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Chapter 15 Amy felt a little left out with Al and Stephanie busy helping Kyle get adjusted to his new home and Trina out at ballet practice. Gabby had to assure her that they would not let her feel bad for missing out when what she needed to do was more important than anything they were doing. She reluctantly agreed but still felt bad at missing out on seeing Kyle and Oscar trying to better the girls. Donald had it easy that day. Ben, John, and all of the teachers were in the midst of the mid-quarter slow period so there were now fewer tests and less homework. Justin Stoner liked that Donald participated in more discussions and was leading them at times. He softly told Donald, "Keep it up, you are starting to shine as a student and well on your way to an A for the quarter." Jake drove him straight home after school before heading to City Hall for a meeting, telling him, "It'll be alright today, he is a good person." Gabby was waiting and told Donald to do his homework as much as he could in the car and in the waiting room. Amy was told the same but she knew that she would have less to do anyway. The trio arrived at the hospital and walked up to the mental health suite. Gabby checked both in and sat with them, waiting anxiously for their allotted times. Thanks to lighter than normal traffic they were early so they had a longer than expected wait which both put to good use by finishing their homework. As she sat down she caught sight of a friendly face coming inside and dropping off something to one of the doctors. She watched as she kissed the doctor and say goodbye to her, blushing as she did so. Gabby had a big smile as she stated, "You two make a beautiful couple," to the person. Katie Benson looked over and her heart sank. Gabby told her again, "You two make a lovely couple. We have known her for several years and Alison does wonders with the girls so it's great to see her finding love of her own. The kids were hoping that she would find someone, but she is very private and they were thinking that she may never find anyone." Dr. Eliza looked over and recognized Gabby. She came over to say hello but stopped when she saw Katie talking with her. Katie carefully explained to Alison, "Gabby is my client. I take it you are here for the exam for the kids?" Gabby nodded, adding, "I saw the judge yesterday and she is eager to sign the forms making it official. I just had to have Dr. Dane examine them first." Alison was timid and asked, "Are you alright knowing that I'm dating Katie?" Gabby looked her in the eyes and told her, "I am offended that you would think so lowly of any member of our family to ask that. Katie does great work and you are the most respected doctor we have ever encountered. It doesn't take much to see the love between the two of you, your eye lit up and your face brightened seeing Katie come in and that kiss wasn't an ordinary goodbye kiss. Why should I be offended or not be alright? You and Katie have a right to love as much as any of us. Before you ask, I'll respect your privacy and not tell the four girls. If they do ask or trick you into telling them they don't need to know who you are dating, only that you are dating someone." Gabby saw the relief on Alison's face as well as the smile on Katie's face. Gabby added, "Besides, the guys told us that your friend would try to get you out there. It looks like her advice worked. After what you did with Jaimie, Kylie, Sam, Daisy, Reyna, Nichole, and Al you, more than anyone else, deserve someone special. And in my view, Katie is special. Amy won't tell Al- Right Amy?" Amy nodded, not realizing that Alison was the famous Dr. Eliza that Al had talked about. Alison thanked her and walked back to her office to await her next patient. Katie bid Gabby farewell, again thanking he for the kind words. Gabby had to tell her, "I was only speaking the truth. It might get the kids to finally stop asking about Alison's love life but knowing the girls it could just as easily cause them to want more information." Dr. Dane patiently waited Katie's exit then called Amy inside. Gabby went in with her and explained what happened to her and why. Dr. Dane talked with Amy with Gabby in the room then had her leave and talked with Amy alone. After a slow start both with and without Gabby it took a while for Amy to open up to him but Dr. Dane was pleased with Amy thus far. After 45 minutes he called Gabby in and explained to her, "She has a way to go but thankfully she is mentally strong and didn't suffer any PTSD or other issues. She is tough and very caring and thinks highly of you. She is more concerned about her brother and seeing him I can understand. I don't believe that she will require any followups, just keep an eye on her for a while and ease her into her activities when she is fully healed. The most important thing to do is encourage her to interact more with friends, they are doing more to help her than your or I could do." Amy went out and Donald was called in. His session was different. Dr. Dane knew that Donald was suffering PTSD by the way he was close to Gabby on the couch and the way he looked at her whenever he answered. He sought her approval without thinking about it. When Gabby left the room, Donald slowly opened up but it was clear that Donald was guarded. He wouldn't fully answer the questions and his answers felt like they were trying to please Gabby more than being his true answer. He gave slow or stilted answers when talking about his new family, trying to fight for the right words to make Gabby, Jessie, and Courtney look good. Dr. Dane talked about his former parents and found the clear source of Donald's fear. He recounted past talks with doctors and the reaction by his father towards him. Dr. Dane asked him if he thought Gabby would react the same, Donald fearfully admitted, "I don't know. I want to say no, but I thought that was true before and when he was told by the counselor what I had said to him dad got angry with me. I just want us to be happy but I don't want to say something to upset her or make her hurt me." Dr. Dane let Donald go and called Gabby in to talk. He explained Donald's fears and why he had them. Gabby felt horrible and asked how she could help him. Dr. Dane grinned and told her, "He needs more sessions. He also needs to know that he will be fine, no matter what he says here. One of his biggest issues is fear of doing the wrong thing, you have shown you care about him but it will take a lot more to get him to accept that you aren't going to send him away. I want to work with him on this." Gabby smiled and told him, "I was hoping that would happen. He will see you for as long as he needs to, but I won't force him to go if he doesn't feel he needs to or doesn't want to." Dr. Dane nodded and added, "That is what I was hoping you would say. I believe that when it occurs that will be the sign that he is ready to end our sessions." They went out and made a standing appointment for the same time in two weeks. Donald seemed on edge but Gabby assured him, "Whatever you talked about you are not going to be punished or get in trouble me or the girls for. He told me some of what he believes is happening and I agree with him. He didn't get specific, just summarized what was being said. What you actually talked about is strictly between the two of you and unless you want to tell me or you tell Dr. Dane something that he is required to break your confidentiality over I am not going to be told anything." Donald started to relax. Dr. Dane whispered to Gabby, "It's helping him already." Donald noticed this and seemed to understand that it was something Dr. Dane had set up to show that this was going to be different than the past, Donald wouldn't be punished for saying the wrong thing to Dr. Dane and Gabby wanted him to know that she supported him and wanted him to talk things through to help himself. Gabby was ready to leave when Karen Smith entered with her daughter Nichole. Gabby said hello and introduced Amy to them. Nichole asked why they were there to which Gabby told her warmly, "They needed to see Dr. Dane before the judge would finalize their adoption on Friday." Nichole grinned and asked, "Are you the girl that Kylie, Margaret, and Nancy are raving about? The one who got two sleepovers last week?" Amy reluctantly nodded to which Nichole told her, "I'm sorry that I missed it, the girls won't stop talking about you in school. You got Al to dance and you got your own barre so they all want to be like you and your friend Trina." Amy asked if she had heard about Margaret's new brother to which Nichole asked her, "Did you do that?" Amy shook her head, telling her, "That was Margaret's mom and Kyle's doing." Nichole snickered then told her, "She was happy that it went through and said her dad is happy to have a son. She said he was like her brother already and her dad and mom simply made it official." Karen asked about Kyle, she wasn't too familiar with the boy as he tended to stay away from the girls when they were over at the Douglas home. Gabby had to tell her, "We don't really know too much, he is in Amy, Al, Trina, and Stephanie's class and Al had a crush on him. That was what caused all of the trouble with his former mother and father, they wouldn't let them be together and wanted to take him away but he asked his aunt for help prompting her to take a stand on his behalf. It just snowballed from there and the truth about his adoption and what they really felt about him came out. It was just like Thomas' situation, only this time neither of the parents wanted him." Karen felt bad for the boy but Gabby pointed out, "He was always around them and both Paul and Kyle saw one another and father and son well before it was made official. The two have been happier since and are enjoying the afternoon getting used to being close while Al beats him online. And the kicker is his best friend likes Amy so the two are making it a six person group so everyone has someone." Karen raised her eyebrow in surprise. Gabby smirked and told her, "Stephanie came out to her mother at the dance and admitted she has the hots for Amy's friend Trina. By a stroke of luck Trina feels the same way about Stephanie and the two have become close. So it's three couples, Al and Kyle, Oscar and Amy, and Trina and Stephanie." Nichole and Amy sat listening to their mothers talk. Nichole asked, "Is it true, your friend Trina likes Stephanie?" Amy nodded, adding, "They even kissed. All six of us are going on a date on Saturday with Thomas and Rebecca, Francesca and Donald, and maybe Rick and Jaimie or Jessie and Reed." Gabby said they needed to get going so Nichole told Amy, "Hopefully we can have another sleepover." Gabby told the girls, "Next time it's over another person's house, I think Donald would enjoy not having to endure another makeup session." Nichole snickered than hugged Gabby goodbye before heading in with Alison for her appointment. In the car Amy asked her, "Is she really an English lady?" Gabby grinned and told her, "Her family is nobility but as you saw, she's perfectly normal. She's the sweetest young lady you will ever meet and her brother is a perfect gentleman and is as nice as your own brother but without the raging hormones. You will like getting to know her, and before you ask yes she really was born a boy but she lived as a girl for over three years before her surgery and she still has another year or two before she starts to take hormones to grow boobs like Al and Reyna. And again, you will meet Reyna in time, she lives right next door to Al and she is friends with your sister and brother so she may be at the house at some point. She was out in California last week helping Deborah so she wasn't around to meet you." Amy asked her pointedly, "Reyna, Al, Nichole, Jaimie, Kylie, and Deborah are all girls who are different. Is that why you cared about us so much so soon?" Amy's question caught Gabby off guard but to Gabby she thought, "It did have to make you wonder at times." Gabby sighed and told Amy, "That's part of the reason. Another part is Reed, Miles, Scott, Will, Kylie, and Ethan. All of them were abused by their parents in some way. Ethan and Miles were emotional and psychological abused but still abused none the less. We are used to dealing with kids with troubled pasts and trust issues but for me, it was because I had raised boys and had the time and means to support you two. Mark knows what he is doing there and must have felt that I needed you as much as you needed me. And I admit I haven't felt so alive since you two came into my life. I love you two unconditionally and am proud of you for becoming the people you need to be." Jessie and Courtney were waiting for the news as they came inside. Gabby sat them down and to tell them, "Amy is doing better but Donald needs more sessions. There's a lot of trust that needs to be built up between him and Dr. Dane but he should be alright with time. Please don't pester him for more information as it is part of the reason why he needs the sessions. He is afraid of what I'd do if I found out what was said. I don't want to know unless it's dangerous and Dr. Dane won't break confidence unless it was so don't ask. This is not a request, I mean it. Ask him and you can kiss any further dating goodbye until graduation. He needs this more than he lets on, so don't ask about it." Donald listened to Gabby and immediately felt relieved. Amy asked him what was going on to which he told her, "Mom just told Jessie and Courtney not to bug me about what happened in doctor's office." Amy asked him, "What did he talk to you about?" Donald sighed and told her, "Dad, sorry Colby and the time he was forced to take me to a doctor like Dr. Dane and what he did to me after. Mom doesn't want me to tell her, Dr. Dane must have told her what Colby did to me so she doesn't want me to think that she would do the same if she found out." Gabby eventually called the four out for dinner. Courtney and Jessie wisely gave Donald some leeway and didn't ask anything about the day. When it was time for bed Donald hugged Gabby tight, telling her, "Thank you for understanding." She countered with, "You just needed to know that I trust you and love you no matter what. I want what is best for you and what is best is letting you have some privacy regarding your therapy. I'd rather not know unless it's serious, but you can always talk with me." The next day the four went off to school with bright smiles as they told their friends that the adoption was a go now. Kyle was jealous but the others assured him that it was just a piece of paper and Rachel and Paul loved him unconditionally. He reluctantly admitted, "It still sucks that you have to wait until Friday" which the others agreed on. Courtney and Jessie were all smiles as Donald told the other teens that he'd miss school on Friday. They then added, "We are missing it too since we changing our names as well." Donald smacked his head, he had forgotten that they were the ones who unintentionally convinced Donald and Amy to go with Bollinger too. Gabby met up with Amanda at her studio before they headed out for their double date. Amanda asked her about William, hoping to get some insight on the man. Gabby showed a photo of William and Junior to which Amanda was speechless. William was smiling and Junior was hugging his father tight. After a few minutes she managed to mumble, "He's handsome and his son is a looker. I can see why he would be so protective of him." Gabby added, "He's good with the boys and girls and tries his hardest to make things better for Junior. What is missing is a wife, but he is so devoted to his son that he won't date anyone unless that person can accept that being a father is the #1 priority for him." Amanda smiled and admitted, "Being a mother is what I always dreamed of and having a son who needs me is even better. Anyone who can't accept that doesn't deserve William as their boyfriend." Gabby smiled widely, Amanda was already smitten before she had even met William. The duo drove to Boston to meet up with Zeke and William. Zeke had taken the day off as he had a doctor's appointment