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Chapter 7 Katie was unsure how to respond from this ghost from her past suddenly appearing in front of her and her girlfriend. She had tried hard to disassociate herself from everyone she knew except her parents, Louis and Tamara Reagan. Even though it had been 19 years since they had seen each other Melanie saw right through the changes to herself and confronted her head-on as she always did. Alison Eliza was caught in a conundrum. She knew Katie's history but she also knew her impact on the girls of the Finn Family. She was powerless to intervene and hoped that Melanie had good intentions on confronting Katie in the office like she was. She didn't want it to affect the girls and didn't want Katie to take this impromptu reunion the wrong way. Melanie was nearly in tears, she held out her arms and offered a hug to her longtime friend. Katie reluctantly accepted her gesture while eyeing the two girls who were clearly with Melanie. Melanie finally told her, "You need to meet these two young ladies, these are my nieces Jaimie Finn and Kylie Pena. You have no idea how much you mean to them." The names were striking. Jaimie immediately asked, "Who is this woman, Aunt Melanie?" Melanie smiled widely as she proclaimed, "She is the woman I told you about the night I first met you. She is Katie Benson, the woman whose courage to become the woman she needed to be in high school caused your dad to help you become the girl that you needed to be over five years ago." Jaimie immediately hugged Katie tight, crying into her blouse as she did so and repeating over and over again, "Thank you." Alison led Jaimie inside, with Kylie giving a nod of approval for Jaimie going first. Katie was at a loss for word but then realized something: she said Finn and Pena. Katie immediately asked, "Roland and Willie's daughters?" Melanie shook her head, explaining, "Willie is Kylie's father but Roland isn't Jaimie's father." Katie gasped in shock, proclaiming, "No, she is John daughter?" to which Melanie smiled and nodded at. Melanie had to explain, "You always thought that he was offended by you, that he didn't like you and kept away from you because he disliked your becoming a woman. Well, that couldn't be farther from the truth, he cared about you and kept his brother away from you. You know how he was with words, he just couldn't talk to you without it sounding horrible and having everything he said get twisted to mean something else. In his logic, it was better to shut up and help from afar than to try to speak and offend you. He really did care about you." Katie asked about Kylie to which Melanie's face grew upset. Melanie explained, "You and her mother have a lot in common, in fact, you might be surprised to meet her. Kylie was abused and neglected and nearly died in a fire along with her older brother Reed. Willie and Kennedy were selected as their foster parents and grew to love them as their own children and eventually adopted them and their baby brother as their own." Kylie grinned and added, "Uncle John is daddy's cousin." Katie's eyebrow raised as Melanie had to explain, "John's aunt Victoria and uncle Jorge helped Willie out and decided to take him as their own son. Reed, Kylie, and their little brother Billy are related to Jorge through his niece Penelope. Be grateful that she went to the vocational school and not our school or what Roland put you through would feel like a vacation. She is just plain nasty and is serving the prison sentence to prove it." Kylie listened as Katie told about her life since graduation. Kylie had a big grin on her face as she blurted out, "Uncle Ricardo and Aunt Valerie did all of those things in court." Melanie grinned and added, "There are a few kids who will be dying to meet you and Valerie is going to flip. Seriously, you have no idea what you did for Ricardo and who you helped when you helped him. It's best to meet them as words can't do it justice." Jaimie came out feeling better and smiling at Melanie and Katie. Melanie hugged her, knowing that any more talking would cause her to cry again. Katie had to leave, but Melanie first told her, "Come by this address in a few hours. Trust me on this, bring lots of tissues as John and Willie will need them. Oh, and Paul will be off duty then so he will be joining us. I wish Juan was around but he is meeting with league officials in New York regarding his client skipping the All-Star Game." Jaimie softly asked Melanie after Katie had gone, "Is she really the one?" Melanie nodded, telling her affectionately, "She is indeed and she is just as she was before, only her body has changed. Katie is the same person who worked hard to help others but could not receive credit herself. Well, this time she will get the credit she deserves. Next Spring at our 20th reunion she is getting recognized. This will be a reunion nobody will forget. The six of us together again. No holding back, she needs to see that she is a great person who has done more with her life than anybody else has and that includes your dad." Kylie eventually came out and was all smiles. Alison asked about Katie and got a surprising, "We would love for you to go with her. She will need your emotional support. You know that we won't say or do anything that will hurt her but having the person she loves the most by her side will be a big help. She needs this more than she realizes and the guys need to see that she has been close by helping without any recognition or any of us knowing that she was helping us." Alison tried to refuse but Jaimie pointed out, "This isn't a conflict of interest or a situation where you break confidentiality, this is your personal life and as long as you don't talk about us as patients you are going to be free to talk to us as the children of people your fiance knows. Please? She needs you there. She won't show up if you don't come with her." Alison asked for the details then reluctantly told them she'd be there with Katie once she got off of work. Alison went home and was greeted by a crying Katie. Katie looked up and asked, "Why did they have to find me? I tried to stay away from the past for so long." Alison drew a deep breath then explained, "You spent a lifetime in denial. First about being a girl, then being all alone. You need to open up and accept that the past isn't what you thought it was and that people really did care about you as Katie back when you were starting to live as Katie. Your own father is heavily involved with them, I know this from meeting him years before I met you." Katie looked up at her surprised. Alison had to explain, "As you know Jaimie is my patient and the most successful person I have had as a client. I was invited to her 8th-grade graduation party and met your father. He never mentioned you but he was affectionate towards John and the whole group. The impact that John had on them was well known to me and Melanie's influence on him was clear. You told me about your relationship with her, well if John is even half the man he was in high school as he was that night then you made a big mistake in not being close to those who truly cared about you. Trust me, he is a good person and you have nothing to fear except all of them hugging you too tight. Oh, and Cat. You must always fear Cat." The two kissed and hugged as Katie's tears stopped flowing. Alison laid out a change of clothes for Katie, Jaimie's makeup had unintentionally stained her blouse and would be best to present her as the person she was not the person she pretended to be. A dark blouse, skirt, and sandals were perfect she thought, and she knew that Katie could wear a potato sack to the meeting and still be accepted with open arms by them. Katie was napping on the couch when Alison came in. She didn't have the heart to wake her so she let her sleep for another hour. She was so peaceful, she endured a lot of emotional turmoil from the abuse in school and this was causing old wounds to rip open again but Katie would never acknowledge it. Alison quietly reflected upon the past five years especially her time with Jaimie. She had to smile at the realization that Jaimie used a legal and psychological trick to get her to agree to the meeting. She smiled at the girl being so forthright and not afraid to tell you what was the truth. It was easy to see her as being a psychiatrist like herself, and one who would change many lives for decades to come. Katie was nudged awake 45 minutes before they were supposed to be at the Finns' home. Alison got her to take a quick shower and dress, showering together to, "Save water" but also calm Katie's nerves and show that she was going to be alright. Katie was always putty in her hands whenever they made love, but this time it was making love with a purpose. Finally, they drove themselves to the house and saw several cars parked with kids playing around enjoying themselves. Katie had a look that Alison knew to be longing and softly told her, "We will consider it soon. I want them as much as you do but first, we will get the wedding out of the way." Katie steeled herself as they got out of the car and walked over to the Finn home and rang the doorbell. Melanie answered it and ushered them in with Jaimie smiling as they came into her view. Melanie directed her to sit while she got the others to come in. John was heard saying, "You know I hate surprises" followed by Willie complaining about her using them for cheap labor while she got the easy job. Both entered the living room and saw Katie and immediately asked, "Katie?" Katie didn't know how to react, she just nodded silently. Willie grinned at Alison and asked, "When did you start dating Katie? We only spoke with your friend in February and the two of you are sporting matching engagement rings?" Alison didn't think they would ask but she admitted, "Two weeks after Marion spoke with you. We met through mutual friends at a club in Boston and hit it off." John now spoke, telling her, "That was Ricardo's engagement party. That's about as chance as you can get. Alex mentioned meeting some people but he never gave us any names, but we are certainly glad that you two met." The doorbell rang again and in rushed a group of kids and teens followed by Valerie, Paul, and Rachel Douglas. Valerie looked at the assembled group and let out a, "Hello Katie, nice to see you again." Katie was unsure what to say, John asked:, "You know Katie Benson?" Valerie countered with, "Not direct, Gabby told me that she represented her against Tom Lawrence. I was also in the car with Gabby when she delivered the summons to Tom. I think Kennedy should be here as I feel there's a lot to say and she should hear it as well." Kennedy was just about home and walked over after receiving the phone call. She did the same greeting to Katie only this time she asked, "I swear I have seen you before. I didn't see you directly when you were giving Tom his summons but did you go to Suffolk Law School?" Katie nodded, telling her, "I finished second in my graduating class behind a woman named Kennedy Eaton." Kennedy laughed, telling her warmly, "I guess you have me to complain about, it was easier doing financial law than family law. Your instructors were harsher than mine were." Paul asked about Katie's being there, unsure what he had to do with anything. Melanie politely told him, "I thought it would be good for her to see all of us again, especially as she was the one who helped Ricardo with all of the cases involving us the past three years." Turning to Valerie she then added, "And she was the reason why you weren't chosen to represent Ricardo when he sued for wrongful termination and brought down your old law firm." Paul grinned at all of that. He asked, "Does she know how many kids she ended up helping by helping Ricardo?" Katie didn't answer so Paul counted off, "Daisy, Sam, Virgil, Ethan, Donald, Iris, Rachel, Francesca, and Al. That's nine children through Ricardo. Then you have the other three that you helped direct when helping Gabby divorce Tom. So 12 children ranging from age 3 up to age 17. And don't even get me started on their boyfriends and girlfriends or we will be here all night." Alison quietly told her, "He is serious, you helped that many without knowing that you were helping them." Kennedy added, "You know Valerie and I were with Gabby the day you served Tom his papers, we were helping Ricardo as well each of those times in the same way you were but we didn't have the impact that you had. Your work paid off immensely and if not for you, we might have lost several of the children to abusive relatives or worse." Al walked in with Kyle, announcing, "The kids have showered and changed, we are going downstairs." Valerie swiftly told them, "Keep it G-rated, the kids are a bit too young to see you two making out." Al and Kyle both blushed while turning away. The twins and DJ came over and hugged their parents before going downstairs, to show that they had actually listened to Al and Kyle and to try to turn the monitor on. Valerie swiftly turned it off much to their annoyance. The other adults let out a laugh while Katie was stoic and Alison grinned at Cat's little act of defiance and sneakiness. Katie asked, "Who were they? The oldest two don't resemble any of you." Melanie explained, "The smallest was DJ, my son. The next two were Cat and JD, John and Valerie's twins. The elder boy is Kyle, Paul and Rachel's son. And the lovely young lady was Al Samuels, Jaimie's and my daughter Rebecca's boyfriends' little sister and Kyle's girlfriend." Katie tried to comprehend what was said while Margaret and Nancy came downstairs and were told where the others were. Valerie explained, "The taller one is Paul's daughter Margaret, the shorter one is Nancy Flynn, Kylie and Margaret's best friend." Katie could plainly see Margaret was the spitting image of her father but with her mother's red hair and freckles, with Paul grinning and adding, "She takes after my good looks, sadly she has her mother's personality." Rachel groaned and swatted him, adding, "You mean she has my looks and your personality." Katie asked about other kids, getting a smile from all of them. John explained, "I have a total of five, my sons Michael and Miles should be in shortly if they know what is good for them. Melanie has three, Rebecca and Stacy along with DJ. Paul has only Kyle and Margaret while Willie has Billy, Reed, and Kylie. Juan is still a bachelor but he works for your father's program so is like an uncle to dozens." As expected the boys walked in with Rebecca, Stacy, and Reed. All of them looked at the adults and seeing Alison quickly asked:, "What is going on?" John explained, "We were saying hello to an old friend of ours from school. Melanie ran into her at Jaimie and Kylie's appointment today. She is Dr. Eliza's fiance, so she is here as support for Katie." The five simply said, "OK" and walked on. Katie felt some relief to which