Starting Anew Part 3 free porn video

Chapter 8 In the morning Stephanie and Trina were the talk of school. Ruby, Polly, and Megan tried to spread a bunch of rumors as retaliation for the humiliation the day before. They thought they were going to make Trina into a pariah or force the other girls away form her, instead they got caught by Mr. Williams who then told the girls, "You know that I was there and know exactly what happened." Both Ruby's and Polly's 7th grade class and Megan's 8th grade classes burst into laughter. All three received detention and warnings to stop the rumor mongering or they would face suspensions. The girls were surprised to see Raul and Avery looking glum. Al explained, "Avery is going to visit her grandmother with her mom and Sheila. She won't be back until Sunday night. She knows it will be the last time she sees her grandmother, she is dying and doesn't have much time left." All four understood and felt bad, now knowing that their sleepover was really meant to cheer Avery up. Alice didn't let them dwell on the sad departure by keeping them occupied while Gabby and Olivia finished getting the girls ready for their sleepover on Tuesday. Margo kept the girls focused on other things including talking about visiting Ms. Lincoln's school the next day. Zach also had a short talk with the boys to ensure that they knew that the girls weren't ready for dates yet which Kyle and Oscar acknowledged with embarrassed nods while Oscar's parents tried hard not to giggle at. Donald fared better. The buzz around the teens was sympathy and happiness over both Al and Amy getting kissed from the boys. Kyle earned the respect of the guys for standing up for Al, while Oscar was thought to be a mystery that Thomas thought they should look into. Donald kept quiet with Jessie and Courtney telling the others, "He's having trouble with her getting older." Jake told Donald to do what was right, which to Donald meant being quiet and letting her come to him. Donald asked about his mom's first date getting a cringe from Jake. Jake had to take a few minutes to control his anger but finally confessed, "He was a smooth talker that Gabby had her eye on for two years. Mom and dad didn't let her date until she turned 16, which they constantly fought over until she gave in. They dated in secret, using others as a way around the rules but I knew the truth and kept them from getting too serious. The thing though was that he seemed to be a good person who always hung out with Zeke Williams and his cousins. Eventually when the Williams cousins all graduated and moved away with Zeke being the last still around Tom started to show his true colors and take a turn for the worse, acting like a jerk whenever he was away from Gabby." Donald looked at the pain Jake was in and asked, "Where were you?" Jake pointed to his two diplomas and felt bad, adding, "I chose to be as far away from him as possible, focusing on getting my degrees so I could get a decent job teaching. I couldn't stand the guy. He tried to act tough but he was a wimp who relied on Zeke to always get him out of trouble. Eventually Gabby and Zeke earned scholarships to UMass-Amherst and being the true leech that he was Tom followed along, getting a job at a trucking company while Gabby studied. Gabby unexpectedly got pregnant in senior year so they had to get married but once she earned her degree Tom changed for the worse, even worse than before." Donald could see both the pride and resentment in Jake over that. Jake continued, "Zeke was no longer needed so Tom discarded him. It wasn't obvious to Zeke but I saw what Tom was doing. I put in a good word for Zeke with the superintendent and Shawn Xavier so he got hired to be the gym teacher at the middle school. Tom slowly cut Gabby off from us but she kept in contact with me through emails and snail mail. We barely saw the kids but after Gabby had Jessie she finally put her foot down, demanding to move back home so she could see me and have a shot at a higher paying job. She had the financial clout to do it, so Tom was forced to comply." Donald was sensing the big reveal was coming. Jake nodded at his foresight and added, "Moving back brought her a heck of a lot more money. Gabby was making a great deal of it from her web designs and contract work. Tom though was barely holding his own job and finally fired from it when he couldn't be bothered to go into work. He would constantly complain about Gabby working and do everything he could to try to ruin her designs or screw with her work until she changed the locks on her office door then set multiple passwords on her home computers." Jake started to show anger in his eyes as he got to the worst of the story. He continued, "Tom couldn't force her to quit so he resorted to threatening her. That happened when Mike Daniels was around, causing Tom to run off in fear as Mike pulled out his handcuffs and threatened to arrest him. Tom grabbed his clothes from home and fled, leaving no notice or any way of contacting him. This was the day before Jessie's 5th birthday party and left both girls brokenhearted and the boys angry at Gabby for making their dad leave. It was the boys' downward spiral, but we didn't know it at the time." Donald could see the fury but understood. Donald summarized with, "He made next to nothing while mom was making thousands from her hard work in college. He left her with five growing kids with Jessie being barely 5- years-old at the time. He got rid of his best friend when he had no use for him despite his being a loyal friend when nobody else would deal with him?" Jake nodded, adding, "Zeke was as pissed as I was, but he couldn't help. He had his own family troubles with his aunt Victoria on him for still living in the city and pining for a girl he could never have. He was happy when she finally moved away and ignored him. He still hasn't talked with her or the rest of his family since moving back and when they did come he refused to see them, especially for what they did at Catherine Finn's wake. If he was there he'd have seriously hurt his cousins." Donald had to ask about that, getting a solemn, "John tried to take Jaimie, Michael, and Valerie to visit her but she shunned Jaimie and kicked them out of her home. She refused to acknowledge the family until John got rid of Jaimie. He didn't and when his mother died she tried to take control with all of Catherine's cousins coming. It failed when John's real family, your mom and all of your friends' moms and dads, along with several dozen of our faculty and Jorge Castillo's friends, refused to let her make a scene. Her own namesake, Catherine's younger sister, told her to leave with her husband Jorge and his friends ensuring that they left without doing anything. Zeke missed all of that because he chose to be a better man and not disrespect Catherine nor John by being there. He is a friend of John's, even if the is blood to him. John still doesn't know that he is related to him, and Zeke asked me to keep that secret until John figured it out on his own." Jake gathered their things and left. Donald got a clear picture of one man who was a total douche and another who was a decent human being. He understood why Jake was angry but he did feel bad for Zeke. He hoped that Gabby and Zeke could come to terms and deal with Tom but that was unlikely. Francesca was at the Lawrence home when he got there, with Amy grinning and giggling as he entered. He immediately went for his room but Francesca's soft pleading got him to stop and sit next to her. Amy got up and left, telling the two, "No making out." Donald countered with, "Jealous that Oscar isn't here?" sending her upstairs blushing deeply. Francesca gave him a hug, telling him, "She's happy to have a boy interested in her that she is interested in." He countered with, "She is still only 12." Francesca hugged him tight the added, "Now you know how she felt in December. She loves you but doesn't know if you are alright with her asking a boy out." Donald looked down in shame but Francesca softly kissed his cheek. Jessie came over breaking his concentration and causing the three to focus on something else. Reed finally arrived and told him, "Dad is waiting" so they left for their dates with Reed giving Donald the subtle, "It's alright" look. Just after Donald, Reed, Jessie, and Francesca left Gabby received a phone call from Katie Benson apologizing for the delay in returning her phone call from Sunday and telling her that they had found Tom. The man was trying to live off-grid driving trucks for a local towing company out of Albany but had slipped and used his social security number and name to open a bank account. The ID he had was fake so an alert had been sent but since he never used the account there was nothing the bank could do. Katie was quick to send her people after him, with the investigator seeing that he had been living with a new girlfriend and her kids. The woman was a known bigot who had several run-ins with officers over her neighbors, a lesbian couple and one who has a transgender daughter. Gabby asked if she was going to serve him the papers, getting a fast, "Already did. In fact when we served him the papers he and his girlfriend got into a large fight that saw her striking him multiple times and him fleeing so he is heading your way. Expect contact from him soon." Gabby immediately asked about the woman and the kids. Katie smiled as she told her, "His girlfriend's reaction resulted in the police rushing there then social services paid a visit and quickly removed the kids when they were found alone without her supervision after she left. They are being looked after by a caring family, who just happen to be the lesbian couple next door. They were also friends with the girl on the other side of them so without that women several lives just got better. She now has a few felony warrant out for her arrest and is in serious trouble with the law." Zeke Williams was at home when he got a call from the one person he did not want to hear from. He reluctantly answered telling Tom, "Whatever it is you are selling I am not buying." Tom pleaded with him, begging him, "I have come to my senses, please you have to help me. I'll pay! I need your help!" Zeke heard him out. He was going to go right to Gabby about this but he had to wait to smoke out the truth form Tom. He was desperate so this had to mean his current relationship went belly-up and if he is back in town it had to have been related to Gabby and her intent to divorce him. In the morning Zeke rang Gabby's doorbell and braced for the inevitable. Gabby's first question was, "What did he say he was coming here for?" Zeke meekly told her, "He said he had come to his senses and needed help. We both know the real reason he is coming here is to get at you and your money." Gabby directed him to sit, with Jessie, Courtney, Donald, and Amy being told to go back upstairs. Zeke noticed the anger on Courtney and Jessie's faces but had to block it out for now. Donald and Amy were concerned but the two kept their wits and led the girls out of the way but still close enough to hear. Gabby explained what was really happening. Zeke listened closely, after she finished her explanation he added a soft, "It's his own fault and may have been the best thing to happen to those kids." Gabby agreed, adding, "He could have married her but he had no intention of doing so as it would have meant a record of him living in the state. He was using her like he always uses people and when that went south he needed you to bail him out. There's no other way around it, he will go after half of what I have and use you as an intermediary to get me to accept the deal he is shoveling my way." Zeke called Jake to ask him to come over. Jake quickly left with Will, Jack, and Beverly in tow. Zeke saw them and had to burst into laughter, Jake shook his head in disgust but Zeke simply told him, "You know why I'm here and seeing you with Jack and Will you know he is going to have a heart attack when he hears the news. He thought you were gay and loved poking fun at you never going out. He even claimed multiple times that you would never land a woman." Beverly wasn't sure if she should be angry, offended, or laugh. Jake, through clenched teeth, told him, "I guess spending all my time studying to earn a masters degree and land a good job must equate to being gay to him. You are right, the last laugh is on him. Beverly is the woman of my dreams and Will is the son he wishes he could have had but will never get." Beverly kissed Jake while Jack gripped Jake harder. Will wisely stepped away, heading upstairs only to be stopped by the four as they listened. He did the same, but whispered, "Dad is pissed and mom wants your dad's balls on a plate. You know how much he loved flirting with mom, she hated him for it." Downstairs Zeke told Jake and Gabby, "I know he is up to something but you know he plays things close to his vest. He is going to cause trouble for you with Jessie and Courtney. He thinks he has rights to them, but we both know that won't fly with the courts. He will try to give you an offer to sign the divorce papers but he will demand a large amount of cash first. He will renege on the deal as soon as he can despite it being on paper. He could still go after the house and demand you give him half its value." Gabby listened to him intently. Her only reply was, "I am not going to play his game. He has no right to anything I own especially the house. Hell he had already abandoned me when I bought it. I will have to talk with my lawyer about this but I know we will win if he tries to challenge us." Jake sighed and admitted, "He will create any kind of lie possible to get the girls. He will use them as a bargaining chip to get what he wants. You may need Evelyn and Joseph to help you out here." Beverly added, "File first. If he is going to judge shop you already having a case before the court will quash that idea. He won't get a penny from you since he abandoned you and never contributed to the household. Simply put, he is blowing smoke and crying fire but you have trump cards- friends with legal knowledge and an accountant who won't take his crap. If he even thinks he is entitled to anything the girls or you own I'll have his ass in court for back child support and notify the state and IRS about his lack of paying taxes. Actually, I think I'll do that anyway." Zeke heard everything but also told them, "Whatever you have planned, don't tell me. The less I know, the better. You know how manipulative he can be and how he is able to trick people into telling him things. If possible keep it from Amy and Olivia. If neither of them knows then they can't talk about it and it won't trickle back to Tom. He still has ears around here, the wrong word will be misconstrued and used against you." Gabby yelled upstairs, "Did you hear that kids?" The five let out a defeated, "Yes" which the adults knew to mean they would back away. They did, but Will boldly went downstairs and listened with the adults not bothering to tell him to leave. He wasn't going to leave no matter what. Beverly went over the money that Gabby had made prior to Tom's fleeing and was surprised to see how little she actually had. Gabby proudly pointed out, "We rented the apartment and just renewed our lease so it wasn't until our lease ended that I bought this house. Any money I earned went right to food, clothing, and entertainment for the kids and whatever was leftover went into their college funds. Greta has kept those separate from John's trust funds but still secured. The three boys lost their funds with all of their money being split between the girls. There should be enough money in them to buy their own homes and pay for college, with the money from John being emergency reserves." Jake added his own take, "She put everything into their accounts. Over 10 years that amount has grown to $1.5 million each with the girls getting all of the money when they turn 21." Zeke shook his head, insisting, "It doesn't matter. He will find out about it and he will go after it." Beverly snorted and told him, "Let him try. He doesn't have a right to it. In fact I think the money should be added to John's trust funds just to be sure. That way he will face off against Greta, Valerie, and Ricardo with John telling him 'go screw yourself, it's my money'." Zeke took one last look at the four and got up to leave. He warmly told Gabby, "I'll try to get him off your tail but he is itching for money and won't stop. Just be careful. Don't go anywhere without someone and if possible keep Donald and Amy away from him. They don't need feel like another person is trying to hurt them or worse- you." Jake watched him closely with suspicion. Beverly had a smirk on her face. When Zeke had driven off she blurted out, "He's in love with you, you know." Gabby and Jake were both shocked by that but Will added fuel saying, "He wouldn't have come all this way if he wasn't." Jake shook his head complaining, "He had his chance." Beverly shot back a quick, "And he didn't do anything out of respect for Gabby. But 23 years of knowing her and 19 years after graduation he still has the hots for her. The man is in love with Gabby." Gabby was silent. Jake went upstairs to check on Donald and the girls with Will following behind. Beverly waited until they were clear and asked her pointedly, "What you do feel about him being in love with you?" Gabby had a tear run down her cheek then blurted out, "He loved me enough to leave me to live my life without the reminder of Tom. I don't know if I should hate him or kiss him." Beverly hugged her, telling her gently, "Think of how he must feel. He watched as your girls grew from playful little princesses to beautiful young women. He saw you working hard but struggling at times to balance your work and their social lives. He wanted to be part of it but being Tom's friend meant he would just bring them pain. He cared enough about you to leave you alone. That is true love. Consider it, if only to give his mind a chance to be at ease." Upstairs, Jake and Will told the girls what Zeke told them. As expected Jessie and Courtney were angry but Donald added, "Why not turn it around on him. He should have paid child support but never did. He hid from the state so mom couldn't get at him. Mom and the girls don't owe anything, he owes her." Will laughed but the others knew Donald was on to something. Donald was asked how he knew that, he pointed to the laptop Gabby gave him, adding, "I started looking at things online when you told me he might try something. He is actually in trouble if he tries to go after mom for money, he abandoned Jessie and Courtney along with mom since he ran off. He can't do that. He could leave mom but not without making arrangements for the care and custody of his kids first. All five of them. He owes a lot of money to mom and the state will have to make him pay the money owed." Jake grinned while Will quipped, "Have you been hanging around Aunt Kennedy or Aunt Valerie?" Jessie told him, "Jealous that he uses his smarts to help people not make jokes?" Will grinned and nodded, telling her, "I am smart enough to know to let you ladies handle things, I'm just here for good looks and entertainment." Amy burst into laughter then shot back, "Does that mean Rick got all the brains and you got the looks?" Even Jake had to laugh at that. Will couldn't come up with a quick response and had to bow out with his dignity partially intact. Jessie hugged her tight, while Courtney proudly told her, "He never gets