan blushed and told her, "He got me on Saturday night. He hugged me and fell asleep in my arms and they couldn?t remove him." Melanie told her how good he was with the kids especially DJ. Karen just smiled and led them to the car, telling him, "We have some paperwork to do in the morning but you are sleeping in your own bed tonight." At home Ethan went to bed early, letting Karen and Nigel tuck him in. He hugged and kissed both, telling them, "I love you mom, dad". This melted their hearts brining a soft, "We love you too, son." Nichole kept quiet about the whole evening but once Ethan fell asleep she sought out her parents and asked, "Why did you get it done so quickly?" Karen smiled, telling her, "One of the judges was expecting something to happen and ordered the court to push the adoption up to the next day and signed the order. We already had everything in hand thanks to Ricardo, Mark, and Olivia. There was no reason to deny the adoption. Jeffries trying to kidnap him was all the justification the judge needed to go ahead with the order without question by anyone else in the UK." She accepts it, telling them softly, "He kissed Nancy and got Richard to be a big brother. I know he is intent of helping the family but he might be the last Smith born in England." Nigel just smiled, adding, "That was going to happen at some point but it?s the family that matters. You can always live at the estate, you are entitled to do it. It?s his choice just as it will be your brother Nigel?s choice. Your life is here but your legacy is there. Your mom and I might move there when we want to retire, but your grandparent will always be there and I don?t see them passing on for many years." She kissed and hugged them then turned to walk away. Before she left Nigel stopped dead in his tracks and asked, "What was this about a kiss?" Karen laughed and told him, "Don?t worry, you aren?t going to have to start planning their wedding yet. Let?s just go to bed." Chapter 26 Ethan spent the next day at home, he was thoroughly exhausted and barely functioning by the time his head hit his pillow. Dr. Samuels refused to allow him to go without his approval. Ethan didn?t leave his bed all day and had Olivia keeping a close eye on him to ensure he slept instead of playing with his iPad. When he did go to school he was different. Right way Neil and Junior saw there was a difference in Ethan. Fearing for him they stopped him and asked what was wrong to which he proudly told them, "The adoption was finalized. Karen and Nigel Smith are no longer my aunt and uncle, they are now my mom and dad." The boys hugged him tightly, it was the best news they could have heard. Neil asked when they were going to have the adoption party, Ethan hesitated and told them, "Saturday when I meet with my great aunt and uncle." Both boys laughed, telling him, "Don?t refuse to eat." He asked what was that all about to which both said, "You?ll see what we mean." Inside Mr. King asked if Ethan was alright after the trouble on Monday and missing school on Tuesday as a precaution. He smiled causing him to ask, "What happened?" Neil proudly told him, "His adoption went through." Junior added, "He?s part of the family fully, even has to go see his great aunt and uncle." Mr. King rolled his eyes at that, telling him proudly, "I wish you the best, I know how much those two love you kids and he is a jokester. He?s a legend in this city, you are going to enjoy yourself." His classmates had loads of questions for him as they filtered into the room. He waited for all of them to finish before he told them what happened. Ethan confirmed what Neil had already said, that they were taken during recess and saved by troopers and federal agents but Ethan was the main target. Ethan told them about being saved at the airport by his cousin David and the two US Customs officers who simply distracted Jeffries while he was moved away from his kidnapper. Ethan had to explain what he meant by cousin. Ethan had to fight for the right words but Junior told them, "He?s Ethan?s Aunt Valerie?s nephew. His family is more than just blood and marriage, they are also close friends and their kids." Neil added, "You know how close his sister is with her friends, well their dads and moms are as close as well." Ethan added, "It?s hard to understand but they described it as ?family by choice?. Neil and his family are part of it too, his family is family by blood and by choice through his uncle and through his mom and dad. Junior is by friendship. His dad has known my uncle John since they were our age." Mr. King explained further, "You have heard of the ?Finn Family? well it?s not just a joke about the group of teens in the high school or those whose parents are a Finn. It?s a whole complex relationship, one that has been used over the years by many cultures. Which brings us to our lesson..." Ever the master of the segue, Mr. King quickly changed things to working in his favor, colonial America. The rest of the school day went normally. Ms. Prince checked in on Ethan during recess and lunch, with police officers patrolling around the perimeter of the school