Melanie told her, "They have come to expect the unexpected from us meeting with anyone. I mean they have met members of the Red Sox, the governor, even an ambassador so it 's not a big deal to them. And that reminds me, we are going to have a serious talk with your father about keeping you from us for all these years." Alison had to giggle as Katie processed what was said. Valerie explained to her, "One of those who was helped by John and the others knowing you is Miguel Toro's niece, and it was from him meeting John that he gave his full support for her to transition and eventually move out here." Melanie added, "Juan Alvarez is his agent, hired because Miguel trusted us and wanted someone who wasn't in the job for the money. He gets paid handsomely but only cared about getting Miguel the best deal for Miguel even if it is for less money. Still, $500,000 a year is pretty good money." Cat came upstairs and wanted to know what was going on. She looked around and considered them for a minute then asked:, "Is someone in trouble again?" Valerie picked her up and carefully explained, "This is Katie, she knew your daddy in high school and is responsible for Jaimie and Kylie and Reyna and Daisy and Sam and Nichole and Deborah and Aunt Amanda and Aunt Kennedy being part of the family." Cat looked at Katie and asked, "You used to be a boy?" Katie reluctantly nodded to which Cat hugged her and went off, knowing it was an adult conversation and not one for her to hear. Katie was unsure how to feel but the others were satisfied with Cat's curiosity being satiated. Valerie shook her head and proclaimed, "That was all she wanted to know, she doesn't want to know anything else. None of us were angry or crying so she knows you aren't here for bad reasons. As far as she is concerned you are what you are and what you were doesn't matter and if she likes you she will say hello to you or hug you, depending on how much trouble she is in at the time." The five teens came in and sat down, complaining that Al was beating them again. Jaimie asked pointedly, "Shouldn't you all get prepared for your dates?" Michael countered with, "Shouldn't you? We are all going to the same place." Jaimie forgot and ran off to get ready, with John telling her, "Don't go overboard with the makeup, it's impossible to get out of your shirts when the two of you got at it." The whole room looked at him as he said that. John gave a simple, "What? It's true. It's a pain in the neck treating her blouses before washing them. It's like those two spend more time necking than watching the movie." Katie felt better but one question was lingering. She asked, "What happened to your brother? The biggest reason for my staying away was Roland constantly tormenting me." Michael was quick to proclaim, "That bastard is in prison where he belongs. For all the crap he gave you he never stopped giving it to other people until dad and Aunt Kennedy got him to confess to a bunch of crimes. He also had Miles' dad killed and tried to extort money from Daisy before Ricardo and mom got him to back off." Katie's eyes went wide while Alison explained, "Daisy is his daughter. He was in prison and tried to use her to get a better deal and pay for a good lawyer. It failed badly. And Miles ended up in John's care by accident, Roland tried to do some horrible things to his own nephew and got a worse sentence because of it. Don't feel any pity or remorse, none of the members of the family do." Melanie then added, "Before you say anything about them, those people who created you ended up getting just what they deserve. That womb donor was fired by her employer, whose daughter-in-law just happened to become my sister. She used her clout to have her terminated. The sperm donor went too far and couldn't be protected by Victoria Williams anymore and was put in prison and a chunk of his stooges fired and put in jail alongside him. That's how Willie ended up as the chief of police and how he ended up with Kennedy as his wife." Jessie, Courtney, Christina, Thomas, Rick, and Scott Nelson arrived for the teens' dates. Jessie and Courtney were surprised to see Katie there but were told quietly, "We'll explain later." Gabby didn't say anything about Katie being there, she simply said hello and picked up Al and Kyle for their double date with Amy and Oscar. After the teens left Katie said they should be going. The three kids came up to say goodbye with Cat hugging Katie. Valerie grinned and told her, "I told you she was alright with you, just don't let her trick you into getting her anything." Outside Katie was in tears. Alison told her warmly, "They are great people, I told you they would accept you for who you are. It's almost hilarious that you were so close yet so far away over the past three years. You had a huge impact on their lives without ever knowing that you were doing that." Katie tearfully told her, "I was so afraid. John was just so aloof and distant. Melanie was always the nicest to me but I could never tell if she felt sorry for me or not. Willie and Paul were always close and I can't tell if they were friendly with me because of Melanie or if they liked me. It was just easier to push away and pretend nobody existed once we graduated." Alison softly told her, "They won't let you do that anymore. Those are some of the greatest people you will ever meet and your father was right to tell you to stick by them but you didn't listen to him. You are going to see them a lot, you can't be involved with Ricardo and Alex without dealing with John and Melanie or any of them anymore. Trust me, you are their newest family member and they won't let you ever be alone again. They are your friends, they never stopped being your friends." Chapter 8 Katie had trouble sleeping that night. John was no better. He got up in the middle of the night and had to get something to settle his nerves. Jaimie followed him downstairs and sat with him as he brewed a cup of tea for himself. Jaimie finally asked, "Why did you avoid Katie?" John had tears in his eyes and confessed, "I was afraid that I would say or do something that would cause her to do something horrible to herself. Roland was a terror to her and the more he acted up the more I had to step in to help her. I tried to talk with her, I even tried to get Melanie to be an intermediary but whatever I said always came out wrong and it hurt me to see her think that I was trying to make her uncomfortable. She needed people to help her and all I would ever do was say something dumb to her so I just stopped trying to talk to her. I never stopped caring but I just couldn't see her hurt because of what I had said to her." Jaimie tried to figure out a way to respond but the only thing to come out was, "You tried. It's more than most people did. You were helping her even when she didn't know it. She needed more help than you could give, and what help she could get was only available outside of school. Dr. Bell did good things with her, but she couldn't help her in school like you tried to do." Valerie was awake now and listening to John speak with Jaimie. Her heart stung listening to him relive those painful memories especially knowing that there all a misunderstanding between two people who were deeply hurt and needed one another. Katie turned out great but her journey wasn't easy and in her mind, Katie needed people who understood her and would care about her. She had to figure out how to get her to accept them though. Jaimie hugged John tight and kissed his cheek, she was emotionally drained despite her date with Rick. John directed her upstairs, telling her, "This is my problem, not yours. I know you love me and your aunt but we will set things right on our own. She might need to get to know people who are like her, I think Kennedy and Amanda are the best people to help her. You have more important things to worry about, like getting your cousins to listen to you about the wedding." Jaimie walked past her mother and quietly told her, "He's all yours, I tried." Valerie took Jaimie's place and hugged John tight, rocking him back and forth while his nerves calmed. He softly asked her, "Did I screw up? Did I cause her to feel that way about herself?" Valerie kissed his cheek and admitted, "Some people are so against the world that they see trouble even where there isn't any. She thought she was all alone so she kept everyone at arm's length away from her. You tried to help, that is all that mattered. She learned the truth and we won't let her feel alone again. Alison Eliza clearly loves her and knows us well enough to know that we are there for her as friends if she needs us." She led him up to bed, trying hard to keep him calm. He fell asleep after a while with Valerie falling asleep only when she knew John was down for the night. They woke up late the next morning with the kids already fed by Miles and Michael. They knew what happened overnight, with Miles telling them, "The twins have a play date with Nigel at the park, you can do what you need to without their distracting you. Rick already said he and Jaimie aren't going out today so she doesn't need to do anything and Hannah called to tell us that she and Paige will be coming by to talk with Jaimie." Melanie called to confirm that John was up then came over with Paul and Willie to go over to see Louis Reagan. Valerie stayed behind, knowing that she would get a visit from Katie shortly as Alison was not going to let her wallow in her own self-pity. Kennedy and Amanda were told to come by, they needed to speak with Katie and nail down that she was perfectly fine being around them especially as she was with people who transitioned at the same age that she did. Over at Louis Reagan's home, Tamara greeted the four. She sighed deeply and asked, "So she finally found you?" Melanie corrected her, telling her, "I found her by accident." Tamara shook her head and told them to sit as Louis expected this to happen at some point. Louis walked in looking upset and fearing the worst. John didn't look him in the face but asked:, "When were you going to tell us that Katie was still around?" Louis quietly admitted, "It wasn't my place to tell you anything. She wanted privacy and I had to honor my word to her as her father." Melanie fought back anger as she blurted out, "Do you know how much fear and anguish you caused her? She felt like she was all alone for who knows how long. She may have done something horrible to herself thinking that she had nobody else when any of us could have been there for her to help her out." Louis sat down and explained, "I have kept in constant contact with her. She was depressed for the longest time but she coped with it and thrived despite it. Even when she was fired twice for her past life she kept going forward. She was no different than you, John. I would never let you hurt yourself and I would never let Katie hurt herself. She has friends in Ricardo and Alex, give them credit as those two kept her sane and if not for them she would never have found Alison." Willie spoke, asking, "When were you going to tell her about us? You know how much she meant to us and all that we all have because of her. I wouldn't have Kennedy or the kids, Margaret wouldn't have Nichole or Kylie, John wouldn't have any of us, and Melanie would have lost Dan. She needed to know that she had changed so many lives without ever having met any of our loved ones. It wasn't right to keep her from us and not let her know that she deserved thanks from all of us." Louis smiled and pointed down at the phone. He hung up on the caller then announced, "She called me just before you came. She felt that you might have second thoughts about her so I kept her on the phone and told her to listen quietly. She needed to hear all of that from you with no indication that you were saying things for her benefit. I meant every word, I respected her privacy and yours. I couldn't tell her without your word and I couldn't tell you without her word so it was both canceling each other out. I am sorry but that was what had to happen." Paul shook his head. He quietly muttered, "Sometimes you are too honorable. The only way for any of us to get together with her was for her to encounter us at some random point and time. The only place that we would all be together would be places she would not be at and the one place she would be only a couple would be invited to attend. Unless by some chance Alison invited John and Willie to her wedding as escorts for Jaimie and Kylie there was no shot of us ever encountering her." Louis was silently nodding. Tamara sighed and admitted to them, "I was going to force her to apply for a job at the Early learning Center again and get Valerie to help her get it. She is fully qualified to teach and has experience but was blacklisted by that vile woman Ms. Mead. That would have been your way of reconciling with her. You would have been helping her, John." John had to think then asked, "Does she still want the job? That woman who taught Daisy and Faith was retained by the skin of her teeth but I don't think she will make it past the first week with Virgil being the boy that he is. There is no way in hell someone with her qualifications will be ignored by us any longer and sure as hell should have been hired years ago." Louis was smiling now. John asked, "What?" getting a hearty, "You just found your way of showing that you truly do care about her. Start the preparations, she won't ask for help but I'll force her to accept it." Tamara added, "She is stubborn as she always was but she isn't stupid, she just needs a kick in the right direction and we will do it for her." The four left, telling Louis that they would let him know as John had to make some phone calls to certain people in the union. John was on a mission and would get what he wanted. Willie and Paul snickered at John's determined look and quietly told Melanie, "That's the John we know and love, that's the one that Katie needs to see again." Over that the Finn home, Amanda Kelly sat with Kennedy. The two greeted Katie as she rang the doorbell. Amanda introduced herself and immediately hugged her, explaining, "The girls were right, you are gorgeous." Kennedy told Katie to sit as they had something to discuss. Once they were seated Kennedy asked, "What do you know about me?" Katie bit her lip but Kennedy insisted. Katie blurted out, "You work for the Attorney General, you are married to Willie with three kids, we were classmates in law school, and you are friendly with Ricardo. Other than that I don't know anything about you." Kennedy grinned and replied, "We are more alike than you realize. Both Amanda and I were born male but transitioned when we left home. We both went to college, she studied dance while I studied law. We both had our surgeries after graduating college. I met Willie in college and was close to him but didn't tell him about myself until we finally admitted that we were in love