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Chapter 19 Pete and Bryan had spent all day out of contact with the ladies as per their request so were unaware of what was happening to them or what their plans were. Sean, Patrick, and David were appointed to watch over them as they met up with the platoon at the paintball facility. The group looked over the three and made crude comments about civilians to which Pete and Bryan held their tongues, the three were not playing with their platoon and the guys now had a target on their backs from the three. Their sergeant, Sgt. Carter, was the one in charge of them as Sean, Patrick, and David walked off to wait for the boys. Pete and Bryan carefully told him, "The guys just pissed off three people you don't want to piss off." Sgt. Carter looked at Sean and shook his head, admitting, "I have seen the looks that he was giving to us and can honestly say that elderly man reeks of military training, those idiots should know by now not to assume something about others as it can get yourself blown up or shot up. Hell, the regulars tell them that every summer!" Looking at David he added, "He's either military too or a state trooper. That other guy isn't military, but if he's anything like the other two he's not a pushover." Bryan and Pete just silently nodded, Sgt. Carter shook his head in disappointment and muttering about needed some education for them all. Their opponents arrived and the platoon was laughing. 10 teenagers, two tweens, and three little kids were up against them. Sgt. Carter added, "The three you laughed at earlier are with them. It's 18 on 20 and those kids are not to be underestimated despite smaller size and lesser numbers." The group was upset that they had to use lesser powered paintball guns. Sgt. Carter growled at them, "This is a bachelor party. Do you honestly expect the two grooms to go to their wedding sporting bruises that their fiances didn't inflict on them? They paid for two games, you are going to be using the regular guns in the next but the two of them are sitting it out for their own benefit. Complain about anything again and I'll personally put you on KP for the full two weeks when we are down in Georgia that is if you don't want to end up on honey wagon detail." The boys were eager to get some fun out of their day and were merciless. Tall, lanky Donald was a sniper in that he would shoot, score a hit, then move on before anyone could react. Junior was in and out of their line picking off the ends faster than they could give covering fire. Oscar and Kyle were slow to get into the fun of things but once their fears melted away they were a powerful team, giving covering fire for Donald and Junior as they worked with the others to pin down the soldiers. Neil was the best out of all of them. He could shoot quick, reload while in a roll, then pick off another target before the soldiers could do anything about him. The tallest two, Scott and Will, were the only ones who had trouble but they were brilliant as decoys and scouts, making the soldiers try to take a shot at the, "Easy" target only to get hit by the hidden Michael or Miles who carefully aimed for the ones trying to shoot Will and Scott. The worst shots were Ethan and Rick who were better at providing quick covering shots that allowed the better shooting teens to take out the soldiers who tried to get at the reloading teens. They were able to pick off a couple of soldiers who thought they had clear shots but actually had themselves in the crossfire of the two. Ethan had to giggle that his poor skills actually came of use for once as he ended up hitting two soldiers by accident when he was aiming for the obstacle next to them. Thomas and Raul were on target and were up and down safely behind the barriers before anyone could do anything about them, working with Miles and Michael to always have someone ready to fire when a target popped up. The kids and teens even had created their own hand signals and with Rick giving them orders had created killing lanes that pinned down the soldiers while Neil and Junior picked away at their flanks. It was pure joy for them to make the soldier complain about the kids being pros. Sgt. Carter was quick to bow out, accepting that these kids and teens were better at being soldiers than his platoon was. He had to chuckle as he saw Sean just sitting back and letting the boys do all the work, smiling as he listened to them communicating freely. When one of the soldiers tried to sneak up on him he carefully aimed his gun and let loose a quick shot that caught him between the eyes. Sgt. Carter chuckled as he saw that. He casually admitted, "I suspect, based on your behavior, that you have earned a teal and gold patch on your left shoulder. Either that or you earned the scroll." Sean grinned and added, "Tab not scroll. Still have the beret too, just haven't worn it as a soldier since I went to medical school." Sgt. Carter laughed and admitted, "These guys are going to regret pissing you off later. I know they won't listen to those other two but I believe you have ways of dealing with a bunch of idiots like them when they get out of line. The boys told me a few stories about their grandfather's friends back in the day at Fort Devens, something tells me they weren't tall tales." The fun wound down as the boys soundly beat the platoon with all of them taking hits and only Eric and George taking grazing shots to their arms. The soldiers cried foul but Sgt. Carter shook his head and gladly pointed out, "They played fair and went in with a strategy. You were overconfident, running your mouths off, were badly disorganized, and barely kept yourselves from getting booted for foul language. You may not be infantry but you could have worked together more. The next group will be tougher, I don't think these guys are going to take it easy on you after underestimating their sons." Richard Samuels, William, John, Dan, Quentin Nelson, Willie, Ian, Todd, Mike, Graham, Ricardo, Zachary, Nigel, Zeke, Paul, Alex, and Mick came in and were joined by Willie's friend Peter Jenkins and a few of his colleagues. John took command and created a plan similar to the one Rick created but playing off the strengths of them all. He was the weakest shot but could sense where the movement was going to occur whereas Mike and Alex were the best sharpshooters. Dan and Quentin were covering fire while Todd snaked his way back and forth around the soldier. It was another slaughter as the soldiers never had a chance. Peter and his crew herded the soldiers into position while the civilian and law enforcement group picked them off one by one. It took Pete and Bryan's sheer force of will to prevent themselves from laughing over the systemic dismantling of their platoon and all for shooting their mouths off before. Sean grinned widely as Sgt. Carter casually asked:, "Those aren't just civilians, are they?" Sean nodded, adding, "Four are active Air Force Security Forces, four are former soldiers, the others are just normal civilians with regular jobs and a few civilians with law enforcement training. Three had SWAT training in addition to their military training. Your boys are overconfident and that cost them twice but it made those guys' day to have had a victory over someone. Their boys normally wipe the floor with them." The platoon licked their wounds and changed into their afternoon clothes. Sean gave Junior a hug goodbye and told the boys to go easy on the adults in the next game, getting a laugh from all of them. The platoon didn't think it was funny but Sean ignored their complaints and added, "Try not to humiliate them too much, it's always a sad time when a father is surpassed by his son and his friends" getting a laugh again as they left. The group drove on to a restaurant where the men were treated to a nice, expensive steak dinner paid for by John. The group was almost all over 21 so the waiter didn't card them but Sean kept a close watch on Bryan and Pete to ensure that they weren't slipped any drinks. The meal was quiet as several in the platoon grew to resent Sean being there and a few others had outright complained about the fun being killed by the old man. After the meal, Pete and Bryan were snatched by friends of four members of the platoon, with Sean, Patrick, and David being distracted by other members. The two fought but were bound and gagged by their kidnappers. They managed to kick a few in the groin causing howls in pain but with the two being outnumbered 4 to 1 was too much for them. Sean realized what was happening too late to help out. David knocked down three soldiers getting at the duo but they were gone before they could be reached, with the ones knocked down rolling around in pain. He almost broke the ankle of two of them to get them off of him but couldn't get a clear shot. Sean was furious. David was quick to pronounce the group in deep trouble for what they had just done. Patrick was on the phone as soon as he saw what happened but was struggling to maintain his anger. Sgt. Carter knew exactly who was responsible and loudly told them, "Consider yourselves put on notice, their asses are getting booted with dishonorable discharges for their actions. We aren't the regular army, we are representatives of Massachusetts and one of the ways of getting kicked out is to break the laws of the state. There is no excuse for this, those two are under 21, come from a great family, and did not want any of the 'proper' bachelor party crap that those fools thought they were entitled to. No strippers, no booze, no prostitutes- just you guys. It is their choice, and those clowns ignored it." David showed his badge and explained loudly, "They are under 21. Legal drinking age is 21 as is the legal age to enter an adult establishment that serves alcohol. Prostitution is illegal in this state no matter what those scumbags claim. They invited me because my brother and I are family to them. They abide by the law, you obviously don't. Their idea of a good time is being around people they thought they could consider as friends, but I see that was a mistake." Sgt. Carter turned to Sean and quickly added:, "Do what you must to them, they deserve it." Sean made a quick phone call, grinned, and told them, "We are going for a little ride. You can come willingly or you can come kicking and screaming, but you are going anyway." The rest of the platoon got into three nearby vans, piling inside as soon as they stopped. Patrick had called John and the others for backup. They would check out each of the strip clubs in the area to find Pete and Bryan and if need be they'd scour every hotel in a 20-mile radius. Sgt. Carter then gladly told them, "When you find the four douches who are behind this, tell them they are going to enjoy their Article 15." Patrick added an even quicker, "That's not the worst news for them. Your commander-in-chief is already aware as his future grandson-in-law had to explain why he had to cancel dinner with him and his wife to help search for the two. He isn't happy but is holding off sending the State Police to help search." When the others broke the news to him, John was furious and had to be calmed down by Nigel to keep himself from leading a one-man crusade looking for the four. Willie used his connections to get the local police to check the area strip clubs. After an hour the officers finally found them at a club on LaGrange Street leading John to grumble, "Some things never change." Willie called the captain of Boston Police Department District 1 to alert him that they were about to take down a strip club and to be prepared for the backlash. The captain wasn't pleased and told him off, but Willie had already gone above him and gotten the backing of the department from his friend, Commissioner Isaac Feld and had the senior staff of the Boston Police on his side. He was more than happy to let Willie and several officers conduct the raid especially as he had eyes on the club as being less than legal for a while. The raid was swift, the four guys were in a back room with ladies clearly having anal sex with the soldiers while Pete and Bryan were handcuffed to a post. The ladies were trying their hardest to get them into the groove and grinding against their crotches but both were focusing on anything but sex leaving them flaccid and infuriating the ladies. The two were slurring their words and each had six empty shot glasses in front of them indicating that they had been forced to drink. Willie loudly cleared his voice as the music cut out, announcing, "The entertainment is over ladies. I hope you got paid up front because these six are going to be leaving." The ladies got up and as soon as they turned around Nigel spotted something intriguing regarding them. He casually asked the girls, "Did you tell the guys your secret yet?" The girls reluctantly admitted they hadn't leading the four to demanded to know what it was. Nigel whispered to the ladies something then had them go off with the officers. The girls were taken to a nearby room where Sean explained, "You can either accept our offer of help or continue to run the risk of ending up in prison for prostitution. We have friends who can help you go legitimate and become who you need to become. We know all too well what happens to girls who live the life you live and are offering you a helping hand, not a handout." The girls agreed to the offer, listening as Patrick told them where to go and who to speak with. After taking their names and giving them directions they were told to pack their things and meet the person that evening, adding, "You will have a bed for as long as you need it. They won't throw you out so long as you never return to 'the game' again." When the ladies were safely away Nigel announced to the four, "Those six ladies carry a little something extra in their panties. I find it hard that you didn't notice the little bulges when they started their dances but then again you were so into them you probably wouldn't have noticed anyway. Don't think about taking your frustrations out on them, they are safe now from people like you and the people protecting them are stronger than you with connections to people who can and will make you regret ever thinking of harming ladies." The four were pissed off and tried to lash out at the ladies leading the officers with them to threaten to slap handcuffs on them unless they calmed down. Nigel just grinned and told them, "Typical alpha males. You were so bloody eager to get these two to cheat on their fiances and prove that you knew better than them how to have a great time that you never 'checked under the hood' so to speak." Willie added a harsh, "You four guaranteed a nice dishonorable discharge for your actions today, you are lucky that David didn't call the police for what you did or your asses would be behind bars for kidnapping." The raid netted a lot of illegal activities beyond the obvious charges of underage people being allowed inside and open prostitution being allowed to flourish behind closed doors of the club. Several patrons were observed selling