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Chapter 1 It was fast approaching the Winnisimmet High School reunion season. The biggest reunion was the fabled class that graduated John Finn, Melanie Lopez, Willie Pena, Paul Douglas, Katie Eliza, and Juan Alvarez. Those six people had played key roles in changing the face of Winnisimmet in just over six years and were all anyone talked about. Each had their own reason for gossip. Melanie adopting her nephew was a heated debate as some saw it as wrong while others saw it as being sweet. Paul doing the same was scandalous but since his son wasn't blood it wasn't as, "Wrong" as Melanie doing it. Willie was seen as being a traitor to his city for standing up for Jaimie Finn and all of the kids in the summer jobs program and for upending the police department with at least two members of their class being sent to prison for their roles in the corruption of the department. John was always the topic of debate and seen as being wrong in so many things especially as he didn't need to work and was seen as taking a job away from a teacher as well as causing several unnecessary firings of teachers at the school for being, "Abusive." They ignored that the teachers were already on the outs with the school and he earned his job as nobody actually applied to be a teacher the year he applied for the job and proven to be one of if not the best teacher in the school. The most talked about was Katie. People thought it was wrong that she should be allowed to attend as many felt she was an embarrassment to the school. There were fights with Melanie over the issuance of name tags with Katie's deadname being insisted upon. Melanie got the four instigators removed then planned everything to how it normally was planned, with Katie being the award winner for having the biggest impact in their 20 years since graduation- by a wide margin. The group got a big a big laugh as Jaimie was invited to attend the event as the representative of her class while Jake Bollinger was attending as the representative of the high school. The group were forced to hold their reunion in the actual school as other schools in the area booked the ballrooms and conference rooms making their reunion seem like the worst among the various reunions but none of the major attendees cared- it was ?home? to them for years so it was fitting in their eyes. John would be pulling double-duty as decorator and gopher for the planning committee while working with Jake and the gym teachers to make sure that the reunion had the least impact on the school as possible causing Melanie to grin at the critics on the reunion committee. Melanie coordinated everything and got her views heard loud and clear. It took two months but she got them to agree to proper decorations, proper seating, proper presentations, and proper speeches. Nobody was favored, everyone was going to be equal, and the part of the program that got the most focus was the presentation to Katie. Katie, of course, had to be tricked into going. For two months her wife Alison kept going at her to attend, with their daughter Trinity backing Alison up. Katie had a lot of replies and no solid excuses so it was a war of wits that each lost. It took Alison giving birth to their twins, Hunter John Eliza and Bailey Summer Eliza, to finally give in. Katie couldn't deny her wife a night off and it would serve as a healing night for Katie. Alison then slipped in that they deserved a chance to unwind, with Trinity serving as a dutiful big sister to the twins and Katie's neighbors, the Kellys, watching them she had no reason to refuse to go. John had to coordinate with the committee and when they shortchanged the need for people to help to decorate, he had to fill in the decorators with his own sons, daughter, nieces, and nephews. The teens got a laugh as John marched them in and told them where to put everything and how to set things up. His classmates were on the verge of saying something when Melanie showed up to help out and very carefully let out that her daughters, John's sons and daughters, and their future in-laws were all there getting them to play a game of, "Which one is which" as they had no clue just who was whose child. The 15 girls gave John kisses as they left, leaving the committee to try to figure out who was Jaimie as nobody could tell which girl was her and which was just another girl. John had a big grin as Melanie's little plan worked and people were showing their unintentional bigotry and bias as they talked further about the young lady who had won over so many. She would meet them in person, and she would surprise them and make them apologize for their actions. Melanie had a field day setting up the final preparations for the event. The teachers who asked John about the event got directed to Melanie with all snickering at the man who normally was in control giving in to his beloved friend. Melanie was, in turn, just as loving towards John with the two making constant jokes to one another getting the teachers to laugh at their comedy show and happily confirm that the two were the best of friends and were definitely siblings in all but name. The teens enjoyed putting on the show and told Katie about it at home. She was still reluctant to go to the reunion but seeing the teens talking so lovingly about the reactions of her classmates gave her a sense of duty to show them they were wrong about her and try to work through her past. Alison grinned widely and tried to offer the teens money for doing what she had been unable to do without Trinity's help but all of them just smiled and told her it was for John and Melanie more than anyone else, Katie just happened to get the benefit of seeing them at work. The other mothers and fathers were doing their own things at the same time. Gabby Bollinger and Lilly Peterson were gearing up for their own 20th reunion and were the ones who had actually booted the Winnisimmet High School reunion from the nearest ballroom, one that normally held their reunions. Their event was more ordered as the class was simply farther out and needed time to get arrangements made so they put the event together weeks before Melanie had a date agreed upon. William Kelly had to ignore his own reunion as he had nothing to say to the people in his class and had actually gotten threats from several classmates over his marriage to his wife Amanda. He happily told the 15th reunion committee to stuff their invitation and he'd rather enjoy a quiet evening with his wife and sons Junior and Dante than pretending to give a damn about people who were only coming up to him to get a look at his wife. Amanda tried to dissuade him but his sons were proud of him for standing up for their mother despite losing out on seeing the few who actually cared about him. Quentin Nelson had a surprise in getting an invitation to his own reunion, this one out in Missouri but among people who were actually happy to have contact with him. He was the only member of the, "Finn Family" who had friends elsewhere so there was no reason not to go to it. His wife Greta happily booked a flight and hotel with instructions to their son Scott and daughter Jessica to be on their best behavior, but that was redundant as the two were going to be staying with friends for the duration. Katie had a long talk with Alison once the teens left while the two fed and changed the twins? diapers. Katie didn't want Alison to get too upset at hearing some of the comments from her classmates while Alison wanted her to be herself and let them see that she was a whole new person and had done more than become Katie, she had become a mother, wife, teacher, and lawyer. Most had only done one of those things, she had done them all and found a whole new family who was better in all ways than her birth family could ever hope to be. They went back and forth with Trinity happily playing with the newborns after diaper change so her mothers could have privacy. Eventually, Trinity told Katie that she was being dumb and she had five close friends who would be there for her no matter what and would not let anyone say something bad about her, especially not when they owed so much to Katie's work. Trinity grinned as she said that. She loved having one over on her mother and knew that no matter what was said she would not be able to counter it. Alison hugged Trinity tightly, kissing her forehead and telling her warmly, "You are starting to take after Katie in so many ways, don't try to grow up too fast." Katie shed a tear at hearing that. She loved Trinity unconditionally, despite not being blood she was the daughter Katie always dreamed of. The fact that both were born with the wrong bodies was beside the point, they were so much alike that it was eerie to Alison that they weren't mother/daughter from birth. Willie had a similar situation on his hands. His wife Kennedy was unsure if she should go with him to the reunion after hearing about the hassle her cousin William was being given over Amanda. She had grown accustomed to the talk about her, but Willie was still sensitive and would be reluctant to hold his tongue around gossipers- particularly ones who offend his beloved wife. Willie just grinned and told her she was going no matter what. She was offended but he laughed it off, telling her warmly, "You are 1000 times better than any of those people. They think of you as some odd looking person but I can guarantee that none of them has ever seen you before let alone would think you were married to this big, ugly guy. Besides, if you don't go then it will only fuel their fires and cause even worse rumors to spread." Kennedy felt better, he always knew how to make her feel relieved and knew just how to get her to come around to his point of view. Willie kissed her deeply causing their children Reed, Kylie, and Billy to gag at the affection. Reed just rolled his eyes while Billy teased them and Kylie groaned about them having sex later causing both to blush deeply as Billy tried to ask what sex was. That night, Kylie told Kennedy that she should go just to show that she wasn't afraid to live her life. Kennedy smiled down at her as Kylie happily told her that she was a great person and who had done a lot to help the lives of many and they would have trouble saying bad things knowing she had done well for the world. Kennedy just hugged and kissed her, then told her warmly, "You are still punished for that sex joke. But I guess I can let it go for trying to help me see things better." Paul Douglas had to figure out the best way of telling people about his son Kyle without getting into unwanted details. People knew about Kyle, it was hard to keep him a secret when Paul talked openly among friends about the young man. He was his pride and joy and the part that completed his life as a parent. He loved him unconditionally and despite a year of being part of the family as his son, Kyle still found ways of making Paul proud of him. As much as he loved his daughter Margaret, she was very much her mother's daughter in all ways: from her growing body to her red hair to her fiery personality. She and Paul just didn't share the way Paul and Kyle did, her mother got along perfectly with her but Paul only caused her frustration. He loved her just the same, but Kyle completed him the same way Margaret completed his wife Rachel. Paul and Willie being close caused a lot of talk about Kyle to cease. Willie happily treated the boy as a nephew and with Kyle being so close so with many influential children, he simply added on to Kyle's untouchable status. Willie happily told anyone who asked that Kyle was the boy that he knew his father to be and would be proud if he followed in his dad's footsteps, although he added that he hoped he went, "Blue instead of red" for a career. Their classmates knew full well about Margaret being friends with Kylie Pena and other kids who were transgender but wouldn't dare say anything that would get back to Paul and Willie. Paul just grinned as he plotted with Willie about what to say to people who took offense to their kids. They had ammunition against every person attending and were not afraid to shatter the egos of those who would do harm to a child even if not in their presence. They had been key to getting John recognized five years before and for opening the door to so many people who needed to come forward as who they really were. Katie attending was the culmination of that, Jaimie's work to help the children of the city had caused them to see that there was more to being a person than just what's in their pants. Katie going was something they would force to happen even if she hadn't been forced to see them as friends after years of isolation, frustration, and fear. John had the toughest job of all. He knew he would have to explain a lot to people and spent hours formulating a plan of attack that would get his classmates to not focus on him. It was tough as he had the largest family with now seven kids, five of them joining since the last reunion no less. The newest two, Logan and Ella, were going to require a lot of explaining and tough questions answered that he didn't want to answer as it was still a sensitive subject to the family. His wife Valerie just smiled at him and told him to be honest about everything. He had no reason to lie and he had no reason to sugarcoat the truth for people who didn't really care about him. The kids would never meet them, and if they did they wouldn't give the time of day to the kids as they were more likely to try to get at John's wallet for a favor that only benefits them. The kids were happy to have John enjoy himself for once and encouraged him to not think about them. Logan thought that there was more going on and asked John what was really bothering him. Logan may only have been part of the family for just over two months but he knew when John wasn't entirely being truthful or forthcoming with his actions. John hugged him and sat him down, telling him warmly, "I can't lie to you about this, can I?" Logan smirked and shook his head forcing John to explain, "I don't want people to talk about you and offer false pity over you and your sister being our children now. You are moving on and accepted us as your parents, it would be wrong for others to talk about Linda. They will talk about her and her situation without having known her and that kind of talk can and will get around. You don't need another reminder, she doesn't deserve to have her memory tainted by people who didn't know her." Logan hugged him tighter. He happily told his father, "Momma would have been proud of you for caring about us so much. I don't care what they say about her, they never knew mamma and will say anything no matter what. Mrs. King knows the truth, all our teachers know the truth, and we know the truth. Let them talk, I don't care. I love you and mom and am happy that you care about us so much." Logan had tears in his eyes as he said that. John hugged him again and led him to his room to work on homework until bedtime. He and John were closer than the others especially as John was the father he always wanted and the elder Finns, Michael, Miles, and Jaimie, were almost fully self- sufficient and independent. His younger kids, JD, Cat, and Ella, were closer to Valerie so the two were the odd people out in the house giving father and son more of a bond than anyone else. Ella was still recovering from her recent surgery to fix her birth defect which caused Valerie to be by her side most of the time. John picked up the slack and helped the twins and Logan allowing mother and daughter to have some alone time to allow them to work out Ella's new plumbing issues without interference. The benefit was Logan finally showing his true self and giving John that fatherly kick he needed at times while also helping Logan endure some of the weirdness of growing up a boy. Melanie could only grin widely as she watched John and Logan. The reunion would shatter all talk about John the person as John the father was something nobody had ever seen outside of the family and his handling of Logan was exactly as he had done for so many kids and teens in the past when he was Logan's age and older. She knew he would be happy to show off his newest children especially Logan as the boy would never accept any attention and John knew once asked people would stop asking as only one person would be told about his past and the rest would quietly shut up giving John a chance to actually talk about what he wanted to talk about. Chapter 2 Juan Alvarez was the one member of the group who had the most on the line at the reunion. He was now a multimillionaire thanks to being the agent of star Red Sox pitcher Miguel Toro and several other local athletes who were just starting out in the pros. The works part was that he was also was single and rumors started circulating that he may secretly be gay or transgender or even a pedophile, all simply because he rarely dated and was always around children. The truth was that he was too busy running the Reagan Foundation as well as making frequent trips to New York for meetings regarding Miguel, his endorsements, his public appearances, and his standing within the player's association. That past November he had successfully negotiated a new contract with the Red Sox for Miguel and had actually earned a huge payout for his efforts. All of that left him with little time for a personal life, much to the dismay of his new girlfriend- Lindsay Reagan. The two had grown close as Lindsay had taken a liking to the man who was a mystery to her. She and Juan had talked many times when she visited her parents but he was all business and treated her like a person instead of a sex object. She liked that about him, in fact, it drew her to him as he slowly got closer to her to the point that she asked him out during the week of February vacation. The suddenness of her asking caught him by surprise and brought a smile to his face. Lindsay was unlike any other lady he had dated in the past, she was the opposite of the usual bimbos his friends often tried to set him up with. They talked on a personal level and what they talked about always captured him and made Lindsay feel great about herself without even thinking about it. The only ones who knew about their relationship were her parents, Louis and Tamara Reagan. Juan had to come clean to his boss and the way Lindsay had been acting had caught the attention of Tamara so they needed to address it quickly. They were thrilled that the two had started to get close and approved of their relationship, Louis even offering to have the kids over for a few nights getting both to blush and assure him they weren't at that point yet. It didn't take them long to get there though which Tamara happily needled her daughter about. The only person not told about the relationship was Lindsay's sister Katie. With she and Juan being classmates and still having some unresolved issues led to them delaying telling her until later. Katie knew already, it was tough to hide the smile on Lindsay's face nor that her niece and nephew told her that their mom was dating Juan. The couple had been able to keep their relationship a secret from Katie for a few weeks but Trinity had spotted Juan leaving when she was playing with Lindsay's son Tyler and daughter Willow. She told her mother about the strange man visiting Lindsay getting a smile and happy, "It?s about time she found a man" from from the exuberant Katie. Katie called her sister to ask about the gentleman caller only to receive the runaround from Lindsay. Katie sensed something was up and demanded an answer, fearing the worst such as Lindsay dating a drug dealer or one of Katie's former abusers. Lindsay tearfully told her sister, "I'm dating Juan Alvarez. I can't lie to you anymore, you deserve to know." An hour later, Juan and Katie sat down with Katie at Lindsay's house. They told her that she wasn't told because they didn't want her to react badly and wanted her to focus on being a mother. She cried and hugged them tightly causing Lindsay to hug her back while Juan leaned back out of the way. The three kids came in and thought they had done something wrong but Katie happily told them, "Your mother did something very right, she wanted me to not have to worry about Juan and her. I love her for it, and if Juan makes her happy then I don't mind one bit. Besides, they would have told me when the time is right. I love what she did for me, and if Juan makes her happy then I would be proud to have him date my sister." The couple kissed as Katie hugged Willow and Tyler. Trinity just sat back and waited for them to be finished then hugged her aunt, asking boldly, "Is he going to be their daddy?" Juan's face went white at Trinity's forcefulness while Lindsay happily told her, "It's too early. We just started but if he feels the need to marry me I will happily allow him the honor of adopting Willow and Tyler as his children." Katie smirked at Juan who had just walked into a tough situation. He liked Lindsay a lot but he wasn't sure if it was infatuation or love. Lindsay told him confidently that he didn't have to rush, she would be proud to work things out over time, plus he still had to explain to her father about him dating the boss' daughter without his approval. The kids all laughed at that as Juan realized just how much trouble he was in. Katie was no better, teasing him about having to tell John and Melanie about being around more often. Juan sputtered and tried to figure out if it was a trick or if they were really going to do that to him but Trinity added:, "Uncle John won't be so bad, but Aunt Melanie might want to put him through the dating ritual." Juan realized that they were fooling around with him and made a tactical withdrawal from the area, narrowly avoiding John and Melanie's gazes while being spotted by Dan Lopez and Valerie. The two spouses shared knowing looks, Juan had finally gotten serious and gotten a girlfriend and was dating the one person they thought wouldn't be on the market for years. Dan had to give him credit, Lindsay was a great woman and who deserved a shot at love while Valerie played the part of the concerned sister and saw the stability of a good man like Juan who had everything to lose and would treat Lindsay right or lose everything he had built up. Katie had to give Juan credit, he actually did care a lot about Lindsay and it wasn't lusting that they were after. The two had real chemistry and the way the kids were reacting to him they might be setting themselves up for either heartbreak or happiness. She was glad that she would be having support from Lindsay as nobody would dare say something against him with Lindsay having the ear of their father and the power that goes with it. At home, Alison happily told her that she had nothing to fear at the reunion. Lindsay would never let anyone say anything bad about Katie and Juan was already acting like a brother to her. The two hugged as Katie shed a tear over her final fears evaporating, Lindsay and Juan would protect her well before John, Willie, Melanie, and Paul could. Alison asked her how she really felt about the two of them dating. Katie blushed as she admitted, "They look good together and he cares deeply about her. I just want her to be happy and if dating Juan makes her happy then she deserves him." While the Winnisimmet High Six were in the final stretch towards their reunion, Lindsay received word that she was dis-invited to her reunion over her relationship with Katie. She tossed it in the trash then told her father about the rejection of someone who never attended school. He then promptly revoked his scholarships and had a vocal meeting with the other members of the board of governors over their actions. He then grinned and informed them that the state now had a keen interest in the school as its bullying was finally at the point where they would step in despite claims they weren't needed sending the school into a fury as they tried to cover their tracks. That was the worst mistake they could have made as Kennedy's office had been given the investigation as several police officers sent their children to the school as well as two ADAs. She just grinned as her assistant, Angela Victor, went at them quick and without mercy. Angela had wanted to get at the school for years as they had openly allowed the bullying of several transgender students who were enrolled