Lost And Found Part 1 free porn video

Prologue James Vega grew up in Los Angeles County in the city of Alma Perida. It was a quaint little city but it was far from an ideal childhood. His grandparents had been given full custody of him when he was a baby and always let him know that they could refuse to care for him anytime, sending him away to be forgotten and unloved by the social services system. His aunts, uncles, and cousins despised him and never let him forget that he was born to a freak and a runaway. Not all were so harsh towards him. There were two among his relatives who didn't share that view of him being the prodigal child were careful not to express any pity or sympathy around others but did show it when they were alone. They were apt at keeping his relatives from harming him most of the time and shared a rare hug and word of encouragement that someday they would receive what was coming to them and to hang in there for as long as possible. There was truth in the abusive proclamations. James was indeed the son of the prodigal daughter, the one member of the family who refused to live in their neighborhood and went away to college to make herself a better life. She wanted to be a teacher and make the lives of others better than her life had been and from what little his sympathetic relatives had told him she was an amazing teacher and was doing well despite the family's claims. James' aunts and uncles never let him forget that his mom cost their father his business when his mom refused to go out with a business partner's son. This caused the family business to fail because she put them under scrutiny for making deals with money they didn't have causing his grandfather to have to sell everything just to pay off his partner and made his grandmother to have to work just to make ends meet. His grandfather never found work again and always blamed James' mom whenever something bad happened to them even if it had nothing to do with her. James envied his mother. He could understand fully why she got away from that place. She knew what she wanted and did what she needed to do to get away. James held on to all of this longing for years, never letting the family know and enduring the constant abuse they gave him. He had to endure, if only for the hope that he may one day find his mother again. In school, his classmates tormented him over his father's gender change. Teachers didn't bother to stop the abuse and those that did were overruled by principals who saw James as a kid not worth bothering to give a second thought to. There were some that still tried to help him and two who even went so far as to lodge complaints to the state about the treatment of James but this too fell on deaf ears when his father's past was brought to light. He just wasn't worth fight for in their eyes and it was hoped that it would snap some sense into him as a person even if the teachers suspected something was amiss. James held firm and refused to let this abuse get to him. He knew what he needed to do and he would do whatever he had to do to achieve it. He would spend as little time at home as possible and spent hours at a time in the library and classroom to get his grades up so his grandparents would never have reason to have to come to school or speak with his teachers. His parents' issues weren't the only problem with James. From an early age he felt wrong, as if there was a defect with his body. He always felt like he was a girl and after hearing about his father's attempt to become a woman from his family and his former teachers he knew the reason for his feelings- he was a girl in a boy's body, the same kind of person that his father was. This revelation gave him some comfort. He wasn't a freak, he was just different. He knew he could never tell anyone his feelings and would have to make himself act as manly as possible to ensure that nobody saw the inner woman in him. As time went on James's feelings grew and the urge to become a girl grew with him. By age 12 he could no longer hold off these feelings and started to dress in secret. He had to finally be the girl he needed to be even if it was for a brief moment or two. Having been forced out of the normal bedrooms into his own room in the basement was a blessing as he was left alone down there and none of his aunts, uncles, or cousins would go down there. He found clothes destined for Goodwill and Salvation Army stores that were in his size and hid them in his room where nobody would bother to look. He didn't have any panties but that wasn't an issue yet, he just needed to wear the clothes to feel like the girl he needed to be. James looked at himself in the mirror and only saw a girl. Her clothes were tight but cinched in all the right places. Her arms and legs were long and slender, but perfect for a girl. His hair was down to his neck and able to be styled like a girl so all he needed was some makeup and he felt he was Deborah. Seeing the image of a girl staring back at him in the mirror clinched it in his mind, he was Deborah. Deborah may have been born a male but in her heart and her mind she was female. She had to endure for six more years with her family, enough time to get her diploma and get away from there. She had to endure, the escape would be worth the horrible treatment. Six years compared to a lifetime of misery, there was no question she would choose the six years. Her joy was short-lived as her grandmother came into her room unannounced and saw her dressed up as Deborah. Deborah tried to explain but before she could get a word out she was being slapped with both of her grandmother's hands and kicked in the backside by her feet. She was dragged upstairs to endure the humiliation of her family mocking her and smacking her face, telling her over and over again, "A freak just like his father." Deborah was once again gone, James remained. He was beaten badly enough to show marks on his body that couldn't be covered up. Nobody bothered asking about the marks even though they were in the open for all to see. Anyone who saw them had already long ago given up trying to help him and those that did were blocked, so nothing was done about them. He did end up needing to have emergency surgery on his testicles after his cousin beat him badly when he heard what James was wearing. Oddly, James didn't remember being kicked in the groin- only in the ribs and legs. Seeing evidence that he was assaulted the doctors didn't do anything. After hearing why he was assaulted the doctor proudly said, "At least he won't have any more freaks born." The loss of his testicles didn't bother James too much. The thing that set him off the most were his grandparents taking him to doctor and getting him to agree with them that he was delusional for being a girl and needed medication. This was compounded further when the doctor stated James was unfit as a person and would never have a job or normal life. James knew the doctor was a bigoted fool but he was stuck with his ruling and there was nothing he could do about it until he turned 18 and could get away. He never took any of the medication that was prescribed. He was smart enough to mouth the pills then flush them down the toilet immediately after. His grandparents never considered that he would be smart enough to do something so bold but to James it was worth the risk of another assault to keep from becoming a medicated zombie. His grandparents refused to let him go to school until the marks on his body faded but that didn't stop the news about his dressing in girls' clothes from getting out. His cousins were ruthless and would tell anyone about it just to humiliate James. Anyone who had been friends with him were scared off by his cousins and anyone with a known hatred for kids who were different would seek him out and beat him senseless just because he was so easy to hurt. James never let Deborah out while living with the family. He kept clear of his grandparents and the rest of his family, always staying in his room and locking the door but ensuring that they could always see inside the small basement window no matter what time of day or night. He found small jobs to keep him away from home and sympathetic parents who used him as a cut-rate babysitter for their kids. They were willing to put up with the whispering about what James had done for a chance to be rid of their kids for a while. His favorite child to babysit was always the little girl next door, Reyna Toro. She was like him only her mother accepted her need to become a girl. James would dress as Deborah with her, closing all of the windows to do so and helping her feel better about herself. She knew his full story and took great care to be the friend he needed and keep his spirits up through the toughest times. His family tried to keep the two apart but Lupe Toro was harsh in her words with his grandparents. Lupe trusted James/Deborah fully and was let in on James' desires as she was the only person who he could trust outside of himself. Lupe could see the change in Reyna whenever she was babysat by James/Deborah since the two shared the special bond. James helped her endure her horrific treatment at school and watched her for Lupe while she worked to get Reyna into a different middle school where she could start over fresh. As James grew older he didn't change like the other kids his age. He remained underdeveloped thanks to the results of the loss of his testicles and by the time he was in high school he looked at least four years younger than he actually was. His grandparents were never questioned about it by his doctors despite knowing his history, they blamed it all on his father and his "Gringo blood" but James knew the real reason- no testicles and no testosterone in his system to make him into a man. School was a living hell for James in high school. He was free game for anyone who needed to feel like a tough guy and he was openly tormented by anyone who needed a wisecrack to feel better about themselves. He kept quiet and took the abuse, it was easier to just accept it and let them have their fun rather than give anyone reason hurt him back. The girls took pity on him and kept him reasonably safe. He was understanding and easy to talk to about problems and considered "safe" by them as he would never make a move on them and wasn't interested in them for sex. They were the closest he had to real friends but even then they weren't exactly friends to him, merely acquaintances. The girls couldn't be around 24/7 so he ended up in multiple scrapes with boys who felt that their being ignored by him was an insult to their egos. While winning them all, James took the punishment that went with fighting despite being the victim. His ability to win fights got him a reputation of being someone to leave alone unless you wanted to be hurt, which saved him from further injury but it didn't stop the verbal abuse. James' ability to protect led to the girls using him as an escort. He also help many of them get decent dates with boys who weren't tormentors or bound for jail after graduation if they ever reached it. He in essence vetted the good guys while weeding out the bad ones. The girls who were close to him ended up being the only group of girls who never got pregnant before graduation and who had managed to get good enough grades to get them into the local state colleges. Their parents were happy that he was around them even though he was the school "weirdo". Through the horrors of high school he was lucky to find a sympathetic teacher who helped him work out amazing essays that even the most homophobic teacher could not refuse to give a top grade to. She worked with him to perfect his college essay and got three other teachers to give him a glowing letter of recommendation for all of the work he had done himself and with other students. Through his work alone the rate of students going on to college increased 10% which the principal was quick to claim credit for but the teachers had managed to get redirected to James. The vice principal knew James' mother from her school days and saw the same fire in James that he saw in her. Seeing that he was miserable at home and with no real prospects due to his imminent ousting when he turned 18, the vice principal got in contact with a special scholarship set up to help students escape James' situation and thrive in a new environment. James accepted the chance to at least try to better himself without any support even if it meant having to work every night while attending school to keep from being out on the street. This scholarship had one stipulation, that James attend school in the Boston area. With no alternative James accepted it and hoped to live up to the standards of the scholarship. With no ties to anyone in the area James chose Salem State University as the school he would attend, electing to study English in the hopes of becoming a teacher. Hearing this his vice principal proudly told him, "Like mother, like son" to which James inwardly added, "Like mother, like daughter." Graduation came quickly after that, much to the relief of James as he wasn't 18 yet so still had a place to stay for a few weeks. James found out just before graduation that he had been awarded the, "Finn Foundation Scholastic Assistance" scholarship with a certified letter being handed to him by a courier who introduced himself as Joseph Johnson, legal advisor for the scholarship fund. This was the one thing he needed more than anything else, a dream-come-true chance to start over and from the look in the eyes of Joseph he understood exactly what the scholarship meant to James. James and he met privately as Joseph's wife Evelyn listened to James' grandparents complain on and on about James receiving any kind of money to go to school. She politely listened to them insulting their grandchild as the other family members came in and out to see the official looking people at the house, each believing them to be cops trying to arrest James. Evelyn grinned and told them all exactly what was going on and watched as their faces dropped as they heard that James was leaving shortly. She finally told them, "James will be leaving in two days to fly east for orientation. We will arrange for transport for his possessions and have a job laid out for him in the meantime so you won't have to worry about James being a 