in the morning so the date worked out best for all. William immediately blushed upon being introduced to Amanda, she did the same and it didn't take long for Zeke to see that the couple were on solid footing already. Lunch went smoothly. Amanda and William shared a lot of the same interests and were deep into conversation while Zeke and Gabby talked quietly, occasionally giggling and enjoying each others presence. After an hour of eating and talking Gabby paid the bill and announced, "We should take a walk in the Common to burn off this nice food." Zeke held Gabby's hand while Amanda clasped William's. The new couple was outpacing Zeke and Gabby and after a bit Amanda asked if it was alright for her to ride in with William. Gabby smiled and told her, "That would be perfect. Enjoy the afternoon but try not to do too much too soon." Gabby watched as they held hands with Amanda giving him a kiss on the cheek. She texted Karen to tell her that William may have Amanda with him and to not make a big deal. She texted back, "Not me you have to worry about, the girls and Junior are a different matter." Gabby and Zeke continued their walk until Gabby sat him down and kissed him deeply. She confessed to him, "I know you love me and I love you too." Zeke got down on one knee and pulled out a ring. He told her through tears, "I have dreamed of doing this since I met you. Will you marry me?" Gabby nodded then said, "Yes!" She hugged him and kissed him, leaving him breathless. She looked at her watch and told him, "We need to get to the school to get Amy." He smiled and agreed, letting her lead the way. At the school Olivia, Margo, and Rachel immediately spotted the ring. None of them said anything, but each smiled to themselves. Gabby finally admitted, "Yes, Zeke popped the question and obviously I said yes. There was little point in the two of us dragging this out when we know each other inside and out." The three snickered at that prompting Gabby to admit, "Well that came out wrong" getting the ladies to giggle more. They eventually asked, "What prompted it?" Gabby grinned and told them, "He must have seen how I was looking at Amanda and William Kelly and wanted the same. Those two are getting close and maybe in a few weeks we might see the same thing happen to them." Zeke was silently standing with Gabby, averting his gaze so the ladies didn't try to talk to him. They respected his attempt at privacy and talked freely with Gabby but letting the proposal talk drop. When the final bell rang he cringed, knowing he was about to get a lot of questions from Amy and the kids. Alice was the first out, and when she saw the ring she made her way directly for Zeke and Gabby. Her words were right to the point, "I see you were doing more with your personal day than going to a doctor's appointment, right Zeke?" He nodded to which Alice added, "Well Stephanie said you were doing this for a friend but I never expected you'd go that far. She must have really fallen for him for you to be inspired to do this." Zeke was flushed and flustered. Gabby had to explain, "She fell for him hard and is going to meet his son right at this very moment." Alice grinned, then admitted, "He's a good man, and she won over Trina and the girls so it's a good thing for all." The girls came out with Kyle and Oscar in tow. The girls saw Zeke and were even more shocked to see the ring on Gabby's finger. The boys didn't get their sudden change of emotion until Al pointed out, "She's wearing an engagement ring, Mr. Williams is going to marry Aunt Gabby!" Amy rushed forward and hugged Gabby. She asked tearfully, "When did he ask?" Gabby told her, "An hour ago. We came straight here to get you." Amy hugged Zeke then asked, "Are you going to adopt us too?" Zeke had to look at Gabby for help but he eventually told Amy, "I will have to do some paperwork first. I have to break the news to my family and your mom can still back out." Gabby quickly told him, "I won't back out, I waited 10 years to find the perfect man when I should have looked right in front of me." Amy told Stephanie, Al and Kyle, "Don't tell your sister or you two tell your brothers." All of them understood what she meant. Gabby, Amy, and Zeke left with the others telling them congratulations. After they left Olivia admitted to Rachel and Margo, "She is madly in love with him. There is no doubt about it. I just hope that she is ready for his family to try to break them up." The two asked why only to get an angry, "She's a Finn and he is a Williams. She is one of John's friends and her daughter is dating John's son. There is no doubt in my mind that his family will threaten and intimidate him until he breaks it off. There's little chance of that but he still has to put up with their threats and intimidation. I just hope that his family doesn't resort to violence, it could get nasty then." Gabby, Zeke, and Amy arrived at Lawrence home to see Jessie, Courtney, and Donald already there. Jessie and Courtney asked what was going on but Donald beat them to it and pointed at Gabby's ring. Both girls screamed with delight then hugged Gabby and Zeke. Donald simply told them, "Uncle Jake told me it was coming this week, he figured it would happen tomorrow afternoon after the adoption was finalized. He knows you love her too much to wait." Zeke sat them down and told them, "Don't go jumping to conclusions. We have a lot to work out and I am going to have to put up with unwanted visitors this weekend. I'm the last of my family to marry and the only one other than my mom's cousin Catherine to ever marry someone that didn't meet my Aunt Victoria's approval. No Williams dares to defy her, but I just did." Courtney asked who she was and immediately told him, "Screw that woman. She hates us. Why should you care what that old bat thinks? She never had kids of her own and tries to tell everyone what to do with their lives." Amy asked why Courtney didn't like her so Courtney told her, "She threw Jaimie out of her house, she tried to make a big scene at Mrs. Finn's funeral, and she threatened Uncle John. She is nothing but trouble and needs a reality check." Amy looked up at Zeke who nodded. Zeke explained to her, "She has never liked your John because his mother married Brent Finn, that went against Aunt Victoria's own desires to marry Brent Finn herself. Catherine Williams was supposed to marry a man who had a steady job and 'good stock' but she chose to marry for love. Eventually, John became the man that she hated- someone who succeeded in life despite everything thrown at him." He had a big grin on his face talking about John. Amy asked why she hated Jaimie getting a laugh and, "She didn't really hate Jaimie, she just hated that John caused chaos in the city over showing that people were actually quite nasty behind their liberal ideals and facades and Jaimie was just a good person who was born different. She never admitted it and will never do so to John's face but she is jealous of him. He is the head of a family for being a good person that others look up to, not because he was born first or had money and influence over people." Amy understood but then asked, "Why can't you quit the family?" Zeke asked what she meant to which she told him, "can't you join us? You don't have to be a Williams anymore." Zeke started laughing then told her, "I might do just that." Courtney told him, "Pete is doing that. He refuses to be an Orleans anymore and is taking the name Smith to let Uncle Nigel's family have more Smiths. He said it's just a name, his real family was with Hannah's family and all of us." Zeke hugged and kissed Gabby goodbye after that. She then sat the four down and asked if they were really OK with Zeke marrying her. They all nodded and grinned with Donald telling her, "You two are in love and Zeke is willing to do something drastic to show you it. He wants a family who loves him for him. You love him and have loved him for a long time. You deserve happiness and we shouldn't stand in the way of it, we couldn't do that to you." The kids went to sleep without another word. Jake called to tell her that Zeke told him about what he did. Jake was fine with him proposing and asked that she keep her eyes out for any of his relatives in case they decide to force her to change her mind. Friday morning saw a flurry of activity. All were up early and ate breakfast with a quiet nervousness. Gabby was the biggest bundle of nerves as she got them dressed and ready to face Judge Perez. The girls were in dresses and makeup suitable for court while Donald worse a pair of dress slacks and a dress shirt with a tie. Gabby dressed up in a classy dress and low heels. Courtney and Jessie wore their pendant with gold necklace while Donald and Amy were shown a gift from all of their new cousins- their own pendants. Donald's matched the ones that the guys had while Amy's was stylized to match Al's and Avery's, "A" pendants. Courtney explained the tradition and what it meant to them- they were truly part of the family now. The drive to the courthouse in Boston felt like hours but they saw that they weren't the only ones there. Ruth James, Mick Jones, Beverly, Richard, Olivia, Leslie, Zach, Margo, Paul, Rachel, Lilly, Valerie, Mike, Alex, Ricardo, Amanda, William, Kennedy, and Katie were there to witness the event. Gabby asked them what they were doing there, getting smiles and a happy, "Did you really think we wouldn't be here to see this?" from Valerie. The group went into the courtroom and greeted the judge. Judge Perez nearly fell over laughing at the entourage, commenting, "I knew your family was large but this is a shock." Gabby smiled and told her, "This is just the members who were able to attend. This isn't even 1/3rd of the number of people in the family." Judge Perez snickered and added, "I believe you, I honestly can't believe that this wasn't planned ahead of time but you had several days to coordinate." Valerie added, "This wasn't planned until yesterday, word got around among the kids and the parents and we all showed up at the same time. Judge Perez called the court to order to get things started. She asked for the reports from Dr. Dane, reviewed them quickly, and asked, "Are you going to follow the recommendations?" Gabby told her confidently, "As long as he wants to have sessions he will have them. If he wants to stop they will stop. It's all between him and Dr. Dane." Judge Perez grinned then reviewed the applications. She asked, "Why five name change forms?" Gabby answered for the four by saying, "Jessie and Courtney want to excise their father from their life and that includes his name. Tom Lawrence will have no connection to them anymore. They wish to adopt their maternal family name. Amy and Donald have asked to do the same, not wanting to carry the name of a man who they see as having wronged the family and no different than the man and woman that they were sired and reared by." Judge Perez chuckled at their reasoning. She added, "I notice a ring on your finger. Am I to assume that you have already found someone to spend the rest of your life with?" Gabby blushed and admitted, "I did. He is the man I should have married all those years ago. As much as I loved Tom, the only good to come from our time together was our children and even then we failed as parents with three of them. The girls like and respect Zeke and Amy and Donald have seen that he is a father that they can grow to love as their own father." Judge Perez approved the name changes by announcing, "Amethyst Garnet Lee and Donald Parker Lee are no more. You are to be hereby known as Amy Olivia Bollinger and Donald Ezekiel Bollinger. You are also hereby forever more legally the daughter and son of Abigail Lawrence. Ms. Lawrence you are also hereby reverting to your maiden name. You are hereby Ms. Abigail Louise Bollinger." Donald and Amy hugged Gabby while Courtney and Jessie looked on. Judge Perez turned to the girls and announced, "You two have been a great help to your brother and sister and have endured years of unnecessary suffering due to a man who has no right to call himself a father. Courtney and Jessie Lawrence are to be hereby known as Courtney Josephine Bollinger and Jessie Violet Bollinger. Congratulations, ladies." Judge Perez banged her gavel and ended the session and the clerk handed the forms to Gabby. Judge Perez added one last thing off the record, "I hope we don't have to see any of you again." Gabby blushed and told her, "We hope we don't have to either. The closest may come is my fiance changing his own name to Bollinger but that is not likely to happen for months." She grinned and added, "Whatever his reasons, it's noble and tell him that he has my respect." The group disbursed. Amanda lingered with William in the back and asked him, "What did she mean 'not even 1/3rd' of the number of people in the family'?" William told her warmly, "Among the children there's three in the early learning center, seven in the elementary school complex, seven in the middle school, and 23 in the high school plus eight young adults. Then you have the seven toddlers and preschool kids. That's 55 youngsters. Not counting the adults and nine grandparents, it's getting pretty large and growing larger." Amanda was having trouble getting her head about the numbers. William smiled and told her, "You can include yourself into the mix because the ladies are not going to exclude you from anything because they aren't that kind of people. They accept two gay men, four lesbian teens and tweens, and multiple transgender children; you are simply another beautiful woman who will be seen as a friend to them. That is if you aren't already considered one. I believe Gabby already sees you as a friend otherwise she wouldn't have tried to set you up with me. The girls love you and you impressed Junior. This is the most important thing, he likes you and I really like you." Amanda was having trouble comprehending but hearing that they were going to accept her. William added, "You wouldn't have been told about this if they didn't believe that you were part of them. Let them offer you friendship, I hope to offer you companionship and love." The two walked out hand in hand which brought smiles to the assembled group who listened to him talk to Amanda. Gabby finally got them outside and drove over to the middle school to get things settled there. Dorothy greeted the five of them with open arms and asked, "Is it done?" Gabby nodded, telling her, "Her records need to reflect her new name, Amy Olivia Bollinger and her parent as being Abigail Louise Bollinger." Dorothy raised an eyebrow at the name Louise, getting a nod and, "It was my aunt's name." Dorothy led Amy to her class with a note to Mrs. Shriner. Mrs. Shriner raised an eyebrow at the name then asked, "Such a shame, Amethyst was a beautiful name." Amy told her pointedly, "It gets misspelled, mispronounced, and it is associated with someone I want to forget." Mrs. Shriner nodded at that and told her to take her seat. Whispers went around the room about why Amy was late. Al, Kyle, and Stephanie told those who asked, "She was legally adopted by her foster mother today and changed her name to Amy Bollinger for good." Her classmates knew not to press further as they knew why she was in foster care and some of them whispered, "She's related to the high school principal!" That was enough to earn her respect in the middle school as nobody wanted to be his bad side going into high school. Zeke hugged her to which she told him, "The judge knows you might come by for a name change. She is ready for the adoption whenever you are." Word again spread that Zeke was dating Gabby so anyone who did anything to upset Amy would be on Zeke's bad side which in the school was a big issue as he was the main monitor for lunch and detention after school. Nobody bothered Amy after that. Over at high school, Gabby dropped off the paperwork for the three name changes. The names caught the secretary by surprise. Jake asked her, "Didn't you know Gabby was my sister?" She meekly admitted, "I thought she was your sister-in-law." He shook his head and told her, "Well these are my nieces and nephew. It's why Donald has been hanging