one-upped like that. The only one to do it is Daisy. He thinks he lets her but she's really like you- smart!" Jake got up to leave with Will following behind. Amy followed them and spent some time playing with Jack while the adults made lunch. Jack was eager to play with Amy, seeing as how he couldn't play with Donald due to his broken arm. Jack loved playing with Amy, she knew what he wanted to do and didn't complain about him banging things. Beverly and Gabby watched closely, with Beverly telling her, "He found a new playmate. He acts better with her than Thomas and Al." Gabby nodded but added, "Al is different, he saw her when she was hurt and everyone was being careful around her. Amy isn't hurt in the same manner so he can do more with her. Give it time, he will start to treat them the same." Over lunch Jessie asked if the guys had planned anything for Tuesday. Donald just shrugged, not knowing what to do. Beverly grinned, pointing out, "Why not go with Reed, Rick, and Thomas somewhere. You four won't have anything to do. I hate to say it but Neil should join you." Will tried to make a joke but had it pointed out by Gabby, "Aren't you getting more hours that week at work? Hard for you to do something with Claire busy watching Daisy and Faith." Gabby also added, "You would be there with them so don't get too smart." Amy caught the names that she hadn't heard before, asking, "Who are Daisy, Faith, and Neil?" Beverly looked at the others who nodded so she explained, "Daisy is Claire's sister. You haven't met Claire or her yet but knowing them they will try to get involved with your sleepover on Tuesday as they live next door to Sheila and Avery. Faith and Neil are Michael's cousins." Amy could tell there was more so she begged, "What else is going on?" Gabby had to think then explained, "Neil and Faith are usually with their cousins due to their newborn brother being sick. He was born two months early back in February and is still recovering. We are hoping that he comes home next month but the kids need something to keep their minds off of him during the week. Last vacation they went to England, this week they are just going from one relative to another with Faith all but moving in with Daisy for the week." The rest of the meal was pretty much silent as Amy was left to digest what she was told. She thankfully didn't ask any other questions. After cleaning up the mes, Jake, Beverly, Will, and Jack headed home. The rest of the day and Sunday was simply relaxing and enjoy themselves. Francesca would come by as would Reed with Donald and Jessie going out with them for a bit before returning. Courtney was usually out with her friends Jenna and Christina Connors while Gabby and Amy worked around the house doing chores and cleaning. Amy actually enjoyed spending time helping Gabby, with Gabby being grateful for the extra help. Sunday brought the bad news from Stephanie that Avery's grandmother passed on. Arrangements were made and Ruth James, Avery's mother, insisted that the sleepover still occur. Avery was upset but the thought of letting the girls down was more upsetting. Her grandmother wouldn't let her cancel it and when told during their visit her grandmother was happy to hear that Avery was doing something nice for girls who needed some fun. Ricardo and Valerie called her mid-afternoon on Sunday to alert her that Donald and Amy were being asked to talk with the FBI about Colby's and Felicity's actions. Gabby was reluctant to go but Ricardo was forced to tell her, "They can make your life miserable if you don't let the two go. Colby is in some serious trouble and the best thing to do is get the two as far from this case as possible." Gabby sat the two down after Donald returned from another outing with Francesca. She explained everything while waiting for their reaction. Amy spoke for both asking, "Are we in trouble? I don't want to go to prison!" Gabby had to assure them, "You didn't do anything and you didn't know that they were doing anything. You are in no trouble and Valerie and Ricardo won't let them badger you into saying something you don't know anything about." Monday was a holiday to most but not the federal government. The group made their way to the federal building in Winnisimmet for the interview. Ricardo hugged Amy, telling her warmly, "Whatever you did to Stephanie keep it up, she hasn't been the same since Thursday night." Amy was serious in telling him, "I didn't do anything, that was all her and Trina. All I did was sit next to them at lunch, Trina and she did everything since then. The really like each other, the dance simply got them together as a couple." Ricardo looked over to Gabby who nodded. He smiled at that, adding, "I guess the two needed common ground to get the nerve to talk to one another." Amy nodded, unsure what she should say. Valerie led the others inside still upset at having to drive south from her New Hampshire rental house where her family was staying for the week. The Special Agent In Charge greeted her warmly while being surprised at Ricardo's presence. Gabby had to tell him, "He is representing Donald Lee in these interviews. Valerie is representing Amy Lee. And before you ask, I am here as their guardian but have no knowledge of anything and will defer all issues to Valerie and Ricardo. If they say stop, you stop. If they feel you are out of line then these interviews end. If you feel the need to get more information after I end the interview prematurely you will need a subpoena. And if need be they will invoke their 5th Amendment rights to refuse to speak to you on grounds of self-incrimination." The agent led them into a room where three other agents were already waiting. The lead agent had them separate with Amy going first for the interview. Donald was led to a side room with Ricardo working with him on what he knew and didn't know as he may be the one they went after harder. The agents tried to have Gabby removed but Valerie told them bluntly, "Then you can consider this case shut down as she is their guardian and as minor she requires one to be present for all questioning. I may be her lawyer but I will not allow you to circumvent the rules. Before you claim otherwise, you can ask your boss that. My client has rights. Even if she's just a witness for your cases, she has them." The agent-in-charge nodded, adding, "Anything learned would be inadmissible against the Lees as it was obtained illegally. She stays and you will not question it, understand? I'll have a talk with the regional director about your need for a refresher on proper interview procedures." A second agent grinned. He told the others, "It's only been two months, surely you can recall that she ripped Providence a new one for badgering a witness. Do not get on her bad side unless you want to clean toilets at Quantico until you retire." He then asked Amy, "Were you aware of what your parents were doing with your father's work material?" Amy shrugged, telling them, "I never saw anything. It just looked like paperwork and diagrams. I always saw dad working on that after school but never asked about it. Mom said don't ask about it because it was secret stuff for the government, so I didn't." A third agent asked about the records found in the safe in her closet. Amy looked up at him and asked, "What safe?" They showed a picture which Amy thought was wrong, telling them, "I never saw it before." Valerie asked, "Was this safe found in the wall on the shelf in her closet?" The agents looked at her and demanded to know how she knew. Valerie explained, "I was there during the USAFSF search on behalf of my client who is the legal owner of the home. The last time the Lees were at the house I was there on behalf of my client as well. They were insistent that they be allowed into their children's bedrooms. I know from my cousin-in-laws that there was nothing in there that belonged to them and they made no mention of seeing a safe in her closet. Therefore, the safe had to have been hidden and given that she is much shorter than the shelf she would not have seen it or noticed anything unusual back there." The agents as why she was at the house intending to turn suspicions on her. Valerie grinned and told them, "As you know, Amy owns the house and she has a restraining order against her parents so they were unable to enter without permission which I gave only on the condition that I be there so as to prevent them from removing anything belonging to either Donald or Amy. We were in Amy's room for less than a minute. And before you ask I have two witnesses to verify this, Trooper David Peterson of the Massachusetts State Police and Sergeant Todd Flynn of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office. They were there at my request due to the perceived threat by the Lees against myself that was proven true during the clothing and personal item removal." Valerie played a game of chicken, waiting for the agents to say something. One finally moved on and asked Amy if she recognized any of the paperwork to which she told them, "No, all of them looked like something exploded but dad said he worked on missiles so I thought it was what they looked like after they blew up. It was funny, they looked like they fell apart more than blew up." The agents grinned then showed some documents to her. Amy nodded, pointing to one particular one saying, "I know this one, he left it out on the coffee table and I looked at it for a while before he pulled it away. He yelled at me for looking at it, telling me not to touch the papers again. Whenever I saw papers out I'd look away or wait until dad covered them up before going near him." Valerie saw the grins on their faces, Gabby whispered to her, "I think she just ensured a long prison sentence." Valerie nodded, adding, "I saw some similar ones in Patrick's engineering books, they are pretty important. They may be some of the stuff Colby was working on." Valerie then told the agents, "I know from seeing similar kinds of images that those were important documents that were not to be removed. My client doesn't know what she is looking at and doesn't have any knowledge of any beyond that one document due to the confrontation she told you about. You have confirmation that they have been out the office and in Colby Lee's possession for a while and you have his attempt to hide them in the home, I don't see any need to further question my client." The agents reluctantly agreed and sent Amy out with Valerie. Ricardo was quietly and quickly told, "Looking for documents knowledge" getting a nod from Ricardo." Ricardo entered and stated that he was there on behalf of his client and would intervene if there was any attempt at badgering or manipulating his client. That got a nod from the agent-in-charge and cold stare from the lead agent. Once again questions came about what Donald knew. He had a better excuse for not knowing, he was barely at home and avoided his father at all costs. Ricardo had to explain for him about the abuse which was backed up by the original arrest that prompted the canceling of Colby's security clearances. The agents picked up on this and asked about the safe in his room. Donald sighed and told them, "I didn't ask because I would have gotten smacked and told to shut my mouth. I don't know what is inside there and I only know about it because I came home early one afternoon last month and saw the back of the closet open." The agents asked where he went whenever he wasn't home. Donald told them bluntly, "Up until this past December Monday through Friday I was always in the school library until it closed. Every weekend I went to the Boston Public Library. You can check my library card records to see that I was logged into their computers and borrowing books up to 6 PM each weekend." Ricardo grinned as he knew what Donald was going to say next. The agents asked why that changed, getting a sharp, "I started dating Francesca Herman. When we weren't in school we were at her house or out at the movies or doing other things with her friends. I was only home between dinner and breakfast and I usually had dinner with the Hermans as they liked to keep me away from home as much as possible. I barely saw my parents until two weeks ago." This caught the agents' attention. When one asked what happened Donald told them, "Amy ran away to stop mom from starving her. Mom and dad started to get after me but I refused to tell so dad forced me to break up with Francesca and kept me at home when I wasn't in school. The police reports and court records can tell you what happened to end that." The agents showed him documents and asked if he had seen them before and if he knew what they were. Donald said, "I don't know what they are. They look like some of the diagrams I used to use to make model cars but they look too advanced. I haven't seen them before." The agents asked if he had seen any paperwork that his dad was working on getting a stern, "He never let me see anything he worked on. I asked once and he told me to shut up and butt out. I never asked again and never saw him with anything except his work laptop. He always kept that in his office in the house. I think he left it at home when he was arrested for trying to go after Chief Pena and Mr. Sylvester." Ricardo pointed out, "This same laptop was in Colby Lee's possession when arrested on Wednesday. He obtained it from the house on Tuesday. You neglected to ask about that but Valerie took an inventory of what was removed by the Lees. She was adamant that only their possessions be removed and anything of question would remain behind in order to be settled later." He showed the document to them and the fact that it was in an unlocked room in their home drew grins. Donald was excused and Valerie asked to be examined. She verified the paper and then added, "We are in the process of suing the Lees for the loss of money from Amy's pageant winnings account and refused to allow anything that wasn't verified to be theirs to be removed. Unless by was a break-in, the house was as we left it Tuesday and what is more the room that the laptop was found in was unlocked. I assume that the laptop is what you were asking about?" the Agents grinned and nodded. Valerie was finally let go with the agents informing her, "Amy Lee has given us a case to show that Colby Lee was illegally removing and copying documents. She won't be called to testify unless it becomes absolutely necessary. We needed to verify that the kids didn't know anything and what they did know was stumbled upon by accident. She verified that the documents were at home and you verified that the laptop was in their possession since Tuesday and left unattended and unsecured since at least least the previous Friday." Gabby had to suppress a giggle as Valerie came out. She joked, "This has to be a first, usually it's you doing the questioning." Valerie shook her head, adding, "Just my luck to get the real reason why they wanted into he kids' rooms so badly. I owe Todd and David, I don't think I would have been able to take on both of them alone." The group went to lunch with Valerie buying. About halfway through Gabby got a phone call from someone she had been waiting to hear from, Ms. Lincoln. Valerie grinned hearing the name, with Gabby trying hard to focus while Amy and Donald waited in anticipation. Ms. Lincoln asked if she would be able to bring Amy to her studio for a meeting. Gabby told her about Amy's injuries to which Ms. Lincoln pointedly told her, "She won't set foot on the floor in slippers until she is cleared by a doctor and even then she won't dance until you give your blessing. I have seen what happens when you rush back from an injury especially the type she has, she needs the time off." Gabby gave her blessing, informing her, "We are going to be asked to stay for my nieces' practice, if that is alright with you?" Ms. Lincoln grinned and turned it around, asking if Amy had any interest in helping her with the younger girls. Gabby looked at Amy who was listening closely and asked, getting a furious nod and pleading eyes response. Gabby told her warmly, "We will see you later." Valerie smirked at her telling her, "She was testing you to see if you were going to force her into dancing before she was ready. You passed the test." Gabby asked her, "How did you know?" She rolled her eyes and said, "Think about who is in the class. She knew all along, Margo Phillips told her on Tuesday and as she spoke to Margo the girls heard her mention Amy's name. After the class Kennedy explained what was happening with Amy. Ms. Lincoln needed to see for herself if you were going to be like Felicity Lee or if you were going to do the right thing and let her heal properly. Her helping was going to happen anyway, she just wanted you to not think that was the only reason she wanted Amy to join her school. She does want her as a student, just not until she is fully healed." Ricardo wisely kept out of the talking. He asked Donald about what Courtney had planned for him and Raul. Donald meekly told him, "Some guy's night thing. I don't know what, but apparently it's just us, Rick, and Neil Jones." Valerie snorted at hearing that, telling him, "Paintball, video games, and a movie at your house from what Michael told us." Valerie drove back north to New Hampshire while the rest went to Winnisimmet, meeting Courtney and Jessie who were just getting ready to leave for nights out with their friends. Donald was immediately sent upstairs to change so he could join in with Francesca eagerly waiting for him at her house. Gabby didn't have time to get a joke out, she was too busy trying to stifle her laugh as Jessie took command of Donald so easily. Donald left with Jessie and Courtney, with Jessie telling him, "She said to grab you if you were home, she didn't want to disturb you while you had your interview." Courtney countered with, "She knew you were out of the meeting, Jessie just wanted to make it dramatic." Donald wisely said nothing, letting the two trade barbs while Courtney drove. Chapter 9 Amy quickly got changed into her leotard and leggings. Gabby sternly told her, "You aren't dancing today. You are just going to talk with Ms. Lincoln. If she thinks you are OK enough to help the younger students then you will assist the girls but one thing is indisputable to both of you- you will not dance." Amy said a quiet, "Alright mom, I promise I won't dance. I am just so used to going to the studio in my leotard and leggings that it feels weird not to wear them to the studio even if it is only to talk." Gabby hugged her tight, telling her warmly, "I know you want to do it to impress her but I don't want you hurt. Your feet are still healing and even though it's been over two weeks and your feet feel fine, you still need to heel a lot more before you can dance. It'll be a few more weeks until you can dance freely, not one minute before. I know you want to dance with Trina but you need your feet fully healed first, this kind of injury can cause you pain for the rest of your life and you are too young to have to deal with that kind of pain when it is entirely avoidable. She understands you not being there, and will be happy to have you with her when you are ready." The two drove to the studio in silence as Amy tried to calm her nerves. As the two entered Ms. Lincoln introduced herself, "My name is Amanda Lincoln and I am the owner and chief instructor for this studio. I am retired from the stage after having served as the principal soloist for five years. I have owned this studio for the past four years after working briefly in