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Chapter 19 The school's police officers were frantically calling dispatch trying to get a bead on the escaping car once they had gotten outside. The officers were busy breaking up a fight upstairs at the time and when they got outside the car was long gone. They tried their best to apologize but Alice assured them they were doing their job and it wasn't their fault that the kids fought at that very moment. Mick called back immediately and told Neil he had alerted the FBI over the abduction. The FBI were going to coordinate with the Rhode Island Airport Police to keep them from flying away. Mick had also called the state police and alerted them to the kidnapping and had cruisers patrolling I93, I95, I195, and I495 along with Rts. 1, 1A, and 24 in search of the car. David was working the phones with his trooper friends. The Milton, Foxborough, and Middleborough State Police barracks were alerted to the abduction and escape. The troopers were going to go all out for him to find her. They were well aware of his brother's relationship with Deborah and in their minds she was family even if they were only just starting to date. Nobody messes with the family of a police officer, especially a state trooper, and gets away with it. Avery, Faith, and Neil gave their statements to the troopers who were investigating. None of them were upset over what happened, they were angrier at themselves and frustrated at being unable to stop her uncle from abducting Deborah than anything else. Neil told them everything he could recall while Faith showed them the pictures of the car Neil had taken earlier. The two Vega brothers who Neil, Avery, and Faith stopped were adamant that they had done nothing wrong. They claimed that they were taking their nephew back home to California for treatment and that they had an order from a doctor to do so. They claimed it was their right to do so and the kids should be arrested for assaulting them. Both sneered at the kids while the troopers tried their hardest to stop from laughing at the sheer audacity of the two. The two were unaware that the troopers knew already that Deborah had been away from the family for over a year and a half and lived as a woman and didn't buy their story one bit. They asked for the proof and were given a document signed by a doctor stating that she was mentally unstable and she needed immediate medical treatment. The troopers snapped a picture of the name and signature and sent it to Kennedy who immediately told them, "Doctor under investigation for assault, abuse, other crimes. It's dated four days ago, he had no right to make that diagnosis. He never had an actual examination of the victim. Do not release them, the doctor is definitely going to prison now." The troopers grinned at reading that. The two had just signed their own arrest warrant and assured that they were going to be kept in prison for at least two decades, if not longer. The men were screaming to be released but the troopers just smiled and told them, "You two men are hereby under arrest for assault, attempted kidnapping, conspiracy to kidnap, and whatever else the DA can think up. Thank you for this document, it'll come in handy when the good doctor is arrested for malpractice and conspiracy to kidnap your niece. Our brothers in California are going to enjoy hauling his ass off to jail." The two were now shouting, "it's a he not a she!" and, "That's our nephew not our niece!" The troopers grinned and added, "The DA will also be pleased to know that you two have stated hate speech thus qualifying your crimes as a hate crime and increases your charges to much higher felony levels. Enjoy your time as guests of the Commonwealth because you aren't leaving for a long time." Sarah arrived to take Neil and Faith off of Dorothy and Avery's hands, hugging both as she saw them and nearly crying at listening to them explain what happened. She was looking exhausted but refused to let anyone hold her back from helping with the situation. Faith and Neil left with her, both pleading with her to calm down not wanting Brent or her to be hurt from her overexerting herself. Sheila arrived next, looking upset as she was told what happened. Avery did her best to calm her but it was falling on deaf ears. Dorothy told her to drive to her house and not to her apartment, arrangements were already made and she wanted Sheila to be with someone tonight for Avery's sake. Sheila was reluctant but Avery's pleading eyes caused her to reconsider. The three drove to Dorothy's home in their cars with Avery going with Sheila. Inside Avery went right at her homework, not wanting to give either adult a chance to say she had to do it. Both were relieved, her mind needed to be occupied while they busied themselves by making dinner. Raul called her to check on Avery just after she finished her homework. Sheila looked it over for her but found nothing wrong and wasn't as keen eyed as Deborah as finding ways to improve it. Dorothy kept quiet but wrote an email to Avery's teachers to let them know to give her some slack for a few days, that is, if she was able to go to school at all. Avery and Raul talked for an hour before he had to hang up. She was still glum about what happened to Deborah but being close by Sheila kept her from breaking down completely. Over dinner she kept looking at her phone hoping someone would text with an update but none came. Avery turned in early allowing Sheila and Dorothy to talk quietly with one another. Dorothy finally couldn't hold back and cried heavily as Sheila broke down and did the same. Both hugged as they sat silently, hoping that Mick or David would call with news. Mick had coordinated with the state and federal officials. Deborah and her uncle hadn't turned up in West Warwick, RI yet so they were still in New England. The airlines were told to look out for their names and to call the police immediately if anyone tried to use those names to fly. Mick was up all night manning the phones as local departments between Connecticut and Maine were alerted to be on the lookout for the car. Dozens of calls were made with officers working shifts to blanket the region with eyes and ears. They had gone so far as to alert Amtrak and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in case Deborah's uncle decided to go by train or bus. It was almost 3 AM before they caught a lucky break. One of the small town officers in Rhode Island noticed a car illegally parked in a local motel and called in the plate. Within seconds he was told to stay there, keep an eye on the car, and have his service weapon ready in case he needed to use it. He had found the car rented to Deborah's uncle. Rhode Island State Police and the FBI were en-route to the town to help. The town's other officers took up positions surrounding the motel while the regional SWAT team set up a quarter of a mile away. The officers' activities caught the attention of locals who inquired about what was happening. The locals weren't just any locals; they were family of the officers and could tell that things were amiss and something major was about to go down. The officers saw an opportunity and had a couple of them casually walk by the car as if they were heading to the market next door and slit the tires removing it from being used as a getaway car. The state police arrived within the hour and took over allowing the local officers to get back to patrols. The initial officer remained behind to coordinate and act as a go-between for the departments. The FBI arrived and seeing there was no escape let the troopers move in. The officer got the OK to move in and make it look like it was a standard check of a parked car. He knocked on the door and told the man inside, "Sorry to disturb you but your car has been vandalized and the people responsible have been caught. We need to take a statement from you to ensure that these brats get what is coming to them. We have been waiting a long time to catch them and there's a reward in it if you are willing to assist." Deborah noticed the officer's eyes darting to and from her and gave a nod to him. He gave her a wink that didn't get noticed by her uncle and listened as the officer and her uncle talked for a minute before exiting the room. Her uncle had no clue what was going on and as soon as he was outside the door was promptly tripped, dropped to the ground, handcuffed, and pulled into the nearby cruiser without getting the chance to fight back. The covering troopers and FBI agents swarmed in to ensure her uncle was not going to escape custody. An EMT looked Deborah over and noticed marks from ropes and residue from duct tape but otherwise she was alright. The agents checked the car and found the remnants of duct tape, rope, and airline tickets in his name and one in the name of James Vega. There was no denying that she was bound and gagged and he intended to put her on a plane to California, he is in for a long prison term. Deborah was taken to a nearby hospital to be examined. Photos were taken of her injuries and the marks left by the tape and ropes. She had extensive bruising on her hands, knees, ribs, and legs but otherwise she was alright, the photos were more for documentation of the assault and to show that he had used the ropes and tape than anything. Dorothy received a phone call from Mick just after Deborah was taken to the hospital for examination. She was dreading the late night call but steeled herself for the worst. Mick wasted little time and told her, "A local cop found her. She was found about 30 miles from T.F. Green in a small hotel. She's fine, other than some scrapes and bruising she's alright. Your brother is facing hard time though, he will be lucky to get out before he dies in prison." Dorothy screamed loudly and cheered. Avery and Sheila were shocked out of their slumber by her scream. Both came running to see what happened and hear the news and burst into tears as Dorothy announced, "She's been found safe and sound! They found her down in Rhode Island, it sounds like they were ready to leave first thing in the morning." The two sent Avery back to bed while they tried to calm themselves. Sheila and Dorothy sent out mass texts to anyone who would need to know, letting them know that she was found safe. Sheila collapsed alongside a tired Dorothy, both mentally exhausted and finding sleep easy. A few hours later the three woke up again, tired but relieved. Dorothy told Avery that she didn't need to go to school as nobody would have a problem with her taking the day off after the scare the day before. Avery insisted on going, she couldn't stand staying home worrying while she could keep her mind occupied with schoolwork. Neither Dorothy nor Sheila could fault her logic, it was better for her. The three prepared for the day with a quick breakfast to recharge their batteries. Dorothy drove Avery in while Sheila drove to the library. Avery saw that Faith and Neil being picked up by William Kelly and Lilly so she knew they were going to be alright. Dorothy tried to make small talk but Avery was focused on school to say anything. Eventually she sighed and told her, "My father is going to freak out when he hears what happened. He already has a problem with Deborah and hearing this he will take me away from here no matter how much I plead with him or my grandfather and uncle tell him otherwise. I don't want to go to Florida." Dorothy saw the tears in Avery's eyes and boldly told her, "He won't get his way, not if I have anything to say about it. Your mother left you in Deborah and Sheila's care to keep you away from him and I intend to see to it that her wishes are followed." Avery tried to counter with, "He always gets what he wants when he wants it, no matter what mom says he does it anyway." Dorothy shook her head and told her, "He has to deal with both your grandfather and uncle. Your grandfather alone won't stand for him playing these games when it comes to you, your mom's orders will be followed no matter what he says. Besides, he still has an ironclad agreement that Valerie had him sign. I can guarantee that she won't let it get broken without your mother giving her approval and we both know that she won't. Valerie knew it was a possibility and ensured that he can't do anything to get you away. You aren't going anywhere except to school and home." Avery hugged her, smiling at her and telling her, "You are a great mother and aunt." Dorothy started to get misty-eyed as she said that. Avery just hugged her again adding, "it's true, you know what to say to make people feel better. You are a good mother and you are a great aunt." Avery went inside and hugged Raul tight, kissing him on the lips. She smiled as he tried to figure out what was going on, finally realizing it as she continued smiling. His only response was, "You should have used the day off, you didn't have to come in." She just grinned and told him, "I wanted to." Her friends were concerned about her well-being but kept themselves from calling her the previous day to allow for a chance call from Deborah. Seeing her happy and in school they knew Deborah was alright but they too were surprised that she had come in at all. Avery just brushed their concerns off and went about as if everything was normal. Her teachers went easy on her. Mr. Taylor avoided calling on her as much as possible but she insisted on going about as if nothing was wrong and was the most prepared among the students to answer his questions. Mr. Williams worked the students hard in class but took it easy on Avery despite her pleas to let her participate in the class. He could see the tired look in her eyes despite her false sunny disposition. He told her sharply, "You are running on fumes young lady. As much as I'd like to pretend that you are alright, I know for a fact that you had a mostly sleepless night so I am not letting you wear yourself out." At lunch, Avery was swarmed by students who were itching to find out what happened after school. The rumor mill was flying high and the students were itching for gossip. Raul, Stephanie, and Al were trying hard to quell any of the false rumors but it was tough. Avery wasted little time and announced, "one of my guardians was kidnapped by three of her uncles. Two of them were stopped by two younger kids she was looking after but the third got away with her before we could stop him. She was found down in Rhode Island early this morning and should be home by this afternoon." The cafeteria went