around here after school. I'm his ride home whenever his sister doesn't drive him." Jake led the trio to their classes, first dropping off Courtney and telling the math teacher that she was excused and to see him if there was an issue. Next was Justin Stoner's English class for Jessie and Donald. Justin had them wait outside until the end of class, telling them, "You can make it up later, it's not worth the trouble of seeing the test only to have to make up a new test to give to you" Jake hung around then when the test was over he tried to explain but Justin asked him, "Is it finalized?" Jake nodded to which Justin told him, "Good." Jake added, "There are two changes you need to make. Both are to their names. Jessie and Donald both had their names changed to reflect their mother's name change as well." Justin understood and asked, "Bollinger or something else?" Jake grinned and told him, "Bollinger." Class ended and their friends huddled around them asking them if it was done. Jessie nodded with Donald adding, "courtney and Jessie are both now Bollinger instead of Lawrence." Francesca and Rachel hugged them, leading them to their next class to which John already knew and told them, "Best save the celebrating for this afternoon." They laughed it off as he made the changes to his grade book file. The rest of the day was a repeat. Over lunch the juniors hugged Donald and Jessie while the freshman did the same to Courtney. Reed was the happiest, Jessie had been quiet to the others but she confided in him that she feared that her father would do whatever it took to get them back. Even if he was in jail awaiting trial for assault he was still a threat to them. The name change was big and a clear sign that they wanted absolutely nothing to do with him ever again. After school, all 21 high schoolers got together to await Jessie and Donald finishing their test for Justin. He wasn't surprised that they were waiting, what did surprise him was that they knew that the two would do well despite the excitement of the day. He vowed never to underestimate the group again, especially as 14 of them would be in his senior English class the following year. Being Friday night, they all went out to eat. They phoned ahead and booked a room at a good quality restaurant so Amy and her friends could join them as well. This led to the youngsters joining them as well so it was basically an impromptu family gathering with Amy, Courtney, Jessie, and Donald as the centerpieces. Amanda and William got a lot of attention from the teens as Junior touted her as his dad's girlfriend to them. Amanda was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and lost track of the names but William assured her, "You will learn them eventually. Some of them you may not see very often but they will remember you. Just be careful of Cat, she's the one you have to worry about. She's incredibly cute but dangerously smart and brutally honest. It's funny, but she's benign in her mischievousness." Amanda gave him a concerned look. He giggled and told her, "She's one of those kids that tells it like it is and lacks a filter for her mouth when she feels she has a point to make." Cat came over to ask Amanda if she was going to be Junior's new mother prompting William to tell her, "See what I mean?" Cat looked up at her then saw William waiting for an answer. Amanda turned to William and asked, "Is that a proposal?" William nodded to which Amanda told him, "Then yes, I would be honored to be his new mother and Williams's wife." Cat spread the word loudly. William cringed while Amanda blushed. Junior snickered and whispered to her, "Thanks" to which she told him, "You still owe me $1." William groaned and told Amanda, "We were setup. But I did mean it." Amanda countered with, "I meant it as well." The two shared a quick kiss to which Junior hugged both over. Gabby kept to the perimeter and out of conversations. John finally got a hold of her and wanted to talk to her. He sat he down and asked, "So you and Zeke Williams?" Gabby nodded, showing her ring. John sighed and told her, "Tomorrow you will expect a visit from Cousin Victoria's nephews. She has kept close watch on him since she heard that Tom Lawrence had started to come around again. It won't take long for her to get to telling you to back away from Zeke. Zeke is her favorite nephew and even though he is estranged from them after Victoria's stunt at mom's funeral she has still kept tabs on him." Gabby sighed and told him, "I was told that by Zeke. I still love him and want to marry him. He said that he will give up his name to prove a point that he wants nothing to do with them." John countered with, "That won't matter to her. Willie, David, and Todd will see you tomorrow as will Leslie, Karen, Aunt Victoria, and myself. My guess is they will wait until the kids leave so they don't have to answer any questions about why they are doing what they are doing or go to jail for assaulting them when the kids jump in to defend you." Gabby nodded silently and dug into her dinner. The gathering ended and John paid the bill over Gabby's and the teens' protests. He told them, "This was all about family and as the unofficial head I reserve the right to spoil all of you." Amy had trouble sleeping that night as the adrenaline wore off and the realization that she was about to go on her first date with a boy hit. Courtney and Jessie had to calm her, explaining their own first dates and how the boys acted. Amy seemed to calm a bit but she was still curious. Amy had to ask tough questions and one led to telling the story of Stacy and her first date. This led to Amy getting scared again but Jessie told her, "You know Oscar and you know Kyle. Neither would hurt a fly and they fear Reed, Thomas, Donald, and the older boys. You will be alright." Chapter 16 In the morning Gabby asked the four children to go visit Reed, Michael, and Francesca. They tried to stay home but she was insistent. When the three teens saw Willie, David, Todd, Karen, Leslie, Victoria, and John arrive they took the hint and left without a word. Amy still tried to stay but Mark told her that she could help with Marcus which got her moving quickly. Mark wished the nine of them luck as he kissed Leslie goodbye. Zeke arrived shortly after the kids left. He saw the assembled group and told them, "Numbers won't fool them." Victoria grinned and told him, "They don't have the balls to mouth off to me, I've proven to those brats time and again that I am not one to give in to any threat from any spoiled relative." Gabby signaled for all of them to wait in the dining room to await the unwanted invasion. Zeke took his seat and a minute later a knock came to the door. Gabby answered it and four men barged in, not even saying who they are and why they were there. Gabby told them to leave immediately or she'd call the police but they ignored her, heading right for Zeke. When they saw him they told him, "Get up and leave the bitch or you will regret it. We aren't joking. You were warned to stay away from that cheap filth." Zeke shook his head and announced, "Who are you to barge into my fiance's home, push her aside, and start barking orders? You may be my cousins but you have no right to just rush into someone's home uninvited." The men crowded around Zeke, trying to make themselves look tough. Zeke stared them down and told them, "Leave now. Don't come back. Tell Aunt Victoria that if she thinks that she is going to force me to leave the woman I love, the woman I waited 23 years to admit my true feelings for, she has finally become demented and is living in a fantasy world." Gabby now told them, "Leave right now or I am calling the police." The men came towards her and she dialed, telling the state police call taker, "Four men just rushed into my home uninvited and are threatening to hurt my fiance and myself. They are armed with bats and chains." Zeke told them again, "You wasted your final warning. She already called the police and she is serious about prosecuting you. You know that already, Tom didn't come crying to you without telling you all about getting tossed out of here twice by the cops. Don't even try to deny that it was you four who bailed him out of jail each time, he's delusional and his ass is going to prison for a long time." They didn't budge, cracking their knuckles to threaten Zeke while moving closer. Gabby told the four, "Victoria stooped to a new low. First insulting a nearly 13-year-old girl then going after John at her cousin- his own mother's wake. She really has no clue what the hell goes on up here while she is sunning herself on the beach down in Tallahassee." That was enough to provoke the men. They started to move on Gabby but John and the rest came out of the dining room. Todd, Willie, and David each stood by one of the men. They tried to make themselves appear bigger but neither of the three were intimidated by them. John stood by the leader. John told them loudly but firmly, "Victoria is finished in this city. Whatever she had against my father and my family is done. She has no power anymore, she has no rights, she certainly has no dignity. If she tries any of this again she will find herself out on the street and staying at the Graybar Hotel wearing a pair of silver bracelets and an orange jumpsuit. Be sure to tell her to check exactly who owns the building she lives in. While you are at it, why don't you check just who owns your home and your parents' homes. I will not hesitate to evict every single one of them from the buildings, especially Victoria. You don't get to threaten my family and loved ones without suffering the consequences." They laughed, with the leader telling him, "You and what army? Those pansies, freaks, and fag lovers? Aunt Victoria knows everyone in this city and will get the chief of police to have your asses hauled to jail." It was now John's turn to laugh. Victoria's namesake and the de-facto mother and grandmother to the Finn Family stepped forward and loudly told him, "You guys are a bunch of outsiders. You and your families haven't actually lived in Winnisimmet in decades. You don't know the current chief nor do you have any way of following through on your threats." Willie laughed and told the four, "I have never met that woman in my life and would not even take her phone call let alone act like her puppet. She might be talking about the previous chief, Chief Benson, the same man who is serving two decades in prison for corruption and conspiracy to commit murder charges. No maybe it's the one before him, the one who is in for tax evasion and taking bribes that not so coincidentally came form people associated with Victoria Williams." Willie told the other three, "Best show them our little surprise." Willie, John, David, and Todd pulled out their badges with Willie telling them, "Read the badge." They read it and let out a loud, "FUCK!" as they realized that Willie wasn't bluffing: Wilfredo Pena was the chief of police. What is more, Victoria was powerless to do anything through the police. John grinned and proudly told them, "I guess you Williams folks really don't know what is going on in this city if you didn't know that most of the adults in our family carry badges and are NOT AFRAID TO USE THEM." Willie calmly told the four, "You are going to be arrested then you are going to be booked and your threats documented. We take these threats seriously especially as it alludes to corruption. We will be investigating this Victoria woman and we will prosecute her for her crimes. She may be in her early 70s but she isn't immune to charges." The men were lead out with Willie telling the officers, "We have it on camera. Have detectives follow up on an investigation into one Victoria Williams and her connections to members of the department and politicians, both current and former. These men have opened a can of worms and I believe they might be eager to make a deal to avoid assault and trespassing charges." Before they left Zeke told them, "I could care less if she cuts me out of her will. She doesn't have a penny to her name and once she kicks the bucket I know damn well all of you will be fighting for the scraps of her perceived wealth. She doesn't have anything. I checked her recent will, none of you are mentioned in it! You are all idiots for believing that old windbag was living a cheap life to give you millions. After Gabby gets through with her for sending you four after me to break us up, she won't have a cent to her name anyway. Congratulations on living above your means, none of you can survive without her help and she is about to cut you off to save herself!" Once the four cousins were gone Zeke asked John, "Do you really own all of those buildings?" John nodded, explaining to him, "Dan and Quentin set up a side business fixing up old homes and flipping them. They made a tidy profit but decided to try rental properties and asked me to take point on them as the primary investor, splitting the profits after my investment is paid back. By pure luck, the places that they found had some of the Williams family living in them. It was a legitimate investment idea that just happened to have a connection to our former relatives. The market rebounded and their value increased so what we paid for the buildings will be more than covered when we sell them in a year or two. I may wait as Dan and Quentin use the profits from the rent pay into the trust funds of Scott, Jessica, DJ, Stacy, and Rebecca. They are getting great deals on the buildings so it's extremely lucrative to us." He smirked as he added, "That one down in Tallahassee was pure vengeance and I meant every word of evicting her. I'm just waiting on word from the investigation and if there is any connections to her she is gone, same with her other family members. If they want to stay they will have to disavow her and show that they are legitimately living normal lives and not a front for her money laundering or any other criminal ventures. Most are getting kicked out, they are just too ingrained in local crime." John turned to Gabby and told her, "I think things might get a little difficult for Zeke to live on his own so it would be wise for him to move in here. They aren't stupid enough to do anything to him when the kids are close by, but on his own he is fair game to them. You are already getting married, no reason to delay the inevitable. You have plenty of volunteers, just give the time and place and we will be there." Victoria hugged Zeke, telling him, "You have a lovely woman and four great kids." Leslie and Karen did the same, but adding, "Don't let her grow up too soon and don't rush into fatherhood so soon. As she can tell you, newborns are no fun for getting any kind of beauty sleep." The last to leave was Willie, he added, "Seriously, don't rush into fatherhood. It's a real pain and even with four babysitters it still takes a long time to get used to sleeping normally. Just imagine Gabby being short tempered after only two hours of sleep in the last 24. It's not pretty! If she wasn't used to sleeping with one eye open Kennedy would have snapped months ago." Zeke finally had Gabby to himself and kissed her deeply. She moved him up to her room where they enjoyed some time in the sheets before the teens returned. She knew that this was probably the worst day to have sex but she loved Zeke and if she ended up pregnant then it was worth it. After a few goes they finally showered and relaxed. Zeke told her lovingly, "Monday I'm going after school to the courthouse to change my name." Gabby looked at her hand and asked, "can we make another stop after?" Zeke kissed her and told her, "If you want to get married after then so be it. I'll have all the paperwork ready to go." She kissed him again and added, "The kids will be thrilled." He nodded then added, "Don't let them know. If you need witnesses, Mike and Alex can do it. That is unless Amanda, Margo and Rachel Douglas want to stand in?" She nodded in approval, knowing that they'd gladly do that for her. Amy was enjoying helping babysit Marcus. Rachel Sylvester and her sister Iris were eager to have someone else take care of the dirty work which Amy didn't mind