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Chapter 13 Daisy and Claire left on a high note as Daisy beamed with pride over hearing she could consider Claire, Patrick, and David's father as her own father even if he wasn't actually alive to have met her. To the little girl, it was more meaningful than anything else she had learned about the family. It was a dad that she could be proud to call her father instead of the constant reminder that she was the daughter of an imprisoned drug dealer and attempted kidnapper. Sheila saw the change in Daisy and whispered to Patrick, "Did you guys never tell her that before? She looks like she just found out she won the lottery or was going to Disney World. She's not acting normal for someone from your family, even with all of your complex personalities." Patrick sighed and fearfully told her, "It never came up before. Before Daisy came we avoided talking about dad as much as possible because Claire took his death harder than either of us and it wasn't right to talk about someone Daisy would never get to meet. It's the same reason Uncle John and Aunts Leslie and Karen never talk about their mom, Daisy's grandmother. We met her through Claire and mom but Daisy never had the chance to meet her as she died just over a year before Daisy came into our lives." Sheila was starting to see why Daisy was so open to her and wanted to know so much, she wanted to feel like she was part of the family as a whole. After Patrick left Deborah asked if she was alright to which Sheila asked her, "Did you ever wish you had siblings like that? People who loved you enough to suppress their own feelings so you would feel better about yourself?" Deborah hugged her and offered a warm, "I wanted family who accepted me for who I am and not hurt me because I wasn't what they wanted me to be. I envy Patrick, he has a mother who would anything for him and he has sisters and a brother who love him unconditionally." Sheila cried and admitted, "I just want family period. I am happy to have them now but it's tough seeing what I missed out on through no fault of our own. We were only 25 miles away but it feels like a whole other world to me." The two sat silent for an hour before they went to bed. Sheila had visions of a happy home life dancing through her head while Deborah had visions of her cousins standing up for her and protecting her from the evils of bullies and lousy neighbors. Those visions soon turned to Patrick coming to her rescue which she smiled at unknowingly as she drifted off to a peaceful slumber. Even in her dreams Patrick was there to protect her and show that he loved her. The next morning both ladies awoke and were energized from their peaceful slumber, ready to start the day off with a happy note. Deborah received a phone call from Dr. Samuels asking to meet with him and Dr. Jones at his home in an hour. She rushed to get ready, dragging Sheila with her for support. The drive was fast as Deborah didn't want to waste any time. Sheila barely calmed her down as they exited the car, only to be met by an eager Al who dragged them inside. Deborah wasn't sure if she should be flattered that Al was so eager to have her there or she should be concerned about the news, but either way Al was making things interesting. Inside, Deborah was greeted by Olivia and her husband Richard and also by a woman she introduced as Dr. Sarah Jones. Sheila could see by the serious tone that things weren't for Al's ears so she took her upstairs, much to Al's annoyance. Olivia gave her a smile and nod at her announcing, "Why don't you show me your room, Al, and let the adults talk for a bit. This isn't for your young ears even if you have heard worse before." Al showed Sheila her room and asked her sharply, "What's going on and why can't I hear about it?" Sheila sat her down and softly assure her it was alright then admitted, "Deborah's family may have done something horrible to her when she was your age. Mr. Ramirez thinks they abused her in a horrible way and her doctor might have broken the law in what he did. The things that were done, as much as you may have experienced them and known about them, are traumatic to Deborah and having you there to hear might be detrimental to her feelings. She cares about you and doesn't want to upset you." Al told her bluntly, "I am used to people talking about abuse, and whatever it may involve I have seen worse- I am a former boy who never wanted to be a girl after all!" Sheila tried to quiet her down then softly told her, "You never had things done to you against your will or without your knowing. Even the surgery performed on you was done with Mr. Ramirez talking with you first. Deborah might have had the opposite happen, up to and including castrating her. Do you know what that means?" She shook her head to which Sheila told her, "They removed her testicles so she could never father children. They might have mutilated her! All because she felt like she should have been born a girl." Al started to see why they didn't want here down there, she felt the rage growing inside of her that she hadn't felt before. She wasn't like Deborah but she still had to endure the same bigotry that came with changing your gender even an unwanted change. To have it come from your own family, the people who are supposed to protect and love you, was beyond belief to the young girl. She sat down and mumbled, "I understand. I won't ask her or mom and dad about what's going on. I don't want to upset them any more." Sheila hugged her as she started to cry, knowing that it was Al's hormones starting to affect her mind and body. She assured Al, "Deborah came out on top. They didn't stop her from becoming a woman that she was born to be. Those fools never realized that they actually helped her. But that still doesn't begin to excuse what they did and your father and Dr. Jones are going to help ensure that the family pays for their abuse. She knows that you care about her, and she cares about you. You made a lasting impression on her, she sees in you someone who she could have been had she had loving parents instead of angry grandparents. You may not have wanted to be a girl but you have the support that she sorely lacked and that means all the more to her than anything." Downstairs, Richard, Olivia, and Sarah were placing folders in front of them. Deborah recognized most of them and asked solemnly, "How did you get those records?" Sarah informed her, "Your lawyers out in California obtained copies of them after getting a court order. The clinic was very reluctant to let them have what is rightfully yours. It took several deputies to force the senior staff to comply with the order under threat of arrest to get them to make the required copies. After reviewing the information inside of your records we now know why they were so reluctant to let anyone see your real medical history." Richard nodded in agreement then began telling Deborah, "We were able to figure out from the jumbled files that your grandparents never took you to the doctor despite being required to by law. All of your immunizations were only up to date due to the school forcing valid proof that you had them but after the doctor's actions there is no record of you ever being treated medically by anyone. The only doctor on record after that is the same doctor and from everything we can gather he never actually treated you as a patient. When you were assaulted he never contacted the police as is required by law and further we found a note that stated that he would use this as an opportunity to sterilize you so you would never be able to have offspring who carried on 'the gay gene' or 'tranny gene' as his note says." Deborah looked at them in horror. She mumbled, "He castrated me for no good reason? He mutilated me because I wanted to become a girl?" Richard sighed and added, "I question his credentials and how he has kept his medical license because of this. He should have known already that it was the worst possible thing that you could do as it would allow you to transition easily. The castration meant that you were stuck in physical limbo. You never went through puberty, that's why you were androgynous and that's why you were able to pass so easily once you started to live full- time as a woman. You needed just a small dosage of estrogen to kick-start female puberty and as we can see you came out of it with your mother's attributes." Sarah read a psychiatric report and added, "His reports are bogus. I doubt that he ever actually talked with you before making declarations before the court when he got you declared incompetent. He has committed multiple acts of perjury and given that you were a ward of your grandparents you should have had an advocate on your behalf but there is no indication that any attempt was made to give you one by the state. He was allowed to do as he pleased to you, and if not for your teachers helping you obtain the scholarship you would likely be in a mental institution right now." This shocked Deborah. She knew he was terrible towards her but this was a complete shock. Sarah saw the surprise and told her, "That was one of the last notes in your file. He stated to your grandparents that they should immediately institutionalize you to prevent you from harming others. The timing came two days after you were awarded your scholarship, and had Joseph and Evelyn not come to get you when they did your grandparents would have succeeded in forcing you to be hospitalized against your will. He specifically mentions not allowing you to leave the house until he had an ambulance come by to take you away. The date was set for the day after you left, had Joseph, Evelyn, Patrick, and David not been with you they would have stopped you from leaving by any means including harming you." Taking a deep breath Deborah asked, "What are my options now?" Sarah smirked as she told her, "Nail the bastard. Go after all of them hard and heavy. You aren't the only one he did this to. We know for a fact that he's a quack and mistreats patients because of how he threatened Reyna when she was under his care. He needs to be exposed for the piece of trash that he is. He needs to be prevented from doing this to other people- especially children." Richard added, "Go after social services as well. I doubt very much that they were even acting on your behalf and if my hunch is right they were working against you from the start." Sarah added, "We have enough evidence right now to show that they ignored your basic care, it should spark an investigation and given that the statute of limitations only starts when the the DA's office is alerted to the crimes you are going to tear them apart for 18 years of ignoring the abuse and neglect against you." Ricardo came in as they were talking and listened to both Sarah and Richard speaking. When they were done he added, "Jo and Phyllis Kaplan are seeking a court order to look into the initial circumstances of your removal from your parents' care. This is too systemic and coordinated, social services may never have even been involved in the first place as they should have been and if they were involved they were actively taking part to allow it to happen. It was too quick and too precise and from what Dorothy has told me the fix may have been in from the start." Ricardo's phone rang so he placed it on speaker for all four to hear. Ricardo told the Kaplans what he just told the others. Jo spoke first telling them, "We read the court's decision and social services were not involved at all. In fact they went so far as to try to keep them away from the start. The judge issued a summary judgment without giving a chance for your parents to fight, they had their decision before any formal hearing could take place and the hearing was simply just a paper hearing with the judge issuing his ruling in under a minute with no chance for any input from your parents or their lawyer." Phyllis added an angry, "We talked with social services and they are very interested in why the judge from one county issued an order without moving the case to the county that they lived in. Further, they were required to be involved to assess Deborah's well-being and both Dorothy and Jaimie's fitness as parents and give their recommendation to the court. They found out further that the judge is the uncle of one of Deborah's aunts. There was a clear conflict of interest and he should never have been the one presiding over her case in the first place. The case would never have survived an appeal and it's just so convenient that the transcripts of the case were missing so we don't know exactly how he did it but we suspect he threatened both Jaimie and Dorothy to scare them enough to prevent them from appealing." Deborah asked about the chance that she could be found to be incompetent and a danger to herself yet again. Both laughed then Jo informed her, "We had a colleague out here review the doctor's files and the ruling against you and he broke just about every ethical rule in the book. As soon as you give us the OK to file suit he is going to go before the medical licensing board to have his licenses revoked and his practice investigated. The man is a danger to others and is not afraid to use his position to get what he wants out of patients. Dr. Bell tried to go after him before but she didn't have the resources out west that we have, she is working with us this time and with her direct evidence from having actually done a thorough examination he is toast. We will ensure that he is removed from ever seeing another patient." Deborah asked about her grandparents to which Phyllis informed her, "They will be facing abuse and neglect charges. They knowingly and willingly allowed you to be abused by your relatives and openly abused you in front of witnesses. It seems that your teachers are now finally finding their backbones after the school district was ripped a new one by us when we went after them last year for what they did to Reyna. Your grandparents' defense won't last against the state's case. You may get called as a witness in the future but most likely they will accept a plea bargain and end up with criminal records and