Blessings Part 2 free porn video

July 16th, 2025 Tara awoke to find herself in her bedroom again, only this time wearing girls' pajamas. She smiled at the memories of the day before and remembered making a new friend who was like her. She felt alive, she felt like she was herself for the first time ever. She may only have been four, but she was as smart as any other "boy" in her family. They were clever, but she had feminine intuition to go alongside her "boy" smarts. Her mom took pride in her ability to make you do anything she wanted without thinking, it was a rare trait that had been inherited from her grandfather and great-uncles but in her hands it was dangerous to others. She walked to where her mother was and climbed into bed with her and Anthony. Anthony immediately shot up out of bed, grabbed his robe and clothes, then ran to the bathroom. Mary blushed deeply as the little girl had no idea that they were both naked under the covers and fell asleep on top of her mother as she tended to do whenever she needed her assurances. Anthony returned and started to make breakfast while Mary got dressed. Tara asked timidly, "Is daddy mad at me?" Mary shook her head and explained, "He's not mad at you, he's just upset that he wasn't used to your joining me in bed when you were upset about something. He's new to kids your age, it'll take time to get used to the unique things that you do." Mary then asked her, "Why are you calling him 'daddy'? Do you want him to be your new daddy?" Tara nodded, to which Mary had to explain to her, "I love him a lot but it's too early for something like that. He is my best friend and the man I want to be your father but he has to want to be your father too." Anthony had to hide his sadness as Tara looked away in shame. He entered and hugged her deeply to keep her from crying. He kissed her cheek and explained to her, "If you want me to be your daddy I'll be him. I love your mommy and if she will have me, I'll adopt you as my daughter." Mary hugged him deeply then kissed his cheek, with Tara asking him softly, "Can you be my daddy? I want you to be my daddy. I don't want mommy to be sad anymore." He knelt on one knee, took off his class ring, and placed it on Mary's finger and asked, "Will you marry me, Mary Riley?" He did this on the spur of the moment and didn't expect her to scream out, "Yes!" He then turned to Tara and explained, "And do you want me to be your new daddy and not your stepdad?" to which Tara enthusiastically nodded and cried. Tara was led to the bathroom to shower and change, while Anthony realized that he had not only just gotten engaged to the woman that he had loved for years but also had become a father to Tara. He was in a state of shock and texted Rose who merely texted back, "Hahaha," to him. It was about as good as he was going to get from her, she was giving him her blessing as well as ribbing him at the same time. He started to warm to the idea that Mary would be his wife and Tara his daughter. When the ladies came out of the bathroom, Anthony kissed Mary deeply and told her with love, "I mean what I said, I want to marry you and adopt your daughter as my own. I can't picture my life without either of you." Tara hugged him deeply, with him picking her up and walking her downstairs to breakfast. Mary had to suppress her own joy as he was the image of a great father and showed just how much he loved her by being what Tara needed most: a positive influence. She could not stop seeing the greatness in him. Rose called to ask what they had planned. The same as the previous day was told, with Rose agreeing. She then needled him by adding, "Don't go overboard being her daddy" causing him to nearly choke. When they dropped Tara off, she went right for Rose and called her, "Auntie" which led Sydney to grin at the little girl not even trying to let Rose get out of being her aunt. No words were needed, she was happy to be her aunt and was glad that she accepted the situation instead of being upset by it. Sydney knew best, it was Tara trying hard to be on Rose's good side just in case she had objections to her being her new niece or her mom marrying Anthony. Across town at Peterson Manufacturing, Mary entered with a big smile on her face holding Anthony's hand. The two parted with a kiss and saw Mary immediately being cornered by Lindsay. Mary was led up to Lindsay's office and was asked, "What happened last night?" Mary blushed but confessed, "We had sex after he showed how much he cared about Tara. She caught us together in bed and caused him to ask about calling him 'daddy'. He told her that he loved me and if she wanted him to be her daddy he'd be it. She asked him then he proposed to me. I couldn't help but say yes, I love him and can't live without him. He already loves her like his own daughter." She was sniffling at that, with Lindsay offering her a quiet, "It's alright. She needs the two of you and did what she felt was needed. You are doing what is best for your daughter and he loves you as much as you love him. The two of you are needed by Tara, she will have a tough time ahead and needs you." Mary was sent on her way, with Lindsay making a phone call to someone to get the ball rolling on Tara being her true self in full bloom. Her call was expected, with the doctor at the other end not even trying to ask why she was calling instead of Mary. Dr. Allen was aware of the situation thanks to Sydney's appointment with her the previous evening but this was still a bit sudden but could be worked around. Mary was told about the appointment and tried to decline, citing costs. Lindsay smirked and pointed out, "Gender issues are covered under both our healthcare coverage and the state's healthcare plan. It is free to you, with all of us hoping that you'd do the right thing and get her care as soon as possible." Mary went back to work, only stopping when it was time for lunch and spending it with Anthony at the restaurant. John tried hard to not say anything about the lovebirds, but he did give them as smile as Patrick grinned widely and nodded as he fiddled with his own wedding ring. No words were needed, it was clear that the two had more going on than just puppy love if they were already engaged. After lunch, Anthony was told about the appointment and had to have Patrick explain the significance of it. He understood and would take them straight there, even if he had to leave them for a while if the doctor didn't want him there. There was little chance of that, no with the way Tara latched onto him. Over at Sydney and Rose's house, Tara settled in and played with her toys while the girls avoided doing anything to upset her. Tara just smiled as she played, with the girls having to fight laughs at some of the things she was saying to her dolls and toys. It was so sweet and funny, she never looked happier. The girls were texted that Tara had an appointment that afternoon and need to tell Tara about it. Sydney shook her head at it, it was going to be Dr. Allen and she'd be brought up by her multiple times. She walked over to Tara and told her calmly, "I have bad news for you, you have a doctor's appointment." Tara looked scared, to which Sydney explained, "It's with a talking doctor. She specializes in people like us who are born in the wrong bodies. She just wants to meet you so she can help you further." Rose added, "It's so you can be Tara full-time. Without it Tommy would have to go to school, not Tara. She wants to know that you are really a girl and this isn't a phase. Sydney went through it years ago." Tara agreed, but was still scared. Sydney nodded to her to give Tara space, then told the little girl, "It was what Hunter underwent. She sees Dr. Allen too. Dr. Allen just wants to meet you and will let you be yourself if you let her. She's a nice lady, we all like her. Her wife is even nicer, you will meet her when your daddy files paperwork to adopt you on Monday." Tara was still scared but didn't fight them. She wanted to be a big girl but she was still just four-years-old and unused to people being nice to her. Anthony being her dad made her feel better, especially as it was linked to her meeting with Dr. Allen. In Boston, the triplets were growing fast. Savannah and Justin were given images of the trio and had to fight their tears as they were their parents' kids. Their donor was proud that they looked like Savannah and Justin, Savannah was beautiful and she had to admit that Justin was a handsome man. The legal side of things was hammered out and secured. Judge Martha Perez was hearing their case in court and was not happy to hear that there were legal challenges to unborn children by the family of the, "Mother" despite having no contact with her for years. There was one thing that she hated above all and that was families who wanted to hurt their children by using their grandchildren against them. She sent word to the parties and had her clerk do some digging into them as something smelled way off and she wasn't going to let her courtroom get used for extortion. She had to grin as she would have to move off of the case anyway as she had a personal connection to the parties as she knew the Stoners due to her wife and the man she had waiting in the wings to oversee the case was one of the best to get the best interests of the children known. He was a young judge, but one that she personally insisted the governor appoint over other potential judges- he was the least connected and was no-nonsense like her. She would have her answers from her clerk faster than anyone could get a response back to her, even with Savannah's colleagues having counterclaims ready to go. The man was one of the most loyal people you will ever encounter and he had no problem getting facts from lawyers and investigators and at a low cost- nothing. He was owed dozens of favors from people in high and low places and rarely ever called in those favors so had a good bank of strings to pull to get what he needed fast. By the end of the day he had the first of multiple responses from his people. The, "Mother" had been in a long feud with her parents over her lifestyle and how they earned money. Their daughter had hit the jackpot in marrying a woman who had a job that paid well and gave her time to do what she pleased, the family was not connected to them in any way and were seeking money that she didn't actually have as it was all earned by their daughter-in-law and was legally hers through their prenuptial agreement. The, "Mother" was a hardworking analyst who worked out of boredom and whose income went to pay off her mortgage and maintenance of their cars. She happily signed the agreement with her wife that made her wife's hefty income her wife's own even in divorce. The house was in her name and was going to be paid off by her ex-wife in the divorce, but otherwise she was on her own. Martha smirked as it was all a ploy. The real target were the Stoners, who were seemingly vulnerable and desperate and had money of their own. That belied the truth, Savannah was actually not at all vulnerable and would fight tooth and nail against any attempt to harm her children by vultures. She had her clerk dig deeper and try to find anything to use against the family, especially as they were in for a fight to the finish and wouldn't hesitate to go to the media to try to use Savannah's changes as a way of getting what they want. It was a terrible ploy, but the media loved a juicy story and a fight over the unborn children of a transgender woman, her donor, and her husband would cause a circus. She'd never let them get away with it and was going to ensure that her colleague did the right thing. After a quiet day at work where she stared to make inroads into her new position and helped the newly hired HR director get up to date on their rules, procedures, and major troublemakers, Mary left with her face sporting a dour expression as this afternoon would make or break her as a mother. As much as she wanted things to go smoothly, she felt like there was something that would happen to cause issues. It was within reason that her parents would poke their noses into her life just to cause trouble for her, it had happened too many times to count and she was always in fear that Tara would be taken away. Anthony was quiet as they drove over, with Sydney and Rose driving Tara in from their own home as Sydney had her own normal appointment after. She suspected that the ladies of her family had easily manipulated the situation to get Rose to be there for Mary just in case things didn't go well with Dr. Allen. When they arrived, Tara ran straight for her mother and Anthony, with Anthony picking her up to let her give him a big hug. Sydney helped Mary with the required forms then went into her own appointment, which Dr. Allen had to hold off asking about. Inside the office, she explained, "She's Rose's future sister-in-law. She is your next appointment, her son Tommy is starting to come to terms with being her daughter Tara and she is need of some help which I suspect mom and my aunts and uncles want me to give. She's also giving me and Rose a glimpse into motherhood as we have been stuck watching her until Monday." She let that last part out without thinking, which led to her explaining to Dr. Allen, "Rose is pregnant. I was wrong about my semen, I could still create sperm despite it being extremely low. I guess all it takes is one strong, determined one, it took inside her and left us pregnant. She's due in March." She was fighting tears, Dr. Allen offered her a soothing, "It's for the best. This was a shock but it's also a blessing. You created a life through an act of using something that you hate and had to have altered to make yourself whole, you gave her something that she will remember for a lifetime. She had always loved women, but she put that feeling of unease about having sex with men aside just to give you two something special and accepted the consequences from it. You are already getting married, this is just a step that you would have taken a few years down the road." Sydney looked away in shame and muttered, "I cost her her future. She was going to run a business and be the next big CEO, now she's going to stay home with our child. I don't want to cost her like Anthony did. She deserves a future, not to be saddled with children she didn't want." Dr. Allen let her calm then explained, "I know she told you this already, but she sees it differently. She is able to still go to college and she has access to childcare through your aunt's preschool. She is smart, she can juggle things. I know my wife is able to juggle being a judge and still be a great-aunt to her own nieces' and nephews' kids. She loves you and doesn't want you broken-up over her being a mother. She will endure, even if she has to take things slow." She finally released Sydney and whispered to Rose, "Give her time." Rose understood and gave Sydney a kiss on the cheek to show that she was alright. Dr. Allen called Tara and smiled as the little girl pulled her mother and Anthony along, with Rose and Sydney all but forcing him to move along. Inside, Mary explained what happened, why, and what Tara had said. She then explained her past and the new relationship she had to Anthony. Finally, she told how Tara had forced Anthony to be her new father and refuses to believe that he isn't her father despite knowing the truth. Anthony said nothing, holding Tara in his arms while she silently listened to her mother talk. All of this wasn't lost on Dr. Allen who listened to the story and finally asked to