Christmas Wedding Part 2- Evans Family free porn video

9 Days Before Christmas Charles and Grace Evans were about to enjoy their first extended period of solitude since their son was born. Charles enjoyed his job as a police officer but it often kept him busy at all hours of the day and night as be worked up through the ranks to become an Assistant Commissioner, the third highest rank in the Metropolitan Police Service. He had no plans on becoming the Deputy Commissioner or the Commissioner when the positions opened up, but still worked hard to advance upward to his post. Grace loved her husband deeply and supported his need to help the public. She accepted that he would work odd hours and be away from her, but it was worth it as he helped hundreds in his career. His love of helping evolved into a degree in management and forensics giving him the inside track to go through the ranks as a detective and eventually a member of the "brass" as he led his squads, improving precinct performances and solving multiple tough crimes over the years. Grace herself grew as a stock broker after earning her degree, becoming a formidable broker who could snag tough accounts with many reclusive yet eager investors who were put off by others as most of the male brokers who only wanted their money. She was a great judge of character and after hiring a large amount of the support staff, she wound up turning her office into a revenue giant that would cause her to take over the company from within. In a decade she outright owned her former firm, with most of the members of her staff seeing her as someone who was a financial genius for turning her own large paycheck into a source of wealth, one that was enough to buy out the other partners with extra left over. During this takeover period their son Arthur was born: or rather their daughter Alyssa was born, as she was named at birth. She was an unhappy child who was always getting into trouble with boys as she fought them on the football pitch and embarrassed them with her cricket skills. It took years but the reason for her aggression was found to be her inner turmoil as her male self would not stop trying to come out and as she reached the age of 12 she simply stopped fighting and demanded to become who she really was: their son Arthur. After months of discussions with their therapists and with doctors, Alyssa was allowed to become her true self, Arthur Mitchel Evans, while Alyssa Mary Evans was retired to history. The family fought tooth and nail with Arthur's former school and after being expelled and being rejected by multiple local private schools Arthur was enrolled in a council grammar school under his new name and gender. He experienced a lot of blow-back from parents and the headmaster, but he was an ideal student and as time passed parents warmed to the polite, energetic, and witty boy who wooed the girls in his year. Grace had won a tidy sum for Arthur in her lawsuit against his former school and saw her business grow as donors and alumnae supported her and brought business to her in attempts to show that she did the right thing for her son and hoped that there would be no hard feelings towards all of the parents. She worked with them and paid them back in droves as her work was top notch and the stocks she bought for them paid a large profit with only companies that lied and broke the laws being losing stocks which wasn't held against her. Arthur grew to be an independent young man who just wanted to show his worth to the world. Grace and Charles supported this, letting him leave and return home from school on his own and allowing him leeway with the ladies so that he learned for himself how to treat them instead of directing him as most parents do. After Michael Finn and Courtney Bollinger's talk over the summer he became much more laid back and wooed the heart of Isla Davies, his beloved girlfriend, much to Grace's chagrin. Isla helped Arthur focus and after several dates overseen by her parents both were allowed to be alone and enjoyed the freedom as they worked hard on schoolwork and homework together. Their grades improved and over time the two were inseparable. It helped that Isla and he enjoyed the same things and had the same ambitions in life as both wanted to become doctors or solicitors and prove themselves in the world. Arthur's trip to Winnisimmet was the first time they had been apart since they started dating. Grace and Isla talked daily as Isla asked about Arthur. Grace saw how much she loved Arthur with Arthur himself being madly in love with Isla to the point of kissing a picture of her by his bedside nightly. She may be his mother, but Isla was like a daughter to her already- the one she had missed out on with Alyssa. The Davies family initially didn't support Isla and Arthur's relationship but warmed over time as he was shown to be just another boy, albeit one who couldn't impregnate their daughter, but who knew how she was felling. The family took to Arthur as Grace had taken to Isla and at times treated him like he was one of them even if he was really feeling like he was a worker for them when he helped Isla's father fix his car or mow the lawn. He appreciated that he was helping them out at times and as the months wore on he was paid for his time giving him his first taste of hard work and something to spend on his dates. Charles loved that his son had found his purpose in life as the two were complimentary to one another. He loved to tell his colleagues that his son was bound for greatness, with most knowing that if Charles was believing that Arthur had a strong future ahead then it was a done deal. Charles