and caused one to commit suicide while the other to have to be sent to a mental hospital for a year and, "Graduate" from the school on paper. They skirted investigations by falsifying documents and getting several doctors to claim the students were mentally unhealthy before they entered but once the statute of limitations ran out they confessed not telling the accurate truth to prevent funding from large donors from being removed. The school was a thorn in the side of Angela for years and she finally had pay dirt. Louis Reagan was unaware of the situation but had access to the internal files that were hidden from investigators. He happily turned over everything that he had access to and upon seeing just how far the school would go to keep out paying students who had no issues except gender change how much they sought to shut them down so the school wasn't made to look bad in the eyes of the public. It may have been a private school, but they had to abide by the same laws as every other school. They knowingly lied to police about students' behavior, kept assaults on those few, "Problem" students from the police, covered up harassment by students outside the school, and even went so far as to claim that the students who were caught in the act of bullying and harassing were innocent and blamed everything on the, "Unwanted" students. They didn't need a search warrant but they got one anyway, but Louis' information was kept under guard and away from prying eyes just in case. Three DAs sent their outrage over the investigation but backed off when Kennedy point out just why they were shut out as they mentioned that nobody in their office had told them so someone in their office had to have known thus showed why they were not involved. That caused them to back away and suspend five ADAs for misconduct with two being fired for refusing to back away and voicing their outrage over the state helping those, "Who didn't belong in their school" while threatening their colleagues if they helped Kennedy?s investigation. Angela just grinned as they earned themselves reviews leading to more depth of the initial investigation and more connections to a conspiracy to remove the students as well as cover up criminal behavior. The DAs simply apologized to Angela and Kennedy and pulled all support from the school and offered their cooperation. Two had later been contacted by the Attorney General and got the all clear as the two who were fired being from the same office. The Attorney General's Office team raided the school and found reams of files showing just how horrid the school had made students' lives. It wasn't just the transgender students, it was every student. There were strict codes that were enforced daily and home visits that had no reason to occur. Those that had complained were targeted for removal from the school and those that went along were rewarded with bribes and falsified grades. The timing was key, colleges around the country were alerted to the situation and students were warned that they were either going to see their college acceptance letters revoked or they were going to have to prove that they were on the college level. This tainted the school beyond recovery, donors started to pull out their money and the board of directors called into question with many being shown to have exuded undue influence to get their demands met. Louis was the only member of the board who had no involvement in the illicit activities and was shown to be the one member with a clean slate. Lindsay was kept unaware of what was going on but Katie knew all of it through Ricardo Vincent, who was heading the lawsuit against the school by those abused by it. Katie knew that Lindsay had loved her time at the school but she didn't deserve to be shunned because of her. The two finally talked about what was happening with Lindsay shedding a tear but hugging Katie deeply, telling her, "You matter more to me than that place ever did. It sucked that you didn't go there too but I believe they lied to dad to keep you from there. You deserved a good education, I am glad that you did better than anyone from there has ever done." Katie helped Lindsay with her wardrobe for the reunion leading to Melanie, Valerie, Rachel Douglas, and Kennedy to join them. Valerie finally told Melanie the truth about Lindsay and Juan, getting a head shake and terse, "I'll pay you back for that dear sister." Katie countered with a hard, "She kept quiet for their privacy, aren?t they entitled to have some privacy or does being your neighbor mean that they have to give up that right to privacy?" Rachel and Kennedy saw Melanie's smirk and knew she played the three nicely. Melanie finally admitted, "You know darn well the kids can't keep a secret especially when it's a stranger to them lurking around their home. Julio didn't know who Juan was and DJ can't lie to me so the twins told them about Juan and Willow told them about Juan dating her mother. The only ones who didn't say anything are Tyler and Trinity but that was probably because Tyler didn't want to upset Lindsay and Trinity didn't want to get caught in the middle." Katie looked at Lindsay who shook her head at Melanie getting one over on them. Melanie hugged Katie tightly, whispering into her ear, "You missed out on these sisterly things, we love you and are happy you kept your sister's privacy." Katie hugged her back then pointed out a few dresses that none had seen but was perfect for Lindsay getting a snicker from the ladies as Katie unintentionally found just what they were looking for. The ladies talked for hours as they tried on various dresses in different stores. Katie smirked then teased her sister about Juan drooling over her in her dress leading the others to laugh as Lindsay smiled brightly at the idea causing Katie to shake her head at her joke backfiring. Melanie and Valerie both happily noted that Lindsay was smitten with Juan, no matter how hard she tried to hide it she enjoyed talking about him. Alison joined them towards the end to get her dress and spotted something off about Lindsay. Rachel caught on and casually asked Lindsay if she had told Juan the news yet getting a gasp from Melanie and Katie. Valerie and Kennedy both stared at Lindsay then hugged her tight, she hid her symptoms from everyone except the ever observant doctor. Lindsay sat down and confessed, "I just found out yesterday. I have been having some issues with my period due to a lot of nerves and not seeing a doctor regularly so I figured it was nothing to worry about but missing it twice I had it confirmed. What gave it away?" Alison just smiled and pointed out, "I didn't know, I was bluffing. The way you were acting yesterday after I picked up Trinity I figured he asked you to marry him or you were pregnant." Lindsay laughed at Alison doing something so bold, but Alison added, "Plus you were fawning over the twins more than normal the past few days. It was more motherly than you had been. I guess the hormonal changes have already kicked in." The ladies looked at Lindsay expecting a response. Lindsay sighed and added, "I'll tell him tomorrow. I just hope he doesn't take it wrong." Katie looked at Melanie who nodded then explained:, "He won't do that, he will do the right thing and be a father even if you two aren't meant to be husband and wife." Alison found a dress that was perfect for her body and didn't hug her too tightly. It didn't match the others but it was perfect for her tall, slim body while not showing too much of her now ample breasts. Katie had trouble speaking after seeing Alison in it causing the others to joke that she had better buy it before Katie rips it off her and does some indecent things in the middle of the store. Back at home, Kennedy and Katie spent the next hour talking about the reunion while their significant others chatted and the kids played. Kennedy was adamant that Katie not shy away from anyone and to just be herself. Katie thought it was best to just be silent and not push herself on others, she didn't want to be the center of attention and didn't want the event to be remembered for her showing up the rest of the class and forcing them to accept her change. Kennedy just waited until she calmed down then pointed out, "You are simply talking to people not forcing yourself on them. If they don't want to talk then they won't but you shouldn't hide away from anyone because you fear their reactions. Besides, being yourself may show that people were wrong to shun you in school and at the worst, you will know just how little they have evolved as people." Kennedy had her hooked. Katie asked her firmly, "Are you going to address the rumors when they ask about you? They know you are like me but don't have the guts to say something due to Willie. You have done just as much as I have and have a job that makes a huge difference." Kennedy just smiled then pointed out, "I won't deny it but I will point out that it doesn't matter to anyone except the criminals who are sent to jail by my office. The only ones who have tried to use it against me have been those who had nothing to lose and were trying to prey on the insecurities and bigotry of others. For them to try to use that against Willie or me will be the same result so no I am not going to lie but I am not going to flash to the world that I am trans. I am me, they don't matter only you and the others do. You all care about me, I don't give a damn what the others at the reunion think." Willie had to kiss his wife over saying that. Willie then added, "Nobody except John, Melanie, Paul, and Juan has bothered to say a word to me since the last reunion. I don't care what they say about me but if they say something about Kennedy or think they will use her against me I will seek a pound of flesh from them. I lost several guys already, I have no problem losing more. She is off limits, as are you and John and everyone else." The families eagerly awaited Juan's arrival the next day. The kids weren't told the news, but suspected something was going on as Cat Finn and Virgil York were prevented from playing after school with Willow and Tyler. The teens sensed something was going on that was epic but their parents kept them busy with prom-related talk ensuring that they didn't have a chance to ask about Juan and Lindsay. Juan was led in and the kids seated around the living room as Lindsay steeled herself. Tyler expected something was going on so Lindsay blurted out, "I'm pregnant. I?m sorry, Juan, but we were careless and now I am pregnant. The two of you will have a little baby brother or sister." Tyler and Willow looked at one another then at Juan who was struggling for words. Juan looked at the kids and saw them hoping that he'd say something only to get a somber, "I don't have a ring for you to do this right." Lindsay kissed him deeply while Tyler and Willow waited to find out what they meant, getting a soft, "He is proposing to me" from Lindsay. Tyler wasn't moved. Lindsay hugged and kissed him, telling him affectionately, "He isn't like your old father, he won't run away from me. He doesn't have to be your new father but he will be part of our lives." Tyler just nodded then hugged Lindsay, going upstairs with Willow to let Juan and Lindsay talk. Juan saw the sadness in Tyler's eyes and carefully asked, "Should I do the right thing, should I adopt him and Willow as my son and daughter? I don't want him to become jealous of his sibling because s/he has a father." Lindsay looked at him lovingly and responded:, "You need to ask him that yourself." Juan went upstairs to talk with Tyler, who was now crying into his pillow. Juan sat down, hugged him, then asked, "You deserve a father who loves you and I like you and your sister a lot. Will you do me the honor of being your new father and not just your stepfather?" Tyler hugged him tightly, crying into his shirt as he did. The look on his face was enough to give Juan his answer. Tyler quietly proclaimed, "Mom loves you and dad is never coming back. I want her happy and if you make her happy then I want you to be my dad." Willow popped in to say the same, not wanting Juan to rethink things and to show her brother she wanted what he wanted. Juan and Lindsay called Valerie and Melanie over so they wouldn't think the worst. Seeing Dan with the bat and John with a shovel caused Lindsay to ask, "Where's Willie or did you finally resort to using GPS?" Willie came over with a map and grumbled about them not folding it after the last time, with Dan casually saying, "At least the blood rinsed off the bat" causing Juan to shiver as the three grinned at him with a shark- toothed smirk. Lindsay sat them down then explained, "Juan proposed to me. He has asked the kids if they would like to be adopted getting an enthusiastic yes from them." The guys asked, "Anything more?" leading to Lindsay saying, "We are also expecting a baby in about seven months." The three guys slapped Juan on the back while Valerie and Melanie hugged Lindsay. Even though both knew about the pregnancy it was important that Juan knew they were fine with it. Juan accepted the ribbing while Lindsay enjoyed the friendship the two ladies shared with her adding further depth to her feelings that she missed out on something special over the years. The teens watched the mini-celebration and finally realized that something big had just happened. Cat casually told her siblings and cousins, "Aunt Lindsay is having a baby and Uncle Juan is going to marry her." The teens looked at her in shock while JD Finn added, "Mommy was talking to Aunt Melanie. She forgot we were in the dining room eating a snack." The teens went outside and looked at the couple, asking, "Is it true? A baby and marriage?" Lindsay looked at Valerie who blushed and mumbled, "Forgot they were there" causing the others to laugh at her momentary lapse in judgment. Cat and JD came out and asked if Juan was going to be Willow's new daddy getting a happy, "Yes" from Juan. The teens just smirked as the bachelor was finally pinned down with a family and happy to do it. Jaimie casually added,, "We thought you would have gotten together with Aunt Lupe." Juan expected that and countered, "I love her like a sister. She is a great woman but not the woman that I wanted. Besides, Miguel is too much of a brother to me to ever consider dating his sister. I love Lupe and Reyna but not in the same way as I love Lindsay." Chapter 3 The news spread of the engagement of Juan and Lindsay and of Lindsay's pregnancy. As he expected, Juan was called before Louis Reagan to answer why he had proposed to her without his consent. He tried to keep an angry face but seeing the genuine terror on Juan's face showed he didn't have to put on the act and embraced Juan as his new son. Tamara did the same, adding a soft, "As long as the kids are fine with you two then we have no issue with you getting together." Juan mumbled a cautious, "They asked me to adopt them" getting a smile and happy, "Then it's settled. We will help file the paperwork, you don't need to do anything else except show up tomorrow at city hall." Lindsay was fighting for words but decided to leave it be. The kids would be there to witness Lindsay and Juan getting married, with Katie and Tanya York serving as witnesses. Valerie would know and would keep Cat away while Virgil and Trinity were forced to come along with their mothers. The next day the kids were abuzz with the news of the marriage. Cat Finn kept begging to be allowed to go getting grins from Valerie who took pride in being able to tell her youngest child, "No" over and over again. Virgil and Trinity didn't want to go but were informed that they had to go due to their mothers, neither wanted to endure a boring meeting and ceremony but they were told warmly that they were there on behalf of their cousins giving them smiles and heartfelt hugs to Valerie over the honor. At City Hall, Juan and Lindsay drew the attention of everyone especially when Louis appeared and led the gathered group inside the city clerk's office. The couple signed the paperwork, paid their fees, then had the ceremonial vows bestowed on them by the city clerk. The couple kissed deeply with Willow beaming with pride and Tyler hugging Trinity, much to her surprise. As they tried to leave, they were confronted by a group of city employees who tried to hone in on the ceremony. Louis brushed them off, it was clear that they wanted something from him and ignored them. Lindsay had no clue who half of them were while Juan knew that most were only seeking favors that would never be repaid to Louis. Several threatened to complain that Juan needed to be fired for nepotism. A few threatened to expose Louis to the city for allowing deviants into his family. One actually threatened that if he didn't resign he'd have the state look into his foundation for fraud. Louis just grinned and announced, "I appointed the best person for the job years ago and I have no control over who my daughter dates or marries. I have worked with every department in this city and none of you have any clout to use against me and any attempt to bring me down with a false rumor or preying on the insecurities of a few will only see you losing your jobs. And I personally know the head of the Attorney General's Municipal crimes subdivision, as well as her boss, and both are sending their congratulations to my daughter and son-in-law. In fact, the Deputy Attorney General is waiting at my daughter's house for a small party and would love to hear how you threatened me over my daughter marrying the man she loves especially as he is a man who earned his job and has run the foundation without my interference and influence for a decade. But please, try to tell her how you feel that you have the right to threatening me and trying to install a patsy in my place. I am sure she will appreciate turning the tables on you and ask ?why does it matter to you' then promptly go after all of you for trying to use your threats to curry favor with a city council member. I believe that is both extortion and misuse of public office as well criminal threats against a public official." Gasps were heard as Louis grinned. Louis casually added,, "Angela has wanted to try her hand at going after some corruption lingering in this city, I guess you are giving her a chance." Katie then burst into laughter as Lindsay looked at her shocked. Katie added a heartfelt, "She knows the legends of the city, she knows it hasn't been purged of ill intent by public officials as these fine folks have shown. She is going to be the next Attorney General, this would be a fine finale to her employment behind the scenes as she takes over at 1 Ashburton Place next January." The group quickly dispersed leaving Lindsay trying to gather her thoughts. Juan just hugged her, kissed her cheek, then told her, "Your dad just made them look like fools and exposed their seedy underbelly to all in City Hall. They will resign in disgrace or bide their time before retirement. Either way, they are powerless now- all thanks to your dad's sharp words and the brutal truth." The small group headed to Lindsay's house to meet their well-wishers and give the kids the much-needed playtime. Cat immediately seized Willow while Virgil monopolized Tyler. Trinity was left to play with Ella Finn, but both girls were fine with that as they rushed off to Ella's room for fun. Juan caught the attention of Reyna Toro as she stopped kissing her girlfriend Rachel Sylvester upon seeing him. She had a sad look and pained expression forcing him to walk over ask to talk privately with her. Rachel just grinned, she expected that her girlfriend needed to know how Juan really felt about her and how she wasn't wrong in feeling that way. Sitting her down, Juan carefully explained, "You and your mother mean the world to me but Lupe and I are just too alike in so many ways. She is an amazing woman and I love her but not as a boyfriend or husband would. She is so much like a sister that I honestly can't see her as anything other than one. Just as I can't see you as anything other than a niece. We just aren't meant to be together and as much as it pains you to see it, we are not meant to be together." Reyna had tears in her eyes as she reluctantly admitted, "I thought you might be my dad. All of my friends have dads as do all of Uncle Miguel's teammates' kids have dads. Mom loves you too but I guess I was only seeing you as what I want not what you are." He hugged her then added, "Nobody can ever replace Reymundo in your mom?s heart. She may one day find love with a man, she has love to give. Don?t give up hope. You have a lovely girlfriend who has a father who will be that man for you if you give him the chance. You have the best uncle anyone could want and have multiple adults who care deeply about you and treat you as a daughter the same way any father would. Please don't be upset at losing me as a potential father. Sometimes the best father is an uncle and for you, that is crystal clear. You have Richard, John, Willie, Dan, Zeke, Ben, James, and Mark as father figures, each who love you as their own niece and treat you as a daughter. Let them be the father for you." Everyone waited for the two to stop talking. Lupe came over and hugged Juan then kissed his cheek. She took Reyna aside and talked quietly with her, ensuring that she understood that Juan had her blessing and what he said was the truth. Reyna just shed a tear and hugged Lupe then went inside with Rachel while the others continued on with the gathering. Miguel showed up and happily told the couple that they deserved happiness. He loved pointing out that Juan didn't need any dad training, he already had years of experience with kids. Zeke Bollinger laughed and added, "That won't prepare him for late night feedings and diaper changes" getting all except Miguel to laugh as his own inexperience with that left him open for the joke. Miguel just smiled and accepted the laughs, knowing Juan appreciated him taking the spotlight away from him. Lindsay gave Miguel a big hug and kiss on his cheek then countered with a happy, "So when are you going to settle down" causing him to blush deeply at the turnaround. Everyone else now laughed while Miguel pondered her words with the group agreeing that it was inevitable that the bachelorhood was going away soon. Lindsay and Juan endured dozens of friends and family stopping by to congratulate them with the Yorks and Elizas being the ones who stayed the longest. The Finns kept the teens at bay while Melanie and Dan offered to host the kids while the couple had some privacy. They quickly turned down the offer, insisting that it was no big deal and they wanted to just get things back to normal. Over at the Finn home, Jaimie Finn worked with her cousins Iris Sylvester, Stacy and Rebecca Lopez, and Emma Peterson to find the perfect dress for the reunion. She hated to have to go but lost the draw among the senior class student council. She resigned herself to being put on display and under scrutiny but was thankful that she was going to have her aunts and uncles there alongside her parents. The ladies debated her wardrobe for two hours before Ella and Trinity came in to try to help. Both looked at what she had and picked something none of them thought of- one of her dresses from the previous weddings. One, in particular, was perfect as it was similar to what their mothers were wearing while also youthful and respectful. Jaimie had also filled in some more since she had first worn the dress making her bust appear fuller up top making the dress almost too tight but was perfect for the event. The girls got hugs and kisses from the teens and Emma with both happily saying they were just bored and wanted to do something. Emma took both downstairs to play with little Sophia Peterson as a reward and to allow Jaimie to fix her hair to have a new style without a major makeover, something the talented Rebecca was expert at doing. Downstairs, Rick Samuels was shown the picture of Jaimie in her dress. His reaction caused the two young girls to snicker as he stumbled for words. Michael Finn shook his head and boldly told him, "You know she is good looking and you have seen everything, it's not that big of a deal." Rick showed him the picture causing Michael to blush and admit, "OK maybe she does look extremely beautiful in that. Don't you dare tell her I said that." Emma just grinned and led the girls to Sophia while Rick