Parting Of The Ways Part 2- LA Connection free porn video

Chapter 4 During the time Jaimie was in her coma and starting her recovery the family kept busy trying to keep their minds off of her plight and avoid overthinking about something that none of them had control over. The ones who knew best how to deal with the issues were Deborah Peterson, Reyna Toro, Kennedy Pena, and Katie Eliza. All of them had undergone their final surgeries to complete their journey to womanhood so they knew best what she was feeling and how to help her Among the ladies, Reyna was the only to not choose when to have hers performed: hers was done due to immediate medical necessity. She still felt like Jaimie felt, but her depression was marked by guilt over the deaths of the men who kidnapped her, were intent on murdering her, and who had caused her to need to undergo her surgery. Still, she understood what Jaimie was feeling as she had gotten her lifelong dream fulfilled even if it was four years earlier than it should have been. The ladies had another thing in common, they were familiar with the area due to either being from there or having visited before. Kennedy was previously in Los Angeles on business on behalf of the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Katie had been there helping her sister move east, and both Deborah and Reyna lived most of their lives in Los Angeles. For the duo, it was a bittersweet return. They had little to visit that they hadn't already seen at some point in their lives and they wanted to avoid certain places due to painful memories. Deborah still had relatives in the area, but since the collapse of her family due to the imprisonment of her grandparents and three of her uncles none of the Vega family were talking to one another. They were going to visit friends who lived there and conducted business on behalf of the group with Kennedy acting on behalf of her daughter and Katie acting on behalf of Jaimie Finn and Nichole Smith. They were not pleased to visit Reyna and Deborah's old neighborhood, but it had to be done and with the most experience at dealing with organizations and people they were the best people to join them with Valerie Finn and her parents occupied with Jaimie. Jaimie's Place was in a rundown neighborhood in the City of Alma Perdida. It wasn't gang infested but it was poverty stricken. The people weren't too bad overall, but the few bad apples spoiled the lives of so many giving it a bad reputation. Reyna was one of those whose life was spoiled by the neighborhood. Her father was killed because of a gang dispute that spilled over into their area and what was supposed to be neutral territory turned into anything but. Her uncle Miguel's notoriety and the media attention that he brought caused a crackdown on the gangs moving their operations away from the neighborhood but still leaving a bitter taste in her and her mother Lupe's mouths. Deborah suffered even worse than Reyna had to endure when she lost her father. Deborah's family was the worst of the worst and tormented everyone in the neighborhood. Reyna's father and grandmother were the only ones who ever stood up to them, bringing fear and humiliation whenever they dared to insult Lupe and Reyna or harass Mrs. Toro. The only light among the Vega family was Deborah and her two cousins, Juanita and Carmen. Deborah and Reyna shared a special bond that nobody understood thanks to being transgender. When Reyna's father Reymundo perished Deborah helped keep her from doing something terrible to herself and kept her spirits up through her later struggles over her gender identity and the start of her transition. The Vega home was actually the largest home in the neighborhood and was wholly owned by Deborah through her legal wrangling with her grandparents, aunts, and uncles. She didn't obtain it for herself, she retained it solely to help out others like herself who needed a home and place to start over in life. She originally wanted to tear it down but it was just too painful to her to do that. It was through a suggestion by her lawyers, Jo and Phyllis Kaplan, that she turn it into Jaimie's Place instead of selling it to a developer or someone else. They were keen to help others and needed a place for their clients to lay low until they found somewhere permanent. Deborah couldn't refuse that idea, it was simply too kind and generous and helping others was just what her mother Jaimie Thomas would have wanted her to do. The twins were meeting Deborah for the first time and what she saw surprised her. Jo was outgoing and casual, wearing a sundress and sandals, while her sister Phyllis appeared to be quiet and calculating in her skirt suit and heels. The two were short and skinny, with neither being more than 110 pounds but both being deadly in the courtroom with each knowing the other's thinking without saying a word. The Kaplan twins were known to the family before Deborah's case so had a good idea that the family would have wanted her to do which was exactly what they did. With them overseeing the house the family was able to be hands-off and only support it financially. While initially Deborah's fund, the twins asked that Jaimie Finn, Kylie Pena, and Reyna Toro join in with Kennedy and Valerie getting their niece Nichole and even Deborah's sister-in-law Daisy to pitch in from their own trust funds. It took months to get the proper permits and renovate. The twins hired someone to oversee the home with strict instructions on who would be allowed to stay there and who wasn't. They were aiming for families in need, not just anyone who needed a place to crash. It was to be a safe house, not a hotel. Jo and Phyllis were an in-demand duo who had a large law firm catering to lower income people as well as higher profile and expensive clients that actually paid most of the bills and gave them their largest profits. This often kept them busy which, in turn, meant they couldn't devote as much time to Jaimie's Place as they wanted to. It was never really an issue as the woman they hired to oversee it never reported any incidents or had any complaints filed against her. The visit by the Finn Family was a blessing for the duo as it gave them an excuse to devote more time to themselves for the week. They joked with their friends Evelyn and Joseph Johnson that trouble had always followed their group but it was a joke made with pride as the trouble was always for those in the wrong against the family. The fact of the matter was without prompting they would have never taken time off for themselves as they were too busy trying to help others and run the firm to slow down. The twins met the group at their office in downtown LA. Reyna's womanly growth made both smile as the young teen they had helped two and a half years before had blossomed into a lovely young woman who was fast becoming the spitting image of Lupe. Lupe had to stifle a laugh as Reyna gave them an odd look but realized that it was due to her growing up causing her to smile at them noticing. Deborah formally introduced herself to the twins. Both gave her deep hugs while also introducing themselves to her. Deborah didn't know what to say so stayed quiet and didn't react to much as they eyed her, knowing they were comparing her to her horrific family while remembering the events of Deborah's life that they had made so many people pay a penalty for ruining her life until she fled east. Kennedy was greeted warmly by the duo with Reyna not realizing she knew them. Deborah whispered about them helping sort out some issues with her mother's estate during Reyna's recovery getting a nod and leaving it alone. Kennedy just took the hugs in stride, adding a tender, "You two really go out of your way to break the identical twin stereotype. You two couldn't look any more different." Katie was formally introduced by Lupe. The twins were intrigued by her, unsure what to make of Katie but sensing that she was there for a good reason. Lupe happily confessed, "She is here acting as Jaimie, Nichole, and Daisy's proxy. She's a highly skilled lawyer, like Kennedy, but specialized in family law." Katie and Kennedy sat down with the twins to read over the reports about Jaimie's Place and see what was going on just in case Jo and Phyllis had missed something. It wasn't meant to be something against them, they didn't trust anyone especially people left to oversee something so important on their own. Past experiences had shown that they needed to carefully check finances in case someone used the house to hide money from the government or move money around for criminals. Katie felt there was something going on at the house just from the first look at reports. If it was like a normal situation there should have been some kind of occasional police response or some sort of social services involvement as those almost always accompanied families in crisis fleeing to places like Jaimie's Place. There was nothing but routine reports about expenditures for basic supplies and utilities and the deductions for the salary of the supervisor, there were no unexpected expenses or repair bills. Jo and Phyllis watched as they read between the lines and noticed that they were almost always the same reports but just a couple of expenses changed. Something was going on that required them to take a closer look at. The group needed to see for themselves and be ready for anything. Reyna and Deborah tensed as they said that. It was years in the making but they had to return to the place they called home. Jaimie's Place needed to be inspected by all of them. The group drove over to Jaimie's place with Deborah leading the way in her rental car. Reyna was sitting beside her with Lupe, Katie, and Kennedy in the back. The ladies were smart, Lupe could have driven but Reyna and Deborah needed to be in the front to steel themselves for the visit which wouldn't happen if they were forced to put on brave faces to appease the others. Jo sighed as Phyllis drove. She hated that they had been so busy that their pride and joy project fell by the wayside and could be in trouble. They thought their hired supervisor was perfect but even the noblest can be corrupted if the opportunity presented itself. The supervisor came highly recommended by a client, a man who had known them for years. The woman was great with money and who was agreeable to those who needed comfort. She was perfect. The cars drove to Alma Perida with Deborah shaking as she saw the sights of her hometown. Reyna shed a tear as she saw the cemetery her father and grandmother were buried. Deborah clutched her hand in support, it was what she needed most and she had a lot more lost in the city than Deborah had. The cars finally arrived in the neighborhood with Reyna pointing out the house to Katie and Kennedy, with both seeing why it was going to be utilized in the first place: it was big. It was fixed up nicely, one of the few two-story houses and the only one with an attic. Deborah pointed out the fire escape, it was something that stuck out more than anything but fit in alongside the large house. By contrast, the former Toro home was small. The one-and-a-half story home was tight when the Toros lived there but it was cozy tight not sardine tight. Reyna loved it but compared with her current home it felt too small and uncomfortable for her. Looking at the house, Reyna looked at Lupe who nodded. It looked abandoned, as if nobody lived there since they moved away. Lupe sighed and confessed to Reyna, "I just couldn't sell it. I tried but nobody would buy it due to the Vegas next door. They told anyone buying it who owned it. I held onto it in case we ever had to move out of Miguel's house so you would at least have a place to go to. I have paid the taxes on it but otherwise, it's been empty ever since we left." Reyna felt a lot better. Deborah and she went inside to check out the damage but there was surprisingly little done. It was clear that some of the Vegas had been living there but moved out when the family split up, it just needed a few touch-ups and it was all set to move-in. Reyna moved on to her old bedroom and saw something she forgot about. There was a small panel in the floor that she never told her mother about that she hid her most prized possessions in. Opening it up she found several small stuffed animals, skirts, and blouses. Lupe smiled at the memories of each. Reyna tried to say something but Lupe countered, "I knew about them. I was hoping one day you'd come to me and talk about them but your uncle did that for me when he told us about Jaimie. Your grandmother caught you wearing them and bought them for you to find and use. The same goes for the stuffed animals, she knew you wanted them but would never ask." Deborah looked closer at them and gasped. Reyna held them tight, shedding tears over finding her most prized childhood possessions thought lost in the move. Lupe felt terrible about forgetting to grab them but they were safe and sound, waiting for Reyna's eventual return to the house. The look on Reyna's face told her mother everything she needed to know, the house was going to get used by Jaimie's Place. The house was too interconnected to sell and it was too personal to her not to retain for someone who needed it. Jo and Phyllis asked if it was what she wanted to do, Reyna nodded with Lupe adding, "It wouldn't be right to let it sit or sell it when it could do some good for others." With that out of the way, the group went next door and inspected the exterior of the house closely with Deborah seeing that the grass was dying and there were clear gouges in the turf that had been there for years, ever since she was a kid. The backyard wasn't too good either as it was all but torn up and dried out. Deborah shook her head, telling them firmly, "This is worse than when I lived here. It's like they made it look nice then gave up on it if they did anything at all." Kennedy asked about the budget for the facility, earning a somber, "It has money for exterior work as it is needed, which includes landscaping and painting. It's a guaranteed amount, anything not spent that year is held over and added to the next in case of emergency repairs. I'm sorry about this, it should have been taken care of before." The group finally rang the doorbell and waited for an answer. Nobody answered. In fact, it looked like there was nobody there at all. Phyllis called the manager's phone number and got a quick excuse of the inhabitants being out for the day but none of them believed it. There should have been someone there to greet them, this was worse than they thought. Jaimie's Place wasn't being used at all to help anyone, it was just sitting empty. They waited for a half hour for someone to come back but there was no response inside nor was there anyone who returned. They were about to call again when two LA County Sheriff's Office cruisers stopped outside and demanded to know who they were and why they were there. Jo and Phyllis smelled something fishy and asked why they were there themselves. The deputies didn't appreciate being challenged that way but stopped as they saw that Kennedy was talking with someone on the phone and wasn't looking like she liked what she was hearing. Their small standoff lasted until Kennedy announced, "The house's supervisor called the police on us. I just told your dispatch that she knew we were coming and had scheduled a visit two days ago so there is no crime going on- yet. You will be notified that this was a nuisance call and to leave. If you continue to harass us the sheriff will personally have you explain why you are harassing the owners of the property as well as the wife, sister, and aunt of fellow officers. He was made aware of us being in the county and if any trouble occurred involving us he was to be told immediately." The deputies gave them angry looks as their dispatcher did as she said they would. Kennedy casually added, "Her brother-in-law is a state police detective and cousin-in-law a full-time officer, my husband is chief of police in our city, and her cousins are reserve officers. My husband was called regarding my calling your dispatch directly and verified everything so there is no attempt at misleading you." The deputies left but added that detectives would be by to speak with them regarding the house. Jo and Phyllis realized that something was going on inside and opened up the house with spare keys that no longer worked. The locks had been changed, the supervisor had definitely done something wrong and it was looking like they were going to have a lot of cleanups to do to fix the mess. They did the only thing they could think of, they kicked the door open. The inside was trashed, but to Deborah it was just as she remembered it. Reyna added that it was the same as she knew it, only with some more paint peeling on the walls and without TVs blaring in every room. Jo and Phyllis were sick to their stomachs, their pet project was a disaster. They were going to have to sort through the legal mess for a long time. They were even more upset because the house was not available to those who needed it, leaving women and children in danger for no excuse whatsoever. Kennedy grinned then called her son Reed and his cousin Miles to get to work investigating Jaimie's Place's finances. Someone was going to prison for fraud and embezzlement. The twins asked if they could do it, getting a laugh and hearty, "Given they have full access to the accounts they will show the state where to go to get the stolen money. This is now the fourth time they have done this in the past two years, they are great with accounting and both will be going into this line of work." Miles and Reed saw right away that there was a fraud going on with the books. They were skilled enough to find the real location of the missing money based on the bank statements directly from the banks themselves. They had the exact account and how much was removed, it was up to the county to get after the person responsible. Jo