silent. One of the students asked, "Why did they kidnap her?" Avery looked at Stephanie, Raul, and Al who nodded so she told them, "They were trying to get her to say she wasn't abused or hurt by her grandparents. Her grandparents are looking at jail because of what they did to her over the years especially when she was our age. They let her family beat her, they let a doctor mutilate her, and they got her declared disabled so she couldn't claim that they were hurting her." This again caused the cafeteria to stop talking and again someone asked, "Why?" Avery loudly told them, "Because she wanted to be a girl! They hurt her because she was a girl inside. Not every family is like the Finn or York or Toro or Samuels families! There are some that would hurt their child before they even try to help them become the person that they need to be." Avery had to stop speaking or else she was going to break down. Her hands were shaking and she was starting to stutter a bit. Raul calmly asked, "Are you satisfied now?" There was a collective, "Yes" that was followed by the crowd dispersing to get back to eating. Avery calmed down and managed to eat but she was still on edge for the rest of the day. Dorothy talked with her between periods and calmed her but she was still feeling upset. Sheila came by to check in on her during her own lunch break and offered to dismiss her early but Avery refused to go. After school, Raul and Avery spent some time alone in the library. Avery hugged him and broke down in tears. Despite putting on a brave face all day she had finally reached her limit mentally and needed to let it all out as she couldn't hold back her feelings any longer. Raul put his arms around her and held her tight as she sobbed into his shoulder, getting the ire of the librarian. The librarian quickly changed her tune as she saw Dorothy walk in and explain, "Don't say a world. I'd love to see you hold yourself together after seeing a loved one taken away right in front of your eyes, barely sleeping all night, and putting up with constant whispers and stares all day." Alice added, "They may look like young adults but inside they are still little children and it has been a traumatic 24 hours for her. The only person that kept her from breaking down during school hours is her boyfriend and even he barely kept her together. This is one time where two students being so close like that is going to be allowed by us. As much as I hate to break our own rules, a little TLC is needed at this moment and last I checked a hug wasn't too much into the TLC category." Chapter 20 Raul managed to get Avery to stop sobbing after about 10 minutes. Knowing his mother and aunt were standing close by he whispered, "We should go, it's time to close up for the day." Avery nodded silently and was led out by Raul to Dorothy's car where Alice told her, "She should stay home tomorrow, even though she seems alright she needs a day of rest to clear her mind so she doesn't breakdown again in school." Dorothy nodded in agreement as Avery kissed her goodbye. Dorothy drove on home with Avery looking exhausted and on the verge of falling asleep. Sheila met them at the house, took one look at Avery, and told her to eat a snack then go to sleep. Avery didn't fight her on it, following orders and falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Sheila sat down on the couch in an exhausted sigh as she asked, "How should I break the news to her mother?" Dorothy had a quick answer, "Talk with her grandfather first then talk to her mother. He will understand and could put out any potential fires that telling her will cause. He understands the gravity of the situation; he deals with these kind of crises on a daily basis." Dorothy looked towards Avery's room and admitted, "She's staying home tomorrow. She tried to act mature today but she is still a little girl inside. She's in no condition to go back and should have stayed home today." Sheila just nodded in agreement as she looked at the sleeping girl through the open door. Steeling herself Sheila called Christian and asked for his advice. She reluctantly had to tell him, "You are probably already aware of what happened yesterday but Avery was witness to the kidnap attempt against Deborah Thomas. Avery wasn't hurt and she helped apprehend one of the abductors but she had to see Deborah dragged away by her uncle. Deborah was found down in Rhode Island overnight and is in my aunt and cousin's Patrick's care but Avery is still shook up about it. Avery had a small breakdown after school that thankfully Raul was there to help her through. Dorothy, Alice, and I have agreed that Avery will miss school tomorrow so she can rest and recover so she doesn't have another breakdown." Christian sighed and told her, "Thank you for telling me. I know your first priority was to Avery that's why you didn't call me right away. I was made aware of the attempt immediately after it happened thanks to your cousins and put pressure on the FBI office to take the attempt seriously. I know you wanted me to know as her mother will contact me about what happened but I know my daughter and your reason for not telling her immediately will be understood and her call to me will just be to verify the bastards are going to get the book thrown at them. Avery's well-being comes first and being there for her to comfort and care for her is more important than talking to someone 1,000 miles away." Sheila hung up and reluctantly dialed Ruth's number. Ruth answered and immediately grew concerned as Sheila would not call her unless it was important. Sheila sighed and told her, "Yesterday three of Deborah's uncles kidnap her. Two of them were stopped but one was successful. Avery was with her at the time and witnessed the whole event and managed to help stop one of them in the process. Deborah was found safe overnight but lack of sleep from worrying about her has caused Avery suffer a small breakdown after school today. She is being kept out of school tomorrow so she can rest and recover but it may take some time for her to fully recover from what happened." Ruth asked pointedly, "Why did you take so long to call me?" Sheila meekly replied, "We were focused on trying to keep an eye on Avery and keep her calm and assure that she was alright. We tried to make her stay home today but she wouldn't listen to reason, this led to the small breakdown after school. She isn't going to school tomorrow just to be sure that she is fully recovered. I know I should have called you right away but I was concerned about Avery at the time." Ruth waited for Sheila to calm down then pointed out, "You did exactly what I hoped you would do in this kind of situation. She needed you more than anything else. My husband may see it differently but he is a selfish prick who has a hatred for Deborah for no reason whatsoever. You did the right thing, you put our daughter first and that is all that I ask." Thinking over what she said Ruth asked, "What do you mean 'we'?" Sheila told her, "Deborah, Avery, and I were told to head to Deborah's mother's home in case her uncles tried to do what they did at our apartment. We are staying there now, I don't want to go back home until we get the all clear from my cousins and Deborah is alright to be alone." Ruth grinned into the phone. Sheila was being the guardian she hoped she would be. Ruth sighed and told her, "I know you already told my father about what happened and he likely already knew but I'll talk with him anyway but he knows what I will tell him so there's nothing to worry about there. I'll hold off telling my husband, he will demand Avery be sent down here on the next flight but it's not his money that he will be using to pay for the ticket so it's easy for him to demand that she come down. Just make sure she is alright and give her the support she needs. She is sensitive and loving but even she has limits to how much she can handle. She tries to act grown up but even though she is a young woman on the outside she is still a little girl on the inside." When she finally hung up Sheila turned to Dorothy and asked, "Did I do the right thing in delaying my calls?" Dorothy sat down next to her and put her arms around her, comforting her then telling her, "You did what you thought was right and you did what any reasonable person would do in the same situation. You put Avery first and that is all that matters. So what if her father complains, he would complain about anything you do just to get a rise out of you and make himself look better and try to get Avery down there. You did the right thing and she and her mother love you for it." Dorothy cooked a light dinner so they could get some more rest. Avery woke up in time for the meal and joined them. Sheila told her about the phone calls to her mom and grandfather getting a concerned look from her but Sheila calmly assured her, "They were pleased with us for ensuring you were alright before we told them. Your mom was happy that you were doing well and said she would handle your father's complaints." Avery let out a big sigh of relief, admitting to both, "He hates this city. He is trying hard to get us to move to Florida so mom can take care of grandma for him. Grandpa told him to stop badgering mom but dad just won't listen. Mom may divorce him soon if he doesn't stop. After how he acted towards Deborah I think mom may just divorce him anyway." Avery looked over at the two of them and cried again. Sheila gave her a big hug while Dorothy assured her, "She cares about you more than anything and your needs and desires come first. If it means they have to get a divorce then so be it, but you aren't moving anywhere anytime soon. She loves you too much to do that to you." Avery headed back to her room and went to sleep again. Sheila whispered, "I guess we know what some of the anxiety was really about now." Dorothy nodded and added, "She is carrying the burden of every latchkey kid whose parents are on the verge of divorce, she is lucky to have you as her big sister to watch out for her." Dorothy grinned as she said that and watched as Sheila's face lit up hearing it. As Avery, Dorothy, and Sheila were trying to have a normal day Deborah spent much of the morning fighting with the federal agents assigned to her case. Valerie joined Patrick for the drive down and insisted on sitting in on any interviews with Deborah. She had a loud fight with the lead agent over trying to talk with Deborah without her being present and offered a stern, "My client is both physically and mentally exhausted and needs you to stop badgering her. Any attempt to talk to my client without my presence will result in action being taken against you. Don't try to pull your usual 'holier than thou' federal agent crap, I've dealt with people more powerful than you and made them back off with their tail between their legs and begging for their apologies to be accepted." Inside of the federal building in Providence, Deborah was looking haggard and barely keeping herself awake as she sat in a brightly lit room with several FBI agents. Two agents were badgering her to talk with them and she kept refusing to do so until Patrick got there. Patrick shouted at them, "Back off, you heard the lady" which got their attention. The agents turned to Patrick to threaten him over interrupting their interview but he told them loudly, "Please, try me. I'm pissed off and in the mood for a fight. I don't care who you are, you are hurting my girlfriend and I'll be damned if I let you push her around like this!" This was followed by Valerie proclaiming, "I warned you to stop talking to my client until we arrived and it seems that you feel the need to think you are above the law. I don't fool around when it comes family, a complaint will be filed with the agency on her behalf and you had better hope the powers that be aren't trying to save their own skins and sacrifice you 'for the greater good'." This little interaction was followed by the special agent-in-charge pulling both aside, reading them the riot act, then loudly telling those in the office, "You are lucky she is more tired than angry otherwise you'd be lucky to leave with a penny to your name." Turning to Deborah and Patrick he escorted them inside and had them get comfortable before they began the debriefing. Four agents entered soon after. The agents didn't waste any time in fouling up, asking for her name and telling her that her name wasn't her name. Deborah insisted that her name was Deborah Thomas and after the fifth time Valerie stopped the interview. Two of the agents loudly told her, "That isn't the name we have! We only have a James Vega showing up in the database!" Valerie didn't waver and told them they were leaving. She chastised the agents by proclaiming, "We are done here. I'm not letting my niece get badgered by a bunch of ignorant asses who have no clue what the hell they are dealing with. You claim this is an interview with a witness but aren't interested in the facts. I can guarantee you were going to let her uncle go due to whatever ignorant notion you have about her situation. I find it hard to believe that you have access to the best databases in the country and still can't verify that her name is legally Deborah Thomas and recognized as a female." Turning to the agent-in-charge she proclaimed, "We will talk with the Boston office only. Your office has shown that it is neither willing nor able to act on behalf of a victim and considering the fact that the crime occurred in Massachusetts they have a legitimate claim to investigate and prosecute the crime. I suggest your boneheaded colleagues read up on transgender rights and proper interview procedures. Her rights are being violated here and I won't stand for it any longer." One of the FBI agents threatened to have her taken into custody for interfering with the investigation. Valerie grinned and told him, "Try it. Seriously, try it. It's been a while since someone was dumb enough try something that bold and I have been itching to have a go in federal court. The last man who bodly attempted that is serving a dime in federal prison. He thought he could use the courts to bully his way around like you are doing and it bit him on the ass badly." Valerie made it to the door before she was grabbed from behind by one of the agents. Patrick grabbed the agent and told him loudly, "Take another step and your arm snaps." The agent in charge just sat back and watched as his subordinates tried to figure out what to do. They backed away, letting