a likely short prison sentences. Your cousins, aunts, and uncles are going to be a problem as there isn't enough evidence against them so be careful. They may seek retaliation against you." Jo started to look at Phyllis as she read something on her phone. Phyllis sighed and told them, "Your former doctor's hospital is backing him." Jo grinned and asked, "Are they aware that he was acting on their behalf in a criminal manner?" Phyllis said yes, but added, "They don't know that we have him by the balls for his practices and once it is revealed that they are now open for a lawsuit for performing an unnecessary surgery on an unwilling patient they will back down." Deborah asked what they were asking for, trying to avoid being seen as trying to grab for money. Jo and Phyllis both told her, "At least $10 million from the hospital and doctor, likely more as it's a clear case of neglect and abuse against you. Another $5 against the state for neglect and failure to report the abuse against you. That's because the hospital, courts, and social services dropped the ball so badly with you it's scary. I expect the state to be quick to settle so you will get $5 million from them and a prosecution of both the court clerk for his role and the impeachment of the judge by the legislature for breaking multiple rules of conduct and criminal actions. The malpractice insurance will likely cover the $10 million we are seeking against the doctor and the hospital will be on the hook for all of it unless they remove their backing but given that they themselves dropped the ball in not seeking any kind of help for you it'll be likely that you are getting that full amount as well." Deborah went silent. Ricardo asked her warmly, "Are you sure you want to do this?" She quietly told them, "If it helps others escape his care and brings changes then yes. It won't bring back my childhood but it'll help someone, and if only helps one person it's worth it." Olivia, Richard, and Sarah all looked at one another and nodded in agreement- she was acting like a member of the family would even if she didn't know it, and she was channeling Dorothy so much it was making them proud. Jo and Phyllis gave their word that they would work hard for her. Deborah told them that she'd pay them for their work but both freely told her, "This is one of our 'make more from word of mouth and reputation' cases, what you would pay us is nothing compared with what we will earn from working hard on your behalf. As some of the other members of the Finn family over there will tell you we don't play nice and we go for the throat so you are in good hands. Besides, we are taking great pleasure in ripping the doctor and your family a new one. That alone is worth the costs." The two signed off and Ricardo left to get things in order from his end. Sarah got up to go but Richard insisted she hold off for a bit to get her heart rate down. Deborah finally noticed that she was pregnant, and felt bad for getting Sarah so worked up on her behalf. Deborah asked if she was alright to which Olivia told her, "Her blood pressure is elevated and the little one is giving her trouble. She's trying to keep things normal but she needs to cut back." Sarah tried to act like everything was alright but Richard scolded her for overdoing things. Olivia had a bright idea. She looked at the concerned look on Deborah's face and told Sarah sharply, "If you won't cut back then at least let others help you. Deborah could use something to do and Faith and Neil could enjoy some time with the others without having to worry about you trying too hard to do what you shouldn't be doing and getting Brent upset." Sarah reluctantly listened to her and asked Deborah, "Can you pick up Faith and Neil for me after school and watch them until Mick gets home?" Deborah grinned and told her, "I'd be delighted to help." She then meekly asked, "Are they going to be alright with someone like me watching them?" Sarah smirked and pointed out, "They are around Nichole, Jaimie, Kylie, Reyna, and Kennedy so they should have no problems with you. Faith has been itching to meet you, Daisy absolutely won't stop talking about you and Sheila. The kids won't be too much of a problem, they'll only need some quick prodding to get their homework done but otherwise will be alright." Chapter 14 Deborah agreed on the spot, unable to say no to an offer to help someone in need especially someone who had the life of another in the balance. Sarah hammered out the details as Olivia smirked at her husband who in turn knew she had just manipulated things to help both of them. Richard whispered into her ear, "You really are a piece of work." She shot back a quick, "A work of art you mean" causing him to smile and nod. The next day was Monday so Sarah agreed to meet up with Deborah at the Jones home in the morning so Deborah could be introduced to Neil and Faith. With the introductions and brief explanation out of the way things settled so Deborah could learn their afternoon routines and get used to Junior Kelly and Virgil York coming over to play. Sarah explained the backyard connection to the York home and Junior living across the street which made things easier on them. Sarah also explained that there was the off chance that Daisy Peterson and Ethan Smith might come over if there was agreement with Lilly and Karen and both arranged to pick them up on their own. Deborah snorted at hearing Daisy's name, telling her, "Just what I need, her getting the other kids to pester me about her brother dating me." Sarah tried to stifle a laugh but added a solemn, "She means well so don't take it too hard. They have been trying hard for over a year to get him a date but he just wouldn't do it." Deborah blushed as she told her, "He told me he didn't want to date anyone after he met me." Sarah smirked and proudly told her, "That explains so much about him, he was head over heels in love from the start. No wonder he didn't pick up the hints he mother dropped, he was already in the midst of love." Al asked if it was alright to come down getting a, "Yes dear" from her parents. Sheila followed close behind, asking what was going on now. Deborah told her, "I'm going to be doing some babysitting for Sarah and her husband so she doesn't have to overwork herself." Al asked pointedly, "Are you going to go after the bastard you mutilated you?" Her parents gasped in shock but Al told them harshly, "I'm not stupid, I know what you were talking about. Are you going after him to make sure he doesn't do it to other kids?" Sarah saw that Al wasn't going to let it go so she told her the truth, "Ricardo's friends in California are doing so tomorrow. They aren't doing it just for Deborah, they are doing it for others who may have been victimized by him before." Al turned to her parents and told them harshly, "I may only be 12 but even I know that you just don't do what he did to her. Even if it helped her in the long run, why he did it was wrong and I hope he gets what he deserves." The three adults were shocked at Al's behavior. Sheila sighed and told them, "Al's been thinking a lot about what happened and why and she feels that even though she wasn't given much of a choice in the matter regarding herself, what happened to Deborah was even worse than what happened to her. She's upset that so many who were supposed to protect and help her ended up hurting her instead." Al was silent now, her face still red in anger causing Olivia to hug her tightly until she calmed down. Al asked if Reyna had gotten back to her regarding Miguel's visit. Deborah told her she hadn't had the chance to talk with her let alone plan anything yet. Olivia added, "They have been pretty busy with other things like packing and getting back into shape. It's almost time for him to head down to Florida for Spring Training with the team. They will talk with him during the week and arrange something." Sarah asked what it was all about to which Al proudly told her, "She was the only person who helped Reyna when she was just starting to become a girl and when she started to have some problems in school. She was her only friend Reyna had and she helped Deborah learn how to do makeup and what clothes to wear and other things. They lost touch when Reyna and Aunt Lupe moved in with Uncle Miguel before all hell broke loose at her middle school." Olivia and Richard nodded to one another, this was a real intriguing moment. They had heard about someone helping Reyna when she first started to want to become a girl and when she finally heard that it was possible after hearing about Jaimie Finn from her uncle. But to have the face and name to go with the actions was a big surprise, especially as the two were so influential on one another. There wasn't anything else to discuss so Deborah and Sheila hugged Al goodbye and left the Samuels home to head back to their apartment. Patrick and a grinning Daisy were waiting for them to return, the two carrying food from their mother and a thirst for news about their day. Deborah didn't want talk about all of the things going on in California so she simply told Daisy, "I'll be picking your friend Faith up from school starting tomorrow. Her mom is being told to take things easy so I'm helping out that way. Dr. Samuels is concerned about Sarah's health so Mrs. Samuels suggested I babysit them." Daisy grinned and announced that she was going to go home with Faith to help out to which Deborah countered, "That has to be cleared with your mom and Mrs. Jones first." Daisy complained but Patrick stuck by her adding, "As much as you want to do it Aunt Sarah does need some quiet time alone. Brent is acting up and she needs to keep things quiet or something could happen to him and her. The way that they were talking about him they are seriously concerned that she could go into early labor and Brent or Aunt Sarah could be in trouble. Nichole's mom and Junior's mom had similar issues and Nichole's mom died from the complications. I don't think you want anyone to get hurt because you want to help out so please give her a chance to spend the time unwinding." Sheila kept quiet through this whole talk. She was thinking about the whole situation and how much she was jealous that they were all interacting so easily. She felt like she was missing out but Deborah assured her, "It's not your fault that you are working hard. The way I saw this, they were trying to keep me occupied more than anything. Daisy's mom and Ethan's mom could have taken the kids while Mrs. Jones is infirmed, but they wanted me to do it instead. I guess it's the family at work again behind the scenes, helping two people with one simple action." Patrick added a warm, "You don't understand the family's way of thinking. Aunts Karen, Valerie, Greta, Kennedy, Olivia, Melanie, Gabby, Rachel, and Tanya know you are just starting out at work and can't be there to pick them up. They know you would want to be there and they know you care about the kids enough to try to be there. But they also know that Deborah has nothing else to do and the kids could use someone who can get them to do what they need to do without taking advantage of them. She did it with Al, and she did it with Daisy. Neil and Faith will go easier on her than the other two." Sheila reluctantly agreed to his point. Patrick let things rest then started lunch, telling them to sit and relax after their taxing morning. They sat down and enjoyed their meal in relative silence as Sheila was deep in thought and Deborah was looking over some messages on her phone from Paige and Hannah. They continued to lounge about the apartment until Sheila received a phone call asking her and Deborah to come over Avery Long's house to speak with her parents. Both were surprised that they were being summoned especially by the Longs as neither had spent much time with Avery the previous day. Avery called them again to confirm that they were coming over, this time sounding sad and serious which prompted both to hurry up and drive the short distance to her home. The two steeled themselves for what was about to happen. They didn't know what they were getting into, only that they were summoned by the Longs for something. Avery was decent to them in the short conversation they had, so her asking for them there had to be a big reason why and from her voice it sounded serious. Avery looked out the window and spotted them as they parked the car. She rushed outside and quickly embraced them before they had the chance to ring the doorbell. She ushered them inside fast, not even letting them take off their coats before introducing them to her parents. Avery was all smiles as her mom shook their hands. Mrs. Ruth Long told them that Avery had given them glowing reviews especially after she heard that Sheila was part of the family through her dad. Sheila tried to deflect the praise by pointing out that she had little contact the James family in years but Avery told her, "Grandpa and your parents talked all the time and Uncle Paul has been keeping close watch on your home since you moved down here." Her father rudely butted in and told them to get on with it. He was angry about something which unnerved Deborah. Ruth drew a sharp breath and sat the two ladies down, asking them warmly, "We need to ask a favor of you. Before you refuse this offer please know that we didn't come to this lightly, it took a lot of discussion between my husband, brother, and father before we decided on what we are about to ask of you." Mr. Lucius Long turned away, visibly upset and angry over something and trying hard to not be involved in the discussion. Ruth ignored his attitude and told them, "My mother-in-law has been getting sicker over the past few months and is now on the verge of needing 24/7 care. My husband is reluctant to hire someone to take care of her or bring her up here to live with us. The only option is to move down to Florida to be with her. What we are asking of you is to be Avery's temporary guardians for the rest of the school year so she doesn't have to move in with my brother and sister-in- law and transfer to the Endicott Middle School for the last five months of school." Sheila asked, "Why