Parting Of The Ways Part 5- College Troubles And Epilogue free porn video

Chapter 14 The military foursome were going to miss out on their fall semesters, with Scott barely returning in time to start his first semester in late January. The group staying in Winnisimmet were saddened to see the four heading west leave back in June, it was the first time since 8th grade that the group had been separated for any length of time. It was the start of the group becoming their own people, but for the 14 it was still a tough revelation to them. Jaimie and Miles Finn were joined by Christina Connors and Rick Samuels, the duo's boyfriend and girlfriend, for the two hour drive west to UMass- Amherst. The four drove in two cars, they figured it best to have an option in case one car was out of service or being used by one of them. It made them into targets for vultures who wanted rides everywhere, but it was a link to home making them have to visit on the weekends unless there was something very important preventing them from going. The foursome had a big problem right as they arrived. Rick and Miles were supposed to be roommates at their own request but last minute changes required several room shuffles of roommates forcing them to room with others. Miles was put in with a football player playing on a scholarship named Mitch Gibson while Rick was put in with a 13-year-old boy genius named Sydney Powers. Mitch was a decent guy who just wanted to play football. He was a defensive back and had to work hard to rise in the depth charts to see any kind of action and get noticed. He would have preferred to room with another football player, but with an odd number of players that year it wasn't possible. By contrast, Sydney was trying to lay low and not get noticed by anyone. He was a child prodigy in the field of engineering with several patents to his name before the age of 12. He didn't have a choice in going to the school and it was a godsend to him indirectly thanks to his stepfather constantly harassing him for being better than him in every way possible except sports and sex. Thankfully for the ladies Christina and Jaimie were rooming together. There was no way around it, Valerie Finn had ensured that their request to room together was followed through and with John Finn holding the purse strings to dozens of scholarships as well as Jaimie's own scholarships their demand was followed through. Money talked more than politics and complaints from parents, they had as much right to room together as any other student who requested it. Jaimie's situation was well known to the university. They had kept a close eye on the goings-on at Salem State University and what happened with the Finns attending there and were not about to upset John nor Jaimie's close friend, the governor. She and Christina were given a regular room like all incoming female freshman and treated just as any other, albeit with a few knowing Jaimie's secret. Jaimie being post-operative wasn't supposed to cause any issues as her vagina had healed wonderfully and she looked like every other young lady "down there" to the point that even her best friends couldn't tell that there had been a "birth defect" there just two months before. Christina gave her privacy at times when she was dilating but Jaimie had done it so often that Christina hadn't even bothered to look away anymore or leave the room as it was second nature and unless Jaimie winced in pain from lack of lubrication or trying to force it inside too quickly you never noticed it. It still upset her to see Jaimie still not fully accepting of her body, but at least it would improve with time. Their fellow dormmates were for the most part oblivious to Jaimie's past and treated her like anyone else. Her and Rick being such a close item was cause for a lot of chatter as the usual catty girls would think that he was too hot for her or that she was easy pickings to break up. Christina would get most of the same reaction, with the whispers about the two being so close to the point of possibly being closet lesbians being flung around quite a bit, much to their annoyance and the guys' amusement. There were of course some who would put a damper on their good start. A few days into their semester one of their rival cheerleaders learned that Jaimie was living there and let it slip that she wasn't a real girl. The few who believed it tried their hardest to get a glimpse of her penis and at least one tried to confront Jaimie about the rumor directly and in front of a crowd. Jaimie ignored it until she was backed into a corner and forced to call out for help. The girls who were forcing her to answer the accusations were told off by others on their floor, with Christina demanding to know why they cared so much about what was inside Jaimie's panties as she had never done a thing to them. The girls were left to answer the question but only could mumble about keeping their dorm pure from people who didn't belong there, causing another argument about just who belonged there and sparking a war of words as it came off as both homophobic and racist without the girls realizing it. The duo complained to the resident adviser but were given the brush their complaints off as it was deemed to be nothing and they needed to accept the girls' actions. When the girls tried to drag Jaimie into one of their rooms leading to Jaimie fighting back she ignored it again, telling the girls to not get caught. It was pointless to complain, it was clear that the RA was not going to stop them and didn't care if Jaimie got hurt or the girls broke the rules and the law. Jaimie was kept under constant watch by the girls in her dorm. No matter where she went someone would follow her to try to get a peek at her. It got to the point that she couldn't sit down to pee without someone trying to peer over the stall door causing her to shriek in fright and run off in shame. Christina fared no better. She was constantly followed, with the girls following her trying hard to catch her kissing another girl or boy. Miles ignored it for much of the time until he saw one of the girls trying to get a guy to corner Christina so she was forced into a date with him just to "save" her from Jaimie. Miles confronted the girl, who had actually had her eyes on Miles since she had first seen him. He was disgusted, telling her angrily "Christina and I are engaged to be married, as is my SISTER Jaimie and her BOYFRIEND Rick Samuels. Leave her alone, or I'll have the police file stalking charges against you on both mine and Christina's behalf." Christina fared worse than Miles. The boy was insistent, going at her until he got her to a darkened doorway. When he tried to stroke her breasts and kiss her she kneed him in the groin and kicked his shin, causing him to keel over in pain while she ran off into Miles' arms, with the angry Miles ready to strike back to protect his fiance should the jerk try anything further. The guy tried to call the police and blame Miles for the assault. His story fell apart as his only witness admitted to not seeing it then in an effort to protect herself said it was his idea to go after Miles and Christina. The truth was even worse for him as Christina pressed charge, with the guy being arrested and within a day suspended with intent to expel by the school. Miles returned to his dorm angry after dropping off the upset Christina in the arms of the concerned Jaimie. Mitch wasn't looking any better, having told him about his team losing their punter due to a screw-up while joking around on the practice field trying to help the new kicker learn punting. Miles asked if they had someone to take over, getting a nod but also a complaint that the new guy wasn't that powerful and his punts were woefully inaccurate for them to practice returns, he was actually the one responsible for the punter getting hurt in the first place. Miles was torn. He wanted to help them out but he didn't want to be dragged back into the sport. He was a great punter who had several school records but wasn't passionate enough about the sport to play. Mitch looked over his schedule and marked off several losses for the team. They had no shot at a bowl game that year now, and were looking at ending up winless. It was tough for them, they only needed something more to make them a better team and that was better field position thanks to punting. Miles finally had enough wallowing and told him he'd work with him and the other receivers to get them prepared. He had nothing else to do, his classes were easy that semester and he had a jump start thanks to his employment as an assistant auditor and high school accounting and finance classes. It was better than sitting in his room thinking about how the ladies were continuously getting harassed. The practice field was full as the special teams coach tried to work with the new punter, Ray Ventura, to get him to kick with more power and accuracy. Ray really didn't listen, he knew the job was his to keep no matter what. That was true, until he saw who was with his teammates causing him to swear out loud in anger getting the coach's attention. Miles didn't know Ray but Ray seemed to know him, he simply worked with Mitch and the others who wanted to work with him. Miles hadn't lost a step, in fact his kicking was dead-on and just as powerful as they needed. His kicks caught the attention of the coach who told Ray to hit the showers while he talked with the new guy. As he got closer Miles apologized to the coach for trespassing and would leave, but he was quickly told to kick some more as he was just what they needed. Miles tried to decline, citing not having played in almost four years but was told, "You are the best damn punter out there and for someone who is rusty you are great. Ventura can't kick, he's a place kicker not a punter and a 2nd rate one at that. He's only on the team because his parents paid for some new equipment for us and forced the coach to keep him." Miles was forced to accept, he didn't want to upset Mitch and the guys who hung around with him were not so bad. The coach outfitted Miles and told Ray that he wasn't needed any longer. He took great pride in telling Ray that, if only because his screw-up had put Miles there in the first place. When Miles returned back to the dorms Rick had a big grin as he saw Miles with the school-issued sports bag filled with his new workout clothes. Miles shook his head, complaining, "I didn't want to do it but they were desperate. I know this will blow up in my face, there's always someone who wants to take us down a peg especially with Jaimie's transition. I can already figure out who it will be, that Ray Ventura guy was giving me the stink eye the whole time I was out there." That last part was said with their roommates unknowingly hearing. Mitch asked about it, getting a timid, "My sister is transgender, she was born a boy and had her final surgery to remove her last remaining bits of male flesh this past June. There are a lot of people who hate her because of who she is and what she had between her legs. To them no matter how much of a woman she is inside and outside doesn't matter, what she had removed matters more. It'll hurt the team when the news comes out that I'm related to her, someone will use it against me to get me kicked off. I just know it'll be Ray. I don't know how he knew me, but he had me eyed immediately and will make a stink about this soon." Sydney had a dour look on his face. Rick took the kid outside to talk with him, but he wouldn't say anything to Rick directly. Rick did add, "You probably didn't know about girls like my girlfriend. It's alright, if you don't want anything to do with her that's fine. But please be respectful of her." The boy didn't say anything further. He was thinking long and hard about something which Rick didn't want to prod him about. Sydney was a good person at heart, albeit very naive about life outside of the world of academia and science. Rick and Sydney had developed a bond, with Rick acting like his big brother in lieu of his real family. The two never talked about their loved ones, but Rick got the sense that Sydney was glad to be away from them and on his own. He managed to get some little bits of data about the boy being a prodigy in engineering and chemistry who was forced to attend the school as a compromise with the state over his care and well-being but he hated it there. There was something off about Sydney, but the two didn't have a chance to talk about it as they were now starting to get into the groove of college life. Rick was becoming popular among the guys and was invited to several parties while his roommate kept to himself and avoided the limelight of knowing Rick. Rick could understand why he did it, it was tough to get to know him with the age difference between everyone and he was intimidated by the larger guys making him feel inadequate. Jaimie and Christina kept an eye on Sydney while Rick was out at the parties. He was fine with the ladies, with Jaimie joking that he reminded her of herself at the same age. That caused Sydney to look upset and clam up, holing up in his room without interacting with anyone for the next day. Miles kept busy as the team and he worked together to improve their kicking game both punting and in kickoffs. He was better than the injured punter, with the punter knowing that his time with the team was all but over. Miles was good, so good that he was working with the first team and was being considered for kickoffs replacing the disgruntled Ray who was decent but nothing special compared to Miles. Ray was angered by this possibility. Ray was a decent placekicker, he could kick 40 yard field goals easily. His bane was always his punting and kickoffs, he thought he needed to be an all around player to get noticed by professional teams or better colleges. Miles changed that, he had no shot of showing his versatility if he was only going to be used sparingly by the team. The head coach just took the recommendation of his assistant and had Miles start the first game for them. They had him checked out by the NCAA for any possible trouble and was cleared quickly by the officials in writing. He was adamant that they not treat him any differently because if they did they would be accused of wrongdoing even if it was pure garbage. Their first game was that weekend, at home against a second tier Division 1 college. Christina gave him a good luck kiss before he left for the stadium with Jaimie, Rick, and Sydney joining the students in the stands to watch the game. Jaimie silently hoped that he was going to do better in his first game in college than he did in his first game in high school while also hoping that nobody did anything to her while she watched the game. Miles was nervous but he kept his anxiety in check as he listened to the game plan and did his best to keep from trying to help the team out by solving the problems that he could see them having right from the start. The assistant coaches were paid to do that, not him. He had to remind himself that this wasn't high school and what he thought that they should be doing to fix their problems no longer mattered to anyone. He followed along, noting that a few plays were doomed to failure as they lacked the ability to pull them off while ones that are going to work were buried in the playbook to be forgotten and unused. He stretched with his teammates and worked with the assigned graduate assistant to get his legs in top form. It was odd but he endured the sensations, he knew his body and this was just going overboard. He asked that they back off of him, he was going to rip something if they kept pushing his muscles further. When they refused he stopped, got up, and told them that he wasn't going to ruin his legs due to their trying to get noticed by the coaches. He wasn't alone as the long snapper told them to back off, it was pushing his muscles too far too fast. Miles knew his body, he knew what to stretch and when to stop. The team got an early 10 point lead and held the other team to punts. In the 2nd quarter, Miles got into the game as UMass was stopped at their own 20 and needed to punt. Miles ran in, handled a ball that was slightly off target, and booted the punt 60 yards downfield to the opponent's 30- yard line. It was so nicely placed and the gunners were so quick to get to him that the only thing the receiver could do was call for a fair catch but didn't have the time to do so necessitating a scramble away from the onrushing gunners costing the team an extra 10 yards of field position as he was tackled at their 20-yard line. Miles' next attempt came 5 minutes later from the 25. He booted it a solid 55 yards but this time the receiver tried to field it only to have it bounce out of his hands and land at the feet of one of the gunners allowing UMass to recover the muffed punt for a 1st down at the opponent's 30-yard line. He didn't react to it, he did everything on instinct with the kick being somewhat off center for him. In the 2nd half, UMass was pinned deep in their end and required Miles to boot the ball as far and hard as he could to give them breathing room. His kick was one that would make the news nationwide as it went a solid 80 yards from the back of the end zone and took a UMass bounce, dribbling another five yards as the returner tried to chase after it. Unfortunately for him, he couldn't handle the ball and when he finally recovered it the ball after battling a UMass gunner he was downed at his own 1-yard line leading to a safety on the next play giving UMass two points and the ball back. UMass held on for a 29-24 victory. Miles' kick actually was the deciding factor as he enabled the team to score on the ensuing possession giving them the lead. He was the star of the game but he was also put under the spotlight as the school wanted him to conduct interviews with the media before being allowed to leave the stadium. Miles answered the questions asked of him but couldn't or wouldn't answer anything that would upset his team or make the opposing team look bad. He was humble and gracious, telling the reporters that he was only there because his roommate asked him to join the team to help them out of a jam. He came off as a rube, homely, and even naive but he was far from it as the coaches were happy to point out. Miles expected trouble and told his parents that something was going to happen because of the jealousy of some and the usual attempts to knock the family down once people realized that he was not just someone named Finn but part of the infamous family. His hunch was right as Ray let it slip that he was the brother of a, "Tranny freak" and he wasn't all he claimed to be as his family wasn't his real family. The school tried to put out the fires that Ray caused but it was hard to do as Jaimie was all over the media as being transgender and Miles was right there by her side as her brother. It was tough to do with Miles being a Finn and heavy hitters looking out for him from the state and alumni association. The final word was that if it came to be a choice between him and the school's image then Miles would be sacrificed for the greater good of them and the school despite who he had supporting him and what they would do to the school. At the same time, several members of the NCAA were trying to investigate Miles. The losing team lodged a complaint that Miles was an ineligible player as he wasn't known to anyone before that day and there was little to no background on him available from the school. The investigators were quick to agree, despite them being notified days before that he was a walk-on and had him cleared by them first. The school was divided over Miles. There were many who knew about his connection to Jaimie and who were disgusted with him over associating with someone like her. The vast majority didn't care or were supportive of Jaimie to the point of readying protests if he was kicked off the team because of her. The school chose to play it safe and do nothing. If they supported Miles they would alienate certain donors. If they went against him they risked upsetting his major supporters. The best course of action was to let the NCAA do their investigation and lay blame on Miles or give him praise for his victory, either way they would be on the winning side regardless of the outcome. The media started to sniff around about Miles' past. They had interviewed several people who knew him and who were not afraid to badmouth him over Jaimie. The story was more than they had hoped for, they were seeing Emmy Awards and Pulitzer Prizes for showcasing Miles and his family. The school forced Miles to talk with several national networks. He refused but had them threaten him with suspension from school and possible expulsion for whatever reason they could think up. Miles called their bluffs, with the director of communications showing him the warning to do the interviews or he'd be suspended for conduct against the school. Miles kept a copy of that warning then told them that he was agreeing only because he was forced to do so under penalty of suspension. The media pretended not to hear that part. Fox Sports went after his family history, hoping to play up the orphan who found a loving family in the arms of a rich couple. It wasn't far from the truth, but it wasn't the whole truth either. They tried to make his story into another, "Blindside" but he held firm that it wasn't anything like that and wouldn't explain further. Miles was quick to point out that he was placed with them because there were no willing foster families in the region. His future parents were asked as a last ditch effort to keep him safe after being brutally assaulted as part of a criminal conspiracy against him that they could easily find out from court reports; over time the foster family had become a family to him to the point that he was loved as if their own. It was made all the more touching as he pointed out how he knew his family already, he just hadn't known them personally and he gave them something that they had lacked in being the counter to his siblings. The ESPN reporters tried to play up his father's criminal past, hoping to make him into a martyr for drug dealing families. Miles angrily told them how his birth father was scum then refused to talk about him and further. He outright refused to cooperate with them once their line of questioning became belligerent and insinuated that his adoptive father may have orchestrated his birth father's death due to his connection to the man who actually ordered his death- his father's brother Roland Finn. Miles walked out, telling the college that he wasn't going to do any more interviews and if they had a problem with it speak to his lawyers. He called his grandparents and asked them to handle the media from now on, he was sick of the questions and they knew as much as he did and more. If they didn't like their answers