checking where the cameras couldn?t pick up people. She offered her congratulations while he smiled and nodded giving his thanks and apologies for the trouble that Jeffries had caused the school. Ms. Prince just smiled and told him, "You actually did the school a big favor, we didn?t know about the blind spots and are going to solve it very shortly. Until then our school officers are working outside while you kids are outside. Nancy was quiet during lunch. Ethan asked what was the matter with her only to be given a sad look. She finally told him, "Kylie told Margaret about the kiss." Ethan asked if there was anything else, she blushed and told him, "I liked it." Ethan told her softly, "It?s alright to like it, I?m just not ready for it. You are a sweet girl and I like you as a friend. You and Nichole are the only two I feel comfortable being around outside of the boys. You like me for me not for being family or because you feel sorry for me." This perked her up. She immediately felt better and held herself upright. Kylie tried to joke about the two getting close to which Ethan scolded her, asking her, "Are you jealous of her finding that boys can be cute and smart?" This shut her up, Margaret suggested she stop to which Kylie apologized. After school he stopped Kylie and asked her what was really going on. Ever since she had met him Kylie had been frosty towards him for some reason. She looked down in shame and asked to talk in private, looking around at the eyes on them. Ethan told her to come over; it was high time she and he had some time together as cousins anyway. At his house the two went to his room and he asked again what was going on. Kylie burst into tears and told him, "The other girls in our class are getting on me about Margaret and Nancy having boyfriends. They don?t bother Nichole, but they tease me about it. It?s horrible, Margaret doesn?t even have one and Nancy likes you. Neil and Junior are supposed to be their boyfriends, which makes things worse because both don?t like girls yet." Ethan hugged her deeply. She had reason to be concerned; she was, "Intact" and the only girl like that. He told her softly, "Do they know what the girls are doing?" She shook her head, explaining, "They don?t do it while they are around. They know not to because Margaret and Nancy would defend me and Nichole was so busy with you that they didn?t dare say anything around her or else she would go to the principal." Ethan thought it over and told her, "Do they know who your cousins are?" She shook her head, to which Ethan smiled and told her, "What if we had David and Patrick come by and have them meet with the girls? They might think differently when they see two guys calling you beautiful and other things." She smiled, he had a good idea. He had his mom call them and ask them to do that for Kylie, they were all too eager to help out. Unfortunately Patrick was busy with school work but David was free and available to do it for her. Willie was told the idea and agreed fully, proudly telling her that Ethan jumped into being family faster than anyone else. The next day things went smoothly. Nancy was relieved that Kylie wasn?t teasing her, to which Ethan told her sharply, "You didn?t see the signs of the girls in your class bullying her. As much as you like me you need to be a friend more than a lover." She was nearly in tears but he was right. She apologized to Kylie and hugged her, followed by Margaret and Nichole. During lunch Ethan, Neil, and Junior kept their ears open and heard girls talking about Kylie. They were older girls, ones in the 5th grade. They were insulting her looks and her friendships with Nichole, Nancy, and Margaret. The worst were that they started trying to start rumors about her pretending to be a girl so she could get close to the girls especially Nichole. Junior recorded everything then confronted the girls. They tried to act like there was nothing to it but he replayed everything they said about Kylie and explaining to them, "If you ever talk about her again we will play this to the principal." They dared him to do it but Ms. Prince was close enough to them and asked to hear what he recorded again to confirm what she thought she heard, telling the girls, "Go to my office this instant. You know the rules about bullying and you violated a serious one. And for smart girls you are pretty ignorant. Ms. Pena and Ms. Smith are cousins, not figuratively but literally as Ms. Pena?s father is Mrs. Smith?s first cousin. Unless you are claiming incest among them you miscalculated your victims." The girls walked away in shame as other kids laughed at their sheer stupidity. It was no secret they were related, but they either forgot or chose to ignore it in their intense focus on ruining Kylie. Ms. Prince turned to the boys and told them, "Thank you doing that; we will not under any circumstances tolerate any form of bullying in our school." The boys just went back to eating; they hadn?t really done anything in their eyes. In class they were again the talk of the class but they just ignored it. Mr. King knew better than to draw attention to it so he went on