didn't make bold statements like that unless he meant it and Arthur's keen mind was one to admire making it true. With Arthur gone for the week and Isla going away to visit family and later working for her parents, the couple were left to themselves allowing them to become intimate in ways they hadn't been in years. Charles enjoyed the chance to, "Flex is muscles" while Grace enjoyed that her husband was frisky. They talked about being parents and hated that after several miscarriages after Arthur's birth Grace was told to not have more children as her health was in danger if she did. Charles sensed that his wife was feeling horrible over feeling like a failure as a mother. It was a sore point in their marriage, but with therapy they had accepted that Arthur was their only offspring and unless they chose a surrogate or adopted they would only be parents to Arthur. Charles smiled at maybe trying to become a parent again, believing that maybe they would open their home to children who needed parents especially ones who were all but abandoned by social services. When Grace was told she cried for several hours. It was something so beautiful. Her husband loved her enough to know that she had love to give and a child would benefit from that love. The two spent much of the evening and next day on the phone with solicitors and people from social services, with reams of paperwork filled out and their backgrounds being checked out in full. This was what they were used to doing, but the fact that it was someone's life in their hands made it all the more important. The two were in their element and only the solicitors delayed them. They had no issues as individuals, but when it came to revealing that Arthur was transgender the whole thing came to a crashing halt. The couple were informed that they were unsuitable and that they would likely be barred from ever fostering children let alone adopting one due to allowing a child to live a life that was harmful to himself. Charles demanded that in writing, getting several attempts to stall but he was not about to let social services get away without penalty which writing the reason would incur. The rejection was faxed to them, with their solicitor giving their response of a simple, "We will appeal and file suit for the breach of our clients' rights as well as the rights of the children you are fostering." The couple were devastated but their solicitor was adamant that they were not going to lose. Charles suspected that this was going to become a bigger issue than just them adopting a child, if they had the gall to refuse them then the people at social services were up to no good. Charles talked with his colleagues and trusted people in the know and got the real picture. Arthur was actually going to be targeted by them in retaliation for making their jobs tougher as they had to follow up on false claims against him in school. The source was a collective of powerful parents, all of whom had put pressure on the headmaster making him do their bidding to retain his job and who had the ears of people who were the real power at social services. This explained a lot about the man. He has hated Arthur ever since he came to the school and once he started to show that he was a great student the man had to bend over backwards to ensure that nobody bothered him or he himself was on the chopping block for trying to get rid of Arthur without reason. He was a treasured student, but the man resented his job becoming tougher due to Arthur and was looking for any excuse to expel him from the school. As the week wore on, Charles grew fed up with the road blocks and attempts to threaten to take away Arthur unless he withdrew his application. He challenged them on the claim, knowing full well that Arthur would remain in the US with Michael Finn if need be to keep him away from the fight and knowing that Arthur had a group of people around who were not about to let him get used as a pawn by angry bigots. His solicitor was hot on the paper trail and had every legal argument in the Evans family's favor and used it to get higher-ups to back off of threats against Arthur with an apology. Grace felt like she had been beaten before the fight was even over. She had failed in her eyes, the poor kids were suffering without a loving family because there were still people who felt that their views were more important than the laws. She vowed to make amends, it was the least she could do for them. Time wasn't on their side and as the week ended they were forced to put their plans on hold. They left notice to their solicitor that they had gone to the US for five days and would be back to finish the fight. Their solicitor asked if they were going to take the fight to court, getting a harsh, "They left us no other choice, we will do what we need to do to expose them for what they are and force changes. The borough council will have to deal with it, the children matter more." The flight was long and emotionally draining as Charles was focused on some of his work that couldn't wait a week to finish while Grace tried to think of a way of getting around the people blocking the adoption. They were so focused on their self-pity and depression that they barely acknowledged their friends Lord Bradford and Lady Ophelia Smith sitting nearby nor did they meet the woman and girls sitting with them. The couple briefly spoke with the Smiths after they landed while awaiting their baggage and were equally upset at the issues, it was similar to the past issues they had witnessed with their own grandchildren and during the Finns' stay 17 months before. Bradford tried to keep their