Boston as a guest instructor." Gabby asked her why she retired getting a sad look and quiet, "Up until I went off to college I was male. I couldn't live a lie any longer and followed my lifelong dream of becoming a ballerina. I created waves when one of the girls I went to dance school with in my old hometown joined the company I was now soloing for and complained about me being there to the producers. The company lost several sponsors from the leaked information and rather than risk losing funding for further productions they paid me a decade's worth of salary to go away. I am sorry if this offends you but I have learned never to hide my past when it comes to dealing with children. I would learned that the children are more forgiving than adults about past lives and don't see people as what they were only what they see in front of them." Gabby chuckled then pointed out, "Are you aware of my relationship to Kennedy and Kylie Pena or any of the members of their family?" Amanda shook her head, quietly telling her, "They said they know Amy and knew what happened to her but I don't anything about you or your relations to others, what does that have to do with anything?" Gabby grinned and asked, "Are you aware of the Finn Family?" Amanda tried to think. She sighed and admitted, "I have heard bits and pieces but I haven't met anyone named Finn." Gabby grinned then told her, "You have met members of the family, the family is more than just people named Finn. Your students Kylie Pena, Margaret Douglas, and Nancy Flynn are all members. As are their parents. As are myself, my daughters, and now Amy and her brother Donald. Your past doesn't matter to them, it doesn't matter to me, and it shouldn't matter to anyone." Amanda had tears in her eyes, apologizing to Gabby for getting emotional. Gabby softly told her, "Hasn't anyone ever told you that?" Amanda shook her head no, telling her, "The parents are decent to me but they keep their distance. It doesn't take much to make them jump to Pavlova's school. She preys on their bigotry or the appearance of offering better chances of becoming professional and lies about their greatness and special chances at elite dance companies that never come." Gabby softly told her, "They are fools to leave you over that. The ironic thing about that is there are a lot of parents that are actually of the belief that Madam Pavlova is like you because of her body. Either they never heard about you or they were given some other load of garbage to make them jump or join her. Margo Phillips actually believes is the real reason for jumping is she can't get anyone on her own and needs to prey on fears, and looking at you I have to believe it as well. You are a beautiful woman who could land any man or woman you wanted. But that won't matter anymore, Pavlova is finished and they will have to move elsewhere and I guarantee that most will come crawling back to you, begging for you to allow their daughters to join your classes. Now let's get started before Amy tries to start dancing without us looking." Amanda called Amy in and sat her down. The two went over what she had learned and how she had done it. Amy admitted to taking classes for four years and eventually getting up to an intermediate level with the hard work but had stalled in getting principle work due to Pavlova. She grinned as she told her, "I was learning pointe but she kept delaying it, telling us we weren't good enough yet. I can see why she was doing it, we were ready but she wanted full control over us." She looked down as she told Amanda, "Madam Pavlova said I won't get any higher if I don't drop the weight and stay thin. I don't want to do that anymore." Amanda took her hands and told her, "You don't have to. That woman never reached beyond being a background dancer. She never had the abilities to the perform complex moves nor did she have the strength, stamina, timing, and most importantly, the talent, to become a soloist. She believes that being small and light is what is the most important part of being a ballerina. It isn't. It's a mixture of things with being skinny and light not being in the mix. There's a reason why none of her girls have ever made it professionally even as background dancers, they never developed their natural talent. They are only focusing on being soloists. Not everyone can do that, some may be but most aren't. A great production needs many different parts, there is no shame in being in the background as you are still on stage and you perform many complex moves along with many other dancers." She won over Amy, who was now beaming with pride. Gabby herself was smiling, proudly telling her, "I think you just made yourself a fan." Amanda smiled back then started to go over some of the moves she could do that didn't involve her being in ballet slippers that she would be able to help the girls in class do and if need be she could ask for help from Amanda to show the girls how it should look. After a good half hour Amanda told them it was time for the next class. As expected, Kylie, Margaret, and Nancy were there with Kennedy and Margaret's mother Rachel Douglas. Gabby introduced Amy to the girls then Rachel and Kennedy. Kylie hugged her tight, asking if she was going to stay for their class. Amy looked at Gabby who looked at Amanda who announced, "She is going to be helping us until she is able to dance again. She will be my repetiteur until she is able to dance on her own again. Follow what she says, she isn't trying to make you look bad she is just trying to help you learn." The girls waited for Amy to stretch her arms and legs. Amanda told her to stretch so the girls wouldn't complain as well as get them to socialize and get used to her. Kennedy and Rachel sat back, watching the girls imitating her every move and saw a grin cross Gabby's face as Amy started to get into the role. After an hour the girls started their cool down routine as Amanda explained their upcoming recital. The girls then asked Amy if she was going to be in it to which Amy had to tell them, "I have another couple of weeks before I am able to dance again and I may not be able to learn my part by then. You will be fine on your own, you are far better than the girls your age at other schools." The girls looked saddened to hear that but Amanda added, "The recital is in eight weeks. There is plenty of time between now and then. I am sure we can find something for Amy to do in it. She will be there to help you prepare and if her doctor gives his blessing she might be able to join in time." The girls lit up hearing that and got their things together to leave. Kylie grinned at Amy on the way out and asked, "Are you really having a sleepover tomorrow night?" Amy nodded, explaining why they were having it. Kylie grinned happily telling her, "Reed is going out with Donald and Rick and Thomas to do some guy things. We are sleeping over at my house because he won't be back that night." Kennedy looked at the girls and asked, "When did you plan that?" Kylie meekly told her, "Dad said we could, I asked him earlier." Kennedy looked at Rachel who chuckled, "She pulled the old 'mom won't say yes so ask dad' routine. Better that it be at your house than mine. They knew who to ask to get their wish. Paul would have said no and Todd has to work in the morning so can't watch them. Willie has meetings and a doctor's appointment so he can sleep in and endure the sounds." At home over dinner Gabby and Amy saw that the Lees had been indicted for possession of classified materials and selling classified documents to rival companies and foreign powers. Colby had netted himself several million in cash and kept it in a secret bank account. Felicity had worked with Colby to set up the bank accounts and used Amy's and Donald's names to do it. The couple thought they could get away with it by hiding it in Donald and Amy's name but once they lost custody and Beverly set up an alert that the money became the kids' money and untouchable. Monday afternoon after meeting with the US Attorney, the IRS and FBI tried to get the money from the bank accounts but Valerie and Ricardo put a stop on it as they had proclaimed they'd do. Valerie showed that they couldn't seize money from a party they already cleared of any involvement in the crime and as the Lees had claimed to the banks that it was a gift, and being minors they were not subject to taxes on the gift but their parents as the giver were. The IRS was told to direct their attention to the Lees and leave the kids alone or complaints would be filed for harassment and violating existing tax laws. Valerie added that they knew she would not fool around, she had caused them trouble before and would gladly do so again and it would be the third strike against them for most of the investigators. As Valerie was ripping into the feds, Beverly was hard at work ensuring that her future niece and nephew weren't screwed by the government. She worked with Greta Nelson to set up similar trusts that Courtney and Jessie had that were ironclad and untouchable by anyone except Gabby, Greta, and herself. The agents tried to strong-arm Beverly but she countered with every tax code and had Valerie and Ricardo personally deliver it to the regional supervisor with the declaration that any further harassment would result in legal action taken against the agents responsible. She then contacted the inspector general for the IRS to complain about the attempts to illegally seize the assets of two minors which in turn brought all action to a halt as the Boston office tried to cover their tracks. Neither Donald nor Amy were told about the money, all involved felt it was best to leave them in the dark until the adoption was settled. The next morning the news found out that Gabby was fostering Donald and Amy. The media were told that they were using protected information obtained illegally to badger minors who have been victims of abuse. That forced the producers get the reporters to back off, citing ethical guidelines and child protection. They stayed away from Gabby's home and were given a short press release condemning Colby and Felicity while explaining how they were no longer the parents of the children and that the children wanted to get on with their lives and see justice done. Courtney drove Jessie and Donald to the Pena home with Amy going to visit Al. Gabby was left alone for the first time in over a week and a half. She relaxed for a while with nothing to do except watch the time slip away and nap. Al was happy to have Amy over and wanted to know about the night before. Amy grinned and told her, "She's a great teacher, she is better than Madam Pavlova! She has me helping the other girls as a repetiteur. The girls want me to be in the recital but I can't do it until the doctor gives his OK." Richard came in just then and asked her, "When is it?" Amy told him the date, getting a quick nod and noncommittal, "You haven't danced in nearly three weeks, you may have a week or two leeway. Given that your body is gaining weight and you are taking vitamin supplements, if the x-rays are clear in four weeks we should OK you for light dancing. I won't clear you for heavy dancing for six weeks, some light background work in the recital should be just fine. Just being part of the show should suffice; the girls just want you involved in the show, not trying to star." Amy hugged him tightly. Al groaned and told him, "Great, now I'll get stuck having to go to the recital." Richard smirked and told her, "You were going anyway, Trina starts tomorrow night and she should be part of it as well." Amy asked him, "How did you know?" Richard grinned and told her, "Olivia and Margo talked about it last night. Ms. Lincoln wanted a doctor to clear her before she started and I had a cancellation. She's all set to go and is excited to know you will be there for her. That's what friends do, they go to watch their friends perform. Right Al?" Al reluctantly nodded, but added, "Just as long as you don't expect me to join in. I prefer my dancing to be slow and easy to do." Richard quickly told her, "Better keep those slow dances to school or you will end up in an all-girls school. I know you are starting to like the idea of having Kyle as a boyfriend but you don't have to do those things to keep him. He seems to like you as you are." Rick came in with Thomas and immediately asked, "What's this about dancing? Is Al going to join the others in ballet?" Al gave him a terse, "No!" to which both started to laugh adding, "We know you like some girly things but that's not one of them." Rick added a solemn, "We wouldn't mind you dancing, at least try it once before you say no to doing it." Richard added an additional, "How do you know you won't like it unless you try it? You could be really good at it and not know." Al sighed and told him, "I already stopped watching wrestling and barely follow baseball anymore, I don't want to stop playing video games and take up dolls and other girly things after I start dancing ballet with the girls." Amy hugged her, telling her, "You don't have to do that. I don't like dolls, I never did. I like to dance, but I don't like other girly things." Al looked at her funny to which Amy admitted, "I preferred to play with Donald's toys and play cards. Donald taught me to play poker and other card games, I like them better than playing pretend with dolls." Rick and Thomas burst into laughter. Al glared at them to which Thomas told her, "Just look at Cat and JD or Virgil and Daisy and Faith? Not every girl likes girly things and not every boy runs away from playing with dolls. She's just like you, only she had a bigger head start." Al sighed and told Richard, "I'll do it once. If I don't like it I won't do it again. Nichole tried it and hated it and nobody begged her to do it again, I want everyone to do the same if I stink at it- no more ballet if I can't do it." Amy hugged her tight. She whispered to Al, "Ms. Lincoln used to be a boy, she will understand you more than anyone else. Just try to do your best, you could be better than you think." Al and Amy went up to Al's room and started to talk about the night. Amy asked her, "Is Avery the same outside of school as she is inside?" Al grinned and nodded, explaining, "She is funnier and talks with us about all kinds of things. Avery's mom Ruth says she treats us like little sisters. When she is around Raul he acts weird. Mom said all boys act that way around girls they really like, so watch Oscar and Kyle act that way in school next Monday." Olivia came home with Beverly and Jack in tow. Seeing her with Al Jack wanted to go right to Amy leaving the others looking surprised. Jack immediately started to play with his toys, getting her to set up and take down the blocks to his specification. Olivia snorted as she saw that, laughingly adding, "He's doing the same thing Will did with Richard. He is trying to get her to do whatever he wants. He will stop trying to go to her when he sees she won't give him any junk food or toys." Beverly added, "He does that at Gabby's, she's still new to him and knows what he can and can't do with Thomas and Al and Rick. Amy and Donald are something else entirely. At least he isn't doing what Marcus does with John, the poor guy just gets ignored and only gets fake cries from the little tyke." Amy did like playing with him and was having fun. Al told her to try walking with him, which he enjoyed doing with Amy. He was giggling and bouncing, with Al taking turns with Amy as he stepped around the living room. Eventually he got tired and wanted Beverly to which the girls walked him over to her with him climbing up into her lap to nap. Beverly asked how did Al know how to make him want to walk. Al looked down and told them, "I would watch the neighbor's kids doing that whenever I was left home alone back in Mattapan." The adults left it at that, it was a painful memory for Al as her hated birth parents had left her alone when they went out which she now bitterly resented. Olivia announced it was time to get ready to go. Al rushed upstairs to grab her overnight bag, sleeping bag, and pillow along with her iPad. Al kissed Richard and hugged Beverly goodbye, telling Rick and Thomas, "Don't have too much fun without me. And go easy on Neil." Rick bluntly told her, "He was taught how to shoot BB guns and paint balls by his dad, we need to watch out for him!" Olivia drove on to the Lawrence home and went inside with Al and Amy. Amy picked up her overnight bag, sleeping bag, and pillow then packed her iPad. On the way out she hugged and kissed Gabby, who told her to have fun and don't let Jessie boss them around. Jessie was dropped off by Courtney and got her things to join Olivia, Al, and Amy in the car. Courtney left for her girl's night out with Jenna and Christina, hugging Gabby goodbye. Olivia smirked and asked Gabby, "They finally too old to give mom a kiss?" Gabby nodded, adding, "I'm glad Amy isn't." After a short drive they arrived at the James home with Avery waiting outside and sporting a big smile. Stephanie was already there and kidding her brother about her spending the night with his girlfriend. Olivia had to stifle a laugh as he was fighting multiple comebacks, all of which would have landed him back home and grounded for a week or more. The last to arrive was Trina. She was a bit scared to be at a stranger's house despite knowing Avery already. Olivia tried to calm her by introducing her to Avery's mother and sister Sheila but she was still a little scared. Ruth James introduced herself to Margo then quickly asked, "Is your husband Zach Phillips?" Margo gave a meek, "Yes." Ruth had her come inside and told her, "This is awkward, I didn't expect to meet you under these circumstance. Your husband is saving my ex-husband's company from bankruptcy and we couldn't be happier at having him lead the company. We hired him based on Quentin Nelson's strong recommendation and he has done wonders since joining the company." Margo asked her, "What is your involvement in the company?" Ruth grinned and told her honestly, "I am managing the majority shareholder's interests on her behalf while she recovers from surgery. I am also the person that the company is paying off a massive debt to which thankfully your husband has been steadily decreasing to the point that the company will turn a profit by the end of the year." Margo looked at her oddly and asked, "Recovering from surgery? What happened to her?" Ruth grinned and told her, "She had gender reassignment surgery last month and is recovering with her husband." Margo smiled at that, she wasn't foolish enough to take offense to something that was so special to someone especially after reading up about it the past week. Trina knowing Al prompted her and her husband's eyes to open up and what they saw brought them new respect for what Al has had to endure. Margo assured Ruth, "If Trina does anything wrong she will be duly punished. This is your home and your rules." Margo then asked about Sheila getting a grin and somber, "My brother and I are her godparents. We knew her since she was born and sadly lost touch with her after her parents passed away a few years ago. In February she and Avery grew close to the point that she and Avery felt that they were they had became sisters in all but name. I decided that should be rectified so I adopted her as my own daughter and am happy to have done so as she's an amazing daughter and sister to Avery." Margo asked about Avery since the passing of her grandmother. Ruth smile and told her, "She cried but she knew she was dying and