with the lessons without missing a beat, proud of the boys for what they had done. After school Kylie was being stared at by the 4th and 5th graders. She knew that some of the girls had gotten caught and punished but it wasn?t her fault. She waited awkwardly for David to come pick her and the girls up while Nichole, Margaret, and Nancy held back. The wait was only a few minutes but it felt like hours to her. David got out of Karen?s minivan in full uniform and came up to give her a big hug saying, "Hello beautiful. I swear you are getting more beautiful by the day." The other girls came over and hugged him as well, making a show of it. The girls were all staring at her in disbelief, her being called that by David was almost unbelievable. Neil, Junior, and Ethan came over and did the same to David. Ms. Prince hugged him as well, loudly saying, "It?s nice to see the hero who saved Ethan from kidnapping." David blushed deeply, but admitted, "It was Kylie who did it. She called 911 immediately and had the line open allowing us to locate them and find out who the kidnapper was." All eyes turned to Kylie who blushed. Nancy and Neil loudly said, "What, you didn?t think the daughter of the police chief would do something so bold? She even got them to surrender to the state troopers without anyone having to lift a finger." David adding a quick, "Our hostage negotiator wasn?t happy that you did his job for him but it beats hours of persuasion." David rounded up the seven and headed to Karen?s minivan. The girls were still stunned at all that to which Ms. Prince loudly stated, "Perhaps you ladies should think before making fun of someone you are clearly jealous of. She is a genuine hero and the man who is with them is their cousin, the one who facilitated the arrest of the man who conducted the kidnappings at this school. Any one of you could have been taken by them, they grabbed any kid around Mr. Smith. Ms. Pena may not be like you girls biologically but from what I have seen and heard from your mouths about her she is a better human being than any of you. I?ll say this once and only once, I will not tolerate any kind of bullying from students. I know who is doing the talking about Kylie and if I hear any more I will enforce the rules more harshly." The girls meekly said, "Sorry Ms. Prince" and walked away towards their parents who by now had heard the whole exchange between the girls and Ms. Prince. Kylie was in tears as they left. Ethan had his arm around her as the boys tried to focus on anything else. David got a text back from Ms. Prince telling him, "Girls dealt with by parents. Lots of anger but none at Kylie." David announced, "The girls got read the riot act by their parents. Ms. Prince wasn?t holding back, she told them about the kidnappers? screw-up and how any one of them could have been grabbed too. They won?t dare act the same way towards you again, not unless they want trouble at home in addition to at school." At the Smith home Ethan was first out then joined by the girls. Junior and Neil were last, dragging all of the backpacks with him. David was greeted warmly by Karen who forced him to stay for a while. He wasn?t used to being the big cousin like this, it was more like his brother than him. Nigel Jr. clung to him for attention so Karen let him take over while she ensured the kids were keeping out of trouble. She was secretly on the phone with Lilly who was doing her best to not laugh at David playing the big hero to the kids. Lilly gladly told her, "He?s a good father figure, I hope he and Patrick can settle down soon." Karen could see he was good with Nigel Jr. and agreed, but admitted, "It?ll be a few years and I don?t think he wants to rush into any relationships. Patrick though is prime for a relationship, but he is awfully busy with school." Lilly agreed but added a soft, "It could be worse, at least they know we?d like them to settle down." The next day in school the news that Kylie was the hero who saved the four abductees was all kids could talk about. The girls who tried to start up on Kylie again found themselves getting the cold shoulder from other kids and getting detention from teachers. She was protected now, there was no reason to go after her and anyone who did was foolish or trying to get themselves into trouble. That Friday things were scary for Ethan as there were news crews outside the school. Word had reached the UK that he was in the school and they wanted a piece of him. Willie vocally rounded up the crews and told them to leave as they had not business at the school and harassing a child was not business. The crews were persistent and required the city solicitor to get an injunction filed against the news organizations preventing them being on school property without approval by the principals. Further the fact that students could not legally be shown on camera without parents signing a release was pointed out to the crews who claimed it was their right to do so. Those warnings and injunctions didn?t stop a few from slipping inside the school. One crew cornered Ethan by pulling him into a bathroom and started asking questions only