doing. Marcus let Amy feed him then change him, smiling at his sisters who were relieved to not have to do it yet again. After an hour it got old and the girls put Marcus down for a nap so they could watch TV. Amy was surprised when Rachel chose to watch the Red Sox game instead of something of Disney Channel or Nickelodeon, which set both Iris and Rachel off laughing. Rachel told her, "Reyna is at the game with her mom, Faith, and Neil. Next time they show the dugout look for them." Seconds later a shot of the dugout led to them pointing them out and laughing as Reyna and Neil were talking with a couple of players while Reyna's mother Lupe was talking with Faith. Amy grinned at seeing that, she understood why they were watching now. Rachel added, "Uncle Miguel said you and your brother can go see a game whenever Donald is out of his cast, he didn't think Donald would want to have to explain why he had a broke arm to everyone especially the players." Time passed fast and Reed came over to fetch Amy. Donald and Francesca came out as well with the four being joined by Thomas and Rebecca. Olivia drove over with Al, taking Thomas and Rebecca while the well rested Gabby picked up Amy, Francesca, Donald, Reed, and Jessie. Dan saw Amy and Al fidgeting and decided to tell the teens, "I learned my lesson with Reed, you do the warnings. It'll mean more coming from you than from me. They have enough trouble as it is, no need to have them scared throughout the movie." Al and Amy looked at Thomas, Reed, and Donald and saw the relief on their faces, the mothers were trying to hide a smile but Dan let it go. Their first stop was to pick up Kyle. Paul was standing proud as his new son tried his hardest to not appear nervous but upon seeing Al's smiling face he relaxed. Thomas moved from his seat so the two could sit together in the back. Olivia told them, "No funny business back there" getting a gulp in fear from Kyle and snickers from Rebecca and Thomas. Olivia looked at him and told him the same causing Kyle to grin as she smiled at him. Next stop was to pick up Oscar. He was ready to go with Graham and Riley telling him, "Be good." Oscar had to sit up front as Gabby purposely put Amy between Jessie and Francesca to keep the boys in her sight. Oscar didn't say anything until they arrived, thanking Gabby for the ride while purposely keeping his distance from Amy. Avery and Raul were already at the theater with Stephanie and Trina. Stephanie explained to Amy, "Raul and Avery replaced Rick and Jaimie because mom thought it best to have our older brothers looking over us instead of someone we didn't know as well. Something about 'being better disciplined' or something. Plus, Rick had to work anyway so couldn't do it." All of them looked to Thomas, who was expected to tell the two boys what not to do. Thomas cleared his throat and told the three younger couples, "This is the standard date instructions that Reed and I received on our first dates. You are to keep your hands to yourself at all times. If she kisses you then you are OK to kiss back but lay off the tongue. If she puts your arm around her shoulders leave it there and do not move it up or down. If she removes your arm then do not put it back. If she tells you no then you stop. If you don't want to kiss or put your arm around her then it's alright to remove it. You don't want to know the penalty for breaking those rules. Do I make myself clear?" Kyle and Oscar looked scared and said a meek, "Yes sir." Rebecca told Thomas, "You left out the bat, the shovel, and the map." Thomas shook his head and added, "Oh yeah, Rebecca has a bat, a shovel, and a map to the deep woods of New Hampshire and knows how to use them." She playfully slapped him then added, "What he means is break those rules and Uncle Zeke, Uncle Jake, Uncle Richard, dad, and Uncle Willie will be glad to use those to ensure you never break the rules again." Kyle and Oscar looked scared but Al and Amy both told them, "That's never been done before." Reed added, "The closest anyone has come to that was a boy getting the bat treatment did so to Rebecca's sister and got ripped off of her, punched in the face hard enough to knock him out and cost him four teeth, then was scared to death by my cousin Bryan. He never dated again." Rebecca added, "That wasn't a joke, she didn't recover for a long time and only because she met Scott. The bastard who did that to her was lucky Bryan didn't kill him. We heard he's in jail for doing that to another girl so he didn't learn his lesson. Don't break the rules, it'll only end badly for you." The group went inside with Francesca paying for the group. Rick and Will complained that they really should have waited until they were off so they could join them for the dates. Thomas asked them, "Are you sure you would want to babysit all six youngsters? It would take away from your making out with Jaimie and Claire." The six youngsters snickered while Raul and Avery tried to think if they were joking or telling the truth. Rebecca rolled her eyes and told them, "Just give us the tickets before I ensure you wake up with itching powder in your socks again." Rick countered with, "She put it in my underwear not my socks!" Al added a giggle and said, "Oops!" setting off the others laughing. The group sat together in the middle of the theater. Avery and Raul kept an eye on Stephanie and Trina, Donald and Francesca kept an eye on Amy and Oscar, and Rebecca and Thomas kept an eye on Al and Kyle. The only ones not sitting with the group were Reed and Jessie, they opted to sit alone but within eyesight of the older teens and tweens as they weren't needed with the last minute change of plans. Al cuddled close to Kyle while Amy put Oscar's arm around her shoulders. The boys didn't respond, not wanting to offend the girls or upset their brothers. Stephanie was more daring, she put Trina's arm around her shoulder while doing the same to her, then kissed her cheek. Raul just grinned at Avery who didn't have the heart to say anything, especially as neither girl tried fondling the other and both had wide smiles as they watched the movie. The movie finished and the group left. They were almost outside when the girls saw three people they didn't want to see on their first date. Polly, Ruby, and Megan were at the theater with their parents. The group gave them a wide berth, trying to keep themselves well clear of them but it was tough to do. Polly spotted Trina and Amy and tried to warn the others that they were there. The group didn't make it to the door before Megan's parents started yelling and screaming at them. Will and Rick didn't fool around and told the manager to call the police as the people creating the disturbance were breaking a restraining order and violating their probation. The manager saw that the girls weren't doing anything to antagonize them nor retaliating against them. He stepped out and told Polly, Megan, and Ruby's parents to leave as they were causing a disturbance and allowed the group to call their parents to pick them up. Rick added that he and Will could vouch for the younger teens and explained their relationship to the group getting a grin and about the orders to keep away from the girls, getting a nod from their manager. The manager showed two Boston officers to the disturbance and seeing them the group relaxed a little as the manager explained exactly what happened and why. The officers spoke with Reed who explained in depth with a little bit of cop language thrown in, getting nods and grins from the officers. They then told the manager, "As the larger group did nothing wrong nor did they react to the disturbance we are inclined to believe that they were the ones being harassed. Further we are aware that there are nine restraining orders in place preventing contact with the two young ladies being harassed." A third officer arrived and conducted a quick check and added, "confirmation of order of protection against the nine parties." The officers turned to the nine and instructed them, "While there is some leeway with accidental meetings in a public place by two parties with orders of protection, this was a blatant violation of the order on your part. You were warned by one of your daughters that they were there and you should leave them alone. You could have let them go without saying anything but chose not to. There are witnesses to your actions who are willing to state that you violated the orders against you by verbally assaulting the girls so you will have to come with us." The officers led the nine out with Polly's father arguing with the officers that they had no right to do this to them. The officers explained further, "Your orders were clear. You chose to pretend that they didn't exist or they don't apply to you. We are also aware that you are out on probation but you should now expect that to be revoked. Enjoy your weekend in jail, all of you." Polly, Ruby, and Megan were crying, pleading with the officers to not arrest them. Their mothers were no better, begging them to release them. Polly's father finally shot his mouth off and threatened the officers, fighting them as they tried to put him in the back of a cruiser and connecting with a kick to the groin to one officer. This earned him a face full of pepper spray and a visit to the ER to get an eye wash and additional charges to be added on top of the restraining order violations. Reed shook his head at the scene as the group watched from down the street. He told the others, "I really think we should stop coming here for dates. This is now the fourth time this has happened to us here." Jessie hugged him from behind, telling him, "But think that it made you rich from the garbage those cops put you through." He retorted, "I'd rather not think about it, that was humiliating. I wouldn't wish it on anyone." Gabby, Olivia, and Alice arrived to take the group home. The girls wanted another sleepover which got the ladies thinking and finally agreeing to one. Kyle and Oscar didn't say a word, Gabby added, "You two aren't too old for one. Why not hang with Raul and Donald at my house." The two agreed pending their parents' agreement. The girls were dropped off at home to get their pajamas and sleepover things. Olivia's home was the one appointed for the sleepover but Rick and Thomas weren't being driven out due to the late hour arrival and Thomas taking Rebecca out for a second date to shop in Cambridge. Richard happily hosted the girls and let them have their own fun once they arrived. Graham and Riley were reluctant to let him stay over at Gabby's house but she turned them around once they learned that Amy would be out until the next afternoon with the girls. Even though there would be two girls in the house they were old enough to not have to worry about anything happening between Oscar and them. Gabby also pointed out that Raul being there was a good sign that it was alright as the kids in school wouldn't dare say one word against him lest Alice's fury occur. Paul was miffed, he had hoped to host the boys. Seeing his disappointment Gabby called Graham and Riley and got the blessing to move the sleepover to the Douglas home, getting a sense that they were relieved about that. Paul hugged Gabby, but Rachel gave her a disappointed head shake and warm, "He has a point but you still gave in quickly. You could have weaseled more out of him like a car wash or a free dinner." Paul glared at Rachel but he was happy to have the boys stay at their house. Raul's things were already waiting for him when they arrived at his home. Alice shook her head and had to ask, "Did he really trick you into hosting the boys?" Gabby nodded to which Alice added, "Better call Zeke to help keep you company, it'll be a while before the girls come home." Jessie managed to stay with Francesca for the night so there was little reason to not call Zeke. Courtney wouldn't be home until nearly midnight so she had several hours of private time with her fiance to enjoy. She had to thank Jessie and Francesca for the alone time, but she knew what they suspected would happen and best not to let them know that she was grateful for the chance to have sex with Zeke without them there. Over a the Douglas home, Paul and the boys were having a blast. It took less than a minute to get Margaret to sleep over at Nancy's house allowing the boys a chance to have fun without her butting in and becoming jealous. She saw her father's grinning face and didn't hesitate to ask Todd to come over, with Todd telling Paul, "Don't go overboard. You have six years to get used to being his father." The guys watched a couple of Paul's favorite action movies and enjoyed some time on the game system with Paul teaching them a few moves he picked up from the other guys in the firehouse. They loved hearing the firefighters complain about the boys laughing as Paul beat them one-on-one. Kyle had some great comebacks as he heard some of the jokes being cracked about the boys. Things got interesting when Michael and Rebecca started to play as well. They were harder to beat and Paul was soon dying left and right. Kyle had to fight the urge to laugh but eventually broke down and set the others off. Rebecca taunted Paul and got the boys cheering for her. Paul loved it, while Rachel was quickly searching for some aspirin to ease the oncoming headache. When Paul finished he and Rachel sat down to talk as the boys played each other with Donald playing referee. She gave him a big grin and asked, "Enjoy being a kid again?" He nodded, adding, "can't a dad enjoy playing with his son?" Rachel hugged and kissed him, telling him, "You really do love him, don't you?" Paul kissed her again and proudly stated, "You have no idea how much it pissed me off to see my brother treating Kyle like he was just some kid and not his son. Then he goes out and does whatever he and his wife wanted leaving Kyle with us to care for days on end. How could I not love him like a son when he spent all of his free time here being treated like our son? We were lucky to have conceived Margaret, but Kyle never asked to be born and never asked to be shuttled around like some trophy nor treated like he didn't exist until they had to take him back. You are right, I love him. Someone had to love him and it is thanks to you and Al that we have our chance to show him just how much we love him." The boys listened in while taking a break. Kyle had to fight the urge to rush over and hug them, instead keeping his cool and continuing to play on. Donald got them drinks but avoided saying anything to the couple but both knew that the kids had heard and they were trying to give them some privacy. When Rachel finally called it a night the boys spent another hour talking in hushed tones. Donald and Raul assured Rachel they wouldn't be up too late but she was just pleased that they didn't fight her. Kyle did give her a big hug and kiss before she went upstairs, doing the same but lighter for Paul. With the adults out of hearing range Oscar finally asked Kyle, "Are you sure that you are alright dating Al? You don't have anything to prove to me and you don't have to date Amy's best friend because of me. If you aren't ready for girls I understand." Kyle looked at Oscar and saw the concern. Kyle told him bluntly, "I like Al. She's smart, funny, and can break you down without trying. Is this because you think the other guys will say something about me dating the 'tranny girl on Monday?" Oscar nodded his head, reluctantly telling him, "A couple of the guys were talking trash about Al and you dating. They were going to call you on it but stopped when they saw Mr. Williams looking right at them. They might say something on Monday now that you've actually dated her." Kyle grinned and told them, "Let them. They are the ones risking getting suspended. Al's a great girl and I like her a lot. She can't have kids but neither can mom or my former mom or Al's mom. She also can't have periods so she won't have to suffer through the pain and bloating and smells and blood. You know how bad your mom gets hers every month, well think how it feels inside and think that Al doesn't have to endure that. She's more of a girl than a lot of girls in