was ready to accept it. Her real strength is in Sheila. She has been my lifeblood in helping keep Avery occupied while I made arrangements. She brought our family and the Finn Family together, and from the look of the girls you aren't too far off from being drawn in as well. Stephanie speaks highly of you and Gabby becoming friends and already knowing the Nelsons gives you a big inroad into joining the family. Don't let it upset you, they are great people." Margo and Ruth walked out to see Avery and the girls playing around with Faith Jones and Daisy Peterson. Ruth pointed out to Margo who was who and why Faith was there. Ruth grinned and added, "Watch out for Daisy, she is sharp as a tack and quick with her wit. She doesn't do it to adults unless they have ill intent for her or others, the kids and teens are fair game for her though." Sheila finally arrived and sent Ruth on her way. Margo and Olivia left the girls to enjoy their night with the promise to Daisy and Faith that they could have one with the girls later in the week. Margo had to grin, telling Olivia, "She only had one invite all last year, now Trina has two in less than a week." Olivia snorted and told her, "courtney and her friends used to have them once a month, the girls will get used to having them and enjoy them. Your husband might not enjoy them though, but you might." Sheila went inside to get ready for her date, leaving Jessie in charge. Claire Peterson came over to check on the girls and got roped into helping with the sleepover by Sheila, with Daisy and Faith all but throwing her out of the house for the night for not telling them about the sleepover. Daisy insisted that since they were too young to go to the sleepover Claire was too old to go to Daisy and Faith's. Claire had to quickly introduce herself to Amy and Trina. Al and Stephanie smirked at her as Amy asked what was so funny. Al pointed out, "She's Will's girlfriend. She's the reason he hasn't' been over your house more often keeping an eye on you and Donald." Claire grinned and pointed out, "Instead he goes over to your house to bug you" prompting Al to stick out her tongue at her. Claire's mother Lilly came over to ensure the girls were actually alright and make sure Claire and Jessie were going to be alright watching the four younger girl. She had them know that Claire's word was law and they would be punished if they broke it. She then told Claire not to let the power go to her head. Lilly laid down the rules to which the girls snickered at, "No boys allowed, not even via video. You can thank Claire and Jessie for that one." Al, Avery, and Stephanie gave Trina and Amy a knowing look as the two didn't react to that rule. Claire in turn told them, "No making out either. You aren't the first girl-girl couple to spend the night together in a sleepover, but Ms. James may not like you doing that in her house even if she is alright with you being here. It would be disrespectful." The doorbell rang and Avery rushed to answer it. Ian Bailey walked inside, saw the girls, then walked out, telling them, "Oh no. The last time I was here while there was this many girls here at a sleepover I made my sergeant look bad." Al grinned and told him, "But think of all the good that came out of it." He countered with, "Getting stuck with a week of paperwork duty wasn't fun." Sheila out and told him, "I think she was talking about me." Ian looked at Al then smacked his head sending the girls off laughing to the kitchen while the two left for their date. Before they left Claire shouted, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do" getting an immediate, "You don't do anything, and that had better be all you do!" Al had to explain to Amy and Trina what Ian was talking about. Amy looked at Avery who sighed and told her, "Don't feel any sympathy for him, nobody does." Amy told her back, "He gave you a sister and saved Trina's family from moving away. That's pretty big." Trina looked at Al who explained, "Her dad ran a graphics design company. Your dad is a graphic artist and got hired in late February by the company to keep it from going under. That was no coincidence there." Claire added, "She's telling the truth. Our Uncle Quentin got your dad the job." Trina mumbled, "That's dad's friend's name. He owes him everything." Claire grinned and added, "He owes Uncle Quentin noting. Ms. James and Deborah, my sister-in-law, said that he's going to own part of the company once it is out of debt. The better he does the quicker Deborah sells him half her stake. She doesn't want to own the company anymore, she only got it because Avery's dad broke his contract with her because he tried to hurt Deborah." Trina felt better but asked, "Who is Deborah" starting another explanation and more sad feelings. Claire then added, "She was born a boy like Al, last month she had her surgery to give her a vagina. She's out in California having fun as she recovers and should be home in two weeks. You will love her, she's the big sister to all of us and acts like Avery's second sister." Al shot back, "Easy for you to say, she really is your sister, well sister-in-law!" Al asked Claire if she had heard from Ethan or Nichole yet. Claire grinned and told her, "Aunt Karen had a long talk with Emma about her feeling sick in the morning and her two missed periods when they were met at the airport by her. She was told she won't be allowed to quit no matter what the other maids say." Amy asked what she meant by feeling sick in the morning getting a quick, "It's a bad bug that won't go away for a while, probably not for another six or seven months. She will be alright soon, but just to be sure she is coming to see us in July for the big weddings." Avery and Al gave Jessie and Claire weird looks then had texts sent to them saying, "Don't say anything to anyone under penalty of wrath of Hannah. Let them figure it out on their own." Both girls shuddered as Claire and Jessie grinned. Claire then explained, "We are all going to the wedding in July. Most of us are also going to England for the second wedding ceremony. You will love it there, they have horses and a swimming pool and lots of land and we are even going to visit Uncle Walter's home in London." Amy and Trina had to have it explained further but the girls were soon unsure if they were going to be going to both. Claire grinned and assured them, "Uncle John won't leave anyone behind. He will make sure everything is taken care of. We are going in a private jet so everyone will fit. The only ones not going are Louis Reagan and Avery's grandparents and that's because they can't accept the gift. They will be at the first wedding though." The girls started talking about school and then turned to the boys. Jessie told them, "Keep it civil. Don't talk about sizes or other things." All of the girls looked up at her which prompted a quick, "Oops, in my defense Al and Amy were talking about that last week" from her as Claire shook her head mumbling, "Need to talk with Courtney about that." Jessie started to blush and beg her not to getting the others to just sit back and watch the action. Jessie finally admitted, "OK the six of us talked about penis size once. It was because of Reyna needing to go do her dilating and Rachel joked about doing something most girls would be embarrassed about." That opened up a can of worms as Al blushed and admit, "I forgot to do that today. Mom is going to be upset." She rushed away, taking her bag with her as the girls looked at Jessie and Claire for guidance. Jessie had to explain carefully, "You know that she had surgery to create a vagina for her because the car accident left her boy parts mutilated, well one of the drawbacks is she has to dilate to keep her vagina fully open so she can have sex in the future when she is ready for it. It's a medical necessity but it is so similar to a sex toy that it caused us to joke about it. She is embarrassed about needing to do it so don't tease her about having to do it." Amy asked her meekly, "Does it hurt her?" Jessie nodded, explaining, "It is more uncomfortable than hurtful but stretching and getting used to larger sizes hurt at first. And from what we learned in health class from Dr. Beretta it is like that for all girls their first time." Claire added, "None of us girls have experienced it yet so we don't actually know, the only one who knows is Emma and she is embarrassed about it as it is. She did walk a little funny as she cleaned our rooms after she slept with David. And I don't even want to think about Sheila and Ian doing it but it's possible as they are adults and clearly like one another enough to do it. They have spent the night at his house together, though." Claire smacked her head as Jessie rolled her eyes and explained, "Emma is her brother's love interest. Everyone knows he is in love with her and Aunt Karen and Uncle Nigel have said she is in love with him." Amy blurted out, "She's pregnant, isn't she? You changed the subject after mentioning someone named Ethan and Nichole and Emma's periods and getting sick in the morning." Claire silently nodded as the girls squeed with delight. Avery asked if they were getting together getting a noncommittal, "Maybe" from Claire. Jessie told them all, "She lives in England and works as a maid for Lord and Lady Smith, Ethan and Nichole's grandparents. Our Uncle Nigel is their son which is why they are spending the week there. David slept with Emma during the time he was there in February and we all think they are going to see to it that Emma and David get together." Claire add a soft, "He has to or Uncle John and Uncle Dan will have some words with him. Something about a baseball bat, a shovel, and a map to the deep woods of New Hampshire." Amy and Trina were shocked but Avery told them, "They always use that threat against guys who are dating their daughters. Emma doesn't have any real family so Uncle John and Uncle Dan are playing the part to ensure he does the right thing with her, especially now that she is pregnant with his child." Claire finally ended the talk once Al came back. Amy asked Al if she knew about the baby getting a nod and quick, "We all suspected that she might get pregnant, we just waited for word. He had used a condom he kept since freshman year of high school, and that was over nine years ago." Jessie asked her how she knew about that, getting simple, "He told his mother when she asked him. I just happened to be there with mom and listened from the other room. The twins were asking a lot of questions of him and Aunt Lilly got the gist of their questions. Neither Daisy or Patrick know yet, though." Jessie started the movie as Claire made popcorn and set out the drinks. The girls spread out on the floor and couches with Trina laying in Stephanie's arms. They cuddled up close with Amy and Al trading happy smiles at seeing them so lovingly close. Stephanie and Trina fell asleep halfway through the second movie which allowed Amy, Al, and Avery to talk. Avery asked Amy, "Has she always been like that?" Amy shook her head adding, "I never got close to her before last week but she was always letting someone tell her what to do. This is the first time she did something that she actually wanted to do. She really likes Stephanie and I think Stephanie likes her a lot too." Al added, "Stephanie hasn't been acting as snippy with Raul or her mom. She was shy whenever I got dressed with her. I thought it might be because I used to be a boy but she insisted it wasn't. I guess she didn't want to do the wrong thing around me. I don't care if she likes girls, she's still my friend." Avery grinned, telling them, "They look great together, they do like each other a lot." Jessie and Claire came over to tell them it was time to get to sleep. They tried to plead but both showed texts from Sheila and Ruth saying the same thing. Avery complained, "They must be psychics." Jessie sighed and told them, "There's work to do in the afternoon and your mom doesn't want you overtired. Neither does Aunt Olivia or Aunt Gabby." Sheila entered then and told them all to get to sleep. Ian gave her a kiss goodbye with Avery telling him, "Didn't you have enough kisses already?" Ian blushed and told her, "There's only so much kissing you can do at the museum before they throw you out" prompting Sheila to ask, "How do you know that?" sending Ian away in fear as she started laughing. While the girls were having their sleepover Rick, Thomas, Donald, and Reed picked up Neil Jones to enjoy their afternoon of guy fun. Neil's father sized up Donald and told them, "Go easy on him, he's shooting with the wrong arm and the other in a sling. And you, don't overdo it. This isn't going to be a competition to prove your manhood. You already did it more than you will ever know." He sent the others away and had a short talk with Donald. Mick told him warmly, "You were stubborn and you put up with a lot of pain but from that came something that people will be grateful for. If you hadn't gotten the attention of the others the way you did then your parents may have gotten away with a lot of things that could have sent someone else to prison. I'm not saying it was smart, but it was noble. Good job, you impressed a lot of important people who are going to make sure things go your way." Donald didn't ask, knowing that Mick Jones was a mid-level federal agent and there were things best left not known. Mick sensed he suspected something so he added, "Your mom is working with your aunt to ensure you are taken care of. We will be taking care of another problem that is due to arrive soon." Donald muttered a quick, "Tom Lawrence" getting a nod. Mick added, "He is in for a rude surprise. We know what he is up to and he won't succeed. We can't tell your mom yet so all I can say is he chose the wrong person to shack up with. What he hears and uses against your mom will blow up fast. She is the worst person to get involved with and I say this as an experienced agent and friend." Rick came back in to get Donald. Once outside Neil asked how Donald broke his arm getting a solemn, "My former dad broke it." Neil asked hat he meant and was told by Rick, "His dad was like your old principal and the boys in your old school and hated that Donald wasn't as big or as strong as the other boys yet. Joke is on him, he's already taller than him and getting bigger. Remember what we told you about being like Michael and Scott when you get older, well Donald is like you and is going to be bigger and stronger than his dad ever was." Neil kept close to Donald throughout the day as they went first to a paintball range where their team won due to Donald's ability to shoot and hide and Neil's small size and accuracy. The two even bettered Reed and Rick on a two on two game before losing to a combined Will/Thomas/Eric Vincent/George Daniels team. George was glum as they waited for the next event, bowling. Donald asked what was bothering him only getting a gruff, "The bitch is back." Eric had to translate, adding, "His mother is trying to make his dad jealous. She found a new boyfriend and the two are trying to get their former spouses jealous." George blurted out, "It won't work. Dad chose Jaimie over her. Aunt Gabby won't let the louse near her let alone back into bed with her." Donald asked, "Is he Tom Lawrence?" getting a unanimous yes from Rick, Eric, George, and Will. Donald grinned, telling them, "Mom doesn't want him back and the girls refuse to acknowledge that he exists. Mom only cares about them and doesn't want anything to do with him. They talked about him over the weekend, mom knew he was coming and why. She is finally divorcing him and they said he is in deep trouble for up and leaving mom and the kids all those years ago." George got them moving, setting up another team battle with Donald doing poorly but his score being dismissed along with the lowest from the other team. The game was heated as they went down to the last few frames with Donald's team coming out ahead. The bet was the winners decide where to get dinner with Rick doing the selection of locations before they started. Neil was traded for Thomas to make it a little more even. Neil was the unfortunate worst player on the other team but he did better than Donald. Being candlepin bowling he suffered more from technique issues than the ball being too big like tenpin bowling which the others made him feel better about as Donald. Thomas and Rick battled over where to eat with Reed staying out of it so Donald was left to choose and told them, "Pizza" getting approval from all. Will bowed out after the meal, heading in to work at the movie theater. Eric and George bowed out next, heading for home and hoping to avoid, "The Bitch" as George insisted on calling his mother. That left Neil, Thomas, Reed, Rick, and Donald to enjoy some fun at the movies before crashing at the Lawrence home where all promptly fell asleep form exhaustion. Chapter 10 Gabby was busy that day as well. With all four of her children out of the house she was treated to a gal's day by Kennedy and Sarah Jones. Sarah had made her daily visit to see Brent and was told by the pediatrician and nurses that she needed a day out to enjoy herself. Mick took over for Sarah once Neil was with the guys so Brent had some parental company and claimed it was some, "Father-son time" which got the women grinning with pride as he shooed them out the door. The ladies went for drinks in Boston with Sarah driving in. They were joined by Anne Connors and Alice with Dorothy driving. There was talk of inviting Rachel Douglas, Leslie, and Beverly but Mark had to work, Beverly had to watch Jack, and Rachel was taking the girls out to the roller rink. The other mother, Tanya York, was invited but declined due to being pregnant and not wanting to upset the fun. The fun started with the ladies enjoying some fun at a dance show featuring barely clad guys followed by an early dinner at a restaurant in Chinatown. Gabby was asked about what went on with Ms. Lincoln the day before. She shrugged and admitted, "She's timid and needs friends. She has a big heart and cares about her kids but she is afraid of what people will say about her that she won't let anyone get close." Kennedy sensed what was going on and asked, "Why would she have that issue? She's a great person." Gabby sighed deeply and told her, "It's her gender change. She has been hurt by so many over the years that she just can't bring herself to open up to others." Kennedy smiled at hearing that, then told her, "Then you know what you have to do. Don't tell me you won't because I can hear it in your voice- you want to befriend her. Well if it makes her feel better tell her about me, but I don't think you have to. I think you simply have to show her that you like her for herself and go from there. Plus there's always setting her up with people we know are good with ladies like her, perhaps Todd or Mike or even William." Gabby just smiled at the idea. After dinner they walked off their alcohol in the Boston Public Garden before going their separate ways. Anne and Kennedy ended up heading out with Gabby while Alice and Dorothy drove Sarah home after a stop off at the hospital to check in on Brent again. As Gabby, Anne, and Kennedy approached the Lawrence home Kennedy spotted someone waiting for her outside. Anne immediately swore, telling them, "Just keep driving. We can have him removed." Gabby smirked and made a call to Katie Benson, getting her to grin as she told them, "I'm not far from you. You can stop here and pick me up and I can serve him right then and there." Katie was