recovered and Michael hid his shame, adding a happy, "She really is beautiful. Maybe not model beautiful but she is full figured and athletically built making her the envy of most women." John and Valerie were shown the picture and agreed with the dress choice. John had to hold back his tears, his little girl looked like a grown woman. Despite being her father for six years he had to finally come face to face with his little girl looking like a grown woman, much more so than any time before. Valerie hugged him tight then added, "She hasn't been your little girl for years. It's almost time to let her leave the nest. You know Rick and her are destined to wed, and she is almost ready for her surgery. Our little angel has become a woman right in front of our eyes and will break the hearts of many in the fall." John kissed her and fell asleep with a smile on his face. Jaimie Finn, the little angel he had taken in after trying to help get over her mental health issues, was almost ready to finally have the last bit of her past excised from her. It was tough to accept but having long ago seen the boy who won the heart of his daughter grow into the young man who all fathers want to date their daughters and having earned the respect and admiration of thousands, Jaimie was going to be leaving the Finn home for her own home. Valerie didn't mention it but she wasn't going to be alone in her new home. The group of four who were attending school at UMass-Amherst were staying together with the other ten attending school back east staying in their own home. Michael and his girlfriend Courtney Bollinger were getting their own home from his earnings and not even trying to pretend they weren't serious as a couple. John woke up refreshed in the morning, kissing Ella and Cat while hugging JD and Logan. Valerie just shook her head and had to explain to them, "Your father got a little bit of a shock last night after seeing Jaimie in her dress for the reunion. Don't look too much into this, he is simply coming to terms with his little girl being a grown woman." Jaimie kissed John on the cheek at hearing that causing him to blush. She happily said, "I love you too, dad" to him as she ate while her brother Miles groaned at her getting him riled up again. He then added, "Keep it up and you are going to slip in a request for a super-stretch limo just for you and Rick for the prom" getting a cold stare from Jaimie while John added,, "Not going to happen, two normal limos with your friends is enough." John dressed in his Winnisimmet Reserve Police uniform and got a complaint from Michael over him intimidating the students. John just grinned and shot back, "There's only a few who are intimidated and it's for all of the right reasons. Not all of your classmates are as lawful and seeing me like this might just scare a few of them away from further trouble. I know exactly who will complain and it won't be anyone who matters to you, like the city?s youngest drug pushers." In school, he had to endure a lot of ribbing from his colleagues but John was proud to wear the uniform that day, even if it was due to his classmates being unable or unwilling to help out with the decorating and setup. The fact that it was his class-A dress uniform as opposed to the normal one was even funnier to them as they ribbed him about his reunion being at the school. John just grinned and pointed out that it was perfect given they had spent so much time there anyway and he loved showing the students that he was in touch with his city despite having no real need to be. The students were at first shocked to see John dressed up, but hearing that he had to go to his reunion that night and was going to finish decorating he got praised. As he had predicted, there were some snide remarks from several students about him being a pig but John casually mentioned to them, "I am proud to represent the city and not try to take a hand in destroying it. I am sorry that your business slinging crack and crystal meth keeps being interrupted by us, but the rest of the city don't seem to mind." John's passive-aggressive put-down earned an uproarious laugh and respect from the students as he dared the students to say something. When one quietly told him, "Watch your back" John pointed to his digital recorder and cameras, adding, "I'll be sure to send this off to Chief Pena should anything happen to me. You said it on your own free will knowing full well that all that goes on inside this classroom are recorded as you were told the first day of school and signed a waiver regarding the recording." The student ran off, humiliated and afraid that he would actually send, "The real cops" after him. John simply forwarded the recording to Willie who looked into it and happily emailed back, "Criminal threats against a teacher and officer, ADA going after him while drug unit uses him to go after the real target. Fool thought he was a bigwig but is just a drop in the bucket in the local trade." John just smirked at reading that. The student thought he was a tough guy but was really nothing but a wannabe thug. John walked over to Jake Bollinger, the principal, and had him listen to the recording then started the expulsion process with John giving his take on what happened and why, leaving out parts that were sensitive to the criminal investigation. Jake just nodded at the attempt at not saying everything, even when he had everything going for him John still knew what mattered most. The next class period went smoother as word had gotten around that John was in full uniform and not afraid to go toe to toe with the druggies in school. By lunch, word reached the student body of the expulsion and arrest of the student who threatened John getting him angry glares that were matched by students asking if they supported someone threatening a teacher. This led to wars of words in several classes as a dozen students were suspended and two expelled for criminal activities and assaults on the students who opposed them- all due to John pointing out the stupidity of the threat to him by a student. John worked with Melanie in the gym after school ended and endured being put on display as people watched him setting up the tables and chairs then decorating them, all under Melanie's knowing eyes. He did a lot of heavy lifting and moving, with Melanie being methodical about where everything would go and how many would be at each table. John and she were showing the school that they were extremely close and got so much attention that Jake had to explain to anyone asking, "John and Melanie have been together since middle school and have been inseparable since she moved back here. Before you claim they are more than friends, know that they have never seen themselves as more than friends and are actually more like siblings. They are a great team and are doing this so their classmates have a nicer reunion than would have happened otherwise. They are just friends, nothing more and nothing less." Over at his home, Juan tried his hardest to get ready but had to be snapped out of his delay by Lindsay calling. His heart melted at hearing her voice, with the two talking about anything as he dressed. Lindsay then finally asked him, "Are you dressed yet or do I have to send the girls over to help you? Cat will not be happy to have to set out your shoes and put on your coat while Willow tries her hardest to get your hair just right." Juan realized she set him up and casually mentioned that he was dressed. She snickered, telling him warmly, "I knew you were struggling with tonight so I thought you needed a distraction. I would have been there to help you but I didn't want you to get any more behind schedule." The sexual tone of her statement caused him to blush and put on his shoes, almost gliding out the door as he finished dressing while Lindsay had to hide her obvious blush from the kids. He looked over his house and sighed. It was his family home but it was going to be sold soon. He had a couple of buyers in mind, particularly Michael Finn who could use the home away from most others but close to his future in-laws. Juan would approach John and Michael about the house after the prom, it would give them enough time to think it over while Michael finalized his plans for the summer and Courtney got the blessing from her parents to move out. Over at the Finn home Kennedy, Willie, Katie, Alison, Dan, Paul and Rachel Douglas, and Valerie were dressed, had their makeup perfected, and hair styled. The ladies had used Riley Pierce to style and put on their makeup allowing Rebecca to focus on her homework, much to Rebecca's dismay. Jaimie was the last one to join them, with the group eagerly awaiting her entrance. As she descended the stairs the others all gasped at her look. Michael and Miles fumbled for the right words while Logan gave her a long, lusting stare. The poor boy had to turn away in shame as he started to feel something stirring, "Down there" that he hadn't wanted to have stir at seeing his big sister. The adults caught his little movement and had big grins, the 10-year-old had just entered puberty the hard way and was feeling the effects of hormones and seeing a beautiful girl. Jaimie looked at her two older brothers and swiftly told them, "Not one word." Michael smirked, took a picture, then forwarded it to their friends and family. Miles shook his head and added, "A picture is worth 1,000 words. Michael said a mouthful there." Jaimie leaned down and hugged Logan as he blushed at the attention. She whispered into his ear, "It's alright, it's a natural reaction. Those two got them at your age too, and it's one of many you will get at looking at girls from now on." She was toying with him but he ran off in shame. The adults all shook their heads while Valerie pointed out, "I guess you are going to be doing a lot of diaper changes for that little prank. But he needs to know the truth there and John will need to have a talk with him anyway. John will just love this talk." Lindsay and Juan joined them outside with Juan letting out a barely audible, "Wow" as he saw Jaimie. She grinned widely, adding a swift, "You should see our prom dresses, Stacy will make you faint at her look." Juan looked at Dan who added a firm, "Thank goodness Scott knows to keep his hands off Stacy, but she is a good girl anyway." The Sylesters, Yorks, Kellys, Joneses, Hermans, Vegas, and Pierces saw the reunion-bound people off with each having big grins on their faces while hoping the event went without trouble. Sean Kelly and his wife Danielle vocalized it most, adding, "If she can't get a quiet night with her parents and relatives that poor girl will never know peace." Sean added a firm, "They will learn quickly she is off limits." At the high school, John and Melanie joined the group with Melanie going off to the locker room to change quickly into her dress. John groaned that she got off lucky, but Melanie added:, "At least you don't have to put on makeup." John glared at her as Dan added ?he could use some blush to bring out his cheeks while Valerie added:, "Maybe some concealer for those worry lines as well." Once Melanie changed the group entered the gym, greeting Jake Bollinger and the few city council members representing the city. Louis happily hugged Katie, Alison, Lindsay, and Juan while kissing Jaimie's cheek and giving John, Dan, Willie, and Paul handshakes. Valerie, Kennedy, Rachel, and Melanie got kisses and hugs with all four giving him the same in return. The others already there stared at the sight, holding off commentary regarding the group until they were clear of Louis. When Louis entered he happily told the few he knew would gossip the most, "I love those people. My daughters, daughter-in-law, and son-in-law are some of the greatest people I have ever met. And that young lady is the greatest thing to ever happen to our city. For decades people will remember the name ?Jaimie Finn' when they talk about our city." Chapter 4 Due to them being central guests and key members of the reunion, the group were placed near the front as John, Valerie, Jaimie, Jake, Rachel, Paul, Melanie, and Dan were seated together with Katie, Alison, Lindsay, Juan, Willie, and Kennedy were seated with the reunion committee's vice chairman and her husband. The seating plan was carefully choreographed as Melanie knew that there were still several malcontents in the class who had issues with Katie, John, and Willie. John and Willie flanked the tables with Katie being seated next to Dan with Juan's back to her. Jaimie was sensing a lot of tension and could see and hear a lot of criticism over the group as they were seated. Several recognized Jaimie with nobody recognizing Katie nor Lindsay. Alison got a lot of stares as she was out of place among the group but seemed to know all of those sitting with her as she made small talk to keep Katie calm. Melanie had to fight off talking with people as she got situated and arranged her notes for the evening while John and Jake talked about something school related. Dan and Paul visually scanned all of the incoming people and watched as the known gossipers shared that the infamous Jaimie Finn was there but nobody seemed to believe that she was the young woman at the table with Melanie. Dan had to smile at that, she was already causing a lot of people to doubt themselves and their beliefs without saying a single word yet. Juan, Willie, Paul, Melanie, and Dan got up to talk to people while Rachel, Kennedy, and the others decompressed further. John spotted two people he wished hadn't come, Jacques and Nadia Orleans. Katie asked why John had a glum face, quietly explaining, "They are Pete's parents. She got pregnant and ended up having to finish the last semester in the alternative school while he worked two jobs and had his parents on his back for getting her knocked up so young. The two have hated me ever since Little League. He has 30 years of hatred to go along with her 25 years. I don?t know how they lasted, but the two somehow mad their mutual hatred of me into a strong bond.- all because of Little League!" Katie grinned and finally snickered at hearing that. John shot her a glare but she explained, "Really? 30 years? Just because you couldn't hit my slider? Yikes. I know you were bad and I even lobbed it to you to give up a hit and get yanked out of the game. If I had known this would happen I'd have just plunked you on the butt and saved a lot of trouble for you." Lindsay heard them and sat down, adding a snicker and quick, "It didn't help that I was on deck ready to hit a home run, I took you deep twice that game already thanks to John walking both times." Katie shook her head at not remembering that day with Valerie staring at the three both shocked and amazed that they had actually played against one another as kids. Jaimie tried to hide her smile but added a hearty, "He still can't hit the ball, JD already hits better than him and he only just learned how to swing the bat. Dad just can?t hit anything." Jake snorted at that with Valerie trying to hide her smirk as John turned red in embarrassment as the sisters reminisced about John's youth beyond what he had previously told the others. Alison simply listened and gave John a sympathetic smile but reveled in him accidentally causing the sisters to bond over something that they had completely forgotten about but had been a fun memory for them. Jaimie noticed the smile on Katie's face as she talked about that time. Katie happily admitted, "This was the last time I felt good about myself. After that day, my dad started to think I was going to be the next Nolan Ryan or Roger Clemens and kept pushing me to play harder and for more teams. It's also about the time I started to fight my feelings which led to more fighting and becoming miserable mentally." Lindsay just smiled at her and added, "You really were a great player, but dad got him to back off of you before you snapped. That summer when we were 12 he tried to run me out of the league so I didn't take a spot away from a boy, he ended up almost getting banned for life from all city parks for hurting you for refusing to hurt me. If he hadn't been a police captain he would have been arrested. But of course, he sweet talked the DA into getting out of charges." John shook his head and added, "That was Victoria Williams. She paid a ADA so that the charges never appeared. If they had been on his record, he would never have been appointed chief let alone terrorized you further. I only found that out because dad was going to testify against him but the ADA pretended not to know what he was talking about and finally had the ADA fired for what he did when he told the DA once another caught him lying to dad. He never did get paid by Victoria, she simply had him beaten up and move away in disgrace." Kennedy and Rachel quietly talked as the others reminisced about the far distant past. Rachel knew this was something that only John, Katie, and Lindsay were involved in based on how they were talking with Rachel smiling at the reactions of Valerie, Alison, Jaimie, and Jake. The expressions on John's face were priceless, with Rachel taking a picture and sending it to John's sister Karen to get her take on what they were talking about. She sent back a picture of two teams of kids with arrows to John, Katie, and Lindsay. The two looked at one another and smiled at the second and third pictures, one of John and Lindsay playing in the outfield and one of Katie and John facing off against one another. Katie looked so different, very focused and competitive while John looked like he was terrified and didn't want to be there. Katie had longer than normal hair which made her appear feminine despite trying to act masculine, something Kennedy knew was her feelings of being a girl starting to fully emerge. Rachel sighed and asked Kennedy if she ever played sports like that as a kid. Kennedy shook her head, then softly admitted, "Growing up I was either doing schoolwork or housework. My parents didn't bother with having me play sports as I was too small and weak to do anything other than run. My dad thought running was for sissies and openly mocked our track team despite being one of the best in the state. He thought if you didn't play football, basketball, or baseball you weren't a real man despite having great soccer, track, cross country, and wrestling teams in our school. A bunch of those ?sissy sport' players earned scholarships and got out of that hellhole town." Kennedy felt a lot of relief over admitting that. She regretted not being allowed to participate in a sport especially ones that she was actually great at. She had offers from the school to be part of the track and cross country teams but she wasn't allowed by her father. Her mother had to side with her father, she heard the arguments they had and it showed on her mother's face that she clearly didn't believe in his refusal especially as it hurt so many others but his word was law then. Rachel kept her own opinions to herself as she knew the same argument only she had fought her parents over her participation. Being a girl, they didn't think she should take part in sports and despite it being a private school and her being offered a full scholarship if she participated in a sport she was denied with her father choosing to pay. The school tried to reason with her father, but he outright refused and threatened to withdraw her if they kept insisting, ending all discussions further. His reason was more sinister than simple sexism and homophobia like Kennedy?s and Katie?s fathers, it was his way of controlling his daughter and keeping her under his thumb until she was old enough to marry. He intended on her marrying a colleague so he'd get a promotion and part of the business while she played the good wife and gave the man kids. That fell through when the company was sold from under the two and he was forced to seek another suitor for his daughter while she was away at college. Rachel had the last laugh, she graduated with honors and went to a great college where she met Paul. Paul was fresh off his 3 year stint in the Navy and happy to enjoy some freedom for the first time. He and Rachel dated all four years and finally married after graduation with Paul earning a high civil service exam score getting a coveted spot with the Winnisimmet Fire Department. They spent years trying to conceive a child but it wasn't until 12 years before that they succeeded with Margaret being born as the result. It wasn't likely that they would be able to have another child as Paul's sperm count was low and Rachel had a lot of issues with her pregnancy to the point that her health was at risk if they tried again. Kennedy saw the distant look in Rachel's eyes and knew she was thinking about her own past, offering a soft, "He was always your son even when he was your nephew" causing Rachel to nod and smile back at her friend knowing her so well. Across the gym, Paul watched Rachel and Kennedy talking and knew their past was running through Rachel's mind. She always had the same sad look whenever she thought about their conception troubles. Kennedy's words helped her but Paul felt terrible about not being, "Man enough" to have another kid and then enduring the constant teasing from the others when he and Rachel struggled with issue after issue for two years. It didn't help one bit that his colleagues had multiple kids with his buddy Kevin Clarence having three before Rachel reached her last in-vitro fertilization attempt. Kevin loved to tout his sons' manliness especially Vincent and Albert. Little Reed was barely acknowledged but Paul knew the kid was special and showed that he was going to be a great person one day even if his father didn't see it, which years later would prove true as Albert and Vincent sat in prison alongside their father Kevin while Reed had a great job and beautiful girlfriend and lived a happy life as Kennedy and Willie?s son. Willie watched the ladies as well and knew that Kennedy was going to think up something special to say to the wavering Rachel. This whole night was a test of Kennedy?s patience and empathy as she was getting to see the real people that Willie grew up with. He was glad that Kevin was from Kensington or this would have been a lot worse than it could have been, from his friends in the Kensington Police Department he knew that Kevin was hated with a passion for what he had done to his kids and many were glad that he was unable to attend as there would have been issues especially among the few who were gay or had transgender relatives. Juan made his rounds of the few people he wanted to seek out and happily caught up with a half dozen who moved out west and who were visiting for vacation. They congratulated him on his marriage and happily told him that it was long overdue. Lindsay was seen as a great woman to them and those who actually knew her were surprised that her ex-husband had been stupid enough to not see just what he had lost out on in her. Juan's news that he was expecting his first child brought hugs and slaps on the back. The group was excited to know that the man most likely to remain a bachelor among the class had settled down and married let alone started a family with two older kids in the mix. Juan shared pictures of his new son and daughter and got a big smile as they all laughed at Tyler being so much like his grandfather while Willow looked so much like her mother with Juan getting a strong feeling that he was going to have a son or daughter that also strongly resembled the Reagan family, something that made him proud. Across the room, Melanie had made the rounds alongside Dan and listened as people gossiped about the people they didn't know being there. Nobody outside the committee or the people who talked with Melanie on a regular basis had pegged Katie as being the, "Girly-boy freak" that they had graduated with nor did they realize that Kennedy was married to Willie. There was speculation about Alison being a hired prostitute who was there with Jake but that only led to more speculations about who Alison was and why she was there. Melanie held her tongue and didn't bother with the gossipers. She sought out the few she wanted to see personally and happily hugged and kissed them. Dan did the same, getting handshakes from the husbands and congratulations on his newest son as he beamed with pride at the idea despite it being two months after the adoption. Dan just happily