choose to stay in Winnisimmet when she could go to school in a much better school district?" Ruth looked at Avery who was on the verge of tears and admitted, " the school isn't much better than her current school so it's not going to improve her education- it'll actually hurt it. She has so many friends here and she doesn't want to lose them. We thought it best to ask you to care for her while we are away as you live in this city and you come highly regarded by my father and brother. Before you say otherwise, we know she didn't have a chance to spend much time with you yesterday but she likes you a lot and she enjoys being around the other members of your family." Sheila tried to claim otherwise but Avery cut in, telling her, "She is talking about your aunt, cousins, and their relatives. They already have you considered family, Grandpa and Mr. and Mrs. Finn talked about that when we were up at Grandpa's house yesterday. Mrs. Finn kept telling Grandpa that you didn't know it yet but the teens and kids already started to consider you family." Ruth added a warm, "Dad trusts you. The two of you are only child kids and are a lot alike in his eyes. He mentioned you over Paul with Paul and Alexandra agreeing with dad that the two of you are a good fit to care for Avery for us. You understand her in ways neither of them ever will be able to." Deborah looked at Lucius and sighed, asking her, "Is he aware of my past?" Ruth reluctantly told her, "He doesn't like it nor does he think that you should be allowed anywhere near Avery but his refusal to hire someone to care for his mother is forcing our hand. I told him already that unless he wants to change, bath, cook, and clean for his mother this was his only option. He hates the idea of this but Avery is happy to go along with it." Sheila asked for details of Avery's classes, her school schedule, and any pertinent information that she would need to know. Looking at the times she warned Ruth, "I am working during these times. Deborah will have to pick her up, that is if Ms. Rodriguez doesn't allow her to go home with Raul. If she doesn't then Deborah will have to pick the kids up first then swing by to pick up Avery." Ruth asked what she meant. Sheila sighed and told her, "Earlier this morning Deborah was asked by a family friend to babysit for her due to pregnancy issues. The elementary school and early learning center get out just before the middle school so Avery will either have to home with Raul or wait a bit before Deborah can pick her up." Ruth asked if things were alright to which Deborah admitted, "She is a bit stubborn and trying to work herself too hard. Dr. Samuels ordered her to slow down and take time off which I volunteered to help her with. I'll see if my mom will allow Avery to stay for a few minutes while I get the kids first." Ruth asked who her mom was to which Sheila grinned and told her, "Principal Vega." Avery added a soft, "I don't mind waiting. To be honest I'd have to do that anyway with Raul since his mom doesn't let him walk home after what the bastards did to him back in December." Ruth proudly told them, "Then we have an agreement. I'll go with the two of you tomorrow to make the changes." Ruth thought for a second and asked, "Since Deborah is going be doing much of the picking up, are you alright being Avery's emergency contact?" Deborah reluctantly admitted, "I don't have a job at the moment so the only thing I was going to end up doing was finding a new college to attend next year. I guess it'll save Sheila from having to take off work in case of a problem, but all other times Sheila is her primary caretaker." Ruth made a phone call and had them wait until the person arrived. The doorbell rang 10 minutes later and Valerie walked in, carrying a small stack of papers and a sly grin. She turned to Lucius and harshly told him, "These papers temporarily transfer legal guardianship over your daughter, Avery Long, to her appointed guardians, Sheila Patterson and Deborah Thomas. They will consult with your wife if need be but until such time as you permanently move back to Winnisimmet Avery is in their care." Ruth signed. Lucius tried to dissuade her from signing but Ruth refused to let him complain anymore, telling him loudly, "This is not about what you want, this is what Avery needs and she needs to stay here. If you refuse to sign then I'm not going with you. She isn't leaving this city." He signed the papers, telling her, "You will pay for this." Valerie heard the threat and wrote, "Call your grandpa, check her prenup, get someone to look into his business. Something stinks." Avery wrote back, "He's broke. Mom is paying for the trip." Valerie could see what was really going on and didn't like it one bit. This was going to turn out badly and Avery being away from them may be the best thing to happen to her. If she went with her parents something was going to happen down there that would put Avery in danger. Being in Winnisimmet was the safest place for her to be. Chapter 15 Deborah and Sheila went upstairs to help Avery pack her clothes. Lucius continued to look pissed at having Valerie there but his wife was pleased to host her. Ruth noticed the subtle messaging between Avery and Valerie and texted her, "Only going to Florida out of compassion for MiL. Woman is nothing like son. Husband hates idea but Avery comes first, S&D are best guardians for her." Valerie nodded in reply, it was clear to her that they were finished as a couple and Ruth was just too sympathetic to her mother-in-law to refuse to help her out in her time of need. She was like so many parents of misguided children, they tried their best but sometimes their children just turn out to be terrible in the end. Valerie suspected that Ruth knew the real reason for his actions. It didn't take much to recognize the classic signs of someone who is about to lose his business and livelihood and didn't want to show how much trouble he was in. Valerie surmised that Lucius hoped that his father-in-law would manufacture some deals with the state for him. But Valerie also knows full well that Christian would not play ball, he plays fair and goes with what is best for the state. Given that it was a tough business and the only people who need his kind of printing are state and municipal governments, without either an amazing quality of product or nepotism he couldn't sustain the company on its own and it was going under fast. She had seen his company's products before when they tried to solicit the contract of the summer jobs program and the Finn Foundation's fundraisers and she was vastly disappointed by what they wanted to put out at the price they were quoting. They passed on Long's contract offer and hired a competitor for less and got better results. Long Printing was about to go under, all thanks to Lucius' mismanagement. Avery returned with Sheila and Deborah and two suitcases filled with Avery's clothes. Her mom asked sharply, "Did you remember you lingerie and socks? You usually forget those extremely important things whenever you pack." Avery blushed as she ran back upstairs leaving the two mildly amused by Avery's sudden immaturity yet happy that she was being herself around them. Deborah tried to defend Avery by telling her, "She was embarrassed to show us where they were. We had her pack enough for two weeks." Sheila added, "I know your father usually hosts the kids during the holiday breaks so there wasn't much of a point in getting more than that when she would be away for another week. As long as she has a key to this house we can launder her clothes and she can get more clothes from here at a later point." Avery came down with another bag packed. Avery blushed as she told her, "I brought them all, but I think I might need new ones soon." Looking her over Deborah added a soft, "She has gotten too big for her old ones, they are digging into her shoulders. She's going to need at least a B cup now." Avery blushed deeply at the discussion of her bosom while Ruth grinned and added, "I'm sorry I didn't notice it before. You can shop for more tomorrow after school." Turning to her mom Avery asked, "Stephanie and Al asked to stay over next weekend, can they?" Ruth looked at Valerie who nodded so she told her, "Alright, but I think you are going to have more guests. Your cousins are coming down and knowing them, they are going to be bringing Sheila's cousins over for a big gathering. They want to know what all the fuss your grandfather has made about them is all about so it'll be a big sleepover for you." Lucius looked up and demanded to know how many were coming. Valerie turned to him and counted silently before telling him, "14 teens, two 12-year- olds, and her cousins." Ruth thought it over and asked, "Are your nieces available?" Valerie grinned and added, "OK you better make that 16 teens. The two eldest have complete control over all 16 of the younger girls and from what I gather your nieces are going to be fine listening to Sheila and Deborah as well as my nieces." Ruth grinned, she asked simply, "Smith?" Valerie nodded, adding, "Smith and Connors until July then just Smith. The only people our 16 fear more than them are John and myself. They will handle the girls, Sheila and Deborah can oversee everyone." Turning to Lucius, Valerie strongly pointed out, "Before you even think of mentioning it: there won't be any boys here. Every one of their boyfriends knows the rules and the limits on where they are allowed to be alone with the girls and what they are allowed to do with them. I trust the girls and they have not once let me down in the four and a half years that we have known them." Ruth happily agreed to the sleepover much to the frustration of Lucius. Lucius complained loudly about a bunch of poor, ill-mannered girls running around his house. Valerie calmly informed him, "Poor? 12 of those 16 girls are millionaires with 9 multimillionaires. My own daughter is worth more than your company, this house, and your wife's trust funds combined. All 16 of the girls have trust funds worth at least $500,000 and frankly knowing my husband he is already going to give one to Avery so she doesn't feel inadequate compared to the other girls. But then again none of them ever acts anything less than courteous and kind to others despite being wealthy. They just act like normal, well behaved, civilized people. It was how they were raised and we never let them forget it." Ruth grinned as she watched her husband fight for a comeback but Valerie's expression told him, "Bring it on!" Ruth smiled and mouthed, "Nicely done" and gathered the bags to take to the car. Ruth knew she made the right choice in Deborah and Sheila and having Valerie backing up the two young women only proved her right. At the car she quickly told Valerie, "What dad told me about one of your nieces caused Paul and myself to secure the girls' trust funds in case someone ever got the idea to use them to fund their livelihood, but even so I appreciate the gesture from John and if he feels he needs to do it then let him give the money to Avery. I know it's a small amount of his vast fortune but its meaning is important. I am happy that she is considered to be part of the family enough for John to do that, she is going to enjoy being around your family and they are already starting to have an impact on her. She needs positive people and your family is about as positive as anyone can be. Your sisters, brothers, and friends are role models for the girls and boys and I hope Avery sees them that same way." Valerie, Deborah, and Sheila headed to the ladies' apartment with Avery's things. Inside, Valerie told both of them, "There is something going on that is making her father act extremely off. I mean this with all honesty: the man is up to no good. He's flat broke and covering something and his wife might be on his trail. Keeping Avery here might have saved her life if things are truly as bad as I think they are. I'll contact Christian tomorrow to get him and Paul to have a contingency plan in place for Avery's sake. I don't want another kid hurt because of something they were the caught in the middle of. I also don't want another orphan created because of greed, we have seen that too much in such a short period of time. As much as I hate to think it, I believe he will use the two of you as a reason to act and try to get Avery away from her aunt, uncle, and grandparents. We can't let that happen. I won't let it happen." After Valerie left Sheila and Deborah ate a silent dinner as the two thought about the events of the day. Deborah had to smile at being so accepted by so many people, and to be given care and comfort over their children boggled her mind. They trusted her and she swore to not abuse that trust no matter what. Sheila was lost in thought about Avery's troubles. She didn't deserve to be a pawn in her parents' fight but thankfully for her, her mother cared enough about her to do what was right for her despite her father's objections. Ruth was a good person at heart and Avery was in great hands with her, but her father seemed to have delusions of grandeur and his big plans were harming the family. If Ruth wasn't careful these plans could implode and leave her in trouble. Sheila had seen this fight before and she hated it. Sheila's own family had started down this road until their health deteriorated. Sheila started to cry over those thoughts and hugged Deborah, telling her through sobs, "You are so lucky you didn't see your family implode like our families did." Deborah countered with, "Mine had already imploded before I was born, I just got stuck living in the fallout. Be glad that you have your aunts and uncle to help you out now, they are there for you if you need them." The two moved to the couch and silently watched TV, until Sheila warmly told Deborah, "I don't know if I said it before but I have started to feel like you are my sister. I can't call you anything except that, I love you too much to let you consider yourself as anything except that. We aren't friends anymore, we are family. I love you, you are what I always wanted in a younger sister." Deborah softly told her, "I love you like one as