to find themselves in handcuffs and charged with unlawful detainment and trespassing in addition to violating a court order. The electronics were confiscated with any video, sound, and pictures deleted. As they were pulled out another crew slipped in and were chased off by Willie before they could reach Mr. King?s classroom. Outside the parents were screaming at the news crews. None of the locals were involved, this was independents and UK crews. Kennedy called in the UK consulate and had them explain that they were breaking the law and their visas were being revoked by the United States. Further they explained that they would receive no protection from their government as they willingly ignored the laws with their actions. William Kelley got the Newspaper Guild involved as his own son was being harassed by the foreign journalists. They in turn went to their affiliates to lodge complaints and had them issue, "Cease and desist" orders or lose their support. Most begrudgingly left, with William telling them, "Complain all you want, you are the ones who ignored union rules and regulations." The few that remained were caught steadily as the day went on. All were arrested for trespassing with each removed from the country without their equipment, anything they had on them was shipped back at a later date without memory cards and with permanent restraining orders against harassing any student in the City of Winnisimmet as well as being barred from entering the United States for several years. Oddly not one of the so-called reporters or journalists noticed Nigel outside the school among the parents. They were in such a rush to get Ethan?s picture they ignored the more important Nigel standing right in front of them. Seeing him outside Willie grinned, it was so incredibly stupid that it defied belief how bad they were as reporters. Within an hour they knew exactly who tipped off the UK media. The results were swift as Mr. and Mrs. Smith publicly chastised Mrs. Smith?s sister Camille for her actions. Already reeling from the humiliation at Harry?s internment she lost any and all friends she previously had as the last of them saw what a petty and vindictive woman she truly was. She was what she tried to force Nigel to become, an ostracized member of the aristocracy. It wasn?t the worst part. As her husband had no heirs the title was going extinct upon her husband?s death. This coupled with her sister and brother-in-law wanting nothing to do with her meant she truly had nothing left. Her husband even talked about giving his title to his great nephew Bryan as a way of keeping it in family which Camille tried to dissuade him from. Seeing her reaction he made inquiries and would make the request so it would be all set by Christmas and delivered to him on his wedding day. Unlike Camille, he gladly accepted, "Those Yankees" into the extended family. In an ironic turn of events what was originally planned to be Harry?s title was instead going to Bryan, with his secondary title of Baron of Gosfield being given to Pete. He need only have held out for two more years to become an entitled noble but Harry?s ambitions and jealousy got the better of him, Lord Young gladly granted the titles to the two young Smiths who were neither. During the day in school Ethan had to explain to his class what was going on and why. They couldn?t grasp why they would want to harass a student let alone someone who had only been there a short three weeks. Junior realized what he was thinking and told the kids, "Do you watch gossip shows like TMZ or the celebrity news on E!? This is exactly what they do for celebrities, only they don?t have limits to who or what they will say." The kids now learned one of the biggest problems that comes with being an aristocrat, in that people want to knock you down and prove they are better than you for no reason except petty jealousy. Mr. King smiled at the revelation, adding, "Normally this kind of thing isn?t learned for a couple of more years but it?s something to remember. Money and power always leads to fighting. The more you try to be better than everyone else the more you show you are worse than everyone else." The kids laughed and agreed. Things were better the next day as the kids went to the Columbus Day Parade in East Boston. The younger kids in the family mobbed the traditional end of the parade. Paul Douglas chatted with the firefighters stuck on flag detail with Ethan being asked to show them the pictures he took over in Lincolnshire. The crews appreciated it, especially the ones looking for a good vacation. Ethan held his tongue not wanting to reveal more but Paige saved him the trouble, telling them about Tattershal Castle and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and Museum. They took the information, happily thanking the two. Ethan enjoyed the parade immensely. It was unlike anything he had seen before. He loved seeing the bands and different war reenactors. Junior got the biggest thrill as he was the car junky among the boys and there were dozens of old cars all of which he seemed to know something about. Ethan joked, "You are like I