school, and all woman in my eyes." Donald and Raul both grinned and nodded at hearing that, with Raul telling him, "I don't know how bad your mom's are but they're horrible. No matter what you say you are wrong and not matter how good you do something you are doing it wrong. Amy is lovely now but in a month or two she will be cranky and want to rip your head off. Al won't get like that, at some point she might feel bad about it but it's one part of being a girl that she should be happy she doesn't have to experience." Donald asked Oscar, "Are you going to stand by your friend or leave when the boys start to turn things on you?" Oscar looked at Kyle and saw the pain building in him. He looked at Donald and saw the look of concern on him. Oscar had to think long and hard. His parents were concerned that he might become reclusive, he didn't like the boys but didn't want to be made fun of every day. Donald added, "I know my sister's reaction. Kyle will stand by Al and Amy will want you to do so as well. She likes you, but if you can't support your friend she won't want to be with you." Raul added, "Those boys are really just jealous. None of them have even gotten close to a girl that wasn't their sister or cousin yet both of you have danced with girls, had a date with girls, and gotten kissed by girls. They are jealous and you should tell them like it is." Oscar quietly asked, "Is it true? They are really jealous of us?" Donald snickered and pointed out, "You guys are closer to girls than anyone else in your class, maybe even in your grade. You actually like the girls and they like you. You have four girls hanging with you now, even if two like each other they are still girls hanging with you. This is the stuff of masturbation fantasies for them. They are jealous and will make you feel bad so they can feel better." Both Oscar and Kyle cringed at the word. Raul shook his head and added, "Don't pretend that you don't do it because there is not a single boy your age who doesn't. Hell, every boy does it right up until they graduate college does. And don't think your mom hasn't seen what was in your dirty clothes hamper. Just because she hasn't said anything yet doesn't mean she hasn't noticed the stains. You might want to start doing your own laundry, I know mom made me do it at 12." Donald had to fight back a laugh as both Oscar and Kyle were too embarrassed to say anything. Donald added, "They are moms, they know." Raul changed things to something less embarrassing and got the boys talking until they lost steam and fell asleep. Donald and Raul fell asleep soon after, but first telling each other, "Mom already caught my online habits when she gave me my new laptop" to which Raul told him, "Mine just told me 'not when Stephanie's awake and lock your door.'" Both snickered at the different reactions but glad that they cared about them enough to say something to them. In the morning the boys were up before Paul and Rachel. Donald and Raul coordinated breakfast, feeding the four of them while the adults slept in. They watched TV until the adults finally awoke, then kept quiet until they had their coffee and breakfast. Once he was fully awake and caffeinated, Paul announced they were heading out. He didn't say where they were going but it was going to be fun for them. Fun turned out to be a get-together with his engine company at the captain's house to watch the baseball game. Raul and Donald were treated like nephews by Paul with Paul telling them, "Just go along with it, you are used to all the others calling me 'Uncle Paul' so you better get used to it. The guys were enjoying themselves until Paul had the game paused and burst into laughter. He told Kyle, "check out who's at the game!" Kyle smiled as he saw Al, Stephanie, and Trina with Reyna Toro's mother Lupe in Miguel's box seats near the dugout. The guys looked right at Kyle as he grinned at seeing Al. Paul patted him on the back, proudly saying, "She looks good on camera, the girls probably don't know that we can see them." He texted Richard and Olivia and got back a simple, "The girls don't know about being seen." Raul got a text from his mother telling him that Stephanie was at the game, he texted back, "Just saw her on TV" which Alice shot back, "Forgot she would be" prompting him to grin at her slip of memory. When the game ended the crew asked what the big deal was about Al. Paul smiled and announced, "She's dating Kyle." Kyle blushed in embarrassment as the crew made a fuss over the boy's first girlfriend. Paul just smirked wide as they congratulated him on the milestone he never thought he'd get to experience. Gabby finally picked up Donald after the gathering ended. She was pleased to hear the boys sticking close and standing up for one another especially after hearing the truth. She tried to ask what else they talked about getting a joint, "Nothing!" from them causing her to chuckle and add, "OK but don't forget it's nothing I haven't heard before. Just keep it civil and remember girls aren't objects." Gabby had a brief chat with Graham and Riley about what the kids talked about. She admitted to them, "He might have trouble in school when the other boys ask about their dates. They know the real reason for giving him and Kyle trouble, and have told Raul and Donald that they are sticking together." Graham asked, "What is the reason?" Gabby grinned and admitted, "Pure jealousy. They are the first boys in their grade to date and the others are jealous of them landing girlfriends. They were also told that Amy would leave Oscar if he sided with the boys when they try to make fun of Kyle for dating Al. He said he would stand with Kyle, but he needs to know that you support him on this." They looked at one another concerned. Graham sighed and told Gabby, "We tried to raise him right but you now how peer pressure is. We can't force him to do the right thing, we only hope that he does. Al is a delightful girl and Amy is making Oscar mature into the young man we hoped him to be as he spends more time around her." Gabby asked, "So you are alright with him going against the herd and standing with his friend?" They both said, "Yes" which Gabby had to smile at. When they finally arrived home Zeke was talking with Courtney. She grinned and told Gabby, "Everything is all set for tomorrow. All you have to do is fill out the forms in person." Gabby grinned and told Zeke, "It's too bad we can't go during your lunch." He smiled and added, "It's alright. Maybe we will be lucky and have Jake and others there." Courtney smirked which Gabby took to mean she had plans but didn't reveal them. Amy arrived soon after, smiling brightly after spending the afternoon with Avery and Sheila. She told them that the girls went to the game after Faith got sick and Neil went out with Junior, Ethan, and Ethan's dad Nigel. Gabby asked if she was jealous getting a quick, "No, Trina and Stephanie wanted to go and Al didn't want to do much today. Plus I didn't want to be on TV, we know they were on TV." Dinner was pretty quiet. Jessie came in just in time to eat, having a big grin on her face at seeing Zeke there but smelling like urine. She told them, "I didn't listen to Aunt Beth, Benny wasn't done going and caught me when I wasn't looking. The little brat did it on purpose too!" Amy was laughing but Donald felt bad, adding, "He plays games with some people, he got mad at me when I didn't fall for that same trick last month. For an eight-month-old he sure knows how to plan things." The next morning all five were on pins and needles as they waited for the day to end. As expected, Kyle was confronted by the boys in his class about the dates and as they teased him and called him a, "Tranny lover". He ignored them, asking them boldly, "What did you do in over the weekend? I got to go on a date with a beautiful girl and got kissed on the lips. And I got to have fun with her family after school on Friday- all of them. Exactly what did all of you do? Well, other than jerk off to girl that is." Oscar stood by Kyle and told them angrily, "Are you morons trying to get your asses suspended or are you jealous because it sounds to me like all of you are jealous that we went out with girls and none of you can get a girl to look your way, let alone talk with you. So what if Al was born a boy, she sure as hell is becoming a beautiful woman. Funny, she was even see on TV watching the baseball game from behind the dugout and talked with the players- something that we will get to do during the summer but none of you ever will. Not without paying thousands of dollars, that is." Kyle grinned at hearing that. Oscar whispered to him, "Mom and dad talked with Mrs. Samuels and Mrs. Toro is taking us in June once school gets out. We get to meet her brother Miguel." The whisper made the boys stop dead in their tracks as they looked at them with definite jealousy. Oscar grinned and told them, "It's a little secret about Al, she knows a lot of people. She's a Finn and the Finns know a lot of famous people. That means if you screw around with Kyle you are going to upset a lot of powerful people including the governor, the city council, and half the Red Sox team." Zeke walked in and told the boys loudly, "Oscar isn't lying I've meet Miguel and he is going to do just that with the boys. They are great people. Too bad you guys aren't going to meet any of them, not with the way you act." The boys disbursed as Zeke told Oscar, "Amy will be pleased, you proved you are more man than any of them. Real men stick by their friends, especially when their friends are right." Gabby spent the morning getting things together for the inevitable onslaught of well-wishers later on in the day. She needed a distraction but nothing came to her. Amanda called her and asked if she could do her a big favor, hoping that Gabby would be her maid of honor as she planned a simple wedding for late June so William didn't spend much money on her. Gabby agreed then turned around and asked her to be one of the witnesses for the wedding that afternoon. Amanda asked if Margo or her sister-in-law would be better choices, but Gabby admitted, "Both are busy as are the other women so I am asking you. I can't think of anyone better to ask." Amanda had tears in her eyes and agreed to do it for her. Mrs. Shriner kept Amy and her friends focused but when she saw that Zeke was similarly anxious she had to ask both what was going on. Zeke meekly told her, "I'm changing my name and getting married later." Mrs. Shriner asked if anyone else knew so he pointed at Dorothy and Alice who were grinning at him. She, in turn, told him, "Guess it's a good thing they have to stay today or they'd be there for you." Donald, Courtney, and Jessie were little better. Ben was able to get Donald to focus on his test while Justin Stoner had the class in a deep discussion of the story they had read for homework over the weekend. In geography John was able to keep them interested with a game while Sean kept them talking about the vascular system. After school, Jake had his vice principal handle things for two hours while he drove the three teens to Boston. Zeke awaited them outside the courthouse as they awaited Gabby's arrival. Gabby soon arrived with Amanda and Amy, kissing Zeke and going inside to file the paperwork. To their surprise Zeke's name was flagged and they were told that Judge Perez wanted to meet with them. They went inside and Judge Perez immediately told them, "I had a feeling this would happen right away so I had some time set aside just for you." She looked over the form, asked him, "Are you sure you want to do this?" Zeke smiled and told her honestly, "It's just a name. I was never really a Williams, the whole family is disgraced and that name is tarnished and I don't want anything to do with people who threaten those I love. The few who haven't disgraced the name carry Finn, Smith, Sylvester, or Castillo." Judge Perez grinned and announced, "Normally there is a waiting period but given that the circumstances are well known to me I believe there is no reason to delay things. Your change of name is granted. Enjoy your new wife and I look forward to seeing the adoption forms in the future. That I think can take time, but it really is just a formality to you six." The clerk smirked as he handed the change of name decree over. Zeke kissed Gabby as they went out, Judge Perez quietly telling the clerk, "Sometimes it pays to get involved in a personal life. There's no reason to put off the inevitable with some, especially ones who have solid reason for needing help to move the process along." The clerk countered with, "It's within your rights as a judge to do it, it's your choice when you exert that right especially when it is for the right reasons." The drive to city hall felt like hours but it was really less than 10 minutes. They were shocked to see their friends and relatives waiting for them with Beverly telling them, "Don't mind us, we are just here to watch." Amanda tried to shy away and let Beverly take her place but Beverly urged her in, smiling and whispering to her, "Gabby chose you for a reason, go be by her side and be her beautiful bridesmaid." They walked in and Zeke handed the form to the clerk. She took one look at it, then asked, "Any reason why you changed your name before you were legally married?" He grinned and told her, "I'm done with the name, I like my wife's name better. Besides, I don't have to justify it to you or anyone else. Be sure to tell my cousins that I'm done with the family when you see them." She didn't have a response for that and seeing the questioning looks she didn't dare ask anything more. It took only a few seconds once the city clerk took over once he noticed just who the group was for the two to be legally married. Amanda signed as Gabby's witness with Jake signing as Zeke's witness. The four kids were all smiles as their mother and now stepfather kissed. As they left the clerk's office with their license in hand they were mobbed by the assembled group. Gabby hugged Beverly as she told Gabby, "You finally found Mr. Right." Gabby added, "He is more like Mr. Right In Front Of Me The Whole Time." As Gabby and Zeke exited the clerk's office William kissed Amanda and had her come back inside the office with him. He signaled to Jake and Valerie to come in too. Nobody noticed the couple leaving the assembled group, they were all too busy congratulating the newlywed couple. Chapter 17 Inside the city clerk's office, William kissed Amanda and told her, "I just don't want to wait any longer. I love you, you love me. Junior loves you. I think there's little reason to delay the inevitable." He signaled to Jake and Valerie to sign the appropriate places. Amanda had tears in her eyes as he showed the paperwork already signed, just requiring her signature to make it valid. She silently signed and presented it to the clerk. The clerk didn't question it, she just simply granted the two a marriage license and wished them luck. Nobody noticed the newly married couple slip away until the door opened and the four walked out with Amanda in tears. Valerie's big smile told everyone exactly what happened with the group now turning their attention to the other newly married couple. Junior hugged and kissed Amanda, and asked her affectionately, "can I call you mom?" This sent Amanda over the edge as she wept into his shoulder, barely able to tell him, "I'd love nothing more in the world." The family left en-masse, leaving City Hall silent as the city employees watched the group exit. The group headed for a large restaurant that John had booked for the occasion and celebrated for three hours until it was time for the kids and teens to get back home and finish their homework and get ready for school the next day. Junior refused to leave his new stepmother's side forcing Amanda to go home with William while Gabby and Zeke spent the night at a hotel. Things started going well for the family after that. After kissing Gabby goodbye Zeke told Alice and Dorothy, "I'll remain as Mr. Williams to the students for the rest of the year but I am changing everything official over immediately so there is no question about who I really am and