and using drugs leading to one of the officers to quip, "Our hunches were right, this is a missing link in the area drug trade." With these being observed they obtained a search warrant and in addition to the typical health code violations they found illegal stashes of banned alcohols. The jewel for the detectives was finding several bartenders with bags of various drugs ready for sale behind the counter. The bartenders confessed that the owners were forcing them to sell the drugs to supplement the income from drinks and dances. This led to the club being shut down by the city's inspectional services department while their license was revoked for both allowing underage people inside and serving them alcohol. The drug unit was contacted and told to start making their way there with the officers on duty almost salivating at getting a crack at the club. The fun at the club really started once the District 1 captain arrived and tried to chew out Willie. Willie ignored him until the captain tried to have him arrested. The officers around Willie laughed it off, stood back and watched the fireworks about to come out with several taking bets on how badly Willie would slam the captain without crossing the line. Willie turned, scowled, and told him loudly, "You have no justification for arresting me. This place is shut down per order of the inspectional services department and the employees held at the request of your department's drug unit. I had nothing to do with their investigation nor any other actions beyond my nephews being allowed inside here. I can't help it if your department has deemed it necessary to arrest several members of the staff for openly dealing drugs and allowing prostitution to operate out of the backrooms that were observed by officers who responded here to assist me." The sergeants with Willie whispered something in his ear to which Willie told him, "Ah, now I see what the problem is. I called you as a courtesy but I never told you where I was actually going. Funny, how exactly did you know to come to this club? Oh, that must have been who the manager was contacting as we arrived! He never mentioned that he was talking with his lawyer so it had to have been YOU he was contacting for help!" The captain loudly told him, "You will regret sticking your fingers in here. I'll have your ass handed to you! Expect payback, you will be lucky to get away without a bullet to your head for this!" The officers around him grinned and placed him under arrest stating, "Captain, that constitutes assault and criminal threats. I believe CHIEF PENA will be seeking charges against you." A second sergeant added, "Internal affairs is also going to be investigating your ties to this place, captain. You just gave us enough to nail your ass for the criminal activities happening out of here. And the commissioner cleared this operation directly as did the deputy superintendent, superintendent, and superintendent in chief as all four were together when CHIEF PENA called the commissioner. In other words, everyone above you short of the mayor knew about the raid. CHIEF Pena is here helping with the cleanup as it would tie up too many of our own officers. He is doing a favor to us as we owe him more than a few already." Later on, Isaac Feld personally paid a visit to the captain's jail cell. He grinned and proudly told him, "I have been waiting to get rid of you for a while. Your little illegal operation got blown apart thanks to four idiots who didn't know just who they were dealing with. The mayor is pleased to get rid of a club that was causing nothing but trouble for the surrounding businesses and harming adjacent legitimate adult entertainment clubs that are operating within the law. Expect the book to be thrown at you, and expect to be terminated for illegally using your office to further criminal activity. Your friends won't save you now, nobody can." As Willie helped keep things in order at the club the four soldiers were led out in disgrace to where Sean was waiting with a van. He authoritatively told them, "Get in and accept your punishment like real men." The four got in and drove off with Sean, Peter, and Peter's buddies. Sean waited until they were on the Massachusetts Turnpike before telling them, "Strip down to your boxers and put these on." He handed them four miniskirts and halter tops with matching 6 inch high heels. Peter informed them, "I was supposed to help out family tonight but had to delay things to help find the two men you kidnapped. Thankfully it was a mutually beneficial situation as you four have graciously volunteered to be the guests of honor at my niece's bachelorette party. She is marrying an Air National Guard pilot and happily asked that you four join them for their entertainment so that you learn how to treat women with respect and dignity." The group drove on for an hour and arrived at the base and were met by the other members of their platoon. They were dressed in only tight shorts and bow ties. They took one look at the four and were pleased that they weren't in on the kidnapping, quietly telling one another, "Sgt. Carter was right, they are idiots. This is the last time we listen to any harebrained schemes." Sean returned home late, telling Willie and John, "Mission accomplished. Peter made her happy and the platoon learned a valuable lesson. Next time someone comes up with a harebrained scheme like that there will be a revolt and that person will be lucky to get away without having his ass kicked by them." Turning to Pete and Bryan he quietly told them, "I am proud of you two. A real man stands up for what he believes even if it makes him seem weak in the eyes of others. You two did nothing wrong today, those girls didn't know you were there unwillingly and your fiances won't hold it against you for being kidnapped and forced to endure something neither of you wanted." Neither Hannah and Paige nor Bryan and Pete were aware of what happened to the other group that day. Both were betrayed and humiliated at what happened. Nigel assured Bryan and Pete, "The girls will understand, just as you will understand what happened to them. Trust those girls, just as they trust you." John added, "You are bigger men than those four will ever be. Your first thoughts were Hannah and Paige, those four only cared about themselves. Real men care about the consequences, and there is not one person who will tell you that you aren't real men for being gentlemen." Chapter 20 The next morning Pete and Bryan had to beg Hannah and Paige for forgiveness for having nearly naked women on them the night before. The ladies, in turn, begged them forgiveness for drinking. All four were told by Karen and Nigel, "You have no reason to apologize for the actions of others so stop apologizing to one another and just move on. It happened, you survived." Hannah was interested in the club, having heard about it from several classmates who were seeking employment to offset their college tuition bills. Karen grinned and proudly told her, "Let's just say that those four opened a can of worms that several people tried to keep a tight lid on. This morning there are raids into several businesses owned by the club's owner and the captain is getting himself grilled by the state over his involvement in the club's protection from inspections and prosecution. He is going to get a decade or two in prison if he doesn't end up with a bullet to the head first." Bryan asked about the other club. Karen smiled widely and admitted, "It just happened to be owned by the same guys who owned the strip club. It's been permanently shut down by Somerville pending sale to better owners and is about to be bought by a few investors who are expanding the restaurant next door. The owner agreed with the investors to expand his business and the space makes a perfect event and formal dining area for his restaurant plus expands the existing kitchen allowing for much more space to work for the chefs." Both had an inkling about who invested getting a big grin and quick, "What? We can spend some money sometimes. Graham said it's a solid idea and we know the head chef is on solid financial standing. We actually had our eyes on the club for a while but they were curiously refusing to sell. The incident last night was all the city needed to get things moving our way. Oh and we are being hands-off owners, we are silent partners but have a standing table for our use whenever we feel like it." Karen ushered them all out to get to work moving things between the two Smith homes. The group was joined by the rest of the family as everything that belonged to Pete and Paige was boxed up and moved. Even Bradford and Ophelia helped out, they were good at organizing things and were left to oversee the placement of boxes into the vans while the kids and teens did all of the heavy lifting. The younger kids were left to be entertained by Emma, Deborah, Katie, and Alison. The four were basically looking after Cat and the six youngest boys as like the day before Daisy and Faith were following the four older girls around. Cat stuck close to the four, not doing much and only moving when Nigel Jr. wanted her to play with him and Billy for a bit. Alison instinctively knew something was wrong with Cat to which she pulled aside Nichole to ask directly. Nichole looked over at the sullen Cat and sadly admitted, "Aunt Leslie said she's starting to get lonely because she doesn't have any friends her age like the rest of us. Daisy and Faith ignore her and don't want to play with her anymore since they can't get a puppy that way." Alison felt horrible for her, but there was little that they could do. She could clearly see that her twin brother was starting to be more masculine and drift towards boy things and reject the girly things that Cat still liked. She was disappointed in Daisy. The little ray of sunshine was starting to blossom into a typical young girl but instead of being the girl who embraced Faith the year before when Faith needed a friend she is instead turning a blind eye on her cousin when she needs her most. Alison asked Cat if she wanted to go for a walk, getting a sullen nod from her. They slipped away without the others seeing her but Alison made sure to tell Deborah and Emma where she was going and why. This was going to be a new experience for Alison as for the first time the kids' Aunt Alison was going to come out in her. Cat might know that she is a talking doctor but she is still her aunt and may open up to her as she does others but not her mom or dad or sister. The two walked several blocks and stopped at the park so they could sit down. Alison immediately asked Cat about what she thought about JD being friends with Virgil more than her, getting a tear and soft, "JD won't play girly games anymore. Virgil doesn't play them anymore since Daisy and Faith stopped playing with him. Daisy said the kids in school don't like baby games and doesn't like to play with me because I can't pretend or play house like they do. I'm too small for her. I'm a baby to her." Cat knew she had said too much. Alison sat next to her and admitted, "Daisy is growing up, as is Faith, and they are learning more things in school around other kids than they learned from each other. Virgil didn't have anyone of his own to play with so he went with the girls. Now JD is starting to get old enough to play games that he likes so they are starting to get closer. You will make friends, I know that there are plenty of kids your age who will want to be friends with you." She smiled as Cat then tried to figure out what Valerie would do. She grinned as she found the right words, telling Cat, "Next week you will be by your sister's side the whole week so you won't be lonely and I know you are going to love this trip. Your sister told me all about what you like and that place has everything you will need to enjoy a week. When you get back your mom will bring you to your aunt's preschool so you will be able to play with kids your own age and maybe even make friends of your own. Just don't let it get to you, your family loves you and you aren't alone. You will never be alone." The two started to walk back and met up with the rest of the group. Katie asked about what happened, getting a sigh and, "Poor kid needs to make friends fast. She is her father's daughter and her sister's sister. I know she isn't genetically related to Jaimie but she's just as sensitive and caring and is as close to being just like her without genetics." Deborah and Emma were grinning at her. Katie finally realized why they were grinning and smiled, telling her fiance, "You really are liking being an aunt, aren't you?" Alison silently nodded, adding, "It was nice to talk with a child and not have to be emotionally detached and thinking about how to help without becoming involved. You know my family disowned me and I have nobody but you, it's just so wonderful to feel like I have a family even if I'm just unofficial. You should try it, you are more than qualified to be an aunt and I am since you are actually related to five of the kids." The kids were eventually rounded up to go back with their parents to get ready for that evening's rehearsal dinner. Cat was still quiet but she was selected to help the teens put together the slide show for the brides and grooms. Daisy and Faith complained about her being able to do that but Lilly wisely informed her, "You two were busy playing and didn't hear Deborah ask if you wanted to help. She was the only one who said yes, JD and Virgil both said no and wanted you to help but you ignored Deborah when she tried to ask you." The two were jealous but the decision was final, they were not helping. Cat had a great eye for pictures and spotted ones that were perfect for the slide show. Jaimie and the others inspected them and found no faults with any of them and were happy to see she chose wisely. Christina hugged her tight as she looked over the ones selected, not telling her why only saying, "You are going to make a lot of people very happy, especially Pete and Paige." Jaimie kept Cat close to her and used her as her gopher to get things organized. The girls took an hour to set up, much less time than expected since Cat was eager to do whatever they needed to do and moved fast between them. The tables were set up, decorated, and the chairs placed. The only things that were not there the food but that was the last to be brought in once Jorge and Victoria had cooking it. The drive home was quick and they were greeted by the unhappy faces of Faith and Daisy. The two were put to work cleaning and packing for the trip, having to also pack Claire's bags as well. There was little sympathy for them, the two would have caused them to take longer and goofed off more than helped while also trying to antagonize Claire and the girls. Cat though was just happy to help out. When they were finally alone Jaimie sat Cat down and hugged her, telling her warmly, "You are a good sister and don't you forget it. I know it sucks not having anyone like the others have but you will find someone. You always have me