spirits up but Charles sighed and stated, "I can understand bigotry as I have seen it myself. I only wish that the children who were going to be placed with us weren't told that they had found a family, I shudder at the idea of someone telling them they found a family who'd take them in only to tell them that the family was unsuitable. It'd be cruel and harm them immensely to have their fondest wish taken away on the most special of holidays. They don't deserve this, nobody does." The two drove their rental car to the hotel and rested as they awaited Arthur's inevitable call. He was pleased to tell them that he had plans, allowing them time alone before the wedding. Grace just nodded, Charles had been roped into visiting some law enforcement people so Grace had time to herself. Arthur was eager to tell them about his week, but sensed that it wasn't the best time to tell them. He had heard through school friends that his parents were trying to foster and adopt kids and had been blocked by social services without a good reason but it was clear to all that he was the reason. Arthur hated that he was the cause of the issues, it wasn't his fault but he was the one to blame for it. When dinner was finally finished and they were up in their rooms, Arthur was told about their plans for fostering and likely adopting children. He wasted no time and telling them firmly, "Fight them. I love you mum, dad, but I know you need to be parents to more kids. They can't get away with what they are doing, they have no right to do it! I don't care if they trash me, you two are the best parents and should be allowed to take in kids!" The determination in Arthur was strong, he wanted siblings and wasn't going to let those who wanted to use him against his parents win. Charles calmed him down but was proud of his son for being mature, it was the best scenario they could have hoped for from him. Grace simply cried again, this time tears of joy as her son had taken a big leap into manhood right in front of their eyes. When he calmed down, he mumbled a loving, "I heard the truth and I am not happy. I am asking my friends to do something, the ones whose parents are able to help. You won't do it so I will. They were just waiting for you to ask them, they want to repay the favor of me helping their sons and daughters in school but it'll mean more coming from me than you." Charles sighed as he knew that Arthur was pulling in the big guns without them asking but was doing it for love and because it was their only real option left. His friends' parents were members of the borough council and were known supporters of Arthur, if he asked them for help they would not hesitate to assist him. Given that kids' lives were affected, they'd act swiftly. Arthur couldn't do anything until after the wedding as his friends were busy with their own plans. Grace knew that it was doubtful that anyone would do anything until the 27th anyway, Christmas and Boxing Day were days public offices were closed. She was forced to accept defeat for now, instead focusing on herself for the day as Arthur went off with several boys his own age and Charles went off to enjoy a day with colleagues who appreciated his experience and perspective on things. Grace booked a treatment for herself down in the spa and was by good timing was enthusiastically joined by Ophelia, who happily told her, "You need this more than you realize, the troubles you have had this week will melt away under their amazing hands. Trust me on this, these people are great. My granddaughters use this place frequently when they need a lady's day." Grace just silently accepted the massage and exfoliating rub, letting her tension ease as she allowed herself to relax for the first time in days. Her muscles were tensed up but relaxed as the ladies were adept helping her get the knots out. The sauna and cleansing bath after was just as relaxing, almost making her fall asleep as the world faded around her and the soothing sounds of the spa took her focus. The spa treatment lasted four hours, with Ophelia joining her for all of the treatments. Ophelia offered her a caring ear and experience that raised Grace's confidence, the woman was a client's wife but she was also a close confidant to her as time passed and they grew to know one another. Arthur's change had a profound impact on Ophelia and was the catalyst for opening up Ophelia's eyes to her seeing her granddaughter Nichole's own change of gender. After the spa, Ophelia and Grace attended a tea service which was also attended by Nichole and her cousins. Grace was happy to have the distraction but wasn't happy that her mind was read by Alison Eliza. Ophelia sighed and had to explain to Grace, "Alison is a psychiatrist, she can see through a facade better than anyone so she will ask about what is bothering you." Grace asked that they not delve into things but Alison added, "I'll let it go for now as long as it isn't dangerous. I have an oath to report dangers." Grace understood, only adding, "It's not dangerous, only humiliating personally. There's nothing that can be done until the 27th so best not to dwell on it." Ophelia's nod was enough to get things back on track as the girls chatted and enjoyed their formal tea service. Grace felt a sense of loss as she observed the girls enjoying themselves and behaving like little ladies as they enjoyed their morsels and sweets as the meal went on. Arthur never wanted to join her for these simple feminine activities, it was too "girly" for him and after he came out she understood why. She smiled at the girls talking quietly and asking politely for tea and different cookies while