my aunt can't cause trouble for me in retaliation." They didn't say a word, simply grinning and nodding. Alice did hug him, telling him, "We are proud of you, it takes a real man to do what you did and from what I have heard there aren't any in the Williams family. Any real men were driven away decades ago." Mrs. Shriner told the class, "Yesterday Mr. Williams married Amy's mother and is in the process of adopting her, her brother, and her sisters as his own children. I hope you all respect Amy's privacy as well as his. Mr. Williams is a good man and won't let anyone do anything to his students, especially not ones that he can call his son and daughters." Amy was treated with greater respect as Mr. Williams was the one teacher in the entire school that demanded respect and who had the resources to make your life miserable without breaking any rules or laws. The other teachers showed him more care and treated him more like a brother as he was the only teacher who didn't have children, but now he did. Over lunch Mrs. Shriner talked with Zeke and asked about the sudden marriage. He asked what she knew about Zeke and Gabby then explained the connection they shared. Mrs. Shriner grinned at him and upon hearing that he severed all ties to the Williams family she added a proud, "Good." Justin Stoner heard the news about Zeke through the teacher grapevine and congratulated Donald for fulfilling every foster child's dream, a loving mother and father. He confided in Donald, "I envy your journey. You found a mother and a father who love you without question and who have gone to bat for you more than any parent should ever have to." Donald told him, "You yourself are doing better." Justin had indeed gotten better as Donald's life became better under Gabby's care. The other teachers had finally seen that he had changed and wasn't the jerk towards students that he used to be. Once he had his position secured for another year and he wasn't just acting like a new person they started to interact with him more. Ben and John were close confidants of Justin, going so far as to seek his advice on tricky grades and tough essays. The students liked him better. He wasn't as tough of a grader and his lessening of his hard edge gave some of them more confidence in their writing which reflected on more As and Bs in his class that quarter. Several parents who complained about him started to ease up and see that the real reason for their children struggling was their confidence issues and that they could do better with more assurance from their parents. Justin actually started to befriend Ben and as the two talked socially Ben saw Justin's inner self and asked him why he never told him about it before. Justin tried to backtrack but Ben told him, "I know it's humiliating but it's not unique. Beth and I were orphans who grew up in the system and know it inside and out, you aren't alone anymore. You never really were." Justin finally opened up as Ben kept at him, getting Justin to see that he was doing better than his former family and see that he had a chance to right some wrongs and help many lives. The two became close with Beth all but taking Justin as a brother, more so than John. John and the others were glad to see Justin doing his best around Beth and Ben and in time they were able to get him to see them as family as well. He still kept some distance from the teens but it was more so he would be objective in his views on their schoolwork but he was always there to listen to their issues. Amanda filed the paperwork to legally adopt Junior as her son, fulfilling her lifelong dream of motherhood as well as his dream of having a mother like his classmates and most of the kids in the family. Junior took to her quickly, telling her, "You are what I always hoped my mom would be like." William reluctantly told her about his former wife after Amanda insisted on knowing about her. When Junior told her that his mother was a dancer and looked similar to her she felt her heart break but could tell from Junior's reaction to her that Junior wasn't trying to replace his mother, he simply wanted a mother who loved him and his dad. He constantly hugged and kissed Amanda, telling her he loved her whenever possible with Amanda getting tears in her eyes each time he did so. As Spring went on, Amanda found herself inundated with requests from the teens to help them learn to dance before the prom in May. The 14 juniors were attending the prom and none of them had any real dance moves but wanted to learn them. They had learned to dance somewhat stilted moves but for this big event in their school lives they wanted to learn to actually dance. The more time she spent with them, the more she started to feel like part of the family. She learned quickly about the family's penchant to call adults in their family, "Aunt" and, "Uncle" which melted her heart as she heard it from the teens for the first time. She became close with the girls as they loved having an aunt who was younger and who had been to places they wanted to visit. Amanda tried to ground them in reality by insisting that that she was touring with her ballet company and not being a tourist but just going to a certain place was bit to them. The boys were reluctant to learn to dance but once they started to learn they took to the moves easily. Amanda was eager to teach them and took great pride in seeing them strut their stuff in front of their parents when they finished their final lessons. William proudly told her that she had made 14 teens happy and they in turn would reward her for it. Amanda just grinned and kissed him, he was right about them taking her in as part of the family and the smiles on the adults' faces proved it. Amanda was able to get many new clients through the teens as they told where they learned to dance. She was busy with lessons throughout the rest of Spring with dozens of teens taking lessons as well as parents trying to enjoy the opportunity to feel younger. Despite the busy schedule, Amanda always made time for Junior and William as well as for the ballet classes. Ballet wasn't her biggest money maker but it was her true passion and it always came first in her eyes...after Junior and William, that is. William reluctantly told his mother, Danielle Kelly, that he had gotten married. Danielle asked about his new wife and after avoiding it for a while she finally demanded to be told the truth. William tried his best to convey that he loved Amanda no matter what but telling his mother took great effort. After he admitted that she was born with male parts but was female in mind and now body Danielle grinned and told her son, "I raised you better than that. I had you hang around Brent Finn and his family when I was going to be working late because I wanted you to learn what a family really means and to see love in its rawest form. I don't care if she has four arms and a tail, as long as she loves you and loves Junior I am happy for the three of you." Amanda spoke with Danielle in depth and over time she grew to like Amanda a lot. Danielle could hear from the words that Amanda used that she truly loved William and the impact she was having on Junior was immediate. Junior talked with Danielle at great length and confided in her that Amanda was his mother no matter how she was born and if Danielle didn't like her then he wouldn't want to be around Danielle. Her heart melted, the boy would not do something like that to his beloved grandmother unless his new mother had won his heart entirely. Danielle broke the news to William that since her friend had recently passed away there was nothing left for her down in Florida so she wanted to move back and enjoy the rest of her days with her son, grandson, and new daughter-in-law. William asked when this would happen, getting a happy, "In mid-June. I thought you might like to have someone to watch over Junior while you and your wife spend some time away on a honeymoon. It also gives us some time together before you three head to England for the wedding. I may even have a talk with the three of you about someone special that lives up there, I think that it is time that the truth finally is revealed to the four of you. Since I heard he lives in your city and we will be around each other so much he deserves to know the truth about us." Polly, Megan, and Ruby ended up receiving two years of probation and community service for their shoplifting but didn't get charged for violating their restraining orders. They now had a mark on their criminal record that would stay there for seven and eight years. This would impact their college plans and sadly, no dance school in 20 miles would accept them as students due to their criminal records and a reputation for bullying other students. Their parents, though, received tougher sentences. Megan and Ruby's parents received two years of probation with a hefty fine but also had to endure the humiliation of losing clients from the real estate firms and landscaping companies that they owned. They each went their separate ways with Ruby's family moving to Maine and Megan's family moving to Pennsylvania. Both girls found themselves being outcasts as their new schools restricted any activities they could participate in and forced them to show that they were actually on the grade levels that they were going into. Their parents found it difficult to break into the job markets in their new homes and had to work with family members who kept them on short leashes. Polly's family had it worse. Polly's father had gone beyond disturbing the peace and violating a restraining order charges due to his actions. His previous actions in court led to a prison term of four years for assault on a police officer as well as a year of probation for violating the restraining order to be served after he was released from prison. He was also fired from his job at a public relations firm and given divorce papers. It was during the trial that his wife found out about her husband's extramarital affairs once his mistress got concerned and started calling for him and revealed to her the details of their love life. She won everything in the divorce, including the house and car. He was wiped out financially and humiliated. Polly's mother narrowly avoided being fired for her actions regarding looking into Amy's medical records that first Friday afternoon. She admitted to being intimidated into finding out about Amy from Madame Pavlova, but it was inexcusable. Gabby decided against suing her and the hospital over the violation but Polly's mother had to receive additional training and was placed on probation by the hospital for a year. Polly was transferred to the city's alternative school and prospered there once she had an evaluation by the school's principal. Her mother noticed the change and found out that she had hidden some learning disabilities from her and her father. Her mother was able to talk with Valerie about getting the order revoked in exchange for Polly getting help with all of her issues and showed that much of the trouble was due to her trying to hide her insecurities from her father who had been verbally abusive about her struggles in school. Valerie asked for and received the statement from the school about the diagnosis and with Gabby's blessing she was allowed to return to the middle school the next year. She was on a short leash and if she went out of line she'd be expelled and sent back to the alternative school. Polly remained in the alternative school until the end of the year but after a stilted and awkward meeting with Amy and Trina she showed that she was trying to become a better person without the influence to Ruby and Megan or her father and had thus truly changed. The meeting was a surprise to Gabby and Valerie as Polly could barely speak as she was crying. Her mother and the principal explained what happened and why and what would happen to Polly. Amy begged Gabby to go easier on Polly with Dr. Dane giving a recommendation that Polly be given a second chance, hoping she could show that she could do better as a person. John met with Polly's mother and Dorothy. He looked over her work and talked with Polly himself, getting her input directly and spotting flaws that nobody else had seen. He sighed and told them, "She wants to do well but she is scared. She knows what she wants to say but has been verbally abused for so long that as soon as her pencil hits the paper she starts second guessing herself and it causes her to make mistakes. Dr. Dane can work with her but if you don't allow her back she might get worse as the kids with true problems get at her. I don't want to ignore what she did but I can't let a student go down the road she is taking. Dorothy, she is becoming like I was at the same age. She is one step from closing herself off from the world." Seeing John so hurt, Valerie reluctantly agreed with John. Dorothy changed the agreement to give Polly a clean slate but required her to receive counseling and extra help with her work. John directed Polly to Louis Reagan's organization and told her mother, "Juan Alvarez will do wonders for her and the tutors there are top notch retired teachers many of whom taught the teachers in all eight schools. I have faith that once she sees that the adults are trying to help her she will open up and start to improve." Valerie and Gabby approved the new agreement and Polly was cleared to rejoin the school the following year. Immediately after her nephews were arrested, Victoria Williams was investigated by the Winnisimmet Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police. It didn't take much at all to get the Williams family to start turning on one another and against Victoria. Once word got out among the family that Victoria was being investigated by the police it was every man for himself and all were seeking to cut deals before the others got them first. The four arrested for trying to strongarm Zeke and Gabby were the first to turn against their relatives. They told of Victoria paying off inspectors to allow alterations to their homes and paying cops to look the other way when drug dealers and prostitution rings operated out of the apartments. Their cousins told similar tales, with Victoria getting a cut of the drug deals and prostitution and hiring a few thugs to act as pimps for her. They even told about Victoria having hidden cameras in the same apartments to blackmail anyone who went inside, particularly cops and city employees. The investigation was proven right as search warrants were issued and upon inspection, unauthorized alterations were found with the inspectors who signed off being known to bend rules. John's buildings, in particular, were of particular interest as they appeared to be alright from the outside but once inside it was shown that they were glorified death traps with exits blocked, lights removed, and only a select few apartments having heat and hot water. The tenants told of being forced to look the other way at the rundown apartments. Those same apartments happened to belong to members of the Williams family and after closer inspection and interviews the truth of their involvement was shown to be that they were actually the pimps and overseers for the apartments. The building inspectors were inundated with charges due to so much evidence against them. Their bank accounts were checked and multiple payments had been made by a bank account found to be owned by Victoria Williams. Once confronted they sang immediately, begging for light sentences but receiving heavy ones from the judges instead. The superior court judges took the abuses of power seriously and refused to let them off lightly, especially as they knowing put multiple lives at risk in allowing the illegal alterations and dangerous living conditions. John just sat back and collected all the evidence that he could. He owned the buildings they operated in and had no clue about what was going inside them as there was never any complaints about things that needed fixing and had been altered after Dan and Quentin fixed them up to top notch condition. Once Victoria's involvement was confirmed, he happily sent eviction notices to everyone involved and