they would have to deal with it because he was finished with them. Later that day, after speaking with an outraged major shareholder of their parent company's stocks, the ESPN reporter was recalled with a new one being assigned who was more interested in asking about him as an athlete than as a person off the field. He was subtle and gleaned answers from Miles that went further into his life than his colleagues had been able to get. Miles came off as a very sympathetic person who played because he was needed and who wanted to help out as much as he could especially on the field with play correction and suggestions than actually kicking the ball. This bit of information was well known in Massachusetts as Miles had been sought by many schools for his ability to improve teams just by observing. He stayed true to his school and didn't play beyond spot starts in place of the injured punter, always working to make improvements when on the field with his teammates knowing to listen to him as much as their coaches. Footage from the school and from the state championship game the Winnisimmet High team played in during his junior year showed him by the coaches' sides and drawing up plays proving his value. Miles was the talk of the nation for several days as his personal life hit the airwaves. The major sports networks didn't bother with him being related to Jaimie, it was too toxic to touch and would result in the networks getting protested and reporters booted from stadiums and arenas. They were happy to talk about the unnoticed skills of some youngsters who simply learned the game. This led to comparisons to great coaches who themselves barely played beyond high school and who turned into Hall of Fame coaches including the infamous New England Patriots coach. By Saturday Miles was forgotten as a major upset that day caused UMass's lackluster performance to go unnoticed. Miles made six punts, none of which were noteworthy but all of which were helpful as the team held off scores and were able to utilize the ensuing punts to their advantage. He was the leading punter in the country after two games, with an average that was worthy of NFL attention. The NCAA was still investigating Miles despite his background coming up clear. The investigator, Terry Cox, had a hard-on for taking down Miles especially after he humiliated his alma mater Nebraska State in his first game. He was too squeaky-clean to be realistic, in fact all dirt that Terry could dig up was on others except Miles. This was not possible, the boy had to have had something going on that he could use against Miles to get rid of him. Terry finally hit pay dirt by linking Miles to Juan Alvarez, a known agent who was frequently seen with Miles on social media. He had no clue what their true relationship was, all that he cared about was that he was an agent and Miles being around him meant that he was not an amateur thus he had no right to play for his college let alone beat his beloved Nebraska State. The fact that Miles was being investigated got revealed to the media who immediately went with the story about his life and his family. He had a lot of people pulling for him and actually had the producers of the investigative shows give him a fair shake as nothing was coming up to support the allegations. The producers were going for the truth, there was no actual need for an investigation as Miles' life was not hard to uncover and shown to be squeaky clean with every angle covered by valid reasoning that the NCAA could not deny. Jaimie's prominence was noted, as was Miles' family's wealth. They went fully into the story about Juan and his ties to Miles, but what was told was a far different story than what was alleged. Miles was portrayed as an exceptional student and mentor to others with a family who were famous for their help for others in need especially those who were abused and abandoned by all others. Miles' work as an investigator was showcased, as his accolades from the British government and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts were given a lot of time. His role in helping bring down Harry Smith, his uncle's brother, then exposing Lucius Long and his bilking of his wife's bank accounts as well as the subsequent fraud against his company, then taking out several small-time frauds over the summer while helping his employer only added fuel that Miles was a gifted analyst. He had the backing of prominent people including the governor and attorney general, who both added a statement of support for Miles with admonishment of the NCAA for believing proven falsehoods. The report went further to attack the claims about Miles and Juan. Juan's actual name was revealed to be now Juan Reagan as he chose to simply take his wife's name upon their marriage. The fact that he now lived directly behind Miles and his own son and daughter were close friends of Miles' younger siblings added further dose of fuel. What nailed it was Miles being one of a dozen teenagers employed by Juan's organization, one that his own father had actually worked for in the past and whose founder was a close family friend, helped show that Miles had a normal relationship with Juan as a senior mentor that Juan would use to help the most troubled kids. Juan's role as an agent wasn't denied. He made no attempt to hide his employment as an agent of a few young professional baseball players as well as his employment by Miguel Toro, star Red Sox pitcher. Juan was happy to point out that he and Miles talked about sports frequently and that Miles was one of the people who would work out schedules for when kids in their program would be rewarded with trips to see the Red Sox play from Miguel's private box. Juan was asked about Miles talking to him about compensation, to which Juan smiled and explained, "He was concerned that the guys weren't planning for their future. They signed contracts early but had no fallback plans nor plans for obtaining their degrees. His boss showed them how much to put away from their contracts and how much to live on so they didn't blow their money before they retired. His boss, who is a certified financial planner in addition to an accountant, ensured the player were ready for when they could no longer play with Miles helping find them college courses to attend online to earn a degree so they'd have something to do during the offseason and improve their job chances later on." Juan answered every question in full with Miguel Toro verifying Miles' role in helping the players plan ahead with a few of the Red Sox players hiring him to check their finances ahead of signing their new contracts. He never asked for or accepted a penny and never talked about contracts outside of the team offices, he was all business and protected their privacy especially when he found what some of the guys had been spending large sums of money on. Miguel's teammates each told the same story, with Miles portrayed as a young kid eager to please his boss. She and he worked hard, with the players paying her for the services. Miles was working, it was all done during normal business hours and above the board and within NCAA guidelines for working. The more the producers and reporters investigated Miles, the more complex he turned out to be. He was not the normal athlete, he played sports for fun and exercise instead of competition. He was a great help to others but had endured years of hardship to get where he was. He had family with money but he kept to himself and tried hard to live a life of his own. Questions about Jaimie were asked as her own story was catching the eyes of others. The network had found coverage of her life through local and national affiliates with much of it matching Miles' life but over a longer period of time. Her gender change was only part of the story, her family's creation was a big story in and of itself that was making things more intriguing and gave the NCAA a glimpse at just who they were trying to screw around with and why they'd lose big to. ESPN's complete and thorough thrashing of the NCAA investigation into Miles led to the NCAA to try to revoke Miles' amateur status outright. Terry Cox had the ears of several key people, making them believe Miles was dirty and with enough time and pressure he would show his true colors. Miles' many defenders were brushed off as liars or using him to advance their own agendas, making him out to be a martyr of the poor trash who made it big by getting adopted by rich people. Miles was declared ineligible for the next game but at the last minute it was changed to provisional with the game being looked at later for review. It basically meant that Miles was allowed to play but they were still going after him no matter what, which was enough to cause his critics to cry, "Special treatment" and demand he be kicked off the team. The school offered a token appeal but it was clear that they were ready to let Miles get railroaded instead of fighting for his rights. Miles handed in his uniform and walked away, ignoring the requests from the coaches especially the head coach. He was tired of being their football and getting kicked around with nobody listening to him or even caring what he had to say about the whole situation. It wasn't worth it anymore and the school had shown just where their loyalties lay- money mattered more than the players. Classes had started so Miles was entrenched in his finance and accounting classes. It was going well for him, with his professors pleased that he was ahead of his classmates and able to help out. They quickly offered him the right to forgo several of his classes that semester due to his advanced knowledge but he kept in them due to playing football but now it was due to needing to do something. It was also a good distraction as Miles could think about other things instead of football and investigation with his passion for accounting and finance giving him just what he needed. Jaimie dealt with the investigation putting her on display for everyone to see as many more people who had no clue that she was transgender had a go at her. She hated it and hoped to go back to anonymity but the few who hated her on principle were constantly making her time in the dorms a misery. If not for Christina she would have quit school and returned home a week before. The stalking had gotten to the point that she had to be completely covered in the shower until she was inside the stall and wedge the door closed so nobody barged in if they fiddled with the lock. It was humiliating and several times she was on the verge of running out in tears as the loud whispers reached her with Jaimie yelling that she was in there and heard everything. She resorted to showering early in the morning or late at night after everyone was asleep, they were the only times nobody was around and allowed her to shower in peace. It was tough on her. She hid her inner turmoil but Christina was able to help her see that things weren't her fault and those who had an issue with her were the ones in the wrong and if they did anything to her they would be the ones who would be in trouble, not her. She tried to get Jaimie to refocus her struggles onto her increasing classwork, ensuring that studious Jaimie was frequently engrossed in it so she didn't have any time available to feel miserable about what was being done to her. In addition to Jaimie's struggles with transphobic girls, Christina was under constant bombardment by guys trying to woo her away from Miles or girls trying to latch onto her to get at football players or more popular guys. It was like high school all over again, except she was without her usual outlet of cheerleading and activities to keep her from breaking down and mouthing off to the hangers-on. Miles and she tried to spend as much time as possible together but his schedule was swamped with football and homework giving her even more free time to herself giving the leeches more chances to latch on to her causing her nothing but anger and frustration. Class was little better as her professors were detached from the students, acting like drones instead of professors. The Lotharios tried to woo her while the girls tried to keep her attention instead of trying to listen to the professors teach. She eventually sat with the outcasts who were all too eager to give her a chance to get away from those who only wanted her for sex or social advancement. After two days she was entrenched with them, talking with them about anything and everything while working on class projects. They were aware of who she was rooming with and who she was dating but didn't care about any of that. To them, Christina was just another student who was helping make their class go smoother and at times made it fun. Miles quitting caused the football team to stand up to the athletic department over their treatment towards Miles. Instead of standing by him, they had chosen to toss him aside and giving Terry Cox exactly what he wanted despite knowing it was all lies and exaggerations. If they did that to someone who gave the school positive publicity and who had helped improve the team by filling in a role nobody else could, they could do it to any of them without a second thought. The coaches stayed out of all of the Miles drama. They didn't care about the drama so long as it didn't impact the team on the field. The head coach, though, had other ideas and confronted the team over going against the coaches' wishes then standing with them in support of Miles. The assistants didn't have to like it, it was his decree and they would agree with it or resign. None resigned. Miles was officially given the week off despite having already said he was quitting. This week off just happened to be coinciding with the family's trip east to attend the wedding of Juanita Vega to Zoe James. It was exactly what he needed to clear his mind and give his anxiety a rest while allowing him to consider his options for down the road. The time off wasn't a request, it came directly from above the athletic department. They wanted him gone and hoped that the time away would give Terry the time needed to get the final dirt on Miles. Unbeknownst to the athletic department, Miles would have been given the weekend off anyway with the order coming down directly from the chancellor and head of student activities before their decree. The school's interest in Miles was more than just his athletic abilities. Miles was going to be a guest at the governor's home. Him not being there was not going to happen and if he was forced to stay at the school there would be a lot of awkward questions asked by powerful people seeking answers that the school did not want to answer at that time. Rick brought Sydney Powers with him as his guest as he didn't want the boy to be left to the mercies of the resident jerks in their dorms and around the campus. Jaimie, Miles, and Christina agreed, with the girls putting on their best big sister act for him as they drove east with him in their car. It was the best he had ever felt, they were great people who made him feel like part of the family even if he was not related to anyone. Rick introduced Sydney to everyone with Rick having to explain how someone so young could be in college let alone earning his PhD. Sydney was accepted for what he was, a smart young man who was going to be an even better engineer once he was on par with his colleagues. The younger kids and teens were in awe as well as felt inadequate around Sydney, but he was grateful that they were able to act like he was just another teen even if he was not in middle school with them. The middle schoolers latched onto Sydney and gave him a chance to be a kid for a bit while the others got the final preparations done. He never noticed that he was being observed by them, almost as if they were trying to see if he figured out that there was something different about two of the 11-year-old girls and a 13-year-old boy. He was perfectly fine with them, even enjoying their talk about little things like clothes and makeup while straying away from the five boys with them. Sydney was being himself and unintentionally showing his softer side. The girls loved that he did that and joked that the boys should do it as well. Sydney blushed and thanked them while the boys were happy to add, "You can do that, we are man enough to know we aren't man enough to be in touch with our girly side without looking like drag queens. Sorry, but no amount of makeup will make us look as beautiful as you lovely ladies." Sydney didn't take that as being offensive and loved being, "One of the girls" with them. He was asked about that, giving the girls a timid, "I always played with girls before I graduated school. My stepdad hated it, he wanted me to be more manly but I'm never going to be that way." Sydney left after that to see Rick and the older teens. Shea Porter and Patrick Peterson had a great time talking with him on his own level, the three engineers were of similar minds and Patrick was impressed with Sydney's theories and patents. Sydney was eager to work with them in the future, with Patrick hoping that he was going to join them at Shea's company as a partner when he was older. The wedding itself was sweet and tear-jerking for all, especially the young Sydney. The brides were walked down the aisle by Patrick Peterson, Juanita's brother-in-law, and Paul James, Zoe's father. The minister was the family's minister and didn't seem the least bit upset that two ladies were marrying, he was just upset that Patrick had walked Juanita down the aisle instead of her stepfather Vance Taylor but was proud to let Patrick do the honors for someone so close to him. Sydney couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at times as he watched the festivities. Miles carefully kept to himself and encouraged the family to say hello to Sydney allowing Rick a breather and time with Jaimie. It was nerve wracking but he got to meet everyone and for the first time in his life felt like he understood what it was like to have a loving family, something he had never experienced before. Jaimie and Rick went with Rick's parents allowing Miles to take control of watching Sydney for the night which also gave him a chance to relax given how anxious Sydney was to be there. At the Finn home Miles helped him to his room and put out his clothes, unintentionally catching sight of a few things in Sydney's bag that he didn't expect to see. Sydney pulled the bag away but Miles didn't say anything, just telling him that they hide better under shirts than left out on top like he had done. Nothing more was said. There was nothing Miles could do at this point that wouldn't cause a problem that he didn't think Sydney could deal with. Miles didn't want to scare him and if his issue was going to get worse he would have to tell Rick who could get him help. The next morning, Sydney didn't talk about what was in his bag and Miles gave him his privacy about it. It was something near and dear to Sydney, whatever he had going on was going to be addressed later. He was careful to follow Miles' recommendation to hide his items from casual view, ensuring that what was inside wasn't seen by anyone unless they emptied his bag making a big mess of the bed or floor. The four spent that Sunday with loved ones as Sydney entertained Logan and Ella Finn. The two were good for a few laughs while giving Sydney a chance to enjoy himself without feeling out of place. He may have been a genius but inside that genius was the heart of a 13-year-old kid who was still into cartoons and simple video games. The two knew just how to make him feel at home and were sad to see him go when the five drove west that evening. The next game for UMass was that Thursday, with the team giving their final ultimatum: Miles played or they didn't. This time the coaches joined in, as his plight was now known to the governor who would be sure to inquire about state employees violating the rights of a student in not giving him due process. There was no middle ground, Miles was part of them and not one to be fooled around with. The NCAA was called with Terry Cox and his crew told to show cause for their investigation or end it immediately. There would be a meeting on Tuesday morning to determine everything, including Miles' eligibility and any penalties UMass would be forced to endure. Their minds were made up, but the school administrators had firepower too: if the athletic department weren't going to fight for athletes, the administration would do so for them and ensure they paid the penalty. Miles was told Monday afternoon with him immediately asking for legal representation for the meeting as he didn't want to go alone. The school didn't think it was needed to which Miles growled, "I'm calling in my grandparents and my mother then. It's serious and I don't want to get railroaded by anyone. You will survive, I'll be blacklisted, humiliated, called a fraud, and have to put up with angry students if I'm not run out of school in retaliation. I'm not attending without help and they would not let me go to such an important meeting without knowing my rights first." Valerie Finn and her parents, Joseph and Evelyn Johnson, arrived early the next day to plan for the session. They weren't alone, with them was Kennedy Pena and several of her colleagues from the Attorney General's Office. This was going to lead to an active investigation into the school's athletic department as it was a bit too quick and coordinated to not be a major issue, Miles couldn't have been the only one to have this issue cost them their career under the current administration. The four toured the campus with a, "Guide" which Kennedy angrily told, "We will be entering the dorms without you. You have no business following us around as we are here legally and as an alumna your treatment of me will be used against you when I contact the alumnae service representative." Their, "Guide" asked if it was a threat, getting a grin and swift, "It's a promise. Don't be here when we come out or I'll have the police place you under arrest immediately for harassment and stalking." Their, "Guide" fired back an angry, "I don't care who you think you are, I was told to follow you around and ensure you stayed out of trouble so I'm going to do it." Kennedy smiled, called a number on her phone, then told the responding officer that the woman with them was impeding a state investigation and had threatened her. The officers nodded, took the woman into custody and released her when her supervisor came to collect her and answer questions as to why they had assigned someone to follow members of the Attorney General's Office around campus while hindering a state investigation. Inside the dorm, Jaimie and Christina were studying and hugged the four as they entered. Outside their room, jokes about the, "Tranny freak" getting kicked out started immediately with Kennedy asking about them. She