nearly four years ago. A year and a half ago we were asked to foster Kylie and Reed and fell in love with them instantly. Kylie is like us, she is a girl inside a boy's body and is following in my footsteps but doing what we could never do." Amanda continued, "I was hired by a dance company after I recovered from my surgery and danced for several years before I was outed. I got a huge settlement from the producers and the troupe and was able to open my dance studio. It was through our friend Gabby's help that I was able to meet and fall in love with my husband and become a mother to his son. Junior is the best son any mother could want and William's father, mother, and sister are amazing people." Katie gasped then asked, "William Kelly? Skinny Willy?" Amanda nodded, then showed a picture of the family all together. She grinned as she told her, "Dad lives across the street, we are trying to get mom to join him so they can finally be the couple they should have been. Beth and Ben also live across the street next door to Kennedy and have the most amazing daughter and charming son. Their daughter Francesca is dating Donald, one of Gabby's kids. Michael, Reed, and Kyle are dating the other three." Katie saw the loving smile on Amanda's face. She asked her warmly, "How do you deal with so many people?" Amanda admitted, "It takes a bit of time but they truly love one another and treat each other as families should. The kids have suffered in one way or another and even those who haven't have someone in the family who has." Kennedy piped in with, "Kyle isn't Paul's son by birth, he is adopted- twice. He was originally Paul's nephew but his parents gave him up when he refused to dump Al as his girlfriend. Stacy's boyfriend Scott is his parents' nephew but he was systemically abused by his biological father and placed in their care. Jenna Connors lost her father just after she was born and saw her family abandon her mother and herself when they chose to support Jaimie as Jenna's friend. And Stacy and Rebecca have seen all of their paternal family members turn their backs on them for doing the same as Jenna." Katie started to understand. Kennedy finally told her, "The kids see you as someone who is just as much a family member as anyone else and even more so since you were the one who made John, Melanie, Willie, and Paul see that you are a person who is simply born different." Amanda hugged her and announced, "Welcome to the family." Valerie kept out of sight of Katie but was told:, "You can come in now Valerie, you didn't need to hide." Katie kept herself together enough to ask her, "Why are you going through all of this trouble for me?" Valerie sat next to her and admitted, "For John. He was worked up last night over your reaction. He has always cared about you and seeing you broken up over everything was bringing back painful memories and causing him to revert back to being the anxious boy you knew in school." Kennedy told her, "The man wears his heart on his sleeve and gives the shirt off his back to those in need but he can clam up and take things to heart when he sees someone he cares about in obvious pain. You saw him at his lowest, I only saw him nearly inconsolable once and several times when Melanie and the others had to calm him down. Valerie can tell you about the other times." Valerie explained John's previous six years particularly the event that made their family- John's court hearing in Newhall, MO. The reaction of John and what he was willing to give up for Valerie and Michael's sake was the reaction that Katie knew all too well. Kennedy then added the times Reyna and Nichole were severely hurt by others, requiring an early gender reassignment surgery then the times Miles and Reed were hurt. The more they talked the more Katie saw that John was still John, time and wealth hadn't changed him. Amanda finally added, "He had more going on that you realize, what you must have endured from his brother was nothing compared with the things he was doing at home to John." Katie finally saw that she was not going to be hurt by John. She asked about their kids as a sign that she finally accepted the truth and was inundated with pictures of the kids and their friends. They were so busy looking at the pictures that they didn't notice their kids returning nor did they hear the groans as the kids realized what they were up to. Katie was lost in thought and actually loved the moment, it was as if her suppressed anxiety evaporated and was replaced by glee. Looking at some of the old pictures of John she asked why John, Cat, and JD looked so different. The other three giggled and Valerie explained:, "That's Bryan and Hannah, John's niece and nephew." Kennedy added, "I don't think you are quite ready for their tale net, but maybe tomorrow when the ladies are over for a pre-wedding meeting." Valerie added, "They would love your input, and if you just happen to have a few stories about John they won't mind getting some new dirt on him." Amanda then added, "The boys are going for a short trip down to Connecticut and leaving us to enjoy a spa day and planning, you should come since it's going to be all of us and there is no way they won't let you stay home especially as Alison is invited to the wedding already." Katie agreed, it sounded like fun and there was no way they would let her out of it. She added a solemn, "I guess it's good that Melanie ran into me yesterday, it would have made a meeting at the wedding embarrassing. And Alison did tell me a few things about it, something about the ladies being important but not much else." Valerie grinned and slyly added, "You got the lady part right" causing the other two to snicker while Katie didn't get the joke. Valerie calmly told her, "Karen, John's sister, is an English lady. Nigel, her husband, is the heir to a title and estate complete with large manor home as well as several smaller homes in England. He adopted Karen's son and daughter as his own children thus making them a real live lord and lady, Karen did the same with his daughter making her our niece. They just adopted a lovely young woman who will also soon become the niece of Melanie and I as she is marrying our sister Lilly's son." Katie giggled, telling her, "It makes it sound like a soap opera." The others laughed with Valerie adding, "Oh, believe me, there is a lot more to it. They adopted his nephew after his parents both died, one by ill health caused by her husband refusing to get her medical care and treating her like a trophy wife while the other was murdered in prison while awaiting trial for multiple criminal counts. And to top it off his brother got him and his daughter ousted from the family for letting his daughter dress as a girl, all in a ploy to steal his brother's claim to the title and sell off the estate to fund his criminal business." Katie's mouth dropped open. She quietly asked, "She is like us? Your niece?" The three nodded silently with Kennedy adding, "She as hurt by Billy, Kylie, and Reed's biological father and brothers as she tried to protect Jaimie from being murdered by them. It made her lifelong dream come true." Katie asked what the name of the people who attacked were. Valerie spit out, "Vincent, Albert, and Kevin Clarence." Katie's face went white, she mumbled softly, "Oh dear god not them." Kennedy asked what was the matter. Katie softly uttered, "I am Kevin's cousin. My womb donor is a Clarence by birth, she is his aunt." Kennedy laughed and hugged her. She looked at oddly but Kennedy proclaimed, "There is no way in hell either Willie or I am going let you get out of being part of things around here. You are blood to them, and family to Willie. Get used to being called 'Aunt Katie' because they are going to be calling you that from now on!" Chapter 9 Katie was feeling the strain of her past catching up to her despite Alison's assurances and the group showing her both kindness and love. She called on her parents at their home to let them know what happened and to hear what happened after he hung up on her earlier. Louis was pensive but her mother was happy to hear about the reconciliation and acceptance of the family by Katie. Louis finally found the courage and told her, "John heard about your situation regarding your firings and is going to use his weight to get you hired." Katie tried to say he shouldn't toss his money around for her but a smile on Louis' face changed her tune, Tamara added, "His money is irrelevant. What he is tossing around is his clout within the teacher's union." Louis shook his head and announced, "I guess they never mentioned that but John is not just worth hundreds of millions of dollars, he is also a fully accredited teacher with a full-time job teaching at Winnisimmet High School. His real clout is the respect and admiration his colleagues have for him. The principal of the Early Learning Center will receive a notification asking why she has retained a troubled teacher who is still in her three-year probationary period and who has been caught verbally harassing and ignoring students, a non-retention offense, when a teacher who has more experience has been ignored by the school." Katie was stunned. Tamara grinned at the revelation adding, "If he had known that you were seeking a job he would have gotten it for you. It wasn't as a personal favor, it was as a person who was the most qualified for it. And you should know something else, he has a vested interest in you getting the job. Your second-cousin Tanya's son is in the class and we all know that he will be the one to cause a spark to set in motion her dismissal after the first day of school. He is still upset that she wasn't fired before but will see to it that she is fired now." Katie was intrigued. Tamara realized her mistake but Louis admitted, "We should have told you a while ago, this was my fault. You may remember Tanya Raymond from school and her dating James York? Well, she is now married to James York and a neighbor of John and Melanie and is the daughter of my cousin Joshua. Her daughter was one of the girls who was helped thanks to them knowing you and her son Virgil is quickly taking after his father James even if he doesn't realize it." Katie uttered a simple, "Sam" to which Tamara added, "She was born with male parts but unlike the other girls hers was a true birth defect as she has ovaries, Fallopian tubes, a uterus, and vagina hidden behind a semi- working penis but no testicles. Nobody knew that she was like that and the doctors who she was seeing at the time ignored the signs that she wasn't exactly as she appeared to be. They paid the price, they lost their jobs and had to give Sam $10 million in compensation for malpractice while Sam got her dream come true. But the key is that without you, she would have died with nobody knowing she was female because of the sepsis due to menstrual fluid building up in her body." Katie just sat back and listened in surprise. Louis sensed that she needed to think so he told her, "Tanya, her sister, James, and her parents are coming for dinner tomorrow night. I think it best that you talk with them, Sam, and Virgil. Astrid is a lovely woman who will not let you wiggle out of being family to them. And before you say anything Joshua and Peggy have known about you since the start and he was the one who told me to help you even if it meant adopting you as my own. I made a pledge to a friend long ago and he made me abide by it by forcing me to help you." Katie was confused, asking, "I thought Tanya's mother's name was Ingrid?" Louis let out a laugh, explaining, "She is but the woman was hated by her daughter for her horrible actions. She abused the kids and tried to kidnap them when Tanya was in a coma and being cared for by James." Katie's eyes went wide, Louis nodded with Tamara adding, "You did more than just help your friend, you helped your family. He didn't know that you were family which was why Valerie was involved in helping Sam and Virgil directly and not you. She would have given you the lead in their case and worked with you to ensure it was resolved quickly. Hell if you were involved we would have had it finished in days instead of weeks." Katie started to see just what was going on. She couldn't run away from them anymore, she was too involved in their lives already for anyone to allow her to fade from them. Louis added a soft, "You are a part of a bigger family than you realize, I encouraged you to stick by the four of them in high school then I encouraged you to stick by Ricardo when you two became close for a reason. You are Aunt Katie to a lot of kids, and you are a sister to many adults. You are more of a family member to most of them than their own family is or ever will be." Katie's thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell and Ricardo, Alex, and their foster daughters Eve and Sydney entering. Last inside was Eric and his girlfriend Jessica. Katie immediately fell silent as the girls sat down while Tamara pampered them and Eric and Jessica tried their hardest to keep from making a comment about them being so energetic. Over in the living room, Alex and Ricardo were waiting for Katie to make her inevitable trek over to them. Once she did Alex informed her, "Our foster daughters are going to be visited by someone they don't want to see- a woman by the name of Carol Shaw. She was tracked from Virginia to here and last seen talking with the state troopers out of the South Boston barracks. She tried to get them to assist her in taking the girls away so they could return to South Carolina but it was futile and they passed her information along to Kennedy's office for investigation into her." Katie sat down and tried to think, she wasn't used to this kind of situation. Ricardo added, "She stole a truck and planted evidence that it was done by a group called the Davis Family, supposedly the people who were involved in the corrupt county that Kennedy and the Johnsons ripped to shreds last month. We know for a fact that they have been up in Maine for the past three weeks setting up their specialized school. Shaw has someone helping her down in South Carolina and we are ensuring that it gets properly investigated before the kids get involved." Katie saw the girls enter and Sydney, the elder girl, gasped, telling them, "Kay Kay! She went to see Kay Kay!" Katie carefully worded her question as she asked her, "Who is Kay Kay?" Eve was in tears as she told them, "She is Sydney's twin sister." Sydney was in tears telling them, "When we were taken away she was moved to Virginia while we went further inland. Kay Kay doesn't know we are alive, she thought we were killed when Ms. Shaw took her away. She ended up in Virginia and the Davis family were trying to help reunite us before Ms. Shaw fled from Mr. Davis' lawyers." Katie was feeling tears well up as she asked:, "What can we do?" Ricardo softly told her, "We have to talk with their sister's family. The girls