and don't you ever forget it." She hugged Cat tight as said that, letting the little girl know that she loved her and meant every word of it. The touching moment was interrupted by JD who told them to hurry up and get dressed. Cat kicked him out of the room, got changed, then helped Jaimie get ready. Jaimie ended up with a similar outfit, with Valerie giving them a strange look but seeing Cat happier than she had been earlier. Jaimie quietly whispered, "Sister thing" which Valerie nodded at, happy to have Cat less depressed and Jaimie eager to be a big sister than she normally was. JD was barely dressed, fighting his mother over what he wanted to wear. John told the two to go on ahead, no need for them to wait around for JD especially if he is in a bad mood. Miles and Michael were ready and went with her, not saying anything about their matching outfits. When they arrived at the rehearsal Rick snickered and asked if they were trying to be twins. Michael countered with, "Jealous that you can't look as good in a skirt and blouse as Cat?" Cat smiled and struck poses for them, getting laughs from Claire and Courtney as Al added, "He doesn't have the legs for that skirt and his arms are too hairy for that blouse." Al led Cat in to sit with the eight older girls to wait for the rest of the family to arrive leaving no space for Daisy and Faith. They talked around Cat who was just happy to be included with them. She added a few things when the girls and Nichole discussed what they were going to do during their week in England with Nichole seeing that she and Cat were not going with the others as they had already been to the site that they wanted to see. Nichole asked Cat if she was going to ride the horses and swim, getting a reluctant, "Yes" from her. This wasn't the same eager Cat they normally saw. Nichole calmly told her, "You don't have to ride if you don't want to. It gets boring though and Jaimie might want to ride too. If Daisy and Faith can ride them, you can too. They had trouble the first time and if they laugh at you for having trouble they will be banned from the horses by mom." Cat started to brighten up after that. Nichole was happy to have Cat beside her, especially when Cat wasn't trying to act as the center of attention as she had done before. The other three saw Cat as more of a normal girl, not a little kid, especially as she kept quiet and didn't try to be the center of attention as Daisy and Faith had tried to be. Nichole was actually happy to have her with them, as were the others. Eventually, all of the family arrived and the fun started. The actual wedding rehearsal went smoothly with all of the kids keeping things together and not laughing at the awkwardness of some. Cat was the center of attention as the youngest girl and thus the appointed flower girl. JD was jealous of her getting more attention but he wasn't chosen to participate as the ring bearer, Nigel Jr. was given the role along with Billy as the two youngest boys directly related to Bryan and Hannah. There were the usual joking and poking fun at the four with big grins and quiet, "I'll remember that one" from Hannah. Paige joked to her sister, "Keep fooling around and it'll be you up here next." Christina countered with, "Not unless it's a shotgun wedding" to which John and Anne quickly added, "It better not be!" causing the others to laugh and embarrassing Miles and Christina. The reception that followed was organized chaos as everyone ate then chatted with the youngest kids burning off their energy. Cat sat with Nichole, Kylie, Margaret, and Nancy. They again talked about London and where they were going to go. Cat admitted to them, "I don't like the big castle or the big museums. Daddy made us go to the museum and it was boring." Nichole added, "She has a point, it gets boring after a bit. Uncle John said it was a must see but I didn't like it either. It's like the Museum of Fine Arts on steroids. It's world famous but not everyone has to like the British Museum." Daisy and Faith tried to butt in and get some attention from the girls only to be told tersely, "We are doing some important planning." Cat got up to go to let them sit but Nichole held her firm, telling the two, "Cat and I aren't going with the others, I think mom is going to make you two go with your moms since you are not going to be able to act like little ladies for a couple of days." Jaimie, Miles, and Michael sat with Nichole and added, "We are going up to Scotland with dad, Bryan, and Hannah. Kiss seeing that place goodbye because we are not dealing with you two acting up." Jaimie added 'if you keep acting up you won't go on the horses again and you may have to muck the stables." Nichole grinned knowing that Marion, the groomsman, and riding instructor, would hold her to it. Daisy reluctantly got up with Faith following behind, not saying anything further. Nigel finally called for everyone's attention as it was time for the toasts to the happy couples. Anne and Karen gleefully embarrassed their daughters as well as Bryan and Pete. John and Leslie got to get in some shots and funny memories. The funniest was Jorge Castillo trying to figure out who said what funny thing making John, Leslie, and Karen embarrassed as he turned the fun around on them, giving the two couples a break from the barbs while the kids got to have fun at the adults' expense. Finally, it was time for the long-awaited picture show for the four soon- to-be-weds. Christina, Ethan, and Nichole operated the slides with the rest unaware of what was chosen. Hannah and Bryan expected the worst, with Pete feeling glad that he had few pictures of himself. Nichole started it off by showing a diary. Hannah yelled out loudly, "No please don't!" Nichole ignored her, explaining, "Grandma Catherine kept this for Hannah knowing that someday she might need this." Nichole read a few parts saying, "Pete Orleans keeps bugging me, trying to get me to play with him. Mom said he had a crush on me but I don't like him, he is a stinky boy." She paused as Pete and Hannah blushed. She added, "Paige said Bryan is the same way but he's much cuter. I said 'why don't you marry him' to which she told me 'no way I don't want to deal with you every day!' She keeps getting weird around him and he can barely talk when she is playing with me, it's just weird." That caused the two to blush and Karen to add, "How did we miss all of that!" The diary reading lasted a few more minutes as they got funny and embarrassing with Paige, Pete, and Bryan all taking turns blushing. Hannah was finally relieved to see it closed and Nichole and Ethan say, "You can have it back now, mom said you need to keep it for your records." Pete quickly grabbed it before Hannah could get it, grinning at her glare and telling her, "I love you too!" The laughter died down as Christina queued up the photo slide show. The whole family oohed and awed at the photos. Faith loudly asked, "Why are you showing pictures of Cat and JD?" getting a laugh and quick, "That's Bryan and Hannah!" from the others. Cat shook her head at that, her dad was clearly different and much younger. Christina stopped on one particular photo and got a gasp from Paige and Bryan. Christina grinned and casually told them, "Any more proof that you three were supposed to be together? You were born a day apart and Paige was placed next to Bryan in the nursery. Look in the background, that's the Sevilles looking in on Paige!" The next ones were the twins and Paige in school with Christina telling them, "Look who managed to get into every shot. He wasn't trying to but somehow Pete was always around you three." The next picture was the kids in the elementary school working on a project and again Pete was with them with Bryan talking to him while Hannah was glancing at Pete and Paige at Bryan. That got a snicker as all four blushed as they realized that they had an attraction at an early age. The pictures turned to the kids in middle and high school with the infamous foursome of Hannah, Bryan, Jaimie, and Michael standing in court in front of the judge standing up for John's right to retain and adopt Jaimie. Hannah had to hide her sneer and unconsciously stroked the small scar on her arm from the accident a few days before that photo was taken, with Pete holding her hand and telling her, "You never changed, you always were daring and caring." The final photos were of Pete and the girls doing community service after Pete fell in with Albert Clarence before John set him down a better path. Pete looked over at Jaimie and felt remorse, getting a smile back. Bryan's plea to the school the next year to support John against the Clarences' false claims and Pete's first date with Hannah rounded out the pictures with the last one being Pete and Bryan on one knee at their graduation with Hannah and Paige both in tears getting a happy, "Aw" from the group. Hannah asked, "Who chose the photos?" getting a quick, "Cat did" from Christina and Jaimie. All eyes turned to Cat who didn't say anything, trying hard to not get noticed and hide behind Nancy and Margaret. Christina added, "She found the best ones, they were better than the ones we were going to use. We didn't know that Pete was in them or that Paige as in the one taken outside the nursery." Hannah and Paige got up and walked over the Cat, hugging her tight and crying into her shoulders. She gave them a present that nobody had expected, she showed that they were always closer than they knew and that the four of them were truly connected. Hannah softly told her, "I am so proud of you, you are the best cousin ever." The others gave them space, with Daisy and Faith being all but dragged away as they were about to say something about Cat. Lilly and Sarah sat them down and gave them an ultimatum: leave Cat alone or they will be left behind to spend the week with Katie and Alison. The two thought she was joking to which Katie asked if they had any special issues that she should know about, getting the girls to grow scared as Lilly tried to think of something. Jaimie finally got to Cat and hugged her tight, lifting her up and telling her, "You made tonight special." She led Cat away, letting her get some food before the others inhaled it all knowing that Cat wouldn't go up to the buffet until it died down. Normally Valerie or John had to feed her, she was simply too shy to do it herself and JD didn't care. Jaimie saw him butting in and trying to grab a plate for himself and not even bothering to look for Cat, causing her to shake her head and admit to Cat, "You and your brother are becoming so different it's scary, but I like the new Cat and so does everyone." Watching the festivities from the back of the room were Louis and Sean. Walter Gorman joined them after letting Lillian Gorman get a chance to hug Danielle Kelly and telling the two old friends to get reacquainted with one another. Lillian grinned as she understood the meaning, letting the three friends talk privately. Walter wasted little time and told Sean, "You took her family name and know the truth about William and Junior. I think it's high time that you took the next step with Danielle. She loves you, you love her. There's been too much time gone past to deny the final step. You already proposed, but talk is cheap." Louis solemnly added, "Brent isn't here anymore but he would have told you point blank 'man up and do the right thing.' Well, you know how I feel about these kids and they know the history between the two of you. You gave up something more precious than anything in the world: you gave up the love of your life. Well, you two are together again and she is ready for you." Sean reluctantly walked over to Lillian and asked to speak with Danielle alone. Lillian nodded, walked over to Louis and Walter, and waited. Sean drew a deep breath and with a pained and scared look on his face asked Danielle, "When we get back we make our union official. Will you marry me for real?" Chapter 21 The family eagerly waited for Danielle to answer, she just hugged him and told him sharply, "You asked me already the first night here to marry you, you don't need to ask again. All you have to ask is if I want to make things official. Yes, I'll marry you." Junior, William, Amanda, Beth, Ben, Francesca, and Benny hugged leaving the others to just smile and get back to what they were doing leaving the Kellys alone to celebrate their official union. The group split up for the night, with Hannah and Paige going with Sheila, Deborah and Emma to spend the night up in Endicott at the former Patterson family home while Pete and Bryan went home alone. The two told the four ladies, "Don't stay up too late" to which Deborah retorted, "They need all their energy for tomorrow night" getting a blush from the two. Karen did add a quick, "Seriously, keep the fun to a minimum. It'll be draining tomorrow and you need your energy." The next morning was a hectic one as everyone scrambled to get things together. Jaimie and Cat helped their brothers get ready with JD being forced to let Jaimie fix his tie and jacket. Cat eventually was put to work helping her mother get ready then went next door to help distract Marcus, much to the relief of Iris, Rachel, Mark, and Leslie who had to rush to get themselves ready. Daisy, Claire, and Lilly came by to get the group together before the drive up to Endicott. Daisy was upset that Cat was doing all of the work but sat back and saw that Cat was trying to actually help and had thought about what was needed and when. She felt jealous but could see that Cat was doing a better job than she or Faith would have done. Lilly sat next to her and casually told her, "You see why we have been so critical of you and Faith the last couple of days? Cat is honestly trying to help out her sister and cousins, you just wanted to get something that benefited yourself. She knows how important this day is to your cousins, and she doesn't goof off. She just wants you and Faith to be friends with her the same way you try to get Nichole and the others to be your friends- not just your cousins. You two can either start to be more like Cat or you can risk losing her for good, and I know you truly do love Cat even if you don't show it." Daisy shed a tear, her mother was right. She couldn't help being a normal 7-year-old but Cat was always her friend and she loved doing whatever Daisy wanted to do. Looking back she thought about Cat's play and asked softly, "She doesn't play dolls with anyone else or pretend does she?" Lilly shook her head no, adding, "She loves doing that with you two but Virgil and JD don't like to do that anymore. It was fine when they were younger, but now that they are at the age of where boys and girls start to drift apart and like doing things their own gender typically does they won't play the same games as her anymore. But you two do. Now you see why we wanted you to be nice to her? She just wanted to play with you two." Daisy nodded sadly, looking at Cat who was helping change Marcus' diaper while Leslie got his suit ready. Daisy went over to Cat and hugged her then went back to