well. You are exactly what I hoped having an older sister would be. I love everything about you and I am jealous that you have so much family around you while I don't. All I have is my mom. I guess I'll have Stephanie and Raul and their mom as relative soon but that isn't the same as having blood relatives like you have." Sheila countered quickly with, "Hannah and Paige would take offense at that, as would Pete and Bryan. You are a lot closer to them than friends, and if my understanding of their family is right you are most definitely a cousin to them and all of the others well before they set foot in that apartment in Salem. You aren't alone and you sure as hell aren't just my sister- you are family to dozens. You are their new cousin, one by choice instead of by blood. It'll grow in time, just as our relationship grew." The two went to bed exhausted mentally from the trying day. They thought long and hard about the meaning of family after their little talk. Deborah pondered if she really was family to so many people after only knowing them for a very short week and a half while Sheila thought about Deborah and the others fulfilling her lifelong dream of a big family. She wasn't kidding about Deborah being her sister, she loved her like one and if she had her way her family would have adopted her as their daughter soon after they became friends. But with her parents being dead that was impossible, so it was just a pie-in-the-sky idea to her. In the morning, they awoke and prepared for a quick start to the day. They ate quickly then waited for Ruth to come by with Avery. They didn't have to wait long and after a short hug they drove on to the middle school. Before they entered Ruth asked Deborah to call her Ruth, insisting that calling her Mrs. Long seemed wrong when Ruth had placed her faith in her and it showed a gesture of goodwill. Happy that she had shown even more faith in her, Deborah was now nervous about doing the wrong thing. She had to gather her wits and control her urge to flee. Her relationship to her mom wasn't too well known so this would be the first time she could have to face others knowing she was Dorothy's daughter. Sheila urged her onward with Avery smiling and grabbing her hand for support. Inside the office, Ruth asked to speak with Dorothy regarding Avery. Dorothy greeted them warmly and ushered them inside but first gave Deborah a big hug and kiss on her cheek. Alice told the staff in the office, "That is Deborah Thomas, Dorothy's daughter." All eyes went on Deborah as the staff realized that it wasn't a joke, the resemblance was uncanny. After closing the door Ruth explained the situation her family was in and asked Dorothy, "Can you change Avery's records to show that Deborah and Sheila are her guardians for the rest of the year?" Dorothy was then shown the formal agreement and upon seeing Valerie's signature and name she grinned and told Ruth, "I have little choice, I can't say no. Valerie is thorough with these things. I may have to get Alice to show that I am not showing favor to Deborah due to our relationship but it seems that Valerie was sure to note that in your agreement as well." Turning to Avery she warned her, "Your parents may be away but I doubt neither Sheila nor Deborah will allow you to slack off. Keep your grades up and keep focused on your work." Avery meekly agreed as Dorothy saw the focus in both ladies' eyes, they were going to hold her to her word. Ruth looked over at Sheila then asked, "Sheila has to work and Deborah had been asked by Dr. Jones to pick up from school and babysit her son and daughter before I asked them to take custody of Avery. Would it be possible to have her stay a little later after school while Deborah retrieves the kids first?" Dorothy looked over at Sheila and Deborah and grinned, proclaiming, "Given that Alice will be here with Raul I doubt there will be little problem with that. So long as they don't take advantage of the time to do something that would cause Alice and the ladies to revoke that privilege." Avery quickly told her, "We won't do anything, I swear. Raul won't do anything more than a hug and kiss on the cheek inside of school anyway." Dorothy chuckled as Ruth nodded in full agreement, adding, "I doubt you could get him to do much more than hold her hand. He's a good kid and Avery is doing wonders with him." Dorothy smiled and offered, "That she is, and Avery has done wonders for Al and Stephanie as well. We are both proud that he is starting to mature under her affection and the girls have someone who treats them as more than little kids and can talk with them on their level." Walking out, Dorothy told Alice, "Avery is going to be staying with Deborah and Sheila until the end of the year. She is also going to be staying with Raul after school while Deborah picks up the Jones kids. I trust this won't be an issue?" Alice just smiled and pointed out, "If it were any other students I would be concerned but they will be on their best behavior. I think Al and Stephanie will be doing the same once they know Avery will be joining them as well." Avery looked at her mother and told her, "I won't let you down, mom. I don't want to move and give up seeing my friends every day, even if I can see them on the weekends it just won't be the same." Ruth smiled and told her, "If I didn't believe that you were going to be well behaved for Deborah and Sheila I wouldn't have suggested this. You had better run along, the bell should ring shortly." Sheila looked at the time and announced she had to get going. Deborah was asked to stay behind for a bit so Dorothy could talk with her. Sensing there was more to the situation, Dorothy needed to know and wanted the straight answer from her daughter who she knew wouldn't lie to her. Dorothy sat her down and asked, "What's really going on? This just doesn't make much sense." Deborah tried to hide her answer but finally admitted, "Her parents going to Florida is true. However, the Longs are having trouble and Avery is being kept out of the line of fire and unable to be used as a bargaining chip or pawn by her father. He's struggling to keep his company afloat and she is only going down south because her mother-in- law has nobody else and she knows she is a good person despite her son. He won't do anything for her so Ruth feels obliged to step in and help." Deborah looked away then continued, "Mrs. Finn believes that he might be hiding something and from what she could read from his actions he isn't too pleased to have her involved. She is having Ruth's father and brother lead an investigation into his finances and had them make arrangements if, heaven forbid, something happen to one or both of them in Florida. Avery knows that her parents are through so whatever happens down there won't matter to her so long as Ruth comes back." Dorothy grew solemn and asked, "Is it that bad?" Nodding, Deborah added, "Mrs. Finn thinks that there could be big trouble. She surmised just from his reactions that their marriage is now finished and Ruth is biding her time, waiting for him to slip-up so she can end it. Avery seems to have her mind made up that he's not going to be around much longer just from her cold reaction to him. She doesn't want to go south and she doesn't want to go northeast so we were her only other option." Dorothy gave her a knowing nod, admitting, "Valerie is right about him. He is slimy and is using her family to further his fledgling business. We used him once only to regret it and had to fight to get him to give us a refund. Just keep her mind occupied and keep her focused on her schoolwork. I trust you two to do the right thing with her, I know you two have little experience with kids or rather siblings but whatever those people did to you out in California won't happen here. She needs a sister and you two are just that to her now." Deborah was led out and reluctantly told Alice, "Avery is hosting her cousins this weekend and is going to have Sheila's cousins, Al, and Stephanie go as well. Will this be a problem?" Alice grinned and asked, "Did she already manipulate you into doing something?" Deborah blushed and admitted, "Her uncle and grandfather actually set it up, her cousins have wanted to come to the city so it was easier to do both at once. They actually requested that Al and Stephanie go too." Finally Deborah left, much to her relief. She drove home and put the rest of Avery's clothes away then tidied up the apartment. Patrick stopped by to check in on her and spend some quality time with her, giving her a big hug and kiss as she met him at the door. Seeing the new suitcases he asked what was going on. Deborah filled him in on the details then grinned as he told her, "So you now have two sisters instead of one. I guess I better watch myself, you know how sneaky you girls can be when it comes to boyfriends and sisters." Deborah blushed deeply at hearing the words but kissed him for saying it. He smirked at her, adding, "There's no denying it. I already told you I love you so I'd be foolish to not call you my girlfriend. I hope I can live up to whatever you had dreamed of in a boyfriend." Deborah kissed him deeply and told him, "You are everything and more. I could not have dreamed of a better boyfriend." The two kissed on and off until lunchtime. Patrick surprised her when he told her they were going out to eat. He took her out to eat at a small restaurant in Somerville that a friend of his owned. Patrick showing up with a date caused the owner to nearly faint, Deborah being introduced as his girlfriend caused him to gasp for breath causing the employees to burst into laughter. Patrick grinned and admitted, "Now you see why I haven't brought her by: I was afraid you might hurt yourself." His friend just grinned and admitted, "We never would have thought you would find anyone let alone bring her around. Your brother must be so jealous of you." Patrick quickly shot back, "On the contrary, he's angry. Mom is after him now to find a girl for himself. I think my cousins are even trying to set him up on dates just to get rid of him. Two are even trying to get him to date a girl they know in England when they travel there in two weeks." Deborah knew the truth, Paige Connors and Hannah Smith were doing just that. They wouldn't tell her who they had in mind but they did admit she worked with the family and was going to a university in the fall. Even though she was employed by their grandparents she was a friend to them, she grew close to them and they hoped that she would hit it off with David if only to give him a break from being a brother, cousin, and state trooper for a few days. Patrick looked at Deborah and asked, "They told you didn't they?" She nodded, but added, "I don't know who she is or what their plans for her are, all I know is they have plans to get the couple together and by the sound of it they are pretty advanced plans. They are so sure that the two will hit it off that they planned their time together so thoroughly that it sounded like they stopped just short of setting up a date for their wedding but it might only be a matter of time before they actually do set a wedding date." Patrick laughed at that, it was only fitting that he would endure the torment of being under scrutiny from their mother, sister, and cousins. The meal was great and Deborah was treated well by the staff and owner. Patrick watched her go from anxious to excited as his friend gave her a big hug while Patrick paid for the meal. He whispered to her, "Give him some time, he's timid but a great guy. He likes you a lot, he has never taken any dates out to anywhere other than the movies." She whispered back, "I am in no hurry, he's a great person and I love him a lot." The words were out before she even realized it. His friend just grinned and nodded, but added, "He's in love too. If he hasn't told you yet he will." She added a quick, "He did already but it's still good to know that others aren't just saying things like that just to get us together." Chapter 16 Patrick drove her back to the apartment to rest for a bit before she had to leave to meet Sarah Jones for the drive over to the early learning center. She didn't have long before the doorbell rang and Sarah entered, grinning at Deborah's happy face. Her only words were, "Date with Patrick?" Deborah quickly shot back, "Just some lunch at his friend's restaurant." Sarah shook her head and added, "That counts as a date to me. Being taken to meet his friend over at the friend's restaurant means he's starting to get used to the idea of others close to him knowing you are his girlfriend. Don't look too much into it though, he's madly in love and won't go faster than this." The two left for the school to pick up Faith Jones. Sarah introduced her to Deborah and told her warmly, "Your new baby brother is starting to give me a little bit of a health scare so Deborah will be picking you up from school until he is born. I want you to be on your best behavior or you won't be able to visit Virgil or Daisy." Faith said a somber, "OK" and got in the car just as Daisy rushed over to give Deborah a hug. She went off again with her mother who was grinning at Deborah. Faith whispered, "She knows about your date. Patrick texted his mother about it when she picked Daisy up." Deborah blushed and asked, "Is there anyone who doesn't know about it yet?" Faith thought for a second and grinned, "Nope." The three drove on to the elementary school complex. Neil Jones was waiting with his friends Junior Kelly and Ethan Smith while their parents looked on. Neil was introduced to Deborah and reluctantly agreed to be on his best behavior or he wouldn't be allowed to play with Junior. Deborah told them, "I have to make another stop before going to your house." Sarah asked where they were going to which Deborah told her, "The middle school. Sheila and I have been asked to care for one of the girls in the school for the rest of the year while her parents are out of state." Sarah agreed, but added, "She isn't in any kind of trouble is she?" Deborah sighed and freely told her, "No, but there are things being done to make sure there isn't just in case. Sheila is the