should not be split up, their sister needs to know that they are alive." Alex added, "She deserves the truth, and the girls deserve at least a chance to live a normal life." Louis quietly uttered, "You two were going to adopt the girls, why give them up now?" Alex shook his head in disbelief, almost shouting, "Because it's the right thing to do. Amy and Donald are family but this is their sister, Sydney's twin sister. You can't split up a twin, you wouldn't do that with Bryan and Hannah nor with Cat and JD. They need to be together." The girls nodded silently, their tears drying up as the adults talked. Sydney finally told them, "I want to try to see her at least once. If her new family doesn't want us then we will stay with you but we need to be with Kay Kay." It was settled. Alex directed the girls into the dining room followed by the quiet Eric and Jessica. Katie saw the defeated look on Louis' face but Kate told him, "They want what is best for the kids, even if it means they won't be parents to them." Louis nodded, adding, "I just hope that you learned a lesson here, they love the girls and will let them go to ensure they have a better life." At home, Katie told Alison about the day. Alison quietly nodded, to which Katie took to mean that she already knew about Kay Kay. Alison softly told her, "It's times like this that I hate confidentiality but it is needed. The girls need closure, all three of them." The next morning John was up early as seven boys rang the doorbell looking for him. Bradford was right behind them, well rested after an evening meeting with Quentin, Greta, Sarah, and Mick. He added, "The little one is so quiet we hardly knew he was there." John grinned, adding, "He has the lungs of a banshee when he needs a diaper though, just be glad he didn't need one or you would be needing a hearing aid years before you may need one." Ethan and Junior were told to go with Bradford while John took Reed, Oscar, Raul, Kyle, and Neil with him. This was a guy's day and the guys were all together. Oscar was the one with the least amount of time around John but John treated him like all of the others, much to his pleasure especially as the others told him he had to call John, "Uncle John" instead of, "Mr. Finn." The group drove for two and a half hours until they hit Danbury, with a brief stop in Hartford so they could release some pent up nervous energy as well as have a quick snack and drink. The boys were enthralled by the variety of trains and equipment but Raul and Reed weren't too thrilled. They were polite and knew that this was all about the kids, not them. The two also knew that the stop was for Neil more so than anyone else. The day before they had tried to get out of the trip but with Eric and George busy with Sydney, Eve and TJ they were out as an option. The alternative was a day with Dorothy Vega and her nieces, Juanita and Carmen. While beautiful and lovable, they weren't exactly what the boys thought as fun especially as they were busy trying to find jobs. So given the choice between a trip with John or boredom at the Vega home, they chose the trip. John drove on to East Windsor to visit the museum there, this time geared more towards Junior. Raul actually liked the museum, the vintage fire trucks that were there intrigued him. John thought he saw a spark of something in Raul but kept quiet, with Reed boldly telling him, "Maybe you ought to think about firefighting since you like the trucks." Their final stop was Windsor Locks and the air museum at Bradley Airport. Ethan's face lit up as John told them where they were going after a brief lunch. Reed called someone and got a big grin on his face as he told John, "Uncle Peter said we need to stop by Westover Air Reserve Base. He refuses to let us go back East without saying hello and seeing the base and saying hello to his favorite nephew." John grinned as he knew that it would be a rare opportunity for the kids. Bradford was told, "Peter is an Air Force Security Forces officer assigned to protect Westover Air Reserve Base, he also happens to be close friends with Willie and Kennedy. It's actually on our way anyway so it isn't much of a diversion." Peter greeted them at the main gate and vouched for them as they signed in. John's badge draw some grins as Reed had to explain, "Dad asked Uncle John to join him when the people who used to run his department were thrown out and left it undermanned. He doesn't do many arrests though, he mostly just gets coffee and types." John shook his head as Peter laughed, with Peter telling him, "Those folks are actually worth their weight in gold." The group was given a guided tour of the base with Peter's subordinates happy to help out. They weren't able to get up close to any of the airplanes but there were huge KC135s, C5s, and C130s on the tarmac so the boys were able to see them just fine. They got a nice treat as the F15s from the Barnes Air Guard Base were flying over for the base for a training flight leading the boys to stare in awe with even Bradford grinning as the fighters got in a formation as they flew off to their destination. Peter asked John what was going on in Winnisimmet getting an odd look. Peter showed an all points bulletin regarding a woman who was heading towards the city looking for two boys dressing as girls. John was furious as he recognized the names, but kept his cool and admitted, "They are in the care and custody of two friends of ours and as they didn't tell me about it I think they have a plan. Willie and Kennedy will be involved so you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be a big fight. What I can tell you is one of the people involved is a federal agent and he will not rest until those children are with the people they need to be with." Bradford asked what was going on, seeing the concern on John's face after talking with Peter. Bradford had Reed and Raul take the boys off for a few minutes, both agreeing with the boys knowing not to resist. Once out of hearing of the adults Reed carefully explained, "I overheard what Uncle John and Uncle Peter were talking about. Eve and Sydney are in danger and Uncle John is telling Lord Bradford what is going on." John couldn't lie to Bradford and admitted, "There is going to be some legal trouble for two friends of ours, Ricardo Ramirez and his husband. Their foster daughters are being sought by a vicious woman who is wanted for multiple serious crimes in another state and is trying to get at the girls. This is worse than Jeffries, this woman is a cold blooded killer with connections high up. But she made a major mistake, she is going after people under the protection of my family and with enough firepower at our disposal to ensure that she fails and ends up right where she belongs- in prison for life." Bradford could see a part of John that he hoped not to see again, the man who flew across an ocean and ripped a court apart with his words all while not batting an eye at the outcome. John let out a sigh and admitted to Bradford, "She could win the girls if she talks to the right person in social services or the right judge. I have to hope that Alex and Ricardo are able to get to the courts before she does." Bradford assured him, "If Ricardo is as determined as he was for Ethan then that woman will not stand a chance. He was tough fighting for someone he barely knew, to go after his children? Well, I fear for anyone stupid enough to do that." The group ate dinner with Peter's group. Peter regaled them with tales of the antics of some of the pilots, ground crew, even some of the base firefighters. The boys were loving the stories while John used the time to relax and calm himself after the stressful revelation earlier. When they were finished and cleared the table Peter gave Reed a big hug and told him to not be a stranger while telling John, "Have a little faith in Vincent, Daniels, and Jones. That woman had better hope that the staties find her before those three do. We may not know them directly but we know their reputations and those three are not to be messed with by anyone." The group left in silence. Reed tried to lighten things up by offering to drive and was shocked that he actually got John to let him drive. Raul groaned that he was lucky, but John grinned and pointed out, "He will be eligible to get his license in October and has his learner?s permit, he could use the practice. Besides, you will get plenty of lessons from us in another year a half. You only just turned 14." Reed did well driving, much to the surprise of the boys. Bradford saw the way John's car was driving and when they stopped for a short break in Worcester asked what happened, getting a grin and finger pointed at Reed as he got out of the driver's seat. Reed told him, "I wasn't that bad, although dad won't let me drive without him wearing a helmet and shoulder pads." John took over as the group drove home where Ethan hugged Bradford goodbye. Bradford told him to keep an eye on John, to which Ethan added, "I already told Aunt Valerie and she knew about it already. Everyone is on the lookout and the girls are staying with the best people possible, Great Uncle Jorge and Greats Aunt Victoria." Ethan's words somehow didn't resonate with Bradford. Ethan had to explain, "They have the best network of spies around, anyone suspicious in the neighborhood is watched and if they try to do something like try to take the girls they meet with a mob of people in seconds. They have done it a few times before, they know what they are doing." The look on Ethan's face caused Bradford to see that he wasn't joking. Bradford was unsure what to think, this was a serious situation and the way they acted it was as if this wasn't anything to worry about. The words, "A few times before" rang in his head, the family was unique but to have had this kind of situation happen in the past was a big shock to him. He would have to think long and hard about what was happening. In the car heading towards Winnisimmet John told the boys, "Don't talk about what you know. This shouldn't be spread especially to the younger kids or your sisters. Oscar, this is one thing I think you shouldn't tell your parents. I'll do it myself, they need to hear it from me." As they arrived the Pierces were already waiting with Paul and Rachel. John sent the boys inside then explained to Graham and Riley, "There is a woman on the hunt for two girls who are in the care of Alex Vincent and Ricardo Ramirez. She is dangerous and will be seeking to use the law to snatch the girls. If you see someone claiming to be a social worker get their name and take a picture of their identification, then text it to Mark and Anne. They will be handling this directly." Riley asked pointedly, "Is it serious?" John nodded, adding, "She is wanted for several counts of murder but so far has dodged law enforcement. She made a mistake in going to the state police here, and even worse in leaving her getaway car in their custody. The man that she tried to frame for the murders was found to be innocent and the only fingerprints inside belonged to her. Since she will be looking to get information on the girls that's why I told you directly, she will go after easy pickings and being the newest people to associate with us you are easiest targets." Graham grinned and told John boldly, "Alright, I think Anne and Mark should compile a list of trusted and vouched for social workers to be in contact with. And I think she should talk with some of her colleagues outside the area so the word gets around and they can catch her in the act or in a sting." John could see that Graham was doing his best tot think of this as a business consultant would and had to admire the fact that he could adapt this serious situation to his professional life so easily. Riley was silent but broke it, adding, "She may be foolish enough to hire some muscle. I hope the girls are able to get to a safe place." John nodded, explaining, "It's been taken care of. They have some of the best people possible looking after the girls. Anyone foolish enough to try to get them by force will be met with even greater force. Nobody attacks someone under the protection of Jorge Castillo and succeeds." Chapter 10 While John was driving south with Bradford and the boys, Katie was not looking well. Her mind was on the girls and her friends. Ricardo was upset while Alex was ready to tear that Shaw woman apart. Alison tried her best to calm her but even she had trouble. Alison fully understood why Katie was upset and agreed with her about Shaw, but there was little they could do until she made a mistake. The two drove to their second meeting with all of the ladies at the Finn home. Alison and Katie were introduced to the adult ladies, with Lilly hugging Katie tight while Tanya tried her hardest to remain aloof. Her sister Astrid though was ecstatic to see her while the others gave them some space to get their family union over. Lupe and Reyna sat next to Katie and thankfully didn't ask her any questions. Katie did see some looks between Rachel Sylvester and Reyna and understood that they were more than just friends but not quite ready to admit their feelings. She remembered the same looks at her age only it was coupled with her longing to be female, Reyna thankfully didn't have that problem. It was cute and when Reyna got up Lupe casually mentioned, "I know what you are thinking and she is in denial about her feelings. She thought she liked boys but after a couple of bad dates when she tried to kiss them and let them fondle her the feelings of intimacy and lust weren't there. Rachel, though, brings out the best in her and she somehow gets Rachel to get out of her bedroom and enjoy life and see things as the others see them." Leslie came over and asked what they were talking about, noticing the glances at Rachel. Katie felt embarrassed and admitted, "I was just noticing the looks between your daughter and Lupe's daughter." Leslie smiled at hearing that, telling Katie warmly, "We give it a couple of weeks before they finally get together. They are just so good together and once they stop fighting their urges they will be perfect for one another. They deserve some happiness and they are happy together." Reyna came in just as Leslie said that. She saw Rachel listening as well and walked over to her and walked out together, leaving their mothers concerned. Rachel?s sister Iris followed her sister but came back a few minutes later with a big smile on her face. She wouldn't say what happened but Katie could see that she was texting as she came in. Leslie and Lupe looked at one another and had wide grins as they finally realized that their daughters had stopped fighting their urges and gave in to their affections for one another. It was all thanks to Katie taking notice of the girls' reactions to one another. Katie's attention soon turned to Valerie who beckoned her over. Valerie had her sit with Anne Connors and