the adults served them. Alison was observing the sentimental moment and caught the drift but didn't make mention of it. Grace felt better at taking part in the tea service even if it wasn't a mother/daughter moment for her, more like an invited guest joining the family. The girls saw this bit of insight into Grace that she unintentionally gave off, with the girls whispering that she was remembering Arthur as a girl. Alison's daughter Trinity could understand how she was feeling, with her cousin Willow Reagan thinking that it wasn't a big deal until she remembered that Trinity saw what the others couldn't see in the look. Trinity gave Grace a hopeful look, knowing things would get better with an optimism that only a seven-year-old could understand. The tea service was a big success as the girls thanked Ophelia and Grace for hosting them. Trinity gave Grace a big hug, with Alison telling Grace that she'd be back that night to talk. Ophelia shook her head at that, she wouldn't let Grace go without a talk from someone who experienced the worst already. Alison returned two hours later with her wife Katie and twins Hunter and Bailey in tow. Trinity was staying with her friends Daisy Peterson, Ella Finn, and Faith Jones, and Flora Nelson so they could talk without Trinity having an emotional breakdown over something she couldn't fix. Alison happily told Grace that it was something all of the kids were doing, giving Grace a smile as she told her that. Alison wasted little time and asked her to tell her what was bothering her. Grace told her about the social services' actions towards them and the real reason why. Katie was going to say something but Alison cut her off, explaining, "Leave it to Arthur's friends. He is the only one who can help you now. Lawyers can threaten them and bog them down in court but things get done faster with people whom they fear more than any court- powerful elected officials., " Katie realized just what she meant, adding, "The best way is to hold them accountable to the ones who have their jobs in the balance. The council won't let them get away with refusing you on grounds other than you being unsuitable and that is already proven to be false. They will either give in or they will be put out on their butts for breaking the law. Either way, it'll be cleared up soon with the kids being allowed to be in your care. You will be parents again." Grace felt better about that. Alison added, "You can make them look terrible simply by showing that you were here. They know about Arthur, they will make fools of themselves as they complain about the kids yet they would never pick out who are like Arthur. It'd expose their true selves to the council." The thought had never crossed her mind but it might help a lot to show that just because they were transgender they were not dangers to anyone. It was a brilliant idea, she just hoped that she didn't have to pull that card as it would unfairly use the kids as examples of what "normal" is. Grace knew it was a last ditch attempt and would show just how biased they were but it was a last resort. The twins stirred and wanted to go home leaving the ladies to say their goodbyes. Grace was happy to have someone reassure her who didn't know her, even if she had a nagging feeling that it would still be a rough go. She felt good that the ladies were trying to help, their reputations were proven right. Charles arrived after his day out and was all smiles as he regaled her with tales of his day. Grace simply listened intently, he needed a day out with guys who were on his level and who weren't trying to make a name for themselves to get ahead in the Metropolitan Police Service. He may be two levels down from the top but high enough to have a hand in operations and shaping the future of the department and his day with powerful law enforcers in Massachusetts was just what he needed to show that he was still one of the guys and could help without helping too much. Earlier in the day, while Grace was having her spa day with Ophelia, Charles was driven by Willie Pena to Roxbury for the joint police department meeting on, "First Night" festivities. At the meeting were the top brass of the Massachusetts State, Environmental, and Transit Police. The two chiefs and colonel were cordial and accepting of the outsider, especially as he was a high ranking official who had helped coordinate multiple events in London including an Olympics as well as responses to terrorism. Willie was there as both a friend of Isaac Feld and as the representative from the Winnisimmet Police Department. Charles had unknowingly met Willie as a deputy assistant commissioner three and a half years before when he was given a commendation from the Metropolitan Police Service for being part of the group who saved Nigel and Nichole Smith's life. The two spoke several times during Willie's time at the conference he was in London attending and earned respect from one another. Willie couldn't help but introduce Charles as the man who could one day run the Met, but who was too good of a father to allow his life to be put on display or pander to politicians. Charles added a hearty, "Says the man who would be perfect to run the Boston Police if your friend ever retired early." Isaac laughed as Willie blushed deeply, knowing that Isaac would only retire earlier than he wanted if Willie was the only person who would be named to replace him. The meeting took a while but Charles had a lot of ideas that were both helpful and seen as things they should have thought up themselves. He just nodded at hearing that, it was a case of many hands trying to do their job but not wanting