Patrick pull the man to a seat and force him to sit. The agent in charge told the fool, "Put cuffs on him and toss his ass in the slammer for assault. He was warned to stop. You four are off the case. I am agreeing with Mrs. Finn and having this case transferred immediately to the Boston office. When Mrs. Finn comes back with her formal complaint I'm adding that you threatened a witness who was in no condition to speak to you and who invoked her 5th and 6th amendment rights, refused to call her by her legal name or acknowledge her legal gender, and assaulted her attorney for stopping you from badgering her. You are toast, no other federal agency will touch you now. If you are lucky you might get someone to give you a good word with one of the local police departments but given that the witness is dating the brother of a fellow officer and with the assault charge against you that's extremely doubtful." Valerie, Patrick, and Valerie walked out. Valerie informed the agent-in- charge that she was serious about having Deborah speak with the Boston office and would cooperate fully up there. The agent just nodded and added, "They should have been the ones handling this from the first place but the higher-ups wanted to play politics and got us to do it. Please do proceed with your complaints, I have wanted to get rid of those bozos for a while but they were well protected by the local politicians. Now that they have serious complaints against them that will be backed up by a dozen witnesses that support can't save them anymore. Deborah there just gave us the grounds to have them terminated. Doesn't matter what happens from now, on their careers are over though." Valerie received glares from the office but word spread that the four were getting their asses handed to them shortly. Smiles started to form on the faces of the other agents as the political lackey glory hounds were about to get what was coming to them. The office receptionist whispered a quiet, "Thank you for getting rid of them" to the trio as they passed by her desk, giving them a bright smile that intensified as the agent-in-charge told her, "Hold all calls below the deputy director, we have personnel issues to deal with. No outside visitors either, I don't care if they are so-called higher ups they are not getting in here without being cleared first." In the car Deborah fell asleep as soon as her seat belt was fastened. Patrick adjusted it so she would be comfortable then let her head fall on his shoulder then lap as they drove up I95 towards home. Valerie watched him performing the little bits of caring that brought a smile to her face. He didn't think about it but it was little things that only someone who loved another person would do. Patrick caught her watching him and let out a surprised, "What?" Valerie just smirked and pointed out, "Nothing, just watching someone who is clearly in love helping his girlfriend to get comfortable." Patrick was looking at the sleeping Deborah and smiled, admitting, "I can't help it, she's just beautiful laying there like that." Patrick quieted down after that, not saying a word until they reached Winnisimmet. He held Deborah's hand in his and felt her squeezing from time to time as she was visibly shaking from something in her dream. Valerie took one look and just sighed, thinking, "John better help him pick out a ring before the fool loses his nerve and costs himself his relationship." Valerie's phone rang and Mick informed her that the Rhode Island agents had officially and graciously passed along the case to the people who should have been investigating from the start. He sighed and asked, "Did you do anything that will cost me in the long run?" Valerie chuckled and freely told him, "From the way they were reacting as we left we might have done them a big favor in ridding the office of some vermin. It won't reflect on you, but the regional director is going to be licking his chops at letting some heads roll down there for protecting bad apples." Mick laughed loudly, telling Mike Daniels and Alex Vincent what Valerie had said. The laughs started to spread so Valerie knew she was in the clear with them. Mick added, "I take it she's asleep so why don't you bring her by after she has a couple of hours of rest and some lunch. We really need her to give her take on what happened so we can get the extradition completed. Those idiots might have been working to get them released for 'lack of evidence' or some other technicality so we need her to tell the agents what happened to have the full and irrefutable picture." Valerie stopped at Deborah's apartment where Patrick had his car waiting. The twins came out to greet her as soon as they saw the car park in the driveway, giving Patrick space so he could move the sleeping Deborah upstairs to her bedroom. Valerie stepped in to change her wile Patrick attended to the eager twins and concerned Jorge and Victoria. Jorge wasn't happy at what happened and was on the verge of leading the charge to have the three beaten senseless but kept his anger in check as the twins looked at him oddly. The man never loses his temper especially in front of the twins but this was one time where even self-restraint wouldn't work. The twins just giggled at seeing him losing his cool, teasing him, "Uncle Jorge got mad! Uncle Jorge never gets mad!" Valerie came down shortly after and was listening to the twins taunt Jorge before they noticed she was standing in the doorway. Both tried to hide but Jorge grinned at them knowing they were in trouble. Patrick though pointed out, "They were scared for Deborah, they didn't mean anything by it. They just needed to let off steam." Valerie just nodded and sat down, feeling better now that they were on their home turf. Victoria then inquired about what happened earlier getting a quick, "They need to cut out the political connections and start scanning for brains when they hire agents." She then admitted, "The only good thing was Patrick here acting like he's getting ready to pop a question soon." Patrick nearly choked on his drink as Jorge snickered at him. Victoria shot back, "You know not to push them. She's still vulnerable and he has never had a long lasting girlfriend before." Valerie added, "I know but he's just so good to her that it would feel wrong for them not to end up together in marriage." Sighing Patrick told them both, "I love her but she needs family right now, not a husband. I'll ask her to marry me soon, but not until I know she is going to be alright. I won't burden her with asking her." Walking into the room, a robe-clad Deborah told him, "You don't have to ask me later, you already did just now. And the answer is yes, I'll marry you." Patrick took off his high school class ring and placed it on her finger but it slid off due to being too large for her finger. The meaning was there and Deborah handed it back, kissing him deeply for the action. Patrick realized he made a major mistake. He was quick to apologizing to Deborah, telling her, "I should have asked your mom first before I did this. I don't know how she will react." Deborah just grinned and told him, "I think she would approve, but thank you for thinking about her feelings too." The twins were speechless for once. Valerie started to laugh as she pointed to the others to look at their faces. Cat's eyes started to light up and she pleadingly asked, "Can we help? We love weddings." This caused the others to start laughing as Valerie pointed out, "I guess we can let you help out for a fourth time but that might mean you can't help out with your cousins' wedding this summer." All five adults started laughing as Cat's eyes started to tear up and her lips quiver. JD saw right through the joke and told her, "Mommy is joking." Cat tried to get mad but seeing Deborah laugh made her turn around and grin. Chapter 21 The trio drove to Boston after getting Deborah some coffee to keep her awake for the grueling session that they were about to have with the Boston FBI agents. Mick Jones was going to be there to ensure Deborah wasn't harassed again and as he was the one who alerted the agency to the kidnapping he had a vested interest in the case. The agents already knew his personal connection but his direct connection would need to be discussed so it was convenient for all to have him in there too. Mick greeted Deborah outside the office and led the way, thanking her for trying so hard to keep Faith and Neil safe. The agents introduced themselves and greeted Valerie with smiles. Mick whispered, "They know you ripped the Providence office a new one and are happy to have the trash taken out. There is something fishy about that office and the internal affairs folks are following the stench. You guys gave them reason to investigate and they are circling around like sharks. Anyone who intervenes on behalf of the agents will be looked into and likely will lead to some important people being brought down." Valerie grinned at hearing that. She sat Patrick and Deborah down and proclaimed, "Before we begin, know that I will only say this once: yes, my client was born male. The name your colleagues down in Providence were claiming was hers is no longer relevant as 19, now nearly 20 months ago she legally changed her name from James Vega to Deborah Thomas. And to make matters worse those fools didn't do their homework or else they would have seen that she wasn't even born as James Vega, she was, in fact, born as James Thomas Jr." The lead agent noted the name changes and asked about the kidnapping. Deborah started from the top and told about the Salem State situation and what happened there. She then went on to discuss the California investigation by her lawyers and what they uncovered and the aftermath of that leading up to her uncles heading east to grab her. She finally told them about the abduction itself leading to laughs as Mick's face turned to a bright smile as she described Neil and Faith's actions in it. The agent asked for the record, "Are those two children related to you, Agent Jones?" He grinned and told them, "Faith is my seven- year-old daughter and Neil is my nine-year-old son. Both were in the care of Deborah so my wife could take things easy as her pregnancy progresses." The agent asked about the third person. Valerie interjected, telling them, "She is Avery Long, a 13-year-old girl being cared for by Deborah and her friend Sheila Patterson. Sheila and Deborah are her legal guardians while her parents assist in the care of her grandmother in Florida. They had full legal custody of her which was why Deborah was at her school when the abduction occurred." Mick added, "The school attempt was not the only attempt by her uncles that day. Minutes before there was one aborted attempt outside the elementary school complex. My son Neil took a picture of the car as it drove by and as you can see it is the same car that Deborah was found in. And if you look closely, the man who is currently in custody in Rhode Island is the driver and the two men in custody at Nashua Street are in the back seat." The agents looked closely at picture and it was solid evidence that she was being targeted as Deborah was in the shot with all three staring directly at her with no attempt made to watch the road. Neil's picture even included one of them pointing a finger at her, so there was no denying what was being discussed by them. The agent asked one final thing, "Did he say anything to you as you were being driven around?" Deborah nodded, admitting, "He said they were going to get the doctor to get me locked up for good. He told me that my grandparents were going to see to it that I never said a word against them again and if need be they would dope me up so I couldn't talk. He told me the doctor had the forms filled out and ready to file and had the prescriptions ready. He told me that they had the doctor already saying that I was disabled and a danger to others so I had to be committed for my own safety as well as the safety of others. He said that it didn't matter that I was over 18, I was still declared incompetent by him." Mick added, "The state police have a copy of the order and we know for a fact that he has not seen her as a patient since she moved East 20 months ago and she has been seeing a fully licensed and reputable psychiatrist whose most recent examination was three weeks ago and concluded that other than her gender dysphoria she was in fine shape psychologically and psychiatrically." This was the key thing for them. The agent grinned and told his colleagues, "Looks like we just hit pay dirt. I think our DEA colleagues in LA will be itching to get in on this case. We will take it from here. We looked over the evidence from the troopers who investigated and have the actual declaration from the doctor and have verified that it's authentic but also unethical, immoral, and illegal. From what her uncle told her, this doctor just signed his own prison sentence. All three verified the same story against him. You won't have to worry about them anymore, once we are through with that family they will be scurrying to make deals and save their own skins to bother to trying to go after you again." The four walked out of the office as the agents started to move about and make plans of action for the case. Mick just grinned, pointing out, "This just went from a simple federal level kidnapping charge to a drug investigation and a possible RICO investigation." Patrick interjected, "As long as she is safe, let them enjoy tearing them apart." Deborah sighed and added, "The ones who will be hurt the most are the youngest kids. I just hope that some of the family is human enough to get away from the rest while they still can. Two are especially vulnerable, I'll try to ask mom to help them if they are open to it." Patrick drove Deborah to his mother's house to talk things over with her. Valerie what saw his plan was immediately and drove on to pick up the twins and give the two some privacy for what they were about to do. Patrick steeled himself as he rang his mother's doorbell but seeing him standing there Lilly asked pointedly, "What did you do now?" Deborah grabbed his hand for strength but he took a few minutes to get the right words. Lilly ushered them inside and sat them down, waiting for Patrick to work the nerve up to explain what was going on. Lilly could tell by the way Deborah was close to him and the way she was gripping his hands that a certain question was asked, although how, why, and where she was interested in. Patrick