'burden' anymore." Downstairs in James' "room" Joseph wisely locked the door and led James to a private spot in the basement where they could talk without being overheard above. Joseph explained that they knew that James would need some time to decompress and get used to the area and work to earn enough to stay independent. James asked what he meant to which Joseph admitted, "This is a full 4-years scholarship with free room and board, and until you earn enough to rent an apartment off-campus you are going to be living year- round on campus. You need not worry about any school-related items, just try to save up enough to never have to return to this hellhole again." James knew exactly what Joseph meant and was given flight information and details about where he was going to live and who he needed to talk to. Joseph also included some other information such as a change of name and health related information such as a counseling. His face lit up at seeing this information and adding a soft, "Thank you." Joseph grinned and added, "The school has no problem with you becoming someone else. Given that our foundation is built upon helping people become who they need to be it is only fitting that we help you, even more so now that we have seen just what you are enduring. And before you ask, nobody except my wife and myself knows about your inner self. We have experience with it and we refuse to let a brilliant mind who can help hundreds in the years to come get lost in this horrible place. All you need is a chance to show that you can make a difference, we are giving you that chance." Two days later James packed his things and left the Vega family for good. He never looked back, his last image of the house was his cousins coming into the basement and demanding things like his TV, stereo, even his bedding. The movers had a list of what was actually James' and were adamant that anyone trying to take anything that belong to James would be in for a world of hurt. The two men weren't fooling around, one cousin ended up getting flung back as he tried to run off with the TV but as he tried to say he was calling the police the man flashed a badge and asked him, "Please do, I am sure they will enjoy hearing your explanation as to why you felt the need to steal from your own family." The last item to be transported was James' car. It was 12 years old but still ran great, and with the vast amount of time and effort that James needed to put in to buy it Joseph made particular note to take it. The movers grinned as they hooked it up to transport, enjoying seeing the sight of James' cousins complaining, "The freak is taking his car" and, "We should have stolen it last night." The two men doing the transport grinned wider as James handed over the keys to them and a chorus of swears rang out. James didn't care. He was getting into a rental car that one of the movers brought and driving off with his clothing for the next week. He was heading for Boston and he wasn't looking back. Chapter 1 James arrived at Boston's Logan Airport and was greeted by the Johnsons. Both were eager to take him to the school but first felt that she needed to stop off and meet a counselor. The two admitted, "We know about the psychiatrist's report about your mental health and we did some digging and can prove that the doctor is a known bigot and racist and what he declared about you was both unethical and immoral and should be invalidated. You will need you to meet with a friend of ours to get things squared away first before the school will allow you to attend." James was scared but Evelyn grinned and proudly told her, "She has zero tolerance for any doctor who abuses their position like that scumbag did. She has reviewed your medical records as part of your agreement when you accepted the scholarship and she is itching to bring him down but she needs a lot of help. She lives for these kind of fights and enjoys making people regret their mistakes." The three pulled into a hospital parking lot. James saw that it was skirting between two hospitals, New England Children's Hospital and Boston Sinai Hospital. He silently walked with Joseph and Evelyn towards the office and listened as they told the receptionist his name and who he was seeing. They sat for several minutes as Evelyn remained silent. She finally heard someone call for James to which she reluctantly responded. The doctor noticed her hesitation and quietly assured her, "We don't mean anything malicious by using your male name, it's just that we don't have your female name on record yet." James felt relieved at hearing that and seeing that the doctor wasn't outraged or insulted at what he needed to become. Inside the office the doctor introduced herself as Dr. Edith Bell. James introduced herself as Deborah Thomas. Dr. Bell made note of the name and smiled as she told her, "I read the doctor's report from when you were caught in girls' clothing and I am convinced that you were never given a chance to speak openly with him about your situation or your feelings. I question his motives and his abilities as a mental health expert. I am hoping that you will be honest with me now and will not use this session to further whatever you had planned to happen." James sighed and mumbled, "I have nothing to lose in telling you the truth. I am already declared to be incompetent and mentally incapacitated or something like that. Either you are going to uphold what the doctor said or you are going to make your own diagnosis, either way I am not going to lie. I didn't lie before and I won't again." Dr. Bell asked a series of questions, going at the same questions from different angles. James answered them as honestly as he could, not trying to lie nor manipulate her answers to get what he wanted. Dr. Bell grinned the whole time, she could tell James was being serious and honest and her diagnosis was immediate- James was a bona fide transgender woman and needed to begin treatment to become the person she always felt that she should be. After an hour of questioning Dr. Bell proclaimed, "I am going to request the full records from your previous evaluation. Something is off about it and to be completely honest you are neither incapacitated nor incompetent. You are, in fact, the most stable patient I have encountered in my 25 years of practice. How you have been able to cope with and endure your family is beyond belief, your life was horrible and to be frank- you should seek legal counsel to cover your back in case your family tries to come after you. And in my view, they will. People like them won't let this go unanswered." Looking at James and shaking her head, Dr. Bell proclaimed, "I may speak with a lawyer friend of mine to see if there might be some legal recourse on your behalf, you have a legitimate claim of malpractice and worse against your doctor and your family. He's a good person, he stands up for those in need and will find a way of getting justice for you." Outside, in the waiting room, Joseph and Evelyn greeted James with a soft nod and asked if she was going to make the necessary name change. James, or rather the person who used to be James, grinned and told them, "I have, I'm going to go by Deborah Thomas from now on." Joseph took out a form and handed it to her, telling her to fill in the name and sign at the bottom and he would file it with the court. Deborah was driven to the school and met with the dean, the college legal advisors, and the university's diversity officer. She explained that she was going to transition immediately and that she would now be known by Deborah Thomas with the name change being filed with the courts. The school gladly accepted her change and offered her privacy, with the only ones who would know her history being the dean of the English department, the dean of the education department, and dean of the college of liberal arts with nobody else having to know about her change. Dean Zane, the newly appointed head of the college of liberal arts, was the one who formalized her acceptance as Deborah Thomas with her previous name being suppressed and accessible by only himself, the vice chancellor, and chancellor and only with written cause for it. Anyone caught looking into the file would be fired and prosecuted and anyone attempting to find out why her file was locked away would be removed from accessing all student records. Getting the nitty-gritty out of the way, Dean Zane proudly told her that she was one of the best new students he had seen. Joseph added a swift, "She will be even better than John Finn was." Dean Zane broke out laughing, informing Deborah, "John is the man who is paying for your education and he himself insisted that you attend. He doesn't normally get involved in the scholarships but reading the report on your family life he personally insisted that you be given a scholarship with all expenses paid and a job lined up to help you start your new life." Deborah felt honored and a bit humble that she was singled out. Evelyn grinned and told her warmly, "He has a soft spot for young people who need help especially those who want to make the lives of others better. You unintentionally hit a tender spot in him, he will keep an eye on your progress and I suspect that you will meet him when you take his seminar on modern methods of helping kids learn. Dean Zane made it a required seminar for 2nd year education track students so it'll be one he is looking forward to with great interest." Joseph and Evelyn led Deborah to her new "home," a private dorm room with an en-suite shower. Her dorm was coed that year but her floor was women- only so she was going to have to be discrete and try to go unnoticed. Evelyn grinned as she told her, "This room is reserved specifically for the scholarship program, John had the whole building renovated so it could be set aside just for the recipient. You are the first XY-girl who has had the honor of living in this room but it isn't seen as being anything other than a special recipient room. There is another female room and two male rooms in this dorm, with another 12 in the sophomore, junior, and senior dorm buildings so you are one of 16 recipients and thus aren't singled out. The fact that you aren't like other girls is irrelevant, so please don't feel like you are being isolated as so many other schools tend to do with girls like you." Deborah grinned and thanked her for being honest with her. She got settled into her new room while Joseph made a quick phone call and announced that she was all set for work in the library the next day. She had a job, a new home, and had no need to worry about her books, supplies, or food as all were covered by the scholarship. She just had to relax. In three days her personal items would arrive and she would be on her own to enjoy college. The next day Deborah was up at the crack of dawn as her anxiety wouldn't let her sleep much longer. She had set her phone to silent and woke up to see dozens of missed calls and text messages from her family. None of them were encouraging, all of them demeaning and insulting. She shook her head at the sheer gall her family had to still try to get her back home when they had spent her previous 18 years telling her she didn't belong with them. Ignoring her phone she showered and changed into a simple t-shirt and jean shorts with an old bra and panties that barely fit her body. She shed a tear as she opened up a small box containing her most prized possession, silicone breasts that she found online that thankfully matched her skintone. Her hair was long enough that she could easily style it and make it look more feminine. She had some makeup that she had kept hidden where nobody could get at without making a big mess, it completed her look. She was ready to start the first day of the rest of her life. She looked completely different, even though her t-shirt was a men's shirt it didn't distract from her natural femininity and at times emphasized her breasts. The only way you could ever tell she wasn't female was to look in her shorts and even then due to the lack of testosterone her penis never grew so there wasn't much of a bulge. She would have cried had she not wanted to waste the makeup and the time to redo her face. Walking over to the library she met the assistant librarian, Sheila Patterson, who told Deborah about the job's requirements and how to stave off the hours of boredom that the summer term was going to bring. Sheila got her situated with an ID, passwords for the computer system, and familiarized her with the library's various sections. During the four hours the two were together Sheila never gave Deborah a second look, and when she did it was the same look women tended to give each other regarding styles. Deborah felt relieved when she was told that she was going to be working mostly alone and that she would be full-time during the eight week summer break. She would earn enough money to buy herself a new wardrobe and a decent laptop, both of which she desperately needed. After sorting out her schedule she was released for the day and given another, more in-depth tour of the campus. Hearing that she was a Finn Foundation scholar Sheila grinned widely as she pointed out, "His nephew is going to be a teaching assistant and from what I gather you will most likely have him. I never met him but I heard he's pretty handsome and single." Deborah blushed, she liked the sound of him but wouldn't risk losing her scholarship for a relationship especially not with her big secret. After a late lunch Deborah went back to her dorm and enjoyed the solitude. She checked her phone again and saw another few dozen text messages. She finally had enough and called her phone company and requested a new number to reflect her change of location. Since her grandparents technically owned the phone she had to give it up, so she mailed it back to them with a note saying not to contact her again. Looking at her cash she had just enough to get a new phone but as she was heading to the phone retailer the Johnsons showed up and handed her a small check with instructions to go shopping for a new phone and clothing. She tried to refuse the money telling them that it didn't have to do with school to which both smiled and told her, "We discussed your situation with John and he insisted that you take this, we expected that you would need a new phone after