and Phyllis thanked them and called in their friend at the DA's office to start the process to prosecute the supervisor. He was more than happy to take on the case especially as the two teens had done all of the work for them and legally no less. The money was immediately found in the supervisor's account and the account was frozen with a court order while an arrest warrant was issued for the supervisor. She had the full amount that had been embezzled sitting in her own private account. She was making slow deductions from it into a separate account that was shown to be her personal bank account but retained the full amount in it under the guise of it being the action account for Jaimie's Place started on behalf of the house with the blessing of the twins. The bank was forced to transfer the money back into Jaime's Place's account and demand fraud and larceny charges of their own against the supervisor giving the DA a slam dunk case. The DA went further and got the sheriff's office to back off of their investigation into Jo and Phyllis and see that the place was actually being used by the supervisor for illicit means rather than by the twins. The twins were unaware that they were being targeted by the deputies but detectives forced them to back off especially as they were investigating private citizens who had done nothing wrong. With that out of the way, the house was inspected thoroughly by the group. This allowed Deborah to show Kennedy, Katie, and Lupe her grandparents' room, her cousins', aunts, and uncles' rooms, and her basement, "Room" which was just a mattress and blanket on the floor. Reyna looked it over and smiled as Deborah started to feel better about leaving that place while knowing that this was where her true self was born and nurtured, out of sight and hearing of her family. Deborah located her old hiding spot and removed the trinkets inside. Little mementos of her childhood such as toys and dolls were removed. They were beyond use but held special memories to her just as the clothes and stuffed animals Reyna clutched held to her. Reyna hugged her as she noticed one doll. She shed tears as she told Lupe that it was the doll that let her become a girl and gave her the strength to tell her how she felt inside. It was in the best condition and the way Reyna held it, the doll was not going anywhere without her. The others gave them some privacy as they hugged, with Reyna smiling at the good memories of her old home. When the two finally appeared upstairs it was time to make plans for Jaimie's Place. This time a proper supervisor was hired, one who came recommended by an aid group for people in need that Jo and Phyllis frequently assisted. They trusted this group and the group was careful not to get involved in anybody who had shady pasts or who were trying to escape the law. The new supervisor was a licensed social worker who was let go due to budget constraints and who had two children of her own. She was thankful for the old Toro home being offered as her new residence with the children being grateful to remain in the city and school. She was highly qualified and had stellar recommendations from colleagues making her being let go highly suspicious. A meeting the next day was scheduled with a new supervisor with only Deborah not attending. The new supervisor listened and agreed with the vision for Jaimie's Place and was more than happy to bring it to life. When asked about certain people they wanted to exclude, the ladies were vehement that only those with serious criminal records be excluded and any transgender mothers who needed help get it from there without bias. The new supervisor was pleased to hear that. She felt terrible and blurted out, "I must inform you that I'm transgender. It's why I was let go by the county. Your job saved my family and will help me keep my children as a big reason for my problems is my ex-wife trying to get sole custody of our children. You have no idea how hard it was to get a job as my degree is all but useless outside of social services." Lupe just smiled and proudly told her, "We know exactly what you mean from firsthand experience dealing with similar issues. You are fully qualified and have a strong reputation according to our sources. You are perfect for the job, regardless of what's in your panties. Helping you retain custody of your kids is just a bonus." She was about to say otherwise but Reyna confessed, "I'm transgender. Mom knows what you went through firsthand from having it happen to her. The reason the house next door is going to be yours to live in is because of people like your former employers making my life terrible and spreading rumors and hatred regarding the house making it impossible to sell. She couldn't find a job after I was kicked out of school so we had to move in with my uncle so she knows how you feel." The ladies signed a contract with her and left her to handle the move as well as the renovation to Jaimie's Place. They had Dan Lopez check out the contractors who were going to be hired and through his own grapevine found the perfect person for the job and at a low price. It would only take a few weeks but it would be enough to get everything settled and set up allowing Jaime's Place to actually open and finally start helping those in need. The group left with their heads held high, Jaimie's Place was going to be a great success thanks to finding the best person possible to run it. Jo and Phyllis tried to hand off operations to Deborah and Lupe but they refused, it wasn't their fault that they were lied to by the supervisor and neither could run it from Winnisimmet. The twins were needed by Jaimie's Place, they knew to keep a closer eye on it but also to give the new supervisor distance to work things out on her own and trust her just enough to come to them if there was a problem. The group rejoined their family at the hotel and all proceeded to go to the evening's baseball game at Dodger Stadium. Miguel had gotten the family a luxury suite for the elder teens and box seats for the tweens and kids with the adults split between the two. John tried to pay for it all but it was actually a perk that Miguel rarely exercised, it didn't cost him a penny as the other players didn't exercise their option of free tickets giving Miguel more than enough seats that were filled rather than empty. And being kids it ensured the camera went to them frequently especially during foul balls. Reyna was not happy to be going, though. She knew that she would be recognized despite her maturing into a blossoming young woman and there was still some members of the Dodgers who hated her because of what she was becoming. She knew there would be trouble just from her being there. Miguel never knew the full story, only the small bits she had to tell him. The team was intentionally trying to keep him away from her and went so far as to ban her from all team functions and edited his biography to make no mention of her or even Lupe. When she was allowed into the stadium she was under strict guard and treated as a prisoner, kept out of public view and under orders to not say or do anything that would upset the team and reflect badly on her uncle. She wasn't even allowed to enter via the player's entrance like other families, she had to come in via a service entrance. This was to both keep her away from, "Normal people" and keep her from the view of the media and fans. She was barred from watching games at the stadium as a guest of Miguel, any time he tried to set aside tickets for her they were never used and he was told that she was unable to attend. Lupe was threatened with being banned herself if she went to Miguel with how they were treating Reyna. The head of security was unsympathetic to her and followed the orders of management to prevent Reyna's life from ever getting out to the media. The team had a lot of clout in the region and would not have hesitated to make their lives miserable if they fought back, resorting to having them followed home after every visit and visited late at night to prove their point that they were not afraid to hurt them to keep their reputations clean. Miguel had played a season and a half with the Dodgers and never knew about the troubles, he was only told that Lupe was always busy with work or appointments with Reyna to attend games and team functions. That wasn't far from the truth, most of the time she was forced to work long hours and Reyna had several appointments with doctors regarding her transition that couldn't get rescheduled. But the truth was they lied to Miguel, a lie that was kept going until he decided to move on to play for the Red Sox but never fully explained to him just how deep the intentional isolation went. Reyna was immediately spotted by security as the family got off their bus and split up among those who were sitting in the box seats or heading to the suite. Reyna would have preferred to be down with the kids but the teens wanted her with them no matter what anyone had to say. Reyna was a guest and she had a right to be there regardless of what the bigots had to say. Her girlfriend Rachel Sylvester clung to her side as a show of support and to ensure that she didn't run off at the first sign of trouble. Rachel was willing to fight for her girlfriend even if it brought criticism to her from the idiots who had no idea who she was or why she supported Reyna. Reyna belonged there and Rachel was going to ensure Reyna had a great time regardless of others. The group was stopped outside the suite by security who told them they were being removed from the stadium as unwanted guests. Katie stepped forward and demanded to know why, asking what they had done that was in violation of the stadium rules as they had only just arrived and they all had the proper clearances to be there. There was hesitation to which Katie grinned and announced, "You know darn well that there is no reason to remove us. In fact, I know why you are trying to do so and will inform the proper authorities that you are violating the rights of a minor as well as infuriating both an opposing player as well as upsetting the player's association." There was hesitation before they were allowed to enter, with Katie being threatened with removal by the police shortly thereafter. Katie just grinned and announced, "Please do. When you do call them, inform them that they are about to take into custody the nieces and nephews of multiple police officers and federal agents. Oh, and not to mention a fully licensed attorney who has already alerted the sheriff's office that we are in the county but have no problem informing the LAPD as well." Reyna tried to leave, telling them, "They want to get rid of me. They have no idea who any of you are, but they know I am. They don't want anyone to see me or let me tell anyone why they are kicking me out. It's the same as it was before, I'm a freak who will ruin their image of a safe and respectable ballpark. They claim to be LGBT friendly but tried hard to keep me away from my uncle." Katie knelt down and all but shouted, "They are going to get in a lot of trouble. I'm not letting them get away with this, not after knowing what they did to you before. They don't know who they are messing with, I'm not letting my niece get pushed around so a bunch of overpaid, oversexed, and overinflated jerks can look like big shots. Miguel isn't going to stand for it and I doubt the Red Sox will let their little darling get hurt by a bunch of fools. They protect their kids, they will protect you." Katie called down to the visitor's clubhouse and told Miguel what was going on. Miguel was as furious as expected and sent Jimmy Collins, the team's traveling secretary, as well as their head of security up to the suite to help out. He then told the other players what was going on with them all agreeing to refuse to step foot on the field until Reyna was both apologized to and the group brought down to them to be in a place where they were wanted and cared about. Miguel took no prisoners and told the player's association that the Dodgers had been purposely keeping family members from team functions who didn't fit their criteria for who should attend. Given Miguel's only family were Reyna and Lupe they were quick to establish the Dodgers were acting against their own claims of inclusiveness. It was worse for the team as they had actually lied to the league when they were interviewed regarding their practices when Miguel was a player there after Miguel blew the lid on those kinds of practices regarding the Yankees two and a half years before. Jimmy Collins and the Red Sox officials made it up to the suite before the Dodgers returned with the police. Seeing the Red Sox officials there led to a war of words which the police had to stop but gave them a reason to know that this was not a simple trespassing situation as was claimed in their phone call. Once they spoke with Jimmy and the Red Sox security and showed that the team had arranged for the suite in the name of Miguel Toro, the uncle of the person who was being targeted, and every person inside had been identified by him by name there was no reason for them to take action as they were neither trespassing nor were they unwanted guests. The officers then added, "Given that we know the truth, we will inform our superiors that you have tried to use us to remove valid attendees who were here legally, with full support of both the team and player who paid for the suite, and who had not done anything to warrant our attention. You will be issued a fine and will be lucky if you aren't sued for harassment. I believe that may be unavoidable though." One of the Red Sox officials whispered into the ear of one of the officers getting a laugh followed by a swift, "Over half of the teens in there are related to law enforcement officials, this just made what you did even worse." The Dodgers personnel tried to cry foul but Jimmy Collins spouted off multiple names, with the officers noting that the man had not entered the suite yet knew the names and which agency they worked for showing that it was no joke and they were serious. The hassle was noticed by other suites leading to complaints about noise and the police being there. This led to Dodgers executives showing up to smooth things over only to see them demanding Reyna be removed from the stadium yet again. They made a mistake, they used transphobic slurs which only caused the officers to grin as they announced they were going to have to report this breach of peace to the DA's office as it was now a serious violation as they were demanding the removal of someone who had not violated any rules or laws based entirely on their offensive views towards her. As expected, chaos ensued with more swearing and the officers calling for immediate help. Once more officers arrived several media members followed with the whole scene being captured. The officers were no fools, they laid out exactly what was going on and had the executives get caught on video demanding Reyna's removal with them stating that they didn't care if she hadn't done anything nor that she was a guest of the Red Sox, they wanted her gone before she was seen by, "Normal" people and made the team look like they accepted, "People like her." It was exacerbated by their use of multiple homophobic and transphobic slurs, all of which were caught on camera. Reyna finally had enough and left, followed by the rest of the group. A group of 20 teens and a dozen adults leaving all at once with Reyna at the center of it made for a damning video especially as the Dodgers officials told the police to escort them out and if they resisted, to arrest them. The officers did no such thing, ignoring the demands of the executives while the media observed the vile scene. The officers calmly told the executives, "We are not going to violate their rights for you. We will ensure they are not harassed by your people but we are not arresting any of them as they have done nothing to warrant being arrested. We will not violate their civil rights to force your views on people." Outside, Jimmy and the Red Sox officials escorted the group right to the clubhouse to watch the game among the Red Sox personnel. The 20 teens had been in their clubhouse in Boston multiple times so it wasn't a big deal to them but it was more for the cameras than anything else. The local reporters asked why they were going inside the clubhouse after being barred for the stadium, sensing a bigger story than just the transphobic hysteria of the Dodgers. Jimmy just grinned and announced, "The Dodgers were out of line in barring this group from viewing the game for the suite we paid for. The Red Sox players have refused to take the field until they knew that these fine people were in a welcoming place, among themselves. They know the group through the group attending dozens of games and have taken several of them as surrogate nieces and nephews for the season while they are away from their own families. Once the group was outside the stadium they were under our protection as VIP guests as they were supposed to have been from the start. Sadly, the Dodgers knew exactly who these people were and tried to use the police to force them out instead of going through official channels to lodge complaints. Those complaints would have been logged and used against them as they had no reason to bar these people. The police were good enough to humor them for the sake of civility but from previous experience, they knew that the team had made a major mistake and were not about to help the Dodgers cover it up." The reporters who didn't know her asked about Reyna, to which Jimmy sighed and announced, "She is the niece of one of our players and had a history with the Dodgers performing similar actions against her. She had been mistreated, ignored, and purposely barred from seeing her uncle during the year and a half that he played for the Dodgers. They threatened her and her mother to keep quiet about this