finally drew a deep breath and blurted out, "I sort of accidentally asked Deborah to marry me. Much to my surprise and relief she quickly accepted." Lilly smiled and raised an eyebrow as she asked, "How can you accidentally ask her to marry you?" Deborah gripped Patrick's hand and told her, "He and Mrs. Finn were talking about me and how he was acting when I was asleep in the car. She was joking with him about asking me to marry him and he told her that he was going to ask me but wanted to wait until he knew I was going to be alright. I overheard them and told him he didn't need to wait any longer, I accepted his proposal." Looking at her hands Lilly didn't notice a ring. Patrick tried to explain but Lilly just smiled and ran off to her bedroom for something. She came back with a gold ring with small diamonds around a pearl. Lilly gave Patrick the ring, telling him firmly, "This was your great-grandmother's ring and your father insisted that it be used by his children when asking their loved ones to marry them. It just so happens that it is both Deborah's and my birthstone." Patrick put the ring on Deborah's finger. It fit perfectly, leading both to stare at Lilly who shrugged at the fit. Lilly casually mentioned, "it was too large for me and your mother. She was reluctant to give it up until your grandmother pointed out that your dad didn't actually own the ring, she did." Deborah started to cry tears of joy as she showed the ring, Lilly hugged her and called her, "My new daughter" leading to more tears. Looking at the time Lilly told them that it was time to pick up Daisy. Patrick told her, "Don't let the others know that Deborah is back already, I want them to calm down more before she gets mobbed by the family. Her mom, Sheila, and Avery already know that she is back home but I want to keep it to just us. We will be at her apartment for the night, I'll call Sheila later to let her know that we will be ready to move her back in tomorrow afternoon." Lilly just nodded as Patrick led Deborah out. Patrick had a sudden though and told her, "Please tell Aunt Valerie to keep a lid on Deborah being home as well. The same goes with the twins. I know Jaimie will have already figured it out but none of the others need to know yet." Lilly just gave him a quick, "She knows already, she called as you were driving over here that's why I wasn't already at the school." Patrick and Deborah drove back to the apartment and when Victoria saw the ring she immediately asked, "Did she resize it?" Deborah just blushed as Patrick explained the pure luck but Jorge added, "Lucky my foot, that was destiny. She was meant to be your girl." Deborah kissed him and hugged him causing the two elders to smile back. The two walked inside and Patrick proclaimed he was making a late lunch. Deborah giggled as he scrounged for something to cook, settling on spaghetti and meat sauce. He wouldn't let Deborah lift a finger and insisted that she sit down and relax, she needed the rest. They ate quickly as Deborah was famished. Patrick just grinned as she ate a second helping while he was still finishing his first. She was finished with her second plate as he finished his first so they both washed the dishes. She had a big grin on her face as they moved around the kitchen together, it felt right to have him by her side and he loved seeing the happiness on her face as they cleaned up the meal. Deborah thought it best to call Sheila directly. When she answered Sheila was ecstatic to hear from Deborah and extremely pleased to know she was back in the city. She was quick to tell Deborah about Avery's breakdown and missing school the next day. Sheila asked her to watch her, it seemed like the best thing to do for her to get over her distress and allow the two to have some alone time. Deborah agreed, but added that Patrick would be with her so she wasn't alone. Sheila giggled and seemed to suspect something was going on but simply told her she'd drop Avery off in the morning and to, "Enjoy your evening" with a knowing chuckle. After ending the call with Sheila Deborah sat and watched TV for several hours with Patrick's arm around her shoulder until she started to get sleepy. Patrick was about to get up to leave but Deborah stopped him, dragging him into the bedroom and asking him to stay with her. He reluctantly agreed, telling her, "I don't want to take advantage of you in your vulnerable state." She just grinned and told him, "I want you to, I love you." Deborah grinned as she closed the bedroom door and did a striptease for him. Patrick nearly fainted at the sight of her naked breasts and lean body but kept himself composed enough to let her lead him in what she wanted to do. He was a virgin but he had done a few things with some girlfriends out in Amherst so there were some actions he was familiar with. This though was different, this was his future wife. This was the woman he loved. The following morning Deborah and Patrick woke up early after their bedroom gymnastics. The two kissed and hugged before using the shower together. She was still sore from their fun the night before but had a smile plastered across her face as she led him into the shower. The two didn't bother to dress fully until after breakfast, there was no point given how they could barely keep their hands off one another long enough to get dressed. Patrick tried his hardest to control himself but he just loved the sight of Deborah no matter how much she tried to hide her, "Birth defect" from his view. She was beautiful in his eyes, from head to toe and the sight of it didn't bother him in the least. The two finally did get dressed a little after 8 AM, just in time for Avery to ring the doorbell and enter. Seeing the two grinning at one another Avery asked firmly, "Did you two do anything that I am not supposed to know about until I'm 18?" Deborah immediately blushed as Avery burst into laughter, telling her, "I don't care if you have sex...just don't do it too loudly while I'm around. It's bad enough I have to see the two of you kissing like lovesick puppies, I don't want to think about what is going on behind closed doors. I love you but I don't want to picture both of you that way. Naked Patrick- yuck!" With her joke out of the way and breaking the ice Avery hugged Deborah tightly for several minutes, eventually crying into her shoulder as she did. The cool and collected young woman broke away and the 13-year-old girl shone through the tears. Avery sniffled and softly told her, "I thought they would hurt you. I thought that you weren't coming back." Deborah hugged her tight, telling her, "I thought the same but as long as you and Neil and Faith were safe that was all that mattered. You were so brave but there was nothing you could do, he was just too powerful and quick for you. He can't hurt us anymore. He won't see the light of day for decades." Avery finally stopped feeling guilty about what happened and sat down with Deborah. She looked at Deborah's finger and saw the ring, immediately squealing in delight. She looked up at Patrick who immediately blushed and tried to walk away only to be forced to sit and explain what happened to prompt him to ask the question. Deborah retold the story with Avery laughing at Patrick's unintentional proposal. She loved seeing him squirm, especially given that he was truly the one for Deborah. He grinned and bared it, it was nothing compared with the ribbing he was going to receive from Claire and Daisy later on. Avery kept up the questions for several hours before they were forced to stop and eat lunch. Valerie came by with the twins so the six ate together. Valerie didn't ask about the ring, just giving it a quick glance then telling Patrick to ensure that it was insured and kept safe. The twins took an immediate liking to Avery, grinning at the prospect of yet another person they can manipulate. Avery loved playing with the two and knew all about their reputations for troublemaking from Al and Stephanie. She got them to focus on her rather than trying to plot something that would invariably lead to Cat causing JD to get in trouble while Cat laughed herself silly. It was different than she had expected, they were eager to please her and she was enjoying the attention that the kids were giving her. She wasn't used to kids so young being around her so it was a new experience for her and one that she liked a lot. Once lunch was finished Valerie told them they should probably go and see Dorothy to tell her the good news. School was just getting out and Avery was feeling better, there was little reason to stay home and delay the inevitable. Avery grinned and added, "She needs to know that you are alright and that her little girl is getting married." The three drove over to the school and Avery was mobbed by her friends when they saw her. Seeing Deborah back they understood why she was out of school but Avery told them, "it wasn't because of her being back, it was because I was exhausted yesterday and shouldn't have been in school. I'm going tomorrow, I have to or I won't have my slumber party." Dorothy hugged Deborah tightly then grabbed her hand when she saw the ring. She looked over at Patrick and asked, "When did this happen?" Deborah fought for the right words then blurted out, "Yesterday afternoon. It's his great-grandmother's ring." Dorothy hugged and kissed her, then did the same to Patrick. She insisted that Deborah show the ring off to Alice who hugged and kissed her as well. The two asked if they had made any plans yet to which Deborah meekly told her, "We weren't going to do anything except a simple ceremony at city hall. I don't want all the attention that a big wedding will cause." Patrick added, "I agree with her on this, you know my sister and cousins and what they would do with half a chance to run wild. Just a small ceremony with mom, David, Daisy, Claire, Sheila, and you is good enough." Dorothy looked over at Alice, Al, Stephanie, and Raul and shook her head. She agreed with them about the ceremony but told them, "What about just David and your mom as your witnesses and Sheila and myself as Deborah's witnesses for the wedding. There has to be a reception afterward and must include all of your cousins, aunts, and uncles. There is no way your aunts will let you go without one, Melanie and Gabby love these kind of things." Avery looked disappointed but Deborah pointed out, "You are too young to sign as our witness, but we can't hold it without you. It wouldn't be right." Patrick agreed with her, adding, "Claire and Daisy should join us then. They wouldn't let me live it down if they weren't there. So it will be just the nine of us for the wedding, and the other 75 or so for the reception." Dorothy led them back to her house so they could pack up their things. Dorothy felt a little sad at them leaving after such a short time but happy that things turned out for the best. Avery was bubbly and bouncing around again while Deborah looked like a load had been lifted off her chest. Even Patrick looked relieved, he was doing little things for Deborah and giving her subtle glances and smiling more. They spent the next hour gathering all of their clothes and personal items, packing them in bags, and loading them into the car. Deborah looked over Avery's lingerie and winced, she had forgotten that she needed to take her shopping. Avery just grinned and admitted, "it's alright, we can go Monday. You had more important things to do this week." With a tearful hug Dorothy kissed them goodbye. She was quick to tell Avery to do her homework and get lots of rest for school the next day. She then turned to Patrick and told him, "I'm new at being a mom but I know when to let go and I am proud to let Deborah go to someone so good for her. You are a great man and I truly am happy to call you my son-in-law when you two officially marry." Patrick hugged her tight, fighting back tears himself as she told him that. The trio left Dorothy's home but told her, "Don't be a stranger, we have plenty of time to get used to one another and you are welcome anytime." Sheila met them at the apartment and hugged Deborah tight while fighting the urge to cry. She noticed Deborah's finger and nearly fainted at the sight. Avery giggled at her reaction while Patrick groaned, rolling his eyes and proclaiming, "I'll never understand you women." Avery filled Sheila in on what happened between the two then added, "They didn't wait long to get to know one another closely." Sheila looked at the two in shock while Avery burst into laughter, the couple were trying their hardest to make up some excuse but their mutual look of shame made her realize Avery was right. She was only teasing her the night before but they actually did what she was joking about! Sheila sat them down and told them, "I don't mind you two doing that stuff but remember there's an impressionable teenager here so keep it quiet and don't discuss it outside the bedroom." Avery tried to protest adding, "I'm 13 going on 14, I know about sex!" Sheila grinned and added, "Be that as it may, I don't want to upset your mother any more that I already have." Avery just rolled her eyes and told her sharply, "So what if they have anal sex, it's not that big of a deal. It's only a matter of time before they can do it vaginally anyway. They will be married by then so it isn't an issue." Patrick was on the verge of a nervous fit at all of the sex talk coming out of a young girl. Both Sheila and Deborah were just as shocked but impressed at her maturity over it. Avery changed the subject and asked warmly, "When are you going to have your surgery? I read that you had to have at least one year of living as a woman full-time before it can occur so you have little reason not to wait now that school is over for you for the semester. You passed the real life test already and you have all the support you could ever need from us, why wait any longer?" Deborah sat down and had to think. Sheila asked if she was alright but Deborah quietly replied, "She is right to ask, I have been putting it off for too long and thought it might never come. I have enough in my savings to pay for it but I didn't have the money to pay for the aftercare. I want to have it done soon but I don't have the money." Patrick spoke up, "I'll pay for it but I don't think Uncle John will let you pay a penny. The surgery itself is covered under our health plan, one that everyone in the family is on. We are getting married soon so you will be on it automatically; I just have to talk