showed pictures of Julio, earning a lot of stares over how strongly he resembled Dan while Melanie happily announced that he was Dan's twin brother's son therefore extremely similar genetically to Dan so it's almost like he is his father even if he didn't conceive him. The look on their faces was priceless as all but one were shocked but the one who wasn't happily added:, "I'm glad you remembered what I told you last November." The others looked over at their classmate, a man by the name of Solomon Grande, who explained, "I helped Melanie's friends with a DNA test on their son and conducted the quick test for Melanie's son myself. It's no joke about him being the little boy's father in so many ways as they are simply identical with only a small fraction of their DNA being different. You'd have to do an extremely thorough test to get the exact match, and even then it's a crapshoot to find the right sequence differences to prove one over the other. The little man will never have to explain why he doesn't look like his mother because he looks so much like both his biological and adoptive fathers." Melanie hugged Solomon who added,, "It's not often that I get to show off." Melanie grinned and added a happy, "Ricardo will be happy that you got something out of his test beyond a payment. He and his son gave your company a nice grant for further research, thanks to your quick work." Solomon got some attention as Melanie moved on. Dan had a big smile on his face as Solomon had just shut down any talk about little Julio for the evening. Solomon didn't think it was anyone's place to talk about the boy especially given the circumstances of his being with them as people ignored why he was placed with them in the first place in favor of gossip about him being their son overall. Willie finally made his way around the gym and was confronted by just who he didn't want to talk with. Victor Russo, Wally Jackson, and Boyd Queen were three former officers who were fired for their roles in enforcing Katie?s father, Chief Benson's, edicts on the police force. They escaped prison by pleading to misdemeanor perjury charges earning 10 years of probation and were terminated for their actions and blacklisted from being hired by any police department in Massachusetts and across the United States. It had been a rough five years for the men. They had been unable to find any jobs with any kind of police agency. Not even the military would accept them, they didn't have felonies but their probation prevented them from reenlisting in any of the branches. The trio was stuck with menial security jobs. They were glorified greeters, with nobody respecting them and all but ignoring them. For three men who had once been highly respected and feared in the city, they were reduced to overnight shifts at office buildings working alongside college students who only worked alongside them because they couldn?t find better jobs. Boyd was the unofficial leader of the group with Victor and Wally as his enforcers. They thought that they would get a shot at Willie with nobody daring to stop them. They thought wrong, John and Dan showing up in full uniform caused them to back away from their initial plan and rethink their looming confrontation, the two would ensure they went to jail and it wasn't a, "He said/she said" situation. Boyd finally got the nerve to strike and was quick to demand to know why he brought the, "Freak" there. Willie just grinned and happily told them, "She was invited alongside the rest of her classmates and is the guest of honor tonight. Funny thing is, I don't recall you three getting any sort of invitation." Boyd sneered at him, telling him, "We don't need invitations. We belong here, that freak doesn't. Neither does that piece of trash sitting next to it. I ought to rip that badge off his chest and beat the crap out of him to show him what a real cop is." Dan stood firm over them and asked, "And just what would that be? One who gets paid to beat down witnesses to keep them from talking to internal affairs? One who pays off addicts to attack innocent kids to make it look like there are crimes happening in certain neighborhoods just to make it look like you are needed there instead of where real crimes are occurring so you don't have to respond to many calls and interrupt your beauty sleep? Or maybe that the only way to advance is to follow the illegal orders of people who are being paid by drug lords, queenpins, and corrupt council members who only want to advance their own agendas not the needs of their constituents?" Victor and Wally tried to intimidate Dan but he just smirked as John strode over thanks to Kennedy's signal. John happily told them, "You three weren't invited for the same reason your two other buddies weren't invited. We don't want criminals here, you besmirched our class and were bullies to everyone who was different inside of this school and outside of it. You haven't changed one bit since graduation and aren't worth remembering. You aren?t worth remembering, unlike everyone else here." The three were going to go after Willie but Jake stood behind the trio. He wasn't alone, alongside him was Officer Ian Bailey and three other police officers. Ian firmly asked,, "Did I hear you right, did you threaten to assault an officer of the law?" Willie happily stated, "That you did. Book them all on criminal threats, trespassing, violating an active restraining order, and disorderly conduct. I know for a fact that Katie Eliza has one against Boyd." The trio punched Ian and the officers leading John, Willie, and Dan to perform quick take-downs of the three. Willie read them their rights then added, "Additional charges of assaulting police officers and for resisting arrest will be added to your charges. And if you even think that you will get out of this by taking another deal: think again, this whole incident was witnessed by my wife who will happily tell the DA that you three are in violation of your probation and are going to be prosecuted for breaking the terms of your plea deal in addition to your new charges." Their classmates were shocked that the three had taken down the three larger men, but Willie happily told them, "Those three were too lazy to learn anything new once they left the academy. It?s standard training for all officers nowadays to learn the quick take-down and simple but effective holds. They may be reserve officers, but they are fully trained and qualified and have more arrests in their three years working only 70 days with the department than those three have had in their 12 years with the department working 2,800 days." John and Dan tried to look humble but they knew it was Willie touting them for effect. Their classmates had to see John as more than just money, he was somebody who actually wanted to make a difference. Dan too was being shown to be more than just Melanie's husband, he was a true Inferno like them. Paul beamed with pride over his friends taking action so quickly. Two classmates asked what that was all about, getting a hearty, "They were having issues with Katie Eliza being here. They didn't like that their former boss' cast-out daughter was welcomed tonight but they weren't invited. They didn't like that Willie fired them when their crimes were exposed and they were forced to rat out their fellow officers, including three of our classmates, to save their own skins." Paul knew he had accidentally said too much. One asked, "Who is Katie Eliza? I don't remember anyone named Katie." Paul steeled himself and proclaimed, "You knew her originally as Kurtis Benson. In the middle of junior year she became legally Katie Benson. Last August she got married to a lovely woman named Alison Eliza. The two adopted a beautiful little girl and Alison recently gave birth to their twins." There were several gasps as people started to realize who Katie really was and put 2 and 2 together. Looking at Paul one asked, "Who is the father? Some sperm donor>" Paul glared at the person and happily stated, "Katie is the ?father'. Her adoptive father, Louis Reagan the man standing behind you ready to set you straight about her, had her bank sperm for such an occasion. She and her wife were successful in their attempt at conceiving so she is, in fact, the father of her son and daughter. And before you ask, their daughter was adopted because of being orphaned and Katie and her wife were the only ones who were willing to take her in as foster parents before adopting her outright as their daughter." Louis took over for Paul, getting a nod at him circumventing many of the upcoming questions. Louis added a firm, "She is Katie. You knew her as Katie for 18 months. You chose to continue to call her Kurtis despite her being legally Katie. She is a wife, mother, lawyer, teacher, aunt, and mentor to so many. Her sister, and yes she is my daughter despite what that animal who sired her claims, owes her husband and her children's well-being to her." He waited for the proclamation to impact them. He smirked as he added, "She had a huge hand in saving the lives of several children including two who she had no idea were related to her through my cousin. She has done all of that without any recognition. She doesn't have to work a day in her life anymore yet she chose to teach children and took in a troubled little girl who needed a home and loving parents when she had nobody. So before you go off and make insulting remarks and spread rumors about my daughter look into the mirror and think about what you are really doing as I know for a fact that none of you have done much beyond work minimum wage jobs and live off welfare." Louis' biting words hit their mark and he left them to ponder his speech. He made it a point to hug both Katie and Alison before returning to his seat alongside other dignitaries for a quick breather. His fellow city councilors gave him a happy ribbing over his golden tongue being wasted on those who wouldn't heed his words for long but to him, it was worth it as others had just heard it and would see things as they really were now that they knew the truth. Juan managed to get cornered by two teammates from the baseball team who wanted to know what he had been up to lately. Juan didn't answer, only showing a picture to them. Both looked at him in shock, Juan was hanging out with several members of the Red Sox the previous weekend at a player's house with Miguel Toro taking the picture of them. Others started to take an interest in Juan as he started to talk about the guys on the team. Juan didn't mind talking about them, he liked the guys that Miguel hung around with a lot. Miguel was picky about who he was friends with among his teammates so those who were around him were ones that Juan found to be great people and who had the same ideals as Juan regarding setting up post-playing careers and saving money. Juan happily told them that he was hired by two of the players to rework their contracts so they would stick with Boston for longer instead of risking their careers on the free agent market or with terrible teams. They had actually gotten more money than anyone would have offered and even got a larger signing bonus thanks to taking the, "Hometown discount" and freeing up some money to retain other players. He kept that little fact away from everyone except Lindsay and Louis, with Miguel being the one to break it to the family after the deals were signed. The way Juan talked about Miguel they thought that he was having sex with Miguel and was coming out to them and saying Miguel was gay as well. His teammates joked that he should have brought his boyfriend the way he was talking so affectionately about Miguel. This was meant to be playful banter but Juan didn't accept it, he never liked it but he didn't say anything about it because it would have imploded their team. Juan angrily told them, "This is why I never bothered to talk with you after we graduated. I'm not gay. I worked my ass off to earn my business degree then worked for Louis Reagan as his youth coordinator. I have worked hard and long for the same organization that got several of you decent jobs and ensured kids had a future in our city. I got lucky a couple of times and earned the confidence of a couple of up-and-coming ballplayers to get them their big break in the game by encouraging them to sign great development contracts with some powerful teams. This is common knowledge, in fact, I have several awards from the city and state to show that my hard work paid off." He took a breath and stated, "That was what I did for years. Then two and a half years ago I was asked to help out some friends with a tricky situation and ended up getting a job as Miguel Toro's agent. He is the best friend I ever had and I am proud to call him my brother. I am sorry that being close to him equates to being gay but that is your assumption, not mine. I am not gay. I have a beautiful wife who is pregnant with our child and am adopting her son and daughter as my own children. She won my heart and I was lucky enough to win hers and we don't have to explain it to anyone except ourselves. She encouraged my relationship with Miguel as the man has good reasons for being reclusive and opening up to only a select few, of which I am happy to be among that small number. So no, I'm not gay and no he isn't gay either. He's a great person who I proudly call my brother and who is acting as my best man when my wife and I have a full wedding this summer." Juan walked away then sat down to Lindsay's loving kiss. She knew he needed that right then and there and was happy to show the idiots who made a huge assumption about him wrong. Juan calmed down and just talked with the ladies while Lindsay kept her arm over Juan's shoulders, staking her claim to her husband for all to see. Louis happily told the assembled group who were chastised by Juan, "The man speaks the truth. My daughter is head over heels in love with Juan and he has been the brother that Miguel Toro has been missing for years. The man has been a constant funk for years until Juan got him to start focusing on things outside of baseball including his family. He probably saved Miguel's life but won't ever say that to anyone. He cares deeply about him and has been the ears for Miguel to vent his frustrations over people trying to take advantage of him or harm his niece and sister. Louis shook his head in disgrace at saying that but the point needed to be made. He added, "Juan is also the brother to Miguel's sister, giving her daughter the positive male influence that she needs at times and pointing her in the right direction just as he has done for years with hundreds of kids. He loves them like family and broke Reyna's heart by not dating her mother. You really are terrible people in thinking that just because a person doesn't sleep with every woman he sees and actually tries to work hard for a living leaving little personal time that the person is gay. Hell if that were true half of you would be accused of the same thing." Louis was on fire, he hadn't had to flex his muscles in this way for years. These were people that he knew from infancy and who he had seen grow up to be who they are today and loved every minute of it. Juan was special to him, and the more he thought about Juan the more he was happy to call him, "Son" as he was the son Louis hadn't had. John was close but Juan took over from where John left off once he had flourished with Jaimie, Michael, and Valerie out in Missouri six years before. Chapter 5 Paul had avoided the spotlight so far, but that reprieve ended as he was confronted by his ex-girlfriend, the sultry and alluring(in her own mind) Celeste Campbell. He really hated to see her at that point, she had cheated on him dozens of times in high school and it took the intervention of Juan and Willie over a ?guys weekend? in the woods of New Hampshire with their fathers to get him to finally dump her for someone else. He did it before prom no less, with Paul saving a lot of money that he didn't have which went towards paying for college once he got out of the Navy. Celeste brushed it off and showed up with the man she was really dating- Roland Finn! Roland touted that he had snagged a hot senior but he was actually trying to get Lindsay jealous and show off to John that he could land girls while John was too pathetic to get one to talk to him. Celeste just wanted to make Paul jealous but it backfired badly on her as Roland stood her up and left her with a bill for their prom tickets and limo, while Paul took one of Melanie?s softball teammates. Celeste had had a hard life ever since she had barely graduated alongside the others. She got hooked on multiple drugs thanks to Roland using her to test his ?supply? and ended up in and out of rehab more times than she could count. Paul was, "The one that got away" but she always had her eye on other guys despite having a soft spot for him. Paul knew Celeste would be tough to get away from so he hoped that his wife was close by and would send the right message to Celeste to back off. It wasn't likely to work, only infuse her with more drive but it would show others what kind of person she was. Rachel caught on that Paul needed her and made her way over but let Celeste make the move so it would be all the worse for Celeste as she casually informed her that she was trying to hit on a married man who didn't want her advances. Celeste made the move and flirted, "You are looking rather dashing tonight, Paul. Trying to ignite the flames of youth while seeing some familiar faces?" Paul cringed at her words, they were terrible but Rachel's coy smile showed she was enjoying the free show especially Paul's cringes. Paul steeled himself and shot back, "You are looking much better than the last time I saw you. Do you have Narcan on hand or should I have the engine company on standby?" That hit home to Celeste as she glared at him while trying to figure out what to say next. Celeste asked about the kids, adding a terse, "What's with adopting a kid? What's the matter- can't get it up anymore so you have to resort to taking in a cheap slut's cast-offs? Maybe you just needed the right girl to help ?ease your burdens? and let your swimmers flow better." Paul was going to say something but Rachel intervened, harshly complaining, "He's just fine in bed, but you'd never know as he never let you anywhere near it...well, not without his crew needing to put two doses of Narcan into you to counteract your latest overdose. By the way, how was your recent rehab stint? It was down at the state's facility under guard since you robbed a bank to buy your hit?" The war of words caused a mini-scene as Rachel waited for Celeste to reply. She saw she wasn't going to win and resorting to cheap shots wasn't going to work. She waved off the couple and walked away in shame, getting sympathetic and angry looks from others. Paul sighed and saw his wife ready to fight. He had never seen her so upset, not since his brother had dumped Kyle on them for a month when he was only 5-years-old so he and his wife could take a cruise around the Mediterranean Sea without the hassles of caring for the boy. Rachel calmed down, but Paul had to smooth things over with classmates who blamed him for the distraction. It didn't take long before Paul's oldest rival, August Unity, to say something. The son of former new age hippies had hated Paul with a passion since they were kids and fought against him throughout school. Paul had even beat out August for a job with the fire department as August's score was exactly the same as Paul's but Paul's navy service gave him several additional points on the test putting him ahead of August causing August to have to get a job in another town in the state. August was quick to jump on the fact that Kyle was adopted, joking, "Guess you finally failed at doing something- can't knock up your wife! I feel bad for the kid, he would have been better off in a group home than that dump you live in! I hope he is smart enough to flee while he still has a chance." Paul knew he was trying to rile him up and calmly retorted, "You just insulted my son and my wife. Neither have ever said anything to you to deserve your insults nor do you have any right to make such horrid comments about them. My poor wife is heartbroken that she can't have another child, my son never asked to be born and he sure as hell never asked to be adopted by a man who doesn't deserve to call himself a man. I took him in because I loved him and wanted to give him a home, he loves it with us and has enjoyed a stable home with a caring sister and dozens of friends and family and won the heart of a beautiful, smart, funny, and intelligent young woman." He got right in front of August and announced, "You don't have a wife or kids. You don't have a home. You were fired from your department for incompetence and causing a crash because you were drunk at the wheel. You don't have any right to say one word about me because you are nothing but a pathetic excuse for a human being. You are simply jealous that I worked my ass off to study for my civil service exam and spent three amazing years in the military while you wallowed away at a menial job. I worked hard to earn a promotion to lieutenant, then additional training as a hazmat officer, then certifications as an arson investigator while you just sat around the table shooting the breeze. You haven't changed a bit, you blame everyone else for your troubles then complain when others move on without you." He turned and walked away, with Rachel adding, "Paul turned down the lucrative job as chief of your old department simply because he didn't want to deal with you. You wonder why nobody in your old department wants anything to do with you? He's why. They wanted him and his experience and they missed out on him because you were fighting your termination. Even with you gone, your stink still lingers and nobody wants the job until you are gone from that town." August was laughed at as people started to search online for the story about August's crash. Rounds of laughter was heard as photos and articles were shared with a few announcing that he was still on probation for what he did. Paul simply sat down and grinned, it was the last event he expected and the night would go smoother for him from now on. Kennedy finally got up to stretch and get a drink alongside Willie. The two had gotten a lot of notice from his classmates, especially as rumors had been spread about Kennedy really being a man in drag. Kennedy could hear people talking about her and not liking what she heard, she couldn't help but also see the subtle glances that checked her out to see if her breasts were real and if she had an Adam's Apple on her neck or hairy knuckles- the stereotypical signs of a man in drag to ignorant people. Willie subtly told her to let them talk, they didn't actually care and were more curious than malicious. Katie opened a lot of eyes but Kennedy was a mystery to them. They wouldn't know the truth and given how Kennedy looked they would not believe the rumors anyway. Of course, not all could settle on rumors and innuendos. The duo endured an awkward encounter with the class gossip queen, Amber Turner. She was catty, vindictive, and would tear into anyone to get a bit of entertainment and exert her status among their classmates. Amber zeroed in on Kennedy and tried to separate her from Willie, intending to get Kennedy to slip-up and react. Kennedy gave Willie a crooked smile and got him to get their drinks and sit down while she dealt with Amber. She wanted to enjoy her handiwork for once, it had been a few months since she had gone toe to toe with someone who needed to be chopped down to size especially a fool that didn't know who she was dealing with. Amber noticed Kennedy's grin and suspected something was amiss but still went in for the kill. She put on the charm and tried to flirt with Kennedy, intending to make her interested in her while getting the dirt on Willie. Kennedy turned it around and was going to use the dirt she had on Amber, dirt that was much bigger and in-depth than anything Amber could ever get. Amber introduced herself with Kennedy proudly saying, "Nice to meet you. I'm Kennedy Pena, Willie Pena's wife." Amber was taken aback by the statement but decided to go with it, asking, "Wife? Does he know about your past?" Kennedy had her. She casually told her, "Willie knows enough. He doesn't know everything