the way your family acted. Don't fight him on this, he won't let you spend your hard earned money to get away from them. Don't worry one bit about the money, it's peanuts to him. He has more in his pants pocket than in this check so he won't notice it being spent. It's his scholarship fund anyway and he can add as much or as little as he wants and he added it to your fund." Deborah relented. She took the check, deposited in a bank, and walked over with them to the nearby phone retailer and got a top of the line iPhone. The cost wasn't 1/10th of the cost of the check, so she had more than enough to buy herself enough clothes to last two years. Evelyn grinned as she watched Deborah trying her hardest not to enjoy the shopping but even years of restraint couldn't hold back the happiness that Deborah had within her. The next day was a repeat as Deborah was taught how to troubleshoot most problems with the library's copiers and computers. She had a knack for troubleshooting and was great with people especially those who needed just a gentle nudge in the right direction. Sheila immediately sensed that Deborah was going to run the library if she ever wanted to, so told her flatly, "When the semester starts you will be my #2. I trust you with this place more than any other employee." Taking a lunch break the two sat together and Sheila cautiously told her, "I know you aren't exactly as you are presenting yet. You try too hard to hide who you are. Before you ask how I knew, when we first met your clothes were male clothes and to be frank your timidity is not like someone anxious rather it's someone trying hard to cover up a secret. And don't even think that it matters one bit to me that you are becoming a woman, I was raised to take people as they are not as society sees them. Knowing you the past few days has shown to me that you are a great person and if you feel you must become a woman then you are a girl to me." Deborah expected the worst but she instead got a smile and quick, "You need to lighten up and just be yourself. You pass better than 90% of the women I have seen and to be honest, you make me jealous. You are beautiful. Just be yourself and don't think about giving yourself away because nobody can tell that you aren't all-girl without going inside your panties and even then I don't think you are the kind of person to let someone do that without first telling them about your past." Deborah let out a big sigh of relief. The two talked about their pasts and shared the same misery of the two being the only people trying to escape their hometowns. Sheila told of her uncle whose wife had divorced and abandoned him when he wanted to go to college to earn his master's degree only to find love with a pregnant woman and how she now was able to become the mother to her cousins as well as her new daughter. Sheila's face lit up talking about her aunt's actions but the rest of her story was sadness. She had never met her aunt and cousins and no other family as her parents worked themselves to an early death. She was left with a sizable inheritance but it wasn't worth the loss of both of them. Deborah told her about her own upbringing and wishing to find her birth parents especially her mother. Sheila felt bad that she had a loving family while Deborah had nothing but torment and abuse. The two were becoming more than just employer/employee; they were fast friends and were close outside the library but kept things professional while working. Chapter 2 Deborah's things arrived the next day. The two delivery drivers arrived at the same time as Evelyn and Joseph and greeted them warmly. The two went to work sorting out and helping set up her TV, stereo, and her bedding. Much to her relief they made no mention of her clothing change or that Joseph and Evelyn were calling her Deborah now. The two worked hard and were finished in just under an hour. The two introduced themselves as Patrick and David Peterson, Evelyn and Joseph's grandsons and the badge that Patrick showed wasn't actually a police badge rather it was a security officer badge so they had bluffed her family into backing down. Sheila watched with glee as the two worked to put Deborah's things inside. She pointed out that the older one was the guy she had talked about before. Sheila looked to be swooning over him but Deborah thought there was something a little off about the three, they looked a little bit alike and may even be family to Sheila but Deborah kept that thought to herself. As long as Sheila looked and didn't act there was no harm done. Now officially moved in Sheila took Deborah for dinner as the two talked about the upcoming year. Sheila could tell that Deborah was thinking about something then finally confronted her about it. Deborah wisely told her, "I think you should look but don't touch with Patrick. There's something off about him, not that he is bad but I don't think dating him is wise for you." Sheila grinned and admitted, "I can handle looking but not touching. Besides I think he had eyes for you." The two talked for several hours as they walked around campus before Sheila walked home. They spent several more hours talking and watching movies as Sheila helped Deborah look more adult with her makeup and clothing choices. Deborah was a quick learner and actually worked out her own style that impressed Sheila immensely. Sheila grinned as she admitted, "Being a latch-key rich kid I didn't have any friends so you are the first true friend I ever had." Deborah countered with, "You are the first person who didn't see me as a pity case." Then tearfully she added, "You have no idea how much it means to me to have you treating me like another person and not someone who needed to be pitied by everyone." Sheila embraced her and let her cry herself out, softly telling her, "Misery loves company so I guess we are supposed to be miserable together. But I can't understand how anyone could even think of treating you as anything other than a good person, their loss is my gain." Deborah added meekly, "Your parents never committed the ultimate sin to your family- trying to better themselves. My mother did and as the result of her leaving I was my own punishment." Two days after that Sheila would be by Deborah's side as she went for her first medical appointment to start hormones and see the damage that years of neglect and physical abuse had done to her. Deborah's new doctor wasn't entirely familiar with transgender patients but was unafraid to take her on as a new patient. Deborah's body showed signs of years of undernourishment which upset her doctor when she was told about her family's actions and the inaction taken by anyone. Listening to Deborah's story her doctor struggled to contain her anger as she examined her body more thoroughly. The fact that the abuse was never reported shocked her. The fact that a medical professional had encouraged it as a way of stopping her transgender feelings was outrage inducing. Deborah tried hard to keep her on track, her doctor eventually calmed enough to give a referral to an endocrinologist and swore to assist in every way possible to ensure that Deborah became the woman she was well on her way of becoming before her hormones took. The referral was to a close friend of her doctor. The endocrinologist didn't take a second look at her and simply told her that she needed a simple boost and nature would work its course quickly. She was quick to admit that her years of being a eunuch had caused her body to remain in an androgynous state, almost in a biological limbo, and it could easily go one way or another and given her natural feminine characteristics she would blossom quickly into a beautiful young woman. Deborah took to the hormones quickly and by the start of the fall semester she had small breasts and shoulder-length hair. She looked nothing like the meek person who came to the school, she was now a beautiful young woman with a shot of confidence. Throughout the move-in day she had to hole herself inside to avoid the constant attempts to pick her up for a date and the jealous stares from other girls. Sheila and Deborah were close throughout the summer and it only deepened as they worked together in the library. Anyone who saw them would see two close friends but to each other they were almost sisters. They had issues at times with the work-study coworkers but once Sheila laid down the law that Deborah was her #2 and they were to answer to her without question things smoothed over fast. Classes were easy for Deborah and true to the prediction she had Patrick Peterson as a TA for her Introduction to Geography class. Patrick showed her no special favor and treated her like everyone else but the two did exchange pleasantries whenever they were close by. Her professor asked what that was all about to which Patrick would gladly tell him, "We have known each other for a few months. She is a Finn Foundation Scholar, I helped move her out of her former home and into her new dorm." This ended all inquiries into their friendliness, lest they get on the bad side of John Finn. Deborah shined in her classes. She loaded herself up with all of the required class electives to get them out of the way to allow her to focus on the classes for her major later on. Patrick's class was one of those electives so she worked hard to impress him as well as get a decent grade. Whenever she wasn't studying or working, Deborah was holed up in her room away from other ladies. Rumors went around about her and why she was given the, "Special" room. The ladies on her floor didn't know that she could hear the talk but she ignored much of it for fear of talking with anyone. Even though she passed easily for a late bloomer she still wasn't that developed and lived in constant fear of someone finding out her secret so she just let the talk go on. At least two girls got curious and kept trying to catch a glimpse of Deborah's room. Deborah politely told them the truth, it was a scholarship room like the other three in the building but they didn't seem to believe her. They kept at it and kept trying to get views of the room, both asking how she was so special as to get her own double-sized room with shower, Sheila, though, set them straight and told them bluntly, "She worked her ass off to win her scholarship and her room is one of the perks of receiving one of the Finn Foundation scholarships. It was designed specifically for the recipients by the school at the request of the donor and paid for by the donor. I'd advise you to back away from trying to get into the room as the school protects their scholars closely and Mr. Finn especially doesn't like people going after his recipients. And he will find out, as I do believe you both have Intro to Geography with his nephew, the TA, who is friends with Deborah." The warning hit them hard. Patrick was close by and asked if they were alright to which Sheila smiled and explained what was going on. Their faces dropped as he shook his head and told them sharply, "Sheila was not joking, Uncle John designed the rooms for comfort and privacy for the recipients. She worked hard for her scholarship and deserved it so it is a home to her for the year. You can consider this a fair warning, it's not often that I get to play the bad guy but in this case I am proud to do so." Patrick kept an eye on Deborah whenever they were around each other. He liked talking to her, the two had a great rapport and didn't cross over from the student/teacher relationship as many suspected them of doing. The professor kept a close eye on the two not wanting Patrick to do something unbecoming but it was futile as Patrick was strictly business and Deborah never let their conversations steer away from school related issues. Deborah's professors were pleased with her work and praised her for helping other students. She kept a low profile in class but the professors sent multiple students to see her for tutoring as well as a fresh set of eyes for their work. Her grades were solid and she made the dean's list both in the fall and spring and was credited with saving at least three students from flunking out. Over the Christmas holidays Deborah and Sheila spent more time together. The two loners had each other and to them that was all that mattered. They didn't bother with gifts for one another as they had everything they needed and knew neither would accept the other's gift anyway. For Spring Break the two stayed at the school and enjoyed the solitude of campus. Sheila had coaxed Deborah into staying a few nights at her apartment so she didn't have to keep driving back and forth. They spent some time working with Patrick grading papers for the poor unfortunate students, with the professor gladly giving Deborah permission to act as Patrick's second opinion due to Deborah's own top grade the previous fall. As summer came things were back to being slow. The school closed for a week so Deborah stayed with Sheila and used that time to go to the beach and enjoy herself while Sheila and she grew closer. The two were tanned and primed for a long, boring summer in the library but perfectly content. Sheila never once blinked when she saw Deborah nude or did Deborah feel any shame in seeing Sheila nude. The two had gotten so used to one another that they never bothered to cover up or look away. Deborah had developed faster than expected and now sported her own decent C-cup sized breasts which Sheila proudly admitted to being jealous of as they were going to be large when she stopped developing, making Sheila's modest C-cups seem tiny by comparison. Deborah would always blush and admit, "My mother's family is well endowed up top so it is genetic. I'm glad that I won't be as big- I don't want huge DD breasts like them!" The fall semester of her sophomore year saw Deborah and Sheila meeting Patrick's two younger cousins, Paige Connors and Hannah Smith. The two hit it off with Deborah and after several weeks were almost inseparable. Hannah and Paige loved sharing stories about Patrick and his brother that always caused Deborah to laugh hard, something that the two knowingly grinned at as they looked at one another and showed that they were doing it just to get that reaction from her. Just before Thanksgiving Hannah and Paige introduced Deborah to their fianc?s, Bryan Smith and Pete Orleans. The two explained why they