forced exclusion and only after she had been forced to address the issue had it become known to her uncle. This kind of behavior is appalling and the players took a stand to refuse to take the field without the group being among Red Sox officials." The reporters had their story, one much larger than bigotry by executives. Reyna's story was just the tip of the iceberg, the team was going to have to explain their actions and the investigation was going to lead to a lot of questions that needed to be answered by the team. The team couldn't keep a lid on this, there were too many witnesses as well as a police report that would not be suppressed nor removed from the system making the account there for all to see. Inside the clubhouse, the team flocked to Reyna and gave her big hugs. She was in tears, apologizing to them for causing them problems. Miguel sat her down while the others gave them privacy, telling her firmly, "You didn't do anything wrong. This was all on them and they chose to stand with me against those bastards. We are making a statement, you are family to us. Teams aren't supposed to mess with family, they will have a lot of trouble now with the players. You aren't the only one this happened to, you just happened to be the one they bullied the most and the one who finally uncovered it all." The team walked out as one, with Reyna being directed to join them while the others waited for her. The Dodgers officials were waiting outside for the Red Sox and were angry that she was there, loudly demanding her removal prompting the team to refuse to take the field in protest. The umpires grinned and told the Dodgers executives to leave, they were ejected from the game and the stadium for delaying the game and for using offensive language in violation of their own rules. The Dodgers players refused to step on the field either, once they recognized Reyna several of Miguel's former teammates spread the word that they were trying to get rid of a player's family member. They then told the truth about why she was being removed, prompting several to show their displeasure at her being there but most siding with Reyna- including their highly respected manager and coaches. The umpires had the police escort the executives away with the league representative making note of everything that had happened and why with the umpires delaying until they confirmed to be out of the park. In a show of support the umpires hugged Reyna, bringing tears to her eyes and a meek, "Thanks" from her mouth. It was touching, with the TV crews covering the game giving glowing reports about the whole situation as well as their own commentary about just who was being targeted and why it was wrong in their opinions. The LA crew had no idea what was happening and tried to act like it was no big deal by claiming it was all a stunt by the Red Sox. The LA reporters sent word directly to them avoiding the team's minders to which the announcers apologized to Reyna for the misinformation that was given to them by executives who were about to be suspended and/or terminated for their horrendous actions. The veteran play-by-play announcer happily told the viewing audience that the girl who was the center of all of this was a model student, role model for kids, and generous philanthropist who was unfairly victimized by a few people who wanted to make sure the team fits their model of what constituted, "Normal." The announcers were not afraid to lodge their complaints about her treatment and offered a vicious commentary about the mistreatment of kids by glorified bullies. It was some of the finest announcing, all done in front of a captive audience and made the national news that evening and the following day. Those who opposed Reyna were outed and shunned while those who knew her were quick to tell how great she was as a person. Back inside the clubhouse, Reyna sat on a couch beside Rachel with her cuddling Reyna for support. It was a tough afternoon but things calmed down with the Dodgers blowing a lead and Miguel earning himself the win in relief. The team entered and gave Reyna hugs and kisses making her blush deeply while her friends and Rachel smiled at her being uncomfortable with the attention. The press kept away from Reyna and the others, talking with the Red Sox players who had key hits as well as the closer who ensured their win. Miguel was only asked about the tight jam he got himself out of during his two innings of work, no questions about Reyna were asked and the ones who were about to ask were quickly talked over by one of the beat reporters. There was no mention of Reyna at all, when all the questions about the game were asked the players stopped answering and got dressed. The group was close by but out of sight of the media, with the ladies getting a closer look at the players than anyone normally would. They quickly turned away when the players were changing, with the guys feeling inadequate compared to them while their girlfriends didn't want to see something nobody except the players' girlfriends and wives should see. To Katie and Lupe it was hilarious, the normally confident ladies became timid and the normally self-assured Thomas Samuels, Donald Bollinger, and Raul Porter became little kids for a moment. Miguel finally finished with the formalities and met with the group to head to a nice restaurant for a late dinner. The younger kids and tweens were dropped off at the hotel for dinner there allowing the older teens to enjoy the evening with Miguel. Reyna and Lupe were not going back to the hotel that night, instead, they were going with Miguel for an expected talk as well as to calm down Reyna who was still battling anxiety over the encounter earlier. Dinner was amazing with the teens thanking Miguel, or rather John Finn who actually paid for their meal, for setting it up for them. There was a surprise for them as they arrived though, several Dodgers players were there but Miguel knew all of them and vouched for them as decent people. Reyna had to reluctantly introduce all of them, with Rachel happily being introduced as Reyna's girlfriend bringing both shock and a smile to the players as they hadn't thought she would date women due to being transgender, unintentionally falling for the belief that transsexuals dated only men. Rachel asked for and got permission to stay with Lupe, Miguel, and Reyna that night. It was a first for them as neither girl had tried to spend the night at the other's house without their other friends present. Reyna pleaded with her mother and uncle for permission to do so, with Lupe getting Rachel's father to agree to let her stay stay over without much of a fight. The two rushed to get their things for the night and said their goodbyes to their friends. There wasn't much chance of the girls having sex as Reyna was too worked up and they were too respectful of Miguel to even attempt it. Lupe felt that they were old enough to be trusted andd have restraint when they were alone, with that night being the first step in the couple sealing their relationship as more than love even if they did not take it a step further sexually yet. When they arrived at Miguel's LA home, Miguel sat the girls down and asked Reyna to tell everything that had happened to her regarding the Dodgers since he was traded to them. She looked at her mother who wanted to know more as well, she had been around some of the teammates' families' actions but hadn't fully seen the team's actions towards Reyna herself. Rachel held her hand, massaging it in support then kissing her cheek. She didn't think Reyna would have been fully honest if not for her being there, this proved it. Rachel whispered into her ear, "They need to know the truth. They know things happened to you that they didn't see that were more than just the team keeping you away from him. Please, tell them everything. It'll help you cope as well." Sighing deeply, Reyna admitted, "After you were traded a man from the team came to our house and told us that we were not going to be allowed to go to the stadium to see you play. Mom understood what he meant and didn't react but he gave us a piece of paper saying that we were barred from there. It said it was a restraining order, the team said I was going to cause problems and I didn't belong there and was unwanted. Since I wasn't your daughter he couldn't do anything about it. He threatened to have you fined if I tried to tell you, saying that what I would be doing was endangering the team's reputation. He did it while mom was trying to call a lawyer, telling me that if I told her he would lie and ensure that mom was never allowed to see you again." She looked at Miguel who was listening intently. Lupe encouraged her to continue so she added, "Mom was allowed to go to games because they couldn't ban her without you getting angry. She heard a lot of the things that the families said, most of which was told to them by the guys who chased us out today. Mom had to listen to them badmouthing her and me but she never saw the things that they were putting online about me and mom. They wanted everyone to think you and mom were actually dating and I was your daughter. It didn't matter than mom was 19 when I was born and you were only 17 and only met her for the first time at you wedding and mom was already pregnant with me. They just didn't care that you and mom never got to see one another except during Thanksgiving and Christmas since you went to college while dad worked driving his truck to and from Las Vegas. They just wanted to make mom and me look bad and make others shun us. It worked, nobody wanted anything to do with mom and bad mouthed her every chance they got." Lupe nodded at that, Reyna continued:, "When I was expelled from school the team used that as a reason to keep you away for good. It's why you didn't see us the rest of the season, mom was working hard to get money to pay for the private school I was put into. She wouldn't let you pay for anything because you would start asking questions that she didn't want to answer. The players' families took this as a way of mocking mom and me and told several of their sons to hurt me when they saw me in school. They were going to hurt me the next week to ensure that I was unable to go to their school anymore but I got expelled again before they could. They were too afraid to say or do anything after I was hurt, they knew the boys would hurt them and send them to jail thanks to their dads so they kept quiet but they really did want to hurt me." Miguel asked if she had any proof of any of that happening to which Lupe said she had the letters from the team as well as a copy of the restraining order they filed. Reyna had the emails that were sen to her, including the various threatening emails from the team's security that said they were going to have her expelled in retaliation if she ever told anyone about the kids' actions. Miguel read the emails and swore, then hugged Reyna tight while offering soothing words to her. Rachel led Reyna to her bedroom and put her to sleep, knowing she was running on fumes for the past hour. She gave her a goodnight kiss then tucked her in, ensuring she was changed and fully asleep then she slipped out to sit with Miguel and Lupe in the living room. Neither adult said anything about her action, it was clear that she loved Reyna deeply and what she did was a true act of love and restraint showing they were justified in allowing them to become closer as a couple. Miguel finally broke the silence and softly explained to Rachel, "We both know that she's in love with you." Rachel blushed but Lupe added, "She truly loves you. You two complete one another. She has never been much for affection or showing her true feelings, but she clearly loves you. I am proud to have you as her girlfriend, somehow you two make the perfect couple. You didn't start off right, but you two grew to love one another in a way that only your older cousins understand." Rachel fought for the right words. Lupe hugged her tight and kissed her forehead, adding a soft, "You two are mature enough to be left alone together. You aren't like the other girls, we trust you two to not get too out of hand. You can't make one another pregnant but we know your urges will become far too overpowering soon. You have our blessing if you should feel the need to become intimate. Your parents have agreed with me on this, you have earned our trust and blessings to move forwards." Rachel hugged her tight, crying into her shoulder over hearing this. Miguel just smiled, it was Lupe the mother at her finest. The two young ladies were great with one another, they have proven it that day. Rachel went to bed alongside Reyna, kissing her and cuddling with her as she laid down. Lupe smiled at the sight, there was nothing sexual about the embrace and the way Reyna moved into her arms it was exactly what Reyna needed as her tossing and turning sleep turned into a deep slumber. Rachel had helped save Reyna from a restless night simply by being there and letting her sleep in her arms, giving her the needed intimacy that nobody but a lover could give. The next morning Katie called to talk with the four about what the Dodgers were going to do to them in retaliation. Jo and Phyllis were coming by shortly to show them the draft lawsuit that they had set up on Reyna's behalf with the Red Sox and Major League Baseball drafting similar complaints in support of Reyna as well. It was a three-pronged attack, the team would have to pay for their systemic abuse of Reyna and their abhorrent actions towards a player's closest family member as well violating her rights by trying to have her arrested without reason. Lupe told her about what they had done against Reyna and herself in the past and that they had the supporting evidence on hand. Katie grinned then told her that she was going to make a few phone calls to get copies of the correspondence and restraining order from their home. Lupe just grinned as the few family members that remained in Winnisimmet were about to help the others out immensely, with Lupe happily telling Katie that she was going to give her parents big kisses when they returned home. Miguel got himself ready for that night's game but had plenty of time to attend the meeting between the lawyers. Miguel asked if the Johnsons were going to be involved, getting a solid, "No" followed by a somber, "They are trying to keep JD, Cat, Ella, and Logan occupied. As much as they'd like to be here they need to be elsewhere keeping the kids occupied. Jaimie is still in her coma, it's taking a toll on John so they have to pick up the slack for him and ensure he doesn't breakdown again." The ladies arrived with a representative from the player's association and Major League Baseball. Lupe received emails containing scans of the documents and restraining order while Rachel showed copies of the threatening emails. The group read over the documents and came to a clear and concise conclusion: the team was in deep trouble and likely to face steep fines and loss of draft picks as a result. Reyna was asked to explain what happened with the lawyers grilling her every which way but ensuring that what she said was irrefutable and upheld under scrutiny. It was tough but Reyna was consistent and what she said matched what was told to police as well as MLB security officials after the game the previous afternoon. Reyna was in the right and the team was going to have to account for a lot of outrageous behavior that it couldn't explain. Reyna went back to the hotel with Rachel in tow. She was going to receive word the next morning about the results but it was clear that she had a lot to sue them over. Reyna didn't care about money from her lawsuit, she just wanted others to be protected against what she had experienced especially now that it was out in the open. Reyna and Rachel sat quietly in the lobby with their friends close by. They were told the news about Jaimie finally awakening but had to wait until she returned east to see her. Rachel decided not to go see her, Reyna needed her and she didn't trust herself not to break down at seeing Jaimie. Reyna was grateful for that. Rachel was showing her love for her even more than she had ever thought possible. The two hugged, snuggled close, and shared an occasional kiss on the cheek. It was simple cuddling among teens but it was more loving than the others were doing. Reyna was just glad to be done with the city soon. It was tiring to her. She and Rachel were just going to spend all their time together while the others enjoyed other parts of LA. It was fine with their parents, they were trusted enough to just relax and with Lupe as their caretaker they couldn't do much anyway. The two simply relaxed and enjoyed their next two days before departure. Chapter 5 Deborah Peterson felt better about returning to Alma Perdidas after ensuring a woman like herself was hired to oversee Jaimie's Place. It always pained her to think about those who were less fortunate than herself, especially those who had children caught in the middle of the fight. They were innocents, but far too often the children were used as pawns by vengeful husbands and wives to make their soon-to-be former spouses give them what they wanted. Deborah was blessed in that she had a loving and supporting family that others lacked. She fell in love with her husband immediately after officially meeting him. Patrick was the man of her dreams, the guy every woman wants to date. By some stroke of luck, he felt the same way about her, falling for her once she stepped out into the world as her true self. After separating from the group, Patrick took Deborah out for an evening alone. She knew where to go to get him in the mood, a little place that she had loved when she was a teenager and had missed once she fled east to attend college. She spent hours visiting it after school with the girls who she hung out with and advised in what was the closest she had been able to come to acting