closest she has to a relative in the city so it was either stay with us or move to Endicott and we were chosen by everyone else in her family to care for her." Sarah asked who the girl was to which Deborah told her, "Avery Long." Faith and Neil happily blurted out, "That's Stephanie's brother's girlfriend!" Sarah nodded at hearing that, she knew who her family was and what Sheila was to them through the family grapevine. Deborah parked outside the school and walked over to the office where Raul, Avery, Stephanie, and Al were waiting. The Joneses entered behind her and greeted the foursome with hugs and giggles. Faith whispered something to the girls as Raul tried his hardest to not pay attention but was dragged into the whispering by Faith. All of them looked up at Deborah and grinned. She sighed and asked, "Anyone else you want to tell or are you done gossiping?" Alice and Dorothy walked in and asked, "Gossiping about what?" Deborah quickly mumbled, "Nothing" but Faith grinned and told them, "Just that Deborah was out on a date earlier." The others snickered as Deborah's face went white. Dorothy asked who she went out with getting a quick, "Patrick Peterson" from the four girls. Dorothy grinned and admitted, "Lunch at a friend's restaurant isn't really a date, especially with such a short time to do it." The girls looked a bit flustered at their humor falling flat. Deborah mouthed, "Thank you" to Dorothy who smiled and nodded back. Alice grinned and told them, "You better get going, you have a lot of homework to do." The group dispersed as Sarah took Faith and Neil home, telling them, "You had better listen to Deborah tomorrow and do your homework right away." Both said a quiet, "Yes mom." Sarah hugged Deborah and informed her, "I already cleared it with both schools so you don't have to worry about a thing. Paul, Rachel, Todd, Karen, Nigel, William, Kennedy, and Willie also know about you picking up the kids so they will smooth things over in case there are any issues. They are also willing to take over for you if things get too overwhelming." Inside, Avery did her homework and watched TV while Deborah got started on dinner. Avery got bored and asked to help, hoping to stave off the inevitable questions about her day. She was a quick study and had the meal ready to go while Deborah finished preparing the salad. No fool to the change in Avery Deborah asked what happened in school. Avery sighed and told her, "My friends found out about my staying with you two and were upset that I was having so many people over without them. I tried to explain why but they seemed to think that with my parents away I could party and do as I pleased like they suspected kids did when their parents were away." Deborah told her warmly, "Did you tell them exactly who was coming over and why?" She shook her head so Deborah told her, "You should tell them so they know exactly how supervised it will be. If they have trouble accepting this then they are more interested in what you have than what you are, if they acknowledge your being a good family member to your cousin's family and your own cousins then they will be glad for you doing something so nice for your cousins." Avery hugged her, telling her, "You are the best cousin ever." Deborah corrected her saying, "I'm your guardian not your cousin. It's my job to give advice." Avery grinned and nonchalantly told her, "That's not what Stephanie and Al said. They said you are more and more becoming a cousin to everyone. Stephanie said that since your mom is like her aunt you are her and Raul's cousin just like the Finns are all aunts and uncles and cousins to one another." Deborah tried to tell her otherwise but she walked off to do some homework while waiting for Sheila to return home. Avery texted Raul back and forth as she worked. It worked for a while but she had to give up when he had trouble on some of the math problems and couldn't be talked through them so he had to turn to his mother for help. Sheila arrived and was greeted by an eager Avery who promptly told her about Deborah's date and how things had gone so far. Deborah added that she might have to plan another sleepover just to get Avery's friends to accept that her living with Sheila and Deborah was no big deal and not a party. Sheila simply grinned as she explained, "Call them and invite them over the following weekend, if they do as Deborah said then they aren't really your friends but if they accept the invitation then you have another weekend filled with some fun times." The three sat down to dinner and talked about anything and everything. Sheila finally pestered Deborah for information about her date which Deborah went into details about. Avery grinned through the whole retelling, fawning over Patrick's actions and reactions. She added a loving, "He sounds so dreamy" to which Sheila added, "He should, he's been in a dreamlike state since he met her" prompting a big laugh from the teen and a blush from Deborah. Looking at the time Deborah asked if Avery had finished her homework prompting Avery to rush off to finish it. Both she and Sheila went to check over her work and helped her fix the mistakes and explain why they were wrong. Deborah read over her language arts writing assignment and helped her better clarify her summaries and fix her essay. While Deborah was busy with Patrick and the kids, Kennedy was busy over in Ipswich District Court with the media circus surrounding the both Yancy Quill's and his brother, the lieutenant governor's, arraignments. She stood before the judge and recalled the events of that previous Saturday, giving as much detail without revealing who else were involved. The judge listened intently and then offered a simple, "Bail is set at $100,000. You are ordered to stay away from all witnesses and other defendants in this case. You are also barred from any meetings with politicians, lobbyists, or donors until such time as you are exonerated or incarcerated." His lawyer tried to cry foul but the judge grinned and happily pointed out, "I am no fool, I know the exact wording of the state constitution regarding his office and your client has no actual duties except to act in place of the governor if and when he or she is unable to act in that capacity. Given that his threats were criminal and he has no actual legal reason for meeting with any of those people there is no justification for him to meet with them. Therefor my ruling stands." The lieutenant governor screamed, "You ruined me! You will pay for that!" The judge shook his head and calmly told him, "Seeing as you feel the need to verbally threaten a member of the court I have no choice but to remand you to the custody of the county until trial. I am keeping the same stipulations in place and restricting visits to only your lawyer and only when he or she has been vetted to assure that there are no common factors or outside interests to influence him or her." Kennedy stood up and offered a quick, "Due to the sensitivity of the case the state asks that the records be sealed and that anyone accessing the records of court proceedings and motions be forced to show cause for needing the information." The judge read between the lines and ordered, "This will be treated as a juvenile case and seals put in place. A gag order is also in place for the defendant and his lawyer. Mrs. Pena due to your involvement in other cases that are related to this you are free to speak." The press mobbed the lawyers as they left. Kennedy offered a blanket statement of, "A gag order is in effect and records sealed on behalf of those involved. This case arose out of a larger investigation that is currently being undertaken at the request of the governor however due to his being a witness to the events that occurred on Saturday the attorney general is treating this as an independent investigation. I can't tell you anymore without violating the order. Any further comment will come out at the trial." The lieutenant governor's lawyer reiterated that a gag order was in place and wouldn't speak further. When asked where his client was he solemnly told them, "He has been remanded to the custody of the county house of corrections due to an error in judgment on his part and will remain there until the trial is concluded." The press saw another story in his actions and asked what happened and learned quickly about the threats causing a firestorm to occur leading to calls for his removal. An hour later, over on Beacon Hill at the offices of the Attorney General of Massachusetts, Kennedy met with the Attorney General and multiple leading members of the legislature. Kennedy wasn't happy to be called into the meeting but it was going to happen eventually and the sooner it was over with, the better. She hated playing politics especially with a bunch of people who would sell their own mother to get a better chance of getting their friends in power and getting their bills passed. Her boss offered to grant a leave of absence so she could avoid the flak but Kennedy freely admitted, "It wouldn't matter, I was there and heard it all. If I'm not there to give them the proper context of what happened and protect Deborah nobody will and they will let those pieces of garbage get off without so much as a slap on the wrist and expect us to apologize to them for inconveniencing them." The room was filled with people who were reviewing the facts of the case. The Attorney General was setting the stage for the big fight in the halls of the statehouse and had her own people there monitoring and ready to step in and speak up for Kennedy should they use her as a political football and try to get her removed in hopes of getting the investigation killed. They weren't about to let anyone do that, not without paying a heavy price that would make them think twice about doing so. Kennedy was their top investigator for a reason, she had the full respect and admiration of her colleagues and they would fight tooth and nail for her no matter the political fallout. Kennedy gave her story as best she could and made multiple points of law clear to the legislators about what had been done wrong. Half of them were bored stiff and didn't want to be there or seem the least bit interested in the situation. The other half were an even split between the known political backers of the lieutenant governor and those who were trying to actually do their duly elected jobs and hold someone accountable for their actions. The supporters were quick to try to do their best to make it all go away with threats about budget cuts, appointment of replacements who would do the job that they told them to do, and claims that it was blown out of proportion. Kennedy played the recording of the incident and it was clear that laws were broken right there out in the open. Even the disinterested were starting to see just how serious this was. The few remaining supporters tried to do the same threats. They were being blunt in saying, "Either make this go away or you go away. If we have to we will make it known about your own past and you won't be able to set foot inside any public building without your life becoming a living hell." This time their colleagues spoke up and told them, "And just how are you going to do that without anyone backing you? You even try to do that and she and those in this office will ensure that your ass is behind bars for violating her rights. You idiots just fell into the same idiotic trap that your buddy the lieutenant governor fell into- believing that you are untouchable. Well you aren't and you aren't about to threaten an employee of the state like that to get what you want. You just killed your own careers today!" The one who said this grinned and pointed to the now angry disinterested legislators, most of whom had been itching to take the man down a peg for years. The leader of the legislators told the few sharply, "You all have until the end of the month to resign. Do it one per week to stagger the notices is about the best you will get." Turning to the one who threatened Kennedy he told him flat out, "You are resigning immediately and your reason will be to the point: you overstepped your boundaries as a legislator and you have lost the faith of members of your party and the legislature. If you don't we will leak that you threatened members of the Attorney General's Office to attempt to stifle an active investigation into the criminal actions of the lieutenant governor. In other words, we will tell the truth. You might find someone dumb enough to support you but I doubt the media will let you get away with this and you will find yourself joining your buddy before the full body of the General Court answering calls for your expulsion." Turning back to the others he added, "If you even think that you are going to fight back, you are kidding yourselves. You will find yourselves on the worst committees and you will have no chance of any of your bills making it out of the pigeonhole. That is going to be followed by your own dirty secrets being aired. If you thought you were careful in covering up your backroom deals and 'preacher's handshakes' you are fooling yourself. Now that I have said something our esteemed constitutional officer is required by law to investigate so I guess your incentive is gone." The men looked at him with pissed off faces. They received a quick, "That's the best you get, if you are lucky nobody will take notice. And I hope that this doesn't get leaked to the media. What he did is beyond politics and goes against everything we stand for no matter who you support. He tossed out nearly 240 years of our state's constitutional history on Saturday. He is toast politically and he is toast ethically. He played fast and loose and should have known not to fuck with the Finns." Kennedy grinned at hearing those words so eloquently used by someone who wasn't prone to ever use profanity. The name Finn caused much of the gathered to groan and talk among themselves about what to do. One finally stood up and announced, "The name Finn isn't used lightly and we all know after what happened with our previous speaker when he himself thought that he could push them around. Articles of impeachment