to step on toes of another agency by suggesting certain changes among them. The chiefs weren't offended that the experienced officer spotted issues and had ideas, it was why Willie brought him along in the firs place. Willie was asked if they were going to their own meeting in Winnisimmet, getting a hearty, "Nah, it's just the guys spending time away from the ladies. The fact that eight of us are in law enforcement is beside the point. Mick, Alex, and Mike are missing out on the fun but I think they are having their own fun with the boys out at the shooting range. I just hope Mick isn't upset at the kids beating him when the big toys are brought out to fire- he's never used one before." The four laughed while Charles grinned. He knew his son would enjoy the day doing something that is nearly impossible to be done over in England, especially with kids. His headmaster was doing the same so it wasn't an issue, and if it was it would blow up in his face since Arthur had better support around him than the man had while lacking a reputation against him for drunken foolishness while shooting. The meeting broke up with Charles getting thanks from the departments as well as an offer to join them if he ever wanted a change of scenery. It was tempting but he didn't want to uproot his family. They were a good mix of people who worked their way up the ranks and only played politics as needed. Willie drove him to Winnisimmet, with the guys already gathering for their outing. Charles then met Quentin Nelson, Dan Lopez, and James York, all of whom were new to him but somehow familiar. John Finn added a hearty, "Your wife knows Quentin's wife Greta and James through Michael, they oversaw him during his internship with her company and arranged the details for his college credits. Dan is his uncle and likely told you about him being a 'house flipper' as a side business." John then introduced him to Todd Flynn, David and Patrick Peterson, and their cousin-in-law Ian Bailey. Charles had to hold off a joke but finally laughed as the name made him think about the many trips to the infamous courthouse in London. John finally shook his head, adding, "I can't believe Nigel never made the joke you are thinking about before, but I can understand why he wouldn't." Charles nodded, while Ian was left perplexed. David saved him, explaining, "It's to London what Pemberton Square is to Suffolk County- I's where London's trials are held." Ian groaned, he finally realized the name Bailey had been snickered at before by Nichole and Ethan Smith a couple of times. The guys asked John what they were going to do, with John coyly telling them, "Absolutely nothing. We sit back and enjoy the evening without the ladies. They are going to have a lot of fun without us, we might as well take this chance to enjoy the kids being away as well. Well, besides the boys but they are fine upstairs in the living room doing their own thing for the evening." They walked across the street to the Finn house and immediately the boys went up to the living room to play while the guys enjoyed the football game downstairs. John just about fainted when he saw his son Miles on TV playing for UMass with his other son Michael doing a bit of ribbing at his expense as he was being interviewed regarding the Finn Foundation's sponsorship of the game. John didn't have time to react, his phone rang and his wife told him firmly, "They won't do anything to him, the head of the NCAA is at the game and he has Christian and Angela there watching alongside Kennedy. BCU asked him to play and he has sworn to both schools that this was his final game." The guys all laughed as John clicked off and shook his head. It figured, Miles takes the teens to the game and gets roped into being part of it because someone was hurt and he was the only one to help. He was just glad that he didn't have a fight BCU, the college Miles would be attending in January, as they were in agreement and Michael held them by the purse strings as he and Miles were both there on behalf of John and his scholarship program and would not hesitate to remove all of it from the school to protect Miles from another predatory college. Charles asked what that was about, getting a digest version of the troubles the previous August and September involving the NCAA and Miles' playing abilities as well as the school's actions against him. Once that was taken care of, Miles had changed to being an online student for the rest of the semester and in-between before he left the school to attend BCU alongside his brother. Charles fully understood, adding, "The school was warned not to act unkind towards your family as my wife doesn't let her money be used wrongly. Michael warned them already to leave him alone, I have no doubt that she'd do the same to protect Miles from their exploitation and abuse." The guys grinned, it was exactly as they knew her to be. The only thing that they hadn't considered was that he himself may be upset at their actions. Charles was fine with her pulling all donations and letting the school go without several great students, if the school can't act well then the school doesn't deserve them and another school would benefit from years of having those students. The rest of the afternoon and evening was one of laughs as the law enforcers shared jokes about arrests and funny things colleagues did during their time on the force. Charles loved telling them about a group of drunken women who were out at a bachelorette party and mistook Charles and his colleague for male strippers leading to his colleague's wife asking if he kept the tips that they had stuffed into his pants. All