was no fool, for someone to have said that with people who were clearly there for Jaimie and Christina had to have been occurring frequently. Jaimie tried to act like it was no big deal but Christina angrily told her, "It's encouraged. The RA won't stop them and anything reported gets ignored. It's the same people doing it but anyone who complains is disciplined. We have the responses from her and the school about the harassment of Jaimie. They told us that if we complained again we would be kicked out of the dorms then out of school." Kennedy grinned while Evelyn added, "Don't rip them to shreds too much, leave some for us." Christina blushed while Jaimie told them, "I'm transferring east. I can't take it anymore. I tried, but I can't be me if everyone hates what I am. Nobody here except Rick, Miles, and Christina can see past what I used to be to let me have a moment's peace." Jaimie had her mind made up and was prepared for this confrontation ahead of time. Christina was in agreement but didn't want to leave Miles to himself. It was tough to see but the girls were going to separate, leaving Christina on her own now. The four led Jaimie out and formally filed multiple complaints with the RA then went to the school to officially withdraw Jaimie with intent to transfer after filing complaints with the police for criminal harassment and reckless endangerment. Valerie was on the phone to the people at UMass-Boston while Joseph was on the phone to Salem State with both happy to have Jaimie. Jaimie chose UMass-Boston as they had more classes online allowing her to overcome her late start. Jaimie was packed up within an hour with UMass-Amherst calling her phone as well as Valerie's phone trying hard to keep Jaimie there. The RA was fired for her role in the harassment while several students were given written warnings as well as several being suspended pending expulsion, but it was too little too late. Jaimie shed a tear as the last of her belongings were put into Valerie's car, with Christina hugging her tightly as they said they'd see each other that weekend. Jaimie's exit caused a miniature celebration in the dorm. Christina tore into the celebrants, venting her built up anger at everyone mistreating her best friend. She found a few allies, some of her classmates spoke up on her behalf and admonished most of the crowd as being a bunch of hypocrites and liars for how they acted like they were accepting then trash someone who genuinely needed accepting. Christina watched as several got into verbal arguments over their claims. Her classmates were standing tall over all comers and made several of the girls back off as they were going to be outed as being the vain, petty, vindictive bigots they all knew them to be. She felt pride at them doing this for her, it was done because her friend was hurt emotionally and they cared about Christina and Jaimie. Rick was intentionally left in the dark about Jaimie's departure until the last moment. When he was told he immediately understood and would do the same as her. It was only natural, he couldn't be without her. He hated to leave Sydney to the vultures of their dorm but it was going to be necessary. Sydney would endure, he had a strong survival instinct in him that Rick had seen shine through during some of their brief encounters with idiots outside their dorm. Rick asked about Christina, getting a smile from Jaimie and happy, "She called to tell me that several of her classmates were banding around her and had caused a revolution in the dorm. She is going to be alright, she will get a new roommate as one of the girls is going to move in with her. As long as she has a car she will have access to home and a break from school, but she should be fine now." Sydney looked down as he hugged Jaimie goodbye. She noticed his sad mood and told him that he was not going to be forgotten by them. Christina was going to be there for him, she couldn't leave him without someone to be his support and he may find some others who were in his boat as people who were all alone without anyone except themselves. Miles' hearing came up after lunch with all eight eating together. Jaimie's tears had dried up and Rick had assured her that he was going to be alright for another week. Christina and Miles kept quiet but both knew that if this went against Miles Christina and he would have a lot to answer for. Kennedy was given notes from her colleagues and just smirked. Her hunch was right, something was not right about the investigation and the school's reactions. It was coupled with some damning emails that were forcibly preserved on the school's servers by the state forensic investigators with Kennedy asking Miles if he was going to go full crash and burn or if he was only trying to stay with the team. Miles looked at her angrily, explaining, "I didn't want to play! You know I only did this because I was begged to by Mitch, then by the team. I don't want to play anymore, but I don't want to harm the team. If the school is breaking the rules then take them down and show them as the criminals that they are, it doesn't matter to me anymore." He took a breath, looked down, and continued, "The team will endure, in fact I think they will come out of this better once I talk with them. I'm done here no matter what. I can't stay as a student with a target on my back and people constantly trying to show they were better than the brother of the transsexual and as the guy who quit football because I couldn't hack it as a player." Miles walked into the athletic department with his mother and grandparents around him. He was led inside with the trio being told they couldn't go with him. Kennedy just grinned, looked down at the lawyer for the NCAA, and told him firmly, "He is allowed legal representation and as a representative of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts any actions that are taken against Miles Finn or the University of Massachusetts at Amherst will be appealed directly to the US District Court in Boston for violating his civil rights as well as breaking antitrust laws and your own charter with the the Commonwealth. He has rights, even if your organization pretends that he doesn't he still has them and he is exercising them." Miles sat down with his mother by his side and grandparents holding every document supporting him in their hands. Terry tried to intimidate Miles but he ignored him, waiting for the hearing to start. He looked at his mother who nodded, glancing at Kennedy who was ready to help if need be. Terry started right off the bat by claiming that Miles had illicit contact with an agent and had done so for several years despite claims to the contrary. He presented several signed statements to show that he had lied to the media about his relationship and had no right to play. He then tried to claim that Miles had gone out of his way to embarrass the NCAA for making false accusations and that his conduct off of the field was noted to be against regulations thus, in his opinion as the representative of the NCAA, he would be barred from playing and the school would forfeit the two games he played in. Kennedy looked at the documents after the Johnsons finished then started laughing loudly. Valerie just glanced at them while Kennedy noted who signed them and when. The dates didn't add up, in fact they were so new that they could not possibly have been authentic and the content was outright lies told by someone who had no idea what they were talking about nor had any idea just who Juan Reagan was let alone having ever met him. Valerie sighed, asked that the recorder be turned back on as they had conveniently shut it off when the accusations were made, then stated firmly, "The allegation of an improper relationship with the man who is formerly known as Juan Alvarez is laughable. As has been proven multiple times, Miles Finn for four consecutive summers was employed by the Winnisimmet Summer Jobs Program as a youth mentor for children in the city of Winnisimmet. His job was one of two dozen mentors, with his friends and family participating. He did so under direct control of Mr. Juan Reagan, whose name was previously Juan Alvarez. Mr. Reagan has known Miles for years as he had received help from the same program when he was in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades and participated in the program's youth activities since 2nd grade." Kennedy added, "The fact that Juan was called Alvarez instead of Reagan shows that your documents are forgeries and the claims false. Juan Reagan's signature is bogus as is the signature of the man who was conveniently not interviewed, Juan's boss Louis Reagan- the man who has known Mr. Finn since he was born and who got him involved in the program. This will be noted by my agency." There was a counter claim that it was inappropriate as he was an agent and any contact with him made him ineligible. Joseph countered with the bylaws for eligibility which allowed that kind of contact as no money was exchanged nor was it ever mentioned. Any actual money mentioned was in regards to retirements as Miles had worked for his friend's mother as an assistant during tax season and had the financial records to show that he was legally working for her and any talk about contracts was done as her assistant and done within the confines of the bylaws. The actual sections were quoted with each encounter being allowed. The further claims that Miles had accepted payment for babysitting was shot down quickly by Evelyn who explained, "If by payment you mean dinner then yes. He ate dinner with the Reagans before they went on their date nights as he kept watch over their son and daughter. As has been stated, his daughter is close with Miles' sister and is also his sister and brother's classmate." The whole interaction with Miguel Toro was brought up. Valerie laughed hard at that, with Kennedy stating, "Unless you are going to claim that Mr. Toro facilitated some sort of agreement with Mr. Reagan and Mr. Finn this is a dead end. Mr. Toro has multiple sources who confirm just what his relationship is to Miles as his own niece is close friends with and dating three of Miles' cousins each of which live on either side of Miles. All non-familial interactions were done via the same organization Miles worked for over the summer and was part of a longstanding family tradition of helping the organization dating back to its founding. He is the third generation of Finn to help that organization and the first to have been both a recipient of help from the group via field trips and after school activities and a mentor." There was no actual evidence. The claims were next shown to be lies falsified by Ray Ventura after the first game and only after Miles got national attention for that single punt. Kennedy added further fuel as she showed that the whole thing was orchestrated by Terry, who offered Ray a shot at playing for his alma mater, Nebraska State, if he was able to get evidence against Miles. This was enough to show that the whole investigation was a fraud from the start and that the NCAA had nothing against Miles at all. The NCAA lawyers tried to claim that they couldn't use those emails but Kennedy countered with a firm, "They are part of our criminal investigation, obtained through a search warrant initiated on Ray Ventura?s school and personal email accounts. The warrant is both state and federal so expect visits from the FBI once we are through with this as your offices in Indianapolis are currently being searched by them for evidence of collusion as well as violations of federal antitrust laws. When you are done here, you will have to speak with our troopers about this extortion attempt against UMass. Miles Finn has done no wrong here, yet you extorted the school into getting rid of him as retaliation for him making Nebraska State look horrible on the field with his superior play." The NCAA lawyers tried to act like it wasn't a real threat and countered with their own volley, "That boy has no business playing. His family is a disgrace to our most profitable sport. He doesn't belong on the field and by god we will ensure that he never is allowed out there again and pays for what he has done to the two schools he humiliated! He's the son of a drug dealer, the nephew of a murderer, is just a pathetic street rat who got lucky in finding some rich idiot who felt sorry for him and kept him around. That doesn't include that boy masquerading as a girl who is making this school look like a haven for people who want to live like drag queens and claim they are what they aren't." The man had unintentionally shown the true reason for the investigation. Miles wasn't the target, it was Jaimie being targeted. They wanted to keep her away from all sports so that she didn't cause damage as she was a fully transitioned female making all restrictions against her null. Transgender athletes were making vast inroads into sports and causing problems for the powers that be who were being forced to accommodate them and make schools accept them. Valerie looked at her parents who were about ready to blow gaskets. She just calmly told the man, "As you have shown that you have no actual interest in Miles Finn, but rather are trying to take your own prejudice regarding his sister out on him, we will be forced to file suit against your organization for the vile attempt to cause my son humiliation for no reason except his sister- who is neither an athlete nor is involved with any sport at this school, being related to him. I would file on her behalf but I doubt that it will do anything except bankrupt you." Kennedy nodded to her colleagues who added, "We have enough in the emails and on record here to take you and your team down. This was beyond the scope of your employment and whomever decided that it was alright to go after a young lady without provocation will pay dearly. The NCAA will be forced to account for its actions and its enforcement policies especially in regards to targeting family of athletes who had done no wrong." The group got up with Miles telling the school, "I am withdrawing from UMass effective immediately. I want nothing to do with you anymore. My mother will have her legal response shortly, as will my aunt. I'll tell the coach myself and accept whatever he has to say about it." Miles walked back to his dorm, got his personal items together, and kissed Christina goodbye. He shot off an email to the reporters letting them know about the investigation being directly targeted at him due to Jaimie which would cause chaos for the NCAA but give him breathing room as they changed the focus to that angle. They tried to get further comment but he was clear that he wasn't saying anything. Mitch wasn't happy to see him leave but he understood his reasons. He offered Miles a warm hug and told him that he gave up a potential All- American career but he did it for the right reasons. Jaimie was a great person and if she wasn't already engaged to Rick he would have tried to date her, which Miles happily told him he was the kind of guy he hoped would date Jaimie too. Miles then went to the athletic center to turn in his school-issued workout cloths only to be told they were his to keep. The equipment manager did the same with his jersey, it was his to keep as a keepsake of his time with the team. He may have been screwed over by the school, but the team voted him in as one of them and would share with him any bowl victory rings if they went to a game that year. His pride swelled but his anxiety built up as he headed to the head coach's office and turned in his playbook, telling him, "You are overdoing things with your plays. You have plays that are perfect for the receiving corps buried under complex trash that?ll never work. Think about your players' abilities not what will work. The guys just need a few simpler plays that utilize their talents, use them and you will easily win at least four more games giving you a bowl game berth." He walked out as the coach grinned and added, "Your reputation is proven true. I'll make the changes, I wish I could have used you more but the school is foolish for what they did to you. Goodbye and good luck, you and your family are going to need it." Chapter 15 Jaimie and Miles had left the campus immediately after Miles turned in his playbook. The school and the NCAA were trying their hardest to avoid a lawsuit by trying to make Jaimie and Miles out to be terrible people who used the media to manipulate their actions to get around sanctions. This backfired badly as Valerie took the school and NCAA to task for knowingly ignoring the rights of Miles as well as their own rules and regulations for eligibility while trying to make an example of someone who had nothing to do with the NCAA or the school's athletic department by taking it out on their sibling. She was out for blood and filed suit against both in federal court, earning the scorn of the NCAA while the school tried to expel Miles before his withdrawal became official. The national media forced the NCAA to back off with the organization severing all ties with Terry Cox and the lawyers involved in trying to get rid of Miles. The NCAA agreed to a settlement of $10 million with Jaimie being awarded $5 million for damaging her school life and reputation. The money didn't matter to them. They were done with the school and wanted nothing to do with anyone involved in it except their loved ones. Sydney was put in that mix as well as he was a friend to them and had earned the right to be called family especially given his tempering of Rick's anger. Christina was in tears while Rick promised he would be faithful to Jaimie. He would never stray from her but he had to vocalize it for anyone nearby who was ready to pounce on his newly alone status. Sydney felt horrible about losing friends but Rick and Christina kept him from losing himself over the actions of others as he hadn't done anything wrong and Jaimie wouldn't let him get worked up over it. Rick dove into his work and tried hard to keep his mind off the fact that there were now girls throwing themselves at him for the first time ever and he had zero interest in any of them. Sydney was trying to keep him focused on his classwork and was barely succeeding at it. He was hit or miss with keeping Rick's attention, little reminders of Jaimie not being there kept distracting him causing grief to pop up necessitating a response from Sydney often in the form of a hug. The two walked around campus during most afternoons to both get exercise and to clear their heads. Rick was invited to a few parties but he declined, knowing full well that they were places where he'd be forced to get drunk and/or sleep with an intoxicated girl which he had no interest in doing. After the first couple of parties in mid-August he couldn't stomach any more of them, they weren't his thing and the fraternities weren't the best of places as they had harsh words about Jaimie and he as fiances. During one of their walks Rick encountered a young lady crying to herself as she left the student health center gripping a sheet of paper tightly to the point of almost cutting into her skin. Her face noticed his face causing her to cry even harder, with Sydney realizing that they had a history together which was causing her pain. It was odd to Rick, though, as he didn't remember her much less know how his being there could upset her. The young lady, Sylvia Roberts, shed more tears and tersely told Rick, "Of all of the times I could have seen you this has to be the worst times. We need to talk. Alone. It's important and can't wait." Sydney tried to leave but Rick was adamant that he stay with them and hear what she had to say to him. Sydney was his friend so whatever was going to be said to him was to be told to Sydney too. She saw no way out and walked with them to a private place to talk, Rick's car. Sylvia waited several minutes before asking, "Do you remember the Pi Kappa Pi party the day classes started a month and a half ago? I don't remember much of it either. I do remember waking up the next morning with you in bed with me, passed out drunk with your penis still inside me, covered in semen." Rick's face went white as he vaguely remembered the party. Sydney explained, "You made me stay with Jaimie and Christina that evening then came in an hour before classes started looking exhausted and almost sick. You weren't yourself that day, something was wrong with you but I didn't say anything to you because I didn't want to upset you in case that was how you normally acted after a party. You deserved a chance to have fun, I didn't want to ruin it by commenting on your appearance." She looked at Sydney and asked, "Did he plan to get me drunk? Or have sex with me?" Sydney blurted out a terse, "He doesn't drink and wouldn't know where to get the other stuff. His dad is a doctor, he'd skin his son alive if he ever touched drugs that weren't prescribed! And his mother would beat sense into him if he ever had unprotected sex with anyone but Jaimie." Rick mumbled an angry, "Those bastards at the fraternity did it. They wanted me to find a 'real girl' and must have spiked my soda when I wasn't looking. I don't remember you. I'm sorry, but whatever they gave me was powerful enough to make me forget about that night. I don't even remember getting home, only waking up in bed." Sylvia looked down in shame, adding, "My roommate Angela and her friends took me to the party. She gave me a few drinks, telling me it would loosen me up. I know she 'partakes' in stuff but I didn't think she would drug me. I'm sorry to have to tell you, but you are going to be a father. That night together was enough to get me pregnant. Neither of us remember it but here's the results." Sylvia handed Rick the paper confirming that she was telling the truth, Rick had impregnated her. He tried hard to find a reason for it to be wrong but their stories matched up too well. He hated to think about it but she was right, he had to have been the father of her baby. Rick shed a tear. His worst nightmare had just happened. He was out having fun and impregnated a girl while Jaimie was in his room trying to babysit Sydney for him. He had sworn to be faithful to her but he had already broken it while she was still at the school. Sylvia asked what they were going to do now. Rick asked if she was going to keep the baby or abort it. He couldn't tell her not to as it was her body, but he had a lot of soul searching to do before she made an appointment should she choose that option. Sylvia saw the look in his eyes and asked, "Would you be willing to raise our child with your girlfriend? I can't abort the baby. My family will disown me no matter what but I can?t put it up for adoption. Just getting pregnant will be enough to cause my parents to make me transfer back home next year. You are the father, you can treat this as a surrogate pregnancy with your girlfriend being