already outside and ready to go as Kennedy stopped. There was nothing said between them with Kennedy focusing on driving, Anne kept an eye out for Tom's stooges as she preferred to call his so-called friends, and Gabby focused on what to say to the man who ran off over 10 years before. Kennedy stopped up the street and waited. They could hear Katie announce, "Thomas Lawrence?" He said, "Who wants to know?" Katie grinned and announced, "You have just been served." Tom looked at the paperwork and loudly complained, "I already got this paperwork!" Katie grinned and added, "We know that you fled your previous residence in a hurry, we are assuring that you understood exactly why you are being divorced and what we are seeking from you." Katie walked off, telling them, "I'll walk home so I don't know what else happens tonight. Just keep yourself safe. I expect the slimy weasel to have a response in the morning challenging the divorce. He will be at the courthouse early so you should get there first. Expect him to try for full custody so he force you to allow him partial custody or parental time with the girls." Anne smirked as she added, "As he has made himself known in the state we will be in contact with him regarding his abandoning of the girls. His friend has already refused to let him stay with him and Tom has found a new residence that we know to be questionable." Katie nodded, seeing Anne show her identification. Katie added, "We won't go after him for support payments given that he has nothing, but we will go after him if he tries to go after her money. You don't have to expect anything to come from your end but it might be enough to scare him into doing something desperate." Kennedy finally drove up and parked in the driveway. Tom spotted Gabby and immediately shouted, "We need to talk." Gabby sighed, gathered her wits, and told him, "You abandoned me over 10 years ago and now you are trying to talk to me? I have nothing to say to you and from now on speak only to my lawyer. Please leave my property and do not come back. If you do not leave I'll call the police." Kennedy stepped in front and told Tom, "She asked you to leave. She is kinder than I am so you have 10 seconds to leave before I call the police myself. You don't want me calling the police to remove you." Tom tried to say she couldn't do that, he was married to Gabby. He tried to make a move on Kennedy but she sidestepped him and watched him fall on his hands and knees in humiliation. Kennedy smirked then dialed the station's main number getting a quick, "One minute ETA" from the desk sergeant. She then pointed the approaching cruiser, watching as Tom said, "Oh shit" and ran off before the cruiser could come to a stop. The sergeant in the cruiser got a good look at Tom. He assured Kennedy that they would keep an eye out for him in the neighborhood. Gabby informed the sergeant that he was her soon-to-be ex-husband and what he was doing there getting a grin and, "As it is your home you can kick him off your property. If he comes back, he will be arrested. He will come back, but he won't like the outcome." Donald, Reed, Thomas, Neil, and Rick explained that they were inside when Tom came to the house. He banged on the door to get their attention then threatened to call the cops if they didn't leave right away. Kennedy wisely told them, "You should have called them on him, he would have been the one in handcuffs. He may still be married to Gabby but he has no right to be here especially with a resident who has no idea who he is refusing him entrance." All eyes turned to Donald who solemnly told them, "I couldn't do it. I wanted to but I didn't want to hurt Jessie or Courtney." Gabby patted him on the shoulder, calmly insisting, "You were thinking about your sisters first and normally that would have been alright except they don't want to see him ever again. If he tries to come here again when I am not here do not hesitate to call the police. The girls would not hesitate to do so, you shouldn't either." Gabby settled down while Kennedy called Willie to get a ride. Anne was concerned about Donald and asked him about their time out, hoping it would distract him and calm him a bit. Donald told about everything that happened. He mentioned George being angry at his mother being back. Anne looked at Rick who blurted out, "He is pissed and Eric is having trouble keeping him from exploding. They had to go to the gym to work out to get him to calm down." Donald asked for the real story. Anne looked at Gabby and Kennedy with both telling her, "It's alright, he needs to know." Anne asked Neil to go upstairs, this might get a little too mature him which he reluctantly agreed to. Anne began, "This all started four and a half years ago when Jaimie first started 7th grade. Her being transgender shook the school and not everyone agreed with her being there. One of those was Reed's mother, Penelope. The other was George's mother, Amelia. Amelia was always a good person outside her home but inside she was a cold, calculated woman who wanted order and was extremely racist, homophobic, and now transphobic. She was alright for much of the year but the last couple of months, when Jaimie became just another student and George struggled to stay with the class, she started to get erratic and irrational, frequently scaring Mike and George with her behavior." Looking at Gabby she took a breath with Gabby adding, "Jaimie was part of the same study group as George and was more advanced than the others in the group so she led it." Anne added, "Jaimie went over George's house and was immediately thrown out by Amelia. She refused to let Jaimie inside and it took George pleading with her followed by Mike taking her upstairs and making her stay up there until they were done to let the kids work. George passed 7th grade because of Jaimie's help. Seeing Jaimie as a normal, smart, and caring person, Mike started to feel torn between his son and his wife." Donald had to let that process. Anne continued, "Amelia and Mike's relationship deteriorated as he refused to do something about Jaimie. She wanted George transferred to a private school but Mike couldn't afford it. Further, George and Eric worked with Jaimie at the summer jobs program and got to know her as a person once she recovered from an attack on her. George saw the attack and broke down with Mike needing to comfort him while Amelia ranted and celebrated." Donald was shocked. Anne nodded at the anger and continued, "Amelia saw George and Jaimie talking and had a long argument with Mike over her behavior and when George refused to quit his job she struck George several times in front of Eric and his father Alex. She was screaming at George who asked for help causing Alex to arrest her. She got the charges dropped but her marriage was over." Donald tried to say something but Gabby stopped him, insisting, "There's more." Anne nodded, telling him, "She berated Alex and called him all sorts of gay slurs as Willie took her away in a cruiser. Mike had her sent to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation and received word that she was perfectly fine and knew exactly what she was doing, she was just conceited and image conscious as well as a raging homophobe and transphobe. Her doctors suggested counseling but she refused. Mike simply gave up on her, divorcing her and getting full custody of George. Neither has had contact with her since then." Donald told them, "George mentioned that she was dating another person and they were trying to get back their spouses. That was Tom, it had to have been Tom he was talking about." Rick nodded, admitting, "George and Eric didn't want to tell Jessie or Courtney about that, now they have to." Thomas finally spoke up, telling them, "He has to have grounds to get anything in the divorce. He is going to make something up so you should be ready. He knows you will fight him over everything but it's all for show until he makes his real offer. Does she have anything to use against Uncle Mike?" Anne nodded, telling them all, "Mike and my husband George were best friends growing up and in the Army. George decided to stay in and was killed soon after Jenna was born. He only met her for a week before he shipped out again, where he died. Mike's son was named in his honor as George had wanted to do for Mike had Jenna had been born a boy, she is instead named for George's mother. He and I kept close with him watching Jenna for me when I needed to make an emergency site visit. Amelia hated our close friendship. She believed that we were too close and several times hinted that Jenna wasn't really George's daughter. She is his daughter, Mike always considered me to be his sister and still does. Our two kids dating and falling for each other was a happy twist of luck that both of us approve of." Donald understood. He summed it up with, "She is going to claim that Mike and you were always sleeping together and that really ended the marriage. She is going to use Tom to get Mike jealous but Mike doesn't want her anymore. The same goes for mom and Tom. Tom wants mom but mom doesn't want him anymore." Anne grinned and told him, "Exactly." Kennedy suggested, "You need to get together with Mike. You need a plan of attack. Those two are irrational, immoral, and desperate." Anne added, "She is scrounging by thanks to getting a housing voucher. She apparently has a little child from a former boyfriend so gets government benefits. It'll be where Tom claims to be living when he files his counter claim." Anne called Mike while Gabby called Jake. The boys were told, "We will be a while, put Neil to bed and come down." Neil tried to say he wanted to hear but he agreed to go to sleep. Donald was the one to help him change, with Neil not fighting him about it. As he was getting into bed Neil told him, "They are planing something that I'm too young to hear aren't they?" Donald nodded, adding, "You are too young to hear some things about adults especially ones who aren't the nicest people. You don't want to lose your youthful innocence so early. You are lucky, you have so many who care about you enough to keep you away from such bad things. Don't feel like it's treating you like a kid, it's really treating you with love." Donald was back quicker than expected, he merely said, "He didn't want to fight and got changed fast. He knows you are talking about things he is too young to hear." Anne added, "You did better than Thomas and Rick would have" getting a joint, "You didn't ask us to do it" from them. Jake arrived followed by Mike and George. George looked around and knew what was going on and asked them all, "So Donald was right, it's Tom Lawrence she is screwing?" His fists were clenching and his anger rising but sat down, with the adults trying to figure out what to say without angering him.. Anne finally spoke, telling George, "It has to be Tom. It won't be long before she starts to make things difficult for your father." Mike asked if they had heard about the baby-daddy getting a joint, "No" from the others. Mike shook his head in disgust, mumbling, "Poor kid won't have a chance with her." Jake asked what Tom had done getting the story from both Rick and Kennedy. He thought for a minute, then told them, "He will be back with his friends. Zeke won't help him, if he has been sniffing around Amelia he won't let Tom stay with him anymore. Amelia and he have hated each other ever since Zeke refused help her or Penelope Clarence get rid of Jaimie after Mike left her. Tom will try to use Zeke as he always does but Zeke will just make him regret it. He will help us, though, if you ask him to." The group went over plans and covered every perceivable scenario. Kennedy shook her head and told them, "Get over to the Probate and Family Court first thing in the morning. Take Katie with you. We know he is shacking up with Amelia, that in and of itself is the final nail against him since it is blatant adultery on his part. That is if you ignore the stint out in Albany that got him here in the first place." Mike shook his head, telling her, "He will claim she committed it first because she had Jake living there. It doesn't matter that she is his sister, he will claim that she had a guy living there so she committed it first." Mike then thought of something and told them, "I think having Alex with you is a good idea. Tom will try to make a big issue out of his being gay and shouldn't be around Jessie and Courtney and will play into your hands. If he has Amelia with him it'll cause a big scene and she will be booted from the courthouse leaving him alone with only Zeke to help him." Alex was called and he agreed to go with Gabby first thing in the morning. Rick, Thomas, and Donald agreed to keep an eye on Neil and drop him off at home. Willie arrived to take Reed and Kennedy home and was given a digest version of what was going on, giving all of them a head shake and, "We will have to be on the alert for them. Any slip-ups will cause him to go for full custody prompting a bitter battle that will only hurt the girls." Reed kept silent until now. He told them all, "How is he doing any of this with no job and no place to stay? You know he is after money, but how is he supporting himself? Why isn't anyone checking with the state and IRS to see if he paid his taxes? His former bosses will squeal to get away from tax issues once they have to pay penalties for hiring someone illegally. Just show that he is desperate for money and that's his real reason for going after the girls and Aunt Gabby." Kennedy smiled at her son's cold and calculated response. She added, "He really hates her as much as George but he is trying to keep his temper in check because of Jessie. Believe me, if he was alone with Tom then Tom would be walking out with two less testicles and one be foot up his butt. Given Amelia's friendship with Penelope I don't think he'd keep himself together around her either." Reed's face was showing that to be the truth, he really wanted to harm Tom for doing this to Jessie and Amelia being in the picture helping Tom out infuriated him more. The next morning the girls were up early. Amy took the first shower followed by Avery. Avery saw her changing as she was getting out and blurted out, "You are getting bigger!" Amy looked over herself, unsure what she meant. Avery pointed at her ribs and arms, which were starting to look more filled out and less knobby. Avery hugged her, telling her, "You look amazing. In a couple of more weeks you will be skinny but not frail." Amy looked up at her and saw the affection, hugging her for the kind words and getting back a soft, "You really are pretty, you may be the prettiest girl in school. Well after me, of course." Al groaned at hearing that, telling Avery, "Does your ego have its own zip code?" Avery nodded, telling her proudly, "Of course it does, in a few months it'll be as big as yours. That's why Raul is so awkward, he has to dance around yours to get to mine." That sent Al's eyes rolling as Avery hugged her too. Trina and Stephanie woke up in each other's arms and immediately moved back. Jessie told them both, "You were too cute together to move so we let you sleep on the couch." They tried to say something but Claire stopped them, insisting, "You two like each other. So what. Do you think you are the first girls to fall for each other in middle school?" Both nodded but Jessie snickered. She blurted out, "Sam and Iris met and fell for each other in 7th grade. They just didn't get together until last April. They really like each other and we really can't see them with anyone else. Just like you two." Stephanie wanted to disagree but she couldn't refute what Claire said since she had met Sam and Iris already, several times in fact. Trina asked who they were with Jessie showing her a picture of the lovebirds kissing. Trina's immediate response was, "They are pretty" getting a quicker, "So are you" from Jessie. Amy finally told her, "Donald says they are perfect for each other, but they aren't as good as you and Stephanie. You two looked so great sleeping in each other's arms." Sheila finally came out of her room and started breakfast. She asked what the fuss was about then told the girls, "So what? You like girls, it's not a crime. If someone has issues with you two being together then it's their own issues not yours. Just follow the school rules about PDA and there is nothing that can be done about your wanting to be girlfriends." Stephanie was ushered up for a shower after breakfast followed by Al, with Sheila telling the girls, "As much as I am OK with your being together I don't think your parents would like you to go to the next level yet and see each other naked." Al and Stephanie had seen each other multiple times so it was no big deal so Al was placed between them. Trina came in after Al shut the water off. She saw for the first time what Al looked like and couldn't help but blush. She was gorgeous, more womanly than herself and it almost made her want to do some things to her that she would never do to her out of respect for their friendship. Al just grinned and pointed out, "Yes I look more developed than you. I can't help it, my mother was big breasted and my father's family is on the skinny side so it shows off my curves more. Amy is the same way, and Stephanie might be. You yourself are a looker and I can see why the girls in your old class stayed away from you- they were jealous of your beauty." Trina blushed and thought about what Al had said. It was the first time that a friend had made her feel better, not put her down or made fun of her. Amy and Stephanie were the same way with Stephanie being something more, she actually liked her as a person and as a girlfriend. The showering out of the way the girls talked about what to do that day. Avery asked Sheila, only getting a quick, "Up to you" from her. Jessie suggested shopping which the girls agreed to. Sheila pointed out that they needed transportation getting a grin and, "Taken care of" from Claire. Claire made a quick call and in a few minutes her brother David appeared. David complained that they owed him one getting a smile and, "Alright I'll owe you one but don't let it go to your head." The girls got dressed while David got their things together and dealt with the grumpy Daisy and Faith. Lilly smiled at their jealousy and pointed out, "You two have them tomorrow night, let them have their fun." After getting everything together and everyone changed, the group set off with Jessie telling Amy and the girls, "It's being covered by mom so don't worry about getting something you really like. Just don't go overboard. No diamond encrusted tiaras this trip." David added a snide, "You telling them to not go overboard is priceless." The girls burst into laughter as Jessie fumed. The group was met by Jessica Nelson, Jenna, and Christina. Jessie asked where Stacy went getting a soft, "Day out with Scott" from all three. Claire finally arrived with Courtney rounding out their group, with Courtney telling Jessie, "You don't have to stay any longer, I'll take over." Jessie shot back, "I have nothing better to do. The girls are all busy with their school projects. Reyna is still out in California checking on Deborah so there is no point in going home just to be bored." The girls went from store to store without finding anything that they liked. There were some that were in their sizes but they didn't meet their specifications. At one of the teen clothing stores they finally found some outfits that looked good and were in their sizes, much to David's relief. David