and there are some things nobody will ever get to know, not even my uncle and therapist." Amber thought she had something to use against Kennedy but the wording that Kennedy had used was carefully selected. Willie didn't know everything about her past as she never told him about her time in law school or before high school. He knew all about her college and post-law school life as he was her neighbor long before they married and knew about the hell she had endured in high school and at home throughout her life. However, elementary/middle school and law school never come up for discussion. Kylie, her daughter, knew about those times as she specifically asked about them during their frequent mother/daughter bonding sessions. Being so much like her mother, Kylie wanted to know everything about her life- thus, the talks. Her son Reed simply didn't care about her past as she didn't need to tell him everything and he respected her past as being the past, with Willie sharing that view and knowing that Reed himself didn't want her to relive terrible memories simply because he was curious. Amber casually asked, "So he doesn't know the truth about you? How could you withhold that kind of vital information? Surely he must know that his tranny wife is going to ruin his life!" Kennedy had her hooked and ready for a take-down. She countered with a sly, "What he doesn't know won't hurt him. Besides, he doesn't think it matters as he has told me that himself." Kennedy spoke the truth and setup Amber for her downfall. Amber would start to spread rumors about her and at some point would get herself into a tough situation as Kennedy countered with her full force against her. Kennedy doesn't fool around when it comes to her family, she was going for Amber's throat and going to make her regret what she was trying to do to Willie. Willie heard much of the exchange and had to fight saying something then fight off a smile at the way Kennedy had led her on. Amber had no clue just what she was getting herself into and had no idea what Kennedy was capable of let alone how she could retaliate without retaliating. Amber was in over her head and swimming with a shark who ate little fish like her for a snack. Willie sat at the table and immediately his smile was noticed by Katie. Willie happily told her, "Amber Turner is talking to Kennedy in the hopes of getting dirt on me to use against us. She has been eyeing me all night and wants to ensnare me, hoping that she could use me to become the queen of the city once I dump Kennedy. The poor woman just fell into Kennedy's trap! She can?t say or do anything that won?t make her look terrible nor backfire on her as she has no counter to any of Kennedy?s volleys." Katie let out a laugh that Lindsay shook her head at. Jaimie and Jake looked at Willie who explained, "She's the gossip queen of our class who thinks she is better than everyone else. She is simply lazy and thinks her good looks gives her the right to pass judgment on everyone. She thought that she could use Kennedy's past against me, she has no clue that she got talked into a corner by Kennedy telling the truth. She thinks Kennedy withheld her past and is lying to me and that I don't know who Kennedy was born as, all Kennedy said was that she didn't tell me everything and that is true. I already know what Amber thinks I don't know and what she didn't tell me is known to me already through Kylie." Katie had a big smile on her face. Kennedy had outfoxed the queen and, in turn, made her out to be the fool she truly was. Lindsay had to shake head at the turn of events, casually telling both, "Remind me never to get into a war of wits with you three. Although a debate between Valerie, Kennedy, and Katie would be something worth paying to see." As the others were talking and watching the show Amber kept poking into Kennedy's story. Kennedy happily told her, "I'm employed by the Attorney General's Office and have met a lot of politicians and high profile government officials. Willie and I have been to some interesting places and met people like ambassadors and nobility. We actually had dinner the other night with some visiting English nobles." She had to stifle a laugh as she said that last part. She was once again telling the truth, with Amber thinking that she was lying and starting to think that Kennedy was making things up. Kennedy had to fight a smile but added:, "We have had to fight to balance our lives thanks to rubbing elbows with so many different people of influence." Paul had to be shooed away by Rachel, who caught on immediately to what Kennedy was doing and why. Out of earshot, she explained, "Kennedy is telling her the truth. It's not her fault that the vain skank can't accept what Kennedy is telling her. It's common knowledge and online, if she can't be bothered to research it then it's her own fault." Paul reluctantly agreed and seeing Kennedy's shark grin he shuddered at the looming encounter. With Paul out of hearing range, Amber didn't hold back anymore. She opened up on Kennedy with an angy, "You are really a piece of work. You lie to your husband about being a tranny freak then make up bullshit stories about knowing powerful people. All this from someone who supposedly works for the Attorney General? Get real! You are just some cheap skank hired for the night to make him look like he isn't gay. We all know he's gay, going with you just proves it!" Kennedy had her finally where she wanted her. She stepped over the line and drew a crowd. She was ripe for the plucking and Kennedy had the perfect ax to chop her down to size. Calming herself she casually explained, "Yes, it is truth that I am transgender. I had my surgery after graduating college and before law school. I was actually a classmate of Katie Eliza in law school and ended up beating her out for the top spot in our class. Willie knows all of this, what he doesn't know is simply what he never asked about and he has no interest in. That is: he never asked about what I did in law school as it was boring to him as he isn't into interested in financial law and legal investigations, my specialties and what earned me my job with the state as a legal researcher BEFORE I was promoted to the Attorney General?s Office as an investigator and later head of the financial crimes division, the head of the municipal crimes subdivision, and currently the Deputy Attorney General.? She then added ?I didn't tell him, but I told our daughter who then told him anyway. She wants no secrets between any of us so she told him everything, with my blessing. I have not lied to you about any of that, I told you the truth. Just because it was misconstrued as lying is not my fault as you were looking for a lie. It's merely a smart omission of facts, and I omitted it because it was irrelevant as he didn't want to know it and told me himself that he didn't want to know that stuff. What he did learn was due to my mother passing away and having to explain my hometown to him. He doesn?t care about my past, he is proud that I turned out better than anyone in my family and hometown despite my past." She pauses and grinned, adding, "I wasn?t lying about my job, I?m listed online and a quick search of the state?s employee database will show that not only do I work for the Attorney General's Office, I am the Deputy Attorney General. That is, I'm second only to the Attorney General in this state. I worked my way up to my current position My boss knows all about my life, she and I have no secrets between us and speak freely as I am one of the few whom she knows won?t politicize our investigations. She and I may not share the same politics, but she knows I don't care for politics at all. The governor knows as well, it's hard not to know as his grandson-in-law is one of Willie's top officers and our nephew is dating his granddaughter. His other four granddaughters are close friends with Willie's two cousins? daughter and son and frequently talk with Willie about his granddaughters? life in Winnisimmet." Kennedy slammed her hard with the next part. She happily added, "As for our rubbing elbows with important people, well that's easy. I already said I know the governor personally, along with my boss the Attorney General. Then you have the Ambassador to the Court of St. James' who happens to have been friends with my uncle back in their Army days. Add to that Willie's cousin is married to an honest to goodness English lord and as such has the title of the Countess of Boston. Her sons and daughters are all lords and ladies with her sons being The Earl of Frampton and future Marquess of Lincoln, The Viscount Braintree, and the future Earl of Boston. Her son-in-law and daughter are the Baron and Baroness Gosfield and daughter-in-law is the Viscountess Braintree. Her father and mother-in-law are the Marquess and Marchioness of Lincoln, two amazing people who hosted us at their estate for their grandchildren's wedding last July and who have enjoyed visiting their family here multiple times." She wasn't done, adding, "Their youngest son and my younger son are best friends and my daughter is best friends and classmates with their daughter so we did actually host the family for dinner a few nights ago so yes we did entertain visiting nobles as they are in fact titled nobles. So no, I have not lied. I told you the truth and the whole truth and it is not my fault that you choose not to believe any of it." She waited for Amber to say something. Amber caught on a few things that Kennedy expected and shot back, "Willie doesn't have any other family! You are again making up stuff." Kennedy smiled and shot back, "That's where you are wrong. Jorge and Victoria Castillo, who just so happens to by John Finn's aunt and uncle, adopted him as their own son. That made Willie John's cousin. John's sister Karen happens to be the noblewoman I was talking about. She is married to Lord Nigel Smith Sr., the Earl of Boston. That is Boston, Lincolnshire, England not Boston, Massachusetts as you are going to claim. The ambassador has known the Finns, Reagans, Kellys, and Raymonds, for decades. You can verify everything with the man behind you and looking angry at your attempts to try to extort me and use my husband. It won't work. You never had a shot. You had no idea who you were dealing with and what we actually know. All of this was freely available online which could have taken you all of a minute to search, but your lust and greed only saw a quick buck from Willie so I am not surprised that you couldn't be bothered with research." Kennedy walked away and let Louis handle Amber. Louis was blunt and to the point, saying, "She never lied to you. You were looking for one to use against her and her husband and she simply told the truth. Just because your assumptions were wrong does not mean she lied. She has three amazing children that they adopted including two that were extremely abused by your best friend Penelope. Funny, you did exactly as she did only yours is worse!" Louis looked at the onlookers and explained, "You all remember Penelope Castillo, her friend? Kennedy and Willie Pena adopted Penelope's three youngest children after she was arrested for malicious child abuse of two of them including allowing the second youngest to be sexually assaulted by her teacher. And yes, she is a girl no matter what you try to claim. That girl has done more in her short time as a girl than you have done in your entire life and recently helped save the life of another girl like her. Her big brother is a model student and enamored with a beautiful young woman and has had a great job for the past two years and even earned international acclaim for his work." He then smiled and added, "Willie is madly in love with that woman and knew from the start just what she was born as. She wasn't entirely successful at hiding her past and Willie's family knew about her secret and encouraged him to stick by her if only to help her. They fell in love and despite not being able to have children they still found a way of being parents. She earned her job with the state and has saved victims from thousands of financial and legal predators and ensured hundreds were sent to prison and put out of business. She could run the state if she wanted to but she hates politics. She turned down being a judge just so she could be a mother to those three amazing children and be the wife of that amazing husband of hers." Louis then added a terse, "You are the laziest woman I have ever met, and I have met some horribly lazy people. You act like you are a big shot but you are nothing but a leech. You have no shot of landing Willie or John or any other successful man. Your little love child you had with one of your one-night-stands is in great hands and I hope he never learns the truth. Oh yeah, I know who he is. In fact, I helped ensure that he ended up with a great family even if it wasn't direct." He then added, "You have some nerve calling Willie gay. He is a great judge of character and what he saw in you was clear: trouble. Your reputation is nothing but sex and usage and he didn't want any part of you. He rejected your advances on purpose. Not because he was gay, but because he didn't like you. He has never had eyes for men and never will. You can insinuate that he is because his wife is transgender but the man didn't see her as anything but a woman and has never seen what she had in her pants until they were married. So marrying a woman who was born in the wrong body is gay? Well, then you really have no clue what you are talking about and are only making yourself into a homophobic, transphobic, vain slut that will never be satisfied until someone finally shows you that you are just a pathetic excuse for a human being. By all means, try to ruin his life. You will see just how nasty his friends and family can be especially his parents. And yes, they are his parents. I know for a fact that his father and mother asked the Castillos to look after Willie before they passed away, I took Jorge there myself! Say hello to Penelope when you make your monthly visit to Framingham, I am sure she will be thrilled to know that her kids are in the care of someone who can and does show love and affection that those three never received before." There were gasps heard as Amber's face drained of all color. She rushed away in shame as Louis had gone for the throat. Little Miss Queen had been found out to be just another floozy and gave up a kid to live off of others and had the nerve to break up a solid marriage for her own gain. Louis nodded to the others and moved on. He had gotten his message across and done so twofold. Willie was under his protection as well as Jorge's protection. Every rumor about Kennedy was true but the slander was ripped away revealing the truth and it was even better than the lies. She was someone who was not to be trifled with and had the backing of people who were known to fight back hard. John had kept to himself most of the night but needed to get up and stretch his legs. Valerie stayed with Jaimie who herself had barely moved. She knew John was the last to take his lumps among the crowd as he had the most to endure due to his life changing so much in the past five years. John moved off and said hello to a few people he knew through their children and were glad that they were kind enough to not say much. There wasn't anything to really say, he encountered them as parents and as their children's teacher so small talk wasn't needed. Their only questions were about Ella and Logan which John was more than happy to sing praises of. Listening in as John talked with their classmates were the Orleans. Jacques and Nadia Orleans hated John with a passion but it was nothing more than pure jealousy. The couple had become parents at an early age thanks to Jacques being too lazy to use one of the free condoms the school had available to students and had endured a lot of shame and humiliation as a result. Jacques was forced to get a job right away and barely finished high school while Nadia had to make due with the alternative school until Pete was old enough to go to daycare. Nadia had dreams of being a powerful businesswoman but being a teenage mother crushed those plans. Jacques being too lazy to hold down a real job didn't help matters either, the two fought constantly over money and Jacques spending his time with friends when he should have been with Pete allowing her time to study. Once they graduated life came at them fast as they were forced to get public assistance and housing. The two lived in a rented house until both sets of parents died leaving them with just enough money to buy a house but not enough to actually live on. Pete got them a check from the government but they were stuck together and resented one another. The Orleans family had hated John for years before Pete came along but that unplanned pregnancy and forced marriage only made things worse. John became an uncle around the same time and enjoyed being an uncle to the kids which only served to infuriate them as they struggled. Pete was a good kid and actually befriended the Smith twins, John's niece and nephew, but the bitterness towards John spoiled any chance of them being close. John struggled mentally while the Orleans family struggled financially. Unlike them, he had his family to help him and proved to be a great father figure to his niece and nephew. Pete envied John but also respected that he was not the twins' father and kept his distance. He stupidly got in with the Clarence family and got away from the Smith Twins but thanks to Pete's foul-up as a freshman John set straight his wayward ways and got away from them and started to see their bitterness as foolishness. Pete had had a crush on Hannah for years and until he was a sophomore he never had a chance to show his true feelings for her. Bryan gave his blessing for him to date Hannah which caused an uproar at home which Pete ignored. He had no intentions of giving up the love of his life for petty jealousy and anger and for that he paid the price- being tossed out on his 18th birthday and forced to finish the rest of high school as a roommate of John's nephews David and Patrick Peterson. The Orleans heard about John adopting again and saw their chance to get revenge on him. Jacques strolled over and pointed out to John, "Do you always pick and choose who joins your little cult or were those kids forced to call you ?dad' or ?master' or whatever else you force them to call you?" John ignored him and continued on, not wanting to lose his cool with them. Nadia walked over and added, "What's it, now five kids you brought in? You can't get it up so you have to compensate by making that slut of a wife feel better by having a fully grown brat? Poor things must be sleeping in hammocks in the basement." John had enough, going after him was expected but going after Valerie was a step too far. He turned to face them, carefully thought about what he would say, and smiled. He knew that no matter what he said they'd shove it back to him, he didn't bother pulling his punches and went right for a low blow to get them to react to where he needed them to be to shut them down once and for all. John shot back a harsh, "There's plenty of space at our house. In fact, I bought the dream house you two used to boast that you would one day own. I added onto it and made it more modern but kept the faux-Victorian look of the front as it?s one of my favorite features. I only regret that I couldn't add a pool but then again, there's one in the city already and a huge beach not far away so it's pointless to buy one." John had a sly grin. They bit the bait with Nadia firing back, "You bastard! I hope that place burns to the ground! I ought to do the arson myself! Those bastard kids deserve to be put with real families, not some pathetic rich snob." John grinned and finally stopped toying with them. He somberly told them, "I adopted five of the kids. One I adopted after fostering her and helping her overcome a mental hell that I hope nobody ever has to go through. One I adopted because I married his mother and who is the woman of my dreams and who is more of a man than Jacques here ever was. One I adopted because he won our hearts and needed a family to help him be the amazing young man he was inside. The last two I adopted at the request of their mother who was murdered because people thought that she knew things that she didn't know. I couldn't deny her final request, and I am proud that both have seen me as their father. The last two are my biological son and daughter, and I am damn proud of the man and woman both are becoming." John waited for them to say something. He turned away and didn't bother addressing them anymore, he said what he had to say and was not going to give them any more satisfaction. Valerie wasn't going to leave well enough alone and happily added, "Your son, the Baron Gosfield, gives his regards. He and his wife are enjoying their new home overlooking Twatville Park. He tells me that it was another house you both claimed you would one day own." Valerie dared them to say something more. Valerie turned to the people John was talking with and was happy to show pictures of Jaimie, Miles, Michael, Logan, and Ella while adding commentary about Cat and JD. She loved playing the loving wife to John's happy father and was doing more for John's own reputation among the crowd than words could have done- simply by doing something so ordinary as showing pictures of their kids. The Orleans were about to retaliate but Willie firmly told them that they had better leave. Their words about the kids were out of line and their threat of burning down the house was a serious threat. Jacques tried to look tougher than Willie but backed down as Paul stood by him, adding a firm, "As a firefighter and knowing your penchant for not spending any money on anything that you can?t benefit from, I think your home should have a little inspection. I don't think you two have kept it up to code and we have been working hard to remove dangers like undermaintained homes from our city. We damn near lost two kids due to that, I sure as hell don't want to have to yank you two out because you are too busy fuming over an idiotic at-bat by an eight-year-old kid 30 years ago to maintain your house properly." Dan escorted them out, adding a firm, "He really is an English lord now. The man who was his great-uncle-in-law died after their wedding in England and by Her Majesty's decree, he inherited his title. Your son is worth ?100 million not counting the small trust fund John started for him. His wife is also worth a tidy $10 million as well, not counting her own trust fund. Your grandchildren will be well off, but you will never see them. I'll personally take Pete and Hannah down to the courthouse to ensure that they get a restraining order against you to prevent you from doing anything to them and Valerie will ensure that you are unable to harass them legally now that you know they have money." After sitting down for an hour, Alison reluctantly got up with Jaimie to go to the restroom with Jaimie stopping off at her locker to get her notes for the speech. Alison snickered as she saw the small mess inside to which Jaimie tried to pass off as being mostly her boyfriend Rick's mess, but Alison could tell it was a little white lie. It was funny to see the normally in-control Jaimie having a bit of a wild side in the mess, but Alison always knew she hid her true self at times for the sake of others. The two were unlucky to encounter a wallowing Celeste and infuriated Amber as they walked back to the gym. They saw the two walking by and confronted them, knowing that they were connected to Paul and Willie and their mutual embarrassments. Jaimie steeled herself, knew to let them make a scene, then respond accordingly while Alison was ready to counter everything they threw at her as only a psychiatrist protecting her patients could. Celeste struck first, teasing, "Looks like we have a couple of unwanted guests. You two don't belong here. This is a private event for graduates of this school." Amber added, "We get kicked out and they still let these two in? This kid doesn't belong here and this tramp sure as hell doesn't belong either. They have some nerve tossing us out, we actually went to school here!" Jaimie looked at Alison who nodded, explaining, "I know you graduated. I also know that you two were kicked out of here for