eyes turned to Ian who groaned at having that happen to him twice during his first year on the job, getting Charles' sympathy while he also added, "They can't help it if we are so good looking" sending the others into a fit of laughter as Ian smirked with confidence. Willie laughed until John added, "Didn't you have a group of ladies complain that they ordered sexy firemen and got an ugly cop instead?" Charles nearly choked on his soda as Willie blushed deeply, then added, "I swear if Paul hears about that I'll ensure we finally put that map of yours to good use!" That only led the guys to explain what he meant, getting Charles laughing and offering to use that line but adding a, "Deep sea fishing expedition to the North Sea" getting a laugh and nod to it being perfect. Willie grew solemn at hearing, telling him firmly, "It's something you would have had to come up with on your own but your son seems to have found himself a nice lady already." Charles had to admit that he was right, Alyssa was a looker but Arthur is handsome and had won over Isla's heart. He was glad that Arthur was heterosexual, he didn't want to fend off guys going after him thinking that Arthur was a cheap lay and easier to get than a, "Normal" girl despite being a boy inside. The game was tight and Miles' kicks were all classics that made even the newcomer Charles astounded by their perfection. Charles asked about Miles, getting a happy, "He's a great athlete but he doesn't have the heart for the game. He's more interested in enrichment and helping others. He's already secured a job with the state after he graduates, he will be a top criminal analyst for the Attorney General and with several investigations under his belt that he was key to breaking he is going to the top. He could run the office one day if he chose to get his law degree but he isn't one to argue in front of people, he prefers to argue with friends and family and only over facts and not lies and misinformation. He might join-up and become a trooper if he got pushed in the right direction, David's colleagues have been hoping that he'd do that just so there's no way that someone can escape his grasp." The pride in John's voice was strong as the boy was destined to be a crime fighter but didn't sound like he wanted to be in the spotlight yet somehow had managed to find it no matter what he did. Charles knew that Miles had done some great things for Charles' country already by helping break up a criminal organization run by his uncle's brother, but this was more than that. The young man was on the verge of leading from the front instead of working behind the scenes yet chose to remain a ghost, someone who came out when the time was right and the people prosecuting were already on trial. To Charles' surprise, the boys upstairs were rambunctious but didn't do much more than laugh loud and cheer at times so the guys were effectively enjoying an evening doing nothing at all. Dinner was pizza and Chinese food, with the guys taking their time to enjoy their choices which were all plain cheese pizzas and basic fried rices and meats which the boys weren't fans of. The fact that Grace hadn't called or texted Charles all day was not surprising, she was with the ladies and girls and suspected that they would find the perfect way of cheering her up if only for a few hours. After five hours the ladies started to come by with Ian having to drag himself home while his pregnant wife Sheila tried to make him as embarrassed as possible. The guys knew she was putting on a show just to make sure he didn't have too much fun without her. Charles was driven home by John, who was firm in telling him, "The boys were talking about your issues and the right people already know. We know enough about your social services through our own interactions to know that you have a lot of help just waiting for the chance to respond. Expect to have a few people to say hello and talk with you tomorrow, they will go a long away towards helping you especially as Arthur will have already given the proper contact information to them." Charles entered the suite to a thinking Grace. She listened to his day and saw the admiration of the guys on his face. It wasn't his normal pleasure face, it was him honestly enjoying being out with colleagues who had nothing to gain from him and wanted to just be around him for the day. The fact that they were all linked via the wedding was beside the point, he genuinely enjoyed talking with them and listening to their opinions and ideas. Charles asked about her day, getting a semi-happy recollection of the day's events. He wasn't fazed and asked about what else happened, getting a teary, "They saw right through me. One of the ladies is a psychiatrist and wouldn't let me brush off talking about what happened to us. I don't know if it's going to help or hurt us that a mental health person was concerned about me, I don't want to lose Arthur if the wrong person catches wind that a psychiatrist thought something was wrong with me." Charles asked exactly what happened, then added a firm, "She knows what she is doing. John Finn told me the same thing. Let Arthur's friends' families handle this, they will have a lot to explain to people who know us and who know Arthur and won't let this go unpunished. He also said that there were others who would send help for us in their own way, just let our son do what needs to be done." Grace calmed herself and relaxed in Charles' loving embrace. She slept straight through the night, the anxiety and jet lag finally getting to her. In the morning there was little said, she needed time to cope. The couple ate