her mother. Cat just went back to what she was doing, with Valerie trying her hardest not to smile. Lilly whispered to her, "It's amazing what peer pressure can do to a person" to which Valerie added, "Family ties are stronger than school ties. She just needed to see it for herself." Stacy and Rebecca came over to get Jaimie to get a move on as they had to get up to Endicott to work on the brides. Melanie opted to remain behind to help Dan, DJ, and the others and have Lilly take the lead up in Endicott. Valerie just grinned knowing it was planned for Daisy and Cat's sake. When Lilly and the girls had left Michael and Miles complained that they were taking forever to get ready. Valerie just grinned and told them, "If you had to wear makeup like us you would take just as long. You could probably use some lip gloss and eyeliner to bring out those beautiful blue eyes." Michael's face went white while Miles casually added, "Thanks but it's not my color. I prefer a more natural brown and tan." Valerie smiled and produced those colors, asking, "Do you want me to go light or heavy" prompting Miles to blush and walk away as Valerie added, "Never underestimate the power of makeup, boys, you'd be wearing some if you had any pimples on your faces. You guys got lucky, you actually listened to Richard about keeping your skin clean before the wedding." Katie took her time getting ready causing Alison to chastise her for delaying the inevitable. As soon as she saw Katie in her dress she was breathless, leading Katie to believe she looked horrible. Alison was in tears, telling her affectionately, "You have never looked more beautiful. I love you, Katie Benson!" The two needed more time to get dressed as Alison gave in to her lust for her fiance after seeing her in her beautiful dress. After a half hour of frantic, almost animalistic, lovemaking the two showered and got dressed again. Alison made a mental note to thank Cat for the idea to get Katie into a lovely dress especially as it made her look more beautiful than she had ever seen her before. They were the first to arrive up in Endicott and were able to get a good parking spot, much to their surprise. Lilly greeted them at the door and put them to work helping Rebecca and Stacy out while also getting their own makeup done. Alison asked where the rest were, getting a grin from Claire and, "They are coming up by bus, Uncle John thought it would be better to not three dozen cars in the street." The doorbell rang and the James girls came in, decked out in the same dresses as the other girls. Ruth and Alexandra were yelling at them to slow down but the four just ignored them as they came in. Alison wasn't sure how to react, Ruth wisely told her, "Those four have been bouncing off the walls waiting for this afternoon. If Rebecca hadn't demanded that she do their makeup I don't think I would have been able to keep from grounding them for next two years." Sheila was the last to come in, bringing her dress with her. She complained about having to spend the night away from Ian but Ruth just grinned and told her, "Suck it up, you will have all week with him." Alison gave her an odd look but Ruth simply smiled back, not letting Sheila see. The bus finally arrived with the rest of the girls rushing inside to get changed. Faith was surprised to see Daisy and Cat working together to help the older girls. The two were listening to orders from both Jaimie and Claire and moving in and out of the rooms with bags and putting away clothes. Faith was going to say something but Sarah caught Lilly's look and pulled her aside, explaining, "Do you remember before you came here how you and Neil were? Do remember how lonely you felt when nobody wanted anything to do with you? That's how Cat is feeling because of what you and Daisy are doing to her. She loves you two and looks up to you but you are treating her like a baby when she is closer to being like you than Nichole, Margaret, Kylie, and Nancy are. She just wants to be a normal girl like you and Daisy but you let the kids in school think that just because she is almost four she isn't old enough for you. You are wrong and you are going to cause her to think she isn't good enough for anyone. Just stop that. Daisy was told to stop now I am telling you. We moved here because of your dad's job but we could easily move to another city if it means we are hurting Cat. Neil will understand, as will Daisy and the others. We won't let you hurt her any further than you already have." Faith was left to sit down and contemplate what she was doing. Sarah gave her five minutes before she came back in and sat with her, letting her cry into her shoulder as she realized exactly what was going on and why. She hugged Sarah tight then quietly told her, "I don't want to leave. I'm sorry." Sarah signaled to Cat to come closer then had her hug Faith. Sarah explained to Faith, "You two were making friends but you need to know that real friends and family never try to stop you from spending time with loved ones. Cat is family, and no matter what the girls say about her she is your cousin. You have more in common with her than any of the girls in your class, so please don't think that you have to choose between her and them because there is no choice. She is family, they are not." Cat helped Faith get dressed, washed her face, then led her to Rebecca to get her makeup done. Faith was surprised that they were having it done but Sarah just smiled and admitted, "A little bit goes a long way with you girls. Besides, it's just some lip gloss to make your lips sparkle." Over at the James home, the guys were getting ready. Michael and Miles were the first to get dressed so they got pressed into helping the toddlers get dressed. JD fought them tooth and nail, literally, as he clawed and tried to bite them as they wrestled with him to put on his pants, jacket, and tie. TJ was eager to get into things and had to be reined in by George and Mike. He and DJ were walked across to the Patterson home and put to work, "Keeping the girls company" as the seven 10 and 12-year-olds took their time getting dressed and getting their earrings, necklaces, and rings on. Lilly had Faith and Cat keep them company, finally getting around to putting her own dress and makeup. The two boys then got a treat as Rebecca styled their hair, simply adding some spray but enough to keep it out of their eyes and make them look a little older. The ones who took the longest to get ready were Pete and Bryan. They needed to make sure everything was in proper order and their uniforms were spotless. Sean, Peter, and Sgt. Carter put them at ease as their badges and buttons were shiny, their nameplate and medals were straight, and their rank patches properly sewn on. In short, they were ready. Sgt. Carter walked outside to greet the selected members of their platoon who were trusted enough to have not been involved in the bachelor party antics and who Bryan and Pete saw as real friends. They were dressed in their class-A uniforms and were a bit apprehensive about being dressed that way. The men were told, "You wanted to know why we were beaten so soundly Friday? Here's your answer." Sean walked out in his uniform and placed a beret on his head. Instantly one of the soldiers complained, "They used a ringer! Where the heck did they find a Special Forces guy to help them out?" The troops laughed and saluted Sean, giving him his proper respect and letting him know they were wrong. Sean returned the salute, grinned, and told them, "That was all the boys' doing, those teens would make excellent soldiers if they chose to ever join up. I earned my tab and did my time with the teams. What exactly I did is likely still classified so don't ask. I did, however, go on to medical school and earned my MD and did my 20 years with the Army Medical Department so you weren't humiliated by a Special Forces soldier, you were humiliated by a bunch of teens having fun under the direction of a noncombatant officer." Sean won them over. One asked about the adults getting a grin and quick, "They were former MPs and active USAFSF guys, plus some civilian cops and regular civilians thrown in so they were a mixed bag. Their sons didn't fall too far from the tree, you guys learned a tough lesson about making assumptions about the opposition and hopefully, you heed it. Oh, and those kids were tougher than you realize- the group beat their fathers after we left so you weren't alone in falling to them." Sean grinned at the group and then nodded to Sgt. Carter, who brought out a package for the group. Sean ripped the box open and showed the contents- sabers. He firmly told the men, "Keep these in their scabbards until I tell you to remove them. There are several little kids here who are extremely curious and would lose a finger or worse trying to get a look at these. Sgt. Carter trusts you and he earned my respect so I trust you. Don't let me down." The men attached the sabers to their belts and went to the backyard, first getting cleared by the state troopers then sitting in their assigned seats. They weren't surprised to see John, Dan, Quentin, James, Willie, Todd, and Ian in uniform. They were surprised to see David sporting the breeches, riding boots, and Sam Browne Belt of a state trooper but Sgt. Carter shook his head and casually told them, "Read the way people react. He and the major should have pinged your senses as being familiar with military tactics and discipline." Sgt. Carter got a tap on the shoulder as Christian came over to say a few words to the soldiers. Sean casually informed Sgt. Carter, "Patrick wasn't joking about the court martial, Christian is a stickler for people living up to their oaths and those four broke it." Sgt. Carter silently nodded as he listened to Christian speak, genuinely intrigued by the two PFCs being so connected. Christian was quick and to the point, telling them, "You chose to not follow in the footsteps of others and participate in a moronic view of what the last night of freedom should be. Well, the four who ignored the wishes of others have paid the price and will never serve our state or our country again. You wear that uniform 24/7 even if you are not physically wearing it, and what you do outside reflects on you as a person as much as what you do when in uniform. Keep that in mind as you go forward and thank you for coming today." The soldier saluted him to which he returned the salute. Sgt. Carter asked what that was about to which Sean informed them, "Four of his granddaughters are close friends with the brides and three of his granddaughters are related to and in relationships with members of the brides' and grooms' family. If you didn't know already, this is his home which was why the State Police are outside." The soldiers understood fully and left it alone. They got a chance to finally, albeit briefly, meet the men and boys who soundly beat them on Friday and were pleasantly surprised that simple team dynamics honed on the football field was put to work. They weren't surprised by Peter being active duty nor that Mike, Alex, and Willie were former soldiers but they were surprised by William, Zachary, Graham, Ricardo, Richard, Nigel, and Zeke never serving or being law enforcement. The teens kept to themselves after getting introduced to the soldiers, not wanting to get mixed up and say something they might regret or tempt fate regarding a wedding. Miles was the only one to go out of his way to talk with the soldiers especially the few who were already known to him through Pete and Bryan. Michael was quiet and focused on anything except talking, quietly focusing on what could be the countdown to his own wedding in a few years as he realized it was a matter of, "When" not, "If" with him and Courtney. Bradford and Ophelia kept to themselves as well. They were grandparents and this was a giant step towards being great-grandparents in their eyes. They looked at the boys and the grooms and felt a mix of joy and anguish as the two had suffered a lot internally through the loss of family on so many levels. Joseph, Walter, and Louis came over and chatted with them to ease their inner worries, with Evelyn, Lillian, and Tamara taking the roles of hostesses for the elders of the family. They were happy to talk about their plans for the next two weeks with the family as they were due to spend time in London, Boston, and Lincoln before the second wedding 14 days from then. Louis had to explain specifically why he couldn't directly go with the group with Tamara telling him, "Screw the rules, you are going with family and not accepting a penny nor is John giving or accepting any favors." Christian and Heather joined them followed by Joshua and Peggy Raymond, Sean, Danielle, Jorge and Victoria forming an enclave of the elder men and women of the family. The talk naturally turned to the previous weddings and the fun that happened. Heather had trouble believing some of the antics of the kids but Christian blushed and nodded in agreement, with the sweetness of the other ceremonies being pale in comparison to the one they were throwing that day. The joke about the group of grandparents being the elders got back to the guys and it was nearly universal among them that they deserved the name since they were above all else the ones that their parents looked up to. Jaimie pointed out, "Elders are respected, and they all are even if they aren't related to us by blood or marriage. Uncle Walter isn't blood but he's dad's uncle just like Uncle Louis." The ladies started to come out which signaled that the wedding was about to begin. All of the girls and mothers swarmed in one by one with each wearing similar dresses. Karen and Anne were the last to enter, with Pete and Bryan getting up to take their place beside Judge Matthews. Finally, the music started and Cat led the procession, tossing the flower petals lightly as she slowly walked forward. Faith and Daisy led Billy and Nigel Jr. causing the guys to grin as they realized the girls had gotten their wish and were going to participate in the ceremony. Emma was practically glowing as was Sheila and Deborah. Deborah quietly told Emma, "This is a dream come true, I always wanted to take part in a full wedding but this is much nicer than the ones I dreamed of. I got to have a big one but it was nothing like the full pomp and circumstance Hannah and Paige are having." Finally, Nigel appeared with both brides, smiling brightly as Hannah and Paige walked arm and arm with him. Bryan and Pete both softly told one another, "We don't deserve them."The soldiers in the back quietly whispered to one another, "Those are two lucky bastards" getting smiles from Hannah and Paige as they passed them by. Chapter 22 Nigel slowly walked Hannah and Paige down the aisle as the large crowd watched patiently with big smiles on their faces. Nigel handed off both to their respective fiances and moved to join Karen off to the side. Karen had tears in her eyes as quietly uttered, "My little babies are all grown up now." Judge Matthews smiled at both and cheerfully told them, "I can hardly