explain what was going on with Ricardo and Alex. Anne listened intently then stated, "She will get a set of handcuffs slapped on her if she tries to get the girls through my office but I can't say the same for my colleagues. I'll talk with the other office directors right away to head her off before she can act." Valerie added, "Mark will be your contact for the girls, it is my professional opinion that you represent them while Alex and Ricardo are sorting this mess out. You know them and they trust you but you are far enough away from the girls to act in their best interests. I would have done it but the girls need someone who knows them better than anyone else. I also think it best for the girls to stay with you and Alison so they are safely away from the action. We will say that they are staying above the Castillos which will prompt Shaw and whoever she gets to believe her story to try to take the girls from there, where the trap will spring." Katie grew concerned and asked, "Have you done this before? This is too quick to be off the cuff." Valerie grinned and admitted, "Several times. In fact, it's four, maybe five times by my count. It's why the place stays vacant, it's a sanctuary, a hideout, or a trap depending on what is going on." Leslie came in and added, "People have tried to kidnap and/or murder the residents once while Mark stayed, once while Iris stayed, a few times while Sam and Virgil stayed, and once when Deborah stayed. Each of them failed directly, Deborah sadly was kidnapped when she was dropping off Avery at school. The time with Mark ended up happening when we were elsewhere but appeared to still be there and if we weren?t gone they?d have murdered us." The ladies tried to focus on something else while Anne made her phone calls. After an hour the guests of honor entered followed by Ophelia, Emma, Deborah, and Sheila. Katie was introduced to all of them with Hannah being surprised to see Katie there after hearing about the stilted meeting with her uncle. Lupe had to tell Katie that it was Hannah and Paige who were getting married, with Katie nodding in acknowledgment. Katie then asked about Emma, noticing her little baby bump showing. Lupe then whispered, "She is Hannah's new sister and Lilly's future daughter-in-law. She is a lovely young woman who is not much different than any of us, she needed a family and was beloved by the Smith children and by demand of all five of their children Karen and Nigel adopted her as their own daughter." The women went over some of the usual things regarding the reception with many agreeing on floral arrangements and centerpieces while arguing over colors for the dresses for the girls and teens. Katie was silent as she felt it wasn't her place to talk but she was surprised to see Alison getting involved and smiling at some of the ideas. Katie made sure to note the ones that Alison liked with Lupe telling her, "Careful or you might end up getting Jaimie to arrange your wedding." Katie whispered back, "She is doing great, I might have to actually take up that challenge." Once the plans for the day were over with the ladies enjoyed a rest before heading to the spa for their treatments. Katie was forced to go by the two brides, all knowing that unless they forced her to Katie would have gone home. Alison quietly talked with them when Katie was distracted by Leslie and Lupe so they knew exactly why she wasn't too thrilled to go and made every effort to include her. Claire, Jenna, and Christina ensured that Katie didn't get a chance to decline the treatments with the girls telling her that she couldn't refuse a bride's request. When they were alone with her in their small room changing for their seaweed wrap treatment their eyes were glued to Katie's body. Katie was self-conscious and tried to cover up but there was no way of doing that. Jenna cautiously told her, "We didn't mean to stare, it's just that you are so beautiful." Claire added, "You have to admit that you look better than our mothers. Don't tell them we said that though." Christina added, "We know what you were and are used to seeing Jaimie and Reyna and now Deborah but you look the best out of all of them." Christina realized her mistake as soon as she said it. Claire diffused the situation by explaining, "Deborah just had her surgery in March. We are so used to girls who were born with that birth defect that it is second nature to us. You never got to experience being around other girls, but it doesn't matter to us what you had it is what you have that matters. No more self- pity and thinking we are going to try to sabotage you, Aunt Katie. Understand?" The, "Aunt Katie" was deliberate and targeted at her heart. Jenna caught on and added, "Aunt Kennedy said you were related to Uncle Louis and he is family so you are as well. All of the adults are aunt or uncle, so get used to being called 'Aunt Katie' by us." Christina added, "Jenna should know, she started the whole thing." The girls snickered and barbed one another while Katie relaxed. They were adamant and the impression she got from the family was that once they decided on something there was no changing their mind. She asked about the whole tradition and much to Jenna's annoyance the story of John actions regarding Jenna's first period gave her a laugh and warm feeling that the man truly was the same scared yet caring boy she knew all those years ago. The seaweed wrap became an exfoliating rub then a massage and finally a mud bath. Katie felt a lot of stress being relieved from her muscles while the girls tried their hardest to not smile as she started to show the tension being released through sighs and light groans. The girls talked with Katie about a lot of things and she saw in them a lot of things that the ladies talked about the day before, only with the perspective of the girls' innocence. It was heartwarming and touching, and the fact that they called her, "Aunt Katie" only added to the good feelings. Eventually, they had to rejoin their mothers. Katie and Alison talked a little while they gathered their things and Alison could instantly see that Katie was almost a new woman due to the three girls. She asked what happened only being told:, "They called me Aunt Katie." The tears in her eyes clued Alison in, the girls had been at their usual caring selves only targeting Katie's heart this time. It was exactly what Katie needed and from the look on her face, she loved it. The fun didn't last as Alex and Ricardo were waiting for the group as they arrived back at the Finn home. Katie quietly asked, "They found her?" Alex shook his head to which Anne asked:, "You have an idea?" Looking at Katie he calmly asked, "Can you house the girls for a few days while we work on getting Shaw? Valerie's idea to hire you is going to be expanded to get them away from trouble." Katie couldn't come up with an answer so Alison blurted out, "We will do it. Do what you can to keep them safe." Turning to Katie she added, "Don't say no because they need someone they trust and that is you. They aren't my patients so there is no real conflict of interest, they need help and we are the best people to help them." The ladies started to disburse while Katie was asked to remain. Tanya walked her across the street and introduced her to Sam and Virgil then reintroduced her to James. She knew what to expect but Sam and Virgil were happy to meet her while James added a simple, "Time was good to you, maybe it'll be good to Tanya as well." Tanya groaned and swatted him, adding, "Is that any way to treat the mother of your child?" She then showed Katie her carefully hidden baby bump and received a big smile from Katie. James added a soft, "Uncle Louis has been trying to get us to name the little one after him but we have to wait and see who comes out first, Emma's or Tanya's baby. The elder gets to be Louis, the younger gets to be Walter. And if either is a girl the elder gets to be called Lilian or Tamara but we think it'll change to Lilian and Ophelia now that she was adopted by Karen and Nigel." Katie smiled brightly. She warmly told them, "Knowing dad, he said that so the winds of fate will be both being girls." Tanya grinned at that, she whispered, "The kids and I want a daughter, Emma wants a little girl as well." Jame grinned and added, "And that's why I think it'll be a boy for us." Sam insisted on Katie telling her everything about Louis and Tamara as they rarely come around to visit. When she did so Katie then asked about Joshua, Peggy, and Astrid. Tanya explained as much as she could with the actions of Ingrid Raymond causing her to seethe in anger. Katie simply added, "Dad kept that away from me, I should have helped you out." James shook his head, insisting, "He didn't know at first and when he did he went right to the one person who could put an end to it. You would have been too emotional, you did your best without knowing it. Besides, you are the one who found the exact rules and regulations that destroyed that beast's case against me and ensured she would never see the kids again no matter what she tried." Katie walked back over to the Finn home and greeted the ladies as well as the young children. Cat sat herself in Katie's lap hugging Katie and quietly listened as the adults planned the outfits they?d wear while Hannah and Paige quietly took notes. When it came to Katie wearing something she opted for a pants suit in the color scheme. Cat asked her warmly, "Why not a dress? You look so pretty in one." Cat's words caused all of them to stop and stare at her. Alison had a big grin and whispered to Valerie, "I have been trying to get her into a dress for months!" Katie tried to find an excuse as the ladies all started to look for the right dress for her. Cat smirked at her mother and aunt, she knew exactly what she was doing and why. The only one who didn't suspect something was up was Katie but even she had warmed up to the idea of a dress now that Cat had told her how she felt she looked in it. Cat walked away after hugging Katie and was quietly informed:, "Remind me to get you something nice in England." Cat grinned and blurted out, "I want a cabbit!" Valerie asked what that was, being told by Cat, "Ethan and Nichole showed me one on the TV, they are a cat and a rabbit and cute." Karen then whispered to Valerie, "I think I know what she is talking about, we may have to look in some specialty shops. She deserves it." Katie finally agreed upon a dress that fit her style and was the same color as the ladies' dresses. She looked at the price and made note of it only to be told firmly, "You aren't paying a penny, Uncle John is paying for everything. You only have to be there, and you will be even if we have to drag you there kicking and screaming." The smile on Hannah's face showed she was joking but the sentiment was clear- she couldn't refuse the offer. Katie kept quiet as the other women made their own selections and compared dresses. Among themselves, they agreed that Katie's was the nicest looking and she would be stunning in it but none wanted to upset her by telling her that. Once the others had left and only Leslie, Karen, Paige, Hannah, and Emma remained Katie asked about Melanie, Lilly, and Valerie claiming to be sisters. Karen answered for them and admitted, "It's because of Roland. People outside the family don't know about him being the father of Claire and Daisy." Valerie felt the need to go further so Karen stopped. Valerie drew a sharp breath and added, "If you remember Ricardo being involved in a tough custody battle two and a half years ago a month before Sam and Virgil's battle, well that was because of Daisy. But it is further complicated because Lilly isn't her biological mother, she was actually adopted by her She is the half-sister of Patrick and David as well as the half-sister of Claire. Claire is her biological daughter, she met David and Patrick's father when she was pregnant with Claire and he raised her as his own while she adopted the boys as my own. We felt that it was best to sever all relations with Roland and that included his claims to Daisy, which he was forced to do." Katie had to think. She then blurted out, "That's why she was with Christina and Jenna. She's blood to Hannah." Karen nodded, adding, "She is also Jenna's closest confidant and the counter to her boldness. We knew you would be uncomfortable with them but you needed to accept the girls as being genuine and they were the best ones for the job." Hannah grinned and added, "You are technically our aunt so you had to go. Uncle Louis and grandpa and grandma were close so being his daughter you are by default part of this. And don't think anything from Roland ended up being part of Claire or Daisy, they may be Roland's daughters but they are nothing like him and are more like mom than him. They got his looks but they also look more like Aunt Karen than him." Karen snickered as Valerie added, "And they are all nothing but trouble to their brothers, it's one thing that sets them apart from the other girls." Karen added a quick, "Thankfully they use their powers for good not evil. Well, that is unless you count getting their brothers in trouble by tricking him into doing their dirty work. Cat and Hannah are masters of that." Valerie then continued, "John and Melanie were always close but it was tough to constantly explain that Melanie and he were like brother and sister and the kids considered them aunt and uncle to one another. So my parents decided to adopt Lilly and her as their daughters and give the kids grandparents who would love them and end the whole explanation of both. I am trying to convince them to do the same for Mick Jones so Michael no longer has to talk about the sperm donor Mick is related to." Karen and Leslie both looked at her funny. Valerie let out a quick, "Oops" to which they all laughed at. Katie and Alison snickered at the reaction while Katie understood more. The ladies barely noticed the time flying by until Deborah returned to fetch Emma. Once Emma was gone Karen explained, "Emma is a darling and I am happy to have her as a daughter. The poor girl never knew real love until we came along. She is going to cause a stir in her former hometown but it'll be worth it to finally be rid of those horrid things she called parents." Karen was about to explain further when Ricardo and Alex entered with Eve and Sydney. The girls were looking glum and Katie expected the worst. Ricardo produced a summons to family court and Alex bitterly informed all there, "Shaw found someone stupid enough to believe her sob story and not bother to do a background check on her. Anne was lucky enough to convince Judge Perez that this was a serious situation and the girls' lives were in danger which is the only reason they are still with us and not being hauled away. Officially we have to turn them over to her but the judge issued a declaration requiring a full hearing and declared that the girls were to