with Aunt Beverly about it to ensure it's alright." Avery interjected telling him, "Mom does that for a living, she works for the insurance company that grandpa ran. I'll ask her for her help in this, you can't do this without a professional to ensure you get the most out of your plan and there are too many who would be willing to break the laws and violate your policy because of what you are. Mom knows there are a lot of people who will do that to you if you don't have someone who knows what they are doing to make things ironclad." The three of them looked over at her in shock. Avery just smirked and added, "Dad may be a bonehead but mom is the real brains of the family. Grandpa and Uncle Paul say I take after mom not him." Sheila hugged her tight, telling her how much of a sister she is being to them. Avery started to cry at hearing that, telling them, "I always wanted to have sisters." Sheila hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead, whispering, "So did I." Patrick started to laugh and asked, "You can have mine, I think it's time I traded them in for ones less defective." The three groaned and tossed pillows at him leading to laughs from the three of them. Patrick took that as his cue to leave, kissing Deborah while hugging Avery and Sheila. Before he left he added, "I still want to trade my sisters for newer models, I just can't find the receipt so I guess I'm stuck with them." Chapter 22 Sheila and Deborah were about to start dinner when Valerie called and asked for the three of them to come over. Deborah immediately knew what it was about and told Avery, "Finish your homework, we have to go out." Sheila asked what was going on, Deborah sighed and told her, "From the way Mrs. Finn sounded it appears we have an audience before the king and queen." Sheila looked at her like she had three heads, Deborah shrugged and added, "We are being asked to come over to Mr. and Mrs. Finn's house to discuss some things." Sheila nodded silently and helped Avery finish what she was doing. Deborah put the dinner parts back into the refrigerator. Avery took just a few minutes to finish so the three piled into the car and headed off, knowing they were in for an interrogation from the Finns. John greeted them at the door and led them into the dining room. Jaimie spotted the ring and pointed to Michael and Miles who both saw it and asked loudly, "He asked already?" John just shrugged, telling them, "They have been friends for a year and a half, Michael and Jaimie if you remember five years ago that was shorter than your mom and I were together before I proposed." Avery just grinned and listened as the three squabbled over the idea of a wedding. Deborah finally told them, "There won't be a big wedding, we are keeping it small. I'm sorry if you wanted a big one but mom and Mrs. Peterson can't afford a large one and I refuse to let anyone pay for it. It's just going to be Patrick's mom, brother, and sisters, my mom, Sheila, Avery, Al, and the Rodriguezes. We are going to have a reception later so you can all go but we just wanted it to be a small group." John smiled at the teens tried to wrap their minds around someone refusing to include everyone in the festivities. John pointed out, "Not everyone wants to be the center of attention. She has a valid reason for wanting to keep it small and with only a chosen few. You know how Patrick is and Deborah is just as quiet and private, she doesn't want all the glitz and glamour of the big wedding- she just wants her closest family there. That includes Sheila and Avery and your four cousins." The three started to see things but Jaimie asked, "Why can't she do the wedding at the same time as the reception?" John shook his head and told her, "it's her choice. I know that you want a big one with all of your friends and relatives but it's her decision to make. It's why she's going to be wearing a good dress but not a custom dress and why Sheila, Stephanie, Claire, Al, Daisy, and Avery won't be in bridesmaid dresses. Even Patrick and David will be in suits not tuxedos. It's her choice." Valerie finally stepped in to tell them dinner was ready. She pulled Jaimie aside and chastised her for making things uncomfortable for Deborah. Her exact words were, "Keep pushing and she will call it off and we may lose her. Too many people have forced their views and opinions on her so far in her life and every time that happened she was hurt badly. She doesn't need you meddling in her life like this. Your cousins agree with her on this, Patrick is as nervous as you can get about this and is just as fragile. He loves her and she loves him and they both want this but don't want half the city showing up to see them get married." Jaimie was grumpy through dinner and went up to bed without saying a word. Cat tried to comfort her but even she was pushed away. Miles put things together and realized that Jaimie was hoping to help out for once but they never gave her the chance. He warmly told her, "Hannah and Paige will be using you to plan their wedding in July. You are the only person all of us listen to and the one Hannah and Paige go to for advice so them asking you to plan is only natural." She felt better hearing that but the rejection of help by Deborah and Patrick still stung. Once dinner was over and the twins put to bed Valerie asked about her wedding reception. Deborah sighed and admitted, "I don't know what to do. I don't want to upset any member of your family by not inviting them but I don't want to go overboard." John grinned and told her, "There's a few people Patrick will want to invite but everyone else will be a member of the family. And I should warn you, they are your family as well. Dorothy was friends with Valerie and the Myers sisters for years before she met me and I still see her as being a close friend and member of this family in all but name. She is the one who kick-started our family five and a half years ago. Like it or not, you are family to us now and marrying Patrick seals it." She nodded in agreement and started discussing with Valerie what she wanted for the reception. Seeing Deborah overwhelmed Avery thought it over and went to grab Jaimie. Deborah may not have wanted a big wedding but she needed help with the reception and Jaimie was eager to help. Jaimie was still grumpy but listened to what they were saying. She finally had enough of feeling sorry for herself and contributed to the discussion, giving ideas about simple foods and drinks and what each person could bring as a gift if they felt the need to do so. Within a half hour the three had planned out the reception. Jaimie felt much better, thanking Avery for thinking about her. John asked the important, "Where will you live after the wedding?" Deborah hadn't thought of it yet and meekly told him, "Patrick's house." John nodded in agreement, adding, "He has three bedrooms so it's big enough for the three of you. I don't want you spending any of your hard-earned money on a new apartment when you don't have to." Valerie turned things around and asked about her surgery. Deborah blushed as Jaimie looked at her with hope, Deborah admitted, "Avery asked the same question earlier. I haven't saved up enough to pay for the aftercare yet." John shook his head and chastised her, telling her, "I know Patrick told you about it already, and he will be with you the whole time. In fact I might even have a place for you to stay after you have it done." Avery added, "She knows to ask mom for help with the insurance so that won't be an issue at all. Mom will also help with Jaimie's surgery as well." John looked at Jaimie and realized that it was now a matter of, "When" not, "if" she had her surgery as the look on Jaimie's face showed she was ready for it even though it was another 16 months out. His little girl was on the final stretch to becoming a woman. John snapped out his deep thinking when Jaimie giggled. She told Deborah, "Uncle Miguel has offered to let us use his mostly unused home in California. It's close to a hospital that performs the surgery. He already told me I'm staying there next year but since you were so great with Reyna when she started to transition he said he's going to let you stay there when you have your surgery as well." Sheila asked, "Who is 'Uncle Miguel' and why would he do that for them?" Michael, who had been silent for a while, interjected, "Miguel Toro, star pitcher for the Red Sox, Reyna's uncle, and a friend of the family. He already wants to see Deborah but has been busy packing for his trip to spring training" Deborah's mouth dropped. She started to mumbled something which caused the others to ask, "is there a problem?" She nodded, telling them, "I haven't seen him in years. My uncles used to try to score tickets and autographs off of him whenever he visited his sister-in-law and Reyna. He didn't know I was a girl like Reyna." John nodded to Valerie who told her softly, "He knows. He knew about you all along. Reyna didn't keep any secrets from him and hoped there would be a way of helping you but your grandparents and uncles were able to keep all of their abuse and mistreatment hidden from anyone who could do anything about it. Reyna snuck a picture of you the night you were watching Al. He didn't recognize you and thought she was joking but Lupe assured him that you were the same small teenage boy who kept Reyna from doing something horrible back when nobody else would help her. It's a small price to pay and he considers it as helping someone who is family to him." Avery whispered to Michael, "is your family always like this?" Michael didn't miss a beat and quickly shot back, "That's the hallmark of our family, you will get used to it. You got dragged in the minute you and Raul became a couple and he defended Al's honor. That's not counting being in Deborah and Sheila's care which extends their familial relationship to you. We wouldn't include you if we didn't think you were already family to us." Avery's face was one of surprise then honor. She may have a rich family but she never had a family like this. The idea intrigued her, especially as she saw the same look on Sheila's face. The two were dragged into the family by association, but both loved the idea of such a large family of people to call on for help, to visit, to love. The trio started to leave but Jaimie added, "We will try to be good tomorrow night. I can't guarantee we will be quiet but we will be good." Sheila added a quick, "You better be" followed by a laugh from her which John and Valerie joined in on, Jaimie wasn't happy about that though. The trio went to sleep soon after. Avery was up early and was a bundle of nervous energy all day during class. Raul calmed her enough during lunch with some hand holding and a hug to prevent her from bouncing off the walls. She managed to answer all of her teachers' questions and focus on some of the classwork but she was still on edge. Her friends were jealous of the sleepover but she was adamant that it wasn't a big deal. Raul kissed her deeply before she left, stopping first to get Al and Stephanie's things then going home to meet up with Sheila. Jorge and Victoria took one look at Al and Stephanie's bags and grinned, immediately telling Deborah, "You might want to take some aspirin with you." Al and Stephanie grinned as Zoe, Sela, and Isobel James stopped their car outside Deborah and Sheila's apartment building and greeted Avery with a big hug. The trio did the same to Sheila and Deborah then smothered the tweens before they could get away. Avery told the three that they were in for a big night when the others got there, savoring that her cousins were caught off guard for once. Zoe's eyes went wide as she asked, "What do you mean big?" Sheila added, "We invited the Finn girls over. That's about 16 total, the eldest two, Paige and Hannah, are supervising with Debora and myself." The six were a giggling mass as Paul James got out of his car and heard how many girls were going to be there. Alexandra James giggled at his expression, then reminded him, "These girls are well-behaved and there won't be any boys there. You know Sheila and know she is someone we can count on so the girls are in good hands." Looking at the time the group started to head over to Avery's home. Paul led the way, he may not have known the city all that well but he knew exactly how to get to his sister's home. Sheila followed close behind, with the three girls prattling away in the background as she tried to concentrate on driving. At Avery's house the group got out and entered, with Al and Stephanie giggling behind them. Avery started to clean up the living room and grabbed some snacks from the kitchen as the others walked around the house. Avery was feeling a little embarrassed at having her cousins in the house but Sela assured her that there was nothing to worry about and her house was beautiful. Paul tried his hardest to keep calm knowing that a gaggle of teenage girls were about to descend upon the house at any moment. Alexandra was doing the same and grinned at seeing her husband so fatherly and concerned. Isobel just groaned at his actions, telling him, "We are 18, we can handle ourselves for two nights. Would you rather we had all of the girls at our house having the slumber party?" This caused the color to fade from Paul's face as Alexandra burst into laughter. Paul quickly recovered and told them to call if there was any trouble. Alexandra shook her head and added, "Just have fun. Your grandfather loves these kids and you know how much of a good judge of character that he is." Avery was watching Al and Stephanie whisper back and forth for several minutes. The way they were giggling and whispering was causing her to be a little on edge. When they started to look her way she finally had enough and walked over, asking, "What's going on, what's with the whispering?" Al and Stephanie whispered into Avery's ear causing her to gasp then giggle herself. The trio staked a claim to their spots in the living room while her cousins were looking around and Sheila and Deborah were talking in the kitchen. All talk had died down as they waited for the inevitable ring of the doorbell and onrush of teens. The first to arrive were Hannah and Paige. Both hugged Deborah tight and then greeted Sela, Zoe, and Isobel warmly while sitting down next to Al and Stephanie. Paige asked if they were alright with the 14 coming getting eager nods and a happy, "it's not the same as the smaller ones we were used to having with our friends but