was at the castle watching the jets take off." Neil told him, "Guess we better keep you away from Castle Island, Uncle John wanted to take us there to see the fort but he said it has a great view of the water and the airport." Ethan?s eyes lit up and nodded furiously, Junior smiled and said, "Told you he?d want to go." John made plans for the four of them as well as the twins to go the following weekend. John just wanted to show off to Ethan, the two barely had a chance to bond so he felt like it was the perfect way to show him he cared about him by combining one passion with another. Ethan got to meet several politicians who John and Kennedy knew. Kennedy introduced him to her boss, the Attorney General. She was pleased that he had helped bring down his father?s business and did so out of love for his family. The man who Jaimie and the others said was the governor intrigued him. He hugged Jaimie deeply and practically begged her to join his staff as an advisor to which she politely declined. He introduced himself to Ethan who was fearful about what to say only to have him introduce himself and get the same polite introduction from Ethan. John slyly told him Ethan?s full title which caused Christian James to raise an eyebrow and get a subtle nod from John. Christian just added a quick, "Your family really knows how to marry" getting a soft, "Kennedy or Jaimie can give you the full story but suffice to say fate has a wicked sense of humor." After two and a half hours of the parade the family left for home and Ethan?s appointment with the patriarch of the Finn Family. The man, the myth, the legend looked ordinary to Ethan but he knew better than to assume things about people. Victoria was her usual steel-eyed self, not saying much but directing the family to where they needed to be. Inside Jorge was playful and teasing Karen and Nigel much to Ethan?s amusement while Victoria was quiet and focused. Ethan told Nichole, "I don?t think she likes me" to which she shot back, "Don?t worry she likes you, she is just so busy with the food that she can?t say much of anything yet. Trust me if she didn?t like you she would let you know it right away." The meal was served with Ethan laughing as he saw the food. He asked Victoria, "Did you do this for me?" She shook her head no, telling him, "We always make this." Ethan smiled and told her, "I thought it was special, Hannah said you only make it for special occasions." Victoria rolled her eyes and told him, "Did she say that? I guess she will have to only have it for special occasions from now on. She was lying. We make it once a month." Nichole added, "They do make it to celebrate something special. Hannah wanted it to sound special since it was something so different than what you normally had." Ethan felt relieved; he didn?t want to be treated differently. The meal went quickly and Ethan ate his fill. He politely declined seconds, Victoria asked if they told him not to take seconds but he kindly told her, "No I really am full. That was a large helping." Jorge was pleased, it was all he wanted to hear. Nicole did add, "The others did warn him about seconds but he doesn?t eat as much as others." Jorge just smiled and told her, "Give it time." Jorge nodded to Nichole, Karen, and Nigel sat Ethan down in the living room. He sat down next to him and explained to him, "You are part of a large family but you are also part of a smaller one. Reed, Kylie, Iris, Rachel, Claire, Daisy, Michael, Miles, Jaimie, Cat, JD, Bryan, Hannah, Nichole, Nigel Jr., now you. You are all family by bond. You are all cousins, first cousins. While you may not all be bound by blood you are bound by direct family. They will always be there for you and you will have to be for them. I hope you understand that." Ethan smiled and proudly said, "I fully understand that. It?s all I ever wanted." With that Jorge hugged him, letting him know he was family through thick and thin. He was one of them, not just a Smith but a Finn as well. Epilogue After the humiliation of being outwitted by an eight year old Jeffries demanded an expedited trial. Much to his surprise he was given one. The Suffolk County District Attorney thought of everything and ensured that he was out of contact and as far away as they could get him. By a stroke of luck his counterpart out west had an opening in the calendar and gave the slot to them. Jeffries found out the hard way that he was unable to intimidate Ethan, his biggest tool for winning was useless. His attempts to get messages out were all stopped with each letter and message intercepted. The day of the start of his trial he was informed that additional conspiracy charges were being leveled against him due to his attempts to hire people to intimidate and harm Ethan. What he thought was solid communications were just deputy sheriffs acting undercover. Ethan wasn?t needed regardless, Jeffries?s associates sang like canaries and told Taylor everything they could think of giving him an ironclad case of four counts of kidnapping and counts of extortion, assault, possession of weapons in a secure area, criminal conspiracy, tax fraud, and