believe that it was just over five years ago that two twins stood in front of two courtrooms in two states and all but ripped apart a man who defaced justice and showed all of us in attendance what real family and manhood was. Bryan and Hannah, it is my pleasure to be allowed the right to bring you two together in holy matrimony. I am not a religious person anymore but there are times when my long ago ordination is to the benefit of others. I had the honor of marrying your mother and father, your maternal aunt, your unofficial aunts, your unofficial cousins, and now you four. It also looks like in a couple of more years I may end up doing the same for the next lot of you as well." The family beamed with pride as the teens kissed one another as the little in-joke to which Judge Matthews smiled. He then started reading the normal vows and moved from one couple to the other, repeating the lines so they were married at the same time. With a big smile, Judge Matthews proudly proclaimed, "I now pronounce you man and wife and man and wife. You may kiss the brides." Bryan and Pete obliged and kissed their wives, sending Paige and Hannah gasping for air after the deep, loving kisses. The four walked back up the aisle and waived to the crowd, then went back up to the line of bridesmaids and grabbed Emma, David, Sheila, and Ian, and dragged them to the altar with Judge Matthews smiling back at them. Both brides handed their bouquets to the engaged women and moved to the side, replacing them in the lineup. Emma and Sheila were speechless but David immediately told the four, "You two planned this all along, didn't you?" Hannah grinned and shot back, "Did you really think we would allow you four to spend a penny on a wedding when there was a perfectly good wedding going on with the same people assembled. Why else would your friends get stuck with this boring guard duty?" David looked at the back and noticed just who she was talking about, seeing several of his closest companions from the barracks, "Working" but really watching the wedding. Ian knew best not to say anything, he already had the people he would have invited standing off to the side with their wives. David turned to Emma and admitted, "They did this before with Aunt Beth and Uncle Ben, there's no backing out. It's our wedding now." Judge Matthews smiled at the two couples and started the ceremony again, this time happily adding, "A new life for one, a new family for another." He went through the ceremony again and kept his beaming smile throughout. The two couples exchanged rings that were basic but fitting for the couples, with the two brides being low-key but still beautiful diamonds embedded in gold while the two grooms had basic gold rings. Finally, after the couples kissed did the eight newlyweds walk off together. They didn't get the chance as Sean grinned and called out to the soldiers, "Attention! Form ranks!" Bryan and Pete stopped cold as they saw the sabers with Sean grinning back. Sean held them back, telling them warmly, "Let the men have their fun. They want to do this for you after what the others did Friday night." Sean barked orders, with the soldiers pulling their sabers and forming the traditional saber arch over the end of the aisle. Bryan and Paige then Pete and Hannah walked forward and were stopped at the last two soldiers who crossed sabers in front of them. Sgt. Carter grinned and told them, "Take care of these ladies, and don't let them down." Hannah quickly shot back, "I'll try but you know how they are" getting laughs from the soldiers as Pete and Bryan blushed in embarrassment over her quick wit. Ian and David tried to go around the arch but were stopped by the soldiers at the ends who lowered their sabers and directed them back under the arch. Sean grinned and told them, "You bested them on a field of battle, you are family to their family, and you are family to their commander-in-chief so you have earned the right to walk under these sabers as brothers to them." Sgt. Carter stopped them briefly, adding:, "They got more out of battling you than they got out of their last few training sessions, in our eyes you deserve this special honor." The four couples walked into the James home after a final wave to the family. They were going to stay behind for a bit to unwind before heading south with Christian and Heather to join the rest of the family. That gave the others a chance to change out of the dresses and get into something more suited for a celebration while also allowing the kids to wear something more comfortable and less likely to get ruined by food and drinks. Christian was all smiles as they sat in the living room and decompressed. David asked him point blank, "Did you all plan this the whole time?" Heather grinned and admitted, "Ever since Ian proposed. It was Hannah's idea, it wasn't right to have a big ceremony while you four had small ones that you really couldn't afford. Your uncle would have wanted to throw a big one but Hannah beat him to the punch." Christian added, "Ian wouldn't accept financial help from us or Sheila and you would be so busy in September with your detective training and then with the baby coming that the wedding would be pushed farther back." Hannah sighed and told him warmly, "We wanted the four of you to have special memories. Emma is our sister and Sheila is our friend, it didn't feel right not sharing this special day with them as well as you two. We didn't want to embarrass you but it had to be a surprise because we knew you wouldn't do it otherwise." Emma was in tears, hugging both Hannah and Paige. Sheila did the same, trying her best not to cry onto Paige's shoulder and ruin her dress. Ian looked at Christian with horror as he realized that he was now related to the most powerful person in the state not named Finn. Emma softly told them, "You didn't need to do this for me, I just wanted a small one." Paige just grinned and told her firmly, "Not with us. You are a Finn now and deserved a big one and you got it." Heather made the newlyweds eat and drink while the Karen and Nigel talked with Christian in another room. They gave the others about an hour before they got into the limousine to drive south for the reception. All throughout the journey Sheila and Emma were silent while their husbands tried their hardest not to break the magic of the situation. After a half hour of driving, they arrived at the banquet hall to a rousing cheer. All of the family were changed and in suits or button down shirts and blouses with slacks or skirts. The fun started right away as the four husbands were pulled to the side while their wives were pulled another causing Emma and Sheila to get concerned but were assured it was part of the fun. Emma was immediately embraced by Claire and Daisy, then by Deborah, Jaimie, Stacy, Rebecca, Nichole, and Cat. The girls were practically in tears as Emma realized that it wasn't a dream, she was fully part of a loving family complete with her own sisters and brothers. The woman whom she had grown to look up to the past week and a half was now her sister-in-law and the young lady whose heart she empathized with was now her cousin by adoption and by marriage. Sheila was finding it tough to rationalize how much her life had changed in five and half months. She gained two aunts, an uncle, a mother, a sister, and seven cousins and now had a husband. That wasn't counting Emma who was now her cousin-in-law matching her best friend Deborah who was the light of her life and the one who made her life so much better. Over on the other side of the room, Pete and Bryan were getting razzed by their friends and family. Their platoonmates wisely kept silent about the whole turn of events, with Sgt. Carter taking pleasure in making them wiggle under the scrutiny of the teens and boys. After a while he gave in and dropped the act, telling them, "I think we have made these guys feel bad enough" getting grins from the others. The tables turned to the looming Ian and stoic David. Will took great pleasure in asking Ian, "Are we going to have to hose the two of you off to get you ready for the plane tomorrow afternoon?" which was followed by a loud laugh from all of them while Ethan, Neil, and Junior were purposely led away by Rick. Rick had to tell them, "You guys are too young for some of the jokes." Ian was quick on his feet and countered with, "Don't get jealous because you and Claire aren't allowed alone together for more than a few seconds or else you two act like rabbits, or is that CPR dummies?" Will was struggling for a comeback but Rick wisely told him, "He came prepared, I think his wife knew you would make that joke at some point." Will still countered with, "I resent that, we were going at each other like octopuses, or that's what Aunt Lilly said we were acting like" getting a big laugh in return. Scott asked David, "Last time you made a trip you left a little something behind, what are you leaving behind this time?" David deadpanned, "A 230 pound 17-year-old." That drew a laugh from the others as Scott countered with, "Hey! I'm only 200 pounds, not 230!" getting an equally intense laugh back. The talk turned to what they were doing the next two weeks. Their platoon was unaware of their plans and listened intently as the discussion went from places that their parents had picked out and what they wanted to see. Bryan finally admitted to them, "Our grandparents are holding a second wedding as their estate in England. Pete and I are going to officially be given the notices of being named as heir to his titles by our great uncle." Sgt. Carter laughed at their expressions. Pete had to quickly explain, "Dad, mom, grandmother, and grandfather are all titled nobles. Bryan is a lord as is his brothers and sisters. I'm not one yet, his great-uncle, Lord Young The Viscount of Braintree and Baron of Gosfield, is naming us as successors to his family's titles as wedding gifts." Bryan added, "The only member of the family who is without a title is Nichole, and she doesn't want one." The two showed their signet rings with the family crest as proof with them getting closely inspected. They got a quick, "It figures the two from Winnisimmet would end up being the richest, most connected of us." A second added, "And with the best women to boot" causing the others to laugh as their cousins tried hard not to say anything lest they say something funny about their cousins' beauty. The awkwardness out of the way the teens finally talked freely with the soldiers. They were an eclectic mix of various jobs from store clerks to construction workers to truck drivers. Bryan and Pete were the youngest among them but were the ones who had the most to learn and were seen as proteges and even younger brothers to them and seeing their family they were finally understood by their colleagues. Will was surprised to talk with a firefighter while Miles and Reed talked with a financial analyst. Will wasn't too pleased to learn that he was going to be in a battle for a job but was happy to get a leg up if he followed in Bryan and Pete's footsteps and even joined one of the state?s firefighting detachments. Reed actually impressed the analyst who was shocked to hear that he had 18 months on the job training already with Miles having three years of analytical work done through a variety of sources. Sgt. Carter just sat back and grinned, his boys were doing just fine and found common ground among the crowd. He himself wasn't surprised, he did some homework on two and their family and was only shocked to read that they purposely kept a low profile. The two were good soldiers and he understood why they were that way. They learned respect and followed orders and learned. Few did all of that. Michael got down to business and asked Bryan, "Are you going with Dad up to Scotland? He said that it was going to be a trip that he wanted us to make but I took it to mean that you and Hannah were going as a sort of last time with him before he gives you over to Paige and Pete permanently." Bryan cringed at the thought, telling him firmly, "He's going to make us eat haggis thanks to your jokes" getting a big laugh from the others. Michael finalized the plans with them, telling them firmly, "We have a couple of days in London then we head north to the estate. Dad is taking us north while you guys check out the area. Mom is taking the youngest kids to Skegness so you will either have to put up with that or find something else to do. David is going to visit the Walkers to inform them about Emma's pregnancy and marriage and try to settle their differences but that's not going to happen by our estimation. The rest of the trip is up in the air, I think mom wanted the girls to ride while we did some day trips with Ethan, Neil, and Junior." Bryan just nodded in agreement. Scott added, "You forgot you are having your interview regarding your internship when we are in London." Michael groaned at that, but Patrick told him firmly, "You know Lord Bradford set it up for you and you are staying after the rest leave so it's no big deal. You get to spend more time with Courtney than the others get to spend with their girlfriends so don't complain." Michael immediately shot back, "We aren't going to do anything. I swore to mom and dad I wouldn't do that and I DO NOT want to be a dad before I graduate high school. There are some things we can do around the area that you all can't get to and with you two there it'll be impossible to get her alone to do anything more than sneak a kiss or two. Plus I'll be working anyway and you three get to enjoy the fun of the country without me." Karen and Anne called everyone's attention and the whole group stopped talking. All eyes turned to them and the mothers. Ian and David were called forward to stand with them with both looking scared to death of what may happen. Ruth spoke first, telling Ian, "Your wedding was the first of what I hope is five weddings for our family. Dad has granted you the gift of the family ring, given to the eldest son of the family from each James to the next. It was supposed to go to Sela's husband but she refused to accept it as did Isobel, Zoe, and Avery. All four told us Sheila deserved it most so you are entrusted with it." Ian was given a solid gold ring with several small diamonds around the central ruby. He accepted it but then handed it back to her, telling her firmly, "You wanted to have a tradition like the Peterson ring, you already have one. Keep it for safe keeping for Avery, Zoe, Sela, and Isobel's weddings." Christian slapped him on the back and proudly told him, "You deserve it now more than ever." He hugged the large man and sat him down with a big smile. Karen then stepped forward and announced, "Mom and dad had few heirlooms but they handed these down to me for when Hannah came of age. She refused them, insisting that the eldest grandchild wears them proudly." Karen handed Emma a pair of gold earrings with a small diamond stud embedded. They were simple but the sentiment was strong. Emma tried to refuse, telling her, "They were intended for Hannah, surely