rude and insulting behavior towards others as well as vile words about Uncle Paul's son. Aunt Alison is married to a graduate, the woman who happens to be the guest of honor. I'm here on behalf of the graduating class and after seeing the behavior of you tonight, I am glad that none of the other seniors were here as you would not have left here without one of them ensuring you could never show your face in Winnisimmet again. My brothers and cousins alone would not have held back, I doubt either my boyfriend or cousin Scott would have left you without a twisted arm and foot in your rear end after trying to confront them to ease your bitterness at getting exposed to your classmates." Alison grinned at that, knowing it was exactly what Rick and Scott would have done. Alison added, "I know you feel insignificant to everyone else here. You have never bothered to try to better yourself and survived solely on your looks and the generosity of others. Sadly, tonight you didn't find either among your classmates. Perhaps if you tried to actually better yourself and give up your vain ways you might turn your lives around and see things as being better for you." Alison hit them hard and with irrefutable logic. Jaimie added a solemn, "We will keep your secret but we can't guarantee that Uncle Paul doesn't find out that you are his son's mother. It's bad enough that he had to endure a set of parents who didn't treat him like a son, but to find out his birth mother is just a lazy, vain sleaze might shatter him. He won?t ever meet you, we will ensure that he is protected from you and that you can?t exploit him. Please don?t try to, you aren?t the kind of person to last in prison." They walked away as Celeste and Amber were fighting for words. Jake told both to leave, they were trespassing and he would prosecute if they didn't leave. Ian backed him up, smiling as he added:, "I never thought I would get the chance to arrest a relative but I have no problem arresting you, Aunt Amber. Please don?t make me have to, it?s a lot of additional paperwork that I don?t want to do." Amber rushed off, followed by Celeste hot on heels. Alison stopped Jaimie and asked what she meant before, getting a solemn, "Uncle Louis let slip that she was Kyle's real mother. He doesn't need the pain of knowing that, he already has enough trouble." Alison hugged her for that, adding a happy, "He would rather know the truth and not bother with finding her later. He will bounce back from the initial shock, he's a great young man and would rather know than find out later on." Jake explained what happened to the others as they sat around the tables. Paul nodded to Rachel, before explaining to everyone, "I'll talk with him soon. He will understand why I am telling him and it'll be up to him if he amends his records to show he doesn't want contact. He's mature enough now to make this choice for himself." Chapter 6 Melanie and the reunion committee got the reunion in order and went through the speeches that offered lots of congratulations to those in attendance. John got the most thanks as his decorating help saved them hundreds of dollars and hours of time. The fact that he also had two dozen students decorate for them while most of their classmates were busy was singled out with Melanie adding that they were all related to their group in some way. Jaimie and Jake were thanked for the hospitality as well as for making the committee feel welcome in the school despite the chaos it partially caused for the school. With their introductory speeches out of the way, they showed some memories of their school days. It was the usual publicity photos but also included a lot of rejected photos that were simply students enjoying themselves as well as the groups at their purest back in the day. John had to cringe as Melanie gave him sly looks while Jaimie laughed and hugged him over some of the videos and images featuring him. John was in a lot more pictures, more so than anyone realized and always seen helping classmates especially Katie. At the end, Melanie hugged Jaimie and grinned at John who smiled back at her enjoying the subtle ribbing that only she could get away with while Katie had to fight tears at finally seeing the group of friends being so inclusive towards her back then while she was locked in self-pity. Louis got up and gave a typical Louis Reagan style speech that was inspirational, praising, affectionate towards certain people, and uplifting to all. He happily added, "I am proud of all of you for becoming model citizens and parents. You tried to better your lives and in doing so you made both our city and your new hometowns all the better. I know I have a vested interest in several of tonight's attendees but as a representative of this city, as a graduate of this school(well the old one), and as a mentor to many of you from kindergarten through graduation I can say that all of you have done us, parents, proud." Louis hugged and kissed Katie, Lindsay, and Alison as he sat down, smiling as all three hugged him deeply in return. The emotional moment wasn't lost on the crowd as Louis's point landed hard and was irrefutable that Katie was his daughter even if she wasn't his blood. Louis smirked to Jake who knew he was playing the proud papa just fine and despite the little subtlety he really did love three ladies. Jake got up next and smiled at the crowd. He gave the usual spiel he gave the other reunions and added his own take on some of the events as he recalled them getting John, Willie, Paul, Juan, and Katie to blush and hide their faces in shame. As the crowd recalled Jake from school they had to laugh at the joker who turned into a serious person with a respectable job, getting applause from them as he passed the microphone on to Melanie. Melanie then offered the token welcome to Jaimie who got up before the crowd and happily said, "Thank you, Aunt Melanie. I'll be sure to tell the others how much fun you had needling dad and Uncles Willie, Paul, and Juan as well as Aunt Katie. You know never to get into a reminiscing battle without your own funny events coming back. I believe the softball stories alone are worth the price of admission." That got several in the audience to laugh and add, "True" sending others laughing. Jaimie then started her speech, offering a welcome and hopes that her class was as successful as their predecessors and hopes that their 20th was as memorable as the assembled class's 20th. She had them enjoying the speech and offered lots of insights and wisdom learned from their teachers as well as their classmates, getting her a big round of applause as she finally sat down. For most this was their first chance to see and hear the legendary Jaime Finn speak. She had created a stir six years before but even to that day, she was revered for her ability to win you over with her personality and her words. The crowd listened intently and were enthralled, even the most ardent bigots were stopped in their tracks as they listened to the silver-tongued lady speak her mind in front of them. Jaimie was spent emotionally as she finally took her seat to a rousing applause. It was tough to get up there and speak knowing that most know what she was born as and having several who were eyeing her closely. John and Valerie hugged her tight, with Alison offering her some gentle words as Jaimie calmed down. Melanie just smiled and moved on, letting Jaimie relax while the crowd settled down. Melanie got back up and introduced their final speaker. She glanced at the nervous Katie and gave her a reassuring smile. Katie deserved the award, Melanie couldn't picture anyone else getting it other than her. Their rekindling of their relationship had shown she was the one person who had the biggest impact on the family after Valerie Finn and to her, that was enough to earn the award. Melanie happily announced, "These past five years has been one of many changes. Some of us have had additional children come into our lives. Some by a plan, some by luck, or sadly some by tragedy. One person has done so much that it can be argued that she is the glue that held together a strong family bond. She worked behind the scenes to help a friend not knowing that she was also helping people she knew and who cared deeply about her. These people have gone on to show their respect and thanks by helping her through a tough time and ensuring that no wrong came to her. She may not physically be the same person you knew growing up, but she is someone who has been a hero, mentor, role model, parent, sister, wife, and now a mother. Katie Eliza, you earned this award for excellence." Katie walked up and hugged Melanie, trying to hide her tears. She sighed and confessed, "Three years and five months ago I was asked to help a friend with a custody battle. I didn't know who were the others involved, all I knew was that it was tough and losing would cost one child her life. It was only after a chance encounter and being forced to meet some old friends that I could see just who had been helped. From that one time, I was asked to help my friend with future tough cases. In the end, multiple children were saved from abusive situations, several with threats against their lives, one who was in imminent danger of murder." She knew they didn't believe a word of it. She added, "This sounds like a joke but it's serious. I did what I did and helped my friend because he asked me to, not knowing that some people I had grown up with and thought hated me were actually the ones being helped. They forced me to see they really did care and that what you thought about me was all wrong. As if helping them save children wasn't enough, through fate or coincidence they unknowingly set me up with the love of my life- simply because they told a friend to get someone they cared about dating again. I owe everything I have to them. Although many of you may not like them, they are the most amazing people you will ever meet. I owe them my marriage, my children, and my job. I just wish that we hadn't been so stubborn to one another to not have made an effort to become close. I am proud of the men and women they became and am happy to be their children's ?Aunt Katie'. 20 years is a long time and a lot has changed but, despite the passage of time, some people are still the same. It took me years to see that, but the great people never change, and I am happy that they didn't." Melanie hugged her as she sat down. Alison kissed her lips and hugged her, showing her affection and making a point to others. Melanie closed the reunion and hoped to see everyone in 10 years, sitting down and talking while everyone left and their group cleaned up. Their classmates walked out vowing to see one another at the 30th, one expected to be the showcase of grandchildren for most of those who had teenage kids. Melanie happily pointed out, "John will probably have to beg his daughter not to be the one appointed as the speaker on behalf of the graduating class" getting a laugh. John shot back, "Keep it up and I'll have Daisy do it. You don't want her doing it." Melanie stopped quick and apologized as Valerie explained, "Our niece Daisy is part of the same class. She's the only person who can ever top Melanie in a battle of wits and jokes, especially about John. Melanie bit off more than she could chew there." Melanie smiled and nodded, letting those know the little girl was someone who was a force to be reckoned with despite only being a 2nd grader. At home, the group disbursed with Jaimie explaining what went on to the assembled kids. Michael and Miles stepped out to get out of the line of fire, followed by Reed, Stacy, and Rebecca. The teens knew that it would be a very trying night with their parents enduring a lot of unwanted attention. Logan, Ella, Willow, Trinity, Tyler, Kyle, Kylie, and Margaret were eager to hear and insisted on knowing what had happened. Jaimie told them a lot of what happened but left out some of the confrontations, the kids didn't need to know and didn't want them to get upset either. Paul asked to speak with Kyle alone and sat him down in John's study for their talk. Paul sighed and announced, "I met your birth mother tonight. She is the one person I hoped was not your mother but sadly, it's hard to refute. You have her eyes and face but everything about you is different. I don?t know why I didn't notice it before, but it wasn't until I saw you just now that I realized it should have been clear to all of us from the time you were out of diapers. I'm sorry, son." Kyle was taken aback, he softly asked how he found out. Paul explained, "Louis Reagan told her about her son doing well after a rough start with a bad family and it wasn't hard to figure out from how he said it that he was referring to you. He didn't do this to upset you or make others realize that you exist, he did it to shut up a woman who wanted to break up and humiliate Willie and Kennedy. She needed someone who she couldn't manipulate to tell her off, but he may not have realized what he had said." Kyle asked about her and her life. Paul didn't hold back, explaining, "She has always been eager to be the top person in our city and dated a lot of gangsters and drug dealers. She got impregnated by one who ended up being deported back to his home country of Russia. I'm sorry, but you are best to not know who he was. It?s forr your own safety and your own mental well-being. You can thank your uncles for that information as I think Mike and Alex arrested him themselves." He shed a tear at telling the rest but he continued, "After that, she was in a downward spiral and lived off sex and the influence of others. She used people to get ahead and never worked a day in her life. Her ?job' was a glorified hostess for people who wanted to look like big shots but not pay for an escort. The worst part was despite her lack of any kind of job and a stable life, she tried to demean Kennedy but was outsmarted then got taken to task by Louis. He was on the verge of breaking down as he told Kyle the story. He continued, "She doesn't care one bit about you, and if she knew you were my son now she would try to get you away from me so I would have to pay her off or dump your mom for her. I have no intention of doing either. I love you too much to ever let you get used as a pawn by her." Kyle hugged Paul and happily told him, "I know now. I don't have to find out who she is. She gave me up because she didn't want me so if she comes after me now she will show she only wants me for what she can use me for. I don't want her, I want nothing to do with her. I love you and mom." He was nearly in tears but Paul kissed his forehead and told him warmly, "We will have your records changed to show you never want to hear from her. She has to abide by it, and if need be I'll get a restraining order against her on your behalf." Kyle hugged him again, holding back his own tears but losing the battle. Realizing something that had been said earlier to Amber Paul sat him down again and asked, "You have a cousin close by. He is someone I believe you should know is related to you and it might help him out greatly. Would you be willing to meet him if he is alright with meeting you?" Kyle nodded, asking who the person was. Paul refused to say, only adding, "I'll need to speak to him personally, if he doesn't know already he might take the news badly. But I trust him." Once Paul and Kyle went downstairs Juan asked to speak with Michael privately, getting a nod from John who had to explain to the others what was going on. Michael was in his room and as soon as he saw Juan he blurted out, "I'll buy it but I think it should be held off finalizing the sale until after our graduation. I don't want the school to think it's my own sex house where they can go to get knocked up or cheat on their girlfriends while the rest of us are in class." Juan grinned and added, "It's fine, I'll have your dad do the paperwork with your two aunts making the transfers. I want you to look it over and if you need anything done I'll have your uncle make any of the changes." Michael agreed, adding, "She will be happy, it's close but far enough away." Downstairs John explained, "Juan is selling his house to Michael so he and Courtney can have their own place to live after they graduate. It's not going to be announced until after graduation, you know how your classmates are and I don't want them thinking they can crash there anytime they want to skip school. Courtney will be talked with and Gabby should be alright with it since it's right around the corner from her and Courtney is old enough to make her own decisions about her life." The others looked in shock but John added a firm, "They are adults now. They are old enough to deal with the consequences if they can't control their urges. They know what they want to do with their lives and have a strong foothold in their futures already. He won't risk her future by getting her pregnant, they may have sex but he won't want to become a father yet. We trust them, they have shown they can be trusted and are now mature enough to be their own people." The youngest kids didn't hear any of that as Melanie discretely moved the seven youngest away. Kyle was cringing as he heard talk about sex while Kylie and Margaret snickered. Paul had a big grin, his son was a 13-year- old boy but a gentleman at heart with sex not even being on his mind yet. When the little kids came up Cat rolled her eyes at them being excluded from them talking about sex causing John to fight for words as Cat got him back for treating them like babies. Jaimie was exhausted which prompted the others to call it a night. Paul and Juan gave her big hugs over being so mature and enduring so much that night but Jaimie just shrugged it off. She didn't care, it was something she had to do for her classmates even if she had to endure a lot of harassment. In school the next day, John received a lot of ribbing over his eventful night. Jake happily told the other teachers about John standing up to his longtime, "Rivals" for their childishness and about him also taking down three bullies who had no business being at the reunion. Sean Kelly happily told John that it was just his luck that they decided to pick a fight that they couldn't win- one involving his kids. John's students were grilling him for details but he didn't have much that wouldn't be in the Free Press the next week. He kept them focused on schoolwork which they didn't want to fight him over. He hated to force things, but the reunion was not what he wanted to talk about especially as it had taken a lot out of him overnight and Jaimie was still showing signs of being exhausted from the emotional ordeal. Jaimie had a tough day as she was grilled harder than John by her classmates. She told everything she could without saying anything about Kyle or the confrontations. Stacy, Miles, Michael, Reed, and Rebecca got the gist of what she was doing and moved things around to other things with Rebecca making it clear that it wasn't right to talk about certain things at the moment. She did happily talk about the dress which got the guys groaning and trying to focus on something, "Manly" as the girls teased them and focused on their prom dresses. Over at the middle school, Paul asked the Pierces if they could take Kyle for a while. He didn't give a reason but they surmised that it was important and agreed. Paul then asked to speak with Ian Bailey. Ian was surprised that Paul needed to speak but was glad to do so. Paul asked that they do it in private, then told him to come by his house when he got off work to which Ian nodded at. At the Douglas home two hours later, Ian was seated next to Paul and Rachel then told:, "Last night you said that Amber Turner was your aunt, is this true?" Ian nodded reluctantly, adding, "Sadly, yes. She is an embarrassment to our family and has fought with me for years over my parents' estate as well as the money I received from my grandparents. She has no scruples, you know she is a liar, a cheat, and will sleep with anyone to get what she wants. It's no different for her at home than in school, she is a terrible person and I hope that you don?t have to deal with her again." Paul asked what he knew about his cousin, to which Ian shot back ?all I know is that she gave him up for adoption immediately after he was born. I know that his father is dead, he was killed in his home country when the gangsters that he was hiding in the US from caught him as soon as he set foot off the plane. I hope he never learns who his biological parents were because he deserves better than them." Ian was concerned and asked, "Why are you asking me this? Aunt Amber isn't worth thinking about. She treated you like garbage and tried to break up your best friend's marriage. You are better off forgetting about her, everyone will eventually." Paul sighed and explained, "We found out just who her son is. Kyle is her son. He is the boy she gave up for adoption because she couldn't be bothered to act like a normal human being and be a mother. He knows about Amber and is going to take precautions to prevent her from ever contacting him but I asked if he would be willing to know his cousin so he knows that he has blood relatives close by." Ian smiled at hearing that, then laughed. It was a perfect irony that the woman who had lusted after Willie and who had coasted by through sleeping with anyone who could give her something had given Paul what he always wanted. It sucked that he was not adopted by Paul from just after his birth as Paul's brother and sister-in-law had done but he ended up with the right family in the end. He happily told Paul, "If he is willing to meet me as his cousin I'll be happy to let him know we are blood. He deserves to know, and I am happy that he is with you. As much as I hate to admit it, the only parents who I would have wanted him with more are Uncles Willie and John. Hell, it's a miracle that he didn't end up being the son of Roland Finn the way Aunt Amber was always around him, but he had his sights on the easier Celeste Campbell." The two were so engrossed in their discussion that they never noticed Rachel trying desperately to get their attention. A chance look by Paul towards her caught the reason for her frantic motions- Kyle was listening to them talk. Margaret had to be moved away while Kyle calmed down from the shock and Ian gathered his thoughts. Kyle wasted little time and asked if Ian was his cousin. Both reluctantly stated, "Yes" with Ian adding, "I didn't know until your dad asked to talk with me. You deserved better than Aunt Amber." Kyle sat down and looked over to Ian, then smiled. Ian was what you wanted in a big brother even if he was only his cousin, it was the best possible outcome for a relative. Coming off his emotional high Kyle sighed and asked if he had a picture of her so he knew what she looked like. Paul got up and got his yearbook with Ian texting his wife Sheila to take a picture of the only pictures he had of his aunt. Sheila came by with the pictures instead, knowing that there was something else going on that could use her gentle touch. Ian explained that the pictures were taken just two years ago before his parents died, at his parents' 23rd wedding anniversary, but it was enough to satisfy Kyle's curiosity about what she looked like. Kyle looked at the pictures that Sheila handed him and shook his head in disappointment, she was a nice looking lady but she was clearly drunk and showing more cleavage than she should have for that kind of event. Paul showed what she looked like in school with Kyle seeing the same woman, just less aged. No change in personality, simply acting like a child. He shed a tear then looked over at Paul and Ian and hugged both. Ian let him hug him while Paul carefully moved off to give the two space. Kyle looked up and angrily told Ian, "I am glad that you at least turned out well. I hope grandma and grandpa taught you to be different." Ian laughed at that, nodding at the memories of them. Sheila had the bright idea to have Kyle go with them for a bit so the two could talk. Kyle looked up at Paul who agreed, adding that he'd tell his friends to give him some privacy. The couple led Kyle out, with Kyle having a big smile on his face at what Ian was doing for him. Margaret was finally told what was going on. She looked concerned for Kyle but Paul explained the significance of what was happening to her, getting a somber