multiple other crimes. That was all before he added witness intimidation and contracting for murder to the mix. The feds themselves had a field day with the associates as they pinned crimes of smuggling, drug possession, weapons violations, tax fraud, wire fraud, and witness intimidation on him. The Brits were eager to try him for murder as the knives found on him at the airport matched the knife found after the associates gave up the prison guards who conspired with Jeffries to murder Harry Smith. They agreed to try him in the United States with his sentence being used final nail to put him away permanently. What?s more they found out who the snakes in the grass for the CPS, the police, and HM Government were that were protecting Harry and Jeffries causing ripples through the courts and police over their actions. The ones who tried to prosecute and assaulted Karen and Nigel were only the tip of the iceberg, a total of 20 people were being paid off by Jeffries and Harry with Jeffries always being the contact and brains. Harry was only the money backing them. The worst offender was one of the judges at the custody hearing. He was found to have been a close friend of Jeffries and was responsible for setting up the custody case and intimidating the junior judge into doing as he pleased. He hid his connections and when confronted with it by the Smiths? investigator he threatened legal action against him. Jonas was onto the scent and used the information to bring about investigations by the Lord Chief Justice especially given that it was such a blatant violation by the judge. The judge thought he was above investigation until his bank records showed payments from Jeffries to him just days before the hearing as well as recordings of the junior judge being intimidated taken by investigators at the behest of the Lord Chancellor, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Lord Chief Justice. He was forcibly removed from the bench and tried for his crimes. Jeffries? trial lasted two weeks total. Much to his chagrin it was a spectacle for the region. The jury had little sympathy for him, his arrogance overflowed and his anger was frequently on display. The man was found guilty in less than a day, getting sentences between 10 years and life in prison for each count. Ethan heard the news and didn?t bat an eye only saying, "Maybe he can get to know Uncle Roland" which Karen just smiled and nodded at, he meant it for what it was- a criminal for a criminal. Ethan wasn?t too far off. Roland and Jeffries were right next to one another in their supermax cells in Walpole. The two got to talking and when he heard that the tried to have his niece and nephew killed Roland told Jeffries that if he ever got out he was going to have a hard time walking as he would arrange for him to have a little, "Accident" involving his knees. Roland may be a scumbag but Karen was still his favorite relative, he hated John and disliked Leslie but he would never let anyone hurt Karen or her kids. Back in Winnisimmet things were quiet for the next few weeks after Ethan?s introduction to Jorge and Victoria. Ethan got into a groove as the family got closer and used to one another. Ethan and Nichole had the same squabbles brothers and sisters always got into especially over Nichole?s messes in the bathroom or Ethan?s constant wanting to do his homework right away delaying their afternoon fun. Things were never too tense, once they cooled down they were back to being the lovable siblings they normally were. John, the twins, and the boys enjoyed the trip to Castle Island immensely as Ethan listened to the guided tour with keen interest and enjoyed just sitting down and watching the action in the harbor while the twins and the boys played on the grass behind them. He shared as much of an interest in history as John and the two would often make plans to visit certain sites on weekends when Junior and Neil had prior plans. With Jaimie, Michael, and Miles getting older and becoming their own people and the twins still too young to enjoy things like their trips Ethan proved to be the perfect foil for John?s eagerness. Being October their next stop was Salem. Ethan learned more than he wanted to about false accusations and hysteria from the museums and tour. When he got home he hugged Jaimie, Kylie, and Nichole tightly and cried. None of them said a word, knowing it was just his reaction to seeing what they experienced at times from ignorant people. It showed he loved them and understood them, they couldn?t help but love him more for acting that way. Ethan became a fixture at the football games as he enjoyed time with his parents. They would sit with Sarah, Beth, Olivia, Beverly, Wendy, Belle, and Lupe spending much of the time talking. They started to become closer with them than either had been with Tanya, Kennedy, Anne, Valerie, Melanie, Gabby, or Lilly. This started to mirror the children splitting into groups of their own within the greater group as they were still part of things just on their own. Leslie fittingly was the one who floated among the two groups much in the way Miles and Jaimie floated between