speak to Anthony alone. It was her test to see if he was serious about his actions or if he was just doing things just because he felt bad for Mary and Tara and only agreed to marry her out of being put on the spot by Tara's pleading. He cut her off and told her firmly, "I love Mary. I have loved her since we were 12. We spent years apart but I still love her and want to give her the life that she deserves. I know Tara is going to be in for years of fighting but I can't help but love her as my own. She needs a father, she craves love and I want to be the one who gives it to her. She's what I hoped my daughter would be. I look at her and I see her mom as I first met her and see all of the things that made me fall in love with her when we were 12." He was fighting tears as he said that, she didn't see any attempt to lie and believed that he was sincere in his words. She asked what he was going to do for them, he shot back a timid, "I was going to ask if Mrs. Stoner would file the paperwork for me to adopt Tara. Monday we were going to get married at city hall. My boss is nice enough to let us have as much time as we need to do it. Regardless of what goes on here, I still am going to adopt Tara as my own. Crossdressing son or transgender daughter, I want Tara in my life. I can't break her heart, I love that little girl." She saw tears in his eyes as he looked away in shame. She let him compose himself then sent him off and had Tara enter with Mary. Mary was asked a series of question about Tara's habits and once she had made it clear that she knew very little about her daughter she was sent off so Tara could speak alone. Tara was scared to death but vowed to tell the truth even if it was bad for her. Dr. Allen smiled at her and asked a series of questions about when she started to feel like a girl, why she was dressed as a girl, why she felt the need to tell her parents. It was all carefully worded so the young girl could understand. Tara looked down and told her, "I liked how girls look. I like pretty things. Mommy always got me toys that were for girls and boys. My nanny said I needed to be a big boy but I said I was a girl. She didn't get mad at me for saying that. She let me dress in mommy's clothes and had some clothes her great-granddaughter left behind. I wore it all of the time with her. I never told mommy, it was our secret. She said I was too pretty to be a boy and wanted me to know that I could be a girl if I wanted to. I miss her, she died yesterday. Rose told mommy about it but mommy tried to keep it from me but I heard them. She was like mommy's mommy, she loved mommy a lot. Her own family all died or don't like her, but she loved mommy and said she was the daughter she always wanted." She was in tears now. She looked at the door then back at Dr. Allen, hoping she'd say something to her. Dr. Allen encouraged her to continue so Tara explained, "Daddy isn't my real daddy but he loves me and mommy. He wants to be my daddy and lets me be a girl. I like being a girl, everyone likes me more as a girl. Mommy doesn't have to have people telling her that I'm too big for the bathroom anymore. I don't have to hide my wienie from anyone anymore. Mommy loves me as a girl, she doesn't say it but she is happy to have me as a girl. I want to be her daughter, I love being a girl. Don't make me be a boy. I don't want to be a boy anymore. I hate being a boy." She lost all composure and was sobbing. Dr. Allen hugged her deeply and let her cry herself out. When she stopped, Dr. Allen explained to her, "It's too early to know if you are a girl or boy. I'll need to meet with you more times before I am ready to say one way or another. You can still be a girl, but I think you might be better off dressed as a girl until I am certain. Please don't hurt yourself because you don't want to be a boy anymore, it only hurts everyone. Give it time, you can still dress and act as a girl." Tara let out a disappointed, "OK," and was led out. Mary was led back inside and had it explained to her what Tara was going to be doing. She gasped as Dr. Allen explained what she feared would happen but the girls and other kids her age around her would keep her from doing the worst. She would just need time before she could transition, she had a proper support network so it was just waiting. Dr. Allen asked her if she was completely OK with Tara's transition or if she was just humoring the girl. Mary looked down in shame and explain through tears, "I am not sure if it's OK for her. She's so young and doesn't know what it's like to be around boys. I keep hoping that she's going to snap out of it and be my son again but I can't refuse her pleading eyes. I love her no matter what, but I still think she might be going through a phase and Tommy will be back tomorrow." Dr. Allen had to fight a smile then pointed out, "You never once called Tara 'he.' Your exact words are 'her' and 'she'. They were done unprompted. I don't think this is a phase, he could have gone with the boys the first day but he chose to go with a girl. She could have reverted to Tommy the next day, but stayed in her dress and tiara and played with two girls one of which I know is careful around girls who are transitioning and neither of whom believe Tommy ever really existed. I can't say exactly what she told me, but she is firmly in the belief that your son is your daughter and wants your approval to be the daughter that you have and be the girl that she is inside." The group left and went right home, with Rose and Sydney eating with the trio as they prepared for the last night together at the Bradford house. Tara packed her clothes and visibly looked sickened at her old Tommy clothes, leading Sydney to explain, "It's still part of you. Trust me, you don't want to be a girl too early. There's only one way for that to happen and nobody wants it to ever happen to you. We have talked with several who had it happen to them and none of them wishes it on you. I know of one girl who had it happen to her at 8, one at 13, and four who had it happen at 11, it's not pretty and hurts a lot. All of them are beautiful women now, but it's still hard to endure and neither your daddy nor your mommy should have to endure the mental pain of a forced surgical transition." Sydney put Tara to bed and boldly told the couple, "Keep a close eye on her. She is taking this hard and is trying to act like it isn't affecting her but it but she's struggling more than she appears. Maybe having her talk with Nichole or Kylie will help, they were the only ones got help as young as her. Hunter is a bit too young to help in the way we need and the rest of us started too late to understand her turmoil." Mary went to bed late, first giving Anthony a lot of sex that wore him out then spending several hours thinking about herself, her life, Anthony, and finally Tara. She couldn't stop seeing images of Tara's happy face and how much her son had become her daughter with just a change of clothes and a father who would go to the ends of the earth for her. She looked over at the sleeping Anthony and shed tears as he was doing everything possible to be the man of her dreams even if he had already won her heart. She thought back to Tommy's past and how he acted and reacted, with each time being closer to what she had seen girls do and how he had always been close to girls instead of boys. What scared her was she saw Tommy's face as he parted from the girls, with the girls giggling and calling him, "Weird" for his trying to play with them instead of the boys nearby. Then she remembered how he would have his hair styled like them as they played, and how much others mistook him for a girl in the bathrooms as she took him inside to change his diapers or use the toilet. It started to make sense, as much as she loved Tommy Tara was always there just below the surface and she had finally gotten out for the world to see. She felt like she had failed Tara in thinking that this may be a phase, but she was so serious and her past started to make sense. Tara was never going away and it was going to take both her and Anthony to help her through her future troubles. She went to bed weeping at causing Tara trouble without knowing it. She loved her daughter despite all of foibles and wanted her to have a life that she never had: one with love, with family who treated her like a person and not a commodity, and a father who wanted what was best for her even if it was going to be trouble for him. Tara was her daughter, and she'd do anything to ensure she was her daughter. The move was organized chaos as Patrick came with his brother, brother- in-law, and cousins. They had their wives and kids in tow, with their wives taking great joy in telling Anthony that they were just the first of the helpers to come. He shuddered at hearing that, with the ladies giggling at it being a big help but filled with people who were intimidating to you if you didn't know them. Tara was monopolized by the Peterson kids as Antonio, Dorothy, Sophia, and Reginald Peterson all grabbed her to play while the adults kept busy. Claire and Will Bollinger's son Simon and daughter Lilly were able to keep all of the seven from doing too much and act as the go-between as only they had the ability to rein-in the mischievous Dorothy or mopey Reginald while keeping Tara from being too fearful about meeting new adults. The fact that Lilly and Simon were her blood relatives was a big help as they happily played with her and ensured the others knew not to push things too far too fast. Mary and Will worked on moving Tara's room and saw him telling her, "Mom said you'd have a place if you needed it. She doesn't want you to feel left all alone if you two have marriage issues. I'd offer my house, but Claire can be a big witch when she's trying to study for her tests." She blinked to which he explained, "Mom told me you were my former dad's niece. Mom and our aunts and uncles have been fighting tooth and nail over your inheritance. She is vicious, your parents are in a lot of trouble as they broke the terms of grandma and grandpa's will in running you off. Your brother is a huge jerk who upset a lot of people and mooches off of them instead of working, he's living off of what is rightfully yours and mom will ensure that you get it. The executor is in court trying to fight your parents. If all goes will, you will get your half plus interest in a month. Mom wants you to hold off telling Anthony but she doesn't think that he will be upset when he hears the news." Mary didn't care about money, but it was nice to know that her aunt cared enough about her to try to be her aunt in more than just name. She looked at Will and was glad that he was a strapping young man who was bigger and stronger than his father already and had a stunning wife, despite having had two kids already at her young age. Claire looked like an angel as she handled Tara and got her to be on her best behavior while she giggled with the young Simon and Lilly and their cousins. Claire smiled at Mary and whispered to Tara, "You know who these two darlings are? They are your 2nd cousins. Your mommy and my husband are cousins, you are our family. They like that you are going to be close to them, their other cousins through my birth dad are farther away so it's nice to have blood relatives close by. They will make sure the others are nice to you and play with you when you want." Claire led Tara out to the car with her and Will leading the procession to Winnisimmet. There was little need to pack a lot of the furniture as it was just going to be donated for a tax write-off as their new house was completely furnished. Only the bedding was needed, with Tara's room being ready as it was pink with white trim and featured a big canopy bed that was specifically kept just in case a new family had a little girl who would appreciate it. Inside the house, Tara went right to the bedrooms to stake the claim to one, with the little girl almost fainting at seeing the pink room and crying at the beautiful furniture. She climbed into the bed and was having trouble not jumping on it as it was perfect for her, with Mary having to hide a smile at her being so energetic. Anthony wisely let her have her fun, instead he moved their boxes inside and ignored the little girl's bouncing and gleeful laughs as she rolled around on the bed. When Anthony and Mary went back to bring in more boxes, Tara looked through the closet and found a doll hidden in the back that had been forgotten by its former owner. She hugged it tightly, it was big and had hair that was similar to her own making it look like a twin to her. When Mary saw the doll she had to hide tears as Tara was playing with it like it was another girl, treating it like a younger sister and sounding unlike any other girl she had heard before. Claire gasped at the doll, telling Mary, "We looked high and low for her. She found Becky! That was the doll Sylvia owned, she's my cousin Jaimie's daughter and why this room is so feminine. I swear that little girl did this on purpose just to ensure that the new owner had a perfect welcoming." Mary asked for clarification, Claire shook her head and told her, "She just turned four, like Tara. She's a bright kid but she goes overboard with her emotions. She's like her mother and aunt- she takes after Jaimie and is her aunt's daughter." She cursed herself for saying that, but it was too late. She sighed and told her, "I guess I have to tell you the truth since it affects your daughter. Sylvia Samuels, my cousin's daughter, gave your daughter the doll. Sylvia Gibson is her aunt but is also her biological mother. Little Sylvia was conceived as part of a horrible sexual assault ring targeting her father and the elder Sylvia. Any girl who posed a threat were targeted, the elder Sylvia just happened to be the one who got put together with Rick Samuels. She couldn't raise Sylvia and felt it best for her to be with Rick and his fiance Jaimie. Sylvia is so much like her namesake that they were close and she went to her when she felt it was too tough to go to her own parents. She loves her aunt, and may know the truth but keeps it quiet out of respect to Jaimie." And again kicking herself, she told Mary, "By aunt I mean it- Sylvia's birth mom was adopted by my Uncle John and Aunt Valerie as their daughter so she ended up being her aunt in full instead of an honorary aunt like the rest of our friends. She's a happy girl and I swear that she left Becky behind just so someone could find her and love her. And it was true- it looks like Tara is treating Becky like her own. It's even more fitting as Becky looks so much like Tara that she's the perfect recipient of her." Tara was playing with the doll unlike any other toy she had played with so far. Claire entered and told the happy girl, "I see you found Becky. She stayed behind hoping that a little girl would find her and be her new friend. Do you want to be her friend? She loves keeping kids company when they are sick or they are scared. She loves playing dress-up and having tea parties too." Tara's eyes were watering at hearing that. She looked at Becky and hugged her deeply. Mary looked at the other toys and realized that they weren't going to be used as much as Becky from now on, but loved the look on Tara's face as she showed just how much she appreciated the doll. As Tara was playing, Claire took a picture then texted someone. Minutes later she chuckled and told the watching Mary, "She's a sneaky little devil. She did exactly as I said, she told her mother why she did it and