went outside to sit and wait for the girls to scrounge for the best clothes. He had to grin as Jessie and Courtney were handling Amy like Claire handled Daisy, although without the snark and jabs between each other. Jenna and Christina were handling Al and Stephanie while Avery and Jessica helped the reluctant Trina. He had to admit they were all enjoying themselves more than the let on. David was watching the crowd go by when he heard two girls talking about Amy and Trina as they stood in front of the store almost next to him. He could hear them planning something in revenge and knew they were going to frame the girls for theft hoping they'd get humiliated, stopping as a third girl joined them and silently followed the duo. He waited for them to do something, getting ready to step in. Five minutes later as the girls were leaving with their purchases Amy and Trina set off the store's alarm and were confronted by the store manager, who claimed they were shoplifting. David was summoned by Claire and asked what was going on. The manager told him, "These girls claim the girls were stealing from my store. They had several items stuffed into their bags and set off the alarm as they left." David grinned then asked, "Those girls? The ones who walked in here not five minutes before the alarm went off? I find it hard to believe that they actually saw anything actually being taken." David produced his badge and asked to see the security footage. The manager refused to which David then told her, "Well then we have an issue. I know for a fact that these girls are lying, I head them talking about getting revenge and telling one another what they were going to put things in the girls' bags. I was sitting outside as they planned it and heard everything. Your store is equipped with cameras and it will take you less than a minute to pull up the footage and either incriminate these two or incriminate those three. You have no choice in the matter as the next step will be legal action against you for improperly detaining the girls while the local police join me in seeing the footage after a formal complaint is filed against you and the girls." David instructed the trio, "call your parents. I will see to it that you are trespassed form the mall for this and further, I will look into legal action against you three for your actions. You may not like Trina and Amy but that doesn't give you the right to try to frame them for a crime that they didn't commit." The manager had them all go into the back while she looked at the footage and saw clearly the girls waiting outside, come in, take some items, then drop them in the girls' bags. Further they saw that the two girls who planned the whole incident had slipped some small, high priced items in their own bags, ones that were now sitting outside the store. David turned to the girls and announced, "When your parents get here I will tell them exactly what has happened and why. I will then have security bar you three from the mall." The girls tried to plead but the manager told them, "We prosecute shoplifters here. I am sorry girls but you will also be facing legal action for what you did." The girls tearfully called their parents. It took 10 minutes but they came in yelling for their daughters to be let free. David stared down Ruby's father and had sidestep Polly's father when he tried to grab at David. The man then fell flat on his face in embarrassment. David loudly asked him, "If I was in a worse mood I'd have you arrested for assault but I don't want to humiliate you anymore than you are about to be by the judge." David laid down the law with the three families. Ruby, Polly, and Megan were told that if they did anything else against either Trina or Amy they would have restraining orders placed against them. He added that they would finish out the year in in-school suspension as they would be barred from being anywhere near the two. He shook his head and looked disgusted as he told them that further they would face shoplifting charges which wold lead to a criminal record for their actions. They had no excuse for taking the items out of the store if they were only going to get the girls in trouble. Their parents tried to plead but it was out of David's hands as it was the store's policy. The local officers took the girls into custody and released them to their parents' care pending arraignment with warnings to stay away from the girls. When they finally left David let out a big sigh, asking, "What the hell is wrong with them?" Amy and Trina both said, "They just don't like us." Amy added, "We made waves at the dance school, they didn't like us taking down our instructor and didn't want to see things change. They aren't that good but they think they are stars, now that they are seeing they are worse than us they hate it." He knelt down and told her, "They won't do anything to you again. They just got the biggest smack in the face they could get. Their parents will be embarrassed and they will have to explain to their friends what happened and they can't blame you for it. That is if they even have any real friends, I doubt they do. They likely only have each other. Don't let any of what happened here today get at you, they aren't worth the trouble. You didn't do anything wrong, don't let them get to you." Amy hugged him. David didn't know what to do so he hugged her back. As they were walking away Claire teased him, "You would make a good father." David shot back, "It's thanks to dealing with you that I have all of the experience of being one." The others laughed at her to which Jenna added, "It's true, you were just like the girls." Amy asked what changed in them. Jenna, Claire, and Courtney all said, "Jaimie." Jessica added, "She has that affect on people She brings out the best in everyone. And before you ask, she didn't need to do anything with you as you were already a good person. You just needed an outlet which those three have given you. She learned to leave it to those who can do something, she couldn't do what they could." All of the girls went to the Lawrence home to check out the girls' clothes. As the two cars stopped they were immediately confronted by Tom and two men. Courtney and Jessie both turned to Tom and loudly told him, "Get the hell out of here and don't come back!" They went into the house while David told the men, "This is your second warning in two days. Leave and do not come by here again. If you come by here again there will be no argument or talking- you will be arrested for criminal harassment." Tom tried to grab at David who moved back and showed his badge. He then told Tom, "That was a mistake." David called for a cruiser and watched as Tom's stooges ran off. Tom grinned and told him, "I own this home. I live here. You have no right to be here." David didn't respond to the goading. When the Winnisimmet PD cruiser stopped Ian asked what was going on and then promptly issued a trespass order to Tom. Tom was then informed, "Trooper Peterson is being lenient in not pressing battery charges against you. However, I am not as lenient. You are hereby barred from going onto this property. If you come here again you will be arrested for criminal harassment. The residents have stated that you are estranged and this home is wholy owned and paid for by the primary resident and that you do not have any connection to it whatsoever. Do not come here again or you will be arrested on the spot." Tom ripped up the order and told David, "Watch your back." Ian grinned and slapped handcuffs on him and told him, "You are hereby under arrest for criminal threats against an officer of the law." Ian drove him away, with Tom continuing to claim he couldn't do that to him but Ian didn't let him provoke him. Ian had dealt with people like Tom before, he wanted Ian to say something that would get his charges tossed. Ian wasn't playing Tom's game which only led him to stew in the back seat making plans. Tom was led away and later bailed out by Amelia. She told him to lay low but Tom refused to listen. Amelia told him that if he gets arrested again they were through. He ignored her, believing that she didn't have the guts to stand up to him. Inside, Jessie and Courtney held their heads down in embarrassment. Jenna and Jessica tried to comfort them while Claire led the girls over to Amy's room to await the others. Eventually they came up but it was clear both had been crying. Amy hugged both, telling them he didn't deserve any tears getting them to hug her back. Courtney broke the hug and had the girls start their little fashion show. Gabby entered with Olivia and Margo and had them wait until Alice that there. The girls groaned and asked, "Anyone else you want to invite?" All the teens started talking at once leading the girls' jaws to drop at the complaint backfiring, but it was just a joke that the elder girls enjoyed pulling on them. Alice finally arrived and sent the girls up to change. After a few minutes all four came down sporting their first outfits with the group cheering. Al had to clench her teeth to keep from making a remark while Stephanie and Trina reveled in it. Donald, Thomas, and Rick came in and caught the show, with the girls blushing in embarrassment over the guys being there. Rick and Thomas offered to go upstairs and let them do their thing without them but Donald refused. He told them both, "Oh no, Mr. Bollinger told me about the bathroom story and I'm not about to have a similar experience." Gabby's face immediately blanched as all eyes went to her. Courtney asked, "What is he talking about?" getting a suspicious look on her face. Gabby blurted out quickly, "I accidentally walked in on Jake as he was getting out of the shower, seeing him completely naked." Donald slapped his head, apologized, then said, "I am so sorry mom, I meant the bedroom story. The one with the broken hinge." Gabby's face went deep red as she mumbled, "Oh, that time he saw me naked because the door opened on its own after I forgot to lock it." This time everyone burst into a big laugh while Donald tried his best to avert his face from Gabby's line of sight. She sighed deeply then told Donald, "It's not your fault, it's the same experience just from two different perspectives." Jessica snorted and announced, "It's the same warning Jaimie gave to me and Scott when he moved in, something about it being part of having a sister." The teens all looked at Rick who blurted out, "Alright fine, tell him." Claire admitted, "Rick had that happen to him, he walked in on Jaimie as she was changing. We won't count the second time, that was intentional by her." Olivia cleared her throat getting Claire to give a meek, "Sorry Aunt Olivia." She then told them, "Better get things going again, and boys don't say anything." Olivia also whispered to Alice, "Better make sure that the locks are alright, Raul is more sensitive and Stephanie is starting to get more daring and confident. The poor boy might have a real heart attack if he got an unintentional show from her." Eventually all of the clothes were modeled and the adults were satisfied with what they had bought. The group broke up with Rick telling Donald, "Seriously, lock the door and always knock first. Thomas and I have been lucky so far with Al but she forgets at times." Gabby started dinner and asked what happened earlier. They gave her an odd look to which she told them, "David texted that there was trouble in the mall. He said something about attempted shoplifting." Amy confessed, "Three girls from Madam Pavlova's and my school tried to put stuff in our bags hoping we'd get in trouble. David heard them planning and got the manager to do something about them. They got in serious trouble and he said you were going to need to get a restraining order against the girls." Gabby listened then asked Courtney and Jessie, "Is that true?" Both nodded, with Courtney adding, "He heard them planning to do something to the girls and had the manager look at the video before she did something to Amy and Trina. The girls got arrested over it and their parents nearly got arrested too." Gabby sighed then called Margo and told her what happened. Margo reluctantly agreed with her, telling her, "Those three are pretty conceited and not afraid to put down others. If they are doing this outside of school they have crossed the line." Amy asked her, "What are you going to do about that Tom guy? He came by here again and Ian arrested him." Gabby nearly choked on her food as she said that, Courtney and Jessie looked away but Gabby demanded to know what happened. Amy spoke for them, telling her, "He and two people tried to talk to Courtney and Jessie. They told him to leave and not come back. David told him it was his second warning and if he came back he'd be arrested. David called the police then Tom told David to watch his back so Tom was arrested him for threatening David. Gabby had to think. This was serious now, if he was daring enough to try to talk with the girls and then threatening David then he was going to do something more serious. The girls were growing concerned by her thinking so she told them about her day earlier, hoping that it would distract them. It worked. After breakfast that morning Gabby drove to Boston and met Alex at the courthouse. The two were early, the first ones to enter and met with Katie who had pulled the paperwork to claim full custody and terminate all rights by Tom. Tom came strolling in with Amelia in tow, making a show of pulling the paperwork and get attention on himself. Tom's tone changed when he saw Gabby already there and already filing. He stared Katie down and swore as he tried to focus on filling out the forms. Alex was by Gabby's side talking to her, drawing a lot of dirty looks from Amelia and whispers to Tom. Tom looked disgusted and fought back words as he passed by Alex and Gabby. The assistant clerk looked over both and saw it was a tricky situation and with a brief discussion they were given a hearing that day. They had time enough for lunch and Tom was advised, "Since your wife has council, it might be wise to hire someone for yourself." As they were leaving Amelia finally let loose her tongue at Alex. Alex just stood where he was and let her rip into him. His placement was key, Amelia was tapped on the shoulder by two court officers and taken into custody for disrupting a court that was in session. The judge inside apologized to both parties and issued a $1,000 fine to Amelia and told her to finish her business and leave. The two parties used the distraction to settle their differences which the judge was pleased to have occur. Given that she had no say in the case except providing lodging for Tom, Amelia had no reason to be there and was escorted out. Tom told Alex, "I never liked you and I hope your little pillow biter friends stay a mile away from my kids. You should be castrated to keep you from screwing." Alex flashed his badge and asked him, "Do you want to repeat that criminal threat with hate intent?" Alex waived off two approaching court officers who saw his badge and heard Tom's threat. Gabby whispered to one, "He's going to ensure that my ex knows he is beaten before he had a chance." Alex calmly and methodically told him, "That is tough talk coming from a boy who couldn't handle his wife making money hand over fist and who leaves his wife to care for a five, seven, eight, and two nine-year-old children. Your daughters are close friends with several people who, like me, are gay and that includes four beautiful young women who each have more money in their bank accounts than you will have in your lifetime. And your elder daughter is close friends with my son, the manliest among your daughters' friends and who has done more to prove his manliness in a day than you have in your entire life. So before you spout off about manning up and finding a woman and trying to intimidate people who look smaller than you but could break every bone in your body then ensure you see the inside of a cell for a decade, why don't you actually act like a 'real man' first." Alex's little speech earned laughs and applause from the assembled crowd. The few lawyers who were there tried to ask why Alex didn't press charges or other things getting a simple, "Too much paperwork" and accompanied more laughs. Tom walked away humiliated, with a court officer telling him bluntly, "He saved your ass from arrest that would have guaranteed you never see your children again. I am sure that the judge knows about your actions already, word gets around fast even in this large building." Tom desperately called Zeke. Zeke grinned and told him he'd be there for the case. He carefully worded his response, Zeke would be there but he wouldn't be there for Tom, he had no intention of helping his now former friend get what he wanted. Tom wanted to use Zeke as a character witness to confirm his claims, Zeke was going to tell the truth and finally take a stand against Tom. If it just happens to help the woman he secretly loved then that was just icing on the cake. Chapter 11 While Tom was getting himself into a jam at the courthouse, a few blocks away in the DCF offices Anne was meeting with her colleague Chloe Miller. Anne filled Chloe in on the details of the case and why she nor Mark could personally be involved. Chloe examined the file and the circumstances and could only come up with a shocked, "Is he serious?" Anne sat her down and had to explain Tom to her., "The man is an egotistical narcissist. He simply can't accept that his wife had an in- demand job and talent to get lucrative contracts that allowed her to be employed and still be mom. When his buddies started to tease him over the pay difference he snapped and when she refused to do what he wanted he fled, leaving no way to contact him." Chloe went over the parameters of the law. Anne pointed out, "Her brother Jake stayed with her to help with the five kids. She actually had the lease and all their bills in her name. Jake moved out when she purchased her own home, bought through a new mortgage taken out after Tom left. It was paid in full in three years, with Jake's share of rent being saved for his own home purchase essentially making him a rent-free tenant. She hadn't heard from Tom at all until her lawyer hired a private investigator to locate him so she could finally end the marriage." Chloe asked for clarification about why the sudden need to end the marriage, being told, "She is going to adopt her two foster children. One is 15 and the other is 12. Both have latched onto her and her daughters and as you well know, once taken into the care of a loving home it's impossible to get out without irreversible damage done to the children." Chloe snickered, adding, "You make it sound like a virus but love can feel that way at times." Chloe read over the notes again and the laws and came to the conclusion, "He is going to need to fully account for his actions since he left. I recommend child abandonment charges against him. There is no record of him paying taxes so I would also recommend that the ADA look into tax evasion charges." Chloe got up to leave, but first told Anne, "Mark should have been doing this, why isn't he?" Anne pointed out, "He is her foster children's caseworker. His daughters are friends with both her daughter and foster son. His daughters are also related to her elder daughter's boyfriend. My younger daughters grew up with her daughter. Mark and I are too close to be impartial, we trust in your judgment. And if you need someone to help with the information leading to tax evasion charges, Ezekiel