weren't attending school the fall semester and told about their family's big secret- they were titled nobles. Deborah wanted to disbelieve them but the way Paige and Hannah were reacting she knew they were telling the truth which made her feel even more special that they were willing to befriend her. The two guys were a quick friend to Deborah and were constantly the butt of Hannah or Paige's jokes making Deborah jealous of their closeness compared with the cutthroat rivalry her cousins showed one another. Pete and Bryan took Deborah to be more than just a friend, the way they reacted around her they said she was like family. That statement brought Deborah to tears as Sheila had to explain why it meant so much to Deborah getting anger and frustration from Bryan as he loudly swore at Deborah's horrible upbringing. The good times wouldn't last for Deborah. Deborah being so close to Sheila caused several students to be upset and shun her. This started to cascade to others believing she was getting special treatment for having the best room in the dorm while still others complained that she didn't deserve the room as she was a scholarship recipient and those paying full price for room and board should have the room. All of the ill will culminated in someone started to spread word about her, "Little secret." Chapter 3 Word spread like wildfire that Deborah was a tranny and Deborah had to hole up in her room to avoid anyone. Sheila tried hard to help her, going so far as to get her meals for her but the news took a heavy toll on Deborah's mental health. Nothing seemed to work. Sheila convinced her that the only thing she could do to counter the bigots was to be who she always was and let them make the mistake of going after her. They had to abide by the same rules as she did. They would get in trouble and expelled, she wouldn't. Sheila had been talking with Hannah and Paige who both told her that they knew of Deborah's secret already and that it was perfectly fine with them that she was transgender. Hannah showed a picture and told her sharply, "This is my sister and these are four of my cousins. Deborah is like four of them, all but Al were born boys but felt in their heart and mind that they were girls. Al is a girl now but she never wanted to be one but when forced to become a girl she reluctantly embraced it. I love them with all my heart and to abandon Deborah for being like them would mean abandoning my own family as well. She has our support and I'll guarantee that she will have the support of the school or heads will roll. Uncle John has them by the balls and is not afraid to rip them off to help Deborah or any other student in her situation. He is pissed and he is going to take action." That image chilled Sheila but then caused her to smile as she saw Hannah fired up. Paige tried to calm her down and added, "Bryan and Pete knew all along as well. We don't keep secrets from one another. Patrick and David both know about Deborah's past and to be frank I doubt they care about it for the same reason that we don't care- the four like Deborah. She has nothing to worry about and we will ensure that she is alright even if we have to rip apart the school to do so." Deborah was finally able to get out of her room but kept away from the library. She just couldn't deal with being alone with anyone and the safest place for her was the classroom. What she thought might be a sanctuary turned out to be just another place to be put on display by the other students. Her professors took little pity on her and let the students have their fun. Deborah fought back tears as she endured their abuse but she had little choice. She never fought back against them and didn't say a word, focusing instead on doing her work. By the end of the first week she was suffering greatly and on the verge of a mental breakdown. Hannah and Paige had classes in different buildings due to their different requirements so they never saw the abuse she endured but they could guess from the reactions they saw whenever Deborah was close by. They ignored the stares and dirty looks and continued to try to help Deborah but even their support wasn't doing much to curb her depression. The closest Deborah could come to a highlight was the seminar by John Finn, the same seminar that she had been told about when she first came to the school. Hannah and Paige seemed blas? about it telling her with a groan, "We have seen it a dozen times and had him as a teacher for three years so it's all old hat to us." Deborah though was eager, knowing that John would want to meet her afterward. The lecture was extremely interesting to Deborah. John kept them enthralled and had most of them laughing as he showed highlights of previous classes he had taught. John's eyes lingered on her as he spoke, as if he was looking to see if she was alright. Deborah thought that it was due to her being one of the scholarship recipients so she didn't second guess why he was lingering. The rest of the students were unaware of it and played along with John's teasing. The lecture lasted two hours and ate up much of the evening. Deborah walked back to her dorm slowly, constantly keeping an eye out for people. She had a nagging fear that someone would do something to her because she was transgender, to her it was only a matter of time before the abuse went from openly mocking her to physically assaulting her. John was being mobbed by the other seminar participants so Deborah decided to leave him to his fans. She didn't want to answer any questions nor did she think she should be around him lest her, "Problem" cause him issues. Even though he had family who were transgender that didn't mean that he wanted the world to know nor did it mean that he would want his scholarship fund to take a PR hit from her. She was just outside her dorm building when three guys approached her. They were boyfriends of some of the girls on her floor and who were the most vocal about her being transgender. At least two of the girls were outright jealous of her over her having the best dorm room. One girl was constantly complaining that Deborah looked too good to be a female. This should have given Deborah some comfort but she was revolted that Deborah looked better than her. Deborah tried to drown out her whining, she wasn't the only one to have that reaction to Deborah's looks. The guys wasted no time in hassling Deborah as soon as they spotted her. They blocked the door and wouldn't let her enter the building as she tried to get by. Two grabbed her back and purse while a third grabbed her hands. Deborah was frightened worse than she had ever been before, even when her cousins and uncles would beat her for the smallest infractions. They flung her around from one person to the other, taunting her before finally knocking her down and beating her. They took great care to kick only her legs and chest, keeping away from her arms and face. Deborah could only ball up and try to protect her head but it did little good as they were striking her hard. She was about to black out from the pain when the three assailants were flung hard into the doors, the glass shattering from the impact. What followed was shouting and fighting that resulted in all three of her assailants being knocked to the ground and gasping for breath. Deborah barely held herself together as she looked up to see the faces of John, David, and Patrick. David was on the phone while Patrick and John helped her up. John gave her a quick look-over and told her she needed to get checked out by EMS to ensure she wasn't hurt internally. Patrick told her sharply, "These three are looking at hard time for what they just did." The security guard inside the dorm came out and demanded to know what happened to the three guys. John harshly told him, "You should know, you were staring right at them the whole time. You let them corner a female and openly assault her without so much as lifting a finger to stop them." The security guard threatened to call the cops on the three to which John said, "Already taken care of. In fact, you will have to answer as to why you allowed them to even be here in the first place as I know damn well that this is a female-only dorm this year and after dark no males are allowed inside or near the building. They should have been d riven off by you long ago." David saw the first cruiser and whispered something to John. He nodded then made a quick phone call. Patrick grinned and softly told Deborah, "Calling in the cavalry. Something smells and they are going to get to the bottom of it. Nobody messes with our family and gets away with it. Nobody!" As they were talking the security guard approached the campus police officers and told them to arrest John, Patrick, and David for assaulting the three guys. The officers ignored them until the security guard decided to make a big scene. The officers grinned and then announced, "Shut your trap. You are going to be joining the three of them in jail. We are going to be seizing the CCTV footage and visitor logs as well as questioning you about your role in this incident." The security guard tried to protest but the officer grinned back, proudly stating, "You ignored your job. You let a resident of this dormitory be assaulted by people who should never have been allowed near the dorm. You made no attempt to stop a violent assault against a female in progress nor did you even attempt to notify us of the assault. You have a lot to answer for and I highly doubt this is the first time you have allowed this to happen." The guard tried to claim that they assaulted the three men but one officer pointed out, "I think you ought to show them something John, David." Both turned around and opened their wallets, showing the man two police badges. John stated bluntly, "You really have no idea what the hell you are doing. Whomever hired you is going to be looking for a job very shortly." The campus officers looked at one another and shook their heads. They saw the name badge and told John sharply, "He's the son of the head of public safety for the campus. He washed out of the police academy and couldn't pass any of the municipal civil service exams so his daddy got him this cushy job babysitting the desk for the RAs." John bitterly told them, "I guess we can expect parental involvement. Good thing that we have heavy firepower on the way so don't worry about his father. He won't stand a chance against the incoming barrage from our support, he'll be out of the job begging them not to bringe charges against him." Deborah was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital to be examined by a doctor. Patrick went with her while John and David sorted out the mess at the dorm. After x-rays and a thorough exam Deborah was in pain but mostly unhurt. She had extensive bruising but her heavy winter jacket cushioned much of the kicking so she'd be in pain for a few days but otherwise alright. The campus officers hauled the four away after reviewing the CCTV video. It was clear that the four were talking about someone then the security guard pointed her out prompting the three to hide and confront her. He was seen observing the whole incident, not even trying to call the police or break it up. No sooner had they hauled him away than the backup arrived. Kennedy Pena looked at the video and was visibly sickened. John told her about the relationship between the security guard and the head of public safety causing her to snort and proclaim, "He wasn't qualified and his troubles trying to be a cop should have been a red flag. I am thinking that this wasn't the first assault that he allowed to happen and I bet if anyone made any waves his father covered it up for him." The campus officers told her sharply, "This is above our pay grade. You better have the State Police take this. He will do whatever it takes to hinder our investigation but he can't do anything to the State Police unit." Kennedy shook her head and grumbled, "He's politically protected. This is going to get ugly and the Staties may not have much of a chance of investigating it right." John ignored their attitude and grinned. He proudly told them, "He is not protected from all. This is one time where we need to use our biggest weapon for the greater good. I'll give Christian a call and let him know what's going on. No matter who this guy has in his corner they won't faze Christian. Not with us as witnesses to such a big problem." John sent a text to Christian James asking him to call John immediately. Christian wasted little time and immediately called John and was filled in on what happened. Christian listened intently then told John without question, "Since she is already there Kennedy will get the case. I'm going to talk with the area major, lt. colonel, and the colonel about this situation and get their full cooperation. Keep her safe and get her off campus right away. I don't trust that scumbag not to retaliate against her in another way. And tell the officers as of this moment they are to ignore all orders from the head of public safety and only answer to their chief of police with the State Police invoking their right for oversight over them. The officers heard him loud and clear. John placed a call to the chief telling him, "We have had a major problem at one of the dorms and as of this moment you are ordered by the governor to ignore any and all requests and demands from the school's head of public safety. You are to cooperate with the State Police and if need be you are to place members of the security staff under arrest if they are found to have broken the law. Control is revoked from the school until further notice, you answer to the colonel and the colonel alone." The chief didn't question John, telling him, "John if this had come from anyone else I'd laugh in their face but since it's you I'll call all of the off-duty officers and inform them of what is happening. I have a strong suspicion that it's all about a certain person so keep her safe. We should have done something already but you can guess why we didn't." David was busy coordinating with his colleagues and had two troopers en- route to secure the evidence. Kennedy had received a call from her boss confirming that she was the lead investigator for the case and that it was going to be kept locally to her, down in Suffolk County, so there was no interference