it's better than just the three of us." Paige whispered something to Al and Stephanie who grinned and nodded. Al casually mentioned, "Did your grandfather tell you about Hannah's family?" The trio gave her a quick, "only that they are Finns." Hannah groaned to which Al added, "Not that family. I was talking about her paternal family. She's an honest to goodness English lady!" Paige giggled to which Hannah shot back, "Laugh it up, come July you are becoming one too!" The trio looked confused so Stephanie explained, "She is officially Lady Hannah Smith. Hannah's dad is the Earl of Boston, son and heir of the Marquess of Lincoln. Her twin brother is Lord Bryan Smith, her sister is Lady Nichole Smith, her younger brother Ethan is Lord Ethan Smith The Earl of Frampton, and her baby brother is Lord Nigel Smith, Jr." The girls looked at Stephanie thinking, "You're joking" until Hannah told them, "it's true. Dad really is a lord and my brothers are lords and my mom, sister, any myself are ladies. Paige becomes one in July when she marries Bryan." Paige added, "Her fianc? Pete is becoming the Baron of Gosfield when he marries Hannah and my fianc?, her brother Bryan, is becoming the Viscount of Braintree when her great uncle passes away." The girls sat down astonished. Hannah mumbled, "it's meaningless here but it's a big deal in England. It has its uses at times but it's mostly nothing but a mouthful of words to us." The trio grinned and asked, "Do you have any special things for being lords and ladies?" Hannah nodded, telling them, "Just the satisfaction of making some of the snobs and idiots nearly faint when they hear a new money yankee teenager has a title and is richer than they are." This sent the girls into a fit of laughter as Paige dove into the story of their first night meeting their grandparents' friends and associates. Avery whispered, "Did you know this would happen?" Al and Stephanie nodded, with Stephanie telling her, "it's easier to get it all out of the way now to break the tension before the others get here." Stephanie's comments were timed perfectly as the doorbell rang and the first group started to arrive. The girls were introduced to Rebecca, Rachel, Jessie, Iris, Francesca, Sam, and Reyna. Reyna rushed to Deborah and embraced after the introduction, pulling her to the side and explaining, "Uncle Miguel told me you are going to California soon and the house is yours for as long as you need it." Deborah hugged her and kissed her forehead, telling her, "Thank you for doing that for me, it means so much to me." Their embrace was noticed by the girls, they immediately wanted to know what was going on so Reyna told them, "She is going to have her surgery soon. Uncle Miguel is lending his California home so she can recover with Patrick by her side." The girls started talking about the surgery leading Al and Reyna to inform them about how much it can take out of you. Stephanie tried to preface it by adding, "You two are different from others, you weren't given a choice in the matter. You had to undergo it right then and there and you had other things going on to cause your recovery to slow down." Zoe was perplexed and asked the obvious, "Why would they know more about the surgery? What do you mean their recovery?" Stephanie looked at the girls who nodded so she told the trio, "Reyna and Al are like Deborah in that they weren't born girls on the outside. Reyna and Deborah were always girls on the inside but Al was in the middle, both boy and girl and didn't want to become a girl. Reyna was kidnapped and her groin mutilated by a shotgun blast while Al was involved in a nasty car crash that nearly killed her- twice." Isobel looked into Al's eyes and saw the pain in them. She looked at her sisters and announced, "We forgot we were told about Al already. I guess we forgot that she hasn't been a girl that long since she acts so feminine." Al just nonchalantly told them, "I guess that's a good thing, the farther out from the accident the less I hope to be reminded of it." Al got back to talking about surgery especially the needed aftercare requirements. The girls were enthralled by all of this, they were learning more from the two than they had learned in sex ed in school. They didn't even notice that the four overseeers were looking outside, waiting for something. Eventually they got bored and went to the kitchen to get the snacks ready and prepare the drinks. The doorbell rang and Avery got up to answer it. She was immediately swarmed by the rest of the girls as they came in, hugging her as they entered. Deborah managed to get to the front and help with their bags as Avery oversaw her. Sheila looked over at the house next door and saw a familiar face, letting out a quick, "Hi Aunt Lilly, what are you doing here?" Lilly laughed and calmly pointed out, "I live here." Avery looked up at Sheila and let out a quick, "oops!" Chapter 23 Sheila shook her head in disbelief as Avery tried to come up with just the right answer to avoid a confrontation. Sheila realized that it wasn't her fault, immediately smiling and telling her, "You are so used to Aunt Lilly living next to you that you forgot. And we have been so busy this week that we never had the chance to visit her again. Heck I don't even know where most of the other girls live yet, I've only been to the Finns', Deborah's mom's and the Samuels' home so far." Lilly nodded adding, "Reyna lives next to Al. Stacy, Rebecca, Iris, and Rachel live on both sides of Jaime. Francesca and Sam live across the street. Jessica, Christina, and Jenna live a few blocks away from them. And Courtney and Jessie live on the other side of the city. You have probably driven by their houses to get to the Finns or Al's home without realizing it." Sheila felt relieved that she wasn't offended by her sudden shock. Lilly talked with them for a bit to get Sheila calmer knowing Avery was still anxious and upset over the situation. Avery realized Lilly was trying to help Sheila without letting her know she was helping getting Avery to feel much better herself. Inside, the girls were talking vividly about their boyfriends and watching the two youngest squirm at some of their jokes. There were jokes about bulges and muscles that were a little crude for them but the older teens laughed hard at. The innuendos and hand motions that went with some of the joking went a little too far for them with the girls failing to see that they weren't either getting the jokes nor that they were not liking them. Seeing Al and Stephanie squirm and feel down over not having anything to contribute, Paige sent them outside so they didn't get too uncomfortable. They may like boys but they weren't at the stage of liking them enough to date them. Al was especially fearful given she had only recently become a girl and still had to endure the boys being afraid to approach her for fear of catching her girlishness. She was not a newcomer when it came to sex talk but the way the girls were talking she was out of her element. Before they left, Al asked Jaimie, "Did you guys finish making plans for the wedding reception yet?" This caused the others to stare at her oddly leading to Jaimie saying, "As soon as we know when they are going to get their marriage licenses we can book the wedding reception. Everything else is planned." All of the other girls asked in unison, "What wedding?" Claire tried hard to keep her mouth shut but Stephanie blurted out, "Deborah and Patrick's wedding. Didn't you see the big engagement ring that she was wearing when you came in?" There was a sound of 17 young ladies rushing to the door that was deafening. Claire and Jaimie were the last out of the house and looking over one another they told Deborah, "They want to see the ring." Deborah showed her hand which led Paige and Hannah to both blurt out, "You brat- Patrick proposed and you didn't tell us?" Deborah meekly replied, "We didn't think it was that big of a deal. It's also why we are only having a few go with us to get married at city hall. We don't want all of the attention on us." The girls were enthralled by the ring. Claire tried to act as if it was no big deal but the girls insisted she was just jealous. Lilly had to intervene and set them straight, insisting, "it's a tradition that was handed down through the Peterson family for years. My husband Jerry went through it twice; Sheila's dad went through it once. Now it was Patrick's turn. If we are lucky maybe in a year, it'll be David's turn. And the way you are all so close that in two years it'll probably be Will's turn." Claire immediately turned beet red and tried to shy away as the others grinned, knowing that it was the truth. Zoe, Sela, and Isobel were busy trying to hold off their laughter as the others started to question why there wasn't going to be a big wedding. The trio looked at one another and nodded in agreement, with Isobel telling them, "She doesn't want all the attention that you are giving her, she just wants Patrick. It's just a piece of paper, they already secured their love. Looking at your rings it's not much difference than what you are already doing with your boyfriends. They just didn't have the luxury of years of friendship before they declared their love." Lilly smiled at the three getting grins back, they hit the nail on the head exactly and didn't even need to really know the girls to know what the real problem was. She inwardly thought, "They are definitely Christian's granddaughters even if not all by blood." Lilly turned to go inside but she didn't get the chance as Daisy and Faith came bursting out looking for her. The two saw the gathered group and demanded to know what was going on. Lilly had to think fast but Daisy had already figured it out, asking, "Are we too young to join them?" Lilly sighed and admitted, "This time you are, this is for Avery and her cousins' fun not your cousins' enjoyment. It was planned by her mother and uncle and the girls were invited along for support." Daisy looked over at Avery's cousins and understood. Faith hugged Deborah then went back inside, the two letting it go quickly while the others expected a big fight. Lilly just shook her head and grinned, no better payback than making them think something is going to happen later. She may be 7 but she is smart, she learned that little bit from being around Michael and Hannah the last two years. Sheila managed to get the girls back inside and called for a pizza delivery. The girls went right back to talking while Al and Stephanie helped get things in order for the food and avoid the gossip and jokes, this time less lewd. The two were doing most of the work but enjoying every minute of being part of the teens' fun and knowing that they were at least helping to make the slumber party better. Avery was now the center of attention while her cousins laid back and listened to the conversations. The girls started talking about their boyfriends again which turned to Avery forgetting to call Raul and tell him she wouldn't be available. The whole room quieted down to let her make her call, but at the last minute Rebecca suggested she Facetime him instead. The room grew silent as Avery made the call. Raul answered and started talking to her as if nothing was out of the ordinary. When the older girls started joking with him he started making jokes of his own. Things turned interesting as Raul start joking about things only their boyfriends would know. He joked about Stacy's overuse of lip gloss leaving glitter on Scott's face, Rebecca's lipstick leaving lip marks on Thomas' cheeks, and Claire gasping for air after a kiss. The girls looked around at each other trying to figure out what was going on until Al and Stephanie burst into laughter, the two seeing exactly where he was at and what was going on. Jaimie followed by Claire and Rebecca realized too late what had happened but kept quiet as they knew they were in trouble. Raul himself started laughing, this time turning around and showing the Samuels living room filled with their boyfriends. He promptly pointed out, "Rick thought you might try something like that to embarrass me." Zoe, Isobel, and Sela burst into laughter then admitted, "You have to admit that was pretty funny and smart of them to do that to you. You didn't really expect the boys to not do something together while you were all over here." Deborah came in and announced, "I don't think your parents would like knowing all of you were in your pajamas talking with your boyfriends." This led to the boys to quickly apologize and hang up while Sheila sat down and announced, "That was a dirty trick. Funny, but dirty. You girls know how sensitive he is and he might have taken it the wrong way if Rick, Thomas, and the others hadn't been there. You are going to have to make it up to him." Sheila grinned and added, "Your mom wouldn't like knowing that you were up to these kind of games either." Avery countered with, "it's not like we were going to do anything. The boys aren't here and none of us are into that sort of thing with other girls." Sam and Iris blushed as the other girls looked at her and Rachel added, "Um actually that's not true..." Avery looked towards the couple, gasped, and quickly apologized. She was on the verge of tears, Sam and Iris hugged her tightly and told her warmly, "You didn't know and you didn't mean it to be an insult. Besides, if we did anything our parents would have our hides tanned We are both too young for that sort of thing yet." Avery asked if they really were into girls getting a soft, "Yes." Rachel added, "They are just as much in love with each other as the others are with their boyfriends. They nearly gave dad a heart attack when he walked in on them as they were changing during a sleepover back in November. It didn't help that they had lipstick all over their faces." Jessie giggled as she added, "They at least get to see each other naked from time to time even if they don't 'do' anything. Just call it an unintentional perk of being classmates as well as girlfriends." Avery blushed at hearing all of that but she understood the sentiment, they were in love and they did have to take gym together so it was unavoidable. The pizza arrived and the girls dug in. the poor delivery driver was overwhelmed with the number of boxes but gladly accepted the big tip from Sheila courtesy of Paul and Alexandra. Deborah and she ate in the kitchen hoping to discuss things while out of earshot. The topic was simply what they were going to do after the wedding, something that had