the mother of record. Please, I don't want to give it up for adoption unless we have to." Rick needed time to think, this wasn't something to be done lightly He had to discuss this with Jaimie first before taking action, this involved her as much as him. His parents would accept his final decision either way, but he felt they would want him to man up and accept responsibility for creating a life and carrying on his family's genes even if neither he nor Sylvia meant to have a child together. Rick asked that she go east with him to confirm everything further as his parents would want her to have a thorough examination and proper support that the school couldn't give to her. She understood and wanted to get away before she did something she would regret in her haze of self-pity and regret. She didn't want to get so hormonal and angry that she booked an appointment to abort their child. She trusted Rick to do the right thing he had shown he was already more man than he should have been but it was still tough to ask of him. The week went by slowly as the trio talked about their lives and their schooling. Sylvia was out of her depth in New England, having grown up in rural Mississippi as the only daughter of a farmer and a banker. She was given a scholarship by the owner of a theme park intended for rural students with exceptional skills, one marveled after a foundation from Massachusetts. Rick recognized the name of the park, VentureRealm Amusement Park, and smiled at someone doing the same kind of educational assistance that Jaimie and her father had done with their own foundations. Sylvia was one of the few who went to another state, but she had plans to travel to the theme park to work in their marketing department once she graduated. The owner of the park had offered her a job so long as she graduated, and once she had told her about her unexpected pregnancy the scholarship fund was ensured to her so long as she kept up her grades as her behavior had been impeccable and what happened wasn?t seen as her fault. Rick told her about his life especially his time with Jaimie. He had a sad look in his eyes as he talked about her but got the gist of it, this was going to be the worst news she could ever receive. He was afraid of her reaction as well as his parents' reaction, they were caring people but him having had sex while under the influence was something they would disapprove of especially as it set a bad precedent for his younger brother and sister. They had a hard time keeping Christina in the dark, opting to keep Sylvia's privacy rather than telling her. Christina was getting upset that they were spending so much time together and if not for Sydney being with Rick she might have accused him of cheating on Jaimie. Sydney told her in confidence that the two had something happen and to be there for what happens, carefully adding, "It wasn't something that they wanted to happen and it was done without their consent. Just let Rick explain it to you later before jumping to conclusions and hurting him for what he did." Christina drove in with them, taking Sylvia in her car while Rick took Sydney in his car. The ladies talked for a while but nothing was gleaned by Christina. Sylvia was keeping things close, not wanting anyone to know the news especially those who may have a negative reaction as Christina would have certainly have had. Sydney and Sylvia were dropped off at Michael Finn and his fiance Courtney Bollinger's new house. Sydney told the two to keep the inquisition to a minimum as she wasn't going to be able to withstand it for long without it hurting her. Michael didn't say a word while Courtney just helped them settle into their rooms for the weekend. Rick and Christina were staying with their families and Sydney didn't want to impose on the Finns so Michael and Courtney were stuck with babysitting duties, as Sydney called it, despite the two actually liking having him as a guest. The four ate dinner in relative peace as the girls talked about school while Michael did some work on his stock portfolios for the next trading day. Sydney dealt with phone calls from the teens and younger kids which amused Sylvia as he was acting his age instead of the strict college academic he normally acted on campus. It was a good look for him, he needed to release some of his pent-up youthful energy and the kids were happy to help do that for him. Rick called to say they had a meeting the next day with his family. Sydney told the couple to not pry into it and be there for Rick after the news broke. This caused a bit of concern for the couple but it was not something that they weren't prepared for already. Early in the morning Courtney was joined by Sylvia in depositing their dinners into the toilets. The duo looked at one another with shocked expressions as Courtney realized now what was going on between Rick and Sylvia. Sylvia shed tears while Courtney hugged her tight, offering her a peaceful, "He will tell us the full story and Michael's parents will make them pay. She will accept what happened, she loves him too much and you may have given them the single greatest thing any person can give- a biological child of his own to raise and love." The duo sat down to talk before the guys woke up. Courtney listened to their story and shed a tear as she heard just how badly things could be for her when her parents learned the truth. The two hugged, with Courtney feeling bad that Michael and her family had accepted their baby while the Sylvia's would never allow her to keep it and might try to force Rick to give it up as well if they objected to his being in love with Jaimie. Michael and Sydney walked in to the girls hugging and crying then walked out to give them time to settle down. Sydney was asked what it was all about, getting a solemn look which Michael took to mean that they had a lot in common that wasn't coming out for several more months. Michael sighed and offered a defeated, "I don't have to know the full story to know that she's going to feel horrible about all of this but she knows it wasn't their fault. He wouldn?t cheat on her willingly and she would not have been brought here unless something terrible happened to her. I just hope that when they tell the family Dad doesn't rush to the frat house to tear into them. You saw him as a good person, but that gentle soul can be a raging inferno when he is angered." Sydney just nodded, then helped Michael start breakfast so the ladies were able to have energy for the inevitable confrontation later. Sydney asked why Michael was taking the pregnancy so easily, getting a smile and happy, "We weren't ready but we have to live with the consequences. I love her with all of my heart and seeing her grow each day now that her baby bump is starting to show just gives me a feeling that we belong together forever. It's love, we didn't want parenthood but we love one another and are ready to live with the consequences of parenthood." Rick came by to pick up the two and was immediately embraced by Courtney. Rick looked at Sydney who could only muster a quiet, "They were sick at the same time, she had to tell her the truth to her since it was easy to figure out on her own." Michael gave him a glare, adding, "I'll hold her off until you are ready. I can't hold off Dad, though, so be ready for him when you do tell the family. And if anyone give you crap for 'cheating' on her I'll rip them to shreds. You didn't want this to happen but you are more of a man than I am in accepting responsibility." The trio drove over to the Samuels home and saw Rick telling Sydney to stay close to Al. Al grunted at her brother but Sydney's look caused her annoyance to temper. The two went outside to let the, "Olds" talk while she told her brother Thomas to keep his phone off if he knew what was good for him. Her little code told Sydney that they were going to keep it between them, with Al adding, "His girlfriend Rebecca won't be able to keep from doing something until Rick is ready for whatever is going on. And it must be big if he's here with you and this new girl. I must be too young to hear but I'm not a baby. If you know then I'm old enough to handle it too." The two went out back with Al giving Sydney an odd look as they sat down below Rick?s tree house. Sydney asked what was the matter, getting a grin and quick, "Your ears, you are wearing birthstone studs. I didn't think guys wore them. I have to say, they look beautiful on you." Sydney blushed at that, secretly cursing himself for instinctively taking them instead of his normal gold studs. Sydney thought fast and added a halfhearted, "They were a gift from my mom before she died, I wear them when I need strength to do something hard like being by Sylvia's side last night. I didn't think they were girly, I see guys wearing diamond studs all the time." Al didn't buy that but it wasn't her place to make light of it beyond what she had already said. She sat back and waited, telling Sydney about school and the whole social scene that he was missing out on as a college student. Sydney was pleased that she was treating him like another 13- year-old and not a freak like the guys did at the dorm. Al was doing her best to ensure that he was alright as he was just like her only with more brains and less street smarts. He wanted to be normal but it was tough to do with his mind analyzing things from a scientist's perspective instead of form a kid's perspective. She had to give him credit though, for someone who had a lot of money in his bank account that he earned the old fashioned way, via hard work, he was a kid at heart and appreciated just being normal for a bit before returning to abnormal. Inside the Samuels home, Thomas gave his parents his phone to ensure that he didn't accidentally call Rebecca or text one of his friends with the news before Rick was ready to tell them. He sat beside his brother and waited for him to tell them what was going on. He looked at Sylvia and could sense that it was something that would change the family, he just couldn't put his finger on it yet but it was big news as Rick was just so tight-laced and boring when not around Jaimie. Rick finally got the courage to speak and told his parents about the night he spent out with guys from his dorm at the party in the frat house. He told about them introducing him to everyone then giving him drinks that were supposed to be nonalcoholic sodas but were instead laced with liquor and rohypnol. He woke up the next morning and didn't know where he was, walking back to his dorm in a daze then going to class like a zombie. His parents looked at the frightened Sylvia and asked about her. She mumbled a tear-filled, "I was brought there by my roommate Angela and other the girls in my dorm for a night out and given drinks like he was. Mine was different as I woke up the next morning with him in me and not knowing what happened but seeing that we had done something overnight. I rushed back to the dorm and saw Angela smirking at me along with her friends but nobody would tell me what I did that night. Everyone who was with me snickered at me for the next two weeks. I didn't get my next period and went to the health center and was told I was pregnant. I never slept with anyone before, Rick was the only one who did but he didn't want this and neither did I. I'm sorry." Rick told his parents firmly, "I don't know what happened! The guys in my dorm acted like I was some big man for doing that! I thought it was because Jaimie and I are known to everyone in our dorms. They kept telling me to dump her and get with a real girl but I wouldn't listen to them. I would never do something like that to Jaimie, especially not with a girl who was unwilling and unable to consent. I'm sorry Mom, Dad, but we did something that night and have to live with the consequences." Richard Samuels started to piece together the events and asked if she was going to confirm it with an unbiased doctor as the school weren't exactly the most forthcoming with help and options. She agreed, with Rick being told, "We will take this from here, you have to talk with Jaimie about this and be ready for what happens next. Something stinks about this whole thing and after Miles and Jaimie leaving you are the next target. Be careful, and talk with Valerie and John. And for god sake son, don't go anywhere without at least one other person you trust." Thomas was told to keep this to himself. He mumbled something about Rebecca getting revenge for the secrecy but he would adhere to their orders. He and Rick drove to the Finn home as Richard and his wife drove Sylvia to Sarah Jones' clinic for a full evaluation and ultrasound. Sydney came along with the guys, with Al being told to come too. She'd be needed to keep Rebecca from harassing Thomas to get information about Rick then later to keep her from harming Rick, as Rebecca wouldn't let his actions go unpunished even if they were not his fault. Sydney was going to keep the peace inside the Finn home as Jaimie wouldn't go overboard with him there, even if she felt horrible herself she wouldn't do something drastic if the young Sydney was watching. Valerie and John Finn were ready for Rick's arrival, with Michael and Courtney telling them that Rick had major news that had to be said in front of both of them. Miles tried to slink away but Sydney's look kept him there while Christina made herself scarce as she awaited word from Miles after they finished talking and whatever was said had a chance to sink in. He did ask if it was going to cause a rupture in the family, getting a nod from him and a solemn, "If she takes the news badly Rick might be in serious trouble with everyone. It doesn't matter if he isn't at fault, they won't let him go unpunished if she is hurt emotionally." Sydney directed the four youngest Finns away from their parents, telling them it was not for their ears. He then went next door with Al to keep Rebecca in check as she was busy trying to get information out of Thomas by using every feminine trick in the book and some that he was too turned-on to refuse. The duo were told that she'd ensure they paid for keeping her away from Jaimie and Rick. Al countered with an even firmer, "Go ahead and try. This is between them, not you. She has a right to live her life without your controlling everything,. Some things just are not your business and you need to just sit back and let others handle it before you cause even worse problems for everyone." The two glared at one another, daring the other to do something. Sydney got between them, asking Rebecca, "Are you going to hurt someone you never met because you can't stop yourself from butting into their life? Jaimie and Rick need to talk and if she feels the need to she will tell you. Leave them alone and let Rick and Jaimie handle their own problems. They are 18 and adults, she doesn't need you to baby her and he doesn't need you beating him up because you feel that you have to prove that you are protecting someone you love. Just stop." Over at the Finn home Jaimie came into the living room to which Rick immediately looked down in shame. Jaimie sensed something had happened but Michael's firm hold on her shoulder kept her from leaving or jumping to conclusions. Courtney's pleading eyes told her to stay and listen, it was too important not to hear for her herself.. Rick finally opened up, explaining, "A couple of days after we moved in the guys in my dorm went to a party. I asked you to keep an eye on Sydney for me since the guys were in a mood to harass him. It was the only way to get them to stop so he could have a nice night. I should have been the one to watch him though. I made a major mistake and now I have to live with it." He had tears in his eyes as he looked at Jaimie then continued, "At the party the guys got me drunk and high on rohypnol that they put into my soda, or what I thought was soda. They then made me sleep with a girl who had the same thing happen to her by her roommate and her friends. She didn't want to do it either but we ended up in bed and have to deal with the consequences. She is pregnant, with our child. It was the worst possible night for her to have had sex! I?m sorry. I'm so sorry." He broke down as Courtney added, "He didn't mean it. Neither of them meant to do it. You know him better than anyone, you know he would never do such a thing to you or any other girl. It was the guys who did it to him. You can assume that they have done it a few times already, the girls in the dorms helped them set it all up. It's supposed to make them get together and him dump you for a ?real? girl. It doesn't matter if they could get pregnant as long as they had fun and had sex against their will." Jaimie asked about the girl, getting a tear and unenthusiastic, "She's the spitting image of Aunt Lilly. It's like her story only worse. Aunt Lilly was looking for a good time, Sylvia wasn't. I won't be like Roland Finn, I won't abandon her for my mistake. I'm sorry Jaimie, but I can't abandon my child. I created it, I need to face the consequences of my actions." Jaimie got up to go upstairs. Valerie asked what he was planning to do with the baby. Rick looked down in shame, explaining, "She can't keep it after it's born. She has to give it up for adoption or her parents will disown her and force her to give it up when she is forced to go back home. I can't abandon it, this is my flesh and blood. I hope Jaimie can accept being a mother, I know she won't like that this child is mine through a horrible event but I can't abandon it." John nodded to his wife and went upstairs to talk with Jaimie. Upstairs, John heard her crying and saw that she was holding a picture of Rick and her. He crept in and hugged her, letting her tears flow freely as she started to accept that her boyfriend had done something that he had to live with forever. Jaimie finally looked up and asked, "Is it wrong that I am angry at him for wanting to be a father? He is trying to give me what I always wanted but I never wanted it this way. She is going to be humiliated, I can't let her do that to herself just for my sake. She doesn't deserve to have this happen to her because others couldn't leave two people alone who didn't want to have their version of fun." John saw that she wasn't upset at Rick so much as upset at other people. He added a happy, "You are a good person and he feels the same way you do. He wants you to be a mother, he never wanted to have a child this way but it's his gift to you. He could have given the child up for adoption but he wants you to be a mother to his child. You are going to be a mom, if you let him be a dad too. He can't do it without you, he can't do this alone. Deep down you know what the right thing to do is." She hugged John tight then crept downstairs to hug Rick. Rick had cried while she was upstairs, but her smile and cheerful expression caused the tears to stop. Jaimie finally blurted out, "I want to be upset with you but this wasn't your fault. Dad is right, you are doing what is right for me. Thank you. You didn't have to accept responsibility for what you did or accept fatherhood but you are doing it for me. She needs support, we will help her. She can't do this alone and you need me. I love you." John got serious and asked for the name of the fraternity that the party was held at. He had his serious police officer face on which meant things were going to happen to ensure that the two had justice done for them. If John was upset and determined then nobody was safe from his wrath, he was unstoppable and would use everything within his power to set things right and bring justice to those in need of it. John made inquiries to the campus police about the fraternity and any undue conduct. As expected, he was stonewalled by the officer who answered the phone after the desk sergeant forwarded the phone call leading him to ask his connection to the fraternity. The reaction was also expected, he threatened to arrest John for harassment if he continued to ask about the fraternity but had no right to do so. John's next move was expected as well, he called his nephew David Peterson and got him to do some inquiries via the State Police as they would now have to investigate the fraternity instead of the campus police. The UMass Police were like every other department, there are always a few bad apples and John had uncovered just who was the bad apple in the Amherst department. David had a few comments about the fraternity of his own as he was only two years out of school and had encountered them himself. As he described their reputation, John saw that it was normal for them to do such things but nobody had said anything about their activities before. If there had been any complaints filed, none of them made it to his department as they weren't involved in any actions like that regarding the fraternity. Over at Sarah Jones' clinic, Sylvia was given a thorough examination. Her pregnancy was confirmed, and was a month along. She was given a blood test to check for any diseases in case others had their way with her after Rick passed out but thankfully for mother and baby she was clean and healthy. Richard had trouble keeping from getting upset that someone would do that to a sweet young lady but it had been done to her. Rick was just as at fault and he was pleased that Rick accepted responsibility for his actions. He may not have been lucid and able to consent but he accepted the outcome of his actions as he had hoped his son would do. Richard, his wife Olivia, and Sylvia drove to the Finn home where Jaimie was introduced to her and saw Jaimie hugging her tightly while crying into her shoulder. Sylvia looked at Rick for help, with Richard offering a happy, "She is happy that you are OK and I guess this means that she wants to help you through this. You are giving her what she always wanted- a child of her own, and one who is her fiance's blood. She can't have children on her own but you have given Rick his own child that she can now raise as her own." Sylvia was intimidated but Jaimie took her upstairs to talk with her alone. They needed to do this for their own sake and it was best to have some girl talk while the others waited downstairs. Sylvia was led inside and immediately hugged by Jaimie again, with Jaimie shedding more tears while asking if she was feeling well and if she could do anything to help her out. Sylvia sat down with Jaimie telling her firmly, "Screw the people who say something about you having a baby. They don't care what happened and if they are unsympathetic to you they are terrible people inside. I know you aren't going to have an easy time, but you have me and Courtney and especially Christina when she is told. She will not let you suffer alone, she is the best sister you could ever want and she will ensure that you are feeling good, taking your vitamins, and keeping fit." Sylvia hugged Jaimie for being so kind to her when she should