she, Cat, Daisy, or Claire all deserve them more." All four shouted back, "Just take them." Hannah added, "Grandma Catherine would have wanted you to have them. You are her eldest granddaughter and deserve to own them." Bradford and Ophelia quietly got up and stood in front of the family. Bradford announced, "David, as a member of the Smith family you are entitled to this" then handed him a box with a signet ring similar to the ones worn by Bradford, Nigel, Bryan, and Pete. Ophelia added, "Emma as the eldest daughter and with the blessing of your sisters, we grant you my mother's jewelry. You are the only one in her size and your tastes match those of her. She would want you to have them. Wear them with pride and under no circumstances are you to ever allow my sister Camille to handle them. Despite her complaints about my not having a real granddaughter as the eldest granddaughter, you are the heir to these special items. You are a Smith, and our granddaughter." Karen turned the attention to the remaining wedding festivities. Hannah, Paige, Emma, and Sheila all lined up to toss the bouquets. The girls lined up to catch them with Jaimie, Courtney, Claire, and Astrid Raymond catching them. There was a gasp from the crowd as Astrid caught hers but a smile on her face was all that they needed to see that she wasn't offended, she was actually happy to catch it. The guys lined up to catch the garters with Michael, Will, Rick, and Todd catching them. Valerie was in near tears as she admitted:, "It had to be them, didn't it?" Lilly shook her head, admitting to her sisters, "Those two better not need a shotgun to get married. They are good boys but they are still teenagers." Tanya hugged her sister and told her firmly, "You need to find yourself a nice man." Astrid countered with, "I have a date with Todd after we get back, we didn't want to announce it to the others because it's kind of private between us and you know how mom is with me dating. I like him, he's funny and knows how to treat a lady with respect. Plus Nancy is a great young lady." Tanya smiled and added, "Todd's a good man, Nancy has always been an ideal daughter. Just give him time, his ex is a complete piece of garbage and Nancy didn't take the divorce well. Don't rush into things and don't take his being slow as a sign that he isn't interested in you." Astrid smiled, and added, "Nancy's the one who said I should date her dad so I think she doesn't mind me dating Todd." The little conversation wasn't lost on Peggy and Joshua who were grinning at their daughters. Louis came over and saw the two smiling and casually told them, "I take it she told Tanya?" They nodded, to which Louis added, "Good, now Katie won't be alone in becoming a mom as I doubt very much those two will take long to get married given how Todd has been eyeing Astrid since last night. She thinks we don't know about their little rendezvous but the smile on her face and the funny walk gave it away." The four couples were finally relieved to be dragged away from the family after the fervor of the bouquet and garter toss. Emma, David, Sheila, and Ian were driven to a hotel while Karen told Bryan, Pete, Hannah, and Paige, "We need to make a special stop." The twins knew immediately what that meant, shedding a tear as they realized they were going to visit two people who couldn't be there that day but whose presence was felt by them. The six drove in silence as they drove the 90 minutes to Bourne to visit the graves of Brent Finn and Harold Morris, Jr. the twins' father, and grandfather. Bryan and Hannah asked to have a moment alone with their father to which Nigel and Karen agreed, with Pete and Paige joining them. Tearfully Hannah announced, "You weren't at our wedding in body but you were there in spirit. We will always miss you and nobody can replace you." She then knelt down and kissed her father's headstone. The two then motioned to Pete and Paige to join them as they added:, "We love you and even though we carry the name Smith we will always be your son and daughter." Pete and Paige added, "We will always love them and make you proud of them." Paige kissed the headstone as Hannah had done with Pete saluting him. The four repeated this same somber and sweet moment at Brent's grave. Karen shed a tear as she told her father, "I did as promised, I made sure they found someone to love them unconditionally as you loved mom. We followed your orders and grew the family, helping people as you told us to help. You even have a namesake now thanks to us helping others. We made something of the name ?Finn' and you would be proud of just how much you have changed us, our city, and our state." Chapter 23 The drive back from the cemetery was in silence. Nigel hugged the four as they dropped off Hannah and Pete at their new home then drove on to drop off Paige and Bryan at their now seemingly empty home. Both Bryan and Pete carried their new brides over the threshold after opening their respective front doors, with Bryan getting cheers from Lupe, Reyna, Thomas, Rick, Al, Richard, and Olivia who came out to see the sight. As Karen drove home Nigel solemnly asked:, "Would he approve of me?" Karen was taken aback by that sudden question then paused to think. He grew nervous but she patted his hand to comfort him. She smiled and freely admitted, "He would have made some comments about you being less of a man because you weren't a Marine but the truth is he would have been proud of you as a father and as a man. You trusted your daughter to total strangers when you were recovering from your stabbing, you moved across an ocean and accepted a new job to start a new life, and you let us help you buy a home- all for Nichole's benefit. That would have made him proud to call you a real man, and taking his son and daughter as your own and loving them unconditionally? That was what he hoped would happen someday. He was a man's man but he also knew that real men come in all shapes and sizes and you are a real man multiple times over. If he didn't accept you, dad sure as hell would haunt him for not. That?s not before mom would have gotten him to beg to be sent down below to get away from her haunting." They drove home and greeted the tired Bradford and Ophelia and happy Ethan, Nichole, and Nigel Jr. all of whom were told, "Get to bed" by their parents. Once the trio was in their own bedrooms Karen and Nigel sat down and explained what they did and why. Ophelia had tears in her eyes after listening to the story while Bradford was stoic but clearly moved by the gravity of a simple deed done out of love and respect for the departed. Nigel went over the itinerary for the next two weeks at it pertained to his parents, letting them know when to expect the kids and what was going to be done. Bradford carefully asked about Cat, getting a smile and soft, "She is going to be acting very different than we expected her to act. The little trickster is gone, in her place is a smaller version of Hannah but with Jaimie's tact and Michael's careful demeanor. She won't be a problem, you will hardly know she is there." The next morning final checks were made of baggage for all of those going to England. Louis couldn't be convinced to go until the Friday before the wedding but he wouldn't be the only one flying that day as Miguel, Katie, Alison, Heather, Christian, Dorothy, Juanita, and Carmen were flying in with them. Katie was the one who chartered the plane and as she was not a political donor and was related to Louis it was perfectly fine. The dresses were all packed together with the boys' suits and brought to Paige and Pete's home to be kept away from the kids. All passports were checked with Amy, Donald, and TJ having theirs double-checked to ensure that all was up to date. The legal paperwork regarding TJ and Nancy were double checked and was all sorted out along with Kylie's medical notes. Also included were copies of the UK laws regarding discrimination and unfair treatment that were being read over by Valerie, Kennedy, Joseph, and Evelyn. The kids were told to get to bed early and keep themselves calm. Cat had to sleep with Jaimie to calm down enough to be able to sleep while JD was up most of the night after believing he was too old to lay down with Miles anymore. Valerie had to finally give him some melatonin to tire him out but it was still a long night for him. The next morning all were up early with everyone eating breakfast before heading to the designated secure parking lot to meet the buses to take them to the airport in Bedford. Everyone was on-time but JD was extremely cranky leading to him being seated first and put to rest for a short nap. Valerie silently thanked Cat for not acting like her brother, Cat just shrugged and stood by Jaimie's side. The group got onboard the buses with Cat sitting with Jaimie the whole trip, not letting her out of her sight. Jaimie asked her warmly, "Are you nervous?" Cat nodded to which Jaimie added, "You have been flying several times already and you have been to England before." Cat meekly admitted, "I don't like planes." Jaimie understood, telling her softly, "You will fall asleep and not even notice we are flying. You will be able to walk around, not get stuck in the same seat like you were before. You are big enough now to do that." Cat looked up at her to which Jaimie added, "It's true, just as long as you don't run around the cabin or jump on the seats. You are moving through the air but unlike driving in a car you can get out of your seat and stretch your legs. Aunt Sarah will make us do that just to ensure we don't get blood clots." JD was about to say something but Miles' glare stopped him. Mile told him firmly, "Say one bad thing about her and you are staying with mom all week." JD pouted, but Miles added a firm, "Save it." The last ones to arrive were the newlyweds, all eight of them. The bus had to hold up for a bit to allow them to put the dresses and suits under while the mothers ensured they weren't ruined during the short trip. The eight got on without saying a word with Will specifically having his shoulder held firm by his father to keep him from making an inappropriate joke. Jake carefully told him, "Make a joke and Hannah will seriously hurt you. They may be married and free to have sex but that doesn't mean she wants the world to know about her sex life. What they did the last two nights is their business and theirs alone. She is holding back a lot of anxiety, as much as it would be fun to make light of whatever they did behind closed doors this isn't the place for it." The bulk of the group helped load the bags after they were checked closely by the family and TSA agents before being loaded into the cargo hold. The dresses were specifically inspected and placed carefully inside the hold. The crew took great care to follow Valerie's instructions as she was already known to them after the trip 18 months before to California and they were paid nicely for the two easy trips across the ocean. The kids were finally allowed to board with JD being upset at having to be carried up the steep stairs to the plane. Virgil told him firmly, "You are going to trip and hurt yourself" but he ignored him and almost fell backward onto Leslie and Marcus. Virgil firmly told him, "I told you so." Ethan was the only one who didn't mind their long delay in boarding the plane while the dresses were painstakingly loaded. The airport was teeming with different kinds of planes with several military jets parked off to the far side that was visible to him. Bryan and Hannah kidded him about being more excited at being there than anyone, getting a happy nod from him in exchange. He added, "It's different than going through the terminals and much nicer on the eyes." The kids were happy to finally lift off and when they reached cruising altitude they were allowed to unbuckle and move around. JD was put to bed instead of being allowed to get up and play with Virgil as he had planned. Valerie wasn't about to let him act up that evening and ruin the fun. Daisy switched places with Jaimie so she and Faith could play with Cat. Cat was reluctant but the two weren't making fun of her nor trying to get something out of it as they usually were. Jaimie was surprised to see them acting that way but a look from Sarah and Lilly was enough to get her to move. The girls watched videos on their iPads after playing games and fiddling with their dolls' hair and clothes. Cat showed them the videos Nichole got her for of a cute cabbit causing the two to lose all interest in anything else as they focused on the cute cat/rabbit magical creature. Sarah and Lilly both grinned at the sight with Lilly adding, "I can see why she wants one now, they are cute." Will was jealous that the newlyweds, the ten elderly grandparents, and the pregnant Gabby and Tanya were placed in the first class seating while they had to, "Suffer" in coach. Claire casually pointed out, "When you get pregnant you can get better seating" causing a laugh from the others. Will quickly shot back, "No thanks, I'd rather not push a watermelon through a tiny hole especially one attached to a long thick straw" shivering at the thought and getting laughs from the parents and Claire until they realized the dirty joke mixed in with the comeback causing them to shake their heads in shame. Daisy and the others ate in peace then played on their iPads for hours in addition to watching videos, not noticing the time flying by nor noticing that they were almost to London. The crew had to get their attention with Cat thinking that she had done something wrong. Jaimie led her to her seat and calmly explained:, "We are about to land, you have to sit and buckle in." Cat was embarrassed by that but seeing the others do the same she relaxed and saw she wasn't in trouble. JD fought getting his seat belt buckled prompting Valerie to unintentionally say, "Why can't you act like your sister, she has been good this whole time." JD glared at Cat and gave up but the damage was done. Valerie sighed and muttered, "It had to happen eventually." John offered her a loving, "We thought she'd be the one to act out, he's been so well behaved for so long that it's just a shock. He will settle down soon, we just have to give him space and a chance to be himself but within reason. He is pushing things, it's just a phase and he will grow out of it soon." 20 minutes later they were on the ground at London-Stansted airport and ready to leave the plane. The group had everything ready and were greeted by customs and immigration officials who checked everyone's documents closely. The family breezed through with John leading them to the awaiting coaches to take them down to London. As expected, Kylie was given a hassle and would have been rejected had Kennedy not shown not only that they had no right to deny her but were violating her rights in refusing to accept her legal passport with official documentation. She was given a hard time herself but Bradford and Ophelia loomed close by and were there to step in and chastise the officers, informing them that a complaint would be filed on