breakfast and got ready for a day with Arthur before the pre-wedding events as he finally had a chance to enjoy his parents' company. He was quiet, letting them walk around for a few hours before it was time for the rehearsal and dinner. He dressed like the other teen boys dressed, unintentionally making them stand out among the teens but causing their parents to snicker at their being so alike despite a long distance. Arthur met his escort, a young lady by the name of Sydney Stoner who was eager to get the wedding over so she wasn't put on display any longer. Arthur agreed, with Sydney seeing that he had no interest in her and asked why he was so ambivalent. He grinned and showed a picture of Isla to her, getting a quick, "She's beautiful," from Sydney followed by a happy, "She's the girl of my dreams," from him. The two talked throughout the meal with Grace and Charles letting them have their privacy. They deserved a chance to let their anxiety out as they would be stuck with one another all day and needed to be on the same page. They were good with one another, the fact that both shared a similar history of being born in the wrong gender never crossing their minds nor were they aware of it. The wedding went off without a hitch as the teens and kids behaved beautifully and the adults shared in a big joke among them over who would be the next to be married. Arthur and Sydney were in many of the pictures with Arthur looking dashing in his tuxedo and drawing a lot of attention from the younger girls. He was embarrassed that his parents sent pictures to Isla who told him to treat Sydney right or he'd have to find a new girlfriend, Arthur happily told her, "She's not interested in guys," which was followed by a heartfelt, "Still, treat her right," from Isla. The next two days were spent doing little as the couple went out on the town while Arthur hung out with the teens and enjoyed some quality time talking with Isla during her breaks and before she went to bed. Their Christmases were vastly different but he was happy to listen to her complain about her cousins and second-cousins being on her case about finding a, "Real" boy. He knew that her parents were supportive of them and would set their relatives straight and if they kept insulting Arthur and hassling Isla they'd gladly cut them out of their lives. The trip home was one of looming sadness as the family expected the worst. Arthur's friends had done what was expected and complained long and loud to their parents about what was happening to the Evans family. What was surprising to them was that they were so upset, until they realized that Arthur had been a great friend to them since he started and helped set them down the right paths in school with Arthur never taking advantage of their connections until it was needed and even then it was for the sake of others rather than himself. The complaints fell on the right ears as first thing in the morning on the 27th the head of social services was called into the office of the borough's council to answer questions from the council's children's services committee. Multiple officials were called in, essentially making it a de-facto interrogation of the social services department. Seeing that the jig was up, those who were not involved told the truth and tried to protect themselves from the actions of those who actually did wrong. The innocent asked to retain their jobs and ratted on those who impeded the Evans' applications. Those who were involved threatened to expose the council for trying to allow unfit families to house children. The council made note of this and asked the police to investigate social services for rights violations, seeing that this was a bigger issue than just one family being wrongly rejected. The heads of social services was kept unaware of anything happening by the powerful and totalitarian underlings. This was for good reason, the director had been Arthur's social worker when he first started to transition and endured the complaints of dozens of angry parents and the general public. He was in favor of the family, having met them thoroughly and having seen firsthand that they were trying their hardest to help Arthur instead of harm him. He wasn't alone either. Several of the agency's social workers were kept away from the Evans family as they were seen as being, "Soft" on the kind of, "Abuse" that Grace and Charles allowed. The truth could not be any more opposite- they were actually harder on confirmed child abusers and had removed dozens of children from unfit homes after the children had been harmed. This was done several times over the objections of coworkers, who happened to know or be related to the victims' families and were blaming the children for causing the abuse or were ignoring the neglect right in front of their eyes. They had even more damning evidence in the form of statements from multiple social services and public safety people in the US, each of whom had met the family and knew firsthand just how they were in regards to fitness. Alison Eliza was the most damaging, claiming that they were intentionally harming children due to their attempts to persecute an ideal family. John, Willie, Isaac, and the other law enforcers as well as their siblings and friends in social services in the US were adamant that the Evans family was the single family they would trust with their own children let alone fostering and adopting them, making it tough to ignore the Evans family's suitability any longer. The stage was set for a showdown in the council chamber as the borough council had decided that they could not allow the rights of the Evans family to