remain in our care until Monday. She will be in contact with South Carolina's legal people to get a clearer picture of what is going on." Valerie's face grew red as did Katie's. Both said loudly, "She won't win!" The girls turned to both and saw the angry looks and were scared but Katie calmly told them, "We have some people who will set things right. You are coming with Alison and myself to stay away from Shaw until Monday You don't have to worry about a thing." Katie then turned to Valerie and declared, "Until further notice at the request of a higher person in the DCF I am taking custody of the girls while their legal situation is handled. Ricardo and Alex are not to contact us until Monday." Chapter 11 When John arrived after dropping off Oscar and Kyle he was immediately told that the girls had gone to ground and would be out of touch with Alex and Ricardo for their own safety. John nodded, telling Reed, "You and Michael will have a play date with the girls. As much as I'd like Eric and George to join you they are too close to the girls and Shaw will be smart enough to keep an eye on the two alongside Alex, Mike, and Ricardo. She won't let them get to court on Monday, she will go after them tomorrow." Miles came in at the right moment and offered to help, with John agreeing provided he gets approval from Eric and George. That didn't take long as Miles had been working with Reed on self-defense and learning some basic martial arts strikes to take down larger people in case of something like this. He secretly feared that he would have to use them to protect Jaimie but was more than willing to use the things he learned to protect Sydney and Eve along with Katie and Alison. Family was family and those four were part of the family until they weren't. Jorge and Victoria were told to make things look like people are occupying the building, using the plan used when Mark and Leslie fled. Neither said a word about why, they agreed and set about fussing with the windows and lights. He suspected that Shaw was smarter than the average criminal but it was worth a shot and if Shaw took the bait the kids and boys would be safe from harm. John texted Katie to inform her, "Reed, Miles, and Michael are coming for support. If things are going to get bad enough they can handle themselves. Keep eyes open for at all times when going out. Do not answer the door and get badge numbers of all cops at door. No officers are to assist per court order." Katie texted back, "Girls are settled and are happy to have the boys over." Valerie grinned at reading that, asking the boys, "Can you put up with some games and even a makeover? The girls need the distraction and especially a bit of feminine fun." Miles nodded while Michael added, "Just make sure they have nail polish remover, Courtney keeps hiding hers when Amy wants to practice on me and I hate having to ask Jessie and Aunt Gabby for some." John simply grinned and told Jaimie, "If anyone comes to the door claiming to be DCF get their name and check their ID. Then call your uncle to verify. Do not let them inside the house nor answer any questions regardless of what they threaten you with. Anne and Mark are handling this, not anyone else and for them to threaten you is a big red flag and will be dealt with by us. It's unlikely that anyone will come by but just in case, remember what I just told you." Dan and James were alerted and James grinned at the news. He told John firmly, "Dad and mom will be happy to host the girls tomorrow so Katie can have some time off and the boys aren't overwhelmed. They have their own friends ready to help the girls, Astrid is owed a lot of favors from the neighbors especially the ones who moved into Al?s old home." The grin was devious and smart. James gave them a reason to be out of Katie's home while also giving them a neutral location to flee to in case things go south. Dan had to laugh at James' cunning, adding, "No wonder you earn the big bucks!" John added a solemn, "I still think that she will bide her time until she thinks she is safe, and that's likely dinnertime. Still, the girls should get out and have fun." Virgil and the girls knew best not to ask questions when the fathers were talking and Michael and Miles had clammed up when asked indirectly. There was something going on and they were not allowed to say, when that happens it is best not to anger the dads or moms. Rebecca did note that Eric has been strangely silent all day, with Stacy figuring out, "It's the girls! Something is happening with Eve and Sydney!" Nobody said anything after that, not wanting to think about what would have the whole family on edge especially Eric, Miles, and Michael. The next morning the boys drove to Katie and Alison's house in silence. Miles had shown to Michael that he could handle a typical hired thug and unless they got extremely unlucky and had a martial arts master in their group he could handle himself. Reed was focused on the task at hand and barely said two words since waking up earlier, much to Kylie's dismay. Sydney and Eve were happy to see the boys and Katie relayed that they were going out to visit Joshua and Peggy in Mattapan for much of the day. The boys knew exactly why they were going and smirked at the idea. The girls asked what was a Mattapan and were told warmly, "A neighborhood of Boston, it's very dense with lots of houses. You haven't seen a neighborhood like it yet, not even in this city." The girls were actually happy and Alison relieved that they were not upset at the sudden upheaval. The girls confided in her about their troubles and explained just how much Shaw scared them as they had seen so many kids hurt by her friends and family. They showed her the scars on their backs from the beatings she gave them and vowed they would run away rather than go with her. Miles empathized with the girls quickly earning their affection and getting their undivided attention. Katie was unsure what was going on but Michael informed her, "He is good with kids especially ones who suffered abuse. Reed, Jessica, and Courtney are our resident empathy experts and he is the best with the little kids. Reed does better with babies, just don't tell Aunt Gabby that or he might not date Jessie unsupervised again until both are out of college." Joshua greeted the group when they arrived at the Raymond home. He immediately hugged Katie and Alison and directed them inside. The girls were told to go play, with Astrid more than happy to keep their attention as she brought out the loving aunt for them. The girls played with Astrid for hours. Joshua and Peggy were seeing her getting more and more maternal every time Virgil, Daisy, and Faith visited. They could see that her biological clock was ticking and it was starting to get louder, which wasn't surprising to them since she was barely over the age of 30 and ripe for trying to find a husband to start a family. When it was time to leave the girls were reluctant to go but they had to return to Winnisimmet. Astrid felt a twinge of sadness as they left, to which her mother softly told her, "You should start looking for a husband. What about Todd Flynn? Your sister is pretty keen on him dating you and you two did hit it off when you danced at the wedding in February." Astrid nearly choked on her soda as her mother's comment caught her by surprise. Joshua shook his head in disappointment but had a smile at her not entirely dismissing the idea. It was a little motherly moment but it was one that was good for both. The girls took a nap as soon as they returned to Katie's home. The boys ate an early dinner and then stretched out, knowing that the time was getting closer and they needed to be ready for anything. Katie felt the boys' impatience and was glad that they were willing to put themselves in danger for others, they were exactly what she figured John's and Willie's sons to be. In contrast to the drama over Shaw, earlier back in Winnisimmet Ophelia and Bradford were invited to come along for support for Pete and Paige on a special trip that neither wanted to make but felt that the obligation to do so. The two needed to settle some long lingering wounds that needed addressing before the wedding. Pete hoped that his parents had given up their grudge against the Finn Family while Paige had hoped that her mother could reconcile with her grandparents. Paige sat them down and explained what was happening and why, "The Connors aren't mom's real family, they are actually Jenna's father's family. Mom kept close to them and they treated her like a daughter so she felt like they were her own parents. Mom went against her family by standing by Jaimie and Jenna's friendship at Jenna's 13th birthday party. She told them to leave if they were going to be insulting to Jaimie and when she was told to choose Jaimie of them she chose Jaimie. They haven't contacted her since and discouraged any of her relatives from doing so but I wanted to at least try to mend things with them. I know that they are old enough to make their own decisions but I hate seeing mom all alone." Pete took over and explained, "Uncle John and dad used to play little league together and Uncle John stunk up the place. It's stupid but he kept going after Uncle John any way he could, getting fired twice for refusing service to Uncle John at the restaurants he was the manager at and yelling at him for changing diapers in the family bathrooms at the supermarket he managed. He can never hold down a job for long and mom has had to work hours on end to make up for dad's constant screw-ups. Mom is angry at Uncle John for having everything easy while we had to work hard for everything. I know it is all a lie, Uncle John always worked to get anything he had and we were given everything by my grandparents and then the government when they died." Bradford asked about the fact that John didn't have a job for a long time. Pete shook his head and blurted out, "They didn't care, they found some other excuse to complain about him. I was barred from playing with Bryan in elementary school because mom didn't like Uncle John. We were always in the same classes but we couldn't become friends until high school and only after I decided to call them out on their actions and what they were doing to me." The realization was hard to take but there really were two people were so hate filled that they let reality go by the wayside as their one-sided feud brewed. Paige's family was no better but they had the excuse of age and old fashioned thinking to their defense. The two again saw why the family was so loving and accepting, the Connors were a family by themselves while Pete was truly alone with only his friend's girlfriend as family. Pete drew a sharp breath as he rang the doorbell at his former home. Hannah was by his side with Bradford and Ophelia behind them. Pete's mother answered and loudly proclaimed, "So you finally came to your senses and dumped that piece of trash." Pete pointed to Hannah standing right next to him and loudly told her, "We are getting married in a week and against my better judgment and all common sense I am here to ask you and dad to come. Whatever the hell you have against her uncle is ridiculous and is between you three alone. Leave her out of it or this is the last time you will ever see me as you sure as hell will never see your grandchildren let alone your only child again." Mrs. Orleans had to laugh at her son's stand. She thought it was worth a laugh and ushered them inside. She fully expected her husband to smack some sense into him but it was going to be a lot of fun no matter what. Bradford and Ophelia entered behind them, not wanting to leave the two alone with someone they already disliked. Bryan and Paige entered behind them, with both knowing they would be needed to calm the two others lest Hannah or Pete get too outraged and lash out, risking being arrested for assault. Pete's father entered and demanded an explanation. His mother explained, "He is still going through with that fantasy of marrying that piece of garbage. He said he wanted to invite us to the wedding and mend ties and if we didn't accept that piece of garbage as his wife we will never see our grandchildren." His father laughed then told Pete angrily, "Think you are a big man? Well, take this as your answer" to which he smacked Pete across the face. Pete got up, brushed himself off, and told the others, "I tried, they don't deserve us. They dare to call the Finns trash but they are the ones who are flinging crap around. Uncle John, and he earned that name by right and by my marrying his niece, is more of a man than you will ever be and Aunt Karen, make that mom since she has been more of a mother to me than you ever were, is the one person that I would gladly have as a mother-in-law over a genuine piece of white trash redneck like you. Goodbye and good riddance." His father was about to do something further but Bradford grabbed his arm mid-punch and pulled it behind his back. Pete's father was angrily cursing him out to which Bradford told him loudly, "You don't deserve Peter as your son. The man tried hard to show you that despite tossing him out on the street he still loved you and wanted you in his life. Well, he is mistaken. You don't deserve him in your life." Ophelia grinned as she told Pete, "Let's go, Lord Peter. Your children are better off never knowing these two pieces of filth." Ophelia then added, "For someone who is supposedly garbage my granddaughter is both rich and titled and living a life you will never enjoy." Paige grinned as she added, "Hannah is a real, live English lady and Pete is the heir to half of Lady Ophelia's brother-in-law's estate as well as a title of nobility. Your son is going to be an English lord, Lord Peter Smith, The Baron of Gosfield, and already has a nice chunk of money in the bank. And don't even think of trying to get at it, Lord and Lady Smith put all of his money in a secure account that you have no rights to. It's not even in an American account and the laws over there are far different than the ones here so any attempt to get at it will be dealt with harshly by the courts." Pete grinned as his parents heard the word, "Smith" in his name. Pete added, "I was hoping that you might be decent and accept that I love Hannah but since your idiotic feud that only you two seem to even know exists or care about is going to continue I want nothing to do with you and am taking Hannah's family name. She is a Smith, she was born a Finn and a Morris but she and her brother chose to become part of their stepfather's family and insisted on being adopted by him, taking his name. I love Hannah and take her name to show that love. You two are dead to me, don't contact me again." The group walked out as Bryan glared at Mr. and Mrs. Orleans. Outside Hannah hugged Pete tight, kissing him deeply knowing that the Orleans were watching them. She grinned at them, knowing that she was getting