the little brat is cheering that Becky found a new playmate who will love her." Claire got a call and explained the picture to the person on the phone. She looked at Tara and added, "It was good timing, she's just starting her transition. You can't punish her for helping Tara immensely. She is your daughter, after all. She did what her own mother has done too many times to count." As expected, Claire got an earful about keeping that secret from her. She grinned then asked the upset Jaimie Samuels, "Just how could you have helped her situation? Seriously, you are in California doing your summer research courses and Rick is shadowing the Kaplan twins. Surely you can't expect to know everything about everyone in the family from 3,000 miles away. She has enough help, heck she's family to us. She's Will's cousin's daughter. Her mother got herself mixed-up with us by accident and has all of us to help her through this." Jaimie rarely backed down from something, but Claire was a stubborn woman and when she had her foot down there was no changing her mind. She smiled as Jaimie apologized and ended the call then explained to Mary, "She's like Tara, but is also trying to become a child psychiatrist. She wants to help but she forgets that she can't do much good from LA and that we have overwhelming support here." Jaimie did text her parents and aunts to ask for more information, then had to tell the smiling Sylvia, "You are a little angel. She loves what you did for her and won't let Becky out of her sight. You are your father's daughter so much that I can't help but cry at your big heart. One day you will meet her, she will want to thank you for making her feel welcome." In her room, Tara put away what little she had and played with Becky for two hours as the adults put the boxes away and moved furniture and things around. She only stopped when the Eliza twins came to get her to play with them, with Dorothy and Sophia joining them for some quality, "Girl time" as they giggled to their parents. Dorothy didn't say anything about Tara's clothes as she noticed Tara, she only hugged her and told her affectionately, "Mommy is like you. She can't have kids but she has me so you can have a baby too when you get older." Tara looked at her oddly, Bailey explained to the flummoxed girl, "Aunt Deborah had boy parts but lost them when she had surgery. Mommy said it is the choice of a girl like you and Hunter when you get to be old enough. Some girls don't want it done but most do. Our mommy had it done too, she said it hurts a lot and it makes you feel bad for a long time." Their parents were blushing deeply at the girls being so frank about something so serious, especially as the girls didn't realize just what they were saying. Tara understood what they meant but still felt bad, it would take a long time to become a girl but it would be worth it to her. She was determined to be a girl, even if it meant surgery that hurt badly and feeling like she made a mistake afterward. The girls went out for a walk with Savannah and Justin and let the adults start assembling the furniture that had been saved from the old house that Anthony couldn't part with. They went to a nearby park and were meet by the rest of the wives and their young kids, with the ladies grinning widely at Savannah and Justin. It was an open secret that this was planned for them, they needed to handle multiple kids at once since they were going to be parents of multiple children at once. As they were playing, Tara asked Savannah, "Why are you watching us?" Savannah was shocked so she told the truth, "Your parents want us to be used to little kids, especially a lot of little kids. We are going to be parents in a couple of months to triplets: Lydia, Phillip, and Nathan." Tara asked why she wasn't having the babies. Savannah smiled and told her, "I can't. I'm like you, I was born with boy parts so I can't have a baby. I want to nurse them but it's impossible for three of them." Tara looked ashamed for asking, Savannah hugged her deeply and explained to her, "You are too young to hear how that doesn't matter. What you do need to know is they are my children. I love them with all of my heart just as Anthony loves you. Who knows, maybe you might have a baby brother or sister in a year or two. Plus you will have a little cousin to help raise, as Rose is going to have a baby too." That caused Tara to gasp and ask, "How?" Savannah quickly shot back, "You are too young to know. I can say that there will be a time when you will be able to be a mommy by your own blood." Justin grinned as Savannah was receiving a crash course in motherhood that she hadn't gotten from her nephews and nieces. She had been an aunt for over four and a half years, but this was the first time she got to be an aunt to someone who needed her help even if they didn't know it. While she had been an aunt to a four-year-old, she hadn't been an aunt to one who was transgender let alone in need of a positive influence and who was desperate for acceptance from everyone. Deborah walked over to her mentor and happily told Justin, "She's going to do alright with the triplets. It is going to take time, but you can't learn some things from others. She has to know that she is able to be the mother that she already is, even if she doesn't believe it." Justin wisely didn't say a word. He looked at the grinning Dorothy and asked, "Have you thought about having Patrick use a donor so he has one of his own?" Deborah shook her head and firmly told him, "He refuses. He would gladly give a loving home to a child than create one. He sees his cousins and wants to give that life to another child who has no family and is looking at a long, hard life in foster care. But won't be for a while, maybe when the kids are older and understand it a lot more. Antonio already has struggles at school with people saying he doesn't look like Patrick or me. I can't bring in another child and leave them feeling like they are unwanted or unneeded and only here for image reasons like those kids in Hollywood who have multiple adopted siblings." The kids had a blast and fought being separated, leading to them heading to the Peterson home for dinner and a lot more fun. It was an impromptu sleepover, the girls were so focused on playing together that they were worn out and fell asleep in Dorothy's bedroom. It was sweet as she was hugging Tara tightly while the always close Emily Daniels hugged her best friend Dorothy, the twins hugged one another, and Sophia spread out on the floor as she usually did. Emily was initially jealous of Tara, but seeing that Dorothy was trying to be a good person to the new girl made Emily give in and be nice to Tara as well. Emily couldn't help but be suspicious and care a lot about her friend, she was her mother's daughter and took after her father in her actions. It didn't help that Tara was talked about extensively at home by her mother as the adults discussed the move. Deborah had to reluctantly tell Mary what the girls had done, getting a gasp of surprise while Antony gave her a knowing smirk as she forgot that was what girls their age did. He casually asked, "Didn't you use to stay over when Rose was her age just so she had some fun while mom and dad were working? I could have sworn that was when you made me dress in mom's dresses and you in dad's suits." All of the ladies and guys gave him odd looks to which he asked, "What? You guys never dressed up like girls or guys before? We did it all of the time whenever my parents were out, it kept Rose quiet and got us a lot of hours of fun out of it. Mary looked great in a suit, especially with her fake mustache that she drew on with mom's mascara." All of the husbands had just been one-upped by Anthony, with their wives giving them smirks to show that they were about to have to endure the same treatment for daring to try to make fun of Anthony over being a great big brother to Rose. Mary blushed deeply at the memories and swore that she was only in it because it was too funny seeing him looking like her girlfriend instead of best friend. None of them bought it, but it was too funny seeing the guys look away in shame as the ladies laughed at the images. Claire grinned and proudly told the guys, "He's man enough to admit it, why don't all of you guys show that you are man enough to wear a dress. Go full-on, shaving and wearing pantyhose as well. I know it isn't too much for all of you, is it?" Will sighed and told the others, "We have to do it. It's for Tara's and the kids' benefit so they know that we are man enough to wear women's clothing and not care. Uncle John will never let us live it down. You know how he is with these things, he won't let us back out of it. If he did it, we have to do it too." Patrick cringed while Claire smirked at him. He shot back, "I already did it!" She countered, "And now you can show that it doesn't bother you. You are man enough to be a woman, right?" That hit him hard, with the others laughing at the sibling rivalry. Patrick's brother David added, "I don't care one bit. Bring it on, it'll make the guys at the office laugh but considering they do this every night on the Esplanade and Memorial Drive it's no big deal to anyone. You try making fun of a state trooper!" Miles and Michael Finn nodded to one another, adding, "Dad would have our heads for this if we didn't do it. Stop acting like wimps and man- up!" Scott Nelson grinned and asked, "Do I have to wear what you choose or can I wear what I want? I have my eye on a nice black dress Stacy has been saving." That set the ladies off as Scott, the most masculine of the group of guys, had shown he was willing to do it. Eric Vincent and George Daniels rolled their eyes at realizing they had been out-foxed by their friends and couldn't back down. They were the ones who had the most trouble with bullies in the past and who were the most insecure despite their tough facades so were reluctant to do it for fear of the news that they had done it would get out. Angus Campbell was the only one who refused, but he had a good reason: he had to work. Unlike the rest, his work couldn't be put off until Monday and being the one whose job impacted others directly on a daily basis none of them could fault his backing out. The ladies didn't try to get him to do it another day, it was simply acknowledged that his manhood was on display by putting others first and if he had to do it he would do it another day when he had the time to do it. Anthony wisely agreed to do it while not having to, if they did it then he had to do it too. That went a long way towards friendship among them, especially as he was the one who sparked it. Mary gave him a deep kiss for doing it for the guys, with the group smiling at the two being so in love so soon. July 20th, 2025 Anthony awoke to Mary still asleep. Mary and he were stark naked and upon noticing him stirring she grinned and continued their mattress gymnastics from the night before. The two were slow to get out of bed, with Mary enjoying that Anthony knew how to please her after their long time apart. The two finally got out of bed and prepared for the day, with Mary preparing him for the fun later. He had no problem shaving and moisturizing, but did draw the line at panties. As much as he was willing to wear the dress, pantyhose, high heels, and a wig- wearing panties were a step too far especially as he didn't feel it was worth the time to buy a pair just to wear one time. Mary just grinned and got some spare makeup and found the right ones to put on him. He cringed as she teased him about his skin and how his lips looked fuller with some color. She loved teasing him, it was just like old times and unlike before- she actually had him in bed so there was no need to do it. The two got their things ready for the trip to the Finn home where the whole dressing event would take place and that parents would pickup their kids from their impromptu sleepover. It was the one place in the whole of the city that they could go and not be bothered by anyone as all of the surrounding houses were owned by extended members of the large Finn family. John Finn personally wanted them there so they could be at the center of things, with the kids away from the whole bit of fun for a bit. John groaned as Anthony and Mary arrived. He was already dressed in his wife's long black dress and complained that he got dragged into dressing because his daughter Cat wouldn't let him get out of it. His son JD was in a dress as well, looking sad and complaining that Cat tricked him again as she did her usual, "Daddy is doing it so you should too" shtick to get him to do what she wanted. Mary saw the girl grinning widely while John gave her a death glare that sent her off laughing. JD went off as well, screaming that he did his part and was changing into his shorts and t-shirt. Cat whined but she didn't dare press further as John's look was one that she knew to mean she was in trouble if she did anything further to force her will on her brother. John finally explained, "I do apologize for my youngest daughter's antics. I love her but she is too much of a pain in the neck when she chooses to be. All of the females in my family are the same way. Sadly, you will learn what I mean in due course as Claire and her sister Daisy aren't much better." Cat just smirked to which he told her, "I swear you try your hardest to make my life miserable. I should have sent you off to camp for the summer but I couldn't do that to the other campers nor the poor CITs. Next summer, you are going to be helping change diapers with your aunt whether you like it or not." JD came back out then was told, "Use the makeup remover pads. That little sneak wasn't supposed to put any makeup on you but it's clear that she put lip gloss and eyeliner on your eyes. Your sister better not put that stuff on in school, I don't care if other girls wear it she is too young for that stuff!" Cat tried to run but John stopped her, inspected her face, then told her, "Take it off. You are too young for it. I need to talk with Lindsay about the two of you wearing that stuff, somehow I doubt it was your own idea to wear it. Your cousins and sister can wear it because they are old enough, you are just 10. I know you want to appear older and you are more mature than most of their friends, but you are still just a little girl inside. I'm not being mean, your sisters didn't get to wear makeup until 12 and even then it was only because it was a special occasion that required it." Cat left and returned without the makeup, with John knowing that she was doing her usual bit to help a parent who was in the middle of becoming a parent. He shook his head and smiled, his youngest was a bright little girl who knew how to do the right thing even if it appeared to be the wrong thing. Anthony saw the truth and smiled at her, causing her to grin and go off on her own. John sat down and told the two, "The others will be here shortly. The kids are a lot to handle so will be off with their grandparents and aunts soon after they arrive. None of their parents are joining the 'fun', as far as I know it's just me. I can't go without doing this because Cat really wouldn't let me live this down. It's all a show for the kids and to give Tara a realization that she is understood by us even if we don't show it. Plus it's putting our money where our moths are, if we aren't men enough to dress like a lady for a bit then we can't complain about our wives taking so long to dress themselves." When the first doorbell rang, John laughed as