Kylie's and Kennedy's behalf over their violating their rights. Kylie thanked them, saying, "Thank you, Lady Ophelia and Lord Bradford." The men were going to say something snide about Kylie saying, "Lady" and, "Lord" but Kennedy casually added, "Sorry, that is The Marquess and Marchioness of Lincoln to you, gentlemen." They looked like they were going to say something more when their supervisor whispered to them, "Call from above said to let them through and you two are suspended pending official inquiry. Someone high up is angry with you over the attempted refusal of a child with full documentation." Ophelia grinned and led them on. She casually told Kennedy, "I was talking with Alistair after we both cleared customs. My brother-in-law just happened to be having dinner with the airport's new chief of operations as well as their immediate supervisor, who put in the call right away. He was more than happy to help Kylie and you especially as he respects your work and has a soft spot for kids." Bradford and Ophelia didn't join the others on their trip into London. The two were heading up to the estate to check up on things and would join them at Winfield House in two days. Ethan and Nichole hugged them goodbye with Nigel Jr. wanting to go with them, getting giggle and soft, "We will see you in a couple of days" in reply. Reardon, their faithful butler, smiled brightly at Emma and the others and seeing the ring on her finger told her warmly, "I'll inform the servants that anyone who doesn't treat you with the proper respect of a guest will be sacked." Bradford added a quiet, "She is to be addressed at all times by her proper title, 'Lady Emma' and treated as a member of the family, not just a typical guest." Reardon smiled brightly and nodded, leading the Smiths away to their waiting Rolls Royce to rest and adjust to the jet lag. The drive from Stansted to London was quicker than expected as the two coaches breezed along the traffic but it was long enough to let the youngest kids start to fall asleep early. The tweens and teens weren't used to the time change and were still wired when they arrived but were told to unwind and try to sleep. Michael, Miles, Reed, Scott, Claire, and Jessica calmly told them all to get a few hours in as it would make the next few days much easier. They at least could watch the BBC for a bit before bed. Emma was told to go to sleep as well. She may have been an adult in age but Sarah and Richard wanted her to rest as much as possible. She was also all but barred from visiting any far off sites, making her stay in the area with Karen and Nigel as her guide. She convinced them to let her stay up for a bit to talk with the adults. When everyone else was retired for the evening the adults convened. The newlyweds were to take time to themselves while the kids went to the zoo. Karen would take Emma to get Cat her cabbit from one of the anime shops in either Camden or Piccadilly Circus. Emma asked her warmly, "If the kids are going to the zoo, why not just take Cat to Camden directly after the zoo? Either way, you will have to take the Tube and the teens may enjoy seeing the famous intersection." Karen hugged her tight, kissing her forehead and telling her, "You really are smart and you just made her a trip. I'll take her with me, you now get to bed- now young lady!" The rest of the adults followed close behind her. The planning was just a synchronization to ensure that there was ample support for the kids. Lilly, Richard, Olivia, Kennedy, Willie, Alex, Mike, John, and Valerie had done the major tourist sites before so it was no big deal to them but the others were new to it and thankfully they were eager to take the kids wherever they wanted to go. The next morning the kids were up late but not so late that they missed breakfast. The hotel was very accommodating to their large number of guests, serving the family after the other guests had finished eating their meals. The hotel recognized the names of John and Karen from their previous visits and was more than happy to give them what they needed without a fight as the money they had spent far exceeded whatever ill will other guests may have had for them getting special treatment. The zoo was the first and only thing on the list for the day as they took it easy. Miles, Michael, Eric, George, Rick, and Nichole weren't too interested in it but they endured it for the others' sake. Gabby and Tanya didn't make the trip, James and Zeke stayed with them as they slept some more and went for a walk to nearby Hyde Park. David and Emma were told to stay behind too but Emma didn't want to feel like she was an invalid and she had wanted to get used to being around the family as a whole. The teens eventually tired of the zoo and Cat had seen the animals before so they left with Karen to visit Camden Market and a store that sold anime related items. Michael, Reed, Eric, and George were happy to go along while the others waited outside. Will wisely kept his mouth shut about the shopping as he had already worked out a visit to a Lincolnshire Fire Brigade's station with Paul the following week when they left London behind for sites in Lincolnshire so he had his pleasure visit still to come. Cat couldn't find any cabbits but four of the teens found new episodes of their favorite anime series, "Justice", with Michael laughing that it was now centered on two schools involved in a lot of criminal activities rather than a hunt for some covert criminal organization. Reed added a humble, "They are two of the smartest girls alive, what they do will be a real challenge to them." Eric and George just grinned, with George adding, "It's a Jessie Wolf show, it'll be awesome no matter what." The sales clerk saw them looking over the books and DVDs by Alecia Snowfall and Jessie Wolf and told them with a big smile, "There's a surprise in the latest Chrysalis Project-LKM story that you have to see" prompting them to buy the newest DVD and getting a snicker from Karen. The clerk then wisely realized that they were true fans of Alecia Snowfall and Jessie Wolf and gave them a little discount for their purchase. They were the first non- Japanese tourists who bought anything and it was a big score. By accident, the group found a copy of the newest book by Al's namesake and the co-writer of their anime and manga books, Alecia Snowfall, and it looked good to them but not quite what they like in their stories. Michael theorized that Al would love it more given that it was much milder and interesting than her action works yet more mature than her earlier story that helped Al accept her new life it was a good gift. The concept of a teen who takes over a radio show by having an amazing voice and unique personality and who just happens to be transgender was something that Al would appreciate especially as she had a similar no-nonsense attitude. The rest of the family had gone on to lunch at the hotel so the teens and Karen opted for lunch nearby. After that, they got on the tube and went directly to Piccadilly Circus after changing trains once to visit the other anime-related shop in London. This time they hit pay dirt as they had a cute, little, stuffed cabbit that also served as a backpack for a small number of items. Cat hugged the cabbit tight, with Karen happily paying for it. The sales clerk asked if she knew what it was getting a grin and proud, "She loves the show that it was on and knows the character better than my daughter does." Cat grinned and said, "It's Ryo-Ohki" to which the clerk nodded and smiled. The teens were more than happy to hang around Piccadilly Circus until Cat and Karen came back. They snapped a bunch of photos and shopped in several stores but the prices were out of their reach even with Jaimie offering to pay for them. Jenna flat out refused as did Jessica, with Jaimie smartly telling them, "I never get to spoil you guys" earning a quick, "Too bad" and smile from them. When they finally got back to the hotel and prepared for dinner Cat's cabbit got attention. Daisy and Faith saw her holding it tight, hugging it the way they had hugged their dolls on the flight over and asked what she was naming it. Cat softly said, "Sammi." The girls were going to ask why she named it that when Ethan hugged her tight, crying as he did. Cat hugged him back, saying softly, "Aunt Karen said your mommy liked rabbits and kitties I like the name Sammi." Ethan dared the girls to say anything but Faith and Daisy just moved on, taking Cat with them as they put Sammi down for a nap so they could eat dinner. Chapter 24 Dinner was pleasant as the group discussed their plans for the next day. The morning would be spent at Westminster and the sites there. John took the group who had visited the sites already to visit the Churchill War Rooms then across the river to the London Dungeon thrill ride/exhibits. John only volunteered so the teens weren't too overcome with boredom over seeing things they had already seen and the war rooms was concession to him. Scott set the others right and ensured they didn't complain, but Miles still groaned as John was practically giddy over some of the exhibits in the museum especially the old maps of WWII Europe. The teens were going to ride the Eye but with the exception of Jaimie and Rick the others were without their significant others, there was no real appeal to them. John casually told them, "It's worth seeing the views anyway" prompting them to join queue to get on. John also added, "Don't do what Karen and Nigel did, I only want you to take back small souvenirs, not ones that take 9 months to 'enjoy'!" The fun ended all too quickly as the group had to get back to the hotel to get ready for that afternoon's formal garden party at Winfield House. Everyone was forced to be ready an hour before they would leave so security would be able to inspect the coaches and guests but it also meant that they would be able to spend more time with Walter and Lillian in private before they went out back. This was their only real chance to speak freely so it was going to need to be done the way the security officers wanted and no other way. All of the family were pre-cleared with the 11 law enforcement officers barely getting a second glance. Kennedy and Deborah were given an odd look but nothing was said about why they received the looks. The same went for Jaimie, Daisy, Reyna, Kylie, Al, and Sam. John casually quipped, "They really don't take any chances regarding backgrounds but be sure to inform the person demanding the vetting that if they think that they will use the information to blackmail Uncle Walter or Aunt Lillian they are going to find themselves back home and without a job and penniless. You may have found out everything about their pasts but you can't do a damn thing with it." The security agent was about to say something but one of the others whispered into his ear causing his face to go white. John just grinned and added, "That's just my wife, you would have an even tougher job dealing with her parents, my cousin-in-law, the aunt of one of these young ladies and the uncle of another." The rest of the family was cleared without a second thought with John keeping close watch as the officers whispered to one another with the offending agent trying hard not to faint. The drive took a bit of time due to the need to travel with several police escort vehicles along with the unmarked diplomatic security SUVs. The kids thought it was a hoot and giggled as Londoners were unsure how to react to the two coaches getting VIP treatment. When they arrived they had to wait as the buses were examined for explosives and electronic devices but were cleared soon after with the kids happy to get out and run around. Walter greeted them with open arms with Lillian hugging Karen and Nigel followed by John, Leslie, Mark, and Valerie. Miles, Jaimie, Michael, Cat, JD, Iris, Rachel, Bryan, Hannah, Pete, Paige, Nichole, Ethan, and Nigel Jr. were next to get their affection with Marcus opting to give them a gurgle then let loose into his diaper to avoid further attention. Walter grinned at that with John telling him, "At least you got him to look at you, he still won't pay me any attention. He's acting too much like Bryan and Hannah and Nigel that it's scary." Walter and Jorge embraced tightly with Jorge telling him, "Boy, this job comes with some nice perks." Walter burst into laughter as Jorge looked around the exterior, telling him, "I'd hate to pay the tax bill for this place." John shot in a quick, "Not even I'd be able to afford it" getting an even bigger laugh as they sat inside to talk. Valerie led the kids out back while John, Danielle, Sean, Jorge, Victoria, Joshua, Peggy, Joseph, and Evelyn sat to chat privately. The rest of the family were more than happy to go outside as the kids were getting anxious. The staff was surprised at the number of people especially when the butler informed them that they were all invited VIPs and not just normal kids. Walter got down to business and listened as Sean grinned and told him, "I guess I should be happy to see that I was wrong about something for once." Danielle grinned and added, "Just once?" sending the others into a fit of laughter. Walter countered with, "It isn't all that easy, it was boring until the group encountered Nigel and Nichole two years ago. Now that it is known that I personally know important people beyond the Secretary of State and the President things have been busier. Lots of fun getting the agencies to play nice with their counterparts and soothing bruised egos makes for a very interesting time now especially as you folks caused them more action last year than they had in a decade or more." John countered with, "It would have been tougher if Louis and Christian were here." Walter nodded, adding, "Those two are both the dumbest and the smartest people I ever met. They are so fearful of doing something wrong that they won't take a gift that is given in respect and love. I can understand Christian needing to be there for the state but Louis should be here for all of this. Curse Victoria Williams and all of those years of corrupting our hometown!" John grinned and waited for Walter to say something. Lillian realized he had something to say and asked:, "What did you do John?" John casually told them, "It's not what I am doing, it's what Katie and Alison are doing. They aren't here because of Alison's insemination, Louis won't admit it but he really wanted to support them as Alison underwent the procedure. She started yesterday. Hopefully, it takes so they don't lose a second dose in case they want another child. Katie only made so many before she was too far along in her transition." The news caused Lillian to squee. They turned to Joshua who added, "Katie is a nervous wreck about this but she is starting to open up to Louis and now Tanya and Astrid. He knows it isn't blood but he is still happy for her and wants to be there for her through thick and thin. He's her father, he has been for longer than that piece of garbage ever was." The conversation turned to other things like the kids' plans. Walter