concerned Sheila since she was told. Deborah sensed her fear and assured Sheila, "I'll stay with you as long as possible but Patrick is going to want me to move in with him. You could move in too, David shouldn't have a problem with you being there as well." Sheila sighed and finally admitted, "That isn't going to happen. You need your space and Avery and I are just excess baggage in your life. I am just feeling down about you finding love and a family while I'm alone in the world. Sure I have cousins but it's not the same. I have Avery until the end of the school year but she's only staying temporarily, I'll be alone again once the year is over." Deborah understood but kept quiet so she could vent. She had a point, but she wasn't seeing the whole picture. Sheila was not alone and would never be again, if Deborah learned anything in the past two days it was that they were part of a family now. Sheila had a place to go, two of them and both filled with people who love her and want her there. The girls finished eating and cleaned up the mess then went about watching movies and talking. At just before 11 PM there was a knock at the door. Two uniformed police officers entered as soon as Avery opened the door. Avery immediately called for Sheila and Deborah, getting them to rush over quickly. Deborah and Sheila asked if there was a problem getting a quick, "We received a complaint that there was a loud party and a group of underage people partying and drinking without adult supervision." The officer asked who they were, if they had permission to be there, what their relation to the owners were. Avery looked over the stunned girls then grinned at the officers, pointing out, "I'm the owner of the house as it's in my name. We have written permission to be here from my mother, and as these two are my guardians they are overseeing my slumber party. They are being assisted by these two who are both 19 that were also approved by my mother as our other overseers. My three cousins are also over 18 so we have 7 who are 18+ years old watching us. We are also being observed by my next door neighbor who is also the mother of one of us and aunt to four more. And as far as loud music the level the music is playing at now is as loud as it has been and there is absolutely zero alcohol in the house and the only actual drinking that is occurring is water and sodas." The officers didn't buy her story so Avery dialed her mother and told her what happened. As expected, she demanded to speak with the senior officer who was in turn ripped a new one by an angry Ruth. He tried to apologize and gave the phone back to Avery, who herself had a big grin on her face. The younger officer, Ian Bailey, shook his head and told his superior, "it pays to cover for you guys at times and get out of the middle school detail. You didn't take a good look at the girls that are here as you entered, did you? Claire Peterson, Jaimie Finn, Jessie Lawrence, Sam York, Stacy and Rebecca Lopez, and Jessica Nelson should have told you exactly what was going on. Their parents are officers and one who is dating the son of our chief plus one whose brother is a state trooper. None of their parents would let them go to any kind of 'unsupervised' party without first having everything in order. There was no problem here, I suspect that there was something else going on." Ian called dispatch and grinned. He told his partner, "The call was from a Lucius Long. The call went to our non-emergency number. Apparently the call originated in Florida one hour ago. Unless he suddenly became Superman and flew here and back the call was a phony call meant to get a response. Dispatch hasn't received a noise complaint for any houses in this neighborhood tonight except that phone call." Avery growled and told them, "That was my father. He is going to have to answer why he chose to do that when my mother hears about it." Ian grinned and added, "Did he know what was going on?" Avery shot a quick, "He was fully aware; in fact, it was cleared with him in writing before he left." Sheila showed her copy of the custody agreement and showed the part Avery was referring to getting the officers to nod in agreement as they saw his signature directly below it. Avery turned to Deborah and sadly told her, "He's going to use their visit as an excuse to make me go to Florida." Sheila grinned and shot back, "He's fooling himself there if he thinks that he is going to get his way without a big fight. Your mother won't let him anything that'll harm you and Mrs. Finn will make him pay." Sheila showed the guardianship to Avery to assure her that he couldn't do what she thought he could do but it didn't sway her feelings of impending doom. Ian asked to speak with her mother, getting Ruth on the phone and explaining the situation to her. She wasn't happy but told him that the girls were in the right and her husband stepped over the line. Ian was happy to help her with her husband problem, with Ruth proud that he showed why he was beloved by the kids of the middle school and was glad that he was dispatched instead of anyone else. The officers chatted with Sheila for a few minutes as Avery cooled off and they awaited the call from Lucius to Sheila checking in on the girls. As expected, he was furious that the police were there but when she handed the phone over to Ian the young officer quickly chastised him, telling him bluntly, "You have no right to be angry with them. You were the one who called us in the first place and after reading your written agreement with Ms. Patterson and Ms. Thomas it's now clear why you called. We already spoke with your wife while you were out making your second phone call to our non-emergency number and she wasn't too pleased. I'd start looking for a good divorce lawyer, your wife is going to be upset and I doubt she will allow what happened tonight to stand unanswered." Sheila and Ian talked for a while before he had to leave on another call. The girls picked up on her little flirtations and subtle hints and saw something between them. Sheila tried to deny it but even Deborah saw it, smiling as she proclaimed, "You two might be talking more in the future and it won't be about what happened her tonight. I may be na?ve when it comes to love but I saw something between you." Jaimie and the others nodded in agreement with one another and started to gather their things together. Avery asked what was going on so Jaimie let her in on what they were doing, "it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that your dad is coming here tomorrow. There's no way he didn't have this planned out from the start. When he sees all of us here he will lose it. It doesn't matter what the agreement said, he will find some way of causing trouble. It's best that it be only you and your cousins here, I doubt that he will hurt them. But us, though? He would do it and I can't guarantee that our parents or our brothers and boyfriends won't go after him in retaliation." The 18 gathered their things and called for their rides. Al and Stephanie assured Avery that she wasn't at fault as they got into Alice's car to drive to the Rodriguez home. Lilly came over to ensure that Avery was alright then helped to clean up the mess. She could see that Avery was feeling terrible over the girls leaving early and tried to assure her that they had a plan but Avery wasn't hearing it, she knew her that father would use her yet again to get what he wanted. The James girls were no fools and were texting their parents over the whole situation as soon as the two officers arrived. Paul was adamant that he wasn't going to get his way and assured them that he would be by to keep things calm. Alexandra quickly had Valerie double-check the contract to ensure that he wasn't allowed to just remove Avery on a whim. Unbeknownst to the trio Valerie kept Ruth updated on what happened during the week and when she was told about her husband calling the police on Sheila and Deborah she finally snapped. After hanging up on Avery's call confirming the girls' right to be there she calmly called her friend and lawyer and informed her, "He finally went too far. Date the paperwork for today and fax it to Valerie Finn. She can serve him immediately when he gets home." There was little argument, Ruth had been slowly building towards divorce for the past year and he had finally gone too far this time. She regretted having to tell her mother-in-law the bad news but the woman expected it and thanked her for her kindness that she had shown through the rough patch with her son. She sighed and asked, "Can you at least bring Avery down to see me one last time? The hell with what my son thinks about the young woman, I know a good person when I hear it and she's a good person for Avery. I'd rather not have my granddaughter believing that I didn't care about her or worse that I only cared about myself." Ruth nodded, but added, "Do you have a problem with Deborah going with her? She will need the moral support and Sheila can't easily get away from work yet." The elder Long nodded silently, but also added, "The way you talk about Sheila I hope that you do the right thing and make her part of the family. My son was foolish to wait so long to 'let' you have a family so there won't be any more James kids popping out of you and you are old enough to be her mother anyway. The girl needs family. Please do the right thing for her. Losing her best friend to marriage and losing the closest she has to a sister when you finally return is going to devastate her, and I can't imagine the impact it will have on Avery when the two finally go their separate ways." Ruth could see that she wasn't going to win so she reluctantly agreed. She was a goddaughter to Paul but what was asked of her was something else entirely. Sheila was going to become a member of the James family officially. She just hoped that Sheila would see it the way they see it and let them make her one of them. Chapter 24 Sela comforted Avery as Deborah and Sheila tried to deal with texts from the boys. When John finally called, Sheila was at her wits end over the situation. She was ready to finally give up and stop fighting, she didn't want to deal with Lucius screwing around with Avery anymore. It wasn't fair to Avery and she needed her parents more than she needed a big sister. Sheila broke down and called Paul, asking him to please take Avery off her hands. She could barely talk anymore. When she finished her pleading Paul had Alexandra asking Christian for backup. Paul told Sheila he was going over there first thing in the morning and would be with them all day. If his brother-in-law showed up he'd have a surprise in store. Paul didn't reveal it but he wasn't joking, they had a serious contingency plan and hoped they would never have to use it. It was time to use it. Avery eventually fell asleep followed by her cousins. Deborah managed to calm Sheila enough to get her to sleep while she herself finally collapsed from exhaustion. The six were awoken late the next morning by Paul's ringing of the doorbell followed by his phone call to the girls. Avery hugged him as he entered, apologizing for ruining his weekend. Paul ignored her apologies and went to work, assuring the four that Lucius was in for a big surprise. The girls asked, "infidelity?" Paul grinned, adding, " with a lot of fraud and embezzlement to boot! Little Lucky Lucius wasn't as suave as he thought he was." Looking at Avery, Paul sighed and asked her, "Whatever happens to your dad it was his own fault so please don't blame yourself. He was doing some nasty things for years and kept from getting caught. That is until last week. His comments and attitude towards Deborah upset the wrong people and they started to dig into his company and dug deep. It was all perfectly legal to do so as we, your grandfather and I, actually own half of his company. What he did he did on his own and it had nothing to do with anything you or Sheila or Deborah did. This whole 'calling the police' thing was all just a big smoke and mirrors act to keep you under his direct control and out or reach of your grandfather, your aunt, and myself. He planned to make you go south but he couldn't get around Valerie Finn's contract." Turning to Sheila and Deborah Paul admitted, "Last night after we were told about what had happened my father asked the Finns for help. John had two of the Finn boys get to work to find something amiss in Lucius' company's finances and within an hour they hit pay dirt. He had been using the company to funnel money into a secret bank account which then paid out to one of his employees. They know it was her because it is the same bank account she is paid legitimately to from the company's payroll. From the private investigators we hired before we knew that he had been having an affair with her for years but this is proof that he was paying her off to keep her quiet and maintain their relationship. True to the classic infidelity form, he was sleeping with his secretary" Deborah asked, "That's embezzlement but what does it have to do with fraud?" Paul smirked as she asked that, then continued, "The money he was using actually came from my sister's private bank account, the one that she is paid to by her employer. She had it for years before he married her so had no right to access it but he was using it anyway. We found forged checks made out to his company and transfers from his wife's account to the company's account. The boys turned the information over to their mother and aunt who then handed it off the state police to investigate the blatant fraud. Dad said they were good, I didn't expect a 16 and 17-year-old to do such things but apparently this is actually the second time in less than six months that they have done this sort of heavy investigating." Avery shed a tear at her father going to prison but her bigger fear was herself. She asked meekly, "What about me? He's coming to take me away no matter what Deborah and Sheila say. I don't want to go." Paul's face lit up and told her, "That will never happen. I called your mother last night and she is on the first plane north this morning. She was happy to report that your father shot himself in the foot again by using her credit card to buy his plane ticket so she easily changed his flight to a later one with a big apology from the airline for not taking better precautions to prevent the theft. She canceled his return tickets, one for you and him, as well. You aren't going anywhere. He is also going economy