Williams is the man to do it. He was his friend and knew exactly where he was at and for how long and is willing to finally stand up to the man to make him pay for what he did." Chloe met with the ADA and had a candid conversation about Tom. The ADA was reluctant to bring the abandonment charges until he learned about the other, more serious charges. Chloe mentioned Zeke knowing all the details and got Zeke on the phone thanks to Anne's handy phone number. Zeke drove over immediately, delighted to tell all. He told him about where Tom lived and for how long, where Tom worked and for how long, and how much Tom was paid and for how long, and who his bosses were and how to get in contact with them. Zeke kept that information written down, along with the names of the girlfriends he shacked up with. He knew it would come in handy some day, though he just never thought it would be a decade later. Zeke was asked to verify the story Anne told to Chloe. He not only verified it, he expanded on it. He knew when Tom fled and where he went to. He loved pointing out, "He was in New York for five years and never paid a cent in taxes." The ADA grinned and made a note to contact his colleagues in Albany for a courtesy investigation. Zeke received a phone call which annoyed the other two but turned out to be just what they needed. He answered it and agreed to be Tom's witness. The ADA decided that he could take the case to the sitting grand jury and have an indictment by the next week which suited Zoe. The ADA sent word to the judge hearing the case that there was an open investigation into Tom for criminal child abandonment and tax evasion which prompted Zeke to admit, "I'll face any charges I have to so long as he faces true justice." The ADA laughed and pointed out, "As he wasn't wanted then, you didn't commit a crime. But he did." Zeke met up with Tom and didn't say anything. He looked at Gabby and nodded, with Alex asking her, "What's going on with him?" Gabby whispered, "Just assuring me that the truth will come out, and Tom won't like it." Katie asked what that meant, getting a grin and, "The old phrase 'never upset the one who knows all of your dirty secrets' and add in that he is in love with the woman you are trying to hurt. He is going to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth as is stated in the oath." Katie gave her another odd look, to which Alex asked, "How long has he been in love with you?" Gabby sighed and told him, "Since the day we me. He knew Tom liked me so he stayed back, but he still has a crush on me after all these years." The fondness showed on her face as Alex had a sly grin and Katie had to hold her tongue to prevent herself from saying the wrong thing to her client. After a few minutes they were ushered inside to the courtroom with Judge Martha Perez looking over the group then settled on Tom asking, "Is there going to be anymore antics or are we going to be civil." Tom was about to say something but the glare from Judge Perez told him to stifle his words. Judge Perez looked over both claims and at the documents she was provided by both the ADA and Katie. Judge Perez was nodding at Gabby's documents, reading through and adding up numbers before settling on Tom's paperwork. The noticeable lack of proof and documentation gave her a good clue that the man wasn't entirely as he claimed to be and that the whole thing was a stunt to get money from his soon-to-be ex-wife. Judge Perez began by asking about Tom's life since leaving. Tom gave a claim of being excluded by his wife and feeling cornered into being a househusband, unable to provide for her. Judge Perez scoffed at that but let him continue as he claimed to have stayed with friends for a long time and found decent work but his attempts at reconciliation were rebuffed. He finally admitted that after being contacted by her private investigator his new life was upended and he had to leave quickly for fear of his life. Tom was asked if he could verify what he told her, he pointed to Zeke and told her, "My friend Zeke has been there for me since the start and knows where and what I have done." Zeke nodded to Gabby then looked directly at Judge Perez as he was sworn in. Zeke turned back to Tom and nodded, then gave him a sly smile. Tom returned it but Zeke's intentions were anything but what Tom expected. Zeke stood up and told Judge Perez, "I won't lie to you. Tom made up everything he told you. He spent the first five years working at a gas station out in Prescott then moved to Albany where he worked for a trucking company, both times under the table. I have the signed statements from his employers looking into Tom and while I didn't lie, at Tom's insistence I didn't exactly tell them Tom's whole story." Judge Perez asked about Tom's situation before he returned. Zeke grinned and told her, "He was sleeping with a married woman whenever her husband was out of town. After a year they were found out and the man left her. The woman took to Tom with the intention of marrying him but Tom refused to marry her. When the investigator showed up and she learned the truth she threw him out and in the ensuing chaos caused her to get arrested and lose her kids. She is current on the run from police, facing charges of assault, negligence, and disorderly conduct. Tom is only back because he has nowhere else to go, he thought Gabby would support him but she has moved on. For the past week he has been sleeping with Amelia Daniels at her apartment. Both are trying to get their spouses jealous and trick them into taking them back. Amelia is the woman who was thrown out of the courthouse earlier because of her offensive language, your clerk and the court officers can verify that she was with Tom and kicked out." Judge Perez asked about Zeke's contact with Gabby. Zeke sighed and told her, "I have known Gabby since middle school but since Tom left I have only known her in my role as gym teacher to her five children that she had through Tom. She never asked about Tom and until last week Tom never asked about her. She has no interest in Tom anymore and has no need for him. Tom, though, has nothing left. He never even mentioned Courtney or Jessie nor his sons when we talked about my coming here, only complaining about Gabby and what he'd get from her to go away for good." Judge Perez asked about the five children. Zeke pointed out, "Jessie is 15, Courtney is 17. They made it clear yesterday, before Tom was arrest, that they do not want anything to do with their father. The three oldest are guests of the Commonwealth at MCI-Norfolk and won't be released for another five years." Gabby was spoken to next and asked to verify all of the information. Gabby showed her tax returns and the deed to the house as well as the amended rental agreement taken out just after Tom left. Judge Perez gave it a cursory glance and focused on the girls. Tom grinned at that, expecting her to get ripped into for them not having a father; but that didn't happen. Gabby explained how they had support from Jake and made friends with several girls over the years as well as becoming close to other single parents and their children so they were never for want of attention or someone to look after them. Given the nature of her job Gabby was always there for them at school and at home. She finally grinned at telling the judge how both had found fine young men and were in strong relationships, with their families having taken them in as their daughters in all but name. Judge Perez asked for the boys' names. Gabby grinned as she told her, "courtney has been with Michael Finn for four and a half years and Reed Pena has been with Jessie for 16 months with both being in love with one another for a year and a half prior to dating." She then added, "Both are highly protective of the girls and earned a large amount of money on their own. Neither of the girls nor their boyfriends will have to work a day in their life unless they want to." Zeke saw Tom's face grinning as he planned something sinister. Zeke whispered to Alex, "He will go after the two boys next. Tell John and Willie to be on guard for his strike. He won't try it at school, he will do it at their homes. Keep the girls away until he's dealt with." Judge Perez adjourned to her chambers to look up something. She returned shortly with her verdict. She turned directly to Tom and told him brusquely, "I have checked with the Albany County courts and verified that your girlfriend divorced on grounds of adultery after she in bed with you. I have also verified that you fled the scene of a crime involving children that involved the same woman. This speaks volumes about your personality. You abandoned your wife and make claims about your wife having affairs when, in fact, you are doing exactly that with not just one but now two women." She turned to Gabby and then back to Tom, continuing, "You willingly abandoned your wife and family because of your feelings of inadequacy. That was 10 years ago. In that time you had plenty of time to make amends yet you chose not to. It was only when your past caught up with you that you chose to do something for your children. The fact that you willingly committed adultery in that time and ruined another marriage is inexcusable. The fact that you worked and didn't send a penny to your wife to help with the children showed you only really care about yourself. The court dissolves your marriage and terminates all parental rights to Courtney and Jessie Lawrence. Further, any contact with either child is prohibited. Given that you have shown nothing but arrogance and threatened a police officer I am issuing an order of protection against you on behalf of both girls as well as your former wife." Tom glared at Gabby but Judge Perez told him harshly, "Don't blame her, blame yourself." Tom left with the court officers following close behind. He had several sycophants waiting to do something at Tom's word, all of which were told, "Buzz off or spend the night behind bars." Judge Perez asked to speak with Gabby in her chambers. Gabby reluctantly went inside at Katie's urging. Alex and Zeke asked what that was all about getting a shrug from Katie. Inside Judge Perez asked Gabby firmly, "Why did you finally choose to finally divorce Tom Lawrence? You could have done this at any point in the past 10 years. You must admit that it's just as odd that you do it now as your ex-husband showing up and trying to get his daughters back." Gabby sighed and admitted, "Donald and Amy Lee. They are my foster children and I intend to adopt them. I couldn't do that with an estranged husband out there. They have suffered a lot at the hands of their former parents and need a mother and a family. They now have that." Judge Perez asked about the two and was told, "They were badly abused, both physically and mentally. Amy was on the verge of dying from malnutrition had she stayed with her parents any longer while Donald was showing signs of possibly nearing suicide to escape the constant verbal and physical abuse. They were placed with me as I had dealt with teen boys and tween girls before and could handle four children at once. I also had the space in my home since my sons decided that a life of crime was better than being upstanding citizens." Judge Perez did a search on her computer and found the application and the associated court cases. Gabby waited for her to say something but Judge Perez simply read the highlights. She let out a groan at the hold placed by the federal court. Judge Perez sighed and finally stated, "Those kids need someone who understands them. There is no reason to deny them a loving family and make them live in fear of being moved elsewhere. Based on my past run-ins with him, this Mark fellow knows what he is doing and I see no reason to delay the inevitable. I am going to ask for an evaluation of both children by a professional and when that is completed I'll sign off on the adoption next Friday. We in the legal circles are aware of the name 'Finn' and I believe your future son-in-law is related to the infamous Valerie Finn." Gabby nodded, telling her, "She was appointed as Amy's legal adviser and you are right that is her son dating my daughter Courtney." Judge Perez added, "I suspect that she also has a hand in Donald's case even if she isn't directly involved. She is almost a legend in the courts with how many legal issues she has been involved with since she came to our state." Gabby nodded, but added, "Ricardo Ramirez, Donald's adviser, has been right by her side and often at the front of those same issues, she just happens to have had some higher profile ones. Her name is known through her husband, but via him too." Gabby was given a court order and once printed out and signed off by the clerk she showed it to Katie, Zeke, and Alex, getting big grins from all. Alex insisted that she call for an appointment with Dr. Dane to which she was already asking Valerie for the number. Valerie, in turn, gave it and added that they were already getting ready for Tom's coming around after the Finns returned from New Hampshire. Back at home, Gabby wrapped up explaining the day to the four. She then showed the order to Amy and Donald, both had tears in their eyes and embraced Gabby. Courtney smirked at Jessie who, in turn, asked, "can we change our names so we no longer have to deal with that person? I don't want any connection to him any longer." Courtney added, "Me neither" which caused Gabby to say, "I'll ask the judge to do that when she finalizes the divorce and adoption next Friday." She turned to Donald and Amy and asked, "Do you still want to carry the name 'Lee'?" Both said a resounding, "NO!" which Gabby had to smile at. She asked what names they wanted, getting a smile and, "Amy Olivia Bollinger" from Amy and, "Donald Ezekiel Bollinger" from Donald. Gabby asked, "Why Ezekiel?" Donald quietly told her, "He did a lot for Jessie and Courtney and for you. Uncle Jake has Jack but Zeke has nobody who cares about him named for him." Gabby had to sigh and ask, "Are you telling me that I need to date him?" All four nodded with Courtney insisting, "You deserve a shot at love again. He loves you despite spending 24 years waiting for you to come to your senses. Pleas mom, give him a chance." Gabby left it unanswered. She went to bed thinking about Zeke and her through the past and how she was the only one not to see that he was in love with her from the start. Donald came in and asked to talk with her, breaking her out of her thoughts. He sat on the bed and asked her pointedly, "Why are you so against Zeke?" Gabby looked down and admitted, "My parents never liked Tom and told me Zeke was the better man. Jake told me that he was a better fit for me and that Tom was going nowhere. They were right but I never listened to them. I hurt him for so long and I don't know if I can do it to him again." Donald saw her tears and told her warmly, "He deserves a chance to see if they were right all along or if you aren't compatible. Uncle Jake told me how he had a secret crush on Leslie Finn for years and when he finally had the chance to date her she and he weren't right for each other. She was a good friend but there wasn't love between them." She hugged Donald tight, telling him, "How could I have forgotten that? You guys are right, he deserves a chance and if it doesn't work he at least deserves friendship. How did you get so wise?" He smiled and told her, "I take after my mom" then hugged Gabby tight, kissing her before heading to bed. In the morning, Gabby took Amy with her to the courthouse and met up with Margo and Trina. Margo told them that Trina asked to take Stephanie to the movies getting a yes from her. Gabby looked at Amy who had a big smile and told her, "If your brother says yes Raul and Donald are going too." Inside they filled out the paperwork and were joined by David who was in full uniform. The clerk took a look at the paperwork and asked, "Are these the same children in court this morning?" David nodded, to which the clerk shook her head and walked away. The five walked into the courtroom and waited for the girls to receive their arraignment and accept their punishment from the judge. Judge Matthews looked over the charges and shook his head at the 14 and two 13 year old girls in front of him. Their parents disputed the charges but seeing that David was there and that there was video of them conducting the crime while attempting to frame two innocent girls he gave no quarter and asked for their plea. Their lawyer was in shock that the charges weren't going to be dropped. Judge Matthews alerted him to the fact that they willingly tried to get someone else arrested for the same crime while committing their own crime. The lawyer asked for leniency with the parents asking that their records be expunged. Judge Matthews told them, "This is something they must deal with until such time as they can petition for the sealing as everyone else. They ignored the rights of two innocent girls and tried to profit from their actions. There is no excuse. They will not get special treatment because you have a high priced lawyer, their actions were on their own accord and they must learn that actions have consequences. When they turn 16 and 17 respectively they can petition the court to seal the records." The girls pleaded guilty and were given probation. Judge Matthews received the note about the restraining orders and asked Gabby and Margo to come forward. The girls' attorney tried to cry foul but Judge Matthews told him to stop interrupting the court or be held in contempt. He listened as Margo and Gabby explained what happened and what the girls had done before the arrests to the girls in school. He asked David to explain what he heard and then asked the girls if they had been told to lave the girls alone in school. Their parents tried to answer for them but Judge Matthews told them to stop. Ruby broke first, and told them that their parents told them to get back at the girls for what they had done to Madam Pavlova. Polly snapped next and told that it was Megan's idea to harass Amy in school. Megan finally told that it was their dads who made them do it because Amy, "Deserved to be taught a lesson in who their betters were." Judge Matthews listened and filled out the orders. He turned to the parents and loudly chastised them for their treatment of two girls who had done them no wrong and for listening to a woman who was currently sitting in jail awaiting trial. He signed the orders and told the girls to straighten up and fly right, if they didn't learn they would go down the path that led right to jail or the cemetery. Polly's father said he would get Gabby. Judge Matthews grinned and added, "For that, I am ordering the six of you adults to stay away from the girls and their parents. You have a high opinion of yourself and need to learn that actions have consequences. I know for a fact that you will not like what happens if you cross the line with either Abigail Lawrence or Margo Phillips as well as Amethyst Lee and Katrina Phillips. You don't threaten someone without repercussions in my courtroom!" The nine were led out after being given the paperwork. Gabby was given copies to give to the school. Judge Matthews asked to speak with her with Margo being encouraged to come in as well. David stayed outside, ensuring that the six adults did not think that they could do something despite the restraining orders. Judge Matthews immediately asked what was going on. Gabby asked, "What do you mean?" Judge Matthews pointed out, "Did you not appear in court yesterday?" Gabby