was happy to know that Michael was going to be around for the rest of summer and insisted on him coming by as often as possible. He was even happier to hear that he wasn't going to be alone with Courtney there and that they insisted on two escorts for the couple. Lillian grinned as John joked, "You can show them off to others as your great-nieces and nephews." Outside Bradford and Ophelia had been followed the whole distance from their London flat to Winfield House. The two were delayed in getting to the party due to one of the dresses Ophelia had taken being unclean and a second being torn. Bradford told her harshly, "These maids are getting worse and worse." Ophelia nodded silently, then admitted, "Emma was truly unique, we never had problems with her and I suspect that this was deliberate. The new maid is intimidated by the head maid, the one we promoted Emma over before to care for Ethan then the kids. I suspect my sister is behind this and got her ear. We need to take a closer look at her when we get back, and I think we had better inform the Winfield House staff that they will have unwanted visitors by the look of those men standing nearby." When Bradford and Ophelia arrived they quickly told the staff what was going on then went out back to keep the others appraised of the situation. The conversation in the sitting room among the old friends and John shifted to other things but stalled when Walter's chief of staff came in to tell him that there was an issue outside with the press. Walter shook his head, swearing to himself. John uttered one word, "Camille" getting a nod back from Walter but leaving the others to wonder what was going on. Walter talked with his staff and immediately found out the problem. He turned to the others and told them, "The press got wind that we were having a wedding here. Of course, the source is 'confidential' but it had to have come from inside Bradford and Olivia's estate." John added a harsh, "That woman simply doesn't know when to leave well enough alone. She didn't step over the line directly, but she did put us on the defensive for when she does make her move." Danielle grinned widely as Sean's mouth dropped at what she was thinking. Jorge and Walter both started to laugh to which Sean told them, "Very funny, all that's missing now is a shotgun!" John looked over at Walter who pointed up at the mantle behind Sean causing Sean to shake his head and groan, "I really set myself up for this one. Louis is going to kill me for this! Getting married without him? Brent old buddy I better hear thunder or we will have words when I finally reach you!" Walter sent word back to tell the press that there was a wedding about to happen and if they wanted to cover it they would have to go through the proper channels and follow proper protocol. He also added that any attempts to interview the children present would be dealt with legally, thus keeping the vultures away from the kids and keeping plants in the reporter community away. A priest from Church of Our Lady in nearby St. John's Wood was summoned to conduct the ceremony with the priest being more than happy to officiate for an important person. He wisely didn't ask about the situation beyond saying, "As long as you two love one another and haven't loved another person this union is just a formality as you already have shown your faith in each other. You are just vocalizing what your actions have already shown to God." Both were relieved, the last thing they wanted was a lecture from a young man barely out of the seminary about premarital sex. Walter led them outside and with big grins the family had already made an aisle and altar for Sean and Danielle. The other guests were shocked by the little party turning into something bigger but Lillian let them know in no uncertain terms that it was Walter and her oldest friends' wedding. Any further talk died out as the ceremony began. The priest was quick on his feet and let things get moving fast. Amanda took off her wedding ring and told Sean to use it, nearly crying as she did so. William did the same with his ring, telling Danielle to use on Sean. The priest was moved by the scene and had to brace himself as the finished the vows and added:, "You may now, after decades apart, kiss your bride" leading to a loud cheer from the family as well as Bradford and Ophelia. The press were disappointed at the whole scene. Walter was asked what was really going on, to which he smiled and honestly told them, "We held a wedding of a lovely couple who were separated for years but by a lot of chance found one another again. My nephew and nieces, and I refuse to call any of them anything but that even if they are not blood relatives, brought these two first loves back together after over three decades apart through the friendship of their children. My only regret is our mutual friend Louis Reagan was unable to attend but he is helping his daughter and future daughter-in-law at home and couldn't make it." The press asked about the kids, getting an honest yet evasive, "All of these children and teens are either directly or indirectly related to my nieces and nephew, my friends Jorge and Victoria, or my good friend Sean and Danielle. This family is large but they are close to one another to the point that even though they aren't blood they have stronger bonds than blood." One reporter noticed Bradford and Ophelia and asked about them. Walter was quick to tell them, "Lord and Lady Smith are the paternal grandparents of my niece Karen's children. All nine of Lord and Lady Smith's grandchildren and grandchildren-in-law are here enjoying themselves with their family and friends. And before you even say anything about them you are asking about minors, my niece-in-law and her parents are more than happy to explain the UK?s prohibitions against reporting about minors especially slanderous and libelous statements that come from an angry, bitter relative. Now if you excuse me I'd love to have the chance to see the many great-nieces and nephews." Kennedy, Valerie, Joseph, and Evelyn grinned at the reporters almost daring them to say something. One standing behind the reporter who asked about Bradford and Ophelia wisely told him, "That woman isn't paying you enough to deal with any of those people. Unlike you fools, I checked on these guests: that woman has brought down powerful people and her husband is loaded and not afraid to get the best lawyers to do his bidding, not that he needs to with his in-laws and wife. Go after the kids, but it'll be your balls in a vice, not ours." Walter's staff saw the reporters out, with the staff carefully checking the cameras to ensure that no illicit pictures of the kids were taken. There were some protests but given that they were on sovereign US territory and would attempt to violate the law the pictures containing the children were deleted as were any covert photos taken via phones and other devices. They were shocked to realize that the house was US-owned but the staff gladly pointed out, "For reporters you don't do a lot of background checking, do you? We don't like to utilize that little bit of sovereign law but if need be we will." When the reporters were gone the staff burst into laughter. Most of those reporters were too lazy to check exactly who the guests were, they would be too lazy to check international laws. The house was US Government property but wasn't actually sovereign territory of the United States, it was still United Kingdom soil. It wasn't often that they got to play around with people but for their boss they loved it. Walter was pleased with the staff and called it a day for them. They would join in on the gathering and drop the whole protocol act. The vast majority of the guests were his family and were not starch-collared, no-expenses- spared big wigs that had to be wined and dined and bent over backward to show a good time and the staff were thankful for that. The teens enjoyed playing around with the press secretary. Will was being his usual jokester self and managed to get one-upped for the first time ever by someone. The young lady was more than happy to explain, "Ambassador Gorman knew you'd be the one to stick out, Will." He bowed out gracefully at that, letting her know she had won easily. Jaimie and Reyna held off talking to anyone. The two knew that their former lives were known to the staff and they weren't in the mood to talk about it with people outside the family. Normally they could not care less what people thought about them but being in a foreign country it was just easier for them to sit back and enjoy the fun from afar. Lillian wouldn't let them shy away, though. She was more than happy to drag them over and sit with them, asking them what their plans were for the next week and a half. Reyna was going to stay by her mother's side and do the usual London sites while Jaimie was unsure. She looked at Cat and thought about joining Nichole and Ethan up north early, letting her have some more time with the horses and swim so she wasn?t overly anxious and revert back to her prior mischievous antics. Lillian grinned, Jaimie was thinking ahead and had done all the work without knowing it. Miles walked over with JD to which Lillian asked if he was going to go north too. Miles looked down at Jaimie and agreed, but added:, "I guess I have to but if JD acts up mom will have my hide tanned." Jaimie sat down quietly with Lillian and was knocked out of her haze when Lillian asked:, "Can you do me a favor and speak with someone?" Jaime was reluctant but agreed, with Lillian showing her to a private sitting room where they could speak. John was going to ask what was going on but Walter softly told him, "This is a personal request from a staff member. She wants to thank Jaimie personally She shies away from the other members of the staff but is worth her weight in gold with Lilian." Lillian came in with a young assistant who barely looked to be older than Jaimie. Lillian explained, "This is Addison Carter. She is one of our summer interns and assigned to help schedule my charitable work. She is the proud recipient of one of the scholarships that your foundation offers. Walter and I were so enamored with her grades and recommendations that we thought she would benefit greatly by learning on the job and getting out of the city." Jaimie gasped as she realized just what scholarship Addison had won- one intended for girls and boys like herself. Lillian waited for Jaimie to react but she just shed a tear. Her first words were, "You are the first girl or boy who I have met who earned the scholarship. Everyone else goes away from Boston." Addison looked down and admitted, "I couldn't afford to go anywhere else. My parents tossed me out and if it wasn't for your scholarship I would have never been able to afford school in the first place." Jaimie asked what school she was going to. Her answer shocked her, UMass- Boston. She thought about it and smiled, finally telling her, "I know a girl who is about to start school there in the fall. She needs someone to show her around campus and mentor her. If you are up to it I'll talk with her. And before you think your change will be an issue her cousin, now my cousin-in-law, is like you and she has been a proud supporter of her for years." Addison was overwhelmed by Jaimie's candid response. Lillian asked, "Are you sure Carmen will be alright with her?" Jaimie nodded, telling her, "Juanita has Zoe now, Carmen needs a friend and someone who can help her at the school. She was fine with Reyna and Deborah, she will be fine with Addison." Jaimie and Addison talked for a while, with Lillian carefully walking out to give them privacy. John asked what was going on to which she grinned and carefully told him, "I just introducing someone to the young lady who changed her life." John smiled and asked, "My foundation or hers?" Lillian raised her eyebrow then snickered, telling him proudly, "This time it was hers." She told John the details, getting a grin then added a thoughtful, "I have to ask Greta and James about something." When he returned with them John told them, "Jaimie is talking with one of her scholarship winners and I think she might be just what you are looking for the expansion. She could use the job and is getting the experience that she needs right now." The four walked inside and asked to speak with Addison, telling Jaimie, "Don't worry, it's just something important." Greta laid out the plans, explaining, "We are looking to hire a new office assistnat. Our current person, Karen, is going to finish her degree so she can be promoted to being a partner so we need someone who has experience working with people who are high maintenance but also able to think on their feet and plan ahead. Your work with Lillian has prepared you perfectly and when you get your degree we will be proud to name you office manager but that will be a mere formality as you would already have done the work until then." Addison was on the verge of tears and asked to take some time to think the offer over. Greta added, "We are willing to also offer you an apartment of your own so you will not have to worry about paying rent anymore. It's not glamorous but it'll allow you to save up money for your own place in the future." John raised an eyebrow then laughed, telling Addison, "The place is above two cranky old people who hopefully won't drive you crazy." Lillian laughed hard to which John then added:, "They are behind me, aren't they?" John turned and casually added, "Well it was nice knowing you but I think I need to run off and beg for sanctuary before they have some words with me" prompting Jaimie to shake her head as Lillian laughed and explained what just happened to Addison. Outside John told Joseph and Evelyn, "It's now two people who have somehow found a way of coming to us after being helped by the scholarships." He explained what happened and got a smile and soft, "You knew they would change lives." John shook his head telling them, "I thought that we would help people get a leg up not make them into new people." Evelyn countered with, "You gave them a chance to be who they had to be and in a safe environment. You didn't change people, you simply gave them away of helping themselves. It was all on them to be true to themselves and become what they truly were on the inside. Deborah being related to Dorothy was a stroke of fate, but this young lady has no connection to anyone and if not for having professors who cared about her and recommended her for this internship you would never have met her. She is getting a new life but it's all through her own hard work that she is able to obtain it." The others listened closely as Deborah tried hard not to shed a tear. Patrick asked what happened to which she quietly uttered, "Uncle John just helped another girl like me." He shook his head, explaining, "That wasn't Uncle John's doing, this time it's Jaimie's. And what's more, it's Aunt Greta and Uncle James who gave her a job and an apartment. Uncle John did a lot but this is the work of the family as a whole, not just him."