in walked Quentin and Scott Nelson, both wearing black dresses and sporting wigs. Quentin grumbled, "Greta wouldn't let me get out of this. She said something about 'never seeing you appreciate the hard work to look this good'. I swear it was all Fiona's doing, she is just itching to have me in a dress for making her wear one for Easter. I love her to bits, but that girl is really great at getting the perfect payback for us." Quentin introduced himself and explained who Fiona was while Scott hurried next-door to meet the inspection of his brothers-in-law. Anthony asked what that was about, with Quentin explaining, "Julio has trouble with boys making fun of him for just about anything. He had trouble with girls forcing him to wear dresses before he was adopted by Melanie and Dan so he needs his idol, Scott, to show that it's alright and if he can do it, Julio can do it too. Before you ask, they were his aunt and uncle and adopted him as their own. He's an amazing boy, he just needs help seeing that he's alright from time to time." Scott's own outfit was asked about, with Quentin happily telling him, "He doesn't care. He is proud to be who he is and not afraid to make others show their insecurities as they try to make fun of him. He had his sisters help him so they are able to see just how willing he is to go to great lengths to show that he doesn't care what others think. Fiona still has trouble dealing with boys so helping Scott goes a long way. And before you ask, she and her sister are adopted and Flora is like Tara so the girls know about girls like Tara and will accept Tara as one of them no matter what anyone will say." More rings and in walked Will with his son Simon, who complained that he hated doing this. Simon saw all of the guys in dresses then saw the arriving Julio and DJ Lopez in them causing him to stop complaining as older boys were doing it as well. Will could barely control his own complaining, telling the assembled group, "Who told Daisy? That little witch had me up at six to shave my legs and arms! If it wasn't plausible that I could say it was due to the heat of the fire three days ago I don't think the guys at the station would ever let me live this down!" Claire smirked while the other guys groaned at her getting the whirling dervish involved. Daisy was the one person who could get Will to do whatever she demanded and never let him back down from doing what he promised to do. She was told so Will actually followed through on the event instead of backing out at the last minute by taking on an extra shift at the firehouse making them unable to complain about him not participating since he had a legitimate reason for not being there- the safety of others. Eric and George entered, with their wives complaining that they would be the only ones not dressed. The two ignored them but once they saw Scott and Will already dressed they were forced to go upstairs and put the selected outfits on. Their wives Jessica and Jenna smirked at the two, with Claire going up to put their makeup on and ensure their wigs settled firmly. 20 minutes later, Claire led the two downstairs and presented the duo. Jessica simply smirked and gave Eric a deep kiss while Jenna hugged George for being man enough to show that he wasn't afraid to be a woman. Scott had to threaten to hose them off but only when his sister Jessica started to get a little too frisky with her husband Eric in front of the older kids. The younger kids were next door with their cousins and friends allowing the adults to talk. Anthony reluctantly asked how many others were coming, with John shooting back, "David, Michael, Patrick, and Miles so far. Our nephew Ian may be by but he has a lot of work to do up in Endicott so may not make it. My nephew Bryan was unavailable due to family obligations and my son-in-law Mitch is busy with camp down in Foxborough. The other guys have to work or are out of state." The names were out faster than Anthony could comprehend, John explained, "They are all friends to the guys. Reed is a year younger, Thomas and Donald are two years younger. The Perez twins are three years old but are working right now as is Angus, but I saw on the news that there was a fire so he might have the afternoon off since the place that burned was the one he was supposed to be working on." Will growled, "He's in with the fire department talking to them about unapproved alterations that he was supposed to fix today. He will be by soon, he had the issues documented and will be off of the hook but colleagues of his are about to see themselves placed under arrest for bribery and arson charges. They stupidly thought they'd get away causing a fire due to faulty wiring and were going to pin it on Angus if caught, which is about as laughable as you can get since he's one of the best electricians in the state." Michael and Miles led their kids inside, with little Johnny Finn flaunting his dress for the ladies. He purposely did that to irk his uncles, with Will telling him, "We will be sure to remember that action at Christmas. Maybe a red and green dress would look nice on you when we take the family picture." Johnny started to cry while his mother Courtney angrily told Will, "If anyone is wearing a dress, it's you and you alone. He can't help it if he knows he looks cute and you aren't man enough to admit that you don't. It took us hours to talk him into the dress, you ruined it in a few seconds." Johnny hugged his grandfather and namesake, who took him upstairs to change and returned with a boy who was the spitting image of his father. He went over to Mary and sat in her lap, then fell asleep as the adults pretended that wasn't out of the ordinary for him. Michael did tell her, "He knows who you are and just wanted to get on your good side. He's scared of the others saying something to him." The ladies inspected the guys and noted who made an effort, who was barely putting up with the fun, and who needed a lot of help. Anthony was encouraged to dress, with Mary leading him up to the spare bedroom and helping him put on her dress and a wig that John handed her. He blushed as the ladies had a laugh joking about him, "Putting his money where his mouth is" as he was led upstairs. In the room, he took off everything and wore what she handed him. He wore the small pair of briefs that she had brought with her since he refused to wear panties. He put on the bra and falsies that she had with her, silently cursing Rose for never getting rid of them when her breasts grew larger but glad that Mary hadn't gone with larger ones than the small A-cup inserts that he now had. He fidgeted and twitched when Mary brought out the makeup again, but endured her touching-up his feminine look while further masking his male features. The wig gave him a look that made him almost unrecognizable, with Mary feeling weird at liking what she saw as she had never had feelings for ladies before. Anthony felt odd that she was giving him that look, he was going to say something but she confessed, "I am fighting weird urges. I don't like women but I am unable to stop myself around you." She led him downstairs and listened as the guys gasped in shock. All of them looked at one another and had trouble believing that Anthony could become so beautiful yet still be a guy inside. John let out a big laugh and asked them, "Didn't you listen to them when they were talking about it last night? It's not the first time they've done this. It's all practice, only in this case it helps that he has a wig too. I know a few of you have been forced to do this for the kids' sake, and in your cases Patrick and David it's due to your own idiotic bets with your father. I believe Lilly still has the picture from that day at home. I'll get her to tell the story to Mary and Anthony over your fun, it's worth hearing." The guys knew Anthony won "best looking" while poor Eric won "least effort" but they refused to give any heed to that fact as he didn't appreciate it. Anthony had to fight blushes as the ladies joked with him about helping Tara with her makeup in a few years while Mary had to fight a tear as she realized that it was going to be true- she would love doing that with Anthony. The little girl was leaning so heavily to the female side that she'd relish playing dress-up with Anthony, especially as he had no reason not to. They got a laugh as Angus Campbell came in with his young son Fergus and complained about his sister Maisie hijacking the two for the day. Angus' sister was notorious for her makeovers among the younger kids and had Fergus smiling as he danced in his little dress while the guys laughed at him doing a show just to irk his father. Angus groaned at his antics, he loved getting any kind of attention. Fergus was a good kid, he was letting them know that he didn't care about what he was wearing as long as he had fun. Angus had a lot of reason to be insecure over how he was dressed, with his family being a target for a lot of people due to their past as well as his sister's gender change being well-known. The little boy wanted all attention on him so his father didn't have any on him, giving Angus a chance to be away from the spotlight and able to think clearer and enjoy himself once the shock vanished. The guys took a group picture and had Fergus enjoying being in the center. JD came out again with his dress and dragged his cousins along to show they did what the others had done. They plastered on fake smiles for the camera and ran off as soon as they could, ditching the dresses while their aunts laughed at their subtle protest and vows to never get caught in their older cousins' stupidity again. The groups disbursed when their kids entered, with each going for their fathers while Fergus proudly told them, "Our daddies dressed like girls for us." The girls giggled while their sons just shrugged and let it go, with Fergus happily leading the kids to the playroom while the guys changed out of their own dresses and removed their makeup. Fergus didn't bother getting out of his, he intentionally didn't take it off as it was his own stake to his manhood and showed he didn't care what he wore as long as he had his friends around him to play with him. Tara was the first to come upstairs and look for her parents, asking why they did what they did as she felt like she was the cause of it. Anthony held the sobbing girl and explained to her, "It's not due to you, it's actually due to me. I did this with your mom when we were younger, a lot of boys and girls do it. I told a story about us and the ladies challenged their husbands to do it too. They have known girls like you for a long time and not one of them is upset with you and none of them are making fun of you." Tara felt relieved and sat in Anthony's lap while the guys changed and left. Anthony finally got up to change, with Tara having to be told to stay there as she tried to follow him up to the bathroom. She was upset at that, but Mary had to tell her discretely, "You are too old to be around him when he is changing. It's not a good thing to have others know about, even if it's not a big deal." When he returned, Mary had to remove his makeup that he had missed while Tara giggled at him being a big baby over something she took for granted. He hugged and kissed Tara when he was done, it was a big act of showing he wasn't upset at her and she loved that he cared about her. John had a big smirk as Will had to be reined-in while Michael complained that they were upstaged by Anthony. John's wife Valerie entered with several ladies and complained to John that he was still in her dress. He gave her a smirk to which she added, "Sorry, but you do not have the legs to pull off that dress. We love you, but your legs are too meaty for that cut and style. The makeup is fine, she's getting better at it even if she isn't supposed to wear it outside of her bedroom." John got up and changed, with Valerie signaling to Mary to come into the office to talk. After Johnny was moved to one of the bedrooms to finish his nap, Valerie sat her down and had her fill out various paperwork for her and Anthony to have him adopt Tara as his own. She added, "I'll be with you when you go to city hall to marry. You won't get any issues with me there, some of the clerks try to dig for something to use against people but don't dare to do it when I'm there. All they will know is you are now married and if they try to go further they will be out of their job due to unlawful investigation." She led Mary back downstairs and had Anthony sign the paperwork, with him first asking Tara if she wanted him to be her father in full. Tara tearfully said, "Yes" to which he signed all of the forms then hugged the crying girl as she calmed herself. Mary didn't say anything, she let the little girl cry herself out then hugged and kissed her as well as kissing Anthony. Valerie finally introduced Mary and Anthony to the ladies present. Both kept silent and purposely didn't say anything to Tara as they didn't want to say the wrong thing to her, not wanting her to think that she had done something wrong. The ladies gave big smiles to which Tara feared but didn't react to. Valerie smiled at Tara and explained, "These two ladies are my sister Melanie Lopez and my sister-in-law Leslie Sylvester. You met Melanie's son-in-law Scott and sons Julio and DJ earlier. You also met Leslie's daughter-in-law Reyna, she stopped by for a bit when you were having lunch last week at Sydney's grandmother's house." Tara recalled the names and nodded at approving of them, the boys didn't say anything to her but were nice to her and the other kids. The remembered Reyna and her grandmother and liked Sydney so it was a small leap to know anyone knowing Reyna would be alright. She didn't mind the new people, but she still felt scared that they would say something about her being a girl. Valerie picked up on her fears and explained to her, "The ladies know all about you and what you have going on inside. Reyna is like you, as is my daughter Jaimie. It's OK with them, they want you to be yourself and want you to be happy. They are going to take you to their preschool tomorrow so you can play with the kids and get used to being around others your own age. You know many of them already, their parents use the preschool as they are all part of our family. If Rose wasn't having a baby we would have had you go there instead of with Rose and Sydney last week but she needed to know what it's like to care for a little kid. They should have gotten a workout with diapers but we aren't that cruel." Leslie then explained, "We want to help you out so you go to pre- kindergarten at the Early Learning Center next moth without any difficulties. That's a regular school, not a preschool like ours. We just want to see how well you are doing so we can help you learn or we can ensure that you aren't too bored in school. You are a smart girl, we want to give you a real challenge." The ladies took her to the dining room and had her work on some worksheets to see what she knew. It was a surprise that she worked through the worksheets quickly and knew a lot of information already, but she was ahead of many kids her age and was borderline first-grade. Mary was full of pride at seeing Tara making the ladies talk quickly about what to do, Tara had caught them by surprise. Leslie finally announced, "Congratulations, you lady. You are a smart cookie. We all agree that you are well ahead of where you should be for your age group and may even be above it. You are going to be a treasure in class and should keep