from anyone at the college. She grinned at this, she wanted to have at him and anyone else for what they did to Deborah and she was just handed carte blanch to go after him. They had finally wrapped up when the ladies from the dorm started to return home after their various activities ended for the night. Most of them noticed the officers and people in suits and immediatle they assumed the worst. Word spread around about the assault but nobody believed it until now. Someone finally spoke up and announced that it was Deborah who was assaulted. This sent several into a frenzy as they started to shout and complain about someone being hurt while others complained about the message it would send about their dorm. The campus officers let them voice their complaints, they had legitimate fears and it was working to the benefit of all for them to see that they could be hurt too. This all stopped when one of the girls loudly said, "About time someone hurt that tranny freak. It should have been kicked out a year ago!" One of the officers turned and told her, "As much as you may not like her she has every right to be here as you do. And you might want to start taking up a collection because your boyfriend is going to jail and facing serious prison time for assault. But I think you already knew that. It's a shame that you are going to find yourself all alone without anyone to give a damn about you, all because you were jealous that someone was smarter, got better grades, and worked hard to maintain those grades. All that fuss over a simple dorm room." Word spread that it was the truth, they had been jealous of Deborah for having the best room in the dorm. The three ladies were now the focus of all attention as they tried their hardest to get away. The officers smirked as they became campus pariahs for their abusive behavior and their pettiness. Kennedy couldn't help but chuckle as the officers worked the crowd. They were blowing off steam and averting a dangerous bigotry-induced moment all in one fell swoop. John proudly admitted, "We never give these guys enough credit but they do an amazing job. They know how to handle kids off on their own for the first time" Kennedy nodded her head at that. Patrick and Deborah drove to a pharmacy to get her prescription for ibuprofen filled. They sat silently as Deborah kept trying to think about events of the night and where it went wrong. Her face was a mix of terror and pain from the shifting images in her mind. Patrick kept looking at her with concern. He felt bad about the whole night and wanted whomever it was that found out about her past and disclosed it to the student body to pay. He cared a lot about her, more than a typical teacher/student relationship that was long since over. She was a friend, one whose opinions he highly regarded. Once the prescription was filled they drove back to the campus where Deborah was told to gather some clothes for a week. She entered her room and gloomily gathered her possessions, feeling like it may be the last time she would be there. Patrick tried to reassure her that she was only leaving until things cooled off but Deborah felt it was over, there was no turning back the tide of hatred. Patrick and Deborah drove to Sheila's apartment so she could crash there until things blew over. Sheila embraced her as soon as she stepped out of her car, crying into her shoulder. Deborah did her best to comfort her but Sheila was inconsolable. Even though it was Deborah who was hurt Sheila felt the pain of it all as she knew no matter what happened Deborah was going to face retaliation and it wasn't going to be pretty for anyone. When she composed herself Sheila insisted that Patrick come inside as well. He reluctantly agreed but only after a pleading look from Deborah. The three talked for two hours before Patrick needed to leave to get sleep. He hugged Deborah and told her that he'd be back the next morning to help her smooth over anything that might need smoothing at the school. Deborah's grin caught the eye of Sheila, there was something going on between them that neither seemed to notice. It wasn't love yet but it wasn't normal friendship. The two are great together and she was calmer around him and Patrick seemed to act more protective of her whenever she was around. Deborah went to the spare bedroom and lay down. Sheila came in and lay beside her, telling her softly that she was stronger than anyone she had ever known. Deborah fell asleep with Sheila telling her that she would be by her side no matter what and to fight back. Chapter 4 The next morning the campus was in a bigger uproar. The media was alerted about the assault and were asking questions about the victim. Kennedy was front and center and deflected all attempts at finding her identity and had word spread quickly to all students and professors that anyone leaking Deborah's identity would face serious consequences. This didn't stop Deborah from receiving phone calls from people she didn't know, Sheila took to shielding all calls and noted that all of them were students trying to get around the ban by getting Deborah to talk while someone was overhearing their conversation. John had an emergency meeting with the university's senior officials. The topic was Deborah and the assault and John was seeking blood. He had overwhelming support on paper but given that most were political appointees he had to ensure they were not going to be receiving any backlash before he could count on their support. John went over the state's laws regarding rights to privacy and disclosure of personal information then over laws regarding discrimination and the school's own policies. He pointed out how Deborah's rights were violated by someone revealing her past and when the people responsible were found they would be prosecuted. He then pointed out that the school was potentially in danger of a major lawsuit and that he himself would lead the charge if anyone from the administration was behind the outing. John went further to point out that if she was harassed in any way by her professors then she would be withdrawn from school and they would be held responsible. Dean Zane assured them that John's rantings weren't idle threats, they were promises. He offered his college's full support and he would see to it personally that any professor fond to be abusing her would lose their tenure as well as their jobs. John told Dean Zane sharply, "She already has a list of names and when she is able to she will record the abuse firsthand." Dean Zane went on record to agree with the recording and added that he would personally remove the professors from their positions. The only person not invited to the meeting was the head of public safety. Yancy Quill was excluded as the assault directly involved is son and he was facing an investigation himself. John had made it clear that Yancy Quill being there was not going to happen or the school would have to explain to the board of trustees why he was allowed to hamper an active investigation being conducted by the state. None of the attendees wanted that to happen and quickly gave in to John's demands. Yancy Quill was busy himself as State Police investigators came into his office and detained him for questioning as his files and PC were seized. They beat him to the punch and arrived before he or any member of his staff did, getting maintenance to admit them to his office with a quick flash of their search warrants. Quill's face was one of pure anger as he saw them taking everything they could from the office then turned to fear as the detectives escorted him to a conference room for his interview. Kennedy sat in with the detectives, asking questions while reviewing Quill's claims. She noticed a pattern to his wording and saw that he was wording questions to avoid actually answering them. It didn't work with her, she asked him pointed questions leaving little room to maneuver or manipulate the responses making what he said damaging to his defense. Quill eventually caved and admitted that he hired his son because he was incapable of being hired on by any police department due to his criminal record and history of DUIs. He covered up multiple assaults that his son orchestrated, all against women that were causing trouble for his friends. His job was basically a, "Show up and collect your paycheck" job that didn't require him to do anything except that he simply sit at a table and sign people in and out of the dorms. Listening to his story the lead investigator asked him harshly, "How much did you cover up?" Quill grinned and told him, "I'm not telling you anymore than I already have." Quill then grinned and told them, "I only told you this because I know damn well that I'll get off without a thing happening to me. The lieutenant governor is my oldest and dearest friend and I'm his biggest donor. Try and come after me, you can't touch me. In fact, I think I'll have your asses reassigned to mucking the stables at the Acton barracks just for bothering me." Kennedy grinned at hearing that. She pointed out, "I'm not a State Police investigator, I'm an assistant attorney general. You were given your Miranda warning and just freely admitted to using your office to commit a crime and intend on getting the lieutenant governor to cover it up for you. Thank you, sir. It is making my job easier, you just not only cost yourself your job but you brought him down as well. And before you claim otherwise, it was your own arrogance that brought this about. We didn't provoke you and weren't looking at him but your own ego made you say something that you can't take back." Quill was visibly scared but he turned and admitted, "I'll see to it that the freak never sets foot in any classroom again. Word will get out and she will pay. I may go down politically but I'll have a cushy job when this blows over. She will be outed and never get employed by anyone!" Kennedy shook her head at his sheer arrogance. She bluntly told him, "You just admitted to violating her right to privacy as well as her civil rights and that you intend to harm her by having someone else do it for you. The list of charges against you is adding up. And for your information, you might have a few powerful friends but she has people who are standing up for her rights that won't back down from a fight and aren't afraid of any of the hacks you have supporting you. That job you are claiming to have is never going to be there, not after her supporters get through with them." The detectives told him they would be investigating further and would be looking into his finances, his interactions, and his history. Quill didn't seem fazed but Kennedy's cold stare showed she was going to take him down hard. He hit a nerve in her that would only cause him to regret mouthing off to her. Sheila went to work leaving Deborah alone in Sheila's apartment. Deborah tendered her resignation, citing inability to focus on work and fear for her safety. Sheila refused to accept it and told her that if she wanted to quit she would have to do so in person. Deborah reluctantly followed her to the library and spoke with the librarian about the situation and was given an emergency leave of absence with the express intent that Deborah would not quit no matter how much she pleaded, she was vital and they would not accept the loss of her for any reason. Sheila kept her close in the library, refusing to help anyone who had any unkind words for Deborah and ensuring that they knew Deborah was not to be messed with. Deborah endured sneers from the ladies of her dorm throughout the day but never said a word and always acted professionally. The ladies treaded lightly as Sheila pointed out, "All conversations around Deborah are being recorded and any remarks in violation of the university's honor code will be forwarded to the proper people." This led to the ladies backing off from direct confrontation but still snarled at her from afar. Sheila managed to talk Deborah into retrieving her personal items from her room lest someone break in and destroy them. Deborah reluctantly led the way and was met by a mixed reception as half seemed to be sympathetic while the other half disgusted at her being there. Sheila made it a point to keep anyone from coming close to Deborah and shielded her from being confronted. There was little left in the room that belonged to Deborah. The last bits were just her TV and bedding as Deborah unknowingly gathered all of her clothes during her dazed condition the night before. Sheila locked the door and loudly told everyone within earshot, "Don't get any ideas about taking other things out on Deborah's room. This room is closed up and everything inside belongs to the school. Anything done to this room is vandalism and will be prosecuted. We will be sure to let the school know to check the condition of the room in a bit to ensure that nobody goes in or out of there. They will know and you will be prosecuted." Sheila wasn't joking. She had talked with John while on break and had cameras installed in the room to capture vandals intent on harming Deborah's room. It wasn't long after they left that Sheila got a call that someone had actually been stupid enough to break into the room but were easily identified. The vandals were the same girls who had issues with Deborah and the school was treating their vandalism seriously. They wouldn't be students much longer, they were facing expulsion and would pay dearly for breaking the room's furniture when the school got around to implimenting their punishment. At Sheila's apartment Deborah had all but moved in. Sheila didn't mind the company and made the best of having Deborah there. The two cleaned up the place, making it spotless for the first time in a long time. Sheila complained that she was making her look bad which got Deborah laughing bringing a smile to Sheila's face. The two were even closer now than they had been before and Sheila freely admitted that she felt like Deborah was more than just her best friend, she was her sister. Over in Winnisimmet John took a meeting with Ricardo Ramirez, a close friend of the Finn Family who always kept his distance just enough to avoid a conflict of interest. Ricardo had questions about Deborah that unsettled John. The more he asked the more John started to think that Ricardo was hiding something that he was reluctant to tell