like her true self. The family who owned it treated Deborah like one of the girls even if she was a boy on the outside. The grandmother of the managers, Gloria Garcia, was a wise woman who saw into the hearts of people and could decipher their true selves and uncover what was behind whatever mask you wore. Deborah was found out immediately with Gloria telling her that one day she would be her true self, writing out a simple, "Chica" then nodding to her as she realized Gloria knew the truth. The family still owned the restaurant and had expanded it to allow for more diners. Once the couple entered they were spotted by the elderly Gloria and immediately seized in a hug. She smiled at Deborah, happily saying, "I told you that you would become your true self, my little beautiful girl." Patrick was pulled aside and inspected while Deborah was left to wonder if this was good or bad. Gloria had a perpetual smile on her face and knew just what to say to get you to do what she wanted you to do, this was her being normal and thankfully she was not going to be an issue for them. Patrick wisely just sat there and let himself be inspected, letting Gloria give him a thorough inspection while she nodded and glanced back and forth at the couple. Finally, Gloria released Patrick from her grip and asked Deborah how she was doing. Deborah couldn't lie and told her about becoming a teacher and teaching kids as a student teacher. Gloria nodded in agreement, adding, "You did as you always wanted to do. You always had a way with kids. The children are going to be in good hands with you and learn more than they would have from anyone else." The couple was finally allowed to sit at a table and order, with their waitress being shocked that her great-grandmother knew Deborah let alone talked with her as if she was an old friend. Deborah didn't make light of the situation, she was hungry and didn't want who she had been to get out. The two ate in peace for the next hour before leaving to head back to the hotel. Out of the corner of her eye, Deborah spotted a young lady with a baby trying to work in the back. The woman was very familiar to Deborah. In fact, she was someone she hoped to not encounter. She cared deeply about her but it was just too painful to admit that she was there, in the restaurant, near her. Patrick asked what was the matter, getting a timid, "That woman in the back, with the baby, I know her. Her name is Gabriela Garcia. She was my cousin Antonio's girlfriend for years. Her parents are the managers here. You met her great-grandmother earlier, the only person who Antonio feared. I just hope she doesn't see me, if she is still dating him then my cousins will come around trying to get revenge on me for what happened to my uncles and grandparents." Deborah's little confession was heard by Gabriela who looked over and saw Deborah for what she was. She made her way over to Deborah, carrying a baby that was no older than a few days old in her arms and asking her to stay. Deborah was prepared for the worst but it didn't happen, Gabriela just hugged Deborah and asked her to talk with her for a bit as she needed to discuss something important with her. The two were led to the office where the baby was laid down. The baby fussed, crying as she tried to lay him down. Deborah reluctantly held the baby in her arms and watched as he fell asleep instantly, allowing her to put him down in his carrier giving the three a chance to talk with one another. Gabriela saw this as the sign that she needed. She shed a tear and confessed to Deborah, "Your cousin Antonio left me pregnant and alone. He married me then dumped me for his mistress. He started to spread rumors that I slept with other men and our baby wasn't his. My family was kind enough to help me through the pregnancy but not after. When I gave birth they told me to give him up for adoption." Deborah looked at Patrick who understood what she was feeling, thinking about their cousin Miles and his unfortunate start in life. Gabriela saw the understanding and continued:, "I love him but I can't keep Antonio. This is no place for him. He's a constant reminder of his father and it hurts too much to see him kept out of sight of the customers. I can't find a real job and can't afford a sitter or daycare. Please, can you take him in? You are his closest relative, you are the only Vega around here who may help us. None of your cousins will help me nor do they believe that my Antonio is a Vega." Deborah was shedding tears now. This was almost unbelievable. She had always wanted to become a mother, but to have a child who was actually blood to her come into her life was beyond belief. Patrick asked if she was willing to go so far as to allow them to adopt Antonio. Deborah's eyes lit up at hearing that, Patrick shook his head and blurted out, "Our moms would never forgive us. He is family to us. He'd have more aunts and uncles around him than he can count. He needs us, you need him." Gabriela called her parents to the office. With a sad face, she told them, "Antonio's father's family has agreed to take him in for me. His father's cousin has agreed to be his mother. I did as you asked. This is no place for a baby and I can't take care of him for much longer without you suffering." The two looked at Deborah closely, trying to put their finger on who she was as she didn't look like any of the Vega family members that they could recall. Gabriela looked at Deborah then at Patrick before explaining, "She was James Vega. Bisabuela was right, James was a girl inside. She is willing to be his mother. She is the only one who will do it, I can't put him in an orphanage nor can I let social services take him. This is for his future, please agree to this." The Garcias looked Deborah and Patrick over and asked:, "Are you married?" Patrick shot back a firm, "We have been married for 16 months. And before you ask, I have a full-time job with a master's degree while Deborah has a standing job offer once she graduates and earns her license next May." They started fishing again, asking, "What about family? Or a home?" Patrick shot back a terse, "I own our home in full, we have my mother, Deborah's mother, my brother, sister-in-law, and two sisters, as well as her cousins and my cousin and her husband for immediate support. We then have three uncles and three aunts, five cousins, and two dozen more pseudo-cousins ready, willing, and able to babysit or help us. Plus my aunt owns a preschool so we have plenty of help with Antonio." Mrs. Garcia asked a pointed, "Do you have any experience with babies?" Patrick laughed, telling them, "My sister-in-law gave birth to a baby girl back in November, I have had to change my four youngest cousins' diapers too many times to count. And I had to help change my younger sister's diapers when she was born. I have experience as does Deborah." The Garcias needed some time to think. Deborah asked to make a phone call to some important people who would need to know what was going on. Patrick realized just who was being contacted, explaining, "She's calling her mom, our pseudo-aunts and uncle, and our aunt. Our aunt is a doctor and our pseudo-uncle and aunts work for social services in our state. They will need to know what's going on and would want to examine Antonio just to be sure he was alright." Deborah re-entered and told them they were on their way. He asked if his grandparents were coming too, getting a nod and soft, "They needed this, you know they are trying to keep Jaimie out of their minds. Grandma and Grandpa would want to help no matter what." The Garcias asked what they meant. Deborah timidly explained, "Our younger cousin is in a coma from too much anesthesia during surgery. Our grandparents want to be involved in the legal work. We have had issues before with people trying to disrupt adoptions. My mother had a problem adopting my sister last year, we just want to make sure everything is alright so Antonio is taken care of fully." It was a tense half hour as the group awaited their arrival. Deborah was nervous but Antonio awakening and needing her attention helped calm her. Seeing their grandson taking to a complete stranger while enjoying attention gave the Garcias the impression that maybe Deborah was destined to be the mother to their grandson even if it meant they would never see Antonio again. When the group finally arrived they were ushered inside to meet Gabriela and Antonio. Deborah then introduced them all with Sarah Jones asking to examine him to ensure that he was alright in case his pediatrician missed something. She grinned and announced he was perfectly healthy newborn albeit a little bit of a kicker as he wouldn't stay still but it was expected of someone so young. Evelyn and Joseph Johnson drafted a legal agreement that would allow Deborah and Patrick to take custody of Antonio once social services gave their all clear. Patrick asked if that was necessary, getting a bitter, "They haven't had the best track record regarding kids so it is best to have this covered in full. I would rather you had made the agreement in Massachusetts but I don't think Gabriela would appreciate flying east then flying back west the next day just to hand off Antonio in Massachusetts." Joseph discussed the possible legal issues regarding adoption and Antonio's father's role in it. Without his consent, it was going to be tricky and time-consuming. Deborah couldn't remain in California to sort it out, the best way was to get him to give up his rights on paper. Gabriela shed a tear while Mr. Garcia snarled as he told them, "The bastard got himself killed last month. He can't consent because he is rotting in hell where he belongs." Joseph nodded, understanding the resentment as only a father who had experienced it before could. Evelyn saw the look in her husband's eyes and told the Garcias, "Our grandson is like Antonio. The scumbag who fathered our grandson did the same to our daughter. We know how tough it is to deal with the looks, the whispers, the accusations of cheating. As much as it pains you his death is the best thing to happen to Antonio as he doesn't need a signature now since his mother has all rights to him." Joseph added, "Since the Vegas refuse to believe he is family the paternal next of kin is Deborah's mother. She's the father's aunt and she won't stand in your way. The next after her is Deborah and her sister Polly. Polly is only 14 and would never go against her sister. Deborah's cousins Juanita and Carmen have the same level of a claim as Deborah but they won't step in the way either. They want her to have a child of her own and will see this as the blessing it truly is. With your blessing supporting her claim, Antonio is in the right hands with Deborah." The group signed in all the right places, with the Garcias giving their legal blessing on paper while Gabriela hugged Deborah tight after signing herself. She hated to give up her child but she couldn't handle being a mother at this time and wanted him to go to a loving home instead of being placed in the care of social services until he could be adopted. It was touching but it was for the best, he'd have a good life and she was giving them what they needed in life. The group said they'd be by the next day to file the paperwork with the county to allow for a full legal transfer of Antonio into Deborah and Patrick's care. The group drove on to the hotel where Lilly Peterson was awaiting them, with an eager Daisy and Claire Peterson begging for news. Patrick steeled himself and reluctantly explained, "We were asked to adopt Deborah's cousin's son. His mother can't care for him and his father left them then got himself killed. He did what Roland Finn did to you, mom. The family is in a bind and his mother can't care for him anymore and none of his relatives want to do a thing for her. He needs us and we couldn't say no to her request." Lilly hugged them tightly with Daisy and Claire staring in disbelief. Lilly warmly told them, "She wants him to have a good life. If I didn't have your dad I would have had to do the same for Claire when she was born. You are going to be great parents, you already have more experience than any person should. I am proud of you, both of you." The Petersons went inside to call David Peterson and Patrick's cousin Sheila Bailey. As they expected, David was shocked that his brother had finally become a dad and given Deborah a child by blood no less while Sheila could barely contain her excitement, prompting her husband Ian to calm her down while Sheila's cousins kept her from bouncing off the walls. Ian was happy for them but didn't want to say something to tempt fate by becoming a father himself, he loved that his friend and close confidant was going to be the father he deserved to be. Sheila asked about the baby, getting Deborah to explain his connection to her. Her face dropped as she yelled for her cousin and her girlfriend to come over. When they got there Deborah explained to her cousin Juanita Vega, "Antonio turned out to be the bastard his father was. He had a baby with Gabriela Garcia, but dumped her when he heard the news. She asked me to take in little Antonio as my own son so he could be raised among blood relatives." Juanita nodded in agreement, shedding a tear at her cousin being a mother now. Her girlfriend Zoe hugged her to which Juanita mumbled softly, "The bastard hated you but he ended up giving you the biggest gift of all- your own child. He's blood to you, but he will never know the man who sired him. You deserve to be a mother, you will be the greatest thing to ever happen to him. Congratulations, cousin. I am so happy for you." Deborah ended the call and had tears in her eyes again. Lilly asked if she had told her mother yet, getting a head shake which prompted her to tell her right away so she could help out. Deborah walked out to where her mother was waiting, she must have known the news as she was trying hard to not look like she knew but it was clear that she did. Deborah knelt down and hugged her tight, telling her through tears, "Cousin Antonio got my friend Gabriela pregnant and up and got himself killed. She can't handle little Antonio anymore and asked me to be his mother. Mom, I couldn't say no to her. He needs us." Dorothy Vega hugged her back, offering a soothing, "I know. You are what he needs most. You can offer him a home with a lot of support and love. I hoped you would adopt, Antonio being blood is just a blessing for us. As long as Carmen and Juanita are alright with it you should be fine." Patrick offered a quick, "She just talked with Juanita. She is happy to hear the news but I think she is jealous. She and Zoe are talking about what happened but I think she is feeling maternal now." Dorothy just smiled at it. She knew that they were close to making their relationship into something more. She whispered a quiet, "She needs her parents, this is going to be too much for her to go it alone." Lilly gave her a grin. Dorothy's eyes caught it and tried to back off the idea. Lilly shook her head and added a firm, "You mother them. They love you more than they did their own parents. They need you and gave you what you needed before Polly came into your life. You are their mother in all but name." Dorothy had to ponder what it meant. Deborah hugged her with Dorothy shedding a tear. She finally admitted, "They are what I wanted in daughters. I love them but I can't do that to my brother." Deborah gave her a soft, "They love you the same way. It's a piece of paper that says that you are their mother now. You deserve them as your daughters. Please, mom, do it for them?" Dorothy was left to ponder the news as Patrick and Deborah went up to bed. She was amorous that night, giving him a bit of loving sex that he hadn't had in a while but was driven by her impending motherhood. It was pleasurable but she needed to temper herself for when the euphoria wore off. The next morning Gabriela, Deborah, Patrick met outside the courthouse to file the petition for change of custody. Jo and Phyllis Kaplan joined them as legal advisers to ensure that the couple wasn't denied the right to have custody of Antonio. They had every possible bit of supporting evidence but there was always the chance that social services could become involved in the situation. The group was granted a hearing in front of Judge Uriah Katz who read over the situation. He gave a quick glance, nodded as he read some of the facts. He asked about their jobs, their family support, and their connection to Antonio. Patrick was quick to point out his high-paying job as a junior engineer with Porter Industries with his continuing education towards his Ph.D. in Engineering as well as direct support from his sister, brother, sister- in-law, and aunts, uncles, and cousins. Deborah's career as a teacher got a nod as did her support from her mother and cousins. The fact that Deborah was a blood relative with three additional blood relatives to Antonio close by was a good sign as the judge noted they were within closeness to Antonio that social services would want for placing him with family. Judge Katz then asked about additional support. Deborah pointed out that she had plenty of monetary support from her personal trust while Patrick had a huge personal trust fund and savings in addition to his salary. Patrick then added that their aunts, uncles, and cousins were mostly in law enforcement with three members of social services being indirectly related to them through their relatives. He grinned as he told Judge Katz that he had a patent that was bringing him additional money that more than paid for a new house if/when the family had to move into a bigger house and would give Antonio a sizable trust fund for his future so he would never be for want. Judge Katz asked about the social services connection, prompting Deborah to explain, "Patrick's uncle's brother-in-law and two of his sister's friends' mothers are employed by Massachusetts Department