and removal will be filed shortly against the lieutenant governor and unless all of you yourselves want to be before your fellow General Court members then you will not stand in the way nor will you go to the press trying to make this into a kangaroo court. The rest of you don't even bother going inside the statehouse, just sign the boilerplate resignation and hand it off to the clerk." The legislators left, but the one who made reference to the Finns remained behind. Shaking his head at all of what had just gone on he turned to the attorney general and admitted, "You know that I represent the governor's home district so I was told what happened by a 'concerned neighbor.' It doesn't take a fool to see that the Finns being there was no coincidence. The fact that the lieutenant governor didn't bother to notice them just shows that he thought he was untouchable and explains more about his mindset than anything. The governor knew something would happen and provoked it beautifully. I don't fault him one bit, that was some performance by all of you." Kennedy shook her head and told him, "That was all actually secondary. I can state that the young lady that provoked the lieutenant governor to confess to breaking the law and threaten Christian was there to talk with Christian about the goings on at Salem State. The primary reason for the visit though was to introduce Christian to the newest members of the Finn Family, which included his granddaughter's new boyfriend, his mother, sister, and his sister's best friend. In addition, the young woman's best friend also turned out to be a neighbor of Christian so it was also sort of an impromptu reunion for both the James family and her." Thinking the man asked, "Patterson?" Kennedy nodded, adding, "She is a Peterson by blood. The Finns didn't know that she was Christian's neighbor nor her connection to his family until they arrived." The man could now see that it was both a setup and legitimate gathering. Christian kept him out of the loop on purpose, but invited the lieutenant governor and his brother with the hopes of provoking them in front of Kennedy and his state police detail. Kennedy could see his brain working diligently so she added, "We didn't think he would be stupid enough to actually outright threaten the governor. I thought Christian would only get him to admit to intervening on his brother's behalf but that was even more damaging to him than just confessing to the intervention." Shaking his head, the man said, "He was never one to be accused of being smart. He thought that he would springboard to the office once the governor retired at the end of the term or he beat him in the primary should Christian run again. Well those plans are toast, Christian will run for another term." The little impromptu meeting ended with the attorney general's secretary rushing in to tell her loudly, "The media are on the prowl for Kennedy to ask about the connection to the assault in Salem State! Someone leaked that the assault was what sparked the investigation into the lieutenant governor!" Kennedy looked at the attorney general and bluntly said, "Someone's going to jail. Those records were supposed to be sealed!" She turned to Kennedy and grinned, proudly proclaiming, "They just pissed off the wrong people. Rip them to shreds and let Valerie Finn burn those shreds to ash. It was said earlier but it's still true: nobody fucks with the Finns." Chapter 17 Kennedy and her office were on the warpath. They sought and obtained search warrants for the cell phones of every member of the lieutenant governor's family including the Quills, the cronies at Salem State, and the students in jail. They were the only ones who could have leaked the information and all of them had a stake in doing so. As her team started to look through the files they noticed a pattern and found exactly who was responsible and why. Kennedy's team grinned as they put out a notice to all media that releasing any information into an active, sealed investigation would result in the reporters being charged with interfering with a police investigation as well as violating the right to privacy of the victim of a crime. She knew that the local independent reporters would ignore the order and do so anyway so she had to work behind the scenes with the news sites and media outlets to let them know that they'd be on the hook legally for reporting the gagged information if they bought and broadcast or printed the story. The reporters outside started to get phone calls and within minutes they were packing to leave, telling Kennedy, "You won, whatever it is better be worth breaking the first amendment." Kennedy quickly pointed out, "The amendment doesn't allow you to break the law just to get a story, nor does it allow you to violate right to privacy of someone in pursuit of a story. You should know that from Journalism 101. I took the same course as you at UMass, I know you were taught that and to ignore it slaps the face of our professor." The reporter tried to counter but her videographer snapped back, "You can lose your job if you want. I'm not about to get into a fight with someone well above my paygrade. She is right, you should have paid closer attention to your professors than making sure your makeup was good. Geeze, you are a guy and you wear more than my wife and sister combined!" The only reporters that were left after that were the freelance tabloid reporters trying to get a scoop to sell to the big outlets. Kennedy just grinned and pointed out, "Pursuant to the laws of this state and in regards to a judicial decree in regards to an active criminal investigation any attempt to discriminate information obtained by speaking with any member on an exclusion list will result in being held in contempt of court. You have a right to report but you do not have a right to reveal private information about a private citizen that was obtained illegally. Further, when this same information is revealed by someone under a gag order you are violating the court order in your own right." Looking at a state trooper standing close by she indicated to one of the reporters and stated, "You are hereby placed under arrest for contempt of court for violating an existing gag order and violating the privacy of a victim of a crime. Your source is about to be arrested as we speak. She knew full well what she was doing when she contacted you this morning." The rest of the freelancers asked if she was joking, Kennedy pointed out, "This is no joke. There is a reason the real media left and you vultures remained behind. They know where the line is between being a report and breaking the law is. You can claim freedom of the press but it doesn't give you the right to break the law and harm others in your attempt to play reporter. You aren't real reporters, you are paparazzi and you don't have a right to do whatever you want to make a buck." The other freelancers walked away. There were mumblings about complaining but they were quickly followed by, "You can go to jail, I've got a family to feed. Screw that girl, this story sounded too juicy to be true and just got too toxic to handle." Kennedy walked back inside and announced, "If any of the media outlets challenge the gag order and sealing of court documents, direct them to rules regarding right to a fair trial, right to privacy, and court rulings in favor of them." Her boss, the Attorney General, grinned and handed her a sheet of paper, stating, "I already went before the Supreme Judicial Court and got the gag order and seal upheld. They were all too eager to accept that it directly impacts the running of the state government and was a direct violation of the civil rights of an aggrieved party in a court case as a valid argument for them. Their words were 'freedom of the press doesn't mean freedom to air everyone's dirty laundry.'" Kennedy's assistant offered another order, this time from the federal court. She read it and grimed, her assistant announcing, "The federal district court judge has agreed with the ruling and offered damning language to keep it from being overturned on appeal. His exact words were, "A right to a fair trial is more important than a tabloid story especially when the information was obtained by breaking multiple laws enacted to ensure the rights of private citizens from government intrusion." The office let out a cheer, it was rare that they had so thoroughly beaten someone or had both court systems in sync. While Kennedy got back to work, David was leading a group of state troopers heading towards Salem State. At the dorm building the troopers showed the arrest warrant and were let in while one trooper kept watch at the front desk to ensure their target wasn't alerted. The security guard assigned to guard the desk tried to phone someone but had the phone taken from him and told, "You can hold off a few minutes, it's not a life or death situation and believe me if it was I could get fire, police, and EMS to here faster than you ever could." The guy tried to claim it was a call to his mother to which the trooper grinned at and told him, "If that were true then why is your mother nude and look like a 19-year-old girl? You must have a very weird relationship with her to have that kind of picture." The man's face grew pale as he knew he was caught red handed in a lie and was outsmarted, there would be no way to warn anyone now. Upstairs David followed the sound of loud music to what he knew to be Deborah's former dorm room. Shaking his head, he announced, "They just get bolder and stupider." His fellow troopers just grinned as he pointed out, "That's not their room. Nobody is allowed inside without permission." David made a couple of quick phone calls then told them, "Permission to enter has been granted by the school and anyone found inside are to be detained and questioned by the campus police. The actual assigned occupant has given us written permission to enter as does the university's legal team." There was little need to knock as the door had been pried open already. The troopers entered and all inside stopped cold. There were two women engaged in sex in the corner to which David shook his head and loudly told them, "Fun's over, knock it off." David pointed to one of the two engaged in the sex act and announced, "Pursuant to a judicial decree by the Ipswich District court as well as the Essex Superior Court in Newburyport you are hereby placed under arrest for disseminating information about a sealed court case and disclosing private information about a person that was illegally obtained. And as you are the only legal resident of this dorm building you will be held responsible for all damage to this room. Further as you are not the resident of this room and the school has deemed anyone caught inside this room to be in here illegally all of you will be placed under arrest for trespassing. This is in addition to the violation of your bail conditions stemming from your previous arrest for criminal conspiracy and conspiracy to commit assault." The young woman swore at them and loudly told them, "Do you know who my father is? My father is the Speaker of the House of House of Representatives! I'll have all of your badges and be out before the ink is dried on your arrest report!" The troopers just grinned and announced, "As required by law all officers are wearing body cameras and your threat has been recorded and action will be taken against you within the bounds of the law." David pointed to the black device on his chest as did the other troopers in the room and watched as the girl tried to grab for it only to be dropped to the floor by one of the other troopers and told, "For what you just did a charge of assault on a police office will now also be added to your already pending charges." David just stood back as she was given flip-flops, a sweatshirt, and sweatpants to put on then led away to the awaiting cruisers. The others in the party had their information taken by the troopers and were all released pending further action by the school. David helped two campus officers take photographs of the room and bathroom and noted all of the damage, then called in building services to secure the room and bill all damages to the young woman now in custody. David sat down outside and notified Kennedy to expect fallout. She grinned and told him, "There won't be any, not when it's revealed that she was caught in the middle of a lesbian sex act during a party in the middle of the day after she ranted and raved in public about Deborah being a sexual deviant. The sheer hypocrisy alone is going to kill her social life and her criminal record will follow her around from now on. Her father is toast politically as is and will just ride out the rest of his term before retiring; she, on the other hand, is going to get what she earned. Not even Hamburger University would accept her as a student after what she has done." David drove back home and talked with his brother about what happened. He burst into laughter at the image of one of the women who had been a thorn in the side of Deborah because she had a better room than them getting herself arrested while caught having sex with another woman. The fact that she was having sex with another woman wasn't an issue, it was that she was so vocal about Deborah's deviancy and depravity that was the issue and Patrick gave her little sympathy. She reaped what she sowed and the bitterness of consequences were almost enough to make him pity her...almost. David asked about Patrick's date which caused him to groan and ask, "It went well, now when are you going out with someone? I expect mom to start after you soon because she knows that Deborah and I aren't going to end things anytime soon." This caused David to nearly choke on his soda as Patrick timed it just right to get him back for the inquisition. They may be in the early 20s but sometimes they acted like they were still a couple of12-year-old boys towards one another. David asked him pointedly, "Are you planning anything more?" Patrick shook his head but added, "We are still early in the relationship. She has a lot going against her mentally and now with taking care of