had his representative down in Florida do the same for Victoria with the deputy sheriff who was helping his representative serve notice know just what she had done in Winnisimmet to a fellow officer. Once she received the notice from the representative, Victoria was quickly flying up to Boston and trying to confront John. John was ready for her, in fact he knew exactly when she was flying out as he had his representative on the same flight out- only he was flying first class instead of economy. John sat with all of the main branches of the Finn Family as well as Willie, Kennedy, and their kids. All were ready for Victoria and John grinned widely as the elderly Victoria tried to say something about the show of force. John happily pointed out, "You wanted to try to intimidate me and my family, well these are all the children and grandchildren of Marcus and Hannah Williams as well as Brent and Catherine Finn. Take a seat, you will need it." John continued, "Since you don't know them well if at all, I should introduce them all starting with my own kids. These two young ones are Joseph Daniel Finn and Catherine Melanie Finn, my youngest son and daughter. Next to them is Miles Finn. You already know Michael and Jaimie. These five are some of the most well mannered and well respected kids in the city and thankfully are untainted by your horrid touch. You knew Miles' father Felix. We were never able to prove it, but we know that you ordered his murder. You left him untouched and tried to get Roland to get him to give up the missing money, but funny thing is in doing so you sent him to the one place he was truly safe- my home." That news hit the elder Victoria hard as Miles glared at her with a rare moment of anger and fury that caused the old woman to wince in fear. John then began introducing everyone, specifically saying, "This tall, skinny, yet powerful man is Mark Sylvester. He is the man who fell in love with Leslie, whom you called a 'fat dyke' because she was tall, well built, and played varsity softball and basketball to great honor at the high school. Next to her are her lovely daughters Iris and Rachel as well as Leslie and Mark's newborn son Marcus. Please excuse his sleeping, he is a keen observer and knows who to pay attention to and who to ignore. Right now he is purposefully ignoring you." He turned to Karen and grinned as the rest of the family smiled at the realization that she was going to get railroaded next. He announced, "And you know Karen but it's no longer 'Karen Finn, the slut who got knocked up with kids by a retired Marine who died after marrying her.' She is Lady Karen Smith, the Countess of Boston. With her is her husband Lord Nigel Smith, the Earl of Boston and heir to the Marquessdom of Lincoln. Next to him are their children Lord Nigel Jr., Lord Ethan The Earl of Frampton, and Lady Nichole Smith. Of course you know Bryan but he as the adopted son of Nigel is Lord Bryan Smith, the future Viscount of Braintree. And last but not least is Lady Hannah Smith, the future Baroness of Gosfield. I am terribly sorry that Bryan and Hannah's fiances couldn't be here but I wanted to keep this to ourselves and save you from being beaten by Hannah's fiance Pete for insulting Karen and causing his future mother-in-law years of embarrassment in this city." The color drained from the elderly Victoria's face as the family nodded with each introduction. John continued, "You already know about them from Roland's activities since you financed them, but these two lovely ladies are Daisy and Claire Peterson and their mother Lilly. Thankfully they only take after Roland in looks, which has to irk you to no end as their looks are almost entirely Brent Finn's looks. Thankfully, their personalities are also purely dad's which I know will annoy you to no end." He saved the best for last as he introduced Willie and the Penas. He grinned as he pointed out, "You once paid someone to stab Aunt Victoria so she could never have children. Well that backfired as she helped raise the little boy across the street. That boy grew to be a man, the man you see sitting next to her and who she proudly calls her adopted son. The man is also the third most powerful person in this city, behind Louis Reagan and my wife. Fourth if you believe the rumors of my being more powerful than all of them. He is the chief of police as of four and a half years ago and created a force that is rival any in the state if not the country. He isn't threatened by you or any of your stooges...I mean nephews." Willie smiled at the elderly Victoria, showing her his badge. John added a bigger bombshell, telling her, "I am sure you enjoyed his predecessor's reign as chief. Chief Benson was in your pocket for decades and got his job thanks to you. However, he grew too big for his britches and went after the two people who were willing to fight back despite his threats. Willie won the job as chief because he is the exact opposite of Chief Benson and obliterated the police department in the wake of his hiring. All of your old contacts are gone, Willie has created an amazing department with people he can trust." John grinned and started again, "With him is his wife, a woman who went through hell alongside Willie and came out strong and who could run this state if she chose to, but instead just wants to help people. They adopted three lovely children who are going to make our family proud. Hell, Reed already does that day in and day out and has done more in the past 16 months than some have done in their entire lifetime. He and Miles and Rachel singlehandedly broke up an entire transatlantic criminal empire this past August and October. I guess it runs in the family, they take after us and we take after mom and dad and Aunt Victoria and Uncle Jorge." The elderly Victoria tried to look powerful but nobody reacted to her, keeping all eyes on her. John showed the police reports and the photographs of the apartments used by Victoria's stooges. He then told her, "You really should have checked just who owned your little drug and prostitution dens. I was within my rights to evict you and your family from the buildings for violating the terms of your leases specifically regarding illegal alterations and criminal activities. I don't want criminal activity on my properties, especially activities being directed from over 1,300 mils away." The elderly Victoria tried to threaten John, claiming she'd have him killed for daring to threaten her. Both he and Valerie laughed. John loudly told her, "You have nothing left to threaten me with. Your family is splitting up left and right and trying to cover their own asses. None of them will protect you, they have their own skins to save! Do you honestly expect me to be afraid of some elderly woman who doesn't have a penny to her name anymore and who has no place left to go except a prison cell?" The elderly Victoria gave him a glare. John retorted, "Oh I'm sorry, you didn't know that your hidden bank accounts were frozen just this morning after the state and federal governments caught the true value of your net worth. I am happy to report that you are now facing tax evasion charges by the IRS and state revenue agencies in Florida and Massachusetts over your undeclared income. Looking back on that I guess I should have said 'surprise, you are broke!'" That caused everyone assembled to laugh, well all except the sleeping two month old Marcus. The grinning Valerie then added, "And don't think about calling in any of your local muscle. They have been told to back off from you or they will piss off Uncle Jorge and all of his friends. We know that you don't think highly of him but they know damn well that he is the single person in this entire city that not only has the muscle, but also has the means to take out anyone who threatens members o his family and that includes your thugs. Needless to say, you don't have a pot to piss in and are about to see just how little power your family really had. There is a phrase that has arisen in this state since the last time you and John butted heads: Don't Fuck With the Finns." As she left John's home, the elderly Victoria was taken into custody by David Peterson at the behest of the joint task force looking into Victoria's crimes. After she was read her Miranda Rights she tried to threaten all of the officers and troopers but they merely told her, "criminal threats are now going to be added to the charges against you." Another added, "Given that the chief of police is inside and part of the Finns that confronted you, there was nothing that you could possibly do to us. All of your threats are meaningless hot air." Victoria was in tears as she finally realized she was finished, her last ditch attempts to threaten people had blown up in her face and she had no money and nowhere else to go. She looked over and saw that John had a stoic look on his face while Valerie had a smile. Valerie actually took pleasure in finally getting revenge on the woman who had wronged her daughter over four years before and humiliated John by her pathetic attempt to hijack her mother-in-law's wake. She may be the nicest person you ever met but there was one thing you never did- you never mess with Valerie's loved ones. The elderly Victoria wasn't only facing arrest for her criminal conspiracy, violating the RICO Act, and tax charges. After she was brought down, dozens of cold cases were reopened and her five decade long reign of terror over Winnisimmet was brought to light. Multiple members of her family were arrested and tried on charges ranging from extortion to murder. Victoria's downfall was the final and most poetic page in Winnisimmet's shady criminal history and one that John took great pleasure in helping to close. Tom Lawrence was lucky to get out of jail after only one month and put on three years of supervised probation after agreeing to plea deal regarding the assault charges. Gabby complained about him being let off easy for assault and violating the orders but there was no space in either the prisons or house of corrections so a softer crime like his was given a lighter sentence. Tom saw it as him winning again but he was warned that he would not get this deal again and any violations of the order would result in him being sent to prison for the full three years that he should have received. Once out, Tom found that he had nothing as nobody he knew would take his calls nor meet with him. His buddies abandoned him, telling him, "Word got around from Louis Reagan and Jorge Castillo. You are tainted goods, anyone involved with you will be dealt with harshly by both. You fucked with the wrong kid- those Finns are family to the Castillos! Jorge wants your blood and if you screw up again he will make sure you won't walk again." Tom was destitute and desperate. He had bigger problems looming as creditors sought him out to pay off debts that he had accumulated and Gabby had successfully shown to be originating from him alone over a decade before. It took Katie a lot of work to get the threatened legal issues to turn against the creditors who insisted that she pay up for Tom. Katie actually won Gabby several hundred thousand dollars in restitution as well as got Kennedy's boss hot on their trails for illegal debt collection techniques. The worst offenders were doubly threatened as John used his financial clout to force the banks to call in loans that the collection services had extended too far. Kennedy took down two of them with a heavy investigation directed at the request of the Secretary of State's office while a third being forced to retreat from the state and hand over the accounts to more reputable companies. Other states refused to let them operate so they were in essence put out of business by default. The trouble had only just started for Tom once the creditors started after him. The ADA prosecuting him for abandoning Jessie and Courtney worked with the state Department of Revenue and was able to bring up criminal tax evasion charges. This coincided with similar charges against him by the State of New York for his time in in the Albany area. Tom fought the charges and lost in both states, ending up with four years in prison and thousands of dollars in fines. He lost badly on the abandonment charges and got two years in prison for it due to the later assault on Courtney. With great pleasure, the judge had the sentence occur after Tom finished his tax evasion sentences which were to be served consecutively. While he was on trial Tom was free on bail as long as he wore a GPS ankle monitor. He found Amelia Daniels was the only person who would give him the time of day after his decade on the run was shown to be just Tom being too cheap to pay his debts. She was caring and lovable towards him, having fallen for his charm and wit like so many unfortunate women had before him. Tom and Amelia's relationship was tenuous after a short amount of time. Once Tom reverted back to his old philandering ways she looked over at the scared Timothy and the impact Tom's antics were having on the young child's life, she kicked Tom out. She defiantly told him, "Grow up and start acting like a real man and not an overgrown child." Tom was last seen living in a homeless shelter in Boston, muttering to himself about Gabby and trying his best to find a way to win her back before he was arrested for missing a required pretrial court hearing. He spent his time in jail before heading to prison to serve out his three prison sentences. After kicking out Tom, Amelia couldn't handle being an outcast and having nobody to help her care for her son. She tried her hardest to find work but she had no skills and little prospects of finding a decent job. She started to see that her son was a weight on her life and after serious thought she contacted DCF and surrendered Timothy to them, telling them, "His brother is a better parent than I could ever be." She then went off to some unknown location, not giving them further information and tossing her cellphone in the trash so nobody could contact her again. Mark immediately contacted Mike and asked if he was willing to house the young boy. Mike had to talk with George but George saw the concern in his father's eyes and told him, "We can't let him go into the system. He needs family not strangers." Mike agreed to foster him, with George insisting that Mike adopt him as his own son. Mike reluctantly agreed, not wanting to fight his son and not having the heart to tell the little boy no later on. George's brother was was exactly like his brother which made Mike's transition to being a father of a young child again much easier. He was a few months younger than DJ Lopez and was actually friends with him. Melanie and Dan helped Timothy to get used to George and Mike but once he was shown that they were going to care for him Timothy took to George and Mike as only a young child can. George and Jenna spent a lot of time helping Timothy adjust to being around so many people. He got used to calling the male adults, "Uncle" and female adults, "Aunt" but struggled not to call Deborah, David, and Patrick, "Aunt" and, "Uncle." Eventually with DJ's help, they were able to get him to see Mike as his father and not an uncle or any other kind of adult. Mike's heart melted the first time he heart Timothy call him, "Daddy", with George fighting hard not to laugh at Mike's tear-filled expression. Timothy missed Amelia but with time he accepted that he had a real family now and Mike was a good dad. George and Jenna proved to be capable parents through caring for Timothy and had the others complaining that they made them look bad. Stacy and Rebecca being the biggest complainers as they had years of practice at being big sisters towards DJ yet George and Jenna were naturals. The others wisely didn't make mention of it lest they tempt fate and cause something to happen to bring about parenthood for any of them years before they were ready. Madam Pavlova's school was shut down immediately after the investigation into the school began. She lost nearly all of her students as her claims about her resume was shown to be inflated and half of the companies she claimed to work for sent her cease and