John. After an hour of questions Ricardo couldn't hold back any longer and asked sharply, "Have you ever found out any information about Deborah Thomas' past beyond what you already know?" John knew Ricardo was on to something and freely admitted, "We know that she was from California and changed her name from James Vega to Deborah Thomas. Her family situation is eerily similar to the Clarence family but with some even more brutal issues." Ricardo drew a sharp breath and finally told him, "The name Vega should mean something to you. The name isn't just a coincidence even though it is a common last name. Think for a second and think hard, before she came to Newhall where did Dorothy come from?" John gasped in shock as he asked, "She is Dorothy's daughter? How is that possible? I know Dorothy and she never told me anything about this!" John didn't get a chance to answer as Valerie Finn chimed in, "It's the worst moment of her life and she tried hard to avoid thinking about it. She kept quiet about it from most people but there are very few whom she trusted enough to tell the whole story. Deborah's father was transgender. When she came out and started to transition her in-laws fought and won the removal of Deborah from Dorothy and her new wife, Jaimie Thomas', custody. This action caused both of them so much heartbreak that Jaimie took her own life rather than live without her child. Dorothy couldn't continue on and took a job in Newhall to escape the pain. She only told me about it because I was so concerned about her depression." John was crestfallen. His closest friend had not felt that he could be trusted enough to share that with him. Valerie continued on, "Jaimie's death is why Dorothy felt the need to protect our Jaimie so strongly and why she latched onto you so quickly. You reminded her of Jaimie, you carried on her ideals. She just couldn't tell you because she didn't want you to think that you were replacing her in any way." John had to think seriously about the situation. Ricardo told John, "I only know this because Stephanie and Al asked me to look into finding James. Her being the Finn Foundation Scholarship recipient was pure coincidence and by your own description her earning it may have saved her life. She doesn't know about Dorothy being here nor does Dorothy know that we know about Deborah." John let out a big sigh and announced, "We have to tell them. It isn't right. They need closure and after what happened to Deborah she needs family who understand her. We can only do so much for her, it's time to make things right." Valerie looked at the time and told John, "Invite both of them to dinner tomorrow night. This is way too important to let lay unanswered. I'll let Alice know that Dorothy might need a day or two off afterward to recover from the shock but they need to meet up." Ricardo offered his $.02 by adding, "When this is over I need to talk to Deborah about what Jo and Phyllis Kaplan found out in California. It's not pretty and could lead to a big fight involving her." Ricardo left to talk with Alice while Valerie called Dorothy to set up the dinner plan. John called Sheila to have Deborah ready for the next evening as she would be needed to help with the emotional fallout. The last one to be called was Patrick as John wanted him there to help work with Deborah to get ready for the inevitable withdrawal from school. John hated to do it but all signs were pointing to Deborah becoming the scapegoat for bad professors and she needed to be around people who supported her, not a chaotic situation that would only get worse. Sheila jumped at the chance to have dinner with the Finns. Deborah was reluctant but Sheila pointed out that Patrick would be there as would the Johnsons. Sheila proudly told her that she was invited as well and that she was going to pick out her smartest dress while Deborah would wear her best dress. Sheila felt giddy dressing up for the Finns. She knew that they were just normal people but it was like meeting royalty. Deborah had to rein her in but the two enjoyed the preparations, using them as a way of keeping their minds off the issues at hand. The next morning they were awoken to a phone call from Patrick telling them that the dean wanted Deborah to attend classes again. Deborah was reluctant until Patrick calmly told her, "The dean has faith in you and you have his full support. He is also insisting that you record the class, it's your right as a student to record lectures and if you just so happen to catch some inappropriate behavior it's not your fault. You have a right to protect yourself, he's simply telling you that you have rights." Deborah caught the gist of it and had to smile. The dean wasn't fooling around anymore and wanted the cancer excised before it spread to others. It is one thing to deal with students, it is another to deal with professors. Students are expected to have their biases and bigotry: professors though, had a professional code of conduct and anyone breaking that code would be removed without hesitation. Sheila drove Deborah to the school, Deborah was too nervous to drive and it was felt that Sheila's car would fare better overall in the parking lot than Deborah's. Patrick met them outside the liberal arts college's lecture halls and sat in on the class, using his own recording device to capture the professors' antics. Sheila had to work so she went off, but told them that she would be on call if needed. Deborah's first class was an American literature class, one that Deborah used to enjoy before her secret got out. She was prepared for class and had her homework and notes ready for her test. Patrick was in the class as an observer, he was aware of complaints laid against the professor and wanted hard evidence against him. He didn't have to wait long to get it. Deborah took her seat in the front of the class where she normally sat and opened up her notebook to the right set of notes. Her professor rudely told her, "Just take your seat and shut your trap. I don't want any theatrics or milking sympathy from you. You are lucky I let you in this class let alone remain." Deborah didn't respond, she waited for the test to be handed out. She was the last one to receive a test and only got it when she asked for it. Her professor ignored her until she asked second time, this time loud enough to be heard by all. The looks from the class forced the professor to hand her one, but he added a snide, "Take your test and sit down. I'm just going to toss it in the trash when you are done anyway. I may have to put up with you being here but I don't have to grade any of your work. You are receiving a failing grade no matter what you do." Patrick walked to the front of the class and told the professor sharply, "Everything you have just said was recorded and is going to be submitted to the dean and chancellor. Expect a visit from both shortly. And don't even think for a second that this is Deborah's work, I actually am the one that taped your verbal abuse at the dean of othe department and the college's request." The class gasped in shock. The professor tried to backpedal and claim he couldn't do that. Patrick just grinned and proudly told the class, "Not only is that wrong it's ignorant. If he had bothered to read the rights of students within the guidebook each of you receive at the beginning of each semester you will find that it is your right to record classes for the express purpose of using the recording for personal notes. In additional it is allowable for personal safety, deflecting false allegations, and proving abuse. This is in addition to the original purpose of being a study aid." Deborah got up and walked out, handing in her test and telling the professor, "I did my work and have it on record that I did it. Whatever you choose to do with it is up to you but you have my test." The professor just tossed it in the trash bin, not even bothering to look at it and telling Patrick, "I could care less about your threats. I'm protected and there is nothing that can be done against me." Patrick just grinned and walked away, knowing that the man was bluffing and knew he was going to be fired soon. Patrick escorted Deborah out, telling her softly, "You handled that well." The two walked to a quiet spot where Deborah sat down and fought back tears. She had to take that class or she wouldn't get a degree and the only professor that teaches it hated her for no good reason. Patrick kept quiet until she calmed herself then told her warmly, "You don't have to worry about a thing, I know my uncle well and he is cooking up something for you. You may not be a student here much longer but you will earn your degree and you will get your teaching job. UMass-Boston will take you on and the people there are on a first name basis with Dean Zane. The crap going on here won't follow you, anyone down there trying to do anything against you will see their careers go up in flames. You are protected and you have support." She hugged him tightly for the words of encouragement causing him to blush and return the embrace. Both broke the hug when the realized what they were doing, blushing even deeper shades of red. She tried to apologize for hugging him but Patrick wouldn't hear it, telling her softly, "I didn't mind, and it felt nice to have a girl hug me." Patrick walked her to the dean's office and played the recording for Dean Zane and the vice chancellor. Both were surprised that someone would be so bold as to act that way, especially in class and in front other students. Deborah was told she didn't have to attend any more classes and would be given the rest of the semester off to allow for a transfer to another school. Dean Zane worked with her to get a spot in UMass-Boston and smoothed over things regarding the transfer. It wasn't ideal but it was the only real option for her and they were tougher on any sort of discrimination. The vice chancellor was sad to see the school take a reputation hit but it meant cleaning house of bad seeds that potentially poisoned minds. Sheila received a phone call during her shift at the library. Her landlord wasn't happy to have Deborah living there and wanted Deborah removed. Sheila drew a deep breath and asked what his particular problem was to which he complained about having a tranny freak in his building. Sheila asked how he knew about Deborah and was told, "A couple of young ladies from your school told me. They showed me a picture of it and told me that you were housing that thing now. I want it out or I want you out." Sheila was torn. She would not abandon Deborah. Sheila calmly told the man, "I have an ironclad lease and you have no right to make this demand. If you see to it that myself or my friend need to be evicted then by all means try. I am not in the least bit afraid of hiring a lawyer to sue you for every penny for both breaking the lease and violating her rights. And if you think for a second that any threats or any attempts to push us out will work I'll have your ass in handcuffs before the ink is dried on the lawsuit." He told her loudly, "Get the hell out of my building by tomorrow or I'll burn the damn place down. I don't want that freak in there and if I have to I'll beat the two of you senseless to do so." Sheila told him again that she would not be leaving and pointed out further, "This is now a threat and I'll be in contact with police. Further I'll have my lawyer draw up a complaint against you for civil rights violations. I highly doubt this is the first time you have done this but it will be the last." Sheila's boss heard the entire conversation and told her to go home and pack, the man was going to do something horrible no matter what. Sheila called Deborah to give her the bad news then had the phone handed to Patrick. Patrick sighed heavily and asked that she give him an hour to sort something out and he'd get back to her. They couldn't live in Salem anymore but they weren't going to be homeless. He had a place picked out already. They were going to the safest home in the city, even if it was almost 20 miles away it was the safest place for them to be. Chapter 5 Deborah and Sheila went right to work packing while Patrick made a few phone calls. His first call was to his uncle to ask about the apartment over his Great Aunt's apartment. This was still available as they hadn't had the chance to find the right people to rent it to. It was perfect for the two young ladies, even if it meant dealing with his Great Uncle Jorge. Patrick's next call was to his Aunt Valerie to get her legal advice. Patrick explained the situation and got a slew of swears from Valerie the likes of which he had never heard before from her. She took a few minutes to calm down while Patrick tried his hardest to avoid bursting into laughter as his aunt's rare moment of unintentional vulgarity. Sighing heavily Valerie told him, "Pack them up and I'll send your cousins up to help move them. They need to be out before dawn, I don't trust this man for a second not to follow through on his threats. Next I am going to be there to serve him papers for violating the lease and civil rights violations. And I suspect we had better have the fire department informed in case he tries to actually torch the place. Do not take any chanceas if he comes around call the police immediately!" Patrick agreed with her and told her they were already packing up. Valerie added, "I am going to see to it that those three bimbos pay dearly for their actions. I understand this is now the third time they have done something against Deborah, this constitutes a pattern of harassment. Their parents are going to be receiving a lawsuit on their behalf and the school would now have to take action against them. They may claim that it's off- campus thus not school related but given their connection to the initial attack as well as the heckling outside the dorm, the school has to do something or risk further lawsuit. The fact that they didn't have action taken against them already for their actions makes me concerned that they have highly powerful people protecting them but that won't hold up to pressure from us." Valerie hung up and called David and Jorge. Jorge had kept the apartment clean and ready to move into while David had contacts in the Salem police and fire departments so both were happy to help Deborah. David grinned at telling