Avery and babysitting Faith and Neil she is drained physically as well. I don't want to add considering a marriage to it." David grinned and told him, "Speak with Uncle John about getting a ring soon." The next morning Deborah and Avery left for the school after a quick breakfast. Neil and Faith were going in with Virgil's mom and Junior's dad so she didn't need to drop off the kids this morning. Avery was still fearful of what her friends may say about the sleepover but Deborah kept he focus on the day ahead rather than the possible rejection. Avery's friends greeted her outside the school and got a good look at Deborah before she drove off. The three looked over at Avery who asked them pointedly, "Can you hold off on your sleepover request for another week? My cousins are coming to town and Sheila is being forced to also host the Finn girls as well. It'll be a tight fit. It's not that I don't want you to come over, it's just that they arranged it first." Her friends looked at one another for several seconds before one asked, "How many of them are coming over?" Avery tried to recall the number that was told to her and finally came up with, "All 16 Finn girls plus Al and Stephanie plus my three cousins." The girls looked at one another in shock, Avery sighed and told them, "It's why I am asking to hold off on it, it'll be 18 teens, Al, Stephanie, and four adults total. Paige and Hannah are considered adults now and are going to be in charge of everything." Her friends were fighting for the right words. Finally, one announced, "We would be wrong to dump you over this so we can wait. Just don't have too much fun, we don't want you to think we aren't as fun as them. We have a lot to live up to as it is with their reputations." Avery was pleased, they weren't abandoning her for not inviting them. She grinned and told them, "My cousins are fun and the Finn girls are pretty cool from what I've been told. But before you ask- there won't be any boys allowed. Not even Deborah's boyfriend is allowed over to kiss her goodnight, he won't even be allowed to drop her off just to ensure dad doesn't claim we broke the 'no boys' rule." This set the girls off as they started asking more about Sheila and Deborah. Avery grinned and let them know, "They are really more like my older sisters than my guardians, but they won't let me get away with anything just because mom and dad are away. Deborah is studying to be a teacher and Sheila is a librarian and Patrick's brother is a state trooper so I can't get away with doing anything." The girls met up with Raul to whom Avery gave a big kiss causing him to blush as they went inside. He asked about her night which Avery grinned and told him, "It wasn't anything special, just cooking and cleaning and talking. I got to tease Deborah about her date and got my homework done with help from the two of them." Avery was happier that day than she had been in a while and her improved homework caught the eye of her teachers. Mr. Taylor, the 8th grade history teacher, commented on her written parts getting a soft, "My guardians wouldn't let me rush through it like I usually do." Mr. Taylor just grinned and nodded, adding, "Remind me to thank them for that." As the day wore on her other teachers started to inquire about Avery's guardians to Alice and Dorothy. Dorothy addressed each of them with the same, "She is staying with my daughter and her friend and were approved by Avery's parents, uncle, and grandparents." This got most of them to back off but Mr. Williams, the gym teacher, added, "She takes after you" getting a blush and big, "You have no idea how much that means to me" from Dorothy. Sensing a touchy issue Mr. Williams sat with Dorothy in her office during his free period and asked for the full story about Deborah. She respected him too much to neither lie to him nor deflect his inquiries so she told him the truth. He listened intently before grinning and admitting, "I stand by what I said, she takes after you. First John, now her. You certainly know how to encourage people. It's a shame about her, she is going to make a great teacher when she gets back in the saddle at UMass if they don't clean house up in Salem first. Hopefully all of this will blow over before she is out on the market but I doubt she will have to worry- the way they go through English teachers at the high school she will catch on over there quickly if she isn't being groomed by Jake from the get go." Dorothy got back to work and went through her emails, deleting spam and moving important ones to front while saving others for later. One of the emails to her caught her eye and caused her to become infuriated. How they got her email address she didn't know, but she sure as hell would find out. Calming herself she called Kennedy at work and asked her if she would be able to check out something for her. Kennedy knew that Dorothy wasn't one to socialize. If Dorothy was asking for something that it was relevant to Deborah's situation and thus important to Kennedy. Kennedy listened intently then gave her a short reply and ended the call. Kennedy's assistant asked quizzically, "Something going on?" Kennedy drew a sharp breath and told her, "Someone leaked information about the primary victim to the worst possible people. Her family from California is fishing for information about her from her mother." Her assistant looked puzzled and asked, "Is that bad for some reason? I thought getting in contact with your family was good." Kennedy turned away solemnly told her, "Not when those same people mutilate their grandchild because she wanted to become a girl and let their other grandchildren brutally assault the smallest and weakest. All of this done to her because their daughter wanted to get away to a better life. Someone leaked the information to them and it could only have been one of our targets." Her assistant was speechless. After letting what Kennedy had said settle she asked with great anger, "Who do you think leaked the information and when can we go after them?" Kennedy grinned and admitted, "I have my suspect and he's probably sitting at home thinking that he is getting off easy." The two set up a search warrant then had troopers execute the warrant at the home of the former Salem State director of public safety, Yancy Quill, who was awaiting trial at home for his role in the assault on Deborah and his role in disciminating information to the lieutenant governor. The troopers seized all of the computers in the house as well as the phones of him, his wife, and his kids. When the troopers explained why they had to take their phones his family started screaming at Quill for doing something so stupid and involving the kids which the troopers let go on. They weren't being physical and the kids weren't going to let him get away with causing them trouble. The kids had a point, they didn't share his views and he acted with disregard for the impact on them. They were already humiliated as it is due to Quill's arrest. It didn't take long to find what the troopers needed to find. The man was stupid enough to use his own cellphone to call California multiple times. He kept copies of emails on his computer and disclosed everything he had on Deborah from her contact with Dorothy to her moving to Winnisimmet to her friendship with Sheila to where they were now living to who they associated with. He included email and phone numbers of Deborah, Sheila, and Dorothy which was the link they needed to show probable cause and a violation of the gag order. The troopers made copies of the hard drives of the phones and computers and gave them back to the Quills, apologizing for the inconvenience to the family. Mrs. Quill just brushed it off as being part of their job and didn't hold it against them while his kids were more concerned about having to explain their sudden disappearance form social media to their friends. The troopers just grinned and informed them, "If your father used your phones we would have had to take them until after we went to trial" which got them to apologize to their mother and the troopers earning a silent, "Thank you" from her. Shortly thereafter Kennedy appeared before a judge in Ipswich District Court and told her, "Due to a breach of bail conditions in regards to the defendant's existing charges we ask that the defendant be remanded. Further due to a concurrent investigation and its gag order we ask that it be applied to the defendant and his lawyer in this new case as well." The judge looked at the order from her counterparts and the brief summary of the case and grinned, proudly telling the defendant, "Higher court have already ordered that all facts regarding the case be sealed and as you are a party in that case you are hereby ordered to not discuss this case with anyone." It was over and Quill was hauled off to the county house of corrections in Middleton to await his trial. Dorothy was told what had happened and why which drew a sigh of relief from her. She then explained to Kennedy, "We have to tell Deborah right away. She is in real danger, they are going to make her pay for leaving the family and with her finally becoming a woman she is going to be brutalized before they drag her back- that's if they don't kill her outright in anger." Kennedy had to think fast. She grinned and asked, "Fancy three house guests until we nail the bastards?" Dorothy had to think it over and sighed, agreeing to let them stay with her while her family was on the loose. Kennedy warmly told her, "You two needed some time together anyway." After hanging up with Dorothy, Kennedy's next call was to Jo and Phyllis Kaplan to get an update on what was happening in California. Their news wasn't good; Deborah's grandparents were arrested and released on bail but vowed revenge against Deborah. Their threats weren't being taken seriously by the LA count courts though. Kennedy told them about the email Dorothy received warning her to hand over the freak or she would pay. Both swore as they quickly hung up on Kennedy. They tried to figure out the seriousness of their threat against Deborah and just whom she was going to deal with. They contacted a deputy friend of theirs and had him check with the airlines to see if they had slipped away. The news wasn't good. Three of the Vega men had boarded a plane to Rhode Island two days ago. They had a return ticket for four people, one of which was in the name of James Vega. Both women felt sick to their stomach at hearing that, they were going to hurt her badly enough that she would admit to being James. She was in serious danger and they were way behind them in reacting. Chapter 18 Jo and Phyllis called Kennedy and alerted her to the imminent arrival of the Vegas. Kennedy could only let out an angry sigh and say, "I'll have Willie and the state troopers keep an eye out for them. If they are smart they will wait until she is alone. But Deborah won't be alone, not anymore." Kennedy called Dorothy and told her the bad news. She looked at the time and told Kennedy, "I'll tell her myself. Get Sheila to pack up enough clothes for a few days and I'll take Deborah and Avery to my home directly." Thinking it over she had to add, "As much as it pains me to think of it, Sarah needs to know. Mick Jones will want in on this especially if the kids are in danger." Dorothy agreed, adding, "David and Patrick also need to know. I just hope Sarah and Mick taught the kids to defend themselves enough to buy a few precious seconds should it come down to it." Kennedy's husband Willie was told about what was going on as soon a Dorothy hung up. He would add additional units to patrol the route Deborah would need to take to get from one school to the other with an additional officer at each. Ms. Prince over at Neil's school and the other principals were alerted to be on the lookout for anyone hanging around their schools that didn't belong there and to report anyone asking questions about Deborah. Todd Flynn, one of the family's friends, would do his best to look out for any unusual people. He might have the best chance among the law enforcement people given he now wore suits rather than a uniform. If they were already observing her they might know some of the people but not Todd. He'd blend in among the parents and would know what to spot should they show their face at the school. Deborah was the last to be told what was going on. Patrick took little time to gather their clothes and ignored the creepiness of handling his cousin's lingerie let alone Avery's. He grabbed what he could and much to his relief the ladies had their outfits already hung up waiting for use. Jorge and Victoria were forgotten about in the whole race to get things together. As Patrick was leaving with two bags of clothes they stopped him to ask what was going on. He went inside their apartment and told them everything that was happening and why just in case there were ears listening outside. Jorge and Victoria nodded to one another. They could make it look like Deborah and Sheila were still around and they could spot the trio a mile away if they came to the neighborhood. Jorge's friends and neighbors would be told who to look out for and why. Knowing they would be less than gentle with the brothers Patrick asked should they get caught that they not be severely hurt as he wanted that pleasure of doing that all to himself. He wasted little time in leaving, going right to Dorothy's home, dropping off the bags and heading back to the apartment to wait for his meeting with Dorothy and Deborah. Jorge insisted that he eat food and relax, knowing that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. Victoria refused to let him leave until she knew he had settled down and wouldn't end up doing something stupid such as picking a fight with three people without someone to back him up. While Patrick was stuck eating and on edge over the terrible news, Deborah had been invited to spend some time at the Finn home with Valerie and Beth Herman. The twins were, "Babysitting" little Benny as they played with him, who simply sat up and gurgled at them while trying to chew on a teething ring and tossing the occasional ball back to them. All three were