them angrier by the second. The next stop was going to be just as emotional. Christina, Jenna, and Anne joined them as the group descended upon the Connors home. Anne clutched Paige's hand while Jenna tried to quell her anger at the people who shunned her and her mom for years over their own ignorance and pettiness. Jenna clenched her fists in frustration as Anne rang the doorbell and waited for the answer. It felt like hours but it was merely a few seconds as Mr. and Mrs. Connors answered the door. Seeing their daughter-in-law standing there with strangers startled them but Anne asked if they could speak with them, hoping that they would be civil and talk like adults rather than elderly children. Mr. and Mrs. Connors let them in, leading them to the living room and quickly asked for an explanation as to why they were there. Jenna blurted out, "You know mom adopted Paige and her sister nearly three years ago. You should, you came over to demand that mom stops the foolishness and get rid of her and Christina. Well, Paige is about to get married and wanted to invite you two to the wedding as a gesture of understanding and hoping that what happened before is over and you have moved on. She knows that you refuse to acknowledge that she is a Connors but she still insists that we try to get you to go. She hopes that even your hard-headed attitude can soften by a bride's request." The two took time to process the request. Paige was on edge as was Anne. After thinking it through the two shook their heads in disappointment. Mr. Connors admitted, "I am sorry but the answer is no. You aren't family to us and you never will be. Anne adopted you against our advice and we firmly believe it was a mistake then and now. You carry our name but you are not now nor will you ever be family to us." Jenna shot up and blurted out, "You are either the most arrogant or ignorant people alive. We know that you are all alone up here. You lost all of your friends and none of your nieces and nephews will have anything to do with you. We tried to offer you an olive branch and you just won't take it. Why? Because mom had the guts to stand up to you, twice no less? Your relatives are right, you two are just immature brats. Mom made a mistake before I was born, she should have kept her maiden name. The Connors name is soiled thanks to you two. Thankfully Christina will carry the Finn name and I'll carry the Daniels name so none of our children will have to put up with being called a Connors." Jenna stormed out with Christina and Paige behind her. Bryan lost it and told both Connors, "Paige wanted to try to be a good granddaughter but you are simply too arrogant to accept that you were wrong. You were wrong four years ago and you were wrong almost three years ago. You don't deserve the right to be called grandparents by Christina, Paige, or Jenna. You broke the heart of the most loving person you could ever meet and pissed off the one lady who never gets upset about anything." Anne grinned as she told her parents, "It is too bad. You could have told everyone who abandoned you that you had a rich grandchild, one who is an actual English lady and carries a title, the Viscountess of Braintree. But you will never be allowed to call her that, in your own words she isn't family and never will be. Goodbye, mom and dad. Send the instructions for your burial to someone who cares because I refuse to handle any of your affairs when you are gone. I loved George but even he would understand my need to never deal with you again." Anne then added, "I also have to inform you that due to your violation of the terms of grandmother's will you have to forfeit the estate to the next of kin, Jenna. This is non-negotiable, I spoke with the executor of the estate and he has informed me that your rejection of Jenna and myself four years ago was a violation and until I inquired about it you had been living off the trust immorally and likely illegally. Expect a visit from him tomorrow, and expect a lawsuit filed by him to recoup the money that you spent. I don't need it but Jenna, as the direct heir, could. She may have her father's VA and survivor benefits but her great-grandmother's money is rightfully hers and it will do nicely to build up her nest egg for her own wedding and future family." Bradford then told the two, "We have seen some disrespectful relatives but you two are the worst." Mr. Connors demanded to know who he was, Bradford proudly told him, "I am Bryan's grandfather, Lord Bradford Smith The Marquess of Lincoln. Bryan is Lord Bryan Smith, the future Viscount of Braintree and a young man who has more money sitting untouched in his bank account than you have ever had in your entire life." Outside Paige was in tears but kept herself together. She hugged Bryan tight and told him, "Mom was right, it was foolish to think they would have changed." Bryan countered with, "No, it was you being a good person and trying to help your family. They made a mistake and refuse to believe they are wrong, they will die alone and forgotten by all but themselves. You have all of us and don't deserve to ever know anyone who doesn't want to know you." Jenna calmly told them, "To hell with them, and the two Orleans. You have real family, not people you are related to. Mom was right to stand by Jaimie, she is right to stand by you, and she is right to love you as her own. Mom made a mistake all those years ago, she should have retained her maiden name- Smith. You were meant to be a Smith by marriage and by adoption." Anne laughed at Jenna's statement. Bradford and Ophelia wisely kept quiet but were thinking, "Fate is funny sometimes." Bryan led them away while Hannah and Pete carefully admitted:, "This was a total waste of a day. Sorry that you missed out on time with the kids because of this." Ophelia found the courage to tell them, "You tried to include them and they chose not to see past their pettiness. You have done the same with Camille but we all know that she is beyond redemption and is simply biding her time until Alistair dies and she can do as she pleases. You four have done something hard and draining but you did it for the right reasons, don't feel sorry for yourselves get up and move on and let others who want to be there take their place at the reception." In the car Ophelia asked Anne about the estate getting a big grin and, "It is handled by an old friend of mine. I was not joking about the situation, he was quite upset as he had believed that my seclusion from the family was due to my own choice, not their rejection. He is very protective of the estate and will do exactly as I said he would. My in-laws are in deep trouble and will find out just how badly they shot themselves in the foot by alienating everyone else." Chapter 12 *the night before* Carole Shaw hated waiting. She had waited hours for word from her cousin Yancy Quill, a prominent political appointee in Massachusetts. She kept checking her phone but he didn't answer. This was not like him, he knew to answer it as soon as she called. Hours of boredom took a toll on her and she finally snapped, driving up to his house hoping to speak with him. What she saw that pissed her off- there was nobody home! What's more, there was a, "Sold" sign on the front lawn. Carole was at a loss for how to feel, her one hope of winning the two kids back through proper legal channels was blocked. One of the neighbors came out to ask what she was doing there. Carole thought quickly and asked if she knows anything about the former family that lived there. The neighbor shook his head and admitted, "They had a nasty divorce after the husband was arrested for several crimes. She moved out quickly and sold the house, winning it in the divorce and getting a nice sum from the jerk. She refused to tell us where they were moving to and had all mail stopped at the post office. If you are looking for her and the kids, they don't want to be found." Shaw walked away in anger, she waited all day for nothing. Yancy had to have screwed up badly to get taken down. She didn't bother to find out, she went right back to her hotel and stewed upon the past few weeks of hell for her, all because of that Davis family and those intruders from Massachusetts bringing her operation to a crashing halt. *South Carolina Four Weeks Before* Shaw hightailed it out of town once her cousins were taken down by those people from Massachusetts. Her stupid cousins had built up an empire in their county and controlled multiple major offices but they got too greedy. They knew that they couldn't beat the Davis family yet they tried. Thanks to that she had to flee as she was directly implicated in multiple crimes and had a bounty on her by the state. She had barely gotten off the farm via the hidden escape road before the State Law Enforcement Division(SLED) raided it, finding the kids and gunning down her idiotic brother and cousins as they tried to stand their ground and fight back. SLED found stashes of guns and ammunition and bodies that were buried in the fields, as well as all of the information she ensured was planted to nail them for everything while seemingly clearing herself. They would have all that they would need to go after her colleagues while she started a new life elsewhere with money she had hidden in secret bank accounts. But she wasn't careful enough. Shaw was caught on camera and by covert surveillance teams before the raid thanks to the neighbors' increased security. The kids squawked as soon as they realized they were safe and identified her as the real mastermind behind the farm while showing where all the drugs, guns, and money were stashed. Her usual threats and intimidation would no longer work, she was a marked woman now that the truth was revealed and the kids didn?t have to fear her retaliation. She knew that her cousins were idiots but being dumb enough to not see that the Davis family was very dangerous was simply unbelievable. They had too many people in their corner. A cursory check of her nemesis, Brenda Rowland, would see that she was a former classmate of Kennedy Pena and was well known to be above any kind of improprieties. Shaw had done it as soon as she heard that Rowland had brought in outside help and reading up on the others she brought with her led her to know that going after Davis was a lost cause. They should have given up and fled with their money intact but they stayed behind, thinking that they were untouchable. They weren't. Shaw wasn't as foolish as them, she took precautions and only fled when she couldn't stay any longer. Shaw had her escaped mapped out to let her get as far away as possible before all eyes turned to her. She was just angry that the two Lee kids were going to blow the whole thing open and she gave into her cousins' demands and let them live. They were with her the longest and saw everything, they had to be dealt with and the only way to do that was to get them back. Her first stop was at the local FBI office to drop off a package with the special agent-in-charge. While he was distracted she discretely talked with her contact and lover Clancy Wiggins. Clancy would run interference for her and get the police looking for someone else, particularly Mario Davis. If Clancy did his job right, Davis and his whole family would be ruined and she would be able to get away before anyone would connect her to the crimes or at least get the cases tainted enough to get out of any possible convictions. The one problem was the kids. Without them, she was going to be found out and quickly. Shaw had no choice but to scare them by going after their sister, knowing that they would do anything for her. Her next stop was a bank to which she used an ATM card issued in a false name and tied to an offshore account to withdraw $20,000 from her account across multiple branches. She then chopped up the card and melted it, ensuring that even if it was found it would be useless. Driving to Bristol, Virginia took almost two weeks as Shaw had to avoid major roads and highways and double back multiple times. She had to find hotels that accepted cash, easy enough in rural areas especially as she acted like a travel writer who was intent on giving good reviews. The best part was she often got the stays for free, so she was able to turn a one- day drive into a min-vacation while keeping the ruse up. She spent several full days in the mountains hoping that Clancy was able to put them onto Davis successfully. The one snag was her truck. Clancy carefully got the registration changed so that it was in Davis' name and if need be she would dump it and grab a used car. Clancy was the only person who had the number for her burner phone, and even then she would not answer it unless he texted first with the right code word. The dolt may have been a federal agent but he could be stupid at times and risked giving her up. The kid was home with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jack Hays, when Shaw got there. She showed her identification and came up with a brilliant lie about needing to speak with Kay-Kay about her sisters. Kay-Kay's face went white which was great for Shaw, she asked for and got permission to speak with her alone so she could hear whatever news she was about to tell her in private. With the adoptive parents out of hearing range, Shaw went right at Kay-Kay and boldly told her, "You remember what I did to your parents, I lied about what happened to your brothers. Those two freaks are alive and well and going to talk. I need them to shut up. I need you to shut them up for me. You are going to get them to stop talking and lie about what they saw. If you don't I'll have you ripped away from your parents and ensure that you never get another family. Understand that?" Kay-Kay tearfully agreed. Shaw lied to her parents about what she said by explaining, "I had to inform her that her biological family has been found deceased and her siblings have been kidnapped by two men and may be held for ransom. I know where they are heading and will ensure that we get them back but sadly they are witnesses to a serious crime so I am afraid that they will never be able to contact their sister again." Shaw drove off but Kay-Kay's crying didn't stop. Her sister had hidden herself in the room and heard everything. She told her parents, "That woman is lying! She wants to hurt the girls! Kay-Kay's parents were murdered by her and she wants to hurt them!" Kay-Kay was asked if it was true. Her parents never knew her to lie before so if she was saying it was the truth then it was the truth. They quickly called the police who ran the name through their law enforcement database and came up with a match. What is more the woman was wanted on serious charges including kidnapping, conspiracy to commit murder, and murder. They suspected that she was heading to Maine to confront someone up there but had little else to go on. Kay-Kay told them that her sisters needed to know. The