have been outraged at Rick. Jaimie blushed as she admitted, "I wish I could be in your position. I'll never be a real girl no matter how much I look like a girl, you are having the one thing that will never happen to me- having a baby." Sylvia shed a tear as she heard that, feeling terrible that she was feeling sorry for herself when Jaimie was feeling something even worse than she was. It hit her hard that Jaimie had said something to her that didn't quite make sense. Timidly, she asked, "Is it really true? You were born a boy?" Jaimie sadly nodded, confessing, "I had my final surgery to create a vagina from my penis and some internal parts. I almost died due to my anesthesiologist being drunk and lazy. I look so much like a girl because my testicles were removed after I was hurt badly when I was 12 and hadn't hit puberty. I am a girl inside and have breasts and a vagina but I lack the what you need to make a baby so I can never give birth to a child. You have that and are having Rick's child." The two hugged, with Sylvia offering her a solemn, "You are a girl like me, I don't want to be pregnant but I am. You are going to be the mother of my baby, I can't keep it but I am proud to know that he or she will be in a loving home with a good mother and father. You don't have to ever deal with me after it's born, she or he will be yours and yours alone." Jaimie looked at her with happiness then told her, "We will act like this is a surrogate pregnancy. My cousins Patrick and Deborah talked about this before they became parents this summer. My Aunt Kennedy and Uncle Willie had this happen with their youngest son when he was born. Both my aunt and cousin are like me, they weren't born in the right bodies. There are a lot of women who are willing to conceive for couples who can't conceive themselves and use the sperm of the husband as the father, we can claim that it was like that for us. You are the biological mother, but I can be listed as the mother on his or her birth certificate. Thank you again, you have made my dreams come true." The two hugged some more before going downstairs. Miles said a quick, "You forgot about Billy, didn't you?" Jaimie nodded, adding, "You knew I'd have to give in once we talked about this, didn't you? And you are right in your thinking, we are going to act like it's the same thing as Billy, only with Rick being the father instead of a double donor surrogacy." They awaited the next move, the inevitable invasion of Rebecca and her sister Stacy as Thomas came over with Al and Sydney. Rebecca looked at Jaimie then at Rick then finally at Sylvia and was about to jump to conclusions until Jaimie shot her down with a swift, "Yes he 'cheated' but it wasn't his fault so don't go railroading him for doing something he had no control over. He's manning up and accepting responsibility for what happened. He gave me something I needed, he gave me a child. So don't you dare jump on him for having the worst possible thing that could happen to someone at a party happen to him. I love him no matter what." Rebecca was unable to respond, Stacy calmly told Rebecca, "Don't you get it? They are pregnant and they are going to both be parents. If you can't control yourself you are going to cause damage to all of them and despite your tough girl image you know darn well this is a blessing for them. Jaimie is going to be a mom, Rick has his biological child and that means you and Thomas won't have to worry about kids since it doesn't matter anymore!" There was little else to say as the four youngsters came upstairs to find out what was going on leading to the group quickly changing the subject and talking about other things. Noticing that it was just going to be a long boring time for them Sydney was seized by Cat and Ella, forcing him to be the center of attention for them with JD and Logan happy to get out of there as they knew exactly what the girls were going to do to him. Al just shook her head at the two, thinking to herself about his reaction but not daring to say anything lest she be wrong and cause a major problem for him. Sydney came down a half hour later covered in makeup and smiling. Al just grinned, telling him, "They are going to look to do that to you more often. If you are smart you would refuse any trips out here because of the two of them. Trust me, the novelty of wearing makeup wears off quickly. It becomes second nature but still a pain in the neck to deal with." Al gave Sydney a wink, with Sydney not noticing the intent behind it. Sydney was just fine wearing the makeup which took some of the fun out of it for Ella but for Cat it was a pleasure. Sydney and she were so focused on the session that they never noticed Valerie taking a picture of the two with Sydney sitting on the chair while Cat had a brush in her hand and a look of concentration on her face that she didn't have too often outside of school. Ella lost interest fast but Cat did better than expected. Valerie whispered, "She's doing a lot better with you than she usually does with her brothers." Sydney blushed but was happy to keep her out of the others' hair for a bit, knowing Cat's reputation for mischief and finding out secrets like about the baby. Rick told Sydney to go wash up leading him to rush off with Cat and Ella helping him remove all of the makeup. Al helped as well, ensuring that the eyeliner and mascara were also removed as the two tended to forget to do that whenever they put it on their brothers. She was sly in telling Sydney, "Trust me the novelty wears off quickly. It's fun for a bit but once you get used to wearing it you hardly notice it so there's no real fun anymore. They just wanted to put it on you because you are new." Downstairs again, Courtney and Michael drove home with Sydney and Sylvia The two were quiet with Sydney holding her hand while she stared off into the distance, thinking about Jaimie being accepting of what should have been an angry time for her. The couple cooked a simple dinner, knowing that the two would have a lot of nervous energy and not want to do much that evening. David came by to discuss the fraternity situation. His colleagues had found out a lot about the fraternity through some discrete inquiries beyond what he already knew about them from his days at UMass and most of it wasn't good. They were known to allow underage drinking and there were many girls who had made claims of forced sex while attending parties there, with all of the allegations either going unanswered or the investigation finding no cause for further inquiry. The only reason they were able to find information was the officer on duty took their statements for the record and saved it to the servers but nothing was done about it after it was forwarded to the detective division. John thought for a moment then asked if the same officer had been involved in the investigations, getting a nod as well as a terse, "His friends handled the accusations when the complaints were pushed by the school. The school itself is clean in the matter, it's an internal issue with the department. He has had a lot of help from influential people outside and gotten pressure to the right folks. He's dirty as they come but hasn't been caught stepping over the line until now." John was upset at hearing that but knew full well that it was common for small departments to have to live with a few who pushed their views on the many. The right people were involved now, with the State Police not letting anyone influence them regardless of who they now. David knew the folks at the Franklin/Hampshire State Police Detective Unit and knew this was a big one for them, possibly leading back to David and his unit if the school was shown to have acted against accusers. David worked with the detectives and got Rick to give his story with Valerie overseeing it. Once he was finished David moved on to talk with Sylvia and had Cameron Byrne-Toro stand in as her lawyer for the questioning. She gave her take on what happened with both stories matching up to each other and with no coercion or cooperation between the two thanks to some careful choreography with Michael, Courtney, and Valerie it was tough to see their stories as anything but the truth. Cameron suspected that Rick was going to get targeted by the school and asked that David's colleagues be put in charge of the actual investigation right away so the school didn't have a chance to railroad Rick and make him out to be a monster. It was a bold move, with David working hard to get them pointed in the right direction while allowing the school's dirty officers to set themselves up for a fall if they tried to act on their own. The truth about the whole situation was hard to deny but the facts of what happened were muddied and with the detectives on the prowl and trying to pin it on Rick they needed to get things right making any attempted arrest suspicious. After their separate talks with David, Rick and Sylvia spent more time with Jaimie while Sydney went with Al and her friends. Al joked that he might like some more makeup getting Diego Vincent, Ashley Byrne-Toro, Kyle Douglas, and Oscar Pierce to ask if she was jealous of Sydney looking better in it than them. Sydney gave them a big blush which Al noted and grinned at, not letting on that Sydney may have liked wearing makeup that Cat and Ella had made him wear the day before. After a few hours together Jaimie gave the four big hugs as they drove back to Amherst. They were met by officers outside Rick and Sydney's room as soon as they stepped off the elevator. Rick nodded to Sydney who texted John that it had begun. Sydney added that they were not gentle in their questioning and if he hadn't expected it he would have broken down and confessed to a crime just to make them stop their badgering. The officers demanded that Rick go with them to talk about allegations of sexual assault. He refused, asking that they wait until his lawyer arrived the next morning. It was in the evening on Sunday, there was no reason to force either him or Sylvia to talk as there was no evidence nor direct witnesses that they knew of and the allegations were not enough to detain him just yet especially as he knew that they hadn't talked with the alleged victim as she had been with him all weekend. Sydney asked Rick if his neighbor was going to come by, getting a grin from Rick as he happily told the officers, "He will be here early tomorrow. He won't be alone, I think he's taking both of his partners with him." Sydney gave him an odd look to which Rick added, "He doesn't want to do this all alone, and he will have his answer to the allegations ready to go just in case things get out of hand. He's coming in hot and heavy to protect me and ensure the allegations are exposed with the guilty parties prosecuted." Rick entered his room then told them to leave his room unless they were going to arrest him for a crime and if they did that then he was going to ensure that their badges were revoked and that they answered to the State Police as to why they were investigating a crime that had not yet been reported and that had no record of existing except. He dared them to try something, he wasn't in the mood to play their games anymore. It was clear that they wanted to get him away from Sylvia so they could get her to claim that he had raped her so they could have him kicked out of school and sent to jail to protect the fraternity. The officers left, but was sure to tell the others on the floor why they were there. Rick glared at them, with Sydney adding, "They just made a big mistake. Rick's family are going to tear them apart as they just violated his rights. What they did for Miles is nothing compared with what they will do to them on Rick's behalf. Rick's lawyers aren't nice people and don't play around with people breaking the laws." Rick texted John and David, with David all but telling him that they had killed their careers now that the officers had gotten involved in the investigation without authorization especially as they just tried to violate his rights to make a case they were not supposed to be investigating. Their mistake would not go unanswered. They tainted the case by telling the other guys about the allegations. Rick had himself a ready-made lawsuit against them for violating his civil rights. The two were left to fend off people trying to ask about what was going on and if it was true that he was going to be arrested for raping Sylvia. Sydney tried to defend Rick but the more they asked the less Rick was willing to say causing the guys in their dorm to believe the allegations. Rick didn't bother talking anymore, it wasn't worth the fight as he knew most of the questions would be used against him as the police interviewed the dorm after they failed to nail him if they didn't ask the dorm before Cameron and his colleagues got there. In the morning Rick went to class while Sydney spoke with Ricardo Vincent and Savannah Ward about the case against Rick. They were Cameron's partners and were trying to get a background on Rick the night he was out at the party. Sydney could only tell them what Christina and Jaimie had already told them, with him adding in that he was perfectly fine before the party but wasn't acting normal after he got back to the dorm and throughout the day. That was questioned, with Sydney explaining, "He wasn't talking much and he looked like he was in a daze. He fell asleep right away, he barely made it to his classes but fell asleep as soon as he got out for the day. He was only ever like that when he had a stomach virus and after Jaimie left. It's like he was there but he wasn't fully there, as if he wasn't feeling well but not fully sick." This was enough for them as Ricardo added a firm, "He was still partially under the influence when he left. Whatever they gave to her wasn't as strong as what they gave to him. I think there's a lot more to this story than just getting Rick drugged and having sex. Rick had to have been targeted by them for a specific reason. Given Jaimie is his fiance and out, it has to be because of her." Ricardo grinned and called the person David had told him to call starting the investigation down a whole new line of thought. It wasn't just an investigation into rape by the fraternity, it was now one into who wanted Rick gone and why/ Jaimie and her being at the school made the most sense, it coincided with the first of the stalking incidents regarding the girls in their dorm which Sylvia also lived in. Cameron was serving as Sylvia's lawyer with Cameron waiting outside her classroom when she class let out. He wasn't about to take any chances, and when they met up he noticed right away that they were being followed by at least one police officer. He told her to refuse to talk with them without him being there when they came for her after Rick's interview, it was her right to refuse to speak with them and as she had not actually made the allegation let alone spoken with them they had no business badgering her about it. David's colleagues decided that they needed to go for the throat and sought out search warrants for the fraternity. This was supposed to be done while the interviews were conducted, with the school police not told and the fraternity detained off premises. David had one of this coworkers go west to join the search for evidence at the fraternity with her acting as the liaison for the Attorney General's Office. Rick was approached after class and told he had to go with the officers or be arrested. Rick just grinned at that, asking if it was a threat then telling them, "I am choosing to go with you as my lawyer advised me to cooperate until the point where it is proven that this is just a fishing expedition and not an actual investigation. He is not going to allow you to question me without him, though, so please wait until he gets here. I am hereby invoking my right to counsel and refusing to answer any questions." Ricardo grinned and watched as the officers told him firmly, "You aren't entitled to a lawyer. You are being charged with rape of a girl. We have witnesses to you raping her at a party. It was captured on video and will be used against you. Now talk, or we will ensure you get a nasty reception in jail. They don't take too kindly to rapists in jail." Rick just grinned as Ricardo loudly announced, "Don't say a word, we have it on camera. Gentlemen, we will not allow our client to talk to you any further as you have shown that you aren?t investigating this allegation properly and have already stated that you believe him to be guilty. Further, I'll be forwarding this to the State Police to investigate as my client has exercised his rights to counsel and as you have so eloquently pointed out, you could not care any less about his constitutional rights in this matter." Savannah was already calling the State Police to let them know that the UMass Police had video showing the alleged rape. They have cause now to take the case from the police with the UMass Police being investigated themselves for violating rights of suspects alongside their known role in helping to keep the fraternity safe from investigations. The detectives were giddy at the evidence being close, it also meant that someone at the fraternity was guaranteed to go to prison now and they had reason to go at the fraternity deeper than previously thought. Rick gave his account of what happened to the UMass officers while Ricardo looked on and recorded the entire interview. This was a token interview, meant to show that they were out of line and trying to pin the rape on him without any actual evidence. Rick deflected all of their questions as he could not remember anything about the night except going there and waking up back at his room. It was clear that he had no idea what happened to him, yet they still went at him for raping Sylvia. After every possible angle short of him actually being drugged himself there was no further questions asked. The officers walked away angry and disgusted at their failure to nail Rick, speaking in hushed tones but overheard by the digital recorder Sydney was holding out as they walked by. She played the recording to Ricardo who shook his head and forwarded it to the detectives conducting the search at the fraternity while trying to form a play of attack to go after the department for violating his rights. The officers went right for Sylvia's dorm. They didn't bother with formalities, telling Cameron to leave so they could talk with Sylvia alone. Cameron just smirked and announced, "I am representing this young lady and will not allow her to speak without a legal representative. If you try to speak to her without myself or another duly appointed representative I'll have your badges ripped off. I know what you tried to do earlier and won't let my client suffer the same violation of her rights." He challenged them to say something, pointing at his digital recorder. They would have to play by his rules or they'd never get to interview her. They knew that without Sylvia's cooperation and claims of being raped Rick was going free as there was no actual evidence against him. The officers played his game, asking about the party she went to. Sylvia was adamant that she didn't want to go and that her roommate Angela and Angela's friends insisted that she go. They were the ones who gave her the drinks and wouldn't let her leave until she had several drinks in her, grabbing her and forcing her to sit while they got the drinks for her. Cameron made note of the names while the officers barely took notes. Cameron noted that they were not in the least bit interested in that part of the story, tuning it out until it got to the point of her not remembering anything further. The two were almost bored as Sylvia told about the girls trying to set her up with Rick, with the girls insisting that Rick was a good date and worth breaking up his engagement to Jaimie. They started to ask all sorts of questions about what happened after, putting words in her mouth but she didn't bite any of their leads and kept to what she had already told Cameron. She was adamant that she didn't remember anything about the party after the second drink and that Rick was out cold as she woke up. She didn't say a word to Rick, he was dead weight on her body and was fully naked while she was mostly clothed. Cameron smirked at hearing that. It was hard to have forced her to have sex if he was out cold. The drug in her system was slower to take hold but gone quicker, his took hold quickly and lasted longer. There was no way that they could have done anything unless they were forced while they were both under the influence and even then they needed a lot of help as they were practically zombies then. The next part of her story was new to Cameron as she told her roommates about finding herself with Rick passed out inside still inside of her. Her roommate Angela just grinned, telling her, "He's a good catch, you are going to love being with him. He doesn't deserve that tranny freak, he's hung like a horse but he wastes it on her. If you are lucky he might even give you a ring just to keep you two from making you look like a slut for sleeping with him." It was clear now that her roommate was the one who helped set up the whole night with Rick and was likely to have been part of their sexual activities after they were both under the influence. How else would she know the size of his penis or that she was going to have his baby? It was also clear that the whole night with Rick was intended to get Rick away from Jaimie which would cause her humiliation and cause the two new parents to wed to avoid disgrace. She realized what she had said and nodded to Cameron. He'd take it from there with her telling them that Rick wasn't responsible, someone drugged him and her. The officers tried to make Rick out to be at fault until she pointed out that he was out cold and she had been unable to remember anything so how could he have been a rapist if she was just as much if not more of a rapist as him. It was a tough situation for them, she called their bluff. They had nothing and she was not going to be any sort of help as she had made it clear that she couldn't remember anything else. She wasn't trying to withhold information, she honestly didn't remember anything else leaving them with nothing. The whole situation hinged on the words of others who were there as witnesses but who were all not the best of witnesses as they were clearly in on whatever happened and were not going to last under fire from the State Police. Cameron told the officers that she was finished and made it clear that nothing more would be said. They walked out, with Cameron escorting them out so they didn't stop to talk with any of the other ladies in the dorms in an attempt to create witnesses that didn?t exist. This didn't stop the girls from talking while Cameron went back up to Sylvia's room. Her roommate Angela conveniently made an