his friend that there might be arson involved, his friend was awell ware of the owner of the property had a penchant for his buildings to suffer odd electrical shorts or have sudden chimney fires. They had been waiting to catch him in the act and were all too happy to set up a sting. Deborah and Sheila spent the evening packing everything possible while Patrick made several runs to find boxes. David arrived with a small army in tow, grinning as he told Deborah, "Bryan and Hannah ordered all of them to help out. They told you before that you were like family and they meant it." The group of teens got to work packing the rest of the items in the apartment. Deborah and the girls packed their lingerie and clothes while Patrick and the boys went to work dismantling the electronics. They coordinated well together and things were done faster than expected. Sheila was driven to the new apartment in Winnisimmet ahead of the rest to sort out where things would go. She was accompanied by a young lady who introduced herself as Claire, Patrick and David's younger sister. Claire guided her down Rt. 1A to Winnisimmet as Sheila had no clue how to get to the city, she was from Endicott and never went past the Salem/Swampscott line. Claire spent much of the trip looking at Sheila and asking about her family, something Sheila found odd. When they arrived and parked Sheila turned and sharply asked her, "Why have you been staring at me since we met? Is there something wrong with me?" Claire drew a sharp breath and told her, "I think you are our cousin. You, Patrick, and David share the same Peterson features. I know dad had a sister that he never mentioned all that much about her and mom didn't want to ask about." Sheila had a tear in her eye and told her, "Mom's maiden name is Peterson. I didn't see anything in your brothers until you mentioned it." Claire smiled and admitted to her, "I learned to look at faces to see any sign of familiarity after my sister was adopted. It was how our aunts and uncle knew we were their nieces. Aunt Victoria and Uncle Jorge saw it before anyone else and made them see the similarities." Sheila asked if her uncle was still alive getting a solemn, "He died when I was eight. Our family is a big convoluted mess. David and Patrick are your first cousins by blood, I'm your cousin by adoption, and she won't mind in the least if you want to believe that that Daisy would be dad's daughter as well even if you have no connection to her. So you have three or four cousins." Sheila started to cry, she admitted, "I always hoped that Uncle Jerry had kids. I don't care if you and your sister are adopted, you are family no matter what." Claire hugged her and had to step out to call her mother to ask her to come by so the six of them could talk. Lilly Peterson answered her quickly and agreed to come by. Daisy Peterson was reluctant to go out but Lilly could sense that this wasn't a normal request and they had to make it to the apartment. David was heading over there anyway so all six were set for the talk. Victoria took one look at Sheila and asked her, "Are you related to David and Patrick?" Sheila nodded as Claire complained, "All that time I spent trying to figure out what was going on and you figure it out in a few seconds!" Victoria grinned and told her sharply, "I have six decades of studying faces, you have barely 17 years. You should be happy to have another family member found, the poor girl looks like she has been through the wringer more than a few times." Claire rolled her eyes as she introduced Sheila to Victoria. Victoria asked her pointedly, "Are you Jerry's niece?" Sheila nodded, introducing herself to which Victoria told her, "We knew your uncle, he was Jorge's supervisor before he was promoted to vice president after he earned his MBA. He was proud of your parents and spoke highly of them." Jorge came out and had the same questions. He spent more time looking at Sheila and told her, "I have not seen you since you were in a carriage. Your dad brought you by the factory a couple of times to talk with your uncle before your uncle was moved to a better office in Boston. You take after your mother and uncle, you are the spitting image of your mother." Sheila was speechless. This was the first time since her parents died that she felt like she wasn't alone. She had spent the past few years all alone going to and from the library, ever since she met Deborah her life has been getting better and better. But this was different. This was finding blood relatives as well as adopted relatives. Lilly drove up and parked across the street. As soon as she exited the car she looked over and saw a young woman sitting next to Claire. Her jaw dropped as she started to realize who she was. Lilly let out a big gasp then soft, "Little Sheila? Is it really you? After all these years? I'm sorry that I forgot that you were up in Endicott, I don't know what came over me." Sheila turned and saw Lilly's mouth open and trying to register what was going on. Claire grinned and told her mom, "Patrick found more than a girlfriend up in Salem, he found our cousin!" Sheila looked at her oddly to which Claire grinned and admitted, "He speaks about her a lot. He is smitten with her. He doesn't see it and I know Deborah is too afraid of everyone to think she has a chance with him but he really likes her, maybe even loves her." Daisy Peterson got tired of waiting in the car and walked across the street to see what was going on. She took one look at Sheila and mumbled, "So she's a cousin, big deal." Sheila thought she might have offended her but Lilly explained, "Daisy's upset that she had to miss part of her favorite TV show. She is normally sweet but today she is unusually cranky." Daisy shook her head and told Sheila, "They wouldn't let me come along to help." Sheila understood the real reason and told her warmly, "Deborah is feeling shy at the moment and we had a lot of big boxes to pack." Daisy countered with, "She shouldn't be shy, she's just like Jaimie and she is helping." Sheila asked what she meant. Daisy shook her head and bluntly told her, "Everyone there knows she is like Jaimie. Uncle John told them why you had to move quickly but they figured out already that it was something like that. I'm not too small to help." Sheila thought she wouldn't accept any excuse and she had a point. She told Daisy warmly, "You can help us decorate and move things around tomorrow. It's getting late and you have school tomorrow." Lilly mouthed, "Thank you" to Sheila as Daisy went back to the car. Lilly looked up at the time and told her, "We will talk about this tomorrow. John has invited you and Deborah to dinner so we can talk before. I'm hoping to get caught up on things, hopefully Daisy will be in a better mood then." After Lilly and Daisy left the first of the cars arrived carrying the boxes of clothes. Deborah got out of Patrick's car and seeing the big smile on Sheila's face asked what was going on. Sheila tried to find the right words but Claire answered for her, explaining, "Your best friend here just found out that Patrick and David are her cousins." Deborah looked at Sheila who nodded, then added, "And so are you. I told you that you were my cousin even if you were adopted by Uncle Jerry." Claire grinned and corrected herself, telling Deborah, "OK then she found out she has four cousins and an aunt and has known two of them for over a year." David smacked his head hearing that while Patrick was trying to figure out what was going on. David turned to him and shook his head, grumbling, "You are supposed to be the smart one. I know we haven't seen them in years but dad did have a sister and brother-in-law and a niece." Patrick's eyes grew wide as he asked, "She's been living with Deborah this whole time? Why didn't we notice it before?" David rolled his eyes and told him bluntly, "If you weren't googly-eyed whenever you were around Deborah you might have seen the signs. She's our cousin, we are her only family left." Patrick tried to deny he had feelings or acted that way while Deborah tried to make herself scarce while they talked between each other. Jaimie saw her shying away and asked her softly, "Are you alright?" Deborah nodded to which Jaimie admitted to her, "Don't be shy, we all know Patrick has a thing for you. He never acted like that before, he cares deeply about you." Deborah tried to come up with any reason to deny it. Jaimie shook her head and grinned, informing her, "He's protective of people like us. Ever since he came to terms with his sister being born intersexed he has protected us." Deborah asked what she meant to which Jaimie drew a deep breath and began to tell her, "I'm like you." Deborah looked her up and down and asked how that was possible, she looked so much like a woman that you can never tell she was anything but a woman. Jaimie blushed but told her, "I lost my testicles when I was 12. I started to transition at the same time so the hormones took to me quickly. Dad says we are more alike than the other girls, if dad hadn't helped me I might have been like you, not able to start transitioning until I got out of foster care and even then I might never had had the courage to do so." Deborah shed a tear as she admitted, "I had the same thing happen to me at the same age. My family beat me and I kept my female side hidden for six years." Jaimie hugged her, telling her, "You are one of us now. Hannah and Paige said it before and meant it. We are going to help you. You already have won over the heart of Patrick, we just have to get the two of you together." Deborah blushed and tried to deny it but Jaimie grinned and told her pointedly, "I saw the looks the two of you shared. He likes you and wouldn't go out of his way to protect you the way he has unless it was more than just friendship. He may be earning a master's degree but sometimes he is the biggest fool around. He likes you, and you like him." Deborah sighed and finally admitted, "I like him a lot. He's the first person to show me true kindness. He didn't judge me nor let others judge me. We like a lot of the same things and he's just so amazing to talk to." Jaimie grinned again and proudly told her, "You are in love. Both of you are." Chapter 6 Jaimie's words struck a chord with Deborah. She tried to fight them but the words kept ringing in her ears. She unintentionally smiled, causing Jaimie to herself grin and point out, "You are smiling without even realizing it. You have it bad for him and I hope you accept that he feels the same. Just give it time and he will get over his pigheadedness and ask you out. If he doesn't I'm sure Daisy and Claire will make him do it just to get them off his back." The two walked back to where Sheila and the others were moving the boxes upstairs. Jorge grabbed Deborah and led her inside, telling her to eat. She tried to protest but in unison the others told her, "You don't refuse Uncle Jorge's demand that you eat his food." Jaimie wisely told her, "You haven't eaten since breakfast, you were so busy packing that you didn't eat lunch and I don't think it is the best idea for the two of you to go out to McDonalds or Burger King without knowing the neighborhood yet. Just humor him and eat it once, he wouldn't offer it unless he thought you needed the break. We will move the rest of the boxes for you." Jorge led Deborah and Sheila inside and sat them at the kitchen table. Victoria dished out their meal while grilling them about Patrick and David. Both were highly praised and neither given unflattering remarks but Victoria seemed to be digging for gossip. Jorge just shook his head and told them, "She's trying hard to get dirt on them. Pay her no attention, she's just being a pest." Victoria grinned and asked, "When is he going to ask you out?" Both nearly choked when she asked that with Deborah trying hard to find the right words. Victoria just grinned again and pointed out, "Don't play me for a fool, the only two who didn't see the way you two acted around each other are you two. There's more than friendship going on there." Sheila tried to deflect it away but Victoria added a quick, "I know Jaimie told you the same thing, that talk wasn't just her telling you about herself. The rest of the family are going to see to it that Patrick makes a go at you and if you are wise you will stop fighting your feelings and let him try to woo you. He's more than just a pretty face, even if he can be dumber than a box of nails at times." David came inside and told them that they were finished upstairs. He gave Deborah a sly grin as he left, adding, "Patrick is going to show you around the city tomorrow morning." The two blushed as they realized that he was going out of his way to be around Deborah. Not getting the rise that he wanted David added, "We have dinner with Uncle John and Aunt Valerie tomorrow night, it sounds important but don't treat it as anything other than a family meal." Looking concerned Deborah asked what was going on. David shrugged, unsure about the reason for the dinner only telling her, "Mom wants to talk with Sheila but other than that I don't know. It's about you but there's others coming so it could be nothing or it could be the start of something big. Just don't be nervous. Aunt Valerie is a mother first and lawyer second, she won't let anything that has happened to you go unpunished and will get revenge." The group left with the teens giving Jorge and Victoria hugs. Jaimie subtly told Deborah, "Don't worry about tomorrow night, it'll be fine. Mom and dad have some things to talk to you about that need sorting out and that's the only time they could sit some of you down." The two thanked Victoria and Jorge for the meal and went upstairs to inspect the apartment. It was actually bigger than the one that they were sharing and had newer appliances and lighting. Sheila looked concerned but she read a note left on the refrigerator that said, "Uncle John found out about Sheila and refuses to take any rent. Family doesn't pay rent. Stay as long as you want, just no wild parties and never refuse Uncle Jorge's food." The note was from Claire. Sheila sat on a sofa in the living room and sighed a happy sigh. Deborah sat down next to her, hugging her and smiling. The two looked over the note to which Sheila proclaimed, "I think they have added us as family." Deborah shed a tear as she