officer then took down their legal names and contacted the South Carolina SLED for assistance, getting told that they would handle it from there as it was now a joint investigation. Further, they told them that the family would be visited by agents of the FBI who in turn would be interested in as much information as they could get. The next day Kay-Kay spoke with the agents assigned and immediately spotted something odd with one of them. One agent went to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Hays while the other tried to speak with Kay-Kay alone. As soon as he spoke she called him on it, saying, "I know you! You were with Shaw! You were there when my sisters were taken away and our mothers murdered!" The reaction of Clancy was quick and he struck her in the head knocking her out. He was going to try to strike her again to permanently silence her when his partner and a Bristol police officer prevented him. The officer handcuffed Clancy and dragged him out while Clancy's partner called his office and reluctantly informed the special agent-in-charge about Clancy's confirmed involvement. Clancy kept saying he would get them and he was above the law but each threat was recorded and would be used against him by the officers. They happily shoved him into a cruiser and advised him, "You were read your rights and thankfully you chose to give up that right so every threat is recorded and will be used against you. Enjoy your stay in Virginia, we don't take too kindly to people who harm children down here." Clancy was held in jail for attempted murder, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and other serious state and federal crimes. He was the key to how Shaw got away with so much while her cousins imploded under the scrutiny of the combined investigation of Kennedy Pena and Brenda Rowland. Shaw's phone immediately rang as she reached the Maryland border. It was Clancy and the code wasn't used. To her it was clear, Clancy was in custody and they were on to her. She had to make a break for it and headed right to Massachusetts and the two men that she had discovered were housing the kids. Upon arrival in Boston, she went to the nearest police station, one that just happened to be that of the Massachusetts State Police. Thinking that they were like her own state policing agency she told them that she was in need of some assistance regarding a kidnapping and that the kids were in danger. The sergeant on duty took her information, wrote some things down, then walked inside to speak with the lieutenant on duty. Something was off about the woman as she was going to a barracks for help instead of the Department of Children and Families(DCF) or the Attorney General's Office or even the local police department. The lieutenant ran the plates on the woman's truck and within minutes was told that it was stolen and suspected to be involved in a homicide. Further, there was a notation that the plate record had been illegally altered and the driver was to be held for questioning by the FBI. Shaw sensed something was off and asked if she could come back later then went off before she could get a response, seeing the sergeant reaching for handcuffs as he walked towards her. The lieutenant called the crime scene unit to come by to look at the truck, then notified the Attorney General's Office about Shaw's being in the area. It smelled like the makings of a cheap thriller but the lieutenant was happy to play a part in putting away a wanted criminal especially one who had ill intent for children. It took just a minute before his phone rang and Kennedy Pena was informed about what happened and what was said. She grinned as she listened, informing them, "If she comes back, arrest her. If anyone comes for the truck, question them. I have to inform the children's foster parents about this. You did a good job with what little you had to go on, the important thing is we know she is here and she knows that we are on to her. She will make a mistake." The crime scene crew arrived and found multiple sets of fingerprints, most were Shaw's but several of them were found to be Wiggins?. It was clear that there was no real connection to Mr. Davis so he was immediately cleared of all wrongdoing. The noose was now tightened around Wiggins as the local FBI office were notified and they, in turn, notified their South Carolina office. The Boston office was given the green light to take over the investigation given that they had fresh eyes and no connection to the suspects and there was an open investigation into the office by their internal affairs branch. Alex and Ricardo were told about Shaw being in the area. The news didn't faze them, in fact, they were expecting it at some point. The woman just disappeared, it was clear that she had help. They were just glad that she made a mistake before she reached the girls. Shaw had a plan in case the state police didn't do her dirty work. She immediately found a cheap used car online and paid in cash for it. The owner didn't care so long as he got paid. It was overpriced but being a run of the mill four-door sedan in a common color it would be hard to recall and even harder to pin on her without it being called into question. She went to the nearest DCF office and plead her case to them. The only person in the office was a young woman who was just hired right out of college and had minimal training. It was perfect for Shaw, she could use all the right buzz words and the woman would give in easily. The woman listened to Shaw's pleas and gave in to her persuasion. She called the on-duty district court judge and explained the situation as best she could, not knowing that Shaw had lied to her about everything. The judge asked for and received a written declaration from Shaw and with that read over the judge ordered that the two kids be turned over to Shaw and returned to South Carolina. Shaw held the order in hand and was just about to leave when the judge was told something by the clerk. Shaw was called back and told, "I am informed that your claims are being challenged by the Commonwealth and that you may be in legal trouble yourself. I am hereby ordering a hearing for Stanley and Sydney Lee to be held on Monday in front of Family and Probate Court Judge Perez and anyone involved is to appear before the court and state their business. The DCF has challenged your right to remove the girls before the hearing and I am agreeing with them, thus you are not to contact them in any way and your previous order is quashed and superseded by my new order." Shaw held her tongue and fled the courthouse as fast as she could before the officers tried to arrest her. She needed to get the girls before Monday and she needed to do it fast. There was nothing she could do legally so she had to resort to some of her old tricks. She would get them by force and she would hire some muscle to do it. So here she was, back in her hotel room seething over the failures. She still had a few tricks up her sleeve. Yancy was an idiot but he had connections to some unsavory people. She called in as many as she could contact, hoping that one of them would be of some use to her. That evening she finally got someone to answer. The man was a disgraced cop who lost his job but beat the rap by ratting on other cops. He had a bone to pick with some people and was itching to get some action against them. Kennedy Pena was one of them, and Shaw laid her plan on thick getting him to do whatever she needed. She waited while he did the dirty work. He knew who to ask and where to go to get answers. She refused to pay him in full up front, only giving him $5,000 to find them and would pay another $5,000 when they had the kids safely out of state. She had no intention of paying any of that remaining $5,000, at the first opportunity she'd dump him on the local cops and let him take the blame for the kidnapping. The next morning she was able to get out and scout the city. Her stooge found where the kids were staying and immediately she spotted trouble. They weren't with their foster fathers, in fact, the only people coming in and out of the house were two teenage boys, a teenage girl, and a toddler. Her contact alerted her that the kids had been moved to a different location, one that was easy to access and the neighbors were known to not talk about what was happening in the neighborhood. Shaw drove over and agreed with him, the place was easy to get into and out of and allowed her to park close but far enough away to not arouse suspicion. It was perfect, the kids were easy pickings. It was perfect. Too perfect. She called off the attempt, explaining vigorously, "It's a setup. You go in there you will get your ass handed to you. The kids aren't there, we have to get them elsewhere." A thought popped into her head. The kid was being helped by someone. She called the social worker and asked whom she had manipulated earlier and asked if she could clarify a few things for her. She told Shaw, "Some lawyer by the name of Katelyn 'Katie' Benson is working with my superiors regarding their case. She is supposedly a tough cookie who has never lost a case nor failed to get her clients top dollar. If she is involved you had better have all of the paperwork in order because she won't let you get them otherwise." Shaw grinned. She called her lackey and got him to seek out the kids directly. They had to be with that Benson woman and probably unguarded. They were easy to snatch and grab and the three would be out of the state before the cops knew what hit them. Shaw met with her lackey down the street from the home and saw that indeed the kids were there. They waited several minutes to see if there were any cops in the area then finalized the plan for the grab. They casually walked up to the door and knocked, not expecting it to be answered by a teen boy. Miles answered the door and immediately asked who they were and what they wanted. Shaw showed her identification and demanded the two kids be handed over to her. She then introduced the man standing next to her as a police officer, intending to intimidate him. Miles grinned then told her, "Please excuse me but as this is not my house and I don't have the right to allow you to enter. Wait one moment while I get the owners so you can speak with them about this." He shut the door on Shaw then immediately called the police, quickly telling them, "A wanted criminal is trying to kidnap two girls at my location. She is claiming to be from DCF and that the man with her is a police officer. Neither are what they claim to be so please send help immediately." The dispatcher noted the location and dispatched all available cruisers to it. Miles then called Kennedy to tell her that there was trouble. Kennedy had Mick and Mike with her and was quick to run over to the location and try to secure Shaw. Miles was taking too long. Shaw's stooge sensed that there was something going on and finally had enough so he signaled to his backup to come forward and burst through the door. He tried to knock Miles down but was met with a swift kick to the groin by Michael then one to the knee by Reed, sending him to the floor in severe pain. The other two stooges behind him came in but had the same happen to them. One tried to pull out a gun and was met by a frying pan to the head by Katie, who then kicked the gun away and hoped that she hadn't killed the man. Shaw tried to get away but was tackled by Mick and cuffed by the arriving Ian Bailey. Mike and two more officers secured the men inside and had Alison check out the one knocked out by Katie. An ambulance was called with an officer going with the stooge to the hospital to get his head examined. After Shaw was read her rights Mick took great pride in explaining, "You are under arrest for attempted kidnapping and being a fugitive from justice. Further, you are under arrest for federal kidnapping and murder. Your ploy didn't work, you chose the wrong kids to kidnap. Your lover boy sang as soon as he realized that he had no way of getting out of his charges, so enjoy your last bit of freedom because you won't be seeing the light of day again. If you are lucky you might get a date with a needle, if you are unlucky you will rot in prison for 70 years." Shaw was dragged away kicking and screaming. Ian loudly told her, "Watch your language, there are children present!" The officers tried their hardest not to laugh as Ian's 6'8" frame towered over the 5'4" Shaw, who tried to intimidate the massive Ian. Her claims of having his head for what he was doing to her led the sergeant to proclaim, "For threatening an officer additional charges of criminal threats will be added to your existing criminal charges." Shaw started spouting off about the Quills getting their revenge against them leading Ian to loudly tell her, "The Quills are finished in this state. You have nothing left to threaten us with, we have heard it all before and nothing you can bring will work and any further attempts will only cause the people you try to use to get their own investigations. Deal with it, you are nothing anymore." Once Shaw was safely away Ian was hugged by the girls. He just grinned, telling them, "Don't thank me, all I did was let her vent and get herself into more trouble." The girls hugged him more, then let him get back to work. Mick grinned at the massive Ian, telling Mike, "Sheila landed herself one hell of a man in him. If he doesn't give her a ring on Tuesday then he needs his head examined." Alison snorted at that, adding, "I'm afraid that he might be a lost cause then" getting laughs from everyone. Miles, Michael, and Reed walked out feeling great. The girls were eager to get home so they drove them to Alex and Ricardo's home in silence. The girls rushed out of the car and ran right to their foster fathers, telling them, "They got her! They caught Ms. Shaw!" Alex and Ricardo demanded an explanation so the girls told them about what happened and who did what. They loved telling about Miles' quick phone calls and their quick martial arts moves. The girls laughed at Katie hitting the man with a frying pan which the two cringed at hearing but smiled as the girls calmed down. Miles was asked why he didn't call them. He carefully told them, "This was serious and I figured that we would get more help from the cops and Uncles Mike and Mick. I didn't want them to get suspicious or turn this into a hostage situation. I was right, the cops and Mick and Mike were here faster than you two would have been." The two had to grin at Miles' quick thinking. They asked about the girls' behavior that day getting a groan and, "No more caffeinated soda for them, they have more energy than Cat on a sugar rush. I don't know how you two deal with it." Alex grinned and told them, "We are used to it, you guys aren't exactly the calmest bunch especially your sister. If we could deal with Jaimie when she is in the zone then we can deal with the girls."