appearance, asking her about the police and if they had caught her rapist yet. Cameron had her string her along, whispering, "Get her to talk about it, she knows everything." Sylvia sighed and confessed, "I don't remember anything and just because he was 'inside' me doesn't mean he actually did anything. It could have been anyone. There were dozens of guys at the party." Angela snorted at that, telling her, "He did it. He had a couple of drinks in him and was slurring his speech, getting you to do what he wanted. We encouraged you to dance with him, once he was close to you we had you two get really close. It didn't take much for him to join you in bed. You were out of it fast but we found him screwing you as you slept. He came in you a couple of times before he couldn't take it any longer and passed out himself. The stud had to have knocked you up, there was too much cum in you not to have done the deed." Cameron hid his anger while Sylvia glanced at the recorder on the table that went unnoticed. She asked how she knew she was fertile, getting a laugh and quick, "You remember how you and I were the first ones here this summer so we could take some introductory classes? I remembered you had your period two weeks before the party. It was inevitable, he is a stud. I hope you are going to go after his family, they are loaded! His brother and sister are rich and his dad is a doctor and his aunt handles all of their finances so you will get a lot of money from them. It's a shame that he will lose that freak he sleeps with but the tranny freak deserves it. He is wasted on that freak. He deserves a real woman." Sylvia just sat quietly with Cameron telling her that he had everything in order. He added a firm, "I'll talk with the investigators. Justice will be served." Angela grinned at hearing that, but it wasn't the justice she was thinking about. Cameron was going to the State Police with the recording rather than the campus police as Angela may have thought. Across the campus, Rick and Christina dealt with his homework. The two were in classes together and her new roommates were supporting him but it was best to keep him away from their dorm until it blew over. He wasn't fazed, he wasn't about to let false allegations get him riled up or miss classwork. The officers made an end run around Ricardo and Savannah and arrested Rick in his dorm despite not having anything on him. He didn't fight it, going quietly while Christina frantically called Ricardo, Richard, and finally David. Rick wasn't going to be arraigned in court until the following afternoon, they arrested him in the hopes of forcing him to confess to the rape and making the case for them but again he refused to talk without a lawyer present. David's call went directly to the head of the detective unit and caused a panic among them. They were quick to head to UMass where they found Rick being punched several times in the ribs by the officers in a back interview room while the known offending officer tried to get him to confess to the rape. The troopers didn't hesitate, they immediately broke up the questioning, called an ambulance for Rick, then had the campus police lockdown the station while the officers were arrested for false arrest, assault, criminal conspiracy, and impeding a police investigation. The State Police were angered that Rick had been taken into custody in the first place, there was no evidence so there was no probable cause at all to do it. Rick being assaulted only caused them to bring in their full investigation with additional troopers called in to seize all evidence that they had at the station while executing a complete search warrant on the fraternity, the guys who took Rick to the party, Angela, and Angela's friends. They were being proactive, there were too many important people who would have to know about the investigation no matter what the powers that be at the university said were going to be involved especially the Governor's office. They weren't happy that the initial search of the fraternity house came up empty. The fraternity had been tipped off about the troopers visiting making them move all evidence out of sight. This infuriated them as the fraternity taunted the troopers over finding nothing inside, but the second warrant would let them tear apart the walls, floorboards, and all personal items of the fraternity in search of evidence. After an examination, Rich had bruised ribs and several lacerations to his face which were shown to have come from the interview process. The officers forgot that the cameras always rolled in the room and everything that they had said to witnesses was recorded. Rick was freed from custody with troopers not even trying to charge him with anything, but the school immediately handed him a full suspension pending outcome of the criminal investigation. This was now strike three for the Finns as Rick started to pack up and leave. Sydney was left to deal with things on his own, with Christina keeping an eye on him until he decided what to do. He wanted to leave as well but it needed to wait until he obtained parental permission which wouldn't happen right away if it came at all. Christina was angry and needed the ladies to calm her down, with all of her new friends offering her hugs of support. Sylvia felt terrible, she blamed herself but Christina wouldn't let her feel that way. She had her heart in the right place, but sometimes you needed to let others do their work instead. Rick was embraced by Jaimie when he pulled into the Samuels house. He tried to stop her tears but she felt that it was her fault for him enduring that horrible lie. She kept saying that if she was normal then the girls wouldn't have gone after him, which he told her, "They'd have done it anyway, it's what they do. They are jealous that I had found the love of my life and she is more woman than they would ever be." Back out in Amherst, the state troopers turned up a lot of surprises during their second, more thorough search. Dozens of packages of MDMA, rohypnol, crystal meth, and liters of booze were found in the rooms with most of the booze found in rooms belonging to members under the age of 21. There were several kilos of marijuana that was being packaged for sale, giving the troopers a laugh as the school officers were ignoring a major health, safety, and ethics violation to go after an innocent man. They were laughing as they found dozens of cartons of cigarettes which had no tax stamps while several were opened and being laced with marijuana in an attempt to hide the drug in plain sight giving the troopers a lot of fines to hand out to the members alongside possession charges. The entire fraternity was arrested on possession with intent to distribute drugs allowing them to be held until they found something stronger to arrest them for. It didn't take long as multiple DVDs were found, with the names of various students written across the jewel cases. It was made all the more interesting as the troopers saw that there were cameras recording the sex sessions with the cameras all leading to a computer in the frat's basement, "Office" but in reality just their entertainment room. The troopers searched for and found several cameras in the various bedrooms with the feeds leading directly to the, "Office" computers. Rick's name was on one of the DVDs which, when played on a laptop, showed an edited sex session between him and Sylvia. What was clear was it was edited, but that turned out to not be a problem as the raw video was stored on one of the computers with the whole two hour session shown including a lot of interesting cameos by various people of interest. It was clear that Rick was out of it and slurring his words badly throughout the video. Sylvia herself was barely conscious and while they were having sex, Rick needed someone to put his penis in her and hold him up straight while being told that it was Jaimie that he was having sex with. Sylvia couldn?t sit up and when he got close to ejaculating she was put into a position to accept all of it. It was even worse as Angela and another girl moved Rick out of the way and fondled her until orgasm, allowing her to take in more of Rick's semen while the guys with them laughed at Sylvia getting herself knocked- up by the tranny lover. Jaimie's name was specifically mentioned, with the girls telling the guys that they needed to start in on her to get her kicked out since they took care of Rick for them. There was no denying it anymore, it was a conspiracy between the girls and the fraternity and Rick was just a pawn to them. Had it not been for the NCAA fiasco Jaimie would have been in for a tougher time at the school from the fraternity brothers going after her. The evidence was secured with the troopers making note to talk with the ladies about that night, but to also hold off on their bombshells until they had the ladies in a lie. They already had the guys bang to the rights but the girls would be tougher since they could claim coercion by the guys and make them out to be the real criminals with the right bit of tears and sympathetic pleading. The texts from David about Cameron's recording was actually going to be the key, they would talk in order to avoid serious jail time but still have criminal records from their role in the whole situation. The raid made the rounds of the campus, but what was more important was that the school was told to back off and if not they would face investigation by the Attorney General's Office. Kennedy Pena had flexed her muscles and had the school legal counselors suspend the fraternity brothers then Angela and the girls pending investigation while rescinding Rick's suspension with a formal apology to him. The UMass Police were not off the hook but Rick was only going to sue for the assault rather than the false arrest rather than going after the school for the coordinated attack on him. A settlement with Rick was reached for the sum of $5 million with the school agreeing to allow him to transfer to another school after the semester finished. He had no problem doing that, but they were put on notice that they were under scrutiny by the state and another incident would result in many of the administration being ousted for fostering an environment detrimental to the safety and well-being of the students. Visions of Salem State danced in their heads, leading to the school agreeing to the demand. The next day the ladies were questioned about the night at the fraternity. They tried to plead innocent, claiming that Rick took advantage of the drunk Sylvia before changing their stories to Sylvia leading him on when it was clear that he wasn't lucid enough to do that. They acted like they had no part in any of the planning nor in getting her there, insisting that she wanted to go all along. That all changed when the recording by Sylvia was played, with Angela turning white as a sheet as she realized that she had admitted to setting her up for sex. This was further compounded when the video of the girls helping the intoxicated Rick and Sylvia have sex, complete with snide remarks about Jaimie and lewd jokes about his penis, were played. Their parents weren't the least bit happy, with the girls pleading with their parents for help. There was no way around it, their innocence was lost especially as part of the videos included the girls having sex with the fraternity brothers as the two unwilling partners were laying unconscious a few feet away. It was sickening to them to see their little girls acting like total sluts and hurting two people who had done nothing wrong to any of them, The girls admitted that they had willingly done what had happened to Rick and Sylvia multiple times to troublesome girls and guys at the request of the guys. The girls were all on video, with the girls being enticed to help the guys as they were the best looking guys on campus and would ensure they had the best of everything while at school. Two of the girls had their eyes on the guys as potential husbands with Rick being the one they all wanted but with Jaimie dating him she needed to be removed from the equation first, hence the plot to get him in trouble. They weren't ready for the consequences of their actions. A girl was pregnant, by a guy who didn't want to have sex with her let alone impregnate her. All because he was dating a girl who was born in the wrong body. It was sickening to their parents, who pulled their support from the girls once they agreed to plead guilty to charges in exchange for evidence against the guys. Rick was exonerated publicly with the fraternity being indicted for several dozen counts of rape and sexual assault. This was in addition to the major drug charges that they had pending against them for possession of the MDMA, rohypnol, marijuana, and crystal meth. The girls agreed to accessory charges for the rapes with Angela, the one who actually brought Sylvia to the party despite her not wanting to go and doing much of the actual work to get Sylvia pregnant, getting the heaviest sentence. This didn't help the school. The PR hit was even worse as the media loved a good sex story and had several of the former victims willing to talk about the school looking the other way. The police were hit hard over their officers stonewalling all attempts to go after the fraternity and for blaming the victims instead of protecting them. Sylvia's family found out about her pregnancy from one of the frat brothers sending them the video of her having sex with Rick and tried to disown her. Cameron was vicious in his defense of Sylvia, with him explaining that she had done something against her will and the guy she slept with was acting like a man and going to lay claim to their grandchild as his own child and that she had willingly offered her child up to his fiance to raise as her own child and would give birth to him or her as if it was a routine surrogate pregnancy. Rick and Jaimie had a rough time at home as their former classmates showed their true colors and trashed the couple. Miles and Michael were just as quick to defend the couple, with Michael pointing out that they were acting like children when this was a serious, adult situation. The fact that they went after Rick and Jaimie for Rick being forced to have sex under the influence while he himself had unprotected sex with Courtney that resulted in him impregnating her was ignored showed that they were really only going after him due to Jaimie which was enough to shut them up especially as it was the truth for most of them. Christina kept close to Sylvia, moving in with her to help her out as she progressed throughout the fall semester. Christina's old roommate was fine with this as it was needed and Christina was too nice of a person not to help out. The two were also close with Sydney as he spent more time with them as Rick spent much of his time holed up in his room away from others. Jaimie visited them every Friday to drive Rick home, with Sydney joining them for the drive. He was happy to see that Jaimie was going to buy a house for her and Rick near home allowing them to have their privacy while also letting Sydney come with Rick and not need to disturb anyone. He asked why they were doing that, getting a happy, "You need time away too." Rick and Sydney had a close relationship at school with most joking that Sydney was like his younger brother. Rick just grinned at that, he liked Sydney and he reminded him of Al. They were always close but Sydney kept a few secrets to himself. Rick never caught on until he saw for himself a week after the whole sexual assault situation dissipated. Chapter 16- epilogue The wedding between Juanita and Zoe James was a smashing success. The ladies were both decked out in white and saw their parents in tears with Juanita's father losing himself as he saw them kiss deeply and with great passion. Her mother Dorothy had never been prouder, Juanita had given her a chance to properly plan a wedding and give her the experience of a lifetime as the mother of the bride. Juanita's twin sister Carmen Carter was glowing in her dress as her baby bump made her look both sexy and elegant, bringing out the best in her wife Addison. The two gave Juanita and Zoe tear filled hugs and kisses while they both asked if they were planning on children. Both gave a happy, "Yes" but followed it up with a happy, "But not until graduations" sending their friends into a fit of laughter as the Carters blushed at the subtle joke at their own impending parenthood. The newlywed couple's parents were pleased to hear that. Carmen and Addison were surprise parents but they had careers that they were more than happy to temporarily put off while they raised their sons. Addison was closer to graduating with a well paid career already so she would work while Carmen did the primary childcare, taking shifts at the restaurant she currently worked at every few weeks to relieve tired employees so they could take vacations or sick days. Their mothers tried to offer to babysit for them so Carmen could work more nights earning a paycheck for herself but Carmen insisted on being their for her sons until they were old enough to be independent and not need her constant care. It was only two years from then, but it was the world to the couple. The truth was simple: Carmen wanted to avoid the mistakes her parents made with her and Juanita and give them as much love and affection while teaching them the right way of behaving before letting others influence them, even if they were trusted people that they knew. Carmen's body filled out more and more with Addison having trouble keeping her hands off of Carmen whenever they were together. Her own mother, Harper Carter, had to spritz them with a water bottle to get them to calm their libidos but it was tough for them to do with Carmen being such a beautiful woman and Addison being so madly in love with her that she couldn't think straight at times. Even Harper found herself staring at her daughter-in-law as she changed clothes and showered, she looked like a Latina goddess to her and gave her bouts of jealousy over Carmen looking even better after she lost her baby weight. The Carters moved in with Harper so they would be closer to the bulk of the family while also giving the Castillos below a chance to not endure two newborns screaming at all hours of the night. The three were closer than Harper thought possible, with Dorothy forming a friendship with Harper as the two got used to being around one another. Dorothy was glad to finally have someone her same age who had been through the same battles she had endured while offering her an ear to vent to at times. Harper had gotten extensive help from the Vincent, Ward, and Byrne-Toro law firm in her attempt to get a divorce from her husband, Carl Camp. Carl's constant abuse and attempt to remove Harper from the Carter apartment got her a hefty settlement from the hidden bank accounts Carl had kept. His constant affairs with women around the Boston area led to further lawsuits from disgruntled, jilted husbands and the breakups of multiple marriages including Dr. Vaughn's. Dr. Vaughn was terminated for her actions, particularly for her lewd activities in the hospital with Carl that were caught on camera by security and heard by several patients in a nearby room. She had already been sued by Addison and Carmen for humiliating the couple then refusing care to Carmen due to her relationship with Addison. She saw her reputation demolished requiring her to flee the state with the remains of her bank account and without her children, who refused to have anything to do with their mother after she caused them public embarrassment and hurt their father so deeply. Dr. Vaughn was able to set up a rural practice that would prove to be beneficial to her community. She was forced to confront her prejudices and her past as the community learned of her mistreatment of an expectant couple and why she had actually taken offense to them. With nobody willing to speak to her and through the help of a psychologist, Dr. Vaughn accepted her problems and tried to be accepting. Eventually, Dr. Vaughn showed she was being sincere and started to win over the town. It was tough going but she had allies and the more she tried the more she earned support. Seeing her changes her children thawed to her but still couldn't forgive her, she accepted this and just sought love from them. Carl Camp didn't do well though. He had dozens of criminal charges that were brought against him as his little business crumbled after the delicate shell cracked. His bank account was wiped clean in attempt to hide his assets but the only place it could go was to his and Harper's joint account. She told his lawyer that she?d use it on her grandchildren, they could use the money and it was a small price to pay for the years of torment she herself had unintentionally inflicted upon her daughter. Harper declared the money, with Carl owing the taxes on it. His manipulations only caused him to now face tax evasion charges with his attempt to hide his assets being pointless since they were already on record and accounted for. He was hit with hefty fines and a solid sentence when he went to court. Carl accepted a plea bargain and was sentenced to 15 years in prison while the federal courts sentenced him to three years. His sons fared no better, getting three years each for assault and another year for violating a restraining order. Harper and Addison simply sold Carl's assets and kept the money with Carl choosing not to fight Harper any longer over their divorce. Carl's trucks turned out to be top notch and fetched a pretty penny, which gave the family the idea of using them to start another business that would be helpful for the family. Dan Lopez used one to expand his contracting business while the mothers of the family used a second truck to start a delivery service for their restaurant. The third was sold outright, while the building Stanley used for his illegal operations was turned into Dan's new headquarters allowing him to buy newer, larger equipment. Zoe's wedding caused her sisters Sela and Isobel to start getting serious with their boyfriends. Sebastian and Fabian Perez were perfect for them in every way as the couples frequently went out on dates while trying hard to keep from pushing the girls farther than they wanted to go. After two months Sela and Isobel rented a cottage on a lake up in New Hampshire and gave in to their lust, giving the two guys a night they'd never forget as passions overtook the couples. They wisely used protection but their tryst was followed by the twins trying to find rings so they could propose and keep the ladies from finding better guys. Poor Ian Bailey got stuck helping them shop while they helped him shop for baby items. Ian and his wife Sheila had forgotten to use protection during several of their nights of love and had accidentally fallen victim to the small