of Children and Families. We spoke with them this morning before coming here and have an agreement that they would ensure that Antonio was alright as they followed the procedure for adoption back in Massachusetts. They refuse to bend or break the rules for us, we have to undergo the same screenings that all prospective parents face." Judge Katz nodded at hearing that, he just wanted to ensure they weren't throwing their money around to get around the laws. He asked that they notify social services about the impending adoption and undergo proper evaluation and fitness assessment before he granted their request to transfer custody of Antonio to them. The fact that they had support from their home state's social services wasn't going to get around the assessment, but it did go further to show that they were there to ensure that Antonio was placed with those who could properly care for him. They were notified that there was an opening for them to be interviewed immediately by social services that afternoon. The group gave them space, but Jo and Phyllis told them to keep an eye out for attempts to trip them up or force them out as potential parents. The agency was in a state of flux but there were still a lot of hardliners still entrenched who thrived on making examples out of people. Deborah left to talk with Jaimie Finn while Patrick had to entertain his sisters as Lilly and Dorothy started to work on the paperwork for Juanita and Carmen Vega becoming Dorothy's daughters. The girls were easy on him, Claire was busy talking with her friends as they relaxed in the hotel spa while Daisy played with the other kids in the pool. Patrick finally got his sister-in-law Emma on the phone and told her what was happening with Emma eagerly telling him she'd help out as much as possible. Patrick finally bid his family goodbye as he picked up Deborah from the hospital and drove over to their appointment. Deborah shuddered at seeing the building, it was sterile and uncaring, just as she thought the social services offices would be. It took all of her strength to walk inside. The duo was met by an uninterested woman who introduced herself as Ms. Hernandez and she had a lot of questions for them. They sensed trouble right away and announced that they were recording their interview at the request of their layer. As soon as they sat down Ms. Hernandez demanded to know why they were trying to adopt a child and bring it into a house of sin with a person who was not a real woman but a man in drag who mutilated himself and is deluded into believing he was a woman. Patrick held his tongue but Deborah stared her down and told her firmly, "We were asked to adopt my cousin's child by his birth mother because she couldn't care for him and are his closest relatives who can care for him." Patrick added, "We are married, have stable jobs, with numerous family both blood, by marriage, and by adoption. We want to give him a chance to thrive and grow up in a caring environment. His mother asked us to care for him as our own and we can't deny her request." He dared her to say something further. Ms. Hernandez stated flatly, "I am denying your request based on it not being in the best interests of the child. I am also removing him from his mother's care and will seek endangerment charges against her for allowing you to try to take him. He belongs with 'normal' people, not some freak with a fake vagina and a gay man hiding his sexuality in a fake marriage." The two didn't respond. Patrick firmly told her, "We will fight this." Ms. Hernandez shot back a laugh followed by quick, "No court will give custody of a kid to a fag and tranny bitch. I don't care how much money you have, that kid is never seeing you again. Now get out of here before I call the police and claim you tried to rape me. In fact, I'll do it anyway." Deborah held Patrick back. The two walked out and immediately called Jo and Phyllis. The twins were ready to file suit against the department for violating theirs, Antonio's, and Gabriela's rights as well as filing false claims before the court and lying to police. They then called Judge Katz and informed him that the agency was about to lie to him about why they are removing a child which he grinned at, he was more than ready to battle Hernandez on behalf of Antonio, Deborah, and Patrick. Judge Katz had his clerk take note of any incoming complaints from Hernandez and within minutes he had one that was exactly as Jo and Phyllis had described. Knowing the particulars he shook his head at the sheer gall that was displayed by Hernandez in trying to remove a child from a loving home simply because she didn't like that his new parents were, "Non-traditional". She stepped over the line and would now see the other side of justice as he had deputies ready to arrest her for lying to the court as well as for abusing her power as he didn't believe for a second that this was the first time she had done it to a loving couple whom she disagreed with. Hernandez waltzed into Judge Katz's courtroom and had a smug grin on her face. She looked at him like she was about to get one over on the courts again but Judge Katz kept a stoic look. Hernandez simply stood firm, waiting for the clerk to say something but he nodded for her to be normal. Ms. Hernandez was called up and asked if she was filing for removal of the child permanently from the care and custody of the mother. Ms. Hernandez said yes to that with Judge Katz nodding to the be clerk who had her in a lie now. The clerk read the request to Judge Katz who then asked Ms. Hernandez to explain for the record why she was seeking the removal. Ms. Hernandez smirked and proclaimed, "Your honor, the mother is unfit as she is unable to care for the child, a week-old boy who is often left hidden from view in the mother's family's restaurant. The father's family has refused to have anything to do with the boy as the mother was frequently seen in the presence of many men of ill repute. She is unable to prove that the child was his and has been adamant that the child is his yet was seen having sex with countless men during conception." Judge Katz knew this was somewhat true but this wasn't the full truth. He asked her to continue so she stated, "The mother has tried to pawn the baby off on anyone who would take him. Until yesterday none were willing but she found a distant paternal relative to agree to take on the child. The problem is the so-called mother is a fake. It's a man in a dress who intends to lead the child into a life of debauchery like he leads. This person has stated that he wants the child to grow up like him and lead a similar life. The child was left in his care for hours yesterday and it is our belief that should he have custody the child will be in immediate danger." Judge Katz had just what he needed. He asked about what would happen with the child, getting a stern, "The child will be permanently removed and put up for adoption. I have several couples who are seeking the child and have agreed in principle with one to turn over the child to their care." This was news to him but showed that this was entirely calculated from the start and was clearly done with specific children targeted. Antonio was just the unfortunate victim of having someone who cared enough about him to follow the rules and start the right process in adopting him. Hernandez was going out of her way to avoid the normal legal process and was using her employer to kidnap kids to adopt by pre-arranged families- likely for a kickback. Judge Katz grinned and told Hernandez firmly, "I am denying your request. Further, I am ordering your arrest for perjury, filing false claims, and kidnapping. I met with the child's potential parents earlier and know the real story as well as just who they have in support of them. You didn't bother to do any kind of background check on them beyond the fact that she was transgender. For the record, the potential father is the nephew of a federal agent and two reserve police officer and the brother of a state trooper. They also have multiple social services employees overseeing them, all of whom have stated for the record that they will take this case to the US Supreme Court on the child's behalf to ensure that the potential mother is granted custody- despite her being transgender, she still has rights." He grinned as she was caught blindsided. He added a solemn, "You showed that you ignored procedures in your handling of this case. You showed you had this planned out and were looking for the right baby to snatch and give away. I am hereby ordering a complete review of all cases you have been involved in as you have been too quick in your actions. The people you have dealt with will have to account for their actions and I am saddened to think that some unfortunate children may have to be removed from their custody as their adoptions were done out of greed and malice instead of the best interest of the child as they may have been removed from their biological parents by you for the sole intent of selling their custody to parents avoiding normal adoption channels. Their closest relatives are to be sought out immediately, as you have demonstrated you have ignored this important requirement as you sought to give a child away to non-relatives when not one but FIVE blood relatives were located with four being able to care for the child and one specifically being requested by the child's birth mother and having the support of the other four relatives." He wasted little time and added a loud, "Your department has yet again shown that you have no regards to the civil rights of transgender people. This WOMAN is one of the best prospective adoptive parents I have ever seen and SHE has one of the best support networks for a child. Your job is to place the child in a home that is in the best interests of the child, not who fits your arbitrary criteria of who should and shouldn't have children. That WOMAN is going to ensure that your department pays for its treatment and I for one am proud of her for doing so. SHE deserves a child to love and care for and I will gladly wait until the wee hours of the morning to ensure that she is granted the right to do so." Hernandez's eyes went wide in shock that her whole scheme had fallen apart. Having enough, Judge Katz just turned his head and ordered her to be removed while her supervisor was notified about the ordered review by the courts. Judge Katz then called one of the deputies and told them to ensure that Antonio was safe and sound and in his mother's care. This was a problem as the deputy announced, "The child was removed an hour ago by deputies under orders from Ms. Hernandez. Your honor, we don't know where he went." The judge grew angry and ordered a full amber alert to be issued for Antonio, this was serious as the couple could be on their way out of state or out of the country. The deputies worked quickly and seized Hernandez's office. They located the information about the couple who had been given Antonio and found the address. They also found the forged documents that allowed the handover, with names of deputies who were involved in the scheme and who did the actual kidnapping of the children at Hernandez's beckoning. The deputies were more than upset at finding out about dirty colleagues, it was devastating and took all of their energy to quell the situation. Several were ready to tear them apart but cooler heads prevailed as they had to find Antonio. They had the information and had the names relayed to colleagues at the Long Beach, LAX, Ontario, John Wayne, and Burbank airports, and other smaller locations just in case the "adoptive" parents tried to fly out in a private jet. Armed with the address and order that nullified the false custody agreement the deputies moved quickly to the mansion where the family resided. The deputies weren't fooling around, they had the local police on notice that they were not to interfere and had social services there to state that Antonio was illegally removed from his mother's care and that their agreement was illegal. They weren't going in alone, they were bringing every piece of evidence they had to ensure they were covered and Antonio was reunited with Gabriela and the Petersons. The family's butler answered the door and was forced to take them to Antonio. The couple was with him in his new nursery and immediately threatened the officers if they tried to take Antonio away. The social services representative had to point out multiple times that the order came directly from a judge and that her colleague Ms. Hernandez had no right to do what she did and what they had done is illegal and against the best interests of Antonio and they themselves would have to answer tough questions from social services about their role in it. The deputies secured Antonio and removed him, taking him first to a hospital to get checked out then taken to the courthouse where Gabriela, Deborah, Patrick, Lilly, Daisy, Claire, and Dorothy were waiting. They were met by the Johnsons, Lopezes, Joneses, and Finns. This overwhelming show of force for Antonio was what Judge Katz hoped for, but he hadn't thought it would happen there. The deputies showed the declaration from the doctor with marks on Antonio being noted as coming from the deputies who removed him from Gabriela's care. Judge Katz simply had assault added to kidnapping charges with the deputies responsible placed under arrest. He grinned as they would be facing a tough night in jail under their colleagues' care among people they had put in jail themselves. The session of court was called to order with Judge Katz asking Gabriela if she wished to have the custody of Antonio transferred to Deborah and Patrick. Gabriela shed a tear and happily announced, "I would love nothing more. She is the mother that he needs and deserves." Judge Katz asked for Patrick and Deborah to come forward and accept custody of Antonio. The two did so, with Gabriela officially handing him off with him barely noticing his surroundings. Judge Katz pronounced them to be his guardians with the intent of adopting, to be done in Massachusetts at a later time and with the full support of the State of California. He added that he was happy to see that they would care for the child of someone they didn't know well but was glad to see the support he now had. The family spent a few minutes talking with Judge Katz as he wanted to know the family a little better. As expected, John Finn, Dan Lopez, and Mick Jones were asked to show their badges to show that they were really law enforcement. John joked that they had to keep the other five from coming with Mick explaining they were another two reserve officers, a deputy sheriff, their police chief, and two federal agents among them at the hotel, getting a nod of understanding. John casually added that they knew who would get the adoption case once it was filed on their return, with Judge Katz seeming to understand. It was nothing to them but being closely tied to adoptions, foster care, and familial relations sat well with him as it showed they were going to ensure the best for Antonio. It warmed his heart as well to see that Antonio's future grandmothers were so caring towards him with the newborn being treated like family already as Gabriela looked on with relief. Gabriela drove with the family to the hotel then on to her home to gather Antonio's things. She was in tears as she gathered his meager possessions but it was happy tears to her, he was going to be getting the life she could never give him. As she handed him off to his grandparents for a final time they hugged her and kissed her for reassurance, each saying a small prayer for him while being proud that their grandchild was going to be among loved ones who would provide what they couldn't. Dorothy spotted someone close by that she thought was a ghost but turned out to be a figure she had long since forgotten about. As the small, skinny, frail woman walked closer her heart fluttered. The woman was a strong figure, one who cared for her at times when her parents were busy with work and who had kept her going in school to earn herself a scholarship that would eventually be used to escape Alma Perdidas and on to her destiny elsewhere. Gloria was still imposing, with Dorothy meekly saying, "Como estas, Tia Gloria. Esta hermosa como siempre." Gloria simply smiled at Dorothy while Deborah gasped in shock. The woman who had been so kind to her during her toughest days in her youth had known her mother when she was a little girl! Gloria Garcia just chuckled at mother and daughter. She knew all along that Deborah was a girl inside and that she took after her mother in all ways. She was better than her family and needed to get away from her existence just as Dorothy had needed and with Gloria's help, Deborah had spent a lot of time working out her issues by focusing on her future. Gloria proudly told Dorothy, "I wouldn't say I am as beautiful as ever but you always loved to flatter me." She offered Dorothy a hug and kiss on the cheek, with her son and daughter looking on in surprise over the closeness of the two. Dorothy was at a rare loss for words, but it felt great seeing Gloria again. The Garcias sat them down while Gloria explained to them, "This lovely woman is the best thing ever to happen to the Vega family but they simply refused to see her greatness. I am proud of you, my child. You made us proud. We, on your mother's side of your family, were always pleased with what you did with your life. You are bringing the two branches together after generations apart. Your great-great-grandmother would have been proud, as would your grandparents. Your mother became darkened by your father's family but you and your daughter have found the light and made us proud." Dorothy was unable to speak. Deborah explained for her, "She is your mother's 2nd cousin, that makes Gabriela and I 3rd cousins and Antonio a 4th cousin to Juanita and Carmen's children. Mom, she is saying