expression. She went upstairs to talk with her best friend Nichole Smith, getting Nichole to put it into perspective for her and relieving a lot of tension that she had built up over her fears for Kyle. For Kyle, the evening was informative as Ian told him stories about their grandparents and his aunt and uncle. He loved hearing about the fun they had and what Kyle missed out on. Ian sighed heavily and told him that he had something that he needed him to take, his share of their grandparents' estate. Kyle looked at him shocked while Sheila made a quick phone call to Greta Nelson to confirm what Ian said. Ian refused to touch the estate money, his grandparents said it was for their grandchildren and as he wasn't the only grandchild he couldn't stand to allow Kyle to do without his half. Kyle tried to refuse but Ian was adamant that he deserved it just as much as Ian did. Sheila could tell that Ian was trying to show he was family to Kyle, but the boy didn't want to accept it yet. She carefully explained that he was doing what was right and Kyle should accept the money and put it away for his future, just as his friends were doing with theirs. It hit hard but he knew she was telling the truth, there was no way around it. When he got back home he told his parents what to do with the money. Ian explained just how much was in the will and the shocked looks on their faces caused Ian to smile while Kyle tried again to tell him it was his money. Ian just grinned and added, "It's yours too, and just so you don't fell like your sister is missing out you could give her your uncle's trust fund so Margaret has one to match the girls' trust funds. It's not as much as Kylie?s, Nichole?s, and definitely not Mia's, but it's something to stop kids from making fun of her about." Kyle felt a lot better about what Ian was doing for him, especially as his sister was directly benefiting. He never wanted the money his former parents set aside for him, it was only done because it was what all of their friends had done for their kids. If it meant that Margaret would feel less inadequate around the girls then it was worth it, she already had a budding interest in Dante Kelly but that wouldn't stop others from making her feel bad because she didn't have the millions that the others had. The Winnisimmet High group wasn't the only reunion occurring the previous night. Over at the grand ballroom at the Winnisimmet Arms hotel, the regional technical high school held their own reunion. Gabby Bollinger and Lilly Peterson were set for a night of long-winded speeches and seeing people who had ignored them for 20 years. The only bright spot was that Zeke Bollinger was with them to take some of the stings out of their evening. It was one of the few nights that Gabby and Zeke had spent away from their infant son Walter and both had enjoyed the short bit of alone time before meeting up with Lilly. Their son Donald had taken charge at home and gotten Walter settled then gotten their daughters Amy, Jessie, and Courtney to give the two brothers some alone time so they could enjoy a girl's night out with their friends. Lilly had gotten her daughter Claire to go out with her boyfriend Will Bollinger and younger daughter Daisy to go with her cousin Faith Jones which allowed her to enjoy some quiet time before she had to meet with Gabby and Zeke. She sighed and thought about her husband Jerry and how he would have loved the reunion but knew it wasn't worth the self-pity to think about him telling off people for thinking the worst about Gabby. He loved her unconditionally and she missed him, but she couldn't bring herself to date again, especially not with Daisy at home. Lilly didn't get a chance to say anything as they were joined by a fourth person, Vance Taylor. Zeke sighed and explained to Gabby, "I asked Vance to come as your escort because I know damn well you are going to have a lot of people insulting you behind your back. He isn't trying to date you, he's simply your escort for the evening. Please don't get angry with him, it was my idea." Lilly hugged Zeke then smiled at Vance for giving up his evening for his friend's sake. She was fine with Vance as a person, he had shown he was a great person from when he worked for Jerry. Few had a bad word to say about him, he was a nice guy who knew how to handle kids and teens well. Gabby and Zeke could see that Lilly was doing alright and ushered them into the car to leave. Vance being there sparked Lilly's neighbor Avery James to text her boyfriend and Claire. They were shocked at Vance being there but were happy that Lilly was dating someone who was known to them and who wasn't trying to take advantage of her. The reunion was a letdown as the two couples were the only ones not entrenched in their chosen trades that they went to school for. Lilly was a business track graduate while Gabby was one of the few girls in the computer programming track, none of their classmates had anything in common with them anymore and didn't want to socialize with someone that they didn't have much in common with. Vance sensed their disappointment and kept their spirits up that it might get better but neither held out hope. Zeke felt bad for Gabby particularly, her classmates were great to her in school and jealous that she had a boyfriend where they couldn't land a girlfriend. There was a dozen that she was friends with but none of whom cared about her anymore once they got rich through some form of employment or another. Gabby was seen as a disappointment, she may have been one of the best network administrators and website designers around but she didn't have their high earnings or trophy spouses. The truth was, they were really upset that she was off the market. She was beautiful, brilliant, and had a chance to make millions with her ideas but her heart wasn't in it. She enjoyed computers but she was more of a people person who loved helping others, she would rather show someone how to fix a simple problem than building an operating system from the ground up despite having the ability to do so. Gabby was polite to them then introduced her husband Zeke. Zeke intimidated them, he didn't say anything to them as he had nothing to add to their conversations but Gabby could tell that they were upset that she had married the tall, well muscled, and polite Zeke rather than someone like themselves. Zeke chalked it up to them expecting her to be awkward, nerdy, and anxious but she was the opposite of that and showed great love and no timidity around others, a huge reason why her daughter Courtney was madly in love with Michael and vice versa. The group got to talking about kids with Gabby being shocked that only a couple of them had kids but among the group, most of those were with ex- wives who had divorced them when they lost interest in the guys. It pained her to tell them about being the mother of eight, six being her biological children including the infant Walter. She happily told them about her five younger kids, glossing over the fact that she was already pregnant with her eldest two when they had graduated and had to delay her studies by a year due to the eldest kids' birth. The guys listened to Gabby out of respect. She detected bitter disappointment over her giving up on programming in favor of networking, but had to respect that she had turned her training into a lucrative job that paid her $500,000 a year after taxes. The fact that she cultivated an interest in computers in several younger teens as well as her own son soothed over some bruised egos but for most, it was an issue as she simply gave up what was her calling for the, "Easier" job of networking. The talk about kids got several flustered and clearly upset. Gabby offered a sympathetic ear and the name of several good lawyers, ones who would get their kids back and ensure that the gold digging women got their just desserts. This won over several of them and started to make Gabby into a more sympathetic person, with Zeke adding that the guy who would lead the charge had done that sort of fight multiple times before and had the best interests of the kids in mind and didn't care about making money, only that the kids had their fathers back. Lilly fared little better. Her business track colleagues were all middle and upper managers with most having six-figure jobs. Lilly hated to admit it to them but she earned her degree after spending a year and a half out of school due to her daughter's birth, but did not regret missing out on the business world due to being a mother. They looked her with pity and disgust, but she countered with telling them that she had inherited the shares of an heir to a manufacturing company and was now the minority owner whose shares were equal to those of her niece Sheila but only equaled about 20% of the company?s shares and enough to earn her a seat on their board of directors. It was also enough to pay her a yearly payment of $100,000 from dividends and from her board of directors salary with most going towards her kids' trust funds as she owned her home outright through her husband buying it outright early on. Despite barely making a dent in the business world, Lilly was actually doing better than any of them. She admitted that her husband had been the one to earn the stocks as the son of the previous owners, with Lilly inheriting his shares when he was killed in a car crash. She then added that she looks after her niece's shares and is the largest single shareholder bloc in the company. She was an, "Owner" but didn't do much more than showing up at annual shareholders' and board of directors meetings and vote on key issues. None of her classmates had even gotten close to one of the board members let alone been one of them, Lilly had managed to shut up several who had looked down on her simply by admitting the truth. Lilly did love to add that she was being groomed to take an active role in the company when her daughter graduated high school and her other daughter was entrenched in the elementary school with close relatives around her allowing Lilly more time to finally become the businesswoman she always wanted to be. She had done well for herself despite Jerry dying young. Before he died, she actually ran his office as his personal assistant and had a hand in many of the aspects of the business but wisely hired people who could run it without Jerry. She hated that she had been isolated from Jerry's sister and brother-in-law, but they ran different divisions making them lose contact years before she lost Jerry. Lilly's windfall brought a lot of attention to her now that the truth about her past was out in the open. The vultures started to circle, she was seen as an easy lay by the men and a way of getting a quick buck for themselves through using her as a contact. It was simply business, she was a means to an end and through her, they could get access to other businesses and better jobs. Vance watched as Lilly grinned and set them up for a tough fall. She told them that she was just a humble stay-at-home mom now with a bubbly eight- year-old, beautiful 18-year-old, and two amazing married sons, daughters- in-law, and a young granddaughter and while she was being groomed to return to the office she wasn't sure she would take them up on the offer to work again. She could see that Vance was enjoying the show as the single guys were trying to jockey for a shot at her while counting their millions that they were going to get from bagging Lilly. She had finally had enough fun and told them that she was in a committed relationship with Vance and he had been a knight in shining armor to her. Vance played the partner and let her kiss him as the men looked on disappointed. She happily added that Vance was a teacher and that he had been a great friend of her deceased husband, which wasn't entirely the truth but not far off. Vance was actually Jerry's assistant for six years as he saved up for college, having first won the job due to hard work as a summer intern. When Jerry went back to school to earn his master's degree Vance had to earn his bachelor's degree as well. When Vance graduated four years later, he actually found a new love in teaching and passed the job on to Lilly, unknowingly helping Lilly ensure that the Peterson fortune stayed in the family as Lilly was better than him at managing Jerry's office and his plans for the company than Vance had been. Vance and Lilly sat down with Zeke and Gabby to await the reunion formalities. They noticed that throughout their time talking with the classmates they were being watched by others. It didn't take too much to figure out that they were blamed for one of their classmates not being there, but her absence wasn't missed by any of the four. Penelope Clarence was extremely popular when she was a student at their school. She was talented and found the perfect man in Kevin Clarence when they met after Kevin got out of the Air Force. At her shop, she wowed you then made you feel like a friend before you willingly paid her a hefty price for her great hairstyles and the right to have her do your makeup. Her sweetness hid her dark side. She was bossy, vain, manipulative, and insulting to all people when customers weren't present. She was also incredibly racist, homophobic, and later transphobic to those whom she saw as being ?beneath? her. It was a great irony given those very people were the biggest source of income for her shop and she was ?mestizo? making her racism laughable. She fought against changes to the city over the years, from being friendly to the non-English speaking people to the inclusion of those with disabilities into regular classes. Ironically, her own uncle was one of those who could barely speak English and her mother had been forced to learn English when she and her husband moved out to Kensington for several years. Her mother hid that she was Latina from her neighbors, never realizing that they didn?t care about her race and were actually more outraged by the language that she used whenever she was around their children. Penelope ruled over her little fiefdom in Winnisimmet with an iron fist until she had run out all of the families that didn't meet her expectations. She never realized that trying to keep her place ?pure? and ?good? by keeping out any gay or black or interracial couples she was actually making he own street one of the worst to live on. Those that replaced the families displaced due to her mob mentality were, "Good" families in her view despite many having criminal and delinquent children in them and in turn caused a vicious cycle of constantly changing families as newcomers saw the neighborhood for what it was- her little play area. Her classmates didn't know about that side of her, they only heard what Amber Turner told them. Those who did know her didn't believe that she was capable of the crimes that she was convicted of. What was worse, several blamed the children for the abuse and believed they were out of line in getting social services involved. Gabby had to fight her anger while Lilly fleeced the complainers for information. It was all the same, they were responsible for Penelope going to prison for abuse. They didn't know the facts, only that Gabby and Lilly had been involved in some way thus were deserving of the attitudes towards them. Zeke grinned then told those complaining, "You were being told a sack of crap. She was caught red-handed abusing her son and daughter. Her own words were her undoing as she ranted in court about it. I?m sure Amber left out that information on purpose, seeing as she had to be removed from court twice in handcuffs for assaulting her lawyers and court officers." They were listening to him now, with others starting to take an interest. Zeke then shook his head and continued, "She systemically tortured both her 2nd youngest son and her daughter for three years before she abandoned them to their own devices. She left a 14-year-old and eight- year-old on their own for three months! She left them to themselves after she henpecked her husband and sons into trying to murder a teenage girl simply because she was transgender. The attempted murder failed because that girl's younger cousin stepped in front of the blade, taking the bulk of the assault that ended up mutilating her genitals forcing her to undergo a sex-change 10 years before she would have had one." Penelope and Amber had neglected that part of their stories. Zeke shook his head and added, "She wasn't some mistreated women, she was an abusive monster. She allowed her daughter to be sexually abused by her teacher causing her to be scarred emotionally and physically. She left her two kids to fend for themselves almost leading to their deaths in a fire. She even led on a man she was shacking up with to believe that her newborn son was his own when he was her husband's son, a kid born while she was on the run for police and charges stemming from her abuse. And yes, she knew damn well that she was going to prison for her abuse. It's why she fled- she couldn't face justice!" Most were now starting to think that they had been lied to by Amber and what they had believed wasn't what happened. Some of them, though, had other ideas and complained that Penelope didn't have any daughters, only sons. Zeke shook his head at the stupidity and had to calm himself before he told them off for being idiots. Vance didn't hesitate, he angrily added, "Her daughter was transgender. She was abused by Penelope because she was exhibiting feminine tendencies for years before she was able to be diagnosed as being transgender. She didn't deserve any of what happened to her and she sure as hell didn't deserve to get sexually assaulted by her teacher because she wasn't born a girl physically. That woman tortured her son because he protected his sister from much of their mother's abuse. No child deserves to be abused let alone tortured by that monster!" Vance went for the throat and added, "I am not the least bit shocked that she probably didn't tell you that she tried to frame an innocent man for sexual assault, a crime that was alleged to have happened to his own niece. She set that whole cockamamie plan up and failed miserably when her son failed to tell her that the man never teaches without cameras on him or that his niece's relationship with him at school was completely normal and one that is well known to every teacher she has had since she started school. Penelope earned herself a lifetime ban from all city schools and an arrest record, along with her son. So save the speeches, she was no angel. She is just a monster best forgotten by all of you." When he realized who was the go-between for Penelope and the outside world Zeke added, "Her little toady Amber is feeding you bull simply because the kids ended up being adopted by a man she has always wanted to nail, the chief of the Winnisimmet Police Department, Wilfredo Pena. Amber is a lying skank who is using Penelope to get into your lives so you can help her. Think long and hard at what she has done for you vs. what you have done for her. I'll guarantee that she has never done a thing for you but has either seduced you into helping her or manipulated and extorted you into helping her. Either way, think about what's in it for you vs. what's in it for her. I'll guarantee she moves on to others once you see the truth." The four knew that Zeke had finally laid down the gauntlet and anyone going further would get hit hard with reality. Gabby had to wonder how any of them had managed to stay in business but realized that only a couple actually owned their beauty shops and the rest rented chairs from owners. She knew that at least two worked alongside Riley Pierce at her shop, with Riley complaining about their quality issues. After that night, she would send them packing in favor of better stylists. Zeke, Gabby, Lilly, and Vance turned to talk to one another, tired of the focus and not wanting to dwell on Penelope any longer. The four had a rough go, it was boring the rest of the evening and the whispers were wearing them down. After the second hour they finally had enough and walked out, saying goodbye to the few who were on good terms with them while ignoring others, they didn't need to see anyone again and wouldn't hesitate to tear up their 30th reunion invitations. The night was still young so the two couples went for walks. Vance and Lilly started to talk and lost track of time, not noticing the subtle glances from Gabby and Zeke who had big smiles on their faces. Their plan was working, Lilly needed a companion and Vance was the nicest guy you could ever encounter and one of the few who was comfortable being around their friends and family. After a good hour, the couples parted ways with Lilly and Vance setting up another outing, albeit one without Zeke and Gabby. The two didn't say anything as they dropped off Lilly, simply saying goodnight and driving on. Lilly had to explain her smile to her neighbor Ruth James but a quick explanation and grin from Ruth stopped all questions as she respected Lilly's privacy but was glad that she had found someone to possibly be her companion if not her lover. Vance called the next day and took Lilly out for lunch, with Lilly getting to know the other side of Vance that nobody had been able to see before. After school, she and he talked with Daisy and Claire and endured an awkward interview as Daisy tried to ascertain his true motives while Claire tried to come to terms with her mother possibly dating again after 10 years of being a widow. Things were tense as Lilly's sons and daughters-in-law came over then did the usual inspection of Vance while Lilly had to entertain her granddaughter Sophia. Emma Peterson gave him a critical look while Deborah Peterson tried to cause a slip-up but both were satisfied with Vance's intentions. After a private discussion Daisy, Claire, David, and Patrick gave their blessing on the pair dating but added that they better not give Daisy any younger siblings, something that caused both to blanch as the boys grinned at them laying out that they suspected something more was going on even if it wasn?t there. Chapter 7 The reunion fun wasn't just limited to Massachusetts. Quentin and Greta Nelson attended Quentin's reunion at his small private school in Kansas City. It was a trip they felt they had to make, even if they no longer had ties to Missouri. Quentin had no issues with his classmates but being back in Missouri always gave him a sinking feeling like something was going to happen to him and his wife simply because they had been strong enough to fight against the injustices that their family had faced. The two were leaving their son and daughter alone for several days for the first time. They were both 18 but it was still tough to leave them alone, especially with others knowing that their parents were gone. Scott and Jessica were adamant that they wouldn't have any parties and went so far as to stay over their Aunt Sarah and Uncle Mick's house to prove that they wouldn't do anything immature to lose their respect and trust. Their stay with the Jones wasn't needed. They were trusted and old enough to make their own decisions about their lives and had never shown any need for supervision. Jessica was also keenly aware that her boyfriend would be under scrutiny from his brother and parents making any conduct that would lose that trust unlikely to occur. The two were welcomed by their aunt, uncle, and cousins. The teens kept busy with school and work then babysat the kids allowing the adults a break which Mick used wisely for his work. Sarah, in turn, was able to have some fun with Brent as Faith and Neil were kept occupied by Jessica while Scott handled a lot of cleaning and other chores as a gesture of thanks. Quentin's school was like Lindsay's school, it was conservative and strict. The school didn't allow gay couples nor did they allow transgender students. They were selective in their admissions and had an honor code that was strictly enforced to the point that most students couldn't date until just before the prom and even then it was a boring evening mostly done for show. Quentin loved his time there. For him, it was a nurturing environment for his artistic talents while not pushing athletics on him as other schools would have. He was an OK athlete but nowhere near the athlete his daughter was and was nowhere in the same league physically as Scott. The school made a big show of the 