the other girls in line as they try to keep up with your smarts." The trio left the Finn home, with the trio shopping first before cooking dinner together. It was their first true dinner together as a family in the house so it was something special for all. Tara loved choosing her own snacks and what they'd cook for dinner, with Mary having to rein her in as she gleefully ran to the different displays, shelves, and tried hard to beg for certain junk foods and drinks. In the morning, Mary was up before either Tara or Anthony. She got Tara showered and dressed before she woke Anthony who himself needed to shower and dress. When he was in the shower, she cooked for all of them and had Tara ensure that she had everything ready for the day. Tara felt horrible as they dropped her off at the preschool, but brightened as Dorothy ran to her to give her a big hug while Antonio dragged them along. They were met by Johnny, Simon, Sophia, Lilly, Fergus, Jose Reagan and Violet Finn as well as their closest friends who weren't members of the family. All of the kids introduced Tara as their newest cousin, with Simon telling the kids that Tara was his real cousin, through his father and her mother, and she was going to be around them for a long time. Tara was immediately taken to where the girls usually played while the boys kept the other boys from getting too close or trying to show their strength to Tara. Her new teacher introduced herself to Tara as Tanya York and had the girls giggling as Tara had ended up in the same class as Johnny, Fergus, and Dorothy. She was also happy to tell Tara in private, "My niece Mia and son's closest friend were born as boys so I won't let any of the students make fun of you or try to hurt you. Give the others time to get to know you, it'll be fun if you let yourself enjoy your day here." Tanya knew what she was dong and enjoyed helping kids be themselves even if they are not really what they think they are. She had dealt with some kids who believed that they were transgender but not and she had several who struggled with their gender but didn't come out until they were older, either way she cared about the kids in her care and wouldn't let anyone hurt them. She had gone to war with a few parents over treating their children poorly because of their own bigotry, thankfully for Tara she did not have the same bleak future that those children had. Across town, Anthony and Mary went before the Winnisimmet city clerk and were officially married. It was tough to deny their licenses nor was anyone in the office able to get any dirt on the new couple as Valerie and John were serving as witnesses and had Lilly and Lindsay there as witnesses just in case there was trouble stirred over Valerie and John helping the couple. Valerie had a look that dared the folks in the office to say something about her or the couple, she was ready for war and had them backed into a corner as there was no legal reason to deny the marriage nor go after the couple.. Their next stop was the family and probate court, a stop that proved comedic as Judge Martha Perez insisted on speaking with the couple as she had a free slot and their case was easy. She reviewed their forms, nodded at Mary's custody agreement, then announced, "I'll hear your case in a month. I am glad to know that there are men out there who do the right thing even if they were wronged years before." On their way out they were met by Dr. Gina Allen who smiled at the couple and asked, "I take it you just filed for adoption?" Mary sighed and shot back, "I couldn't wait any longer. I don't want Tara to think that she isn't wanted by him. She loves him and he loves both of us." Martha asked if she was a patient of Gina. Mary cringed and explained, "My son is her patient. He's seeing her regarding gender issues. He's leaning heavily toward being transgender according to what we were told this past week." Gina explained to her wife, "Thomas Riley is transgender but I can't officially diagnose him without several more meetings." Martha nodded, telling Mary, "This doesn't change anything, it'll only mean that when the time comes I'll transfer the case to someone whom I can trust. I just hope that you get her into a school that understand her needs and accommodates them." Valerie wisely chimed in, "She's attending Winnisimmet Early Learning Center. As you are well aware, they are quite familiar with students who have gender issues. And to make things better she is close friends with Katie and Dr. Alison Eliza's children, one of whom is transgender as well." Martha sent them on their way to talk with her wife. Gina knew what she was thinking and gave her wife a simple, "I'll ensure they follow all rules. They know what they are doing." She watched as Martha had a look in her eye and felt for her, Gina wisely told her wife, "We should've adopted before. I know our jobs were hectic and it's too late to have children but we can be good aunts to children. You are beloved by a lot of people, there might be someone who needs our help out there and who could use parents to guide them." Martha was a woman of honor and felt a strong connection to those who were before her who had been wronged in their lives, but her detachment from those people was wearing on her and she had a need to mother someone that was growing stronger. She was in her late-50s and sacrificed her life for her job, then her love life for her job. But after 20 years on the bench and five years as the head judge at the Suffolk County Family and Probate Court, she needed more. At home, she gave Gina a look that told her wife that she was thinking long and hard about her life. When she finally spoke, Martha explained to her wife, "That young woman today hit me hard. She isn't like the other people whom had been brought before me for adoptions by Valerie Finn. I don't know if it is her daughter's circumstances or the air of protection around her but she needs help that we can give." Gina nodded, then told her, "I'll talk with Alison about transferring her daughter's case to her. I can't be her doctor if she's my granddaughter. I know what you are thinking and I'll ask her next time. It's very sudden but there's something about her that is familiar and makes me want to help her as a mother." There was nothing more to be said, the future Mary Russo had made her mark on the two for all of the right reasons. Gina loved that she had a will to survive and protect her daughter and had kept her integrity despite having nothing in the world except each other. Martha couldn't hear the story herself, Gina couldn't break confidentiality but wanted to help Mary as much as possible. Nearby in the law offices of Vincent, Stoner, and Byrne-Toro, things were getting heated as Savannah received the new attempt to achieve custody by the maternal family of the triplets It was expected, but it still stung that a family could not care one bit about their daughter yet felt they could use their only grandchildren against her. And to boot they were suing for child support on top of the children, it was clear to both of her partners that the target was actually money and not the children themselves. The complaint said that due to her gender change Savannah was unfit and could not properly care for the children. She then further read that by allowing deviants into her household she was intentionally putting the children down a path to follow her. Nowhere did it say just what they were talking about, it was a generalized threat that had no actual basis in reality and was meant for a bigoted judge to hear. The terms were clear, she had to give them $5 million to go away or they'd force her to appear in court to fight their challenge for the kids. They ignored that Justin was the biological father of Nathan, they lumped all three children together and targeted her. Justin would have told them where they could stick their claims, nobody would ever get between him and his kids no matter how they felt about his wife nor did they have any right to go after Sydney and Rose as the two were family to the children by their own blood regardless of their sexual orientation. She was too stunned to say anything so Ricardo Vincent, the firm's family law specialist, wrote out her response and stated that his client would not be threatened and would have the state investigate the firm for extortion as that was what their treats amounted to. He went for the throat and cited the restraining order against the future grandparents that was issued by the biological mother as well as the fact that they had no legal right to take away the children who were in the care of the biological parent despite their transphobia. It was a classic response to which there was no counter, they would have to appear in court to justify their claims against Savannah and would be exposed by the judge as extortionists. Ricardo tried to push the whole situation out of Savannah's mind, insisting that she stop fooling herself and start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and what it would mean to her. She was already going to be a mother, and in a few months she would be a grandmother. She was a great mother already and had two daughters who loved her unconditionally and who wanted her to be happy even if they had to share their mother with three newborns. Over at the courthouse, Martha read the notice from her clerk and laughed. She asked him if the bar association had a file on the lawyer in question and was given a dossier that looked more like it was a criminal record rather than a lawyer, "In good standing." She shook her head and told him, "I'll officially recuse myself from this case as well as another case. I have some work to do on behalf of a young mother who herself will face her own ordeal and who needs some help that only I can give." Her clerk nodded and told his colleague, the clerk of Judge Roy Parker, to free up two cases as they had a connection to Martha and were going to be seen as biased. Roy Parker was a no-nonsense judge who held a firm belief in the welfare of children and hated those who used the courts to bully others. He was a quick friend of Martha and had no problem with gay, lesbian, or transgender people and saw that any attempts to get children away from parents based on those reasons as being abuse in itself. As he entered after his late lunch, he shook his head at the cases and asked his clerk for the reasons for him receiving them. The Stoner case was understood, but the Russo case was different. Seeing a note from Martha about it coming with a future name change to female clued him in while the clerk had a good idea that it involved Gina as a doctor for the child being adopted without it being stated as so. 130 miles away in Pittsfield, MA the law offices of Hugh Shyster was in an uproar a Ricardo had sent back their response to the donor's family trying to obtain their grandchild from the Stoners. What Hugh read was a shock to him, complete with threats to have the state bar investigate his law practice and the DA go after the family for extortion due to their showing only concern about money. He was in a bind, he knew he'd lose everything if the state went after him while he had a sure-thing with his clients as they were paying him thousands in the hopes of getting millions from Savannah and Justin. He had people investigating the family and received a surprise from his investigator, they had seen two people whom he knew well in the company of the family: Mary and Anthony. The teenagers who were around were unknown, but the fact that they were lesbians caused him to think he might have another way of getting the judge to go against the Stoners and get the money alongside the kids. His informants hit snags as people refused to talk about the girls and when asked why they had to quickly leave or the police officers close by would have spoken with them about going after young girls. The officers were on to something, considering they were Martha's nephews- the Perez Twins. The two were on the scent and informed Ricardo about the actions, leading to Ricardo telling them to keep an ear out for people asking about Savannah and Justin who weren't known and confront them as it was an active juvenile custody case. The twins got the gist of it and smirked, they'd have several investigators who were about to go to jail for harassment or illicit conduct for their antics on Shyster's behalf. Shyster brought Mary's involvement to her parents and saw them freak-out over their daughter being around someone like Savannah. They demanded that he get their grandson no matter the cost, even if he had to hire people to kidnap him. They specifically told him, "If his mother should die, so be it. That piece of garbage is useless, her son is all that matters. His money is more important than anything." Shyster wasn't aware that the family was in turmoil thanks to Cameron Byrne-Toro getting involved in Mary's inheritance case and forcing the executor to fork over her share of the inheritance as well as the accrued interest. The Rileys had nothing to counter as it was an even split and Mary was to receive it on her 21st birthday yet had not received a penny as was required. It was $15 million and had helped fuel the family's lifestyle, their son was supposed to get all of it on New Year's Day due to her not claiming it but that plan was thwarted causing the family to panic and try to cover their tracks. Beverly Bollinger was hired by Cameron on Mary's behalf and was a vicious accountant and coupled with the diligent work of Cameron she was able to rip apart any counterclaims Shyster had as well as ensure Mary got her full amount. Her parents were left with a hefty bill that they couldn't afford, they had spent $1 million of Mary's money as well as the accrued interest on themselves. Her brother was the one who spent much of it, so it was coming from his account now which in itself was almost gone. Beverly had no sympathy for him, he was a spoiled brat who was coasting by on his sister's dime and who was set to takeover his father's businesses but had no ambition to do so. The family would be bankrupt by Mary now that they would have to pay her back, with her brother forced to actually get a real job while their parents sold their businesses to make ends meet. With a battered reputation and no way of raising capital, the Riley family was going to have to split apart to save themselves from their own bankruptcy and try to rebuild their reputation on their own. Shyster called in favors and tried to get the Berkshire County courts to work in their favor, but he was forced to face a tough situation as the names of all of his clients were flagged and saw the clerks telling him, "Your clients will appear in Boston in Suffolk County. Due to the children and defendants being residents of that county the cases will be held there. Their cases are already expected and the chief judge is not letting the cases slide without due diligence on the court's part. It's going to be nearly impossible to get anything moved out here, our hands are legally tied." The clerk who informed Shyster had a big smirk, Judge Parker wasn't going to be pushed around by anyone. He had served in Berkshire county before moving east, he had a lot of clout and a lot of people who knew the real man respected him and knew what he was capable of. Nobody was going to get the better of him, especially not a group of frauds like Shyster's clients usually were. Shyster screamed and ranted, but her couldn't change anything. Roy Parker was getting his way