that we are family to her. You always have been. It's why she was so kind to us years ago, she couldn't let us struggle. She helped us because we are blood family to her." Gabriela was taken aback at what was said but Deborah told her warmly, "It's alright, you two weren't genetically close enough to Antonio to have problems. He's perfectly healthy with no abnormalities. He's going to grow up to be an amazing young man." Gabriela smiled at that, it was what she had hoped for all along. The family ate with Gloria holding court as the head of the family. She gave them the bad news about why Antonio was better off with Deborah, she was dying and only had another year or two at most and the other heirs intended to sell the restaurant off with the money being split among the family. The Garcias were going to have to move in with Gabriela's maternal family which was too crowded for Antonio, it was no place for a baby and as Deborah was a blood relative and willing to give him what he needs he deserved to go with her and Patrick. The news was tough to grasp but the family was prepared for it. They wanted what was best and he was getting a strong start in life. Deborah did insist that should she ever need a home she would have one with them, an offer that Gabriela declined but its intent was clear- she was family, thus would not be kept away from Antonio nor forgotten about by Deborah and Patrick. The family left with heavy hearts. Deborah insisted that they are told about Gloria's passing as they wanted to be there to give their goodbyes. This was too important to not miss, the woman deserved their grief and as family, they deserved to be there. Gloria insisted on it, she knew very well that this was the Garcia blood in them giving them the drive to be there despite the pain. Back at the hotel, the family fawned over Antonio to the point of drooling. Patrick was congratulated by the dads as he had done the greatest thing ever as a husband- giving his wife a child. Deborah, in turn, was given hugs and kisses while the mothers shed tears over the realization that it was only a matter of time before they too became grandparents. Patrick realized that he had to ask his brother to go shopping for him, with the others feeling bad about him having to eat his own words as he endured this humiliation after giving his brother grief just seven months before. It was made in fun, as David was happy to rally the few family members back east in getting everything the couple would need. David had a long list with Deborah adding what Patrick missed as David grinned widely at her being so on the ball while he was barely grasping fatherhood and making simple mistakes based on his anxiety levels. The couple endured a somewhat sleepless night as they fed and changed Antonio but it was the happiest they had been in a while. Deborah had a perpetual smile on her face as Antonio looked up at her with a smile of his own. It pained her to think that he may never remember Gabriela but he was adjusting to her as his mother just fine with Patrick getting him to at least give him a squeeze of his hand whenever he held him. The family departed LA with heavy hearts as they left behind Jaimie and Rick and Olivia Samuels. Deborah was concerned about flying with Antonio but he slept through the flight and only tried to move when he needed a diaper change. On the ground, David was waiting with a stroller ready for Antonio with the family being happy to see him off to his new home. David had to shoo them all away, this was a private moment that Deborah and Patrick needed to themselves. Only Dorothy, Lilly, Claire, and Daisy were to go as they were the closest and Deborah needed just them. He then pulled out the dad card in that Patrick needed to do this himself as he couldn't rely on the ladies all the time, getting grins from the dads as the ladies had no comeback. At Patrick and Deborah's house, the couple saw David had gotten a crib, playpen, mounds of clothes, onesies, diapers, wipes, and formula. It looked like too much but Deborah saw the look on Lilly's face and realized it was not enough but enough to last them a while. They had a big start, but it was what they needed at the time as they got adjusted to being parents and learned what worked and what didn't. The Johnsons came over with food allowing the family to eat while giving Antonio a chance to sleep in his new cradle. Deborah looked exhausted but it was to be expected after the night before. The couple was pleased to see that their grandchildren were starting to let the fact that they were now parents to a little baby boy sink in with Lilly having a hard time keeping herself from meddling. The girls were doing their best to calm themselves and keep from awakening the sleeping Antonio. Daisy gave up watching him, instead going to where the others were with Claire watching him intently as she thought to herself. Claire felt odd about this whole situation, it meant that she was going to be an aunt to Jaimie and Richard's child in the future since, if it could happen to Deborah and Patrick, then there was nothing to prevent it from happening to them as well. Eventually, she joined the family who ate then left the parents to enjoy their night by themselves. They spent a night switching off who changed and fed Antonio while sleeping through most of the night. It was tough but it was getting easier to adjust to once they worked out their own system. The next morning, they headed to family court to file for adoption. They had everything with them including a statement from Judge Katz out in California stating that there was no legal reason to block the adoption given the Garcias had given their blessing. They were greeted warmly by their lawyer, Ricardo Vincent, whose name was flagged leading to the expected visit with Judge Martha Perez. Judge Perez simply read the report, asked if they were willing to adopt Antonio, then asked if they had reached an agreement with Gabriela leading to her giving her blessing in a month's time. She couldn't help but smile as they had done something great for a family in crisis while allowing a child a bright future. It was just as she had come to expect from their family. She then had Deborah give her mother two envelopes, with Judge Perez telling her that it was all set and they didn't need to appear as they were all over 18 and med the criteria. Deborah didn't understand but took the envelopes to Dorothy who had Polly, Juanita, Carmen, and their girlfriends come over. Polly was a bit reluctant to leave her boyfriend Diego but this was important. At the Vega home, Dorothy had Carmen and Juanita open the envelopes with both immediately crying. Their girlfriends hugged them tight while Polly read the news and dropped the papers in shock. Juanita and Carmen were now her sisters, not her cousins. Dorothy explained calmly, "You signed the papers two days ago after I asked Zoe's father to prepare them. I love you two deeply and it was only fair that you see me as your mother instead of aunt. You need a mother, you are now sisters to Deborah and Polly and aunts to Antonio." The girls hugged Dorothy as they called her, "Mom" for the first time. It was touching, with Zoe happily grinning at helping her girlfriend out. Deborah sagely added, "She's waiting for the day you propose to Juanita so you can call her mom too. She knows you love her, it's inevitable." Zoe nodded, it was her intention to do that in a few weeks once the family settled in again. She didn't want to steal Deborah's thunder, Antonio's arrival was something she deserved to have all to herself. Chapter 6 Carmen Vega was still in a state of shock a day after being told that she and her twin sister Juanita were now the daughters of their aunt Dorothy thanks to the simplified adult adoption process. Dorothy was their idol, the member of their family who was stronger than all others and who had escaped from the family's clutches before the family could keep her down. She gave back to the family in the form of Deborah, with the two seeing how much pain and suffering their family truly gave others by seeing them heap it on Deborah while they were powerless to stop them. Carmen was a level-headed woman who knew that she could do better with her life. She and Juanita vowed to one day leave their home and find their place in life even if it meant never seeing their family again. It took their father being imprisoned for kidnapping Deborah and their other family arrested or forced to flee for their freedom to finally ask for help from Dorothy, a plea she tearfully listened to leading to their new start in life. The two kept to themselves until being forced to join others their age in Deborah's friends' kids had planned. The two were reluctant participants, they feared that their father's teachings on hatred and conforming to his beliefs may have been imprinted in them. It was through exposure to Deborah that the two saw that they were not their father and they were their own people, two young ladies who could do amazing things if given the right support. The twins were lucky to have been introduced to their future lovers over the course of the previous summer. Juanita and her girlfriend Zoe James fell in love at first sight. It was sweet to Carmen, her sister had an eye for beauty and Zoe was drop dead gorgeous with long blonde hair, large breasts, a trim figure, and subtle muscles on her arms. It was tough not falling for Zoe herself. Two weeks later Carmen was given a shock as she was introduced to Addison Carter, a local woman like Deborah but without a fresh start across the country. The two were fast friends and spent much of their time together whenever Carmen wasn't working. Addison proved to be the friend Carmen needed and through her she dealt with a lot of grief and guilt over finally getting a good life. In the fall Carmen moved in with Addison to allow Dorothy a chance to be with her new daughter, Polly. Addison welcomed Carmen as a roommate and the two grew even closer as friends. It didn't take long before Carmen realized that this closeness was more than friendship, she was falling in love with Addison and Addison herself was fighting her true feelings for Carmen. Polly accidentally got the couple to admit their feelings for one another and make their relationship official, giving them what they needed most- a soulmate. The couple were inseparable after declaring their love for one another. Zoe and Juanita were the same only they didn't have the complications of transitioning and pregnancy risk that Addison and Carmen had. Still, you would always find one alongside the other with only classes and work separating them. As late Spring bloomed the couple finally consummated their love. Both were virgins making it all the more special them. They went at it all night with both finding what gave the other pleasure. In late June, just after the adoption was announced, Carmen started to feel sick to her stomach each morning. Addison grew concerned as the sickness wasn't letting up after a couple of days. Carmen asked her new mother to take her to the doctor, hoping that it wasn't serious but fearing the worst. Dorothy suspected that she knew exactly what the problem was but kept it to herself as Carmen needed a bit of maturity and the shock. The two greeted Carmen's doctor and once she explained the symptoms the doctor gave Dorothy an odd look. Dorothy smiled and nodded, she knew but Carmen didn't. The doctor slowly asked, "You have been sick in the morning for the past month. Have you had aches and pains throughout your body? Have you had your period recently?" Carmen's face fell as the color drained from it after hearing that last question. She looked at Dorothy who was smiling brightly at her. Carmen gasped as she explained, "I missed it this month. I had it in early May but not this month. I'm two weeks overdue." The doctor sighed and explained, "There's little doubt in my mind that you are pregnant, young lady. Missing your period is a huge warning sign. Your morning sickness should clear up over time, I want to conduct a test to ensure that you are pregnant and it's not something else that looks like pregnancy." Carmen clung closely to Dorothy as the test was conducted and it came back positive. The doctor asked about the father, getting concerned looks from both. She sensed a touchy subject and asked that they be honest with her and if need be they could discuss possible outcomes such as adoption or termination if it was an issue. Carmen shed a tear as she admitted, "My girlfriend is transgender. We didn't think she was still able to produce any more sperm due to her hormones. I don't know how she will react to the news." The doctor gave her assurances that it was alright. Carmen couldn't terminate the pregnancy, it was Addison's child and she was going to deal with the issues no matter what. Dorothy gave her full support, with the doctor prescribing vitamins and a diet for her to combat the sickness. At home Carmen, broke down. It was scary to her, being a mother was something she hadn't thought about. Addison loved her but would she want her now that she was pregnant with their child? Dorothy was fighting herself. She loved this feeling, she was helping her daughter deal with the biggest step in life and giving herself a special moment she never thought she would have. With a biological daughter unable to have children naturally, another daughter who is in love with a transgender boy, and a third who is not likely to ever have children due to her girlfriend's issues with being born unwanted, this was an unintentional gift to her. Dorothy called Addison and asked that she come over when she got off work. Carmen had to call her boss and get the night off as well, with Juanita covering for her. Juanita wasn't told yet, this was between Carmen and Addison until they were ready to tell their friends and family. Early afternoon, Addison drove over to Dorothy's home and was greeted by a teary Carmen. Dorothy sat them down and had Carmen tell her, "I'm pregnant. We weren't careful when we made love and now we are going to have a baby. I'm sorry, Addison. I didn't want this to happen to us." Addison had tears in her eyes at what she was told. It was the greatest thing she had ever heard, her wildest dream coming true. She asked sweetly, "I'm going to be a mother? Of your child? We are going to have a baby together?" Carmen nodded slowly, causing Addison to hug her tight. She happily blurted out, "I can't believe it, I am so happy. I love you, Carmen Vega. You have given me something I never believed I would get- motherhood. A child of my own creation. Thank you." The two hugged while Dorothy gave them their privacy. Her own tears started flowing, it was just so touching that the two would find love then find themselves becoming parents. She fought the urge to tell more people about this but she was able to rein in her urges for the couple's sake. Addison knelt down on one knee and offered her ring to Carmen. Carmen immediately gasped and said, "YES!". She flung herself at Addison causing her to topple over. Dorothy spotted the ring and hugged both, with Addison being called, "Daughter" by Dorothy sending her into a fit of tears at being called that by a loved one for the first time. Carmen finally calmed down enough to call her friends and tell them the good news. Within seconds Dorothy's phone rang with Zoe trying to get the details from her. Dorothy just laughed it off as being inevitable and blaming herself for accidentally telling them to have sex while they lived together. At home, the couple were visited by Juanita who demanded to know why they got engaged without telling her first. Carmen pulled out a plastic strip, went to the bathroom, came back a few minutes later and showed Juanita the results. Juanita was speechless, with Carmen hugging her tight for being concerned about her. Addison looked at the silent Zoe who was fighting her own struggle. Addison pulled her into her room and asked if she was alright getting a somber, "I was going to propose to Juanita. I love her too much to not have her as my wife. I don't want to steal Carmen's thunder by doing it before you are married." Addison hugged her as Zoe wept into her shoulder. Looking at Juanita Addison asked, "Did you hear or does she need to feel terrible for another few days until she gets the courage to ask again?" Juanita moved over to Zoe, kissed her on the lips, and said a firm, "I love you too. I love my sister but some things are more important than waiting. I will happily become Mrs. Juanita James." Zoe took out a ring she had hidden in her purse and put it on Juanita's finger. Juanita felt bad that she didn't have one for Zoe but the sentiment was there and the ring actually didn't fit Juanita all that well. Zoe let out a small giggle over the ring sliding off as she added, "It's our family ring, mom wanted us to use it like your sister's family uses their own family ring. It was tough getting it out of Sheila's hands, but she gave it up." The two couples embraced and kissed their loved ones. Zoe and Juanita drove home where she showed off Juanita's engagement ring prompting her sisters Sela and Isobel James to squee in glee. They were not happy that they were the only ones who were single, with Zoe telling them that they were trying too hard to find guys and that Mr. Right would come to them. The next day Carmen broke her own news to Sela and Isobel followed by Polly and Deborah. Polly was overjoyed, she was going to be an aunt to two now and was getting another two sisters and two that she already cared a lot about. Deborah shed a tear at the news, but with Antonio in her life now she knew that sometimes miracles happen to good people. She loved Addison like a sister so having her be the mother to Carmen's child was perfect. The couple asked Deborah, Polly, Juanita, Dorothy, Sela, Isobel, and Zoe to witness their marriage ceremony at city hall. It was in keeping with