be violated because a few have an issue with a boy who is transgender and whose family had never broken any law let alone needed intervention by social services. Grace and Charles had cleared all legal hurdles and come back with a strong recommendation that they be allowed to foster several children as they could both handle them and support them. The meeting was tense as the Met chose to show that there were internal memos that were in violation of both policy and the law showing that the family was permanently blacklisted without having any reason for doing so. Arthur was constantly named, with the backers going so far as to threaten to plant evidence at the Evans home while they were away. A police check of the home showed that the plan had been followed through and the one who had done it was arrested for possession of illegal drugs as well as violating the obscenity laws for planting illicit items in Charles' home office. At school, Arthur was again targeted by his headmaster but once he had gotten the man to back down thanks to his father's sharp tongue and irrefutable facts the week went without much fanfare. His friends were happy to hear about his time with the guys and enjoyed seeing the pictures, especially of the girls. Sydney was a hit with them but they were disappointed that she only liked girls but they had a full agreement that she was a stunning beauty even if she had a little birth defect. Charles listened to some of the talks and was grinning at his son's popularity. The boys were turning into good friends away from school and the more they spent time around Arthur the more Arthur started to ease off the masculinity and act his normal self. It helped that Isla was willing to help them get girls so she wasn't the only girl around them all of the time although it would take some time to do so. Isla knew the boys better than they realized and had spread the good word to her own friends about the boys, with Arthur actually not being part of why she did it. Isla started to think of the boys as friends and had Arthur doing the same with her friends when they spent time together. The groups naturally intermingled and after several weeks Arthur and Isla were just one of four couples with the others just finding themselves happy to be single and finding a close friend in a girl or boy. The council members had kept a keen eye on Arthur and had scrubbed a lot of the wrong and harmful comments from his file at social services allowing him to get away from their scrutiny further. His parents had a spotless file, so much so that they should have been at the top of the list as soon as they applied to be foster parents and given just a cursory look by social services so that they housed children immediately. It was rectified, as two weeks after Christmas the Evans family was asked to house a brother and sister for social services. Ruby and Max Wells were inseparable as they had been through a lot of trauma together. He was an introverted boy while she was outgoing and loving girl. They refused to separate, they had run away from several foster homes due to being separated and were on the verge running off to Scotland or Wales causing them to be put in a girls' home for the time being until a suitable home could be found. Max refused to give up his sister in order to have a "normal" life. Ruby wouldn't let her brother go, knowing that he was going to get hurt by larger boys due to his small size and high IQ. They were perfect fits for Grace and Charles, especially if they accepted Arthur as a normal boy. The kids were 11 and twins, making their bond all the more special. Grace took an immediate liking to Ruby while Charles took a liking to Max. They understood the adults on a level Arthur hadn't, they were smart and insightful yet craved affection and attention that Arthur was too old to show anymore. Arthur reluctantly told the two his secret, getting a sad look from Ruby while Max didn't seem to care. Ruby confessed to Grace, "I always wanted a big sister." Grace sighed and had to explain, "He is your brother but he still has to endure what you will have to endure. I'd be proud to go through everything with you, it's a mum's job to help her daughter through her first. He will be there for you as your new big brother, it's his job." Ruby accepted this and let it go, hugging Arthur and calling him "big brother." Arthur had to fight back a tear, it was just so sweet. Max was aloof, accepting him for what he was and not wanting to upset Arthur lest he take out his anger on him. The two spent a lot of time together as Grace worked on the paperwork with the solicitor to adopt the two children. Max wasn't into football and struggled with sports but was great with school especially the sciences. He was happy to be transferred to Arthur's school, it was the kind of place that made kids like him thrive especially with Arthur helping him socially. Isla found a willing friend in Ruby. Isla was the youngest child so having someone look up to her was wonderful in her eyes. The two spent hours together after school and eventually grew to be friends, with Arthur happily letting them enjoy their time together as he went with the guys. The social worker who had overseen the kids was shocked at their sudden change but seeing Max being socially accepted for what he knew and was able to do and Ruby finding a mentor and friend in Isla and both happily accepting Arthur as their brother left little wiggle room. The Evans family was approved for adoption with the court taking a month to grant it. Arthur had his siblings and two needy children found their true home with the Evans family.