desist letters which were forwarded to each of the parents by Mark. When her claims about sending students on to elite dance troupes were shown to be bogus, she lost all support from the remaining staunch supporter as they learned they really had nothing to gain from supporting the woman. Pavlova faced criminal charges for child endangerment and abuse. She refused to believe that she had done anything wrong and openly criticized the students in court. When the prosecution showed her a picture of a severely underweight girl Pavlova called her fat. That child was shown from another angle and she was stated as being anorexic and barely able to hold down any food due to Pavlova's constant claims of her being fat. Her parents didn't realize what was happening what was going on with their daughter until it was too late. She died shortly after the picture was taken, which was the final straw to the jury to convict Pavlova. Parents who had previously insulted Amanda for being transgender were suddenly begging her to let their daughters join her studio. Amanda had a long memory and she told them, "You horribly insulted me, calling me a freak and a threat to your children and you honestly expect me to forget all of that just so your children can dance again? As much as I would appreciate the new students, I do not want that kind of hatred and bigotry in my school as I don't trust you to shelve it for sake of your children. I'd rather take the financial blow than endure the chance that your bigotry may infect my school." Amanda's reputation among parents grew as her standoff with former Pavlova parents got around. She did let a dozen girls join, all of whom were given the supposed, "Discount" but were shown to have been lied to. They were eager to show their abilities but learned quickly that the Pavlova style was wrong and Amanda's slow and personal style was much more in tune with their personal abilities. The girls did well and working with the younger girls they were able to enjoy themselves more than they had ever had before. They were surprised that the fun part of dance was emphasized while the technical and endurance part was not focused upon until they got into advanced classes. The parents of students who were rejected threatened to sue but backed off when Kennedy confronted them about what grounds as she had every right to refuse their daughters based on their parents' personal issues. They tried to argue but Kennedy swiftly pointed out, "I do this for a living, so if your lawyer can find a law regarding discrimination and unfair business practices that I don't know about and use it to his or her advantage then by all means try. I know for a fact there isn't one and you have no grounds for a suit. Go ahead and try, it's your money you are wasting." None filed, they simply moved on to other dance studios. Amy's feet eventually healed enough to allow her to participate in the recital. What is more, around that same time her weight was no longer considered a danger and her special diet was lifted. Richard still suggested that she give herself additional calories and carbohydrates on dance days just to supplement her normal intake. She had steadily gained weight and started to naturally fill out so that by the end of the school year she was skinny yet still had thighs and a butt that was close to that of Stephanie and Al. Amy had to deal with a new threat- boys. Oscar was a good influence on her and as the boys saw the two of them grow closer and the group have more dates Amy became a target for boys' affections. She had to repeatedly turn down offers from 7th and 8th graders who saw her as an easy conquest or who thought they could muscle Oscar away from her. Oscar had several fights and won all of them thanks to the training that Michael, Reed, George, and Eric gave to the boys. Word got around that Oscar and Kyle were not to be messed with and Amy was out of their league. Al got some interest from boys who saw her as easier to obtain than Amy but Kyle kept close to her and with his reputation of being able to to defend himself she was seen in the same light as Amy- untouchable and dangerous to your health if you tried to fight for her. Stephanie and Trina were inseparable and multiple parents took offense to their relationship. Dorothy just grinned and pointed out the district's LGBT guidelines and supported the girls leading to a battle of words and at least one lawsuit, a lawsuit lost by the parents and that caused other parents to back off. The couple were unaware of the issue and were kept in the dark but Raul wisely told the two that they should never be alone and to stay close to Oscar and Kyle whenever possible. The ballet recital was a big hit as Amy and Al proved to be great background dancers and the younger girls gained confidence knowing that the tweens were going to dance alongside them. Trina did well as one of the lead dancers but she still had a ways to go before she could be a soloist. She also proved to her mother that she loved to dance but did not want to make a career of it. It was fun to her, but her heart lay elsewhere. Virgil again helped out with preparations for the recital, working with the girls then getting a small background dance with the girls. He was joined by Junior, who wanted to help out his new mom and show that boys can dance too. Amanda had to hold back tears as she watched the two during the recital, explaining to parents who asked about him, "He's my son." Sarah Jones had gotten to Amy and Donald's medical records directly with the help of the Suffolk County District Attorney and through mutual agreement Donald and Amy agreed not to sue their former state in exchange for there being a complete and comprehensive investigation into the Lees' friends and associates. The head of social services and the district attorney in Amy and Donald's former hometown went at Colby and Felicity's friends and associates with a vengeance. The combined group left no stones unturned and got search warrants and arrest warrants for dozens of people. Several members of a prominent country club that Colby was once a member of were indicted for perverting the course of justice with two being shown to have threatened a judge and an ADA, forcing them to drop any charges against Colby and Felicity. The judge tried to resign in disgrace but when his involvement was shown to be due to threats against his family the public outcry against those responsible prevented the governor from accepting it and actually led to the judge being promoted. Colby and Felicity escaped criminal charges in that state but this was due to Massachusetts and the federal government having much stronger cases against them. Their associates saw their assets seized by the state as restitution to Amy and Donald as well as seeing their families humiliated in public. The country club that they were all members of was forced to sell to an anonymous buyer who, in turn, donated it to the state for uses as a school and home for troubled children. The first administrator was the doctor who had initially tried to help Donald and Amy and prosecute Colby and Amy. Amy's and Donald's doctor was in a heap of trouble once Valerie put Sarah on to him. Sarah examined Amy's records and found inconsistencies and outright lies. When he was questioned about the issues by the state he clammed up and refused to cooperate. This lack of cooperation led to a criminal investigation by the DA's office. What they found caused the ADA overseeing the case to seek criminal indictments against workers at the office The secretary overseeing the office was given immunity in exchange for testimony and showed them where the doctor kept his real files, leading to an appalling find. The staff at the office were forced to break multiple rules or face being fired. Nurses were unqualified and by rule routinely left patients unattended, specifically children. Eventually one of the nurses broke with the staff and confessed to the doctor taking payments to ignore abuse and forced employees to sign confidentiality agreements that had stiff penalties for talking to any law enforcement official, especially regarding his practice. Amy's file in particular was shown to have been altered. He never actually examined Amy and the only times he actually saw Amy he quickly wrote out a prescription for whatever fit the symptoms of whatever illness she appeared to be suffering from at the time. The nurses were kept away from Amy, and the doctor was suspected of doing some immoral things with Felicity while Amy sat in the waiting room under their supervision. The best thing to come out of the investigation was the doctor embellishing his accomplishments. He wasn't a general practitioner nor a pediatrician, he was a sports medicine specialist who failed his sports medicine and general practitioner certifications. In essence, he didn't have the clearance to practice medicine in the manner that he was practicing let alone examining children. The nurses were no better, they were either fake or hadn't been registered with the state. The nurses received stiff fines and barred from performing any similar duties. The doctor received multiple years in prison for fraud and abuse and would be barred from practicing medicine in any state due to his failure to report child abuse. Valerie successfully sued the doctor for malpractice and won a substantial reward for Amy's pain and suffering as well as Donald's emotional and physical abuse. The amount was partially matched by Gabby, who set up a trust fund for them so they would be able to buy their own homes when they graduated college. Colby and Felicity Lee were in a legal limbo. They were in and out of court multiple times as they were indicted and arraigned by state superior courts and federal district court over their criminal activities. They were adamant that they were innocent but the amount of evidence was overwhelming and was the main reason for taking several months for the final indictments to be reached. Both acted like they were better than the other prisoners in the jail. The problem was they had no money to pay for a lawyer and when the truth got out they found themselves having to put up with constant abuse from the people they talked down to. Colby even got into several fights, losing all of them and ending up with a broke nose and cheekbone as well as a severely damaged ego. The deputy sheriffs did little to stop the inmates from dealing out their own justice, Colby's charges were stiff and Todd had ensured that they knew all about Colby and Felicity's real life. The two stood trial first on state charges. It didn't take long before they were shown the evidence that they knew would get them sent away. Donald's marks and Amy's bony frame irrefutable. They tried to claim it wasn't abuse and that Amy starved herself and that Donald hurt his arm playing around but it was shown that the bruises could only come from Colby and that Felicity had gotten a doctor to sign off on starving Amy as well as the open criminal investigation in their former state and that the starvation and abuse had gone on well past where any competent person would have intervened. The jury didn't take long to convict. The state courts sentenced them to a combined 20 years in prison, each. The shock that they were not going to win left them scared, they knew they were never getting out of prison once the federal government got through with them. The federal courts wasted little time and went at them from all sides. Colby's involvement was well documented and his attempts to hide the evidence was shown. The jury was visibly sickened as they saw they used their children's bedrooms as hiding places and they tried to remove evidence after they had been evicted by their children following their removal by DCF. The worst part was the blatant hauling of classified documents from Natick to Winnisimmet. Shown pictures of the evidence in plain sight as they were arrested for violating their restraining orders and assaulting three minors, they were banged to the rights. The fact that Colby tried to cover up his actions by placing the blame on his coworkers with one being specifically targeted specifically because he was openly gay hit the jury hard. Colby and Felicity were each given long sentences of 35 years in prison. The kicker was that they had to serve the entire term, there was no early parole and even though they could get out in less than 30 years with good behavior they still had to serve their state prison terms. In essence, the two had been sentenced to life in prison by default. Colby and Felicity were in deep trouble with the bank that they took their loan out of. They were in default and Colby had to cash in the rest of his 401K and retirement savings to pay it off. He tried to say that since the kids owned the house they should be the ones to pay off the bank but the bank had tried this already and were shown that they had no right to take the house from them nor were the kids liable for their parents' mortgage. The money that they had squirreled away in secret accounts was in the hands of Amy and Donald. Beverly was true to her words and had gotten them all of the money cleared without taxes as it was their parents' responsibility to pay the taxes. Greta Nelson and James York made smart investments and had $7 million that was in the account split up across a wide array of investments with the remaining $1 million put away in a trust fund for them. Donald and Amy were awarded the $5 million offered by the government for finding the leak at Colby's company as well as for finding leaks at other companies that were directly linked to Colby Lee in the past. Gabby immediately put it away for them, with it basically being saved for their future children rather than themselves. The government didn't try to fight them over the award, what they were able to do because of the information they got from Colby's arrest was used to further dozens of prosecutions across the country leading to a cascading effect with the courts. The missing link in many of those cases was Colby and Felicity, and through them there were dozens of convictions. The pageant money that had been wasted by Felicity was found squirreled away in a secret account. She had constantly refilled it by having her husband give her money. In essence, the account was untouched and since it was officially owned by Amy she was free to take control of the $250,000 in it. Gabby put this into another trust, this time telling her, "This will be for your children, unless you want to give it to Oscar." Amy grinned, but told her, "Leave it aside just in case something happens between us. If we stay together until we marry then he deserves it." The former Lee home was checked over and had nothing to fix. Donald and Amy agreed to sell the house to David Peterson in the near future, with David telling Gabby, "Mom thought I might need my own space now that Deborah and Patrick were home." He didn't know that the real reason she suggested it was Emma's pregnancy but that was for him to learn on his own. The sale, though, hinged on him and Emma getting together but few in the family believed that he wouldn't- not with a baby on the way and David all but begging for information about Emma from Nichole, Ethan, Nigel, Karen, Bryan, and Hannah. And as for babies...well Tanya York and Emma weren't the only ones having one. All of Zeke's little swimmers were still powerful and Gabby found the Bollinger family growing larger after missing her next period. Zeke nearly fainted when she told him, he was crying into her shoulder as he thanked her for making his dream come true. Jessie, Courtney, Donald, and Amy all knew this would happen but it was still exciting to see their parents happy over their shared offspring. That April had been a tough and adventurous time for members of the Finn Family but they expanded yet again and changed even more lives in the process. Two new happy couples, three families that became bigger, six children who had new loved ones, and six kids who found love at a young age but who were on solid footing for the future. It was your typical time in the Finn Family. The End.