their private nature that they only had their closest friends and relatives there, with Deborah's husband Patrick keeping a close eye on their son while the ladies underwent the ceremony. The ladies thanked him for doing that, knowing that if he didn't they would have a screaming newborn with them or have to answer Patrick's mother's probing questions about why she needed to babysit on such short notice. The only members of their extended family who knew about the event outside of the Vega and James ladies were Addison's landlords, Jorge and Victoria Castillo. The couple deflected any questions about where the ladies had gone and kept others from trying to come by to visit them before they were ready to announce to the world that they were married. They were happy that they were doing the right thing and making their love official and giving their child two parents even if both were women. The ceremony was short and moving as both signed the license with Addison informing Carmen that she was taking her name so she no desire to carry her mother's maiden name anymore. She felt more like a part of the Vega family than she had ever felt as a Camp or Carter family member. The ladies sent out mass texts to their friends and unofficial relatives, and as expected they received immediate calls from the teens with the adults holding off until they could speak directly. Zoe's parents called Zoe direct and asked her if she was going to do the same or if she was going with a traditional ceremony. Zoe didn't know how to react, crying as she told them, "I don't know, I don't want to upset grandpa. He doesn't need the attention a wedding would bring." Addison hugged her while Juanita took over for Zoe. Juanita was to the point, telling them, "She wants a traditional ceremony at home, with all of our friends and family. She knows her grandpa won't care but she didn't want to upset him anyhow. She deserves to be the center of attention, can you help her?" Zoe's eyes lit up as Juanita said that. She knew her too well, with Juanita kissing her cheek calming her down. Alexandra and Paul James were happy that Zoe had found her true love and she knew her well. They quietly told Juanita that they would handle things from there, they just needed to relax. The news spread and soon Addison and Carmen were visited by the teens of the Finn Family. The fact that Carmen was pregnant caught them by surprise but the fact that they were living together and in love that news shouldn't have been so surprising. They were most upset that the couple had eloped without them with Addison and Juanita seeing just how valued they were as the teens were genuinely disappointed that they couldn't help them or be there to see their big moment. The only ones who didn't visit were the Baileys. Sheila and Ian were trying to keep their distance from the others as the others had dropped hints that maybe they should start a family. Ian wasn't ready yet and Sheila didn't want to feel like she was following the trend as it was now three, possibly more babies born or being born on the horizon now that Carmen was expecting. The couple did have fun trying to keep Sheila's cousins at bay as they planned Zoe's wedding for her. Zoe simply knew they would do a lot but keep things tasteful and simple. She herself was a nervous wreck with Juanita having to calm her and keep her occupied as only a lover can. Sheila simply had the ceremony at the James home in Endicott, invited the family as well as friends of Zoe and Juanita who weren't part of the family but close to the couple, and had Patrick Peterson serve as the father of the bride for Juanita as is the duty of an older brother. They contacted Juanita's boss and got him to cater the wedding as his favorite sous chef couldn't go without his cooking her wedding meal and as he was part of the wedding anyway it was fitting. Thinking it over, Sheila got the bright idea to have him give away Juanita instead of Patrick allowing him an even larger part in the ceremony. The only issue for the couple was who Sela and Isobel would bring as their escorts. Neither had dated seriously and the guys they dated turned out to be classic elitist jerks. Endicott guys were not the best guys as their money was all they cared about and flaunted it to anyone who would pay them attention. Ian had a big smirk as he asked the ladies if they would settle for a couple of nice young guys who were good conversationalists and who had a lot of experience with people who had money but were trying to be humble. The guys intrigued them, which Ian saw as a great sign. He told them he'd arrange a date for them if they kept an open mind about them, knowing they were hooked over the idea. Two nights later the ladies were introduced to Sebastian and Fabian Perez, the newest Winnisimmet Police officers and close friends of Ian. The ladies blushed as they were handsome and they had seen them several times in the past four months working their beats and driving around. The duo had joined the force after being let go by the Pullen Point Police and had a strong record for being good people, with the ladies having witnessed their abilities firsthand from afar and liking what they saw in them. Ian knew they were liking the guys already. Sheila saw the spark between them and had to hold off grinning widely as the ladies fought for words. Sebastian and Fabian were tall, dark, and handsome and while identical twins, they were completely different people in personality and interests. Fabian took a liking to the quiet, introverted Isobel while Sela and Sebastian were quick friends who spent much of the afternoon walk and meal chatting about multiple things. Isobel and Fabian actually shared a class at the university which she hadn't realized until he mentioned something she had done in class the previous April. She didn't remember him but she did remember a student who sat near the front who took copious notes who rarely spoke unless prompted by the professor. It was a surprise that he was in a business class but he was trying to earn his degree to increase his salary and earn better shifts. Isobel listened intently and understood him well, he was trying to make a name for himself to set himself apart from Sebastian. They were very similar yet it wasn't until they had been put together that their similarities shone brightly. Sela and Zoe were great siblings but Isobel had spent years trying to shed her adulterous father's past as she became a member of the James family thanks to her mom's marriage and her adoption. Then she needed to appear to be the supportive big sister to Zoe through her own adoption and battle with her sexuality. Fabian understood this all too well, being from Winnisimmet and living in then working in Pullen Point gave him those same feelings of having to prove himself to others while trying to help his family keep up to the standards of the town. Sela stole glances as Fabian and Isobel and chuckled to Sebastian about the couple getting so close. Sebastian shrugged it off, his brother was the loner who had few friends but had a heart of gold so finding someone like him was hard to do. He did admit Fabian was a good match for Isobel if he didn't blow it by trying too hard to be someone he wasn't. Sela sensed trouble and asked what was bothering him. Sebastian tried to evade the question but Sela was exceptional at getting things out of you so he had to explain, "Fabian has never had a girlfriend let alone had one talk to him as a person. He is going to blow it with your sister, he is just too awkward around women and so unsure about himself that he will clam up if she starts to ask tough questions that he doesn't want to answer." Sela saw Isobel all but cuddling next to Fabian. She let out a small giggle and countered, "She is falling for him. He isn't doing anything to act like a normal guy which is what she wants from a man. He's trying to be friendly with her, that's exactly what she wants in a man. She wants a guy who is kind and caring, one who has the same interests as her and who is himself. They are good together." Sebastian hugged Sela and kissed her cheek. She was the ideal woman for him, there was something about her that made you feel better and the way she treats others reminded him of a caring aunt. He didn't know about her nursing interests but it only made her all the more special to him. Ian looked at Sheila's shocked face as her two cousins may have just found their counterparts. Ian grinned widely at doing something that meant a lot to Sheila, especially as both guys were good friends of his and who actually had their eyes on the ladies for a while but couldn't find the heart or nerve to ask them out. Zoe's wedding gave them the drive to ask them out, with Ian happily facilitating it. Zoe herself tried hard to keep occupied. Her business professors had obtained an internship for her but the job vanished as her sexuality and the fact that they couldn't use her to cadge state contracts were made known to the owners. To help her out, Addison had her come to work with her. She and Addison spent a lot of time working together as she tried to lessen Addison's workload leading to Addison's bosses hiring Zoe as an assistant making her volunteer work become a paid job. Addison was now able to focus more on the office while Zoe handled simple tasks such as copying papers, transcribing notes, and fetching lunch. It was like a normal internship, in fact it was just what she had hoped her job would have been before it vanished. She learned the ins and outs of an active and growing business. Addison and Zoe grew closer which then made Zoe's job easier as Addison knew what she needed to do while Zoe knew when to step in to help her when things were becoming chaotic. Their bosses saw a diamond in the rough in Zoe and cultivated her business sense giving her a glimpse into her future. Things were going well for Carmen and Addison until Carmen's first OBGYN appointment. Carmen's obstetrician, Dr. Vaughn, recognized Addison and objected to Carmen being pregnant by someone she didn't agree with and made their appointment a miserable experience. The ultrasound technician was the only one who didn't care about Addison being transgender, she simply performed the needed test and handed over the results to Dr. Vaughn without a word. Dr. Vaughn refused to treat Carmen with Addison by her side. She knew Addison from when she was a baby and was close to her mother, which meant that after she left her mother would know that she was going to be a grandmother and her "son" was the "father". Addison hated to think that she was causing Carmen trouble and left, seeing Carmen in tears but knowing she needed this appointment more than she needed Addison's presence in the office. As she was leaving Addison saw her longtime gender counselor, Dr. Edith Bell, waiting for the elevator. Edith asked what she was doing there and upon hearing the news she told Addison that she needed to go to the appointments and if Dr. Vaughn refused to treat her wife then Dr. Vaughn was in serious trouble. Addison didn't want to cause problems but Edith was adamant that she was doing what was right not wrong and Carmen and the baby's health mattered more than pride. Edith made a discrete check on Dr. Vaughn and found that she was responsible for many other mothers changing doctors and leaving the hospital as patients. Dr. Vaughn was a bad seed who had broken the cardinal rule of doctors- do no harm. Dr. Vaughn was harming the mother and possibly her child and it needed to stop immediately even if it cost the hospital time and money. The following week Addison went with Carmen to her appointment, this time knowing that there would be a confrontation. Dr. Vaughn saw her and announced that she needed to leave. Carmen told her that she was her wife and she needed her support, which Dr. Vaughn ignored as she started calling security. Carmen started to panic, hyperventilating at Addison possibly being arrested. She started to feel woozy and fainted, causing chaos as security arrived with Edith close behind. Edith ran late but her arrival saved Addison from arrest as she told security that Addison was Carmen's wife and as the parent of the child had a right to be there and had done nothing against any law or rules of the hospital thus could not be arrested by them. Edith shook her head at seeing several doctors helping Carmen as she came to with Dr. Vaughn being told to stay back away from her. Addison rescheduled the appointment while Carmen was examined down in the emergency room with Edith ensuring that they had a different doctor and that the one who was supposed to see them was removed from any further contact with Carmen. As she finished Addison's mother, Harper Camp, arrived at the OB/GYN office with a dour look on her face. Spotting Addison, she realized that the story was true, her youngest child was going to be a parent and had given her a grandchild. Harper was torn, this was her flesh and blood but she had given her something none of her siblings were able to give her. Harper waited for Addison to say something but Addison was forthright and admitted, "I'm married, we are expecting a child in February, and yes she is fine with who I was and what I am becoming. She is an amazing woman who right she now needs my support." Addison left but Edith asked that Harper accompany them, there was a lot to talk about and she could tell Harper needed to hear it. Downstairs, Carmen was given the all clear from the doctors, she simply needed rest and relaxation for the next few days to get her blood pressure down. Edith introduced Carmen to Harper, with Carmen trying hard to hold her tongue as she wanted to say something nasty to the woman who made Addison's life miserable. Harper saw something in Carmen that she had not seen in her other children, she was defiant and actually loved her wife and was trying hard to protect her feelings from getting hurt again. Harper asked the ladies to come to dinner with her, there was a lot to discuss and she needed to hear it for herself after hearing nothing but second and thirdhand rumors for the past two years. Edith asked the two to go with Harper, knowing that this was the olive branch Harper needed to extend to show that she was trying to understand her daughter. The couple agreed, but had to tell Juanita, Zoe, and Dorothy where they were as they were awaiting the appointment's results. Harper asked about Addison since graduation, not knowing her story and only hearing falsehoods and half-truths from her husband. Addison sighed and explained, "After dad threw me out I had to get a job for the summer until I was able to move into and apartment that my scholarship paid for. While it paid for everything, I still needed clothes right away. I saw Dr. Bell and started to transition, I couldn't live as a male any longer. I told you before that I was a girl, you didn't listen to me. Dad beat the snot out of me whenever you were out with Dr. Vaughn and her kids, I couldn't live with himself any longer and I didn't want to turn into my brothers. If I wasn't like you I'd have already been 250 pounds of muscle and looking like a shaved gorilla. The school was fine with my transition and after the Spring semester ended I was offered an internship in England. From there I was offered a new job with an investment firm as their office manager. I run their office with Carmen's future sister-in- law. I was given a new apartment to live in as a perk, that's when dad and my brothers tried to take me back home but were threatened with going to jail if they came back. I still have restraining orders against them." Harper wasn't aware that her husband had done that, in fact he said Addison had become a prostitute living off sex to pay for drugs when she asked him about her. Addison knew her father had lied, so she explained, "He was humiliated by the police, the chief saw them trying to hurt me and had restraining orders printed immediately. He was humiliated by my neighbors, they protected me from them before the chief was able to get the order in place and dad run off. Dad didn't try to come back, he was told that he would lose his business and home if he tried it again." Her husband was nasty when it came to Addison, but Harper never envisioned that he would harm her. Seeing her in near tears Harper asked about after that. Addison continued, "I became friends with my boss' children's friends. They are great people who don't care that I am transgender. Carmen's sister grew closer to them and when she moved in with them they suggested Carmen move in with me since we go to the same school. We started to fall in love and eventually it led to us becoming pregnant. We love each other and after we got the news of her pregnancy we were married at city hall. I'm sorry mom, but I am taking her name so our children don't have to ever know dad or my brothers." Addison shed a tear, adding, "He was going to kill me if I didn't return home. His reputation was ruined because people knew I was friends with some important families and that he had disowned me for being a transsexual. My bosses' families are close with a lot of people but I never knew they talked about me. Dad said I ruined his business, he was going to get revenge and rebuild the business but he was stopped before he could hurt me. My brothers barely stopped themselves from getting hurt because of dad. You know they are exactly like him, they were almost put in jail thanks to dad." Harper felt for her daughter. She had it rough growing up the dainty son of the tough truck driver but she never envisioned he would hurt her. She shed a tear at hearing just how much more her husband had cared about his reputation than his own children. He was willing to kill one child and allow his sons to be arrested just to get revenge on his youngest, the one who didn't want to follow in his footsteps. It opened her eyes as a mother to how little she knew about her family. She