20th reunion, hiring a band and giving tours of the school to the spouses of students. Everyone was dressed up with Quentin being forced to wear his police uniform for the event instead of an expensive business suit. He got odd looks but nobody said anything about it, at least not to his face. Quentin was acutely aware that people were staring at him as they read his name tag and tried to place him. It wasn't as bad as the reception others got in their reunions, but it still irked him that so many of his fellow students had forgotten about him let alone that he could do something like joining a police department instead of being a regular person who let others do that kind of work. His only saving grace was that Greta wasn't being given a second glance, being people known for being judgmental he was glad they ignored her instead of offering snide comments about her. Like the Williams women that John often joked about, the Myers women were ruthless in protecting their family- and Greta was no exception. Scott was as fiery as his sister, cousin, aunt, and mother but nowhere near as intense or capable of causing you to apologize and run away in fear. His size did most of the intimidation, once his anger started brewing people fled before he got to the ladies' level anger as he physically made you fear him while the ladies refocused their energies into verbal responses rather than physical. He was glad they did that, he couldn't control himself the way they could and that verbal response was usually better than his physical response anyway. The duo was not talked to most of the night and spent much of it listening to others talk. When Quentin went to the bathroom Greta heard why he was ignored by everyone and didn't like it one bit. Word had gotten around about him adopting Scott four years before and it was felt that he wasn't good enough to be, "One of them" because of Scott's prior family life being, "Below" them as his poor upbringing made them laugh and joke. The irony of it was that Greta and Quentin were actually not well off as the two struggled financially until Jessica was four years old. She had to rely heavily on her twin sister Tiffany for help and even then they struggled to get by. There were times when the Wests and Nelsons were almost forced to live together to save expenses due to their struggles. Once Jessica turned four and entered school Greta got a job which helped ease the burden that later allowed Quentin to work harder at the architectural firm and seek out a promotion, erasing their debt and giving them financial security for years to come. Sadly, the same wasn't true of Tiffany and Scott. Scott's father controlled his family with an iron fist, Tiffany couldn't work as he believed that it was her place to stay at home and care for her husband. Scott Sr. used every dirty trick to force Tiffany to do as he saw fit and after she died he turned them on Scott, but that wasn't discovered until years later. Greta listened intently and silently until the talk became insulting and abusive towards her sister and son. Tiffany may not have had a job but she was a great mother and loved her family deeply. She only wished that Tiffany had been able to meet her niece and nephew before passing on, but it wasn't to be. There was speculation that Scott was Quentin's illegitimate son and they moved away when he was dumped on the family by his mother. There was then talk that Quentin actually lost his job and had to flee in humiliation when his affair got out. There was finally speculation that he faked his degrees and had to give up his job to avoid his former employers. Greta had finally had enough and confronted those insulting her son and departed sister. She angrily told them, "Do you always speak ill of the dead whom you have never met before? Do you always insult other peoples' children simply because they were given a chance to have proper parents and a loving home? I certainly hope that this school didn't teach you to act that was because it's sickening to hear all of that coming from people who are supposedly highly accomplished and lauded." Greta saw the glares from those who insulted her sister and son and angrily added, "You have no clue what caused my husband to adopt my twin sister's son. You have no clue why he moved east. You have no clue what my husband even does for a living. None of you do. Until today none of you bothered to contact him. Those of you who did only did so as a way of getting cheap designs for whatever you were hocking and out of pure nostalgia my husband helped you out." She calmed herself then stated strongly, "Quentin Nelson earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture then went on to be hired by a prominent firm here in Kansas City. He has worked on dozens of major projects and was instrumental in designing dozens of school and other government buildings. His crowning achievement and what earned him a promotion to his firm?s Boston office was his oversight of the Newhall Elementary/Middle School renovations, done under the auspices of the Finn Group. This showcased modern technology and improvements in a limited budget and space while renovating a vastly out of date school to new government standards." She then addressed the harsher issues, stating, "The reason that the Finn Group was renovating was the head donor gave the town a going-away present in the form of renovating her school. This same girl was brutalized by the town for being transgender. Our son was involved in this and was tortured and tormented by his father until he was on the verge of suicide. We rescued him from his abuse, won permanent custody, and moved east to avoid the horrible backlash the town and county were about to give him. We adopted him as our own at the request of my sister and we proudly call him our son." She took another breath then finished with, "I don't know what kind of people can't feel empathy for a child who was brutalized for over five years before he was able to gather the courage to ask for help. I do not regret for a second leaving this place behind nor do I feel I should have to explain our actions. My husband earned a promotion from his work and was the perfect candidate for the job and our leaving just happened to be perfect timing for him to be promoted to a job he had earned. He is now a full partner at the architectural firm and is on his way to one day leading it. It was thanks to our son that he sought out that job and for you to go about speculating about him, my husband, and my sister is disgraceful, disgusting, and goes against everything this school taught you." Quentin just stood back and watched. Greta was on a roll and he wasn't about to stop her. He agreed with her about them, they were vultures who acted like scum for what they had just said. Quentin then added, "Go ahead and trash talk my wife for her humble beginnings. She just happens to be a highly respected investment banker who is currently handling accounts that total over $1 billion in various liquid assets including $350 from our closest friends and family's assets and $600 million in our closest friend's personal assets. The firm has contacts in a dozen countries with agreements for services with people at larger firms in Europe. I doubt any of you will ever see that kind of money in your lives yet she handles it day in and day out without even batting an eye." Quentin grinned as he showed a recent article on his wife's business from a national magazine. She was a hot ticket that was going to see a lot more work but work that was worth the effort. Several members of his class were involved in the business and immediately grew red with rage and jealousy over Greta besting them at their own business despite having next to nothing to start with while they had cultivated their family contacts into 1/10th of what Greta was dealing with. The two got up and left, stopping first to tell the committee to remove Quentin for further contact then revoking Quentin's support for an architectural scholarship he had previously established at the school. He would tell his college to divert the money to any student who wants to earn a degree in architecture rather than just rich students. One word caught the audience as Quentin left. He said, "Transgender" which sent several looking online for what he was talking about. News about Jaimie and John Finn's fight against the state, Lance Jones' actions, the implosion of the town and county, Mick Jones' investigation into several people who escaped that implosion, and the rebuilding of the town and county in the past two years shocked them. Quentin being directly involved through Scott came as an even bigger shock as he was quoted multiple times as the progress of the renovations were showcased. A look into Quentin's architectural firm showed that he was a senior partner and one with several major designs that have taken multiple awards in the trade while innovating the use of several designs that are key to popular designs that had started just after he was promoted. His constant support of charities and helping to nurture future architects especially ones from troubled backgrounds got him high praise. The biggest shock was his unwavering support of transgender issues especially among kids, Quentin was adamant that they be given every chance to show their stuff alongside everyone else and had personally helped several earn jobs with his firm which was turned into a major PR coup while showing that the young ladies were talented despite their past issues and traumas and who had through their own hard work earned millions for their designs for the firm. The school instantly regretted Quentin leaving. The man was someone they should have been honoring, instead, they outright ignored him. His family was one that should have been showcased as a huge success, instead, they are people who have a brewing hatred for their school and were going to cost it a lot of money simply by doing what they had done to Quentin: by shunning it. Quentin shook his head in disappointment in their rental car. He thought the night would be fun and he would enjoy seeing old friends but his memories were rosy rather than factual. He hated to admit it but it was a mistake coming west, Greta had to reason with him by adding, "You loved that school and it's not your fault that they only saw you as a scholarship kid. They are snobs, you are a great person who did the unthinkable in adopting his nephew to protect him. You have two kids who love you and have more who support you than any of them will ever have. I am proud of you." The two rebooked their flight for the next day, getting an early flight to allow them enough time to be home when Scott and Jessica got in. They were going to surprise the two and caught both asleep on the couch working on homework as the TV played one of their cousins' favorite movies and little Brent Jones slept in his playpen in the corner. Greta snickered as Neil and Faith Jones came out to see them, getting a head shake as the teens had dome a caring thing in giving their aunt and uncle the night off. The kids told them just how little the two actually did while their parents were away. Neil complained that all Scott did was talk on the computer and clean with Stacy while Jessica was always out with her boyfriend Eric Vincent. Faith didn't complain, she spent a lot of time playing with Ella Finn while Scott was with Stacy causing the two to hug her over her optimism. Over dinner, Greta and Quentin told the five about the trip. Brent just ate while Neil and Faith gave them angry looks over their treatment. The two hated mistreatment of people especially loved ones so hearing classmates badmouthing their aunt and cousin caused them to get upset easily. Faith asked if Quentin was still going to give the scholarship, getting a nod and happy, "Someone more deserving gets it. It'll actually help someone rather than serve as a status symbol. If even one person is helped by it then it was worth cutting ties with the school." The kids went home with Sarah and Mick thanking the teens for a lovely day off. Jessica and Scott brushed it off, it was expected of them and their friends had other plans anyway. They were just happy that they were trusted enough to be alone from now on even if they were already 18. Greta and Quentin enjoyed the family night more than expected and saw the look in one another's eyes. Jessica and Scott thought they were getting empty nest syndrome already and joked that they were going to start looking at fostering or adopting. Both blushed, it hadn't crossed their minds but it seemed like something they might look into in the future. Scott and Jessica gave sly smiles. They had a lot of love to give and an empty home. They were moving out, some kid would need a home which their parents could give to them. After Amber was tossed out of the reunion she and Celeste Campbell went out drinking in hopes of washing away the stench of failure and make themselves feel less like failures and more like the beauty queens that they believed themselves to still be. Neither had any place to go so both ended up in bed for the next few days with one of the local drug dealers. It was a short-term quick fix but Amber needed the bed and both women needed his money. After four days of leeching off the man, the duo stole his car and drove to Kensington to get liquor but ran afoul of state troopers on routine patrol. The duo thought that they could outrun them as they pulled back for safety but ended up hitting a slick patch of road causing them to spin out and topple over the side of the road and into Rumney Marsh. The troopers tried to help them but the two weren't wearing seat belts and were knocked unconscious by the impact, drowning before they could be pulled away. Both were pronounced dead at the scenel. Ian was given the grim task of telling Kyle that the woman who gave birth to him had died. Kyle was not upset, asking if she finally screwed up badly and shaking his head at her antics. He felt bad for her, but he felt no remorse over her causing her own death by trying yet again to be better than she was. The two hugged for a while as Kyle shed tears. The boy was trying to act mature but it was getting to him. Ian finally admitted that he'd miss her but he didn't deserve bad memories of a person he never knew. They were the last of their family, and Ian was glad to be there for Kyle when he needed him. Arrangements were made for Amber while Celeste was given a simple funeral and burial at the expense of John. She wasn't on good terms with him but she didn't deserve to sit coroner?s office unclaimed. He saw her as the female version of his brother Roland, but without his worst traits that made Roland who he was as a person. She could have been redeemed, she just needed someone to take an active role in her live which nobody had been able to do before she died. Kyle kept quiet for the next day as Amber was laid to rest. He attended the service but was there with Paul, Rachel, and Ian so nobody knew he was Amber's biological son. Ian was known as her nephew so his being there was expected, while Paul being there was seen as him representing the Finn Family as a whole especially as Amber had rubbed others the wrong way while she had barely kept any kind of contact with Paul. Amber had few friends and those that attended were there for information gathering and hoping to get something from her in death. Nobody bothered to talk with Paul or Ian and outright ignored Rachel and Kyle but gave them simple, "Hellos" when they entered. The only ones actually there for Amber turned out to be Ian and Kyle, making for an awkward service that was mostly in silence as the reverend said the basic service and buried her without so much as a second glance at her casket. After the service, the four were stopped by Amber's lawyer. He had to defer to Ian on the burial but once the funeral was over talked with them about Amber's estate. The four were shocked that she had left anything to anybody let alone that she had anything to leave. They immediately went to his office where he laid out Amber's estate and how much she had. For someone who never held down a job, permanent home, or supposedly married Amber had several million in the bank and had investments worth another $20 million. She had no will and the next of kin wasn't known so Ian was going to inherit everything. He took great pride in telling them Amber's real life. She wasn't just a gold-digger, she was a shrewd one at that. She was paid off by multiple men after quickie marriages that went south as the guys couldn't keep to themselves. The money she made added up to a tidy sum but it wasn't the whole story. Sighing he added, "Ms. Turner was involved with a man who was a known criminal and who tried to use her to hide his money. He gave her several million dollars then was deported after getting caught in a nasty drug deal. He was subsequently killed overseas by people who he had angered. The man left her with more money than she'd ever need which prompted her to return to her sexual ways. He also left her with a child, one that she gave up for adoption and whose identity she never learned of. I tried to locate him but his records were sealed and his adoptive parents didn't want me digging into them." Turning to Ian he sadly stated, "As her next of kin due to the inability to locate her child you are her heir. I trust you will know what to do with the money." Ian turned to Paul who sighed and nodded. Ian looked at Kyle then announced, "We know who her child is and where he is at. He's this young man in front of you. Kyle's former parents didn't want Aunt Amber to find him and ruin their reputations which were why they blocked attempts by you from getting information. Kyle was going to prevent contact due to his dad knowing Aunt Amber in person but she died before he could give his refusal." He took a closer look at Kyle and agreed. He was the right age, had her hair and facial features, and strongly resembled Ian. Looking at the large man he could see that Kyle was starting to mature at the rate Ian did and was likely to be as tall as him in the future. He was glad that Kyle had been able to find a good home but it was a shame that he had to find out about his mother after she died. He sighed and announced, "I'll have the paperwork drawn up for you. I assume that your parents will want to protect the money?" Paul nodded, adding, "We will have our friends take care of everything including the taxes and creating a full trust fund for Kyle." The paperwork was signed and contact information given for Beverly Bollinger and Nelson, York, and Smith Money Management firm. After leaving, Kyle asked, "Can you give whatever I got from our grandparents to Margaret? She should get all of my share now that I have Amber?s money." Ian nodded, knowing not to argue with him. Rachel hugged him for doing that for his sister, while Paul shook his head at him being so thoughtful for his sister's sake. It wasn't just money, it was a part of his legacy and his giving it to his sister was his way of sharing his legacy with her even if she didn't know what it was really about. Margaret was told what was going on and why. She looked at her brother in disbelief then hugged him tightly, crying into his shoulder for caring so much about her to give her both his inheritance and his trust fund. It was a hefty sum, almost $2 million, but it was also something she deserved to have in his eyes as he loved her even if he didn?t like to say it. Ian tried to sneak away while Kyle was occupied with telling his friends Oscar and Diego what had just happened, but he couldn't escape Margaret. She didn't want to let him go away without knowing how much she appreciated him doing that for Kyle while also wanting him to stick close to her as family. She was the only one among her friends without other family, Ian being related to Kyle changed that and she wanted to stay close to him. Ian had been dragged closer to the Douglases than he wanted to be but he too was happy to have someone closely related even if only through Kyle. His wife had family, but it was different than actually having it himself. He had gotten used to being alone after his parents passed away from cancer and a heart attack and his aunt was not family to him so this was his first real taste of family in years. Rachel had to hold back a grin as she watched Margaret trying to get close to Ian and knew that the girl was determined to keep him close. It was a shame to her that Ian was too old to be their son, but he was perfect to be their nephew and they both were happy to call him that. He wasn't blood but he was a great young man who had won over the hearts of the other family members over a year before and continued to show why he was the big brother to all of the teens even if they didn't see him often, he was worth the confusion calling him, "Nephew" would bring. Ian left and told his wife what had gone on. Sheila understood and admitted, "They are a good family, you are already used to calling them aunt and uncle it just makes it official. It's a shame they weren't able to know your parents but they at least care enough about you to consider you family." The reunion groups gathered the next day to swap stories. The death of Amber loomed largely but the mood remained happy as reactions and strong defenses by Zeke, Vance, and Greta was happily talked about. Vance himself earned a lot of attention as he got to see the family as they normally were, although Amy, Oscar, and Kyle kept their distance from him out of fear of saying the wrong thing in front of their future history teacher. Greta and Quentin admitted that Scott and Jessica had all but forced them to start fostering a kid that summer once they had moved out, which got the others to get excited for them. The family swapped stories while Greta looked over Kyle's finances with Ian being encouraged to take his share and use it, but giving Greta a smile and happy, "Not for a while, we don't want to jinx things and end up with an unexpected little one" leading to the parents to grin and joke that it was only a matter of time. Ian being there caused the youngest kids to at first grow concerned then happy as the big man was like a teddy bear to the youngest kids particularly Willow and Cat. Mia Flynn enjoyed having him run ragged as Cat and Willow ran circles around him, figuratively and literally, while he played with them. The adults were joking about his big brother side that he was flexing, with Paul happily telling them that it was what he always wanted but wasn't able to have. The family spent the day together, with stories being swapped and funny recollections being forced out of the group as Melanie and John were for once not the target. Gabby and Lilly had to admit to being mischievous and pulling pranks on others while Paul and Juan joked about Willie and Jake pulling fast ones on everyone in school. Time slipped away and it was like being kids again for all involved especially Melanie and Willie. Eventually, it was time to leave but not before they started to agree on things that would be done for the next few months. The prom was the most important with the adults agreeing on restrictions for the teens while making it clear that they didn't have to follow unofficial traditions of hotel rooms and sex. They would not stop the kids from having it, but they would encourage them to think about things first. The prom was only two weeks away and all eyes were on the 16 attending. Reed and Jessie were going to be rare students, ones that were allowed to attend three proms due to their being in separate grades. It was a controversy that was brewing in the school among jealous 10th graders and angry 11th and 12th graders who were banned or academic and behavioral issues. None of the 16 cared, it was their night and they were going to make the most of it. The parents were thrilled to help them, with Katie and Alison joining in the fun as the de-facto sounding board for styles that wouldn't pass their parents' tests. Katie was banned from her senior prom due to her biological father threatening the school while angry parents threatened to sue the school for her inclusion. She would get her chance to live the night through her nieces and nephews and was set to get a special gift from all the parents for doing so, but that would wait until the prom itself. The End.