oblivious to the serious discussions that the adults were having not far away. Valerie was closely monitoring what was going on with Kennedy and David which was why she invited Deborah over in the first place. Beth could tell Valerie had something going on and looking at the way she was keeping an eye on Deborah it was obvious that Deborah was involved in some way. Valerie had to give an excuse for Deborah to come over, using the excuse of needing some companionship and talking about Patrick to get her to come. Benny started to fuss and wanted someone's attention so Deborah got up to get him. He immediately clutched her tight and refused to let go, cuddling into her arms and falling asleep while grabbing a tight hold on her blouse's sleeve. Beth and Valerie looked at one another and couldn't help but grin at Benny laying claim to Deborah again. Deborah didn't bother fighting him and let him sleep while Valerie and Beth prepared lunch. Valerie's phone rang as Beth and Deborah were talking about something involving the schools which brought laughs to both. Valerie's upset expression only caused both to grow concerned prompting Valerie to sit down. Deborah read her mind and knew that there was something going on that needed explanation that wasn't good news to her. Valerie drew a calming breath and explained, "Jo and Phyllis Kaplan have some bad news regarding your family. Three of your uncles are in the area looking for you. We don't know when they will go after you, all we know is that they will do it. They have a plane ticket with your old name on it and they rented a car to drive around searching so they are seriously going to try to take you back to California." Beth gasped in shock and asked, "Why are they doing this to her?" Valerie shook her head in shame and admitted, "Her grandparents were finally brought to justice for the abuse they committed against her and allowed to happen to Deborah. It's pure payback and the person responsible is already in jail. The man who did it was her school's former head of public safety and is the brother of the soon to be former lieutenant governor. It's all out of spite and revenge and he doesn't care the least bit that they are going to hurt you just as long as he got his revenge." Deborah had tears in her eyes as Valerie said all of that. Deborah got up to go but Valerie stopped her, insisting, "We have a plan in motion. They can't get close to you without being seen and people doing something to stop them." Deborah nearly shouted, "It doesn't matter! They want me, I won't let anyone get hurt because of me!" Deborah left, heading right for her apartment. Patrick was already inside waiting for her, and seeing her distressed he hugged her tightly as she wept into his shoulder. He didn't need to be told what happened, he knew that she knew her family was coming to get her and that he needed to be there for her. It took her almost a half hour to calm down, with Patrick not letting her out of his grip until she stopped crying. When she finally did and pulled away they both started to giggle at Deborah's makeup staining his shoulder from all the tears. Patrick warmly pulled her to her feet and brought her to the bathroom so she could, "Fix her face" and get ready to pick up the kids. Deborah got into her car and drove on, with Patrick whispering to her, "Police are tailing you in that car" pointing subtly to a plain looking Toyota Corolla down the street. Patrick added, "They are friends of David's and Uncle Willie so they are trusted. Everyone involved is trusted." Deborah drove on, letting out Patrick at his own home before he doubled back towards her apartment in case someone tried to slip in while she was out. The tail was true to its word, giving her some distance while making it look like they weren't following her. She watched them peel off then return a block later making it look like they were just another car, which wasn't hard given it was one of several dozen similar makes and models and colored cars in the city at that moment. At the Early Learning Center Lilly hugged her and told her warmly, "I'll take Faith the next few days, you need to focus on yourself." Deborah sighed and regretfully told her, "I don't think I have much of a choice, if they have been here two days they know already that I'm picking her up and if I suddenly stop they are going to know that I know." Lilly nodded then added, "Don't discount the fight in either her or Neil. The guys and boys have worked with them to learn how to get away from someone trying to take them away." Faith was silent as she waited for them to pick up Neil. She looked out the window and asked, "Why are you being followed by those officers?" Deborah tried to lie her way out of it but Faith told her, "Daddy taught us some of the major police moves and practices and I know that car is following us. Did you do something wrong? Do the police want you for something?" Deborah bit her lip then told her the truth, "My grandparents were finally arrested for hurting me when I was younger. My uncles are trying to take me back to California so I can say that it never happened." Faith asked warmly, "Is it because they didn't want you to become a girl?" Deborah nodded, adding, "It's also because my mom was becoming a woman and my mother helped her. It's why I was taken away from them in the first place." Faith was deep in thought and staring out the window. She finally broke the silence with, "You are too pretty to have been a boy. None of us think you were ever one. You can't become a boy or girl- you just are one even if others can't see it." Deborah was relieved to be talking about something else. She quickly mentioned Al and what happened to her. Faith was ready for that by saying, "Even though Al was a boy she did act like a girl before she became one. We think she was always a girl inside but she just didn't know about it because she was never allowed to act girly. She told us about a lot of things she did and felt and they are like we feel and do. She was a girl inside, and she is a girl outside. Just like you are now, you were never a boy." Deborah just smiled as Faith was putting on a show to make her feel better. The little sprite was eager to help her any way she could and it carried a lot of truth in her words that even a 7-year-old could see that she was never a boy no matter what her family tried to claim. Faith just stared out of the window and grinned, knowing that Deborah was going to think a lot about what Daisy thought and give her a big hug when she saw her again. Neil was waiting outside with Willie, Todd, and Karen. Karen offered to take Neil for her, reiterating the same offer but getting the same, "If I stop they will know I know they are here" that she gave Lilly. Todd nodded in agreement, adding, "She's on to something. They might not be the brightest people but they can tell if they are made and it might be wise to continue on as normal. But don't stay at your old apartment, head to Dorothy's house as directed by Kennedy." Neil was keeping watch and spotted something off in the distance that alarmed him. He signaled Todd who saw it as well. Todd gave a hand signal to someone who then talked into a hidden radio and went off walking towards what they had spotted. They soon heard the sound of a car screeching by with the officers and Neil taking note of the license plate number. Neil shook his head in disbelief. They were dumb enough to follow her to the school and by the way they were parked they were going to stop her car and pulled her out into their car. Todd read his mind and told him, "You are thinking like your dad, you Jones men are as smart as they come. All three of you. Don't tell Michael though, I know that he refuses to acknowledge that." Deborah and Neil got back into the car and proceeded to drive on to pick up Avery. The three were talking the whole time but Neil and Faith were looking at all the cars nearby and kept watch for anything suspicious. Faith kept badgering Neil about his homework getting him to blush and tell her, "Just wait until you do more than basic adding and subtracting and learning how to write" causing Deborah to laugh as she added, "He's right, things will only get tougher in the 2nd grade." The trio walked inside and greeted a happy Avery. Dorothy wasn't so happy and was quite sullen, asking, "Are you three alright? They didn't try anything did they?" Neil shot her a quick, "They got spotted before they could do anything, Uncle Todd and the officers got their license plate and I got a picture of them. The officers are looking for them." Avery asked what was going on and Faith blurted out, "Deborah's uncles are trying to kidnap her!" Avery gasped in shock but Dorothy told her, "Don't worry too much about that, everyone we know is trying their best to keep her safe. They won't get close to her." Avery tried to remain calm but added, "What will happen to us? Surely they are going to try again? People like that just don't give up after the first try." Dorothy told her the truth, "You are going to my house to stay until they are caught. It's the only place that you can go that has guaranteed protection." Neil and Faith looked at one another and grinned. Both told Avery, "She lives around the corner from Aunt Melanie and Uncle Dan. Their backyards are right next to one another like ours is to Virgil and Sam's house. She is safe there." Avery looked up at Deborah who tried hard not to be shocked at the revelation. Dorothy grinned and told her, "Why do you think Kennedy was so intent on your going there? It's the last place they would want to be- Willie, Mick, John, Dan, and James all within feet or one another and that's not counting Michael, Miles, and Reed. And if they catch wind Sam, Francesca, Iris, Rachel, Stacy, Rebecca, and Jaimie would jump into the fray as well." Sighing heavily Deborah had to concede that it was an ideal place for her. Avery just grinned at the thought of being close to so many while Neil and Faith kept giggling as Deborah struggled to put her mind at ease. Avery finally pulled her along so they could get a move on, Dorothy handed them the keys and told them, "I am stuck here for another few hours but I'll be home as soon as possible. Don't open any doors to strangers and don't answer the phone." Giggling Avery said, "Yes ma'am" while Deborah smiled and said, "Yes mom." Mr. Williams and Mr. Taylor were outside waiting to speak with Dorothy when Avery walked by with Deborah. Both did a double-take and grinned. Feeling a bit uneasy at her teachers giving her a close look Avery asked if there was a problem. Both just grinned and told her, "We were just surprised to see just how much Deborah there looks like Dorothy, we could have sworn it was her." Turning to Deborah Mr. Taylor added, "You have had a nice impact on Avery's grades so far. She's doing much better than before and her homework is improving." Mr. Williams chuckled and told her, "She's not so focused on Raul that she's only thinking about boys, you put her back on track again." Avery was blushing deeply at the two and added a soft, "She double checks my homework. She and Sheila won't let me sleep unless I have it done right." Neil and Faith kept themselves from laughing at Avery's embarrassment until she added, "She does the same with these two, she even got Raul to do his work better." Both let out a laugh as they saw Raul turn and try to walk away. Deborah saw him and offered Avery, "Talk with him for a bit so he doesn't feel left out. He looks like he's very concerned about you." Avery nodded and sat Raul down to talk while Deborah and the youngsters waited. Raul hugged her tightly as they sat down. He asked her, "Are you alright? I know something is going on but mom won't tell me." Avery sighed and told him the truth, "Deborah's family is trying to kidnap her. Her mom is letting us stay with her until it's finished." Raul's face brightened at hearing that, then turned to a smile. Avery asked what was so entertaining to which he pointed out, "She is in for a big treat. You guys were supposed to have a slumber party; you are going to be lucky to not have anyone trying to stay over until this is over with." Avery just grinned and hugged him. He kissed her cheek than led her over to Deborah. Neil joked, "Aren't you going to kiss her goodbye" which Faith snickered at leading to Avery kissing Neil and adding, "Ok I kissed, now it's goodbye." Neil blushed deeply while Faith was near hysterical. Raul just grinned and hugged her again, telling her, "I'll see you tomorrow" as Deborah led them outside. The foursome didn't get far. As soon as they were outside they heard a loud, "There he is, get him!" Deborah told the kids loudly, "Run! Get away now!" Neil and Faith let out loud, "Stranger danger!" screams causing several cars to halt in their tracks as people turned to see what the commotion was and intervene to help the kids. The first uncle grabbed at Deborah causing Avery to kick him in the shins while Neil kicked out his knee sending him crashing in a scream of pain as his knee collapsed under the torn ligaments. The second tried from the other side and got kicked in the groin by Faith collapsing in a sharp yelp as she kicked him in the head to ensure he stayed down. The third went straight at Deborah and grabbed her hands, dragging her away while the three kids were occupied with his two brothers but not before he was clawed at by Avery as she tried to get him off of Deborah. Deborah kicked and screamed but her uncle was just too powerful. The crowd realized what was going on and rushed to intervene but backed away as they saw the knife he was carrying. Deborah told the kids, "Stay with them, don't let them get up" as she was pushed into the backseat of the car. Her uncle drove off leaving his brothers behind moaning in pain. Avery, Faith, and Neil kicked the two who were down to ensure they stayed down as Neil called his dad for help. Dorothy came rushing out and screamed at seeing the three without Deborah, breaking down and hugging them as her brothers groaned in pain. Deborah was gone in less than a minute, speeding away from sight before anyone else could react.