felt like she knew her family, but it was clear that she didn't know anything at all. Harper clasped Addison's hand then Carmen's. She looked at the two and offered a somber, "I'll ask him about what happened. I have to hear it myself now. I don't think we will survive this as a couple after hearing the truth, he lied to me about you and tried to hurt you. I love you and I didn't agree with your transition but you are still my child and I would rather you be happy than live a life of misery. I never stopped loving you, and I see that I should have been there to protect you better. That changes today. I want to be part of your child's life, you are the best thing to have happened to me and I can't let you go through this without help. Please, let me." Carmen hugged her tightly. She was accepting of Addison as a daughter even if she didn't agree. She wanted to understand her as a person, she was trying to reach out to her in her time of need. Addison had to give in as Carmen was making it clear that she was fine with her mother-in-law opening up. The trio left for their homes, with Harper insisting that her friendship with Dr. Vaughn was finished after the way she treated her daughter-in- law. She had known Dr. Vaughn for years but never expected that Dr. Vaughn would ever put her patient at risk just to push away someone. Dr. Vaughn was a huge hypocrite as she was all about care for children yet she would deny care to a pregnant woman who was with someone she didn't approve of. That was not the woman she had known. At the Camp home, Harper asked her husband Carl about something that happened 11 months before. Carl grumbled for a bit then shot out, "That pathetic excuse for a son was prancing around in women's clothes and sporting large fake breasts. I told him if he didn't come home he was going to have a big problem but he said leave and called the police on me. I tried to reason with him but he started a scream for help. I tried to reason with the cops but they said that I was in the wrong and that if I ever returned they would arrest me. I want nothing to do with that freak. He's killing my business and if I ever see him again I'll strangle him for what he has done to me. He deserves nothing less than death!" She was visibly sickened. She asked calmly, "Where were the boys?" His reply was just as gruff, an angry, "They ran off scared as soon as they heard the cops were being called but couldn't get past the porch. They didn't have the balls to drag their brother out like they were supposed to, I had to do it." Harper held her tongue but as soon as she was alone she started crying. Carl was a tough man to live with but he was an absolute monster inside. She had stopped loving him years before and only stayed together because of their kids but she never envisioned he would go after Addison. But to do so and use their sons to do it and blame them for it failing was hard to comprehend yet she knew it was the truth. Carl Camp was not the man she knew, he was just an overgrown bully. Her will to stand up for herself grew. She would make amends with Addison even if her sons refused to have anything further to do with her. She loved her children, but they were old enough now to make their own mistakes and Addison so far had done everything right in life including finding a wife and starting a family of her own among people who supported her and loved her. She hadn't noticed it but ever since seeing Addison earlier she hadn't thought of the name, "Adam". Seeing her daughter in the flesh had made the memories of Adam make sense. There never was an Adam, Addison had always been there underneath the surface and getting away from the Camps had allowed her to be who she truly was. It was a defining moment for her. Her daughter had endured an unimaginable hell for years and she had helped contribute to it with her neglect and timidity at standing up to her husband. She was a beautiful woman now, Addison was what she had always envisioned her daughter to be. She was growing into a slender, taller version of herself yet she still had her mother's looks which warmed Harper's heart. The next morning Harper packed her bags and moved out, asking her daughter if she could stay with her until she could find a place of her own. Through tears she apologized to Addison for treating her wrongly over the years and not seeing her true self. Addison hugged her tightly with Carmen taking Harper's bags to Carmen's old room while mother and daughter sat down in the living room embracing and crying to one another. Harper's phone rang and she tried her hardest to come up with a solid lie. She finally steeled herself and told her husband that she had gone out to visit some people she had met the day before and would be out of touch until late that evening. Carl bought it but Addison told her that she needed to move fast before he realized that she wasn't coming back home and tried to force her to come home, whether she wanted to go or not. Carmen asked if she had talked with a divorce lawyer, getting a solid, "I didn't think about it when I left. I just up and left, only grabbing my bag and some clothes. I can't live there with him anymore, not after knowing the truth about him and the boys." Carmen had an idea and asked her mom for advice. Dorothy just smirked and told her firmly, "Go call Ricardo. He won't be intimidated by that monster and will be just what she needs to deal with things. And keep her comfortable, she has to be close to breaking down from all of the stress. She is strong, but not strong enough to hold together." Carmen next called the family's resident lawyer, Ricardo Vincent. Ricardo listened intently to what she said, offering no opinion yet before finally telling her, "She will have a struggle but it's clear that he is abusive towards the boys and Addison. I'll get someone to investigate him, I have a feeling that he is probably trying hard to cover up some shady dealings in his business. From the sound of things, he probably also has a mistress on the side which will give her a lot of leverage against him." Harper was dumbfounded at Ricardo's beliefs but it was plausible since he never had sex with her, not since he started doing long trucking runs to Maine and New York. It amazed her that she knew very little about her husband yet he knew every little thing about her. Then it dawned on her- her friends were close to him and knew her only through him. This was another humiliation to her. Addison didn't want to say it but she added a solemn, "He's been having affairs for years. The boys are all aware of them, they kept their mouths shut because dad would ensure they were hurt physically and mentally. I didn't say anything because nobody believes a word I say anyway. I'm sorry mom, but Dr. Vaughn was his first and longest mistress. He probably already knows I was at the hospital and may have left with you yesterday." Harper felt betrayed but it was just as she had always feared. Her husband was close with her friends and neighbors, now she knew why. She feared that he may even be the father of their kids but she doubted he was dumb enough to knock them up and risk their affairs being exposed. Mother and daughter bonded throughout the day as Ricardo's investigators sought out more information about Carl and his activities. It wasn't a surprise to Addison that Ricardo hit pay dirt immediately. Carl was indeed having affairs and he was caught on camera with Dr. Vaughn proving Addison was right about their relationship. The business Carl ran was a shell, he actually had next to nothing in assets except a warehouse/office building, a few trucks, and had a hefty bank account that his wife didn't know about. His real source of income was illegal gambling and transporting stolen property in his trucks. He was on top of his taxes but he lied about his income making him liable for tax fraud once the right people were informed. Harper just knew that he was going to prison now. Her sons were going to get blamed but he was the brains of the business with them doing whatever he ordered them to do. They were reluctant helpers, he used their family ties to get them to do the dirty work while he benefited from the illicit money. Ricardo went for the throat and got the bank to freeze his bank accounts including his business account. Harper would be seeking everything, including the money he had hidden away from her. Ricardo knew she would likely only get half of what he owned and force the sale of their house, but it was enough for her to live comfortable for the rest of her life. Harper was fine with whatever Ricardo was going to do. She didn't care anymore, she had what she needed most in Addison. She would miss her sons but they had chosen to become like their father and with them guaranteeing their support for him this was essentially the end for her as a Camp. Addison asked if she was going to revert back to her maiden name, getting a meek, "Yes" from Harper. Addison looked at Carmen who nodded at her, then asked, "Do you want me to remain as a Carter? I changed my name legally to your maiden name after I started to transition, I was going to change it to Vega but I don't want to insult you further by doing that after causing all of this to happen to you." Harper hugged Addison tightly, answering with a quiet, "I would love nothing more." Carmen saw the love in her eyes and added a quick, "I guess I should take your name now, it wouldn't be right. Mom doesn't mind the name Vega being assured to be retired once Polly marries, we are still her daughters." The next morning Carmen and Addison made the trip to Family and Probate Court to change Carmen's name. Harper joined them as did Ricardo. Ricardo was filing the divorce paperwork and also seeking a name change for Harper but was also trying to stick close just in case Carl tried something. The paperwork was filed with the foursome heading back to the apartment. Outside, they spotted Carl waiting down the street. What was worse was he was with his sons, giving Addison a strong sense that they were about to be hurt badly now that he had nothing else to lose. Ricardo slipped inside the apartment below and made a couple of phone calls while Addison dug out some paperwork from her purse. Carmen had Harper go inside and wait in her bedroom while they sorted out the mess. As expected, as soon as he saw Harper with Addison Carl came walking towards the apartment with his sons in tow. Carmen grinned as she saw two police cruisers coming up the street without lights on. Carl grabbed Addison, tossed her down the stairs, then rushed inside to get his wife. Addison's brothers did the same, kicking her while she was down while smacking Carmen across the face in full view of the officers. That little act prompted Ian, Sebastian, and Fabian to grab the trio and haul them to the ground while placing them in handcuffs. A fourth officer went inside followed by a sergeant. Carl was in the process of striking Harper multiple times as he was grabbed, brought down to his knees, handcuffed, and pulled outside to join his sons. Ricardo just grinned at the officers who shook their heads at him not doing anything. Ricardo simply stated, "I'm just a humble lawyer, you are the cops. I can't stop on my brother's toes and do his job for him." Ricardo was laughing as they tried to respond with Ian telling him, "Chief, he knew you'd come running to protect Carmen and Addison. He knows you wouldn't forgo showing off to your parents. It's your job, even if you don't get to have any fun anymore." Carl growled at them, yelling that he'd get them back as soon as he got out. He claimed, "I have guys who will be happy to take out a couple of pigs who don't know where to keep their noses out of. You'll all pay for what you are doing to me!" Ian just grinned as the towering 6'8" 300 lbs. police officer asked, "You do realize that you not only just threatened Jorge Castillo's son, on his porch, in front of his lawyer son, and heard by dozens of his neighbors? There isn't a gangster or wannabe mafia capo dumb enough to go against Jorge or any of his family. You were read your rights, that's an additional charge of threatening police officers added onto your existing assault and battery charges as well as 209A violations." Carl and the Camp brothers were hauled away while Harper, Addison, and Carmen were looked at by awaiting EMTs. The three were fine with just some minor swelling and bruising that were documented. Carmen was used to taking those kind of hits so they were nothing to her, but Addison was still shaken while Harper needed Carmen's hugs. A short time later Harper endured phone calls from her sons demanding to be bailed out then had her so-called friends call her to demand that she account for her actions against Carl. She enjoyed putting them in their place and informing their husbands about their infidelities. Addison held her hand as she endured the phone calls, without her strength her mother would have broken down but she had both her daughter and daughter-in-law with her to ease the pain. It took a couple of days but Ricardo's lawsuit against the hospital was settled in Addison and Carmen's favor as there was no defense and it was witnessed by a fellow doctor and various staff members. When questioned Dr. Vaughn lied then tried to blame Addison prompting her to give them no choice but to suspend then outright terminate her. The workload was tough without her but it opened up a new position that was filled by a younger, caring doctor who was a huge help to Addison and Carmen. The name change was quickly approved for both Carmen and the newly dubbed Harper Carter. They didn't celebrate it, instead moving on with their lives. Mother and daughters got along well with Harper enjoying how much Addison was like her. Addison was the daughter that she had always wanted but Carl had denied her, she regretted not knowing the real Addison until then. The divorce was swift as the assault was hard to deny. The family's assets was divided up with Carl paying a hefty $20 million to Harper then another $12 million in back taxes as well as their home, given to her in full as it was in her name and Carl had no use for it anymore. Harper simply took it in stride, opting to remain with Addison and Carmen until the baby was born before moving out. Carl immediately saw the state go after him for tax fraud with the IRS getting him for tax evasion. He had multiple assault charges piled on top of the tax issues ensuring that he received a stiff decade in prison once he pleaded out to all charges. His sons were little better, their assaults netted them two years in jail, hefty fines, and being blacklisted by every trucking company on the eastern seaboard. Harper started to turn into a big help for Juanita as she planned the wedding while Zoe added her own flair which Harper was able to interpret to the others. Harper was well suited for the job of planner, going so far as to be the go-to person for tough choices that neither bride could make on their own. She, Alexandra, and Paul were able to hammer out a lot of the details that were then fine-tuned by the brides with the ladies being satisfied at their decisions. Sela and Isobel used Harper as a sounding board for their dates as they were too embarrassed to talk with their parents about Fabian and Sebastian. Harper had to fight her glee as it was great fun to her to try different ideas while keeping things simple. The two couples grew closer thanks to Harper and actually jumped ahead in their relationship under her careful guidance. To Harper, it was another part of motherhood she missed out on by not being able to know Addison as a girl growing up. Fabian and Sebastian were like surrogate sons to her. They were the opposite of her trio: they were well mannered, treated the ladies as equals not sexual beings, and actually cleaned up after themselves instead of insisting the ladies do it for them. The twins tried to act like it was no big deal, but did admit that it was all due to their parents forcing them to act like adults making her smile. The wedding was Labor Day weekend with everyone expected to be there, well except the four who were stuck training out in Texas and Missouri. Even without them it would be a full audience with Zoe and Juanita insisting that the whole group attend as they were the family they needed. The teens were like their little sisters and their parents were the aunts and uncles they wished they had, not including all of them wasn't an option. Harper was given the honor of acting as the coordinator for the wedding with all of the teens and kids listening to her more than anyone else. She was getting snickers at the respect they were showing to someone whom they barely knew and who they had disliked based on Addison's unflattering remarks. She didn't hold the ill will against them, it was rightfully earned and she hoped knowing the real Harper helped shatter that image and repair the damage her husband had done. Carmen's pregnancy proved to be something bigger as Carmen was found to be carrying twins rather than a single baby. Addison had to be held tightly by Harper as the news hit that she was a mother of two little ones not just one. Carmen felt even better about the pregnancy, she didn't need to undergo fertilization but the option remained open if they wanted to try again in the future. Harper was shocked that they were having twins, not knowing that Carmen and Juanita were actually twins themselves due to how different the two styled themselves and acted. She just chuckled as it was so fitting that they would end up as parents to two after Addison had gone so long thinking she would never have someone. It was perfect, simply perfect. It was just what her daughter needed in life. She had a beautiful wife, a great job, a home, and a mother who loved the real Addison. She felt pride in seeing that she was wrong to be against Addison's transition, it was actually the best thing to happen to her.