and the Shyster antics were already known to Roy Parker making it impossible to get by with bigotry and fear- mongering as Shyster usually did with tough cases that had no evidence or support. He had to actually get creative, even if it meant getting dirty himself- the money was too much to not try. Shyster had to go with his, "Plan B" and sought some muscle to go after Mary and the Stoners. It was a long shot and could hurt him badly, but he had faith in the thugs as they had never failed him before. He didn't know that most of them were on the radar of the State Police for their actions and had been the focus of the FBI for ties to organized crime, if he had he would have stayed far away from them as they were toxic to be around and would only lead to investigations into himself by law enforcement. Over at the preschool, Tara had the time of her life as she played most of the day and learned quickly how things worked among the kids. The girls were nice to her and treated her like one of them and let her play with them once they got to know her. The boys were jerks who tried to hit her when she wouldn't do what they wanted, her friends were close by and kept others from saying anything bad about her while keeping the boys from bullying her to show that they were bigger and better than her. The only real surprise to her was that the kids acted entirely different when Tanya was around. The second she left the room for something the boys would be all over the girls showing their dominance while the girls ignored most of their antics. It was an eye-opening for Tara as she was unused to being around kids who were pretty much separate people when adults weren't watching them. After the kids left for the day, Tara knew something happened and asked what went on. Mary showed her the ring on her finger and the forms that she had filed with the court. Anthony then showed their marriage license and proudly told the crying girl, "One month you become my daughter legally." Tara was weeping at the news and refused to release Anthony, requiring Mary to drive the family home. The scene lasted until they arrived at home and saw Savannah and Ricardo awaiting them. The two were upset about the news they had received, with Ricardo handing Mary a challenge for custody of Tara by her parents with the wording chosen to make it clear that she was endangering Tara without it being clear as to why she was actually endangering Tara. He growled, "This is retaliation for their lawyer getting his ass handed to him by me. Savannah is being sued for custody regarding her and Justin's unborn children, you are the scapegoat for that. They are in a bind and will lose, so he's trying to get at them through your association with Savannah and Justin." Tara screamed and ran inside, necessitating Anthony's chasing her. He caught her before she could do anything to herself, crying with her as she calmed herself and taking her up to her room to take a nap. When he returned downstairs he growled, "If they even think about getting anywhere near her I'll kill them myself. I don't care if I spend the rest of my life in prison, they won't get my daughter." Ricardo grinned and carefully told him, "We have allies in the courts. Their lawyer is a known liar and is on the state's radar for breaking just about every ethical rule on the books. Judge Perez is going to hand off the cases to her colleague who just so happens to be stricter than her regarding children's rights and knows their lawyer personally as he has appeared in front of him countless times. He is also known to put parents and lawyers in handcuffs if they get out of line. You have won already, without realizing it." Sitting Mary down, he sighed and explained, "Your case was moved because of Tara and Dr. Allen. She is one of the best doctors you could have but her marriage to Judge Perez makes it impossible to hear the case. She is in support of you and will ensure that Judge Parker keeps things civil. What it really means is she would have sided with you due to the facts which gives him a strong understanding of the case without having to hear a single word or read any motions. Again, you have this won already." Somehow she didn't think that things would be that way. She tearfully told Anthony, "You know that my parents will try to hurt you and when that won't work they'll go right for me. You know that they will send people to hurt me. Please, ensure that Tara is OK if something happens to me. As long as she is alright then what happens to me doesn't matter." Anthony looked over to Ricardo who nodded and had Savannah calling someone for help. She smiled and told them, "The Perez twins are free, as are Miles and David. They know who will be sent and who will try to be hired. Hugh Shyster is making David's job easier, he's at the top of the Attorney General's list of people to take down and hard. Shyster just ensured the wrath of the state fell on him today!" July 22nd, 2025 Mary was awoken by the sound of the doorbell ringing and several men on the porch scowling. She got Anthony awake and had him answer the door. Tara was moved to the attic with Mary holding her tight, trying to keep the little girl calm while unsure herself what was going on. Anthony answered the door and demanded to know who they were and what they wanted, noting that David Peterson and Mile Finn were just out of view on either side of the men ready to strike back to protect Anthony. The men pushed their way inside and punched Anthony hard, then ran upstairs to grab Tara. They had the door to the attic open and were gabbing onto Tara but were knocked unconscious by Anthony and a bat that he pulled out of the closet. The two didn't have a chance to react when they came to, he had the two in a corner and swung the bat at them every time they tried to move toward him. David and Miles were all smiles as they flashed their badges and dragged the men outside to where two awaiting police cruisers were parked. The men were separated and told, "You both are under arrest for assault, breaking and entering, trespassing, attempted kidnapping, and assaulting a minor." The two tried to threaten the state troopers but neither played their game, letting them talk themselves into a corner now that they had chosen to forgo their Miranda Rights. Tara was scared to death, with Mary having trouble keeping her from breaking down and running away from them. She was too scared to go to school and wouldn't let the couple out of her sight. David called his mother to ask her help, Lilly happily told them to bring her to the office and she'd keep Tara with her for the day as her little helper. Tara reluctantly agreed, not wanting her parents to get fired because she was causing them problems at work. Lilly greeted them at Peterson Manufacturing and led Tara to the executive suite, then introduced to a man named Mark Sylvester. Mark was the eastern region director for the Department of Children and Families, or DCF. She was told that he wanted to talk to her to ensure that she was doing alright and it was important for her to talk as the men were connected to her grandparents. She told Mark what happened and why she was so scared, then told him the truth about herself and why her mother was so hated by her grandparents. She wasn't supposed to know any of that but she heard a lot of the angry conversations that Mary had with her parents over Tara, especially when they gave her threats about taking Tara away from her. The calls were constant, they'd call her every three months to ensure that she never tried to contact a certain lawyer or they'd sue for custody of Tara. Mark asked about herself and was told about her life and how she had been treated by people since she had moved to the area from Brockton after her mom lost her job before. She told him everything about her mom struggling to get by until Anthony saved them from being homeless then started to talk about Anthony in a way that caught Mark off guard but went to show that Tara cared more about him than she let on. He wasn't aware of just how close the family were, until she said they got married the day before and filed for her adoption by Anthony. Mark had a lot of what he needed but talked with Lilly about Mary and Anthony as well as Tara. She was to the point, telling him firmly, "The two are in love. It's not puppy love, it's a deep love that existed for years but was quenched when she was forced to give him up due to her family's involvement. I have seen it myself, and if you ask the guys they will say the same- they love one another. It's not a spur of the moment event, they took to one another due to true love. Sure it was under terrible circumstances, but he took her in out of love and is adopting Tara for the very same reason." He followed up by asking about Tara, to which she grinned and told him, "Ask the boys about her. I'm sure you are aware of what they did on Sunday, hell it's a miracle that Marcus wasn't dragged into the fun by Cat. It was good timing that he was out with friends instead of home or he'd be in a dress with you too. Don't think for a second she wouldn't have gotten you to do it as well." He winced at the idea, with Cat Finn being notorious for her antics towards the guys of the family when she wanted to do something. He had seen the pictures, but couldn't bring himself to join them despite it being all in good fun and proving a point to the youngest kids. Marcus would have gone along with it to show that he wasn't going to run from a dress, which his father Mark would have had trouble doing as he himself was afraid of doing it himself. Mark saw the smirk on Lilly's face and winced, she happily told him, "You don't have the arms to pull off some of the dresses Leslie has and your legs are too meaty for her shorter dresses. Don't worry, the kids will let it slide but I don't know if Leslie will. The ladies were talking about it and I almost feel bad for you, Willie, and Dan- you guys might have to find some spectacular way of getting out of this. John set the bar high for what he'd do for the kids, but none of us expect the rest of you to do it so we will accept flowers and chocolates as compensation. Me and Anne are getting spa treatments thanks to Will's insensitivity. He shot his mouth off and upset Johnny, but he made Mary's day by bonding with her so it's only massages and facials instead of the whole works." He let out a sigh of relief, John was the one parent who went above and beyond the call of duty for the kids and grandchildren, he loved them to bits and would do something humiliating to ensure that one of them felt at ease. Tara and the youngest kids learned a lesson that none of them had ever had to teach before: people are more than the clothes that they wear. He didn't care what others felt about him, so long as the kids were safe and happy he'd endure a few hours of personal humiliation. Will had to have hit a raw nerve to earn that punishment, but his anxiety sometimes made his mouth shoot off things that were best left unsaid. Johnny struggled with issues due to being a Finn and Will hit him hard with his words, it'd take months to undo the damage and likely means he would have to be at his grandparents' home for a while as he calmed down after school. Tara might be just what he needs to open up and be himself more often, especially as he sees her as a friend and not just another girl. Mark looked at the scared Tara and knelt down in front of her, telling the girl, "I'm going to tell Judge Parker that you are perfectly safe and happy with Mary and Anthony. It would be hard to go against me as I have backup from Jenna Daniels and Jessica Vincent. You met them and their husbands over the weekend, they are also social workers. And if that wasn't enough, you have met Miles Finn. His and George's mother-in- law is my boss and Jenna's mother and also works for DCF. In fact, she is the head of the DCF and it would be hard to go against her as she knows all about your case." After he left, Lilly had Tara walk with her through the offices and laboratories. She got to see where her parents worked and what they did for a living, then saw Mary hard at work as she mediated complaints by people who were upset over coworkers who did things that aggravated them but weren't violations. it was funny seeing them react to the little girl and chairwoman watching, they immediately realized it was going to be impossible to impose their will over Mary and gave up on their complaints. Over in the labs, Tara kept close to Lilly and smiled as Anthony was deep into a discussion over change in designs to a car's turbocharger design that the company was working on for an experimental electric car. Lilly didn't tell her what it was all about, but was glad to see that Anthony was holding his own against the longstanding engineers and even had them countered and finding it tough to refute his many alterations when it was simple changes that he knew all about. She had to smile at the men not even noticing them, Patrick kept them moving along but stopped long enough to hear the bantering back and forth as Anthony put his foot down on the final design ideas. Over in his office, Patrick tussled Tara's hair and told her what her father was working on and why. She had no idea how important he was to the company and why he was so entrenched in his discussion with people who looked like they were very powerful people. It made her smile knowing that Anthony was a powerful person as well, even if he wasn't as powerful as Patrick was but then he owned the company! At lunch, Tara was taken with them to the restaurant and introduced to the new manager. The staff gave them glares as they realized who Tara was, but Patrick and John pulled them aside and explained to the whole lot just where they, the owners, stood regarding the treatment of people who were different. It was either shut their mouths or they find new jobs- there was no middle ground with them. The only ones who didn't heed the warning were two of the waitresses who were jealous that Mary had gotten not only a better job but a good looking man from her getting Carl Leonard, the former manager of the restaurant, fired. They saw him as a quick lay and easy money, that is if they didn't take him to the cleaners after divorcing him after a quickie marriage and, "Pregnancy" scare. Neither of them knew of Anthony and Mary's previous relationship nor did they know of his marriage to her, making them set themselves up for a humiliating firing soon. When Anthony got up to go to the bathroom, the ladies struck. They asked if he knew about the little girl with Mary and if he was going to let her parade a freak around in public. One seductively told him, "You are too good for a skank who lets her son parade around in dresses. You got two ready, willing, and able girls who would do ANYTHING that you want to us. And I do mean ANYTHING." Anthony wasn't sure if he should laugh, scream, or vomit from the idea of the two girls who were the same age as his sister and nowhere near as good looking as Mary trying to proposition him. He saw the look on John's face and had to laugh, the man was about to blow a coronary but held back as he came to realize that Anthony had this in the bag without having to do anything. Anthony was ready to fight for his wife even if it made someone she knew look like a fool. When he had the proper response, he told the ladies, "You ladies heard John and Patrick earlier. I hope you realize what you just said about someone who is friends with both." The ladies scoffed at