class, by the bathrooms no less, instead of first class so will arrive in a foul mood and in for a confrontation." Paul's phone rang and he grinned widely. He told the group, "She just landed and is driving in with the family car. The car is in her name not his. He has to take a cab or a bus to get home now. Dad made a call to the state police barracks to let them know that the car isn't stolen, it's just in the hands of the actual owner so your mom won't be in trouble and his complaint will go into the recycling bin." The others laughed at that remark and settled in for the half hour wait. The girls took time to eat, with Sheila having to force Avery to do the same. Paul was handed a plate of eggs and told to eat as well, the girls knowing he hadn't had the chance to eat yet as he had likely been on the phone all morning. The time passed quickly and Ruth entered as they were cleaning up the remains of the meal. She hugged Avery tightly and assured her, "You did nothing wrong and it's high time I had the courage to leave him. This was low even for him, I don't know what he was expecting to get out of this but he is foolish if he thinks he could just waltz up here and take you away without a fight." Ruth sat the girls down and asked Paul to leave for a second. She pulled out some paperwork and asked Sheila to read it carefully. Sheila had tears in her eyes as she finished the last page. Avery looked over the paperwork and gasped in shock, telling Sheila, "Sign it!" at the top of her lungs. Deborah read the paperwork and looked up at Ruth, asking her firmly, "Are you sure that you want to do this for her? You barely know her." Ruth nodded, adding a solemn, "That's not entirely true, we have all known her since before she was born. My mother-in-law made it clear that it was the right thing to do for her and I couldn't say no to a dying request that I make Sheila officially part of the family. She has unofficially been part of our family for years and we let her down by not keeping a closer eye on her. Her mother and I were close friends and I swore to her mother that I'd watch over Sheila for her and her husband. I made that when Sheila was born but I extend that vow to include Sheila's adulthood. I feel now that I let her down and want to rectify the situation. Please, let me make it official." Sheila's hand twitched as she signed the form. Ruth signed as well. Paul looked it over and signed off as their witness followed by Deborah. Paul notarized it with his seal making it official. The deed was done; Sheila was now a member of the James family. At long last after knowing each other for almost five years, the James and Finn families had joined together as one through a stroke of the pen through their newest member. Avery called her grandfather immediately. Christian asked what was going on so Avery explained it. Christian laughed, telling her warmly, "She didn't fool around, did she? She is barely on the ground and already righting something that we wronged five years ago. Give your sister a big hug for me and tell her I expect the four of you up here for lunch next weekend." Avery smiled and announced, "Grandpa has told me that the four of us have to go up to Endicott for lunch next weekend. He also said to hug my sister for him." She hugged Sheila tight as Deborah and the others smiled. Sheila's face went from nervous tension to relief and love. She always wanted to be called someone's sister and now she finally was one. Sheila got up and walked next door to talk with Lilly. She showed Lilly the adoption forms that Ruth had had her sign. Lilly smiled as she recognized the layout of them, asking her warmly, "Did you want me to talk you out of it or are you seeking my approval? The answer to both of those is no, I won't talk you out of it and no I won't give you approval as you don't need it. The first night Monday night after Avery went to your apartment she told me about your parents' request and I fully support it. She's a good person but she needs you as much as you need her. I'm still your aunt and always will be, but she is your mom now and despite being 25 years old you still need a mother." Daisy and Faith came over to see what Sheila was doing there and heard the conversation. Daisy's face brightened as she heard Sheila was going to have a sister and a mom while Faith grinned at the whole exchange. The two told Sheila warmly, "You have family now!" Sheila just smiled and added, "More family than I ever imagined" as she hugged the two kids. Claire finally came out from her slumber and asked what was going on so Daisy pointed out, "Nothing much. Sheila got adopted by Mrs. Long so now she is Avery's big sister. Mom gave her the family's blessing so she doesn't have to worry about upsetting us." Claire just said, "OK" then walked off. She took two steps before she realized what Daisy had just said then quickly asked, "What do you mean adopted?" Lilly shook her head and added, "The same kind of adoption that makes your Aunt Melanie and me your grandmother and grandfather's daughters. Mrs. Long is fulfilling a promise to your aunt and uncle that her family had unintentionally fallen back on. This doesn't mean she isn't your cousin anymore; she is a James now in addition to being a Peterson and a Patterson. She's simply joining them officially as the newest James." Claire hugged Sheila, telling her warmly, "I hope you move in next door. Avery and you have to come over, I need people here who aren't whiny brats to hang out with." Daisy let out a loud, "Hey!" to which Faith giggled at then realized she was included in that as well. Lilly grinned as Sheila tried to think up the right words but she finally settled on, "I don't know what we are going to do but if she asks me to move in I'll do it. And Daisy isn't bratty, she's just pushing your buttons. She can't help it if she pushes the right ones" Claire and Lilly laughed as Faith and Daisy started to realize Sheila left out the word, "Whiny". Lilly told the two youngsters to get ready for the day while Claire and Sheila talked some more. Avery came over to see what was going on so Claire hugged her and told her warmly, "Any chance you can convince your sister to babysit so I can get out?" Avery smiled and added, "Sorry, but for Daisy I think we'd pay you so we would not have to babysit her." Claire grew serious and asked about Avery's father. Avery shook her head in frustration and proclaimed, "I don't get how he could throw away a nice life for some woman. He robbed from us to give to her, it doesn't make sense." Claire nodded in agreement, adding, "I stopped trying to understand some people when I heard what my real dad tried to do to keep custody of Daisy. It just doesn't make sense what some people will do for others and what they will do to their own families in the process. I know Deborah's family was horrid to her but this is a man who seemingly cared about you and then does something to intentionally hurt you just to get control of you. It makes me think he knew he was in trouble and he wanted you down there as a bargaining chip to get out of trouble." Avery reluctantly agreed with her. Looking at Daisy she could see the youngster understood far too much of what was happening. Daisy pointedly admitted, "Aunt Valerie told mom that he wasn't getting outside the city with Avery. David is coming by soon to help, he can't take you without your mom's agreement and she didn't say you could go with him. She said that he signed the rights you to away to Sheila and Deborah until the end of school and only your mom could end that early." Daisy had a smug look on her face as the three looked at her oddly. Lilly and Faith started laughing to which Daisy added, "Aunt Valerie told me to tell you that. She knew you would talk about it." The three groaned at being set up but it was all in good fun. Over in the Long home Deborah was packing Sheila's and her bags. Ruth sat her down and asked about the ring she was wearing. Deborah blushed and meekly told her, "Patrick asked me to marry him on Thursday after we got back home and I accepted." Ruth gave her a bright smile and asked about wedding plans to which Deborah admitted, "We are going to keep it small. Just Patrick's sisters and brother, Sheila, mom, and my Aunt Alice's family. Avery was going to join us but with you now being back I am not sure that would be a good idea. I don't want to impose on you anymore." Ruth listened to her then quietly asked, "Why so small? You could have a large wedding with dozens of people if you wanted. It seems odd that you would choose so few people to be there." Deborah drew a sharp breath then finally admitted the truth, "I don't want it to turn into a circus. I don't want to be the center of attention, making it out to be a sideshow rather than a wedding. I heard about the horror stories of families seemingly approving of the newest family member only to turn their back when it was no longer convenient for them. I don't want to be put on display." Seeing Deborah's fears Ruth sat next to her and hugged her. This was a first for her, she had never had one of these kind of mother/daughter moments with Avery and it felt right to have someone open up to her as Deborah was. Deborah and Sheila had started to open up her eyes to what being a parent really meant, being there for them and guiding them- not directing them to where you wanted them to go. Letting her calm down Ruth admitted, "I can understand what you mean. But I think you don't fully understand the Finns. They won't put you on display, they will put you on a pedestal and make you feel like the most beautiful woman in the world and make your very special day unique. I think you should allow them to help you, let them give you the wedding that you want. I'd even go so far as to say have it right when you are having the reception, there's just no reason to not do it then with the whole family there. Nobody else there except family." Deborah reluctantly told her, "I'll do it." Ruth grinned and went into the kitchen to give Deborah some privacy as she made a call to Valerie. Valerie sighed and asked, "Did you finally get persuaded to change your mind?" Deborah meekly said, "Yes" to which Valerie added, "We thought someone might help you see the reality of it so we had things set up for a wedding at the reception. The only one who doesn't know will be Patrick, David has said he will keep him busy until Sunday night." Deborah's mouth dropped open. Valerie snickered and pointedly told her, "That's the only time we could get the reception hall before April and it happens that everyone is available Sunday. Dorothy has the wedding dress ready for you to try on, I think you will like it when you see it. Before you ask, yes we all talked about you but we did it because the girls can be a real pain at times when things don't go their way. Nobody except us mothers know what is really going on, everyone will think the party is Jessica's birthday party since it's next Saturday and some of the families are going away for the week." Deborah had tears in her eyes as she told Valerie, "OK, I agree to do this. Sheila is moving out so I can move in with mom and try the dress on tomorrow." Valerie grinned and admitted, "I think you might want to move your stuff in with David and Patrick, there's no reason not to and your mom will insist that you live with your new husband." Deborah smiled at hearing the words, she added, "OK Mrs. Finn, I'll just have to move things in with them." Valerie chuckled, adding a warm, "I almost forgot to tell you that we mothers and fathers will refuse to let you call us as anything other than aunt or uncle now. You are part of the family now and you call us what the other children call us. Lilly would love it if you call her mom but she understands if you are reluctant to do so with Dorothy being your mother." Deborah smiled and told her warmly, "I don't mind in the least, she deserves to be called that by her daughter-in- law." Ruth came into the room and saw Deborah's happy face and mouthed, "it's on" to her. Valerie looked at the time and told Deborah, "You had better get ready, the fun is about to begin. I expect Lucius to arrive shortly in his cab." Deborah smiled and added, "Thank you for handling things Mrs. Finn, I mean Aunt Valerie" then hung up. Deborah quickly called over to Sheila to tell her Lucius was on his way. Sheila informed Avery whose face grew pale and her hands started to shake. Claire sat next to her and held her hands firm, telling her, "Don't worry about a thing. Your mom is there as is your uncle and cousins. They won't let anything happen to you, and nobody will let him leave with you. He knows he is in trouble, he is going to make a mistake and it'll be entirely his fault. Don't let him get to you, it's all he wants and all he needs to have power over you. Be strong, be the James daughter that you were born to be." Avery perked up after hearing that. Sheila grinned and hugged her, with Claire moving to let the sisters have their moment. Sheila softly told her that he has no power over anyone, not even himself. Their mom had the only real power and she only gave to her unconditional love and support and not forceful vengeance like her dad. After Deborah sat down Ruth hugged Deborah and wished her luck, telling her that she and the girls were upstairs listening and Paul wold be back in a second. She pointed to a baby monitor sitting in plain view and walked quickly upstairs and out of sight. The first floor was eerily quiet until the door burst open and Lucius barged in, angry and looking for trouble. He wasted little time, he walked in and immediately told Deborah to get out. He loudly shouted, "Get the hell out of my house you tranny freak! My idiot wife may let you be here but it's my house and I say get out! Take the dyke with you, I don't want my daughter anywhere near people like you! If I ever hear that you even breathed a mile near my daughter I'll kill you, both of you." Deborah ignored him and continued sitting down, waiting for him to do something more. Words were meaningless, she knew he would do something more. He just couldn't help himself, he had to act like he was more powerful than her and try to do something to lash out at her. He told her again to get out, this time grabbing her and tossing her across the room causing her to scream in terror. Deborah couldn't see or hear anything else but felt blood oozing from her head. She put a hand over the wound, saw the deep crimson, and passed out.