run on parenthood among their generation. Sheila, Carmen, Courtney, Hannah and Paige Smith, and Sylvia all shared the motherhood bug with seven babies expected to be born between February and June. They were joined by Alexandra James who was using a surrogate to have her triplet boys. Unlike the others, due to Alexandra's late-40s age a surrogate was impregnated via in-vitro fertilization rather than, "Normal" means but by no means making it any less of a special time for the family. Phoebe Roth was a was a brilliant girl who had nowhere else to legally turn to for money for her college expenses and the James family had proven to be the best family she had met with regarding surrogacy. She was so taken to by Alexandra to the point that it was tough to not see her as another daughter, causing Phoebe to cry tears of joy over hearing that. Alexandra got her chance to mother someone else alongside being a mother again to babies giving her empty nest syndrome the boot and giving Phoebe a real parent instead of a foster parent. Sela and Isobel met with Phoebe and saw the love their parents had, matching the love they had shown before adopting Zoe. They shook their heads then laughed, she wasn't leaving the James family. They spent a lot of time talking with her as she adjusted to life at their former home and after a few hours hugged her tight and kissed her, telling her affectionately, "Mom and dad want you as our new sister." Fabian and Sebastian proposed to their girlfriends at home while they were watching a baseball game. It was perfect for the ladies, they didn't want some fancy restaurant or requests for permission from their grandfather and father, they just wanted their boyfriends to ask them. The only one whose permission they clearly asked was Zoe, who told them about their desire for that way of proposing. The wedding was set for Valentines Day. Nothing big, just closest family and friends. It meant the James, Bailey, Smith, Peterson, and Carter families but it was what they wanted and their younger friends would happily accept it. That didn't stop them from streaming it so everyone could watch it at home via their secure network connection courtesy of the Finn Family's resident IT people nor did it prevent their grandfather from hosting a large reception for everyone after it was finished. The Smith twins returned from England with their families happily embracing the couples as their news spread. The kids were shocked to see their small bellies starting to show after not seeing them for two months, which caused constant blushes to the two ladies. Hannah and Paige had to endure teasing from their cousins and Paige's sisters but it was all in good fun especially as neither Christina nor Jenna Connors wanted to temp fate themselves. Hannah and Paige kept the sex of the babies a secret but did reveal that they had to flip coins to settle arguments. Karen Smith just shook her head to which Hannah groaned and blurted out, "Fine, we are having one baby each. Both are girls. Whoever gives birth first is naming her daughter Ophelia and the other is naming her daughter Lillian. I think the guys have already settled on Pete and I naming ours Lillian so you can start making your purchases but don't go overboard! This our pregnancy nor yours!" Karen smiled at her daughter which only caused Hannah to roll her eyes., "Payback was a bitch" as the saying goes, and Hannah was about to endure what she endured when she was pregnant with Hannah. If by some chance she is cursed with the family tradition of multiples it would only be fitting. A month later it was confirmed, Hannah was carrying twins. A boy and a girl. Harold Mark Smith was developing alongside Lillian Leslie Smith in Hannah's womb. Paige wasn't able to laugh as she had found out that she was carrying twins as well. Ophelia Karen Smith was joined by Bradford Alistair Smith. Due to their similar development, if things went well all four were expected to be born on the same day. Michael and Courtney were given their space as the baby furor went on. The couple were hard at work with Courtney getting as much of her elective and school-required courses out of the way. She was given permission by the school to take courses online and others changed to short-semester classes to allow her to have plenty of padding to her credits before the baby forced her to take the semester off. It was a busy time for her but she managed to make it through the worst of the morning sickness with minimal issues and only the occasional fights between the couple. Her body started to fill out with Michael constantly stopping to stare at her as her breasts swelled and her thighs and butt got larger. She was simply beautiful in his eyes, the baby had only cause her to become even sexier. Michael ended up with the nickname of, "Shining knight" at school as the fall semester began. His new professors were blissfully unaware of his actually being a knight and that he had done an act befitting the joke. He accepted the ribbing, it was better than the kind of abuse Jaimie and Miles got out at UMass and was done without malice. It wasn't until a student from the UK told one of the professors that he really was a knight and had been knighted by the queen herself that the school took notice. Michael was hauled in by the school's PR department to answer some questions which he was blunt in telling them, "I won't be used for publicity. What I did was before I became a student here and I refuse to let someone's pain and suffering be used to further another person's agenda. I did what I did because I was there and would do it again, but I won't let anyone use what I did for any reason whatsoever." He walked out and went to class but kept an eye out for the media. A discreet text to William Kelly, the family's default media handler, got any attempts to get information about accessing Michael quashed. William simply texted back, "General 'asking for privacy and don't want to benefit from someone's pain and suffering' given. UK media not interested anymore, information on file for them to use." Michael went home content that he wasn't going to be put on display and hounded. The school did ask to speak with him again, but he firmly told them that unless it had to do with his academics then he had no reason to speak with them. He then told them firmly, "I am still gainfully employed with Evans Investments Ltd. and won't hesitate to tell one of your larger donors that I am unable to work for them anymore as I had to withdraw and transfer to another school due to constant badgering of me by the school. My parents have already gone to war with UMass-Amherst and won't hesitate to go to war with you over your actions. I told you no more, unless this is about my classwork or classes please leave me alone or you will see this threat turn into a promise." This was enough to scare the school off from going after him further. The Finns weren't their biggest fear, Grace Evans and her money was. Grace was a longtime supporter of the school and who had sent them two dozen students who had proven to be among the best students they ever had. To upset her would be akin to kissing their futures away, especially as Michael was one of her most highly touted employees and attending school at her request and via her personal payment. The Finns weren't ones to trifle with either as their clout was far reaching and included a few of their current graduate students, several of whom worked for top companies. Losing those students' support would lead to issues with professors and the business community. Michael was left alone under the penalty of termination, with any requests for information vetted by the school to prevent upsetting him. Courtney found herself enjoying her coursework with some of her online classes being no challenge. Her short semester classes enabled her to finish two semesters in one while her online classes were finished in a span of two months. She kept busy but really only did half as much work as she thought she'd had to do for the classes. There was a lot of classroom time but it wasn't followed up by hard homework as they were introductory classes in subjects she was very familiar with. As she got further into her pregnancy she found herself at her old home helping her mother with her toddler brother and enjoying being closer than they had ever been before. Gabby Bollinger talked with her about her changes and her urges and her cravings. Courtney's sisters walked out whenever they were together, after hearing it once they were not about to hear more of the things they were talking about as they didn't want to know Courtney's lust and need for pickles and peanut butter. Courtney understood her sisters and for them it was tough seeing her pregnant at so young an age. They were happy to be aunts to the baby but still didn't want to think about getting pregnant themselves. Her brothers were the same, but one was seeing the outcome of unprotected sex and the other was seeing her as a babysitter not a sister. Deborah Peterson and little Antonio bonded quickly. Antonio was legally adopted by Deborah a month after returning from California with little fanfare but smiles from Judge Perez for doing the right thing for a child who needed a loving home and parents who deserved a child. The family adjusted to having him around, with Dorothy and Deborah's mother-in-law Lilly Peterson getting a lot of time with him as they insisted on the couple taking time to rest and recover from the little boy's nighttime feedings and diaper changes. Deborah's biggest fear was that Antonio wouldn't see her as his mother and would continue to want his birth mother, Gabriela. Antonio adjusted to Deborah being around him to the point that he sought her out above all others including his new father, Patrick. He slept more soundly when Deborah put him down and didn't fight much when being dressed and changed by Deborah. Antonio kept trying to suckle from Deborah leading her to cry as it was something she would miss out on from not having a baby herself. Patrick comforted her, then pointed, "He keeps doing it to me, it's natural instincts taking over. You saw it with Sophia, he will stop when he understands what the bottle is for. I swear she told him to do that just to get me upset, he seems to get a laugh out of it whenever he does it but mom said it's just gas." Antonio was a relatively quiet baby. He didn't cry for attention, everyone who saw him would give it to him automatically. He knew Deborah was never far away and when she wasn't then either his aunts, grandparents, or great-aunts were there for him. He broke the family tradition of taunting John Finn by refusing to give him any kind of attention and crying in his presence. Antonio actively sought out John whenever he saw him, he'd immediately fall asleep giving Deborah and Patrick a rest while John got stuck with the sleeping infant in his arm. It was his own mark on the family, one that John had no problem with even if it was intentionally done by Antonio so his mother could rest for a while. As the summer ended, Deborah lamented putting Antonio into daycare while she attended classes and taught. He did well with the daycare staff especially the four owners who just happened to know him already. He was more than happy to let his great-aunt Melanie care for him to the point that Deborah handed him off to her before being able to go, with Melanie then handing him off to his caretaker while the other parents and employees smiled brightly at her. Deborah had to endure some odd looks from the teachers as she arrived the first day of school but some words with John Finn, Sean Kelly, and Ben and Beth Herman caused the odd stares to turn into nods of understanding. Her look was simply the classic, "New parent" look. Word got around that Deborah had become a mother, with students having trouble believing that their transgender teacher had managed to adopt let alone a young baby but the truth set them straight with a lot of the naysayers being put in their place over something so touching being done for Antonio's sake. Deborah's mentor, Justin Stoner, kept her focused and away from overthinking about Antonio while they were in class. He understood the feeling but she needed to think about something else or she'd get herself worked up. She was able to adapt to the situation and with Justin's help was able to work out a better lesson plan which would use her talents and keep the students interested. Deborah received the sad news that her beloved Tia Gloria had passed on. Deborah, Patrick, Antonio, and the combined Taylor/James/Carter families flew west for the funeral. It was tough on them as Juanita and Carmen would face the people they had fled from while Deborah would be showing off Antonio as her own for the first time. Gabriela and her family greeted them warmly while the extended Vega and Garcia families looked on in joint disapproval. Antonio didn't go for Gabriela as expected, simply looking for Deborah's attention while looking around at the various people assembled. Gabriela smiled at the little boy, kissing him then hugging Deborah for helping her out again. The funeral and wake were a celebration of Gloria's life with family and friends wishing her well while remembering all of the times that she had done things for them. Deborah and Dorothy didn't speak, they didn't need to. Deborah was Dorothy's legacy thanks to Gloria while Patrick and Antonio were Deborah's. Juanita and Carmen didn't speak either, they had nothing to say to people who had been so terrible to them or ignored their pain and suffering. Gloria was laid to rest in a small lot in Mexico, with Gabriela reluctantly telling Deborah that her parents had decided to remain down there as Alma Perdidas was no longer home and they had just enough money from the sale of the restaurant to start over in the Garcia's ancestral home. It was truly goodbye for them, with the Garcias genuinely feeling grief over saying goodbye to their grandchild and the two people who were special to Gloria. Reyna Byrne-Toro successfully sued the Dodgers and caused the team to have to face the ire of the community and the nation as their house of cards regarding their mystique fell apart. Their falsehoods were continuously uncovered while their finances dwindled as investors and advertisers pulled their money from the stadium and team. The hemorrhaging of money got so bad that the owners had to sell the team to stave off bankruptcy. Reyna's incident was the spark that the Red Sox needed to come together as one and claw their way up in the standings. This final kick was enough to get two players put on the All Star Team with Miguel earning the spot as the designated reliever. His performance was clutch and earned him the MVP honors with the bonus being given directly to, "Jaimie's House" followed by a matching donation from the other members of both teams as they were put on the spot, smiling as they each agreed to do so. Miguel was a hot commodity in the baseball world, with an arm that was holding up well and having not had an injury to it in his 10 years in the league. The team had to turn down a dozen offers for Miguel with Miguel not wanting to go anywhere else to play. He refused to leave Boston nor any of his family, with Miguel happily telling anyone who would listen that he didn't want to miss seeing his new nephews grow up and would gladly retire as a member of the Red Sox and even work for the team after his retirement as the team had come to mean a lot to him. The Red Sox traded a couple of other players, they had wanted out due to homesickness and Boston's vicious and unsympathetic media and used Miguel's refusal to be traded as a way to get their tickets out. Their replacements were good players who took to the Byrne-Toro kids nicely. Lupe Byrne-Toro ended up with a couple of new kids in her daycare as hers was highly recommended by the players with Lupe getting high praise as a teacher which she was quick to give to her colleagues instead. Reyna's finances were bursting after the Dodgers settled the lawsuits against them, but she ignored the money. She kept it locked up and would eventually set up a trust fund for her future children. She thought about the idea and smiled as her girlfriend Rachel Sylvester would look beautiful as a mother. That wouldn't be for at least six years, though, as Reyna refused to let Rachel forgo any college classes. She had no idea what she wanted to do with her life which led to her spending a lot of time with Rachel only leading to her understanding forensics as Rachel talked with her about the field. Rachel was going into computer forensics while Reed Pena and Miles were going into forensic accounting, Reyna liked the idea of working alongside her girlfriend and decided to double-down on her science to become a crime scene technician. It was a good fit for her, she had experienced the worst of it firsthand and wasn't squeamish about seeing blood and gore anymore. "Jaimie's Place" thrived under the leadership of its new director. She and her family were the start of a change in the neighborhood as the older families moved out or sold their properties allowing a new generation of families to move in. The fact that both the former Toro and Vega homes were occupied and renovated with the properties maintained gave the homes in the neighborhood a boost in sale price making it tough to live in for some of the nastier families while being attractive to new families. A month after they moved in and the renovations were done, the home started to accept families. The director did not discriminate and was not afraid to ask a family to leave if they showed bigotry against others. As a last resort for many, leaving wasn't an option and through her care the home helped a dozen families in dire need find new, permanent homes while helping the children adapt to their mothers' lives as women transitioning to their true selves or as survivors of abuse. "Jaimie's Place" started to grow in reputation and able to obtain grants for expansion and acquisition leading to the house next door being bought and added to the home with the two linked creating a much larger place with a true office, larger kitchen, and more bedrooms. By mid-fall it was a go-to place for social services and with the sheriff's department being friendly with it, was able to keep predators, angry exes, and potential religious zealot protesters away. Ashley Byrne-Toro recovered from his stabbing and quickly lost a lot of weight, thanks in part to the stomach surgery that he was forced to undergo. By the end of the summer he had had lost over 50 pounds of weight and his gynecomastia had cleared up to the point of him looking like an average 13-year-old boy. He was lucky, he didn't need surgery to remove excess skin from his body thanks to the toning his friends helped him achieve by working out with him, but he also feared that he looked like a freak due to his clothes not fitting him anymore. When he was cleared a week after released, as promised Diego Vincent, Kyle Douglas, and Oscar Pierce helped him start getting in shape. The four worked out with Donald Bollinger under the strict eye of Donald's father Zeke allowing them to push themselves but not overdo things. The four put on muscles with each starting to develop into young men as Kyle and Oscar had a growth spurt while Diego's testosterone treatments started to give him more defined pectorals as his breast fat had finally redistributed and burned off. Ashley?s muscles grew and started to show clear tone while being subtle. He wasn?t chubby anymore, he had the girls giggling as he was turning into a good looking guy while making the others jealous of his quick change in body. The timing was perfect for him, Richard told the boys that puberty had set in and Ashley had started to become a man and what the were seeing was a growth spurt in all areas of his body allowing his new muscle tone to work with his growing bones to make him look more attractive. The four ladies were in awe of their boyfriends' new looks. Rosalind Porter was drooling over Ashley as she felt his biceps getting harder each time they worked out. The ladies were going to a sexual joke but stopped as their parents gave them a, "Go ahead and say it, I dare you" look only making them realize that they were going a little too far with the teasing. Rosalind slowly grew closer to her sister Stephanie and after several sleepovers at their houses, she became friends with Trina Phillips and Amy Bollinger. It took her a while to see that they were sincere in their friendship offers but once she accepted that they wanted her as a friend she wound up being their voice of reason and the one who settled all arguments among them. It was both touching and cringe worthy as she had to settle some lovers spats between Trina and Stephanie, but her sister never held it against her if she sided with Trina and always kissed and made up with Trina after their spats. Ashley and the guys spent several nights together at the Vincent home, talking away while playing video games. Ashley was pretty good at the games, much to the point that in two games he was the top player and even bested the fabled Rebecca Lopez in a one-on-one battle. The guys saw him as one of them and whenever not working out they'd run, Ashley slowly being able to run farther distances with the guys slowing down to a fast walk to keep up with Ashley's slow pace. As school started Rosalind and Ashley being with their friends made waves as the longtime notorious bitch and self-inflicted outcast alongside the former class lard ass and weirdo were both friendly with them and actually looked like they wee close. Rosalind kissing Ashley good luck as they entered only caused more rumors to spread but the few dumb enough to spread them in front of Dorothy or Alice Porter were given detentions. It was clear by lunch that Rosalind was with the group in full and Ashley was dating her. Ashley's physical change was noticed by many of the girls. His baby fat around his face was starting to give way to a face that was showing how handsome he truly was. That, coupled with Ashley gaining a couple of inches in height over the summer making him one of if not the tallest boys in school, it was hard for some to believe that he was the meek, fat boy that everyone avoided except Rosalind. Rosalind was asked about Ashley's change, to which she was brutally honest then showed her affection toward him with words of love. She was smitten with him, so much so that she had the girls giggling at her but it was no different than them. His story was sad but his bodily change was one that made all of them look at him as a potential boyfriend for the first time, should he and Rosalind not work out. The guys in the 8th grade weren't happy that the girls were swooning over Ashley. He was supposed to be the outcast yet he was the new