added, "I can't believe they would do this for us. I never thought anyone could be so kind to one another but these people are saints." The two went to bed feeling both relieved and content. It wasn't the best of times but they were seeing the best in people. Hannah, Bryan, Pete, and Paige had told her about the family being close and called her family before but seeing is believing and she loved what she was seeing from all of them. As the two slept, David and a couple of trusted State Police troopers were staking out Sheila's former apartment building with friends from the Salem police and fire departments. They got to the apartment early, going inside and awaiting the return of the landlord to serve him papers on Sheila's behalf. David had convinced Valerie to stay home and leavehim to the serving as he needed to be there to coordinate anyway and Valerie might lose her cool causing potential problems. Hearing that Sheila was related to David made the officers all the more eager to help, they silently agreed to uphold the, "Don't mess with family" unwritten rule among officers. They arrived just before 3 AM, quietly entering and keeping watch over the front and back doors, ready to pounce on anyone coming inside. They didn't have to wait long as the second team spotted the man and another person carrying containers and start spreading fluid over the front steps and rear steps. Before they could set the building on fire the officers outside heard them say, "We warned the two to leave and they are still inside. If they burn so be it, it's their punishment for not listening. If they die? Oh well, one less freak to put up with." They opened up two lighters and set two Molotov cocktails alight. Before they could toss them the team pounced upon by the team then dragged them away. The fire department arson squad members that were there then called for a fire engine to wash down the stairs to prevent the building from being ignited by accident. David and the team inside had to wait for the all clear before they could leave the apartment. David grinned as he presented the landlord with the two lawsuits then informed him, "Based upon what we witnessed you are under arrest for attempted arson and attempted murder. My cousin warned you that she was going to fight back, your little action has unleashed the full force of our family now." The man spit at David, telling him loudly, "The bitch has no family!" David grinned and proudly told him, "That's where you are wrong. Both Sheila and Deborah have family here. Sheila has an aunt and four cousins including myself. And that aunt has a sister and parents who are not afraid to protect their family and family of family. Then you have the so-called 'freak' who just happens to have been made family to one of the most powerful people in the state. You poked a baby bear and got the attention of a momma bear who protects her cubs. My cousin joined a very special family, one that will stop at nothing to ensure you pay dearly for trying to harm her. You don't mess with a member of the Finns and walk away unscathed, you mess with one you mess with all!" The officers tried their hardest to keep a straight face. The six officers there knew David was part of the Finns but hadn't seen him throw their weight around before. The only real surprise was hearing that Deborah was part of them, she was relatively unknown to them but from the way David talked about her it was as shocking as it was invigorating. After the two were hauled away to the police station and the arson squad released the team David sat down with his friends and told them about Deborah's connection. He grinned as he told them, "Patrick is head over heels in love with her and has been for some time. I swear it was love at first sight as he saw her growing into a hot young woman. And yes, she is pretty hot despite being transgender." The others looked at one another unsure as to what to say. David picked up their insecurity and told them, "Before you say anything, he knows about her past and he doesn't care. Mom has been trying to push him to find a girl for over a year and he might have had her all along. She may have something extra down there but that won't last long if my family has anything to say about it. And kids aren't an issue, our family has no qualms about adopting a kid especially one who is just looking for love and family. And we already have a bunch of adopted kids so it's become the norm to accept them." Back in Winnisimmet Deborah awoke to the sounds of the city, sounds that were vastly different than the ones she used to hear growing up in Alma Perida. She walked out of her room and saw the mess that was sitting in the living room and remembered that they were in a new home in a new city and she was going to have to start over again. She then remembered that she wasn't alone anymore, she had actual support with Sheila's family as well as the Smiths and their family. Sheila walked out to see Deborah staring off at nothing in particular and smirked at the sight. She directed Deborah to the kitchen table and sat her down while she made coffee and found something to cook for breakfast. Deborah snapped out of her daze as the smells of brewing coffee and sizzling sausages overtook the kitchen. Patrick arrived just as they were about to eat, bringing chocolate donuts and coffee. Sheila latched onto them immediately offering a quick, "You know how to treat a lady" as she started in on them. Deborah burst into laughter as she had to explain, "She's a chocoholic, she loves everything chocolate. It's safer to let her have them all than to try to eat one, you might lose a hand trying to stop her." Sheila grinned then went back to eating. Deborah asked if he wanted some breakfast as they needed to get rid of the food anyway to which he eagerly said yes. Deborah grinned as she fried up the last of the sausage and bacon, knowing they wouldn't go to waste and seeing him happy to be fed like that. Sheila had to fight a laugh as Deborah looked all too eager to cook for Patrick. She was right in that they needed to use up the sausages and bacon but the way she was looking at him and giving him a subtle smile was clearly one of more than infatuation. Patrick was quiet as he ate but his eyes kept going to Deborah who herself would dart back to him when he wasn't looking at her. The dancing glances lasted until Patrick finished off the meat and toast. He cleaned the pans and threw away the grease for them as the ladies prepared for their walk around the city. Deborah was quick to change, cursing herself as she realized she had spent the entire time Patrick was there in her pajamas and robe. Sheila had wondered how long it would take for her to realize she wasn't dressed but hadn't considered she might not notice at all, Deborah's infatuation went that deep. The two reappeared from the bedrooms dressed for the weather but thankfully it wasn't so bad, in the mid-20s but without wind blowing or snow falling. Patrick gawked at Deborah as she donned her coat, helping her put it on while explaining where they would be going and why. Deborah listened intently as he explained everything, not taking her eyes off of Patrick while hearing about half of what he said. Sheila paid close attention, she had to otherwise neither would be able to leave the house without getting lost. Patrick walked the two through the neighborhood then down to the busy Winnisimmet Square. The three spent some time lingering there so the two could familiarize themselves with the buses and major businesses, but none of that seemed to catch their interest as much as watching Patrick deflect questions about the two newcomers hanging out with him. The one person whom they couldn't avoid introduced himself as Louis Reagan, a longtime friend of the family. Patrick introduced Sheila to him as his cousin which caused Louis to give her a close look and smile as he proclaimed, "You are the spitting image of your mother. I swear you look exactly like her at the same age. She'd be thrilled to know that you turned out so beautiful even if you play dowdy well." Sheila blushed and asked if he knew her to which Louis nodded, telling her warmly, "Your uncle and father dealt with the city frequently. We tried hard to keep their company in the city but the space they needed large. It was a shame when we lost production to Boston but they kept their main offices here. I see your mother's warm personality is shining through, she'd be proud that you found your way back to the family. Just don't let your younger cousins manipulate you, Daisy is cute but a little too smart." Louis caught sight of Deborah's reluctance to be noticed and thought he saw something in her that was off. He tried to place her familiarity somewhere but was drawing a blank. Patrick quickly whispered to him, "She has had a tough go recently, best not to linger on her too long." Louis thought it over and agreed, letting it slide for now. John and the others would tell him in due time. As Louis was talking with Patrick about something else Sheila received a phone call from the school's library. She was told that she was terminated per order of the university's facilities department. Sheila asked for their reason for her firing but was only told, "They had friends whom Deborah upset." Sheila had tears in her eyes at hearing the news and reason why. Deborah asked what happened to which Sheila sobbed and told her, "I was fired for helping you. Someone went over the librarian's head and got me fired. They can't go after you directly anymore so they went after me instead." Louis listened to the conversation and asked what was going on. Deborah explained what happened up to that point, Louis started to become angrier as he heard more and more of the story. Deborah was frightened that he was getting angry at her but Patrick informed her, "He has no problem with you, it's them that he has a problem with. You are going to see the man in action in a few minutes. Nobody upsets Louis Reagan and get away with it." Louis drew a calming breath and asked, "How long were you working there?" Sheila told him, "Six and a half years. I earned my degree in library science while working there as an assistant." Louis grinned, then made a phone call. With a nod to Patrick he told her, "Meet with this person at this time and you will find yourself with a new job at our public library. They screwed up badly in letting you go, we needed a new librarian and you are the most qualified person to come around in a while." Sheila hugged him for the kindness. Louis just grinned and informed her, "The job was a coincidence but in all honesty in this city we don't take too kindly to people who abuse their positions. We want people of character working not people of breeding. The head of the board of trustees and the head librarian are impressed with your resume and who you aligned yourself with and why you did. As you showed your character standing by your friend you earned their respect. If you didn't get a job with them they'd ensure you got one in one of the schools or in a neighboring city." Turning to Deborah Louis softly told her, "Keep an eye on Patrick. He's not exactly the brightest bulb at times but he'll shine bright when he needs to. Don't let his cousins get too overeager in trying to help you adjust to the city, they mean well but sometimes they don't know their limits." The three continued walking for another few minutes before they stopped off at the library for Sheila's interview. Sheila wasn't dressed for an interview but went anyway, hoping that it would be overlooked. Patrick just grinned and quietly informed her, "You don't have a thing to worry about, you could show up looking like a clown and juggle poodles and you'd get the job. You don't refuse a request from Louis Reagan in the city, especially one that is a personal request." Sheila walked inside and was greeted by a small group of people in suits. Sheila removed her coat and sat down, listening as they introduced themselves and asked about her former job. Sheila explained what she did and for how long, then explained her degree and the minor that she chose to get with it to allow for additional duties in the library. The only issue she had was explaining why she was let go. Sheila calmly informed them, "Recently my best friend and coworker was outed as transgender. A few days ago she was assaulted outside her dorm and had to move in with me to avoid further humiliation and trauma. I chose to stand by her and help her, even protecting her at work. In doing so I aparently upset the school's head of facilities and was let go because of that. The head librarian had given us full support but she was overruled by her boss and chose to retain her own job rather than stand with us. I stand by my choice and gladly give up my job of six and a half years to help my friend in her time of need." Sheila's passionate declaration was what they were expecting and she was informed, "You start as soon as we verify your degree with the school. You are more than qualified for the job and need not worry about that sort of interference happening here. You chose rightly in standing by someone in need and that kind of integrity is something that we highly value among employees." The three walked out with their heads held high. Patrick told them they should get lunch then go shop for food. The three ate and shopped for just about everything they would need for the next two weeks then added on some more as Deborah was unsure where she would be able to find work. Sensing her hesitation Patrick asked if she had considered other work which she shook her head at. Grinning he asked if she was alright babysitting as the family lost their primary babysitter to her new boyfriend. Deborah smiled, telling him, "I haven't babysat in a few years, not since I left for school." Patrick grinned brighter as he then made a phone call to someone, telling them they had a babysitter if they wanted it. Patrick's phone call led to her talking about the girl in California and how she hoped she was alright. Patrick seemed to think she turned out great especially after hearing her name. Sheila caught his sly grin but kept it to herself, he knew something they didn't about this girl and from the look of things it was only a matter of time before they were let in on the secret.