him, not believing that he was anything but a fool for going with the tramp with a freak for a kid. Anthony then stated, "I know full well about Tara's situation as my future sister-in-law is like her. I don't care one bit about it, I love that little girl like my own daughter and am proud of her for standing up for herself and proclaiming her true self. What you just offered me is nothing short of prostitution and I am not about to leave my wife for two women with no morals, no sense of decency, and who are just trying to get at me for what they think they can get out of me. You aren't the first girls who have done this, I have endured it for years and refused their offers. I am happily married to your former coworker who I've known since before your birth and will not leave the woman of my dreams for anyone." He knew the words hit hard, he added, "Yes I did say my wife. As in we are married. And that little girl is in the process of becoming my daughter, so you have not only insulted Mary you have insulted a girl who has never met you and who is more of a lady than either of you have shown. I do hope you enjoy your final paycheck as your boss, one of the two owners of this restaurant, is about to fire you." John had to stifle a laugh as the ladies fought for words as they saw him standing behind them. He had a simple smile and proclaimed, "Sign out. Your final paychecks will be mailed to you. And I'll be sure to tell the restaurants and bars in the region just who you ladies really are, prostituting yourselves in the hope of extorting a marriage out of customers is going to haunt you. I'll also tell your parents just what their young daughters are doing when they aren't at home as I have their contact information and know that you will be calling them for help while trying to blame a four-year-old girl for your antics." The ladies left, with Anthony avoiding answering Mary's questions about what took so long. When John joined them he finally cracked and told the others everything, with Patrick laughing hard at the two ladies being so stupid as to not even check to see if they were alone before they pounced on him. It was followed by Mary telling him, "They are lazy and inept, Carl only hired them because he slept with them. Ask anyone about them and you will be lucky to not get laughed at over their terrible skills. The restaurant is better off without them, waitresses are a dime a dozen and there are plenty of people who are more than willing to work hard for the good rates you are paying the waitresses here." An hour later, at a home in Allston, the two fired waitresses were screaming at Carl Leonard about the restaurant and Tara being there in a dress. He listened closely and grinned, then made a phone call to the worst people to contact: the Rileys out in Pittsfield. This was the information that they needed to do the most damage to Mary, this would ensure that Tara was taken away from her and Mary died in a, "Tragic car accident" or, "Sudden heart attack or stroke" as had others who had gotten in their way. Shyster was called and alerted that they had evidence to use against Mary, but was reluctant to go the route that they wanted. Judge Roy Parker was already going to be after him for one case, if he had to endure him again and with a case that was even less likely to work he was putting himself on the line for his clients in a way that could hurt him permanently. He had to be careful, and chose to go about it in a way that would either work spectacularly or would cause his entire life to come crashing down. He made a phone call to one of the local gangs that he had contacts with and gave the instructions on who to go after, when, why, and how. The gang was reluctant to do it but the money was too much to give up on. They needed it to broker a larger deal to get better drugs into their neighborhood and were willing to do anything to get the deal done, even if it meant hurting a kid. The gang spent the day scoping out the area, noting the presence of multiple marked and unmarked cruisers with at least three officers noticed as entering and exiting homes. They never realized that the group had been noted by those same officers as well as the troopers, they stuck out like sore thumbs in the neighborhood and were on the verge of getting questioned but were held back by David Peterson. Miles Finn told the local officers that they were doing recon for a crooked lawyer so weren't really any threat yet but would be kept an eye on by teams until they made a move. The gang were more dangerous than they appeared, rarely did Miles and David underestimate people but they did so with that gang. There was little to lose in going after Tara, they would be paid heavily and would have enough to make a big break into the business but also save for a rainy day when they had to lay low to avoid the cops. They never knew that Shyster would live up to his nickname and planned on double- crossing them the first chance he got making them out to be scapegoats while he got off easy and cashed the Rileys' check from a nice new location after handing off the case to others. The group watched for the rest of the day and into the next day, hoping to catch Tara alone or catch her when she wasn't with others. They followed her everywhere, she was never alone except when she was at the preschool and even then she wasn't truly alone as they couldn't get close due to parents. They had few openings to nab her, it was only at the hospital in Boston where Tara was having her talk with Dr. Allen that they were going to be able to get her and even then they needed to get Anthony away from Mary and Tara so they could manhandle Tara from Mary. For the day Tara had been on edge, feeling like things were going to go bad that afternoon at Dr. Allen's office as she asked about her week. Dr. Allen wasn't like that, but in the little girl's mind it was going to be bad news even if it wasn't. It was just a simple talk, one that she'd have dozens of times for the next two decades as she adjusted to being a girl full-time yet in her mind it was bad news coming. She was scared as she entered the office, but Dr. Gina Allen was all smiles. She insisted that the two sit and talk as she had something important to ask of them. The look on Tara's face was pure fear, but Gina had a way with you that made you feel welcome and wasn't in any danger from her. When both were seated, she asked if Mary would do her and her wife the honor of being their daughter. Mary thought she was joking but Gina look serious and explained to both of them, "I know this is rather abrupt but you made a strong impact on both my wife Martha and I. Martha is concerned about you and I feel for you more than you will ever know. I was once pregnant but lost my child, my family blamed me and my way of life for it and cast me out. I look at you and I see the little girl who could have been and a woman who is in need of love and affection that only a mother can give. Martha has been so busy building her career and then had to work hard to keep her private life separate from her court life that she was unable to have any kids, while my own miscarriage left me barren. You are a good person who was handed a rough go in life, we both have so much but have never had a chance to spread our love. We want to be parents to you if you will let us." Mary was unsure how to react, Gina shed a tear and confessed, "You are the same age as my baby would have been. I see you struggling to be a good mother to Tara and can't help but feel like I should help you more than I can do now. I know we can't replace your parents, but we felt that you need people to talk to whom you didn't feel that you had to appease. Martha has known the Finns for seven years and knows that they can be amazing people but are overwhelming. We want to help you, if you let us." Mary was crying now, with Tara unable to say anything. After several minutes, she asked, "Are you both sure that you want to do this? Tara is going to cause you a lot of headaches by association with us. I am able to endure it, but I don't want you two hurt because of us." Gina smiled and hugged her, kissing her forehead and telling her affectionately, "Enduring is what you are supposed to do as parents. You don't push your children aside when they are inconveniencing you, you stand up for them and stand by them to support them and help them. What your parents did to you is despicable. They forced you into a marriage with a known philanderer then cut you off when he was no longer convenient to them. And for what? Money? That is even worse." She smiled and further explained, "We had to do some checking into your situation and came across a few interesting details about your family that they wanted to keep hidden from you. You inherited a lot of money and you will get what you rightfully earned, your lawyers saw to it. Your aunt is a vicious attack dog when she is protecting her family. Martha talked with her already after we found out about your financial situation, you are in the clear legally and nobody will prevent you from receiving what is rightfully yours. Congratulations, you are a millionaire! You inherited $15 million and will receive it in full tomorrow when your aunt officially files paperwork with the executor on your behalf." Mary was dumbfounded, she then started to cry as she realized who it came from and why. Tara asked why she was crying, to which Mary explained, "My grandmother left me that money. She hated dad and wanted me and your uncle to have a life of our own. Dad pampered your uncle and treated me like I am less than human simply because I was a woman. Mom was no better, she was angry at grandma for not letting her inherit everything since she was her only child. Mom and dad must have given the money to your uncle but Aunt Beverly got it for me." Mary showed a picture to Gina which caused Gina to shed a tear and tell her, "She's my aunt Judy. I am not letting you get away again, you two are family to me by blood. I meant what I said about being your mother if you will have us, but I am proud to be your aunt Gina instead." Mary hugged her tightly, then asked if she could have a couple of days to think about it. Tara didn't want to wait and told Gina, "You can be her mommy. She needs a mommy. Rose and Sydney have one in Mrs. Stoner, mommy needs one too." Mary was steadily crying and told her, "Yes, I'll be your daughter. I'll sign whatever you need. I am your family no matter what. Thank you, it means the world to me that you care about us enough to do this." Gina let her calm herself then explained, "I have to transfer care of Tara to my colleague, Dr. Alison Eliza. She is well aware of Tara and will treat her well. She has years of experience as a doctor and parent of girls like Tara. I'm sure Tara has probably met Hunter and Bailey already." Tara nodded furiously, then told her, "And Trinity too. She's gotten pretty, Hunter said she has really big boobies now." Mary flinched while Gina added, "She's a good kid, she's just taken to hormones quickly. It's in her genetics, but she does take after her mother Katie a little much for her own good at times." Gina walked them out and explained the situation to Anthony, who was silent but it was due to him not wanting to say something to upset the trio. Tara was happy and walked out ahead of the couple as they yelled at her to slow down, with Tara not trying to act like she was paying attention. She was running on autopilot and having fun at their expense. They got as far as the parking lot when Tara was grabbed by a group of men. Anthony tried to chase them down but they were into a van and gone in seconds. Mary was screaming while Anthony was on the phone to the police, begging for help and hoping that Tara would be OK. Tara was bound and gagged by her four attackers. The men were so sure of themselves that they never wore masks and two of them were known to both police as well as the hospital as they had once been employed at the hospital. They used their contacts at the hospital to get inside the parking lot unnoticed and were ignored by the hospital police officers as they gave a hefty fee to let them be there and ignore any complaints about them loitering. The men saw their faces circulating within minutes as police throughout the region were alerted and the media showed their pictures as well as Tara's picture. David and Miles were angry at themselves over being so sure of the actions of the men, but they were saved by their lieutenant realizing there was only one place for the four men to take Tara: the Riley house. She sent word to her counterparts out in the Pittsfield area to expect the duo to work out of there until Tara was found and the group brought to justice, casually letting slip that Tara had overwhelming firepower so no antics would be accepted by the Berkshire County DA's office detachment nor the Lee barracks. The van used was found abandoned an hour after the abduction in an industrial lot in Stow, but for the State Police there was no video of the new vehicle used entering or leaving the lot. Tara's fate hinged on the troopers keeping an eye on the Rileys and Shyster, as the latter had to have been involved as the Riley family was too smart to use the foursome directly but Shyster wasn't. Shyster was arrogant to the core and would use anyone and anything possible to get his way, even if it was a foolish move by him. The Rileys had land that could be used to hide someone, as well as farmland miles from the center of the city that made escaping hard to do. The four dumped Tara with the Rileys and received payment from Shyster, then made for home but were caught in the middle of Pittsfield speeding through a stoplight by a local cop. It was a tense few minutes as the officer called in their IDs and got positive hits for arrest warrants out of Boston. The officer had to make it look like he was having computer issues then radio issues as he waited for backup. He then weaseled his way into keeping them there until they were surrounded and had state troopers at the ready to arrest them. The foursome were desperate to get away, but didn't realize that it was already too late for them until they saw lights flashing all around them from state police cruisers. The four were working hard at trying to keep cool until they saw Miles and David, two men that they knew by sight and by reputation. It didn't help that Miles had gone to school with them and had been one of the few who escaped their housing projects without succumbing to a life of crime and drugs, the person they secretly wished to be but never got the chance due to their own laziness. Miles didn't say a word, David announced, "You four are hereby under arrest for kidnapping and assault on a minor." The four had nowhere to go, nobody to help them, and a stash of cash in the car with them as well as a few pictures of Mary, Anthony, and Tara sitting out in the open. They surrendered without a fight, it was suicide if they tried to fight back and not worth it for Shyster's measly money. He would sell them out in a heartbeat, they weren't going to get life in prison for some scumbag's shady deals. At the Lee barracks, the four started begging for deals to avoid kidnapping charges. David and Miles listened to what they had to say but didn't make any deals, they ignored the complaints of the ADA who was hearing the case especially when he started to threaten them over detaining the men. Miles smiled and told him, "You know already that this is being recorded, you just gave up that