class hottie to the girls. This only served to enrage them as none of the girls wanted them nor would they give them attention yet Ashley had them drooling over him without saying a word to them. After school, six boys cornered Ashley as he came out of class with the still-hobbling Rosalind. He was dragged to the gym, beaten badly, and finally stripped down to his underwear then tossed outside where all of the students could see him in is briefs. The scars on his abdomen were visible for all to see with the boys laughing at bandages that were still covering his wounds. They went one step further by yanking down his briefs, showing the whole school his large penis while Ashley tensed up in fear. The boys were rolling around laughing at his humiliation but Ashley accepted it as being par the course for him. He may have found love with Rosalind but he was still the one that all of the boys went to for a show of strength whenever they needed to humiliate someone. Ashley didn't say a word, he just pulled up his underwear, walked to the gym, then dressed in silence. He accepted his fate, expecting the entire school to humiliate him. Rosalind was with him, hugging him tightly while their friends handled the boys for him. Outside, the boys had a rude awakening as Diego, Kyle, and Oscar cornered them to prevent them from escaping. They had no intention of harming them, they didn't need to. They waited for Dorothy to make her way over after reviewing the video of the boys stripping Ashley and dragging him outside while Alice called over the boys' parents to inform them of what they had just done to Ashley. Dorothy was firm in announcing, "Expulsion for all six of you. This was beyond humiliation, this was a pure assault on top of publicly humiliating a student. Be glad that his parents aren't pressing charges but you six are gone from school. You may have thought that you were big fish in this small pond but at the alternative school you are just minnows in a tank of sharks." When Ashley was fully dressed he walked out in silence as Olivia Samuels drove him home. Ashley knew he was back to being the outcast but Al Samuels smiled widely and informed him, "That big bandage and the scars were a big impact on the students. They knew you were hurt but that was proof. It will only make anyone who goes after you look bad. Besides, the school fears our boyfriends. Plus that little show of what you had in your pants made most of the girls excited and if you and Rosalind ever break up you will have a lot of girls trying to date you to get a piece of it." In contrast to Ashley, Liam Byrne-Toro had an easier time at his first day of school. Lupe happily dropped him off at school and he got to see just how different regular school is vs. preschool. Lupe was ready to take him home at any time but with his buddies TJ Daniels and DJ Lopez by his side he was alright all day. He got to see how different people are and how some were jerks in school but acted nice outside of school. He also got to see how some were nice in school but only because they had to be. It was a real awakening and made his harsh words that his grandfather had taught him before look even worse. He started to see boys and girls differently with some boys being great with girls while others being jerks. DJ and TJ had been so used to girls, especially older ones, that they were able to play with both which made Liam start to do the same. They were teased by the boys but ignored it, with their teacher seeing in the trio what she had seen in four Finns in her class the previous year. Liam wasn't with them for long but he had already turned the tide in acting like his friends. At home, Liam adjusted to being Lupe's son. Lupe got a chance to be a mother again with Liam loving having a real mother for the first time. He knew that Cameron Byrne-Toro had given birth to him but he had only known Cameron for a short time and he was simply, "Daddy" to Liam. Lupe though, was his, "Mommy" and the woman he had hoped a mother would be like. Lupe cried he first time he called her mommy. She loved hearing it, with Liam hugging her tightly once they had gotten back from the courthouse after the adoptions and name changes were finalized. Cameron kissed Lupe, thanking her for doing that for his sons but it was Lupe who thanked him for giving her more children to love and help raise. Reyna and Ashley kept their distance but they did enjoy their time around one another. Ashley loved seeing her with Rachel, who he felt was perfect for Reyna as she made Reyna act like a better sister by simply taking an interest in his life. Reyna was already on good terms with Rosalind, she gave Rosalind a chance to talk about girl things without her sister's embarrassment or fear of saying the wrong thing to her mother. The family was overjoyed as Cynthia Eagleson was released form rehab once her shoulder healed fully and her concussion signs had dissipated. It melted her heart as her three grandchildren helped her home, with Cynthia staying with the Byrne-Toros instead of staying in the newly renovated Eagleson home. She tried to fight this but Lupe insisted that she be around them just in case and she loved having her company when Cameron was dealing with his current cases. Cynthia was shown to a room, which was vacated by Reyna in favor of her own space in the attic that was made fit for a teenage girl. Reyna and Rachel decorated it with Ashley acting as their pack mule, earning a kiss from both girls while he blushed. The couple were happy to have some privacy, and assured Cameron and Lupe that they wouldn't do anything that they'd have to explain to Liam. Cynthia had reverted to her maiden name of Byrne and filed for divorce, winning a quick one as her husband was forced to sell off everything to her to compensate for the abuse. His bar and their former home were sold with the buyers simply gutting it to turn it into condos. Rosalind wasn't happy to have lost having her boyfriend next door but he was with a loving family and next door to both a close friend and her own relatives anyway and the distance of two blocks wasn?t too far for them.. Cynthia had chosen to file for retirement after 35 years of teaching with that upcoming year being her last. She was 65, the time was right to move on and let another generation of teachers take over. It was sad news to the kids especially the 6th graders who wanted to have her as a teacher but the time was right and she would always be around them as a tutor. Stanley Eagleson was tried for his crimes. He was smart and pleaded guilty to the charges in the hopes of getting out before he was 75 but the judge pulled a fast one on him. He accepted the plea and sentenced him to the crimes but his sentences were consecutive rather than concurrent, he wouldn't be released for 35 years making him all but assured of dying in prison The stooges all got similar sentences with the one who stabbed Ashley getting 50 years. It didn't matter, the judge had made his point and none were getting off easily. Everyone involved got hit hard. Stanley's slimy lawyer ended up getting disbarred and sentenced to 20 years in prison total for his conspiracy charges. To make things worse for him, Cameron sued on Rosalind's, Chloe Daniels', Ashley's, and Liam's behalf and won them $16 million total. The money was paid in full by the lawyer, bankrupting him but also sending a message to the legal community to not fool around with the law. After his talk with Courtney, Arthur Evans had been tempering his behavior and had managed to catch the eyes of several ladies. It was a big shock to him, but they were happy to have a guy who knew how women thought even if he never wanted to be a woman. The ladies talked with him for several long days as they attended class with Arthur finally getting asked out by one of them in mid-September. Arthur was nervous as you could be, but his parents were ecstatic. A date was a date, and a date with a lady was something they had not thought about before. This was Arthur finding a girl to date, not Alyssa. Alyssa was truly gone, their son was becoming a man now in more ways than one. The date went well. His date enjoyed his company and actually kissed him deeply at the end. She was proud to call him her boyfriend and insisted on a second date. Grace and Charles Evans hid their tears as Arthur kissed her goodbye. The two were quite smitten with one another and Arthur was the kind of boy that she dated but was the first who didn't want anything more from her. They were good for each other, so much so that they were inseparable after that. Arthur's date's family were accepting of Arthur as they had known him before he started to transition. They had a hard time dealing with family who didn't like that their daughter was dating, "A girl in drag" but they sided with the couple. Her happiness mattered more than the image of people who had never shown an interest in her before and whose opinions didn't matter one bit to them. Grace's company came under fire several times in retaliation for Grace allowing Arthur to transition and date a girl. She casually asked what the issue was then asked how that had to do with her company as Arthur had not ever been an employee nor had he had intentions of working for her company, causing most of the complaints to be laughed at and tossed out. It was nothing new, it was a cutthroat business where reputations mattered and hers was one that was impeccable leaving family as the only targets for critics and was a huge risk that backfired badly on those same critics. Arthur found some friends who accepted him as a regular guy. They were the first to accept him as a boy and after a couple of incidents of accidentally flashing of his female and their male parts they got used to one another. He even helped two find dates with his girlfriend's friends, with Arthur talking them up while the boys showed he was being humble about their being great friends. Arthur's school started to become more accepting of boys and girls like Arthur even if it was just a way of appeasing the council and keeping regulators away from the school and its curriculum and teaching styles. He was both a role model and a mentor to many new students who started at the school, with him smoothing over girls' and guys' views on the newcomers. It was starting to look like Arthur had found his mark in life, with his mother being pleased that Arthur was a skilled negotiator and able to see problems and solutions to benefit all sides. The foursome undergoing Advanced Individual Training had a lot better time than expected. Scott Nelson was a natural at his job and only had trouble keeping others in line who saw him as being inferior to them as he was, "Only" a National Guardsman whereas they were active duty. Some time honored humble pie earned at the hand of sergeants who had been there, done that, and knew Scott's being part-time didn't matter one bit. He didn't mean to make the regulars look bad, but he also wasn't responsible for them shooting their mouths off about doing the same job for the same pay while also being forced to work in chaos of natural disasters as he would have to do. Scott had an, "Easy" job compared with Eric Vincent and George Daniels. The two had fun learning to drive the various vehicles that they would need to drive while enduring long sessions on various soil types. It was tedious, dangerous, and fun- which only made Scott jealous and rib them about being stuck plowing everything any everywhere until Scott realized that he'd be on the ground directing the bulldozers where to go! Eric, George, and Scott were treated to days out with Austin Woods at his home. The trio enjoyed the stories as the old soldier regaled them with tales of his buddies and officers not unlike the ones they had encountered. Sean Kelly was a big target, with Sean's mischievous side showing through surprising the trio. The trio told about Sean's time with them especially his closeness with Miles. The name Finn was a big shock to Austin who casually asked if he was related to Brent Finn. Scott happily explained, "He's the eldest son of John Finn, Brent's older son. Eric happens to be Brent's great-nephew through his wife Catherine's sister Victoria." Austin let loose a laugh which was followed by a hearty, "The old bat must have flipped her lid hearing that her namesake and bitter enemy had a kid! How such a woman was allowed to reign over your hometown is beyond belief. I wish Sean had let us take her out and save the taxpayers the trouble but he didn't want us crossing an ethical line that we could never return from. He always was the voice of reason on our team." Eric had to explain his complex family history with Austin grinning wide at hearing the tale of the infamous Victoria Williams getting brought to shame and humiliated so thoroughly by someone she hated with a passion. The fact that she had accidentally gotten her namesake and polar opposite to be a surrogate mother for a child only to see him grow up to be everything the younger Victoria embodied made his heart flutter. Having her then go on to adopt two more adults out of compassion and love for their children was right up her husband's alley. Austin hated that he had missed all of that but it was the life of an old soldier- you miss out on a lot. The trio were just glad to have given Austin someone to talk to and make his weekends better. Austin, in turn, was glad to see the values of soldiers passed down to their children and on to their grand kids. During late August, the trio were with Austin watching a football game and got the shock of their lives as they saw Miles take the field. The trio were immediately on the phone with their families to tell them about it with none of them knowing he had joined the team let alone playing in a game. It was a great game and the trio saw the old Miles coming out in force with nobody expecting his talented kicks. As the game ended Austin asked about Miles, getting a hearty, "He's the guy we told you about before." Eric added a giddy, "He's the best punter you will ever see but he doesn't want to play the sport. He hates how it gets people upset and causes scrutiny of every little thing. Being a Finn caused Austin to see a bit of Brent in Miles. George added, "He's not blood to Uncle John or Brent, he's adopted." Austin nodded at that, it was clear in the pictures they had of Miles that he was Latino and John had zero similarities to him. Back at the barracks the trio watched the highlights with Miles' epic kick being one of the top plays, edged out only by a game winning interception returned for a touchdown. The kick was talked about by most of the soldiers and actually caused a few to think he wasn't as good as they made out. Eric pointed out, "He made a couple of those kicks in high school. His first game he nailed an 85 yard kick that was downed at the 2-yard line with two defenders baring down on him full-speed. We should know, we were on the punt team alongside him when he made the kick." George showed the video with the soldiers hooting and hollering as it was just as Eric said. The duo had a bit of mild celebrity as they both knew Miles and in the case of Eric, was actually related to him. This was further bolstered as Miles' story was plastered across the nation for two weeks with the duo laughing at the accusations and shaking their heads at the situation. They weren't surprised when Miles up and quit after getting cleared. He was screwed over and had done the school a favor only to be stabbed in the back. The duo pointed out exactly what he was going to do without Miles announcing it or the media relaying the news, with the story of Miles working with an accountant getting chuckles until it was shown to be exactly what he was doing when not in class. Miles kept busy during his time away from UMass after the NCAA debacle. He worked hard on the online classes with the new school giving him credit for his work history as he was far ahead of where he needed to be. A strong recommendation from the Attorney General's Office over his freelance financial analysis work for them along with his preexisting accolades gave the school the strong impression that he was one to keep a close eye on and nurture. Miles was given an internship working alongside Angela Victor and her teams, helping them sort through some local corruption cases within Barnstable County. He recognized some names among the list as being related to a few people he knew and tried to recuse himself. This was met with a grin and hearty, "You know of them, not them in the flesh. You told us a possible connection, but you yourself aren't involved and whom you know isn't involved either. Trust me, I checked already and they are clean and unaware of anything down there. They could be key to prosecutions though, so be ready to help out with fallout if they need it." Miles proved his worth immediately as he spotted payments to certain people alongside odd requests for reimbursements from others. They were in the thousands and after looking over previous years was a consistent history. He did the hardest work that didn't require a degree yet or specialized training and had just assured several people were now on target to get indicted and arrested. John and Logan Finn spent a lot of time over the summer by each others side. John had the duty of caring for the 10-year-old boys by default making him have to endure trips to the beach and the pool. It was a tough job as the boys had all started to notice the girls' figures and had the telltale uncomfortable stances as they waited in line to shower or change at the bathhouse and pool. Logan met some girls who would be in their class and somehow managed to get them to play with them in the water. He was slowly starting to earn their friendship as the girls accepted that they weren't immature nor were they overly sexual as some boys their age were. Knowing that John was there and that he wouldn't let them get out of hand gave the girls the drive to get closer to the boys with the trio of boys getting their first kisses on the cheek from a girl. John had to temper his pride as his son grew up in front of his eyes. It was what he had hoped would happen, Logan was just being himself and letting the girls do as they wished with him giving them his own input at times. The kids were great together and by the time school started had been so entwined that most thought the kids were going to be dating within a year or two. The one who had the most intriguing time was Jaimie. Her near-death experience and depression tempered her personality. She dived into her family life, giving her younger sisters and brothers the chance to get out more and enjoy their summers as their parents enjoyed more time alone. Al was finding it hard to not see Jaimie as her big sister and helped Jaimie deal with the realities of her life as a complete woman. Al got her to think about how she was now allowed to do something most girls would love to do but it was a medical necessity and Rick was a willing helper. Jaimie blushed as she heard that but Al was adamant. "Screw what others say, you can have sex with your fiance!" The two spent long hours walking around with Rick and Kyle on their girlfriends' arms. Al and Jaimie were all smiles while the guys acted like it was no big deal. Kyle did notice that Al was more open with Jaimie which made him glad that Al at long last had found a mentor for her own problems. Jaimie asked her if she had thought about helping the younger girls at school, giving them a chance to get integrated into the middle school life as someone who had been in their position before. Al hesitated at first, unsure if she was the right person to do it as she only really had being transgender in common. Jaimie just grinned and pointed out, "We don't have much in common either. Rick and I are engaged but I don't have to interact with you as a person, as a friend, as a mentor. I want to, for your own sake as well as my own. Reyna should be doing this but I think that it's my job to do since we are family. She is a great help but you came to me for a reason, and in time someone will come to you. The girls will need you, be there for them when the time comes." Jaimie had opened up Al's eyes to her new role. She'd help Kylie Pena, Nichole Smith, and Mia Flynn as only a girl like them could. Her realization caused Jaimie to smile and hug her, something that she was happy to do for her future sister especially in her time of need and as her mentor. After the fiasco with the fraternity and the manipulative Angela, Rick was careful around UMass, never going anywhere without someone he trusted. Sylvia was no better, trying hard to keep out of the line of sight of everyone around her. Christina kept close to her and together with Rick, kept her from much of the scorn being pregnant and accusing others of rape would cause. Sylvia and Rick had successfully sued the school and all but forced the state to investigate the school's practices regarding fraternities and the police. Sylvia was awarded a hefty $5 million but her innocence and her reputation would never recover. She decided to stay a student but ensured that her family and her benefactors didn't take her settlement money. Her benefactor was pleased that Rick and Jaimie had gotten Sylvia to invest her settlement for her own safekeeping while she was able to afford to live on her own once the baby was born and her internship ended. She was proud of the group thinking ahead and ensuring Sylvia's future while keeping her grounded in the present. The benefactor even included an offer to have Rick and Jaimie come to her park but both politely declined, citing family obligations which she understood. Rick spent a lot of time with Sydney. He simply threw himself into his schoolwork and helped any freshman in his dorm who needed tutoring. It was a great way of keeping busy as well as ensuring he had a lot of support from the others just in case something else happened. Rick and Sydney were inseparable to the point of Rick being the Jaimie to Sydney's Al. During their weekend visits Al and Sydney were close with Al and Sydney acting like normal 13-year-old kids. Al had a hard time keeping herself from asking a few questions about Sydney that had been dogging her for weeks, with Rick telling her to not pry as he had a lot going on that was personal. The family was mostly together but wouldn't see everyone in one spot until Christmas. The wedding of Michael and Courtney was an, "All hands on deck" affair with everyone helping out in some form or another. The only ones who didn't do anything were the youngest kids, but unofficially their jobs were simply to keep the teens and adults from overdoing their gift giving and neglecting their own celebrations that day. It would be a joyous occasion as the family had again expanded multiple times. But those are other tales... The End.