the boys and girl groups. Their children could see the changes in the parental groups they accepted that it was inevitable that they would see some splintering as they were more splintered along commonality and interests like theirs were. While the adults would talk Ethan joined the boys on the sidelines near John or up in the press box with William. He even got to work with the game officials twice when the regular yard marker crew had to miss games due to poor grades. The three were well behaved and focused on the game, knowing what to look for and listening closely to the officials and more importantly being unbiased in how they performed their duties. The fans complained the first game when they cost Winnisimmet two first downs but Sean Berretta stood by the boys, praising them for doing the right thing and pointing out that their team would play by the rules even if it meant they didn?t get things their way. They play with integrity or they don?t play at all. School was the same as it always was with Mr. King knuckling down and going full speed ahead with their education. He drew a lot of historical content from the information Ethan had given him from the sites the group visited in August. He kept an archive of it and shared whatever was relevant with his colleagues earning Ethan high praise for expanding the school?s resources for future students. The seven were closely grouped at all times to the point that it was impossible for anyone to say that the girls and boys weren?t family or, "Like liked" one another. The fact that three were related and a fourth was indirectly related blew any possibilities out of the water. Nancy?s initial crush being the sole exception, the seven didn?t see them the way others saw them. She tempered her affection towards Ethan to the point that she and he were close but she didn?t see him as a boyfriend rather she saw him as a close friend who happened to be a boy. The kids? closeness didn?t stop others from liking the kids on their own with Ethan gaining some interest from some of the 4th grade girls. Ethan politely told them he wasn?t interested in girls yet but was flattered that a pretty girl would like him that way. This only seemed to cause more interest in him but the message was clear, he wasn?t interested yet. After serious discussion and observation under supervision Francesca was given a chance to babysit for the Joneses, Smiths, and Yorks. Karen had a good eye as the kids listened to Francesca and followed her instructions. They did their homework when told and didn?t fight her when it was bedtime. She never took advantage of the solitude by raiding the refrigerator or other unethical things like having friends over, she simply watched television and did her homework while the kids were asleep. It helped greatly that she was often close to the other adults who could easily see and hear what the kids were up to while under Francesca?s watch. Eventually William Kelley, the Douglases, and Todd Flynn used her to watch their kids. This allowed William to take in extra assignments in nearby cities and Todd to take on extra shifts at the jail. She was making decent money from them, all of it going into her bank account and allowing her to feel less like the poorest member of the family and more like one of the group as a whole. Reed was relieved that he was finally relieved of babysitting duties, Francesca gladly took over where he would frequently have to babysit Kylie and baby Willie. Jessie and he would double date with Rebecca and her boyfriend Thomas during these times. Francesca brushed off Kylie and the other girls? jokes about her being single, she was more than happy to remain solo and enjoy her free time with her friends especially Reyna and Rachel. The End of October found the kids gearing up for Halloween. The kids all chose to go as princes and princesses with Ethan having to fight saying something about it. He felt like they used him for the idea but Nichole and the girls pointed out that they had planned it all along before he came to live with them. It was all in good fun as their coordinated costumes won them first place prizes for their grades. Mr. King asked why they were princes and not kings to which the three proclaimed, "There?s only one King in this school" getting laughs from the class as Mr. King took a bow and accepted the joke and praise. The joke made its way through the teachers with Mr. King being bowed and curtseyed to by his colleagues for the next few days. Even Ms. Prince joined the fun, bringing him to joke about, "Making changes in the school" which followed a quick joke of, "Pretender to the throne" from her getting odd looks from the students but snickers from the two adults. The seven took part in a family trick or treating with Daisy, Virgil, Faith, DJ, Cat, and JD. Karen and Nigel took the evening off letting Nichole and Ethan enjoy time with their cousins afterward. They were hits as Nichole and Ethan?s accents made neighbors and other residents think they were acting until pointed out that they really were English kids. This only caused them to receive more candy making the