nodded, telling him the truth about the previous day. Margo kept silent. Gabby told him, "We expect him to try to do something to go after Michael Finn's or Reed Pena's money. John has taken precautions but do not be surprised if you see either one in here soon. The Finns are away until Sunday and Reed isn't being allowed to go anywhere without Kennedy and Willie with him so he can't strike for until they are ready for him." Judge Matthews called in the on-duty ADA assigned to the courthouse and alerted him to their suspicions. He wrote down the names and that there would be evidence of crimes. Judge Matthews also added, "Due to their connections to the police the case will be investigated by the state police." He wrote that down then told them, "We will try to do our best but we still have to follow the laws." The girls kept quiet the whole time with Judge Matthews not making light of their presence. Gabby and Margo left and had lunch with the girls while David went to work. The girls asked if they were in trouble getting a solemn, "You didn't do anything wrong and what happened was all done by the girls and their parents. The girls needed a hard lesson that actions have consequences and their parents needed to learn that they aren't better than anyone and their money can't bully people around." Gabby then asked Trina about her date with Stephanie, getting a blush. Margo asked if they would be alright getting a nod and smile as she told her, "Donald and Francesca, Avery and Raul, and probably Jessie and Reed will oversee them. I'll have to see if Jaimie and Rick or Thomas and Rebecca will oversee them as well" Margo nodded in approval as Trina's face lit up hearing that. Lilly called to ask if the girls were still on for the sleepover. Gabby looked at Amy, who nodded yes, then told Lilly, "They are still on and looking forward to it. I just hope that Daisy and Faith aren't expecting it to be any different than what they already do." Kennedy called and asked if the 4th graders could join in on the fun. She looked at Trina and Amy and asked them, getting a nod of approval to which Gabby relayed their approval. Margo asked about what they would do with Donald which Amy told her, "He can join in on the fun, we could use a makeup doll to practice on." Both women burst into laughter. Kennedy was still on the phone and herself laughed. Margo meekly told them, "That poor boy." Amy grinned and told her, "That's what girls do to their brothers when their friends stay over, at least that's what I saw on TV." Kennedy asked if she really wanted to do that to Donald. Gabby smirked but added, "It'll be up to him. If he wants to spend the night with Jake and Beverly then he is more than welcome to." Margo reluctantly asked, "What about him staying with Stephanie's brother?" The Gabby nodded, then added, "OK I'll ask Alice." Gabby hung up on Kennedy and called Alice only to get a quick, "He's actually staying with Ricardo, Eric, and Alex. I think it'd be fine if he spent the night there, Ricardo needs to get used to teenagers being around and Alex doesn't interact with the kids as much as he should." With the plans set they drove home. Jessie was eager to get out to visit Iris and Rachel while Courtney was going out with Stacy. The girls heard about the additions and made arrangements to spent the night elsewhere so Gabby didn't feel overwhelmed. While Amy and Gabby were at the courthouse Donald had stayed in all day rather than going out, but invited Francesca over. That included the provision that they watch Benny so Beth and Ben could go out and enjoy the day. Donald swore he wouldn't do anything as they kissed Francesca and Benny goodbye, Beth and Ben both told him, "We know you won't disappoint us" as they left. Benny wanted to get out and about so the two took him for a long walk. Benny grinned and waved at everyone as they walked. The looks the two got were unnerving as they were mistaken for his parents but they soldiered on, enjoying the company and seeing Benny make people smile as he waved and laughed at anyone who passed by. Benny eventually fell asleep, allowing the couple a chance to sit down. Francesca snuggled close as they sat watching the people go by on the street. They were left alone by the people, but they eventually got the attention of one passerby. Louis Reagan waved at them and said hello to Francesca. He grinned at the sleeping Benny then at the unsure Donald. He introduced himself to Donald who introduced himself as Francesca's boyfriend. Seeing Donald's broken arm he asked about it. Francesca looked at Donald then gave Louis a somber, "His former father broke it." Louis asked who they were getting a quick, "You may have heard, they are in jail awaiting trial for child abuse and a bunch of federal criminal charge." Louis asked, "colby Lee?" Donald nodded. Louis asked who he was staying with getting a grin and, "Aunt Gabby. She is already going to adopt him and his sister." Donald added, "The probate and family court judge said she will approve it on Friday after we see a counselor." Louis asked why she was going to court getting a sharp, "She needed to finally divorce her ex-husband before she could adopt us. He fought her and lost badly." Louis raised his eyebrow and asked, "Tom is back in town? The bastard has the balls to show himself in this city after abandoning Gabby and the kids like that? He's lucky to be alive let alone in court!" Donald told him what Tom had done and earned a head shake and quiet, "He never learns." Louis looked up and told Donald, "I'll have some of my people have a talk with him. The less said, the better. He won't give up even though he lost." Donald added, "He is going to go after Michael and Reed, their dads are preparing for him." Louis grinned and added, "Then he will get himself a nice talking to by my people for sure. He is facing a death sentence if he tries to go after them. He better hope Jorge doesn't hear about going after Reed and Michael, better my people get at him than Jorge's. If his folks do Tom may not be much of a man any longer. You don't abandon your kids no matter how emasculating your wife making money is to you. They will ensure that he really is emasculated and send a message to other deadbeat dads. And going after Jorge's family? There's no way he lasts the night or leaves the city alive." Louis bid them farewell and congratulations on the new family. Benny started to stir and needed a diaper change prompting them to walk back home. Gabby came in to find them in the middle of changing Benny with Benny giggling at their complaints over his wiggling as he fought them. Gabby didn't ask what was going on, just telling them, "Don't forget to wipe, don't want him to get irritated. Nothing worse than a baby with diaper rash, especially a boy." Francesca cringed as Donald blushed deeply. Gabby just snickered at that, a little bit of remembering that babies aren't all that fun was needed just in case they got a little too close. Margo, Amy, and Trina didn't say anything until Gabby and the trio had left the room. Margo asked if she was alright with a boy and girl their age being left alone. Gabby nodded, explaining, "They wouldn't have been left alone by Ben and Beth if they weren't fully trusted by both. Donald needs some respect and trust in his life and allowing him to be alone with Francesca even if it is babysitting is my way of showing it. Plus I trust Francesca to stop anything that is ungentlemanly, and Donald received the traditional baseball bat, shovel and map talk from Ben back in December so he knows all of the consequences of breaking the 'no' rule." Margo's eyebrow raised at hearing that. The girls both asked, "What is that?" Gabby grinned and sat them down, telling them, "John gave Valerie a bat and a shovel as well as the number for a good lawyer the first night he was allowed to babysit Michael for Valerie. The dads started to use the bat and shovel and changed it to include a map to the deep woods of New Hampshire so it was a little scarier. It's a warning to be good to the girls and to know that there are consequences for their actions." Gabby unintentionally opened up another can of worms when the girls asked, "What do you mean he was allowed to babysit? He's his dad." Gabby looked at Margo who seemed to want to know as well. She sighed and continued, "He is his adoptive father. He adopted Michael when he married Valerie. Valerie did the same after John adopted Jaimie and married Valerie. It's not my place to tell more about them beyond that but the Finns are the ones who started the whole 'family is more than blood motto'." Francesca came in with the now diapered and clothed Benny and told them, "About half the family is adopted and related to one another. The only ones 'normal' are the Douglases." Margo looked surprised then asked, "Next you will tell me there's royalty in your family too." Gabby grinned but Francesca smiled and told them, "Not royalty, but we do have lords and ladies. Uncle Nigel and Aunt Karen and their five children are all lords and ladies." Gabby nodded, explaining, "They really are lords and ladies, Karen married Nigel not knowing that he was a titled lord. Only Nichole doesn't have a title, but she is still a lady by birth." Amy and Trina smiled and told her, "We heard about them. They are over in England this week. Claire said her brother was going to be a father because of what he did on his trip in February." Gabby groaned and told the girls, "Don't tell David that. Please don't, it's private between him and Emma." Their conversation was interrupted by Lilly telling them, "Don't worry about that, he is dense and won't get what people are talking about. I love him but he can be dumber than a brick at times. Patrick and Daisy got all of the brains, he might have gotten all of the brawn." Gabby hugged Lilly and then Faith and Daisy when they came in a minute later. Daisy asked Donald if he wanted to help them with something getting a quick, "I don't think that's wise" from Gabby. Donald asked what she was talking about to which Daisy pointed to her makeup kit. Donald's face went white. He looked at Francesca who encouraged him to do it. Gabby asked him if he wanted to spend the night at Ricardo's condo with Raul and Eric getting a quick, "Yes" from him. Gabby did add, "But let the girls have some fun first. They will make it worse next time and you have an hour or two until the others get here." Francesca led him over to Amy's room and helped drape a towel over his neck and shoulders. Gabby told the young girls to go easy on him, getting big grins as the girls ran off. Francesca held Benny at the table and fed him while Gabby, Margo, and Lilly talked with Benny doing his best not to make a mess. Donald came out a short time later being led by the four girls. Ben and Beth arrived just in time to see him in the makeup and the girls giggling and didn't say a word about it. Beth told them to work on their eye liner and lip liner skills while Ben grabbed Benny to finish feeding him as Beth and Francesca got his things together. Francesca gave Donald a kiss goodbye, but had to giggle as she said, "Don't get any lipstick on me." Beth looked at Ben who lost it, laughing out loud at Francesca's joke. Donald hugged her instead, letting the makeup smear on her cheeks and smiling at her. She kissed him goodbye then was led out by Ben and Beth with Benny begging her to carry him. Gabby told Donald to wash up before Alice came by with Stephanie and Raul. The girls groaned but they had their fun. Donald came out 10 minutes later without a speck of makeup showing, which made the girls giggle as Gabby inspected his face. She snickered and told him, "Your face is clearing up, guess the lotion they used on your face was doubly good for your skin." Kennedy dropped off Kylie, Margaret, and Nancy. She hugged the girls and gave Donald a funny look, asking him, "Did you put on mascara?" Donald ran into the bathroom to check then scrubbed his eyes again to ensure it was all out. Kennedy just smiled and told him, "Willie and Reed have been caught by the girls too many times to count. Consider it part of being a big brother. Plus the girls know not to push the limits- right girls?" All seven of them said, "Yes" which got Gabby and Margo to snicker at their immediate understanding." Kennedy bid the others goodbye, telling Daisy in particular, "Don't take advantage because Amy and Trina are new to you. They aren't used to your jokes and wit." Daisy blushed and told her, "I'll be good, Aunt Kennedy." Stephanie, Al, and Alice finally arrived. Stephanie didn't say anything while Al asked, "Is he staying or going?" Alice told her, "He's going with Raul, that's why Raul's in the car." Al let out a pout, telling her, "But we wanted to make him over." Daisy blurted out, "We already did that with him before you came." Al saw that Donald wasn't happy and let it go, but added, "Fine, we can practice on Thomas next time. Rebecca has the good makeup and knows how to get him to do whatever she wants." Margo nearly lost it as Trina and Amy looked at one another trying to figure out if it was true or another joke. That sent the girls into a big laugh as Donald grabbed his things to leave. He hugged Gabby goodbye and joined Alice outside. She stopped and asked him if he was doing alright with everything going on, getting a smile and, "Mom is what I always wanted in a mom and the girls are trying to get her to date again. Courtney and Jessie said Zeke deserves a shot at mom." Alice snorted and laughed, telling him, "About damn time. The poor guy has been hoping he would take a chance for years. It sounds like everyone wants the two to get together, and Zeke is a good man. She will do him good and he will fulfill her needs." Raul asked what they were talking about. He blanched when he heard them mention Zeke. He mumbled, "Why does she want to date Mr. Williams?" Alice calmly explained to him, "He has been in love with Gabby since they were your age. That is a long time to love someone, especially when that person is supposed to be your best friend's wife. Now that Gabby is divorced from her husband Zeke has his chance and we are all pulling for them. Zeke is a good man and even though he never fathered a child he has been a father to hundreds of children over the years." Alice could see him starting to get what she was saying. She added, "He's nothing like that monster who sired you, heck if he wasn't so infatuated with Gabby I'd have tried to date him. But I can see that nobody will ever take her place in his heart." Donald thanked her for being truthful and started to see Zeke as a potential dad. He unintentionally smiled prompting Alice to smile as well. Alice dropped the two off in Boston then saw them up to Ricardo's condo. Raul showed Donald the spare room where they'd put their bags. Ricardo and Eric were in the kitchen getting some of the dinner together with Eric pointing to the newcomers that his dad was coming with the Chinese food soon. Alice left before she was forced to stay, telling them, "Dorothy and I have plans, so don't call unless it's urgent." Ricardo told her sharply, "Don't go getting into any trouble, you ladies are wild after a few glasses of wine!" Raul and Eric started laughing with Donald trying hard to show no emotion lest he say the wrong thing. Alex entered with a large bag of food and kissed Ricardo. Donald didn't react and focused on helping Eric with the plates while Raul dug out boxes of food. Eric whispered, "Why didn't to react to dad kissing pop?" Donald sighed and pointed out, "Not my place to say or do anything about that. I got used to Iris and Sam, I can get used to your fathers. Besides, I can see that they love one another. You saw their faces when they saw each other when your dad came in." Eric asked if Mike and George were coming over, getting a nod and, "Should be downstairs right now." The doorbell rang and Mike entered with George looking grumpy. Eric asked, "The woman came by?" He nodded, adding, "She can't take the hint that I don't want anything to do with her. She tried to use Timmy to get me to see her but I don't want him to be used as her pawn." Eric asked for an explanation getting, "She came around again demanding to see me. I told her to shove off and not bother me again. She kept on telling me that she had a right to see me, so I told her 'you lost that right when you chose to be one of Penelope Clarence's toadies. I told you to leave me alone'. She tried to have Timmy beg me to see her but he was scared of her and I told him 'mom isn't a nice person and if you want to see me I'll see you but not with mom around.'" Ricardo looked at Mike then told him, "I think we need to get this settled. She is going to get worse before she finally stops." George asked what he meant, Eric told him, "She is screwing Tom Lawrence, he has some tough guys who will do whatever he says for a price. He is going to use the money he thinks he is getting from Aunt Gabby to get them to force George to see her again." George added, "It's all about money. If she says I'm her son she can claim me and get more money from the government. That's all I am to her- a damn check!" Ricardo told him bluntly, "Like hell she will. I'll ask Katie for help, there's no way in hell I'm going to let her near you if you don't want to be near her." Donald told them all, "He lost to mom in court already, he won't get a penny. Unless he is getting the money from elsewhere whatever he is promising her is a big lie. He may be planning to go after Michael and Reed but mom said she has them covered so whatever he thinks he will get from suing them will not happen. He's flat broke and lying to that lady and his friends." Donald wisely sat back and watched them formulate a plan after they heard his piece. He felt great seeing them come together especially knowing that the person who was going to be hurt the most was someone who deserved it. Donald didn't need to have met Amelia Daniels to know that she was a person who had lost all sense of right and wrong and saw George as merely a means to an end and he felt proud that the five were doing what they were doing to ensure she never got to see George again. Raul managed to back away and sat with Donald as they dished out the food. Raul made mention that he was quiet getting a soft, "I'm not used to people sticking up for one another like that. I'm happy that there are dads who make mine look like a little boy by comparison. And he would have a heart attack knowing that I was so close to two men who are in love and going to get married let alone spending the night near them." When the five finally stopped planning and joined them they were surprised to see everything ready to go. Eric gave Raul a sly look but he nudged in the direction of Donald who had done most of the work. The group ate in silence as nobody wanted to talk about, "That woman" again. After dinner was cleared up the guys sat and watched the Red Sox game. Donald was surprised when they cheered when Miguel Toro took the field to pitch in the 6th inning. Eric saw his surprise and asked, "Didn't Reyna tell you? He's her uncle. We all know him and get to catch a game in his private box." Donald started laughing. All six looked at him weird. Donald grinned and announced, "The guy who made me liked him. If he knew about Reyna being related to him he'd have a heart attack and swear off the game." That brought them all a laugh as Donald felt great at knowing his father was becoming more and more of a joke instead of the man who had scared him for years.