you are part of this. I am sure our boss will love hearing how you threatened two state troopers who are investigating crimes that started in Suffolk County and that ended here. You had no reason to even be here- it's our office who is handling this case due to it crossing county lines." David led the man out and listened as he threatened them, this time saying that they'd never leave the town alive. The troopers close by slapped handcuffs on the ADA and escorted him to a cell while the DA was informed that he had a rat problem that the Attorney General was going to exterminate and that he had better not interfere or it'd be his head on a platter next to his ADA's head. The tone was clear, if he interfered in any way he'd have to face Angela Victor, the Attorney General of Massachusetts, in court over his pending removal for violating the rights of victims as well as using his office to threaten police officers actively investigating crimes against members of his office. The DA recalled the ADA and left the ADA with a dire warning: try to do anything against the duo and the whole of his familial connections would be exposed. The DA didn't need to do that, it was already told to David in minutes by another ADA who asked to speak to them. The ADA was related to Mary's mother, and had a bone to pick with her over Mary getting money she didn't deserve from his aunt. David gasped in shock, then laughed as the man was going to be ripped to shreds in court as Gina and Martha would never let him get away without punishment. He was Gina's nephew, after all, and he was trying to allow someone who was blood to him to be hurt and possibly killed. Once word reached Gina, it would be impossible to keep Martha from ensuring that both the DA and Angela Victor prosecuted. With that unpleasantness aside, David worked on search warrants for Shyster's office, home, mistress' home, and the Riley properties. It was going to take a while and the judges would be weary of letting an outsider get the warrants, but when backup came in the form of Kennedy Pena, Miles' aunt and the deputy attorney general, things moved along. Kennedy was slow to get there due to having to work with Gina and Martha to first establish a connection then show that the family used the courts to their advantage and Mary and Tara were getting railroaded by someone in the DA's office. Kennedy's arrival marked a change in the case as she got every document in the courthouse that related to Mary, Tara, the Rileys, the Allens, and even the Russos found, copied, and secured. Kennedy left no stone unturned and uncovered a long list of things that the Riley family were in trouble over: it went beyond extortion and kidnapping, it now included fraud, embezzlement, and corruption. The more she read, the more the Riley family was sitting on a mountain of stolen cash belonging to Mary and Gina. Mary had inherited more than just $15 million from her grandmother, she had inherited her property and the antiques inside. They were to be kept or donated by her and her alone and were valued at well over another $5 million by trusted appraisers. That was in addition to her having been given the full inheritance should her parents try to defraud her, with her brother being cut off if he didn't find a stable job, go to college, or join the military by the time he was 22. Her brother had never joined the military nor had he found a stable job and he was a terrible student in high school so was never able to get into any kind of college, he was 21 going on 22 and had never worked a day in his life. He lived off of the inheritance illegally, he actually owed Mary thousands. The Riley family was about to face questions that they had no answers to regarding Mary's wealth. That wasn't the worst part, the worst part was defrauding Gina out of her own inheritance. She was the youngest among the cousins and the one who had gotten the most. Her aunt knew that she was a lesbian and chose to give her a boost in life as she would have the toughest life among her family. Gina inherited $2 million and was given land that had increased to $10 million, with Gina's money put into a trust fund for her that was only to go to her children. The money was collected by Mrs. Riley, but was done without the knowledge of Gina and the property was being used by the Rileys for their own use with land sold illegally and no money going to the real owner. Kennedy had to smirk as the Rileys were in a legal mess that would see them sued by the unknowing buyers due to the illegal sale. The search warrants were issued and saw the group split-up among state troopers, deputy sheriffs, and trusted local officers who had no ties to the Rileys nor Shyster and who were happy to help. It would be a long evening, but they would find Tara even if they had to search every house in the Pittsfield area. She wouldn't escape their grasp, they wouldn't let her get used as a pawn no matter what. Tara knew not to move unless she had to. The drive to Pittsfield was long and boring, she could barely move her hands thanks to the duct tape used on her wrists. It was easier to just lay still and try to rest, it would be a long day and night as she worked her way out of the restraints. She had been duct taped before, a babysitter did it to her when she was being watched when her mom had to work really late once and her normal babysitter was unavailable. It hurt but she learned that she could break the tape if she did certain things at the right moment. She was a smart girl, she noticed that it wasn't as strong as it seemed and if you did a certain motion with your arms you'd break free easily. When they arrived at where they were heading, Tara broke her bonds and made a run for it. She was hit from behind by a large man then dragged kicking and screaming back into the house, with a woman yelling at her to shut her trap. Tara stopped but didn't lose her resolve to flee when she could. Nick Riley and his wife Fay tried to look imposing but Tara had seen bigger men than Nick and Fay was small and frumpy and couldn't really hurt her if she tried. Tara recognized them immediately, it was hard to not see his mother in Nick and Dr. Allen had a lot of similarities to Fay. Tara stood tall herself and was ready to move if they tried to strike, making them focus on her escapes while she had them waste time trying to corral her into one place. Nick got her cornered while Fay duct taped her hands again, clearly not learning from her first break. It was annoying to Tara to be related to them, but she knew that not everybody was their relatives. She had to bide her time until she could escape, she would just get hurt trying to fight them continuously. It was going to take her a long time, but she also knew that someone would be out looking for her soon and she'd be rescued and returned to her parents. She didn't know who it would actually be or when they'd come, but they would be looking for her soon. She would wait, she would use her opening when she had it, then she'd escape and seek safety. Things got hectic late that evening as the State Police investigated the house with a dozen troopers and local officers. David was leading the search and couldn't find her in the house, the Rileys had hidden her in a spot that was hard to notice and easily hidden- behind a false wall in a room in the middle of the house. David noticed the duct tape discarded on the floor and what looked to be dust scrapes near the wall but without further evidence he couldn't tear the house apart especially in a place that had a lot of local support for the Rileys while he and Mile had few allies. The Rileys felt like they had gotten off easy, but David wasn't letting up. He had Miles keep an eye on the property and wait for Tara to make her move. His gut told him that she wasn't one to let them scare her and she would find a way out after the Rileys let their guard down again. When the officers left the house, Nick forced Tara into the basement but made no effort to stop her from getting out of the window or storm doors nearby. Nick was so arrogant he boasted that they'd have her in Canada the next day while the staties twiddled their thumbs trying to get a clue. She ignored his rants, she knew full well she wasn't truly alone and troopers were watching the property in case she did make a break for freedom. Fay had little patience for Tara and stripped her of her clothes, handing her old boys clothes to wear to which Tara flung back at her. She growled at Tara, "You will wear what I give you, little boy, or you will be beaten to within an inch of your life. Put those on or go naked, it's your only choice." Tara just smirked, peed on the boys clothes, then tossed them back at her to show that she she'd rather be naked than wear boys clothing again. They couldn't hurt her any more than they already had, she didn't care about nudity so long as she wasn't wearing boys clothing anymore. She refused to be a boy no matter what they said, she was her own person and wouldn't give in to them no matter what. Truth be told, it worked to her advantage as she didn't want to snag her clothes on any branches or on the window. She was willing to endure scrapes and bruises, all that mattered to her was escaping her crazed grandparents. She didn't mind being naked either, she had a known nudist streak that she kept from Anthony but Mary knew all too much about. She waited until she couldn't hear any sounds of movement then waited until the only sounds were of two snoring people. She decided enough time had passed and made her move, slipping out through the ignored basement window and out the back towards the woods and an adjacent property. She then ran at full speed towards the city, but didn't have to go far as she was stopped at the edge of the property by the awaiting Miles and David as well as the State Police surveillance team. Miles hugged her tight as she cried into his shoulder, then led her off to a cruiser and gave her a blanket to keep warm. David grinned and called in the find, then led the full team with SWAT gear to the house and arrested the couple. Inside, they found the hidden room and Tara's clothes, as well as a mountain of incriminating evidence as they seized their cellphones and laptops which happened to show emails to Shyster about the girl and what to do with her now that they had possession of her as well as their own plans to run her up to Canada to keep her away from the police until they could dispose of her. Tara was taken to a hospital and had her arms checked out, then saw the doctors complain about them calling Tara by her chosen name instead of her given name. Miles growled, "She's been diagnosed by a psychiatrist as being transgender so you will abide by the laws and treat her as such. Your opinions on transgender patients is noted and will be seeing complaints filed by her mother and father." Miles was replaced by Kennedy who stated, "Her medical files are up to date so you have no right to do any complaining. You are hereby removed from all care of this patient. Further, I understand now why you are having an issue with her care- Dr. Allen is it? Ah, that explains everything. Your relative is the one who did the initial diagnosis and her colleague gave the confirmation to her parents." Miles nodded and saw the doctor out, with Kennedy telling Tara, "He's your new grandmother's cousin. Your former grandmother had a lot of cousins and a lot of them hate girls like you. It's annoying, but it is still a long way from girls like us being accepted by everyone." Tara's eyes widened, with Kennedy smiling at her as she realized Kennedy was transgender too. Mary and Anthony called her to ask about Tara's well-being, with Kennedy happily telling them, "Just a couple of scratches but she's fine. She knew how to escape duct tape, she's getting a bit too smart for her own good but it worked out for the best for all of you." The duo were en-route to the hospital and had Gina and Martha with them. Kennedy asked if that was wise, Mary let out a sigh and explained, "They know more than we will ever know about my family and don't want anything further to happen to her. I can't say no to them, they showed more concern to me in six hours of consoling us than mom and dad ever showed to me in 18 years. I can't refuse my new mom and mother, they need to do this for us as much as I need them close to us." At the hospital, Tara was being released. As she was walking with the troopers, several more men tried to get at her and caused her to run off for her own safety while the troopers dealt with half of the men in a struggle to arrest them. The remaining men chased her through the hospital and had her cornered in a stairwell causing her to need to jump down to get away from them quickly. She jumped, but landed hard on the railing, with her legs "splitting the uprights" as Anthony and David would claim. She was stunned and in pain as the impact ripped open her perineum, bleeding heavily but making the men chasing her flinch and become confused as to what to do now that she was hurt badly. It was long enough to get captured by the rushing troopers, who angrily arrested them and moved them away from the barely conscious Tara. Tara was in pain and barely coherent and was going to need immediate surgery to close the wound. The doctors looked her over and moved her to an exam room under heavy guard, with the troopers making a wall surrounding her while local officers cleared the floor of anyone who wasn't a patient. Tara was in and out of consciousness as the pain got worse and worse, moaning as she finally passed out. The doctors feared the worst and had her pelvis x-rayed to see if any bones were broken then sent her to the surgeons to see how much work she needed beyond stitches. The x-rays were clean but did show some shadowing that needed their immediate interest as they felt it could be internal hemorrhaging or something worse. An ultrasound and MRI were requested for her pelvic region and after a long delay, they had their answers. Mary was called into a conference room with the doctors and surgeons, with Gina with her to help her understand what they were saying. Mary sat down, she was shown the results and had a gasp release from Gina's mouth. The lead doctor told her firmly, "These are images of your daughter just taken as she was undergoing treatment. They aren't what you'd expect for a four-year-old male child." She looked at Gina for clarification, the doctor explained, "Your son never existed. Based on the images that we see, your daughter was born with a penis and pseudo-testicles. Her penis is just a malformed clitoris, with her urethra apparently not fully forming. It's an extremely rare disorder, but it does happen to children. Congratulations, Tara Riley is not in any way transgender- she's a female. She doesn't have a uterus though, but she does have everything else that a woman has and with your permission we will send her east to be operated on by experts so she can be the girl she truly is inside." All Mary could do was cry, Gina explained to her, "It's for the best. She deserves peace of mind and she will grow up to become a woman even if she won't experience all of the drawbacks each month. You will be a grandmother, even if it takes a lot of help to do it." She signed the forms, with Gina hugging her as she wept. Outside, Anthony was escorted in and told the news leading to him crying over the wonderful stroke of luck for Tara. She was going to come out of this mess better than ever and be the girl she was born to be.