others jealous, until they shared it with them. The first week in November the whole family attended a special awards ceremony where David and the two customs and border protection officers were honored for their roles in thwarting Ethan?s kidnapping. Christian James kept it as low key as possible but unfortunately couldn?t stop the family from having to endure the Department of Homeland Security officials who latched on for the photo op. Ethan and the family were kept off camera but David and the officers appeared on the news and on the Homeland Security and CBP websites. Bryan and Pete graduated from their Advanced Individual Training the first weekend in November causing Karen, Nigel, Hannah, and Paige to travel to see the ceremony. They were joined by Walter and Lilian Gorman, who made the special trip for personal reasons. Both were given special pins from Walter, part of his own uniform from when he, Louis Reagan, and Brent Finn served in the Army together. Walter looked at Bryan and had tears in his eyes. To him it was seeing Brent at the same age. For Lillian, she saw her beloved cousin. He was the spitting image of both of his grandfathers. Pete felt out of place with the three but Walter assured him that the two had something special going on that was more than friendship, it was brotherhood. He was part of the family and shouldn?t feel out of place, that Pete strongly reminded him of himself to the point of him being just as much family as Bryan. Ethan and Nichole stayed with the Samuels family while their parents were at the graduation. Unlike last time this was a happy weekend. Dr. Samuels was at home so Ethan got to see him working with Richard on his schoolwork and enjoying time with Olivia while Richard and Ethan went out running with the other guys. Richard finally told Ethan he got a job working alongside Will at the movie theater so he was going to have less time for other activities, Ethan just nodded telling him, "It?s for the best. You need to do something with your time and you know it?s only temporary until you graduate." When the Smiths arrived back in Winnisimmet Ethan opened the door only to stop dead in his tracks as he saw the two young men in uniform. He knew they were coming but it still didn?t prepare him for the sight. He didn?t know what to say or do, Karen had to lead him away and assure him everything was alright. Ethan was still afraid of Bryan?s reaction so he kept well away from him. No matter how many assurances he had been given until he had it confirmed that it was alright Ethan was anxious. Bryan walked upstairs to his old room out of habit and saw that it was occupied already. It was a kid?s room, but done in a style that was tasteful and mature, the opposite of how he had done it before. Even the furniture had been moved around, although he suspected that was the work of his cousins more than Ethan. It was Ethan?s room now, no doubt in his mind. This was his home and he had staked his rightful claim to the room for himself. It was Ethan?s own space. Heading downstairs he asked his mom, "I?ve been gone five months and you already found a new, better son?" Karen smiled and shot back, "I can?t help it if he looks better, acts better, sounds better, and thankfully smells better than his predecessor." Seeing Ethan?s fear he pulled Ethan into a hug. Ethan was still unsure about the whole situation but let him hug him. Bryan kept him close but stopped and asked, "What do you mean smells better!" This sent the other six into a heavy laugh as Ethan felt better. Bryan took him outside and sat with him. Pete joined them soon after. Bryan asked pointedly, "Is anyone else going to try to take you away?" Ethan mumbled, "The adopted was finalized one month ago. There wasn?t anyone else to try to get met after Jeffries was imprisoned and the last of his gang were weeded out." Bryan smiled, telling him, "Good, I?d hate to have to hurt someone for trying to take my little brother away. I wish I could have been here when that scumbag did it." The two asked about their new grandparents to which Ethan smiled, telling them, "They expect you to visit soon since you are finished with your training. They know about your training and job profile so they?d love your input on some improvements to the estate." The two newly trained engineers smiled, knowing it was their way of showing they accepted them and valued their opinion. Ethan added a soft, "Don?t let chef intimidate you, she?s tough but she cares. She also knows how to cook Uncle Jorge?s food better than Uncle John., " This caused the two to burst into laughter as they walked back inside, telling Karen and Nigel, "We have training Thanksgiving Weekend so we can go any time before then." Nigel handed them tickets for the following day, with instructions that Emma would pick them up at the airport. The two couples returned to their home, with Nigel and Karen smiling at the two. They were in for a fun time, especially when they found out the truth about the Smith family when they arrived. They carefully didn?t tell them they were now Lord Bryan Smith and the future Mr. Peter Smith. The End.